#4 nations is for flirting

[ratatatastic]

welcome to the highly anticipated response to "chip it into forsy's corner" that is "chucky's a funny guy 😊😊 (refuses to elaborate whatsoever)"

this just in kitties (reino) excited to get the nuclear codes turned on them because they are freaks more news at 11

[sirfrogthe3rd]

"If an artist falls in love with you, you can never die."

[capquinn]

quinn’s effect on journalists during media availability is so funny to me. his refusal to crack a smile and the cold hard stare has them nervously apologising for asking questions like that isn’t their entire job??? oh quinn!

[buddierecs]

fake dating buddie fics

all mature rating!!! make sure to kudos/comment on these amazing works :)

keeping score by: arcanaphora "after getting dumped, buck is left with two tickets to a weeklong cruise. eddie steps in to support a friend in need, but complications arise when his friend becomes his fake husband. all's fair in love, war, and trivia" word count: 23k important tags: cruise ships, fake marriage, mutual pining, gay disaster!eddie diaz, first kiss, making out 'cause we belong together now by: smilingbuckley "on a call, buck and eddie meet an adorable little girl that they fall in love with and want to adopt. the only problem? they're not together romantically..." word count: 68k important tags: kid fic, marriage of convenience, slow burn, friends to lovers, getting together, soft!buddie, miscommunication burn the straw house down by: rarakiplin "buck gets stuck in time, has a break down and then, relatedly, a break through" word count: 40k important tags: time loop, angst, car accidents, happy ending all i can see (is you) by: trippedandfell "buck and eddie agree to fake date to win a reality tv show. it goes... well, pretty much exactly how you'd expect." word count: 21k important tags: reality show au, mutual pining, idiots in love, only one bed, gay disaster!eddie diaz for a holiday (and forevermore) by: wikiangela "eddie's sick of personal, intrusive questions about his love life whenever he visits his family, so he starts bringing buck for the holidays as his (fake) boyfriend. he only wants to shut them up, and doesn't expect that the small crush he has on his best friend could actually turn into something more..." word count: 94k important tags: slow burn, friends to lovers, sharing a bed, pre-relationship, soft!buddie, family feels, fluff, pining little lies by: david3096 "chris tells a lie at school and now eddie and buck must give a talk about love and work pretending to be fiances." word count: 62k important tags: idiots in love, mutual pining, christopher diaz is a national treasure, fluff you and tequila make me crazy by: cranberrymoons "in which buck and eddie lose chimney because they're drunk and horny" word count: 1.5k important tags: drunken flirting, season 7, sexual tension, pre-relationship fireflies where my caution should be by: littlesnowpea ".....“there are people on the porch,” eddie says, voice even. “saying they want to meet their grandchild.”" word count: 13k important tags: TW: past child abuse, fake marriage, hurt!evan buckley, emotional hurt/comfort, self-esteem issues, protective!eddie diaz what if i fall in love backwards by: redridingstiles "five times buck and eddie saved each other by pretending to be together and the one time christopher helps" word count: 9.8k important tags: 5+1 things, best friends, protective!buddie, teasing, homophobia, marriage proposal i'd never let you fall and break your heart by: autistic_nightfury "four times buck and eddie pretended to be in a relationship so people wouldn't bother them, and the one time they actually were together" word count: 5.8k important tags: 4+1 things, friends to lovers, holding hands, forehead kissies, getting together, mild smut

[cottonlemonade]

Hiii!! I want to send a request but before that ofc i first want to say how i love your works, love how there's another writer for us chubby readers and espc in haikyuu☹️🫂🗣️🫶🏼 i hope you continue to grace us💘🩷

and off to my request if you will 🙇🏽‍♀️ thank you!!!!

for issei, a large *to* medium green apple with a slice of lemon😁

The Coziness Of Storagerooms

word count: 882 || avg. reading time: 4 mins.

pairing: post-time skip!Issei Matsukawa x chubby!Reader

genre: fluff-ish smut

warnings: mdni, nsfw, swearing, also spoilers

request: fluffy-spicy, jealous boyfriend Mattsun

Was he jealous? Absolutely not. Would he shoot the Argentinian captain to the moon or feed him to a business of ferrets when he touched your arm like that to ensure a slow and miserable death? In a heartbeat.

The Seijoh 4 were attending a small benefit gala upon invitation of their former captain. Oikawa and the Argentinian national team were currently in Japan for a tournament and would spend their time greasing palms of potential investors and, theoretically, Issei had been looking forward to tonight - hanging out with his friends in a fancy suit, having good food and most importantly, getting to show you off to absolutely anyone with eyes. When he picked you up earlier he had spent a full five minutes taking pictures of you from every angle, all stunning in your evening gown, perfectly wrapping around your generous curves. If it wouldn‘t have been for Oikawa, he honestly would have just stayed in and ravished you in that dress. Unfortunately (although not surprisingly), you caught the eyes of one of Oikawa‘s teammates and the tall handsome man had been glued to your side ever since. And because his girlfriend was completely oblivious to his advances, you simply laughed along and took his flirting for simple curiosity. Issei really didn‘t want to be that guy that got all macho and marked his territory but… the alternative was watching his gorgeous girl being charmed at the buffet by some other guy and not even realizing it! He shouldn‘t stoop this low. He shouldn‘t turn into some kind of caveman and drag you away. You were strong and smart and could look after yours- did he just touch your ass?! Okay, fuck this, caveman it would have to be.

“Found you.“, a deep familiar voice said behind you. You sighed in relief. That guy was getting way too close for your liking. You turned to Issei, gratefully linking your arm with his.

“You wanna go get some fresh air, baby?“ With a small polite nod to the Argentinian captain you let your boyfriend lead you away.

“Thank you.“, you let out when you exited the large gala hall. You hadn‘t even noticed how stuffy it was in there. Wanting to veer right towards the big glass doors into the venue‘s courtyard you were surprised when Issei instead pulled you to the left and down a corridor.

“Where are you going?“, you laughed, trying to keep up with his long strides while in heels, but the arm around your hips kept you steady.

Issei opened a door here and there until, “Ah, now this looks cozy.“

It was a storage room for extra chairs and tables. Only a bit of moonlight trickled through a small rectangular window near the ceiling, barely illuminating the room enough to make out more than shapes.

“Gee, I wonder what you want to do here.”, you chuckled and let him lift you onto one of the tables.

Trapped between his strong arms on either side of you, you hummed happily when his lips found yours. For a while he only kissed you, getting needier not long after you started.

“Lay back.”, he panted, holding the back of your head so you wouldn’t hurt yourself.

Seeing you all pretty on the table like that fried the last few rational thoughts that were trying to get his attention.

Issei walked to the end of the table and slowly pushed up your dress, disappointed that the dim silvery light didn’t allow him to fully appreciate your panties. But he did grin when his large hand wandered up your thigh and he felt how wet you were for him.

“Mmh, look at you. How perfect you are, babygirl.”

You seemed to expect him to simply pull the fabric aside but he had other plans. After regaining some sense of reality he stopped squeezing your thighs and hooked his fingers into the band of your panties, pulling them off completely.

“Babe, what are you… ah… you can’t just…”, you moaned.

“Why? You don’t need them.”, Issei said calmly, tucking your underwear into his pocket. He pulled you closer to him, leaned down and began to devour you. There was no teasing, no build up, he just. needed. to taste you.

“Ah… oh my god… nghh, ah! Issei! Yes! Oh my god, don’t stop!” The high pitched pleas from your lips made him grip you tighter, his strong fingers digging into your flesh as his tongue pushed and played and flicked every inch of your pussy he could have at once. You reached down to grab his hair, pulling him even closer and he was pretty sure he could die of happiness right now.

With his relentless stimulation it didn’t take long until you came over his tongue. He greedily lapped up everything you gave him, giving your swollen clit a couple more harsh sucks, before standing up.

“Is it okay if I fuck you, baby?”, he asked, still entirely drunk on you.

Issei could just make out that you gave a little nod.

“Use your words.”, he groaned, lifting your ankle to his lips to give it a kiss.

“Yes, please… please fuck me. I need you.”, you managed to breathe out in a desperate whisper.

“Thank you, princess.”

a/n: thank you for the request and your kind words! Y’all are being so cute 🥹✨ this one also got a bit away from me 😂 please enjoy!

[calderacitylovers]

Zutara SlowBurn FanFiction: Personal Favs, part II

·        DESTINY IS A FUNNY THING by Megara Pike | Published: 2020-08-21 | 198K Words | 45 Chapters

ATLA Season 3 rewrite, fills in a lot of blanks between canon scenes. From the Southern Raiders to Sozin's Comet through coronation and aftermath. Growing friendships, bonding, being there for each other, a carnival & a cave, epic spirits' appearance on the Ember island, sparring, nightmares, assassination attempts, political ruses, and covert operations. Lovely, sweet. Exciting plot.

 ·        ATLA Book 4: Ashes by elayne_cypher | Published: 2018-10-27 | 306K words | 34 Chapters

This action-packed story picks up right after Ember Island Players and continues well after the war. Zuko is facing many challenges as a new Fire Lord. Romance, tough decisions, rebels, traitors, out-of-body experiences, secret headquarters, angst, teamwork, fire jets. The story has a bunch of OCs.

 ·        Refraction by caroes3725  | Published: 2020-09-09 | 215K Words | 37 Chapters

After breaking up with Aang, Katara needs to figure out her place and role in the patriarchal world. As determined Katara stubbornly bulldozes her way through Fire Nation political scene, her feelings for Zuko grow. Diplomatic visits, Gaang reunion, bonding with Kanna, insights into the life of Caldera city, stuffy politicians, cute correspondence, tropical storm, women supporting women, assassination attempts, personal boundaries. A sweet well-written coming-of-age story with a healthy measure of slow-burn and mutual pining. Katara and Zuko are both POVs, but the story mostly follows Katara. Bonus: Mai is NOT a clingy resentful idiot, but a smart person and a good friend. Some explicit language here and there, a bit of mild smut.

 ·        I Asked You First by halfhoursonearth | Published: 2020-10-03 | 142K words | 22/? Chapters

Ongoing, incomplete. Post Southern Raiders ATLAS3 rewrite. Mostly canon-compliant with blanks filled in between familiar scenes. Zuko and Katara develop a close friendship built on trust and sharing each other’s fears and hopes. Includes mentions of implied child abuse, Lu Ten’s diaries, exploring Avatar Roku’s legacy, sharing a balcony, heart-to-hearts, a hot spring under the stars, an actual date, and artbending. It’s incomplete, but what we have is bliss. Slowburn, mutual pining. Zutara-centric, but also explores the personalities of Team Avatar and their relationships.

 ·        Katara Alone by cablesscutie | Published: 2020-05-31 | 21K words

Katara is not an “unnecessary accessory to a more powerful man”. After the war, she is willing to forge her own path as she turns to people who need her the most on her journey of self-discovery. Features character exploration, correspondence, exploring outback villages of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, sweet reunions, and new firebending skills.

 ·        THE PHOENIX AND THE DRAGON - THE COMPLETE SERIES by JasmineTeaLatte | Published: 2021-06-11 | 100K words | 31 Chapters

This story picks up after The Ember Island Players. Zuko and Katara get to know each other during a late-night conversation by the campfire. In this story, you will find healthy boundaries, protective Sokka, a dash of Taang, sparring, funny banter & lots of flirting.

·        HESITATE by tiffaniesblews | Published: 2020-07-11 | 22K Words | 12 Chapters

This story picks up right after Zuko's coronation and spans two years afterwards. Zuko & Katara talk, share a few beautiful moments, write to each other, and reunite for the 2nd anniversary of the war ending. Very sweet, fluffy story about two sweethearts figuring out their feelings for each other.

·        LIKE WE'RE MADE OF STARLIGHT by Naladot | Published: 2021-11-28 | 5K Words

Katara leaves her post as the ambassador to the Fire Nation to take up a new one as the ambassador to the Northern Water Tribe. Her absence makes Zuko realize that he's got an unfortunate crush, which he is determined to keep secret. Unfortunately for him, subtly has never been one of his strengths—especially when he arrives in the Northern Water Tribe and she keeps taking him on what seem to be dates.

·        FIGURE IT OUT by clearascountryair | Published: 2021-12-20 | 35K words | 13 Chapters

After choosing not to kill Yon Rha, Katara rethinks her sense of self and others' perceptions of her. Or,    In which Katara learns that there’s a really big difference between being kissed when you don’t want to be and being kissed when you do. Aged-up 3B/Ember Island AU.

-  I FOUND YOU by that_turtleduck | Published: 2020-11-01 Completed: 2024-02-24 Words: 157,541 Chapters: 28/28

After divorcing Aang, Katara uproots her family and travels to Caldera. There she finds comfort, kindness and support from an old friend. Katara tries to find her footing as an independent political figure. Great story & relationship dynamic of Momtara & Dadko in their early 30s (Ember island, diplomatic meeting, dancing, turtleduck pond, letters). Delicious slow burn with rewarding spicy resolution in the end (explicit open door). Titters on the side of Anti-Aang.

Here’s a link to Part I of my personal favorites.

Here’s a link to Wholesome Zutara Short Stories.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm DELIGHTED by so much goodness, also I lust after a boy's robot's pants

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2024 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 11 of 12 - I support the fact that the producers seem to have decided that even in uniform Yai never needs to wear sleeves. Hear hear.

No sleeves for Yai ever again!

On the other hand, why doesn’t anyone ever wear gloves? Going around touching evidence all willy nilly like that.

No to sleeves. Yes to gloves.

People. Sheesh. Get with the program.

Anygay, this is such a fun show. I could watch 50 episodes of this abject nonsense. I’m sad it’s gonna be ending. And I don’t say that often about Thai BL. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 12 of 14 - Oh has Jeff been kidnapped again? Here, let's throw fruit at Babe and think about it for a bit. Tra la la. Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 9 of 12 - They are such very good boyfriends. Also, this is a ton of kissing for OffGun. I’m at a loss as to how they are going to turn this into a decent 12 ep show. Unfortunately, I’ve foresee it going off the rails - pacing seems off. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - We have our little No Comebacks twist. The sides are growing on me, but now the mains are boring me. The sudden gun-toting new characters are just weird. It’s like they took the script and just threw it down a staircase, gathered it back up again, then filmed that. 

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 1 of 12 - Fueang is an actor in the midst of crisis and scandal. Normally I don’t like Thai BL when it’s tackles celebrity and this is... yep, the same. Our actor is pitted against an older worried nerdy app developer, Krom. And I feel that dynamic - hyung romance, jock/nerd? Very nice. But it’s also very Star Hunter. Never met a trope they didn’t wanna do a million times over - in the very first episode. Also I think I’m not a fan of the actor playing the lead. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 24fin - The blond who comes to get his hair shaved looks just like Fluke T (SOTUS et al). And even more like him after the shaving (My Bromance et al). Is that him? MDL doesn't say.

Anygay... something something: Orphan. Cancer. Kisses. Dream. Death. 'Bout what I expected. 2/10 even with a decent kiss I don’t do dream sequences and I don’t like death in my BL 

All in all, I’m relieved that that’s over. The series is a slog. And in general I don’t recommend it. I plan to promptly forget its entire existence. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) eps 3-4 of 8 - There is so much to adore about this show. The two younger guys who are suddenly in competition for the one older one. You know hyung romances are my favs. A hyung love triangle? COME ON. Also, I got to say this one’s giving me second lead syndrome. I do love me a brat. Add in all this on honorific play and linguistic flirting (as their should be in age gap). This is just THE BEST show. 

Look I gotta say this: the "Who did this to you?" trope (AKA who hurt you?) is the single most popular romance trope right now, remarkable to see it turn up in a BL. And pleasing. Trust Korea to be ON TREND. It's their national agenda. *respect*

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) eps 1-2 of 6 - From Fuji TV (who brought us the Pornographer series) adapted from Mayo Tsurakame’s manga, production team includes Tadaaki Horai (My Love Mix-Up!) and Takeshi Miyamoto (scriptwriter for Old Fashion Cupcake). Hiro’s so stressed at work he barely has time to eat so he passes out on the sidewalk. An unfamiliar face saves him and insists that they once promised to marry each other.

Ready?

Oh I fucking love it. Sullen, out gay, younger seme with serious grumpy overprotective tendencies and beautiful possessive cat eyes? Well, it’s not dimples, but it’s still my catnip. Also they are moving very quickly. Hand jobs already? + dub con seasoning? Say it with me everyone:

Oh Japan, must you? 

Apparently, you must. And I must enjoy it. Carry on.

Please reread those producer creds and understand what we are in for. Okay? I would urge you to avoid this one if you get squeamish when JBL does what... JBL does.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) eps 1-2 of 10 - I really enjoy the character of an OCD intellectual automaton professor, contrasted to a warm and sunshine actual robot. Out the gate, this is oozing Taiwanese domesticity, we can only hope they juice it with their usual standard of heat too. 

All puns aside: It’s charming and I’m charmed. Does Taiwan finally have another winner on its hands?

I do adore Taiwan's aesthetics: The house designs, the suit designs, the human designs. I wouldn't say no to the robot’s pants either. Very cool. Can I order them in black?

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - The birthday confession was a bit much. But I love how mature the reactions were. It reminded me a little bit of I Cannot Reach You. Always a good thing. 

Girl: I like you. 

Sakae: sorry, not intersted 

Girl: what am I lacking? 

Sakae: a dick 

What you mean it didn’t go that way?

Happy Ending (Korea Tues YT) 2 of 3 - Oh it’s lovely, exactly as I expect from Strongberry.

I gotta say all of the above are pretty neck & neck for top spots for entirely different reasons. BL is seriously giving right now!

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 8fin - In the end this is mostly a piece about courage, and the rewards and disappointments that being courageous entails. Sadly, I personally didn’t have the courage to enjoy it. Featuring a chaos nugget bad boy student who falls madly in love with his teacher, this should’ve been My Thing. But Japan failed me. It happens sometimes. The leads had no chemistry, and the age gap rather than being a narrative driver and source of conflict, was just ignored. 7/10 

It's Done

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone got a link?

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - Is TRUST Entertainment bringing us the first ever Burmese BL? I don't know if it's really the first, but @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch through.

The Whisperer (Thai Horror) - @all-you-had-to-do-was-neigh commented with the following: "MASSIVE content warning for extreme ableism, homophobia, and rape plots done for shock value. I don't recommend it, and if any of your followers decide to watch it proceed with caution."

So... yeah, I won't be watching it.

It's Airing But...

[NO INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 12 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) 12 eps - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Still Coming in Feb

2/17 A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - Khonprot, a third-year head hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through many girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks maybe a boy has a chance.

2/24 Unknown (Taiwan Youku) 12 eps - Older brother tough guy criminal breadwinner looks after his sister and defacto adopted little brother. Little bother falls in love with him and is sent away after a stolen kiss. But when he comes back…

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

GMMTV is officially stalking me.

I do love OffGun's particular brand of domesticity. It's fun that they and TayNew are both getting to be so soft on our screens. It's very comforting, like a family favorite warm toddy. (Cooking Crush)

Korea, what's gotten into you? Are you feeling okay? Such bold weaponized gayness isn't like you at all. (Love for Love's Sake)

The Sign, forcing me to ask the eternal question.

I LOVES THEM YOUR HONOR. (Pit Babe)

(Last week)

[queer-dinos]

Some marauders headcanons;

Remus is tallest, he’s 6’2

James is 5’10-5’11

Regulus is 5’7

Sirius is 5’6

Lily is 5’5

Peter is 5’2

- Lily makes a habit of keeping chocolate in her bag, both for herself and Remus

- Lily’s period actually syncs with the full moon (our most even-keeled members becoming moody messes together every month)

- Lily was originally friends with Remus and Remus only, it took her years to warm up to the Marauders

- Lily is the first person Remus comes out to. She’s his safe space

- Lily and Remus refuse to do chores magically. It drives their pure-blooded boyfriends insane

- Remus likes to take Sirius to muggle record shops. Sirius loves Queen and AC/DC

- one day, Sirius and Regulus decide to switch uniforms for fun. By the end of the day the marauders have managed to convince half the school that Sirius had always been Slytherin and that Regulus had always been Gryffindor. it gets even better when they can easily switch quidditch uniforms as well, as both simply say ‘BLACK’ on the back

- Lily’s last name is actually Evans-Potter, but no one outside of the marauders and Minerva McGonnagal really acknowledges that.

- Jily and Wolfstar buy flats next door to each other. It’s not uncommon to find Sirius and James sleeping on the couch at Chez-Wolfstar, or Remus and Lily having tea in the kitchen of the Evans-Potter house on early mornings.

- Regulus has his own room in Chez-Wolfstar

Ethnicities/Nationalities:

- Sirius and Regulus are French. They’re both fully bilingual and often have conversations completely in French for privacy purposes. Sirius likes to flirt with Remus in French

- Remus is Welsh on his mum’s side, and Polish on his dad’s

- James is 1/2 Indian from his dad’s side, but the Potters had lived in the UK for at least 3 generations before James was born. His mother is British

- Lily is Irish and Dutch, with a little bit of German and French in there too. Her family has lived in Britain for two generations before Lily

- Peter is 1/4 Belgian and 3/4 Dutch

-Lily spent years teaching herself BSL, and taught basic signs to the Marauders

- James is super ADHD

^^^so are the Black brothers, just less severe

- Sirius has severe trauma/PTSD from his parents. There are times where he hides in his bed for 2-3 days. He’s sensitive to loud noises

-Regulus, however, hates silence. It reminds him too much of the times he had to magically soundproof his bedroom when Sirius and their parents got into screaming matches, or worse, to cancel out Sirius’ screams and cries as their mother tortured him

-Sirius and Regulus have tattoos of their constellations

Sexualities/Pronouns:

- James: pan, he/him

- Sirius: gay, he/they

- Regulus: bi, they/he

- Remus: bi, he/him

- Peter: aro/ace, he/him (doesn’t mind they/them tho)

- Lily: pan, she/they

[durrtydawg]

The Sadir Inheritance

{Sam Drake x F!Reader} Chapter 7 | 'You up for a little spelunkin'?'

masterlist ✨

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 8

A nice chunky chapter for you, set slap-bang in the middle of Umm ar-Rasas.

CW: blood mention, bad language, mysterious goings on etc, etc.

Word count: 5k-ish. I promise they won't continue to be this long x

“You know,” Sam says, turning back to the jeep as he watches her lean against the hood, scrawling something into her notebook, “if this place doesn’t pan out, at least we’ve got that relic to fall back on.” He points at the pen in her hand, the corner of his mouth lifting in a teasing grin.

She looks down at the biro, instinctively brushing a thumb over its chewed-up barrel. “What, this?”

“Yes, that.” Sam deadpans. “Could fetch a fortune at Sotheby’s.”

“Oh, sure,” she shoots back, flipping to another page. “And if I frame your scowl next to it, we might even make the front page of National Geographic.”

Sam snorts, shaking his head. Hilarious. She’s quick. Too quick, sometimes.

The stars are out now, sharp pinpricks of light cutting through the deepening navy sky. Sam leans back against the passenger door, finishing off a cigarette, letting his eyes wander upward for a brief moment. The quiet vastness of it was the same as always - familiar, humbling. A way to ground him no matter where he is in the world.

He could still see her grinning at him across the car hire counter, the corners of her mouth tilting in that defiant way she had when she knew she was about to win an argument.

“Now or never,” she’d said, scribbling her signature on the insurance forms. She hadn’t even looked up when Sam had muttered about her lack of experience with left-hand drive cars, though the knowing twitch of her eyebrow told him she’d heard every word.

It had been a pointless debate, of course. She got her way, as usual, and Sam - begrudgingly - let it slide. Something about the sheer confidence of her felt immovable sometimes, and hell, it was getting harder to argue with that kind of enthusiasm.

They hadn't planned to come here until tomorrow, but after Petra's dead ends and an hour or two of thumb-twiddling back at the hotel, waiting around for the next day felt pointless.

Now or never, indeed.

His lips twitched, but before the thought could settle into anything softer, Scott’s voice yanked him back to the present.

“Flirting” was all he caught at first, and his head snapped toward the younger man, crouched near a crumbled pillar, smirk firmly in place. “You two done flirting,” Scott repeated, louder this time, “or do I need to come back later?”

Sam didn’t even have to look to know she was rolling her eyes, probably already armed with some sharp comeback. Shaking his head, he forces himself to focus on the ruins and not the way her laugh carries. He clears his throat, stubbing out the cigarette on the scuffed wheel trim.

“I can flirt with you if you want, Scott?” Sam retorts, barely missing a beat - much easier to play it cool whilst deflecting. His grin lingers as she shakes her head and flips through her notes.

The stars above remained steady, and unbothered. If only Sam could say the same about himself.

“Focus, gentlemen,” she says, shifting the subject back to their search, “There’s supposed to be an entrance here - at the east of the site. Something that goes underground. Maybe a stairwell, or-”

“Or a cleverly hidden trapdoor,” Sam interjects with a teasing squint. “Right next to the neon X marks the spot.”

“You’d know all about finding those, wouldn’t you, Captain Smart-arse?”

Before he can shoot back, she’s already on the move, her attention snapped up by a cluster of crumbling walls partially swallowed by dried out shrubbery.

“I’ll check over there. You two keep looking around here.”

“You sure you want to go solo?” Sam asks, his tone only half-joking. “Wouldn’t want you hogging all the treasure.”

His eyes narrow as she flashes a quick grin in his direction - the kind that’s starting to feel like a fist to the gut. Knock it off. “Thought this was a dead lead.”

As she skips off, notebook tucked under her arm, Sam watches her go for a moment longer than necessary. Scott clears his throat, shooting him a knowing look.

“What?” Sam mutters, voice clipped as he turns back toward the ruins. He doesn’t need Scott of all people reading into this. Even if the faint flush creeping up his neck betrays him.

Scott quickens his pace with an easy smirk, catching up to help her pull aside the wispy branches obscuring part of the ruins. Sam feels something twist in his chest. His jaw tightens. Task in hand.

He scans the area with a practised eye, approaching the others, before circling around to investigate the other side of the overgrown shrubbery. Just past the dense foliage, he spots a narrow gap in the crumbling wall. It’s clearer, more accessible, and immediately promising. Finally, something to work with.

“Hey, you two,” he calls out, motioning for them to join him. “Found a way in.”

Scott, of course, decides to take the plunge into the unknown first, the cocky ease in which he slides in grating on Sam more than it should as he shines his flashlight down into the gap. He’s half tempted to switch it off as the younger man finds his footing.

“It’s clear! Come on down!”

Sam lingers by the opening, hooking his torch securely onto his belt loops, glancing over his shoulder at her.

His lips quirk into a grin as he teases, “You up for a little spelunkin'?”

She steps closer, her notebook tucked under her arm. “Is that a euphemism?” She smirks, before throwing her bag, then herself through the gap.

Sam takes a look behind him, mouth twisted into a self-deprecating grimace for a moment, before he follows them in.

The narrow passage is quiet, save for the faint shuffle of their footsteps against the worn stone. Sam’s flashlight flickers briefly, then steadies, illuminating walls etched with faint carvings. Some numbers, some characters, Scott snapping photos as they go.

They walk for a while, wandering their way through narrow tunnels, dug purposefully - though they’re struggling to find anything specific so far.

“Hang on,” she calls, skidding to a stop. Her voice echoes faintly in the confined space.

Sam halts, turning back with a curious frown. “What is it?”

She points to a narrow staircase branching off to the left, partially hidden by a jut of stone. “Stairs.”

Sam’s expression hardens slightly, his protective instincts flaring… but as Scott looks at him expectantly, most likely waiting to unleash another smart remark that Sam’s not in the mood to tolerate, he doesn’t stop her. So, he nods.

“Be careful, alright? We’ll check out this room and be down in a minute.”

With a nod, she descends into the darkness, leaving the faint glow of Sam’s flashlight behind.

As she disappears down the stairs, Sam feels himself hesitate for a second, staring into the dark before Scott’s voice snaps him back.

“She’ll be fine, y’know.”

Sam grunts, his focus already shifting back to the carvings. Fine or not, he’s sticking close.

//

The descent feels endless as you make your way down the narrow, steep flight of stairs, your free hand skimming the uneven wall for balance whilst your other tightens its grip around your phone.

The air grows colder, more biting, each step stripping away layer after layer of humid heat lingering above ground.

You reach the bottom and pause at the threshold, fingers pressed into the rough sandstone as you survey the space ahead of you.

Shadows stretch long across the sandy stone walls, shifting in the beam of your phone’s light, and you watch them recoil and reform as you tilt the light.

Hmm.

You hop down the last step, gingerly unhooking your backpack from your shoulder. You pull out your notebook and rummage around for your signature biro, tossing the bag aside as you bite off the pen’s lid.

You flick to the next empty page and write:

Little cavern: ⚝ What is it for? ⚝ Any connection to TSI? ⚝ Bedouin warnings: oooo, ‘tragedy’, ohOooo, ‘whispering walls’, whatever that means.

It’s different down here - colder, darker, and heavy with an eerie sort of stillness. It excites you. Cools you down too, thank God. So you move further in. It’s some sort of burial chamber, you think. Small. There’s a small alcove - a shelf, for a shrine of sorts, perhaps?

The harsh light from your phone reveals weathered stone. Some kind of vessel - a sarcophagus of some type, you think. Plain, bar from a few engravings here and there, but unmistakably meaningful.

You hum in thought, chewing the pen lid. You teeter clumsily as you lean the open book against your thigh, holding your phone just high enough so you can see what you're writing.

⚝ What’s it for? ✔ I’m 92% certain it’s a mausoleum.

The distant murmur of Sam and Scott’s voices fades with each letter you scribble down, until all that surrounds you is quiet. You close your notebook, using the pen as a bookmark, placing it on top of your backpack.

You let out an anticipatory exhale as a tightness sets off in your chest - slight anxiety (you’re alone, eager to impress etc, etc), yes, but also excitement. The secret optimism of finding something and being able to say you got there first.

This place might not have anything to do with Emaan. But you’re eager to find something that quashes your doubts. More eager to stick a cheeky middle finger up at Sam and tell him ‘I told you so’. Anything to see him fumble for words. It’s cute when he fumbles.

Fuck, you want to find something here - you want to show S- show them that they were right to take you on this trip.

It’s neat, this small room. As though the design has been carefully thought out, despite the sandy veneer adding a rusty tint to it all.

And that’s… odd, right? Given that this place is so secluded. And unassuming. Just like any old cavernous ruins out in the open.

You lean in closer, running your fingertips over the engravings along the lid of the sarcophagus.

There’s a plaque affixed to the stone lid - the script is slightly worn, but you can tell it was done with careful craftsmanship that probably wasn’t cheap. Though the words are foreign to you, the arrangement of them - carefully etched - is enough to give you pause.

You brush off a claggy layer of sand and tilt your phone, bending over the stone to get a closer look.

The layout of the room, the casket’s reverent placement, the beautiful tiles lining the floor - the overall disparity between care and intricacy versus the secludedness and complete lack of grandeur of the exterior location… it all sets off a spiralling of questions in your head. Who built this? Who, or what was it made for? Why here?

You lean closer still, letting the light skim across the old inscription. The Arabic characters are faint, softly eroded by coarse sand over time. Totally illegible to you. What does it translate to? You return to your notebook.

⚝ Any connection to TSI?  Who’s buried here?

With a frown, you call out up the stairwell.

“Hey, Scott?”

No reply. He must be too far away. Your mouth twists in thought as your eyes trail down the side of the sarcophagus, down to the floor.

The cavernous quiet of the tomb presses in as you kneel, one hand brushing across the dust-covered ground, flecks of debris and sand digging into the skin of your palm, making your eyes narrow instinctively as you take a moment to look at the relatively well preserved pattern on the tiles beneath you.

The torchlight follows your fingers as they trace along the rich gold and teal pattern painted on each rectangle. Again. The pattern is unique and the artistry is on point. There’s meaning behind all this that extends beyond ‘they died and I’m rich’. This was personal - money spent out of love, or appreciation, not out of vanity or the need to flaunt wealth.

Your hand moves over something rough and uneven - a ragged seam where the polished tile gives way to coarse cement, scarring the pattern. You shift the light, and there they are - dark stains splattered across the floor, clinging to the cracks in the grout, the patterns broken by the unmistakable rusted-brown of dried-

“Blood?” You whisper. Old, dried blood.

You squint to confirm your suspicion, bringing your phone’s beam closer. You pull your hand back, unsure whether to recoil or lean in, a sick, inexplicable urge tugging at you to reach out and feel it.

It’s unsettling, this compulsion - a thought you can’t shake, whispering that the blood, the room, this place, holds something meant for you. As though it recognises you. You swallow hard, resisting the pull, but you’re strangely rooted to the spot.

Something stirs. Your stomach tightens.

There, just beneath the surface grime and dust, are the remnants of something stemming from - potentially - violence, something that feels wrong amidst the centuries-old stillness.

You lean closer, squinting as the light glints across the blood, oddly fresh in a place so stale, like it’s waiting.

The urge to touch it creeps up on you, irrational and unsettling. You scoff at yourself. This place, these stains… it all feels... not lifeless, but patiently dormant, rather.

The compulsion sends a shiver crawling up your spine, but you stay there, transfixed.

“Scott?” You murmur once more, voice soft and thin in the dark.

No reply again. Only silence stretches out, taut and unfriendly. Something prickles at the nape of your neck. It almost feels like something’s here with you.

From the corner of your eye, a flicker of movement sends goosebumps rising across your forearms. Your head jerks up, scanning the room, torchlight sweeping over the empty walls and darkened corners.

Nothing. Until a small desert mouse darts across the cracked tiles, disappearing into a crevice along the wall. You flinch, heart racing, before exhaling in relief, your lips twitching in a half-smile.

You shake your head, half-scoffing at yourself. Get a grip, you think, glancing back to the floor. Though you still can’t shake the twinge of unease in your stomach.

You try Sam’s name next, but it comes out quieter, barely a murmur, and in that moment, the chill presses against your skin, heavier now, curling at your temples. You clear your throat.

A distant pressure builds in your head, dull at first. Then, almost as if you’ve lost control of your own movements, your fingertips stroke against the stained grout.

The pressure sharpens.

Then throbs.

And suddenly the colours beneath you seem too bright, too close, almost as if they’re pressing against your mind with a force not your own. You hiss in discomfort.

Your head swims, and the room blurs; an invisible weight pulls you downward and - “s-shit-”, it feels like your brain is swelling- as though something is prying your skill apart, clawing its way inside. You grunt, teeth clenched, clutching your temples with one hand as the other is fixed against the floor, forcefully, sharp grit digging into your skin. It hurts.

Static creeps at the edges of your vision, but your eyes refuse to close, held open, locked in place, forced to endure whatever is happening to you.

What’s happening?

Your fingers clench, nails scraping painfully against the grout, as you try to stop your hand’s abrasion against the floor, but your body doesn’t respond; you can’t move on your own accord, can’t cry as the skin on your palm is punctured to the point of bleeding, only watch as the walls close in around you, shadows seething, pulsing in time with your erratic heartbeat.

You try to turn your head. Open your mouth - scream out for someone to come and pull you up, but your body won’t allow it. You’re frozen in place, dizziness taking you over, and a whisper - foreign, angry, alive - starts echoing in the back of your mind - it feels like someone’s behind you. Watching your torment. Enjoying it.

Then, all of a sudden, it stops.

Your breath hitches, suspended in thick, frigid silence as the excruciation that gripped you vanishes in an instant, leaving a cold, almost hollow sensation in its wake. The pressure in your head dissipates so abruptly it’s as if it was never there; the force that had held you still simply… gone.

The grip of invisible hands lets go, and you crumple forwards, palm smacking the ground to steady yourself, feeling weakened and absolutely fucking bewildered.

Tremors still flit through your hands, your fingertips clammy against the chill of the floor, but the silence that follows is unnervingly… normal. It’s as if whatever fuckery that had stretched out and swallowed the room, that had taken a bite out of you, has released its hold and retreated back to wherever it came from.

“F-fucking hell,” you just about manage.

You look at your stinging palm - grazed as if you've tripped, skin scuffed with small pricks of blood rising to the surface. You look at the floor, tiny flecks of your own blood freshly smudged over the oxidised brown already there.

And then - footsteps. Soft, unhurried, descending down the stairs.

“Hey,” Scott’s voice carries, casual, cutting through the silence like he’s interrupting nothing more than a daydream. He appears at the top of the stairs, flashlight bouncing lazily as he peers down. “You call me?”

Your heart is still hammering, but his presence snaps you back, grounding you against the unsettling silence. You push yourself up, stumbling as you try to shake off the lingering chill.

“Uh-” you stammer, still dazed, your pulse loud in your ears. The sight of him feels surreal, a return to normalcy that’s almost jarring. You blink, struggling to focus on his words as he cocks his head, his flashlight partially blinding you.

“Y-yeah,” you manage. You barely recognise the sound of your own voice.

Scott cocks an eyebrow, hopping down the last few steps with casual curiosity. “You alright?” His tone is wary. “Look like you’ve seen a ghost.” His tone is casual, but his eyes study you with unusual intensity. You glance down at the stained tiles, and back at him, feeling… absurdly rattled by it all.

“Yeah-” You clear your throat again, scrunching your sore hand at your side, feeling the flecks of sand and stone crumble off of your stinging skin. “I’m fine,” you reply, forcing a small, nervous smile. “Just…” Do you tell him?

No. You’re already burdening them by being here. Keep your mouth shut.

You pick up your phone, scratching your eyebrow in a deliberate display of nonchalance.

“This room is something else. Creepy. But… different compared to up there.” You say, pointing up the stairs behind him.

Scott watches you carefully, a flicker of something not entirely unamused crossing his face. He raises a brow as he waits for you to expand.

“I, uh, thought you could translate this?” You gesture to the plaque, wanting a distraction from the unsettled feeling still festering in your chest. “Hoping there’s… a name somewhere there.”

He steps down to join you, his gaze flicking to where you pointed with an inquisitive frown. He crouches, shining his flashlight over the area, his expression unreadable as he briefly examines the stains.

“S’that blood? Ominous,” he mutters to himself with an almost amused chuckle, before brushing some sand off a cracked plaque you referred to.

You let out a heavy sigh, willing yourself to feel normal again. “Where’s Sam?”

Scott doesn’t look up from the plaque. “He found some alcove he wanted to check out. Told him I’d catch up.” He pauses, inspecting the stone under his hand. “Can’t miss it.“

“Right. I’ll go grab him,” you murmur, swiping your phone before backing away.

You turn towards the stairs, focusing on the rhythm of your steps, trying to shake off the strange hold this place still has on you. But as you reach up to steady yourself against the wall, you pause.

And then there’s… wet. Something warm against your upper lip. You swallow tightly, the taste of copper thick against the back of your throat.

Your hand jerks up, fingertips coming back stained red. You watch, half-dazed, as the warm droplets splatter against the stone at your feet, starkly rich against the dusty floor.

“Shit.” You murmur, pressing the back of your wrist under your nose to stanch the flow, feeling your point of view tilt slightly as you sway in place.

The pounding headache returns with an overwhelming vengeance, and before you can blink, the dim shapes of the stairs in front of you fade.

Scott’s voice seems to echo strangely, growing distant as your pulse drums louder, drowning everything out.

“Are you-”

But his voice warps out of earshot, and everything blurs as you feel your spine smack against the ground...

The next thing you’re aware of is the throbbing throughout your head and a ringing in your ears. Then the hard tile beneath you, the relative coolness seeping through your t-shirt. After, the slight coppery taste at the roof of your mouth and a dull ache across your shoulders as you blink yourself into focus.

And there's a tightness around your wrist, just erring on painful... you’re abruptly aware of a hand clamped around it, knuckles white against your skin.

“Scott?” Your voice cracks, weak and disoriented, and he quickly loosens his grip, his expression wavering between confusion and something else you can’t quite place.

“You-” he starts, before his mouth presses shut, brow furrowed. There’s a wariness in his eyes that leaves you uneasy. “You passed out.” His eyes flick to your face, and his fingers raise in an instinctive gesture as he lets go of you, before falling away, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows thickly. “Gave me a hell of a scare, girl.”

You press a hand to your temple, grimacing. “Ugh… what- how long was I out?”

Scott hesitates, his expression uncharacteristically unsettled. “You, uh… you were gone for a good few seconds. Like I said, scared the shit outta me.”

“Great.” You sigh, wiping a smear of slightly tacky blood from beneath your nose as you pull yourself upright. You frown.

“You alright?” he asks, voice softer now, though his tone still holds the note of surprise that seems so weirdly... not like him.

“Think so.” You grimace, wiping at your nose again with the edge of your sleeve, though the motion only spreads the drying blood. You feel a rush of irritation - not just at the mess, but at the situation itself.

Humiliation, too.

Your head still feels foggy, and the skin along your spine prickles. “Well, my head’s spinning a bit, but yeah - I’m good.” you say, trying to inject more certainty into your voice than you feel.

Scott doesn’t look convinced, but before he can respond, footsteps echo from the stairwell.

“Hey, so I found a-” Sam’s voice cuts off abruptly as soon as he sees you. He locks on the blood smeared across your chin, flickering to Scott and back to you with razor-sharp focus. “What the hell happened? Y’alright?”

Here we go.

You groan inwardly, forcing yourself to muster a weak, dismissive smile. “I’m fine. Just - I lost my balance, I think.”

Sam’s jaw tightens, and he finishes his descent down the narrow staircase, his eyes scanning you with the kind of intensity that makes you want to squirm a bit.

Sam doesn’t bite. His brow furrows as he steps closer, eyes scanning your face with an intensity that makes your stomach tighten. “Lost your balance.” His voice is low, edged with sarcasm.

“She passed out,” Scott interjects, his tone measured but still carrying a little tension. “Had a bit of a fall. She seemed… I don’t know… spooked when I came down here.”

This makes you tut.

Sam doesn’t reply right away, his eyes still locked on you, scrutiny grating on your already frazzled nerves.

“I’m fine, Sam,” you insist, though the words come out more clipped than you intend. “Really.” You turn to Scott. “And ‘she’ wasn’t ‘spooked’,” you lie, “whatever that means. I was concentrating.”

Scott purses his lips, raising his hands in defence.

Sam’s expression doesn’t soften. If anything, his frown deepens. “Uh-huh. And the blood?”

“Dry air. Nosebleed. It happens.” you snap, then sigh, dragging a hand through your hair. You hate how defensive you sound, but the tightness in your chest won’t ease. You’re done with this room. You need out. “Look, it’s not a big deal. Can we move on?”

Sam folds his arms, clearly unconvinced. “Not if you’re gonna keel over again.”

Your irritation spikes. “I’m not gonna keel o- Jesus.”

“Maybe some fresh air, then.” Scott adds, his voice calm. “Look, no harm in stepping outside for a bit, right?”

The patronising tone - however subtle - sets your teeth on edge. “What I need is for everyone to stop talking for me.” You stand slowly, ignoring the way your knees wobble slightly. “Here’s an idea: why don’t you two go check out whatever it is Sam found, and I’ll head back to the car? Alone.”

Sam’s frown deepens, and he glances toward Scott, who shrugs lightly. “I don’t think-”

“I’m fine,” you say again, cutting him off. “I’ll drink some water, take a minute, and sit down. I don’t need a babysitter.”

Sam hesitates, his jaw working as he weighs his options. Finally, he huffs out a breath, stepping aside to let you pass but not without muttering under his breath, “Stubborn as hell.”

Oh, the irony.

Scott claps a hand on Sam’s shoulder, grinning faintly. “C’mon, man.”

You ignore the subtle pang of guilt that lingers as you head back up the stairs, Sam glancing over his shoulder one last time.

You make your way up slowly, gripping the uneven wall for balance as your head continues to throb. Every step feels heavier than it should, your legs trembling faintly under the strain.

It’s not just exhaustion, though - it’s something deeper, a dull pulsating that seems to ricochet through your skull. It starts faintly, a bit like an errant heartbeat behind your temples, but it begins to intensify the closer to the top of the stairs you get.

You grit your teeth and keep walking. Maybe they’re right. Maybe you just need to rest. You’ve been thinking too hard - too overexcited. Not sleeping. Maybe it’s beginning to all catch up on you.

You pause just as you see the soft moonlight coming from the exit round the corner, leaning heavily against the wall to catch your breath. The sensation intensifies, sharper - more rhythmic now, as if the ruins are drawing you back in, pressing their presence into your skin and beckoning you near.

Like it’s saying you’re not done here yet.

The idea seems ridiculous, yet it’s impossible to ignore. Your hand drifts absently to your temple, pressing against it as if that might alleviate the strange pressure.

Does it hurt? Not particularly, though it is uncomfortable

Your logical brain protests. It’s just a wall. You’re exhausted. You need to get to the car and sit down.

But your body doesn’t listen. Mere seconds later, your fingers brushing over the edges of the stone, tracing its faint irregularities.

And as you do so, the discomfort begins to wane - only slightly, but it’s enough to persuade you to keep going.

The sensation is strongest near one particular part of the wall - a small arch no bigger than the width of your shoulders, just slightly more untidily constructed than the surrounding rock. A strange compulsion washes over you - it’s… irrational, you tell yourself, but you’re undeniably drawn to it. Just like the blood downstairs.

You press your palm against the stone experimentally. It doesn’t feel quite as solid as it should; there’s a subtle give beneath your hand, a faint shift that sets your pulse racing.

Before you realise what you’re doing, you remove your water bottle from your bag and swing it lightly against the base of the stone.

Thunk.

The sound echoes, louder than you expected. A fine puff of dust sifts down from the crack, making you cough. You glance over your shoulder instinctively, half-expecting to hear Sam’s voice berating you for still being here or Scott’s cool, curious tone asking what you’ve found. But there’s nothing - just silence. Good.

You roll your shoulders and swing the bottle again, harder this time. The metal clangs and the stone shifts further, crumbling at the edges. By the fourth hit, the brittle mortar at the top of the arch gives way entirely, and a portion of the stone collapses inward, revealing a hollowed-out niche. Dust billows out in a faint cloud, making you cough.

“Ha.” You mutter in mild disbelief, wiping dust from your face with the back of your hand.

You put your bottle down and turn your phone torch back on to shine it around inside the gap. Standing on the toes of your trainers, you try to get a better look, but the angle is awkward, and you’re still too short to see properly.

And then you pause, letting your heels drop back to the ground.

A thread of doubt curls in.

What are you doing?

You’ve been chasing a few mere sentences from a man serving tea, working yourself up to the point of passing out. Overactive imagination making a mountain out of a molehill.

Was Sam right?

Was Scott?

You were just struck with a migraine. That’s all. Was it? Ugh.

You can practically hear them now - Sam, irritated but worried, Scott’s patronising charm softening the blow.

“You’re being ridiculous,” they’d say. “You’re not thinking straight.”

Are they right? Are you imagining things, clutching at straws because you’re desperate to find something - anything - that justifies being here? That proves you belong here with them? The late nights, the over-excitement, the way your mind won’t quiet itself - it’s all spiralling into this headache, this… this irrational load of what can only be described as nonsense.

No.

You clench your jaw, swallowing the rising frustration. You’re not about to let yourself be babied any longer.

Turning back to the arch, you glance over your shoulder. Your surroundings are silent; they haven’t heard you.

What have you got to lose?

Taking a deep breath, you plant your hands against the rough stone and pull yourself up, gritting your teeth as you hook your arms over the now-broken archway, the sore skin of your palm agitated against the rock, shoes dug into the uneven stone to relieve the pressure and keep yourself held in place.

You hesitate, squinting into the darkness, the light on your phone only doing so much. Your head throbs harder now, the pulsating feeling so intense it makes you wince. With trembling fingers, you reach inside, brushing against something coarse and rough. Leather, perhaps.

Your hand curls around it, and you let yourself fall back to the ground with a dusty thud.

You look down at a small, worn book, the edges of its cover frayed and cracked with age.

Your lips part in search of words. But for the time being, you can’t find any.

It’s heavier than it looks, and as you turn it over in your hands, you notice faint embossed designs along the spine - Arabic calligraphy, though the letters are worn. The leather smells of earth and age, the scent stirring a strange, fleeting sense of déjà vu in your chest.

And then the pressure in your head eases.

Not entirely, but enough to make you exhale shakily. It’s like a taut string inside you has loosened. The hum lingers faintly, but it’s different now - softer, almost satisfied.

You stare down at the book, your fingers brushing lightly over the worn cover. Surely not. This… this has to be a coincidence.

It’s just a book.

Right?

Forcing yourself to move, you climb the last few steps and emerge into the open air. The warm breeze brushes over your skin, grounding you somewhat, though your chest still feels tight with unease.

You press forward.

The car is parked just beyond the ruins.

You make your way to it, your hand brushing over the bonnet as you lean against it and exhale shakily.

You set the book down on the warm metal and carefully flip open the cover.

The first few pages are blank, the edges yellowed.

But as you turn further, names begin to appear.

Arabic script fills the left-hand margins, and, much to your excitement, English - what you assume are - translations run alongside them in elegant, looping handwriting. The ink is faded in places, names, numbers, and currencies from all over the world are written, and some crossed out, but one name catches your eye, repeated over and over:

Emaan Sadir.

What was this book? A ledger? A diary? You’re not sure yet, but the sheer weight of its presence and the slightly sickening bubbling of excitement in your stomach makes your chest tighten.

The sound of voices echoes faintly from the ruins behind you, drawing your attention back. Sam and Scott must be wrapping up. Quickly, you tuck the book back into your bag, zipping it shut as you slide off the bonnet.

Whatever this is, it feels significant - far too significant to just brush off. And far, far too significant to give them the satisfaction of knowing about just yet.

・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

fun fact, I actually had a heavy nosebleed in the shower a mere 5 minutes after writing the nosebleed bit. this means that i will also fuck samuel drake for real one day.

[ratatatastic]

"[Tkachuk] said you are the player he's chirped the most. Can you tell us a little about that?" "Chucky's a funny guy... it's gonna be fun to play against him again."

Primetime Panthers | 1.22.25 (x)

i'm glad forsy is gonna have fun against him because maffhew sure isn't

[sirfrogthe3rd]

Cool?

Cool

Cool<3

[good-chimes]

In honor of Life series four, Life Series Bake Off AU

NEW SERIES LAUNCHES:

Nation charmed by fresh crop of 12 amateur bakers including intensely competitive student GRIAN, ambitious cake artists BDUBS and SCAR, scientific bread experts TANGO and IMPULSE, and ETHO who has no discernible social media presence and, rumor has it, doesn’t officially exist. Married couple JOEL and LIZZIE raise eyebrows—will they be able to compete against each other?—but this is settled when Lizzie immediately announces she would murder Joel in real life to win and has bought the kitchen knife set for it, and Joel lovingly declares he keeps an axe under his pillow in case this happens.

The judges as usual are renowned cake chef PEARL, bread expert MUMBO, and our two inimitable presenters: BIGB, beloved by the nation for his gentle reassurances of weeping contestants, and MARTYN whose main contribution is his trademark eyebrow waggles as we find out from the judges who’s in trouble this week.

TART WEEK (1)

Tart week gets off to a strong start, with contestant REN charming both the judges and Martyn with his exquisite tarte au citron and his total inability to let a double-entendre go to waste (‘I’m just a tart triumph all over’ he proclaims, to Martyn’s immediate delighted riposte ‘Mm, but what do you do on the weekends?’). Law student JIMMY is not so lucky when a misreading of the recipe leads to ten times the correct amount of butter and a catastrophic oven meltdown. Star baker goes to early favorite BDUBS for an exquisite three-tier tart showstopper.

Week one elimination is, of course, the hapless Jimmy, and the recaps are united on two fronts: it's always nice to see someone on the show who reminds you of your own midnight experiments, but holy shit Jimmy, did it not give you a clue when the melted butter started pouring out of the oven like you’d stabbed the spirit of margarine to death in there. Jimmy's butter meltdown becomes a meme and he sells T-shirts; Joel immediately posts a picture wearing one.

CAKE WEEK (2)

Week two brings cake week and an impressive performance from SCAR, who embarks on a showstopper Baked Alaska in the shape of a snow-covered mountain. Tranquil in the face of GRIAN’S constant disparaging comments about his whisking technique and browned meringue, Scar perseveres and is crowned star baker for the week, while Twitter immediately declares Grian the villain of the season. A contingent of viewers theorising ‘could this be flirting’ are swiftly shouted down on social media and retreat to a dedicated subthread on a cookery forum.

Last week’s star baker BDUBS seems distracted by his new-found friendships with the quiet ETHO, who spends hours on the surprisingly unambitious Victoria Sponge. A conspiracy theory emerges that Etho invented the Victoria Sponge, refuted by weak counterarguments like “cannot possibly be true” and “he would have to be several hundred years old.” Meanwhile the nation is won over by JOEL and LIZZIE’S chemistry as they trade quips and spatulas, unfortunately Joel is eliminated after a jam mishap, at which he declares “at least I went out after Jimmy.”

TEA-TIME WEEK (3)

Tea-time week brings florentines and shortbread, but it’s a sad week for love as REN is out after his overambitious scones fail to impress. “I’m heartbroken,” Martyn announces, and cannot be consoled even by Scott’s superb showstopper petite-fours. Ren was a good sport to the end, everyone agrees. Ren spotted at a Covent Garden coffee shop with Martyn three weeks later.

HALLOWEEN WEEK (4)

The mood is jovial for Halloween week, with judge MUMBO in fake vampire fangs while ETHO bakes cookies in the form of anatomically correct skulls. LIZZIE starts off with adorable witch-hat cupcakes in little witch hats, then spends the rest of the episode precisely and effortlessly crafting a blood red mirror glazed sachertorte which the presenters refuse to look at because it “makes them uncomfortable”, and is subsequently awarded star baker for the most genuine aura of threat ever achieved by a cake.

Meanwhile GRIAN and SCAR continue to genially snipe at each other throughout. TANGO asks BDUBS to turn his oven off at a crucial moment; unfortunately Bdubs forgets and then blames Tango for relying on him, leading to the charred mess of Tango’s showstopper and a social media uproar dubbed “OvenGate”. Bdubs alternately sorrowful and dramatically dismissive. This cruel betrayal knocks Tango out of the tent; a public petition is started for his reinstatement.

WEDDING WEEK (5)

Puppet theater designer CLEO has her star turn in wedding week with ranks of beautiful marzipan figurines on all her bakes. An intense rivalry develops between her and wedding-enthusiast BDUBS, who declares his magnificent fondant confection a dry run for his impending marriage to ETHO, a stranger he met ten days ago. When asked by presenters how much of this is a joke, Etho laughs and says “I guess?”, which leaves the nation none the wiser. Unfortunately IMPULSE’S canapes are considered uninspired and he is uninvited from both the wedding reception and the series.

BREAD WEEK (6)

The feared bread week comes around and all the artistic cake-makers wobble badly. SCAR and GRIAN just scrape through, but CLEO’S triumph last week turns to tragedy despite the trouble she has gone to to model a realistic centaur out of sourdough. Bdubs makes an impromptu speech to camera about how she was robbed but he intends to triumph in her honor.

MEDIEVAL WEEK (7)

The experimental medieval week takes the bakers on an outdoor camping trip where they will attempt to build their own stoves and use them to replicate historical bread techniques. BDUBS’S enthusiasm for this and his drive to impress ETHO turn out to be his downfall as, distracted, he builds a stove that bleeds heat and fails to brown his bread. Etho meanwhile excels at both the survival and breadmaking aspects, leading to a divide on Twitter on whether this level of competence is hot or just very concerning, potentially the cake equivalent of a serial killer. The Victoria Sponge theory is raised again. Etho alleviates some concerns by getting lost three times in an open field over the course of the episode, which loses him enough baking time that dark horse SCOTT pips him to the post of star baker.

WINTER WARMTH WEEK (8)

Week eight arrives and five bakers remain: LIZZIE and SCOTT are known to be good all-rounders, ETHO is the reigning technical expert, SCAR remains the favorite on the cakes side, and GRIAN is mainly known for his habit of constantly sneaking spoonfuls of Scar’s cake mix so he can mock the taste. Social media opinion is divided into “Grian is a good baker actually”, “Grian is only still in because of executive meddling”, and the small but determined contingent of “no guys we really think they’re flirting??” who have emerged from their cookery subthread unbowed and with compilations of video evidence.

The set gets cozy with winter warmth week. Brandy-based showstoppers are the order of the day, and LIZZIE wins the episode by crafting a biscuit unicorn with a mane you can set on fire. ETHO invents an intricate brandy plumbing system to shoot flaming alcohol above his plum pudding—this attempt is in fact a good deal too successful and instead sets MARTYN’S hair on fire. GRIAN comes to his aid but ends up adding more brandy. Judge PEARL extinguishes the flames with a bowl of cinnamon milk. The judges are clearly not feeling merciful when it comes to the scores and Etho’s run comes to a premature end.

DOUBLES WEEK (9)

Some old favorites return for doubles week, where each of the remaining four bakers is helped out by an eliminated contestant on the other end of the phone. GRIAN for once assesses the limits of his own talents and asks to pair up with ETHO, a plan that immediately pays off when the contestants are challenged with a tricky technical that sees them baking the perfect pumpernickel bread. SCAR, having asked to pair up with BDUBS, is quickly underwater as neither of them understand yeast.

Scar’s floundering proves too much for Grian, who belligerently passes along his pumpernickel tips from Etho, saving Scar’s technical enough for him to scrape through. When challenged by Martyn, Grian grudgingly admits, “I just want Scar to stay in, okay?” Some recaps clear him of his villain status; others are still convinced it’s a fluke.

Meanwhile SCOTT turns in an efficient technical with help from CLEO and also JIMMY, who is apparently sitting in Cleo’s living room just to heckle Scott. LIZZIE calls on husband JOEL, but a combination of overconfidence and flirting distracts them both, leading to a burnt crust and Lizzie’s elimination from the final four.

MERINGUE WEEK (Final Episode)

In the finale, SCOTT, SCAR, and GRIAN face off over a series of escalating meringue-based challenges. Whatever alliance sprung up between Grian and Scar in the last episode is clearly water under the bridge as the two of them obsessively steal each other’s ingredients and annoy each other into trivial mistakes. This escalates into a noisy quarrel over the main challenge of the week: an edible diorama of a cactus ring. Scar’s attempts to ‘aesthetically correct’ Grian’s mountain diorama leads to Grian melting his sugar-spun cacti with a crème brulée torch.

The two are no longer speaking by the showstopper, where Grian embarks on a desperate attempt to make up points with an ambitious trifle in a castle-shaped wall of macarons while Scar builds his own grand macaron diorama. The clock ticks down. Scott is creating an impeccable strawberry pavlova. The trifle is going badly. Grian is covered in sugar and regret. BigB pats him reassuringly on the shoulder.

At the last moment, Scar sacrifices half his perfect macarons to donate to Grian’s diorama. Grian, for once lost for words, grabs his apron and kisses him right in front of Martyn’s swiftly-derailed countdown. “Grian had a beautiful artistic vision,” Scar says sentimentally afterwards. “You have to respect the craft!” They snog behind the tasting table. Mumbo gamely attempts to award points. Pearl in a laughing fit behind the cameras. Martyn and BigB solemnly wrap up the shot with Martyn’s best cake-based innuendoes. Grian and Scar do not notice.

Scott wins the series. He got so many more points on the cactus ring technical.

[diioonysus]

my favorite historical facts

mayans believed that having crossed-eyes meant you were favored by the sun god kinich ahau, who was cross-eyed as well. in hopes that children would be, they would have objects dangled between their eyes to permanently cross their eyes.

ancient rome had a 4-story shopping mall with 150 shops and offices which was made in 113 AD

ancient egyptians invented toothpaste, they made it with rock salt, pepper, mint, and dried iris flowers

until recently (20th century) bones and mummies were used in traditional medicine, as some believed they could cure ailements by ingesting related body parts.

left-handed people were considered unlucky in ancient rome

lots of medieval barbers were also dentists and surgeons, which is why barbershops use red and white stripes because the stripes represent bandages used during bloodletting.

in medieval germany, married couples could legally settle their disputes by fighting a martial duel.

married women were not allowed to watch the ancient olympics, under penatly of death, but the vestal virigins in ancient rome were allowed to in some circumstances because their sacred building was knocked down to make a stadium

ancient greeks invented the first alarm clock in a system where pebbles would be dropped onto a gong and this would then make a loud sound

if a pirate ship approached flying a red flag with a hourglass on it then the defenders knew they were in some shit as red meant "give no quarter" and the hourglass meant essentially your time on earth was about to run out

shakespeare originated the "yo momma" joke, as in his one play titus androcius, a character says "thou has undone our mother," to which another character says "villain, i have done thy mother."

before abraham lincoln became a politician, he was a champion wrestler with more than 300 bouts under his belt, and only lost one match in his career. he was inducted into the national wrestling hall of fame in 1992

the gauls when trying to sack rome, caedicius had to get approval from the senate on the besieged capitoline. a messenger snuck through the gallic camp and scaled the unguarded cliff side of the hill to deliver the message. It was quickly decided to restore camillus to his command and to give him dictatorial powers and then the messenger snuck his way out again. the senone scouts discovered the messenger’s footprints and figured out that there was a way to scale the cliffs. they choose a night with a full moon and sent their bravest warriors up the cliff. none of the romans noticed, but the geese did. they started honking loudly and woke up the sleeping romans, the romans than pushed the gauls off the hill, and due to this fight the gauls suffered food shortages and diseases, so geese saved the day.

a pig was executed in 1386 after attacking a kid who would die from their wounds. the pig was arrested, kept in prison, and then sent to the court where it stood trial for murder, eventually being found guilty and then executed by hanging.

forks used to be considered blasphemous. when forks arrived in 11th century italy, it alarmed religious leaders because eating with artifical hands offended god.

the bluetooth design and name was named after the viking king harald bluetooth, based on an analogy that the technology would unite devices the way harald bluetooth united the tribes of denmark into a single kingdom. his intials in runes is the design of the logo

throwing an apple at somebody in ancient greece was considered flirting because the apple was sacred to aphrodite, so throwing it was declaring ones love

king george v of england was euthanized as his staff wanted his death to make the morning papers rather than the evenings ones, so they put him to death early without his consent

robert liston, a surgeon preformed an operation with a 300% mortality rate; he killed the patient and two other people

[myths-tournaments]

Awful Characters Round 4 (2/4)

Propaganda under the cut!

BENNY

The first thing that happens in new vegas is that benny fucking shoots your character in the face, steals your shit and leaves you in an open grave. Benny is by all accounts a bastard. He kills you, steals from you, he killed his last boss, he is the single most duplicitous man around. His gang are all about honesty- except him. He's a lying, cheating bastard. The guys who helped him catch you? He skipped on paying them and left them to get shot to death. His new boss, mr.house? He stole his robot, broke it open, got someone to reprogram it and decided to use it to TAKE OVER THE WHOLE OF VEGAS. Benny literally kills people, lies to people, steals their shit and takes charge. That's all benny does. He gets fucking CRUCIFIED if you don't help him out just because so many people fucking hate him. And yet. And yet. Benny is the single most compelling character in the whole game to me. He's just a little guy! He's just there! You can get shot in the head and come back and he goes "what in the goddamn" and then if you try and flirt with him he's like "uhhh sure? Okay?" And leaves you a polite note in the morning. He's fancy. He wears a stupid suit. He has a tiny gun with shitty bullets. He's catholic. He talks like an old timey news presenter. Literally nobody else in the entire game does that. He's got an intelligence of 3. He's my funtime boy. My silly little man. He's so funny. The antagonist in this game is a guy dressed like a tablecloth who looks at all times like a confused dog who doesn't understand what a tv is. And like. He's compelling. He robs from you, shoots you, but…. he never seems to actually wish you harm. He kills and robs and lies but like. He apologises for doing it to you. When he sees you again he doesn't attack you, he's just… confused. He tries to defuse the situation. You can convince him to talk to you, alone, with no guards and it's not that hard. If you spare his life, he doesn't go after you, like. Even if you sleep with him he doesn't take advantage of that and kill you, even if you try to. He… he just leaves. He gives you an apology. If he gets kidnapped by Caesar He just… apologizes again. He tells you his whole plan to take over the city, too. He thinks he'll die, and he wants something of him to survive. He's happy that you made it. And if you let him free, he just… leaves. He knows he's beat, he doesn't want to cause any more trouble. He walks out and leaves. The NCR will kill you if you cross them. The legion will crucify you. House? He'll blow you the fuck up. But benny, the guy who lies and cheats and schemes, he's honest. He's polite. He's… harmless. You can kill him with a single shot if you want. And he can't kill you. He doesn't kill you the first time, and he'll never really hurt you again. Benny just wanted to win. When he knows he's beat he just leaves. No lingering, no harm, he's off, off into the desert heat, and never seen again. Isn't that just insane? like have you ever known an antagonist so polite? He just leaves!! He offers you a drink!! His plan is genuinely probably the best one for the people of new vegas!!! He's. Benny is Benny. Anyway if you want to see some REAL propaganda go to the blog letmebegaytodd and look in the #benny tag. You'll Understand < https://www.tumblr.com/letmebegaytodd/717051175751614464/in-another-life-i-wouldve-really-liked-just> <- look at this shit man

AZULA

Azula explicitly considers herself a monster. She says needlessly cruel things to her brother and friends. She kills the show's twelve-year-old protagonist and masterminds the idea of burning down the entire Earth Kingdom to force them to submit to Fire Nation rule. I have absolutely seen people get called abuse apologists for thinking she's a cool character. But she's also a (canonically) mentally ill fourteen-year-old who was raised by her father to see her ability to be weaponized as her only value. Her mother, arguably the only adult in her life who could have had a positive impact, had a strained relationship with her because she was more difficult than her brother, and then disappeared when she was nine. Her uncle, who was her brother's main healthy role model, took absolutely no interest in her. She watched her father belittle her brother for years and eventually throw him away when he failed to meet his expectations, so that was a threat she was always facing. She really had no chance. And she also has moments that suggest she wants some sort of meaningful connection with another person. She lets her brother take credit for killing the Avatar so he can come back from exile, even though it means she'll be bumped back in the order of succession and offers him advice that seems genuine. Her spiral into a mental breakdown starts when her friends betray her. She's just a much more interesting and multifaceted than a lot of the fandom gives her credit for.

[opheliachoi99]

¿ The Villain ?

MICHAEL KAISER X READER ( as Elisse Noa )

ABOUT : a story taking place within the field itself. Whereas Michael Kaiser, and you compete end-to-end over a stupid bet that the emperor made himself. Who would conquer the game? The blue devil or the villainess herself?

There will be a small Bonus part at the end!

PART 3/3 ¡Thank you for reading!

— Now the game is more heated than before "what's this? Elisse Noa, and Michael Kaiser are in some sort of a heated argument? What are they- a couple?" The announcer cheekily squealed.

"My sister and Michael?!?! This is— interesting- and weird at the same time.." Noel sat on the bench disappointed "But hey! Your sister is an amazing player, never seen a woman who is so cool in playing soccer, if she was in Blue Lock, she would've been the striker of the team" Anri stated "I simply agree on that." Ego came out of nowhere "Somehow, Elisse has potential, she has the spirit of a true striker, breaking the gender criticism. She's quite like you on the field but multiple times better than you." Ego added.

"Truth hurts, but we trained her at a young age, of course she evolves greater than any of us in the family, she already discovered her flow and ego the moment she stepped foot in the nationals." Noel proudly stated.

"I see.. I have a gut feeling, she would use a certain move, that could beat the emperor." Ego philosophically stated "oh? And what is that?" "You'll see..." He rested his chin in his hands focusing on the intense game.

A certain move? Hmm..

Bastard Mūnchen - 4

Schurke Strikers - 4

15 minutes left on the clock, the game really intensfies. All of the people were sweating and terrified as the team goes neck-to-neck.

"Shit, now what? 15 minutes left, and if they take the ball, it's game over." Isagi panted yet with a disappointed face. "Well no shit, we'll take the ball, and I'll score once and for all." Kaiser huffed "Oh be for real right now, only you and Isagi had scored this whole time! The fuck you mean "once and for all"?!?" Kiyora angrily yelled.

~ Whistle ~

"Go big or go home they say" Yukimiya said as he sped his way towards the ball "Go pass it to Hiori!!" Isagi yelled as Yukimiya swiftly passes it to Hiori "Pass it to Kaiser!" Ness added. "I know, he's our only hope." Hiori stated as he passed the ball to Kaiser.

"KAISER! DO NOT FAIL US YOU CLOWN!" Isagi yelled as Kaiser immediately got his brain all heated up "Shut up! You genius!"

Finally Kaiser was already in the goal zone, his blue flames finally took over "Game over, Schurke Strikers" He smirked.

"Nuh-uh~ not so fast~"

His eyes landed on you as you berserked in front of him. "You're too late sweet cheeks" He flirted "Your soccer career ends here."

"You look hot with your blue rose tattoo"

You complimented. Kaiser freezes, "What-?" He stopped. "Thanks" you said as you snatched the ball and immediately ran towards the goal. "Guess who won the bet" You proudly grin, and kicked the ball immediately to the centre goal.

You took a deep and long breath..

"GOAAALLL!!"

Crowd cheered so loudly you could barely here your own scream.

The opposing team was too stunned at the moment, especially Kaiser. "She.."

"She did her tactic." Ego stated "That was her trick. To simply distract Kaiser with her charm." Ego proudly added. "Damn.. My sister knows how to flirt?!?!" Noel let out a disappointing tone. "Don't treat your sister as a little girl anymore. She has evolved."

— At the field —

"She's so evil for that.." Ness spoke "I mean, they're team name says it all-" Kiyora sighed.

"Kaiser! What the fuck happened out there!?" Isagi angrily approached Kaiser "S-she.."

"SHE WHAT?!"

"Complimented me.."

"The fuck you mean?! That's it?! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS KAISER!!" "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!!"

"Understand what?! You're basically folded in the middle of the fucking field!" You approached "Hey, we won, I won. About the bet?" You smirked. "Shit." Kaiser scoffed.

"You thought I would forget? That stupid bet you made was unfair.. You get to ask me out if you lose, and if I lose I get to stop playing soccer!? The fuck are you on" You sent out a slap in Kaiser's face.

"If you want to ask me out, do it in a way were gambling is not involved." You stated and walked away, approaching your brother Noel.

"Okay eure hoheit.. I'll do as you please" He smirked.

You approached Noel and gave him a tight hug "I did it!!" You proudly said "Yes you did! I'm so proud of you!" Noel hugged back "So.. Is Kaiser asking you out? Since he lost the bet" Noel chuckled "Yeah, he will, but I won't be giving him an easy task" You smirked.

— Time skip —

It's been 4 months since the game passed, and yet Kaiser was a man of his word. He'd been asking you out since that day until now.

You two are currently in a flower garden, since you wanted to be here and to surprise Kaiser. When you two got to know each other, you realized he was actually a nice guy. Sure, there are times where you couldn't keep up with his ego, but he is trying his best to be a gentleman as possible when it comes to you.

"What are we doing in a flower garden Fräulein schön?" He curiously asked innocently. You simply chuckled as you spotted a field of blue roses "Ta-da! I wanted to see this field" You smiled. "Elisse..." He went to the field of roses appreciating every single petal.

"You're really a sweety aren't ya? But a whole different person when it comes to soccer-" "I could say the same to you meine dame" You both laughed.

"Michael.. You can't be my suitor anymore." You said in a stern tone "What? Pardon? What do you mean?" He looked at you with despair in his eyes "Did I do something wrong? I swear the bet is over! The moment I got to know about you, I was wrong about everything! I swear! Please don't leav—"

"Stop overreacting- you can't be my suitor and my boyfriend at the same time right?" You cheekily smirked. "W-what—?"

You loudly laughed as you saw Kaiser's face looking so damn confused "So this is "God's Chosen Emperor?" I'm fazed! He looks like a cute innocent dog to me" You continuously laughed.

"Wait.. Boyfriend? Does that mean—"

"Yes, I already accepted you as mine.."

He carried you as he spun you around in the middle of a blue rose field, petals flying all over the place. He stopped as he was still carrying you, having a sentimental eye-contact. "Is this for real? Baby I can't believe it.. I promise to take really good care of you, just as how you were taken cared of your parents and Noel." He smiled.

"You better be, no take backs! I lowered my standards for you!" You jokingly stated "Oh meine schatz, I'm the standard, you're lucky to have a guy like me" He mischievously winked "Ew. You're so cringe micha"

"Micha.. I like that.." You both leaned for a kiss, a passionate one for sure.

"Ich liebe dich, meine Kaiser"

"Oh? I thought you "hated me to the core" hmm?" He teased "Oh c'mon, I really did hate you for being a jerk." You both laughed.

"Ich liebe dich, meine Kaiserin"

End

Bonus

Both you and Kaiser officially announced your relationship to Noel and to Blue Lock.

"HE'S YOUR WHAT NOW—?!" Noel fainted.

"Congrats lovebirds! Finally someone who can handle Kaiser" Yukimiya and Kiyora jested.

"NOO! MY BELOVED KAISER IS NOW TAKEN?!" Ness was not taking the news. "Well, at least someone can tame this clown" Isagi confided with himself.

"Oh shut up, y'all are just jealous you couldn't pull any bitches" Kaiser stuck out his tongue.

"EXCUSE ME—"

[desicanary]

Some thoughts after finishing the double that I need to expel from my consciousness:

1. I haven't enjoyed a show so much in a while. It had all the drama, and it didn't sacrifice it for the romance

2. Princess Wanning! She killed her dad and I think that was queen shit. She should have killed more people, frankly. She deserves to do so much murder

3. Shen Yurong how I hate you. This man is not only a murderer and a coward, he's also incompetent. None of his plans have ever worked. Mans couldn't manage to successfully kill his wife even if every god were on his side. I loved every time Xue Fangfei did psychic damage to him simply by existing

4. Xue Fangfei! Xue Li! Jiang Li! Xiao Limao! A'Li! Many other terms of address I've missed! She truly is that girl. She is gaslight gatekeep girl boss. She's a girl's girl. She stabbed a man in the dick 7 times. She has the man who once called her a pawn wrapped around her pinkie. When her man tells her he has to get into a political marriage for the nation she says do it then, and then he has to admit he was never gonna. She inflicted +9999999999999 damage on those who wronged her and Jiang Li. She can't fight to save her life (as evident) but can and will confuse her opponent into tripping over their own nonexistent shoelaces

5. I loved the progression of the relationship between A'Li and Xiao Heng. They weren't immediately lovers or friends. They fully used each other until they were willing to be used. The chemistry, the flirting, it's too much and too good. Also, Xiao Heng serves. See: the fans, the fucking gold plated murder fan, a walk-in closet full of capes, the most dramatic entrances known to cdramas, and all the audacity

6. BUT what were the last 20 minutes! They don't exist to me! My buddies Wen Ji and Lu Ji are watching their boss embarass himself at Duke Su's mansion and sharing in the hot goss, to me

7. Plus, I've gotta be missing something about the Longwu army. I do not understand them at all. Not a single one of them would survive the Nuremberg precedent. Not only are they not guided by ethics and morals, they're also not guided by loyalty or revenge or anger or hate or any understandable motivation. Instead, they're guided by a rock carving of a fish. wut. They find out the dude holding the fish works for the guy who betrayed and killed their general, their comrades, and even some of their family. And their response is: "How could they?!?!?! But we still have to listen to them because they have the fish!" Truly what. Someone explain this all-powerful rock fish to me

8. I do think that the Jiangs deserved more. And by more I mean worse. I think Xue Li should have told Jiang Yuanbai exactly how Jiang Li lived and died, and that she hated him for his negligence. I think she should have told the grandma too. They had their hand in this and they deserve to feel the full weight of Jiang Li's life and death and hatred

9. Also Jiang Yuanbai being like "It's not that I didn't know what was going on at home it's just that I was so busy working for the nation uwu". Sir, disrespectfully, no. You had not a clue. And if you did, that makes it worse. Like "Oh no! I'm so busy working that I have no choice but to let my wife frame my 8 yr old for her own attempted murder! The murder of the same stepmom that she, until yesterday, adored! Oh well, I gotta go to work so I'll just let that happen and abandon her for 10 years until politics makes it necessary for me to bring her home! And I'll feel really bad about abandoning her now, but I'll also never believe a single word out her mouth!" Actually, I think he should be hunted for sport

10. Anyway, that got off track! But I love this show, and how even the antagonists have arcs and backstories and aren't countering our girl just cuz. I love the fleshed out characters, all the looks it serves, the drama, and the adorable Wen Ji and Lu Ji and Jiang Jingrui