#I could have postponed this at least one more round | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lcriedlastnight · 4 months ago

Note

Y/n thinks Lando slept with someone else and they have a big fight about it, only for y/n to learn Lando needed help proposing

as soon as i seen this in my inbox i got excited to write it! thank you anon, it's a great idea!

tw: fem!reader, swears, sneaky lando but i'm sure you know where it's going based on the ask, lmk if you want me to add anything.

w/c: 1.8k

lando has been acting very suspicious lately. at first you has brushed it off to busy weeks filled with important racing duties but when he was still secretive after a lovely spa day you had set for him at your apartment, you knew something was up. the night of the spa day you were laying in bed with lando and usually if he's forgotten to set an alarm for the next morning, he will ask you to just go onto his phone and set it for him, so when he asks you to hand his phone over so he can set an alarm? well it sets off your own alarm bells in your head.

lando had never ever hidden his phone from you, always completely open with you and willing to scroll through his phone if you wanted to. you had never felt the need to but sometimes you liked to scroll through his photos and have him explain them to you.

you did not say anything to him about it that night, or afterwards but you kept a note of things you found suspicious or weird or even just a little out or character for your boyfriend, knowing that if the time came where you found out something you could not even think about then you had have evidence. if you had more guts you would have asked to scroll through his phone that night to see what he did but you did not want to fight after such a lovely day. maybe you were just postponing the inevitble.

the next time you had written down in your notes was a doosy. you had gone out to lunch with a few of your friends and lando had offered to drop you off and pick you up once you had all caught up. you had gotten ready and lando had dropped you off with a sweet kiss goodbye and promises of picking you up whenever you wanted to come home, you were just to give him a call. you grin and agree as you close the car door and make your way to the table your friends had sat at. it seemed you were the last one to arrive.

it is only when you have sat down and gotten comfortable that you realise, your best friend is not here.

"hey, where is lacy?" you ask the group, confused as last night when you were all confirming in the group chat if you guys could make it or not, lacy was the first one to confirm.

everyone mutters that they are not sure or that they thought she mus be running later. you all shrug and you try to forget about it but you have a lingering feeling in the back of your mind. it is a bit big to push all the way to the back of your mind but a few drinks and a gossip with your friends would do the trick.

you guys chat away and drink through three or four rounds. none of you drunk, really but none of you even thinking about drinking and driving. everyone had sorted out how they were getting home before coming. "responsible group of girls." you had joked when you had asked about it and they had all told you they had a way home.

everyone texts their lifts home as you head to the foyer where it is a bit quieter and call lando. it send you to voicemail. you try him again but it does the same thing, ringing until the voicemail blared in your ears. you were pissed off to say the least. you did not mind if he wanted to go out and do things without you but do not promise you will pick someone up if you will not be back in time! is that not just common courtesy?

you ask one of the girls if her boyfriend can take you home and she says it is no problem. you are embarrassed because you are just after bragging about how amazing lando was and now here you were... getting proved wrong.

good job you remembered to bring a key with you so you did not get locked outside. you thank your friend's boyfriend as you get out your car and see lando's car parked in front of the apartment complex.

you stomp into the apartment and throw your keys down on the table in the hallway.

"thanks for remembering to pick me up lando! i had to get a ride with micheal and amy!" you shout as you pull your trainers off and put them in the rack. you walk into the living room to see lando on the couch and lacy in the kitchen, making tea.

"what the fuck?" you ask, internally freaking out but not showing it. this paired with your suspicions that lando was cheating send your brain into panic mode. instead of freaking out and jumping to conclusions you ask "why weren't you at lunch? and why are you here now?".

lando could tell you were pissed and at this point, he felt like saying he was cheating would be the easier option, rather than hiding all of this from you. he hated lying to you. the boy had literally never done it before. you could tell from how sloppy he was, this being a prime example.

"i couldn't make it to lunch in the end. you know that boy i've been talking to? he asked me out on a date and i just couldn't say no." lacy explained, handing you a cup. her explanation did not ease your worry though, lando could easily be the boy she was talking to and they have went on a date when you were busy out with your friends.

"i came over to tell you about it but i forgot you were out at lunch with the girls. i've only been here like ten minutes." lacy adds, lando nods on the couch not really doing much. you decide to believe them but you put it in your notes. lando and lacy out together? while i'm with my friends. lando cheating on me with lacy???

you end up taking that out of your notes a few weeks later. you lay in bed while lando is in the shower and you think that now is a good time to go through your notes, thinking about things you could add or take away and if it all still makes sense in your mind.

as your sorting through the semi-long list you make you lando's voice. you had not realised the shower had stopped. at first you think he is talking to you so you are about to shout back when you hear the distant sound of someone speaking through the phone. not to sound like you were accusing your boyfriend of cheating but it sounded like a girl. it sounded like a girl you did not know.

"i can't tell her. it's stressing me out to no end. i just want to be done with it now." you strain to hear his hushed words, done with what? tell who? you? why was he stressed?

you are tired of all the secrets. the hushed conversations, lando hiding things from you. you do not think you can deal with it anymore.

once lando is off the phone he makes is way into the room, a towel wrapped around his waist. "hi, baby." lando acknowledges you as you lay on the bed. the towel around his waist distracted you for a moment before you got your mind back on track. it helped that he had gotten changed into some pyjama trousers, although his abs were still on display.

"are you cheating on me?" you just come out and say it, you voice is a little worried. lando drops the towel in his hands at your words.

"am i what?" lando stares at you. "is this one of those tiktok trends? what am i supposed to say that will get the most views. where's your phone we can start again?" lando glances around the room for your phone. he thinks this is a joke. a tiktok prank. you does not think you are distressed over this.

"i'm serious lando. you've been acting weird for a while now." you tell him your frown deep as you speak.

lando is surprised and practically leaps towards you.

"i'm not cheating on you. i swear to you. i would never even think about hurting you like that." lando swears his hands holding your face gently to stop you from avoiding his eyes.

"then what are you doing? because you're acting weird. you're not acting like you. i miss the old you, when you didn't set your own alarms." you pout at him.

lando sighs. "i guess i'm gonna have to tell you, huh?" the driver asks. you are confused as he gets off the bed and walks over to your dressing table. on top there is a small dish where you keep all the rings you wear when they are not on your fingers. you prefer the dish to a box, it is less work to get to them. lando calls it lazy but you call it time efficient. he grabs the one your grandma got you for christmas back when you were still at school. it is old and most of the rose gold plating has come off, the colour does not match with the rest of your jewellery but you wear it everyday.

it is quick and sudden the way he is standing in front of you a few steps away from the bed, then he is on one knee holding out the ring. "the ring i was gonna use isn't here yet because you're too impatient for me to do anything properly. i had a whole day planned out, you know?" lando is joking with you but there is nothing in you that wants to laugh right now.

your hand slapped over your mouth as you feel your eyes well up with tears.

"what are you doing?" you ask him, it is muffled from your hand but lando can make you out.

"what's it look like? i'm proposing. will you marry me please, baby?" he asks the old ring sits in between your fingers as you stare at him, tears finally falling.

"yeah." you murmur.

"yeah?" lando asks, a little cocky but mostly to make sure.

you nod frantically, lando takes your right hand and slides the ring on your middle finger (it is where you usually wear the ring. you honestly cannot believe he even knows where it goes). you then jump towards him, arms swinging around his neck to pull him in for a kiss.

lando's lips mould over yours as he you kiss him frantically. the kiss is cut short because lando can not stop laughing.

"why're you laughing?" you ask him, smile plastered on your face from his laughter.

"just can't believe i get to love you for the rest of my life. i can't wait." you kiss him again.

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toxic3mmy · 14 days ago

Text

prompt: you wake up in a girl’s body and fuck your best friend

okay soooo, i got this idea from an ao3 one shot i read the other day and well, this came outta it

it may not be everyones cup of tea but i always loved gay fics where one guy magically turned into a woman??

IDK

ALSO IM REALLY DEPRESSED SO I LIED ABT GETTING TO UR REQUESTS DONT HATE MEEEE MY BOOBIES <3

warnings: SMUTTTT, mentions of witchcraft and body switching

you and quackity were best friends from a very young age. you and him were inseparable, as if you were one person.

the two of you went through school together. everything changed when his youtube career took off and he changed his focus to that which of course you didn’t mind. you thought it was so awesome the way he was passionate about this.

the two of you were so close that living together through college eventually turned into living together as adults. now, you were working at a law firm as an intern while alex pursued his online career.

truthfully, you were in love with your best friend. you had been from a very young age, it was only natural for you to fall so hard for him.

on a drunken night, you decided to come clean. you told him how much he meant to you. you confessed that you were in love with him.

he smiled sadly and hugged you close

“i wish you were a girl”

those were his drunken words and the two of you never spoke about it again

but within your friend group, everyone liked to tease the two of you as if you were gay together. of course you would enjoy every single interaction like this, hell you two were even dared to kiss once!

it was too easy to fall for your best friend

—

you had gone to visit your family in mexico for a few days and finally you were home. you walked into your shared home as quickly and quietly as possible so that you didn’t wake alex up.

your trip was great. you got to catch up with family and spend some quality time together.

while there, you confessed to your favorite and closest cousin about your feelings for alexis. she was very accepting of your sexuality and even encouraged you to go for it.

you filled her in on what happened when you did confess to alex and her eyes lit up with a devious look. she had an idea and although you were a bit skeptical, you agreed.

you knew she was learning the traditions of brujeria in your family and you were really interested in it. but what she wanted to do was crazy. she wanted to try something new and of course you agreed, not expecting anything to come of it because of how impossible it seemed.

so the two of you spent the last day of your trip together so that she could work on it. and well, you went home that same night.

the next day, you woke up like any normal day. you sluggishly walked to the bathroom and relieved yourself. you felt a warmth trickling down your legs and you were speeachless

“aw shit” you murmured to yourself as you knelt down to clean the floor of your piss

you couldn’t believe it worked

you looked at yourself in the mirror and loved what you saw. your face was a bit more round, your hair reached your ass now, and you had a great rack. you were ecstatic, practically gawking over yourself

and then the fear set in when alex knocked on your door saying that breakfast was ready

“uh… im not feeling well! go ahead and eat without me, thanks” you said, trying your hardest to deepen your voice

“are you sure? whats wrong? your voice sounds weird, are you sick?” he asked worriedly

“i think it’s a virus or something, don’t worry”

“i wanted to have a little day with you since you’re back from mexico… i guess we could postpone it until you feel better”

“thanks” you said quickly, hoping he would go already

“are you… going to stay in there all day? i mean, at least let me in so i can take care of you” he sighed, resting his head against the door

“n-no! im fine, really!”

“c’mon y/n, let me in so i can at least make sure you don’t die in there” he laughed

there was absolutely no way to hide this

“okay but… please don’t freak out” you said as you quickly started to look for a t shirt to put on

all you had on were loose boxers but they felt weird. you didn’t have any bras, obviously, and so you had no choice but to wear a tight fitting white wife beater

“i wont” alexis said softly

“close your eyes”

he obliged and you carefully unlocked the door, leading him into the bedroom

“before you open your eyes, i think i need to—“

he opened his eyes and his mouth dropped

“um… what…?”

“please let me explain!”

“okay, who are you… i get it if you wanted an autograph or a picture but what the hell?? why are you in my house right now?”

“what?… alexis! i’m not some crazed fan that broke in! it’s me.. it’s y/n..” you exclaimed

“no you’re not, what the fuck are you talking about! look, i don’t believe in hitting women but if you don’t leave my goddamn house in three seconds, you’re toast buddy!” he yelped and picked up the nearest weapon like thing which just so happened to be a lamp

you blinked at his attempt at being tough and burst out laughing uncontrollably

“lady! i am so serious! what the hell is wrong with you? oh my god… you escaped a mental hospital and you’re using my house as a hideout aren’t you?!”

you couldn’t stop laughing at him, this was just way too hilarious!

“okay i am dialing 911–“

“wait! please… just listen to me okay? i didn’t expect for this to happen… but it’s me. it’s y/n”

“you really are a nut, aren’t you?”

“i can prove it! look… it’s the matching tattoo we got when we were 18” you pulled your t shirt down to show the tattoo littered on your collarbone

he put down the lamp and sat on your bed. he didn’t know what to think. he nervously ran his hand through his hair

“oh god… how did this—?”

“i—i” you stuttered, trying to figure out if you should tell him the truth

“i swear you didn’t have tits the last time i saw you… and your face looks so… different” he softly held your chin in his hand, studying your newly feminine features

“brujeria” you blurted out, cheeks flushed with his touch on your face igniting a fire inside your chest

“w-what?”

“i… my family does brujeria and i tried this new thing and i swear i didn’t expect it to work! ive heard of it working but ive never seen it for myself and well…”

“so… you did this to yourself?”

you nodded, almost feeling shame

“but why?”

“i had a talk with my cousin in mexico and well… you told me you wished that i were a girl…. and i thought maybe things could be easier this way, better, even. i really didn’t think it would happen…”

“so…” alexis cleared his throat, “you’re um, fully a female now?” his face turned red in an instant and you couldn’t help but laugh

“yeah, i mean, i went to use the bathroom and that’s when i noticed…”

“no way…”

“yeah..”

“and so… why are you practically naked?” he laughed nervously, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants

“dude! look at these fucking tits! i don’t own any bras and god they’re already giving me back pain.. i need to get dressed so i can go back and see my cousin or see a doctor! i can’t stay like this—”

he stayed quiet for a while before saying breathlessly,

“i don’t want you to go”

“i… i have to go… i have to fix this” you said quietly as you began to rummage through your drawers to find suitable underwear since you obviously didn’t own any panties. you changed into boxer briefs and shrugged. it would have to do

alex quietly stood from where he was sitting and he stood behind you, looking down at you with a look on his face that you’ve never seen before

“god.. you’re so tall” you whispered as you stopped what you were doing and looked up at him

“you’re so fucking short, it’s really cute” he smiled before grabbing you and throwing you over his shoulder

“hey! what the hell! put me down!” you squirmed in his arms and that earned a harsh smack to your boxer clad ass

he took you to his bedroom and practically threw you onto his bed. he stared at you with the same look as before, his eyes filled with lust, as he threw his beanie to the ground and took off his t shirt. he threw his shirt somewhere behind him before slowly making his way to you.

you were sat up with your knees to your chest against the wall

“u-uhm.. why um.. why are we here? i told you i have to go!! i have to fix this shit” you rambled nervously, earning a deep chuckle from alexis

“shh, just let me admire you..” he was now next to you on the bed as he carefully tucked your hair behind your ear

“what are we doing alex?” your whisper dissipated into the thick tense air surrounding the two of you

alexis didn’t respond, instead he gently grabbed the hem of your t shirt and pulled it off of your body. your new set of tits were now on display, your nipples perking up instantly as your best friend trailed his fingertips along your chest. you hiss at the sensation of his cold hands and you feel something beginning to build up inside, just beneath your bellybutton

“o-okay…i get it, it get it. this is about that stupid thing we talked about! look, it was funny back then but right now it’s not okay, i need to see my cousin or a fucking doctor!”

“you mean that thing about how if one of us woke up as a chick then we’d fuck?” he laughed, now trailing his fingers underneath your chin

“y-yeah but it was hypothetical! i didn’t think we’d ever actually be in this situation i mean, it’s just not normal!”

“so, do you want me to stop?” he murmured against your neck, leaving tiny butterfly kisses there

“i-i don’t know okay? but it doesn’t help when you’re touching me and you have your lips on me and god damn i forgot how sexy you looked without a shirt on…”

“you think this is easy for me? feel what you do to me, baby girl” he guided your hand to his clothed dick and your eyes went wide with how hard he was

“oh my god… stop it! fucking shit dude! you can’t just have me touching your dick! a-and now im fucking leaking or something, i don’t know! it’s all warm and wet down here! i don’t know what to do!” you complained, almost whining, not realizing that what you needed was him inside of you

“yeah? i bet your tight little cunt is soaked, isn’t it?” he asked, almost hovering above you

you couldn’t respond, you were too overwhelmed with so many emotions at once

alexis began to lean into you more and more and god it was getting harder to resist him as his strong cologne infiltrated your little brain

finally, his lips were on yours. he kissed you so gently, as if at any moment you could break. you pulled him closer to you and wrapped your arms around his toned back, melting into him

one of his hands balanced him above you while his other hand began to play with your perky tits. you were grinding into him as he rolled your sensitive nipple in between his thumb and forefinger

“o-oh my god! that feels amazing..” you bucked into him more, rubbing your cunt against his leg. you were so frustrated and begging silently for any kind of friction

“slow down princesa, there’s no rush. i promise ill take care of you, okay?” he said in a sweet voice that only turned you on even more

you nodded and your eyebrows furrowed together as his mouth was now attached to one of your boobs, the other was pinching at your already sensitive nipple. you let out soft whimpers as he pawed at your chest delightfully

“g-god… this feels so wrong but so fucking good” you said breathlessly, earning a little laugh from the boy above you

his lips kissed and sucked a trail lower and lower until he reached your boxers. he licked his lips and hooked his fingers under the waistband, sliding them down your legs. you were trembling as he kissed down the front of your pussy. finally, he ran his tongue flat against what you now knew was your clit. your hands instantly buried themselves in his soft hair, pulling it in the process

“you okay?” he asked, pausing for a second. you nodded furiously and he got back to work instantly

his tongue ran circles around the bundle of nerves that were now throbbing. you bucked your hips further into his face without even noticing

suddenly, you felt a finger at your entrance. it stung ever so slightly and immediately turned into pleasure as he curved it upwards. he pumped his finger into you and continued lapping at your swollen bud. the second he added another finger, tears were rolling down your face

“just like that! oh fuck..” you cursed, back arching as you reached up and clung onto his bedsheets

alex was basically making out with your clit now. his two long fingers were curved perfectly inside of you. you were bouncing on his fingers at this point. it all felt so so good

“you taste so good y/n” alex said as he came up for air momentarily

your hands came down and were now shoving his face in between your trembling thighs. his tongue moved even faster now, syncing with his fingers that were plunging into you.

you were restless, squirming and writhing as the sound of your moans and your wetness filled the room. you felt yourself chasing your climax. your thighs clamped shut, forcing alex to stay right there and not move an inch.

as your walls clenched around your best friend’s fingers, alex was being completely engulfed in your sweet pussy. his fingers curved up one more time inside of you and your body paused completely.

you saw stars and felt yourself leaking cum out onto his fingers. you caught your breath and closed your eyes. after a few moments, alex broke the silence

“so… was i any good?” alex asked, wiping your juices from his chin, a shit eating grin on his lips

“shut your mouth and take off your pants” you rolled your eyes

alexis laughed loudly and obliged, gaking off the remaining clothes he had on. you instantly sat up on your knees, your attention completely on him

you took over, pushing his pants and underwear down in one swift motion. his erection sprang free, and you stared at it with a mix of fascination and hunger. He watched your gaze, feeling a surge of pride and desire that made him ache even more

“holy shit! dude, your dick is huge!” you said in awe, almost drooling

“open up princess” he smiled and pumped himself gently

you opened your mouth gingerly. as he lay his tip on your tongue, your hand wrapped around the base of his cock. your other hand cupped his balls, grabbing at them

“you… you sure you haven’t sucked a dick before? you’re doing this so well” he grunted

“believe it or not, your dick is the first to ever touch these lips” you laughed and took him into your mouth almost entirely

alexis whimpered, one of his hands pushing the back of your head onto him further

of course you choked but alex was still enjoying this and you were definitely taking in every little whiny sound he made

you sucked his tip gently, and looked up at him through your doe eyes with your pupils blown completely, your lips wet and swollen, hair a mess, and alex almost came at the sight

“lay down” he said gently but firmly

you did as he told you and alex propped your legs up as if he were going to eat your pussy a second time. instead, he slipped himself in between your legs and hovered over you

carefully, he entered you, savoring the tightness that surrounded him. you gasped, your eyes fluttering shut as you adjusted to the sensation of his thickness stretching you. he waited, giving you a moment to breathe, before he began to move.

alex was in pure bliss, loving how warm and tight your cunt was. he completely forgot that this was your first time doing this, involuntarily speeding up before immediately stopping as you made a sound of pain

“okay look i respect you, you have game dude but jesus christ you need to fucking chill ! i’ve never done this shit before… at least not with a pussy” you tried to laugh off the sting

“i am so sorry y/n, you just feel so fucking good around me. i didn’t mean to hurt you, princesa” he spoke with a worried expression on his face

“sit back, okay?” you said suddenly and alex laid down, watching you crawl into his lap. a smirk made its way onto his face as he realized what you were doing

you straddled him, slowly taking him into you as you sat all the way down on his lap. you still felt some pain but it wasn’t as bad. you slowly lifted yourself up and slid back down again, your hand on his belly as he watched you intently

you gasped as his fingers pressed against your clit, sending waves of pleasure crashing through you. your hips picked up the pace, seeking more, and he eagerly gave it, his movements growing more deliberate with every moan that escaped your lips.

“take it like a good girl… “ alexis groaned as his head fell back in pleasure

you continued to move, his cock hitting you at the perfect angle inside and the pressure of his digits on your clit motivating you to go faster

“that’s it, princess” alexis praised as he watched you bounce up and down

his free hand found your breasts, kneading them as you rode him, your breaths growing more ragged with every thrust

“oh god, you’re so fucking deep! a-alex!” you moaned as you rode his cock

your pace was slowing down as you were growing tired. alex sat up and held you close. your arms rested around his neck and you kissed him passionately as he thrusted into you while you sat on his lap

“say my name again baby, say it” he kissed you on the mouth roughly as his hands held your hips in place and he fucked into you faster now

“alex! fuck… i’ve wanted your cock inside of me for so fucking long, i need more, please!” you pleaded

your eyes locked onto his, teeth biting down on your lower lip as you felt another orgasm building. your walls tightened around him, and you could see the effect it was having on him, his jaw clenching and his eyes darkening with lust. you leaned forward, your breasts brushing against his chest, and whispered into his ear, "I'm going to cum on your big fucking cock”

your movements grew erratic as alex pushed you back slightly, giving you a new angle for him to fuck you senselessly in. the two of you made a sort of ‘v’ shape in this new position as you leaned away from one another and your sex met his in perfect rhythm

your nails dug into his hands that were on your hips, leaving half-moons that would surely bruise. he didn't care, the pain only added to his pleasure, heightening every sensation

the sight was too much for him. your fucked out expression begging for more, your supple tits bouncing as your hips crashed together. he lost control, his orgasm ripping through him like a storm. he filled you with his warmth, his hips jerking as he emptied himself into you.

you came immediately after he did, loving the way you felt his thick cock twitch inside of you

you stopped moving and collapsed onto his chest, your breathing ragged and your heart pounding like a drum in her ears. alexis wrapped his arms around you, holding you close as your breathing gradually returned to normal

“you okay?” he asked, he felt your body trembling again

“yeah, just hold me okay?” you nuzzled into his chest

“okay” he said, pressing a sweet kiss to your temple

#alex quackity #alexis quackity #quackity #quackity x reader #quackity fanfic #quackity x y/n #quackity smut

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mysumeow · 1 year ago

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ꗃ LYNEY NSFW ALPHABET 2/2

warnings: afab genitalia, gn pronouns.

a/n: i sat myself down in front of my puter and told myself: im not getting up until i finish this. thats the only way i can convince myself to stop postponing everything, including stuff i want to finish (like this one lkjhasdflkjhs)

PART ONE › MASTERLIST ‹

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

I can see this guy wanting kids. He wants to give them the childhood and lifestyle he wishes he had when he was one.

So, breeding is a given.

Aside from that, he shows affinity for harnesses, restraints of any kind, sensory deprivation in the form of blindfolding, and lingerie. He prefers you to be the one getting blindfolded and teased, but he’s not against the idea of being on the receiving end.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Given that he doesn’t want to cause any type of scandal, he prefers to play it safe and do it behind closed doors. The biggest risk he’s willing to handle is having you press against a window. Your front against the glass, while he pounds you from behind. Seeing your face reflected on the window until it fogs up from heavy breathing.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

The moment you show a sliver of thigh, the cogs in his mind are already turning. Otherwise, if you’re wearing fishnets, tights, high-knee socks, or just any type of leg accessory (yes, harnesses are included too), that also makes him ogle you when no one else is looking.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He’s willing to try anything if it has nothing to do with certain bodily wastes.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He’d be embarrassed to be on the receiving end and probably cumming within the first few minutes, so he prefers to go down on you. Skill-wise, he has limited knowledge, but he takes his time with you to make sure you enjoy it.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

If the pace is all up to him, he prefers a more sensual way. It’s not difficult to ask him to go faster or rougher if you want, but he likes taking his time with you. Doing it slowly, caressing your body instead of grabbing it and jackhammering into you—he’s a romantic at heart, after all. His fingers touching and playing with your most sensitive parts. He can be quite unfair in this regard because he’s not above edging you in that way, just for the sake of making you as needy as possible.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Quickies are good if he’s in immediate need of having you and his schedule is tight. He understands there are days in which he won’t be able to spend as much time with you as he wishes he could, and therefore, quickies are an easy solution to that.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He’d rather play it safe. A scandal of public obscenity is something he’d prefer to avoid. If anything, he would trace his fingers against your thigh, or grip it, when you’re sitting down next to him having dinner at a restaurant. But that’s about it.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He’s a performer; he must have a nice amount of endurance for physical activity. He might do one long, consistent round or a multiple, reasonable number of rounds. It depends on his partner’s preference. He’s fine with either.

T = toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

I do think he has at least one, but he sees little need to keep it after he’s with someone. He shows interest in stimulating your body with some handy toy, like a bullet vibrator or something of the like. Open to suggestions from your part if you want to try a toy on him, too.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

If he’s feeling playful and teasing, he’s pretty unfair. He’ll keep tethering you to the edge of your orgasm, pulling away at the right time before working you up to that edge again. He doesn’t care if you’re obedient or not; if he wants to edge you for the next couple of minutes, he’ll do it.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Man tries so hard to keep his voice down. He can manage in the beginning, but the closer he is to his orgasm, the louder he gets. He whines and moans, even crying your name if he has been edged for a while. You may try covering his mouth with yours; he’s going to moan into the kiss, and his sounds of pleasure slip through. Can’t shut up for the life of him (affectionately).

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Every time you visit him backstage, he has fantasized about having a quickie with you there, just before a show. This fantasy is not viable, because that would mean Lynette could catch you both in the act, and that wouldn’t be a fun experience. The same applies to when he imagines you visiting him in the dressing room before a show.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Fairly high. Aside from the reason being his age, it’s also due to him being an energetic individual, and he has to release said energy in some way or another.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He’ll be awake if you talk to him, but the moment there’s some silence, he’s asleep.

#genshin smut #lyney smut #/ᐠ - ˕ -マ .. smut

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shinjisdone · 9 months ago

Text

𝒯𝒾𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒮𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈

(A Yandere Pinocchio X fem!Reader fic from Lies of P)

Pɑ��t 1; Sluɱbeɾ

capitolo uno

capitolo due

capitolo tre

capitolo quattro

capitolo cinque

capitolo sei

capitolo sette

capitolo otto: is here

capitolo nove

Capitolo dieci

Pɑɾt 2; Awɑƙeƞiƞƍ

It was a privilege to share the same blood as Giuseppe Geppetto. To be his family, his niece and take part in the marvelous worlds of puppets. The privilege to learn from him as his apprentice. The privilege to care for the things he cares for and to have the things he cares for, care deeply for you.

Tag list:

@greeknerd007 , @mitsureigen , @kame11a , @thirdblogsacharm , @sarah22447 , @blueberryhitosh1 , @written1nthest4rs , @huicitawrites

TW in general: Yandere behaviour, creepy and still puppet, dubious intentions and relationships

[TW for this one specifically include: Hurting an injury, threatening tension, creepy puppets, advice that could almost be seen as a threat, grief, slightest meltdown and crying]

The clouds were thick and heavy - if only they wouldn't deter you with their gray color and the fog they brought with them, you could at least watch the city's lights from your window.

Not even imagining them as cotton candy ceased your boredom. They were just too grey, too ugly. Not an ounce of sweetness.

Laying down on your bed, you adjusted the book with one hand. Even with the thick blanket and the pillow supporting your head and shoulders, staying still like this for so long felt uncomfortable. The pages tardily turned as the hours passed.

On the first day, you mainly slept through your exhaustion.

You'd often hear your uncle rummaging through the workshop. He'd stalk from one room to the next, shift a few things, opening and closing creaking doors. You occupied yourself with cleaning your humble room, though it dragged on. Perhaps you should get yourself a few fancy furniture like Uncle yourself. Your arrival had been a few months ago.

On the second day, you took care of small chores you've neglected throughout your project.

The raindrops on your window slowly dried up. You postponed to wipe the glass clean since the constant drizzle would stain them but feeling optimistic that the sun would pop up, you spent the morning wiping the windows. You did hear on the radio that the weather was supposed to get better in the coming days.

You were very well aware that you were supposed to rest. Yet testing out your injured hand to clean the windows, you felt some cautious hope that you could continue with your routine with the smallest of pains. Pretending to work with one thumb less wouldn't be the death of you.

Geppetto restocked the tea you so liked. Fresh leaves with a hot kettle next to your little table did wonders to brighten your mood even though you somewhat struggled to hold the wrench with four fingers. Once again, a round of footsteps were heard, louder this time, as the older man passed by you. Swiftly turning his gaze to you, he stopped abruptly, documents in his hand and melon hat always on his head whenever he was ready to leave the workshop again. "Are you sure that is a good idea, my dear?" He sipped on his cold coffee as he intently watched you.

You shot him a smile over your shoulder, sitting with your back turned to him. "I won't work the entire day. Just going to do some...time blocks every now and again." You closed the small opening on the upper part of the chest, before going in for the heart. The cables were still a mess. "Besides, I just think it'd be a shame to leave them like this, all alone. I've been tinkering on them for, what, one and a half months? And so inconsistently, too."

All this time they've been brushed aside. If the butler brothers had a human heart, it sure would have been long broken.

Geppetto sighed. "It is admirable that you are so diligent despite your injury. Many would just push their work away. But you - you are always as busy as a bee." He chuckled, "Take the defective arms to the work room. It'll be more comfortable to work there."

"But you use that room mostly, Uncle." The man took one last sip and waved his hand. He gave you a grin. "No matter. Take the room, I'll be gone and busy at the Workshop Union mostly anyway with a few colleagues. Feel free to take as much time as you want and leave the limbs there, it will not bother me." You couldn't hide your grin. "Thank you, Uncle. The butlers will be up and at 'em in no time!"

Geppetto only nodded and smiled before leaving again.

On the third, fourth and fifth day, you were tinkering away, the butlers limbs on an table.

On the sixth day, oil ran out. The elbows shrieked like an braying animal when bending, so they were left on the table, lights out, until the Workshop Union would be stocked up again. Your room was a sight for sore eyes, clean and tidy, compared to the working room downstairs. Blinking, the light from your window blinded you briefly.

That's right. It was finally sunny in Krat.

Looking back down, you finished the doll's hair. You used to braid and style it when young and it was nostalgic to do it once again and especially productive with a clear goal in mind.

Though you used to talk to your doll, Aurorie obviously never answered. Yet your experiment - which you'd still best keep a secret - intriguied you. You were far from able to make puppets really take in information and construct an reply based on that. Training them to listen and act upon basic orders was something you grew familiar with quite early in your life thanks to Geppetto, but that was as far as your knowledge went.

Now you knew how to make them repeat your words like a cockatoo.

Slowly, fingers stopped gliding down the blonde locks and you turned her around. Her eyes met yours as if she was contemplating things on her own as well, staring into your soul. Knowing what it meant when you held her like this, when you looked at her like this. She always smiled at you.

Wood screeched and a door was burst open. Rushing down the stairs, your eyes lit up when you saw the front door crack. Laughter errupted from the other side as their shadows casted by the light outside grew bigger.

You braked aburptly with a hitched breath. Scanning the emerging figures, you saw one, two, three and four men coming in. There never was more than your uncle.

As if he had read your mind, he noticed you with a grin. Quickly, you hid the doll behind your back.

With a wave of his hand the rest were welcomed in. He closed the door as some chatted along and took off their coats. One gentleman followed his gaze and approached you with a big smile of his own.

"You must be the apprentice." His hand was reached out and ready for your own, gait big and assured. His voice was deep but friendly, in an condescending way. You first glanced down at his gloved hand before looking back at his face and accepting the greeting. Geppetto followed quickly.

"Ah, that is my niece. She is training under me, yes". The man peeked from behind the other gentleman's larger frame. With a noise of acknowledgement, his attention would turn back to Geppetto and then to you. "Ah, so that's what it is! You mentioned that you had an apprentice but I wouldn't have guessed that it would be another Geppetto!" He laughed heartily. Geppetto replied with his own chuckles.

His handshake was long and crushing. You kept your cries to yourself and feigned a polite smile.

Dark mustache and beard were thick but kept neatly. His cylinder of quality material, even under the dim light and his grin that of an business man. A long scar flowed down his forehead down to his blind eye.

The only green one flickered to the bandaged hand he was shaking.

He glanced back to exchange looks with your uncle.

"I am Simon Manus, head leader of the Alchemists. A pleasure." He nodded before finally letting go of your hand. You mimicked and tugged yours behind your back. "A pleasure to meet you as well, Sir Manus. I...did not know we were getting visitors." "Oh, this is spontaneous," He waved his hand with a carefree tone, "We would have liked to spend this fair day not with work but well, it always waits and piles up. We only wished to speak with your uncle and couldn't quite find a better place for a conference. I hope this doesn't disturb your training."

You politely shook your head. "Not at all. Today has been an day off, anyway." Manus found another reason to laugh. "There is never a day off for those of the Monad Charity House! They keep all their youngsters as busy as bees!"

You grimaced at his booming bellowing. That was a name you had not heard in a long while.

The other man stepped forward, putting a foot between you and Manus. "Oh, but she learns under me under my roof. I wouldn't let a dear family member study it all with other peers when it is more effective to be taught by me personally." "Really?" The gentleman spun his head from him back to you, mouth that of an gaping fish out of water. "You must be lucky, miss, to learn under the great Guiseppe Geppetto! To even be his niece, how blessed you are! But please, do not turn out to be a workaholic like him!" Laughter again.

In turn, you courteously offered a bleak smile, nodding along.

"Now then," Taking a sharp breath, Geppetto came in between the two of you and gesutred to the hallway to the right. "Time is of essence and there is much to discuss. Shall we?" Manus nodded vigourisly, taking off his cylinder and followed along. Shooting you a glance, he curtly bowed. "It was nice to meet you, Geppetto's niece. As his apprentice and successor, I expect brilliant things from you."

Without another utter, the men left in a line like well-behaved children - but your good hand still clung to your doll. "Oh, uh, Uncle...!" You hesitantly sprung a step forward but the man in question held out his palm to you with an acute look. "Not today, my dear. Why don't you enjoy your day off and explore the rest of Krat? The circus re-opened with a brand new parade puppet and the weather is rarely this lovely." He watched you slowly shrink and finally give in with a nod. Gaze softening, he turned around and led the rest further into his domain.

On the seventh day, you stood alone and the Alchemists of Krat were invited into your workshop.

For a few minutes you stood there by the window, contemplating with a thick coat in your arms. The chirps of birds nor the chatting of people was a familiar tune here. Though Krat thrived on the puppets, none of them could brighten the sky like they do the people's moods. Aurorie sat on the corner of the bed, watching as you picked out one outfit after another - at last deciding on one you seldomly were able to wear here but were very much fond of - and almost ready to leave.

It felt nostalgic as well in a way. Visits to Krat were frequent but short in the past and for a child it always felt like exploring a new part of the city. It would change drastrically everytime you saw it, so this place was full of adventures, full of fairytales.

Your nose wrinkled as you grabbed the dark gloves on the table and put them gingerly on. They were too big.

Just as your hand hovered above the handle, you whipped your head back to the dim hallway echoing in whispers. The jolly laughter was but a short memory in your mind and the more you pondered on it, the more you remembered their hollow smiles. The sunlight outside was much more inviting.

"...To the right you can view the grand bridges connecting the buildings of our beloved city. Each day puppets check on its stability and status, making sure we all stay safe while entertaining us with their banter."

Eyes followed the upbeat voice halling from the moving train, even as the sight had already been ingrained into your mind. As the disembodied voice of another puppet promised, there were a bunch, hanging and sitting on the bridges with tools in their hands and fitting, dappered safety helmets on their tin heads. They waved and the awing passangers waved back.

You sat still with one hand on top of your other.

"Please note that - Now stopping at Krat Central Station. I repeat: Now stopping at Krat Central Station. Please mind your step - and don't forget to pay a visit to our newly opened circus! Now the colors pop brighter and are brought alive by our newest member, the Parade Master! Known for his mirthful smile as his dances-"

You were quick to get off before the next reprise. The trains got awfully full during the afternoon but it was worth the hassle. You surely wouldn't walk and lose your way. Dusting yourself off and adjusting your outfit, you walked up the stairs to Cersani Alley. That's as far as you knew your location would be since the rest of the place was full of signs, cuttboards of merry puppets ready to serve and posters about the oh so great circus and their parades. Besides, looking around the bumbling crowd, the families, their fancy attire, the balloons floating in the clear blue sky - a smile graced your face knowing all you had to do was follow the herd. Knowing that this is a bright, joyous day and that you were able to live in every day, that Krat could be your reality. Surrounded by the beauty of puppets. Perhaps you were blessed.

The crowd followed along nicely. Children would yell out and play, giggling in delight when handed out balloons in various shapes and little hats to wear. The parents were pranked with harmless jokes and the esteemed ladies bowed to and blown comedic kisses. Feigning bashful mirth, everyone continued on as the puppets waved them farewell.

You nodded and bowed to one you passed by, it did the same.

There it was, the thump, the stupid, cheesy grin. You had to bite your lip at this awfully childish behaviour you were dying to show - or, best, hoping to hide. An adult your age cannot act this silly, goodness, especially if people knew that you weren't even an local! How embarrassing it would be.

Not a local, that's how it felt as you marveled at the scenes before you. You have been here for months, tinkered on puppets almost identical as the ones greeting you yet it all felt so surreal to not sit behind the workbench but be part of the easily amazed citizens. It felt simple and light. You played with your fingers.

Blessed you were. The atmosphere and technology cannot compare to anything else you've ever seen or ever been to - Krat is an exception, the center of the new world it seemed. Yet there you were, hiding in your room and musing over a small toy that any other child in Krat would have long replaced with a better, bigger and aware puppet.

They flow as light as a breeze into the crowd, become one with the citizens. They are more home to this place than anyone as if this was their core and their very heart. Like flowers they bloomed from it, their vines thicker and stronger than anyone else's here, where they can smile and radiate instant happiness, bow and dance more elegantly than any aristrocrat and have man-made faces that seem more human than that of their creators. Their suits and attire never wrinkling, never littered with splotches as they wave about their limbs fulfilling the next order, eyes - as if they could really see from those, the public did not know where the vision was really located - trained on the target in question and ears - as if that is were the microphones were - perked up and ready to listen with a smile so bright and a strength so mighty they can pierce flesh-

"Oh!" Breath hitched in your throat, feeling your ankle twist and lose your balance until a gust of wind hit you in the face, a force not only getting you back on your feet but dragging you to the side of the street. You stumbled, vision hazy for a single moment, hands patting your shoulders.

"You alright, miss?" Inhaling sharply you whipped your head to a snout facing you. You took the close sight all in and a weight fell off your heart when you recognized long, flappy ears and a wide, dark snout with round, holes for eyes as green ones did the same in observing you. Their heavy boot took a step back and tilted their head to take a better look at you through the mask. "Hey, miss." In turn to their deep voice, you let out a breathy sigh, corners of your mouth crinkling up. "Yeah. Thank you." Simultaniously, you stepped back, holding your smile as your eyes mustered the man up and down. His person was heavily armed with pouches, a blade to the side of his hip and a pistol on the other. The coat, a murky dark brown and splotched, hung on his shoulders but with the tall and broad statue of his, shifting one weight on his left as he crossed his arms, he did not seem to mind the heavy material. You were sure if you wore it, it would drag you down to the ground.

A small scarf was around his neck, just as dark as his lightly hairy donkey mask. It blendid in quite well.

"Can't believe how people just lose sight on their way to a parade, and one just made of puppets out of all things." He talked with a grunt, sigh filled with disgust. "You're on your way there too, right?"

You looked back to his masked face and tried to hold eye contact through the small holes. "Ah, yeah. The crowd is pretty big so I thought if I just followed I'd get to the plaza." "The wave still pushed you around. Hm, I can accompany you to it if you wanna. Gotta take guard there anyway and you're sure to get there easily without tumbling down anywhere with a Stalker with ya."

"Er-" You briefly looked around the moving lines and congegrated circles marching on and disappearing into the alleys and plaza. A small noise escaped your throat, your hand covered the other in reflex. Your smile was too hesitant to truly shine to him. "...If you don't mind."

"Sure." Quickly he patted down at his pouches in a rythmatic manner, hand going to the sword and pistol first. Adjusting at last, the Stalker tilted his head and waved you after him. Just before you could follow closely, he offered his hand. "Stay behind or else people will think I'm arresting ya. Wouldn't want to be treated like a criminal at the parade, wouldchu?" Ah, uh," Your smile didn't reach your eyes no matter how much you tried to force it and you shook your head. "No."

Time seemed slower as you glimpsed between his mask and outstretched palm, breath stuck in your throat. However, just a moment later you meekly offered the same hand he did. "Oh," He lightly let out before taking your good hand. "We use the same one."

He wanted to become a Stalker too.

The wave was like a calm sea as you sailed through it with the Stalker as your captain. Instinctively you watched his dark ears peek up above the colorful heads of the crowd as he swiftly passed by each of them. He was sure in every step he took with his body tilting and swinging from side to side whenever he was just a hair's touch away from bumping into anyone. In just a few minutes, you jogged up the long and grande staircase of the street, as the commotion and music got louder and louder. Standing in your toes while trying to keep up with the donkey, you could make out puppet twins in matching outfits leading on the parade together with another pair juggling and giving away flowers. They've already come a long way, people marching with them with an appropiate distance to still esteem their performance, and you pointed at farther away to the big spring located at the plaza. Banners and flying hot ballons with their red and greens were seen far away, a stark contrast to the blue sky, and invited more. The Stalker swallowed down his sigh at your big grin and led you to it. Once he could find the best spot for you to enjoy and view at, he gave you a final pat on the shoulder before excusing himself. You thanked him.

"I'll be nearby though if trouble comes along. Just holler if you need help." You eagerly nodded. "Thank you again."

With a last wave of his hand, he disappeared into the crowd. Turning back, you waited for the next group to pass by like an excited child. The chatting of the people slowly ceased before an echo of an heavy thumb made them abruptly stop their prattling. Around the corner a huge, metal leg playfully showed itself going up and down, up and down, before roughly taking another step. Squeals of children followed each stomp and soon, one by one, an arm shot out and waved at the waiting audience. Loud cheers rung in your ears as you clapped as well as the biggest and newest member of the circus danced its way towards the plaza. A small duo of trumpet players on each side accompanied it.

A round of rallies full of hurrahs greeted the dancing puppet. "Parade Master! Parade Master!" was sung, especially loud by the children. The puppet with its big and burly form was built with something of three to four meters in mind, you reckoned, if the incredibly and comically long, black cylinder was not screwed on its metal head. Its shape reminded you of chimneys illustrated in fairy tale books and probably designed to have the kids get a kick out of it. The rectangular limbs moved freely, legs stomping in rythm to an made-up swing and its arms rotating 360 degrees, begging for people's laughter. While the majority of its body was metal painted to look like an magnificent coat, the upper part of it did seem like real cloth to you. While you applauded, your face soured in scrutiny with squinted eyes at the performing puppet. While it ushered people to sit on its shoulders to carry it around - with great awe as the response from the citizens including you, you couldn't deny it - the back of its 'coat' did have a long train divided into three parts floating about everytime it showcased its skills. It partly must be real cloth.

The face was oval accompanied with a big grin that showed a row of straight, white teeth. It's big nose was painted a lovely light red to give him the slightest resemblences to an sweet, unclely neighbor, especially with the receding hair line, as it shared sweets from a basket. The mustache and side hair were cables most likely connected to its system and curled around to give the illusion of facial hair. How quaint, you found it.

What a sweet and brightening puppet. All to bring joy to Krat.

"I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splending..."

Its singing was jolly as well. The rest of the crowd around you quickly caught on to the classic song and started to sing along. You couldnt help but let a giggle escape you and held no shame on joining in the puppet and the people. The Parade Master led the song with dramatic flair as if talking to each audience member who heard his voice, wanted or not. Singing to the stars, pointing to the sky and clenching claws to its non-existent heart. Bowing with a deep kneel, low enough to make the men on its shoulders yelp, before twirling around, several ballons in its claws and giving them away. Your wide eyes were hung on its movements no matter how ridiculous they may seemed, no matter how many people laughed at the antics or how gauche it got. It was fascinating to watch it feign tumbling only to get back up with vigor as everyone sang.

"I can open your eyes, take you wonder by wonder,"

Absent-mindedly you sang along as one of the trumpet players did. Its tin fingers snapped in rythm, clanking rather as it spun into your direction. Catching your figure, it bent its knees and offered an open palm with its head tilted. Its everlasting grin bore itself into your memory.

"Tell me, princess, when did you last let your heart decide?"

As its companions did the same, people joined - and it wanted to take you to the stage of the plaza you feared. Eyes went on to the only one not taking the invitation and once again, the puppet shifted closer. Tin fingers begged for yours. Frozen in place, you could only stare at its open metal hand.

"Over, sideways and under...on a magic carpet ride..."

Breath hitched, its eyeing your hand as it goes behind your back and with a trembling motion, you let a coin fall on its palm.

You swore its grin widened and it clutched onto the money in an blink of an eye.

"A whole new world!"

"A new fantastic point of view!"

It recoiled its arm suddenly and with the other one it offered a ballon. It let it go but with ease you caught it, twirling it around your fingers. You stepped back as it searched for another dancing partner.

"No one to tell us 'No',"

"Or where to go,"

"Or say we're only dreaming!"

You stepped further and further back, the chanting of the people growing monotone in your mind as you held onto the balloon. The Parade Master, as lovely as its movements were, was not something you could admire for so long. Your shoes' clicks loud enough for you to focus on as your gaze never left the puppet performance. The dancing enchanting but the actors-

"You really alright?" A yelp escaped you with a few people turning puzzled at the shrieking sound. You covered your mouth and hid from their gaze, face hot and flushed. Widened eyes stared at the perpatrator, who only looked down at you with confused, narrowed gaze. "Yer really out of place here. You wanna leave to a more quiet place?"

You looked to your left and right with a stutter. As the cheers and music grew louder, you managed to nod. With a wave of his hand, the Stalker walked forward and you, back hunched and small, tailed after him. Balloon floating above the heads of the mob, it grew smaller and smaller until it vanished from the plaza all together.

The rythm was off. Your eyes glimpsed at the muddy boots in front of you, the casual gait, the sword at the hip. All you were armed with was your wallet and a balloon tied around your wrist. Your fingers massaged your other hand.

"...You wanna sit down and catch a breather?" "Huh?" Head snapped up to the donkey mask with its snout tilted in your direction. He repeated himself. "You looked uncomfortable there."

"Oh, no." You tried to smile as you waved your good hand. "No...I just wasn't at a festival for so long now. I guess the huge parade took me off guard." You licked your lips. "I like parades and big, bumbling places and puppets but maybe I've just bitten more off than I could chew." You dryly chuckled. His eyes still stayed on your shrunken form, tilted even further before he briskly stared back on the road. The man chose an quieter alleyway with only a few late families and children fresh from school rushing by you. They skipped in their step, hollering a name and some pointing at your balloon in hopes they'll get one too from a puppet.

The Stalker hummed. "And all that to show off a new, chunky puppet." He outstretched his arms and dramatically waved them, "Happy Charlie!" His voice oozing with mockery as the laughing children ran past you. With a scoff, he let his arms fall. "What a terrible joke."

"You don't like the parade?" Carefully, you leaned your head to peek into his eyes to somewhat understand this pettiness, a skip in your step to catch up. "I don't like any of these puppet's play!" Turning to you he shot his arm to point back at the commotion lowly resonating, "Everyone is way too calm, too carefree! They keep forgetting that they are interacting with machines and not human minds!" Another scoff escaped him through the nosetrills of his mask and he focused on the road again. In a mumble he let out; "Just last week someone was hurt by a puppet."

Swiftly, his snout turned back into your direction at the sound of a sharp inhale. Through the small holes he stole a glance at the clenched jaw and the way you quickly tried to keep up with him again.

You licked your lips. "...What?"

"They tried to not have it publish it," The Stalker said, "It'd be an uproar if one of their beloved puppets were to harm a person, even if it was accidental, but it sure as hell would be good wake-up call for Krat. I know the truth - the higher-ups just wanna keep their vests nice and clean." The man kept on looking at you for an reaction, shaking his head at all the foolishness that the entirety of the city is committing in his eyes. "There's no way someone at the Workshop Union is not going to make a mistake, they're just human themselves. But to hide such a grande mistake even though someone got hurt, now that's unacceptable."

"I, uhm..." Unwittngly, you were looking around for an distraction as your mind went blank if ideas and responses, taking a small distance from the man. "Puppets have been manufactured here for decades. The safety data has been updated consistently through the years and each factory of the Workshop Union makes sure to follow them religiously." You spewed out as if it was a spell, "Surely somewhere something went wrong but it'd be odd if something so...severe happened after decades of perfection."

Again, he shot you a look but focused back on the road, turning the corner of the alley with you. "You sure know a lot about that, miss. You like the puppets?" Licking your lips, you needed to take a deep breath. Even now mustering a smile was difficult but you hoped this one was convincing enough for the Stalker. "I very much do. I have ever since...I was a kid." "Hm, stupid question." Loosening his mask slightly, he scratched part of his neck that was itching to peek out. "You went all the way here for this parade. Everyone likes 'em." He whispered.

The air felt heavy after that. Often you'd find yourself distracting yourself with the beauty of the young sunset as its rays sneaked between the buildings, between the bridges where the puppet workers were still checking them. Their movements the same rigid ones when you last admired them on the train. Their lengthy, wide figures were like shadows in the light orange glow with only the sound of metal coming in contact with metal being heard faintly.

"It's," You were still staring their silhouttes, "It's good to scrutinize such important work, you're not doing anything wrong. But maybe..." Slowly your head lowered, a sudden weight seeming to pull you down in a way that felt too familiar, and your voice lowered as well - like an apologetic child. A hand went up and wiped your nose after a discreet sniffle. "...Well, maybe things aren't as bad as they seem."

No one passed by you anymore. If these streets weren't familiar from the darkest depths of your mind you might have felt an surge of panic but this Stalker, armed with a blade an an donkey mask, was the most harmless person you've met today so far.

"You a puppet maker, miss?" Suddenly you sprung up, eyes now full and big as you finally rose from your shrunken form. You blinked rapidly, wiping your nose for the last time before looking at him curiously. "...I am in training. But have only started a few months ago." The man hummed, followed by a small 'That explains it' and tried to speak in an more upbeat tone. "It's just that ya seem old enough to have long graduated and I've never seen you in the Monad House." "Oh," You let out, cleared your throat, and tried to speak much more cheerful as well, "I, ah, am not from here. I came to Krat to start my training actually in the...Workshop Union, so I never attended the Monad Charity House. I, I have heard it's a great school though and that almost all of Krat's puppet makers graduated from there."

"Yer not from here? Well, you certainly have to have a talent then." A small chuckle escaped you. You looked back down to the ground.

"Yeah...I've been told that, too."

"Uhm, I'm sure you must be a talented Stalker too, then, if you guarded the entire plaza all by yourself." With a smile and a nod, you attempted to throw the compliment back. In return, the donkey laughed curtly. "My comrades left me there for 'a new experience' since I usually hang around the Alchemists looking out for their stuff. Never had to deal with a puppet there before." With a quick turn and move, he grabbed his pistol and spun it around, before quickly stashing it back to his hip.

"I did graduate with flying colors and became this spectacle of an Stalker today."

You couldn't help but soften your look. Eyes crinkled at the words and a more genuine feign of an smile graced your lips. He'd spun his toy sword around like that as well but often had it slip out of his grasp as he did so.

"Hey, now, listen. I'm sure I've dampened your mood. But I am serious and I know the truth." As the light had finally turned red and hit Krat, the both of you stopped at a crossroads. Left, the Central Station. Right, the Workshop Union and the Alchemists. Lifting his head high, the donkey decided to stop this pretending and spoke sternly once again. "You should know it too, since you are a puppet maker, or will be one. The Workshop Union isn't as pretty and diligent as they make themselves out to be and people are suffering because of it. If you wanna become a good and honorable puppet maker, make sure to be better than what we got now 'cause they are a bunch of liars."

Your eyes flickered from his form to the ground below. Dainty flowers snaked out of the crevices, tainted in red by the setting sun. The image of the man with the scar and your uncle behind him flashed in your mind.

"...I'll keep it in mind."

The Stalker nodded along and his gaze followed yours. He pointed to the left. "The trains leave in a few minutes, you'd have to wait for the next one in an hour to get to the Workshop Union. I can tag along if you want me to." You stared at the direction he pointed you, where people congegrated and the sun hit them. It'd be best to hurry but your head turned to the right.

"I think I'll take a short walk before that. Squeezing in there with the rest of the people would be too much." The man shrugged and scratched his head. "Whatever floats your boat. It was nice talking to you, I would've lost my minds with these overjoyed lot. Stay safe on your way home." With a final wave over his shoulder, he turned his heel and went back from where you came from. His ears swayed back and forth as he slowly vanished in the red light.

Your farewell was much quieter. With a long, withdrawn and almost painful sigh you let your arm fall and stood at the crossroads. The high whistling of the train called out the people like a herd, passing by you as they made their way downstairs to the station. Droning of chit-chats consuming and devouring the street. The people clad in gloomy red. The last call for the train of the automatic puppet voice rang through, your eyes drooped and hollow as they stared holes into the air. Pushing you with enough might that you had, you turned around and dragged yourself through crowd and onto the right.

The people less merry and less loud, the crevice now bricks with small stone fences and the red now blue.

The Monad Charity House was not touched upon like all the other buildings but it was clear that it was still taken care of. The marine blue that were the walls and the lovely white that clad the windows and roof. You wondered if somewhere there they had added or renovated rooms through the years but you couldn't know, you rarely went inside. Never was even allowed to stay the night for an sleepover. The fences made small and eyepleasing were only meant for the flowerbeds on the front to give it that trustworthy look parents needed when letting their children attend here. Roses, sunflowers, dhalias and daffodils bloomed healthily, taken care of by the children themselves. Whether they wanted to or not. It was good publicity.

Ambling into the yard, the fences quickly grew to broad walls. The evening approached. Children with homes were eating their dinners at this time and those who had not that, were at the parade, extending their time outside school and their many rules as much as they could. You knew that very well.

You also knew you'd see the old swing again. The playground grew larger and seemed to pop up a new device to play with each time you visited. You'd love to go here even when it was a school, even when it wasn't your school. Yours did not have the grande walls or the beautiful flowers, the chic uniforms or the big playground or any sophisticated classes. You used to imagine what it'd be like to go here.

Back there, next to the wall, was still this old, grimy tree. You visited once again here, one day and this tree, as big as it was, its crown one day just bent over the wall's edges. It was once joked about that it did not grow up but grew shy and is now hiding from the students.

Other students also used it as an 'escape route' and climb over the wall to skip class.

Tenderly you touched it. Your balloon was high enough to hit the extended, naked branches but you barely noticed, as the moist of the wood stuck on your fingers. Your shoulders went up to your ears and your face grimaced but you kept on gliding your hand on the coarse surface until a finger felt a bump. Croutching down, you held up the hems of your outfit to not get in contact with the grime and ever so carefully shifted to the side and pressing yourself against the wall. Your eyes went up and down the side of the tree trunk and the words etched into there by a stolen pocket knife.

'I am thiiiis taller!'

Two stripes were cut in with one a bit higher than the other with the mockery written on there. Looking farther up, there it was as you expected.

'I am taller than the both of you!'

You couldn't help smiling to yourself at the third stripe towering over the other two. The strongest mocked the least.

The tree had grown its branches. Their leaves all on the other side, you wondered if the crown could already graze the street. Wondering if it was hiding its beauty for it looked naked from within the walls.

Getting up you made your way to the swing as you used to. No more, however, did you let your bottom fall onto the seat but carefully sat down as to test out the waters. Your clothes are probably dirty by now. The swing held on quite well however, and so you felt free enough to carelessly rock about. It's squeaking was ear-piercing, which was new, but you kept on swinging anyway.

To your right, your gaze trailed up the blue rail.

'Girls are stupid'

The scribble of an angry face was the cherry on top.

Your face scrunched up with a glare, eyes narrow and misty despite the flash of anger you felt. Your hand gripped on the rope fiercly, but quickly let it go to wipe your stray tears. Facade broken, you lowered your head down to your lap and hissed at the accidental pressure you put on your stitched thumb.

"You're stupid, Carlo..." You sobbed into your lap.

How he stuck out his tongue at you while spinning with his toy sword. Taunting you for having been short even when you surpassed him just a year later. Romeo would put him in his place, reminding him how lucky he was that he even had a cousin, only for him to turn his mockery from your height to your gender. Now you knew how petty and infantile it all was, but it hurt nevertheless. He had that sad look in his eye when Uncle would bring you to him during the holidays and leave you two alone on the same day. You warned him over climbing the wall to skip class, how he'll be in trouble and Uncle will be mad. He called you a coward and Romeo urged you to come along. Carlo used to be so nice to you, played with you with the toys Uncle used to whittle, pretended to be great whales in the ocean when Krat was filled with rain puddles, would push you on the swing high enough to be taller than any wall or tree while your laughter rung but over the years he'd gotten sadder and angrier, all at you - until you stopped visiting when you grew older, busy with your graduation and he with his.

'Well, maybe things aren't as bad as they seem.'

You still wonder if he even read your letter to him instead of throwing it away.

"You're a stupid, stupid, liar..."

#yandere lies of p #Lies of p #lies of p x reader #lies of p pinocchio #yandere pinocchio #Pinocchio #Lies of p pinocchio x reader #Pinocchio x reader #P x reader #Yandere #my writing #my fanfiction #ticking springs

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tohwitchesduels · 3 months ago

Text

SECOND ROUND OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 10: Amity Blight vs Willow Park

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Oh boy, here we arrive at the battle of the century and probably the most anticipated battle of this tournament that could even be worthy of being the final battle. Kinda sucks it has to be the second round but I already postponed it from the first round so it's already overdue. Without further updo, let's get into this battle and see for ourselves what happens here.

Now, unlike battles of the first round, here I will just post links instead of expositions as they would be too long and wouldn't fit all pictures here, but I will write here at least some details regarding both opponents.

During this battle, both of them are allowed to use their Palismen.

Amity Blight

Amity doesn't necessarily know if she can truly do it. After everything they've been through, it does pain her to face her childhood friend after just rekindling their relationship and having to be terrible to her her entire life. Her heart isn't entirely in it because of that. But at the same time, she's come to realise how much Willow flourished and grew and how she's not helpless, a broken soul she once knew and she wants to do her justice, she wants to give her the duel she deserves, without patronizing her skill anymore. She also promised Luz she would meet her in the finals and she wants to keep that promise, even if it means she has to defeat Willow, but can she bring herself to do that?

Amity may not possess as much raw power and brutal strength as Willow, but she compensates for it with her skill and creativity when it comes to the usage of her abominations. Both of them are capable, talented warriors, and Amity possesses an ambitious streak and pragmatic poise that helps her dominate the battlefield. Her abominations proved in LR to be able to block Willow's vines and slow down their rampage, and her fire spell could burn through Willow's plants. Granted during this battle Willow is on offense and Amity's foundation is shaken meaning she fights mostly defensively in this battle unlike offensively as she did in the first round.

However, if Amity recognizes how both she and Willow are approaching this battle with the wrong mindset, she could reach out to her and assure her that she believes in Willow, that there are no hard feelings, and that the past is in the past. This could allow her to get the second wind and give Willow the battle she deserves while also letting Willow control her powers better.

Willow Park

Willow knew this would happen sooner or later and she was looking forward to it. She's not necessarily happy, she knows she has to do it if she really wants to win this tournament. Unlike Amity, however, she's not this pained to fight Amity as she waited a long time to actually get her comeuppance after everything Amity. Not that she holds a grudge against her best friend anymore, after all, Willow's strength enhanced because she rekindled her friendship with Amity, but Willow really wants to prove to her one more time that yes, they're equal, and yes Willow is capable of winning this tournament and she's not going down easily and she would never be pushed around by Amity again for being "too weak". Willow has the drive, determination, and ambition to win this tournament and be declared the most powerful teenage witch of the Isles now that she has a chance to prove it.

Amity as far as Willow remembers always looked down on her and hardly knew how capable she was until LR. So she's willing to go all out and reveal now all her tricks so Amity sees it for herself, even if at a disadvantage. She's putting everything she has on the table whether or not Amity already knows about her tricks, and she may not for all we know. In the same vein because Willow is putting everything into this fight to defeat Willow she may at times overcommit and she could most likely make strategic errors, even though she knows what to expect from Amity and does try to play her cards smartly, but her desire to win could potentially blind her to be outsmarted if she acts too reckless and is not careful enough in the name of proving her own strength Willow is on offense during this battle but has a very strong defense as well.

While Willow has great control over her powers, there is a possibility she could lose control if the emotions during this battle (especially knowing what is at stake for her) are too intense and the plant magic could act against Willow as well.

Return to the Masterpost.

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ohtobealady · 6 months ago

Note

If you’re still looking for one word prompts: Lace for Cobert please. 😊

Oh boy howdy. A tiny side of comfort. Thank you for the lovely word, dearie.

—————‘,—————

Lace

She stared at the dress O’Brien had laid out for the garden party. She stared at it with her warm teacup resting at her lip, the minty scent sweetly burning her nose.

She liked it: ivory linen, a circle of crocheted lace around the waist, more lace at the collar and sleeves, large spherical buttons that served no other purpose but to provide decoration in straight lines down the front. Her maid had gone to collect her hat, she’d explained, but Cora knew which. It would be the kettle-brim. And it would look nice.

She sighed. Her mouth was dry from far too much of this tea. It made a small clink as she replaced it in its saucer just as the click of the door drew her attention to it.

“Oh.” Her body relaxed when she saw him, his round chin lifting in greeting. She hadn’t even realized she’d been sitting so stiffly. “I was expecting O’Brien.”

“Do you need her?”

“No,” Cora shook her head, and she smiled at her husband who softly smiled at her in return. “I’m glad it’s you.”

He chuckled as he came into her room. Bates had already dressed him in his white garden linens, and Cora let herself admire the tug of the fabric at his shoulders and the breadth and height of him as he walked toward her window and peered out.

“It seems the lawn’s dried enough from the rain,” he nodded toward the view. “Though it would’ve made a fine excuse to postpone.”

“Then I’m glad it’s dried.” She let her hands settle beneath her breakfast tray. “You know we couldn’t have postponed. I didn’t want to.”

“I know,” he admitted. “But I did. For your sake.”

“Yes.”

He came to sit upon her bed, and she felt the way her legs dipped toward his weight at the edge of her mattress. “Of course you know that it isn’t strictly necessary for you to come down. None would blame you.”

Cora’s chest tightened at his repeated speech, the same speech he’d given her four days ago after it had all happened, when he tried to convince her to cancel the party entirely. But they both knew she could not. The invitations had gone out too long before.

“I’m well enough,” she assured him, and she forced a tight smile. “And I’m well enough for you to rejoin me in here,” she pressed. “I don’t like sleeping alone.”

She was relieved at his chuckle, and even more relieved when he took her hand. “My dear, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I’m more uncomfortable without you.”

She watched the change in his expression, the lightness of his features darkening with a hint of pain at her confession. She hadn’t meant it to sound as plaintive as it was—-as she was.

And Robert nodded, and she felt him tighten his fingers around hers. “So am I.”

“I’ve brought you a powder, milady—-oh, milord. I apologize.”

They looked at O’Brien who entered, but Cora let her eyes return to her husband. He hadn’t let go of her hand.

“It’s alright, O’Brien,” he said. “I was just trying to convince her ladyship that she should remain in bed, especially since her breakfast tray looks as if she’s barely touched it.”

Cora felt herself smile, and she shook her head. “I don’t like peppermint tea,” she complained in a lilting tone, but knew at Robert’s glance he had been partly serious.

“I’ve tried to convince her as well, milord. I did say that between yourself and the young ladies, the guests would understand—-“

“But I don’t want to,” she interjected, and again, she felt Robert tighten his grasp.

“O’Brien, it’s useless, I’m afraid,” he looked at her, and Cora loved how the morning sun kissed the curve of his jaw. “I can deny her nothing.”

For the first time in four days, Cora nearly laughed; the tightness in her chest turning the hollowness into warmth.

“I’ve asked Carson to have the garden chaise longue brought to the tent. You’ll be sure to rest, at least, won’t you?”

She nodded before Robert turned back to her maid. “Thank you, O’Brien. I’ll only be a moment more.”

And the warmth felt cooler as her maid departed, leaving the powder for her pain and her kettle-brim hat upon her dressing table.

“I came to tell you—“

“—She’s been such a help to me, Robert,” Cora said over him, and as soon as the door closed behind her maid. “Really.” Images of her maid weeping along with her, patting her hand, helping her change her bloodied nightgowns unwittingly came to her mind. “I feel guilty I’ve made so much extra work for her—-“

“No.” Robert silenced her. “She cares for you; as do I. You aren’t to feel guilty for anything.”

“All the same….” She ignored the other images, the terrible ones that persisted in floating to the top of her thoughts, clouding the others she desperately sought. And she ignored what he’d meant by anything, for how could she not? “I’m grateful to her,” she added softly, and looked down into her lap, hoping he’d hear what else she meant, that she was grateful for him.

But he sat silently instead, her hand in his, before she felt his other hand move to her cheek, and as his thumb stroked at the cheekbone.

She closed her eyes, forbidding the tears that threatened, and shook her head, shaking his fingers away from their too-soft touch.

“I’ve commissioned it.” His voice was a whisper now, but of course she knew what he meant. “The stone.”

“Oh, Robert,” she sighed. “I wish you hadn’t.” It was a lie in a way. She wished that none of it had happened; a stone reminding her of her failure again and again was the furthest thing she could ever want.

“It will be quite small,” he went on just as quietly. “Only the year.”

“I’m sure your mother will agree with me.” She let go of his hand and moved her fingers to her tea.

“I didn’t intend on telling her.”

The peppermint was overbearing now that it was cold, and she pretended it was that that made her eyes burn. “You seldom need to tell your mother anything for her to still know everything.”

“Cora.”

When she met her husband’s gaze, he shook his head.

“The stone isn’t for her.”

And she broke his gaze. “I know.”

“Only the year, darling. And our cipher. Nothing more.”

And to stop herself from weeping, she cleared her throat. “I am glad it seems to be dry.”

The teacup clattered in its saucer. She smoothed the coverlet over her middle. She looked at her lacy dress lying in the morning sun. “Mud would’ve spoiled it. Everyone in their whites.”

Her husband sighed, his shoulders falling gently as he tenderly reclaimed her hand in his own. “Oh, my dearest one.” And she watched as he lifted her fingers to his lips, and felt as he pressed a kiss there.

She watched him, smiling, her vision blurred by tears she blinked away.

“Robert,” she whispered between them, her heart breaking, loving him more than she ever had before. “Better ring for O’Brien,” she barely managed around the knot in her throat. She laced her cold fingers through Robert’s, holding as tightly as she could.

#cobert drabbles

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missingexaltation · 2 years ago

Text

(this is a bit long and...a bit angsty I guess!)

Eddie knows he's trailer trash. It's like, an undisputed fact. He's dirt poor, with zero prospects, a criminal record and half criminal family, and definitely (one thousand percent) punching above his weight with Steve.

Steve's awesome. Rich, hilarious, friendly and brave and so so fucking loyal it hurts. Eddie's seen Steve's every personification of those traits expressed in a million ways, and he's well aware of how little he has to offer in return. He's always been aware of his faults, having had them pointed out on a daily fucking basis since before he could remember.

And the selfish, greedy, unlovable gremlin that Eddie is, won't can't let this relationship with Steve go until he has to, until Steve is the one to end it. Which won't happen, not if Eddie can help it. Not if Eddie can twist, reshape and alter himself into something that Steve can tolerate.

He knows it's woefully one sided, he's not stupid after all. He knows what it's like to be the clingy, weird kid that's impossible to get rid of, the boundary tester, the motor mouth, the freak. He knows that there's a not small part of Steve that's embarrassed of him, that appreciates it when Eddie tones himself down to something reasonably fucking normal.

Shit, one of his only solid memories of his mom is her shoving him at Wayne and begging him to 'take that fucking kid away' from her. And if his own mama couldn't love him then who the fuck could? So he doesn't blame Steve at all. It's just another fact. Up is up, the earth is round and Eddie is a broken shell masquerading as a semi-functioning adult.

It hurts though, the night he gets it confirmed. It hurts like he's been literally stabbed in the chest when he hears them whispering during movie night, almost six months into their relationship.

Robin's scared that she's losing her best friend, and Steve, assuming that he was asleep, whisper-replying that 'I mean...Eddie's fine, Bobbin, but you're my best friend, my soulmate, I'll never put anyone above us.'

So of course Eddie knows they're not going to have a fairytale ending. There's something intrinsically damaged in Eddie's biology, in his DNA that just renders him as a fond memory waiting to happen. The aberration in Steve's dating history that he'll look back on in a few decades and wonder what the hell he was thinking, (but at least it had been fun at the time?).

But. Eddie'd had the choice, there and then, on what to do.

To get up, walk and lose Steve immediately, or take the coward's way out and pretend he actually was sleeping, that he knows no better, that there's a minute fucking chance that one day Steve could love him, even if everyone around them is tapping their watches and waiting for the inevitable fallout.

And that was the funny thing, if it bought Eddie more time in this bubble, then it was the coward's way every chance he got. So that night he'd stayed still and tried not to curl into a ball and sob when Steve's arm slipped from behind his shoulder and around Robin's instead. He knows his place now, and there was a sick kind of confirmation in that, at least. The timer was set, but there was no telling when the alarm would go off.

And from that night it only escalated further. He set aside his disappointment when their alone time became simply 'alone with Robin' time (unless Steve was horny, at least that was just the two of them). He held it together each time Steve inevitably cancelled or postponed their plans because Robin needed him. He told himself it was fine when they platonically shared a bed during sleepovers with the kids, and Eddie was relegated to babysitter duty downstairs. He sat in the back seat of the car without question, lacing his own fingers together and trying to convince himself that they were joined with Steve's.

He ignored every unknowingly barbed comment that Robin made about 'boys being gross, Steve, how could you do it?', all the while internally begging Steve not to think about it too hard. He pretended he didn't see the triumphant smiles she flashed every time Steve chose her instead, the aching, empty void inside trying to justify itself and coming up short.

He acceded every time without a fight, waiting until he was inevitably alone in his bed at night and could let the agony of loneliness rip him apart, wishing that for once he could be the one chosen first and (despite daydreaming otherwise) knowing that it would never happen. It didn't happen, not for people like him.

He spent nights sleeping in his van to give Wayne and Claudia privacy (because Dustin was a nosy little fucker and they weren't ready to tell him just yet), and wished that he could be at Steve's instead, but knowing that he'd be interrupting their time together. He told Steve that he loved him, relishing in the soft, bashful little smile that he got in return, and squashed any painful, pointless hope of him saying it back.

It was fine, because if it wasn't fine, he would never recover.

Then it was three years into their relationship and holy hell Eddie would never think of not saying it. It bubbled under his skin and was branded in every atom of his existence, and if it made Steve feel good to hear it, so much the better. It was ok that Steve never said it back, it was. Steve must like Eddie enough, he wouldn't have stayed for so long if he didn't, and that was enough for Eddie.

It was fine that Steve and Robin lived together while Eddie stayed in his own apartment. If Steve wanted to live with him, he'd have asked, or at least hinted. As it was, Eddie spent most of his time juggling shitty part-time jobs and a tattoo apprenticeship, saving every cent he could after rent, in case one day he was lucky enough to get the chance to share their home.

He skipped food on their dates, opting for just a water (or a side if he had enough), as paying for both Steve and Robin's food was enough to clear him out if he wasn't careful. Three failed senior years were almost enough to financially screw him over, but not quite.

He worked long hours, but kept his head above water. It kept him busy anyway, kept his brain from obsessing over not seeing Steve for however many days it had been this time.

And he never complained. Not once. If he did, he knew that it was the end for him and Steve, and it would fucking break him when it happened. Cowardice was Eddie's middle name, if you cut him he oozed it before he bled blood.

He'd perfected it.

So when Steve and Robin came back from another impromptu vacation, and loudly proclaimed in front of their friends, the kids and their parents that they had gotten drunk married in Vegas, Eddie was surprised that he felt anything at all.

But he did.

It didn't quite register at first, until he heard the words 'my husband' out of Robin's mouth and then oh. Oh.

That was something Eddie would never have. He'd never be able to walk down the aisle and proclaim his undying love with Steve in front of their friends and family. They'd never get a first dance, or cut a cake they'd chosen, he'd never hear Wayne's proud speech or know the feeling of Steve slipping a wedding band onto his finger.

That wasn't the world they lived in.

He was an idiot. A delusional, dumb fucking idiot for thinking, hoping that one day the world would be more tolerant. Because it didn't matter.

Steve was Robin's husband, he lived with her, vacationed with her, worked with her and took her to dinners with his parents. Platonic or not, she had another part of him that Eddie could never have.

Even if the world was a kinder place for queer people in general, Eddie would never have been an option for someone like Steve. Of course not. Of fucking course not. Holy shit, he was so fucking dumb. Three failed senior years and he's still shocked at the depths of how fucking stupid he is.

He has to be grateful for what he's got.

So when the newlyweds finally remember he exists, and turn to him with glee and mirth in their eyes, he does his best not to let his shattered, grieving, shadow of a broken fucking heart show.

It wouldn't make a difference, anyway.

#steddie #Steve and Robin are unhealthily codependent in a lot of fics but nobody ever seems to shine a light on how Eddie must feel #'Eddie's happy that Steve loves Robin way more than him' is a take i see too often #but what if his self esteem is nonexistent? he's been dealt a shit hand in life after all...despite Wayne's best efforts #he doesn't complain because he thinks he doesn't deserve Steve's love anyway...so it's ok that Steve doesn't love him #He operates under the (dumb) assumption that he's unwanted/unlovable (and Wayne is the only one who succeeded in persuading him otherwise)#(Steve does love him though...he's just unable to express it i guess)

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spyderlondon · 4 days ago

Text

We Can Be Whole

Chapter 1

Chess!Queenie x Circus!Kinger - A request by @digital-chess

Ko-fi

------

It was supposed to be another day, another chess round, same as the last to see which team might come out further ahead than the last round. But, something happened, a misfire of a spell from the bishop from black- it was supposed to hit one of Gangle’s pawns, teleport it just a little bit away but still on the board. At least that was the idea, that’s what was supposed to happen but that didn’t happen.

Everything went in slow motion, there was a slip up with one of Jax’s bowling bombs where it went the way he didn’t aim and the moment Crusty was about to finish casting his spell- the bomb blew up behind him which actually made him flinch and say the wrong words at the last minute, his hand jerking upwards. Upwards towards the queen, hitting her squarely, making her vanish as suddenly as the misfire happened and she never reappeared on the board like was the original idea if it didn’t get messed up.

There was silence. Not even a single breath could be heard from either side of the board. No one dared speak. No one dared to even move. The only movement that happened was from Crusty who slowly lowered his book while turning his wide eyed gaze from the tile that Queenie had once been on to look at Kinger, not saying a single word. He could see red and blue eyes fixated on the spot that Queenie once was, his eyes were like pinpricks… each and every eye including those on his robe and staff- he was in disbelief.

“...Crusty.” Kinger’s voice was low and barely controlled as his eyes went down towards the black bishop who was stiffer than normal, “...where is my wife? Where did you send your queen?” He questioned, he was barely able to keep his tone in check and his staff was sparking a bit but not in warning but more in a way that seemed like the king was losing control of himself. The others on the board could see the change as well and they all could tell that this was a really… really bad change.

The black bishop had to take a breath to steady his nerves- Kinger had always been one of the very few that could make the yellow rabbit’s stoic personality break a bit. He averted his gaze as he attempted to figure out where he had accidentally sent the queen chess piece but he came up blank, “...I don’t know, my king.” He admitted slowly, gripping his spellbook with a sigh, “It’s a possibility that I may have mistakenly sent her to another dimension or something.” He shook his head, his long ears waving next to him, “It’s hard to say when I don’t even know what incantation I ended with.” He explained gravelly.

Kinger stared down at the old, yellow rabbit in complete silence as his eyes seemed to have a conflicting icy glare and fiery anger inside of them before he took a steadying breath, “...find a way to get my queen back.” His voice was low and almost broken as gave his request, although there was an underlying danger and rage in his tone as well that he seemed to be barely keeping under wraps. He closed his eyes, trembling a bit and he seemed to be taking a few breaths before opening his eyes once more as he looked down at all the humans on the chessboard with a shake of his head, “Return to your zones. The chess game is postponed indefinitely until Queenie has been returned.” He stated tersely, gripping his staff tight as a lightning bolt struck the tile he was on and he vanished from the board, leaving the players to stand there in silence.

Next thing Queenie knew, she had crashed into a pile of pillows with a grunt and her staff clattering onto the ground with only the pillows softening her landing, “Ugh… what the-?” She furrowed her brows as she tried to get bearings, “Where did that black bishop send me…?” The queen piece scanned the area she was in- it almost looked like the Kidpix Circus but there were obvious differences…

But before she could figure out what was different she felt a poke and heard a voice from underneath her and a floating gloved hand next to her that had a finger pointed out towards her, “Umm… could you please get off of me?” A shaky but somewhat familiar male voice asked politely, pushing up against her but was obviously trying not to force her to roll off of him and hit the ground.

She blinked and quickly picked herself off the ground, moving to the side without a word. She had a confused yet startled look on her face as she tried to place the voice= she had a feeling she recognized it but she had to be wrong… right? She looked down at the man that was now pushing off the pillows that were on top of him and she froze as she saw a very familiar white king chess piece laying on the ground, “...Kinger?”

The male chess piece paused as he stared at her with his two blue eyes and tilted his head as he stood up, “Hm, how do you know-...” He stiffened as he looked her up and down for a moment and it almost looked as if he was getting choked up as he looked at her. He quietly averted his gaze from her.

Queenie stared at him incredulously- why was he acting like this? He never acted like this before- it was like he saw her as someone he had long lost. But he hadn’t lost her, she was right here, she would never leave his side. She furrowed her brows as she moved closer to him slowly and put a hand on his purple robe gently, “My love?” But before she could say more, she was suddenly pulling her hand away in surprise as he spun to look at her with wide-eyed shock and jumped back in slight fear as if his previous familiarity of her was seemingly vanishing.

“AH! WHO ARE YOU?!”

----

A/N: The Digital Chess creator has been helping me a lot with this story, making sure everyone in Digital Chess is in character. This is a non-canon project story that focuses on analyzing Chess!Queenie I have a ton of ideas for this :) One of which includes TERMITES!

#the amazing digital circus #tadc kinger #tadc queenie #kinger x queenie #checkmates #crusty #digital chess au

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tangleofgold · 1 year ago

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hunter x hunter thoughts

i have not been able to stop thinking about hunter x hunter since i watched episodes 19-21 and i need to put some thoughts somewhere so here they are

spoilers under the cut for hxh (2011) episodes 19-21!

genuinely i have a lot of respect for hanzo and i really like him a lot as a character. this is absolutely not what i was thinking while i watched episode 19 (i was thinking "stop hurting my boy!") but after thinking about it more, hanzo kinda fucking rules. and i love his business cards

anyway i am SO glad that we got to see this matchup between gon and hanzo!!

i think that the gon vs hanzo fight features probably the two most strong-willed and stubborn of the applicants - obviously we know that killua is uh. the opposite (love you killua) but despite leorio and kurapika both being imo pretty strong-willed, they both would have used their brains more (which gon is sometimes incapable of doing it seems) and been like “well there’s other rounds that will probably be easier, i don’t have to win this one”

also kurapika probably assumed that that would happen in his fight with hisoka? or at least i would have assumed that if i was kurapika i guess. kurapika can absolutely fight, but hisoka is also hisoka. like sure i'll fight hisoka but if i lose against him i just have to fight bodoro later which shouldn't be as bad

SIDEBAR: WHAT THE FUCK DID HISOKA WHISPER TO KURAPIKA. like is it some sort of thing like hisoka wanting to make sure kurapika passes the exam? if so is that because of kurapika himself? or because of kurapika’s friendship with gon? either way i still don’t know what he’d SAY here!

anyway i suppose i don’t know where i’d put hisoka (or fucking. illumi?????) on that list of who is the strongest mentally - like the two of them feel like they’d be at the top but for some reason i can’t put either one of them there yet, i feel like i need to know more about them and their weaknesses, i guess, because surely they must also have those, before I can really figure out where they’d go. like idk i think if either had to fight hanzo they both seem like they’d just let hanzo win

also we still don’t know exactly what’s up with their walkie-talkies???? and like. their whole deal i guess????

also just. “here’s my email!” and having The Internet and then also getting fucking. stuck in traffic at the end??? WHAT KIND OF WORLD ARE WE IN. jarring. anyway. also kurapika's "this reminds me of the hunter exam :)" when gon decides they should run to the airport is very cute

OH ALSO. a bit of characterization for leorio that i love is that he doesn’t want to fight bodoro until bodoro has had some time to recover from his fight with hisoka and i think that’s very honorable and also very sweet. i love leorio <3

part of me wishes that we could have seen leorio actually fight, especially since we don't often see leorio being really good at stuff, but it was nice to hear later on that the examiners thought that leorio had the advantage against bodoro (despite leorio insisting on postponing the match so bodoro could recover)

lastly. do i have any killua thoughts. YES. of course! they are just not as well-phrased. killua you silly goose gon is already your friend!!! also i need to give killua a hug and also i need to destroy illumi. and i cannot wait until we get to see more of killua's family it's gonna be fascinating !

also. gon just fucking straight up broke illumi's arm! a nice reminder that yes gon CAN throw down

#maybe i will continue to do this at various points when i want to talk about the show as i watch?#lilly watches hxh #there now there's a tag for if i want to do this again #honestly i probably will because this was fun to actually put my thoughts into words (a thing i should get better at doing)#hxh

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silvertsundere · 1 year ago

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Silver Talks AniManga (22/10/23)

next week is gonna have another big catch up, I was actually gonna do it the week after I did jujutsu but then realized next week it'd be the 200 chap for this series so decided to postpone it until then just cause it's a cool big round number, tho today's chap 199 woulda been fitting too since it was the colour page for the serie's 4th anni but anyhoo also starting from now the stuff I talk about will be bolded as seen below, yeah I shoulda done this from the start cause it's way more readable and stuff but the other thing I did made more sense at the time I started it, but this is better overall now

Anime

Hoshikuzu Telepath Ep2

nice epiosde mostly just introducing the 3rd member of our main group, next ep is gonna be aoki shiki's chara so that should be good

Frieren Ep7

very good ep like usual, the demon story in the middle was pretty obvious but it was still good. very excited for the next episode considering the cliffhanger and the title for it, hoping for some more sakuga 🙏

Undead Unluck Ep3

great episode all around, loved hearing my queen yuuki as gina, too bad we won't see much more of her til cour 4 or 5 (depending on how fast adaptation goes) but it'll be worth the wait. also, since I read all of UU from start to just some months ago, in just a couple days I had things very fresh on my mind so I noticed it easily, but it's really crazy to see how early tozuka set up seeds for future payoffs, I won't mention what exactly cause spoilers but there were 3 ones in this episode and it really is great writing and storytelling to be able to pull that off

Pokemon Horizons Ep25

nice and action packed episode, fit for being the end of this initial cour/arc, which we only found out about earlier this week. should be getting a new op along with the new subtitle and stuff but we'll see. we also got some lore like the full team of the ancient adventurer and that the evil organization was related to him in some way. the goal now is to find the rest of the team so that should last for 25 more eps probably but we'll see, there should still be gym stuff along the way and all that

Adult Precure Ep3

nice ep, lots of karen x kurumi moments which this artist I follow on twitter was certainly going hog wild for. saki and mai from splash star showed up at the end of this episode, and next one is gonna be about them, so that's cool since I didn't think they'd show up until the yes 5 girls had all gotten their transformations back

Imas Million Live Ep3

good ep as you'd expect, really enjoyed how much yuriko there was since she's one of my favs from ML (mikku 🙏), next episode is gonna have at least a crumb of rio so looking forward to that too they said the teather will take 2 months to finish building, I hope that it'll be finished after next episode just so we can move on to other stuff. not having this following the structure of the og anime/U149 makes it harder to predict what'll be happening

Manga

Ice-Head Gill Ch17

as expected it's ending soon, and as part of the U19 club as well, hopefully ichinose ends on the same week too, but I'll give more thoughts when it actually ends

Jujutsu Kaisen 239

I was looking forward to see how yuji and co were going to take on juiced up sukuna but we're taking a detour to have kenjaku fight, but with the twist that it's one of the most (unknowingly) op charas fighting him. I really like how goofy his power is so looking forward to this fight. tho I don't think there's any way he'll win

Undead Unluck Ch180

I could see this coming cause of fuuko saying all that earlier in the chap but it's still EXTREMELY POGGIES to have andy back after all this time, even if just temporarily, looking forward to them having a crumb of time together next chap

#silver talks animanga

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thatfreshi · 2 years ago

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I Would Want You to Go With Me (Markiplier x reader)

This is about double the length of my other pieces. More of a fluffy slow burn. Had a lot of fun with this one!

(Suggested song: 400 Lux - Lorde)

You hang up the phone and fall back onto the couch. That was Ethan on the line, telling you that your road trip had to be postponed. You were excited to get away for a while, and now it would have to wait til next week. Work has been a little bit of a drag, and you really need a break. Funnily enough, you and Mark have an “editing hangout” scheduled, where you literally sit in your living room and edit and give each other shit when you get off track. Between his ADHD and your lack of motivation, it’s an efficient yet fun arrangement. Before you could finish thinking about how you really don’t want to do any extra work, your front door opens.

“Well y/n, I have bad news and bad news.”

You sit up on the couch.

“Is it worse than Ethan canceling our trip?”

“Uhm, I don’t think so? First of all, your trash can is knocked over, and it is 100% not because I parked really bad today.”

“Markkkk, if you’re gonna come over here so we can both work better, can you please not add more to my plate? Now I have to go pick up the trash and edit two pretty lengthy videos.”

“You know what? Fair. I will go fix it, but before that, second round of bad news: I brought the wrong drive with me, which means I actually have nothing to edit!”

You put your head in your hands and sigh.

“So you get to sit here and torment me while I work? Great, wonderful.”

Or course you’re being sarcastic, but some of it is true. After all, you do have a lot to do, and you were really looking forward to that trip.

“Nooo, it’ll be fun! I’ll sit here and talk non-stop while you hopefully get something done and it’ll all be fine! But first, I am going to pick up your trash can before I forget.”

You lay back down as the door closes again and sigh. Again. At least he’s here, and you’ll have some ounce of support to get you through the monotonous work. Besides, you like when he comes over. He usually stays the night since you guys live quite a ways away from each other. California is a big state after all. You and Mark end up ordering in some food and playing some mind-numbing game on your TV until you both pass out on the couch. Is it a little childish? Yes. Do you both plan on stopping anytime soon? Not a chance.

“Alright, trash can is back in position M’lady. Now, you have work to do.”

You groan in the most dramatic way possible.

“But do I haveeeee tooooo?”

“I mean, I did come down here for us to work, and I can’t do any, which by my math means you have to do enough work for the both of us.”

Then, a lightbulb goes off in your head.

“Well, you do still have your laptop in your bag right?”

“Yeah, of course I do.”

“So, by my math, if I have two videos to edit and there are two of us and we have two laptops… it seems like I should just send you my other video, and you can edit it for me.”

“You know what? That’s fair. Alright, give me what you got.”

You both edit and talk for a couple of hours, shooting the shit and somehow paying attention to each other through the two extra yous talking. Eventually, you get back on the subject of the road trip.

“Yeah, I’m honestly pretty bummed. Like sure, editing is fun and all, and I love running my own channel, but god damn, I need a break.”

Mark looks away from his screen and thinks for a moment.

“Well, I mean, I know you wanted to go with Ethan, but if he’s busy, I don’t know, we could go on a trip tomorrow. I already packed overnight stuff, and you don’t have to cancel with Ethan obviously, but what’s the harm in two vacations?”

You close your laptop, having just finished your video. You didn’t tell Mark, but you gave him the longer recording to go through.

“I don’t know. I’m worried I’ll end up taking too much time off and get out of my groove or something.”

“Well, no offense y/n, but you’ve kinda been out of your groove for a while. Maybe you need something spontaneous to jump your system, ya know?”

You throw one of the decorative pillows at him.

“First of all, that was fully offensive. Second of all… you’re sadly probably right.”

“Why am I ‘sadly probably right?’”

“Because anytime you’re right is a sad time.”

He chucks the pillow back at you.

“Yeah, okay, I deserve that.”

You two laugh at the exchange for a little before Mark returns to wrap up his edit. When he’s finally finished, you order some pizza and start to put together a game plan for what you two are now calling ‘The Most Awesome Epic Overnight Sleepover to Road Trip of Spectacularness Ever,’ or MAEOSRTSE for short. You don’t refer to it by its full name or abbreviation for very long.

“So, what is the plan for this amazing road trip that’s only now amazing because I’m a part of it?”

You scoff.

“Well, I was just kinda planning to hit all the big Cali cities? I haven’t lived here too long and I wanted to explore. Like honestly I think the only times I’ve been to LA are to visit you or Ethan. I’m surprised you and Ethan didn’t talk about it at all.”

“I mean, I didn’t wanna pry or anything.”

You cock your head at him.

“Why would you be prying?”

“Well, I just kinda figured it wasn’t exactly… a friendly trip.”

“Woah, I’m not like mad at Ethan or anything. Do you think I’m gonna murder him in SoCal?!”

“I mean I don’t know. You’re probably capable of it.”

“No but really, what do you mean?”

“I just thought maybe you were gonna make things with him more than friends, that’s all.”

“WOAH, no way. Ethan and I have been friends for like, a million years. He’s basically my brother at this point, gross.”

You could’ve sworn you heard a sign of relief, but perhaps not. You’ve only known Mark for the year or so you’ve lived here. Ethan was actually the one who introduced you, and he actually thought that you would hit it off. You’ve become really good friends, but you didn’t ever think it would go beyond that. Sure, he’s amazing and pretty and his smile makes you blush sometimes, but you wouldn’t want to ruin anything you two already had just to see if maybe you could date. Just as you start to ponder what that could look like, the pizza arrives. Luckily you live pretty close to a Domino’s.

“I’ll get it.”

Mark hops off the couch and grabs your pizzas from the delivery guy, tipping him generously in the process. He brings the cheesy delights back to the coffee table and makes his way into your kitchen to get some paper towels.

“So, are you into anyone? Because I always kind of assumed you and Ethan had this like on again off again thing goin on.”

“Agasp! Is Mark Fischbach trying to gossip with me right now?!”

“I mean, I wouldn’t say gossip. Am I not allowed to ask questions?”

“I guess you can just ask things without it being scandalous. No, I’m not particularly interested in anyone, but I wouldn’t be opposed to like a date or anything romantic. I guess I’ve just been too busy to look into anything like that right now.”

“Well, I’m sure it’ll come at just the right time.”

He smiles as he gives you a share of paper towels.

“So, this California trip. You just want to hit the big cities? Do you want to do anything specific?

“Not really. Honestly I just want to drive and see where the wind takes us, see what’s out there.”

“I can work with that.”

The both of you binge on pizza for a while and play some Mario Party, cursing each other out whenever you put each other behind on the board. After a while, you go into bread-based delirium and only half pay attention to each round. Eventually, your blinks get longer and longer, and you fall into the soft embrace of the couch. However, when Mark wakes you up soon after, you realize it was not the couch, but was actually him.

“I’m sorry y/n. I didn’t want to wake you, but I had to get up and I didn’t want to startle you or anything. I was just going to put everything away.”

You sit up slowly, trying to get your brain working again.

“What? No, you don’t have to do that, just leave it out it’s fine.”

“Y/n, I always put everything away after you fall asleep.”

“Really? That’s so nice. Thanks Mark.”

You hug him in your sleepless daze, not really thinking about it. He wraps his arm around you for a moment, before realizing he probably shouldn’t linger.

“Well, I’m gonna clean, and you can get back to bed, okay?”

“Mm, okay.”

He slowly unwraps you from his side, and before you know it, you’re waking up to a clean table and the smell of pizza and soda eradicated.

It’s 9, maybe 10 am. Mark is huddled into the corner of the couch, asleep, basically giving you the rest. You try to remember what happened before you fell asleep, but it’s hopeless. You two stay up far too late for your brain to process anything most nights. In fact, you only woke up due to some piece of shit revving their engine outside.

Now that you’re up, you decide to go freshen up, maybe change clothes. And besides, you do have to start packing for this trip. You feel a little guilty for not telling Ethan, but for whatever reason, you jumped at the opportunity when Mark offered to go in his stead. Over the past year, the two of you had become really good friends. Sure, you’ve known Ethan forever, but your friendship with him was nothing like this. These nights spent together with Mark, they were probably your favorite parts of the month. It was easy being around him. You didn’t have to try, you didn’t have to filter yourself, you could just, be.

After a shower and a quick change, you come back to the common space, where Mark was now awake, sleepily scrolling through Twitter, cozied up in your throw blanket. He often complains about his bad morning social media habits, but he doesn’t seem like he’s going to stop anytime soon.

“Good morning Mark. You want something to eat? I have eggs, cheese… more eggs…”

You then realize the only thing you can really make is an omelet.

“Okay, so unless you want to just eat cheese, it’s looking like it’s gonna be something, uh, eggy.”

He stretches out on the couch, trying to get a hold of his surroundings. He’s not particularly a morning person, at least not right after he wakes up.

“Yeah, eggs, sounds good.”

He stumbles off to your bathroom. You hear the shower running again as you begin getting out your frying pan and cracking eggs. The kitchen fills with the pleasant scent of butter and pepper, and for a moment, you think about how peaceful everything is. You think about how you could live like this forever. You don’t even particularly know what that means.

“Your water pressure still sucks you know.”

You almost jump at his voice, as you were thoroughly lost in thought.

“Okay, and I don’t exactly have the money or the time to fix that, now do I? Unless you’re offering to fix it, I wouldn’t complain.”

He playfully rolls his eyes and opens your fridge, grabbing for the orange juice. Right around then, the omelets are done.

“Do you seriously have pulp orange juice in here? Jesus Christ, this is SO MUCH PULP.”

You can’t help but laugh so loud that your entire neighborhood probably heard it.

“Mark, are you seriously gonna be a baby about some orange, in your orange juice?”

“I just don’t get why you need MORE orange in it, like it’s already so much orange!”

“Okay well if it’s that upsetting, why don’t you just strain it or something.”

And that’s exactly what he does, almost pouring all of your OJ down the sink in the process. Once that catastrophe is avoided, you two go back to the couch and eat your cheesy eggs. After finishing up breakfast and finalizing your road trip plans, Mark realizes he has almost nothing past spending the night. The both of you pack, and you end up finding some hoodies of yours that fit him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try this another time? I know it can be a little stressful if you’re not fully prepared for something.”

“Oh, trust me, I may not be very prepared in reality, but in this ol noggin up here? Extremely prepared. So prepared that it’s literally in my bloodstream.”

You aren’t sure what’s gotten into him. Mark is usually more of a homebody, even more than you are, and yet he’s so ready to go across the state with you.

“Besides, I asked the dog sitter to work a couple extra days, and I have uploads scheduled for a little bit. It’ll be fine y/n. I want to do this with you.”

With that, you both are finished packing, unsure of exactly how long you’ll be gone for. Luckily your jobs both give you a lot of flexibility, and you don’t have anything at home that needs attending to, other than your water pressure apparently.

Soon enough, you’re on the road. You decided to take your car, as it has more storage space, but Mark insists on driving. You get into a fake argument over the trash incident from the night before, but he claims that parking is his only issue, not the actual driving part. You decide to trust him for whatever reason.

The first stop is LA. It’s been a while since you’ve gone, as Mark usually ends up going to your place instead of vice versa. It’s around two hours away since you live closer to Bakersfield. Some could argue that your California trip isn’t very genuine, but Northern California is about as boring as watching paint dry. At least, that’s what Mark says. Instead, you decide to trek to every major city in SoCal.

The next two hours are spent playing improv games in the car, and Mark getting mad every time you don’t follow the “Yes, and” rule. It’s not your fault that you didn’t do theatre in high school. After a while, you run out of scene ideas, and you begin just staring at the desert out the window.

“You alright y/n?”

“Yeah, just taking it all in, being in the moment.”

Mark isn’t much for music in the car, but he does hum to himself, either things he’s heard previously or little tunes he’s made up in his head. It’s nice, melodic, the perfect thing to add to the peace that you feel in this moment. Sometimes he hums something familiar, and the both of you buzz along together, until eventually he swaps to something you’ve either forgotten or never known. You love this, the fact that you and Mark don’t have to talk all the time, that it can be quiet and calm, and you can still enjoy each other’s presence. However, the moment does indeed pass, as you’re almost to LA.

“So, anything in particular you want to do? Or is this more of a dealer’s choice thing?”

“I mean, you’re the one who lives here, so yeah, show me around.”

The rest of the day is spent going to all the little nooks and crannies that he knows exist in the city. Small antique stores, hidden coffee shops, tiny parks full of birds singing. At one point, you think one of them tweets a little song Mark was humming earlier, but it was probably only your imagination. By the time it’s dark, you’re at an ice cream parlor, and he makes fun of you for picking rocky road.

“I just don’t understand why people need their food to be so, complicated. Me? Vanilla, all the way.”

“So you don’t want two flavors at once? Like you don’t mix your stuffing and mashed potatoes together at Thanksgiving?”

“Oh god, no! No way! That would ruin the sanctity of the meal.”

It’s late enough that you’re the only two there. In fact, the employees are cleaning up as you speak. Mark assured them that you wouldn’t take too long while you paid. One of the workers smiles at the two of you bickering before going back to closing up for the night.

“We should probably get back to the car.”

He nods, and you both take your ice cream with you, thanking the parlor workers as you leave. Usually it would still be bustling at this time of night, but he took you to a small offshoot where people weren’t up crazy late, and the squirrels still roamed the streets. When you get back in the car, the two of you sit there for a while, trying to decide where to stay for the night.

“Well, we could go to your place, but I wouldn’t want to disrupt the dog-sitter.”

“Maybe we should just camp out tonight. There’s lots of beautiful desert around here.”

You decide to trust him, despite the idea of camping out in the middle of nowhere making you extremely nervous. After all, you do trust him. He’d never lead you astray, at least on purpose. He starts the car, and it takes about another hour to get back into the middle of nowhere. Mark hasn’t used GPS all day, and he claims that he just knows where he’s going most of the time. It was clear that he knew where he was going now as it got darker out and the buildings became sparser.

Eventually, he pulls off the road and into a vast expanse of desert. It’s a lot brighter than you thought it would be. The stars, speckled across the sea of space above you. When he eventually stops, the both of you open the back of your car and set up for the night, laying out blankets and a small lantern you packed away at the last minute.

“I’m happy you took me out here.”

You two don’t usually get very sentimental. Everything about your friendship is fun and games.

“How come?”

He eyes you with thoughtfulness.

“I… I really needed the break. It’s been a lot of fun.”

There’s a drizzle of honey in your tone.

“Well don’t get all sappy yet. We still have a couple days.”

You don’t know why you’re feeling so emotional about all of this. Of course, you’re excited to have more of the trip left to go, but today has been perfect. Fully, genuinely, perfect. When you’re thinking back, you remember last night, how you fell asleep on Mark’s shoulder, how he always cleans up when you fall asleep.

“You don’t have to do that y’know.”

He looks confused by your sudden shift.

“Do what?”

“Clean up after our sleepovers. I just remembered.”

“You know, I’ve told you that multiple times, and you usually forget. I really don’t mind.”

“Yeah, but I’m the host. It just feels rude that I let you do it all.”

“You don’t let me do anything. You didn’t even know, and besides, again, I really don’t mind. Promise.”

You hold out your pinky, and he locks into it with his own. You smile, getting up to get a better look at the stars. He watches you for a moment before going to join you. Before you know it, you’re lying on the desert sand, looking for any of the constellations you remember from school.

“Have I ever told you how much I like space?”

You roll over to look at him.

“I mean, I’ve heard plenty about it, but you haven’t told me yourself.”

“Would you go? If you had the chance?”

“To space? I don’t know. Depends on if it was safe I guess.”

“Well, if I had the chance, I would want you to go with me.”

He turns to meet your gaze.

“And I would tell you everything I know about the stars. Hell, I’d probably name a star after you.”

You blush a little, surprised by his sudden loving tone.

“In that case, I would go with you.”

You lock together yet another pinky promise, your hands lingering moments too long, eventually interlocking your fingers.

“Mark, I-”

He kisses you before you can finish your sentence. You kiss him back. You both know what you would’ve said anyways. When your lips finally break free, you’re both smiling, giggling like you did in your youth. That night, you cuddle up in the back of your car, dealing with the cold that the desert brings. It’s okay though, you don’t mind. Nothing could ruin this. Nothing could ruin how oblivious you’ve been to what’s clearly been here all along. Nothing could ruin this spectacular realization you’ve had today.

“I guess I’ll have to come over more, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so. And now every night can be editing night.”

The blanket of the stars brought you together that night, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

#slow burn #fluff #markiplier #markiplier x reader

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enchantedfanfictions · 1 year ago

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Chapter Three - Before the Plan

A/N - Again I am so so sorry for how late this chapter is. Hope you enjoy <3

Masterlist

“Soon” ended up being two weeks later. With Anthony and Simon being swamped at work and Benedict being clingier than usual, they had found it hard to co-ordinate schedules. But thankfully, they managed to find a Saturday that worked for all three of them.

Which was why Kate found herself outside Anthony’s apartment, waiting on Simon to join her so that they could go in together. It wasn’t that she was worried about being alone with Anthony. They’d been friends for so long that she didn’t need to worry about awkward silences or a weird tension hanging over them.

Well, that was normally the case anyway. But over the last few months, Kate had noticed Anthony pulling away more.

First, he had stopped turning up to the monthly get togethers that Benedict insisted on having, claiming scheduling issues or meetings he couldn’t get out of. The offer to move the get together fell on deaf ears, the group having to get used to the idea that there would be one less person every month.

And then, he’d stopped texting as much. Kate knew that he was a busy man, that he’d normally stay at the law firm until late at night and arrive early in the morning. But it had always been that way. It hurt at first to have to hear about any of Anthony’s successes from Simon or Benedict, but she had slowly gotten used to it.

However, she knew that if she walked in there alone, there was a very good chance she might do something she’d regret.

Sighing impatiently, she pulled out her phone and opened her messages with Simon.

Kate Sharma - Are you here yet?

Kate Sharma - I’m waiting outside Anthony’s door.

Kate Sharma - His neighbour keeps coming out and giving me weird looks.

Simon Bassett - Why don’t you just go in?

Kate Sharma - Haha very funny

Kate Sharma - Seriously are you here yet?

Simon Bassett - Yeah about that…

Kate Sharma - Simon

Kate Sharma - Please tell me you’re at least on your way

Simon Bassett - I’m afraid not

Simon Bassett - Lady Danbury decided to let Harold manage today’s shift and well

Simon Bassett - I have to go and sort it out

Kate Sharma - Why can’t Lady Danbury?

Simon Bassett - Because it’s a Saturday and she has book club on Saturdays

Simon Bassett - Also because she scares me and I don’t want to ask her

Kate Sharma - Fair enough

Kate Sharma - I guess we can just postpone today then

Simon Bassett - Or you and Anthony could sort out a plan

Simon Bassett - It’s not like the plan relies on me or anything

Kate Sharma - Simon the last time Anthony and I came up with a plan we ended up engaged

Kate Sharma - Do you seriously trust us to not screw this one up?

Simon Bassett - Last time you guys had the help of something called tequila

Simon Bassett - Kate, you’re a teacher and Anthony is a lawyer

Simon Bassett - I’m sure you can come up with a semblance of a plan that doesn’t include anyone dying or getting married

Simon Bassett - Shit

Simon Bassett - I have to go

Simon Bassett - I left Harold unattended for five minutes and I just heard a crash

Simon Bassett - Good luck

Kate Sharma - Good luck to you too

Kate sighed and pocketed her phone, mentally cursing Harold from the bar as she knocked on Anthony’s door. The door opened quickly, taking her by surprise as she was greeted by Anthony’s face.

“I wasn’t standing by the door or anything,” he hurried to explain. “I was tidying when you knocked and happened to be putting my coat up.”

His panicked expression and hurried explanation caused Kate to chuckle slightly.

“And here I thought you were eager to see me,” she teased as he moved to let her in. She immediately looked around Anthony’s flat, surprised by how- little there was to it. It held all the basic necessities: a sofa, bed, desk, kitchen equipment and she assumed a bathroom; but there was nothing about it that screamed Anthony.

Turning round, she was met with Anthony’s sheepish expression and instantly knew where his head was it.

“I know it’s not much,” he began, “but I’m only really here to sleep and eat. Most of the time I’m either at the office or at Mum’s. I didn’t really feel the need to decorate to be honest.”

“I like it,” she commented, trying to appease him slightly. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks.”

So much for no awkward silences.

“So…” Kate drew out, shoving her hands in her coat pockets. “Should we get started?”

“Don’t you think we should wait for Simon?” Anthony asked, already grabbing his laptop and heading over to the sofa.

“Simon has had a ‘Harold’ issue and can not make it,” Kate explained, taking a seat next to Anthony on the sofa. “I tried to tell him that we should postpone as the last time you and I made a plan together we ended up engaged but he refused. So, here we are I guess.”

“Yeah, here we are…”

#bridgerton #anthony bridgerton fanfic #anthony bridgerton x kate sharma fanfic #bridgerton fanfic #kate sharma #kanthony fanfic #you know they're engaged right

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hermitsearcher · 2 years ago

Text

Re: Title Pending

[ word count: 5666 ]

“Ughh… Masters Snow, White. My stomach hurts. Can’t we just reschedule the meeting for another time?”

“I am sorry Fifi, but this is something of the utmost importance for you. We cannot postpone this any longer in the case that you upset your sponsor.”

“Do you at least want me to get you medicine and heat pads dearie?”

“No need then. I’ll just try to push the feeling down and get it over with.”

Contrary to the professor’s words, she grips the marble countertop of the sink to steady herself until her knuckles are bone white. The sink water is running still, washing away the poor remnants of leftover lunch and gastric acid that had left her weak body.

Figaro looks up to see their complexion pallid in the mirror, even under the guise of powder and makeup decorating their face. The black silk suit they’re dressed in suffocates their neck much more than the lab scrubs they were wearing merely an hour ago. Like foreign skin, an uncomfortable feeling envelopes the professor inside and out, wanting to scratch and tear away at skin until it’s raw red with blood dripping into the white porcelain basin, eventually streaming with the running sink water.

Figaro’s reflection stares back at them with a grim expression, nothing like the Dr. Garcia the public thinks of them as. They try smiling in the dolled up way that they do for televised appearances, effortlessly easy and a relaxed snapshot at any angle. But it’s too stark, much too hollow to be presentable as the face of the kind picture perfect Professor.

She presses against sunken eyelids with the heel of her palms until hazy stars form in clusters in the dizzying black vision. Her hands are bone cold and clammy with sweat against the skin of her face.

Figaro doesn’t like this. Feeling any of this. The nerves under their skin buzzing. Their bleeding heart residing in the empty cavity of their chest. The sensation of their muscles running restlessly as all their muscles, tissues, and organs are overworked with each breath taken. Being human has never felt substantial in any way, the fallacy of life a mass of blood and meat and messy contradictions, all equating to a being as flawed as they are.

If the professor could have it her way, she’d be spending her night buried head deep in research until her brain burns numb with lines of codes and mechanics. To have the cool feel of metal at her fingertips, fidgeting at wires and robotics under the dim artificial light of the laboratory for hours on end.

But instead, her evening will be outside the confines of her one haven, complete with the formalities of business and socialites that she is utterly antiquated in.

“It’s inevitable, my dear child.” Snow tuts, as if he could read the professor’s mind, knowing her well enough that he likely has. “But there is merit at the end of arduous tasks.”

White, the perfect mirror to Snow, who knows the professor as much as he knows his twin and himself, follows through a beat second later. “You can make it through tonight’s dinner. And afterwards, we will spoil you rotten as much as you like.”

Figaro’s hands fall from her eyes. She looks down at her two assistroids. Together the pair stand tall beside her, reaching just under her waistline, with a smile etched on their faces too warm to be a simple programmed mechanical response.

Snow’s small hand takes Figaro’s own hanging one to rub circles in the palm of her hand as a soothing motion. White on her other side holds the one not occupied and strokes and squeezes her fingers, relieving the professor of how tight she often grips her hand.

Figaro crouches down to look her assistroids in the eyes, wide, round, and an unsettling shade of gold lending itself to how nonhuman they really are. Wrinkles are bound to form in the creases of her suit hunched over like this. However It's the last thing on their mind as Figaro draws their assistroids into a hug, childishly clinging onto their small backs.

It would be an odd image to the onset of outsiders, of an adult being spoiled by child figures like this. But Figaro has never needed more of the outside world than those that she has built out of metal scraps and love.

There’s nobody to intrude on them, and so the professor lets herself indulge in Snow’s peppy cheerings and White’s gentle affirmations.

After a while, Figaro’s breathing calms down to a point where she feels she isn’t choking. The sound of running water has stopped. Likely turned off by one of the twins while her head was buried in their hold.

“Are you sure you can’t come along? Or ask for Rustica to go in my place?”

Figaro looks at the two pleading. Snow retightens his hug, hand stroking the professor’s back soothing her little quivers. White wipes the brimming tears from her eyes, face in his hold gently squeezing her cheeks to get her to smile.

“We would love to dearie. But there’s no going against what your sponsor has requested. We can’t push it more than we already do.”

“On top of that, between you and Miss Ferucci, you’re the better fit seeing as how you’re the one whose upheld contact and reports. Maybe your charming personality and glib tongue will capture their heart after tonight.”

“…You have to be joking right, Master White?”

Figaro’s brows furrow right in time as White’s hands upturn the edges of her lips.

He finally stops playing with her face to fix up the smudged makeup while Figaro is still close to the ground. Behind the professor, Snow restyles her hair into the soft curls that framed her face, and pats out any wrinkles forming on her suit.

“Hmm, you never know. Humans always fall for the most unexpected of traits.”

“Maybe if you think of this as a dinner date Figgykins, it won’t be so bad.”

A shudder runs through Figaro’s entire body. Coworkers were one thing, but Figaro doesn’t think herself capable of loving another human intimately like that.

The thought of being looked at and touched by another… To confoundedly make mistakes stumbling through emotions of pain and confusion trying and failing to understand the other… All for something as intangibly volatile a concept that love is…

Figaro shakes her head, sick already of thinking about it. Maybe being human is never their strong suit in the first place, already failing to understand the complexities of what makes a person tick. That’s why they look the other way, to robots and AI and assistroids that can be broken down and understood with numbers and data, empirical values that make more sense to process than what they’re currently feeling.

“Please stop imagining such a disturbing scenario. I don’t need their affection, I just need to secure grant money for the next quarter at least.”

“So unromantic of you Figgykins.”

“That’s not a very cute thing for a little girl like Fifi to say.”

“The two of you are just watching too many dramas while I’m away. This is all just a formality I wish I could do without.”

With a final pat down, Snow and White take a step back to let Figaro rise to her full height once more. No matter how many times they do this routine, it never fails to surprise her how the twin’s handiwork transforms her into someone wholly new. Even if she does furiously scrub it off hours later to change back into the lab wear she practically lives in.

A glance at the clock on her phone tells Figaro that she still has time before her appointed meeting. It’s a not so small grief lingering deep inside her that the hour is approaching closer and closer.

Leaving the confines of her bathroom, she sweeps her apartment to make sure everything is in order. Snow and White will tidy everything up while she’s away, but it’s for her own sake of mind that her files and belongings are where she’s locked it.

The door to her apartment automatically locks behind Figaro as she shuts it close. Snow and White follow her steps to the outside of the complex and wait to see her off.

As the automated car pulls around to the front from a command on the twin’s system, Figaro tenses up feeling the anxiety from before arise again. Just as she’s about to fall back again, her two small assistants take her hands to squeeze one more time.

“You will be fine, Figaro dear.”

“Even if we’re not there physically, we will always be cheering beside you.”

Snow and White wave her off as the professor steps inside the vehicle, akin to parents watching their children leave for the first time.

Sitting in the car while it drives itself, or rather her assistroids’ driving it from a remote location, Figaro takes a moment to collect her thoughts.

The professor thinks of their sponsor, an odd entity they’ve been acquainted with only for a few weeks through a correspondence of courtesy emails and one-sided reports alike. Only the bare minimum information of their sponsor was disclosed to her on a need-to-know basis.

Neon lights of the city fly by in the window, dousing the darkened space in splotches of color coming and going. Figaro covers her eyes once more to hide from the blaring rays of light.

She slumps in the leather seats letting her body relax while her mind continues racing endlessly, fueled with nonstop anxiety and countless scenarios of how this meeting could go. All her rehearsed lines replay in the professor’s head like an old recording. She just needs to play her part like before, like all other times she puts on the face of Dr. Figaro Garcia.

Eventually the smooth rolling of the car comes to a subtle stop at its destination. Snapping her eyes open, Figaro straightens up promptly from where she’s seated. One last encouraging message from the twins flash by on the car’s monitor and Figaro feels herself ease a bit, if only just slightly.

The car door automatically swings open beside her. Figaro graciously steps out onto the pavement and makes her way to the grand glass doors of the high-rise industrial building. Her public persona melds onto their face. The professor walks along with a sociable kind of smile.

Only to the few who would personally know the professor would be able to see the strain of muscles in her hands as she desperately clenches them. Or how she maneuvers around the crowds of people to avoid brushing by them, steps light and smooth as if she were dancing a pas de deux for one.

The professor takes quick strides in the gilded lobby of the building, decorum a mixture of sleek modern style with renaissance showpieces on full display. At the epicenter of the upper class district, Figaro feels wholly out of place. Her appearance suited and dolled up fits right in with the high class atmosphere. But internally her insides twist and shrivel up from being casted under the dizzying lights of the chandeliers and gazes of the people.

Figaro manages to catch an elevator ride by herself. She lets out a small breath of relief in the quiet moment of reprieve she has to herself. The elevator swiftly lifts the professor to the 50th floor, as designated as their meeting spot. The numbers on the screen quickly tick by counting up the levels climbing by. Only the sound of the tip of her shoe tapping against the floor anxiously is a second faster.

Stepping off, Figaro finds that no other persons are loitering around the 50th floor. To the end of the hall there is an attending podium with an attendant present. The unnatural stillness of the figure indicates itself to likely being an assistroid. Not an uncommon sight when nowadays the upper class will employ assistroids more than actual working people in their services.

She approaches the server and internally sighs in relief that her observations were true.

“Good evening. I have a reservation for a table under the name God’s Lightning.” Figaro rolls up her sleeve and formally presents the biometric scan tattooed on her wrist as identification. The assistroid takes a moment to scan with its eyes, and after a green light flashes in the rings of its iris, the server smiles back in greeting.

“Dr. Garcia. Thank you for joining us this evening. Your companion has already taken the liberties of obtaining a seat. If you would please follow me this way.”

The server steps through the red oak entryway , directing on where to go. Figaro follows a close step behind, anxiety spiking at the thought of walking by dozens of other guests seated at the restaurant.

But to her surprise, the space is cleared of any and everybody. Even the typical wait staff that would be bustling about serving others is nowhere to be seen. Her sponsor must have rented out the entire restaurant for full uninterrupted privacy. A perk on one hand, not having to be surrounded in public by crowds of people. But it does nothing to suade the dread of having to sit one-to-one with the person who essentially your future rolls in their hands, fate and fortune carried and tossed by a mere whim.

Figaro is led to a secluded section of the restaurant, right by where the ceiling high glass window wraps around the corner. It lends itself to a breathtaking view of the night time city, the distant illuminations different from when she was driving by them. From such a height Figaro could see even the thousand year cherry blossom tree at the center of town, a timeless historical symbol in the face of Vollmond’s ever-advancing technoscape.

The assistroid bows back before withdrawing, leaving her alone with her dinner guest. Figaro’s eyes land on the lone figure clad in a dark suit and white coat standing by the far end table. Her breath catches, stomach sinking and the tension in her head rising.

The figure took on the appearance of man. Yet they were anything but. Their features were definitively sharp, sculpted from the likes of marble yet face marred by eye creases and furrow lines weathered with inevitable aging. Hair, silken smooth and impossibly long yet never seemed to grace the floor, was the color of the midnight never seen under the city haze and neon lights covering the sky. And from the profile that she could see, of eyes that hadn’t turned to look at Figaro’s poor quaking self, held a deep gleam of red that was incomparable to any jewels, flowers, and other objects of beauty cataloged in the hundreds of thousands databases the professor has skimmed the screen through.

They finally take notice of Figaro’s presence. Eyes, red eyes that seize her body with habitual fear, lazily draw to look at her. As a way to avoid shaking hands, Figaro instead quickly bows, hiding all her nerves under the guise of polite courtesy.

“God’s Lightning. Sir, it’s an honor to finally be able to meet you like this.” It was a miracle of how steady Figaro’s voice came out. That even after countless hours of practicing and reciting lines her insides were being shaken and eaten up by stress. She takes her small victories no matter how desperate they were.

“Dr. Figaro Garcia. Head researcher of Vollmond Institute Laboratory.” The voice of their sponsor matches the curt dry one used in the exchange of mails they wrote in. But physically hearing it for the first time in real life, it sounded much deeper than anything she expected. “You may sit.”

On command she steps forward to take her seat right across. Figaro’s eyes rake over the cloth spread of the table, complete with quality cutlery and wares as expected of fine dining restaurants. From the edges of her vision she can see the wrists of her sponsor, extending from his arms and attached to his body, reading his body language from the neck down though indiscernible as he sits still.

Figaro’s gaze doesn’t dare to travel up further, too afraid to meet the unsettling red that bores down on her. Maybe it wasn’t the most polite thing to do, but etiquette be damned if she was already this close to throwing up without even the first course being served.

The professor smiles politely hoping to carry on quickly, too quickly that her sponsor doesn’t dare call her out on any of her manners.

“Sir. I would like to personally thank you again for all your contributions made. Your work and donations have helped-“

“Dr. Garcia.” Their voice cuts her off lip service. “I was under the impression that you were afflicted with Assistroid Dependency.”

Figaro’s breathing stops momentarily. Her hand underneath the table claw squeezes at her wrist, tight and tense with nerves. She continues smiling.

“Well that is true. However, it is a relatively minor and harmless symptom, often common under my line of work. It will affect nothing regarding our meeting today.”

A steady rhythm echoes into empty space left after their words. Figaro’s eyes draw to the source, seeing that slim fingers tap against the table from across from her.

“And yet you have not once looked me in the eyes.”

“…My deepest apologies. However this is-“

“I am not one for small talk, nor do I care enough for it either. I will not force you to play in these meaningless pleasantries when you cannot even make eye contact. Do not fool yourself into thinking that this is anything more than business.”

Figaro is gutted silently. She chokes on her words, gnawing on her bottom lip until blood is drawn. Before her, God’s Lightning sits completely unfazed by his blunt choice of words, slicing through any and all rebuttals on her tongue.

In the back of their mind the professor rejoices at dropping all pretenses. But then is immediately greeted with the panic that this ruins any and all scenarios she had prepared for light socializing. The floor beneath her drops. Unsteady, weightless, and sick to her stomach.

An uncomfortable atmosphere settles between the two. Never before has Figaro been horrified over not having to speak to others. But God’s Lightning isn’t a simple “other” that she can avoid as necessary. He’s the bastard that dragged her, Figaro Garcia specifically, alone, out here tonight, unprecedented by all other forms of contact they’ve had. It’s hard not to oblige the ridiculous request when they’re single-handedly funding her life’s research.

Figaro doesn’t remember much of the meal after that. Dinner is served on her plate before she even realizes she ordered something. The light scraping of metal cutlery against cold porcelain grates on her ears, and food is barely registered in her palette, heavy on their tongue and feeling even more solid as it goes down to settle with the turmoil of their insides.

The only thing that feels even remotely easy to swallow is the wine poured into her glass. Figaro never planned on drinking much. But with a presence as heavy as the one across from her, she doesn’t think she can even make it through the night without her head light bordering the edge of inebriation.

With the gentle sound of silverware being set on the table, Figaro knows by the cue that she can stop robotically shoveling food into her mouth.

“I will be frank with you Dr. Garcia. I am considering withdrawing support from your project.”

“W-what?!”

Glasses shake with Figaro’s sudden movement to stand up in shock. Her already weak body is woozy from the rush of blood flow, but even more pressing is the ringing in her eardrums from her sponsor’s words. Bitten nails dig into the palm of her hands, breaking skin and the smallest amount of blood.

“Apologies for my manners, but I implore you to reconsider Sir. If it’s regarding progress, I have thoroughly sent you reports on a biweekly basis. From the start until now, significant strides have been made and development is still steadily progressing. What is there to be unsatisfied with?”

The silence settling in the space between the two is deafening. God’s Thunder ruminates on his words, each second leaving Figaro to fall further down mentally until they’re desperately grasping at lost thoughts.

“Garcia. You are aware of what industry I control.”

The answer was obviously yes. For as gracious as their donations have been, Figaro could not help but hold both ends doubt and curiosity towards the source, pushing her to dig up whatever she could surrounding them. Weapons dealing, trading and distribution. Confidential technology developments that teeters warmongering. Hands in pockets of politicians and public figures alike. It would be better to ask where the influence of God’s Lightning didn’t extend to.

If Figaro were a better person, the moral dilemma of where their funding came from would haunt her. But dirty money is still money in the end, so she never refused nor pushed for more. It’s not like they’re following ethics to the T either.

She swallows down her thick saliva, nodding quietly as prompted. Her sponsor continues on.

“Then you are aware that there is nothing meaningful for me to gain from this. Potential at first, and possible capital, but nothing I can truly benefit from my end of the deal. I was drawn into this due to your acquaintance with Tiletta Flores in the first place, but she has since retired and passed away. As such, I see no reason as to continue sponsoring y-“

The professor bangs against the table interrupting them before they could finish. The delicate glasses shake even more than the first time before tipping over and shattering against the pristine white table linen. Wine and shards of glass have somehow clung onto the edges of Figaro’s skin but it all feels numb to them.

Out of nervous desperation, Figaro glances at the other through her bangs from where her head was tucked down. She can’t get a read on them. She doesn’t understand what they want, what they’re thinking, or anything about God’s Lightning. Without even getting a word in from her side, this will be over akin to the wisps of a flame smothered out.

Figaro’s thoughts race to say something, anything of substance. What could he possibly hope to gain from this? What was the one thing they were even striving for?

“A child! I can- I can give you a child!”

The sentence flies out of the professor’s mouth in desperation faster than she can even fully process it. The lag catches up, and Figaro fully berates herself for her stupidity.

‘stupid stupid stupid why the hell did I even say that some second sexiest intellectual I am do you understand how that sounds aaaaarrrghh-‘

The corner of God’s Lightning mouth twitches in a minuscule movement, something easily missed to most others but caught by Figaro’s keen eye. Whether out of amusement, annoyance, or complete befuddlement though is completely out of her skill capacity, emotional intelligence something the professor utterly lacks in. (And apparently by the looks of it logical intelligence now too).

The wine glass in her sponsor’s hand, untouched and unbothered by Figaro’s light fuss, is set down softly against the mess of a dinner table. God’s Lightning folds their hands to rest their chin atop. Eyes the color of blood pierce through the professor. Figaro quickly diverts her gaze to the floor again, sweating under the intense pressure.

“…A child, you say?”

“Y-Yes. I don’t mean an actual human child. But rather, um, one of my own personal assistroids...”

Maybe because the stupid idea already teetered over and spilled from her mouth, but Figaro keeps talking, brain formulating plans and conjectures into semi-coherent speech in real time.

“Allow my presumptions, but you fail to see the limits of what this project can achieve. If you are going to continue investing in our- in my research, then I want you to fully understand what my goal is.”

A small moment is taken to pause and let herself breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Figaro straightens her back, eyes steady on the floor. She’s conscious of her words, her voice clear and tone even to be heard for what it is.

“I don’t want assistroids to simply be tools. Or our friends without a question for what they really want. I want them to have a heart. To have thought and free will. Can humanity truly know liberation from loneliness if our companions themselves cannot even dream of it? Just as I want to love my assistroids and be loved by them, in turn I want to teach them what love actually is. Only then can we move forward to a future as equals.”

Figaro’s breath heaves at the end of her words. She can’t remember the last time she’s talked to another human this long. Her heart beats rapidly inside her chest, an uncomfortable thumping that she grips the lapels of her suit as an attempt to calm down.

Across from her, God’s Thunder sits in silence. A second of eons composed of still quiet air, only disturbed by the now hushed huffs Figaro takes to catch breath, stretches between them. Still standing up leaning against the table, Figaro’s legs weakly shake in anticipation, uneasiness deep in her bones and gripping every tense nerve cell in her body.

“Your ambitions are something I cannot fathom.” Figaro clenches her fists, “…but I will give you one week.”

Grey eyes dart up in surprise. They accidentally make contact with sharp scarlet watching her from across, before flinching away on instinct. In that split second, Figaro felt like she could break through the impasse that was her sponsor’s expressions. But she knows herself to be too cowardly to look again.

“I thank you for your grace and cooperation then. My assistant will send an email to you regarding meeting arrangements and pickup.”

The professor’s voice is quietly trembling, overworked from the stress experienced in the past hour. No further response is given on her sponsor’s end besides a simple hum of acknowledgment, but Figaro is fine with that alone.

Figaro draws back from the table to see the mess she’s made and winces at the sight of it. Somehow through all the food scattered and drinks spilled, God’s Lightning remains untouched. She bows with the last of her energy she can dedicate to courtesy.

As she’s about to rush out as quickly as humanly possibly, a sudden thought stops the professor in her tracks. Figaro turns back halfway to call out to the other.

“Ah. Before I set up the assistroid’s systems, I’ll need a name to put under the owner’s ID. Of course I can leave it as your pseudonym, but I recommend using your own name as it helps establish a bond with the assistroid.”

“…”

Not for the first time tonight, God’s Thunder delays speaking. She’s beginning to understand what the man meant by adversion to small talk.

Yet in their short interactions together, Figaro picks up the second of hesitation before he speaks.

“Sir?”

“…Oz.”

“Oz? Oz…”

Figaro’s voice echoes the name, rolling it on her tongue, familiarizing the taste of the syllable said.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m just reminded of an old fairytale featuring a wizard with the same name is all. …Well I’ll be taking my leave then.”

Figaro rushes out towards the entrance without a look back. Once in the still vacant hallway, she finds the nearest private bathroom before locking the doors and collapsing onto the floor.

A guttural sob escapes her breath immediately. In the quiet moments the professor has to herself, Figaro tries to recuperate her energy reserves to even walk out of the building. It’s only when she tries to hold her head that she realizes the micro shards of glass and wine sticking to her hand.

Figaro picks herself up and drags herself over to the sink to wash out what she can. A glance to the mirror finds that she is still somehow presentable, partially thanks to the dark suit they’re dressed in masking all the stains.

Once her hands are dried, still somewhat tingling but better than before, Figaro pulls out her phone and calls her one and only immediate contact.

“Figgykins? Are you done? How did it go?”

“Fifi? How are you holding up? Do you want us to pull up to the building now?”

“Before all that… Master Snow. Master White. Please praise me like you said you would.”

“Of course dearie. You did such a good job.”

“We’re so proud of you, Figaro. Our precious little girl.”

“Good work tonight. We love you.”

Figaro sighs softly at the voices of the twins, the tension leaving her body from the taught posture it took. She still feels the buildup of bile in the depths of her chest, but it washes away the longer she’s on call with her two little cheerleaders.

“Thank you Masters Snow, White. I’ve just finished up my meeting and am about to head down, but please stay on the line for a little bit longer until I’m outside.” She gently speaks into the other end of the phone.

“Understood.”

The twins talk about the time spent together while the professor was out. It’s easier to focus on their voices as Figaro follows the path she took treading inside. Her eyes are kept on the floor two steps ahead to avoid eye contact with anybody, yet fuzzy head still operating enough to be aware to avoid incoming bodies.

The night’s cool air nips at Figaro the moment she steps outside. Nary few are outside at this time of night in the upper class district, except for a few businessmen and a couple or two keeping to themselves. Figaro manages to spot and flag down her car and heads straight towards it.

The black car door swings open in her presence. She all but falls down into the awaiting seats. This time, the twins are in the car with her, seated side by side right next to where the professor usually sits.

“You did well, Fifi. Allow us to shower you with spoils and treats as a reward for your work.” White’s small hands brush through blue locks of hair, messing it up from its perfect style. Another pair of arms move to remove Figaro’s suit jacket, though they catch at her wounded hand.

“What happened here? Did they attempt to hurt you? With a word, we’ll go back and-“

“It’s nothing like that, Master Snow. I just got carried away on my end.” Figaro cuts off the threat forming in their words. After tonight with the already terrible impression Oz holds of Figaro, she doesn’t need it dropping any deeper than rock bottom.

“Anyways. I would love to go back home and sleep this awful night away, but I need you two to take me to the lab.”

“Did something happen? We cleared your schedule for the rest of the night and tomorrow morning.” Snow asks.

“All your work for the institute was done when you left for the day. Did you forget something back there?” White’s question follows.

“Something like that. I’ll explain when we get there, but all I can say is that plans have shifted, as annoying as it is. I think I’m going to have to stay up all night again, so for now I’ll use what little time I have to rest a bit.”

Figaro’s eyes snap shut before she can hear any of the twin’s advice. The quiet automated driving accompanied by her two assistroids stroking the top of her head lulls the professor to the edges of sleep, worn out from the stress of the evening.

By habit Figaro wakes up by herself when they’re close to Vollmond Laboratory. She rubs the remaining drowsiness out from her eyes and finds that her hand has been completely cleaned and bandaged, courtesy of her assistants.

It was only a matter of scanning her ID to get clearance into the institute. At the deepest ends of the building secluded from the rest is the Artificial Intelligence Research department, where Figaro is designated as head of.

The professor’s steps and her accompanying assistroids are the only ones echoing in the narrow, poorly lit hallway. All the other researchers have either gone home for the night, or are too buried in their own respective projects to even notice her entrance.

At the last door of the hall, Figaro unlocks the entryway to her personal lab space conjoined with her office. The lights automatically turn on in the presence of her movement.

The professor sees that a scattered mess of papers and research materials is left on one of the examination benches, courtesy of Rustica. In comparison, Figaro’s own research portfolio is neatly filed and locked away in her cabinet from when she left earlier in the day. She shakes her head, though a fond smile appears on her face at the never changing messy habits of her partner.

Figaro leaves Rustica’s mess be, knowing Chloe will surely come and clean it up for her later. Walking past it, she makes her way to one of the doors off to the side of the lab and enters the terminal room where all her children are.

In the last row, second to the end rests a child with synthetic white hair the color of stardust. Their eyes closed shut as they lay in rest mode, an imitation to the human habit of sleep yet so realistic it’s indistinguishable between the two.

Figaro’s hand, the one unbandaged, brushes against the assistroid’s round cheek with a gentle touch as if handling something precious.

“Hello from the world of waking dreams, Arthur.”

#rain writing #mhyk ficlets #ozfi #pararoid

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rmbmedia · 2 years ago

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the protomen: european tour part 2

hope rides alone

It is the year 2023. Robots still control the airwaves, keeping the cogs in the slowly corroded propaganda machine forever turning. People live in fear and poverty as the obvious tory-dictatorship further beats the lower class down.

from out of the mists of industry, they appear.

This isn’t just commentary on the current state of the UK…

But once again, they are your hope. They are your salvation.. THEY ARE:

THE MOTHERFRACKIN PROTOMEN!

after having the concert postponed for a year due to covid. the protomen returned to these shores with one goal in mind: to bring the thunder!. Sadly, K.I.L.RO.Y. was nowhere to be seen this time round. however, his presences was felt, just the same. instructing us to once again fight with them! opening strong with three tracks off the yet-to-be-released ACT3, the band knew what they were doing. whilst it was the same old show musically, they felt more cohesive this time round, despite sir dr robert bakker's absence. we have J Rock Harding Jr. to thank for stepping in.. i think? I could be wrong. starting with "hold back the night" the band reminded us we wouldnt fight alone. carrying a strong message that heightened the feelings of the french at the gig in paris 8 days before. in a sense, the band could have been the spark to to set paris ablaze. following on, with my personal favourite, they performed no way back. a fantastic track that i personally think should've been saved for at least halfway through the set. the set soon took a turn with a new cover: Shadows of the night by pat benatar... brilliantly performed despite the crowd not knowing it fully. I think this is due to pat not being a big thing in the uk during the 80s.

finally, upon hearing the usual suspects of breaking out, keep quiet, and light up the night, we all prepared ourselves for the fall. the crowd roared. then, came that fierce, powerful reminder that hope rides alone. the big reveal: the encore- they played a new track: THE FIGHT!. There has been alot of speculation about the events that happen in act 3, no-one really knows for sure if its the final album or if there is more to come. i hope so. the fight is some of the best song writing the band has done since no way back and keep quiet. so im going to wait until further info has been dropped to say anymore. for now, they are going to end it, the way they've always ended it- Due vendetta. i dont know when the band will grace theses shores again... but when they do. I will be there.

#music review #the protomen

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smalife1234 · 1 month ago

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What made me smile this week?

Monday, 10/14/24 - Hey everyone, today I had a doctor's appointment regarding my eyes; we had postponed it for two months, so today is finally the day! I woke up pretty early in the morning and got dressed and ready ( and I forgot to tell y'all I got my period on Sunday, October 13th). I track this for my endocrinologist. After I got dressed, we waited for a while until they had to go to school; I mainly watched YouTube videos the whole time, lol, and then we headed out the door around 1:05 p.m. We got to the doctor's office around 1:30 and then we filled out some information sheets and got that completely done and checked off we waited for a while and then the doctor called us in and we went back, the first test was a glaucoma test that was common for me but they had a different handheld device! Which was pretty cool and I might actually think that it was a bit better than the old machine I got! Then I did the hot air balloon test (which I don't know what that test was), but I got through that. Then we headed back to the eye testing room where I had my eyes tested to see how much I could see! Well, I have some unfortunate news: my eyes have gotten way worse, and I have astigmatism! But thankfully, that did not deter me from having a good day, so I enjoyed the rest of my afternoon, and my friends brought my snacks! Today was a very busy day but it sure did make me smile!

Tuesday, 10/15/24 - today, I came back to school after having my eye doctor appointment. I went to first, and I have a few handouts and a few assignments! Nothing big so don't worry! I got one done that I had worked pretty hard on, so hopefully, that's good enough for today! Then, in the second period, I had gotten a handout packet from Monday and got both done! I worked really hard on them! (Trying to really sum up this week so I can fit it into one YouTube post lol) Then in the third period, we didn't even have to go because we had a very big event that the school had never held before! It was kindergartens who came to our college and came in the field and we got to hang out with them! We had an awesome time! But sadly, the event didn't end well, and Emmie overheated and had a bad headache for a while! And then the kindergarten students started crying because they missed us, poor kids! But they are graduating from our college in 2037! Wow, we're graduating 2025! Then, in fourth, we worked on some new packets and just got an instruction paper on how to do a section of what we're writing. We chilled in her class for a bit, and then it was time to leave. We were glad we finally got to leave school! But we found out about a new dish schedule today! We have to do the dishes every Tuesday and Friday! This is way better than any other bull crap schedule we're on (which I'll give you a hint none of) lol, but we enjoyed the rest of our night, and it made me smile!

Wednesday, 10/16/24 - today is a half day woo hoo! Today, I had my 52 rounds of chemotherapy! Which went well! Before then, I had edited a lot on Tuesday, at least 4 or 3 hours worth, so please watch the vlog! I put a lot of hard work into it! Then, in the first period, we had to do more assignments, and I got a larger assignment done! I'm planning just to do all the online assignments, then the hand-outs, and then the modeling on the mannequin! Then, in the second period, we had to do a worksheet that involved drawing Lewis models of different elements on the periodic table! I got that finished, and thankfully, it was something we just needed to put in our notebook. For the third, we did a worksheet and some notes! And then we chilled for the rest of class hearing about a new unit we were heading into! Then, in the fourth period, we got some notes, and then we got to work on our paper for 30 minutes! Yay! So we got that done. And then we headed home. We enjoyed a nice night at home, and it made me smile! And to add, Donny and Willam adopted a son who is named Ethan, and he is 5 years old! I had a feeling that they were telling me it was a “friend,” but that made me smile!

Thursday, 10/17/24 - today, we woke up pretty early and just did a workout. After the workout, we headed out the door, and then we went on the bus, and Emmie and I realized we had forgotten our computer bag! Thankfully, our computer was in our backpack, so we had our computer, but we did not have all our papers! But thankfully, we were ok during the whole day. During the first period, I worked on an online assignment and finished it! Then, In the second period, I worked on a drawing of Lewis Bond model paper, got it done, and uploaded a picture! Then, in the third period, I worked on an assignment for a crime case, and it was a very long packet, but I got it fully done! Then in the fourth period, we worked on some assignments but Mrs church was being extra mean by saying why we had to make a simple thing so complicated with a face and then towards our friend Stacy when she had 3 finger straps but Mrs church didn't believe her and she said “I don't wanna hear it” making a face. So that wasn't good, but we survived the class and enjoyed the day! And today made me smile!

Friday, 10/18/24 - today is Friday! Yay, it's close to the weekend. Today, I worked on more online assignments on my computer and worked on a description for a YouTube video we uploaded a little while back! Then, in the second period, I worked on a paper assignment and got that done! And then I chilled until the third, where I worked on a web quest, and just in the nick of time, I got it done! Then, in the fourth period, I worked on some notes before we had to go to a big ol’ pep rally that we were having. The whole Pepe rally was fun, and we did enjoy the event until we got on the bus and found out it was our bus driver's last day! We hugged her when we got off, and I certainly Really enjoyed her being our bus driver! Then we chilled at home and today made me smile!

Saturday, 10/19/24 - today, was a very eventful day! The morning was pretty chill, and we enjoyed sitting down and watching. Then, shortly in the afternoon, our friend Nicole came over! Out of nowhere so, we got to hang out with her for a bit, and it made me smile! Fast forwarding to the night of craziness! We went to homecoming, which was our first homecoming we went it was going on from 8:00 P.m. to 11:00 P.m.! So many hours, we had a blast, There was loud music playing, and many people came up to us and complimented our outfits! And we danced with us we had a really fun time, and our friends got engaged!! I'm so happy for them, and we basically had a really busy and fun night. Sadly, we did overheat, and our friends Luz and Donny kept gagging and were lying on the floor, so that was fun! (Kidding) But we did enjoy the majority of the night and it made me smile!

Sunday, 10/20/24 - thankfully today was a bit more chill! Well, the morning wasn't I woke up around 10:00 Am which is very late for me because of the Homecoming event that wasn't the stressful bit though, our friends had randomly texted us that they were going to a fair and that they wanted us to come along, and we barely got plans so we had to ask our parents, of course, they were uncomfortable with the idea we respect that and we were fine that didn't let us go this time because we we're already very tired from the Homecoming Event so we enjoyed the day and we got to watch many subway surfers ads! Edited the video that's coming out at 7:00 P.m. today! I edited that for about 3 hours, which is fun lol, but I got it done, and although some bits of today were stressful, most of the day made me smile!! Now the most important Question ⁉️

What made you smile this week?

Img desc #1: Emmie Is seen in an accessible bathroom. She is seen in a tuxedo and looking very red. She is wearing a pair of black sunglasses on her face.

Img desc #2: doc is seen in a restaurant smiling with a plate of food near her knees. She is smiling while wearing a grey/green short-sleeved shirt and brown shorts while her atrophied arms and hands rest on the the joystick of her electric wheelchair.

Img desc #3: Emmie's hand is seen at homecoming the picture is blurry with red and green lights.

Img desc #4: doc is seen smiling near a kitchen counter while wearing a white and black striped long-sleeved shirt and dark brown baggy pants along with white shoes. She is seen smiling while wearing a pair of thin metal glasses on her face, her Atrophied hands resting on her lap near her phone.

Img desc #5: doc is seen smiling while in a pink long-sleeved buttoned-up shirt and black skinny jeans. Her arms are crossed over one another, and she is smiling while sitting in her electric wheelchair.

Img desc #6: doc is seen smiling while wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and beige-colored pants; she has a pair of thin metal glasses on her face she is sitting in her electric wheelchair.

Img desc #7: the mascot at the Pepe rally is seen dancing along with the band playing on October 18th.

Img desc #8: doc is seen smiling with her hand under her chin as she is eating. She is wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt.

Img desc #9: doc is seen smiling while in a darkish room, she is smiling while in a Hawaiian-themed orange short-sleeved shirt with her hands under her chin (this is a method she uses to eat as she has a weak jaw). She has a pair of thin metal glasses on her face.

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