#these stripes destroyed my psyche

[s1v1l]

Redesign

[ninjaneonleon]

Puppet on a String

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Donnie could only watch in horror as Leo struggled and fought against the branches of the willow tree. He vanished behind the gently swaying leaves. Donnie was still too weak to help, he could barely stand, but that didn’t stop him from taking a step forwards. Then another. He was about to take another when two sets of small hands wrapped around his arms, both to support him and to hold him back.

“We can’t do anything for Leo right now.” Odette’s voice was soft and frail, as delicate as lace. It was almost musical. “I want to help him too, but we can’t stand against Father like this.”

“He’s pure energy at the moment.” Odile’s voice was just as sweet as Odette’s but they had a deeper cadence, something more powerful and strong about them. They sounded just as upset. “If we try and fight him now, we’ll end up destroyed.”

“What is the Crow planning on doing to him?” Donnie asked, clearing his throat. He summoned his staff to help him stand. That was a little better at least.

“The potion he took to get me… it made Leo more open.” Odile sounded guilty. Leo’s shouts cut off suddenly, the silence becoming deafening.

“Open?” Odette and Donnie both asked, looking at Odile. They wouldn’t look at either of them, focused solely on their feet.

“More open to souls. That’s how we were fusing so quickly,” Odile explained. “As long as Father has magic, Leo can be possessed. And right now… Father is just a soul.”

There was a sudden rush of wind that knocked Donnie and the swans off their feet. Luckily the lake continued to support them, not letting them fall into its watery depths. Donnie was glad. He didn’t think he could make it out again without Leo’s help.

When Donnie next managed to look up, Leo was standing in front of the willow once more, smirking. Gone was the feathered tiara and tutu that Donnie had grown accustomed to seeing his twin in. Instead, Leo wore a pair of black pants, seemingly made of inky black feathers. His plastron looked more armoured somehow and his carapace was darker. Leo’s wings, while still made of black feathers, had a single sharp spike on the bend of them, making them somehow resemble gargoyle wings. His skin tone was darker too, meaning the yellow and red of his stripes stood out even more vividly than when he fused with Odile. Instead of a tiara of feathers, Leo wore a wooden crown of branches and a leaves.

“You really shouldn’t be making deals you don’t understand, my child.” Leo rolled his neck out and stretched a little. His tone was off, too smooth, too polished. This wasn’t Leo. “But I do appreciate my new lease on life. You’re surprisingly strong for someone so young.”

“Let him go,” Donnie demanded, struggling to his feet. “Let Leo go!”

“Now why would I do that?” Rothbart purred. “He’s an open book. If anything, I’m protecting him. Any wandering soul could try and insert itself into his psyche if I left. Just like my poor daughter. Speaking of…” He turned his attention behind Donnie. “Odile. Come here.”

Donnie spread his wings, blocking Rothbart’s view of the swans. “They aren’t going anywhere with you. Neither of them are,” he growled.

Rothbart laughed. It was so different to Leo’s laugh, so much more condescending. “And who’s going to stop them? You? You can barely stand! You’re in no state to try and resist. Do try to be sensible, you’re smarter than this.”

That made Donnie’s feathers stand on end. “Damn right I’m smart. Which means I’m smart enough to beat—“ Donnie was cut off by Odile stepping forwards. They was shaking, they looked terrified, but they were slowly walking towards Rothbart. “Odile, what are you doing?”

“I— I can’t let him hurt you guys. Or Leo. A-and I can’t just… not listen to him.” Odile sounded ashamed but they kept walking forwards.

Odette appeared at Donnie’s side once more, clinging to his hand. “Just wait,” she whispered. “We can trust them.”

Donnie wanted to intervene but he trusted Odette’s judgement as far as Odile was concerned.

“There you are, I knew you’d come to your senses,” Rothbart cooed. “Come here, dear.”

Odile stepped closer. Then they stopped. “No.”

Rothbart frowned, the angry expression twisting Leo’s usually bright features. “No?”

“No, I won’t.” Odile took a breath. “Because I’m not afraid of you. You won’t hurt the others because I won’t let you. And you won’t hurt Leo either.”

Rothbart stared for a moment. Then he started laughing. “Oh, this is so precious. You think you’re strong enough to go against me?”

Odile shook their head. “No, I don’t. Not alone.”

Odette stepped forwards, shaking but still standing tall. “But together we can.” She took Odile’s hand and stared down Rothbart. “I’m done running. I’m done hiding. Mom was wrong. I don’t need to be afraid of you.”

“Oh how cute. My protégée and my failed experiment, standing together.” Rothbart’s wings spread wide and his eyes glowed red. “Facing down the big scary crow all alone.”

“Not alone.” Using his staff as a cane, Donnie hobbled forwards. “I might not be at my best but they have me. And they have my twin.”

“Your twin?” Rothbart laughed again. “Your twin is mine now. He’s as good as de—“ he gasped and started twitching, his eyes slamming shut.

“Don’t fucking talk to them like that!” Wait, was that Leo pushing through?! “Guys, if you have a plan, do it now! I can’t hold him long!”

“Leo!”

Odette and Odile rushed forwards, dancing their way around Leo as he tried to hold Rothbart back. With every step, leap, pirouette, water from the Lake shot into the air. It formed a cage around Leo’s body. Donnie stood back and let the swans do their thing. He pushed his energy, his love for his twin and for the two children in front of him, into whatever spell they were doing. He didn’t have the strength to dance with them but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t give this his all.

The cage tightened as Leo’s wings spread out once more. His eyes shot open, red and glowing.

“What are you doing?!” That was Rothbart’s tone.

“Sending you back where you belong,” Odette said, finishing her sequence.

“Back to hell,” Odile snarled, finishing her string of fouettés. The cage flowed and Rothbart screamed.

There was a bright red glow and Rothbart collapsed. The Lake kept him above the water but he was out cold. The cage vanished and Donnie rushed over as quick as he could.

“Nardo?” He asked, kneeling down and shaking his twin gently. “Nardo, please, wake up.”

Leo groaned and his eyes fluttered open. They were back to the lovely blue that Donnie had grown fond of. “Dee?”

“Oh thank god! Leo!” Donnie scooped up Leo and held him close. He yelped a little when both Odette and Odile launched themselves as Leo too, clinging to him.

“You’re okay! The spell worked!” Odette cried, tearing up. “We were so worried. But did you see? I did magic! I did magic with Odile!”

Leo chuckled weakly. “I did see. We’re all proud of you, Odette.”

“And I stood against Father. I— I got to choose what I wanted.” Odile whispered.

“You did,” Donnie agreed softly. “You’re your own person, Odile. You don’t have to be what he wanted. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Odile nuzzled against Donnie, their feathers tickling Donnie’s cheek in the best way. Odette kept clinging to Leo, sniffling as he stroked her hair.

The Crow was gone. The curse was gone. Donnie was free of the Lake.

There was only one thing left to do, but Donnie wasn’t sure he was ready for it yet. So instead, he decided they’d just stay here for a moment. Enjoy their time together. Enjoy the fact that for the first time in years, they were all safe.

———————

Part 11 is here! The Crow is dead! I’ve only got a couple more parts planned but thanks for all the love and support. You guys are awesome!

Edit: part 12

Swanatello belongs to @tangledinink

Crownardo belongs to @dryad-druid

[amethystunarmed]

Okay I absolutely MUST know what 'Behold!' is.

Ooh! I was hoping someone would ask about that!

So 'Behold!' is a yet-to-be-named epic fantasy novel series that I am working on with @little-engineer-who-cant. The two of us wrote a novel together in like 8th grade and we recently reread to laugh about how... inexperienced we were, to say the least.

But we started talking and realized... we could fix it. Oh my god we could fix it, and it became a story about fae courts, the specialest boy to ever live being a tired 27-year-old barista, the most toxic polycule in all recorded history, and a changeling who was stolen in the nineties wanting to know all about what the Backstreet Boys are up too!

Have a snippet of my lovely characters from the Summer Court!

The moment Nightshade slits the Summer Queen's throat, he can feel the power flowing through him. It feels like the pounding of his feet as he runs through the desert dunes, constant, scalding, and unstable. He can feel it licking inside the confines of his rib cage, burning black stripes about the bone. It burns at him, at his magic, destroying what existed to create room for something new. He grits his teeth, clenching around the miniature sun that had begun to roost in his lungs.

“Wonderful work, now release the power to me!” Aziz says. Nightshade can barely hear them over the roaring swell of power in his ears. 

It is all encompassing, the power. Nightshade is struck by the thought that he could remake the world in his image, that he could sculpt mountains and burn through enemies and glass the very sands surrounding him.

It is terrible and he wants it out.

“Now!” Aziz shouts. Nightshade is certain it is supposed to be an order, but they are too desperate to be convincing. The roiling sandstorm in his head nearly blocks out all his vision, but he manages to focus on Aziz’s face. They look terrified.

Nightshade barely manages to stay upright as he reaches for Aziz. They catch him, holding him up beneath his armpits. “Nightshade?” They ask, sounding less scared. That is good, Nightshade thinks, though he can’t remember why. He presses his hands to Aziz’s cheeks. Their skin, once so brilliantly warm, feels like ice in his grasp.

“Take it!” he gasps, pulling together the ramshackle remains of his telepathy from the ashes. He links with Aziz, desperate and sloppy. Aziz hisses in pain as Nightshade barrels his way into their mind. He can see all of it, the way Nightshade had lit up with golden power, hair, skin, eyes all radiating light, heat, power. He can see Aziz’s despair when Nightshade didn’t respond, the utter certainty Nightshade was going to betray them and take the Court for himself. And, most powerful of all, he feels the deep, overwhelming desire, like nothing Nightshade has ever felt. He doesn’t know if he has ever felt an emotion as strongly as Aziz has, if he has ever wanted anything as badly as Aziz wants the power currently scorching its way through his veins.

The magic feels it too, the raw ambition that stands as a pillar in Aziz’s psyche. It is drawn to it, bubbling and bounding around it like an excited puppy. Nightshade gives it a choice, and the magic chooses its next host, running from his body, down his arms and into Aziz. His arms scream against the funneling magic, it’s too much, too much power in a confined space, he fears they will explode from his body, he needs more, more contact, more anything, he is burning, oh stars-

As you wish, he hears Aziz’s voice in his mind. And Aziz is kissing him, mouth and nose and chest pressing against him. They wrap their arms around his neck and run fingers through Nightshade’s hairand his body sings with relief. Magic lights up every point of contact as it soaks into Aziz’s skin and Nightshade can feel them growing warmer and warmer in his grip. The last trickles of the magic pour into Aziz and Nightshade’s own magic swirls back into his now empty vessel. He nearly sobs in relief as the cool shadows roll through him, and he easily feels the absolute triumph exuding from Aziz’s every pore, before he is shoved out of Aziz’s mind entirely. Nightshade opens his eyes and is awed by the sight before him.

Aziz is brilliant, radiating heat and light with the power of a thousand stars. It suits them, glittering through the scales on their cheeks. Their braids whip around from a self-made gale and Nightshade watches in horror as the gold beads melt from them, trickling into puddles on the floor. The curtains set alight, the food set out on the table chars to embers, but Nightshade feels nothing more than the comfortable warmth of lying in a sunbeam on a summer afternoon. 

Aziz opens their mouth and lets out a loud shaky sound. At first, Nightshade thinks they are sobbing. But a brilliant smile splits their face and Nightshade realizes they are laughing. They reach up, and press another gentler kiss to Nightshade’s lips. He unconsciously returns it, sinking into the comforting heat like a warm beverage on a cold night.

“You brilliant, beautiful creature,” Aziz breathes against his mouth, “I am going to give you everything you want.”

Nightshade can’t wait.

[sailorhyunjinz]

~ 𝕋𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 ~

Part III

© sailorhyunjinz 2021; Rights Reserved

All picture rights to their respective owners.

ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥: Photographer!Hyunjin x fem!model!reader, manager!Bangchan, stylist!Jisung, agedup!straykids, SMUT, fluff, character driven story, stranger to lovers, summer!au, soft!dom hyunjin x fem!reader, PIV, penetrative sex, protected sex (wow first time writing that, good on ya cher) sexual photos/pictures taken during sex, semi-public sex, orgasm (m/f), cum, fingering, blowjob, light choking, praise kink, handkink??

𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 5.4 k

ℕ𝕠𝕥𝕖: am so creative with the office numbers? right? tell me im creative LMAO

oh god this was a fucking pain in the ass to read through i cringed at every sentence so hopefully my pain will be your pleasure

Taking pictures of you - MASTERLIST

ONE｜TWO｜THREE

Unlike any other day you couldn’t get out of bed. A boulder of nervousness plaguing you. Through the cracks of the blinds the sun shined in, small particles of dust floating around your resting figure. You were wide awake yet you felt asleep, your thoughts consuming your mind as the dimly lit room became brighter as time ticked on.

You were thinking, perhaps overthinking. This whole situation with Hyunjin seemed confusing and happened way to fast, your psyche not having a moment to digest the events that unfolded during the last couple of days.

Love was a feeling you were familiar with. You knew how it felt. Those butterflies in ones stomach, fluttering everytime a thought of the person passes through your ones.

You felt the same feeling everytime you thought of Hyunjin.

How his soft lips would feel against your cheek that was hot from just looking at his beauty. How his blond hair falls in his face everytime he puts it into a ponytail, his silver decorated fingers tucking the stray pieces behind his pierced ear. These thoughts alone would make your heart beat faster than ever, you eyes clouding with lust even if you knew that this relationship would be impossible given the status the both of you have in this judging industry.

Pushing the covers aside, you sat up before slowly stepping out, your feet hitting the cold flooring of the apartment. You stretched your arms upwards, feeling your spine extend as you squinted, a ray of sunshine hitting you right in the eyes.

The boulder in your chest didn’t feel any lighter but you still got up, wanting time to fly by fast just so you could see his face once again.

♡

No amount of mindfulness exercises could calm the churning of your stomach. The clock in your living room ticked as you watched it with careful eyes, waiting for the time to hit precisely half past before you got up from the couch and shuffled over to the wardrobe, only being stopped from a pling on your phone.

[Bangchan] y/n! can you come by in about an hour? need to discuss some concept photos, sorry for such short notice ❤️

That’s when it hit you. Bangchan didn’t know anything about this. He didn’t know that you’d seen the photos from the shoot and most importantly that you went on a date with the photographer. You could only describe the feeling as ‘improper’. Bangchan was after all one of the closest people in your life, he made you to who you are today and lying to him felt wrong but you shielded your eyes from the truth as you typed back.

[y/n] soz, got plans

[Bangchan] I don’t see any other meeting scheduled for today?

[y/n] you do know that I have a life outside of work? take the day off Chan, you could use some rest ❤️

[Bangchan] Don’t worry about me! You have fun alright?

[y/n] alright, see you next week then ^^

You clicked on the off button on your phone, making the text messages disappear. Getting paranoid, you plopped down on the couch, thinking about every possible way you could get caught which you’d already been, photos of you and Hyunjin circulating throughout social media but they mustn’t have reached Bangchan just yet. You felt like digging a hole underground, wanting to hide away from all these thoughts. The main thought in your mind was whether or not you understood Hyunjin’s intentions. 

What if this love was one sided? 

Waveing your hand in the air, you attempted to get the mind out of your head as if you were breaking up a cloud of real thoughts. You glanced up at the clock and only then realised that you were running late, as usual.

“Wear whatever you want”

Was what Hyunjin said last time but that didn’t make it easier to choose an outfit. Standing infront of multiple racks of clothing you pulled up the weather application on your phone. “Sunny” you mumbled, making you gravitate towards a beige croptop with white stripes around the neckline as well as a white tennis skirt. Not too dressed up but not too dressed down either, just right. Clothes were flying everywhere when you searched for a pair of white socks to pair with your white high platform sneakers. You put the outfit on, observing yourself in the mirror and smiling, trying to get yourself in a better mood rather than being a nervous wreck. Pulling up your phone, you snapped a picture and sent it to the person who knew best about fashion. Jisung.

[y/n] Sungie! Is this acceptable for a impromptu photoshoot?

The fashionable boy replied minutes later.

[Jisung] oh!! that’s so cute! very much acceptable in my book 🥺

You smiled at his reply

[y/n] phew! good... 

[Jisung] is it a date?

Your fingers froze above the keyboard on the phone. Was it that noticeable? Was this really a date? 

[y/n] no!!!

[Jisung] you sure, i saw those photos on social media. ahh.. y/n dating famous photographers now...

By this point you were sweating bullets. 

[y/n] first of all, i’m not meeting him and second of all, he’s a friend so shut it. 

[Jisung] hahah alright alright... i won’t tell Bangchan

[y/n] you have nothing to tell!! we’re friends just like you and I so be quiet otherwise i’ll come over there with balloons, popping them in your face.

[Jisung] oh wow... im so scared...

[y/n] need to leave, if i hear something about you spreading some rumors i’ll seriously do it.

[Jisung] Photo Attachment.

The photo that popped up was from yesterday and your breath hitched. You couldn’t help but to notice the way Hyunjin was looking at you, his eyes filled what seemed like adoration. 

[Jisung] yeah because that totally doesn’t look like a date

[y/n] DON’T TELL BANGCHAN PLEASE

[Jisung] oh so it is a date? alright, i won’t! have fun and be safe

[y/n] be safe? we’re taking pictures, not drag racing

[Jisung] hahah stop playing innocent

Your eyes widened in realisation.

[y/n] you crazy fucker

[y/n] I WILL DESTROY YOUR ENTIRE WARDROBE IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP I DON’T SLEEP ON THE FIRST DATE

[Jisung] Whatever you say

Thanks to Jisung you were now running dangerously late leading to you snatching objects from all corners of the apartment before ordering a cab that would arrive in minutes.

♡

“We’ve arrived, miss” the cab driver says, smiling at you through the rear-view mirror. You thank him and step out of the yellow car, a smell of car exhaust hitting your nose. The cab drives away, leaving nothing but a small cloud of smoke. You looked up, almost not seeing the tip of the building as the skyscraper towered over you. You’re beside the busy road, mouth agape. You’d walked by a couple of times but knowing that you knew the person that owned at least a bit of the building made you giddy. 

You walked in and was greeted by a grand lobby, a front desk as big as the wall behind it. The entire place was filled with people, everyone from business men in suits to trainee models in the most flamboyant outfits. Fishnet stockings, heavy chains and distressed jeans that consisted of more air then jeans material. The sun shined through the many glass panes that made up most of the ceiling and the slight breeze of the air conditioner made this whole vibe of the building comforting. 

“Hi! y/n y/l/n, meeting Hwang Hyunjin” you say to the receptionist that was a relatively old woman, probably in her early 60′s. She was wearing a white button down shirt with her hair in a high bun, a couple of gray strands sticking out. Her red painted mouth contorted into a smile. 

“y/n, Hyunjin said that you could make your way to his office without the guards. You must be a close friend” 

You smiled shyly with your warm cheeks, looking at either side of the desk where two tall buff men were standing, wearing walkie talkies on their black vests. With a small nod, you started speaking. 

“W-where exactly is his office?”

“Floor 20, his main office is in room 03″

“Thank you!” 

You quickly shuffled over to the elevators, pushing the button that lit up with orange light emitting. 

PLING

The doors to the elevator opened and you stepped inside, a couple of office workers joining you and pressing the necessary buttons to make the elevator lift off. 

You step out at the 20th floor, looking around at all the intricate wall design, everything inspired by ancient greece which explains the broken vases that were scattered across the hallway in the most unconventional places. They were all encapsulated with glass and standing on tall white pillars, the vases looking rather sad, being in a spectra of ashy grey colors, every single one of them falling apart. 

Stopping, you observed this one vase that caught your attention. It had swirly details around the edge and was shattered in a rather beautiful way. It made you think how even the most broken pieces still carry beauty, beauty unique to only oneself. 

“It’s pretty right?”

The voice sounded familiar and warm, almost as if it had anticipated your arrival. 

“y-yeah, it really is” 

You say turning around, nearly jumping up on the wall when seeing the figure that looked back at you. It was Hyunjin.

Yet again, his presence was astonishing. Everytime you met him it felt as if you’d met him for the first time. The blond boy was standing tall in front of you, wearing a black hoodie, black basketball shorts and a matching headband. A backpack was thrown across his one shoulder and a smaller camera around his neck, everything about his appearence looking completely different from the last time you saw him, his style usually more sophisticated. 

“On your way to meet me, yeah?” he asked and you nodded shyly. 

“My office is the other way, you know?”

You lifted your gaze to look at the tiny sign on the wall that pointed in two directions, you were walking down the hallway for offices 20-40 by accident and you smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of your head. 

“I didn’t know heh...” 

“It’s alright! Come with me, I was on my way to the studio”

“What room is that? Your office?”

“No, the room next to my office, come! I’ll show you!”

He grabbed your hand and you felt your body stiffen as he dragged you down the hallway, his hand not being decorated with statement rings this time, instead feeling soft and warm. You blanked out, your legs walking by themselves. 

He stopped at a brown door, a tiny gold sign saying « 04 » and beside it a transparent sign stating that this was a photography studio. Hyunjin opened the door and dragged you in, closing the door behind you.

A cold wind hit your warm body, the air conditioner blasting it’s breeze with a faint sound. The room was wide, one wall being made completely out of glass, stand close enough and you could peer down the bustling city filled with people, cars and buildings. The typical photoshoot setup was already in place, the camera being propped up infront of a white backdrop, a white pilar in the middle and two boxlights standing unlit behind the camera. In the corner stood a vintage brown leather couch, the swirly metal details were concealed with a layer of chipped gold paint. Beside the couch stood a simple white table. A black bucket rested on the floor and upon closer inspection you noticed plants, multiple stems of eucalyptus poking out, wrapped in cellophane.

“What are these for?” 

You sat down on your knees infront of the bucket while Hyunjin was pressing buttons on the camera that was screwed onto the tripod before walking over to the table and placing down the camera he had around his neck, his backpack lying lazily on the floor. He looked at your crouching figure, the corners of his lips going upwards.

“I thought they’d suit you”

You held in one of the stems, turning your head and looking at his shy smile, his dimples sitting playfully on the sides of his cheeks. You giggle, standing up and leaning against the white pillar, holding the plant in your both hands. 

“Do they?”

Hyunjin walked towards the steadied camera, bending down and peeking through the lens.

“They do”

click

Your eyes widen, him snapping a picture without you paying attention.

“Hey! I wasn’t even prepared!” you chuckle, pointing at the blonde boy with the long plant that was dripping at the stem. 

“Nature is a bit more beautiful when caught off guard, don’t you think?” Hyunjin says, his honey-like voice, echoing through the room.

You nod, staring down at the leafs of the plant, rubbing them between your thumb and pointer finger. 

click

click 

click

“Try leaning with your butt against the pillar and with one foot fully on the side of the pillar”

You did as he told, the pillar being surprisingly stable.

“Tilt your head and look down to the right”

Once again, you follow his instruction and he hums in satisfaction before pushing the button on the camera twice.

click

click

Your warm face turned into a smile, laughing loudly from embarrassment when he observed the pictures on his display. He snickers quietly from shyness, a faint blush brushing across his features as his brown eyes were glued to the screen. Hyunjin peeks up from the camera, seeing you looking down at the backdrop that was filled with ashy grey shoeprints. 

The sound of his footsteps got closer until you saw them in your periferal view causing you to look up at his tentative face. He smiles, displaying his pearly white teeth and crescent shaped eyes before stretching his hand out, feather light fingertips grazing your hot cheek as he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, your dainty gold earrings now visible. Hyunjin’s hand lingers on your jaw as he looks at you with a gleam in his eyes, you gulping loudly as your gaze lowers to his pouty pink lips. Leaning forward, Hyunjin tilts his head, attaching his lips onto yours, your heart skipping a beat from the comforting feeling of having him close to you. 

You drop the fragile twig on the floor, kissing him back by pursing your lips and tilting your head as well. The romantic tension that has been bubbling on the surface everytime you met had finally subsided, now the air overflowed sexual tension. 

Cupping his blushed cheeks, you deepen the kiss my licking his plump bottom lip, coaxing his tongue that eventually slipped into your mouth. His hands were firmly planted on your waist, pulling you closer to his body that radiated heat in the already scorching summer weather. 

The two tongues danced around in a impatient manner, the two of you dreaming of this moment since meeting. Hyunjin’s hands roamed over all the valleys of your body, placing his hands on the bottom of your butt, pulling you even closer, close enough to feel his semi-erection against your abdomen. Your eyes spring open in realisation, your body melting in his arms as you felt the effects of the deep kiss, the effects being you unable to control the wet patch that was forming on your underwear, nothing but the thin fabric seperating it from the air due to you wearing a skirt. 

Pulling away from the kiss, your hot breath and a line of saliva was the only thing that seperated you and Hyunjin. You shielded your face from his twinkling eyes, you glancing at the blonde boy through the gaps between your fingers. His two hands grip your wrists, pulling your hands down as he smiles widely

“Don’t hide that pretty face”

Hyunjin giggles, your chuckles following shortly after. The boy grips your wrist tightly, walking backwards as he looks intensely into your eyes, his back falling against the couch as you sit down on the couch on your knees, he looks at you for a moment before attaching his lips again, pushing you down and hovering above you. The wet sounds of the sloppy kiss fills your ear, you helplessly rubbed your thighs together in anticipation. His fingertips trailed down your chest, tracing small circles on the inside of your thigh before plunging down under your skirt, grazing the wet spot on your underwear. The both of you smile into the kiss. 

“Can I?” Hyunjin says, momentarily pulling away from your sweet lips and tugging on the edge of your panties. You nod shyly, not believing that this is happening. 

His lanky fingers run up and down your wet folds as you put your hand at the back of his neck, pulling his blushing face closer to yours and pursing your lips to kiss him sensually. Hyunjin’s fingers gently brush up against your clit that was swollen from excitement, sending shivers down your spine. 

You knew this was wrong, the door wasn’t even locked meaning that anyone could walk in at any moment but the way lips felt on yours made a thousand fireworks ignite, sparking from your chest. Wrapping your hand around his wide wrist, you guide his fingers down to your sopping entrace, your entire body craving him inside of you.

Hyunjin places once last peck on your soft lips before looking at you with concern, asking for permission with his fluffy brown eyes. You nod, your eyelashes gently fluttering over your eyes. His middle finger slips into you with ease, shortly followed by a second finger from seeing how good your cunt swallowed his digits, your essence coating them. A faint gasp escapes your lips as his fingers felt around your velvety walls, the whole situation still feeling like a dream. 

“D-does it feel good?” 

“mhm!” you hum, nodding your head as your grasp around his wrist tightens everytime he curls his fingers upwards. Small whimpers came from you as his fingers started pumping in and out, the blond boy chuckling at your reaction. 

“Did you think I was innocent?” 

The question lingers in the air as you look at him in the eyes.

“Y-yes,,,” just as the question you let the answer hang in the air as Hyunjin hummed, being knuckles deep into you and curling his fingers upwards once more, making you choke on your own moan. Hyunjin nodded slowly, glancing down at your body as he thought.

“It’s because,,, because you’re shy,, different from the others.” You added quickly, filling the silence that was soon interupted by your whimpers as the so called ‘innocent boy’ started circling your sensitive bud with his thumb. 

“I think you’re different from the others, you make me like this baby”

Hyunjin said, seconds later crashing his lips against yours, his tongue attacking yours. He retracted his fingers, the tips coated in your juices and glistening in the sunlight. You whined inbetween kisses, the feeling of being empty leaving you disappointed. Hyunjin’s veiny hands trailed up your stomach, pulling the croptop up and resting it just above your boobs, your white bra exposed. 

Hyunjin pulled away from the kiss, the both of you breathless as the kisses you exchanged were anything but light. His two damp fingers made their way to his mouth, licking them with a slight smirk on his lips. You could go crazy from the sight alone, his big brown eyes turning blank with lust. Not being able to control yourself any longer, you sat up on your knees and pulled off the top, unclasping your bra while you’re at it. As the fabric hit the floor, Hyunjin’s eyes darted to your bare tits, the wind from the air conditioner stiffening your two sensitive buds. You looked at him with a jumbled expression, him staring at your nipples for what seemed like an eternity. You hummed softly, causing him to snap back into reality, the blond boy pulling the black hoodie up from his head, displaying the defined muscles on his abdomen. You wanted him, you wanted him so bad. 

Your knees hit the floor with a thump as looked up at Hyunjin, knealing between his two legs and watching the tent in his loose shorts grow. 

“Do you really want to do this,, y/n,, you don’t have t-”

You hushed before speaking.

“Don’t worry, Hyunjin” you say with a stern voice making Hyunjin shiver, not knowing if it’s from your tone of voice or the way his name rolled of your tongue.

The blonde boy grabbed the small camera that was resting on the table, you looked up at him with confusion before smiling at his pleading eyes that met yours. You nodded, knowing exactly what he wanted to do and giving him permission since you never knew if he’d get to see you like this ever again. 

You hook your two hands on the sides of his shorts and underwear, pulling the fabric down as Hyunjin awkwardly lifts his hips up from the couch for a moment, allowing you to slide the both garments down in one nimble motion. His veiny length sprung out, the tip hitting his abdomen for a moment before resting infront of your eyes, a bead of precum already leaking from his delicate slit. You gulp, the task of sucking him off suddenly seeming daunting. Hyunjin must have noticed since his face turned concerned, a half smile flashing across his lips. 

“y/n,, you don’t have to-aghh!”

Hyunjin was cut of by his own breathy moan, your pursed lips wrapping around his leaking tip, licking small kitten licks before sinking deeper down his impressive length. Hyunjin’s blonde hair fell out of his face when his head rolled back in pleasure, resting it against the back of the rustic couch. 

“f-fuck y/n,,, just- just like that”

He hummed out, his sweet voice intoxicated with desire. Your tongue swirled around his pretty red tip, simultaneously stroking the part doesn’t fit inside of your wet mouth. Multiple shutters of the camera was heard, his hand barely stable enough to hold it due to the pleasure that was shooting through his core. It didn’t take long before his dick twitched against you lips, your cheeks hollowed as bob up and down his girth. His eyes rolled back into his skull as his hand went down to cup your cheek, your eyes stinging with tears as you choked around him. Pulling off with a pop, his dick glimmered as a heavy layer of saliva rested on it, his already warm body turning hotter. He looks down at you, a smug half-smile errupting on his lips as he continued to stroke your cheek, his thumb grazing your cheekbone as he flicked through the photos on his camera, the half-smile now a full on expression of happiness. The two of you sat like that for a while, the silence engulfing the room as you observed his indescribable features. His sharp jawline contrasted with his soft skin that had a dust of rose pink across the cheeks, his moles adding to his charm. 

“Fuck me, Hyunjin”

The words slipped out of your mouth, his brown shiny eyes widening before being overtaken by a blank gaze, placing the silver camera back on the tiny table. 

“You thought I would stop here?”

Now it was your turn to be flustered, his sugary sweet voice interlaced with the cocky words making you even wetter then before, if that’s even possible. Without answering, he pulled you up to the couch by your hand and laying you down before realising what he forgot. The blond boy reached for the baggy backpack laying on the white floor, unzipping the front pocket and fishing out a condom. You nodded shyly, feeling your hands getting sweatier from nervousness, not really sure where to put them. Hyunjin noticed your gaze that was running all over the room, your body slightly tense. The boy snickered, ripping the shiny wrapping open with his hands where veins had started to become apparent. 

“Something wrong?” He asks shyly, placing the condom on his leaking tip before rolling the rubber onto his length. You shake your head.

“J-just thinking,,,” you say, your voice fading out at the end. 

“About?” His voice inhibiting a questionable tone as he holds himself up above you, his elbows on either side of your head. 

“A-about,,, you” 

That was a lie. You thought about how this would end up being disclosed to your company and your friends, Felix would snap your head if he found out that you slept with Hyunjin. Did it even have to be disclosed? Couldn’t it just be a secret between you and Hyunjin? As much as you wish that it could, it simply couldn’t. Not working in this industry. 

Hyunjin smiled softly, his hand trailing down the curves of your body before lifting up the fabric of your skirt, his fingers pushing your panties aside and feeling your throbbing pussy once again. His caramel eyes looked into you the entire time. 

Lifting himself up, he positioned the tip of his member at your sopping entrance, you chuckling softly as he gripped your hips but your chuckle was quickly replaced by a loud gasp, his dick stretching out your tight pussy better than you thought. 

“Are you ok, y/n?” 

He said softly, his dick not even halfway in but already jerking from your welcomingly wet and warm cunt wrapping around his crimson tip. You nodded, looking up at him. 

“Pl-please,, keep going Hyunjin”

The blonde boy blushed, his ears turning red. Tightening the grip on your hips he fully entered you, you shutting your eyes tightly from the slightly painful but pleasurable experience. Glancing down at you, he had to use every bit of discipline to not pound into you. In his eyes you looked angelic. Your parted lips that we’re coated by saliva and the way your skirt bunched up around your waist made it feel like torture to be inside of you, not moving to let you adjust to his size. 

“C-can I move?” He asks impatiently to which you smile, nodding and wrapping your legs around him, pulling him closer to your warm body. Your breath hitched as he softly wraps his hand around your neck, him thinking he’d gone too far.

“I-im sorry! I-” 

You hush him, placing your index finger over his plush pink lips. 

“I’ll tell you if anything doesn’t feel good, alright?” You so desperatly wanted to place a “baby” at the end of the sentence, that nickname fitted him but being to scared to confess your feelings. Just because he wants you doesnt mean he loves you. Hyunjin nodded like an excited puppy, finally getting the permission of moving and feeling your clenched walls around his length, his one hand still wrapped around your throat. 

His thrusts were slow, filled with passion which only worsened your longing for him, the longing of him being yours. Small whimpers dripped from between your parted lips, the moans being mixed with Hyunjin’s low grunts and sounding like a melody. You peeked up at the model-like boy, his expression being synonymous to pleasure. The movements eventually quickened, his long cock hitting your cervix with every thrust, making you put your hands behind his back, your fingernails digging into his soft honey skin. His previously closed eyes fluttered open, watching you with a soft gaze through his fierce eyes. You smiled and he smiled back before his gaze drifted away from yours.

“Y-you feel so good y-y/n,,, you’re an angel”

Chuckling and moaning at the same time, his praise gave you a sense of security but also a sense of lust, wanting to coax out even more dangerously sweet words from his pretty mouth. 

“Go faster,,, Hyunjin”

You gasped out, the pleasure starting to pick up it’s pace. The sound of skin slapping against each other bounced off the white walls in the big studio, the old sofa creaking ever so often from the blond boys powerful thrusts. Hyunjin would never get tired of hearing you say his name, never. 

The knot in your stomach signaled your impending orgasm as your walls were stretched out. You pleaded him to not stop, your voice sounding frail as you neared your sweet release. The hot tempeture wasn’t helping the situation, sweat beading underneath Hyunjins headband, soaking the two strands of blonde locks that hanged infront of his face. 

“F-fuck,, y/n you’re so pretty with my hands wrapped around your throat, fuck-” 

A loud groan escaped his lips, the pleasure of your wet pussy against his rock-hard length getting too much, Hyunjin having to hold back until you came, not wanting to appear selfish. It wasn’t long until you felt your legs shaking around him, your toes curling as the squeaky sound from the couch increased along with the speed of Hyunjin’s thrusts, the rubber not giving him as much intimacy as he would have liked but the visual of you lying beneath him, squirming away from bliss and softly moaning made up for it. 

“I think- i think I’m cumming, s-shit Hyunjin, I’m cumming”

The words spilled from you, quickly followed by a incoherent mumbling of his name before a wave of hot flashed through your entire body, your walls clenching around him as your erotic juices coated his twitching cock. You held your hands against your face that was lightly coated with sweat but before you could come down from your high Hyunjin pinned your hands above your head by your wrists, him letting out a growl before his cum filled the tip of the condom. The both of you rode out your powerful orgasm, your moans softening as the intense feeling subsided, Hyunjin shivering with his last thrust before pulling out. 

The light sound of the air conditioner was now accompanied with heavy panting, your chest heaving as Hyunjin softly pulled down your skirt and ran his hand through his blonde hair, pushing the stray hairs away before rolling off the cumfilled condom and throwing it on the floor, the rubber landing on the dark clothing that were pooling next to the leather couch. The young boy lays down beside you, your eyes fixed on the ceiling as you faded away in a million thoughts, still trying to process what just happened. You turned your head against his, feeling his lingering gaze on your face and you swore you could hear your heart beat in your ears as his cheekbones lifted, his now cherry red lips turning into a soft smile. 

“Do you like me?” 

You choked on your own saliva, coughing and sitting up in panic making Hyunjin worry, him patting you on the back as he sat up next to you. 

“I-im sorry,, I shouldn’t have- y/n,, so-sorry”

He mutters out as you start laughing, he looking confused at your chuckling figure. 

“T-that’s,,, quite the direct question” you say, clearing your throat before continuing. “I don’t know Hyunjin. You know that this isn’t possible”

You saw his previously twinkling eyes turn blank, his heart sinking. 

“Uhm,,, n-no totally not,,, I just said it to-”

He tried to play cool, brushing off the fact that he didn’t get the answer he so longed for. His gaze turning away from your angelic face.

“But I like you”

You spoke quietly, your voice cracking at the end. Hyunjin turned back to you.

“Why wouldn’t it work then?” he asked with a confused voice. You sighed

“Hyunjin, do you not know who you are? We fucked in a building where you own half of the rights, you work with famous people and your work is in every magazine, don’t you understand?”

He stayed silent for a while, comtemplating on what to say before grabbing your clammy hand. 

“Do you only see me for my career?”

You shake your head, trying to catch eye contact with the blonde boy but failing as he stares down at your small hand in his grasp. 

“Hyunjin, I love you but this feels way to quick,,, I can’t just-”

“I’ve known about you for a while, y/n. Do you know why we even worked together in the first place?” 

Hyunjin speaks calmly, a thin string of sadness threading through his voice. You shake your head, looking at him but he looking away.

“I reached out to Bangchan first”

You weren’t surprised, only confused. What did he see in you? 

“I know it might seem,, rushed! But if- if we both like each other then we can make it work. Please don’t worry about our reputations, you are more than your career y/n even if it means the world to you.”

Hyunjin hesitated finishing his sentence, feeling sick to his stomach from the fear of rejection. You withdrew your hand, instead opening your arms and hugging him to which he smiled and hugged you back, the both of you falling back on the couch facing each other. 

“I think I love you,,, like,,, I really love you”

Hyunjin brushed away a strand of hair from your face, his tender eyes meeting yours. 

“And I love you too, y/n”

𝕋𝕒𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥

@vogueinnie​ @that-anxious-bisexual @putmetogetheragain13 @hyunsluvv @lawleighette​ @meow-minho @minaamhh @ohmysparkle @hwangi @rindomo @fleeingreality​​​​​​​ @nycol-ie @jisungsplatforms @p0t4t0don14ll @skzstanlol

[tanadrin]

A Short History of the Sodalities

The period of upheaval and turbulence now known as the Collapse[1] cut short the early promises of the 21st century, and led to the long, slow death of the progressive vision of history that still prevailed in many quarters, that despite local reversals and minor setbacks, the world was on course to be always-improving, that human happiness would trend upward forever, and that the only limit to the heights we might achieve in the future were set by our imaginations. This spiritual crisis, in parallel with the other crises of that era, critically undermined established social institutions and ways of thinking, and led, in each successive generation of that era, to a desperate search for new structures of meaning, new sources of understanding, and new systems of social organization. In many cases, this instinct was regressive: the political ideologies of the 20th century that had left it so soaked in blood found new adherents, utopian movements of that era or earlier were dusted off and made to contort themselves in new ways for a new era, and conspiracist millenarianism of all stripes did a booming business.

But there is only so long that even the most stubborn ideologue can ruminate upon the doctrines of yesteryear before they notice that they are gnawing upon an anachronism. And by the 2040s, with the world more interconnected but somehow more psychically desolate than ever, the trend was overwhelmingly to new experiments in ideal societies, in novel utopian communes, and separatist movements that aspired not just to carve out their own space in the world, but to carve out a new niche in the human ecosystem. Many of these were quite noble in my opinion; others utterly contemptible. But the one virtue that the generations of that era possessed, that their parents and grandparents did not, was that they were willing to commit themselves wholeheartedly to new things, that they were genuinely capable of a kind of faith that fifty years of cynicism had totally destroyed in those that had come before.[2]

This creative urge coincided with improvements in communications technology that vastly improved the quality of virtual spaces, especially those used in games. The concept of an irreal space made real was ancient then; and with the development of virtual worlds modeled on older science fiction in the 20th century, the allure of a world totally subject to its designers' whims drove endless repeated experiments in virtual reality. The trouble with such spaces was that they achieved real sophistication only when their essentially ludic nature was conceded: we all of us have within our most basic psyche the capacity for games of imagination, out of which the attraction of this kind of creative exercise is naturally born, but repeated attempts to recapitulate or re-impose the strictures of the real world, to make what was essentially gamelike a space somehow serious and sober rather than to rejoice in its irreality, killed many experiments in virtual reality in the cradle, and spoiled many others. Only in certain overlooked and heavily-commercialized sectors did real innovations in this technology continue to occur.

The first truly effective sensory BCIs--which proved among the easiest class of mind-machine interface to implement, and thus the only true BCI for many years--were used first in massively multiplayer games. They might have been confined to overly-elaborate replacements for normal computer input and output devices except that a curious marriage appeared in 2046 between the open-source movement, a worker-owned video game and softcore digital pornography company based in Albania, and a utopianist conclave based in Vietnam. That year the Korab Software Collective released a pet project by one of the Collective's founders, an experiment in a highly moddable virtual world based on the latest generation of sensory BCIs that allowed total immersion in a virtual space, with none of the "traces" or sensory ghosts that unavoidably reminded the player of their actual physical environs. Moreover, the Korab system dispensed with the usual physical cues used to orient the body within the virtual space, meaning that when (say) viewing a spaceship from a third-person perspective, the proprioceptive sense of having a physical body could be entirely suppressed. Early experiments by the Green Mountain Conclave with this system found that even though the BCI technology was limited to manipulating sense-data, this unmooring of the mind from the body opened up the possibility of highly abstracted virtual spaces that were conducive to not only novel kinds of games, but to novel ways of indexing and manipulating information, separetely or cooperatively.

This novel tool--a cross between the medieval method of loci, massively multiplayer online games, and something resembling sport or dance--led to the creation of the Green Mountain Project, the first Sodality, soon followed by many similar organizations. Fusing the guild or clan of multiplayer gaming, the venerable model of the consulting firm, and the idealism of the utopian commune, Sodalities emerged as a natural consequence of spatially disparate individuals, united by common interests, hobbies, and values, and connected by sophisticated communication technology, who could collaborate intellectually in ways previously impossible, more closely even than colleagues working in the same room together. By taking on contracted work, primarily in science and mathematics, but also commonly in general research and analysis, business consulting, specialized engineering disciplines, and even PR and systems design, a Sodality could support its members and allow them to devote the vast majority of their time to their intellectual pursuits and inhabiting the virtual worlds that connected them. They could also pursue charitable and political projects, generally with a global scope due to the wide geographical distribution of their membership, and due to the success and wealth many of the great Sodalities commanded, their influence became not inconsiderable.

Initially, of course, the phenomenon of the Sodalities was dismissed or simply overlooked; Korab was a mere game, and working only in order to devote most of one's free time to a hobby was nothing new. But when the Crisis of 2053 was solved by quick thinking and cooperation between three Russia-based Sodalities, the international press began to take notice of these organizations. They were pronounced a kind of consulting fad in 2058 and their imminent downfall was predicted every year in the 2060s; but they persisted, and grew steadily. By 2073, the global membership of all formally chartered Sodalities was three million. By 2080, it was twelve million. Growth slowed in the 2080s, but the Sodalities' predicted disappearance never came; with the colonization of the rest of the Solar System, they have spread to other worlds, though only those with a high population, a sufficiently post-industrial economy, and excellent communications infrastructure. The Earth-Moon system supports by far the most, with over 85% of all Sodals.

To outsiders, a Sodal is a curious creature: a near shut-in who devotes the vast majority of their time to arcane games, and whose work (if their Sodality is not wealthy enough to support them, as some are) takes place in essentially the same kind of virtual space. But to a Sodal, it is we who are strange: content as we are to a sluggish, heavy existence in the mundane world, subject to the tyranny of space and separation from our loved ones, forced to make peace with a universe indifferent or outright hostile to our needs--while they may fully inhabit any world of their choosing, or create one out of thin air, occupy any form they desire, or dispense with embodiment altogether. I cannot say I do not see the attraction, and though I lack the augmentations required to  experience their worlds as they do, in my one or two brief forays I have been enchanted by what I saw.

Progress in BCI technology has only enhanced the cognitive and collaborative tools at the disposal of the Sodalities; and since the invention of the first AI, some have actively pursued the objective of a true transmigration to a simulated existence, a final liberation from the last fetters that bind their worlds and ours. That liberation has not yet come to pass, but I believe it is only a matter of time. Then, perhaps, a second lineage of our species will be born, one from fire as we are from clay.

[1] A period usually beginning in the 21st century, and lasting around fifty years; some interpretations are more expansive, and place the start of the collapse in the 1990s, with the fall of the USSR, the Great African War, and the beginning of a series of economic crises in Asia; others put the start as late as 2020 or 2026. The term is inherently nebulous, referring not to a single event but to a series of disparate catastrophes of both greater and lesser scope, and is intended to encompass the global malaise that prevailed at the dawn of the new millennium, which undercut the optimism of the old. Other historians have made a persuasive argument that the Collapse is somewhat illusory; like the so-called "Dark Ages" of early medieval Europe, they argue that despite the pessimism of the era it was in fact one of dynamism, innovation, and growth. The term "Collapse" itself was coined in retrospective studies of the 23rd century, to contrast the optimism of the 22nd century with the more turbulent periods that immediately preceded and followed it.

[2] Dear reader, do I wax too metaphysical in this passage? It is a failure I am often accused of: that I neglect the importance, the primacy even, of material factors in the course of history, especially in those social movements driven by material factors, for whom ideology is merely a spandrel, or even a post-hoc rationalization--which, my critics have argued, is all of them. This is not unfair. I am myself quite sympathetic to materialist interpretations of history--don't laugh! It is true! But having seen so much of it firsthand, being old indeed even in a society where long life is blessedly bountiful, I must confess that I think the value of such histories is limited. If you wish to plan for the future, if you wish to understand the past so as not to repeat its errors, if you wish to guide and to govern, then yes, you may consult the more hard-nosed materialist histories of my colleagues and profit much more thereby. But that is not my aim.

History can be a tool, a useful one even. But I confess I find that austere approach knowledge quite disquieting. I am drawn to lives, dear reader; to subjective experiences. I want to know what it was like to stand on a particular street corner on a particular day and inhale the air and see the crowds pass by; and to feel as embedded in that moment as I am now writing these words. I care less to understand what drove France into revolution than to know what it was like to stand in the Place de la Revolution and watch the guillotine fall, to recall the smell of gunpowder than to know why Prussia and Austria went to war. I want to know what was on the minds of the men who fought, and the women who waited for them at home. I am driven by love of those forgotten souls--or perhaps pity. I ruminate too, ruminate endlessly on the many billions who came and went before us, pacing back and forth through the ruins of memory they have left to us, hoping that perhaps even if only for a moment, I may see through their eyes and understand the world they inhabited. As, I suppose, I hope someone will some day do the same for me.

–From Tjungdiawan’s Historical Reader, 2nd Edition

[thecreaturecodex]

Qlippoth Lord, Sertrous

Image by Izzy, © Wizards of the Coast.

[Commissioned by @justicegundam82​. Sertrous is another one of the cast of Elder Evils, and the one who is the most redundant within Pathfinder RPG. This is because he was created by James Jacobs, who just rearranged some of the components and made them Pathfinder canon. Ydersius is a serpent god who was beheaded but lives on (and his name even rhymes!), whereas the heresy-snakes link got shifted onto Geryon. So when I got commissioned to write this creature, the obvious struggle was to make it fill a different campaign niche than either of these canonical villains. Inspired by the golothomas , I made it Ydersius’ sundered shadow-self. As opposed to the radically different flavor text, the mechanics of my version are almost a straight conversion instead of doing much radical. My biggest change was altering the form of madness/horrific appearance, as qlippoth lords cause physical changes with their horrific appearances instead of purely mental effects. I also toned down its complete immunity to all divine spells.]

Qlippoth Lord, Sertrous CR 22 CE Outsider (extraplanar) This being is an immense nightmare of slimy coils and shining scales. Two long serpentine arms emerge from its midsection, each ending in a three-taloned hand. Its head is that of a deformed snake, five jaws blooming radially away from each other like a monstrous flower. It is sickly green with a pale yellow belly, stripes of red running along its sides like rivers of blood.

Sertrous, The Poisoned Whisper, The Arch-Heretic, The Divine Shadow Concerns heresy, poison, resentment, serpents Domains Chaos, Evil, Scalykind, Trickery Subdomains Deception, Entropy, Hatred*, Venom Worshipers apostates, heretics, serpentfolk Minions demodands, fiendish hydras, qlippoths Unholy Symbol the shadow of a headless snake Favored Weapon spiked chain Devotion Spend an hour destroying a holy book or holy symbol, all the while reciting heresies and blasphemies specific to that faith. Gain a +2 profane bonus on all saving throws against divine spells. Boons 1: misdirection 2/day; 2: spell immunity 2/day; 3: mass suggestion 2/day *clerics of Sertrous can use the Hatred subdomain to modify the Evil domain

When the god Ydersius was slain, the violence done to him shattered his psyche and quintessence as well as his body. Although Ydersius persisted as the Sundered God, a part of his shadow was cast off, squirming into the Abyss and finding root. In time and hatred, this essence manifested itself a body. The divine shadow is Sertrous, the Arch-Heretic. Although Sertrous cultivates and spreads heresies of all kinds, his own existence is an embodiment of perhaps the greatest heresy—that the gods hate their own worshipers. After all, without the attention brought on by the serpentfolk’s schemes, Ydersius would never have been slain.

Sertrous is poison incarnate, both to the body and the mind. His venom is among the strongest in the cosmos, eating away at flesh with astonishing rapidity. Creatures that see him find their own bodies revolting, their shadows metamorphosing into deadly serpents that strike their owners as readily as their surroundings. He can implant suggestions in mortal minds and make them forget they were anything other than their own ideas. He can drain the free will from a grappled victim and turn them into an enthralled puppet. And if all of that fails, he is brutally strong.

Sertrous courts worship more openly than do most qlippoth lords, but his faith involves forsaking all divinity as a pyramid scheme. The organization of his followers is referred to as the Vanguard of Sertrous. Of all of the gods Sertrous hates, Ydersius, his creator/former self, is the most hated. Sertrous sees Ydersius’ reliance on his serpentfolk cult to be co-dependency, whereas he is happy to have abandoned all but the most depraved and apostate serpentfolk and expanded his minions. The Vanguard counts many demodands among its members, although whether they are true believers or are attempting to manipulate Sertrous’ maltheism to the benefit of the thanatoic titans is an unresolved question. Sertrous’ sanctum is the Serpent Reliquary, an extradimensional space accessible only in the depths of the Abyss. It functions as a tesseract, each of its chambers accessible to the others in seemingly impossible ways. The center of this complex holds the shadow of Ydersius’ severed head, which fell into the Abyss so many years ago and spawned Sertrous.

Sertrous           CR 22 XP 615,000 CE Gargantuan outsider (chaos, evil, extraplanar, qlippoth, qlippoth lord) Init +8; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., detect good, detect law, Perception +26, true seeing Aura poisoner’s breath (240 ft.), unholy (DC 26) Defense AC 39, touch 14, flat-footed 35 (-4 size, +4 Dex, +25 natural, +4 deflection) hp 448 (23d10+322); regeneration 15 (lawful) Fort +25, Ref +21, Will +22; +4 vs. divine spells DR 20/cold iron and lawful; Immune cold, death effects, mind-influencing effects, poison; Resist acid 30, electricity 30, fire 30; SR 33 Defensive Abilities shun the divine Offense Speed 50 ft., fly 60 ft. (good) Melee bite +34 (6d6+15 plus poison), 2 claws +34 (2d6+15), tail slap +32 (4d8+8 plus grab) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks constrict (4d8+22), horrific appearance, poisoned whispers, souldrink Spell-like Abilities CL 22nd, concentration +29 (+33 casting defensively) Constant—detect good, detect law, fly, true seeing, unholy aura (self only, DC 26) At will—astral projection, cloudkill (DC 23) (M), greater dispel magic, greater teleport, improved invisibility, telekinesis (DC 23) (M), veil (DC 24) 3/day—blasphemy (DC 25) (M), fire storm (DC 26) (M), quickened mass suggestion (DC 24) 1/day—mass hold monster (DC 27), scintillating pattern (DC 26), summon qlippoth (100%, 9th level, CR 20), weird (DC 27), wish (DC 27) (M) (M) = Sertrous can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability in his sanctum Statistics Str 40, Dex 18, Con 38, Int 23, Wis 21, Cha 27 Base Atk +23; CMB +42 (+44 bull rush, +46 grab); CMD 60 (62 vs. bull rush) Feats Awesome Blow, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (mass suggestion), Stand Still, Vital Strike Skills Bluff +29, Climb +33, Diplomacy +29, Fly +34, Intimidate +29, Knowledge (arcana, history, nature) +25, Knowledge (planes, religion) +28, Perception +26, Sense Motive +26, Spellcraft +24, Stealth +14, Swim +33 Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, Undercommon, telepathy 300 ft. SQ qlippoth lord traits Ecology Environment any land and underground (Abyss) Organization unique Treasure triple standard Special Abilities Horrific Appearance (Su) When Sertrous uses his horrific appearance, all creatures within 60 feet must succeed a DC 29 Will save or have their shadow turn into a venomous serpent. The serpent makes one attack per round, using that creature’s own base attack bonus plus Strength modifier, at a creature within its reach (including the creature it has grown from). A creature bitten takes 1d8+Str modifier points of damage, and must succeed a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + ½ the creature’s HD + creature’s Con modifier) or suffer the effects of black adder venom. The serpent has Sertrous’ damage reduction, immunities and resistances, an AC of 22 and 23 hit points. If a creature suffering from Sertrous’ horrific appearance is slain, the serpent lives on for 1 minute—it cannot move, but attacks other creatures that it can reach. This is a mind-influencing transmutation effect. The save DC is Charisma based. Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 35; duration 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d6 Con drain; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution based. Poisoner’s Breath (Su) All immunity to poison is suppressed within 240 feet of Sertrous. Only creatures with mythic ranks or the qlippoth subtype are immune to this effect. Poisoned Whisper (Su) As a standard action, Sertrous can plant a suggestion telepathically in a creature’s mind within 120 feet. If the creature fails a DC 29 Will save, it acts under the effects of a suggestion spell (CL 22nd). One minute later, the creature must succeed another DC 29 Will save or be subject to a modify memory effect, forgetting the suggestion. If the suggestion has yet to be carried out, or is ongoing, the creature believes the suggestion to be their own idea. This is a mind-influencing compulsion effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Shun the Divine (Ex/Su) Sertrous gains a +4 bonus on all saves against divine spells. In addition, every day he selects nine divine spells to be completely immune to, one of each spell level between 1st and 9th. These spells are treated as if Sertrous had unbeatable spell resistance, even if they are cast by a creature other than a divine spellcaster. Sertrous typically chooses the following spells, but may alter his tactics based on what he knows about his opponents: implosion, fire storm, holy word, harm, slay living, order’s wrath, prayer, spiritual weapon, inflict light wounds. Souldrink (Su) Whenever Sertrous maintains a grapple, it consumes part of that creature’s ego, dealing 2d8 points of Charisma drain. A creature cannot be reduced to 0 Charisma by this ability—it is instead reduced to 1 Cha and is affected by a dominate monster effect (CL 22nd) that lasts until its Charisma is completely restored. This is a mind-influencing compulsion effect.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Lost Tomb Lewks: Reboot Part 11

(LTL Masterpost) (All Canary Masterposts)(Part 10)

I’m making my post titles more specific because I’m loving the clothes in The Mystic Nine and in Ultimate Note, so I expect I’ll continue this series with other shows when I get to the end of Reboot Season 2. 

Look 56 is - surprise! - a cozy sweater. This one is a deep, huggable brown in a sort of waffle stitch (OP is not a knitter; knitters pls feel free to elaborate in comments). He wears this with loose blue jeans and...shoes. This show doesn’t feature his feet often enough for proper shoe commentary. 

This is a perfect look for pacing and talking, half to yourself and half to your buddy, as he gets absolutely, completely baked. 

Wu Xie is doing his pacing while he gazes at an enormous pin board filled with pictures linked together with red string. The red string board is becoming one of my favorite CDrama tropes. I’ve seen it in Detective L, Mystic Nine, that new show with Wue Xie number 2 Psych Hunter, and probably a couple more shows. It’s a thing in older American detective dramas, too, but not in modern ones and not nearly as often. 

It does look cooler than a whiteboard with magnets, but it seems like a lot of work. For this pin board, Wu Xie Wang Meng had to cut a bunch of red string and print out a bazillion cell phone pictures, which someone managed to take during all of the running around & death defying action. All so Wu Xie could theorize that everything connects to...some random point in the middle of the board? I don’t know who these guys are in the middle picture, but I don’t think they’re responsible for all of the rocks in the other pictures. 

If you change your mind about a connection, and move a pin, do you have to re-loop all the string to keep everything taut? What if you need to move an end pin when you’ve already cut the string? Perhaps OP is overthinking this. 

This look is a comfortable one for lying on the couch when you’ve exhausted yourself with string management. 

(more behind the cut!)

I love the aesthetic of this apartment. It appears to be full of furniture taken from Wu Xie’s study in Wushanju, but because it isn’t mixed in with the fancy older antiques, the vibe is totally different. The furniture is midcentury modern, with a lot of warm tones and leather, which matches Wu Xie’s clothing choices. This quality of furniture subtly reminds us that these guys are antique dealers. Even when they’re down and out, they have discerning taste.

The textiles, cushions, the throw blanket on the table, are all colorful, tactile, and comfortable, matching Pangzi’s clothing and overall vibe. Overall the space is a nice mix of both of their looks, which is appropriate for an old married couple long-term roommates. 

He completes this outfit with a olive-green hooded jacket with lots of flaps and pockets. 

Side note: their buddy  Jin Wan Tang (on the left) might be officially gay? Unlike the blatant subtle queer coding that appears in a lot of CDramas, this character (and that one guy in the Rain Village section) seems flamboyant in a stereotypical “gay best friend” way. But I’ve only ever seen one acknowledged gay character in Chinese cinema--the very stereotypical tailor in Kung Fu Hustle--so I don’t know if the semiotics are the same as in western media. 

Anyway, I dig his mix of business suit and funky jewelry, and I share his appreciation of shirtless Xiao Ge (in Season 1, not today, sorry).

Look 57 is actually a rerun of Look 45, but it’s one of my favorites, featuring a beautiful soft suede jacket in a warm camel color. This time we get a much better look at the jacket, so I’m featuring it a second time. (Previously he wore this to hijack Li Jiale’s truck.) The jacket features detailed tailoring, with pleated pockets with flaps and buttons, and a nice strong collar and lapel that contrast with the softness of the material. 

Under this lovely jacket he wears a cream colored sweater, jeans that fit really well for a change, and work boots. 

This outfit is good for mournfully looking at a heap of smashed ceramics. 

It’s also good for struggling through a gas attack designed specifically to destroy your unhealthy lungs...

...and make you hork up blood, because it’s not a Zhu Yilong show if there’s no mouth blood, and it’s been at least a couple of episodes since we’ve had any. 

This look is perfect for going to visit your snippy ex-boyfriend while you’re unconscious, so he can bitchily save your life. 

“Hey, Canary,” you might have thought up above, “with all these above-the waist shots, how can you tell his jeans fit well?”

This. This is how. 

Oh and hey, we finally get a really good look at his shoes. His shoes, people. 

Look 58 belongs to bitchy doctor/chef Huo Daofu. 

He’s wearing a white double-breasted chef’s coat featuring contrasting piping and buttons. It is perfectly fitted, which will will learn is true of everything this man wears. 

Over the jacket he’s got an immaculate work apron, and under it he’s wearing a thin grey turtleneck sweater with ribbed collar and cuffs. He wears turtlenecks a lot. Whoever is giving him hickeys, it’s not Wu Xie any more because he hates Wu Xie. Hates him! 

Cue endless tender medical care and eventual deep abiding friendship. Also possibly shacking up, it’s hard to tell how many people really live in Wushanju at any given time. 

The first part of Look 59 is a deep olive-green long-sleeve tee shirt worn over a grey undershirt. 

It’s a shirt. It’s green. 

He looks really fucking good in it, okay? His arms are beautiful even when they’re covered up.  This shirt needs three gifs because...it just does.

Look 60 is Bai Haotian’s awesome green satin roller-disco jacket. 

The styling is straight out of 1979, which is long before she was born, making this a fun retro throwback. Or possibly she borrowed it from her grandma. The collar and cuffs have sporty black-and-white ribbing.

The jacket has nice contemporary details to give it a fresh look. These include suns, moons, and mountains (I think) running down the arms in a contrast stripe, and the words “magical altitudes” in embroidered sections on the back and chest. 

Wu Xie’s Look 59, Part 2 is also featured in these caps. He’s put a strangely short waisted grey jacket over his nice green shirt. Other than the short waist, it fits nicely. 

Those jeans, on the other hand. Wu Xie’s ass deserves better treatment than this. Paging Xiao Ge

Periodic reminder: Xiao Bai is absurdly, absurdly pretty. 

So is Wu Xie.

Bonus Look 1: Okay, Xue Wu is a bad bad man but damn, his clothes are always amazing. He favors emphatically Chinese looks, but always  with contemporary tailoring details, so he doesn’t look old fashioned. For his daughter’s wedding he’s wearing a deep blue suit with blue embroidery and this cool gold collar pin. 

Bonus Look 2 is Wu Xie in his favorite blue marl sweater. Or he has a few blue marl sweaters. Anyway, this time he’s lying down and resting his eyelashes while he wears it. 

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #459

“i wanted you to know that i love the way you laugh  /  i wanna hold you high and steal your pain away”

Does the person you like have any flaws? He's never seemed very expressive of what he feels. Has anyone ever given you a ring? Why? Yes. Because it was our anniversary and he wanted to, ig. If you ruled your own country, what type of government would it have? I'm not educated enough to answer this. Creation theory, Evolution or the Big Bang theory? I really don't know what I believe about the origins of the universe, but I do believe in evolution. Describe one of your most emotional farewells. The last time I saw Jason and we talked for a long time, and I finally got my closure. It was all so heavy. It started so stiffly, but it ended with us just chatting and smiling and, to my absolute shock, a hug from him. I'm getting emotional so NEXT QUESTION. What was your last serious conversation about? I was reassuring and comforting Sara about some stuff. Is there a city that you have a particular fondness for? If so, what city is it and why? No. Are there any gnomes in your yard? No. When was the last time you were stung by a bee? What kind was it? Years ago. A bumblebee. Are you gonna buy lottery tickets when you’re old enough? I am old enough, and no. The odds are way, way too small, and I don't really dabble in addictive behavior. Have you ever been into a real cave? No. :( That's a life goal, though. Have you ever posted mean comments on YouTube? I know I did once as a kid. It was regarding Meerkat Manor and I thought it was really disrespectful to Flower just because of the music chosen lmao. The drama. What color is your digital camera, if you have one? Black. If you had to spend one day in any movie storyline, which one would it be? Alice in Wonderland, I suppose? Name the strangest game you’ve ever played (video game or real game): Oh man, I've played waaaaay too many video games. I suppose Silent Hill with how confused it left me at first. Its concept is definitely wild. Parasite Eve is high on the list, too. In your opinion, what is the saddest movie you’ve ever seen? Boy in the Striped Pajamas destroys me. What is the best song to make out to? I could answer this but I'm not gonna lmfao Is there anyone right now that you are simply/overly infatuated with? story of my life ayyyyeeeee Who was the last person to play with your hair? Are they cute? Not a clue. Who was the last person close to you that died? Did you cry? Jason's mom. I sobbed on-and-off for days. Do you consider yourself a healthy person? Physically and mentally? No, in either way. Do you know anyone who owns a boat? My dad does. I'm sure others, too, with how popular fishing out on a boat is here. Do you know anyone who uses medical marijuana? I don't know. Even for medicinal purposes, it's not legal here. Do you know anyone who’s died in childbirth? No. What did you do for your 21st birthday? I was in the psych hospital, so... lmao. Therapy, reading, and coloring. Lots of reading and coloring. Because they did NOT fill your schedule enough there. We only had two group therapy sessions a day, and the rest was just... blankness. If dinosaurs could be tamed, would you want one as a pet? I know I'd be one of the dumb ones that absolutely wanted a tiny raptor, lol. Do you own more than one copy or edition of a book? No. If you could see any musical on Broadway right now, what would it be? Not interested. Do you eat soup when you’re sick? I don't like soup. If you read, which book or series did you enjoy most as a child? My first real series that I read religiously was Hank the Cowdog. Then it was Warriors. Do you buy Halloween candy when it’s on sale after the holiday? No. I really don't need candy available to me. Do you agree with the “they’re just being kids” excuse? It depends on what they're doing. In a lot of cases, no. Do you ever watch talk shows? No. Do you have a/any hero(s)? Mark Fischbach, Steve Irwin, my mom... Have you told your parents all of your secrets from when you were a teen? No. Though Mom has playfully once told me that she knows a lot of things I don't think she does, and that's terrifying lmao. You’re getting married. Who’s your maid of honor and best man? M.o.H.: Mom or Sara. Best man isn't my choice. Would you rather get highlights or dye your whole head? DYE IT ALLLLLLL. Are you wearing anything of any sentimental value? Describe? My friendship ring w/ Sara. It has a heart carved on the outside and "bitch" engraved inside so no one can see when you have it on, lol. She has one that says "jerk." It's a Supernatural reference. Who challenges you the most? In what way? My therapist and psychiatrist. They just help ensure I pursue my goals and give me little nudges forward to reassure me. Who seems to hold you back? In what way? PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT ME. I listen to my anxiety WAY too much. What was the last opportunity that you passed up, and why? Going up to Lake Gaston w/ Mom to visit Ash and her fam. They go there all the time, and it's a real nice place. I just didn't want to go because of the heat. Should there be an application process for having children? Hunny, that would not stop people from fuckin lmfao Name one thing that you think defines you as a person? m e e r k a t s What is a fear you have about living on your own? That depression would get the better of me and I'd neglect taking good care of my house. One of the many reasons I'll never live alone. Not at all saying I'd leave the responsibilities to my partner, but they'd be motivation for me to get stuff done. What’s the worst name your mom has ever called you? I don't know. Nothing that bad. What’s your stance on spooning? It helps me feel safe and loved and alsdkfjalwe I just love cuddling in all sorts lmao What’s your most recent obsession? Violet Orlandi & Melodicka Bros' cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know." Have you ever been scammed? Ha ha, yes. I once wanted to get Jason a Joker and Harley Quinn pillow from deviantART; talked to the artist, paid 'em, never got it. :^) Have you ever fostered an animal? No. I would get WAY too attached to foster. I wouldn't be able to give them up without breaking down, probs. Do you know anyone who acts way younger than what they are? I'm sure I do, but no one is coming to mind atm. Would you say you’re a pretty independent person? God no. Does the last song you listened to, remind you of someone? JASON. Do you currently want a new computer? Yes, actually. I want a desktop PC for better gaming quality, honestly. Also, the "escape" key doesn't work on this laptop, one key is missing so I have to hit the sensor JUST right, and it restarts randomly sometimes. I want a PC mainly because I want to get out of the habit of being on my laptop in bed all damn day. How would your parents react if you got a tattoo? I already have like six or seven, so they wouldn't be surprised. Is there anyone you can picture yourself being with forever right now? Maybe. Who is your truest friend? Sara. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever seen outside of your house? THIS house? Idk. Nothing that I'd consider odd. What bug frightens you most? STAG BEETLES lkadjslkfja;lwekjawl;kejrlawer Who is your oldest friend? That would be Sam, and he's in his mid-30s. How long have you known them? Many years. We met via WoW, which I've been playing since '14. I don't really remember how far into it we met, though. Where are they right now? lol I wouldn't know, he's all the way in Jersey. Plus we haven't talked in a while. Have you ever dated a friend of one of your siblings? God no, that would be so weird. What is the best gift someone can give you? An ear to listen without it feeling like a chore to them. Have you ever dated someone who had a child? No. I don't think I could do it. What is the last movie that made you cry? The The Lion King remake made me tear up. Have you ever played in a waterfall? No. Ugh, that sounds like a blast. In your life who has meant the most to you? Let's not get into this. What has been your biggest failure in life? Letting depression and my other conditions take away my identity, becoming my new identity. Do you trust yourself? No. I second-guess EVERYTHING and never know what I should listen to: my heart, my head, my gut... or which voice is what. Would you ever consider getting an abortion, under any circumstances? Yes. What was the last bug you killed? Some kind in the bathroom. Idk what it was. Just a little thing that sort of resembled an earwig, but not completely. Do you prefer profile pictures by yourself of with someone else? By myself, since it's my page. Do you know anyone who has written a book? I don't think so? Do you drink milk/juice from the carton if no one is around? Ew, no. I live with another person, and even if I didn't, what if I had guests? Has anyone ever told you they liked you in a realllly sweet way? Maybe? Has a member of the opposite sex ever given you jewlery? Jason has. Do you find sleeping in cars easy? NOOOOOOOOOO. I'm too scared to let my eyes close and not see what's going on on the road. Has a boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s parents ever gotten mad at you? Why? I don't believe so, no. What is the funniest thing a child has ever said to you. Definitely something my niece has said, but idr what it was. What’s been on your mind lately? Y'all know, lol. Do you feel like you need to get something off your chest? No. Sara was recently there for that. ♥ How would you react if someone told you they had feelings for you? Be very very excited if it was from a certain person.

[stripper-patrick]

Blue Pill💊 Thor

Warnings: smut, language, unprotected, accidental drug use, flexibility

Sorry about the unplanned hiatus hope y’all still like me😁

Relationship: Thor x black plus sized reader

“Y/N I have a headache what can I take for it?” Thor comes to me holding his head

“Oh Tony has Advil in the closet that should help” I say

“Ok” he goes to the cabinet and grabs the Advil bottle shaking out a pill “just one”

I reply with a nod looking down at my computer as I work on my essay. He shakes out one and pops then in his mouth killing off the rest of my mostly full water bottle

He smiles laughing and I shake my head. Me and Thor have an interesting relationship. We’re best friends but from time to time we have exchanged sexual innuendos. I mainly because I know how to get him under my “spell”.

Thor takes the pill gulping down a glass of water. I’m typing away and Thor presses behind me resting his chin on my head. I can feel his bulge on my back and I smile.

“What’re you doing?”

“An essay for my Psych 101 class”

“What’s it about?”

“I interviewed one person which I chose Steve who’s had an extraordinary past and I’m writing about his life and how his psychological state was affected and is affected” I say

“That was a lot”

“She works too hard for my personal taste she doesn’t need a degree if she’s guaranteed a job here with me” Tony walks in pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

“Tony I’m doing the offer but I’d still like to go to school” He shakes his head and grabs the Advil bottle. He opens it and stares at it then at us.

“What” Thor says

“There were 4 in here why are there only three” he asks

“I had a headache”

“The aleve is for headaches this is viagra” my head shoots up and I look at Thor.

“Wait what?” I scream

“What’s viagra” Thor asks. Fuck.

“It’s a pill for sexual enhancement meaning you will have the most painful hard-on you’ve ever had”

“I’m sorry I still don’t understand” he says

“You’re going to wanna fuck every living thing that graces this earth until the pill wears off”

“Does that mean you’re included?” He smirks looking at me.

“Thor this isn’t a joke” Tony says

“Well can we try to pump him with something”

“No”

“He could Jack off”

“That will frustrate him trust me it’s not like the real thing”

“Shit”

...

It’s been an hour and Thor hasn’t shown much signs of the pill maybe because he’s Asguardian that he’s immune to it.

“Thor how do you feel?”

He looks at me up and down and Friday speaks “Thor’s stress levels are rising”

“Damn you Friday” he says. I shake my head “let me know if you need anything” I say

He grunts and I continue typing my essay. I can feel his eyes burning into me but I ignore it.

“Try staring harder and you’ll get more sexual gratification from her” Tony says

“Shut up” he growls. Honestly how mad and sexually frustrated Thor is is turning me on. Thor stands up running his fingers through his hair releasing his ponytail “this shit hurts make it stop”

“Thor the only way to make it stop is by having sex” Tony says “oh god”

“What” I say

“Thor is the god of fertility” Tony says “he’s going to get whoever he fucks either pregnant or worse break them”

“Y/N do you mind meeting me in Tony’s bedroom”

“Oh hell no” Tony says “Friday lock my bedroom door”

“Ok” she responds

“I- I’m doing an essay” I say

“Ok I’ll call Jane” he says

“No!” They both look at me “let’s go”

Thor smiles placing his phone back in his pocket. I close my laptop and we go upstairs stopping right in front of his door.

“Are you on the pill?” I nod “are you sure you wanna do this because once we go through that door there’s no turning back”

“Yes”

“Come up with a safe word” he says

“Uhhhh blue” I shrug

“Ok” he presses his large hand around my throat coming in to seal a kiss between us. I open the door and walks me backwards until we fall on the bed. His hand immediately start to tear my clothes and I can feel his bulge pressing against my thigh, throbbing.

He growls and rips off his own clothes once he’s destroyed mine. Thor licks a stripe up my neck coming back to my lips.

His large hand finds its way between my legs rubbing my entrance and flicking he finger upwards. My jaw drops and I moan into the kiss. Thor’s large fingers swirl in my wetness and my legs close around his hand.

“Open your legs Y/N” he grunts. My legs fall open as he slips a fingers inside of me. I grip the sheet and he takes it out just as quickly as he slid it in. Thor’s finger comes to his mouth and he moans tasting me.

“I need you inside of me” I’ve had enough teasing for a day. Thor pulls down his pants wasting no time to align himself with me. He pushes himself inside stretching me out. I dig my nails in his muscular back.

Once Thor is all the way in me his blue eyes look at me. Thor kisses me but this kiss wasn’t just out of lust I can tell he’s trying to relay a message to me.

His hips start to rock in me and I moan arching my back. I look at him, his eyes are closed as he feels the euphoria of finally getting the friction he’s longed for. His hair drops in his face and I move it back pulling it lightly.

He grunts and I whisper in his ear “I love the way you fuck me Thor only you can fuck me like this” I grip the sheets moaning and he attaches his lips to my neck.

Thor picks up his pace hitting my cervix indefinitely. “Thor fuck I can’t”

“You feel so good”

His hand presses against my lower back. He pulls out and before I can protest his face is dug into my pussy devouring me.

“Oh god” I moan. His tongue works wonders on my clit. Our fingers intertwine and my breath picks up.

I let go pulling his hair pulling him closer to me. My chest rises and falls and my eyes close are he brings me closer and closer to the edge.

“Yes right there” I chant. My body trembles and Thor sucks on my clit like a lollipop and I let out a cry coming in his mouth.

He slides back into me rocking his hips roughly and pushing my feet up to my ears. My eyes roll to the back of my head and he moans loudly. The natural light of the room dims and my eyes roll to the back of my head feeling the extra sensitivity from my recent orgasm. Thor roars creating a clap of thunder outside. In broad daylight.

“What the fuck” Sam screams. We hear heavy footsteps approaching the door close but Thor continues pounding into me.

The door bursts open and everyone’s jaw drops as they stare at the scene before them. Thor looks at me his dick still buried inside of me with a cheeky smile.

“I didn’t know she was that flexible” Sam says

“Me either” Thor replies with a booming laugh. I will never hear the end of this

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 251: Help I Love a Manga Too Much

Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi answered the age-old question of “can the Todorokis ever be together for more than five minutes without lapsing into a daytime soap opera?” with a resounding “HAHAHAHA.” Fuyumi and Shouto sat down with Kacchan and Deku and told them all about their super-dead brother Touya, whose death -- and you’ll be shocked to hear this -- apparently had something to do with Endeavor. What exactly happened, though, we don’t actually know, because they didn’t tell us, because of course they didn’t. Anyway, so then Fuyu bid everyone farewell and they piled into the Endeavormobile and started to drive away. Except they didn’t get very far, because all of a sudden some guy was like “HEY ENDEAVOR I’VE KIDNAPPED YOUR SON, NATSUO” and Endeavor was like “!!!” and the guy was like “AND I’M GONNA KILL HIM, WHEEEE” and then the chapter ended. Anyway so we all agree this family is cursed, yes?

Today on BnHA: Ending, who really doesn’t have much depth to him beyond continuously screaming “SO ARE YOU GONNA KILL ME ENDEAVOR?? HUH?! COME ON AND DO IT! I FUCKING DARE YOU TO DO IT! COME ONNNNNNN”, keeps on doing that. After about three seconds, the Terror Trio gets bored of sitting around not kicking ass, so they explode out of the car to join in the action. Since they all have impeccable senses of narrative timing, they simultaneously choose this moment to figure out all that shit Endeavor was trying to teach them a few chapters ago, with the end result being that (1) Shouto uses Flashfire, (2) DEKU USES BLACKWHIP YESSSSS, and (3) Katsuki rockets himself at fucking lightspeed to save Natsuo in the nick of time. Then Endeavor wraps Natsu (and Katsuki lmao) in a big ol’ panicked dad hug, which fully destroys me, and the chapter ends! So that was pretty quick, actually, but it sure was intense!

lmao -- what?? -- are you --

ME, TALKING TO A FOREST WITCH: so you’re saying that once I peer into this cauldron, the spell will reveal the thing I love most?

WITCH: yeah basically

ME: [peers, sees this]

WITCH: ...

ME: ... I can explain

[wiping away tears] yep so anyways. that’s my son. that’s my boy. so handsome. and talented

anyways so I guess that answers the question of whether or not the kids are gonna get involved lol. the title presumably refers to the one week of winter break that they had, which was also their time limit to try and beat a villain before Endeavor. GEE I WONDER IF THEY WILL DO IT

so Ending, our friend from last week (who apparently isn’t the “Takami” guy he was monologuing about, so so much for that), says that even under the most extreme circumstances, heroes will never choose to kill someone. and god I am so tempted to say something snarky about real life law enforcement here. but you know what, I’m not even gonna go there because this is supposed to be my happy weekly manga reading time, and lord knows Horikoshi is good enough at fucking that up himself without me adding on to it

anyway, so Ending says that despite that principle, Endeavor chose to kill that Noumu at Fukuoka. so I guess he assumes this means Endeavor just doesn’t give any fucks nowadays and will just kill ANYONE, ANYTIME, WHENEVER! sound, logical deduction there! airtight fucking reasoning

anyway this guy actually sounds seriously depressed though, and yeah this is getting dark real fast you guys

a few people pointed out to me last week that this guy is manipulating the lines painted on the road, and that’s what his quirk is (and it was also pointed out to me that he shot himself up with something akin to Trigger before he got started, so presumably he’s hopped up on those quirk roids at the moment), and now that I know I can see it actually should have been really obvious lol. anyways so yeah, looks like he’s been busy. I’m sure the three buckos strapped into the back seat of this vehicle know when they’re beat, and will use this opportunity to just take a nap or something

honestly, I could have predicted this coming even without that thumbnail lmao

also is anyone else dying at Katsuki being all BOOM!! while Deku and Todo are just “BANG” further back by the car. just a slight difference in intensity, here. it’s subtle but you can spot it if you look real close

anyway if I were Ending, this right here would be the point where I said “OH SHIT” real loudly, and screamed and dropped Natsuo and turned and hightailed it out of there with my road stripes whipping out behind me in the wind like tin cans dangling from the back of a newlywed car

LMAO CHAUFFEUR ARMSTRONG IS ALL “YOU FORGOT THESE!” AND YEETING THEIR COSTUMES OUT AFTER THEM, AND FUCKING LOOK AT THIS SERIES OF PANELS OMG

Endeavor’s face is fucking SENDING ME, man, oh my god. the man has gone FULL SURPRISED PIKACHU, someone help me I can’t breathe dfklsk

AND WHAT ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO, CATCH THE BRIEFCASES AND THEN THEY’LL JUST MAGICALLY UNFOLD THEMSELVES OUT OVER THEM LIKE IN IRON MAN 2? actually, scratch that, that’s exactly what should happen. please do this. I promise I won’t even poke fun, I’ll just accept it unconditionally

LOL IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER HOLY SHIT

“911, what’s your emergency?” YES HELLO PLEASE HELP, I LOVE A MANGA TOO MUCH. “ma’am, that’s not a real emerg –”  NO, LISTEN, YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND

Kacchan doesn’t even look back, he just reaches his hand out and knows exactly what Deku is doing without looking, and trusts his aim to be perfect. I’m so fucking weak for this teamwork I fucking sighed in real life you guys, it’s unbelievable

I can’t tell if this is Deku using “Shouto” the hero name, or if it’s now “Shouto” as in his actual name lol. because he’ll keep on using “Kacchan” no matter what, in any and all circumstances, so we can’t even use that to try and gauge lol. but anyway I’m choosing to believe it’s “Shouto” the name because they’ve now graduated to the next level of friendship after that dinner, and after Fuyu clasped his hand in both of her own and was all “I want you to know that I approve of the two of you together with all of my heart” or whatever it was she said, but it was basically that. so anyways yeah after that they’re now on a first name basis. YOU HEAR THAT, SHOUTO?

and then, with these bottom three panels, I know this is supposed to be all “click/bzzz/whrrr/other high tech costume-changing sounds” and it’s supposed to be a near-instantaneous costume change, presumably while still in motion because THEY’RE JUST BADASS BITCHES LIKE THAT, but like. in reality I pictured them all instantly grinding to a halt, and unclicking the locks on the briefcases, and Kacchan just giving his a shake to spill all the contents out haphazardly on the ground, while meanwhile Shouto is much more fastidious and respectful, and kneels on the ground and opens his case with both hands, and Deku is hopping around on one foot trying to drag his gloves on with his teeth while putting on his metal shoe-thingies, and the entire time Ending and Endeavor are just staring at the three of them like, “.....”

so anyway that’s what I choose to believe is actually happening. lastly, you also need to understand that pretty much this entire time, I’ve had the Powerpuff Girls theme playing in my head AT FULL INTENSITY on repeat, including during the part where they stop for five minutes to suit up. so there’s that, too

moving on!

TODOROKI SHOUTO, AFTER STOPPING TO CLICK OPEN HIS BRIEFCASE, RUMMAGING AROUND FOR HIS SHOULDER GUARD THINGS, LOOPING THEM OVER HIS ARMS, PAUSING TO WIPE THE SWEAT OFF HIS FOREHEAD, AND THEN FINALLY STANDING BACK UP: Natsuo!

lmao so anyway, now Endeavor is fully engaged in the fight once again, and thinking that Ending is “A FOOL” for letting himself get temporarily distracted by the interns’ shenanigans. but like. is he, though? seeing as he’s flat-out admitted to you that he wants to lose this fight? because he wants to die? did you hear that part? like, ??

so now there are some very intense closeups of Endeavor’s eye, and Natsuo’s face, and Endeavor’s feet

intense

(ETA: actually in hindsight of the hug, I fucking love this, because this is the moment where, right after he psychs himself up and is all, “now’s my chance!”, he sees Natsuo’s face and he sees the fear in his eyes, and all of a sudden he’s frozen in place, terrified of making a wrong move when his son’s life is at stake.)

-- oh snap, look who’s getting beaten to the punch!

do you guys remember that season 3 anime filler where Deku somehow beats Iida in a race and everyone just accepts it like that could ever actually possibly happen, like...?? if he can’t even keep up with Kacchan and Shouto, I hardly think he could pose a challenge to the guy who’s basically the Usain Bolt of heroes. but it’s not like that still keeps me up at night or anything. anyway!

so Ending here is giving the Todorokis a run for their money in the drama department, which is really saying something

okay, but what exactly is he supposed to do, then? you’re saying he should focus on killing you to save his son? so what, just like try to fry you and hope he doesn’t also hit Natsu? it seems to me like he has the same chance of success here whether he aims for lethal or nonlethal. so idk but go off I guess dude

oh damn, but in the meantime it looks like Todo is having some sort of badass awakening moment

YESSSSS SHOUTO UNLEASH THE INFERNO

(ETA: so Shouto just burned off his entire uniform, yes? boy you’d better keep that fire going now for modesty’s sake until you figure something out sob.)

lol so anyway I just had a flashback to Shouto’s fight against Tetsu back in chapter 205, and I realized that if Ending really wants to fight someone who absolutely doesn’t give a fuck, and will straight up kill a bitch with his quirk if they test him, then HERE’S YOUR GUY LMAO

now Ending’s saying “because you took your time...” and I have no idea where this is going, but I’ll take this as confirmation that they really did take a time-out for five minutes to gear up

oh damn

friendly reminder that gravity in BnHA tends to follow normal rules, unlike in most shounen manga. but even so, I’m finding myself hard-pressed to be concerned considering Kacchan and Deku are on the job. you’re gonna have to do better than that Ending my dude

wow is he shoving Natsu right into oncoming traffic?!

where the fuck did all these fucking cars come from out of nowhere like this?? the highway was like empty two minutes ago, geez

anyways now we’re seeing another “condense it!” panel, and is this one Bakugou??

I mean it looks like his gauntlet there, and I’m pretty sure Shouto was wearing sneakers in the panel earlier, and those obviously aren’t Deku’s shoes, so...!

YEPPPPPPPP

listen you judgey forest witch, I don’t need to justify myself to you, okay?? just!! I LOVE HIM END OF STORY

(ETA: and hey can we also just stop for a second and talk about how insanely fucking fast that was, though?? and Kacchan was fast to begin with -- remember how quickly he saved Jirou during the joint training arc. anyway so he’s basically moving at teleportation speeds now, and I’m here for it, and also terrified that he’s going to blow his fucking arms off at some point because holy fuck though.

also, once again I would like to express my gratitude for Horikoshi for once again giving Katsuki the big rescue moment, rather than having him go immediately for the bad guy. this is such an important thing to show. he’s really giving his all towards this “saving people” thing and trying his hardest and I’m so proud.)

and now it’s Deku’s turn to get to work!

that guy gripping his steering wheel for dear life has the most perfect expression I’ve ever seen, like that’s exactly the face I would be making in that situation. this chapter has had so many great facial expressions overall. I feel spoiled

[LUNGES TOWARD THE SCREEN IN ANTICIPATION!!] MOTHERFUCKER, ARE WE ABOUT TO SEE SOME BLOOP ALL UP IN THESE PAGES!?! PLEASE!!!!?

I FUCKING CAN’T WITH THIS BUILDUP?? THIS IS PAGE ELEVEN OF THE CHAPTER, AND I JUST KNOW WE’RE ABOUT TO END IT WITH A TWO-PAGE SPREAD ON THE NEXT PAGE. THIS HYPE IS TOO MUCH, I’M GONNA LOSE IT

OH SNAP NO IT WAS JUST A SINGLE PAGE!!

THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF BLACKWHIP YESSSSSS

lmao Ending looks so fucking shocked at being completely taken apart by these three kids with basically no effort. and I see that ice creeping up around him. oh, son. you tried

and then the last page is -- oh

I mean, Deku and Shouto being complete badasses (ETA: and I so wasn’t kidding when I said that Shouto will straight up murder a bitch omg), but then

aaaaand there goes my heart. hey would it kill you to give me a heads up before you just go and STUFF IT FULL OF FEELS like that?? like

just. Endeavor just ran up and gathered him up in his arms, and he’s holding him with this desperation that we’ve never seen from him before, and just... wow. it’s completely disarming and I’m almost at a loss for a coherent response. meanwhile poor Katsuki nearly got wrapped up in it as well due to proximity, but it’s not like it’ll hurt him to see this moment up close. I still have another essay I’m working on for you, you little honey badger

(ETA: on closer inspection it seems like poor honey badger actually has been fully included in the hug lmao. and at first I was thinking it was just the proximity as I said above, but you know what? if some punk kid flew in out of nowhere and saved my child’s life, you can bet I’d be wrapping them up in a bear hug too. so maybe it’s just the dad emotions getting the better of him. either way Katsuki you just gotta put up with it!)

anyways don’t mind me, I’m just sitting here thinking about how Endeavor has already lost a child (and yes I know, but like I said last week, I genuinely believe it was a tragic accident. to me that makes infinitely more sense than all of the darker/more sinister explanations. but anyways we’ll see eventually), and his family has been in shambles for so long and he’s been estranged from all of them (for good reason), and I think he finally even is coming to terms with that, and the fact that it may always be this way for him because of what he’s done. but to then almost have a second child taken from him, right before his eyes, and knowing that once again it would have been his fault, was apparently more than he could handle

and then, just the fact that he reacted in this of all ways. by openly showing tenderness and emotion, without even thinking about it, because he was so shaken up by the whole thing. this from Todoroki Enji, the most stoic, impassive, closed-off motherfucker to ever walk the earth! like, even after he clearly established that he was on the redemption path, he still never showed this kind of vulnerability. we’ve had a window or two into his thoughts and reflections, so we know he’s been experiencing remorse, and we could see it also during some of the quieter moments like him thanking Fuyumi or kneeling at the shrine for Touya. but I will tell you that I never for a moment could have imagined a scene like this. and I know it’s probably going to make some people angry because they feel like he hasn’t “earned” it or whatever. but I’ll be fully honest, at this point I’m kind of over feeling like I have to put a disclaimer every week explaining that yes, I like the Endeavor redemption arc lol. just, yeah. I like it. and anyway, so this was feels all over the damn place. fuck

(ETA: and I feel it’s worth adding here that even though Endeavor didn’t do anything to save Natsuo himself directly, it’s his guidance that enabled those three padawans to reach the next level so quickly. so in a way he did save his son: by finally moving past his self-centered mentality and taking these three kids under his wing and helping them grow. this wasn’t a victory he could have pulled off alone. but because he finally learned to see past himself, they were able to win the day and save Natsu.)

anyway, so now that all this has happened, I’m curious as to whether this is the end of this little arc! if so it’s much shorter than I expected. though obviously their internship is going to continue even after they head back to school, so it’s not like the action is just gonna come screeching to a halt. but maybe we’ll take a little break after this to catch up with the rest of 1-A, and maybe follow up with All Might to see who the great-great-grandfather of One for All is, oh snap

AND MAYBE A CERTAIN SOMEONE CAN HIT US UP WITH HIS THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ON WHAT HE LEARNED DURING THIS WINTER BREAK, AND WHETHER OR NOT HE TOOK AWAY ANYTHING FROM THIS THAT MIGHT STEER HIM A BIT MORE TOWARDS HIS NEW HERO NAME. THAT WOULD BE SPLENDID. JUST PUTTING THAT OUT THERE

and having said that, I don’t really have a clean way of ending this recap this week lol so just. uh. I liked it a lot, thank you, good night

[aftermathdb]

DEATH BATTLE Review: Winter Soldier vs. Red Hood.

Our second Live-Action DEATH BATTLE, and we have a big one!

Winter Soldier′s Preview.

So, we open up on the usual commentary that these comic book superheroes get.

With Boomstick pointing out just how often the whole “Dead parents, strong sense of justice” trope has been used.

It’s times like these that make you appreciate All Might for just wanting to help people.

But, as the hosts go on, Bucky… Eventually perished.

Or, so we thought. See, comic books… Actually yeah. Just that.

Bucky got resurrected as the Winter Soldier.

He got equipped with all sorts of things, like all sorts of training, and the Infinity Formula, which gave him some extra boosts in most areas, and basically was a knockoff supersoldier serum.

Downside: all the brainwashing meant that he clashed with his old mentor, Captain America.

After a bit of overview on how deadly he is, we go into an animated segment that talks about his arsenal.

After emasculating Wiz on his robotic arm, they go over just how powerful the arm is.

Unlike the movie version, which is made up of Vibranium, the canonical metal arm isn’t as impressive. But it’s still a powerful weapon. As mentioned earlier, it’s equipped with all sorts of additional weaponry, and is likely made up of a similar alloy as the Iron Man armor.

As far as feats are concerned, they mostly cover who he’s fought, like Wolverine, Daredevil, Iron Man, and Captain America, of course.

But eventually, Cap used the Cosmic Cube to restore Bucky, and get him back on the side of the angels. The guy even took up the old Shield and Stripes when cap died for a time.

Even still, Bucky’s road to redemption is a tough one, and is filled with self-doubt. But despite that, his sheer resilience makes him a hero in his own right.

Red Hood′s Preview.

We open on a few notable sidekicks throughout history, such as Tails, Diddy Kong, Chewbacca, and Kazooie. After a bit of snark, we go to the classic, the original, the Boy Wonder: Robin. Dick Grayson.

But after their falling out, Batman needed a new sidekick.

Enter: Jason Todd, who was basically introduced to Bruce by trying to steal the tires off of the Batmobile.

The kid had a rough life, so Bruce thought that training him to be Robin would put him on the right path.

Unfortunately, as Boomstick put it, he was in a literal “Dick measuring contest” and didn’t live up to expectations. So, DC did something drastic. The fans had a choice:

Jason could live…

or die.

As history has taught us, Jason ultimately perished…

And then Superboy Prime came along, punched reality, and brought him back to life.

In the words of the great Boomstick “Take that, fanbase! Your contribution means nothing!”

Anyways, understandably pissed that the Joker was still alive, Jason decided to destroy Batman, in an attempt to prove that his merciful ways were more destructive than anything.

(Sidenote: Why hasn’t Gotham done anything about Joker? Like, what?- Does that old Diplomatic Immunity that he has keep him from getting the electric chair or something?)

Regardless, the hosts go over Jason’s arsenal and skills. He obviously has his cowl that’s his main thing.

On top of his usual guns, explosives, and knives, he also managed these… “All-Blades” to fight off the supernatural.

He also uses the same Venom as Bane.

After the typical joke of “Why is the Symbiote here?” and a jab at Wiz’s physique (or lack thereof) Wiz goes over the benefits, and the downsides of the steroid. Boomstick attempts to get superpowers by drinking it, but it’s something to inject, not consume. So… he barfs all over DUMMI.

Yeah, I kinda wish that it was a better segment.

Regardless, with this drug, he’s fought off powerful monsters, torn through alien tendrils, and even broke free of Supergirl’s grip.

He’s survived numerous things, dodged bullets, and lived through a ritual called “The Cleansing”

Be it because he was worthy, or because he was just plain stubborn, this proves that Jason is one tough SOB.

And they go over some impressive feats.

Still, Jason eventually managed to mellow out, and even teamed up with Bats and the rest of the Batfamily.

So, in the end, the best case scenario is that Red Hood has managed to land in that “Anti-Hero” sweetspot, and at worst, he’s a violent vigilante who takes the law into his own hands.

The Battle Itself.

Ismahawk is doing this battle live. Winter Soldier will be portrayed by Tyler Tackett and Red Hood will be portrayed by Tim Neff. Red Winter by John Scigulinsky, and audio led by Chris Kokkinos.

So, we get a really interesting story here, one that I assume would be an Ismahawk reference- I’d have to check out more of their channel to confirm, but basically Bruce calls Jason accusing him of gunning down some members of the League of Assassins, only for Jason to 1: Deny that it’s him, and 2:

Have some lunch.

Unfortunately, this is a DEATH BATTLE, and this season’s theme seems to be “This guy messed with my food, so I’m going to kill them” so Winter Soldier shows up.

After a brief firefight, Red Hood manages to retreat, and Winter Soldier is confronted with a battle.

After disarming his disarmed opponent, the two start doing some hand-to-hand, and they eventually take the fight to the kitchen.

We eventually go into a knife fight, and it is glorious. Like, really awesome choreography.

Anyways, Winter Soldier manages to get the Red Hood into a pickle, but the ex-Robin manages to push him off and disable his arm.

Minor complaint: That is clearly a wingding. They could have at least stylized it a bit better to make it look more distinct from Nightwing’s.

Anyways, with this brief advantage, Red Hood manages to get Bucky on the ground, but Bucky fights back with the ONE THING JASON SHOULD HAVE LOOKED FOR AND THROWN AWAY THE MOMENT HE SAW IT:

A Crowbar. Naturally, this causes some major strain on Jason’s psyche, and makes him lash out a lot more.

Anyways, the Winter Soldier takes a moment to recover his arm, while Jason picks himself back up and goes for his last trick: Venom… The drug, not the Symbiote.

And after roiding out, we get Winter Soldier’s only line in the actual fight:

So, Jason starts beating around Bucky for a bit, even managing to bring him down to the floor.

So, yeah.

Finishing blow in

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

Verdict + Explanation.

Anyways, Wiz says the line of “This was an even match”

And to his credit… Yeah. It really was.

They were about even in all areas, and Jason’s only major advantage was stealth. But outside of that?- Bucky blew him out of the water.

Yeah, Jason had training from monks, assassins, and Batman, but Bucky’s trained with commandos, assassins, and Captain America. He took experience easily.

And when it came down to defense, Jason was out of luck.

A knife breaks when hitting the bionic arm, but the same attack cracks the Red Hood’s helmet. 

Jason also had no real ways of stopping the arm for good. He could disable it for a time, sure, but it wasn’t going down so easily.

And as for breaking the grip from Supergirl?- Well, there’s a lot of context to that.

1: She wasn’t expecting the Venom. and

2: They weren’t fighting to begin with.

There’s no way that the Venom could actually match a Kryptonian’s raw strength.

Overall impression.

For the second Live-Action fight, I gotta say: That was awesome. I really did enjoy the lighting, and the choreography was really well-done.

I feel like there were some missed jokes here and there (For example, I would have enjoyed Boomstick making the comment of “Guess how I voted” when bringing up the vote to kill Jason), and the animated segment in Red Hood’s preview felt like it wasn’t informative enough. It was more of a joke that, in my opinion, fell flat.

As for easter eggs in the fight itself, like I said: I’d have to go back and try to find those for myself.

And the music felt a little muted. The first time I watched this, I was wondering if there was any music at all. Subsequent viewings does confirm this, but it really feels like the music was a bit muted.

And I gotta say: That Chekov’s Gun moment with Bucky’s actual gun was my favorite part.

9.3/10

Next Time…

Y’know, I’m glad we’re getting some Soul Eater and all, but…

Couldn’t they have at least made it Agent Venom instead? Switch it up a little, like c’mon…

Is there a fight that you want me to review? - Send an ask/request, and I’ll look into it!

Do you want to read my fanfic based around DEATH BATTLE itself? click here!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next time for…

A duo two-on-two.

[morosexual-aziraphale]

Gift fic for a very good and special friend of mine, @anonlynymous! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you Ny!!

“Look, Pigeon,” Beelzebub was saying, “I’m not saying you have to like it. I’m just saying you’ve got to try it. It’s so fucking good, humans really do come up with some great stuff when you don’t fuck with them.”

“I do not sully my celestial temple with—”

“Yeah, yeah. That’zzzz what you said right before you tried that whizzzkey and loved it. And the strawberries. And the cheese. And that nice fresh bread. And the soup in France.” Beelzebub elbowed Gabriel playfully, catching him just above the hip. Ze was small enough that ze could get zir pointy little elbow right in the space where his Heavenly kidneys resided.

“Ouch,” he said dryly.

Beelzebub scowled. “Oh, come on, at least manifezzzt some nerve endings for my entertainment,” ze grumbled, folding zir arms. “Anyway, I’m dragging you out of your celestial office and down to America for some ice cream and you literally cannot stop me.”

“I could,” Gabriel argued lightly, arching an eyebrow. “But I won’t. I’m determined to prove you wrong. There’s no way I’m going to enjoy this…”

“Ize cream,” Beelzebub repeated, exasperated, and in a blink, the pair was standing together on the bustling streets of New York City, dressed in slightly more inconspicuous street clothes. Gone were the suits and medals and other various professional accoutrements. Now, both angel and demon sported soft sweaters, faded denim, and tennis shoes. “Hm,” ze mused absently, pulling zir non-fly-shaped hat further over zir rat’s nest hair, “it’s not usually this warm in December.”

“Climate change,” Gabriel said, twisting up his mouth. “I simply cannot believe humans would destroy the world She made for them so readily.”

“Not our fault,” Beelzebub defended immediately. “Humanzzzz did this all by themzzelvez.”

The angel rolled his eyes. “There has to be some demonic influence, Bee. Irreverence for God’s creation, perhaps?”

“Maybe,” ze conceded. “Now, come on! I’m hungry, and I also want to watch you get your first brain freeze.”

“I don’t have a brain,” Gabriel reminded zir. “Also, angels run hot, so there’s no way a simple human food can freeze any part of my form.”

“That’zz not… oh, whatever. Come on, Pigeon.” Beelzebub grabbed him by the (grey cashmere) sleeve and dragged him down the streets of the city, stopping several times to point to a random pigeon and say, “Look, look, it’s you!”

Gabriel humored zir because it was, quite frankly, very cute.

Eventually, just down the street from a bar sporting a lot of striped flags, ze found an ice cream shop in the middle of a busy square, all decked out in rainbow and sporting a huge sign that read, ‘BIG GAY ICE CREAM SHOP’. “Here. This place is adequate,” ze said, and pulled him inside.

“This is… colorful,” Gabriel observed, looking around. “And a little crowded. And…” He paused and inhaled. “It smells nice. Vanilla?”

“Only the most boring flavor,” Beelzebub grumbled, and dragged him into line.

When they reached the front, Beelzebub ordered for both of them. “He’s going to have a Shortberry Strawcake sundae, and I’m getting a Salty Pimp.”

“A what?” Gabriel said, voice strangled.

“Just the name of the sundae, Pigeon,” Beelzebub said with a grin.

“But it’s so… sexual.” He grimaced.

“Humans love filthy humor. And so do demons,” Beelzebub laughed, and paid in dirty, torn-up human money. It would be a pain to use it in vending machines. A true demonic act.

“So, what is… ice cream?” Gabriel asked as they waited together for their treats to be ready.

“Humans decided to take milk and add lots of flavorings, and then stir it up with a bunch of ice until it half-froze into some sort of custardy concoction,” ze explained, gesturing vaguely as ze spoke. “It’s really good, and you can add all sorts of stuff to it to give it different textures and add complexity.”

“Sounds very… human,” he said weakly.

“It’s good, promise.”

“Promises from a demon,” Gabriel teased. “They mean nothing.”

“Not with that attitude. Oh, here, yours is ready!” Beelzebub snatched the sundae from the server’s hands and shoved it at Gabriel. “Try it! Try it try it try it!” Ze was practically bouncing in place.

Gabriel eyed the dish suspiciously. “So I just… scoop up some stuff and put it in my mouth?” he asked.

This was a ritual they did every time Gabriel tried something new. He knew how to eat and drink, and Beelzebub knew he knew. It was something of an inside joke between them now, an intricate kind of pre-tasting psyching up for the angel before he went against everything Heaven had taught him.

“Yes, Pigeon. You take the spoon, get some of everything, and eat it,” Beelzebub said, like ze said every time before.

“So just… pick it up and dig in?” Gabriel eyed the dish.

“Yes, Szzzzatan below. Just eat the damn ice cream.”

Hesitantly, Gabriel took hold of the spoon, scooped out some strawberry-drizzled, graham cracker-crusted vanilla soft serve, and brought it to his mouth. His eyes widened. His face lit up. “Bee, holy shit,” he mumbled, and began eating in earnest.

Beelzebub laughed, knowing what was coming but holding out on telling him. The server handed zir zir ice cream and ze stood there, ignoring it, as Gabriel destroyed the ice cream sundae.

Then, just as ze knew would happen, Gabriel paused, face screwing up, eyes scrunched tight in pain, spoon halfway to his mouth. “Ow ow ow ow,” he muttered. “What is this? What’s happening?” His eyes flew open. “Oh God Bee, am I discorporating?”

Beelzebub could barely answer through zir wheezing laughter. “You- you- you have a brain freeze,” ze choked out, tears running down zir face. “Oh, Hell, Pigeon, if you could see your face right now—”

Gabriel scowled, the brain freeze already fading. “Why does human food always have to be so painful?” he whined.

“Makes the experience better,” ze shrugged. “Humans love to court danger and test their limits.”

“Well, I don’t,” he grumbled.

“Just eat your ice cream. It won’t hurt again if you eat it slower.” Beelzebub finally took a bite of zir chocolate-coated, lightly-salted ice cream cone, closing zir eyes in enjoyment. “Savor it, Pigeon.”

“Well,” Gabriel said slowly, and turned to leave the ice cream shop. “I do like strawberries. And it would be a shame to let this food go to waste.”

“Indeed,” Beelzebub agreed, hiding a grin by nodding zir head. “There’s zzztarving demons out there who would love to get just one bite of that ice cream.”

“Well then, I’d better keep those hungry demons’ hands off of it,” he answered smoothly, and took zir hand in his.

Ze looked up at him briefly, then ducked zir head again, trying very hard to hide the blush that still, after all this time, crept over zir face when he displayed such open affection. “You can’t eat an ice cream sundae one-handed,” ze muttered.

“I don’t care,” he replied, and together they walked down the festively-decorated streets of New York City, licking at their respective frozen treats, hand-in-hand and unafraid.

[flashhwing]

inspired by @ey-toni‘s red latern!wally art (link)

blame @novaviis and @notstars-doors for enabling me

(ao3)

_____

Zolomon shows him his children, and Wally sees red. 

_____

He doesn’t stop, doesn’t slow down, can’t slow down.  Irey and Jai need him, if only he could find them.  He has to get to them, has to save them, because he knows they can be saved.  They’re trapped, and they need him. So he’ll find them.  And then they’ll be together, him and Linda and the kids, and they’ll be a family again.  They’ll be okay.

But Linda’s gone, stolen away by that twist in time nobody foresaw.  Wally can’t let his children go the same way. He can’t be alone.

_____

Time is relentless.  The children are gone.

Wally sees red.

_____

The Lanterns try to stop him.  Try to contain him.  Splashes of green splattering against his red world.  A hammer, a rocket, a net, a dragon. Misguided attempts to slow him down, to stop him.

He can’t be stopped.  He won’t be stopped.  Not by them.

“You have to give it up!”  

Kyle — an annoyance.  The arrogant rookie who tried so hard to prove himself.  Who wouldn’t listen. When did he become such a hotshot?

“He’s too strong!”  

Jessica — a stranger.  The new Lantern who didn’t exist in the Before.  She doesn’t know him. She doesn’t know what was taken from him.

“Wally, don’t do this!”  

Hal — who might’ve been a second uncle.  Who took him for ice cream and joyrides. Who taught him how to flirt, how to get a date, how to win over the cute reporter.  Who razed the Lantern Corps to the ground when he lost his home.

“I don’t want to hurt you.!”  

Hal — who lived to see his home, his life, restored.

“That ring will destroy you!”  

Hal — who taught him how to use a ring, years and years ago.  

“Just give it to me.”  

An open hand.  Beckoning.

He sweeps them all aside.

Wally sees red.

Lightning swirls around him, a cacophonous twister of scarlets and golds, velocities greater than physics allows, electrons moving between potentials faster than a mind can process.

He knows this lightning.  He knows speed intimately as he knows his own mind.  It’s part of him, essential as his flesh and bone, as his heart beating in his chest, as his blood pouring through his veins, spilling from his mouth.

It calls his name.  His name.  Not Linda.  Not Iris or Jai.  Not any part of him that matters.

He knows this lightning, but it seems to barely know him.

“Listen to me!”

He lashes out, moves with the lightning.  Follows close enough to touch, riding on an impulse that tells him not to let the lightning out of his sight.

“Stop!”

A child lays at his feet, limbs splayed, surrounded by rubble.  Goggles and auburn hair, a cream suit with a single bolted stripe, and the world slows, just for a moment.  Just for a moment, his heart is light, and the edges recede.

Impulse.

“Please … ”

But it’s not his child.  It’s not his Irey.

He screams, and the sound is jagged.  It brings the world down around him, crumbling buildings like so many sandcastles, until all that’s left is him.  Him and the lightning.

“What have you done?”

But the lightning isn’t corporeal.  It’s only a sign, a trail.

The man kneeling defensively before him is corporeal.  The hand brushing back a strand of hair, protectively gripping a small shoulder, is corporeal.  The face, half-hidden but painted with fear and devastation, is corporeal.

Barry.

He breathes, and the world goes quiet, just for a moment.

“Kid Flash, dont —!”

The yellow blur nearly knocks him off his feet.  He knocks it to the side in turn, engulfing it with his own red.  It burns, and he lets it, brighter, bigger, stronger ...

“No!”

Barry’s anguish slides off him.  Any pity that might have stayed his hand is extinguished with the sight of this boy.  This boy with his name, with his suit, with his mentor — but none of his history.

“Stop!  You’re killing him!”

What then?  If the boy dies, won’t Barry just go back in time and save him?  Another flashpoint, another timeline, another life wiped from existence.  Another family stolen with no warning, no salvation.

“Wally, please!  Don’t make me fight you.  Don’t make me hurt you.”

Haven’t you already?

He drops a building on the Flash.

_____

Wally tastes blood.

_____

The hand glows, bathes the space around it in flickering, iridescent red.  Its edges are rough, jittery, and drops of liquid light fall from it like molten lava.

He flexes, and the hand flexes in turn.

It belongs to him.  An extension of his psyche, of his rage.  He boils and it burns; he commands and it follows.  There’s power behind every movement, every curve of a finger or bending of a joint, fueling every twist and twitch and clench.

Vitriol simmers beneath his skin, and it manifests itself in that red hand.

The air is still around him, heavy with dust illuminated by the last of the sun’s rays.  The League had converged on him, and then dispersed, laid low and dripping red. If there was a fight, it’s hardly worth mentioning, much less remembering.  All that remains is him, and the dust, and the hand.

He curls his fist, and the hand tightens its grip.

There’s no need to look at whatever it is the hand crushes.  The trunk of a tree, the body of a car, the neck of a friend.  All inconsequential. He’s alone — he’s more completely alone than he’s ever been.  Perhaps more alone than anyone’s ever been.

He closes his eyes.  The world is red behind his eyelids.

Where once there was a family, there’s now nothing more than a memory.  Less than that — a hole, just behind his heart, gaping and bloody, ready to expand, to consume the world that had stolen everything from him.  And he would let it, and he’d watch as everything crumbled, until all that remained was him, and the dust, and the hand.

“Wally.”

The voice is soft; the caress on his fingers is softer.  He looks down. Brown eyes gaze back.

Iris.

She gazes back, so firm in her stance, so soft around her eyes.  Her hand reaches up, barely able to graze against his fingertips where they dangle at his side.  He hadn’t even noticed he was floating several feet off the ground.

“My precious boy.”

Here is the woman who raised him.  His beloved aunt, who took him in, who taught him love.  Who gave him family.

Something shifts.

The hand is still spitting off drops of light, but it’s dimmer now.  The glow is muted, the jitters slower. It was never an extension of himself, merely a projection of the fire burning in his chest.  It’s nothing more than a construct. He sees that now.

And he sees past the construct, to the gloved hands clutching at its grasp, to the blue and black armored body jerking and kicking below, to the unmasked face gasping for air above.

He sees himself choking the life out of his best friend.

No … Not him.

Wally relaxes his hand, and the construct fades away.

Nightwing’s knees hit the pavement moments before his own, and immediately he is engulfed by soft wool, the scent of peaches, amber, and sandalwood, the nostalgic sense of warmth and safety.  There’s a hand tangled in his hair and another rubbing soothing circles between his shoulder blades.

“Wally … oh Wally … I’m so sorry.”

Iris’s voice is steady, but laced with sorrow, with loss.  She understands, Wally realizes.  She remembers them.

He lifts his face from her shoulder, marvels momentarily at the spot on her sweater soaked through with blood.  His blood. He tastes it on his lips, feels it dribble down his chin.

A memory bubbles to the surface.  Hal, with no grey at his temples, explaining the Lantern color spectrum.  How there’s only one Orange Lantern. How every Star Sapphire is a woman. How a Red Lantern’s body will cannibalize itself.

Perhaps it is not simply rage that fuels the fire in his chest.

Nightwing approaches slowly, tentatively.  His gait is uneven, one foot trailing on the ground.  Wally watches his boots, unwilling to meet his gaze, to see the hurt, the betrayal that must be written in those eyes.

How many nights had Dick been there for him?  How many times had he shared a drink, lent an ear, offered comfort?  

How could Wally look at him now?

Dick kneels before Wally, takes his hand.  His grip is gentle, reverent almost, as he slides the red ring off Wally’s finger.  

Without the ring, the power that infused Wally’s body leeches from him, leaving only the weight of his bones and his deeds.  He coughs, watching the spray of red from his mouth, and slumps in Iris’s arms.

How many people did he hurt — friends?  How many did he …

“You’re gonna be okay, Walls.”

Dick’s voice is hoarse, barely more than a whisper.  Iris adjusts her arms, cradles Wally to her chest, rests her cheek against the top of his head.

Wally buries his face in Iris’s sweater, chokes back a sob.  He isn’t alone now … he never was.But still, behind his eyelids, he sees red.

[killin-lightspeed]

Just a little error [Chapter 1/??]

Warning: this silly fanfiction may contain fan-characters. If you don't like them, please, avoid reading it. Thank you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...So, you made me throw away years of hard work in one day. Pathetic..."

He scraped his teeth, tightening the grip on the glass almost full of alcohol and hid half of his face with one hand, trying to erase from his head the argument he had with his father a few hours ago.

"Useless..."

The older figure was clearer in his mind, noticing his folded arms and crimson eyes that were reflecting scorn and a bunch of negative feelings that were destroying him in one shot. He felt like a stroke of bad luck for his family and his rage was increasing every time he tried to give a glance to the alien.

"A blather without dignity."

He perceived his heart loosing a beat at every insult he heard, unable to bear with that abstruse, emotional pain; but why was he angry? After all his action vexed his father, and he had a good reason to be annoyed by it, but why was it hurting him so much?

His legs were quivering, like if they were withered leafs, and his nails made the blood pour, leave little warm stripes on his cheeks.

"You humiliated your whole family, good job..."

«Shut up.»

"...you deserve a trophy now..."

«Shut up...»

"...scum of society.»

«SHUT UP!»

A swifted and reflexive movement of Oxide's arm throwed the glass on the wall, blinded by the rage araised by those harsh, evil words. It wasn't a long lasting moment and the alien immediately realized the mess he had done when the noise reached his ears, kneeling on the chair and discern a lump in his throat, the shaking, weak body, his shiny eyes gazing the stain and a retching feeling he was trying to hold; it was like he lost every movement capacity, were those words so strong for him?

Minutes after minutes passed and Oxide took a bit of time to wake up and stagger toward the kitchen counter to grab a clammy cloth and staying still in front of the sink, trying to hold his body with the last pieces of strength he had and backing the head on shelf door to recover some energies.

He sighed and gritted his teeth, moving toward the wall with the only goal his mind elaborated, making it the main outburst subject to drive away every stupid consideration about his father's annoyance. He didn't cared at all about the glass shards on the floor and lowering on them he started washing vigorously away the stain while the other hand was pierced by the glass fragments, making him moan for the pain.

He wasn't brave enough to cry, no, he HADN'T to do that and let his weaknesses take over him; his only duty was to repress his rage and remain the grumpy, bilious alien he had always been. He just hoped that nobody heard the noises and watched him in that lousy state.

"Aren't you disgusted by yoursef?"

«Please, stop...» He whispered with his hoarse voice, bending his body like he was trying to hide from the parent presence who was slowly killing his soul.

«I-it was just a s-stupid error, I-I always win a-after all, r-right, d-dad?»

He was loosing his mind, he never received so many insults in his whole life that had hurt him so deeply. Since his youth he had been used to hear compliments over compliments, one more enjoyable than the other, and noone ever tried to denigrate him. Each enticement helped him increasing his ego, making him think to be the best in a land full of idiots; the white sheep between a flock of black sheeps. Yet the alien who had brought him to success destroyed him in less than an hour, treating him as he had a worm in front of his eyes instead of his own child. He rested his head on the wall, trying to smile to comfort himself.

«I'm the be-best, i-is it t-true, da-»

«Oxide...»

Unexpectedly, a feminine voice called his name and a thrill beated his back after a tapered hand touched his shoulder, making him regaining a bit of perspicuity. The cloth fell from his hand and he refused to turn his head to see the alien near him; he knew who she was but he felt embarassed to show himself in that condition, afraid of being scorned for that challenge or his actual aspect. They hated eachother but in that moment Oxide wasn't in the mood to have a discussion with Tarantula, the housekeeper.

«Oxide, show some respect and look at me when I call you.»

Oxide refused to reply to her words and avoided her command to show the lastest slieces of pride he had; it wasn't the perfect moment to fall and show how pitiful he was, physically and emotionally. She pressed her hand, bothered by the lack of attention of the alien.

«OXIDE!»

«WHAT THE HECK DO YOU WANT?!»

As soon as Oxide turned his head to give a little stare to Tarantula, he had a sense of remorse. Those magenta eyes gazing at him made his soul feeling powerless, uncomfortable, a child in front of a giant monster ready to eat him up. She had to be happy, he obeyed to her order.

«Look at yourself, a disaster. Not used to insults, aren't you, little prince?»

Listening to those words made Oxide's nerves boil up, finding her derisive grin in her mout as an act of superiority. How could she dare showing her power in front of HIM, the most famous racer in Gasmoxia?

The green alien tried to naively hide his face by Tarantula's eyes, bothered by her presence. She calmly approched toward him, grabbing nonchalantly his face to oserve how ruined, hot it was, making her sigh. Her grin vanished from her mouth and one of her rough hands moved slightly to touch Oxide's thin neck to caress it and feel his smooth skin. His body was still shaking, his eyes were looking at something ealse in the room and his round, soft cheeks turned into a soft, cherry red, like he was sheepish staying in that position. He changed a lot: he wasn't anymore that tiny little alien, yet watching his face was like she was in front of a sad, hurted baby; he made her sense a bit of tenderness.

Oxide, in the other hand, was surprised by Tarantula's maternal gestures. He rarely had that kind of contact with her but, in the end, it was nice and helped him relaxing a little.

«You really pity me...- she did a little laugh, gently touching one of the glands in the left side of his head and make him bite the lower lip -... You got a bad fever and cut one of your hands with tose little pieces of glass. You made all of this because of someone who doesn't deserve your presence. How adorable...» The housekeeper stopped talking for some seconds, watching at Oxide's slender, bloody legs and at the hand full of glass shards. She moved closer to him, seeking for a little bit of attention, and rudely forced the alien to look at her.

«How much broken are your emotions now? Are you serching desperately for some compliments? Isn't it a bit greedy, sweetheart? They're not like lifeblood, you know.»

Those calm, yet powerful, words punched violently Oxide's mind and the only thing he was able to do in that moment was moving away his head from Tarantula's hands, hiding his head between his shoulders and think about that comment. No, compliments were part of him, they WERE vital, was she despising them?

«P-please, t-tell me I'm th-» He needed a little compliment. All the bad words of his father were slowly devouring each part of his sentiments, the tiniest praise was enough for him.

But it didn't came and, instead, received an harsh rebuke by the alien, stopping his guileless request.

«Grow up, dear, perfection doesn't exist. If you really want to feel like a God, move your ass and stay with my mother. Maybe her sick conception of "Perfection" can help you feel be...- Tarantula stopped her phrase, regretting what she was saying in front of someone who had an abusive father for his entire life. Her mother wasn't the best neither. She sighed, and continued to talk -...Whatever, forget what I said. And no, I won't compliment you out of nowhere. Wait here, I'll grab a tweezer to remove those slivers.»

Both of them remained silent for some long lasting minutes, unable to exchange some words and caught by the embarrassment caused by that situation. Tarantula was removing the glass from Oxide's hand while he was thinking about his father, his youth, his whole life; it was all a lie, still he believed every fragment of it. But there was something that was bugging his psyche, suddenly popping in his mind.

"Maybe you can bury yourself and hide. No one needs you."

That phrase touched the climax of his patience and exasperation. His body stiffed and he gulped unhappily. How was he supposed to live with his presence?

«It hurts...»

That whisper caught Tarantula's attention, rising her head to look at the alien, confused.

«Why did he treated me that way? It was j-just a stupid error.»

The housekeeper's eyes opened whide: what she was watching was unbelievable for her. Those glassy red eyes, the shaking body, the clear tears that were slipping away from his cheeks. Oxide, the fastest racer of Gasmoxia, was crying?

No words she was able to pronounce, what she was staring at made her heart melt; it was surprising, strange, painful. She wasn't prepared for that scene, she didn't know what to do, how to help. But Oxide was still crying, she had to do something. She slowly proceeded toward him, girdling her arms around his bust and let him rest his head on her chest, crying to dissolve the rage, the stress he held for a long time. She hated the character he built during the years but she was well aware that under that armor there was someone too fragile, too attached to his idol to consider his words as truth.

She tightened the hug, sensing Oxide's arms consolidate the grip on her shirt and his head moving on her chest. He was like a baby.

«I'm not the best mom, nor the best moral supporter of Gasmoxia but you, Oxide, are a great, magnificent racer. You're a filthy cheater but your driving skills are incredible. Your father doesn't deserve your tears, your father doesn't deserve you. You're valid, Oxide.»

Her fingers touched delicately his head and in her mouth appeared a little smile. Oxide was able to feel her maternal side, loving all the compliments made by her and keep them as a treasure; he was harsh, cantankerous toward her feelings but, deep in his heart, he loved her as a second mom.

«Thank you, Tula...»

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I.DID.IT! Finally I finished the "translation" of this fanfiction. AH, now I'm feeling better. Hope you enjoyed it. :P

[allofthisnonsenseplease]

An R76 fic idea from Firesonic152 and me. =) We thought the concept was worth sharing. Sort of an urban or modern fantasy story where the SEP was intended to increase and focus magical potential in order to create animal familiars.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 magical AU where SEP was a program for concentrating and stabilizing excess magical potential into summoned creatures. The creatures are highly empathetic to their humans, often directly responding according to the person's emotional state. The odd thing is, Jack's seems to like Gabe FAR more than it does Jack.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 OH NOOOOOO jack's is a feline creature and gabe's is a neato owl ooo what if jack just straight up had a LION THAT WOULD BE COOL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Jack plays it off for the longest time as just his MASSIVE CRUSH on Gabe (which it is, in part) and it's only later that Gabe realizes that Jack straight up doesn't like himself. Gabe has seen Jack's critter hiss and slash at him when Jack was feeling particularly down, and a few inquiries tell him that none of the others have ever done that to their humans.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 jkefnajkfdkfnj

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 I do like the lion idea. ^^ Or possibly a tiger with stripes that almost look more like scars marring its body

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 what about a STRIPED LION or a lyger that's a thing right BUT THAT'S REALLY UPSETTING AKJDFNAKFNJ jack makes a Really Big Mistake (tm) and his cat straight up attacks him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 i want to say that a lyger is a thing -'.'- It's pretty much the only time that it's ignored Gabe. Usually, it would be all up on him, looking for pets and purring, but it focused on Jack for once with hugely upsetting implications.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 it's big too, and heavy, and it knocks jack right down and pins him with its huge paws and snarls in his face it's always been on the aggressive side but not like this luckily they're able to fight it off before it can do any lasting damage. but gabriel is terrified by how close it came to ripping out jack's throat. AHH what if it gives jack the scars on his face??

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 ouo perfect Jack can barely look in a mirror for the longest time afterward without his familiar starting to get its hackles up as the self-hatred kicks in

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 qoq while jack recovers in the med bay, his familiar seeks out gabe and presses into his side, tired and making low strangled noises AHH BUT WHAT DO THEY NAME THEM i hate this but gabriel absolutely names his owl Dr. Hoo i'm s o akdjfnadf

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 X'''''''D omfg yeah Have Jack let Gabe name his. It keeps insisting on seeking Gabe out, and Jack's finally just 'hey, you name it.'

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 kdjafnadkfj jack kept refusing to name it before gabe tries to insist that it's jack's, he should name it, but jack shrugs and points out that it only ever sleeps in gabe's room that or pressed up against gabe's door hmmmm what's a good name for a lyger

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Beans. or Kernel. i dunno XD

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 LOL hobbes

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 OMG YES THAT ONE

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 :smile: hobbes and dr. hoo are friends awww but omg jack had been doing a swell job of keeping his Feelings for gabe on lockdown before this but hobbes ruins all his efforts

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 You know what's gonna make it even worse for Jack, is that this is all experimental, so there's gonna be all sorts of evals and questions and what not trying to figure out why his is the only one acting different from all the others. lol

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 OH NOOOO everyone else's familiars are getting along just fine qoq but awwww hobbes pretty much immediately glues itself to gabe's side and demands All The Belly Rubs

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 XD

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 gabe laughs while he's petting hobbes and says "damn you really like me this much morrison?" and he looks up to give jack a grin but jack's expression is blank

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 oooh...accidentally outed to your crush by your own uncontrolled magical familiar. that's rough, buddy.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 AWKS

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Gabe: ...uhh, just a joke, Morrison. Feel free to laugh. Jack, unable to trust himself to even smile: Ha. Hilarious. I'm just...gonna...not be in here anymore. And Gabe thinks that he's insulted Jack or something, but it prolly can't be that bad, because Hobbes is getting even more needy, enough to keep Gabe from going after Jack.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 QOQ hobbes demands curling up in gabe's lap and it is Big so gabe can't really go anywhere LOL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 AHH!! XD <3

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 it doesn't really fit in gabe's lap so it just kind of ends up sprawled across his legs and then dr. hoo decides to settle on top of hobbes' back gabe isn't going anywhere for awhile

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 lol HOPE YOU BROUGHT A SNACK GABE oh but Jack feeling so deeply lonely after he's made his escape. ; ; and Hobbes doesn't come for him the way the other familiars will usually come for their humans. Jack must have been thinking too much about Gabe when he first summoned Hobbes, and that's why it didn't turn out the way the others did.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 QOQ jack is curled up in bed with the lights out, wishing gabe was there, wishing things were different - and then he hears something knocking faintly at his door he drags himself out of bed and opens the door a crack to find dr. hoo staring up at him hobbes might not care, but dr. hoo is Very Worried and insists on snuggling up with jack

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 ;u; GABE WANTED TO CHECK ON JACK AND BE SURE HE WAS OKAY MY HEART

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 YEAH QOQ

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 OH!! What if, when they started the program, the familiars were meant to be...like, little more than magical automata--nothing with feelings, just constructs that could be ordered around? and so there wasn't extensive psych testing beforehand, which is how Jack got cleared for the program and by the time they start to realize what they've created, it's too late. there is a huge, fuck off, magic incarnate liger that may well bite its handler's face off if Jack gets too depressed

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 OOOOOO BOY WHAT A MISTAKE TO MAKE

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 YEAH NO KIDDING What if one of the batch was a straight up psychopath?

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 JESUS well it is the military s o

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 should have checked more thoroughly~!

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 but like the more frustrated jack gets the more aggressive hobbes gets which just becomes a vicious cycle when he's trying to get hobbes to cooperate with him that is and hobbes keeps not cooperating

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 although, it only gets scary aggressive with Jack or enemies. Like, every once in a while, Hobbes will growl at someone Jack is SERIOUSLY angry at, but it doesn't generally start fights...except with Jack. Gabe eventually learns that if Hobbes leaves his side, then he needs to be right on its heels to be sure Jack hasn't fallen into a bad depression again. There have been a couple of false alarms, but Gabe isn't at all willing to take the chance.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 what if gabe gets injured by someone and hobbes becomes Murderous jack takes a bullet and hobbes gets pretty angry but gabriel gets hit with something and hobbes becomes Vicious

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 omg yup Jack's immediate rage, the burning need to KILL whoever hurt Gabe--then afterward, Hobbes makes a nuisance of himself, refusing to leave Gabe's side and getting in the way of the medics.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 turns out it's very hard to treat someone when a Huge Fuck Off liger is growling at anyone who comes near said patient it's the one time jack is able to rein hobbes in and get it to listen to him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 What if Hobbes eventually starts putting forth a little bit of effort to work with Jack and not maul him after Gabe has a talk with it? Like Gabe sits down and holds Hobbes' face in his hands, and is like 'listen. Jack is...he's really important to me. I know there's more to you guys than just our emotions, and I know feeling what he feels has to suck. I'm gonna talk with him, see that he gets some help for that. But I need you to cut him some slack. I don't...I don't want to see him destroyed because he's his own worst enemy.'

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 QOQ when hobbes lets jack pet its head for the first time jack is dumbfounded

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Hobbes is surprised, himself. Jack is--just a little bit--happy. Jack: Gabe, look! He's--! Gabe, grinning and unsurprised: He and I had a little chat. Jack: You talk to Hobbes about me? Gabe: What can I say? He actually sees reason.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 hobbes very suddenly turns and licks gabe's face jack turns bright red

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 okayokay but like imagine big dumb laughing wrestling pile

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 njsdkjandkjandd dr. hoo always wins bc it waits until the last second and then settles on top of whoever is winning

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 they tire themselves out, and wind up laying around and partially on top of each other. Hobbes is purring like a landslide and has actually let Jack pillow his head on his flank. Gabe is propped up against Hobbes' shoulder, grinning and feeling something warm and wonderful in his chest to see Jack actually looking happy and relaxed

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 QwQ dr. hoo is a puff on top of jack's head doing the cute owl squint

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Jack very slowly realizing that Dr. Hoo has been spending a lot more time with him recently. He looks over at Gabe, and something about his expression must have given his thoughts away, because he sees Gabe's smile soften, sees him shrug and nod, and Jack is still trying to process when Gabe reaches over to wrap an arm around his shoulders and tug him in close and ask Jack if he wants to grab dinner together.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 QOQ jack's "yes" is nearly lost with how loud hobbes is purring

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 okay, but now we get to the really important question of this AU: Does Hobbes know enough to make himself scarce when Gabe finally takes Jack to bed? XD

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 LMAO OR DOES HOBBES DO THE ANNOYING CAT THING AND IMMEDIATELY PUSH OPEN THE DOOR DEMANDING ATTENTION dr. hoo is chilling on hobbes' head this does not make it better

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 They sit at the foot of the bed and Watch. Intently.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 gabe decides very quickly that this is killing the mood and shoos them out (despite jack's whining that he doesn't care, just fuck me gabe)

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 XD Oddly enough, Hobbes is easier to convince than Dr. Hoo. Gabe's familiar seems to have developed more of a mother hen interest in Jack than Hobbes did for Gabe.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 gabe could swear dr. hoo is glaring at him giving him a "you better treat him right or else" look

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 lol Anytime things get even a little rough, Dr. Hoo HAS to be allowed in during aftercare. He insists on sitting on Jack's head or shoulders to cuddle him.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 AWWW dr. hoo's favorite spot is nestled in against jack's neck

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Jack gets into the habit of absentmindedly feeding him little pieces of whatever he's eating. Dr Hoo being able to change his shape, maybe even more than the other constructs. He's like a little round rowlet most of the time, but he can become huge when necessary--big enough to shield Gabe with his wings, or fly with him in his talons.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 ooooooooooo LMAO jack is in danger and dr. hoo's spidey-senses go off and it immediately becomes Huge and swoops in, nabs jack gently with its claws, and flies away

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 lol and Jack's, like, cussing up a storm at him because he wants to go back and fight! At the same time, Hobbes gets extra aggressive and starts taking out enemies left and right.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 kjfsnkajfnadf dr. hoo doesn't listen, just carries jack straight to gabe and drops him in gabe's arms >w< gabe has to quick drop his guns bc OH GOD JACK IS FALLING

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 XD <3 Dr Hoo is the best wingman! X'''D

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 LMAO YEP dr. hoo not so discretely dropping lube into jack's hands bc it knows what gabe's thinking about XDDDDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 HA

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 cracks knuckles hello naughty children it's Angst Time as things are starting to get strained between them, dr. hoo actually snaps at jack - like, tries to bite his finger - for the first time ever.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 oh no OH NO ; ;

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 hobbes actually snarls at gabe on another day on a really bad day, when gabe tries to touch hobbes' head, hobbes takes a swipe at his hand and nicks him enough that it bleeds immediately after, hobbes tries to apologize, butting its head against gabe's leg, but it's not a good sign

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 oh oh shit, dude what if Hobbes actually hurts Gabe badly enough that there's talk of him needing to be, um, exorcised, or whatever the magical equivalent of putting one of them down is?

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 NOOOOOO

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 But nobody knows what that would actually do to Jack. All the candidates for the experiment had their magical potential ramped up to 11 so that it could be drawn out and given a physical form as a familiar. If Hobbes goes--if they can even get rid of him--what happens to Jack? Does the magic simply dissipate? Does he no longer have any magic? Does he overload and burn himself out from the inside? No one really has any concrete answers, and that's why they hold back for the time being, but some members of the research team are very curious. OH SHIT What if they go after Dr Hoo to find out?? And that's what causes the Zurich explosion??

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 And Gabe, like, MERGES with him

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 but Gabe was seeking Jack out to try to tell him that something was wrong, that Dr Hoo was missing and he thinks it might have been the scientists and Jack needs to let him into the labs, but Jack was all 'you're being paranoid, they wouldn't, it's irresponsible, I'm sure he's fine--' then BOOM!!! And nobody is fine

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 KJSFASKJDNFASKFJAF hobbes physically drags an unconscious jack from the wreckage for days he's too exhausted and feverish to even hate himself. he and hobbes just curl up in a safe house together, wounded and brokenhearted

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 and one of the thoughts that keeps circling in Jack's head is that it's only because of Gabe that they can even comfort each other ;n;

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 QOQ hobbes is subdued after that. melancholy. jack feels weak and lost and utterly alone except for his familiar. every now and again a flash of anger will cut through everything and hobbes will bristle, but for the most part it's like he's in a fog .. AH what if the explosion made jack blind and he needs hobbes to help him with it

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 He's able to see through Hobbes, maybe? Although doing so comes at a price, maybe.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 he has to negotiate with all the self-hate and survivor's guilt welling up inside him, has to remain in control of it because he needs hobbes to listen to him in order to survive, and the only thing that keeps him going is the thought of gabe. the idea that gabe would want him to live. yeah!!! for the first time he feels like he understands hobbes. he feels like hobbes is an extension of himself instead of a manifestation of his darkest thoughts just waiting for the right time to attack. of course they'd been able to work together before, after a lot of effort, but now they truly become partners. all they have left is each other.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Q.Q I STARTED THIS AS A JOKE AS A HA HA JACK'S THIRST IS HIS MOST POWERFUL EMOTION AND CANNOT BE OVERRIDDEN AND NOW LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 DKAJNFAKJFN when he meets the reaper, hobbes recognizes him before he does reaper, of course, knows of only one huge fuck off liger

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 But Hobbes being unable to resist charging up to Reaper and knocking him over only to butt his head up against him and purr and purr Or if Reaper actually tried to take a shot at Jack, his own cloak would fan out like a giant pair of wings and encircle him, shielding Jack from himself.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 QOQ

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Makes it pretty hard to lie about how they feel lol

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 yeah XDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 But while Reaper's got 'Jack still loves me', Jack has 'he doesn't actually want to hurt me.' Anything deeper is a mystery.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 qoq jack just lowers his gun and whispers "gabe?" reaper doesn't answer but hobbes seems to be convinced it is in fact gabriel. he hopes it isn't just because he wants it to be gabriel more than anything.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 He takes a peek though Hobbes' eyes and sees the magic woven inextricably with the flesh-and-blood man standing before him, and he recognizes the look of it for what it is--a familiar, something just like Hobbes. There's only one familiar Jack can think of that it might be. He's shaking and can't hold the connection that allows him to see through Hobbes' eyes. At the moment, it's all he can do not to sway on his feet or throw himself at Gabe.

Something nudges his leg. If he could see clearly, he would see the substance of Reaper's coat has dripped and stretched almost as if it had melted. A small portion of it rose up near Jack, round and feathered, rubbing affectionately against his calf. When Jack hears it coo, he kneels automatically, unable to stop the reflex despite the uncertain situation. He feels something hop onto his thigh and from there up to his shoulder, where a familiar sensation of soft feathers and shell-smooth beak nuzzles him. 'Dr Hoo...' He's smiling now, feeling tears well up because he's been given a miracle, and even if Gabe doesn't love him any more, even if Gabe hates him, at least Gabe's alive. That's all Jack's asked for since the explosion.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 SKJCNAEKUNAECJKAN

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Jack is just kneeling there, holding Dr Hoo as it cuddles him. He doesn't even try to look Reaper's way when he apologizes, ashamed by all the arrogance and anger years ago that had allowed him to ignore Gabe's pleas. He doesn't expect forgiveness. Reaper barely acknowledges his words, anyway, only orders him to get up, saying that kneeling there like that is unbecoming. Jack can almost laugh at that, and he says before he can stop himself that Gabe didn't used to complain about having him on his knees. Something hot and needy coils in his stomach, a familiar desire that has tortured him over the years. He didn't think he could ever feel it quite the same way again, and he hopes that Hobbes will behave enough not to give him away.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 BUT ANYWAY PREDICTABLY WHEN GABE IS CONCERNED HOBBES DOESN'T FUCKIN LISTEN TO JACK

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Hobbes is just trying to drag Gabe bodily to the nearest store where he can pick up the essential preparations bc Jack is needing to get rekt in the worst way

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 AHAHAHA when gabe won't cooperate, hobbes gets frustrated and runs off alone

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Reaper sits down and starts griping about it to Jack, and Jack just shrugs and is all 'you were always better with him than i am' "He's born from your goddamn emotions, Jack!" "And that's ever made a difference...how?" "...there is not actually anything I could do to you that would be worse than what you've got going now, huh?" "Got it in one."

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 sksmsmcmdkx

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Hobbes comes back with stuff. Gabe takes one look at it and turns to Jack. 'I am NOT going to fuck you.' 'Didn't ask you to.' Gabe just looks pointedly at Hobbes, then back again. 'You know, I SWEAR we just had a conversation about how I can't control him.'

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 KJNAKJSCNASCJKN inside jack is like I SWEAR TO GOD HOBBES

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 while part of him is just OH GOD PLEASE MAYBE IF HOBBES TRIES JUST A LITTLE BIT HARDER It's a fukkin wonder Jack's crazy ass didn't end up with a hydra or something else with too many heads XD

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 AHAHAHA hobbes is trying his damndest to butter gabe up purring and schnuggling jack is just thankful he's got a mask on

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 meanwhile, Dr Hoo just gives a sad little coo as Gabe draws him back in

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 awww qoq

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 ooh--slightly off topic, but what if Hana was a prodigy with magical stuff, got wind of the program, and was able to duplicate the results for herself, making her the only person who created a familiar outside of lab conditions.

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 AHHHHH NEAT she gets a bun

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 but, like, a big cartoony bun like her little avatar ^^

firesonic152 - 05/02/2017 YEAH :DD and hobbes Loves Her jack's never seen hobbes so affectionate with someone who isn't gabe

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/02/2017 Hobbes carries the bun around like its a baby kitten XD

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 CUTE

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 Hobbes makes it very clear who is Family. haha just realized--Hobbes having another person to pay attention to means that Jack and Gabe will have it easier finding time alone lol

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 >:3c but lmao hobbes does all the courting for jack gabe constantly tells jack no, they shouldn't jump back into a relationship, and jack just blinks at him innocently and says he didn't ask anyway. but hobbes just keeps bugging gabe

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 XD every now and then, Jack will mumble 'good kitty' just within earshot of Gabe

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 XDDD hobbes tries to sleep in gabe's bed and gabe is like NO hobbes gives him really sad eyes

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 ohhhh noooooooooooooes!! XD who can resist the sad kitty eyes??

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 gabe grumbles and compromises. he lets hobbes sleep in the bed and he moves to the couch except when he wakes up hobbes is partially on top of him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 XD JUST GIVE UP GABE YOU CAN'T WIN Gabe wakes up one night, and Hobbes is staring at him very intently. He remembers that Jack can use Hobbes' eyes, and demands to know if Jack's there, if he's watching or listening. Hobbes' expression doesn't change in the slightest, and Gabe eventually decides that he was probably thinking too hard. he relaxes a bit, though he's still a bit heated, and can't seem to get comfortable. He starts talking, partially to Hobbes, partially to sort out his thoughts, and partially to Jack who he had decided wasn't spying after all. He talks about how this whole situation is rough for him, too, how he wishes they could just go back to the way things were, but that that's not possible. He doesn't know what they have between them now, much less what they might have. He goes quiet and rolls over onto his side. After a stretch of silence, he says quietly that he doesn't know if he can give Jack what he needs.

That sets a pattern where Gabe starts talking to Hobbes before falling asleep. He doesn't know if Jack can hear him, if Hobbes can pass on messages or sensations. Some nights he hopes Jack never finds out. Some nights, he hopes that Jack does look in on him through his familiar, and those nights begin happening more and more frequently. He starts half-hoping that Jack will show up at his door. He starts wondering what he would do if it happened. He starts fantasizing about it. He wishes Jack would hurry up and come to him and take the decision out of his hands.

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 QOQ

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 Jack sends Gabe a text one night that just says 'we need to talk' and Gabe's heart stutters in his chest. He didn't expect it to hurt like that. But then, before he can start wondering what to do, a picture message follows. Jack has one hand free, but is largely covered by multiple tiny versions of Dr Hoo that seem to have separated from Gabe and swarmed him. His expression is horrible--caught between smugness, laughter, and anxiety, and Gabe can't help smiling at the picture as fondness over Jack's private awkwardness comes back to him in a rush.

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 AHHHHHHHH after gabe sees the picture, all the mini dr. hoos just become MORE affectionate

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 Jack texts him again after a couple of minutes without a response. 'pretty sure you saw those messages. are you coming here or do i need to come to you?' Gabe is halfway to the door before he stops and thinks. Isn't it still too soon? He picks up his phone and texts back 'Not yet.' A moment later and there's another message from Jack. 'ok' and then, just after that: 'i still love you. never stopped. good night.' Hobbes winds around his legs, butting his head up against Gabe, and he can't tell if the liger wants pets or is trying to simply offer affection.

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 qOq at least jack gets to sleep swarmed with mini owls even if gabe isn't ready yet, jack can at least take comfort in this

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 they reek of him when they pile back into Gabe later, and it is distracting as all fuck

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 KAJFNAENAKC gabe is so ready to jerk off but hobbes is Right There

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 lol Jack might actually scold him for that. XD

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 of course when hobbes finally decides to return to jack, he smells like gabe too jack convinces hobbes to sleep in his bed for the night so he can pretend, just for a little.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 ; ;

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 in the morning, hobbes bolts off to find gabe and starts tugging frantically at his shirt gabe is too tired to fight off a Huge Fuck Off liger. he goes. hobbes leads him to jack's room, where jack is still asleep, curled around the space where hobbes was hobbes nudges at gabe's leg gabe is tired. he sighs and lays down next to jack.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 aaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 when jack wakes up, he's wrapped up in gabe's arms. he fell asleep too. hobbes is sprawled across their feet, purring happily. a few little owlets are strewn about, some nestled against jack's neck or behind his knees or in his hair, a few burrowed in hobbes' fur, and one perched on gabe's shoulder. (jack can't see them of course, but he can feel them buzzing and cooing happily.) jack hasn't cried in years but suddenly he finds his face is wet.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 Gay. XD That was very sweet. <3

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 <333333 gabe wakes up to jack crying quietly and gets really worried for a sec but then jack manages a weak smile and it's been such a long time since gabe has seen that expression on jack's face

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 also consider: Jack's body reacting to the warmth of Gabe pressed so close while he's still asleep, so even though Jack is so, SO happy, he knows that if Gabe wakes up to that reminder of what they used to be to each other, it'll only make things awkward. He can't calm himself down, though, so he tries to sneak out of bed without waking Gabe. It doesn't work, of course, so Gabe wakes up not only to see Jack's cheeks striped with tear tracks, but also that he's trying to sneak away.

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 AKJNAKAJFN NOOOO god damn you and your unquenchable thirst jack //shakes fist

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 hey, he can't help waking up with a bit of him standing at attention. XD at least he was TRYING not to make Gabe have to deal with it.

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 XDDDDD gabe wonders briefly if he should just pretend to be asleep and let jack go but then he decides that he's done too much of letting jack go

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017

He reaches out and grabs Jack's wrist, yanking him back so that the mattress bounces as Jack sits down hard on it. Jack mutters that he was just going to find some privacy, but Gabe shoots back that it's nothing he hasn't seen before. He stretches, moving his hand from Jack's wrist to his shoulder and practically dragging him back down. 'Just take care of it,' he mumbles as he fits himself against the line of Jack's body once more. 'I'm not going anywhere.'

Gabe's got one arm around Jack's waist and his face pressed against the back of Jack's neck as Jack hesitantly begins stroking himself. He squeezes a bit tighter, tucks his knees in a little closer, and those small movements are enough to let some of the tension drain out of Jack's shoulders. Gabe nuzzles closer, breathing deeply. He'd forgotten the scent of Jack's skin, but it washes over him in a warm wave, and soon Jack isn't the only one needing a release. For the moment, though, Gabe lies still, just holding Jack, breathing him in, savoring the tiny shivers of friction as Jack's ass rubs up against him. He listens to the quiet noises Jack is making, curls tighter around him as Jack turns his face into his pillow to muffle himself. Gabe is kissing Jack's neck before he knows what he's doing, and the sounds spilling from Jack's lips have resolved into the syllables of his name, muted but intelligible. By the time his hand strays down into Jack's boxers, he's almost too late. Two strokes and Jack finishes with a groan, stiffening against him before sagging limp against his chest, breathing a little quicker than normal. The smell of sex mingles with the scent of Jack's skin and scalp, familiar and not unwelcome. They wipe their hands off against the sheets before Gabe settles his arm around Jack once more, hand over the beating of his heart. He smiles as Jack reaches up to twine their fingers together, and murmurs that it's good to be home.

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS SO SWEET WTF

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 i am powered by unhealthy amounts of sugar XD

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 then jack smirks, shifting his ass against gabe teasingly, and says "i see i'm not the only one who needed to be taken care of." gabe hums and complains that he's comfortable and doesn't want to move jack says "me neither" and just keeps rubbing up against gabe god damn tease

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 lol JACK DON'T GET AHEAD OF YOURSELF THIS IS A DELICATE BALANCE YOU'VE ACHIEVED HERE

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 HE'S TOO THIRSTY in the end they are interrupted bc hobbes is really feeling the overwhelming affection and demands cuddles by plopping in right between them

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 lol Hobbes may appear to be a cockblock, but he's actually the best long term wingman  XD maybe stops Jack from going too fast

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 yep >w< plus who can be mad when there's a giant cat half sprawled on top of you

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 heehee ^^

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 gabe gives hobbes a little smooch bc wtf so cute and jack pouts but he's too comf to even be salty I JUST LOVE GABE BEING SCHNUGGLY W A HUGE FUCKIN CAT just buries his face in hobbes' fur

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 Jack's old jealousies, which had been knocked over the head and buried in a shallow grave, come clawing out of the earth looking for a fight XD

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 XDDDDDD hobbes growls quietly at jack and jack rolls over to glare sightlessly

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 Gabe: Hey, you know what's NOT sexy? A couple hundred pounds of angry magical cat on my chest. Knock it off, Jack. Jack, gracing Gabe with a glare of disdain on par with the haughtiest of cats: He started it.

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 XDDDD jack u petty motherfucker hobbes licks gabe's face. at that jack gets up, moves around them, and snuggles up behind gabe. much better XD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 Gabe is some sort of horrible Jack sandwich XD

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 <333 surrounded by cute little owlets

SuspiciousPopsicle - 05/03/2017 sprinkled with cute little owlets. peppered with cute little owlets. garnished with a dash of cute little owlets. XD

firesonic152 - 05/03/2017 owlets are a spice

[leighkhoopes]

The first big meme of 2017 has arrived and it's List the Top 10 Albums That Influenced You As A Teenager. This was an almost impossible selection for me, so I gave myself some additional ground rules: these albums all came out when I was an actual teenager (13-19, to be precise) and I promptly wore them out something serious. These are also albums that I continue to listen to and enjoy to this day. I also took the *complete* album into consideration—almost all of these are total listen-throughs for me, even though there may be some other songs and singles that had more of an impact on my impressionable teenage brain. 

 So, here's the list, how old I was when they came out, and some thoughts, in no particular order: 

Sleater-Kinney - One Beat (2002) I was: 17, in between high school and college This was the first SK album I ever bought, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. It was on one of those listening stations at the local music store (RIP ear-x-tacy) and the opener with its urgent drums, spindly guitars and fantastic vocals and harmonies drew me in immediately. Apparently One Beat was their "political" album and that makes sense, but the infectiously jangly "Oh!" remains one of my all-time favorite songs to this day, and though I've listened to the rest of their catalogue, One Beat remains my favorite to this day. 

Christina Aguilera - Stripped (2002) I was: 18, college freshman Fun fact: I was one of those angsty teens who mocked pop music while hiding my secret shame at loving every bubblegum beat and boy band dance jam. When you're a teenager, you have to keep up appearances—I knew I wasn't one of the popular types, so I tried to be a "rock" kid and turned up my nose at what turned out to be some really great songs. My dear Ms. Aguilera changed all of that for me. I had already loved her first singles (You cannot deny "Genie in a Bottle," so don't even try) and her complete ownage of "Lady Marmalade" for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, so when Stripped came out in all its sexual and bold yet vulnerable and honest glory, I found the soundtrack to the twilight of my teenage years. Everyone knows about "Dirrty," "Beautiful," "Can't Hold Us Down," and "Fighter," but have you heard the soft sensuality of "Lovin' Me for Me"? What about the deep piano soul of "Underappreciated"? This album is packed with both gems and jams, and remains relevant to this very day.

Eve - Scorpion (2001) I was: 16, high school junior I came late to the rap game, since I wasn’t allowed to buy CDs with parental advisory stickers until my senior year of high school, so I've made a lot of progress, but I didn't get the kind of hip-hop education most of my friends have besides what made it onto the radio at the time. This was post-Tupac/Biggie but pre-50 Cent, and the airwaves were mostly dominated by the aforementioned pop and its bad cousin pop-punk. So when Eve's basically flawless "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" featuring Gwen Stefani's damn near perfect hook and what I would learn is a quintessentially Dr. Dre beat dropped, all slinky and sexy and sassy, I was beyond obsessed. The rest of the album is on point, too: "Who's That Girl?" became an anthem for me because I could easily sing back "LEIGH's that girl!" (la la la-la, la la la-la); "Gangsta Bitch" was a sick collab with Trina and Da Brat; and "Got What You Need" is a great call-and-response banger courtesy of Swizz Beats and some other lesser Ruff Ryders rapper who is probably mad that Eve destroyed him on this track and probably in real life as well. 

The Kills - Keep on Your Mean Side (2003) I was: 19, college sophomore Somehow I got this CD for Christmas? I don’t remember how or where I heard about it, but this album for me is the perfect combination of sexy and scuzzy with raw guitars and sparse, swampy beats and endless, unbearable chemistry between VV (Allison Mosshart) and Hotel (Jamie Hince) that continues to this day. Fifteen years, four albums, and multiple side projects (and one very high-profile marriage and divorce) later, and I am one of those fans who firmly stans for them to live happily ever after in musical harmony and continuing rock n’ roll cuteness. They’re just SO PERFECT TOGETHER, OKAY? Anyway, this album is great, and you should listen to it if you haven’t already.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2001) I was: 16, soon-to-be high school senior If I had to pick ONE album that was the most influential to me of all of these, it would be Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ seminal self-titled EP. It dropped right before my senior year of high school, when I was finally starting to figure myself out a little bit and realizing that I liked loud music by loud ladies that I could dance to and scream along to, regardless of genre or format. The Strokes, The Hives, The White Stripes, and all their ilk were kicking off a new rock revolution, but there were so few ladies out there making as much noise as I needed them to. Karen O was not a great singer, but the way she whispered and groaned and wailed over the wall of sound that Nick and Brian created with just a guitar and a drumset was revelatory to me, especially after I got to see them live a few years later, smushed up against the stage at the Southgate House and rapt as the speakers pounded in my chest and Karen sprayed beer and spit on all of us, and she leaned down at the beginning of “Our Time” at the end of their set, when I was exhausted and enthralled, put the mic in front my face and together we crooned “To break on through-ooh!” YYYs continued to put out some great music and evolve their sound not-so-greatly in the following years (sorry, y’all, but Mosquito was not good), but nothing seared itself so firmly on my psyche as Karen and me covered in sweat, singing what should have been an anthem for the pre-1990 Millennials: “It’s the year to be hated / so glad that we made it.” If that doesn’t sum up everything everyone’s ever said about those of us born between 1980 and 1999, I don’t know what does.

Daft Punk - Discovery (2001) I was: 16, high school junior If there’s another album I had to name as one of my top all-timers, completely different but still equally influential, it’s Daft Punk’s Discovery. Daft Punk allowed me to embrace my love of dance and electronic music, and built a perfect unifying force among me and my friends, providing that anthem we’d been waiting for with “One More Time,” a song that still fills me with joy every time those first few beats fade in and I can’t help but smile when it drops and that surprisingly, beautifully warm vocoder voice comes in over the spaces between. The rest of the album is literally iconic as well, and really cemented Daft Punk as the arbiters of dance parties for everyone, all-inclusive, delirious and endlessly entertaining and ultimately joyful.

Le Tigre (1999) I was: 15, high school sophomore I’ll admit it: I missed the Riot Grrl movement by several years, so Kathleen Hanna and Le Tigre were a new experience for me. I loved the edge and the anger in her voice, the fuzzy throwback sound and sampling that made it seem like something I could do if I just tried harder and wasn’t so shy and scared to raise a ruckus and my voice. One thing I’ve noticed about so many of these albums and groups is that I really liked stripped-down music with big sounds created by small groups of people: duos and trios make up the bulk of my favorite albums during this era. I got to see them live as well, when JD Sampson joined the lineup and became my introduction to confusingly, distractingly sexy nonbinary people, and it was at the height of the Bush era, in the middle of my college years, and while I didn’t feel the exhilaration of singing with Karen O, I felt the freedom of dancing my ass off and screaming until my lungs my ached, unafraid of who I might bump into with my unruly booty, unafraid of who I might offend with my burgeoning baby feminism. I was sad when they stopped recording and disappointed at their recent lackluster Hillary Clinton track near the end of the election cycle, but I’ve loved the resurgence of The Julie Ruin and the ongoing reinvention and determination Hanna continues to project in the face of so much bullshittery that permeates our world and culture today. 

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) I was: 19, college sophomore At the Drive-In was another band I missed out on the first time around, but The Mars Volta popped up in my circles of smartass potheads once I started to find my tiny tribe of people in the rural Kentucky college town in which I lived for four years. I’ve always loved a man unafraid to belt out an anthem, and Cedric Bixler-Zavala golden throat soared over Omar Rodruigez-Lopez’s prog-rock symphonies and movements, and it sounded just as good when I was stone cold sober as when I was self-medicating in the name of social acceptance and anxiety avoidance. I will forever associate them with giant spliffs and endless laughter, letting the discordant sounds wash over me and and Cedric’s voice burn through me, as well as making myself a zombie prom queen Halloween costume under a waxing moon after a bad breakup, working some kind of dark magic to transform myself into someone no one would recognize, even if only for a night. There was always a sadness that permeated these songs, something that got lost in their later, more esoteric albums I could never get into, and there was something on this album that made me feel okay with being sad, allowing myself to feel my feelings that I tried to keep hidden for far too long.

Ludacris - Back for the First Time (2000) I was: 16, high school junior Again, the most rap I had ever really listened to before high school was MC Hammer and Will Smith’s squeaky clean radio-rap, so Luda’s debut was a major eye-opener for overly-sheltered white suburban me. "What's Your Fantasy" and "Phat Rabbit" were titillating, sure, but also fantastic rhymes and beats, and "Stick 'Em Up Bitch" and "1st & 10" were darkly hilarious under their gangsta veneers. "Southern Hospitality" brought bravado to what could have just been another Neptunes beat, and throughout it all, Luda's flow was so sick and smooth, so full of wit and wordplay and unashamed sexuality, and I loved to blare it driving through my parents’ neighborhood, even after the speakers in my car blew out and sounded like nothing but surly vibrations as I dawdled on my way home for my 11pm curfew. If I had to come in at what I considered an unfair, oppressive time, I was going to wake up everyone else in the process. Yes, I was a not-so-secret dick when I was a teenager–weren’t we all? Side note: I'm kind of sad Shawnna never made it all that big, and this video is the absolute perfect time capsule of the year 2000.

Peaches - The Teaches of Peaches (2000) I was: 16, high school senior I’ll also admit this: I fucking loved “electroclash.” That amalgamation of punk and dance music was everything to me, the perfect blend of rock guitars and big beats that enmeshed everything teenage me loved about being loud and dancing like everyone was watching and not giving a fuck either way. Peaches was gross and vulgar and rapped about sex with no emotion but pleasure, and she got even dirtier as the years went on, but The Teaches of Peaches was seminal and shocking and just the kind of thing a slightly crazed and endlessly awkward, horny teenage girl needed to hear to start embracing my own weird sexuality and rampaging hormones and confused feelings, instead of keeping them locked away and shameful like I was supposed to. Everyone knows and loves "Fuck the Pain Away," thanks to its cameo appearances in Lost in Translation and the Jackass movies, but "Lovertits" was always my personal favorite from this album. The moment that breakdown takes over is pure brilliance and one of my favorite moments in any song ever. Peaches dancing in front of the mirror in this video is teenage me, always and forever, singing to myself when no one was looking and finally finding away to sing to myself in public, out loud, and not caring who heard me. I'm still working on it, but I think these albums did a lot to push me in the direction I've gone and to get me where I am now as a feminist and a lover of music and dance parties for life.

Honorable Mentions: 

Beck - Midnite Vultures (1999)

No Doubt - Return of Saturn (2000)

Madonna - Ray of Light (1998)

The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

N.E.R.D. - In Search Of... (2001)