#||Different story if he's planning the date though because he WILL plan and research so YOU can have fun

[shining-gem34]

FILL IN WITH DETAILS ABOUT YOUR MUSE AS IF THEY WERE A CHARACTER IN A DATING SIM.

NAME — Rook

PROFESSION — Mercenary/Traveler (In space)

WHERE THEY CAN BE FOUND — It varies from planet to planet, but if he isn't at his ship, you can try your luck at a bar or the street markets. He likes to listen to people and chat with them to gain insights on various topics.

Specifically for planets revealed in-game:

Jarilo-VI: Underground Fight Club or Old Weapon Testing Ground.

Luofu: Cloudford (where his ship is located at) or Aurum Alley.

Penacony: Clockie Plaza (Golden Hour) or Dream's Edge.

FAVORITE FOOD TYPE — Heavily seasoned and spiced foods with refreshing side dishes to balance it out. Otherwise, he's not too picky about food types.

FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK — Fruity Cocktails with Jalapenos. If he's in the mood for something heavy, straight-up vodka.

WHERE THEY WOULD GO ON A DATE — Rook doesn't have a preference for dating locations. Wherever you take him, Rook doesn't care because the most important thing for him is being able to spend time with you and have fun.

IDEAL GIFT — Whatever you give him, Rook will hold it close to his person (or keep it safe) and treasure it because you gifted it to him. Bonus points if it's something practical he can use.

HOW MANY DATES UNTIL THEY KISS — It depends if he feels confident enough to express his affections physically that isn't holding hands or a chaste kiss to a cheek. A kiss on the lips is a big step for Rook.

Tagged by: @memovia & @rvinfall (and I can't remember who else I saw doing this but wheoitw) Tagging: You!! Show me your character in a dating sim!

[watchmegetobsessed]

UNMATCHED II.

A/N: soooo you guys were just as horny for a part 2 to this story as i was so here we are, giving in to the temptation. disclaimer, i know their behavior is giving red flag energy but lets just put that aside for the sake of the story now lol

WORD COUNT: 3.8k

WARNING: sexual content, age gap, student-professor relationship

SUMMARY: Harry has been trying his best to forget what happened with Y/N, he is set on never making the same mistake, but it seems like fate has different plans for him.

PART 1 | MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

That skirt. That goddamned skirt. That’s gonna be the death of Harry. 

And also the fact that she went back to that asshole. 

Sitting in the busy school cafeteria Harry has zoned out of the conversation at the table a long time ago, precisely when he saw Y/N stroll in wearing that short skirt with that dickhead she should have ditched already or better, she shouldn’t have even dated him in the first place. But now they are moving in the line with their group of friends and he has his hand on her waist and it keeps inching lower, just a few more inches and his hand could be slipping under her skir–

“Harry? Hello?” 

Stella catches his attention and he is forced to move his focus back to his colleagues at the table. 

“Huh? Sorry, what did you say?” He clears his throat and keeps his eyes on his half-eaten sandwich in front of him. 

“What’s up with you? You haven’t been your usual self lately.”

“Just… tired. I’m behind with my research and have a bunch of papers to grade before winter break.”

“The joys of being a teacher,” Stella chuckles. “Don’t worry, it’ll get better with time.”

“Really?”

“No,” she smirks at him. “But you’ll care less.”

She soon returns to the conversation at the table and Harry finds himself looking for Y/N again. There’s no trace of her in the line, but he is quick to spot her at a table across the dining hall, sitting beside Dickhead who has an arm around her neck, keeping her close as he wants everyone to know that they are together.

And it irks Harry way more than it probably should. 

It’s been a little over a week since Stella’s Christmas party and also that very heated and very wrong kiss he shared with Y/N. That weekend was like hell, he kept beating himself over and over about it, cursing himself out for being so stupid and reckless. He still has no idea what came over him that let him make out with a student, but he knew one thing for sure: it couldn’t happen again. 

So when Y/N walked into the classroom before his first lecture early on monday he didn’t even let her speak before he got to the point. 

“It shouldn’t have happened. I’m so sorry for it, but I can’t undo it now. I suggest let’s pretend nothing happened, it’s for the absolute best. No one can know about it and it will never happen again.”

She seemed taken aback by his outburst, but after a bit of hesitation she nodded.

“Okay. Nothing happened. It must have been the wine.”

“Yes,” he agreed right away. “We both drank more than we should have and made a mistake.”

She flinched at his last word, but didn’t protest, only nodded, holding her textbooks tighter to her chest. She looked so sad, even disappointed that Harry almost wanted to take back what he just said, but he knew he couldn’t. 

“Are you… okay?” he dared to ask, but when she looked at him again, her eyes told nothing. 

“I’m fine. I’ll see you in class, professor.”

And she was out of the classroom before he could say another word. In class she sat in the back and not even once did she look at him. He knows, because he kept looking at her. 

He’s been trying his best to get her out of his head, but with not much luck. Not when all he can think about is how soft her lips felt against his, how insanely good she tasted mixed with the coldness of the night, how amazingly she fit into his palm, the curve of her neck, back, waist and hips… and how badly he wants to experience it again even though it’s the worst possible idea. 

Harry thinks he is going insane. Genuinely. 

He’s been burying himself into work, but his focus has been all over the place, so it’s been more like a waste of time. He is one of the last ones in the building today as well. Most professors left a long time ago, but the lights in Harry’s tiny office are still on as he is hunched over a stack of papers. When he has to read over the same line for the twentieth time he drops his pen with a tired groan and leans back in his chair. He takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes roughly, until he is practically seeing stars. 

“Fuck,” he huffs, staring at the papers that are still waiting to be graded. Checking the time on his phone he is surprised to see that it’s already past seven.

He stands from his chair and steps to the window. The campus looks quiet at this time, only a few students are walking towards the dorm that’s next to the literature department’s building. It’s a wednesday night, the semester ends next week so some lucky students who have no more exams left in the year have already left for the holidays. Harry will be going home right before Christmas, he plans to use those few days of the break to work on his research in peace. 

From his window he sees part of the parking lot next to the dorm, it’s quite dark there, he almost doesn’t notice the figures sitting in the car closest to him, but a few heartbeats later realization hits him.

It’s Y/N and the dickhead. 

They are pretty far, but Harry can tell that they are in a heated fight, judging from how Y/N is gesticulating. Obviously he can’t hear them, but if he had to guess he would say she is shouting, from what he can see. 

For a moment he tells him to just ignore the scene, it’s none of anyone else’s business, let alone his. But when he sees the asshole slap his hands against the wheel several times, making Y/N jump, Harry is moving before he could second guess his actions. 

He practically sprints down that stairs, already trying to figure out how he’ll interject without appearing like a creep, but he forgets all his plans when he is marching towards the parking lot and sees the scene unfold from up close. 

At some point they must have gotten out of the car, because Harry catches the dickhead getting back into the driving seat, Y/N is crying and tries to stop him from shutting the door, but he swings it with such force that she stumbles forward, holding onto the handle. When Harry sees her almost fall to the asphalt he starts running, just as the car comes to life and he drives away so fast, he almost runs over Y/N’s feet. 

“Fuck you, Charlie! Fuck you!” She screams after the car, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Harry rushes over to her, grabs her by her shoulders and turns her away from the direction of the car. “Hey, what happened?”

She is gasping for air from the crying as she wraps her arms around her, those beautiful eyes that are usually filled with curiosity are now full of confusion and hurt. 

“Y/N, look at me,” he begs and she hiccups a few times before she finally looks him in the eyes. 

“H-Harry?”

He ignores how good it feels to hear her call him by his first name again and tries to focus on the situation.

“Yeah. Let’s get inside, okay? It’s freezing cold.”

She nods and lets him steer her towards the building and up to his office. By the time she sits in the old armchair in the corner of his office she has stopped sobbing, but her expression looks just as miserable as before. 

“I’ll make you a tea. Do you like tea?” he asks, stepping over to the tiny side table where he keeps his kettle and tiny tea collection with two mugs. She nods and he is quick to turn on the kettle. He grabs a chamomile filter and drops it into one of the mugs and while the water boils he hands her a box of tissues that she accepts with a quietly murmured thank you. 

When the tea is done he hands her the mug and sits in his chair, unsure what to say. He definitely did not plan to have her in his office anytime soon and definitely not like this. 

“Go on, lecture me about being with him,” she says at last, staring into the mug in her hands. 

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“But you’d be right.” She looks up at him, eyes still red from the crying. 

“Why did you go back to him?” he softly asks, not wanting to make her feel even worse. 

“I don’t know,” she shrugs, looking away again. “He could be convincing, I guess.”

“Hope you won’t believe him after this.”

“No,” she chuckles bitterly before taking a sip from the tea, leaning back in the armchair. “Not even the sex will convince me to go back to him.”

Harry’s muscles jump at her words. Not because he is such a prude, but because instantly he is thinking about sex… and her… and his body reacts involuntarily. Clearing his throat he crosses his legs and looks anywhere but at her.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” she chuckles softly, but she doesn’t seem sorry at all. 

“No, I… um…” Harry has no idea what to say. This feels like such an impossible situation, he is definitely walking on eggshells here and the fact that he is semi-hard does not help his case. 

While he is looking for the right words she places her mug to his desk and crosses her legs, a curious look playing in her eyes as she is looking at him. She appears calm and confident suddenly, like she wasn’t sobbing ten minutes ago. 

“I lied,” she then speaks up.

“About what?”

“I know why I went back to him.”

“Oh. Okay, why did you?”

She holds his gaze for one… two… three seconds before her lips part, then she hesitates for one more moment before answering. 

“Because I couldn’t go to you.”

A shiver runs down his spine at her words, his body is betraying him already, but he hangs onto the last bit of his rationality.

“Y/N, don’t.”

“Don’t what? Don’t tell the truth?”

“We agreed that we are not talking about it again.”

“I’m not talking about that night. I’m talking about how badly I’ve been wanting you, but knowing I can’t have you I went back to Charlie even though I knew I shouldn’t have.” 

“Y/N…” His mouth is dry and he feels ridiculously hot even though the heating hasn’t been working too well lately in his office. He is clawing at the arms of his chair, trying to keep the remains of his cool, though it feels like he is hanging on a thread.

“I won’t do anything about it, don’t worry. And I won’t bring it up again.” She sounds different this time, the confidence has turned into what feels like disappointment and it lurches something in Harry’s gut. 

Standing she smoothes her clothes before looking at Harry, a tiny sliver of expectancy glistening in her eyes. 

“Thanks for the tea. I better get going.”

She is already moving towards the door when Harry jumps to his feet, entirely lost about what to think, do or say. He strides after her and just when she is about to reach for the knob, he grabs her other hand, stopping her mid action. 

But he has no idea why he just did that. His rationality is screaming at him, but with each passing moment he spends holding her hand, the noise gets farther and farther away until it’s lost somewhere in the back of his mind. 

Slowly, she turns her head, eyes taking in the sight of their touching hands before her gaze meets his. He instantly stumbles back, letting go of her like she was on fire, but she doesn’t seem surprised. Instead, she turns around and just stands there, with a calm, but determined look on her face. 

“Careful professor,” she then speaks up. “I might take your actions as a hint.”

“A hint…” he breathes out, almost mesmerized with her, he is convinced she’s put a spell on him, because he can’t move or think straight, he just keeps staring at her.

“Yes, a hint,” she nods shortly. “That you want me just as much as I want you.”

He swallows down a moan that almost slips through his lips at her words. His whole body is burning for her, palms sweating and itching to touch her and he can almost taste her on his tongue again, desperate to pick up from where they left off not long ago. 

The tiniest smirk tugs on the corners of her mouth when she sees just how much he is struggling and she takes it as her queue to push her luck just a bit further. She takes a step closer to him, but still leaves some space between them, wanting him to close those last inches. 

“You know you can have me.” She cocks her head to the side, blinking up at him innocently. “Right here, on your desk or in that armchair. I want to be your good girl and take whatever you give me.”

“Stop it,” he manages to breathe out, but all his strength is gone, it sounds more like a plea rather than an order. 

“What if I don’t?” she sassily questions. “Will you punish me?”

Harry whimpers. They both know he is close to breaking and she is not stepping down now and she’s determined to push him over the edge. Slowly she reaches up, drags a finger across her lips before moving then down, tugging at her shirt at her chest, revealing more of the exposed skin there, then she starts playing with the top button, all while keeping her eyes focused on him. He sucks on his breath, his gaze keeps switching between her eyes and what her fingers are doing. 

Then it pops open, revealing the delicious swell of her breasts and a bit of the lacy bra as well and he knows he is gone. 

“Close the curtain,” he simply orders and a sudden rush of excitement washes over her as she quickly moves across the room, drawing the curtains on the window and turning around she is expecting him to be in the same spot, but to her surprise he is right there and before she could say a word, his lips crash down on hers with such force she would have fallen back if he didn’t already have an arm around her waist. 

His other hand is quick to find its way to her throat first, then to her jaw, angling her head perfectly so he can devour her. 

He spins them around and she gasps when her ass meets the edge of his desk, still kissing her he pushes forward, blindly tossing everything on the desk aside to make room, something clatters as it falls to the ground but neither of them cares to even look. His hands are on the back of her legs and he helps her up until she is sitting on top of the desk. 

She eagerly opens her thighs and circles her legs around his hips, pulling him closer and when she feels just how hard he already is, pushing against her clothed center, she can’t help but moan at the sensation. 

“It’s a one time thing,” he pants when her fingers start to work on his shirt and his hands find the button of her jeans. 

“Sure,” she breathes out smiling.

“Just to get it out of our system.”

“Of course,” she nods eagerly, and a moment later she is tugging his shirt off his shoulders. 

Buttons come undone, clothes are thrown across the room and soon enough all of his focus is on her naked chest, his hands exploring the tender, heated skin before his head dips down and his mouth meets her hardened nipples. 

“Oh fuck,” she moans, head falling back as she has an arm around his shoulders, the other one planted behind her on the desk. All while his hands are tugging down her jeans, finally giving him the chance to touch her inner thighs, exploring the warmth and softness he’s been fantasizing about for so long. 

He gently bites on one of her nipples, making her back arch, burying his face between her breasts before he leans back to get rid of her jeans. She has a moment to admire his naked torso, all the tattoos he’s been hiding under his clothes, his pants are hanging around his knees and his erection is throbbing through the fabric of his underwear. She can’t help but smile at the sight, it’s surely one she’ll remember forever.

When her jeans are discarded on the floor he plants his hands on her thighs and pushes them wide open, revealing her drenched panties. He brings his thumb over the wet fabric, lazily drags it over her clit, making her tremble under his touch. Then keeping eye contact with her he pulls his chair under him, sits down and rolls closer so his face is perfectly lined up with her. With his eyes still locked on hers, he leans forward, moves her panties to the side and places a sloppy, open mouthed kiss to her throbbing clit, making her moan so loud, he digs his fingers into her thighs pulling back. 

“You need to be quiet,” he warns her and she just eagerly nods, watching him take her underwear off completely and go back to where he was a moment ago. 

Harry drinks up her taste, he licks, kisses and sucks on the right spots, making her see stars as her orgasm is building up. When she feels two of his fingers slip into her she grabs a handful of his hair, tugging on it. 

But right when she is about to tip over the edge he pulls back, leaving her in a heaving mess. Reaching into one of his drawers he grabs a condom and standing up he watches her lying on his desk, chest rapidly rising and falling while he rolls the condom on. 

To his surprise, she gets up and jumps off the desk, taking the initiative by pushing him down back into the chair and straddling his lap. His hands are quick to move to her ass as his cock wedges between her drenched folds. He hisses when she starts rolling her hips, making them both even more feral for what’s about to come. 

She leans forward and kisses him, her hand reaching down between them until it finds his cock. She gives him a few lazy strokes to which he hums lowly into her mouth. Then she stops her kisses, lips still brushing against his, eyes meeting again as she lifts herself up just enough to angle him underneath her and then slowly she eases down, letting him enter her inch by inch until she is filled entirely. She gasps at the feeling of her walls stretching around him and they both stop for a few moments, just savoring how perfectly they fit together. 

She plants both her hands to the base of his neck, kisses him again and starts moving her hips. 

“Fuck, Y/N, you feel so good,” he groans, locking his arms around her, fingers digging into her naked back and side as she starts to slowly pick up her pace, bouncing on him. 

When he starts thrusting upwards, meeting her movements, her head rolls back from how deep she feels him inside her, his tip reaching the perfect spot. 

“Yes, right there!” she gasps as he buries his head in her neck, kissing and sucking on the soft skin while keeping his rhythm. “I’m so close,” she breathes out, her hands raking through his messy hair. 

Wanting even more friction she adjusts herself and then starts moving faster and rougher, aching for the release. She looks down, her eyes meet his gaze and she just knows he is as close as she is. 

“Harry,” she moans and hearing his name fall from her lips is what pushes him over the edge.

Grunting, his thrusts get rougher and fall out of their fast pace, he pushes into her over and over again as he fills the condom and watching him fall apart helps her let go as well. He feels her walls tighten around him while he is still riding out the afterwaves of his own orgasm, her mouth hangs open, nails digging into his shoulders so harshly they surely leave marks. 

Then they both slowly come off their high and she leans forward, capturing his lips in a much softer kiss than the ones they’ve shared just minutes ago. He gladly returns, their lips melt together and his fingers gently roam her naked back while he is still inside her. 

They’re quiet when she moves off him and grabs a few tissues to clean herself up while he discards the condom. The clothes are picked up from the floor one by one and a sense of unsureness settles between them as they both get dressed. 

She was the only thing on his mind just five minutes ago, but now that the sex haze is gone, his thoughts start racing. What did he do? What will happen now? This shouldn’t have happened but still, he wants to do it again and again and again. 

As if she knew he was panicking inside, she steps to him, takes his face in her hands and pulls him into a long, passionate kiss that instantly makes him forget about everything else. 

“Don’t overthink it,” she whispers against his lips. “We’re adults.”

“I’m your teacher,” he hums.

“The semester is almost over. Grade my last paper and we’re done,” she simply says with very little care about his current status. But he is not that sold on it just yet, hesitation and worry is all over his face. “Did you not want it?”

“You know how much I wanted it,” he admits defeatedly. 

“Great. I wanted it too. And I want it again. So I’ll come by tomorrow again. You’ll bend me over that desk after I had your cock in my mouth, then tell me what grade I’m getting for the semester and we do it again after that.”

He is already feeling himself getting hard again. Deep down he knows he should say no, but he has no will left to fight with himself anymore. So all he does is nod and then kiss her. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, professor.” She grabs her coat from the floor and then walks out of his office like nothing happened. 

Harry falls into his chair and assesses the mess on and around his desk, staring at the spot where she was sitting not long ago. He knows he is making his biggest mistake ever, but sinning has never felt this good.

And right now he is willing to take this risk.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[kaleldobrev]

Without Hesitation, Yes.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Summary: After all these years, Dean finally asks you to marry him.

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: Cursing (3x)

Authors Note: Flashbacks in italics | I love me a good childhood friends to lovers story | If you liked this, don’t forget to like & reblog. I really appreciate it! Feedback is always welcome ♡

Dean had known you for as long as he could remember; first meeting you through Bobby. He had met you in the late eighties, when he couldn’t be more then 9 or 10 years old. Bobby introduced you as his daughter – not biological, adopted; but he still considered you his blood nonetheless. From the moment he laid his eyes on you, he felt an instant connection to you; the two of you becoming partners in crime very soon after your first meeting. Even when him, Sammy, and his dad were on the road, he still made sure to keep in contact with you, telling you everything and anything. He would tell you how gross the motel room was that they were staying at, the diners that they would stop at on the way to their next case, and even about their current case – sometimes asking you for your input.

Although Bobby was your adoptive father and you would help him do research for cases every now and then, he had never actually wanted the hunting life for you. But not being in the life was never an option for you; it was something that you had always wanted to do. So, when Dean Winchester showed up on your doorstep in October 2005 saying that his dad was missing and needed your help, you dropped everything, packed a bag and left; even though your father didn’t want you to go. He was mad at you for leaving, but understood that it was something that you needed to do; not only because the Winchester’s were like family, but because he could see the way you and Dean looked at each other – something that he tried so hard to prevent.

For as long as Dean could remember, he always felt something for you; but he never fully knew what that feeling was. He was between three different options for a while: he actually had a crush on you, he only had a crush on you because Bobby told him “Don’t even think about it boy” or he only had a crush on you because you were the most consistent woman in his life. One of the first moments he began to try and pinpoint which of the three it was, took place when the two of you were teenagers. Everyone was sleeping and it was just the two of you up. You had somehow convinced him to watch one of your favorite movies Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even though it wasn’t his thing, he didn’t mind watching it with you because he had thought that Kristy Swanson was hot – but he didn’t dare tell you that. He had remembered how the two of you snuck downstairs to watch it, the two of you making popcorn and grabbing two sodas from the fridge. Dean remembered how engrossed you were when watching it, sometimes quoting from it or even acting out some of the scenes. He could still remember something that you said to him, even though it had been more than 20 years. “When I grow up, I wanna be just like Buffy.” For some reason, you saying that had brought a smile to his face.

There were a few instances in his life when he had planned on telling you how he truly felt about you before the two of you had started dating. But each and every time he had thought about telling you, he would back out, because he didn’t want to ruin one of his longest friendships. Before he went to Hell, he almost broke and told you, but he told himself that there was no way he could do that do you despite the fact that he knew that he was never going to see you again. The last thing he wanted was to tell you that he loved you and then die, and now you had to spend the rest of your life wondering, “What if?” A few years later right before he was going to say yes to Michael, that is when he decided he was going to do it. He had no idea why he had thought that was the moment, but his feelings for you just poured out of him like a dam that had burst. “I’ve loved you for a long time Sweetheart. Ever since we were kids. There are so many times when I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt but…I didn’t want to ruin the friendship that we had. I…I didn’t want to lose you.” For a moment he had thought that you wouldn’t reciprocate his feelings but to his surprise you did. “Took you long enough you idjit.” You told him, kissing him soon after that. “After I go into the pit, I want the two of you to have a normal apple pie, white picket fence life together. Do the whole nine. Marriage, kids, PTA meetings. All of it.” Sam had made the both of you promise. The two of you did have some sense of normalcy for the year – the best you could anyway, but kids, marriage, and definitely PTA meetings weren’t on the table at that moment. Someday though maybe.

Dean loved you more than anything or anyone. You were his best friend, his favorite person, the one that he could always count on; and most importantly: the love of his life. He never thought he would ever get the chance to ever call someone that: the love of his life. He had only heard the term once or twice during his life, mainly hearing it from Bobby and his father. Over the years, Dean had thought that he was in love before, but it wasn’t until he had a relationship with you that he truly would know what being in love actually felt like. The other times he had thought he was, he was in love with the idea of the person, in love with the idea of being in their world – a world that he knew he didn’t belong in. With you, it was different; effortless. He didn’t have to hide any aspect of himself in order to please you. You weren’t afraid of him, even when he was afraid of himself at times.

There was a part of him that knew that he didn’t deserve you – you weren’t as broken as he was. Yes, you had lost just as much as he had, but you were somehow stronger than he could ever be; which is one of the things that he admired most about you. When things got tough, he would hid behind a bottle of Jack and a mountain of self-loathing and sarcasm. Meanwhile, you continued to carry your head high and carry on like it was just another Tuesday with the boys or just another case. The only time he had ever seen you completely break is when Bobby died.

A few weeks before his insanely close near-death experience where he almost lost to a rusty rebar fighting vampires, he had went into town with Sam to go and get you an engagement ring. Even though he knew the type of jewelry that you liked, getting you an engagement ring was a completely different story. He went back and forth for hours trying to find you the perfect ring. “Dude, just pick something. She’ll love whatever you get her.” Sam had told him. It was in that moment that Dean’s eyes landed on one that he knew that you would absolutely love. “I’ll take that one.” Dean said, pointing at the ring in the case.

A month has gone by after his close near-death experience, and proposing to you is something that he no longer wanted to put off. He didn’t want to spend another day, another hour, another minute without seeing this ring on your finger. You had told him once a while ago that you didn’t need an engagement ring; that all he had to do was ask you to marry him and then the two of you could go to the nearest courthouse that same day. He truly loved the thought; but he had wanted to do something more for you than that.

Dean held the ring in his hands and couldn’t wait to give it to you. The only problem that he was currently having though, was trying to figure out exactly what he was going to say to you. “Still trying to come up with a speech there Romeo?” Sam said, his voice sounding a bit amused.

Dean eyed him, placing the ring down on the kitchen table. “I have no freaking clue what I’m going to say to her.” He admitted. “I don’t want it to be a chick flick moment, but I don’t want it to sound too generic either.” For the past several days, Dean has been trying to come up with a good proposal speech for you, but each and every time he thought that he had something, it simply just left him. Yesterday, he had even started writing the speech down, but kept crossing out everything that he wrote because he hated the way it looked and sounded.

“Word of advice? As someone who was going to propose…” Sam sighed a little at the memory; still briefly remembering exactly what he was planning on saying to Jessica. “Just be honest. Tell her…tell her all the things you love about her. Why you fell for her in the first place. You know things like that.”

“I said no chick flick moments Sam.” Dean picked up the ring again and started spinning it around on the table, momentarily forgetting that the ring before him was a couple grand and not something he just picked up at the Gas n’ Sip down the road.

“Then don’t make it one.” Sam walked over to Dean and placed his hand on his shoulder. “She’ll love whatever you say to her. I mean, she’s stuck with your dumbass this far. Nothing you can say now will make her run.” Sam gave him a smirk, and Dean just rolled his eyes.

“Bitch.” Dean said.

“Jerk.” Sam replied.

You were doing what you normally did on a Sunday morning – doing some yoga in the Bunker gym. Ever since you and the boys had made the Bunker your home, you had found yourself attracted to yoga; something that you initially didn’t like until recently. Bobby had tried to get you into it – weirdly enough; saying that it would be good for you. You had told him that you would only do it if he did it with you. “I already get pedicures with you, I ain’t doing yoga too.” He said.

As your eyes were closed and you were currently in Lotus position you heard a small knock on the door frame of the gym. You opened your eyes and a huge smile sprawled across your lips. “Hey you.” You said, your voice calm.

“Hey beautiful.” Dean replied, walking into the gym with you. He pointed to the spot in front of you. “Can I join you?” You were slightly surprised. You had tried to get Dean to do yoga for a while, but he always said that it wasn’t really his thing – he left the yoga portion of the workouts to you and Sam.

“I thought you’d never ask.” You scooted back a bit, giving him just a little bit of room so he wasn’t so close to the door.

Dean sat down in front of you, trying his best to get in the same position as you were currently in. Fuck I’m old. He thought to himself as he crossed his legs, feeling just a little bit of pressure in his knees. “You don’t have to sit like that if you don’t want to my love.” You told him. “I’m happy to just have you sitting here with me.” Your comment sincere.

“I uh, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Dean’s sentence made your heart jump. Not only because of the abruptness of it, but because it sounded like a ‘We need to talk’ conversation. Conversations like these were never your favorite – Hell, you didn’t know anyone who had liked these types of conversations.

“What’s up?” You asked, trying your best not to sound nervous while replying.

“Don’t worry. It’s…it’s nothing bad.” Dean reassured you. “Um…Well, it could be. But…I personally don’t think it is. So, I’m hoping you won’t think it’s bad either.” He sounded like a school boy trying to talk to his crush for the first time; you found it adorable. “Do you, do you remember when we were kids and Bobby would always buy you these ring pops from the store?”

“Yeah…Why?” Of course you had remembered. “One day I want a ring this big!” You told Bobby. “Not if you marry a hunter you won’t.” Bobby laughed.

“I remember, I don’t know if you do but, I remember when we were like…I don’t know, ten? The two of us were playing upstairs in your room and I took the ring pop and put it on your finger and I asked you to marry me. And without any kind of hesitation you said yes.” Dean started smiling from the memory. “Oh Dean! Of course I will! Why wouldn’t I want to marry my best friend?” You said. “You then ran out of your room, leaving my ass behind and ran all the way downstairs where you told Bobby and my dad that I had asked you to marry me. “Look daddy! Uncle John! Dean asked me to marry him! We’re gonna get married!” Bobby had told you years later, “I knew you and that idjit were gonna fall in love. I saw it when you were youngins.”

“Dean –” You began.

“Y/N.” Dean positioned himself so he was now sitting on both of his knees, holding both of your hands in his. “I honestly don’t know what I would ever do without you. Out of everyone that I’ve known in my life, you have been the one consistent thing in it. You have always been by my side even when I know for a fact that I didn’t deserve it. A lot of days, especially in the beginning when we first got together, I didn’t think I deserved you. I thought that you deserved much more than someone like me. Someone that could provide you with the life that you deserve; a safe and quiet one, not one where you’re constantly running toward the things that want to kill you.” He let out a small chuckle. “But, I’ve realized over the years that…Sweetheart, we may not have the most conventional life but, we have each other, and that’s really all that matters.” He released one of your hands for a moment as he reached for something in his pocket. “Close your eyes for me.” Without hesitation you closed them. The second you did, you felt something being placed in your hands. “Okay. Open.” When you opened your eyes there was a red and black ring lying in your hand.

“Dean…” You looked down at the ring and then looked up at Dean, unsure of what to say. For the first time in your life you were utterly speechless. You got up, getting in the same position as Dean, holding the ring in your fingers. Placing your hands on Dean’s shoulder’s, you leaned in and kissed him. You felt his hands and arms pull you in close to him as he deepened the kiss between the two of you.

“Will you marry me Sweetheart?” He asked, once the kiss was broken.

Without hesitation, like you had done all those years ago you said, “Yes.”

[dark-frosted-heart]

Roger Barel Main Route - Chapter 10 Premium Story

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this. I’m doing this for archiving purposes and you can probably find a better translation out there.

nsfw, minors dni

cw: dubcon.

What you call romantic love’s just a dysfunction of the brain or a misunderstanding caused by sexual desire.

I have to teach an egoist who said that about being in love.

Roger: Hmm, so eating ice cream together’s a lesson in love?

Kate: It’s not like I wanted ice cream or anything…

(I boasted that I’d teach him about romantic love on a date…but was at a loss)

To hide the fact, I licked the ice cream I bought as part of our date after seeing a queue near the station.

Roger: Hey, Kate. You’ve been in love once or twice, haven’t you? What was that like for you?

(What love is like for me…)

Kate: …I don’t have much experience.

Roger: I’m not asking for advice from a veteran. Just let me hear it.

(Well, for example…)

Kate: To me, romantic love is something that gives me the image of something that glitters in everyday life. I feel joy because I like someone. It makes me want to work harder than usual, and makes me happy.

Roger: Glittering, huh.

Kate: Ah, you don’t believe me? I know you’ll laugh and say there’s no scientific basis for it. The person I like is different from everyone else. They’re especially glittering.

(Wait, that was a bit childish…)

I glanced at Roger sitting beside me, and contrary to my expectations, he smiled softly.

Roger: That sounds nice. The word through your eyes sounds fun. Ah, the ice cream’s melting.

Kate: Waaahhh…

When I rushed to eat my ice cream, I could hear the bitter smile from his voice.

Roger: But the more I ask about it, the more I find love to be uncertain, vague, unidentifiable peculiarity that’s inefficient.

Kate: Inefficient?

Roger: An unexplained emotion manipulates you into feeling happy or sad. But there’s no guarantee that the other person likes you back. Is there anything else in life that’s so inefficient?

(W-what a cold way of thinking…)

Kate: Heh, hehe. That’s such a you thing to say that I can’t help but laugh beyond amazement. …But, it’s a curious thing.

Roger: Hm?

Kate: Ah, well…when I learn more about your rational way of thinking… I wonder why you even bother with me at all.

I can’t think of any benefits to being with me at the moment.

Roger: Jude asked me the same thing. “You’re a super pervert that only cares about your own research and don’t like dealin’ with trouble.”

Kate: He’s as harsh as ever…but he’s right.

Roger: I didn’t plan on keeping you around at first. But I found something in you that I like.

Suddenly, those eyes behind his glasses softened.

Roger: When you first became Fairytale Keeper, you told me about how crushed you felt by your own weakness. “I won’t despair”.

(Now that he mentioned it…)

Kate: Strong…I want to be strong. Because I…don’t want to hate myself.

Besides…life’s too long to live in despair.

Roger: …O_O

Pfft, hahahahaha!

(At the time, Roger laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes)

Kate: …Yes. I remember.

Roger: Even though you felt depressed, it was sweet seeing you keep looking forward and not give in to despair. I also believe that in life is to give despair the finger.

Kate: Give despair the finger?

Roger: Yeah. I went through the trouble of being born. I’m not gonna give into despair so easily.

As he said that, Roger’s smile was so radiant. I stared at it as if under a spell that stopped time.

Roger: And Kate.

He leaned forward and peered into my face.

Roger: I enjoy being with you right now.

Kate: …

Those straightforward words shot me right through the heart.

Kate: T-that’s…good to hear.

(My face is hot…I could only give a reply that wasn’t cute at all)

Roger: …Hey, Kate. My curse is “betrayal”. Like how the hunter in Snow White betrayed the queen. My “tragic fate” is to be doomed to be ruined by my own guilt.

My heart suddenly thumped after learning about Roger’s “curse” and “fate”.

Kate: …Roger.

Roger: However, I’m gonna change my fate. It’s absurd to allow myself to be controlled by it. Kate, I’ve taken a liking to you so I’ll promise you this. I will never betray you without a reason. Never.

Roger’s smile as he said that once again shot through my heart.

(That’s nice. I wonder if…I’ll be strong like him some day)

The instant I thought that, I understood.

(Ah, I see. Maybe I…admire Roger)

Not wanting to joke about it, I nodded.

Kate: Thank you, Roger… Ah…my stomach.

Roger: Pfft, hahaha! Your stomach’s feeling healthy today.

We talked and walked a lot.

To end the day—

Kate and Roger: Let’s go eat, Roger/Kate.

We looked at each other and laughed after saying it at the same time.

Kate: I am definitely not going to drink that much tonight.

Roger: Kate, do you know the saying “what happens twice will happen thrice”?

Kate: I’ll be fine, I’ll take care of myself. I’m an adult after all.

The night grew old—

--

Roger: Some adult you are. You’re dizzy after 2 or 3 drinks.

Kate: …Hmmm? Where am I?

Roger: My room. We’re back…Hey, watch out.

Kate: Ow…

I tripped over a desk leg or something and my vision spun with the dull pain.

The next thing I knew, I was looking down at Roger who sank into his bed…

Not knowing what was going on, I just stared at him blankly.

(Wow…This angle’s pretty nice)

(But Roger always looks good…)

Pushing him down made my heart speed up somehow.

Kate: …Hey, Roger. I get angry whenever you push me around.

I fixed his glasses and smiled, heart throbbing.

Roger: Pfft, haha…what, you’re slandering me while drunk?

Kate: …The way you push me around’s annoying, but more than that, it’s exciting.

I rested against his thick chest; he smelled like sweat and sunny days.

Roger: …

Kate: What kind of person…will I be tomorrow. I’m looking forward…to seeing how you smile…when I get stronger.

(I couldn’t be honest like this earlier)

Kate: …I also like…being with you.

Roger: …O_O

Kate: Roger, just watch…I’ll get stronger…

In an instant, strong arms surrounded me.

It was as if I was imprisoned in a sweet cage.

Roger: I wasn’t planning on messing with you because of all the noise out there, but I’ve changed my mind. Do you…want to do something that’ll feel good, Kate?

(What did Roger say…? My head feels fluffy…)

Kate: …Mm? Mmmm…?

Before I could properly reply, a hand held my tilted head.

Roger: I gave you a chance to escape.

Kate: Mm, mmmm…?

Roger’s lips devoured mine, cutting off my breath.

Kate: Ha…Mn, mn…nnn

I could hardly breathe and my mind immediately went numb.

Kate: Enough…mn…

Roger: Don’t set your own limits. You’re gonna be a strong woman, right? Heh.

He removed his glasses and brought his face closer to mine.

His lips were much closer than before, and he dove in deeper—

Kate: Mn…Nnn…

Straddling Roger, our tongues intertwined until my head felt like mush. When we finally parted, a hand slipped under the gap in my blouse.

Roger: I found something delicious.

With a mischievous voice, Roger’s lips enveloped a nipple through my blouse.

Kate: Ahhh

Teasing my breasts with his tongue, Roger sat himself up with me in his arms.

Now sitting in his lap, Roger pulled my blouse down from my shoulders. I jolted as his tongue flicked at my exposed nipples.

The stimulation alone felt so good that it drove me crazy, but when thick fingers slid between my legs, the pleasure building up felt like bursting— 

Kate: …Roger…I…

Roger: I can’t go all the way…Can’t put it in ‘til I train you.

Kate: Ah…

His hips pressed firmly against mine and I couldn’t help but cry out as I felt him even through hs pants.

Kate: …I’ve never…heard of anything like this.

Roger: Hmm, if we’re not not going to be lovers, then what’s there to worry about? Just focus on this for now. I’ll make you cum soon.

Kate: Aaahhh

More fingers pumped inside me and my whole body trembled.

(Roger’s fingers are driving me crazy…)

(Want to feel them…deeper. I want to feel good…)

--

The next morning, I woke up not remembering anything at all— 

Unfortunately, that wasn’t actually the case.

(What—have I done)

I remembered every single detail and was filled with self-loathing.

Kate: I only had 2 or 3 drinks.

Roger: *yawn*...When you’re tired, your metabolism slows down, which affects your liver’s ability to process alcohol. Meaning, even if you drank less than usual—

Kate: Thank you for the medical explanation! But even so, why…with you…

Roger: Ah, you mean when I stripped your clothes and pleasured you?

Kate: Please don’t say it so directly. Besides, you and I aren’t like that…so why!

Roger: I got turned on watching you say all those cute things. You should praise me for being a good boy and taking care of myself in the end.

Kate: Taking care?! Ah, um… Y-y-you’re the worst!

Roger: Who’s the worst here? This is the first time I’ve stopped half-way. Is it so wrong to love your own dog?*

(At this stage, It’s disgusting how you’re treating me like a dog again)

Kate: You don’t do perverted things with your dog!

Roger: I like dogs the best over any other animal. That’s how it is.

Kate: Huh…?

(If talking about favorites, then I’d say humans are among them…but that doesn’t matter!)

Kate: I-I won’t be tricked like that. I was dumb to think I wanted to be like you because I respected you.

Roger: Oh, that’s the first time I’m hearing about that. Respect, huh?

I had a feeling that anything I said right now would make this horrible man happy.

Kate: Next time you do something perverted, I’m breaking our friendship!

Roger: Pfft, haha! Are you a kid or something? Dummy.

Kate: Calling someone dumb makes you dumb.

I fixed my blouse and rushed out of his room with rumpled clothes.

My body still felt hot and I sighed when I was alone.

(Being with Roger always drives me mad)

Though I was drunk, everything I saw was the truth…that made it even worse.

—At the time, I was so absorbed in what was in front of me that I didn’t realize how deep the “despair” was inside Roger.

Next

[outfoxt]

Another Käärijä Research Project

aka: käärijä style-shifting project

as a preface, here are my (non) qualifications for this project and the circumstances under which it happened:

I am a linguistics student, and this past semester I took a course on sociolinguistics. the goal of this project was to become familiar with the concept of and analyze style-shifting (it's more commonly known as code-switching online but theres a difference and this is style-shifting), specifically by analyzing the speech of one person. We had the option to study oprah or to have someone else approved by my prof, so you know I had to ask my prof if I could study jere. This project is solely my intellectual property; even though I had a tutor help me a lot, everything written in this paper and on this post was my work alone.

now, on to the actual findings! the full paper and transcripts will be linked at the end :D

the actual variables (words or sounds) that I studied were the pronunciation of r, and use of the word "the".

to make things a lot easier from the get-go, i'm going to introduce you all to one of my favorite websites, ipachart.com (the international phonetic alphabet [ipa] chart is a big chart with an entry for every sound that exists in a language. this handy dandy website has an audio recording for each one of those sounds).

go to this website, and then scroll down to the table. go to the column labeled "post alveolar" and then click on ɾ and ɹ. those are the sounds i studied in this paper! ɾ is the finnish r and ɹ is the american r :)

so basically what i did to find instances of my variable was i just looked up a bunch of esc interviews and listened out for use of the different r sounds. i also transcribed the entire dinner date live because i love torture apparently :) the specific interviews and lives/stories are in the bibliography of the paper :p

after i transcribed all the interviews and lives/stories i went through and highlighted every instance of the r sound. then i calculated the ratios of ɾ to ɹ based on the context they were spoken in. the two contexts i looked for were formal contexts (sit-down interviews) and informal contexts (literally anything else).

i found that jere uses ɹ WAY more often in formal contexts than he does in informal contexts, and the same in reverse with ɾ.

i then went back to the transcripts and looked for all instances of the word "the". i also looked for instances where i thought it should be present, but was omitted. i calculated the ratio of present vs omitted "the"s in formal vs informal contexts and made some charts.

the graph with the smaller black section is "use of 'the' in formal settings" and the one with the smaller green section is "use of 'the' in informal settings" (the images are transparent, sorry)

i found that jere uses "the" WAY more often when in formal settings! there were also some instances where he added a "the" where it was unnecessary, which is studied at length in this wonderful paper by @alien-girl-21

something i also noticed that i elected not to study because this paper took enough energy on its own was that in formal contexts, whenever the "or" sound came in the middle or at the end of a word, jere wouldn't pronounce the r. it stuck out to me mostly because i heard words like "performance" turning into "perfomance", which i thought was an interesting quirk.

unfortunately i was somewhat limited by both my brainpower and capacity to do more work on this paper in the relatively short timeframe i was given (2 weeks) and the fact that i was given a 5 page MAX for this paper (not including a bibliography). i had a lot of fun doing this though and am definitely planning on studying jere for for academic credit again in the future if given the chance!

also i would like it to be known that i spent an hour searching for that 5 second clip of the urheilucast where jere said that he used to sell kitchens and understands english better than he can speak it.

link to a google drive folder with the actual paper i wrote and the transcripts of the interviews with notation:

please feel free to send me asks and dms with questions or comments about this paper! i absolutely love rambling about linguistics :3!!

[formulaforza]

congrats on 2k mack! so insane, I’ve been following you since absolutely-not-mate-archive days :0

for the celly, could we do max + D (dating) <3 ? tysm mwaahhh

omg an og mack hive-er. hi cutie ;)

Max is so private with your relationship when it first starts, wants to keep everything just for the two of you as long as he can. This makes dates hard, especially in Monaco, so. Most of your time is spent at each other's apartments, cooking your favorite meals for each other and swapping stories from your days and falling slowly but surely in love with each other.

Once you're out and public with it all, though, Max has to make up for the lack of grandiose romance from your beginnings. He has a habit of researching for weeks in advance about the places he's racing in, at scouring reviews on several different websites for restaurants around where you're staying.

He's also notorious for surprising you with a date, turning a Wednesday evening supermarket run into ice-cream and a walk along the sea. You think you like these dates more, even though you're always a bit annoyed that you're wearing wrinkled clothes and it's the day after wash day for your hair when he chooses to spring these surprise dates on you. You like them more because they're rarely planned, always just Max and his love.

[rory-butnot-gilmore]

Little Moments in Time

You and Sarah make dinner for Joel and Tommy before you leave for a business trip. The world then falls apart, and you find yourself separated from your family. 20 years later, a weird twist of events leads you back to the man you loved.

Pairing: joel x fem!reader

themes/warning: oh yeah, there is angst this time, death and violence, pain and sadness, with a little bit of fluff if you squint <3 also, there are some parts that i tried really hard to do extra research on so it wasn't like completely off trail from the canon storyline, but I couldn't find much.

part one

september 24th, 2003

You and Sarah both danced around the kitchen, while you made barbecue chicken and rice. It was supposed to be spaghetti night, but after your recent trip to the doctors and finding out you had celiac disease, gluten free options started to be incorporated. Joel and Sarah definitely didn't mind though, because both of them thought the things you cooked instead were great. Joel didn't even notice some of the differences in the things you made sometimes.

"So, what is it you're doing again? On your trip?" Sarah asked as she grabbed down a can of corn from the cabinet. You looked at it and made a mental note to make sure Joel went shopping for groceries.

"So now that I am an actual nurse, I am going to Chicago to help out with some younger college students somethings I know about nursing," You explained to Sarah, who smiled and nodded. She loved your job, and was always so curious about the things with it. Joel teased that Sarah would follow in your footsteps.

"When you get back, we are going shopping for my maid of honor dress right?" Sarah poured the corn into a small pot.

"Yes we are, are you excited?" You nudged her with your elbow, and she giggled before nodding.

Things had been official between both you and Joel since the week after your second date. You went everywhere with him and Sarah by then, all of her soccer games, every school recital, and every moment. By the fourth year of dating, you gave up the apartment life and moved in with them. Then last year, Joel finally proposed after dragging his feet for so long. You didn't mind the delay though, because life for the two of you already seemed so perfect.

"Oh damn it smells great in here!" Tommy exclaimed as he came through the door, he grinned at the two of you when he came into the kitchen.

"Hey, how was work?" You turned off the stove, and grabbed the plates that Sarah had already gotten down. Joel came in behind Tommy, and gave Sarah a quick kiss on the head. He wrapped his arms around your waist from behind, as you made Sarah a plate.

“It was shit, don’t let Tommy tell you any different, the bastard didn’t tell me how anyone the guys we have to work with are this time,” Joel laughed, “The plans are coming along though, and we should be able to start on it within the next day or two,”

“Well hopefully your string of good luck continues babe,” You kissed his cheek, and handed him Sarah’s plate, “Tommy you can come make a plate,”

“Thanks Y/n, you know I still don’t understand why Joel got to end up with you?” Tommy made his eight year old joke. Joel flipped him off and made his plate and made a plate for you.

“Hm, I mean if I remember correctly, you were too busy making out with one of my best friends?” Sarah laughed, covering her mouth to stop the water she had just drank from spraying out. She started coughing a little, but she was still laughing at your comeback.

“How is my dear old friend doing?” Tommy came behind Joel and grabbed his plate to start making it. You grabbed three beers out of the refrigerator for the Miller brothers, and yourself. Everyone sat down at the table together, and started talking about your days. Sarah talked about a test she passed. Tommy told an embarrassing story about Joel from the day. Joel squeezed your hand while you talked about your flight leaving in the morning. Tommy headed out a little bit after you cleaned up from dinner. You helped Sarah get her curls into a style that would help keep them from getting ruined during the night. Once she was all set, you and Joel started your night time routine.

Once you thought Joel was done with the shower, you climbed in. You sighed happily as the water rinsed over your skin. Before your hair was even completely wet, Joel climbed back into the shower. You rolled your eyes but turned to look at him. Joel was unapologetically looking you up and down, and pulled you against him.

“I figured I could rinse the grime off of me before I ambushed you,” Joel shrugged, and explained his reasoning for not just suggesting a shower together in the first place.

“Joel Miller, are you trying to seduce me before marriage?” You teased, and he shook his head.

“Mm, no, no I don’t think I would ever do such a thing?” Joel started to kiss your jaw and neck, his hands resting on your lower back, fingers just barely tracing the top of the curve of your ass.

“Sarah isn’t asleep yet, so this is holding off for right now,” You played with the hair at the nape of his neck, not really wanting the touches to stop. Joel groaned but still pulled back, smoothing your now wet hair down and out of your face.

“I don’t know how her or I are going to do without you for a whole five days?” Joel whispered, and kissed your forehead, “Sar’s cooking lessons better have been paying off, if she’s going to be cooking for me on my birthday,”

“She will do phenomenal, she wants to make you pancakes, I know you’re super stressed with work, but I left you a grocery list so you can make sure you make her dreams come true,”

“Isn’t it supposed to be my dreams coming true? It’s my birthday?” You glared at him, and started washing your hair. Joel swatted your hands away and helped you scrub the shampoo into your scalp.

“I’ll get the pancake mix, we will call you while eating our pancakes, you can sing me happy birthday while I do,” Joel teased, and helped get your hair rinsed out. You leaned your head back and he kissed your neck gently.

“Then when I get home, her and I go to pick out her dress, pick up my dress, and then we will be two weeks out from me marrying you, old man,” You wrapped your arms around him, and pecked his lips, “Cold feet?”

“I’m about to be thirty-six years old, and I’m marrying the most beautiful, smart, and loving woman I have ever met,” Joel’s voice was softer now, “The same woman who loves that awesome daughter of mine, plus she’s a bit younger than me so that totally boosts my ego,”

You raised an eyebrow and he laughed a little.

“My feet are as hot as they could be Y/n.”

september 25th, 2003

Joel drove you and Sarah to the airport in your car. Sarah teared up more the closer you got to the security. You were quick to pull her into a tight hug.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, it’s only five days and I will be home,” You whispered, trying your hardest to fight back your own tears, “You can call me each day too, I won’t mind, I have my cell,”

“I love you mom.” Sarah blurted it out so fast, that both you and Joel were taken aback by it. You didn’t hesitate for too long though before you were holding her even tighter. Joel pulled both of you into a group hug, and everyone said their I love you’s. No one said goodbye, just reminders that you would be home soon. That this was only a temporary thing.

You didn’t let yourself fully cry until you were on the plane, and you cried until you landed. Sarah called you mom, for the first time in eight years, she called you mom. It made your heart swell ten times the size it already was. Sarah held such a special place in your heart, that was never a doubt. There was a certain kind of satisfaction knowing that you held the same spot in hers.

You got off the plane and took the cab to the hotel, that was where you first met the next person who would change the course of your life for the next twenty-years. She was twenty-four years old, and with her best friend. The two of them were laughing in the lobby of the hotel, but hers was the loudest. She was going to be your mentee during the trip, but in the end she was so much more.

“Oh!” She finally saw your name tag, and waved you down, “You’re Y/n! I’m Anna, I guess you’re in charge of me for this whole thing huh?”

“Anna, it’s great to meet you,” You shook her hand and then her friend’s.

“I’m Marlene, not here for the nursing stuff, just this annoying person right here.” Marlene nudged Anna, who had no problem nudging back.

Marlene went on her own adventure, while you and Anna went to the first activity. It was in the local hospital, and the senior nurses explained how the next five days would be. Anna was a jokester, and you knew that she was going to cause a bit of trouble. Still though, she was fun to be around. The first day went by really quick just with her jokes alone.

That night after a bar outing with Marlene, you and Anna were in your hotel room together. She was sitting in the chair that was to your desk, with her feet propped up on the bed you were sitting on. The two of you were talking about anything and everything. Just bonding over whatever you could find.

“Okay, so you’re only thirty, you’re about to be married and a step-mom?” Anna laughed, and you nodded with a grin on your face.

“You know, I don’t like the step part of it, but I do like the sound of mom,” You smiled, thinking about Sarah, “Joel, my fiancé, does nothing but tell me about how I saved them, but in reality they saved me more than they know,”

“I can’t even imagine where I will be in six years, at thirty, but it definitely doesn’t feel like I would be a mother.”

september 26th, 2003

You, Anna, and Marlene were all in your hotel room. The emergency broadcast was going off, and you were all watching everything unfold. When your cellphone started to ring, you answered it before the second ring went off. It was Sarah, and she was asking if you knew what was happening.

“I woke up and Dad isn’t here, and-” Sarah screamed a little, and the line went dead. Your entire body started to shake.

“Sarah?! Sarah, baby! Sarah!” You were yelling into the phone, hoping that her voice would come through the dial tone. You never got to hear her voice again though.

The next three days, were more torture than you could even imagine. The three of you were all escorted out of the hotel by military eventually, and made your way to a safe zone. It didn’t feel safe though, none of it did. You put Sarah, Joel, and Tommy on a name list. So that it could be broadcasted soon enough. Eventually you were all within a QZ. You waited everyday for any sign of the Millers, hoping they would eventually show up. It didn’t take long before you all started to catch onto the bullshit that was FEDRA, and that was when the Fireflies became a part of your life.

2009

You found the safe house, Marlene should have been there already. Then you heard the screams, and you ran around to the backside of the house. You went through the back door, and busted into a bedroom. Anna was on the floor, a baby with an umbilical cord still attached laying in front of her, and an infected dead off to the side. Anna was breathing heavy, and the baby was crying.

“You k-know how I said I couldn’t see my self being a mother at thirty?” Anna was breathing heavily as you rushed closer, she cut the umbilical cord with her own knife and started to tie it off, “Looks like I was wrong, but also right,”

She bent her leg out, and you saw the bite on her inner thigh. Your entire heart stopped and you dropped down to your knees. Anna was shaking a bit, but she picked up her baby anyways. The tiny infant calmed down looking at her mother.

“Anna, what are we going to do? I mean Marlene should be here soon, but was the baby? I mean?” You were stumbling over all your words. The girl who had become your family was dying, and there was nothing you could do.

“You are going to take Ellie, wait for Marlene downstairs, and I am going to ask you one last favor Y/n,” Anna whispered, “Make sure she’s loved, make sure she’s safe, and please kill me before I hurt you,”

“No, no, I’ll take her soon, I’ll go downstairs, but I can’t.. Marlene will be here soon, she needs to get to say goodbye Anna, and you h-have a little time, spend these last minutes with your daughter,” You sat against the wall next to Anna, watching her with the baby. She glared at you for a moment, before giving up and looking at Ellie.

“She’s so damn beautiful Y/n, and I will.. I will never get to see what she becomes,” Anna whispered, “If anyone asks, y-you know I cut the umbilical cord before I was bit? They would never let her live other wise,”

“If they ask, I was here the entire time.” You whispered, and laid your head on her shoulder.

2023

Every part of you wanted to kill Marlene, for dragging you back to Boston. After you knew Ellie was safe, you decided to set out and try and find whatever you could about the Millers. Any kind of sign of what happened to them. Now, fourteen years later you were back at your original QZ. After they ran their tests, and you lied and explained you were coming from the fallen QZ in Chicago, they let you inside. You showed up at the building Marlene had explained to you over the radio, and made your way inside. You quietly snuck your way in, your gun ready to shoot at any sign of trouble.

You slowly went up the stairs, and then heard a loud thud. When you made it to the top, you saw Marlene holding her side, with another woman standing next to her. There was a man and a woman with their backs turned to you, and a younger girl on the floor.. A girl who looked almost identical to her mother.

“Get your gun out of her face.” You snapped, and the man turned around. Then your entire heart fell down into your stomach even more than it was seeing Ellie.

He was standing there, and he was alive. Marlene was watching the both of you, waiting for the blow up. His eyes though, they stayed on you, and then trailed to the chain around your neck. Hanging off of it was a simple diamond ring, that he remembered clear as day picking out with his daughter. He looked older, seemed different, but yet you felt like home was standing only a few feet in front of you. You lowered your gun and glanced at Ellie, who was staring at you like she knew exactly who you were. In reality, she might have, she did have a picture of you that you slipped in with her stuff when you left her at the military school. It was your picture name tag from the convention you met her mom at.

“Y/n?” Ellie and Joel said your name at the same exact time, and for a moment it sounded like the world stood still.

next part

[cookiesupplier]

A Friend Down In Hell - Part Fifteen

pairing: Nick Folio x ofc (Ishtar)

warnings/tropes: slow burn, pining, idiot in love, language, drinking, mentions of violence, mentions of torture, mentions of religious mythology.

summary: Folio can't quite tell you how long he's been dead, but it doesn't matter when he has friends like his, and Ishtar. Ishtar, with whom he fell in love the moment he met her. The problem? She doesn't know it. How does he convince a demon, who is practically immortal, to date him when he's dead? How did Ellie do it so easily?

author’s note: Unbetaed.. Enjoy!

To read from the beginning: A Friend Down In Hell Masterlist

And for those that missed Noah & Ellie's Story previously, all Hell-Verse stories will be included here: Combined Hell-Verse Masterlist

tags: @spicywhenspeaking @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @lyschko666 @bngurngheart @lacktoesandtoddlerants @sorrowsofsilence @collapsedglasshouses @vinyardmauro @dsireland86 @4rtificialfolio @emmmm127 @badomensls @agravemisstake @sunsshinesunny @blackveilomens

Tag lists are open, please let me know if you'd like to be added to this story, the Hell-Verse as a whole, or Everything

Folio had to a whole week for another of Ishtar’s night’s off to be able to plan this date. Because he wanted it to be a surprise what he was planning, he swore Ellie to secrecy here to on the matter, he couldn’t tell her why they couldn’t just do something during the day instead. No, no, what he wanted to do had to be done at night, there were no two ways about it.

Admittedly, he’d almost caved, two days after their failed date when he was texted with her, and Ishtar was trying to convince him that they could do literally anything. She wouldn’t care what they were doing, she just wanted to spend time with him. Folio, however, was insisting that he had the perfect date planned.. And she’d sent the most simple message to him.

Princess: I miss you Sunshine

Fuck. Right then and there, he’d almost caved and thrown in the towel on his perfect date plans and just rush his way on over to her place.

Folio: Trust me Princess. 😘

After that, they texted normally, and she accepted waiting until her next day off, even though they were both frustrated having to wait. Folio had hope though, so much hope that she was going to love the date that he had planned for them this time. Especially because he and Ellie had spent the week at work researching different vegetarian snack options that would be easy for them to make that he could take for the picnic.

Part of him wanted to do it all himself, but he was glad Ellie was insisting on spending the afternoon of the date night, in his apartment with him. She helped him to prepare everything that he had planned to make ahead of time. Some of it felt a little fancy, and some of it felt like it was just cut up fruits and cheeses. All the same, Ellie assured him that it was the thought that counted, Ishtar would love all of it because he had gone to all the trouble to do it for her. He’d frowned at that and said it wasn’t trouble at all, he just wanted her to have a wonderful night. That was all, making her happy was the whole point. If she wasn’t going to be happy, he’d rather so something else entirely!

When he heard Ellie laugh when he said that, his head had snapped up, what, what was wrong.. Nothing, nothing was wrong Folio, but that was exactly her point. The fact that he was doing all of this for her, was exactly why she would love it. Not everyone would go out of their way would do this for just anyone Folio.. But she would do something like this for Noah.. Just like he would for Ishtar..

He beamed at Ellie when she said that, yea, yea, he liked that. Sure, she did nice things for all the guys all the time, like coming over and helping him prep for his date, but the little special things, that was different.

Folio strapped the basket to the back of his bike carefully. Oh yeah, he got a picnic basket and everything, blanket too, he was making sure to do this right, if they were going out to sit under the stars, they were going to be comfortable doing it. One thing he was beyond thankful for was that he didn’t have to worry about the weather in Hell, unlike in the living realm, while there were storms, they were perfectly predicted. Never, never was there a storm that didn’t run perfectly as predicted as to when it was going to happen. The weather was just as it was ordered, hand in hand along with everything else in the Afterlife. Folio wouldn’t put it past a demon having to deal with paperwork for that too.

Man. He’d hate to be the demon in charge of the weather, that would be a weird job to have, if it existed at all. Maybe he should ask Nicholas about it. He’d ask Noah, but he wouldn’t put it past him to make a joke about it and pretend for far too long even if there wasn’t, cheeky bugger.

Now, on one hand, Folio had considered picking up Ishtar while he still had the blanket and basket on his bike. Ride with her there, and walk along the path together, basket and blanket in hand. However, with the surprise as it was, he wanted it all to be set up fancy, so he went ahead with Ellie’s help to prepare right before he was set to go pick up Ishtar. 

They were going to be by the river, and he had laid out the blanket, set out the basket. Then Folio employed some of the illusion magic he’d worked on over the past few years to summon flowers around the place, petals strewn around the blanket. Floating orbs of light in the air to mark his way to get there to start. Looking at the scene of the picnic, he held his breath. Was it enough, though? Dammit, he wished he’d asked Ellie to wait so he could ask her, but she’d already headed home, not wanting to keep her out all night.

It was good, he could do this, she was going to love it, he knew it. 

Making sure everything was protected and sealed, he made his way back to his bike, and he went to pick up Ishtar.

When he arrived to her building she was waiting for him, oh, oh she was so beautiful, as she always was. Seeing her there, in one of her pretty dresses, he noticed she liked wearing them when she wasn’t having to dress all in black for work, and he didn’t blame her. Who would want to dress the same as work day in an out. Admittedly, it wasn’t the most ideal for riding on his bike, but as long as she wasn’t too uncomfortable, and she was happy, he wasn’t going to suggest otherwise.

Kissing her sweetly before she climbed on the bike, he drove them to the park. But as she stepped off, Folio stood before her, with a cheeky smile,

“Do you trust me, Princess?”

Stepping up from his bike, they were at the park, Ishtar wondered what he was up to with going out for their date. All she could think about was his love for fishing, but, he wouldn’t do that, not when he told her to dress nice. Now he was asking her to trust him, okay, Mister Cheeky.

“Of course, Nick, I absolutely trust you.”

Smiling to him, only to raise an eyebrow when he produced a slip of material and proceeded to tie it around her eyes. After what she presumed was a test to see if she could still see when she felt a brush of wind on her face, a wave of his hand perhaps? Nick started to guide her along a path, his arm around the back of her waist to support her, oh, she knew this path, they were walking to the river.

“I like the river walk Sunshine, I could have seen-”

“Shhh, it's a surprise, wait for it.”

She giggled, okay, okay, she’d let him have his secrets, he sounded so excited too, how could she argue with that? So she walked along the path with him, leaning into his side, trusting him to guide her along the path, while also having a vague memory of how they were going along the way yet. It was when she was Sure they were getting closer to the river now, she could even hear the water up ahead, that Nick was holding her a bit tighter,

“Almost there, Princess.”

Ishtar felt his hand press at her lower back as he moved her a little bit from the path towards the clearing alongside the river, smiling to herself as she wondered what he was up to right now. As they came to a stop, she felt him reach up and pull at the tie behind her head so that the blindfold covering her eyes fell away, and she blinked slightly. The darkness of the surrounding area slowly came into focus, as she then glanced around, oh, the scene before her was so serene that Ishtar couldn’t help the way her breath caught as her heart skipped in her chest.

“Oh, Sunshine, it’s beautiful.”

He’d set out a thick blanket on the grass, it looked so cosy and warm, making her want to brush her fingers across it already. There was also an extra folded blanket to the side with some pillows, both of which were just sweet touches that made her smile as she glanced to him. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth in surprise, there were flowers sprouting around that she knew weren’t usually here. Moving closer, they smelled beautiful, so gorgeous in the soft light of the floating orbs of light in the air illuminating the area in a glow.

“Nick, this is wonderful, thank you!”

Turning back towards him, Ishtar pulled him into a hug, her arms wrapped around him tightly. Giggling when she pulled back, Nick taking her hand and guiding her towards the picnic blanket with everything set out on top of it for them.

“Come.”

Sitting down together, Ishtar sat back as Nick unpacked the picnic basket, absolutely delighted at the detail he’d gone to at putting all of it together, the thought he’d put into everything. Of course, she laughed over all the different things he’d admitted to going to Ellie for help with, her Sunshine was not in the least bit shy about admitting that Ellie had been more than willing to help. For instance, the extra blankets and pillows, her idea. He would have just brought the one blanket, and basket. But the flowers and lights, that was of course, all him, Ellie hadn’t gotten the knack of magic yet, but he was working on helping her with that!

Oh, how much she loved the pride and joy in his eyes when he lit up talking about how much time and effort he’d gone into planning for the date. Giggling, it might be such a silly thing, but she loved listening to him talk, even if it was about something as mundane as planning their date. This was why she knew that even if she had no interest in fishing herself, that she’d still happily go with him. Just to enjoy the day with him, and his, enthusiasm for fishing was intoxicating and it just shined through. She could just imagine how happy he would be when he caught one, and the way he’d already described the animals as beautiful to her, told her that he respected the animals as much as they were due. It wasn’t just about the challenge, and the capture and killing.

Besides, who wouldn’t want a peaceful day by the river, no matter the activity. Here they were having a picnic, she could see herself doing just that while Nick enjoyed his fishing.

They sat, talking, laughing, enjoying their time together, the food, it got darker as the night wore on, and eventually they were curled up under the extra blanket against the pillows, looking up at the stars. Nick had let the glowing orbs in the air fade away, the stars shining ever brighter over head. Ishtar snuggled into his arms, her head on his chest, turned slightly so she could look up to the sky, both of them pointing out different star signs they could see. Some of them she knew, telling him the stories that went with them. Some of them Nick made up off the top of his head, causing her to laugh at the sheer joy of being here with him.

“Princess?”

Ishtar hummed happily, hearing his soft voice with a sigh,

“I know we’re dating, but, you’re my girl, right? I couldn’t imagine anyone else for me.” Looking away from the stars and propping her chin onto Nick’s chest, looking up to him, where his head was propped up onto one of the pillows, her eyes shining a little in the dark, “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Sunshine?” His smile was bright, and instant, nothing shy about him. Seemed he was excited with the way she said that, and it made her so happy to see it, even if she knew he could barely see her in the dark, the joy on his face was clear. She was so happy that he wasn’t about to back away from the thought of being with her.

“Absolutely.”

Oh, it warmed her heart that Nick wasn’t the kind of man that would hedge and turn back and say it depended on whether she said yes. He was absolutely asking her, and her smile was just as bright in turn. Her answer came without a moment hesitation.

“I am absolutely your girl, Nick Folio, all yours.”

Giggling as his lips pressed her so eagerly, with absolutely no finesse, no grace whatsoever, but she wouldn’t take him, or any other kiss in the world. She shrieked with laughter as he rolled them over, enveloping them in his arms so she was the one laid back in the pillows, and he could kiss her properly. Her hands ran down his arms as she smiled up at him.

“Maybe, one day, you’ll even think about bonding with me.”

Divider by @saradika-graphics

[battlemaiden13]

ahem so i found your fanfic hnd a few years ago and i can confidently say that its my favorite insert reader fanfic, i like all the skeles but i was just asking what if you added dust/murder sans? I am a hardcore dust/murder simp and i would love if he was added (and a bunch of others namely my sister-) and i noticed there was a lack of dust/murder sans fics in the internet, i mean.. 32 + 1 is 33 its hardly a difference :)

( Of you cant or dont want to its absolutely 100% ok! Its just me asking :) )

Look, look, you're right, one more not a big deal. In fact the original plan was to have Dust and not Killer in the story but after some research (and it’s been a while since I did this research so it might be out of date now) but when I did some research Dust’s creator didn’t really want him shipped with anyone because he just wouldn’t be romantically interested in them, Killer was created as a counter to this with a similar story to Dust but with the capability to fall in love. 

I wanted to respect the creators wishes on this since HND is a harem. That's the only reason he isn’t already in the fic. 

It would be pretty cool to have him show up though and try killing MC only to have Killer step in and the two have a very want to kill each other vibe happening. Currently there is no plan to put Dust in HND though, sorry.

[6okuto]

Another one because i love this boy and i don't know if it's clear or not but what about MC being terrified of water ( for idk what reason ) but who tries to beat it so they can go play in the water with cove too so the it's the first time they actually go swimming together.

╭( ๐_๐)╮ i have no idea if this sentence is correct

Anyway have fun regardless if you do or do not do it !

COVE WITH AN MC SCARED OF WATER

gn!reader | ppl not good w water representation !!! (me) (it's me.) i think this can work for any cove past the step 1 memories because you know,,, the cast. i was picturing step 3 cove mostly though 🥹

there's a few ways to go about this off the top of my head: mc tries to get over their fear by themself, mc lying and cove finding out in the middle of it (higher probability with younger cove who doesn't know the mc as well), or mc telling him and them working together to overcome the fear. tbh scenario 1 leads to 2 anyways LOL

woah. just thought of another option where mc tries to get over their fear by themself first. to be quite honest i'm not sure how effective that'd be, and also if it'd be a good idea at all so i'd hope it also leads to scenario 2

if mc does manage to make a dent in their fear with their own research and taking a lot of time, cove might catch on just because they're spending a lot of time at the beach. whether he asks to tag along, or he actually finds them himself, it feels a bit inevitable LOL

scenario 1 (caught in a lie) — mc is standing on/near the shore while cove's already wading into the water, probably up to his hips by now. he turns to find them staring and is just,, so confused

he asks what they're doing, and if they actually wanted to stay on the shore, but mc's hesitation tips him off that something's up

when mc finally tells him they're actually scared of water young cove might ask why they wanted to come with him then. cue mc saying they wanted to spend time with him or something of that sort and cove being flustered immediately 🥹🥹

either way he's honestly so so shocked how he didn't know about this earlier considering his own affinity for water and where they live . ultimately he's understanding and tries to find a compromise; he doesn't want to make them do something they don't want to!!

if mc tells him that they want to go in the water he's a little hesitant, but their obvious dedication gets his compliance

scenario 2 (teamwork) — he's taking this seriously! cove asks beforehand what they want to do, if there's anything he shouldn't bring up, etc because he really really wants them to be comfortable.

he tells them about all the nice things about swimming and some of his favourite memories to try easing into it. cove talking about mermaids and different stories he's picked up...🥹🥹

won't go far into the water unless mc really wants to; he's happy to sit in the water where it isn't too high and just talk ! and if they want to hold onto him, he's right there

if mc can't swim and they ask cove to teach them ?? he'll definitely try his best. might run to get some kind of floaties or something, and also stay near the shore since he's never had to teach someone how to swim but you know

cove offers to get his surfboard so they could at least rest on it while he takes them around. he promises he's strong and will move slowly so it's no problem for him

if mc apologizes for taking their time, or they're scared that they've ruined his plans, etc. etc. cove reminds them that he wants to help, and that he's touched that they want to go into the water. getting over huge fears isn't easy and it's really admirable that mc wants to put in the time

oh brother. one of the things i despise is dunking my head under the water. i simply won't. i can imagine cove comforting mc by holding their hands/arms, telling them they only have to do it for a second, etc. it's about baby steps, baby!

they go further and further whenever mc is ready, and cove gets so so proud/happy each time. Dating cove with High Initiative? little kiss for every accomplishment. sorry i make the rules and i'm right.

cove won't ask While they're swimming or anything, but he does wonder if there's a story behind their fear. he asks tentatively, giving them time to think of a response and is of course not hurt if they wouldn't like to share then and there. he does reassure them that if they do want to talk about it later, he'll be there

even if it actually takes multiple 'sessions,' at the end of it all they both get to enjoy swimming together so it was really worth it ^___^ they can now both swim far out, or surprise the other from below, idk play marco polo?, etc etc

@dreamtydraw @lordbugs @xfangirl-trashx @fifteenshadesofpinkk @lotus-sukimono @bakugosgrenade @vhenis @anime-ships-gay

[mllemaenad]

The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with It

Well – the show is on the cusp of a mid-season break, so it is absolutely time for someone to do something rash and foolhardy. This will almost certainly lead to a frustrating cliffhanger next week, because that's how pacing works. I look forward to Sam, Alice and Gwen all screwing up royally on their respective excursions.

That said, I genuinely don't believe that sticking your head in the sand is an approach that works. It's all very well to say a person should stay clear of the supernatural, but there's nothing in that that guarantees that the supernatural will go along with that plan. Something quite clearly happened to Sam at The Magnus Institute. Providing he is cautious about it, working out what that was is probably a good idea. But Sam doesn't feel cautious.

It's interesting how traditional this one was, and yet how different – because it's in the differences that you can see how this world works.

This is a bona fide Magnus Institute statement read by, at least insofar as how it sounds, the Archivist himself. And, like others before him, the statement giver has turned up to get the Magnus Institute to deal with his weird supernatural problem.

But the thing is – in The Magnus Archives the statements were always about the people. Oh, there were plenty of weird artefacts in them, but the storyteller themselves was always the point of the whole thing. It was the terror of the individual that The Magnus Institute actively sought, and it was following the interconnecting threads of the various recurring characters that led John to his conclusions.

But The Magnus Institute: Manchester does not care about the people. It cares about the stuff.

There is a very distinct difference between this:

Archivist Statement of Nathan Watts, regarding an encounter on Old Fishmarket Close, Edinburgh. Original statement given April 22nd 2012. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. – The Magnus Archives: Anglerfish

And this:

Chester Statement and Research assessment for artefact CD137 - Sam What the hell? Chester Magnus Institute – Manchester. Private and confidential. Viability as subject – none Viability as agent – low Viability as catalyst – medium. Recommend referral to Catalytics for Enrichment applicability assessment. – The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with It

The statement giver is nameless, you can only infer he's probably male from an offhand remark:

Chester/Unknown Statement Giver And that brings us about up to date. They're yours now, and I never want to see them again. Don't get me wrong, it’s a blow but I’m just not the right guy to carry them. – The Magnus Protocol: Roll with It

And that's hardly definitive. The Magnus Institute is interested in him only insofar as his experience illustrates what the dice can do. And it intends to take these dice, enhance them in some way, and then use them to cause something. Their use twists fate in some sense – so you can see the logic up to a point. If you're trying to make something particular happen, you might be able to use the dice to do that.

But what the hell were they doing? Specifically, what the hell were they doing to those children?

It's been a thread, all the way through, that distance from people in The Magnus Protocol. The way the cases are gathered, without the knowledge or consent of the people to whom these things happened, the barrier between the protagonists and the stories as Chester, Norris and Augustus are the ones who actually read them ... and now this. The Magnus Institute was looking for "supernaturally active items", not people who had had supernatural experiences.

RedCanary also found an object in The Magnus Institute:

Chester/RedCanary Re: Magnus Institute Ruins By RedCanary on Saturday April 23 2022 12:17pm The photos from the spelunk seem properly gone, but I did find an old wooden thing with a bunch of similar symbols on. Some kinda empty box, not really sure what for, though. Gonna see if I can get the light right for a decent pic. Edit: No dice, I’m afraid. Must be something up with my phone camera. Really not helping the whole paranoia thing either. Anyone know anything about photographic distortion? Gonna see if I can borrow my dad’s SLR tomorrow. – The Magnus Protocol: First Shift

That didn't feel especially noteworthy at the time: The Magnus Institute always did have some weird crap in Artefact Storage. But I keep thinking about Mary Keay:

Mary Keay Often, during my studies, my mother would talk to me of the amazing arcane relics at your Institute. I’m sure you can imagine my disappointment when I finally got a look at the collection of mediocrity that you call your “Artefact Storage.” – The Magnus Archives: First Edition

Mary was ... quite a piece of work, obviously, and there's no doubt that some of the things in Artefact Storage were very dangerous indeed. But it does seem that The Magnus Institute of that universe only collected supernatural objects incidentally: usually because a statement giver happened to bring one in.

But here – well, the artefacts are the point. And RedCanary took one away. And – heh – "no dice". I wonder if that box ever held dice. I wonder if they had still come up snake eyes.

The rest of the point of the piece seems to be about the nature of choice. That's always been a question, of course:

Archivist/Annabelle Cane Of course, that’s not the real crux of the free will question that’s bothering you at the moment, is it? I think that one probably comes down to whether or not you’re choosing to continue reading this statement out loud. You didn’t mean to, did you? No, I’m sure you told Basira and Melanie that you were going to glance over it and report back; perhaps they asked you if you were going to record, and you shook your head: maybe later. That sounds like the sort of thing you’d say. But think about it, John; when’s the last time you were able to read a statement quietly to yourself without instinctively hitting record and speaking it aloud? Is it just instinct, habit? Or is it a compulsion, a string pulled by the Ceaseless Watcher or the Mother of Puppets? – The Magnus Archives: Weaver

You can say the characters are making free choices, sure. But if an evil god (for want of a better term) is leaning on you, that constrains your choices. If your access to pertinent information is limited, that constrains your choices. If you're in the presence of a hypnotic artefact, that constrains your choices.

The statement giver is clearly compelled, at least up to a point. He knows, and Gary knew before him, that rolling the dice was likely a fatal idea. But they both did it anyway. So did all the random people he presented with the dice.

But at the same time, there are hints of a gambling habit that was present before he took ownership to the dice:

Chester/Unknown Statement Giver It’s been a while since I played the tables but I’ve used enough dice to know they were too heavy… And there was something else too. From that point on I own those dice. And I know it. – The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with it

And he clearly took to the damn things in a way that Gary did not. Gary clearly rolled the dice and had both very good luck and very bad. And at a certain point he decided to make them this arsehole's problem (and as badly as that ended for him, I can see why). But our anonymous statement-giver was committed to becoming a dark agent of fate.

Chester/Unknown Statement Giver I started to enjoy that more than the luck. I was rolling for myself less and less, focusing more on being some mysterious stranger. I even began dressing for the part: I got hold of this long dark coat, a wide-brimmed hat, grew a proper goatee, the works. – The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with it

It's funny that he didn't like D&D, given how quickly he took to LARP-ing.

But there are other questions about compulsion, too. Nobody but Gary was hurt? Not true. What about the truck driver, whose life was likely ruined by this event? Were they compelled by the dice to fall asleep, or to plough into that building, even though they'd never touched the dice?

Sam clearly gets a prod toward a Magnus Institute-related case when he's muttering about giving him – but he's also pretty clearly committed, whatever he says to Celia. And he is explicitly in the middle of the world's longest and weirdest application process as he's having this conversation. Maybe Sam's being leaned on, a little, but he's not resisting it.

And then there's Teddy. It's not that anything he says is impossible, of course. It's just an odd string of luck. He gets that job just long enough to be replaced by Sam and Celia, and then it's gone again. And then he's back in Alice's orbit. Teddy's not around the OIAR any more than that truck driver was around the dice. But does he still fall under its influence?

"Gerry Keay's" behaviour in the previous episode was definitely odd, but at the time it was a little difficult to tell whether he was overdoing an act … or if he was actually like that, for some reason. I'm more inclined to think the latter, now. I'm more inclined to think something's leaning on him.

And last, but not at all least, is Sam's questionnaire. Sure, "Why?" might be the weirdest part in the generic sense, but this:

Celia Please list your earliest four negative memories associated with school or an equivalent childhood educational institution, then rate each from zero to seven with zero being neutral and seven being traumatic. – The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with it

It's an odd bit of luck, right, that Sam's paperwork lands on a question to which he is bound to have an interesting answer?

And Gwen – it sounds as though she's been sent out to visit some kind of incredibly irritating 90s television star (I want to strangle the man from the name "Prank Tank" alone). She is to deliver him a name and address, just as Sam previously received a name and address. The coincidence, however, lies most in the children.

What was playing on TV when Sam, Gerry and the unknown others were in The Magnus Institute?

[non-un-topo]

please give us a summary of summerwind and the tower!

Hello, my friend!! I would love to!

Summerwind is my big project that I'm most excited about currently. It's a canon-divergent au in which Yusuf and Nicolo were childhood friends (turned enemies, of course!). The amount of research and planning that has gone into this fic has made me really consider just writing an original book, but there are some major changes I'd have to make for that to happen. It's got a lot packed into it, and a lot of family ocs. I'm just obsessed with stories of two little friends who keep coming back to each other (or running in to each other by chance) despite the different directions their lives take, and all the strife and conflict they go through in their own lives and with each other, only to finally meet again in adulthood as enemies..... that's the good shit!!!

I've been hesitant to post it for a few reasons: The events lead up to the First Crusade, and so I'm worried about sensitivity. And, this might be stupid but, there is not a lot of romance. If there is any, it's one-sided. I know there must be some readers out there who don't mind non-romantic fics, but still lol. It's niche. There are also some moments that are quite dark, but I will include content warnings. I think I'm just really enjoying my Game of Thrones era.

Here's more of a summary for you: Yusuf's side of the story is mostly about his longing to chart his own path, to be adventurous, and most of all to serve justice. This starts with him witnessing an enslaved man being pulled by a horse as a child, and leads him to make some unfavourable decisions when he manages his own business. His story also has a lot to do with generational expectation (his grandfather leaves huge boots to fill, and his father struggles with this himself) and with his relationship to his mother, who is Indigenous. Nicolo's side of the story is very different, mostly because his family is much poorer than Yusuf's. He has six brothers all in one house, for example. There's a lot more to spoil from his side, but I can say that his close relationship to his uncle (who is his namesake), a seaman and soldier, and his later resentment of the world and the way his family is treated by the people around him all lead him to the Crusade. He's also not a priest in this fic -- I drew from the comics and mixed in my own hefty serving of headcanons lol. Instead, he wants to be a smith. His father, instead, was raised in the Church but left when he fell in love with Nicolo's mother. I've actually become so attached to both of the father ocs lol, Ibrahim and Lucio, but I've rambled enough.

I currently have the first two chapters completed, sort of stuck on part of the third but I'm making slow progress. I expect there will be around 11 chapters. I'll give you the names of the chapters, though, since I have those! And then I'll shut up. In order, with some of the dates included, they are:

Fledglings (1074-75)

Spring Thunder (1077-78)

The Free People (1083-84)

Midas (1085)

[as yet unnamed] (1086)

Spitfire (1087)

Interlude

Redwings

The Tide (1098-99)

To My Old Friend

Flight

The Tower is a tog and Annihilation hybrid I started in.... 2021 or 2022, I think? It's not technically an au. Instead I set it in the future, and from Nile's POV. All of the immortals are there except for Andy, whose death haunts Nile in flashbacks and dreams throughout the narrative. The old guard are tasked with a mission much like the one in Annihilation (book & movie), and things get very strange very fast. Without spoiling anything, I really wanted to explore what it might mean for immortals to enter Area X/the shimmer. I'm mostly following the events of the movie. As of right now, it's about 7.5 thousand words.

The title of the fic came from two things: It's in reference to the "tower" (inverted tower? tunnel thing?) that the biologist finds in the book. In the movie it's a lighthouse. The other reference is the Major Arcana card, which symbolizes danger, destruction, and unexpected change.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for trying to murder my ex after he ruined my life

I (37,F) tried to murder my EX (39,M) because he ruined my life. To make a long story short, we met in high school and started dating. After some time we ended up having a kid together, but he said if I kept it he'd leave me. I was young, dumb, and naive girl at the time so I did as he asked. My love for him blinded me, even though I have a strange ability that lets me tell if peoples intentions are good or bad, and I knew his were bad. I had told myself I loved him, though in hindsight the was very manipulative and cruel. I don't even know why or what he wanted out of me. My parents kicked me out for abandoning the kid, and a year later, it happened again. This time I refused to give the kid up, so he left me. I ended up loosing my job. For awhile I stayed with my friend, trying to take care of the kid, but I ended up giving it away like I had the first. I tried to get another job, but no where would hire me. EX had a tendency to visit me at work, and he wasn't always friendly with my co-workers. Even though I wasn't dating him anymore, employers thought it was my fault and didn't trust me to be responsible. After some time I ended up moving away. He became a successful detective over the years, with a good reputation. I couldn't stand it. I wanted to kill him. So, 17 years after I gave away that second kid, I returned to my home city. Before I could even do anything, he had discovered I was back and tried to frame me for murder. Luckily it was proven I wasn't a suspect, but he wasn't caught for it. Though the one who aided in proving me innocent only made matters worse. It was the second kid (who let them become a detective at so young???). They didn't recognize me, but I did. I was sure EX knew too. And I was sure they had my power. Well call them H for the sake of the story. After that incident I wanted to kill him even more. For all he did to hurt me. So I started to research different poisons. As this was going on, H had apparently been investigating my EX (once more, who let them become a detective?) and EX had caught on. Which led to him deciding the best course of action was to order H to be kidnapped. This backfired horribly, and H ended up killing their kidnapper in self defense leaving them traumatized. I'll admit, I don't care for H much. But I couldn't let EX try anything else when he was the one being awful. So, I confronted him. He admitted to staging the kidnapping, then tried to murder me. Thankfully I survived, and with the help of H and a few others EX was proved guilty, and exposed for forging a lot of evidence... a lot... Then H confronted me, and I had no choice but to admit I planned to kill EX, and that's why I returned to the city. H called me out, saying that though my anger was justified, I had no right to try and kill the man with the knowledge I had at the time. I still think EX deserved it, but H thinks that my revenge would have been too far. Though they don't deny that EX is awful, and that whatever happens to him it is his own fault. AITA?

[loosesodamarble]

Hello senpai it’s 🖤  anon for the ask game can you answer 2, 4, 11, 12, 19 and 25. I hope it's not too many.

🖤 anon! It's always a delight to have you in my inbox! Thank you for all the questions!

And don’t worry, it’s not too many! 💖🥰 I’m more than happy to answer!

2) a character whose POV you’re currently exploring

A small WIP (that I really should address soon) is centered on Gauche's character and I've only written for him once before and years ago. I find him fascinating because of how exclusive he is with his care (initially, he branches out his love in canon). He's not self-centered the way, say the Dark Triad are. But he's not sociable and giving the way someone like Asta is.

I guess most people are like that, they have their circle of who they care for deeply. But Gauche is a lot more intense about it. And that's what makes him fun.

I really hope I can get him right with the WIP.

4) a story idea you haven’t written yet

So I answered this question earlier but I can answer it again all fresh because AAAAAHHHHH! I have a lot of story ideas that I have yet to write out.

An idea that has been plaguing me recently is the thought of writing different endings for certain dating sim routes. The "Normal Endings" from Radiant Tale have a bit of range to them.

In Zafora's Normal Ending, mc Tifalia and him don't end up in a romantic relationship (which is kinda the goal of a dating sim) but he usurps his corrupt uncle's position of power and Tifalia is his secretary. That sounds normal enough. Meanwhile in Ion's Normal Ending, Tifalia ends up in an indefinite coma due to injuries while Ion has his heart frozen to keep him from being used as a living puppet. So both of them are essentially dead to the world. The ending had me going "the heck just happened in my sweet yet adventurous circus otome?!?!?!" And then Paschalia's Normal Ending just... Fucking slaps Ion in the face with how ideal it is in comparison.

I would like to write alternate endings for RadiTale's routes that fall more in line with the tone of Ion's Normal Ending because, man, I cannot have him suffer alone!

11) a WIP you’d like to finish someday

AAAAAHHHHH! I have a WIP for a second chapter of a fanfiction I wrote for the Cinderella Phenomenon games.

It's such a cute idea! Lucette wants to give Klaude a special gift but ends up adding a bit more to the gift so it suits Klaude a little more while still keeping the original idea in tact! KHDIGUAETHIAETH! But I'm hung up on a transition point so maybe I'll skip the transition scene and get onto the real meat of what I want to write and maybe then I'll finish the WIP!

12) a trope you’re really into right now

Aside from the possessive lover trope I mentioned earlier, I will always and forever be a sucker for "I will love/forgive you no matter what" dynamics (one of the core ideas to Nacsele so no surprise there).

Unconditional care is my jam! I do get that some relationships work better with the dynamic one apologizing and the other finding it in themselves to accept and forgive (Silvas siblings, the beloveds). But I will forever prefer relationships where someone has done wrong (and acknowledges/shows remorse for it) and feels like they can't be loved/forgiven, but the other person just brushes it aside in favor of showing love (Finral and Langris, Yami and Nacht, Yves x Ceres [Virche Evermore], Ignis x Kotone [Cafe Enchante], Nacsele).

Love me characters who embrace the one who hurt them because their love is stronger than their pain.

19) the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic

🤔 Most interesting topic I’ve researched?

Maybe it was whether or not lye used for soap making was available during a specific era in Japanese history.

I guess recently I did a quick search on terminology used in city planning. Not all that interesting or in-depth though.

I honestly don’t do that much research when writing fanfiction. I know I’m not expected to be an expert in every possible topic that comes up in a fic and readers probably come in knowing my breadth of knowledge isn’t that great. So I end up not putting that much thought into researching and any inaccuracies on certain topics are likely forgivable.

25) besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

Another question I answered before but I can still give fresh answers to.

So I'm not sure how much of a hobby this is but I collect soap bars and then make my way through them. I go to a particular soap shop because I love how big and colorful they make their soap. I sometimes get tempted to bite into the soap because the colors are so, like, candy-esque.

[myechoecho]

Rewatching W: Two Worlds

Ep 12. I forgot how good this episode was. Well, they are all good but this one I really enjoyed - the first time and this time. This episode is PACKED.

I love how the ring was the one physical thing that connects them from the first story. It's how she bumps into him, it's how he remembers her and now it's what he gabs when they are first back to the real world.

She apologizes, but he only smiles because he knows how hard she tried to keep. Just like how he knows why she is worried when he asks to see her father. But he's learned from the comic and will not make the same choice. Even disregarding that, like I said before the reveal is completely different this time so it's not quite as shocking or traumatizing.

It's heartbreaking when she asks him not to go. It's even more heartbreaking when she asks if he remembers and has to tell her no. He's doing just what he thinks the comic Cheol would feel (which I don't think is 100% the truth). Since she hadn't changed, he's going to see what her fatal charm is.

Here's the thing. I'm pretty sure Cheol was 95% decided about Yeon Joo. He was already drawn to her and she's saved him. Even though he calls him the other Cheol, and doesn't fully get why he was in such a state to shoot Sung Moo, he has to recognize the himself in the comic book Cheol. Since he recognizes himself, he would have to trust the comic version's feelings but he still needs to see it in person to confirm.

Small shout out to Soo Bong. The poor man is forever in a state of terror and panic but he is also always comes through for Yeon Joo and Cheol.

Even though he's calmer, it still distresses Cheol to see all the W files and research. You can see him take a moment to pull himself together.

We get the confrontation between Cheol and real culprit. I had forgotten he had fully awakened first AND that Sung Moo promised to make him the main character. I'm not entirely convinced the reason for Cheol's hand disappearing makes complete sense but that is minor. Interesting that real culprit says he just has to wait for him to disappear, but his whole purpose was to kill and torment Cheol. Not sure he realizes that means he could disappear once Cheol is gone.

I love, love how Cheol asks to go on date with Yeon Joo. He wants to know her better and like I said, confirm that last 5%. I forgot how cheeky and flirty he was when he asked to see her naked like in the comic. However, he was truly touched when he saw the comic moments of them in her room. Again, it shows how he was always real to her.

He's willing to go slow. They did everything backwards, which he gets why, but now he wants to be a normal couple. I adore that he asked permission first and would have been totally okay. But she says yes, and with the kiss everything clicked in place 100%. Possibly before that but you can really see he understands the other Cheol.

The idea that the comic is only a connector and their two worlds co-exist separately is great. The only people the Sung Moo can really control are the ones he created for the comic. Conversely, I wonder if there is a comic from Cheol's world that is based in Yeon Joo's.

He gives her his plan and rejects the Sung Moo's ending. The ending he has chosen is staying with Yeon Joo. He does not care what the readers think. That is his happy ending.

Honestly, his plan was really good. And he's so smart that he realizes he can summon himself to and from the comic world. He ties everything up there -real culprit arrested, him "dead", So Hui has a new purpose (though we know that is going to be false). I squeal at the fact he asks her to draw the ring that he lost. He wants that connection with her.

He comes back, and is oddly competitive with his comic self. He's determined to be better for Yeon Joon this time. I think he really hates how she was hurt.

They are all smiles at the end and I know that won't last because we are diving headfirst into pure pain and misery till the end.

[savebatsfromscratch]

For some reason she didn't sound angry. - Palletshipping Week 6 (Telling)

Summary:

Ash tells his mother about his boyfriend.

Notes:

Prompt: Telling about their relationship to Delia and Professor Oak. Note: I almost forgot to post this oh no- Cws: Referenced homophobia (from Professor Oak, not Delia) Words: 1,133

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54947461

“Uh, mom?” Ash asked, looking up from his plate, his voice already shaking, “I have something to tell you,”

“Yes honey?” Delia responded, sounding warm and kind and just as nice as she always had, “What do you want to tell me?”

Ash swallowed.

Oh man, this was much more difficult than he had been anticipating.

It wasn't that he expected his mother to hate him for who he was, no, she had always been very accepting of his decisions, even to the point where it could become dangerous for himself. Or, at least, it wasn't that he rationally expected his mother to hate him. There wasn't much he could do against his worries, however.

Even in a relatively progressive town in the Kanto region, being “gay,“ or even queer at all could still get you some dirty looks. It wasn't the worst of it, not by a long shot, but Ash still worried. He knew he had no real reason to be as worried as he was, considering his mother had always taught him to love others no matter who they were, but he still was.

Maybe he was so terrified because the last attempt at revealing his relationship had not gone entirely to plan.

When Gary had proposed the idea of going public with their relationship, Ash had felt little to no fear about the idea. After all, as far as he'd seen it, Pallet Town had always been a colorful place, comfortable, kind, and accepting of all identities. (Provided that the person in question wasn't an identified criminal or polluter of natural resources.)

As a result of this (naive) belief, Ash had nodded along with Gary's plan. Of course they could go public. As far as he saw it, there was nothing more shameful in dating a boy than there was shame in dating your rival. (For the non-trainers out there, it was one of the most common romance tropes out there, even in mainstream media.) In fact, going public would probably be a good plan! That way, at least, both trainers would have less of a problem with being asked out, right?

Well, reality seemed to be a different story.

When Gary had gone to his grandfather, legs shaking just as Ash's were now, he had been outright rejected. It was, as far as Ash had been told, all Gary could do to beg that Professor Oak would not kick him off of his research team entirely.

Thankfully, if that was the reaction they were going to get, Professor Oak had not shared the information further, but Ash had opened his phone the next day and found the Professor rescinding his support as a sponsor. (It seemed that, if he had it that way, Ash would have been just as good staying dead any of the times he could think of.)

So of course Ash was scared.

Even though Delia had been one of the few people to notice that he was acting differently, a major setback like the interaction with Professor Oak was quite enough to scare him. Even if Ash had never really been quite ”in the closet“ as Gary had, he was suddenly scared to come out of it.

Who knew what Delia would think of him?

Would she repeat the same horrible rhetoric that her friend had spat in his own grandson's face?

Ash couldn't seem to believe that she would, but at the same time, he couldn't quite force himself to believe that she wouldn't either.

”Ash?“ Delia asked, now somewhat worried. She placed her fork calmly at the side of her plate, wiping her mouth politely with a napkin as she looked at him. ”Are you okay?“

Ash forced an awkward thumbs up at her, almost ready to scrap the idea entirely, but was stopped when she frowned at him, brown eyes crinkled at the edge from worry. She tilted her head slightly, not forcing him to say anything, but somehow dragging Ash in.

Ash opened his mouth, and then closed it again, feeling as if needles were stabbing into his gums. ”Mom...“ he tried, bringing his hands to the sides of his neck to fiddle with his hair, ”I, um...“

In his fear, he found himself looking to her for help, though he was only struggling because he was scared of her. The fact that Gary had confided in him about feeling that same way, right before being brutally rejected, did nothing to help his fears.

Delia looked back at him, confusion slowly blurring into a look of realization. ”If you can't tell me now, would you be comfortable writing it down for me to read later?“

Ash stared at her as she fiddled with a pad of paper that had been sitting next to her. Gently, she ripped off the top page (which he could see a short list of groceries scrawled onto), and handed him the one below it.

The paper felt clean and cool, and the pen that quickly followed felt sure and strong.

Ash gripped them both, but still he could not force himself to write. He was scared, he didn't know what to say. Despite being world champ, in the moment, he felt as if nothing in his life had seemed more challenging than finding words to write on the butterfree patterned paper in his hands.

The clock ticked on the wall.

Delia leaned ever so slightly forward, inhaling a worried breath, as if she was preparing to hold it for him.

Ash blinked.

”I'm dating Gary,“ He suddenly blurted out, ”I- I thought I should tell you,“

Already he was preparing for the worst. If she kicked him out, he probably had the time to grab his Pokemon and bag, and then he could probably run to Gary and set off for who knew where. If he was lucky, he'd probably even be able to get his hands on a couple old stuffed animals or sets of clothes, though he knew that such items weren't as important as his Pokemon. As if the verdict had already been given, he abruptly scooted his chair back, standing stiffly as if about to run out of the room.

”Wait!“ Delia said, standing as well, ”Ash!“

For some reason she didn't sound angry.

Ash turned to look at her, feeling his heart beating like the racing wings of a flying type…

And immediately realized that his fears had not been realized. She still loved him.

“That’s perfectly fine,” she said, working to calm him down. Her smile grew, “Do you want to finish dinner while you tell me about him?”Ash stared for a few more seconds, nearly unable to believe it for a few moments, but soon began to smile again. He did want to tell her about him.

Notes:

And then she broke off her friendship with Professor Oak and took Gary under his wing God bless Mrs. Ketchum.