#but Crystal is the one who walks in and gets everyone to sort their shit out

[misspermitted]

I really love Charles and Crystal together. Like two people figuring out they’re not evil together. Both were in a group of bullies and made the conscious choice to be a better person. One has forgotten their family, the other wishes they could forget their family, both realising that they’re history isn’t what defines them. Both had their autonomy stolen from them by one specific asshole. The mutual understanding these two had from the get go. Charles forgiving himself through Crystal. Crystal seeing through Charles’ comedic relief facade and encouraging him to process his anger. Crystal learning to care about people through Charles. They’re so healthy for each other 💜

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi there!

If you still take stardew valley requests please write hurt/comfort with Shane and (gn) reader about Shane getting progressively more worried about the farmer each time they go mining because of all the injuries they get there to the point where one day he snaps and breaks down in front of the farmer. It would be nice if you could show shane slowly loosing his mind each day but that would probably make the fic longer so no pressure. just pls make sure theres comfort after the hurt, bad endings make me sad :(

Thank you in advance, and even if you choose not to write this i hope you still have a lovely day.

I'm always down for Shane angst <3

In my main file I fear he's like this bc I'm constantly coming back from the dangerous mines/skull caverns on like 1 hp at 1:50 am

......

(Spring, Year 1)

"Hi, Shane!"

"God, what do you want now?"

"Nothing. I'm off to the mines." You grinned at the rugged man in front of you, holding up your pickaxe. "I'm shooting for level 120 this time, and hopefully I can pick up more gems along the way."

Shane raised a brow. "...and I care because?"

"You don't have to. Just thought I'd let you know."

'What? Like you think I'll go looking for you if you pass out? Forget it. Whatever happens is your own damn fault."

"I know the risks, but thank you." You politely answered, ignoring his blunt rudeness before checking the monster slayer guide. "The Adventurer's Guild wants me to slay a ton of bats...only 200 more to go."

""Adventurer's Guild?" Sounds stupid and childish." He grumbled, taking a swig of joja cola in his grasp. He was already running late to work, and he didn't want to get yelled at by Morris.

And he certainly didn't want you, the new farmer who made it their mission to annoy the shit out of him everyday, being the reason.

"Well it's neither of those things. It's actually thrilling." You chuckled, before digging an emerald out of your pocket. "I meant to sell this yesterday, but you can have it."

"...the hell? What am I supposed to do with this?" His brows furrowed at the green mineral you shoved into his hand.

"Keep it..for good luck, I guess?" You shrugged. "You can put it in your pocket and forget about it if you want. I just wanted to give you something nice. Plus, not to be weird, but...it kinda reminded me of your eye color."

Normally, any other villager would've been thrilled that you wanted to befriend them with gifts that reminded you of them.....

Yet Shane just stared at you as though you've confessed to stalking him.

"If you wanna give me something that's actually "nice", buy me a beer at the saloon next time." He sneered, brushing past you and continuing towards JojaMart, while you headed north of town, already knowing what you're gonna do tonight.

When you looked over your shoulder, you could see him pocket the emerald rather than throw it away despite him passing by several trash cans.

And you smiled.

.

.

.

.

.

.

(Present Day)

"Awh, you still held onto that emerald even after all this time?"

"Yeah, so what? It was the first gift anyone's really given me.." Shane confessed, heat rising to his cheeks as he held the mineral between his fingers. "I never believed in all that crap about crystals and "energy" that Emily talks about. But..I just like keeping this one around. It's like...erm..."

"A testament to the start of our friendship and eventual marriage?" You cheekily grinned as you polished your weapon, before looking to your husband.

He nodded. "Exactly what I was gonna say."

"I know you so well." Chuckling, you walked over to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm gonna head to the mines, okay? Welwick says the spirits will shower everyone in good luck. I wanna see if the fabled prismatic shards really do exist."

Almost immediately, Shane froze..and he found himself wanting to desperately say "no" and convince you to stay on the farmhouse.

But he didn't know why.

From the moment he met you, he knew you sought adventure and profits in the mines, fighting all sorts of monsters for the Adventurer's Guild. He's seen skeletons, mummies, and golems caged up at Spirits' Eve festivals, but never the wild ones below the surface who attacked you relentlessly.

Yet you never let the constant dangers deter you from exploring.

Mining was exhausting work, yet rewarding every time you cracked a stone open to find a diamond or discovered a treasure chest. With the materials you've gathered, you were able to craft some rings to wear, enchanted with powers to help make your excursions easier and safer.

Despite being well-prepared, though, Shane did have his concerns...especially as once you came home after clashing with skeletons, a scar on your head from a flying femur bone that still hasn't fully healed.

You only went to Harvey to get it checked out after your husband--who was your boyfriend at the time--insisted on it.

Even before that, he'd see you around town, bearing a new bug bite, scratch, burn, bruise, or bandaid on your body.

It never worried him before, but after that skeleton incident, he finally understood that those monsters were real and you were seriously getting yourself hurt.

He'd go to the mines with you if not for his fears that he'll only make things worse. There's a good chance he'll slow you down and find himself getting swarmed by slimes, bats, bugs, and whatever the hell else was there....and he wasn't exactly the most fit to swing a sword or pickaxe.

Simple walks made him tired.

What good would he do?

"Shane? What's wrong?"

Blinking, he snapped out his thoughts and saw your concerned face. "Nothing, sweetheart." He dismissed, giving you a little smile. "Just be careful out there, alright? I'll take care of things here."

"Thank you, baby." Smiling back, you gave him a kiss before heading out the door with your backpack and tools. "Off to the bottom of the mines I go!"

Shane tensed.

"Wait-"

As quickly as the door opened, it slammed shut, and he was left by himself in the cabin.

It was an uncomfortable silence.

'Maybe I should've tagged along.....buh, what am I saying? They'll be fine. They do this all the time. Stop getting so worked up, idiot..' Clearing his mind yet again, he went off to check things around the farm for you, deciding to watch TV later on.

There was gonna be another Tunneler's game tonight, so at least he had that to look forward to.

Nothing like that, some good food in the fridge, and this cozy cabin he got to call home...

And it was all because of you.

If you could build everything here and still having the energy to go mining and fight monsters, why should he worry?

.

.

.

.

.

1:20 AM

After a productive day, Shane managed to fall asleep early for once.

Only be woken up by the creak of the bedroom door.

Light almost immediately flooded his vision, stirring him from his slumber as he grumbled and tried to shield his eyes, wondering what time it was.

"Fuck..morning already-?"

"No, honey..it's...just me. Sorry.."

He blinked, sitting up to see that it was only you coming into the room, removing your rings. One of them served as your light source, yet it didn't hide the numerous scratched and bruises that littered your skin.

And they were all fresh.

"Babe, wha...are you okay?" Shane was now fully awake, watching as you peeled off your jacket and trousers, tossing them into the corner of the room before dragging yourself into bed.

Only then could he see your injuries up close and personal, and his heart began racing. "What happened? You look like hell."

"I'm fine, Shane. I just..need to sleep it off.."

"B-But...there's blood everywhere.." He mumbled, his eyes going to the clothes in the corner. "I can call Harvey-"

"No..don't. I already patched myself up. I'll be fine in the morning..I just wanna be here with you." Smiling weakly, you kissed him, before putting the prismatic shard into his hand. "Look. It exists...haha...it's so pretty, right? It's yours."

He didn't know what to say, staring dumbfounded at the mineral.

What hell did you go through to get this?

And as much as he loved it..why get it for him?

Why risk your life?

But when he looked back to question you further, you were already passed out beside him, looking peaceful despite the wounds on your body.

Eventually, he slid the prismatic shard under his pillow and laid back down, only to hesitate in wrapping his arm around you.

All he could do was gaze at your exhausted face..and the dried blood under your nose.

Least to say, he had trouble falling back to sleep.

..........

Ever since that night, Shane's grown increasingly worried over your safety during your mining trips. And it began to affect his usual routine around the farm.

In fact, calling it "worry" at this point would be a heavy understatement..

It became straight-up paranoia.

Whether you headed off to the mines or Skull Caverns early because of an "extra lucky day" or simply because you needed a specific resource, you'd always come back home the same way:

At later hours, with more injuries and bandages than last time, constantly on the verge of passing out and barely able to hold a conversation with him.

Of course, you'd have breakfast with him, and you'd never leave the farmhouse without giving him a kiss...but it did nothing to ease his mind, as he'd constantly see your wounds and dread whatever horror stories you were about to tell him.

Even though you're perfectly nonchalant as you talk about a serpent who tried wrapping itself around you and squeeze every last breath out of your body, it made Shane feel utterly sick to his stomach.

How could you be so calm after so many brushes with death?

He didn't understand.

On the surface, he seemed fine with you leaving. But when you did, he'd find himself turning to beer to calm his nerves..although most days he was able to resist the urge and occupy himself with farming tasks or video games.

Despite this, he hasn't outright told you anything. He knew mining was your passion and thought you'd chastise him for "worrying over nothing".

So he kept it to himself, thinking his anxiety was being stupid.

Then the final straw came the evening when he got a call from Harvey's clinic around 5PM.

One that he hoped to never hear:

You passed out, and were currently being treated for serious injuries.

He bolted out the cabin, all the way to the town square and damn near broke the door down. There, Harvey, Linus, and Marlon were at your bedside, the latter two having brought you in after seeing you fall unconscious in from of the elevator, covered in blood and shrapnel.

Fortunately, you were expected to make a full recovery with just stitches and some IV fluids to rehydrate your body...but you still owed Shane one hell of an explanation.

This time around, you landed in an "infested" area of the 100s, trying to use a bomb to kill off most of the monsters.

Only to trip over a stupid lava crab and drop the bomb after you just ignited it, damn near losing your leg trying to kick it away from you in time.

And by the grace of Yoba, you were able to limp your way back to the ladder, return to floor zero, where Linus so-happened to be passing by the mine entrance.

You gave the poor old man quite a fright, as he didn't know how much blood on you was from the monsters...or you.

In the end, the bomb left shrapnel in your flesh, searing your clothing and requiring stitches to ensure you didn't bleed out. You appreciated Harvey for his quick work and for Linus and Marlon for taking you to him.

However nobody in that clinic was more terrified over your condition than Shane, who was in disbelief that you were able to stand and walk back home with him after getting discharged.

He wouldn't talk to you, although his hands shook as he helped you into bed, still sleeping beside you like he did every night before this.

But this time...he had the worst nightmare possible.

He was down in the mines with you, except he felt stuck and couldn't do anything to warn you or save you from the impending danger.

It was like he was spectating a game, instead forced to watch as the bats and monsters made of shadows descended upon you with their teeth bared and claws out, tearing into your body. You had yelled for him to save you, to stop being useless, damning him for not stopping you from leaving...yet their horrible noises drowned out any further shouts.

Then you were gone.

You were gone and he failed you.

And it was all his fault.

It made him joltbwide awake at 3 AM, and he felt like his heart was about to burst from his chest. His mind kept going to you, constantly checking to make sure you're still breathing, unable to fall back to sleep for a while.

When he did, he was in tears.

..........

"No."

"Shane, I know last night was bad. But I'm not-"

"You're not going to the mines today. I mean it."

Dumbfounded, you gazed at Shane, who was physically blocking you from leaving the cabin. A scowl was written all over his face.

You sighed and rubbed the side of your head. "It's only the first few levels, honey. Willy needed bug meat for-"

"Right. The "first few" you say, and then I'll get a call from Harvey at 2 AM about you needing emergency surgery again." He gritted his teeth, tears coming to his eyes. "Whatever he or anyone in this damn town needs in those mines can wait. Why can't you just stay?!"

"I don't understand.." Your eyebrows furrowed. "You never cared before if I went there. What changed?"

"What changed....? What changed is that I've been having a lot more of sleepless nights lately! I can barely eat or do anything except worry and worry about you. And it's because...because..." He trailed off.

"Because what?"

"......."

You sighed. "Shane, if you're not gonna tell me what's wrong, then I don't see why-"

"Because you've been scaring me to death okay?!" His hands now gripping your shoulders as he stared at you. "You think you're invincible, but you aren't. What don't you get?! How badly are you gonna let those things hurt you?! Or be the reason YOU DROP DEAD AND DON'T COME HOME?!!" He screamed.

Your own eyes widened, stunned by his words..and eventually you saw the realization flash across his face as he blurted out his true feelings.

The ones he tried to hide from you, yet consumed him for hours upon hours whenever you left for the mines.

It made your heart plummet.

His breath hitched, and you then saw the tears beginning to fall from his greenish eyes.

"Shane..."

"[Y/n], you saved me from throwing my life away. And...i-it's like you're throwing away yours for no reason!" He sobbed. "Night after night, I have nightmares of seeing your limp body..a-and....and I can't save you. I can't do anything except scream and beg them to stop hurting you! But they never listen! A-And...I just...I-I don't wanna lose you. I can't lose you..."

He looked totally shattered, making you finally realize how serious this was.

Your guilt right now was immensurable, watching the man you loved fall apart right in front of you.

And it was your fault.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry..." You pulled him into a tight hug, and he completely broke down in your arms. His quiet crying became muffled by your shoulder. "I..I had no idea you were feeling that way. Why didn't you tell me about the nightmares sooner?"

"You would've thought..th-they were stupid. Or that I sound "needy" or controlling.." He sniffled. "I-I know I can't stop you from going, but...I just..a-after what happened to you last night, I...I.."

"Oh, honey..that was my dumb mistake. The monsters had nothing to do with my injuries." Rubbing his back, you gently kissed his head. "I was tired and got clumsy with a stupid bomb..but I promise it won't happen again. You're right. I'm not invincible. I need that reality check sometimes."

He didn't say anything, instead holding onto you tighter.

You never realized how badly your mining trips and injuries were affecting him...affecting this very relationship.

The Shane you met back in Year 1 could care less if you dropped dead. He outright said he'd never go looking for you and that whatever happened was your own fault.

But the Shane you knew now was crying in your arms over the mere thought that one day you'll go into the mines and never come out, holding it all in until he couldn't anymore.

You've really helped him open up to you, but now you were tearing him apart inside and never really knew it until this point.

"W-Will you just..stay here today, please?" He finally spoke, not caring about how needy or pathetic that sounded.

"...I will." You answered. "I'll take a break from mining for a good while."

"....you would do that for me?"

"Of course. I'd do anything for you, Shane. Hell..I'd give that up altogether if you wanted me to."

You felt him shake his head, and you chuckled, squeezing him tightly. "I'm only kidding, but I promise. No more mining this week."

Shane raised his head up, looking to make sure you were serious. And he saw nothing but sincerity in your expression.

You sighed softly and cupped the sides of his wet face, seeing the torrent of anxiety and frustration raging like an ocean current in his eyes. "You must've felt so lonely and terrified, baby..I'm sorry. I won't make you feel that way ever again."

He sniffled again as you brushed away his tears, before taking ahold of your wrist to kiss your palm...where your first scar from a rock crab came from.

How badly did he wanna kiss away every scar those bastards left on you until none remained.

Some faded with time and care, but others were more permanent--testaments to your survival down in the mines..as well as your several brushes with death.

Heat rose to your cheeks, watching him become so affectionate and gentle with you, even though he knows you're not made of glass whatsoever.

Eventually, his tears ceased as you both decided to go lay down on the bed together, with Shane cuddling up to you and resting his head on your chest. All he could hear was your strong heartbeat drowning out the noise in his mind.

It was still kicking, like you.

"Thank you..god, that was exhausting.." He mumbled. "I'm sor-"

"You don't have to be sorry for being honest with me." You reassured, petting his hair. "I just..wish I picked up the signs sooner."

"INah, I should've been clearer...and maybe that would spare myself this headache I got now.."

"Hmm..how about we sleep in until you feel better? Then we can check on the chickens."

Feeling him nod and wrap his arms around you, you took that as a "yes" and chuckled softly, knowing you weren't gonna leave this spot anytime soon.

But that's okay.

There's no other place you'd rather be. Not even the mines.

[moonastroellie]

"You see someone unwilling to change, I see someone who hasn't been connected with yet. You see denial, I see someone hurting. You see someone nodding out, I see god telling us they need help. Addiction is a game, and it'll kill you if you let it."

Warnings: 18+, use of drugs, narcotics, ice, blood, mentions of suicide and depression, some flirting, mentions of sex but no smut, shit gets DEEP. :))

Based off this this

You and Dina had been friends for years, she knows you well and you know her well- you were somewhat of a shy college girl, always sticking to your friend group and never really involving yourself in other groups of people..

With this being said, you had always suffered from chronic pain, just the usual back pain and knee pain like a fucking 80-year-old man that's had 5 kids and has no desire to live.

Dina had given you Ellie's number so you can buy off her, a nice dealer who you've interacted with a few times, she was unaware of your addictive habits because she didn't know you well, it started off with a text asking her for some narcotics and her coming to your apartment.

"Hey" she smiles kindly as you open the door "y/n right?" you nod, she smiles again, looking around your small tidy apartment.

"here's the stuff" she pulls out a small baggie filled with a brown substance, "here's the cash" you hand her a 50 dollar note and she looks at you confused "this is 50... It's only 35" she frowns, holding the cash in her hands.

"it's a tip" you grab the substance from her hand, "you don't need to tip your dealer" she explains and you chuckle "I'm aware... I've purchased narcotics before, I only tip the cute ones anyways" Ellie chuckles at your statement and bobs her head up and down slowly with a smile on her face "righttt, so I'm lucky?"

"Consider yourself lucky" you clear your throat, trying to clear the slight awkwardness in the air. "Well, it was nice meeting you Ellie" she smiles at you and makes her way out of your apartment.

As soon as Ellie leaves you find yourself having a great time with the narcotics, the feeling of warmness and Euphoria filling your altered-drug state, you couldn't stop smiling- it felt amazing, and you never wanted to let go of this feeling... Soon enough you fell into a deep drug-induced slumber, you felt like no matter what the world throws at you, you'd be able to handle it, this was only the beginning of your addiction.

Dina was at your apartment the next day, talking about Jesse's party and inviting you along, obviously, you agreed almost immediately; upon arriving at the party you realized that it wasn't really a party without some drugs, you got a few shots in, and text Ellie, your drunken mind all over the place- Ellie was a bit worried by your drunken messages and flirty texts but brushed it off fairly quickly, arriving at the party.

"elliiieeee" you smile and she laughs, walking over to you "hey, you okey?" her question is sincere and filled with a hint of concern "I'm great" your voice is slurred and Ellie pulls out a baggie of a clear, crystal looking substance "ice is what you wanted right?" you nod quickly, "you got a pipe or?" you shake your head "shoot up time mother fucker" you laugh and Ellie grows concerned, but she's never sold you ice before so doesn't think anything of it so she brushes off her concerns.

"Dina, keep an eye on her will you? I'll still be here" Ellie asks Dina firmly and Dina agrees, watching you dilute the drug in a random sort of liquid-

as soon as you feel the drug travel through your veins, your mind runs to places- it almost makes you feel invincible, you feel happy and very talkative. Pupils huge, you walk around the party, sweaty and yapping everyone's ear off, people looked at you like you were fucking insane, but why the fuck would you care? This shit feels good in your veins, soon enough the teeth grinding happens, and you could barely understand what was going on besides how fucking funny everything was.

In a rage to look for Ellie, you finally find her. "Hey, you, you feeling good?" her voice unsure, tilting her head to the side, wow, she looked hot, really fucking hot and suddenly all you could think about was how fucking horny you were, you nod quickly and laugh, eventually yapping her ear off about everything and anything you could think of- your confidence shining through "did I ever tell you how hot you were?" you giggle, she smiles. "ahh, yes, the drunken and high you, wonderful" her voice is slightly sarcastic but still genuine, "you wanna go home?" you nod, and you basically skip to her car, filled with energy.

"Look, I know I'm your dealer and everything, but maybe lay off the drugs, please?"

Days eventually turned into weeks of using, and you felt like you couldn't stop anymore, but you didn't care all that really mattered to you was getting your next fix.

The blood stains your arm after every shoot-up, you never really bothered to shower to get rid of the stains, the high was too good and too powerful- days started to morph together, you couldn't sleep anymore, your weight quickly dropping, your mother growing concerned after seeing you at your apartment, barely functioning, you would hyper-focus on cleaning your apartment- hours and hours you would go on and you'd still be cleaning the same spot.

Eventually, Ellie came over more often because she was slowly growing attached to you, but would get concerned after seeing you hyper-focus on the stupidest shit, it could be learning how to play piano or watching 3 movies in a row, not a single blink out of you, just staring.

"you sure you're good?" she asks cautiously, you look at her with tired eyes and a drug-fueled mind you nod, and before you know it the feeling of bugs crawling all over your body was set in your mind, these bugs wouldn't go away no matter how much you fucking showered or fucking itched, they wouldn't go away- but if you smoked more the feeling would go away, only temporarily though and as soon as you were sober withdrawals kicked in. It was at this moment Ellie knew you had an addiction, she didn't know how to help, she felt almost helpless to your addiction but she knew if she kept selling to you she'd be enabling your behavior. You both shared a lot of memories while you were high 24/7, cuddling with her, and watching movies, she even taught you how to play guitar and she couldn't forgive herself for the guilt that she had started this problem.

You were out of everything you had no more ice left, no more morphine, no more heroin, nothing... It was 1am and you were frantically texting Ellie for more, you knew she was seeing the messages but she wasn't replying, you groaned loudly "fuck" you mutter under your breath, hovering over the call button and finally pressing it.

"hello?" Ellie answers the phone, her voice unsure of what to expect "do you have any more stuff?" the line is quiet "hello?"

"y/n, I-" she huffs out "I can't keep selling to you, you're hooked. I'm sorry" this is when your mind goes into a straight fight or flight response "Ellie baby, please I'm desperate I'll take anything you have please"

"dude, your fucking let off the hook. I can't keep supplying to you and knowing you're struggling- go to rehab" her voice is firm "you're my fucking dealer Ellie, not my friend, what the fuck?"

"well, fuck me for fucking caring about you dude, I got attached and I can't keep doing this to you, so no, stop asking me" the guilt straining her voice "This is your fault, you did this to me" Ellie hums, knowing how addicts act, "you asked, I supplied, you're struggling- please, for yourself, not for me, quit and get help, you need it"

"can I come over?" your voice is weak "why? so you can steal my pills from my cabinet again? Fuck no" you scratch at your legs, the feeling of bugs still there, life felt fucking unbearable, you would rather just fucking kill yourself right now- one line would put you out of this fucking misery and you knew that it would, but only for a short time, your voice breaking as you speak, your eyes filled with tears.

"Ellie..." she cuts you off "we'll talk about this when you're sober babe, no more kiddo. I'm sorry"

I didn't die, but I'm still in writers block so I don't know how good this will be but enjoy, I'll probably make a part 2 at some point

Just going to put this out there, I've struggled with addiction myself and I know of people who have, and if you ever do struggle don't feel ashamed to get help.

[ravenna-reid]

"I Mean No Harm" "I Know."

Leon Kennedy x Ex-UmbrellaAgent!Reader

WARNINGS: violence, blood, swearing, bullying, but mostly fluff hehe

Whispers had circulated of the new agent that had been recruited. 

How could it have possibly been allowed? How was the academy so tempered about hiring her? Either way, it didn’t matter what anyone else thought. You were here now and the academy was eager to use someone as skilled, loyal, and reclusive as you.

Walking down the hallway in your compression shirt and tactical pants, you made your way towards one of the meeting rooms. As far as you were concerned, you were forced to work with Umbrella against your will. A situation you never wanted to be in again. But no one here would understand that, nor were you willing to share your story, the only person knowing the truth being the commander that saved you. So, rumours continued running rampant throughout the building. Were you a spy? A double agent? Of course, none of it was true. But you weren’t going to waste your time defending your image when it was clear no one wanted to listen.

Walking into one of the rooms, a group of agents were already seated before you. Taking a seat at one of the desks, you ignored the eyes that peered at you. But one person stood out. Dirty blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, a strong build and mysterious aura to him. 

You were aware that you weren’t the only one who seemed to carry a reputation. You had heard whispers too of the rookie police officer turned skilled agent. He was ‘one of the best.’ A man of few words and a spine made of steel. Leon S Kennedy. 

And you were surprised to find he seemed to be falling for all of the lies the agents were spreading about you too, given he was staring at you like you were a jigsaw puzzle. 

The meeting was thorough and quick. A general explained that agents were going to be selected for a group that is going to investigate small branches of Umbrella hiding in various parts of the country. Of course, you were vital given you knew how they operated. However, in order to choose who would be best for this elite group, a set of skill tests will take place and everyone will be assessed. The blonde agent that had been sitting at the front, with his melancholic eyes and grave expression, was already a part of the group and would help choose the rest of its members.  

Once the meeting had finished, you were one of the first people out of the room, eager to leave the watchful eyes and agents that seemed to act like immature school students. But you didn’t get far though. 

“Hey, double agent.” Someone called out, poison lacing his voice. 

An unimpressed expression falling across your face, you turned to look over your shoulder and were met with a tall, brute man. Hair the colour of autumn leaves and eyes the colour of the sky. A sly smirk spread across his lips. 

“Do you think they’ll actually choose you for the mission? I mean, come on. It’s obvious you’re just here to screw us over.” He spat.

“I didn’t realise you were keeping tabs on me.” You responded coolly.

“Oh, you bet. And don’t worry,” He said, inches from your face. “I know what your intentions are. And I’ll be making sure you don’t get into this group.”

Your narrowed eyes followed him as he walked off, and you were surprised to see that standing behind him was the blonde agent. Leon glared at the man that had confronted you before his eyes met yours. But before he could say anything, you hastily walked off.

Leon wanted to say something to you. Wish he had. It must have been horrible having everyone look at you as though you were an alien just because of your past. Your first day here and already they all acted as though you were some sort of villain eager to take them down. You kept your composure though. Long, silky hair pulled back into a braid cascading down your back, Leon watched as you turned the corner. 

For the rest of the week, that boy had given you shit every time he saw you. You snapped back but it only seemed to amuse him. And this didn’t slip past Leon. Whenever he saw it, he made sure to make himself known so that the boy would step down and go away. Most days Leon would threaten the boy’s – Jared’s – position in the academy, given he was known for being the academy’s bully. But given Jared’s expertise in weaponry and his strength, the academy wasn’t getting rid of him any time soon. Much to both Leon’s and your dismay. 

The next day, Leon eagerly waited on the field for you to show up to your first assessment. Hand-to-hand combat. Eventually, you showed up. Your hair in the same braid and a stoic look plastered across your face. It seemed you had made a friend; a chipper girl with platinum blonde hair spoke with you as you gathered around Leon and two other commanders. The first commander, an older man with scars painted across his weathered face, was brutal and stern as he explained how the assessment was going to work. Each of you would go up against each other in a fight, and whoever was left standing would go on to the next round. Given your training at your old academy, you weren’t too nervous. Swiftly, you got through the first three rounds, only sustaining a few bruises and red marks here and there. But now you were a finalist, and there was only one last person standing in your way.

The boy with red hair and jarring, bright blue eyes glared back at you with a malicious smile. Something churned in your stomach, more so from anger than fear. Leon’s stomach flipped too as he watched how Jared stared you down. 

“y/l/n. Kingston. Take your places.”

Jared spat a few insults at you to throw you off, but you paid no attention. Once the whistle blew, you were at each other’s necks. He was playing dirty though, and you guessed the commanders wanted to see how you would handle it, because no one said anything or stopped him. He was large and surprisingly fast, his whole demeanour threatening. You had to be quick on your feet and quick with your hands. You swiftly sent roundhouse kicks and elbow strikes his way, only connecting with his jaw once. Once that had happened he crouched down onto the floor, and much to your dismay, dug dirt out with his hands and threw it in your face. Taking his chance, Jared stormed over to you, and grabbing you by the shoulders pulled you down and slammed his knee straight up into your diaphragm. 

The pain was intense. But not as intense as the feeling of not being able to breathe. Stepping back with a gasp you quickly clutched onto your stomach and doubled down, fearful he had broken a rib or two. It took everything in Leon not to step forward and help. Muscles tensing, all he could do was stand back and watch. 

A laugh left Jared’s lips as he circled you like you were prey. 

“Come on. I thought you were tougher than that.” He shoved you back, almost sending you to the floor. The thrumming in your stomach was intense and air still seemed like a luxury you couldn’t afford. He shoved you again before tripping you over. 

“You dumb bitch. Get up so I can beat you some more.”

Leon was close to grabbing Jared himself and breaking his jaw. 

As he stepped forward to kick you, you manoeuvred to trip him in a blink of an eye. Hitting the ground hard, you quickly crawled over and grabbed hold of his shoulders, applying all of your weight onto him to pin him down. It wouldn’t last long, so you had to be quick.  Leaning your head back, your body moved with you as you fiercely swung it forward, cracking the crown of your head down hard onto his nose. A guttural yell and array of curse words left him as you quickly moved away from him. That was it though, you had won all of the rounds. But at what cost? Did you just prove to everyone that you really were some kind of monster? It seemed that way by how they all looked at you now as blood trickled down your forehead.

As you got to your feet, you tried to regain your balance but swayed to the left. Before you had the chance to stumble though, a strong arm encircled your waist and held you up. 

“You did good, y/l/n. Are you alright?” He said, his voice close to your ear. 

Your head snapped over to see the blonde agent holding you up.

“You’re all dismissed. Jared, come with me.” The first commander barked as the second followed.

Ignoring the others, Leon sheepishly let go of you but his eyes remained focused on yours and the blood you began wiping from your head with your sleeve. 

“Yeah, I’m alright.” You replied with a sigh. 

Leon gave a nod, but wasn’t convinced. 

“Come with me, we’ll get you cleaned up.” He said gently. 

As you both walked towards one of the first aid bays, you subtly took him in. His sharp cheekbones and sunken cheeks lent him a serious, almost stoic look, but you couldn’t help but notice the undeniable boyishness to him. From the tousled hair falling into his eyes to the way his body language was almost shy. 

Sitting down on one of the foam beds, you grabbed the kit yourself and unclipped it. Leon watched you, wanting so desperately to help you. Talk to you at least. But you were both two reclusive agents that kept to themselves. He was still willing to try. 

“I’m sorry about that asshole.” He began, leaning against the door frame beside you. 

“Yes, he does seem to have a real problem with me, doesn’t he.” You grabbed the antiseptic and began tipping the liquid onto a cotton ball. “I just wonder if it’s going to get worse now –”

“It won’t.” Leon responded too quickly. Clearing his throat, you looked up at him. His statement almost sounded like a threat. A promise. A smile fell across your lips, prompting a small smile from Leon himself. As you held up the cotton ball to your forehead, Leon realised you were applying it onto the wrong spot.

“Here…let me,” He offered reluctantly. 

It was unlike you to let people help with your injuries, especially strangers, but with the comforting presence he had and the warmth in your chest, you handed the cotton ball to him. 

“Thanks.” You said. 

Sitting down beside you, Leon moved his gloved hand to your face. Resting his finger below your chin, he tilted his head to the side and asked, “Is this ok?”

You nodded in response and he prayed a blush hadn’t crept upon his face. Moving his other hand up to the cut on your forehead, he gingerly dabbed the antiseptic onto the laceration. 

The smell of heady spices and musk filled your nose. Avoiding eye contact, your eyes fell down, and you found yourself looking at his sculpted arms, lines carving out his muscles. He did the same, focusing on the cut rather than on your eyes or else he would lose all train of thought. But it seemed that being this close to you was affecting him anyway.

“You know, I’ve seen you before.” He said, his soft eyes focused on cleaning your cut. 

Your brows furrowed. 

“What do you mean? Where?”

“Back in Raccoon City.” He responded, a glint of pain in his eyes as his mind dragged him back to that horrid night. Raccoon City. It was probably the worst night of your life. 

“You were one of the guards at the Umbrella facility. You weren’t supposed to let anyone in, but you let me in.”

Your mind scurried for that memory, thinking desperately of what he was talking about. Then it dawned on you.

“That was you?” You ask in surprise. 

The young police officer. With his big eyes and soft, hopeful face. Now replaced with a hardened look and eyes that looked like they’d seen too much. 

“Yes,” Leon responded, carefully placing two steristrips across your cut. “I really appreciate what you did that night.”

Something warm spread through your chest, before guilt quickly came.

“I didn’t want to work with them. I promise. They had…something they were using against me.” 

Leon felt your pain and understood. 

"I mean no harm." You finished.

He just wanted to grab your hand.

“I know," Leon said, "and I just want you to know that I don’t see you as a threat.” 

That night, Jared went out to the bar, the alcohol mounting onto his hate he had towards you. Taking a wrong drunken turn down an alleyway, he began cussing you out under his breath for the bandage that sat across his nose. Little did he know that in the dim lighting of the alley way stood the blonde agent, watching him and getting ready to teach him a lesson.

Part 2 -

[rex101111]

I’m thinking about Anji and Asuka interactions again, cause like man looking back, that short while must have been fucking wild. Anji partnered up with the guy responsible for his home being a hole in the ocean, and he just did not care. Hell, he was relatively fresh off of stealing Zessen, which was powering a force field around the colony he was living in. He probably rationalized it as the two of them being just as bad, he shoved aside whatever negative feeling he might have had so he could work with Asuka more easily. So he could do all that shady shit and still sleep at night.

Everyone talks about how brutal and bloody Baiken was in X and XX, but our boy Anji was just as bad. Remember that one ending where he trapped I-no in a crystal because she was going against Asuka’s orders? Cold blooded. So he probably figured that he didn’t have the right to be angry at Asuka, cause, really, what did That Man do to Anji specifically? Especially since Anji ain’t even a real name, a real person. No victims involved.

And then, Baiken. Then he meets Baiken, and he gets attached. And suddenly, Anji can’t be flippant or flighty, can’t shove aside everything Asuka did. Can’t work with him anymore, can’t stomach being his knife in the shadow anymore.

He sees first hand the effects of Asuka’s actions, on a person he grows to deeply care for. So he quits. Which is mildly weird to think about because how the fuck do you just walk out on the fucking Gear Maker? 

Asuka just. let him leave. Anji walked away with Baiken and that was that. No sending I-no to hunt him down, no magic bullshit to pull him into his Boss’s Office Dimension to discuss severance pay, nothing.

Until, of course, he catches wind of Ariels’ plan. Then all he has to do is call up Anji, make sure he knows what’s at stake, and Mito can’t run away from him anymore. 

So, they’ve worked together, done horrible shit together, fucked each other over in equally severe ways. Anji knows he doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to being moral, or any kind of “good person”, he knows that shit is complicated.

So he laughs it off (because its funny in a cosmic sort of way), asks Asuka if he’s up to something (because that’s what Asuka does, isn’t it? Scheme?) and to let him in on it (and Anji schemes too, all the damn time), and calls him handsome (because his face doesn’t have a scratch of age on it, his face doesn’t belong to him, it belonged to a quiet little scientist who wanted his friends to be happy forever. Not the Devil), and that’s the end of it.

Anji pushed Baiken away from pursuing Asuka as much for his own sake as for hers and Delilah. 

Sol and Asuka may have the deeper history, but Asuka and Anji turn each other into fucking monsters. 

It’s like pouring gasoline onto lit thermite.

God that is so fucked up. Wish Strive didn’t try to Good Boy-ify Asuka as hard as it did. Would have been interesting to see those sparks fly around.

(Anji Mito doesn’t exist anymore than Asuka R. Kreutz does. One was spun out of thin air, the other has been rotting in the ground for over a century now.

What a match made in the Backyard, eh?)

[woodsfae]

B5 s03e05 Voices of Authority table of contents • previous episode

Zack Allen the fascist can't get comfortable in his jackbooted thug jacket. Poor fellow. I hope he's even more uncomfrotable till he stops being such an extra fascist. 

Zack Allen heard the mysterious "Code 7-R" and he's on the fascist scent of a mystery! 

Delenn thinks that the Ancients may all be hanging out beyond the Galactic Rim, or sleeping beneath their ancient cities, or are out walking among the stars on errands incomprehensible to lower life forms. Just doin' Ancients things.

Oh! @ladymegana's boytoy is here. Marcus! They're embarking on amission to try to make contact with a higher power. And Draal is coming! Caroline, Sinclair's old surveyor girlfriend (who I hope is living happily off her many, many credits) got rescued from an Ancient by G'Kar personally! I was so suspicious of him then. Simpler times! 

Draal Planet, who is definitely an ancient one of sorts, checked hims planet computers and discovered something which gives him the screaming willies, and he wants them to come look at it. LOL.

Zack Allen is gonna face and probably fail some more ethical dilemnas I suppose, since he's popped up twice this episode already.

G'Kar! And Delenn is being so dismissive and cold! In public. Hmm. Delenn has talked derisively about the cold and unwelcoming nature of Narns before, but it's disappointing seeing G'Kar cut out so much when his people are the only ones who have most recently successfully fought the Shadows. They're such a good resource! And they need alliances! WHy cut them out so strictly?? Sheridan, Delenn, and the Rangers should be trying to ally with them. 

Sheridan has been assigned a "political officer," who is billing herself basically as a secondary commander of B5. Oop, and she's callling on Mr Allen's Nightwatch thingamajig. Of course he heads in for his lil debrief. 

Draal is kinda all over the place. Genial, red-mood-lighting and ominous, saying things like "gives me the willies," from time to time, hates surprises but thinks Ivanova is funny... 

uh-oh. There are no problems on Earth. No homeless, except for people who refuse to work the jobs offered to them to be housed. No poor, except for ditto the previous exception. No crime, except for the mentally unstable, but they're being sorted out of the general population in childhood nowadays... well now I'm much more trepidatious. 

Brave of Susan to let herself be plugged into the whole damn planet! Can't he print it out? Or put it on a usb crystal or whatever? Seems a bit extreme. 

Claudia Christian is face acting for her extreme close-up for all she's worth! 

The CGI has technically improved a lot, but it's still so itself. I love it.

Ancients will be back on Sigma 957 "soon!" But Susan isn't alone! The Shadows got her! Now I"m even more trepidatious! Seriously Draal, slap that shit on an external hard drive next time. 

It sure would be handy if this vision was recorded. Oh! It was! Susan's secret telepathy comes in handy in scrying the past, and Draal Planet does to HD recordings of mental trips across the cosmos! 

Is it like. Secure to talk about top secret stuff on the other side of two tiny sliding doors with a very nosy literal propagandist/spy from Earth on the other side? 

Hope Delenn doesn't mind him making out with other women for the sake of the mission. 

Yeah, everyone stop lying to G'Kar and fobbing him off and forcing him to lurk around the edges to find out what's important. Good point G'Kar! Them not being able to think of anything G'Kar can help with is a failure of imagination. And so fucking condescending. 

It is now "innapropriate" for Earth Force staff to criticize Earth politics, and they'll be expected to cut off family and friends who don't fall in line. And the Night Watch are being instructed to subvert actual policy in favor of the new extra fashy policies. Well this will be fun! The bullshit is so heavy. Earth must be kept safe and ideologically pure, because they've been betrayed "on every level." 

An interesting alien encounter! Susan Ivanova is an unflappable beast. I hope the Minbari on board are forming a new religious cult around her. 

lololol. Susan is actually the best. Got them to speak English to her, too. 

Realy neat ship design. 

Sheridan leaked the video of the VP Clark plotting Pres Santiago's assassination! Definitely the right call, but for some reason I expected them to sit on it awhile. 

Gardibaldi is thankfully not as much of a fascist as he could be, even though he's a cop. But he isn't a collaborator. 

Ugh Zack fucking spilling deets left and right. Just handed over their secret meeting code like that. Someone needs to write "Don't be a collaborator" on a newspaper, roll it up, then smack him and Londo with it till they get the hint.

JMS loves his sly ship name allusions. This loyal cog of the progaganda machine is leaving on a ship named for a god of (among other things) lies. And you can't lie without knowing the truth. 

G'Kar: "Read the book of G'Quan, we'll talk after." Garibaldi: "I don't read Narn," G'Kar: "Learn!" 

No one on the show who isn't Narnuan speaks Narn. Garibaldi would certainly endear himself to me a little if he did learn!

Well, G'Kar continues to be The Best (and Susan Ivanova continues to also be The Best).

Again, nice to have some Big Plot movement! They do a good job advancing it a tiny bit here and there, then yanking a bunch of strings at once so a ton of past details suddenly align into Even More Big Plot Movement. It gets me! I'm sure there's threads I'm missing, but it's very fun pieces threads together. Even when I can't get it before the show reveals their hand, I still feel like it's outsmarted me fairly, lol.

My special little guy Alfred Bester is back!

[lifelessfan]

who said public transportation was good?

Never been to NYC, don't kill me!!! I might change it once I do walk the streets at some point but let me have my fun.

lmao went to a gaming and anime con as a "heister"(if you wanna see them) and taking the bus was just funny to me at the time

It felt like touching the sky. So high up, the elevator was the easy part as we got to the penthouse, now in front of the first security guard, we understood this maybe wouldn't be the easiest job.

But as we looked through our options, heading up the side doors and to the vents, sneaking into higher floors and out to a pretty view of the East River, we realised that maybe this wasn't as hard a mission as we assumed

Tech was of no use compared to the brute strength we carried. Even if we carried it in silence at first, we did fuck it up painfully. A body left in the open was just a criminally rookie mistake, and so now? Alarms were up, we'd have to speedrun this SSD, them keys won't fall into our hands easily.

In the end, the heist was as easy as we gambled, cash by the bag, pretty crystals and nose candy, helicopter loaded with almost too much as the group all hop for a safe getaway. As everyone shouts their calls for evacuation, bile keeps tabs, making sure to only call his own leave and picks up speed, out over open waters and down the line back towards base

However, in the mild confusion, Dallas had been left behind. His shout was lost in the coms and once he actually had time to turn round, reload and hop on the same platform of the getaway along with his team, he was met with thin air and a drop to make Wileward himself proud.

The adrenaline still runs high in his blood, he stands on the edge, boot tips wavering, and he balances on the damn edge for a couple of seconds before tipping back onto the safe ground again, right back into the same sea of cops they were getting away from.

It's one hell of a fight. A bag still on his back as he powers through the spare bullets shot his way. Finding cover in the cleaning closet and saving himself enough for a reload and full breath.

- Holy shit-

This was one hell of a predicament, back against the wall, corner at one side and the open door on the other. He can only slide down and try breathing as he had the drop flash before his eyes. Oh good, he was still here…his job wasn't done.

So this is how Hoxton felt-

Shaking his head, he looks down at his gun, he'd fight his way out, he wasn't Hoxton, he was the damn crew chief.

Looking around, he saw the other drop-off point they had requested. It was closed, but if he waited out the assault, end of the mission, it should open. From what he had read up, this was meant to be a sort of shoot. For what? Fuck knows, but if he fits this correctly, he could easily pass through.

He wasn't fat by any means, he wasn't exactly the slimmest with all the muscle he'd built up. As he takes off the one bag still on his back, he takes off his huge coat too.

Something sounded wrong, the crystals audibly not in the bag and looking down, he saw the bag with multiple bullet holes. Cursing to himself, and thinking quickly, he opts to just wrap his coat around the bag, throwing what he can back in and wrapping it tight, shifting it beside him, footsteps still out in the hallway.

The coat does muffle the bag a bit and After waiting out the rest of the attack, hearing them call a retreat and one final sweep of the place, The hatch finally opens one last time for the final haul of the bags.

Taking this as his green light, he pushes that bag down the drop-off and breathing heavily, he pushes his fears aside and feet first, crawls inside.

His clothing wasn't too soaked, still silky enough to slowly slide down the tubing. the bag had long gone down the drop-off, dropping like a bag of bricks wrapped in a smooth coat that just slid against the metal

He feels his breathing shorten even now and then, trying so hard to stay quiet and conscious in the small cramped space with air circulation not built for a body and only items. He just knew what would happen if someone looked down and saw him, he wouldn't be able to avoid a shot to the head like that

However he kept going, and by the time almost half an hour had passed, connection had been cut and his absence now had been sending the team into a panic. Thankfully they had the SSD safe, but in the trade of their boss? Smokes were disappearing fast back at base, the only thing to keep them remotely calm

By the 45min mark, he can just about see the light by his feet, a light cold flow of air that lets him breathe again and he keeps going, soon the light turns blinding as he lets himself drop into a huge laundry bin box letting himself breath deep as he rests a hand on the edge of the bin, resting too far forward and tipping the whole bin over, on the floor with head slightly spinning.

Maybe this was far more disorientation than he assumed.

Looking around, he checks that no one is here, and it looks like any laundry room, a couple of washing machines running and dryers, other bins and shoots.

Hauling himself up, he brushes himself off, looking back at the bin and picking it back up, finding his brown coat and the bag of jewels.

Now what?

searching for His phone, he feels a sudden flush of cold as I can't find it. Digging around his coat pockets too only to find it broken, clearly a little too hard against the bin, screen broken and touchscreen unusable.

Fuck, he was gonna need to solo his way home.

Hiding his mask away, placing his guns beside the jewels too and just hoping the metal won't be scratched up by the sharp edges, he finds the door and steps out, looking to the hallway, people in suits walking back and forth hurriedly.

He couldn't tell why everyone was in such a hurry and After following multiple around trying to look for an exit, he heard them talking about the penthouse, how it was under attack and how they were finally let back in after the attack was called off

He can only keep a straight face as he finally finds a set of stairs, seeing he is still on the 5th floor. Still a way to walk.

His breathing slowly relaxes, and he starts feeling again more like a civi again as he carries the heavy bag still in his hand. Passing people and mumbling greetings, still in his suit so passing off was somewhat easy compared to the workers around him.

The police and guards line every wall and door, the Lower he goes to the ground floor, the more security personnel are around. But this was a public space too, so he was safe

The walk is easy, and soon he reaches the street, back on solid ground, the air now heavier as it was still the city, but still a spark of salt as the river close by washes through the closer streets.

Looking around, cars drive smoothly, and for the first time in a while, he walks down the street, calm, confident and with no adrenalin shot he would usually have while looking up to the building they had been contracted to take out.

He was still out of a phone and valid, usable, cash. And trying to remember the way home, he also knows the time will stretch long and his arms will get tired if he hauls himself home by walking.

Oh good, he was stuck.

His slight confidence wavers as he pauses by a shop, dropping the bag and relaxing against the wall as he looks around.

It takes him ages, trying to remember the closest bus line, and for the first time in ages, actually convincing himself to revert to begging.

The jewels meant nothing, cash was nowhere on hand and while he had promised to never beg for money again, he felt so disgusted in himself as he asked around.

$3 now seemed so much, and he felt just bad. Getting a dollar from one person, 25 cents from another and balancing change from people around him.

Eventually, the cash slowly made its way into his pocket, the light now slightly dimmer as the work day finally finished. 

The walk to the bus stop is annoying, the public people were not his forte without his mask and the protection of his team.

The wait was painful, somehow longer than Bile or Twitch ever could and now with people looking for a way home, the bus was already full, the stop packed and he had his own small fight here alone just to get on in time. Placing the money out and a request for just a single ticket.

The driver didn't care much, clearly an underpaid minimum wage 50-year-old and he could tell the driver wasn't having any of it, but he still hopes

-how much is here?

-3 dollars

-Are you sure?

-yes

The stare is sharp, Nathan trying hard to intimidate him to letting him on even if he knew he didn't need to force when he was right. It had just become a reflex

But the driver was too tired, too many people, and counting coins was too much for his current situation so he just pushed back

-sorry, can't let you on

Nathan is beyond tired too and he just needs a bus home

-please? I need this bus

-sorry, we are too full

Throwing out another excuse, that bundle of whatever in his hand used to prevent him from getting on. And Nathan can't do anything as his hands shake with irritation, take every coin and leave the bus, only to look back and see the next guy getting on with an easier payment than the cash Nathan was giving.

He can only wait, sit in the slowly chilling air and wait down the numbers for the next bus.

A body constantly in action, constantly gaining bruises one way another, constantly with a smoke or a weight, He felt restless now. Standing, sitting, pacing, cigs not available and violently against begging any more than he did, money for the bus and bus alone. not for a single item more

Finally, the next bus comes, again he rolls the dice and places the money down, a single ticket.

This time the driver had a little soul, counting out and taking the money, passing change and passing a ticket. Nathan feels the same relief like he just completed a heist, basic goddamn transportation somehow such effort for him as he finds a seat, the bag between his legs, and heel tapping away at the floor.

Hands below his chin, he looks around, an analytical eye as he checks over people. One ill, one rich, teens, children with parents, constant chatter and a painful rumble and buzz from the engine and lights.

The need for movement also alerted the lack of movement for the bus, and looking out for a second to see major traffic ahead, and he couldn't do anything, only think back to every moment he ever sat beside Twitch, complaining or taking. Taking the speed for granted in his line of work.

Oh, he hated, hated it so much.

Time ticks by, like watching the clock, everything feels slow, grim. And he just sits there, feeling his ass grow more and more painful and unable to do much about it other than stand up. But the bus's erratic moment pisses him off more as he can't smoothly balance himself.

Anger bubbles below his nerves and it takes everything to breathe steady, hold his own and wait this out. It works, and eventually his stop comes. 

Hauling the bag back into his arms, he quietly thanks the driver through gritted teeth, the air in the bus stuffy, grim, oily, public.

A couple of streets of walking finally lead him to his base, and he is in a more irritable mood than when he finished, the way home having rubbed off on him, and now walking through the doors to a quiet base is like an angel blessing

The rooms are empty, the team out elsewhere. But he didn't care, he was happy for silence, dropping the bag by the door, stumbling his way to the couch and falling slump as his head landed on a pillow by one of the headrests, a blanket bellow the cushions thrown up for a second and spreading out over him, letting himself call dibs to the easy bed tonight.

<time skip>

Midnight soon leaves everyone dejected as they find their way back to base. Shade had a notification saying someone was in base but ignored it, figuring it was a false positive because that had been a constant thing over recent days. She should fix that at some point

Now walking in all chatting, worked up, chains is the one to see Dallas asleep on the couch, white dress shirt and tie half undone, dress shoes haphazardly on the floor and he shushes the others, pointing over

Everyone feels the biggest wash of relief, checking over what else he dragged home and seeing his coat, undoing the bundle and spotting the bag, the jewellery and his mask and guns. He got home safe, unharmed

As they sort everything around him, one by one they all sit around Dallas, the couch big enough to support at least 3 but they all hassle for space. Soon hitting the early hours of the next day and all asleep, happy to have their boss back home safe.

By the time Dallas wakes up, feeling better from the pure hassle of last night, he feels uneven in his posture, looking around and spotting the others, all asleep around him and comfortable. maybe he could take something for granted, but he would have to come to terms that nothing ever fully would be

[the-haunted-office]

Doom is quiet while Ed explains about the walls and his theory for how he got here, even though she already knows the answer. Well, she knows the likelihood of how he got here, solely because it's how pretty how everyone else gets here. She's prepared to explain it to him too, but she doesn't want to interrupt him, so she listens to what he has to say. Who knows? Maybe his explanation is the correct one anyway.

Still, she can't help but give a little quirk of her lips when she goes to offer him her explanation. One she knows very well how to put into words.

"You know what, I think I might be able to help you understand how it is you got here. The thing I said about mirrors and other reflective surfaces... it's very much true here, but typically it extends to other dimensions across the multiverse as well," she says, looking away briefly to pick up another pancake. "You're probably unaware of it, because most people are until they encounter it or see it for themselves, but there is an in-between dimensions dimension that we literally call the In-Between. You can access it via reflective surfaces, but, like I said, you have to either be dead or the gates have to be left open. Kinda hard to explain how that happens, but stay with me here."

Moving along, most of the pancakes are picked up by now, so she sighs and puts the plate down on the counter after picking up the second to last one.

"Long story short, the In-Between is full of portal-like objects that look sort of like crystals. Each crystal is linked to a reflective surface in a dimension across the multiverse. As you can imagine there are a shit ton of them. Sometimes they bump into one another, and whoever is at the point of contact when that happens gets tossed from one dimension into the other. More often than not, the incident is seamless, so much so that you don't even notice until you walk from one room into another and suddenly find yourself in, say, another Office," she says, gesturing needlessly at the room around her.

"Anyway, that's how this sort of thing occurs most often to people who end up here." She shrugs and puts her hands into her pockets, despite having just picked up a bunch of half-cooked pancakes from all over the floor. "But what's your portal like then? The one you were telling me about? That you aren't supposed to know about? Ehehehe." She grins because of course, forbidden knowledge is the best knowledge.

"Huh, now that really is fascinating." In any other circumstances, Ed might have been skeptical about meeting someone who traveled the multiverse, but seeing he had somehow gotten on an elevator at the top of Encom tower, and gotten off... well, here, wherever that was, he was slightly less skeptical.

"I might just take you up on that offer, once we get to know each other a little better. Assuming I end up sticking around long enough for that to happen." As much fun as wandering across the multiverse sounded, he would be entirely reliant on Doom for... everything, and that required a considerable amount of trust. Much more than he was willing to give anyone he'd just met. At the very least, he'd want to be certain she wouldn't just leave him stranded in a hostile environment.

Ed chuckled. "Oh, don't let him fool you, he gets plenty of snacks--when he's not working.

Ed glanced at the stack of pancakes, which was now looking more and more like a model reconstruction of the Tower of Pisa. Better to start a new stack before they ended up back where they started. He opened a couple of cabinets until he found another plate, then scooped another one up off the floor.

"Walls because..." he took off his glasses and turned to ward the nearest one. "Every so often I wake up, and my barely conscious brain tries to convince me I know my own home well enough that I can navigate to the bathroom without these. Every time I am sorely mistaken. ...That feels like a metaphor for my perception for a lot of other things in my life. But as far as portals... As far as I know, the walls aren't, and I honestly couldn't tell you if it's the mirrors. My best guess to how I got here is the elevator, but in that case, you'd have met others from Encom, and we'd notice people going missing." Ed could hope, though given his fears of his father making good of that threat to abduct him once the restraining order expired... Well. Ed sincerely hoped they would notice more than just enough to replace a missing cog in the corporate machine.

"The only other portal I'm aware of, if you could call it that..." Could he be held responsible for leaking old secret military projects if he technically wasn't supposed to know about them? Ed wasn't certain. "Well, technically, I'm not supposed to know about it."

[kariachi]

So last year, for Anosmia Awareness Day, Nintendo revealed Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. This year, they’ve announced DLC for Scarlet and Violet.

Maintaining consistency if nothing else.

So, let’s look into some shit and see if they’re giving us anything more than the Lechonk line, which still need to go on a ‘pokemon for anosmiacs’ list.

Well that was about the vaguest trailer ever. Out of two minutes nearly half of it was taken up by shots of a live action pokemon-themed festival (and note I say themed because they don’t show any actual pokemon aside from a picture of a few new ones- a monkey, shiba inu, stork, and something) and then, apparently some sort’ve research facility out on the sea/ocean, because we didn’t get enough in Sun and Moon.

Four new characters of some sort? An auxiliary elite four or something, I don’t know.

Two DLCs, of course, one of which is revealed along with the art of what I assume is a new pokemon, some sort’ve humanoid with a leafy-wooden-looking mask that has me raising an eyebrow, but we’ll see what the fucks going on. The second one is revealed along with the art for what is definitely a pokemon, looks like that ‘source of terastalization’ thing from the main games is a crystal turtle with long-furred tails, which isn’t too bad I suppose. It’s covered in the symbols for the various types which, is head tilty in many many ways.

Okay, let’s check the proper Pokemon Presents...

“Today is Pokemon Day” No, sorry, today is Anosmia Awareness Day, you don’t get top billing here. Maybe if you did more for us, but so far no dice.

They coulda just said ‘we’re doing a premium tcg run’, but no, they had to do the most intense presentation of a card game since fucking Yu-Gi-Oh

Huh, Netflix is going to be doing a stop-motion pokemon thing. That certainly is a concept. ‘Pokemon Concierge’, following a worker at a resort for pokemon. Only get to see the barest bit of actual footage, but it doesn’t look too bad.

Pokemon Masters stuff and let me just say that while I know everyone in Sword & Shield is supposed to be English, hearing them with the fucking accents is weird. Like, I can’t judge the quality of the accents but, it sounds fucking weird.

Pokemon Sleep is a thing they haven’t abandoned, apparently. It’s one of those concepts where it’s like, I can see how you could get good use out of it- for instance if you have a kid with sleeping issues this could be a fun way to get them involved in monitoring their sleep, especially if it’s at disorder levels where you need to track things for medical purposes, this could make things a little less of a chore. But I’m also wary on a ‘what does Nintendo look to gain by having you sleep with your phone on next to you’ level.

And they’re trying to integrate it with Pokemon Go? That’s, certainly something...

Okay, finally we’re getting to the Scarlet and Violet stuff

There is a raptor Suicune (no I have no idea who looked at Suicune and went ‘make it a raptor’ but it happened and it looks gnarly) and a robo-Virizion now. Walking Wake, a water/dragon type paradox pokemon, and Iron Leaves, a grass/psychic paradox pokemon. Apparently they’ll be available in Scarlet & Violet respectively in a new Tera Raid event.

Gotta admit, raptor-Suicune is a cool new dragon. Doesn’t make up for the Frigibax line being shit designs, but I’ll take it.

Huh, they’re connecting Pokemon Go to Scarlet & Violet, you’ll be able to transfer postcards from Go over and get different Vivillion depending on where the postcard is from. Was wondering if they would do something with the different patterns...

So apparently in the first DLC you’re going on a school trip outside of Paldea, and the second one lets you do the exchange student thing at another school. The DLC grants new uniforms, which honestly is more exciting than the new pokemon, goddamn is the fashion limited this gen, and if you preorder you get a Hisuian Zoroark.

That seen, to the site we go for details

Okay, our new trio pokemon: Okidogi- the weird dog-like humanoid; Munkidori- the weird monkey thing; and Fezandipiti- the bird critter. Available in the first DLC.

And our new legends: Ogerpon- the masked fucker; and Terapagos- the glittery fur turtle.

They all certainly exist now, only Terapagos and Walking Wake get my vote.

[icallhimjoey]

Only Temporary

♥ ♥          Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: Joe needs a temporary living space, and you happen to have a spare room to let. One plus one equals two, baby.

CW / disclaimer: rpf (don’t read if this makes you uncomfy), fem!reader, swearing (lots), so far fluff only

Author’s note: this is the fourth part out of five. I’ll add onto the summary as the story grows, if it needs it. If this is the first part you come across, go read the parts in order, I beg of you (ive gotten asks about this and its just... read all of it! you'll understand the story!). (rewritten on 15 nov 2023)

Wordcount: 4.1K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five

As it turned out, Joe was an instant hit with your family. 

Which, yea, of course, he was. But to be fair, any person you would’ve brought would’ve been the prefered guest over you. 

This instant liking of Joe included your stepmother, who, from the moment he walked into the kitchen, shook her rubber-gloved hand, and passed her the bottle of champagne – “Stepmother? Surely not! You look like sisters!” – was eating out of his hand. 

Blushing like a teenager, she poured him a drink in one of her best crystal glasses and never once told him to take his shoes off. 

The rest of your family crowded around him, shaking hands, or in the case of your father, slapping him vigorously on the shoulder as if he was beating dust from a carpet.

Yea, they fucking loved him. And it had only been a minute.

Meanwhile, you were left to pour your own drink and weren’t allowed off the doormat until you had removed your boots. 

Honestly, everyone made such a fuss over him that you almost felt miffed. You were waiting for the comments, or side-eyed glances at you for not bringing your friend, and instead bringing a stranger, a flatmate you hadn’t even bothered to tell your family you’d gotten, but none of those came. 

You didn’t mind, you thought, but, upon closer inspection, you did mind, actually.

Joe didn’t steal attention the way your friend would have done. 

She would’ve made an ass of herself and made a seemingly innocent but secretly nasty comment towards your stepmother, or your brother’s girlfriend. 

She would’ve said the things everyone would silently be thinking and break the stiffness in the room you would so often feel when you were around these people. 

But to be fair, it had been a while since you’d brought a boy over to meet your family. You thought back to when you’d introduced your last boyfriend and they had reacted similarly to how they were talking to Joe now. 

They’re just being nice, you then thought.

“Wait,” you caught your brother narrowing his eyes at Joe, then doing a double take before snapping his fingers and pointing at him. 

“Eddie fucking Munson?”

All eyes landed on Joe, you know, if they weren’t already on him, seeing as the shiny new toy in the room seemed to be eating up all the attention.

“Yea,” Joe smiled like a shy schoolboy and scratched the back of his neck.

“Oh, my God,” your brother’s eyes were about to pop out of his skull if they grew any larger. 

No one else in the room really knew what was happening, but the excitement in your brother’s voice ate up the atmosphere.

“What?” you didn’t get it.

“Your flatmate’s an actor?” your brother looked at you, his big, excited eyes turned very judgemental towards you. It made you furrow your brow in further confusion. 

How did he know Joe was an actor?

“Ooh, she has a type, doesn’t she?” your stepmother nudged your dad, and you wondered if it was scientifically possible to undergo some sort of surgery to be able to shoot real-life daggers from your eyes at her. 

She’d serve right to leave your ex-boyfriend out of this. Out of everything. Forever.

“Babe!” you brother called out to his girlfriend who was in the kitchen. 

“Oh shit,” he was quick to cover his mouth. 

“She’s not finished watching it yet– no spoilers everyone!”

It would’ve been really cool if someone was going to clock you in on what they were talking about. Your brother noticed your confusion that hadn’t let up yet.

“Don’t tell me,” he swung an arm around your shoulders, and it made you want to hurt him physically. 

Kick him in the shins. 

This faux affection was only to smugly shove something into your face, you knew it, you’d lived with your brother long enough to see right through his tricks. 

“You’ve not seen it, have you?”

You looked at Joe, suddenly scared you’d been living with the likes of someone like Tom Holland, or Tom Felton, or Tom Hiddleston. 

Why all famous actors that came to mind were Tom’s, you weren’t sure. 

Except you were, but it was something to dissect another time. Not right now, stood in your father’s living room with your three-week-old flatmate who suddenly seemed… different, to you.

“Seen what?” you scoffed.

“She hasn’t,” Joe answered your brother as if you weren’t in the room.

“Of course, she hasn’t,” you brother laughed, and Joe joined in. 

You hated every second of it.

Your brother was quick to google Joe on his phone, and still under his arm, he showed you images of Joe on red carpets, in character, from photoshoots… it made you look up at Joe, utterly in shock. 

Because, what the fuck?

Joe seemed a little flustered, uncomfortable almost, and you stepped forward to hit him in the arm with a fist. Got him right on the bicep, right on that line between muscles, where it really hurt.

“You could’ve said!”

“Wha–” Joe comically scoffed with big eyes and a smile, before shaking his head and scrunching his face at you. 

How stupid would that conversation have been?

It took a minute to get over the initial shock of your family knowing Joe – it was just your brother and his girlfriend at first, but then when more people started arriving, it was your brother’s introduction of Joe to everyone that guaranteed that after dinner, everyone was aware that they were in the proximity of a celebrity. 

In a house filled with people, not a single person had asked you about your work, or about your relationship status. 

You were merely an afterthought and... yea, all right, you weren’t being subtle about it, so what about it? The lack of attention annoyed you to no end.

You were all huffd and puffs and glares and scoffs. Kept rolling your eyes at everyone a lot, too.

The only thing people were talking to you about was your flatmate. And you realised you didn’t really have answers to any of the questions they were asking you.

“What’s he working on now?” Not a clue. 

“A movie?” Maybe. 

“Or maybe a TV series?” Honestly, you didn’t know. 

You’d seen Joe rehearse lines, but you’d never gotten close enough to actually hear what he’d been saying, too scared he’d ask you to help him out and read lines with him, like your ex-boyfriend used to do.

“How long will he be staying?” Actually, you weren’t sure about that either. 

Joe’d said a month, but he’d also said six weeks. He could be halfway through his stay, or he could be walking out next week. 

What you did tell people, was that it was only temporary. 

He would leave as soon as they wrapped filming and saying that aloud to several family members made you miss Joe. 

Already. 

You could retch at yourself, it didn’t make any sense at all, but... that’s how you felt.

Cool time to realise it too, given your location and the people you were surrounded with.

Jesus.

“Why is he staying with you?” A rude question, but one that you’d started wondering yourself, now suddenly very aware that Joe could probably afford better accommodation for himself. 

One without a hag of a flatmate, for one.

“I’m sorry,” you mouthed at Joe who was held in a death grip by one of your cousins as she slurred words into his ear. 

Joe gave you a small smile before looking down, trying to focus on following whatever story he was being told by her. 

That protectiveness- no, possessiveness you felt when your best friend first met Joe and kept flirting, had found its way back into the pit of your stomach. 

Your cousin was a nice girl, but this didn’t sit right with you at all. When you caught Joe’s eye again, you nodded towards the garden, and you saw Joe excuse himself and wiggle free from what to him were stranger’s hands as he followed you out.

Outside, Joe took a deep breath and immediately reached for the packet of cigarettes in his pocket.

“Give me one,” you demanded and held your hand out. Joe froze for a second and eyed you curiously.

“You don’t smoke,”

“I’m a social smoker. We’re at a party. Give me one,” you sounded stressed out as you shook your open palm at him until he obliged and handed you a cigarette.

You made eye-contact as Joe held out a lit lighter for you to use, and Joe could feel your breath on his fingers.

“Your family’s nice,” he then said, after lighting his own cigarette. 

You scoffed at him. 

Sure, they were nice. To him, maybe.

“My family’s a lot, I think is what you meant to say,”

“Those aren’t mutually exclusive,” Joe laughed, and, you sort of felt bad for him.

“Honestly, I’m sorry, but I’ve tried warning you-”

“It’s fine,” Joe smiled warmly at you. “I’m having fun.” 

A silence fell where you both puffed at your cigarettes, and you took a few slow steps into the dark garden. 

“Are you?” Joe then asked, following you.

“Hmm… define fun,”

Another silence fell, and you could feel the air grow awkward between you. Then something clicked inside your head.

“So, Eddie Munson, was it? Are you... are you fucking serious, Joe? Eddie?” you referenced your cat. The one that had taken such a strong liking to Joe, you weren’t sure how he’d cope once Joe moved out.

Joe grinned.

“And you didn’t think to mention that at all?” you grew playful in your motions, reaching a small patio at the back of the garden, just beside the shed that still held your old bike.

“What would I have said?” Joe defended, and you agreed. “You asked a lot of questions, but my work didn’t come up, so I didn’t think it was important.”

True. You hadn’t even thought of asking him about his job until after he’d moved in already.

Joe was right, there was no way that chat could’ve gone well. 

You imagined Joe telling you about one of his characters and the only reaction you could think to have was to shove him out the door immediately. 

You’d have never let him move into your spare room had you known beforehand.

“Well... you could’ve at least let me know that my new flatmate’s been on covers of magazines and that,”

You tried to think how you had been able to not have known, and the answer was simple. You never really set foot outside of your flat with Joe. 

There’d been no way for you to see how others reacted to him. 

You also didn’t really consume much new media. You were still stuck watching romantic comedies from the 90s and early 2000’s whenever you felt like watching TV. Just, something about Hugh Grant and his stuttery, idiotic, beautiful self, you know?

“I did say I was an actor, and you’ve not exactly shown much interest to be fair,” Joe pointedly said before taking a long drag from his cigarette. 

You couldn’t help but think he was attractive like this. 

He was right. 

You’d very muchly refrained from asking questions about Joe’s profession, simply because you didn’t like what he did. You felt a pang of guilt; it would’ve been polite of you have at least asked some surface level questions.

“So,” Joe loudly said, blowing out smoke into the darkness. “I heard you have a type?”

You immediately wanted the ground to swallow you up.

“I don’t,” It was quick out of your mouth. 

For a second, you didn’t want to explain yourself further. Let him guess at what your stepmother had meant when she’d made the comment earlier. But Joe didn’t speak and gave you questioning eyes, and you succumbed far too easily to his silent pleads.

“My ex-boyfriend was an actor,” you winced, and it made Joe raise his eyebrows up high.

“Oh? Anything I would’ve seen him in?” it was a question Joe had gotten all night, and one that your brother had answered for him every single time. 

Joe now asking you the same thing made you laugh out loud.

“No. Well, there was the one Go Compare ad he did,” you thought back to how proud he’d been to land a TV ad. And then how pissed off he’d been when you’d made fun of him for it. 

Come on, Go Compare? It was the funniest thing you’d ever heard.

“But no, I don’t think so. It was a lot of long evenings reading lines with him and helping him do self-tapes, and then having to pay all of his bills because he wasn’t landing anything,” you took a sharp breath before sarcastically adding, 

“Great memories.”.

“Yea, well,” Joe pulled the corners of his mouth down and cocked his head to the side. “It’s a tough business.”

Another silence lingered. It was a little chilly outside, but you noticed that your body was glowing on the side closest to Joe. Good thing you were fairly sober still, otherwise you might have mistaken it for a crush.

“Hey-” Joe started. “Are you a good-” You spoke at the same time.

Both of you were interrupted by the patio doors opening.

“Shit,” you hissed and were quick to step behind the shed to hide.

“Hello?” someone called out as you were frantically waving over Joe to hide behind the shed with you. 

When he didn’t, you lurched forward, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into you until you were both out of sight of whatever family member had stepped into the garden. 

In the shadows, with two lit cigarettes still, you held a finger over your own mouth, signaling for Joe to keep quiet.

“What are we doing?” Joe whispered, but you made big angry eyes at him. 

You were stood very close together, and your grip on Joe’s collar remained strong. Joe could smell your perfume, and even though your eyes looked heated, what he could see of them in the dark looked beautiful. He could lie to himself and say he hadn’t noticed them before, but he had. Being so close to you now, kissing-distance, honestly, just meant he had no way of denying how beautiful he thought you looked.

“I thought I saw them step out,” your family member spoke to someone inside before the patio doors closed again and you sighed with relief.

“Thank God,” you let go of Joe and stepped around him to peek around the corner of the shed to see that you’d been left alone.

You looked back at Joe, who was giving you a look as if to say you'd gone insane.  

“They don’t know I smoke,” you simply said, and if Joe hadn’t gotten the full picture of your position within this family, this surely did it.

You finished the cigarette and looked around to see where you could hide the bud. You ended up throwing it over the hedge where you knew it’d land in an alleyway. 

“Give me another,” you then said, not ready to go back inside yet, and saw that Joe was still stood behind the shed, eyeing you from the shadow that made it hard for you to read his face.

“Are you sure you want to risk it? Might lose out on some pocket money if your dad sees,” Joe then said sarcastically holding one up for you.

You thought back to how your parents had gotten their best parenting in when they’d caught your older brother sneaking cigarettes into the house at sixteen. Ever since they you knew that you’d absolutely be in for it if they’d ever catch you with one. 

You knew it was weird that you operated on something you’d seen happen when you were nine years old, but, alas. It was what it was, and you could never let your family know you sometimes enjoyed inhaling literal tar.

You snatched the cigarette from his hands and noticed when you held out a hand for the lighter, that Joe wouldn’t just give it to you, didn’t just hand it over, but instead lit it again for you to lean in closer to him like he’d done before. 

It gave you a better look at his hands, and you felt the muscles in your stomach tighten. 

Oh, no.

Shit.

You took a long drag and hummed as you exhaled, trying your best to keep the air between you and Joe light and casual, ignoring whatever it was you felt brewing inside.

Because something was definitely brewing inside.

It was a good thing you hadn’t asked for a cigarette from Joe when he’d just moved in. You’d have developed a cough by now if you had.

“Am I a good what?” Joe suddenly asked.

“Huh?” you’d spoken too soon, because the second the word left your mouth, you knew what Joe meant. 

You were about to ask him something when you’d been interrupted by a family member stepping out into the garden.

“Oh, yes. Are you a good football player?” you asked, raising your eyebrows at him in question, face all serious, no hint of banter.

The question threw Joe off completely. 

Was this your idea of flirting?

“Because I’ll trade you for another player if you’re not.”

You hadn’t told Joe about the football game your family would always play on Sunday mornings. It was a rite of passage: Sunday mornings on the beach meant a game of football before you were allowed near the breakfast table. 

None of you were any good, but it was the one thing you always enjoyed when visiting your dad on a weekend. 

Even when you were hungover. 

Even when it would be shitty weather. 

Even when bloody injured – you thought back to a time when your uncle in a wheelchair with a broken foot had been forced to be a goalie on your team one time – whoever stayed the night on a Saturday would be called out of bed and be dragged out onto the sand the following Sunday to have a go at kicking a ball back and forth. 

You liked it even more because you knew your stepmother really didn’t like the tradition that your family had started when you were younger and your parents had still been together.

So, the next morning, when you were harshly awoken by your father opening your bedroom door and flicking on the lights to illuminate the two of you in your wooden bunkbeds, you hung your head over the side to look down at Joe in his bunk.

“Good morning,” you said through squinty eyes, hair cascading down the steps of the ladder. 

“You ready for this?”

You knew he wasn’t which, if anything, brought you great joy.

The skies were grey overhead, but it wasn’t cold at all, and bar a lone person walking their dog, you were the only ones on your patch of beach. You had decided you didn’t want to be on Joe’s team, but more so because you didn’t want to be on your brother’s team, and he insisted he wanted to play with Joe rather than against him.

One of your brother’s friends had made his way over too, and you decided that he could be your best teammate. 

Your brother immediately claimed the game was rigged as he put together the plastic tubes of one of the little goals, but you dad was quick to shut him up. 

For teams to be equal, you dad had been made the referee and you grinned at Joe from your side of the field before it all kicked off. 

Joe didn’t know what he was in for: none of your family were known to play a fair game. 

In fact, the aim was more to prevent the other team from playing a normal game of football at all. 

It was a game of football with rugby rules. Sort of. A contact sport, as far as all of you were concerned.

When both goals were in place, your dad threw the ball into the game and you were quick to launch yourself at your brother in order to take him out. 

Absolutely not what Joe was expecting to happen. 

Toppling over in the sand, Joe threw up both his hands at the two of you and looked at your father to see if he was going to say something. 

He didn't. 

This wasn’t how Joe thought you played football. 

But you wrestled your brother in the sand and shrieked at his friend when you saw a cousin dive for his ankles. 

Luckily, he was fast, and when his feet found the ball, was quick to score a goal. You cheered, and you saw your dad hold a hand towards your side of the make-shift field. 

“One, nill!”

“Get with it, Quinn,” you shouted, walking backwards to your side of the pitch, as you high-fived your teammates.

Joe caught on fast, though. 

This was a feral version of football; a weird mix of footy and rugby, but no rules, apparently. Very hands-on. 

It was how your family had played ever since you were little and you couldn't match up against the adults playing. You and your brother would just launch yourself at their feet and hold onto their legs until adults started hurling themselves at each other too. 

You were allowed to kick a ball into a goal whilst holding someone's limbs tightly against their body, trying to swipe their feet from under their body to take them down. 

You honestly believed this was how all football matches should be played - it was so much more fun than just kicking a ball across the beach feet only.

When you finally got hold of the ball midway through the game, Joe ran over and grabbed hold of both your arms behind you. Digging his feet in the sand and leaning back, he prevented you from taking any more steps, but you weren’t easy and wiggled your hands free. This prompted Joe to grab hold of your waist, and it only took a second for the two of you to hit the sand beneath you, screaming as you did.

You were laughing when Joe yelled for your brother who swiftly ran over and took the ball. 

“No!” you cried when your brother scored a goal, and Joe finally let go of you.

Joe got up and looked at you as you laid on your back still, completely out of breath, with pieces of hair stuck in your mouth. 

Still pretty, Joe thought, as he held out his hand for you to grab to help you up.

You’d forgotten how scraped up you could get from Sunday morning football on the beach. 

The amount of tackling and falling you’d done had really done a number on your knees and elbows, but it was all overlooked, because in the end your father concluded your team to be the winning one. 

Entirely unfair. 

For the last few goals, he hadn’t even been paying attention. 

It had resulted in a huge pile up on top of your dad, after which no one argued as you all made your way back to the house for breakfast high on endorphins. 

Joe wondered why you disliked your family so much - this was the most fun he'd had in a good while.

When back at the house, you noticed Joe’s knees looked worse for wear too.

“Come on, we need to get the sand out,” you said and nodded your head for him to follow you up the stairs to the bathroom. 

“Any more scraped knees?” you called, not to make it too weird that you’d be slipping off to upstairs with Joe by yourself, but no one else joined you. 

Both still fully dressed, you stepped into the bath and used the shower head to rinse your legs free from sand, doing your very best not to get your clothes wet. 

For a second you thought Joe was going to fuck around and spray you, but the look you gave him, along with a stern, “Don’t!” made him reel it back in.

One of your knees in particular looked gnarly. There were a bunch of tiny little scrapes on your skin that, all clustered together, made quite the patch.

“I hope you weren’t planning on wearing a dress today,” Joe commented when he saw you dab at it with a facecloth.

“Huh?” Why should he care what you wore today?

“For your date, tonight?” Joe said kindly, his voice soft in case you didn’t want your family to hear.

“Oh.” 

You then realized you’d completely forgotten about your neighbour Tom. 

“Yea.”

  ---

The Taglisted: @ghostinthebackofyourhead @kiwisa @jasminearondottir @josephquinned @cancankiki @sidthedollface2 @dylanmunson @munsonsgirl71 @alana4610 @emmamooney @xomunson @sadbitchfangirl @jssmth5 @nobody-000 @thatonefan-girl @paola-carter @eddiemunsonfuxks @figmentofquinn @haylaansmi  @thewondernanazombie @hellowhatthehellisgoingonhere @munsonmunster @kellysimagines @thefemininemystiquee  - add yourself  

[lilithsslut]

What do people think about you? 🔮

Pick the crystal that you’re drawn to the most. ✨🦋 then take what resonates.

Pile 1: Citrine 🍊

People feel drawn to you, once they meet you they sort of notice everything going right, you’re very good at getting what you want & everything you manifest usually happens. They see you as someone who’s easy to talk to & someone everyone likes , you stand your ground and you’re not afraid to be completely blunt & make someone cry if they deserve it. You always stick up for what you believe In and you don’t hold back, if someone disrespects you or anyone you love you’re not afraid to tell them to shut up and put them in their place, you may even just walk away at times and think to your self “I don’t have to take this shit” you know your worth & people can see that. People view you as someone very rare and unique, a huge catch. It may have taken you a while to be the person you are today and you didn’t always stand in your power like you do today, you longed to be where you are now, and now people long to be like you, you inspire others. You choose your friends wisely, though so many people do like you you like your peace and so you are careful about who you give your energy to, energy and vibes mean everything to you, and you have a good judge of character and you know what you like in people and have no problem setting boundaries and cutting people off over just one mistake. That’s why people feel almost lucky to know you, and those closest to you feel the luckiest. They’re wondering why you even give them the time of day, they feel special tht you love them.

Pile 2: Serpentine 🌿

People think you are kind of stubborn but it’s what they like about you, you’re not afraid to walk alone, and be the only one who believes in something. You are a focused person and when you put your mind to something you get it done, you’re kind hearted and people can depend on you. When people need help or advice or a friend they know that you’ll be there for them in all aspects, no matter what. You’re a true friend, and you know how to connect with people on a deeper level and sort of put your self in their shoes to try and understand them more and people love that about you; that you pour so much of yourself in them. people see you as a motherly figure, you’re mature, and you’re very feminine, and you just always have the best advice. sometimes you need a break, from all the pressure of being the “wise” one and you just wanna take a break from it all, but that doesn’t last long before you’re back up again and doing what needs to be done for the sake of the people you love & you don’t mind being seen this way and helping people like i said sometimes you need to give yourself a break. You’re a healer. And when people are around you they feel good. You’re intuition is unmatched, you’re very spiritual and possibly psychic, you have a good judge of character, and you can smell peoples intentions. You know when someone is draining you of your energy and sometimes you need that motherly figure in your life, but you don’t wanna step out of that role and not be seen as the “wise” one, sometimes people feel like because of your stubborness that they can’t help you, and they feel helpless as a friend. Let people help you from time to time. You don’t need to be see as the “wise” or “mature” one 24/7. Let people take care of you. In relationships too.

✨Take what resonates ✨ and comment below if this did resonate with you:) Thankyou!!!

Message me for a free reading!

-Lyla Moon 🌙

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

cw: mentions of David & Paul Rowland, past abusive relationship (only mentioned, but still)

Crystal taking down Brad&Hunter and both an argument with Charles&their growing friendship. Also background pining Payneland/Palasaki because duh

If Edwin's crowning achievement in shutting-down-dickery is Paul's Palace, Crystal's is the Dragon Den.

The Dragon Den was an absolute fucking waste of space of a restaurant run by multiple frat bros with more money than common sense and more dick than brain. It's the sort of place that Crystal would have hated on principle alone and would have enjoyed writing a scathing review of to begin with.

Then Crystal saw how the owners- some dickwad ex-jock types named Brad and Hunter- treated their head chef, Shelby, and their maitre'd, Maren- and she knew she would fucking relish tearing them a new asshole.

Brad and Hunter, true to their frat origins, are the most casual type of misogynistic asshole to their girlfriends (who also work for them, yikes power dynamics) as well as the rest of their staff, and though their reputation in the neighborhood is stellar as some of the "good old boys," Crystal fucking eviscerated them in her review, for neglecting food safety and not using fresh ingredients and their abhorrent staff treatment and basically anything and everything she could get her hands on. It might have been a tick overboard, as Edwin might say, but she'll be damned if she doesn't get that shit shut the fuck down.

There's just one problem, and it comes from the most unlikely of places: Charles Rowland himself.

"That last review you left was a bit harsh, Crystal," Charles says, "Those guys were just trying to start a new business."

Crystal spins on him. He and Edwin are over at her and Niko's apartments, ready to discuss the set-up for filming the show. (Well, that's supposed to be what they're doing. Charles and Edwin are steadfastedly ignoring the tension between them and pretending that they aren't both head-over-heels in love with each other, as is their usual MO, while Crystal is herself pretending like the touch of Niko's knee against hers on Niko's pink sofa is not sending electric shocks up her skin, as is her usual MO.) "What the fuck about that was 'too harsh?'" she asks, eyes narrowing. "Why the hell are you defending them?"

"I mean, they're just trying to start a business of their own, right?" Charles says, "Two best mates, starting out a new business venture." And he's not looking at Edwin, except he's always looking at Edwin, because they're dual suns orbiting each other, tied together by a shared gravitational orbit, and god, tell Crystal that he's not projecting the state of the very-much-a-relationship-in-all-but-name he has with Edwin onto the fucked up situation that Brad and Hunter have going on at the Dragon's Den, because Crystal knows Charles Rowland well enough by now to understand that he is, fundamentally, one of the good guys. One of the best guys she's ever known, when he's not shoving his foot into his own mouth.

"And that's an excuse to be a dick to women and waiters?" Crystal prods.

"Of course not," Charles scoffs, and thank god she wasn't that wrong on her evaluation of him. "But not everyone is your dick of an ex-boyfriend, Crystal."

There is something that splinters inside of Crystal. David doesn't get talked about by anyone. Even she and Edwin don't mention him, with Edwin knowing by now how to walk around the topic save on those few nights where they both get drunk enough to bitch about their parents and their lives before they were friends and drinking games devolve into complaining about the passions that they once clung to that were ruined by horrible parents and abusive exs that they are slowly learning to enjoy again.

At least Charles seems to realize that he's put his fucking foot in it, because he does grimace, but that's not enough. He dragged the worst part of her life out into the open and then pointed at it and accused her of letting it crowd her opinion.

"Are you calling my fucking objectivity as a critic into question?" Crystal bites, and the only reason she's not ripping his head off and feeding it to the fucking snakes is because she knows, distantly, that Charles is a good guy. He is, by this point, her friend. But that doesn't mean that he has the right to say shit like that. "You're a sweet guy, Charles Rowland, but just because just because I have had a shit love life up until now doesn't mean that I can't do my fucking job, anymore than you can't do your job as a chef because your daddy was a dick." Charles bristles at that, the brightness in his smile dropping away into something that makes his eyes burn like the sun- not kind, not warming, but a solar flare, burning in its anger. "Where the actual fuck to you get off?"

"Oi, don't bring my dad into this," Charles says, his lips twisting, and Crystal is about to shoot back with more poison, more daggers, because how else is she supposed to defend her reputation, her career, that one pride she has, or that fleshy, vulnerable organ she calls her heart-

"If I may intercede," Edwin says, and his hand twitches as if he's about to take Charles' hand, because that's what his hands always do, and Crystal has to wonder if the moment their hands touch ungloved if Edwin's brain just might explode. She sure hopes not- he might be wearing gloves in the restaurant kitchen for food safety, the only time she's ever seen him pair nitrile with that blazer and sweater vest of his, but on camera there won't be a single glove involved and she has seen, at least once, just how close Charles gets when teaching Edwin how to cook. "This review is bringing up feelings that are perhaps better resolved after today's meeting?"

"Fine," Crystal grits out, and she and Charles don't glare at each other for the rest of the meeting, but that's because they're not looking at each other at all.

---

After the meeting is over, Niko drags Edwin off to watch Scooby-Doo, leaving Charles and Crystal together in the living room. Crystal is still slightly on edge, smarting from Charles questioning everything that she's built her life on, but when Charles moves to sit on the sofa next to her- thankfully with enough sense to leave a couple of feet between them- his expression is half-apologetic.

"Listen," Charles says, "I'm sorry for accusing you of like, not doing your job right. You're pretty brills as a reviewer, Crystal."

Crystal deflates. "I shouldn't have brought up your father." She tilts her head, unable to resist a knock at the man, though: "Though he was a fucking dick."

Charles flashes a tired but true smile. "He really bloody was."

"It's just...you hit a really sore spot. David- the only person who I've ever really talked about him with is Edwin, and that's because Edwin was the only person who didn't let me push him away when I was with David, because he's the most stubborn bitch around."

Charles laughs. "Edwin really is the most stubborn person I know," he says, but he doesn't say it in the friendly, fond way that Crystal does- he says it in the sort of adoring way that Crystal knows she talks about Niko's cleverness to people who underestimate her, talking about Edwin like a prayer made flesh, a miracle sewn into a human's form. Crystal and Charles really are a matched pair, in that way, people broken into shards by the people who hurt them who pieced themselves back together in order to become something stronger.

"You're lucky to have him," Crystal says.

"I know," Charles says softly, and it sounds like I love him.

And something in Crystal's heart must have healed more than she thought it did because she can't help herself from adding: "And he's lucky to have you, too, you know."

Charles' face lights up, and he's back to being the sun again, not the solar flares, but the gentle sunrise, breaking gold and pink and orange across the horizon, painting the world with light. "You think so?"

Crystal nods. "You're not half-bad," she says, and Charles grins as he pulls Crystal into a hug.

Crystal has more friends now than she did years ago- she has Edwin, and Niko, and Jenny (even if she's not a hugger)- but Crystal still sinks into the hug as if it's been ages since her last one, because leaving David and being raised by the world's most distant parents taught her never to take a hug for granted.

And god does Charles Rowland give the warmest of hugs.

---

The Dragon's Den closes within the month. Shelby and Maren move in together, though it takes Maren a month longer than Shelby to dump her asshole of an ex-boyfriend. Maren can finally go back to school while only having to work a part-time job as a Niko's new assistant- because Shelby's new job working as Charles' sous chef pays enough of the bills.

Restaurant owner / chef Charles / Food critic Edwin AU - continued!!!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to say what an incredible experience it has been seeing the chef Charles/food critic Edwin AU be so amazingly received and to have so many incredible writers collaborating with me on this! I expected the idea to get a few notes and peter out but it has taken on a life of its own and I couldn't be happier. I may or may not have gotten quite emotional about it, actually. It is truly such a joy to see everyone's different styles, writerly voices, and insights into all the different aspects of this story come together in such a beautiful synthesis to celebrate culture, food, found family, healing, and of course, the characters. <3 I'm so so so so beyond floored and honored to be working with y'all, and seeing where it continues to go! Thank you for "yes and"-ing - you are all brills!!!

Anyway, the previous reblog chain was getting SUPER long thanks to everyone's contributions (<3) so I'm gonna start a second reblog chain for everyone to reblog from!

You can read the AU from the beginning here!

The masterpost for the AU is here!

[kittydemon9000]

so. the ninjago city gardens set has this image

it doesnt have kai. if u were to write anything regarding it, what would u write

So.....holy shit this ask is old. It’s just kinda been chilling in my drafts for literally months so might as well finish it-

okay so before I get into it, lemme just say that sjhdfbvhdvbfs 1) poor Nya and Wu being in the back like that and 2) Zane looks about ready to snap and commit Homicide

Also this is gonna be a sort of Tangled AU, and have Plasma, and I believe this will be my second ninjago au I’ve ever made with romance.....huh.

MOVING ON, so the first thing I see from this is Time Travel Shenanigans

Since the Time Twins never actually were defeated, they’re perfect for this. So let’s say they’re sent far into the past, like far. Maybe a few years after the FSM created Ninjago level far.

However, instead of trying to take over this world instead, they decide they’d rather commit revenge.

So they snatch the Realm Crystal, merge it with the time blades they have, and travel through time, space and the multiverse. They then went and decided to mess with the ninja’s past, specifically Kai and Nya’s because Krux is salty about Ray and Maya and both are salty about the sib’s role in their defeat.

So they go back in time, able to land in a few months before Krux does his thing, and sneak into their house and kidnap Kai while they're sleeping. They wanted to get Nya too but Ray was actually awake and working on something and walked in on them doing it and tried to fight them, but was unfortunately not able to save him.

This ofc, changes a hell of a lot.

For one thing, Ray and Maya move immediately. Like, they pack up everything essential and leave only a note behind saying they’re fine, but not specifying where they’re heading. Because of the fight that occurred, Ray recognized Acronix, realizes the other was probably Krux, add in that they also wanted Nya, and decide to book it to the Monastery since they know Wu will provide them with protection. This results in Wu sending notes to every EM he knows, whether they have kids or not, that Krux and Acronix were back and kidnapped one of the EM’s children,  and that it would be best for them to meet up to discuss the possible danger and countermeasures.

Surprisingly, almost every member shows up. The only ones missing are the Masters of Ice and Lightning(they are aware Ice passed it on to someone, but the don’t know who. Lightning died years ago but her husband gave her son away to someone they don’t know and are trying to track them down). Even the EM of Earth showed up despite her declining health with Lou and a little Cole in tow. Most of the other Master’s would be anywhere from their late teens to young adults, with about half bringing the previous Master with them.

Now, Garmadon isn’t fully evil yet, and this new threat definitely helps. Since he has a clear enemy to fight and(mostly) good influences around him that help curb his more malicious tendencies, it slows down the process a bit.

Everyone feels varying emotions that range from sadness to burning rage about Kai’s kidnapping, especially because they think it’s because Ray and Maya were the ones to forge the blades and I mean.....they’re not completely wrong.

So yeah, fast forward a year and the Elemental Alliance is back in business, especially after a few more sightings and fights of the Twins, but unfortunately no Kai.

The EM’s, especially the younger ones but especially Cole(who, excluding Nya, is by far the youngest), become pretty protective of Nya. They teach her how to defend herself and how to use most weapons, as well as training her to be able to use either of her parent’s element. She’s basically their little sister and they would do almost anything to her(canon kai would be so proud)

A few more years pass and they end up finding Zane and Jay, and then Lloyd is born. They’re able to mostly curb Garmadon’s decent into evil, with a mix of magic teas and interacting with the children. I mean, in canon he basically tried to save Ninjago for his son, what would happen if he had 20ish young children/students looking up to him.

But now a quick bounce back to Kai.

The Time Twins keep him hidden far away, deep underground. Pretty much Mother Gothel Style.

But anyway, into the specifics.

Both twins say how they found him passed out in an empty house and decided to bring him here and say there was no sign of his family. At first, he’s convinced something happened to his parents, but as time goes by and he starts to forget, as well as some lying from the Twins he starts to think they left him behind. Eventually he ends up taking a new name as well: Kronos

Krux is extremely distant with Kronos, only really interacting with him during “family dinners” which Acronix insists on.

Acronix usually spends the most time just hanging out with him. Whenever new tech comes out he’ll steal borrow some and bond over it’s uses. Acronix actually gave him his own phone which they keep secret from Krux.

While Acronix could be considered the “nicer” one, I took them teetering on the morality line from canon and cranked it way up. Krux is just flat out abusive and an asshole(when he’s around) while Acronix can keep up his Caring Older Guardian facade while locking Kronos in his room for days and act like he’s just doing it for his own good.

As for what Kronos does in his spare time, it’s a mix of online classes, tinkering with various, but much more traditional, kinds of tech and inventions(like httyd Hiccup style) and watching various shows and movies(that the Twins approve of, of course. don't want him getting any ideas), with occasionally looking on Tumblr, because it was my first(and basically only) social media and what cued me in on some things I thought were normal that weren’t. Am I projecting a bit? Maybe so.

But the slow realization doesn’t happen until around the time of when the pilots would occur.

Also, as for what happens to this timeline/universe’s Krux......he was dealt with.

Kronos actually met Jay a few years prior on the site and started bonding over their shared love for Starfarer. They started messaging, sharing theories and talking about new and old movies/episodes/comics and such.

ScrapTrap listened whenever Kronos would rant about something his “uncle” did that made him upset.

TheTimeTinker was there to comfort Jay when he found out he was adopted and his birth father essentially abandoned him.

Kronos spent many nights awake after conversations with ScrapTrap, his only unfiltered view into the outside world, and would start to think beyond the boundaries the Twins had set for him.

Jay spent many nights awake after conversations with TheTimeTinker, who only made him worry more after every glimpse he had of his life.

Eventually Jay asks if Kronos would like to meet in real life.

Kronos says he’ll ask his uncles.

Which goes......as expected.

There’s a whole “YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THIS PLACE!!!! EVER!!!!” like in Tangled

He later learns that the two are going to be out for a week.

That night he messages Jay that he’d love to meet him next week.

And so, he sneaks out.

And him meeting Jay goes really well. It’s nice to be able to actually talk to someone other than his uncles and for the first time in a long time he feels free.

They meet up a few more times after that, with Jay even bringing along Zane, Cole, and Nya. He and Nya actually spend a solid minute staring at each other, but neither know why they’re so familiar.

But things don’t stay perfect for long.

One time Jay invites him to Ed and Edna’s and they accidentally fell asleep.

When Kronos wakes up he panics and bolts out, saying he’ll message him when he gets home.

He never does.

He completely disappears from online after that.

This ofc, very much worries Jay, to the point where he brings it up to the others, who after being given the run down on about his own concerns about Kronos’s home life, all agree that’s sketchy as hell.

Uunfortunately they realize they can’t do much. They have no way of finding him, nor can they really do anything.

It’s not until two months later they hear about him again.

The EMs just came back from an attempted raid at what they figured out was the Time Twin’s base. Only it wasn’t just the two of them, there was also a third person. A kid, who matches the age frame of when Kai was kidnapped.

The squad was actually listening in on them when they were talking about it, and learned the Twins gave Kai a new name. Kronos.

Cue a silent freak out from the squad and them getting ready to launch their own rescue mission.

[sonderastrology]

🌙🌈✨Astrology Notes✨☄️🌟

*Based on things I’ve noticed about different placements as a Leo sun/Virgo moon/Capricorn rising... these notes may not resonate for everyone but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles baby* MADE BY SONDERASTROLOGY

🧿I see the people I’m close with more as their moon sign with a dash of their sun, almost as if the placements were reversed. This is because the moon sign is sort of hidden at first whereas the sun sign is the core energy. When you befriend or love someone, the moon sign (emotions, mental processes) is slowly uncovered and in my opinion, takes over the general energy of the sun. Of course, all signs, houses, and aspects are important... this is just the way I look at it idk.

🧿Everyone needs a best friend with the same rising sign as your moon sign... they just *get* you.

🧿Also having friends with the same mars sign as you is so important! They can hype you up like no other and vice versa.. your vibes just click.

🧿I’ve noticed that people with opposite sun signs but rising signs in the same element take AMAZING pictures together. For example; A Pisces sun w a Leo rising and a Virgo sun w a Sagittarius rising would make eachother look bomb in photos.

🧿Pisces, cancer, Virgo, and libra placements are proned to being stalked and hit on by weird men... I’ve seen it too many times, protect yourselves!!!

🧿People always tell me that they were intimidated by me at first or even “scared”, and that I give off a bitchy vibe. My placements that indicate this?Capricorn rising (Uranus, Neptune, Lilith in 1st house), Leo venus and Virgo moon in my 8th house, Scorpio MC, Scorpio and Pluto in my 11th house. Other placements that can have this effect: Aries, Scorpio, Aquarius, and Earth signs in personal planets/MC/Rising signs. Personal planets aspecting mars, Pluto, saturn, sometimes Neptune, and Lilith. Mars/Aries, Saturn/Capricorn Pluto/Scorpio in the 1st, 2nd, 7th, 10th, 11th house. 8th house placements and Chart Ruler in the 8th, 10th, and maybe 12th house. There’s definitely a whole lot more placements not just these.

🧿Aquarius/Air dominant people (esp mixed with fire) along with an array of other placements I’m sure, have a VERY hard time with forced structure and routine... it brings out their rebellious nature.My best friend from high school is an Aquarius Sun Gemini Moon (with an Aries mars), and she DESPISED going to school for 7 hours a day, she just couldn’t do it. She would skip school all the time and eventually enrolled in night school. Same went for my other friend who was a Sag sun Gemini moon, both of them would act TF out in class. They’d fight with teachers, the principle, other students... and I really believe it was due to the forced schedules and the power dynamic between teachers and students in high school. The Aquarius sun person is my best friend today, and she’s one of the smartest people I know. Just because you weren’t “good” at school does NOT mean you aren’t smart. Fuck the system is an air sign BRAND.

🧿I’ve noticed A LOT of Gemini sun, moon, and rising people have light shades of hair... mostly blonde or dirty blonde.

🧿I’ve met 4 people born on the 28th of the month and all of them are incredibly beautiful... no matter what sign. Same goes for July Leo’s although I’ve noticed that they’re more arrogant and self centered than August Leo’s who are more generous and outgoing

🧿Your Jupiter sign can help you work with law of attraction and manifestation more effectively. If you have Jupiter in an air sign, try manifesting things by; writing it down, saying it out loud, visualization, and meditation. If you have Jupiter in a fire sign; manifest under the sun, write out a plan even if it’s unrealistic. If you want money, hold even a penny or a dollar and act as if it’s the amount you want. Act as if everything you want is already yours. If you have Jupiter in an earth sign; manifest while doing yoga or on a walk. Manifest outside or read/listen to positive affirmations. Jupiter in a water sign; manifest using crystals and rocks with guidance from tarot. Manifest through the arts and hobbies; draw what you want or make a song. Something where you can use your creativity. *All of these methods for manifestation are effective for all of the signs I just think that certain ways can help certain signs more*

🧿Based off of people I’ve met, air risings aren’t as friendly and bubbly as you’d think they’d be when you first meet them. Even their vibe seems nervous and closed off at first; standing with arms crossed, shoulders inward, I dont know just sort of shy. Once they open up a bit more then their weird side comes out and they become more goofy and carefree. I think air signs of all placements struggle deeply with anxiety even though they are often portrayed as outgoing and quirky, which they are but a thin viel covers it. No matter what, air placements keep an open mind and I’ve always felt like I could be myself around them.

🧿Libra placements are known for disliking confrontational disputes but I’ve noticed that these are the same people to whisper nasty things under their breathe when you start to walk away from an argument... they have you whip back around like “do you have something to say?!”

🧿I’ve seen this before and imo it’s true! Signs in the 8th house rule addictions... I saw someone post that having a water sign in the 8th house could indicate addictions to liquid, more specifically; caffeine and alcohol. Being addicted to something is in other words creating a bond with it- water signs are naturally bonded with liquid so it makes sense that their prone to being addicted to them. Water signs occupying the 8th house might always drink water or have water with them. Since the 8th house also rules finances to an extent, most of their money might go to coffee, drinks, beach vacations etc. For fire signs over the 8th house, they could be addicted and/or spend a lot of money on smoking, spicy foods, or anything that gives them a rush; rollercoasters, haunted houses, skydiving or even drugs like esctacy/cocaine... anything that gives them that thrill or lights a match in their stomach. Earth signs in the 8th house may be addicted to physical things; money, work, food, looks,... things that give them value or that call on their senses and ego. They could hoard/collect items such as coins, cars, beauty products, etc., or generational items passed down... due to bonding with things that they can bulid/see/show off overtime. They are very attached to the physical because as an earth sign it feeds their ego and value, like a tree growing in soil. Money could mostly go to eating, gambling, plastic surgery, materialistic stuff. They could be addicted to buying things and selling them for a higher price. Air signs occupying the 8th house could point to spending a lot of money on or being addicted to technology or all things ‘relevant’. These individuals might be addicted to their phones/social media and the attention they get from it. These people are always posting stories throughout the day or online shopping or even just browsing different apps. They’re addicted to getting information via books, the internet, and through talking to other people... oftentimes these individuals are very good at making money through the internet (depending on other placements ofc). They may spend a lot of money on books, new gadgets, music, tattoos and puzzles. These people are addicted to all things new! They have a thirst for knowledge and experiences and will seek it out effectively. 🧿When I look at a person’s birth chart, whatever gender, I especially pay close attention to their Mars sign and house. To me, Mars represents the overall energy and vibe a person gives off and the house placement is where it’s most naturally acted out. For example ; Aries Mars in the 6th house. Aries Mars person would give off a hyper, motivated, impulsive energy. Physically this could manifest as shaking their leg while sitting, quick movements,standing/walking instead of sitting down, gives off a more to the point and carefree attitude (keep in mind all of this is affected by many other aspects and placements in a chart). Being in the 6th house, ruling day to day routine, health, how we act at work, etc., this means that the Aries Mars characteristics are more prominent during work and day to day rituals (quicker to learn, effectively performing daily tasks, gets shit done, or they could get into arguments at work easily, constantly rush around, might be stubborn about seeing a doctor/health professional, might be more prone to getting headaches at work or in general) again, depending on the rest of the chart

[griffintail]

I love all the parental stuff you write, it’s all so amazing!! And I may have been thinkin about it a lot while at work, and I originally wrote this idea/prompt thing down on some receipt paper, but anyway!!

Y’know how Dream manipulated Tommy during Exile? Well, how would Dream react if a similar thing happened to his own child? If his child had been taken from him somehow, and is made to believe that no one loved or cared about them, that they had to behave a certain way if they wanted any smidge of affection, etc.? Like the kid, when Dream’s gotten them back that is, is obviously touch starved and sleep deprived and so many other things, but they don’t mention any of it because they’d been explicitly told doing so wasn’t allowed?

About how many pieces would Dream’s heart shatter into? I must know.

-Signed Angsty Anon from a Fast Food Joint🍔🍟

That’s a mood, I have an actual notebook I have at work to write work stuff...I write more in it about my prompts than my work stuff. I hope it’s to your satisfaction!

Little Terror

Pairings: Parental Dream x F! Reader

Part 2

WARNINGS! : TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, IMPLIED ABUSED, MANIPULATION, BLOOD, IMPLIED VIOLENCE

DO NOT READ IF THESE MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE AND/OR CAUSE A TRIGGER!

       (Y/N) was Dream’s kid. Dream didn’t have to worry, that’s what he told himself.

        When she wanted to go with that…boy…he knew she’d beat the shit out of him if he got out of line. He taught her how to do that. She assured him though, there would be no need for that. They were in love and they’d be ok.

        He should have listened to his fucking instincts. He knew he should have.

        He found out by accident what was going on.

        Dream trusted his little girl, she’d be ok, she was strong…but she was still his little girl and George and Sapnap were about to break Dream’s neck if they heard one more time how Dream was worried.

        So.

        The three of them went to where the pair had moved out. Dream remembered letting his little princess move away.

        “I’ll be fine daddy.” She gave her sweet laugh as she slung her inventory bag on her shoulder. “Trent’s a good guy.”

        “I just wish you’d let me meet the boy.” Dream huffed, his mask on top of his head.

        “He lives so far away; I don’t want to force him to come all the way here and you need to keep everyone in check.” She grinned, a sparkle in her eye. “I’ll write, I promise. I know if I don’t Uncle George will cry.”

        Dream laughed quietly as he nodded. “Yeah, he would. Just, be careful out there, alright sweetheart?”

        (Y/N) put a hand on her sword. “I’m not the little terror for nothing.”

        It had been so sudden but she wanted to be close to this boy she had started dating. She hadn’t written though as of late and he had begun to worry when for a few months, it just didn’t come. That’s what sent them out with Eret in charge.

        “Come on, she’ll be fine.” Sapnap nudged him, hands in his pockets. “She’s your little terror.”

        Dream smiled lightly behind his mask. “Yeah. We’ll see there’s nothing…I just worry and I have been missing her.”

        Three-day travel on foot, they made it to the village where (Y/N) said this guy lived on the outskirts of. It wasn’t hard to find the larger house outside the village and they came up, Dream knocking on the door. It took a moment but the door opened, (Y/N) looking at him, but…it didn’t look like his little girl. Her eyes were dull, with no spark to them as bags were collected under them. She had no smile on her face either but everything looked perfect and trim about her.

        Her eyes went wide seeing Dream’s eyes as his mask was on the side of his face, sputtering.

        “You…I—You don’t trust me?” She questioned.

        Thousands of alarm bells were going off in his head and a thousand more went off after her words.

        “What? Of course, I do (Y/N).” He gave her a light smile. “I just missed my princess, so did Sapnap and George.” He motioned to the men behind him. “So, we came to surprise you, surprise.”

        She didn’t hold any sort of excitement in her eyes. Trent’s words echoed in her head as she watched the man in front of her.

        If he really loved you, he’d trust you to be ok with me. Right? Because I love you and I trust you.

        “I…I think it’s best if you guys leave.” She muttered.

        Dream stood there as Sapnap and George were looking at each other in shock.

        “Why? We came out here to see—” As he spoke Dream reach a hand over to put it on her shoulder but she flinched back from him and all movement and thought stopped.

        She flinched from him. Why would she flinch from him?

        Dream had seen men flinch from him before; Tommy, Wilbur, most of the L’Manberg people did after the war. But that was because he hurt them…

        “What happened?” Dream asked carefully.

        “I-I-I don’t-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She sputtered, her mind running rapidly.

        She couldn’t tell him, that was the number one rule!

        “(Y/N), it’s me. Dream, dad. I’m here.” He spoke carefully. “What, happened?”

        “What’s going on here?” Dream heard from behind him and (Y/N) shrank back behind the door slightly.

        Dream didn’t not like the picture he was making and the tall, lanky man appearing did not help matters. The man was slightly taller than Dream but Dream slipped on his mask as he was anything but intimidated.

        “You Trent?” Dreamed asked, stepping forward.

        Trent looked to (Y/N) and then back to the man coming towards him.

        “Yeah, what’s it to you?”

        “I’m her father and I want to know what the hell you’ve been doing with her?”

        Sapnap stood a few steps behind Dream as George stood by the door.

        “I have no idea what you’re talking—”

        Dream simply shoved the man and he fell over. The masked man stood over him, his hands on his hips.

        “What, did you do, to my little girl?”

        Trent tried to kick Dream’s leg but Dream was quick to react, sidestepping his foot and instead stepping on the other man’s chest and putting his sword point to his throat.

        “(Y/N).” Dream looked over at her, lifting his mask up enough to smile at her. “Go get your stuff, George will help you.”

        She hesitated by the door as George stepped towards her carefully.

        “Come on kid,” George said quietly to her and she nodded slowly.

        She walked inside, Dream sliding his mask on as he grinned sinisterly behind it as he tilted his head as he looked at the man under his foot.

        “Now, why don’t we have a little chat?” Dream laughed.

        George was very careful not to make too fast of movements after seeing her flinch at Dream. He helped her pack the few things she had; George was concerned as he felt like she had less than what she actually left with. As he gathered everything up, he also saw how little she had in the way of personal belonging, such as pictures. The most significate thing he didn’t see was her old mask and that concerned him greatly. The color-blind man was worried about what Dream would do.

        The pair came out, George carrying her bags to see Dream without his mask on, his hands in his hoodie pockets as Sapnap smirked next to him with no Trent in sight. George could spot the small bit of blood under the cuff of Dream’s sleeve. There was no blood on his weapons, so it was safe to assume he had used his actual hands and the other man was probably alive but he was never going to be the same.

        “Hey sweetheart, let’s go home.” Dream smiled gently as he nodded his head.

        Her hands twitched but she walked beside the three of her family members. Dream was on her right as George was on her left and Sapnap behind the group. The group of them walked in silence towards the Dream SMP land. As night started to drop, Sapnap and George made camp, and Dream and (Y/N) sat by the campfire.

        When the two other men were going for firewood, Dream looked as (Y/N), who was playing with the end of her shirt.

        “I don’t know what he did.” Dream said and she jumped slightly, making him frown deeply. “And you don’t have to tell me right away, but I’m here sweetheart. I’m never going to leave you alone again.”

        She hugged herself as she looked around at their surroundings, expecting Trent to come out of anywhere.

        “I’m not supposed to talk about it.” She whispered. “But did you come because you loved me?”

        “Of course, I did.” He assured her and she hugged herself tighter. “Can I hug you, kiddo?”

        “I-I-I-” She stuttered.

        He carefully scooted over and first put a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened and Dream waited before he pulled her into a hug. With the hug, her entire body relaxed, having missed such a loving feeling. She started to sob and he pulled her into his lap and hugged her as tight as he could.

        His little girl, she was so broken. He didn’t know how that lanky, bitch boy managed to break her but he did. Dream ran a hand through her hair as he rocked the both of them as his heart was broken seeing his little girl like this.

        “It’s ok princess, I’ll make all this right.” He muttered. “I’m so sorry this happened, I’ll make it right.”

        He hated himself. He should have gone with her the first day she left. He should have done anything! He had to make this right now and he’d do everything in his power to bring her back. To make everything right.

 ....

        George and Sapnap came back seeing Dream holding a now sleeping (Y/N) as close as he could. Their friend looked so heartbroken as he held her.

        “I should have killed him.” Dream said. “No one else will ever get away with doing this to her. Are we clear?”

        The two other men shared a look before nodding to Dream.

        “Crystal.”

        Dream wouldn’t let this happen again and it was going to be a long time till he managed to fix his mistake.

[agenthemingway]

this is exactly the kind of answer he was expecting to hear and, to be fair, this is the energy hemingway probably should be sharing. supposedly, he's one of the responsible ones so instead of playing bartender, he should be telling everyone to watch it, maybe keep tabs on who's just got their first drink down and who's about to get cut off. and any other day, he probably would but it's his birthday and so hemingway's allowed a little leeway. a night off from all the babysitting that nobody even asked for.

"you could try but i'm not sure how enthusiastic everyone's gonna be about the reminders. maybe we're better off being sneaky about it. just put water bottles everywhere," he says, only half-joking. "or we can just leave them to their own devices. it's a party after all."

when faulkner acknowledges the elephant in the room, namely the giftbag hemingway noticed the second the other agent walked into the kitchen, his smile grows even brighter. he did say that gifts aren't necessary when he invited everyone but who doesn't love a birthday present, come on. "ah, shit, you really didn't have to," he still says as he takes the glasses out of the bag. "these are beautiful, thank you." and just like that, he's starting to feel like he might shed a tear or two—they'd be happy tears, obviously, but he feels like any sort of crying would ruin the whole thing. so he looks up, blinks the tears away. works well enough.

hemingway gives faulkner another smile, just one more way of saying thank you and then clears his throat. "what are you drinking, though?" he asks as he sets the glasses down in the sink so he can rinse them. "i can make you a non-alcoholic something or just ... well, water."

"why, thank you. in another life, i'm a world famous performer. sold-out shows, all the time," he jokes as he dries the gifted glasses. "or me and fitz start that jazz band he's always talking about." hemingway looks over faulkner's shoulder, his eyes scanning the room until they land on fitzgerald, deep in conversation with another one of their teammates; hemingway smiles and then turns his attention back to faulkner. "but either way, the audience here is worth more than any music career could get me. i'll give you guys the opening act."

"oh, you're onto something here," he laughs. hemingway's still talking to faulkner and tending to his gift at the same time—he's finally arrived at the last step, which is pouring his drink into the crystal glass in one, swift motion. there. he gives faulkner a self-satisfied smile. "glad that you didn't suggest girls just wanna have fun, that's my song. and for true colors we should do an ensemble. and i will cry."

Separated from his mission partner since their arrival together at the private quarters of the party hosts, Agent Faulkner stands by his lonesome at the food table. He pulls a homemade Red Velvet cake topped with ermine frosting, chocolate, and strawberries from an unmarked white box and places it on a stand. As he completes his task, he wanders back to the dining area, where the birthday boy is mixing up some alcoholic concoction. Faulkner listens to Hemingway’s cheery chat with the austerity of a priest, fingers steepled in a pointed tent at his chest.

“Agent, I hope not. Most of us probably have a mission tomorrow, and our mental faculties must stay sharp,” says Faulkner, wondering why the other agent would want such a troublesome thing to befall their group. He minds himself to bring an extra bottle of migraine pills for the staff. “Ah, would you like me to remind everyone periodically to consume water? I can set my watch hourly at your call.”

After offering his services, Agent Faulkner nods and smiles — one he workshopped with Hemingway years ago — until it dawns on him that he may not be upholding his end of the deal when he promised Agent Dickinson earlier that he’d loosen his parti pris toward unsupervised gatherings for tonight. So, Faulkner makes it clear for the other agent, “I believe it is the utmost pleasure for many to be in attendance. Thank you again for your invitation, Agent Hemingway. Please, this is for you. Happy birthday.”

He holds out a glossy paper gift bag toward the other man. Inside, four crystal rocks glasses clink against each other gently.

“Now you can drink more of…” Faulkner eyes the mix in Hemingway’s cup. However, no amount of Agent Training can help Faulkner, a non-drinker, here. “…what you made in these at your leisure, Agent.”

Faulkner’s placid features ripple into enlarged eyes and slightly lifted brows for a flash. Karaoke? Processing what he’s just heard, the agent holds himself back from uttering his momentary shock as the logic stands. It is Hemingway’s birthday party. By that reasoning, Hemingway is the de facto leader.

Faulkner salutes to the new party order. If commanded, he will pick something unobtrusive. Perhaps Agent Dickinson will grace him with a duet so that Faulkner won’t ruin the atmosphere with his monotone singing. “Affirmative, Agent Hemingway. As you wish. And might I add that your cadence is harmonious. You would do Gore proud. Would you like to be the prime example to start us off?”

At the mention of Agent London, Faulkner cocks his head slightly, wondering whether or not to give the agent a heads-up of his newly assigned task so that he may prepare. Faulkner looks to Hemingway for guidance. “What are your recommendations, Agent Hemingway? I Drove All Night? Time After Time? True Colors? In my professional opinion, Agent London would be a suitable candidate for All Through the Night, although it is technically not a Lauper original.”