#there was um. This one roleplay in particular that I did with her that I still think about to this day as literally like. The worst

[dollgxtz]

Getting Closer

Word Count: 4.6k

Tags: sylus x fem!reader, cnc, stalking roleplay, rough sex, taunting, home invasion roleplay, crying, pet names like kitten, and sweetie, spanking

AN: Hiii again! Tyvm for 900 notes on my last story!!! I didn't think dark romance content with Sylus would be popular with ppl (I keep seeing convos about people mis-characterizing him). But honestly I think people should write him however they see fit!! I love seeing different interpretations! However, one things for certain. This man is definitely into primal play and no one can convince me other wise. This is loosely based on the midnight stealth story where he says "You're pretty good at running away" and "I truly enjoy watching my little prey struggle, especially when it thinks it can escape from me"

AHHHH ENOUGH TYPING ENJOYYYYY!!! (✿˶’◡˘)♡

Its a late evening and you and your dearest coworker Tara (who you basically considered your bestie at this point) were having a delicious dinner at one of the most high rated restaurants in Linkon. What was the occasion? Nothing special actually, Tara was just an intense foodie and felt the need to drag you to practically every restaurant in the city when she was feeling a particular craving. Not that you minded, it was actually nice to get to do something other than fighting for once. The Wanderers had been getting more frequent lately, and it seemed like every other day you were being called to fight them off.

Tara was busy chatting away about her own exhaustion from work, how badly her last haircut had gone, and some guy she had met on the subway that couldn't seem to leave her alone. You could only giggle as she went on and on about him. Despite her obvious distaste for the guy, you thought he actually seemed pretty well rounded. You had been hesitating on telling her about Sylus. You didn't worry that he was going to leave you for Tara, nothing ridiculous like that. He was just...hard to explain. I mean what could you say?

"Oh yeah, I'm dating the leader of Onychinus, yeah the one that escaped from space prison and rules the N109 Zone...did I mention he probably owns this restaurant? But don't worry he's SUCH a sweet guy if you get to know him!"

Yeah...probably wouldn't go well. You let out an exasperated sigh, looking out of the restaurants tall window. It was a bit chilly tonight, no doubt it would start snowing soon. You turn to Tara again, whose still in the middle of her stories of her bad dates. You're about to ask her if she's ready for the check when your phone rings.

Tara gets a dangerous look in her eye and before you can even blink she snatches your phone off the table and abruptly answers.

"Is this the mysterious handsome boyfriend my friend wont tell me about?" she coos, blocking your attempts to grab your phone. "Tara!! Please!" you exclaim, trying your hardest to not get the attention of the other patrons.

You feel your ears heat up as you get up from the booth. She laughs at something he says as you finally get your device from her grasp. She huffs in amusement from her little joke. You put the phone to your ear to hear Sylus chuckling a bit.

"Sorry ...um, what did you want?" you say lowly, trying to get yourself together.

"I'm guessing that's...Tessa?" Sylus says, clearly amused by the situation. He's got that...tone in his voice. The one he uses when he's toying with you. You feel your face heat up, trying to keep your cool with Tara watching close next to you.

"Tara" you correct, coldly, shooting her a death glare. "She's still got a few screws loose clearly". She giggles at this comment and you sigh.

"She seems pretty funny to me"

"What did you want? I was just about to head ho-"

"I really like your hair today, kitten" Sylus says, his voice seemingly lower and...dark?

You feel the hairs on your neck stand up, immediately you begin to scan the restaurant. He hasn't seen you today at all...is he in the restaurant? Is Mephisto outside somewhere tattling again? You scan everywhere but no sight of either one of them.

"Cat got your tongue sweetie?"

You swallow, turning back to the phone. "I see you have nothing better to do than send that damn bird to spy on me again. I'm taking him apart when I find him" you say, trying your hardest to sound calm.

Tara tilts her head in confusion, and you give her an awkward grin. Dammit. You'll have to explain it off as an inside joke or something later. Sylus chuckles again on the other end, sending a million thoughts racing in your head.

"Who said anything about Mephisto? He's back at home, probably resting".

"Then how..." your voice trails off, the words seemingly stuck in your throat. Curse this man, always playing his stupid mind games with you.

"What do you mean how? I can see you of course. How else would I know sweetie?"

Ah...so he is here. He's just hiding from you, probably enjoying the look of your panicked face and you wiping your sweaty palms on your skirt.

"That skirt will roll up pretty easy don't you think, kitten?" Sylus says, drawing out every syllable. You can hear the smile through the phone and it infuriates you. But it also forms a knot in your stomach from excitement. He's got you right where he wants you clearly.

You suddenly hang up on him, barely able to bear the tension forming in you heart and stomach. You sigh and turn your attention back to your very worried coworker. "Um...sorry. I think we should probably get the check don't you think? Its late haha..." you trail off, trying to look less stressed. What was that idiot thinking?? There's no way you were gonna do that in public. You try looking through the window again, trying to spot even a tall silhouette somewhere but nothing...where is he???

You feel cold fingers touch your shoulder, and you whip your head to face Tara. "I'm sorry if I made you upset...or him. Is everything okay with you both?" she asks, her brows furrowed in confusion. Your head spins trying to come up with some explanation for your panic. Is there even a good excuse? No way you could tell her that its some kind of sex game you both indulge in right???

"Umm, look its fine!! Nothing to worry about Tara, I forgive you" you say quickly, gathering your things into your bag. "I have to go though, lets get the check yeah?"

Tara, albeit still puzzled, nods her head in agreement. "Lets meet here again next week! But please, if you ever need to talk to me I'm here okay?" she says softly, before leaning in to give you a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. You both chat for a bit before the waiter comes with the check, bidding each other goodbye once the bill was settled.

You open the door to the restaurant and shiver as the crisp, early winter air envelopes your body. It wasn't nearly this cold earlier and you curse yourself for picking this stupid thin skirt to wear. The sun has long set and its dark. The moon gives the street a nice glow however, which settles your nerves a little.

Your phone rings.

You stop dead in your tracks, debating if you should even pick up. With shaky fingers, you finally answer.

"You know I don’t like being hung up on, where’s your manners hm?" Sylus asks. You glance over your shoulder, half expecting to see his annoying grin, but there's nothing there. You nod absentmindedly and murmur a quick "whatever" as you keep walking. Maybe if you stay quiet, you’ll catch the sound of his footsteps and figure out his location?

"You're close...aren't you Sylus?" you say, trying to sound confident in your question. In all honesty you had no idea.

"Obviously. I can smell that vanilla perfume I love so much. You should wear it more often"

"Its not really that good of a scent, too sweet. I don't like it..." you mutter, voice shaking as you walk. You hear a crunch behind you and you whip your head around. Unfortunately, its just some stray cats scurrying about near some trash cans. You cant tell whether your relieved or more frightened that its not Sylus.

"We both know that's not true. You always wear it on our dates..." he chuckles through the phone, as if it finds it amusing. "Always trying to impress me, how cute”.

Ah, so he did notice. You found it kind of freaky how observant he was sometimes. He probably knew you better than yourself at times. But this confirmed something very important. He was close, close enough to smell you. Did you pass by him by accident and didn't notice? You start walking a bit faster, hoping to catch the last subway home before in leaves the station.

"Zip it" you growl into the phone. You look up ahead, spotting some mirrors being displayed in some glass displays. Ah hah...maybe you'll see glimpses of him if you stop by?

You abruptly stop in front of one of the mirrors, pretending to admire your appearance.

"Do you think I should wear my hair like this more often Sylus?" you ask, narrowing your eyes to look in the reflection. There is someone, but its not Sylus. Just a disheveled looking guy smoking a cigarette.

"Using the reflection are we? What a clever little kitten you are...~"

He hangs up.

You spin around, hoping to catch sight of him. I mean c'mon, he's over 6ft, wide shoulders, and white hair. He should be easy to spot, even in the dark. But again, nothing.

But you know he's still watching you. You can feel it. You begin to hug yourself, partly out of fear but also out of being cold. You needed to hurry if you didn't want to be stuck walking the rest of the way to your apartment.

Part of you didn't want to admit it but this was exciting. You liked Sylus when he was sweet yes...but you liked it more when he was dangerous. You keep up a slightly fast pace, trying to keep your head on a swivel. You battle between feeling scared and confident, your stomach in shambles.

You turn your head as you enter the crowd of people waiting to board the subway. All of them seemingly tired and needing somewhere to be. You swipe your subway pass through the gate lock and it opens.

Your phone rings again, and out of instinct you hang up on him. Then you get an idea. You call back.

The distinct ring tone of Sylus's phone can barely be heard over the noise of people chattering but you hear it!! You strain to hear it but it only rings once before he picks up.

"You always manage to impress me with how clever you are. Too bad it won't save you in the end...will it?" Sylus chuckles.

"Quit talking and stop hiding prick" you spat, looking around.

"Ah ah ah, patience sweetie. Unless you want me to take what's mine in front of all these people?"

You can tell by Sylus's tone that he's losing his resolve. More importantly his patience. No doubt he'd be turning up the intensity of yall's little game very soon. You shiver, imagining you pinned underneath him, whining and mewling from his cock while people pass.

"What's your plan kitten?" he asks, the sounds of brakes and doors opening echoing through the phone. "I know where you live, I know what turns you make, what your street looks like. You know you can't outrun me"

"Ha, well I know that you cant hide forever, Sylus" you say triumphantly. You step onto the subway, trying your hardest to push past people.

That's when you see it. The white hair, the red eyes. Your gazes find each other almost instantly. Despite walking into your trap, Sylus's mouth forms an almost villainous grin and he starts taking strides towards you. The door shuts behind him.

You hang up.

Thankfully, people pile behind you, giving you some cover from him. You turn your head over your shoulder, watching him closely. He's wearing a black turtleneck with a brown winter jacket made somewhat of leather. He's broad, and tall and yet blends in fine with the people around him.

You watch as he scans every face and seat he passes. You attempt to back up but are met with a few disgruntled people telling you to stop pushing. You're trapped. Panicking, you try to think. Maybe you could get off a stop early? No, he'd definitely get to your place before you. You have to get home and lock the doors, maybe barricade if you have to. All you can do is think to press yourself against the glass doors to hopefully be the first one off.

You turn around, and realize he's staring you down intently. Somehow he had made his way right behind you without you noticing. He towers above you, blocking your view of other people.

Shit shit shit.

His expression, once smug, now drops. His eyes glare at you from under his brow. You feel frozen, like a deer in headlights. Like true prey. All you can think to do in the moment is turn back around, avoiding his gaze. Sure, he's got you pinned now. But he won't do anything with all these people around right?

You feel him lean down, breath hot against your ear.

"Did you really think you could escape from me?" he growls, trailing a finger down the curve of your spine. You shiver from his touch, your instincts screaming at you to bolt away from him immediately.

"I do like to play with my prey a little...but you know I always find you" he says, resting a hand on your hip now. Your shaking now, whether from fear or excitement, you don't really know. He's so close you can feel the hardness of his erection against your ass. He's definitely at his limit now.

Not wanting him to think he's won just yet, you remain silent and whip your head away from him. You look at the faces of your fellow passengers but no one seems to notice you. They're all busy engrossed in their phones or conversations.

"No ones going to help you kitten". He mocks. He gets even closer, resting his arm on the wall beside you, angling his body so no one can see you. He takes his free hand and slides it under your shirt, caressing your soft tummy, up to your belly button, eventually settling on the roundness of your breasts.

You desperately try to reach up to remove his hands but of course to no avail, it doesn't work. You feel heat rising to your face...but not only there. An aching, hot feeling in the core of your stomach and between your legs engulfs you.

"Sylus...really? Here?" you ask, voice shaking, trying your best to hold in a whimper. Sylus doesn't answer, only continuing touch your breasts. His thumb and index finger rests on one of your nipples, pinching it slightly. You nearly drop to the ground, pain and pleasure sweeping through your core.

'What's wrong? I can touch you wherever and whenever I please" he says plainly, continuing his assault on your nipple. "You're mine".

As if trying to prove a point, his hands comes off your breast and dips underneath your skirt. He swiftly but roughly begins to press his fingers against your pussy over the fabric of your underwear. You gasp at the suddenness of the assault, your knees threatening to buck underneath you. You grab his wrist in an attempt to stop him but he ignores you.

"I should just take you right here. What do you think sweetie?" he whispers in your ear, clearly enjoying the sight of your distraught face.

As if the universe decided to grant mercy on you, the robotic voice of the intercom suddenly announces the name of your stop.

The doors open. You lose your balance, but quickly recover before you eat gravel. You don't even bother to look behind you, you just start bolting, trying to put as much distance between you and Sylus as you can.

"Aww, kitten where are you going? We're just getting started" Sylus chimes from behind you. No doubt not even bothering to chase after you. You knew he'd catch up in his own ways. Ignoring him, you keep bolting, all that track during high school thankfully being good for something.

You make a sharp turn into an alley, your stamina beginning to falter but you know you cant stop. Your phone rings, and in a burst of anger you answer.

"Quit calling!" your voice a mix of anger, desperation and fear, which gives Sylus a good chuckle once more. He's completely unphased by your little tantrum.

"I must ask, why pick an alley? Are you trying to make this easy for me?" he teases.

You turn your head, almost gasping when you see the familiar silhouette of Sylus.

Then he moves. Long, quick strides and he's already closed the distance between you two. He's whistling a familiar tune, no doubt from one of his many records. You recognize it almost immediately, its one of your favorites. But now rather than soothing, its just rather unnerving.

You snap out of your frozen state and keep bolting, narrowly missing Sylus's attempt to grab your hair.

"My kitten is still fairly quick, I see. Good job sweetie" he praises, his footsteps still not far behind you. You know his words are made mockingly. He could've easily grabbed you with his Evol if he wanted to. He's simply toying with you now. Playing with his food.

You turn sharply out of the alleyway, the sight of the gates to your apartment building in view. Safety. Its so close. A rush of adrenaline courses through your veins. The wind whips past your face as you push your body past its limits. The night is even colder now with the sweat pouring all down your body. Your hair is even sticking to your neck and face now but all you can think about is bolting up the stairs and locking yourself away.

You made it to the base of the stairs, wasting no time to run up the stairs. There it is.

You hear footsteps behind you.

The door. Now. GO. You dash through your doorway, cursing yourself about why the door was even unlocked in the first place. But in this situation? It was a blessing in disguise.

That was the fastest you had ever locked a door in your life. You scanned the room making quick work of pushing the sofa against the door and a few chairs.

You collapse.

Your breathes come in uneven, staccato bursts, sweat having drenched your shirt by now. You rip it off over your head, the clamminess unbearable. Now only in your bra and skirt, you're able to breathe a bit. As you start to collect your thoughts, you freeze.

Wait. The balcony.

Fuck.

You get up quickly, rounding the corner to lock the balcony doors. Thankfully, they're still shut when you reach over to lock it.

Yes!! You won?? Did he give up?

There's nothing but silence and the sound of your ac humming for a few short moments. You start to question if Sylus actually did leave you alone, when your phone suddenly rings. You answer it. confidence ringing in your voice.

"I win Sylus. Thanks for the little game though" you retort, still attempting to catch your breath.

"Are you sure about that?" He asks. His voice is cool and calm. "How sure are you that you got to the balcony before I did?"

"Wha-I would've heard you Sylus..." you say with uncertainty. You weren't sure anymore. You look around. Your apartment isn't the biggest. No way he got in here without you noticing.

"Would you have heard me?"

"Pfft. You don't scare me" you spat, backing away from the balcony doors.

You hear him chuckle. "I guess I almost had you didn't I?". You make your way towards your the middle of your living room.

"Say...what do you think would've happened if I caught you kitten?"

Your thoughts stir in your nearly silent apartment. You aren't sure how to answer him, anxiety knotting in your stomach. You start making your way to your bedroom, with your face towards the balcony, watching it with intensity.

"Surprise...~"

You nearly jump out of your skin, a scream ripping through your throat as large arms wrap around your waist and lift you. Sylus is quick to cover your mouth, dragging your kicking and distraught form towards your bedroom.

He got in before you. Of course he did. He can be lightening fast after all.

You bite his hand, hard. He simply chuckles, causing you to get even more desperate.

"Let me go!" you yell.

"Sure sweetie" he drops you to the ground, giving you a small window of opportunity to run. You try, but he instantly grabs your hair, twisting it into his grip. You yelp, tears forming from the sudden pain. The more you struggle the more it hurts. You desperately try removing his hand but of course he doesn't budge.

He watches you with a pitiful look, rolling his eyes.

"So fucking predictable, as usual"

He starts dragging you across the hard marble floor. Your scalp feels like its on fire, each and every strand being stressed with every pull. He finally reaches your bedroom, wasting no time to bend you over the bed. You push back against him, attempting to kick him. He pulls your head back by your hair. You nearly scream, letting out a sob. Tears stream down your face as you try to look at him, pleading.

"Please, I'm sorry. Please don't" you beg. He simply laughs. You feel his Evol wrapping around you.

"None of those are safe words sweetie"

You choke back on tears. You're practically soaked now. And it wasn't sweat. You feel utterly helpless, trapped underneath him, begging to be freed. He reaches up a hand, undoing the clasps of your bra with one hand. Its falls off your chest effortlessly, leaving you exposed.

"Thanks for making this part easy. Though this skirt is still in the way" he mutters. He pins you to the bed, rolling your skirt up to reveal the skin of your ass.

"Sylus...please" you whimper. Your only answer from him is the sudden sting from a sudden slap to the ass. You yelp in pain, the hot achiness between your legs rising. He rips your underwear in two with swiftness.

"Sylus, please" he mocks, you can hear the grin on his face. 'Telling me you don't want this and yet your dripping all down your leg"

He slides a finger along your cunt, making your legs buck. He rolls a finger around your cunt a few times, earning a symphonies of moans from you. You're already desperate to cum and he's barely done anything to you. Breath ragged, legs shaking, your about to beg him to let you finish when he suddenly pulls away.

???

You're confused until you hear the sound of his belt unbuckle. Is he...going to fuck you already? Not that your disappointed at all. You brace yourself for a sudden intrusion when your met with the sharp sting. You yelp, the surprise of the attack sending shivers down your body. But he doesn't stop, he hits your ass again. And again. Then again. And again.

You feel like your about to pass out. The pain is overwhelming all your senses. But part of you doesn't want him to stop. Your sure you have belt shaped bruises littering your ass by now. The tears have completely clouded your vision. You cant see a thing.

"You're so pretty when you cry sweetie. So pretty~". Sylus reaches a hand up to your faces and wipes some tears away. He leans over, lifting your chin to look up at him.

"Are you doing okay?" his tone is soft, his expression a mix of wonder and worry. You nod enthusiastically, letting him know you're still enjoying this.

"Aw. Lets change that shall we?" he says, his soft expression turning into a smug grin. Your smile drops and your heart starts pound again.

This bastard.

He gives you one last hard whip to the ass before you hear the belt drop to the floor. Then the sound of him unzipping of his pants follows. Your pulse quickens in anticipation. You can't move though, his evol keeping you firmly in place. He puts his hand back in your hair, tugging just enough to remind you of your place beneath him. You feel him align his hips with yours.

"Sylus, I-"

Then he's pushing into you. You're so wet that all it takes is one fluid motion and he's in. Doesn't hurt any less though. You stifle a scream, trying desperately through your tears to beg him to pull out. His pace is deep and slow. It feels almost akin to torture. The head of his cock presses against your g-spot, building a painful high in your abdomen. The hour of teasing and adrenaline rush has you beyond overstimulated, you feel ready to burst at any moment but its not enough stimulation. You stay bordering on the edge of heaven, and yet he doesn't allow you to cross over. It feels like hours as he keeps getting you right to the tip of finishing and then slows down. It hurts so bad, and your crying over and over.

"Sylus...it hurts" you whimper.

"Its supposed to"

"Sylus...please" you beg, your voice shaking from desperation.

"Calm down kitten"

"Sylus-'

"I said calm yourself. Or I'll stop now. Do you want that?"

You whimper in disagreement, face planting into the bed once more. Sylus lifts your head by the chin, leaning down to give you a small kiss on the cheek. You look so beautiful right now, the puffiness and red of your eyes turning him on even more. He speaks, his voice hard and cold.

"Always so greedy. Spoiled brat."

With little to no warning, he slams his cock into your aching cunt. You gasp in shock, but have no time to process anything as he fucks you faster and harder with each thrust. Your so overstimulated that it only takes a few thrusts to make you cum. Your body tenses and shakes as you come undone on his cock. Your moaning while gasping for air, feeling the best you've ever felt and yet on the verge of passing out.

Sylus feels your cunt tighten so hard around him that he can't help but also come undone himself. You hear a small and faint "Fuck..." but your head is spinning too much to hear much else. You're in a trance practically.

You feel the stickiness of his cum dripping down your thigh and then your out like a light. Adrenaline and overstimulation had gotten the best of you. Sylus chuckles and gently lifts you onto your bed, pulling the sheets over your worn out body.

When you wake up, your eyes and head hurt so so bad. Your vision is blurry too. You attempt too blink the blurriness away.

Sylus.

You sit up, looking for him. Did he leave already? You look at the clock, the red hue of the lights read that its three in the morning.

"S-sylus?" you whimper, feeling slightly abandoned.

"Calm down sweetie, I'm here. Its cute watching you search for me though" he says, his figure appearing in the doorway. He's holding a water bottle and a wet rag. He sits next to you, and starts gently wiping the dried tears from your face. You look down, your thighs still a sticky mess of cum, sweat and desperation from earlier. Sylus smiles a bit, laughing under his breath.

"I figured I could run you a shower when you woke up" he says, stretching out his hand for you. "Although the plumbing here is...less than adequate I guess I could join you".

You roll your eyes, laughing at his dumb remark before taking his hand in yours. You cant help but crack a smile.

"Yeah, lets go"

[justmeinadaze]

Take It Out On Me Part 21 (Steddie X Plus Size Reader)

A/N: Ok so I wanted to do kinda like a Scream like thing but didn't realize until I started writing this out that I'm limited by the technology of the 80s lol But I made it work with what I had lol I hope you enjoy.

There is a 2 year time jump from the last chapter.

Warnings: Daddy Steve/ Sir Eddie & Sub Fem Plus Size Reader; SMUT, of the rougher variety, they are roleplaying and she asks them to be this way and scare her, spitting, choking, slapping, spanking, threatening, brief knife play (they tear off her dress), public play (in the school after hours), handcuffs, FLUFF near the beginning and very end (aftercare is given of course <3 ), ANGST, this is a role-play and everyone has given consent especially the reader, I WOULD NEVER WRITE A VERSION OF THESE TWO THAT WOULDNT STOP IF SHE SAID THE SAFE WORD!, they do call her and threaten her over the phone, she's chased down a hallway, lots of intimidation.

Word Count: 4198

Two years had passed since the incident with Eddie’s mom and he seemed to be doing so much better. He had really been focusing in on his music and Corroded Coffin spent every other night practicing and doing whatever they could to save money for some studio time. 

Steve still worked at Family Video with Robin but he had been looking into other alternatives like opening his own business. His friend and her current girlfriend had suggested the three of them start a non-profit to help kids who were kicked out of their homes or on the run due to unfortunate circumstances. You three understand that better than most and that was one of her greatest fears when it came to telling her family about her sexuality. 

You were on your senior year at college and ready to graduate. Taking Steve’s advice (and Eddie’s adamant approval of the idea), you majored in teaching with a minor in English hoping to teach high school kids in the future. Your courses required an internship and one teacher at Hawkins High was more than accommodating. 

“Y/N! Always good to see you. How are the other troublemakers?”

“They’re good, Mr. C. I do have a favor to ask if that’s alright.”, you giggle.

As soon as Eddie found out, he was so overjoyed like a kid in a candy store. 

“Mr. C! How’s my favorite teacher?!”

“Jesus Christ. Hello, Mr. Munson. How can we help you today?”, he sighed.

He always acted annoyed but you knew he cared about the metalhead like he did all his other students. 

“Oh, I’m just here to have lunch with the love of my life. Sweetheart, get out so you don’t get too jealous.”

You laugh at his antics as the teacher rolls his eyes. 

“It’s been 5 years.”, you announce as Steve steps into the living area, drying his hair. 

“Uh, I’ve been in the shower for like 15minutes but okay.”

“No, you goof. It’s been 5 years since we got together. Well, I mean, since you cornered me in a classroom.”, you giggle.

“And fucked you till your eyes rolled. You’re welcome.”, Eddie sasses from his spot by the window. 

“Is there a particular reason you wanted us to know that? Did you want to do something, honey?”, the other man asks as he leans against the counter. “We didn’t have something planned already because I thought we decided our official anniversary was when we officially got together a year after.”

“I know, Daddy. I just…it’s 5 years. I feel we should do something to commemorate it right?”

The metalhead tosses out his cigarette and closes the window before coming over to sit beside you on the couch. 

“What did you have in mind?”

Biting your bottom lip, you head for the case of movies and grab a couple before handing them to Eddie. 

“These are all scary movies. Well except this one about the girl stalking the guy.”

“Yeeeeah. I, um, I was thinking we could try that…like role play.” Both men exchange a look you can’t read and you immediately feel yourself get self-conscious. “I was just thinking you know? Those first few times when we were together like that first night or even the night you two snuck into my room the end of junior year. That was so hot. Not to say, what we do now isn’t hot. Just that—”

A palm comes up from behind you to cover your mouth and you lean back into Steve’s warm chest. 

“You’re over thinking again.”, he grins. “I mean, we can try it. Do you want us to go that far?”, he asks pointing towards the movies in his friend’s hand. “How far is too far?”

“Don’t hurt, hurt me. No like punching or cutting my skin or anything. When I think about it, you guys doing this to me, more than anything…I want you to scare me.”

Eddie’s head ticks to the side at your statement. “Why? No. Why?”, he repeats when you shrug.

“It’s a different level of control, I guess. That first night, I wasn’t scared of you. I was scared of how you made me feel but I’ve never been afraid of you.” You smile when Steve softly kisses your cheek.

“If we do this, I think we should set some ground rules now. We already have one which is no punching or cutting. Of course, we would never do that, sweetheart.” The long-haired boy flashes you a comforting grin before he continues. “If we’re dropping into this headspace, Y/N, that means we probably won’t be asking you for a color but that doesn’t mean you can’t say them or the safe word. Promise us if at any point you feel uncomfortable you’ll use it.”

“I promise, Sir. 100%.”

“What about you, Stevie? Anything you can think of?”

“Not that I can think of.”

Eddie nods in agreement. 

“Alright, baby. Your wish is our command.”

###############

For the next week, you let your imagination run wild with what they could be planning. Everything ran like normal and nothing they did stood out to you to trigger the notion for you that the game was about to begin. You gave them free reign to choose the time and date but the anticipation was killing you. 

That following Friday, you had called to tell them you would be staying late at the school to work on some stuff for Mr. C who had to leave earlier that day to take care of his sick wife. Wearing your Walkman and listening to the mix tape Eddie had made you for your birthday awhile back, you hummed as you graded papers. 

The phone on the desk ringing abruptly startles you as you grab your chest and yank off your headphones. Thinking it may be one of the boys, you answer without hesitation. 

“Hello? Mr. Castillo’s classroom.”

“Hello there. Well, don’t you sound sweet. Is he available?”, a deep voice you didn’t recognize asked. 

“I’m sorry. He’s out for the evening. Can I take a message?”

“Oh, honey. No need to worry. I can just try again later.”

“Alright. Well, have a good night.”

“Wait a minute. If he’s gone why are you there?”

“I’m Mr. Castillo’s teaching intern but he had a family emergency so I’m just helping him get things done. Are you sure I can’t take a message or something?”

“No. I can deliver it myself. I’d rather talk to you.”

“Look, if this isn’t school related and you don’t want to leave a message I’m going to have to hang up.”

“Ooo so sassy. I love it. Sounds like you need someone to teach you, Miss Teacher. Give you a lesson on respect.”

“I don’t respect assholes. I’m ending this conversation. Don’t call again or else.”

“Or else what?”, he chuckled causing a chill to run down your spine. 

“Fuck off.” You slammed down the phone but you still felt uneasy. Dialing the apartment, you prayed one of them was home but to your dismay no one picked up. As soon as you placed the receiver back on its dock, it rung again. “H-Hello?”

“Don’t ever hang up on me again, Y/N.”, the voice growled and you quickly rose to your feet in panic at the sound of your name. 

“I-I just called my boyfriend’s. They are on their way right now so you should j-just leave.”

“Aw, sweetheart. You think Eddie and Steve can save you? That’s so cute.”

“Don’t mock me. They take care of me!” You try to control the tears of fear that threaten to fall as you remain as confident sounding as possible. 

“Oh, little one. Trust me. Your Master and Daddy can’t protect you from us.”

“Fuck you!”

“That’s the plan, pretty girl, and with that sexy ass dress you have on, it won’t be hard.”

You dropped the phone and ran out of the classroom towards the front door of the school. Tugging on it aggressively, you whined when it wouldn’t budge. The phone in the front office blared loudly making you scream. Shakily, you headed towards it, sobbing as you put the speaking to your ear. 

“Where do you think you’re going, little girl? It’s just us three tonight, baby. NO ONE is coming to save you.”

“Please…” The voice snickers at your pleading.

“Let’s play a game, Y/N. Run and hide but if we catch you we fuck you.”

“W-W-Why? If you can see me, just fucking get it over with!”

“I like the idea of you thinking there’s hope when there isn’t.”

He laughs again, making you angry. 

“No. I won’t play your game. F-Fuck you.”

The growl that flowed through had your knees weaken as panic once again flowed through you. 

“Run. Now.”

“NO!” 

The line disconnected and you stifled your sobs as you slowly tiptoed back out into the hallway. A throat clearing startled you as you turned to see a tall figure dressed from head to toe in all black, his face except for his eyes and mouth were covered. A sinister smile spread as he pulled a knife from his pocket and flashed it in your direction, taunting you as he wiggled it between his fingers. 

The man bolted forward and you ran in the opposite direction like you had never run before. Yanking open the auditoriums doors, your goal was to hide in the sound booth and lock yourself in but as soon as you ran across the stage, however, you were met with another figure dressed the same way as the other sitting haphazardly in one of the auditorium seats. 

His legs were crossed as his arms hung over the backs of the chairs with a smug grin on his face. It was almost like he was expecting you to come this way. 

Long arms tackle you from behind and you fight back as the other man wrestles you to the floor of the stage. While he tries to pin your arms down, you get in one good smack across his slightly more protected cheek before he responds by doing the same. Dizzy by the force, you allow him to get the upper hand as he turns you on to your tummy and pressed his knee into your back as he moves around behind you. 

You whimper as your arms are tugged behind your back and you hear the clinking metal before leather is wrapped around both your wrists handcuffing you in place. 

The figure in front of you all too casually stands up and walks up to the stage, kneeling down slightly so his face was level with yours.  

“Boo.”, he teases, laughing when you cringe away. Sighing, he reaches for his mask and pulls it off his face, exhaling in pleasure at the cool air. 

Your eyes quickly took note of Eddie’s features. His own eyes were dark like they normally where when you played rough but there was a coldness behind them that made the little girl inside you tremble. 

“Jesus. Do you know how long it takes for people to fully empty this building? I thought we were never going to be alone.”

You feel movement behind you again and right as you glance behind you Steve pulls off his mask as well. 

“Yeah, man, but we have her now.”

Wiggling underneath his hold, he turns you on to your back and straddles his legs over your waist.

“STOP moving, God damn it. We gave you a chance to run and hide but you didn’t want to play.”, he growled as he pointed a finger in your face. Like with Eddie, Steve’s eyes were different; darker. They both exuded a new type of confidence that had your pussy clenching between your thighs. “Nothing to say now that we’re in front of you, huh, little girl? Where did all that sass go?”

“Hm. I don’t think she’s there yet, Steven.”

“What do you mean?”

“Little girl here seems to think she’s still in some kind of control. Don’t you, babe?”, Eddie mocks making you cringe. “See. That right there.” His head tilts as his palm reaches out to grab your throat. “That little face she made. I don’t know what your boyfriends have been letting you get away with but it won’t happen here. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

You gasped as his hand tightened its grip. 

“Yes what?”

“Yes, I understand.”, you choke out as he releases you. 

They both chuckle as the man above you manhandles you back onto your stomach and tugs on your hair as he guides you to your knees. With one hand, Steve fumbles with his belt buckle and hastily unzips his pants before pulling out his cock that was now level with your face.

“Open.” You shook your head at his command, wincing when he pulled back on your hair. “I wasn’t asking. Open your mouth.”

Eddie slides onto his knees beside you, reaching under the bottom of your dress, and runs his fingers through your folds. 

“Little slut is so wet but won’t do as she’s told.”, he sighs with a condescending tone. “Open your mouth.” You don’t move or say anything even when the metalhead shoves two of his digits into your entrance. Steve’s angry eyes remain locked on yours, smirking when he sees them flutter as you try to do everything you can to keep your moans from escaping out of your mouth. 

“Open, Y/N.”

When you don’t respond, he thrusts into you faster and you feel your body quickly running towards that ledge. Just as you were about to fall, however, he stopped his movements making you whine in your throat. 

“Ready to behave?”

You did something then that you would never do with Eddie and Steve under any normal circumstances. In a defiant gesture, you spit in the long-haired boys face. After wiping it with his hand, he shifts his gaze back to you and flashed you smile that made your blood run cold (and your pussy drench around his still fingers).

“Oh we’re going to have so much fun with you, little girl.”

Eddie pumped his fingers again at a fast pace as you struggled to catch your breath. Right now, you were breathing mostly through your nose but it wasn’t enough with how he was building you up. When he stopped again, tears ran down your cheeks. Once he felt like your pending orgasm had fully dissipated, he started over but this time his thumb reached up to message your clit. 

You couldn’t stop it from happening. Your mouth opened as you let out a loud moan and Steve took the opportunity to guide his cock into your mouth. Eddie removed his fingers, making you jump as he lightly smacked you between your legs. 

Trying to move your head back, the metalhead held you in place as the other boy began thrusting his hips. 

“Fuck me. Her mouth feels so good. Hold her still.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not letting her go anywhere.”

“Shit. How do you think I-I should take her, man? I’m just dying to feel that pussy.”

“It’s up to you, dude. She’s our toy to use how we please. Little whore can handle anything, can’t you, babe?”

Drool dribbled down your chin as the boy continued to fuck your face making him groan at the sight. 

“Fuck, I need her now.” After pulling out his cock, you were pushed back down onto the stage, freezing when you felt steel touch you skin. “Don’t move.” 

You heard the sound of tearing fabric and shivered when the cold air caressed your skin as your now cut apart dress was tossed aside. Grabbing your hips, you were tugged backwards towards Steve who was now on his knees as well. 

Lining himself up, he roughly pushed his cock into your dripping cunt and you both mewled as he held you tightly against him. 

Hearing the clinking of another belt buckle grabbed your attention as you lifted your head to see Eddie sauntering towards you. 

“If you cum, when it’s my turn, I’m going to make sure that you’re sore between your legs for the next month. Do I make myself clear?”

“J-Jesus. She fucking liked that.”

His head slanted as he waited for your answer. Eddie knew you believed he was telling the truth because he saw the one thing you asked for push through your gaze; fear. 

“Yes, Sir. I understand.”

“I’m going to help keep your mind distracted.” His pants fell to his ankles as he stroked his cock a few times in front of your face. “Open.”

This time you didn’t argue or protest as you opened your mouth wide and encased your lips around him. The metalhead’s ringed hand rested behind your head as it bobbed along his length. 

“Come on, little girl. You can do better than that.” Suddenly, you felt another palm land on your hair and forcibly moved your head for you, making you gag as his cock hit the back of your throat. “You can take it all. We know you can.”

You tried keeping up with the pace they set for you but every time your head didn’t go low enough, Steve pushed you into the other boy’s lap causing you to drool and spit all over him. 

“You love this don’t you, you little whore. You like to spit.”, Eddie sneered, licking his lips while you whimpered around him. 

Steve’s thrusts started to falter, giving you sense of pride knowing he was about to cum and you hadn’t yet but your relief was short lived when he reached around and rubbed your clit with his fingers. You pushed back against their hands as your head hung in front of you. 

“No! I’m…I’m not supposed to cum. Please!”

The man ignored you as he continued till he grunted and coated your walls with his release. As he aggressively pounded into till he was empty, your own body trembled in his hold as the coil broke and you came.

Calloused fingers lifted your face from under your chin to meet Eddie’s oddly calm features. 

“Did you just cum even though I said you couldn’t?”

“I-I-I’m sorry. I tried. I tried so hard. Please.”, you cried.

Steve backed away as Eddie leaned over you to unhook your handcuffs. You took the opportunity to your advantage, resting your head in the nook between his neck and shoulder as you sobbed while continuing to apologize.

“You wanna help me, man?”

Taking hold of your hair, the metalhead walked towards the front of the stage before letting you go to jump down. Something grabbed your shoulder and your body was slammed down flat onto your back as Steve grabbed your wrists, bringing your arms above your head so he could restrain you with the handcuffs once again.

Eddie hovered over you, eyes scanning your sweaty features. 

“Open your mouth and stick out your tongue.” After doing what he commands, you watch with wide eyes as he spits between your lips. “Since you love spit so much, hang onto that for me. If you can keep it in there till I say, I may actually let you cum.”

Standing to his full height, he lifts one of your legs over his shoulder and you whine as he guides himself into you entrance. 

True to his word, his hips slam into yours with rough abandon, your eyes squeezing shut as you focus on not swallowing the nicotine flavored salvia that currently rests on you tongue. Steve’s palms slide down your arms to your breasts eliciting a soft moan as his fingers graze your nipples. 

Eddie’s tip abuses your g-spot, overwhelming you with a feeling of euphoria that has tears falling down your face.

"Fuck! Your pussy feels too good.”, he groans as he spanks your ass, slowing his pace. “Look at me, little girl.” When you don’t move, he leans over you and lightly slaps your cheek. “Look at me.”

Your eyes flutter open and they both can’t help but smirk at your fucked out, glassy eyed expression. 

“Swallow.”

Nodding, you do it and open your mouth for him to show you listened. 

“Good girl. You wanna cum?”, Eddie coos as his nose softly caress your own.

“Please.”

“That’s it, baby. Beg me. Beg me to make you cum.”

“Mmm—please. I need you to make me cum again. I want to cum so bad, Sir, please.”

The metalhead’s mouth fell open as he thrust into you with purpose while his thumb came down to play with your clit.

“Shit. Cum with me, Y/N. I want to—mmm— fill you up as your tight little pussy clings to me.”

When you nod you head, his thumb moves faster against your nub and after a few more aggressive thrusts, you stumble over the edge right as rope after rope of his seed warms your insides.

The room goes quiet and all that can be heard is the two of you panting for air. 

“Baby girl.”, Steve whispers above you in a much softer tone than before. “Can you open your eyes for me, honey?”

When you do what he asks, you are meet with his gentle and love filled face. 

“There she is. Are you ok? Do you need anything?”

“C-Can you free my hands, Daddy?”

“Shit. Yeah, of course. I’m sorry.” 

While he removed your restraints, Eddie grabbed a bag that was in one of the auditorium chairs and jumped up beside you onto the stage.

“Drink this, sweetheart.”

“Can you help me, Sir? My arms kinda hurt.”

“Yeah, pretty girl. I can help you.”

Placing the water bottle by your lips, he guides your head back as you chug down the liquid.

“Now, did you want to shower here or at home? We can head towards the gym or—”

“I’d like to go home please. I’m sleepy.”

“I can imagine. Do you think you can walk?”

“I can carry her. Just run to the classroom real quick and grab her stuff. We’ll meet you at the van.”

#############

A small smile remained painted across your lips while the three of you sat in the bathtub as they cleaned you. 

“I don’t think she’ll be coming down from cloud 9 anytime soon.”, Eddie chuckled. “I assume we did good?”

“Very good.”

“Nothing felt over the line?”, Steve asked. 

“No. It may be too rough for an everyday thing but…for special occasions…”, you giggle. “Did I cross a line?”

“No, honey. What would make you think you might of?”

When you and Eddie exchange a look, his grin grows as he bends forward to kiss your lips. 

“You didn’t bother me, princess. It’s not like you normally go around spitting in my face. It was kind of hot if I’m being honest.”

“I just hope you know I wouldn’t normally disrespect you like that.”

“We know.” 

After comforting touches and delicate kisses, they help you out of the water and get you in comfortable pajamas before leading you to the bed. Climbing in beside you, Eddie wraps his arms around your waist as you lay your head on Steve’s chest. 

“Y/N, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Daddy.”

“What we did tonight…that’s not how you viewed us that first night 5 years ago, is it?”

“No, baby. Not even close. You were rough with me but you didn’t scare me like that. I’ve always felt safe with you…even when I thought you two were assholes. Can I ask you both something?”

“Always, sweetheart.”, Eddie soothed as he tenderly kissed your shoulder. 

“What made you two decide to make a move that night? How did you know I’d respond to you the way I did?”

“Short answer? Hope.”

Steve smiled when you giggled at his response. 

“There were so many times you could have said something to rat us out but you never did. When I first spoke to you in detention or when Stevie threatened to spank you, you didn’t tell Mr. C at all. We…we’ve never told you this but we watched you when he asked you to stay behind to put everything away.”, the metalhead elaborated. 

“You had this extremely adorable, concentrated look on your face until you came back to get your things. As you walked off the stage, you were smirking. We selfishly thought maybe it was because of us so we took a short cut to a classroom and the rest is history.”

Keening into his chest, you placed a soft kiss on his skin before lifting Eddie’s hand that was intertwined with yours to your lips so you could do the same. Steve rolled onto his side, gently moving your hair and petting your head as he watched you gradually fall asleep. 

“Hey, Munson?”

“Harrington?”

“Do you have any plans this weekend?”

“Not that I know of besides work. Why?”

“I was thinking, maybe, you and I can go look at houses. See how much they cost so we can start saving and surprise Baby Girl here. She deserves a house.”

Eddie grinned as he reached over and patted his friend’s shoulder. 

“Sounds like a plan, man.”

############

@manda-panda-monium @sherrylyn628 @eddiesguitarskills

@needylilgal022 @local-stoner-bitch @katethetank @strangerfreak

@sidthedollface2 @justanotheryn @pedropascalslilbaby

@marsupiooo @mandyjo8719 @bexreadstoomuch

@chelebelletx @perdopascalslilbaby @shayeddie @anaibis

@wroteclassicaly @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes

@siriuslysmoking @raptorbait529 @miarosso @micheledawn1975

@paleidiot @mrsjellymunson @dashingdeb16

[stevethehairington]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @stevecarrington!!!!! I HOPE TODAY IS UNBELIEVEABLE!! i'm so glad this fandom has brought us together, you're such a wonderful friend and im very lucky to know you!! i know how much you love steddie AND ted lasso so i whipped up a little steddie lasso for you, i hope you enjoy 💕💕

⚽️✨️⚽️✨️⚽️✨️⚽️✨️⚽️✨️⚽️✨️⚽️

Eddie is not quite sure how he got here.

One day he was sprawling across his ornately carved DM throne, gleefully ruining the lives of those brave enough to sit at his table and dip their toes into his particular brand of tabletop roleplay chaos, and the next he was packing up his life and getting on a bus heading west, back to god damn Hawkins, Indiana — the hometown he swore he'd never come back to all to coach soccer.

Yeah. That's right. Soccer.

The thing is — he's never been a sportsball kind of guy. Not baseball, not basketball, not football. Certainly not soccer. Outside of ogling the players for their tight little shorts and their calf-hugging socks, of course. The only reason he knows even the slightest brush of the basics — and even then, it's a strech to say he knows it — is because Wayne is a sportsball guy.

But apparently that incredibly bare quasi-knowledge of it was good enough for Chrissy — Eddie's best friend extraordinaire and prominent figure in the sports world (truth be told, Eddie really couldn't tell you what her actual position was — all he knew was that she did everything and was everywhere. Seriously, it was insane how many connections she had in the world of professional organized sports.) — because when she heard the words "looking for strong leadership" and "to build comraderie" and especially "with a creative, outside of the box approach" when the league announced that they were looking for a new head coach, she had immediately submitted Eddie's name. Without even consulting him on it. Without even telling him in the first place.

It was a true testament to just how desperate the club was that they had actually chosen him.

Getting that call had boggled his damn mind.

Still does, if he's being honest.

And now here he is, fresh off the bus and standing in front of Nancy goddamn Wheeler — the tiny, but incredibly intimidating owner of the whole goddamn team.

"Eddie, welcome," Nancy says, flashing him a perfectly pleasant smile that still somehow makes him feel like prey. "It's great to meet you."

She holds out her hand, and Eddie quickly wipes his palm against his jeans before accepting it. Her handshake is firm — she's not fucking around.

"It's lovely to meet you too, ma'am," Eddie replies, with his politest midwestern manners.

Nancy's lips press together, turning down at the corners, and for a brief moment Eddie thinks he's somehow managed to fuck this up already. Could you get fired for sweaty hands? Was that legal?

But then a small laugh slips from those lips and Nancy says, "Just Nancy. Ma'am makes me feel like I'm seventy-five and belong in the bingo hall."

Eddie can't help the bleat of laughter that bubbles out, probably a little too enthusiastic. "Hey, the bingo hall's a riot," he says.

That gets Nancy to chuckle again before she clears her throat and smooths down the lapels of her blazer. "Well, thank you so much for taking on this position, we're really grateful to have you here, and we look forward to seeing what you can do for us," she says, and she sounds genuine about it, which puts Eddie a little more at ease. Nancy barrels on, "I'm sure Chrissy had briefed you about speaking with the press?" She asks, but she doesn't give him a chance to answer. "You'll just be sitting down with some journalists and answering any questions they may have — and I'm sure they'll have plenty."

Eddie lets out another nervous titter. Yeah, he's sure too. "Sure," he says. "Um, and that's... tomorrow? Later this week?"

Nancy makes a face, a sort of half grimace, half sympathetic thing.

Eddie's stomach turns.

"Actually," Nancy starts, eyes flickering towards the door behind Eddie, "it's right now."

Shit.

"Did— did Chrissy not let you know that?" She asks, chewing on her lip.

"No, no!" Eddie is quick to reply. "She did, I'm sure she did, I just— probably wasn't listening. It's kind of been a... crazy fucking day—" his eyes go wide, "— I mean—"

Nancy laughs. "You can say that a-fucking-gain," she agrees, and Eddie's shoulders relax from where they'd tensed up to his ears.

"Well, I'm sorry to just throw you to the wolves like this, but we can't really call it off now," Nancy continues, giving him an apologetic look.

Eddie glances towards the door too and nods. Rolls back his shoulders and straightens his spine. Let's himself slip into his DM persona — the guy that can handle every punch that's thrown his way, no problem.

"No, it's fine. I got this," he says, nodding again.

Nancy smiles and leads him towards the door. "Whenever you're ready," she tells him.

Eddie takes a deep breath, steels himself, and turns the handle.

Immediately he is bombarded by flashing cameras and an increase in volume as dozens of eyes all pinprick right onto him.

He's got this. They're just people. He's good with people.

Eddie climbs the two steps leading up to the staging area and swaggers to his place behind the desk, dropping himself into the seat. He reaches out to tap the microphone, which emits a sharp whine that shuts the crowd up.

He stifles his grin and leans into the mic, "Let's start this thing, shall we?" He pauses, scans the audience, quirks a brow. "Questions?"

Almost every single hand shoots straight up.

Yep. Should've seen that coming.

"Okay, okay, you know what? Let's just—" he motions for everyone to put their hands down, "— yeah, there we go. Great. Thanks. Right. I'm sure a lot of you have some of the same questions, so why don't I start by clearing a few things up first."

He wriggles in his seat, getting comfortable. "Yes, the rumors are true. No, I have not coached soccer before. Haven't coached anything before, actually. Hell, I'm probably the least qualified guy they could have hired for the spot," he laughs, and a murmur goes through the crowd. "I don't really know the first thing about soccer, but what I do know is that this team, the Hawkins Demodogs FC, these ferocious warriors of sport— they're going to get out on that field and they're— they're gonna put all of their intelligence and wisdom and strength into it," he says firmly, falling back on his trusty DnD knowledge. Game of sports can't be that different from a campaign, right? "They're gonna put their constitution to good use and fall back on their dexterity and they're going to defeat their enemies — I'll make sure of it."

Glasses guy in the second rows eyebrows lift, almost like he recognizes the terminology.

"Now," Eddie says, clapping his hands together. "I'll take one question from the masses. Make it a good one."

The hands shoot back up again, but the only one Eddie notices is the one belonging to glasses guy. It raises it a beat after the rest, lifts his hand into the air relaxed, easy, like he doesn't actually care.

It intrigues Eddie. He intrigues Eddie.

"You, in the second row," Eddie says, pointing right at the man.

A slow smile spreads across his face as he rises to his feet, clicks his pen, pushes up his glasses again.

"I like your glasses," Eddie comments, unable to help himself.

The guy's smile twists at the corners. "Thank you," he says, and his voice is smooth, rich, like honey. Eddie kind of wants to bathe in it.

His stomach swoops. "And you are?"

"Steve Harrington, the Indypendent," he says.

Eddie leans forward on his elbows, lets his smile turn a little flirty. "What's your question, Steve Harrington from the Indypendent?" He asks, stretching out Steve's name, loving the way it tastes in his mouth.

"Yeah, I've just got one question for you," he says. He fixes a narrowed, nettled look on Eddie, cocks a hip, and says, in a perfectly, deliciously, bitchy tone, "is this a fucking joke?"

Oh, he's going to be a fun one.

[zeydaan-isabella]

T'ana to the Cerritos - Zeydaan

Story by AxiomTF- Zeydaan/Isabella finding a replica starfleet badge, though ending up running into a strange failsafe. Seeming to find their reality was an elaborate holodeck prank by a certain captain's daughter- T'ana has to find her bearings again as she settles back onto the Cerritos.

Isabella is currently moping around the kitchen, making themselves a sandwich as they softly hum to themselves – it had been a very long day. With little to do, and not a whole lot to look forward to a good while, life was feeling pretty dull for the Fay Dragon as of late, and they were looking for something – anything, to break up the monotony. They take little nibbles out of the sandwich post-preparation, pacing around the kitchen as they try and make the meal last for a while.  This was no good, no good at all.  They couldn’t stay like this for a moment more, they were craving adventure! Some action! Though of course, this was easier said than done, as not a great deal came to mind for them to actually do, especially with the little amount of money they currently had stored for such an occasion. Whatever they decided to do, it would have to be something small scale or cheap. Isabella finishes her food, throwing a small amount of leftover bread crust into the bin before taking a seat at their dining table. With their chin resting upon their hand, they spend a brief moment thinking of possibilities for some fun, though they could have never known that at that very moment, an opportunity for adventure had come directly to them instead.  Sitting upon the kitchen table, lies a small metallic badge. It’s in the approximate shape of an arrow, with curved edges and a sleek, futuristic design to it. Though thanks to their plentiful knowledge of pop culture iconography, Isabella knew what this shape was already – it was the insignia of Starfleet. Specifically, this was a communicator that crew would wear on their uniforms. They reach out and pick it up, inspecting it closely. It had a decent amount of weight to it, and from that, they could quickly deduce that this was no cheap plastic replica, and that some real care had gone into the creation of this badge. “Where on earth did you come from?” Isabella asks out loud to no one in particular, glancing around the room to double check that they were in fact alone. They did have a friend over for a little bit two days ago… maybe they had left it as a gift for them, and they simply had missed it until just now? That was the only logical explanation that came to mind, though instead of pondering this mystery any further, something far more exciting came into their mind… What if they could engage in some simple make-believe? Instead of being stuck at home, Isabella could instead be in space, aboard a starship! Doing her duties, exploring the galaxy… and perhaps recording all of their thoughts in some kind of log too? Yes, that’s exactly it! They could try out doing some solo roleplay! Isabella’s wings flutter a little with glee, as they grab their laptop and boot it up on the dining table. Various scenarios race through their mind, almost overloaded with possibilities regarding what they could now try out and overstimulated after having finally thought of something to end their boredom. They grab the badge and fix it to their top, then proceeding to lean over and click their mouse to start recording themselves... “Ahem – this is Doctor Isabella of the U.S.S… erm… thingy. I, uh… am about to run some routine tests on our systems in the medlab to make sure that everything is running up to speed! We’re expecting to arrive at our destination soon… erm, I suppose that we’ll have to prepare to keep the crew healthy and fit for that… and, um… I-I don’t really have much else to say at the moment, so I guess that I’ll sign off for now! I’ll provide an update in the morning, once the ship has arrived.” They end the video, smiling to themselves as they rewatch the video before putting the device back into their pocket – it was quite an amateur attempt at acting the role of a doctor out, but Isabella was sure that they’d pick it up soon, with a bit of practice of course. It was getting rather late now, and seeing the sun setting on the horizon, Isabella figures that it would be best to continue this in the morning. Having a fun idea for tomorrow all planned out, Isabella decides to head to bed, turning the lights off as they head up the stairs. However, as they ascend the stairs, something… strange starts to happen. Isabella’s pupils start to shift, going from a circular shape into feline slits whilst their iris and sclera merge together into a soft, yellow tone. They don’t notice this however – there was no sensation coming from this change, and even if there was, the Fey Dragon was simply feeling too sleepy to even register it. Arriving at the top of the stairs, they head down the hallway, scratching the back of their head which had started to sprout new blonde hairs all over their scalp, gradually replacing their old pink ones as they simultaneously start to miniaturise. By the time they reach the door of their bedroom, they have unknowingly adopted a new style. The follicles are quite thick and densely packed together, getting automatically styled into a rather messy cut as if some unseen, amateur hairdresser was tending to Isabella’s new head of hair. Taking off their clothing and throwing it into a heap beside their bed, their nose shifts to become a soft pink colour. It’s slightly damp to the touch, and yet another feline feature upon Isabella’s rapidly morphing face. Clambering into bed, they close their eyes, and try to drift off to sleep, though after a few minutes pass by, they find this rather hard to do. Everything seemed too loud – the rustling of leaves outside of their room had become much rowdier, and it took a good while for their brain to subconsciously tune them out. Evidently, this was merely a side effect of their ears transforming. They had become much more sensitive to sound, and as they are traveling upwards to the top of their head, they also begin sprouting ginger fur all over. They push through this unwanted noise, and at last, they drift off. Their sleep is dreamless and deep, but the world around was never to be the same again – not that they’d notice this however… Their eyes opened slowly, though the rays of sunshine that usually greeted them in the morning were now strangely absent. Not only that, but those ambient noises that kept them awake for longer than expected were now gone, and instead replaced with the sound of a deep humming noise. Of course, this noise never went away though – Isabella was on a starship of course, and the subtle sound of the engines purring was constant. Now that they think about it, it was strange that they even stopped to consider this. Sitting up in bed, they stretch and yawn, their body having undergone even more changes in their sleep. Their once yellow skin and been covered in a layer of fur, and much like that which had grown all over their new ears, it was a desaturated ginger colour. Dense and short, it hid the skin beneath it, with some sections of their body having longer fur, all of which looked scraggly and unkept, much like their hairstyle. Some weight loss had occurred, too. Isabella’s body and shrunk in stature slightly, body fat having been shed off of her frame, and consequently leaving them with a lean, scraggy look more befitting of someone older than themselves. Their chest had diminished in size to a small degree, also baring new fangs within their mouth. Their once large wings had been reduced in size to nothing but small bumps upon their furry back, and soon, not even these would remain, as each passing minute had resulted in them getting minimized more and more, like a balloon slowly deflating. Wiping their eyes, they swing their legs out from the bed and start to get dressed into their uniform. It was their usual Starfleet one, with their signature light blue lab coat going over the top of it, though despite this, it seemed strangely foreign to them. It was as if by wearing it, they were stealing it from a stranger. The Doctor chalks this thought up to them having worn this same look for so long, and that their brain might’ve been subconsciously telling them to shake their style up a bit. They don’t bother to style or groom themselves before leaving, and they didn’t have time for a shower either – this cat had a job to do. They pick up their equipment, and head out of their quarters. Whilst striding down the hallway, their tail is the next target for these changes, as it shrinks and slenderises over the course of around half a minute. The many halls of the starship are like a labyrinth, and as they walk to their destination, they tap their communicator, wanting to record another log on the way there.  “This is Doctor… uh… I… a-anyways, I’ve been feeling sort of unusual this morning. Everything seems rather out of place and unfamiliar to me, not to mention the fact I’m feeling sort of… spaced out right now. Did I drink too much yesterday or something? I can’t remember much of anything at all… it’s all… quite muddled up. Anyways, I’m going to do my daily shift now, and I’ll report back later this evening. Maybe I just need to work and apply myself to something… hopefully that’ll set me straight again.” They note that their voice was uncharacteristically dry and mature sounding, having a different accent to boot. They cough, their throat feeling scratchy as their words come out sounding rough and coarse, though they didn’t think much of it, doubting soon after if it had simply always sounded that way. And come to think of it, they felt more like a ‘she’ now as well – it just seemed far more natural. What didn’t feel natural however, was how they were feeling so lost in these corridors. They lived and worked here, right? Then how could she get lost like this so easily? This surely should be routine for her, though the ship felt so unknown to her this morning. It took them much longer than usual to arrive at the medbay for her shift, having taken many wrong turns and spent some time wandering around on the wrong floor. In the end, she ended up having to ask the ship’s AI for directions, which of course it provided straight away. Being the chief medical officer, she felt a bit embarrassed by this, though she sure as hell wasn’t going to embarrass herself even more by asking a fellow crewmate instead. Upon entering the medbay, she finds it rather desolate; no one else is here aside from her, when she recalls what today was – most of the crew were down in the hanger doing drills. “Ugh, this is going to suck.” she mutters under her own breath, as her brow furrows with thicker eyebrows than what she once had a moment ago. It was most likely going to be a day of working alone. Sitting down at her desk, her hands start to make unpleasant cracking noises, her fingernails turning into claws. From within her shoes, new claws appear upon her feet too, coupled with some padding on her soles.  She went to work, answering messages that she had been sent by others and working on a cure for a rather nasty but contained virus that had been discovered by crew on an away mission recently. It’s hard work, though as she gets lost in this, any memory of what she had been before starts to sink into the recesses of T’Ana’s mind. It’s almost as if she’s been put into an autopilot mode, coasting through her work whilst not taking much of it in either. After some hours of working, her head starts to lean down, as they decide they had earned a short nap… After an hour, she awakens again and takes a look around. The feline alien felt strangely befuddled about her surroundings, or about what she had just been doing a moment ago. She could see that she was sitting at her desk… tricorder in hand… computer switched on too. Pondering for a moment, she formulates an answer, that being – “Ah shit, did I doze off or something? I feel like crap.” she says out load, rubbing her eyes and blinking a couple of times.  She felt totally exhausted, and as she checks the time, she figures that it’s about time to make another log entry. She never was fond of doing these, though it helped sometimes to get your thoughts and feelings out of your head, even if that sentiment sounded dumb to T’Ana. “Doctor T’Ana here. Log… eh, who gives a shit. Ugh, I hate having to make these things… does anyone here even look over these? Ugh. Nevertheless, I’ve completed my shift, and everything seems to be in order. I had a feeling earlier that something wasn’t right with our scanners, though that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’ll do a more thorough check tomorrow at 0600. I don’t know… maybe I’m just imaging things… either that, or I need a break. Healing phaser burns and resetting bones all day, every day really does a number on you out after a while.” She minimizes the computer, the LCARS system shutting down as the screen returns to its offline state once more. “Lights off.” she says out loud, as the computer obeys her wishes and shrouds the medbay in darkness. It had been a long, productive day, and as the cat lady cracks her back, hands simultaneously held around her waist, she lets out a long sigh. She gives her furry cheek a scratch, purring softly as she does so, whilst making her way down the long, futuristic hallway and towards her quarters, this time with less of a delay. She had earned a good night’s sleep, and was certainly ready for it. Though one thing was for certain – this job never got boring, and for as long as she is the chief medical officer, she was sure to never have a dull moment whilst serving aboard a Federation starship, and venturing out into the unknown.

[shintorikhazumi]

I Have Two Sisters?! (4): Three Sisters, One School, and A Trio of Brunettes

A/N: No long explanation note. Just an apology. Sorry it got delayed. Was burnt out, am burnt out lately. I could not think of anything for this. Emotionally just... not good, I suppose. School is kinda hectic too. Sadly. But here you go. Chap 4! I hope the length is worth the wait?

Ended up yeeting out this incredible sloppy mess of a chapter. :’> sorry. I can’t think no more, Ma.

Thank you to the MAGENTA GAZE squad. Y’all know who you are.

Also, a big, warm THANK YOU to all those reading and supporting this story :>.Means a lot to me :’)) Without further ado,

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

I Have Two Sisters?! Chapter 4: Three Sisters, One School, and A Trio of Brunettes

Four days. That was all it took to get the necessary documents for Diana’s clutch enrollment over. Weiss was ever pleased with herself for this achievement, and Claudine could only look on dumbfounded as parcel after parcel was dropped off in their mailbox or at their doorstep, all on the same day.

“You are a scary woman, did you know that?”

“Why, thank you~. You’re quite terrifying yourself.”

Claudine only managed a gruff little huff, carrying a suspiciously large box into the house with a bit of effort, Weiss discovering very soon just how strangely strong Claudine could be, and thus labeled the youngest as the “brawn” of the house. Weiss made great use of this fact.

Claudine frowned at the memory of being made to carry the things they bought when they went furniture shopping the other day. Weiss was some sadistic task master.

“Wh-what the heck is in this thing?” Claudine managed to ask without biting her tongue after tripping over one of the house’s thresholds. “Are these also a part of Diana’s documents?”

Weiss threw a glance over her shoulder, walking in front of Claudine, leading her to the living room where even more packages lay, Diana cluelessly sorting parcels, boxes, and covered folders into separate piles to be opened.

“Ah, well… yes, but…”

“Weiss?” Claudine called after her, voice holding a warning.

“They’re for Diana, yes. Documents... no. But I thought it would be fun to have some of this stuff delivered for the sake of… stuff.”

“Stuff.” Claudine echoed. “Right. What stuff.” She sighed, finally placing the last box- she was praying with all her might that it was- on their carpeted floor.

“Yes, stuff.”

“I’m asking, what kind of stuff?” Claudine crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes as Weiss did a zipper motion over her mouth.

“That’s something you and Diana are about to find out.” She made her merry way over to Diana, standing next to the girl seated on the floor, a box cutter in one hand, looking anxiously from one sealed delivery to the other. “Come on, Diana. Open up the presents!”

“Santa roleplay?” Claudine teased. Weiss pointedly ignored her.

“W-where do I even start?” The eldest eyed the packages, trying to figure out which one she should open first.

She was taking quite long, and Claudine and Weiss were beginning to worry that they’d overwhelmed her.

“Weeell...” Deciding to help Diana out, Weiss looked over the array displayed in front of them, eyes narrowed until they landed on one particular medium-sized box, reaching out for it with a twinkle in her eyes. “How about this one?”

Diana nodded, a little curious about the younger girl’s reaction. Taking the box from Weiss, she smiled in thanks. Weiss returned the gesture, stepping back to watch as Diana cut through the tape and opened the folded flaps to reveal bubble wrap, some papers for additional cushion and protection, a black bag and-

“...A Nikon D850…”

Diana didn’t know why Claudine looked a little bitter, and possibly more shocked than her, but she couldn’t really pay mind to that as she awed at the expensive equipment. Sure, her family had always been loaded and the cost of this was merely pocket change to them; but Diana hadn’t really explored all that privilege the same way they did, anyway.

To get such a nice present from Weiss...

“Th-thank... thank you?”

Weiss pouted a bit at the reaction. She had done her best to get the perfect gift to welcome Diana into college and her new course, but Diana’s response was honestly underwhelming. “Don’t like it?”

Blue eyes widened, afraid they had insulted the kind Weiss. “N-No! No! Not at all! I mean, no I don’t like- no I mean I like it, I just, no to I don’t like it. I like it! I love it! It’s amazing! And... wow. I... I just... I don’t know if I can accept this...” Diana carefully placed the opened package on their coffee table, staring at that sleek black, those marvelous lens on that box-ish frame the... wow.

“Psh, sure you can.” Weiss waved off.

“Can I really...” Diana scratched her cheek lightly, a tiny blush coming on as she felt her next words were a little shameless. “I admit that I would like to keep it...”

“It’s yours to keep.” Weiss reassured, gentle and smiling. “Okay?”

Diana looked up to meet her eyes, somehow still unsure, but Weiss coming in to sit next to her, one hand patting her shoulder and the other placing the camera back in Diana’s was the last push of encouragement she needed to accept it.

“Thank you, Weiss. Really. Thank you.” Diana embraced the gift carefully close to her, smile soft and teary. “It means a lot to me.”

Diana pocketed this tender moment in her heart, saving it like all the other good memories she’d made with her sisters thus far. And they were numerous, quite abundant considering how long they’d known each other. But maybe that no longer mattered, how long they had been together. Diana should just focus on all the time they have coming.

A cough from Weiss brought her back to the reality that there were still more packages to be opened, and she sighed internally. She was about to mention something to her sister, but then she caught Weiss staring at Claudine expectantly, as if saying it was the youngest’s turn for... something.

“Claudine, out with it.”

‘Hmm?’ Diana directed her gaze to Claudine, noticing that the action made the latter flinch, hands deep in her pockets, visibly shuffling underneath the cloth.

“I’m... I’m just kind of... shy now after seeing that...” She muttered with closed teeth. “You had me carry all these things, and I didn’t know it was part of our plan. Now I don’t really wanna... compete with that...”

“Compete?” Weiss chuckled. “This is not a competition. Come on, Claud. We agreed to both get her something.” She revealed their said plan to Diana who had been out of the loop on this.

“Well, yes, but I didn’t think you’d just… get her a bunch of high-end camera gear!” Claudine commented, bewildered. “I literally got her a keychain! I can’t just give Diana a keychain!” She exasperatedly announced. “Not after all that!” She sighed, toes curling and wiggling in some form of discomfort.

“And Why not?” “Why not?” Two voices sounded simultaneously, heads tilted to the side in confusion.

‘Gosh, these heiresses.’

“I like keychains.” Diana so helpfully informed.

“Of course you do.” Claudine deadpanned, gripping the small item in her pocket. “Just…” She sighed once more, finger wearing the ring-like bit of the item. “I just- I feel... embarrassed... and stuff.” She blushed, looking away from the pair on the floor.

“Why?”

‘Why?’ Claudine looked at them incredulously. Obviously because- because... to people like them, used to extravagance and all the fanciest jewelry and wear, something like this trinket was just-

“Because it feels so small in comparison to the camera... and insignificant.” Claudine confessed. “I-I mean, not that my thoughts behind it were insignificant, not at all, I just thought I could give you something better. Not that I thought this was no good, I mean. At the time I bought it, but now that I see all this-”

“You’re right.”

“Huh?” Claudine blinked, facing a serious-looking Diana, rising to her feet and walking over to her.

“It isn’t insignificant. Nothing you’ve given me is.” Diana’s expression melted into a gentle smiled. “From your kindness, to the gentleness of each action toward me, to your consideration... to these slippers on my feet,” She flapped them for emphasis. “to the mug I drink from daily, and my toothbrush on the bathroom counter. All those, and the warmth behind them pile up in my heart, making it overflow with gratitude. Really, Claudine. The greatest thing you’ve gifted to me is your genuine care for me and my feelings.”

“Diana...”

Her words, it moved Claudine’s heart. She never thought it meant that much to the older girl. She had gotten all those things for Diana, did all those things for her, simply because... she could. And she wanted Diana to experience better things than all the pain she’d been through.

“Thank you, Claudine.” Diana said, coming to a stop in front of the younger girl. Her arms raised and opened up, Claudine before pausing awkwardly in the air, her whole frame freezing. “U-um...”

With a raised brow indicating her confusion, Claudine waited, posture uncomfortably straight

“Just hug and get it over with.” Their one-woman audience complained, getting impatient. “And just give her the damn gift, Claud!”

“Hrrngh- okay, okay! I get it! I got it!” Claudine grumbled, fishing through her pocket and pulling out a silver keychain, a small unicorn figure attached with a tiny bead next to it, and a letter D that looked like a waxed seal. “I- This is obviously not the o-only thing I got you.” Claudine tried to say, thinking of what else she could get to supplement this huge failure.

But it may have not been needed.

Diana engulfed her in a huge hug, sobbing lightly into her neck, thanking her over and over.

Claudine felt those warm tears wash over her skin. Her heart ached, her eyes stung. But she could hold it in, she could. She was a big, strong girl-

“Thank you, Claudine. Thank you. Thank you so much. For always thinking of me. For getting me something I can truly call mine.”

And Claudine broke, arms squeezing tight around Diana’s waist, silently crying into her shoulder. “Dummy. Everything you have right now is truly yours. And we are truly your sisters.”

---

Weiss looked away, if only to hide the tears that had also formed at the corners of her eyes. “Hey! That camera is solely yours as well!” She inserted, jokingly sounding annoyed, before shaking it off when Diana gave her an apologetic look. She smiled,  watching her sisters continue to hug.

It didn’t look like they were going to part soon, huh. Maybe in a bit. They’d separate. In 1... 2... 3...

Nope.

Okay, Weiss was beginning to feel a little left out. Maybe she wanted to be in the hug too. Not that she’d admit to that.

Buuutt, she could just... hint at it. Or something. Casually, so they wouldn’t know. Claudine would tease her for days if she found out Weiss had felt a little lonely.

“You made such a big deal out of it, only to become so soft.” Weiss laughed, walking over to her sisters and flicking Claudine on the forehead, earning her an adorable yelp, and not-as-adorable glare. “Guess you being the youngest makes perfect sense now.”

“Wha-Hey! I’ll have you know-” Claudine broke away from Diana, proceeding to bicker with Weiss who simply laughed at Claudine’s empty bites.

---

Diana admired the scene in front of her, smiling warmly at her two sisters. They had transitioned from intense verbal exchange to teasing words and playful wrestling, and Diana could not help but smile along as Claudine and Weiss filled the living room with their laughter.

Warm.

It felt so warm.

Subconsciously, Diana had grabbed her new camera, lifting it up and snapping a photo of two beautiful hearts who had become her new world.

Like this photo, she would cherish them forever.

//-//-//-//-//

After their little gift-giving spree, they decided it was time to get a move on with their actual business. They had succeeded in getting the recommendations Diana needed, and simply needed to file them and prepare them with the rest of Diana’s enrollment documents.

As Diana sorted through the papers, reading the contents of each to check over important information, she found that there were some personal letters accompanying them as well. At first, they seemed to be greetings, checking in on Diana. She was almost happy, before she felt twinges in her heart, soon figuring what they were actually about. Just more people sucking up to her to get to her family.

Well. They were barking up the wrong tree. Diana was no longer of any value to the Cavendishes. Even if she was stuck bearing their name. It was practically just an unwanted decoration to her image; an image she desperately wanted to break free from.

Alongside those empty salutations were the sugar-coated bitterness from comments from Diana’s old teachers. They were almost all the same, with some saying it was a shame that she wouldn’t be continuing on as a doctor. Most were surprised to hear she was taking arts for college as not everyone knew of Diana’s family situation, and maybe they hadn’t even cared enough to know about Diana until this point.

Diana would have liked to believe that, surely, they would have seen the scandal on the news of the Cavendish’s case of abuse- but then Diana remembered that her family was powerful enough to possibly cover it all up, only enduring a few scrapes to their name. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised then if they still thought she’d go medical.

Of course. They didn’t know. They didn’t want to anyway. They probably assumed Diana was just dropping out, not strong enough to ensure the pressures that came with being someone of her previous status. How would they see her? Did they think of her as pathetic? Maybe. Maybe.

And now, Diana was left with feelings of shame.

Before she could wallow in more of her brought-back sorrows, hands were quick to move around her, Diana realizing that Claudine had taken her laptop away from her, closing the messages and shutting the device down, while Weiss took away the letters. She was glaring at them so hard, Diana hoped she wouldn’t crumple or tear them. They still needed those.

“Don’t read those any longer than you should. And don’t listen to any of those comments. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Weiss is right. You are amazing.”

“No sister of mine is going to get shamed because of her undeniable talent and wit.” Weiss huffed, breathing out her feelings of irritation.

Diana felt her eyes water as she felt their unconditional support for her. Something she’d never had before.

Whatever deity had blessed her all at once with the best gifts in existence- her two sisters- deserved all the praise Diana had to give.

Weiss and Claudine shared a look as Diana wiped away the few tears that had slipped by. They sighed before grinning, pulling Diana into a group hug.

Really, Diana felt silly for worrying about all those things now. All those people she shouldn’t- couldn’t care less about.

With a laugh, she could only join her sisters as they faced everyone else in the world. Everyone who had used them, hurt them. To that, they’d scream,

“”Screw them!””

//-//-//-//-//

“I- I apologize... could you perhaps... run me through the steps one more time? Just one more time.” Diana pleaded, face contorted in frustration.

Weiss and Claudine found it absolutely adorable.

Who knew Diana was so bad with phones! They were only exchanging numbers, for crying out loud!

This was truly a mystery that confounded them as Claudine and Weiss had watched Diana efficiently navigate her way around her laptop and camera gear. She was excellent in getting all the school application documents ready, and the pair had watched her fixing the practice photos she’d taken earlier, afterwards.

So what was so hard about tapping a few icons on her phone compared to that?!

“I-... i-it’s because i practiced using those! It took me quite a while, but I’m proud to say I’m able to use them well now!”

“Practice...” Weiss parroted, dumbfounded at the revelation. She blinked. Turned to Claudine. “Practice... she says... using a laptop...-”

And exploded.

“HAHAHAHA, practicing?! Practicing using a phone?? Diana, you are adorable!”

Diana clearly didn’t appreciate this, not because she felt insulted by Weiss’ actions, but because she couldn’t comprehend just what was so wrong about daily practicing your typing skills to get sharper.

----

Claudine chopped Weiss lightly on the head, sighing to keep herself from giggling as well. “Don’t worry about it, Diana. We’re just surprised.”

“I still fail to understand why.” Diana frowned, and Claudine poked at the spot between her eyes, now laughing.

“Stop that, you’ll get wrinkles.”

Diana blushed.

“Let’s forget about this for a second, and actually help Diana out, Weiss.” Claudine warned, and that effectively got Weiss to stop, as her laughter calmed into a smile.

“I got it, haha.” She then proceeded to review all the steps on ‘how to add someone to your contacts’ to Diana. “Do you think you can do it on your own now?” She smiled at Diana as she finished.

Diana nodded silently, then looked up to Claudine with a wordless question in her eyes.

One that Claudine had no idea about.

“W-what?” After five minutes of not getting it, Diana’s stare was beginning to feel pressuring.

“May I have your number as well?”

Really. She was just so cute.

“You absolutely can.”

Weiss and Claudine watched over Diana with soft expressions on their faces as she stared at her screen, mesmerized by the names of her sisters on the tiny little glowing object in her hand.

“I’ve... I’ve never needed phone.” She confessed. “I’ve never had one... that’s why I have no clue on how to use it.”

“Huh? Not even for contacting your friends?” Weiss simply asked.

“I... I had an email. And a home phone... and...” Diana paused. “...no friends anyway. At least, not in school that I’d need to contact with an urgency.”

Claudine blinked. Maybe they should have expected this? She definitely couldn’t say she related to the experience as she’d been surrounded by love and good company for most of her life.

She couldn’t possibly hope to feel what Diana did, or understand it. What she could, however, was change those situations into something better.

She would let Diana feel loved.

She and Weiss would.

“Well... you have us now.” She said, quieter than expected. Almost a whisper.

Weiss and Diana turned to her, the latter’s eyes shimmering once more with unshed tears.

How many times had they made Diana cry already?

Her next words made Claudine want to as well.

“I do.”

//-//-//-//-//

D-day. It was a Monday.  Two weeks before classes would get rolling. Today, the girls’ main agenda would be to get Diana enrolled as soon as possible, and then Claudine and Weiss would proceed to check on their own student statuses and pick up their uniforms.

The uniforms had been issued as a means to identify their students. They were free to wear it as they saw fit, so long as it was still recognizable as belonging to the school.

After they had accomplished most of what they needed for Diana’s processes, they sat waiting in the seats just outside the office clerk’s transaction window, waiting for their names to get called on to pick up Weiss and Claudine’s uniforms.

“Could this take any longer?” Weiss groaned. “The service is taking ages!”

“Hush, you. It’s not that bad at all.” Claudine sighed. Although she felt a similar frustration and impatience after sitting in that place for nearly half an hour, she understood that there were many other transactions ongoing so close to the beginning of classes.

Even Diana looked as though she was getting bored. It wouldn’t be surprising if one of them fell asleep at some point. Claudine had already gone through a few games on her phone, and didn’t feel like playing any more. They could only wait at this point.

Before the trio could succumb to even more mental distress, like a taste of salvation, their turn came.

“Weiss Schnee.”

“Yes, yes.” Weiss almost jumped out of her seat, glad the nightmare was over as she skipped over to the window to receive her items.

“Claudine Saijou.” The clerk called next. Claudine made her way more calmly, bowing gratefully to the worker.

“Thank you.”

As Claudine was doing all the final checks for all of their things, and inquiring about Diana’s status, she barely heard Weiss mumbling to herself, staring at Claudine the whole while.

“Claudine Saijou…” Weiss thought long and hard. Since the other day she had been wondering about why Claudine’s face and name were so familiar. She felt stupid not asking anything about it sooner. They’d been living together awhile now! So why hadn’t they ever... well, to be fair, with all the circumstances surrounding them, they hadn’t really tried to pry too much into one another’s pasts. They had also always referred to each other by their first names right away.

She knew Diana’s last name by heart, and a little bit of the weight behind it because of all the things they’d had gone through since meeting, helping the girl. She was sure they knew her name as it was the only thing she’d ever share with her dick of a father.

But there hadn’t really been an occasion to think about Claudine’s. Even if they had met her mother.

Why was that?

Weiss didn’t really know or understand. But now, she had a chance to stand back and think about it. What was it that had been tickling her mind each time she heard that name.

She tested the name a few more times, a tingling on her tongue as she tried to jog her memory. Just where...

“Ah! “ Weiss snapped, turning to Claudine and pointing a finger right at her face. “Claudine Saijou! You’re Saijou Claudine!”

A surprised Claudine, reeled back slightly, eyes wide, blinking at Weiss. Just what was this girl going on about this time?

“Yes… Yes, I’m Saijou Claudine. Thank you for telling me my name.” She tried, recovering from her initial scare.

“And I’m Diana Cavendish.” Diana butted in, wondering if she should also state her full name. Had Weiss somehow forgotten and needed a refresher? Did she need them for something?

“No, no, you idiots.” Weiss sighed, exasperated. Luckily, neither of her sisters took offense to what she’d just called them. Organizing her realizations, she shared them to the pair, once more gesturing to Claudine. “You’re the one from that… that.. Lou’s ointment commercial from a while back!” She excitedly exclaimed.

A blush crept across Claudine’s features, suddenly hyper aware of their surroundings. She began to notice that Weiss little outburst was starting to garner attention as more people began to recognize her. Of course they would. In a school for the arts, why shouldn’t she expect this?

“Did she just say Saijou Claudine?”

“You mean the one from Seishou? That Saijou Claudine?”

Claudine flinched.

“I loved her acting in Starlight!”

“I preferred her Dracula.”

“We all know it was Black Beard that was the hottest.”

Only good things were being said about her, but Claudine couldn’t help but feel awkward in this situation. Plus, her sisters... were here. Somehow it felt a little embarrassing with them watching.

She could see some people inching closer to her, and she could hear whispers about taking photos or talking to her. Usually, she’d stand up straight in pride and thank everyone supporting her, but somehow she felt... uncomfortable from the attention.

She hadn’t been in Japan, in Seishou, for a few years. Maybe it was a little surprising to know that her name was still heard of, and it was mostly associated with her former school. She knew she’d made some mark in France, but... the more time she spent there, away from many things she’d chosen to leave behind, it felt as though her sparkle dimmed.

Things she’d left behind... huh.

Claudine shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts.

Maybe they should leave now.

Claudine grabbed her uniform that had fallen to the floor after Weiss loud declaration. She bowed in apology to the staff for the ruckus, threw some thanks over her shoulder, and ushered her sisters out the room hurriedly.

“Let’s go.”

//-//-//-//

“So... Saijou Claudine huh.”  Weiss awkwardly repeated Claudine’s name for her to hear again.

Claudine remained seated on the courtyard bench with her head down, not looking at Weiss. Silent.

Weiss was beginning to feel a little guilty, not even knowing why. Maybe she should try to ease the situation some way?

“I… I liked the ointment? It worked really well for me and was compatible with my skin type.” She attempted lamely.

Diana voiced her agreement, feeling the tension present in the air and wanting to help out. “Yes, I also used it during…” She trailed off, eyes dulling as she looked away, now also silent.

The girls understood immediately what Diana had been needing it for.

With that plan backfiring, moments of nothing passed.

“It’s alright, Weiss.” Claudine lifted her head, trying to meet Weiss gaze as assurance, but then shifting her eyes to the side mere seconds later. “...I was just... embarrassed.” -that and feeling another emotion that Claudine didn’t really want to face at the moment.

Again, she thought of it. Really, it was rather uncharacteristic of her to be this way. Usually, she would be rather proud of her achievements. While not in an annoyingly boastful manner, she never shied away from attention. Usually she took it with grace and humility.

Maybe it was because they were her sisters suddenly looking at her differently. Or maybe it was because of the mention of Seishou and all the memories... and people linked to it that she had neglected for so long, that reminded her and made her feel at odds with the sudden attention.  Maybe... she just didn’t know.

“If it helps,” Diana tried again. Maybe this could help them lighten the atmosphere. “I, for one, am proud to have a sister who’s been on TV?” She smiled, taking a seat next to Claudine, placing a hand over her own on her lap.

No matter how talented Weiss and Diana were, their performances were mostly exclusive to their rich guests at home. Weiss may have been invited on a radio broadcast once or twice, or a recording for a documentary on music. She was once even on a YouTube video for a friend. But it was different from having your face be constantly plastered on screen every time a particular commercial came out for days on end.

“If I remember right, you had another one… Country… ma’am?” Claudine’s blush came back as she shyly nodded.

“Ah! I remember you also had this one play!” Claudine watched silver brows knit together momentarily, Weiss struggling to pin the tail on the donkey. “Anne? Annie? Wait, no, that’s not it. Let’s see here…” She mumbled a few more names to herself, before the confusion in her eyes cleared somewhat, Weiss carefully asking,“Arrie?”

Claudine chuckled, amused. “Thank you for remembering. Yes, that was- you could say- the peak of my work. That was then. But now…” She smiled softly, eyes on the dirt, kicking a pebble away and watching it roll along ‘til it came to a dead halt. “I’m nothing special, really.”

...Did she really just say that about herself? Her eyes widened the slightest bit but her expression settled before her sisters could take notice.

Now really wasn’t the time for her thoughts to be all jumbled up and in a mess.

“Are you KIDDING me, right now?” Weiss scoffed. “Did you see those people’s reactions back there? That’s definitely amazing. You’re amazing.”

“Says an international recitalist.” Claudine responded without missing a beat, looking up at Weiss with a glint in her deep magenta eyes.

Weiss looked taken aback. “Y-you know-...how?“

“I study much.” Claudine shrugged. “I’ve seen and kept far too many books, video sources and the like for reference. Research. It’s research, dear sister. And I’ve come across you more times than i have fingers.” She confessed.

“And you never bothered telling me you knew me?”

“Why would I?” Claudine grinned teasingly. “Want me to stroke your ego?”

“Hey!”

Just like that, the weight had been lifted and Claudine found herself enjoying this banter with Weiss. Her sass and her confident, straight-forward self that always seemed to amuse and cheer them up in many moments, breaking the ice in their interactions.

Claudine felt her entirety smile at her older sister, feeling warmer. Such a pleasant feeling.

As she silently admired her sibling, a gentle giggling tickled Claudine’ ears as Diana watched her younger sister’s exchanges and playful jabs at one another. Claudine noticed Weiss quiet down as well as they ended up staring.

She knew the thought the same thing. They found it quite nice, a very pretty sound coming from an incredibly beautiful girl.

That visage imprinted itself in her mind, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Diana-

“... Ever considered being a model, Diana?” Weiss suddenly blurted out the exact thoughts in Claudine’s mind.

Diana’s eyes were just as wide as hers as the stunned girl looked between her two younger sisters, words barely registering in her mind.

“Huh?”

//-//-//-//-//

School.

What a place.

School was, and always had been her escape back then. It was where she would not feel the physical torment of her aunt, it was a place where she wouldn’t have to endure the scathing words of her family.

Yes, school had its own pressures, the teachers keeping their watchful eyes on her; sometimes expectant, other times judging. Diana also had her fair share of distant admirers, and braver, envious foe, but those were trivial little things in comparison to her home life of abuse.

Thumbtacks in her shoes, or her books in a fountain were as ant bites to her, nothing in comparison to the lions that hungered to devour her once she stepped foot into the manor’s towering gates come the end of the school day.

So really, school may have been better than home, but it never really held a special place in Diana’s heart. If anything, it was more associated with terror and the idea of faux and temporary freedom.

But now, did these perceptions remain for Diana? Or could school be something else for her, now that she had two allies on her side.

Two allies... two sisters.

Diana inwardly smiled at the word. That she had them now, that they were present in a place like ‘school’, it already made all the difference.

Where she had no genuine friends and peers before, she now had two of the best people by her side. Where she had no one who believed in her or her dreams, she’d found two people pushing her to pursue ones she hadn’t realized she had.

And though she had no family to send her off to school then, she did now...

Right now.

“Okay, Diana. Just as we were told, today is only the orientation day. There won’t be any classes, so we’re expecting an early out for the day. Which means we’ll be expecting to see you pretty soon after classes end.” Claudine’s hands fiddled with her tie, straightening it out and pressing it gently to Diana’s chest. “Perfect.” She nodded in satisfaction, eyes lifting to meet Diana’s. “Now. I have a copy of your schedule because Weiss said it’d be best for us to know where you are at times.” She informed, before eyes widened in panic, an explanation on her lips. “W-we don’t mean to tread on your privacy of alone time or anything, you can tell us if-”

“Claudine. It’s okay.” Diana laughed, watching her sister calm down somewhat.

“Okay.” Claudine paused to admire the pretty sound of Diana’s happiness. “Okay, but anyway. Our lunch times match up, so we were hoping we’d all have it together; how do you feel about that?” Claudine bit her lip, just a little nervous.

“I’d love that.”

“Ah, thank goodness.” Claudine sighed in relief. “Also, you have our numbers and all so just ring us up if you need us.” Claudine added more and more to her list of reminders. “Also, I snuck a water bottle into your bag. Remember to hydrate regularly! And also, don’t be scared to tell the teacher if you ever need a bathroom break-”

“Claudine.”

“And blatantly- not shyly, mind you- give people a piece of your mind if they ever try to hurt-”

“Claudine!” Diana laughed again, airy and sweet. “I’m not a child, you both needn’t be so concerned.” She patted the girl on the head, gaining a blush from her younger sister. “Thank you. Also, class starts in five. I know your classroom is quite far from mine.”

She knew the girl was biting her tongue, keeping her from saying anything more. Diana knew she was considering Diana’s words, knowing they were right. “Fine...”  She relented.

“Get to your class, Claudine. I’ll be fine.”

Claudine still looked reluctant to leave Diana, eyes searching her expression for any doubts or anxiety, but finding none, she backed away.

“Fine. Okay. I got it. I’ll go. But!”

“Just go, Claudine.” Diana giggled. “Go. I’ll be alright. Please? Trust me?”

“I- I do trust you!” Diana heard the girl murmur a few things to herself. “I do. Okay. I’ll go. You’ll be fine, okay?”

“I will.”

“Okay. Pinky promise.” Diana felt her face warm as she and Claudine did the childish gesture, but it made her smile, thinking of how sweet and innocent Claudine could still be at times.

“Pinky promise.”

“Call me or Weiss! Lunch together! Water!” She called over her shoulder, even as she walked away.

“I will!” Diana reassured. Really, Claudine was a worrywart. The girl still paused in the middle of the hall before taking the turn around the corridor, making sure Diana was really alright. Once she was satisfied, she disappeared from the older girl’s sight.

Diana spun on her heel, facing the sliding wood separating her from her knew life goal. This was it. She just needed to take a step in. With a deep breath, it was like a mask was dropped onto her.

Her eyes became blank and cold, her expression just as frozen, settled not in a frown nor a smile. Simply a fine line on her lips. Diana trod into the room, a switch within clearly flipped.

She hated it. This Diana Cavendish. This Diana was cold and calculative to a fault. This Diana had built many walls around herself because she’d known the terrors of the world, and the possibility of people only here to use her. She had to be careful. That’s what the Cavendish had said. That’s what Diana had eventually tasted for herself after many betrayals.

This was only a defense. Impregnable as it should be when dealing with the outside world.

...

But then... where was this defense when she’d first met Weiss and Claudine? It was practically non-existent.

Diana felt her expression soften, eyes warming the tiniest bit. Thinking about her sisters made her feel... fluffy... inside. She never thought she could feel such a thing. It was such an abstract concept to her, that when she’d heard it from other people in the past, she knew she scoffed at the idea.

The emotions she knew were pain, anger, pride, sadness, the occasional joy. Feelings such as ‘fluffiness’ and ‘softness’, she’d never really understood what they meant. She still didn’t.

But she smiled. At least she now knew.

//-//-//-//-//

Diana internally squirmed in her seat, under the burning scrutiny of fiery eyes that had been locked onto her ever since she entered the room. Even during the duration of orientations and introductions, the only time the girl had broken her stare was when it was her turn to give her name and basic information to the class, as well as while she excitedly responded to a lot of things their professor had said. Only during those times did she give the poor Cavendish room to breathe.

Then it was back to watching every moment of Diana in that room.

Why?

Diana had no clue.

Kagari Atsuko.

She seemed peppy, cheery. She was loud and active. She was so different from Diana. She was friendly- or so Diana had observed as she first arrived in the class. She smiled at everyone and greeted them good morning, and Diana had regretted catching her gaze that now refused to leave her form.

She never said anything, she hadn’t greeted Diana ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ like she did the rest of their classmates.

She didn’t get her.

She didn’t understand why the girl kept looking at her... she didn’t understand why she kept sneaking glances back.

So she didn’t force herself to think about it anymore than she should.

She may or may not get involved with the woman from time to time, maybe for school work and such, but she didn’t see them getting along at all. She had no time nor reason to pursue friendships anyway.

Kagari Atsuko, whoever she was, was just going to be another passing figure in her academic life, Diana concluded.

An odd lass, she surmised.

Class ended promptly, the professor saying she found no need to discuss much since it was only the first day, and that the students should go out and explore the campus. Maybe they’d find inspiration to use in the upcoming days.

As she packed her things into her bag, Diana could feel that incessant gaze boring into her back, the pressure laid strongly on her.

She really wanted to just ignore it, but somehow she felt like that wouldn’t be possible. There was a chance that this girl would actually act on all her staring.

...or not?

Diana quirked a brow as the girl had averted her gaze once Diana met it, clumsily throwing her materials into her own backpack, closing it haphazardly before rushing down the steps between the rows of lecture desks. As the bag hopped off her back as she made those rough movements, Diana  bit her lip. She could just foresee something happening-

And it did.

The girl’s water bottle had somehow fallen out of her pack, making a clacking sound that surprised the owner as she quickly tripped over her feet and fell to the floor.

In a span of under a minute.

Diana rushed forward without hesitation, body moving on its own as she crouched by the fallen girl, helping her sit up before gathering the contents spilled from her bag after she’d made her glorious failure of an exit.

Diana worked quietly, handing the girl her things and looking her over for any signs of pain or injury. Upon seeing that she may as well be fine, she got up wordlessly, gave the girl a curt nod before going out the door.

Only to be followed by that Kagari girl, voice calling out behind her.

“W-w-w-wait!”

She waited. Something compelled her to do so. Turning around, she raised a curious brow.

“I- you...” The brunette tried, not really knowing what to say after all that. “Thank you.”  She murmured quietly, and Diana had met her eyes and found sincere rubies glimmering with something she was unfamiliar with. Something that had suddenly captured her, leaving her staring. “Miss Cavendish.”

At the sound of her name, she snapped out of the odd trance, nodding once more with a reply of, “You’re welcome. Now I should go-”

“Wait-!”

Again, Diana felt her feet root themselves in place, not allowing her to leave. “Yes?”

She watched as the girl opened and shut her mouth, forming words in her mind perhaps, then rethinking them over and over ‘til she looked like a fish out of water with the way she left Diana hanging.

“If you have nothing else to say, I should be on my way.” That sounded a bit too cold, Diana admitted to herself. However, this was her normal reaction to people she did not know and could not be bothered to know anyway.

This was fine. She told herself so.

So then why was she so expectant? For... something- anything- from this unfamiliar person that had spent the better half of their orientation day ogling her?

Diana just didn’t get it. She didn’t get herself.

Upon receiving no response, she sighed, turning around for the last time. This time she wouldn’t look back. She wouldn’t wait. “Good day.” She said as a final word, shoes tapping against the floor.

She’d leave. She’d walk away this time. She’d ignore the stare boring into her very soul. She would never interact with this girl anymore if she could help it. She’d push away these strange feelings, these curious thoughts of hers all in a mess just because of this strange girl.

Then she’d be fine.

School would just be her, her camera, and her sisters. That was enough for her.

She kept walking, nearing the corner of the hallway.

“Ever considered being a model, Miss Cavendish?!”

-And she stopped.

[“Ever considered being a model, Diana?”]

Her sister’s question during her enrollment replayed in her mind, Diana slightly in awe at the coincidence.

Diana struggled to find her voice as she remained frozen by the stairs. Kagari Atsuko quickly followed after her, standing a bit too close for Diana’s liking, staring so intently into her eyes.

Once she found her tongue, a weak question was the only thing she managed. “Wh-why do you ask?”

“Please. Be my model.”’

There was this sincerity in her odd request, this spell in her eyes; and for a moment, Diana thought of saying yes. Only for a moment. Regaining her bearings, Diana shook here head, no.

It just wasn’t possible. Her?

“Please.”

Diana’s brows furrowed at the continued request. In the first place, should this girl really be asking her course-mate that?

“But… Miss Kagari… we’re both photographers…”

“So?”

‘So?’ What did she mean by that?

“Does that have anything to do with being my model?”

“...yes?” For one, Diana would be needing her own model. She’d figured she could ask her sisters for this one favor.

Diana realized the girl might be asking for their future projects that the teacher had mentioned earlier in orientation. If this was her way of being diligent by scouting early, she was barking up the wrong tree.

“But you could still do it! I know a senior who previously did the same thing! Come on, please, Miss Cavendish?”

In the first place, why was this girl so dead set on having Diana model for her? Why was she pleading so endearingly, with her eyes hopeful and sparkling, making it hard for Diana to say no. So hard to say no.

“I…”

‘I’ll think about it?’

Wait. Was that what she wanted to say? No, impossible. She shouldn’t even think of that possibility in the first place. Just.... what was it that was going on with Diana.

This girl had no clue who she was. She didn’t know Diana nor her past, nor her... scars. It wasn’t just an embarrassing feeling, or simple apprehension, now that she pondered on the reason behind her response- or rather, lack of it.

It was shame. If Kagari Atsuko ever found out about Diana Cavendish, there was no way she’d actually keep asking, was there? To have Diana as her model. No, not her. Not someone as marred and tainted, scarred and ugly as her.

And Diana had her answer.

“I’m sorry... I’m only a photographer.”

//-//-//-//-//

Weiss glared at her desk, willing the dark coffee stain on it away. There was also some cream, possibly from a doughnut, smeared along the side of it. So early in the morning, and already she was experiencing levels of gross she’d very much rather not see.

“Youch! You sure got the bad draw for the seating assignment. Wonder who among these early birds did that though.” Weiss’ eyes traced up the finger pointing to the frosted mess on her desk, trying to meet the origin of the voice that popped up beside her, red-tipped brunette strands obstructing her vision from this stranger’s face. This made her realize.

“Um... aren’t you a little too close?”

“Hmm?”

The mop of two-toned hair swayed with the motions of her new companion, turning her head to face Weiss.

‘Silver. How... peculiar.’

Before she lost herself, completely entranced, Weiss backed away in her seat, tearing her eyes free of that magnetic gaze. “I- I said you’re too close!”

“Oh. Oh! Oh, my bad. Sorry. Just. I saw you frowning so early in the morning, like you were gonna murder someone or something, or your desk.” The girl scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “I’m Ruby, by the way. Ruby Rose.”

“Miss Rose. Great. Well then, I’ll be looking for a way to... deal with this, so if you’d excuse me.” Weiss promptly rose from her seat, making a line for the door.

“Hey, that’s not very polite.” ‘Ruby’ called after Weiss. “I gave you my name, so why can’t I get yours?”

Weiss stopped in her tracks, casting a casual glance over her shoulder at the person who had gone and entered her personal bubble without much apprehension earlier, and admittedly, had piqued her interest.

Well. She was going to need some acquaintances to get through this class smoothly, after all. Hmm... but did it have to be her? Weiss pondered it. Maybe she could be of some use to Weiss.

With a small smirk, she considered her final options. She could just give her name... But where was the fun in that? They were classmates anyway.

So with a flip of her shoulder and a cheeky tone of voice,

“I’m sure you’ll learn soon enough.”

-She walked away.

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine stood outside the door of the classroom, hesitant about entering.

She was late.

She was late for classes because she had to make sure Diana was settled in and okay. Claudine had escorted Diana to her first class as some sort of precaution in case something happened to the girl on the way. She and Weiss had talked about it the night before school began, and decided it would be for the best. Just to be safe. So she’d taken the liberty to do this task as Weiss’ class started earlier than Diana’s and hers.

And she was glad to do it. Just that she might have taken a bit too long. Plus, it didn’t help that her classroom was on the other side of the building. Fortunately for her, she had swung by the faculty room first thing when they got to school to find her first period’s professor and inform her of the possibility that she’d be late. She was meticulous and sure like that.

But being late... wasn’t really the reason why she wasn’t too keen on entering the class, was it?

A deep breath.

She... should go in now.

With a simple, “excuse me”, and a knock on the front door, she slid it open to reveal herself to only the teacher who beckoned her in upon noticing Claudine.

If she took a step in now, what would greet her? Who would she see? Was she... ready for this inevitable reunion?

Her stomach churned.

Things were going to be different. She just knew it.

“Ah, yes, our final student.” Her professor’s voice took her out of her inner turmoil, adding to the dread she was feeling as she had no way out anymore. This was it. She had to face the stage and the people who stood on it. “She’s excused from being late because of some family circumstances, but we’re glad she could make it and complete our class, aren’t we students?”

Claudine thought the teacher was rather chipper. She seemed so happy so early in the morning. A totally different mood from Claudine.

She supposed she should just get on with it. Whatever happened, she’d deal with it later.

So she walked in, turning to the rest of the class, bowing in apology for being late.

... bowing to a certain group of people in apology for being a year late.

Claudine could clearly feel the eight pairs of extremely surprised eyes boring their scalding gazes into her. She wanted to address them and all the questions she knew swirled within them, but first things first. Formalities and introductions and all-

A resounding clatter of a seat, as it was pushed back suddenly, stole the room’s attention. A figure stood so abruptly, the handouts on the desk slipping off.

“Saijou…san.”

‘What a face you’re making...’ She chuckled to herself.

“Well, yes. I’m pleased you remember my name,” Claudine threw back with a bit of a tease, a sprinkle of playful haughtiness mixed in. She met the intense gaze with a fiery spirit of competition, like she always did; in a way, daring this person to say more, or to be her usual infuriating self.

But it seems she was just stunned.

Claudine raised a challenging brow, waiting for the spluttering mess to say something.

What she received was a gaping mouth, shock all over the woman’s expression, and a shy wave of a hand.

Then the mask of confident indifference she had donned melted into something much gentler as she looked into those Violet eyes she missed dreadfully.

“… Tendou Maya.”

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine felt pleasantly surprised that Aijo Karen could hold back any sort of emotion, at this point. She was very obviously buzzing in her seat in unfiltered tension and excitement, eyes frequently darting to where Claudine was. Hikari blatantly stared, and poor Mahiru tried to get both to calm down and pay attention to class orientation. Claudine found herself smiling the slightest bit at that.

Some things really didn’t change.

Maya, on the other hand hadn’t looked back at her once since their earlier reunion. While this could simply mean that she still kept her impeccable focus and professionalism that separated work and school from personal life, to Claudine, it was still their first interaction after a long time... She couldn’t help but feel disheartened.

Was she not pleased to see Claudine? Was it because... Claudine hadn’t kept in touch with everyone?  

Or was there something else that she didn’t know of?

//

Class could not end any quicker, but by the time that it did, Hikari and Karen were already making a beeline straight for her, as did the others- the others being the rest of her dorm mates and dearest friends. She was already bracing herself for the impending impact of these two jumping her, but before anyone else could touch her, Nana had sped her way past the pair, and engulfed Claudine in a near-bone-crushing hug.

“Kuro-chaaaan!” She wailed like a child, not completely out of character for Nana. “What happened to you all this time?!”

The flood gates of inquiry opened and rushed at Claudine who struggled to keep up with answering every query her friends had about the last year that she had been gone.

Warmth flooded her heart at the realization of many things. Among those was the fact that her friends didn’t seem mad at all. They had only been worried and hopeful for her well-being. Claudine’s heart was moved.

One thing that bothered her was that as the others fawned over her and asked her their endless questions, Maya just stood off to the side, not engaging with the rest of them. It unnerved Claudine. Maya was the one she was closest to, the one she thought she knew and understood the most.

So what was going on?

After everyone had calmed, satisfied with the brief explanation of Claudine’s life in Paris and why she’d lost contact with them all, she was surprised when everyone parted from her, creating a space to allow Maya and Claudine to clearly face each other. As if they were saying, ‘talk’.

Maya looked to be as shocked as she was. Claudine bit her lip nervously.

What would Maya do?

//-//-//-//-//

Tendou Maya knew she was a prideful woman. She was a confident woman. She was a skilled, talented, persevering woman.

What she was not was petty.

And yet, she couldn’t help but sulk the moment her mind had registered that Saijou Claudine was back. Back in Japan. Back in their circle of Seishou friends. Back to Maya.

That in itself was something she’d thought she’d rejoice about, having longed to see Claudine for many a sleepless night. The days that had gone by without so much a letter or a simple, ‘hello’ had torn her heart apart piece by piece, until she had somehow managed to convince herself that Claudine no longer cared for her... even if Maya still wanted to remain at her side.

Deep inside her, anxious pride told her that she should be mad. She should demand a reason from Claudine- although already given. Her bitterness hungered for a begging apology from Saijou Claudine who had forgotten all about Tendou Maya.

But having Claudine appear in front of her, realer than any of her worst dreams and most pleasant nightmares, and out of the unexpected blue, Maya struggled against the simple desire to give into her long-endured neediness and simply embrace Claudine and confirm that she was truly back.

“Maya-chan.” Nana had whispered, pushing her forward as she stumbled the first step before fixing her walk forward until she stood right in front of Claudine.

Claudine offered a hand out, a sense of deja vu washing over Maya as she took it, her own had shaking slightly.

Maya swallowed the lump in her throat, unable to fish for the right words in her mind that had melted into a puddle the moment Claudine gave her that sheepish, awkward, incredibly beautiful smile.

“Have you put on a little weight from all those potatoes, Tendou Maya?” She chuckled.

Claudine.

Maya was captured. She had grown even more beautiful, hadn’t she? This girl- no… they were women now weren’t they? Both Maya and the girl she knew as Saijou Claudine. They had become women in the short time they were apart.

But that wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Or rather, it was something that had finally surfaced so blatantly clear in their relationship; an aspect they had possibly always known but had pushed to the back of their minds as they had other priorities back then.

Maya knew that Claudine knew.

She knew they both realized it, and she could see it in Claudine’s eyes.

“I’ve missed you.” Maya murmured in the tiniest voice. She could see her friends’ smiles from the corner of her eyes, their grins growing wider as Claudine whispered her bashful reply.

“I’ve missed you too.”

And Maya knew it was love.

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine loved her friends. They were the most considerate people in the world. Maybe a little too considerate.

Claudine would have been fine spending time catching up with all of them, but it seemed as though they had caught onto the fact that Maya and Claudine wanted some private time to sort things out between themselves, and so were allowed time alone.

She swallowed down the lump forming in her throat, entirety suddenly full of butterflies in jitters. Being away from Maya for so long, not seeing her at all, unable to hear even her voice, it created this strange feeling of unknown- of an anxiety Claudine couldn’t describe.

Even if this was still Maya- dare she say her Maya-, Claudine could only wonder how much the girl could have changed without her by her side.

All those worries vanished like a mist in the rays of a smile as sunshine-y warm as Maya’s at this very moment. The cold fear in her heart melted away, and her heart beat strongly for a different reason now.

Maya’s eyes searched her own, and she found it difficult to form words. It was everything she could do to keep their gazes locked.

“I-”

“Will you stay by my side now?”

Her heart stopped.

Then ran so fast, Claudine was sure it would burst with all these feelings she knew could be nothing else but her undeniable attraction, and an emotion much deeper than that, towards Maya.

//-//-//-//-//

“Paris was amazing. It was like a dream that I had finally reached and made real.” Claudine began, as they settled on a bench at a deserted corner of the school’s vast courtyard. “At first it was so easy to tell you all of what had happened. The ups and the downs, the successes; the innumerable opportunities I had gotten... The classes were amazing. I learned so much.”

Maya took her hand, gently wrapping her own around it. She squeezed in her silent support, urging Claudine to continue.

“Then suddenly, everyone wanted me.”

Maya wanted to make a playful remark, a simple ‘My~ what a player’. However, there was something in Claudine’s expression that told her it would be better to refrain.

“I know you want to make a comment.” Claudine giggled against her other hand, giving Maya an eye smile that made her heart flutter painfully sweet. Claudine knew her so well.

“I did.” Maya admitted. Claudine nodded before leaning her head on Maya’s shoulder, eyes falling shut.

“You’d think it was all perfect.” Claudine whispered. “I thought it was what I wanted. All these jobs, the exposure, the experience. I thought I could handle it all.”

“But?”

“I was able to take it the first few months. I met so many people who were amazing, who were inspiring. Who had their dreams, goals and aspirations.” Claudine narrated. “But we were all apart. We had these grand views and desires. We had our individuality. That’s a marvelous thing, I know.” Claudine went on. “Even I left to be on my own... away from you all...”

Claudine had made a motion to separate herself from Maya, but Maya had quickly reached an arm over her shoulders, hand guiding Claudine’s head back onto her own.

“Stay.” She whispered, voice a little weak. She felt Claudine nod, and she sighed in relief.

She didn’t know why she did that, but a fear had lodged it’s way into her heart, one that replayed the emotions she had felt the first time Claudine had walked away from her. She dared not relive those again.

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright...” Maya murmured. “So? You thought you were all by yourself?” Maya continued for her. “But remember, we still work towards the same goal. We may have been apart, but that hasn’t changed. Not for me, at least. Didn’t you feel the same way?”

Maya felt that she’d be hurt if Claudine said no.

“I did. I do still.”

Maya felt relief wash over her as she received that reply. She was glad.

Her fingers began to gently tangle themselves in golden locks, playing with tufts of hair, occasionally massaging Claudine’s scalp. She felt the girl sigh and relax against her. Maya liked this. This feeling of comfort.

“So what was the problem?” Maya wanted to understand. She wanted to know what went on while Claudine was away. Why she had stopped contacting them, where she had gone, what she struggled with.

“Maybe it was too much for someone like me to handle. I might have over-estimated myself, Tendou Maya.” Claudine confessed, voice strained. It must have been something hard for her to admit. Maya nuzzled a kiss into her temple, disagreeing with her words.

“You’re Saijou Claudine. The most amazing performer I know. A top star.” She said with conviction.

“You’re the top star. You’re Tendou Maya.” Claudine sighed. “I’m... just a shadow lagging behind you-”

“Now you know that’s not true.” Maya cut her off, slightly angered at the mere implication that Claudine was anything less than her equal, and her partner. “That is not true. You have always been by my side, have you not? You have been the Saijou Claudine well-known for many of her works. The child prodigy, a star since birth!”

“And I was humbled upon meeting you.”

“You’re the one who was offered a full scholarship overseas!”

“I know you rejected it first!”

Maya’s breath caught in throat, words failing.

“I knew that you’d received the offer. When you said no, I didn’t understand. This was the chance of a lifetime. A season for growth. I believed it was. But we didn’t seem to think the same way. I was confused, Tendou Maya.  And so I went. If only to know why. I went and I tried... and then it all became too much.”

Claudine pulled away, allowing them both space to recollect themselves.

“I wanted to know how you could say no to such an offer. A bright future wanted you. And I went as only their second option. It... irked me. And so I wanted to prove that I could be just as good as you. That I could flourish even on my own.” Claudine spoke softly. “But I guess I was wrong. I wasn’t that strong. I became tired, I couldn’t manage all the things thrown my way. I didn’t know who to trust, who to go with, what to do anymore. And so I just... did. Everything.”

“Saijou-san...”

“That actually worked out quite well.” She chuckled, eyes lifeless as she recalled the downward spiral she lived those last few months in Paris. “I received multiple offers for university over there. Fully paid schooling. I gained what many yearned for, things others could only dream of attaining by turning off everything unneeded for the stage... or I thought they were unneeded.” Claudine looked at Maya with a held-back tears. “Then I saw that I was already alone.” Claudine laughed again, as sad as the last. “How odd, right? Haha, well that was that. We should talk about something else. How was senior year on your end?.”

Claudine was trying to wave it all off, smiling at Maya as if she wasn’t anxious and had been heartbroken.

“Tendou Maya?” The girl only stared at Claudine, not answering. “I’m sorry. My story must have been confusing. I would get it if you didn’t understand what I mean.”

But Maya understood. She understood it fully.

She remembered when they first met Yanagi Koharu, a like-minded genius as her. A girl who reflected the lonesomeness one dubbed as a ‘genius’ would experience. Maya remembered her own disregard for camaraderie back then. How she had, at most, only cooperated with others as they were mere stepping stones needed to reach the top. Her views of there being only one possible winner had been her driving force for perfection back then.

That was until Claudine opened her hand to her on the day of that evaluation to enter Seishou.

Then it all began to change for her.

Thanks to Saijou Claudine.

Maya had dedicated much time to repaying that favor. This moment was no exception.

If Claudine had felt alone then, she would never be from now on. Maya would make sure of it.

“Saijou-san-” “Maya-”

“Oh, you go first.” She had wanted to give Claudine some words of encouragement, of reassurance, but she seemed to have more to tell. It made her happy to see that Claudine had chosen to open her heart up so deeply to her. It was an honor that she’d gladly receive. Maya would listen to her, would understand her, and Maya would be there for her; she’d never allow Claudine to say she was ever alone again. “What is it, ma Claudine?”  

Maya had put on a welcoming smile, awaiting whatever else Claudine had for her to hear. However, Claudine seemed to have withdrawn after the interruption, a look of struggle on her features as no words came out of her parted lips.

“…”

“Ma Claudine? Is something the matter?”

“Actually… there’s something else I haven’t told everyone. And why I’m here.” She began, but then halted again, looking to the side.

Another difficult confession? Maya could only wonder. “You don’t have to force yourself to tell me.” She reassured, but kept her ears open just in case.

“But I want to tell you, Maya.” No Tendou. No honorific, just Maya.

And Maya listened.

“I had mentioned it, right? I had received offers to continue going to school there... I might have just went on, to be honest.”

“Yes. I was actually wondering about that. While I’m certainly glad you have returned, wouldn’t your chances have been brighter over there?”

Claudine nodded. “Objectively, I agree.” Maya understood that. “But... um... do you know about my family, Maya?”

“I’ve only heard as much as the others, I suppose, reluctant as I am to admit that.” She smiled weakly.

“Well, I don’t really make such a big deal about it anyway.” Claudine smiled back.

“We do all know that you love your parents dearly and often write home.”

“Yes. That’s true.” Claudine said. “In a sense it is.” She took a deep breath before allowing the next words to slip. “My papa, my father... or well, the man I actually consider as my father... is gone. Has been for a while. So it’s just me and my mom.”

“Claudine...”

Maya didn’t know what to say. She took both of Claudine’s hands in her own, thumbs brushing over her knuckles.

“It’s alright. We’ve already accepted it a long time ago. Maman and I... we miss him, yes. But we’re okay... or... I am, at least...” Claudine huffed, squeezing her eyes shut, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. “I came back because... I don’t know... when my mother will leave me as well...”

And Maya couldn’t take it. “I’m sorry, Ma Claudine.” Maya embraced her tight, whispering teary words onto her brow. “For all you’ve been through… and that I was never able to help you.”

“Idiote... it’s not your fault.” Claudine sunk into the hold, savoring the immediate warmth Maya provided her. They stayed like that a tender while, Maya allowing Claudine to express all her frustrations, grievances, and pain. She cried it all out with her.

“I’m sorry, Ma Claudine... I’m sorry.” She whispered against her hair in peppered kisses that sometimes made the girl cry even more.

“Mechante va... I told you it’s fine.” Claudine held onto Maya tighter, relishing in her comforting presence. “It’s fine...”

“Still... I could have been there for you sooner. I should have just kept reaching out. I should’ve followed you-! I should’ve bought a plane ticket and flew after you- No, I should have demanded another scholarship! Then we’d have been together-”

“Stop right there.” Claudine laughed through some sniffles, cupping Maya’s face with both cheeks and looking into her stunned eyes.  

Claudine really was beautiful, even as she cried.

“I-...” Maya waited, but what had seemed to be a planned retort, was set aside, Claudine simply shaking her head and smiling at Maya.

Really, Maya must look like a fool to her right now.

“An endearing fool, at least.” Claudine laughed some more at Maya’s shock at being read so easily. “A fool so willing to stay by my difficult self... All this time... willing and waiting.” Claudine sighed, touching her forehead to Maya’s.

Maya’s heart beat strong, a silly smile on her lips. Claudine was right. She was there for her. She always will be. And It wasn’t just Maya. She knew Claudine had many more people by her side. Both then and now.

“Maya?”

“Hmm?”

“Merci.”

Maya grinned, nuzzling her nose against Claudine’s.

“Je vous en prie, Ma Claudine.”

//

“Claudine?”

“Hmm?”

Claudine watched Maya purse her lips, hesitating a moment. Did she need something?

“What is it?”

“Earlier... you mentioned something... I was just curious. You don’t have to answer it or anything!” Maya clarified, a little panicked.

Claudine raised their joined hands, bringing the back of Maya’s to her lips in hopes of calming her. It seemed her plan backfired as Maya turned into more of a mess, if anything. It was cute.

“I- uh.. you see... father? You said...”

Claudine blinked. Then she understood.

“You said something about how your papa was the one you... saw as your father? And I didn’t quite... get that.”

Claudine had almost forgotten about that. Well there was nothing wrong with telling Maya about that. She’d learn eventually, right?

“Right. Um... I had said something about returning to my mother right?” Maya nodded. “But that wasn’t the sole reason. I... my papa isn’t quite my real father. My biological parent... was someone else.” Claudine sighed.

“I... see.” Maya seemed to be thinking hard about it.

“I received news about my mother and had wanted to find work here in Japan... and if I could, apply for a scholarship to keep studying, if possible. But then a letter came, saying that Maman was in the hospital, bills paid, and I was already enrolled in this school. Where all of you were. It was almost miraculous. A dream come true.”

Claudine prodded the crease that had formed on Maya’s forehead, giggling at how adorable she was being.

“Apparently it was, in a sense, a bribe. For me, and for a court that had held a trial against my ‘father’. I was angry, of course. I felt ashamed to be related to such a person, but... it was too good a deal to pass up.”

Claudine felt Maya squeeze her hand, concern written all over her face.

“And that’s it. How I ended up back here.” She smiled. “Thank you, Maya. For listening to all of that.” Claudine leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek, enjoying the bright red glow of a rarely-seen, shy Tendou Maya.

“O-o-o-of course! A-anytime! You can talk to me anytime, Ma Claudine.” She stuttered out, her free hand touching the spot where Claudine’s lips had been.

Claudine felt her heart skip at the gesture. She already knew that Maya had realized it earlier as she had too;  and that there was something else they needed to talk about. However, she believed they could save that conversation for another day. Preferably, under better circumstances.

“Anyway.” Claudine caught Maya’s attention again, standing up to get ready to leave for the day. “It’s not all that bad.” She then remembered another important detail that she needed to fill Maya in on. “Actually, something good came out of it.”

“Oh? And what is that?” Maya smiled, taking Claudine’s offered hand as the girl helped her up.

“You see-”

“Claudine? Are you here- Oh, there you are!”

A voice cut in to their conversation, the attention of the pair redirected to the new arrival walking her way towards them.

“Thank goodness. I was just looking for you so we could pick up Diana since her classroom is the farthest from- oh.” The white-haired woman halted in her steps, at first only seeing Claudine, late in noticing that she wasn’t alone. “Am I… interrupting something?”

‘Such impeccable timing.’

Claudine didn’t respond to her, instead, she gestured with an open hand to Weiss in hopes this would help Maya process what she was about to say. She should really express her thanks to Weiss later for her amazing assistance. After all, show rather than tell because seeing is believing.

“Tendou Maya.”

The girl perked up, curiosity in her eyes, and some hints of confusion as well.

“It appears as though, as of recent…” Claudine awkwardly chanced a look back and forth between them. “...I’ve acquired myself a pair of sisters.”

…

“Oh.”

A/N: Future (?) Love-interests, Get! Also I will be exposing how Diana’s parents met in the future so calm your horses. Again, sorry this was super late. I promised it 2 weeks months ago but got slammed into a wall of life. Thank you for reading and for the support!

~Shintori Khazumi

[falinscloaca]

ok i actually unfurled my “receipt” talons but this person is an incest apologist and you should fucking block them. shit under the cut

ok i went to check them bc i basically go to check *everyone* now (regaurdless of if their points are good or bad. like having a shit awful opinion is inherently suspicious -duh- but i’ve been around the rodeo enough to know that holding people i agree with to high standards is actually fucking reasonable bc without it you get the fucking ocean of incest wierdos who giggle and traipse through the transgender aisle at the supermarket) and like. one of the first things i *see* (without having to like. search.) is:

and like. this sets off alarms immediately bc this person is reacting this dramatically to a claim that like. not all, not most, but *some* kinks are “disgusting”. i’m pretty sure even legends of the “kink” world would still agree that, yes, *some* kinks are disgusting. its not that hot a take. And while i *get* that they’re trying to say that whatever kinks this person is alluding to in particular aren’t disgusting, WELL, UM, LETS JUST actually i took a look further down the blog at this point in the “””””investigation”””””” and like 

i already left commentary in the thing itself. like i do *get* it, the fact that stardew valley is trying to be inclusive by having all the romance options be available to everyone, or fucking fallout 4 is trying to be woke pogchamp by letting you “romance” as many people as you want, while simultaneously never fucking once giving lip service to the *existence* of us homos, is in fact actually fairly dehumanizing (though my reaction to such is based almost entirely in how much goodwill i have towards the developers, stardew valley dev yer ok and its not that big a deal, monster prom i hate your explanation that you used in marketing years ago when you just could’ve said that you won’t have any gender specific romance options and left it at that but yer Alright, fallout 4 die in a hole for literally giving the protagonist a requited happy suburban straight marriage and yet having tons of journos at the time praising you for being progressive and queer-friendly die die die die in a hole), but good fucking god OP of this not all stories centering solely around bi/pan/mspec women are doing that *for male gaze* and phrasing it like THAT is effectively repeating the “available to men” rhetoric that treats bi women like god damn grocery store zucchini FUCKING *ANYWAYS* BACK TO THE INCEST SHIT

ok so at this point i just search incest on the blog. its super easy as a way to vet people since theres a lot more people around in the same spaces i wind up in who are willing to offhandedly support *that* than some of the other pervert shit (probably because defending the fetishization of children or dogs is a angrier bees nest than even the bigger wierdos are willing to swing at lmao). 

i don’t have much to say about this one i just think the way the person frames their laughing about all this is fucking weird. the screenshots kinda confusing (also terrible quality sorry) but everything about “tumblr is the funniest etc etc” is screenshots, and unless i’m *completely* misunderstanding the order of operations here Beaky is the transmasc exclusionist (??? exclusionist against what. excluding transmascs???? are they a trans masc who excludes???? what) and the pink anime girl bitch is the “trans lesbian (why are you bringing up the persons orientation unless yer taking this as some sorta attack on trans women thinkingemoji) who did incest roleplay with her partner” . its framed fucking weird and also yeah sure “calling for the death of a trans lesbian” is when someone says that a proudly, shamelessly incest glorifier should be put on a “block/kill list” (noteworthy thing that totally isn’t a turn of phrase born out of frustration with this shit- ALSO I SHOULD ADD THAT I HAVE NO CLUE WHO ANY OF THE INVOLVED ARE SO WHILE I OBVIOUSLY CONDEMN THE BROTHERFUCKER I DO *NOT* NECESSARILY ENDORSE THE OTHER PERSON LMAO) 

ok now these are actually just acting like being against the fetishization of incest is puritanical

AND LIKE WHAT IN THE GOD DAMN IS THIS, THE OP GOES AT LENGTH TO SAY THAT THE CALLED OUT PERSON *APPROVES OF “ADULT, CONSENTING” INCEST* AND THE REPLY CGFORESKIN IS AGREEING WITH IS TALKING ABOUT THIS BEING MORE ‘FRAMING ALL TRANS WOMEN AS PEDOPHILES’ SLANDER. i don’t even know if the OP of that is operating in good faith or not but the fact that they’re all perfectly fine with completely skipping over incest is cartoonish. and given the rest of this shit i’m not giving them the benefit of the doubt. 

honestly just doing this because between here and my nsfw twitter experience theres way, way, WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too many people in “progressive, trustworthy, we’re all a bunch of solidarity-loving queer folkz” spheres that seem way too comfortable cozying up to fetishes that like- kinda are actually inherently bad. 

[sugar-petals]

SuperM as Subs

↪ A/N. UGH these guys have me fucking spiraling. very excited to bring you this, please indulge 👀

○ warnings ⚠️ 18+, dom/sub, kinks galore, gender-neutral dom!reader

3.5k words | bullet points | this is all over the place there is so much to say i—

⌈ ten

— motto: kitten has ‘ten’ in it, but so does intense.

wowza honey

best choke out you’ll find

the stamina, too, oh lord. ten can handle a lightning fast riding without blowing up in two minutes

all while you choke him

with a waist harness on and ankles bound

bondage looks so good on him; he’s flexible and enduring. imagine a hogtie... art. 

such a beautiful man.

literally, rope marks, imagine that

we need to talk about his pain threshold as well there

things that have other guys screaming are a mere tickle to him

i can’t emphasize enough how lucky you’ll be. this fella does not have to be trained much. experience? abundant. talent? more than vast. he knows precisely how far he can go with what kind of kink. that is invaluable.

and now, the most mind-blowing part. stress: he encourages you to take it all out on him. in his mind, that’s an extra treat and a promise he gets it raw how he loves it. 

your satisfaction is his fuel, as is seeing you unwind. 

the whole progression from heavy beginnings to breathless ends

the boy needs you to go, for the lack of a better word, buck-wild

so yes, ten is your number one (pun intended) address for all things messy. he asks you to hatefuck him, you spoil him with it.

the sheer masochism of him

are you kidding me

listen i’m not a fan of the sin concept but in this case... you can sin all you want with him

tl;dr: angry sex is his thing. strong emotions. guts will be rearranged.

about the elephant in the room: yeah, this guy can bust some extraterrestrial, dazzling, sexy as hell moves

that means one thing. contortionism. you can bend him into every position you desire and fuck him like that. he’s petite but don’t worry. your babe’s strong

in fact, you can sit on his face and get one ferocious rimming daily

things will get wet wetter wettest

surprise surprise vice versa he likes his own ass filled with plugs and vibrators

the type that buzzes him into a delirium while you slap him. with his neck turning red and those pretty almond eyes going wide. 

they do hold the universe. he’s just so enthralling.

btw. talking about toys. having a fleshlight ready to make him moan and ruin his orgasm is a veeery good idea.

chances are you will draw cute english or thai interjections from him

in return, you can call him your prince and kiss him all over for aftercare. he’s no different, thinking of you as someone figuratively and literally noble to him. he’s thankful you fulfill his greatest sexual dreams. it’s true, you’ll really worship each other.

he’ll do his little mona lisa smile and doze off in your lap...

sub!ten is just priceless okay

10/10

i need a moment

⌈ kai

— motto: local strip club found bankrupt.

oh mY GOD nini

he knows how it’s done

did he go to sub school or something

you’ll find him at the stove around 6:30 AM in his apron

making you breakfast pretty much butt naked otherwise

flustered and sexy butler kim right at your service

looking very sculpted

dancing a little, as usual, he’s getting into it

in other words, you’re sure to get those eggs fried well

now, besides his skimpy clothing and waiter allure

kai as a submissive is almost definite to be an epitome of organization. he’s just good at it. period. lube and protection are always in the house.

you do your part doing maintenance for toys and cracking the occasional whip but really i mean... as the great oh sehun once said... never don’t mind about a thing when jongin gets the chance to put something in order

so lean back — kai is a service sub. he’s the type who wants to break a sweat for you

and have that very visible because he doesn’t own clothes anyway. well, well.

something more about organization

fucking according to a schedule sounds about right

you have it all planned out with a special calendar book just for that purpose

but don’t believe he’ll be boring and hyper-structured beyond that

kai is the precise opposite of dull as a lover but that’s a huge duh

he has both the acute sense of bashful romance and strong erotic feelings that come with a regular eyebrow wiggle

he likes to provoke the wild animal in his partner

reckless abandon

kai is 100% guaranteed to make you let out the beast. he enjoys feeling you go all out and grip him, pin him. everything hands-on is good.

grinding and gyrating is always part of sex. hell, even floating and flying. fuck gravity.

you need a certain level of dexterity. and hey if you don’t, you will pick it up from him in a solid minute

what i’m trying to say is that it won’t happen that the two of you rub against each other in the sheets like two blocks of wood (even when going into aftercare!). it will be fluid, ever-moving, energetic right and left with the mattress creaking all over the damn place

sex with jongin is one thing for sure: fucking fast. he won’t mess up his tempo if you know what i mean. the two of you will be thrusting and moaning until complete fatigue sets in

he whines a lot i’m telling you

it’s the surefire way to know kai is into it, being genuinely vocal is one of his best qualities as a sub

besides handling any rough pace 

this guy will have you sneaking into his gym room and have a quickie on the next best workout bench

and lord knows what else. 

the bathroom is another destination. wet!kai, the yearning romeo, is an image you won’t forget

prepare to get your hands on all of that

he’s gonna melt right into ya

and that is sub!kai for you

⌈ taeyong

— motto: vanilla? hardly heard of her.

to use an nct pun: the options are— limitless.

and another: you’re signed up for a... long flight.

and you’re gonna be the: boss

who gives it to him

and i’m warning you

he’s shy about it but

taeyong is simply insatiable. take his kinky reputation at face value.

what doesn’t he do

the softest softcore (feathers to tease him) to the hardest hardcore (edge play, hallelujah), the whole spectrum without any efforts for transitions

so you guessed it, a normal bedroom really won’t do.

neither does a standard dom

but since you’re knee deep into taeyong — go figure, you’re reading this — news flash you likely aren’t one

plug in all of your toys and cameras for date night. he needs his good dose of lube-dripping fantasy, homemade with a bunch of latex thrown into the mix

yeah i know that will escalate quickly

he wears it well i’m telling you

and also greatly enjoys you donning it for friday evening

it will frustrate him to the max which is a sight to see indeed

no other sub in super m gets harder boners over latex. that’s how it is. he’s just so drawn to the material and how much authority it gives you in particular

noona/oppa kink incarnate

hell, even daddy/mommy

he calls you that when you are forehead to forehead and catching your breath

because man these orgasms are going to get you so high, bodies gently intertwined

and very, very drenched

not just skin-wise

so let me underline this

your dear taeyong, no matter how innocently he can blink at you, gets his daily nutrient intake from cum. 

what fancy-schmancy protein shake is he interested in other than yours like literally none

put him on a leash together with baekhyun and you have two salivating, ultra dirty boys

so ready to please and swallow everything up

taeyong is a handsome handful

you’ll be horny 24/7

or 23/7 maybe because aftercare

where we revert back to adorable yong. he clings to you a lot, you nuzzle him all the time, the affection is off the charts

he’s pouty and sweet, smiling to himself

holding him tight gives him a big sense of security. 

safe to say he wants everybody to know he belongs to you in terms of PDA, too

it’s not restricted to domestic intimacy and sexual aftermath

taeyong truly has the perfect ratio of freaky and soft

god worked hard on him

⌈ lucas

— motto: when bigger is better, things get wetter...

ready for take off are we 

yukhei is one flirty crackhead you’ll love it

teasing will go back and forth

there might even be play fights and wrestling involved. messing around on sofas and carpets, you know the deal. things won’t get too rowdy, he’s being his 6′ baby self and you don’t want to use your whole bag of tricks yet vice versa

lucas eventually lets you win anyways

and acts like he’s lethally injured ffs

he’s an aquarius don’t come for him they roll that way

in comes the patient-doctor roleplay. yep that’s how the story goes

and you sure as hell get to take care of um

luke’s big lightsaber

alright

it’s throbbing a bit too much and needs medicine

so think of yourself as a jedi master training your disciple.

read: edging the living soul out of him. 

rough handjobs are just perfect

as is going on a rodeo trip getting the guy to tame those bucking hips with a lil punishment here and there. and with punishment i mean tickling even when he is close to orgasm

uh-oh

wong yukhei is a cutie pie but he has just about a bucket of cum for you spilling all over the place

he might get a lil embarrassed about it, that’s the sweetest thing

cleaning it up will be his greatest pleasure

so

ready for subby lucas yet?

he’s juicy

so what else do we have... 

(besides that he sounds like harry styles is dubbing him and that voice is going to turn you on so hard)

if his dominant doesn’t have an ounce of a muscle and biting kink that’s, how to put it, a missed opportunity

just licking him and leaving marks everywhere just has to be the biggest feast in history. you have him parade around sleeveless just to see the hickeys on his arms. 

and you don’t have to be frugal. it has to scream mine mine mine. yes, xuxi has some arm sensitivity going on. he needs your mouth on him doing chaotic stuff that leaves his jaw hanging open. to the point of you eating your brunch off his chest and shoulders.

there i said it 

breakfast with yukhei is cancelled. it’s breakfast on yukhei

as for positions: things are usually more chill and standard. just how much missionary will there be, you’ll lose count. he’s good at it. lucas has the condensed passion of ten people, it will be more arousing than you’d think. it’s also a good pause to your usual activities, you both get a chance to um take a breath

if he feels cocky, wong brathei likes to lift you up during sex and here we go again with a staring contest... which ends with a bright smile and kissing 

what did you expect

always remember this one thing. in his big himbo brain only one thought floats around and that. is. his. love. for. you.

a whipped boy

he’s irreplaceable.

patient xuxi reports speedy recovery

⌈ mark

— motto: good boys go to heaven after debuting a couple times more

sirs and sirettes, mark lee.

what did you think the “m” in super m stands for? mario, man, massive, market, model?

nope

SuperMark is what keeps the planet spinning

now here it goes

let’s get one assumption out of the way first

you’d think he fucks how he talks but you’ll be surprised

everything’s slow slow slow

the pace is very casual for someone who raps and thinks that fast

mark is just too friggin’ cute

a blushy cupcake

innocent and always curious what you’re up to

just perfect for all sorts of gentle dominance

you can reassure him when he gets nervous which happens every now and then

and put him into soft sweaters and blankets when he feels cold

maybe even building a pillow fort and just caressing him ad nauseam literally for minutes on end.

tousling his hair would be adorable beyond belief

the same goes for giving him cheesy pet names

or feeding him sweets

you can bet chocolate is his favorite. 

but it’s not just all about pampering him

keen how he is you can expect a lot of gestures of attention from mark, like carefully selected presents and foot massages

there’s a real gentleman at your hands.

a gentlemark

he might have come up with that himself 

you bet there will be lots of humor involved mark just can’t do serious sex

his intellect is yeahhh... superhuman

as much as his heart is squishy for you.

it’s hard out there. this world is tough

but mark is a safe haven to return to and have wholesome hours in bed with

30% sex, 70% aftercare.

you think that’s impossible? look into his puppy eyes and tell me all you’ll do won’t be spooning

it’s an art form and mark is just too inviting not to do a brush stroke on the canvas. 

and after you’re done spooning things are back to more caressing

a smooch left, a smooch right

for the 30% he might need a bit of outside support because his inner perfectionist compels him

so he’ll text johnny at 4:30 in the morning with urgent questions

because his mind is racing and he promised to wake you up with a set of spicy stuff

sex veteran johnny will calmly explain it to mark but also keep it short and simple

because man how early can someone text you 

and mark appreciates a crisp how-to that he won’t forget

even when you are chest to chest feeling each other’s breath and his brain almost shuts down

at the end of the day...

you say hey canada lemme get my hands on those big thighs of yours and ding ding his pants are off. he responds so easily to guidance

and his dancing skill always helps to get groovy with you

so

bust down markiana

you’re that bitch and you know it

⌈ baekhyun

— motto: you and me, relax and ch...oking

leader on the streets 

screamer in the sheets

even the most peace-loving, noise-sensitive neighbors are going to dig the things that come out of his mouth as caused by you

just how good are his lungs

imagine him making audios for you. yes, god is real.

you just hit the lotto

the things his mouth can do 

byun baekhyun is a synonym of oral fixation when will merriam webster admit it

if there’s one person in super m who can nail the picture perfect drooling ahegao face without hesitation it’s him

he will pleasure you with his tongue so vigorously

that level of spit blowing will haunt you

and the slurpi—

THE NOISES. we can’t talk about the noises. nope, nope. the noises are not meant to be described to this world. 

you’ll suffer from incurable lust once you picture it

you know what his voice can cause

that would trigger a mass hysteria

anyway. moving on. 

baeks is the type to appreciate a mix of cheek-on-cheek cuddling and getting his brains banged out

you can toss him around, grab him by the hair, fuck him absolutely stupid

while also kissing his forehead and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. as if he doesn’t want you enough already this will have baekhyun needy for so long

he’s the king of slutty behavior

and making both of you crack up with mid-sex jokes about who knows what, suho’s butt mole or something

he’s just too hilarious. on the other hand he likes being creative and concentrated

in his free time you’ll probably find him reading erotic stories, sketching sexy stuff (i.e., well, you) in a journal, or even a manual to the kamasutra. it gets him all hot and bothered to the point where he can’t stop being chatty about it.

baekhyun’s arousal always first manifests as a wave of words or texts 

your part of the equation is distilling the essence of said texts and getting to work on that perky body of his

and praise him plenty. baekhyun loves a lot of verbal affirmations and you’re glad to shower him with it.

kink-wise: he really has a gazillion ideas to try

costumes, gags, whips, pet play, sounding, collars, semi-clothed sex, cock rings, suspensions, you name it

as the cherry on top, a three- and fourway could be part of your routine for sure. 

that being said he might have a few dicks in him physically or mechanically because geez bacon loves fucking machines and dildos

he is 100% ready to embark on one hell of an anal odyssey

how much he can stretch out you can probably guess. and he’ll make jokes about it either way to turn you on

you’ll be certain to exhaust and stuff your lil’ darling to the brim but i’m telling you what you already know

he’s gonna be the happiest ahegao boy in the world

and throw peace signs when you take pictures of him fucked out

that’s byunbaek for you. one of a kind

a subby gem

⌈ taemin

— motto: 500 points to slytherin! 

this is what you’ve been waiting for i know I KNOW

red carpets out for the sensual sub king and nation’s p.r.e.t.t.y. boy

the international bombshell blonde

a bdsm luminary

DEITY

now, listen. 

some erotic feats are truly hard to execute

but there is always one guy who’s the exception 

and his name is lee taemin

no matter how unrealistic or complex your imagination of sex with him is

with this man, most of it can become real

effortlessly

because he’s a) an open-minded lover b) rich enough to rent ten dungeons — per hour and c) closest to perfection we as a human race have ever come 

taemin is a pro at bringing all kinds of your and his fantasies to life. that’s why it’s important that you sit down to talk about how your intimate encounters could look like every other week

primarily, as far as his taste is concerned

we’ve all heard about his tales of creepypasta romance

literally he’s been an idol for so long and still comes up with new baffling ideal type stories

so according to those

he wants to be run over by you and thinks that’s hot,,, but i say... we stick to flipping him over... like on a bed,,, no car involved

this pal is macabre you have to be an embodiment of the law to rein him in

police roleplay much. arrest this provocateur!

furthermore and on a lighter note

besides being jailed

lo and behold, chained up and decked out in lace, draped on a lip-shaped art sofa is how he feels the most in his element

add a mask and a corset 

just how glamorous is he

this guy has mastered all techniques of drawing you in with the most elaborate seduction. 

tremendous!

including dance: for your eyes only. 

prepare to have your loins set on fire.

because within the 4 walls of your home his every move will be pure danger loaded with sexuality. it would be even more of a public menace than he already is when performed in front of a crowd

keep those handcuffs ready officer

because it is your mission to stop that guy 

the more restraints the better

put five harnesses on him i don’t care as long as it contains him

and once that’s done

taemin likes to be stimulated and teased with you running silk fabric all over his body

he also enjoys you creating artistic pin-up-esque photography of him

with sultry eyes and puckered lips

and no worries. taemin will put his plump lips to good use elsewhere, too. all. over. the. place. servicing his dominant is an honor.

and those moans will be like a melody.

the literal only weak spot he has

is to kiss and tell. taemin gets carried away in conversation and feels pride when the topic switches to you. so... if you lick his earlobe and call him your slave, jongin knows the very next day and finds it very entertaining. 

taemin won’t deliberately spill the beans in a group chat but one-on-one with a close friend? he’s too excited not to talk about your chemistry and lets some juicy details slip if he can’t control himself.

taemin requires a dom/me who’s definitely not insecure and wants others to know who’s boss.

on the flipside, if you enjoy voyeurism? he is your man. it’s a matter of perspective entirely.

so to speak — even his weakness is a strength.

that’s all you need to understand about him

in sum: you got yourself quite an ace 

taem will press your number and you’ll have no sorrow in the world.

we truly are blessed by his existence

peace out

© submissive-bangtan 2017-2019. all rights reserved. do not repost.

[negans-savior-complex]

😡 ✌ ♂ ☿ ☯ ✯ ▼ ღ

Ask the mun from here.

😡 Worse role play-related encounter and what advice you would give to others to avoid similar situations?

Oh boy... this happened well over a decade ago but I once started writing an OC-OC RP over IM with this guy I met on a roleplay forum. Seemed pretty normal at first, he was nice and a good writer, but after a few days he started getting very very possessive, and not just over my character but also me.

He demanded my character write his character love letters every single day, and told me I was no longer allowed to write this character with anyone else, or write any RP with anyone else for that matter because both me and my OC now belonged to him, and if I didn't do this there'd be hell to pay.

I told him to fuck off and blocked him and fortunately never heard from him again, but this is the reason why I HATE it when writers expect me and my muses to be exclusive to them. I will never ever be exclusive to one person. If you and your writing buddy enjoy such a things and mutually agree to be exclusive, more power to you... but don't demand it from other people. That's fucked up.

✌ Fondest role-play memory, between muses?

There's so many I'm not sure if I can even pick one example but um... one person I used to write with in 2017, I was new in that particular fandom community on tumblr, hoping to find some people to RP with and I found her page. I instantly fell in love with her muse but I was too much of a chickenshit to reach out to her, especially because she was RPing this muse with someone in a very established RP that had been going on for 10 years already, and while her page said the muse was open to other writers I felt like I would be butting in or something.

I did follow her and she found some of the art I did for my muse and followed me back, and I had a few brief interactions with her in the tags, and this went on for about two months before I finally found the courage to actually send her a private message. Turns out, she too had wanted to reach out to me but was also too shy to do so 😂 We hit it off right away and it was amazing.

I wish I could have that back, I miss her.

♂ Do you have a role-play/writing routine? If so, what is it?

I usually save writing for the evening after dinner. I just turn on some music, doesn't matter what kind, and get to work. This usually works for me.

☿ A trope you dislike?

I'm not really fond of 'The Chosen One/Chosen to save the world' tropes. I don't mind them in video games, but I don't wanna write them myself.

☯ Greatest challenge to writing your character?

Hmmm... I'm not sure. Negan is one of those rare characters that are... I dunno, easier to write than others? Either way, so far I haven't encountered any scenes where I struggle to write him or find it a challenge but who knows... never say never.

✯ A head canon someone else has inspired you to adopt?

I'm sure there was one but I honestly can't remember right now 😂

▼ Are there popular head canons for your character that you disagree with? Why?

I don't know if these count as popular headcanons but I know they're out there: anything having to do with the Carl/Negan and Negan/Lydia ships, like why are those even a thing? Why does that even exist? Big Fucking Yikes.

Also, any and all headcanons dealing with Negan being a rapist. Again, Big Fucking Yikes.

ღ What sorts of plots/characters/scenes do you have the most difficulty writing, and why?

I love me some domestic modern AU, but there's usually a lack of action in those so I find it hard to stay invested. There have been exceptions to this though, it's just more difficult for me. Also, science stuff is challenging. I have one muse I love dearly who is part of a semi futuristic setting with sentient robots and stuff, and I can't wait to write him again one day if I ever get the chance to, but all the scientific and mechanical terms are pretty challenging as well. I usually end up winging it 😂 Love it though.

[bo-bo-bean]

Octonauts Game Night

(Since there are no requests, I wrote something for Octonauts!! Hope you all enjoy!)

(Warning; LOOOOONG)

Octonauts Game Night

It was a calm night in the octopod. Everyone was lounging around, nothing to do. Dashi went through her old photos while Captain Barnacles was watching the window, seeing fish and aquatic mammals flowing through the water in peace. He would typically be happy there was no trouble… but today felt oh so slow. Kwazii seemed to have agreed, letting out a long groan.

“There has to be some sort of adventure, matey!” he told no one in particular. Everyone only made a noise in agreement, Shellington looking up from his book that he has read for the fifth time today, giving a nod.

“I wish there was some sort of creature to examine, maybe a new seaweed. I’d even take a new type of rock…” he huffed out, his bang fluttering with his head tilting backwards.

“Now, Octonauts,” the captain settled everyone down. “I’m sure there will be something.”

“Well, let’s hope so,” Kwazii whined. “I’ll be ready for anything! Swashbucklin’ with the swordfish! Finding a new monster or beast!”

“That are fictional…” Shellington could only mutter under his breath. Captain Barnacles could now tell things were going to get tenser and tenser until a fight breaks out, so he made a decision, sprouting out words.

“Game night!” he clapped his hands. This got everyone’s attention, interests peeking. “Yes! A game night sounds wonderful…!”

“I agree!” Peso beamed, happy it’ll be something where no one would get hurt. But he had his first aid kit with him, just in case.

“Ah, what shall we play then? Checkers?” Professor Inkling offered.

“Charades, perhaps!” Dashi stood up, putting her camera down.

“Maybe pictionary!” Shellington beamed.

“Arrgh, lancing sounds like a suitable game!” Kwazii stood up on the table. Peso gulped and held his first aid kit close to his chest.

“M-maybe something less dangerous…?” he asked. “Like… hide and seek!”

“Ah, I’ll find ya’ll in under five minutes if we play that,” Tweak bragged a little. “I should suggest, tag, though! Get the blood pumpin’!” The mention of blood made Peso turn pale. Tunip chirped an option, all heads turning to Shellington for a translation.

“I don’t think we can play tug of war, Tunip,” he giggled. “We haven’t a strong enough rope.”

Everyone began to clamour about their opinion on what to play, the polar bear scratching his chin in thought, then his eyes lit up.

“Ah, everyone! Idea!” he shouted. His deep voice roared through their own voices, everyone turning to face him. “Deep Sea Adventure!” With those three words, everyone’s eyes lit up and all agreed. The vegimals went to make snacks with Shellington’s help, Kwazii and Captain Barnacles bringing out a large table from storage. Peso brought in a mat covered in squares, having the design of islands and villages and caves. Tweak and Dashi brought in the chairs, Mr. Inkling getting the rule boards and books from his library.

Deep Sea Adventure was a game played by the Octonauts many times. It was like a roleplaying game where they make their characters and their actions are depended on by two dice.

“Has anyone seen the dice?” Dashi wondered. Looking under the table. Everyone began to search around, Shellington even searching his own satchel, just in case. This gave Kwazii a gasp as he ran to his chest in his room. He dug through some old treasure maps, little gold doubloons, and his great grandfather’s Calico Jack’s telescope and eventually fished out some dice. He slid down the octotube and presented them as if they were some sort of rubies.

“I got some, me hearties!” he proclaimed. The vegimals cheered, Kwazii seeing a display of fish biscuits, five varieties of kelp cakes, muffins, a bowl of popcorn, another of peanuts, and mugs of cocoa scattered on the surface. “Well, this looks like a night fit for a pirate on his night off!”

“Well let’s start, shall we?” the bear clapped his hands again. We’ll need to split into teams of two.”

Shellington and Professor Inkling beamed at each other, high fiving each other with tentacle and paw. Barnacles nodded at them. “Shellington and Inkling are one. Kwazii, want to be on my team?”

“‘Tis be an honor!!” Kwazii nodded.

“I call Dashi on my team!” Tweak raised her hand, Dashi laughing, them both holding hands.

“Girl power!” Dashi cheered.

“Right on that!”

“And then Peso and Tunip?” Barnacles asked them. They both nodded, Tunip trilling with excitement.

“Do the other vegimals want to play?” Shellington asked the little creature. Turnip chirped and shook his head. “Ah, too busy gardening? Well, we’ll at least save them some snacks.”

“And the loot once the captain and I win it!!” Kwazii laughed.

“Ohoho, you want to bet, do you?” Inkling playfully jeered.

“Don’t think you want to take that bet, Kwazii,” Shellington giggled, taking his seat. Inkling took his seat next to him, them both already whispering.

“Well, let’s do our best and have fun, Tunip!” Peso cheered on his own team. Tunip cheered in agreement, taking a seat and Peso plopping himself next to him. Captain Barnacles sat at the front, Kwazii taking the chair next to him. Dashi and Tweak sat together as well and soon, everyone was quiet. Barnacles took out a cardboard folded five times mat and looked at it, looking at a scenario. He rolled the dice, counted it, and then nodded.

“Okay! Here’s the scenario,” he started. “Inkling and Shellington are holding the treasure.” Everyone turned their heads to them, the two laughing hysterically. “It’s up to us to get it while they can set up any traps or travel to wherever they want. But, it all depends on the number of dice rolled. 2 means failure, 3 going on to be a fail, but tried attempt, and so on. Twelve means they get automatic privileges to whatever they wish to do.”

“Aaargh, last time, didn’t they bamboozle us with a ship full of monkeys…!?” Kwazii groaned.

“Well, it was funny, so I’d say it was worth it,” Inkling added his input, making Shellington laugh more.

“R-remember when you wanted to fight but rolled a three…!?” he wheezed out. Kwazii’s cheeks and ears flushed with embarrassment. “You fell into the wahahahater hahahahaha!!!”

“M-mayhaps, matey!” He quickly gained composure. “Just wait, though! Soon, you will be fighting the monkeys!” This sent everyone into fits of laughter, the captain smiling. This was a wonderful sight, seeing his crew laugh and be happy. It truly warmed his heart. He looked at the mat and looked at Dashi and Tweak.

“If you two can answer a question about marine biology, then you will go first. But if you answer incorrectly, then someone else gets the chance to steal.”

“Shoot!” Dashi beamed. Tweak seemed as excitable as she was.

“What male aquatic animal has babies?” he asked. Shellington almost blurted out the answer, but covered his mouth. Of course, the marine biologist was close to bursting with knowledge.

“Um… I think… that’s a seahorse, right?” Dashi asked.

“Correct!” he nodded. “Everyone gather your pieces and Dashi and Tweak may.. Well… what’s your team name?”

“Girl Power!!” they both answered with glee. He chuckled and looked at Kwazii.

“We should call ourselves the Swashbuckling Pirates of Red Beard’s Cursed Ship of Treasures and Glory!”

“... maybe just Pirates of Red Beard will be suitable,” he chuckled, his attention focusing on Peso and Tunip.

“We’ll be the Small but Fierce!” Peso answered for them both.

“Ya got that right, matey!” Kwazii approved of their name. Peso giggled in response, Barnacles looking at Shellington and Inkling. They both whispered and then looked at the captain.

“We were going to say The Winners, but perhaps Marine Match will suit better!” Inkling proposed.

“Okay! We have team names! Get a piece everyone and let’s start!”

Girl Power took a pink squid piece, Pirate’s of Red Beard taking a red Seahorse piece, Small but Fierce taking a blue shark and the Marine Match grabbing a green Sea Turtle piece. Dashi and Tweak both talked as everyone set up their pieces. Inkling put their piece at the end of the mat where the X is since they had the treasure. The goal of the same was to defeat everyone on the board. The others were supposed to take the treasure.

“Okay, we want to move…!” Dashi said. She took the dice and rolled it, seeing seven. Tweak moved their piece seven squares. The dice also allowed movement, but you could only move and not act in the same turn.

“Oh, our turn, Tunip!” Peso smiled. “We’ll be safe and move.” Tunip took the dice in his little hands and tossed them down, getting a twelve. “Good roll, Tunip!!” The creature cheered as Peso moved their piece. Barnacles looked at Kwazii, who was the KING of Deep Sea Adventures.

“Captain, I say we launch an attack to the Marine Match!” he proudly said. Barnacles chuckled and nodded, grabbing the dice and tossing them within his paws.

“And how do we attack?” he asked. But, out of sheer luck, he knew the answer. “Canons?”

“H-how did you know!?” he gasped.

“Heh, captain knows his crew,” he winked, tossing the dice down.

“Also, you use the same move as the first move every time,” Dashi giggled.

“I-I do not!”

“Fifteen,” Shellington pointed out, holding up a piece paper, where at the top it said ‘Times when Kwazii attacked a team with a canon as his first turn.’ and underneath were fifteen talleymarks.

“Shiver me whiskers, that can’t be right!” Kwazii lifted his eyepatch in shock.

“... oh you’re right,” Shellington smiled, adding another talleymark. “Sixteen. Thank you for pointing that out..!”

The cat grumbled and looked at the dice as they chose a side. It rolled to… two.

“Canon backfires and hits the Red Beards. They deal five damage points.”

“What…!? I call treason!” Everyone laughed, even the captain and eventually, Kwazii joined along. Shellington took the dice and looked at Inkling, them both whispering.

“They are always the same team,” Dashi noticed.

“Well, they are the brains,” Peso smiled. “And they are very good at the game.”

“Oh, not this time, mateys!”

“We choose to make a barricade around our area,” Shellington smiled. “With concrete and bricks.”

Professor Inkling rolled the dice, rolling it to a nine.

“You both build a structurally sound barricade, but it will need nine hits to be taken down,” Captain announced. They both nodded and high fived each other.

“... aye… they be smart…” Kwazii scoffed. “We’ll need nine canon turns now!”

“Um, Kwazii, I think it would be smart, and safe, to use the rest of our turns not trying to kill ourselves,” Barny laughed.

“No risk, no win!”

“... big risk, big lose,” the captain corrected him. Kwazii groaned as Tweak rolled the dice.

“What should we do, Dashi?” she asked.

“Hmm… let’s go to the village by boat,” she smiled. “So let’s keep moving.”

Tweak tossed down the dice, getting eight and moving eight spaces. Just five more until the village. Kwazii took the dice, Barnacles speaking out before Kwazii could say canons again.

“U-um, how about we move, Kwazii?” he suggested.

“Ooouggh, fine, but we will get this booty if it’s the last thing I do…!”

He rolled, getting ten. They moved ten spaces, Peso rolling the dice. Tunip chirped, Peso glancing at Shellington.

“He wishes to attack us using a ram,” he answered, to which Tunip spoke to Shellington. “Heh, it’s alright, Tunip, no need to apologize. It’s just a game.”

With that permission, Peso tossed down the dice, getting ten.

“Ooh…!” Captain beamed. You ram into their barricade with success! Roll again to see how much you hit.”

Peso let Tunip roll, him getting three.

“Three hits, barricade is now down to six hits away…!”

“Ha! Now we only need SIX canons!” Kwazii laughed heartily.

“What is with ya and canons?” Tweak questioned. Shellington took the dice, the duo both whispering again and then nodded.

“Heh, sorry, Tunip and Peso, but we choose to attack,” Shellington spoke.

“With canons,” Inkling finished.

“My signature move!!” Kwazii yelled out. The otter tossed the dice down, rolling a twelve. Tunip fainted, Peso gasping.

“Hits are directed and do twice the damage. Roll again.”

Each team was given twenty health points, so it was a big risk. Inkling took the dice and rolled it, the sides each landing three. “Six, so Team Small but Fierce take twelve damage.” Tunip had just woken up to the news, fainting again.

“Grrrgh, pure luck, I say!” Kwazii made an excuse. Shellington giggled and tossed the dice to the girls.

“Well… we’ll get revenge, Kwazii!” Tweak laughed. “What do ya say, Dash?”

“I agree! We attack with clubs!”

“Haha, get them!” Kwazii cheered. However, the dice rolled to a four.

“You attempted to attack with clubs, but they fall in the water.”

“... well we tried,” Tweak shrugging, leaning back and munching on a carrot. Kwazii sighed, hearing Shellington’s giggle again. He sneered and took the dice.

“I attack with tickles!!”

“Ti-what?” Captain Barnacles blinked. Kwazii rolled the dice, not caring what it landed on and pounced on Shellington, squeezing his sides. The otter erupted in bubbly laughter, kicking his legs.

“K-Kwahahahzeeheehee hahahaha!! Staahaahahap it’s nahahaahaaht part hahahahahaaha!! Of the gaahahahahaame!!”

“It is now, me hearty!!” the playful cat moved his paws up to his ribs, Shellington squealing and trying to push away Kwazii.

“Nooohahahaha pleeheeheease!!! Hahahaahaha!!! C-cahaahan’t breheeheeheeheeathe!!!! Caahahahap hehehehelp!!”

Captain Barnacles laughed and went over, pulling Kwazii up from Shellington, who was lifted by Professor Inkling. He let out little giggles as Kwazii looked mighty proud of himself, sitting back down.

“... well that was our turn,” Barnacles chuckled.

“Are you okay, Shellington?” Peso wondered.

“Y-yeahahah…” he giggled out. Peso nodded, happy his friend was okay, and rolled the dice in his flippers.

“Tunip, I say we move closer,” he told the vegimal. Tunip nodded in agreement. Peso tossed the dice down, getting twelve again. “Flappity Flippers! Another twelve!”

“Ya got the lucky streak, me hearties!” Kwazii pumped his fist. They moved twelve spaces, close to a cave.

Inkling took the dice and whispered to Shellington, then he looked at his captain.

“Captain, we choose to fix our barricade.” Barnacles nodded as Mr. Inkling rolled a nine, the barricade now fifteen points strong. The polar bear took the dice and rolled it, deciding to move, Kwazii agreeing. So far, it seemed Peso was getting closer and closer to the treasure. The girls moved to the village and rolled to get items, which they succeeded.

“What did we get…!?” Dashi eagerly asked.

“Two apples, three suits of armor, an unknown box, and you both gained any health you lost.”

The two high fived with both paws, whooping. Peso rolled, looking at Tunip… and gulped.

“I want to explore the cave,” he said. “Or… we would.”

“You sure?” Captain Barnacles wondered. They both nodded, Peso rolling the dice down, it going to four.

“Hmm… you tried to explore, but it was too dark for you, so you evade the cave.”

Peso let out a sigh of relief, but also a little disappointed. Although, he knew what he was going to do next turn. Shellington took the dice, whispering to Inkling again, however, this whispering session seemed to be taking longer.

“I wonder what they’re planning,” Captain Barnacles wondered.

“I’ll tickle him again if he takes longer,” Kwazii promised. A few minutes later, they nodded and looked at the captain.

“We choose to stay.”

“Wh-all of that for staying!?” Kwazii gawked. Since they didn’t attack or move, they didn’t need to roll, but Shellington didn’t give the dice back.

“But we do wish to send supplies to heal Small but Fierce,” he smiled. Peso gasped with a smile, Tunip cheering. Captain Barnacles smiled fondly as Shellington rolled the dice, getting a nine.

“They get nine points in health…!” he announced.

“Wow… thank you, Shellington!” Peso smiled. Shellington nodded back.

Kwazii took the dice and looked at their piece and at the mat with the x mark. He tapped his chin.

“... captain, I say we attack,” he said.

“Again?” Barnacles wondered.

“Ah, but this time! I got a plan!” he beamed. “I want to attack.. With monkeys!!!!” With that, he threw the dice down, them tumbling around… and landing on twelve. Shellington and Inkling gasped, looking up as Barnacles was even surprised. He read out the situation.

“... well, we send out a boat of monkeys. They take down the barricade Marine Match make.”

“Drat…!” Inkling groaned.

Tweak quickly took the dice and rolled.

“We choose to attack with monkeys!!” she shouted. It rolled to a nine, Shellington and Inkling looking at each other.

“The Marine Match take nine damage!”

“We choose to attack with monkeys!” Peso also cheered.

“Oh, this seems hardly fair now…!” Shellington stuttered. Peso rolled the dice and got a twelve. Barnacles looked at the open mouthed otter and dumbo octopus, him shrugging.

“Marine Match are defeated.”

“Noooo!” Shellington yelled out. “Ah well… good team effort, Inkling!”

“And to you, Shellington…!” Professor Inkling shook his paw, wrapping his tentacle around it.

“The treasure is up for grabs…!” Barnacles proclaimed. "Everyone roll, except Shellington and Inkling.” They both shrugged, eating after all of that excitement. “Whoever gets the highest number… gets the treasure.”

“Me first!!!” Kwazii yelled, grabbing the cubes and tossing them haphazardly. They landed on five. “Haha, beat that, me hearties!”

Tweak took the challenge and rolled it, but got four. Barnacles rolled after, getting seven and Dashi getting six. Peso took the dice… but gave it to Tunip.

“I choose Tunip to roll for both of us…!” he smiled. Tunip chirped excitedly and rolled. They all watched the dice flail on its corners and sides… and land both sixes. Peso screamed in delight as Barnacles proudly announced.

“Team Small but Fierce wins the game!!!”

They all cheered and clapped, Barnacles chuckling and looking at the time. “Oh wow…! It’s near midnight!”

“It… it is?” Shellington checked before following with a yawn.

“Well, time passes by with fun…!” Tweak chuckled, stretching.

“Well, let’s clean up and then let’s head to bed. Congratulations, Peso and Tunip…!”

And so, everyone began to clean up, putting away the table and mats, Shellington and Tunip offering the rest of the snacks to the vegimals and everyone went to their rooms, but not before Kwazii turned to Barnacles.

“We’ll get ‘em next time, cap!” he pumped his fist. The captain chuckled with a yawn.

“Perhaps, Kwazii, perhaps,” he smiled. “But… maybe less canons and tickling, hm?”

“I’ll think about it.”

He left, the captain laughing and turning off the lights and heading to bed. There may have been no critters to save… but they sure did have an adventure.

@fading-bisexual-queen-milkshake

[markcampbells]

writing process questions!

@malionnes tagged me in this meme that came to her by way of @the-blind-assassin-12 that has also made me realize nothing I do is ever consistent. Also doubling down on Cait having tagged @afterthenovels because I want to see her answers too and because I drop an old Sherlock fic of mine in here that gave me some real flashbacks to The Days of Yore.

1: What's your preferred time to write? -- I basically write whenever I have time/motivation, and that usually corresponds to (rarely, these days) afternoons after I get out of work or, more likely, my days off in the mornings. Since I work a 4 AM shift I’m typically up for several hours (usually about as much as six) before my family is, which if I have the motivation and inspiration can be a solid amount of time to work in.

2: Do you have some sort of ritual you do when you write? -- I write in Google Docs these days. Sometimes I need to have a tab open for whatever information I need to have on hand, but other than that I don’t think there’s anything I typically need to have in order to work. Usually the information is just something I don’t know much about that I’m trying to incorporate into a piece. Recently that’s been stuff like Yankees-related podcasts that Mark could be listening to, or various kinds of health-related information I’ve had to look up for my character Ryan who’s struggling significantly with his mental health.

3: What's your preferred place to write? At your desk or on your couch/bed? -- I don’t have a proper desk, so when I write I’m either on my living room couch or in bed. Quite honestly even when I have had a desk, I’ve far preferred being comfortable in bed. When my writing was more roleplay-based when I was younger, I used to do it sitting at a desktop computer in a chair and I didn’t mind it then, but as I’ve gotten older and more used to a laptop my tastes have shifted.

4: Do you listen to anything while writing? Music, different ambiance videos? Or do you need silence? -- I honestly don’t know what I prefer these days. When I was in college and generally writing fanfiction oneshots, I had the ability to just pop my headphones in and write to music for long stretches, and damn I miss those days. I do still have playlists I keep for inspiration purposes but I don’t use them for actual writing as much as I would like to. These days I’m more likely to work in silence or to throw on a YouTuber or Twitch stream in the background if I want mindless noise (for YouTubers I like SimplyNailogical and Safiya Nygaard; for Twitch streamers I either use friends of mine or whichever random gamers I’ve taken to). One memory I really liked was writing a long chunk of a spy ‘verse piece with just “Way Down We Go” by Kaleo on repeat, because it was a song with a repetitive rhythm that was easy to sink into and make it easy to write for that particular character. Another time I remember knocking out something in one go is this old fanfic of mine I did back in my Sherlock days. I was definitely listening to music and heck if I remember what it was now, but it helped me stay focused for sure. (That piece is almost ten years old god help me)

5: Do you need snacks while writing, or certain drinks? If so, what? -- Well, this is making me seriously consider if I can remember snacking while writing and I think the answer is no, but I do tend to have something to drink. I like lemon Snapple best, but other times it’s just water or whatever’s on hand. (I don’t drink alcohol nearly as much as I could, but I do currently have a bottle of Moscato and a bottle of... um, I actually don’t remember, in the fridge, and that I don’t remember the alcohol I bought myself should tell you how often I actually drink it. If I remembered to drink before writing depressing scenes everything would probably be so much easier. [Having checked before I post this, the other bottle is a rosé.])

6: Story planning 1: in a notebook first or in a doc? -- I haven’t done notebook planning since high school, thank the lord. Getting my own laptop pre-college was a massive gamechanger. I actually miss the days when I was able to write huge amounts by hand, because these days I’m so out of practice writing by hand that it hurts to do journaling or other things I used to do without thinking about it much. I used to write huge chunks of story by hand and then type them, and I honestly do not miss having to do that double work at all.

7: Story planning 2: for a longer story: possible place and character names first, or plot first? -- Place and characters first! I don’t think I could have a plot without having an idea of what the characters who are going to enact it are like first. I’m a very character and emotions driven person and I think for me it’s always that--what emotions do I want/need the characters to experience, and how do I traumatize them get them there?

8: Do you make inspiration boards? If so, would you share one of your current WIP (without giving away too much)? -- So I have two kinds, general aesthetic boards and then more character-specific boards where each couple of @malionnes‘ and mine is broken down by character and their specifics charted out (likes and aesthetics, wardrobes, reference pics, interior design of their homes/offices). I keep the more specific ones of ours private just because it gets a little overwhelming when a board is publicly available and people are constantly repinning things, but I have permission to share the public aesthetic boards: Mark and Eva / Hayden and Cordelia / Max and Simon / Sam and Molly. (Having two couples within the same family with the same initials is in no way a disaster that came of my naming all the men in a family with an extremely ill-advised S-naming scheme. I made dumb decisions as a teenager. Why do you ask.) I started the smaller, character-specific boards for the sake of narrowing things down further and poor Cait took on the monumental task of reorganizing the larger aesthetic boards, which I’m eternally grateful for. Something I like about the way they’re broken down is that it helps give a bit more insight into what’s somewhat unique to each couple. Mark and Eva’s relationship involves a lot of cooking and baking together, so they have a ton of food (and an entire section devoted to Baker, because we love ourselves a fictional dog we made up). Hayden and Cordelia are a sculptor and a pop-up book artist respectively so their board has a section for crafts. Max and Simon have a fairly large resources section because, um, due to my poor choices Simon ended up with an anxiety disorder and Max is a rare man who deals with migraines, so it helped to have a place to put the things I need for when I have to write them handling an episode. Sam and Molly’s aesthetics section is reflective of how Molly’s a photographer and they’d probably have a ton of pictures of them together just being a young couple and yes I’m emotional about my children.

9: How do you handle being interrupted? -- It’s a fact of life of living with family and I don’t mind it at all, though I do sometimes miss when I was in high school and college and had a bit more time and discipline to really get to work. (When I was in high school and college that entailed being an obscenely early bird. Now I’m a weird gremlin whose hours are just that liminal space between late night and early morning. Goddamn you, 4 AM shift.) 

10: How many drafts do you usually need? Or do you write it immediately and just edit little bits to fix it? -- The latter.  I’ve never been a full-draft-and-then-fix person because it just gets exhausting to do the same thing over and over. I just write and then fix as I go or, more disastrously, try to do different versions of a scene I’m unsure of in the same document by just rearranging bits of text, bolding things I’m probably going to get rid of but don’t want to totally delete yet, and having two versions of a scene separated by a few line breaks. 

I don’t want to tag anyone else to do this so they don’t feel an obligation, but should you want to steal, go ahead and tag me so I can see your answers!

[troubletimestwo]

14. What are five of your favorite ships? (In the rp community or otherwise)

I’m a multi-shipper with a writing degree. If you can convince me that the dynamic between any two characters is legitimate enough for them to be in love, and it does not go against any morals I hold, I will ship it. However, lately, I have a few ships, in particular, I’ve been obsessed with. (In no particular order)

She-Ra ships:

1. Glitra - First off, the trope of Enemies to lovers? THAT’S MY SHIT. And honestly? The thought of Glimmer and Catra putting aside their differences long enough to realize how much they have in common? Ugh. Sign me the FUCK up!!

2. Catrouble - Look- I’m not saying there aren’t any problems with this ship, but it’s very clear that DT is not going to put up with Catra’s BS and is willing to tell her how it is because they care. And that is something Catra values.

3. Double Scorpia - Look- I’m a slut for Rare Pairs. This ship is as rare as they come. But let’s be real, DT may be an asshole, but even they know that Scorpia is babie and they could NEVER do anything to hurt that precious, gorgeous woman.

4. Merfuma - They compliment each other in a lot of ways and I just honestly think they’re really cute. Plus the way they have little spats in the show is cute af

5. Glimmadora - Um. Service Top meets Power Bottom. Plus they’re literally so many different ship tropes. Like Royal/Protector, Best friends to lovers, Queen/knight, etc etc. THAT’S ALSO MY SHIT

Other fandom ships I like:

1. Mozaleri (MOR) I used to be really into the music of Mozart l’Opera Rock (y’know... the french equivalent to Hamilton only it was actually done before Hamilton and the gay undertones are even stronger) but it wasn’t until I watched the entire play that I saw Mozaleri for what it truly is and now I cannot stop thinking about these two fucking long-dead musicians and how much they clearly admired each other.

2.AmberPrice (LIS) I used to be really big into Life is Strange and I even ran a multi-muse blog for the game back when it first started coming out. I didn’t realize how much I related to Chloe until my mom died a few years after the first game. Really helped me get through some things and playing Before the Storm was so important to me. LiS is one of the reasons I pursued a writing degree.

3. Lapidot (SU) I’ve never really been a part of the Steven Universe Fandom but I enjoy Lapis and Peridot’s dynamic and they’re my two favorite characters

4. Nuts n Dolts (RWBY) so when RWBY first came out, I was an OG tumblr blog for it ( @this-will-be-the-gay ) and I roleplayed as Ruby. My two fave ships of the time were whiterose and this one. I never once believed Penny was dead and I was RIGHT FUCK YEAH.

5. Charoix (LWA) I did run a cosplay ask blog for Croix Meredies but it barely got any asks so I didn’t continue but again, one of my fave ship tropes is enemies to lovers and this one is friends to exes/enemies to lovers and that shit? mmmmm delicious.

[sabraeal]

We Seek That Which We Shall Not Find, Chapter 6

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Written for Trope Madness’s betting kitty winner, @ruleofexception! It’s been....over six months, but here is this HUGE BEAST of a chapter. I know I said I thought this would be the last Laxdo chapter, BUT...there’s gonna be at least one more!

There hadn’t been much in the way of entertainment, back in the country. At least, not the way Shirayuki’s constantly bombarded with it here, videos up on billboards and scrolling across phones on the subway. The B&B had a limping internet connection, and with the only television in the common room, she’d spent more time inside a book or outside the house than struggling to find a channel the other boarders would agree to.

So when Zen asked her to join D&D, when Kiki had teased her for not even knowing what she’d said yes to --

Well, she’d done her research. Not just the kind Izana gave her, reading source books and studying lore, but watching videos, listening to podcasts, finding the D&D episodes of popular shows -- anything that would give her something to expect. Nothing could have rivaled her disappointment or her relief when she realized costumes were optional; she hadn’t known how she would cobble together historically accurate, fourth century Welsh gown when even the SCA shrugged their shoulders at the idea, but, well...it was exactly the sort of challenge she would have risen to, if she had the excuse.

Still, she’d thought she had an idea of what to expect: roleplay, quick thinking, rich story, complicated feelings, improv, maybe even some funny voices, but --

Nothing had prepared her for the amount of planning.

“So that’s it?”

Shirayuki startles; she’d been deep into splitting healing duties with Mitsuhide. Paladins are only half spell casters, only good for buffs and an occasional off-heal, so all the curse removal duties fall to Lynet. Bedwyr is more or less moral support; unless the curse itself had some sort of permanent stat drain, there’s nothing he can do.

Zen isn’t invested in this conversation, of course; magi don’t have magic that can’t be applied to themselves or their weapon. Which is why he’s craning his neck toward Izana, incredulous. “We just cast a whole bunch of Remove Curse and then hit the road?”

Shirayuki isn’t an expert on Izana’s expressions, not when the difference between them is the angle of an eyebrow or the twitch of a lip, but she feels confident in calling this one positively withering. “Is that what you think you should do?”

The temperature of the room drops two degrees. That’s a question where everyone knows the answer.

“We still don’t know who started this,” Mitsuhide tries, haltingly, thick fingers worrying at the edge of his character sheet. From the dog-eared corners on every side, this isn’t a first-time occurrence. “It’s not a good habit to leave enemies behind us.”

“Not a healthy one, at least,” Kiki adds, leaning her knee against the table.

“But we don’t have any hints either.” Zen’s flushed, frustrated. “Do you guys just want to hang around here, waiting for him to come back? If he comes back?”

“Or her.” Kiki’s brow twitches, and Shirayuki’s not sure whether to read it as amusement or annoyance. Maybe both is the better bet. “Then again, you haven’t tried to woo any rescued damsels this session, so probably not a dread sorceress. Unless there’s something Shirayuki isn’t telling us.”

Kiki turns to her with an inquisitive look, and even though she knows she’s joking, even though she sees the quirk at the corner of her lips, Shirayuki’s cheeks flare fire-engine red.

“Hey!” Zen snaps, not looking much better. “Shirayuki--”

“Well.” Obi’s mouth cants, eyes catching hers from their corners. “I know Beaumains is under her spell.”

She can feel it, this moment of opportunity being flung open like a window, and -- and his wink is not helping matters. Not at all. Especially not when Kihal’s flirt back or make out with his face is burning a hole in her pocket, reminding her of what she was trying to do before plot carried her away. It’s just --

She can’t say something now. This isn’t Lynet and Beaumains, this is -- is them, Shirayuki and Obi, and that might mean something, and she doesn’t -- she isn’t --

Well, there’s just a huge difference between a flirtation and a boyfriend, probably. And she hardly knows if she wants the first, let alone -- that. Not with some college boy she’s known a week. He might play trumpet, for all she knows.

The moment stretches on, too long, and Kiki hums, amused. “I suppose that is some damning evidence.”

“Okay.” Zen’s folded himself into a huff, fuming so hard it’s an honest surprise smoke isn’t pouring out his ears. “So you all think we should just...hang around? Hope for some Big Bad to come wandering back to check his work?”

“Well.” The word bursts out of her, unbidden, but -- she’s committed now, with everyone watching her. “We do have, um, another reason.”

He blinks, some of his flush fading back to pink. “Oh?”

“I, uh, only prepared one Removed Curse at our last rest.” Her hands twist themselves in knots under the table, anxious. “But I can fix that at our next one! If this works like it should, then I should be able to get everyone on their feet in...a few days, maybe?”

Zen lets loose a whine that would make a puppy worry. “A few days.”

“Um, well...” Shirayuki squirms in her seat. “Give or take.”

Kiki’s eyes narrow. “Just how many spell slots do you have?”

“Um...” She flips through her sheet, squinting at the chart on the second page. “Three?”

Mitsuhide lets out a worried hum, too high-pitched for a man his size. “How many people are under this spell again?”

The question sits heavily at the table until Izana leans back, the picture of surprise, and asks, “Oh, are you asking me?”

Zen stares. “Is there someone else who would know?”

“It could have been rhetorical. A nice little thought exercise.” He shrugs, and Shirayuki does not miss the way his mouth twitches at a corner. “But the answer is: as many as it takes to make a castle of this size function.”

Zen groans.

“Oh, looks like we better get comfy, my liege,” Obi says with a wolfish grin. “We’re gonna be here a while.”

This night is your longest yet; you had thought the first interminable, when all the miasma of illness hung thick over the room, choking you even behind yours mask. Despair had clung to every wrinkle in your gown, tight like a child’s hand on a mother’s apron, always niggling, reminding you that time would run out, that perhaps no amount of your cleverness could save them.

But hope is worse.

There is no reason to pick the man you do -- or rather, the lack of one becomes it. With only a single brew, Bedwyr suggests that you spend it on the castle’s healer, but--

But this magic is familiar somehow. It slicks along your skin like a drop of oil in water, and though you cannot divine its maker, you do not trust it to act as it ought. Curse though it may be, there is a part of you that worries any cure that you brew will only add to your troubles.

You worry over that same thought for endless hours, trying to get to the marrow of it, to logic out why dread settles so firmly in your gut. There has never been an instance, not one, where your gifts have failed you, where the joy of victory has turned to ashes in your mouth. Except for the one, of course.

Despite your misgivings, the man wakes at dawn.

It is not a calm thing, oh no; he heaves into life, breath filling his chest so forcefully it arches him upright. He clutches at his breast, wide-eyed, but besides the atrophy expected of long illness and the shock of waking, he is healthy. So healthy he empties the first bowl of broth you give him, and the second, and when you bring the third he inquires after a heel of bread as well.

“Well, this certainly stands as a testament to your skill,” Arturius remarks, bemused, as the man sops up his bowl. You are tired, and for a moment you are tempted to ask if he had doubted it, but -- it would be picking a fight, and it is not the prince’s fault that his particular skills meant he slept, rather than wait.

“I brewed more last night,” you tell him. “Enough dose for three.”

“Our priority is the healer, of course.” He bites his lip, head tipped back in thought. “But the others...”

For the first time in hours, you feel your mouth lift into a smile. “I did have a thought about that...”

Izana blinks. “The dwarf?”

“He’s cursed, isn’t he?” She must be the only one that remembers; despite happening only hours ago, the rest of the party stares blankly at her. “Worse than anyone else, if I’m remembering right.”

“Oh,” Obi hums, thoughtful. “Yeah, I think I remember that. He’s human.”

“Oh, right.” Zen scoops up the dwarf’s figure, squinting hard at its shapeless features. “I thought he was going to be the Big Bad’s sidekick, honestly.”

“Mm, agreed.” Kiki leans over, giving the plastic the same skeptical look. “I was waiting for the backstab.”

“Such little faith in your fellow man,” Izana clucks, shaking his head.

She arches a brow, eloquent in her disdain. “It is your game.”

His mouth stretches, curling into a smile Shirayuki’s only ever seen on the Grinch. “That is fair.”

“Still.” The word drags Izana’s attention back to her, his eyes almost comically wide. “I want to give our friend at least one of these. After all, he’s been helping us this whole time.”

“Has he though?” Obi mutters, and without even thinking, Shirayuki puts an elbow straight in his side.

Every hair stands on end as she realizes what she’s done. She’s -- she’s practically scolded him, the boy she maybe-kind of-might want to flirt with. Or his character, at least. For, you know, fun.

When she dares a glance at him, his eyes have rounded, eyebrows practically up at his hairline, but -- but --

He almost looks impressed.

“Huh,” Izana huffs out, drawing her attention back to the topic at hand. “Do you now.”

It’s not a question, but she hasn’t gotten this far by letting him practice his rhetoric. “I do.”

He hums, tapping at his notes. “Well, I suppose you could...try.”

“Me?” The dwarf shifts on his spindly legs, wringing his thick-fingered hands over his belly. “But -- but there are others. Other who would be of much more use than me!”

“We have more than enough for your healer,” you assure him, though you have to grit your teeth as he dances.

There’s something strange, off-kilter about the way he moves, about the way his face changes, as if your mind is trying to make him into two different people entirely -- one which is familiar, and one which is entirely not. It is tiring to say the least.

You meet his eyes, those warm hazel-green, and say, “You have helped us immeasurably. Who else could be more important than you?”

“The head of the guard?” he supplies with a squeak. “The steward. The -- the cook? Anyone, my lady, would be more helpful that me.”

You lower yourself to a chair, coming to his height. “No one is more important here than the man who knows how this all came to be.”

His gaze is watery when he tears it from yours. “No, no,” he insists, voice ragged. “Spend it on the others. All of them are more deserving than me.”

"Welp.” Obi pops the ‘p’, annoyed, and it draws attention to his mouth, to the way it fits around the words he speaks and -- well, Shirayuki really didn’t need help with that. “We’re doing real good, solving this mystery.”

It’s been three in-game days, and with every awoken man, more questions are asked than answered. So far none of them can remember being cursed, and when they bring the dwarf in front of them --

Well, Shirayuki knows this is all pretend, that the dwarf is really just Izana bending his voice into something new, but the way his expression crumples as every soldier calls him a stranger -- it’s a lot.

“What is even happening here?” Zen groans, fingers pulling at his face. “The dwarf knows something, but he won’t tell us.”

“He can’t tell us.” It comes out a little sharper than she intends, but -- it’s an important distinction. “He’s cursed.”

“Right,” he agrees absently. “But also he won’t let us help him, so it’s pretty much the same thing.”

Her hands clench on her lap. “It’s really n--”

“Can’t you just cast it on him anyway?” Obi asks, chin in hand, drumming his fingers on the table. “Then bingo-bango-bongo: the whole problem is solved.”

Her jaw drops. “I’m not going to treat a patient without his consent!”

Obi rounds on her, eyes incredulously wide. “He’s not real.”

That...is a good point, she’ll give him that.

“Well, he’s real to Lynet,” she informs him primly, setting her hands flat on the table. “And she would never.”

For a moment is mouth goes flat, annoyed, but then -- then it curls, Obi leaning casual on one fist. “I’m sure Beaumains could be persuasive.”

Her mouth wraps around the word, silent. The look he gives her is too knowing, eyebrows lifted in invitation, and she’s so, so tempted to ask just what kind of persuasion Beaumains might be inspired to do--

“Even if Shirayuki cast it, he could still resist it with a Will save,” Mitsuhide interjects, sending the moment skittering. “If he wanted to, at least. And then we’d be out of a spell slot.”

“If we’re stuck here, we should be focusing on the Big Bad anyway.” Zen settles back in his chair, running a hand through his hair and leaving it adorably askew, like he’d just woken up. “Someone has to have said something interesting, right? And we’re not just thinking about it.”

Mitsuhide leans a chin in his hand, pondering the idea. “The head of the guard mentioned that a traveling caravan came through before this all happened.”

Kiki nods. “And the steward mentioned buying wood from traveling merchants. Probably the ones who supplied the logs with the Will debuff.”

Zen settles back, thoughtful. “So you think they were force to sell the wood?”

“They must have some leverage on them,” Mitsuhide agrees. “They didn’t mention any children--”

“Or maybe,” Kiki deadpans, “they were all bandits?”

Mitsuhide gapes. “But there were women in the caravan.”

“Oh my,” she hums, teeth flashing behind her lips. “You’re right. How silly of me. We all know a woman could never be dangerous, oh no.”

“T-that’s not what I meant!”

“Oh?” Kiki smiles, and the room drops an entire degree. Shirayuki practically shivers in the chill. “It better not be.”

Shirayuki blinks, and between one moment as the next, Kiki stabs her pen into the table, leaving it quivering like a knife.

Izana huffs in annoyance. “Kiki, please. The table didn’t do anything to you.”

“It’s just between the leaves.” She shift her character sheets, and there it is: pen nib wedged perfectly into the crevice. With nothing more than a sharp tug, it’s back out again, twirling between Kiki’s long fingers. “Besides, it’s not like this is some family heirloom.”

“No,” Izana agrees, “but it’s the principle of the thing.”

“Okay, aside from Princess Kiki’s love for violence, which, by the way--” Obi tosses her a wink, which absolutely does not send a jolt of disappointment spear through Shirayuki’s belly-- “hot. It looks like our only lead are these bandits.”

Mitsuhide grunts. “We don’t know if they’re bandits.”

“Fine, Schrödinger’s bandits,” he sighs. “We don’t--what?”

The table is quiet, wide-eyed -- even Izana -- and into the silence, Zen says, “You know Schrödinger?”

Obi huffs. “What? I go to college. I know memes.”

“Wow,” Kiki manages, drawling every letter.

“Anyway.” Zen wields the word like a knife, trying to cut through the distractions. “We should track down these bandits--”

Mitsuhide clears his throat.

“Potential bandits,” Zen amends, annoyed. “So while Shirayuki is tending to the people here, we can start canvassing the area.”

“Oh!” It slips out of her, like a punch to the gut. If she’s back at the castle, and Beaumains is out looking for bandits --

She shakes her head. That’s not what this game is about. It’s about saving her sister and having fun with her friends, not -- not practice flirting.

Unfortunately, it’s too late to take it back. Every eye at the table falls on her, and she squirms. “Um.”

“That isn’t very fair,” Kiki observes, dragging her gaze to Zen. “Shirayuki should get a chance to have an adventure too, not just heal in the background.”

“But we can’t take her with us.”

She hadn’t even minded being left behind -- Izana would give her something to do, and it wasn’t as if Lynet would feel strongly about bandit chasing -- but it stings, hearing it from his mouth. Zen had wanted her to be Gwenhwyfar, to be the one waving the handkerchief from the parapets. Instead she’d made Lynet -- an alchemist, an arcanist, an asset -- but even still he’s finding ways to keep her at Camelot, leaving her behind when the knights rode out.

Mitsuhide grunts, disapproving.

“She’s using her highest slots to do this curse thing,” Zen explains, and she gets it, she does, it just doesn’t help. “If we find the Big Bad--”

“--We should probably have our healer with us.” Obi’s mouth cants into a lop-sided smile, cajoling. “Come on, my liege. We don’t have to jump in the deep end the second we get a hint of where this guy is. We have plenty of time to give my lady here a heads up before we get ourselves neck-deep in trouble.”

He winks, and -- and maybe she’s just projecting, but it feels different from the one he gave Kiki. More...personal.

“Um.” Now is really not the time to blurt out, I’m more upset that I can’t flirt with your character, so she just nods, ducking her head so he can’t see her blush. “Okay! But I’ll need a day to swap out my spells.”

He’s just -- adjusting, she knows that, but his foot swipes right along the bottom of hers and every hair stands on end. Oh, goodness. “We’ll see what we can do, my lady.”

Each day, more men awake from their stupors; three at a time, all of them disoriented, groggy. You had hoped that when you woke the healer, he would at least be able to ease your burden, but all the cursed are emaciated, their muscles atrophied to the point that they must be helped to the chamber pot and back. It is up to you to brew the potions, to cook the broth and, eventually, heartier stews to strengthen them.

And still there are more chores; small things: opening windows and keeping your stores stocked, organizing and documenting the treatment of your patients. Each day blends into each other, sleep only coming in fits and starts and never restful. Still, it is enough. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, hands doing what you ask of them, until --

Until one day they don’t.

Most of the men have not been moved from the great hall, though now, at least, there is room between them to walk, not just bodies laid haphazardly across the stone. It is not a situation you find ideal, however -- it is not feasible to move so many, and in their fugue state, few will care about privacy or proximity. However, those awoken few have been moved to more private chambers; the weft of the curse is thick, as fine a weave as any linen, and you suspect it does not allow any inference, either magic or mundane. Those who lay dreaming are free from any ailment save the caster’s making, but the others --

Well, that many men pressed so close is just tinder waiting for a kindling.

There is a way within Laxdo’s halls to reach the dormitories from the great hall, however, a quick dash through the courtyard’s arcades cuts minutes off a day that already has too few to spare. You hurry through, gaze set ever forward, laden with yet another heavy box of supplies.

Your mind is not on your day, of course. Oh no, it has long wandered far into stranger lands. The dwarf is what plagues your thoughts, for with every man that wakes, their eyes passing over him with barely more than a curious glance and no flash of recognition, he fades a little further. One day, you fear, you will turn to see he is little more than a shadow, a suggestion rather than a reality.

Whoever he is, he must be much changed. Perhaps he is knight, strong bodied and deep-voice; or perhaps he is truly only a boy, and --

Your heel catches, so hard that your teeth jitter in their sockets. It snaps your spine straight, feet staggering beneath you to balance both your weight and the box’s.

All for naught; the shock jolts like lightning through your limbs, and the moment you right yourself, the box slips from boneless fingers, straight to the stone below.

There is a moment where your life flashes before your eyes. Or at least, the last week, which has felt like a lifetime. On shivering fawn legs, you bend, touching each bottle and jar as if they were the saints’ bones themselves. It is not the first inventory you have done with your heart lodged in your throat, but it is certainly the one where you had the most to lose. After all, it wasn’t as if the people of Castle Perilous would rely on their young mistress alone.

Your breath huffs out on a sigh. Misfortune’s bony fingers have no hooks in your skirts today. Not one cracked jar or one broken seal.

You get to your feet, hauling the box into you arms, but -- but you are made suddenly and terrifying aware that you have not slept for days. The world swings in a mad carousel around you, and with the momentum of your lift and the weight of the box you tilt back --

But never hit the ground.

“Oh,” Zen groans, flopping back in his seat. “Come on. Really?”

“Oooh, master, you just wish you had moves like me.” Obi’s hips give a sultry swivel in his seat as he scoops up his natural twenty. It absolutely does not give Shirayuki any -- any ideas. The room is just unnaturally warm for a basement.

“Careful, smooth moves,” Kiki deadpans. “K-pop impressions and bad pick-up lines won’t save you from not investing in your health.”

Obi huffs out a laugh with one of his devil-may-care shrugs. “I don’t invest in nerd things like hit points, I invest in being cool, and I stand by that decision. Besides,” he says, pink flaring high on his cheeks, “my pick-up lines are great.”

“Name one that worked.”

“I dunno.” His shoulders hunch, defensive. “All of them.”

Kiki’s eyebrows lift. “On who?”

Me. Shirayuki catches the word in her teeth, swallowing it down. It’s not -- it’s not even true. Beaumains has been using them on Lynet, and Lynet is the one interested, not -- not her. They’re different people. Probably.

“You know.” He sniffs. “People. You don’t know them.”

If anything, Kiki’s brows only raise higher. “Hmm.”

“If we’re quite done speculating about Obi’s romantic prowess,” Izana interjects smoothly. “I do believe we’re in the middle of something?”

Heat blooms across your back, the way it would when you sat at the hearth, tilting a book so it might not lay in shadow. It smolders along your side, not like a bonfire, but a brazier, or even a bed warmer --

Ah, now there is a thought your father would not appreciate you having.

Your gaze is fixed to your supplies, but it takes you a long moment to realize you are not holding them. No, it is a steady hand over you, sheathed in black leather, and in one, delirious moment, you realize that bare indigo must be pressed into your back, hooking just so at your hip. He doesn’t even shake.

“Careful there, my lady.” The words rumble against your ear, too intimate in the cage of his chest. “Keep this up, and a man could get ideas.”

You lift your gaze, gold tangling with green, breath catching in your throat. He might have made a shoddy assassin, but as your protector, well --

“Do you think if it happens another time, you will believe it?”

He blinks, eyes as wide and gold as coins. “Believe what?”

With all the courage you can summon, you mimic his flirtatious smirk and say, “That I’m falling for you.”

If the birds still sang at Laxdo, then the air would not be so still, so silent. At it is, you could hear a pin drop, so long as it was louder than the throb of your heart.

In a single, staggering moment, you are back on your feet, and Beaumains shakes his head, hunching his shoulders against the cold. “You need to work on your delivery.”

Your jaw snaps shut. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not the flirting type, my lady.” He shrugs, a smirk peeking out from behind his cowl. “Too earnest, I think.”

Blood boils in your veins, and you know he can see it on your skin when you say, “It does not seem fair that you may make love as you wish, but yet I cannot.”

He huffs out a laugh, sweeping a step closer. Oh, he smells...nice. Leather and pine with a hint of brimstone. “You know what I have and you don’t, my lady?”

“What?” You wish it wasn’t so breathless.

He leans in, and unbidden, your eyes flutter to half-mast. “Charisma.”

“Wait.” Kiki snags his sheet, sliding it across the table. “How on earth is your charisma higher than your con?”

“I’m a rogue-sorcerer!” Obi squeaks, snatching it back. “It’s my casting stat.”

“This is ridiculous,” she decides. “Are you planning on using it any time soon?”

He gapes. “I use it all the time!”

“I mean besides for bad pick-up lines.”

“How do you think I snuck up on Shirayuki at all?” He waves his hands. “Obviously magic!”

“I mean...” Kiki shrugs. “There is a stealth stat for a reason. A good rogue wouldn’t need Invisibility--”

He sniffs. “There’s just no reasoning with you, Princess.”

“I thought you were supposed to be bandit hunting.” The words come out breathless, and you wish you were like Morgaine, who never sounds as if anything bothers her at all, instead of -- of this. A girl ripe to be teased, since she can never wear her heart anywhere but on her sleeve.

He looks out over the yard, eyes squinting into the distance, and it is a fine view for watching the smirk creep up the side of his face. “Seemed like my job was here, my lady.”

Warmth blooms in your chest, as suddenly and easily as if he had laid a hand over your heart. Still, you frown. “And you did not think to announce yourself?”

“You did well enough alone,” he tells you with a speculative glance, and the flash in his eyes makes you think he likes what he sees. That he is, perhaps, even a little impressed with you. “And anyway, it seemed like you understood well enough about hiding in plain sight.”

You do not miss the bite of censure in his words, the warmth spreading from your chest to your cheeks. He put space between you, but you close it as you say, “I am the only one who can do this work, I do not have the luxury of--”

“Peace, my lady.” He holds up his hands, as if he might ward you off like a bitch anxious over her pups. “I know well enough. Still...” He edges a step back, teeth flashing white against the dark of his face. “Should you not be wary of me?”

You stare, brows furrowed. “Wary? Has not Uther himself consigned me to your care?”

“That’s true enough,” he admits, hand raising to squeeze at his shoulder. An old injury must lay there, aggravated by the heavy weather. “Though I thought His Grace would fill your head with all sorts of things.”

“Things?”

“Speculations. Rumor.” He grins, sharp enough to cut, though it is not a blade faced outward. “Maybe even something close to the truth.”

“Beaumains.” You step closer, and he watches you now, not the quintain creaking in the distance. “I think my own thoughts, not those of Arturius. And I have never been wary of you.”

The arcade is so quiet, you can hear his breath rasp in his chest.

“Besides--” you let yourself share in some of his smile-- “I was the one who had you pinned.”

“My lady,” he protests, “I let you--”

“I think we can call this argument thoroughly explored,” Izana informs them. “Not that I do not enjoy the enthusiastic roleplay.”

“Oh!” Shirayuki chirps, hands clapping to cover her blush. “I’m sorry, I didn’t--”

“No need.” You do not miss the twitch of amusement at the corner of his lips. “Besides, I think we all know it was your tanglefoot bag that did the pinning.”

“In any case,” you continue, perhaps a little forcefully, “you have proven yourself to be a man worthy of trust in my eyes.”

Beaumains stares, inscrutable. “My lady...”

Whatever words he means to say are lost; he folds his lips around them and the moment carries them away.

“My lady,” he tries again, more sure. “You’re wearing yourself down.”

“I am fine--”

“Perhaps His Grace--”

“I am fine,” you insist, sharper than you intend. “There is no reason to worry Arturius. So you might as well not.”

The silence between you itches, and when those golden eyes look at you, when they stare through you as if you were a specimen under glass, you want to squirm out of your own skin. “Who says I have to listen to anything you say?”

Uther. The name bubbles up, unbidden. You would have to be a fool to speak it; what passed between assassin and king is known by them alone. To pretend you know either of their minds would be a mistake of the rarest form.

Instead, you take a step forward, skirt brushing over the toes of his boots. “You owe me.”

His eyes narrow, thoughtful. “Owe you?”

“Yes,” you breathe. “You do.”

He stares at you, and you know he remembers the same as you do: the botched assassination, him grabbing your wrists and pulling you under him, the way his skin had warmed so pleasantly against yours --

“Fine.” His gaze swivels away, chin turned so much your neck hurts just looking at it. “But...why keep it a secret, my lady?”

Teeth prick at your lips. You cannot just say, Arturius. Not when he has been so kind to you, when he has taken on this quest that no other would. But still, still -- you were barely allowed to come. If he were to know that you are weary, or weak, or, Father forfend, overwhelmed --

Well, you do not have to imagine what sort of behavior that might invite from His Grace.

“Because I can manage on my own,” you say instead, lifting the box from his hands.

Or at least, you would, if he would let go. “We’re only having this talk because you’re not managing, my lady.”

Ah, that is...a point. Your shoulders drop, grip loosening until it is once again only Beaumains that holds it. “I...”

“My lady?” You cannot meet his gaze, but you feel it on you, warm and inquisitive, perhaps even concerned.

“It’s only...”

He leans in. You can feet his heat against your skin.

“The dwarf,” you manage, a flush gathering at where your wimple meets your collar. “There’s something about him.”

“He’s short?” Beaumains offers, voice low, a pleasant rumble so close to you. “He’s cursed?”

Your mouth pulls thin. “That is not what a meant. However...” You shake your head, at a loss. “I only have this...this feeling. It is important that he be cured of his affliction. But...if he does not want to be saved before the others...”

Frustration tangles your tongue. If only you knew what words would convince him, what proof you needed to lay before him --

“Ah,” Beaumains sighs, mouth crooking into a grin. “Is that all?”

Izana blinks as his phone hoots at him, scanning the screen.

“Hm.” He sets it aside, laying it square on the table. “Obi, if you would come with me.”

Zen’s eyes narrow as they stand, gaze darting between them. “What are you doing?”

“Me and the big boss here have some business in hallway time,” Obi tells him with a grin even Shirayuki has to admit is insufferable. “Got a problem with it?”

He frowns. “Why do you need that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” With a waggle of his eyebrows, Obi skips around the corner of the stairs and is gone. The door above shuts with an almost jaunty click.

“Wha--?” Zen stares after him, sputtering. “That’s why I’m asking!”

It is quiet, for once. Only the moan of the wind outside and the scratch of your nib against parchment reach your ears, the crackle of the fire long faded into the background of your mind. It lulls you, the gentle sweep of your own hand, and you close your eyes -- just a blink --

Only to wake at the creak of your door.

“Lynet.”

You do not expect the prince to darken your door, not this late at night, but here he is, cloak dusted with snow, sword at his hip. He follows your gaze, and he seems shocked to find his blade there as well, as if he does not always keep it at his side.

“Arturius,” you say, rising to your feet. “I didn’t think to see you so late.”

“I needed to know something.” He sweeps a hand toward your bed. “Would you mind?”

You blink, and for a moment, he is a different man telling you to get to a bed, gaunleted hands reaching --

“Yes,” you gasp, shaking yourself. This is different. Arturius is a friend. You trust him. “Of course.”

Your legs dangle off the side of the bed, toes just brushing the floor, and he draws his chair up in front of you, holding your hand.

“Close your eyes,” he says. “I’m going to count.”

“Are you taking my pulse?” His fingers are not in the proper place for such a thing. At your wrist is truly--

“Please,” he laughs. “Just trust me.”

You do, and so your eyes flutter closed. For a moment, you are only aware of your breath, of his touch, and you --

Jolt awake, as the door flies open again.

“Beaumains!” Arturius snaps, dropping your hand as if it scalds. “What are you--?

It is only once he is in the room room that you can see -- there is someone behind him. A small someone.

The dwarf.

Beaumain’s smile stretches smugly from ear-to-ear. “Our friend here says he’ll do it.”

“What?” Zen squaws, glaring daggers at his brother before settling back on Obi. “How could you?”

“How could I what?” Obi grins, hooking his hands behind his head. “Get the job done?”

“Intimidate him!” He waves a hand vaguely towards the head of the table. “He’s our friend!”

Obi blinks. “Izana?”

“No, not -- I mean the dwarf!” He lets out a huff. “Izana is definitely not our friend.”

“Brother.” Izana presses a hand to his chest. “I’m wounded.”

“You’re like Rasputin,” Zen tells him. “You’ll get over it.”

“I didn’t intimidate either of them.” Obi darts a glance at her, hooking her with a grin. “I just used my raw charisma.”

Kiki groans. “Go home.”

“Are you certain?” You glance at Beaumains behind him, but there is no menace to the man, just an unseemly amount of gloating. “I will not force you.”

The dwarf hesitates, wringing his small hands over his belly, but in the end he nods, meeting your gaze with a confidence that is wholly new. “I am ready, my lady.”

Your hand shakes as his fingers cup the rounded bottom of the flask, as he pulls the glass from your grasp, and with a deep, steeling sigh, upends the entirety of the potion into his throat.

“Oh!” The sound hiccups out of you, and though you’ve worn a groove in your voice the shape of the warnings you give each time, they tangle in your mouth. It is too late to say, drink slowly, to say, stop if it does not feel right, and oh, you are usual say this to a man prone, insensate --

And yet, nothing happens.

It takes time, you know. Your palms itch, eager to reach for your notes, to see if this was too long an interval, if this was a sign that this geas was worse, that the caster was fighting your remedy --

A muscle twitches. The dwarf blinks, raising his hand -- his hand that is now large, now small, that cannot decide its size at all, which is fine since his whole body follows suit, growing and shrinking. His shoulders rounds as his spine stretches, as if he’s hit a wall, some sort of barrier --

And it shatters, like an egg’s shell, his body growing well beyond its confines, the proportion of his limbs and face changing, until --

“Oh!” You whirl around, putting your back to him. “Oh my!”

“Ah,” the man says, his voice reedy, yet not as high as you remember. “I had hoped that this might be better done.”

“Here.” Arturius tosses one of the sheets from the cots. “Cover yourself.”

“I thank you,” the man says, humiliation riding high in his tone. “My lady, please forgive me, I did not think--”

“You...you are--” it is hard to find the words with your cheeks as hot as this -- “you are the lord of Laxdo’s son!”

He lets out a single, pained laugh. “I am afraid I am more than that now, my lady. I am Laxdo’s lord.”

“But--”

“Arturius!” Bedwyr sweeps into the room, ragged. “The men are all waking!”

“Wait, wait.” Shirayuki shakes her head, brow furrowed. “I removed his curse, and now everyone is healed?”

Izana lifts a hand in a lazy shrug. “So it would seem.”

“But...but...” She swivels, fixing on him. “But he didn’t want to be turned back! He wouldn’t let us, not until--” Shirayuki stops, her brain rushing to put the pieces together. “That was part of the compulsion. He wouldn’t let the curse be broken so that we -- so that I--”

She groans. “We could have done this in a day.”

“Welcome to Izanafinder,” Kiki deadpans. “He may not kill you, but he will make you wish you were dead.”

“My name is Shuuka,” the man says, better settled with the sheet around his hips. You still keep finding the wall just over his left shoulder fascinating. If only Bedwyr would be faster at locating the young lord’s costume. “I must admit, I had hoped you might remember it, my lady.”

You grimace. “I am...very bad with names. My father often despaired of it.”

And as in all his wishes, it bore very little fruit. 

“I think I remember that.” He laughs, weary. “It is no matter. I am in your debt regardless.”

“Pray, do not think on it,” you tell him, even as Arturius grunts. “I would not have a soul beholden to me.”

You do not miss Beaumain’s cough, nor the amused way he watches you from the door. Doubtlessly, he would find time to say his piece on that, but it will not be now.

“But, my lady--”

“What would help us most would be if you told us what happened,” Arturius says, oddly strangled. “Since you are the only one that seems to remember.”

Shuuka blinks, as if he had forgotten his prince sat mere steps away. “Of course. I shall explain it all to you.”

“That would be--”

“But first.” He slips his hand around yours, smiling shyly. “We must celebrate how you have saved us.”

“Oh,” you breathe, gaze flying to Arturius. A muscle in his jaw jumps. “I do not think--”

“Please, give me this,” Shuuka insists. “A banquet in your honor.”

You do not look at him, but you can feel Beaumain’s grin as a palpable touch. “Truly, it is not necessary. It was all of us who--”

“Ah yes, then in all your honor!” He squeezes your hand, and gives you a boyish smile that sends you straight back to girlhood. “All the men have been healed, and it would do them good to have a night of merriment.”

You cannot refute it would raise morale. Which would be much needed, once they took in the state of Laxdo’s disrepair. “I suppose...”

He leaps to his feet, thankfully taking the sheet with him. “Then a banquet it is!”

Shirayuki buries her face in her hands. “Oh my.”

“Oooh,” Obi croons. “Looks like you got some competition, my liege.”

Zen frowns. “Oh, shut up.”

[verai-marcel]

The Reality of Idle Fantasies (RDR2 Fanfic, 18+, Prisoner AU)

Summary: You had casually mentioned in passing that being with two men had been an idle fantasy of yours. Arthur listened. There’s only one man he’d trust to handle you as well as he does.

Author’s Notes: I chose not to write DP; this particular Reader-Insert doesn’t like anal… Yet.

Tags: Medium honor Arthur, Charles, D/s, gentle dom, spanking, blow jobs, rough sex, bondage, blindfold, roleplay, eiffel tower, modern AU

Find it on AO3 here.

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

You lay in Arthur’s bed, blindfolded, your wrists tied behind your back. The sheets were soft against your skin, and you felt a little bit chilly with no clothes on, but you knew you wouldn’t be cold for long. Hushed voices were coming from the direction of the kitchen, and you tried to calm your frantically beating heart.

“You been a bad girl,” Arthur crooned. “Gettin’ in our way. Now you pay the price.”

“But since you’re a beautiful little thing, we’ll be gentle,” Charles said, his voice like velvet on your ears.

“Speak fer yourself,” Arthur mumbled.

You heard the two of them walk closer to the bed, and felt the bed dip as they both came closer to you. Oh god, this was happening, this was really, really happening.

***

“You got any other naughty fantasies you ain’t told me about?”

Arthur sat at your kitchen table, watching you cook some spaghetti. His question came out of nowhere, and you were momentarily stumped. By now, the two of you were pretty open about your sexual needs, and you found it refreshing, once you got past the initial embarrassment of talking about some of your more not-so-vanilla kinks.

“Well. Um. Have you…” You trailed off, and started gesticulating wildly, almost knocking the spoon out of the pot of tomato sauce. “Have you ever heard of an eiffel tower?”

Your face heated up as Arthur chuckled. “Of course I have. That somethin’ you interested in tryin’?”

Turning back to the stove, you stirred the sauce, watching it simmer. “Just an idle thought, I guess,” you mumbled.

“If you had the opportunity, would ya do it?”

You turned back to him. “Who would the third be?”

“Charles.”

You considered the thought. There were some nights when both Charles & Arthur would come by, bringing you take-out after their day at work ended and your shift happened to end at the same time. You had gotten to know him the past few weeks; he was a nice guy, had started to volunteer at the local animal shelter since his apartment complex didn’t allow pets, and was into archery.

And if you were honest with yourself, he had a nice, thick, muscular body, and a voice that could melt the panties off a woman in two seconds flat.

“I’ll think about it,” you finally said.

***

A few days after that conversation, Arthur brought it up again.

“You think about havin’ a third?”

“Yeah. But I think I could only do oral. I don’t want another man inside my pussy except you.”

“Hm. Okay.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “What was the ‘hm’ for?”

Arthur cocked his head at you. “Yer not interested in anal?”

You shook your head.

“May I ask why?”

You looked away. “Um… never tried it, actually. It just seems… dirty. Like, physically dirty.”

“It ain’t so bad,” Arthur chuckled. “So for now, no butt stuff, got it.”

Side-eying him, you continued to fold your shirts while Arthur folded your pants. For whatever reason, the most sexual conversations the two of you had were while you both were working on the most domestic of things.

***

When the two of you finally started discussing the logistics and limits of your threeway, Arthur had jokingly suggested that the set-up could be that you had come home while they were robbing your place, and had tied you up and blindfolded you before punishing you. When your eyes glazed over at the thought, Arthur noticed and gave you a sultry grin before calling up Charles.

So now here you were, about to be ravished by two men.

As the two men shifted closer to you on the bed, your skin tingled and a heat pooled between your legs. Two pairs of hands started stroking your bare arms and legs, and you shivered with want. Laying on your side, you felt one of them sitting in front of you, the other behind.

One of them caressed your cheek and kissed your forehead; it was Charles. You could tell from his light scent, different from Arthur’s. He said to Arthur, "You're right, she is beautiful."

"I keep tellin' her that, but she never listens," Arthur replied. You could imagine the wry grin on his face.

"So that's why you punish her so much?"

"Until she learns."

"Maybe she needs a softer touch," Charles said as he massaged your scalp, making you feel relaxed. You could feel heat radiating from his body like a furnace. His hand caressed your cheek, and he pressed his thumb to your lips. You instinctively opened your mouth and started sucking on it.

"Good girl," he said in a hushed voice, humming as he felt your tongue swirl around his thumb. His other hand caressed your shoulder, your arm, then reached out to palm your breasts, his big, calloused hand enveloping them in warmth. Brushing your nipples, he leaned over and kissed your cheek as you moaned.

Arthur had been quiet, his hands gently stroking your legs this whole time, but then you felt him move behind you, his hands moving up to knead your ass.

Then he spanked you.

You yelped, and then Charles' hand was around your throat, holding you ever so gently. His fingers moved up and down the column of your neck, his thumb stroking your pulse.

Arthur spanked you again, and you gasped and whimpered. Then his fingers stroked your pussy, dipping in his fingertips just to tempt you into moving. You knew better.

"Wet already? You achin' to be my slut?"

"Yes Mr. Morgan," you begged.

"Such an obedient girl," he praised. "Show Mr. Smith how well trained your mouth is."

You felt Charles shift, felt the tip of his cock brush against your lips. You opened your mouth to take him in, and nearly gagged. He was thicker than Arthur; you relaxed your jaw and did your best to pleasure him with your tongue. You were rewarded with a deep moan as Charles wrapped his hands in your hair, pulling your head towards him as he moved you on his cock.

After a few minutes, he pulled away from you, letting you go as he leaned back. Arthur then rolled you onto your belly and grabbed your hips, forcing you up on your knees, your face in the mattress. Feeling the tip of his cock gliding along your nether lips, lubing himself up with your slick, he hummed.

"My dirty whore, takin' it from both ends. Open up for us, darlin'."

Arthur pulled at your arms, forcing you up so your upper body was parallel to the bed. You parted your lips, letting Charles thrust back into you as Arthur invaded you from behind. They both had their hands on you, forcing you still as they took their pleasure from your willing body. You moaned and whimpered, your mouth and pussy full of cock and you loved it.

Arthur spanked you as he fucked you, telling you what a naughty girl you were, while Charles guided you in how to suck him off, how to lick his shaft and tongue the head of his dick. He was such a gentle Dom, different from Arthur's hot and heavy ministrations.

You whimpered when Charles pulled away, gasping as Arthur wrapped one hand around your neck and pulled you further up, still taking you from behind while you were on your knees. He untied the blindfold, letting it fall away, and your first sight was of Charles, magnificent in his nudity, a thick, muscled man, stroking his giant cock. You instinctively leaned forward, wanting him in your mouth again, but you strained against Arthur’s hand on your throat.

“My horny slut, wantin’ more cock? Is that it? You want him in your mouth?”

“Yes, please Mr. Morgan,” you sobbed with need.

“I dunno. Maybe you should ask him,” Arthur teased as he let go of your neck, letting you fall face first onto the bed. Lifting you up by your hips, he shoved your body towards Charles, who was kneeling on the bed front of you. Arthur stopped moving inside you, opting to just warm his cock inside of you for now, as you looked up at Charles from your position, on your knees with your ass up in the air, your head resting on his thigh.

“Mr. Smith? May I please suck your dick? Please?”

Charles smiled and caressed you, his fingers running along your scalp so soothingly. “Of course, sweetheart.” He gently nudged his cock into your mouth and let you suck him, groaning as you licked the entire length of him slowly.

“I can’t take it,” he moaned, grabbing the back of your head with both hands and face fucking you, making you feel the power in his thighs as he pumped down your throat. Arthur started to shove into you again too, his cock stirring you up as he moved his hips in circles, forcing you to stretch for him.

You gagged and choked on Charles, his cock thicker than anyone else you had experienced. Arthur was longer though, as he continued to push deep inside you. When Charles pulled back once more, Arthur leaned over you so he could play with your clit, forcing you towards your peak. You panted and moaned, your eyes locked with Charles, who was watching you with a smoldering look as he stroked his cock.

Arthur kissed your cheek and nibbled on your earlobe. “Come for us, sweet girl. Show us how much you want this.” And he stroked your clit even faster, pumping his shaft inside of you. You thought you couldn’t take much more, and then Charles got closer and shoved his cock into your mouth once more.

An avalanche of pleasure roared through you as you came hard at the act of two men forcefully taking your body. Being used like this, being tied up and treated like a playtoy was so freeing that you almost passed out, your climax was so good and so intense.

“Gonna cover you in cum, darlin’,” Arthur growled as he pulled out of you and shoved you onto your back. Both men towered over you as you lay there, helpless with your hands tied behind your back. They stroked their cocks above you, looking down at you and breathing heavy, grabbing your breasts or your pussy as they pumped themselves, chasing ecstasy.

“Fuck,” Arthur moaned as he came first, grabbed a fistful of your hair and splattering all over your face and neck. He sat back and caught his breath as Charles took his turn, pulling your hair as he nudged your mouth open. Unlike Arthur, he pumped straight into your mouth as you sucked him dry, bobbing your head up and down as he came, making him shudder with pleasure.

“God, you’re good,” Charles rumbled as he pulled out and sat back, breathing hard.

You smiled. You knew you must look a mess, with cum dripping all over your face and neck.

Arthur looked at Charles.

Charles nodded at him. “You have this?”

“Of course,” Arthur scoffed.

“Alright.” Charles leaned in to kiss you on the one clean spot on your forehead. “I had a lot of fun. Thank you for inviting me.” He crawled off the bed and went to the bathroom to clean up. You lay back on the bed, your eyes beginning to droop close as Arthur crawled over to you and held you close, untying your wrists and massaging them; the rope had left some marks, not too bad, but still a bit red.

When Charles came back, he handed Arthur a washcloth to clean you up, and went to get water for both of you. As Arthur wiped you down, Charles quietly put his clothes back on, waved goodbye, and took off.

You looked at Arthur. “No cuddles?” you asked.

He pulled you closer as he gently kissed your temple. “Not from him. Aftercare is a very personal thing for us. I’m the only one who gets to give it to you.”

You nodded. It was a very intimate thing, even more so than the sex itself. As Arthur tucked both of you under the blanket and bundled you up in his embrace, you sighed happily.

Yes, only Arthur could give you this wonderful, soft feeling.

***

“So, you think you’d do that again?”

You were sitting at his kitchen counter next to him; he had finally bought a second bar stool so you two could actually sit next to each other and eat if you were at his place. The man knew how to cook a few basic meals, but they were really well seasoned, grilled to perfection. Staring down at your plate of roasted potatoes and grilled pork chop, you answered him.

“It was fun, but I think once was enough, just to have tried it. I like just being with you alone much more.”

Arthur laughed, sounding relieved. “Glad you said that, honestly.” He wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “I’d let you have anything, but I wasn’t gonna be happy about it.”

You leaned your head against his shoulder for a moment before going back to your food. As you chomped away, you glanced over at him, noticing him quietly going back to his food, and started rolling his words around your head. He always told you to be honest; but was he being 100% honest with you?

“When were you going to tell me that?”

Arthur was silent.

“Goddammit, if you want my trust, you’ll have to be a hundred percent forthcoming with me too,” you said as calmly as you could.

“I know, I know,” Arthur muttered. “I’m not a fan of sharing you, but I’ll do it every once in a while if it makes you happy.”

You looked at him.

He looked at you.

You raised an eyebrow at him.

He sighed. “Look, I know what I said. I’ve never lied to you, but I haven’t always told you everythin' that’s on my mind. I’m workin’ on it.”

You nodded. He was only human. The two of you could work on being fully open together. Thinking back to your first meeting, you thought of how he had cornered you, trapped you, forced you to think about things you hadn’t considered.

“So what the hell was our first time?” you asked, finally asking the question that had been percolating in the back of your mind all this time.

Arthur bowed his head. “That was wrong of me, I know. I’m sorry.” Then he looked back up at you. “But I had to have you, and you never said no. I asked you every time, and you never denied me. And you did text me after I left, when you coulda just forgotten about me.”

That was true. You had always been in full control, choosing to sneak away with Arthur whenever the opportunity arose. And that first time? You could have taken him down with the taser in your duty belt. Instead, you had uncuffed him and let him fuck your brains out. He even came inside of you, and you still went back to him for more.

You had chosen to give in from the very beginning. You had wanted him to dominate you, even if you hadn’t realized it in so many words at the time.

“Shit. You're right,” you finally said, calming down, understanding yourself a bit better.

He smiled. “Besides, I’ve seen you take down bigger men than me. I know that if you didn’t want me, you woulda kicked me in the nuts and dragged me back to my cell in cuffs.” Pulling you into his arms, he nuzzled your neck and breathed in your scent. “And honestly, I still woulda loved you if you had.”

Your eyes widened. “You… you loved me then?”

“Since the moment I laid eyes on you, sweet girl. Yer so strong, so beautiful; how could I not?”

You remember the first time he was brought in; you had just knocked down a prisoner, pinning him down on the ground, arms twisted behind his back to keep him subdued while two other officers helped cuff his ankles and wrists. You looked up to see another officer bringing in a new prisoner. Your eyes had met, and he had given you a lopsided grin. You had just glared.

For two months, he slowly got you to open up a bit more, and eventually, well, that night in the interrogation room happened. It was all a runaway train after that.

But looking at him now, his face beaming with a tender affection for you, his body surrounding you with a warmth and trust you had only dreamed of, you felt like nothing could touch you.

You didn’t regret a single thing.

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

End Notes: Last one with these two for a while. I realized that the first part, Submit to Release, is quite a bit different from the rest of this series, so I tried to, uh, connect it a bit better here. Not sure if I pulled it off, but oh well. Next part: Charles x Vet!Reader!

Just want to give a couple of shout outs: @pixieisonline for helping me with my questions regarding BDSM, thank you so much! @dva-xo for being my beta reader, many thanks, my dear!

[foreverfallen]

MUNDAY.

GENERAL

Name: Megan Birthday: September 20th Sexual Orientation: ??? Dad’s Name: Mark  School Status: Working on getting my Master’s

YES/NO

Drink?: Yes, on occasion Smoke?: No Eat cake?: Yes Believe in True Love?: Sure? Why not? I don’t know if everyone has it, but for some people, I think they can find their loves.  Afraid of the dark?: I kinda like the dark. Not the pitch blackness of nothingness, mind you, but just... the dark? Yeah.  Cat person: Definitely much more than a dog person; cats are great. 

FAVORITES

Shampoo: I don’t know if I have a fave; what I use came from the salon and it works and that’s all that matters hah.  Disney song: Oh probably... Be Prepared from The Lion King. I love that song so much!  Actress: I have ones I like and enjoy, but I don’t know if I have any particular faves in that regard. Person: Probably my mom. I love her to pieces.  Type of Weather: Fall and Winter. I love the dark and rainy days, the cloudy overcast skies, the windy breezes--I hate spring and summer with a passion, all the bugs and the hot sunny days... ugh.  Color: Black, green, silver, those sorts of colors.  90s Sitcom: I don’t know... Too many to choose from. 

QUESTIONS

What is your special talent/skill as a roleplayer? I like to think it’s my writing itself. I mean, I don’t format anything fancy, and my photoshop skills are just... what they are, but at least as far as Lucifer here is concerned, it’s a character and muse I’ve been with for so long, I understand so well-- they’re almost a literal part of me, and I’ve been writing in one way or another all my life, so... I don’t know. I just like to think that/tell myself that, for a confidence boost :)  

What is your favorite type of roleplay genre, and why? Anyone who writes with me will know I’m easily a magnet for angst, for hurt/comfort, for anything where I will torture this muse of mine. I feel doing so only makes us understand them that much more, and hurting them here makes me love them in my heart all the more. (I know, I’m weird. I show my love for Luci here by torturing him in writing, yes.) It’s very hard for me to maintain something purely fluffy, without any hints of trauma or angst... 

Why did you pick your muse? Um... you should have asked me that nearly a decade ago when I did? hah. I don’t actually remember why I first decided to write Lucifer, to be honest, but it was when he was first coming to SPN--seasons 4 (talked about) and 5 (actually there). Then he sort of dimmed down a little, and while he was still there, I didn’t roleplay him as actively for a lot of years in between. Seeing him again on the show, I guess, is what brought him roaring back to life, which led me back to finding my old blogs and rereading so many headcanons and being all “MY PRECIOUS!” about this muse. Needless to say, he’s my own creation pretty much, with just inspiration in a lot of cases taken from SPN by now.  

If you could write any other muse - but know you don’t have the muse for him/her - who would it be? Are we talking the same fandom or are we talking just in general? Just in general, I’d love to try my hand at some of the Dominion characters; rewatching the show has reawakened my love for it again (it doesn’t help that the dash does that too), and as far as the same fandom goes... Probably would be the likes of Dean. I never could get his voice down right.  

What is one thing you think you need to work on for a partner? I don’t know... Um... Probably reply speed in some cases? I mean, a lot of my partners are very understanding but I still feel bad making them wait. Especially when one or two threads may take focus and priority and then I’m like “I’m working back and forth on these and I’ve had these other replies/asks for months” and I feel bad... 

What would be your warning label to other roleplayers? Will probably give you feelings through the torture of muses. 

What is your favorite episode/scene of your muse? Season 5 in general, but damn, the scene in the hotel in the episode, “Hammer of the Gods” with Gabriel? The amount of times I watched that-- Kills me every time to this day. Oh, and probably second place would be conversing with Michael in “Swan Song” as I wish we’d gotten more of Michael & Lucifer... 

What crack!ships do you have for your muse? I don’t think I have any? I mean, when I happen to ship with this character, I ship with him; it’s not crack at all ;) 

What is your senpai blog for someone who plays the same muse as you? I tend not to follow a lot of other Lucifer blogs. Mainly because I’m intimidated, first off, and secondly, they’re all so awesome in their own way, and I have a hard time not judging myself against others, and then depression and anxiety kick in and... yeah. Mind’s a vicious place. 

tagged by: @fracturedsword tagging: @ anyone who wants to

[dicknotimpressed]

i left this blog for d e a d and ain’t nobody gave me a word, but did i ask for it? no, but i’m still gonna talk and there’s something i really want to discuss. i’ll try my best to keep it short, but here it is:

responsibility

[ri-spon-suh-bil-i-tee]

noun, plural re·spon·si·bil·i·ties.

the state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, control, or management.

an instance of being responsible: the responsibility for this mess is yours!

a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible: the responsibilities of authority.

i think we all grown and somehow understand what’s responsibility, right? so, if we are all smart and stuff, here comes a few questions that need answers, or, what’s better - we need actions. question number uno: when you join a roleplay, you pick your charrie and plan how you gonna play them, make your page and all that shit. you are responsible for your choice and your charrie. and if you are, then why the fuck you join a roleplay then never come back? you are fucking irresponsible ass motherfucker. here comes question number-bumber two, have your irresponsible motherfucking ass ever thought that you are wasting EVERYONE’S time? you just wasted admin’s time and their hard work if they had to make a cpsd for your ass if you decided to come as OC, you wasted your plot/connection partner’s time because you don’t do shit and they might’ve had hopes for a plot, especially if it was bomb, you wasted someone’s time because they might’ve wanted to come as that damn face but nah, you decided to take space, do nothing and hold a damn faceclaim. you are fucking responsible for everything once you join a damn rp, and if it flops, please, shut the fuck up and don’t complain about shit because probably you the one who stayed in IM all the fucking time, you are probably the one who never bothered to reply back to a thread on the dash even when someone took time to reply to your starter, you probably the one who only pop on the dash for lame ass hundred billion times already played anon games. no one wants to take a damn responsibility for shit, and poor admins end up with their time wasted and a broken heart because roleplays just die before these irresponsible homosapiens never really gave it a chance to live. you strive and rp will prosper, it’s that simple, and if you ride Rocky’s dick, think about these four words A S A P, always strive and prosper. DO SHIT AND SHIT WILL BE SUCCESSFUL, that’s it! but nah, it’s too much to do, right? i JoiNeD rP To NoT bE sHit ANd tHeN tALk TrAsH headass. how you join a roleplay and after a few minutes you complain about not having muse for your charrie or rp all together. then... honey, why you-... are you delusional, indecisive or just, um... i don’t know man. we are so fucking lazy, irresponsible and just A FUCKING ASS, that’s why tags cry, rpers cry, and roleplays die. Jesus, no one forces nor drags you to write paras all the damn time or throw development after development, just please, be on the dash AND TALK TO PEOPLE, COMMUNICATE, KEEP THE CONVO GOING, and don’t act like it’s something new to you because ya’ll so active and talkative in those little groupchats or wc moments. so why not transfer the same energy on the dash? can ya’ll imagine how FUN it would’ve been? like, seriously? why we can’t just get our shit together and rp like we all are friends who came together to have a good time? can you imagine how dope it would’ve been? i’ve been saying this all the fucking time but imma say this again: YOU have to start from YOURSELF and make a move, and if at least half of us would’ve done this and at least gave a chance to roleplays then everything could’ve get back to normal. i’m sorry if i sound rude or ugly, but i can’t act like this doesn’t upset me. it does. and when a roleplay flops, i get in my feels because now i have to kill off my charrie, i get in my feels because i’m sorry for admins who came up with idea and believed in it, brought it to ya’ll and boom! - their hard work never got appreciated. shame on you, shame on her, shame on him, shame on them, shame on me, shame on all us.

ugh, whatever, i can keep talking about it and it will upset me more and more. please, think about what i’ve just said, and maybe we will be able to change something? and if i just said loud ass crap that makes no sense please feel free to confront me. but i want to move to this little positive note, i just want to thank all the admins who had enough courage to open their roleplays even when they knew how dark rp times be these days. people cry and complain about dead tags and you guys weren’t/aren’t afraid to take this responsibility to drop a roleplay for people to have fun, but, oh well, looks like we don’t really know what’s fun anymore. and to all the rpers who still have hopes, who try to be on the dash, write and talk to others, who replies to starters and never drop convos on the dash, those, who can be independent and do stuff on the dash without their friends and gangs, those who strive for le roleplay to prosper. we all have lives, we work, we go to school, and once again, we have real lives to live, but even when you can dedicate at least an hour of your day to the dash and roleplay that you’ve joined it’s already a progress and i love you.

well, i hope this made at least a little bit of sense, if not, oh well, fuck me and may i shut the fuck up. but really, we need to do better because i know there are still people who love to write. we all share this little hobby so why can’t we be respectful to each other and enjoy shit together? okay, drag me.

[kaknzn]

Headcanon: About Kakuzu’s personality, sexuality, and past.

     Okay I’ve been waiting to write out this headcanon for my roleplay blog for like a fucking week because I wanted to have enough of a brain to get things across properly. I’ve been thinking about this particular headcanon since I was like 13, so just bear with me okay?

     Kakuzu identifies as Gay, but he is bisexual and I will get into why later in this post.

     I want to start off by discussing the way I noticed that Kakuzu treats people. One, Kakuzu has a temper. It’s stated canonly that Kakuzu has killed three of his previous partners, and that his temper was to blame. I wanted to think about what triggered his temper, and I decided that it comes down to a lack of what he considers respect.

     Respect for his ideals, respect for his money, respect for his privacy, are the three kind of... big ones. I’ll probably make an entirely separate post for his morals and where his lines are and what’s too far. But people who tend to disrespect him are the people who trigger that legendary temper and end up dead. 

     Kakuzu, I believe, had a level of respect for the shinobi of the leaf. He definitely warned Hidan not to underestimate his opponents, and even talked about how Shikamaru was analytical in a rather considering light. I realize he wasn’t as bright and sunny about it as some might be, but I do think he has an understandable level of animosity toward the Leaf Village after what happened with his own. It’s a bit of a sore spot for him. 

     I think, that underneath all of these perceptions of who Kakuzu is, he’s actually rather polite and business like. As long as he’s treated well, he’s likely to treat someone well in return in a general sense. He isn’t just going to get angry at every little hairtrigger thing. Someone accidentally bumping into him? Eh. But that person bumping into him and being like “Watch it pal!”, that’s gonna piss him off a bit. 

     I wouldn’t say that he’s... chill. I would say that he’s really rather scrutinizing, and hard to please. He has a sharp tongue, and a sharp wit, and a strong drive to amass wealth. Which kinda brings me to Hidan.

     Hidan can’t die.  Hidan is generally a little prick when it comes to Kakuzu. They have clashing ideals, and attitudes, and still Kakuzu takes the time to check on him, collect his headband, sew him together, praise him, and be respectful. I noticed that Kakuzu doesn’t step inside of Hidan’s Jashinist circles while he’s praying, and I also noticed that he doesn’t interfere with Hidan’s fights unless he’s really needed. When Hidan apologizes, Kakuzu seems to drop his animosity.  I actually think that despite how much they clash, there is a genuine fondness for Hidan.

     Whether that fondness comes from a curiosity about his immortality, the mechanics of it, or from some facet of Hidan’s personality [um...], it’s hard to tell looking at Canon. Personally, I like to think he enjoys having someone around that can take his anger and still stick with him. It’s a bit of a relief to be able to go all out on someone and have them throw it all right back. For these reasons, my Kakuzu in particular would consider Hidan a friend. You’ll never hear him say it out loud though.

     Which brings me to my next point. 

     I’m really confused about why Kakuzu’s village persecuted him so quickly. It could be because of the level of the mission, or to keep village secrets, or simply to repay the person who ordered the mission in the first place [which I think could have been Madara??? Idk].

     Kakuzu’s village was smaller. I feel like it would have had a bit of an old time, small down mentality. When Kakuzu was growing up, he grew up in a nation that was at war. 

     My personal fanon for his background is that his father was KIA when he was under a year old. His mother had married his father for status, and when he died there turned out to be less status than he lead on, and no money. Kakuzu’s father loved him and his mother dearly, but they ended up in a very impoverished side of town. The house he grew up in was fairly run down. His mother grew to resent him, and was fairly cold, and rather abusive emotionally/physically. He was never allowed to be angry with her, and so he grew up with all of that anger bottled inside of him.

     When he was 14/15, his mother abandoned him to marry another man for status, and shortly after he was bitten by a rat and fell ill. Without money, he couldn’t afford medicine. He almost died during this time, but ended up pulling though. This gave him a fear of rats. 

     But to tie everything together: I wonder if during his time in his village, after he was abandoned by his mother, if Kakuzu was possibly outed as Gay. Then, in a warring time where people would be pressured to be together to procreate, in a small town with a small town mentality, Kakuzu would be rather singled out. Even by his peers.

     Despite this, up until he failed that big mission, I feel like Kakuzu had faith in humanity, and loyalty to his village. Even if he knew that perhaps they weren’t ever going to love him, he had a job to do. So he was loyal, he did his job, and when he failed, they didn’t hesitate to get rid of the round peg from the square hole. So all that anger, all that building animosity, all that unfairness pushed him over the edge and he slaughtered the elders. 

     Now that he doesn’t have to push that anger away, he doesn’t. Now that he has money? He saves it. He’s self sufficient, and never has to rely on any other person to support him ever again. Money, is the only thing that ever really mattered. 

     But I also believe that Kakuzu doesn’t think a whole lot about his sexuality. Because I don’t think he really believes it matters anymore. He’s more focused on money than he ever is on finding anyone to care about. I feel like in his youth, he knew himself as a gay man, so when people ask, that’s what he holds onto. He’s not yet familiar with himself enough in this regard to fully self identify as bisexual.