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starlitangels · 2 years ago

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Wedding Rings!

@zozo-01 wanted to hear my thoughts on the rest of the boys’ potential wedding rings after my ramble about David’s on EJ’s post so… here we go!

Asher

First of all, this man gets a silicone ring.

He does not trust himself not to utterly ruin a metal one, and silicone is easy to replace and have spares of.

(My husband has two silicone rings. One that’s simple black and came with his real metal wedding ring, and one that’s gunmetal grey with The Mandalorian’s helmet etched into it. It’s actually really cool.)

Asher gets a silicone ring that’s shiny and metallic, but has some Star Trek something etched into it. Whether that be the Enterprise or a quote, IDK

Alternatively he gets something from Halo. Either/or works and fits. We love a nerdy boi

Second alternative: he gets something that closely matches Babe’s. Still silicone but color matching

Milo

Mr. Fashionable. Mr. Stylish.

Milo’s ring is gold.

At least, it looks like it’s gold

In truth, it’s an alloy. Gold is too soft and malleable and even though Milo takes care of his jewelry, he’s also a shifter and knows that a gold ring wouldn’t be practical

He also has a moissanite on his. The band arcs up to the top of the gem so it doesn’t stick out too much from his finger, but there is very much a moissanite.

Milo picked moissanite over a diamond because it’s more ethical, barely lower than a diamond on the hardness scale, and also has a higher brightness index

Y’all. The gem on his ring is reflective and shiny

Maybe Aggro tries to put it in his mouth idk

His and Sweetheart’s anniversary is engraved on the inside of the ring

Sam

Hoo boy! Sam!

Darlin’ gets Sam a ring with meteorite around the middle because his hand doesn’t change as he gets older, therefore he can get a ring that’s hard to resize.

The metal is shiny and durable, and the meteorite is slightly iridescent

It’s comfort fit, with the curved inside, and the edges of the outside are beveled so he can move his fingers without being encumbered.

Gorgeous ring 10/10

Darlin’ argues that his ring does have a stone on it because of the meteorite and Sam always laughs and says it’s not a gemstone so it doesn’t count

Vincent

Mr. Fashionable and Stylish As Well

Vincent’s ring is platinum. Shiny, bright, strong. Expensive

The man likes the finer things in life and his wedding ring should be no exception

The inside is engraved with several significant dates. The day he met Lovely, their first real kiss, the day Lovely turned, the day he proposed, and the day they got married

He also has a large stone on his

Where’s that post about the Solaire rubies so I can properly credit the person? Because that concept lives in my mind rent-free and Vincent absolutely puts his ruby in his wedding ring

Also, comfort fit and beveled outside edges and several extra gemstones lining the middle channel of the ring almost all the way around

Gavin

Gavin’s ring is made of magic so he changes it to match his outfit when he sees fit

The most common though that he seems to prefer the most is a braided band of white, yellow, and rose gold with scattered teeny diamonds

“It goes with everything, deviant!”

If I described all the other designs Gavin morphs his ring into, we’d be here for days

My man is very happy to be taken and he wants it to be visible at all times, thank you very much

Avior

Avior’s ring isn’t a ring so much as it’s a bunch of silver metal stars embedded with star sapphires that stay clustered loosely around his finger because they’re magic and he wants them to.

Starlight loves it

And so do I

Elliott

Elliott’s got a white-gold wedding ring with constellations etched into it, each star a tiny dot of moonstone

Except Brachium in the Libra constellation. That’s an amethyst

He’s got My Dreamboat and his and Sunshine’s wedding date engraved into the inside

He’s also got the comfort fit, but didn’t like beveled edges so it’s not beveled

Geordi

Geordi’s was hard to come up with, tbh

He has a pretty thin ring, comparatively

He goes for tungsten at first, but it oxidizes quickly so after a couple years he switches over to a cobalt chrome one and leaves the tungsten one for traveling or when he doesn’t want to risk his real ring

He also has Live Long and Prosper engraved to the inside

Ollie

I struggled so hard to think of one for Ollie, I’m not gonna lie

He gives Casual Ring Vibes but I wasn’t sure if that meant he got a tungsten one and didn’t particularly care when it oxidized or he just went simple and got a thin gold band just to show he’s happily taken

He also works with his hands a lot fixing up stuff around the house so he definitely has at least one silicone ring

It’s probably purple

Aaron

I’m sorry

Aaron has the boring classic gold wedding ring

Thick band. Straight fit. No beveling

Nothing over-the-top

I’m sorry

I just can’t see him with anything Extra™

He’s a great character but the Milquetoast Ring Vibes™ are... well. They’re there.

Guy

Guy also gets a silicone ring. His has a pizza slice etched into it, or it’s literally pizza patterned.

The man chose an aesthetic and he stuck to it

Honey gets to roll their eyes at it forever

Huxley

The boi’s got a white gold ring with a band of polished, dark wood running around the middle

He wears a green silicone ring with a tree on it when playing sports or working out

Comfort fit all the way

Damien

His ring is yellow gold and studded with five small yellow-orange topazes

Topaz is one of the gems that forms in lava tubes

That mix of Earth and Fire, y’know? ;)

Oh wait... were we talking canon or non-canon?

Eh. Who cares

Also wears a silicone ring when working out. His is red

Lasko

White. Gold. Boi

He keeps it simple

There’s an anniversary engraving inside his, but that’s it

Beveled edges and comfort fit all the way

He’s at a computer all the time let his finger be comfortable

James

Platinum babyyyy

We love a classy, high-brow look for our professional businessman Telepath

I wasn’t gonna include him at all but then I remembered his Imperium listener so here you go

He doesn’t really do anything super special. There’s no engraving or etching or stones, but it is Quite Shiny™ on his hand and Very Noticeable

The man is taken and he is going to flaunt it

Morgan

Morgan doesn’t work with his hands much in his day-to-day life, but he still prefers the practical

He goes for a cobalt chrome ring with a thin gold band around the center, preferring the durability over expense or flash, and the ribbon finish rather than the polished finish so scratches are barely noticeable unless someone’s really examining it close up

Beveled edges and comfort fit definitely

Engraved inside is “Into the Future with You” and his wedding date

Sh!+ I almost perfectly described my actual husband’s wedding ring

And there you have it!

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dcextra · 1 year ago

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Volume 4 extra pages. (Transcribed w/ machine translation.)

超感謝おまけのおまけPart. 3 Super Thank You Bonus Bonus Part. 3

警視庁捜査二課極秘資料？ Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Investigation Division 2 Top Secret Materials?

対快盗キッド用傾向と対策キッドが次に狙う獲物を大胆予想！当たればキッド確保間違いなし！ For anti-kaito kid Trends and countermeasures Make bold predictions about Kid's next target! If you win, you are sure to secure a kid!

快盗キッドの犯罪傾向最近狙われた美術品 Kaitou Kid's criminal tendencies Artworks recently targeted

レッド・ティアールビー Red Tear Ruby

クリスタル・マザートパーズ Crystal · Mother Topaz

グリーン・ドリームエメラルド Green Dream Emerald

ブルー・バースデーサファイア Blue Birthday sapphire

ブルー・ワンダーアクアマリン Blue Wonder Aquamarine

ダーク・ナイトブラックオパール dark Knight Black Opal

ゴールデン・アイキャッツアイ Golden Eye Cats eye

ブラック・スター黒真珠 Black star Black pearl

国際手配者番号１４１２

号こと、怪盗キッドは、以前は絵画や彫刻、宝石などの世界の一流美術品をねらっていた。

しかし最近、怪盗キッドに狙われた美術品をみてみると、ある傾向が見られる。あきらかに怪盗キッドは世界でも有数の巨大な宝石ばかりを狙っており、しかも何やら色にかかわる異名を持つものばかり。 International wanted person number 1412

Also known as Kaitou Kid, used to aim for the world's top works of art such as paintings, sculptures, and jewelry.

However, when we look at the artworks that have been targeted by Kaito Kid recently, we can see a certain trend. Kaitou Kid is clearly after the world's biggest jewels, and most of them have different names related to their colors.

なぜ宗旨替えをしたかは不明だがこれが怪盗キッド確保の手がかりとなることは間違いない。

また世界を股にかけていた怪盗キッドが、都内近郊での犯行を多発させているの��、キッドの標的となる宝石がたまたまそこにあっただけと思われる。 It is unknown why he changed targets, but there is no doubt that this will be a clue to securing Kaito Kid.

Also, the reason Kid, the phantom thief who traveled all over the world, often commits crimes in the suburbs of Tokyo, is thought to be because the jewels targeted by Kid happened to be located there.

フルルル！ワシが三日三晩徹夜で分析した怪盗キッド逮捕のためのマル秘情報をそっと教えよう！ Furururu! Let me secretly tell you the confidential information that I analyzed for three days and three nights to arrest Kaito Kid.

(next page)

同じ色を狙わない

唯一色がだぶっているのはブルーだが、「ブルー・ワンダー」は、怪盗キッド自らが選んだ標的ではなく、鈴木財閥の相談役の鈴木次郎吉氏が挑戦状を叩き付け狙わさせたもの。つまり怪盗キッドは、これまでに狙った宝石とは違う色のものを狙う可能性が高い。これまでに狙われていない色といえば、イエローやピンクといったものが、あげられるのだが・・・ Don't aim for the same color

The only color that overlaps is blue, but ``Blue Wonder'' is not a target chosen by Kid the Phantom Thief himself, but a challenge given to him by Mr. Jirokichi Suzuki, an advisor to the Suzuki Zaibatsu. In other words, there is a high possibility that Kaitou Kid will aim for a jewel with a different color than the jewels he has targeted so far. Colors that have not been targeted so far include yellow and pink...

次に狙われる宝石

おそらく怪盗キッドは、世界最大クラスの宝石を次々狙っていると思われる。すると今までに狙われていない宝石が、つぎの標的に選ばれる可能性が高い。有名な宝石では、ダイアモンド、ガーネット、アメジスト、ラビスラズリなどがまだ狙われていない。特に怪しいのはダイヤモンドであるが、ヨーロパ最大のものは過去に狙われているので、それ以上のものが・・・！ The next jewel to be targeted

Kaitou Kid is probably aiming for the world's largest jewels one after another. Then, there is a high possibility that a jewel that has not been targeted before will be selected as the next target. Among the famous gemstones, diamonds, garnets, amethysts, and lapis lazuli have not yet been targeted. The diamond is particularly suspicious, but the largest one in Europe has been targeted in the past, so there's something even bigger than that...!

結論怪盗キッドが次に狙うのは・・・ピンクかイエローの世界最大のダイアモンド！

Conclusion Kaito Kid's next target is... The world's largest pink or yellow diamond!

ボクさえいれば、いつでも捕まえます。こ〜んなの時間の無駄！ As long as I'm here, I'll catch you anytime. This is such a waste of time!

だいたい宝石の色は数えきれないほどあり予測は不可能。たとえばニューヨークのオーロラ・コレクションは、２００種類もの色の邇う宝石が集められていて、一堂に展示される様子は、光輝くオーロラそのもの。

There are countless colors of gemstones and it is impossible to predict. For example, the Aurora Collection in New York is a collection of jewels in over 200 different colors, and the display all in one place is just like the shining aurora borealis.

さらに、ルビーとして分類されている「レッド・ティアー」だけど、本来コランダムという宝石の中で、赤色のものだけがルビーと呼ばれる資格を持っているんだ。したがって青色の「レッド・ティアー」は、サファイアに分類されるのが普通。それに同じ種類でもいろんな呼び方があるから、色も宝石の種類もこれっぽっちの手がかりで予想はするのは難しいよ。

Furthermore, ``red tear'' is classified as a ruby, but among the corundum gemstones, only red ones qualify to be called rubies. Therefore, blue "red tier" is usually classified as sapphire. Also, there are many different names for the same type of gemstone, so it's difficult to predict the color or type of gemstone based on just a few clues.

#magic kaito #reference #low effort machine tl #kaitou kid

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proudpokemonmama · 1 year ago

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The Nymph's melody

Chapter 4, Let the show begin

Warnings: Slight mentions of harassment.

POV, Third person

At the top of the stairs leading to the grand hall stood the figure of an elegant woman who exuded the aura of an imposing and powerful person with the perfect balance of grace and elegance in her own right. Their exuberant costumes were just small adornments to exalt their beauty: the intricate black mask with a lace pattern where on the right side it was adorned with two red roses where the smaller one in the center of its petals elegantly held a Key Stone, the set of pieces of ruby and silver jewelry made with the scarlet red precious stones shining beautifully in the ambient lights as well as the beautiful long black dress with lace details on the torso as well as parts with a slightly transparent fabric while the skirt degraded from black to a bright red. erasing the beauty of Red bottom heels.

Other details did not fail to enhance her beauty, such as the exquisite makeup, highlighted by red lipstick, giving an even more mysterious appearance and her long black hair elegantly arranged in a braid on the left side of her head, finished with a beautiful bun adorned with a silver hairpin with the ruby was carved into a rose shape and with a wing that resembled that of the being that accompanied the woman.

It was a splendid and magnificent black charizard, equally exuding grandeur and elegance that were highlighted with accessories that were masterpieces made especially for that majestic Pokémon: Attached to one of the horns is a beautiful crown of roses adorned with a figure that resembled the image of the Pokémon with eyes of red gemstones perched on a crescent moon-shaped crest containing a Charizardite Y. From the crown of roses was emerging a cascade of a black and red veil and in addition to other silver jewelry such as a beautiful necklace of silver roses and wings and rings adorning its tail.

The woman in the company of the imposing fire beast walked calmly and exuding elegance while in the eyes of the others it seemed as if time was passing so tortuously slow until they joined Chairman Rose and she smiled charismatically, still flowing an aura of elegance. The Chairman asked to leave the group he was talking to for a brief moment and approached her with Oleana.

- Very good evening Mr. Rose, Mrs. Oleana, and a very good evening to everyone. – she greeted in a calm but melodious voice.

Rose: Finally, you've arrived, please follow me. There are people I'd like you to meet. - He smiled.

Rose made a small gesture for him to follow him back to the group of sponsors, she did so with the beautiful imposing beast following them as everyone's eyes turned to the newcomers. The Chairman smiled as the attention was focused on them, just as he predicted.

Rose: Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce one of the new stars of this year. – he smiled as he introduced the young woman.

- Hello, I'm flattered to meet you. My name is Kelly Goncalves. – she politely greets them and introduces herself with a smile that shows elegance and charisma.

Some people nearby sounded amazed when they heard the woman's name, as did the group that was with Chairman Rose who had already heard about a talented trainer from Unova with a unique style in Pokémon battles that no other can compare to and who almost dethroned Alder as Unova’s champion but receiving praise and recognition from himself.

- Did she say Kelly Goncalves? – someone in the crowd asked.

- Yes, she really said it! – another person commented stating.

- But then we see the Battle Nymph herself before us? – someone asks, excited when realizing that it was the so-called Battle Nymph.

An unsettling silence surrounded the room for a few seconds before many of those present hurriedly rushed towards her, surrounding her, which caught her off guard.

- Wait, are you really Kelly Goncalves? The Battle Nymph? – someone in the crowd asked.

- I'm a big fan of yours! Could you give me an autograph please?! – A woman asked happily.

And with that the scene that was created was the woman known as Battle Nymph greeting fans and signing autographs or taking photos with them or having small chats with fans who were ecstatic to be able to meet her in person.

Not far away, the gym leaders and the champion watched the commotion in amazement, but the champion's attention was more focused on the black charizard and he tried to control himself so as not to act like a child with so much excitement. Unlike his team's trump card, the said champion's Pokémon seemed to have frozen at the sight of another of its kind.

Something that didn't go unnoticed by some of the other Pokémon who accompanied their trainers and observed how anxious the champion's trump card seemed in the presence of the other charizard. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Opal who let out a giggle when she saw what was happening to the champion's fearsome trump card.

Opal: My, my... Leon my young man, if I were you, I would take a look at your precious friend. – she commented with another giggle, drawing the champion's attention.

With the comment from the fairy-type gym leader, everyone in the group turns their gaze to the said champion's Pokémon, coming across the scene with the fire and flying type standing still like a statue as if its brain short-circuited while the flame in his tail crackled louder than usual and his cheeks... were tinged with a light red hue.

Leon: Huh... Are you okay buddy? – he asked worried about his big partner.

While Leon tried to bring his partner out of his stupor, Gordie commented when Oleana soon interfered in the moment that Kelly indulged with a little attention to the fans asking them to allow Kelly to go and greet the other guests and participants at the ball. With the crowd calming down and moving away, giving space for Oleana to lead Kelly, followed by her charizard to Rose and promptly followed to where the Gym leaders were, who were all surprised by the recent commotion.

The Chairmen then introduced the gym leaders to this year's new challenger that he endorsed and after she introduced herself to them, Rose left them chatting while he went to greet more guests. Kelly was still a little anxious and shy, but she managed to remain calm enough to introduce the beautiful black charizard that accompanied her.

Kelly: I would like to introduce you to my charizard, Katherine. – she said while smiling.

It was when the said charizard affectionately rubbed its snout on the woman's shoulder who reciprocated by scratching on the pokemon's chin that let out a sound showing its pleasure at the affection, without noticing the astonished state of the gym leaders and the champion himself.

Leon: ...Your charizard... Is a female? – the champion couldn't avoid the question that came out so natural because of his astonishment.

Kelly: Yes, Katty is one of my prides as a trainer. Isn't that ritgh Katty? – She didn't hold back from baby talking to her charizard as if she was talking to a baby Pokémon.

The group just watched the display of affection between the trainer and the Pokémon, as well as being astonished at the fact that that Charizard was female, which in itself is an incredible fact because females in the Charizard evolutionary line are very small and that Charizard was also a shiny version of the species.

Mellony: No wonder your partner is acting weird like he's been hit full on with a passionate Luvdisc. – she couldn't contain her comment.

Mellony's comment made some look at the champion's charizard before seeing what the ice-type gym leader meant, seeing how Leon's team's trump card was still in the same place, looking more like a statue. Gordie, Piears and Raihan, for example, couldn't help but laugh when they saw that Leon's most powerful Pokémon was easily “defeated” in a night in compared all the years of the Champion’s legacy who was confused by his friends' reaction.

Leon: Huh... What are you laughing at? – he asked confused while Kelly was called by Rose to greet more guests, ignoring the commotion.

Leon knew the meaning of the expression Mellony used, but not how it fit into the situation.

Nessa: Hey Leon! Weren't you the one who told us you were looking for a FEMALE charizard for your MALE charizard? – she asked, giggling.

Opal: And young man, it seems to me that your charizard is in love. – the fairy gym leader laughed in complicity with the water type leader.

That was when the realization dawned on him and he looked at his partner who in turn continued looking at Kelly's charizard and both trainer and pokémon was called by Rose to greet more sponsors, as if he were a teenager in love for the first time.

Kabu: I'm sorry to interrupt the pleasant moment... But we have problems... – the fire-type gym leader warned upon seeing an unpleasantly familiar face.

The person Kabu spoted among the crowd was a man who everyone recognized by his infamous nickname “Poké-Maniac” and he was a problematic maniac, who once got interested in a rare or strong Pokémon and went to great lengths to obtain it, proposing absurd offers or challenging other trainers by betting their rare and powerful Pokémon.

Gordie: Oh no... Not him again... – he mumbled muttering when he saw the said man.

He was well known, but not in a good way... especially when he harassed Opal's personal assistant who had refused his offer of money to sell her shiny ralts to him. Similar events happened with the said man trying to use dirty tricks to get Opal's assistant's pokemon and other cases where he harassed employees of other gyms or trainers and tourists.

Nessa: What is this scoundrel doing here? – she mumbled indignantly at his presence.

Leon: He must be accompanying his parents. – the champion sighed, equally tired of dealing with the said maniac.

Gordie: Guys... The maniac clearly wants her charizard! – the young man warned when he saw the said man approaching Kelly and starting a conversation with her.

It was when the attention of everyone in the group could see the greedy and shameless look on Katherine, Kelly's charizard was having a little time to herself after interacting with a few more fans while her charizard interacted with some younger guests accompanying their parents.

Raihan: This guy really doesn't know when to give up. - dragon-type gym leader grumbled, sighing tiredly just seeing the maniac.

Piers: Definitely not, mate. – he was equally irritated to see that man who was a headache just a few weeks ago by harrasing a caffé owner in Spikemuth.

Although it was an important event and scandals were supposed to be avoided, Raihan was ready to notify Officer Jenny at any time in case intervention from the authorities was necessary.

They were promptly heading towards where the two were to intervene, but soon they heard Kelly laughing mockingly at the man making some “cruel” comments tearing him morally in such a humiliating way that the said man was cringing in embarrassment feeling the stares of anyone that were close to them.

Not to mention they overheard him insinuating that he would be doing her a favor and giving her a few bucks that would be enough to buy some food for a few days showing that he doesn't know how successful Kelly really is.

Kelly: I really feel insulted by your insinuations that I can't be an independent woman who can provide for myself and that I depend on a rich man to do so. – she intentionally commented out loud, drawing the attention of guests close to them – I am really extremely offended that you are labeling me as a gold digger who would jump at the first opportunity for any amount of money offered.

Some of the guests were surprised by such words and everyone showed disgust with the man's character, being so repulsive and disrespectful towards a lady and it didn't help the fact that the party had guests who were fans of her both as a Pokémon trainer and as a singer.

Kelly: If you're really willing to prove yourself as the dregs of society, I won't mind helping you. – She smiled arrogantly, but also showing sarcasm in pure contempt.

The man was furious at the way he was being embarrassed, but he was at a loss for words or how he should act and the only thing he could think of was to hastily stomp away while shouting insults at her. The man shouted threats that she would regret the humiliation she put him through, while Kelly just rolled her eyes, not caring a bit.

This while those who witnessed the scene were speechless, but mentally admired by the irreverence. Chairman Rose himself was amused by the scene while the gym leaders were awestruck by the way she dealt with that disgusting man. But there were two among the group who were more dumbfounded than anyone else as if their brains were short-circuiting as they mentally said a single word.

- {Wow...} – was all Leon and Raihan could think at that moment.

Little was known that the night was still young and many events were yet to come.

I do not own Pokémon or any element of the franchise, I only own any original characters and the plot of the story created for the sole purpose of entertainment among fans. Any type of reproduction or plagiarism of my content will not be tolerated in any way.

Quick note: Kelly's Battle Gala attire

#The Nymph's melody #pokémon x reader #Pokémon Black and White #Pokémon OC #pokémon self insert #Pokémon Sword and Shield #pokémon swsh #pokémon x pokémon oc #pokémon characther x oc

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abookishdreamer · 2 years ago

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Character Intro: Oceanus (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Father of Waters by the people of Olympius

Dad, Father, Pop by his children

Gramps, Grandpa by his grandchildren

Mr. Blue by Poseidon

Age- 57 (immortal)

Location- Aetolia, Olympius

Personality- Unlike his more arrogant and fearsome brothers, he's generally far more benevolent- a Titan with a kind heart. He's like the ocean when it's at rest- serene, adaptable, & tranquil. He's married.

As the Titan god of the sea he has the standard abilities of a god. Many of his other abilities are like Poseidon's but on a much more powerful scale. He also has the ability of heat/thermal resistance. Underwater, he does have the ability to form a tail which are covered in dark green and light blue scales.

Oceanus is happily married to his wife Tethys (Titaness of freshwater & clouds). They reside in a lakehouse style mansion near the Achelous river just twenty minutes away from their eldest son. In storage there's many things from his past that he saved like his war table (crafted from Oceanic Metal) & crown when he previously ruled the Underwater realm. It's a marvelous sight made from adamantine and Oceanic Metal & adorned with pearls, blue sapphires, emeralds, and silver inlay crab claws. He has his own "man cave"- a personal room that he goes to when he wants to decompress and relax. There's a gigantic aquarium filled with many sea creatures and there's bookshelves that houses books on oceanic warfare, maritime, nautical navigation, & other various subjects. Oceanus owns a sailboat and ship- aptly named Old Buoy & Steadfast.

His natural scent is a mixture of sea salt and seaweed.

A go-to drink for him is a steaming cup of sea moss tea that he brews himself. He'll sometimes add a bit of ginger or algae powder to it. He also likes aloe vera juice & regular roast coffee (often getting an olympian size from The Roasted Bean). Whenever he's in the mood for alcohol he'll settle for a cold beer or a blue ricardo (a drink made with blue curacao, pineapple juice, white rum, passionfruit syrup, lemon juice, and coconut syrup).

Oceanus is the eldest son of his parents Gaia (goddess of the earth) and Ouranos (primordial god of the sky). He & his brothers Krios (Titan god of stars & constellations) and Kronos (Titan god of the harvest, time, & fate) are fraternal triplets. He's obvisouly not in contact with his youngest brother since the imprisonment in Tartarus and he doesn't have a clue to Krios' location (though he does suspect that he's hiding in the far out depths of the Underworld).

For obvious reasons Oceanus hasn't tried reaching out to his sister-in-law Rhea (Titaness of fertility, motherhood, & comfort), but he still looks out for his younger half sister Eurybia (goddess of the sea's mastery), respecting her decision to live a quite & anonymous existence free from the public eye.

He hasn't spoken to his mother in a few hundred years. Oceanus still keeps in touch with his younger half brother Thaumas (god of sea wonders).

Oceanus always starts off his mornings with a session of tai chi.

Despite his best efforts his mind often visits the past, before & during the Titanomachy. Even though he hated his father Oceanus remained neutral when it came to the plot to overthrow Ouranos. He kept up with his neutrality during the war- refusing to supply Kronos with extra troops & weapons. Oceanus was mostly successful in keeping the Underwater realm out of the Titanomachy.

His wedding band is a simple platinum band with a square shaped aquamarine gemstone in the center.

His favorite frozen treat is coconut ice cream topped with candied seaweed & sea salt.

Oceanus (though not his mentor) has advised his nephew Poseidon (god of the sea & earthquakes) and current ruler of the Underwater realm. Their relationship has always been testy. He also tries to look out for Aegaeon (god of sea storms)- reigning him in when he's more reckless than usual. In the pantheon, Oceanus still keeps in touch with the hecatoncheires & he has a generally good relationship with the other water deities. He's also still close with Helios (Titan god of the sun), as he's the father of two of Oceanus' grandchildren. They go surfing together sometimes.

His favorite dessert are his wife's beignets!

He loves snacking on oysters.

Oceanus & his wife have close to 3,000 children- their family being the largest in the pantheon. Neither of them play favorites when it comes to their children and grandchildren. Because the family is so large & spread out, it's difficult for all of them to meet. Oceanus generally keeps in touch with a lot of them through phone calls, video chats, and visits. They all try to meet up yearly at his palace in the Underwater realm. Because of proximity (just being 20 minutes away), Oceanus has gotten closer to his eldest son Achelous (god of freshwater). He has also gotten to know his son's new wife (his daughter-in-law) Aígli (goddess of glamour).

He has a "glass half full" mentality when it comes to how he sees the world. Despite the show being critically panned amongst the other deities, he has a humorous take on The Dynasty of the Vain and Powerful- especially at his portrayal.

He can play the lyre and ukulele!

From The Bread Box his favorites are the fried catfish sandwich with chipotle-honey mayo & the blackened fish sandwich with extra horseradish tartar sauce.

Even though he has a calm temperament, Oceanus is known for his explosive anger when pushed. An example of this was when one of his daughters came to him with a battered face done by an abusive partner.

He adores Tethys. He often credits her for saving him during the Titanomachy. When it was time to step away from ruling, Oceanus didn't give it a second thought. He, his wife, & several of their children spent almost 200 years laying low in Ogygia, a must needed reprieve. He still looks at her the same way he did all those years ago when they first met. They often go out on late night swims together and have picnics on his sailboat. Their most recent date was at the annual oyster roast hosted by Pleione (Titaness of sailing & stars).

Oceanus helped his granddaughter Cyane with choreographing a routine for her school's synchronized swimming team.

Currently, he's still enjoying his freedom from political scheming and successions. Oceanus keeps busy by overseeing the Ocean Cadets- a young & adolescent program open to all children to promote better citizenship and community through instruction & practice in water safety, boating skills, outdoor, social, and service experiences, & knowledge of maritime heritage. In his free time Oceanus also enjoys swimming, deep sea diving, surfing, fishing, and sailing.

Some of his favorite dishes include moussaka, mydia (served with coconut rice), lobster fettuccine, grilled octopus salad, his wife's seafood jambalaya, & kalamarakia gemista.

"Neither blood or ichor flow through my veins- it's the sea."

#my oc #oc character #my character #my oc character #oc intro #character intro #oc introduction #character introduction #oceanus #modern greek gods #modern greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek gods #greek mythology #greek pantheon #greek myths

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duxiaomin-blog · 11 months ago

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Modern Jewelry's Classical Sentiment

Continuous Exploration of New Materials, Coupled with the Minimalist Qualities Inherent in Contemporary Art, Infuses Modern Jewelry with Novel Materials and Structures. However, the Classical Sentiment in Jewelry Always Lingers in the Creations of Major High-end Jewelry Brands. People Constantly Look Back, Hoping for those Classic Eras, Picking Up Fragments from the Corners and Cracks of Time. They reinterpret them from a modern craft and aesthetic perspective, reminding us of elegance, narrating the traditional splendor, and immersing us once again in the extremely intricate brilliance. In doing so, they create a profound jewelry art experience for the wearer. This is a dialogue with time, a delicate interweaving of classical and modern, tradition and innovation, propelling jewelry into a more exquisite and enchanting realm.

Dior Launched a High Jewelry Collection Inspired by the Palace of Versailles.

In 2016, Dior drew inspiration from the Palace of Versailles to launch its high jewelry collection. In fact, Versailles has always been a wellspring of inspiration for designers, especially for Mr. Christian Dior himself. Within the palace's architecture, gilded interiors, expansive gardens, and rich history, endless inspiration is found. Designer Victoire de Castellane also shares a similar interest and, inspired by the 'hidden passages' within Versailles—such as the secret corridor between the king's bedroom and the mistress's bedroom, as well as concealed drawers filled with precious items and letters—created a series of high jewelry pieces. These jewels can be opened or twisted, revealing behind the 'doors' either a dazzling gem or a skull, evoking the luxurious ambiance of Versailles, stories of passionate love, fleeting life, and eternal gemstones. The patterns chosen for decoration feature Baroque and Rococo-style scrolls, reminiscent of the intricate relief decorations on the eaves of Versailles. Romantic and exquisite, the collection captures the essence of Versailles' opulence and the intertwining themes of eternal gems with brief yet intense moments in life.

ChuCui Palace Crane Dancing in Clouds Brooch

If Western classical sentiment is a reinterpretation of Baroque and Rococo styles, the exclusive essence of Chinese classical sentiment is concealed within traditional Chinese paintings. ChuCui Palace, a jewelry brand with roots in an Italian jewelry lineage, has engraved the romance unique to Chinese landscapes and flora onto high-end jewelry. Their piece 'Crane Dancing in Clouds' draws inspiration from traditional Chinese elements, Chinese meticulous brushwork, and freehand painting. The Chinese-style clouds, originating from abstract freehand patterns, along with elegantly scattered stars, form an asymmetric composition, seeking a subtle visual balance and presenting an effect of ethereal grandeur. A gold crane, finely detailed in feather portrayal reminiscent of meticulous brushwork, flies in from one side. The entire piece exhibits a complex order of dots, lines, and surfaces, with interwoven stars, swirling tuan clouds, and elongated gold cranes. The result is both unique and rhythmic, varying in size and arranged in an artful disarray. The color palette is limited to gold and white diamonds, reminiscent of the black and white in traditional ink paintings. The gemstones vividly portray the divine elegance of the crane, creating an ethereal charm.

Lady Arabesque Necklace from Bvlgari's Barocko Collection

In 2020, Bvlgari launched the 'Barocko' high jewelry collection, drawing inspiration from the Baroque art movement that emerged in 17th-century Rome. Astonishing golden Arabesque patterns flow between gemstones, preserving the symmetry characteristic of the Baroque style. The collection emphasizes the 'sense of movement and opulence' inherent in Baroque style, cleverly offsetting any severity with natural pink sapphires and Paraiba tourmalines. This dual approach imbues the collection with a highly mature, decorative, and visually feminine effect.

David Webb's Open Scroll Cuff with Stones

In addition to the Baroque style, there is also David Webb, a jewelry brand that creates a more playful and contemporary aesthetic. Drawing inspiration from almost every ancient culture around the world, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas, the art of these regions is reimagined into modern jewelry by David Webb. The piece 'Open Scroll Cuff with Stones' exemplifies the brand's cultural diversity. It features themes of Chinese abstract patterns, executed with an Art Deco flair reminiscent of the 1920s. The geometric lines of Art Deco seamlessly blend with Chinese patterns, presenting a visually striking effect that combines elements of vintage, opulence, exoticism, and boldness.

In the creation of modern jewelry, the sentiment of classicism is like a gentle breeze of time, traversing the river of history, skillfully intertwining tradition with innovation, and classical with contemporary. This dialogue is not only a tribute to the brilliance of the past but also an inheritance of human civilization and artistic wisdom. The exploration in materials, structures, and designs not only bestows jewelry with a new appearance but also leads people into a profound journey of artistic experience.

From Dior's inspiration from the Palace of Versailles to ChuCui Palace's Chinese landscape and flora motifs, and further to Bvlgari's Barocko collection and David Webb's cross-cultural fusion, each piece of jewelry is like a story-rich poem, blending the emotions of history with the exquisite craftsmanship of the modern era. It is a journey through time and space, transporting people into dreamlike realms where ancient emotions bloom in contemporary settings. These pieces are not just splendid accessories but also carriers of culture, allowing individuals to feel the depth of history and the charm of art in the moments of wearing. In this eternal rhythm, classical sentiment continues to present the brilliance and allure of jewelry art in a profound and unique manner.

#jewelry #art

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enterenews · 2 years ago

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Talents picked by Park Seon-joo

Producer Park Seon-joo picked Ahn Seong-hoon, Choi Su-ho, and Gil Byung-min as the participants of ‘Mr.

Park Seon-joo will join TV Chosun's 'Mr. Trot 2' as a master, which will be broadcast on the 26th.

Regarding being reprimanded for being an abusive character, Park Seon-joo said, “Even if it is more cruel and more cold-hearted, that is the most important thing if it is the way for the participants to do well. It's a pity that there are friends who just spend time giving only compliments and eventually hit their limits and throw away their talents, and there are still many friends like that. Even if I get cursed at, I want to be their first gateway so that they can make up for their strengths and weaknesses through accurate judgment.”

Next, he picked singing ability, song interpretation ability, and even star quality as the most important parts of the screening of ‘Mr. That's why I think the most important thing is to have all abilities harmoniously balanced."

Then, who is the participant of ‘Mr. Trot 2’ that Park Seon-joo is most interested in? Park Seon-joo said, “Ahn Seong-hoon’s technique is perfect. Choi Soo-ho is also only 21 years old, and I was surprised to the point of wondering how he could express himself that way. Gil Byeong-min is a perfect gemstone. In addition, Park Ji-hyeon, Song Min-joon, Hwang Min-ho, and Park Seong-on are always surprised by the star quality.”

#먹튀검증

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passivenovember · 3 years ago

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Thinking about Steve as a child, watching wide-eyed from the foot of his mother’s vanity as she gets ready for work each morning, little powder puff covering her skin in diamonds under the lamp light.

I feel like it’s pretty widely accepted that Mrs. Harrington is a beautiful and glamorous woman. Her closet is practically the size of Steve’s entire bedroom, not as big as some of the closets Steve’s seen on T.V., but that’s just because his mother is practical.

It’s a wonderland regardless.

A finishing school where Steve is a student of fashion. He’s given a gruff sigh and told if he’s going to pester his mom while she gets ready for work, he’d better not make a big mess by playing in her high heels and pulling down her bin of headscarves.

He’ll pick one of each to sit in while she gets ready, tucking his action figures into one of her expensive handbags, quiet as a ghost, if he knows what’s good for him.

Some of his favorite afternoons are spent at her side, watching how fashion and clothes can make a person unstoppable.

His mother teaches him about variety. She’s got her go-to section. Business suits and sensible high heels in every color and fabric that scream taste but are good for running between meetings and dinners with important clients.

She also has an archive section. Gorgeous, vintage and haute couture pieces that drip from their hangers. Gowns covered in diamonds. Sheer fabrics that hold themselves together by magic and love alone.

On a massive island in the middle of the room she keeps her jewelry. Statement earrings and bracelets made of every material, from plastic to diamonds to solid gold. They sparkle in the light, like fallen stars encased in glass.

Steve loves his mom’s closet.

As he gets older, he finds himself sneaking in to “borrow,” things he doesn’t think she’ll miss. Scarves and small things like that, eventually graduating to delicate gemstone watches and coats, that start appearing in his size.

#harringrove #kind of #steve harrington #love the idea of having a sick closet that my kids borrow from all the time

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chasingpj · 3 years ago

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𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

pairing: leo valdez x gn reader

summary: five ways he says i love you through his actions

warnings: implied nudity and s*x, discusses food and eating and nothing else, i think. oh, and maybe some typos

category: headcanons

love letters/notes

leo is a busy boy

he's always picking up new projects so he can spend all day in his workshop or the forges with his siblings

when you guys live together, he leaves small notes on the refrigerator for you

they're always short, saying simple things like "i love you" and "i miss you already"

for the love letters, he'll leave them in random places for you to find

if you're a big reader, i can see him hiding it between the pages of your book

one day, you pick up your book to read, and the note falls on your lap

it's a love letter written on a piece of blueprint paper; there’s a little bit of oil smudged on the side of it

he got distracted while he was working on something because you were the only thing he could think about

his love letters never fail to make your heart flutter

sometimes they make you cry

he's quite sentimental

leo always tells you he does better writing down his feelings than he is saying it out loud because he can organize his thoughts better

you know that leo has a hard time with that because of how he grew up

when you guys have an argument, which isn't very often, he writes his feelings down on paper

he's always quick to apologize if he did something wrong, and the notes help him form the apology that you deserve, and you're quick to forgive him

once, you were super angry after an argument, so you locked yourself in your shared bedroom

you needed to calm yourself down

the both of you much too angry and stubborn to make a compromise

as your recollecting yourself, 40 minutes in, a folded piece of paper slips from under the door

the letter has teardrop stains, and the ink is slightly smudged

on the paper, it's all his thoughts written out in the best way he can explain them

after reading what he wrote, you quickly deemed that whatever you were fighting about was silly, and you guys made up

you love his spontaneous notes so much that you do them back

you guys have a game of who can find the most creative hiding spot for your notes

one time you found one tapped to the inside of the toilet cover

you found it hilarious

you throw folded post-its with messages in his tool belt

he finds them during the day while he's working on something

after you joined in on the fun, he scatters notes in random places, and every few days, you find a new message hidden somewhere randomly

they're just so sweet; there’s never a time where they don't make you smile

gifts

this is a given

it's not a leo headcanon if gift-giving isn't included

he would make you things like roses from scrap metal to literal furniture

if you have a lot of jewelry, he will make you a cute jewelry box

if you're a big book reader, he'll make you bookcases to support your book collection

he's always giving you little trinkets that he made with leftover materials from projects

he loves making things for you and gets upset when you decide to buy something from ikea instead of asking him

"babe, why would you buy that? I could have just made it for you!"

when he's on his way from returning on his quest, sometimes he'll find something that reminds him of you in a store, and he'll buy it

when he has the money for it, he'd buy you a star :(

says that he spent even more money to buy an extra bright star

because "you're the sun in my universe"

brb gonna cry

also, he'd gift you a bond bracelet

you know, those bracelets where every time you tap on it, it makes the other person's bracelet vibrate

the both of you get anxious when one of you goes on quests, so the bracelets bring the other person who's at home comfort

because when you tap back, at least he knows you're alive and vice versa

one of the best gifts you've ever received from him was your engagement ring

he made it himself

he took so much care and effort into making it

imagine leo forging your wedding ring himself??? i'm in spain with no s

he was so nervous that you wouldn't like the style, so he had piper casually bring it up to you

piper was so nonchalant about it that you didn't even think twice about the question

the ring has the prettiest gemstone or diamond (whatever you prefer)

you cried so hard when he told you he made it himself that you couldn't even say yes to his proposal clearly

he makes both of your wedding bands too

he carves a saying that's dear to the both of you on the inside

this is nothing to do with anything but imagine when you guys have kids, he makes animals out of pipe cleaners for them i'm gonna cry, brb pt 2

overall, whether he makes the present himself or not, he puts a lot of effort and care into it

every gift has a meaning and a place dear to your heart

cooking for you

leo is canoningly a good cook

he loves cooking for you

and you love eating what he makes

he's usually busy on the weekdays, so he cooks on the weekends

you guys always joke that he'd be the cutest househusband

you got him an apron for Christmas as a joke gift one year, and he wears it all the time

there's something so charming about him wearing an apron with a funny saying like "Mr. Good Lookin is Cookin" or with like a ripped out shirtless guy in front of it

you giggle every time you see him wearing it

oh, no matter how many times you've seen it, it's still so bizarre when he takes out hot trays from the oven with his BARE hands

everything he makes tastes amazing

he makes all kinds of food and is always trying something new

if you tell him what you’re craving, he’ll cook it for you

once he woke you up to ask if you wanted ribs… it was 3 am but like, of course, you wanted some

unless you're vegetarian or vegan, sorry, HAHA

often though, he does make Mexican food

it reminds him of when his mom was alive

he always has some story to share

every time he makes caldo de pollo (chicken soup), he always talks about how his mother would make it in the summer and that when he was little, he would always complain about eating hot soup in hot weather

you know he doesn't notice his constant telling of this story, but you don't mind

it's so bittersweet when he talks about his mom

through the cooking of his traditional food, you feel closer to him and his late mother

the memories he shares with you makes your eyes sting with tears

especially when leo says how much he wishes that esperanza could have met you

sorry, that was a little emo

also, leo usually wakes up earlier than you

he knows you're a sleepyhead, so he'll cook breakfast for you

so that when you're running around in the morning trying to get dressed and your things together

you never leave the house hungry because there's always a tupperware filled with breakfast, and if he has enough time, he'll fix you something to take for lunch too

if you come home late from work or school, he'll make dinner even if he's tired to surprise you

so many times you've come home from a shitty day at work or school, and the small table where you guys eat your meals is all set up with your favorite food

leo greets you by peeking his head into the hallway from the kitchen, tossed curls, cheerful brown eyes, and a bright grin

"I hope you're hungry," he says, despite knowing that you are hungry

and then you guys talk and laugh together over a delicious meal

compliments

leo's really observant

he notices when you’re in a bad mood, even if you try not to show it

he also notices when you change little things about your appearance

if you get a haircut or you get your nails done, he'll comment on it right away

especially outfits

if you buy something new, he'll complement it

imagine standing in front of the mirror, looking at yourself in your new outfit

leo comes behind you, his hands coming around your waist

he'll pepper kisses on your neck, a soft hum leaving his lips as he meets your eyes in the mirror

"is this new, mi amor?" he asks, hands running up your sides

once you affirm that it is a new dress or shirt, he'll smile and tell you how beautiful you look in it

maybe says he'd rather see it off of you wink wink

there's never a day where he doesn't compliment you

he thinks you're the prettiest person in the world

you've caught him staring at you lovingly plenty of times

he's just asking himself how did he manage to get someone as beautiful and amazing as you

you always squirm under his gaze and playfully ask what is he looking at

"you're so pretty, mi amor. I can't help it."

AHHH!!!!

alongside the endearment of mi amor, he'd always call you bonita and hermosa

you're so sweet to him, and he can't help but tell you how much you mean to him every chance he gets

surprises

leo is an acts of service kind of guy

i think he'll spontaneously do things to make you happy

if you've been busy studying for finals or just beat up from a day at work

he'll draw you a bath

or he'll cut up some fruit for you and leave it at your desk

he randomly buys you flowers

he never needs an occasion to buy your flowers

it'll be a regular tuesday, leo just happened to walk past a store with flowers displayed in the front, and he thought about how bright your smile would be if he showed up with a bouquet

I feel like he's pretty introverted, enjoys being at home with you

the both of you are pretty broke for a while, so a lot of dates were at home

leo made the most of it

you guys will have nice dinners at home

he'll set the table nicely, set the mood with candles

he'll redecorate the space so well you feel like you're at an actual restaurant

and of course, his food is amazing

breakfast in bed is another thing he'd do for you unsolicited

especially if you guys had a looong night wink wink

you're woken up by his still groggy voice, fluttering kisses on your cheeks

you open your eyes to see he's set a tray with your favorite breakfast on top of the bed

the two of you will eat breakfast together, which usually leads to you staying in bed for the rest of the day

just enjoying the warm cocoon your sheets create around the both of you

overall, he's super observant and caring, and he goes the extra mile to make sure you're happy because he knows you do the same

anyways, does anyone know where I can get a leo?

masterlists taglist: @nct127bee @minamisulemisa @yanfeisluvr @cartocns @Slytherclaw-kitten @idk-bye-no @percysbluehairbrush @Hermioneswifeee @quteez @drayshadow @ashookykooky

#my writing #leo valdez #leo valdez x reader #leo valdez x you #heroes of olympus #heroes of olympus fanfic #heroes of olympus fanfiction #leo valdez imagine #leo valdez one shot #leo valdez fanfic #leo valdez fluff #leo valdez drabble #leo valdez headcanon

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bedbellyandbeyond · 3 years ago

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Mario Kart Double Dash

(Story Post)

Theo and Henderson were both at the former's apartment watching TV when his phone went off. Unfortunately, he'd left it on the kitchen counter and it wasn't easy to move from the couch now that he was 16 weeks pregnant with alien quadruplets. “I got it,” Henderson said getting up to swipe the phone and handed it to Theo. “Merci,” Theo said as he took it and checked the caller ID. He was surprised to see it was Korsy. He answered it. “Hello?” “Theo, you home?” “Yeah.” “Okay, I'm coming up.” “Do you need me to open the balcony door?” “No, I'll take the elevator,” Korsy said. “Just buzz me in?” “Yeah, for sure.”

A few minutes later Korsy was knocking on the door. Henderson let him in. Korsy's usual smirking nature had dissolved into a more frantic and nervous demeanour. He waved to Theo on the couch. “Hey, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?” “No. Would it matter?” Theo sighed. “Are you alright, man?” Henderson asked putting a hand on Korsy's shoulder. “You look pale.” “No, I'm fine…” Korsy said, scratching the back of his head. No one was convinced. “Theo, how have you been?” Theo shrugged. “No more morning sickness. Not in a while, anyway…” “Well, that's good!” Korsy said. He patted Henderson's back. “And I imagine you're taking good care of him?” “Doing my best.” He closed the door behind Korsy. “Are you hungry?” “No, no,” Korsy said. “Have you eaten recently?” Henderson added. “Do you have allergies or dietary restrictions?” “I, uh, no, not really and no,” Korsy said. “But I'm not hungry, it's okay.” “Alright.” Henderson went into the kitchen anyway and started heating up a bowl of stew. “Come sit,” Theo said. “Talk to me.” Korsy went over and sat down, although he still didn't seem particularly relaxed. “You need to tell me what's up,” Theo said. “You are clearly upset about something.” “Yeah, well, I, uh…” Korsy took a deep breath. “Um, I have a friend I've been, you know, getting benefits from and we're not serious or anything, but uh…” Henderson came back and placed the bowl of stew in Korsy's hands before going and sitting down himself. “Eat.” “Oh, uh. Thanks.” “Don't mention it.” Korsy took a moment to try some of the broth. “This is very good.” “My mother sent it over,” Henderson said. “Tell her she's an incredible chef,” Korsy said. “I will. Now, please continue. What's this about a friend with benefits?” “Right…” Korsy scratched the back of his neck. “We didn't know it was possible, but I might've…gotten him pregnant.” Theo's eyes widened. “Oh my god, really?” “How would you believe it wasn't possible?” Henderson asked. “Is he trans?” “No, he's cis. That's why we didn't think it could happen,” Korsy said. “How did it happen, then?” Theo asked. “Or ‘maybe’ happen.” “It's kinda weird and complicated,” Korsy explained. “But he accidentally ate something he shouldn't have and it gave him a womb and now he doesn't want to talk to me and I don't know what to do.” “Um, what in the world did he eat?” Henderson asked. “Alien made stuff,” Korsy said. “You don't have to worry about it. APID has it now. Probably will study it then destroy it.” “Okay, as long as it's not like some weird new mango or something,” Theo said. “Although, do they have to destroy it?” Henderson said. “I bet some transwomen would love that. Even some cis gay couples trying to have kids.” “Well, they are studying it,” Korsy said. “Too untested and unregulated as it is right now.” “Yeah, that's fair,” Henderson said. “Well, you don't know yet for sure if he's pregnant, right?” Theo said. “It could just be a close call.” “That's what we're hoping,” Korsy said. “But, I just… I don't want this to ruin what we have going on. At first it was just sex, but I feel like we're becoming good friends, like you and me.” “I've met you like three times,” Theo said. “That's a lot for me, to be honest,” Korsy said. “I'm away so much, if I want to make friends, it has to be quick.” “Also fair,” Henderson said. “Well, if you're going to be my friend, you have to understand that you don't leave my house hungry.” “This isn't your house,” Theo argued. “Wherever I am is home,” Henderson stated. “You certainly act like it…” Theo said. “Oh hush, you love that I feed you,” Henderson said, patting Theo’s belly. “Your mom feeds me,” Theo argued as well. “That's only sometimes. I cook for you.” Henderson turned back to their guest. “Korsy, don't you wrap it up?” “I do when there's, you know, a vagina involved. Or if they're not tellurian,” Korsy said. “Otherwise, it's whatever they want. Elves don't get STIs.” Henderson looked to Theo again. “Can you confirm?” “Confirm what?” Theo huffed. “I don't know if elves get STIs!” “No, you two almost boned,” Henderson said. “Did he wrap it up for you?” Theo blushed. “Oh. Uh, yes he did. Can we not talk about that? That was so embarrassing…” “What? It's nothing to be embarrassed about,” Henderson said. “You seduced an elf.” “Hardly, he seduced me,” Theo said. “I am certainly attracted to you,” Korsy admitted. Theo pulled a blanket over his head. “Seriously, this is too much…” “Elves certainly seem to like you as much as you like them,” Korsy said. “Considering how many you keep in company.” Henderson frowned, eyeing Korsy. “You're not still on about me being an elf?” “You're still denying it?” Korsy inquired. “I'm not an elf!” Henderson exclaimed. “The thing is, you are though,” Korsy stated. Henderson threw up his hands. “Fine, prove it then.” “Okay.” Korsy put the bowl of stew on the table, a smug grin crossing his face. “Have you ever been sick?” Henderson shrugged. “No.” “Are your ears very sensitive to touch?” Korsy asked. “Aren’t they all?” “Do you have a hard time growing body hair?” Henderson smirked. “No.” Korsy waved a hand. “That's neither here nor there… You're part human anyway.” “I'm all human,” Henderson stated. “Do you resonate with any one or more elements of nature?” Korsy continued. “For example, animals, water, ores, gemstones, fire, wind, the moon, the sun, the stars, etc.” “Define resonate,” Theo piped in. “Is it like a glow or something?” “No, it's like… Well, for me, I have a good bond with magical animals,” Korsy said. “Anyway, it's hard to explain. It's a really strong pull towards those kinds of things. And them to you.” “I can't think of anything like that,” Henderson said. “What about people?” Theo asked. “Henderson's really good at attracting a crowd. People always want to hear his stories and hang out with him at work and stuff.” “That's called being an extrovert,” Henderson stated rolling his eyes. “I mean some magical creatures have a way with people, but mostly demons and sirens,” Korsy said. “Demons are real?!” Theo gasped. “Oh, yeah. But don't worry about them. You're not surprised about the sirens, though?” “He met a mermaid already,” Henderson said. “At that pregnancy group.” “No, he's my case worker,” Theo said. “Oh, right! Fay!” Korsy recalled. “Yeah, Fay's cool.” “We are way off topic,” Theo re-centred. “Right.” Korsy stood up and held his hands out, palms up. “All these questions don't really matter as much as the physical. Stand up, Mr Neil. Lift your arms.” “This is stupid,” Henderson said but Theo nudged him and he got up reluctantly. “Hurry up.” “I said lift your arms,” Korsy said. “Also, it's easier with your shirt off.” “You're lucky you're cute...” Henderson stripped down to his waist and put his arms up. “What, might I ask, are you looking for?” “Elf mark,” Korsy said. “Don't worry, There's only three possible ones below the belt and they're very unlikely considering already what we know about you, so I'll only look for those ones if I don't find any other one.” “Well, you won’t so I might as well undo my drawstrings…” Henderson stated. “Also, I have a lot of ‘marks'. Even if you think you found something, it's probably my condition.” “Elf marks are very specific. It’s not gonna look like a skin condition.” Korsy took out his phone to cross reference a photo he had from a book he wasn't allowed to read, let alone photograph. He checked under Henderson's armpits first. “Not an aquatic elf...” He turned out both of Henderson’s palms. “Not wood or wild.” “How many are there?” Theo asked. “Uh, several,” Korsy said. “About nine, I think?” He went behind Henderson and sighed. “Darn, not Avariel. That would've been unlikely, but so cool...” “What are Avariel?” Henderson asked. “Winged elves,” Theo said excitedly, pulling himself up off the couch so he could look too. “You do know your stuff,” Korsy said. “Anyway, they're long gone.” Korsy pushed forward Henderson's ears to check behind them. “Not Star or Lythari.” “What's left?” Theo asked. “Just Drow, Sun and Moon,” Korsy said. “I don't think he'd be drow, but we'll check anyway. Pants off.” “Are you serious?” Henderson huffed. “You can keep your panties on,” Korsy shrugged. “Just need a look at the inner thigh and then your butt.” “Let me guess, Moon is on the butt?” Henderson sighed. “…Listen, I don't make this stuff up. It's ancient,” Korsy said. “I can assure you, there's nothing there,” Henderson stated. “How often do you look at your butt?” Korsy asked. “Probably a lot,” Theo said. “He has a nice butt.” “I have a nice butt,” Henderson concurred. “Well, we can check the Sun first if you want,” Korsy said. “Not much hope for that one though, but we'll see.” “Where's that one?” Theo asked. “Sole of the foot,” Korsy said. “My feet are completely vitiligo at this point,” Henderson said. “Even if there was something there, it'd be gone.” “Humour me,” Korsy said. Henderson grimaced, but he sat down and put his foot up on the coffee table. “You better not have a foot fetish or something.” “I'm just taking a look, I'm not taking pictures,” Korsy said. “You didn't say ‘no'.” “I don't have a foot fetish,” Korsy stated. “Frankly, it's the last place I want to look. I'm a butt guy.” He went around the coffee table and picked up Henderson's foot before putting it down. “Hm. Other one.” Henderson switched feet, and then Korsy's eyes lit up. He picked up the other man's foot and wiped at it with his thumb, checking in case what he was seeing was dirt. “What?” Henderson groaned in annoyance. “Ha, you're walking on sunshine, baby!” Korsy said in delight. “You have to be kidding...” Henderson pulled his foot back so he could get up and try to look at his sole. Right on his heel, he saw the little circle of spots with little dots around the outside, mimicking solar flares. “What the hell...” Theo spread his arms. “Oh my god, you're a Sun Elf!” Henderson exhaled in frustration and put his foot down. “I...ugh, this is dumb...” “Sun elves are pretty incredible, I'm not gonna lie,” Korsy said. “I didn't suspect them, but it wasn't impossible. The whole extrovert thing makes sense though. They're very civil and good with magic.” “Are you happy now?” Henderson snapped. “You figured it out. Now what? Do you like me more knowing I'm an elf?” “Whoa, man. Chill,” Korsy said. “It's not like that at all. Just wanted to help you discover something new about yourself. Don't you want to know your background?” “No! I knew my background!” Henderson exclaimed. “I was proud to be what I was! What I knew! People have always tried to tell me that being who and what I am was bad, secondary, unimportant. They wanted me to be something else! But I made myself love me and my skin! I love my black heritage! I don't need to be anything else! Do you understand that?” “I'm not trying to take any of that away from you,” Korsy said. “But, I'm sorry, man, I... I don't know, I thought you'd want to know.” “I've said I didn't want to know,” Henderson reminded. “I don't need you to think for me.” “I'm sorry. I thought...” Korsy didn't know what else to say. “Did you, though? Did you really think?” Henderson asked. “I only let you do this because you're going through some shit right now and you needed a distraction. But this is too far.” Korsy crossed his arms. “Look, man. I said I'm sorry. I don't know what else to tell you. I don't appreciate you insulting me." “Oh, fuck off, honestly,” Henderson said. “I'm done with this.” “You agreed to do this.” “I didn't think you'd actually find anything!” Henderson spat. He went to the door and started pulling on his shoes. “What, you're just leaving?” Theo asked, waddling over. “I'm sorry, Theo. I just gotta go,” Henderson said. “No, this is my fault.” Theo apologised. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have encouraged him...” “It's fine, okay?” Henderson said opening the door. “I still... I need to breathe.” “Okay...” “I will call you.” “Okay.” Korsy went to follow Henderson. “Listen, let's just talk about this.” “No. Stay here,” Henderson said, stopping him with his hand. “You and Theo can geek out about elf shit and whatever. I gotta go.” “Alright, dude...” Korsy sighed. “I am sorry. Really.” Henderson backed out and just shut the door. “Shit...” Korsy groaned and went back to the couch. He covered his face. “Fucking hell... Am I just pushing away everyone today?” “It's okay... Henderson will calm down,” Theo said, coming back and sitting down. “I think it's just a lot for him to take in... And you didn't push your friend away. Everyone needs time.” Korsy took his hands away and his eyes were tearing up. “I just... I don't want people to be miserable. Not because of me.” “No one wants that, but honestly, they won't be,” Theo said. “I mean, I've been pretty fucking miserable lately, but I do think I’ll get through this... You'll get through this and so will they. And let me handle Henderson.” “Yeah... I'm really sorry I dropped in out of nowhere and dropped all this drama on you,” Korsy said. “I know you've got a lot going on.” “I've pretty much just accepted this stuff, so there's not actually much for me to do, except just keep sitting on my ass...” Theo said. “In a few weeks, I'm supposed to start growing again though. Not looking forward to that.” “Well, you've got good care and I think you're gonna get through it,” Korsy said. “I appreciate that.” Theo patted Korsy's knee. “And don't apologise for looking for help. What's worrying you most about this situation, though?” Korsy took a deep breath. “My friend... He says he doesn't want to be pregnant, and he bought a pill for it... But, I don’t know, I'm worried he'll change his mind? And I can't...I can't be a dad...” “Boy, do I feel that...” Theo said, rubbing his stomach. “But, I mean, I don't know your friend, but if you feel like he feels the same way, then I don't think you should worry about it.” “Yeah, I trust him,” Korsy said. “It's all I can do... And we're not a couple, and he has a pretty small apartment and he seems more work driven than anything, so I think we're okay, but it's just that little chance that's scaring me.” “Well, you said he might not be pregnant at all,” Theo said. “So, it's like there's three ways it could go, and the majority is in favour of no baby.” “Yeah, you're right...” Korsy closed his eyes for a moment. “You're right. Thanks.” “Listen, feel free to stay over if you want,” Theo said. “There's more food, and we could watch more Mando. To keep your head off of things.” “Yeah, if it's alright... If Henderson comes back though, he probably won't want to see me.” “Don't worry about Henderson. You know, we could play Mario Kart first.” “Yeah, so you can challenge my win streak?” “Last time was a fluke.” “Sure. You're on.”

#lore #Theo #Henderson #Korsy #trans preg #transman #mpreg #mpreg belly

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fortey · 2 years ago

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The Day I Met Ray Liotta

Once a long lost FunnyCrave or HolyTaco article, now returned! I emailed it to someone in 2011! RIP Mr. Liotta, you were awesome.

The life of an internet comedian is a whirlwind of excitement. If you’re not at a gala dinner to support the preservation of owls whose name may include the word “tit” but not in an obscene fashion, you’re spinning hilarious quips into 140 character gemstones on Twitter, then constantly refreshing to see who replied or retweeted you and helped validate your existence for a few moments. Oh, it’s quite the ride. Of course, along with this comes the magnificence of celebrity; brushing elbows with the world’s elite. Yes, celebrities are better than you and I because they have been on television. Have you been on television? Don’t answer, I won’t have time to read it.

Every so often, as writers, we get invited to cover luxurious events, movie premieres and golden jubilees. Recently, we were on our way to cover the opening of Moneyball when it became clear that getting to the theatre for the red carpet event would be a difficult task when it happened the day before and we had forgotten about it. Oops. Like any reasonable professional, the course of correction for this oversight was clear – cheap booze from Trader Joes.

The bus came quickly and the ride was as smooth as the finest Chinese silk, straight from the puckered anus of the most refined caterpillar. Upon reaching the stop conveniently located a mere block from Trader Joe’s, I departed from my public transit comrades’ company and sought out some discount bourbon that I felt would make my evening a little more festive as I planned another week of Holy Taco galleries and answered the site’s fan mail with veiled threats and outright threats.

Upon entering Trader Joe's I was met with the familiar smell of Joe himself – exotic spices from the Orient and a touch of sweat. Kind of what you’d expect a child in a shoe factory to smell like, if he’d managed to use that month’s salary to buy a ginger snap. Other customers milled about purchasing unsweetened green tea, trail mix and other preposterous products of that ilk. None of that for me, it was the single malt Imperial bourbon whiskey that was calling my name. To be fair, a Trader Joe’s employee was the one calling me after I accidentally knocked over a display of Toscano cheese, but he didn’t know my name so I refused to listen.

As I perused the store’s selection of liquors, emboldened by the knowledge an underpaid servant was now cleaning my artisanal cheese mess, I paused to ask a fellow alcohol enthusiast if the Aberlour would quench my thirst better than the Imperial, only I worded it thusly “How fast will this get me shitfaced?”

To my surprise, the gravelly voice that replied to me with a simple “it’ll get you where you need to be” belonged to none other than famed thespian Ray Liotta. Mr. Liotta, as you no doubt know, is the star of such films as No Escape and Operation: Dumbo Drop. I was taken aback.

“Are you Ray Liotta?” I asked. It was a stupid ass question at best, because he was clearly Ray Liotta. Also, no one likes being asked who they are. Generally the only people who ask you to confirm your identity are the police or idiots on the phone. I had made my first misstep in our new friendship.

Liotta may have smiled or sneered and said “yes,” making eye contact only briefly. Was he becoming testy? Did he realize he should not have initiated contact? I had to act quickly. How does one best know for writing internet articles about sex toys and the Black Eyed Peas (but not together. Not yet anyway) make a good impression on a man who has co-starred on film with Whoopi Goldberg?

“I wrote a pretty popular article about sex toys once,” I say, placing a hand in my pocket. Tactical error, that.

Mr. Liotta bade a hasty retreat, which makes sense even to me, and I was left holding my bourbon. The Aberlour sounded good so I took two and shortly followed after Mr. Liotta looking to not only explain myself but take some time to arrange a play date for us later in the week. Of course, being men, we wouldn’t call it a play date. That would be asinine. It would be Boy Time.

Having only watched Liotta on film, you may be surprised to learn he possesses some manner of Spiderman-like intuition or “Liotta Sense” if you will, which allowed him to stealthily avoid me with apparent ease thence forward. By the time I finaly caught sight of him he was leaving the store with several packages of breakfast burritos. Good choice, Ray. Good choice.

I was detained in line behind some filthy hippie who was trying to find out if there was gluten in his trail mix, as if anyone on earth would mourn his loss should he eat gluten (it’s poisonous, right? Why on Earth would they add that to trail mix? Add more raisins instead) and by the time I made my purchase, Ray had vanished forever. As I rode the bus home, I was wistful, and lifted my head with an impossible hope every time the bus stopped and the door opened to allow on a new passenger. “Ray?!” I’d say quietly, as other passengers moved away from me. But it never was. Ray Liotta probably has a car. No bus for him. No sir.

#comedy #shorts #rayliotta

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ingeniouscollectionthing · 5 years ago

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If you were alive again… (Tom Riddle x Reader)

Part 1

Request: Any chance I could request something for Tom Riddle x Ghost! Reader? It starts off with Tom manipulating her for info and the Reader just liking being noticed, but then Tom falls for her and tries to find a way to bring them together. Could end in fluff or smut, whichever works best for you!

Pairing: Tom Riddle x Reader

Hogwarts' astronomy tower was engulfed in the beautiful silver streams of light provided by a rich full moon, which hung high up in the night sky - pitch black, lightened up by countless glimmering stars.

A sole silhouette of a girl, no older than sixteen, could be found sitting on the railing, gazing into the seemingly never ending darkness. A crisp cold wind blew by, but she - or shall one say - You couldn't be bothered. You couldn't feel it - for you were dead.

A mere shadow of what you once have been, a young and talented student who has walked along the many corridors of this very school a long time ago. Once you have been a proud member of house Slytherin, younger sister of the famous Gellert Grindelwald - the very same who transported you into the unloving hell of the living dead for the sake of power, although you always supported him in everything he did.

He was an ungreatful, despicable, pathetic bastard, taking for granted what laid right in front of his eyes. And when he finally rose to power he lost sight of the things dearest to him - fighting his very best partner Dumbledore and killing you in a fit of rage.

Merlin forsake these Deathly Hallows, which brought out the worst in all wizards and witches who tried to conquer them.

Footsteps sounded behind, but you didn't need to turn around to know who visited at this hour.

Tom was his name, a handsome boy dare you say, quite charming and intelligent. He has been visiting you for a few weeks now, engaging you in deep conversations about anything. More than often you talked about your brother, realizing soon that this boy resembled him in more ways than one. Tom himself had ambitions about making magical beings the superior race, killing all those unworthy of using witchcraft. And as you did with your brother, you also shared his oppinion.

"Good evening, Lady Grindelwald", Tom said, now standing by your side, hands behind his back.

"Tom, my dear, what brings you here tonight?" you questioned, turning to look at him.

"I just wanted to see you. How are you feeling today?"

You looked back out into the night sky, smiling slightly, as you quite liked the attention you recieved by him.

"Alright, I believe. I've been reminiscing about the days where I didn't feel as numb as I do today".

A pang of guilt hit Tom in the chest, making him furrow his brows in confusion. He was so close to getting the information about the famous elder wand he so eagerly wanted, as it was lastly known as the wand of your brother. With the stone of resurrection, currently possessed by his very own uncle, whom he wanted to kill within the next few days, along with his grandfather, he'd gain umimaginable power.

He didn't know why he felt that way as he looked at your emotionless expression, you were useless to him in any way. He couldn't define, why he almost felt eager to come visit you every night.

'I'm sure it's because I'm so close to my goal', Tom thought - at least that's what he tried to tell himself. Tom never felt this way. To be fair, he didn't think he could. But still he found himself loving the hours he had with you, he loved your presence.

All he said was,

"I understand how you must feel. I too haven't felt anything remotely close to emotion since the day I have been left at the doorstep of that despicable orphanage". Lies.

For the thirst time ever, Tom showed sympathy. He almost gagged at his behaviour.

"I still can't believe I'm the only one you ever told the story about your life. I can imagine that you must have quite many friends, Mr. Popular", you laughed for the first time in years, a slight twinkle awakened in your eyes.

Tom didn't notice. Lies.

He wondered what colour your eyes were, for colour was nowhere to be found in your ghostly appearance. He wondered if they would shine in a bright blue or in a beautiful earthy brown. Or maybe they were a glimmering gemstone green.

If you were alive again..

Tom dismissed this thought. He didn't care about this, about you. He couldn't, he didn't want to. All he wanted was the missing information.

So he just shrugged his shoulders and replied,

"You're the only one I trust enough to know about this".

You sighed, the smile on your lips vanishing again. You loved being near him, but you knew deep down, that in reality - he wasn't here for you. Lies.

His next question confirmed your suspicions.

"Do you still remeber what we talked about yesterday?", Tom asked, now leaning next to you on the railing.

"The way Dumbledore is following your every move or the elder wand?", you mumbled, knowing where this would go.

"The second one would be correct, Miss Grindelwald. As i recall correctly, you said that your brother took it with him to Nurmengard".

"Tom", you sighed, now floating away from the railing to the opposite side of the tower. "I already told you that it would do you no good to infatuate yourself with this topic. You'd fulfill your dreams without it"

"(Y/N), you know I wouldn't use it, I promised you. I promised to destroy the very thing that is responsible for your death", Tom replied, again haunted by guilt. Lies again.

He has been trying to get this information out of you for quite some time now, but you never said a word. However you started to rethink your desicion, after all you thought you could trust him.. or could you? He was persuasive.

That you liked Tom was an understatement. You fell for him. How could you not? He was perfect in every way, he was powerful and he seemed proud in what he was doing. But would you really want him to become the very same thing your brother became? A power hungry monster? Would you be ready to witness, as another one of your loved ones got stuck in insanity?

You went back and forth in your conversation, him preassuring you and you reluctantly telling him more about what he wanted to know.

Finally you gave in, telling him about everything your brother gathered of knowledge about the deathly hallows. And how the elder wand was in fact in Dumbledore's possession, for it changed it's loyalty to the person, who overpowered the owner.

"So all this time it's been right before my eyes", Tom mumbled, tapping his nose. "Of course Dumbledore would have it". He got annoyed.

You cleared your throat, for you heard exactly what he said and as he turned to look at you, his heart, which he believed to be made from stone, missed a beat.

You were a true haunting beauty. Your face and body posture held a certain grace, drawing him in.

If you were alive again...

What if? Yes, what if you were alive again? Could you be his?

And his next question threw both of you off guard, for it was an action of instinct neither of you expected. It was an action of...could you call it love?

"Do you miss being alive? Do you ever miss being human?", Tom asked silently.

This was out of character for him, he never cared. Or did he now? Caring was a weak term for these unknown emotions inside him. Is this what people call love? Is he loving?

He watched you closely, as your eyes lost every twinkle. He felt bad again. He watched you, as your eyes dropped to the floor, as a small white thread of tears dribbled slowly down your silver cheek. He felt worse now.

Tom took a step near you.

"It would be my hearts deepest desire...to get back what has been taken from me so very early...", you whispered.

You looked at him again, a small sad smile gracing your lips. You shook your head.

"What if? Yes, what if you were alive again?". There was an edge of desperation to his voice now. For the first time ever, Tom Riddle's heart felt something. It beat in his throat. It felt pain, desire, angst and love all at once.

Another question out of instinct, maybe, dare I say it, out of love.

"Could you be mine then?"

And then you vanished.

What if? Yes, what if you were alive again? Could you be his?

#harry potter #harry potter imagine #tom riddle #tom riddle fluff #tom riddle imagine #tom riddle imagines #tom riddle x reader #tom riddle x you #tom riddle smut #tom riddle lemon #voldemort x reader #voldemort #young voldemort x reader

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andrewmoocow · 3 years ago

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Steven Universe Alternate Future chapter 17: Together Forever (originally posted on July 5, 2021)

AN: Welcome back my loyal readers! Sorry to keep you all waiting these past few months, but I know the wait will really be worth it. The final two parts of Alternate Future might be some of my greatest writings yet, and I'm more than excited to share it all with you starting today. Now without further ado….

Synopsis: Steven tries to become Connie's official boyfriend.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Charlyne Yi as Ruby

Erica Luttrell as Sapphire

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Grace Rolek as Connie

Dee Bradley Baker as Lion

Kimberly Brooks as Cherry Quartz

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Featuring Ray Chase as George Ikari

Pearl stood in line at the Buddwick Public Library alongside many other parents and parental figures like her, waiting as a bearded, glasses-wearing Japanese-American man signed books at a table.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to not be from around here, right?" a single dad standing behind Pearl asked her.

"Well, technically yes," Pearl informed the father. "I come from a planet of beings similar to myself who are all based around gemstones, which explains my appearance. Also, just last week I helped save your world from a sociopathic revolutionary, so you're welcome."

"You foreigners say the craziest things!" the father giggled in disbelief of Pearl, who just groaned flatly as the line began to pick up.

Eventually, Pearl was at the front of the line and now face to face with childcare author George Ikari, who had his fingers clasped together as he gazed at Pearl.

"Let me guess, you are here because of your own son, daughter, or whatever pronouns your child prefers to be dubbed?" George asked Pearl while he took out another copy of his book, titled "When Your Child Wants Time Apart", to sign for the Gem.

"Well, he's not really my son, but Steven is the closest thing my team, the Crystal Gems, have to one after his mother died giving birth to him." Pearl explained as George got to signing. "And that's not even getting into the fact that his mother was a former despotic alien conqueror who grew tired of her life and the constant neglect from her fellow despots, so she faked her death because of how much she valued your planet as part of a big war, then thousands of years later she met a rock star and fell in love with him before they consummated their relationship and she gave up her physical form to give birth to Steven."

George just stared in shock at Pearl's tale before she tried to continue. "And just last week, there was this other Gem with a vendetta against Steven's mother who tried to destroy the planet and kill us a-"

"Stop." George commanded Pearl with a raise of his hand before handing over the signed book. "Just take the book and leave. Your tales are holding up the line."

"What did I tell ya, foreigners say the craziest things!" the single father from before laughed.

"I'm deeply sorry Mr. Ikari, it's just that Steven has been going through some rough times lately." Pearl apologized to the author.

"I completely understand miss." George said while pulling out his phone to show Pearl a picture of his own son, a young man with scruffy brown hair, a white dress shirt, and a nervous expression on his face. "My son Shane has had his fair share of troubles ever since his mother died, troubles that he insisted on running away from rather than facing them maturely."

"Just like Steven." Pearl compared the two boys sympathetically. "I am deeply sorry for your loss sir."

"Thank you for your kindness." George smiled, putting away his phone. "The best thing I feel could work for a situation like this is to let things play out and discuss his problems when the time is right."

"Thank you very much George." Pearl thanked the author as she finally began to leave the library with her new book in hand. "Though I doubt that'll be of any use to Steven."

Not too far away from the library, Steven was sitting in his room talking to Connie on the phone while she was on her study break.

"Wow Connie, looks like you got all this college stuff figured out." Steven laughed with his dear human friend over his phone.

"I've got a whole plan figured out for early admission into the University of Jayhawk, but I'm still not sure about my major," Connie explained to Steven. "Maybe I should major in political science and minor in sociology, or perhaps the other way around."

"Did all our galactic adventures together get you interested in politics?" Steven asked.

"Maybe." Connie chuckled. "But I'm thinking more down to earth, as far as long-term careers go." As the two laughed at Connie's pun, the timer on her phone began to go off. "Wow, fifteen minutes went by pretty fast."

"Aw man, these study breaks are too short." Steven complained before he realized something. "Hey wait, you left a brochure at my place last time." He stated, pulling out a brochure for Connie's college of choice to show her. "You want it back?"

"It's alright Steven, I still have two more, and the Internet too." Connie answered smiling.

"Oh, right." Steven realized. "Well, call me when you still wanna hang out, okay?"

"You know I will, silly!" Connie beamed. "Okay, for real now, bye!"

After Connie ended the call, Steven turned over on his back and gazed at the brochure in his hands. "The University of Jayhawk, huh?" he muttered to himself. "And how far is that from here?" Steven then opened up the brochure to learn how far the distance between Beach City and the university's location in Kansas was. "Oh, that far."

Once again, Steven began to glow pink as he sadly sank into his bed, fretting over how little often he'd be able to see Connie regularly. Gazing at his rose-colored hand, he then started pondering on whether he should do something about this new condition, as he had been thinking about since the titanic battle with Black Rutile.

Soon, Steven had decided to get up off his bed and walk downstairs, to which he found Garnet standing in the living room dressed in a hat and kerchief. "Oh Garnet, you're still here?"

"Steven." Garnet greeted Steven tersely.

"I could really use your advice right now." Steven declared racing over to the fusion. "It's about-"

"Not right now Steven, I gotta split." Garnet cut Steven off before un-fusing into Ruby and Sapphire.

"I'm terribly sorry Steven, but I'm running late for my lecture on alternate timelines." Sapphire apologized while taking off the scoutmaster's hat and giving it to Ruby, along with a kiss on the cheek, before racing off to her lecture. "See you soon!"

"Sapphire might be going, but you still got good ol' Ruby to talk to." Ruby said to Steven as she went to fetch a backpack. "Let's walk and talk scout, I got things to do."

"Oh, okay." Steven agreed as he followed Ruby to the Warp Pad, and the two set off.

Later that day, Steven had joined Ruby's class, consisting of Onion, Zebra Jasper, and Little Larimar, as they strolled through the woods on a gorgeous afternoon. When the class got to a good stopping point near a stump, Ruby hopped up on the stump to speak. "Okay everyone, you remember what we learned last week, right?" she asked her students. "Well, today is the day! Brace yourselves, 'cause today we're sketching nature and the animals around us!"

Onion and his Gem classmates excitedly took out their notepads to draw on as Ruby continued. "Draw to your heart's content scouts!" Ruby declared. "Feel the beauty of everything around you, and you'll have the honor of receiving this Nature Sketching Badge!" She then presented a patch depicting a paint palette and brush in front of depictions of a wolf and a bird. "Got that? Now get to drawing!"

As soon as the three pupils left to go draw the beauty of nature around them, Ruby took it as her cue to jump down from the stump to talk with Steven. "So, what did you need Garnet for?"

"It's about Connie." Steven admitted to the small red Gem. "Every time I talk with her, I feel like she knows exactly what to do with her life, mostly thanks to her parents, and I don't. When we're together as Stevonnie, I feel so ready for anything, but on my own, I feel so lost. Just, what do I want with life?"

"That's tough Steven." Ruby declared sympathetically.

"Exactly!" Steven replied. "Connie is gonna go super far away for college, and I'm gonna be stuck here in Beach City where barely anything can go right for me nowadays and I don't know what to do about them! I want to be with Connie forever, like how you and Sapphire are basically together forever as Garnet!" That was when he came to a conclusion. "Wait, if I want to be together with Connie, then she's my future!"

Steven's revelation made Ruby super excited, and she began scuttling in place with stars in her eyes, her rapid footsteps creating a small fire beneath her feet. "STEVEN STEVEN STEVEN STEVEN STEVEN!" she cheered, but stopped short once she noticed the fire she created. "Oh my gosh, one sec!" Ruby quickly ran off and came back with a towel that she used to put it out. "Anyways, STEVEN, YOU GOTTA PROPOSE!"

"Wait, propose?!" Steven exclaimed in shock. "But, we're only teenagers, we can't get married yet! But then again…"

"Don't say you haven't thought of it!" Ruby added cheerfully. "Besides, aren't there couples in this country that get married at 18 or something?"

"Y-yeah, I thought of it." Steven began blushing, which he tried to hide within his jacket. "I mean, we just had this discussion."

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Ruby yelled happily while jumping up and grabbing onto his head. "DO IT, DO IT, DO IT! DO IT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!"

"Are you still really sure?" Steven asked the overly eager Gem. "As I said, Connie and I are still only teenagers."

"C'mon, we told you about how it worked for Sapphire and I." Ruby responded. "And if you're successful, you'll have the honor of receiving this!" She presented Steven with a badge depicting one figure popping the question to another. "The Proposal Badge! And if you're not so sure, well, seeing the future would be really helpful here."

Steven gasped, knowing just who Ruby was implying.

Far away from Ruby, Sapphire sat down with her class, made up of the Watermelon Tourmaline fusion, two of the Nephrites, Orange Spodumene, Cherry Quartz, and Angel Aura Quartz, while drawing lines in the sand with a stick.

"Okay class, let's begin our lesson." Sapphire announced to her students when she spotted Steven racing towards her with a big smile on his face. "Ah, Steven. I've been expecting you."

"Hi, Sapphire." Steven greeted Sapphire. "I'm sorry to interrupt your class, but I got big news! I've been thinking about my future with Connie lately, and a chat with Ruby convinced me that I should propose!"

"Wait, don't you have to wait until you're a grown-up to do that?" Cherry Quartz inquired with a raise of her hand.

"Let me guess, you're here because of my future vision?" Sapphire asked. "Let's run the numbers then." She then let Steven stand next to her before beginning to speak to her class. "Okay class, let's review what we've learned today." She began while drawing complex math equations in the sand. "Using the concepts we discussed so far, let us calculate the probability of Steven succeeding in asking Connie to marry him. Let's begin with the probability that she'll want to spend her life with someone, and then we'll multiply that by the differential factor in sociocultural marriage acceptance. Next, we multiply that by a possibly happy cohabitation, the factor of fear of engagement, the intensity of the love you share, and finally the robustness of your goals in life." As Sapphire finished her equation, she finally turned back to Steven. "Are you following so far, Steven?"

"Uh, maybe?" Steven answered as he stared at the equation Sapphire had jotted down for him in the sand, but it wasn't long before the ocean tides began to wash them away. "Oh no, your work!"

"And there we have it." Sapphire declared with a chuckle. "Don't you get it, Steven? My marriage to Ruby, our fusion as Garnet, it eluded my future vision for so long, defied the odds, and perhaps even changed the course of time itself!" she declared encouragingly. "We could just write equations in the sand all day, but then a wave of chance can come crashing in and wash everything away! Love is truly unquantifiable! Even with my gift of clairvoyance, I know far better than anyone that love can make the impossible possible! And that is why I say do it! Do it, Steven, just do it!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Steven began getting pumped up before turning to Sapphire's class. "Get one last good look at me, everyone, because after today you're gonna be calling me Steven Quartz Cutie Pie DeMayo Diamond Universe-Maheswaran!"

The class began cheering vibrantly, bringing a big smile to Steven's face as he finally realized what his future now held.

As the afternoon slowly began to give way to evening, Ruby and Sapphire reunited by rushing towards each other on the sand, excited about the big proposal.

"Steven told me first, and I led him to you!" Ruby cheered, spinning her little blue wife around by the waist.

"I told him to go for it!" Sapphire laughed. "Oh, it's going to be so wonderful!"

As the two fused back into Garnet, she stood still for a few moments, contemplating her components' decisions before coming to one of her own. "I take full responsibility for their actions." Just then, Garnet heard footsteps and found Pearl walking behind her, her pointy nose stuck in a book. "Pearl, I'm guessing you want to see me about the book you're reading."

"I was just thinking about calling up you and Amethyst," Pearl announced as her gaze turned from the pages to her leader. "Where's Steven?"

"Oh, nothing much," Garnet answered. "Just going to make a rash decision that'll emotionally damage him in the long run."

"Oh, that's ni-" Pearl began before she did a double-take. "WAIT, WHAT?!"

As for Steven, he was too busy getting ready for an evening with Connie without a care in the world, picking up a cake from Spacetries that said 'Together forever!' on it, buying some flowers from Crazy Lace Agate, lighting up the glow bracelet that brought him & Connie together to begin with and dressing up in some nice clothes. If all goes well, he would soon become Steven Quartz Cutie Pie DeMayo Diamond Universe-Maheswaran.

Meanwhile, at Connie's house, Connie kept on studying for the University of Jayhawk when she heard a roar coming from outside her window. Walking over to the window, she discovered Steven parked outside her home with Lion by his side.

"Evening Connie, how are you doing?" Steven asked his ladylove.

"Steven?" Connie replied. "What are you doing here, and why are you all dressed up like that?"

"You got a fifteen-minute study break in two minutes, right?" Steven inquired, gazing at his watch to check if his timing is correct.

"Whoa, spot-on!" Connie exclaimed, gazing at her phone to learn that he was indeed right. "So, what did you come here for?"

"You want to go for a walk with me?" Steven offered. "I'm sure you could use some fresh air."

"That's very sweet Steven." Connie smiled. "I'd really love to, but I-"

"Don't worry, we can take Lion, and then I'll bring you home in fifteen!" Steven declared with a thumbs up.

"Okay, let's do this!" Connie accepted the offer and left her room to meet Steven outside, taking a moment to tell her parents along the way. "Bye Mom and Dad, I'm spending my study break with Steven!"

Once Connie was out the door, she and Steven mounted on Lion's back and he ran away from the Maheswaran residence.

"Remember when we first met here?" Steven asked Connie as they dismounted from Lion and began walking down the beach.

"You mean when you tried riding a bike in the sand and then started running away screaming?" Connie replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I was trying to get your attention." Steven added.

"Last I remember, I was more focused on my book than your silly antics." Connie stated.

"Well, that all happened right here." Steven declared, gesturing to a picnic at the very spot where he and Connie first met all those years ago. "You like what I have here?"

"Steven!" Connie exclaimed in awe at the picnic set before them. "I don't know what to say! I also can't believe you still remember this exact spot!"

"I just remember it like it was yesterday!" Steven exclaimed just as eagerly before running over to a nearby rock to sit on.

"This is too cute." Connie squealed while blushing.

"And without further ado," Steven announced as he picked up a guitar to play while Connie sat down. "There's something very important that I'd like to tell you today." With that, he started strumming the guitar and began to sing. "I'd rather be tall, I'd rather be smart, I'd rather be sure you know I care." He sang for Connie. "Wherever you go, wherever you start, I'd rather be sure you know I'm there. I'd rather I always be a part of whatever you do. I'd rather be me, with you."

Although Connie was a little turned off by the deeper meaning of Steven's song, she chose to just keep those feelings hidden to not hurt Steven's while he continued singing. "Wherever we go, I already trust, I'd know what to do if it were us. I'd know what to say, I'd know how to be, I'd know your entire syllabus." Steven continued as the song reached its climax. "I can't think of any other thing in the world that I would rather do. If I could be, I'd rather be me with you."

"Oh Steven, that's so beautiful!" Connie applauded the love song. "If a little unsettling, but I'd rather not say it out loud because-" Steven then got down on one knee and presented him her old glow bracelet. "Huh?"

"Connie, will you marry me?" Steven popped the question at last.

"Come again?" Connie asked, completely taken off guard by such a proposal.

"Let's get married and live together as Stevonnie, just like Garnet!" Steven reiterated for his possible wife.

"Are you serious?" Connie chuckled at the marriage proposal. "I think we should talk about this first."

"You might think I'm being sentimental, but this makes sense!" Steven exclaimed. "I don't know what you'll be studying, but I'm sure Stevonnie will! We can go to Jayhawk together!"

"I really appreciate this little date, but come on! You're still young!" Connie said as she stood up. "And acting a little clingy, I might add." She added under her breath.

"What was that?" Steven asked Connie.

"Nothing!" Connie lied. "Like I said, we're still young. And even if some couples get married at like, eighteen, I don't think we're fit to be one of those."

"So, you don't want to be Stevonnie with me?" Steven asked despondently, but Connie was there to comfort him.

"Of course I'd want to be Stevonnie, but I'd like to be my own person too," Connie answered reassuringly. "You get that, right?"

"Yeah, but," Steven began while putting the bracelet away as Connie hugged him. "Is it a no?"

"I'd say it's not right now." Connie answered.

"But if we're going to spend our lives together, why didn't you say it now?" Steven kept on inquiring fretfully.

"We got plenty of time." Connie declared, moving on from hugging Steven to holding his hands. "Don't you worry."

"I'm not worried, honest." Steven tried correcting his best friend. "I'm just happy when I'm with you."

"I'm happy around you too." Connie replied. "It's just that-" Before Connie could finish, the alarm on her phone went off. "Oh snap, my alarm!" she yelped in realization while pulling her phone out. "Forget studying right now, I don't think it matters."

"But it does matter to you!" Steven yelled.

"And you're just as important!" Connie responded, beginning to notice Steven getting more stressed out.

"I'm fine, we can talk about it later." Steven began rapidly panting. "Look, Lion's still right there, you can go now."

"Are you sure Steven?" Connie wondered sympathetically. "You're looking a little on edge. Maybe I can hook you up with a good therapist. She's a good friend of my mom named Dr. Rebe-"

"I'm sure I'm fine." Steven cut Connie off. "Now go."

"Okay." Connie obliged before giving Steven a goodbye hug. "I'll call you again tomorrow at noon." She said before walking towards Lion to have him take her home.

"Have fun studying!" Steven continued putting up a happy front as he bid Connie farewell. But as soon as she was out of sight, that front completely fell. "Nobody I love ever wants to stay."

With that, Steven fell back-first to the sand and turned pink, the resulting impact ruining the nice picnic around him as he wallowed in a crater of his sadness, and stayed there for the rest of the day.

Many hours later, Steven kept on lying in the crater long into the night with tears in his eyes, and when he finally decided to get up, Garnet was there waiting for him with the picnic basket containing the cake still intact.

"I assume it didn't go well." Garnet theorized as she helped Steven up from the crater and began walking him home.

"I don't get it," Steven muttered cynically. "Ruby and Sapphire said I should go for it, and I did, but everything went wrong."

"I apologize on their behalf," Garnet stated. "You just can't trust love advice from hopeless romantics like those two."

"Then why didn't you stop me?" Steven asked the fusion.

"I couldn't see a future where you didn't try proposing to Connie," Garnet answered. "However, there were quite a few where after she said no, you forced her to fuse with you and subsequently went insane."

"Of course." Steven moaned. "Even in alternate timelines, nothing can ever go right for me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Garnet comforted her half-human ward with a hug to the side. "Your soulmate should be your complement, not a missing piece. Ruby and Sapphire may deeply love each other, but they still have their own thoughts, feelings, and lives." The pair soon reached the beach house and sat down on the steps together. "Whatever hole you have in your life Steven, I want you to know that Connie or Stevonnie might not fill it."

"It's just that you guys make it so easy!" Steven revealed as he took the basket from Garnet. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but it's kinda your fault for being so dang perfect!"

"I know you're upset Steven, and I take responsibility for your plight," Garnet apologized to Steven. "but blaming others as much as you blame yourself won't help."

"Then maybe shoving this adorable cake in my face will!" Steven declared as he opened the picnic basket to reveal that the cake was in pieces.

"It probably won't." Garnet deadpanned, but Steven didn't listen and started eating the broken cake anyways.

"Well, I'm still gonna do it!" Steven exclaimed, his mouth now full of cake.

"I know," Garnet added as she gazed up at the sky. However, what she didn't catch was a fly buzzing around her and Steven, and its green eyes started blinking.

"Ah, romance. So utterly futile." Black Rutile grimaced as she watched the live footage of Steven drowning his sorrows in cake through a hard light welding mask. "Still, all that trauma could be useful in the future."

As Black Rutile was spectating on Steven's pain, she was hard at work on her plans for revenge, using a blowtorch to put together the final touches on a special wrist-mounted device. Once she was done, the villainous Rutile aimed the device at a rock carved into the exact shape of White Diamond's gem and fired. The resulting blast destroyed the rock and left a massive cloud of ash where it once was, but she wasn't satisfied with the smattering of pebbles that once made up the rock.

"Hm, need to work on the disintegration aspect a bit more." Black Rutile pondered while retracting the welding mask into her visor and began going back to the drawing board.

Guess who's back? Back again? Black Rutile's back, she's no friend! And on that rather sad turned ominous note, we conclude the first chapter of Part 3. Now that we have Steven's romance issues out of the way, expect to see the following in the coming chapters, in no particular order.

Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl re-enact Ace Attorney while Steven becomes even more scarred for life.

Viva Los Diego! Lapis & Amethyst get involved with a James Bond parody, Garnet & Bismuth solve mysteries together with a police officer who's basically the Plumber from Ratchet and Clank, Pearl matches wits with a snooty film director who's like Michael Bay, David Cage, Neil Druckmann & Zack Snyder in one, and Peridot tries promoting her CPH reboot.

Steven hangs out with Spinel and plays basketball with Wolverine.

Peridot finally gets her own song.

Jasper finally gets her own song.

A certain Stevonnie-chasing jerk dares Steven to reform him.

And finally, Black Rutile plays a role in a certain event in Fragments, the final chapter of this part.

Have I gotten your interest yet? Good, cause strap in everyone, it's gonna be nuts.

#steven universe #steven universe future #fanfiction #steven universe alternate future #steven quartz universe #connie maheswaran #garnet #ruby #sapphire #pearl #lion steven universe #black rutile

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fordboyle · 3 years ago

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jamesedwinstark · 3 years ago

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Okay, as promised I am posting the James noncon. There'll be 2 posts.

I wanna be SUPER CLEAR that this is NOT CANON. This is just a horrible "what if" scenario that I needed to vomit onto a page.

The concept here is that Justin Hammer is holding James hostage. He infected a number of his employees with nanites that will kill them if James doesn't do everything Hammer says. James also has nanites in him which monitor his behavior and make it so he can't call for help.

The first thing Hammer wants to do with James is... go on a date. This is the date.

I’ll pick you up around 8. Wear something slinky ;)

That was the text James had received a few hours earlier. After days of waiting, of trying to pretend nothing was wrong, it was finally happening. James didn’t know if he was glad to get it over with, or if he wanted a few more days of relative normalcy. In the end, it didn’t matter what he wanted. He’d do as he was told.

It was best to get ready like it was a normal date. James picked out an outfit he thought counted as ‘slinky’: a long-sleeved shirt with cut outs in the back and on the shoulders, cropped so it showed barely an inch of midriff, pants which clung to his butt and drew attention where it was needed, and boots with just a little heel, accentuating his legs. He was supposed to be a trophy, not a whore. Right?

Clothes at the ready, James sat down at his vanity. He made up his face on autopilot, not doing anything special; it wasn’t as though this was Valeria or Loki, people whose preferences he knew intimately, who loved him, who he really wanted to please. He wished either of them were here.

While digging through his lipsticks, James pulled out a tacky, pink glitter gloss. He considered wearing it. It suggested youth, naivety, innocence. It said, “set me free; I’m just a kid.” That doesn’t matter. It only matters whose kid you are.

Well, the pink was worth a shot. James never knew what little thing might give him an advantage. He picked out some earrings inlaid with pink gemstones to match.

As he applied the gloss, his phone buzzed. He waved a hand and a screen popped up in front of him. He’d been mentioned in one of his groupchats, specifically the one for former Young Avengers, which he’d been invited to join in an honorary capacity, having spent a decent chunk of his childhood as something of a team mascot. He tapped the notification.

TEDDY: Hey! @James, some of us are heading to a bar, wanna come???

KATE: Jimmmminmy!

ELI: Wr already got satarted

TEDDY: Kate already got started

TEDDY: Yeh, lmao ^^

TOMMY: Jimmy ger Dow. Here and I’ll find u and unstable girl

BILLY: Guys, he doesn’t like being called Jimmy. Plz use his full name

BILLY: Jimbo come hang out with us

A tickle in the back of his head told him that the nanites in his brain were on high alert.

JAMES: As much as I love watching you get trashed and butcher my name, I can’t tonight

KATE: Booo u whoree!

DAVID: Plx help me jim I’m not drunk enough for this

James sighed. The point was for people to know about it, so he may as well say something now.

JAMES: I actually can’t. I have a date :)

The smiley face felt a little forced, but that was probably just projection. Nobody would question it. He was supposed to be excited. It was supposed to be believable.

BILLY: Oh

BILLY: Ok

BILLY: Have fun :)

TOMMY: Lmao seriously tho do ew even wana kno who is it THIS TIME

James clenched his fist in front of his face, and the screen disappeared back into his phone. Even his own friends thought he was an idiot when it came to love. Because you are. You deserve this.

There was almost an hour where James was dressed and ready to go, just pacing around his apartment, waiting. As the minutes stretched on, the nervousness twisting up his insides heightened. It’s no big deal. It’s just a date. Not even, it was a con, just for show. All he was doing was working a mark, playing a role. He was good at that. This would be fine.

He checked his phone when it buzzed again at 8:34.

Car’s waiting. Hurry that cute little ass down here

James took a deep breath, grabbed his coat and headed out the door. While taking the elevator down, James replied.

On my way

There was a white limo parked outside James’ building. James knew it was where he was expected to go, because it radiated a nervous, vicious excitement that made him dizzy. As he approached, the driver stepped out and held the door for him. He had nothing but contempt for James.

“Thank you.” James told him sweetly, flashing him a demure little smile. The driver’s contempt was eaten away slightly by another, even less comforting feeling: pity. He wondered how much, if anything, the driver actually knew about what was going on.

Justin Hammer was waiting for him inside, and if he’d been any happier he would have been bouncing in his seat. The inside of the car smelled a little too strongly of Hammer’s cologne. James sat down across from him and Hammer looked him up and down appraisingly. He was… disappointed. Oh no.

“Is that what you decided to wear?” He asked.

James looked down at his outfit. “What’s wrong with it?”

“I mean, would it kill you to show some more skin?” Hammer whined. “I thought you kids wore skirts now.”

A skirt suggested something. Easy access. Hammer wanted people- James’ Dad most of all- to see James’ bare thighs and know who was getting between them. It seemed that he had been wrong; he was supposed to be a whore.

“I’m… sorry.” James said. “I didn’t know that’s what you wanted.”

Hammer sighed. “I think I’d better take a more hands-on approach to your outfit choices from now on.”

“If that’s what you want.” James acquiesced.

“When we get to the restaurant, there are going to be paparazzi.” Hammer explained, barely acknowledging that James had spoken. “I may or may not have tipped somebody off. You're gonna put on a good show for them, alright? I wanna see a big smile on that pretty face. Really sell how infatuated you are with me.”

James huffed. “I know how to play my role, Hammer. This is what I do.”

“Come on, sweetheart. We're in love.” Hammer said, unpleasantly pleased with himself. “You can call me Justin.”

“I was planning on doing that in public.”

“Well, I want you to do it all the time.”

That was all that needed to be said on the matter.

The car pulled up to the restaurant, and Hammer stepped out first. He held the door for James, making sure that the paparazzi who had indeed turned up saw him doing so. James played his part, put on a cutesy smile and batted his eyelashes as he got out of the car and wrapped himself around Hammer’s arm. As soon as he did, he felt Hammer get frustrated, and saw him glance down at James’ shoes. James was already an inch or two taller, and the slight heel made that little bit of difference all the more noticeable. He’d already messed up again. This might be a little more difficult than he thought.

The handful of paparazzi that had gathered and were being ushered away, unhurriedly, by the restaurant staff, barked questions at James, which he ignored. Their camera drones buzzed perilously close to get good shots of the absolute travesty of a date they were witnessing. James could practically hear the nasty headlines they were concocting in their heads about him and his wonderfully tabloid-worthy habit of getting into bed with the ‘wrong’ sort.

They were at the door when James got the sense of someone else trying to get his attention, but not in a mean way. He heard a child ask, “Is that really him?”

James turned on his heel to see a woman with a little girl, maybe five or six, looking at him. They both got very excited when they realized he’d noticed them. Abandoning his annoyed date, James jogged over to the pair.

“I’m really sorry to bother you Mr. Stark, but we heard you were going to be here and…” The woman began sheepishly, “You’re her favorite.” The little girl buried her face in the woman’s pant leg.

James laughed, sincerely this time. “I always have time for a young lady with such impeccable taste.” He said, before getting down on the little girl’s level. “I’m James, what’s your name?”

The little girl looked up questioningly at the woman- presumably her mother- before replying “Sarah.”

The paparazzi took some interest in what he was doing, but they weren’t as thrilled about it. Local Superhero Nice to Child wasn’t as attention-grabbing a headline as Cap and Iron Man’s Son Does Something Awful, Again.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sarah. Did you know Sarah was my grandmothers name?”

The little girl shook her head.

Hammer was getting exponentially more annoyed by the second, but he couldn’t exactly drag James away from a little kid in front of all these people. Not without looking like the second coming of Ebenezer Scrooge anyway. Still, James didn’t want to push his luck, he had to wrap this up quickly.

“Are you really the Golden Avenger?” Sarah asked.

James snapped his fingers, and a shower of yellow sparks spilled from his hand. “I sure am.”

Joy erupted in Sarah’s chest like fireworks. “We’re the same!” She squeaked.

“She has epilepsy.” Her mother explained. James nodded.

Seeing that Sarah’s ears were pierced, he took the pair of star-shaped pink sapphire studs out of his ears and pressed them into her hand.

“That’s for you. Wash them before you wear them; it’s not sanitary otherwise.” James said. “Now, Sarah, this is important. I believe in you, I want you to believe in yourself, and always, always listen to your parents. Do we have an understanding?”

Sarah nodded.

James hurried back to where he had left Hammer waiting, feeling the impatience directed his way. As soon as he was close enough, Hammer grabbed him, clamping a hand firmly on James’ butt (which the paparazzi adored) and dragging him inside.

“I know that wholesome image is how you sell lunchboxes and all,” Hammer hissed in his ear, smiling as he did so, “but don’t keep me waiting, ever again. You got that?”

A thousand explanations and protests died on James’ tongue. While talking to the kid, he had briefly forgotten that someone else owned him. Briefly.

“I got it. I’m sorry.”

Once they were inside, James shed his coat. Seeing his exposed back made Hammer a little happier with James’ outfit. It was almost… uncomfortable how much happier seeing that skin made him. James brushed it off as just more of Hammer’s weird overenthusiasm.

“Is this more what you were thinking in regard to the skin thing?” James asked. He kept his tone light. “Specifically mine and showing more of it.”

“It’s definitely better.” Hammer agreed.

This was good. If they could get along while fake-dating, eventually Hammer would have to start seeing him as a human being. He would like James, if only James provided the camaraderie Hammer had always craved from James’ Dad, camaraderie which had always been denied to him. Then he’d let James go.

The maitre d’ seated them by a window, which meant more pictures of them together, and more acting for James. While they were across from one another, Hammer fixated on James’ eyes. He didn’t seem to be able to stop looking at them. You didn’t have to be a super-genius to figure out why. You just had to look very, very similar to one.

Nobody brought them menus.

“I took the liberty of ordering ahead of time.” Hammer boasted. “I’m gonna take good care of you tonight, don’t you worry.”

Again, James got a weird reading from Hammer. Something in the back of his head was trying to warn him about something. Danger, James Stark! Danger! Danger! Well, of course he was in danger, somebody else had his life in their hands. It’s more than that, don’t be stupid.

The waiter brought out their meals. James’ was not something he recognized as food, but he’d never been much for fancy cuisine. He’d survived this long mostly on chicken nuggets and takeout. Still, he picked at his dinner, not wanting to seem like he was ungrateful or that he disapproved of Hammer’s choice. He remembered what his Pop had told him about growing up in the Depression, and all the garbage they’d choked down trying to survive. I was 25 before I realized sawdust wasn’t actually an ingredient. If Pop could do that, James could work through something that had been meticulously crafted by a trained chef. Don’t be spoiled. You’re an Avenger, not a princess.

“Do you prefer red or white wine?” Hammer asked. “I know the sommelier personally. She’ll get us some of the good stuff.”

“I can’t drink.” James said, and when that led Hammer to get irritated, he explained, “Because of my condition.” It still wasn’t good enough. “But, I suppose one glass won’t kill me.”

The sommelier who poured their drinks was nauseatingly gracious to Hammer, but James could tell that she didn’t actually like him. Just has the driver had done, she regarded him (internally, of course) with contempt. James started feeling a little bad for Hammer; everyone around him was so fake.

Hammer raised his glass. “To us.”

Oh my gosh he can’t be serious. James raised his glass in answer, smiling through the pain of secondhand embarrassment. Having never really had more than a few sips of alcohol at any one time, James was unused to the taste of wine. It was nasty. He powered through it. People actually drank this stuff for fun? All it did was remind him that, right now, his friends were getting sloppy wasted on any number of unpleasant-tasting concoctions. He was supposed to be there, not here.

“Babe, has anyone ever told you you don’t talk much?” Hammer asked.

“I can honestly say nobody has ever said that to me in the history of my life, no.” James replied.

“It’s something you should work on.” Hammer continued as if James hadn’t spoken at all. “And smile more. Jeez, kid, you’re bumming me out, you know?”

James grinned. “Right, cameras are still on us and all.”

“And you’re having fun, aren’t you?”

He wants it to be real. Give him what he wants. “Yeah, of course.” He wants it to be real. Why did that sit so uneasily?

“This isn’t the sort of place I’d take just anyone.” Hammer gestured around at what was, admittedly, a very classy place. “This is the five-star treatment. It’s just for people I really want to undress.”

“... I’m sorry?”

“It’s for people I really want to impress.” Hammer leaned in. “You’re a very special kid. I’ve been waiting a long time to get my hands on you.”

Hammer was feeling at him very, very intensely. It was like being in a sauna, having him so close and emitting the thrill of power he was getting from all this. Power and… something else.

James laughed, clear and seemingly unforced. “I guess you’ve got me.”

“I guess I do, don’t I?” Hammer leaned back and just reveled in it for a moment. What he was feeling made James little ill. James took a drink of water. It was getting oppressively hot. Hammer was getting oppressively hot… for… James.

He was aroused. This, holding James hostage, hurting his Dad, was making Hammer horny, and he had James right here… he could do anything he wanted. He wants it to be real. How real? How real was he going to make it?

Hammer started talking at James, telling him about some impressive thing he almost certainly hadn’t actually done. James only half listened, his mind was occupied, trying to peel back the layers of Hammer’s intention like he’d been taught to do. Find and identify all the tiny little things Hammer was feeling at a given moment. His attraction was superficial, the real source of his arousal was the sense of ownership he had, of victory. It led to feelings of excitement, anticipation, expectation… certainty. He was certain.

"Excuse me, Justin." James tittered during a break in the ‘conversation’. His smile felt like it would crack his face. "I need to go powder my nose."

Hammer took a sip from his wineglass. "Ok, you can go. Don't take too long, though." Again, that sickening rush washed over him. "I want to get out of here soon."

James hurried away from the table. Soon. His vision blurred the second he stood up, so he navigated his way towards the bathroom mostly through magic. Once there, he clung to the nearest sink for support. Trying to combat the intense nausea that had overtaken him, he splashed cold water on the back of his neck. It was no use. Throwing himself into the nearest stall, James retched violently and puked up what little he had eaten. Cold, clammy sweat started to bead on his lip and the back of his neck.

He's going to rape you. It was not a matter of if. He was going to do it, certainly.

James really was stupid to think it would be anything but this. Why would Hammer be content with just letting everyone think he and James were lovers, when he could make it a reality? This would be the ultimate victory over Tony Stark: raping his baby.

James needed his Daddy. He needed to be rescued, to be held in strong, safe arms like he was a child again. He needed what was about to happen not to happen.

It was going to happen anyway.

Too much time had passed. James got up off the bathroom floor and brushed off his knees. He went to the sink and swished water around in his mouth, getting the acrid taste of vomit mostly cleaned away. This is going to happen to you, and you're going to let it. You'll be fine. You're a survivor. Stark men are made of iron.

He touched up his makeup, dried off a little and, as ready as he'd ever be, headed back to his table.

"There he is! I was starting to think you'd fallen asleep in there." Hammer remarked as James returned to his seat. Hammer was expectant. What was he expecting? Was that supposed to be a joke? It was. James giggled. His mouth was so dry. He sipped at his water. Even that made his stomach turn a little.

"Anyway, where was I? Oh right..." Hammer continued his anecdote in between bites. James smiled and nodded sweetly, his own dinner rendered inedible. He kept trying to get water down, but nothing seemed to help the thick sticky feeling on his tongue and down his throat.

His left hand was clenched in a fist under the table. I could burn a hole right through you just by staring. I could cook your brain in your skull with my fingertip. I could... golly, I really could beat you bloody with my bare hands.

"You're not eating?"

James fluttered his eyelashes. "I guess I'm not very hungry." He explained.

"So you don't want dessert?"

"No thank you."

Hammer's excitement hit James like a freight train, but it wasn't normal excitement. It was all twisted and wrong. He reached out and grabbed James' hand, running his thumb over James' knuckles in a gesture that, from the outside, might appear tender.

"That's ok. You and I are going to have a different kind of dessert. Doesn't that sound good?"

James swallowed thickly, eyes trained pointedly at the middle distance. His smile faltered just a little, and when he spoke, his voice was small, barely audible.

"Yes." He nodded weakly. "Yes."

How exactly they got from the restaurant back to the car, James wasn't sure. He seemed to drift, only barely aware of his coat being wrapped around his shoulders, paparazzi snapping his photo as he stepped outside, the car door being held open for him while he was ushered in like a curious child into an unmarked white van. Smile. You're having a great time. Hammer clutched him every step of the way, as though James were a fish caught in his talons which might slip back into the ocean and swim home before he could devour it.

In the car, Hammer sat next to him, practically right on top of him. James’ stepford smile dissolved the second they were alone together, but Hammer didn’t seem to have noticed. His hand was on James’ knee, inching up his thigh, as he whispered in James’ ear.

“I booked us a room uptown.” He was close enough that James could feel Hammer’s breath on his neck. “I thought we’d do something a little special for our first time.”

“Justin, nobody can see us.” James knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words came out of his mouth, but he had to try something. If he made it seem like he didn’t understand, he could say no without actually saying ‘no.’

Hammer’s joy evaporated, replaced with white-hot rage. He gave a short little laugh. “Now, baby, I took you on this nice date and all. I’ve been a real gentleman, and I just think it’s fair,” He squeezed James’ leg painfully hard, “that you put out. Nobody likes a tease.”

“...Ok.”

The anger didn't subside, and James was terrified of what might happen if he let Hammer stay too mad for too long. He plastered a smile back on his face.

“I can't wait.” Was his voice shaking? Had it cracked? “I can’t wait to make love to you.”

His heart was racing. He'd said it, and now he couldn't unsay it. He couldn't stop hearing his own words echoing in his head. Make love. This was the furthest thing from love he could imagine.

The hand on James’ thigh slid up to paw at his groin, and Hammer leaned in to kiss him on the neck. He sucked at the skin there (stop it) like he was trying to leave a mark (don't), and, honestly, he probably was (get off of me). James wanted nothing more than to blast a hole in the car and rocket into the night sky. He reached out, laid a gentle hand on the back of Hammer’s neck and pulled him ever so slightly closer.

“Yeah, good, Tony.” Hammer moaned against his neck. “Just like that.”

James clenched his eyes shut. It didn't seem like Hammer even noticed he'd said anything wrong.

When he was satisfied that he'd left an adequately visible hickey, Hammer licked a wet stripe up to James’ mouth and forced his tongue inside. Fighting the urge to spit the flicking, invasive appendage out of his mouth, James hummed as though turned on. Hammer leaned in, making James take a deeper mouthful of that fleshy, wet thing.

This is just his tongue. How are you going to deal with his…

They were at the hotel before James knew it. Hammer paraded him through the lobby, hand firmly attached to his buttcheek. By some miracle, James managed to continue playing his role, leaning into his ‘date’ and giggling whenever Hammer whispered some horrible, obscene thing in James’ ear. It was all he could do to keep from shaking.

When they got up to the room, Hammer slid James’ coat off for him. It seemed like a normal enough gesture, something a real boyfriend would do, something his real boyfriend had done before, but all James could think was that he was already being undressed. He was being stripped down to nothing.

The suite itself was unnecessarily opulent. Everything sparkled. There were two rooms connected by an archway, the first being home to a sitting area populated by fashionable, uncomfortable-looking furniture, an equally painful-looking dining area, and an oppressively shiny kitchenette with a wet bar. The bar was where Hammer headed, brushing his fingertips along James’ exposed back as he did so.

“I'm going to make myself a drink, do you want anything?” He asked as he got out a glass and a bottle of scotch.

“I'm ok.” If James could get drunk, he would have used any means possible to numb himself. “I have to go get ready.”

Without looking up from his drink, Hammer waved him off. James went into the other room, the bedroom, making a point not to look at the bed. The bathroom attached to the bedroom, and he retreated into it.

Halfway through peeling off his clothes, James felt the urge to vomit again. He knelt in front of the toilet and heaved for a while, but nothing came up. He was too empty. Hollow.

The fancy shower was sufficient for James to get himself clean. Ordinarily, he did this ahead of time in his own shower, because he knew what was coming. He hadn't been properly warned this time, or maybe it had been obvious all along and James had let himself remain in denial. Whatever the case, he didn't want to incur Hammer’s wrath now by not giving him what he expected. He wants the girlfriend experience. James found himself laughing out loud, bitter, strangled noises coming out of his throat. He doubled over and puked into the shower drain.

Would Hammer get mad if James took too long? He reached out his mind and found the man still vibrating with his strange, unpleasant happiness, only a little impatient. Biting his tongue, James reached down and forced himself to work past his revulsion and finger his hole open. It would be easier if he was prepped. It would hurt less. James wondered if Hammer had even brought lube.

After stalling for as long as he could by washing everything several times over, he finally left the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Putting his clothes back on would only get him in trouble. The first thing he saw as he stepped out was the bed. It hit him then. Really hit him. This was actually going to happen. It was going to happen in a few minutes. He folded in on himself, crumpling to the floor. He knew he shouldn’t, that he needed to keep smiling, pretend he wanted it, but he couldn’t stop himself. Desperately, helplessly, James started to cry.

Sensing Hammer approaching, James scrambled to his feet and quickly wiped his eyes, but it was too late. When he walked in the room, Hammer spotted James’ red, tear-streaked face. Again, burning rage emanated from him, tinged with a sense of betrayal. There wasn’t an ounce of guilt or pity inside him. He strode over and cupped James face in his hands a little roughly.

“It’s ok to be nervous.” He said. His voice masked his anger only thinly.

James stared at the ground and nodded, swallowing back more tears. Hammer took hold of one of James’ wrists and guided his hand down to feel his erection through his pants. It wasn't as small as James had hoped. I could castrate him right now. Burn him. He couldn't really, though.

“Feel that, sweetheart? That’s for you.” Hammer cooed. “That’s going to be inside you, and you’re going to love it. Trust me, you’re going to love it.”

“O-ok, yeah. I want-” James’ voice cracked, and he lost it. He was sobbing again, stammering, “Please, Justin, you don’t have to do this. There's a better way to... I can help you. I understand-”

“Stop crying!” For the first time all night, Hammer actually showed how angry he was, just below the surface. James bit his lip to keep any more sobs from slipping through. Hammer continued, “You don’t get to say no to me. Shut up, and go lie down on the bed.”

James whimpered. “Please…”

“Lie down on the bed. Now.”

There was, in fact, lube. As expected, there was minimal prepping. Then, it was inside him.

James tried to go somewhere else while it was happening. He was overwhelmed by the oppressive smell of too much cologne, the words being moaned at him (“Oh, yeah, Tony, fuck, Tony!”), the taste of scotch in the kisses that kept being applied to his mouth, as though this were something sweet and passionate, as though it wasn’t what it was. Most of all James was overwhelmed by the nauseating self-satisfaction that smothered him, threatening to choke the life out of him.

There was a glass chandelier above the bed. It swayed gently and cast diamond shapes on the hotel ceiling. James counted them out: one, two, three, one-e-and-a-two-e-and-a-three-e-and-a around and around the chandelier in a pattern that just wouldn’t stop.

It did stop, eventually. Hammer cried out and spilled into him. James’ mind instantly supplied the image of that fetid, mystery liquid which collected in the bottoms of trash bags and gushed out if the bag was accidentally punctured. Sated and victorious, Hammer gave a few final thrusts (Just stop. Please just stop) and his pleasure walloped James right in the chest. James came, despite himself, sticky and disgusting all over his abdomen.

“Holy shit. I made you come on just my cock.”

Bile rose in James’ throat. He swallowed it down.

“Smile, baby.” Hammer sighed, “I know that was good for you. See, I told you you’d love it.”

When James didn’t respond, Hammer started to get angry. James sensed the heat rising up in his chest. Don’t be stupid. Keep him happy.

“Yeah, of course I did.” James answered brightly. It was easy to slip into being someone else. He couldn’t stand the thought of himself right now. “You’re really… really good. I’m just a little… stunned. Because I enjoyed it so much.” He found himself giggling airily, like some lovestruck floozy. Where was that coming from?

Hammer rolled off of him and lay on the bed, sighing happily. He was floating on a wave of orgasmic bliss and the satisfaction of sweet revenge, in his mind long overdue. Of course he was happy now, but once his head cleared and he could see what he had done, surely remorse would start to set in. Surely.

“That’s good. I’m thinking maybe next time you’ll show a little more enthusiasm.” Hammer said. It was an order. “I wanna see how much you like it.”

Next time… next time. “Ok, I can do that.” James agreed. “I’ll do whatever you want.” Next time. It was all James could think about. The next time this happened to him.

“Good boy.” Hammer reached over and gently stroked the back of his knuckles down James’ cheek. There was no gentleness behind the gesture, however. All James could feel was glee. Sadistic, victorious glee. Hammer was congratulating himself for this.

Surely, surely he would feel bad about it in the morning.

The smugness and delight radiating off of Hammer’s body finally became too much. It felt like James was absorbing something toxic, being so near him. He sat up in bed like a reanimated corpse, restless and agitated.

“I need to get some-” No. Try again. “Can I go out and get some air? Please?”

“Sure babe.” Hammer acquiesced. “Just don’t fly away.” He said it with a smile, but it was a threat. Everything was a threat. Everything was dangerous.

James slid out of bed feeling, perhaps for the first time in his life, ashamed of how naked he was. His clothes were on the bathroom floor. It was like a different person had taken them off. It hurt to stand, to walk. It just hurt.

“Uh, excuse you?” Hammer said, stopping James in his tracks.

What now? What more could he possibly want now? James turned to see him sitting up on his elbows, staring at him.

“Yes, Honey?”

“I’m letting you do something you want. What do you say to that?” His tone was condescending, like he was scolding a child. No, more like he was training a dog.

“Thank you.”

Seemingly satisfied, Hammer laid back down. James wasted no time in scurrying to the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. It felt good to finally be alone. A tear fell down his cheek, but he fought the urge to cry in earnest. He didn’t think he could stop if he started.

It’s fine. These things happen. This time it happened to you. James kept it together as he wiped the… as he wiped off his stomach and the insides of his thighs. Then he gathered his clothes off the floor and, hands shaking, covered himself up again. He was safer now; there was a barrier, however thin, between his skin and Justin Hammer’s hands. It’ll be fine. It’ll be okay. It didn’t seem fine. He could still feel it inside him. He felt where he’d been pried open and then invaded…

You’re ok you’re ok youreokyureokyourokuro

The bathroom floor was still wet. Had so little time really passed since he’d showered? He needed to get up, but he couldn’t force his body to move. It was something like being trapped in a frozen lake, and how you couldn’t swim to the surface because of the shock, so you just drowned. He had hoped that he’d feel better after it was over, but it wasn’t really over, was it? It was never going to be over.

A long time passed before he could stand up and walk out of the bathroom. When he did, he found Hammer already asleep. Good. He didn’t think he could fake his way through any more niceties.

He pictured himself taking a pillow off the bed and pressing it down on Hammer’s face. James was much stronger; he could hold Hammer down with his magic and he wouldn’t be able to fight back. He would just choke (painfully) and die (terrified) and James would get that indescribably terrible feeling he got whenever a soul was extinguished in front of him. He shuddered just thinking about it. No, he wasn’t capable of that, and even if he was, he knew that if Hammer died, everyone infected with his nanites would die too, including James.

James’ coat was hanging in the next room, and he pulled it on and headed for the balcony. The added layer provided him with a little more safety, but didn’t do nearly enough to block the cold wind outside from attacking his damp clothes.

For a while, he just stared at the street below. The people walking down the sidewalk or riding in their cars were too far away for him to read, so he could just imagine that they were all happy and carefree. The couples striding hand-in-hand were all deeply in love, the children were totally safe with parents who had no enemies and never made mistakes, the commuters were on their way home, or maybe to a friend’s house. Nobody had to do anything they didn’t want to do.

James pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket. It was an almost Pavlovian response at this point, smoking after sex. It was normal, felt normal.

That wasn’t sex, his brain supplied that was not sex.

No, but you did have an orgasm.

The balcony was decorated with plastic plants in tacky stone pots, and James hunched over the nearest one and dry heaved until he finally vomited, the effort of it wracking his whole body. It’s not my fault I came. It’s not my fault. I’m not just letting this happen. I don’t have any choice.

He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Ok. He got all the evil out of him, and it was ok now. He looked down at the now-ruined fake plant and thought, guiltily, of whatever underpaid hotel employee would have to clean it up.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled at nobody as he stood unsteadily.

Leaning against the edge of the balcony, he stuck a cigarette between his lips and lit the end with the tip of his finger. The first inhale settled his nerves immeasurably. Things were bad, yes, but James knew he could find a way out of this. He was smarter than Hammer, all he needed was a plan-

“Prohibited substance detected.” A voice rang in his head.

What?

“Prohibited substance detected.” The voice said again. “Desist or you will be punished.”

“I don’t know what that means.” James snapped at the AI.

“Prohibited substance detected. Desist or you will be punished.”

“What substance?” James hadn’t eaten anything at dinner that he hadn’t been specifically instructed to, hadn’t had anything to drink that he hadn’t been given. What arbitrary rule could he possibly be breaking? Unless… James glanced down at the cigarette he’d been idly puffing on. No. No no no no no…

“Standby for punishment.”

“Wait, wait!” James cried out, but it was too late. Every nerve in his body lit up with intense pain. For a moment, his vision blacked out and he struggled to remain standing.

“Desist or you will be punished again.” The voice instructed as the pain ebbed.

Gazing sadly at the mostly-unsmoked cigarette still in his hand, James incinerated it between his fingers. It was just a cigarette; he didn’t need it, but gee whiz he wanted it. It was the one thing he’d had to look forward to, however small and unimportant it was in the grand scheme of things. Even that had been taken from him. He had nothing. He really, truly had nothing.

Tears started to fall, softly at first. Soon, however, his shoulders were shaking with sobs and he was gasping for air between them. It was loud, ugly crying, but that didn’t matter. Nobody could hear him, anyway.

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