#you do it to hide something and save it for the end

[sunniques]

— ¡ 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 !

in which your sister’s boring party takes an exciting turn.

❥ PAIRING: lee heeseung x female reader x park sunghoon

❥ GENRE: threesome au, smut

❥ WORD COUNT: 3.8k

❥ CW/TW: threesome, infidelity, voyeurism, small age gap, oral sex (f & m), unprotected sex, spit roasting, multiple creampies

NOTE: don’t like, don’t read.

“Y/N, will you do me a favor?”

You roll your eyes at the question as irritation crawls up your skin. It’s one of the questions you hate the most, especially coming from your sister. “Another one?”

“Don’t be a bitch. You staying for my party is not even a real favor,” she scowls at you. 

“It actually is because mom and dad won’t let you have it unless I’m here,” you scowl back as your irritation grows. “And I literally had plans today.” 

“I told you you could invite your little friends,” she snaps angrily. “It’s not my fault they didn’t want to come!”

You don’t blame your friends for not wanting to hang around your sister and her friends. They were vapid and annoying. Tolerating them was always a challenge, but at least you would be able to hide in your room this time.

“Whatever. What’s the favor?”

“Will you hang out with Sunghoon when he gets here? He’s gonna feel awkward without Gayoung around, and he actually seems to like you.”

“Heeseung isn’t coming?” You ask, surprised that the two friends who are always attached at the hip aren’t coming together.

“No, he is, but…” your sister’s expression turns a bit bashful. “We’re probably gonna be hanging out alone, and I don’t want Sunghoon to feel awkward. You know how he is.”

You frown at how thoughtless her actions are. Some friend she is. 

It’s likely that Sunghoon declined her invitation since his girlfriend won’t be coming, but obviously your sister’s obsession with Heeseung pushed her to berate him into coming and bringing her crush along. She didn’t handle rejection well which is why she’s still latching onto the hope that Heeseung will finally see her as more than a friend.

A losing battle if you ever saw one.

“Fine,” you say slyly. “I’ll make sure Sunghoon has a great time.”

Sunghoon is the first to admit that he’s a little bit of a pushover. He’s always been one to go along with other people’s whims even if he didn’t necessarily want to. That’s how he ended up at a pool party he didn’t even really want to be at. Initially, he came because he was unable to reject his friend’s invitation. Literally. She didn’t take no for an answer, and she insisted that he bring Heeseung, who she’s liked for a long, long time.

Now, Sunghoon had no problem being a wingman, but unfortunately for everyone involved, Heeseung doesn’t feel the same way about his friend. It’s painfully obvious to their entire friend group, and if Sunghoon hadn’t mentioned that you were also going to be at the party, he knew Heeseung wouldn’t have agreed to come. Somehow his friend doesn’t realize that her longtime crush likes her younger, prettier sister. A cruel irony, really.

“Don’t leave,” Heeseung manages to say through gritted teeth before he’s pulled away by his admirer to do shots.

Sunghoon feels awkward at first. He hardly knows anyone aside from Heeseung and the girl clinging onto him. He’s always been bad at small talk which is all he would be able to have with some of the familiar faces surrounding him. Luckily for him, a very pretty night in shining armor saves him just as he’s about to check his weather app.

“Hoonie!” You exclaim happily as you throw your arms around his neck affectionately. “I’m glad you came! How have you been?”

Usually, it’s awkward for him when people he hasn’t spent a lot of time around try to act friendly, but with you it’s different. You’re always genuine with him, and right now he can tell you’re trying to make him feel less uncomfortable. It’s something Sunghoon has always appreciated about you. You’re so sweet and considerate that he’s never had any issues getting along with you. That’s what makes it so easy for him to talk to you.

“I’ve been good,” he gives you a pretty smile that makes you swoon internally. “I just finished up my internship last week which means I can finally enjoy my summer.”

“That’s great!” You say in a congratulatory way. “I’m surprised, though. I didn’t think my sister’s parties were your idea of enjoying summer.”

“They’re not, but Gayoung said I should come since she’s out of town.”

You don’t ask about his girlfriend because you don’t really care and because anything else you might say will lead back to your sister basically forcing him to come because she wants to hook up with his best friend. Sunghoon is nice enough not to mention that at least.

Taking a glance around your backyard, you realize that now would be the perfect opportunity to get away without being noticed. 

“Let’s go inside,” you tell him after your sister’s friends start to get more rowdy in the pool.

Sunghoon can’t ignore how pretty you are or how good you look in your skimpy bikini. So he nods like he’s bewitched. Your grin is lovely, and he refuses to deny how right it feels when you grab his hand to lead him into the house. Maybe it’s not right for him to allow you to do so, but Sunghoon would do anything to please you. That includes following you into your room.

“Don’t worry,” you say as you go to sit on your bed. “No one will notice we’re gone.”

Sunghoon watches, entranced as you sit on the edge of your bed with your alluring smile. Before he can think of something to say, you’re slipping off your bikini bottoms like it’s not fucking scandalous. His cock twitches when you toss the tiny swimsuit at him and it lands on his shoulder. You spread your legs and part your pretty folds to show Sunghoon how wet you are. He might’ve thought he was dreaming, but the throbbing ache in his cock reminds him that this is all too real.

You’ve been horny all day, and having your sister’s pushover friend fall into your lap like this is an opportunity you can’t just ignore.

Plus, you’re only doing her a favor like she asked.

“Look how wet you made me, Hoonie,” you say through a needy whine. 

“Y/N,” Sunghoon groans, feeling his cock come alive at the sight of your pretty pussy all spread just for him.

“I want you to fuck me. Right here, right now.”

Sunghoon’s cock twitches, and just as he contemplates on how to navigate this delicious development, you say something that makes his control snap.

“You know you want to.”

You smirk when Sunghoon quickly discards his swim trunks before yanking you to the edge of the bed. His long, thick cock is practically throbbing, and you lick your lips in anticipation. 

“Fuck, sweetheart. I didn’t know you were such a slut.”

Your grin is tantalizing, and Sunghoon can’t resist anymore. Gayoung is never this forward when they’re intimate. Maybe it’s because she was a virgin before she started dating him or maybe it’s because she doesn’t like sex as much as he does. Either way, Sunghoon can’t care about his prude little girlfriend at the moment. Especially with how you’re dripping all over yourself and eyeing his cock like it’s the one thing you want more than anything.

And it is. Right now, there’s nothing you want more than Sunghoon’s big dick drilling into you. Your cunt pulses just knowing he’s about to fill you up and stretch you out on his cock.

“Are you sure you can handle it? You think I’m gonna fit in this tight little hole, baby?” Sunghoon wonders as he slaps his cock down on your wet pussy. “Fuck. I’m gonna stretch this pretty pussy out nice and good.”

Again, Sunghoon slaps his leaking cock on your pussy and gently slides it between your slick folds. His fat tip brushes against your clit and makes you whine in need. He gives you a teasing smirk before he slowly sinks into you. The moan you let out is almost as loud as his own groan. Your cute little pussy is hot and tight and so fucking wet. Sunghoon knows that he won’t last long if he just starts pounding into you like he wants.

“God, you’re so big,” you mewl, eyes rolling back when he finally bottoms out inside you.

Sunghoon fucks you slowly, using his thumb to rub your puffy bud. The sounds you’re letting out are driving him insane, and the way your molten pussy grips him is like absolute heaven. This is already better than any of the sex he’s had with his girlfriend, and he knows this definitely won’t be the last time he has you like this. 

You squeal when your bikini top is abruptly yanked off. The way Sunghoon’s dark eyes are locked on your bouncing tits makes you clamp down on his dick and soak it with more of your arousal. Just seeing your juices painting the length of his cock makes him throb inside you.

“Shit. Are you already close?”

“Mhm, yeah,” you whine, moving your hips to grind your pussy on his cock. “Your cock feels too good, Hoon.”

Even though he’s fucking you slow, you’re creaming on his cock in seconds and with a loud cry of his name. You beg him to keep fucking you, and that’s how Sunghoon finds out that cumming once is never enough for you. He grins, loving how cockdrunk you already are. He’s more than happy to indulge you, not caring that he’s betraying two of the closest people in his life by indulging himself in your tight pussy.

That’s why he starts drilling his meaty cock into you at a punishing rhythm, letting you feel every single inch of his hard dick. The only thing Sunghoon can feel is your cunt wrapping perfectly around him, his leaking tip slamming into your spongy cervix every single time he snaps his hips. He plants needy, open-mouthed kisses all over your neck before he goes further down, desperately latching onto one of your pretty nipples. You cry out loudly when he flicks and sucks on the sensitive bud before gently biting it.

Sunghoon’s thrusts are deliciously brutal. It’s like you’re his personal fucktoy and he’s only using your little hole to make himself cum. His tongue circles your nipple before he starts suckling it again, desperately trying to fuck his cock deeper inside you. His hips crash against yours, slamming into you without care until he’s shooting ropes of thick, hot cum right into your awaiting pussy. 

Meanwhile, his best friend is downstairs having the worst time of his life.

Heeseung knows what’s going on. From the moment he got separated from Sunghoon, he saw how you went and cozied up to him. How you pressed your pretty tits together and gave him all of your attention. He can admit he’s jealous. It’s impossible for him not to be when he’s wanted you from the moment your sister introduced you to him.

Your sister had been talking his ear off when he saw you leading Sunghoon inside. Heeseung didn’t hear a single word she said from that point on because his eyes were locked on you and Sunghoon’s intertwined hands.

At the first opportunity he gets, Heeseung goes inside to see just what you and Sunghoon are up to. He stops at the bottom of the stairs, feeling his cock twitch. Despite all the noise from outside, he can still hear you clearly. The way you’re begging, moaning, cumming. Heeseung is jealous and harder than he’s ever been in his life. 

Looking back to make sure no one decided to come inside, Heeseung slowly climbs up the stairs. He stops in front of the wide open door to your room. It’s sick, but he stays to watch Sunghoon fuck your brains out. You sound and look so sweet, just like he imagined you would. Heeseung palms his dick over his swim shorts as he admires your beautiful body and how it bounces every time Sunghoon fucks his cock into you. The remnants of spit on your hard nipples make him envious that his best friend got to taste them first.

“If you’re going to keep staring, you might as well come in.”

It takes you a moment to realize Sunghoon isn’t talking to you. Your dazed mind slowly catches up and finally notices Heeseung standing in the doorway. Seeing him there with a huge bulge in his swim shorts while looking at you so heatedly makes you clench down Sunghoon’s cock, staining it with more of your cream.

You whine when Heeseung walks over to the bed. Especially since Sunghoon keeps fucking you like his friend isn’t watching. It’s nasty, but you feel so good because you love being on display. Heeseung gets on the bed and starts to rub and pinch your puffy clit.

“You’ll let me watch, right, baby?”

It’s easy to nod with a moan. Heeseung smirks and continues to pinch and rub your sensitive bundle of nerves. Your puffy clit is so soft and wet that he thinks he can cum just from touching it.

You can see how hard he is through his trunks, and you remember overhearing your sister and her friends talk about how all of Heeseung’s exes would say how big his dick is. How they all wished they could find out for themselves. You lick your lips and reach over to tug at his shorts. Too bad for your sister and her friends, but you were going to find out first since you obviously can’t pass up this opportunity.

Heeseung doesn’t hide his smirk and helps you take off his swim shorts. He frees his cock easily, and you can’t help but stare. He’s thick and big, easily as big as Sunghoon. You lick your lips and look up at him expectantly.

Like you, Heeseung doesn’t hesitate to take an opportunity that’s in front of him. He taps the tip of his dick against your lips, grinning when you open your mouth eagerly. Sunghoon watches you swallow his friend’s cock with an eagerness that makes his cock throb. He’s never seen anything so hot in his life, and he has to slow down his thrusts because he’s so close to blowing his load. 

“Shit, Y/N. You’re such a good fucking girl,” Heeseung groans, watching your throat bulge as he fucks it. “That’s it, baby. Swallow my cock.”

Your eyes cross when Sunghoon and Heeseung’s thrusts start to sync up. They’re both moaning in tandem as they fuck you, and all you can do is lay there completely fucked out as it happens. It’s easy to cum again as they use you for their pleasure.

“Fuck. I bet her pussy’s nice and tight,” Heeseung hisses in delight. “Cum inside her, Hoon.”

Just hearing those words coming from Heeseung is enough to push Sunghoon over the edge. His head falls back as he empties his load into you. “Fuck, Y/N!” He groans as he fucks his cum deeper into you without stopping.

“That’s it, baby. Take every drop of our cum,” Heeseung moans as cum fills your mouth. 

You’re all panting by the time you’ve ridden out your highs, and you surprise the two friends by asking for more.

Sunghoon smirks as he looks over at Heeseung. “Just wait until you feel this pussy. Our pretty girl’s so fucking tight.”

That’s how you end up on all fours, sandwiched between them. Sunghoon grabs the back of your neck as he smacks his cock against your lips just like his best friend did. You part them with a needy moan, tongue lolling out to entice him. He slaps his leaking tip against the slick muscle with a low groan. God are you hot. Way hotter than his girlfriend could ever be.

“So eager to suck this dick,” he murmurs. “Dirty fucking girl.”

Whining, you lap at the tip of his cock, eagerly tasting the remnants of your orgasm and his cum leaking from the slit. You moan at the taste as you start to lick up and down his cock. 

Your pretty pussy is dripping with Sunghoon’s cum and your own arousal. He sees you get wetter when you fully take his best friend’s cock into your mouth. Seeing you drip with arousal makes Heeseung’s cock throb. Finding out what a needy slut you are just made you hotter in his eyes. You’re absolutely perfect.

“Didn’t expect you to be so greedy, baby,” Heeseung laughs. He rubs his cock across your slit before tapping the head against your swollen clit. With a pleased sigh, he slips his dick inside your fluttering hole. 

Your eyes roll back as you get filled on both ends. It’s a dream to have your mouth full of Sunghoon’s cock and your pussy stuffed full of Heeseung’s dick. The sound of your messy, wet cunt makes Heeseung fuck you harder. Your juices are running down your thighs and his. The wet slapping sounds mix in lewdly with all the moans and groans.

“Fuck, she’s so tight,” Heeseung moans as his hands squeeze your ass. It makes you clench down on the cock spearing you open.

Your eyes take in Sunghoon as he strokes his cock with your throat. His dark eyes filter periodically between you and his friend. He throbs every time he watches Heeseung pound your sopping wet cunt. The two share a filthy smirk while you whimper in pleasure. Your mouth and pussy are stuffed full, and you’ve never felt better.

Heeseung fucks his dick deeper into your cunt with a deep groan. Your slick walls flutter and squeeze his thick cock as he roughly kneads and slaps your ass. Just feeling how tightly you’re gripping him makes Heeseung pump his cock into your clenching pussy with a rough tempo that slams against your g-spot and makes you squeal around Sunghoon’s dick.

Your eyes roll back as Sunghoon shoves his cock deeper down your throat. He hisses at the feeling, cock flexing against your tongue as he keeps rolling his hips. Drool falls in thick strings from your open mouth and slowly drip down the cock you’re sucking. Sunghoon moans and caresses your face, loving how you look so pretty with tears in your eyes and his dick in your mouth.

You’ve never looked so hot, bouncing back eagerly on his friend who’s splitting you open on his cock. Heeseung groans, praises spilling from his lips every time he thrusts his cock back into your sloppy cunt.

“Fuck, baby. You have such a pretty little pussy. All tight and wet just for us,” his words make the coil in your stomach tighten. “Could stuff this sweet pussy all day.”

Your orgasm hits hard and fast. Heeseung grunts loudly, hips stuttering against your ass as your soft pussy walls milk his cock. With a loud whine, your body arches and your eyes roll back in ecstasy as you choke on Sunghoon’s cock. 

“Fuck, that’s it, sweetheart. Now I’m gonna fill your hot little cunt,” his heated voice sends a sick thrill up your spine.

“God. I’m gonna cream in your sloppy mouth, pretty girl. Swallow it all for me,” Sunghoon says as one of his hands grips the back of your head.

Moaning around his dick, your head and hips move to help them reach their own highs. The two friends grunt and groan as they chase their own releases. Sunghoon spills first, cum thick and hot as it coats your mouth and throat. Heeseung follows not too long after, shooting his load deep inside your spasming cunt. 

As Heeseung slowly starts to pull out of your pussy, he curses under his breath when you pulse and flutter and squeeze him even tighter. “Fuck. This sweet little pussy doesn’t want to let go.”

Regrettably, he pulls out of your clenching heat with a wet schlick, making both of them groan at the noise. It rivals the way you start to choke on Sunghoon’s cum. He too pulls out reluctantly, but not before wiping the tears from under your eyes.

So much cum is leaking out of your pretty holes, and the two friends decide that they’re going to spend the rest of the party stuffing you full.

Heeseung lightly smacks your messy pussy. “Don’t think we’re done yet, baby. The day’s still young.”

Your sister pouts petulantly as she walks upstairs to the restroom. It’s been almost an hour since she last saw Heeseung, and now he’s ignoring all her calls and texts. She hasn’t seen you or Sunghoon either. Briefly, she wonders if you hadn’t kept her friend entertained enough to keep him at the party. If Sunghoon left, then his best friend had definitely followed suit. She scows as she thinks about how she’s going to get you back later. It wasn’t the first time you inadvertently ruined her chances with Heeseung, and she’s sick of it.

Just before your sister can get to her destination, she hears moans. Loud, filthy moans.

They’re obviously coming from your room, and she wonders if some of her guests were using your room to have sex. Fuck. You were going to murder her.

She approaches your room with a purpose, wanting to get whoever it was out of your room before you found out. However, she stops at the doorway when she sees something ten times worse than strangers having sex in your bed.

Her longtime crush is sitting at the edge of your bed, bouncing you on his big cock while her friend kneels in front of you two and he eats your pussy. Heeseung is giving you a filthy kiss as he gropes your tits and helps you fuck his cock. She can see cum dripping down his heavy balls as he splits you open. Sunghoon is holding one of your hands as he laps at your clit. Your sister doesn’t miss the way he’s tugging on his cock while you tug on his hair. He’s moaning into your pussy like he’s never tasted anything better.

Your room reeks of sex, and her heart breaks when she realizes it’s because the three of you have been fucking for a while now. When you finally break the kiss, Heeseung starts to trail wet kisses down your neck, still oblivious to her presence. You, however, lift your head and make eye contact with your horrified sister.

Unlike she expects, you don’t snap out of your sex-crazed lust. You only smirk at her. It’s mean and vicious��a smirk that she’s seen countless times before. Usually, it’s her directing that cruel, victorious smirk at you. But now that the roles have switched, she can feel her heart break.

You toss your head back with a loud moan, not caring that your sister is crying because you’re bouncing on Heeseung’s cock while Sunghoon licks your pussy. If anything, this is her fault for thinking her plans took priority over yours. It’s not like she ever had a chance with either of them, anyway. You were just making her see that once and for all.

And so, instead of confronting the three of you like she should have, your sister turns on her heel and walks away to go back to her party.

[celestialvoid-fanfiction]

Imagine the Sheriff is helping out at a huge charity silent auction and Peter jokingly submits “A Day With Rich Bachelor, Derek Hale” as an item to bid on (making a joke that maybe Derek will get out and meet someone). The Sheriff offers to pull it from the listing but Derek shrugs it off, it’s for charity after all.

At the auction, Derek runs into Stiles who looks a little defeated and broken-hearted.

“What’s wrong?” Derek asks, a spark in his eye that looks like he’s ready to pick a fight.

“It’s nothing,” Stiles says. “There’s this limited edition Star Wars Lego set that I’ve wanted for years, I’ve been saving up for it but it always sells before I can save enough to buy it. There’s one here but I got out-bid almost immediately.” He shakes his head but before he can change the subject Kate Argent sweeps in, flashing a wicked grin as she tells Derek that she is going to win the Day with Derek.

Derek’s gut sinks. He swallows hard against the rising terror.

“Piss off, Kate,” Stiles says bluntly.

She doesn’t budge, instead, starts taunting Derek with a list of twisted ideas she has. “And I’ll have you all to myself all day long.”

Stiles stands up, shoving Kate back a step and putting himself between her and Derek. “I said piss off.”

Kate chuckles at him before looking past him at Derek. “I’ll see you soon,” she taunts before walking away.

Stiles watches her go, making sure she’s far enough away before turning back to Derek. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Derek says, on the verge of a meltdown.

“I won’t let that happen,” Stiles reassure him. “My dad won’t let that happen.”

“The auction is nearly over,” Derek mutters. “It doesn’t matter.”

Stiles sighs. “Want a drink? I’ll get some water and come find you,” he offers. Derek nods and Stiles leaves, weaving his way through to the crowd to the table that has the bid. He reads Kate’s bid and - without hesitation - puts down a bid that is only a dollar more than hers (but it’s everything he has).

The auction ends and the next day, Derek is waiting for his day of torture to begin. When Stiles shows up at the loft, Derek is confused.

“What are you doing here?”

“I won the bid,” Stiles tells him proudly, before teasingly adding, “You have to spend the whole day with me.”

Derek hides his smile.

“I have a whole day planned,” Stiles says excitedly. “Come on.”

First, Stiles takes Derek into town to a bookstore. They spend ages just waking around and Stiles asks Derek to tell him about some of the books, asks Derek about his favourites and what he’d recommend. Stiles finds a few books he’s interested in and takes note of them so that he can buy them when he has money again.

Derek buys a few books and offers to buy lunch. Stiles lets him pick.

After that, they head back to the loft to watch movies (on Stiles’s laptop since Derek doesn’t have a tv) and order pizza for dinner.

“Why?” Derek asks him as the day wraps up.

“You like books,” Stiles says as if it answers everything. “And I know you’d much rather spend a day at home than out at a theme park or something.”

“You did all of this for me,” Derek says, still confused. “Why?”

Stiles shrugs. “Because you deserve it.”

Derek smiles bashfully, but bolts upright a moment later. He rushes off to grab something and comes back with a gift bag and a paper bag from the bookstore.

“These are for you,” Derek says, setting them down in front of Stiles.

In the paper bag are the books Stiles took an interest in (the ones he’d taken note of to buy when he had money), and when he opens the gift bag, he freezes. He stares at it in disbelief.

The limited edition Lego set.

“How?” Stiles asks, tearing his eyes away from the box to look at Derek.

Derek shrugs. “I won the bid.”

“Why?”

“Because you deserve it,” Derek says.

[so-i-did-this-thing]

Hi! I have what might be a silly question, but you've mentioned autism in your posts before, so...I tend to have a lot of texture issues with clothing (picky about fabrics, picky about cuts of clothing, etc), and one of the things I'm really struggling with is finding clothes that look attractive *and* feel nice. I know some of it is just getting used to different cuts (men's necklines are higher than I'm used to and their waistlines are lower, etc), but is this something you had trouble with at all? And if so, did you find anything that helped?

I get that this is a very much ymmv-type question and I likely need to just do a combo of trying different things out and giving myself time to get accustomed to those high necklines, but I was just wondering. Hope you're having a fabulous day!

Definitely continue to articulate exactly what you dislike - and don't feel like disliking some masculine garments is somehow betraying your desire to dress masculine.

Modern clothing cuts a lot of corners and now depends on the body to make the silhouette, rather than the structure of the clothes. So, a lot of folks don't feel right in their clothing, though may not be able to articulate why.

Modern men's clothing triggers a lot of my sensory aversions + dysphoria. It took me a while to figure out why I still wasn't happy in a lot of my menswear, and I'd get stuck in a pattern of buying stuff, liking it at the beginning of the day, and then hating it by the end.

My issues:

Low trousers hurt my hips and make me subconscious about both my hips and stomach (regardless of my weight). And my shirts constantly become untucked.

Skinny trousers and shirts are hard to move in and bunch at the knees/elbows, which is a sensory problem for me.

Stretch fabric shrinks over time and I start to feel claustrophobic. I also hate how the fabric feels.

Button plackets on modern shirts usually wrinkle in a way that will never iron flat. Ugh.

Slim cut shirts do nothing to hide my narrow shoulders.

Modern cut sports and suit coats are way too short and don't create a "V" shape.

I can't layer in modern winter coats because they are cut too skinny.

Everything is shoddily made.

I had *thought* I hated ties and a buttoned collar, but I have learned I actually love them as long as I avoid the above list.

All this is partly why I have gone to vintage cuts, but there are plenty of styles and decades that have high-waisted pants and boxy/loose fitting garments, if that is what you also need. Hell, even stuff up to the early 2000s, I'd probably feel fine in.

But yeah, post-2010 stuff... it's getting bad enough where I wouldn't be surprised if my modern closet is nearly down to nothing in a few years.

I'd suggest casting your style net wider -- either different decades or different styles (start with specialty streetwear brands). I have issues with Workwear Guy's classism, but he gives some good advice on how clothes can create different silhouettes (he generally hates modern cuts as well), so trawl through his blog. He also had a recent good thread with advice for transmasc folks that I largely agree with. But you will likely have to experiment, so save those receipts or be prepared to spend a lot of time on poshmark (buying and selling) and in thrift shops.

[inmemoriame]

(Spoilers for Multiple Eitos, Goodbye Eito, and Rebellion routes) I’m no smart guy about media analysis, but Takumi and Eito remind me of the war itself between Futurum and Humanity. In the Rebellion route, Takumi and everyone else agree to abandon humanity in favor of living their own lives on Futurum. They meet the Futurum rebellion and together are able to kill V’ehxness, and (if you choose to save Kamyuhn) over the next 15 years are able to end the war and the cycle of hatred and violence between the two sides.

The only way to get this route is by sparing Eito a second time; sparing him gives him the time to reflect on everything and the truth behind his existence. In Rebellion he wants to start working with everyone again now that they've given up on humanity but comes to genuinely care for them as his friends and finds beauty in their comradery. While I feel like Eito is taken less seriously in Rebellion, having his "hating humanity" schtick as more of a thing to go "oh, you :)" at he does genuinely become Takumi and everyone's friend again somewhat ending his own personal cycle of hatred for Takumi and humanity as a whole. (I don't think he really fully stops hating humanity, but a lot of the time he mentions it, it feels more like a defense used to hide his own social awkwardness.) In the Goodbye Eito route, after Takumi decides not to let him back into the SDU, Eito chooses to leave LDA on his own volition. While most of what I said about him in Rebellion carries over to this route, we see a lot more of his guilt and his desire to be forgiven in this route, really showing how much he's changed since the start of the 100 days. Now, in contrast to all of this, in the Multiple Eitos route, Takumi kills Eito in a fit of rage, accidentally absorbing his hemoanima which contains Eito's consciousness. Takumi continuing this violence and hatred causes Eito to develop an obsessive hatred of Takumi, more than anything seen prior to this or anything from the first timeline, wishing for him to suffer as much as possible before Eito is able to take over Takumi's body. He does this by setting up a challenge for Takumi; since Eito's consciousness was absorbed by Takumi, he also now has a cognitive disorder where everyone's appearance, voice, and speech patterns have been altered to be Eito's. Since there's ten other people, If Takumi is able to find and kill the 11th Eito that has his consciousness attached to it, he'll let Takumi go. Not only does Eito go onto have an obsessive hatred of Takumi, Takumi himself develops a strong hatred of Eito, more then he already had. The biggest show of this is in Ending 11, where Takumi's hatred of Eito gets out of hand and he ends up slaughtering everyone in the school and absorbing their hemoanima all in desperate attempt to kill Eito. I think this route and these endings show off how Eito and Takumi, like the war of humanity versus Futurum, have entered a cycle of hatred and violence that won't end until something changes. I'm not really sure what to do with this analysis, again I'm not particularly skilled at media analysis, but if anyone wants to add onto this or point out anything I missed, I'd love to hear it. I'm nowhere near finished with every route while writing this so I for sure missed something here. ok thats all bye

[alittlegiraffe]

Heyyy, i have another idea 😂 could it be after marshall overdose and he’s now sober and y/n has been hiding her true feelings, she held it all together for the kids and him but one day she gets drunk which causes her to tell him how angry she is at him for almost leaving the girls and her. she always hates herself, he comforts her and they make up in the end.

Title: "The Weight You Left Me With"

The house was quiet.

Too quiet.

The girls were at school. The dogs were sleeping. The washing machine hummed in the background like a clock ticking toward something inevitable.

You sat at the kitchen table, fingers curled around a lukewarm mug of tea you’d forgotten to drink. Your eyes drifted to the window, where the yard stretched out like a picture from another life—a life where everything hadn’t felt like a performance. Like survival.

Like pretending.

Marshall came down the stairs just then, the floorboards creaking under his weight. You didn’t look up. You didn’t need to. You could feel his presence like a shift in the air—too aware, too quiet, always watching. Like he knew.

Because he did know. He just didn’t ask.

"Hey," he said gently, voice still hoarse from sleep. He walked to the counter, poured himself coffee. "You eat yet?"

You shook your head, still not meeting his eyes.

He frowned, then sat across from you, his chair scraping softly. "Babe. Talk to me."

You stared into your cup like it could save you. Like it could hold everything you’ve been shoving down for the last eighteen months.

"I’m fine," you said, and even you didn’t believe it.

Marshall leaned in, elbows on the table, his eyes piercing. “Don’t do that. Don’t shut down on me.”

That’s what cracked it.

Not the question. Not the silence.

The audacity of him saying you were shutting down, when he’d almost shut everything down—forever.

Your hand slammed the mug on the table, sloshing tea across your fingers. “Don’t tell me not to shut down. You don’t get to say that. You don’t get to act like I haven’t been holding this entire fucking house together while you were busy trying to kill yourself without pulling the trigger.”

Marshall flinched like you’d hit him.

You stood, breathing heavy, hands clenched at your sides. “You think just because you’re sober now, it’s over? That we’re all okay? I watched you OD in our fucking bathroom, Marshall. I had to clean up the blood and tell the girls Daddy was just sick.”

Tears welled in your eyes, but you didn’t wipe them. You wanted him to see.

“I laid awake every night for months, scared to fall asleep in case I woke up next to a corpse. I put my needs in a box, locked it up, and threw away the key because someone had to be the strong one. And I’m so tired, Marshall.”

His voice cracked. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I KNOW!” you shouted, stepping closer. “I know you didn’t mean to. But you did it anyway. And I couldn’t even break down because the kids needed me. Because you needed me. And now you're better, and I’m still stuck in that night like it just happened.”

His eyes were red now too. He stood slowly, cautiously, like approaching a wounded animal. “Baby… why didn’t you tell me?”

You gave a bitter laugh. “Because it wasn’t about me. I’m your wife. I’m supposed to hold it all together. That’s what I do. I serve. I support. I submit.” Your voice broke, a bitter edge laced into the last word. “It’s like I slipped back into who I was before, like I had no choice.”

Marshall’s hands hovered in the air before he gently placed them on your shoulders. “You always have a choice with me. I hate that you felt like you couldn’t speak. That I made you feel small.”

“You didn’t mean to,” you whispered, barely audible.

“But I did it anyway,” he repeated your words back, voice thick with regret.

You finally looked at him. Really looked.

He looked devastated.

“I hate myself for being angry at you,” you confessed. “I hate myself for hating you. And I hate that no matter how mad I get, I still love you so much it hurts.”

Marshall’s arms wrapped around you tight, one hand cradling the back of your head. “I love you too. God, I love you so much. And I’m sorry. For all of it. I should’ve seen you were breaking. I should’ve taken care of you the way you took care of me.”

You crumbled in his arms.

For the first time in months, maybe years, you let yourself be held.

Let the walls fall.

Let the silence be broken.

Later, curled on the couch together in the golden wash of afternoon light, you whispered, “I don’t want to be strong all the time.”

“You don’t have to be,” he murmured into your hair. “Let me carry it with you now. Please.”

And for the first time since your nightmare started you let him hold you.

[juicykvnture]

SAVE A HORSE (RIDE A COWBOY)

cowboy!DickGrayson x fem!Reader

tags: AFAB reader, fluff, kinda inexperienced reader, he talks ya through it, brief dry humping, PiV (cowgirl position bc duh), he’s kinda pussydrunk low-key

a/n: you could catch me in Vegas, catch me in Tokyo..

wc: 3k | masterlist

You're all the people talk about. No, seriously. They don’t shut up, not for one second.

After all, pretty woman like you, with that Gotham City accent and those pretty lashes? Everyone is just scrambling to get a piece of you. Even the fact that you're only here for a couple months doesn’t seem to deter them; it's a death sentence for their poor hearts. One call to your dad and every guy within a ten mile radius can forget about ever seeing daylight again.

Dick is so unbelievably grateful that he’s got a slight advantage. Not only does he know you from way back when, he’s also working at the ranch every single day, your encounters too perfect to be entirely coincidental.

Sure, people talk.

But talk don't stop him from straight up falling head over his horse - for you. He’s no better than anyone else, drawn in by your pretty face.

He’s never been fond of city folk really, but he ain’t one to judge. He can’t get you out of his mind, the glitter on lips and the way you say his name, in that accent of yours he claimed to always have no patience for, but you? He’d do anything to have your voice on repeat, climbing up to your window like a cliche romance movie, earning him a solid amount of bruises when he has to hop back out and hide in the bushes.

It’s not like he’s a stranger, far from it. Dick’s been working for your aunt and uncle since he was a boy. Practically grew up, here. He ain’t sure what possessed you to leave this little town behind, but he counts his lucky stars every night that you’re back, even if it’s only for the summer.

You two are content to steal glimpses of each-other, for now.

Okay, you’re really not.

You literally can’t help yourself, you have eyes, okay? He’s certainly easy on them. Nothing short of fucking gorgeous, actually. You’re sure he’d be a model if he lived where you do. He’s gorgeous, really gorgeous, Hollywood level gorgeous, with messy black hair tucked under his hat, and blue eyes that make your head spin.

You’re under strict instruction from your aunt and uncle not to bother the poor guy. Your parents sent you here to learn a couple life skills, not to harass the stable boy.

Does that stop you? Nuh uh. Not in the fucking slightest. Especially not when he catches you staring at him from across the yard, shooting a a little wink your way with a tip of his hat.

And the way he talks? Fuck, the way he talks. Is it weird that you wanna fuck his voice?

“You tryna crack your little head open, girlie?” He pipes up, lifting his hat from his head briefly as he stares up at you, perched up on a beam in one of the smaller barns on the farm, swinging your legs.

“With how bored I am, maybe.”

Your little comment earns a small huff, his hands resting on his hips.

“Sure would be sad if you jus’ ended up as a pretty stain.” He rolls his eyes, extending his hand out to you in hopes of getting you down from there, an eyebrow raised expectantly.

You simply shake your head, swinging your leg out a little more to try knock his hat off of his head, only to feel his hand wrap around your ankle with a small “tsk” under his breath.

You blink.

“You gonna let my leg go?”

“Depends, you gonna get down from there and lemme do my work?”

“No.”

He laughs slightly, squeezing your ankle.

“Then nope.” He murmurs under his breath, his eyes roaming over you before a small grin finds itself on his face.

He looks like a literal movie star or something, it’s so fucking unfair.

He nearly lets out another low whistle as he sees your underwear peaking through the gaps in your sundress.

“Yknow, I’m gonna be blunt,” he says, looking away to avoid the temptation of looking a little too long. “Those lacy things of yours are on full display there.”

“I see why I’m not allowed to talk to you, anymore.” You huff, closing your legs as you stare down at him, only to be met with his barely hidden smirk.

“Why? He hums, his fingers tracing the curve of her calf absentmindedly.

“You know why,”

He takes another step closer, moving his hand up to wrap around the back of your leg, just below your knee. “My bad, they don’t want you bothering the stable boy, hmm?”

“Course they don’t.” You mumble under your breath, your cheeks heating up as he moves closer towards you, basically standing between your thighs at this point.

“But I do find it kinda cute that you’ve been trying to talk to me, huh?” His hands move up your legs a little, resting on your thighs now, “even though you know you’re gonna get dragged back in the house if you’re caught.”

How hypocritical, he’s as down bad as you are.

Dragged back to the house is an understatement. Fuck, you’d probably get locked in your room like a nun until your aunt sends you back home to your parents to finish college.

“Don’t worry about me, you’d be fired,”

“Oh, I’d be fired, girlie?”

That little twang in his accent has you shifting your legs in vain. You’re not exactly able to move away from him with your thighs basically either side of his broad shoulders.

He moves his hands up until his thumbs are resting right on the sensitive skin just below the hem of your dress, so close to the lacy little panties he’s so desperate to see again.

“Oh darlin, I’m too good at what I do to get fired for something like this.”

His eyes stay on you longer than they should, not even bothering to hide the fact he’s just staring at your underwear.

“Now,” he breaks the silence, giving the side of your thigh a small smack, that lazy little smirk on his face again.

“Hop down, I’ve gotta lock up for the night.”

Who does this guy think he is?

“And if I don’t?” You arch a brow, giving his jaw a slight nudge with your knee.

He stares at you from under the brim of his hat for a moment, as he’s drumming his fingers against the soft skin of your thighs, tilting his head down to the coil of rope on his hip.

“You tell me.”

His boots hit your bedroom floor with a loud thump echoing through the room, fumbling to close the latch on your window.

“Dick!” You whisper-yell, fumbling to pull a cardigan over your slip in an effort to look at least somewhat decent, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Hey, girlie.” He just stares up at you with a slightly dazed grin, catching his hat before it fully slides down over his face, unable to hold back a low whistle at your current state of dress - undress, rather.

His gaze shamelessly runs over your body, taking in every part of you— your eyes puffy from sleep, the way the hem of your nightdress rides high on your thighs.

He’s half tempted to just get on his knees right now and literally worship the very ground you stand on.

He would, no question.

“You’re lucky no one shot you.” You grumble under your breath, your lips curled downward into a pout he finds almost too cute to be real, your feet stepping up onto the tips of his boots.

“Quit your huffin’, would ya?” He chuckles, taking off his hat, holding it to his chest, the other hand resting lightly on your hip, keeping you steady.

He has to, you’re still a lady at the end of the day and he was raised with his damn manners.

“Besides, I’d take a bullet for a pretty girl like you, any day of the week.”

You want to scoff, you want to call him stupid, you want to yell at him, perhaps give him an earful about how dumb he’s being as he gives your ass a small slap.

But before you can even think to protest, his fingers wrap around your wrist, all but dragging you over to your bed, your back hitting the plush mattress with a soft thump, his form hovering over you.

“What do you think you’re-“

He shuts you up swiftly. Tossing his hat off to let it hang from your bedpost, not wasting a second before his hand finds the back of your neck, grinning against your lips as he kisses you.

“Hush, I missed you.” He mutters in a soft huff, his thumb running over the back of your hand, feeling the smooth skin under his touch.

The porch light outside casts a dim glow through your window, your pretty nails catching his attention.

“Fresh manicure to spend your summer on a farm, eh?” He smirks against your mouth, his eyes drifting down to your hand, staring at them in curiosity.

“You like to keep your hands pretty, then?”

You roll your eyes slightly, reaching up to poke at the dimple in his cheek.

“You think it’s shallow, I assume?”

“No, you’re a pretty girl who likes pretty things.” He presses a soft kiss to the back of your hand, carefully guiding it to rest on the exposed skin that showed between the top of his shirt and the hollow of his throat. With your palm flat against his skin, you could easily feel his pulse thrumming under your fingers - the action feeling unusually intimate.

“And pretty boys,”

That makes you huff a little bit beneath him, shifting around to no avail, one arm still braced beside your head as he lowers his face again, pressing a line of kisses from your collarbone up to your jaw.

His touch makes your skin heat up, and he’s no better. You can literally feel his heart hammering under your hand, your fingers curling into the collar of his shirt slightly.

“Take it off,” you murmur, giving the flannel a small tug, peering up at him through half-lidded eyes.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Of course, that further proves how whipped this man is for you. Just in case the way he’s all but pawing at your slip wasn’t enough, trying to push the silk up your hips while you fumble with the buttons on his shirt, his leg slotting in between your thighs.

The shirt soon hits the floor, as does his belt, near panting into each other's mouths, your hands tangling in his messy mop of black hair, tugging it every which way because close just isn’t close enough, the heat between your legs just keep getting worse, your panties almost sticking to your skin.

One of his large hands slides up to rest against your ribcage, letting out a small whistle at your evident lack of a bra.

“Lift up your hips, c’mon.”

His hands are on your hips before you can even blink, flipping both of you around, his breath heavy as he mumbles into your neck.

He’s telling you what to do, again. Now, he’d usually be met with a scowl from you or a half-assed shove to the jaw but you’re too distracted by the outline of his throbbing cock in his hastily unzipped jeans, pressed right against the inside of your thigh.

You can’t entirely focus with his fingers digging into your flesh, his hands less stable than they should be, shaking slightly as he grinds you down against him.

"I don’t think you realise how pretty you are," he’s panting, voice cracking slightly, running his hands over your body anywhere he can, crawling up under the silk till they’re cupping your tits, pinching slightly till you whine into his mouth.

You can feel your blood pumping in your ears, your head falling forward into his shoulder as you choke out some kind of slurred excuse about not really knowing what you're doing, your cheeks heating up more than should probably be humanely possible-

“Ride me.”

His words snap you out of your daze, your lips parting in a soft “huh?” as you stare up at him.

“You heard me, girlie.”

He doesn’t have it in him to repeat himself, really, giving your hip a little pinch for emphasis.

“You wanna ride me, don’t cha?”

You find yourself with your shaky legs spread wide across his manspreading lap, your slip bunched up around your torso, his strong grip on your hips to keep you steady as you keep squirming in his hold, one hand gently thumbing over the wet patch in your panties.

The fact your cunt is throbbing under his touch is enough confirmation, but he waits for you to nod.

“Yeah? Attagirl,”

Your hands are haphazardly tugging at the waistband of his boxers, almost frustrated as you scramble to pull them down, his happy trail making you groan under your breath.

His hands can’t stop squeezing your hips, and he’s doing his best to not hold you too tight, just try to take things slow for you, but it’s so damn hard.

He can’t help being more than a little impatient, pushing your underwear to the side to thumb at your clit, his heart slamming so hard he can feel it in his throat. His lip is almost bleeding from how hard he’s biting it to stay quiet, he can’t risk waking a single soul up, not at this hour.

“Fuckk, you’re wet,” he’s mouthing at your neck, pulling his hand back to your utter dismay, giving his leaking cock a few drawn-out strokes.

He was raised properly. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t swear.

See what you’re doing to him?

The thought of it just makes you dig your nails into his broad shoulders, your thighs trembling slightly as you hover over him before you feel his hands move to hold your hips, an attempt at steadying you.

His hands guide you, slowly, lifting your hips a little higher, the throbbing head of his cock rubbing against your soaked slit.

He’s looking up at you through his lashes, gently shushing you.

“C’mon, cowgirl, you can take it, yeah?”

You manage a shaky nod, your nails still digging into his shoulders as he starts to lower you down, slowly letting your throbbing cunt sink down around this cock.

“Fuck,” He slurs out a shaky curse under his breath, his sweat-slicked hair clinging to his forehead already as his thumbs press into your hips, trying to coax you down a little further.

He’s not even close to being all the way inside you, but he’s already lost, almost completely lost, and he’s trying to focus as you tighten up around him, as he pushes himself in as slow as he can, inch by inch into your pussy.

You gasp, thighs trembling as you ease lower, every moment feeling impossibly fuller, tighter, more split-open than before.

“I know, baby, I know,”

He’s trying to soothe you as if he isn’t the one making you crazy, while his cock twitches inside you, shaky groans falling from his mouth as he starts to bounce you slightly, trying to get you to move your hips.

“Attagirl,” Dick pants out, his shaky hands moving down to your thighs, “roll your hips,”

You manage to find a rhythm, albeit a shaky one. His hands are still holding you, guiding you into a soft grind, tits bouncing gently with every movement of his hips from under you.

“Harder,” he chokes out, his hand reaching up to the back of your neck to pull you closer, slurring his words against your parted lips.

“C’mon, baby. S’all yours. Ride me, harder.”

How could you not?

With a shaky nod, start to lift up your hips, then drop back down. His cock drives in deep, resulting in you biting down on his shoulder.

Fuck, he’s never done a drug in his life but this must be what being high feels like.

“C’monnn,” his words are slurred now, desperate as he ruts his hips up into you, no matter how deep he is inside your cunt it just simply isn’t enough.

You oblige him with a shallow bounce - another. The wet slap of your pussy against his cock starts to pick up now, your muffled whines filthier, and you’ve got him shaking now, head falling back with your name tumbling from his lips in slurred pants like it’s the only word he knows.

“Yeah, fuck you’re so good at that, girlie - you’re so fucking pretty-“

Your whole body is shaking, bouncing, rocking harder on his thick cock, with every drop of your hips.

“Look at you, baby, so damn tight and hot and pretty for me. She’s my cock so good, you sound so good, you’re just so damn perfect, just so damn perfect,”

He’s just rambling.

You’re so out of it that you barely even notice that his cowboy hat is no longer hanging on your bedpost, instead, it’s on your head, slipping down lower over your eyes with every desperate thrust of his hips.

“Please, c’mon- cum for me, fuck,”

He’s a mess, whining into your mouth as his lips crash against yours again, a mess of spit and teeth and not much else, his fingers back on your hips, pressing into them hard. You’ve barely got it in you to keep your head up anymore, letting him take control.

You’re nodding frantically, and he’s slamming you down on him again and again. It’s like you’re blacked out for a moment, tears rolling down your face as you make a feeble attempt to kiss the corner of his mouth. He’s distracted, his tongue darting out to catch a stray tear on your cheek.

He absolutely loses it.

His hands find their way to your ass, lifting u you up like you simply weigh nothing to him, he’s slamming you down as he thrusts up into you—once, twice, three times, four - more than he can count-

You’re cumming. His eyes are rolling back, and so is he.

You collapse against his chest, your shoulders shaking, your pussy throbbing with his cum dripping down your thighs.

His eyes are wide, breath heaving as he presses a kiss to your shoulder, twitching inside you, no way he can let you go yet.

He has zero intentions of letting you go. Not now, not ever.

“I think y’fuckin’ broke me, cowgirl.”

a/n: something SLIGHTLY chill compared to my last few posts? 🧘🏻‍♀️ (not for long)

THANK YOU FOR 100 FOLLOWS!! (130??) as always, thank you for reading!

[dollyrins]

　　　⁰¹ ─── ONE LAST NiGHT

　𓍼　　au — situationship ! yukimya x gn ! reader

　𓍼　　fic type — angst

　𓍼　　warning — slightly suggestive, kisses

　𓍼　　word count — 427

　𓍼　　rav's notes — bro he's so hard to write for omg. this better show in tags

The scent of your body lingers in his room, but most of all it clings to him. Your warmth is gone, lost to the night and so is everything else you had.

“Y/n,” he sighs into the emptiness of his room, his house, his heart. Yukimiya turns to lay on his back and stares up at the ceiling. The same one you had looked at hours prior when you had made your decision. 

“I’m leaving,” you had said, but now that he thinks back it sounds more like a promise. “We were never going to work and I’m tired of pretending that we will.”

The model had hummed, unable to use his words, scared to say something that he couldn’t. Don’t leave me, he wanted to plead. Yet he held his tongue because he knew you had reached the end of your patience. 

Instead he asked, “Stay one last night?”

“Just one,” you said, gracing him with the last night of peace with you.

When you had first started seeing each other the thrill of it was enough to keep either of you ending the thing that was blooming. Then it was the comfort you had felt, the one that was only there when it was the dead of the night. 

Never in public seen by others in case someone pieced it together and said what you both were afraid to. You were in love. 

Yukimiya Kenyu was loved by you, and you were loved by him. 

Yet neither of you were brave enough to confess what felt like a sin to the one that could’ve been your saviour. You wouldn’t, you couldn’t. 

It would never work out. He was struggling in his own ways and you carried the burden of your own career. Love alone cannot save a relationship so your lips were sealed shut, almost as if someone had sewed them. 

Instead you resorted to the comfort of embrace, trading those few hours in place of what could’ve been a lifetime if either of you had the guts to try. 

He’d whisper your name against your skin, peppering soft, fleeting kisses that conveyed what words could not, and you’d kiss his lips in return until it felt like all of him was consumed by you. It hurt yet it was all you had. 

Fate had been kind, showing you to him, but it had been a thousand times more cruel when it had taken you. 

Your perfume’s smell will fade with time, and he hopes that the love he hides within him will too. 

© dollyrins do not plagiarize, translate, copy, repost my writing anywhere

[hirngespinst-phi]

Here's my personal interpretation of Faust's character development from Xrd to Strive because I love to ramble about tall doctors in embarrassing length. Only open the "Keep reading" if you are feeling insane enough for my silly fictional brain rot.

I'm writing this as somebody who used to struggle with depression and relates to him in this way. I see his mental state represented through his visual design but overall I interpret him to be doing better mentally in Strive than in any of the earlier games, even if it might seem counterintuitive looking at his current state.

First, I'll talk about the events in "Another Story". Here, Ramlethal tells him to not use her or the entire Delilah rescue mission as a tool for his personal atonement. Something that makes him genuinely pause and think. This rarely happens with him. Her input leads to his "Square One" quote that he keeps repeating while channelling the giant portal door.

I interpret this as him taking Ram's advice and focusing on what his original (square one) motivation for being a doctor was: Saving lives (as he clarifies in his arcade mode). He had been so consumed by his guilt that he made it his first priority to atone for his sins, instead of acting out of the intrinsic wish to help others.

This change of priority is what I see as the reason he doesn't overexert himself through the magic he is casting to a degree that would kill him in the process. No, just like Ram told him to, he is taking care of his own life too, surviving in the end. Even though he was fully prepared to sacrifice himself prior to Ram talking to him.

In the process he turns into his skinny, sickly, scary looking Strive self with the ominously red glowing eye. I interpret this as him for the first time since picking up his Faust persona to drop the facade and be real with himself. Allowing himself to show weakness and sadness.

In his Xrd win quote against Elphelt he says "Lies can become truths. I still find those words difficult to understand. I only hope that the smile you wear is not merely a mask like mine." The silly, cheerful Faust is an act he is playing. Behind the mask, he had always carried the sad face of Strive Faust. He was just hiding it very well during Accent Core and Xrd.

The fact that it is an act is nothing negative, though. We ar all actors to a degree. The Faust role he is playing is what gave him the strength to move on from being Dr. Baldhead and his kindness is always genuine. The mask metaphor is of course visualized through his paper bag that he clings to so desperately, it seems to give him more of a sense of identity than his actual human face.

The character development that Ram caused in him is further touched upon in his arcade mode story. When Ram asks him, "Who is going to save you?" He answers, "I, save me. Finally found, my answer." After all this time, he is able to start finding the solution to his grief within himself instead of trying to externalize it. While his previous cope was to hyperfocus on redeeming himself by helping others at any cost even if it would harm himself, he is now at a point where he can reflect on himself and see that he can help others and himself better if he forgives himself internally.

Towards Nagoriyuki he also says "It's okay, to ask for help." This is a big step for Faust since he acts very lone-wolfish and purposefully unapproachable through the entirety of ACR and Xrd. Being silly and friendly on a surface level, but never letting any real vulnerability show or building deeper bonds towards other characters, always sticking with his mysterious wandering doctor schtick.

The use of his flowers and Mini Fausts is interesting to me too.

It is implied that his flowers partly grow as involuntary emotional reactions as seen in his idle crouch fidget animation where the flower grows on his butt against his will and his reaction to Stimulating Fists of Annihilation 😅... So we can assume they are at least in part a representation of his emotions and how he handles them.

During the Accent Core and Xrd era he used his flowers as weapons. In Strive he only uses them in his respect and crouch fidget animations and doesn't cause damage with them, which leads me to believe he is more in peace with himself and his emotions.

Now if we look at the flower designs in comparison even though the flowers used to have brighter, happier colours they used to look straight up terrifying in ACR, not specifically happy in Xrd and even though they are creepy in Strive, they smile and seem happy.

The Mini Faust design in Strive is more on the creepy side too in comparison with the earlier versions, but if we look at how he actually interacts with them in game now, there is a lot more care and appreciation. Prior to Strive, I don't know of any Mini Faust appearances outside the "What Could This Be?" attack. In Strive, however, they show up in his respect animation, in his "Bone-Crushing Excitement" reaction and in his timeout animation, where the Faustlings and him act very sweet and caring towards each other (like the Mini Faust pulling his soul back into his body).

So to conclude, like with his flowers and Mini Fausts, his dark change in visual design reads to me as him being able to show more of his true inner world to the outside, opening up and allowing himself to show weakness as a step towards inner healing. It may not be a pretty truth to look at, but he's being honest to himself. And even through the obvious sadness and grief that is expressed in his Strive design, he is still so full of whimsy and silliness in his animations and interactions with others. He makes jokes, he goofs around, he shows joy for the little things like clovers/doughnuts/etc., and he chuckles a lot more during combat than before too. His way of talking is more calm and at peace with himself, instead of the overly energetic way he used to act. He used to seem like he was always on edge, running from himself and running to do more to atone for his sins.

In Alone Infection, the last repetition of the chorus has "blue, red and black paranoia" replaced with "joy, grief, fun paranoia". I think it's a beautiful message that we are allowed as people to exist in grief, let it happen and feel it truly while still feeling joy and fun. Like Faust, we are complex beings with lots of emotions, and we don't need to always act out the happiest, strongest version of ourselves. He is working through his sadness and that's okay.

[returnofeternity]

tfem!van with user who is pregnant with wilderness baby instead of shauna. when you guys first got together a bit before the crash, you had sex, and that ended like this. now, it's the winter, and van's worried as hell about you and baby being okay.

so does this mean jackie is alive 🤔 and lottie is obsessed with your baby 🤔🤔

van is SO ecstatic when you tell her you're pregnant, doesn't even think about how you're all stranded in the middle of nowhere with winter soon approaching. but then reality hits, and she enters protective mama mode.

thinkinggg about van who asks you if she can tell lottie about it for some sort of wilderness protection. but only lottie. for now, at least. there's no way you're gonna be able to hide it. if you agree, she takes you to lottie and pulls her aside for some privacy and tells her everything, and lottie's so eager to help nourish her kid—i mean, your kid. if you don't want lottie's help, she's more than fine praying to the wilderness on her own. i think as your tummy grows, she'd really love trying to tune into hearing the baby's heartbeat to make sure it's okay!!!!

she starts cutting up old clothes that she doesn't rly use to use as extra warmth for you :) has to fight an arm and a leg to convince mari to give you her yellowjackets sweater under the guise of you just being sick and cold 😭

van always tries to give you her food. she'll take a few bites but she can't really stomach it knowing that her baby might not survive if you don't eat :( she's started joining in on the morning rituals lottie does with travis and nat and offering her blood to the wilderness for more food like lottie does just so you can eat.

really really really angsty thought but maybe a few months into the pregnancy, van wakes up to the stench of copper, only to find you bleeding heavily. her heart just freezes up, and she's trying to stop it while calming you down, but it just keeps gushing. maybe this is how they all find out you're pregnant, after van helps you down the stairs and begs lottie to do something, mumbling something about saving her baby. she's the loudest in the circle prayer that lottie tells them to get in, you're in the middle of all of them, barely conscious but looking at van as she basically yells out this prayer. they're all so relieved when lottie tells them that she can hear the baby's heartbeat after a while, and she fixes you up this tea that actually makes you feel better... and van...god she's so happy that you're okay and that the baby is okay. she doesn't leave ur side for days.

i think she'd love building you and the baby things :) thinking about taking walks with her while she picks up sticks and rocks and chops wood, and van's telling you about how she's gonna make a crib. you like watching her try to put it all together while you rub your stomach and talk to your baby.

[whoupsqlointing]

lets talk about judgement episode 14

ok so amidst everything today i did still find time to listen to the new judgement episode and i think im just going to list out some bullet points of notable things that happened because they have made me actually go insane and the tag never has enough people talking. im gonna forget things because thats what i do and theyll be out of order but we've got:

the jrwi judgement $40,000 camera robot has been destroyed and youre no longer allowed to imagine the scene anymore cos you cant see it. its always been audio only but there was still a camera apparently but not anymore

paeon and their dad are now up for public execution with the rest of the party, at the coronation of the new king. bold considering none of them are currently in custody

they need disguises and new masks to hide their identities. theyre going. to party city. the goal of the episode is to get to the shopping district and find a party city. bizly is distressed by this but also states that if they go to the party city he will be "looking for him." there is a non zero chance we're getting the return of the fucking party city ghost in judgement

jaguar joe finally gets to save a woman from danger and immediately tells her to smile

he called the rest of the party "mods" during the fight and when looting the bodies said "thanks for the gold kind stranger"

he also? accidentally sent a guy back in time with his sword, not a thing he should be able to do, but condi is the god of bits now and he never says no to something funny. the guy came back 24 years later and died of natural causes (sword wounds) at the ripe old age of 48 and they held a funeral for him in the alleyway with a casket and a priest and everything

paeon invented syphilis 2 AND 3. but its ok because they also have the cure for both

buck failed a stealth check and alerted the guards and his solution was to be the distraction for the rest of the party by walking on water, declaring himself publicly as an emissary of OTG, and then smiting a random guy to hell

he sent two more guys to hell during the rest of the scene and might actually be the reincarnation of jesus christ

"jesus died, went to heaven, and god said go back and win. and he came back as buck barker." - charlie

mel, jaguar, and paeon ALL failed the jump for the beef

paeon failed at least 3 jumps on those increasingly distant rooftops but never took any damage because they always landed on their incredibly voluptuous ass which absorbed all the damage

mel wondered aloud if paeon gave themself their own bbl and it made paeon raise the mask just enough for everyone to see them smile

what actually happened was that paeon had a small ass vaccine that gives you a big ass if you have a small ass by curing your small ass

sadly their ass deflated on the last fall from the roof and the last dose of the small ass vaccine that gives you a big ass if you have a small ass by curing your small ass was shattered on the ground

they made it to the party city. at the end of the episode. theyre standing outside. the camera robot is back and we can see party city and its discount signs in all their glory. buck hopes they have doritos. and we fade to black and im never normal again

[mornynge]

Where your teeth sunk in

Rating: Mature (18+) Relationship: Sai/Adam Warnings: Description of explicit acts, infidelity

As the masquerade comes to an abrupt end, Sai finds himself running for his life. Eventually, in the endless corridors of Li-Sar's trick, Sai and Adam find one another, as if fated to do so.

"Run all you want, little one! I shall find you sooner or later!"

Li-Sar's words are laced with nothing but cruelty and misplaced desire, ringing hollow in his ears, as Sai stumbles down yet another endless corridor. He can hear his own heart beating out of rhythm, his lungs once again taking in the stale air of his surroundings. He's been here before, he's sure of it - Sai thinks to himself as he looks around in desperation. He's toying with him, hoping that Sai gets desperate enough to plead for mercy, to beg for Li-Sar to save him from this nightmare. Unfortunately for Li-Sar, Sai's stubborn, almost too stubborn. Peeking around yet another corner, Sai spots a pair of doors opposite of one another. Left or right, left or… Oh, to hell with it all - he thinks, rushing towards the door on the right.

As he pushes them open, he takes one step in before they close behind him with a racket, making Sai startle. At least he's safe, for now - he says but as he turns his gaze toward the chamber proper, someone rushes towards him. Sai's too slow to react, unable to reach for the door handle, as unknown hands grasp by his waist. No, no, no - he feels tears in his eyes, nausea at the very bottom of his stomach. He caught him. He caught him and now he'll do whatever he wants to him. Sai's nerves get the better of him, adrenaline kicking in without a warning, maybe to save him, maybe to doom him, as he tries to kick whoever's behind him. But before he can do anything to hurt the one holding him, he hears something. His name.

"Sai!" a familar voice reaches him through the chaos, his body turning around almost on command, his hazel eyes meeting the familiar icy green hidden behind a mask. The feeling of composure washes over him, the soothing sensation that he felt so many times before when Adam gazed down upon him. Adam… His Adam.

"You're him… You're really him," Sai whispers, taking a shaky breath before letting out a quiet laugh. Adam smiles from beneath his own mask, holding onto Sai. When they were separated, he feared the worst. But now Sai stands before him, shaken but safe. Before Adam can say anything, Sai pushes himself forward, wrapping his arms around Adam's chest, hugging him as close as he can. Adam hesitates for only a moment, before his arms wrap around Sai. Leaning down, he inhales the familiar scent of his hair, taking in as much of the sensation as he can, before they pull away from one another.

"Where are the others? Have you seen them?" Sai asks.

"No," Adam answers, shaking his head. Sai must be doing a poor job of hiding his nervousness, as Adam reaches out with his fingers to gently brush them against his cheek, letting him fall into the touch.

"They're capable." As if to ease his troubled mind, Adam tries to put on a brave face, even though he'd doubtful himself, "If we managed to find one another, they'll get here sooner or later. Li-Sar's trick might be clever but there's only so many corridors to run through before you find your way."

"I… I suppose," Sai's voice is quiet but a soft smile tugs at the corners of his lips, "I'm glad it's you. I was…" His eyes look to the side, as if he's ashamed of his own words. But Adam understands them well enough, even if Sai won't speak of it further.

Ever since that day at the warehouse, something shifted between them. Adam felt such shame in the days that followed, the bite mark he left upon Sai's neck covered by his clothes and healing quickly enough, nobody asking uncomfortable questions or glancing their way with suspicion. Adam had a feeling that Felix knew, as the younger vampire kept hovering over Sai like a worried sibling but if he knew, he never let anyone know. As for Adam, once the shame and guilt washed away at the crumbling shores of his mind, something else completely replaced them. The need for more.

Ah, there it is - Adam thinks to himself, as the two stand there, in silence filled with nothing but unspoken tension - this familiar feeling they feel whenever they're next to one another. The longing to reach out, the desire to consume, the ever-present feeling of needing one another. Adam felt it then and he feels it now, as he looks down upon the man he loves more than life itself.

He wants to say… What, exactly? That he felt nothing but torment in his soul ever since they looked into each other's eyes that day? That he hasn't known peace since, constantly reminded of his own selfish desires? That he wanted him, body and soul, for eternity? To hold him, to feel him, to sink his teeth into his flesh, to bond so strongly that one could not live without the other… But then again, Adam was never good with words. His actions would have to be enough.

Sai opens his eyes, just barely, looking up at Adam. Even with the mask on, his eyes shine and glisten in the soft light of the chandelier above them. There is such softness inside of them, such a clear expression of love and adoration… He loves me - Adam thinks to himself, his thumb moving gently to Sai's soft lips, parting them slightly with a motion - And I… and I…

Their lips meet before Adam can finish his thought, too afraid of what it could mean for both of them.

The kiss is soft and slow, Sai humming silently at the motion. It comes so naturally to them, as if they've done it a thousand times before. Interrupting the kiss, Adam pushes him to the side, so that they don't stand in front of the door, Sai's back now pushed against a wall. His features seem almost angelic against the elegant wallpaper behind him, making him look like a living painting. How else can he even describe him. He's beautiful, with the scar lining up his upper arm and neck, with his eyes that hide so much anguish, with his raven hair pooling gently around his shoulders… An image of perfection Adam has not seen in ages.

Adam's boldness catches Sai by surprise but he doesn't say anything. Instead, his lips form into the most gentle of smiles, his fingertips brushing against Adam's cheeks. He pulls him toward himself and they kiss again, deeper this time yet still gentle. Tension breaks in the air, giving in to lust and desire, just like it did before - as Adam's lips leave soft kisses on Sai's lips, his cheeks, his neck and exposed shoulders.

"Adam, I want… I need-" but Adam doesn't let him finish. He knows exactly what Sai needs because he needs it too, more than anything in this world. They kiss again, their lips crushing into one another with nothing but desire and hunger. Adam can feel Sai's fingers reaching for straps holding his trousers in place but this time, he doesn't stop him. Deep inside he knows they shouldn't. Deep inside he knows this is hardly the time and place. And yet, he doesn't want this to stop. Adam feels his face grow hot, his heart racing at the sensation, as the fabric restraining him falls to the floor.

Sai's tights are easier to dispose of but before he can take them off completely, Adam all but loses it. He lifts Sai into his arms, feeling his legs wrap around his back, before pushing him against the wall. Sai lets out a hushed whimper, his fingers now tangled into Adam's hair. Their eyes meet once more, as Adam slowly sinks into him, feeling a shiver run down his back, his name a prayer upon Sai's lips.

He thrusts, again and again, in a frantic and desperate manner. Sai parts his lips but no words leave them, his nails digging into the back of Adam's head. It's just the two of them - with their sweat and moans, with Sai's whimpering confessions of love, with Adam's teeth leaving marks upon his neck, with this brutal pace, this merciless rhythm that both of them craved for so long. And then, after what feels like a few agonizing moments, it all comes to a crescendo.

Adam hides his face in Sai's shoulder, letting out a shaking breath, biting onto his shoulder to muffle any moans that would've otherwise escaped him. Sai follows soon after, saying Adam's name over and over, first as a mere whisper, turning to choked sobs, as he's pushed over the edge.

They stay like this, for what feels like eternity. Adam suddenly feels extremely weak in his knees, yet he keeps holding onto Sai - both of them breathing heavily, lost in each other's eyes. And between the heavy breaths, the smell of sweat and the adrenaline letting go of them both, Adam hears the sweetest sound - Sai's laughter. He's giggling, his eyes half opened and his cheeks flushed. You make me so happy - his eyes say, his entire being says it as well. It makes Adam smile in turn, as he leans in and kisses Sai softly, before pulling away and gently placing him back down on the floor.

Adjusting their masquerade outfits is possibly the most awkward part of it all, Adam trying to compose himself but being unable to take his eyes off of Sai, as the other man tries his best to appear as if nothing ever happened. Sai's hands reach out, helping Adam with his own clothes, the many straps holding it all in place, the crinkled fabric in need of smoothing out. Adam reaches out on his own, smiling at the clear confusion upon Sai's face, before he adjusts his mask and tucks strands of hair behind his ears. It draws yet another giggle from him, which warms Adam's body to the very core. He's the cause of this happiness. Him and no one else.

But as Sai raises his gaze towards him, still blushing and delirious from what transpired, the soft smile upon his lips disappears. And from a corner of his eye, from behind Adam's arm, he sees a figure all too familiar to them both.

"Nate…" Sai says, a familiar sensation of guilt tugging at his heart. Adam whips his head around, a sharp breath escaping his lips. He turns, his arm almost a protective shield, as he tries to cover Sai's tiny frame.

"How long have you-"

"Long enough," Nate answers. The tone of his voice is cold and so unlike himself. Sai can see Adam visibly tense up, as the realization begins to slowly sink in. How long has he stood there, while they were lost in each other? How long has he watched, while Sai couldn't take his eyes away from Adam? The questions he doesn't dare to ask makes nausea rise in his stomach once more. Sai waits for him to say something but Nate doesn't say anything, standing there in complete silence, his eyes darting from one man to the other.

"Nate, this is-" Adam is tripping over his own words and Sai can see his body begin to shake, "I, I can explain-"

"Explain?" Nate raises an eyebrow, "What is there to explain?" His reaction makes Adam stutter, as if throwing him off guard. But it doesn't have the same effect on Sai, as he takes a step forward, moving to stand next to Adam. Nate's eyes dart in his direction but there's no anger in them, no accusations of a broken heart.

"You're right, there's nothing to explain," Sai's words make Adam turn to him, as if trying to stop him. He wants to say something but as Nate's gaze turns back to him, Adam can't find the strength in him to interrupt Sai, fear freezing him where he stands.

"I can't deny it any longer. I… I love him… I love him, Nate," something in Sai's voice cracks, as if saying those words to the other man hurt him physically, "From the moment our eyes met, I… I felt such a pull toward him. I felt it toward you too but… It's not the same. Nothing is."

He takes another step forward, disheveled and messy, still trying to catch a breath after everything that happened, "I don't want to keep lying to you. I don't want to pretend that my heart is only yours…" Sai's voice falters. To admit it all now, hurts him more than anything. To say what he needed to tell Nate weeks ago but didn't have the courage to, tears at his heart. He imagined this moment so many times before - how he'd do it, what he'd tell him, what would be Nate's reaction… But he couldn't prepare himself for how much agony he felt the moment he did it.

Silence falls around them, time seemingly slowing down, as the three stand there, unmoving. Why isn't he angry at me - Sai thinks, his eyes focused on Nate - Why isn't he talking, yelling, crying, why isn't he angry, why isn't he…

"Nate?" Sai asks but as Nate turns his gaze towards him, something unfamiliar glistens deep inside of his eyes. And Sai suddenly realizes something terrible. Nate… His Nate… Isn't standing before them now.

"Perhaps I should summon him here, it would make for great theatrics," the pretender grins, before the mask falls onto the floor, giving in to the man's true form.

Li-Sar stands before them, bearing his teeth, something akin to madness inside of his eyes. Sai takes a step back, grasping onto Adam's sleeve. He feels as if he was about to throw up any second now, his chest hurting, his head spinning. His fingers dig into Adam's arm, air catching in his throat, tears burning at the edges of his vision.

"Sai?!" Adam turns to him, grasping by his shoulders to steady him "Sai?! Sai look at me!" But Sai can't make himself do it. What's happening to him - he thinks, as Li-Sar's judgmental gaze pierces right through him, ripping his soul apart. And then, the frightening, unspeakable thought slinks into his mind.

What have they done.

[pink-november]

i have like different setups for the different endings in the game cuz im obsessed with the worldbuilding you can do post-construct. im gonna list the basics of what i have currently because im pretty sure a lot of people have their post-construct aus done after the what happens next/strange beginnings ending (which i have too but it isnt that fleshed out)

1. Post Oblivion

I have like 2 variations for this: one, where the vessels you've abandoned find themselves in the Long Quiet and they must find a way to undo the ending or they risk being consumed back into a state of nothingness. For purposes, all the vessels here are from Chapter 3s and beyond because being "fleshed out" in their Chapter 2s helped them survive for a bit longer. They find shards in The Long Quiet that might helped them resist being reduced to soup and together with the voices, they set out to undo the ending.

The other variation is something I explored in a fic: the voices find themselves in the path of the woods before the world unraveled and took them with it. And now suddenly they're back in there with no Decider, no Narrator, and they have bodies now. They must get to the cabin and save the princess there so they can undo the decisions that doomed them there in the first place. If they don't, they will return back to primordial soup.

2. Post NAUD but specifically the Everyone Hates You Ending

The voices, fueled by their shared hatred for TLQ, rips him apart, taking a part of that divinity for themselves. They are separated after TLQ's "death", scattered in the world left behind. The world however, does not take getting their gods being dead very well, and it's basically became a bigger Construct, where everything loops and everyone forgets. The voices though, even if they're godlings of their own right, are not doing so well themselves, left in eternal torment of the bodies they now have, carrying the scars and memories of their routes and sins. And they get to repeat this suffering over and over again. The only way they could move on is if they find each other again, reunite, and bring balance back to the world. But how could they when all they could remember is their pain and grief and when any progress they do make is erased to give way to an eternal pattern of forgetfulness? This is all to say go read Acquired Taste.

3. Post An Abandoned Oblivion Route + Your New World Ending

The Voices remember their routes and the cruelty of the Decider. They are in hiding together because they aren't sure whether or not TLQ would destroy them if He finds that they're still around. They're tense and unsure with one another but they all agree that fighting amongst themselves would jeopardize their own survival. The world is empty of life, barren except for noiseless landscapes as whatever entities or creatures TLQ makes slowly begins to form in this new world. Grotesque and unnatural, these lifeforms are hazardous to the voices, rejecting their very existence. Basically, it's an apocalypse situation.

.... and that's it! i swear i have more post construct aus with the other endings but im not satisfied with those yet ^^" so i might just offer a different kind of perspective, hence, everything in this post.

Hey slay the princess fandom!

Is there a common way to see the post Construct worlds and how the voices and/or vessels live? I've seen a few already and also have my own idea which I WILL talk about.. soon..... I just have to "professionally" write down the whole idea

I've seen: the woods, big house, a shit ton of cabins in the woods to choose from, and a couple variations of these, also JUST A VOID

Sooooo is there like a common agreement or intuitive way to see it or everyone's just going with their own flow? ALSO!!! Are they... alone? In the world? Is it a normal human world? A fantasy like one where creatures like them are normal?(not taking into account the human designs)

Also how do yall do it with memories of the game events? Do certain voices only remember certain routes? Do they all remember everything? Do they only remember the 5 routes one playthrough consist of?

And if vessels are involved, does Shifty let them go and just accepts she's not "whole" or decides to grant them more of a personhood than being a perspective? Was it her choice to begin with?

I already have my own ideas for all of these but I want to know if there's a silent agreement I'm missing. My inner Skeptic is acting up, I overanalyse everything and kinda lose myself....... help. It's the undertale multiverse structure all over again, it's the adhd again

[wantbytaemin]

i see my mutuals letting anons speak to them any which way and i see red a little…….

[kalkori]

shaky draw from cigarette. nowadays i am slowly inching away from my enjoyment of fnaf but god if i am not a sucker for the damn mimic

anyways do yall think the mimic being related to the weird unknown character behind the fredbear plush is a slay thought. also the security puppet but i feel theres more thematical significance for it being related to psychic friend fredbear

see tags for continued rambling

[darknessembrxced]

Was part of the worry and the need to check on her simply due to the fact the bar was crowded? Maybe. Was it a level of worrying that someone was going to come and harass her? Yeah, that did play a factor into it. Hunter wasn't one to examine his feelings too closely. So, he didn't want to bring to light the feeling that he didn't like being too far from her. This was a woman that he had met that evening. She couldn't be allowed to throw his entire world into a tailspin. Yet, there was something there that was so entirely different from everyone and anything else. A sense of connection that he had with only a small handful of other people. An important thing that couldn't be overlooked. Not when it felt bigger than simply this very moment.

Hunter shook his head at the tease, leaning back in his head and placing a hand over his heart, as if she had wounded him with the very notion of it all. To be this free and relaxed, to be able to goof around was not a privilege that everyone had. A fact that she could not have known about and he wasn't about to enlighten her to the fact.

"I bring you here to save you from jumping out a window and this is how you repay me? Insulting my good name and trying to say I'm robbing the cradle. I don't know what I'm going to do. Evening ruined. This is what I get for being nice." There was no way to stop the smile that remained, entirely cutting any risk of the words being taken seriously. A long pull of his beer was taken as a means to soothe the anguish. "Being called old. A man's ego will never recover. I'll just have to give up my job and go into hiding now. Never to be seen again." Barely was he able to restrain the laughter that threatened to ruin the end of the sentence. Though, he did outright laugh as she tried the offended route herself.

"Cocktails and wine are boring," he offered with a playful smile. "We'll get you living life yet. Don't worry. The cheap beer and greasy burgers will create a whole new palate for you." There was something so satisfying about the combination. Maybe because it was a bit of a cheat meal. Maybe because it was simplistic. Maybe because it was just down right good. Whatever it may be, Hunter was more pleased to be enjoying it now compared to ever before and that was down to the company he was keeping.

"Well, certainly a hell of a lot cheaper than therapy for sure." He paused and really thought about the best way that he could explain it. In a way that made sense. That was perhaps the biggest challenge. After a second, he seemed to settle on it. "Was always into sports growing up. Actually played some basketball and baseball, believe it or not. Got into bodybuilding as a teenager and things sort of spiraled from there after a few competitions. Met some wrestlers and decided it was what I wanted to do. Didn't want to do the whole college thing. Guess I got lucky that it worked out. Turns out, I'm pretty damn good at punching people in the face." At least it was an honest answer. He didn't feel the need to try and inflate it for her sake, to try and impress. It felt more organic and natural to give her the real reason. Inherently knowing she would appreciate that more.

Any sort of follow up was cut short by the drunk ass that bumped into the table. Almost instantly, Hunter was wound tighter than a spring, ready to intervene. It was with immense restraint that he initially held himself back, knowing that a fight wouldn't do any good, especially since the guy hadn't done anything just yet. But the creep wasn't taking any cue. Too drunk to realize. Or too much of an asshole to care. Either way, Hunter was not going to let him get away with that behavior. His beer set aside, the gentle touch to his forearm was more than enough needed.

"She isn't interested. Now, I think it would be best if you wandered back over to your friends, don't you?" The tone left little room for arguments, even a daft drunk would be able to pick up on that. He shifted his chair just a hint closer, sizing the guy up. No doubt there would be some false bravado there and he was ready to handle it. Already, he was inching slowly out of his seat, ready to stand. And after a few seconds, he did just that, not afraid to attempt to Intimidate the drunk to get him to scurry off and leave them to their evening.

@[xoxoitsgia]

That entire situation was peculiar, and everything tying her up to Hunter was even stranger. There was a feeling there, something she didn't recognise that knotted up in her abdomen, making her heart beat fast and her cheeks flush anytime her dreamy eyes fell on the man. And whatever that tie was, it felt like it was getting them closer and closer each second.

Gia had learned very quickly not to miss people, loneliness, absent family and being touch-emotionally starved since she was a child was much easier to deal with when she pretended she didn't need anyone. But, in the brief minute Hunter left the table to go order, she found herself realising she immediately missed his company. Absurd, in itself, and yet, so plain and simple, it was devastating. She wanted to be by his side, and anything else seemed so unimportant.

She was well aware reality would have knocked at their door sooner rather than later, but, for now, she was willing to ignore it. Was it worth remembering she had another identity and responsibilities to go back to when she had never felt alive before she walked into this stranger's car?

"Oh, I am sure you do," she giggled, tapping her index finger on her lower lip, pretending to examine him, studying his features. "I was wondering if you aren't too old for me," a cheeky smile popped on her lips as she openly teased him.

"Sir," Gia followed up, pretending to be utterly offended at his question. She knew he wasn't judging her, but it was just fun to be having fun with him. "I'll have you know I am the classic fine wine girl, or, if the occasion requires it, a cocktail. But, this place doesn't suggest any of that, right? And I must blend in. Plus, god, that sounds so boring said out loud." She giggled, shaking her head. Then, she leaned closer, unafraid and unbothered by the complicity growing between them. "So, tell me, how did you get into wrestling?" She had many more questions, devoured by her need to know everything about him. "Punching people in the face all day beats therapy, I guess." He surely had the look of someone who could, potentially, make you regret crossing him. But, with her, he looked nothing but gentle, and she felt safe around him, more than with any other good-for-nothing bloke she crossed before for sure. "Must be a hell of a life you live," she continued, "For all the good reasons." Freedom, for one.

Then, suddenly breaking their moment, a drunken guy walked into her and lost balance, stumbling on their table. "Oop, fuck, sorry," the hazed attention of the guy fell on Gia first and never moved, as a slimy smile grew on his lips. "Oh, wow, you are a pretty one, uh?" He mumbled, words slurred by too much alcohol, possibly. No attention was paid to Hunter whatsoever. He drew closer, causing her to instantly freeze. Gia tried to move away, but the space on her chair wasn't enough. "What's your name? Wanna come have fun with my friends?" His gaze fell oll over her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. Gia reached over the table, grabbing at Hunter's forearm, both a plea and to feel the reassurance that he was close. "No, thank you," she expressed politely, knowing the guy's attention wasn't about to dissipate that easily.

[orchideae]

1) Opens up drafts with my head empty, ready to be flooded, not knowing where I'll go. 2) 30 seconds later: Okay but I will go feral any day of my life over Perilous Trail, and the fierce dichotomy of Xiao and Yelan. While they're far from being 'the same', they both view themselves as soldiers in one way or another (it's a very difficult word to use for Yelan, so I'm using it very liberally and very loosely), they have both suffered losses on the 'battlefield' and carry the burden thereof in their own ways. And yet they stand so firmly in opposition throughout the entirety of that questline up until the very end of the 'the end of the line' conclusion of the quest. Yes, I know that she offers him her gratitude in its aftermath and it is genuine, but she still never agrees with him and the decision that he made moments earlier. It simply 'worked out' because of Zhongli's interference, he's the only reason it worked out. And it's because of that, that she doesn't give him a hell of a hard time (obviously she can't go down there, but imagine the inner frustration of severe extents; when you condemn someone who you can't even see anymore). In the same way that she would do to anyone who would sacrifice themselves for others, but in this case, I think it's 'beautiful' that it's to Xiao; the one who seems most adamant to do so (which honestly, fits into the contract that the Yakshas chose to sign with Morax; 'the ultimate sacrifice' to protect for Liyue; 'for Liyue', and Liyue has always centered itself around its people), the one who everyone reveres (and so does she, as she notes in her voiceline, 'if I ever have the honor to fight alongside') and respects for good reason, she stands against him, because in that moment, regardless of his status, he makes a call that she considers wrong. And he doesn't even... fight her on it very fiercely, and that's what actually hurts me the most, it's as if the following line hit the nail directly on the head?

"Besides, if you were really so determined to end it all, you wouldn't have given us the opportunity to share our opinions."