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english8muffin · 4 years ago

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Cozy winter

Summary: going to the market, being cheeky in the parking lot and a warm cuddly morning sprinkled with some funny-business

Warning: Cute banter, smut (NSFW), fluff

Word count: Around 5300 words!

I want to open this with one of my favorite quotes ever, so if you allow me ;)

“Go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” -Kurt Vonnegut

“We need muffins.”

“We don’t NEED muffins, what we need are some fresh fruit and vegetables, ” Henry butts in. You frown and look up at him, “Oh whatever, Hen. You eat your greens, beans, potatoes and tomatoes, while I get fat by munching on some sweet, sweet, delicious chocolate muffins.”

He sends you a smirk from across the aisle. It was always fun to do mundane things, like going to get coffee together or grocery shopping, when he was home from filming. The last year you went to university it was very hard to be away from him for such a long time, especially when you still lived in Europe. You would fly over to England once in a blue moon, when Henry was in London and your schedule would allow it. Other times your relationship existed out of phone and video calls. It was a rough period, if you have to be honest. But It made the two of you closer and your bond stronger. It’s true what they say, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

You let Henry know you were going to get the ingredients for the muffins and start pushing the shopping cart in the direction of the baking supplies. As you walk back to the fresh produce section, you get distracted. So many colorful packaging was just screaming your name…

“What the- lovey! I thought you were going to get your muffin ingredients,” Henry cackles and almost doubles over seeing the now full shopping cart.

It took you a second to answer, a bit too focused on his beautiful face and the smile lines that appeared when he laughed. You quickly try to defend yourself, so he doesn’t think you have no self-control, even though, you know your eyes were bigger than your stomach.

“No! I did get them, they’re just underneath the other bags,” you trail off, eyes drifting to the floor. You sigh, “I just saw this aisle with all the snacks. These magnificent snacks. And, Hen, I’ve never wanted anything more in my whole life! And, Hen-Henry! Henry, listen! Stop laughing at me! It was a moment of weakness! You can’t judge me! You don’t even know how they taste, I promise you, you will understand once you take a bite of everything!”

Henry wipes away a small tear at the corner of his eye and kisses the top of your head. You stroll around the aisles, trying to work through the rest of your grocery list, but suddenly you stop dead in your tracks.

“Hen,” you say, trying to get his attention. He gives you a hum in return, letting you know he heard you, “why on god’s green earth does my grocery list say ‘sex’?” You tilt your head up to his face, seeing a bashful grin.

You shake your head, clicking your tongue disapprovingly, “it isn’t even on top of the list! You put your oatmeal protein shake before sex, fuck, you even put curry before sex, you really need to get your priorities straight!”

After getting some more stuff, like pak choi, steak, tofu and the ingredients for Henry’s beloved curry you always make him, you walk to the register.

The petite Asian lady gives you a smile and takes a little peak at Henry, who was too busy looking at the various Chinese cough drops that are displayed in front of the counter. Her brows rise behind her thick glasses, “哇，大帅哥。你很幸运啊。” (Wow, big handsome man. You are very lucky, ah.) She says, turning back to you and winking. You can’t help but chuckle. Grinning you send her an ‘I know’-look.

Hearing your laugh, Henry looks over his shoulder with a questioning look. But you just smile and shake your head.

You two quickly get everything in the reusable shopping bags you brought with you. It was getting late and more people were getting off of work and wanted to do some last-minute grocery shopping. Henry takes both of the flower printed bags and the two of you walk to the car. It was getting colder, your breath turning into puffs of smoke. You look up at the sky glooming over you. They promised snow tonight.

Seeing Henry load the bags in the trunk, his ass proudly sticking out in the air, you give it a pinch. You just couldn’t resist. It was just there, so you better make use of the situation.

Feeling your hand touch his behind, Henry turns around, an unamused look on his face.

“Excuse me, miss. But that is mine,” he says, really playing up his posh accent. “I sure hope you disinfected those filthy little paws of yours.” He cutely scrunches his nose, doing a once over and trying so hard to keep himself from smiling, but failing miserably. He turns back around and arranges the bags in the booth so they won’t tip over.

There is a moment of silence, just the noise from cars driving up and off the parking. From the corner his eye Henry sees the stare you give him but ignores it with a small smirk.

“You know,” you begin with a cheeky undertone, making him curious, “I bet I could kick your ass,” you grin, looking at him and trying to gauge his reaction.

“What was that, doll?”

“You heard me, big lad!”

“Oh really?” He asks and looks at you, towering over you like a brick wall. His eyes glimmering with mischief. Yeah, no, this was NOT a good idea.

You squirm a little and a small nervous giggle leaves your lips.

“Yes, I can. Watch m-AHHHH! HENRY!” You squeal as he lifts you and throws you over his shoulder, fully forgetting you are in public. “Let me down, you caveman!” You laugh, slapping his left ass cheek. But he ignores your plea and just slaps your ass in return.

Wiggling a little, you challenge him, “Beat me up! Come on, do it!”

He turns his head and playfully bites the exposed skin by your hip, making you shriek like a little kid.

Henry lets out a loud belly laugh and puts you back on your feet. As soon as the tips of your Dr. Martens touch the pavement, you get pushed against the car. Trapping you between the icy cold black metal and his warm body. His arm goes around your waist and pulls you closer to his front.

“I love you.” The words are hushed but you hear them loud and clear, making a shiver go down your spine. The both of you look at each other, completely enamored and grinning like idiots. Noses and the apples of your cheeks rosy, bitten from the cold.

“I love you too,” you whisper back. His hand glides inside your coat and underneath the thick knitted jumper you finished to other day. He just needed to feel you. You lean up a little and gently push your lips to his, adoring the familiar warmth that fell over you whenever you’d kiss. Before you can come in for a second smooch, he frowns at you.

“Thought you were going to beat my ass?” He mocks, trying to imitate your accent.

Lightly tapping your finger against your chin, you pretend to be in thought.

“Well, this is much more fun.”

“Hmm, agreed,” he grins, already eyeing your red swollen lips and tilting his head towards yours.

You hear heavy footsteps coming closer, the wooden floorboards slightly creaking under the weight. It was getting dark outside, the overhead lights in the kitchen casting a homey hue down on the oak countertops. Your ‘cooking playlist’ was filling the room with some gentle tunes. You also had a ‘dancing in the kitchen playlist’ but that one was mostly used in the mornings. You hum along to the melody when stirring in the stew you were preparing for the evening, rocking your hips side to side. The stew was softly bubbling away, spreading an amazing aroma around the house.

The footsteps stop behind you. A moment later two big, sweater wrapped arms envelop around you, delicately caressing you. Henry lovingly pulls your loose braid to the side and places his head onto your shoulder, trying to get a peak at what was in front of you on the stove.

“What smells so good in here?” Just then Henry’s stomach makes a loud grumbling noise from the mouthwatering smell going on in the kitchen, you chuckle.

He had been gaming before this, you could hear the tiredness in his voice, it was a bit lower and more hoarse than normal. Whenever he was tired like this, he’d just turn into your big cuddly bear, you loved it.

Dinner was almost done. You made one of the dishes your grandma used to make for you when you were younger. You won’t lie, it was pretty difficult at first to decipher the little recipe she send you in the post, but now you knew it by heart.

“Cantonese style braised beef stew with white radish, bean curd sheets and a side of rice,” you inform him and brush your hand over his, that was placed on your stomach. Hearing that, he has to make sure he’s not drooling.

“And for dessert…” You nod your head toward the piping hot apple crumble pie currently cooling on the kitchen island. “We still have some vanilla ice cream if you want to have that with your pie. I know you want to be healthy, but I just really wanted to make a pie and this one does have filling,” you ramble, joking on the last part about the filling. He probably thought you were pestering him with his diet that most likely didn’t allow him to eat it.

You wince a bit, feeling him tense against you. “You don’t have to eat it, my love, promise!”

“No petal, you’re just… you’re just so perfect,” Henry admits, pressing a kiss just below the strap of the pistachio green apron you were wearing, nuzzling his nose in your tousled hair.

It was a gloomy Saturday morning in London. If your alarm hadn’t gone off, you wouldn’t have known it was morning already.

Yesterday after dinner, the two of you cuddled up on the sofa, under a warm blanket with Kal snuggled up on your lap. His head resting in your lap, while his tail occasionally slapped Henry in the face, making you burst out laughing and Henry almost choke on the fur. The akita would fondly press his snout deeper against you, really loving the head scratches he was receiving. Both you and Henry were fully satisfied with the tasty dinner you had paired with a glass of wine and were now cheekily flirting with each other while watching a detective movie, of which you missed the plot because you were, well, differently occupied…

Now the bedroom held a calm, soft aura, a dim light streaming in through the linen curtains. You let out a little whimper, not wanting to leave the bubble you are in and stretch out your limbs. A bit sore from sleeping in a weird angle, amongst other things. Behind you, you hear a small sound of protest and before you know it, you are engulfed by a strong arm. Henry hides his face in the side of your neck, keeping his eyes closed, groaning, clearly displeased with the fact it was morning already.

You smile, this was your favorite kind of morning. Warm and cozy in bed, cuddling with your boyfriend. You turn around, careful to not let any cold air under the duvet, your arm going around the large form beside you and curling your fingers in the mess of curly hair. Henry moaned, burying his face lower, between your breasts. Now fully content and still a bit dazed by sleep, he lets out the most awful snore. Even though he sounded like a drowning goat when he snored, you couldn’t do anything other than coo and gently scratch your fingers on his scalp, lovingly gazing at the man beside you.

“Are we going to be lazy couch potatoes today?” You chuckle, placing a kiss on his forehead, wild curls tickling your nose as you do so. Your voice was still a little raspy, but Kal apparently still heard you, and pushed open the door to come snuggle in bed with his favorite humans.

“What time is it?” Henry groans.

“Around 8.”

“We can be busy bees if you want,” Henry whispered against the swell of your breast, peppering delicate kisses on the bare skin. “Or better yet, busy bunnies.”

Kal was now situated on the end of the bed, head on his paws while the serenity of the room made him doze off. His dad on the other hand was now slowly waking up, as his hand crept lower and lower over your body. You giggled and pushed his hand away.

“There is a child present ,” you motion towards a sleeping Kal, who lays stretched out on the feathery duvet, already heading off to dreamland looking content as ever. Henry lifts his head, peering at his buddy and snorts, “he’s seen much worse, haven’t you bear?” But he doesn’t get acknowledged.

Laying his head back, he reaches up to push your hair out of your face before grabbing your cheek and pulling you down for a kiss. He places three kisses on your swollen lips, lightly sucking on the bottom one.

“May-,” you try to say something, but he just pushes his mouth harder against yours. Quickly taking the opportunity to stop you from making excuses. A hoarse chuckle rumbles from his chest, as he wraps you in his arms.

“Stop talking, woman, and kiss me back.” You let out a small moan and grip the curls you were playing with moments ago. He deepens the kiss slightly, tongue invading your mouth, surprising you. A subdued hum escapes your mouth, resulting in him grabbing the back of your neck, as the other rests on your hip. The kiss gets deeper and more passionate as the minutes go by. Getting a bit overwhelmed you pull back slowly, softy panting.

“Hmm, so sweet, darling,” he says smugly, earning a little smack to the chest as a bright blush covers your cheeks. Like it wasn’t already hard enough to resist him and stay in the warm bed all morning, he does this. Henry rolls your naked body over so you’re straddling him, a large hand wraps itself around your hair. He tugs, not too hard though, so he has more access to shower open mouthed kisses on your neck and chest. Leaving you a breathless mess on top of him. His hands trail from the top of your back to your rear, squeezing your cheeks before giving them a fast slap, making you take in a breath.

From all the shuffling, little snickers and kissing noises, Kal woke up and groaned, irritated that his humans couldn’t just hanky-panky somewhere else. With a last disapproving look, he jumps off the bed, landing with a thump. From the sound of paws hitting the wooden floor and toddling down the stairs, you look over your shoulder, duvet falling down so you sat there fully naked, much to Henry’s delight.

Then you felt it. It was normal for Henry to get hard in the morning. To be honest, he would be a bit worried if his cock wasn’t hard first thing when waking up.

Involuntarily you grind down, drawing a heavy moan from deep in his chest. Holding intense eye contact with him, you start humping over his bare front, mewling like a kitten in heat. It was embarrassing how he had you wrapped around his finger. A cheeky smile formed on his face, “look who came around.” Your body was practically begging for sex.

Pouting, you keep on moving your hips in a tantalizing slow rhythm, scratching at his hairy chest. Making sure you kept your eyes on his, he licked his three middle fingers and a second later you feel him reaching between your thighs, wiping his fingers down your slit. Tensing up a little, you try to hold back a grunt at the sensation.

“Oh darling,” he started, his voice going an octave lower, “what a mess you’ve made.”

He pulls back and observes your reaction when he pops his finger in his mouth.

“Wet and sweet, like always.”

“You are so nasty,” you whisper in total awe at what he manages to do to your body. He snickers and you quickly grab his hand, pushing it back between your thighs, “I didn’t tell you to stop, though.”

Your jaw goes slack, the moment you feel his thick fingers moving in and out of you. He was hitting just the right spot, making you groan and throw your head back. He felt like he couldn’t hold back anymore, he quickly flips you over so he’s on top of you, fully trapping you underneath his body and smashes his mouth on yours. Everything was happening so fast that you couldn’t pay attention to every incredible thing he was making you feel. Taking his cock in hand, he rubs his shaft against you, up and down, pressing it so you could feel the length. You look up at him, veins bulging in his neck, eyes dark, face already becoming flushed. God, he was so sexy. Grabbing your legs, he pushes your knees back so you were completely spread open and at his mercy.

He curses under his breath and lines himself up with you sticky center. Stifling your moans and pants, by pressing his lips to yours, when he slowly sinks his thick cock inside.

“Oh my god,” you whine, feeling him stretching your walls apart, pushing himself deeper and deeper.

“Y’feel so warm and tight, my love. M’so hard it hurts.” Henry whines against your lips, lacing his fingers in between yours. He trails kisses in your neck and under your ear, trying to get as close to you as possible. He loved feeling your body against his. Your walls were so plushy and wet for his cock, he wanted to stay buried in you forever.

“M’gonna make you feel so good, darling,” he whispers in your ear. You whine softly, getting worked up, “please.”

He smirked, obviously liking your plea.

Instead of giving you a nice, hard pounding, Henry wanted to go slow. It was still very early in the morning, the both of you still barely awake and he wanted to savor this moment with you.

“Oh, Hen-,” you pant softly, loving every bit of it. As he pushes deeper into you, you can feel his entire weight pressing down against you. The weight comforted you in a sense, like others would with a weighted blanket. He prolonged his strokes, making sure that when he slid out you could feel every centimeter of him, but then slid back in quickly.

“Fuck.” He grumbles into your neck, “feels so good, love,” he praises, nibbling on the skin under your ear, grabbing a handful of your hair pulling it back. You move you hands from his grasp and push them up his broad shoulders, pulling him closer to you.

“So good,” you moan out to him, feeling his cock nudge at the extremely sensitive spot deep inside your core. He lifts his head to look at you, seeing your mouth formed into the letter ‘o’, head tilted back into the cloud-like pillow and eyes screwed shut. A string of desperate moans falls from your lips.

This was what he loved, seeing his love, his girl react to the way he was pleasuring her. Just looking at you in this state made his orgasm coil up in the pit of his tummy. He never would have dreamed that another person could give him this feeling, the feeling of utter bliss when you were together. The unconditional love he felt for you was indescribable.

Henry continues to thrust into you and attaches his lips to yours, feeling you squeeze around him. You manage to spread your legs even wider and wrap them securely around his slim waist, digging your heels just above the globes of his perfectly sculpted ass.

He was aiming his stokes into the deepest part of you and you felt yourself getting closer and closer to your release.

“Fuck,” you whimper out to him, digging your nails into the skin of his back. He knew you were about to cum. You let out another loud moan.

“Come on, petal. Cum f’me,” he pants, trying to coax you. Hearing the almost desperate tone in his voice, combined with the sound of him slapping his hips to yours and the feeling of his cock moving in and out of you was becoming overwhelming.

“Oh my god!” A loud moan ripples through you, the feeling of your release coming near.

“Almost, my love,” he moans, speeding up the pace of his thrust. He inhales sharply, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulls you up, quickly pounding into you. Completely losing control, trying to get deeper as if that was possible and lets his forehead rest against yours. With one last push of his hips, you get to your breaking point and cum, screaming. Henry feels your walls clamp around him and let’s go, fully satisfied. The noise he made was an orgasm on its own. He keeps himself against you when he lets go inside of you. You could feel Henry’s cum filling you as you slowly come down from your high. You feel his cum dripping out of you, almost proud of what you made him do.

He is about to roll off of you to cuddle up beside you, but you stop him by tightening your legs around him. “Please stay like this,” you whisper, your brain still a bit muddled by the amazing orgasm you just had seconds ago. He smiles down at you.

“Don’t be a silly goose,” he kisses your nose, “I would crush you,” Henry says endeared with a cheeky grin and pulls you into his side. You feel warm and safe. You yawn, blinking away when your eyes become watery.

“I can’t move,” biting your bottom lip, you snuggle closer to him, “and my throat hurts like hell.”

Henry lowers his hand to your ass and gives it a firm squeeze, “I’m not surprised. Oh doll, the sounds you were making,” he bites his bottom lip, closing his eyes.

You laugh and roll your eyes. Henry nipped at your neck, making you erupt into a fit giggles. He chuckles, leaving a kiss on the spot he had just bitten.

Henry trails his hands up and down your back. You closed your eyes and tangle your leg in between his, really liking the feeling. His chest was heavenly and just being in his arms felt amazing. He almost lulled you back to sleep the moment he began to run his fingers through your hair.

“That good, huh? Almost fucked you back to sleep,” he chuckles.

“It was alright, I guess,” you tease him. He raises his eyebrows, eyes twinkling with joy.

“How would you rate the experience?”

Tilting your head to look up at him, “Hmm, ten I guess.”

He looked very pleased with that.

“Out of twenty,” you finish.

“OUT OF TWENTY?” He sobered up, staring at your face with a shocked expression.

You snicker, climbing into his lap, “No, honey, I was just joking, I’m sorry.” A big pout forming on your face, making you look oh so innocent.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to put you up on all fours and take you like that, don’t tempt me,” he says, shaking his head. Wiggling your brows you grin and kiss the dimple on his chin.

“As much as I would enjoy that, I think Kal has to go potty and we have to eat.”

After some hushed pillow talk and hoarse giggles between the silky sheets, you two decide to move downstairs and start making some fresh coffee. When you lift your body out of the bed, a light throbbing shoots between your legs. You almost fall back into the mattress, making Henry roar with laughter. You end up getting a piggy back ride down the stairs, only wearing a v-neck shirt from Henry that fell just below the curve of your ass and showed plenty of cleavage. Your lilac panties were fully on display and your almost black hair looked like a lion’s main on top of your head, but you didn’t care.

The both of you were still in that bubbly, fulfilled state of mind, looking like two drugged out kids, wearing blissful smiles. When you got to the kitchen, Kal bounded around the corner, coming from the sitting area, his tail wildly sweeping through the air. Eyes sparkling with happiness when he saw his parents finally had left the bed.

“早上，宝宝” (morning, baby) You greet him, still on Henry’s back. Kal gives you a high “woof” as to say good morning back. After living with Henry and Kal for around eight months now, the akita started to pick up on a few Chinese phrases. He even decided the pet name ‘宝宝’ (bao bao), which means baby or darling, was only to be applied on him and nobody else.

Every time you would video call with your Chinese speaking friends, and they talked about or to their children, Kal would cheerfully patter over, thinking they were cooing at him instead of the small infant in the background. But you thought it was the sweetest thing ever, he was your little fur baby after all.

“I’m going to make us some omelets, is that alright with you, darling,” Henry asked, already opening the fridge and looking for the carton of eggs.

“Yeah, ‘course,” you call out to him. You give Kal his breakfast and receive many, wet kisses in return. Shuffling back over to your boyfriend, you lean against the dark green counter with its wooden countertops, and look at him carefully chopping up some bell peppers and onion, only wearing his joggers and a tank top. You were a lucky girl, and you knew it. Henry sends you a grin and winks before turning back to cutting the vegetables.

You begin to brew some fresh coffee for Henry, and put on the kettle for your morning tea. While he was finishing up breakfast, you start to read the newspaper to him. He absolutely adored it when you’d read to him, due to your accent becoming more noticeable. Kal came over to you, stuffing his wet nose against the hand you held out to him. “You’re such a good boy, Kal. Yes, you are,” you tell him in a baby voice, “you’re my little angel aren’t you? 我的小天使”

You clean the table, after eating your breakfast and get ready for the day. Henry was already out to go on a walk with Kal. It did indeed snow last night and everything outside was hidden underneath a thin sheet of white snow, so you made sure Henry was wrapped up in a thick scarf you made him and a black beanie. After giving you a kiss as if he was off to fight in a war, he and Kal happily walked through the front door, into the freezing cold. Him whistling and Kal buzzing with excitement.

Brushing your teeth and doing your makeup, you dance through the bathroom, in a good mood. You grab your phone that was propped up against the mirror, planning to put on the podcast you had been enjoying lately. You freeze seeing all the notifications, not having heard your phone due to it being on ‘quiet’. You swallow.

Oh shit.

There you were, plastered on the internet for everyone to see and laugh at. You and Henry making out on the parking lot of the Chinese supermarket. Was he going to be angry with you? It was your fault for teasing him after all. Oh no no no…

‘Henry Cavill and girlfriend were spotted having a steamy make out session outside local grocery store’

The headline read, making your face as red as a tomato. Trying to fight against it, you couldn’t hold yourself from reading the next paragraph.

Being in the middle of winter, doesn’t stop these two lovebirds from having a heated make out session in a parking lot!

Yesterday early in the evening, Witcher-superstar Henry Cavill was spotted with (to some) much younger girlfriend, designer, Y/N Y/L/N. The two have recently confirmed their relationship with an Instagram post from Cavill, showing a candid of Y/N, with the short caption ‘My sunshine enjoying the sun shine’. Last month Vogue came out with a video featuring Y/L/N in which Cavill and his dog Kal made an appearance, making fans go wild. It seems like the two really are living the life and we are excited to see more of them together!

Want to know more about the stars? Subscribe to STAR NEWS!

This was it. You could already hear your sweet grandma, praying to the ancestors to forgive you for your sins, lighting all the incense she could find. You were a disgrace to the family now. It wasn’t that you were ashamed or felt bad about doing it, hell, everybody in the position would gladly sit on Henry’s shoulders and stick their tongue down his throat. You were just disappointed you got caught.

From downstairs you hear the door close with a loud thump and the pitter-patter from Kal’s nails on the hardwood floor, letting you know your two boys were back home. You nervously descend the flight of stairs, holding your head low and tightly clutching your phone in hand.

“Hey, lovey! you really missed something, Kal and I could practically ice skate over the walking trails, it was so much fun!” Henry says enthusiastically as he hears you wander into the living room. You ignore him and plop down on the couch.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, not meeting his eyes.

A frown makes its way onto his face.

“What are you sorry for, sweet girl?” His eyes hold a concerned look, not understanding what you were talking about. You huff out a breath and hand him your phone so he could see the article.

A roaring laugh sounds through the open space, making your head shoot up. “Yeah, I saw it this morning when I went and checked my Instagram,” he chuckles, face still rosy from going outside.

“We really gave the paparazzi a field day, didn’t we?” He continues.

“Your ass looks great in this pic, though. Look,” pointing to the one were he had you lifted over his shoulder, but softens his voice when he sees how tense you were.

“Aw, doll, loosen up, I’m not mad or anything, if that’s what you think. I’m rather pleased now that everybody can see how happy we are and how much joy you bring me,” he lets you know nonchalantly, pressing a smooch to your forehead and starts to march towards the kitchen.

“You want another cuppa, lovey?”

And just like that, you were back in your good mood, perplexed at how well he took all of this.

Don’t be a silent reader! Show some love by reblogging and commenting, did it make you laugh, scream, smile? Let me know, it would make my day!

Much love, Nahmi xxx

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osakaso5 · 4 years ago

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IDOLiSH7 End Of Year Story 2020: A Stage of Celebration

Every Day is a Good Day Part 2: The Show Begins

Part 1

[Phone rings]

Momo: Yes. This is Sunohara. Ah... Yes. Right... I see, that makes sense...

Momo: I understand. Then... Maybe next year, or the year after that... Yes. Please do.

[Door opens]

Yuki: Well?

Momo: It'll take time.

Rinto Okazaki: Hello there. It's rare for you to use your legal name while making phone calls, Momo-kun.

Rinto Okazaki: Did something happen back home?

Yuki: No, this has to do with Re:vale.

Rinto Okazaki: Re:vale... Is something going to happen to you in a year or two?

Momo: I really wanted it to be this year. Oh well, I guess there's no point to rushing this stuff...

Rinto Okazaki: ........

Momo: What's wrong, Okarin?

Rinto Okazaki: A-are you getting married?

Momo: Who, me? Yuki?

Yuki: Not us.

Rinto Okazaki: I thought so. You had me frightened for a moment.

Momo: If anyone should have a wedding, it's our president. His wife wanted a proper ceremony, but they ended up just signing the papers and nothing else.

Rinto Okazaki: They said they'd hold the ceremony soon. They're just waiting for Re:vale to write them a wedding song.

Yuki: Why would I make a wedding song for that guy?

Momo: Now, now. Just do it for his missus. She's a nice lady.

Rinto Okazaki: So, what was it that you wanted to get done this year?

Momo: A Re:vale shrine.

Rinto Okazaki: A Re:vale shrine..?

Momo: We've gotten to be so popular that we can't even do our New Year's shrine visit in peace anymore.

Momo: So we thought we'd have a shrine built on top of this building, department store style.

Yuki: Which is also known as separation of worship.

Rinto Okazaki: You did mention that before... Don't tell me, you were serious about it!?

Momo: Totally! It's rough being an idol, so it'd be nice to have our very own deity, to watch over us.

Yuki: That call was about a god of entertainment that Momo had been looking into. So, they can't so it yet?

Momo: They said we should visit the god regularly to form a bond first.

Yuki: That sounds reasonable. Oh well, I guess that's a new goal for us to work towards.

Rinto Okazaki: You always did have grandiose ideas... Almost too big, if you're trying to build your own personal shrine...

Momo: Oh, don't be like that! It's better than giving up without trying!

Rinto Okazaki: I can't believe my brother let you try and build a shrine on top of our agency.

Yuki: We asked if he wanted us to switch agencies or build our own shrine, and he said he'd rather have the shrine.

Rinto Okazaki: That explains everything.

Momo: And in the long run, it'd be nice to let other entertainers come visit our shrine on th New Year's, too!

Momo: It'll have food stalls too, obviously! We could even make a mikoshi!

Yuki: You're such a big dreamer, Momo.

Rinto Okazaki: That he is!

[Phone rings]

Rinto Okazaki: Ah... It's time. Well then, if you'll both excuse me.

Momo: Leaving so soon? You've been going home earlier lately, are you doing something special?

Rinto Okazaki: Well, uh... I've been really into cleaning out my washing machine lately!

Yuki: Seriously?

Rinto Okazaki: It's so nice to get all that mildew out, you see. I got completely hooked on it, and now it's a nightly routine for me!

Momo: Are you sure you're okay?

Rinto Okazaki: Whatever do you mean!? Of course I'm fine! Well then, I'll see you tomorrow!

[Door closes]

Momo: ........

Yuki: I never knew people could get so into cleaning their washing machine.

Momo: Wait, are you saying you believed that excuse?

Yuki: What excuse?

Momo: I think Okarin's been acting weird lately... More than once or twice, even.

Yuki: Like how?

Momo: Well... I saw an idol costume that belonged to neither of us in his car.

Yuki: An idol costume..?

Momo: There was also a headband with the word "leader" written on it.

Yuki: A headband with the word "leader"..?

Momo: Which means, either Okarin wants to start managing idols other than us...

Yuki: Or he's planning to join Re:vale, as our leader...

Momo: I know it's weird of me to say this, but it must be tough managing idols like us.

Momo: I think stress might be getting the best of Okarin...

Yuki: We should throw him one of our thank you parties, like we used to back in the day. I'll make curry, using that one really tedious recipe.

Momo: Okarin loves that curry! The boys from IDOLiSH7 wanted to try it, too!

Yuki: Really? In that case, I guess I should bring it to the New Year's party they're holding.

Momo: I'm sure they'll love it! I'm so excited!

Yuki: So am I. Just let me just ask Yamato-kun if we can bring over food of our own.

Momo: What curry are you making?

Yuki: Probably beef curry, though I won't be able to eat it.

[Phone rings]

Yuki: Ah, he replied.

Momo: What'd he say?

Yuki: "Sure. The guys all like curry, anyway." Look.

Momo: Wow! I never thought Yamato would EVER reply to one of your messages with an excited King Pudding sticker!

Yuki: That's the power of curry at work.

Momo: I'll help you out in the kitchen! This party's gonna be so much fun!

- - - -

Haruka Isumi: Morning.

Minami Natsume: Good morning, Isumi-san. This room certainly brings back memories.

Haruka Isumi: It's our ex-president's room.

Torao Mido: Apparently they changed this floor's layout for the New Year.

Torao Mido: They're making a new room for our current president elsewhere, so we're free to use this room whenever we're at the office.

Toma Inumaru: Great. When they said they were gonna do some cleaning around here, it made me feel a little weird.

Toma Inumaru: Good thing I told the bigwigs that I didn't want them to just sweep everything under the rug and take our spot from us...

Haruka Isumi: Our spot, huh. There's so many movies here.

Toma Inumaru: It's like our very own secret hideout!

Minami Natsume: By the way, have you already heard? There's someone who wants to come see us today.

Haruka Isumi: Someone from Tsukumo?

Minami Natsume: Yes.

Torao Mido: Is it the chief manager we've been hearing about? That was pretty much Ryo-san's job, up until recently.

Toma Inumaru: They said they wanted the new chief manager to start before the New Year. I wonder what kinda person it'll be.

Haruka Isumi: Doesn't matter who it is. No one's taking the reins from us.

Minami Natsume: Oh, so you're already waging war against them.

Torao Mido: Can't say I don't relate. We've come too far to become Tsukumo's little puppets now.

Toma Inumaru: Gotta protect our style and our turf.

Haruka Isumi: Hmph! We're not gonna bend that easy!

ŹOOĻ: ........

Haruka's Thoughts: What if it's someone scary..?

Toma's Thoughts: What if it's an even bigger weirdo than Ryo-san..?

Torao's Thoughts: What if we're not gonna get along..?

Minami's Thoughts: The others seem very shaken up, as much as they'd like to pretend otherwise.

[Knock knock]

???: May I come in?

Haruka Isumi: They're here! What do we do!?

Toma Inumaru: Haru, sit in the middle of the sofa! Spread your legs all high and mighty like!

Haruka Isumi: Like this!?

Torao Mido: No, go stand at the front! Strike an imposing pose! Go!

Haruka Isumi: Imposing!?

Torao Mido: You're a kid, so you can get away with it! Now go!

Haruka Isumi: Seriously!?

[Knock knock]

???: Excuse me. May I come in now?

Haruka Isumi: ...Uh... No? We need you to wait outside some more.

???: I'm coming in.

Haruka Isumi: Why!?

Minami Natsume: This person seems very forceful.

Torao Mido: Yeah, seriously.

Toma Inumaru: ...I've got a real bad feeling about this.

[Door opens]

Shiro Utsugi: It's very nice to meet you. I'm Shiro Utsugi, from Tsukumo Productions.

Shiro Utsugi: I'm ŹOOĻ's upcoming chief manager.

Shiro Utsugi: It's a pleasure to be working with you all.

Haruka Isumi: .......

Torao Mido: .......

Minami Natsume: .......

Toma Inumaru: N-nice to... Ow!

Haruka Isumi: Not yet.

Torao Mido: Too early!

Minami Natsume: We should observe the situation some more.

Haruka Isumi: Hmph, Utsugi-san, was it?

Shiro Utsugi: Thank you for memorizing my name so quickly, Isumi-san. You may also call me Shiro, if you prefer.

Torao Mido: ...He's coming on real strong.

Minami Natsume: ...So he is.

Haruka Isumi: ...No, thanks! You're only here because the higher ups told you to come, anyway.

Shiro Utsugi: Of course I'm not. Even among Tsukumo's long, rich history, you are one of their greatest breakout hits in years.

Shiro Utsugi: I could not be more honored to work with you. I'm very happy to be here.

Shiro Utsugi: Now if you don't mind, I'll continue my self-introduction. I'm 35 years old, 178 centimeters tall, single, and my favorite type of food is anything with fish.

Shiro Utsugi: Ever since graduating, I've been working overseas in one of the offices that belong to Tsukumo's parent company.

Shiro Utsugi: However, when Ryo-kun was made president, I was made to fly back here...

Toma Inumaru: You know Ryo-san?

Shiro Utsugi: Well... I wouldn't quite call us childhood friends, but we've known each other for a long time.

Shiro Utsugi: I can't say we got along particularly well, either...

Haruka Isumi: I bet...

Shiro Utsugi: As you know, much has happened this past December. That is also when I got a call from Ryo-kun.

Shiro Utsugi: He wanted to leave ŹOOĻ in my care. It surprised me as much as it probably surprises you. He must've cared about you a great deal.

Toma Inumaru: ...About us?

Shiro Utsugi: Yes. He's quite unpleasant, no?

Minami Natsume: Yes.

Haruka Isumi: Hey, hold on..! We can't say that for sure.

Shiro Utsugi: He's a terrible person. He used his company's talents for selfish revenge, only to crash and burn.

Shiro Utsugi: But, in the end, he did care for you. I plan to meet the expectations he's placed on me.

Minami Natsume: ...I see. So you're here on his request.

Shiro Utsugi: I've heard all about you. Even before that, I was keeping an eye on your work out of pure interest.

Shiro Utsugi: Ryo-kun told me you're extremely wary of people, yet easy to trick.

Torao Mido: ...And what do you think now that you've finally met us in person?

Shiro Utsugi: Some of his descriptions of you I completely understand, while others still elude me.

Shiro Utsugi: I don't expect you to trust me in a day. Let's take our time.

Shiro Utsugi: Now, did you have any questions?

Haruka Isumi: .......

Torao Mido: .......

Minami Natsume: .......

Toma Inumaru: What... kinda work do you wanna do with us?

Shiro Utsugi: Something that'll appease both your and your fans' wishes.

Shiro Utsugi: You've had to force yourselves into things more than enough by now, so I don't plan to make you do anything you don't want. I think you're appealing enough as is.

Shiro Utsugi: Though if there's one thing I'd like, it's to get you to BorW again next year.

Minami Natsume: You want us to win the grand prize of the idol category..?

Shiro Utsugi: I want you to win the grand prize of the whole event. I'm sure you can do it. You're very cool, with a talent for both singing and dancing.

Haruka Isumi: .......

Haruka's Thoughts: He's praising us a lot...

Toma's Thoughts: He's so nice...

Torao's Thoughts: Maybe he's not a bad guy, after all...

Minami's Thoughts: Now I'm even more suspicious of him...

Shiro Utsugi: Did you want to ask anything else? If not, then... Ah, but first.

Toma Inumaru: W-what is it... sir?

Torao Mido: Don't lose yet. Get too polite with him and you're done for.

Toma Inumaru: Whaddaya want?

Shiro Utsugi: Haha, relax. I don't bite. I just genuinely like you guys a lot.

Haruka Isumi: N-now he's the one getting all casual with us.

Shiro Utsugi: You've had to deal with Ryo-kun up until now. How could you be scared of little old me?

Minami Natsume: We're not scared.

Shiro Utsugi: That's good to hear. I can't let you in on the details just yet, but there's going to be big happenings in the entertainment world this upcoming year.

Toma Inumaru: Happenings?

Shiro Utsugi: Specifically, in the idol industry. Ryo-kun did raise quite a bit of commotion before he left, after all.

Shiro Utsugi: In order to regain our trust, we'll have to make moves across the entire industry. Though all of this should be kept off record for now.

Shiro Utsugi: We'll need good connections to make it in the entertainment world from now on.

Shiro Utsugi: On that note, I need you to do something...

Shiro Utsugi: Please go drop by at Takanashi Produtions.

Haruka Isumi: Takanashi Productions? You mean IDOLiSH7's agency?

Shiro Utsugi: Precisely. Your schedules should be open on the day I need you to go, and you'll even get a little reward for it if you do.

Shiro Utsugi: What do you think?

Toma Inumaru: I don't mind...

Shiro Utsugi: Thank you. And the others?

Haruka Isumi: Well, if Toma's going...

Torao Mido: If Haruka and Toma are going...

Minami Natsume: If the others are all going...

Shiro Utsugi: Thank you. I'll be there as well, so let's all enjoy their New Year's party together.

Shiro Utsugi: Well then, please excuse me.

ŹOOĻ: ........

ŹOOĻ: That was nerveracking...

- - - -

Banri Ogami: ...That's enough for now!

Rinto Okazaki: Phew..! I'm so tired..!

Kaoru Anesagi: I can barely stand! I don't know how you can still keep dancing, Takanashi-san, Ogami-san...

Tsumugi Takanashi: I do muscle training regularly!

Banri Ogami: And I sometimes join MEZZO" for their lessons! What about you, Utsugi-san?

Shiro Utsugi: I...

Shiro Utsugi: I'm not sure I can keep going for much longer.

Kaoru Anesagi: Neither can I...

Shiro Utsugi: My age must be getting the best of me... All this moving around is making me realize just how incredible our idols truly are.

Rinto Okazaki: Me, too! They're really something! And Kinako-chan is working just as hard!

Kinako: Myu myu~!

Banri Ogami: Sir, are you feeling alright?

Otoharu Takanashi: ...I'm...

Otoharu Takanashi: ...Fine...

Banri Ogami: You don't look fine at all! You can barely talk!

Otoharu Takanashi: Thi... this is... my first... full rehearsal...

Tsumugi Takanashi: Why don't you go rest in the corner for a while?

Otoharu Takanashi: ...I told Yaotome-kun... that I'd film us... and send him the video so... I could brag about it...

Kaoru Anesagi: President Takanashi, you're acting like a schoolboy with a grudge...

Banri Ogami: I suppose we could all use a break. If anyone needs a drink, I'll go get something.

Rinto Okazaki: We've all got our own water bottles, so we should be fine. Let's go sit down over there.

Kaoru Anesagi: Heh. You want us to sit in a circle? I haven't done anything like this since my school days.

Shiro Utsugi: I wonder where the end of the circle will be... Where would you like to sit, President Takanashi?

Banri Ogami: I don't know if this person's being rude or polite...

Otoharu Takanashi: I... I'm... fine sitting... anywhere...

Banri Ogami: Then let's all form a circle around the president..

Otoharu Takanashi: W-why me..? Hey, Banri-kun... Don't treat me like I'm a zoo animal...

Banri Ogami: I-I'm not! I thought it'd make you feel like our chief!

Kinako: Myu myu~!

Otoharu Takanashi: Come here, Kinako. I'll be fine if I get to rest up with you...

Tsumugi Takanashi: Oh, Dad...

Shiro Utsugi: You were the best Sogo Osaka you could've been.

Shiro Utsugi: You must've had a rough time with Riku Nanase's role too, Takanashi-san.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Well... It certainly puts a bit of pressure on me to be the center.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Did you have a hard time playing Mitsuki-san's part?

Shiro Utsugi: I suppose. You can't dance like him without being especially energetic, so I had to wring out all the youthfulness in me.

Banri Ogami: Perhaps we should've swapped your and Okazaki-san's roles?

Rinto Okazaki: As a fellow glasses wearer, I'm afraid I can't let Yamato-kun’s role go to someone else.

Kaoru Anesagi: Hehe, now you're just being silly.

Kaoru Anesagi: ...This feels weird. I never thought I'd be in Takanashi Productions' lesson room, sitting in a circle on the floor.

Rinto Okazaki: Though we see each other often at work, we rarely get a chance to talk properly.

Shiro Utsugi: May I ask how the rest of you ended up in this line of work?

Tsumugi Takanashi: I'd like to know, too. Why did you become a manager, Anesagi-san?

Kaoru Anesagi: I have two older sisters. They're both beautiful and stylish, with a passion for fashion.

Rinto Okazaki: If I remember correctly, your sisters...

Kaoru Anesagi: ...Did amateur modeling, yes. Though just for a short while.

Banri Ogami: I had no idea!

Shiro Utsugi: It's no wonder. Beauty must run in the family.

Kaoru Anesagi: Hey, I don't want someone from Tsukumo sweet talking to me.

Shiro Utsugi: I know our company doesn't have the most honest reputation, but I'm being sincere here. This is just how I personally feel.

Kaoru Anesagi: ...Then again, I suppose it doesn't feel bad to receive compliments, even from you.

Shiro Utsugi: I'm glad to hear that.

Kaoru Anesagi: In any case, hearing stories from my sisters is what made me want to work in the entertainment industry.

Kaoru Anesagi: It's so beautiful, brilliant, harsh, and relentless, yet gentle... I was so happy when I first got to work at Yaotome Productions.

Rinto Okazaki: And then you got to be the manager to the president's son and his idol group. You're really something.

Kaoru Anesagi: Heh. Pretty incredible, huh? What about you, Ogami-san? Based on some of the rumors I've heard, your reason was quite dramatic, was it not?

Banri Ogami: Right... And it's not that I don't want to talk about it, but it is a long story.

Rinto Okazaki: That's true. It's the kind of story that would take one novel, or maybe three volumes of manga to tell...

Banri Ogami: What about you, Okazaki-san? I know your older brother is the president.

Rinto Okazaki: Yes, he is. Rather than having a particular interest in the entertainment world, I wanted to help him with his business.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Your brother must've been very smart, then.

Rinto Okazaki: Oh, not at all. If anything, I was always the smart one, while he was the troublemaker.

Rinto Okazaki: He set up an event company, and then a talent agency... Perhaps because he met Banri-kun and Yuki-kun.

Rinto Okazaki: I once asked my brother why he decided to set up a talent agency.

Kaoru Anesagi: What did he say?

Rinto Okazaki: He said that since we live in an age where being in the public eye and taking responsibility of your actions is getting more and more risky...

Rinto Okazaki: ...It'd be thrilling to work in an industry with lots of young people who are saddled with those risks.

Kaoru Anesagi: ...Oh, gosh... Maybe he does say smart things sometimes. I'm tearing up.

Banri Ogami: Exactly... They're all really, really cool.

Tsumugi Takanashi: It's really nice to hear someone in this business say that, especially someone who's the president of a talent agency.

Rinto Okazaki: His words are what inspired me to get on board. And he wasn't wrong, the entertainment world is indeed very thrilling.

Rinto Okazaki: What about you, Utsugi-san? What inspired you to get into showbusiness?

Shiro Utsugi: ........

Kaoru Anesagi: What, is it something you can't say..?

Shiro Utsugi: No, I was just feeling a bit shy.

Kaoru Anesagi: Shy!?

Shiro Utsugi: My reason is a bit childish, like something you'd hear from a teenage fan.

Shiro Utsugi: I wanted to offer my support to work so hard to shine on stage.

Tsumugi Takanashi: ...I know the feeling... I started out like that, too.

Shiro Utsugi: Started out..? Do you no longer feel that way?

Tsumugi Takanashi: Of course I do. My idols are very dear to me, and I still want to support them. That hasn't changed a bit.

Tsumugi Takanashi: I know we're only training for a small dance number at a New Year's party... But practicing like an idol has only made that feeling stronger.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Real idols must be doing even more difficult and incredible things than this.

Kaoru Anesagi: Right... Just learning how to sing and dance is taxing enough.

Kaoru Anesagi: At least, it should be. Which is why I want to take care of anything else for them.

Kaoru Anesagi: Whether it snows or rains spears, I'll get them to their next venue safe and sound.

Banri Ogami: Same here... I want to keep them safe, if just this once.

Banri Ogami: They have so much talent and so many ambitions. I want to protect them, so they don't get hurt anymore.

Rinto Okazaki: And I want them to smile. Both on and off work. I want to help them be happy.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Right!

Shiro Utsugi: It's so nice to hear this sort of talk. Let's all do our best for the party.

Shiro Utsugi: I was a bit intimidated when I dropped by here to make my introductions, only to be drafted for a musical number...

Tsumugi Takanashi: I'm so sorry about that.

Banri Ogami: So am I.

Shiro Utsugi: But I realize how a group like IDOLiSH7 came out of an agency like this, now.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Utsugi-san...

Shiro Utsugi: Takanashi-san. You're the one who made them into the stars they are, yes?

Tsumugi Takanashi: Y-yes.

Shiro Utsugi: I'm very happy I got to meet you. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Tsumugi Takanashi: I do, too!

Kaoru Anesagi: Alright, break time's over! Do you think you can keep going, President Takanashi?

Otoharu Takanashi: Of course!

Kinako: Myu myu~♪

Rinto Okazaki: Getting to perform for 16 idols is like a dream come true!

Rinto Okazaki: We'll master MONSTER GENERATiON in no time!

All: Yeah!

- - - -

Tsumugi Takanashi: And before we knew it, the day of the party had arrived.

- - - -

Gaku Yaotome: Sorry, I need you to heat this up for me.

Yuki: Can you heat this up for me?

Iori Izumi: In case you can't tell, I can only fit two pots or pans on this gas burner!

Yuki: Just take this one off it for a second...

Iori Izumi: Nii-san is about to deep fry the chicken in that!

Gaku Yaotome: This one...

Iori Izumi: Keep special steel at the back of the line!

Mitsuki Izumi: What's going on!? Why is the kitchen so full!?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: We brought cheese dak-galbi!

Momo: And we brought curry!

Iori Izumi: I'm preparing for the stew and fried chicken.

Mitsuki Izumi: None of these are New Year's foods... Oh well!

[Door opens]

Tamaki Yotsuba: We've got a whole sea bream!

Riku Nanase: We got it from the fish market!

Mitsuki Izumi: Ooh! Now there's something that fits on a New Year's table!

Sogo Osaka: We got one bottle of sacred wine...

Nagi Rokuya: And a bag of sowing beans, to drive away bad spirits!

Gaku Yaotome: Don't you think it's a little early for the beans?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Are the decorations ready?

- - - -

Yamato Nikaido: And, done! This should do it!

Yamato Nikaido: Sorry for making you guys help out, too.

Tenn Kujo: I don't mind.

Minami Natsume: Thank you for the invitation.

Torao Mido: Where's IDOLiSH7's manager? Y'know, the girl with the fluffy hair.

Yamato Nikaido: Off somewhere with Banri-san.

Toma Inumaru: Maybe they're planning a surprise?

Haruka Isumi: A suprise?

Tenn Kujo: Like making kusudama or mochi pounding sets for all of us.

Haruka Isumi: I like kusudama! I've never gotten to pull one open!

Mitsuki Izumi: Food's ready!

Tamaki Yotsuba: Yeaf, foofs reafy!

Riku Nanase: Foofs reafy!

Yamato Nikaido: Tama, Riku, no sneaking food from the table!

Toma Inumaru: Curry and fried chicken! What a feast!

Torao Mido: What, no zouni soup? I thought this was a New Year's party.

Yuki: The curry turned out great, though.

Yamato Nikaido: Sure looks like it.

Mitsuki Izumi: I tried some, and it was amazing!

Nagi Rokuya: This stew is delicious! It has beef, and a hint of sweetness.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Sogo-kun, this dish is nice and spicy!

Sogo Osaka: It looks great! Do you like this dish, Tsunashi-san?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: It's not for me, it's for Anesagi-sa...

Otoharu Takanashi: Ladies and gentlemen!

All: .......!

Haruka Isumi: W-who was that!?

Iori Izumi: I believe that would be the president of our agency...

Otoharu Takanashi: Happy New Year!

All: .........

Momo: Happy New Year!

Gaku Yaotome: Ah... Happy New Year.

Toma Inumaru: Happy...

Otoharu Takanashi: All together, now! Give it another try! Go!

All: Happy...

Otoharu Takanashi: Happy New... Ah, wait, you're supposed to say it after me...

Momo: Why do I feel like I'm watching a newbie MC flail around on their first job ever...

Yuki: The first time's always the hardest.

Otoharu Takanashi: Happy New Year!

All: Happy New Year!

Otoharu Takanashi: Thank you for this past year! We hope to have another good one with you, so...

Otoharu Takanashi: We'll sing to you!

Yamato Nikaido: You're kidding, right?

Mitsuki Izumi: Wow, our president's really something..!!! But who's "we", anyway!?

Sogo Osaka: Banri-san, and...

Tamaki Yotsuba: Our manager!?

Riku Nanase: Even our manager!? Iori, did you know about this?

Iori Izumi: O-of course not.

Nagi Rokuya: Wow! What an extraordinary surprise!

Tenn Kujo: Come to think of it, Anesagi-san is nowhere to be found...

Yuki: Nor is Okarin.

Toma Inumaru: Nor is our manager...

Otoharu Takanashi: Please sit down and listen to...

Otoharu Takanashi: MONSTER GENERATiON!

- - - -

Rinto Okazaki: ......! The intro is playing!

Banri Ogami: Let's go, let's go! You first, Anesagi-san, then our president!

Otoharu Takanashi: Okay! Let's give this our all!

Kaoru Anesagi: Right! But I'm already getting butterflies!

Tsumugi Takanashi: So am I!

Shiro Utsugi: So am I. Ah, why don't we do something first?

Kaoru Anesagi: Do what?

Rinto Okazaki: Yes, what?

Shiro Utsugi: Put all our hands together, and...

Tsumugi Takanashi: Form a circle! Let's do it!

Banri Ogami: Alright, now for a cheer from our president!

Otoharu Takanashi: Very well! I'm a bit nervous, myself. Ahem, uh...

Kinako: Myu myu!!!

Tsumugi, Banri, Kaoru, Rinto, & Shiro: Yeah!

Otoharu Takanashi: Hey, Kinako..!

- - - -

Tsumugi's Thoughts: As we ran out to the tune of the song, we could see everyone's faces.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Some of them looked shocked, some were laughing, some even looked concerned...

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Because of their expressions, I nearly burst out laughing, went completely red in the face, and felt my heart beat even faster...

Tsumugi's Thoughts: But I still danced just like I'd practiced, to the best of my abilities.

Yamato Nikaido: Ahaha! You're so cute, manager!

Iori Izumi: J-just try not to fall over...

Gaku Yaotome: Ahaha! This is amazing!

Gaku Yaotome: Am I right, Nanase?

Riku Nanase: Yeah...

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Having their eyes on me made me nervously focus on remembering my parts of the song and dance.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: It was all I could do just to keep up. But it was so much fun.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: They must've all felt the same way. No, even better.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: They got to stand in the spotlights of a huge stage, while a crowd of people cheered them on.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: They only had that moment to dance, and they made the most of it.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: It was incredible.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: I loved it.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: With each awkward step, I felt more and more joy that I could work with the people I admired so much.

Tenn Kujo: Anesagi-san, you're incredible!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Incredible and stylish!

Momo: Ban-san, you're so cool!!! Waaaaahhh...

Yuki: M-Momo, don't cry... Okarin, give us some fanservice!

Tamaki Yotsuba: Gimme some, too!

Tamaki Yotsuba: Whoa! That guy I don't know gave me some! I'll totally be his fan now! Who is he, anyway!?

Haruka Isumi: T-that's our manager...

Toma Inumaru: Was he already buddies with the managers from all the other agencies..?

Torao Mido: That rabbit is amazing! It's dancing to the song with everyone else! Look, Minami.

Minami Natsume: ...I'm sorry... But since I was bitten by a rabbit, I don't like them very much...

Riku Nanase: Kinako doesn't bite anyone! Look! She's giving you fanservice!

Kinako: Myu myu~♪

Tenn Kujo: Not bad.

Sogo Osaka: Wow! Our manager, Banri-san, and even the president are all dancing!

Mitsuki Izumi: Ahaha! This is so much fun..! Happy New Year!

Nagi Rokuya: Happy New Year!

Toma Inumaru: Happy New Year! And great job!

[Applause]

Tsumugi's Thoughts: The song ended, and as I gasped for air, I looked over at our audience again.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Their kind smiles warmed my heart thoroughly.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: I never knew the sight they saw from their stage was this wonderful.

Tsumugi's Thoughts: I laughed bashfully, and just as I was going to speak out to them...

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Okazaki-san started the song back up again.

Rinto Okazaki: This time, we'll all dance together!

Toma Inumaru: Wait, right now!?

Gaku Yaotome: Sounds good to me! Let's dance!

Otoharu Takanashi: ...Huh!? I... I don't know if I still can...

Banri Ogami: Ahaha! Go rest up, sir. Momo-kun, get over here!

Momo: Waaaahhh!!!

Yuki: Stop making Momo cry!

Kaoru Anesagi: Hehe, I wasn't a half bad dancer, was I?

Tenn Kujo: You were great. Next, you can dance with me...

Riku Nanase: Tenn-nii, let's dance together! I'll teach you all the moves!

Tenn Kujo: Just who do you think you're talking to? I probably have them memorized better than you.

Kaoru Anesagi: Oh, Tenn. There's no hiding that happy look on your face, you know.

Nagi Rokuya: Hi, girl. Did you enjoy dancing in my stead?

Kaoru Anesagi: Nagi-kun..!!!

Nagi Rokuya: You were very talented. You danced as if you were my shadow itself.

Kaoru Anesagi: Gosh... I'm so happy... I mean, no I'm not! I really don't care either way!

Torao Mido: Sogo, doesn't your dance go like this?

Sogo Osaka: That's right. Ah... but your wrist should move more like this.

Torao Mido: Like this?

Sogo Osaka: Yes, like that.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Let me join in, too. We can all dance together!

Sogo Osaka: T-Tsunashi-san!

Torao Mido: Yo, Ryunosuke.

Sogo Osaka: You call him by his first name despite being younger than him?

Torao Mido: Doesn't your unit partner call him "Ryu-aniki", despite being younger than all of us?

Sogo Osaka: He at least adds the "aniki" suffix to the end...

Torao Mido: And you think that's an acceptable honorific?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Stop fighting! Let's all joing hands, make a circle, and dance together!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Oh? Whose hand is this?

Shiro Utsugi: Hello there. I must say, having the Ryunosuke Tsunashi hold my hand is making my heart race more than is appropriate for a man my age.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Huh!? Um...

Torao Mido: That's our manager, by the way.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Oh! It's nice to meet you.

Kinako: Myu myu myu~♪

Iori, Tamaki, & Haruka: Say!

Kinako: Myu myu myu~♪

Iori, Tamaki, & Haruka: Shout!

Yamato Nikaido: Amazing..!

Mitsuki Izumi: She's singing..!

Kinako: Myu♪

Iori, Tamaki, & Haruka: High!

Kinako: Myu♪

Iori, Tamaki, & Haruka: High!

Yamato Nikaido: And she's doing it perfectly..!

Mitsuki Izumi: The whole thing..!

Otoharu Takanashi: Huff, huff... Ahaha!

Minami Natsume: Are you alright, President Takanashi? Let me get you a glass of water...

Otoharu Takanashi: Ah, thank you. So, you're scared of rabbits?

Minami Natsume: You overheard our conversation?

Otoharu Takanashi: They have very strong teeth, so it must've hurt. But you don't have to worry about our Kinako.

Otoharu Takanashi: If you ever feel like making friends with a rabbit, you can come over to play with her anytime.

Minami Natsume: President Takanashi... I will. Thank you for the invitation.

Minami Natsume: And thank you for the wonderful surprise.

Otoharu Takanashi: I'm glad you liked it. I know we're only drinking water, but... Cheers.

Minami Natsume: Cheers.

Tenn Kujo: ...Ahaha! Nice one, Riku.

Riku Nanase: Thanks!

Tenn Kujo: The song is almost over. I'll need you to be our MC.

Riku Nanase: Okay!

Riku Nanase: I want to wish you all a Happy New Year one more time!

All: Happy New Year!

Riku Nanase: I want to keep this monster generation going for another year with all of you!

Tenn Kujo: Me too.

Yuki: Damn straight.

Haruka Isumi: We'll beat you next time!

Shiro Utsugi: ...It's the start of a new era, after all.

Riku Nanase: Everyone!

Riku Nanase: Let's have a good year together!

All: Yeah!

The End.

#idolish7 #a stage of celebration #translation #i7 #trigger #re:vale #zool #other translations

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whirlybirbs · 4 years ago

Text

✶ — las rosas están cayendo ; j.m.

summary: you're a figurehead in a far-reaching criminal underground operation that's offered jesse mccree haven and work in the last few years. your relationship with the cyberized cowboy is complicated but oh-so lovestruck.

pairing: jesse mccree / reader, est. relationship

tags: fluff, angst, good guy falls for the bad guy who’s not so bad

a/n: i’m simping, it’s fine

( read on archive of our own ! )

Jesse McCree likes the Silkroad's End. Always has.

The place's very namesake pays homage to some dark web marketplace that operated back in the 10s; it's fitting, Jesse thinks, since the entity itself certainly fits what he'd imagine the personification of that very digital market to be. Dark, a bit shady, and always crawling with folks who aren't really who they say they are.

Staff changes every three weeks. Location, too. Lucky for him, the only thing that stays the same is the barkeep. Everything else is rotating, always moving, always changing. It's best that way.

Truth be told nothing in the States offers true anonymity, anymore. All that's long since past. Every damn street corner has a camera watchin'. But, the Silkroad's End is good — and discretion is their business. They offer what people like Jesse McCree need:

Trustworthy resources.

Even still, knowing about the Silkroad's End is one thing.

Getting in is another entirely.

Jesse's learned not to be startled when a stranger ambles up and slips something in his palm — might get 'im killed someday, but for now, he offers a gentle tip of the hat to whatever camera is eyein' his current move in whatever city he's in.

The chips — obsidian colored and round — are few and far between. There's a chain-code implanted in the micro-computer inside that registers a location on his personal data-device; but without that chip, he ain't gettin' inside. It's one use, one time only.

This time, the den is a quiet little place on a side street in New Orleans.

This chip was delivered to Jesse in a seedy bar bathroom — and as he shoved it into his pocket and muscled up his tawny-colored jeans, he was left grimacing. Bastard that gave it to him didn't even wash his hands. Just pissed and dropped it on top of the urinal.

The den is downstairs, and Jesse turns in his chip after finding the little location to a towering omnic who reminds his a little bit too much of a certain butler he once knew.

"Might wanna wash that."

Spurs tinker on the wooden steps, and when the door's eye slot slams open, Jesse is met with the gaze of a human this time — an unknown staff member with a tattoo that crawls up the side of his head. There's a tense silence. Then, the slot slams shut.

With a quick yank of the three-inch durasteel door, Jesse finally steps foot into the Silkroad's End.

And, with an elated sort of smirk, he swaggers right in your direction.

Jesse reckons it's been four months since he's seen you — the ever-present barkeep and present owner of the Silkroad's End — last ; could be that you're one of many owners and operators, as he suspects but... Well, Jesse never had enough to go on that hunch.

There he was, as always, distracted.

You know the sound of his spurs from a million others. In an instant, your lashes are flicking up from the bar and through the crowded back room. Tonight is busy — seems a good few members decided tonight would be the night they cash in their chips. You shouldn't be surprised to see Jesse McCree, but...

He's always had a way of knocking you off your game.

"Have I ever told you," comes the low croon as a set of cyberized knuckles rap on the mahogany bar, "that you make the best drinks around?"

Your smirk settles into your words. You move slowly, reaching for that top-shelf whiskey he likes so much.

"Is that why you keep coming back, then?"

Jesse smirks. His trademark hat finds a spot beside him at the bar, and he leans back to run a hand through his dark, wild hair. "One of a handful of reasons I could list, sure."

The drink that lands in front of him is coupled with your full attention.

Jesse feels awfully big in it.

His fingertip tinker against the glass. The sound is pleasing.

Your elbows meet the bartop. You lean. Your eyes drift across his face, and for a moment you find a rush of relief bloom at the realization that there are no new scars. He looks tired, but well.

Alive.

A lot for a man with a bounty of sixty million on his head.

You work hard to keep that very bounty out of the Silkroad's End 's docket. That ledger of his, deep and relentless, has become harder to ignore in recent months. With word that Overwatch was recalled... Jesse's name had been floating around more than you liked recently.

It made you worry.

Your voice is soft. So is your smile.

Jesse, the sap he is, is glad he's sitting down for the sight of it.

"You look good, Jesse."

He scoffs into the whiskey. His eyes, a dark brown and warm like the run, roll at the remark. You grin.

"M' gettin' old," he rumbles, "And things are changing' faster than I can keep up with."

You don't pry. A habit. A good one, mostly. Jesse has a habit of being an open book. Given the chance, you'll pry later. For now, you opt to air on the side of wistful interest. Fleeting and light.

Your chin finds your palm.

Long ago, you wouldn't have dared to let a soul see you so engaged with a member like this, but... This operation ran on trust. Discretion was a part of the bigger equation and the people in this room? You've known most of them for years now.

Bounty hunters, arms dealers, drug peddlers.

They know better than to bite the hand that feeds.

"You been busy, then?" you ask, watching the way his eyes stick to you, even when he reaches to dig out a cigar from a pocket beneath his serape. In a flash, he's procured a gilded lighter and flicked it open. The flame dances between you both, and you watch as he puffs the cigar. The embers burn red.

He exhales and smoke swirls around his head like horns — Jesse's lips slip into a lopsided sort of look; more playful than anything.

"That lead you gave me," he drawls, "It worked out. Paid good, too."

Your smile is slow.

This song and dance is always fun.

"Been savin' a few for you," you say, "You're one of the few I can trust to actually bring people in alive."

"I haven't even been here fer more than a minute an' you're already talkin' business, pumpkin," Jesse grins, all toothy and scruffy, and takes another puff of his cigar, "That all you ever do?"

"You know me, Jesse," you slide your fingers across the underside of the bar, sending the partition up and allowing you to step around. You shrug your shoulders and hang your hands. The way his eyes flick across your figure isn't lost on you.

You cock your head towards the back office as you speak. "Always scheming."

If that ain't the god damn truth.

You're a smart little thing. All devilish wit and pulled strings. You have enough dirt in your back pocket to bring a few governments down, Jesse supposes. Nothing to bat an eyelash at.

He follows with ease; hat tucked upon his head once more, cigar and whiskey held in his hands. He follows you, looming over your shoulder, as the sea of patrons part with sidewards glances and half-aware nods. Everyone has their own business to attend to. You're simply attending to yours.

The back office isn't really much of an office — if anything, it's a refitted storage room. There's a desk, a handful of monitors, and enough security barring entrance to the windowless room that Jesse's roughed up every time.

The omnic patting him down isn't gentle. He tugs the peacekeeper from his hip holster and grunts. Jesse scowls.

That ain't never been a problem before, though.

You, all poised with your arms crossed, wave it off. The gun is shoved roughly back into Jesse's holster. If both hands weren't preoccupied, maybe the bouncer would get more than the nasty snarl Jesse manages as he's waved through. Maybe.

As the door slips shut behind him, the sound of your heels is all he hears.

"Beefed up security, huh?"

Your sigh is tight. He can see the tension along your shoulders when you round the sleek desk in the middle of the room and unlock a drawer. If you'd thought he'd move past your silence, you're wrong.

Jesse isn't like you.

He has a bad habit of asking plenty of follow up questions.

"What happened, pumpkin?"

That damn nickname is enough to spur you to straighten yourself, to set the datapad down gently on the desk in front of you, and to frown.

"There was an incident."

His worry is palpable.

"Nothing dramatic," you wave it off, shooing him slightly when he nears the desk. You walk around it and lean, settling on the edge, "But it was enough to spook a few staff members into being more mindful of who carries in the establishment. Especially behind closed doors."

You've had enough guns pulled on you in your life to know that one could have been the last — but it wasn't. It was fine. Might have earned you a few restless nights and a few connections to clean up, but the disgruntled member was dealt with. That was a month and a half ago now. Distant.

Jesse frowns. He sets his whiskey down on your desk, then leans and smothers the cigar in a fizzle of ash and smoke in the ashtray there.

His voice goes low, gruff, and serious.

"Pumpkin, I ain't a good man," he breathes, eyes low beneath the brim of his hat, "You're better off not trustin' men like me."

He does this every time.

A glimmer of self-consciousness towards his own character.

You know him better than to believe that shit.

"Jesse, if anyone was to put a bullet between my eyes," you mutter, unlocking the datapad with a flick of your finger, "I'd be honored if you were the one to do it."

That earns you a low grumble.

His weight moves to shift beside you. His hip bumps yours. His shoulder saddles right up against your own. You can smell the cigar on him, the burn of the whiskey on his tongue. Jesse is warm. He laces his own fingers together. You can feel his eyes on you as you sift through the files of bounties — and you try not to seem startled when he says your name soft enough it could pass for a lullaby.

"... You alright?"

It's not often you're asked this question.

You were right before — you were always talking business. Personal matters were kept far from any business dealings you did on a daily basis. It was pertinent. Kept the machine well-oiled.

Things with Jesse, though... They'd been different for a long time.

Things changed when the two of you had forgone professionalism once a handful of years ago now. It wasn't long after the first time you'd met him the cowboy had stolen himself into your well-guarded feelings. You blamed the charm. He believed it was luck. Despite knowing nearly nothing about you, he'd become enamored, and — when you'd initially thought the sex was something to sweeten the deal, Jesse quickly made it plenty clear he intended on keeping the sex and the business separate.

The feelings grew between those two things.

Now, in the center of his attention... Well, you feel small.

You let out a slow exhale.

"I missed you, y'know," you say slowly, eyes still trained on the names staring back at you on the datapad.

"Yeah," he breathes, "I missed you, too. Ain't fun bein' gone so long."

"As if either of us has a choice?"

Another hum. This one a bit sadder. Jesse supposes you're right, that it isn't exactly ideal — and it's not as if he's allowed himself to be vulnerable to anyone else these last few years. Not when he's a wanted man. Not when gettin' someone tangled up in the danger is the last thing he wants.

It was different with you. You knew the danger. You...

Christ alive, he wishes now things were different.

Back then, it was easy.

Coming to terms, now, with the numbing loneliness that hangs itself over the both of you hurts a bit worse. Time is ticking by. He'll be older than he is younger soon.

"You ever wish you could leave it all behind?"

His question is met with a tired scoff. Your cheek finds his shoulder. Your hair falls along his arm.

"And become the world's most wanted woman?"

"What you've got is an empire," Jesse drawls, a hand slowly reaching for your own, "M' sure someone would wanna call it theirs ."

"And then what happens to the tired, old queen? The queen who knows what makes that empire strong?"

Your quirk your brows. Jesse sighs.

"... Point taken."

"I made my bed," you say with a measured sense of finality, "And I've gotta lay in it, Jesse."

His eyes dance alight when something then that's tempered with fire; he blinks down at you through thick lashes as he speaks.

"Wouldn't mind layin' with you..."

It's husky. Drawn out. Nearly a sigh, especially when his fingers slip along the curve of your wrist and draw up to your cheek.

"I'm starting to think you come here," you mumble with an edge of sarcasm as his nose brushes yours, "For more than just business ."

"Oh, sweetpea," Jesse grins as he whispers, "It's been that way for a long time now."

The kiss is bruising — the sort you missed horribly in those months apart. It's lip and teeth and scruff; the brush of his beard is enough to make you smile, enough to make you abandon the datapad on your desk.

Enough to keep you distracted enough that you don't notice Jesse McCree tapping an encrypted data transfer skimmer over your datapad.

You'll notice in the morning.

And by then, he'll be long gone.

#jesse mccree x reader #jesse mccree imagine #jesse mccree x you #jesse mccree fanfic #overwatch imagine #overwatch x reader #WHOOPS #i go radio silent then write a whole FIC FOR. THE COWBOY.

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antoine-roquentin · 4 years ago

Link

This year marks Harold “Hal” Rogers’s twenty-first consecutive electoral victory in Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District, making him the second-longest-serving Republican in Congress. He rode into office on the wave of the Reagan Revolution in 1980, and the governing style he’s employed in the Fifth District—which covers the rural, mountainous, Appalachian region of southeastern Kentucky—can mostly be described as Reaganite: pro–War on Drugs, pro–prison expansion, anti-regulation of extractive industries, and pro-family. The congressman has had to improvise a little over the years in response to changes in the economy and political system, but he’s well-positioned to do so: as a former Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the elite “College of Cardinals” that manages the government’s budget, and the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, he’s one of the most powerful men in Washington. Rogers has extraordinary discretion over where and how the government exercises power domestically and overseas, especially within the border regions; he can coerce other lawmakers to support his policies by withholding funding; and, crucially, he can funnel tons of “pork” back to his home district.

If you were to mention that to the average American, however, you’d probably be met with confusion. Hal who? Most people, when they think of powerful politicians from Kentucky, think of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who over the last decade or so has singlehandedly reshaped how Congress functions, and has all but ensured the prioritization of corporate interests within the federal judiciary. So you’re telling me there’s another powerful congressman from Kentucky who has control over virtually every aspect of my life? That is indeed what I’m telling you, my friend, and it’s no coincidence that both of these men come from the mostly rural state of Kentucky.

How did Kentucky come to mean so much at the national level? McConnell’s story isn’t that compelling. He is deeply unpopular statewide, but every six years he hyper-focuses on a handful of places in the state—Paducah, the Cincinnati suburbs in Northern Kentucky, the rural counties around Louisville (his hometown), and the rural counties in southern Kentucky—and makes enough empty promises and assurances to carry him to victory. He then launders his success as a success story for all of Kentucky, claiming that it allows the state to punch above its weight at the national level against states like New York and California. His voters eat this up, and McConnell plays off of it to increasingly cringe results (see: “Cocaine Mitch.”) At the end of the day it’s a pretty standard story of electioneering, manipulation, and voter suppression; Kentucky consistently ranks among the bottom ten states in terms of “electoral integrity.”

But whereas McConnell is motivated by the long-term viability of corporate domination of the United States, Hal Rogers is motivated by the long-term viability of corporate and personal domination of southeastern Kentucky. Make no mistake that this benighted region—long one of the poorest in the country—is Rogers’s personal dominion, his fiefdom. The fact that his name is on just about everything you see should be enough evidence to support this claim. To enter and exit the region you have to travel on the Hal Rogers Parkway, which used to be the Daniel Boone Parkway until Rogers renamed it after itself. Want to take your family on a weekend getaway vacation? You can check out the Hal Rogers Family Entertainment Center in Williamsburg, which contains a wave pool, water slides, and a mini-golf course. Or perhaps you’re addicted to drugs? Rogers has just the thing for you: the Hal Rogers Appalachian Recovery Center, which has outposts all across the region.

This last “amenity” that Rogers so graciously offers—drug rehabilitation centers—is rich with irony. In 2003 he created a program known as Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education). UNITE is a brilliant form of rural social control. It ruthlessly enforces drug abstention through the traditional methods of law enforcement—undercover policing, kicking down doors—and, at the same time, encourages community members to snitch on fellow community members who they suspect of being involved in drug activities. The result is that no one trusts anyone: everyone is a suspect, all of the time. UNITE is the sort of program that engenders alienation, making it less likely that people will mount meaningful political challenges against the region’s political institutions, such as Rogers himself.

But Rogers’s UNITE program is even more ingenious than that. It sweeps you up in raids and undercover stings, and then sends you to treatment (likely in a building with Rogers’s name plastered on it), and then uses you as an example to the rest of the community about the harms of drug abuse. You will become a poster child, an educator, a warning from the future: Do not become me; I was lucky enough to make it out alive, and even then it was only through the help and compassion of good old Hal Rogers. In other words, Hal giveth and Hal taketh away. He is simultaneously good cop and bad cop, or, if you’re feeling biblical, the Old Testament God of Vengeance and Wrath and New Testament God of Redemption and Forgiveness. If you’re a drug user in southeastern Kentucky, you will eventually come under his all-seeing eye.

Of course, if you do not make it to (and through) the rehabilitation stage, you can go to prison, in which Rogers is also deeply invested. When southeastern Kentucky’s coal economy started going south in the 1980s and ’90s due to mechanization caused by an increase in strip mining (facilitated by Rogers’s loosening of environmental regulations), Rogers became the biggest advocate for prison expansion in the region. During his career he’s brought no less than three federal prisons to his district, and he’s currently working on bringing a fourth, to Letcher County, right on the border of Kentucky and Virginia. Either in jail or on the anti-drug education circuit, your story will eventually be used for Hal Rogers’s personal glorification.

This does not mean that all power is consolidated within the person of Rogers, however. The intricate system that’s slowly grown to facilitate the expansion of drug courts, rehabilitation centers, jails that counties rely on for revenue, and prisons is its own network of feudal control and peonage. Hang around outside any county courthouse in eastern Kentucky for long enough and you’ll see, like I have, people begging judges to sign off on this or that paper granting them this or that level of re-entry into their community (previously restricted as a result of being caught with this or that drug). Or hang around outside any drug counseling office long enough and you’ll hear, like I have, people casually discussing which local judges are the strictest and which are the most lenient. A lot of people’s lives are tied up in a system that is ruled mostly by whimsy and fiat.

If and when Rogers ever kicks the bucket—and this will have to be the way he leaves office, because he will likely never be defeated at the ballot box—all this will have been his legacy. Not just the buildings and highways and rehabilitative centers with his name on them. Not just the prisons and the beefed-up law enforcement agencies. Not just the ominous office building in Somerset, known colloquially as the “Taj Ma-Hal,” which houses a number of nonprofits with boring names like “Center for Rural Development” that Rogers helped create in order to vacuum up federal grant money from agencies like the Appalachian Regional Commission. It’s all these things, but it’s also something bigger: the remaking of rural political economy. Rogers’s model has been exported across the United States.

As the nation’s rural regions experienced deindustrialization, out-migration, drug-assisted suicide, or a combination of all the above over the last three or four decades, rural elites had to figure out a way to maintain control over their constituents. Many of them turned to Rogers’s example. For example, when Rogers launched UNITE in 2003, John Walters, then the White House drug czar, said that it would “serve as a model for the rest of the nation.” It doesn’t go by the name “UNITE” in every community, but if you go anywhere in rural America and listen long enough, you’ll hear the voices of people who are trapped within similar systems of manipulation, coercion, and foreclosure on the future. And you’ll also see, lording over them, the names and faces of men who have carved out their own kingdoms, which from the outside seem impervious to pressure from below. But that’s the thing about power: it doesn’t last forever, and it can always be beaten. It’s up to us to figure out how to do it.

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thelordofdarkreunion · 4 years ago

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Magnificent Scoundrels- The Arrival

Here we finally have it. All of the governments meet for the first time. If you want to see more of one particular person or group, or just have any cool ideas to throw in, ask away! Enjoy the story!

Mass Effect Galaxy

The Citadel

It had been rather the hectic week (and month) for the entire universe. Everyone had scrambled for information; the fight to find out exactly what to expect from their sudden new neighbors. Agents had been sent out, intelligence had been collected, reports had been made, and, out of the blue, one government, the Citadel Council, had invited most of the major players from the various galaxies to the negotiations table. Reactions had… varied. Greatly. But, in the end, all of the invitees had arrived on schedule.

Commander Shepard was quite glad the Council had taken his suggestion to beef up the Citadel Fleet seriously. The different governments had each arrived with their own starship or, in many cases, starships. The starships were as varied as the governments themselves. The Galactic Assembly had arrived in several plain metal, box-like starships, led by Adam Vir’s Omen. Respectable. Nothing the Fleet couldn’t handle.

The government from Quill’s home galaxy had shown in one rather small ship. He still didn’t know the government’s name. Curious. He quietly vowed to find out.

The United Federation of Planets had, too, arrived in a small fleet of their strange, saucer-strapped-to-engines starships led by James Kirk’s Enterprise. Once more, sensible. Respectable. Easily handled.

So too did both the Frontier Militia and Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation arrive. They had been directed to opposite docking bays, considering their history. A wise move. Someone had their head firmly on their shoulders.

Thomas Drake had led a small collection of luxury ships, his clients, into their docking bays. No problem. No military threat.

The UNSC had arrived in two ships. Blocky and boxy, they too were directed to their places without incident.

The New Republic arrived in a motley collection of ships in various shapes and sizes. One minor bureaucratic hassle later, they were docked.

It was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the last two that were a problem. Three massive, kilometer long Star Destroyers had heralded the arrival of the Galactic Empire. The largest ship in Shepard’s galaxy was the Destiny Ascension, also a kilometer long. It was the long held belief that no one could match it, as the requirements for building something bigger would be astounding. Now, the Empire had three such ships, each more powerful, with larger guns, internal fighter hangars, and enough troops inside to pacify a planet.

The next arrival had blown everyone else out of the water. The Imperium of Man had shown up in a six-and-a-half kilometer floating cathedral. Shepard had seen nothing like it, and didn’t quite understand why anyone would build a starship like that. It was as if someone had taken a gothic basilica, made it starship-sized, then slapped on an unholy amount of guns. Shepard didn’t know what was on board, either. Matter of fact, he wasn’t quite sure he wanted to know what was on board.

What’s more is, due to their large size and masters’ temperament, the Imperial ships would not and could not dock. So now they hung threateningly over the Citadel, turbo-lasers and lance batteries pointing menacingly into space. Shepard did not at all envy Matriarch Lidanya, captain of the Destiny Ascension, or, for that matter, any of the other fleet captains of the different governments. Tangling with the Chimaera or the Watch Eternal, the flagship of the Empire and the Imperium’s dreadnought respectively, was a daunting prospect.

So far as yet, no one had killed each other, a situation that Shepard fervently hoped would remain in place. Currently, he was standing outside the security gates, lounging next to various members of his crew and a very amused Adam Vir. Security was another hassle. The Council, quite reasonably, wanted the members of each delegation to surrender their weapons at the customs area. The delegates, also quite reasonably, did not want to go unarmed into unknown territory. Things had come to a head after the Imperium of Man had shown up with a cadre of heavily armed and heavily armored troopers who looked positively excited at the prospect of going full rock-and-roll mode against everything moving. Citadel Security had tried to disarm them, the Tempestus Scion bodyguards had almost shot the Turian security officer, Cain had calmed things down, C-Sec had once more tried to disarm them, the Galactic Empire had pointed out that their black-armored Death Trooper bodyguards would also not be surrendering their weapons, C-Sec had called for Spectre backup, both Shepard and Cain had convinced everyone else to let the bodyguards keep their weapons, abielt under the watchful eyes of armed C-Sec agents, and Peter Quill and Adam Vir had a massive laugh at the commotion.

Currently, Thomas Drake and his employers (the Merchant’s Guild, remembered Shepard) were going through security with little hassle. The generally old and quite calculating-looking members of the Guild had no weapons, and Drake and his armsmen were being remarkably compliant. They went through quickly, and Drake slid up to Shepard and Vir.

“So… how many weapons did you manage to smuggle in?” asked Shepard conversationally. Drake sniffed.

“Enough to kill, oh, at least everyone within sight,” replied Drake as if he were talking about the weather. Shepard grunted, then turned towards the security checkpoint to watch the New Republic diplomats enter.

“You mind telling me how?” he asked. Drake gave one of his devious grins.

“A good magician never reveals their secrets!” Vir rolled his eyes in response. Security was, unfortunately, or, depending on your point of view, fortunately, not quite perfect. Vir had been allowed to take his Iron Eye suit through, Cooper any other Pilots coming through were still wearing their Pilot Suits, Master Chief was in full combat gear (so, his normal clothing), Drake had god-only-knew-what on him, and almost everyone was allowed to retain their sidearms.

That wasn’t even including the super powered people now walking around the flowing streets of the Citadel. Shepard had known of super soldiers (indeed, several of the Scoundrels themselves could be considered as such), but people with what could be considered superpowers were a little more unnerving. There were biotics where he came from: individuals who could create and manipulate mass effect fields using their bodies. They had super powers, in a sense. But some of the people here… Along with the New Republic came an unassuming man wearing a simple black tunic and knee length black boots. Shepard knew, with information from Solo, that this was Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, someone who could move things with their mind and do all sorts of other ridiculous things. With the delegation from Quill’s galaxy came a blond haired woman wearing a blue and red jumpsuit; a superhero, if he’d ever seen one, an ebony-skinned, dark-haired diplomat who, despite his laid back attitude, simply screamed ‘deadly!’, and Thor, the literal Norse god of thunder. How, precisely, was one supposed to fight something like that? Just go up and politely ask a lighting god to stop? Unlikely.

He was snapped out of his reverie by a nudge from Vir.

“Hey. They’re starting the tour,” he said, and pointed to a Council diplomat leading the delegates through the Citadel, narrating like a tour guide as she did. Shepard almost laughed aloud at the sight of the various groups walking together, from stark uniforms to over-elaborate dress robes. He gave a nod to his crew members, and they hefted their weapons and slowly followed the tour. Vir talked as they walked.

“You know, this is great,” he started with an excited grin. “This place, all these species working together, talking together, living together… it’s, well, great. I said that already, didn’t I?” He barely paused for breath, then continued. “The GA has a space station for diplomacy, a… neutral ground, for lack of a better word, but nothing like… this.” He gestured at the false sky, the massive open areas, and the breathtaking architecture. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Garrus Valkarian chuckled behind them and Shepard gave a rueful shake of his head.

“Adam Vir. Never change,” he said as he straightened out to follow the tour. They walked slowly, following the delegates at a safe distance. Vir dropped back as Sunny slid up to him.

“What do you think?” he murmured. She glazed, amused, at some of the diplomats and bodyguards giving her wary looks. The Drev were by far the biggest and tallest race here, something she was endlessly entertained by.

“They seem nice enough. The Citadel Council shouldn’t be a problem. Most of the more diplomatic ones should be fine as well.” She gave a low chortle. “I’m not even afraid of the Imperium. Cain ought to put in a good word for us.” Vir smiled back.

“True. But, just in case, have Kanon stand by.” Sunny nodded.

“Don’t worry. The Drev clan will be ready to go.” And with full weapons, too. No one thought spears were a significant enough problem to warrant disarmament. More fool them, then.

The members of the Merchant’s Guild were barely listening to the guide; their looks instead shrewdly appraising everything in sight. Martin Crossgrow turned to Drake, lips pursed in calm consideration.

“How much do you think it would cost to build this place?” Drake didn’t hesitate with an answer.

“Fifty to seventy-five quadrillion Federal credits to build a station exactly like this. Thirty billion to build a warhead powerful enough to blow it all up.” Crossgrow gave a low, humorless laugh in response, and turned to one of his immaculately tailored colleagues.

“You see, this is why I hire Drake. He knows what he’s talking about.”

Outwardly, Commissar Ciaphas Cain was an epitome of calm. Inwardly, he was roiling. There were just so. Many. Xenos. Everywhere. Walking openly in the streets as if they didn’t have acare in the world, eating, shopping, even mingling with humans. Even the supposedly pro-human Galactic Empire was being led by a tall, blue-skinned humanoid alien wearing a neatly pressed Admiral’s uniform. The Imperial delegation, of which he was security chief, was being escorted by even more xenos. Of course, since he was security chief, if anything went wrong, he would have to deal with it. Wonderful.

“Hello, Ciaphas.” The voice broke his thoughts, and he turned to face one of the robed diplomats he was assigned to protect. A rush of emotions and memories was brought to the surface: an undercover cabernet singer with a beautiful voice, stinking tunnels filled with genestealers and untrustworthy criminals, a figure in golden power armor massacring her way through hordes of enemies.

“Amberley?” he asked, flabbergasted. The diplomat threw back her hood, revealing a familiar face, framed by blond neat blond hair. Amberley Vail, Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos, smiled up at him.

“Surprised to see me here?” she asked.

“Uh… yes, actually,” replied Cain. Vail laughed.

“Did you really think diplomats would be sent to a meeting this important without… oversight?” Cain’s stomach turned to ice. HIs palms started to tingle, a sure sign that something was wrong.

“What do you mean by that?” he inquired tentatively. Vail subtly nodded to another robed diplomat.

“You remember Rasmus, don’t you?” The robed man turned, face hidden beneath the robe and a neat black beard, and nodded once. Of course Cain remembered; how could he forget that horrible business? More memories flashed through his head. An insane governor, selling his soul into eternal damnation for the promise of pleasure, hacking his way through living shrubbery, Jurgen and Amberely hot on his heels, and, of course, Inquisitor Rasmus Vekkman fighting an unholy abomination with strange, archaic weapons. Vail nodded once more and gestured to another delegate.

“And of course, we need to complete the triumvirate of Ordos Majoris. You’ve never met her, but that’s Inquisitor Melflic Aetius of Hereticus,” finished Vail. Cain was fairly certain his blood had frozen in his veins. One Inquisitor was a problem. Three though… That was three individuals with unlimited authority and the full backing of the Imperium of Man. Three Inquisitors on the same mission was completely unheard of. Apparently, his thoughts did not register on his face, for Amberley continued.

“On the Watch Eternal we also have a regiment of Tempestus Scions.” Cain was only saved from stopping short, jaw hanging out, by his long-learned masterful control over his emotions. Scions, also known as Tempestus Stormtroopers, were the deadliest and highest-trained normal human soldiers within the Imperium. Now there was an entire regiment of them aboard the starship hanging in orbit above the Citadel. He stopped short for a moment at Vail’s next words. “And a full Deathwatch Kill-team,” she stated nonchalantly. The Deathwatch was something else entirely. Made up of Space Marines, eight foot tall genetically engineered, power armor-wearing transhuman super soldiers, the Deathwatch was the Inquisition’s specialized anti-alien group. Cain could understand Scions. Perhaps an Inquisitor, and a small group of Space Marines. But now there were three Inquisitors, a full regiment of Scions, and, by what he inferred, a very beefed up and probably quite veteran Kill-team. Oh dear Emperor, this is going to end badly.

“Anything else I should know about?” he all but hissed at Amberley. She pursed her lips, considering.

“I suppose. You are our chief of security, after all,” she replied, her eyes full of mischief. And what a terrible idea it was to take that job, Cain fumed. “There’s also an Assassinorum Execution Force.” Is it even possible to be any more surprised? ‘Cause if it is, I’m about to win an award. Cain knew little about the mysterious and highly lethal Officio Assassinorum; hell, most citizens didn’t even know it existed. What he did know, however, was that it trained some of the most potent killers in the galaxy. That’s all he ever wanted to know, for people who went polking into the workings of such organizations rarely returned alive.

“Do you mind telling me exactly why there are so many deadly groups here?” he muttered, conscious of drawing too much attention. Vail smiled again, but this time there was nothing in her eyes save the coldest ice.

“Of course, my dear Ciaphas. It’s simple. All of these xenos better be honest and on the level. Or else.”

And there it is. Sort of a cold war situation going on; every faction is trying to be as diplomatic as possible and present the best face possible, but if something goes wrong, their all dropping in their most elite soldiers. Next story we’ll go over more reactions and explore some of the people and groups I didn’t cover here. If you have any comments, criticisms, concerns, questions, or requests, feel free to ask!

#magnificent scoundrels #story #my story #writing #my writing #fanfic #crossover #mass effect #warhammer 40k #guardians of the galaxy #star wars

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beelspillowpet · 4 years ago

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So I'm kinda bullshitting here cause I'm not 100% caught up with the Lessons. But I had this running by my mind still.

We know how the celestial realm (heaven) and devildoom (hell) are very different depicted than in normal bible text and ECT. As in the devildoom already existed before when god created humans and let them wonder the earth. That appearantly is bigger than both the devildoom and maybe the celestial realm as well???

So I was thinking thoughts, what the fuck was god doing BEFORE even having the angels in mind?? Was the devildoom around?? Did presumably the demon king ancestor or himself were just vibing into timeless space and we're like. "Man you kinda borning I'ma make something" ???? Like what kind of relationship even was it before all this stupid division of balance or what not. I feel like they had beef only cause the demon king just wanted to chill or some shit but god was to much of a noisey bitch and puke out some ring floating eyes and call it his sons and the demon king just said fuck no.

AFKJGNKBGJKF THE END OF THIS ASK IS KILLING ME

Honestly with how I’ve written my timeline of events, I see it as the first king of hell to be the brother of god. Not a friend, not any of that shit- but two literal brothers. maybe even twins if you wanna get funky.

For an eternity after their were first brought into the concept of even thinking; they’d been learning about each other. what sort of things would they like to do, what sort of things would they want to try out? and after eons upon eons of just... talking about it, they eventually do it. And so celestia was created. but they have different ideas about how to run things, and a fight ensues. and not too long into it all, did a fight break out and, in similar fashion of lucifer and his brothers, did the “evil” brother (the ancient king maybe?) lose the battle and was cast out, along with those who opposed god.

now the demon king, not having anything to do with his followers, creates a new world. (or maybe his brother created that realm for him to do as he wanted, as they WERE still brothers after all and a simple fight wouldnt completely ruin their relationship) and so now you have hell.

this would probably explain why they arent literally at a war yet, but id like to think that the idea of a war brewing isnt lost on everyone in the current cast?

So when Lucifer comes out and is like yeah no this shit sucks you fucking suck god, throws a tantrum starts a war and then falls again, gods like what the fuck man keep your hands off my angels (bc theres probably more angels than demons?????) the devil is like alright what if we just make a middle ground realm where we have ppl who arent devout to you but also arent out here being literal demons either... and we just watch them and tempt them to come to us or something????

and so the human realm is created. and maybe gods been winning this little “race” or “game” or whatever you wanna call it. maybe gods been getting more and more angels and so the demon king is like well what if i do an exchange program and show humans that the devildom isnt such an awful place???

.... and with that messy rambling out of the way, its my theory that MC is the first of MAAAANY humans to come someday. indoctrination of humans into loving demons and the life of being “evil” just so the demon king can win the favoritism poll.

its a really messy thought bunny ive had for a WHILE but never felt the urge to flesh out. but going over everything from the VEEERY beginning up until now and trying to rationalize or reason for why things happen can be INCREDIBLY interesting provided one has the time...

#ashestospace #<3 #FUN BRAIN USING BRRRRRR #THIS IS NICE

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years ago

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Survey #384

“watch your tongue or have it cut from your head”

Do you post to say happy birthday on other people’s walls? Sometimes. Depends on my mood and the person. When was the last time you saw a rainbow? Idr. What’s your favorite television commercial? I don't watch TV enough at all to have one. And who has a favorite commercial, anyway? Do you trip a lot? I don't really trip a lot, but kinda fumble over my footing and stray a bit. I'm horrible at walking straight, and it's gotten worse as my legs have. How old is your television? The one in the living room is god knows how old. My parents were still together when they bought it. When did you last talk on the phone with someone? A couple days ago for my appointment with my psychiatrist. Are you currently sleepy? I'm quite convinced I'm permanently tired. Are you hot or cold natured? I am ALWAYS fucking hot, ugh. Do you take any advanced classes? I took mostly Honors classes in school. Do you have weak upper body strength? My body is just weak as a whole. What is the worst insult someone can call you? Emotionally weak. Are you good at sketching? If we're talking meerkats, haha. They're the only complex thing that I can freehand no problem without needing a reference, honestly. Ever play Angry Birds? Nah. I thought the movie was cute, though. Have you ever been to the zoo before? Yeah. Has anyone ever been weirdly obsessed with you? No. Are you afraid someone might steal your identity someday? It's not something I actively worry about at all. Like, you don't want my identity, I promise. Do you have any talents that come naturally? Growing up, adults always told me I was a "gifted" artist and writer. Also that I seem to have an unnaturally strong connection with animals. I've always been that person where a pet's owner is like "omg ____ never lets people do that" and whatnot. Have you ever had plastic surgery before? I haven't. It's funny though, how opposed to it I used to be... Like goddamn, I was such a fucking stupid and honestly judgmental teenager, regarding many things. I look back on her and cringe. Like damn dude, if you have a safe surgical procedure to help you enjoy the body you're stuck with the rest of your life, you go for it, boo. Are you afraid of airplane rides? Not really. What’s the best Valentine’s Day gift you’ve gotten? There was this one year where Jason had to go to work on Valentine's Day and I was super bummed, yet he still surprised me with a heart-shaped box of chocolates, roses, and a game I really wanted, Heavy Rain. I thought it was the sweetest. What is something you lose often? My phone. ;-; Do you enter a lot of sweepstakes? I don't enter any. Do you consider yourself physically active? *chuckles nervously* Do you have Netflix? Yeah. Favorite salad dressing? That Olive Garden replica you can buy at the store. Do you enjoy dancing? Once upon a time I did. My body could never handle it now. Have you ever considered writing a novel? Many times. Snow or sand? Snow, by twenty thousand miles. It is VERY hard for me to walk through sand, and I also hate hate hate hate HATE the sensation. Do you like sour candy? Heeeeeell yeah man. Have you gotten any injuries lately? If so, what & how? Nothing notable. Are you a clumsy person? Like you would not fucking believe. Last male you talked to in person? I think my primary physician's nurse. Are you thinking about asking anyone out? No. Pink lemonade or regular lemonade? Pink lemonade, for sure. But I love both. Chocolate or strawberry milk? CHOCOLATE. Strawberry milk is disgusting. Have you ever won a contest on the radio?No. Is there a song that reminds you of your best friend? There's quite a few. Has a book ever made you cry? Yes. Do you automatically check your phone when you wake up? Yes, for the time. Do you know anyone who has a pet bunny? Not that I'm aware. What store or website would you most like a gift card for? Rebel's Market. How do you feel about wolves? I adore wolves. Beautiful, majestic creatures with very interesting social dynamics. Name your top 3 favorite musical instruments. Electric guitar, violin, piano. What was the last book(s) you bought at a bookstore? At an actual bookstore, I think it was The Fault In Our Stars, which I never actually read. Do you use Pinterest? Yes. Do you know any sign language? No. Do you have a favorite poem? No. Do you have a dog? No. The one we were pretty much stuck with has a home now. Have you ever read The Little House on the Prairie series? I haven't. Have you ever gone on a service trip to an underprivileged country? No. Have you ever performed in front of more than 100 people? Yes, for dance. When (if ever) was the last time you went to church? Forever ago, I don't even remember the last time. What's a quote you think is really powerful? There's a whole lot. The first one that came to mind was, "An eye for an eye will leave the world blind," which I do believe has great depth in it. Have you ever had to do your laundry at a laundromat? Yes. Are you the oldest person who lives in your household? No. My mom is turning 60 (... I think?) this year. If you have tattoos, how long have you had them? I got my first the day I turned 18. Do you and your dad have similar personalities? We're alike in some ways, imo most notably in that we have NO fucking common sense, embarrassing as that is to admit. We're both kinda slow at understanding things, too. What were the last three things you had to drink? Mountain Lightning, milk, and water. What did your family usually do for Easter when you were a kid? Us three kids all got Easter baskets full of stuff, and we'd go egg-hunting when we were all awake. My little sister Nicole would always wake our parents up in excitement, haha. My parents hid plenty throughout the house, and there was always this one "special" egg that was actually from Mom's childhood and was extremely intricate and beautiful. You basically "won" the hunt if you found it, and it was extremely well-hidden. When you have house guests over, where do they sleep? Historically since living here, my two half-sisters and their spouses (the only people who've stayed over) slept in what is *technically* Mom's room, but for whatever reason this woman still insists on sleeping on the couch in the living room, I guess because she's used to it after all the years she didn't have her own room and bed. Are you emotionally stable? LOLOOLOLOOLLOLOOLOOLOLLOOLOLLLLLLLLLLL Do you still talk to the very first person you had sex with? No. Are you an atheist? No. I don't quite know how to define what I am, but since I believe there's SOME higher power, I don't think it's fitting to call me an atheist. What’s the largest bug you’ve ever found in your house? Hm... I'm unsure. Probably a male mosquito, 'cuz them bitches are big'ins. Would it annoy you if a stranger called you "sweetie?" If it was a man, I'd be creeped out. Are you into fashion design? Not really. What’s the worst thing you’ve gone through in the past year? My leg muscles continuing to degrade, honestly. I have to do something about this shit. How did you get your last bruise? I fell when stepping over the stupid dog gate. Have your parents ever forgotten your birthday? Yikes, no. Would you rather have some bacon or beef jerky? Bacon. Do you like your orange juice with lots or no pulp? NONE. Do you wear skinny jeans? Back when I wore jeans, they were the only kind I wore. What projects are you doing now for school? I'm outta school. What’s the most number of comments you have on a Facebook picture? What is the picture of? I have no idea. Do you like coconut flavored things? No. Have you ever met a famous author before? No. Do you know anybody who has been raped before? No, thank god. I know someone who might've almost been, though. I don't know what the fucking pig was going to do to her if my sister and I weren't there. Have you ever wished for bigger boobs? No. Being overweight, I just want smaller ones now, haha. Have you ever gone a full day without interacting with another person? I've gone many days without it. How many relationships have you been in that lasted less than a year? Four, if you're counting everyone that had the "boyfriend" title. Where were you going the last time you were on a plane? Home from Illinois. Where were you going the last time you were on a train? I've never been on one. Have you ever been significantly more physically fit than you are now? Holy fuck, yes. You would never guess now that I was perfectly healthy in high school especially, yet I still thought I was kinda fat. It hurts so much to look back on. When growing up, did you parents keep the house very tidy? I mean not excessively, but Mom was pretty dedicated to keeping the house in decent condition. With three kids though, of course the house was somewhat messy with toys and all. When you shop at IKEA, do you always stop to eat a snack/meal in the cafeteria? ... There's a fucking cafeteria in a furniture store? o_o I've never been there before. How many watches do you own? None, save for one in my "treasure box" from when I was a kid. I was SO SO SO obsessed with Finding Nemo that I kept my broken one. I did the same with my horribly aged sneakers, like the soles were coming off and Mom finally made me stop wearing them, ha. Are there any ways in which you greatly differ from everyone else in your family? I do fucking nothing and am useless to society. Should teenagers be allowed to have their cell phones with them in class? Yes, because emergencies happen. I personally think it's best to maybe have your cell phone flipped over on the corner of your desk or something and on vibrate, that way the noise isn't too disruptive and the teacher can see you're not just using it for other purposes. Do you have any gay relatives? Yes. Have you ever had to have a pet put down? Sigh, multiple. Have you unfollowed, deleted, or blocked anyone on social media recently? If so, what was the reason? Not recently. How many cups of coffee do you typically drink per day? None. Do you know what your vocal range is? No, but it's not very broad. What’s the biggest financial mistake you’ve ever made? I haven't been in this position before. Have you ever been in a relationship where there was a large difference in maturity levels? No. What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed as a guest at someone’s house? I wanna say over a month while we were technically homeless. How bad was your acne when you were a teenager? Oh dear, it was rough. Like there were people who had it worse than me, but ya girl was lookin preeeetty rough lmao.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''hail to the king'' by avenged sevenfold

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self-proclaimed-chaotic-good · 4 years ago

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Thank U, Next | Poe Dameron x Reader (1/2)

Prompt: High School AU

Fandom: Star Wars (Sequel Trilogy)

Words: 2791

Warning: Mentions past Armitage Hux x Reader, Ben Solo x Reader, Finn x Reader, and current background Finn x Rey.

A/N: I’m super late with the last three Writer’s Month prompts, but I ended up making this one longer than intended, like many of my fics, lol. Inspiration from the song Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande.

How long has it been since you’ve moved away from your hometown? Too long, apparently. There were some stores that closed down with new ones taking their place, buildings renovated and even a new road was added to cut travel time. Everything felt familiar to you, but also distant. You were born and raised here, but this was no longer your home.

When that invite for your high school reunion arrived at your apartment in the city, you debated whether you should go back. You had a lot of bittersweet memories there, but you were curious of what happened to your classmates. You’ve changed a lot since you graduated from high school and you hoped that certain people had changed for the better as well.

You went a week before the reunion, staying in a spare room of your mother’s new house. It was spacious and homely, filled with everything that your mother had always wanted, including a garden and a greenhouse in the backyard. Your parents had divorced a year after you graduated, something that had been a long time coming and they still remain friends. You could sense a heavyweight leaving your mother’s shoulders when the paperwork went through and you had helped her move out.

Throughout the week, you got situated in the spare room, making it your own for the times that you plan on visiting, as well as helping out with the garden. You always wanted one growing up, but your father was against the idea, claiming that it was too much maintenance that he didn’t want to do. It was peaceful in the backyard with fairy lights hanging around the patio. Oftentimes, you and your mother would drink a warm beverage and talk on the patio, catching up with each other and reminiscing. She had heard that some of your classmates stayed, some went to the military, and some even she hadn’t heard about in a while.

You were lounging in the backyard, reading an old book that you had in high school when an orange tabby hopped the fence and meowed. You bookmarked your page and sat up, seeing the orange tabby sit a few feet ahead of you, licking their paw.

“Hey, there, little one,” you said, reaching a hand out.

The tabby paused their cleaning, tentatively leaning forward to sniff your hand. When they realized you were good people, they rubbed against your palm and stepped towards you. Once they got closer, you realized the cat was female, her name tag reading Millicent Hux. Huh, you knew a Hux in high school. You had a crush on him for a year, and you remembered the whole school found out and he never spoke to you again because of all the teasing.

“Excuse me!” someone called out.

You turned away from Millicent and saw a tall and pale ginger man waving from the other side of the fence. He paused his waving when it registered just who he was waving to. You stood up with Millicent in your arms and made your way towards the fence.

“Armitage?” you asked in disbelief.

He smiled. “Yeah, that’s me. Lanky Armi,” he said with a shrug, “I didn’t know you were in town. Here for the reunion?”

“Yeah. I assume this is your cat,” you said, raising Millicent up.

“Yeah, I was about to take her out to the vet when she ran out of her carrier. Thank god she ended up here instead of hanging out by the road.” He grabbed Millicent from you, carrying her like a baby. “You look good.”

“You, too.”

He scoffed, shrugging off the compliment. “Still lanky and pale.”

“Are you going, too?”

He nodded. “I’ve seen a few of our classmates that had arrived earlier this week,” he said, hesitating to continue, “I, uh, saw Ben, too.”

“Oh,” you said, surprised.

From the way that Armitage said that, it meant that he knew or at least had an idea of what happened between you and Ben. They were close friends, after all. You never painted Ben as someone that cared for such gatherings. Sentimentality wasn’t his best trait. You weren’t sure how to feel about his presence in town.

Armitage cleared his throat, regretting about saying anything. “Well, I’ll see you around, then. Would love to stay and catch up, but this one needs her shots.”

“Alright, it was nice seeing you again, Armi,” you said, smiling, “And nice to meet you, too, Millicent.”

You walked back to your reading spot and sighed. Given the size of this town, you were surprised you hadn’t ran into anyone from school before now, and it was a pleasant surprise. Armitage was always tall and lanky, but he looked more mature and had a more lean build. He had always been a good kid, he was just easily influenced by others around him and you were disappointed that he had succumbed to it. He seemed to have gotten over that and you were glad that you could talk like friends, possibly making up for lost time. There was a classmate or two that you had ran into as adults that still maintained their immature personalities from school. You wondered how everyone else turned out.

Your mother had gone on a cooking spree on the first two days you were there and needed to restock the fridge. You volunteered to go grocery shopping but had to use google maps to find the address that the store had relocated to. Once there, the layout was relatively the same, just in a slightly bigger space.

While looking for a specific cereal brand that your mother insisted on eating, you heard someone clear his throat nearby. You wordless moved to the side, thinking you were in the way of something. You heard a soft chuckle before he spoke.

“(Y/n),” he said.

Your head shot up and you were met with a grinning Finn. “Oh, my god! Hi, how are you?” you asked excitedly.

“I’m good. Real good,” he said, pulling you into a hug. It was then you noticed a young woman around your age standing next to him with a sweet smile that showed off her dimples. “Rey, this is my old friend (Y/n). (Y/n), this is my fiancee, Rey.”

“Nice to meet you,” you said, turning to Rey.

She pulled you into another hug. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Finn told me a lot about his time at high school. He only has good things to say about you.”

“Well, that’s nice of him,” you said, raising an eyebrow at Finn.

He shrugged, wrapping an arm around Rey. “What can I say? I’m a nice guy.”

“I expect to hear all the embarrassing stories of him,” Rey whispered to you.

You smiled and said, “Oh, I have an arsonal full of those. Maybe we can meet up later. I’ve gotta get these groceries back to my mom first.”

Finn looks down at your cart, seeing beef, tomato sauce, vegetables, and other miscellaneous items. His eyes widened in excitement. “Is your mom making her famous beef stew?”

“Hell yeah!”

He groaned, thinking back to those times he used to come over your house for dinner and that first time he tried your mother’s beef stew. Ever since then, he always requested that she make it, or at least pack a container that he could take home and share with his family who loved it as well. His father would joke that two of you should get married once you two graduate, but marriage had never been a priority for you, and Finn knew that. You had different ideas of the future and respected the other’s decision for it, which was why your breakup was amicable and the two of you remained friendly and supportive of each other.

“I’ll see if my mom can pack some for you and Rey,” you said as you walked towards your cart.

Finn grinned, patting you on the shoulder. “I knew I could count on you. Rey, you gotta try it! It’s so good.”

“Alright, I look forward to it,” Rey said, “It was nice meeting you.”

“You, too,” you said, then asked Finn, “Are you staying over at your parent’s house?”

“Yeah, same house, too. I’ll be showing Rey around for the rest of the week, but you can stop by anytime to see my folks. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you,” Finn said.

“Alright. I’ll see you when I see you, then,” you said before walking away.

You smiled to yourself as you left, having seen the way that they spoke and looked at each other. Their happiness was infectious and you couldn’t help but be happy for them. Your worries that you had before coming back slowly seeped away after pleasantly running into Armitage and Finn. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. You’re all adults now, surely it won’t be like that Romi and Michelle movie, though flying away in a helicopter looked pretty cool.

The park that you used to frequent seemed to have an upgrade with an added baseball field, more restroom facilities, an area with exercise equipment, and even a water fountain near the clearing away from the fields. You sat near the water fountain where there were painted picnic tables shaded by trees, a new journal and fountain pen sat in front of you as you brushed off the leaves from the table.

With your headphones on, you tried to get back into the writing zone that you’ve been hoping that your trip back to your hometown would help you with. When you left town, you went off to pursue your writing career, entering writing contests and having short stories published. Your new goal was to finish a novel. You would always start a story, but always got stuck on something and never finished it. Writing contests and published short stories could only get you so far and unless you wanted to keep churning out new short stories at a time, hoping that they’ll get through and be published, just to pay your bills, you needed to finish that novel.

You started small, writing down ideas, hoping that visually having them on the page instead of floating in your mind would help. Then, you took some of those ideas and jotted down plot points that the story could have. You continued this until you got into the flow of writing a rough draft for one of them.

Your timer went off, reminding you to head back home before it got dark. You finished your last thought before capping your pen and packing your things away. The sun hung low in the sky, a cool breeze rustling the trees, making you wish you brought a light jacket.

You got to your old car, you tried to open the backseat door that wouldn’t budge. It had always caused you problems like this, but you kept it because it at least got you where you needed to go. You sighed, yanking the door handle again before giving up. After years of forcing that door open, the handle looked like it was going to fall off.

“Still haven’t fixed that door, I see,” a voice said with amusement.

You turned to face the source of the voice and froze. Poe freaking Dameron stood in front of you, dressed in gray sweats with his military camp printed on the front and the side, dark spots stained near his armpits and his neck from sweat. He became impossibly more handsome since the last time you’ve seen him. He gave you a wide smile, one that made many of your fellow classmates swoon in infatuation at him and glare in envy at you, showing you the Poe you knew from school.

He briefly turned to open the backseat of his truck, taking out a hand towel to wipe himself down. “Back in town for the reunion?” he asked.

“Yeah. You, too?”

He nodded. “Everyone’s happy that I’m finally taking time off that’s more than two to three days. Apparently I’m a workaholic? Don’t know why,” he said with a shrug.

You raised an eyebrow. He definitely knew why. For as long as you’ve known him, once he got into something, he put his all into it. Joining a sports team? He’d practice during any free time that he had and become an mvp or team captain. Getting into music? He’d started a band that played during homecoming week and at school events. He even composed and wrote his own songs. It was his strongest and weakest trait. You loved his passion, but that passion would sometimes make him forget everything else.

“Huh, what’s your new obsession now?” you asked, leaning against your car.

Poe mirrored you with his truck as he wiped excess sweat from his hair. “Flying… it’s something that I picked up when I was in the military,” he said.

“Oh,” you said, looking down before clearing your throat to try and appear unphased, “What kind of flying?”

“After I left the military, I missed flying and travelling, so I got into doing helicopter tours in a few countries. Just a couple of years ago, I started to fly commercial airplanes. There’s a whole process with that one, but it was worth it.”

“That sounds cool. I know you’ve always wanted to fly those airplanes,” you said.

He nodded. “Yeah, funny how life works, right? You plan something, you end up doing something else, but if it was meant to be, you somehow end up where you had always wanted to go.”

“Yeah, I’m still waiting for that to happen to me,” you muttered.

“You got published, though,” he pointed out, “They’re short stories, but it’s a start. Your writing is amazing, (Y/n). I know you’ll get there.”

The corner of your lips turned up. There goes his award winning pep talks again. You didn’t know that he was even aware of the work that you’ve done. It didn’t do much for you personally, but you were glad that he hadn’t changed too much,

“Thanks, Poe,” you said, opening your driver’s seat door.

“Hey, can I say something before you go?” he asked before you could climb into your car. You paused, turning to face him. “Look, I know I should have told you that I enlisted, but I don’t regret going. I only wished that we had the chance to work it out, maybe take you with me if I could, if you wanted to. Or at the very least, parted on better terms.”

You avoided his eyes as you tried to find the right words to say. There were so many things you wished you had said on the day he told you about his enlistment. It was all too late to bring them up now. It wasn’t going to change the fact that you two broke up over it. You should at least clear the air, so there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings, though, but you were stubborn. You never wanted to admit it, but while your break up with Finn had been easy and painless, breaking up with Poe was one of the hardest things you had to go through.

“I… I understood why you did it,” you said, “And I should have stopped to think about your perspective instead of getting angry and I’m sorry. It’s my fault that we ended things like that.”

Poe sighed, knowing that there was more that you wanted to say. Another thing that you loved and hated about him was his ability to read you. When there was no reply from him, you climbed in your car, shutting the door harder than you intended. While you were turning the engine on and fiddling with the radio, Poe stepped closer, leaning a hand on the roof of your car.

“Could we meet somewhere?” he asked softly, “You know, just to catch up?”

You leaned back in your seat, drumming your fingers on the steering wheel. “I’m running some errands tomorrow. Does lunch at the usual diner work for you?”

Poe smiled. “Sure, yeah. I’ll meet you there tomorrow, then.”

That night, you sat on your bed, wondering why your heart was racing while thinking about tomorrow. It had been so long since you and Poe sat down and talked. Meeting him tomorrow meant that you would have to eventually address all the things that were left unsaid, all the questions that were left unanswered, and all the things that had happened after going your separate ways. You doubt that the two of you could start over, given your different career paths, but maybe you could at least be on speaking terms.

#WritersMonth2020 #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron #brief armitage hux x reader #past Finn x Reader #background Finn x Rey #star wars imagine #star wars sequel trilogy #High school reunion au #high school au #brief mention of Ben Solo x Reader

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hotchxprentiss · 4 years ago

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Maybe Baby: Chapter Three

Ao3 Link

Series Masterlist

Summary: How Emily dealt with her pregnancy.

Word Count: 2.2k

Chapter Warnings: angst, fluff, pregnancy stuff, mention of abortion

A/N: This is more of a filler chapter on Emily’s pregnancy. The next one will follow what happened in Chapter Two.

1995

“Emily! How have you been?”

“I’ve been good, Pam. Just feeling a little nauseous.”

Emily met up with her old high school friend, Pam, at a brunch spot in D.C.

“Oh gosh I’m so sorry. Do you wanna just wanna hang out at your place? I don’t want you to get sick out here,” asked a concerned Pam.

Emily could feel her stomach turning and nodded at her friend’s question. The pair made their way to Emily’s apartment and ordered takeout. The two of them talked about college, their family, and most importantly, their love life.

“So, is there a special man in your life? Perhaps a woman?”

“Wait what do you mean Aar- Agent Hotchner left? He was just here two weeks ago?”

Emily stared at her mother, waiting for an answer.

“He gave me his resignation letter last week. Turns out the FBI didn’t need an interview and hired him right away. Why are you asking anyway?”

“Oh nothing I’m just wondering where he went that’s all. He suddenly just disappeared.”

“He seemed quite excited to leave. I mean I don’t blame the man, it’s the FBI. Although, I am quite upset that we lost a great agent. Hopefully all goes well with his career.”

“Yeah, me too. I’ll just go upstairs now.”

Emily rushed to her room and clutched her pillow once she laid on her bed. Tears were streaming slowly down her face. As it turns out, Emily grew extremely fond of Aaron after the day they spent with each other. She appreciated his kindness and how gentle he was with her. Unfortunately they never really got to talk or spend more time together. Now he was gone and she had no way of communicating with him. Maybe it was for the best.

The raven haired woman chuckled at Pam and shook her head.

“No one as of now, unfortunately. Gotta focus on my studies first,” she replied, not wanting to mention Aaron.

“Same here, boo. College is just too much right now.”

The two of them continued their chatter until a doorbell signaled the arrival of their food. Once they paid and set up the dining table, Emily’s mouth watered at the sight of the orange chicken, which was typically not her favorite of the bunch. However, the smell of beef and broccoli caused her to gag and rush off straight to the bathroom. The contents of her stomach filled the toilet and Pam rushed to the bathroom to pull her hair back.

“Thanks, Pam.”

“It’s no problem. You sure you’re okay? Are you sick or something?”

“Probably just caught a bug. There was one roaming around my hallway at Georgetown. You should probably leave before you catch it.”

“Are you sure, Em? I can stay here to make sure you’re okay.”

“It’s alright, Pam, really. Besides, your brother’s wedding is in a few days. I would hate to see you miss out on that.”

Pam thought about it for a while and hesitantly nodded at her friend’s statement.

“Just make sure to call me if you need anything, and I mean anything at all, okay. I love you, girlfriend,” Pam smiled and blew a kiss.

Emily blew one back and locked her apartment door. She went to her bed and decided to sleep the rest of the day.

“Oh fuck.”

Emily woke up to a pounding headache and immediately reached for the water bottle on her night stand. I didn’t even drink yesterday. Soon enough, she felt bile rising from her throat and rushed to the toilet. Emily wiped her mouth and began thinking. No one else reacted to the bug like this. I hate my immune system. She went back to sit on her bed and that’s when realization hit her.

“Shit.”

Emily headed over to the nearest pharmacy and picked up three different pregnancy tests. She needed to be sure her instincts were correct, or hopefully wrong. She quickly paid for her things and went back to her apartment to finally get an answer to her question.

The tests were all laid out on the bathroom counter and she set a timer for three minutes. Please, be negative. Please, be negative. Please, be negative. The timer went off and Emily took a deep breath before she took a look at the tests. All of them were positive. Her knees gave out and she began sobbing on the floor.

Emily knew right away that Aaron was the father. She hadn’t been with a man for months before their one night stand. There was no way she could tell him, with her still being angry at him and not having any clue on how to reach out. Emily was aware that she had no right to be upset with Aaron. It was a one night stand after all. But with the way he treated her, she thought he at least cared for her, too. He still left without telling you, she told herself.

She then thought about what happened to her at fifteen, when she got an abortion with the help of Matthew. The truth is, Emily has always wanted to be a mother, but she knew she couldn’t handle taking care of a child at that age.

Now, she was given a second chance. She was aware of the consequences of keeping it. She was still in college and wanted a career that could cause her to travel to various places, not to mention being in the FBI could put her and her child at risk. But those thoughts were pushed aside when Emily imagined herself carrying her own baby in her arms. She swore she would protect her child with her life.

At that moment, Emily’s decision was already made. She was going to finish college and pursue a career in the FBI, all while being a mother and not having the father in the picture.

3 Months Later

Emily was now five months pregnant with her baby. Once she informed her mother, they stopped talking for a while until Elizabeth finally gave in and wanted to be part of her grandchild’s life. In her mind it was her way of making it up to Emily after not being there for her when she was younger.

Emily graduated college and put her career on hold until she gave birth. She wanted to focus all her attention on the pregnancy so that she and her baby are healthy.

Pam eventually found out about her friend and even offered to drive Emily to every single doctor’s appointment and wherever else she needed to go. She even came along with Emily to help her find a bigger apartment since her current one was not suitable for a baby.

At one of her appointments, Emily’s gynecologist told her that the sex of her child could already be determined. She quickly informed the doctor that she wanted it to be a surprise and wait until their birth.

After the appointment, Emily headed over to her mother’s house for a quick lunch. Elizabeth and her daughter started spending more time together and she hoped that they could move on from the past and start anew. Emily was reluctant at the idea at first but eventually gave in because even with what happened before, she loved her mother and wanted her baby to grow up with their grandmother. She arrived at the house and was greeted by her mother at the door.

“Emily, dear, how was the appointment? Is my grandchild a boy or a girl?” Elizabeth asked while hugging her daughter.

“Hi, mom. And yea it went well. I decided to wait until I gave birth to find out the sex.”

Elizabeth frowned at her statement but then remembered it was Emily’s pregnancy, not hers, and that she was the one to make all the decisions. She then changed her frown to a smile and hugged her daughter once again.

“I’m extremely proud of you, you know. And I’m sorry for not saying it enough. You are an incredible daughter and I’ll be sure to remind my grandchild how amazing her mother is. I love you, sweet pea.”

Emily tried to control her tears but due to her hormones, she started sobbing into her mother’s shoulders. ‘Sweet pea’ was what Elizabeth called her when she was younger.

“I love you too, mom. God, I’m sorry for the tears,” Emily laughed.

Elizabeth gave Emily a kiss on the forehead and led her inside.

After lunch was over, Emily drove back to her place and received a call once she got settled on her couch.

“Hello, is this Emily Prentiss?”

“Yes, this is her.”

“Congratulations, Miss Prentiss. I just called to inform you that you got the apartment on Greene Street. Are you still up for it?”

“Oh my god, yes of course! Thank you so much!”

“I’m glad to hear it. Would you be able to stop by tomorrow at noon and fill out some paperwork?”

“Tomorrow is perfect. And thank you once again.”

“It’s no problem at all. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Have a nice day.”

“You, too.”

Emily did a little happy dance on her couch, keeping in mind her small bump.

“Well, my little one, it looks like we got a place now. It’s just gonna be the two of us for a while. Mommy loves you so much and she’ll do whatever she can to make sure you remember that.”

At the end of her small speech, the exhaustion caught up on the soon to be mother and she fell asleep.

4 months later

Emily was now close to her due date and ready to pop. With the help of her mother and Pam, she was already moved into her new apartment. Pam and her went baby shopping a few times, buying a crib, clothes, diapers, a stroller, and little toys. Even though there was another room dedicated to the baby, Emily decided to have the crib be placed in her room to keep them closer to her. Everything was all set up, the only thing missing was the baby.

Emily was walking over to the kitchen when she felt something wet dripping down her legs. She looked down and realized her water broke. She immediately called Pam while grabbing her go bag.

“Hey, Pam, my water just broke. Can you please drive me to the hospital? I’m starting to cramp and I don’t think I can make it to my car.”

“Shit, okay, Em, I’m close to your apartment. Just give me a few minutes. Baby Prentiss is about to make their appearance!”

Emily smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm and hung up after saying goodbye.

“Ow, fuck,” she cried.

Emily came to the conclusion that her painful cramps were actually contractions. As the last one was over, Pam used her keys to unlock the door and helped Emily out to her car.

“Are you ready for this, Em?” Pam asked as the two of them were buckled in.

“At this point, I’m ready for everything. Let’s have this baby.”

“Mom, it hurts so much,”

“Shh shh, I know sweet pea. Your baby is almost here.”

Emily called her mother in the car and never in Elizabeth’s life did she move so quickly. She met Emily at the hospital and checked her into one of the rooms. She and Pam stayed inside to comfort her.

“She’s right, Em. That just means Baby Prentiss is gonna make their appearance soon,” Pam said while holding her hand.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and the doctor came in.

She went over to examine Emily again to see if she was ready to give birth.

“Miss Prentiss, it looks like you’re about ten centimeters dilated. I’ll go ahead and call in the nurses to set up.”

Once the doctor left, Emily started panicking.

“Oh god no, I’m not ready. What if I’m a bad mother? What if my child hates me?”

Elizabeth stroked her daughter’s hair and said, “Emily, dear, listen to me. You will never be a bad mother. I saw how you were during this pregnancy. Your child will be extremely lucky to have you as their mother. I know you’re going to love them unconditionally.”

Emily teared up at her mother’s statement and squeezed her hand.

“Thanks, mom.”

The doctor returned with a few nurses and everything was set up right away.

“Alright, Emily, when I tell you to push, I want you to push as hard as you can, okay?”

Emily nodded at her words and prepared herself for one of the most painful experiences of her life.

“Push!”

Emily pushed with all her strength and laid her head back on the hospital bed.

“I’m gonna need you to push again, hun. Just one more after this and you’ll finally meet your little one. Push!”

She pushed again, indescribable pain on the lower half of her body.

“One more, Emily, you can do it. Push!”

Emily pushed to the best of her ability and felt relief at the sound of cries that filled the room.

“Congratulations, it’s a girl.”

She smiled at the announcement and watched her mother cut off the baby’s umbilical cord. The nurses quickly cleaned her up and wrapped her in a pink blanket. The baby was laid on Emily’s chest and the new mother placed a soft kiss on her daughter’s head.

“Do we have a name?” one of the nurses asked.

Emily thought about names for a few months. She settled on one for a boy and another for a girl. Now that her daughter was here she could finally use the name she came up with

“Her name is Charlotte Natalia Prentiss.”

#hotchniss #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #hotch x prentiss #Criminal Minds #Criminal Minds Fanfiction

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imamajesticseahorse · 4 years ago

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Let's discuss, shall we? What is the game plan for Sasha and Bayley? I was very surprised that they had Sasha challenge for the title next week. I agree with others who say it is suspicious (and depending on what they do kind of disappointing) that they would do this on just some episode of smackdown. Yes it's the draft, but like.....also who cares? If it was last year when they premiered on Fox I would get it, that was a bigger deal. But draft or no draft, it is still just an episode of SD.

I wish I remembered who said it because I would tag them and credit them, but someone had said there is a possibility that they will delay it by having Bayley get Sasha traded to Raw to avoid the match. I think that's a great idea. It has its risks, which I'll get into, but it has its perks. First off, it prolongs the feud in a way that prevents it from getting stale or overdone. WWE struggles BADLY with long term storytelling. Yes, some of the blame lies with impatient fans (I'm guilty, I'll admit it) but WWE thinks that just throwing two people in a feud and having them wrestle each other every PPV for a year is long term storytelling. It can be, if there is any sort of character progression, but we know that doesn't happen often. Let's use the Sasha/Charlotte feud as an example. The back and forth was okay in the sense that it was a feud that people were really into and it put Sasha and Charlotte in the main stage. But in terms of storytelling, it did diddly squat for either of them. We thought we would get a heel Sasha or at the least a revamped Sasha and we didn't. Charlotte just picked up wins for the sake of picking up wins and moved into a feud with Bayley that weirdly felt like a throwaway feud (I'll dissect that another time). By splitting Sasha and Bayley you can stretch it out.

Which leads me to my next point; the benefit of separating the two for their own sakes. Together Bayley and Sasha were the obnoxious heels. They gloated, they rubbed their accolades in people's faces, they were a general nuisance. But we saw Bayley turn more slowly into the sadistic heel. We need to see that further developed. We need the brutal Bayley. But I don't necessarily think we need to see sadistic in the same vein as Randy Orton (which I really love his current heel run by the way), who is sadistic for the sake of being sadistic. It needs to kind of come from a place of desperation. Sasha was right, she was a large part of the reason why Bayley has held the title for so long. We need to see a Bayley who is desperate to prove Sasha wrong. On the flip side, we need to see a renewed and re-energized babyface Sasha. Not the Sasha of 2016 who was the mouthpiece for the women's evolution. We need her to be THAT bitch. Give her time on her own to build up some credibility, give her time to reconnect with the audience as a face. Yes, she has the audience's sympathy and support from the attacks from Bayley, but let's get her back to being really over with fans. Let's build her face turn on something more than just an attack from Bayley. Give her the chance to be confident and display the take shit from no one attitude. I know people think her gimmick is built to be a heel, but I strongly feel she could be a really good face without having to change much.

So now we get into the risks, with the possible benefits. Bayley has held that title a long damn time. Separating the two would obviously extend Bayley's reign and you run the risk of people growing tired of HER. The draft can save that somewhat by giving her new opponents. But at the same time, we would all also know that Bayley and Sasha are destined to clash and that each feud in between is merely fodder. The benefit to that is we would most likely be getting Sasha winning the Rumble and then having the opportunity to end the longest reigning SD women's champion's reign on the grandest stage of them all. It would be meaningful for so many reasons.

My one beef is that if you really look at it, it would truly be an amazing main event for WM. The years of storytelling and the taste of sweet victory for the woman who has spent the bulk of her main roster career making others look good, would be such poetic justice. Just think if they could build Sasha back up to the white hot status she had back in 2016 and make Bayley the absolutely despised heel? That would easily grab people's attention, especially because you know those two are going to tear the house down. But I doubt we will get it because everyone is predicting that they are setting up a feud for Roman and the Rock and oh my god, who the hell cares?

#wwe #wwe raw #sasha banks #wwe smackdown #sasha deserves better #bayley versus sasha #sasha vs bayley #bayley #bayley heel turn #wwe wrestlemania

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qandnoablog · 4 years ago

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Rescue (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Discovered

Pairing: There might not be a final pairing (since I follow along with the movies as accurately as I can) but I do gravitate towards Loki <3

Warnings: Based on the movie - Avengers: Infinity War

Part: 12, [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/L/N - Your Last Name

Word Count: 4,135

Summary: Reuniting with Bruce and Tony and filling them in on Thanos’ plans, [Y/N] must help her fellow Avengers protect the remaining infinity stones and maybe even patch things up with the time stone keeper, Doctor Strange.

Note From Author: I know I haven’t been keeping up with the updates and some of you may have lost interest in the story, but I’m determined to finish up my work! Any of you that have stuck by Discovered for this long, thank you for reading :) Stay safe everyone!

Part 12 - Rescue

“Oh, my God!”

[Y/N] threw her arms around Bruce as the tears she had just gotten to stop overflowed once more.

“This is where you were sent? Thank god!” She exclaimed, “I was so worried! Are you hurt?” [Y/N] recalled his earlier battle with Thanos and quickly pulled back, examining his face. He looked the same as he did all those years ago in Sakaar, making her feel choked up even more. “Thank god you’re alright! Thanos really gave you a beating!”

Bruce, who was still a bit shocked from seeing [Y/N] on Earth, finally snapped out of it after hearing her words.

“What? What did you say? Thanos?” He repeated, “How do you know that? How are you even here? What’s going on?”

[Y/N] was bombarded with questions, something she expected, but before she could answer someone behind her cleared his throat. Her earlier excitement swiftly died down as she recalled what exactly appeared before when she accidentally tackled into Bruce. The dull throbbing of her head made her feel slightly annoyed, clearly not over what had happened the last time she was forcibly portaled away, but she tried her best to not show the petty emotions in front of her friend.

Quickly getting up and helping Bruce get to his feet, she finally turned to the man she didn’t really want to see.

“Strange.”

“[Y/L/N].”

It was a brief greeting that left the others in the room feeling a bit awkward. They could see the subtle rage in [Y/N]’s eyes when she looked at Stephen, who in turn looked at her with indifference.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Bruce asked. The one standing beside Strange, someone [Y/N] was not familiar with, also looked a bit curious.

[Y/N] helplessly sighed, knowing how they were pressed for time, and decided to drop her earlier beef with this sorcerer. Instead, she started to explain to Bruce how she had ended up on Earth after falling into the wormhole on Sakaar and then stumbled into Loki after her unpleasant introduction to Strange. She decided to skip all the Avengers drama for the moment, since there currently wasn’t enough time to go over all of that. Then, she briefly summarized how Loki had forced her to watch the events that transpired on the ship. However, when she got to the end, she couldn’t finish and choked on the words. The tears that were shed for her happy reunion with Bruce were now falling due to grief. Everyone assumed it was because they all thought that Thor had met a similar end to his brother. Little did they know… She was actually feeling grief for the both of them.

“So that’s what happened,” Bruce replied as he gently patted her head.

When he looked a bit more closely at her, he could see that she really grew up. Not quite in height but… She seemed more mature. It seemed like it was only yesterday that she had been taken away from them through that mysterious wormhole. Not a minute went by that he wasn’t worried for her. Now, seeing her safe and well, his unsettled heart calmed down somewhat.

“But why did you bring me here?” [Y/N] wiped away the tears as she glanced at Doctor Strange coldly.

They weren’t really on the best of terms. She had only met him once and during that time he had kidnapped her off the streets of New York, questioned her, got the answer he wanted, and then threw her out like she was nothing. Honestly, she wanted to ignore him, or maybe punch him to release all the rage she felt for him, but the current situation wouldn’t allow it. Besides, she was still curious on why he would send her back here. He couldn’t possibly know about her friendship with Bruce, right? No one outside the Avengers knew that.

“I sensed magic working here and discovered that it was around you,” Strange explained. Though his attitude was indifferent, there was an apologetic flash in his eyes, as if he regretted how he had treated her that day. It wasn’t much, but it allowed the anger in her heart to cool down to some degree. “But after hearing your explanation, I assume that it was Loki at work.”

She nodded, knowing that Strange possessed some mysterious power, and then turned back to Bruce to hear a bit more about what he had gone through. While she interrogated him on what happened during Ragnarok, the doctor opened another portal and stepped outside. He seemed to be talking with someone, but [Y/N] still felt a bit irritated with him and decided to block out whatever he was doing.

Bruce was very patient with her and wisely chose not to press on any matters revolving around Strange and Loki. Though he was curious on why Loki had called her to witness such a thing, he could tell there were some touchy topics that he shouldn’t bring up and just talked about what he recalled during his time as the Hulk.

Then, he noticed someone beyond the portal that Strange had created and immediately stopped mid-sentence. [Y/N] also turned to see what he was looking at and her eyes widened. Before she could take a step, Bruce had already made his way to the portal and stepped out, walking from behind Strange and calling out to their friend.

“Hey Tony.”

“Bruce.”

[Y/N] could hear Tony’s shock in his voice and silently stayed behind. She wanted to also go forwards to see him, but she knew that they were in a very public area. To the common people, Bruce and Hulk were two entirely different entities. No one would bother him when talking with Tony. Plus, Hulk and Thor didn’t make an appearance during the time of the accords. They weren’t being hunted by the government, unlike her, so it was best if [Y/N] stayed behind for this one.

She didn’t have to wait long. Soon, after briefly talking with Bruce and Strange, Tony stepped through the portal and into the room she and Strange’s friend were standing in.

“[Y/N]?”

“Hi,” [Y/N] sheepishly smiled as she gave a small wave while Tony stood there surprised.

They had a lot of explaining to get through.

“Shit.”

[Y/N] looked up at the oncoming ship, her heart plummeting at what was to come. She expected that they would be coming, but for them to arrive so soon? It was beyond her expectations.

“[Y/N], go invisible,” Tony instructed as he raised his voice over the screams of the people and the sound of the wind. Without waiting for a reply, he continued, “F.R.I.D.A.Y. keep back anyone south of 43rd street, notify first responders.”

She followed orders as the air around her shifted and covered her completely. Her body vanished as she stuck close to Tony’s side. Though there were a lot of misunderstandings and falling out between friends in the past, she still considered him her friend and felt it very natural to listen to him.

Just when her invisibility was set, Strange did something behind her, causing ripples in the air and nearly knocking her off her balance. The air she manipulated twisted, resisting the magic as her hold on it solidified against his powers. She glared at the doctor, but he was oblivious to her anger as her energy calmed and hid her completely once more. When she looked at the surroundings again, the dust and wind had stopped hindering their sight. He must have done something to clear up the area, and though she knew the logic behind his actions, she still disliked siding with him and decided to ignore it.

As the group made their way towards the descending alien ship, a beam of light shot down. When it dispersed, two familiar aliens calmly stood on the concrete ground with a practiced air about them. It obviously wasn’t their first time arriving in such a manner.

“Hear me, and rejoice,” the skinny alien spoke, immediately making [Y/N]’s blood boil in anger.

She recognized that one. He was the one that could telekinetically manipulate the objects around him and ensnared Thor, even muffling him while they prattled on. That time, she couldn’t do anything, but this time was definitely going to be different.

“You are about to die at the hands of the children of Thanos. Be thankful that your meaningless lives are now contributing a balance-”

“I’m sorry, Earth is closed today,” Tony rudely interrupted, uncaring for this alien’s condescending jargon. “You better pack it up and get out of here.”

“Stone keeper,” the alien disregarded Tony’s words and looked to Strange, “does this chattering animal speak for you?”

Everyone understood this subtle gesture. He knew exactly where the infinity stones were and who held them. Though how he knew wasn’t revealed, it meant that the stones couldn’t be hidden from them.

“Certainly not. I speak for myself,” Strange replied as multiple rings of magic encircled his hands and lower arms, thrumming with an odd power. Wong, his friend, also did the same. “You are trespassing in this city and on this planet.”

“Please get lost, Squidward,” Tony taunted.

Though his words were meant to get a reaction out of the enemy, [Y/N] couldn’t help but mentally have an Aha! moment at his joke. It was as if a light bulb had turned on above her head as she silently exclaimed, “That’s what he reminds me of!”

“He exhausts me,” the skinny alien sighed as the bulkier one muttered things in a language she couldn’t identify, “Bring me the stone.”

The fight was about to start, the bigger alien slowly making his way over to the group, as Bruce tried desperately to call out the Hulk. His skin turned partially green and the veins on his neck bulged, but still the green guy did not appear. Everyone looked at one another, unsure of what was going on, but Bruce couldn’t provide any answers. The Hulk just would not come out.

“Keep an eye on him,” Tony instructed Wong, and though he couldn’t see her, he was also telling this to [Y/N]. She had the best capabilities for support. Watching out for Bruce was something she could easily handle.

Though slow at the beginning, a fight was still a fight.

Tony used his latest nano-technology to shift to his Iron Man gear and sent the bigger alien flying towards the smaller one, who then easily brushed off the oncoming body before it could collide into him. However, before Tony could gloat about his newest addition of his suit to Bruce, who was in utter shock from the suit’s firepower, the telekinetic alien made his move.

Can’t say I didn’t see that coming, [Y/N] quietly sighed to herself as she watched Iron Man being blown upwards. She already knew what the skinny alien could do, so this amount wasn’t too surprising for her. Besides, Tony could take care of himself.

“Doctor Banner,” Strange began as he turned to Bruce while leaving the defence to Wong, “if the rest of your green friend won't be joining us-” he didn’t need to finish as the portal opened up behind Bruce and was pushed through. However, Strange didn’t account for how close [Y/N] was and unknowingly sent her through too.

“You-!” She couldn’t finish her curse as she hit the grassy floor beside Bruce and was nearly flattened by the half-a-car that accidentally followed them through.

Her powers shot out, her solid body rippling, as it shielded the two of them before the vehicle could crash on top of them.

“God, I hate magic!” [Y/N] screamed just before the portal fully closed.

She was no longer invisible as she helped Bruce get to his feet. He was still a little disoriented because of the quick change of location, but just as they were calming down, Tony barreled into a tree not too far from them.

“Tony, you okay?” Bruce called as they both jogged to where Tony lay on the ground. “How we doin’? Good? Bad?”

“Really, really good. Really good,” he replied, though with a hint of sarcasm. “You plan on helping out?”

“I’m tryin’. He won’t come out.”

“Incoming!” [Y/N] yelled at the same time Tony shouted, “Hammer!” just as a weapon was hurled at the three of them.

[Y/N] encased Bruce and her in a barrier right before Tony tackled into the two of them to get them away from the projectile.

She was quick to get on her feet and saw Iron Man shoot out lasers towards the bulky alien, but the enemy’s shield was sturdier and reflected the two beams. It cut through everything around them and a tree dangerously fell towards where the two were standing.

“Watch out!” She cried out as she jumped onto Bruce to push him out of the way.

Luckily, the two were only hit with the weaker branches of the tree and could easily escape from under it.

“Come on, Hulk,” Bruce groaned as he crawled from under the leaves, “What are you doin’ to me? Come out!” He demanded as he slapped himself, “Come out!”

Suddenly, half of his face turned into the Hulk but rather than actually coming out for battle, he instead roared, “No!” angrily before reverting back to Bruce.

“What do you mean, ‘No’?!” Bruce questioned, but there was no response.

[Y/N] helplessly looked at the two bickering in the same body, unsure of what to do. She was friends with both of them but there was no way to understand why Hulk refused to join in on the fight. He was notorious for being fearless and impulsive. For him to so resolutely refuse, there must have been a reason.

That was when she heard a familiar voice.

“Hey man,” Peter called out, “What’s up, Mr. Stark?”

“Spider-Man!” [Y/N] gasped, both happy to see him and horrified that he was taking part in this dangerous fight. But considering the situation, they needed all the help that they could get.

While the battle progressed, a red figure zipped past all of them, racing off in one direction. She couldn’t quite get a good look, but Tony immediately knew who it was.

“Kid, that’s the wizard,” he said, as he shielded himself from the bulky alien’s blow. “Get on it.”

“On it!” Spider-Man nodded as he swiftly webbed himself towards Strange’s departing figure.

[Y/N] wasn’t slow to act either. Manipulating the air around her, she hid herself from sight as she propelled herself into the sky. Quickly pinpointing where the thin alien was, who wasn’t too far behind the escaping Strange, she knew she had to slow him down.

Before Peter could get close, the alien didn’t even look behind him as he sent a billboard ramming into the kid. She winced at the sight, but she couldn’t slow down to help as her target was getting further and further away.

The alien was by no means weak. He used his powers masterfully as all the street lamps around Strange curled up to catch him. The cloak couldn’t maneuver fast enough and was quickly ensnared. However, physics slows down for no man. Though the cloak was no longer able to move, Strange flew out from it and hurtled towards the concrete floor.

Without thinking, [Y/N] shot out her power just before the doctor hit the ground and was just about to turn him invisible too when she felt a pressure ensnare her whole body. Her legs buckled under the force and she collapsed, her face scraping against the rough concrete. Glancing up, gasping for air that was nearly squeezed out of her, she realized that the alien was looking around for her and knew he had caught her but was not sure where exactly she was. Instead of searching, he had decided to squish the area down under an invisible pressure to stop her in her tracks before she could get away with the stone keeper.

Losing her hold on the doctor, his brief moment of levitation above the floor faltered and soon he was back to falling.

“Gotcha!” Spider-Man exclaimed as his web caught Strange before he could hit the ground and swung him out.

A wave of air came flooding back into her lungs as Peter’s sudden appearance startled the alien and made him discard his previous attack on [Y/N]. With her invisibility still intact, she quickly got away from the targeted area before he could launch another wave of pressure onto her again.

[Y/N] took a couple more deep breaths before going after Spider-Man, but then she noticed the red cloak struggling under the ensnarement of the lamp post. Utilizing the alien’s distraction towards the escaping doctor, she quickly sent out her powers and untangled the cloak from the metal trap. The moment it was free, it didn’t go off towards Strange but instead pounced onto [Y/N]!

Startled by the sudden attack, not just because the cloak was supposed to be on her side but also due to the fact that she was still invisible, she wasn’t able to defend herself and was quickly sent up into the air. When she realized it wasn’t trying to hurt her, she calmed down somewhat but then her heart nearly stopped when she realized where it was taking her.

In that brief moment where she was helping the cloak, Strange was being beamed up by the alien ship. Spider-Man tried to stop him from going any further, grabbing onto a lamp post to anchor himself onto the Earth, but the pale alien swiftly dislodged the pole before it could hinder him any further.

“No, no!” [Y/N] pleaded as she struggled in the wrappings of the cloak.

Invisibility long forgotten, if anyone focused hard enough they would be able to see a figure tangled within a red cloak that followed after the unconscious sorcerer.

She was getting closer and closer to the ship and knew exactly what was coming. If this continued, she’d end up inside and be sent out of the Earth’s atmosphere to who-knows-where! There was a faint memory of the planet Thanos had instructed his “children” to gather in, but she couldn’t think about that right now! She just knew that she was about to leave Earth.

“Let go!” She begged, her heart going wild as the panic began to set in. Feeling trapped in the durable fabric did not help.

Her eyes were glued to the gradually increasing distance between her and the Earth. She trembled non-stop as her breathing became erratic. Her struggles became even more wild and her powers were sent everywhere. It lashed out at anything, hitting against the cloak and dispersing the clouds. Before she could do any more damage, however, something blocked her eyes.

She couldn’t see, though she could still feel herself going higher and higher up in the air. Just as she was about to have another fit of panic, the cloak around her loosened somewhat. It gently brushed her cheeks, wiping away the tears that rolled down her face and acted like someone was hugging her, reassuring her that she was fine.

At first, it didn’t help much.

Her senses were all over the place and could barely focus on anything. But as her surroundings got more quiet and her feet were on solid ground, the cloak around her insulating her heat and making her feel a bit warmer, she no longer trembled. Waiting just a bit more, her tears stopped and her breathing became more stable. Finally, when her heart was no longer palpitating erratically, the fabric in front of her eyes slowly let her go.

[Y/N] readied her nerves and opened her eyes. She knew that she was now on the alien ship with no way to return back to Earth. Tony and Peter were nowhere in sight but she was technically not alone.

“You know, you’re not a very nice cloak,” [Y/N] grumbled, her voice somewhat raspy from her earlier moment of hyperventilating, as she sent a sharp glare at the piece of clothing levitating in front of her. It almost appeared to shrug its non-existent shoulders, as if indicating that it had no other choice. She defeatedly shook her head. “Geez. You’re just like your owner!”

Though a bit of her was still rattled by the thought of leaving Earth again, she wasn’t as afraid. This time, she knew where she was going and knew that her friends were informed of where Thanos was meeting. They may not know where exactly the planet Titan was, but they wouldn’t give up on her.

“There he is,” [Y/N] whispered under the veil of her invisibility.

Since she was teaming up with the cloak, she decided it was best the two stay hidden for now. They weren’t strong enough to take on the alien alone. He was powerful. She might have similar powers as him, but he had a whole other level of experience and control. To him, she was an ant. Something he could easily crush beneath his feet. She had to be careful.

“Give me the stone,” the alien demanded in a threateningly low voice.

It was barely a whisper, but [Y/N] could hear him quite clearly in the silent room. Strange, under the torturous stabbing of the odd needles, gritted through the pain. He didn’t yell or scream under this torment and continued to bear through it. Though her initial opinion of him was poor, [Y/N] couldn’t help but admire him in this situation. He was being tortured but still did not crumble. Who wouldn’t be amazed by such will power?

Suddenly, the cloak pulled her away from the scene. It floated around, silent and fast, as it made its way to a different corner of the room. She was baffled by its abrupt changes, but knew to wisely keep her mouth shut. It was an entity she didn’t understand. It was better to see what it wanted than fight against it.

Then, a familiar sight came into view.

The cloak quickly let her go and drifted off towards the man. It left her small bubble of invisibility, now fully visible but concealed in the darkness, and gently tapped Tony’s shoulder. It wasn’t surprising to see him react defensively, him swiftly raising his arm with the machine humming with power.

“Stop!” [Y/N] called out, careful to adjust her volume accordingly. Her figure came into view as her grasp on her powers were released, the air around her shifting to allow her to be seen.

Tony’s face was full of shock, but before he could get mad at [Y/N] stowing away on the ship without him knowing, she quickly spoke up.

“I swear! This was not my intention,” she explained, “This guy abducted me, leading to this situation.”

He turned his attention back to the cloak, a look of defeat written on his face.

“Wow, you’re a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren’t you?”

“You’re telling me.” [Y/N] nodded as she recalled how both Strange and his cloak had kidnapped her in some way.

“Yeah, uh,” another familiar voice started, surprising all of them, “speaking of loyalty…”

When Peter jumped down, his mask smoothly came off in the same nano-tech fashion as Tony’s suit. That was when [Y/N] realized that he was wearing a different outfit. It looked a bit more metallic, however the design was still true to his initial logo.

“What the-” Tony began, but Peter quickly interrupted him.

“I know what you’re gonna say.”

The two went back and forth for a bit, Peter trying to get as much out before Tony could speak over him, but neither backed down.

“And I kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way,” Peter said in his defense but his tone immediately alerted [Y/N] on what was coming.

She had known him for quite some time now and could see the signs of him rambling. Whenever he did that, he was bound to let something he would regret slip.

Oh, no. [Y/N] frantically signalled Peter to stop talking, pursing her lips as she waved to him and motioned her arms into an “X” formation. Stop! You’re digging your own grave!

Sadly, the kid didn’t get the message.

“So if anything, it’s kinda your fault that I’m here.”

Both Tony and the cloak turned to face him, while [Y/N] hung her head and rested it against her hand.

Crap. Good luck, Peter!

[PART 13]

Tags: @themeanestlittlewitch @stressedandbandobessed7771 @moistpotatobear @fxckingfat @e7here4l

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queenofcandynsoda · 4 years ago

Text

Love Crow

(Powhatan and Wendigo belong to @opotakuism)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY~! ❤️❤️❤️

———

The late afternoon sun is shining onto the territory of the Shandian fleet. Most of the inhabitants are currently sailing with the other fleets. The remaining inhabitants are young children, preteen girls, and several warriors that are there to defeat the village. That is the same with the other territories of the other races.

Among the Shandian territory, there are treehouses connected with bridges. However, there is one treehouse that is different from the others. While the other treehouses appeared to be standard with Shandian symbols and built, this treehouse resembles more like a crow’s nest as the tree itself is hollowed out. Outside of the door, there is a balcony. Wind chimes, hanging baskets, and a suncatcher are seen around the balcony.

The door opens to reveal a pale, pre-teenage girl with long wavy black hair and her eyes closed. She wears a short black dress with long sleeves and black feathers attached as her sandals are black with black feather anklets. She opens her eyes to reveal that they do not have any pupils. She climbs out of the balcony and stretches out her arms. She jumps down. Suddenly, her arms curved into crow wings, acting like a parachute to land down gently. This is the half-beast form of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Ancient Model; Rainbow Crow.

She walks out of the Shandian territory and to the large kitchen. Though only used for large banquets and festivals, some of the Lost Girls use this for several reasons. Such as experimenting with new recipes, needing more space, or single-handedly making a large number of snacks. There is a teenage girl there, along with a young toddler boy.

The girl has auburn hair and light park eyes. She wears a dark blue jumper dress with white fur around the skirt portion and brown boots. Her apron is blue and pink. She is holding a rolling pin, meant for the cookies she’s making for the upcoming Thimbles Day. The boy who is on the play rug right next to her is a young Shandian toddler, who is a blue-gray onesie made of wool. He is holding cookie cutters for the girl.

“Hello, Amada-san…~” The older girl looks back to see Dark Rainbow. “Hello, Dark Rainbow-san…~” Amada smiled back. “Hi~!” The young boy bubbled to Dark Rainbow. “Hey there, Sweet Dream~” She responded with a smile. “Dark Rainbow, have you got anything for Wendigo yet~?” Amada asked Dark Rainbow, causing the younger girl to sigh in frustration. She responded with “No… I still do not know what to give him. I had been thinking of a gift for weeks. I know how much he prefers meat over sweets.”

“ I suggest you get some gourmet meat~ I know that Dressrosa has high-quality salami~ Maybe Wano for their wagyu beef~” Amada suggested as she holds Sweet Dreams up to push in the heart and thimble-shaped cookies cutters. Dark Rainbow sighed, “Maybe…”

Then the two girls and the toddler boy heard the sound of a conch shell. “They’re back~!” Dark Rainbow crowed. She then flies out of the kitchen as Amada picks up Sweet Dream.

***********

The ships docked onto the harbor on their respective territories. Most of the Shandian inhabitants greeted the fleet and assisted them with carrying supplies and treasure. “Papa~!” Sweet Dream gushed when he saw his adoptive father, who has long straight hair with both sides of his head shaved a bit. He has a tattoo of red claws on his chest. His clothes consist of a fur coat around his shoulders, long dark brown pants, and well built leather boots. Amada smiles to see the teenage Shandian boy. “Hello, Powhatan…~” She greeted her beau. “Hello, Amada…~” He responded before kissing her.

“Where’s Wendigo? Is he supposed to be with you?” Dark Rainbow came up and asked him. The older boy’s smile flew as he sighs, earning concern from the girl. “Dark Rainbow… He’s injured right now…” Powhatan told her. Dark Rainbow is shocked to hear that. Wendigo being injured never happened before. While she always knows that Wendigo can be reckless sometimes but he knows how to be careful.

She sees her beloved, a Shandian preteen boy who has torn wings and a pair of antlers, on a stretcher with bandages around his chest and arms. He is completely unconscious with a bruise on his face. His left nostril has a tissue inside to prevent further bleeding.

“Who attacked him?! Who shot him?! Tell me!” She demanded to know. “It was the Raspberry Pirates... They attacked us as we were heading back to the island…” Dark Rainbow heard from the Shandian doctor who is treating him. “I will have to take him to the medic tree for a while…” He continued before leaving with Wendigo on the stretcher.

“They were quite a challenge... Fortunately, we have no casualties and there are no lethal injuries… However, Wendigo is badly wounded… It will take days for him to recover…” Powhatan explained. Dark Rainbow fumes up internally. She is feeling anger towards the Raspberry Pirates on how they brutally injured her Wendigo. She then walks back to the Shandian territory, causing Amada to ask her, “What are you going to do…?”

“I need to go hunting tonight…~”

********

Somewhere in the New World, a pirate ship is speeding through the ocean. Its jolly roger has the typical skull and crossbones but it also has raspberries around it and one big raspberry behind it. It is the Raspberry Pirates, the pirate crew that fought the Lost Boys Pirates, most particular the Shandian Fleet, in order to loot them. They were unsuccessful but did manage to injure several of them severely.

The captain of the Raspberry Pirates is on the quarterdeck, looking back to the ocean in order to make sure that they aren’t followed. He shouts at his crew, “Make sure that none of those brats are following us!”

“Yes, captain!” His crew responded to him. The captain walks down the deck as he thinks about his crew’s attack on the Lost Boy Pirates. ‘Glad we escape those savage brats... If it’s true, hurting one of them would show that we’re a bigger threat…’ He wondered in his thoughts. One of the pirates is steering the ship’s helm and sees something flying in the sky, earning his confusion. “What’s that...?” Another one puzzled as to the other one checks by his binoculars to see it clearly.

The captain notices that several crew members are looking at the sky, which frustrates him. “What are you doing standing around?!” He chastised them. The pirate with binoculars only responded with, “Uhh... captain...?” This caused the irate captain to comes down. “What is it?!” He angrily inquired. The pirate with binoculars articulated in fear. “There's a HARPY coming toward us!!!” The captain is shocked about this. “A harpy?!” He took the binoculars and look through them. Then he could see the girl with harpy features flying towards the ship. It is Dark Rainbow in her full beast form and she appears to be livid.

The captain paled as he drops the binoculars. “Oh god! Get the guns ready!” He barked at his crew. They followed his command and held up their guns. The captain commanded them to fire at the “harpy”, which they did. However, Dark Rainbow easily dodged the bullets with her gliding skills. Then, she grabbed one of them by the shoulders and smiled at him before dropping him to the ocean.

Dark Rainbow flew back to the ship, revealing her talons to the crew. The captain shouted, “Keep firing!”. Suddenly, Dark Rainbow clawed one of the pirates' face, causing them to bleed violently. The pirate screamed in pain as she grabs his neck and flew up. The captain panics when the Lost Girl throws the pirate into the crew.

She turns her attention to the captain and flies towards him. The Raspberry Captain is about to aim his flintlock at her but Dark Rainbow clawed his hand, causing him to drop it. Then she bites his neck and the captain coughs up blood. “Captain!” His crew shouted in horror. Dark Rainbow flies up and bites harder, weakening his neck. She sadistically smiles at him, “Shouldn’t have hurt my hubby...~” This shocked and confused the captain, before realizing what she meant.

Dark Rainbow then finally snapped his neck with immense force. The captain’s last breath hitched before snapped dead. His crew watched in terror as she cackled and carried the body away.

*********

The early morning sun is shining onto Wendigo’s bed. He whined as he tried to get up. He looks around to look for Dark Rainbow but she is nowhere to be found. “Good morning…~” He turns to see Thad-Butt, a LongLeg doctor who is treating him.

“Ah... good morning…” Wendigo hissed by the injury. ”Take it easy... You still need to recover from yesterday…” Thad-Butt cautioned. Wendigo sighs as he rests back down on the cot. “Also, Happy Thimbles Day...~” Thad Butt hummed. This caused Wendigo to remember the gift he got for her. “Dark Rainbow must be dying to see you right now...~” Thad-Butt said as he walked out to get more healing dust.

Wendigo then starts to question where Dark Rainbow is before hearing her from a distance. She flies in before transforming back into a human and is holding a basket* “Good morning, Wendigo~” She smiled sweetly. “Dark Rainbow....~!” Wendigo beamed.

The girl walked towards him. “How are you feeling...~?” The boy with antlers responded with “A little better...~”. Dark Rainbow suspected that he must be hungry. Wendigo’s stomach grumbling confirmed her suspicions. “Good thing that I’m here with meat pies...~” She said.

“Meat pies..~?!” This caused Wendigo to be excited. He loves Dark Rainbow’s meat pies as they are his favorites. She shows him several heart-shaped meat pies. The crust looks like it is made with choux pastry. It doesn’t look under or overstuffed. It has the perfect amount in the pie. Then she whispers to his ear. “The special ingredient is the Raspberry Pirates Captain...~” He got even more excited.

“I also go you this~” Wendigo gives her a wooden box that has a crow carved on it. Dark Rainbow, curiously, opens the box. It is a pair of opal earrings, looted from a Kau merchant ship. Dark Rainbow’s pupilless eyes shined in gratitude and happiness. She kissed him as he kissed back. Wendigo whined a bit in pain but the love from her overwhelmed it.

“Happy Thimbles Day, Wendigo~” She smiled at him. “Thank you, Dark Rainbow~” He responded.

#wendigo #dark rainbow #charlotte cay-cay #Lost Boys Pirates #one piece #one piece au #one piece fanfiction #one piece descendants #descendants au #valentine's day #happy valentines day #thimbles day

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