#Nero's News Booth

[devilmayfamily]

Imagine...

Imagine your son has been a fan of Dante's forever, like since he was born, and when news spreads that the devil slayer is in town your son begs you to go see him even if that means spending a lot of money on this one little trip. You can't say no to your son, he's too cute! So you both go. And when you get there you realize that Dante isn't alone. No, no, no. His brother, Vergil, is there with him. And your eyes meet. And suddenly, your mind is filled with hundreds of memories from when you were a teen. And suddenly you don't want to be there anymore but you can't go, your son hasn't gotten his picture with Dante yet nor an autograph. So you stay. And when it's finally his turn in line, Vergil can't stop looking at the child. Snow white hair? Baby blue eyes? He's the spitting image of Dante, excited attitude and all. But Dante sees Vergil in the passion and drive and focus the kid has, talking about wanting to be a devil hunter one day.

"Does your mom approve of all of this kid?" Dante asks.

The two men look to you now and that's when they realize something you already knew.

"I think he'll do great," you reply.

Vergil stares. Dante chuckles.

"Well, maybe one day we'll get to see it and you can join us," Dante tells your son.

Vergil is still staring. You smile at him and the man just can't anymore. He whispers something to Dante before going behind the photo booth thing. Before you and your son leave, Dante shoves some paper in your hand as you shake his hand.

I'm surprised this is how we meet but Vergil always has his secrets. He misses you I think. Call the shop if you ever need us

You smile.

"What is it, Mom?" Nero asks.

"Just some note from an old friend," you reply.

[somethinginthewayiam]

A new home

pairing: Chibs Telford x plus-size reader

words: 3377

warnings: there is 18+ content throughout (minors DNI), mentions of ptsd, smut

Summary: After the explosion, Chibs just cut all communication and didn’t show up again. He didn’t even tell you that the club bought the ice cream shop on mainstreet. You found out by chance walking by...

link to my masterlist and previous parts

You startled awake in your bed. Your heart and your breathing raced each other. You had dreamed about the explosion again. It had just been a few days ago and you relieved the moment every night since.

Your hand reached over automatically, looking for Chibs but the bed was empty. He was a no-show since the night of the explosion, when he had brought you home and held you until you were asleep.

You pulled your hand back and put in on your chest over your heart, trying to breathe slowly and calmly until you were able to get up.

You took a cold, short shower to clear your head and then got dressed to drive over to Diosa.

With Nero in jail, you, Lyla and Gemma were basically keeping the business alive. You were taking care of more than just the books by now. You dove into the work to keep yourself distracted from everything; the explosion, Chibs cutting contact and your mental state going downhill.

In the early afternoon, you left work to run some errands but you would be back in the evening to help out with Diosa’s rush-hour. Your bartending skills came in handy again.

Carrying two big, stuffed bags with groceries, you walked down the street.

“I can’t believe they let those bikers buy the old ice cream shop. If Carl would see this, he’d turn in his grave”, you overheard two older ladies talk to each other as you passed them on the side-walk.

Your body came to a sudden halt and you turned around to them. “Excuse me, which ice cream shop are you talking about?”, you asked. The ladies looked at you a bit startled. They hadn’t noticed you until now.

“Scoops & Sweets around the corner, on main street”, one of them told you. “Thank you”, you mentioned and changed your direction to the ice cream shop. It was really right around the corner, actually just a block away from your yoga studio.

When you came to the big shop window, you saw three people in kuttes sitting at the counter and Chucky behind it, seemingly running the place. None of them were Chibs. In fact, the only one you knew was Chucky.

Chibs hadn’t told you that the M.C. had found their new headquarters. Well, Chibs hasn’t said anything to you in the past couple of days, not a single fucking word.

You decided to go inside. Besides the counter, there were booths and a few tables with chairs, all empty. You guessed, a shop full of bikers wasn’t very inviting to the people of Charming, especially after the explosion.

“Hey Chucky, got your own place now?”, you asked as you entered. You placed the bags of groceries on the counter. “Ha, it’s cool, isn’t it? I’m selling sweets”, he told you and gestured at the filled glasses with all kinds of candy. “Oh man, I would have loved this place as a kid. You would have gotten all my pocket money”, you told him and sat down on an empty bar stool at the counter.

You looked over to the three bikers at the bar who were following your conversation with Chucky. All three were wearing SAMCRO patches.

“I think we haven’t met yet”, you said and extended your hand. They introduced themselves as Quinn, Montez and West. They told you that they had recently transferred from other charters.

You kept chatting with the men and lost a bit track of time. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the Sons coming towards the shop through the big windows. You clocked Chibs right away and he spotted you, too. He stopped in his stride for a second before he entered the shop behind Tig.

But another man caught your attention as he entered the shop as the first one.

“Oh my god, Bobby!”, you exclaimed as your old boss walked through the door. You jumped off the bar stool, got over to him and gave him a big hug. You were so happy to see him again, you thought he had left Charming for good.

Chibs just walked around the two of you and hopped up on the counter, reaching into the glass of gummy worms and throwing some into his mouth.

“Hey, doll”, he greeted you with your old nickname and you immediately felt nostalgic. “I didn’t know that you’re back. How are you?”, you asked him when you pulled back. “I’ve been shopping for the club”, he said and pointed at the three new members at the counter.

“How have you been? I’ve heard you were at the clubhouse when it happened”, he asked and looked honestly worried about you. He still had his hands on your upper arms and squeezed them reassuringly.

“I’m okay, I’m pulling through. Thank you for asking, I’m glad that someone cares”, you told him. You heard Chibs snorting at your words behind you but not saying anything. You rolled your eyes and clenched your jaw at his reaction.

Bobby looked at you with a raised eyebrow and you just shook your head. “Don’t get me started”, you simply said.

“I think the two of you should talk”, Bobby advised. Then he looked over your shoulder and directly at Chibs. “And soon”, he said to his fellow SAMCRO brother. “I’ve only been back three days and he’s already getting on my nerves with his bad mood. Make me wanna ride off again”, Bobby told you.

“I’m not the one going radio silent. He stopped talking to me the day after the explosion”, you told Bobby.

“Aye, could ya stop talking like I’m not even here?”, Chibs called over from his spot on the counter.

“Oh, look who found his words again?”, you mocked him as you turned around and narrowed your eyes at him. Chibs rolled his at you and now it was your turn to snort instead of using your words.

“Alright. Not that I want to play marriage counselor here, but you kids seriously need to talk”, Bobby intervened. “Chibs, you bring Y/N home and talk about whatever is going on between the two of you. Doesn’t matter how long it takes”, he said, picked up your grocery bags and handed them to Chibs, making him come down from the counter.

“My car is right around the corner, I don’t need him”, you told Bobby. “Great, he can drive you”, he said, deliberately ignoring your objection. “Now go”, he added and motioned both of you over to the door. “Let me take those”, you said and wanted to take the bags from him. “I got it”, he just grumbled and turned his upper body away as he walked past you and out the door.

To say it was a tense ride home, would be an understatement. None of you said a word. The silence continued until you were in your apartment. Chibs put the grocery bags on your kitchen counter while you put your purse in its spot by the door.

Just a second later, Chibs was coming towards you again and wanted to walk around you and out of the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?”, you said and stepped in his way. “Back to the shop”, he just said and narrowed his eyes at you as you wouldn’t get out of his way.

“I thought we were gonna talk?”, you asked honestly confused. “Just because Bobby said so?”, he asked mockingly. “No, because I want to talk to you but you never showed your ass here again”, you countered and crossed your arms in front of your chest.

“I don’t have time for this”, he mentioned and attempted to push past you again, but you were quicker and got in his way. You stepped in front of the door, blocking it.

“No, you’re not leaving again”, you said and put your hands on his chest, shoving him back. “Don’t make me put my hand on you, woman”, he threatened. “You wouldn’t dare. That’s not you”, you countered.

Chibs charged at you and had you caged between him and the door in two seconds. You looked up at him, lifting your chin, defying him. His eyes wandered over your face, hectically.

You could see in his eyes that both of you, at the same time, remembered the last time you stood like this at your door. When he had picked you up from that bar just a few weeks ago and had fucked you against it.

His facial features softened a little bit only to twist in anger again a moment later and he slammed his fist against the door above your head. You winced at his action. He turned around and walked a few steps into your apartment.

“What the hell is going on, Filip?”, you followed him. “Why did you just leave that morning and never came back?”, you asked. He still had his back to you, his hands on his hips. “You didn’t even call me. And I would have needed you. I was scared”, you told him further, your voice becoming shaky at the emotion that was washing over your body like a wave.

“I wanted to protect you”, he finally said. You were almost surprised when he spoke. “From what? The shit had already happened”, you replied. “You think that’s the only shite we’re dealing with?”, he turned around and his brows were furrowed in anger.

“Being involved with the club comes with consequences and I will not be responsible for you getting hurt”, he said. “It’s a little late for that”, you countered.

“What’s a little heartbreak for saving ya life?”, he asked and to your ears it sounded like he was mocking your feelings.

“You know what? Fuck you!”, you shouted at him and made a few steps in his direction, pointing your finger at him. “I’m already involved with the club, I’m working for the Sons, remember? And just because you decided that we stop fucking doesn’t resolve any involvement. It only tells me what a coward you are”, you spat at him.

“Watch it”, he warned you, but you would have none of it. “You watch it”, you threw back at him. “I’m allowed to feel scared after what happened to me but I will get over it eventually”, you told him.

“You still have those nightmares?”, he asked like he already knew the answer and that it would explain everything.

“It’s been 5 days! Sorry for not having more experience of being blown up”, you spat at him. His so-called arguments made you furious.

“How do you even know about my nightmares? It’s not like you stopped by or called for that matter”, you countered. He at least had the decency to look a little bit ashamed before he answered. “Lyla”, he finally admitted. He didn’t have the guts to talk to you but he asked Lyla how you were? Are we in fifth grade?

“Even if I do, why is it your concern? Didn’t seem to bother you the past couple of days”, you taunted him. “You’re always my concern”, he said and clenched his jaw like he was mad about that.

“Then why the sudden silence? I thought after all the sex we’re having and the time we spent together, you would at least have the decency to tell me when this is over”, you said.

“I thought it would be easier like this”, he finally admitted and his voice was lower, softer. “Well, you thought wrong. And could you please stop thinking that you could make decisions for me? I’m a grown-ass woman who is very capable of making up her own mind. You don’t get to decide what’s best for me”, you told him. He just looked at you in response, not saying a word. You would have hoped for some kind of reaction, positive or negative. But that silence again enraged you. Maybe he was actually done with you.

You walked over to Chibs and made yourself as tall as possible in front of him, putting your hands on your hips.

“If you can honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that you want to end this, that you don’t want to have sex with me again and despise my company then there is nothing I can do about it. But don’t believe for a second that you can just keep your distance and annoy me out of whatever this is. I grew up with 3 brothers. I’ve been annoyed by men my whole god-damn life”, you told him with a stern voice and poked your finger at his chest with every syllable of the last few words.

You said what you wanted to say. You looked up at him waiting for his reaction. His dark-brown eyes bored into yours, but he didn’t open his mouth. You almost felt overwhelmed by the wave of disappointment washing over you. You lightly shook your head in defeat and wanted to walk away, get some distance between the both of you.

Chibs grabbed your wrist just as you wanted to turn around. He spun you towards him and your body collided with his chest. His hands cupped your face and the next moment his lips were on yours.

It was a hard, hungry kiss, making up for lost time. You could also feel that he was fighting himself, hating himself even that he couldn’t just let this end. But you were glad that he couldn’t because if this ended, it would be worse than after that explosion. A little heartbreak, my ass. Chibs Telford owned your heart by now.

He maneuvered your bodies over to the thick carpet by the couch, you starting to undress each other. The clothes went flying, shoes were kicked off. You both got on your knees as soon as you felt the soft fabric underneath your feet.

You pushed him down on his back and pulled off his underwear. Your panties were long gone. You climbed on top of him, reaching down to align his member with your center and sank down on his hard cock until he was fully inside you.

“Ah, fuck”, you breathed out when you felt him stretching you. You had both of your hands on his chest as you started to move your hips back and forth, increasing the pace quickly. Your nails were digging into his skin as you rocked back and forth, leaving marks of your own on him.

Chibs’ hands grabbed your breasts with such a tight grip, it almost hurt. Your hips slammed down on his pelvis with force. It was a hate-fuck at its finest.

You were both moaning loudly and cussing into the air. Chibs was slapping your ass to spur you on even more.

He put his hand around your throat and pulled you down to him. He held you there while he kissed you and started to fuck up into you, digging his heels into the carpet.

You bit down on his bottom lip and he pushed you back at the pain. You shot him a devilish grin and bent down to kiss him again.

His arms snaked around your upper body, pressing you against him and holding you in place as he picked up the pace you had lost for a moment and pushed you right to the edge of your orgasm with that angle.

You buried your face at his shoulder and moaned loudly against his skin. “Fuck, I’m gonna come”, you whined and pushed yourself up on your elbows to come face to face with him.

When your orgasm washed over you, you were staring into his dark-brown eyes, your mouth falling open. Your breath got stuck in your throat before you exhaled with a loud and deep moan, your hips jerking against him and your pussy clenching hard around his cock. Chibs followed with his climax just a stroke of your hips later, growling against your collarbone.

You rolled off him and lay on your back next to him on the carpet. Your breathing was hectic and your bodies covered in sweat.

“So, did I make myself clear?”, you asked, still out of breath, looking up at your ceiling. “Crystal”, Chibs confirmed. After just another moment, he got up and grabbed his pants.

“You’re not seriously gonna leave now?”, you asked in disbelief as you moved up to your elbows. He grabbed the flip phone from his left pocket, checked it and put it back.

“I’m gonna take a shower. Am I allowed to do that?”, he asked and his voice had a mocking tone. You rolled your eyes at him and got up.

“No”, you told him. “Not alone. We’re in California. There’s always a drought somewhere”, you added as you walked past him and over to your bathroom.

You heard his footsteps coming closer rather quickly and the next second you felt his fingers grabbing your sides and tickling you.

You squealed and ran into your bathroom with a giggle.

 After the shower, you moved to the bed, laying down and cuddling up to each other. You must have dozed off because when you opened your eyes again, the bed next to you was empty and your heart sank into your stomach. Not again.

When you sat up, you found Chibs sitting on the foot-end of the bed, smoking. He was in thoughts and hadn’t noticed you had woken up.

You wrapped the sheet around your upper body and moved over to him. You pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades and wrapped your arms around him from behind, putting your chin on his shoulder. He looked over at you out of the corners of his eyes and then turned forward again, taking a drag of his cigarette.

“I can hear you think”, you mumbled after another few minutes of silence, when you realized that he was not going to say anything soon. He exhaled and got up. You now saw that he had put on his underwear again.

He paced in front of the bed, a stern look on his face, his jaw clenching and his brows knitted together. You watched him, tilting your head to the side. He stopped and put the cigarette between his lips.

“You’re not just worried about me, are you?”, you said when you saw his face. He looked down at his feet, taking a long drag of his cigarette. His eyes darted up to you, lingered on your face for a few seconds and then looked down at his feet again.

Something made him nervous and that wasn’t an easy thing to do. And that made you nervous. But that wasn’t what he needed right now.

“You don’t have to tell me any details, I know you won’t, but I wanna be here for you. Tell me as much as you feel comfortable or nothing at all. I won’t ask any questions”, you suggested and held your hand out to him.

He stood there, contemplating. His eyes wandered over your face, then to the floor, then your face again. He sighed deeply and took a last drag of his cigarette before putting it in the ashtray.

He grabbed the hand you were still holding out to him. You moved backwards until your upper body was resting against the headboard of the bed. Chibs climbed back on the bed and followed you. He moved his body between your legs and rested his head on your belly. Your fingers started combing through his greying hair, your thumb caressing his forehead and temple.

He didn’t tell you anything, you weren’t really expecting him to. But you felt his body easing up a bit and his breathing calming down.

You reached over to the nightstand to text Lyla that you couldn’t come in tonight, but it was empty. Your phone was still in your purse by the door. You didn’t dare to move as it seemed that Chibs had fallen asleep.

You kept running your hand through his hair, your other hand stroking his back in a soothing motion.

You would have to apologize to Lyla tomorrow for not showing up but you wouldn’t trade this moment right here for the world.

next part Maybe baby

[voidsentprinces]

Summer Time.

Hien in trunks. Aymeric in trunks and a light swimming jacket. Haurchefant unleashed in a speedo. Zenos fighting the kraken in the middle of the ocean. Hythlodaeus getting a tan neath a parasol with sunglasses. Emet-Selch grumpily administrating suntan lotion. Hermes teaching Meteion to swim in the ocean. Raubahn and Thancred grilling up a banquet.

Godbert sculpting a mighty sand sculpture in his image. Opposite of him Ysayle and Menphina work to make ice sculptures. While, Theliak, Kan-E-Senna, Leveva, and Urianger read their books in their chairs. Nophica, Merlwyb, Lyse, Fordola, and Ardbert getting into a watermelon crushing competition. Yotsuyu being fanned by Grynewaht and sipping from a cocktail glass. Hilda, Lyna, Joye, Wuk Lamat and Ameliance race through the sand. Alisaie with Alphinaud in a headlock dragging him towards the waves for the annual swimming practice. Fourchenault, Azeyma and Y'shtola are on lifeguard duty. Asahi drowned in the corner. Fandaniel mocking him by dead man floating next to him. Jannequinard also has drowned but is posing dramatically even while out of commission. Nald and Thal watch over them bemused.

Cid, Nero, Biggs, Wedge, and Jesse getting the water slide going. Alpha, Gigi, Sylphie, Gatty and Omega building their own sandcastle as Zero and Golbez enjoy their own beach size beverage. Estinien posing dramatically on top of Godbert's sand statue. Tataru, Chai-Nuzz and Papalymo going over the logistics of the beach visit's costs. As Krile paints the ocean view while being hyped up by Dulia-Chai. Jandelaine is doing face paintings.

Kai-Shirr Nashu and Brandihild burying Hildibrand up to his neck in sand. Stephanivien inventing a new watergonne for summer time joy. Fray and Sid brood in the corner trying their best not to join in the summer fun. While Rielle, Ryne, and Gaia sample tropical fruits. Lahabrea, Themis, and Erichothonis look on exasperated as Athena builds a giant moth mecha to attack the Beach Bash. And by build I mean she is super vising from a well shaded and high position while Hesperos and Agdistis do it for her. Hegemone serving as her butler. Yugiri and Gosetsu are judges for the watermelon crushing competition. Gaius is tiredly looking on as Rex, Alfonse, Milisandia, Allie, and Ricon play volleyball against Livia, Rhitahtyn, Varro, Lyon, Gabranth, and Misija. Varis and Hydrus wander across the sand judging the volley ball match. Baderon, Mother Miuonne, and Momodi referee the match. Wilred, Emmannellain, Artoriel, Honoriot, and Cyella run commentary.

F'lhaminn, Alianne Gilbrillont, and Buscarron serve up drinks to Thordan, G'raha and Edmont as they swap old man stories. Nymia and Althyk ease drop over their own drinks. While the Heavens Ward wait their turn to play volleyball against Mitron, Nabriales, Venat, Altima, Pashtarot, Deudalaphon, Igeyorhm, Halmarut, and Emmerololth.

Julyan Manderville and Halone are hunting down Hamon Holyfist for acting inappropriate. Wyrnzoen, Curious Gorge, Broken Mountain, Dorgono, Rurukuta, Chuchuto, Widgargelt, O'tchakha and D'zentsa hold a booth for punching a bag as hard as you can. While Byregot administrates Beatin, Brithael, H'naanza, Serendipity, Geva, Redolent Rose, Severian, Adalberta, and Fufucha working together to gather the materials and create more stands and bags since Eorzea is made up of martial gods who keep breaking the punching bag and the stand. Moenbryda has the highest record of breaking it.

Oschon, Cirina, Magnai, Luciane and Sadu aid Sisipu and Lyngsath in catching the food required to run this entire operation with Llymaelyn's express approval. While the Wheiskaet and his Company of Heroes guard the establishment. Ilberd, Laurentius, Yuyuhase, V'kebbe, Perimu and H'raha have a dart throwing competition. Ywain, Myella, Jacke, Karasu, Momozigo, and Drusilla are in the middle of a game of poker.

Jenlyns, Radovan, and Sanson swap tales, the Troupe Falsiam, Guydelot, and Jehantel aid the Songbirds for entertainment. Sophie and Erenville are handing out fashion show fliers. Runar, Y'mhitra, Tesleen, Cymet, Almet, and Uimet administrate parasols, seatings, and food to keep everyone comfortable from the heat of the sun. Seto along with Magnus and his gang work to ferry people to and from the beach. With K'lyhia, Surito, E-Sumi-Yan, and Cocobuki figuring out a schedule to keep everyone on task. X'rhun, Arya, and Martyn run a magic show with plenty of rapiers and surprises. Rhaglr watches over Arenvald and Hoary Boulder arm wrestling with Coultenant, Aenor, and Clemence cheering them on.

Midgardsormr, Nidhogg, Hraesvelgr, Azdaja, Tiamat and Bahamut watch this go on with amusement. As Vrtra is sending out reports and orders to Nidhana and her alchemists along with Ahewann and the Radiant Host aid in the security of the event.

And of course, there is the Warrior of Light. Enjoying their vacation...or they would if the REVELRY HADN'T SUMMONED SUSANOO TO JOIN IN!!!!!! NEVER A DAY OFF I TELL YOU! NOW THEY GOTTA DEAL WITH A PRIMAL PARTYING ALONG!

[otherworldseekers]

FFXIVwrite 2023 prompt 13: Check

So here's the second scene of my brand new modern/university/fun with fantasia AU which I'm not sure what to call yet. If you missed the first scene (which was my last FFXIVwrite entry) it is here.

It was the end of the work day and Nero Scaeva, owner of Scaevan Robotics, closed the door to his office behind him. In the break room employees were collecting their belongings and preparing to leave. All except one. Wedge, an intern and student at the local university, was loudly boasting about his significant other and the skills she would be demonstrating that night in a concert of some sort. 

“She’s got the voice of an angel!” Wedge proclaimed, the sappiest of expressions on his face. “You should all come and listen. She’s really going to be something someday. Famous! It’s a chance not to be missed!”

Most of the others simply laughed off the young Lalafell, but Wedge was not discouraged. He turned and saw Nero. “Boss! Boss! You should come too!”

“That’s right, boss. Go get an eyeful of all the pretty college kids while you still can get away with it,” one of the other engineers jeered.

Nero scowled. He had no interest in college kids or anyone a decade younger than him. “I’m afraid I’m busy tonight.”

“Are you really?” A new voice pushed through the end of day chaos. 

“Garlond, what are you doing here?” Nero demanded. Cid Garlond was the owner of Garlond Ironworks, and his rival in all things business and beyond. “I told you to stop acting like this place is yours.”

“Oh, I was waiting out front for you, Nero, but I heard the commotion your young protege was making and thought I might be able to help." He crossed his arms and stared Nero down. “Tell me, what exactly are your plans then?”

Nero’s scowl deepened. Of course he didn’t have any plans but going home, having some dinner and a glass of vodka or two, and sitting by the fireplace with a stack of project reports. Like every evening. He rarely went out. When it did, it was usually with Garlond himself, and the other man knew it perfectly well.

“I’d wager my superior booth placement at the tech expo coming up that you’ve nothing going on,” Cid said smugly. 

Nero’s scowl was turning downright dangerous. “You know perfectly well that you only got that booth placement because your father-”

“Well, Nero? Tell us about your pressing engagement,” Cid pushed. 

Wedge was looking up at Nero with glistening eyes, as if he couldn’t believe his boss would lie to him. 

“Fine,” Nero growled. “It would be an honor to see your lovely girlfriend perform, Wedge. But I’m not exactly welcome at the university, you know.”

The debacle between Nero and the Faculty of the Science department of the college was well known but seldom discussed. Mostly because the subject made Nero fly into a rage. But every new intern heard the story from the long time employees. 

“Oh,” Wedge said, his shoulders slumping. 

“As it happens…” Cid spoke up and pulled a bottle from his pocket. Nero gave him a quelling glare which he ignored. “I have with me an interesting little formula that recently came out of the chemistry department at the U. They wanted my opinion on its viability as a commercial product.”

“Oh!” Wedge perked up. “Is that fantasia?”

“The same,” Cid proclaimed. “And, Nero, it will make you a changed man.”

Nero scoffed. “Fantasia? What kind of rubbish is it?”

“I haven’t seen it used yet, but as I understand it, it allows you to choose an entirely new appearance and metamorphosizes you into that appearance until you drink another dose.”

“That’s right,” said Wedge. “You can choose your race, your gender, all your features. It’s amazing!”

“Garlond, you’re not seriously suggesting I use this snake oil?” Nero sneered. 

“Boss, my best mate, Biggs, helped work on it. It’s not snake oil!” Wedge insisted. “And it would solve our problem. If no one recognizes you, you can come to the recital with no problem!” He positively beamed. 

Nero took a few calming breaths. This was all Garlond’s fault. They both knew that Garlond was trying his hardest to poach Wedge from Scaevan Robotics, and they both knew what Wedge was tempted. After all, Biggs worked for the Ironworks. It was a war between them, just like everything else. Only this time Nero was at a disadvantage. He needed to keep Wedge happy. 

“Very well, Wedge,” Nero reluctantly agreed. “I’ll take the fantasia. I’ll go with you to the recital.”

“Boss!” Wedge said with emotion. “I promise you won’t regret it!”

Nero grabbed the bottle from the smirking Garlond. 

“Have fun, Nero,” said Cid. “I’ll come check on you in the morning and you can tell me all about it.”

[allthevoicesx]

kodie's current muse list:

under the cut you will find the current (as of 6.02.23) muse list. keep in mind that the list will change, so check back.

9-1-1 / 9-1-1: Lone Star:

bobby nash

owen strand

henrietta wilson

madeleine buckley

edmundo diaz

carlos reyes

tim rosewater

tommy vega

Hannibal

william graham

hannibal lector

abigail hobbs

NCIS / NCIS: LA

samuel hanna

kensi deeks

abigail scuito

timothy mcgee

Yellowstone

lee dutton

bethany dutton

james hurdstrom

lloyd white

ryan cooper

colby smith

Walker

cordell walker

Supernatural

sam winchester / female!sam

human!castiel

gabriel

dean winchester jr

CSI /CSI: Miami /CSI: New York

gilbert grissom

nick stokes

hugo ramirez

timothy speedle

calleigh duquense

eric delektorski

adam ross

Bones

seeley booth

zachariah addy

jack hodgins

Hawaii Five-0

steven mcgarrett

joe white

lou grover

max bergman

The Last of Us

joel miller

thomas miller

riley abel

william cooper

Harry Potter (all three are modern maurader aus)

sirius black

remus lupin

peter pettigrew

SEAL Team

jason hayes

raymond perry

Stranger Things

james hopper

william byers

michael wheeler

nancy wheeler

robin buckley

billy hargrove

lucas sinclair

murray bauman

edward munson

Santa Clarita Diet

joel hammond

eric bemis

Criminal Minds

spencer reid

jason gideon

aaron hotchner

derek morgan

Sons of Anarchy

chibs telford

juice ortiz

opie winston

tig trager

nero padilla

bobby munson

SEAL Team SIX

joseph 'bear' graves

ricardo 'buddha' ortiz

dharma caulder-khan

jasmine dalton

Chicago P.D. | Med | Fire

william halstead

alvin olinsky

antonio dawson

justin voight

gregory gerwitz

ethan choi

robin charles

stella kidd

brian (otis) zvonecek

leslie shay

matthew casey

christopher herrmann

randall (mouch) mcholland

Critical Role

caleb widogast

fjord stone

chetney pock o'pea

vax'ildan vessar

essek thelyss

scanlan shorthalt

grog strongjaw

caduceus clay

mollymauk tealeaf

percival fredrickstein von musel klossowski de rolo III

MacGyver

jack dalton

OCs (fandom floaters; )

my ocs are free to fall into whatever fandom wants them, but for ease, i have listed their names, professions and playbys.

ryden keller | firefighter | (fc is james badge dale)

hunter ruttliff | police officer | (fc is jared padalecki)

geo anderson | nurse | (fc is sam witwer)

caleb greyson | EMT | (fc is liam o'brien)

bodie braylen | teacher | (fc is mark ballas)

bastion carver | EMT | (fc is travis willingham)

jae brewer | firefighter | (fc is taliesin jaffe)

hector garra | er nurse | (fc is joshua segarra)

[princesssarcastia]

I posted 21,227 times in 2022

That's 5,091 more posts than 2021!

174 posts created (1%)

21,053 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@wabblebees

@absentlyabbie

@mandaloriandy

@theunofficiallibrarian

@aniseandspearmint

I tagged 1,803 of my posts in 2022

#pretty - 188 posts

#art - 159 posts

#star wars - 82 posts

#dc - 36 posts

#meta - 30 posts

#that's my wife - 28 posts

#star trek - 28 posts

#tags tags tags - 24 posts

#fashion - 22 posts

#anyway - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#play stupid games (allow the corporate surveillance state into your home) win stupid prizes (unsuable tech you made essential to your life a

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

alright all the irl people who know anything about this actually LIKE the man so this is the only place i can say it, but

harry styles gets on my nerves.  the REASON he gets on my nerves is that he gives off the vibe of like—he’s like the human embodiment of being gay but not queer.  i don’t think he’s even gay (he may be, he may not, i don’t even really care) but that’s what it feels like to me.  it’s like the essence of the thing people are upset about, with pride being commercialized and becoming hollow and meaningless.

oh!  i know.  seeing harry styles speak (or sing.  or apparently do some fashion icon thing) and people get excited about it, is like watching other queer gay people go up to the amazon booth at the pride festival excited for free swag and thinking its cool that amazon is here.  that’s what its like.

60 notes - Posted September 7, 2022

#4

“Because the unavoidable truth here is that the system is already rigged.  And its rigged in a way that has allowed a party without popular support to drastically reshape an entire branch of government for the foreseeable future by appealing almost exclusively to white voters in some of the least populous regions in the country.  That is not a mandate, and its not democracy.  It’s a fucking travesty! 

“We are at the end of a generational battle, and the heartbreaking thing is, we lost.

“And that hurts.  It’s going to hurt for a long time, for a lot of people, in ways that could take a while to fully comprehend.  But the next battle has to start right now; and it will be long—we didn’t get here overnight, and we won’t get out of here overnight.  But we must be willing to fight tirelessly and with every tool and tactic at our disposal.”

As always, John Oliver says it better than I ever could.  This is his episode from just after Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court, which was the point of no return on the path to overturning Roe v. Wade.  We were always going to end up here, but got does the knife still hurt slipping into your gut, even if you saw it coming.

77 notes - Posted June 24, 2022

#3

to be honest i feel like both AOS canon and aos fandom don’t treat the vulcan genocide in the first movie with enough gravity.  like.  80-90% of the time people don’t even call it what it is, let alone focus on what the effects would be on the remaining vulcans.  we actually spend way more time talking about tarsus iv as a fandom than nero’s destruction of vulcan.  and the more I write for AOS the more that wigs me out a bit.

the WHOLE PLANET is GONE.  SIX BILLION PEOPLE were MURDERED in a matter of HOURS.  it’s mass death on the largest scale in what I assume is recorded federation history.  we could uh.  dwell on that.  a bit more.  there’s probably something there worth talking about.

78 notes - Posted January 23, 2022

#2

next steps re: lizzy biting the big one

starting with india, kenya, pakistan, grenada, or cyprus, countries begin to leave the commonwealth

liz truss tries to do some diplomacy about it and it doesn’t work

charles the third of his name or what the fuck ever tries to do some diplomacy about it, says something BREATHTAKINGLY RACIST and actively makes it worse.  countries start leaving even faster.

australia peaces out

scotland announces a new independence vote before the end of the year

wales, not to be outdone, announces an independence vote before the end of the MONTH

canada peaces out

someone starts a conspiracy theory on tiktok that liz truss had the queen poisoned just after their official meeting

Ireland announces the affirmative results of the reunification vote it held while you motherfuckers were distracted via the Sinn Féin twitter.   britain pulls a spain circa 2017 and tries to prevent it

king charles III dies of a heart attack from stress, smh guys he just wanted to live out the remainder of his life in peace while directly profiting from the imperial and colonial violence of his mother ancestors, he wasn’t expecting to actually have to WORK for it

king arthur returns, sword in hand, to reclaim his rightful place as king.  the tories, desperate at this point for some kind of miracle, let him do it. 

his first act as king is to demand the abolition of the british monarchy, because “strange women lying in ponds and distributing swords is no basis for a system of government”

someone calls a vote of no confidence in liz truss.  she fails it (in large part due to the conspiracy theory), they hold an election

Christopher eccleston becomes the prime minister

242 notes - Posted September 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

ao3 crashing just as i try to click through to the last chapter of the fic i stayed up all night to finish is just fucking typical

2,347 notes - Posted June 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[campwintersoul]

Wintersoul Report Day 11

*~Hey there campers! Well, here it is, the last day and the final report! Might have been a few bumps along the way, but honestly it was a good two weeks. You were a lively sort this time around, definitely got up to some trouble, but you brats were generally alright. Brought a spark of life to Soul Island, and I know the Residents and Counselors enjoyed spending time with you all...despite what our grumbling and threats may have implied otherwise eheh.~

*~Counselor Ren snuck a little surprise event in to the schedule before the Dance. Something rather sweet really. Making Floating Lanterns to decorate and release as a gesture of farewell after the dance. It was pleasant really, just a bunch of campers (and maybe a goopman...hey it was for my daughter!) drawing whatever came to mind. Saw some kids drawing their friends. Others were just drawing shapes. Stars and hearts, and stars with hearts. Saw some of the Islands residents on a few lanterns. And more than a few happy scribbles heheh. Thanks for making our last moments in camp a little more special, Ren.~

*~Speaking of the dance heh, well, it was wild! We had the appearance of DJ Emitem (Rumors insist that it was really Samson in disguise.) again gracing us with their selection of music. Meaning we wanted to murder the little jokester half the time... Quite a lot went on that night, it would be difficult to single every one of you out, but its safe to say it all falls under ‘everyone had a good time’ heh. Saw some fancy outfits out there, guess you kids wanted to dress for the occasion. All I can say is it looked more cute than snazzy heheh.~

*~Even the furworm got in on the fun, some of the tunes must’ve been simple enough for that beastie to bust a move to. Imagine seeing 30 feet of a long furry noodle shimmying and stomping on a frozen lake creaking under their weight. Yeah, its not something you forget. Even more frightening than that though is seeing Lord Invex on the dance floor! Apparently several bribes of sugary confectioneries convinced the jerkbug to demonstrate his superior dancing skills on the ice. Even our resident spooky man Geist got in on the fun, dancing as mad a jig as one can without legs with Invex! Now there’s a night to remember! Bet that the bug won’t forget that sugar crash anytime soon either heheheh.~

*~As the night wore on those lanterns from earlier were released, lighting up the sky. Our own starry night of inscribed memories and emotions, let loose to share with the world. After that little event (finished without a single tear shed, mhm, honest!) there was one last announcement. Angelo, our ally during the Parasite Incident, extended an invitation to a Trial of Unity to the campers. A completely optional fight with the big dog himself as a test of strength and well, unity.~

*~Otherwise the campers were completely free to spend one last day to say their farewells and depart. To say things got emotional would’ve been an understatement eheh. Plans were made to meet again, contact information exchanged, a few arguments here and there, even a few crushes turning into a requited relationship. Adorable. In the end, we all left. Together, alone, parting with a few last words before hopping through. Taking one last tour of the island. One lucky soul got to ride the dragon around the whole island before having a tearful parting. Don’t worry furworm, you’ll see your pup again.~

*~Sure, it might not have been as exhilarating an end as battling an ancient world destroying threat, but the time spent here was worth it all the same. And with that Camp Wintersoul came to a close, and we’ve reached the end of the reports. But fear not, Soul Island and its residents are still around. ready and willing to open their home to more mischief. And draft me into babysitting. You’ll all have an opportunity to see your friends again. And even though I want t toss most of you off the island more often than not...I’m looking forward to it.~

*~Thank you for watching. Hope to see you delinquents again soon.~

[flowerinyourcare]

Reminiscence of the Unfinished Wine - Chapter 8

🍷 September seasonal permanent event; banner characters Shylock, Murr, Bradley; 2022/09/11 - 2022/09/19 JST 🍷

--

I was sure that Bacchus, too, understood what Shylock was saying. Bacchus's voice and expression only continued to brighten as he sold his wine.

Bacchus: Thank you! See you soon!

After some time, the crowd began to settle down. An elderly guest with thick glasses walked up to the shop.

Guest: I heard that Bacchus himself is here… Oh, you must be him.

Shylock: Unfortunately, I am not. Bacchus is this gentleman over here.

Surprised at Mr. Bacchus's youthful appearance, the guest's eyes widened behind the lenses of their glasses. 

Nero: Hah, I'd be surprised too. That guy is actually way older than me.

Guest: Wow… Even long before my grandfather was born, Bacchus was making wine here!

Faust: He was probably making wine before your great-great-great-grandfather was born.

Bacchus: Well, can I get something for you?

Guest: No, I just wanted to offer you my gratitude.

Bacchus: Gratitude?

Guest: My family has been enjoying Bacchus wine for generations. I have looked forward to it year after year.

Guest: It's a shame that there is no new wine this year, but I look forward to tasting the next one. Hopefully, I'll be sharing it with my children and great-grandchildren.

Guest: Your wine is one of the greatest pleasures of my lifetime. Thank you for continuing your work for so long.

As he spoke, the guest reached out for a handshake. 

Mr. Bacchus gratefully grasped the guest's wrinkled hand, squeezing it like a lifeline.

Bacchus: …Thank you so much.

With that, the harvest festival came to an end.

And, naturally, the results of the wine-selling competition were tabulated…

Bradley: 60, 61…

Shylock: 59, 60…

The empty wine crates were counted, and compared with the sales records from the day. Together, they formed a final count of each booth's sales.

Shylock: …How satisfying. We sold exactly 400 bottles.

Rutile & Arthur: … …

Faust & Nero: … …

Bradley: …398.

Bacchus: …We won!!

Rutile & Arthur & Akira: Hooray!!

The sales at both booths had been steady, and it was an intense competition. However, in the end, it seemed there was a surge in sales, allowing Shylock to pull ahead by a slim margin.

The wizards on Shylock's team each let out sounds of joy and relief.

Faust: Whew…

Nero: Man, that had me on the edge of my seat.

Akira: Shylock, congratulations!

Shylock: Thank you. But I really owe this victory to Bacchus, for providing his marvelous wines.

Shylock: And above all else, I offer my greatest thanks to you all for your cooperation. Even Sir Oz performed his role as salesperson most elegantly.

Arthur: Lord Oz. Your customer service was definitely wonderful!

Oz: …

Akira: (That was definitely a unique sight… Oz taking payment kind of felt more like a shakedown…)

Shylock: And you two? You have no complaints about this, I trust?

Bradley: Hah. If it can't beat out Bacchus's wine, there's no point in even havin' the field. I'll hand it over.

Bradley: But the profits from this li'l game are still all mine.

Nero: Yer pretty shrewd, even though ya lost.

Bradley: Cost a' labor, naturally.

Murr: I've gotten enough data from my research on Calamity Wine. I'm washing my hands of the fields!

Murr: And besides, it was super fun to see Shylock get all serious about winning!

Murr: How about it, Shylock? Didja have fun, too?

Shylock: Hmm. I think I'll leave that to your imagination.

Akira: (Well, it seems like he enjoyed himself…)

The tension from earlier had completely melted away. In its place, a feeling of relief and pleasant fatigue washed over us.

Looking like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, Mr. Bacchus walked up to Shylock.

Bacchus: …Shylock. You saved me today. I can't thank you enough.

Bacchus: But… did you really have to go that far? Even though you wanted to win, you didn't have to give up such a valuable wine collection for a game…

Shylock: Because to me, it was a very serious competition. I gave it everything I had. That's all there is to it.

Shylock: And I knew you would have a change of heart, because I know you.

Shylock: Truly, thank you for your help today.

Bacchus: Shylock…

Shylock: Now that we have braved the storm, let us celebrate the newfound sunshine.

Shylock produced a bottle of wine, twisting the cork out with a well-trained hand. 

Bacchus: Hey, that's Bennett wine…

Shylock: Indeed - the very wine that you protected. If you don't mind, I would like to share a drink with you.

Bacchus: …

Bacchus chewed at his lip, glancing hesitantly between Shylock and the offered glass of wine.

The deep red wine swirling in the glass matched the color of Shylock's eyes. Bennett's legacy, the history of its rise and fall, was crafted into this drink.

Bacchus: …Of course I'll drink it. Thank you.

Mr. Bacchus accepted the glass of wine. Expertly, he turned the glass in his hand, appreciated the aroma, and then took a sip.

Then, after he swallowed quietly, a sob escaped his drawn lips. His face crumpled, and he started to cry.

Bacchus: …Uu…. It's delicious…

Bacchus: It's the most delicious, and the most frustrating…! This is the impeccable flavor that haunts me, that I want to surpass more than anything…!

He groaned to himself, tears streaking down his cheeks. His voice wavered, nearly breaking from the pain and passion contained within his words.

Words of love, seeping out like blood from a beaten heart.

Shylock looked at him softly, his dark eyelashes lowering.

Shylock: …It's good to hear you say that.

Murr: Hey, Brad - from the moment you drank the Calamity wine that first time, you must have known it was a losing fight, right?

Murr: If you're a true connoisseur, I doubt you would have put so much faith into an inadequate wine. You could probably taste that the wine wouldn't hold up.

Bradley: There's no foolin' ya, huh?

Bradley: Yeah, it was no real Bacchus wine. 'S a shame there's no real batch this year, I've got a real hankerin' now.

Bradley: But at least we made that poor bastard quit his snivelin'. His cowardly face was so infuriating, I wanted to slap that look right off'a him.

Murr: I see! Even though you lost, you're still taking it as a victory!

Murr: Well, I for one loved the Calamity Wine! Especially the name!

The day after the harvest festival competition. We once again visited Bacchus's vineyards.

Rutile: The vineyards have safely been returned to M. Bacchus's care. They're his again, but…

Nero: There's still the issue of the mutant crops.

Bacchus: I tried destroying the Calamity vines and replacing them with my own crops several times, but they came back in full force each time. If this keeps up, I won't be able to make my own wine.

Bacchus: Since you all went to such lengths to get my field back, I'm hesitant to beg for another favor, but…

Bacchus: I would like to make a formal request of you, Sage's Wizards. Please, do something to fix my fields.

Arthur: Of course. In order to truly return the fields to your control, I'll give it my all.

Faust: In order to purge the Calamity's influence, we'll need to ascertain the extent of the abnormalities. Before we can do anything, we'll have to do some research, and look at…

Murr: Ooh! I did my research! I was super careful, and looked over every last leaf of the vineyard!

Bradley: This guy, seriously. He was fully skippin' meals to investigate it. Shylock: Well then, Murr. Did your investigations yield any insight?

--

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10

[amalasingh]

Location: il cane nero “I can’t believe our queen is cutting your social season short.” They’re not quite friends, she doesn’t think she would go that far. But she has seen him before, there wasn’t a single event Eve Boucher had thrown that Amala hadn’t dropped everything to attend. Cal was never an eyesore and if she had to lay eyes on a man, the least he could do was dress well. The moment she’d gotten word he’d be stepping foot on Roman soil, she’d sent an invite for him to meet her at the lounge at his leisure. Sitting across from him in the velvet booth, bottle of warmed O Negative between them, she’s both curious and apprehensive at having someone new around. It’s not like she’d been particularly close to the Juno senator, her and Ayla, and Lucien, they’d sat on the senate for their kind longer, she’d go as far as to consider them friends. @sexy-senator-renard​

[midnxghtsunwrites]

SMOKESTACKS | 15, DETECTIVE GOLDEN-BOY

previous post

i added a chapter just to make the previous chapter 15 — current 16 — make more sense - also, im planning to add another chapter somewhere before ten so the numbers might change again

WHEN JAX TELLER MET WITH Nero in a small café outside of town, he didn't expect that he would come baring bad news in regards to the one person he's been trying to reach for the past couple of days. Of course, he expected something out of pocket, but nothing to do with Nadine Parker.

"I got some of my boys from the East Coast getting into contact with me about this big shot detective who's been digging into SAMCRO. Georgia cop, golden-boy, big ass chip on his shoulder." Nero sips his black coffee.

Jax leans forward in the booth, propping his elbows on the table. His voice lowers, "They say why?"

The entrepreneur shakes his head, apprehensively, "It's bad shit, man."

"He a Fed?" Jax questions — there's only so little he could do about a federal officer. Getting him sorted out would be ideal — especially with him doing business with the Cartel. They're cutting shit too close, Bobby would probably tell him.

"Nah, man." Nero peers through the window the two are sat by, "They say he's been looking to get transferred over here, though."

Jax had so many questions and not enough time to ask them. The sun was sinking below the horizon and he wants to be home in time to kiss his boys goodnight.

"Why's he looking at us? Why all the way across the damn country?" The biker resists the urge to grab a cigarette.

Nero exhales heavily, not sure if he should expose this next piece of information. He's seen Jax with the woman at SAMCRO parties, but never actually had reason to approach her. Hell, he's trying to get out of this whole mess — he isn't even completely sure why he's even doing this. "We — we think he's following somebody here."

Part of Jackson knows who he's talking about. She shows up months ago, says nothing about where her life back in Georgia, and months later, a cop appears in the city from the same state, looking into his club. But, he gives her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe, there's a perfectly logical reason for this coincidence.

"Who?" Jax questions, almost as if he enjoyed the torture of knowing that the woman he's beginning to have feelings for brought more trouble to Charming.

Nero doesn't open his mouth. Instead, he reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper that Jax didn't notice. He unravels it and plants it in the middle of the table — it's a photograph. The familiar face on it belongs to Nadine, just as Jax suspected. The man to her right has his arm wrapped around her shoulders. It was a selfie, the background a farmers market. The smile on the man's face is almost crazed as he stares into the side of Nadine's beautiful face.

She is turned to the camera, gazing at it with a smile too bright to be fake, yet that's exactly what it is. Jax can see the fear in her eyes — fear of what? Detective Golden-Boy?

Nero sighs, heavily, "I don't wanna ask this, man, but you know I gotta." Jax arches a brow at him, waiting for his question that he was almost certain would be out of pocket, "You think she brought him here on purpose?"

Honestly, the Son doesn't know the answer to that question. What he knows is that he needs to talk to Nadine. As soon as possible. At this point, he doesn't care if she's pissed and ignoring him and his calls — he'll show up at her doorstep to get answers if he has to.

"I'll sort it out," Jax sighs and runs a hand through his gelled down hair. This is last on his list of shit he's supposed to care about — but this is Nadine he's talking about.

When he goes to stand, Nero calls to him and slides the forgotten picture across to him, "Be careful, man. He's gonna try to take y'all down — he look the crazy type."

For a moment Jax is so confused. Nadine has been so accepting of his lifestyle from the beginning — other than the Thanksgiving dinner. But, he had no clue Opie would pop off like that. Did she call her detective boyfriend after that happened? He hopes to hell she didn't.

"Alright, man, thanks."

"I LOVE YOU, DADDY." Abel dazes off as his father kisses his forehead. He got there just in time to witness Gemma put his sons in their beds.

The biker runs a hand through his son's hair, "I love you too, little man."

He repeats the process with Thomas before flipping the lamp off and exiting the room, closing the door behind him. He goes to find his mother. She was sat in the kitchen, shuffling through mail and picking out the bills to be paid so she could put it off in the urgent pile.

"Thanks for putting them to bed." He says, appreciatively, before leaning down to kiss Gemma's cheek.

She nods and pushes her glasses up, "Of course, baby." She's looking down, expecting her son to sit across from her, but what she hears instead makes her head shoot up. He grabbed the key to his motorcycle and adjusted the kutte on his back. Pulling her glasses off, Gemma leans forward, "Where are you going? It's late."

Jax shrugs, "Just gonna pay Nadine a visit."

Gemma furrows her eyebrows in confusion, "You know she's distancing herself from us — I doubt you visiting her in the dead of night is gonna change anything."

The biker grabs his pack of cigarettes from the center of the table and lights one up, "That's not what this is about."

"Then, what's it about, Jax?"

"None of your business."

Gemma rests her back against the seat and crosses her arms over her chest, "Jackson Nathaniel Teller. Don't you dare hide shit from me right now."

The man in question rolls his eyes. He's gonna have to tell her at one point, "There's a detective from the East Coast trying to transfer to Charming."

Gemma tilts her head, "And what the hell does Nadine have to do with this?" The longer she gazes at her son and scans his expression, the faster she gets his reasoning for going to find Nadine. She curses under her breath, "You think he's following her?"

Jax bows his head. He doesn't want to believe it — "That's what I'm about to go find out."

"No." Gemma's response is final, "You stay here with your boys tonight. I'll stop by and talk to her on my way home."

Jax tilts his head, "You sure you don't wanna sleep over, ma?"

"Yeah," She lightly presses her hand against his cheek before pressing a small kiss to it, "I miss my bed."

The biker blinks, calmly, thoughts fluttering around in his mind, "Drive safe, okay? Call me if anything."

"C'mon, baby, you know I can handle myself."

smokestacks taglist: @saccreigns @gwenspacy @complacentviawattpad @rosenoirwrites @bettergetusetoit @mcj39623 @palmstreesallday @kmhappybunny @buttershea07

general taglist : @gwenspacy @saccreigns @complacentviawattpad @rosenoirwrites @random-ficreader23 @kyla-queen

let me know if you'd like to join any of my taglists! feel free to like, reblog, and comment! also, my asks are open — and im taking requests!

[blueiscoool]

Treasure Trove of 2,000-Year-Old Celtic Coins Found

This September, a British birder who’d stopped on the edge of a farmer’s field to watch a buzzard and a pair of magpies stumbled onto a trove of 2,000-year-old Celtic coins worth an estimated £845,000 (around $1,150,000 USD).

As first reported by Julian Evan-Hart of Treasure Hunting magazine, the unnamed bird-watcher—who is also an amateur metal detectorist—unearthed the stash of some 1,300 gold coins in a field in the eastern English countryside. Dated to between roughly 40 and 50 A.D., the cache is the largest hoard of Iron Age Celtic coins found in the United Kingdom since 2008, when a car mechanic excavated a stash of 850 ancient staters, or handmade money, in Suffolk.

“I saw the glint of gold and realized it was a beautiful Celtic gold stater, which made me sit down in sheer shock,” the birder tells Treasure Hunting, as quoted by the Daily Mail’s Luke May. “I then spotted the second coin two feet away and rushed home to get my [metal detector].”

Upon his return, the man found that his detector produced a “really strong” signal—a sure sign that more treasures lingered below the surface. Digging down about 18 inches, he extracted a copper vessel brimming with gold coins dated back to the era when Celtic queen Boudica led a massive uprising against the Romans.

“I had to sit down to get my breath back,” the treasure hunter says. “I had only come out for a walk and found a Celtic hoard.”

Once the man overcame his initial shock, he filled two large shopping bags with the cache of coins and returned home. Then, he promptly contacted local authorities to report the find. If experts deem the discovery treasure, they will offer it to a museum and potentially offer a share of the reward to the finder. (Current guidelines define treasure very narrowly, but as Caroline Davies reports for the Guardian, the U.K. government is working to expand these parameters in order to better protect the country’s national heritage items.)

“The coins form a substantial if not enormous contribution to our academic numismatic knowledge and will undoubtedly be subject to much assessment over the coming year,” says Jules Evan-Hart, editor of Treasure Hunting, in a statement quoted by the New York Post’s Hannah Sparks. “It is possible that [the coins] may form a deposit as a ‘war chest’ for Boudica’s eastern campaigns.”

A towering figure in British history, Boudica was an ancient warrior queen who revolted against the Romans following her husband’s death in 60 A.D. Prasutagus—king of the Iceni, a tribe based in what is now Norfolk—had no male heir, so he bequeathed half of his assets to his daughters and the other half to Nero in the hope that the Roman emperor would protect his family. Unfortunately, Prasutagus’ efforts were in vain: The Romans seized and plundered his land, in addition to raping his daughters and publicly beating his widow. Enraged, Boudica raised a bloody rebellion throughout East Anglia; the Roman historian Tacitus later wrote that her forces killed around 70,000 Romans and pro-Roman Britons during attacks on three separate settlements. Despite these early victories, Boudica’s army eventually faltered. A smaller Roman force defeated the rebels in a final battle at an unknown location, slaughtering around 80,000 Britons while incurring casualties of just 400 men, as Richard Hingley noted for National Geographic in 2019.

The two historians who mention Boudica in their accounts—Tacitus and Dio Cassius—offer differing versions of her fate. According to Tacitus, the queen poisoned herself after suffering defeat. Dio Cassius, however, suggests that she fell ill, died and received an elaborate burial.

Boudica’s people, the Iceni, may have used gold staters as votive offerings in times of political duress, drought or natural disaster, wrote David Keys for the Independent in 2009.

Speaking with BBC News in 2019, archaeologist Anna Booth said that Boudica’s uprising marked a tumultuous time in the region, and as a result, many people may have hoarded coins. At one major religious center, the tribe buried more than 60 pounds of gold and silver jewelry, according to the Independent.

“There does seem to be a slight increase in hoarding in this period,” Booth told BBC News. “It is a stretch of the imagination, we are not 100 percent sure, but in this region, it is tempting to say this is because of what was happening in this period.”

The Iron Age coins are among more than 47,000 archaeological discoveries made in England and Wales this year, according to a statement released by the British Museum. Officials reported that Covid-19 restrictions led to an increase in finds, with many pandemic-worn Brits seeking respite outdoors. Finds included gold coins inscribed with the initials of Henry VIII’s first three wives, rare Saxon pennies and a copper Roman furniture fitting.

[sparkie96]

Ooh can I request a continuation of the DantexLeonxVergil soulmate au you did? It's so good! I've been thinking about it all day.

(Continuation of Part One of the “Sparda Soulmates AU”)

Dante rose a brow at the man a couple of booths over. The brunette in the leather jacket who kept looking over at their table, the one Dante had never seen around here before. Contrary to his “antisocial” exterior, Dante was very much aware of the citizens of Redgrave. He pretty much made it his job to do so. A new face usually meant a new threat. 

Or...it meant that he had found the one he had been looking for all of his life. The question was: was this beautiful brunette friend...or foe? 

His arm began to itch, Dante scratching it without much thought as he gazed at the man in question. For a possible demon in disguise, the man was awfully nervous looking. Why the hell did he keep looking over here so damn much? He scratched his arm even more, suddenly feeling itchier. Why the hell was his arm so damn itchy? He felt Vergil nudge him, but Dante’s eyes were suddenly drawn upward toward the strange man across the diner. 

And then he saw it when the man’s jacket sleeve slipped up his arm, watching as the left forearm glowed bright red, making Dante’s own eyes widen in shock. The half-demon looked down at his own arm, seeing it glow that same red glow. Without another word, Dante rose from the table and went over to the stranger, ignoring Lady, Nero and Vergil as they questioned what he was doing. 

The man froze, eyes locked onto Dante’s as Dante approached. It felt like the rest of the restaurant was watching...but in reality the only people who cared to know what was going on were the people at Dante’s table, obviously confused and filled with questions of their own. Dante swallowed the lump in his throat as he stood next to the man’s table, looking down into piercing blue eyes as the other watched him warily. 

“...Can I help you with something?” The man asked Dante as Dante cautiously sat across from him, “I don’t want any trouble, Mister.” 

“Not trying to start trouble.” Dante eyed him, raising a brow, “Haven’t seen you round here before. New in town?” 

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” The man replied honestly, “But I’ll humor you, yes, I am. I’m here on vacation.” 

“Helluva place to vacation.” Dante replied, not missing a beat as he leaned forward, “Most people go to the beach, or the mountains or something. Not a little city like this.” 

Dante felt a hand come down onto his back as Vergil sat next to him, his left arm glowing, making Dante even more confused and suspicious, “Forgive my brother, he got his manners from his friends.” Vergil apologized, “A little change of scenery is enough to ease the mind of its troubles. We don’t get many visitors due to the...crime rate around here so he was curious.” 

The man cocked his brows and gave a small half smile, “Fair enough, though I didn’t hear anything about Redgrave being terrible crime-wise. And you’re right about the “change of scenery” stuff...just needed something different.” 

Vergil smiled, holding out a hand, “I’m Vergil. This is Dante.” The man accepted the offered hand, shaking it cautiously, “We couldn’t help but notice that your arms are glowing as well.” 

The man was quiet for a moment, Dante watching as the brunette’s Adam’s Apple bobbed with the nervous or unsure breath he swallowed down, blue eyes glancing down at his arm as Vergil held his hand, “I’m...uh, Leon, Leon Kennedy...and yeah, I noticed it just now actually...that mine kind of looked like yours and your brother’s markings.” 

“Particular indeed,” Vergil hummed, “May I?” He asked as fingers gently pinched the end of Leon’s sleeves. 

Leon pulled his hand from Vergil’s grasp and Dante half-expected the brunette to deny his twin’s request and storm off or something along those lines. What he hadn’t expected was for Leon to pull his arms out of his sleeves before shrugging off the worn leather jacket, revealing the tight navy-blue quarter length sleeved v-neck underneath. Dante had been so breath taken by the beautiful physique that he almost missed the now glowing markings on Leon’s arms. 

Vergil gently held Leon’s wrists in both of his hands, examining the marks before looking at his and Dante’s own, “Well...it does appear that we have quite the predicament on our hands. You have two soulmates; my brother and I.” 

Leon nodded, “And it’s been bothering me ever since I got them. How can this happen? How does this happen?” 

Vergil merely hummed in reply, “I am not sure...but I probably have a book or two in my library that could help us figure out how to go about this...if you don’t mind coming with us, of course.” 

Leon nodded eagerly, “Yeah. I would like to get some answers.” 

Vergil gave a smile, “It’s a good thing we found each other then. Come.” 

Leon collected his coat and paid for the check for his breakfast, following Vergil and Dante...leaving behind the remaining Devil May Cry crew.

Nero watched them leave before looking back at his companions, “What the hell just happened? And who the fuck was that guy?” 

“I don’t know,” Lady replied as she slumped back into her seat, “But I think we just got ditched...which means Dante now owes me money...and breakfast.” 

[buns-with-a-book]

Fortuna Food Festival

For Day Four of DMCWeek2020, the prompt chosen was food! And Fortuna is an island nation, recently opened to the world, with probably pristine beaches. It’s perfect for a nice food festival!

Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: OC/Vergil Tags: @furyeclipse @nimnox @i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate @queenmuzz @harlot-of-oblivion @astral-space-dragon

Summary: While visiting Fortuna, Cassandra and Vergil attend a local food festival celebrating Fortuna-Mainland fusion cuisine.

Today was, effectively, a date.

The warm summer sun shone brightly on an open square of Fortuna, stalls full of food and drink. It was Fortuna’s first ever food festival, a cultural import from the mainland. Not only was this food festival becoming a tourist draw for a newly revitalized Fortuna, it also showed off new mainland fashions. Stars were drawn to Fortuna’s warmth and came not only to show off the latest fashions to the Fortunan populace (and their own online following) but the traditional modesty (or what remained of it, after the Fortuna Incident) was thrown out the window with thousands of small cameras in people’s pockets, which meant more revealing sundresses were free game for people to wear.

“Vergil, you look lovely.” Cassandra gently soothed, brushing out the wrinkles in his white button-up shirt. Vergil frowned, glancing up and down at Cassandra in her green sundress, decorated in a floral pattern. The two were in an alleyway, a little shortcut from the street to the plaza where the festival was taking place. “And don’t complain about the lack of coat and Yamato. It’s a food festival, there’s no need to bring it, and it’s too hot for your coat.” She added, stepping back. She adjusted her sunhat.

“I would’ve been fine-”

“Until you leave it behind on some table and we spend the rest of the festival finding it.” She took his hands and gave them a squeeze. “Just...relax, ok? It’s just gonna be a nice date where we eat good food. I’m not gonna let you languish in Devil May Cry knowing nothing but pizza and sundaes.” She gave him a knowing smirk over the rim of her sunglasses.

“Did you...languish with my brother with nothing but pizza and sundaes?” Vergil asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not! I made sure to eat whatever caught my attention. Burgers, pasta, and everything else in between.” She gently led Vergil out of the alleyway into the plaza, where the scent of warm cooked fish, vegetables, and toasted bread met them. She glanced at Vergil, the man glancing around, ever attentive for threats. It was an instinct that she knew could not be restrained by any such assurances from her.

Cassandra reached into her bag, decorated with imprints of limes (it was a gift from Dante and Cordelia and she was impressed at the fact that they made it together). She pulled out the brochure and opened it. “Hmm...how about something light? This fish-tomato bruschetta sounds easy to start off.”

“It looks messy-”

“Bruschetta is messy by nature. It’s just tomatoes on toasted bread usually.” Cassandra pointed out. “Are you afraid your bad luck with burgers is gonna ruin finger food?” She glanced back, seeing him glare at the brochure.

“Is this festival all food?” He asked, the glare in his eyes not reaching his voice.

“Yep. That’s the point of a food festival, to try different kinds of food. It’s even more so for the populace of Fortuna, since their food staples are fish and bread. Mitis Forest doesn’t really give much room for farmable land, for crops or for animals aside from chickens. These new ingredients from the mainland are gonna shake things up.” Cassandra explained as she led Vergil to the booth where the fish-tomato bruschetta was sold. “Kyrie told me all about it.”

“I see.” Vergil nodded. Cassandra quickly bought two plates of bruschetta and handed one to Vergil.

“Here you go!” Vergil stared at the plate handed to him before he took one of the pieces of bruschetta, taking a bite. “Well?”

“...it’s different. I like it.” Cassandra beamed at his words and took a bite herself.

“It is different. But it’s a good different!” She looked at the fish. “I think these are locally fished sardines. That’s the big food trend, apparently: locally sourced ingredients.” She took another bite of bruschetta. “Good thing Dante isn’t here. For one, today is all about us. For another, he’d be eating the pizza stand out of food.” She pointed to the aforementioned pizza stand. “Except the olives. Not sure what they’d do with the olives but” She shrugged. “I bet they’d have something planned.” She looked to Vergil, noticing he had finished the plate.

“Is something the matter?”

“Not really. I guess you really liked it.” She smiled, presenting the last piece of bruschetta on her plate to him. He took the piece and ate it.

‘So much for feeding it to him.’ Cassandra thought, taking his plate and throwing them in the trash. ‘I should’ve expected as much.’

“Cassandra?” Vergil asked. She perked up, noticing his gaze was on a booth across the plaza. “What is shakshuka? It sounds like a demon’s name.”

“Oh! I don’t know what that is either. Wanna try it?” She asked, taking his hand. He seemed to jolt, just a little, at the sudden grab before nodding. With that, she led the way.

---

“And then I had to throw Dante into a salt bath because his dumbass got cursed to be a dog! He was miserable for weeks but that was his fault for pissing off a witch.” Cassandra finished her story, earning an amused chuckle from Vergil. The two were relaxing on the beaches of Fortuna, sitting on a blanket Cassandra had the foresight of grabbing. Between them was a sliced up cinnamon walnut apple cake. Behind the cake was Cassandra’s phone, playing the local radio softly.

“Dante always had a habit of getting himself in trouble.” Vergil pointed out, a soft smile on his face. “But he was just as good of getting himself out of trouble.”

“Sounds like Dante. But that stops with Nero. Nero doesn’t have time to deal with Dante being evasive.” Cassandra pointed out, popping a bit of cake into her mouth. “So...did you enjoy the festival?”

“...there were more people than I would have liked but...yes.” Cassandra smiled at that.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself regardless.” She said, moving over to rest her head on his shoulder. Vergil was still for a few minutes before, slowly, he wrapped a hand around her side. She smiled, relaxing against him and enjoying the sound of the waves and the radio.

[sparrowjaywrites]

                                              My Little Blue Star

Jim Kirk x Kat Sparrow (Original Female Character): Soulmate AU - Identical tattoos or birthmarks

           Kat sighs staring down at the blue star on her wrist. She was almost thirty years old and hadn’t met her soulmate yet… which normally would mean she never would. Hell for all she knew they could be dead or already happily married with kids. The soulmate tattoos caused a lot of controversy. Many people used to have their kids soulmate tattoos removed when they were babies or children. That was until it was forbidden for a soulmate tattoo to be removed until a person was twenty-one years old. This was to prevent parents from forcing their children’s removed and to keep teens who thought they were in love from having it done.

           Many people would fall in love and get married only to later end up in a horrible situation when they met their soulmate. They would have to choose between their spouse and the person they were destined for. Most couples who weren’t soulmates got their tattoos removed at their ten year anniversary, others when they first got married, or when their kids were born. If one soulmate removed their tattoo the others would disappear, the same would happen if someone altered their tattoo; their soulmates would change as well; whether this was by adding to the tattoo, removing part of it, or having a scar change it.

           Some people had multiple tattoos, meaning either they were destined for a polyamorous relationship or they simply had multiple chances at finding a soulmate, or one of their soulmates was destined to die… something no one ever wanted to think about. But Kat simply had one. Her blue star had never changed… at least not as long as she could remember. It sat right over her pulse point on her left wrist. A simple light blue star with a black border… it looked almost like a sketch, with the multiple lines making up each edge. The star was faded, like someone had tried to wash it away… Pictures of her when she was born show the star being much more vibrant.

           “Kat, are you coming to dinner?” Kat looks up as her best friend pulls her from her thoughts.

           “Yeah, I’m coming, Nyota.” She closes down her station following her friend to the mess hall. Kat was head of computer sciences aboard the USS Enterprise. She had worked on the ship since the Nero incident a little over five years before. Nyota had already found her soulmate in her boyfriend Spock. At first the only friend Kat had on the Enterprise was Nyota. Then she’d introduced her to the rest of the head crew. Kat had instantly clicked with Hikaru and Pavel, the two instantly earning themselves a place as her best friends. Hikaru had also found his soulmate in his husband Ben. The two had a daughter now.

           “Hey, Kat” She smiles as Pavel waves her and Nyota over to them. Nyota sits down next to Spock, who is talking with Bones, another of Kat’s best friends. The doctor was yelling at him as usual while Spock simply raised an eyebrow in concern? At least that’s what she thought that face meant; the half-vulcan was very hard to read at times. Hikaru and Pavel seemed to be in the middle of some type of challenge, they each had houses built of forks in front of them and were adding more. Scotty and Keenzer were cheering them on. Jim, the captain of the ship was watching all this in amusement. That was their little family.

           “What exactly are you doing?” Kat asks as she sets her tray down.

           “I bet Pasha here that I could build a taller tower then him.” Hikaru says smirking. Kat shakes her head sitting down and eating her food. She pulls her blue sleeve back from her wrist to look at her tattoo again, letting her mind wander as she eats, absentmindedly listening to her friends argue and talk excitedly.

           “Are you worrying about that again?” She looks up as Bones addresses her. Kat quickly covers her tattoo with her sleeve. She wasn’t one to display her soulmate tattoo; many people didn’t, wearing black bands on their wrists to cover it. Normally Kat wore one as well, but hers had broken that morning. This made it a lot harder to find your soulmate, but kept you from finding them while in the middle of situation that was inappropriate, such as at work, or during a negotiation of some sort. The only other person in their friend group who had ever worn one was Jim. But Kat had noticed he’d stopped wearing his when it became legal for Captains to date their crew; so long as they disclosed the relationship to the admiralty, their first officer, and their head of medical.

           “Worrying about what?” Kat asks playing dumb, as she pushes her glasses up her face, a nervous habit she’d picked up as a kid. She was allergic to the medicine that fixed eyesight and so was one of the few people in the federation who needed them, something she had once been very subconscious about.

           “Your soulmate, you normally move your band to look at it or fiddle with the band when you’re thinking about it.” Nyota says. Kat scowls.

           “You people are too damn observant.”

           “You shouldn’t vorry; you’ll find zhem when iz’s time.” Pavel says placing another fork on his tower.

           “Not everyone does, Pavel. With my luck they’re either dead or already married.” Kat shakes her head.

           “Well you’ll never find them if you keep the tattoo covered like you do? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it?” Bones points out.

           “I thought you didn’t believe in the soulmate tattoos?” Kat counters crossing her arms. Bones had been married when his wife had found her soulmate and divorced him. He’d been very cynical about it since. It didn’t help his soulmate had removed their tattoo when he was around sixteen.

           “I believe in them, just don’t like em.” Bones counters.

           “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it either?” Hikaru points out.

           “I normally wear my band; it broke this morning though…” Kat shrugs.

           “But why hide it if you want to find yours, Lass?” Scotty asks. Kat looks away.

           “We weren’t allowed to show them in the orphanage or during the war…” She explains. “If we did we’d be beaten, arrested, or killed… It’s become a habit I guess…” Kat had grown up on the none federation planet of Arulan in an orphanage. A war had raged on the planet for most of her life. She had left the planet at nineteen to join the federation and a year later once she was a citizen of earth, to join Starfleet.

           “Oh…” The table falls silent. Kat stands up.

           “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

                                            ---Line Break---

           A week had passed since the day in the mess hall. Nyota had been pushing her to show her tattoo off ever since. She wasn’t being overly pushy about it, more reassuring than anything. Kat hadn’t bothered getting a new band. She figured her sleeve would be enough for most situations and figured Nyota and the others were right, if she wanted any chance of finding her soulmate she had to show it. They were on Shore leave on Yorktown that day as the ship needed repairs from a fight with a few Klingon war birds earlier that month.

“Okay, so the purpose of this trip is to show your tattoo to as many people as possible.” Nyota says as she drags Kat into a club where they would be meeting the rest of the head crew for drinks.

           “I know; you’ve gone over this ten times, Ny.” Kat shakes her head rolling her eyes. She was wearing a blue sundress, her tattoo completely uncovered for anyone to see for the first time in her life. Her long wavy brown hair was pulled back in a braid, courtesy of Nyota’s hair styling skills. Nyota drags her over to the others. Hikaru was dancing with Ben not far from the table, Pavel flirting with a girl nearby. Spock, Bones, and Jim sit sipping drinks. Scotty was playing pool with some guys from engineering.

           “Hello, Nyota, Kat.” Spock greets them as the two slide into the booth. Nyota next to Spock, Kat across from her beside Jim.

           “So I see you’re not wearing a bracelet. Decided to show off your tattoo?” Bones asks clearly a bit drunk already.

           “Yes, she has. Our goal tonight is to show it to as many people as possible, see if anyone recognizes it as their own or someone they knows.” Nyota says.

           “Well then, let’s see it.” Bones says leaning around Jim to see. Kat laughs shaking her head.

           “You’re nosy when your drunk, Bones.” She holds out her wrist hesitantly. Before Bones can get a good look, a waitress comes over to them asking for their drink order, Kat turns back ordering herself a scotch. Bones now distracted by his drink doesn’t ask again and the group falls into their usual conversations. After a while Nyota drags Spock onto the dance floor, Bones heading to the bar to get another drink.

           “So, your actively looking for your soulmate now?” Jim asks sipping his own scotch.

           “More or less… Nyota’s idea…” She shrugs.

           “You don’t seem too happy about it?”

           “It’s not that… I’m just not very comfortable showing it… I feel like I’m going to be arrested or attacked for it any minute… I know I won’t be but…” She looks down at her wrist running a finger over her star.

           “But fear isn’t logical.” Jim finishes. “I had to keep mine covered before… I didn’t want to find my soulmate on the ship, knowing I couldn’t be with them…” He says pulling the sleeve on his right arm up.

           “Makes sense” Kat nods. She runs her finger over her star once more before turning to look at him fully.

           “Have you ever imagined what your soulmate will be like?” Jim asks.

           “Yeah… I hope their nice, a good person ya know? But I don’t know what to think… my tattoo is still here but it’s faded… I would have thought it was supposed to be, but pictures of me as a baby show it being a lot more vibrant… I can’t help but wonder if my soulmate attempted to remove the tattoo and failed…” She explains a worried look clear on her face.

           “It could have been an accident or their parents? My mom tried to remove mine with a home remedy when I was a toddler, I only know because my older brother told me… She didn’t want me having one after my father died… something about not wanting me to go through that pain… she tried the same on my brothers… it didn’t work. Now mine’s all faded.”

           “That’s horrible…” Kat shakes her head.

           “Yeah… But I still like mine… my little star.” He smiles looking down at his wrist, Kat tries to make out his tattoo but is just at the wrong angle to see it.

           “A star?” She asks, glancing down at her own little blue star.

           “Yeah, it fits, with me loving the stars as much as I do… I hope she likes them as much as I do…”

           “She?”

           “Yeah, I mean, I’d be fine if it were a he or whatever they are… but I feel like they’re a she…”

           “What else do you feel they’re like?” Kat asks with a small smile.

           “Their favorite color is blue, and they love the stars and the ocean… They’re a cat person, but like dogs too.” He says with a thoughtful look. “They are a huge nerd.”

           “All that from one little tattoo?” She laughs.

           “Well, yes and no… I’ve daydreamed about them, whoever they are my entire life… got me through some of my worst moments.” He downs his drink.

           “I guess that makes sense… I was too busy trying to survive to get a chance to dream of stuff like that… I love my little blue star though… It fits me perfectly.” Kat says laying her left wrist on the table to show him her tattoo. Jim leans over to look at it, his eyes slowly widening.

           “Holy crap.” He mutters as he slowly looks up at her. Kat raises an eyebrow.

           “What?” Jim lays his right wrist beside hers. Right on his pulse point is a little blue sketch like star… her little blue star. Kat stares openly at the tattoos for a minute before she slowly looks up at him.

           “You’re my soulmate?” Jim asks, looking completely shocked. “All these years… we were right there… and we never knew?”

           Kat stares at him, her heart racing in her ears. She slowly and almost fearfully brings her right hand to trace the star on his wrist. As soon as she touches it a small shock shoots through her, not a bad shock like static electricity but an amazing one. The shock is like a bucket of cold water being poured over your head on a warm day, the satisfaction when you put the final piece of a puzzle together, like the first bite of your favorite desert, or hearing the chorus to your absolute favorite song. It’s like the first snow of winter, or first bud of spring. Absolute belonging, like the world finally making sense. Something Kat had never known. Like for the first time in her life, she was truly home.

           Kat looks up at him her brown eyes wide, made even wider by her glasses, locking with his bright shocked blue. Blue… just like her… no their little blue stars.

           “Oh my god…” She mutters out, she covers her mouth with her right hand her eyes flickering from his eyes back to their wrists then back to his eyes again.

           “Is… is that a good ‘oh my god’… or a bad one?” He asks slowly, looking at her nervously now. Kat blinks at him not getting his meaning for a moment. She moves her hand pushing her glasses up her nose.

           “A shocked one… I… oh wow… I never thought… that my soulmate could be… someone like you.” Kat says her eyes locking with his again.

           “I know… you probably expected someone better… Someone who deserves someone as amazing as you…” Jim says looking away, clearly misunderstanding her. “We don’t have to be together… I understand if you don’t want to be.” Jim says his voice breaking.

           “What? NO!” Kat shakes her head quickly, grabbing his right hand in her left frantically. “That is not what I meant!” Jim looks down at their hand then up at her confused.

           “Then what did you mean?”

           “I meant I never expected my soulmate could be someone as absolutely amazing and wonderful as you!” Kat says looking up at him desperately, worry clear on her face.

           “You… you think I’m wonderful?” Jim asks, a large grin slowly stretching across his face, happiness, wonder, and love replacing the hurt and pain. Kat nods slowly, her face turning red.

           “Well… yeah.” She looks down at their hands. Jim uses his free hand to lift her chin softly so their eyes a locked again.

           “I think you’re an amazing, wonderful, beautiful, strong, and sometimes a bit scary, woman. I couldn’t have been given a better soulmate.” He says sincerely. Kat stares at him tears starting to form in her eyes.

           “You… really think that?” Jim nods a large grin splitting his face tears sparkling in his own eyes.

           “That and so much more… I’ve liked you for a long time… hell much more than liked, but I didn’t want to make a move knowing you still had your tattoo meaning you were probably waiting for your soulmate…”

           “I was doing the same thing… we really are idiots.” Kat laughs a large grin splitting her face as a few tears leave a trail down it. Jim brushes the tears away.

           “May I… kiss you?” He asks after a moment. Kat nods her smile turning nervous again. Jim slowly leans in, kissing her softly. Kat kisses him back, her heart leaping with joy. After twenty-nine years, she was finally home. ---Line Break--- This is a repost of a story from 2016 originally posted on my main account that I have cleaned up and updated. I really like the little AU and figured it was time to clean it up a bit and move it here, I hope you all enjoy!

[kumeko]

A/N: For the Chaldeas Grand Road Trip Zine (on Twitter)! The basic premise was to write diary entries from Mash’s PoV, talking about her worldwide vacation (with Senpai and all the servants, of course!). I got assigned the Food section (did they know I’m a glutton? XD). I tried to inject the premise in the story, so it should be understandable even without reading the others/seeing the pictures.

Summary: Dear Diary, I never knew the world could be so big. That it could have so many people and places and things to do. It’s one thing to fight your way across a singularity, another to take the time to enjoy yourself. I think I like having a vacation. From, Mash

…

…

…

…

Road Trip Day: X

There are so many things to see and do in the world! I mean, I knew that before we went on vacation; traveling with Senpai to the singularities showed me that much. You can’t go to Rome, Egypt, or cross the entire United States without realizing that. But most of our journey was spent fighting monsters and servants; we’re so busy saving the world we didn’t really get time to explore.

 Well, I did explore little, but you can't tell Senpai that. Not that you can, you're just a digital log entry…I'll just have to make sure Senpai doesn't see this myself. They can't know I gave anything less than 100% to helping them out, no matter how interesting the winding roads were.  

 Now that we aren’t in a hurry, I’ve just realized how big the world is. Normally we’re running from place to place (or being catapulted from place to place, I really hope we don’t do that again) and with a Servant’s speed, it didn’t take that long to cross entire countries. The cars we’re using now are slower; Da Vinci said she wanted a leisurely trip. Every time I look out the window, the scenery is so different—I never knew there could be so many different kinds of cities or even trees. Every time I blink, I miss something.

Last night, Da Vinci pulled out a map and put pins on all the places we’ve gone to. Amazingly, that’s just a tiny fraction of the world! One day, I would like to see every city on that map. With Senpai, of course. I wonder if they like travelling? Ishtar happened to be floating by and she declared we needed to eat out more often. I think Romani was trying to save money by having Emiya cook. When I told her that, she snorted and said we had royalty and gods with us, so money wasn’t an issue. (I don’t think that’s true.) She also said that no matter how good a cook Emiya was, we needed to try new things. Later, I’ll tell Emiya that a goddess complimented his cooking. I’m sure that’ll make him happy!

 Funnily enough, Hokusai poked her head in and agreed with Ishtar. She pulled out these little sculptures she’d made (I guess she’s not only a painter) and placed them on the board at the places she wanted to visit. Apparently, Paris is a great place to eat. And to pick up women, but I’m sure Senpai won’t do that.

 Probably.

 Well, even if Senpai did, they have their hands full with all of us. I’m not sure it was a great idea to go on vacation with every servant, but Senpai didn’t want to leave anyone behind. They’re really admirable but I’m worried about their health. It must be exhausting keeping us all around. I’ll have to make sure to keep an eye out for them. Maybe one day I can pay them back, impress them like they’ve impressed me.

 The little figurines Hokusai made are really cute! There’s one for the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower, and the Pyramids. Shuten put down one that was shaped like a wine glass on Italy and said we had to go there. Italy is filled with many, many vineyards and “we can’t miss even one delectable ambrosia,” as she put it. Excited, Da Vinci started booking some tours, but Romani quickly vetoed the whole thing. I think he regretted saying anything immediately, since all four servants glared at him.

 Now that I’m remembering it, I might have to protect him. Shuten is an assassin, after all.

 When we started talking about food, it was funny how red Ishtar got after all of her suggestions. Apparently, she really wanted to eat burgers. The second she said that, she looked at everyone like she was waiting to be insulted, saying that she knew a goddess shouldn’t eat such poor food. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it myself.

Shuten said she wanted to have some Baijiu. Romani started to point out that it was alcohol too but the second she looked at him, he shut up…

 I am definitely checking up on him when I’m done writing. Maybe Senpai and I can sleep with him tonight, just to make sure nothing happens.

 “Obviously, I’ll have pasta,” Da Vinci said, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to find a way to go to those vineyards. Houksai said she was fine eating anywhere there were beautiful people so she wanted to go to a runway in Milan to eat. Maybe we’ll get to see a fashion show too, that would be really interesting!

 It’s funny, but Archer is such a good cook, I sometimes forget that even he can’t cook everything. Even with Tamano Cat and some of the other servants pitching in to help, there are a lot of dishes we don’t get at Chaldea. I think I want to try eating some of the curries in India; we don’t really get spicy food that often. Hopefully, my tongue won’t burn too much.

 I wonder what Senpai wants to eat?

 -Mash

  Road Trip Day: X

Remember that map I talked about before? Well, we got to fulfill Ishtar’s dreams first! America’s huge, far bigger than any of the other countries we’ve been to. I should have expected that when we criss-crossed the country before, for that singularity, but there’s something still very impressive about it. Every place here looks so different from one another and somehow they all fit in one country! And the roads are so long, somehow we can go for hours without seeing a major city.

 Anyways, when we stopped for lunch today, we got burgers. Emiya wrinkled his nose when we entered, but he didn’t say anything. I think he’s feeling a little jealous these days since he hasn’t had to cook much. When we get back, I’ll make sure to ask him for food.

 The restaurant was a big place, with plenty of booths to sit in, but no place is big enough to fit all of us in it. Artoria practically dashed to the counter and immediately ordered every burger on the menu. Senpai looked at the queue of sabers and said that we should take turns, so the place wasn’t entirely overwhelmed. Considering how much Camelot’s King eats, in all of her forms, I thought Senpai’s plan was doomed to fail from the start. Don’t tell Senpai that, though. They’re trying their best to make sure we all have an equally fun vacation.

 Despite Senpai’s suggestion, Mordred joined the queue of Artorias, looking really happy that she could eat with her fathers. I wonder what she thinks about having so many dads, it must be complicated.

 Ozymandias and Cleopatra weren’t really interested in eating commoner’s fare, as they put it. They opted instead to dine with Gil and Iskander and they had a picnic outside. I think they missed out, personally, but I can see why they didn’t want to come. Can you imagine Gil eating a burger, ketchup dripping down his hands, mustard on his lips? He’d destroy the restaurant and us in it.

 Nitocris looked really nervous when the other pharaohs asked her to join them. She said yes but kept playing with her hands and looking away at us. There was something really frantic about the way she did that. Thinking it was a secret message, I winked and gave her a thumbs up. It must have been the wrong thing because she looked really depressed after that. Luckily, Senpai was much better at reading minds because they asked Nitocris to join us. Even then, Nitocris hesitated until Ozymandias clapped her on the back, pushing her forward. He asked her to tell him what commoners ate these days. Wouldn’t it be better if he just joined us then?

 Still, he, Cleopatra, and Nitocris look really close. Hopefully I’ll be that close with Senpai too one day.

 Sheba joined us as well. I wonder why, she didn’t seem like the type to like such places. By the time we got in, the staff looked exhausted. Ishtar was worried but luckily they still had food left. Did they know that they fed royalty and gods today?

 There were so many burgers on the menu, I didn’t know what to pick. Nitocris kept muttering under her breath how she had to pick the most dignified burger. How do you decide what a ‘dignified burger’ is? Ishtar didn’t have any issues; she ordered three different ones with extra fries and double patties. When we looked at her, she huffed and said she wanted to try multiple ones and “I’m a goddess, I can eat whatever I want to! Stop judging me!”

 I wasn’t judging her!

 Senpai picked a simple burger and I copied them. That way, we could compare later.

 The servers kept staring Sheba the whole time. Actually, everyone kept staring at her. Sometimes they’d look at Ishtar and Nitocris but then they’d go back to her. I wonder what part was stranger: her clothing or her ears? I’ve gotten used to it by now, but I keep forgetting it’s not normal everywhere else.

 The burgers they gave us were huge! I could barely fit my hands around them and ketchup and pickles kept falling out of the bun. It was a messy, messy meal. By the end of it, Senpai’s hands were covered in ketchup and pickle juice and there was a stain on her shirt. Oddly enough, Sheba didn’t have any issues. While I kept having small nibbles, she ate the whole thing in big, quick bites. I guess she was really hungry.

 Oh, Senpai’s calling me! We have to do laundry today so our clothes don’t stain.

 -Mash

  Road Trip Day: X

 Karna and Arjuna were at it again today. Well, ‘at it’ makes it sound like they always fight, which isn’t exactly the case. They’re old friends (kinda, at least I don’t think they’re rivals anymore) and they often are on the opposite sides of things. Actually, putting it like that really makes it sound like all they do is fight. But they don’t argue like, say, Nero and Elizabeth.

 No one fights like those two.

 Karna came out of nowhere and asked Senpai if he could take them out for lunch. With all that Senpai’s done for him, he wanted to show a little gratitude and give something back. He’s so considerate! Of course, Senpai being Senpai, they said that it wasn’t needed (they’re so kind!), but Karna insisted. As we headed out, Arjuna appeared and asked if he could treat me! I think he didn’t want to be one-upped by Karna but I haven’t really done anything to get any thanks. When I said that, he shook his head and said that I helped out a lot. That without me, Senpai might not have made it as far as they did.

 I’d never thought about it like that. While I’m sure Senpai would have figure something out, I’m glad to think I was of some use.

 Senpai and I were dragged to a diner, and Jinako tagged along because she thought it looked fun. The diner was very old. Or at least, it seemed really old. It looked like something from an old movie, where boys in gelled hair and leather jackets ask out girls in pretty pink dresses. You might be wondering how I know about that—Senpai and I have been watching movies lately! They wanted to share their favourites with me, especially after they found out I didn’t really watch that many movies before now. Actually, I haven’t read that many books either. Maybe I can ask Senpai for their favourite books too.

 The one we watched recently was filled with dancing, singing teenagers. I spent most of lunch hoping Senpai would ask me dance, but they didn’t understand my hints. I’ll try again next time.

 The diner had a checkered floor and our shoes clicked as we made our way to a booth. There was a really warm atmosphere to the place, cozy-like, and I wanted to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate. Arjuna ordered an ice cream sundae; it came in a long glass and looked like a flower. It was very pretty. And tasty—Arjuna almost gulped it all down. Only when his head hurt did he stop. I think that was his first brain freeze.

 The item on the menu that caught my eye was a chicken and waffle sandwich. They use waffles instead of bread! It was weird; waffles are for breakfast! You have them with syrup! But I was having them with fried chicken and it would have been weird to add syrup to that. Still, it didn’t taste that bad. I think I might try it again.

 Karna wasn’t going to order anything but Senpai forced him too. He always looks so surprised when we worry over him; I’ll have to remind him more often how important he is! As considerate as ever, Karna ended up ordering a platter with chili and sandwiches and shared it with Jinako.

 While we ate, old music played. There was a machine in the diner called a ‘jukebox’. If you put a coin in it, it’ll play a song. It had a limited selection of music and most of the songs were old hits. Apparently, this was how people used to listen to music, before they had cellphones. Senpai said the music was very nostalgic. I didn’t understand how, but I was glad Senpai liked it!

 When the bill came, Arjuna and Karna kept tugging back and forth on it. Both of them insisted that they should be the one to pay, that it was their treat. In the end, Senpai grabbed the bill and said it was their treat now. Karna argued that we shouldn’t waste a dime on someone like him, but that only made Senpai mad. They growled that if Karna every said anything like that again, he was going to help Emiya in the kitchens for a month.

 Considering how much the Artorias eat, I wouldn’t wish that one anyone.

 I’m going to watch another movie with Senpai tonight. I wonder what they’ll pick this time.

 -Mash

  Road Trip Day: X

 Hokusai must have been very happy today, as we are in Paris! I didn’t see her all day so I think she was out drawing people. Or picking up women. I hope it’s not the latter. Da Vinci told her earlier that if she wanted to paint a beautiful person, then she should just draw her. Hokusai said she didn’t want to draw anyone that old.

 It was a horrific fight. If Hokusai brings back anyone, they’ll be in danger.

 There were so many things to see here! There was the Eiffel Tower--we climbed the stairs since the elevator was so long. Senpai looked exhausted after that and I offered to carry them on my back. Unfortunately, they declined. The view from there was nice, especially as we got higher and higher. Jeanne D’Arc offered to translate for us since all of the tourist information was written in French. She was like a knight in shining armour. I’ll have to study that when we get home.

 After that, we went to the Louvre since it was nearby. Did you know there was a glass pyramid there? It’s a lot smaller than the real ones but it is completely see-through. Inside it there’s an escalator that takes you down to buy tickets and enter the museum. It’s kinda like being in a spy movie, with secret entrances and hidden rooms!

 None of the pharaohs looked impressed by the pyramid. Actually, Nitocris was really excited at first, declaring that Egypt had successfully conquered Paris. Ozymandias stepped in then, crossing his arms and sneering at the pyramid. Apparently it was too small to be considered anything worth while, a terrible imitation of a pyramid. Cleopatra declared it wasn’t cute enough. I didn’t know pyramids could be cute.

 That’s when Marie Antoinette stepped in. Unable to take it anymore, she announced that we were going to see France in all her glory. Starting with brunch, of course. As the queen of the country, it was her duty to show us all of the beauty of Paris, from food to the arts. Or so she said—I don’t think they were really insulting France, but she was so enthusiastic about it that I didn’t want to stop her.

 We ate at a restaurant where we could see the Louvre. There, we got an amazing spread of cheese, croissants, puffed pastries, and other French treats. For just a little while, I could see what it was like to be queen. Did Marie eat this every day, I wonder? What did the pharaohs have? When we go to Egypt, I’ll ask them to take Marie and us out.

 I liked the tarts the best. They were soft, fruity, and with a little hint of sugar sprinkled on top. If only we could have one every day for breakfast. Senpai’s a messy eater, so a light coating of sugar ended up on their nose. Sadly, they wouldn’t let me wipe it off. Nitocris kept playing with the crossiants—she put one on one of her Medjeds, saying that they now had a French hairstyle. The pastry was really flaky (and buttery!), I hope the Medjeds can wash themselves.

 Cleopatra looked the happiest to be there, even happier than Nitocris, which I didn’t think was possible. She kept trying different treats, taking a bite out of everything she saw. If she didn’t like it, she slipped it under the table for a Medjed to take. Senpai said that that was what it was like to have a pet dog. I’ll try that with Fou next time.

 Out of all of them, Ozymandias was the least interested in the food. Despite Marie’s best attempts, he preferred to drink wine instead. At 11 am, I think it was too early to drink (though Shuten probably would be on his side). He kept swirling his glass, looking out the window at the pyramid. In the end, he declared that while the pyramid was still substandard, the wine was not. That there was some value to France, after all.

 Marie didn’t seem to like that at all. I think she wanted him to like the food too. After this, she’s going to take us out to more places like her former palace! If it’s anything like the Louvre, it’ll be huge. My feet are still sore from walking through the giant museum. They had everything in there; I didn’t see even a fraction of all the paintings and sculptures they have. I’m not sure if I can take a second palace that big.

 -Mash

  Road Trip Day: X

 While we spent most of our trip inside proper hotels (Romani says it’s because it’s a vacation and we deserve the best, but sometimes I look at Da Vinci and I’m not sure that’s the real reason), today we went camping. It’s really dark right now and I’m writing this in front of a slowly dying campfire. I feel like I’m a pioneer, only without the quill ink and paper scroll. We’ve been in cities so much and something’s always happening at home, so I kind of forgot what it’s like when it’s quiet. Like it used to be, back when it was just me, Romani, and Da Vinci. There aren’t too many servants awake right now and while I feel like I’m in the middle of a tent city, it also feels like I’m the only person in the world right now.

 It’s kind of hard to describe why. The fire’s crackling softly and I can hear all sorts of wild animals in the distance. Hooting owls, chattering raccoons, the rustle of squirrels running through the trees. If I look up, the stars spread endlessly above me. I could stare at them for hours. They make me feel small.

 I might have spent too much time with Murasaki; I’m starting to sound like a poet!

 Bunyan was very happy that we’re camping. Forests like this one are her home and she wanted to sharpen her blade on some nearby trees. Senpai stopped her, saying that they couldn’t do that in a national park. Romani looked very relieved when she agreed; I think he wanted to stop her too.

 We had breakfast for dinner tonight. It was so strange! Instead of our usual meal, we had pancakes. There was something funny about eating pancakes in the middle of the night, before I sleep instead of when I wake up. This time, since we weren’t near any restaurants, Emiya volunteered to cook our pancakes. He might have missed running the kitchen, though he really should take the time for a break too.

 Abigail was very happy to have pancakes. She and Shuten sat down next to Bunyan, who was making her own pancakes. Apparently Emiya’s pancakes weren’t light and fluffy enough for her. I didn’t think Shuten would be that interested in pancakes, but she eagerly took one of Bunyan’s. Then she poured a bottle of sake on it.

 I have had pancakes before. You’re supposed to use syrup on it, not alcohol! Does it even taste good that way? Well, Shuten thought so at least. She sighed happily with each bite. With her plate (that was more like a bowl), she practically drowned the pancake in alcohol. Abigail watched her the entire time and when she got her second pancake, she asked if she could also have some. Shuten was feeling really generous, so she started to pour it on Abigail’s and Bunyan’s.

 I wonder if Shuten just wanted someone to drink with, especially since we didn’t go to a vineyard? I won’t tell Romani about this. She wanted to give me some sake too, but Senpai happened to be nearby and stopped her before she could. Now I’m curious to know what that tastes like.

 Even without sake, the pancakes were delicious. They were so soft and fluffy, they almost melted on my tongue with the sweet, sugary maple syrup. I ended up getting thirds. After that, we made smores. They’re made by combining chocolate, marshmallows, and crackers. When they’re made right, they just melt into each other. Senpai and Bunyan were good at that. I’m not. I kept burning the marshmallows or they’d melt off my stick and hit the ground. We’re camping for a few more days, hopefully I’ll get it right next time. As kind as ever, Senpai gave me some of their smores.

 It was the sweetest dessert I’ve ever had.

 Oh, I heard a coyote! I think I’ll stop writing here today, I want to spend a little time just sitting here, listening.

 -Mash

  Road Trip Day: X

 After all the food we ate, I want to try to make something for everyone. Nothing big, I’m not good enough at cooking for that yet. It’s just that…well, we went to so many places and tried so many different foods…I guess you can say I’m feeling inspired! Our vacation isn’t over yet, so I can’t cook at Chaladea’s big kitchen, but maybe I can make a tiny meal for Romani, Da Vinci, and Senpai.

 We’re in Singapore. When I told him what I was doing, Astolfo said he wanted to tag along. Apparently he likes to visit different markets and sample food. That way, he can have a little bit of everything. While Astolfo is usually very cheerful, his voice was quieter and sadder when he said that. One of his friends didn’t get to see much of the world, so he wants to experience it for him. Maybe he’s keeping a diary too, filling it up with stories and pictures like I am. I hope one day he can share it with his friend. It’d be nice if they could travel together.

 Sometimes I’ve seen him and Jeanne talking together. They don’t like exactly sad, but they aren’t happy either. Maybe they both miss the same friend. Next time, I’ll ask her to join us—it’d be great if they could make some happy memories too.

 Singapore is a small country, more like a giant city than a country really. It’s so easy to travel here even without Da Vinci’s help—the public transit takes you everywhere. The ground is really clean too, I haven’t seen a place like that since we went to Kyoto. There was a sign on the subway that said we couldn’t take any durians on it. I made sure not to use that.

 The hardest part of today was choosing what market to visit. There are several different cultures here, so there are many unique markets. There’s an Indian market, with the scent of spices wafting through the hair. There’s a Chinese market, filled with brightly coloured stalls and small pop up shops. There’s a Malaysian market and, well, there’s just a lot of places to buy food here! Even when you go to the mall, there were markets in the basement to buy food. We went through one that had narrow corridors and dozens of small shops trying to sell snacks to us. It was hard to walk, not just because of the space, but also because I didn’t know where to look. Luckily, Astolfo was used to this, so he led me from shop to shop, asking for samples. I don’t think I could have done that on my own; I would have felt guilty for not buying anything after.

 It’s impossible to list everything we ate, but I’ll try! There were dumplings: fried, boiled, stuffed with pork, beef, shrimp, covered in sauce or covered in nothing. We had a chili crab, which was a bit hot. There was a famous chicken curry from a small shop that apparently had a Michelin star! It was kind of funny, I was going to a world-famous restaurant but I didn’t have to dress fancy. The line for that one was long. We had Kaya jam on toast—I don’t think I’m fond of it, but it was something different.

 Astolfo actually had a list of signature dishes he wanted us to try. He must have done a lot of research before we left for this trip. I think I might have eaten too much; even now, hours later, I’m full. I don’t need dinner tonight.

 The nice thing was that a lot of food could be eaten while we walked. Astolfo grinned at me when I ate grilled eel, and said it was nice to travel with others for once. He called it a date—I would have dressed up nicer if I’d known! He’s far prettier than me. Everyone kept turning to stare at him when we passed by. I’m sure even Senpai would have looked at him if they were here.

 Emiya had given us a list of things to buy while we were out. Mangos, apples, a selection of crabs—I think he’s going to try to make a dish from Singapore. Some of the items on the list were new to me, I wonder what they taste like. While I expected to see many new sights when we travelled, I didn’t think about all the new sounds, tastes, and smells I’d experience too. This journey has been a lesson in just how vast the world is, and just how much of it I didn’t know anything about. How much I still don’t know now, even after all that we’ve done.

 It’s nice. There’s still so much to do. I don’t think I can ever get bored.

 Anyways, while I can’t eat dinner, this doesn’t mean Senpai, Da Vinci, or Romani will be skipping it! It’s almost dinner time and I need to start cooking. To be honest, it’s kind of intimidating to eat all the delicious food here and then try to make something. Maybe I can ask Emiya for some tips.

 -Mash

[daemongal]

Suits you sir!

So this was my piece for the V fashion zine @ofinkandsuits! It was a wonderful project to work on and it was an honour to work alongside such talented artists, writers, cosplayers and moderators to make the whole thing come to life. My piece is paired with @saryaart‘s piece which can be found here.

*****

V looked up to the shop sign with a concerned expression: ‘Fortuna Familiaris’. He glanced over to Nero who was wearing a wide grin, practically vibrating with excitement. 

“Nero, are you sure this is the place you wish to take me? It looks...”

“Expensive?” Finished Nero, huffing at the look V gave him and waving his arms dismissively. “Don’t worry, I know the guy!” V passed Nero a questioning look before glancing back up to the shop front. 

The black marble frameworks around the door and windows were embezzled with a multitude of coloured stones and in the bright light, the marble itself gave off a blue, iridescent hue.

“Come on!” V sighed in defeat as he was ushered in through the glass doors. This was the last place V would have brought himself, but he appreciated Nero’s recommendation.

“Griff!” Nero exclaimed, catching the attention of a short, gaudy looking man. He turned, face lighting up as he marched towards them, embracing Nero in a rough hug before turning to V, extending his hand.

“So, you’re my lucky victim today eh? The name’s Griffon, and I’m gonna make you look a million dollars for lover boy’s special day!” V hesitantly took his hand, receiving a firm handshake. Griffon smirked, releasing the grip before giving V the once over, circling him with a look of concentration on his face.

“It would seem so.” Replied V, breaking the momentary silence. “I’m nothing short of honoured that Nero would want me to be his best man. I wish only happiness and the brightest future for them both.” Nero bashfully scratched the back of his head.

“You sure know how to pick ‘em, eh lover boy?” Griffon chuckled, starting off towards a far corner of the shop. V followed, quietly in tow as he observed the many different styles and colours of formalwear filling the rails. V noticed that Griffon seemed particularly fixated on one part of the shop, seemingly already having his sights set.

“Okay, okay! V, head on over to the changing rooms. I think I’ve found the perfect one.” V gasped as Nero grabbed his arm, guiding him over to a curtained booth with a pleased grin on his face. 

“Does he not require my measurements?” V asked with curiosity. He was aware that his proportions were out of the ordinary and failed to understand how someone could make a judgement without the use of a measuring tape.

“Griff here has a sixth sense for this stuff, trust me; he’ll pick one that fits!” V hummed, trusting Nero’s answer but not fully convinced. He stepped behind the curtain getting the final flash of a smile before it was dragged closed. He began to remove his clothing, placing the items neatly in a folded pile. 

He heard some muttering before a hand broke through the centre of the curtains, holding a while shirt and a pair of grey dress trousers.

“Put these on first, I’ll be back with the rest.” V took the clothes from Nero, pulling the trousers from the hanger and assessing them. He smirked as he stepped into them, amused at the fact that they were indeed the correct length and width to fit him. He hummed in appreciation as he put his arms into the shirt sleeves, the cuffs ending perfectly at the end of his wrists. As if hearing his thoughts, Nero’s hand appeared once more.

“Told ya he was good. Here, put this on over your shirt.” V took the lavender waistcoat from Nero, pleased at the choice in colour. He buttoned up the shirt halfway, eager to try it on, clearly enamored with the silken lining. Once over his shoulders, he buttoned the front, unable to continue with the shirt as a suit jacket was thrusted through the curtain.

“Quick, put this on. We’re getting impatient out here.” V took the jacket, eyeing the fine details that covered it. The fabric was dark gray brocade, embellished with floral designs in black, outlined with gold that shone under the light. He threw the matching tie around his neck before skirting the jacket up his arms and onto his shoulders, looking in fascination into the mirror at the perfect fit.

He started on the shirt buttons once more before the curtains were thrown wide as both Griffon and Nero battled to catch a glance.

“I knew I was onto a winner, but this is something else! Come on, step out!” V sighed in exasperation at Griffon’s words as he stepped out of the booth, accepting the wooden cane that was handed to him. He stood against the shop wall, as Griffon and Nero shared matching glances of awe, seemingly unfazed that he was not completely dressed.

V ran his hand through his hair nervously under their scrutinizing gazes.

“Wait.” Nero interjected, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “Hold that pose, I gotta show Kyrie this. She’ll hardly recognise you.” V averted his gaze as the camera clicked.

“I assume this is acceptable then, yes?” Griffon burst into laughter at V’s words.

“This is more than acceptable. Honestly, I’ve outdone myself this time!” He crossed his arms over his chest looking deep in thought.

“In fact, I’ll tell ya what; you come back here after the wedding, let me dress you up a little, snap some shots and you can have this on the house. What d’ya say?” V and Nero both glanced at each other in disbelief.

“I am... flattered and not opposed to such an idea. In fact, it would please me greatly to save Nero the expense, if you are sure my presence is suitable recompense.” Griffon smiled smugly, coming over to place a hand on V’s shoulder. 

“Trust me, it’ll do more for me than you’ll ever realise.” He held out a hand as V reciprocated the gesture, shaking on the newly agreed business deal and the start of a new partnership.