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Maximize Performance with the Best 4X4 Exhaust Systems
The performance of your 4X4 vehicle is important when it comes to off-roading excursions or heavy-duty towing. The exhaust system is one of the major parts that greatly affects the power, efficiency, and sound of your vehicle. A high-quality 4X4 exhaust system not only improves performance but also guarantees that your vehicle can easily navigate difficult terrains. Let's look at the top five reasons why upgrading your 4X4 exhaust system is necessary and how you can get the most out of your investment.
Improved Engine Efficiency
A strong 4X4 exhaust system guarantees improved engine breathing. Cost effectiveness is frequently prioritized over performance when designing stock exhaust systems. By increasing airflow, switching to an aftermarket exhaust system lowers back pressure and enhances combustion. Because of this optimization, the engine can operate more effectively, producing more horsepower and better fuel economy.
This increased efficiency relieves the engine's strain during demanding drives for adventurers and off-road enthusiasts. An improved exhaust system guarantees reliable and constant power delivery whether you're climbing steep climbs or traversing difficult paths.
Enhanced Sound Quality
For any 4X4 fan, the sound of a strong engine is like music. High-performance exhaust systems are meant to provide a deeper, more aggressive sound that reflects the vehicleâs tough characteristics. These systems frequently have adjustable settings that let you select the noise level that best fits your preferences, ranging from a soft growl to a deafening scream.
This acoustic improvement provides your car a unique personality in addition to improving the driving experience. The sound of your 4X4 will stand out whether you're traversing distant woods or crossing the city.
Increased Power and Torque
To realize their engine's full potential, enthusiasts frequently improve their exhaust systems. The performance of the engine is directly impacted by aftermarket exhaust systems, which are made to optimize the flow of exhaust gasses. These systems aid in producing more power and torque by lowering constraints, which are crucial for off-roading and hauling large loads.
Your 4X4 can more easily navigate rough terrain and steep inclines with higher torque. Additionally, the increased power guarantees better handling and smoother acceleration, increasing the vehicle's adaptability and capability.
Better Durability and Longevity
For off-road fans who enjoy the thunder of a strong engine, sound is an important aspect of the driving experience. Superior 4X4 exhaust systems are designed to produce a remarkable sound profile that is balanced, deep, and resonant. You may experience the excitement of off-roading without disturbing peace of mind due to these systems, which enhance the engine's natural sound without being unduly loud or obtrusive. Additionally, a lot of systems provide drivers with adjustable sound settings so they can adjust the acoustic output to their liking.
Customization and Compatibility
One of the standout features of modern 4X4 exhaust systems is their versatility. They are available in a range of configurations, such as different muffler types, pipe widths, and single or twin exhaust arrangements. This enables car owners to customize the exhaust system to meet their own requirements, regardless of whether they value sound, performance, or appearance. Furthermore, top-notch systems are made to blend in perfectly with different 4X4 models and manufacturers, guaranteeing compatibility and simplicity of installation. The customization choices are a big plus for drivers who want a customized upgrade.
ConclusionÂ
Outback Exhausts is a reliable brand to depend on when looking for the best 4X4 exhaust systems. Outback Exhausts, which has a reputation for excellence and innovation, provides a wide range of solutions that are intended to improve sound quality, longevity, and performance. Their systems are perfect for off-road enthusiasts who need dependability because they are constructed with high-quality components to survive the most demanding situations.
Outback Exhausts is proud of its dedication to client satisfaction and offers specialized solutions to satisfy each driver's particular requirements. Outback Exhausts has a solution that meets your needs, whether you're upgrading for functionality, fuel economy, or style. Explore their wide selection of 4X4 exhaust systems now to see the impact they may have on your car.
By choosing Outback Exhausts, youâre not just investing in an exhaust system; youâre investing in peace of mind, knowing your 4X4 is equipped with the best. Take your off-road adventures to the next level with Outback Exhaustsâthe ultimate choice for performance and reliability.
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Muffler and Exhaust Parts: Enhance Your Vehicle's Sound and Performance
Enhance your vehicle's sound and performance with our muffler and exhaust parts. Visit us to explore our range of options and find the perfect fit for your needs.
#200 series exhaust#200 series dpf back exhaust#toyota hilux exhausts#hilux exhaust#nissan patrol exhaust
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Explaining Silver the Hedgehog's Backstory
One of the most confusing subjects in the Sonic fandom is Silverâs backstory, the chronology of Sonic 06 and how it affects the characters. So in this post Iâll go over what we know about Silverâs backstory, its effects on his character, his involvement with Blaze and how the ending of Sonic 06 affects them.
Silver was born 200 years into a devastated future ravaged by the Flames of Disaster Iblis. The sky was always dark and the world was filled with endless wastelands ravaged by constant disasters and hostile Iblis spawn. The people are exhausted and live without hope. Iblis rampages and burns everything in its path. Silver has fought against Iblis for most of his life and tried to find the source of the disaster for just as long but no one could tell him how the world came to ruin.
This backstory informs Silver's character in the following ways:
Silver is a warrior. He is proficient in and enjoys fighting, has very aggressive determined expressions with constant fists and is a noted fighter(Shadow describes him as a fighter in Team Sonic Racing) whose power is respected by Sonic and Shadow. Silver is extremely powerful and capable of defeating small armies of enemies and giant monsters by himself. This stems from his apocalyptic background in the hostile future filled with Iblis minions and disasters such as flame tornadoes that he had to battle constantly. When you surprise him in Generations he is instantly ready to fight and angrily looks around, he comes from a world where all manner of Iblis spawn could attack at any given moment. It is explained in Silver's introduction story on Sonic Channel that Silver fought and struggled for half his lifetime, indicating that Silver fought against Iblis and its forces from a very early age.
Silver is naive, he has a black and white perspective and tackles things bluntly. He expects people to believe and cooperate with him when he says heâs from the future or explains outlandish things about his mission. He is earnest, he has no filter and acts unrefined when talking to people(which in Japanese is signified by his use of the informal "Ore" and "Anta" to address himself and others when he speaks). He sometimes takes things literally, misinterprets things or doesn't get jokes. He can also be unfamiliar with things in Sonic's time period. We don't know how people lived in the apocalyptic future or what they did and didn't have access to but it seems to be very rudimentary, destitute and even militarized as one of the glimpses into Silver's future from Sonic Pict shows him eating calorie bar rations that are described as apple flavored. Related to the above, Silver likely spent the majority of his time fighting.
Silver is also very pragmatic. He has a straight to the point mindset and hates distractions, frivolous details or just things getting in his way. As a survivor there is no room for pointless things for him.
On the flip side of that however, Silver is also wide-eyed. He loves challenges and experiencing fun new things he never had access to and is said to engage in cheerful activities following the historical change of 06.
Silver is incredibly optimistic and hopeful. He was able to fight through the hopeless ruined future world because he had the hope for a blue sky and the determination to keep fighting when everyone else had given into despair.
Most importantly of all however is Silver's deep love and drive for peace and prosperity. Silver is a very empathetic person that cares deeply for the state of the world and people around him. Note the beginning of his story in 06 where he expresses outrage at the state of his future with dark skies, endless wastelands and people that live in despair then contrast that with his later dialogue throughout the series where he expresses love for blue skies, beautiful vistas or just places where people live happily. Something as simple as a desert is beautiful to him simply because there is no destruction and the people are happy. Silver particularly loves and desires to protect smiles and blue skies because he came from a world that is stated to be filled with darkness and despair according to Sonic Team's Sonic Channel stories. Silver fights for peace and prosperity for the world and its people because he has experienced quite literal hellish suffering and devastation.
I also want to emphasize that Blaze isn't part of Silver's backstory and he didn't have her in his life in the apocalyptic future. Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka confirmed that Silver and Eggman Nega originate from the future while Blaze originates from her dimension and writer Ian Flynn has confirmed that Sonic Rush takes place before Sonic 06 with these answers on his podcast.
"I can't get too much into it because this is kind of internal stuff that has not been clarified publicly but Sonic Rush comes first, the Blaze of 06 is the Blaze of Rush and she doesn't die, she turns into Burning Blaze and warps back to her own dimension and forgets the events of 06."
"I don't know how much I can get into it without being given the official go-ahead, but Blaze is not from Silver's post-apocalyptic future. She is from her own dimension and it's extremely nuancey, but she doesn't really see or interact with Sonic until like the very very end of Silver's campaign. It's...an incredibly narrow loophole but she doesn't necessarily know that it's Sonic they're after. Again I'm sure someone can tear that apart very easily but suffice to say, I believe the intention is that she doesn't know that Silver is targeting Sonic specifically and she has no interaction with him or really anybody else in the main cast for that reason."
Meaning that Silver and Blaze only met shortly before the events of 06 and Silver faced the ruined future on his own before that point.
Things are gonna get a bit complicated here but Blaze only temporarily appearing in the future before being ripped away from Silver actually ties into their Tanabata parallel. In the story of Tanabata, Orihime(the princess) only descends to the world of Hikoboshi(the cow herder) for a short while before they are separated for neglecting their duties. At the end of Silver's story, Silver neglects his duty by refusing to seal Blaze away and so they are separated, only to ever meet again when crossing paths in Sonic's world.
When arriving in Wave Ocean, Blaze notes the world of the past. This is because Blaze seems to actually have amnesia.
According to Ian Flynn, the reason why Blaze was kept away from the cast besides Silver in 06 is as a narrow loophole to keep her from realizing it was Sonic they were after. In a 2012 Q&A for the Sonic Boom convention, Sonic Team Creative Officer Takashi Iizuka stated that the characters in 06 had amnesia and at the end of the Metal Virus arc in IDW we learn that rough inter-dimensional travel can cause amnesia which happens to Sonic when he crashes into Blaze's dimension. Blaze then reawakens Sonic's memories by reminding him of his super form, something that Blaze was kept from in 06.
What happens with Blaze in 06 as I understand it is that at some point prior to the events of the game Blaze was transported to the future where she developed amnesia upon arrival before joining Silver in his war against Iblis. They are deceived by Mephiles into trying to assassinate Sonic before Silver learns the truth and returns to the future to seal Iblis away, he is unable to do so however due to not being a compatible vessel and Blaze seals Iblis and herself away instead. Following the defeat of Solaris and the subsequent historical change, Blaze warps back to her Dimension and forgets the events of 06(according to Ian Flynn).
Silver also warps back to the future and forgets the events of 06 but not his apocalyptic life under the devastation of Iblis, only the events of 06 itself and his original partnership with Blaze which was clarified in his Fast Friends Forever profile that states he can't remember how his future was restored(as in the events of 06).Â
So yes, the ending of Sonic 06 doesn't change Silver or Blaze's backstories. Silver is still the apocalyptic warrior from Sonic 06 and Blaze is still the imperial princess from Sonic Rush before and after the events of 06.
The endings of both Silverâs Story and the Last Story of 06 tie into the gameâs themes of duty, sacrifice and exchange.
âDo we have to sacrifice something in order to gain something?â
To gain something you have to lose something, to become a hero you must be willing to make sacrifices. Blaze sacrifices herself to save the future and in exchange for the peaceful happy future he always wanted, Silver, alongside everyone else, loses their memories of the events of 06.
But Silver's duty doesn't end there. He continues to protect the peace of the future as new disasters and changes in the timeline occur, and just like with Iblis, Silver will continue fighting them for a peaceful world.
#silver the hedgehog#blaze the cat#sonic the hedgehog#princess elise#espio the chameleon#mephiles the dark#iblis#solaris#eggman nega#sonic 06#sonic rivals#sonic rivals 2#sonic rush#sonic colors#sonic colors ds#sonic generations#sonic runners#sonic pict#sonic team#idw sonic#sonic idw#metal virus#burning blaze#super sonic#takashi iizuka#ian flynn#bumblekast#mario and sonic at the olympic games#sonic#sth
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Minisode: Yoongi
Notes: As you can see! I am not dead! I'm starting this blurb/drabble series thingy where I write 200 or 500 words for it and here's the first one at 200. Obviously I'm starting with my main bad bitch Yoongi đ© it will be random, any member can pop up hehe. No taglist because it's just a blurb.
Check out my masterlist ^^
"want me to come over?" Yoongi asks softly, and there's silence on the line after, his question left floating on the waves. Long enough that he thinks you've finally fallen asleep, but then there's a near quiet breath he almost misses if not for the way it shuddered.
"It's 3am." You sound tired, and Yoongi bets you are. Exhausted, probably. The day hadn't been kind to you, and the night offered no respite. "It's okay."
Yoongi's already grabbing his keys, feet already out of his house slippers and into his outside ones. He's quiet with it. He holds the keys between his fingers so that they don't knock against the hard plastic of the little black cat. It dangles and sways and stares at him with mismatched eyes as Yoongi braces his palm against the wall to pull the strap of his sandal secure.
"It's not, you're crying." Yoongi reasons, phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear as he slides his arms through the sleeves of his jacket. He pockets his keys, curses softly at the loud beep of his door and he's down the hall to the elevator. "Do you need anything?"
"Just you."
"I'm on my way."
#minisode: Yoongi#persphonesorchid#yoongi#min yoongi#bts#bts x reader#bts fanfiction#blurb#yoongi x reader#yoongi fluff
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Forge of Starlight - Part 15
paring; Azriel x reader
summary; In the heart of Velaris, a skilled blacksmith's quiet life is turned upside down when unexpected bonds begin to form with the enigmatic Spymaster of the Night Court. As she navigates the challenges of her craft and the complexities of newfound relationships, she discovers that love and loyalty may be the strongest forces of all in a world where darkness often lingers just beyond the light.
word count ; 7.2k
warning; smut :)))
notes; Hey everyone, I hope that you have enjoyed the story so far. Unfortunately we are getting close to the end, the next part is the last one before the epilogue of the story :(((( I really love reading your comments so please do not hesitate to write literally anything ! I was also wondering if you would enjoy a bonus part, taking place when Feyre and her sisters are in the night court ( so like 200 year after the story) ? bisous bisous <333
here is the link for part 14 or part 16
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Cassian lounged on one of the sofas in the Townhouse living room, idly swirling a glass of whiskey as he stared at the ceiling. He sighed heavily, his wings draped over the back of the couch, as he glanced over at Mor, who was curled up in a chair with a book.
âWell,â Cassian began, a smirk playing on his lips, âitâs been three weeks, I think.â
Mor looked up from her book, raising an eyebrow. âThree weeks since what?â
Cassian chuckled, taking a sip of his drink. âThree weeks since Azriel vanished into Y/Nâs apartment and hasnât shown his face around here.â
Mor rolled her eyes, setting her book down on the arm of the chair. âWhen I told Az not to come home, I didnât think he would take it that seriously.â
Cassian laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that filled the room. âYou know our dear brother, Mor. When it comes to Y/N, heâs always been a bit⊠intense.â
Mor shook her head, but there was a fond smile on her lips. âI think itâs time we remind him that heâs not a prisoner in her apartment. What do you say we go pay them a visit?â
Cassian grinned, setting his glass down on the table. âIâm in. Letâs go rescue them from their self-imposed isolation.â
With that, they both stood up and made their way out of the Townhouse, the cool air of Velaris refreshing after the warmth of the living room. As they approached your apartment, Cassian exchanged a knowing glance with Mor, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Cassian knocked on the door, a little louder than necessary, and the two of them waited. There was a moment of silence before the door creaked open, revealing you standing there in a nightgown that looked like it had seen better days. Your hair was tousled, and your neck was covered in hickeys, evidence of the past few weeks spent in Azrielâs company.
âHello, everyone,â you greeted them, your voice a little groggy from sleep.
Cassianâs eyes widened, and he let out a bark of laughter. âItâs been three weeks, guys. Three weeks!â
Before you could respond, Azriel appeared behind you, looking just as disheveled, if not more so. He was wearing nothing but his underwear, his chest and neck also adorned with a series of hickeys. His expression was a mix of irritation and exhaustion as he took in the sight of Mor and Cassian standing at the door.
Azriel scowled at Cassian. âAnd itâs not enough,â he grumbled, before reaching past you and slamming the door shut in their faces.
Cassian and Mor burst into laughter, leaning against each other for support. Inside, they could hear you scolding Azriel, your voice muffled but clearly annoyed.
âAzriel, get back here!â you snapped, your tone exasperated.
Cassian shook his head, still chuckling. âAzriel needs to stop being so horny all the time.â
The door opened again, and you stood there with an exasperated expression, though there was a hint of a smile on your lips. âSorry about that,â you said, stepping aside to let them in. âCome on in.â
Cassian grinned as he entered, opening his arms to hug you. âItâs good to see you, Y/Nââ
Before he could finish, Azriel reappeared, his eyes narrowed as he saw Cassian approaching you. Without warning, he delivered a swift, powerful punch to Cassianâs jaw, sending him stumbling back.
âHands off,â Azriel growled, his voice deadly serious, his eyes flashing with a protective fury that left no room for doubtâhe wasnât joking.
Cassian rubbed his jaw, wincing at the impact, but his eyes gleamed with a mixture of surprise and a bit of respect. âAlright, alright, Az. Point taken.â
You stepped between them, placing a hand on Azrielâs chest as you shot him a stern look. âAz, thatâs enough. Heâs just being friendly.â
Azrielâs gaze softened slightly as he looked down at you, his jaw still clenched. âHe needs to know his place.â
Mor sighed, stepping forward to place a hand on Cassianâs arm. âLetâs not start a fight in the middle of Y/Nâs living room, okay?â
You shook your head, laughing at the scene in front of you. âAz, go put some pants on,â you said, pushing him gently towards the bedroom.
Azriel grumbled something under his breath but complied, disappearing down the hallway to find something more appropriate to wear. Meanwhile, you led Mor and Cassian into the living room, where you started preparing tea for everyone.
As the water boiled, Mor leaned against the counter, watching you with an amused expression. âSo, I take it things have been⊠intense?â
You chuckled, shaking your head. âYou could say that. But itâs been good. Really good.â
Cassian, now nursing a sore jaw from Azrielâs earlier punch, grinned as he sat down at the table. âItâs good to see you both so happy. Even if Az has apparently decided to take his obsession with you to a whole new level.â
You rolled your eyes, but there was a warmth in your expression. âHeâs just⊠dedicated.â
Mor smirked. âThatâs one way to put it.â
Azriel returned, now dressed in a pair of pants, though his protective stance was still evident as he sat down next to you, his hand resting on your thigh. His eyes flicked over to Cassian, making sure there were no lingering thoughts of challenging his claim.
The four of you spent the next hour catching up, the tension between Azriel and Cassian easing into a playful, if still slightly cautious, banter. Mor teased you both relentlessly, but there was an underlying warmth in her words that made it clear she was happy for you.
As you all sipped your tea, the conversation flowed easily, laughter filling the room. And though Azrielâs protective nature was still on full display, it was clear that he was content, happy even, to share this part of his life with the people he cared about most.
As you leaned into his side, feeling the warmth of his presence, you couldnât help but smile, knowing that this was just the beginning of a new chapterâone filled with love, friendship, and a healthy dose of Azrielâs fierce loyalty.
Life slowly began to return to a semblance of normalcy, or at least as normal as it could be after the whirlwind of emotions and events that had taken place over the past few weeks. You found yourself diving more deeply into your work with Rhysand, focusing on strengthening the relationships between the Night Court and the other courts, as well as various factions across the continent. It was a role that came naturally to you, given your extensive network and experience, and it allowed you to channel your energy into something productive, something that helped you heal.
Every morning, you would rise early and head to the Townhouse or the House of Wind, where Rhysand would be waiting with a new project or a new challenge. The two of you would pour over maps, letters, and contracts, discussing strategies and potential alliances. You found solace in the work, in the familiar rhythms of negotiation and diplomacy. It was a way to anchor yourself, to find purpose in the aftermath of loss.
But the smithyâthe heart of your old lifeâremained cold and silent. The forge, once alive with the heat of fire and the rhythmic clang of metal on metal, now stood still. The tools were neatly arranged, untouched, waiting for the day when you would be ready to pick them up again. The weapons that lined the walls were dusted and polished, but they hung there like silent sentinels, reminders of a time when the shop was bustling with activity, with Alexanderâs laughter echoing through the space.
You couldnât bring yourself to light the forge just yet. The memories of Alex and Sellan were too fresh, too raw. The thought of stepping into the workshop without them there, without their voices and their presence, was more than you could bear. So, the smithy remained closed, its windows darkened, the door locked. A sign hung outside, simple and straightforward: âClosed for now. Come back soon.â
The villagers of Velaris understood, of course. Many had known Alex and had been touched by his enthusiasm and charm. They respected your need for time, for space, and they waited patiently for the day when the forge would come alive again.
In the meantime, your apartment became your sanctuary. It was where you spent your evenings, often in the company of Azriel. He had practically moved in, spending all of his nights and any free time he had with you. His presence was a comfort, a constant reminder that you were not alone. He had become your anchor, the one who held you together when the grief threatened to pull you under.
Azriel was careful not to push you, not to force you into anything you werenât ready for. He was there when you needed him, whether it was for a quiet evening of reading by the fire, a late-night walk along the Sidra, or simply holding you as you drifted off to sleep. He seemed to understand that you needed time to heal, that the process couldnât be rushed.
But even with the quiet comfort of Azrielâs presence, there were moments when the weight of your grief felt too heavy to bear. The nights were the hardest. Despite Azrielâs warmth beside you, there were times when you would wake in the middle of the night, your heart aching with the loss of Alex, with the memories of the life you had once led.
On those nights, Azriel would wake with you, sensing your distress even in his sleep. He would pull you close, his wings wrapping around you like a shield, and he would murmur words of comfort, his voice a soothing balm against the pain. In those moments, you would cling to him, finding strength in his unwavering support.
The apartment itself had undergone a transformation. Where once it had been a place of work and rest, it was now a place of healing. You had cleared out much of the old clutter, making space for new memories, new beginnings. The walls, once adorned with the tools of your trade, now held framed maps of the courts, gifts from Rhysand and Mor as a way of marking your new role in the Night Courtâs diplomacy. The swords that had once been your pride and joy were now carefully arranged in a display case, a tribute to the craft that you still loved, even if you couldnât bring yourself to practice it just yet.
And then there were the small touches of Azrielâs presenceâhis favorite books on your shelves, his jacket draped over the back of a chair, his boots by the door. It was as if he had always been there, a natural extension of your life, of your home.
The two of you settled into a routine, one that was both comforting and new. Azriel would leave early in the mornings for his duties as the Night Courtâs spymaster, but he would always return to you in the evenings, bringing with him a quiet strength that helped you through the day. You would cook dinner together, often laughing at his attempts to assist in the kitchen, and then spend the rest of the night curled up together, talking about your day, sharing stories from the past, or simply enjoying each otherâs company in silence.
Despite the new roles and the changes in your life, you couldnât shake the feeling that something was missing. The smithy, cold and quiet, was a constant reminder of the life you had left behind, of the boy who had been taken from you too soon. You knew that one day, you would have to face it, to open the doors and light the forge once more. But for now, you allowed yourself the time to grieve, to heal, and to find your way back to the craft that had once brought you so much joy.
And through it all, Azriel was there, a steady presence in the storm, his love for you unwavering. You knew that no matter how long it took, he would be by your side, helping you find your way back to the light.
ââ
You sat in the meeting room at the House of Wind, the soft murmur of conversation filling the space as you gathered with Rhysand and some members of the Inner Circle. The view from the large windows was breathtaking, the rolling mountains and the sparkling Sidra river below a constant reminder of the beauty and power of the Night Court. But today, your focus was on the task at handâthe next step in your work to strengthen the alliances between the courts.
For the past few weeks, you had been exchanging letters with Helion, the High Lord of the Day Court. The two of you had been discussing potential alliances, trade agreements, and exchanges of knowledge that could benefit both courts. Helion had always been a keen negotiator, and your conversations had been both challenging and rewarding, the two of you sparring with words as you hammered out the details of a possible agreement.
Today, you were to discuss the final details with Rhysand and the others before making your way to Helionâs court to solidify the arrangement. As you sipped your tea, you couldnât help but feel a sense of anticipation. This was a significant step, not just for the Night Court, but for you personally. It was your first major diplomatic mission since you had taken on this role, and you were determined to see it through successfully.
Rhysand, seated at the head of the table, smiled warmly at you as he called the meeting to order. âY/N, I want to start by saying how impressed we all are with the work youâve done so far. Helion is not an easy man to negotiate with, but youâve managed to make remarkable progress. I think I speak for everyone when I say weâre grateful to have you on our side.â
There was a murmur of agreement from the othersâMor, Cassian, and Amrenïżœïżœall of whom had been kept in the loop about your ongoing discussions with Helion.
âThank you, Rhys,â you replied, a hint of a smile tugging at your lips. âBut itâs not over yet. Helion is⊠well, heâs Helion. Heâs charming and brilliant, but heâs also as stubborn as they come. Weâve agreed on most of the terms, but Iâll need to be there in person to finalize everything.â
Amren raised an eyebrow, her sharp gaze fixed on you. âAnd youâre prepared for that? Helion can be⊠persuasive when he wants to be.â
You nodded, understanding the weight behind her words. Helionâs reputation as a flirt was well-known, but you had handled his charm well enough during your correspondence. âIâm ready. Weâve built a good rapport, and Iâm confident we can come to an agreement that benefits both courts.â
Cassian leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his broad chest. âAnd what exactly are we looking at in terms of this alliance? Whatâs Helion bringing to the table?â
You took a deep breath, ready to present the details. âHelion has proposed a mutual exchange of resources and knowledge. The Day Court is known for its vast libraries and magical artifacts, some of which theyâre willing to share in exchange for our expertise in certain areasâspecifically, some of the innovations weâve developed in the Night Court. Thereâs also talk of a joint military training exercise between our forces and theirs, which could help strengthen both our defenses.â
Cassian nodded, his expression thoughtful. âA joint training exercise could be beneficial, especially with the state of things between the other courts. We could learn a lot from each other.â
Mor chimed in, a knowing smile on her face. âAnd letâs not forget the cultural exchange. Helion has expressed interest in visiting more often, perhaps even hosting some of our artists and scholars in his court.â
You nodded. âExactly. Itâs not just about trade and military mightâitâs about fostering a deeper connection between our people. Thatâs something Helion values as much as we do.â
Rhysand steepled his fingers, his expression one of deep consideration. âIt sounds like youâve covered all the bases, Y/N. But I want to make sure youâre comfortable with this. Helion can be unpredictable, and we donât want to put you in a situation where you feel out of your depth.â
You met Rhysandâs gaze, appreciating his concern. âIâm confident, Rhys. Iâve been through worse negotiations in my time, and I know how to handle Helion. Besides, this is importantâfor both our courts. Iâm ready.â
There was a moment of silence as Rhysand considered your words. Finally, he nodded, a smile spreading across his face. âVery well. Weâll make the necessary arrangements for your trip to the Day Court. And donât worryâyouâll have all the support you need.â
Azriel, who had been sitting quietly beside you, his presence a comforting anchor throughout the meeting, finally spoke up. âIâll accompany Y/N to the Day Court. Itâs best if she has someone there who knows how to navigate Helionâs court, and I can ensure her safety.â
You shot Azriel a grateful look, knowing that his presence would not only offer protection but also give you an added layer of confidence. âThank you, Az. Iâd appreciate that.â
Rhysandâs smile widened slightly as he glanced between the two of you, clearly approving of Azrielâs suggestion. âPerfect. Youâll both leave in a few days, once the final details are settled.â
As the meeting wrapped up, the others began discussing the logistical aspects of the tripâtravel plans, security measures, and what to expect once you arrived at the Day Court. But your mind was already turning to the task ahead, to the negotiations that awaited you.
When the meeting finally concluded, Rhysand placed a hand on your shoulder, his expression serious. âYouâve got this, Y/N. I have complete faith in you. Helion will find that the Night Court doesnât back down easily.â
You smiled, the weight of the responsibility settling comfortably on your shoulders. âI wonât let you down, Rhys. Weâll make this alliance happen.â
With that, you and Azriel left the House of Wind, ready to prepare for your journey to the Day Court. As you walked side by side, you couldnât help but feel a sense of anticipationâa feeling that this trip would mark a new chapter in your life, one where you were no longer just the blacksmith who had lost so much, but someone who was ready to forge new paths, to create new alliances, and to find strength in the bonds you were building.
The morning of your departure was crisp and clear, the kind of day that promised good weather for travel. You stood outside the House of Wind, waiting for Azriel to join you. The anticipation of the journey ahead filled you with a mix of excitement and a touch of nervousness. This was your first diplomatic mission in your new role, and though you were confident in your abilities, there was always an element of the unknown when dealing with someone as formidable as Helion.
Azriel arrived shortly, dressed in his usual black attire, his wings tucked neatly behind him. His presence was reassuring, a steady anchor amidst the swirling thoughts in your mind. He carried your travel pack easily, slinging it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.
âReady?â he asked, his gaze softening as it met yours.
You nodded, offering him a small smile. âAs ready as Iâll ever be.â
With a final glance at the House of Wind, the two of you took to the skies, Azrielâs powerful wings beating steadily as he carried you across the lands toward the Day Court. The flight was long, but the scenery was breathtakingârolling hills, dense forests, and sparkling rivers spread out beneath you, a patchwork of Prythianâs diverse landscapes.
As you neared the borders of the Day Court, the air grew warmer, the sunlight more intense. The transition between courts was marked by a change in the landscape, with the lush green of the Night Court giving way to the golden fields and vibrant flowers that characterized Helionâs domain. The Day Court was known for its perpetual sunshine, a stark contrast to the shadows and mystery of the Night Court.
When you finally arrived, the grandeur of the Day Courtâs palace took your breath away. It was a sprawling structure of gleaming white marble, with towering columns and wide terraces that overlooked gardens bursting with color. The air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers, and the sound of laughter and music drifted from the open windows. It was a place of light and life, a perfect reflection of the High Lord who ruled it.
Azriel landed gracefully on one of the palaceâs terraces, setting you down gently before folding his wings behind him. A pair of Day Court guards approached, their golden armor glinting in the sunlight.
âLady Y/N, Lord Azriel,â one of the guards said with a respectful bow. âLord Helion is expecting you. Please, follow us.â
You exchanged a glance with Azriel before following the guards into the palace. The interior was just as magnificent as the exterior, with sunlight streaming through large windows, casting intricate patterns on the polished floors. The walls were adorned with tapestries depicting scenes of history and legend, and the air was filled with the scent of citrus and jasmine.
The guards led you to a grand hall where Helion was waiting, seated on a large, ornate chair that was less a throne and more a comfortable seat for a man who enjoyed his luxuries. He rose as you entered, a broad smile spreading across his handsome face.
âY/N, Azriel,â Helion greeted, his voice warm and welcoming. âItâs a pleasure to see you both. Welcome to the Day Court.â
You inclined your head in respect, but before you could say anything, Helion was already crossing the room with that easy, confident stride of his. He took your hands in his, his golden eyes shining with genuine warmth. âY/N, it feels oddly right seeing you here as an emissary rather than delivering weapons. Although, I must say, your craftsmanship still impresses me every time I hold one of your creations.â
You smiled, appreciating the compliment and the familiarity. âThank you, Helion. Itâs a different role, but one Iâm finding I enjoy more than I expected.â
Helionâs smile widened, and he gestured for you and Azriel to sit. âIndeed. You seem well-suited to it. I always knew there was more to you than just a talented blacksmith.â
Azriel, ever vigilant, took a seat beside you, his gaze never wavering from Helion. The High Lord of the Day Court seemed to notice Azrielâs protective demeanor, and a flicker of amusement danced in his eyes, but he said nothing of it.
The negotiations that followed were intense but cordial. Helion was every bit the shrewd negotiator you had expected, his mind sharp as he navigated the terms of the proposed alliance. You discussed the mutual exchange of resources, with Helion offering access to the Day Courtâs extensive libraries and magical artifacts in exchange for some of the Night Courtâs innovations and expertise.
The joint military training exercises were also a point of discussion, with Helion expressing interest in strengthening the ties between your forces. He saw the benefit of learning from each other, particularly in a time when the other courts were constantly shifting their alliances and power dynamics.
âYouâll find that the Day Courtâs warriors are formidable,â Helion said with a glint in his eye. âBut thereâs always room for improvement. I believe our forces could learn much from each other.â
Cassianâs earlier thoughts echoed in your mind as you nodded. âI agree. A strong alliance between our courts, both militarily and culturally, would benefit us all.â
The conversation then shifted to the cultural exchange, with Helion suggesting visits between the courtsâ scholars, artists, and musicians. He seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of bringing more art and culture into his court, and the idea of fostering deeper connections between your people resonated with him.
âWe have much to offer each other,â Helion mused, leaning back in his chair. âNot just in terms of knowledge and power, but in understanding and friendship. Thatâs something we canât put a price on.â
As the day wore on, the negotiations continued, with both sides making concessions and adjustments. Helion was a skilled negotiator, but so were you, and by the time the sun began to dip toward the horizon, you felt confident that you had laid the groundwork for a strong and mutually beneficial alliance.
Helion stood, signaling the end of the formal discussions. âI believe weâve made excellent progress today, Y/N. Weâll finalize the details tomorrow, but for now, Iâd like to invite you both to join me for dinner. We can continue our discussions in a more relaxed setting.â
You exchanged a glance with Azriel, who gave you a small nod. âWeâd be honored, Lord Helion,â you replied.
Helionâs smile was genuine as he led you both toward a dining hall, where a feast had been prepared. The atmosphere was lighter, the tension of the negotiations giving way to a more casual and friendly tone. Helion was a gracious host, ensuring that you and Azriel were comfortable and well taken care of.
As the evening progressed, you found yourself enjoying Helionâs company more than you had anticipated. He was charming, yes, but there was also a depth to him, a genuine interest in building something lasting between your courts. The more you spoke with him, the more you realized that this alliance was not just a matter of convenience, but a step toward something greaterâa bond that could bring lasting peace and prosperity to both the Night and Day Courts.
As the night drew to a close, Helion raised his glass in a toast. âTo new beginnings,â he said, his gaze lingering on you. âMay this be the start of a fruitful partnership between our courts.â
You raised your glass in return, feeling a sense of accomplishment and hope for the future. âTo new beginnings,â you echoed, your voice firm with conviction.
The night had settled peacefully over the Day Court, and you and Azriel found yourselves in the room Helion had graciously provided for your stay. The space was luxurious yet comfortable, with a large bed draped in soft linens and a balcony that offered a breathtaking view of the golden fields and the distant, twinkling lights of the Day Courtâs palace grounds.
You stood on the balcony, leaning against the railing as you took in the view. The air was warm, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of jasmine and citrus. The stars above were bright, unobstructed by clouds, and the moon cast a silver glow over the landscape.
Azriel joined you, his presence quiet and calming as he wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you gently against his side. You leaned into him, resting your head on his shoulder as you both admired the serene beauty of the night.
âItâs beautiful here,â you murmured, your voice soft in the stillness. âSo different from the Night Court, but beautiful in its own way.â
Azriel nodded, his gaze sweeping over the horizon. âIt is. Helionâs court has its own kind of magic, a warmth and light thatâs unique. ButâŠâ He paused, glancing down at you with a small smile. âI think I still prefer the shadows and stars of our home.â
You smiled, understanding exactly what he meant. âThereâs something about the Night Court that feels⊠like home. Even after all this time.â
Azrielâs hand gently caressed your back, his touch soothing. âIt is home. For both of us.â
The two of you stood in comfortable silence for a while, simply enjoying each otherâs presence and the peaceful night. The events of the dayâthe negotiations, the formalitiesâseemed distant now, as if they belonged to another world. Here, on this balcony, it was just the two of you, away from the pressures and responsibilities that came with your roles.
After a few moments, Azriel broke the silence. âYou handled today exceptionally well, Y/N. Helionâs not an easy person to negotiate with, but you held your own.â
You turned your head slightly to look up at him, your eyes meeting his. âThank you, Az. I have to admit, it was challenging, but⊠it felt good. It felt like I was doing something important, something that mattered.â
He nodded, his gaze filled with admiration. âYou were. And you did it with such grace and strength. Iâm proud of you.â
The sincerity in his voice warmed your heart, and you reached up to place a hand on his cheek, your thumb brushing lightly against his skin. âI couldnât have done it without you by my side.â
Azrielâs eyes softened, and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to your forehead. âIâll always be by your side, no matter what.â
You smiled, your heart swelling with affection for the male who had become such an integral part of your life. âI know. And Iâm grateful for that.â
Another comfortable silence settled between you, the two of you simply basking in the tranquility of the moment. The bond between you thrummed with a quiet contentment, a reminder of the connection you shared, one that went beyond words or actions.
After a while, you turned to face Azriel fully, your hands resting on his chest as you looked up at him. âDo you ever think about the future, Az? About what it might hold for us?â
He looked down at you, his expression thoughtful. âI do. More than I ever used to.â
âAnd?â you prompted, a soft smile playing on your lips.
âAnd I see us together,â he said, his voice steady and sure. âI see us building a life together, one where weâre both happy, where we continue to support each other and face whatever challenges come our way.â
The sincerity in his words made your heart flutter, and you found yourself leaning up to kiss him softly. âThatâs exactly what I see too,â you whispered against his lips.
Azriel smiled against your mouth before deepening the kiss, his hands sliding up to cup your face. The kiss was tender, filled with love and promise, a reflection of the bond you shared. When you finally pulled back, both of you were breathless, but the contentment in your hearts was undeniable.
âLetâs go inside,â you suggested, your voice soft as you took his hand.
The moment the door clicked shut behind you both, the atmosphere shifted, thickening with anticipation. The quiet intimacy of the room, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, only served to heighten the tension that had been building between you all evening. You could feel the heat radiating from Azriel as he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in the best way possible.
His eyes, usually calm and calculating, were dark with desire as they locked onto yours. "Y/N," he murmured, his voice low and gravelly, sending a shiver down your spine.
You didnât need words to respond. The way you reached for him, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, said everything you needed to say. With a swift movement, you pulled him closer, your lips meeting his in a kiss that was anything but gentle. It was a clash of tongues and teeth, a desperate need that had been simmering under the surface, now unleashed.
Azrielâs hands found your waist, tugging you against him as if he couldnât stand even an inch of space between your bodies. The kiss deepened, grew hungrier, more insistent, as if you both were starved for each other. You could feel the hard planes of his chest beneath your fingers as you slid them under his shirt, craving the feel of his skin.
He broke the kiss just long enough to yank his shirt over his head, discarding it carelessly onto the floor. The sight of him, all toned muscle and shadow-kissed skin, made your breath hitch. Before you could fully take him in, his lips were on yours again, his hands roaming over your body with a possessive need.
He lifted you effortlessly, carrying you to the bed and laying you down with a gentleness that belied the fire burning in his eyes. He followed you down, his weight pressing you into the mattress as his lips trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses along your jaw, down your neck, and across your collarbone. Every brush of his lips against your skin sent sparks of pleasure through you, making you arch into him. He laid you down gently, his eyes never leaving yours as he hovered over you, his body heat radiating against your skin. The look in his eyes was intense, filled with a hunger that matched your own.
âDo you have any idea what you do to me?â he whispered, his voice rough as he leaned down to kiss along your jawline, trailing down to the sensitive skin of your neck.
You gasped softly at the sensation, your fingers tangling in his dark hair. âI think Iâm starting to get the idea.â
Azrielâs hands were everywhereâpushing up your shirt, skimming over your bare skin, as he made quick work of undressing you. Soon, your clothes joined his on the floor, leaving you both bare to each other, every inch of skin tingling with anticipation.
âGods, youâre beautiful,â he breathed, his eyes devouring every inch of you. He hovered above you, his hands framing your face as he kissed you deeply, passionately, his body pressing you down into the soft bed. The feel of him against you, hard and ready, made you ache with need.
Your hands roamed over his body, tracing the lines of his muscles, the scars that marked his skin, each one telling a story of battles fought and won. But right now, all that mattered was this moment, the feel of him, the way he made you feelâdesired, cherished, needed.
Azrielâs lips found yours again, his kiss searing and demanding. He pulled back just enough to murmur against your lips, âTell me what you want, Y/N.â
You gasped as his fingers brushed between your thighs, teasing but not giving you what you desperately craved. âYou, Azriel. I want you.â
His eyes darkened with a feral hunger at your words, and with a groan, he positioned himself at your entrance. The anticipation made your heart race, your body tense with need.
Azriel entered you slowly, inch by inch, giving you time to adjust to the stretch of him. The sensation was overwhelming, the way he filled you completely, making you feel whole in a way you hadnât even realized you needed. You moaned, your hands gripping his shoulders as you arched up to meet him, craving more.
He started moving, setting a slow, deliberate rhythm that made you dizzy with pleasure. Each thrust was deep, controlled, sending waves of sensation through your entire body. You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, needing more, needing everything he could give.
âY/N,â he groaned, his voice strained as he fought to maintain control. But you could feel itâthe tension coiling within him, the same tension that was building within you, ready to snap at any moment.
You reached up, cupping his face in your hands as you pulled him down for a kiss. It was a messy, desperate kiss, filled with all the emotions you couldnât put into words. His thrusts became harder, faster, as if he was losing himself in you, in the sensation, in the bond that tied you together.
âAzriel,â you gasped, your voice a breathless plea as you felt your climax approaching, the pleasure building to an almost unbearable peak. âIâm closeâŠâ
âMe too,â he rasped, his rhythm faltering as he chased his own release. His hands gripped your hips, holding you in place as he drove into you with a fierce, unrelenting need.
The tension snapped, and your climax washed over you in a wave of pleasure so intense it left you trembling. You cried out his name, your body clenching around him as you rode out the aftershocks of your release.
Azriel followed you over the edge moments later, a guttural moan escaping his lips as he buried himself deep inside you, his release flooding through him. He held you close, his body shuddering against yours as he found his own pleasure in you.
For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. The only sounds were your ragged breaths and the pounding of your hearts, beating in sync. Azriel stayed buried inside you, his forehead resting against yours as he caught his breath.
When he finally moved, it was to kiss you againâsoft, tender, filled with all the love he had for you. He rolled to his side, pulling you with him so that you were curled against his chest, his arms wrapped around you protectively.
âAre you alright?â he asked softly, his fingers brushing through your hair.
You nodded, feeling a contentment settle over you as you snuggled closer to him. âIâm perfect, Az.â
He smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. âGood. Because Iâm not done with you yet.â
A laugh bubbled up from your chest as you looked up at him, seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes. âOh? Is that so?â
The room was still filled with the heady scent of sex, the warmth of your shared pleasure lingering in the air as you lay curled up against Azrielâs chest. His fingers traced lazy patterns along your back, a satisfied hum vibrating from him as he pressed soft kisses to the top of your head. The bond between you thrummed with a deep sense of contentment, but beneath it, there was still a simmering heat, a desire that hadnât quite been quenched.
You felt it tooâa restless need that made you shift against him, your skin tingling with anticipation. Azriel must have sensed the change in you, because his fingers stilled, and he tilted your chin up to meet his gaze.
âY/N,â he murmured, his voice a soft rumble that sent shivers down your spine. âWhat are you thinking?â
You didnât answer with words. Instead, you pushed yourself up, straddling his hips as you looked down at him, a wicked smile playing on your lips. The way his eyes darkened in response, the way his hands automatically came to rest on your thighs, told you everything you needed to knowâhe wanted this as much as you did.
Slowly, you rolled your hips against him, feeling his length harden beneath you as you moved. The sensation sent a jolt of pleasure through you, and you bit your lip to stifle a moan. Azrielâs grip on your thighs tightened, his gaze locked on yours, a silent plea for more.
âYouâre going to be the death of me,â he growled, his voice rough with desire.
You leaned down, brushing your lips against his in a teasing kiss. âThen I guess Iâll just have to make it worth it,â you whispered against his mouth.
With that, you reached between your bodies, guiding him to your entrance. The sensation of him pressing against you, hard and ready, made your breath hitch, and you couldnât resist teasing him a little more, rubbing the head of his cock against your wetness, making him groan in frustration.
âY/NâŠâ he warned, his voice strained as he fought to keep control.
You smiled, a little triumphant, before you finally sank down onto him, taking him in inch by inch. The feeling of him stretching you, filling you so completely, made your head spin with pleasure. You moaned, your hands braced against his chest as you took a moment to adjust to the fullness of him inside you.
Azrielâs hands moved to your hips, his fingers digging into your skin as he tried to hold himself still, letting you set the pace. But you could feel the tension in him, the way he was struggling not to thrust up into you, to let you take your time. It was heady, knowing how much control you had in this moment, and it only fueled your desire.
Slowly, you began to move, rolling your hips in a steady rhythm that sent waves of pleasure through both of you. Azrielâs eyes fluttered shut for a moment, his head falling back against the pillows as a low groan rumbled from his chest.
âYou feel so good,â he rasped, his voice tight with restraint as he let you ride him at your own pace. âGods, Y/NâŠâ
You smiled at the praise, the sound of his voice, the way he looked beneath youâcompletely undoneâmaking you feel powerful, beautiful, desired. You leaned forward, pressing your hands against his chest for leverage as you began to move faster, the friction between your bodies sparking something wild and uncontrollable within you.
Azrielâs hands gripped your hips tighter, his control slipping as he started to meet your movements with upward thrusts of his own. The change in angle made him hit deeper, harder, and you gasped at the intense pleasure that radiated through you with each thrust.
Your rhythm grew faster, more desperate, as you chased the pleasure building inside you. The feeling of Azriel beneath you, his body strong and solid, his cock filling you so perfectly, was almost too much to bear. You could feel the tension coiling tighter and tighter, ready to snap at any moment.
Azriel opened his eyes, the dark intensity in his gaze locking onto yours as he thrust up into you, meeting your movements with a ferocity that made you cry out his name. âY/N⊠Iâm so close.â
You gasped, your movements becoming erratic as you felt yourself teetering on the edge of release. The tension inside you snapped, and your orgasm crashed over you, your body convulsing with pleasure as you cried out, your nails digging into Azrielâs chest.
Azriel followed you over the edge, a guttural moan escaping his lips as he found his release, his hands gripping you tightly as he buried himself deep inside you, filling you with his warmth.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop, leaving only the sound of your ragged breaths and the pounding of your hearts in the quiet aftermath. You collapsed against Azrielâs chest, both of you spent and sated, the bond between you humming with contentment.
Azriel wrapped his arms around you, holding you close as you both caught your breath. The connection between you felt deeper, more intimate, after what youâd just shared, and as you lay there in the quiet of the night, you couldnât help but smile.
âI love you,â you murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath your lips.
Azrielâs arms tightened around you, his voice a soft whisper in the darkness. âAnd I love you, Y/N. More than anything.â
You stayed like that for a while, just holding each other, savoring the warmth and comfort of being together. And as you drifted off to sleep in Azrielâs arms, you knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, you would face them together, bound by a love that was as strong as the night itself.
---
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Two's A Crowd
College Bully! Leon Kennedy x fem! Reader
MDNI 18+
(Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5)
Description: College is proving to be a lot harder than you imagined. You cannot fail this math class. So when you've tried everything else, a well-known student is recommended to you by your professor for tutoring lessons, not really leaving you with much of a choice but to work with him.
Warnings: Not proofread, No Use of Y/N, Dub-Con, Unprotected Sex, Bullying, Yelling, Cursing
Tags: College AU, Bully! Leon, Shy! Reader, both are in their early 20's, Leon is Rude AF in the beginning, Loss of Virginity, Oral Sex, Fingering, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Additional Tags to be Added
Author's Note: I've been late posting this entire series đ. i explained a bit when anon asked, but i LOST my compression gloves and got a new pair relatively quick on top of my $200 medication đ my wallet is in shambles guys
ANYWAYS thank you all for sticking around and bearing with me!! i kiss and hug everyone!! even though i haven't responded to comments lately, i read every single one and it always makes me giggle â„ïžâ„ïž
Cross-posted onto AO3
Chapter 5
The drive back to your university with your mom was excruciating. You hadnât told anyone whatâd happened which meant you had to keep a happy demeanor around them throughout the holidays up until now. Dread had settled in your stomach once the drive began and continued to spread the closer you got, similar to when youâre headed to the doctors or the dentist, just a million times worse.
Texting Ella and Sky had helped a surprising amount, turning the majority of your anxiety into rage. Ella was furious when she found out, so her fury, and Skyâs, quickly became yours.
They hyped you up, ready to be at your side and assist in tearing âthat shitty fratfuckâ to shreds. The support meant so much after everything, especially after the reality of it all set in; youâd seen the picture via snapchat from someone you didnât know, so how many others had seen it?
Your worst fear was being seen as easy, being used like you were. But you werenât, were you? Your friends had made sure to try and convince you otherwise, you had to give them that, yet even with the facts laid out in front of you, it was still hard to divert your thoughts away from that ever-looming self-doubt.
Seeing the campus come into view only served to solidify those thoughts and feelings. No matter what Sky and Ella had tried or are willing to do for you, it just wasnât enough to fix whatâs been done.
Your mom helped you bring your suitcase up to your dorm, giving you a tight hug and a kiss on the temple before saying goodbye and heading on her way. Playing okay around your family all winter break was exhausting, so you just chose to sit in silence on your bed instead of unpacking your stuff. Always prepared, you wanted to get here a few days early, using unpacking and settling back in as an excuse, when really you just needed time to collect yourself before the inevitable happened.
He was here, and you were sure heâd seek you out eventually once he spotted you, or maybe when one his friends did and the word made its way back to him. Whichever way it happened, you knew itâd be unfavorable.Â
âHey,â Ellaâs voice from the doorway caught your attention, âyou look miserable..â How hadnât you heard the door open?Â
âI am miserable, but uh.. letâs just pretend Iâm not, okay?â You replied, barely cracking a smile as you glanced up at her.Â
She gave you a weak laugh in return, letting the door close as she slowly sauntered over to you, plopping down right next to you on the edge of the bed. âFine, yeah. You havenât shown me your schedule yet, by the way.â
âOh, right-â you paused to reach over and grab your bag, rifling through the various papers in there until finally pulling out the schedule you printed out a couple weeks back. âItâs mostly the classes that arenât fun.â You stopped to look at your schedule for a brief moment before passing the paper over to Ella, who quickly snatched it from your hand.
She squinted dramatically, holding the paper only a couple inches away from her face. âYeaaah, these arenât the best. At least it looks like youâll have the majority of your pre-reqs out of the way for next year though.â Her observation made you chuckle with a nod.
âWhich is what Iâm trying to do. Work myself to the bone now, chill out later.âÂ
âDonât kill yourself trying to do everything in one fell swoop.â
âI promise I wonât Ella, this is just how I-â A knock on the door drew both yours and Ellaâs attention away from each other, an immediate scowl settling on her face. You wanted to ask, but it seems she already knew what you were going to say, quickly shushing you in a hushed voice, âSky wonât be here until tomorrow night. Donât answer that.â
You paused, thought for a moment, then nodded once with pursed lips. Ella was a pretty serious person, the mom of the group you could say, so when she pulled that tone, you knew better than to test it. Besides, you didnât want to see who or what was on the other side of the door, you needed more time.
The next day was a little better, if uneventful. You finally brought yourself to unpack your suitcase, a chance to reorganize everything since youâd gotten a few new things over the holidays. Ella stuck close, bringing food up and into your dorm to take advantage of the empty mini fridge while the two of you binge watched a few random movies.
You stayed cozied up in your bed, having already mapped out and memorized your walking path for each class; longer, less foot traffic to and from. All you had to do was get through the rest of this year, thatâs all. Little extra walking never hurt anyone, right?
When classes actually started, the long and complicated walks actually worked for a time; no one gave you strange looks, no one tried to talk to you, and it was pretty quiet. Scenic. But everyone knows everything good must come to an end eventually, and of course it had to be when you were just starting to forget all of this mess.
He caught you between classes. Scenic walks backfired massively when you realized there wasnât anyone else around on that part of campus. Guess you didnât think this one all the way through.
You couldnât help but notice he looked pretty roughed up, sporting a few bruises along his cheekbone, a split lip, and a healing black eye. Seems heâs been busy over winter break.
âListen, please listen-â Leon pleaded, holding his hands out in a weak attempt to trap you in the hallway. All this did was make you even more uncomfortable. âI know what I did was wrong, but I was not the one who sent that picture around, I swear.â You just stood in place after a few tries to get around him, giving him an almost bored stare. He didnât really expect to finally catch you, so he stumbled over his words as he continued to ramble.
âI-.. Iâm so, so sorry for doing that to you,â he slowly lowered his hands back down to his sides once he was sure youâd stay to listen, âI know that what I did was terrible, and I mean it when I say that I am sorry. I wish there was a way to turn back time and undo it, but I can't. I can't even explain why I did it in the first place, but that's not an excuse. I just- I messed up big time and I was- am stupid for letting it happen.â
To you this seemed sincere, but you really couldnât be sure and it was safe to assume it wasnât. Leon managed to trick you for months, whoâs to say this wasnât a trick as well?Â
Your look turned skeptical, crossing your arms tightly against your chest with a shaky breath. Despite handling this better than you thought you would, it was still nerve wracking having this kind of talk.
âI'm not good at this, but I'm more than willing to do whatever it takes to make things right, if that's even possible..â Leon breathed out, panting as he tried to catch his breath after talking so fast. âI managed to uh-.. to find everyone who had the picture and I made them delete it.â
âI made them delete the picture.â He repeated, taking another moment to breathe before suddenly looking down to yank something out of his pocket. âI-I got your uh-.. these-âÂ
Seeing him hold up your panties so casually made you gasp, immediately looking around the hallway to make sure it was still empty before shooting him a glare, whispering a harsh âPut them back! Put them back!â which made him scramble to hide them in his pocket again.Â
âRight- right, sorry! SorryâŠâ Leon was sweating at this point, growing increasingly anxious under your gaze. He didnât want to mess this up any further, but man he was doing a pretty shitty job at that right now.
His hands were shoved into his pockets as well, both of you blushing with embarrassment, and also shame on Leonâs part. Once he managed to slow his breathing, he started to talk again, a noticeable frown tugging at the corner of his lips. âYou donât.. have to forgive me or anything, I just wanted to make sure you knew that hardly anyone knows and-â His adamâs apple bobbed as he swallowed dryly, turning his head to the side to look at the wall, â.. and that Iâm sorry. I really do like you, I guess I just took a little too long to realize itâŠâ
You made another quick glance over your shoulder before looking back at the man trembling in front of you who was still avoiding your gaze. You wanted to hate him so bad, so bad, but it was hard when all you could see was the Leon who was so sweet, the Leon who let you cry to him when the weight of the world was on your shoulders and made you feel so wanted and loved.
âCan we-â you cleared your throat and pulled the strap of your backpack further up onto your shoulder, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet. âCan we talk later, maybe? Like, in my dorm? I donât want anyone overhearing any of this..â
Leon perked up when he heard you talk, pulling his hands from his pockets to nervously rake his fingers through his hair, which was now partially damp from the sweat beading off his forehead. âOh- OH! Yeah, of- of course, yeah, Iâm sorry I didnât- I just needed to-â
You waved your hands in front of your chest, shutting him up so he didnât spill any further. "And throw those away." He nodded silently, wiping a hand down his face until it settled right in front of his lips, probably knowing he was talking too much at this point.Â
There was one more class you needed to go to that day, so you hurried off after telling him to wait outside your dorm until you were done, and he promised he would. Very adamantly, too. At least he held true to his words, standing in the hallway right in front of your dorm room like a lost puppy when you turned the corner. It was cute for a second, though annoyance quickly replaced that feeling as you walked over and let him in.
You werenât exactly ready to have a full blown talk, but then again, no one ever was. What made it easier was your roommate never returned that semester, assuming she dropped out, so you basically had the whole dorm to yourself for the rest of the year. Or until someone had a roommate issue and needed a change. Didnât really matter to you at that point.
There was really only one thing on your mind and that was getting Leon to explain this whole ordeal to you. You needed detail, clarification, anything to help you understand whatâd been going on behind your back during that time. And he did, telling you just about everything he could; who suggested the bet, who roped him into the idea, the second guessings he had since the start, how he couldâve done literally anything else to avoid the way it all played out, everything.
Obviously you couldnât just forgive him like that, even though he kept telling you how sorry he was and how terrible he felt about it. You wanted to forgive him, but you werenât ready, and he understood that. He wouldâve been satisfied with any response you gave him, so having been given the chance to really explain and have you listen was more than enough in his eyes.
âAnd just so you know, my friends arenât going to let you off the hook,â you pulled your legs up so you were sitting criss-cross on the bed, looking across at Leon who was sitting on the bed opposite of yours.
âYeah, I know..â he chuckled awkwardly, reaching a hand back to rub at the nape of his neck. âI was honestly expecting them to jump me, but they just give me evil looks whenever they see me.â
You couldnât help but let out a small laugh, making a mental note to question Sky and Ella about that later. âYouâll never get nice looks from them again and I wonât be vouching for you.â
Leon nodded, silence blanketing the room as youâd finally run out of things to discuss. Though it was awkward, it was nice to have him hanging around again. âAnyways,â you started, standing up from your bed slowly as you vaguely gestured towards the door, âI need to study, soooâŠâ
âOh, yeah, totally, uhm..â he followed suit, standing up from the other bed before sauntering over to the door as you held it open for him. He walked out and turned around almost instantly, a small smile suddenly appearing on his face once his eyes met yours, his arms jerking upwards slightly as if to suggest a hug.
âDonât push it.â
âYes, maâam.â
tags:
@kayotee4 @k-fallingstar @bobastayhigh @mi-zer-y @chasingkennedy @l30nva @espressonerd @jjouki @5tarx @bunnybreadloaves @whoisgami @cyanscribe @c4b3r1a @darichvep @mmmangel @kingtacocat @klee-iii @baby--vera @dakiniii @kenma-izhu @aliidarling @leonsmamacita @deadghxsty @nekoheist @dumbassmortal @cassiecasluciluce @iovewilliams @maeplayscello @deddiemunsonsblog @paranoid-but-android @mariesmain @tteokhwaa @bonnibuckets @eilonwykennedy @1dk-anym0r3 @papatyacikcik @animesnowstorm @lexi-zsy09 @mylifedoesntexist @ifeellikedying @yourmommylol04 @ravioli19 @dakiniii @papichulo120627
(few of your blogs won't pop up, i tried though đ©)
#college au my beloved#resident evil#bully leon#leon kennedy x reader#leon kennedy#leon kennedy x you#leon s kennedy x reader#leon s kennedy x you#leon scott kennedy x reader#leon s kennedy#leon kennedy smut#leon s kennedy smut#leon kennedy fic#leon kennedy fanfic#leon scott kennedy#re4 leon#re4#resident evil leon#leon scott kennedy x fem reader#leon scott kennedy x you#leon s kennedy x fem!reader#multichapter#multi chap fic
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Here's a WIP list of my ideas for a full year of monthly writing events!
If you have any suggestions *please* feel free to send them in :D
Not everyone has free time to do a full 30k in November in particular, and the key of learning to write consistently...... is consistency!
Writing in earnest for just one month out of the year doesn't give you much practice, does it?
But 30k every single month can be exhausting an daunting!
So, here's my WIP proposal....
------
January [15k total / 500 each day]-- Public Domain-Day Dash -- On January 1st, pick a brand-new Public Domain work, read/study it for a week while brain storming, then spend the next three weeks writing 5k words to make by the end of the month a 15k word short story, adapting that PD Work into another genre / time period / etc. February [20k total / ~714 Each day ] -- Freedom February -- Black History Month. Each week, write 5,000 words each week celebrating freedom from tyranny in all its forms. March [9,300 total / 300 each day] -- Spring Equinox -- Each day, write 300 words based on the concepts of warmth, renewal, rebirth, changing of the guard, etc. April [8k total / ~285 per day] -- April Fools -- Each week, write 2k words of a comedy short story, to end the month with 8k words of comedy. May [6,200k total / 200 each day] -- International Workers Celebration -- Each day, write 200 words about a character in your line of work (or a nonfiction diary/article) and what you enjoy about it and how it keeps the world turning, or saving the world in some emergency, then take some time to relax, you've earned it! June [15k total / 500 each day] -- Pride Month -- write 500 words each day, either fictional or nonfictional, about queer history, pride, solidarity, or intersectionality. July [15.5k words total / 500 each day] -- Disability Pride Month -- Each day, write 500 words about your favorite genre, from the perspective of a disabled character (or a character with your own disabilities), and what kind of accommodations they use in their daily lives, without magically erasing their disability. August [15.5k words total / 500 each day]-- Alien August -- Aliens have invaded! Pick your favorite genre, and each day, write 500 words of that genre, with a plot that gets interrupted by an alien visitation! September [60-100 Pages / 2-3 each day] -- Scripting September -- Each day, write 2-3 script pages for an audio-drama, stage-play, or movie/tv show, to end the month with a 60 to 100 page script. October [20k total / 714 each day] -- Ominous October -- A choice of themes will be decided on before October, two options for each week, and everyone will write a 5k word short horror/spooky story each week, that all get posted on October 31st / Halloween
November -- Novella November [30k total / 1k each day]-- Write 1k words a day to reach 30k words by the end of the month. You can write a 30k word novella, use it as the start of a larger novel, write a series of short stories (such as writing a 7.5k word short story per week), etc. [30k total / 1k each day] December -- Don't Touch It December [6,200k total / 200 each day] -- this is your month of relaxation! Write just 200 words per day about anything you enjoyed / are proud of from the past year, and what you are looking forward to in the future! [6,200k total / 200 each day]
If you prefer to focus on just the longer challenges and spend the other months editing, we can also have mirror events each month for different ways of editing with community support!
Things like Beta reader swaps, doing cover mockups, localization help for those not writing in their first language, etc!
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Xelzaz Version 1.13.0 - Third Anniversary Update is now live!
In celebration of three years of Xelzaz being released I am releasing Xelzaz version 1.13.0! The update's primary focus has been on minor tweaks and additions to allow for a more well rounded experience of Xelzaz. The update also features two whole new quests, from braving the frozen wastes of Skyrim looking for an elusive plant, to giving Xelzaz some shiny new upgraded armor! You may also learn more about Xelzaz's past and his interactions with House Telvanni. Special thanks to Lirinden and jwisser for lending their voices to the update, and of course as always northwindblue for their wonderful models!Â
The update brings Xelzaz's unique line count to ~8350. Over 200 existing lines were revoiced, making the total amount of "fresh" lines ~450.
Also important to note: If updating to 1.13.0 while you are using the Sirenroot patch, please also update that to version 1.0.2 for compatibility with 1.13.0!
Xelzaz Version 1.13.0 - Third Anniversary Update
Bug Fixes
- Fixed the scripting on Roovi's alias, the old version of the script was made for an ObjectReference rather than a ReferenceAlias. This would cause the script not to function in certain instances.
- Marked all the objects placed in Honeystrand Cave that are part of "The Good Stuff" quest to not havok settle. Originally only the honey was marked as such, but apparently any objects nearby that do havok settle will cause a havok settling chain effect.
- Fixed some typos.
- Bigpig will now lose his essential status when relevant for the Volkihar Commentary.
- Changed Xelzaz recalling his daggers to only happen if the player isn't "sitting", rather than that they aren't using a base game enchanting table or grindstone. This means using custom enchanting tables or grindstones will no longer cause him to recall them while you are using them.
- Made it so that if Xelzaz is meant to be disabled, I.E. he left you at the gate, he will disable himself once again should he have been enabled.
- Completely reworked the item tracking scripts for the Mead quest and Crimson Nirnroot quest to prevent stack dumps.
Additions
- Added patchless compatibility with SunHelm for Xelzaz's food and drink.
- Xelzaz can now be asked for a small treat if he is in his 'sit down with a player' package.
- Added more combat lines.
- Added more greet lines.
- Added failsafe timers to Xelzaz's night walk, in case he would get stuck for some reason.
Spells
- Added 'Conjure Skeleton Champion' (from Necromantic Grimoire CC) to the list of spells you can teach Xelzaz. (Patchlessly)
- Added 'Conjure Skeleton Minion' (from Necromantic Grimoire CC) to the list of spells Xelzaz knows by default. (Patchlessly)
- Added 'Choking Grasp' (From Arcane Accessories CC) to the list of spells you can teach Xelzaz. (Patchlessly)
Quests
- Added a new quest to upgrade Xelzaz's armor, 'Quid Pro Quo'. To start this quest simply finish 'A Lawman's Ambition' and get 25+ disposition with Xelzaz.
- Added a new quest in a series of quests called 'Field Research'. To start this new quest revolving around a new unique plant, ask Xelzaz if there is anything he'd like to see in Skyrim.
Quest Commentary
- Added more lines to Xelzaz's Imperial Legion commentary. He now has commentary up to and including the Battle of Whiterun.
- Added more lines to Xelzaz's Blessings of Nature commentary.
- Added patchless compatibility with JaySerpa's 'House of Horrors - Quest Expansion' mod.
Changes
- Revoiced quite a few old lines
- Adjusted conditions for random greet lines for Xelzaz's interactions, Xelzaz and those he interacts with will now no longer exhaust all their comments about each other before giving their usual random hellos. (As for right now each hello has a 7% chance, this can in the future likely be tweaked for those followers who have more or less interactions with Xelzaz)
- Xelzaz's 'sit with player' package can no longer be active while he is waiting.
- Changed conditions for certain lines to make sure they only play in Skyrim.
- Adjusted the conditions for certain random idle lines.
- Xelzaz's guar is now killable after Xelzaz is dead.
Xelzaz Sirenroot 1.0.2
Only use with Xelzaz 1.13.0 or newer.
Bug Fixes
- Altered the catch up script slightly.
- Fixed Roovi conditions to be in line with core version 1.13.0.
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Sorry for all the questions from me recently,, but I've been planning to write a fanfic that takes place before pinestar exists in riverclan, blast to the past if you will! I just wanted to ask if you have any tips or advice because I really look up to your writing!
No worries about questions! I'm happy to answer if I can. I'll try to give some advice on writing in general, and hopefully it'll help you.
Figure out what pace will help you keep going on the project, fanfic or original, and work with that. If writing 200 words a day every day or 1k words every three days is your comfortable speed and keeps you from getting exhausted, then don't force yourself to Stephen King it and write an excess of 2k every single day. Your goal is to enjoy yourself here and keep going until it's completed. It won't be worth it if you suffer the whole time.
That being said, at times you may need to strap yourself down and just get through the part you don't want to write. This requires some discipline and self-training, but it is doable. The reward of getting to the part you're excited about is completely worth the work of writing when bored. I can very much promise you that. Every single thing I've ever worked on, I've had to force myself to keep writing/drawing at some point, and every time I've been happy that I worked until I got my reward of the part I was psyched to get to. Hell, I'm doing that right now with the next book in this series! And, fun fact, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Sort of like exercise!
If you need to plan ahead of time to finish a project like I do, then you might could borrow my method of planning: write down one or a couple sentences describing the overall, most basic idea of the plot (literally just something like "[Character] in RiverClan finds a secret plot by [other character] to overthrow the leader, stops them, and then discovers that they were right to be suspicious about the leader's secrets and helps oust the leader"); write down all the story beats and character moments you have in mind in no specific order; break down the plot into more chewable chunks using the aforementioned beats and moments to help you figure out the connecting veins to each chunk; and from there, go smaller and smaller as needed until you have enough to work with that you're comfortable writing. I personally like to write a summary of each chapter as well - all of them - before starting to actually write those chapters. It helps me keep track of everything and prevents me from fucking up the story I had in mind by being impulsive and forgetting the plan.
Even if you love a moment, character or line of dialog, if it isn't working with everything else and is disrupting the flow of the story, don't be afraid to throw it out. It's hard and I hate doing it myself, but sometimes it's just time to get rid of something you're attached to. "Kill your darlings" doesn't just mean killing a character you like, it means taking out things that you love no matter how much it feels like ripping out a tooth. You can always find a way to use whatever it is later in something else.
If you have a willing beta/editor, by GOD, ask for their help. A second set of eyes is crucial to ensuring the quality of your story. The thing is that you're too close to your creation to know for sure if it's good to everyone else - even if it genuinely is amazing, you have no idea because you made it. Having someone outside the circle of sentiment to read and say, "Hey, this dialog doesn't sound very realistic" or "Huh, I thought this piece was foreshadowing something else, maybe clear that up a little" is, while painful to your ego, more precious than a pot of gold. Appreciate the critique you get. It's awesome for your growth. Do know that not all critique is going to be helpful to your specific writing style, but a lot of it is very much worth paying attention to and taking a minute to mull over and decide whether to humor it or not. This, too, you will get better at differentiating over time.
All this said, remember that if you're not getting a paycheck, you're doing this for fun. You are under no obligation to finish a story that's making you miserable. You'll have to learn the difference between "fic I'm in a boring moment of" and "fic that's actively harming my mental wellbeing because I feel obligated to complete it", and sometimes you'll need a second person to voice your thoughts to in order to judge that. If it sucks, hit da bricks! Don't punish yourself for having to stop, or even just taking a break. A fanfic is not worth your sanity. Trust me on this.
That shit got long and I apologize. Hopefully this helped!
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I would like to see who you stuck in an old guard au đ
Thank you for the ask, Serie!!! Titles are from this list. I hope you enjoy the always-unfinished-but-much-beloved Old Guard AU (MCU, eventual Sambucky, canon-typical deaths and undeaths):
*****
The first time Sam Wilson died, he had the theme song from The Golden Girls stuck in his head.
Riley had been singing it into his combat boot while they suited up for the last mission: everyone had their own ways of channeling the pre-flight adrenaline, and Rileyâs sounded like two cats going at it in an alley. Sam had rolled his eyes and chucked a towel at him at the time, but then sure enough, the fucking tune had been playing on a loop in his mind all the way from Kandahar.Â
He couldnât say for sure whether that had anything to do with his lapse in attention as they flew over a low stone wall just east of Belal. Much later, his mind would play tricks on him, adding to his nightmares a blur of movement and a flash like moonlight reflecting off metal. Had he seen it at the time and failed to register what it meant? Could there have been a moment - a split-second when a different choice might have saved their lives? Sam turned the question over and over, but no answer could ever be as final as what had happened: in the instant when it mattered, he hadnât done shit. Heâd flown them both straight into the path of the RPG.
That was the first time: a jagged line of fire tearing through his tissue as the combined voices of his dead wingman and Cynthia Fee thanked him for being a friend.Â
But even when Sam woke up hours later, thrashing at the canvas sheet covering his face and causing the unitâs medic to leap backward with a choked-off curse, it would still be a full day - twenty-four hours of medical tests and conversations with increasingly concerned military superiors - before the other half of the truth sunk in. That he was alive again meant he was going to die again.
And again and again, according to the man who was sitting in front of him now.Â
The dude looked exhausted - and this wasnât Samâs first tour, so he knew from exhausted. Heâd been cussed at and screamed over by some of the most worn-out motherfuckers in the U.S. Army, but the guy sitting in front of him - all 200 pounds of muscle, thick beard, and furrowed brow - looked tired on a level that strained Samâ ability to render in language. Bone-tired, his mind tried, and then he had to suppress a shudder as the sensation of fire and metal ripped through his insides again.
âIâm just not tracking with what youâre saying, man,â Sam said out loud, dropping the chain-of-command honorifics, because what the fuck. His best friend was in a body bag, and here he was, with a guard outside the door and not a scratch on his face, so he was pretty sure he couldnât dig himself much deeper in shit than he already was. âYouâre saying I actually died?â
âI know itâs a lot,â the man said. âAnd youâre in shock.â
Great fucking guess, Sam thought to himself. No shortage of goddamn expert medical opinions around here today.Â
But even he wasnât quite reckless enough to voice that observation where it could be used against him in a discharge hearing, so instead he asked,
âWhat did you say your name and rank were again?â And then, just belated enough to be pointed, âSir?â
He expected a rebuke, or at least a scowl, but instead a small smile crept across the manâs face, sloughing off almost a decade of age as it grew.
âI didnât,â he replied. âAnd I wonât: not here. My associates and I are going to take you somewhere safe, where we can explain the situation more fully. Youâll be safe with us.â
âYeah, thatâs not happening,â Sam said calmly. âPeople are already pretty tense here, and Iâm going to have enough to explain to my sister without going AWOL on top of it. You come back here with a signed order from my CO, and Iâm at your service. Until then, Iâm sitting right here.â
The smile on the manâs face turned a little sadder.
âMy associates said youâd make me do this the hard way,â he said. And Sam barely had time to realize the man was moving for his gun before a sharp pain cracked through his skull and the whole tent went dark.
â
A hundred years passed before the next impression, or after it - a strip of rusted wire around his windpipe, a blade opening her curled muscle at the seam - and then thousands - the shieldâs edge a red welt across his nape as he walked for leagues in the blistering sand - and then there was nothing but pain - white-hot, licking raw, split lashes through his nerves as his shoulder shredded and he burned from the inside, again and again and again.
When thoughts returned, they returned wrong, like someone else was having them too.
âDid you really have to go for the head, Rogers?â a womanâs voice was saying - familiar as the woozy wash of a concussion. âHeâs taking an awfully long nap.â
âI forget how long it takes to come back when youâre new,â the man from the tent replied, sounding old and tired and only mildly apologetic for someone whoâd shot Sam in the head.
And wait: something about that was definitely wrong.
Sam hurtled upward, breath punching through his lungs, and by the time heâd gotten his fists between himself and his captors, he recognized them all: the man and woman whoâd fought each other to the death in a burnt-out building in Berlin, the ancient motherfucker whoâd killed thousands before killing Sam. But something was wrong, still. Something was missing.
âHey, pal,â the blonde man whoâd been garroted was saying. âWeâre here to help -â
âWhereâs the other one?â Sam demanded. âWhereâs the guy in the chair?â
All three of them tensed: a shift like the air convulsing inward toward the split shell of an IED. The man theyâd called Rogers staggered, just slightly, as if heâd been caught in the blast.
âThe guy in the chair,â the woman repeated. âYou saw him?â
âI felt him,â Sam corrected. âI felt him screaming. I felt him dying. Where is he?â
The woman looked at the man whoâd killed her - whom sheâd killed - and he shook his head, his lips forming a quiet fuck. Then she looked over at Rogers, the briefest flash of pain crumpling her expression before she smoothed her features back into their deadly, porcelain calm.
âHe was taken,â she said. âWe donât know where. We looked -â
âI lost him.â Rogersâ voice was heavier than ever, and Sam could hear the break in it now: the split bone in his center, ossified around a hole. âThey were looking for me. They found him first.â
âWho is he?â Sam asked, because he could still see through the captured manâs eyes, still feel the captured man staring through his. I know him, he thought, and it echoed back from the dream: the man in the chair screaming as the missile split Samâs chest into shards, I know him, I know him.
Rogers gave him another sad smile.
âHis nameâs Bucky,â he said. âAnd heâs immortal, like you.â
#wip housekeeping#mcu#sambucky#thank you for the ask serie!!!#i quite like the opening of this one#my wips#old guard au
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What Makes the 200 Series Exhaust a Game-Changer for SUVs?
SUV owners are aware that each part of their car affects the overall functionality, efficiency, and sound of the vehicle. Out of all of these parts, the exhaust system is crucial in deciding how your car acts on and off the road. In addition to increasing power, the proper exhaust system guarantees maximum fuel economy, durability, and sound qualityâall important aspects for any SUV owner. The 200 Series exhaust system provides an advanced option for individuals who expect the best from their cars, turning regular SUVs into powerful vehicles.
The 200 Series exhaust has become synonymous with enhanced performance, reliability, and durability for SUVs.The advantages of this exhaust system are evident whether you're tackling off-road trails or navigating city streets. Here's a closer look at what makes SUV buyers choose the 200 Series exhaust.
Enhanced Engine Performance
Its capacity to significantly enhance engine performance is one of the main reasons the 200 Series exhaust is being hailed as a game-changer. It lowers the engine's backpressure by maximizing exhaust gas flow. Better horsepower and torque are produced as a result of the engine operating more efficiently. This update is an attractive option for drivers who expect their SUVs to be dependable and powerful.Furthermore, the improved flow guarantees more responsive driving and smoother acceleration, which is especially advantageous for off-road excursions or towing when steady power is essential.
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In addition to improving their car's performance, drivers who choose Outback Exhausts gain peace of mind knowing they're investing money on a long-lasting product. Discover the difference for yourself by browsing over their selection of 200 Series exhausts today.
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Dude you know what makes less and less sense to me the older i get? The basis of being charged for rent and utilities in this day and age when we spend less and less time actually at home doing anything fr. Like when you take into consideration how fucking burnt out we are on a regular basis (esp and particularly among adolescents and young adults), how do I even have a bill for utilities Iâm never home to really use for any significant amount of time?
Iâm being charged increasingly for streaming services i donât have the energy outside of work to watch with any actual consistency or attention. Most of the time I turn the mf tv on for white noise â to scroll through social media on my damn phone đ bc the sound of the tv in the background gives me this illusion of control over how Iâm spending my time âleisuringâ, only bc itâs something i can use to convince myself that the shackles have been at least temporarily removed. Theyâre never removed though. Literally ever.
You spend $200 on 10 damn items at the grocery store now; groceries that donât even last, at that. The essential-est essentials have prices straight out of apocalyptic hell. At the same time, this is the same damn country that decided no one has a technical right to food or sustenance â with the phenomena of food insecurity all over the damn nation. People canât even truly afford to take care of their health being tethered to working âtirelesslyâ, and with health insurance having no seriousness here whatsoever.
Iâm paying 1,000+ damn dollars a month for rent alone, working for shit wages that never really budge in any way that matters and that I canât actually save shit with, bc I never really have any disposable income. Itâs just a fucking nightmare. How are yâall doing this with children??? How are yâall doing this with dependents and pets and car payments and student loans and credit card debt on top of a never ending series of American obligations?? How are yâall not losing your very minds living like this every day??? The math doesnât even add up. Logic doesnât even apply.
Thereâs nothing logical or fair about any of this. It doesnât even make systemic sense the way weâre charged damn near everything year-round to exist here. How are they incentivizing yâall to breed playing w our rights like this in our faces?? Itâs worth it to yâall? I could grind my teeth to nothing trying to make the vaguest sense of it. I feel so utterly squeezed by and ensnared in bills 24/7/365. And likeâŠâŠâŠâŠ in a wayâŠâŠ it kinda doesnât make declining birth rates seem so bad? This really might be for the best.
Tf we supposed to do, just work for other human beings all our lives? 8 billion of us?? What right do human beings have to demand such consistent energy from other human beings? đ Just to be a vessel by which others procure and sustain wealth via our underpaid and exhausted labor while we struggle to survive on meager resources? Doesnât seem sustainable. Or realistic. Or humane. Iâve never wanted to be here less. Iâve never wanted to not be needed so badly in my entire life. Iâm so fucking tired of being here.
#black tumblr#black twitter#mine.txt#blm#burnout#overworked#underpaid#american economy#minimum wage#livable wages#quiet quitting#quality of life#us discourse
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Zakspeed Capri RS2800 Turbo, 1982. One of 155 Capri models prepared under Ford's Motorsport Performance Vehicles Program by Erich Zakowski sold recently by Silverstone Auctions for ÂŁ64,688. The car had only 2 owners from new and has travelled 32,000 miles. The original plan was to build a special edition of 200 cars. The engine was based on a normally- aspirated, carburettor-equipped, 2.8-litre Cologne V6, Ford Granada (Europe) engine using electronic ignition, a Tuftrided crankshaft, heavy-duty head gaskets, HD oil pump, oil cooler, an RS exhaust, and a single Garrett T4 turbocharger providing 5.4 psi of boost resulting in 188bhp at 5500rpm. The cars came with widened Series-X bodywork, front and rear 'Ford Motorsport' badged spoilers, 7.5j four-spoke RS (Ronel) alloy wheels and were offered for 30,000 Deutschmarks (âŹ15,000).
auction listing
#Ford#Ford Capri#Zakspeed Capri RS2800 Turbo#special edition#limited edition#1982#widebody#auction#silverstone auctions#1980s#Zakspeed#Erich Zakowski
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2024 book post
I know I just answered a lot of book asks but, in the tradition of my 2023 book post, here are the best (lots!) and the worst (also lots!) books I read this year
READ THESE BOOKS:
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe - I spend a lot of time thinking about the past. Not my past per se but the invention of the past, the legacy of it, the traditions of memory, how we create the past, how we invoke it, how we justify it, how we transform it into now. That's what this book is really about, via taking a thorough look at the history, wreckage, and legacy of British Imperialism and the IRA on Northern Ireland. Let the dead rise up and speak.
We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and Half a Century of Silence by Becky Cooper - And what if the dead did rise up and speak? Would it matter? Or would we carry on inventing narratives about them to serve our purposes? This book is about the murder of an archaeology doctoral candidate at Harvard in the 1960s; this book is about how to define and interpret the past when the silence is your biggest archive, and the problems that lay within. I loved this book so much. It meanders--let it. I recommend the audiobook. Take a drive.
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - where are my disillusioned leftists exhausted by decades of in fighting and ever increasing political stakes? where are my organizers who rally around any cause? where are the people who go watch sports and come away thinking about concussions and race and the economy? where are the people who are seriously for real interested in abolition but want to know what we'll do with rapists and pedophiles and other people they think deserve to be or should be in prison? read this book.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai - razor sharp contemporary fiction taking a long, thorough look at true crime. God I have missed books like this--tightly plotted, detailed, using the past to look at the present and the present to look at the past, elegant subplots, an absolute unpredictable domino effect of wonderful sentence after wonderful sentence building into a crescendo. I also love this book taking the salacious appetite we have for true crime and applying them to a fictional narrative that feels so true to life and then turning around and taking the ethical misgivings we have about true crime and exploring that side of it. I also read Makkai's other book, The Great Believers, which is a book about memory and about the aids crisis, and it fucking slapped.
Murderbot series by Martha Wells - I get up, I go to work, I observe the horrors, I think about my favorite tv show to survive the horrors. I'm not an autistic Security android using my favorite space soap opera to get me through dangerous and boring missions investigating mysteries and almost certain death while protecting my friends, arguing with my girlfriend favored allied robot ship, and shoving my drones into people's faces to study their micro expressions but, well, we can't all be perfect. Anyway SecUnit is My Favorite and it should get to have more drones as a little treat.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room is your last meal. You know why you're here. We know why you're here. A man will die tonight. It is not the narrator, and that is the cruelest thing about it. David would rather die. But he will live, staring into the window, imagining the last moments of his beloved, and all the while living at a hands length beyond himself, as if removed, as if watching the scene. This is what it means to live in a society where survival means denying your ability to love and feel openly. You are devastated. You are bowled over by god's most perfect sentences. Why are you crying? We have only finished the first chapter. There are 200 pages to go.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters - if you like gorgeous prose; people being idiots you will none the less feel deep tenderness towards; drama queens; people trying to figure it out; messy relationships; gossiping with your bestie over brunch; looking back at your youth going jesus christ how did I not know?--read this book.
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törz - I just loved this so much. I just. I love lush hyper expressive very descriptive prose. I love beautiful details. I love beauty. I love fantasy and mysteries and painful families of origin. I love that everyone is bisexual. I love when magic is tied to blood, as in, you will bleed for it. I loved this book!!!! I am always happy to see fantasy get the MFA treatment!!!! You can tell this book was revised to within an inch of its life!!!!!
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - Aren't grizzly bears cute? Also they have been known to kill people, but seriously, so cute, right? I mean they can't kill everyone, just the stupid people, right? So if you're smart about it you're fine. It's fine. Seriously, it's fine. Why are you crying? Anyway this book is for: historical fiction girlies; aspiring screenplay writers; improv fans; lawyers; people who like to shop. I also read Bring Up the Bodies which was a great sequel except that [spoilers]
No Good Men Among the Living by Anand Gopal - this was an incredibly good narrative nonfiction examination of invasion of Afghanistan post 9/11 and how the US just bungled it in every single way possible. I was young when 9/11 happened so I didn't have a great understanding of our foreign policy but this does an amazing job of examining the conflict through the eyes of several people: a taliban commander, a US backed warlord, and a village housewife just trying to survive in the middle of things. God. This book haunts me. I think about it constantly. Gopal is fearless and an amazing writer.
Honorable mentions: Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson, which is about corporate greed, logging, and agent orange (didn't like the ending though), Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe (the tale of the family behind Purdue Pharma. Made my skin crawl.), Funny Story by Emily Henry (girl moves in with the ex of the girl her ex left her for. You'll never guess what happens next), The God of the Woods (girl from a wealthy family who already had one kid vanish vanishes at the summer camp they run. Pandemonium ensues), Starling House (southern gothic fantasy book, crazy good).
books that I didn't vibe with:
The Hunter by Tana French - this was so. Storygraph tells me I took something like 167 days to finish this book (audiobook). That is how bad this book was. Reviews are like omg well it's not a typical mystery but it's an amazing slow burn--NO. No it isn't. A murder mystery is one where the solving of the murder is the entire plot. That is the genre. That is the framework--the purpose--of the book. That is not what this is. And any moral complexity, any character depth, any of that is fucking gone from French's work. Where is the self assuredness of In the Woods? Where is the wrestling with ones conscience? Why is Marv Lavin, who is one of my favorite slippery guys, barely dodgy in this book? God what a disappointment! Fire the editor. Find a new genre. Move on.
Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - look I love Bardugo's work, I do, but the pacing issues are becoming impossible to ignore. It was very noticeable in Hellbent and it hit me in the face in this book. And then the deux ex machina at the end? I mean. Look. This just was not it. Beautiful details though. Very original magic system. There's a lot of good stuff here but structurally? No.
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas - *rubs temples* where to start? it's difficult to choose since it was 951 pages. This should have been 2 separate books. I just. 951 pages and I didn't even get elriel crumbs from the fucking cross over event of the SJM cinematic universe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway I read this, it's not good. There are so many arcs that could span multiple books shoved in here and compressed into one (1) single book. The problem with these very successful famous authors is that no one says no to them. It's troubling. Art has become content.
Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs - lmao. I have been reading this series since high school and that's why I read this. I think I'm done. That's how bad this was. I've never had a plot explained to me by the protagonist so thoroughly instead of getting to discover clues with the protagonist, which is how I thought a mystery was supposed to work. Apparently not.
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff - I've blogged about this book at length but basically on every single level this was a no for me, and so over hyped
Graveyard of the Pacific + The Man They Wanted Me to Be - two books that supposedly examined toxic masculinity but were actually just memoirs about dudes mixed in with other stuff. For the first book it was the history of the mouth of the columbia river, for the second book it was the trump presidency. Anyway.
okay!!! I also reread the entire Kate Daniels series + all spin offs this year and all Emily Henry Books and started a lot of audiobooks I couldn't focus on because I was having medical issues. What a weird uneven year. Let's do better in 2025.
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quality time with the hq!! boys
a/n: hellloooo and welcome back to the love language series! other parts can be found in the series masterlist, physical touch was at 450 words and counting??? like holy shit yâall and then acts of service is like 2 away from 200. Iâm literally blown away so hereâs quality time!
up next is words of affirmation!
akaashi â
cafe dates, going to a new bookstore together, studying for an upcoming exam at the library. any miscellaneous task he could complete by himself is improved when he has you by his side. if youâre a more extroverted person, heâs happy to go with you to the park, or a game, but loves the tiny moments in between when youâre having dinner together or walking hand in hand after school.
kunimi â
loves to walk with you whether itâs because there is somewhere to be or just to enjoy each others company. to school, from school, after practice, before practice, early morning or late at night, he enjoys your presence. nap dates are a must. he enjoys getting snacks with you after school when he doesnât have practice and going back to his place together after games even though heâs exhausted. loves getting a meal with you if he can during the weekends, but if not itâs cool! heâs literally just down to do whatever with you.
lev â
your own personal leech. he just always wants to be around you. will understand if you need your space, but if you donât then expect him there. loves to train with you, and do your homework together even if itâs you tutoring him. he once jokingly only replied to you for a day in Russian after you scolded him for cursing and it became a thing. he started teaching you it as a joke but now loves the way he can speak with you in either language. likes to go to games together whether it be one heâs playing in or another teams. invites you over for family dinners, especially once youâre more fluent and is starry eyed the whole night watching you converse with his loved ones.
semi â
generally just LOVES being around you. likes to sit beside you at lunch even if it cuts down his lunch time to go find your class. always uses studying or homework as an excuse to spend extra time with you. calls even when your both busy or having a rough day and wonât say anything but just be there in silent support. will always FaceTime when he isnt with you and before a game. studying with you is one of his favorite pastimes, and heâs typically more productive during it as he always ends up thinking of what you guys could do together afterwards making him work quickly. like I said, just generally loves hanging out with you, no matter what, when, where, why, or how. heâs down.
hanamaki â
your built in best friend, whether it be teasing oikawa at lunch together, gaming on the weekends, or taking naps together after practice he is all for it. will take any and every excuse to hang out with you. he has to run an errand? suddenly a two person job. you came over to study? well that was exhausting so now you both just have to take a nap and YIKES that took a long time so I guess you need to stay for dinner too. will then walk you back home after. heâs both super low key about it and not, literally loves having you around. makes long days spent together seem like an accident due to bad planning, but itâs actually the opposite which you figure out quickly after the sixth time itâs happened.
do not copy, claim, or repost my works as per @sleepyomi
#haikyuu headcanons#haikyuu x reader#hq!!#haikyuu!!#akaashi keiji#hanamaki takahiro#kunimi akira#lev haiba#semi eita#akaashi x reader#hanamaki x reader#kunimi x reader#lev x reader#semi x reader
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Iâm not sure if itâs a good time to ask this, but after seeing @mrultra100âs post about the matter, what was your history with the Dr. Crafty show? And what kind of history did you have with the creator?
Ah, I see folks are talking about the whole mess on here now too? (As an important sidenote: I talked about it in length on my Twitter, but I privated my account and don't plan on ever using it again.)
For those who don't know, this is in reference to the Youtuber and VTuber that went by the alias "Dr. Crafty", also known as Alexander "Alex" Tansley.
The short of it is that I used to work for him for around two years and thought of him as a friend - until I reached the point of realizing that something was very wrong with having the man close to myself and my friends.
Basically, after making some fanart of some of the characters from his show, Crafty and I got in contact and it became what I thought was a fun friendship that developed throughout the months. Now I know better and I know he has a pattern of "befriending" people to get things out of them.
Around the end of 2018 I brought up that I'd be happy to help out with his show if he ever needed help⊠and that lead to me creating all of the "Questionable Qloset" tarot cards. (Which he put up on his Red Bubble without asking me. If there was ever money made with them, I never saw a cut.)
I was not doing well mentally at the time at all, hell, I worked on the tarot cards while being in medical rehab and he still was pushy for me to finish them way earlier than we had agreed on. But at this point I am not surprised that he took avantage of my less than great mental state. It seems to be a pattern for him, having read several testimonies.
That work unfortunately also lead to me being one of the absolutely overworked employees during the creation of the "I Need A Hero Academia" finale for his show. I was tasked to colour, shade and add effects to the storyline bits of one full episode of that three-part finale, and some bits in the third episode, along with coloring two short animations. Close to 200 illustrations coloured. 90 bucks for all of that work. And burned out at the end of it all. A nightmare.
I also was responsible for designing the Infinia Relics and big villain at the end of the series, but aside from one glimpse of her, that design mostly remained unused.
Along with that I was also partially responsible for the core idea behind "Shakeup Saloon", as I had the idea for the host character - but Crafty took my idea and warped it into something almost unreconizable. He also never credited the person who gave him the idea for the show itself in the first place, Nero (of "ToonGrin"), one of his editiors at the time.
In general, Crafty hated crediting us for all the work we did to make his shows a reality. I had to beg for myself and my co-worker Zaz (who did the lineart I colored) in the finale to be even credited in the last video of the three parter. We didn't even get credited on the video we did the most work on.
So⊠in general, looking back it was an exhausting work experience.
My personal gripes with him mirror the behavior you might've heard from a multitude of folks on Twitter last month.
Unwanted pushing to do NSFW rp (and me telling him off multiple times, but he would try again multiple times) and trying to do the same with anyone he perceived as female in my private discord server. If you were AFAB, he'd try to slide into your DMs, basically. Which also goes hand in hand with him completely disreguarding that I am a trans man and drawing me with an hour glass figure and needing to be reminded to not draw me with massive tits. It just felt like if he percieved you as a women, he'd use you for his own entertainment as he saw fit. It just took me too long to realize that. Still, I managed to completely cut contact with him in 2020.
All in all, Crafty was a shitty boss and a creep who pretended to be my friend. And that's all I'll say on that matter on here.
Don't waste your energy on thinking about Crafty. Support his victims and let them heal.
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