#weird as in you gotta go to each area of the expansion—almost all of them

[impossible-rat-babies]

probably bc it was less bothersome in ShB but the whole botanist/fisher studium quests are weird

[irrelevantwriter]

House Call

Pairing: Rio (Good Girls) x Female Reader/You

Rating: Explicit, NSFW

Warnings: Language, vaginal fingering, unprotected vaginal sex, mention of bodily fluids, reader being scared and horny, Rio’s BDE (y'all know what's up)

Word Count: 4.2K

Summary: Part 1. Rio shows up unannounced to talk business. Among other things. 

A/N: It’s here...it’s happening. It took me a whole 2.5 seconds to become obsessed with Rio once I started watching GG. Ya’ll know how I roll. Anyway, this is me just dipping my toe into the water. I didn't get too deep with a plot (spoiler alert: there isn't any). It’s essentially just reader-insert into the show’s current plot, but with some smut thrown in. For fun. I hope you guys like it. Feedback is that good shit. 💗

*Added a Part 2! Read it here.

*Give and Take series masterlist

*Masterlist in bio.

***********************

“You okay?”

The sound of your friend’s concerned voice filled the line, pulling you back to the moment and the conversation you’d been engaged in before you’d burnt yourself in the spray of hot water.

“Yeah, just washing dishes.” You explained, cradling your cell between your shoulder and cheek as you maneuvered dirty dishes under the spout of water.

“So the meeting with the principal? How’d it go?” Rachel asked, getting you back on track.

You sighed, beginning to scrub at a stubborn coffee stain left behind on one of your favorite mugs.

“Fine. The kids are still having a hard time with the divorce so it’s…” You paused, unsure of how to describe the child-like brooding your son and daughter had taken to participating in since you’d separated from their father.

“Tense? Difficult? Weird?” Rachel listed off helpfully.

“All of the above.” You deadpanned, still scrubbing.

“You take the rest of the day off?”

“Yeah, I’ve gotta figure out what I’m going to do with these kids. Paul said he’d come over later to talk it over.”

“How incredibly thoughtful of him.” Rachel replied, sarcasm and disdain dripping from her words.

“Well, it’s a start. And as much as I’d like to tell him to fuck off, I can’t. He’s still their dad.” You explained for the hundredth time, feeling the stress of your situation with your ex starting to creep into your body. Your shoulders felt stiff and your head began to throb with a dull ache. It was a familiar reaction these days. One you loathed.

You opened your mouth to steer the conversation elsewhere when the doorbell rang, chiming throughout the empty expanse of your home.

“Paul?” Rachel asked, obviously hearing the alert of someone’s company over the phone.

“I guess. Look, I’ll call you later.” You said with another sigh, this one more tired than annoyed. You gave up on the stained mug and moved onto drying it, shutting the water off as you did.

“Okay. Good luck.”

“Thanks.” You ended the call, aware that you were short with her, but unable to feel sorry for it. You had plenty of other things to worry about, none of which involved your shitty ex or his new girlfriend.

You placed your cell on the counter and turned to make your way to the entryway, mug still clutched in your hand. The ceramic cup dropped to the floor and shattered into pieces when you saw who was already in your kitchen. You gasped, clutching your chest and yelping at the familiar man in black, the dark ink splattered across his throat the first thing you noticed. Your heart leapt, your body going rigid at the unexpected visit. Pop-ups like this were never a good sign.

“I let myself in.” Rio supplied, voice low and thick with authority and charm. He wore a smirk, lips upturned at your surprised reaction. He always seemed amused by you. That fact only served to unsettle you further.

“What’re you doing here?��� You managed to say between shaky breaths, fear making your own voice quiver.

“Just checking in, mama. Can’t I do that?” He challenged with his arms spread wide, daring you to say otherwise.

You didn’t.

You went to move around the large kitchen island but the shards of broken mug prevented you from getting far on bare feet. Rio took notice and strode towards you, all clean lines and hooded eyes. He had a swagger about him that radiated. It sent a clear message about the kind of man he was. Confident. Skilled. Smart. There was an ease in his movements, but a beast lay in wait inside, ready to strike when the need arose.

His piercing gaze took in your dress, uncaring of being discreet or polite. He appraised you from the tips of your painted toes to the top of your head. It was as unnerving as it was thrilling. He crowded your space. He always did. While the scent of him filled your nostrils. Something spicy, but pleasing. It sat in your nose, and you knew from previous experience that you’d smell it for hours after.

You swallowed, wanting to avoid his close proximity. You hastily bent down to gather what you could of the jagged pieces, moving around his sneaker-clad feet that stood before you. You tried to ignore his presence, tried to appear calm and composed. It was an uphill battle. The man always knew how to throw you off. He knew how to keep people on their toes. It was yet another facet of him that you both coveted and despised.

You hissed, feeling the edge of one of the shards dig into the tip of your finger. You stood and sucked the tip into your mouth, trying to clear the area of the blood that had started to surface. His eyes were on you, watching you with interest and a certain level of lust that you didn’t allow yourself to explore. You stiffened when he reached for your wrist and pulled your finger away from your lips. He inspected the cut, his flesh warm and soft against yours. It was a side of him that eclipsed the man you’d come to know over the last several months.

“It’s not bad. I’ll be fine.” You whispered, attempting to pull your hand free of his. It was futile.

“Band aid?”

“Uh...yeah. In that drawer. Next to the stove.” You pointed in the direction of the drawer, holding your breath as he retrieved the item. This time, you watched him. Watched as he unwrapped the bandage and tended to your finger with all the care of a parent with their child. He held the appendage steady as he got ready to wrap it, but he stopped himself. He locked eyes with you instead, making you shiver.

“I make you nervous.”

It was a statement. A very true statement. And yet you found yourself shaking your head; ironic because your voice felt too unsteady to use.

Your heart stopped when he placed a tender kiss to the cut. The air around you crackled with heat and tension. It was unlike any feeling you’d ever been subjected to before. It was danger mixed with primal fascination...attraction. And it called to you like a raft in a sea of treacherous waves.

He ignored your silent response and sealed the band aid over your finger, ensuring the ends were smooth against your skin. He didn’t let go of you.

“Don’t lie to me, okay? Trust is an important thing. And we’ve gotta have it if we wanna keep doing business together.”

His calm demeanor and gentle chastising made you a puddle of obedience. Your need to please wasn’t just born from fear. It was something you’d been unable to come to terms with until now. You saw it for what it truly was. You wanted to please him. In as many ways as he’d let you.

You nodded in response, agreeing to his statement.

“Let’s try it again then, yeah?” He started, eyes roaming your face. “I make you nervous, don’t I?”

“The constant threat of my life makes it difficult for me to be calm.” You said, choosing to still be untruthful. 

You forced yourself not to fidget as his stare scorched your skin. His black eyes roamed across the open expanse of your collarbone and to the modest neckline of your wrap dress. He licked his lips as he focused on the measured breaths of your chest, your breasts rising with each pass.

“That’s not the only reason.” He retorted with a shake of his head. He leaned in close, noses almost touching as he spoke. “Don’t move.”

You said nothing as he bent down, continuing your failed task of picking up the broken bits of ceramic. You observed him dutifully gathering each piece, piling them into one large hand. His face looked pensive, as if he was trying to solve an equation in his head. You leaned against the island for support and bit your lip, unwilling to give into the lecherous thoughts that haunted you at night and managed to infiltrate your dreams.

“Nice dress.”

His compliment made you pause, looking down to meet that familiar smirk. He’d set what was left of the mug onto the counter, the floor relatively clear of large fragments. His fingers now played with the hem of said dress, the flowy material dancing in the air and away from your body.

“Thanks.”

Your voice was small. The apprehension so clear that you could both taste it. He found it funny. You found it humiliating.

He slowly straightened, taking the fabric with him as he gathered it to just above your knees.

“Color looks good on you.”

Again, the juvenile warmth of his praise sent you reeling further into anxiety’s waiting arms. Inwardly, you were responding to every lick of his lips and quirk of his eyebrow. Your thighs shifted restlessly against each other, waiting for that satiation that you hadn’t felt in forever. Outwardly though, you remained as skittish as a wild horse. You were as much on the edge of pleasure as you were on retreating.

“Thanks.” You said with a pleasant smile, wanting to conceal the yearning that bubbled just under the surface. You smoothed out the hunter-green fabric that rested against your abdomen, hoping to urge his hands away from you and the dress.

No such luck.

Instead, he ran his fingers up your skirt and along the outside of your thighs and hips, almost meeting the edge of your lace panties. Your traitorous body showed its hand, your nipples hardening in eagerness. Rio’s gaze predictably caught the action. And his face showed his approval.

“How long you been divorced?”

You furrowed your brows in confusion at his sudden curiosity. But the switch in topic had you alert again and somewhat clear of the fog he was so insistent on throwing you into.

“Why? What does that have to do with anything?” You questioned, stepping back from his body.

His hands fell away from you finally, but they didn’t stay idle for long. They skimmed over your hips, pressing your backside into the edge of the kitchen island.

“Answer me, mama.” He demanded, head craning down to meet your eyes. The intensity of his stare made you shift on your feet. He had an amazing poker face. A skill that left you envious.

“Two years.” You dutifully supplied, leaning backwards every inch that he moved in.

“It’s been that long then.” He commented with a nod, a finger tracing along the neckline of your dress, hovering just above your cleavage.

“That long for what?” You asked, taking note of the subtle ways in which his face changed. There was no trace of the teasing, light-hearted flirting that you’d become accustomed to seeing from him. He was serious. Almost as serious as the times he’d threatened your life. His touch was more insistent, telling you what he wanted rather than hinting. His mouth lowered to your ear, his nose brushing against your neck in a far too erotic manner. Your fingers itched to anchor yourself to him. You denied the request.

“Since someone stretched you out.”

A gasp caught in your throat, though you didn’t know if it was more from his words or his touch. He’d managed to slip a hand under your dress, tracing the crotch of your panties with a dexterous finger as he spoke.

“Wh-what do you mean?” You stammered, knuckles tightening against the edge of the counter you were currently gripping.

“I mean…” Rio started, lips brushing against the shell of your ear with each syllable. His finger barely teased your slit, but his voice more than compensated for the lack of physicality. “You haven’t had someone here,” He emphasized the word with a firm press of his finger against the soaked material that hid your clit from view. “In two years. Maybe more.”

You whimpered, biting your lip as he continued to manipulate your body. Your head screamed at you to stop, to pull away. But the sensation of his body pressed so firmly to yours was far too comforting to deny.

“You don’t know that.” You attempted, though the effort was obviously pointless. It was true. Since your separation and subsequent divorce from Paul, you’d barely been on a date, much less had sex. Your body was fiending for it...for him. And he knew it.

He scoffed, finding amusement in your words. He pressed his finger along the same dampened area, seeing your eyes roll into the back of your head. He licked his lips when your hand shot out to grasp at his wrist.

“Yeah, I do.” He affirmed with a nod, finger still teasing over your lace-covered slit. “He stepped out on you, didn’t he?” He continued, his eyes taking stock of the way you responded to his touch.

You had trouble focusing on the conversation he insisted on having while his hand was up your dress and practically in your underwear. You didn’t feel the need to supply an answer anyway. He already had all the information he needed.

“He didn’t deserve you.”

You were jolted back to reality by his words, straightening your spine and pushing his hand from between your legs.

“And what? You do?” You threw back, agitation seeping into your tone. You felt like he was patronizing you. He was always one step ahead. Always aware of the skeletons in your closet before you were.

“Never said that.” He said with a shake of his head, not stepping out of your space. His hands were off your body now, but the stains they’d left on you would remain there. They wouldn’t easily be erased. And you weren’t entirely sure that you wanted them to be.

“Why are you here?” You asked, trying to sound more confident than you felt.

“Business.”

“A simple call or text works for that.”

“Wanted to come in person.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. He wore an expression of smugness, as if he knew something you didn’t, which was often the case.

“What do you want then?”

“Why don’t you tell me?” He retorted swiftly, lips pulled into a thin line.

The seriousness was back, his eyes nearly swallowing you as all humor became sucked from the room. The nerves in your stomach came back full force, the fear aiding them in their efforts. He was challenging you, apparently done with your lying.

“I…”

You didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know how to even begin. He was too intimidating. Just too much.

“I-I can’t.” You finished lamely, shaking your head and looking down at your feet.

He tilted your chin up, his mouth only centimeters from yours as he dared you to move.

“Just say the word.” He rasped against your lips, his free hand cradling your cheek.

You let yourself stare back, taking in his dark lashes and the angles of his face. He confused you on many levels, angered you beyond belief. He made your life a living hell. And yet, you wanted him more than anything. More than the money and the thrill of crime. And somehow he was privy to it all. And he wanted to give it to you.

So you were going to let him.

“Kiss me.” You breathed out, your hands finally coming to rest on his chest.

He needed no further encouragement. His mouth settled over yours in a tangle of lips and tongues. He tasted like mint, his lips much softer than they looked. The scratch of his facial hair only added to the moment as you pressed further into him, asking him to take more.

He did.

His hands were rough, but not unpleasant as they trailed along your body. They had the marks of healed scars. Not to mention the blood of those who chose to cross him. They were everywhere and all at once. Your breasts, your neck, your waist, your ass. He kneaded where he knew you yearned for more and tenderly stroked the areas in between. You struggled to keep up as his hips pushed into yours, his own yearning making its presence known.

“We shouldn’t do this.” You managed to say between heavy breaths, Rio’s mouth attaching to your neck and sucking near your throbbing pulse.

“Why not?” He mumbled into your skin, hands unwilling to slow down.

“Things will get complicated.”

He pulled himself away from the crook of your neck, his thumb running over your kiss-swollen pout.

“Yeah, they will.” He said with a chuckle, that devilish smirk staring back at you.

It was all a blur after that.

Limbs intertwined together as you worked on the buckle of his pants while he pushed your dress up and over your hips this time. He harshly pulled the lace away, the elastic snapping against your thighs as it got caught before making its way to the floor. Your mouths didn’t separate, not even when he lifted you onto the counter. He pulled one side of your dress away, exposing the matching bra you wore underneath. Your pebbled nipples called to him and he responded, massaging the flesh with expert precision. You moaned and writhed like a woman possessed. Like a woman that hadn’t been laid in two years.

“Feels good?”

The roughened gravel of his voice made your walls spasm, the hint of self-assuredness causing a wave of arousal to seep from within you. You could only nod, wordlessly pleading with him to continue on. His touch ventured south to your spread thighs. You widened them, allowing him access to the place you needed him the most. He didn’t disappoint.

His fingers were long and probing as they penetrated your sex, slipping easily in. You gasped at the fullness, the stretch around him making your eyes squeeze shut. He let your body guide him as he rubbed at your clit, his fingers curling against your walls.

“I’m...god...I’m gonna cum.” You confessed, only somewhat embarrassed by the suddenness of your climax.

He worked hard and faster. Your nails dug into his back, your mouth landing on his shoulder as you struggled to not cry out. You bit down when the euphoria of orgasm washed over you, trapping his hand within you. He could feel every tremor he brought forth as you shook in his arms. It felt like it lasted for hours, your body unwilling to let the feeling be a fleeting moment in time.

“You still with me?” He asked, lips pressed to your temple.

You nodded, hissing when he removed his fingers from the confines of your body. You watched, feeling as if you were in a daze. He shifted his pants and boxers down, revealing his length to your ravenous eyes. The hand that had been so deeply embedded in you now wrapped around himself. He was long and hard, as rigid as his hands. You felt like a moth to a flame, hand reaching out to feel if he was real. He was.

You swiped your finger over the tip of him and were overcome with wanton pride at feeling the moisture that sat there. His jaw clenched in a way that you’d only ever seen him do in anger. He didn’t allow you to continue. In an instant he was wedged between your thighs, his body already pushing into your waiting sex. Even with the climax from his fingers, he was a tight fit. You both expelled breaths, his a mumbled curse and yours a throaty moan. You shut your eyes as a new burst of pleasure radiated from your core and traveled up your spine. There was only a brief moment of intimacy as he sat unmoving within you, letting your body adjust to him.

It was short-lived.

“Fuck...” He cursed as he began to fuck you into the counter, hands holding your hips in place.

You wrapped your arms around his neck as he lavished yours with kisses and bites, each thrust of his hips causing his teeth to graze your skin. The chill of the marble countertop beneath your bare ass cooled your overheated skin. You bit your lip so hard you could taste blood as he filled you over and over, each pass making your walls accept more of him. He was deep and hitting that gloriously elusive spot that sat within your womb. 

He cupped your breasts while you scraped your nails down his back, hearing him growl in response. The sound made you yearn to hear more. So, you did something you’d always wanted to do...you licked the ink on his throat. You decorated his skin with tantalizing kisses, your tongue aiding your actions. He shivered against your lips, the reaction making your walls clench around him. He was, at least for the moment, a slave to your ministrations. And it was a high unlike any drug you’d ever encountered.

It was animalistic fucking at its finest. He hit every nerve, soothed every ache. The union of your bodies was enough to send you sailing off the proverbial cliff, but his touch kept you tethered to solid ground, longing for more. He rocked his hips mercilessly into you, making your back arch at an almost painful angle.

“Right there, huh?” He teased, feeling you squeeze around him in raw desire. “Yeah, that’s the spot.”

You whimpered and tensed when he savagely rubbed your swollen clit, forcing your legs to tighten around him. He laughed, the sound ominous in your ringing ears. You could only hold on as he delivered the sweetest torture you’d ever felt. You spread your thighs wider, trying to get him closer than humanly possible. You opened your neck up to him, letting him have access to your bare flesh. You wanted him all over you and leaving a scorching trail of hunger in his wake.

It was manic. It was frenzied. It was passionate. And it all combined into a seductive elixir that made fireworks burst from within.

“Shit...I’m cumming.” You warned, feeling him double his efforts. Every muscle went taut with blinding pleasure as that coil finally snapped. You felt weightless, and yet the firm body still driving into your depths made you feel sublimely solid. And whole. More whole than you’d felt in the entirety of your marriage.

It was on the tail-end of your climax that Rio found his. His hips stuttered as he grunted and groaned, releasing himself into you and painting your walls. His fingers dug into the flesh of your inner thighs while his face burrowed into your chest and neck. It was as uninhibited as you’d seen him. And you were addicted to the sight. 

You both heaved with shallow breaths, the exertion of each of your climaxes literally taking the air from your lungs. The room smelled of sex and instant regret as you straightened in Rio’s arms. He separated from your body, eyeing you as he redressed. You shifted your dress back together to cover your bra, the mess between your thighs preventing you from closing them completely. 

Before you could say anything, Rio reached up and cradled your cheek. He played with your bottom lip, his thumb once again finding the appendage. His eyes took in every part of you, as if he hadn’t fucked you senseless seconds before. He licked his lips in that dangerous way that let you know his thoughts were on more than just money.

“Business is good?” He asked, warm palm still pressed to your cheek.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Cool, cool.” He nonchalantly replied, hand leaving your face as he stepped back from your debauched body. “I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Yeah.” You said with a nod, pushing your dress further down over your thighs, a lame effort to protect any modesty you might’ve still possessed. He smirked at the action.

“Might wanna clean up the mess.” He said with a cheeky upturn of his lips, hands gesturing to the remaining fragments of ceramic that still littered the floor but eyes locked solely to the spot between your legs. The place he knew he’d left a part of himself.

You bit your lip and nervously played with the hem of your dress, feeling his eyes bore into you. Despite still being fully dressed, you felt naked to him. Bare. Exposed. Vulnerable. You hated it.

He retreated, facing you as he walked backwards towards the front door. You watched him from over your shoulder, still unsure of what to make of the whole situation. 

“And lock your door from now on. All kinds of madmen running around these streets.” He quipped, eyes lighting up at his own joke.

He was gone as fast as he’d arrived, causing havoc and then leaving without a second thought. The door closed with a crisp click at his exit, the house now feeling bare without his foreboding presence.

You didn’t move from your spot. You remained on the counter, Rio still leaking from your walls and your dress still disheveled despite your best efforts. Your mind raced with thoughts, each one riddled with panic. His unexpected visit left you with more questions than answers, all of which were tinged with fear. What did this development mean for you? Did it actually mean anything? Or was he simply taking what was so obviously laid out in front of him?

Did it matter?

No. It didn’t.

Because although he may have indulged your craving, your appetite was far from being fulfilled.

[citadelspires]

Amphibia Oneshot Thing(I Never Claimed To Be Good At Titles)

I had an idea for a fun little story thing while I was at work over the weekend, and decided to take the time to write it up into this. In all honesty this is ridiculously self indulgent, and I wrote it late at night with no editing, beta reading, or even just looking back over it once I finished. Essentially I wrote this entirely for myself and just threw it on here in the hopes maybe a few other people might enjoy it like I do. That’s all I gotta say up front so just, here you go. (this is a long one so most of the story will be under a cut).

Anne found herself wandering around a lot of parks these days. After all her time inAmphibia sitting around in her house only made her anxious, and the city was just dull. So she would sit in the areas with the most foliage, where it always felt the most comfortable. Like one of her old adventures could come find her any second. Like she could pretend her friends were just around the corner and surely if she waited just one more second Marcy would come tumbling out of those bushes, launching right away into a rambling speech about a new plant she'd found, the perfect mix of adorable passion and somewhat interesting information that would always make Anne smile.

She knew that wasn't going to happen. She'd known and tried to force herself to get used to the idea, but even as her miserable daydream was interrupted by the rustling of the very bushes she'd imagined, she hoped for a second maybe she'd imagined it all. She hadn't of course, and the boy who pushed his way out of the bushes was anything but her Marcy. Even so, he must have noticed her solemn expression, because he immediately walked over to where she sat with a look of concern on his face.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Anne was surprised by the question for a moment, then again, she realized, she probably did look pretty miserable, moping around in the dirt in a random park. She was tempted to give an offhanded reply of dismissal, she was fine and his concern was almost certainly just a polite formality. But she was never good at following through with all that smile and say Im fine stuff.

"I've been better," she sighed.

The boy in front of her frowned, and took a seat beside her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Anne blinked in surprise, not expecting that reaction. She took a second glance at the kid, wondering what his deal was. He looked a few years younger than her, probably about Sprig's age, dressed for wandering around the woods. He looked like a kid who liked an adventure, maybe that's why Anne felt like she might be able to talk to him. She couldn't say everything of course, god knows she'd need a full time therapist for all her turmoil, but maybe she could simplify it a little bit, dance around the truth slightly. Besides, the more she thought about it the more the idea of talking to a regular kid sounded nice.

"Well," she began, searching for each word and phrase carefully, "a while ago, me and my friends found this weird place. It was scary at first, and I was nervous for a bit, but after a while I grew to love it a lot. I think- I know my friends felt the same. It was a really magical place, but it, uh, well its not around anymore. And I feel like I left a part of myself with it." Anne suddenly became overwhelmingly aware that she had just poured her heart out to a random stranger, and probably sounded insane on top of it, "Ugggh I sound stupid, nevermind kid just ignore me, thanks for trying though."

She started to get up and walk away but the boy jumped up at the same time.

"Wait, hold on. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but from the sound of it, I think I kind of get it. I've got a pretty magical place of my own, I can't imagine loosing it. I know it's not the same but, I could take you there, if that would help?"

Anne turned back to look, not sure why this kid was so eager to help, until she saw the look on his face. He just looked like a kid who wanted to help, just for the sake of being nice. In that moment he reminded her of Sprig again, and she couldn't help it, she laughed.

"Seriously? You don't even know me. You sure?"

The boy shrugged and smiled. "There's lots of cool people I don't know yet. And you seem nice. So," he reached out his hand, "my name's Craig, nice to meet you."

As weird as this was, Anne had seen weirder, so sure, why not. She took the boy's hand.

"Call me Anne."

---

As they walked Anne started to wonder where this weird kid was taking her. Sure “magical place” in her situation was fairly literal, but she didn’t think she was exactly in the most common position for a kid. Or really for anyone for that matter. Still, the boy seemed pretty excited about it, so she figured she’d give it a shot. Better than moping around in some random bushes all day. Who knows, maybe she could even get her hopes up a little bit there would at least be something cool out there.

‘Something cool’ turned out to be a tree stump. Anne wasn’t sure if the kid was serious or not when they first got to the clearing, but based on the way he jumped up on the tree base and spread his arms wide.

“Welcome to the stump!”

Anne stared at him for a few seconds, not sure how to respond. Before bursting into laughter. She just couldn’t help it. There had been so much buildup, all for, apparently a regular tree stump. Craig crossed his arms and spoke up.

“Hey, I know it doesn’t look like much, but you haven’t seen anything yet, watch this!”

Whatever he was about to do, though, was cut off by a battle cry and a flash of orange hair flying at Anne from the trees. It was pure instinct, really, when Anne dove behind cover of the stump screaming,

“It’s an ambush!”

She realized her mistake a few short seconds later. Ivy Sundew literally could not be here. So, with no small amount of hesitation, she peeked over the edge of the stump to see a small girl pointing a homemade sword at her while trying to cover up a pouting expression. Anne could vaguely make out the girl muttering under her breath about how “noble warriors don’t ‘ambush.’“

“So, uh, are you gonna put the sword down orrr...”

Anne trailed off as the girl gave her a weary glance and muttered something about ‘intruders.’ It was at this point that Craig, who seemed to have tripped and fallen off the stump in the chaos, also poked his head back up and called out,

“Kelsey, wait! She’s with me!”

The short girl’s demeanor changed immediately.

“Oh, cool! Hi Craig, hi new girl, sorry I attacked you, I thought you were a devilish intruder.”

“Don’t worry about it, I get randomly attacked a lot, it happens.”

The girl, Kelsey, apparently, looked over Anne again, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“You do? Do you need a heroic guardian to protect you?”

Well, Anne noted, maybe this girl wasn’t so similar to Ivy after all. Though she still got the feeling the two of them would get along exceptionally well. She gave Kelsey a grateful smile, but shrugged off the offer.

“Nah, I’m good.”

Kelsey nodded, seeming to finally relax, though she did pause for a moment and stare off into the distance, though to Anne it seemed more like she was probably just gazing into the depths of a random tree. She gave Craig a curious look, but he only waved it off, apparently this was just how things worked with Kelsey. Noted. When she came back down to earth Craig was waiting with a question,

“Where’s J.P.?”

“Oh he found a butterfly and then chased it into a mud puddle. It was close though so I went on ahead.” Her tone of voice suddenly changed into a much more dramatic one. “He and I both had our own battles to fight.” Before immediately going back to her normal one. “But he should be right behind me.”

Sure enough it was at  that moment another boy crawled out from the foliage outlining the clearing. This one already in a considerably messier state than either of the kids Anne had met so far. He wandered over to the stump, repeating the tale Kelsey had just told them, this time with a much higher focus on the mud puddle. He didn’t seem to notice Anne at all until she cleared her throat and waved hello. The boy, J.P. she assumed, immediately jumped with an exclamation of surprise.

“Relax J.P. she’s cool.”

Anne was a little pleased to notice this reassurance came from Kelsey this time, and didn’t miss the way Craig nodded in agreement.

“She was off by herself so I thought we could give her a tour of the creek.”

That last bit caught Anne off guard, just a bit. Up till this point she had just been assuming Craig had took her here to see the stump and his friends. She wasn’t sure how much more exciting one creek could be, but after all her time in Amphibia she wasn’t one for making too many assumptions about that kind of thing. Turning her focus back to J.P. she noticed how he looked her up and down with squinted eyes, before seeming to focus on the leaves and sticks that had (again?! seriously?!) gotten tangled in her hair, and nodding sagely.

“Good call Craig! I like her style.”

As J.P. immediately began to inspect the ground for his own leaf, which he immediately deposited snugly in his, much shorter, hair, Craig waved Anne over to the stump, where he’d rolled out a large piece of paper.

“This,” he announced proudly, “is my map of the creek!”

Anne wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but a fully detailed expansive rendition of what must have been a really large area of land, complete with notations of inhabitants, activities, landmarks, and literally anything else one could find to write down, had not been it. She gave a low whistle of appreciation. Man Marcy would’ve loved this.

Craig beamed at her show of awe, allowing himself a pleased, “drew the whole thing myself” before asking, “So, where do you wanna see first?”

---

After that, Anne was pulled around the creek to all sorts of locations, each one more intricate than the last. There was an entire colony of kids in these woods, a civilization even. Even on Amphibia she had never seen anything quite like it. It was wild, and, kinda cool? The more she saw the more she started to get what Craig meant. The whole place had its own feeling to it that didn’t quite mesh with any of the surrounding area. After a while, she was even able to push (most of) the weight that had been on her shoulders for so long to the back of her mind.

Which wasn’t to say that her time in Amphibia left her completely. In all likelihood it was more inclined to have already made her a primary target for whispers and gossip to all the kids there. Though she never would’ve expected it before she’d gotten flown away from earth so long ago, she was kinda an expert at being in the woods now. Though she did slip up once or twice. For one dangerous moment there she was mortified that everyone would think she was insane when, upon being shown to the trading tree she had casually remarked,

“I don’t see why you need a whole place to trade for snacks when there are so many perfectly good bugs to eat out here.”

In her defense, she also preferred a good bag of chips over tiny dirt critters, but what could she say, she’d gotten used to a lot of weird things. While her immediate first reaction upon the words escaping her mouth had been to play it off as a lame joke(especially considering the way all the kids stared at her, some in horror, some in awe, at least one clearly wondering to themselves why they didn’t think of that first, the clearing totally silent save one kid who apparently didn’t get the memo and loudly exclaimed something Anne thought sounded like “my candy!”) her backup plan ended up being totally unnecessary as J.P. just started laughing, confidently proclaiming,

“I told y’all, she fits right in here”

And sure, maybe that made Anne smile just a little bit.

After that they had a few more people to meet, including a few girls prancing around a big open field, one of whom blushed slightly as she informed J.P. that she liked his leaf, to which J.P. gave a cheerful giggle and a thanks. (Anne considered it one of her foremost signs of character development that she didn’t break out any magazines as soon as they got back to the stump). But eventually things started to wind down, and the trio of friends, along with their new straggler, made it back to the little home base.

Anne took a few minutes to discuss the finer points of exploring woods with Craig, who had been eager to talk about it since they’d gone out earlier, while out of the corner of her eye Anne watched Kelsey do mock battle with an imagined enemy.

“You know, my little brother is much better at this stuff than I am, maybe you’d like to meet him sometime?” Though she’d posed the question to Craig, she didn’t bother to wait for an answer, as she saw Kelsey perform another made up sword move, and something occurred to her. “Hold that thought.”

Walking over to Kelsey, Anne continued to watch her form, confident enough based on where she was swinging and where her eyes were trained on that she had a pretty good idea of what the fake enemy the other girl was fighting might look like. Eventually she offered,

“You’re pretty good, but if you’re fighting something that much bigger than you, you’re gonna want to switch up your strategy a little bit.”

Without waiting for Kelsey’s reaction Anne grabbed a stick off the ground and performed a demonstration of a few moves she’d picked up in Amphibia. Though sword fighting was never something she had expected to be proficient at, she couldn’t deny that at this point she’d picked up a decent amount of skill. Once she’d finished her quick combo demonstration she turned to where Kelsey was standing, a little surprised to see a look of pure awe on the younger girl’s face, before she shouted,

“YOU KNOW HOW TO USE A REAL SWORD??????”

Anne grinned sheepishly at her excitement. “Uhhh, yeah, a little bit I guess?”

She’d barely gotten the words out before Kesley was on her, begging her to show more moves or better yet, spar with her. Anne waited for the tirade of excitement to slow down before smiling and offering,

“Sure I guess I could, but honestly my little sis knows way more about this fighting stuff than I do. If you want someone to practice with she’s your best bet. I could bring her out here some time, if you’d like.”

Kelsey’s excited nodding was interrupted by an instrument Anne couldn’t quite place, and suddenly the smaller girl’s shoulders fell in disappointment, before immediately perking back up again.

“That’s dinner, but you can bring her tomorrow! I’ll see you then!”

She waved goodbye as she rushed off, as did J.P. though with considerably less rushing, leaving just Anne and Craig, who seemed to also be on his way out. Anne figured that was just one more of the natural ways of the creek. As he left, though, Craig paused for a moment.

“I’m not sure where your special place was, but this is a pretty good one for a lot of kids here. I hope you had fun, I know we did. See you around Anne?”

Anne could tell the last bit was phrased as a question, and she paused to think, if only for a moment. Sure this was no Amphibia, and sure a lot of the stuff that had happened since Craig had tumbled out of those bushes was pretty weird. And maybe she did feel a little guilty that she was off playing around while her friends in Amphibia were, well... But still, for the first time since her birthday, Anne had gone one day where she actually felt like the 13 year old kid she was. Sooner or later she could blow their minds with magic powers and frog siblings, but for now, she was just Anne, she was just a kid. She gave a grateful smile.

“See you around, Craig of the Creek.”

[hanadolphieron]

lunar artist!yeojin; chapter two~

warnings; fish, fish bites?

genre; sci-fi, strangers to friends to lovers, fluff

pairing; im yeojin x gender neutral!reader

word count; 1.8k

summary; your small crater town on the moon was rarely visited. one day, artist!yeojin travels all the way from mars to paint the serene, wistful scenery of your planet.

-----------------------------------------------------------

day one-

you return to the same place every day, the place you met yeojin, the first spark in your life for as long as you can remember. she isn’t there.

day two-

again, you go back. she isn’t there.

day three-

she isn’t there.

day four-

you still go back. she isn’t there.

day five-

you don’t go back.

day six-

you stay home.

day seven-

you go back. she’s there.

-----------------------------------------------------------

yeojin looks up and says nothing. 

“you’re back!” you exclaim rushing towards her. you go in for a hug, but balk at the last second, wondering if yeojin would appreciate physical contact or would prefer to remain at a distance.

however, yeojin pulled you in, a big smile on her face, clearly overjoyed to see you.

“i missed you. where have you been?” you inquire, pulling back and looking into her eyes. somehow, you seem to have gotten closer over the week you’ve been apart.

“can’t say.” she tells you.

you both stand there, unsure of what to do. or, at least, you’re unsure, yeojin seems perfectly content standing there and staring up at you. you’re bending your legs a little so she doesn’t have to crane her neck, but we’re just going to leave that unmentioned for the rest of this chapter for yeojin’s sake.

“where do you live?” yeojin asks shamelessly. you lightly sigh, glad she spared you the task of saying something first.

“just over the hill. my house overlooks a little moon pond, there’s fish there too!” you ramble, excited. you’ve never talked about your house to anyone before. communicating has become a chore lately, and you haven’t bothered reaching out to anyone else except your plant, named rock, so talking to yeojin is a practically entertainment, “the water even freezes during the night! we could go ice-skating together!”

yeojin seems unaffected by your exuberance. in fact, she looks delighted by your plans. (even though she pretty much initiated it, with her not-so-subtle self invitation to your house)

“come with me,” you say, turning around, reminiscent of the way yeojin did just a week ago.

yeojin follows, a bounce in her step. her legs are moving insanely fast to keep up with you and you can barely see them. 

breaking the ice with a sledgehammer, you ask yeojin, “why did you leave so early last time?”

“i- like i told you, i had to be back by 17:33,” she stutters out.

“how did you do that,” you make weird floaty hand gestures at the air around you, “thing?”

“it’s just a habit i picked up when ships became scarce and i couldn’t fly,” yeojin says shortly. maybe you shouldn’t have asked. however, you decide to go against your gut and inquire more.

“isn’t that something plutonians do?” you seem to have hit a nerve with this question. yeojin opens her mouth, then purses her lips. her steps slowed a little, and she stumbled a bit.

you save her from your own question by asking another one, “do you like salt on your pretzels?”

-----------------------------------------------------------

you make it to your house, finally, the tension between the two of you was tight and you needed a distraction. 

walking over the hill, you stop, letting yeojin take in the view.

decking out the area around your house had become a full-time job once you realized there was nothing to do on this planet, and you had quite the plethora of beautiful, thoughtful places nestled around the lake’s edges.

a pier stretches out into the glistening water. fluorescent fish glide around its support. to the right of the pond, there is a garden, filled with all sorts of purple plants, creating a splash of dull color in your gray world. on the cliff behind the lake lies a mural, painted across the rocky edges in vibrant hues.

on the right sits your home. it’s wood, a native material of your home planet, that you brought with you as a keepsake to remind you of your roots. considerably small, your cottage only takes up a tiny sliver of the space surrounding the lake. it’s in the corner, a cute hidey-hole for you to stay safe and secure in.

yeojin looks out at the expanse of your property, her face expressionless. suddenly, as if she remembers that she has emotions, awe and adoration spread across her face. she turns to you, “it’s beautiful,” she says, and looks back at the view again.

“thanks,” you whisper back. “well, let’s get to it i guess, gotta get those pretzels pretzeled!” you say, slightly awkwardly, but that’s normal for you.

as you move past the pier, yeojin looks out into the water and sees the fish up-close. apparently having an epiphany over how much she wants to touch a fish, she drags you by the sleeve closer to the water’s edge.

you stumble over there, knowing exactly how this is going to go down.

yeojin rips off her left shoe and stabs her foot into the water. the fish, luckily, aren’t scared by her aggression and continue blandly swimming. (just keep swimming swimming swimming) 

yeojin isn’t satisfied with this, and reaches into the water.

“wait, yeojin, no!” you clamber after her. those fish are hostile!

it’s too late. yeojin tries to touch the fish, and, not used to abrasive humans attempting to make physical contact, the animal flips and flaps around, teeth out, and bites yeojin.

“ow!” yeojin yells, in a loud, raspy voice.

however, her poor finger did not bleed, and she was fine after a few seconds of glaring at the fish, who was oblivious to her anger.

you laugh, and head on towards your house. yeojin follows with narrowed eyes.

opening the door, you are met with a subtle silver glow from the lights.

“is everything on this planet gray and shiny?” yeojin exclaims upon entering.

“no! did you not the see the exquisite purple colored vegetables i tend to over yonder?”

yeojin says nothing. you won. hah!

going to the kitchen and leaving yeojin to fend for herself, you drag up two pretzels from the depths of your pantry.

yeojin survives the trek of 10 feet from the doorway into the house to the doorway to the kitchen and stands in the threshold, hands on her hips. 

you look at her, your eyes inspecting her dominating stance.

“just trying to scare you. guess it worked.”

huffing, you slap the doughy carbohydrates onto the counter and throw them in the oven.

“that was almost as aggressive as me,” yeojin comments, sipping from a drink. you think its yours. than again, who else would it belong to.

yeojin doesn’t seem to mind that she is inhaling your germs and slurps loudly.

you shake your head and look at the oven, trying to persuade the minutes to go by faster with the force of your mind. they don’t comply.

-----------------------------------------------------------

after talking for a while and becoming more familiar with each other, the oven screeched, causing you to jump from the noise and yeojin to cackle.

you stalk over to the oven, shoving on some super-mitts as to not burn yourself. you pull the pretzels out of the kitchen appliance and place them onto plates. 

sitting down across from yeojin and snatching another glass that had been laying on the counter, (there was a total of six sitting there, they started to pile up once you realized no one was going to tell you to pick them up and you had complete freedom to be lazy) you began to snack.

yeojin wasn’t the most delicate eater.

with cacophonous munching and smacking, she consumed her carbohydrates. 

you looked on, not exactly in disgust, but definitely in curiosity as you had never seen such an warrior-like eater.

yeojin notices you observing, but pretends she doesn’t, and chews louder.

in the middle of your small meal, yeojin interrupts the precious silence and asks, “can you play music?”

“you have music on mars?” you respond, surprised that she asked for such an elegant item.

“that didn’t answer my question.”

sighing deeply, you move to turn on the radio.

“yes, we do have music. some. besides, i paint. it’s hard to feel passionate about creating without indulging in other art forms.”

“oh.”

both of you are quiet for a while, listening to the sound of the music. 

suddenly, you decide to forego your normal daydreaming and imagining music-related tendencies and jump up. starting to fling your limbs out in all directions, you begin to dance.

yeojin falls out of her chair laughing at your attempt.

you, delighted by her clumsiness and happiness, topple over too, laughing as well. the two of you are on the ground for a few moments, and then you drag yeojin up with weak arms, pulling her into the middle of the room. 

falling to each other’s floppy embrace, you jump in circles, not exactly in tune with the music but that doesn’t matter anymore.

what matters is yeojin’s cute laugh that contradicts her tough persona, the way her cheeks get all chubby with the force of her smiling, the stars sparkling in her eyes, her hair flying around her face, sticking to her forehead now sweating from the exertion of laughing so hard you are about to perish, and the way she’s looking at you right now. 

the way she’s looking at you right now. 

it’s not the normal, happy, platonic look. 

not the same way your childhood friends looked at you when you made a great joke, or did something sweet for them. 

there’s something more there.

something that reminds you of waves crashing over the enormous beaches of you home planet, on the nights that don’t feel real, the ones that make you experience emotions that you can’t fully comprehend because they’re so beautiful, and so, so painful at the same time.

something that reminds you of roses, fluttering out into petals, blooming despite the thorns attached to their sides.

something that reminds you of illuminated evenings, talking and laughing, with an inexplicable tension in the air, one that makes you feel all warm and nervous inside.

something that reminds you of swirling blackness, that goes on forever, hidden from normal eyes, the perfect, dangerous place to explore and be addicted to.

something that reminds you of white clouds, floating across the sky, creating tapestries of gorgeous pictures, free to interpret and giggle over.

something that reminds you of actions, colorful vivid experiences. ones that leave a mark on your memory, but you don’t exactly remember who or what was happening, just a specific smell or sight or feeling.

and through all of those visions, you see yeojin in all of them.

not exactly see her, but she’s there, a presence that overpowers everything, so strong, taking over your mind, bringing you back to reality but ripping you away.

and then she’s right in front of you. close to your face. too close.

so close your lips are almost touching, noses brushing, eyes looking deep into each other’s souls.

and you pull away.

yeojin does too. 

and you’re back to where you started. slightly awkward, with a connection you can’t explain. back to where it’s safe.

masterlist - previous - next

[a-table-of-fics]

Cull to Adventure, Chapter 5, Draft 1

[[As Tumblr increased the size limits for posts, I can finally put this chapter draft all together.]]

Marie was already in a sour mood, having woken up far earlier than preferred. But it got worse as she realized she might as well have slept in; hardly anyone was around today. The heat wave, combined with the fact that all games were postponed until the respawn points have power again, meant that no one was around. Marie knew she couldn’t move too far from where the Outpost was without drawing unwanted attention, but it was a bit demoralizing. She was glad she had the parasol for the scant shade it provided in the midday sun, but she still tugged at her kimono every so often.

Well, if she wanted to find her cousin and the stolen Zapfish, she would have to do it herself. She didn’t want a second celebrity disappearance to cause more chaos, but she didn’t have much choice. Agent 2 would have to complete the rescue mission alone.

As she looked in the Outpost for her Charger, she debated whether Gramps should be alerted at this point. She decided against it, still; he was probably stressed enough about his mission with Agent 3, and she didn’t want him throwing himself in danger trying to find Callie. That was her job, darn it!

She opened a drawer and found her charger waiting, but…where was her uniform? The armored hoodie, the short, the boots, even the headset were all missing. She rustled around; maybe a bit of disorganized Callie rubbed off on her…but no, they were gone! Someone was in here! They took the Splattershot and one of the Ink Tanks, too!

A flash of panic came over Marie; someone had come in, and the outpost was breached! But… wait, why wasn’t her charger taken? Or any other supplies? Just the Agent getup and weapons—Oh.

Oh no.

She ran out of the shack, stumbling over her kimono a few times as she went for the manhole to Inkopolis. She had to get to Ammo Knights, and fast. It was lucky there wasn’t really anyone in the Square; while Marie took care to make sure she wasn’t immediately recognized by the adoring public, she didn’t care as much in the rush she was in.

The doors to the Ammo Knights store burst open the moment she unlocked them. Sheldon barely had time to look up in shock before the idol was in the back, frantically booting the computer up. Several monitors came up, each showing different angles of a new part of Octarian territory. None of the cameras could see anything, but when Marie put the headset on and heard panting and slight whimpering, her suspicions were confirmed.

Cull had gone into Octo Canyon alone.

Marie took a deep breath, turned the mic on, and coughed politely.

“Eh—” started Cull’s yelp, before he remembered where he was and clammed up.

“Oh good, you remembered the headset,” Marie said, keeping her voice level. “Okay, I think we can get you through this, but… I’m not sure where you are…”

“C-came in a-and made it to ch-checkpoint…”

Marie checked. The simulated sunny beach area in Octopolia did have a trail of green, including some inflated sponges. And it led right to a smaller respawner, directly in front of a massive road of pink ink. From where the camera was situated, Marie could see a Balloon Fish, but there were a few things behind it that were too blurry to see.

“They got some- some kinda robot b-bombs!”

“Octopods?” Marie asked. “Shouldn’t be a big deal, right? They just run at you.”

“…B-but that one at the start was so fast…C-can I really take more than one in a f-fight…?”

Marie leaned back in her chair, noting where the blurs were.

“You don’t have to, ex-Agent 4! If you can take that Balloon Fish, the Octopods should all pop with it!”

“B-but if I go up there, w-won’t they pop it and…?”

“Nah, they’ll run up to try to blast you. The Balloon Fish’ll be fine!”

Bad time for a joke, Marie realized, as she saw something shake in the respawner.

“Look, look,” she said, frantically trying to clear Cull’s head of some of the anxiety. “All you gotta do is keep your distance! Pop that balloon before the Octopods get to you.”

Cull finally surfaced, out of the respawner, and swallowed. He looked at the expanse of Octarian pink before him; it was going to take a lot of ink to even get to the Octo-bombs. He started firing, and Marie saw that his attention was divided between his path-making and the upcoming encounter.

“Hey, eyes on the prize, kid, not the road!”

Well, now the kid’s movement was slower, but at least he seemed more alert.

A thought came to Marie.

“…Ignore that when you start driving, ok?”

The Octopods started to rush in, but it was too late. Cull had already hit the Balloon Fish, taking the bombs and their weird red balloons with them. Octarians had the strangest ways of holding Power Eggs.

“Nice.”

That just left a layout of crates in a flattened “u” shape against the wall, a wall which had two Balloon Fish attached to it. As Cull looked up and around, Marie took a moment to swap through the cameras, finding a launchpad at the top, and the next camera showed a checkpoint. Thankfully, nothing between there and their current position Cull would have to worry about.

“All right, so just pop those balloons and swim up there. Nothing to worry about.”

Cull looked, hesitantly, but nodded. The Balloon Fish made short work of those boxes and covered the wall in green. But… he hesitated, rubbing the back of his head. Marie could hear sheepish mutters of “uh” and “oh boy” over her headset. She was about to ask what the holdup was, maybe throw in a joke about enjoying his handiwork, but all that came out was “wh” before she realized the problem – he was a slow swimmer when it wasn’t a vertical slope.

And she had seen the kid climb, too. This looked like a tougher thing to scale, sure, but his grip back then was impressive, and she was sure he could have figured something out. At the very least, it would probably be better than him struggling to swim up like he would have to now.

“Okay kid,” she said, attempting to hide her haste in correcting this, “I don’t usually recommend this, but you might want to try a running jump here.”

“O-okay…”

Marie watched as the ex-Agent stepped back, steeled himself, and sprinted to the wall. He jumped, and Marie thought he was going to slam into the wall, his squidforming was so close. However, it wasn’t close enough to conceal the fact his tentacles were… well, half-gone. He disappeared in the ink in a flash, but Marie could still tell, especially as he splashed and struggled to get the vertical movement.

Marie couldn’t do much more than watch; explaining how to swim to a fellow Inkling would just be dumb, and she wasn’t good at motivational platitudes. Still, she could try to encourage.

“Almost halfway there. Just keep breathing.”

“Just got past the second Balloon Fish; you’re almost there!”

Cull finally slipped over the edge onto wooden floor again. He couldn’t even kidform, and Marie could hear him panting and fully view his squid form.

His fins were much more disk-shaped than most, making his silhouette look less like an arrow and more like a mushroom with a point on top where his mantle ended. His skin had a spotted texture, as if someone had lightly sprayed him with darker green paint. More prominent, however, were his eight arms, all irregular stumps of what was expected, clearly from an injury long ago. His two tentacles, while about as long as most Inklings’, were notably thinner, and showed the same signs of being cut off at the end.

And Marie had sent him headfirst into danger. Worse yet, he refused to leave.

Cull wasn’t panting for too long; he soon kidformed, and was silent on his walk to the launchpad. Marie wasn’t sure what to say; she may like snarking, but humiliating someone was something else entirely.

A few quick key presses, and Marie could watch him land on the next section, where there didn’t seem to be much going on. There was a single sponge floating in the middle of a gap in the road, but not much else to see other than a few pillars. As Cull tentatively clambered down in case there was something, Marie switched to the next available camera. She could see Cull fill the sponge with ink to make a bridge in the distance, but more importantly, there were patrolling Octarians moving in a synchronous circle on some grates that were jutting out of one of the pillars.

“Octotroopers above you,” Marie called out, as Cull walked forward. She could see him step back onto the sponge, looking up and spotting the enemies. He tentatively moved forward, but never so much that he committed to a plan before stepping back. Thankfully, neither Octo seemed to have seen him, their gaze focused squarely on what was in front of them rather than what was below.

“C’mon,” Marie said, after about fifteen seconds of this, “You gotta do something if you wanna get outta here!”

“Uhm…”

“Oh for— just go! Take ‘em out and find a way up!”

Well, at least he was moving forward. The bad news was, the Octarians saw him, and began firing shots through the grate. At least the ex-Agent 4 was aware of this, and trying to zig-zag a little bit. He made it under the grate, with only a few spatters of pink on him for it. When he shot straight up and splatted one of the Octotroopers, however, his reflexive ducking was not enough to stop himself from being coated in green ink.

Despite herself, Marie had to stifle a snicker. Maybe it was just a needed release from stress, but there was something adorable about that pratfall. It reminded her of something that happened when she herself was younger, when she played one-on-one with Callie. The exact same thing happened to her, except she completely missed Callie…

“Y-you there?”

Marie took a breath, composing herself. Cull didn’t need the idea that she was laughing at him, nor did he need to hear her worrying about the other Squid Sister.

“Yeah, um… look for a way up the pillar. Looks like the grating goes to another floor… Just watch for that Octoslob and you’ll be fine…”

But Cull wasn’t looking up now. His attention was caught by something out of range of the cameras. He fired ink offscreen, slowly and carefully. Marie didn’t hear any return fire or Octarian shouts from his microphone, but all the same, this was concerning.

“Uh, I said ‘up’ the pillar…”

“Th-there was a lot of pink ink over here…J-just want to be sure…”

“I understand that,” Marie said, quietly kicking herself for not thinking of the possibility of an ambush, “but they’d have a hard time chasing you up. You might be better off—”

She heard the sound of wood breaking, and hoped to the Crane that Cull was alone; she’d be hard pressed to help him if she couldn’t see.

“Huh…Is that…?” he said, after a pregnant pause.

“Hmm? What was that?”

“N-nevermind, I must be mistaken…”

Marie heard some paper rustling, and then some grunting and splashing before Cull emerged from behind the pillar, now on the second floor. He took a few breaths, leaning against the column, before finally heading to the wall.

After making a break through a few more Octarians and some kind of wall-cleaning robot, he made it to a dead end. Behind a bunch of crates destroyed by a nearby Balloon Fish, there was nothing but a sheer drop to the facilities miles below. To his left, he could just see a large wooden wall, with the launchpad there. He groaned.

All Marie could say was “Sorry, kid, but you gotta make it through this.”

Cull stepped back to look, but he didn’t know if he could make another climb like that so soon. Instead, he looked to the re-inflated Balloon Fish, and then at the wall; not even at the launchpad!

Marie was at a loss for words when she saw the kid start clambering onto the enormous ink bomb, and rather quickly at that. Sure, Cull slipped once or twice, but he never once lost his grip. Within fifteen seconds, he was wobbling on top of it, looking almost like an eight-year-old bouncing on a waterbed. He sat down and started rocking, as if he was trying to get comfortable.

“Okay, look,” Marie finally said, “I get it may be tiring, but that’s no excuse for lazing around and…”

She stopped when he stood up, the Balloon Fish rolling back so far that Marie stood up, shocked at how far over the ledge Cull was. Cull, for his part, had an expression like he swallowed a sunfish whole, but kept his eyes to the wall he had to climb. He took one step forward, waiting for the Fish to roll enough…

And then he jumped. His hands reached out, and he was able to grab onto the ledge. By all accounts, he shouldn’t have been able to keep his grip, but it was dawning on Marie that he was a whip-lash squid.

He hoisted himself up, finding another piece of Sardinium, then looked over the edge to see about that launchpad. It was a simple swing down, and Cull was on his rapid way to the next area.

Marie was there to witness each remaining step. The ambush from above, where Cull leapt screaming into his first Splashdown. The attack immediately after, where he managed to actually take one or two of the Troopers before they even landed. Cull getting splatted again by the remaining Octarians, though he didn’t gasp as frantically when he respawned this time. He was able to finish off the other Octotroopers and make it to some more sponge-scaling situations and an easy battle.

After a bridge made from sponges filled with Balloon Fish ink, Marie’s eyes widened. Up ahead, a bulbous flying thing she knew all too well, and she was about to cry out a warning, but stopped herself. She was already dealing with a bit of a nervous wreck; no sense in giving him a heart attack in all three of his.

Instead, she said, as plainly as she could, “An Octobomber. Gross.”

“What—” Cull started, before yelping. He just saw a Splat Bomb land by him, and it wasn’t his.

Marie sighed as he respawned. Even if she didn’t want to scare the kid, that warning may have been less than helpful.

“Sorry, squid,” she said, apologetically. “Didn’t want to scare you…”

Cull walked back over to where he was, far more slowly this time. Shooting gobs of purple at him was one thing, but now they were hurling bombs at him!

“Ugh… how close is the Zapfish?”

Marie blinked. She hadn’t even been looking for the Zapfish; she was just making sure this kid got out alive.

“Um…”

She could see Cull looking around, mostly up and at the corners of platforms. She assumed he was looking for the camera, but he was nowhere close. At least it kept him safe while she re-calibrated the ZapSeek program that Sheldon wrote.

“Let’s see… the Zapfish is… uh…”

“Ye—?” was all Marie heard in response, before the computer suddenly went black. Her eyes widened, and she frantically mashed the power button, but all she heard was the equally frantic clicking of the button.

Sheldon opened the door behind her, frantically pulling out a set of keys. He dashed to a caged area behind the computer, where he kept the generator.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, trying each key in turn as fast as he could, “Without Zapfish, we gotta rely on this generator, and as you know, this is an old thing, and the fact is, it’ll take a bit to refuel it and start it up again, not to mention the computer booting time—”

“Sheldon!” Marie said, sharply. “Just tell me what I can do to help get it back! There’s a kid lost in Octopia here!”

“Right, right,” Sheldon’s capped silhouette nodded. “Sorry. So, I need you to take the rip cord here and wait to give it a good yank! There’s a coupla things I gotta keep in place over here while you do that…”

Marie walked over, but saw multiple cords that looked pull-worthy.

“Um…”

“You got the rip cord?”

“No…”

“All right, hold on…”

The sound of Sheldon pouring whatever the generator needed slowed to a halt, and he patiently walked over, instantly finding the correct cord and handing it to her.

“I’ll let you know when to pull. It might take a few tries for it to start, but keep at it.”

Marie nodded, not understanding when she heard a variety of switches being flicked, as well as some clatters.

“All right, you ready?”

She pulled the rip cord. A rumble, but nothing else.

“Okay, try again.”

It took a few more pulls, but the generator eventually roared to life.

“Now, lemme take care of getting you started, and I’ll be out of here…”

Marie didn’t dispute that. She was a lot of things, but she was no computer squid. She waited for the slow booting, the password entry, the appropriate programs written by Sheldon…

It felt like hours, but everything Marie was used to was back up. Sheldon saluted, then went back to working on his weapons.

Right, so she could flip through the cameras again, and find Cull who was… still standing at that checkpoint. Her audio wasn’t working, but she could tell he was just calling out, trying to get a response.

It took a minute for Marie to find the volume and fix it, but she was greeted with a quiet, almost fearful “…hello?...Yes?...Is the Z-Zapfish close…?”

“Yeah, hang on,” Marie said, putting on a practiced smile. “It was just a technical thing, sorry.”

“O-okay…”

“Just keep moving forward, m’kay? That Octoslob might have bombs, but he’s pretty slow, so just keep on your guard, okay?”

Cull gulped, but still started taking steps forward. It was slow and halting, with him looking around as if he was expecting the Octobomber to have flown to where he was.

Marie wasn’t going to spur him too far forward; the camera systems for other areas were still loading, and she didn’t want Cull dying down there, especially if it would be from something super avoidable.

Suddenly, after some tentative advancement, Cull ducked into the ink. Marie switched from the loading screen back to him the moment she heard a splash. He was nearing the Octobomber.

“Remember, kid: those Splat Bombs have timers on ‘em. Keep moving, and don’t let ‘em catch you! That’s a rule of the battlefield!”

Cull wasn’t moving.

“Come on, this is no time for hide and splat! You gotta move forward! Once you get to the Zapfish, you can get out of there!”

“But…” Cull whispered, still not so much as swimming an inch, “I-I don’t know…”

“Look, kid,” Marie sighed. “If you want to find your way home, you need to get past this guy. I already told you; keep moving and you’ll be a harder target for him!”

After a second (presumably waiting for the fat flying octopus to look away, which Marie had to admit would be a decent strategy), Cull emerged and started running, firing wildly as he did so. The Octobomber flinched as ink hit them, and they spun around, quickly lobbing a bomb at the Inkling intruder. Cull kept running forward, barely out of the blast’s range. He kept shooting, somehow missing half his shots as he did so.

It gave the Octobomber enough time to fire another bomb. Marie would have congratulated Cull on his plan of circling to avoid the explosives, but she was too busy gasping as he inattentively moved towards the edge.

“Kid, watch it—”

“Yeah, just keep movin’! Works great!”

He cheered as he splatted the enemy, but the cheer was short lived as he fell off the ledge.

Marie didn’t see his ghost swim up. She waited, desperately scanning every pixel, rotating every camera, but she saw nothing.

She started breathing again when she saw his hands inch onto solid ground, followed by the rest of him.

“Oh, thank Cod,” Marie said, more under her breath than anything. “Right, so….”

The hacks into the next area of security cameras finally loaded. Marie wasn’t sure what the delay was. Something about cache? She’d have to ask Sheldon later, but for now she looked into the next set of cameras, and…

“Hey, good news!” she said. “You’re almost to the Zapfish and outta there!”

“Uh, y-yeah…” Cull said, sounding like Marie did when she first learned how to fake smiles. “Uh, al-almost might be a strong word…”

“What are you talking abou—oh.”

A quick pan of one of the cams showed the problem. A series of dry sponges formed a line from the floor Cull was on to the floating island the Zapfish was on. Even if he used the Balloon Fish lined across the sides to fill them up, this would be a struggle for him to swim up what most Inklings could with just a bit of effort.

“Er… yeah, this might be tough…” Marie trailed off. “I’m sure you can make it up there, though…”

“Nnn…”

She saw him standing there, craning his neck to see the sun-shaped wall far above him. She couldn’t see his expression, but she could tell he wasn’t exactly readying up for the climb. Heck, he was walking back to a ledge (thankfully, a part with a railing this time). He looked around a little, but he didn’t see anywhere else he could try to go.

The blue skies made from blue monitor light surrounded him on all sides, illuminating a sparkling blue sea under him. Looking out on the wooden platform into the distant waters like this was filling him with nostalgia, back when he could only be halfway between squid and kid at most. He remembered having to brush his tentacles off his eyes a lot, to see a cloudless sky like this, with rocky beaches and wooden docks. The false sun was still a good one, adding to the illusion pretty well. Even if the air was still the stale air you’d find in caves, it didn’t matter; the atmosphere was so much like that of a beach, giving a very surreal vibe of familiarity along with the floating platforms, debris, and screens. This was inspiring.

“You okay, kid?”

“Hmm? O-oh, yeah, j-just needed a moment…”

He pulled himself away from the view, having calmed himself a bit. He took a breath, and looked at the challenge before him.

He fired at the first sponge until it was dripping with ink. He took a breath, and climbed up to the top of it. It was easier to just climb up the one, and he still had a dry, shrunken sponge in front of him.

He stepped onto the dry sponge, and was about to fire to inflate it as well, but he realized he’d have to do still more climbing with the other pair up ahead. He wasn’t sure if he’d be up to that; even that one small swim took effort. He still wanted to get the Zapfish in something resembling a timely manner, so he looked either way. It’d be a tricky thing, but he’d done crazier tagging a spot on Moray Towers the one time.

Standing on the tinier platform, he looked at the Balloon Fish on either side, and popped one.

Marie’s jaw dropped. She just saw Cull get flung like a ragdoll as the sponge exploded out to its full size under him. He flailed and hollered, but not as intensely as she thought it warranted. Heck, it almost seemed planned, as he landed flat on his back on top of the next set of filled sponges. He grunted, but he quickly got up and leapt at the final wall between himself and the Zapfish’s platform. A couple of grunts and kicks against the wall, and he could move from dangling by his fingers to actually getting onto the platform.

From there, Marie could view him freeing and petting the Zapfish. He sat down as the platform moved to the exit, the Zapfish on his lap. It was kind of adorable, honestly.

[spaceraspberries]

The expanse of shadowy, unending darkness expanding like a hungry maw ahead of the clearly unnerved Mira and Terra as the pair of young, naive explorers took their time in trying to calm their nerves as they sat by a column of rather cleanly cut stones for a long while, neither of the girls seemed to really want to venture any farther into the cave than they already had despite the possibility of going back to base being a no go for the time being.

After...-whatever- likely accident had gone on back there neither of the pair wanted to see what was left of the ravaged camp and potentially of their unfortunate team mates, Mira herself having came to the conclusion that it must have been some weird, natural event that no one had been prepared to encounter as depressing as the thought was, the still unexplored interior of Mt. Ebott likely having plenty more dangerous secrets to unfold yet still.

It only she had been clear minded enough in her and Terra’s rush to leave the camp than perhaps they could have been calling for back up at this very moment on the radio transmitter that had been stored away in Mira’s bag for emergency use, cell phone service obviously being nonexistent down here and rendering the devices they carried useless, The girls being fully on their own for now as hopeless as the terrifying thought was to ponder.

“Mira, I’m cold....”

A whispered breath coming from the wide eyed Terra as the petite girl cuddled to her best friend for warmth, being thinly built wasn’t really any benefit to the youngest among the former group of six, her not exactly being made to retain heat in a environment like this when she didn’t possess so much as a jacket due to having to leave the base in such a rush.

Terra shifting uncomfortably as Mira sighed and tried to assist her friend up into a better position, they couldn’t afford to remain in this single area of the cave for too long and simply hope that somehow, by some chance that help would come, the only real chances of that panning out being if anyone back at base was still alive and well enough to be able to contact emergency assistance through the radio.

Judging from the eerie silence of the darkness behind them it seemed there was little chance that was the case....

“Come on, I know your tired but we gotta keep moving forward. It’s not going to do us any good to sit around”, Mira still trying to keep up a chipper tone despite the circumstances as Terra simply nodded reluctantly in response and got up to begin to follow her designated leader farther into the cave system, the darkness of the cavern wasn’t easy for either of the girls to navigate, Mira more than once cussing under her breath as she stubbed a foot into a particularly hard rock.

It was probably a good half hour or so of feeling carefully along the dry, sandpaper like walls and trying to keep in touch with each other by talking before the long cave system began to finally show any signs of change,Terra taking notice of it first as she gasped at the sensation of strange smoothness under her bare foot at a point.

“M-Mira! I think we are getting somewhere!~”, The shy girls hopeful smile shining through even in the gloom as it was clear to Mira as well that the rock strewn path really was beginning to pan out into a more recognizably paved surface, it...did raise a few questions on exactly why a apparently unexplored cave system felt ‘paved’, the pairs sudden emergence into a long, pillared hallway as they rounded a corner making both of the girls stop in their tracks immediately.

The strangely lavender hued hall being flanked by unlit but seemingly well used torches every ten feet or so along its otherwise bare walls and intricately carved pillars, it gave the entire area a seriously unnerving and recently uninhabited vibe, a arched doorway farther down the path appearing to lead deeper into...well, whatever this strangely castle-like area was, Mira feeling her heart heavily pounding in her ears as she tried to take it all in one step at a time.

‘What -is- this? Surely t-this is some joke...there is no way someone -lives- down here, right?....I-I mean get it together, Mira....your almost five hundred feet underground!’

“What do you think all this is?....”, Terra glancing back at the cave they had emerged from cautiously as she followed Mira into the smooth stone paved hall, the slightly taller of the pair shook her head as she really couldn’t think of a logical explanation for any of this strange and unexpected place.

“Beats me. Whatever it is though I don’t think we should stick around and find out. This place is giving me the serious creeps”.

‘I’m going to have to remember to mention this once we get back to the surface. I mean, this is all probably just some old school cave attraction or something from back in the day...still, you would think it would have been on the GPS earlier...a-and Sean said no one had ever been down here before anyways....just...’

Trying to rattle her brain for answers as

she and Terra neared the end of the otherwise bare hall in no time, a strangely wet, fast paced skitter ahead of them through the archways seemed to get Terra’s attention as Mira took a second to observe some rather cryptic looking symbols on the last pillar in the room.

“U-uh, Mira....”, Terra’s eyes widening in confusion as she went to grab her distracted friends arm as she was absolutely sure that she saw something small, round and stout moving in the dimly lit gloom of the room ahead, Terra was absolutely sure that the only living creatures that had a chance of surviving down here were probably just bats, whatever was causing the wet, squelching sound she alerted Mira towards slowly moving closer....

And yet closer.....

Mira tensing her stance as she shuffled Terra behind her for safeties sake, the messy haired brunette tried to seem more intimidating than she actually was, puffing out her minimal chest and clenching her fists as if the worst kind of beasts was surely stalking them from the shadows.

“I don’t k-know -who- you are but you better come out right now before me and my friend here came after your ourselves!!”.

Yelling into the void as she huffed and waited for some kind of response, the wet sounding footsteps of whatever creature that had spooked Terra stopped rather suddenly, a low, guttural croak of a noise preceding it that made Terra tense up like a pretzel as she clung to Mira’s back as the creature finally came into full view, it’s disgustingly buggy eyes and bumpy green skin almost being comparable to some kind of tiny goblin as it lurched forth.

...........

But I-it was....

......

It was simply a frog......a oversized one, but a run of the mill frog nonetheless.

Terra and Mira unable to help but look at the squat creature for more than a moment without bursting into nervous laughter, Mira had been so prepared to fight what she seemed to think would be the Minotaur of legend that she hadn’t even thought to think that there could be rivers that emptied down into these caves and swept unfortunate creatures like this along with it into the depths of Mt. Ebott.

“O-oh my God! I feel so stupid right now~”, laughing happily as she patted Terra on the back, Mira for a moment was able to forget their tense situation as the frog ‘guarding’ the entryway to the rest of the Ruins gave off a odd noise that almost seemed cat-like, “Anyways, let’s keep going forward. If there are frogs here than that must mean there is a waterfall or something nearby and our best bet will be to see if it leads anywhere promising”.

“Good idea~!”, Terra nodding with a confident smile for once as she went to follow closely behind Mira as they tried to sidestep the frog, the last thing the pair was expecting was for the out of place animal to hop directly in their path once again, Mira raising a brow curiously down at the living obstacle as she tried to side step it once again.

And again, the frog hopped to block their path.

Another try?

The same result, Mira slowly growing frustrated after a few attempts as it was as if the frog was mocking them somehow, her patience wearing thin by the third or fourth time the frog stopped her and Terra’s progress.

“Stop it!!”, Stomping a foot in annoyance as she eventually simply went to pick up the creature in a effort to put it aside so she and Terra could pass, Mira certainly wasn’t expecting for the until now docile creature to rumble loudly and open its small maw, a handful of what seemed to be live, black flies erupting from its throat and swarming directly into Mira’s face as she let out a shrill, panicked scream and dropped the freakish frog in a instant.

“Terra!! Get them off!!”, Crying and shaking her head frantically and running her fingers through her hair as the after mentioned ‘frog’ hopped away in the chaos of Terra attempting to calm her severely entomophobic friend down, the once ‘attempting to be brave’ Mira had been reduced to fat tears rolling down her exhausted face from the shock of the frog creature apparently throwing up nearly a weeks worth of its insect meals out of some terrible form of defense.

Terra whacking the buzzing critters off of Mira the best she could as she than took her turn to tug her friend past the nearby arch and into the oddly similar, still pillared hall beyond, the move was enough to leave Mira’s pest behind but it didn’t stop the terrified girl from clinging onto Terra for a few seconds as she regained her breath and a bit of her composure back as well.

“What -was- that thing!? A-animals don’t just spit up live insects like that! There is -no- way that was just some regular, stupid frog!”, Crossing her arms over her chest as she shook her head and rattled her mind for some kind of logical explanation to what had just happened, Terra didn’t seem to have much of a explanation either, the introvert simply tugging on Mira’s arm gently to urge her to keep going forward.

“I don’t know, but we have to keep moving like you said, okay? The sooner we get out of here the better”, Terra trying to be the calm one between them despite her more than obvious fears as she gave Mira a hopeful look, it seemed to help her agitated friend just enough so that she nodded in response and tried to smile back lightly.

“Y-yeah, the sooner the better....”.

For as much as the wayward and lost pair were afraid, Mira and Terra understood that the chances of anyone actually finding them down here were slim and that it was up to them to find some possible way out of this almost ethereal looking set of rooms and halls they had came across.

As long as they had each other to lean on were surely going to work out in the end.

............

.........

......

The next few hours of navigating mazes, strange, stone based puzzles, and odd traps didn’t exactly go well for the increasingly exhausted and agitated pair of friends, the ‘frog’ they had encountered earlier proving to be just a taste of what this strange, almost Lovecraftian world they had stumbled into held in its narrow and winding halls.

A flying monstrosity that used its acid like tears to scorch and burn away most of Terra’s sleeves when she was lulled into attempting to comfort the ‘saddened’ creature was the first taste the pair had of some of the other dangers wandering about.

Not long after that had been yet another of those ‘frogs’ they had encountered earlier, this one using its long, whip like tongue to snap at Mira painfully though instead of simply sending a wave of irritating flies in her face.

From each of these frightful events the girls put up little actual fight and only chose to dash past them when possible deeper into the Ruins, the thought of actually -killing- any of them not being a thought that really popped up in either of their minds despite the dangers they clearly posed.

Terra herself being too meek to even consider stomping on one of the strangely built creatures that interrupted their progress, Mira meanwhile simply didn’t have it in her heart, her morality being too soft to wish harm on anyone or anything.

By the time the pair of worn out and downtrodden girls had arrived in a off colored, gray room that didn’t resemble the rest of these winding Ruins at all they were both shabby looking and their expressions looked the part of a couple of humans who had dealt with more than their fair share of surprises today, Terra in particular with her shredded and melted sleeves and heavy eyelids looking ready to somehow simply burrow her and Mira to the surface world if she could.

“How much longer do you think we need to go? You would think we would have seen a exit or something by now...”, Mostly talking to herself as her once upbeat voice had lost its sense of wonder about this mysterious yet seemingly maze-like place, Mira was getting sick of the stale air and dusty ground beneath them, her sore feet growing raw and bruised due to possessing no boots to speak of, “If not for those, uh...’things’ that tried to mess with us I would say this was some weird attraction or something...”.

Terra shaking her head as she stopped near a strangely cracked pillar for a breather, she had long since gotten it in her head that this place wasn’t man made unlike Mira who wanted to assume it was some human construction still, “Its not anything like that, that’s for sure. I don’t think anyone would build some weird maze this deep underground, it’s too out of the way”

“Well what else could it be?? Do you think ghosts or something just magically made this all appear one day or something?”, Raising a brow curiously at Terra as she went to go take a spot near her friend and let out a deep sigh, they had been walking for hours now with no sign of a end to these catacombs and naturally needed to relax for a moment.

“W-what? Of -course- not! I just mean...well, these Ruins look pretty old and all so maybe it’s like, some ancient complex or something. Like those etchings on the wall we passed up, those didn’t look like any type of human writing form, did they?”.

“No, I guess not...but still...that doesn’t discount those weird creatures, like that frog and that crying, muppet looking fly that attacked you”, Mira wishing she had done more research on the fauna of cave system biomes like this before making her way down here with their now likely deceased team, the girl sighed as she tugged the frustrated looking Terra close with a hopeful gaze.

“Hey, whatever this place really is doesn’t matter, okay? Pretty soon we will be back home and none of this will matter. I bet Sean and the others even made it back home too!”, Trying to give Terra some much needed determination, the usually reserved girl smiled up at Mira and nodded slightly as the both of them leaned back against the small, out of the way area they had taken temporary shelter in.

Maybe they could get a few minutes rest in before continuing on their seemingly impossible journey back to the surface.....

................

........

~Hello?~’

.........

Mira catching a bit of shut eye as Terra in turn kept her head tucked into her friends chest for warmth, only the latter seemed to stir at the apparent sound of a rather soft, kindly voice waking her from her sleep, Terra opening her eyes confused a crack as she clearly expected that Mira was trying to jostle her awake.

“What’s up? We ready to get moving again?~”, Yawning and stretching her body a bit as she casually glanced around, the last thing Terra was expecting to see was a pair of shaggy, fur covered...uh, legs and hooves standing about four or five feet away from them, a lump growing in Terra’s throat as the larger than life goat-like creature before them gave a wide, happy smile when Terra looked up at the stranger.

“I’m so happy I finally found you, young ones! I was worried you may have gotten yourselves into trouble without proper guidance in these Ruins~”.

“U-uh....”, Terra looking up wide eyed at the thick furred monster as her high pitched voice tried to form words, she merely was able to let out a squeak as she hastily shook Mira awake, her unwary friend groaning and shifting a bit annoyed as Terra practically pushed her over in her urgency.

“What is it? Just a few m-more minutes...”.

“Mira!”, Grunting as she shook the sleepy girl until she finally relented and opened her eyes, the goat monster meanwhile waited oddly patiently, her thickly clawed hands clasped in front of her as if she were waiting for the shock to set in the pair of humans mind that she clearly wasn’t of the same species.

“Well, perhaps I may have been a bit too hasty in introducing myself to you both. I assure you that I mean no harm though~”.

The goat creature taking a step forward as Mira almost instantly, as she had done with Terra before with the frog creature, shuffled the petite girl behind her, the monster seemed to hesitant momentarily as Mira glared daggers through her hide.

“First off, who and what are you?”, Speaking steadily and slow as she tried to make sense of the apparently female monster who never let her wide, almost forced grin off her face, Mira took the moment to observe that the creatures white fur, even on her face, seemed to possess a dirty, rustled look as if she hadn’t bothered to bath it in who knows how long.

Her short, stubby horns, almost buried beneath her long, drooping ears and fur, having the same glistening, polished blackness as her claws and hooves, the monsters eyes shined a brilliant green hue despite the relative darkness of the cavern.

The monsters torn but otherwise clean looking dress reaching her beastly ankles, it was almost as green as her eyes were with a faintly familiar symbol on it that Mira vaguely remembered seeing when her and Terra had first found this odd place, the triple triangles and wings holding no real meaning to the girl as of yet.

“You may call me Toriel, child. I am the caretakers of these Ruins that you two seem to have become intimately familiar with~”, The goat monsters voice almost having a bit of a laughing tone underneath its sweetness, Toriel’s honesty seemed to calm Mira down slightly as the girl softened her stance and allowed Terra to move away from the relative safety of being wedged behind her and the wall, “May I ask your names? I’m not terribly familiar with human customs but it seems only reasonable to avoid referring to you as simply ‘humans’, yes?~”.

“U-uh....yeah...you can call me Mira....this here is Terra...”, Speaking warily as she watched for any sign that this ‘Toriel’ creature was going to turn on her, the goat monster simply kept up her wide grin as she clapped her hands once happily.

“Wonderful!~ Mira and Terra, truly two names that fit together like...like twin snails in a shell!~”, Toriel’s sharp toothed grin almost seemed a bit devilish for a brief moment as Terra blushed and wrinkled her nose at the odd euphemism the strange creature referred to them as.

“So, c-can you tell us exactly what these ‘Ruins’ are at all? I mean, Mira and I had no idea these were even down here until, well...something attacked our base camp and we kinda came across all this...”, Terra glancing at Mira as it to confirm if it was okay to even mention what had gone on back at camp to this still very much a stranger monster, Toriel’s kindly expression shifted a bit at the mention of the humans ‘base’.

“Attacked your base? Are you to say there were other humans besides you both down here?? Have you had contact with them since this happened?”, Toriel’s green eyes dimming a bit in thought as her grin faintly faltered for a moment, Terra and Mira both shook their heads sadly.

“We haven’t seen anyone since it happened. We aren’t ever sure what attacked them....”, Muttering unhappily under her breath as she thought about Sean and the others and the utter fear they must have been feeling if they were somehow still alive, Mira took Toriel’s sympathy to heart as the kindly goat mom didn’t seem to mean any harm and even appeared to be genuinely concerned for their well being, “There were originally six of us just coming down here for some basic research, that’s about it”.

“Oh...well, I see...As much as I wander these ruins I can’t say I have seen any sight of your friends, unfortunately...but seeing as I have at least come across the both of you the least I can do is give you a guiding hand”, Toriel offering one of her massive, clawed paws to whichever of the curious humans wanted to take it, Mira was the first one to be brave enough after a few seconds of hesitation to lay her own, dirt encrusted hand into it as if to show Terra that this creature didn’t seem to want to harm them and could likely be trusted.

“Mira, be careful...”, Terra watching wide eyed as her clearly much braver friend was seemingly trying to assess if Toriel was dangerous or not on her own terms, the goat monster made no move to harm Mira despite having the clear size advantage to do so, her increasingly unnerving grin remaining as she hummed softly and paid Terra no mind.

Toriel merely running one of her thick claws over Mira’s dirty palm slowly as if somewhere in the back of her mind she was grappling with a unwanted thought or two, the silence between the pair was almost defeating for a few seconds as one could likely hear a pin drop if they listened hard enough until Toriel finally spoke up again with a slight chuckle.

“Well, come along young ones. I believe you seem to both be in need of some tender love and care, yes?~”, Offering her other free hand to Terra as the girl politely declined, the rejection seemed to cause Toriel’s until now kind gaze to harden slightly as she wrapped the paw that was holding Mira’s own a bit tighter.

“Please, take my hand, Terra. It’s impolite to reject warranted kindness in monster culture~”.

“Oh no, really, I’m fine, Miss Toriel, I can just follow-“.

“Take. my. Hand”.

The tense but sweet atmosphere being broken by the sudden depth and harshness of Toriel’s shift in tone, Mira let out a light gasp as the grip on her hand tightened for a moment enough to cause her physical pain, Toriel not seeming or not caring enough to notice this as Terra obediently put a shaky hand in the goat monsters outstretched paw immediately.

“See?~ That wasn’t so difficult, now was it? Now, please don’t make me raise my voice again. I simply want to give the both of you a better place to rest than these dingy halls but disobedience like that will not be tolerated, understood?.

Both Mira and Terra reluctantly nodded, the pair of humans seeming to have come to the conclusion separately that this monster was off her rocker a little too late in the game....

“Excellent!~ Now, let’s head home and I can tell you all you wish to know about the Ruins over a delicious slice of Snail Pie and tea~”.

[jiminisnotavirgin]

Here with You

Pairing: idol!Min Yoongi | Reader

Genre: Smut and Fluff

Words: 4.1k

Warnings: oral, penetrative sex, intercourse, slight exhibitionism, buff Yoongi???, praise kink.

Description: Yoongi’s sad and his body’s in constant pain after bouncing from city to city in the last few months for the group’s biggest world tour yet. Aside from that, he doesn’t remember the last time he got a full night’s rest. You and his members plan a secret visit for you to surprise him in his hotel room after a concert. It’s been months, after all, and the two of you both have... needs that only the other can take care of ;)

Note: I live for soft Yoongi and I imagine he’d be as sweet as this (if not, sweeter!) to his significant other! We also can’t deny that he’d be absolutely delicious in bed, too. In MY OPINION, this is the BEST fic I’ve written up to date! Please tell me what you think :) I appreciate and enjoy each and every comment and response!

ALSO! I’d like to make it clear that the reader ISN’T Korean and I will let you know when they are. However, they are supposed to be speaking Korean to each other which is why I mainly use the word, “Jagi” instead of “Baby.”

Yoongi’s never enjoyed traveling or staying in hotels. For him, they don’t possess the same sense of peace or relaxation that they do for others. The only time he seeks the relief of a temporary hotel bed is after a long concert or flight when his sore bones ache and he can barely keep his eyes open. Even then, he tosses and turns all night, fluffing his pillows and kicking at his sheets until he eventually loses the fight and knocks out. At this point of their world tour, more than halfway through, the guys have noticed that Yoongi rarely leaves his room. They don’t blame him. His snippy attitude and overall mood are products of the group’s constant movement and although it takes a toll on all of them, Yoongi’s always hit the hardest. 

His members notified you of this and that’s why you, his secret, longtime partner, decided to come for a surprise visit. Your ultimate goal is to cheer him up and see at least one of his beautiful, gummy smiles. Another reason why he hates traveling is that he has to be away from you and his home. 

He’s currently sprawled out on the couch, limbs extended as he wields a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a paper carton in the other. He reaches for another piece of sweet, sesame chicken, unimpressed by the bunny documentary on the TV before a soft knock on the door catches his attention. The sound is light. Anyone else would’ve missed it but Yoongi’s music-producing ears are razor sharp. 

“Coming!” he calls out with a mouth full of food. Not caring much for his looks at this time of night, he pulls a cap on over his disheveled hair and slips on his sandals before approaching the front door. He ignores the viewfinder and opens the door with a tug, still chewing the chicken in the back of his mouth without a care in the world. The words leave his mouth before he can catch a glimpse of the person standing on his doorstep. “Jimin, I told you already. I am not giving you any more champagne—“

“Yoongi!”

You still manage to glow, even in the faint light of the hotel hallway. His mouth freezes when his eyes meet yours and his heart beats at his chest excitedly, telling him to wake up!  A tiny, polka-dot luggage stands behind you like a guardian and the situation finally makes sense in his brain. When you wrap your arms around him, excitement flutters in his stomach like millions of tiny butterflies. You smile, melting happily into the man you’ve missed for months. 

“Jagi?” he whispers, wondering if the gorgeous apparition standing in front of him is only a dream. “I... I can’t believe you came all the way here.”

“Of course, I did!” You smile and Yoongi doesn’t miss the sparkle in your large eyes. The two of you stumble backwards into the entrance of the room before he regains his balance and squeezes you back. He pulls you even closer, smelling your shampoo and feeling the smooth, soft skin of your glowing cheek under the strokes of his thumb. His senses are heightened due to your familiar presence and he couldn’t be more grateful for your spontaneous visit. He needed it, needs you. 

“I’m happy you’re here,” he continues with a smile once you pull back to take a look at his face. He twirls a lock of your hair around his long index finger, pure admiration filling his gaze as his other hand grips your waist. You don a yellow sundress with an intricate design of red roses and leaves. The colorful fabric accentuates your figure and the curvy shape Yoongi loves so much. “You look pretty.”

You glance down at your feet shyly, trying to ignore the heat rising to your cheeks as you clutch the sides of your dress. “Thank you. I almost didn’t buy the dress since it’s a little small.”

“I’m glad you did.” His large hand envelops yours before he laces your fingers together and leads you to the couch in the sitting area of the large hotel room. His metal rings feel cold against your skin but you have no desire to release his hand. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

“Yoooongi, ssssssstop,” you whine but he raises his hands in the air defensively, palms flat and arms up, a look of pure innocence on his handsome face. Your eyes dart to his broad shoulders and the way his arm muscles slightly flex with each of his movements. Has he been working out?

“How do you still get so flustered whenever I compliment you?”

Yoongi is an organized individual so it doesn’t surprise you that his room follows suit, from his shoes by the front door to his made-up bed. The one thing you notice is his dinner set up of takeout Chinese food on the coffee table, however, it isn’t the slight mess that causes your heart to sink in your chest.

“Have you been eating well? All the fried food at this table is concerning,” you admit hesitantly. It isn’t only today’s dinner on the coffee table but other nights’ as well.

“My body’s used to it by now. Liquid junk food probably flows through my veins along with airplane cookies and coffee.”

“That’s gotta be bad for your stomach.” You frown, concern filling your pretty features. He sounds impressed with himself and it’s freaking you out just the slightest bit. He wishes to kiss away the fear written on your face. 

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“Yoongi, you could lose a foot and you’d tell me not to worry about it.”

“Hey, hey, at least I’ve been drinking only water these past few months, that’s gotta count for something, right? Replacing all the water in my system?”

“I just wanna make sure you’re taking care of yourself even if it’s hard because of touring. I really do worry about you, Yoongi. Sorry if I’m being annoying.”

“You’re not annoying. I’m grateful because you actually care about my wellbeing aside from all the idol stuff unlike everyone else.” The two of you settle into the couch as he drapes his arm over your shoulder. “But seriously, you don’t have to worry. I’m not even thinking about food right now.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“You. And sleeping next to you later. I think I took cuddling for granted.”

“Yoongi, that is uncharacteristically cheesy.”

“Well, it’s your fault. I’m excited that you’re here and now I don’t know how to express it other than cracking dad jokes like Seokjin.”

“Please, keep the cheesy jokes rolling, then. I love them but I love you more.” Your lips lightly graze his and he melts into the kiss as you arch your back and press your chest against his. Unlike before he left on tour, you’re met with a hard, sculpted chest and you draw back, holding your hands against his chest as you formulate your curiosity into a question. Yoongi interprets your actions as a recoil but you assure him that you still want him close. “Yoongi, don’t take this the wrong way but you feel... different. Have you been working out?”

“Yeah, actually. Does it look weird?” His palm grazes the back of his neck awkwardly. “I started a few months ago. The stylists want me to stop because it’s harder to pick out clothes if my size keeps changing but it helps me sleep better at night. I’ve been meaning to show you on one of our video calls.”

Once again, your eyes drift from his face to the muscular bulge of his arm. You can’t control your tongue as you lick your bottom lip. Your dry throat clenches for something—anything—to eliminate the empty feeling in your mouth. Suddenly, you’re thirsty for another mouth-filling liquid only he can give. Damn. “I love all of your different forms and shapes and sizes because I love you but—“

“But?”

“But,” you continue as you lower your gaze, your long lashes accentuating the sudden lust oozing from your dark brown eyes, “you look really fucking good. Like, I-wanna-go-down-on-you-right-now kind of good.” 

“W-What?” he sputters, caught off guard by your sudden use of obscenities. Your dirty mouth causes his cock to twitch like it has a mind of its own, straining uncomfortably against his tight black jeans. “You can’t just say that.”

“Why not? Getting a little flustered?” You flash a mischievous grin as you hop off the couch, settling yourself between his spread knees. The sight of you on the ground for him, hands roaming the expanse of his legs and the hidden space where they meet, ignites a flame of desire in the pit of his stomach, a tiny flicker that you have no intention of putting out.

“Don’t tease.” He swallows, squirming desperately as he feels your nails lightly scrape his inner thighs. “God, you don’t know what you do to me.”

“But I do,” you hum, hands settling on the silver buckle of his belt. You slip your fingers through, gradually weaving his leather belt until it’s completely off of his waist. The heavy metal dangles from your hand, jingling before you sling it over the couch arm with a loud clunk. “I know that you’ll do anything to get my mouth wrapped around your pretty cock, won’t you?”

“I can’t take it when you talk like that. You’re gonna kill me, I swear,” he groans. You undo his zipper and button, encouraging him to raise his hips so you can tug his pants down to his ankles.

“I’ll go down on you but I have one rule.”

“Tell me.”

“You can only cum when I tell you to.”

He hesitates. “I can’t—“

“Try. Practice the self-control we both know you have.” You nudge your pointer finger against his chest.

You’re proud to have Yoongi in your life, proud to have him as the one man who brings you pleasure in all forms. You’re the only one who gets to see him this way—hot and bothered and vulnerable, desperate for your touch—and you take pride in that. He’s a hardworking, dedicated, and determined man and he’s the same way in bed.

He lets out a low hiss when you free his cock from the constrains of his jeans and he feels you blow lightly. Your eyes remain glued on the creamy, white liquid coating the plump tip of his length. What he lacks in length, he makes up in his thick girth. He barely fits between your tiny hands but you pump him slowly, lathering him up in his own salty juices. The arousal lining your damp panties clings to the side of your thigh, threatening to drip down your leg. “I’m so wet just from looking at you.”

“Let me touch—oh, fuck.” He throws his head back in surprise, eyes flickering closed as he feels the sudden pressure of your tongue against his tip. Tingles radiate across his body from where your mouth meets his dick and in this moment, he’s grateful for the sexy, angelic vixen that you are and the way you force him to relinquish control in the pursuit of release. 

It’s been months. Although you’ve touched yourself and imagined your fingers were his, your fantasies are never fully accurate when it comes to his impressive and gorgeous anatomy. Nothing is as great as when he’s struggling not to thrust into your mouth. 

Your mouth envelops him eagerly, your tongue lapping saliva and precum around his soft, veiny skin. You moan around him, causing vibrations to shoot straight up his toned, clenching pelvis. Sweat builds on his forehead as the ends of his dark hair begin to cover his eyes. 

“You have to stop or I’m—“

“Don’t forget my rule.” You slip your lips off of him with a loud pop, ignoring the unappealing glob of saliva dripping down from the side of your mouth. Your facial expression is innocent despite the naughty nature of your current act and Yoongi couldn’t be more aroused. His cock lands on his pelvis with a loud, messy slap.

He stands, motioning for you to take his place on the couch but you swiftly shake your head. “Your turn, jagi.” 

“Not now, I can’t wait. I want you.”

“Impatient girl.” He can see the hunger in your eyes but there’s hesitance swimming in his. “Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh, trust me, I am all warmed up down there.” Although he’s seeking to pleasure you, he thinks of your comfort first, always aiming to stretch you out and make sure you’re fully lubricated before doing anything with you down there.

“I’ll be back for a taste later and that’s a promise. Now, where do you want me, jagi? I’m all yours.”

You wrap your arms around his neck, guiding him backwards to the bed. He grasps the back of your neck and tilts his head to the side, slipping in his tongue to create an even deeper bond between the two of you. His wet muscle clashes against yours as his other hand delicately fiddles with the loose spaghetti strap of your dress. He breaks for a moment, lips puffy and eyes heavy with lust before helping you peel off your dress in one smooth swoop.

The air in his body suddenly escapes his lungs when he looks at you, causing his breath to hitch in his throat. The moonlight glistens over your sweaty skin, highlighting your curves and shape. You used to be so shy in front of him but now you stand confidently, hands resting neatly over your hips like the art that you are. “I’m so in love with you. How did you find me?” he murmurs in admiration, happily giving into the spell your body casts on him. He isn’t asking about tonight; he’s asking about this lifetime, how the stars aligned your paths on the fateful day you met. 

A loud thud from across the hotel room interrupts his sweet reverie like the chime of a bell striking midnight. Yoongi’s head shoots in the direction of the front door before he whispers a quiet, “I’ll be right back.”

He drags himself to the door, adjusting his long t-shirt over his boxers to cover the raging hard-on he’s got hidden underneath.

“Hyung!” slurs a voice from the other side with a few lazy bangs on the door. Yoongi sighs, rubbing his tired temple as he tries to gather his remaining patience. He barely opens the door in the hopes of somehow steering Jimin away but the younger’s face is merely inches away from the lock. His eyes are red with exhaustion, cheeks pink with intoxication. No one can drink like Jimin and be perfectly stable the next day. 

“It’s late. What do you need? I’m really busy right now.”

“You’re always busy, Yoongi! I can’t find my room key. It was in my pocket before and now it’s not.”

“Did you ask Jungk—“

“Jungkook doesn’t have it, either!”

“Lower your voice.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do.”

“So you decided to come bother me. Are you sure you looked in all of your pockets? Thoroughly?”

The younger rolls his eyes before frantically patting the back of his skin-tight jeans with his palms. “Ye—“ His eyes go wide as saucers when he whips out the plastic card from his front pocket. “Hyung, you’re the best.”

“I know,” he answers quickly before glancing back at you in bed, thin sheet tucked tightly up to your chin. “Is that all?”

Jimin’s brows knit together curiously as he tries to look over Yoongi’s blocking shoulder. “Wait, is she here alread—”

“Goodnight.”

With a slam, Yoongi makes his way back to you, crawling over your figure as his face aligns with your neck. You giggle when he tickles the length of your throat with the tip of his nose, sniffing and kissing messily. 

“I feel like a teenager or something, hiding like this.”

“I’m sorry,” he sighs. “Jimin lost his room key for the third time this month. Can you believe that? The only time he’s not a complete mess is when he’s dancing and even then he’s the biggest klutz in the room behind Namjoon.”

“You don’t think he heard us, right?”

“Probably not.”

“Hmm.”

  “Well, you sound disappointed. Did you want him to hear us?”

“No, that’s ridiculous,” you insist nervously, trying to assure him that you’re not entertained by the idea of being caught or listened to while fucking.

“You’re such a bad liar.”

“I’m gonna go hide under a rock now and never come out. Ever.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s good when you tell me what you really want; it helps me better understand how to pleasure you. We all have desires.” If you were a puzzle, Yoongi would know you forwards, backward, and back around if it was possible. “We’ve been dating for years and you still manage to blow my mind away.”

“Yoongi!”

“There you go again. I can’t win with you.”

“You can’t win but I’ll battle it out with you forever.” 

There goes that word: forever. It sends some running for the hills but for you two, it’s the only way to express how much you love each other. Forever is an eternity. The thought of you, the greatest woman in the world, wanting to spend the rest of your days with him gives him enough confidence to do anything. 

“You ready?” he asks you sweetly, aligning himself with your entrance as he pushes a stray hair away from your forehead. You hold your panty to the side, nodding and swiveling your hips as an invite. His hard tip prods at the soft skin of your lips and the anticipation is enough to set your skin on fire. “You’re so warm,” he groans, sliding another inch inside of you. 

Your silky walls envelop him, welcoming him with tight clenches and liquid heat. You can feel every ridge and bump of his dick and just when you think he’s bottomed out completely, he continues to work himself into you. “Wow, it’s been a really long time.”

He pauses. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, keep going.” His hot breath fans over your face and you can smell the remnants of his minty toothpaste. “Your breath smells so goo—ugh!”

With a creamy slap and a loud groan, his pelvis hits yours. The pressure of his thick cock pushing against your cervix is heavy but he waits for a moment, allowing you to adjust to the sensation. “Damn, Yoongi, did your dick grow while you were out, too?”

“Clearly, you’ve forgotten what it feels like when I fuck you so let me give you a reminder.” He slowly guides himself out of you only to ram back in, full force until you’re completely full once again. He does this a few times and you begin to moan as each of his thrusts glides in smoother than the last, creating a slippery rhythm of pressure and pleasure. 

“Yes, yes, yes,” you moan, body jostling as he rocks himself into you. Your round breasts bounce with his movements, tempting him to massage each supple mound. Your hard, neglected nipples prick against the palm of his hand, reminding him of their presence.

“You’re so good to me,” he answers before you share a wet kiss. “I don’t deserve you.”

“I love you.” Although you feel him plunged deep inside, it’s not enough. You hold onto his broad shoulder, gazing at him with desire. “Harder.”

Your request isn’t one he wants to ignore so with a light slap of your thigh, he motions for you to flip over. “Turn around.”

With one hand tightly grasping your lower back for balance, he uses the other to guide his cock against your slit, rubbing up and down until he settles on sliding against your puffy clit. He groans as he slips inside of you again but this time, he massages your pearl between his index and middle fingers, rolling and drawing circles around the tender organ until he hears your breathing become more erratic. You grind over his fingers to create friction before you find yourself fucking him as he stands still behind you.

“Do you like that?” you ask. 

“Yes—ugh—keep fucking yourself on me.” He moans, placing his hands on the back of his own hips to give you full control of thrusting. “I bet you wish they were watching.”

“Who?”

“Jimin. The staff. The guys. All of them.”

You clench around him.

He continues, “Hell, even ARMY. Imagine how angry and surprised they’d be when they realize I have a girlfriend and that we have sex.”

“Yoongi,” you whisper weakly, giving into the obscene ideas leaving his mouth. The possessive nature of his words arouses you more than you’d like to admit. “Don’t joke around about that, it’s dangerous.”

“That’s exactly why you like it. Admit it.”

Suddenly, he’s whipped around until his wrists remain bound against the bed, your body hovering over his in a determined crouch. You lick your lips, satisfied with his surprised reaction. “Stop now before you get yourself in trouble.”

He has the nerve to lick his lips before he cracks a mischievous, gummy smile. “What are you going to do about it?”

Your lips crash against his, teeth clashing and tongues tangling as your bodies passionately intertwine. He chuckles into your sweet mouth and you try to kiss away any remaining bits of his charming attitude. The two of you begin to rock slowly, with his length still stroking inside of you and perusing your wet walls. His fingers tickle your clit once again and you become aware of the stirrings low in your stomach.

You stifle a particularly loud moan as his tip strokes that small, spongey patch along the inside of your entrance exactly the right way, back and forth and over again. “I-I’m close,” you manage and Yoongi takes your statement as a request. 

“You can cum, baby. Take your time. I’ve got you,” he coos, soothing your anxious limbs that are desperate for release. “Let me see. Show me how you—oh, fuck, there it is. You’re squeezing me so tight, fuck. You’re so beautiful.”

He helps you ride your wave of euphoria as it quickly crashes over your body without warning. Tiny sparks of pleasure emit from your pelvic area like shocks of electricity, triggering a spasm of kicks starting from your calves. You clutch onto him tightly, using his shoulders like an anchor to work you through the rest of your orgasm. 

His follows soon after yours. In a matter of minutes, he’s sputtering and groaning like a babbling mess, spilling his seed onto your entrance and stomach in thick, white ropes. You stick your finger into his juices and clean it with a quick swipe it with your tongue. 

He smiles shyly as his pale cheeks turn pink, slightly embarrassed at your open and eager display for his cum. He pads to the bathroom and returns with a small towel to clean you off.

“You’re so gentle,” you remark, admiring the way he softly rubs at your skin. 

“These towels are rough,” he answers absentmindedly, too focused on making sure your body is practically sparkling clean. He folds the towel and tosses it into the bathroom before slipping on his black boxers once again. You reach for your discarded panties using your toes, too tired and lazy to leave his plush bed. All he does is complain about hotel beds but this one couldn’t be any cozier. 

You tug the sheets over your waist and fluff the seemingly-unused pillow on the left side of the bed. Is it too much of a stretch to believe he doesn’t sleep on that side since it’s usually yours when you sleep together at home? Probably.

“Go turn off the TV and come cuddle. I’m sleepy,” you mumble as half of your vision is suddenly covered with your tired and heavy eyelids.

When he locks the door, turns off the lights, and hops into bed beside you, he can faintly hear the beginnings of your light snores. He settles behind you, tucking his arm over your waist before you nestle into his chest. 

For the first time in a long time, Yoongi drifts to sleep with a smile on his face. There’s no pain in his back and the pillows and blankets work together tonight to keep him warm, comfortable, and safe as he dreams that you visited and laid there beside him. He wakes up only once to make sure that his dreams are a reality and sure enough, there you are, legs curled up and body angled into his. He sleeps for the rest of the night in peace, not a single sound or thought to interrupt him as he makes up for the lost rest time he’s needed for months. 

[thethoughtsfromthreeam]

Lady of the Lake

Pairing: Ginger Ale/Elizabeth x Merlin/Hamish

Warnings: Smut

A/N: It doesn’t seem like anyone is particularly interested in this story, but that’s okay.  I’ll keep posting it because I’ve enjoyed writing it and I’m sure some Ginger x Merlin fan thirsting for new content will be excited.  

Reminder: I haven’t seen Kingsman: The Golden Circle, so I’m just using the Wikia, IMDB.com, some gifs, and my own weird ass brain to make up this whole ass story.

Tag List:  @zeldasayer , @romanticgumchewer, @tarrevizslas , @coolmaybelateruniverse , @the-feckless-wonder, @lavenderl3mons , @pascalisthepunkest , @mandoandyodito​ , @randomness501 , @fioccodineveautunnale [please message me to be added or subtracted if you were just here for some Jack Daniels goodness!  I don’t want people being tagged in something they don’t want]

[PART 1]  [PART 2]

Part 3 

 King Robert the Bruce Tartan 

Later that week, Ginger sat down with the three chosen specialists to discuss their temporary transfer to England.  Lemonade, Cocoa, and Gunner were each adept at different areas and over the years have proven invaluable to her.  The work they had been doing for Kingsman was some of the best output the lab has had in years and she knew that once they were on site, the production would explode.  

Ginger smiled because even though Merlin had asked for the help, it was clear that Harry was behind the request.  But, these techs were good and it was likely that in three months when it was time for them to come home, Ginger was going to have a battle royale with Merlin to get her crew back.

For a while, the four specialists worked together to review what was needed and the timeline that Merlin had sent over earlier that day.  It wasn’t just creating new weapons; it was also about creating enough arsenal that Kingsman could handle the growth explosion they were about to experience over the next month.  Lemonade and Gunner began to bicker about what supplies they’d have to bring and what they could get in the UK, while Cocoa tried to play mediator between her two co-workers.   Ginger sat back and looked at them with a smile – her baby birds were about to leave the nest and do mother proud.  Before they got too heated, she stepped in.

“Guys, as entertaining as this is, remember, we have three weeks before you’re scheduled to leave.  Get your supply list ready, consult with Merlin on it, and then order what you need.” The other three nodded and Cocoa continued to hunch over the list, tweaking amounts and items.  While they worked, Ginger went back to her desk and pulled out her phone.

You’re getting three of my best crew.  

We’ll be there in three weeks to help.  Too late?

Not at all.  Gives me time to prep for additional hands.  

Wait. . .we?

I’m coming, too.

Really?

Really.

I gotta get my crew settled.

Just the crew?

😊

She got up from her desk and left the lab so no one could see her giggling at her phone like she was sixteen instead of the 40-some woman that she was. A small part of her brain knew it was ridiculous, but the giggles still came, and she stepped into the elevator, grateful it was empty for once.  Her phone pinged and she unlocked it.

You are cruel, m’eudail.

Me? Never.

Yes you.

I’m scheduled to be there for two weeks.  You don’t think I need something to do after they’re settled?

As she stepped off the elevator on the fifteenth floor, she was still smiling, knowing she had got to him.  She walked into her apartment when her phone pinged again.  When she saw the notice, she groaned.

I’ll clean the tartan.

“Oh, you bastard. . .” she whispered into the emptiness of her apartment.  Clean the tartan he says.  She knew good and well that the tartan was fine, he was just playing his trump card.  Well, she wasn’t going to let him goad her into replying and she knew he was sitting somewhere in London grinning gleefully waiting for her response.  Although as she stripped off her clothes to climb into the shower, it wasn’t Merlin who goaded her into the memory but her own brain.

---***---

As the two walked into Merlin’s home, she was struck at how cozy the cottage was.  Dark woods and hard stone were contrasted with soft fabrics and all of it had an air of home well worn and loved.  He watched her face as she took it the space while taking off her coat.  When she looked over at him and smiled, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Merlin, this is beautiful.  It sort of reminds me of the library at HQ.”  She handed her coat over to him but kept her bag with her.  

“Hamish.” She turned back to look at him.  “Please call me Hamish, not Merlin.  We’re off the clock, no need to be so formal.”

“Elizabeth.”  Came her reply.  When he turned his head, he could see her smiling at him.

That smile seemed to have broken whatever barrier that stood between them and the tension of desire that connected them seemed to grow harder.  He closed the closet door and guided her to the small guest room off the hallway, his hand never leaving the small of her back.

“Bathroom is the next door over and I’m across the hall if you need anything.”  She set her bag down and nodded appreciatively.  She pulled out her toiletry bag and went to freshen up in the bathroom.  It had been a long day and she just needed a little boost to get through the rest of the evening.  If she didn’t, she’d probably fall asleep at dinner.

When she walked out of her room, she looked up and something sparkly captured her eye.  From the doorway, she could see into Hamish’s bedroom and above his bed hung a large piece of tartan, the source of the sparkles.

“A memorial tartan for the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce.”  Hamish’s voice was low behind her and she could feel his body heat as he came up and stood next to her.  “The black celebrates the defeat of the English in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.  The red is for the blood of Scots spilt in battle for our independence.  And the grey for the Scottish weather.  This was made with silver metallic thread, which is what caught your eye.”

She turned to look at him and without thinking, she placed her hand on his forearm and smiled.  His heart stopped before beating rapidly in his chest.  He briefly wondered if she could hear it because it practically crowded out all other sound for him.

“It’s beautiful, Hamish.”  Whatever grasp he had on his control was lost when she whispered his name and he leaned down to kiss her.  She briefly stood still at the shock of it before leaning into the kiss.  He stepped closer to her and after breaking apart, their breaths seemed to mingle together.  They looked into each other’s eyes before Elizabeth leaned in and kissed him again.  She craved the sparks of pleasure his touch ignited in her and as he angled his head to deepen the kiss, she drew her arms around his neck to press her body flush against his.

He groaned into the kiss as her stomach pressed into his growing erection and in return, he ran his tongue against her lower lip.  They were as soft as he suspected and when she opened her mouth, he was lost in her almost immediately.  His hands settled on her hips as the kiss became more urgent.

Slowly, he walked her backwards into the room until Elizabeth felt the back of her legs hit his bed, his lips never leaving hers.  But she broke off the kiss in order to breathe and he took the chance to drag his lips down to her neck, starting at the hollow beneath her ear.  She moaned at the sensation and he felt bold enough to continue to kiss down her neck.

As he continued to explore the expanse of her skin above her collar with his lips, she toed off her shoes and placed one leg and then the other on the bed so that she was kneeling in front of him.  As he reached her collarbone, he began to unbutton her shirt, letting his lips lightly kiss the skin as he exposed it.  He began to crouch lower, kissing between her breasts and then along her belly. Soon he was on his knees looking up at her.

Merlin’s hazel eyes were darkened by his lust and she was certain her own brown eyes were black.  She could feel her nipples tightening under her bra, growing eager for his touch at every press of his lips.  As she looked down at him, she dragged her hand lightly over the top of his head. His eyes fluttered shut and she could hear his breath grow needier.  She sat back on her heels before moving her legs, so she was sitting on the bed and her legs framed his torso.

He removed his glasses and held his hand out for hers.  When he had them, he reached over and set them both on a chair near the door.  When he turned back, he placed his hand on her thighs, feeling them slightly tremble beneath his touch.  She brought her own hands to his jaw, letting her fingertips drag lightly along it as she bent her head to kiss him again.  As they continued to kiss, he began to unbutton his shirt.

Suddenly, he pulled back to look at her.

“I want you.  I want this.” His brogue was roughed by desire and Elizabeth felt herself grow wetter at the sound.  He wants her. It was like music to her ears as she pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it off to the side.

“And I want you.  Now touch me, please.”  Her voice was practically a whisper that played along his skin and he moaned at the confession.  He slammed his lips back into hers before dragging his hands up her thighs and to her waist.  He reached for her pants and unbuttoned them while she lifted her hips so he could drag them down her legs.

He pulled away to toss them in the growing pile of clothes next to them and he dropped his lips to the inside of her left knee.  Her legs seemed to open wider on their own accord as he alternated kissing up each leg.  Elizabeth leaned back onto her elbows and she did what she could to slow her breathing. She bent her head back and her eyes caught the metallic thread in the tartan. The sparkles she saw seemed to move in tandem with the sparks of passion that rippled through her body

When he reached her mound, they groaned at the same time and she gasped loudly when he dragged his tongue up the cloth covering her core.  She watched with heavy-lidded eyes as he pulled her underwear off her body, never breaking eye contact with her.  He grinned at her before dipping his head down between her thighs.  She widened her legs and she could feel his tongue drag up her slit.  She gasped as his tongue pressed down on her clit.  She closed her eyes at the sensations swirling around her lower belly.

“No m’eudial, look at me.”  Elizabeth opened her eyes at Hamish’s gruff words and before she could say anything, he tugged on her hips to bring her closer to the edge of the bed, giving him better access to what he wanted.  He lowered his head again, licking and sucking along her slit until her hips began to shake. He pushed her legs wider and slowly inserted a finger into her core.

“Oh god, Hamish!”

He smiled against her as he pumped his finger inside of her.   When he inserted a second finger, Elizabeth nearly came off the bed, her moan rang throughout the room.  He could feel her shaking harder, telling him she was close to climaxing.  As he continued to lick her and pump his fingers, he rested his forearm across her hips and as her orgasm got closer and closer, she reached out and grabbed his head, nails digging into the flesh of his scalp.

When it hit her, she screamed and her whole body began to shake from the force of it.  Her head pressed into his bed and her hazy vision turned the sharp sparkles she had seen before practically into stars pulsating in time with her pleasure.  For a brief second, her breath hitched when she felt she’d never come down from her high.  But she did and Hamish was there to catch her.

He pressed a feather light kiss to the top of her mound before standing up to his full height.  Her body still shivered with tremors from her orgasm and he carefully pulled her up until her head was laying on his pillows.  Her dark hair stood in contrast with the white sheets, almost framing her in a halo of hazy light.  He stood back long enough to take off his clothes and he could feel the hunger in her eyes as he got naked.

She sat up long enough to remove her own shirt and her bra, her nipples becoming harder as the cool air of the bedroom hit them.  She bit back a moan as she laid back down as crawled onto the bed.  He lightly pressed his lips against her hip, and then her stomach, and then her breasts, followed by her neck and then her lips.  The trail he created felt like fire and she was humming from the sensation.

He laid down next to her, drawing flush against her side and propped up on his forearm.  She smiled at him as he looked down at her and he smiled back before lowering his head to kiss her again.  Soon she was dragging her hand down his neck, feeling the hard planes of his muscles under her fingertips.  She could feel his stomach contract when she touched it, and she smiled as he continued to kiss her.  Her hand went lower and lightly brushed against the head of his cock.  He jerked backed and hissed at the sensation.  He didn’t get very far before her hand wrapped around his cock and began to slowly pump him.

“M’eudial, you feel so good.” He pressed his face against her cheek and willed himself not to come right then and there in her hand.  It had been a long time since he had been with someone and he didn’t want this dream to end too soon.  But her hand felt divine and he couldn’t stop his hips from slightly rocking in time with her movements.  His breath hitched as he leaned his forehead against hers.  Their eyes met and Hamish knew he had to have her now.

He grabbed her wrist lightly and removed her hand from his cock.  He looked her in the eye as he shifted so he was laying on top of her.  She widened her thighs and when he lowered himself onto her, Elizabeth was suddenly struck with the feeling that she was coming home.  He brushed his erection against her folds, and she gasped as the sensation.  He reached between them and lined himself up before pressing forward.  Elizabeth felt herself stretch to accommodate him and it was delicious.  He continued until he was fully sheathed in her.  They took a moment to adjust and she reveled in the feeling of fullness.

When her hips started to move on their own, seeking out the friction she needed, he pulled back and drove into her again.  She brought her legs up to wrap around his hips and her arms did the same around his neck.  Hamish was so overcome with the sensations he was feeling that he buried his face into her neck.  As her orgasm began to build, she strained her body to capture the explosion she so desperately needed in that moment.

Her head was thrown back in pleasure and the sparkles seemed to dance feverishly and when Hamish moved his hand between them to touch her clit, she cried out.  The sparks of pleasure were overwhelming, and it felt like her skin was sparkling every time his touched her.

“I’m going to come m’eudail, come with me.”  He ground out the words against her throat and he felt her nod. His stokes came harder and before she knew it, her climax hit her.  Hamish lifted his head to look at her and he could have sworn he saw a Scottish galaxy reflected in her eyes.  He pumped into her one, two, three more times before withdrawing and coming on her stomach.

He collapsed on top of her and she held him close.  As their breathing returned to normal, Elizabeth stroked the top of his head and he grabbed her free hand with his, kissing her knuckles. When he felt he could handle the weight of his own body, he drew himself up onto his forearms and looked down at her. She moved her hand from the top of his head to his jaw and smiled.  He smiled back.

[joelmillerthirstqz]

Joel x reader getting caught for the kinktober, please your highness

update: 11/13

Front Notes

This was a simple request of Joel getting caught for kinktober, and I may have utterly failed you because I wrote Joel/Tess using Tommy/Marlene as a framing device to, I dunno, think through character decisions.

Second chapter will be an x reader variation of this fill!

----

Caught (Variations) on AO3

“Clear,” Tommy confirms, shaking out his newly tie-able hair and dragging it back up into a tiny puff at the crown of his head, shotgun set down on a years-unused cubicle desk.

Marlene watches him with raw amusement. She’d admitted just once that she liked it when it came down, but watching him fuss with managing it was almost more endearing and she couldn’t bring herself to stop gazing at him.

From under a curtain of it, he looks up with his neck bowed, fingers puzzling through a prized elastic found earlier in the day.

“Marlene?”

“Clear, I’m clear. Clear,” she stammers, off-guard.

Tommy advances on her, looking down.

“You gotta teach me to do the thing where it just stays the whole time,” he requests, cradling her jaw.

Marlene scoffs at him before surging up to kiss him, exhausted and pointed.

“Wanna find a dark corner?” she teases.

Tommy gestures expansively to the whole room.

“Somewhere that is vaguely fit to lie on,” Marlene pokes his chest to emphasize each word.

“I know a place, if we get there first,” Tommy insinuates. They’d stumbled past a vaguely habitable back office and split to clear the floor and bar the doors when they’d first rushed in, and she’s hoping Joel and Tess were sweeping some other area.

Marlene can barely make out outlines in the low light of the empty floor. All she wants is a swig of whatever was in the back office with the cots, and her hand tucked neatly into Tommy’s as they stream through the building to their destination. Shouldering through a door that led to some open office hell and promised the office with cots on the other side, Marlene freezes, half-lunged into the room. Tommy piles up against her back but accepts her hand urging his sternum backwards several feet.

Joel’s hand grips the edge of an old drafting table, his other threaded in Tess’ hair. They’d been at it for at least a few minutes based on the state of their undress, and Joel accidentally unsettles the handkerchief that usually holds Tess’ hair back. Marlene’s eyes narrow; uneasy around the less morally driven pair among them and trying to gauge if she was being unfair.

“God damn it,” she hears Tess growl.

“I’ve got your hair, just—” Joel replies with a laugh, trailing off, Tess smacking haphazardly at his stomach in annoyance.  

Joel stoops to drag Tess upright, easily muscling her onto the desk and spreading his hands on the underside of her thighs, leaning forward to taste her. It’s the fluid movement of frequent practice, preference, and physical aptitude that’s most unsettling about it to Marlene.

Marlene makes two decisive, loud bangs on the door by way of announcement, eyes carefully averted. With the room clear before her, it turned out there had been a million ways to just creep through silently without being seen that are instantly clear.

It’s weird that they wouldn’t go somewhere less visible, right?  

Joel gives her an enraged, indignant expression from above Tess’ thighs, only his dark eyes visible though his head continues to rock softly. Tess’ lips curl in a near sneer though her hands remain in Joel’s hair. She watches Marlene unabashedly, reaction playing over her face at Joel’s complete focus.

“Sorry—” Marlene half-asses, too tired to sound genuine or do anything much beyond feigning courtesy. She’s frozen on Tess’ face though, relaxed, soft expression on her entirely untoward for a woman fucking a man on a table in an abandoned office after team-suffocating a particularly wily clicker together minutes ago.

Not like you weren’t about to do the same, Marlene chides herself.

Joel seems to have entirely forgotten her presence, hooking Tess’ leg over his elbow and thrusting into her roughly. She tips her chin to the ceiling and Marlene faintly registers that she’s not made any movement in or out of the doorway. Tommy sighs and drops his head against the frosted glass, knowing exactly what had stopped her and entirely incapable of summoning the strength to confront it.

Marlene was perfectly attracted to Tommy, all brightness and light shrouded in frank capability, but she furrows her brows a little as she watches a beat longer. Joel’s in incredible shape for somene half-starving to death in a QZ, Tess much the same though her shirt remained on and haphazardly pushed up. Joel slams one of Tess’ arms above her head, pinning her hip with his other hand and driving into her harshly.

Marlene’s hand is still on Tommy’s chest as looking turns to watching. Joel has complete control of both of their bodies—weird to find Tess pliant, ever—but she kisses him open-mouthed and Marlene can see his whole body roll in response to it. Slowing, he rests his cheek on the drafting table near Tess’ shoulder, eyes catching on Marlene with genuine surprise to find her still there.

Joel doesn’t break pace and a grin spreads from one side of his mouth to the other as he shakes his head with something like disdain. His attention is pulled back by Tess sitting upright and threading her arms around his shoulders, whispering to him and blocking their expressions.

Marlene glances to Tommy, whose fingers are on the bridge of his nose.

“C’mon. Quiet like they’re clickers,” Marlene jokes.

Tommy cringes, because its so much worse than that to glimpse Joel and Tess shuddering together out of the corner of his eyes, dull thudding of the desk receding as Marlene all but drags him to her goal.

————

The office door latches behind them and they hear a loud crash from the main room accompanied by the more irregular sound of genuine mirth at whatever had perished in Joel and Tess’ fumbling.

“Please don’t tell me that was any type of inspirational for you,” Tommy mumbles, jaw working on one side. He’s accustomed to suffering by comparison to his brother and braces for it now.

“Anthropological,” Marlene replies carefully. She didn’t trust that pair for a half second and nothing about not stopping was going to help their cause now. It was simple: acolyte Firefly Tommy made her smile, shared her hope, and they made each other feel good. Marlene reaches for him by the belt and pulls his hips close, silencing his concerns before she’s shoved against a desk herself.

[gammija]

The Hollow review/summary/rant/explanation of why i hate the ending I wasn’t sure whether I should post this, but I did enjoy reading others experiences watching this show, so here’s mine under the cut. Edited from a convo with a friend.

(Obviously, spoilers!)

Me: Okay so to properly express my disappointment i gotta take you through the major beats

The show starts with three teens waking up in an almost empty room, finding out they all have amnesia. They quickly solve a puzzle to escape the room, and just as quickly Adam and Mira realize they have superpowers (superstrength/agility and some weird 'speak to animals/know all languages' hybrid, respectively. also she can breathe underwater and swim really fast. its kind of vague)

Kai is already clearly a comic relief, discount Ron (from HP, the movies, no idea about the books) so me and sister correctly predict he'll get jealous of adam and miras relationship (even if there is none), gets pissy and jealous that he has no powers, but then finds out he has powers anyway he does, hes a fire bender. cant say im not bitter about that cause id put my money on invulnerability but eh its alright he has red hair after all hes still fun

Friend: Of course he is

I just feel bad is all aldjs

Me: adam gets a throwaway line of 'maybe were dead' and kai never lets it go

this food might be poisoned but im starving and hey were dead anyway! right, adam

Friend: I love him??

Me: i loved him as soon as he spoke his first dumb words also he puns but basically hes the only interesting char; adam and mira are just cookie cutter 'male lead 1' and 'female lead 1' i mean, he’s cookie cutter ‘jealous 3rd wheel’ but that has more going on than the first two still servicable though

anyway so the jokes are sometimes fun, and superpowers are always my jam. but the REAL reason to keep watching is just, whats going on? ARE they dead? or in some kind of weird gvnmt experiment? some weird magical vampire guide (dont ask) hints they wanted this themselves ooh, intrigue. and the world is very very quirky they start in a gravity falls-y woods and then get teleported to a desert with minotaurs and witches, then get invited for tea by the Grim Reaper and the rest of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse

tbh Grim is the best part of the show but thats neither here nor there

anyway they have a magic map that updates once theyve been somewhere, and it shows them that the hot dry desert and the swampy wood bunker are like right next to each other

so you start thinking, how are they gonna explain that? this is too weird to be handwaved away. theyve gotta be going somewhere

they visit some other exotic locals, like what appears to be the set of Alien (complete with alien) and an abandoned old fair and a floating island with japanese inspired evildoers on it

the weird magic guide keeps showing up and being vague, dropping hints that there are other kids there etc

at some point Mira says "This is no time for games!" Weirdy: "Thats where youd be wrong~" me and sister: Aha! videogame! that connects all the dots, and also makes the tropes clear: small world with all kinds of different areas, quests, fights, superpowers, an updating map, fast travel Adam, a few eps later: guis i think we might be in a videogame me and sister: [high five]

Anyway in the meantime also the second predictable Kai (discount Ron) plot happens: they meet three other kids (boy boy girl) and they act shady but the girl takes an immediate and obvious interest in Kai so obviously theyre gonna manipulate him and have him betray his friends but in the end he'll see through their facade and kick their ass that more or less happens. The other teens also confirm that this is a game, and theyre trying to win. winning is done by bringing the MacGuffin to a tree fights over macguffin ensue situations are dire but our characters persevere

(also Mira kisses Adam and he acts very weird about it, almost as if hes gay and the only reason they didnt make it canon is censors) (no lingering gaze, just him going 'hehe yeah no thanks, its not you, its me', but in a very... he doesnt seem to be saying it with shall we say burning desire in his soul. hes literally just like 'eh youre a good friend.' Cool move, cartoon that made the two main boys have arguments over nothing cause of course the two main guys have constant dick measuring matches)

this all is not the offensive part btw it was all fun and games, its just a flash cartoon i wasnt expecting Shakespeare

anyway so theyre in a videogame, and apparently thats the answer to all the weirdness. A bit of a cop-out, cause thats a very easy answer, but eh, it works. it wasnt immediately obvious.

also something i hadnt mentioned yet: thisd be ideal for making (self-insert) OCs. Unique powers for each person, there are clearly more characters than shown, the world is your playground

and maybe the video game thing could be interesting on its own in the last few eps the game seems to be glitching out a lot they say its breaking apart so they really gotta hurry now maybe they were beta testers for a vr game gone wrong maybe this is part of it but its like a huge experience that you tell all your friends about anyway there are ways it could be cool, could be expanded to a season 2 despite having solved the mystery

but. last episode. our heroes get the MacGuffin, go to a final stage, and fight the Boss Battle (its a dragon). they enter the Castle....

...and the screen zooms out, into a sudden live action stage, where we see the cartoon (literally what you were just watching) on screen. there are 6 chairs, 3 with our heroes, 3 with the other teens, presumably. theres a host and hes dressed exactly like the weird guy (and that was already kind of a clashy outfit in the cartoon). it was all just a game show. but. the worst part is the live action

you. dont. go. from. animated. to. live. action.

other way around? fine, can work. But now? WHY itd still be dumb and dissapointing but if itd been animated too itd at least have been.... nice to look at but the acting.. oh god they didnt even say anything and it was all wrong clearly theyd just picked the first random teens that vaguely looked like the chars and put them in there cause they had no lines so who needs acting?!

the enemy teams girl had, in the cartoon, pink hair. Purple with pink highlights instead of stylizing that into something more realistic or painting the actual hair, they gave some 30-year old woman a wig and called it a day

keep in mind i binged this show in one go

purposely stayed up late to watch the last ep with my sis even tho we shouldve gone to bed and were disobeying our dad cause we Had to Know

and theres more i said they had no lines but i was lying. Kai did have a line. well, his voice actor did they dubbed him also the line was about him having to pee which is already not the most hilarious in animated version but a live action kid whose supposed to be this character you spent 3 hours with but looks nothing like him saying that in a voice that doesnt belong to his throat, as he stands bashfully in front of a live audience, the only words spoken by your main characters in the last moments...

*its actual hell*

oh oh one more thing at the end the six kids stand in a line and kai is next to other girl they glance at each other and as the eyes of this teen and 30 year old in wig cross, her eye glitches for a moment

dun dun duuun

bUT i dont care anymore, The Hollow. You overestimated your own premise. this wont be forgiven. your most interesting part was the mystery, and the answer  to that was "just a normal game show" (which also doesnt make sense on another level smh) soo if you think that im interested in what these two-dimensional (ha) characters will do now about the glitch in the eye of a bitch then i have news for u

i dont

...if they get a second season ill probably check it out though as long as its animated

Friend: Gammi I'm getting the real sinking suspicious feeling that what you saw isn't the real end but bad on purpose because there's more to it

Me: the show didnt seem good enough to be bad on purpose

and yet im still not done, if youll still hear me out

i mean, im an animation fan so ill still watch but if theyd wanted to be bad on purpose they really shouldve done a better job fleshing out the characters thats what people come back for that was a bit of a sidetrack BUT so i said why the live action itself was just terrible in overal quality

but the resolution that 'oh it was all in a game show' doesnt work on multiple levels

first of all, they show a short flashback of "About 5 hours earlier". The kids stand on the stage and are instructed to take their seats in the vr-chairs, and pick their superpower

2 things i dislike about that

1) there goes all the self-insert/oc potential. they werent teens in over their heads, they werent gvnmt experiments, or just some kids who wanted to play a game -they were in it to win it, from the start. thats very specific and not the most appealing to all kinds of characters (goodbye, all the 'im just an average girl whod never step into the spotlight like that' characters).

Also, all the expansion on lore is gone. maybe there were other games simultaneously? eh, maybe, but theyd be all gameshows. Maybe someone ended uo trapped there for way longer? nah its just a gameshow theyre not gonna let anything actually bad happen. Maybe there are other worlds, other areas, other weird creatures? unlikely, they finished the map and familiarity seemed to be a thing for the audience. Now every new idea has to be put not through a 'whats interesting for a player' but a 'whats interesting for a viewer' lens, and whats a selfinsert if not a player in another universe

2) HOW IS THIS A SUCCESSFUL GAME SHOW

who the hell watches a game show for 5 consecutive hours, some of which mustve been just them walking. also, we zoom out of the screen were watching, so implication is that everything up until then has been what the audience has seen. but... we only followed the one team. there were two? why didnt the audience want to see what they were up to? ~reality tv usually thrives on showinf the worst assholes so realistically they wouldve been the focus~

There are also way too many times *both* teams couldve failed, from early on till late in the game. Not a single game i can think of thats played for an audience is set up like that, and especially not a televised one (okay tbf idk if this was televised, i dont remember if i saw cameras, but. it mustve. monetary reasons.)

What r u gonna do if they all 'died' from the monsters in the first ep? Call it a day? boring for the audience. let them restart from scratch? boring for the audience. the existence of an audience messes with everything

AND THEN ANOTHER THING what do you mean, "5 hours ago?" you never get a time stamp to show how long theyve been in there but there are some cuts, when they travel and such. The actual show is a lil over 3 hours runtime. You mean to tell me you sat through 2 hours of the characters just walking?

okay last thing. so. they were clearly second season teasing with the glitching eye thing. i already said this but. theres nowhere to go from here that isnt worse that the first season. your mystery is dead. you clearly know your live action teens cant act so youd have to go back into the game - but why would they do that? how would that be in any way interesting? you explored all there was to explore.

The other, more out there option, is that as you said the 'real world' was a fake-out and theyre still in a game. but. how would- how would you even make that remotely convincing? if youd just left the 'real world' gameshow as animated too this wouldnt have been a problem. but there is absolutely no conceivable reason to justify, in universe, why another meta-level up is 2D animation again unless they were in a game, in a game, in a game. and thats just dumb. yall aint inception

Friend: HONESTLY if they just kept the whole deal animated it'd probably be okay. Not good, but better,

Me: ye me and my sister came to the same conclusion

i couldve lived with that. at least, i couldve just acknowledged the finales existence but chose to ignore it. now however im full phantom planet levels of denial. in fact i dont even know how the show ended anymore, suddenly

Friend: what finale? what show?

Me: also at least now we know why its called The Hollow

it leaves you feeling empty inside

[chill-that-ur-inmyhead]

stand by me

1 - Are you one of those people who can watch TV shows and movies over and over again without getting bored?                                                            yes!!! I prefer to water my favs over trying something new, I’d really have to be interested to watch something else

2 - If you drink coffee, do you like it plain or would you rather have something like a latte or something flavoured?                                              latte for sure, preferably a matcha latte (from pret :))))))

3 - How did you used to dress ten years ago? Do you dress in a similar way now?                                                                                                                so aged 11, a lot of stretchy jean jeggings and colourful tops, no elaborate accessorising, very simple and basic and most importantly comfortable 

4 - When you’re grocery shopping, do you buy known brands or are you happy to go with the generic store version?                                                      I can go both ways

5 - Do you have a close relationship with any of your cousins?                  not really

6 - Who was the last person to sleep over at your house? Does this person stay over often or was it more of a one-off?                                                      I had a one night stand last year

7 - Does bad weather put you off going out if you’ve got plans to do so? Have you ever cancelled plans due to the weather?                                  depends if the plans are spent outside but if we are going to a bar or restaurant then the weather wouldn’t stop me

8 - When you’re on vacation, do you prefer doing the typical tourist things, or would you rather explore somewhere off the beaten track?                  typical tourist things but once they’re done I could go off the beaten track

9 - Did your family travel a lot when you were younger?                              we went to places around Europe but never outside of it

10 - When was the last time you went shopping for clothes? Did you get anything decent or find any bargains?                                                          shopping online for clothes, literally had a delivery yesterday, I needed a raincoat

11 - Is it true that accessories can make or break an outfit?                          for sure, I wish 11 year old me knew a bit more about accessorising!!

12 - What is your worst memory from high school? What about the best? worst memories were probs fighting with my friends, it was an awful stressful feeling but the best memories is laughing around with those same friends!

13 - Is there any trait in a potential partner that would be a total deal breaker for you?                                                                                          different sense of humour probably

14 - Do you insist people use coasters if they’re putting drinks down in your house?                                                                                                    nope but I think they do automatically

15 - Have you ever been arrested? Were you guilty of whatever it is you were arrested for?                                                                                          nope never

16 - Name five items on the shelf nearest to you:                                            vinyl player, ben e king record, camera, camera bag, passport

17 - After meals, do you wash dishes up right away, or do you leave them in the sink and do a whole days worth at once?                                        leave them on the side for the dishwasher

18 - What websites do you find yourself spending the most time on? recently, netflix, asos, twitter, tumblr, redit, insta,

19 - Do you still download music and TV shows?                                         sure if I’m going on a long journey I download them to listen to offline 

20 - Does your phone have a good battery life? How long does it last before you need to charge it again?                                                          depending how much I use it but I can usually get through the whole day before I charge it at night

21 - When was the last time you hit snooze?                                                      this morning

22 - Did you ever play The Sims? Which expansion pack was your favourite, if you had any?                                                                                    I used to play Sims castaway but it was ages ago

23 - Are there any popular film series or TV shows that you just don’t get the appeal of?                                                                                                    cooking shows, I find them quite boring and they make me hungry!

24 - As a child, did you receive pocket money or an allowance? How much did you get? Was it dependent on you doing chores of some kind?            yes I think it was £10 a week or something, nope no chores I guess I was lucky

25 - Do you think your parents did a good job of raising you? Would you do anything differently with your own kids?                                                      I’d try and go outside of europe for holidays, but I guess that will depend on my finances and what my children are up for

26 - If something is bothering you, do you have to fix it right away?          my brother is talking to his friend and its really annoyingly loud                        

27 - Are there any household jobs you enjoy doing? If so, what’s the reason that you enjoy those things?                                                      hoovering my room and seeing my floor become cleaner

28 - Do you still live in the area you grew up in? Would you like to live somewhere else one day? Where would you go?                                              I had to move back home after uni but I really want to go back to London once everything resumes

29 - Do you smoke, drink or do drugs? How old were you the first time you tried those things? Do you want to quit?                                                  drinking happened at 15/ 16 and marijuana at 17

30 - What’s one thing that really grosses you out? Is it something you have to deal with anyway? How do you cope?                                                        hair in the shower drain GROSS or I guess anything in the shower drain just grosses me out 

31 - Have you ever grown your own fruits or veggies? Did it work out okay or was it a bit of a failure?                                                                                my padre does! tomatoes and blueberries, used to grow raspberries

32 - Could you ever raise animals only to kill and eat them later on, or would you struggle to kill a living thing you’d formed an attachment to?      If it is my last resort you gotta do what you gotta do

33 - When was the last time you painted your nails?                                        I got my nails done just before lockdown happened last week

34 - If you regularly sit in the same place (on your bed or the sofa, for example) do you have a cupboard or something to keep supplies in so you don’t have to keep moving all the time?                                                              I have a snack tin next to me and a jug of water, been thinking about moving my spare kettle into my room to make teas instead of having to go downstairs but that would be the height of my laziness

35 - Have you ever been a witness to a crime? Did you have to make a statement to the police?                                                                                  nope

36 - Do you prefer Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings?                          Harry Potter ofc

37 - Do you like to air your house or room out every day to stop it getting musty?                        ��                                                                                         in the summer yes

38 - Have you ever visited a landmark or place made famous by a TV show or film? Did you go there because it was featured on TV?                            not yet but I want to  

39 - Who taught you how to tie your shoe laces?                                        parents

40 - Do you have any pets? What are they all doing at the moment?              I don’t but wished I did

41 - Do you prefer sweet or savoury snacks?                                                    sweet

42 - What’s the most painful place you’ve ever had a spot? Was it a big relief when you finally managed to squeeze it?                                          forehead spots can hurt like a bitch

43 - Talking of spots, have you ever watched videos like those by Dr Pimple Popper? Do you think that kind of stuff is cool or gross?

44 - When was the last time you attended a bonfire?                                        literally last week, dad had a bonfire for 5th November to remember his mother

45 - Is there anything you wish you enjoyed, but you just struggle with for some reason? Maybe you hate the crowds or the noise?                                I wish I liked running

46 - What’s worse - someone constantly blowing their nose or someone who’s constantly sniffing?                                                                          sniffing

47 - Do you have any genuine phobias? What are they and have you ever done anything to address them?                                                                      nope

48 - Do you hate the feeling of being sweaty and dirty from exercise? Is this something that’s put you off working out in the past?                              I don’t like that it makes my hair gross and that sometimes prevents me from working out

49 - Is there anything “normal” that you have a real aversion to? Like a certain noise or smell or taste?                                                                        I’m not fond of fireworks, high risk low reward imo

50 - If you’ve made plans with someone and you really don’t want to go when the time comes, do you suck it up or make an excuse?                          I usually don’t make plans that I don’t wanna go to, I’ll make plans that I can be excited for

51 - What’s your favourite thing to do with each of your parents? Do you get a chance to do that regularly?                                                                Used to go for lunch with my mum most weekends but that doesn’t happen anymore

52 - If you were to adopt a pet, is there anything that would put you off, like a certain colour or breed?                                                                                    If I was to adapt a dog it would be a golden retriever otherwise I just wouldn’t get a dog, for a cat I’m less picky, just no completely white cats and no hairless ones.

53 - Would you ever like to give circus skills a go? What would you be most interested in trying?                                                                        trampolining looks like fun  

54 - What are your thoughts on circuses that allow animal performances? shame shame I know your name

55 - Are there any habits or traditions you’ve picked up from your parents what you’ve carried on in your own home?                                                        I don’t have my own home yet but I’m sure I will

56 - Are there any remakes that you think are better than the originals?    the shrek series and Ice series are strong contenders

57 - How about cover songs? Do you prefer any of those to the original versions?                                                                                                                I used to only listen to the glee version of songs, it was so weird hearing the original

58 - What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the cinema? What about the last?                                                                                                HSM 3 when I was 9 and Pixie at 21

59 - Do you listen to more music, or watch more TV? Is this something that’s changed over the years?                                                                      over lockdown I’ve been really into blasting my music but before then I deffo wated more tv

60 - Do you have any weird fears or worries? Like thinking you’ve forgotten to lock a door or blow out a candle? What do you do to reassure yourself you’ve not forgotten?                                                                            whenever I go somewhere I have to triple check I’ve not left anything - it almost happened to me a couple of weeks ago with my purse and thank god I triple check because I saw it and thought that would have been hell for parallel universe me

[entergamingxp]

Warframe dev on working from home, Necramechs and the wild new Helminth system • Eurogamer.net

A world inhabited by infested creatures, an abundance of insects, and a daily power struggle between two opposing sides? No, it’s not the British summertime in 2020, it’s the new Warframe expansion Heart of Deimos, which has just been unveiled as part of this year’s all-digital TennoCon presentation.

The update brings a raft of goodies – including a fleshy open world, K-Drive combat, mechs and warring giant wyrms – all of which should keep players occupied as they search for the origins of the Infested faction. Oh, and there’s also a little thing called the Helminth Chrysalis System, which allows players to transfer an ability to another Warframe (something that should create some truly wacky combinations).

But given this year has been so disruptive for many studios thanks to the impact of COVID-19, I was curious to know how Digital Extremes had shifted its content plans and managed the workload for Warframe: particularly given the game normally receives a fairly consistent flow of updates and content. After watching a press deimos-tration, I had a chat with Warframe COO and dev team member Sheldon Carter, who was able to tell me more about the challenges of working during lockdown, how the Necramechs work… and what the hell is going on with that Helminth.

So first of all, how are you doing? How’s it been working through the COVID-19 lockdown?

Sheldon Carter: Oh, yeah, it’s been a challenge. You know, it’s been a challenge for us to get something like this event and this type of content together over COVID. But after the first month of it, I think we started hitting our stride and figuring out what we wanted to do, and how to work towards it. I may have gotten a little bit of pinkeye from stress in the last little bit, but otherwise, I think we’re good.

How did you adapt your plans for the year ahead? Obviously the Duviri Paradox was delayed, but what restrictions did lockdown place on what you could do working from home?

Sheldon Carter: It did, I mean, we were really lucky that the way we work is we have some of our teams doing advanced work on future stuff. When we looked at Duviri and even some of the stuff we were looking towards such as New War, versus the team that had already started out on Deimos, we actually felt like Deimos had a better chance of getting to TennoCon with the type of content we wanted to. So we just did a pivot, it was one of those ones where it wasn’t what we were expecting to do. If you would have asked me in March, what TennoCon was, I would not have said this. But it was a great set of content and features for us to work in multiple different groups. So we had the Helminth system being worked on by a group, we had the landscape people, and that’s a huge part of our team. And then even for the Warframes and some of the systems we were able to portion it out a little bit better… the cinematic group was also able to take small sections. So yeah, it just really, really worked well for us from a compartmentalisation standpoint to go with Deimos.

More broadly, how have you balanced the need to keep Warframe updated as a live service game with making sure that devs are coping with the difficulties of working from home?

Sheldon Carter: We definitely recognised it was not gonna be the same [level of] productivity as we have had. Outside of that, however… our team, once they get a hold of something, they really impress me. Thinking about what we were going to do versus what we have for TennoCon… you know, it’s a testament to those guys, they really worked their butts off.

Heart of Deimos is the first simultaneous launch of a Warframe update on all platforms, is that something you hope to continue in future?

Sheldon Carter: This is one of those ones where the stars align… we were gonna try it, and obviously what we’ve always wanted is for everybody to be able to experience the content at the same time. We wanted those console players to feel like, ‘hey, it’s not something that I’m getting a couple weeks later’. So we’ve been tightening and tightening, and we’re going to try it with this. Hopefully it all goes well, and it will be something we continue to look at as we go forward. But yeah, it’d be great – even if it was for major updates, I’d be happy with that.

Why did you want to focus on the Infested for this update?

Sheldon Carter: If you look at the other two landscapes, Fortuna and the Orb Vallis are Corpus-focused, Plains of Eidolon is Grineer-focused. So [the Infested] is the last faction in the game, right? I think it provided us with an interesting story angle, and I think that’s what we’re most interested in, generally-speaking, from our open worlds as well. To be like… ‘how can we set something up with a story that’s going to give us new information about a faction, that can really build up the lore’.

On the topic of the previous two open world updates, what kind of design decisions did you make to put a twist on this open world and make it different?

Sheldon Carter: Quite a few! It’s funny, you’re used to hearing in games that ‘this the biggest open world we’ve ever done yet again’, right? And this isn’t the biggest one. This is actually probably our smallest one in terms of size, but the depth we put into it is definitely much more. So there’s way more systems to understand and learn. There’s these beautiful grottos you get to go into and explore, there’s the Necramechs, which is a totally different thing that we have never had in Warframe. We have, you know, conservation pets you can ride. I think the Helminth system is another good example. So we really wanted to take the types of ideas that players are expecting from Warframe’s open worlds, but we wanted to twist them. And that’s how we did it with certain things like that.

Do you have any examples of what you can make with the new Helminth Chrysalis System: are you able to create any really weird or unique Warframe builds and or gameplay styles through that?

Sheldon Carter: So you can imagine the face on our QA leads when we said, ‘okay, so we have this system, and you can take one power from a Warframe, and you could put it on your Warframe. Could you guys make sure all the combinations are good?’ Do the maths, and it’s… oh, god, there’s a million combinations. It’s exponential. So we’ve tried a number of different ones to see what works, and we’re only allowing one power to come from each Warframe. So that kind of limits it a little bit. But it’s insane, honestly, and I’m really excited to see what the community comes up with. And I say that, like, excited, because I’m sure there’s gonna be stuff that’s going to blow our minds. But I think at the same time, we stuck with abilities that players really wanted to see. It was kind of a power fantasy for some players to do this. So we wanted to make sure we gave them that ability without compromising what made the kit of a certain Warframe special.

So were certain limitations put in place to make sure that the Warframes were balanced?

Sheldon Carter: As balanced as it could be with that many combinations. I think one of the nice things about Warframe you know, from a development side, is there’s a very small PvP element, but most of it is… you know, we are dealing with enemies and players getting to tear enemies apart. So if we can give them something that’s powerful and they can find new powerful ways to do it, that’s exciting to me. I mean, within reason.

How do you think the community will react to the idea of sacrificing a Warframe? I feel like normally a Warframe has almost been revered, and here we’re feeding one to a fleshy blob.

Sheldon Carter: I think that’s definitely the one that we don’t know. Which makes it exciting! And sometimes that’s what makes TennoCon exciting, right? Sometimes you gotta try these things. I’m crossing my fingers it’s gonna go over well. You never know.

Can you tell me a little bit more about the Necramechs – such as how they unlock, and if you can customise them?

Sheldon Carter: We have a kind of a two-stage system with them right now. In the press demo, you would have seen Rebecca Ford [live operations and community director] use transference to rebuild a Necramech right in the environment. And that’s open to any of the players (spoiler alert, there’s operators in the game). But for players who have unlocked that and have gone through all that content, that’s kind of a bonus for them, because if they find them in the environment, in the right situations, they can use transference. But to a new player, or even for those players, there’s factions you can raise standing with, and you can learn about. And through those standings you can build your own.

Are the Necramechs going to stick to the Heart of Deimos area, or could we see them in other open world areas in future?

Sheldon Carter: I could definitely see them there. I think we’re going to release with them in Deimos in their home environment, but I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t expand out from there.

So Steel Path was introduced recently, I was wondering what sort of feedback you’ve received from the community on this and how well it’s been recieved?

Sheldon Carter: It’s done really well. I think it’s one of those things Warframe players are always looking for… we were just talking about the insane combinations you might get with the Helminth. I think players are always trying to find a way to test their skills and their abilities with more and more difficult content. So this is one of our answers to that. I wish I had engagement numbers for you, but it was incredible to me how many players engaged with that system and have gone all the way up through it already. So from an engagement perspective: yeah, super great. I think there’s still more work to be done there. But we’re happy with the feature in general.

On that point, I think some in the community were wondering about maybe higher drop rates for rewards for Steel Path. Do you know if that’s a possibility?

Sheldon Carter: Usually it’s me who looks at the rewards, I definitely have heard that feedback. So we were looking at that stuff, for sure.

Is there any news on progress for the Command Intrinsic?

Sheldon Carter: Yeah, it’s coming. That’s about all I have right now. It’s not forgotten, but we decided to go with this swath of content that’s coming out. What’s cool is that usually at TennoCon, we’re showing you content and it comes out a year later. I mean, this is coming out weeks later. So hopefully you will be able to get right into that. And then we can focus on some of the other stuff that we’ve been working on for the other systems as well.

So we’re obviously coming up to next-gen console time: I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about how Warframe will transfer over? Is it going to be fairly seamless, will there be any noticeable changes for players?

Sheldon Carter: I think at this point we haven’t done anything officially to announce around next-gen and what we’re doing, but we’ve been, you know, speaking with all of our partners, we’re excited to see what’s gonna happen with Sony with the PS5 and with the Xbox Series X as well. But yeah, we’re really excited about the next gen and the hardware.

One final question, it’s very important: are you able to catch the flying fish in the Heart of Deimos?

Sheldon Carter: Can you catch the flying fish? The answer to that is yes. Yes. You have to be able to fish, right?

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/08/warframe-dev-on-working-from-home-necramechs-and-the-wild-new-helminth-system-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=warframe-dev-on-working-from-home-necramechs-and-the-wild-new-helminth-system-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

[topicprinter]

TL;DR -- In prep for my first visit to SaaStr Annual, I binge-listened to all 95 podcasts and wrote down the highlights. In the original blog post we built a simple search app of the data set I created along with images of all the SaaS resources mentioned on the show. The rest of the text is below. Hope some might find it useful....Who needs a #drinkwithharry?Over the past few weeks, I tasked myself with listening to all ~32 hours of the SaaStr podcast, in preparation for the SaaStr Annual conference. Each show is an incredibly dense, 20-minute nugget on the business of SaaS. IMHO, it is totally and completely worthwhile to meander through twice-weekly.However. Powering through them all in one go was the equivalent of a Brain Blaster—more like binge-watching Planet Earth than Portlandia. Do as I say, kids, not as I do.So, what did I learn? Well, a ton. Let’s try to unpack the highlights with the Data, the Recommended Resources, the Words of Wisdom and, finally, the Personal Lessons.To the Data!As part of this journey, I put together a file that combines data from the RSS feed along with my own note-taking on each episode (typos and dirty data notwithstanding).[Note: Due to reddit formatting, here are the details of the data set]:The CSV file is available on GitHub.The Search App is inside the original post.The how-to on getting dynamic data into a static set using our cloud data pipes is in a secondary post.Fun facts:54% of episodes featured a CEO and/or Founder21% of episodes featured a VC or other InvestorThe remaining episodes (with a few exceptions) were with VP of sales, marketing or customer successOf the non-VC interviewees, there was a diversity of SaaS products on display. HR and Marketing companies were most prominent (~30%), but others ranged from security-guards-on-demand to shipping APIs to a Slack bot. It’s a big world out there.There were only two repeat guests (Jason Lemkin and John Barrows)The “60-second SaaStr” was nicknamed “the Churn” for a few early episodes. The “Good, that’s perfect, I think we’re warmed up” audio snippet appeared 43 episodes in. Were these the experiments and casualties of lean podcast methodology? We’ll never know.Recommended SaaS ResourcesThis is probably a good time to note that Harry Stebbings, the wunderkind interviewer, is a natural. In addition to tight, relevant questions, the brilliance of the show really comes down to the editing. 20 minutes is a perfect length and a huge differentiator compared to other tech and startup podcasts.One question Harry often asks (~55% of all interviews) is simply: “What are your favorite SaaS resources?” Interviewees answer with various blogs, books, podcasts, among others. I compiled each resource and grouped them by number of mentions. To make things a little easier to read, I also highlighted the books in blue:[NOTE: All the SaaS resources mentioned I grouped and, due to lazyness, just took a screenshot. Top four were SaaStr, Tomasz Tunguz blog, David Skok blog, & Mark Suster blog, but a long-tail of other interesting reads; for the full list, see the original postThere is a clearly a preference for SaaStr on these Saastr podcasts (weird!), but you clearly don’t want to miss out on Tomasz Tunguz or David Skok either. When you go to google "How to Castrate a Bull" make sure you add "business book" to your search criteria.Words of WisdomAs for actual content, where to begin? It’s an embarrassment of riches. So as not to write a novel, let me give you a taste by simply quoting from a handful of interviews (with gentle editing for clarity):Nick Mehta, Gainsight, Episode #24 on What Companies are Getting Wrong with Customer Success“#1 they think it is just about churn reduction… just the beginning of the story… it’s about upsell, expansion and most importantly about advocacy and getting your customers to be your best sales people…#2 they hire the wrong leader… maybe passionate about the customer and product, but not operationally focused…#3 they put it under another exec… part time responsibility of marketing or sales… #4 they make it all about people and heroics v. process… #5 they think about it as just the CSM team’s responsibility, when in reality that customer success team is the quarterback… but you need the whole company to rally around it.”Aaron Ross, Author, Episode 46 on the Most Common Reason Companies Struggle to Grow“Because they haven’t nailed a niche… you can have a big vision, but it means being very focused—baby steps—around the type of customer segments… who today you can find, talk to and who need you enough to buy from you… so you can double-down and grow fast.An old story, company has a product, anyone in the world can use it and get value from it, but no one is buying it. Where are you a need to have vs. where you are a nice to have? It’s hard to have the internal discipline in the early days to say these customers can all use us, but they don’t need it so much that they’re going to buy… got to focus on these 1-2 very specific areas… maybe not sexy… but enough of a pain there that they’re going to need us and go through all the huge time and energy and effort—the more-than-you-expect-process—to evaluate us, buy us and deploy us.”Russell Glass, LinkedIn, Episode #14 on Marketing within the Customer Lifecycle“At each stage… [customers] have certain information needs… and if you can, as a marketer, help them with those information needs at the right part of the journey of that decision, that is when you are relevant… that is when you are able to transcend being marketing material and move into the information universe.”Seth Besmertnik, Conductor, Episode #79 on Weaponizing Marketing:“Your marketing can be a weapon and core competency and differentiator… [for a crowded market] what ends up discerning the difference is the marketing… are people finding you?… do they know you exist? There are a lot of great software companies that are dead on the side of the road because no one ever found their business, no one found their product and they weren’t good at sales and marketing. So having a great product is the start, but it’s not how you get across the finish line.”Mathilde Collin, Frontapp, Episode #10 on Content Marketing Strategy“We have a process, first try to release at least two posts per month… and then always try to write 1/3 on market we’re in… 1/3 on our journey… and 1/3 about specific use case for customers”Peter Reinhardt, Segment, Episode #80 on Turning Up Product Market Fit to Eleven“[Early on] we managed to convince ourselves that pretty meager levels of customer excitement meant product market fit, which I think is an easy thing to do… I think customers have more dynamic range in their response to a product than most people realize… “oh that seems helpful”… 7 or 8 out of 10… but when you really hit a pain point, the customer’s dynamic range goes up to 11… and their response is totally different… like holy shit, can I get access to it today? I need to call this other person on my team who has been talking about this forever, how ’bout I introduce you? and you’re like “woah, woah” it doesn’t even exist yet, slow down… I think the customer’s dynamic range is much broader than we realized and so we never actually hit that 11 and just convinced ourselves that 7 out of 10 was product-market fit.”Ryan Smith, Qualtrics, Episode #83 on Necessity of Managing Runway“Rome wasn’t built in a day… it’s going to take time, if you can keep your options from a funding or partner standpoint to actually give you a long enough runway, entrepreneurs will figure it out. The problem is when they put a stopwatch on their back… every bet that we’ve made has taken a little longer than we anticipated… you don’t want to limit yourself to one point in time… you gotta play the long game.”Leo Widrich, Buffer, Episode #89 on an Embarrassing MVP“The quote… that you should be embarrassed by your first version gets misinterpreted a lot… you shouldn’t be embarrassed because it completely breaks or is unusable… that’s the wrong type of embarrassment… the type that is good is the embarrassment of richness… like, kinda embarrassed because it’s only this one feature and you wish you had done three more… it is complete unto itself… not the base layer of the cake, but, instead, a cupcake.”Personal Lessons LearnedIf there is one thing I’ve personally learned throughout this process, it’s that the 2x speed on a podcast app is probably the greatest invention of all time.But, as far as SaaS goes, I think what you receive through drowning in all this content is a solid understanding of the conventional wisdom of running a SaaS business, from early days to scale. Things like:Hire athletes in the beginning, specialize later.Initial product market fit is when you have 10 unaffiliated paying customersSales and Customer Success need to be working in tandem, given the necessity of retention in SaaSDon’t spend money on sales until you have a repeatable processFocus early on a single personaGet people to pay you earlyMore mojitos, fasterAnother cool thing about this binge-mission, should one accept it, is that you’ll certainly find a few tidbits that speak directly to your situation. For instance, I almost fell out of my chair when Harry Glaser of Periscope Data (Episode #30) was asked about greenfield opportunities in SaaS and then went on to lay out the problem that our startup, Flex.io, is trying to tackle:“I think one thing we see that maybe other folks don’t see there’s a lot of back end data munging and processing and kinda unsexy data things going on that are really being done with a collection of hacky python scripts right now… copying data from place to place, transforming data, storing data, all that stuff is being done by people writing scripts on the side… so I think there is a big opportunity there…”Let’s hope so, Harry!…Well, I hope this proved to be a useful summary for you, dear reader. May your SaaS companies flourish and may your mojito glasses never be empty! Hope to see you at SaaStr Annual.edit: formatting