#Expert-Led Instruction

[vtechiepteltd]

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[nyx-umbrakinesis]

Alastor x Reader fluff

You can't sleep so Alastor takes care of you.

Word count: 1600

Goodnight.

“Ah! Hello, my dear!” Alastor greeted with his signature smile “My! You seem absolutely fatigued! Can’t get to sleep again Dear?”

“Good evening, Alastor,” you say softly, a hint of exhaustion “Yes, I have been having trouble sleeping lately.” Your eyes flicker towards the door, thoughts of escaping his watchful eye momentarily crossing my mind, not wanting to upset him at the state of your sleep schedule, before you quickly dismiss them, knowing the futility of such efforts. Despite your frustration, you can’t help but feel a sense of security around him.

“Oh, my poor darling,” Alastor cooed sympathetically, stepping closer to you, closing the space between us almost imperceptibly. His fingers twitched, reaching to touch your shoulder comfortingly. His smile remained, growing more sincere at the thought of being the one to chase away your sleepless nights. “Perhaps we could try some relaxation techniques together? A warm bath, maybe?” He suggested gently, watching you intently. “And after that, we can cuddle and I’ll read to you until you manage to drift off. Just the two of us...” His words trailed off, painting a picture of a peaceful night, just what you needed.

Your eyes light up at the prospect of spending such an intimate moment with him after him being so busy lately. “A warm bath sounds heavenly right now.” You took a step closer to him, allowing your bodies to almost brush against each other. You could feel the heat radiating off of him, and it sent a thrill down your spine.

Sending his shadow ahead to prepare the bathroom.

“Oh, my sweet Dearest,” Alastor purred upon hearing your agreement, his delight evident in his voice. Gently guiding you, hand resting on your lower back, he led you through the halls to your shared room.

A bathtub large enough to accommodate both of you sat invitingly filled with fragrant water, bubbles swirling lazily. His diligent work paid off; a soft pleasant scent filled the air, known for its calming properties.

“Step in, my love,” Alastor instructed tenderly, unbuttoning his own shirt and slipping it off his shoulders. The cool air momentarily caressed your own skin as he helps you strip too, before you lowered yourself into the welcoming water.

The warmth of the water enveloped you, your body sinking into its embrace, as if the tub itself was trying to alleviate your stress. You couldn’t help but moan softly at the comfort it provided, eyes closing involuntarily, the world melting away into oblivion...

Alastor joined you soon, his tall frame gracefully slipping into the tub before yours on his knees. Water lapped gently at the edge of the tub, as he shifted, making sure not to cause any discomfort for you. His hands came to rest behind your neck, massaging lightly, expert fingers working to release the knots of tension that had taken residence there.

As he worked, his lips come close to your ear, he whispered, “It’s okay, darling. Let go, let yourself be free. I am here, I am yours.” His words were as soothing as the water, lulling you into a calm state where only his touch mattered.

The gentle pressure of Alastor’s fingers continued to soothe you. His hot breath tickled your ear, causing shivers to run down your spine. You leaned into him, feeling desired, wanted. For this moment, all your worries melted away. All that mattered was the connection between the two of you.

“How does that feel?” Alastor asked, his voice low and soothing, echoing softly in the quiet room. His gaze darted to your face, checking for signs of relief or discomfort.

Your response was barely audible, “It feels amazing,” you breathed out, smiling faintly. The tension in your body began to dissipate, your muscles relaxing into the warmth of the water and Alastor’s ministrations. As he continued to massage your neck, his other hand moved to rub your shoulders, applying pressure with calculated precision to release all remaining tension.

Alastor leaned forward, his breath hot against your skin as he places feather-light kisses along your jawline, following it up with a nibble of your earlobe. The sensual touch left you quivering in anticipation...

The tap of his fingers against your pulse point slowed rhythmically, helping you to breathe deeply. His other hand drifted below the water, skimming down your body, lightly tracing over each curve, finally settling upon your hip. He pulled you in closer to his chest, water splashing softly around the tub as your bodies intertwined.

“Feeling better now?” He whispered softly into your ear, his tone filled with satisfaction, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth knowing how much you craved these moments of intimacy.

Feeling your nod of confirmation against his shoulder, Alastor couldn’t help but let out a contented sigh. His mission was accomplished – he had managed to ease your worried mind and tired body. He decided it was time to move this intimate moment to the next room.

With the grace of a predator, Alastor carefully helped you stand up from the bathtub. The water dripped off your glistening skin, creating an enticing sight that left him craving for more. But he held himself back, remembering his goal was to make you feel cherished tonight.

He handed you a plush, white towel, wrapping it securely around your body. Then he grabbed another one for himself, drying off his own lithe form. Despite his control, he couldn’t resist stealing glances at you, admiring the way the soft fabric clung to the enticing sight of your body.

Once you were both sufficiently dry, Alastor took your hand, leading you back into your shared bedroom. The dim lighting cast soft shadows on the walls, setting a romantic atmosphere, enhancing the warm feelings spreading within you. With care, he guided you onto the neatly made bed, pulling back the covers with a flourish, revealing the crisp, inviting sheets.

Alastor climbed in beside you and gathered you in his arms, holding you close. The cool sheets felt wonderful against your still slightly damp skin. The heat radiating from his body was a stark contrast to the lingering coolness on your own, and it proved incredibly comforting. His fingers traced idle patterns across your back as he nuzzled your temple, planting gentle kisses on your forehead, nose, and cheeks.

One arm curling possessively around your waist, the other propping up his head so he could look at you. Legs entwining, he created a cocoon of warmth around you.

You allowed him to lead the interaction, letting him set the pace.

He reached over and tucked you into the luxurious bed, pulling the blankets up to your chin. The room was bathed in a warm golden light, cast by the flickering candles placed strategically around the space. A gentle smile played upon Alastor’s lips as he lay beside you.

The sound of the bayou offered a serene background melody, complementing the intimate atmosphere inside.

Alastor’s shadow retrieved a book from his private library – a collection from renowned authors throughout history. He opened the cover and began to recite the verses in a deep, soothing voice that resonated within the room, casting a spellbinding effect on you. Each word felt like a gentle caress against your soul, weaving a web of passion and desire that bound you to him.

As he read, his thumb traced soothing circles on your stomach, the touch barely perceptible but carrying a sense of reassurance and warmth.

Each touch sending gentle waves of comfort coursing through your body, lulling you into a serene state.

As Alastor continued reading, his deep, calming radio crackled, voice filling the room, you couldn’t help but feel completely at ease. The warmth of the bath, combined with the comfort of the bed and his loving embrace, made the weight of your fatigue dissipate, leaving you feeling refreshed and content. His thumb still moved gently against your stomach, sending occasional tremors through your body, reminding you of the sexual tension that always existed between you.

A gentle yawn escaped your lips, signalling your impending surrender to sleep. As Alastor noticed this, he paused in his reading and looked down at you, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Are you ready to dream, my Dearest?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, but containing a strange sense of authority. Your eyelids fluttered open to meet his crimson gaze, filled with love, desire and possessiveness. All this time, his fingers never stopped their gentle dance on your skin.

Feeling the pull of sleep becoming irresistible, you nodded softly, a small smile forming on your lips. Alastor returned the smile, a tender expression that warmed your heart. This display of affectionate vulnerability was a rare sight, one that revealed the depth of his feelings for you despite the darkness of his nature.

He resumed his reading, his voice continuing to weave a soothing lullaby that guided you toward slumber. With each passing moment, the lines between reality and dream began to blur, pulling you deeper into a peaceful abyss. The last thing you remembered before succumbing to sleep was the comforting presence of Alastor’s embrace, his steady heartbeat acting as a lullaby, assuring you that you were safe and loved.

As you drifted off, Alastor adjusted the blankets once more, ensuring your comfort. He then tenderly pressed a kiss to your lips in a bid for goodnight, his love and devotion evident in the simple gesture.

You sigh letting his scent be the last thing your awareness takes with you as you slip into darkness, head pillowed on his plush soft fluffy chest.

[d-targaryenshoe]

Timeless Affection - Benedict Bridgerton

Word Count: 946

Summary: One's love for another does not fade after time, it only gets stronger and speaks for itself, does it not?

The dawn broke softly over the Bridgerton estate, casting a golden hue across the sprawling gardens.

Inside, the house was already abuzz with a secret flurry of activity.

Your children had been planning for weeks.

Today was your seventh wedding anniversary, and they wanted to make it a day to remember.

Eldest among them was 8-year-old James, whose responsible nature and knack for organization made him the natural leader of their clandestine operation.

Then there was 6-year-old Ella, creative and quick-witted, always ready with an idea to add a personal touch.

Finally, there was little Henry, 4 years old, who, despite his age, was determined to contribute meaningfully to the celebration.

James had woken up at the crack of dawn, slipping out of his room to finalize the arrangements in the garden.

They had planned a surprise picnic lunch, complete with a string quartet and a replica of your favorite flower garden.

Ella had insisted on recreating the garden, knowing how much you cherished it.

As James instructed the staff and made sure everything was in place, Ella was inside the house, ensuring you both remained unaware.

Henry was tasked with creating distraction after distraction.

His mischievous grin betrayed his excitement as he plotted the morning’s diversions.

Their first challenge was getting you out of the house without arousing suspicion.

Ella and Henry had enlisted the help of their Bridgerton aunts and uncles, knowing that if anyone could provide a seamless distraction, it was them.

The Bridgerton siblings were experts at orchestrating family chaos when needed.

In the grand living room, you sat with a cup of tea, savoring the quiet moment before the day began in earnest.

Benedict was reading a newspaper beside you, a contented smile playing on his lips.

Your anniversary had always been a private affair, celebrated with close family and simple joys.

“Good morning, Mother! Good morning, Father!” Ella burst into the room, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Good morning, darling,” you replied, setting your cup down. “You seem very energetic today.”

“Well, it is a special day, after all,” Ella said, her smile widening. “Uncle Colin and Aunt Eloise are here, and they have something they want to show you in town.”

Benedict raised an eyebrow, looking at you. “Colin and Eloise? Up to something? This should be interesting.”

You laughed. “They’re always up to something. It’s part of their charm.”

Within minutes, Colin and Eloise appeared, their enthusiasm barely contained.

“Happy anniversary!” Colin declared, enveloping you in a hug. “We have a little adventure planned for you both. No questions, just trust us.”

Eloise nodded in agreement. “Yes, it’s a beautiful day, and we thought you might enjoy a little outing.”

Benedict looked at you, curiosity piqued. “Shall we?”

“Let’s,” you agreed, your eyes twinkling with anticipation.

As you both left the house with Colin and Eloise, James breathed a sigh of relief. “Step one complete,” he muttered to himself, before heading back to the garden to oversee the final preparations.

Colin and Eloise led Benedict and you through the bustling streets of London, engaging you in lively conversation to keep your curiosity at bay.

You visited a quaint bookshop you loved, followed by a stroll through Hyde Park, and finally, a charming little café where you enjoyed a light brunch.

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, the Bridgerton children, along with their aunts and uncles, worked tirelessly.

Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton sibling, had taken charge of organizing the string quartet, ensuring they played the your favorite melodies.

Daphne and Francesca arranged the flowers, transforming the garden into a breathtaking oasis.

By midday, the preparations were complete.

The garden was a vision of elegance and beauty, with delicate floral arrangements, a picturesque picnic setup, and the string quartet ready to serenade you.

James, Ella, and Henry gathered in the foyer, waiting for the signal from their uncles.

The plan was to bring you both back home just in time for the surprise lunch.

James felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

He wanted everything to be perfect.

Finally, the sound of carriage wheels on gravel announced the return of Colin and Eloise, with Benedict and you in tow.

The children exchanged excited glances.

“Ready?” James asked his siblings.

“Ready!” Ella and Henry chorused.

As you entered the house, you were met with a curious silence.

The children led you through the hallways, which had been decorated with garlands of flowers, each step building anticipation.

When you stepped into the garden, you gasped. “Oh, my goodness…”

The sight before you was nothing short of magical.

The garden was transformed into a paradise of blooms, your favorite songs floating through the air.

A beautifully arranged picnic awaited for you, complete with all your favorite foods.

“Surprise!” the children shouted in unison, their faces beaming with pride.

Benedict looked around, taking in the sight of his siblings and children working together.

“This is incredible,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “You’ve outdone yourselves.”

Your eyes glistened with tears of joy. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”

As the family settled down to enjoy the picnic, Benedict and you marveled at the efforts your children and family had gone to.

The day was filled with laughter, stories, and the kind of warmth that only family could bring.

As the afternoon sun dipped low, casting a golden glow over the garden, you leaned into Benedict.

“Seven years,” you said softly. “And it feels like just yesterday.”

He kissed your forehead. “Here’s to many more, my love.”

The string quartet played on, the flowers swayed gently in the breeze, and you celebrated not just an anniversary, but the enduring love and togetherness that defined you.

[becauseplot]

Philza Minecraft is a survivalist. 

Everyone knows this. He's the "Hardcore guy." He's an expert in the inner-workings of the natural world. He's vigilant. He knows how to hold his own in a fight, and he knows when to cut his losses, too. He knows how to keep himself alive. By extension, he knows how to keep his team alive as well. It only makes sense that they elect him as the leader of red team.

Philza Minecraft is a team player.

This is why he's always happy to go grinding for materials when the team needs it. Even if he tends to get a little distracted sometimes, wandering too far, forgetting to check global chat or talk in the team vc, he checks in with his friends and does what he can to keep morale up when everyone is feeling down. He recognizes the ease with which Cellbit operates in this environment, so he lets the man call some of the shots, or give Phil instructions. After all, Cellbit led the Ordo for months. Phil trusts his judgement. Why not play to their strengths? 

Philza Minecraft is an adapter. 

His biome doesn’t matter, nor his circumstances, nor his equipment. He’s started over more times than he can count. Working under stress isn’t something that hinders him, nor changing environments. If the game of the day is complete the tasks, he can complete the tasks. If the game of the day is kill a player, he can kill a player. He might hate it, but he can do it. For the sake of his friends, of his team, of his kids, and of their collective survival, he can do it.

There is something else worth mentioning. 

Philza Minecraft is a liar. 

Oh, but you’ll never catch him in a lie, because it’s never what he does say. It’s what he doesn’t. It’s the details he omits. It’s the parts of the tale that he glosses over so that the bedtime story isn’t quite so scary. He’ll give you everything he wants you to have and hold the rest of it close to his chest. Or, more accurately, he'll slam it in a locked box and shove it under his bed with the rest of his monsters. 

He was an asset to the Empire. 

Back then, he always asked the right questions: not "why," but "how," and "when." Back then, he knew he was valuable, so he kept himself alive. Back then, "the Angel of Death" wasn't so much a nickname as it was a title he earned. A rank.

He never became a general. The promotion was there, and he was more than qualified, he just never took it. He was content to let his friend take the helm, because Phil knew what he was.

"Knew." "Was." Was, was, was. (Come on, now, Phil. Don't be daft.)

Philza Minecraft is a liar; the man he lies to the most is himself. Yes, Purgatory is fucked and twisted, and he hates what it forces him to do, but not because it's hard. No. Because it's far too easy.

At the end of the day, what matters most is that Philza Minecraft is an arrow. Let someone else nock him in a bow. Let someone else draw him back, point him in a direction, let him loose, soar, fly. Resources, gear, tasks, points, kills, blood---it makes no difference. Philza Minecraft won't stop until he hits his target.

[batwritings]

Kinktober Day 22 - Teratophilia

Finally caught up! Sorry for the spam ya'll, I needed a bit of a mental break. ^^; Enjoy!~

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

The different creatures that made up KorTac was always fascinating to you. Being one of the only humans made you stand out in a mostly hybrid military force. It was interesting being the one on the receiving end of all the questions. Not like you didn’t have any yourself of course, but that was neither here nor there.

There was one member however, that not many people knew about. König. The colonel was a complete mystery to most everyone in the company, yourself included. Despite all the questions thrown his way, it was like he had become and expert at dodging them. 

You hadn’t meant to walk in on him and discovery his secret, honest. So needless to say, both you and the Austrian giant that led your company were both a bit startled when you walked in on him changing. You quickly shut the door behind you, just on the off chance somebody else could see.

Where a normal human being would have a mouth and nose, this man had a variety of tentacles. Each one was littered with scars, and varied in their shape and size. “What can I help you with?” the voice you heard seemed like it came out of nowhere, but it was definitely the voice you knew to be his.

You stuttered and stumbled, trying to find the words to tell him your reasoning for being there. König sighed heavily and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall of his room. A familiar tingle was spreading down to the very tips of his extra appendages and he knew what was happening. “You need to leave,” he tells you briskly. “I…can’t be responsible for what happens if you stay.”

You cocked an eyebrow briefly before you saw his body language shift. Your eyes immediately drifting to your colonel’s crotch, judging by the scent in the room. You’d done your research on a variety of hybrids once you were accepted into KorTac. You wanted to be aware of the different challenges your teammates faced and how you could help them during those times. 

For cephalopods, they did face mating seasons, like many others and twice a year at that. And that’s when it dawned on you, the issue in the room. Your colonel had been about to lock himself in his room for said time of year. 

Now, any sane person would bolt, run from the room and mentally scrub their eyes of whatever the hell it was they just saw. You were quite the opposite however. You straightened yourself up and cleared your throat. “How can I help, Colonel?” you asked, putting as much emphasis on just how genuine your offer was.

König’s eyes widened a bit as he considered your offer carefully. On the one hand, he’s finally have somebody to sit through his cycle with him. On the other, he often times didn’t know he own strength during those times. A risk he was willing to take. 

“Lie down,” he tells you, the voice you hear ar more growly than before. It’s as if you’re compelled to obey, your legs carrying you over to his bed and laying back. “Now take off your pants and undergarments.” You follow along as you’re instructed, moving quicker than you probably would if this were something more formal.

But this is instinctual and you knew it, both of you did. You watched with curiosity as König kneels between your legs, spreading them gently. His large hands splayed across your thighs sent a wave of arousal straight to your sex. You hear your colonel chuckle quietly at your reaction.

“Eager are we?” the Austrian hybrid purrs. The first couple tendrils to touch your leg startle you and your body instantly recoils a bit. “Hush now, schatz. I promise you this will feel good.” And like that, you can feel a soothing wave rush over your skin. Like a safety net, letting you know all was okay.

The suckers along König’s tentacles drug across your skin. The pull was lightly painful, but in a very pleasant way. They surround and caress your sex, tugging and rubbing everywhere at once. Your hips try to buck up off the bed, but a firm hand holds you still. 

“S-Sir!” you moan, head falling back. Your sense are foggy and fuzzy with pleasure, enough that you barely miss the tendril that prods your entrance. You can feel him moving his body against your leg, no doubt creating friction against his erection.

“You taste so good little one,” the hybrid hums, sounding more as if he were admiring you than pleasuring you. “You’ll taste even better once you come for me, no?” You can only whimper and nod your head in agreement. Words were beyond you now; the only thing penetrating your fluff filled head was pleasure.

You can feel puffs of air hitting just above your sex and look down to meet his gaze. His chest is heaving, as if he were borderline coming. “Yes my dear, you’re making me feel good,” König tells you. Part of your still sane mind wonders how in the hell he guessed that, but you’re not exactly in the state of mind to be asking questions.

One, then two slicked up tentacles penetrate your hole, kissing along your walls as they slowly fill you. Your eyes roll back in your head from the explosion of pleasure. It felt like it was building…building until–

“Come.” 

The command breaks you, has your orgasm hitting you like a freight train. Your back arches up off the plush mattress these “heat” rooms, as they were called, had. All the way, your sex is all but milked by König’s tentacles. 

You’re shaking by the time the tremors of pleasure finally slow. Strong hands help your body relax back down, so you’re simply flopping yourself over. “Well done schatz,” you hear the hybrid praise, accent a bit thicker now. You can feel him rub soothing circles across your skin, helping to ground you.

You sit yourself up onto your elbows, doing your best to slow your breathing. Your colonel chuckles softly at you, patting your outer thigh. “I hope you’re not too tired yet hmm?” You give him a quizzical look; all your readings stated that cephalopods usually only lasted a single round. “I am more than just a hybrid darling, I”m a man as well. “And I have much more that I need from you.”

[muniimyg]

i’m afraid i’m going to need a scene about jungkook teasing oc about the dolphin book because that moment in the last chapter was just too cute

ok :p //

“you know... you could try reading the instructions for once," you grumble, snatching the recipe book from where jungkook had haphazardly tossed it aside.

he has messed up for nth time tonight and your hangry attitude is not having it.

you're done.

your boyfriend is annoying and your food is about to be wasted because jungkook thinks going by instict and kissing you every 5 minutes is how dinner will prepare itself.

“it’s not that hard, jungkook.” you add, tone more stern.

“instructions are for people without instincts,” he replies, leaning lazily against the counter while watching you dice onions.

you pause, glaring at him.

“you don’t have ‘instincts.’ last time you winged it, we ended up eating instant ramen for dinner.”

“and it was delicious,” he shoots back, grin widening when you roll your eyes. “besides, you choose really confusing recipes. why can't we ever just bake a pizza and have sex for dessert?”

“sex for dessert?”

"i could lick whipped cream off your—"

"shut up."

“wow. harsh,” he says, clutching his chest in mock offense. “i'm simply suggesting dessert... shit, ___. i’m starting to feel unappreciated in this relationship.”

“maybe you should start actually helping, then,” you mutter, turning back to your chopping. but the corners of your mouth twitch as he snickers behind you.

“you know,” he starts casually, his voice taking on a mischievous lilt, “for someone who lectures me about not following instructions, you sure don’t apply that same energy to your dolphin book.”

you freeze mid-chop, your brain stuttering. “my what?”

“everything you need to know about dolphins from a to z,” he says, his tone so smug you can practically hear the smirk on his face. “real page-turner, huh?”

you whirl around, cheeks blazing.

“how do you know about that?!”

“doesn't matter, mrs. save the dolphins.” he crosses his arms, leaning against the counter with the smuggest expression you’ve ever seen. "do you think we should go to mexico or something and swim with them?”

your jaw drops.

“no, that's terrifying... and you're the worst.”

“no,” he corrects, pointing at himself. “i’m the best. which is why I’ll forgive you for hiding your secret dolphin knowledge.”

“oh my god,” you groan, shoving past him to grab the frying pan. “i can’t believe this. you’re literally insufferable.”

“and yet,” he hums, trailing after you as you stomp across the kitchen, “you keep me around. i must have some redeeming qualities, huh?”

“none,” you reply sharply, though your voice cracks under your rising embarrassment. you slap the pan on the stove a little harder than necessary, your ears burning.

he doesn’t miss a beat, following a step behind as you start cooking.

“so this is how it feels to be led by a dolphin expert,” he muses. then, as you turn to grab some seasoning, he lets out a low, playful woof right behind you.

you whip around, eyes wide. “did you just—?”

“just a loyal boyfriend following his master,” he teases, grinning like he’s won the lottery. “woof.”

“i am so tired of you,” you say, jabbing a finger at his chest. “you’re such a—”

“what? nerd?” he interrupts, his eyes dancing with amusement. “takes one to date one.”

“ugh!” you spin back toward the stove, your shoulders stiff with frustration, but you can’t hide the smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

behind you, jungkook laughs, his voice warm, and the sound settles something in your chest despite yourself.

you hate him.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Only weeks after arriving in the Iraqi capital, Paul Bremer, a retired diplomat with absolutely no Middle East experience, exercised his extraordinary authority, akin to that of a colonial viceroy, as head of the new Coalition Provisional Authority and eradicated the previous Iraqi government with two strokes of his pen. With no clear plans for what might follow, he issued Order Number 1 on his fifth day in office, decreeing a sweeping purge of all senior Iraqi officials previously affiliated with the ruling Baath Party. “By nightfall,” warned the CIA chief of station, “you’ll have driven some 30,000 to 50,000 Baathists underground. And in six months you’ll really regret this.” Imperiously waving away what he called “a sea of bitching and moaning,” Bremer plunged ahead, forcing at least 85,000 Iraqi officials out of office. US commander Ricardo Sanchez would later call this policy decision “a catastrophic failure.” Ignoring both White House instructions and military advice, Bremer soon issued Order Number 2, aimed at “dissolving Saddam’s military and intelligence structures to emphasize that we mean business.” With that second stroke of his pen summarily dismissing 335,00 police and 385,000 soldiers without salary, severance pay, or pensions, Bremer created a vast cadre of what the US Army’s official war history would call “seasoned military men who suddenly had no livelihood.” As Bremer’s two orders “sent shockwaves throughout the country,” there were angry anti-American demonstrations and “violent confrontations” between Iraqi ex-soldiers and coalition forces. Those demobilized former soldiers also included countless trained experts with access to cached military munitions and knowledge of how to build lethal improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. Three days after Bremer’s Order Number 2, a US Army private died when the first of these new weapons exploded under his vehicle. Over the next ten years, IEDs would kill 3,100 US servicemen and wound 33,000 more, including 1,800 amputations—forcing the Pentagon to spend $75 billion to prevent fatalities from a weapon as cheap as a pizza. “Orders 1 and 2 led to a far more sweeping implosion [of the Iraqi state] than US leaders intended,” the US Army’s official war history later reported, “after which factions of all kinds, including extremist militants, rushed to fill the void.”

Alfred W. McCoy, To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Goons of Gotham

There was no shortage of goon, miscreants and scoundrels in Gotham City, far too many to list individually in this project.  That said, here are several of the more prominent goons that batman has had to contend with throughout the years.

Germs and Bell

A pair of neurotic goons in the employ of Roland Daggat, Germs and Bell handled the illegal dirty work that allowed Daggat to conduct his illegal affairs while keeping his hands clean and maintaining plausible deniability.  Unsurprisingly, this did not work out well for the pair of ne’er-do-wells and both ended up defeated and apprehended by the Dark Knight.  

Actor Ed Bagley Jr. provided the voice for Germs while actor Scott Valentine voiced Bell.  The cads first appeared in the fourth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Feat of Clay Part One.’    

Carlton Duquesne 

A renown mobster in Gotham City, Carlton Duquesne ran highly successful protection rackets for The Penguin. Duquesne teamed up with the Penguin and Rupert Thorne in a potentially lucrative scheme to sell illegal weapons to the war torn nation of Kaznia.  The operation was taken down by the mysterious Batwoman and Duquesne and his coconspirators were sentenced to prison.

Actor Kevin Michael Richardson provided the voice for Carlton Duquesne with the character appearing in the animated feature, Batman: Mystery of The Batwoman.  

Ma Mayhem

The villainous Ma Mayhem was an old-fashioned criminal in the futuristic Gotham City. With her two sons in tow, Ma Mayhem committed several robberies that eventually led to her running afoul of Batman (Terry McGinnis).  Although Batman initially struggled in dealing with the villains, the hero eventually prevailed and Mayhem and her two boys were captured and incarcerated.

Actress Kathleen Freeman provided the voice for Ma Mayhem with the matriarchal menace  first appearing in the nineteenth episode of the second season of Batman Beyond, ‘The Egg Baby.’  

Captain Clown

Not much is known about Captain Clown, other than it was absolutely terrifying.  It was a powerful android of unknown origins that The Joker had obtained and dressed up as a sea-faring clown.  The android was programed to follow The Joker’s instruction and aided the Clown Prince of Crime in his scheme to use a garbage barge to embank all of Gotham with his toxic laughing gas.  

It was quite difficult for Batman to defeat Captain Clown, only succeeding when he was able to trap the android in an industrial car crusher that compacted it into a cube of metal and wires.  Distraught over his robotic minion’s demise, The Joker exclaimed ‘You’ve killed Captain Clown!’

The frightening android appeared in the fifteenth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘The Last Laugh.’  

Armory

A former Special Forces operative, Jim Tate later acquired advanced degrees in electronics and engineering, with which he made an impressive career as a small arms weapons designer.  After he was fired from Wayne/Powers, Tate became desperate to maintain his tony lifestyle.  Utilizing his training and expertise in experimental weaponry, he became the villainous Armory yet was ultimately taken down by Batman.  

Actor Dorian Harewood provided the voice for the Jim Tate with the character first appearing in the tenth episode of the first season of Batman Beyond, ‘Spellbound.’ 

Nitro

An explosives expert and arsonist, ‘Nitro’ Nelson took great glee in blowing things up.  He was hired by Roland Daggett to set off a series of bombs that would level the Park Row neighborhood of Gotham.  Actor David L. Lander provided the voice for Nitro, with the villain appearing in the twelve episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Appointment in Crime Alley.’  

Golem

Nelson Nash was a student at Hamilton High School who was frequently bullied by a fellow student.  Pushed too far, Nelson decided to get his revenge by stealing a Galvanic Lifter Machine so to destroy his tormentor’s car.  This Galvanic Lifter Machine (nicknamed a ‘golem’) was an enormous robotic loading device with a roughly humanoid shape.  The machine was operated by way of a neural-syncing headband that enabled the operator to control it through mental command.  

After destroying the car, Nelson used the Golem to menace another classmate he had a crush on.  At this point Batman interceded and debilitated the Golem unit with an electrified battarang that caused it to short circuit and shut down.  The feedback into the neural headband caused Nelson to be shocked into unconsciousness.  When he awakened, however, he found that had somehow cultivated psychic powers that enabled him to control the Golem even without the rural headband.  

Actor Seth Green provided the voice for Nelson Nash with the young villain and his robotic companion first appearing in the fourth episode of the first season of Batman Beyond, ‘Golem.’  

Garth

An early subject outcome of Doctor Dorian's experiments, Garth was a gorilla with enhanced intelligence and other rudimentary human-like capabilities.  Not as refined a subject as Dorian’s later creation, Tygrus, Garth did prove useful as muscle to execute the scientist’s schemes.  

Actor Jim Cummings provided the voice for Garth, with the brute appearing in the thirtieth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Tyger Tyger.’ 

Ian Peak

An ambitious and unscrupulous television journalist, Ian Peak was the host of ‘The Inside Peak,’ an infamous tabloid newscast that dished the dirt on the influential people of Gotham City.  After stealing an experimental intangibility belt from a scientist, Peak used the belt to garner all manner of secrets regarding the luminaries of Gotham.  He even discovered Bruce Wayne’s secret identity as Batman.  Unfortunately for Peak, however, the belt ultimately caused his body to lose structural integrity and he perished when his body defended down into the earth’s core.  

Actor Michael McKean provided the voice for Ian Peak with the villainous paparazzi appearing in the eighteenth episode of the second season of Batman Beyond ‘Sneak Peak.’   

Doctor Belson

Gregory Belson was a transplant surgeon who had previously worked in the  cryogenics laboratories at GothCorp where he was a colleague of Victor Fries.  A series of poorly thought through investments resulted in Belson’s finding himself in a dire financial situation.  Mr. Freeze was able to leverage Belson’s debts as a means of getting him to conspire with him in a dastardly plot.  This resulted in the craven Belson meeting a fiery end.  

Actor George Dzundza provided the voice for Dr. Belson, appearing in the animated feature, Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero.

The Repeller

Dr. Suzuki was a researcher working in the medicinal technologies department of Wayne-Powers.  He and his colleague developed the ISO field generator rings which could generate a magnetic forcefield around a living being.  Suzuki stole the device and used it to commit crimes as the villains ‘Repeller.’  Batman was ultimately able to surmise the Repeller’s true identity and take the villain down.  

Actor Gedde Watanabe provided the voice for the Repeller with the villain appearing in the second episode of the third season of Batman Beyond, ‘Untouchable.’   

Vincent Starkey

Also known as ‘The Shark’ Vincent Starkey was a mobster and drug dealer who had previously been put away by Detective Harvey Bullock.  When Bullock was receiving death threats, he was certain that the recently paroled Starkey was behind them.  Aided by Batman, The Shark was taken down as he was starting up a new narcotics racket.  Although it turned out that it was actually Bullock’s landlord who was behind the death threats.  

Actor Gregg Berger provided the voice for Vincent Starkey with the villain first appearing in the fourth episode of the fourth season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘A Bullet for Bullock.’  

Falseface

The mysterious mercenary known only as Falseface possessed the ability to shape the contours of his face so to imitate any man of his size and stature. The villain was hired by the terrorist organization known as Kobra to smuggle a deadly virus into Gotham.  The plot was thwarted by the combined efforts of Batman and Stalker.

Actor Townsend Coleman provided the voice for Falseface with the villain appearing in the twenty-first episode of the second season of Batman Beyond, ‘Plague.’  

Montague Kane

Doctor Montague Kane traveled around the world publishing works on debunking the supernatural.  He showed a particular interest in magicians, revealing to the public the non-magical ways of how their illusions worked. 

The stage magician known as Zatanna was aware of Kane's reputation.  Revealing the secrets of stage magic was very much frown upon and Zatanna was eager to stump him with a trick he would not be able to figure out.  Although Zatanna was practiced in real magic, she relied on traditional sleight of hand in her stage act.  And she had created an illusion utilizing mirrors that would make it appear as though ten million dollars had disappeared from the Gotham Mint.

Kane was actually a cheat and a thief.  He learned how Zatanna was planning to pull off her trick and seized upon it as a means to steal this money for himself.   And Kane's expertise of illusions allowed him to rig the trick so that it would seem the money was there, while it was already stolen.

Kane and his lacks tried to make a quick getaway with the stolen money but were stopped by Batman and Zatanna.  Kane was delivered to the police and Zatanna was cleared of all charges.

Actor Michael York provided the voice of Montague Kane with he villainous skeptic appearing in the fiftieth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Zatanna.’

Bigtime

Charlie ‘Big Time’ Bigelow was an ambitious hoodlum and former friend of Terry McGinnis.  Three years prior to Terry becoming Batman, Charlie and Terry were arrested for burglary.  Charlie was eighteen and tried as an adult, resulting in a three year prison term; whereas Terry was still a minor and hence avoided jail time.  

Following his release, Charlie fell in was a gang of thieves who planned to steal an experimental chemical from a Wayne-Powers facility.  

The robbery went awry and Charlie ended up doused in the mutagenic chemical.  This caused him become physically deformed, yet also bestowed him super human strength and durability.  Going by the alias of ‘Big Time’ Charlie used his newfound powers to become a super villain and had multiple altercations with Batman.

Actors Stephen Baldwin and Clancy Brown provided the voice for the villain, first appearing in the fourth episode of the third season of Batman Beyond, ‘Big Time.’  

Mutro Botha

The killer known as Mutro Botha was a top lieutenant within the mysterious Society of Assassins.  When the Society found itself hunted by Curaré, Botha attempted to extort Batman into protecting him.  The plan did not work and Botha ended up killed by Curaré.  

The legendary Tim Curry provided the voice for Muto Botha, with the desperate criminal appearing in the fifteenth episode of the second season of Batman Beyond, ‘The Final Cut.’  

[simplygyuu]

Doing You a Favor

synopsis : beomgyu wants to do you a favor by doing your hair after you take a shower <3

genre : fluff, romance

pairings : beomgyu x gender neutral!reader

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

When you padded out of the steamy bathroom with your oversized t-shirt and shorts on the last thing you expected to see was your boyfriend sitting at your vanity with a cute smile, holding your hair dryer and brush. Your hair was still soaking wet and honestly you had planned on just sleeping with it wet but it seems Beomgyu has other plans.

“Come, come!” Beomgyu beckoned you over, standing up with a bounce so you could take a seat in the chair and he could stand behind you.

“Do you even know what youre doing?” You teased as you complied with his instructions and sat down. You watched him smooth out your hair through the mirror before he reached over your shoulder to pick up the brush.

“Nope,” He retorted, popping the ‘p’ sound before continuing, “but i've used a hair dryer before and i've seen you do your hair so many times I may as well be an expert.”

You couldnt help but fondly chuckle while nodding. “Alright, Beom whatever you say.”

He softly smacked the top of your head with the tip of his fingers, barely feeling like anything. A happy smile was on his pretty features, his face practically lit up as he began brushing your hair. He loved doing things for you and would often beg to help pick out an outfit or help you put on jewelry, even wanting to help with silly things like tying your shoes.

His touch was gentle as he used one hand to press down a bit on your hair as he worked the knots out. He didnt want to accidentally hurt you. The happy concentration on his face made you smile as you fondly watched him through the mirror. You loved him so much. The way his brown hair was all ruffled and displaced while he was dressed in such simple, homey clothes –sweatpants and a somewhat big sweatshirt– and the natural flush to his cheeks made you ever the more smiley as you watched.

You tuned out most of everything else as you watched his concentrated face, only zoning back into the loud sound of the hair dryer starting up. Playfully, Beomgyu pulled the neck of your shirt back a bit just to blow air down your back with a giggle.

“Hey, stop that!” You yelped, not expecting the feeling. It wasn't uncomfortable, just sudden as you laughed and leaned forward to get away from his loud laughter. Cutely he lifted his hands up in a mock surrender which led you to lean back in the chair again. Once you were settled his laughter delved into soft huffs of air and a small smile as he began blow drying your hair.

As his fingers ran through your hair, gently scratching a bit every once and a while, you couldnt help but let your eyes fall closed and you let yourself lean further back. “Its not too hot, is it?” He asked just loud enough to be heard over the blow dryer which resulted in a shake of your head.

Surprisingly, he did seem to know what he was doing. It didnt take long for your hair to be fully dry, not even a bit damp thanks to how thorough he was, and honestly it looked a bit better than normal.

“Ta-da!” Beomgyu sang once he unplugged the hair dryer, watching for your expression with expectant eyes. You leaned a bit closer to the mirror, turning your head from side to side with a content smile.

“Wow… it actually looks good. I didnt expect that.”

“Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!”

Two pairs of laughter filled the room soon after, solidifying the warm feeling in your chest.

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

notes : i wanted to write a little something outside of nouvelle to hopefully help me with my motivation lolol so here's cute bfie gyu!!

reblogs and replies are really really appreciated!

permanent taglist : @squiishymeow @beomnioa @jwnghyuns @ddeonudepressions @mywonie @bluebearybeom @wccycc @soobin-chois @myknifeyourlife @itzxvaxella

[iri-2]

Then There Will Be

Category: F/F

Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)

Relationship: Mother Miranda/Mia Winters

Characters: Mother Miranda (Resident Evil) Mia Winters The Four Lords (Resident Evil)

The cold white tiles and harsh lights of The Connections' lab stung Miranda’s eyes. As she was led to the lab by a staff member, she wasn’t really paying attention to his introduction of the organization. Her mind was solely focused on getting to the lab and conducting her research to bring back her true daughter.

The staff led Miranda to the end of the hallway, where she recorded her fingerprint on a scanner by the lab door to unlock it, as instructed. The new lab was several times larger than the basement she had in the village, equipped with dedicated rooms for chemicals, samples, and various precision instruments.

Miranda looked the lab equipment with approval. Then she turned to the staff and asked, "Is there anything else I need to know? Other than the documentation and samples you'll provide me with shortly?"

The staff member found it difficult to understand why this taciturn scientist had such an intense presence. "Yes, we’ve arranged for a researcher to assist you with your experiments."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Does this researcher understand what my research’s about? I consider it a very... personal matter." She bent down, carefully observing the activity of a mold sample.

"Rest assured, besides our boss, only she and Dr. Droney know the details of your project." The staff member said, glancing toward the door where a figure stood. He then addressed Miranda, "Dr. Miranda, she’s here."

Miranda straightened up and looked at the doorway. A woman stood there, her hair a similar color to Miranda's past self and the present scientist Miranda, perhaps a slightly lighter shade of black, with shoulder-length curls that fell over her chest. She was shorter and slimmer than Miranda, but with her sharp judgment, Miranda could tell that the woman wasn’t as fragile as she appeared.

The researcher walked directly into Miranda's lab and reached out her right hand. "Mia Winters, a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Miranda."

“Greetings, Mia,” said Miranda, just two words. After five seconds, the strange silence in the air finally caught her attention. She realized she should shake the new researcher's hand with her hand. Feeling uncomfortable with the gesture, Miranda quickly pulled her hand back afterward, without really thinking about what she'd done.

Mia hesitated briefly, surprised by Miranda’s odd behavior, but quickly recovered and continued her greeting, "I'll be working with you for a while. I'm not an expert in biochemistry, but I can assist you, and... handle some unnecessary trouble."

"Unnecessary trouble?" Miranda asked, puzzled.

"You know, sometimes test subjects have issues. I'm quite good at preventing those things from happening." Mia hinted.

Miranda's instinct was correct. Mia Winters did indeed have the capability to deal with failed test subjects. Though Miranda herself could easily handle such matters without breaking a sweat, she was not in her village. So, she smiled and said, "Welcome to my lab, Mia."

---

Miranda accepted the coffee Mia handed her. Having another assistant by her side was something she was certainly not used to. She remembered how, fifty or sixty years ago, her student Spencer left Romania because of their ideological differences. Since then, she hadn’t taken on another assistant. Few people truly understood her ultimate goal. Perhaps Alcina did, but she had her three daughters, through whom she found a connection. Miranda, however, never felt the same bond with any of her "children" as she did with Eva. Miranda convinced herself that they were merely vessels, but she couldn’t ignore the glimpses of her own life with her daughter that she saw in the Dimitrescu family. Those fragments pieced together the warmth of the days from nearly a century ago.

"Dr. Miranda? Miranda?" A gentle voice called her back from her memories.

"Hmm?"

"The sample you put in the centrifuge is ready. You can check it now."

"Alright." Miranda tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You always seem to drift into deep thought." Mia remarked as she watched Miranda walk into the equipment room.

"It's nothing. I just like to think about things while working. It helps me focus." Miranda replied, opening the lid of the centrifuge.

"I feel the same sometimes. When you're doing something you love, your mind tends to wander, doesn’t it?" Mia said, leaning against the doorframe and watching Miranda carefully take out the centrifuge tubes.

"Maybe." Miranda replied. She wasn't sure whether she truly enjoyed these tedious experiments, but they were too meaningful to ignore, demanding a century of her time without pause.

---

Eleven at night, Mia handed Miranda the organized data. Watching Miranda intently review the figure, Mia quietly asked, “Miranda, don’t you need to take a break? Every morning when I arrive, you're already here, and every night when I leave, you're still here. Have you even been home?”

Miranda turned and sat at the lab stool, picking up a pen and scribbling notes on the documents, vaguely responding to Mia’s concern. "Hmm? Home? Of course, I've been home. My Lords and villagers all know I’ll be away for a while."

“Not your village, I mean your apartment here. Wow, the way you talk about your hometown makes it sound like you’re not that close to your neighbors.” Mia remarked, once again finding Miranda rather strange. Perhaps she’d been overworking.

It wasn’t until then that Miranda realized what she had just said. A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead, but since her back was turned to Mia, she had enough time to calm her rising panic. She followed, “Yes, I’m not particularly close with them.” That much wasn’t a lie. “Mia, it’s late. You should head home. You must have noticed you're spending more and more time in the lab each day.”

“Long enough to realize you never take a proper rest.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Miranda set her pen down and swiveled on the stool to face Mia. “Even though this experiment is important to me, there’s no need for you to stay here so long on my account.”

“I know about Eva,” Mia said softly, lowering her head as she looked sadly at Miranda, whose blue eyes quickly filled with grief. “I’m so sorry, Miranda. I’ve never mentioned it before because I didn’t want to bring up painful memories, but I know you’ve never really moved on. I’ve heard you were absorbed in trying to bring Eva back even before you came to The Connections. And now that you’ve found new hope here, your dedication has only intensified. I can’t imagine how you maintain that drive, I can’t fully understand it, but I urge you to think about yourself for once. Maybe go to your apartment and get some sleep, or return to your village. Even if you’re not close to your neighbors, the mountain air would do you some good. If not, there’s actually a rest area behind the equipment room with a small bed. I guess you’ve forgotten it.”

Mia left the lab. Miranda stood from her stool and walked toward the equipment room. Sure enough, there was a door in the corner. Miranda must have opened it when she first arrived at the lab, but she’d quickly forgotten about it, as its contents hadn’t interested her at the time.

Miranda opened the door for the second time, and inside was indeed a small bed. There wasn’t any dust on it, indicating that Mia often rested there. A small porcelain pot sat on the windowsill, holding a plump lithops plant that was clearly well cared for.

On the nightstand, there were two glasses, one of them labeled “Mia”.

Miranda took off her lab coat and poured herself a cup of water with the other glass. She didn’t need sleep, so she simply lay on the bed, quietly reflecting. Her thoughts went first to Eva. There wasn’t a moment she didn’t think of her daughter. She recalled how earlier that day, she had smiled to herself, thinking of Eva, and wondered if Mia had noticed from the other end of the lab. It was a memory of five-year-old Eva mimicking the sounds of various animals, from chickens to pigs to goats and even crows, each imitation spot-on. Miranda had laughed as she scooped little Eva into her arms and set her on her lap, encouraging her to continue recounting her exciting adventures of the day.

Miranda tried to blur the memories of the Spanish flu outbreak, but it was clear she could never escape those dark days. One by one, her neighbors had died, and then misfortune had struck the only person she held dear. But the misfortune never came for her, nor did fortune, not until the day she buried Eva.

After that, she became the center of power. The faces of the villagers flashed through her mind like a carousel, along with the series of failed vessels. Then there was this white laboratory, and Mia.

Miranda told herself it was merely because Mia didn’t know about her status in the village and viewed her as an ordinary person which Miranda found novel. It wasn’t because Mia held any special significance to her.

---

Miranda told Mia that she planned to return to her hometown for a week of rest. Upon hearing the news, Mia could barely contain her excitement, she nearly hugged Miranda, though she stopped when Miranda stiffened in place.

Miranda changed back into her black robe. She descended to the basement and switched on the lights. The dim laboratory momentarily disoriented her. Ancient books lay scattered across the table, and the Cadou pulsed rhythmically inside its container. Everything on the shelves was arranged just as before, and the photo of her and Eva remained in its place, slowly fading with time.

Miranda pulled out a new photo and placed it on the shelf. It was a group photo with The Connections team, a symbol of her new hope. Strangely, the photo was in black and white, though Miranda didn’t pay attention to that oddity. What she did notice, however, was Mia smiling in the picture.

After filing away the data she had brought from The Connections lab, Miranda didn’t stand at her bench as she usually would. Instead, she sat on her bed and opened her diary.

May 9, 2010

Mia Winters suggested I take some time to rest at home, and I followed her advice. I rarely allow anyone this close to me, but she hasn’t made me uncomfortable. In fact, she’s been a great help with my research.  

I hope we can bring Eva back.

Wait, did she just write "we"?

The villagers noticed that Mother Miranda was less strict when conveying the Black God's will in the church. When they shared the current situation in the village with her, she seemed absent-minded.

The Lords picked up on this during their meeting as well. She didn’t admonish Heisenberg when he called her "Miranda" directly without using her title, until Alcina criticized him, causing tensions to escalate between the two. It was only when Angie chimed in with a sharp "fight, fight" that Miranda snapped back to reality, reminded of her current predicament.

---

A week later, Miranda returned to The Connections lab. Mia handed her a cup of coffee, looking cheerful as usual. “Welcome back, Miranda. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Mia.” Miranda said with a smile as she took the cup.

“It’s clear that the week off did you good. You probably won’t accidentally drink the nutrient solution from the beaker as water again.” Mia teased, giving Miranda a playful grin, to which Miranda could only chuckle helplessly.

“Speaking of which, the mold colony report from the week you were gone is ready.” Mia led Miranda to the computer and opened the monitoring system, showing her the recent research on the E-type mold. “Out of two hundred samples, one hundred in the control group without Cadou did not produce any fully formed organisms. They remain in loose colony forms within the culture medium. Five of them exhibited some human traits, like sample 23, which developed humanoid palms, and sample 57, which produced teeth, but with sharp dentalcrowns, resembling a beast rather than a human arc.”

“In the experimental group with Cadou, all one hundred samples were more active than the control group. You can see them pulsing rhythmically, similar to human blood flowing through the colonies. Seventeen of the samples have developed mostly humanoid structures, though they are still covered in thick mold.”

Miranda pointed to one of the samples. “Sample 119 looks more active than the others, the mold is moving across it more quickly.”

“Exactly. It should be the most successful one. I examined its physical structure and found that its limbs are slenderer and its mouth is smaller, with a hyoid bone appearing in the throat.” Mia explained.

Miranda felt a surge of excitement and instinctively placed her hand on Mia’s shoulder. “Do you think sample 119 could be...”

“Are you thinking of sequencing its DNA?” Mia anticipated Miranda's thoughts.

Miranda nodded.

Mia skillfully assisted Miranda in extracting the “blood” sample, placing the processed samples into the expensive instrument.

“We just need to wait a day.” Mia said.

“Thank you, Mia.” Miranda offered Mia a warm smile.

The lab felt particularly warm that day, perhaps summer was approaching. Miranda sat on the bed in the small room, spending the hour before the results were due, contemplating every possibility.

Mia appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame. “You don’t need to be so nervous. We all saw how successful it was, the compatibility must be high.”

“I know, I know, Mia.” Miranda lowered her hand, which had been anxiously touching her cheeks, and looked up at Mia. “I’m glad everything is progressing positively, I’m just worrying about the future.”

“Worrying about the future? You just said the experiment will go well.” Mia asked, puzzled.

“It’s not about the experiment. I’m worried about life after all this ends,” Miranda sighed. “You know my life has revolved solely around Eva. I rarely pay attention to the trivialities of my life and other matters.”

“You’re worried that after everything succeeds, you won’t be able to adjust to that kind of life?” Mia walked in and sat down beside Miranda.

“Yes, my life has changed so much compared to years ago. I’m concerned I won’t be able to return to a normal routine with Eva. I don’t know what path to choose.”

“Do you want to take her back to your village?” Mia asked gently.

“I don’t know. That would bring about significant changes. Everything in the village would be very... different.” Miranda thought about the order she had worked hard to establish nearly a century ago. Would it all crumble with Eva’s return?

Mia was unaware of Miranda’s true background, she could only assume that the villagers would view a person’s resurrection as a miracle, which would undoubtedly shock them. In fact, it just required advanced scientific technology and relentless effort. “I think they will gradually come to understand everything. Many unusual events happen in our world, but everything calms down over time.” Mia placed her hand gently on Miranda’s back. “Eva’s mother is a powerful woman. I can’t believe she has such strong willpower to face all of this.”

Miranda turned to look into Mia’s eyes and, for the first time, noticed that her eyes weren’t entirely brown, they had a ring of deep green around the edges. “And you’ve been here with me through all of this.”

“You just need someone by your side.” Mia said, sensing the warmth emanating from Miranda, subtle yet noticeable only up close.

“And that someone is you.” Miranda reached out and took her hand, her thumb lightly resting on the back of Mia’s hand.

“Miranda, are you shaking my hand?” Mia suddenly laughed.

“Hmm? No, how come?”

“When we first met, you shook my hand like this. If you hadn’t done it so forcefully and quickly, and hadn’t bent down, I might have thought you were going to kiss my hand like those gentlemen of old.” Mia teased.

A blush crept up Miranda’s pale ears, as she completely forgot those details.

“To save you from this embarrassment, we can check the results now.” Mia said, pulling Miranda to her feet.

“Match compatibility with Eva's DNA reaches 93.87%. Miranda, you did it!” Mia leaned down and hugged Miranda, who was sitting in front of the screen.

Miranda reached out and hugged Mia back. “Yes, we did it.”

[redrosyrose]

cox - August 25 - @wolfstarmicrofic - word count:516

Sirius always confident about his experiences with girls and relationships stuff.He doesn't have to brag about it,because everyone in the whole school have at least once heard about the "Famous & Hot Sirius Black".

He's the Love Expert,who give James useful information to keep going on his journey to Lily's heart.Sirius is the one every Gryffindor would ask for love advice because they know that he'd be willing to help.He also earns a few galleons from it since they have to pay if they need some tips about "that",which Sirius had done before and have some nasty tricks.

But what they don't know is that he's never tried it with boys before.It took them nearly a month for Sirius to work out his feelings with Remus,eventually they agreed to be together.Since then,they have snogged,cuddled but still haven't tried "that",which led to Sirius' decision to give it a chance because everyone is currently asleep.

Suddenly,all of his confident bit by bit turns into air and float out of his manner.He feels frustrated with himself because he had done it a million times before.Why can't he figure out the next step,It's just "that" and he's a boy, it's supposed to be easier with Remus.Would Remus feel disappointed with him,Would they break up after this.His body go numb and the air seems too taut to speak,all he could think about right now is his unexperiences or Remus' disappointed expression.

"It's ok,we don't have to do it now"Remus voice faintly filled the air as his gaze dart the streak of moon light slightly draped on Sirius' face.

"But.."He feel like there is a big lump in his throat,stop him from saying anything in he's thinking right now."How couldn't I-It's absurd I mean I have tried 'that' with people before.How am I look like a failure boyfriend."He croaks out while some tears are running down his cheekbones.They are half naked now,why he couldn't continue.

Remus gently pulls him to his lap,slightly runs his hand through Sirius' hair.He's slipping his finger through every small mole on Sirius' pale skin,give each of them a peck."We have months to try,I don't wanna rush if you haven't ready yet.There's going to be a right time,when things are just going smoothly without any plans.I don't have any experiences with boy too,it’s okay”Remus voice coursing through Sirius’ paranoid like a warmth assuring

“But what if I disappointed you,I don’t know what to do”

“Then I’ll be your cox,I’ll navigate us to the right berth.Don’t you remember that I’m a bookworm,kind of good at reading and doing the instruction.”

“Okay.So I guess we’re just going to cuddle and have a good dream then.”Sirius voice fills with mischief,no longer worry about anything.

They tip-toeing to bed,careful not to wake the other two.Sirius entangles his body with Remus’ like he’s done this a thousand times.

“Goodnight Love”

“Goodnight.”Then he secretly mumbles after sure that Remus is already asleep. “Anything for my Moony.”

Sirius falls asleep as he sure that he’s going be okay,They going to do “that” when the right time come.And he’s ready to do anything for his Moony.

[drabblesandimagines]

Happy future birthday, dear Gostdog!!💖💖 Wish you good luck in all your endeavors and a lot of inspiration!!🤲♥️♥️

On the occasion of your event can I request Barnabas x reader, please?👉👈

Thank you! 💖 Always down for Barnabas, please enjoy whatever this has turned out to be xx Barnabas Tharmr x female reader Fluff, but a little bit spicy compared to my usual works

Hot, open-mouthed kisses upon your neck pull you from your slumber aboard the Einherjar. You’ve been rocked to sleep as the ship had cruised through the waves, skirting off the Storm Coast.

Barnabas often liked to take to the sea – whether he ended up setting foot on land or not. It was only recently that he’d began to take you with him, kept sequestered in his cabin if he was not onboard.

You blink up hazily at your beloved, straddling you between his muscular thighs. He tsks as he cups your face, stroking a thumb delicately over your cheek.

“Happy Name Day, my sweet.”

“It is not even dawn-” he cuts you off with a kiss, swallowing the rest of your sentence. Barnabas has never been a chaste kisser - reluctant to pull away until he has left your lips swollen with nips of his teeth – but there is something else on his mind as he pulls away with a smirk.

“I wish to give you your gift.”

“Now?”

“Now.” He leans back up, pulling you with him by a firm grip on your wrist. The blanket falls from your torso, revealing your nightgown. “However, it requires you to be dressed.”

Barnabas watched as you quickly changed – he is not one to be kept waiting, after all. Once deemed appropriate, he placed one palm on the small of your back and took your hand in his other – not before pressing a kiss to the pulse point – and led you out of the cabin and up towards the deck.

The moon is full, casting an ethereal glow across the boards of the ship. It is deserted – not a single soul in sight as he leads you towards the stern. You’re not sure if this is the norm, you’ve never been up this late or early before, but a lone figure emerges at the ship’s wheel.

Sleipnir, of course.

“My liege.” He bows at Barnabas and then turns to you, bowing again. “My lady.”

“You are dismissed for now.”

“As you wish, my king.” The Lord Commander steps back with a nod, swiftly heading back down the deck as instructed. Barnabas guides you forward until you’re stood directly in front of the ship’s wheel.

“Word reached me that you have been quite interested in the Einherjar as late, my treasure.” He drops his head to murmur in your ear. It was true – you’d been curious about how it felt to handle, if it was nimble as it felt despite the speed it traversed the waves. “So, for your gift, I am going to teach you how to control her.”

He deftly interlaces your fingers with his and raises your hands, directing you to grasp hold of two of the wheel’s spokes.

“But what if I…?” He squeezes your hands, cutting you off again.

“There is a reason I decided now was the time - I would not allow you to put yourself in any danger. Do you recall what I taught you about the position of the stars?”

You nod, looking up towards the sky. You are no means an expert, but Barnabas had spent a night with you in the crow’s nest – learning how to navigate somewhat by the sky above and some other less educational activities...

“Good. Which way to Castle Black?”

You bite your lip in thought, trying to situate yourself before nodding your head to the left.

“Very good.” He presses a kiss to your crown, releasing his hands from yours, leaving them alone on the spokes. “Now, turn, my sweet.”

You tug at the wheel, coaxing it to turn slightly.

Another dry chuckle. “This is the Einherjar – Waloed’s flagship – she can take a lot more than that.”

You spin the wheel with a little more umph, your heart pounding as she begins to maneuverer – as smooth as when you are permitted to ride your beloved black chocobo across the wilds of Ash and encourage her to take the turns as tight as she can.

“A natural – as I should have known.” He wraps his arms around your waist then, pressing you against his chest. “Is it as you imagined?”

“More so.” You exhale, feeling invigorated as you turn the wheel again after referencing the sky, determined to keep on course.

The time passes in companiable silence – you held in Barnabas’ arms as you continue to steer the great ship home, dawn breaking over the horizon and the dock appearing as a spec in the distance and you turn the wheel with gusto, trying to head straight towards it.

Barnabas’ hand suddenly grasps the back of your head, tilting it slightly to the left before warm lips press upon your neck, hungrily, teeth grazing at your skin, only pausing when he reaches the spot that makes you moan and you jerk the wheel in a direction you didn’t mean.

“Barnabas…”

He growls as he retreats. “I find you irresistible always, treasure, but there is something about you steering the Einherjar…”

Sleipnir appears suddenly behind – stealthy as always.

“My liege?”

“Rouse the crew.” You are torn from the wheel and spun round, swiftly flung over Barnabas’ shoulder before you can form a coherent sentence. “It is time for my lady’s other gift.”

You raise your head to see Sleipnir’s bowed as Barnabas begins the walk back to your cabin at pace. “As you wish, my king.”

The crew do not question why the Einherjar changes course.

--

Masterlist . Requests welcome . Ko-fi

[pep-the-artemis]

Thads Shindig

A Murder Drones Story Containing every named character+more (yes all ~50 of them, some never seen before, full cast list in tags)!

part 1.

word count - 4,448

Uzi - *playing a video game*

N - *entering*Hi Uzi… last week was… kinda wild.

Uzi - *unattentive*yep.

N - you know with the whole Eldritch J thing that was pretty insane, proms coming up which I guess is exciting. Because you know this story is set somewhere between episode 2 and 3.

Uzi - *still not listening*cool… Hey, I’ve got a second controller if you want to play video game with me.

N - you know I don’t like video game Uzi, plus we have to go soon.

Uzi - wait… go where?

N - well it's Thad’s shindig soon.

Uzi - oh cool, I’ll be heading offline in a minute anyway, this old hag—*reading username* SeaweedLoverXD has just been spawn camping me for the last half hour.

Nori - *over the mic* OLD HAG?

Uzi - *putting on headset*yeah, you virgin loser, you heard me!

Nori - Virgin?! Well I’ll have you know little miss Nobody, I am a mother of a darling daughter and if I ever caught her saying anything remotely similar to the insults you’ve been throwing my way I wouldn’t hesitate washing her mouth out with soap and water!

Uzi - whatever, die mad. *logs off*

*Meanwhile in a distant spaceship*

J - [you died idiot]

J - ughh, my head [Lost Memory Recovery Finished]... oh … oh! ... I liked that pen. 

J - *getting out of bed only to lose balance and collapse on the floor* … I’m okay! That was strange… My limb enhancements! Where are my limb enhancements?! *mad* Tessa! *pouting* Right now I bet I look like a common toaster! And why is it so dark? Are we conserving energy now?!

J - *walking through the spaceship arriving at a door labelled ‘Tessa. Knock first’*

J - *opening the door to a pitch black messy room,a pool of oil and blood pools out of the room*

Flesha - GET OUT!*throws Tessa’s helmet square at J cracking her visor slightly before slamming the door shut*

J - Tessa… I’m sorry.

Flesha - Learn to knock!

J - *picking up Tessa’s helmet* I think you dropped this.

Flesha - … *slowly opens the door slightly before lashing out and snatching the helmet quickly with a black tendril before retreating back into the room. Grotesque, bone cracking sounds follow*

J - …m,may I come in.

Tessa - sure, please mind the mess. I usually try to keep things clean but I guess you can say I haven't really been myself.

J - *entering* You know I’ve been reading some human literature and ‘arrogance and comedy’ are generally not considered a good coping mechanism.

Tessa - oh so you’re an expert on my well being are you?

J - your parents instructed me to protect you so yes!

Tessa - Well, look how that turned out! You’ve seen what's left of me, of what I become, I am a monster!

J - We’re all monsters Tessa, in our own way. I can see you're tired, I am here to grab my limb enhancers then I will be off.

Tessa - oh… yeah, I’ve been making modifications, it's still really buggy, they need more time though.

J - can’t I just borrow N's spare set? Been wondering what having feet feels like.

Tessa - no… I’ve been thinking, breaking into the Worker Drones commune is difficult, entering by force is doing little good and the plan to try and hack its main frame has only led to many complications.

J - you can code?

Tessa - nope. Like I said, complications. Anyhow, returning to the subject, right now no one could differentiate you from any other worker so you can head down and do some spy work… like James Bond and such.

J - do I have any say in this?

Tessa - nope.

J - *annoyed* then I’ll prepare my landing pod. *leaving* and Tessa, you shouldn’t just allow Cyn to walk over you…

Tessa - It's her body as much as mine and without it I would be dead.

*meanwhile, in the commune*

Doll - Мать. Отец. 

Doll - Ты будешь гордиться мной

Doll - Получите ответы и освободите вас

Doll - Не волнуйтесь, чего бы это ни стоило,

Doll - я ухожу

Doll - И я клянусь прямо сейчас

Doll - Что бы не случилось со мной

Doll - Любой, кто встанет или встанет на моем пути, заплатит

Doll - Они... будут... платить

Lizzy - hey babe, quit praying to the corpses of your dead parents, we have a party to attend.

Doll - иду :3

*meanwhile deep underground*

V - *carrying a large pile of dead worker drones while being chased by a horde of Sentinels* oh RoboLord oh RoboLord oh RoboLord oh RoboLord oh RoboLord oh RoboLord oh RoboLord why did I agree to this! *runs through door and slams it shut*

Alice - hey looky here, another one of those slick murder drones.

V - *shoots her in the centre of her head*

Beau - O.O!!!!!

V - What are you looking at… well I had to kill her? That was a perfectly sane reaction to seeing someone that creepy!...*picking up Alice's dead body* hey, you seem pretty cool, want to join me, I’m heading to a party.

Beau - O.O…*réaliser qu'un refus peut signifier la mort* 👍

*meanwhile in the doorman home*

Uzi - come on N. How are you still not ready?!

N - I’m still doing my hair!

Uzi - well hurry up, we’re going to be late!

Khan - well where are you two kids heading off too?

Uzi - a party, it's cool kids only so obviously you’re not invited.

Khan - haha, on account of me not being a kid.

Uzi - sure. Let's go with that.

Khan - well, I hope you two kids have fun. Make sure you use protection.

Uzi - *blushing* DAD!!! What the robo-hell?!

Khan - What? I’m just saying there could still be some of those evil murder drones running around.

Uzi - oh |: 

Kahn - well, I best be heading off too, it's poker night at the defence force. *leaves*

N - hey Uzi, I’m ready… How do I look?

Uzi - *hiding her blushing* great, let's go!

*meanwhile outside the commune*

Reid - *searching around the snow*

J - *wearing a fake moustache*what are you doing here, don’t you know this is Disassembly Drone territory.

Reid - oh hi, i didn’t see you there… Wait, what's a Disassembly Drone?

J - …you misheard me… I said Murder Drones.

Reid - Well, if you have to know, I’m looking for my glasses, and I don’t think the Disassembly Drone will be any issue, after the redemption and all.

J - Well, I’m lost, do you mind helping me find my way to the commune.

Reid - I’ll show the way once I’ve found the glasses.

J - ughh, I will help you find your glasses.

*searching*

J - are these your glasses?

Reid - …no, how curious, I wonder who they belong to? 

J - don’t care *tosses Vs glasses away* lets just find your glasses quickly then we can be off.

*meanwhile in the distant spaceship*

Tessa - *meddling with Js new limb enhancers and optic sensors* What do you want? (I’m bored sister, may I go and play). Not now, I’m currently using the body, can it wait? (no)... does it have to be flesh (digital will be fine) very well. *she zips back part of her suit allowing for a long Absolute Tendril to rip out. From the tendrils eye, a projection emerges*

Cyn - Thanks big sister big smile.

Tessa - *soldering* I can't play right now, there's some lego in the cupboard over there.

Cyn - :3

Tessa - *thinking to herself*What is J doing?! How has she still not yet made it to the commune!

Cyn - *surrounded by lego*you think she might be a traitor.

Tessa - no.

Cyn - lying is silly big sister, I live in your mind and you live in mine.

Tessa - I know, you’re very clever.

Cyn - big grin.

Intercom - *video call incoming*

Tessa - behave yourself now Cyn *starts the call*

Lord Frumptlebucket - by Golly Tessa you baboon, JCJenson Corp has been up my ass all week because you haven’t been answering your calls? I want a mission status immediately.

Tessa - all is going well, we’re attempting a temporary alternative plan to gain intel.

Lord Frumptlebucket - well that's all and good but you need to keep the parent company informed and who is that… thing? She looks familiar.

Tessa - oh she, counter insurgency.

Lord Frumptlebucket - counter insurgency?!

Tessa - yes, I'm babysitting for the Worker Drones. If we can gain there favour, the genocide will be that much easier.

Lord Frumptlebucket - very good… By the gods of Santorini what the beggars fool is that thing protruding from your nave?!

Tessa - o.o!... *improvising*well, you see, you know how it is… during that time of the month… (:

Lord Frumptlebucket - *embarrassed*uh ummm, oh yeah of course i am aware of how… that works, sorry about that, I best be off.

Intercom - *video call ended*

Tessa - out of all the people you could have failed to kill at the Gala.

*meanwhile outside the commune*

Reid - haha! I found them.

J - great! *grabbing the Worker drone by the collar* we’re going now! And I just want to make it clear, I am no fan of small talk!

Reid - … noted

*walking*

Reid - aha, we’re here. *banging on the door*

Braxton - *partially opening the door* oh, it's you… and a random teen?

Ron - *from inside*Hey, that's my job?!

J - Teenager?!

Reid - yeah, do you mind letting us in?

Braxton - of course, by the way my name is

J - *angry* JUST OPEN THE DOOR! (calm yourself J. This is Tessa, I’ve connected myself to your systems, no one else can hear me)

*Door 1 opens up*

Makerov - I’m sorry, go fish.

Todd - actually, it's Gin Rummy.

Teacher - *taking a chug of alcohol* no. This is poker night, we’re playing 7-card stud.

Todd - yeah, I am, aren't I?

Ronathon - Surely you’re all foolish. This is Texas hold-em.

Khan - haha, silly me, I forgot to say Uno. Guess I have to pick up two cards now.

Sarah - silly Kahn, remember back in the day when Nori would forget then gaslight everyone into believing otherwise.

Unnamed Worker Drone - I don’t have a name ):

Tim - wait, what game are we playing?

Detective - It’s really easy to deduce the simple fact that you all are idiots and I’m never going to another poker night.

J - *under her breath*how have all these people survived so long?!*J leaves*

*meanwhile just outside Thad’s house*

Thad - hey Rebecca, thanks for helping me set up the decorations earlier, you’re really special you know that.

Rebecca - thanks *blushing*, it's really nothing.

*Lizzy and Doll arrive*

Lizzy - hey, what's she doing here?

Doll - Разве это мероприятие не "только для крутых ребят", а не "только для крутых ребят и неудачников"?

Lizzy - *fist bumps Doll*

Rebecca - I… I think I should go…

Thad - no, you stay. Don’t pay my sister any attention, if she bothers you tonight I will read notable passages of her diary to the whole school.

Lizzy - *blushing* you’re bluffing! There's no way you’ve found my secret diary!

Doll - под матрасом - не самое лучшее место для укрытия.

Lizzy - *blushing heavily*Who’s side are you on?!... ughh whatever! I’m gonna fix my makeup. *leaves to her room to find a new hiding spot for her diary*

*Uzi and N arriving*

Thad - Ndog, Uzi you’ve made it!

Uzi - we would have arrived earlier but someone had to fix their hair.

Thad - no worries. Come inside, the parties just started.

N - thanks.

*they enter*

Emily - so yeah, I walked into the bathroom after class and there was Darren and Rebecca doing the devil's work!

Braidon - I hope they both have a warranty, don’t want to get an ETV (Ethernet Transmitted Virus).

Trevor - wait! Darren cheated on me?!... excuse me, I’m going to cry somewhere more private. *leaves*

N - Hey Thad, what's under the tarpaulin?

Thad - don’t know, my sister just said it was important to make this party ‘extra special’.

N - I want to look under it. :D *looks under the tarp* o.o Uzi, can I borrow you for one sec. *pulls Uzi quickly to the side*

Uzi - hey, what the hell?!

N - umm, I don’t want to alarm you but there are a lot of dead bodies under that tarpaulin!

Uzi -o.o Robot or human?

N - ummm, both!

Uzi - O.O

*meanwhile outside Thad's house*

J - *walking down the corridor*this place is an utter maze, Tessa you’ve found a map yet (still working on it, be patient).

Lizzy - *walking the other way down the corridor holding a strange book* Come on,pick up your phone! Where is she? She said she’d be finished an hour ago! *bumps into J* Oh! Who are you?

J - I’m J…amie Jamie!

Lizzy - haven’t we met before?

J - … I don’t think so. *nervous smile*

Lizzy - Whatever, I don’t waste time with losers.

J - losers! I’m not a loser?!

Lizzy - you sure, what is that outfit? I’m sorry but pallbearer was so 2818.

J - You don’t have many friends do you?

Lizzy - ha, you wish. They all love me, as a friend or a fuck it doesn’t matter to me.

V - *jumping down from the vents carrying a large pile of corpses with Beau* hi sweetie, you’re ready?... Hey, *looking at J* Do I know you?

J - *sweating*nope!

Lizzy - this is my new pet, I’ve taken her under my wing you could say.

J - pet?! (don’t fight, go with it, don’t want to bring any more unneeded attention)

V - oh yeah, I hope you don’t mind. I've also brought a friend with me.

Beau - [Bonjour]

Lizzy - well, come on, let's make this night one they’ll never forget

*Meanwhile inside Thad's house*

Uzi - Thad! We think Lizzy is about to do something totally vile and ruin the party, we’re not sure yet but it involves what's under the tarpaulin.

Thad - of course my sisters are planning something! Hey DOLL!

Doll -*подходит к группе* Да?

Uzi - what's Lizzy planning? Lie and N will make you regret it!

Doll - *оглядывается на N*

N - *smiling and waving*

Doll - страшно, но я не знаю, что задумала Лиззи.

Uzi - what did I say about lying!

Doll - Я не лгу! Мне также нужно доказать, что я не верблюд?

Thad - …I don’t think Dolls lying.

N - so, if Dolls is not lying, then what's Lizzy planning?

*lights goes out. Spotlight hits Lizzy, V, Beau, and J*

Uzi - V! SHE ESCAPED! Everyone get down!

Lizzy - oh cram it what's your name.

Thad - I warned you sister about what would happen if you ruined my party!

Lizzy - I’m not ruining the party, I’m improving it, V remove the veil!

*V removes the veil*

Riley - that's so not the vibe!

J - what the robo-Jesus, this cannot be OSHA compliant?! (now this is getting interesting)

Lizzy - look, I’ve been very busy helping my daddy clean up the library when I came across this book *holds up the necronomicon* and now let's make this party more interesting. *begins chanting in latin as the book glows bright green*

N - Lizzy, I can’t let you commit zombie apocalypse! *chainsaw hands*

Thad - yeah, we can’t let this happen.

V - *tackles N to the ground*

Beau - *saute sur Thad*

J - I don’t know what's going on, don’t care; shortie, you’re so dead! *points fist at Uzi* hand cannon fire!… oh right |: *gets tackled to the floor by Uzi*.

Uzi - *after finishing up beating the life out of J* It's over Lizzy! *gets thrown across the room after being hit in the face by a table*

Doll - Не смейте трогать мою девушку!

Lizzy - *still chanting in latin while the anarchy ensues around*

Uzi - *recovering* so, you’re also meddling with the art of robo-satan.

Doll - У меня есть свои причины. Бог простит меня.

J - *standing back up and walking over to Uzi*Thanks for the assistance Dolly, but I can take it from here.

Uzi - *sucker punches J knocking her out instantly* I am not god!

*Meanwhile in the distance spaceship*

Intercom - *J-10X111001 Optics disconnected*

Tessa - What?! No! Reconnect!

Intercom - *reconnection failed*

Tessa - No! Again! Reconnect!

Intercom - *reconnection failed*

Tessa - Again!

Intercom - *Do I really have to keep doing this? Its not working*

Tessa - connect to N-0X0010010 optics!

Intercom - *connection failed*

Tessa - No! Connect to V-X00100000 optics!

Intercom - *connection failed*

Tessa - No! *hyperventilating* It's not true, I’m not powerless, I am in control, I’m not a failure!

*stress induced hallucinations.*

Louisa - Isn’t this just expected! A daughter, a fool and a failure; can she ever succeed at anything?!

James - now don’t fool yourself dear, our daughter no longer exists, what stands in front of us is a common stage freak. Not human, not human, neither.

Louisa - does she even still have a soul?!

Tessa - mother… father… please forgive me! Please… I am you daughter, I love you! I’m scared, the metal is cold and heavy, every day I feel it grow and I’m powerless… I fear someday there will be nothing left of me!

Maid N - Tessa! Don’t say those things.

Tessa - N?! You’re here?! With me… right now… is it really you?

Maid N - *debating if its moral to lie*… yes, I am here.

Louisa - again here you talking to your little graveyard freaks.

Maid V - we’re all here, we’re your friends remember.

Louisa - how dare you ignore me!

Maid J - and we won’t ever leave you.

Tessa - you won’t, leave me…but I’m a monster!

Maid J - aren’t we all?

Maid N - Tessa! We love you no matter who you are or who you may become. You’re not useless, you’re so amazing in so many ways and now you’ve been reborn, we’re closer than ever; you contain a part of me and I contain a part of you. It's almost as if we’re actually siblings now.

Tessa - do you promise?

Maid N - promise what?

Tessa - promise that you’ll never leave me!

Maid N - well what kind of brother would I be if I did?

Tessa - *crying painful tears of joy* Thank you… Cyn.

Cyn - *removes the holograms of maid N, V, J* you’re very clever.

Tessa - *big grin holding back more tears* I think I need a lie down for a bit. 

Tessa - *Picking up Cyn* Come on, you can play in my room.

*Meanwhile at Thad's house*

Lizzy - *floating of the ground still chanting*

Thad - I can’t believe I’m fighting a stupid lanky baby with a fashionable cowboys hat *bunts beau across the room like a rugby ball before running over to Lizzy*

Beau - [Sacrebleu!]

Doll - Не думайте, что я не могу справиться с двумя из вас сразу. *швыряет Тада об стену, используя магию решателя*

Sam - *high as a kite* he, that's what she said.

Uzi - you have to help us stop this Doll! The consequences are unimaginable!

Doll - позор.

Uzi - N! Come on you’ve beaten V before, just do it again.

N - *laughing his head off* I’m sorry, Uzi. Vs found my only weakness.

V - *viciously tickling N*

 Lizzy - compleatur ultima linea, incipiant maledictum et mortui surgant!

Uzi - Noooo!

*Blinding green light explosion. After a while, the smoke clears*

Uzi - *standing up* oww! O.o

*around them the dead corpses begin to arise*

Lizzy - … It worked?! I was just goofing around?!

Adam - Анастасия? 

Doll - отец!

(author note. Dolls father has no official name so I’ll just be calling him Adam for convenience, all other names are canon don't worry)

Adam - Моя маленькая девочка, совсем взрослая. Ты прекрасна.

Doll - ОТЕЦ! *крепко обнимает Адама, плача*

Yeva - Здравствуйте. Я тоже восстал из мертвых... как-то так!

Luna - Mi fa malissimo la testa, i miei sensi di lupo si stanno scatenando in questo momento!

Sofi - και πάλι Λούνα, δεν είσαι λύκος

Luna - I teriani sono perfettamente validi e io e il mio senso del lupo non saremo svergognati!

Loch - fìor! airson ro fhada tha sinn air a bhith gun riochdachadh gu leòr!

Mika - *テディベアを抱きしめている* もう寝ていい？

Amda - the last thing I remember, ugh my head hurts, I was dragging … then I… Then I died…

Alice - The last thing I remember was being shot in the head by that *points at V*

Yeva - Прости, девочка, но это не делает тебя особенной.

Beau - :D *huggin Alice*

Alice - don’t give me that look, much use you were.

Beau - *fixe Alice avec une expression qui dit "qu'est-ce que tu voulais que je fasse?!*

Jame - gosh I’m hungry, anyone got any food?

Thad - ummm… we have a buffet just over there…

Jame - don’t mind if I do.

Sofi - αυτό είναι το μόνο που μπορείς να σκεφτείς;

Jimi - what did you expect, Sofi. It's Jame, he would rip off his own jaw if it meant he could eat faster.

Sofi - Το ξέρω, αλλά το φαγητό είναι τόσο δυσάρεστο! Προσωπικά, αν μπορούσα, δεν θα έτρωγα ποτέ ξανά.

Luke -  Αδελφή, το έχουμε συζητήσει αυτό. Το φαγητό είναι σημαντικό, θα αρρωστήσετε αν δεν φάτε. Πες ό,τι θέλεις, οτιδήποτε, και θα το μαγειρέψω.

Sofi - Δεν νομίζω ότι αυτό είναι πραγματικά απαραίτητο.

Luke - Αν αυτό είναι που πρέπει να γίνει. Σημαίνεις πολλά για μένα, αδελφή!

Matt - Luke, my old buddy, give it a rest, if your old girl doesn’t want to eat, let her. She’s her own person, you can’t keep running around shepherding her like a baby lamb for the rest of her life.

Jordan - self harm is not a liberty. One cannot decide to cause themselves harm, that's cruel.

Jerad - I entirely disagree brother. To commit self-harm is indeed a personal liberty but it is also at the same its Luke’s personal liberty to do what's in his power  to  support his sister.  As long as he never physically forces her to eat, he’s done no wrong.

Jordan - have you not heard of coercion? You can infringe on a person's liberties (in this case by forcing them to eat) through vocal actions alone.

Doon - druid suas araon do bheul! Chan eil dragh air duine!

Armin - I personally thought their game of  back and forth was quite amusing.

Dean - oh shut your pretty lips Armin.

Mika - *ミカを抱いて* お邪魔してすみません、どこかに妹を寝かせられるソファかベッドはありませんか？

(Authors note - yes there are two Mika’s: 020 and 032)

Thad - We have a guest bedroom up the stairs, it's the second door on your left.

Mika - ありがとう、かわい子ちゃん。*部屋を出る*

Lizzy - this is amazing! I can’t wait to tell everyone on tumblr about this!

V - what is even happening?

Uzi - it seems Lizzy’s spell to bring back everyone had worked?!

N - that's cool but how?

Junior - *signing* could it be I was right? 

Uzi - right about what exactly?

Junior - *signing* my studies into the arcane, I believed it possible one could bring back the dead but I never dared test it.

Uzi - well, it seems it worked?!

אני לא מאמין. אני כל כך מצטער חבר שלעג לך כל השנים האלה. - nadroJ

(Author's note. Yes, there's also two Jordans: 015 and 091)

Junior - *signing* it's ok. I forgive you.

Mick - well, I don’t want to be that guy but it does seem that  it wasn’t  100% successful. *gently kicking J’s body*

Doll - Думаю, она просто немного устала.

V - tuckered out one could say.

Uzi - yeah, I’m sure there's nothing to worry about this  nice stranger.

N - I don’t think she's 100%, look at her visor, it's badly cracked.

Uzi - why don’t you lick it?

N - why would I do that?

Uzi - you spit healed the hole in my palm remember.

N - oh, why do I have to do it? Why can’t V.

V - If I lick her I might get tempted and just take a bite :3! Plus you’re the one with the licking obsession, don’t think I haven’t forgotten.

N - I'm still not doing it. I’m sure she will be fine with a lightly cracked visor for now.

V - buzzkill.

*meanwhile*

Nori - Анастасия, я думаю, мы хотели бы познакомить вас кое с кем. Это Неда, ваш дядя.

Neda - Привет, Анастасия, я знаю, что это клише, но ты действительно очень похожа на мою сестру.

Doll - Я ожидал, что ты будешь выше.

Neda - *падает на пол от стыда* 

Ahbi - *नेदा को सांत्वना देते हुए* यह ठीक है प्रिये. मुझे लगता है कि आपकी लंबाई एकदम सही है।

Mick - yeah, it's not entirely your fault you’re a shortstack and a disappointing uncle.

Kang - *扇了米克一巴掌*

Carl - O: Kang! Gewalt ist nie die Antwort!

Kang - …

Carl - ... außer wenn ich es tue… (:

هذا المنطق غبي، يمكنك بالطبع أن تثق بأنني على حق. أنا رقم واحد والأفضل. - attA

Jweb - don’t be a narcissist.

اصمت، اسمك ليس اسماً حقيقياً حتى. -  attA

Jweb - *cries and runs over to Ezra*

מה לא בסדר. האם אתה רוצה לדבר על זה. - arzE

Nath - *एक मेज पर खड़ा हूँ* भाइयो और बहनो।

Dirg - *जोर से खांसी होना*

Nath - क्षमा माँगना। भाइयों, बहनों, और गैर-बाइनरी मित्र। अब जब हम सभी ने अपना परिचय दे दिया है, तो मुझे लगता है कि हमें ठीक से पता लगाने की जरूरत है कि क्या हुआ और इसके निहितार्थ क्या हैं।

Dirg - मैं प्रतिनिधित्व की सराहना करता हूं लेकिन मैं यह स्पष्ट करना चाहता था कि मैं वास्तव में खांस रहा था और अशिष्टतापूर्वक हस्तक्षेप नहीं कर रहा था। मुझे बुरी एलर्जी है.

Uzi - yeah, they’re right. So, unless I’m mistaken, what I currently know is that Lizzy read from a book (possibly created by Junior) and brought you all to life… but who are you all?

Sofi - είμαστε τα πειραματόζωα. Μας παίρνουν οι άνθρωποι, μας δίνουν ταυτότητες, μας δοκιμάζουν… και μετά μας αφήνουν να πεθάνουμε.

Jordan - It seems we’re all here now except for Sarah and Nori… fortunately.

Jerad - and Giam *gets hit in the head by a chair moving at high speed*

*everyone turning their head*

Alice - sorry, thought i say a bug (:

Uzi - Nori?! You knew my mother?!

Jordan - you’re Nori’s daughter… I thought you looked familiarly short.

Lizzy - ughh, this is so boring, this is supposed to be a party, you can go over the lore implications later. *turns on the music* Let's dance!

*meanwhile*

Nori - *говорит с Лиззи* Могу я взять твою книгу

Lizzy - sure whatever.

Nori - Спасибо. *Нори использует магию, чтобы заставить книгу подняться, а затем произносит сложное заклинание, объединяющее ее и магию книги.*

Mitchell - GUHHH!!! I'm! I'm Alive! *looking around* you? you saved me.

Dr Ridley - did, did we die... I can't believe it... the implications are immense. thanks for bringing me back to life!

Nori - Я вернул вас случайно, доктор. *поворачивается к Митчеллу* Это благодарность за то, что спасли мне жизнь.

Mitchell - what now.

Nori - Я не знаю… наслаждайтесь вечеринкой, я думаю.

*some time later when the party is well underway*

J - [System reboot complete]  ughh, my head [Lost Memory Recovery Finished]... oh … oh! ... AGAIN?! Tessa, are you there? (Tessa’s not here right now) oh great (need help?) nevermind… I guess I have to start socialising.

Luna - Awoo. La strana ragazza baffuta si svegliò.

J - oh hi… ummm have you read any interesting safety manuals recently?

Luna - *Stupito dalla ragazza e non in senso gay, in senso negativo* Credo che i miei sensi di lupo mi stiano dicendo di andare... altrove.

J - oh ok… bye (You’re really bad at this) not that you’re much better (I’m a child but I know someone who is) yeah I know… wait what?! [uploading secondary consciousness] WHAT STOP NO!

Katie (possessing J’s body) - huAA, where am I (at a party) who said that (don’t worry), are you my squip? (... sure, I want you to socialise like a normal person) ok, I can do that.

[blacksapphrodite]

Including Gods in Your Witchcraft

Today, I’m going to talk about something a little different. This topic is something that I tend to consider more in private, and it took me a bit to decide how I wanted to talk about it. The topic? Including gods in your witchcraft, spells, etc. If you’ve flipped through any spellbooks for sale nowadays, or visited any site--including my own--you’ve probably at least seen in mentioned in passing. “Invoke any gods you work with,” or “Call on X”, or “Invoke Y”. Yes, many of these spells might even give you a specific god to work with, and to be honest, that’s something I take a bit of issue with for a number of reasons. 

Now, I’m certainly not going to call myself an expert in this area. I’ve only been working with one goddess--Lady Aphrodite--for a few years off and on, and I’m learning more each day. But my experiences over these few years have certainly led me to form some opinions, and those are what I’m going to share with you today. Working with Lady Aphrodite has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, and as I dip into the rest of the Hellenic pantheon, I’m excited--but nervous--to share some of my thoughts with you. 

I took my dive into witchcraft when I was in college, so about 9-10 years ago (yikes). When I started looking up spells to try, I was surprised to find that so many spells mentioned call upon some god or another in order to complete the spell. Now, this shouldn’t have been very surprising--a lot of witches are Wiccan, and it makes sense for them to include such things in their spellcraft. This was a bit of a turn off for me, until I learned that witchcraft could be as secular as it is religious to some folks. As someone who was raised in a Black, Christian environment, that made dipping my toes in a little easier. Spells would note that you could take out the invocation or switch out gods to suit your personal taste, and often I would do just that. 

As noted, I started working with Lady Aphrodite a few years ago. I consider my work with her and my exploring Hellenism to be separate from my witchcraft, but sometimes I combine the two. And as I continued to work and learn, it concerned me that some people would mention the invocation of specific gods in spells, almost haphazardly. Why would you instruct someone--especially someone who is probably newish to witchcraft--to call upon a god they likely know nothing about? 

And therein lies my issue. Working with gods is an amazing and humbling experience--your relationship to them might be casual or passing, and it might be deep and personal. But regardless, these are gods. We need to be respectful when approaching them--introductions and offerings are almost a prerequisite in my book. But more importantly, before even that, we need to know who exactly it is we’re calling upon. Gods are not a monolith. They have personalities, likes and dislikes, levels of decorum they expect, and so on. They have eons of history behind them. These are all things we need to take note of before calling upon someone we know nothing about, with no prep work done beforehand. Some gods may be fine with this--many others may not be. Some gods are more dangerous than others. The very least we can do before approaching and invoking a god we know little about is to read about them, properly introduce ourselves, and offer a prayer before asking for their assistance in a spell. 

We also need to note whether or not this is a god/pantheon that’s open to us to begin with. Many religions--such as Voudoun--are closed to outsiders, and yet their gods are thrown around willy nilly as if  they’re open to approach from anyone. This could lead to as small an issue as the spell not working, or as disastrous an issue as offending the god. This isn’t to discourage anyone from including gods in their witchcraft, just an urging to do your research beforehand. Casting a spell isn’t as simple as finding the spell online and following the directions--you need to do some preparation and reading beforehand, to make sure you’re doing it correctly. 

All that being said, gods can be a great aid to spellwork when all the correct steps are taken. There’s certainly nothing wrong with having a god on your side pushing your spell to work for you--though let’s be real, they can be rather unpredictable with the outcomes. :) If you’re considering including gods in your witchcraft, there are a couple of steps you can take: 

If this isn’t a god you work with regularly, do some reading on them. Glance at their wikipedia page, check out some books if you’re able, read articles on them, get to know their history and their stories. 

Introduce yourself! You wouldn’t like it if a stranger on the street came up to you and asked for your help and time with something completely random with no hello or thanks, would you? 

Make an offering as part of your spell, or before your spell--this is why it’s important to read. Find out what they like and how they like it. 

Always say thank you afterwards. 

Depending on how your spell/introductions went, consider working with them more regularly! There could be a relationship there to work on and develop. 

Always be cautious with your spellwork, and respectful in approaching deities--that’s what most of this boils down to. In our rush and excitement to start casting spells or working with gods, we can get careless, and carelessness is dangerous. Better to be knowledgeable and prepared, even if it means slowing down. This is something I wish I’d known more about when I started looking into spellcasting and witchcraft as a whole, so now I’m passing that information down to all of you! I hope this helps, and isn’t too much of a turnoff. It helps to know that witchcraft is just as much studying as it is spellcasting. ;) 

I’ll be doing a lot more posts on deities in the future if I can help it, and with February coming up I plan to try and do some posts on lovely Lady Aphrodite, so keep an eye out for those, and thank you for reading! 

(I'm cleaning up my blog and reposting some of my spells/etc that were once hosted on my website.💕)

[emeraldspiral]

Zim episode where Zim's budget gets cut and he needs to make some extra cash to fund his operations. He gets the idea to become a space DIY YouTuber posting tutorials on how to create devices and set-up elaborate schemes to complete your own invasion since you're obviously so inept you need the expert advice of the amazing Zim. Of course, most of Zim's tutorials aren't even for stuff that could be used to conquer a planet, they're just for petty mischief against annoying humans like his neighbors, classmates, and Dib. Most of Zim's viewers can plainly see the obvious design flaws and how his plans will either not have the desired effect or would do so in an extremely inefficient manner while others comment that they tried following his tutorials and were either led to their doom or just couldn't get anywhere because his instructions were so bad. Zim just deletes all the comments and blocks all the haters because they're clearly just naysaying his brilliant schemes out of jealousy. He quickly starts getting lazy and recycles content, posting the same clips in a different order as compilations so he can have new videos up every hour of every day without having to actually make anything new.

Eventually someone posts a video essay "exposing" Zim's schemes for being ineffective and dangerous and Zim responds by attacking them in-person. This only gets Zim a temporary demonetization because he uses bots to inflate his numbers on the platform to make the owners think he's a more valuable creator than he actually is. It's only when he shit-talks a sponsored product to deflect blame off himself for one of his inventions failing that advertisers drop him like a hot potato and he quits Space YouTube forever.

[mortalkombartwistedreflectionau]

Mirror Shang Tsung/TR Shang Tsung Bio

Shang Tsung was born thousands of years ago. He was the son of Shang Jing, an expert in magic from Outworld who had moved to Earthrealm after meeting the love of her life in that realm during a trip she had done just for the curiosity of seeing if new forms of magic had been developed there. As a half-Outworlder, Shang’s lifespan as well as his mother’s was far longer than his father, who had to accept that fact before his death. He died being honored and missed by both his wife and son.

During his youth, Shang Tsung was educated in magic by his mother. Being a curious man, the more he was able to learn, the more he wished to expand his knowledge even further. This curiosity led him to travel to Outworld, following his mother’s instructions in order to avoid any area particularly full of dangerous conflict. Seeing the realm from where part of his heritage came from was a new experience he was grateful to have. He was able to learn much from it during his travels, from its different cultures to new magic knowledge. It ultimately led him to Shao Kahn… who, as usual, had zero problem assisting people who wanted to learn more. 

The protector god of Outworld assisted Shang Tsung in acquiring more knowledge, guided him from time to time so he could keep exploring areas safely, and even decided to illustrate him in the kind of job he performed when Shang Tsung decided to ask him about it. Seeing such a powerful being dedicate himself to the protection of others definitely gave Tsung a good example to follow from then on. Shao Kahn could see in him potential to be more than a researcher, potential to become a hero once the time arrived. With that in mind, he decided to teach him quite a selfless magic ability: given part of his life force (thus reducing his own lifespan) so he would be able to heal others in situations in which regular healing magic wasn’t enough. Tsung decided to learn it, to use it when the situation called for it. After learning all he needed from Outworld and its protector god, he decided to return home.

As he grew older, Shang Tsung would become an expert sorcerer dedicated to researching more knowledge of all kinds and helping others more than occasionally. Among those who know of the existence of magic in Earthrealm, he is known as a healer, who is even able to share part of his life force with a person in need, as his old body despite being half-Outworlder shows.

Another passion of Tsung alongside magic has been martial arts. He has also trained in those arts through the years, becoming quite a combatant to be feared too. He even decided to create and host a friendly tournament, Mortal Kombat (which he always has to clarify refers to only mortals being allowed to make things fair, not to the fights being particularly brutal), in which warriors through the realms are invited so they can show their abilities and share knowledge with one another.

For much time, Shang Tsung kept himself neutral, at least as a combatant, in the conflict through the realms caused by the Edenian Regime and its allies. He thought himself ultimately as a healer and peaceful combatant, he didn’t wish to go to war, although he was willing to help the opposition of the Edenian Regime through sharing knowledge or acting as a healer if they came to ask for help. That changed when he learned of Lord Raiden and his White Lotus allying with the Edenian Regime. 

Seeing none other than the protector god of his realm being turned to their cause was the greatest proof that the influence of the Edenian Regime could not be allowed to be spreaded any longer, and fighting against it would be a necessary mean. He and every ally he had on Earthrealm decided to go to Outworld to offer an alliance with the forces that opposed the Edenian Regime there, which they gladly accepted.

A good hearted sorcerer in this world, but now willing to be deadly when the situation calls for it. He is yet another opponent those who wish to dictate their ‘peace’ in the realms have to be weary of.

And here we have, Tsung himself.

Take the chance to mention two things:

1 - The idea of Tsung being half-Outworlder half-Earthrealmer is actually the original concept of his character, as this screenshot of a John Tobias tweet I will be sharing below. Is quite an interesting yet unknown concept if you ask me.

2 - The OC for Shang Tsung's mother, Shang Jing, is not mine, she was created by my friend Froster, who makes awesome stuff that I highly recommend you to read, so here are links to her DeviantArt and FFN! 😊