#didn't get very far because i wasn't in an anime mood

[aoioozora]

Simon.

Part 5

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13

Character: Simon Riley / Ghost

Content: Biker! Ghost x Fem! Reader, strangers to lovers, fluff, civilian au

Note: Enjoy Simon being a gentleman in this part 😉. I can't find a nice pic to post here so maybe I'll skip that. Anyway, just wanted to let y'all know that in this fic, reader is 25 years old and Simon is 28.

“I hate to sail on this rotten tub, leave her Johnny, leave- oi, ye cannae be serious. Take off that mask!”

Johnny's singing was interrupted by Simon, who was just entering his living room, dressed and ready to leave to meet ____. He looked at the agitated Johnny, who was now sitting up straight on the couch. 

“What d'you mean?” Simon asked, pretending not to have understood or heard his friend. 

“The maaask. Take it off,” Johnny ordered, gesticulating wildly, “Why'd ye want tae wear it if ye showed yer face to her already?”

Simon rolled his eyes, now taking off the mask, making Johnny smile. He settled back on the couch comfortably. “That's more like it. Oh, also… Catch.” Johnny stuffed his hand in his pocket and threw something at Simon, which he caught. 

It was a condom. 

“Johnny! I don't fucking need this!” Simon roared, throwing back the contraceptive, which hit his friend in the face and fell on his lap. 

“Ye don't? So yer gonna rrrrrawdog her then, are ye, ye animal?” Johnny smirked, clearly trying to annoy Simon, especially by rolling his r's more than usual.

“Johnny…” Simon's voice lowered to a threatening growl. 

The room thundered with Johnny's laughter; having known Simon too long, he wasn't threatened by him, but he relented regardless, not wanting him to be in a bad mood before meeting his crush. “Okay, okay, if ye have nae use for a condom, I have something better for ye.” He beckoned his friend to sit with him on the couch. 

“This better be good.” Simon narrowed his eyes, noting a mischievous glint in his best friend's eyes as he sat down. 

“She's an author, yeah? Those book lassies will love this. I'll tell ye.” 

In the meantime, Simon's crush found herself in front of her mirror getting dolled up by her best friend, Lindsey, who turned the bathroom into a university lecture hall. 

“Tell you what, babe,” said she as she very lightly brushed some blush on her friend's cheeks, “Boys will never make the first move, yeah? So you have to openly flirt with them, right? You literally have to hold up a sign at them telling them you're interested.” 

____ tried to chuckle, but Lindsey lightly slapped her shoulder. “Don't move yet,” she ordered, throwing her long, curly red hair over her shoulder. 

Lindsey finished up the simple, natural looking makeup look and spritzed some setting spray on her friend's face. ____ still didn't dare move, because Lindsey was checking for any mistakes, scanning with her big green eyes. A bit of an odd thing to do, especially after putting the setting spray. 

“Lovely!” she exclaimed, slamming down the can of setting spray on the bathroom counter, “Now you can move.” 

While ____ admired herself and Lindsey's makeup skills in the mirror, Lindsey watched, her smile slowly disappearing; her shoulders slumped slightly as she moved behind her friend, giving her a worried look in the mirror. 

“What's wrong, Linny?” she asked, noticing the look. 

“This Simon guy… Is he really good?” Lindsey whispered, lightly squeezing the other's shoulders while glancing at the phone on the bathroom counter. “He's not like the other guy, right?” 

____’s brows furrowed slightly. She placed her hand over Lindsey's and squeezed it. “Don't worry, Simon's nice, and we're actually a lot closer in age, if that's what worries you.” 

Lindsey was relieved about the smaller age gap, but didn't look completely convinced. She said, “He's nice so far. You do know that a crush is a lack of information, right?” 

The only infuriating thing about Lindsey was how she could get a little too realistic. 

____ sighed. “Linny, that's the whole reason why I'm going to hang out with him: to find out if he's better than nice.”

Lindsey huffed, but nodded anyway. “Okay, but if anything happens, you know who to call.” 

“You worry too much.” 

“Because you're literally so hopeless when it comes to men.” Lindsey let out a chuckle as she lovingly wrapped her arms around her friend's neck and gave her a back hug. ____ leaned into it, grateful for the concern of her ever worrying friend. 

It was soon time to leave. The two ladies headed downstairs to the entrance of the building, where ____ was to wait for Simon to pick her up. Since Lindsey had other plans, she couldn't wait with her friend, and had to go. 

And so did ____ wait by herself, watching the cars go by on the glistening, wet streets. The night air was cold from an earlier rain, and the jacket in her hands seemed to be calling her to wear it and feel warm. 

“I hope he won't find it weird if I wear his jacket,” she thought as she put the garment on after much mental debate. The warmth immediately silenced her thoughts, and she just decided to enjoy it while it lasted. 

Before long, Simon pulled up to the entrance, but the pillion was occupied by an unfamiliar man with a cheeky smile and a short, dark brown mohawk. As he got off, he whispered something to Simon and then turned around. The man grinned at the waiting lady and then walked off. She, confused, returned the gesture with a little smile of her own and then walked up to Simon. 

“Who was that?” she asked as soon as she was near the motorcycle. 

“Don't mind him. He's my friend, Johnny. I had to drop him off around here since he had some stuff to do, so…” he shrugged. “Were you waiting long?” 

She smiled. “Not at all. I came out just five minutes ago.” 

“Brilliant,” he said with a nod and then took notice of her outfit. “You're wearing my jacket,” he observed, sounding amused. 

She noticed his cheeks going up from behind his mask; a smile. “Uh, yeah,” she answered, blushing a little, “I'm sorry, I felt a little cold so I put it on.” 

“No worries.” His voice mellowed as he stared at her, taking in the sight of her in his jacket, “Keep it on. You look good in it.” 

“Thanks,” she grinned, now taking hold of his shoulder as she got up on the pillion. 

Johnny was in the distance, watching the two with wide smiles. He even managed to secretly snap a few photos of them as they talked so that he could tease Simon with it later. 

“Hey you! Delete that picture right now!” a high pitched voice ordered behind Johnny, making him flinch in surprise. 

He immediately turned around, but saw nobody. But when he looked down, he saw a little lady in front of him, arms crossed and staring at him with furrowed brows. 

Johnny, for a moment, was taken in by her beauty. Her pale face was dotted with red freckles, more intense on her cheeks, and her hair was a deep red like the color of the setting sun, loosely coiled like curled satin ribbons. Her flashing eyes were a light green, the color of grass reflecting evening sunlight.

It took a moment for him to regain himself, and when he did, he cleared his throat, saying, “Lassie, that's my friend there,” he answered, pointing to Simon, “I'm gonna tease him with this photo. I'm no’ gonna delete it.” 

“And that girl with him is my friend,” she declared, “And I don't really trust that guy she's going out with today.” 

Johnny wasn't sure what prompted her to say that, but his eyebrows rose with intrigue anyway.

“Small world,” he remarked and then put forward a proposal with a wide grin, “Tell ye wit, wee lassie, we can dae something together. Let's both stalk them. Ye get to see my lad Simon in a good light, and I get to take some candids of them, yeah? Wit dae ye think?” He opened both his hands out to her and batted his eyelids, hoping she would accept. 

“No!” she exclaimed, crossing her arms, “It's not good to stalk.” 

Johnny groaned. “But dinnae ye want tae see if Simon is good for yer best friend? This is a win-win situation! I can show ye all his good points!” 

“You're only saying that because you're his friend,” she challenged. 

“No, no, listen here lassie,” he waved his hand, now meeting her eye, “I've known Simon since we were wee lads. I know everything about him, and I can assure ye that he's good. Let him have a chance, won't ye?”

The little lady paused. Was she going to trust him? While she wanted her friend to be happy, she didn't want to sabotage her friend's chances with her crush because of her incessant worrying. 

Johnny could see her mental debate and smirked at how funny her thoughtful face looked; it was a sneer with furrowed brows, while her fingers tapped over her crossed arms. She eventually relented. 

“Perfect! Now we go stalk them.” He held out his hand to her. “By the way, I'm John, or Johnny.”

She cautiously took his hand and shook it, answering, “Lindsey.” 

Simon and ____ already reached the restaurant they decided to have dinner in. He led her to a quieter part of the establishment where they could chat in peace, and just as she was about to pull out her chair to sit, he held out his hand to stop her. 

“Allow me,” he smiled and pulled out the chair for her. 

Her face glowed with joy and excitement at this display of chivalry as she sat down. Her reaction made him smirk to himself, mentally thanking Johnny for this important tip. 

“You're such a gentleman,” she praised, smiling widely as she watched him take his seat opposite to her, “I know we're in the age of the strong, independent woman, but wow, it's actually really nice to be treated like this.”

Her blushes were encouragement enough, and he smiled. 

“Thank you, I try,” he bragged. “Do you normally like this sort of thing? Or do you like it from me?” he asked with a chuckle, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. 

She laughed, not yet willing to admit that she liked it especially from him. She answered, “I like it generally. It’s just nice to know that someone is thoughtful enough to do a gesture like that, you know? Even though it was the standard back in the day.”

Simon took mental note of that. 

Any further conversation was interrupted when a waiter brought them two menus and glasses of water. While the two pored over the laminated card to decide what to get, the lady was momentarily distracted by the sight of the man in front of her. 

He wore a black button up shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up his thick forearm, the rest of it tightening around his flexed biceps; the unbuttoned collar displayed his neck and a metal chain underneath, which made her wonder what was dangling at the end of it. He wore blue chinos, and black sneakers. It was the best casual outfit he could put together with Johnny's help. 

The outfit, in addition to his handsome, unobscured face was a treat to sore eyes. She couldn't help but allow her eye to linger on the curious scar on his cheek, and to wonder about the cause of it. 

Simon noticed her gaze and he met her eyes with a cheeky smile. “You're staring,” he told her. 

One corner of her lip tugged upwards in a sheepish smirk. “I was just thinking your outfit looks really nice.” 

“Thank you, I try,” he echoed his earlier line with a smirk and a proud shrug, but really, he would've been hopeless without Johnny giving him such meticulous advice on the basic rules of dressing well. “You look nice too,” he decided to turn the tables on her, “Especially wearing that.” He pointed at his jacket that she was still wearing. 

She blushed at that. “I can't take it off. It's nice and toasty in here.” 

“I don't mind you wearing it for the rest of the evening, so long as you give it back later. It's my favourite.” 

She grinned. “I'll take good care of it.” 

The waiter came by again, and the two placed an order for a 12 inch pizza to share and some drinks.

Small talk was made, until it led to the topic of her novel. 

“I only just finished reading Firefly Trails a couple days ago and I must say that you're a brilliant author,” Simon praised, “I could not have expected a plot twist when Adelheid was betrayed by Elystran just to get a hold of the magical fireflies.”

The lady snorted proudly and jokingly patted herself on the back. “You can count on me to make a good plot twist.” 

“No, but seriously. I really didn't see it coming,” Simon leaned forward slightly with eagerness twinkling in his dark eyes, “You see a friend betraying someone all the time in the media, yeah? But this one was so unexpected, especially when Elystran stole the bottle of captive fireflies from Adelheid. It's really awful how he had no remorse in potentially letting her die without a cure for her disease, just so he could save the kingdom he was going to rule. He was a very convincing actor.”

She found herself gazing at him as he went on with his long winded speech about Elystran, the anti-hero of her novel, who pretended to be Adelheid's close ally. It was heartwarming to her to see his enthusiasm for her work, but she also wondered if he resonated with Elystran in some way. 

Simon's pale face was a little pink with exertion after the speech and he finally sat back, tugging at his collar and flapping his shirt. “A bit hot in here, innit?” he asked. 

“The air con is working just fine. I think it's because of your passionate speech that you're feeling so hot,” she said with a grin. 

Simon's pink face turned a hint more pink at the observation. He was usually reserved with people he knew a little less, but he hadn't realised how passionate and talkative he had gotten about a fictional character. He could attest this to the fact that she wrote so well as to stir his normally taciturn feelings. Art never stirred his soul, but if hers did, he was damned. 

He nodded, admitting, “Well, it was because you write so well. Anyone who doesn't talk so passionately about it is missing a few bolts.”

The high regard in the compliment made her giggle. She rested her chin on her hand and looked teasingly at him, saying, “So, you told me that you're getting more into reading thanks to Firefly Trails.” 

“I never wanted to be a reader, but it's all your fault now that you're turning me into one.” Simon unconsciously mirrored her as he smirked, returning her look with his playful sarcasm.

“I'm honored,” she grinned at him, “Do you want recommendations for more books?” 

Simon pulled out his phone and opened the notes app. He handed the phone to her. “Fill my cup, darling.”

A wide smile graced her face as she excitedly snatched the phone and started typing away her list of recommended books. Simon watched her with wonder, smiling at her enthusiasm. He was truly interested in reading now, thanks to her, and to see her so excited about suggesting him more made him feel loved, in a way. 

And the love of a woman was truly something different, even if it was just platonic. 

He sighed as he stared at her, at how focused she was on typing out the list. When he thought of it, he couldn't really remember if he had a normal friendship with anyone of the opposite sex before, all thanks to his unhappy, troubled youth. 

“By the way, Simon,” she called, now lifting her eyes from his phone, only to be met with his thoughtful thousand yard stare directed at her.

“Simonnnn, can you hear me?” she called again, snapping a finger in his face. 

“Huh?” he blinked. “Oh, fuck. Sorry, I was just thinking of something.” 

“It's alright,” she smiled, wondering what his stare meant. She asked, “I was wondering why you call me darling and love so often.” 

His eyes rolled off elsewhere as he tried to think of an answer that wouldn't give away what he felt for her. “Well,” he began, voice quivering slightly, “It's just something I call the women in my life, yeah? Female friends and maybe family members. I think it’s also a British thing.” He shrugged. 

It was only the partial truth. 

“Hmm. I see,” she nodded, her eyes still glued to the phone. As she moved her hand to get a sip of the water, her finger accidentally swiped to the home screen of his phone, and she couldn't figure out where to go back to the notes app. The little mishap allowed her to take notice of his phone background, which was a closeup photo of a German Shepherd looking directly at the camera with its large, inquisitive eyes. She gave him his phone back, asking him to help her get back to the notes app. 

“I just happened to see your home screen. Is that dog yours?” she asked as he gave the phone back to her, now displaying the notes app. 

“My uncle's.”

“He's beautiful. What's his name?” she questioned, now getting back to typing out the book list. 

“It's a female. Her name’s Riley.”

“Riley! Like your surname?” 

“Yeah. I found her starved and thrown in a dumpster as a puppy, and I called my uncle to help me get her out. He adopted her and named her after me,” he said with a chuckle. 

She smiled as she finished typing out the list and handed the phone back to him. “That's really nice, and really strange too, because my ex has a female German Shepherd named Riley too.”

Simon raised a brow as he took the phone and glanced at the list before keeping the device aside. “Chalk that off as a coincidence. I guess many people have German Shepherds named Riley. The name is quite common… I think,” he said. But the mention of the ex intrigued him. “You mentioned your ex. So, you've dated before, then?” he asked directly but casually, hoping he wasn't being too nosy. 

She shrugged. “Yeah, one guy.” 

“What happened with your ex, if you don't mind me asking?”

He saw that she stiffened slightly and looked away for a moment, clearly looking uncomfortable. He was so close to backing off when she answered him, “Well…” she paused to suck in a sharp breath through her teeth, “He was an older guy, and I happened to keep bumping into him at my local grocery store.”

He raised a brow, first of all at the fact that she dated someone older, and second of all, she met him at the grocery store, the least romantic place to find a boyfriend. But he didn't say anything and listened anyway. 

“The first time we met, he mistook me for an employee and asked me where he could find the dog food,” she chuckled, “He was new to the area and didn't know where to find it in the grocery store, and I was also wearing something similar to the uniform of the store employees.”

“So you two hit it off then?” 

“Yeah, after that, we'd have small talk, and he was actually quite charming. He asked me out on a date, we liked each other, and then we dated for two months.”

“Hm, that's not very long, innit?” he murmured, “How old were both of you?” 

“I was nineteen and he was thirty-five.” 

“Holy fuck,” his eyes widened slightly, “Nineteen? That's really young.” He then paused to count, “And you guys had a sixteen year age gap.”

Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment. “Yeah, I know, it's crazy.” 

“You prefer older blokes then?” asked Simon, fiddling with his fingers as he leaned forward on the table, hoping she would refute it. 

“Well no, but I was…” she sighed, “I was trying to figure out what sort of man I liked.” 

“And your first choice was an older man,” he thought to himself, but didn't say it out loud. “Wasn't that potentially dangerous though? Sure, you weren't a minor, but you were still young.” 

She sighed again, but heavier this time. “Yeah, it kind of messed me up a little.” 

“It did? How?” 

She told him about how he could get a little demanding when it came to spending time with him, as she was a budding author at the time, and was busy with writing a good piece that was worth publishing. 

“Of course, even though I was busy, I tried my best to spend time with him. But he just wasn't satisfied. And since I lived at the dorm in uni, I had a curfew, but he would disregard it completely and beg me to stay and spend the night with him, when I wasn't comfortable with it yet. Thanks to that, just being around him ramped up my anxiety, and our relationship that was once enjoyable wasn't anymore.”

Simon felt tempted to ask if she had done anything intimate with her ex, but bit back, not wanting to come off as rude and intrusive. He listened with narrowed eyes and keen earnestness. “And so you broke up then?” he asked. 

“Yeah, and it surprisingly went well. Both of us mutually agreed that the relationship wouldn't work out, and we parted ways.” She paused for a long time and Simon didn't break her spell of silence, sensing a struggle in her to say the next words. She finally continued, “I thought that that was the end of it, but lately he's been calling me again, asking me if we could get back together.” 

Simon raised a brow again. “What? How daft is he? He has no shame groveling back to you.”

“Yeah… I spoke to him once to clearly tell him I wasn't interested anymore, but I don't think he understands.” 

As if on cue, her phone started ringing. When she checked who was calling, she recognized the unsaved number immediately, having seen it several times. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, feeling the same old anxious feeling rise from her chest to constrict her throat. “It's him,” she said, her voice quivering. 

Simon held out his hand. “I'll speak to him.” 

“Are you sure?” she asked frantically. 

“I'm sure. Give it here before he cuts it,” he urged. 

She hastily placed the ringing phone in his hand and he immediately picked it up. 

“Hello, mate. ____’s boyfriend here. What do you want with my missus?” he asked calmly. 

There was a brief silence. 

“Simon?” asked the deep, rumbling, yet gentle voice on the other side. 

The colour drained from Simon's face as he recognized the voice he knew and loved. 

“Uncle John?” 

Plot twist?

End of Part 5.

Part 6

-

I'm making a taglist btw. Leave a comment if you want to be included!

[plantsjustwannahavefun]

I keep seeing so many people here getting angry that this season is "vilifying Ed", and it's depressingly fascinating to see how others can watch the same show and somehow see something completely different. Is it simply the lack of media literacy? Is it the inability to appreciate and enjoy complex, nuanced, morally grey characters without willfully blocking out anything even slightly unpalatable about them to the point where the character they think they love isn't really that character anymore?

Because, uh... Season 1 already "vilified" Ed plenty. Except "vilify" is the wrong word, of course. It wasn't in any way malicious or mean-spirited, quite the contrary, it was often played as comedic (until the end of episode 10 when it was anything but) - Ed was always meant to be a sympathetic character, he's a protagonist after all, and the show's portrayal of him is very compassionate. It merely refused to sugarcoat or shy away from his darker side. He's literally history's most famous pirate, you don't become one by being nice and treating everyone gently. He ambushed and strangled his own father to death when he was like 9 years old (100% deserved and justifiable ofc, but it still bears saying it out loud like this just to comprehend how unhinged this actually was). He loves torturing and maiming people for fun, and sometimes even animals (that scene with forcing a turtle to fight a crab). He didn't give a fuck about his crew members dying to satisfy his whim to meet Stede. He entirely failed in his role as a captain in ep 4. He effectively played a double agent with Izzy and Stede for a while before changing his mind. He attempted to murder Lucius. And while you could try to argue his punishment of Izzy was at least to some degree deserved, not only cutting Izzy's toe off but forcing him to eat went beyond punishment, it was sadistic torture.

So, yeah, please just read all that and take it in. And then remember once again that Ed is also a traumatised, lonely, depressed, sensitive, creative, curious, deeply passionate person yearning for true love and for something different in life... just like Stede. He loves music and can play the piano. He wrote a very vulnerable song and sand his heart out. He likes his tea with seven sugars. He enjoys fashion and dressing up. He has such a limitless sense of wonder for the world. He went on a trek with Stede just to make him happy, even though he hated nature and was in a shit mood that day. He wants to host a talent show. He wants to become free. He's clever and funny and fascinating. I love Ed.

Yes, it's possible to reconcile those two sides of him and accept both sides as the "real" Ed. You have to reconcile the two sides if you want to enjoy him as a character, because if you don't, you're going to either detest him to the core (which would make enjoying the show practically impossible since he's sort of a main character...), or you'll only be able to enjoy a diminished, crippled, cardboard cutout version of his character, which would be such a pity and a massive disservice to the creators of this show who worked hard to create interesting, multidimensional characters.

Not to mention you'd be missing one of the core messages of the show - the idea that people still deserve love and can be loved even if they're imperfect, or not necessarily good people. Because love is a human condition. It's not a sole dominion of "good" people. "Bad" people can fall in love too - even if, just like them, that love isn't exactly "nice" or "pure", and neither are the relationships that stem from it. They can be messy and exasperating. But "bad" people can also grow and change because of it. That's what OFMD is ultimately about - growth and change, learning to accept yourself but also become better. That can't happen if the character is already 100% perfect the way they are.Ed is far from that. So is Izzy. They can both become better, and they both still deserve compassion and understanding, because that's the environment people need to become better.

So, if you're mad that at the start of S2 the crew are sympathetic to Izzy's suffering and want to help him instead of kicking him when he's down, and what Ed did to him is being acknowledged as cruel and wrong... congratulations, you have completely missed what OFMD is all about.

[crazycurly-77]

Who's Dracula? - Ch 1

Halloween 3-parter 🧛🦹👻

It was that time again...it was the time of year when everyone dressed up and had parties. In short: it was Halloween.

Costumes were searched for and tried on, pumpkins were carved and parties were organized...including at NCIS, of course.

While Abby and Tony were already completely beside themselves with excitement, you and Tim watched the whole thing with interest, but with moderation.

You shouldn't mention it to your team leader, though, because then his mood would suddenly get even worse than usual.

For this reason, it was also clear that he wouldn't be coming to the party, like every year.

But you didn't let it spoil your mood and met in Abby's lab to go there together.

While you girls were getting ready, Tim and Tony slowly trickled in. They talked and wondered what costumes you both were wearing, but as soon as they saw you, they stopped abruptly and their eyes widened.

Abby was dressed as Marilyn Monroe and wore a sexy white dress, high heels and a blonde wig. She looked simply stunning.

You, on the other hand, simply wore black, shiny and skin-tight leather pants with a matching corset, which showed off your hourglass figure perfectly. You left your long, curly brown hair loose so that it fell gently down your back.

But the boys were not the only ones who were amazed, because although they didn't look sexy in their costumes, they still looked really good.

Tim was so well dressed as Sherlock Holmes that you thought he had just jumped out of a novel and Tony as Don Corleone... would certainly make one or two offers at this party that his counterpart couldn't refuse.

Then you all made your way to the party. The room was really well decorated with everything that goes with it. With pumpkins, blood, skeletons, witches, spiders and much more. The drinks and food were also fitting! The organizers had really outdone themselves and Abby in particular was very enthusiastic and immediately immersed herself in the spooky, scary atmosphere.

Party animal Tony also mingled with the party crowd, while you and Tim needed a while to feel comfortable, but then you too could not be held back.

Then something strange happened.

When the party was in full swing, someone suddenly stood behind you.

You didn't even notice that someone was standing there, so you jumped in shock when he put his hand on your shoulder.

After you turned around, you took a look at the person opposite you. He was tall, muscular, had brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair.

This colleague must have been new because you had never seen him before. But the way he moved and his smile...it seemed so familiar to you, as if you had known each other for a while and were something like confidants.

But who was that?

Dracula with a half mask, so far, so clear. He asked you to dance with a smile. He didn't say a word, just raised his hand invitingly.

You danced several dances together in silence. Dancing wasn't your favorite thing, but it was wonderful with him. If only you could figure out where you knew him from...but maybe you just knew someone who was similar to him.

After the third dance, you finally broke the silence and asked him:

"Who are you? How can I find you? I would like to see you again and get to know you."

He didn't say anything, just leaned forward and kissed you. Slowly and tenderly and it tasted like so much more.

It was a kiss full of promises. Then he smiled one last time, stroked your cheek and left.

You stood there perplexed and watched him go, even though he had long since left.

Then someone suddenly spoke to you: "Are you looking for someone?"

It was Gibbs and he wasn't even in disguise.

"Wow, do you have to sneak up on me like that? I almost had a heart attack," you greeted him.

He laughed and asked you: "Since I have to be here, let's dance."

You looked at him with wide eyes: "Who can force you to be here?"

He rolled his eyes: "Our new director."

The two of you danced and had a very pleasant conversation the whole time. You even told him about the apparently new colleague and asked him if he knew him.

To your disappointment, he shook his head. That significantly reduced your chances of seeing him again. Gibbs knew everyone, but unfortunately not him. Dracula must have been very new.

Sadly, you danced in your boss's arms for a long time, wondering if you would ever see Dracula again.

(To be continued...in Chapter 2.)

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Here you will find the other chapters of this story.

Masterlist stories - Part 1

Masterlist stories - Part 2

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Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27

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[catreginae]

Thou Shalt Not Fall: Blessed Waters

The last time Warriors was in Twilight's era, he discovered a spring that burnt him. Now that they're back in Twilight's era, he finds a similar spring where he finally gets some answers - not just about the nature of the springs but the nature of his curse too.

TW for some graphic depictions of burns!

Anyway, I've had parts of this sitting in my doc for a long time now. Maybe close to two years? I'm very excited to finally get it out there and as of writing, it's also the third anniversary of Thou Shalt Not Fall! It's the best time to finally start this arc!

Warriors was restless.

It was one of those nights where he was awake and alert but he wasn’t scheduled for a patrol. While he was physically capable of taking a lot more patrols, he still had things to do in the evening when the sun wasn’t up. He needed to be able to hunt and he needed to be able to bathe since his skin was far too sensitive to bathe during the day. Baths were supposed to make him look nice and feel nice, not burn him.

Sometimes when he didn’t have anything else to do and he still couldn’t sleep, he would just hang out with whoever was actually on patrol. He thrived in bigger groups but sometimes, he really liked having some one-on-one time with whoever was stuck on patrol.

Tonight though, he wasn't really in the mood to chat. He was content with silence.

They were beside Lake Hylia in Twilight's Hyrule. It was a beautiful lake, especially at night when the moonlight glimmered off of the clear waters. He watched the lake for a time, watching the wind sweep just across the lake’s surface and listening to the night chorus of animals and insects. Wild was with him on watch and he was content to watch the lake too, leaving the two of them in almost comfortable peace.

Just almost.

There was always something about the area that put him on edge and tickled the more paranoid part of his brain. As pretty as it was, he was never able to fully relax. The part that annoyed him the most was the fact that it felt familiar and he had no idea why. He had to resist the urge to hiss at a sudden splash of water more than once since they ended up here. One time he actually did hiss and he got weird looks from everybody.

“I'm going for a walk,” Warriors mumbled as he got to his feet.

“Alright,” Wild mumbled. “Try to come back in one piece.”

“Even if I did come back in more than one piece, it’s not a hard fix.”

Wild laughed and at that, Warriors made his leave. He decided to leave his sword behind. If something came up, he had his fangs and claws. Usually, he wouldn't rely on those because that meant leaning into his vampire instincts more than he liked but he didn't want to feel bogged down on his walk and he doubted he would find trouble anyway.

The lake was similar to the lake in Wild's Hyrule as in it was surrounded by high rocky cliffs, though the cliffs were much steeper in Wild's time and the lake seemed larger as well. For the fifth time since they arrived, Warriors studied the rocky cliffs, looking for some sort of path weaving through them so they could get out together, but he didn't find anything. Twilight knew how to leave but for a reason that Warriors suspected wasn't pleasant, Twilight wasn't spilling the beans. Either he didn't like the method or he knew nobody else would.

Warriors was torn out of his thoughts when a sudden chill ran up his spine.

He found himself near the mouth of a cave set into the side of the cliff. Nothing about the cave, at least from the outside, seemed out of the ordinary and yet, it scared him. Something about this cave scared him and they were camping pretty close to it. He wanted to run but he held his ground. As much as whatever was in the cave made him want to run, he was also curious about what was inside because the feeling was familiar.

He took a deep breath and walked inside.

The inside of the cave practically glowed.

The cave was circular, as was the spring planted right in the middle of it, with a rocky edge that surrounded the entire circumference of the spring. Much like Lake Hylia, the spring was set lower than the surrounding vine-covered walls but unlike the lake, the spring was a sparkling teal colour. It was the same colour as the spring in Ordon that burned his fingers and suddenly, that weird yet familiar feeling made sense.

There was a bit of the edge that seemed to jut out a bit more just right across the entrance of the cave, almost like it was a platform. He approached it slowly and was suddenly blinded by a bright light that hurt his eyes more than looking directly at the sun did.

When Warriors was finished rubbing at his face, he opened his eyes to a glowing serpent towering out of the lake. Its body was a pale yellow, with pure gold coiling down its slender body. An even brighter light spilled out of its mouth. The very sight of it, a spirit composed entirely of what must have been pure light, burned his eyes again. How close was he sitting to a being that could blast him into nothing? Did the other spring have a similar being?

“O' Hero of Warriors, chosen by Hylia and cursed by twisted obsession, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Its voice rang in his head.

“You know the nature of my curse?” he asked, looking towards his feet to protect his eyes. He was sure the light serpent would understand. “And how do you know my title?”

“I am Lanayru. I exist on behalf of the goddesses, to protect the light they blessed the realm with. I recognize all who are chosen and blessed with a piece of their power, regardless of When they hail from,” the spirit said simply. “As for your curse, I could sense it the moment the rift in time appeared. I can sense the overwhelming darkness as well as the light that you carry.”

“What can you tell me about it? Neither Zelda or Lana could figure out how to reverse it.”

“Unfortunately, there is not much to be said. You will live cursed or die a mortal. You exist as you are because your ancient spirit and your curse exist in harmony, so deeply entwined that only the goddesses themselves can hope to separate them. You would not survive it.”

Warriors felt like he swallowed a stone. As much he expected an answer like that was, it was still devastating to hear his suspicions confirmed. Zelda and Lana had hope – so much hope – and that they could one day help him. They had so much hope that it gave him some hope. He didn't want to be a monster and he didn't want this permanent reminder of Cia. He wanted to be wrong. He wasn’t. His eyes stung at the thought and wiped at his eyes again as they became wet.

“Behind you, Hero.”

The warning came so suddenly that he didn't have time to react.

He felt a pair of clawed hands on his back and suddenly he was falling. He could see the lights growing brighter, reflecting in the water's surface before he broke through it.

Warriors registered the blinding white pain and almost nothing else. He squeezed his eyes shut but it was already too late. They burned like somebody poured salt into a wound and rubbed it in with shards of glass. With the way the rest of his body was burning too, he might as well have jumped into lava. The back of his left hand tingled but he barely felt it with the pain of everything else. Completely blind and burning, he struggled to find the surface. He did his best to ignore the agony as he kicked his legs and flailed his arms until he broke the surface.

He didn't hesitate to try and find a way out, swallowing the rising panic as he swam to the walls of the spring, which was easy thanks to the fact that it was circular and all he had to do was pick a direction and swim for his life.

Didn't he see vines earlier? Could they hold his weight? He only needed them to be strong enough to pull himself out. If he could just get a foot on the wall, he could support most of his weight with the wall crawl and just use the vines to guide him.

Warriors resisted the urge to pass out as wet, burnt fingers felt the cave walls. His skin felt so delicate that he was sure that even running his fingers along the rocky walls would shred whatever skin he had left. He couldn't see anything so he no choice but to try and feel for the vines, even though he could barely feel anything other than excruciating pain.

Perhaps it was luck or divine intervention but his fingers curled around the vines and while he wasn't positive that they would hold his weight, he started to pull himself out of the spring. He cried out and swore the entire time, even pausing as a violent shudder ran through his entire body. Despite that, he managed to stick to his feet to the wall and walk, keeping a hand on the vines to catch himself just in case he lost control of his abilities which was pretty likely when he was in so much pain.

Warriors was out of the water but as long as he was still wet, the water was still burning him. He felt his skin burn as water dripped from his hair and with his damp clothes, it felt like he never left the damn spring. Yet, he kept climbing.

He reached the top after what felt like an eternity of wall crawling. Warriors panted as he pulled himself over the edge. He let himself catch his breath, rolled over so he was further from the edge, and pulled the scarf off. His hands shook violently as he attempted to unclasp the belts that would prevent him from getting his tunic off but his fingers were too burnt and the fine motor function he needed to get them off evaded him.

Damn it, he was going to die if he couldn't get his clothes off and get dry.

Suddenly, his stomach clenched and he had to shift his position to give himself a spot to vomit. Judging by the fiery pain in his throat and mouth, he must have swallowed some of the water. He was burning inside and out. Hopefully, the others would at least have a body to find.

“Do not despair, Hero.”

The spirit was the last thing he heard before he lost consciousness.

Hyrule woke up to a commotion. Wild, Twilight, and Time were bent over something on the ground, and it only took him a moment to see a hand sticking out from between them. He instantly darted to his feet and ran over, nearly tripping on his own feet as he did so, looking over their shoulders to see who they were tending to. He tried his best to ignore the distinct smell of burnt flesh.

“What's going on?” he asked, watching as Time and Twilight were moving towels in a dabbing motion instead of rubbing but when he saw the flesh underneath, he could see why, and he could guess who was laying on the ground. Although he couldn't see all of Warriors, he could see second and third degree burns and somehow, the burns were getting worse. Despite it still being dark out, something was burning him. Wild was busy wrapping his face, slowly making Warriors resemble a gibdo.

“Something pushed into a spring blessed by a light spirit. Lanayru says it was a shadow, probably the one we’ve been chasing,” Twilight answered. “You think your magic can help? We're doing our best to dry him off since the water just keeps burning him.”

That was something he was going to have unpack later.

He squeezed himself between Wild and Twilight and channelled his magic into his hands, directing it towards his wounds like he did every other time. He could feel his magic being drained, almost a little faster than usual, but there was no visible improvement on Warriors' side. It didn’t seem like his magic was doing anything. However, Hyrule didn’t give up. He wasn’t sure if his magic was actually doing anything but if it was and he just couldn’t see it, then Warriors needed every little bit of it.

Hyrule looked down at Warriors’ fingertips and nearly gagged. There was little flesh left, his fingers more bone and strips of muscle than skin.

“There's a portal nearby! I think that's where that damned bastard fled to.”

Hyrule looked up to see a scowling Wind.

“We should focus on wrapping him up, then we'll go through. If there's a chance that the portal can get us to a place he can rest, that should be our priority,” Time stated. “Wind, go wake up everyone else and get started on the packing.”

It only took a few minutes for the others to wake up and break down camp. In the mean time, they covered Warriors with bandages and dry clothes that hung off his frame – must of been Time's or Twilight's – and a blanket on top of that. Twilight took Warriors into his arms and Wind guided them to the swirling portal that wasn't too far from a cave which was absolutely teeming with magic. That must have been where Warriors was when he got burnt.

At first, the other side showed nothing promising until a figure dressed in a cloak skidded to a halt in front of them, just in time for the portal behind them to disappear. Hyrule could immediately sense that was something completely off about them, how their magic was twisted, strong, and foreboding. It was dark but familiar. Thankfully, the figure didn't seem interested in hurting them, at least not yet. “Well shoot, I knew there was something weird here...” they mumbled to themselves, before seemingly focusing on Warriors. “Is that Link?”

“Depends on who you are,” Legend muttered, crossing his arms.

The figured paused for a moment. “Depends on what you know, I suppose. Do you know about his... special diet?”

“Wait... are you a vampire? Can you help him?” Hyrule asked. That's why they felt so off and familiar. It was a lot more intense than how Warriors felt but it was fundamentally the same feeling that he got from both of them.

“What happened?”

“He was pushed into a pool of light magic.”

The other vampire hissed – not in an angry way or like the way Warriors hissed when he was agitated but kind of like a weird sigh. “That's going to be tough for him, but I'm sure he'll be fine, as long as he gets a lot of blood, plenty of rest, and stays out of the sun. Our best bet will be take him back to the estate but...” The vampire paused, turning their gaze to the sky. “I don't think I have enough time to guide you to there. Unlike Link, I will die if I'm still outside when the sun rises. I’ll run and make sure he’s safe but you guys will have to find your way there yourselves. I will let the Hylians know to expect you.”

Time looked between all of them before facing the vampire. “Which way are we going?”

“Keep going north. You won't miss it.”

“Twilight.”

Twilight merely nodded and walked to the figure, letting them take hold of Warriors.

“Don't worry, we'll take good of him!”

It was well past sunrise when they finally made it to the estate and were ushered in by a bunch of Hylians who didn’t at all question why they were there. They were definitely in the right place, then. They were guided to spare guest rooms that were so fancy that Hyrule felt uncomfortable existing in them, offered food and drinks, and told to rest until one of the vampires came to collect them.

“How do the vampires live in a place like this?” Legend asked as he gazed at the floor to ceiling windows. The guest room was plenty large and fit for nobility, with large beds that two people could sleep on and probably not touch each other for the whole night, hence how they could squeeze into two rooms as to not make themselves difficult for their mysterious hosts. Hyrule was sharing a room with Sky, Legend, and Four, though only Legend was currently in the room with him.

It wasn't the first time Hyrule saw a bed with a curtain around it but he was amazed every time. He pulled the curtains open to get into bed – he was worried about Warriors but was also completely drained and he knew he would be no help to him in his current state. It was difficult to keep his eyes open, especially when the bed was surprisingly soft.

“If I was a vampire, I think I would avoid large windows, even with a canopy bed,” Legend mumbled, then let a small chuckle. Hyrule could feel hands around his ankles and then his back, then suddenly something warm was pulled over him. He was asleep instantly.

[wandabear]

WISH YOU WERE HERE - WANDA MAXIMOFF X FEMALE READER

ㅤㅤ Summary: 17 years ago, a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team travels to Seattle for a national tournament. While flying over Canada, their plane crashes deep in the wilderness, and the surviving team members are left stranded for nineteen months.

Jules is portrayed by Adelaide Kane. Here.

chapter warnings: smut, angst, mentions of drug abuse and death.

CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN FINALE ㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤCHAPTER FIVE

ㅤㅤBEFORE

ㅤㅤ

Two weeks passed since the accident and since they found the cabin with the dead man inside, and nothing changed. No plane or rescue team had arrived for them, which meant that hope was dying and supplies were scarce.

ㅤㅤ

“So, do you think the guy shot himself?” One of the girls whispered. “He left some kind of note?”

ㅤㅤ

“Just that weird symbol.” Carol frowned at her somewhat disturbed. Ever since they found this man, they all had questions to ask that no one answered.

ㅤㅤ

“Maybe he couldn't stand loneliness and shot himself.” Pietro shrugged and looked at the rifle that was standing against the wall of the cabin. “We should take the rifle and try to get something to eat.”

ㅤㅤ

“Maybe it didn't want him to leave.” Jules murmured thoughtfully, looking at a fixed point among the trees. Since they arrived, she Jules had not stopped feeling a little uncomfortable there.

ㅤㅤ

“Shut the fuck up you and your ominous crap. You're going to scare everyone just because you're a little hysterical.” Grant groaned, completely sick of listing to that girl muttering weird stuff.

The man was barely holding on to a wooden crutch made from branches, but it wasn't enough to stay upright for long.

ㅤㅤ

Far from answering that with any sarcastic comment, Jules just looked away and crossed her arms a bit embarrassed.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, don't talk to her like that again.” Natasha defended her, getting ahead of Y/N.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, HEY! I think we should talk about the huge problem instead.” Wanda cleared her throat, trying to change the subject. “We're out of food. We're all feeling it.”

ㅤㅤ

Everyone was silent, the hunger they felt was beginning to make everything worse. Any small fight ended in shouting or bad mood.

ㅤㅤ

“Now, the good news is my father used to take me deer hunting every year as a kid.” Grant grunted and slowly, awkwardly reached for the rifle and held it up. “The bad news... yeah, I am down to one fucking leg.”

ㅤㅤ

The man clenched his jaw, trying to stay strong and keep feel that superiority, but it was more difficult when they looked at him with pity. “Which means that if we want to eat, one of you is gonna have to learn how to use this thing.”

ㅤㅤ

They all nodded, Natasha raised her hand saying that her father taught her to shoot and she was willing to teach Y/N or Pietro to do it. Maybe it took a while, but they managed to group up to go out and hunt. ㅤㅤ

That morning, Y/N, Pietro and Natasha left the cabin ready to find something to hunt. Even though neither of them seemed happy with hurting an animal, eating nothing but mushroom soup for days was starting to weigh on them.

ㅤㅤ

Many hours later, the sun was going down and Wanda began to feel anxious. She tried to convince herself that it was just because of Pietro, but deep down she knew that she also cared about Y/N. She came back with some 'clean' blankets in her arms, they had left several clothes drying outside.

ㅤㅤ

The cabin was a bit more cleaner, enough for them to stop breathing dust. As long as they all helped keep it that way. Some cheering made Wanda come out of the cabin, she finally smiled widely.

ㅤㅤ

“They did it!” Kate exclaimed happily seeing how Pietro, Y/N and Nat were carrying a deer. It didn't seem very big but enough to have food for a few days.

ㅤㅤ

Everyone came closer to see it, they seemed a little tired but definitely happy for what they had achieved.

ㅤㅤ

“Nice work, you guys.” Wanda put her hands on her hips, looking at the deer. She felt a bit sorry but she also understood that they were about to starve.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah.” Pietro smiled broadly and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.  “It was all Y/N.”

ㅤㅤ

“She did great.” Nat smiled too, they all started screaming excited to understand that it was the first sign that they could survive in that place, without knowing what awaited them next.

ㅤㅤ

Night came and they were grateful that the beginning of autumn treated them well for now. They were all surrounding the campfire, Kate and Jennifer were in charge of roast it and distributing the pieces of meat to the girls who looked starving.

ㅤㅤ

“Are you okay?”

ㅤㅤ

Pietro's voice took Wanda from her thoughts, while she slowly ate.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, better now.”

ㅤㅤ

“I was so hungry.” Pietro sighed then finished his first piece of meat, reaching out for another.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, me too.”  Wanda said as she wiped her lips. She noticed how the boy devoured the meat, so hungry, Wanda felt so guilty.

ㅤㅤ

“I'm sorry I brought you here.” She lowered her gaze.  “I know you came just for me.”

ㅤㅤ

Quickly, Pietro looked up and frowned, genuinely concerned. “No, sestra. Don’t be sorry.” He put his hand on Wanda's shoulder, who kept looking at the ground. “I would never leave you alone, you know that. This is not your fault, this was an accident.”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay?” Pietro held his gaze until Wanda nodded.

ㅤㅤ

“This is good, not as good as mom’s Chicken Paprikash but good.” He pointed at the food, making her sister smile. It was all he wanted, to take a great weight off the girl's heart.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda looked up and noticed that Y/N was chatting and smiling with Jennifer. She wondered what she was talking about, what was it that made her so excited?

ㅤㅤ

“You’re close to Y/N lately.” Pietro teased, trying not to smile.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, is it bad?” Wanda turned to see him, she sounded a bit worried.

ㅤㅤ

“No, not at all.” The boy took a bite. “She’s nice, all these crazy women, Y/n is who I like best.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda said nothing, just smiled tenderly and then fell silent.

The connection between the two had always been so strong, both twins were so close and although sometimes it was the object of mocks, they considered that connection something incredible.

ㅤㅤ

“Do you think they will rescue us?” Wanda asked a little more seriously this time, she needed her brother's sincerity now.

ㅤㅤ

“I don't know, Wanda. What Y/N is right about is… if they wanted to, they would already be here.” Pietro sighed, didn't want to talk about what he felt cause he didn't want to make her feel worse, but that was the truth, more than a week and they hadn’t received any kind of signal that people were looking for them.

ㅤㅤ

Not planes. No rescue helicopters. Nothing.

ㅤㅤ

“Did you apologize to Jules?” Wanda raised an eyebrow.

ㅤㅤ

“I did it.” Pietro smiled and nodded. “I think I saved her from stepping in a bear trap two days ago, and apparently, we're even.”

ㅤㅤ

“That’s good.” She smiled at the boy and squeezed his cheek, noticing how grown his beard was.  “Look at you, your beard has already grown.”

ㅤㅤ

“Oh, fuck off!” He pushed her hand away and they both laughed.

ㅤㅤ

“I love you, Piet.”

ㅤㅤ

“I love you, sestra.”

ㅤㅤ

Nodding, Pietro got up so he could go check that everything was alright with the Coach Ward, who seemed to be a bit distant from the girls. Recently, Pietro was the only one Ward let near or talk to.

ㅤㅤ

Seeing that now Wanda was alone, Y/N approached, sitting next to her on that log.

ㅤㅤ

“Hi.” Wanda smiled trying to hide that strange 'joy' inside. Why was her heart beating so fast?

ㅤㅤ

“How are you doing?” Y/N asked looking at her, noticing how beautiful she looked when the fire lit those green eyes. Maybe it was because almost two weeks ago they were in that place and everything seemed to get more intense but, wow, Wanda was so beautiful.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I’m good, how about you? I didn't see you today.”

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah. Killed a deer today so…” Y/N sighed and lowered her gaze somewhat embarrassed. More sad than embarrassed though.  

ㅤㅤ

Wanda hesitated for a moment but ended up gently squeezing the girl's hand. “I’m sorry.”

ㅤㅤ

“It’s okay, at least we have to eat. We needed this.”

ㅤㅤ The relationship with Wanda improved so much after the accident. After the fight at the party, both of them made up and improved their friendship. And Y/N was very grateful for this, although her best friends were there, the connection with Wanda was completely different.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, you two.” Carol walked ahead of them making smooch noises, winking at Y/N.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N shook her head and noticed how Wanda quickly removed her hand, not out of embarrassment but out of fear that Y/N would be mocked because of her.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey. Do you want to go walk near the lake?” Y/N got up and stretched out her hand towards her, waiting for her to take it. “I can take the rifle if it makes you feel safer.”

ㅤㅤ

“Won't we get lost?” Wanda asked a bit worried but also an excited shine could be seen in her eyes. As if it was something forbidden and interesting, what more could they lose?

ㅤㅤ

“I know the way, Natasha owes me one so maybe she'll let us go. I found a nice place that nobody else knows about.” She turned to see how some girls kept laughing and chatting about boys now. “If you want to get away from all this mess, sure.”

ㅤㅤ

Biting her bottom lip, Wanda didn't have to think too hard. She took her hand and ended getting up.  “Yeah, I would like to.”

ㅤㅤ

They managed to escape from the place without anyone seeing them, but not before telling Natasha because otherwise she would start lecturing them and that was not the idea.

ㅤㅤ Y/N took the rifle and one of the gas lamps, both walked through the trees, following a path that only Y/N seemed to know.

ㅤㅤ

“Are you sure about this” Wanda asked worriedly as they walked down the path towards the lake.

ㅤㅤ

“Every day I walk through the same place. Nat asked me to start drawing some things to make a map.” Y/N reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it over.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda opened it but couldn't see much, just some lines and the cabin drawn in the middle. Y/N moved the lamp closer so she could see better.

ㅤㅤ

“I found this place when I was drawing the path to the lake and the place where the edible mushrooms grew.” Y/N kept walking and took a path to the left, behind some huge boulders. She helped Wanda so that she could climb them carefully, and after a few minutes, they both found themselves with a beautiful view of the lake and the huge starry sky above them. The moonlight made the lake look beautiful.

The trees and the boulders covered them, making it a perfect private place.

ㅤㅤ

“Y/N, this is good.” Wanda smiled widely, looking around.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N just smiled happy, both lay back on the grass watching the sky, enjoying the sound of the forest. After so many days, far from seeming creepy, they began to find some comfort in those sounds that they now recognized.

The hooting, the sound of crickets, the fluttering of birds.

ㅤㅤ

“Look at all those stars.” Wanda whispered completely gawking. “I never thought there were so many above us.”

ㅤㅤ

“Without light pollution it looks so beautiful.” Y/N sighed heavily, arms crossed behind her head. She didn't know how long it had been since they left the cabin, maybe a few minutes or an hour, she didn't know. Didn't care either.

ㅤㅤ

“Pretty.” The sokovian whispered.

ㅤㅤ

Pretty. 'That's what you are' Y/N thought when she turned to see the girl beside her.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda was so damn beautiful. Just look at those eyes, so pretty and big, curious to know everything life had to offer her. That adorable nose, she loved when Wanda scrunched it. Those lips, surely they were soft and sweet.

ㅤㅤ

“Wanda, I'd like to talk to you.” Y/N finally took courage, betting her whole heart on a single play.

ㅤㅤ

“You know you can tell me anything. What's going on?” Wanda turned to see her, worried. Y/N seemed a bit nervous, without a doubt it must be quite important.

ㅤㅤ

“I like you.” The girl released without waiting another second, leaving her heart open. But far from seeming like a confession of love, it seemed more like a release. Y/N sighed and sat up. “I'm sorry. I know you have a boyfriend, but even though it's obvious... and everyone knows it.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda said nothing. She was surprised and not at the same time, she always knew it and she knew it right now. Every kind smile when others teased her, every laugh they shared, every word of support.

ㅤㅤ

She knew that Y/N had a crush on her, why fake it? What she didn't understand is why.

ㅤㅤ

“I thought it would be nice to tell you myself.” Y/N smiled shily, playing with her fingers. “We're lost in the woods waiting to be rescued, and I don't have the time or the strength to hide my feelings. It's so fucking tiring… so that’s it. If that makes you uncomfortable, we'll have to deal with it."

ㅤㅤ

“I'm in love with you.” Y/N breathed out deeply and closed her eyes, the secret finally out and it felt so much better.

ㅤㅤ

Silence reigned for a moment until Wanda reached out her hand, taking hers.

ㅤㅤ

“Y/N? Please, open your pretty eyes.” Wanda asked with a soft voice and a loving look. And when she finally did, the brunette asked: “Y/N, what’s my favorite song?”

ㅤㅤ

Y/N frowned, not understanding what she meant by knowing that, but the sokovian insisted.

ㅤㅤ “Umh... I've noticed that you like 'Fade Into You', I've seen you rewind your cassette twice until you get to that song.” Y/N said sincerely but then she realized that maybe it sounded like she was keeping an eye on her or something, maybe Wanda would think it's weird. She quickly added, “It's not like I see you too much.”

ㅤㅤ

But Wanda nodded slowly. “What are my favorite candies?”

ㅤㅤ

“Twizzlers. You always eat them when you get all anxious in our matches.” Y/N answered again, feeling how her heart kept beating fast but the tension faded slowly.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda finally smiled, her eyes showing the tenderness and excitement she felt.  

ㅤㅤ

The times she had asked Vision that, well, the boy didn't know what to say. First he answered any popular song, and then he said 'had no idea what kind of sweets you ate because who looks at those things? I can buy you anything you want, just tell me.'

ㅤㅤ

“You really know me.” Wanda felt her eyes fill with tears, but she didn't shed any.

ㅤㅤ

“Well, yeah, that's why I like you. I do and… I wanna know more, if you let me.”

ㅤㅤ

“I like you too.” The sokovian blurted out, not caring about anything other than that moment. What else did it matter? They were in the middle of the forest, lost, trying to survive.

ㅤㅤ

And her heart just asked to be close to her, it always did, from the moment Y/N defended her from Sharon Carter.

Well, that was something Y/N didn't expect at all. With a dumbfounded face, unable to believe it, all she could say was:  “R-Really?”

ㅤㅤ

“I do.” Wanda bit her lower lip, as a signal which Y/N caught perfectly. She kissed Wanda's lips in a soft first kiss, enjoying that exquisite sensation. Hearts intertwining, two teenagers completely in love.

ㅤㅤ

“Is it wrong?” The sokovian whispered against her lips, barely breaking away. She felt completely enraptured in that feeling, so different from her when she kissed Vision.

ㅤㅤ

The truth is that Vision and Wanda had never gone far, just a few little kisses and caresses. The boy tried a few times to go further but Wanda always said that she wanted to wait. Now, she felt that self-control with y/n didn't exist.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N quickly shook her head, touching softly the brunette's cheek. “I don't think liking or loving someone is wrong.” She sighed, still sharing that closeness. “So, can I keep kissing you?”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda smirked, shortening the distance to kiss again. “Good, because your kisses are so damn good.”

ㅤㅤ

Both giggled before kissing again, only the stars being the witnesses of that youthful love that was born.

ㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤNOW

ㅤㅤ

The days passed and there was no news of the blackmailer. Maybe because money cooled things down, but not the concern of all of them knowing that they were outsmarted.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N was at the hotel, visited Jules some times, especially when Natasha was working. The doctor told them that the baby was in no danger yet, that no bleeding was positive, even when Jules told that she suffered a pretty bad blow.

ㅤㅤ

Doctor Cho said that they should be more careful and that so far everything seemed fine, but later they would know better with the ultrasound at the next week.

And the secrets cooled the relationship with Nat so much that, the redhead began to suspect that perhaps her beloved wasn’t happy. The silence at night became unbearable, and sadness weighed on their hearts.

ㅤㅤ

“Jules…” Nat said as she saw the brown-eyed woman come out of the bathroom with her huge T-shirt. She no longer slept in her panties, trying to provoke her. Sex had always been a big deal to them, the passion was increased by the unconditional love they felt.  “Are you going to talk to me?”

ㅤㅤ

Jules just curled up on the bed, trying to hide her face.  “Everything is fine, I'm a little tired.”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay, just tell me, what the hell is going on?” Nat sat up in bed, so done with this game. She was sick of all this strange tension that had been around them for a while. “I know you're hiding something, I know you since we were eleven. You've been so stealthy with Y/N, as if you were hiding a secret... and I am not worthy of  your trust.”

ㅤㅤ

“We have never been like this, Julia.” Those green eyes express the sadness and restlessness she felt.  “Don't you love me anymore?”

ㅤㅤ

Jules kept her back to her, trying not to cry when she heard the pain in Natasha's raspy voice.

ㅤㅤ

“Because if that's it, we can… we can try to go to those… You know? Couples therapy or whatever to get your love back. Or- or we can... I don't know, I don't want to let you go but, if you're not happy with me...” Natasha swallowed, the angst in her throat not letting her continue.

ㅤ

That was all Jules could bear. She turned quickly so she could see her, and that image completely destroyed her.

ㅤㅤ

“No, no, no.” Jules took her hand and hastened to erase any kind of doubt, she couldn't allow Natasha to doubt herself when she had always been wonderful. “Nat, that's not it, honey.”

ㅤ

“So what is it?” they entwined their fingers.

ㅤ

Jules hesitated for a moment, didn't know how to start. Just felt her eyes fill with tears.

ㅤ

“I don't want you to hate me.” The dark-haired girl sniffled. That worried Natasha even more, what was it that bothered her so much? So sad, that she couldn't even tell her.

ㅤ

“Moya lyubov, I would never hate you.” The redhead cooed softly, genuinely concerned about her, the love of her life.

ㅤ

“I’m pregnant.” Finally she let go, exhaling slowly.

ㅤㅤ

Couldn't take it anymore, soon her belly would start to show, what was the point of lying or keeping it as a secret? Lying to the person she loved the most in the world.

Natasha wasn't the type of woman to leave her just because she was pregnant, was she? No, she had always been an incredible, faithful, kind, loving, passionate woman. Maybe she was a little afraid of commitment at first but, once Natasha got over that fear, she was always there for Jules.

ㅤ “You… what?” The redhead blinked fast, it took her a few seconds to understand. Oh.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I’m pregnant, the IUI worked but we didn't notice.” Jules swallowed hard and wiped away the tears falling down her cheeks.  Was so pale that those lovely cheeks turned red, as did her nose and lips from crying. “I found out  about a week ago... or more.”

ㅤㅤ

A huge smile, a hug, endless kisses. That was all Jules hoped for, but what she got was Natasha getting out of bed, completely shocked and a bit pissed off.

ㅤㅤ

“What the fuck, Julia?!” The russian exclaimed in disbelief. Quickly, Jules covered her face out of embarrassment.  “Really?”

ㅤㅤ

 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn't want you to be mad at me and hate me!” She whimpered, completely devastated.

ㅤㅤ

“Of course I’m mad at you!” Natasha exclaimed. How could her wife hide something like that from her? “You went to the meeting with the blackmailer and you are pregnant!”

ㅤㅤ

But far from seeming bothered by the idea that they were having a baby, or terrified by it, Natasha was completely mad because her wife put her and their child's lives at risk by going with them.

ㅤㅤ

“You were punched in the stomach, for God's sake!” Nat hurried over to put a hand on Jules belly, extremely concerned. “Don’t fucking do that again!”

ㅤㅤ

Surprised by that, noticing the concern on her lover's face, Jules just sighed. Her eyes swollen from crying. “I’m fine. We’re fine.”

ㅤㅤ

“How are you so sure?” Natasha insisted, looking at her and then at her belly. She caressed it gently, those green eyes brimming with tears of emotion.

ㅤㅤ

Of course, she would never be upset by the idea of bringing a child into the world, perhaps a little scared because all this would bring consequences and she was afraid that exactly what happened, would happen. That they were in danger.

ㅤㅤ

“Dr. Cho said she didn't think there was any danger because there was no bleeding, but we would find out better on the ultrasound next week.”

ㅤㅤ

Natasha sighed with relief upon hearing those words, all she wanted is for the baby and her wife to be okay. Jules nodded slowly, carefully watching all the gestures and looks of Nat. She felt so dumb, so stupid, how could she have thought that Natasha would be mad at her? Although her words had made it seem like she was glad the IUI wasn't working, Nat would never turn her back on her kid.

ㅤㅤ

“You’re pregnant.” Nat whispered, then allowed herself to smile. She was finally beginning to realize what that meant.  “Oh my god, we're having a baby!”

ㅤㅤ

“We are!” Jules smiled wiping away her tears.

ㅤㅤ

“We’re going to be moms!” Natasha exclaimed excitedly, taking her wife's hands and then hugging her tightly. “We must take good care of the baby, okay? We have to. Promise me.”

ㅤㅤ

“I promise… Are you really happy about this?” Jules giggled through her tears, completely happy to see her redhead so excited about the pregnancy.

ㅤㅤ

“You’re kidding? I’m ecstatic!” Nat leaned down to kiss her lips over and over again until she crouched down, facing Jules belly. “Hello there, Зайчик… I’m your mama Natasha. Your other mom in fact, because you have two, and that means you're going to be very, very loved!” Nat kissed her belly and leaned her forehead against it, smiling widely. Oh, it felt so good. “We love you.”

ㅤㅤ

The redhead spent a while 'chatting' with her baby and Jules watched everything with a look of pure love, until they both decided to jump on the bed with happiness, celebrating that beautiful news.

ㅤㅤ

Since the meeting with the blackmailer that night, Wanda was more nervous than ever. She was grateful that her little ones were visiting their grandparents that weekend, allowing her to have a bit of peace for at least two days.

ㅤㅤ

The brunette walked around the house, taking some things that the twins left lying around and putting them in its place. She didn't mind having to do it anyway, it was just throwing the clothes in the washing machine and at least it kept her busy with something.

ㅤㅤ

“Fuck.” The brunette muttered under her breath when she saw a sock under the furniture, those kids left their stuff all over the place. Wanda end up sighing and bent down to take it but something shiny caught her eye. As if from the dark depths of that piece of furniture, something shamelessly winked at her.

A black t-shirt, but the most important thing was that when she took it, her hands were stained with glitter.

ㅤㅤ

Hands that began to tremble just by seeing the shirt; the blackmailer's son of a bitch was none other than her husband.

ㅤㅤ

"VISION!” She exclaimed aloud, rushing out of the room to head to the garage, where he had his office. She entered without further ado, breaking in that 'sanctuary'.

ㅤㅤ

"Wanda, what's going on?" the blond growled, clearly annoyed by the sudden invasion.

ㅤㅤ

“What is this?" She held up that black shirt, completely covered in glitter. It didn't take an answer, Vision's surprised and terrified look said it all.

ㅤㅤ

“Wanda, I-” He exhales. “Okay. I can explain this.”

ㅤㅤ

Of course he doesn't know how to do it, especially when Wanda's eyes widened. Oh, she was mad. “Oh, my God, Vision. What did you do?”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay, just-just…” He got up from his seat and tried to get closer but the brunette moved away, looking at him with a truly terrifying fury and disappointment.

ㅤㅤ

“What did you do?” Wanda hissed.

ㅤㅤ

“Just listen to me.” Vision closed the door. “You were never supposed to get involved in this.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda remained still, waiting for a convincing answer.

ㅤㅤ

“It just... It got out of control.” The english man sighed and placed a hand across his face. “Listen, that damn store...”

ㅤㅤ

“Our store?” Wanda frowned and crossed her arms. Everything seemed to get worse and worse.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, but this new one... Bloody ElectronicsFam.com” He growled angrily. “They are running me out of business. They got virtually no overhead. They mass-produce all their own inventory. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

ㅤㅤ

The expression on the man's face only made Wanda want to slap him more and more. They had bought that store with the money the insurance gave her for the plane accident. She understood that Vision felt guilty but this was too much. “So you… you blackmailed us?”

ㅤㅤ

“Not you. I thought I had to...” Vision sighs, so defeated. “I thought... Jennifer, she's a lawyer and you know… maybe Y/N had the cash.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda closed her eyes, trying not to explode. She obviously murmured some sokovian insults that the man couldn't even understand. He wasn't a bad man, but he was a complete jerk sometimes.

ㅤㅤ

“I mean, I was going to lose the store, Wanda. First, I took out a loan. I just... I-I got a loan from these people, all right?” As Vision spoke and explained the whole situation, Wanda began to think that the decision that was on her mind lokg time ago was the right one. “And it turns out that they were... they were bad.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda inhales deeply. “Like... like loan sharks?”

ㅤㅤ

Vision just shook his head.

ㅤㅤ

“Like fucking mobsters, Vision?” The sokovian yelled furiously but Vision shooed her away. “Are they gonna kill us? Our kids? you didn't think of them! My god, Vision!”

ㅤㅤ

Of course she was terrified for her children.

ㅤㅤ

"Be quiet, Wanda!"

ㅤㅤ

"Don't tell me to shup up!" She snapped wildly, pointing at him. "Are they gonna do something to us?"

ㅤㅤ

“No, no! No! I paid 'em back. It's all good. No one is gonna die.”

ㅤㅤ

"My God, Vision." Wanda shook her head. “You have to pay Y/N.”

ㅤㅤ

"Wanda, you can't tell them it was me-" Horror flashed across the man's face. What if he went to jail?

ㅤㅤ

"You have to take responsibility for your actions, Vision. For fuck's sake, you just- they almost shoot you!"

ㅤㅤ

“What if they send me to jail? Natasha could do it.”

ㅤㅤ

“No one will do that. Just… get the damn money and you're going to pay it back, you hear me?” the brunette told him seriously, there was no way he could refuse that face of hers. She was adorable but a lot of times, she could scare you. "You're going to pay to Y/N, I'll apologize to them."

ㅤㅤ

Vision nodded quickly. "I'll do it, I swear for our children."

ㅤㅤ

Wanda sighed and walked towards the door, but not before giving a final stab. "And Vision? I want the divorce."

ㅤㅤ

"What?" He frowned, surprised and maybe a bit hurt.

ㅤㅤ

"Oh, come on Vis. Don't you think that's enough?" Wanda sighed deeply tired. "You don't love me, I don't love you. We are here for our kids and they know very well what is happening between us.”

ㅤㅤ

"I know you have a lover." She smiled sadly, because even though he was doing it behind her back, she was glad to know that he found someone. Besides, didn't feel so guilty that she didn't love him.

ㅤㅤ

"I'm sorry, Wanda." the blonde whispered, he took off his glasses so that he could clean them and avoid showing how ashamed he felt.

ㅤㅤ

"We've been friends for all these years, but we can't pretend we love each other. Let's just not make it difficult for the kids. They will understand."

ㅤㅤ

"They are lucky that we made that decision now."

ㅤㅤ

They both smiled kindly, like two old friends saying goodbye, a necessary goodbye in order to move on.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I will spend the weekend in a hotel, I'll go pack my things.”

About five minutes, that's how long it took Y/N to get to that woman's house, after Wanda sent her that message.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

‘Come to my house, we need to talk.’

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed deeply and took courage, if Wanda needed to talk, perhaps it would be to yell at her some more things that she kept for a long time.

ㅤㅤ

“Hi.” Wanda waved when she opened the door, letting her into the house.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey.” Y/N came into the place, looking around with curiosity. She had never been there, but it looked like a rather… ordinary home? Normal? Pretty good, very cozy.

ㅤ

Noticed some family photos, mostly of two adorable little ones. Billy and Tommy.

ㅤ

She followed Wanda to the kitchen without saying anything, expecting to know what she had to say, but the brunette just kept silent.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Will the girls be coming soon?” Y/N asked in a low voice, as if she was about to break the moment and detonate the bomb. Kept her hands in the  pockets, watching Wanda's every move.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s just us.” Wanda whispered as she took out some bread, jelly, and peanut butter.

Just them? That made Y/N frown.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So... why did you call me?” Y/N leaned on the doorway, watching as Wanda cut small sandwiches. “You're supposed to hate me.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don’t hate you.” Wanda grunted under her breath. “I'm just mad at you.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know its because of what I did-” Y/N tried, a tired sigh, but Wanda turned to finally attack.

So done.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“You broke my heart, TWICE.”  She snapped. Wanda spat out those words like poison that she had kept for a long, long time . “Not only when we came back from the forest and you abandoned me, but then you came back years later. You filled me with false hope and illusions saying that you loved me, that I should leave Vision and we should go together.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N swallowed; it was time to take care of all the things she did.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I did it! For you, because I loved you so much, I was madly in love with you! And when I came back to the hotel where we made love all night and you were waiting for me to do this together, YOU WERE HAVING SEIZURES.” She said with a shaky voice, those green eyes showing not only anger but also fear and sadness at that horrible memory. The scariest moment of her life.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

I’m sorry-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“When I got back to the hotel, smiling, ready to face the world with you… you were choking on your own blood because you overdosed. AGAIN.” The brunette wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek.  “You died, I saw you die that day.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N was silent, couldn't say anything because she knew perfectly well that Wanda was right. How much she had hurt that woman was unforgivable, but love was always there.

Maybe love wasn't enough.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“And the paramedics brought you back to life.” Wanda turned her gaze to the sandwiches, taking a deep breath to calm down and put the tiny sandwiches in the fridge.  “You stole those drugs from the hospital, and you could have gotten Jules fired or jailed.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know.” Y/N swallowed, looking down. “I did terrible things.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Yes, you did and everyone thinks I'm the bad guy, and i’m cruel or- or impatient, but I'm not! Don't tell me I hate you, because I don't.” The sokovian whispered so hurt. “I'm not the bad guy here. You broke me first, twice.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

But even though Y/N could have turned and left and not take all those words anymore, she came closer and put a hand on Wanda’s shoulder. And despite the fact that the sokovian refused at first,  slowly she allowed herself to be hugged tightly for a while.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Y/N sighed, knowing something else was wrong. “I know you're mad at me, but I also know there's more.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda looked up, Y/N knew her too well. The brunette moved away from the embrace, leaning against the kitchen counter next to Y/N. Like two old friends.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is cheating on me.” Wanda started. “I've known for a while now.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N just nodded and then exhaled furiously, like a rampaging, raging bull. How could he do that to Wanda? Just like that?  To that woman? “’Kay… I’m gonna kick his ass. He is in the store right now?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, that’s not-” Wanda interceded, getting in the way.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm not going to let him treat you like this.” Y/N growled.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Stop.” She put her hands on Y/N and slowly pushed her back onto the counter, returning to where they were.  “That's not what got me like this!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So what is it?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is cheating on me, yeah… but I don’t even care.” The brunette shrugged lightly.  “It is as if we both know that we don’t love each other, but… the kids. You know? Anyway, that's not the worst or the most important thing.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N kept silent, hoping that Wanda would dare to say it, especially when the sokovian seemed to start walking in circles, trying to get up the courage to tell her the truth.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is the one who's been blackmailing us.” Finally, Wanda released it as if it were nothing.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

And Y/N's reaction was exactly what she expected. The dark-haired woman just opened her eyes wide, her jaw tensed, making her look perhaps quite attractive, or at least that's what Wanda thought for a moment.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“What?” Y/N exploded angrily.  “The fuck?! I’m gonna kill him.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, you won’t.” Wanda pointed at her, trying to calm her down but Y/N frowned even more annoyed. Was she going to defend him now?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“H-he needed the money, apparently the store was not paying off.” Wanda pinched the bridge of her nose, even more frustrated than before.  “Because of this… online store or something.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Y/N noticed that she didn't seem too happy with that news either. Surely Wanda was also upset when she found out.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“The business began to fall apart, he was asking for loans but it was dirty money.” Wanda sighed. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N nodded slowly, at least this meant something good and that was that no one else knew what they did in the forest. That was good.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So you both owe me 50 grand.” Y/N teased, trying to make her feel better or smile.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“HE does.” Wanda clarified, finally smiling. A genuine smile. Y/N won and her heart knew it.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm going to break his fucking legs, man.” Y/N exhaled deeply and shook her head. “At least we don't have to worry about our past getting out of here. Right?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda just nodded.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Does he know EVERYTHING that happened there? Did he read all your diaries?” she narrowed her eyes.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, he just saw the drawing and thought it was important. He doesn't know what truly happened.” Wanda began to play with her rings, so embarrassed, everything that happened was her fault. “I promise I'll pay you back.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, he will.” Y/N smirked. “We'd better tell the others. They'll be glad to know there's no danger.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don't know, I don't want them to be mad at me.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N kept watching her, she was seventeen years later and she still looked so beautiful. Now she looked more mature, those green eyes showed how much she had matured but that made her more beautiful and sensual. And that body? Wow, she really was a mommy.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“You have to tell them the truth, that's what it's all about.”  Noticing how worried Wanda looked, Y/N placed a hand on her shoulder. “They love you, believe me they won't care as long as you're fine. Besides that you had nothing to do with this.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Do you think they won't hate me?”  Wanda's voice melted Y/N's heart, who only quickly denied.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“They have hearts too big, look why I'm here.” The taller one shrugged. “Plus, I think they have bigger fish to fry between them.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“What do you mean?” The brunette asked worriedly.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Jules is pregnant.” Y/N smiled happily, but after a few seconds she realized the huge mistake she made.  “I mean, fuck, I wasn't supposed to say anything! You can't say anything! I promised not to say it!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N panicked, opening her eyes wide, but Wanda only opened her big eyes in surprise and couldn't help but smile widely. That was much more important than all this, her best friends were going to be moms. That joy cast out any fear she might have.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh my god, Y/N!” Wanda squealed.  “That’s good news, right? We must celebrate!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So good, right?! But remember, don't say anything.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

They both looked like two excited kids, laughing over that beautiful news as if it were themselves.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“But wait, Nat doesn’t now that and Jules doesn't know how she's going to take it.” y/n pursed her lips watching as Wanda took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet and two glasses.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Damn.” Wanda said worriedly. “Oh, god, she was hit the other day! Is she okay?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“She is. I went with her to the doc, she's fine for now.” she nodded and took the glass, somewhat doubtful.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh, thank god. Thank you for telling me this.” She was going to take the bottle to open it but Y/N touched her arm gently, getting her attention. “I was so worried that-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wait, Wanda?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Yeah?” she frowned.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don't drink anymore. I'm still recovering.” Y/N wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you but…" She swallowed and shrugged a bit shy.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“…OH! I’m so sorry!” The sokovian exclaimed in embarrassment, quickly setting the bottle aside. She didn't know what to say, feeling so ashamed that she was so inconsiderate. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s okay, I’m trying my best. It's not like I'm desperate to drink anyway.” Y/N smiled kindly.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

And for a moment, Wanda felt that she was seeing that eighteen-year-old girl again, so kind, attentive and considerate. That Y/N that completely stolen her heart years ago.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Please, don’t look at me like that.” Wanda shook her head and turned to leave the kitchen and arrange some things in the living room, some thrown cushions and joysticks.  

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Like that?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Like a fucking sad but loving puppy.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Why?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Because I can't deal with your ‘unrequited love victim’ look right now.” Wanda shook her head. Y/N followed Wanda around the place, helping her to pick up some cushions. “Stop that.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"But I love you.” Y/N smirked, wasn't going to stop, not anymore.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Please, stop.” Wanda pointed her finger at her and ended up taking the cushion out of her hands.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I can’t.” She was willing to do everything to make it better, to have Wanda by her side, in any way. “It kills me not being able to have you, not being able to be with you. I love to see you happy, I love to see you smile, but don't think that it doesn't hurt me not to have you.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Well, you seemed fine when-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know!” Y/N stepped forward. She perfectly knew everything she did, and despite the fact that she has changed, Y/N knew that she would have to endure those comments forever. “I know, and it wasn't right or fair. I was sick and I was sunk deep into the abyss and I started to sink you too.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

She sighed heavily, taking over all her actions. As many times as necessary.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“And I’m sorry, but i'm done apologizing.” At Wanda's surprised look, Y/N stepped forward to take her hand. “I can't keep sinking anymore, that's why I'm here. Because I love you, because I love my friends, and because I want to love myself a little more. No one deserves what I did to you all, and I want to make it right. I have to do it, okay?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed deeply. Would fight whatever it took to keep the people she loved close. Time to mourn was over, now she just had to build and take care of the future.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I am taking responsibility for it. We all screwed up in one way or another.  I’m sober, I’m better and I’m trying my fucking best.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda just nodded, completely fascinated by that image. With a different Y/N, mature and much more responsible. She looked so attractive… It was too much, so tired of fighting the tension between the two; Wanda ended the distance and kissed her lips with a passion that surprised them both.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N was quick to kiss her back, pushing the brunette against the wall. The warmth of her body and her lips wrapped around her in such an exquisite way, she felt like coming home.

Her heart beat again after so long, the reason why she was still alive was right there.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

It wasn't a cute and tender kiss, it was a kiss full of passion and need. From two people who missed each other too much and had been away for a long, long time.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wanda, we're at your house.” Y/N cursed herself for being the voice of reason, but even so, she didn't stop and kept devouring the sokovian's neck.  “Vision or the kids could come.”

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When was the last time Wanda felt wanted? Needed and desired. A long time ago, she hadn't had sex with Vision in a long time and right now, her legs were shaking like she was that same needy young self again.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“He’s not coming... the kids won't be around for the whole weekend.” Wanda could barely whisper, feeling how her legs were so weak. “Oh god.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Between kisses and caresses, both ended up in Wanda's room, tangled between the sheets. Their naked bodies complemented each other once more; Wanda's hands ran over Y/N's bare back over and over again.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Fuck me.” She whispered against Y/N’s lips between kisses and bites. “Now. Please.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Feeling that paradise existed in the hands of Y/N, she got carried away. Legs that trembled, lips that ran over the skin over and over again. Wanda bit her skin as if she wanted to mark that woman as hers once more.

Because she was always hers.

The moans, the screams of pleasure, the biting.

The way in which Wanda sought to take Y/N's hands for her to cling to before reaching orgasm, or how her tongue ran through that wet sex with a unique devotion.

The way their breasts swayed with each movement, how their muscles contracted and then released at the peak of pleasure. How Y/N's hands gently squeezed the brunette's neck, how she licked her thumb, teasing her. Needing more.

It was an incredible night for both of them, who ended up sweaty, sore and happy hugging in that bed.

So... 👀🐝 Now do you understand Wanda's anger better? And you haven't read it yet.

Hope you enjoyed, this is turning interesting and good. I'm already working on the finale and... it might make you smile, cry, or both. Some intense stuff is coming so, I just want to let you know that. Clearly many didn't survive the forest.

the cutest and lovely people tags ✨ @kaiidth-wandika @yourfavunsub @pawiie @fanboy7794 @sunsol-22 @scarlettbitchx @arcturusseer @imnotasuperhero @chtte @lesbians-in-outer-space @starry-night17 @cristin-rjd @kenlymar @chtte @marvelogic @druggedduck @aliherreraaa @widowwaddles @gingiesworld

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[shubox]

Tapu Mew-Mew Ref Sheet!

Another thing for the 'Try-Two' Mewtwo AU I'm slowly chipping away at! One (of four) offshoot clones of the original Mewtwo, with lore and concept/research under the cut! --------

So long ago my bestie and I decided that there were going to be a few clones past the original one that we started with that was made in the same lab as Mewtwo. Depending on where they were made, they'd adopt some regional traits. One of which was Alola - where this bean comes in! One of the offshoot Mewtwo project labs was secreted away in Alola, and since the progenitor was a lost cause (what with wrecking shop on the HQ and all), what resources they could divert went into these far-flung facilities. Not that it lasted long - the Island Deities of Alola were not appreciative of such things in their region, and both leveled the facility in entirety, but also kidnapped its focused Mewtwo clone. After years of being raised alongside them, and having not quite fully 'grown' at the time of his rescue, he began to take on weird traits - aided by his Tapu caretakers. This would result in plates similar to theirs, a Water Typing (complete with biologically-created water veil at will!), and pigmentation changes that'd eventually mimic the very beings raising him. As such, they eventually inducted their weird little pseudo-progeny into their roles, playing a bit of an odd 'fifth' role. He doesn't preside over Alola like they do, but he both tends to - and observes - the balance between their natural origins and cultures, while also ensuring the merciless march of technology and contact with outside regions does not cause a discarding of the olden ways. He is the youngest of the clones, but also because of how Alola has become a rich tourist destination, he's also the most well-informed - having known about his 'father's' rampage, the death of Giovanni, and some (not ALL) of his 'siblings'. His nature being what it is, he's also the closest to old-school Mew in demeanour. --RESEARCH TIME-- SO. I wanted to make sure what I was doing wasn't an absolute mess, especially given the Tapu reference a *very real* culture. So, I dug in a bit, looked up each of the four major Hawaiian gods that the Tapu refer to. (at least those that were most prominent, King Kamehameha's reign causing some muddiness in it)

Given that bit of research, plus the other thing Alola's rituals/trials reference (the balance between preserving Hawaii's traditions, while *also* adapting influences from outside regions since contact), I wanted this 'pseudo-Tapu' to be a sort-of 'avatar' for Alola's version of it. A few things: 1) The Tapu have animal themes, which are indicated by their shells and patterning. Tapu Mew-Mew's are less angular, and more loosely resemble manmade structures. 2) As he isn't a biological Tapu, despite his grown shells, he is unable to close them whatsoever. However, he did gain an odd quirk that they can generate a sort of water-shawl and skirt that he calls a 'water veil'. 3) Because he is, by creation, a literal clone (unlike his father, who was an unborn Mew mutated into a Mewtwo), he is slightly indicative of that balance - born by artificial means, raised in nature and adapting to it. The Tapu deemed him fit to both have his own personalized Trials, but also that his role was exactly what he symbolized - observing and maintaining the balance between the two sides of the post-contact cultural shift in Alola.

4) He is *absolutely* as capricious as his caretakers. The reason the Aether Foundation both remains in Alola, but does not stir up trouble is because he has made it all too clear that the reason it still exists was due to him being 'in a good mood' when he confronted Lusamine and her staff. He's also not one to make his retribution proportional. (Damn near considered capsizing it from the get-go because he 'didn't like how it looked'.) An absolute joy to make, and will be even more fun to write! Y'know. Once I get there. |D

[vikkirosko]

Hello! Can I request the Adventure time fandom Finn, Marceline and anyone else of your choice x reader who has the personality, appearance and abilities of Ulti from the anime One piece. Platonic, I would like their relationship to be hostile.

Platonic headcanons Like Ulti

🎒 Finn Mertens x Reader 🗡

If someone saw you and Finn, they might think that you could become friends, but that wasn't the case. He was a hero, someone who aspired to be kind. You were as changeable as the wind. You could act friendly, but literally in a moment you could get angry and even start screaming in anger. You didn't care who you fought, and Finn couldn't let you hurt others, so he became the one who fought you, especially when you were in what he called a bad mood

You were ruthless when it came to fighting, regardless of who your opponent was, which only made it harder for Finn to fight you. You had great physical strength, and when you were more angry than usual, you took a strange shape, which Finn initially took for a hybrid with a dragon, but because of this you got angry and yelled at him, claiming that it was not a dragon but a dinosaur. You were clearly angry that he confused you with a dragon and Finn used this to piss you off and make you lose your guard during your battles

Although you were often at odds, sometimes you could work together if you had a common goal. At such moments, you directed your anger at others, and Finn had your back. For all the battles that you had, he was able to remember exactly how you fought and what things you might not have paid attention to during the fight. Sometimes he thought it would be nice to get along with you, but then you would quarrel again and these thoughts would go away, leaving room only for irritation

Maybe someday, you and Finn will stop fighting, but that day was clearly far away. Neither you nor he could win in your fights, but you were not going to stop, continuing to find more and more reasons to fight. But despite this, in those rare times when you were allies, he knew that he could rely on you, even though he understood that pretty soon you would find yourself on opposite sides of the barricades again

🎸 Marceline x Reader 🦇

Marceline knew a lot of different people, and you were one of them. No one could call you friends, you often quarreled and usually you were the initiator of the quarrels. You were short-tempered, aggressive, arrogant, self-confident and never ran away from a fight without being afraid of opponents who were obviously stronger than you. Sometimes you didn't even need a reason to get angry. Your mood changed very quickly and even if you could talk to someone in a friendly way a minute ago, nothing stopped you from getting angry and even screaming in rage

Marceline often made you angry on purpose, knowing that she would be able to dodge most of your punches, so she wasn't afraid to fight you. It was only when you changed your shape that she realized it was time for her to get serious. You were becoming a hybrid of a human and a dinosaur, images of which she had once seen in picture books. She didn't know how you became like this, but your ability really helped you in fights, and the fact that you were physically stronger than ordinary people made the situation even more difficult

Only sometimes did you become allies. This happened when you were united by a common enemy. At such moments, you put off your quarrels and could join forces and it even seemed to the vampire queen that you weren't so bad, but then you started behaving as usual again and she remembered why you weren't friends

She knew that one day you would disappear from her life, because unlike her, you were mortal, so she did not miss the opportunity to create memories related to you. Although you weren't friends, you were also a part of her life that she wouldn't want to forget after many years.

[kmenkea]

Bloodlust - Part 3

Summary: A bunch of hectic days are ahead of the party, but even through the fight, they manage to bond. Astarion finds himself worried when his favourite travelling companion falls in battle.

A/N: I think the only thing I have to say, is that this fanfic is moving very slow, as I'm taking my time to write and expand on the relationship, rather than just rush to the cool heart-warming romance part (and the ehhh, less wholesome parts which are coming with part 4 (which is already written btw, I'm just lazy and keep playing the game instead of posting)). Well, tell me if I should speed things up, or if it's fine to keep it slow and write for a lot longer.

Read on AO3

Word count: 4.4k

This sketch is very rough, but I liked the expressions on their faces

As always, mild spoilers for act 1

The two days that followed were, to put it lightly, an absolute turn off. First, they ran into a small barn house where two lovebirds were having a moment and didn’t take the intrusion lightly. The jokes around the fire that night were way too raunchy and disgusting for either Leeith or Astarion to hide away together, without thinking of what they had seen and be weirded out. It was fun though. For the first night, they actually all drank and got together around the fire like friends. Before, everyone would just quietly sit alone, maybe one or two people would have a conversation together, but most were stiff and distant from each other.

The next day, they went back to that path, dead hyenas littered the cobblestone street. One of them was panting and howling, clearly in pain. Leeith moved closer, hoping to help it, or at least end the pain, but the animal exploded in her face: a gnoll was birthed right in front of her. And the underdark was the horrifying place? No one had ever told her about gnoll reproduction, because even down there few things were worse.

Even if a bit beaten up, they managed to kill the two metres tall babies that were born in front of them. They made camp on a nearby hill, recounting all the grossest and most gruesome details of every creature they knew. Once night fell, Leeith remained alone in front of the fire, observing it fly and twirl. A bottle of wine was by her side, but she only took small sips. She didn't know what it was, but her mood had turned more sour than the contents of that bottle. Going back in her mind through these days, she realised the great weight she was carrying over her shoulders, how insignificant she truly was. Part of her wanted to just let go, be turned into an octopus and lose herself forever. She wasn't scared of death and ceremorphosis didn't sound far from it. But just… she couldn't just let go of life now. The people she was travelling with would have been fine without her, they were capable enough and she didn't care what they did of their lives if it didn't influence her own; her goddess, that was the only reason she had to life, she couldn't squander it after she had given it back to her. 

A cold hand touched her shoulder, making her jump. She never noticed just how silent the vampire's steps were. He sat down, throwing his arm around the drow. She didn't welcome him, but she was glad to have been pulled away from her thoughts.

"Shall we depart, my sweet? I want to enjoy this night." He kissed her jaw and gently bit her skin. She didn't respond, just shrugging her shoulders. The offer was tempting, but… the melancholy had taken a strong grip on her heart.

"Maybe another day, if it's all the same to you." She drank a sip of wine, then offered the bottle to her courter. "I'm drier than this wine right now." She chuckled. Astarion scoffed and tried the wine. He made a disgusted face while reading the tag. 

"Are you the one changing your mind? Mhph, here I thought I would get to taste you tonight." There was something in his voice, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Some kind of anxiousness. She had just rejected him or maybe he was just annoyed by going hungry another day. 

"You can still drink me if you want." She offered her wrist. "Sorry for not giving you blood yesterday, I was too tired." She grabbed the bottle back from his hands, taking one long swig. 

"A tempting offer, darling, but I'm afraid that vinegar spoiled your blood." His arm fell from her shoulders. Leeith felt bad for him: under the arrogant and indifferent masque, there was a whole lot of annoyance. And she couldn’t have him annoyed and resentful towards her.

"Mhh, come on darling, let me make it up with you. I'll get something better to drink so we can get shitfaced and my blood will taste sweet again, then you have your fill of me." She bit her lip, placing a hand on his chest and leaning towards him a bit. Even if it wasn't what he wanted, the offer of blood was just too tempting to pass: she could see it in the way his eyes glanced at her wrist and his fingers wanted to wrap themselves around it. He was still a slave to his sanguine hunger.

Astarion agreed at the end. As the night progressed, the drow got drunker and drunker, her smile growing wider and wider, while the liquor did its magic. Even the vampire senses were getting duller, his quips and remarks less on point, though he was drinking a lot less. Somehow, they were enjoying each other's presence and having fun as friends would. They didn't finish the bottle before the drow, gulping her last sip, put it aside. 

"I- think I'll- stooop." She mumbled, laying down on her bedroll and looked at Astarion with a smile. "Come get your priiiize!" She hummed happily, exposing her neck. 

The vampire didn't need to be asked twice. Gently, he cradled her head, keeping it on one side. Leeith shivered, feeling his body, made warm by the fire, come down on her. Somewhat she regretted rejecting his advances, but even in that state, she knew she was too drunk to go back on the decision. The bite arrived, icy as always, and she tried to let herself go, but a certain sadness returned. Hers, his, it was hard to tell.

Anxiety mixed with drunkenness and a sprinkle of remorse was all they offered to each other. Astarion was waiting to breach her mind, but the connection never came. Did he do something wrong? Did he upset her in any way? Were his techniques not working anymore? That couldn't be: she did still offer her blood. Part of him was glad he didn’t have to act, he didn’t have to use himself to get what he needed. But what would he do once she’d get bored of him? He knew perfectly well Leeith wasn’t the kind to do things without a prize coming her way. It was better to forget for now, just focus on her blood, burning his throat with alcohol. 

The elf left her neck, licking his lips to catch any runaway droplet. Leeith's head was spinning like a cartwheel, between the wine and the bloodloss. She didn’t even try to sit back up or clean her wound, preferring to just pull up her blanket.

“Already tired, darling? I hope you’ll be able to keep up with me tomorrow.” He got up, adjusting the collar of his shirt.

“I’ll make you- regret theshe wordsh. I’ll- suck you dry.” She slurred, twisting her body in a more comfortable position. “Good ng- nee- night, Assstarion. Ass-tarion, hehe.” Her mind left the material plane for that of memories before he could respond.

The next day, after guzzling down a weird concoction against hangovers, they continued on to a tollhouse on the bridge. There, some paladins of Tyr were looking for the same devil Leeith's group was searching. They had taken residence in that building: it was pretty large, with a main room full of barrels and crates and a desk at the centre piece, it communicated with a smaller upper floor thanks to two ladders. Another room was on the side, which served as kitchen and sleeping quarters. It also had a basement, but they chose to save the plunder for later. The drow offered her help to the paladins: it was better to stick together in case the wanted woman proved dangerous.

When they did find her, she looked pretty badly put, hiding away at the edge of a river and… on fire? How was she not dead or screaming her lungs out? What kind of devil was she? Leeith, Shadowheart and Lae’zel moved closer, while the rogue remained behind, crossbow already in hand. The devil saw them arrive and… smiled. Her hand never got close to her axe nor her words showed hostility. The drow heard her story and at the end, decided to invite Karlach in. 

According to the tiefling’s words, they were going to need all their firepower to beat these imposter paladins. 

“Alright we’ll do it this way: Karlach you’ll come with us. Shadowheart and Lae’zel, you go back to camp and tell the wizard to come here. I want to test if his magic is powerful enough - and I hope it is because these guys don’t seem to joke around. Don’t mention anything about this to Wyll. You will keep an eye on him and stop him if he tries to come here, understood?” 

"Aye aye, captain." Scoffed Shadowheart. 

In silence, the two went away. The tension between them was palpable as always, but they seemed to understand how to keep their animosity in check for the greater good. 

The trio waited for the arrival of the wizard, chatting with their new companion, asking her about wars and the hells, which she was pretty happy to recount. Her jovial attitude did put a smile on Leeith's face, along with her need for violence. She did care a bit too much about the wellness of others, so the drow wasn't sure how well she'd mix with her way of things. 

Her line of thought was broken by a voice. "Hello there." It said. 

"Good, you arrived." She said upon seeing the wizard. "Gale this is Karlach, Karlach he's Gale, our mage, finally out on adventure." She added ironically at last. Gale was a bit confused upon seeing the tiefling, but still smiled.

"A pleasure to meet you." He greeted her warmly, extending a hand. 

"Might be better I don't touch that, soldier." She beat her chest and more flames came out of her skin.

"Ah. I know something about dangerous things inside your chest." He laughed. Leeith rolled her eyes: the guy was really a money sink and dared get angry at her when she probed his mind for more information, as if she was just going to have a random guy eat her stuff and, worse of all, insult her and her patron's magical abilities. 

"Far from me to interrupt you, but can we stop with pleasantries and go do our job? We're not exactly hidden away." The drow stood up, waiting for her companions to follow her. Gale sighed and mumbled something about patience. Her head was throbbing too much to pick up a fight with him now.

"I do so want to sink my teeth into a paladin. I wonder what holy blood tastes like." Commented the vampire in a dreamy voice, walking away.

“They’re not paladins, they’re imposters.” Corrected Karlach, fidgeting with her greataxe. 

“Ahh, but can’t you just let a man dream-” The elf was interrupted by a swing getting way too close to his nose “Sweet hells! Can you put that damned thing down! I’m right here!” He screamed, jumping a few steps back like a startled cat. Karlach looked mortified, but still jolly, as she hid the weapon behind her back. 

After a few chuckles and jokes at the expense of the vampire, they returned to the tollhouse. Leeith ordered everyone to stop talking and put up their most serious faces. She was going to at least try and talk their way out of this situation, hopefully the paladins weren't the liars the tiefling said they were. And if things turned sour… she motioned to Astarion to go towards the back of the building, strike from the shadows if combat started. 

The rest went past the slaughter corpses of gnolls left on the bridge and towards the main door, which was open. But something was off.

The closer she got, the more a sense of impending doom spread in her mind. The tadpole squirmed inside her brain: it felt like an arrow had gone through her eye. She scratched it, praying to Lolth this wasn't the start of her transformation. Not now, after so long. 

But the pain wasn't physical, it was more like a heavy curtain falling on her shoulders, smothering her. She proceeded forward, showing no signs of her discomfort to her companions.

A flash struck her mind: she saw Karlach dead on the ground, Gale limping away and herself laying face down on the floor, in a pool of her own blood. What was that? 

She glanced over to the people behind her, but they seemed relaxed. The vision, it felt… like a déjà vu. Was that premonition or just anxiety? She couldn't stop now, they were basically in front of the door, just one more step and she would have locked eyes with the man.

Another flash made her whimper in pain: no, the man wasn't a paladin. He was going to use that sword against them in an effort to kill Karlach. 

"What's the meaning of this? Why is the devil with you?" Shouted the man from behind his desk, hurrying to stand up. What should she do?

Karlach walked past her, starting to say something to explain herself. The drow's head throbbed again. Maybe it was just the alcohol, still inebriating her mind. But…

"Dolor!" She shouted, as the warlock aimed for that traitor's head. Tingling rose on her shoulder, flowing down her arm like a growing wave of spiders; realising the blast made her arm recoil backwards, but the man was still hit on the chest by a bolt of force, making him gasp for air.

"You fucking worms. Zariel will have your head!" The man unsheathed his greatsword and jumped over the desk. Karlach was already drawing her weapon and, in a burst of flames, she lowered it on the paladin's shoulder, leaving a dent in his armour. 

"I thought we were going to speak with them!" Cried Gale, as a spell was forming around his hands. He glanced around, still confused. Another enemy was in the room, an halfling who seemed about ready to shoot Karlach. A ray of lighting left his fingertips, shocking the archer. A painful scream arose from the other room

Leeiths head cleared up, the foreboding sensation finally gone. She scanned the area, her lips ready to cast another spell: Gale could take the halfling archer alone, the real problem was the paladin. She pointed her index at the man and a curse mark appeared over his cheek, then she blasted him again. He glared at her, but couldn’t move past the mountain of infernal muscle that was the tiefling. He attacked her, a sweep so swift that it could have cut a person in half, if the barbarian hadn’t stepped aside; a large gaping wound still tore her abdomen, spitting fire and blood, but she just seemed reinvigorated by the pain. An arrow went just past Gale, who retaliated with another lighting shock. 

Both the tiefling and drow continued their assault on the fake paladin, but his battle senses were in full operation and the attacks didn’t hurt him as much as they should have. He swung at Karlach again - his strikes empowered by an enchantment - this time wounding her arm pretty badly, almost making her lose her weapon. The halfling used a spell against the wizard and this time the arrow struck true, forcing the mage to drop his spell and glance at the pool of blood quickly soaking his robe. Even if in pain and on his last legs, he called upon more of his magic, and the halfling too was left within an inch of her life, but not quite dead. 

Something felt off again to Leeith, watching Karlach fight in the first lines alone. She still tried to hit the paladin, but her mind was too preoccupied with thinking and missed her target. The tiefling hit him with all her might, sending him against his desk coughing blood. Maybe it was going to be fine.

Another scream ruptured her eardrums, this time coming from Gale, who fell down on the ground, unconscious. The halfling focused on Leeith, smirking and marking her for dead next. Before she could react, pain exploded on her hip, as she found an arrow sticking out of her abdomen. WIth anger bubbling inside her, she limped away from the desk to get a clearer shot. She launched her finger forward, calling on her patron’s shared energy. A second later, the lifeless body of the halfling hit the wall, as blood poured out from her mouth and eyes, the blast having crushed her internal organs to a pulp. The paladin shoved Karlach aside and ran to the drow, greatsword raised high past his head. With a burst of adrenaline and panic, she managed to get away, but slipped on someone’s blood, falling to the ground. Karlach was right behind the paladin, using the handle of her greataxe to choke him and pull him away from the helpless drow. He pushed her against the desk, but she wouldn’t let go of her grasp. 

Leeith crawled away from the two wrestling mountains, her hand shuffling through her pockets for a potion. A flash of magic caught her eyes: from the door to one side a wounded and bloodied woman appeared. The magic missiles she casted kicked out whatever vitality she had left, and her vision darkened. In the last moments of consciousness, she looked around for Shadowheart, but she was nowhere to be seen. A male voice screamed.

“No, you can’t die. Get up, damn you.” Astarion arrived in the other room, just as Leeith fell. The woman he had fought against all this time turned around, ready to hit him too, but the elf parried the blow and slipped away from her, running towards the drow. 

The paladin was still alive. He knew the tactic well, what Leeith had ordered everyone to do in every fight: Lae’zel and Shadowheart would go in front, protected by their armour, while the drow and himself would stand behind, picking off enemies from a distance. If anyone fell, “Let them kiss the ground and focus on killing; they can lick their wounds after the battle is over.” But the two women were nowhere to be seen and the situation was dire. 

His intestines twisted and tugged at the sight of the drow struggling for her life. He felt like he couldn’t just let her go. No, she was too important, he needed her to protect him. He needed her blood and flavour. And something else he couldn’t quite put his fingers upon, something that reminded him of yesterday’s evening, as they drank and chatted; that reminded him of all the little pleasantries she’d do for him, having his back both in fights and in conversation, the things she would give just to him, like that potion. 

He reached in his pockets for the bottle, removing the cork with his teeth and emptying the contents in her mouth. The human woman used this as an opportunity to attack him but, quick as a cat, he rolled away from the fire bolt, just as Leeith's eyes shot open and she gasped for air.  

He reached for his crossbow and the bolt plunged itself under the enemy's chin, right where two bite marks still bled. Her hands reached up at her throat. She tried to scream but only some gurgly noises came from her mouth, then her eyes rolled up and she fell. 

Astarion pointed his weapon at the paladin, who was still in a lock with Karlach. They both looked pretty rough, but the tiefling had the upper hand. Seeing the elf ready to strike, she kicked the man away from her. The rogue shot a bolt which hit his thigh. The paladin fell to his knees: Karlach swung her axe one last time, beheading the traitor. 

The bloodbath was over. They had only an instant to rest, before rushing to the mage: he was still alive, but he needed help. The drow could only dull his pain with a healing potion, but at least he was out of death’s door.

Karlach was enraged, panting heavily and clenching every muscle in her body, as if she was fighting against herself. She cursed at Zariel, growling like a bear.

“Burn their corpses, tear this whole place down.” Coughed Leeith, dragging Gale’s body outside. The barbarian roared and, in a burst of flames, split the desk in half. She swung her axe at every object in the room, setting the wooden floor on fire wherever she stepped.

Astarion and Leeith watched from a careful distance, both sitting down. The rogue barely had any scratch marks on his pretty, delicate face. 

“I thought you weren’t going to need potions, darling.” Teased the vampire. The drow glared at him, as she checked the arrow sticking out of her abdomen: only part of the tip had managed to penetrate her skin but it still hurt like hell.

“Shut up, blood sucker- Nngh- Fuck!” She bit down on her glove and pulled out the arrow. Her scream was muffled, but tears formed in her eyes. After taking a few breaths, she untied the lower part of her gambeson, to check on the new soon-to-be scar she had acquired. Her shirt was all red and it hurt to lift up from the wound since it was stuck in it. Blood was pouring pretty copiously, but not enough to worry, and the wound looked clean, with the edges already starting to heal thanks to the potion. 

An elegant porcelain finger caressed her hip, turning scarlet as blood pooled on the little crevices and wrinkles of the skin. As quick as it came, it disappeared, and Astarion ran his tongue over his hand, slowly and weirdly sensually. Leeith didn’t speak, but her expression still warranted an answer. 

“It’s free blood, my sweet. Why should I let it go to waste? The pain makes its flavour even richer.” The vampire lips were very red with leftover blood; he licked them clean. 

“You’re a gluttonous one. I fed you yesterday!” The drow uncorked another small vial and put it at Gale’s lips, slowly pouring the liquid down his throat. The mage coughed as he regained consciousness. 

“Very much so, dear. I even fed on that woman who so gently killed you, but human blood is not even half as delectable as yours.” His voice was as soft as honey when he talked, flowing gently from his lips to her ear. He placed his hand on her sane hip, leaning closer. 

“Cloud  I- cough - not wake up to- you two flirting.” The mage’s voice was strained and low as he tried sitting up. 

"Think you should thank your lucky stars that you woke up at all." Said Leeith, gently pushing Astarion away. 

"How- fortunate." He breathed heavily, trying to steady his voice. "What happened to- speaking with the men? Surprise attacks should be a- gods- a surprise for them, not us." 

"I got a bad feeling about it. A flash of our dead corpses if you will… more dead than now." The drow stood up, looking inside the building for the tiefling. She was sitting in a corner, panting. She seemed to have calmed down. 

"Gods, another one of your flashes? Like with the bear?" Said the vampire with a mocking tone. 

"Are you going to bring out the bear thing every time I remember I have to do something?" She said, turning around towards them.

"Absolutely yes. I love to twist the knife in the wound." He grinned reassuringly. 

 "That's what makes you truly charming, blood sucker." Said the drow, earning a hum of approval from Astarion. 

"Thank you, darling. You're allowed to compliment me more." 

"Sorry to- interrupt again, but you and I both still need medical assistance. Or are you going to stay- here to…" He waved his hands up in the air and a few sparkles and coloured smog came out. "Do your magic?" 

"Huff, I suppose it's true. Though I would have been fine if someone didn’t kiss the ground first and break formation." The drow turned to the building again, and called out Karlach. 

Once all together again, they decided to rest for a bit more, since Gale couldn’t walk nor anyone carry him. More resentment started to build up in Leeith, watching the wizard very slowly regain his ability to move, after popping another potion. If Shadowheart had been there, they would have already been patched up and ready to go, rather than lose precious time looking at the corpses rot. 

The drow couldn't bear staying idle for more than fifteen minutes. She explored the premises alone, while the other three had fun and laughed, but didn’t find more than old food and some lockpicks. Her companions probably noticed how her brow furrowed and jaw clenched, while she looted the paladin’s corpse. It’s not that she wanted them to stop having fun while she ransacked the place, but she did feel a little better for receiving help. After entrusting the enchanted greatsword to Karlach, they went to the basement to loot some more. They unfortunately didn't find anything more than traps and some silver cutlery. She had a hunch there must have been some kind of sliding wall or invisible keyhole, but had no idea how to access it. Shadowheart had way keener eyes than the wizard: if she had been there, they would have been able to find the secret room. 

The return to camp was just as frustrating: Wyll jumped right to Karlach's throat and had to be peeled off by Lae'zel. Leeith was at the last rope, but fortunately the barbarian was pretty understanding of the situation and managed to come to an agreement with her pursuer. 

Only then was she able to be seen by the cleric, who very easily closed her wound. The drow blew off some steam, complaining to Shadowheart how bad Gale was and how much more she preferred her around. She cautiously accepted the compliments, then went to tend to the wizard. 

Leeith left camp to find a river, bringing along just some soap and a large linen cloth. A few minutes later she laid in the frigid water of a lake, all sounds muffled by the water in her ears. Her heart beat slowed down and her body went numb from the cold. The sun had started its descending parabole, the sky wasn't pink yet; there was still much time before evening, but she just needed to relax for today. 

And relax she will for once. Something caught her eye, a flash of white and red. With everything going so badly today, she had almost forgotten about Astarion's promise.

[kissentz]

I did try to message in the chat thing but yours is set to accepting messages from Tumblrs you follow (side blogs don't count TuT they should though) and sorry for the wait, work was exhausting

head canons below, sorry if the formatting is difficult to read

-McLeach was born in America somewhere in the South. His family moved to Australia shortly before WW2.

-The McLeach family lived very rural. They had a barn where they stored firewood and their chickens for eggs and Percival played in that barn a lot, and used to hide up there when his father came home in a bad mood.

-McLeach has a little brother, Casey. They haven't spoken to each other in over ten years. They used to be close when they were younger. Percival's older by nine years.

-His dad served in WW2. While he was abusive to begin with, he got worse after he came back due to untreated PTSD. Mr. McLeach also entrusted his close friend to help look after his wife and kids when he was gone (as Mr. Wells was able to avoid serving due to physical issues) Mr. Wells wasn't a kind man to Percival or Casey, but pretended to be when their mother was around.

-McLeach named Joanna after his mother.

-McLeach only made it to third grade and had to drop out because of the war going on, and wasn't able to continue his education. When food got harder to come by, he started hunting. It took him a while to get better at it.

-When he was a teenager, a incident happened that caused his mother to be institutionalized and his father in the hospital, which led to Mr. Wells taking both boys in. Percival learned a lot of his cruelty from Wells. He did what he could to protect Casey from his wrath.

-His leg got broken while trying to run away and it never completely healed (hence why he walks a little oddly. He can still put pressure on it, but the bones aren't properly aligned.)

-McLeach had a difficult time finding and keeping employment with his lack of education. He knew basic math, could read and write at a third grade level, but the only jobs he could find didn't pay a living wage.

-He got into poaching around his early 20s, and started off with ilegally transporting animals for someone else.

-He taught himself how to drive and never got a formal license.

-McLeach had gotten married at some point and had a kid, but his job instability and drinking led to divorce two years in and he wasn't allowed to see his son anymore. He never laid a hand on his wife, but they did fight a lot and it got too much for her. He toned down his drinking after the divorce, but still can't quite kick it. That kid would be around Cody's age by now.

-When he goes for supply runs, he goes to a town that's as far away as possible where its unlikely that anyone's seen his wanted posters.

-He's a bit of a topic among the rangers. He's far from their most wanted criminal, but he's given them a very, very hard time with getting caught. He was only detained once and only then, long enough to get a picture for the wanted poster before he managed to escape. As far as they know, he's not a danger to other people (yet)

-McLeach is genuinely nice to some (keyword, some) of the people he meets when out hunting. Partially because he doesn't want to draw unnessecary attention to himself (hilarious logic given his truck) and partially because he does miss the human company. Most people also have the good sense to not call him out on being a poacher even if they know for certain he is (given he always has his gun on him, not something anyone wants to risk)

I have more headcanons but I think this is getting a bit long lol. I plan to incorporate some headcanons into Don't Hold Your Tongue, not all of them, but the ones I feel are relevant, like him going to a faraway town for supplies

thank u for telling me about dm’s!!! Σ(ﾟДﾟ；) totally forgot that i turned it on… now it’s not a problem~

thank you for telling me about it 💞💞💞 i REALLY adore most of your headcanons!!! many of them matches with mine as well (such as about abusive father, troubles with work and etc). i like how realistic all of them!!

also, what happened between casey and percy? why are they split apart, though they were so close? just curious~

[mobumi]

Spring 2024 Anime watchlist

1. Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

I've watched all 4 episodes and it's brilliant so far! I didn't expect to like it this much. I saw the trailer a while ago and I was immediately intrigued so i waited for this to come out. I wasn't disapointed in the slightest! I'm not too keen on period drama usually, but this one is so captivating.

2. Bartender: Glass of God

A big surprise. Didn't expect much other than a slice of life about a bartender, but it has actually a very interesting plot and it's so so good! I'm on episode 4, very excited for the rest of the series!!

3. WIND BREAKER

I'm definitely biased with this one because i read the manga and i got very attached to its characters! At first i wasn't so sure, the manga didn't interest me much, but i bought the first volume to give it a try and it was better than i expected. Since it's not something i'm usually attracted to, it kinda has been my guilty pleasure ever since. The anime did it justice so far so i can't wait to see more of it adapted.

4. Oblivion Battery

I'm a huge fan of sports anime, especially when it involves baseball (i love Ace of Diamond, Ookiku Furikabutte and One Outs, to name a few) so this anime was one of my most anticipated! Well, after watching all 3 episodes, i think not everyone will be into the humor and i saw some people saying they disliked Kei, but i just love it? It's hilarious and really entertaining, there's so much potential with this show, i can't wait to see more!

5. Kaiju No. 8

Well, it's a big budget "mainstream" anime, of course it will get my attention like everyone else, but it's mostly beacuse i read the first volume of the manga that i was interested to see the anime. It's fun, the classic shonen formula, no suprises here, but i enjoyed it i guess...

6. Tadaima, Okaeri

Cute anime, though i'm not a big fan of omegaverse, it's nice to watch. I needed at least one slice of life in my list and this one was the perfect addition! I like it, it's different and sweet. Nothing extraordinary, but definitely worth a watch.

7. Viral Hit

I'm watching it, but i don't know what to think about it... It's not bad, but it's a little bit weird and ridiculous. It's kinda similar to Weak Hero Class 1 and has many themes used before in the manhwa genre, though i think it delivered what it was meant to do. I'll give it a couple more episodes to be fully engaged.

8. Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc

It's not out yet, but I watched the first episode at the movie theater (it was a special release in France) like two months ago i think? It wasn't enough and nothing really happened in this episode so i'm waiting to see more once it comes out!

9. Go! Go! Loser Ranger!

I've only seen one episode. It's a new concept for me, it got my attention, but the first episode bored me a little. Maybe i wasn't really in the mood. I'll watch a second episode to form a better opinion! The concept is interesting!

Anime still airing that I'm watching:

Dungeon Meshi

I'm in love with this anime to be honest! I wasn't really sure at first because i'm not into fantasy anime, but i was truly impressed by the storytelling and the characters' journey. Definitely a must watch!

Ninja Kamui

I enjoy watching this anime, but i have to admit that they lost me with the mecha stuff. I'm still going to watch it though, and i'll totally finish it when i can. It's over next week so i'm going to watch all the remaining episodes that i still haven't watched yet.

Anime that I still have yet to start:

Black Butler: Public School Arc

The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio

GIRLS BAND CRY

Whisper Me a Love Song

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Mr. Peabody and Sherman

So let me start off by saying I have no prior knowledge of this... property? I honestly don't even know what Mr. Peabody and Sherman originally was, a show? A comic? I don't care enough to research it, because this movie was lame.

Yeah so I don't know if its because of my inpaitence for the movie I get to watch after this or because I was already in a bad mood from watching Turbo but Mr. Peabody and Sherman... just didn't do it for me, ya'll. And I think the fact that this is perhaps so very blatantly made for very small kids is a large part of the reason why.

We focus on Mr. Peabody, a genuis dog and his adopted son, Sherman, as they travel through time using the WABAC time machine and get up to shenanigans. Throw in Sherman's classmate, bully turned love interest Penny, and we get hijinks all around various times and locales such as ancient Egypt, renissance Italy, and more.

It's a pretty simple setup, and I'm not faulting it for that. What I am faulting this movie for is that it's just... god, it drags on. It doesn't help that the characters are... kind of fucking insufferable along the way. Mr. Peabody is... ok, kind of an annoying genuis know-it-all type but he sort of grew on me as the film went on. Sherman is an annoying kid, so I'm already not a fan of that. And Penny might just be the worst of the bunch, god I hated this annoying little bitch. Rare is it that I watch a movie and hope for a child character in it to rest in fucking pieces, but I was rooting for that to happen to Penny cause she is the worst.

The time travel hijinks are... fun, I guess? I mean, they travel to very well known points in history and make some cute references to real world events, but even then, they're just that. Cute. Because this is a movie for babies. It skews very young with its humor, its writing, its message, and yes, even its art style and animation. Because of that, I, a tired, bitter woman in her mid/late 20s, had almost nothing to connect with here. Try as the movie might to have its emotional moments and themes about family and love, I just... felt nothing.

As for the animation, at least this is a very nice movie to look at. The character designs are pretty fun and unique for Dreamworks, and it's boosted by a vibrant color palette that grabs the eye all the way through. The score also had some pretty fun jazzy moments in it, but even so, it was nothing really that special.

Really, that's what I can say about this movie as a whole. It's... nothing special. It didn't grab me, didn't captivate me in any meaningful way. I mean, it didn't offend me and it wasn't "bad" per say, it it was far from being anything resembling good. It's just... really, really damn mid.

Overall Rating: 4/10

Verdict: Eat a TastyKake with Marie Antionette

Previous Review (Turbo)

Next Review (How To Train Your Dragon 2)

[virginmiri99]

The second act! (+ doxxing story)

After the title screen breaks away there is a pixelated set of purple animated eyes (really cool pixel animation I will say), this is basically the character embodiment of the fucked up parts of the internet and the hate Tommy dealt with. It is voiced by Schlatt. My memory gets fuzzy around these part in where the order happens, but I'll get to where he starts explicitly talking about doxxers. At this point he's completely dropped character, this is just him. He starts off saying how Dream called him one night and explained that the group of people who were targeting him and his friends were now targeting Tommy, giving him advice on how to be careful. This leads to the moment he goes to the door and his entire street is filled with cars with deliveries, and saying he owed them thousands (this went on and off for a while). How one time he came downstairs to find police and his parents talking, his mother crying and a letter being signed in his name saying his parents were abusing him and tried to kill him - he expressed alot of guilt for his parents during this. How they were hearing glass shatter one night and found his mum's car wrecked (they didn't know if it was a hired attack or direct). And how they started recieving so many letters and that they were told by police not to open them inside due to the threat of them being laced or containing dangerous things. All the while bags are being thrown on stage from the mention of the deliveries. I believe he did make mention of being followed but I got distracted because one dickhead was shouting during this part. Tommy expressing how scared and low he was emotionally, and how even the thought of going outside made him want to throw up. All the while this is a very raw and emotional telling of the events. The tonal shift and character drop was sharp and alot more intense than what I anticipated going in.

At a certain point act one ends, and a 20 minute break later act two begins with a black sheet being brought onto stage. Some of the bags being cleaned up onto the sheet by some behind the scene people, before switching to Jack (Iain) and Freddie as (Binda) cleaning them up and talking about it, with Binda being naive, opening the letters and talking about how horrible they are. Jack says how Tommy is depressed, and they've not seen him in hours, reiterating again how shit and dangerous the situation is, and the line 'no kid should have to go through this' is repeated. It was very easy to tell it was heavily written by Tommy's dad. After realising they've not seen him in hours they go in different directions of stage looking rather desperately for him. There's a mild allusion in this part to Tommy having been a danger to himself, it is not as explicit as the external dangers they talk about.

From the black sheet previously placed now it's the bag on, Tommy's hand raises (he's been there since the break) and he gets up, to check his fake prop phone, with the joke of trying to film tiktoks and he can't. (It's a writing attempt to make sure the mood doesn't dip too low before it gets even lower). Binda comes back, elated to see Tommy but he is far too distraught, getting angry at Binda and having one of the most realistic breakdowns I've seen in stage acting, to the point he kneeled, curled into himself and pretty much half sobbed. His voice during this read like he was reliving it more than portraying it, but given how many shows it was I'm guessing there wasn't unhealthy acting practices or mindset. After more talking and genuinely kind of heart wrenching acting, Binda brings up the idea of quitting, Tommy debates with this, before leading onto to how he lost the ability to care about his safety, and aka the irl manhunt stream, where he acknowledges how poor an idea it was, and how his parents were watching it kinda horrified. After that Tommy's dad took alot more of the reign with behind the scenes stuff helping him. Tommy talks with Jack, begging and asking things to go back to normal (he repeats that part alot), Jack says confirms again he'd have to quit. This leads to Tommy's decision not to out of love for what he does, and the start of him vlogging (Jack also plays Big Russ painfully well).

My memory around this part gets messy cause there was one kid shouting and and I struggled to focus (he did get told off by staff, but this is definitely a recurring issue between shows). Jack does explicitly say, in paraphrasing, that Tommy made the show for closure. That's the meta reason and the driving force for it. Anons and everyone saying it were unbelievably right.

Schlatt, aka. the representation the worst of the internet, referred as Bob much to his dismay keeps popping up and confirming he'll be everywhere and Tommy can't escape him - the story goes on an incline again, talking positively about being about the Spiderverse premiere and laughing at his outfit, moving to Brighton (Binda gets thrown in attic, not the last we see in the show but apparently where he is currently in real life), and a fair few more things (the show doesn't go too far into the current year or most of 2022). All is going well.

Schlatt comes on again, and there is a song duet where Tommy sings around the the topic of taking the reigns and essentially being happy, with Schlatt joining in to try and counter it. Tommy ends the song holding a note for so damn long, it was also one of the bigger cheers in the show.

Schlatt then continues to trying to upset Tommy, only to go from on screen, to be portrayed by Comedy Joe in one of the purple fabric looking suits with Schlatt voicing over. There's talking and Binda, ever so innocent, breaks away from that characterisation and openly swears, calling Schlatt's character something along the lines of twat I think. This devolves to a fight scene with a surprisingly good starting choreography and sound design where you have Tommy being lifted into the air by his neck and Jack jumping on Joe's back. The sound tech team adding a variety of weapon noises and Binda having to be forcibly restrained for being incredibly violent. Comedy Joe's body ends up getting dragged off stage, and from that we get a lovely conclusion to to the show and a small aftermath of the attic, proclaiming Binda will return. (You can tell I'm getting tired writing this part my bad, it was a cathartic ending)

My brain is doing my best to remember all of it and it is failing simply for the sake of how much was in that 2 hours. And while I don't want to seem biased I will say if there's any part of what I've said that doesn't make sense or doesn't seem entertaining I assure you it's on me and how I'm describing it - in person it is a very enjoyable experience, and I do really hope it gets its American counter part (though I dread how some of the humour may transfer over)

The entire thing was pretty much a Trojan horse for Tommy getting closure and being able to talk about some traumatic shit, with the Trojan horse itself being a well written comedy show. My only criticism is there was one or two of the cruder jokes that the show would've probably been better off without, and maybe less time for the attic scene at the end to show up (because people got out of their seats and kinda stood awkwardly once they realised)

Good show, if you or any anons get the chance to see it if it gets its American counter part I'd vouch for it 👍

Hey so I started crying really hard overt this. Idk if I can even form a response rn I just feel for this kid but I'm so glad that he got a cathartic ending out of this

[babyitsbeautiful]

Life Update for 2023. (It's a long one.)

For those that follow me on other social media platforms, you already know what's been happening and I appreciate the love and support.

For those that don't, I feel like this is long overdue. Especially to my 'crash through the surface' readers. I promise I will give you the ending you deserve.

To start, this has been a hell of a year. So many unexpected things have happened in such a short time frame that it's hard to convey just how crazy it's truly been.

I gained a new sister with whom my father had out of an affair before he died 23 years ago, although she is wonderful in every way, so I guess I can thank him for at least giving me another beautiful sister.

We met at the beginning of the year and have stayed close ever since. It's like we've known each other forever. The first half of the year was very exciting for me. I had a new sister, got to do so many fun things and work the Vampire Diaries/Originals convention for Creation Entertainment. Truly an amazing few months. I was so excited to find out how the rest of the year would go. I was even in the mood to start writing again.

But then the unimaginable happened. My 8 year old blue heeler, Lucy, had what we thought was a benign fatty lipoma (she had all the signs) removed at the beginning of July that turned out to be a high grade mast cell tumor that was basically untreatable and irreversibly fatal.

Ironically, we got the news two weeks after her surgery, on the 23 anniversary of my dad's death... from cancer. I was completely devasted. I could tell immediately that her vet did not want to give me that news. I asked every question I could think of and was told there was nothing I could have done to prevent it, nor would Chemo even work at that point, it was already too far progressed. He told me to ignore the estimated remaining life span noted in her test results (less than 4 months) and to just love and spoil her everyday. I told him I already do that, but I did go the extra mile for her anyway.

We had a good rest of the summer, all the way through September she showed no signs, other than the metastatic growth of the cancer cells in the same area on her belly, forming twice as worse than before. But she didn't mind, and just continued to live her best life.

I told her that she would get to see her Uncle soon, my younger brother, when he came to town for our new sister's wedding at the end of September (he walked her down the aisle, hella cute btw.) She loves loves loves her uncle, and was beyond excited to see him.

And I swear to you she stayed as strong as she could just to be able to see him one last time because on the day he left, her tumors ruptured and her health started to rapidly decline. I did all that I could for the month of October to keep her here with me. We bandaged her up so the bleeding would stop, she got medication from the vet, but there was only so much that could be done. She stayed so strong though, I could tell she was a fighter, still with a smile on her face.

But in that last week, when the medication no longer worked and she lost that smile and had that look on her face, a look of intense pain and just all around defeat, I knew she needed me to carry her strength.

She silently told me that she was ready and I made the call that changed my life forever. So on October 25th, we said our goodbyes and she fell asleep in my arms before waking up on the other side of the rainbow bridge where there was no more pain or fear.

She was my entire world and I, hers.

It's been a month now, and it still hurts every day, but every day is a little better than the last. The second half of the year has really changed me in so many ways. My life is so different now, because my entire life revolved around taking care of her. And I wouldn't have changed it for anything. Lucy was never a people person kind of dog, she did not like strangers or other animals. So if I wasn't working, I was at home with her. The times I had a social life or travelled were rare and far between.

But she's gone now and my life belongs to just me again. It's a strange feeling really, not having that kind of dependency anymore, but I revel in it at times.

I've travelled more in the last month than I have in years as keeping myself busy and away from an empty apartment helps. I will be going to New York for the first time this New Year's Eve, which is amazing and so exciting.

I confess that at first I felt the guilt of being able to do fun things at her expense of being gone. But her being gone was not anyone's choice, it was just something that neither of us could control and I had to end her pain when it was still beginning rather than have her suffer more than she already was. I know that. I would just rather have her with me for a few more years than be able to do fun things. She was my fun thing. ♥

With all that being said, I am at a very different stage in my life now that involves me getting back into the things that make me happy, which is writing.

I never intended to go this long without updating this story, but then life, like the one I've lived this year, happens and certain things just take precedent over other things.

I will be getting back into 'crash through the surface' very soon. I've thought about it more in the last few weeks than in a long time. So to my readers both (potentially) new and old, thank you thank thank you for the love on what we have so far. The story is far from over.

Also a huge thank you to everyone who has me on Facebook and Instagram and keeps up with my craziness, I truly adore all of you.

And if you don't but want to: @hollyelizabeth3

[canmom]

Man, it is refreshing to find someone else who wasn't impressed by Frieren's demon arc. It is not like I disliked it, I do like this kind of shonen action bullshit, it is fun. But to me it seems like a step down to the earlier episodes, the show downplaying its own strong points to do common action. It is surprising to me so many people seemed to love it as much as they did, it is the lowest point of the show so far for me.

Mmm. 'Didn't dislike it, but a step down' is a good summary - it deemphasised what made the show stand out narratively, to try to be something else. If I was in the mood to watch Kimetsu no Yaiba or Jujutsu Kaisen I would! Fortunately, we seem to be getting back on track with ep 11 - I'll be writing that up once I've watched another 4-6 more episodes. I'm getting pretty near the end of the first cour, so I might watch up to there.

Bit of a weird cour length at 16 episodes, but honestly that's good - I'd love to see 'seasonal' anime be more able to break free from the pacing constraints of 'it must always be 12-13 episodes'. Sometimes that's not the best way to slice up a manga!

One thing I do appreciate about the simultaneous success of Frieren and Dungeon Meshi is that they're both fantasy anime which don't do the isekai thing and put some effort into establishing a setting which feels like people live there. They're both very overtly RPG-influenced, but neither is actual litRPG, which is very much to their benefit. Ryōko Kui's passion for lovingly constructing her fantasy setting goes without saying. I'm told the Frieren manga sketches its setting rather loosely, but the anime is doing a whole lot to flesh it out as a place people live, because they let Seiko Yoshioka go absolutely nuts.

I was chatting with kvin on the sakugablog server (senpai...!) and he mentioned one particular instance - there's a scene Eisen is tending to the graves of his family. In the manga it looks like this:

Nondescript piles of dirt with a rock on top that are just next to his house. (Also, oof, this colouring. I thought this was a fan colouring at first but no that's official.) When we cut forward 50 years, we see Eisen leaving flowers: they're in big wrapped bouquets like you'd buy at a supermarket. The little Minecraft hut hasn't changed at all.

In the anime, it looks like this:

Not only do we have the recurring use of fields of flowers as a symbol of remembrance, there's clearly been some thought put into the design of the grave markers - even if we're not told what the spherical stone might mean, it obviously means something, and you have the stone as a symbol of permanence. There's those little ritual plates for offerings. And, significantly, it's clear that Eisen has added to these graves over the intervening 50 year period: the graves in the later time are larger, with more stones. The area around the grave site has more flowers and another tree that's grown. It's clear he's been carefully tending to this site his whole life. It's that kind of attention to detail that really makes this anime shine.

It's clear this anime was a real labour of love, and I don't want to deny that there is a lot to praise in the demon arc. I didn't mention it in my post, but the scene where Frieren commands Aura to kill herself (after Aura's mind control attempt backfires) is impressively brutal - apparently episode director Nobuhide Kariya acted that scene out with an umbrella, complete with expressions. (The expressiveness of the acting does a lot to foreshadow the demons having more complex characterisation, too. I hope.) It's just quite a weak storyline off the bat, so the execution can only do so much to elevate it.

Honestly, skimming the manga a bit, I'm all the more impressed by this adaptation. Admittedly, some of it is down to a weak scanlation that doesn't read very well, but it really doesn't have the same impact at all on paper. It's not just the fight episode - throughout, the anime staff clearly gave themselves freedom to interpolate and expand in ways that end up making the manga feel like a rough draft.

...actually come to think of it, they did a similar thing with Bocchi. The manga is a 4koma (by all accounts a good one), and they fleshed it out into a more substantial story with a strong emotional arc and also all the wacky experimental animation gags you could hope for. So I guess that's kind of just how Keiichiro Saito rolls! But it's really impressive how adeptly this team is able to handle such a completely different register. Bocchi and Frieren could hardly look more different on the surface.

Anyway, I'll save any more comments for the next part of this impromptu liveblog.

[danwhobrowses]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 - Quickfire Review

Finally. It's been longer than intended for me to watch this movie, I should've been writing this last week but I had the completely baffling scenario where the cinema people came in and say they 'didn't have the feature'. But finally I went and watched it so here are my quick thoughts on the matter.

Spoilers for the Movie

So I unsurprisingly enjoyed this a lot, I wouldn't say it's the best Guardians film, I think the first still sneaks the top spot, but they are all hits and it's the best MCU film since No Way Home.

I was quite surprised with a lot of things, but Rocket being on death's door for two thirds of the film was the most unexpected, paired with no character dying. I'm not too mad about the latter mind you, it was just surprising.

I read a non-spoiler review though that said that Adam Warlock wasn't in it enough, and while I can see why people may think that, I thought the limited time he had worked in his favour. The infant-like mentality - set up by the Sovereign saying he was awakened early - did add to the comedy and he was never gonna be comic accurate given that Vision stole his whole Infinity Stone shtick. While him joining the new Guardians made sense, I will say that Phyla-Vell felt a little thrown in there though but it was just a mid-credits scene so it won't mean that much.

The High Evolutionary is great though, like pure maniacal god complex, which helps to stand out against other MCU villains who often get painted with a layer of sympathy or manipulation. Chukwudi Iwuji depicted the role brilliantly and if Marvel do get put in a corner with Kang they can easily slot him into the role. For new side characters I also felt that all of Rocket's old buddies did well, Linda Cardellini especially as Lylla.

The plot itself was very emotive, centering mainly around Peter and Rocket being haunted by their past (the former having to also confront Gamora during it all), and Nebula's struggle to express herself. While this did leave Drax, Mantis and Groot to mainly hover around the side, and Cosmo and Kraglin to hover wayyyy far back over the side. Rocket's backstory though is brutal, and Peter's development towards acceptance and seeking out his family on earth was a solid payoff. I do especially like that neither of the daughters of Thanos ended up with Peter at the end, Gamora found her home in the Ravagers yes but she took home some lessons from the Guardians, and Nebula and Peter would've felt a little forced.

While the Guardians splitting at the end makes sense, and Drax getting some respect as a parental figure was nice, I do feel like Mantis going alone was perhaps the most bitter of the group going their separate ways, I enjoyed her character but she wasn't given a lot of substance, and I feel she was a little depowered here compared to when she sedated Ego and Thanos in previous movies. I hope at the least given how Star Lord will at least return that the Guardians will reunite once more, even if it's for another Holiday Special.

Also can't talk about Guardians without the music, and it's quite good, I suppose it's the quality you expect from the film after so many movies. Starting with Creep was a unique call, but I did enjoy them using Dog Days Are Over for the final scenes of the movie. Since You've Been Gone by Rainbow always puts me in a good mood though, mainly because of the Pot Noodle commercial that used the song.

I could probably dig into it more, but this is meant to be 'quickfire' and this is the eighth paragraph so in conclusion, really good movie, it has emotional weight and comedy, its focus on animal cruelty does make you pensive, the new characters were fun, and the conclusion will leave you content but also hopeful, despite Gunn setting sights on rebooting the DC universe, to see the group again.

[the-muppet-joker]

Green

Kermit x Joker

Kermit hadn't meant to fall in love.

It had started with the color green, as it always seemed to with him. Fozzy had been watching the show from backstage and pulled Kermit aside with an annoyed look on his face.

"Just so you know, there's a guy in the front row with this real annoying laugh-- Can't miss him, either, he's got bright green hair and some SUPER weird makeup. Break a leg, buddy," he had whispered harshly, "And do your best to ignore the freak."

Great, thought the frog, as if my day couldn't get any worse. He was annoyed at Fozzie, too, for being the bearer of bad news for the second time today, even though it wasn't really his fault that there was so much bad news to bear in the first place.

The first bad news was that their next act had canceled. Which was fine, it was fucking great. No big deal, Kermit would just go out and improvise, like he always had too. It's not like anyone else would step up and save the goddamn show. It was always him.

And now there was some green-haired clown annoying the rest of the audience. Kermit really wasn't in the mood to he heckled.

He stepped out onstage and tried to clear his throat. Tried, rather than did, because at that exact moment his painted, ping pong ball eyes locked onto two acidic, electric green orbs in the front row.

Green hair. Green eyes. Wild makeup, insane smile, and bright, colorful clothing that all but screamed "danger" to the frog. In the animal kingdom, bright colors meant trouble. They meant poison. But to the frog with the frog in his throat and poisonous monarch butterflies shuddering in his felt-lined stomach, those eyes meant something different entirely. Something Kermit didn't quite have time to name as time started up again and he had to address his expectant audience.

"Uh... uh, ladies and gentlemen," he stammered, "I don't know how to tell you this, but uh, frankly, the next act can't make it." He gulped. "Anyhow, I don't have anything to replace it--"

Kermit was cut off by the curtains opening behind him, revealing a blank set. A spotlight found him and thr lights dimmed.

"Oh, boy." He mentally cursed the stage crew for setting him up like this. At this point, it would be more awkward to announce an intermission like he'd planned than just perform something.

"You may have noticed that we're not terribly well organized around here, and..."

Hundreds of blank, dead eyes in the audience, pinning him like one of his kin to a dissection table in a high school classroom. "And, tonight I'm just barely making it, I don't know..." Kermit was a performer. He didn't get stage fright like this. God, he hated having to improvise.

"...sometimes it's very difficult."

He felt them. One hundred soulless eyes boring into a frog damn near his breaking point. He glanced into the front row, desperately wondering what the fuck he was going to sing, or dance, or what stupid jokes he could tell to get him off of this stage the fastest.

Green. Looking right back at him. Paying rapt attention, looking for more than just hollow entertainment. He cocked his head, curious but not mocking, despite his stretched-too-far grin.

The others in the front row had scooted as far away from this man as possible, like his freakishness might infect them if they got too close. His obnoxious laugh, his intensity, so clearly off-putting to those around him but clearly not giving a damn, with his hair proudly dyed a vibrant green that almost made Kermit feel proud of his own dull, dingy color.

Kermit knew what he would sing. He cleared his throat and tried his best to clear his mind as he croaked out the first warbling notes...

"It's not easy bein' green..."