#despite the first page looking like a comedy

[desultory-novice]

Too much stuff piled up and I wasn’t able to make anything solid for Meta Knight’s birthday (first character I fell in love with in Kirby, my beloved...) but have a sneak peak at a little comic I’m working on. 

(It would go faster but drawing dynamic fight scenes are so difficult.)

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

Language Barriers

Based off the idea that Yuu doesn't speak the same language or have the same culture norms in their world!! Got inspired for once

Content Info: GN!, 4.6K words-ish, Fluff/Comedy, Platonic except in Kalim's, Aztec refs in Leonas, NSFW jokes in Heartslabyul, Staff being parents, Trey bullying

Characters: Mozus Trein, Divus Crewel, Dire Crowley, Ashton Vargas, Sam, Riddle Rosehearts, Trey Clover, Cater Diamond, Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Grim, Leona Kingscholar, Kalim al-Asim, Jamil Viper, Vil Schoenheit

***

***

Since your arrival in Twisted Wonderland, you have begun to grasp the language and culture of this world. For the most part, at least.

You remember as clear as day when you first arrived, the pure confusion of the Headmage and those around you. Words from your lips were pure gibberish to them. They stared at you like you were an anomaly— and they were right. You are one.

‘Glitchy’ is the term they have used to describe your voice. “It is as though the sound around you warps everytime you speak.” The Headmage— Crowley— said.

The man had given you a necklace alongside an old dorm he housed you in. It was a simple looking necklace. A small mirror charm dangles in the center of it. Subtle enough to not draw attention to it.

It wasn't just a necklace however. It was a translator, a universal one.

The ‘glitches’ from your mouth had stopped and became the strange sounds the natives here spoke. Still, the necklace is just a buffer. Just because you can understand them doesn't mean you know what they're saying.

You still do not know the slang, the culture, the phrases, the grammar. Words still slipped your mind. You swear all you can hear is gibberish at times– and honestly you don’t doubt it occasionally is when students want to mess with you. You still had a lot to learn and there have been many miscommunications along the way. All part of the journey you suppose.

The staff here weren't coddling at all but they were accommodating. They made it clear that they favored no student more than the other. (At least that's what they claim.) But they also understood that holding you to the same standard would be unfair.

Mozus Trein

Professor Mozus Trein was a blessing when it came to learning about this world. His history classes made understanding this place easier. Trein would even give you extra context with his lessons to help you understand the everyday things and universal knowledge that you are unaware of.

His standards for your essays were different. He was no less strict on you but he was reasonable. He could tell that you truly understood the concept and put effort into your papers despite the language barrier and he is not going to punish you for learning.

You would get your paper back with a high grade and a page of corrections with explanations for each one. Why this comma here wrong. Why this was the wrong conjugation of that word. How this sentence could be improved.

“Excuse me, Professor?” You test the words as you speak them, accent slipping out. Trein looks to you from his desk. "Yes?”

“This word here is marked as wrong, but I remember you saying ‘I before E except after C.’” You tilt the paper to him and the older man adjusts himself on seat.

“Let me see here…” Trein paused to read the paper, expert eyes scanning for any potential mistakes. “Ah I see, that word there is an exception. ‘Sovereign’ doesn't follow that rule.” He closed his eyes as he explained and you nodded in understanding.

“I see, so I just have to memorize it. Are there any other words like that?” You didn't like how Trein seemed to frown as he thought about it. He hadn't realized how many there were. “Yes there are. A lot more than I anticipated I’m afraid,” a sigh escapes his lips and he shakes his head.

“I will not hold this against your grade since you have been improving with each assignment. Little mistakes like this will be forgiven so long as they are not repeated. Allow me to adjust your grade accordingly.”

You tilted your head as your B+ went to an A-. A small smile decorates your features. Trein nods to you and hands you your paper back. “There you are then. On to you next class.” You turn to leave but are stopped by when he speaks again.

“You should be proud of yourself, Yuu. You are the hardest working student I've have ever had the pleasure of teaching.” You perked up and your smile grew as you were onto your next class.

Divus Crewel

Professor Divus Crewel’s classes were difficult for completely different reasons. Math and numbers were the same for the most part aside from some minor symbol changes. Word problems were the bane of your existence however. Thankfully Divus can see that you understand the math. He'll often pass you or only take half a point off if you use the wrong equation or misunderstand the question and such.

He also gave you a small private lesson about alchemy as well. Teaching you the basic terms and proper protocols that most students would have learned early in their education. He'd show how to differentiate the effects an ingredient would have by the prefixes of their names or symbols on the vial.

But most importantly he would help you socially. What you should dress like for certain events. The correct way to speak so you could sound like a native. Social cues.

And he would refuse to admit it but you were his prized pup over the rest. He may or may not have slipped you a few perfumes or clothing under the guise of “Crowley not providing enough” or “Taking stress off of you to do better in class.” You knew better though.

After all, how could he play off giving a coat similar to his? It was less flashy and more suited to your tastes. It wasn't obvious to anyone else that you matched him unless they really observed. Perfect to wear in his class.

He's always looking out for you. Making sure you are safe and secure. And should you get injured from another adventure, he is there with a potion in hand.

Dire Crowley

Crowley was the one that gave you the necklace and a place to stay. Though eccentric and a bit well… lazy, you couldn’t deny that this was a good display of his generosity. Even if he does make you work for it.

Crowley was a strange one. He'd gift you some magical object one day and then forget you exist the next. He’d help you with your paperwork for accommodations and then forget to approve of them.

One time he dropped off a stack of paperwork on you to do for him but still left you a huge comprehensive guide that teaches you how to do each one. On top of that there was even a translation card meant to help you. If he put this much effort into these papers he'd be done by now. You assume he made this so he can drop more on you in the future. You swear he mentioned he's doing this to you to ‘prepare you for when you become the new headmage— er headmaster.’ Yeah right.

He'd give you dangerous tasks then become overprotective if any boy dare get too close to you. He'd help with anything but only if you stroke his ego. Yet despite it all he was still, as much as you hated to admit it, generous.

Despite everything, he has taken you in instead of abandoning you in this world. You swear sometimes he acts like a dad to you… When its convenient.

He's so annoying but you can’t find it in your heart to truly hate him. He may get you in trouble, but the moment it becomes too dangerous he steps in without hesitation to protect you and gives you a huge lecture after.

You hope you learn enough of the language to properly scold him.

Ashton Vargas

“Is this really necessary?” You ask the coach in front who re-wraps your hands tightly. “Absolutely it is!” The Coach's booming voice resonates in you as he pats you on your back rather roughly. “Give me another punch.”

You swallow and raise your hands again. You hesitate. “Come on kid you aren't gonna leave a dent in me!” You swallow and swing at his stomach. Vargas was right, he doesn't even flinch as your arm practically vibrates.

“That was a good form! I almost felt it.” A great guffaw rumbles in his chest. “Again!” Another punch, he looks down approvingly.

“Not bad, not bad at all. I sense a lot of potential in you, kid. That's enough for today.” You breathe a sigh of relief as you wipe your brow and unwrap your hands.

“Seems my training regiment is working, you're getting stronger by the day. Still— this on its own isn't enough. You need protein, kid! Lots of it. And you know what a good source of protein is?”

You stare at him for a moment. “Those uh…” the word slips your mind. “Chicken… capsules…?”

“Bingo! But they're called Eggs here Yuu.” Ashton puts a hand on his hip and makes a fist. “You should start with a dozen eggs per day and increase from there. I know that headmage can't be relied on to pay you in time, so I personally will deliver some bulking meals myself!”

“... Why are you doing this for me?” Your voice comes out a bit quiet as you speak. Ashton looks at you for a minute. “Why? Because you’re my student and I want to see you succeed. You got some serious strength hidden in you, and it would br a shame to see it wasted. Besides…”

As he speaks he starts taking down those punchy things, sandbags, you think. “The students here are quite rowdy. I want you to be able to defend yourself, especially since you don't have magic. You have to rely on brawn, Yuu! And I will be the one to awaken it.”

Vargas strikes a pose for a moment before relaxing. “Before you go I need to teach you some vocabulary.”

“Vocabulary…?”

“About your muscles of course!” The coach sat you down for a moment as he went into kinesiology. Micros and macros. Bulking. He broke it all down for you while flexing his muscles to emphasize his points.

“Now off you go Yuu, meet me here same time tomorrow, got it?”

Sam

Sam is a cool dude. You interact with him a lot. He never had an issue when you were first learning to speak. In fact he'd help you find the products you described to him. Of course he'd try and convince you to buy the more premium products but that's just business.

He'd even offer you a gig or two. His shelves don't stock themselves and his shadow friends wouldn't mind some extra help. Just know they can be a bit mischievous. While you were working you'd even get a small employee discount.

Even though your language has gotten better, there is still the occasional mix up.

“Ah, prefect! What can I do for you?” Sam queried while leaning on the counter top, delighted to see one of his favorite customers. “I am looking for… um…” You froze. What was that word again??

“The… white liquid?” You watched as Sam racked his brain for what you meant. “An invisibility potion?”

“No no! It's like… a juice?”

“Ah! I got it! Coconut milk!” The man snapped his fingers and winked. He frowned a bit when you shook your head.

“Wait here.” The shadow man watched as you ventured into the small smack aisle in front of him. Soon you took a bag of beef jerky and pointed to the small symbol on it. “What is this animal called again?”

“That's a cow.”

“Yes! I need the juice from it! The cow juice! What is its name? I forgot.” you perked up and beamed at him, hoping he understood. It all clicked for Sam, and he let out a hearty laugh at the realization.

“Do you mean milk, perchance?”

“Yes! I knew it had that sound! I need milk!” Sam chuckled again and waves his hand, sending a small shadow to retrieve some. “By the way would you be down to do some work tonight?”

“Tonight? Yeah, I can always use some extra cash.” The prefect was always so easy going. Guess they had to be in a place like this.

“Good. I'll apply your discount right now then!”

Heartslabyul

Your favorite Heartslabyul members have invited you to join them. Another Unbirthday party was to be hosted and the stars aligned today for the whole deck to help with the baking. It felt nice to be with them. They were like a family in a way, being with them felt like home. Alongside baking, there was some cooking being done too.

“Geez you really do like your eggs, huh?” Cater asked the spade who stirred his chopsticks with precision. He is determined to make the perfect tornado omelet.

“Oh you have no idea.” Ace tsked. “Whenever we go out to a restaurant it's the only thing he orders.”

“Not true!” Deuce's interjection wasn't as strong as it usually is, much to focused on his creation. “Yeah only if they dont offer any.” Ace retorts.

“Grim, it is unsanitary to touch the batter,” Riddle breaks up the impending argument to chide the direbeast ‘helping’ him stir, “Trey how many egg yolks do I add?”

“Three. You sure got it Riddle?” Riddle pouts a bit. He knows he got a shell in the batter last time but he's trying! “I'll get it right this time, you can count on it.”

“Ooh, give the egg whites to Deuce if you aren't using them!” Deuce mutters a thank you to Cater as he finishes up his omelet. “Does anyone else want one?”

No’s resound across the kitchen aside from you and Grim which makes Deuce smile. “Alright, what kind do you want Yuu? I'm still unsure on what kind you prefer.” Deuce looks a little embarrassed at not knowing despite how long you've been friends.

Before anyone could tease Deuce, Trey asks the worst question he possibly could without knowing. “Actually how do you like your eggs in the morning, Yuu? I rarely see you eat breakfast in the cafeteria.”

You pause for a moment, the pan you were greasing slipping slightly. Then you chuckled. “That's very bold of you Trey, I never expected you of all people to say that… But judging by everyone else's reaction, I assume it doesn't mean anything here?”

“Oh? Does it mean something different where you from?” Riddle asks, looking over at you. “It does actually.” Cater looks up from his phone he was reading the recipe from, noticing your amused expression. “What else could possibly it mean though?” You hold in a laugh. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to bring it up but you can't help it.

“Is that so? I sure hope I didn't say anything offensive. What does it mean?” Poor Trey; he chuckles as he decorates one of the finished cakes not knowing the storm that's brewing.

“You essentially just propositioned me in front of everyone.” The whole kitchen is silent as they stare at you. Trey looks flustered and confused out of his mind as an abundance of frosting squirts out of the bag. “I… pardon?”

Ace speaks first “Huh?! How does that make sense?”

“Proposition? What does that mean?”

“Don't worry about it Grim.” says the diamond. “Still that seems far fetched, it's rude of you to mess with Trey like that you know!”

“I'm not lying! It's actually what it means!” Trey is adjusting his glasses now, embarrassment growing. Riddle looks horrified, trying to find his words. He's trying to rack his brain for a response before deciding to ask about it. His voice comes out a little hesitant and unsure. “Are eggs part of some sort of courtship in your world…?”

“Um… sort of..?” At your words Deuce pales. Ace takes this opportunity to be a little shit per usual. “Wow! Seems like you have a chance then, Deucy!”

“Oh shut it Ace! Wait, have I been propositioning you this whole time?!” His face is red and he's hiding in his hands. He has offered so many egg dishes over the years. Oh God he must have made you so uncomfortable— this isn't what an honor student would do!

“I still don't know what that means…” Grim grumbles.

“No no! Offering eggs is fine, it's just that particular phrase has very different connotations in my world.”

Ace is snickering at the whole situation, but especially at Deuce’s panic. He's also just as confused, however. Trey finally has the courage to speak. “Um, how exactly does that mean…” He trails off, defeated. “I'm sorry Yuu, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable…”

“You didn't. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tease you too much…”

“Okay, but how exactly does that mean that?”

“Yeah I'm with Cater on this one…” Ace adds.

“Enlighten me.” Riddle puts his hands on his hips, morbid curiosity getting the better of him.

“So… When someone asks that they essentially mean to say they're gonna invite you to spend the night with them and cook you breakfast in the morning.” Trey looks even more embarrassed but so does Riddle.

“So it's a sleepover? That's it?” Grim asks just to be waived off by Cater again who vibrating with laughter.

“That's a pretty convoluted way of asking…” Deuce looks to the side, also a little flustered. “Yeah it makes no sense for me either, and I'm from that world, but that is what it means…”

“Wow so Trey really is bold!” Cater snickers as Ace joins in with a “I never knew you had it in you.”

“Enough with this vulgar talk!” Riddle commands, clearly demanding the conversation to be over.

“I am never gonna live this down aren't I?”

Leona Kingscholar

I am gonna nerd a lil abt aztec mythology rn and I'm not apologizing

Herbivore is what he called you. It was meant to be an insult but you never took offense. There is no other creature that fights harder than prey that is fighting for their life or backed into a corner. If anything it was a compliment. You've seen how hard they can fight.

Yet today Leona took the title further. “You are honestly like a little rabbit. All this confidence and attitude, yet harmless.” You raised a brow at him. “Thank you.”

Leona's eyes shift ever so slightly. “You're taking it as a compliment?” You tilt your head. “I assume rabbit in this world is synonymous with fragility here…? Odd. They're a symbol of warriors back in my world.”

“Is that so?” Leona speaks boredly, but he doesn't excuse himself or tell you to shut up. “Yeah, rabbits are these mighty warriors that are completely invincible. Children of one of the 5 sin gods too. Nothing can kill them. Centzon Tōtōchtin are no joke. Odd how they're considered weak here.”

You think for a moment. “But they are known to be constantly drunk all the time and play around, so I guess that could be an insult…” Leona just rubs his head. “Take it however you want…”

Kalim al-Asim

“Look at all the stars!” Kalim exclaims, pointing up at the sky. He lands his carpet along the sand dunes, eyes full of wonder. He then looks to you with bated breath, waiting for your reaction.

“It's beautiful…” You whisper, overlooking the patterns of stars decorating the night sky. It was straight out of a painting, vast and whimsical. Kalim was glowing at your happiness. “Aaah, I'm glad you like it! I was hoping you would!”

You lean back against the ground. Shooting stars dart across the sky along the twinkling lights in a beautiful display. Your eyes land on the moon, admiring how different it was from your own.

“The moon looks beautiful tonight, doesn't it?” You freeze for a moment. “Haha, careful saying that to people from my world Kalim, not that you'll be running into anyone else from there anytime soon…”

Kalim looks over to you, brows slightly furrowed. “Eh? What do you mean?” You look back up the moon again. “Saying ‘the moon looks beautiful tonight’ where I’m from means I love you.” There's a moment of silence as Kalim ponders.

“Well then the moon looks beautiful tonight! I love all of my friends!” Kalim grins at you, fist pumped to his chest.

“It's not like that, Kalim. It's for romantic feelings. Funny, since coming here I've had a lot of experiences that would be considered flirtatious in my word…” You laugh a bit before a small frown appears on your features but Kalim snaps you out if it.

“So what you're saying is… it's a love confession?” His eyes are glimmering, the moon reflecting on them beautifully.

“You got it.”

“Then the moon looks beautiful tonight.”

Jamil Viper

So in TWST the languages aren't called the same thing in our world but I couldn't figure out the language of the Scalding Sands so I made one up. Can be a psuedo-prequel to my other fic Missing Yuu. It can be read here!

“Your Arabic is so similar yet so different than my world's version” Jamil pauses his mumbling and hums in question. “Arabic?”

“It's a language where I'm from. It sounds very similar to yours. Like I swear it could be some sort of dialect of it.”

“Scaldic, you mean?” You nod looking over at him from where you lay in his bed. “Is that what it's called? It's a pretty language.” Jamil messes with the stereo in his room, taking out an old CD and browsing for another he wanted to show you. “Maybe once you get more comfortable in this language, I can teach you a bit.”

“That would be lovely, thanks Jamil” As the sounds of shuffling continue from his search and you absentmindedly mess with your necklace before sitting up. “Wait! I know!”

Jamil perks and turns to you, watching as you start to take off your necklace. “Here put this on, you've shown me so much music from your world, let me show you some from mine!”

You offer the necklace over, shaking it a little for encouragement. Jamil takes it gently and examines the necklace. He lifts up his hair and slips it on, feeling a warmth on his chest from where the mirror lay.

You speak, and Jamil braces against the weird feeling of the necklace warping your glitched gibberish from your throat into his native language. “Can you hear me?” The words echoed in his head a bit. He took a moment to fully process them as they reverberated in his head.

He almost replies in his native tongue, but the amulet compels him to speak another language. Your language.“Yes, I can.” He replies, slurring a bit as he feels his words echo and warp. Strange… he knows what he's saying but he can't understand it.

“You have an accent, well that makes sense…” You chuckle a bit as he sits beside you, taking a moment to adjust to the sensation. “I never thought about how the enchantments on these worked. I assumed that it would be instant. Is this what it's like for you?”

“Crowley said it would probably be different for me cause I'm not from this world. See why I ask you to repeat things all the time? … thanks for not getting too annoyed with that by the way.”

You tap away on your phone for a moment. “Here we go, I got some songs in Arabic for you, look.” Jamil watches you press play and takes in the music. It was ethereal, so different yet so similar to his worlds. Uncanny yet compelling. Then the lyrics start and he furrows his brows.

“It really is like Scaldic.” he replies, closing his eyes. “Its like if I focus hard enough I can hear it in my own language, but I cant.”

“See what I mean?” Jamil nods. “I think I'm picking up some words though, but there's no guarantee the meaning is the same.”

“Yeah it's how I feel all the time here… its frustrating at times. Oddly enough there are some words that stay the same, mostly food for example. Like mahalabia or horchata for example.”

“Huh, odd how that works…” the music coursing through his body invigorates him. He can imagine all the potential ways to move to this.

“Yeah. And it's the same dish too— well sort of. It tastes so similar yet so different. I miss my world's food, but I'm slowly forgetting the taste of it. Its just vauge memory.” Jamil peers over to the saddened expression on your face. He never even considered that part of being from another world.

“... How about we listen to your music while cooking, then? I'm sure we can make something that tastes like home.” Your face brightens. “That sounds nice.”

Vil Schoenheit

“Thank you for putting up with my accent, it must be annoying to deal with.” You sip on the tea he offered you, trying your best to abide by the manners in this world. Vil merely looked at you.

“It's not annoying at all. Your accent is fine just the way it is.” He almost seemed disappointed by the insinuation.

“Ah… Sorry I just saw that Epel’s usually not allowed to use his accent around you, so I assumed I shouldn't either.” Vil sighs.

“That's different. You have already proven yourself strong and beautiful enough to be who you are. Epel on the other hand needs to learn to accept himself for who he is first before he can truly be the person he wants to be. He must prove to me he can love himself as he is. If I hated accents, I wouldn't have let Rook speak in his."

“Ah I see… Thank you.” It wasn't everyday that you get praise from the Vil Schoenheit. “Your speech has improved, though I may point out there are some words you may need to work on. Your accent may make it sound like you are talking about something else entirely. Hmm…”

You hold your breath as he thinks. “I want you to grow into the best spudling you can be, so how about you take voice lessons from me?” Vil seems to smirk at your surprised expression. “From you..?”

Vil nods. “Yes. This way you can grow more confident in your speech and vocabulary. That voice of yours is beautiful, it just needs to be tuned.” You look at your tea then to him. “I accept.”

[maleyanderecafe]

not sure if anyone has recomended monster x mediator yet but its such a fun game despite being quite short. the game is supposed to have mutiple routes eventually (which I'm not sure are supposed to be yanderes) but the one it has rn is complete and definitly fits the yandere vibes. If u like things that mix horror with humor and have a funnily pathetic but still terrifing yandere this one is a trip. Also the fact that the guy is a monster that looks like a madness combat character adds to the charm of it in my opinion lol

I'll be honest, I was a little skeptical about this game, but I saw how pathetic he is and now I'm very much on board. This game is supposed to have four different routes, but currently only has one for now. The comedy and horror is well balanced in the game itself. If you want to try out the demo, you can play it here.

The story starts out with the MC taking on a job for a large sum of money. They are currently in debt and need money quick. After receiving the first half of the money, they are directed to go to some abandoned building to get the other half. After receiving it, they are then told their task to go inside of the building. If the MC tries to run away, they will be shot on the spot. If they accept, they will be faced with a couple of doors. Their boss will then tell them that there are monsters that behind each door, and that the MC's job is to get all of them out of the room without dying.

Going into the red door, the MC is pretty much immediately knocked out before waking up and finding a large monster hovering over them and thousands of things pasted up in the walls. You can successfully get him out of the room in three different ways but can also be killed a couple of other ways as well. The first thing he does is declare himself as the MC's biggest fan, getting so excited that he grips his axe menacingly. If the MC gets him too excited, they will end up killing the MC. The monster (later revealed as 404), talks about how much he loves the MC's fanfiction blog and how he was really sad and depressed when the MC blocked him and even sadder when they stopped writing all together. 404 also reveals that he is such a big fan that he also knows all of the MC's passwords and even their bank account, with all of the fanfiction that they written pasted on the wall. 404 then asks if they want to see where he kills everyone and if they can write a fanfic for him.

If the MC is curious about where all the dead bodies are, 404 will bring them into another room to show them. We learn a lot about 404: he doesn't know what kind of monster he is, doesn't really need to eat, loves to kill with his axe and seems to have regenerative abilities considering he was shot in the head and was completely fine the next day. The MC can have two ways to get him out of the room, both of which are hilarious. The first way is to literally beg 404 to leave by pleading desperately (do you know that let me rizz you up meme? That's what you do) until 404 gets tired and does it for his super star. The other way is to seduce (?) 404 by telling him that it would be sexy of him to leave the room, which works well. We also learn about the facility itself, that 404 has been living there since as far as he remembers, that he loves killing the various people that come in, doesn't like the MC's boss (finds them annoying through the walkie talkie) and pretty much only kills and reading the MC's blog.

If the MC decides to oblige 404 with his obsession, they will start to write on a typewriter as 404 stands behind them excitedly. He keeps on asking the MC to add more and more things, making it 100 pages instead of 10, making the story a romance, making it a romance between him and the MC (noting that "the name Nick is the same as his username", which is a huge stretch).

If the MC refuses to write 100 pages, 404 will end up getting extremely angry and hold the MC by the throat, calling them and humans "bitches". He will start to kill the MC, crying and feeling despair as he kills the MC by choking them to death.

If the MC does oblige, they will write the most god awful fanfiction (their words) and end up pretty much just holding the a key until it fills all 100 pages. 404 ends up crying out of happiness at such a beautiful gift and leaves the room, just as the MC wanted.

First of all, I think that the game does a good job of balancing the horror elements with the comedy. I did not expect to like 404 this much and definitely did not expect his personality to be like this. I did feel it was interesting that 404 believes that the MC's writing would "fix him" and even laments that even though he knows it wouldn't, he still wanted to try when he was killing the MC in a choke hold. He basically is a very feral online fan who meets their super idol (which gives me a bit of incel vibes), but not enough to be extremely obvious, much more than other yanderes, with him saying like he's a gentleman, or that he isn't angry at all despite the fact that he got blocked. I also love the various ways that you can get him out of the room, and just how obsessed he is with the MC. He seems to mostly be an obsessive yandere, with him pasting the fanfic of the MC's work all over his walls, delusionally believing that he is the same character that the MC writes, confessing his feelings to the MC while they're writing, not killing the MC (since apparently he's killed every other person that came in) and wanting the MC's writings to fix him. He is also a pretty pathetic type of yandere, hoping desperately that the MC (and their writings) would fix them, crying when he does kill the MC and generally seeing himself in their writing, but also rather dangerous just due to his violent nature. It's fun to see dangerous but pathetic yanderes since I feel like that's something that I haven't seen to much.

I am curious about how the other monsters will be like. It seems that as of writing this, the Knight Monster is currently delayed, so I guess we'll see if he ends up being a yandere too. I would recommend this game just on it's humor and interesting kind of intrigue about why these monsters are in the buildings themselves. He does look like a madness combat characters, you're right.

[otomiyaa]

Day 10: In Secret

Henry x Alex | Nim's Lovely Tickletober 

Word Count: 800

The newspapers, gossip magazines and printouts still covered the table. Alex couldn't stop grinning, even if he didn't mean to.

"I can't believe we just got yelled at, for something like this."

"I do, actually. I can believe it."

Sure, the world knew about their relationship. But there was still their duty to keep things as professional as possible. Secretly but not so secretly tickling and groping each other whenever and wherever they could, it wasn't really part of 'the code', as Zahra worded it beautifully just now.

"What I can't believe is that they got this gem on camera," Henry said, leaning forward and grabbing one of the sheets with an Instagram post Zahra had screenshotted for them. The caption said "We've got a ticklish first son!" and showed how Henry was pinching his side, with Alex cackling loudly.

"Yeah, not my most charming picture. Loving this one though," Alex said, and he tossed the gossip magazine in Henry's direction, which fell open at the right page: Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry of Wales can't keep their hands off each other.

On the picture they chose to show with the article, Alex was tickling Henry in what he had apparently thought was a subtle way, but the paparazzi had captured it perfectly.

Henry snorted. "You have to stop tickling each other!" he mimicked Zahra's angry outburst. "I don't want to know what your mother will say to this," he said immediately after that.

Alex chuckled. "I'm pretty sure she'll be happy that we're having fun. And a healthy love life."

Henry glared at him. "You know what all these have got in common?" he asked, nodding at the papers on the table. Alex shrugged.

"Ticklish us?" he said. Henry shook his head.

"You tickled first. I remember this moment exactly," he said, showing the one where Alex was getting tickled.

"I was only doing this because you did it first."

Alex gasped loudly. "That's a big accusation. And very true," he immediately admitted.

"So?" Henry raised his eyebrows.

"So, I will solemnly swear that I shall no longer... tickle Prince Henry of Wales... unless it's..." he paused.

"...in private."

"...in secret."

They both said it at the same time, and Henry immediately gasped. "What did you just say? What do you mean, secret?"

Alex wiggled his eyebrows. "I just have to make sure that when I tickle you, no one can see."

"No! No, Alex no!" Henry laughed.

Yes, Alex. Yes.

That night they were forced to be around people for hours, for the birthday celebration of President Ellen Claremont which was organized with a big charity event, including a dinner and a party.

"Alex!" Henry hissed when Alex tickled his knee under the dinner table. Alex made a face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, to which Henry had no choice but laugh behind his hand.

"S-stohop!"

When someone looked at them in confusion, Alex chuckled along with Henry.

"My mother's speeches always have some... hidden comedy in them. It's a family thing," he whispered to explain Henry's cute little giggle fit. Meanwhile he performed a perfect tickly claw on Henry's knee and loved to hear him laugh quietly.

And later again. Even after dinner during the party, Alex made sure to be an ass about it. Anytime he was close enough to Henry, he would tickle him secretly. If Henry was somewhere and Alex needed to pass him, instead of simply grabbing his shoulders he grabbed his waist and tickled him on purpose while passing by.

"Sorry, coming through."

"AH-!" Henry almost dropped his drink. With so many people around, all he could do was glare at Alex and mouth silently: "I will kill you."

"Love you too," Alex mouthed back.

When they were dancing, again Alex would tickle him in the most subtle way possible.

"Ahahalex!"

Despite the warnings and dangers, nothing stopped Alex from tickling Henry over and over that night. And by the time they were alone together in their bedroom again, he could finally be confronted about it.

"Alex!" Henry whined, but Alex quickly held up his phone and raised his eyebrows.

"Look, the photos from tonight are already all over the net and guess what. Didn't catch us."

"I can't believe you," Henry sighed, shaking his head as he watched Alex scroll through the various articles and photo galleries.

"This here though... Look at you. I was totally tickling you under the table here. Look at your cute little nose scrunch," Alex teased as he showed Henry one photo in particular.

Henry grabbed Alex' arm and yanked him forward. "I will so kill you for this," he said before kissing him on the lips.

"So kill me," Alex said breathlessly through some intense and passionate kisses.

And the moment Henry brought his hands towards his body and started to tickle, Alex could only think that this was what he had been looking forward to all day long, and he was so ready for Henry's ticklish revenge!

[rapha-reads]

I tried to resist the urge but at the end of the day ranting about Romeo and Juliet is my most favourite thing to do, and ranting about vampires is also in my top 10 regular hobbies, so...

Louis, Lestat, Armand and Balthasar, or, a R&J x IWTV unplanned rant.

Under the "read more" because it got long.

Balthasar is introduced in the play as "Romeo's man", often modernised in various adaptations as his valet or his page. The footnote in The Arden Shakespeare 2012 edition states that:

"Shakespeare introduced the name for the part in the play, though it is not, of course, his invention. The name, which is also found in Comedy Of Errors, Merchant of Venice and Much Ado, occurs only once in the text of R&J, even though the character speaks nearly 30 lines in the final act."

Three things from that only: it's a common enough name, at least in Shakespearian texts, that the character could be switched for another one; he's so inconsequential that he barely even managed to make his name known ; yet despite his apparent unimportance, his role at the end is extremely crucial in closing in the tragedy.

What lines does Balthasar speaks and whom does he speak to throughout the play?

Man waits until Act III scene 1 to make his entrance. Given his function as Romeo's man, you'd think he'd be a bit more present before that point, but no, Balthy waits until everything's gone bad to arrive like "Grandma, it's me".

Romeo asks him "How doth my Juliet? That I ask again, / For nothing can be ill if she is well." The beginning of his answer could lead you to think that he's about to lie so that Romeo can still be "all well", but, naaaah, sike, he's here to deliver news and he's going to do his job. And the way he does it doesn't leave any details to the imagination:

"Then she is well and nothing can be ill. Her body sleeps in Capel's monument, And her immortal soul part with angels lives. I saw her laid low in her kindred's vault, And presently took post to tell it to you. O, pardon me for bringing these ill news, Since you did leave it for my office, sir."

"Her immortal soul"... We'll come back to that point when we'll get to the vampires. Interesting to note that he says he saw with his own eyes Jules' laid down in the Capulet's tomb, but there's no indication in the text prior to that line that he really did. Some stage adaptations have Balthasar lurking around as Capulet and Cie put her in it, most movies totally ignore Balthasar's entire role - which I will come back to in the second part too. In a way, one could think that Balthy didn't see anything, he just heard the news like any other Veronese people, and didn't wait for more information or even actual confirmation and hurried on ("took post") to tell his master. Which, he does say it himself, that's his job, to keep Romeo informed of the going-ons of Verona in general and Juliet in particular. But, man, what are your sources, actually? Whose your informant? What authenticity does your information have, except from "source: myself"?

And then homeboy has the audacity to tell a desperate and ready to commit all kinds of violence Romeo to "have patience. / Your looks are pale and wild, and do import / Some misadventure." You think?? After this we lose track of Balthy while Romeo goes soliloquising looking for his cuppa poison. ... I don't want to tell you how to do your job, Balthy, but aren't you supposed to always follow your master closely...? How are you losing him so easily? Well, to be fair to him, Romeo does send him to "hire those horses", but that's a really thin excuse.

Balthasar reappears then in the Comedy of Situations that is "everybody and their mothers come visit Juliet's body" (you know, Warm Bodies did have a point; the zombies and necrophilia jokes do write themselves). First he enters with Romeo, and then for once shows some working brain cells when Romeo tells him to peace out and he tells himself "For all the same, I'll hide me hereabout. / His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt." Yes, thank you Balthy, maybe stay inside the crypt itself... Nope, okay, I don't know where he hid but Paris "14yo is perfectly acceptable to marry when I'm 30" Escalus makes his own appearance unbothered and unstopped. Great scouting skills there. Granted, he was the first on the scene actually, but if Balthy really hid close by, he should have witnessed the altercation and maaaaybe stop it. But no. I think he's having a drink with Paris' page. Current body count: 3 (yeah, Juliet's not dead yet, for those following).

Then Friar Laurence arrives on the scene. Oh, hello, Friar My-Ideas-Will-Definitely-Work-Trust-Me-Bro. Balthy emerges from the shadows (from where? Who knows, not me and certainly not Willie the Bard himself; homeboy was lurking, planning the best moment to reappear to create maximum chaos I guess). Their discussion goes something like this:

Laurie: who're you? Balthy: come on bro, you know me. Laurie: oh, hey Balth, so nice to see you? But what the heck are you doing here? Balthy: yeah I'm here with Romeo that fail emo lord lol. Laurie: Romeo? Whaaaat? How long has he been here? Balthy: eeh, 30 minutes? Maybe 45? Dunno but it's been a while. Laurie: Jesus fucking H Christ, okay, let's get into the fucking crypt. Balthy: no thanks, without me. I told Romeo I was leaving and if he sees me still here he's going to break my neck. Laurie: ugh, fine, you coward. I'll go alone and I'm not even afraid. Actually I lied I'm scared out of my mind but I'm better than you so nah! I'm going in. Balthy, walking away: oh yeah, another thing, I was napping, ahem, keeping watch, and I think I dreamed, I mean, hallucinated Romeo killing another dude. But I don't think that's real. Anyway, hasta la vista, losers! [Exit] (sadly not pursued by a bear)

I paraphrased, naturally. And... That's Balthasar's last lines. So to recap: he's supposedly Romeo's man, hence, by his job's function, supposed to always be with him and protect him; he only appears at the end of the story to make sure that no one else can get to Romeo first and maybe tell him about Laurence's plot. He always says he's going to keep an eye on Romeo, or tries to get him to stop, but actually never does anything. Literally, by his own admission, while he's supposed to make sure Romeo doesn't do anything drastic visiting Juliet's tomb, he took a nap: "As I did sleep under this yew tree here"! And the only two people he speaks to are Romeo, whose sole purpose at this point is to die, and Friar Laurence, whose role is to fake-kill Juliet, which leads to both of them dying.

Given all of those elements, one could then consider Balthasar's role in the play as an agent of Death. Death being a character in Her own right in the play, according to some readings (I admit, the idea of Death being the one pulling the strings as Fate would do is something I very much like but is very much inspired by the French musical).

So. Balthasar, agent of Death, purposefully or accidentally, but undeniably, leading the main character to his own death and carefully not stopping nor even interacting with characters who could stop the final act.

And that's who Louis-as-Lestat compares HIMSELF to. Yeah, Louis calls himself Balthasar, let that sink in. So, spoiler alert for those like me who haven't read the books, but Armand later on is going to lie and tell Louis that Lestat died in the fire that burned down the theatre, lie that Louis will totally believe and that will certainly influence the decades of his relationship with Armand. We know Louis is absolutely not over Lestat, we know Lestat is weak at this point, and wants to scare Louis but also get him back, and we know Armand is a lying liar who lies and twist the truth to better serves him. And we know Armand was jilted by Lestat and while he (genuinely?) loves Louis, he's also bitter that Louis got what he himself couldn't get. We also know that Louis is extremely conflicted by his vampiric nature, that he's a stone cold killer but he's also constantly trying to get away from it, that he hates himself and all vampires but also hates humans and all of humanity. We know Louis feels immense guilt at what he thinks is Lestat's murder, and that this guilt is weighing on him enought hat he conjures up a mental Lestat to follow him around and sass, bitch, moan, comment and critique for him.

So, why is it interesting that Dreamstat calls Louis a Balthasar?

Let's go back to two points already evoked earlier. Balthasar makes a point of mentioning Juliet's immortal soul - in the text, it's evident enough, they're Catholics, Heaven, Hell, bla bla bla. Transposed to the idea of vampires, it does lead one to question first if vampires have souls, secondly, what are the limits of immortality. It links to Louis' questioning of his faith, the morals that he fiercely defends but abandons rather quickly when they don't suit him anymore, and his survivor's guilt vis-à-vis his brother first and Lestat secondly.

The second thing is the way Balthasar is generally erased from the known Romeo and Juliet narrative. From an intradiegetic POV, Louis could mean it as "I'm Balthasar because this story is not my story, I barely even appear, only at the very end, and even then, I'm not important, and I certainly do not want to be the focus of attention" (which could also be linked to the coven complaining that Louis hunts sloppily and will expose them all, and that's actually a point in the Death's emissary column, huh). From an extradiegetic POV, the writers might have chosen to compare Louis to Balthasar because in most screen adaptations, the first part of his role is given to Benvolio (announcing Juliet's death) and the second part (talking with Laurie) is totally erased. Which means that people who haven't read the play (or have but aren't totally obsessed with it *cough cough*) and only know the story through the movies or the musical, would have NO idea who Balthasar is. And that's what Louis tries to be: a nobody, a Monsieur-Tout-Le-Monde, unimportant, invisible, unknown. The way Balthasar is for everybody. Quasi inexisting.

And the final part of the parallel, and that one is definitely extradiegetic, is that Louis brings Death wherever he goes (although maybe in a way, after Lestat and the woman vampire in Romania, Louis thinks that of himself too, but let's not go there just yet). His arrival in Paris is what disturbs the equilibrium of the coven, makes Armand questions what he's doing here and how long he can keep going like this, drives Claudia even more away from him, and intensifies the resentment and inner conflicts of the coven. Which will all lead to the theatre burning dow, the coven dying, Claudia dying, Lestat presumed dead and 70 years of toxic married Loumand. Unintentionally, the way Balthasar seemingly unintentionally too, doesn't protect Romeo, which leads to not only his and Juliet's but also Tybalt and Mercutio's deaths (and Paris too). Unintenionally, but who's pulling Balthasar's strings, Death, Fate itself? Who's pulling Louis' strings? Armand? Lestat? Or is he such an unreliable narrator that he's passing himself as a victim of circumstances while the reality is that he's fully aware of what he's doing...? To be determined.

If you've made it to here, thank you so much and don't hesitate to tell me what you think! You can find my Tybalt/Mercutio fic here, and my essay on adaptations of Tybalt and Mercutio on screen here.

[agirlwholovesrockstars]

you're Gareth's.... WHAT?!?

★ EDDIE MUNSON'S MASTERLIST ★

❣ AGATHA'S MAIN PAGE ❣

summary : Eddie is furious seeing you with someone else after you told him, he's the first ever guy that you became friends with.... surprise at the end! 🤫

warnings : 18+ Eddie Munson x FEM!reader, language, reader and Eddie are both 20, Gareth is 18, use of y/n, Eddie will might be so mean to reader but she doesn't mind it lmao, a very fun mini fic hehe

what to expect : angst at first and fluff at the end 🤭 some comedy parts as well

note to reader : I think I'm just gonna focus more on my mini fics as for now hahaha I really need to finish my degree or else it would finish me 🥲

author note : help- can you imagine Eddie being absolutely an asshole to you for completely misunderstood the situation and you're just like 😂

------------------------------------

"Oh, it's you again" you say as you fixed the music tapes on the table

A mischievous smile is sitting on his face as he says "Aww- you're not happy to see me?"

"I'm working, Eddie" you replied as you directly look on to his eyes

You move over aside to arrange the vinyls alphabetically, he followed you

You shake your head to his mannerisms but a fond smile is now on your face

"Come on, Y/N- can we hang out later?" He begs with that "you can't say no" freaking eyes are now staring at you

You sigh "Alright, fine- Eddie- baby" you tease as you pinch his cheeks

Eddie suddenly felt this hot raging fire on his whole body at that moment

You left him on the aisle, giggling to yourself after you saw him, frozen dead cold on the same spot- he can't move

He always liked you but he never dares to try ruin his first friendship with a girl

You always liked him too- despite his facade persona to scare away bullies, he is one of a kind, heart of gold guy you've ever met

He met you in the same place, the place that you work, the only record store in Hawkins, Indiana

You moved last year and ever since he laid his eyes you- he knew that you're the one

He can't believe that you accepted him as a friend- at first he'll thought you'd be so rude to him because of his appearance and of course he always got his insecurities get the best of him- he thought you're too good for him

Way out of his league

But after he learned about your personality and you've never looked at him in the eyes of judgement and you always speak with so much honesty whenever you talk to him

He felt safe and he can fully trust you

He never expected that you and him will be friends, they way you both clicked- he thought he was just dreaming

Still, it's unbelievable to him that he's the first ever guy that you ever had as a friend

"Dumb pricks" he said to himself

Eddie followed you everywhere you go while you're work- sometimes he is absolutely so insufferable but most of the time? You don't mind it

Maybe being steady or keep calm don't exist on his system whenever you're around

He is always and never did once stayed away from your sleeve

It's so silly but so cute at the same time

When you feel worried, mad, frustrated, sad, he's just right there for you and you'll do the same thing with him

He's just.... the best

You approach him with a sweet smile "Eddie, come on" you reach for his hand, you tug him with you as he automatically intertwined his hold with you

You both went to the backdoor, you gave him a wrapped up present

He furrow his brows at you, instantly observing the thing that you just gave him

"No tricks?" He inspects the entirety of it

"No tricks, this time- Ed's" you winked

He raises his eyebrows at you

"I'm serious, Eddie just open it before I lose it" your excited face falls out of annoyance

He tear the wrapper and he almost fell down as you hold him by his shoulders

"You- what?! Y/N!" He laughs happily as he covers his mouth in shock

"Shh!" You whisper-shout "it just got here yesterday, every employee gets a free vinyl- but instead I'm gonna give this one to you"

You giggled as you watch him completely haywire over the gift that you just give him

"Metallica : Master Of Puppets" Album

"Y/N, sweetheart" he utterly speechless in front of you

"You're welcome!" You smiled widely at him

He hugged you as he breathes on the crook of your neck as he held the back of your head

You melt with it

He whispers to your ear "I adore you so much, Y/N- thank you"

You hummed, he pulled back as he offers his arm to you

You both inhale the pepperoni pizza and root beer float

He gave you the last slice as he finishes his drink

He smirks "Hey, Y/N"

"Yeah?" you reply as you continue to chew

"Close your eyes" he says to you

You squint your eyes at him "Eddie- if this is a joke- I'm gonna get your ass-"

He frowns "I promise- it's not a joke!"

You roll your eyes at him

He grew frustrated "Just. Close. Your. Damn. Eyes"

You swallowed your food "Okay, fine"

You could hear him picking out of his leather jacket

"Give me your hand" he announces

You knit your brows together

"Ah! No peeking!"

You chuckled "Right, okay"

When he puts something on the palm of your hand, it almost felt like a piece of paper

"Now, open your eyes"

It is a piece of paper

You intently watch him

"Take a look" he smirks at you

Oh- gosh- you know that look

You braced yourself

The moment you see "Jim Henson's Labyrinth starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly"

You squealed in excitement as he throws his head back in laughter

You say sorry for the disturb customers but you can't help it

"Movie tickets?" You say with a gleeful smile

You noticed it's two tickets

"You bought two?" You held up the two tickets, your genuine smile still lingers

He starts to become shy and he wishes that his cheeks are not flaming red, but it does

"Uh- I bought two just in case- if- if you want someone else to come with you" he stammers as he can't hold his gaze on you

"Eddie is the only one who can make flustered look adorable" you think to yourself

Your eyes soften, you get up as he watches you go sat right next to him

"My dear Eddie- you know I don't have a lot of friends- you're coming with me!" You tap his nose

He purses his lips as he can't form the words that he wanted to say to you

You lay your head against his shoulder as he gulped- he must keep his compsure being this close to you

"Happy Friendship Anniversary, Ed's"

You already graduated and he's only got one year left to finish, so you're helping him

"So, how's the campaign?" You asked him

You know how passionate he is whenever it's about his love for his favorite game

"Fucking Awesome!" He exclaims as you laugh at his antics

He goes all the way talking about how it happened and about his new friend that he just forgot to mention his name, he just loves that you really do care about his most beloved stuff

Whenever it's about music, film or D&D- you are there present- listening to him

Eddie finished his school works nicely done, without your help- he wouldn't be able to get through this far, he will make that snatching his diploma into a reality

He can feel it, 1986 is definitely his year

He's about to tell you how his day went until he saw someone with you

His heart dropped to his stomach when he continues to watch you

Why is he feeling like this, you're not even his

Why does he feel jealous?

You hugged and kissed the guy on the cheek that he just called his new friend, few days ago

And a new found band member for Corroded Coffin

He is now regretting his decisions, he wished that guy that you're holding right now didn't exist in the first place

He's staring at him like it he was about to disintegrated into ashes

He left as soon as possible he doesn't wanna stay there for too long

You got confused every 3pm- Eddie visits you and you're both get home together when your shift is finished

You two should've been eating dinner by now

Maybe, he's just busy studying for the finals

You haven't seen or heard anything from him ever since he didn't showed up to your usual routine together

Until

"Hey!" You can finally spot him at your favorite ice cream place

When he doesn't receive your energy back at you, your face falls as you walk slowly towards him

Something in the air feels different

He doesn't even acknowledge your presence

Whatever this is, you don't take it by heart

You sat down across from him, you tried to look for his eyes but he keeps avoiding it

You already seen him get mad but... this is more than just being upset over unnecessary stuff

"Eddie? Is there something wrong?" You ask him softly

"Isn't it obvious?" He snaps at you

The moment he finally looks at you, piercing cold glare that he gives you, it shocks you

Still, you won't take this by the heart

"Eddie, you know could tell me anything? What's wrong? What is going on with you? I missed you- you didn't even called me back for days!" You reached for his hand but he moved away

You frown, you still don't understand where this is behavior coming from

"Will you just leave me alone?!?" He spits at you angrily- he stormed off

You're dumbfounded with mouthing hanging open

This is the very first time that he did this to you and you want to know why

You followed him, you reached for his arm but he yank it off

"Eddie- I'm trying to help you! What the hell is wrong with you?!?" You shout at him

He halts his tracks and turns to look back at you

He's shooting daggers at you with his glare as he walked back at you

"I don't fucking know? Maybe you should ask your boyfriend" he retorts

You crossed your arms against your chest- you laugh incredulously "Are you born yesterday? Eddie?! I don't have a boyfriend you know that!"

He scoffs "Sure, yeah, Whatever you say, Y/N- good fucking night" he left with that, leaving you alone in the streets

If things are not serious, Eddie think you're cute with that angry pout that you just did

You almost missed the sentence that he just let it falls between his lips

He's acting like this because he thought you had a boyfriend?

Oh my, my, my.... He is jealous

You went home afterwards after your weird argument with Eddie

You just had a thought that maybe... Eddie encountered your....

"Hey, Gareth" You called at him while he is resting comfortably on the sofa watching cartoons

"Yeah?" He glanced at you while devouring buttered popcorn

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yes" he got up and he switched off the TV

You remove your sling bag and you pulled your cardigan sleeves up and then heat up the chicken noodle soup that your mom prepared earlier

He sats himself in the front of the table facing you

"Okay, tell me what is it, Y/N?" He asks with a mouthful of popcorn

You rest your palms on the table leaning forward

"You're a new student right?"

"Yeah" he furrows his brows

"and you told me, you already found a new friend"

"Yeah?" He chews slowly

"you also mentioned that he wants you to become their drummer"

"Yeah?" He is so confused

"you're late for dinner few days ago because you told me that you attended an D&D campaign"

"Y-Yeah, what? Where is this leading to?" He pushes away his popcorn bowl

"Your dungeon master might've been..... Eddie Munson?" You duck your head down and slowly raising to see his reaction

"Oh! Yeah! That's right! That's him!" His eyes sparkled immediately, the moment you mentioned his name

Both of them forgot to mention of the names of the people that just they met- too excited for the fun happiness moments to spill

You rubbed your eyes using your index and your thumb finger but a smirk sitting on your face

Gareth notices it and as he says "Wait- isn't that your?-"

"My bestfriend? yeah" you shrug

He finally understands the situation "Don't tell me something happened-"

"It already did" you say with a sigh as you turn off the heat and grabbed a bowl as you pour the delicious soup that is waiting for your taste buds to devour

He laughs "So- wait- you both got into an argument because he thought I was your boyfriend?!"

You nod as you laughed at him as well

"Who's gotta tell him?" He smirks at you and you grin at him as you ruffle his hair

"I'll handle it, just pretend that you didn't know anything" you wink at him as he agrees to this little mischievous plan

You're so amused at this and you're enjoying at the thought of Eddie is absolutely so freaking possessive and jealous with you

Jeff knits his brows together at his friend

"You're been acting weird a lot lately" he says to him

"Piss off, Jeff!" He grumbles

"Woah- there, my bad" he throws his hands up in surrender

Gareth spots the two of them until he gets the chance to tell Jeff why

Both of them shared knowing looks and smirks

Jeff pushes Gareth away as he tries to run off

Eddie came back with a sandwich as he eats it with no energy, staring at the space for hours

Jeff stifled a huge fit of laugh as he watches his friend

He leans over closer to him "You seriously have no idea do you?"

Eddie stopped chewing his food as furrow his brows at his friend

An eat-shiting grin on his face "Maybe try to learn the situation first before assuming" he raises his eyebrows at his friend

He swallowed as he rolls his eyes at him, but he takes his words carefully

"Eddie!" You start banging on his front doorstep on his trailer

He standing still on the closed door as he huffed

"Christ! Eddie- I know you're in there!"

A moment of silence goes on and on

You clicked your tongue "Fine, I'll just go back home with my boyfriend" you turned around to leave

You smile to yourself and it worked- he swing the door open, almost breaking the door for open it wide- he stepped outside

Oh- shit- he is just wearing black sando and gray sweatpants, he looked good

You're only wearing a hanging blouse, denim shorts and a jacket- you hair falls so easily pretty

He never looked at you for days and he missed seeing your beautiful face

You squealed in excitement as you wrapped your arms around him

He wants to hug you so bad but pride get the best of him as he only pats your back unenthusiastically

You scoffed "What's your damage, Eddie?" you pulled back as you rest your hands on your hips

He is now missing your warmth and touch- my god- your scent is addicting

"If you're mad at me just fucking say it to my face!"

He steps forward at you as he takes a deep breath, he looks straight into your eyes

"You lied to me, you told me for the first time we've met- I was the only guy that you ever talked to or even connected genuinely, I know it's only been a year of our friendship but it felt so right and real to me"

Your eyes soften with his words until

"But that fucking guy you're with, the one that I saw- I know you don't deserved to be treated like this but I am pushing you away now before you could hurt me"

You tried to kept your cool as possible but you can't help but feel amused by this....

He really does love you isn't he?

But you want him to pour it all out for you, completely unfiltered

"Am I still your friend or not?" You bite back

"No- I don't think so" he laughs in disbelief

"Then what are we?!" You step closer

You can feel it- he is fighting back but you want him to say it

Do it, Eddie- just fucking do it

You sigh in defeat as you turn your heel around and walk away, he takes your hand

"I want us to be-" he blurted out

You squint your eyes at him "To be what?"

He shakes his head at you as he thinks to rephrase his choice of words

"I love you, Y/N!" He yells it all out the moment he can feel that your hand is slipping off from his grip

You look back his eyes are longing for you

But he frowns after his confession, he ducks his head down- he looks he's about to cry

"I understand- you got yourself a boyfriend and I'm willing to be your just-"

You're taken him aback as you pulled him by his shoulders

You kissed him, his eyes might bulging out of his skull of what you just did

He breathes heavily but finally got taken control of his system as he grabs you by the waist, you gasp as he deepens the kiss

He is the happiest man alive

You smile through the kiss and you throw your arms around him and you can tell by the way he moves his lips onto you, desperate to feel your lips onto his and to taste you

He cuts off the sweet moment as he looks at you directly and watching you closely

You tilt your head at him as finally let out laughter that has been fighting out of your mouth

He is confused but a crooked smile is growing on his lips

"What's so funny?"

You're still laughing as you moved yourself closer to him, you give him one more peck to his lips

Your laughter died down but still you're giggling

He raises both of his brows begging for an answer

"Eddie, my baby" you play with his lavish long brown hair bangs

His hands still rests on your waist, he's watching you lovingly

"Gareth is the one that you're mad at? Right?"

His forehead easily scrunches up at his name as he nod

You pursed your lips as you begin to say

"He's my cousin, Eddie"

You started to laugh again as you take in his expression of hit of moment realization

His hold you on falls as his legs starts to wobble as he takes his seat

He is still wide-eyed as he looks at you

"Are you being serious?"

"Yes, I am, Eddie"

He smirked and still feel a hint of hurt the way you played him in the most infuriating scheme ever

"You got me all feeling dumb, sweetheart, that is one of a hell tricks that you've ever done"

You bowed down at him jokingly "No worries- about the past night- I just wanted to know-"

"To know about what?"

"That you're saying the truth about your feelings" you shyly say

He smiles at you feeling relieved that he belonged to you after all of this time

You crouch down at him and this time he kissed you unexpectedly and you give it back at him

He holds your cheek and runs his thumb over it

"I love you too, Eddie" you say to him

Oh- his eyes shines so bright at the time he heard those words that he's been waiting for his entire life

As much as you want don't want the moment to be over you announced

"I'm gonna be late for work" you stand up as he stands up as well

He tuts as he blocks your way "Ah-Ah! You're not going anywhere" his eyes darkened and your breath gets hitched at the tone of his voice

You chuckled "Eddie! I might get fired!" He tugged your hand on the way into the front door

"Nah- call it a day off- just say that you're sick" as he licks his lips and rolls his eyes as you look at him innocently

"You're not going to get away from this, Y/N after you what you just told me that you love me!"

He says dramatically as you snorted at his actions like he's going to die when you're not with him

The moment he lets go of his grip on you, you ran off and he chases you as you shrieked by the time he carried you away from the behind

He gets inside, ignoring your protests and puts you down on your feet as he kicks the door shut

You both stare at each other, hearts full of love and joy as you both share the same smiles at each other

He happily hugs you as kisses you so slowly and so heartwarming

He flashes you with those doe eyes again

"Stay with me? Please?" He finally says as he kept his eyes on you

"Alright, Ed's- I'll stay with you" you giggle

He cheers in victory as he swooped off your feet as he captures your lips to kiss again

[sebstanaddict]

Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

Despite Sebastian's insistence in coming back with her, reader reluctantly had to break up with Sebastian in order to fulfill Aurora's obligation to her parents to marry Adam. But what Adam said during dinner with Aurora's parents sparks and idea in her head and she might just find a way out of this nightmare.

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 23/28 (Might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : just some sexual reference a litlle, nothing vulgar

Word count : 4.9k words

---

Chapter 23 - A Heart Worn Thin

That morning, Y/n woke up feeling a spark of hope, a small light flickering at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Last night's conversation with Aurora's father had planted a seed—a chance to escape this twisted arrangement with Adam if she could prove herself worthy of running his company. It was a daunting task, but it was also her lifeline. If she succeeded, she could end the engagement, walk away, and perhaps... just maybe... find her way back to Sebastian.

Yet that hope was tempered by a gnawing sadness. The last encounter with Sebastian lingered in her mind, the hurt in his eyes haunting her. She wanted so badly to tell him about her plan, about the potential way out. But there was no guarantee she'd succeed, and she didn't want to risk raising his hopes—only to dash them if she failed.

That morning they were scheduled to shoot another scene for Pumping Black. One that happened before the horrible stabbing to Aurora's character, Celeste, happened.

When she arrived on set, her heart skipped as she spotted Sebastian across the room. But the moment he looked at her, her stomach sank. His expression was cold, his posture distant, a wall firmly in place where warmth had once been. He didn't say a word, didn't ask questions or attempt to break the tension. For the first time, it seemed as though he'd stopped fighting for her, resigned to letting her go. The realization hurt more than she'd expected.

They took their positions for the scene, a climactic argument between their characters. It was intense, full of betrayal and anger—exactly the kind of tension that mirrored what simmered between them. But neither of them could focus, and each take was worse than the last.

"Cut!" Maya's voice rang out, frustration lacing her tone. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Guys, I need more than this. There's too much tension, but it's the wrong kind. If you can't get on the same page, we're going to be here all day."

Y/n felt Sebastian's eyes on her, his gaze as cold as ever. They both knew they had to get past whatever was holding them back if they were going to get through the day. He gestured for her to follow him, and they stepped off to a quiet corner away from the others.

He crossed his arms, his face a mixture of bitterness and disappointment. "If we're going to keep doing this, we have to put whatever's between us aside," he said, voice flat. "I'm not here to drag things out any longer."

His tone was harsh, but she knew he was right. Fighting back tears, she nodded. "You're right. I don't want to keep holding you back."

For a long moment, they stared at each other, an unspoken understanding passing between them. Whatever they'd had was slipping further away, and it felt like sand slipping through her fingers, but she had no choice. Not yet. She had to stay focused on her plan.

"Alright," she whispered. "Let's do this."

They returned to set, and this time, as the camera rolled, they poured everything into the scene. The anger, the hurt, the betrayal—it all flowed into their characters, heightening each line and glance. When Maya finally called "cut," the crew erupted into applause, the scene charged with a raw energy that felt as real as anything they'd shared off-camera.

But the moment the applause faded, Sebastian turned away, grabbing his things without a word and walking off set. Y/n watched him leave, her heart breaking all over again. This time, it felt final—as if she was truly losing him, inch by inch, with every secret and every lie.

As she stood there alone, she couldn't help but wonder if her plan would be enough. Because even if she escaped Adam, there was no guarantee she hadn't already lost the one person she was doing it all for.

—

The next morning, Y/n found herself sitting in Aurora's office at the hedge fund company, staring at a sea of financial data on the screen in front of her. She didn't have any shoot scheduled for that day so she planned to maximize the day to work at the hedge fund company.

Despite the plush, luxurious surroundings, the pressure of the task at hand weighed heavily on her. Aurora's father had given her a small but crucial project, one that could prove her competence — or see her thrown back into the clutches of an unwanted marriage with Adam.

The project was no small task. Aurora's father had asked her to create an algorithm that would optimize their stock trading strategy. The hedge fund was heavily invested in technology, and Y/n's background as a software engineer was going to be the key to unlocking its potential.

She had to create an automated trading algorithm that could analyze large volumes of data — historical prices, market trends, and real-time news — to make predictions and execute trades with minimal human intervention. It was a high-stakes task, but one she was surprisingly excited about.

Aurora's father was skeptical at first that she could do it, knowing Aurora had no background at all in software engineering, but she assured him that she would be working closely with her personal assistant to create the algorithm. She even gave him her CV so he could see her background. Once he studied her CV he was more confident and allowed her to start working to create the algorithm.

As she worked, her fingers flew across the keyboard, the familiarity of coding bringing her a sense of calm amidst the storm of her life. This was something she could control, something she could solve. Her mind raced with logic and numbers, allowing her to momentarily escape the chaotic mess of pretending to be Aurora and dealing with Adam and Sebastian's emotions.

She spent two weeks coding, testing and refining the algorithm. When she was scheduled for a shoot, she spent the day doing shooting and the night working at home until dawn. When she had no shoot scheduled she would come to the office and work from morning until night. It was taxing and she was exhausted.

Each day, Y/n felt like she was being pulled in a hundred directions at once, struggling to keep everything from unraveling. Between the long hours of shooting Pumping Black and the sleepless nights spent working on Aurora's father's algorithm, she was running on little more than sheer will. But it wasn't just exhaustion that weighed on her. It was Sebastian—the growing distance between them that left an ache she couldn't seem to shake.

She often caught him watching her, his gaze soft yet searching, as if he was silently begging her to open up. She longed to tell him everything, to ease the tension between them, but the stakes were too high. If she couldn't pull off this plan with Aurora's father, she risked not only disappointing Sebastian but keeping herself trapped in the unwanted future looming over her. So she kept it to herself, even as she felt the space between them widening with each day.

One evening on set, Y/n sat with her script, exhaustion weighing down her every movement. Footsteps approached, and she didn't need to look up to know it was him. The air shifted in a way it only ever did when he was close. "Aurora..are you okay?" Sebastian's voice was a soft brush of concern, and hearing it nearly unraveled her.

She managed a tired smile. "I'm fine, Sebastian. Just...a lot going on." She tried to sound casual, to reassure him with words she barely believed herself.

But his expression remained unconvinced. There was a deep worry in his blue eyes as he studied her. "Fine?" he repeated, skepticism coloring his tone. "You look exhausted. You don't have to push yourself this hard...whatever it is, it can wait."

Y/n's heart clenched. She wanted so badly to tell him why she was doing this, to let him understand the reason behind her late nights and weary mornings. But instead, she shook her head. "I can handle it, Sebastian. Really."

His gaze hardened, disappointment crossing his face as he looked away, jaw tight. "I just don't understand why you won't tell me what's really going on," he said, his voice laced with hurt. "Why can't you be honest with me?"

Her own gaze dropped, the weight of his words pressing on her. How she wanted to be honest, to confide in him and ease the guilt gnawing at her. But she couldn't bring herself to risk it. "It's...complicated, Sebastian," she whispered, wishing he could somehow read the apology in her eyes. "I wish I could explain, but it's just...something I have to figure out on my own."

He nodded slowly, but the distance was already etched into his features. "Alright. Just...take care of yourself," he murmured, his tone colder, more distant than she'd ever heard it. And as he turned to walk away, a hollow ache settled in her chest.

The sadness lingered in his eyes whenever their paths crossed after that, mirroring her own guilt and regret. Each look, each silence, seemed to carve the chasm between them a little deeper, until she feared she'd never be able to bridge it again.

Despite the situation with Sebastian and everything else, somehow, she felt an invisible power and energy pushing her through it all. The motivation to escape Adam's clutches became her fuel and she knew she couldn't rest until she succeeded.

Every day, Aurora's father would check in on her progress, though always from a distance. He didn't hover or micromanage — it seemed that once he had given her the project, he trusted her to handle it. But she knew he was watching closely, waiting for her to either rise to the challenge or fail spectacularly.

By the end of the second week, Y/n had developed the algorithm's core structure. It could sift through mountains of data in seconds, analyze market trends, and predict which stocks would rise or fall. She was confident it would work — but she still needed to prove it in action.

With her final tests done, she scheduled a meeting with Aurora's father for a demonstration.

---

The day of the presentation arrived, and Y/n felt a mixture of excitement and nerves. This was it — her chance to prove to Aurora's father that she was capable of running the company, that she didn't need Adam, or anyone else, to succeed.

Aurora's father sat across from her in the sleek, modern conference room, his expression neutral but his eyes sharp. He hadn't been one to give away much during their interactions, but Y/n could sense that he was deeply invested in the outcome of this project.

"Let's see what you've come up with," Aurora's father said, gesturing to the screen where Y/n had her algorithm ready for the demonstration.

Y/n took a deep breath and began walking him through the system. She explained how the algorithm processed data, its predictive model, and how it was capable of identifying high-potential stocks with impressive accuracy. Then she showed him a live demonstration, running the algorithm in real-time as it made a series of small trades.

Aurora's father leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he watched the results flash on the screen. For several minutes, he said nothing, simply observing the algorithm's performance. Y/n's heart raced, but she kept her composure, explaining each step in detail.

When the demo was over, there was a long pause. Aurora's father sat back in his chair, his hands steepled as he considered what he had just seen.

"You've done well," he said finally, his voice steady. "This could be a real asset to the firm."

Relief flooded through Y/n, but she kept her expression neutral. She wasn't done yet.

"Thank you," she said. "But there's something more I want to discuss."

Aurora's father raised an eyebrow, but nodded for her to continue.

"I know you want Adam to take over the company," Y/n began, choosing her words carefully. "But as you have known from our last dinner with him, he doesn't fully understand the intricacies of the business. His lack of knowledge could be dangerous, especially in such a volatile market. I know this company means a lot to you — it's your legacy. And I believe I'm capable of preserving that legacy without the need for this marriage."

Aurora's father's expression remained impassive, but Y/n could see the gears turning in his mind.

"I'm not just saying this as your daughter," she continued, knowing she had to speak as Aurora in this moment. "I've proven myself capable of handling complex challenges, and I want to be the one to lead the company into the future. If you give me a chance, I believe I can do it — and you won't need to tie me to Adam to secure the company's future. And.." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully, then finally said, "I know you want the best for me, and I respect that. But... Adam isn't the right person for me. He forced himself on me. I managed to push him away, but... I don't think a man like that should be a part of this family."

As Aurora's father processed Y/n's revelation, his usually stern face softened just slightly. He looked at her with an intensity that spoke of both concern and re-evaluation.

"Adam forced himself on you?" he asked quietly, anger simmering beneath his controlled tone. His voice softened only to let her speak, but she could see the fury in his gaze.

Y/n swallowed hard and nodded, willing herself to stay composed. "Yes. I...I managed to push him away, but the way he acted, his anger..." She trailed off, feeling the weight of the moment as Aurora's father looked away, jaw clenched.

For a long moment, he said nothing, his expression hardening as he stared into the distance. Finally, he turned back to her, his voice resolute. "I had no idea Adam was capable of something like that. I thought he was... well, clearly I was wrong. I don't want a man like him in this family. No daughter of mine should be forced into a marriage like that."

Y/n exhaled, a profound sense of relief washing over her. "Thank you. I never wanted to disappoint you, but I know this isn't the life I want."

Aurora's father nodded, his gaze steady as he looked at her. "I appreciate your honesty, Aurora. And for that, I'm willing to give you a chance. You've impressed me today." He gestured at the screen, his expression softening, albeit slightly. "That program is the kind of work I'd expect from someone serious about running the company."

Y/n felt her heart lift. Here was her opportunity—not only to escape the marriage but to build something meaningful, something she could truly call her own. "I'm ready to prove myself, Dad. Just give me the chance."

He sighed, giving her a rare, approving look. "I will. I'll call off the engagement, effective immediately. But my expectations remain. This program was a good start, but if you're serious about the company, you need to come back once your filming is done. I want you working directly under me, handling real accounts and projects. If you prove yourself capable, the company is yours." He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "If not, I'll hand it over to Edith."

Y/n nodded, determination coursing through her veins. "Understood. I won't let you down."

He smiled, a hint of pride in his gaze. "Good. Show me that I haven't misplaced my faith."

As she gathered her things, she took one last look at Aurora's father, who was watching her with an intensity she hadn't seen before. The hard lines of his face softened ever so slightly, and for the first time, she thought she saw something almost close to admiration.

"I'll make arrangements to cut Adam out as quickly as possible," Aurora's father added, his tone businesslike once more. "But, Aurora... don't make me regret this."

Y/n smiled, a genuine smile, feeling like she could finally breathe. "I won't. I promise."

Aurora's father gave a single nod, his expression shifting back to his usual stoicism. "Very well. You're dismissed."

Y/n walked out of his office, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. There was still a long road ahead, but for the first time, she had real hope. And she can't wait to tell Sebastian about it. But first she needed to tell Aurora and so she did that just as she arrived home.

"Aurora, you won't believe what just happened!" She said enthusiastically into her cellphone.

*What?" Aurora's voice, well, her voice, drawled at the other end.

"I got us out of the arranged marriage with Adam!" She gushed.

"What?! How?" Aurora asked, surprise in her voice.

She proceeded to tell her about what has been happening and how her father offered her to work closely with him to manage the company. She expected Aurora to be happy about it but her response was not what she expected.

"Are you stupid?" Aurora protested.

Her heart felt like it has been stabbed as she heard Aurora. "What?!"

"I know nothing about running a hedge fund company, I know nothing about software engineering. I'm just going to look so stupid when we switch back. You should resign. Tell my dad that you changed your mind and would like to just marry Adam or anyone else my dad deems worthy."

She knew Aurora had a point but she couldn't give up. "Aurora, there is no way I'm marrying Adam or anyone else for that matter.. I mean.. I love Sebastian, okay? I can't marry someone else."

"I know you do but I don't. I know he's kind and all that but he's not the man my mom or my dad wants me to be with. It's not just about the company." Aurora sighed.

"Then what is it about, Aurora?" She asked.

"I just.. I just want to make them happy. My parents. Especially my mom. She.. she sees Edith as a better daughter than me. If I don't marry Adam like she wants, I'm just going to disappoint her even further and I don't want that."

She took a deep breath as she listened to Aurora and tried to see her point of view. "Okay, okay, I get it. But can't you see that if you.. I mean me.. succeed in doing this, it would make your mom proud? She can see you as someone capable like Edith. Isn't that what you want?"

Aurora didn't respond immediately, it seemed like she was deep in thought.

"Besides, Adam forced himself on me but I managed to get away and he was so angry. You wouldn't want to be stuck in a marriage like that, Aurora. I told your father too and he agreed, he doesn't want someone like Adam to be his son in law."

"My dad said that?" Aurora asked slowly.

"Yeah, he did. He called off the engagement immediately." She replied.

For a while Aurora didn't say anything but she could hear her breathing at the other end.

"Aurora, are you still there?" She asked.

"Yeah.. yeah. You know I can't believe I'm saying this but, you're right, if you succeed it could make my mother proud." Aurora finally said and she couldn't believe her ears.

"Yeah, exactly." She replied.

"And I know Adam has been a jerk so I'm glad you managed to cut him out of our lives. But if we switch back, I don't know if I can run the company.." Aurora trailed.

"I'll help you. I'll continue to help you. You can call or text me anytime." She offered.

Aurora took a deep breath and she waited patiently for her response. "Okay. Thank you." Aurora finally said and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're welcome. How is my mom by the way?" She asked carefully, her heart ached at not being able to be with her.

"She's.. managing.." Aurora trailed.

"Aurora, is she okay? Tell me everything." She insisted as her stomach twisted in knots.

"Well, she started her new treatment yesterday with new drugs. She has become weaker and more lethargic after that. But the doctors are still monitoring her closely. They say it's a normal effect of the new drugs. We won't know for sure how it would affect her until the whole series of the treatment is done. Which will take about a month." Aurora explained and her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Oh.. is she able to be at home or is she staying at the clinic?" She asked, worry gnawed in her heart.

"She's staying at the clinic. The doctors need to monitor her very closely. Your father and I, we take turns sleeping at the clinic to accompany her. You don't need to worry about that." Aurora said and she sighed.

"Thank you, Aurora. I really appreciate what you have done for us so far."

"Yeah, no problem. I like your mom and dad. They're really cool." Aurora said and she smiled.

"Yeah, they.. they are cool." She chuckled.

"By the way, I know I'm supposed to be back to LA before you leave for Paris. But, if you want, I can stay here longer. I.. I want to make sure she's okay throughout this new treatment session." Aurora said and her jaw dropped.

"Really? You would do that for me?" She asked, touched that Aurora would think that way.

"I'm doing this for your mom. She needs her daughter close by throughout this whole ordeal. I don't have the heart to leave when she needs me.. I mean.. you.. most."

She felt tears slipping from her eyes as she heard Aurora. "Wow, that's really thoughtful of you, Aurora. I really appreciate it. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They ended the call with a much better understanding of each other. She never thought Aurora could change so much but apparently, with the right people and circumstances, they could change. And she was glad that Aurora could change and become a much better person. As for her, she had spent her life thinking that having physical beauty is an advantage in life. But her experiences so far proved otherwise and now she knew that what was most important was what was on the inside. She just wished that someday, maybe, she could find out if Sebastian feels the same way. She couldn't wait to tell him the good news. But she felt she couldn't just straight up tell him. The distance and coldness between them needed to be bridged and she made plans to do just that.

—

Y/n's heart pounded in her chest as she parked her car in Sebastian's building later that week. She took a deep breath and said a silent prayer that he would still forgive her and accept her back into his life.

She picked up the picnic basket she had prepared earlier, containing all his favorite food and drinks and walked towards the entrance. She put a wide smile as she approached the security desk.

"Oh hey Miss Watson, long time no see. How are you?" Michael the security officer greeted her.

"I'm good, Michael, how are you?" She asked, placing the picnic basket on the desk in front of him.

"I'm good as well, thank you Miss for asking." He smiled and she smiled back.

"Is he home?" She asked, gesturing her head up.

"Yes, he is. Come, follow me." Michael said as he picked up the picnic basket and guided her to the special elevator that would take her straight into Sebastian's penthouse. He scanned his access key card and the elevator opened and she immediately went in as Michael handed her the picnic basket.

"Thank you, Michael." She said as she accepted the picnic basket from him and he saluted then winked at her.

The elevator closed leaving her alone with her thoughts. Her heart beat faster and faster as the elevator ascended, her mind rehearsing the words she was going to say to him.

When the elevator finally stopped at the topmost floor and opened Y/n felt a surge of anticipation, hope flickering in her heart as she walked in with her picnic basket. The living room was dimly lit, and she found him stretched out on the couch, watching Blue Valentine. The melancholy glow from the screen cast shadows across his face, mirroring the sadness she'd left behind.

When he looked up and saw her, surprise flashed across his face, quickly replaced by something unreadable. For a fleeting moment, his eyes softened with what looked like relief, but the hurt she'd caused was evident as he quickly reined in his expression, letting his guard return. "Aurora," he said, his voice low and guarded as he stood up and cautiously approached her. "What are you doing here?"

She took a steadying breath, put the picnic basket down near her feet then pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket. Without preamble, she began to read:

"I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)

I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)

I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you."

Her voice trembled, her heart in every word. When she reached the end, she met his gaze, her eyes pleading. His expression softened, his guarded exterior cracking as he walked closer to her. His hand reached out, brushing his thumb gently across her cheek.

"Do you mean that?" he asked, his voice a barely-there whisper, as if he was afraid to hope.

"More than anything," she replied, her voice catching. "Sebastian, I...I came to tell you that I'm free. The engagement with Adam...it's over. I went to my father and convinced him to call off the engagement. I convinced him that I can run his company without Adam and I told him how Adam.. how he tried to force himself on me.." Her voice wavered with relief as she finally released the burden she'd been carrying.

Sebastian's expression turned dark, his eyes flashing with anger. "He what?" His fists clenched, and he took a sharp breath, struggling to control the anger simmering just beneath the surface. "If he ever comes near you again..." His voice was tight with fury, but his hand on her cheek remained gentle. "I should have been there. If I'd known, I'd never have let him near you."

"It's over, Sebastian," she said softly, her hand resting atop his. "It's okay, it's finally over."

He exhaled deeply, his gaze softening as he looked at her with a mixture of relief and admiration. "You...you really went to your father and convinced him?" His voice was filled with awe, as if seeing her in a new light. "I always knew you were strong, but this...convincing a man like him to break off an engagement and give you a shot at his company... I didn't know you had it in you."

She smiled, a bit shyly. "I think I owe it to Y/n..., you know? She taught me so much about strategy and confidence. She helped me realize that maybe I was capable of more than I thought."

He chuckled softly, his hand brushing back a strand of her hair. "Well, if Y/n was behind all that, remind me to thank her someday. But I'm serious. I'm so proud of you. You're amazing."

A tear slipped down her cheek, her heart swelling as he wrapped her in a tender embrace. For the first time in weeks, she felt the weight lift, his admiration and pride filling the space once occupied by fear.

Then, unable to hold back any longer, he released her and looked down, closing the distance between them, he captured her lips in a kiss filled with longing and relief. She responded in kind, her hands curling into his shirt as they lost themselves in the moment, the barriers between them finally shattered.

When they finally pulled away, they laughed softly, leaning against each other. 

"I love you.." He whispered, making her heart flutter.

"I love you too.." She whispered back, making him smile.

"What do you have for me here?" He asked moments later, releasing her and glancing at the picnic basket at her feet.

"All your favorites." She replied as she picked up the picnic basket and brought it to the table in the living room. She opened the picnic basket, laying out his favorite Rubirosa-like pizza that she baked herself, the peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes, and two smoothies that Rosa had made.

"You really brought all my favorites," he said, his eyes soft as he looked at her, a warmth radiating from him she hadn't seen in so long. "You remembered."

"I remember everything," she replied, her hand reaching for his. "I never stopped thinking about you."

As they shared the food, their conversation was filled with laughter and soft exchanges, both of them slowly letting go of the pain of the past few weeks. When he reached for the remote, he made a face, realizing the screen was still paused on Blue Valentine. "I think we need something a little less heartbreaking," he said, his fingers lacing through hers.

She smiled. "How about something romantic?"

He chose his favorite romcom, Notting Hill, and they settled in, her head resting on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her as they laughed and exchanged smiles, letting the movie bring them back to a place of pure happiness.

When the credits rolled, he turned to her, his gaze filled with a newfound determination. "Stay with me tonight, mi reina," he whispered.

Her heart fluttered as she heard him call her with the endearing nickname again. She didn't realize how much she missed hearing him call her that.

"I'm not going anywhere, mi rey." She nodded and he smiled.

With that he swept her into his arms, carrying her toward the bedroom with laughter and kisses, each moment a celebration of the love that had endured. Their reunion was tender and filled with joy, each touch and kiss reaffirming the promises they'd made in their hearts.

Later, they lay together, content and entwined, the silence between them one of peace and fulfillment. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, his voice soft. "This time, I'm not letting you go."

She smiled but couldn't help feeling a tug in her heart, her fingers tracing his face. Oh how much she wished she would never have to leave him. But if somehow she and Aurora switched bodies again, she wouldn't have a choice but to leave him.

A flicker of sadness passed her eyes and Sebastian noticed.

"Mi reina, what's wrong?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Nothing.. I'm just happy we're together. I.. umm.. I had a flashback now of the nights I spent without you. They were unbearable." She said, her voice shook and his eyes softened.

"Well, I'm here now, mi reina, and like I said, I will never let you go again." He said, reaching up to stroke her cheek gently.

"I'm glad you said that." She smiled, wishing she could say more but for now she thought it was enough. Whatever the future brings, whether or not she would ever switch back to her own body, the most important thing was that she was back in his arms for the moment, and she just wanted to savor the feeling for as long as she could.

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie @kandis-mom

[ehhh2000]

Tekken 8 - Anti Reina Mishima Stamp(Rant) Huge Tekken 8 Spoilers!

This is gonna piss off Reina fans, but just a friendly reminder..... this is my opinion. If you love her, go on a page that praises her. You won't get it here. Alright here goes.

I was playing Tekken 8 at my friend's house. It was a fun time, and the story has improved from Tekken 7 (with the bland, monotone narrator gone, thank god) and..... Tekken 6 (ugh!) but has a few flaws.

The biggest flaw which almost ruined Tekken 8 for me, was this character, called Reina Mishima.

This is without a doubt, one of the most poorly written female characters I have ever seen in my entire life.

You mean to tell me that Lucky Chloe gets shit from Tekken fans, but Reina Mishima gets a free pass? WTF? I mean I am not a fan of Lucky Chloe (ok her character design is cute, but she is abusive AF to Eddie T.T) but at least she wasn't a forced and contrived, plot device character like Reina, and is just a dumb troll character from the creator, as a middle finger to their haters that really hated her guts.

Like you think Rey from Star Wars, Disney Remake Mulan, Bella Swan, or Captain Marvel were bad?

Well, that is nothing comparred to this DeviantArt OC, Mary-Sue reject.

So Reina is the daughter of Heihachi Mishima. (Oh, so we are doing the Lars Alexandersson plot-twist, from Tekken 6 again, in 2024... aka lazy, repetitive writing for Tekken 8 when it comes to introducing new characters... got it 👍) 

My issues with her that makes her a poorly written character is that:

-She is a flawless fighter, like Disney remake's Mulan bad. I know she is suppose to have flawless fighting moves like Heihachi, but good god, this is just embarrasing.

Edit: Ok, I understand that it is a fighting game, and the Mishima's are suppose to be powerful, badass fighters, so Reina should be no exception. Fair enough. I still think she is a self-insert character because she was just thrown into the story, with no buildup or references from previous games (Same issue I had with Lars in Tekken 6 btw, he just exists to replace Jin as a MC, and they made him a Mishima to make him more relavant, instead of him just standing out on his own as a character. I don't hate Lars btw, he has a cool character design, but the hair is riduclous, and I felt indifferent towards him at first, but now I kinda see him as a potential father figure to Jin in Tekken 8.)

-She is trying too hard to be a hardcore, edgy, tomboy, cool-looking version of Asuka, so I will call her the poor man's Asuka Kazama.

-Her character design and oufit is uninspired and too modern for my liking (Black boots, black short-shorts and A black and purple hoddie, huh.... how creative... -_-) oh and short black hair and purple streaks to add to the edgy, tomboy look. (Or the Karen look as I like to call it ^^)

-She is younger than Jin Kazama, YOUNGER! Despite being Jin's aunty. Yes, you heard correctly. I think the creators wanted a self-insert character to have some sort of sex appeal, which is why they made her look younger and prettier, and show off her legs (which gives me the ick.) And her calling Jin "Senpai" didn't help either.

(I also didn't like the fact the creators made Kazumi Mishima and Jun Kazama look younger than their own sons, like what is wrong with looking a bit older, mature and graceful? I actually want to see a badass, old lady in Tekken that can fight! Kazumi felt like a missed opportunity in that sense.)

-She manages to beat the shit out of Kazuya in her ending, despite her looking like a twig. Reminding me too much of something out Inuyasha, when that abusive, unbearable, bratty, girl Kagome would do the same thing to her love interest Inuyasha, for comedy! 🙄

I will admit that Kazuya is a shitty father (Sorry fans 😭 don't kill me) at least Kazuya has flaws, he is a damaged man, blinded by hatred, rage and has an obssession with power, like it's a drug to him. A wrathful devilman, but not completely heartless, otherwise he would just be another mini Heihachi.

Reina has no flaws, no personality, no interesting backstory and is just a pathetic Jerk-Sue Character (a Mary-Sue that is a Jerk, with no consequences for her actions.)

-She is also not a good plot-twist character either, again, she just ripped off Lars' backstory, so there is no originality from her.

-And to add to the cherry on top, when it comes to her being a poorly written, fanfic-styled Mary-Sue character, she is also....... a devil! 😈 Unless if it is revealed that she is Kazumi's daughter or something, then why the hell does she have to devil gene? And she wants to be the new Heihachi, huh? Wait till she finds out that Heihachi is the OG devil hater.

Terrible twist, terrible story, and a terrible first impression of Reina. 🤬 Fuck this character!

[rbbess110]

WIP intro: The Ring. A comedy in five acts.

Genre: romantic comedy, satire, Christmas comedy

Themes and tropes: fake dating, queer romance, family drama, miscommunication, sibling rivalry

Progress/Target: first draft, 95/~150 pages (see extra notes) More under cut!

Summary:

Sylwester is trying to be the perfect son for once in his life. After lots of experimenting, tons of fails and multiple wrong turns, he finally came out on top. With a stable career and a wonderful girl at his side, he actually might not seem like a disappointment next to his “wonderful” and “always beloved” older brother. Especially when he announces that he’ll be the first to marry out of his siblings! Because he definitely will – he already has a ring, and he is going to propose on Christmas Eve. It’s not like he’s been fighting with his fiancee-to-be for the past couple of weeks. Not at all… Patryk is trying so hard to be the perfect son he's always been. But expectations are changing as he’s growing older, and sometimes it feels like he isn’t good enough anymore. So when Sylwester’s mistake makes his parents think that he’s about to propose to his best friend- Maybe it’s not so bad at all? At least he won’t have to explain why he’s still single. He feels bad about getting Mikolaj all tangled up in this, but it’s not like it’ll change anything… Right? Klaudia has never tried to be the perfect daughter. And fairly, she isn’t planning on changing that. What she is planning on doing though, is watching her idiot brothers make fools of themselves trying to make their parents happy, and enjoy the chaos that unravels. For all she knows, Christmas this year is about to be a mess, but it also will be really fun.

In other words: the Kozlowski family gets back together for Christmas, and it turns out to be messier than anyone expects. With quite cliché romantic comedy shenanigans on one hand, on the other it’s a satire commentary of the expectations many families still set for their children, and the priorities they make them uphold.

Characters:

Patryk – 25 y.o., finishing his master’s degree in Data Science while working 9-to-5 as a programmer. Gifted kid in his childhood and teenage years, now a workaholic surviving only thanks to black coffee.

Sylwester – 23 y.o., working as a party planner and climbing up the ladder surprisingly fast for his young age. Looking forward to stop being second place in the family. Considered to be a bit of a “showman”, but who doesn’t like a tiny bit of drama here and there?

Klaudia – 17 y.o., high school student. The youngest and still considered to be the family’s baby, despite not being that small anymore. Well-known for causing chaos.

Anka (Anna) – 24 y.o., a journalist, known for her sharp tongue both in her writing and personal life. Sylwester’s current girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancee.

Mikolaj – 25 y.o., in the same boat as Patryk career-wise; Patryk’s best friend and co-worker. Too nice for his own good.

Mr. and Mrs. Kozlowski – the parents of Patryk, Sylwester and Klaudia. Can’t wait to have grandkids. They don’t have a favourite child, of course not, but have you heard that Patryk got promoted lately? He’s really amazing, isn’t he?

Extra notes: I’m writing it in a format of a play, in verse, so I’m finding pages a better way to track my progress than word count. I know it’s technically less specific, but word count when writing in verse doesn’t really… work the same way it does with prose, and it’s more confusing than anything. For reference, “The Ring” currently is at 10.5k words, but it’s 95 pages, with three out of five acts pretty much already written. So tracking progress in pages it is, thahah-

Also, this is my first project in a while that takes place in Poland. It makes sense, because I’m Polish, and this is satire, and I’m making a point by ridiculing certain social norms- it would be weird to try to place this in an environment I’m not personally familiar with, or ridicule social norms in a society I don’t personally know? Anyway hopefully all the painfully Polish names won’t hurt your eyes, thaha

[ancientgreekyuri]

okay one more h.ades fic this is a thesterius one and one of my favs that i've made... it's mostly a comedy / "fluff" but it does also discuss Internalized Racism (💔) there's also some very small suggestive moments

this was basically at attempt at making an in-universe reason for why theseus' portrait in game doesn't really Look like him (though the real world reason is simply that it's recycled concept art)

When the vile hellspawn sauntered into the arena, and announced to Theseus that he’d commissioned a portrait of the king during his princehood, he at first thought of it as a foolish attempt at a diversion. That Zagreus— did his vile schemes have no end? It was not the first time he’d attempted to drive Theseus into a tortuous  rage, and it certainly would not be the last. And besides that, what use did he have for such a painting? As Theseus once again pierced Zagreus’ flesh with his ruby spear, and once again sent him back to the bowels of hell, he concluded that his words must have been nothing but lies. One day or night, however, the Lord Hades called Theseus to his dank house for a performance review (it was brief, of course. Lord Hades had his complaints, but the simple fact of that matter is that there was no one else within Blessed Fields who desired the title of champion). Not yet ready to return to Elysium, he wandered around the place, observing the many changes that had occurred in the time between his last visit and now. Upon entering the small west hall (and passing by the Great Achilles who had dismissed him with I’m working right now, King Theseus…), he found a piece of his own legacy hanging upon the wall there. The portrait was familiar: a near perfect replica of one he'd posed for in life. His father Aegeus had commissioned it soon after claiming Theseus as his son, but it was not completed until after his return from Crete.  Despite this it was still completed with his father's specifications in mind, to honour him after his untimely death; the prince within the portrait had his ambiguities removed, and therefore looked rather unlike Theseus. One would mistake the fantasy-prince as being a grandchild of Pandion, with his pale skin and smaller nose. But the Theseus of reality shared no blood with the former king.

He remembers the discomfort he felt at the time, feelings he wasn't able to put into words.  Aegeus had wanted his son to look like a proper prince, but what exactly did those words mean? To this day, he didn’t know. Theseus scowled. Were the painting not rightful property of the underworld’s lord and master, he would have gladly pried it from the wall and tossed it into the Styx to drown. All he could do for now was leave and hope that next time he appeared, it would be replaced with something more tasteful. -----------------------------------

When Theseus returned home, Asterius was sitting outside, half buried in their garden of wildflowers. The bull held in his hands a large book, its pages decorated with golden detailing. Butterflies of shimmering light would occasionally flitter onto his horns, then leave just as fast. Theseus’ heart swelled at the sight. How fortunate he was to have Asterius in his life! He didn’t have many kind words for his prince-self, but he could appreciate that even back then, he sensed that there was something special about Asterius. Theseus stood before him, then dropped down to his haunches. Asterius’ ears twitched in response. “Asterius, my dear friend… what are you reading?” Asterius looked up. His head tilted inquisitively, but if he noticed something amiss, he did not mention it. “A lone warrior is attempting to rescue a princess. But it is not his true quest.” “Oh yes? May I read it alongside you?” Asterius patted the ground beside himself, inviting Theseus to sit. He wasted no time positioning himself next to Asterius with his head resting against the bull’s sturdy shoulder. Theseus listened closely as the bull read out loud to him. It was something they’d done more times than he could count, often with Theseus voicing the most theatrical characters. For now, however, all he wanted to do was be comforted by the sound of Asterius’ sweet voice… “Theseus…” “Hmm?!” Theseus jolted, blinking blearily at Asterius. “Ah, did I fall asleep? I apologize, my friend!”

Theseus yawned before lazily throwing himself over the bull’s lap.  In any other scenario he would have rolled onto his back so he could gaze lovingly at Asterius’ shapely jaw, and the cute shape of his snout. Asterius was perfect in every which way, and needed no portrait to immortalize it… unlike himself, apparently.

“I take it your meeting with Hades went poorly.”

“Not quite, dearest. My meeting with the Lord Hades went wonderfully! I am upset for… other reasons.”

“Such as?”

“Such as— that damnable portrait he has hanging on the west wall! Depicting myself, as a prince.” Theseus gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “The boy within its frame is a stranger to me. He is the one who killed you so very long ago, and…”

“And?”

“Even physically he is different. His skin paler, his nose smaller, his jaw more elegant! It is a perfect replicant not of myself… but of a portrait my father once commissioned, long ago…” When Theseus arrived within Athens as a young prince, he was thought of as a  foreigner. His father, being born of Egypt, did not help in this regard. While there were plenty who followed the teachings of Apollo in that foreigners should be treated with grace, there were others who looked at Theseus with disdain due to his lack of Athenian noble blood, and many more viewed Aegeus as some kind of usurper. In an attempt to solve this problem, Aegeus had a multitude of portraits of himself made. He was so very similar to Theseus’ grandfather, obsessed with the idea of being preserved through history. But those portraits always depicted Aegeus in the way he wanted to be viewed, rather than how he truly was. Looking at paintings alone, there was no doubt that Aegeus was the son of Pandion, descendant of Erichthonius. But to look at Aegeus himself, and to compare him to his siblings, or even Athen’s previous rulers, it was clear there was no blood shared between them.

Preoccupied as he was with his thoughts, Theseus did not hear the sound of Asterius’ book closing. It was only when the bull’s furred hand cupped his jaw, brushing its thumb over his cheek, that Theseus’ attention returned to his dearest friend.  “You are handsome and true, king. None in Elysium could hope to compare to you.”

“Oh, bull!” Theseus gasped, “How kind you are. But your praise is not needed! In fact, allow me… I simply must reward you for allowing me to nap besides you, after all.” “You slept for a mere few minutes…” “Even so!”  Theseus planted a firm kiss against Asterius’ snout. “You, my bull…” he sighed, “Are without parallel. You’ve a unique beauty that cannot be rivaled. And more so than that, you are the most handsome Minotaur in all of Elysium!!” “The only Minotaur in all of Elysium,” Asterius corrected. When Theseus pouted in response, Asterius gave a soft snort in laughter. “You deserve  a better portrait, king.”

“It is you, my bull, who deserves a portrait! Perhaps, after this, I will find an artist to hire for the task…”

“I would paint you,” Asterius replied. “I would capture your beauty in truth.”

“Oho? Are you being quite truthful, dear bull?”

“I am. I will.”

“Such kindness from you, such generosity… Asterius, Asterius…”

As Theseus continued to plant kisses against his most cherished companion, the topic of painting was soon forgotten by him altogether…. But Asterius remembered.

And so, it was a few weeks later when the bull surprised his king with this:

“King, allow me to paint you.” 

“You want to… oh! Oh, yes. That conversation…”

Theseus hummed, lost in thought. Ah, how he loved the idea of posing for his beloved bull! But Theseus knew himself well, and knew that every time he posed for a portrait, he quickly grew antsy, impatient, and most of all restless. Indeed, he was a famously difficult client to deal with even as he lived! Asterius was a patient bull (something Theseus appreciated immensely), but he did not wish to put him through that sort of trouble for what was at the time merely a passing thought. Theseus wracked his brain for a solution, though he struggled to come up with something satisfactory. Still, Asterius deserved an answer, and Theseus intended to give him one.

“I must admit, my friend, that I find myself somewhat intimidated by the idea of posing for a painting! It has been quite a long time since I’ve last done so.”  As he spoke, Theseus’ words and his budding thoughts tumbled into one another, and his next words became an impulsive suggestion. “Perhaps, instead of a painting, we could try sketching one another…?” Theseus’ expression turned grim at his own words; what was he thinking? He had of course dabbled in art before just as any king would, but his skills were next to nothing. But darling Asterius’ eyes lit up in excitement, glittering like two gemstones. He loved the idea, by the gods. “King, if you are willing…”

"Ah, w-well!” Theseus desperately tried to think of a way to retract his offer, but Aasterius looked so joyous at just the idea, and Theseus was loath to deny him such a simple request. “...Alright, my friend. From this moment onwards, the two of us shall temporarily relinquish our title as champions, and take on the role of artists!" -------------------------------------

There was a small area behind Theseus' home where a  pond glittered with blue water. While the pair had plenty of fish tanks inside their home, the pond held many larger, exotic species. It was one of Asterius' favourite places to come and relax after a battle, especially when ghostly waterfowl would occasionally come to swim upon the surface.

It was here that they sat out their supplies to begin painting together. Theseus had long ago asked the shade of a carpenter to create an easel big enough for Asterius to comfortably use, which then led to the construction of paint brushes and other such items meant for his larger hands. Theseus wanted to have them engraved with an array of intricate patterns, but Asterius had pointed out that they would end up becoming decorative items by that point, rather than tools he could actually utilize. 

Still, Theseus felt his heart swell with pride at the sight of Asterius elegantly seated across from him, his hair unstyled, falling in loose curls around his bullish face. Asterius of course looked handsome in any scenario, but there was something special about seeing him without his armor, relaxed and idling. There was none other within Elysium who had this unique privilege, after all, and Theseus would be sure to cherish every moment he could— “...King.” “Ah? Yes, my dear bull?” “You’ve been staring at me.” he snorted, clearly amused. “Get to work.” Theseus pouted, but did not complain as he finally turned his eyes towards his easel and the blank parchment upon it. Though it had been quite some time since he took lessons in art, he still remembered some of the basics. Where to start, though? Theseus supposed, with the head.

Asterius' bullish face was gorgeous in its uniqueness. From his luscious eyelashes, to the rich brown of his eyes, to the soft caramel-cream tone that coloured the bridge of his snout. However… it was not the easiest thing for a beginner artist to draw. If he broke down the shapes to their bare essentials, Asterius' head was something of a rectangle. He would begin there. Theseus pressed his pencil to the parchment. Somehow, his attempt at a rectangle looked more like a lopsided disc. Theseus tried again— this time getting something more akin to an elongated tube. A third time, with a furious determination, and somehow his clumsy hands managed to create a perfect square. Theseus was baffled beyond all reason- but it was good enough for now. With a shaky hand, he used this as a base to render the rest of Asterius’ head, including a glittery eye with long lashes, an adorable snout with a shimmering nose ring, and two tall horns… The end result was something more of an giant and overdetailed eye with long hairs growing off of it attached to a pair of overly long rods. Theseus’ hand hovered over the drawing, half tempted to tear it up and just take it from the top. But he knew that even if he did start over, his second attempt would not be much better.

(As his dread grew, Theseus couldn’t keep himself from once again  focusing on Asterius. The Minotaur was working with intent, as if he knew what he was doing. Surely he wasn’t experiencing this same childish panic Theseus felt...) If he could not draw Asterius’  head properly, then perhaps his body would be easier. He had touched his muscles many times up until now, felt them beneath his hand, pressed against his body both in combat and in… other scenarios. He knew them as well as he knew his own! Yes, this would be simple! It was not. While Theseus could be proud that he’d managed to capture the shape of Asterius’ forearms fairly well, the rest of it was disproportional, not to mention the fact that he had become… engrossed while depicting his companion’s chest, and may have exaggerated more than is appropriate. The idea of starting on his legs was intimidating, now. Could he depict them in all their glory? He could at least do this properly, couldn’t he?

Theseus pressed his pencil to the page, and scribbled passionately. The end result was two awkwardly bent sticks, one slightly larger the other, both ending in round clubs for feet. Gazingly blankly at the page, the king sat in stunned silence. 

He wasn’t particularly skilled in this regard, true, but he’d assumed he could at least do better than this. The drawing in its current state was a clear insult to Asterius’ beauty, and that was unforgivable. Theseus again looked over at his partner. Dear, sweet Asterius was so concentrated, no doubt creating a masterpiece that would make Theseus cry tears of joy once he laid his eyes upon it. And what did Theseus have to repay his kindness with? A drawing that looked as if it was created by a child. No—  a child could surely do better than this! Perhaps he should start over after all? So long as he does so before Asterius completed his drawing— “...Theseus.” “Hah? Ah! Yes, my friend…?” Much to the king’s surprise, Asterius’ voice was tingned the slight irritation of having called out to him several times now, though Theseus, lost in thought as he was, did not notice. “I’ve finished.” “Ah! You’ve finished!” Typically Theseus would admire the speed at which Asterius could work, but at this moment it was an absolute hindrance. He could not help but to wonder if it would be possible to subtly (intentionally) dump his canvas into the pond water and request a do-over. So preoccupied he was with his plans that he nearly did not hear Asterius’ sighing: 

"Mine did not come out great…” he admitted. "I was nervous."

Theseus had grabbed his easel in preparation for shoving it over, but Asterius’ words stopped him in his tracks. When Aserius looked at him strangely, Theseus sat back down with an awkward chuckle,

"Nervous…?" Theseus mused, trying to hide his own anxiousness. "From gazing upon my handsome visage, I'm sure!"

"Yes." Asterius’ honesty always shocked Theseus, even now. "I wanted to draw your features properly. I was nervous."

"I… I see!" Theseus was sure his face was heating up, now. How was it that Asterius was able to fluster him so easily, without any effort? "Well, I'm sure it's not any worse than mine! Shall we, erm…?"

Both men awkwardly clung to their canvases, seemingly unwilling to let the other gaze upon his creation.

"In that case!" Theseus eventually said "I suppose I shall go first! Promise me you will not laugh?"

“I prom— huh.” Theseus flipped his canvas so Asterius could see his creation in all its lopsided glory. A snout that had been erased and redrawn so many times it began to look more like smudged pencil marks than anything resembling a head, horns growing out sideways from its forehead. His overly-large chest was at a strange contrast with his comparatively smaller body, which became stranger still with his oddly proportioned legs.

Asterius did a good job of not laughing… for a mere few seconds. But soon his body tensed, and his shoulders shook, and a strange wheezing noise came from his throat. And Asterius- he laughed, guffawing at the drawing Theseus displayed to him, his body shaking so terribly his art supplies got knocked over.  Theseus pouted,  offended. “Is my art truly so funny?! Show me yours, th— hmm?!” 

Theseus’ words devolved into strained choking when Asterius showed the work he’d created. Theseus’ nose was large, but here it was drawn exaggeratedly. His posture was some bizarre cross between the elegance of a swan, and the buffoonery of a satyr. At some point the bull realized he’d drawn Theseus’ chiton over the wrong shoulder, resulting in him wearing what appeared to be some type of bizarre tunic, and that goes without mentioning the lopsided grin he wore. Theseus was baffled. But beyond that, he loved it. He loved the drawing so much he could only express it by slumping down to his knees, and burying his face in his hands to muffle his increasingly high pitched wails of delight. 

"That bad, is it?"

"Asterius, I adore it!! I simply must have it framed somewhere in my bedroom at once!" 

Asterius gave a haughty snort, causing his nose ring to sway. "Absolutely not."

"Asterius, please, I am begging! See, I am already on my knees. In turn, I'll allow you to do whatever you'd please with the work I created! I’m sure you’d give Patroclus quite a chuckle if you showed it to him, next time you are together!" “Hmm…” Asterius tilted his head in thought. “I have a better idea.” “Oh yes?” The two champions began to gather up their art supplies, all while Asterius told his king of his idea.  Soon they were distracted and found themselves sitting at the end of the pond, chatting eagerly as they watched Elysium’s false sky transform into a watercolour of orange and pink, before fading into a starry night sky.

--------------------------------------- Within their shared home, Theseus and Asterius posed together as the shade of an old painter prepared a portrait for them both. Asterius was used to sitting still for an extended period of time, but Theseus couldn’t help but to shake his leg, or rub Asterius’ hand, or try to start a conversation (leading to him quickly being hushed). Just as he predicted, Thesus still found the process of being painted to be an extremely sluggish affair. Rather than sitting and looking nice next to Asterius, he’d much, much, much rather be busy with cherishing him. But they had all the time in the world for that, he supposed. He could attempt to ignore his own restlessness, at least for now. And yet… When the shade announced that they’d finished, Theseus could not help but to groan out an exasperated “Finally!”, and even Asterius slumped backwards in his seat with a sigh, exhausted from having to hold his pose for so long. Within the painting, Theseus was wearing the blue cloak he once treasured as a youth, with Asterius wearing a matching one in a slightly darker hue. He sat poised on the bull’s broad lap, his smile vibrant, and Asterius’ curls were decorated with all his favourite flowers. Though it was just a painting, he could still feel the love Asterius had in his eyes. How strange it was, that his heart swelled with joy seeing this version of himself— the version of himself that had Asterius by his side, for now and for always. Soon the painting was placed within a frame of elaborate gold (Theseus had rushed out and purchased it mere minutes after Asterius suggested the idea of a professional painting, impulsive as always), and hung within their main room, next to several smaller paintings of Theseus’ family, and some created by Asterius himself.

(And on the wall  immediately beside the portrait, folded up within a simple wooden frame, two amateurish paintings rested side by side, both signed with pride by their artists.)

[pomefioredove]

Okay I read the match up thing 3 times so I am 90% sure I'm doing this right. You want a good amount of info right? Well here you go I listed everything I thought of that would describe me and maybe affect a relationship.

Personality

It depends on who you ask but the usual summary is really nice, considerate, sweet, smart and helpful. Also being described as innocent and sheltered because I miss out on social cues, have never smoke or vaped, haven't had a partner or my first kiss, never got in trouble an am not allowed the house without some adult with me despite being 17. I only recently got permission to walk to the seven eleven across the street only with a friend. Despite all this I'm not completely clueless and have a dark sence of humor and a bunch of sarcasm used for comedy and am not bothered by cursing whatsoever in others or myself.

It depends on who I'm with but my attitude can vary like if I'm around people I'm not familiar or comfortable with I get quiet but when I'm with friends and chosen family I can get really talkative especially about my interests, though I am a introvert so any social interaction wears me down.

When it comes to confrontation regarding myself I tend to stay away as much as possible even if something bothers me if it's something I don't see as a big deal to "keep the peace". But when it comes others I'm much more willing to back them up in their confrontation or even confront someone for them if need be.

Alot of people have done those relationship tests on random people and friends, I didn't know what they were until after the test but I apparently passes the orange one?

I've also been told multiple times that I passed the "bird test" but I don't know what that is and haven't had time to Google it because I forget I don't know if it's important but I figured I'd mention it just in cade.

I like giving out random gifts to people I know and go to school with. It's usually something that reminds me of them, that suits their taste, or a craft I made that I thought they would like.

I kinda struggle sometimes with maintaining relationships that I develope in person especially when I'm not seeing them often and can sometimes like dissappear for anywhere from 2 days to a week just randomly with no warning.

Interests

My latest is origami flowers and I like making them and giving random small bouquets to people that would like them or look like they have had a rough day.

Though I love movies and i can eve. Quote and act most of the ones i like and love Easter eggs.

I write a whole bunch two especially for fandoms in involved in and have multiple pages that are dedicated for one fandom that get long 6,000 word stories every week

I love videos games, I wouldn't say that I'm a gamer cause I don't have near enough time committed or games, but I'm really good in combat games like Super Mario and Mortal combat, I also like RPGs, Games like Mr. Tomato and Ms Lemon, I am average at any kind of games like Fortnight because I'm not good at any weapon that needs to aim like guns and arrows when I need to shoot from afar but I'm really good at close combat, and good at being support and can usually manage to stay alive. I'm also really good at board games which I win at alot and card games. I don't usually have much of a temper but with games can get pretty heated sometimes.

I do a lot of crafts, like soap making, candle making, cross stitching and love cooking and baking.

I love reading as well and have been known to go through five books in the span three days

Life Style

I'm usually decent about picking up after myself and my crafts, meaning no trash in my room but because of all my hobbies there is always a bunch of clutter that I'm not bothered by and sort of organize a little to make it look decent keep the peace.

Alot of days I don't have the energy to do much other then watch movies or play video games and just hang around the house most of the time. On the few days I do have to go out that's usually when I get all my work done because I feel more productive getting one to two weeks worth of work done in a day in between talking to people and whatever favors and tasks teachers give me.

At school I'm known as sort of the go to if you need a favor or any help with schoolwork even the classes I'm not in because I have a bunch of ideas, know a lot about random stuff and when I don't know I am able to look up good material to source.

When I come home honey from those days I usually just eat and then go to bed afterwards.

I love warmth, warm showers, warm close and physical affection. I don't get much of that and am a bit touch starved but make up for it with long hot showers and usually sleeping with a heating pad.

I tend to stay up very late most nights and only go to bed at a decent time like 11 when I have to go places the next day. I'm not loud when I stay up though it's usually me listening to music through headphones and writing, reading, or playing games.

I don't know

Background

I've recently realized my childhood was not healthy at all.

My parents were divorced by 5 and because of my dad having custody bur working late night shifts and I was left with my grandmother who homeschooled me. She had Ptsd, depression, and Biolar and should not have been left to cars for me.

I would be screamed at constantly for things that she was stressed about and couldn't control and was repeatedly told the story of my parents divorce ans how my mom legally abandoned me and didn't want me.

She would have random breakdown and panic attacks and every time I tried to console her would tense up and start yelling at me causing me to be really akward now when people get upset.

She constantly guilt trips and gaslight me and my sister even now ans combined with how my dad is a bit of a compulsive liar makes me second guess alot of what people say.

My dad was also a alcoholic and used to constantly pick fights with us, their combined behavior made me really anxious and I realized that I have anxiety because of them, at the time it was so bad I would get mine panic attacks sometimes just at the mention of going to their house. My anxiety was so bad that I threw up alot ans developed a fear of getting sick like that so I stopped eating as much as I should back then leading me to lose 50 pounds.

Now I'm much better, my dad is clean and a muc better person and we have made up but my grandmother is just as bad. My anxiety gets really bad sometimes still and in those days I lay down with my heating pad until I no longer feel like I'm going to throw up. I don't know why exactly but the heat helps. I also have a very crappie memory and can remember basically nothing till age 15 and even then those are spotty.

You probably didn't need that last bit but tldr: I am not completly mentally stable but am willing to learn and grow and change.

(No jack or Leona please I just want see myself getting along with them.)

I match you with 𝐀𝐳𝐮𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨

The First Impression:

Azul first sees you as a threat to his business. No, really! Here you are, being all nice, offering help and doing favors for the other students for free... it doesn't matter how nice or innocent you seem, he'd be naive to underestimate you.

Why He Fell:

...Well, he's partially correct. You're definitely not as innocent as others take you for, so much becomes apparent when he hears you crack a joke for the first time. But you aren't a liar; the whole "nice and helpful" thing is genuine, and what's more is you're smart; you pick your battles, you avoid getting taken advantage of, and you're actually quite efficient and handy.

So, while you may not be a threat to him, Azul still thinks you're worth keeping around.

You grow closer over board games and long conversations. You're almost as good as him (maybe even more so, but he'd never admit that aloud) and Azul loves a good challenge, after all. Over time you both open up about your pasts and your anxieties, and he begins sharing things he never thought he would be able to. It's a comfortable, quiet sort of thing.

The Relationship:

Azul feels important with you.

Not for what he can do or what he can offer, but because he's him, and you like him (he hopes). The first time you make him a gift, he's genuinely confused. He tries to pay you, and when you don't accept, he spends an entire week thinking of ways to make it up to you. It almost becomes a little tradition, doing nice things for one another.

He's able to carve out multiple times in his week to dedicate to you. Azul is surprisingly good at finding the perfect balance between needing recharge time and needing to see each other, and the structure actually works well. Expect lots and lots of physical affection when you get to that point; Azul has been touch-starved for his entire life, after all, and he'll gladly share warmth with you.

[rfsak2]

Spitfire, Pt. 9

Sorry this took longer than usual! I had a tattoo appointment on Saturday that took most of the day and I just struggled with what scenes to focus on. 

Despite its lateness, I hope you like it! Drop me a line and let me know. Also no spoilers for Daryl’s show. I haven’t watched it yet!

Spitfire, Pt. 9

Everyone always thought Daryl was the rough one. DarylxOC

Warnings: violence, emotions, injuries, lots of bad language words, smut under the cut

Part 8

“So how do we do this?”

Everyone turned to Mitzi, who sat at the head of the table, boots propped up on the corner.

“Depends.”

Gabriel nodded, waiting for her to elaborate. He glanced at Rosita, who rolled her eyes. “On?”

“On what we want to accomplish.” Mitzi smiled, aware that she was being irritating.

Maggie leaned over the map on the table. “We want him dead.”

“Well, hell.” Mitzi shrugged, taking her boots from the table and sitting up straight. “I coulda already accomplished that. Shot him through the forehead the minute he stepped up on that truck the other day.”

“Why didn’t you?” Rosita sucked her tongue.

Mitzi smiled sadly. “Because he had Sasha and Eugene and that’s not all we want.”

“Fuck Eugene.”

“Sure we know that now, but we didn’t know that then.” Mitzi sighed. “It’d still not have gotten us what we want.”

“Ok, Mitzi, just say what you’re thinking.” Rick sighed. 

“Do we just want him dead or do we want to take down the Sanctuary?” Mitzi crossed her arms over her chest. “And further, are we aiming to be top of the food chain or are we aiming to clean the streets?”

Maggie frowned. “Meaning?”

“If we don’t care, we just want him dead, I can give you that in a week tops, no muss, no fuss. Stake out the Sanctuary, snipe him at first chance.” Mitzi sighed. “The other two options are going to require more, more people, more resources, more of us. And they are gonna mean very different things about us and we need to have that conversation. I need to know what we want and if we are willing to do what needs to be done to get it.”

Gabriel hummed. “You’re asking why we’re doing this.”

“We’re three communities with very different reasons to join this fight and different values.” Mitzi nodded. “If we aren’t on the same page, this is all fucked from the start and we will lose and we will die. We need to go in together or not at all.” 

Rick nodded. That’s what makes the Saviors so effective. They go in together.”

Maggie sighed. “They’re cohesive, they all want what Negan wants.”

“Or too afraid to tell him no.” Daryl leaned forward, elbows on knees. 

Tara grimaced. “They are Negan.”

“So we need to have some of that same cohesion.” Mitzi ran her hand over Daryl’s back. “So what do we want?”

The King nodded. “I think I have an answer for you, Noble Mildred.”

Mitzi made a face, glancing at Daryl and then Rick. Daryl tucked his chin, trying hard not to smile.

Ezekiel glanced around the table, settling on Rick, whose shoulders were shaking. Carol patted Ezekiel’s shoulder, looking down and away to giggle quietly to herself. 

“What?”

Rick bit back a smile. “She doesn’t go by Mildred.”

“Certainly not Noble Mildred.” Tara snorted. 

“Rick is the only one who calls her by her full name and only when he’s teasing her. Daryl doesn’t even do it.” Maggie hid a smile behind her hand, watching Mitzi battle with herself internally.

“I’m sorry, Lady Dixon-“

Mitzi threw her head back and laughed, tears in her eyes. “Lady!”

Daryl snorted. 

“Holy shit! Being called Mrs. Dixon is always a trip but that- that right there is comedy.” Mitzi wiped at her face. “You know what, your majesty? Call me whatever you like. I honestly can’t see you callin’ me Mitzi anyways.”

Carol smiled. “If you want a title, she was a captain in the Army before the Turn.”

Ezekiel demurred with a bright smile. He turned on what she was beginning to recognize was his King voice and addressed the room. “Lady Mildred-“ 

Mitzi snorted and waved him off, mouthing ‘sorry’.

He smiled. “Captain Dixon has asked a very important question with dire ramifications. What do we want? What is the point of this endeavor?”

Maggie crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I want him dead.”

“For revenge or because you feel like it’s the right thing to do?” Mitzi leaned forward, eyes suddenly serious.

Maggie frowned. “Does it matter?”

“If everything goes well? No, it won’t matter.” Mitzi sighed. “If it doesn’t, when it doesn’t, when people die, it will matter then.”

The table was quiet and still.

“This is a righteous cause.” Ezekiel breathed deep. “Our motivations need to remain righteous.”

Mitzi smiled gently. “War is not that simple, your majesty. I have been to war for what I was assured were righteous reasons. Whether they were or not, the boots on the ground had different motivations. I had different motivations.”

Rick nodded, leaning back. “Do we all agree that killing Negan is the right thing to do?”

Everyone at the table nodded.

**

“Alright! Round up!” Mitzi motioned the residents of Hilltop closer to her. “We’re gonna start this now. I’ll do another class tomorrow for those who are working right now. I’ve been told that Sasha taught y’all how to be more effective with knives, so we’re gonna build on that.” She swallowed dryly. “How many of y’all have experience with guns?”

A small smattering of hands went up.

She breathed deep and glanced at Daryl, who shrugged. “Alright, How many have experience with rifles of any kind?”

Two hands went up and Mitzi sighed. “Hunting rifles?”

They both nodded, one, a tall black man, spoke up. “Mostly bolt-action.”

“Alright,” Mitzi drawled. Turning to Daryl, she muttered. “This is gonna be interesting.”

He shrugged, handing over her rifle. “You’ll be aight.”

She snorted and turned back to the crowd. “Let’s start with how to hold a rifle. I want everyone to either go get an empty, unloaded gun, or a stick, if we don’t have enough.”

Everyone did so, albeit reluctantly. For those who had a weapon, Mitzi walked around, teaching the residents how to clear each different type of gun. 

She smiled and handed a handgun back to a very frail-looking older woman. “I think the draft just closed, ma’am.”

“I’m old, not stupid.” The woman put a hand on her hip. “I know I ain’t going out there. I should know how to shoot a gun though.”

Mitzi huffed out a laugh. “Aight then.” She turned back to the crowd. “Most of y’all who have used guns before will probably find this redundant, but I am very specific about gun safety. If you can’t use a gun safely, you shouldn’t use it at all.”

The residents nodded and listened patiently as Mitzi guided the more novice gun handlers through basic gun safety. 

“Now, we're gonna move on.” Mitzi squared her body and lifted her rifle. “Most of y’all were taught a firing stance similar to this, if you were taught a specific stance at all.” She demonstrated, legs straight, back rigid, elbows stiff.

“This is okay.” Mitzi shrugged. “Nothing wrong with it, if you’re just practicing for an hour or two. But this will wear you out over a longer period of time.” She adjusted, hunkering down, knees bending, upper body canting slightly forward, elbows pulling the gun in tighter. “This needs to be the new normal. You need to bend the knees and lean into the gun. This helps your body absorb recoil. We’ll start with those legs. Show me what you saw.”

“Excuse me?”

Mitzi looked up from where she had been lightly kicking at a younger guy’s feet to spread them. She tapped at the back of his thigh to get him to bend his knees and nodded. Moving to the older man who had spoken, she smiled. “Yep?” “Why are we doing this?”

Mitzi’s head tilted, brow furrowed in confusion. “Gun trainin’?”

“No, why are we fighting the Saviors?” He frowned hard. “Gregory is gone and now you people are in charge and all of a sudden we’re fighting the Saviors. This is crazy!”

She glanced back at Daryl who had straightened, standing off the tree he had been leaned against. “You see that guy?”

The man nodded. 

“He’s my husband.” Mitzi smiled. “The night Negan killed two of our people, men I considered my brothers, who I loved as family because they are my family, he kidnapped my husband too. Negan and his goons tortured my husband for damn near a week. Daryl still hasn’t told me what happened while he was there and, as someone with similar personal experience, I honestly don’t expect him to.”

“So we’re doing this for your revenge?” The man was red in the face. “I didn’t-”

“I can’t answer why you’re doin’ it. That’s why I’m doin’ it.” Mitzi shrugged. “I know he’s killed your people too. A kid named Rory-”

The man blanched and Mitzi reached over to squeeze his shoulder. “I think that's why you’re doin’ this.”

**

“Breathe in. Aim. Shoot.”

The line of Kingdom soldiers fired and, when the sequence of silenced pops quieted, she held her hand up. Every gun lowered and she stalked the row of paper targets.

She stopped in front of one and held it up so everyone could see it, a perfect shot directly in the center of the paper person’s head. “Good shot, Jerry.”

The big man beamed back at her, holding up a thumbs up. “Thanks, Cap!”

She chuckled and moved down the line, shouting out a few more excellent shots. When she reached the end of the line, she looked over at Daryl, leaning forward on a fence. He licked at his bottom lip and lifted a hand to twirl a finger in the universal gesture for ‘wrap it up.’

Mitzi turned to address the group. “For those of y’all who aren’t super happy with your shots, I suggest learning to make that sequence faster. The longer you hold your breath, the more your arms are gonna shake. The more you shake, the worse your aim.”

Jerry frowned. “We’re done?”

Mitzi nodded. “Yeah, we been out here awhile anyways, but Daryl seems to need me for something, so class is dismissed!”

She stopped to chit-chat, offering tips to help people improve their aim. When she made it to Daryl, his eyes were hot and intense on her, hands white-knuckled around the fence he had been leaning on.

“Are you okay?” She hopped over the fence and reached up to brush hair from his face. “Is somethin’ wrong?”

He shook his head and wordlessly reached for her hand. He pulled her behind him, into a building and then into a room. She looked around, lifting a can of wood stain from a white-washed shelf. “Why are we in a closet, babe?”

She turned to him and he reached over to pull her rifle from her shoulder. He maintained eye contact and placed her rifle up on a shelf. She caught on as he lifted that same hand to cup the back of her neck.

Grinning, she allowed him to pull her into a kiss, lips parting to allow his tongue inside her mouth. She gasped into his mouth and fisted her hands in his shirt, pulling him against her. 

“You need somethin’, baby?”

He nodded, one side of his mouth upturned in a hot smirk as he pulled her into another open-mouthed kiss. 

“What gotcha so hot?”

He shrugged, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth. “Dunno.”

Hand dropping to squeeze at him through his jeans, she huffed out a short laugh. “You’re real worked up for ‘dunno’.”

He grinned and dropped to his knees, pushing her back into the shelf behind her. He unbuckled and unbuttoned her jeans with rough hands and jerked them and her underwear down her legs as far as he could. Eyes hot on hers, he set his hands on her hips and turned her, sucking a bruise into the back of her thigh before she had time to settle. 

She sucked in a breath, laughing as her hands scrambled for purchase on the shelf. “Holy shit, baby.”

He switched, biting at her opposite. “Lookit this.” He drawled, gently spreading her lower lips and petting at her entrance with the very tip of his finger. “M’wife’s pretty pussy.”

She moaned, pushing back into him as he licked up from her clit with a long drag of his tongue. 

There was a loud clatter as her hand upended a tray of painting supplies. He grinned against her. 

“Oughta be quiet. Dunno who else is in the buildin’.” He nipped at one of her labia, moving to suck gently at the other.

She smiled, forehead, against the edge of a shelf. “Ya like it when people can hear, don’t play games. Makes ya feel good.”

“Ya want ‘em to hear how I fuck The Captain Dixon?” He pushed his pointed finger in, groaning as he watched her clench around him. 

She looked over her shoulder at him, neck so loose, head so heavy that she had to prop it up on her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered as his hand retreated and thrust back in. “That’s what this is about?”

He hummed, head dropping to mouth at her clit. She hissed and he grinned up at her. 

“You’re all hot because you’re fuckin’ The Captain Dixon?”

He chuckled, feeding her another finger. She moaned into her shoulder, eyes locked on his. 

“Ya like it when I boss people around. When I’m in charge.”

He sealed his mouth around her clit and sucked hard, arm pistoning his fingers into her at a brutal pace. Eyes squeezing shut, she turned back to the shelf, muffling her increasingly frantic moans in her elbow. 

“Taste good, baby.” He slipped in a third finger, shifting to lap against his fingers where they split her open. 

“Gonna-”

He nodded and reached up with his other hand to pinch at her clit, fingers still entering her at a bruising pace. “Do it then.”

She clamped her teeth around her wrist and came with a muffled scream. He stood, hand still working her gently down from her high. Reaching back blindly for his belt, she laughed breathlessly. “Fuck, Daryl.”

He brushed her hands away and jerked his belt and fly open. Shoving his jeans and underwear to his thighs and pulled his penis free. He palmed himself, looking up to catch her eyes on his hand. He grinned and nodded. “I am, baby.”

She hummed. 

“I am gonna fuck ya.” She smiled and reached one hand back to fist his shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. He moaned into her mouth and stepped into her. Lining himself up against her, he caught her eyes and held them as he entered her in a relentless push. 

She moaned and pushed back against him, forehead falling to the shelf once more. 

He held himself against her, eyes closing to savor her grip on him. “Pretty baby. Look so good on me.”

She nodded, moaning into her elbow as his hips pulled back and snapped against her ass hard. 

“Fuck, baby.” She hissed and then whimpered when he withdrew again. 

He chuckled against the back of her head. One hand dropped to her hip and squeezed, pulling her back into him when he thrust back into her. His free hand lifted, digging into the curls at the nape of her neck and upsetting her bun. 

She moaned as he tugged gently at her roots and directed her head to the side. His hips snapped roughly again as she felt hot breath against the shell of her ear.

“I like knowin’ that m’wife, The Captain Dixon, is a tough badass who people listen to out there.” He licked her earlobe into his mouth. “All the while knowing that all I have t’do is get ya alone and I can make you moan and whimper and cream on my cock like a bitch in heat.”

She smiled and turned to catch his lips, slipping her tongue into his mouth as the hand on her neck moved to rub at her clit with quick, efficient movements. 

She gasped against his mouth and he grinned, thrusting faster and rougher into her. “Ain’t that right, Spitfire?’

She moved her hips back against him with a sensual smile. “It ain’t wrong.”

He clamped his hand down on her hip and grinded roughly into her. “Don’t play games with me, baby.” He tightened his arm around her, hand still working at her clit. The hand that had been on her hip lifted and hooked around her chin, holding her steady as he mouthed at her jaw. “A’int that right, Spitfire?”

She moaned in lieu of answering and nodded. 

“Say my name.”

She complied, groaning into his mouth as he pressed another hard kiss to her open mouth. 

“Cum. Now, baby.”

He followed her.

**

“Y’okay?”

She blinked up at him, pressing a kiss to his chin when he turned concerned eyes down at her. “I’m just thinkin’.”

“Christ.” He huffed. “God save us all.”

She gasped and pinched his side. “Dickhead!”

He grinned and surged up, rolling over her and setting his head against her chest. They quieted almost in sync, her fingers twisting the ends of his hair around her fingers. 

“What’re y’thinkin’ ‘bout?”

She sighed. “Tomorrow.”

He glanced at the alarm clock on her night stand. “Today.”

She shifted to look at the clock and swore under her breath. “Yeah, today. Fuck.”

“Sleep at all?”

She shook her head. “Not a wink.”

He moved so they were sharing a pillow and guided her to turn on her side, facing him. “You thinkin’ better of this?”

She shook her head with a soft smile. “No, it’s the right thing to do.”

“Then why can’t y’sleep?” He mumbled, settling deeper into the mattress.

She shrugged. “It was always like this before the Turn. I never slept before a big operation. Brain’s too busy.” 

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’ll be alright.”

She swallowed. “I hope so.”

He set his forehead against hers. “It will be.”

She pushed his hair gently out of his face, nodding. “Are you okay with this?”

He pushed his nose against hers, sighing. “Rather just wipe them all out…Non’a them deserve to live.”

She nodded. “I think it’d be smarter. Just take care of it, get it over with. We leave any of them, leadership especially, alive and we can have a problem on our hands later.”

“But the King and Jesus-”

“And Rick.” She added. “He ain’t any more comfortable with the idea of takin’ them all out.”

Sighing, he pressed another kiss to her forehead. “Dunno why, he was there that night.”

“He doesn’t wanna be him.” She snuggled in closer to him, yawning. 

“He wouldn’t though, wouldn’t be him.” He nuzzled his face into her shoulder. “Ain’t nothin’ like him.”

“You’re practical, baby.” She pressed a kiss to his head. “You see the world in black and white. It’s right or it’s wrong. Rick is more gray, always has been and always has struggled with what is right or wrong in this world.”

“It’s pretty fuckin’ clear.” Daryl groused, sucking on his teeth. “Negan’s gotta die.”

“I agree with you, D.” She soothed her hand over his head. “Not because I think he’s evil. Just basic strategy, if we don’t take ‘em out, they’ll come back at us eventually.”

His eyes grew heavy and she smiled, her eyes following suit. 

“I love ya, Spitfire.” He yawned, pressing a kiss to her mouth. 

“I love you too, Daryl.” She ran her thumb over his eyebrow. “You ain’t allowed to die without my express permission by the way.”

He snorted. “Ain’t gonna die. Gotta be around to put a baby in ya one of these days.”

She smiled, blinking away tears. “Aight, that’s a deal. We survive this and you getta put a baby in me.”

“You ain’t allowed to die either.” He pressed a sleepy kiss to her mouth. 

“You die and I will break into wherever you are and get you out.”

He knocked his forehead to hers. “Promise.”

“Promise.”

**

“I care about my people. I don’t wanna march them into the line of fire because I wanna play ‘my dick is bigger than yours.’” He grinned and Rick glanced back at Mitzi who moved into position. “It is. We both know it. But I’m also comfortable enough to accept the fact if it wasn’t. I’m certainly not gonna let my people die over that shit.”

Mitzi shot over Negan’s head, laughing loudly as everyone on the landing flinched. 

“Fuck, where is she?” Simon ducked down, searching the windows of the surrounding buildings.

“Right the fuck here. Don’t worry, honey, I ain’t hidin’.” Mitzi stepped up next to Rick and waved at Negan, holding her M110 in plain view. “Guess I won the dick measuring contest.” She gestured to the gun, smiling cruelly when Negan swallowed. “I see you noticed. Sassy gun for a sassy lady, after all.”

Negan smirked. “The Missus.”

“That’s what you decided to codename me?” Mitzi threw her head back and laughed. “You know you ain’t any less ‘fraid of me because I’m a wife, right? You still shittin’ yourself.”

His jaw flexed. “Where’s your husband?”

“Off doing something more important.” She grinned. “Don’t change the subject though, I’m amused by this conversation. You can be honest in front of your people, right, Negan? You can tell ‘em how your hand shook when you were tryin’- failin’ -to intimidate me? How you tried to be tough, to harass me into bein’ compliant. You can tell ‘em you’re afraid right, Negan?”

“We ain’t afraid of nothin’, bitch.” 

Negan shot Simon a look and the seething man shrank back.

“Surely not nothin’.” She turned to Simon with an aggressive smile. “I can imagine a number of things you’re afraid of, Simon. You ‘n I both know you’d be nothin’ but a sorry sack’a shit if Negan hadn’t found your ass. And you can pretend all ya want, but we both know you were about to shit yourself when you visited us last in Alexandria. I saw it, you saw it, your men saw it.”

“You didn’t see nothin’.” He seethed. 

Mitzi chuckled. “Sure, tell yourself that, sugar.” She grinned. “It ain’t gonna help none, but you do you. Also, I should tell you, in furtherance of honesty and straightforwardness, as much as I love and respect Rick, I’m killin’ you and that prick Dwight ASAP, whether you surrender or not.” 

Negan forced a grin on his face. “Why didn’t Dear Daryl come with, I wonder? Maybe he’s afraid? Afraid I’ll get my hands on him again?”

“My husband is gonna gut you, Negan.” She fired another shot over his head, glass shattered. “I promised you that, remember? I’m personally gonna make sure you die. I don’t make promises, I can’t keep.” “Can’t gut somebody if the coward ain’t here.” Simon wrung his hands around the metal bannister. “And I don’t see him.”

She shot at Simon’s feet, grinning when he jumped. “Unless you suddenly grow a pair and are ready to pop on down here and back up your words, you gray-haired cunt, I suggest you shut your yella-bellied mouth. Your big ass forehead is too big a target to be mouthin’ off like that.”

“You gotta mouth on you, lady.” The female outpost head stepped forward. 

“Yeah, I fuckin’ do.” Mitzi laughed. “Promise you this, though, I can cash the checks my mouth writes. So I’d be worried if I was you.”

Negan sighed. “What the hell can I do for you, Rick?”

Rick grinned and discretely squeezed Mitzi’s shoulder and she moved back into formation. “Dwight.”

**

“How do you always end up covered in so much blood?” Mitzi let her rifle hang free from the strap across her chest and piled her hair on top of her head, wrapping a hair tie around it.

Rick shrugged, leaning over to take another polaroid of the carnage.

She chuckled and started gathering the Saviors' weapons. “I mean seriously, we all walk away relatively clean- '' She paused to fire a shot into a reanimated Savior. “You come out lookin’ like you’re tryin’ a new skin care regimen to stay young.”

Rick turned to glare at her.

Daryl snorted and fired his crossbow into another walker. “Always get the shit beat outta ya, too.”

She nodded. “You do know that you don’t have to challenge every person to a round of fisticuffs, right? You can just shot ‘em. That’s why you carry a gun.”

“Is now really the time?” Rick huffed. “Don’t you have somethin’ to be doin’?”

“Always, boss.” She saluted and went back to gathering weapons. 

“Eric!”

Her head snapped up and she glanced at Daryl, before making her way through the car barricade to where Aaron was standing with Scott. She jogged up and rubbed her hand over Aaron’s back. 

Beyond them, moving towards the highway and the herd, was a lone walker. She handed Aaron her rifle and pulled her knife. “I’ll go get him.”

Aaron shook his head. “No, it should be me.”

“We’re family.” She squeezed Aaron’s side and caught Scott’s eyes. “It doesn’t hafta be you. I’ll get him. I’ll take care of him.”

Aaron held her eyes and nodded.

She jogged out, catching up with Eric’s body easily. She slowed, sneaking up on him and sliding her knife up into the back of his brain as quietly and gently as possible. She caught his body and pulled him over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

She made it back and, with Aaron’s help, lowered Eric’s body gently to the ground. She sat with Aaron as he covered Eric’s body and, after a while, stood, squeezing Aaron’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, kid. He was a good man.”

Aaron looked up at her, grabbing her hand. “Thank you, Mitzi.”

She smiled softly, nodding, and moved the few steps over to Daryl, who leaned against a low concrete wall behind Aaron.

She stepped in close and pressed her forehead to his. “He woulda done it for us,” she whispered.

He nodded. “I know. I ain’t say nothin’.”

They both started at the sound of a baby crying.

“She was inside?”

Rick nodded at Tobin, carrying an infant wrapped in a white blanket over. “She was. I have a stop to make, Daryl’s got his bike… Mitzi is Mitzi.” She snorted and Rick smiled. “Maybe she can go back with you or Scott?”

Aaron stood. “She can go with me.”

**

“Why the fuck are y’all here?” Mitzi exploded out of the building she had been perched in. “What the fuck is goin’ on?”

Daryl breathed deep. “Spitfire-”

“Don’t Spitfire me.” She set her hands on her hips. “Y’all are supposed to be at home.”

Michonne glanced at Rosita and shrugged. “I just wanted to see it for myself. Rosita came with me.”

“Okay, I can respect that. Why are you two here?” She turned to regard Daryl and Tara.

Setting his shoulders, Daryl moved to stand in front of Mitzi. “There’s been a change of plans, Mitz.”

“Decided by who?” She caught his eyes and held them. “Baby, who decided to change the plan?”

He clenched his jaw and looked away. “I did.”

She nodded. “Why?”

He turned back to her and set his hands on her shoulders. “Remember what we talked ‘bout last night. We both want ‘em gone. All gone. No ways out, nothin’ like that.”

Mitzi sighed, shaking her head. “Yeah, but that ain’t what we agreed on, D.” 

“I know, but-” He squeezed her shoulders gently. “Just listen to the plan, okay?”

She grunted in frustration and threw her hands in the air. “Fine. Why the hell not?”

Michonne nodded and repeated the plan “So we cover you with crossfire from the upper windows. You crash the truck into the walkers and through to the building.”

Tara nodded. “Yep. Crack it open, Savior buffet.”

Mitzi shot a hard look at Daryl. “The plan is to drive through a herd of walkers. What happens if you get pinned down, or if the walkers can’t get past the front of the truck?”

“That’s why we’re hopin’ you’ll lay down cover, watch our backs.”

Mitzi huffed and moved away from Daryl, stalking a step or two outside of the circle.

Rosita asked: “You know the workers will make it away, up the stairs?”

Daryl nodded. “They’re on the other side of the building. They should make it.”

Rosita shook her head, sighing. “You sure?”

“After we do this, their only choice is to give up.” He looked at Mitzi and edged closer to her as she stewed.

Michonne sighed. “It’s risky, They could see the truck comin’.”

Tara stepped forward. “There weren’t any more weapons at the Savior’s warehouse, right? No more rockets for the RPGs. We work with what we got.”

“You got me.” They all turned to Morgan as he approached. He nodded to Mitzi. “Other snipers, too. Saviors see you comin’, we got you covered. Whatever it takes. I want it done. I want them done.”

“Good.” Daryl rasped. “Are we doin’ this or what?” He glanced down at Mitzi, who raked her fingers through her hair roughly.

Rosita huffed. “What don’t we just wait it out like we’ve planned? Michonne’s right. What you’re talking about is risky. Things could go bad.”

Tara was getting agitated, her speech clipped and flat. “The truck with the speakers almost took all those walkers away. It almost did go bad. Something else could.”

Mitzi scoffed. “Something could always go bad. We don’t need to risk our lives, more than we’ve already have today, for an if.”

“Even if it don’t, we don’t got the Kingdom fighters no more. If the Saviors wanna put up a fight, we don’t got the numbers to make ‘em surrender.”

Rosita nodded. “That’s why Rick is talking to the Scavengers.”

Tara groaned in frustration. “You got shot. They lied to us. You believe them now?”

Rosita shook her head. “I believe in Rick Grimes.”

Mitzi rubbed a hand over the back of her neck. “The Scavengers are a long shot. Even if they don’t just shoot Rick on sight, I can’t see myself trustin’ them.”

Tara crossed the circle at Rosita. “I could’ve done something sooner, to end this. I knew about those weapons at Oceanside, and I waited. I didn’t do shit about it.”

Mitzi shook her head. “Those are two very different situations-”

“Are they?” Tara whirled on Mitzi, pressing into her space. “They don’t feel different.”

“No, I don’t imagine they do. Oceanside didn’t attack us though and you made a promise. And because you are a good woman, Tara, you struggled with breaking that promise. What you are talkin’ about doin’ is completely different and it could get someone- namely my husband- killed. And while that wouldn’t be at all your fault, seein’ as he is fool enough himself-” She pegged Daryl with a hard stare. “I really don’t want him-or you-dyin’.”

Tara scoffed. “With or without you guys, I’m not letting that happen again.”

Rosita shrugged. “Then it's without me.” She stood. “I’m out.”

“We’ve got some cars parked near the East side lookout. You can take one and go home.”

Rosita nodded and turned to Michonne. “You staying? You good with all of this?”

“I helped get this started. Got to see it through.”

“You think it’s easier to come out here and risk, than to stay back there and wait. And I get it, I used to believe that, too. Thing is sometimes, you just have to wait. Sometimes you don’t get to know. I just wish it didn’t take seeing Sasha walk out of that coffin to realize it.” She walked off.

They all turned to Mitzi, who scuffed the toe of her boot into the gravel.

Daryl wrapped his hand around her arm and leaned into her space. “What d’ya think, Spitfire?”

“You’re gonna do this one way or another, huh?” She looked up at him.

He nodded. 

“Even if means dyin’ and leavin’ me here?” She swallowed.

He pressed his forehead to hers. “I ain’t dyin’ here.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Mitzi, Wife.” He stared hard into her eyes. “I ain’t leavin’ you.”

She breathed deep and nodded. “Yeah, fine. Can’t rightly let you do it without at least providing cover.” She poked Daryl’s chest. “You better fuckin’ live, you punk, or I’m kickin’ your ass. When all this is done,” She motioned around them, “You betta neva try shit like this again.”

“Are you gonna promise not to start fights you end up pullin’ me into?”

She socked him in the arm. “I ain’t never started a fight I can’t end. You poke your nose into my fights, that’s your business.”

He pressed a hard kiss to her mouth.

**

Mitzi sucked in a breath, tears streaming down her face, biting her lip to keep quiet. Daryl pulled her in tighter, pressing a kiss to her head. 

Judith, clapped her hands against Mitzi’s cheeks, wriggling against Mitzi’s chest. “MiMi, no cry.”

She wiped her eyes one-handed and smiled down at Judith. “I’m okay, baby girl. Just sad.”

Judith patted at her face again. “MiMi, sad.”

Mitzi nodded. “Yeah. Very sad.”

“Cal.” 

Mitzi buried another sob. “Yeah, ‘cause of Carl.”

She laid her head on Mitzi’s shoulder and nodded. “Sad too.”

She pressed a kiss to Judith’s head and caught Daryl’s eyes. He leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to her mouth. “Y’Okay?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Not yet.”

He nodded, face full of the empathy reserved only for her. “Let’s give her over to Tobin. Need you on your gun.”

She nodded and moved to pass Judith to Tobin. 

Judith shook her head, fisting her hands in Mitzi’s shirt. “No, wan’ MiMi.”

Mitzi cooed. “I know, Judy-Booty, but I got work t’do and Uncle Toby’s been wanting a cuddle since we left.”

Judith pouted out her bottom lip and shook her head. 

Smiling fondly, Mitzi pressed a kiss to her head. “Can you make him feel better with your cuddles like you made me feel better?”

Judith sighed, still pouting, but giggled when Tobin mimed tickling her. 

When she was safely in Tobin’s arms, Mitzi wiped at her eyes, wandering slightly ahead of Daryl and the group. He caught up quickly, walking alongside her and handing her her rifle. 

She breathed deep and looped her torso through the strap. Shouldering it, she sighed.

“Sorry, baby.” He pulled her into his side. “Wanted to wait longer.”

She shook her head. “Nah, it’s fine, better probably. Shit’s been running through my brain since we left. Better to have a job.”

Daryl nodded. “We gotta figure out what route to take into Hilltop.” He pulled a map out of his pocket. “Should take a break and discuss it.”

Mitzi smiled. “If you’re tired, big man, just say so… Don’t stop on my account.”

He chuckled and cast a glance over his shoulder. “Nah, I’m good, but they all look like they're about to fall over.”

She kissed his cheek, before stopping and turning towards the marching group. “Let’s take a break!” 

She followed Daryl to a low flat rock, where he spread out the map. “If they’re smart, they’ll cover all these passes between here and Hilltop.”

Rosita perched herself on the other side of the map, Tara settling next to her. She studied the map and sighed. “We have to keep moving. We’ll just have to risk it.”

Dwight approached them cautiously. “Maybe you don’t have to.” He leaned over the map. “Negan won’t send his people down into this stretch of swamp, not if he doesn’t have to.”

“Yeah? How do you know that?” 

Dwight didn’t shy away from meeting Tara’s angry eyes. “Negan wanted to map the best routes with cover from the Sanctuary to the Hilltop. He decided the swamp was too dangerous. Didn’t think it was worth the risk.”

Mitzi nodded, glancing between Daryl and Rosita. 

Tara shot up, moving away from them, aghast. “You’re not seriously going to listen to him? It’s too dangerous for the Saviors, so you’re gonna send us? Are you kidding me?”

Rosita scoffed. “They have us boxed in.”

Tobin spoke up. “Tara has a point. Why should we trust him?”

Scott nodded. “He can turn on us like he turned on his own people.”

Mitzi caught Dwight’s eyes. “Because he knows that leading us the wrong way ain’t gonna get him anywhere, but dead.”

“What if they ambush us?”

Mitzi’s answering smile was smug. “I think we all know, Dwight included, that I’m deadly accurate, quick shot or no. I can take him out well before anyone disarms me.”

Dwight nodded. “I am aware of that fact. And I didn’t just turn on ‘em. I killed them. Daryl saw it, Rosita saw it.” He turned to Tara. “You saw it. But one of ‘em got away. So if they find me, Negan puts my head on a pike. I’m not working for them, and I’m not going back to them. I chose my side, this is it. I’m here to help you beat Negan. After that, well, I know how it ends.”

Daryl glanced out over the group and nodded at Mitzi. “All right. We’ll try the swamps.”

Mitzi chuckled. “Nice speech, Dwight. I’m still gonna kill you if you try anything.”

“Yeah, I know.”

**

Mitzi settled back against the big house, breathing shakily as she pulled the folded up letter from her back pocket.

She unfolded it, running her thumb over her name on the front. She blinked, not bothering to brush away the tears that fell. 

Mitz,

You are the oddest, but the best, aunt a person could ask for and one of the best people we could have met at the beginning of all of this. I love you so much. I’m so grateful for everything you taught me, for all the times you provided me with your weird, cuss-filled wisdom, when you kept my feet on the ground and when you helped me just be a kid.

I’ll never forget playing foosball at the CDC with Sophia and you. I’ll never forget what you told me when my mom died. I’ll never forget every time you smiled and told me it would be alright and it was.

You taught me so much. Helped my dad make me an adult and worthy man. You taught me what it meant to care for people, to put yourself on the line for those you love. I have a feeling that I will show some of your teaching today. I hope I make you proud.

I know that you’re hurting, as much as my Dad and Michonne. I know you’ve been hurting since probably before that night. Rosita didn’t let me see you, but I could hear you in you and Daryl’s room. I know that you think that taking down the Saviors will make some of that better. Maybe it will. I also know the Savior’s have to come down, but that doesn’t mean they all have to die. 

I’m saying this to you knowing that it is a painful thing to ask. But I am also asking this because I know you can do it. I believe with my whole heart that my Aunt Mitz can do anything.

Please help my dad and Michonne. I know you don’t always agree with Dad, that you aren’t going to agree with what I’ve asked you here. I know that you’d rather get shit over with, do things smart not hard, but sometimes we have to do things the hard way to do things the right way. Dad’s going to need you. Even if he makes a decision you don’t agree with. Please help him.

I want my family to survive.

Carl

P.S. Tell Daryl he was the coolest uncle I could’ve had. I just ran out of paper and I wasn’t sure he could read.

Mitzi sobbed. She stilled her hands and folded the letter as gently as possible. Holding it with two hands, as if it was as precious as it surely was, she pulled her knees to her chest and folded in on herself. 

A short moment later, she felt a soft hand on the back of her neck. “Spitfire?”

She sucked in a breath and looked up at him. “Carl wrote me a letter.” She handed it to him and moved to wipe at her face. “I hadn’t been able to read it yet.”

He settled on the ground next to her and opened the letter. She settled against his side, head on his shoulder. After a while, he snorted. “Lil Shit.”

**

She set her rifle with a deliberate thunk, the little folding table she had brought into the cell groaning under the full weight of a M110 sniper system. 

Negan wouldn’t look at her, staring down at the floor of his cell.

She grinned as she sat in the chair.

“Knew you were lying.”

“I’m sure you did.” She shrugged. “Too afraid of lil ol’me to try and call me on it, huh?”

“Yeah, I was.” He made a face. “I’m not too proud to admit that.”

“That why you can’t look me in the eye now?”

He looked up and caught her eyes, flinching away from her.

She chuckled. “You knew I was lying and that’s why you were shitting your pants that day, huh?” She smiled, pulling out her cleaning kit and sitting on the fold-up chair left in here for the guards. 

He shook his head, eyes still trained on his boots.

“What was it you called it? Pee-pee city?” She disassembled the suppressor, purposely loud.

He winced. 

She cleared the chamber, the gun was empty but the click of the bolt caused him to jump. “But you didn’t know who you had kneeling there. Didn’t know who Rick is, who Michonne is. Didn’t know whose husband you killed. Didn’t know who you had taken. Didn’t know whose husband you took.”

He sucked in a shaky breath.

“Bet you near shat y’self silly when you found out, huh?” She opened the solvent bottle and poured some onto the barrel brush. “Betcha you felt that creepin’ dread when you looked into Daryl’s eyes and saw that you wouldn’t break him.”

“I didn’t try to break your hus-“ 

“I thought you were honest.” She smiled again. “But I betcha looked over your shoulder every day, every minute after our conversation.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I wasn’t particularly bothered.”

She barked out a laugh. “You cover it well, I’ll grant ya.” She fed the barrel brush in, purposely making more noise than necessary. “But I could tell when you looked in my eyes that night that you weren’t nuthin’ but a sack of gutless white meat.”

“I didn’t take you for someone to torture a person.”

“Torture?” She laughed. “I’ve been tortured, this ain’t torture.” She caught his eyes. “This is just the natural consequences of your actions.”

“Just this?” Negan tried for a grin. “I’m thinkin’ I’m gettin’ off easy. Maybe you can help me get-”

“You know what they say, dickhead. Play shit games, win shit prizes. Don’t play shit games when you’re locked in a cell and I’m on the other side with a gun.”

He looked away.

“Besides.” She snorted. “That’s mighty bold coming from someone who tortured my husband.”

“I didn’t-”

She shot him a baleful look. “It’s time to stop the bullshit and sack up, Negan. I’ve been denied the ability to keep my promise, so this is what I can do. It’s the least of what you deserve. We both know that.”

He made a face, shrugging

She rolled her eyes. “Fuckin’ coward. I knew it then and I know it now.”

“Spitfire.”

She didn’t turn, didn’t look at Daryl. “I could tell when you put your hand on my shoulder. You were real careful not to get too close and, as hard as you tried, your hand shook. You made that quip about getting hard being threatened, but we both know you didn’t sleep well that night. That you knew you were only safe as long as you had my husband locked up, as long as he was alive and well.” 

He met her eyes for the first time since she had walked in. She grinned maliciously and felt Daryl’s hand on her shoulder. 

“Which means you were really shitting y’self when he got out.”

Part 10

[munchbuddi]

Pages 1-3 from my new epic transgender yuri romantic comedy manga "Help!!! The Tsundere Who Had a Crush on me in High-School and I Reunited in Our 30's and She Still Has a Crush on me After All This Time!!!! (& Also I am a Woman Now)"

You can use the tag #Help! 30's Tsundere to look at the other art I've done for this concept!

It's my first time really taking a crack at making a comic and not immediately giving up during the planning, and despite it being pretty messy and silly (and poorly paced!) I'm still really proud of what I've gotten done so far, and am excited to make more pages!!

I got into anime by watching basically every show under the romantic comedy (and ecchi) tags on MAL (circa 2012), so like every sort of semi-trashy romcom anime like Ranma, Toradora, Lovely Complex, School Rumble, OHSHC, Kokoro Connect, but also even trashier sillier stuff like Love Hina, To Love Ru, Chobits, DearS, and honestly a bunch of others I'm too embarrassed to even name, lollllll

I have such a soft spot for the big tsundere dominated era of anime romcoms, and as such, i have decided to write one but gayer and older and transer. I hope you enjoyed reading these three pages!!!

[13eyond13]

For book ask game, no. 13, 14, 18, 25, 26. Thx :D

Ooh thanks for sending me more book asks!

13. Name a book with a really bad movie/tv adaptation:

Watchmen (2009) by Zack Snyder was a pretty mediocre adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore, from what I remember of both of them (haven't revisited either of them in a long time, but distinctly remember having this opinion back when I first read it... like oh ok, so THIS is what it's actually supposed to be like).

I feel like as a director Zack Snyder is very good at creating epic movie trailer moments or music videos with stylish visuals (this trailer for it looked pretty exciting to me at the time it was new):

BUT then once you go to the theater and try to sit through one of his movies they usually just end up being just the most soulless drawn-out superficial and boring stuff, like watching a 3 hour long commercial. From what I remember a lot of the creative and innovative storytelling and the depth in the original Watchmen comic comes entirely from how it is presented to the reader on the page, too (with stuff like the layout of the panels and the stories-within-stories "Black Freighter" chapters that were cut out of the film entirely that cleverly parallel the present-day action, etc). Definitely recommend reading the graphic novel over watching this movie!

14. Name a book where the movie/tv adaptation is better than the original: Requiem for a Dream (2000) was a better experience as a crazy edgy depressing movie than it was as a novel by Hubert Selby Jr. to me:

I first saw this movie without having any idea what to expect when I was about 16, and even though it's pretty shocking in parts and upsetting to watch I remember really loving it back then and thinking of it as one of my favourite films at the time (I think I had a higher tolerance for certain kinds of edgelord stuff in my stories back in those days sometimes too, haha). This movie has always felt bit like a comic or a live action horror cartoon to me somehow? I think that it kinda goes too far a bit and nearly verges on comedy instead of tragedy at the end due to just how absurd and nightmarish it gets, but perhaps that almost unbelievable heightenedness of it all is kind of why it often feels a bit like a comic or a cartoon to me, too. And I still think there's quite a bit here to enjoy even despite the edginess as well. I think the acting is often very good, the soundtrack and the sound effects and the stylish visuals are great, and that the whole thing effectively creates a lot of very strong emotions like tension and dread and tenderness and wistfulness and loneliness and horror. It's maybe the only Darren Aronofsky film I actually like?

HOWEVER whenever I read the book that it was based on a few years ago I could barely get past the stylistic choices of the writer to enjoy what was being said (he wrote it in the 70s in sort of a dated stream-of-consciousness type writing style without many paragraph breaks or any quotation marks for separating the dialogue or the inner monologue from the prose, which I just found really annoying and off-putting to read). And the part about the book I liked the best, which was the colourful and extremely memorable dialogue and the slang that the characters use, was taken almost verbatim from the book and brought to life well on the screen too, so the whole time I was reading it I was just wanting to hear it said by the movie characters again instead. idk, I think it's a movie I'd definitely watch again sometime, but not a book I'd ever read again. Just more entertaining and less of a slog that way.

18. Which character from a book is the most like you?

Oh, very good question! Hmm... there are certain characters I relate to a lot for various reasons, but i don't know if anybody would say I'm extremely like them, probably? Of the books I've read more recently I feel like I'm sort of a bit of a Frodo character or something, maybe... his personality and his peaceful lifestyle before he gets sent on his adventure just feel very much like how I'd probably be living and socializing with everybody in the Shire myself, and the way he handles stuff like the burden of the ring on him and his reasons for doing things and how he worries about his friends who insist on sticking by his side and acts sort of secretive and more reserved feels relatable to me as well.

25. If you could be a character from a book for just one day who would you be and why? (Bonus: any specific day in the story?)

I want to be Wilbur the pig from Charlotte's Web getting a buttermilk bath and then eating the trough full of leftovers he gets (as a kid I remember thinking the lengthy descriptions of all the table scraps he was eating sounded really good for some reason, and the buttermilk bath sounded delicious to me as well lol).

26. If you could be a character from a book for their entire life who would you be and why?

I think it'd be pretty fun to be Lestat from the Vampire Chronicles because from what I remember he never feels guilty or angsty about much for too long, and he just knows how to have a good time no matter what. Even when he gets super bored or super depressed and then goes catatonic for a while he always eventually manages to bounce back and find something or someone new and interesting to get enthusiastic about and involved with again. He experiences things deeply and in an open-minded way while still never getting too burnt out by it or jaded about it either. If ever I were cursed to become immortal then I think his is the kind of personality that would make it the most enjoyable, anyway.

[bookish asks]

[sunbadger]

Mini detectives / Chapter 3

Previous chapter Read on AO3

Rating: General audiences, no warnings apply Relationships: Levi/Erwin, Gabi & Falco Tags: Attack on titan spoilers, post-rumbling, Erwin is still dead, slice of life, mystery solving, a little bit of comedy.

Summary: There is an unsuspecting, wooden urn on Levi's shelf. Since it's incredibly rude to ask him about it, Gabi and Falco instead decide to investigate to find out who it belongs to, and why the flowers in the vase next to it change every week. First they stalk Levi, then they search his whole house, then finally go through all of his personal belongings. It's an ethical operation lead by detectives Gabi and Falco!

“Do you know Erwin?” she asked.

“Um…” Falco thought. “Erwin Smm… Uhh.. Smith?” He thought. “Was he commander?”

“Yeah, that’s why he’s giving all these orders.”

“I haven’t heard anything about him or… his death, though.” He fidgeted with his hands as they both thought up their own theories. Gabi groaned, but as she opened her mouth to whine further, the sound of keys in the door interrupted her. Both of them flew off the bed. Falco rushed to collect the scattered notes as Gabi tried to fit each book back into the shelf. Levi called for them from the hallway, and in a last ditch effort, Falco was shoved back onto the bed, book in hand, with Gabi soon joining him. Levi peeked his head through the entrance to the room.

“You were so quiet, I thought you went home.” Gabi swallowed her pride and smiled at him.

“Oh- Mr. Levi!” She grinned. He silenced as his eyes fastened on the book. “Oh this ?” She feigned ignorance, “Falco is uh- studying for history class.”

“Gabi…” Falco complained under his breath.

“Where’d you…” His face dropped, and for what felt like the first time, Falco saw genuine emotion on Levi’s face. “Be careful with that.” 

Operation 3: ..um… confront Levi?

Falco obediently handed Levi the book when he reached for it, the sudden shift in tone sending shivers up his arms. Levi sighed.

“Is this what you guys have been investigating the past week?”

“Huh?” They said in union. “What do you mean , investigating?” Gabi continued. The kids shared a worried look. They wondered what punishment would come next - whether they would get slapped or sentenced to another week of cleaning, but Levi began to laugh.

“What’s so special about Erwin?” he asked. They were unsure how to answer. Their cover had been completely blown by such a small mistake and neither were ready for this conversation yet. Falco gulped.

“You’re not mad?”

“If I was going to be mad, I would have been mad when you stalked me in the shops like creeps or went around touching my old comrade’s belongings.” His eyes made contact with theirs. “Almost thought you went into your rebellious phase and decided to rob me.”

“Oh…” Gabi said, sounding completely defeated. Levi’s fingers traced the cover of the book before opening it, seeing the notes all ungracefully bundled together between the front pages. With how much of a clean-freak he was, this would definitely be distressing - but once again, he just smiled.

“Did you two never learn how to ask?”

“I-It was my fault!” Falco spoke up. “I apologise!” Gabi nodded. 

Levi’s breath seemed to hitch for a moment when he read one of the notes. He slowly put it back, opting to look through the pages instead. His movements were precise, hands seemingly knowing exactly where to stop, before he got closer to the kids, turning the book their way. He motioned across the page.

“It’s a lot to read,” he said, “but it’s worth it to get a glimpse of his mind.” Levi’s fingers moved across a passage detailing the world outside the walls. “He was clever. Very clever.”

“Like Udo…” Gabi reminisced. Levi was silent for a moment, processing the girl’s words. 

“Like Udo,” he repeated, despite not being aware of who that name belonged to. 

Slowly, he handed the book back to Gabi, before going to pick another one off the shelf. It was a notebook, this time. Thinner, but even more cluttered with analysis and theory. His mind truly shined when it was no longer restrained to the awkward cramped space of a history book.

“At first, I thought he was crazy,” Levi admitted. 

“Yeah…” Falco agreed, before his eyes widened. “I-I mean! He had a very imaginative mind!” He corrected himself. Gabi raised an eyebrow.

“No, you’re right, Falco, that’s insane. Didn’t he have a job?”

“Gabi!” Levi shook his head.

“This was our job, Gabi,” he said, “more or less.” Gabi pouted. “Not like he was supposed to have these though,” he mumbled.

“Levi…” Falco questioned him. “You don’t ever talk about him.”

“Clearly, seeing as two little weirdos I know went through so much effort to find out about him.” He chuckled. “It never came up.”

It was true - Levi rarely, if ever, mentioned old comrades. When they asked around, he was always described as a distant and apathetic leader - but the Levi they came to know was gentle and kind. Falco wondered if that was how Levi was to Erwin, too.

“Levi-” Falco suddenly asked, “were you in love with Erwin?” 

Levi blinked. 

“What?” He raised his brows, furrowed them, tilted his head, clearly unsure of how to answer. He looked at Falco, then Gabi, then back at his book. For the first time, they were witnessing a speechless Levi.

“The lady in the flower shop talked so much about love,” he continued, “and you have all these weird notes from him. …If I were you, I'd have thrown them away.” Levi looked down into his lap, tracing the edges of the book. Gabi threw Falco a knowing look, both picking up on the silence.

“That’s…” Levi began, only to stop.

“Is it a secret?” Falco asked. After a few moments, Levi met his gaze. He had returned to his classic, chilling expression.

“Yes.” Falco nodded. “So don’t go around telling Reiner or anyone,” He shot a sharp look towards the boy. “Or else.”

“Y-Yes sir!”

“And I still love Erwin, not just loved.”

“Duh, Falco!” Gabi took the opportunity to chime in. “Why else would he be getting new flowers so often?” Levi looked to the side, suddenly losing the scary look. Falco wondered why it was so difficult to keep up.

“Is it… really that obvious?” He asked, carefully.

“W-Well,” Falco said, “maybe you should be more open about it! He was a great guy after all, right?” Gabi’s suddenly brightened face butted in.

“We can hold a memorial together!”

“No, no, no-” Levi stopped her. “Our secret, remember?” 

She stared at him for a moment, before giving him her best thumbs up.

“Our secret!” She exclaimed.

“Our secret,” Falco echoed. 

“Now help me unpack our groceries, you little rascals.”

The next day, the kids came by with a new set of roses: red, sappy, and full of love. The reluctant Levi was forced to display the eyesore on the shelf next to the urn, which was slowly adorned more and more with things that the kids thought resembled Erwin. They got a seashell to show him the ocean, a new flower pot painted with the colour of the sky, accessories featuring motifs of wings or birds, and a pretty rock that Falco picked out. Over time, Levi started adding to the shelf as well.

It was fine before, but the empty space around his memory of Erwin had transformed into a pretty display of the kids’ and his own love for what once was a powerful soldier, charismatic leader, and a perfect lover.

[lunar-wandering]

Hello! This is my first time sending an ask and I wanted to know if you could give a quick description of some of your au's.

I'm new to your page and i'm curious about them.

Right!! Okay!! Sorry this took so long and I'm sure I'm gonna forget one or more of them but here's as many as I remember with summaries-

Uno Reverse Card Swap AU: Red Son runs a cafe, MK works at said cafe (Pigsy and Tang both work at the local university), Mei also works at the cafe. Mei and Red Son are secretly vigilantes, who guard Monkey King's staff, which is sealing the Lady Bone Demon. One night the alert goes off, and they find that MK has lifted the staff. MK gets inducted into their lil team + Wukong breaks down the door of the cafe to announce that MK is his successor now. (As for personalities, to make it quick; MK is a lot shier/anxious in this AU, Wukong is a lot meaner (kinda like a tsundere but like for EVERYTHING. also he swears a lot), Red Son's more chill... also Red Son uses water guns hslfkjslks. ...oh and also MK is a scientifically made clone of Wukong because humans wanted a "controllable Monkey King" but that's not important-

(... that summary was a lot longer than i thought it'd be and i didn't even mention half of the stuff going on in it. ...oh boy this post is gonna be longer than i thought it'd be.)

Giggle Glow AU: this one is fairly easy to explain; basically, Wukong glows when he laughs. this spreads to MK and Macaque. in some scenarios this also spreads to the others as well but that's Basically It. despite it being so simple I love this AU with my whole heart.

Phantom Thief AU: essentially?? Mei comes from a long line of phantom thieves, Pigsy, Tang, and Sandy used to be a phantom thief trio, and, due to being raised by Pigsy and Tang + being friends with Mei, MK is also a phantom thief. the funniest thing about this AU is that the other characters all start the same as canon- the differences are that when Wukong finds out about MK's second 'job' he demands that MK teach him how to be a phantom thief. Oh, and, also, Red Son has a crush on MK's phantom thief persona, and had NO idea that he was also MK for a while. He started looking for someone to train him to be a phantom thief at some point, and ended up somehow becoming Macaque's apprentice.

Fruit Smoothie AU: a lil similar to Uno Reverse AU- Red Son and Mei run a smoothie truck + are heroes/vigilantes (albeit it didn't start that way- Red Son was initially a villain that Mei ended up redeeming). The difference here is that they meet MK, the new vigilante on the block (who takes forever to reveal details about himself to them; he doesn't tell them he's the Monkey King's successor at first and instead makes up a lie that he's from a reclusive demon family), via him literally slamming into the back of their food truck, injured, and them having to take him back to their shared apartment to treat him. ...Also in this AU Macaque escapes from LBD and needs somewhere to hide so he throws on a human glamour and gets a job working at their smoothie truck shflksdjfls. Only MK knows it's him for the longest time.

Fantasy Break AU: Wukong and Macaque fall through a magic mirror mid-fight and end up stuck in this ballroom where the doors teleport them into different stories/myths. They have to complete all the stories in order to get out.

Shadowheart AU: Macaque is cursed to end every sentence he says with "I Love You", takes the over dramatic route of just Not Saying Anything, and this leads to Problems.

Slapstick AU: Essentially, in this universe, demons decided that fighting with violence was just, y'know. Not a good game plan. So now fights are fought via comedy. Whoever can land the best joke (slapstick, stand up, even a knock knock joke), wins the battle. (LBD does not follow this rule). Oh also Wukong is cursed; but the curse works to his advantage via making people think he's a master at slapstick comedy. (Macaque, on the other hand, is just clumsy).

Twinkle Twinkle AU: Wukong and Macaque both have star-freckles on their face + ears that reflect the stars that are currently over top of the people they care about- it's kinda like a map to be able to find their loved ones, essentially.

Electric Avenue AU: MK, Pigsy, Tang, Mei, and Sandy (who are a band) end up trapped within the Demon Dimension, and MK accidentally ends up with all of Wukong's powers after an incident, leaving Wukong powerless. This AU is very much inspired by an 80's cartoon that was themed around 80's music, so this AU is based on that too (+ with some of their outfits being 80's themed as well). LBD in this AU is running a band that steals music from other people and pretends to play it while LBD uses a magic record player to hypnotize people/cause other magic effects. Kind of a battle of the bands AU?

Melody AU: SPEAKING OF MUSICAL AU'S!! this one has a bunch of my OC's in it but outside of them the main plotline is that there's a magic barrier protecting the city and Wukong needs to supply it with magic energy to maintain it and the easiest way of doing so is through song, so he became a pop star (sorry, no stagefright in this AU). one night, when MK, Mei, and Red Son get the chance to do their first performance (or, well, MK's first performance), MK accidentally releases such an enormous surge of magic power that the barrier cracks, allowing the Lady Bone Demon to get through.

Sitcom AU: this AU can mostly just be summed up by "they all share a giant mansion of a house. shenanigans ensue". (and by all i mean ALL).

Sundrop AU: due to bottling up his emotions for so long, any emotion that isn't happiness or sadness will cause Wukong to go into his kaiju form. (there's more to it than that but that's the simplest way to put it)

Forget-Me-Not AU: in this one, MK is the reincarnation of Xiaotian, who was Wukong's apprentice centuries ago. Xiaotian is.. kinda haunting MK, and they need to find pieces of a magical object in order to fully free Wukong- who's been turned to stone and hidden within a garden- he can be free when MK is there, but he can't leave, and turns back to stone whenever MK is a certain distance away. In this AU, MK was actually found and raised by LBD, so he's uh... a little traumatized, I'd say.

Flightless Birds AU: basically one of those AU's where everyone has wings- except MK was born with wings that are too small for him to fly, Wukong's wings were severely damaged by the mountain, and Macaque is missing a wing.

Platonic Soulmates (Soulmarks??) AU: everyone has multiple soulmates; you and your soulmate decide what the definition of soulmate means to you, essentially. Wukong has the belief that anyone he's soulmates with will meet a terrible fate, and so tries to avoid the subject altogether and theres SO MUCH MORE BUT THIS POST IS SO LONG I GOTTA MAKE THESE SUMMARIES SHORTER

Mixup Mashup AU: I haven't touched this one in a LONG time but it's basically an AU where MK, Mei, and Red Son are sharing a body (Red Son's body, specifically), and Wukong and Macaque have swapped bodies (due to the same incident that caused the trio to fuse).

Sunset Wukong AU: Wukong is cursed so that if he uses his powers during the day, he will slowly turn to stone. The process reverses at the end of the day, and he can use his powers during the night freely. He avoids telling MK this for a while hsdflsldfjs. (TBH this whole AU was made so I could make a Macaque vs Wukong fight scene that would be similar to that one Hibiki vs Miku fight scene in Symphogear but then I never wrote it)

Doppelganger AU: An AU where Wukong freed Macaque before going to save MK at the end of s2- and, basically, Macaque and Wukong swapped places. Or to put it in a way that's easier to understand: the Wukong that shows up at the end of s2 is actually Macaque in disguise. Eventually Wukong rejoins them on the airship, disguised as Macaque, and the two just... instead of explaining anything, decide to keep this illusion up? (Sandy and MK are the first to figure them out and... kinda help them with it a bit).

Rock Garden AU: different types of plants and flowers grow on Wukong based on his emotions.

Sway AU: When either Wukong or Macaque dances, the other is forced to copy their movements perfectly.

Chocolatier Macaque AU: this is basically an AU where Macaque decides, post ep9, to just. run a chocolate store instead. despite the fact that chocolate is literally poisonous to him. He wears a human glamour for this (MK figures him out pretty easily but does NOT figure out Wukong's human glamour which is hilarious). Wukong keeps showing up in a human glamour as well just to banter with him. There is some plot development and angst moments involved.

Zing AU: it's been so long since i've thought about this one actually but in this AU Wukong gets cursed while travelling with the gang so that he just. to put it simply has moodswings/personality-swings that are accompanied by his eyes changing colour

Shy!Wukong AU: I only ever wrote one fic for this but I'm mentioning it anyways since I love it so much; basically the years of solitude on the mountain made Wukong REALLY shy. like SUPER shy. and he has a really hard time talking to people (he outright spends his first meetings with MK just leaving sticky notes for him instead of actually talking to him). He'll hide behind trees just to avoid social interaction.

Double Heart AU: Wukong had his heart stolen, literally, like ripped out of him, by LBD. This affects his emotions: leading him to have three different states depending on the time of day; in the morning, he's mainly silent and doesn't talk outside of telling MK what to do, in the afternoon, he acts similar to how he does in the show, but you can tell that he's faking it/that something's off, and in the evening, he becomes a perfect mirror and mimics whatever actions/words the people around him do. LBD used his heart as part of the process to revive Macaque, so Macaque actually has Wukong's heart contained within him, and feels all the emotions Wukong would be feeling if he had his heart. (as in, if MK tells him something exciting, Wukong will feel nothing, but halfway across the city in his dojo Macaque will suddenly feel the emotion of excitement and not know why). Later on, they end up transferring Wukong's heart to him, but for a period of time him and Macaque share it in order to get Wukong used to having emotions again.

Secret Relationship AU: Macaque and Wukong are already dating- but due to a series of circumstances they are outright hiding Macaque's general existence from MK and the others. This is mostly a comedy AU hsdlfkjsdlfs.

Seapearl AU: Wukong was born as a mermaid (or mer-monkey), and Macaque ended up becoming a mer-monkey due to the circumstances of his revival.

Wisp AU: When Macaque got revived, he split in two, the part of him that fully accepted what had happened and forgave Wukong, and the part of him that's in denial of, well, everything + 'hates' Wukong. The side that forgave him is called Wisp, and usually just stays as Macaque's shadow and goes along with Macaque's plans. (Technically, it kinda is more like Wisp is Macaque's shadow than it is one person split in two). Wisp is incapable of speaking until Macaque actually admits/says that he forgives Wukong outloud. (Macaque's hatred of/grudge against Wukong had been literally silencing his forgiveness).

Astral!Macaque AU: mentioning this one despite the only one post about it cause i think it's funny, but basically a version of MK time travels back from the future in order to prevent a really bad timeline- but ended up too early, and ends up possessing Macaque's body (and decides to try and recreate as many important events as possible). Macaque gets knocked out and kinda starts. haunting Wukong, up until episode 9 where he sees himself do stuff and is like “what the fuck who is that. who the fuck is possessing my body. what the fuck dude that’s not your skin get the fuck out who ARE YOU-”

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ohhhh god i THINK thats all of them?? or at least most of them??? IVE PROBABLY FORGOTTEN SO MANY SHDLFKSJDFLKDS IM SORRY I FEEL LIKE IM FORGETTING MY KIDS OR SOMETHING

IF THERE'S ANY AU THAT I DIDN'T MENTION HERE JUST.... SEND AN ASK ABOUT IT AND IT'LL ALL COME BACK TO ME IM SURE