#everything was better without isabella | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ragvas · 7 days ago

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Giant Gym Mama

Your girlfriend Isabella was the queen of the gym, and she knew it. At 6' 0" (183 cm) with a powerful, curvy figure, she exuded confidence that bordered on arrogance. Her D-cup breasts, thick thighs, and large, firm, round ass were a testament to her dedication, and she loved the way everyone’s eyes followed her every move. You were no exception.

Isabella loved teasing you. “Aw, struggling again?” she’d smirk, flexing her powerful thighs while you tried to keep up with her squats. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I don’t mind you being weaker than me.”

She was always looking for ways to outdo herself, to push her body even further, so when she stumbled across the newly released MILF MAX protein online, she couldn’t resist and ordered it. The product promised insane results, boasting enhanced strength, curves, and even height—everything Isabella craved to make herself even more perfect.

“Let’s see if this stuff actually works,” Isabella said with a cocky grin when the package arrived. After a grueling leg day, she brought the bottle home, ready to test it out.

Dressed in a tight sports bra and leggings that barely contained her impressive curves, she shook up a double dose of the protein. You sat on the couch, mesmerized by her confident presence as she leaned against the kitchen counter, the shake in her hand.

“This better not be a waste of money,” she muttered, then tipped her head back and chugged the entire drink in one go. Slamming the empty shaker down with a satisfied sigh, she turned to you, her smirk still firmly in place.

“Hmm… Nothing happened,” she declared after a while, standing tall and stretching. But as she moved, her expression shifted.

“Huh... I feel... warm,” Isabella murmured, running a hand along her toned stomach.

Then it started. Her D-cup breasts pushed harder against her sports bra, their fullness visibly increasing. Her hips flared, and her thighs seemed to thicken ever so slightly. She straightened, her posture perfect, and you realized with a jolt that she was... taller. “Isabella, you’re—”

“What?” she snapped, but as the words left her mouth, her body surged again. Her height crept up inch by inch—6' 2" (188 cm), then 6' 5" (196 cm) and 6' 7" (201 cm). Her breasts swelled to an E-cup, F-cup and then to a G-cup. Her leggings clung tighter to her growing thighs.

She turned to the mirror by the doorway, her smirk transforming into a triumphant grin. “Oh my god,” she whispered, her hands running over her expanding curves. “I’m growing.”

Her cocky attitude turned into full-blown arrogance as she looked back at you. “Are you seeing this?” she asked, flexing her thickening thighs. “I was already perfect, and now I’m getting even better.”

You nodded, speechless, as she continued to grow. Her height shot up to a commanding 6' 9" (207 cm), her breasts expanding into firm, perfectly shaped H-cups, the fabric of her already strained sports bra snapping under the pressure, leaving her exposed from the waist up. Her colossal breasts swayed heavily from side to side like massive wrecking balls that could crush your head between them. Her thighs thickened with every passing second, her hips flared wider, her ass swelling into an impossibly perfect shape that completely stretched her leggings.

Isabella laughed, planting her hands on her hips. “Guess I’m going to need new clothes,” she said, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction. “Not that I mind. Watching you gawk is worth it.”

Then she stepped closer, towering over you, her confidence radiating off her. She leaned down, her massive breasts brushing against your chest as she tilted your chin up with one finger.

“You like what you see, don’t you?” she teased, her grin widening. “Good. Because I think I’m going to love being the big one in this relationship.”

Without breaking eye contact, Isabella turned back to the kitchen, grabbed the protein powder, and mixed another dose. She shook the bottle, her powerful arms flexing, and downed the drink in one go.

The heat came back, stronger than before. Isabella moaned as her body surged upward. Her height shot up to 7 feet (213 cm), then 7' 4" (224 cm). Her breasts swelled to an I-cup and her ass grew so massive it completely tore through her leggings.

When the growth finally slowed, Isabella stood before you at an imposing 7' 7" (232 cm). She loomed over you, every inch of her radiating power and dominance.

“Well, sweetheart,” she purred, reaching down to lift you effortlessly into her arms. “Looks like I’m not just your girlfriend anymore. I’m your goddess.”

She carried you to the bedroom, her thighs flexing with every step, her towering frame making the room feel small.

"Look at you, so tiny and weak in my arms." She chuckled, placing you gently on the bed, her massive breasts bouncing.

You lay there, still in shock, as she towered over you. Her newfound power was intoxicating, and you couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and fear. "Isabella, this... this isn't normal," you managed to murmur, trying to wrap your head around her growth.

She leaned down, her face close to yours, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You think?" she replied, her breath warm against your cheek. "But it's all me, baby. Every inch of this new, improved version. And I can't wait to show you what I can do with it." She winked, and you felt a flutter in your chest.

She stepped back, her gaze sweeping over your body, appraising you in a way that made your heart race. "I think it's time you started worshipping your new goddess," she said, her voice low and seductive.

Swallowing hard, you nodded, unable to tear your eyes away from the monumental figure she had become. Her confidence was palpable, and it sent a shiver of excitement down your spine.

"Good boy," she murmured, her smirk widening. She stepped closer, her I-cup breasts looming over you like heavenly peaks. "Now, let's see how well you can serve your goddess." She sat on the edge of the bed, her massive thighs spread slightly apart, the fabric of her destroyed leggings barely clinging to her.

"Take these off," she said, her tone commanding, pointing to the shreds of fabric that once contained her legs. You fumbled with the material, your fingers trembling slightly as you revealed her powerful, thick thighs and the awe-inspiring expanse of her newfound size.

She watched you intently, her eyes darkening with desire. "I can feel it, you know. The way every inch of me is stronger, more... irresistible." Her hands caressed her swollen breasts, the tips brushing against her collarbone. "It's like nothing can hold me back now."

You nodded, your voice barely a whisper. "It's incredible," you said, reaching up to tentatively touch her massive thigh. It was like touching warm marble, solid and unyielding. The contrast between her newfound power and your own frailty was stark, and it sent a thrill through you.

"Mmm, it is," she agreed, her eyes half-closed in pleasure at your touch. She leaned back slightly, her hand guiding yours to the top of her thigh. "Feel that?" she prompted, her muscles flexing beneath your fingertips. "It's all for you."

You nodded, your heart racing as your hand traveled up her thigh. The warmth of her skin, the solidity of her muscle, and the sheer size of her made it hard to believe she was the same woman you'd known before. "You are so big," you murmured, your voice filled with a mix of awe and arousal.

"I know," she said smugly, her eyes still closed as she basked in the sensation. "And it's all yours." She opened her eyes and looked down at you, her expression one of pure dominance. "But remember, I'm not just your girlfriend anymore. I'm your goddess. And you're going to treat me like one."

She took a deep breath, her chest expanding even more, and the room seemed to quiver with the power she exuded. Her eyes snapped open, a fiery determination burning in their depths. "Now," she said, her voice dropping to a sultry purr, "I want you to kiss me."

You leaned in, your heart pounding, and pressed your lips to hers. Her mouth was soft yet demanding, and you could feel the energy surging through her body as you kissed. Her hands found their way to your shoulders, gripping you with a gentle yet firm strength that sent a thrill through your entire being.

She broke the kiss, her breathing heavy, and you felt your own body responding to the sudden, intense attraction. "That's a good start," she murmured, her eyes gleaming. "But I want more." She scooted back on the bed and took off her overstretched panties, her colossal thighs parting like the gates to a divine realm. "Bring me another protein," she beckoned, her fingers tracing the outline of her thick, pulsing labia.

You managed to tear your eyes away from her mesmerizing form and stumbled over to the kitchen, your mind racing with the implications of her growth. The protein bottle still sat on the counter. You grabbed it and prepared her another dose. Your hand lingered over the scoop, and after a second of hesitation, you added two more, heart racing at the thought of what might happen.

You returned to the bedroom, your hands shaking slightly as you handed her the shaker. The anticipation was palpable as she took it from you, her massive breasts jiggling with the movement. Her eyes never left yours as she brought the drink to her full lips and downed it. You watched in amazement as her cheeks flushed, and the warmth of her body radiated outwards. Her muscles seemed to swell and ripple beneath her skin, and you felt the power in the room increase tenfold. The air was electric, charged with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

Isabella felt the potent cocktail of MILF MAX coursing through her veins, igniting a fiery passion within her. She threw the empty shaker aside and stood up, her 7' 7" (232 cm) frame casting a long shadow over you. Her I-cup breasts bounced with the movement, and you couldn’t help but stare as they grew even larger, swelling to a J-cup. She threw her head back, letting out a moan of pure ecstasy as her body responded to the potent formula. Her thighs grew thicker, the muscles bulging and flexing. The bedroom was now her domain, and she was the unchallenged ruler. Her height shot up to a towering 8 feet (244 cm), and her breasts grew to K-cups, the weight of them causing her to arch her back in pleasure. She looked down at you, her expression a mix of hunger and satisfaction.

"I can feel it," she whispered, her voice thick with desire. "Every part of me is growing more powerful, more... godly." She took a step towards you, her thighs rippling with each movement. "I need to feel you beneath me," she said, her eyes darkening. "To feel your tiny body against my new, perfect form."

She reached for you, her massive hands enveloping your much smaller frame. With surprising gentleness, she lifted you up and positioned you on the bed, your back pressed against the soft pillows. You felt like a doll in the hands of a giantess, and the thrill of it was undeniable. She straddled you, her thick, powerful thighs trapping you in place as she leaned down, her K-cup breasts swaying hypnotically. "Worship me," she breathed, her voice a seductive command.

Your hands began to roam her body, exploring the new landscape of her form. You felt the heat from her skin, the power in her muscles as they shifted beneath your touch. You leaned in to kiss her neck, feeling the pulse of her arousal, and she moaned, her body responding to your adoration. You traced a path down her body, kissing her collarbone, the soft mounds of her breasts, and then lower, feeling the tremble of her breath as your mouth approached her nipples. You took one in your mouth, and she gasped, the sensation of your lips and tongue on her sensitive flesh making her quiver.

"Oh, yes," she murmured, her voice a low growl of pleasure. Her body grew again, the room seeming to shrink around her as she reached 8' 3" (252 cm). Her breasts swelled to a monstrous L-cup, her thighs thickening until they were like the trunks of mighty oaks, her ass so massive it seemed to have its own gravitational pull. Her skin felt hot to the touch, and you could see the veins of power pulsing beneath the surface, as if her body was a map of a vast, unexplored continent.

She leaned down, her massive breasts pressing into your chest as she claimed your mouth with hers. Her kiss was demanding, her tongue invading your mouth with an urgency that spoke of a hunger that could never truly be sated. You felt your body respond, your cock hardening against the unyielding pillow of her thighs. "You like that, don’t you?" she whispered, her breath hot against your ear. "My power, my size... it makes you want to submit to me."

You nodded, your voice a tremble of need. "Yes, Goddess," you murmured, the words feeling like a confession of the most profound kind. Her power was a drug, and you were hopelessly addicted. You wrapped your arms around her, pulling her closer, feeling the heat of her body enveloping you like a warm, protective cocoon.

She chuckled, the sound deep and resonant in her chest, the vibrations tickling your skin. "Good," she murmured, her voice a seductive purr. She leaned back, her eyes traveling down your body, appraising you with a hunger that made your pulse race. "Now, I want to feel you inside me," she said, her voice a command that made your blood boil.

With a grace that defied her size, Isabella leaned over you, her massive breasts swaying as she reached for the hem of your shirt. She peeled it up and over your head, the fabric whispering against your skin like the caress of a lover's hand. Her eyes raked over your exposed chest, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of vulnerability as you lay before her, half-dressed and fully aroused. She reached for the button of your jeans, her fingers nimble despite her newfound strength. The zipper hissed down, and she tugged them off along with your boxers, revealing your straining erection.

You watched as she took in your nakedness, your eyes locked onto hers, filled with a mix of desire and awe. Her touch was electric, sending jolts of pleasure through your body with every brush of her fingertips. You felt the weight of her gaze upon you, the power of her presence, and it made your cock throb with anticipation.

"Mmm," she murmured, her eyes lingering on your erection. She licked her lips, and you felt your body respond, your hips bucking involuntarily. "So eager for your goddess." She leaned back, her L-cup breasts bouncing with the movement, and reached down to stroke her own clit. Her other hand slid between your legs, her powerful fingers wrapping around your shaft. "But first," she said, a hint of mischief in her voice, "you need to show me how much you adore me."

You swallowed hard, the ache in your balls growing with every touch of her hand. You leaned up, eager to show her your devotion, and took one of her swollen nipples into your mouth, suckling it gently. She groaned, her eyes fluttering closed, and her grip on your cock tightened. The sensation of her hand on you was overwhelming, her fingers like velvet-covered steel.

"Yes," she hissed, her breath hot on your skin as she arched her back, pushing her nipple further into your mouth. Her body grew again, reaching 8' 6" (260 cm), her breasts ballooning to M-cups. The weight of them was immense, and you could feel the bed protesting beneath her. Her thighs thickened to the point where you could barely get your hands around them, the muscles like living sculptures.

You felt the power in her hand, the way she controlled your body, and it sent a jolt of electricity through your veins. You kissed and nibbled your way down her chest, worshiping every inch of her swollen flesh. You felt the mattress shift as her body grew, the room seemingly getting smaller with each new inch.

"Harder," she demanded, her voice a mix of pleasure and authority. Her body grew again, reaching 8' 9" (268 cm), her breasts now a staggering N-cup, their weight making her lean slightly forward. The headboard of the bed creaked in protest as she arched her back, offering her breasts to you like a banquet. "I need to feel how much you want me," she gasped, her eyes wild with desire.

You obeyed, suckling and biting her nipples with more fervor, feeling the power of her body as it grew and shifted around you. Each touch of your mouth sent a shockwave of pleasure through her, and you felt her grip on your cock tighten, her strokes growing more urgent.

"Yes," she panted, her hand moving faster on her clit. "Oh, you're learning so quickly." Her body grew again, reaching 9' 1" (277 cm), her breasts swelling to a colossal O-cup. The bedframe groaned, and you could see the floorboards strain under the weight of her massive form. She leaned back further, the mattress sinking under her. "I want you to fuck me," she ordered, her eyes flashing with need. "Show me what you're made of."

You felt a rush of adrenaline as you positioned yourself between her massive thighs, her hand guiding your cock to her slick opening. As you pushed inside her, she moaned, her body stretching to accommodate you. It was a tight fit, but she was wet, hot, and eager. You could feel her muscles clench around you as you began to move, her size making the room seem to pulse with power. "Harder," she urged, her voice thick with lust.

You drove into her with all the strength you had, feeling her thick, powerful muscles ripple and shift around you. With each thrust, you felt yourself getting lost in her, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of her body. Her thighs were like steel vices, her breasts like gravity wells that threatened to consume you. The smell of her arousal filled the room, intoxicating and primal.

Her eyes snapped open, her gaze locking onto yours. "Fuck me," she growled, her voice deeper, more powerful than ever before. "Claim me." And with that, she grew again, reaching 9' 4" (284 cm), her O-cup breasts swelling to P-cups, the weight of them pulling her even lower over you. Her hips began to buck, meeting your thrusts with an animalistic fervor.

You couldn't resist the command in her voice, the urgency of her need. You drove into her harder, feeling her tighten around you as she grew. The sound of her moans filled the room, echoing off the walls as if they were the cries of a goddess in ecstasy. Your own pleasure grew with every inch she gained, the power of her dominance fueling your desire.

She threw her head back, her hair cascading down her back like a waterfall as she grew to 9' 7" (292 cm). Her breasts, now a staggering Q-cup, swayed with each thrust, the nipples brushing against your chest like twin flames. "Oh, yes," she groaned, her voice a symphony of pleasure. "You're doing so good, baby."

You felt a rush of pride at her words, your strokes becoming more vigorous as her praise spurred you on. Her hand found your cheek, her touch tender despite the power in her grasp. "Look at me," she whispered, her voice a siren's call that you couldn't ignore. You met her gaze, and the world outside of the two of you faded away, leaving only the fire in her eyes.

"You're mine," she said, her voice a mix of passion and possession. "Mine to protect, to cherish, and to fuck." Her body grew again, reaching a towering 9' 10" (300 cm). Her breasts now swelled to R-cups, their weight causing her to lean even further over you, the mattress groaning in protest. Her hand found your hair, gripping it tightly as she set a relentless pace, her hips moving in a rhythm that made the bed shake beneath her.

She leaned down, her massive chest pressing you into the bed, the softness of her breasts smothering you in a delicious embrace. Her breath was hot and ragged against your ear. "Can you feel it?" she whispered, her voice filled with the power of a goddess. "Can you feel me growing, getting stronger, bigger, more... insatiable?" Her teeth grazed your earlobe, and you felt a bolt of pleasure shoot through you.

You nodded, gasping for air as you felt her body expanding around you, her R-cup breasts pressing you into the mattress. The weight was crushing, but the feeling of being engulfed by her power was indescribable. "I can feel it," you murmured, your voice thick with need. "I can feel you... growing."

She chuckled, the sound vibrating through her massive chest. "Good," she said, her eyes gleaming with a mix of lust and triumph. "Because I'm not stopping." With a sudden burst of power, she grew to 10 feet (305 cm), her breasts ballooning to S-cups. Her thighs were like the pillars of a temple, her ass a monument to her newfound size. "I want you to fill me up," she growled, her voice sending shockwaves of desire through you.

Her hand left your hair and slid down to your ass, gripping one cheek firmly as she began to grind against you. You felt the bed protesting beneath her, the headboard thumping against the wall with the force of her movements. Her hips rolled, her thick, powerful muscles moving in waves that seemed to echo through the room. "Harder," she demanded, her nails digging into your flesh.

You complied, driving into her with all the strength you had, feeling her tighten around you with every thrust. The pressure was intense, the heat from her body suffocating, but you couldn’t stop. Her skin was like fire against yours, and each time your hips met hers, it was like striking a match that set your soul ablaze.

Her moans grew louder, her body shaking with the force of her pleasure. Her grip on your ass tightened, her fingers digging into your flesh as she urged you deeper. The room felt like it was closing in around you, the air thick with lust and the scent of her arousal. Her body grew again, reaching a staggering 10' 3" (312 cm). Her breasts grew to T-cups, their weight causing her to lean even further over you, the mattress now groaning in protest.

You felt your climax building, the pressure in your balls reaching a fever pitch. Her dominance, her power, it was all too much to handle, but you didn’t want it to end. You thrust into her with everything you had, her body swelling around you like a living, breathing fantasy.

"Yes," she hissed, her breath hot on your neck. "Give it to me. Show me how much you need this... how much you need me." Her body grew once more, reaching an unbelievable 10' 6" (320 cm). Her T-cup breasts swelled to U-cups, the weight of them making the bedframe crack under the pressure. "You're mine," she murmured, her voice a dark promise. "Forever."

You felt your body respond to her claim, your hips moving faster, your cock swelling inside her tight embrace. You couldn't hold back anymore, and with a roar of your own, you climaxed, filling her with your seed as she grew to 10' 9" (328 cm), her U-cup breasts now a colossal V-cup. The sensation was overwhelming, your body shuddering with the force of your release.

Her eyes widened, and she threw her head back, her own orgasm crashing over her. Her body convulsed, her massive breasts bouncing as she came, her thick thighs squeezing you tightly. You could feel her pussy pulsing around your cock, the contractions sending shockwaves of pleasure through her body. "Oh, fuck," she moaned loudly.

With a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the house, Isabella's body exploded with power, shooting up to a staggering 11 feet (335 cm). Her breasts grew to a monstrous V-cup, and her thighs thickened into pillars that could support the weight of the world. The bedframe gave a final, desperate creak before it splintered, the mattress collapsing beneath her.

As the aftershocks of your climax subsided, Isabella's growth did not. Her body ballooned further. Her V-cup breasts swelled to an unprecedented W-cup. She grew to 11' 3" (343 cm), and you felt like an ant beneath her, her power inescapable.

"More," she panted, her eyes gleaming with a hunger that seemed to have no end. Her body swelled and expanded, reaching 11' 6" (351 cm), her breasts now a mind-boggling X-cup, and her thighs like the trunks of ancient sequoias. The very air grew thick with her presence.

She leaned over you, her massive breasts engulfing your face, the sweet scent of her skin making you delirious. "Tell me you want more," she demanded, her voice a seductive growl. Her hand found your cock again, stroking it back to life with a firmness that made your toes curl.

You nodded, your voice muffled by the softness of her flesh. "Yes, Goddess," you murmured, your voice a whimper of need. "I want more of you." The thought of her growing even larger was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

"Good boy," she purred, her hand working your cock back to full hardness. She leaned back, her body shifting and growing again, reaching a towering 11' 9" (361 cm). Her breasts had grown to a colossal Y-cup, and her thighs had become like boulders, her strength unparalleled.

With a smirk, she straddled you once more, her thick, muscular thighs trapping you beneath her. She took a deep breath, her chest heaving, the room seeming to pulse with her power. "You can't imagine how good it feels," she whispered, her breath warm against your cheek. "To be so... overwhelmingly powerful." Her hips began to move, her massive Y-cup breasts swaying hypnotically with every motion.

She leaned down, her breasts brushing against your skin as she claimed your mouth in a fiery kiss. You felt the warmth of her body, the softness of her flesh against yours, and it was as if the world had been painted in vibrant hues of passion and desire. Her tongue danced with yours as she grew to 12 feet (366 cm), her breasts now a staggering Z-cup. The bed was gone, the mattress now a mere cushion beneath her.

Your hands roamed over her new size, feeling the power that pulsed through her veins. Her kiss was demanding, possessive, and you couldn’t get enough. You felt like you were drowning in her, in the sheer force of her presence, and it was the most exhilarating feeling in the world.

"Look at me," she ordered, breaking the kiss. Her eyes searched yours, the hunger in them unmistakable. She grew again, reaching a breathtaking 12' 2" (371 cm), her breasts now a monstrous A2-cup, and her thighs thickening to the point of unreality.

You stared up at her, your heart racing. Her eyes held you captive, the need in them like a black hole pulling you in. You felt so small, so insignificant in the face of her power, and yet you couldn’t help but crave more.

She leaned back, her breasts jiggling slightly. "Do you see me?" she asked, her voice a gentle rumble. "Do you see what you've done?" Her hand stroked your cheek, her touch surprisingly tender. "You've made me a goddess."

You nodded, unable to find words. Your heart was racing, and your body was still trembling from the intensity of the encounter. Her size was overwhelming, awe-inspiring, and you felt so... right beneath her.

She leaned back, her A2-cup breasts towering over you like a pair of majestic mountains. Her hand slid down your chest, and she traced a line down to your stomach, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. "I need more," she murmured, her voice a dark promise which she would soon fulfill as she started fucking you again growing bigger and bigger…

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You can find more like this at my deviantart. 😊

Link: https://www.deviantart.com/ragvas

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authenticcadence18 · 1 month ago

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i want to highlight a passage from my new Isabella-centric one-shot that I’m particularly proud of!

for context, Isabella is in her car at the stop light from “Act Your Age”. she and Phineas are no longer together, and she sees something about him on accident.

…

Phineas.

For a moment Isabella found herself outside the car, being pulled in for a kiss that had haunted her for over half a decade. Her heart rate skyrocketed, breath coming in short bursts as she attempted to claw her way free of the awful wonderful memory, of the sensation of Phineas’s hands cradling her face, of knowing how much she’d enjoyed that moment in spite of all the heartache that followed.

The light flashed green, leaving Isabella no choice but to hastily snap herself free of her first kiss and step on the gas.

Her chest caught, eyes burning and vision blurring, knuckles whitening as she gripped the steering wheel and turned in the direction of her apartment, trying to slow her breaths down.

Today had been better. She hadn’t cried at all, she’d gone out for a bit, thought she’d finally started making progress in regards to letting go of Phineas.

But one glance into the outskirts of his life, of his success, of how fine everything was going for him without her, from someone that was supposed to be safe, who up till now Isabella hadn’t even known was connected to Phineas, was enough to make her shatter all over again.

…

here’s the rest if you are interested! I’m really proud of this piece :)

#this piece is v close to my heart I just want to keep talking about it dhdbdbdbddb #phineas and Ferb #phinabella #phinbella #isabella garcia shapiro #angst #pnf #pnf angst #phinbella breakup au #Disney #Disney channel #pnf fic #pnf fanfic #fanfic #breakup #writing #cadence writes #I just hope this piece gives someone some catharsis/makes them feel seen

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pruneunfair · 1 month ago

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What I would change about these manhwas

Matthias is the antagonist as he should be

Instead of a toxic romance story, it would be a story of survival in an abusive relationship

Would tackle the darkest parts of being a mistress to a rich man as a commoner

Claudine wouldn't be a villain and instead another victim of Matthias who becomes Laylas ally

Kyle is the new love interest

The ending would still be very tragic but Layla will at least escape her toxic relationship with Matthias

Obviously Javier isn't going to be the love interest anymore, that will go to Lucas

Javier also won't be a slave bought by Reilynn, they will meet normally and develop a found family like relationship

Iris will be more competent as a villainess

The empire would currently under the ire of the populace and on the brink of a revolution, meaning that Reilynn can't throw money everywhere to solve her problems while acting like a smug asshole about it without consequences thereby making room for character development

Her reputation will be lowered not just for the og villainesses past but also because of her latest behavior.

Reilynns new goal to avoid being sent to the guillotine by future revolutionaries would to try and become a better person with other allys like Javier to help her become more mindful of others

Honestly not much

Just have it be more faithful to the novel

Meaning Keira doesn't need a love interest

Ragibach learns Keiras game and starts to scheme with more strategy, making her an ever growing threat that gets stronger with each defeat she learns from

Zeke gets more attention

Ariande will still have the mentality that she's not wrong but it will actually be acknowledged as a flae

Isabella keeps her high intelligence and cunning behavior in the 2nd life

Ippolotio and Lucrezia are less cartoony villains and more disturbing as people

Larriesa is more then just a yandere fiancé, she'd have a backstory explaing her desire for love and her behavior will be toned down

Arabella would live longer then she did originally

Pretty much almost everyone will be an awful person with consequences

The golden rule will actually matter and give Ariande consequences when she does something evil

Ariande will try to understand her newfound powers instead of forgetting about them until the plot needs it

The first life will be referenced more

Hestia would be called out for her behavior

Cael would no longer be a cardboard cutout

Diana isn't the villainess anymore

The story would focus less on petty revenge but on all of the characters growing as people

The idea is how our biases for our favorite characters can cause us to literally distort the truth

As such instead of constantly blaming Diana until the very end, Hestia would focus on what SHE likes instead to get her mind off of it and discovers how thrilling life is again when she let's her revenge plot go

Cael's suicide would be treated less as a plot device to prove why Diana and Helios are evil but as an actual arc that brings up the real struggles of depression and suicidal thoughts

Helga would eventually stop taking everything out on Hilianne when she realizes it's not her fault the Duchess abused her

Of course this also means Hilianne won't be the punching bag

not all of the male characters will fall in love with Helga

lower Helgas plot armour SIGNIFICANTLY

let the other side characters actually use common sense and call Helga out on some of her bullshit

The running away plot would be handled better

Include some more flashbacks on Alisas family in Edenverre and drop more lore on the siblings we knew less about

Marianne will have more screen time to properly explain how her powers work

Luminas will either not be the love interest at all and instead be a mentor fot Aishas later abilities or he could be MENTALLY Aisha age so theres no maturity gap (think of Luminas still being 2000 but he's physically and mentally a early teen like Aisha)

Aisha would actually feel guilty about the innocent people killed by her father just for being related to her assassin

Ysis and Aisha would have more realistic sibling moments (Ex: Ysis doesn't immediately believe that Aisha is a reincarnated princess of the enemy empire)

Aria will still be descended from commoners

The war between Aria and Mielle will be more equal, basically a battle of traditional villainess vs white lotus

Asher would have a life and personality outside of Aria

The maids would also be their own characters and have some dignity

Isis is actually utilized properly

#webtoon #manhwa #sister i am the queen in this life #actually i was the real one #revenge against the real one #into the light once again #cry or better yet beg #Villainesses have more fun #the villainess reverses the hourglass #for my derelict favorite

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dollfaceksj · 1 year ago

Note

you said you want to keep toapp going for as long as you can so i have a feeling it’s clearly not their last time. plus, where’s yoongi?!?

yoongi has been summoned. #19 lets go ↓

warnings: i wanted to add more stuff to the camping trip like a hiking scene and whatnot but honestly im so over the camping trip arc i just wanna get it over with so this is pretty rushed 😭

taste of a poison paradise | jjk (m) #19

masterlist

<- previous ; next ->

you stir

and awaken

why are you so? warm?

you are

cuddled up into jungkook

your back into his chest

his arm around your waist

his nose buried in your hair

you glance over your shoulder

jungkook is still sound asleep

he looks

cute :(

you glance at your phone, it’s 7am. it you and jungkook’s turn to prepare breakfast

you gently shake him

“jungkook,” you say, “wake up.”

he stirs and then turns on his back

rubbing his face

he mumbles, “sorry.”

you shake your head. “it’s okay, i just want to wake you up for breakfast. it’s our turn to prepare.”

he nods his head and sits up, running a hand through his disheveled hair

you crawl out of the tent and stretch your limbs, yawning loudly before you go wash up

he slowly follows you out and you both start preparing breakfast in silence

the air is

tense?

awkward?

weird?

you don’t know what it is

but you don’t really speak to jungkook and he doesn’t speak to you while you both prepare

maybe it’s for the best

about half an hour later, breakfast is ready and you take your time gathering your clothes to head into the bathhouse about 20 mins further

you have to wait for everyone to finish eating cause you can’t drive and someone needs to bring you

you watch as the seats around the table starts filling up

and you take your seat next to yoongi

he pours orange juice into your cup and rubs your shoulder. “how’d you sleep?”

you smile at the question. “i slept pretty well. you?”

“hoseok only punched me once in the mouth so i’d say i slept better too.”

you giggle at his joke and slap his thigh under the table

“hey uh,” he starts, “when we get back home..”

you tilt your head once he trails off, he sounds hesitant

he continues, “will you let me take you out?”

wow

AAAAA

need him rn.

you smile. “like? on a date?”

he chuckles and shakes his head at your silliness. “yeah, like on a date.”

you pretend to hum in thought. “i thought we weren’t anything serious,” you tease.

he nods his head. “you’re right, but i think it’s proper manners to buy a lady a meal before we,” he pauses and glances at you, “get to the not-serious stuff.”

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

okay!

well.

you lick your lips and chew on the loose flesh on your lips.

“so? what do you say?” he asks without even looking at you as he pours himself orange juice and reaches across the table for something to eat

he’s so

nonchalant

fuck

“i say that i’d like that.”

a smile tugs on his lips as he listens to your words, still not looking at you and it makes him look so fucking cocky

he asks; “do you have class tomorrow?”

“until 12pm.”

“good. i’ll pick you up at 6.”

ahhhh

AHHHHHHH

….

he’s so….

hmmmm

you sheepishly reply, “okay.”

he keeps his hand respectfully on your knee, not moving it an inch toward your thigh

but it still raises goosebumps on your skin

his big hand

he’s so perfect wow

you bring your attention back to your plate and raise your cup to your lips

you hum in content

you let your eyes roam over the rim of your cup

only to make eye contact

with jungkook.

you feel a bit

uncomfortable.

he’s staring very… intensely.

did he hear everything?

it almost makes you choke on your juice

ugh it’s just breakfast and the days already wearing down on you

just… make the most of it

hours have passed, you’ve done a few more activities with the group

it’s time to head home

you’ve been hanging with yoongi, getting to know him better

isabella and hyunjoo have been stuck to jungkook since breakfast

not that you care

as long as he gets that affection he so desperately seeks

joon begins, “so we’ve decided to just send everyones luggage back home in seokjins car. we’re gonna need an extra person with him cause we can’t trust seokjin too much.”

“hey! i’m responsible,” seokjin replies in a disapproving tone

everyone just ignores seokjin’s outburst. “who’s gonna drive back home with seokjin-hyung?” joon asks as everyone disassembles their tents

everyones looking around

but you suddenly hear

an all too familiar voice

speak up

“i think yoongi-hyung should go.”

what the fuck jungkook

OH GOD

yoongi turns surprised to jungkook and jungkook is just staring back head-on

this damn junior and his lack of respects for seniors!!!

“i just think he’s the most responsible of us all.” he says as he shrugs his shoulders.

you glare at the side of jungkook’s face but it seems like people are starting to agree with him

“alright, i’ll go.” yoongi doesn’t make a fuss and without hesitation starts loading the bags into seokjin’s trunk

you keep glaring at jungkook’s cheek until he turns to look at you

he stares at you without a word on his lips for you and then turns on his heels and walks away from you

walking to go disassemble his tent

you snatch your suitcase and head towards yoongi, handing it to him

“you gonna be fine without me?” yoongi asks as he takes your suitcase and stuffs it in the trunk

you shake your head. “how will i live?”

he chuckles at your joke and then turns to you, reaching out to smooth out the scrunch between your brows with his thumb

“you’re too pretty to walk around with a frown like that.”

ugh

pretty

pretty.

now another’s man’s words keep clouding your mind

playing on a repeat

the image of his black eyes staring into your soul flashing vividly in your mind

‘you can take it, pretty. can’t you?’

‘that’s it, pretty. look at you.’

‘fuck yourself on my dick, pretty. just like that.’

ughhhh

that damn junior corrupted your brains. you need to be cleansed.

“that’s because i’m actually serious. i was looking forward to the train ride back with you.” you continue to pout

he chuckles and reaches out to rub your bottom lip with his thumb

“don’t look at me like that,” he quietly says

again…

something jungkook has said to you too

:///

“like what?”

“like you want me to kiss you.”

he’s

you reply, “that’s because i do.”

he licks his lips and rolls his tongue against the inside of his cheek

he respectfully places his hand on your waist and pulls you closer to him, closing the distance

your hands instantly meet his arms, squeezing his biceps

he cups the back of your head and inches closer to your face until he’s pressed his lips against yours

and you fucking melt

his lips are so damn soft like you could write a novel about it

you move your hands to his chest and rub it gently, wanting to feel more of him

he parts from your lips and brings his thumb up to stroke over your bottom lip

“pout is gone.”

and with that, he turns his attention back to loading the car

fuck

ah fuck

he’s not gonna make it easier for you

you turn on your heels to head back to the rest but you bump into something

that something being

jungkook’s chest

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

for fucks sake!!!

these coincidences are getting ANNOYING

“ow,” you mumble as you stumble back but two hands on your waist from the back and two hands on your waist from the front keep you from tumbling to the ground

yoongi

and

jungkook

are both holding you

:))))

“are you okay?” yoongi immediately asks with a soothing hand still on your back

you nod your head. “yeah.”

jungkook’s hands linger on your waist and he doesn’t take them off until you shoot him a look

he slowly peels his hands off you and then stuffs his own bag in the trunk

you walk past him and gather with the others

you wave goodbye to seokjin and yoongi once they’re finished

you hope they don’t notice anything in the car you’d die of embarrassment 😭

and they could

quickly make the connection

and if word got out

and it reached taehyung…..

he’s already brought up home……

you know

where the both of u are from

fuck

just calm down

they won’t notice anything

you’re walking back to the train station with the rest

“jungkook! what are your plans for when we get back home?”

you hear isabella talking to him

but you’re walking ahead of them

walking with tae and jimin

he replies, “probably gonna play, haven’t been online in awhile. you?”

ugh

“oh! i have no plans. can i come over and watch you play?”

watch him play?

eye roll

like what does that even do

i mean sure theres a big audience for gamers that stream playing games because people enjoy watching others play

but jungkook? be serious

“oh. sure, why not?”

tae nudges you with his arm. “have you talked to him yet?” he whispers

you frown. “to who?”

he rolls his eyes. “jungkook,” he mouths.

you shake your head in response and watch him quietly sigh

ugh

you made it a whole lot more fucking complicated than it needed to be dude

why did you have to fuck him

the rest of the walk there is filled with quiet small talk and taehyung telling you about the skins he got in fortnite

once you reach the train station, hoseok checks to make sure everyone has everything in order

a few minutes later you board the train

and right

when you want to

go sit down

with jimin and tae

you’re tapped on your shoulder

by tae

“go sit with jungkook.”

????

what the hell?

“and why would i?” you question with a neutral tone to your voice

“did you forget our talk yesterday? if he only interacts with girls that he sleeps with, it’ll always stay the same for him. go talk to him.”

YOU’VE ALSO SLEPT WITH JUNGKOOK SO IT WOULDNT BE ANY FUCKING DIFFERENT!!!!

but of course you can’t tell tae that :))

because you were stupid :)

and horny :)

ugh. not to be harsh but how is jungkook’s mental state your problem?

girl.. you were the one that wanted to cuddle him yesterday. clearly you care about his mental wellbeing

you sigh and get up

and make your way to jungkook’s booth

where he’s seated

with hyunjoo and isabella

jungkook’s sitting by the window

isabella is next to him

hyunjoo is across from him

so you take your seat next to hyunjoo

the girls welcome you with a kind smile and small talk

but that little shit is staring you down with such a bratty look in his eyes

what a little CUNT

what is his problem?

you need a way to get rid of the girls

you lie, “i’m here to talk about … the thing.”

jungkook frowns at you for a moment before he realizes what you’re trying to do. “oh, right. that.”

you glance at hyunjoo and isabella and then turn to jungkook. “shall we talk about it in private?”

he licks his lips and you KNOW he wants to push your buttons and tell you that you can just say it here

but to your surprise, he rises to his feet

and starts heading to another booth

you excuse yourself from the girls but they don’t seem to mind, engaging in convo on their own

you follow jungkook and sit across from him in the empty booth

you both just sit there in silence

quiet

you blink at him

and the silence drags on

for

what seems like forever

and he’s finally had enough. “is there something you want to say?”

you cross your arms over your shoulders and shrug your shoulders. “not really.”

if you tell him tae wants you to bond with jk after he always told him to stay away from you, he’ll know something is going on

he’ll know tae told you his private matters

so you just need tae to believe you’re talking w jk

he narrows his eyes at you for a moment but doesn’t question anything and then glances out the window, eyes scanning the trees that zoom by

you both sit there in silence, sometimes stealing glances at each other

it’s already been an hour

pure silence

somewhere during the trip, about an hour into it, jungkook holds his hand out

you frown

his hand

why is he giving you his hand

you slowly place your hand in his, back of your hand facing up

he glances at your hand and then at you, a quiet chuckle leaving his lips

he brings your hand to his mouth and gently kisses your knuckles before placing your hand back on your knee

“that was cute but i meant your phone.”

well how the hell!!! were u!!! supposed to know!!

you narrow your eyes at him in suspicion. “why the hell do you want my phone?”

he rolls his eyes. “stop making a fuss about every little thing and just give it to me.”

this

damn

junior

SO DISRESPECTFUL!!!!

(its kinda hot)

but he needs to be punched!!!

you dig into your pocket and pull it out

unlock it

and hand it to him

he ticks away on your phone and you just stare at him in anticipation

then he hands you back his phone

when you wrap your fingers around it and pull back, there’s resistance

jungkook won’t let your phone go

you glance up from your phone

you cock an eyebrow at him

and he’s just staring at ou

then he leans forwards

winks at you

lets go of your phone

gets up

and heads back to the booth with isabella and hyunjoo

leaving you all alone

hes so

fucking

cocky

jerk.

you look down at your phone

it’s open on instagram

did he just…?

‘You accepted @.jungkook97’s follow request!’

to be continued

<- previous ; next ->

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legendary-69420 · 2 months ago

Text

Chapter 11: Secrets and Lies

(Racing Hearts : VOLUME 2)

After two long months of recovery, Mark was finally back on track. His parents, Alessandro and Isabella, had been adamant about him taking more time to heal and take a break from racing, but Mark had convinced them otherwise—thanks to his signature puppy dog eyes. All it took was a few promises, and they reluctantly agreed to let him race again, knowing how much it meant to him.

As Mark walked through the Ferrari paddock, the familiar sights and sounds of the racing world stirred excitement within him. However, the excitement was interrupted by a familiar voice raised in frustration. Charles’ voice.

“You don’t get it, Arthur! I’m just trying to look out for you,” Charles said sharply.

“I don’t need you to!” Arthur’s voice was equally heated. “You’re always acting like you know better than everyone else. I don’t want to end up like you!”

Mark hesitated. He didn’t want to intrude, but the fight between the brothers seemed intense. After a few more tense words, Arthur stormed away, slamming the door behind him.

Mark watched as Arthur slumped onto a nearby bench. Without thinking twice, he walked over and sat next to him. “You okay?”

Arthur glanced at Mark, his expression still clouded with frustration. “Yeah… no. I don’t know,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “My brother drives me insane sometimes.”

Mark gave him a sympathetic smile. “Charles isn’t that bad. He’s just… under a lot of pressure. It gets to him.”

Arthur scoffed. “I don’t care. I don’t want to be anything like him.”

Unbeknownst to both of them, Charles had followed Arthur and was now hidden nearby, listening to the conversation.

Mark leaned back on the bench, thinking for a moment before speaking. “You know, I used to feel the same way.”

Arthur frowned. “What do you mean? How is this even related?”

Mark chuckled softly. “Believe it or not, I used to be a huge F1 nerd. Before I became a racer, I was just a kid watching every race on TV. I dreamed of being on the track one day.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, confused by the sudden shift in conversation. “So?”

“So,” Mark continued with a grin, “your brother was the reason I wanted to be a racer. I remember watching him and thinking, ‘That’s the guy I want to be like. He’s so cool.”

Arthur blinked in surprise. “Charles?”

“Yeah,” Mark said, nodding. “I looked up to him. Watching him race made me believe I could do it too.”

Arthur seemed stunned. “Wait, so… you became a racer because of Charles?”

Mark smiled. “Pretty much. He’s the reason I’m here.”

Arthur was silent for a moment, clearly processing this. Mark gave him a gentle nudge. “And you know what? Even now, I still look up to him. I might not show it to his face, but I do.”

Mark then added with a cheeky grin, “But hey, don’t tell your brother about this. Last thing I need is to boost that idiot’s ego any higher.”

Arthur couldn’t help but laugh. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

From his hidden spot, Charles remained quiet, his heart stirred by what he’d overheard. He had never known Mark felt that way, and hearing it now—after everything between them—touched him more deeply than he expected.

Mark stood up, offering a hand to Arthur. “Come on, let’s go find your brother.”

Arthur smiled and took Mark’s hand, standing up from the bench. “Thanks, Mark.”

As they walked back toward the paddock, Charles slipped away quietly, still processing what he had just heard. Something had shifted within him, and for the first time, he saw Mark in a different light—both as a competitor and as someone who admired him. Secrets had been revealed, and old frustrations had started to fade, though there was still more to uncover.

For now, though, it was enough. ---

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mirrorball-leclerc · 1 year ago

Text

the daphlonso scandal

series masterlist

daniel ricciardo talks formula one, the met gala, daphne jones, and more

isabella stands behind a counter, holding up two ingredients in her hands. she leans closer to her phone reading instagram live comments, one catches her attention, "what do you guys think about the daphne and fernando rumors?" she laughs loudly as oscar snickers and bailey smiles from behind isabella, holding a clear bowl in her hands.

lando ever the ignorant to what was happening, and simply thought his friends and girlfriend were having a conversation, speaks from behind the camera, "unless she's broken up with daniel, no way in hell is that ever happening, we all know it."

"lando!" bailey shouted as isabella rushed to shut her live off.

lando paled, "oh fuck. no. tell me it wasn't me. oh god, they're going to kill me."

"we kept this for 6 years and you just-" isabella was cut off by her phone ringing. they all stared at each other, they sigh when they realize it's only mae. isabella put her phone on speaker, "hey mae."

"where is he?" mae questions, "where the hell is norris? i’m going to break his trophies.”

“please don’t, i don’t have many,” lando said, taking the phone from isabella, “it was an accident i swear! i didn't know she was live, i promise! mae please don't kill me!"

daphne jones answers the internet's most pressing questions

comments

username she handled this better than i ever would’ve.

username the way she talks about lando and the other kids, it warms my heart. they all truly love each other. you don’t see many genuine friendships these days in hollywood,

username props to the interviewer for asking daphne if she was uncomfortable answering questions about that.

username it’s surprising they kept this a secret for as long as they did. no one suspected these two were even dating.

username everything after 1989 has been about daniel, and i can see why. he seems like a sweetheart and she does too. it warms my heart that these two sweethearts found each other, and are happily in love.

username omg! she tried to break up with him back when shit hit the fan in 2016-2017 and he refused to. daphne said he gave her space but still checked up on her and made her move in with him in monaco so she wouldn’t be alone.

↳ username when did she say this?

↳ username in miss americana, her documentary from 2020. she spoke about her relationship without saying who her lover was. we saw glimpses of him but that was it. i never put it together that it was daniel and looking back on it the signs were all there.

↳ username it’s surprising no one in monaco ever caught them or told a news outlet then. it’s such a small place

↳ username depending on where they lived. daniel said he had a home in the outskirts of monaco, but he also has his farm in australia. i assume they traveled back and forth between the two.

↳ username and new york, reputation was being recorded around this time too.

liked by daphnejonesricciardo, redbullracing, landonorris and others

danieljonesricciardo a little over a year ago i got to marry the love of my life. this was also around the same time i decided to take a year off racing, not because i everyone said i was a failure but because i wanted to enjoy my first year as a newlywed. i did enjoy it. i enjoyed waking up in the middle of the night to find daphne writing a new song or in the morning to her singing in the kitchen. i enjoyed traveling with her as she performed sold-out arenas night after night. i fell in love with magnificent woman as the whole world was against her, or at least that what it felt like, and i never fell out of love. many tiny little moments that were just ours led us to this moment, now i get to shout from the rooftops that i love my wife. i get to brag that my wife is more talented than me and that she picked me. she picked me when she could’ve had anyone else. for me it was always her and it would always be here, it’s a relief to know she thinks the same. i can’t wait to show the world what daphne j. ricciardo is like from my point of view.

daphne j. ricciardo is warm milk and cookies after a day out in the snow. she’s sunshine but also moonshine, light and dark. she’s human. she’s the embodiment of a strong, confident woman. she’s perseverance. she’s the calm after a storm but also a force to be reckoned with. she’s my daisy but also my poison ivy. sweet and sour. all the good things in my life. she’s a daughter, a sister, a wife, a friend, and an inspiration. she’s the love of my life and the mother of our future children. she’s everything to me.

the joker and the queen, forever & always.

tagged: daphnejonesricciardo

comments have been restricted by user

fernandoalo_oficial this is where i say goodbye to my other half, according to the internet. it was nice while it lasted daphne.

maejones was me sobbing at your wedding not enough? now you’re making cry over an instagram post? curse you daniel.

charles_leclerc glad we don’t have to worry about lando spilling this secret

taylorlautner congrats you two! it was a beautiful ceremony and glad to have been invited!

landonorris sorry i made you post about this but one less problem for me to worry about.

selenagomez take care of my best friend ricciardo!

↳ danieljonesricciardo always have gomez. always have.

alex_albon THE JOKER AND THE QUEEN? ARE YOU SHITTING ME RICCIARDO? I CANNOT SHED ANY MORE TEARS OVER YOU TWO!!

baileywinters mama y papa got married and i’m still not over it.

vancityreynolds vroom vroom man's wife stole my wife now i have to steal her husband

↳ danieljonesricciardo name a time and place

↳ vancityreynolds daphne i adore your husband. he's mine now. you can keep my wife and kids.

↳ daphnejonesricciardo ‘guess i just lost my husband’

liked by danieljonesricciardo, sebastianvettel, blakelively and others

daphnejonesricciardo to my sunshine, my muse, my eternal lover. i will forever be grateful you walked into my life when you did. you were my shoulder to cry on and my best friend before you were ever my lover. you’ve held me at my highest high but also at my lowest low. i want all of your midnights forever. i want to be able to tell you that i love you forever. i want to be able to tell our future children that their father is the kindest man i’ve ever met. loving you has been an adventure of its own because there’s always something new to do. i’ll always remember how you dragged me out of bed to watch the stars from our roof or how you wake me up at 3am to eat ice cream. the memories you and i make are forever and i can’t wait to tell them to our children someday.

daniel j. ricciardo is the embodiment of sunshine. he’s a warm hug on a cold day. he’s daylight. he’s comfort. he’s everything to me. there’s in no one else i would rather sit with and watch grey’s anatomy with. there’s no one else i’d rather cry to when life throws another unexpected event at us. there’s no one else i’d rather sing all my songs too first. there’s no one else i’d rather love than you. there's no one else i would want to be the future father of my children. here’s to forever daniel.

miss americana & the heartbreak prince, forever & always

tagged: danieljonesricciardo

comments have been restricted by user

alex_albon ARE YOU SHITTING ME? YOU TWO WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME!! THE JOKER & THE QUEEN? MISS AMERICANA & THE HEARTBREAK PRINCE? OH LORD DIG MY GRAVE!

vancityreynolds lost my future husband before he could ever be mine

maxverstappen1 i call godfather of your first spawn!

↳ charles_leclerc no way! i called dibs first!

↳ carlossainz55 i was here from the start it should be me!

↳ maxverstappen1 i was too! besides charles already has the cat!

↳ charles_leclerc a cat is not the same as a human maxamilian

↳ maxverstappen1 THAT'S NOT MY NAME!!!

↳ danieljonesricciardo seb gets the first child. he's literally the reason we're together in the first place. ryan gets the next, you three can fight roman empire style for the third.

isabellaperez i won't fight for godmother because i know i am not responsible to take care for another person.

daniel jones-ricciardo gets interrogated by max verstappen and sergio perez (featuring special guest isabella perez)

comments

username he hyphenated his name! omg! i love this! i love them!

↳ username they both did! it's adorable

username i wanna know what the smoothie inchident is!

username max with daniel and isabella brings out the child in him.

↳ username this whole video seemed like tired dad (checo), fun uncle (daniel), little sister (isa), big brother (max)

username it’s surprising that checo brought up the 2021 scandal. but max was right, if he would’ve said something then the situation would’ve gotten worse. it’s nice to know all her friends were supportive.

username but what is the smoothie incident?

username props to daniel for deciding that the master’s situation should’ve been about daphne and not them as a couple

↳ username he should’ve said something. what kind of boyfriend doesn’t defend his girlfriend?

↳ username he still supported her as a ‘friend’ all the time. he did what he could without exposing their relationship. he even came to her defense when daphne was getting shit on by the entire internet. daniel is literally the blueprint.

username i wasn’t expecting checo to be the one with the hard hitting questions.

username this was a group i didn't know i needed

username they all seemed relieved that daph and daniel's relationship is out there in the world. i can't imagine helping two people keep their relationship a secret for over 7 years.

↳ username this friend group has proven time and time again they would do anything for each other. i think it's only a matter of time before someone *isabella* marches into the ferrari garage and demands they fix their shitty strategy.

¡leclerc-s speaks! honestly this one started off as a complete joke and then it became something i fell in love completely. it's super long because i just kept adding more and more to it. firmly believe that if lando wasn't the one to spill it stone-cold sober pierre would be the one to do it in an instagram story (iykyk)

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

#leclerc-s #the honest series #formula 1 #formula 1 fic #fanfic #fanfiction #f1 #f1 smau #f1 social media au #f1 instagram au #f1 fic

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andreafmn · 2 years ago

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Collision | Chapter 19

Word Count: 3.6K Story Description: (Y/N) Uley is back home after being away for four years. Her life is at its first standstill and she is taking this time to find out who she is without school. But she never thought that coming back to the reservation would turn her whole life around. In the midst of secrets and mystery, a man crashes into (Y/N)’s and her life will never be the same. Chapter: 19/? A/N: Um, cannot believe this story is at 19 chapters already. like, what? I'm thinking of separating the series into each of the books, that way we don't get to like 100 chapters because it's basically just a Twilight rewrite 😅😅 My content will always be free, but if you’re feeling particularly generous, you can leave a tip on any of my posts or buy me a coffee to support me and my love of writing Follow 😊 -> TikTok • Instagram • Business If you’d like to be tagged in this or any other story: click here Make sure you have my notifications on so you know every time I post! Please check if you’re tagged in the story, I’ve reached the limit of tags on Twilight again it seems. 😅

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Chapter 19

(Y/N) felt guilt surging through her as she knocked on the door of the Swan residence. She knew she had been in pain. That just like Bella she had been abandoned by the person they thought was the love of their life. But she had crawled out of the dark hole she had sunk into, fighting tooth and nail against everything that wanted to keep her down. Although, she could still feel their claws scraping at her skin, breathing down her neck, and whispering their return.

But even if she still wasn’t a hundred percent healed and she still cried herself to sleep on the nights she was alone, she wanted to at least help Bella take the first step out.

“(Y/N),” Charlie smiled. “Thank you for coming over.”

“Of course, Charlie. I just wanna make sure Bella gets better, or at least start to.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you. And you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” he stammered slightly. “Before the Cullens left, there was talk in the town about the doctor. You know, about who he was seeing…”

“You’re wondering if we were together?” (Y/N) smiled, pushing down the sadness that was threatening to spill out with her words. “Well, I’ll let you know that those rumors were true. And, yes, just like Bella, he broke up with me and left. I’m guessing that’s why you asked me to talk to her.”

“It is,” he smiled awkwardly. “I’m not usually keen on small-town gossip, but I’d heard that you had been in a funk since they left, and I put two and two together. And seeing how well you’re doing now, I needed to throw out a hail Mary and see if you could help Bella.”

“It’s okay, Charlie. I knew that people talked about us,” she said reassuringly. “And though it’s been hard, with the help of my friends and family, I was able to start piecing myself back together. I only hope I can help do the same with Bella.”

“I hope so to,” he breathed defeatedly. “I have to run out to work right now but you can help yourself to anything in the kitchen or you can get some pizza, or even take Bella to the diner. I’ll cover the whole tab.”

“I think we’ll manage, Charlie. But thank you,” she chuckled. “I’m no miracle worker but I will try my best.”

“That is all I can ask,” he said. “You probably won’t be here when I get back, so I’m gonna thank you again for trying with Bella. I’m glad that she has people in her corner like you.”

“She will always have a friend in me.”

(Y/N) waved the man away as he left the house, pointing her upstairs in the direction of Bella. With the man gone the house was eerily quiet. If she hadn’t known the other girl was in her room, she would have thought Charlie had left her in an empty house. There was no sign of life. And she hated how familiar that felt.

She walked up the creaky stairs, bracing herself for whatever version of Isabella Swan she would be faced with. She knew what losing yourself in heartache looked and felt like, and it was not pretty.

The door to Bella’s room was open, still no indication of movement, and for a second (Y/N) felt like she was intruding into someone’s privacy. Until she saw the girl’s figure as still as a statue on the far end of her bedroom staring out the window.

Bella looked paler than usual, her cheeks slightly sunken and her eyes wearing dark bags under them. She hadn’t been sleeping or eating well and it was evident on her body. If someone had told her that the Swan girl had not moved from that chair in months, she would have believed them.

“Hey, Bella.” (Y/N)’s voice startled her. The girl jumped as though her systems had jump-started at the sound of another presence. “Don’t know if your dad told you but he asked me to come over. I know we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“Oh, hey,” she muttered. “Yeah, I think he mentioned something.”

“I guess it’s no surprise that he asked me to come talk to you, huh?”

“Because of them,” she sighed.

“Yeah,” (Y/N) smiled painfully, sitting on the ledge of the window right in front of her.

She had practiced a speech at home, words of encouragement that would hopefully chip at the wall Bella had built around herself. She’d practiced speech after speech, picking from every talking to Sam and her mom had related to her, every phrase that made her own heart soften.

But standing before Bella, the words had died in her throat. There was nothing she could say to make it better. No amount of bullshit could make her better. What the Cullens had done to both of them Would not be remedied with a conversation. And that was all (Y/N) had.

“How’d you do it?” Bella asked after a few minutes in silence. “How were you able to move on from him?”

“To be honest… I haven’t,” she sighed, the confession tasting acrid on her tongue. “And I don’t think I ever will. I don’t think you ever really move on from someone you were ready to give up your whole life for.”

“But you seem to have it all together now,” she exclaimed. “You’re in med school, you’re going to parties, you’re working at the hospital. And you look happy.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret, Bella. That’s the beauty of pretending. People don’t question someone that looks happy,” (Y/N) smiled softly. “I’m not doing any better than you just because it looks like I am. If I’m telling the truth, I am still as heartbroken as I was the day they left. I just decided that pretending was easier than hurting.”

“I just feel like I’ll be in pain for the rest of my life,” the girl cried softly. “I just wish there was something I could use to numb it all. I just want it to stop.”

“That’s not the answer either, Bella. And I would know. I spent the first two months drowning my sorrows with vodka,” she confessed. “And even if I felt numb for a few hours the pain was still there. It always will be, I think.”

“Then how do we make it through? How do we stop it from hurting more?”

“I don’t think we can stop it from hurting. All we can do is keep going regardless of how much it hurts,” (Y/N) offered. “But if they get to go on with their lives after leaving us as they did, then we owe it to ourselves to do the same. The best way to make them pay is to show them our lives went on without them.”

“It’s just,” her voice croaked. “I don’t think I can. Actually, I don’t think I want my life to go on without Edward. I had never seen forever the way I saw it with him. Didn’t you feel like that with Carlise?”

At the sound of his name, the knot in (Y/N)’s throat tightened. It had been months since her ears had listened to that combination of letters. Everyone around her had quickly picked up on the situation and they had more than willingly stopped mentioning his name.

But there Bella was, speaking it into existence as if it wasn’t the most bitter word to let pass through her tongue. She said them like the beautiful names they were, like the sweetness of them wasn’t overwhelming in her mouth. She spoke like a girl that was still in love and had no disdain for the person that had hurt her. And (Y/N) wondered how that could be.

His name was laced with so much anger and sadness that (Y/N) couldn’t even bring herself to even think about it. Yet, Bella had said it and it had felt like a punch to the gut. Because she had once also said his name with so much enchantment and care, and it made her miss those days. The days when she could call his name and instantly be filled with happiness and excitement.

“I did… I do,” she corrected. “But I don’t want to. That’s why I’ve been trying my hardest to move on, even if it’s just one day at a time. I want to get to the day where when I dream of my future he’s not there. I crave the morning I wake up and my heart doesn’t ache anymore, where I can trust someone else to tell me they love me and mean it. We gave them our hearts, Bella, and they threw it away like it meant nothing. I’m not telling you that you have to move on. But I am telling you that it’s the best idea.”

Bella simply nodded for a second and agreed when (Y/N) offered to get some pizza to fill the silence. Everything that (Y/N) had told her she agreed with, to an extent. If the Cullens weren’t coming back like it seemed they weren’t, then she wanted to take her life back in her control like (Y/N) had. But she couldn’t help the tiny drop of hope she held that they would return, and she could settle into their life as she had done once and fulfill the plans she had made with Edward.

As (Y/N) served herself pizza, Bella sat there, picking at the slice that was on her plate, the words slowly digesting into her system. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Anything.”

“If he had offered to turn you –before everything happened—if he had told you that he would have turned you and asked you to leave with them.” She stared deeply into (Y/N)’s eyes, her tears glistening in the rays of the morning. “Would you have done it? Would you have gone with him?”

“The rational side of me wants to say no. That I would have thought twice about leaving my family and friends again, that I would have given myself a few years to be human and experience life while my heart was still beating,” she chuckled, drying away tears she had not known were pooling until they fell down her cheeks. “But my romantic side, the side that was desperate to be in love, knows I would have agreed just if it meant that I would have him by my side for the rest of my life. I would have given up everything even for just a few years with him.”

“What if he came back? What if he came back and asked for another chance?” Bella was desperate. It was the first time she could ask these questions. The first time she could talk to someone that knew everything and could answer back. “Would you give it to him?”

“That’s a difficult hypothetical, Bella,” (Y/N) laughed. “I think there are too many variables at play for me to know if I would.”

“That’s because you’re thinking with your rational side,” Bella teased slightly, the semblance of a smile playing on her lips. “I’m asking your romantic side. Would that side want Carlisle back?”

(Y/N) kept quiet even though she knew the answer. It was hard to say it out loud. To admit that regardless of how destroyed he had left her that she would want him with every fiber of her being. That if tomorrow he reappeared that she would fall back into his arms and pick things up where they had ended. But it wasn’t fair to her, to the little progress she had made without him.

Still, she was being truthful. “The romantic side would gladly take him back,” she said sadly. “But it’s not just to the side that’s put in the work to not let that happen. What will it say about me that someone could hurt me in the way he did, and I welcomed him back into my life?”

“Oh,” was all Bella responded, her head falling as her skin flushed red.

“Would you take Edward back?”

“I would,” her voice peeped meekly. “I love him too much not to. But I wish I was like you. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt as much.”

“It will still hurt, Bella. It’ll just be easier to act like it doesn’t,” (Y/N) shrugged. “Look, Bella, no one can tell you to move on. If it was that easy, we wouldn’t be here. But you need to at least take the first step. Staying in this room, waiting for the day things just change will not work. It’s on you to start a new journey.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “I know you’re right. It’s just so hard.”

“I know it is. If there’s anyone that knows, it’s me,” she smiled. “But you’re not alone. You have people around you that love and care for you. Let them.”

“I’ve pushed them away. I pushed everyone away.”

“The ones that truly care will still welcome you back. Just take it one day at a time, Bella. But take it out of this room.”

“Thank you, (Y/N). It’s comforting to have someone to talk to so openly about this. Things won’t change quickly, but I’m willing to give it a try.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” (Y/N) said, giving the girl a hug goodbye. “If you need anyone to talk to, don’t hesitate to call, Bella.”

“I will,” she smiled weakly. “Take care of yourself, (Y/N).”

“You too, Bella.”

(Y/N) couldn’t believe she had confessed to everything she had worked to shove into the deepest corners of her mind. She didn’t want to admit the hold he still had on her. That at any second, he could waltz back into her life, and she would still be as in love with him as the day he had left. It was hard to let those words pass through her lips. Because once they were out, there was no way to sink them back in.

It was strange and unnerving to hear herself say those words out loud. She had kept these thoughts deeply buried in her brain, scared to ever let them come out. Especially around Sam and Paul. Even if the Cullens had not been their natural-born enemies, she was sure they would have still hated them. More after their patriarch had broken her heart. Other than them, there was no one else she was close to that she could really talk to. They knew everything, and for her to be able to open up completely she needed people who knew everything.

Still, as much as she loved Sam and Paul, they were the least objective people in her life. They were genetically predisposed to not be objective. (Y/N) would go to them for everything else, just nothing that had to do with the Cullens.

But Bella was no better for her. Her scales were tilted toward them. If she took anything from her conversation with the Swan girl was that no matter what they had done, she would forgive them and sink back into their life as if nothing had happened. It was terrifying and just the smallest sliver of extraordinary. Her loyalty to the Cullens transpired her pain. Maybe she knew something (Y/N) didn’t.

As she neared her house, she started burying those thoughts deeper and deeper into her mind, afraid that they were visible on her face. Even if she knew how unrealistic it was –and that the only mind reader she knew was miles away—she couldn’t help the embarrassment that rushed to her skin in shades of red. And if they did, she knew they wouldn’t mention it. At least, not to her face. That much she could expect.

What she didn’t expect was to find Embry Call sitting on her porch. He wore a stressed look on his face, nights of little sleep evident on his face. The boy she knew had always been very happy, quiet but joyous. And though he seemed to be the same happy boy, there was a weight to him that was undeniable.

“Embry,” she called out as she got out of her car. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I guess,” he smiled forcefully. “Well, not exactly.”

“Why don’t you come in, Em? It’ll be more comfortable to talk.”

“Sure, thanks.”

The boy quietly followed her, somehow trying to shrink his 6’4” frame. It was something he did ever since he shifted. The first time he had joined the pack after his first transformation, he had tried to sink into the background as much as he could. The last thing he wanted was to step on anyone’s toes, even if he had been told that he wasn’t.

(Y/N) directed them to the kitchen, quickly setting out drinks and food for the kid, knowing he’d definitely be hungry. “Help yourself to anything,” she said as she noted him sitting on his hands. “Mom still buys food like Sam and his friends come over to ransack our kitchen.”

“Okay, uh, thanks.”

“We’re not strangers, Embry,” she smiled kindly. “You can let loose with me.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just I’m not used to being around other people that aren’t Jake and Quil.”

“I get that.” She joined him at the kitchen table, sitting before him, a cup of water in her hand. She was all talked out for the evening, but she could see just how much he needed a friend at that moment. “So, what’s going on, kid?”

“You know we’re only three years apart, right?”

“Still makes me older than you,” she laughed with him. “But, seriously, what’s up?”

“Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m here,” he chuckled dryly. “I guess ever since I had my first shift I’ve been feeling kinda lonely. Lonely and confused. It took a couple of hours for my whole life to change and now I don’t really have anyone to talk to about it.”

“How are things at home?”

“Well, mom is always angry at me, but at least she’s stopped yelling. Though I don’t know if I like that better,” he responded sadly. She could see he was biting back tears. His lower lip was quivering and his eyes were pooling with water. “I know you weren’t here when it happened, but do you know Ms. Uley took everything?”

“To this day they don’t really talk. But when I got here, I didn’t understand why my brother wasn’t home or why he and mom were fighting, or even why we couldn’t even spend time together. I knew he was hiding something, and I guess it hurt to think that he didn’t trust me enough to tell me whatever it was,” she recounted. “It’s a strange thing to watch from the outside. I mean, hearing rumors that my older brother, the man that basically took care of me when I was a kid, had started a gang and was recruiting other from the rez was astonishing. It wasn’t something I could even fathom. But I don’t know how my mother felt when Saam started disappearing or when he moved out. She won’t talk to me about it.”

“He wanted to waive the silence rule for me,” Embry said sheepishly. “After the first week and seeing how hard it was at home, he told me I could tell my mom everything.”

“But you valued why it’s a secret,” she confirmed. "I understand that. And I also understand how lonely being part of the pack is. Especially coming into a place where you essentially know no one. But open yourself up to them. If you let them in, they will do the same. They’re your family now, Em.”

“I know. I guess it’s just still all so new to me. I’ve been used to the same people my whole life; I’ve known only one truth my whole life, and it all changed.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but would you ever ask your mom about who your dad is?”

“Don’t think I could ever ask without proving where the suspicions came from,” he shrugged. “Just like everyone here, I was under the impression that my dad was someone from the Makah tribe. She told me that much. But now…”

“That’s okay,” she smiled comfortingly. “But, Embry, I want you to know that regardless of what’s happening at home or with your friends, you’re not alone. You’ve got the pack and you’ve got me, okay? If there’s anything you don’t feel comfortable speaking to them, my door is always open. And if they’re ever giving you shit, I’ll put them in their place. They’re there for you, and so am I. I hope you know that.”

“Thank you, (Y/N),” he smiled brightly, a few tears falling down his outstretched cheeks. “It’s good to know I still have people I can lean on. You’ve always been nice to me, and I don’t know why.”

“We all need a little kindness from time to time, Embry. I’m just doing my part in it.”

“Well, it’s greatly appreciated. And even if it doesn’t mean anything, I’m also here for you if you need someone to lean on.”

“It means a lot, Em,” she smiled. “More than you know.”

The more she talked to the people that most needed it, the more she started to believe her own words. Maybe there was light on the other side of this mountain. Maybe (Y/N) would one day see the morning when the thought of him didn’t send a stake through her heart.

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creat0r-cat · 2 years ago

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Iplier Egos Head Cannon - What Song in "Encanto" Did They Get Emotional During?

Darkiplier

Surface Pressure

Deep down he really does care about his “brothers”

He thinks he needs to keep up the tough guy act to make them think he isn’t afraid

He is

He REALLY is

He’s worried about the space/time continuum, keeping order, and making sure the ipliers’ existence stays a secret

He tries not to let the others see the tears that involuntarily start to fall as Louisa sings about her struggles as the strongest sister

Wilford

He probably heard all of the songs before watching the movie

He wouldn’t really cry for any of them in particular (feeling that he doesn’t necessarily relate to any of them)

However

He would look at certain egos to watch their reactions during different songs

He would notice the small things that happen and slowly learn more about his “brothers” based on the musical numbers and their lyrics

After the movie, he’d probably go and visit the egos that had the worst reactions (who got the most emotional or those who would straight up leave the room)

He did get a little bothered listening to “Dos Oruguitas” though

He didn’t get emotional per say

But watching Pedro die with the love song in the background kinda reminded him of when he lost Celine

Fortunately, he opted not to dwell on it too much

Actor

Waiting On A Miracle

This boy is INSECURE because of his breakup with Celine

Is he good enough?

Has he done enough?

Is he really worthy of anything?

He wants to be better

He wants his life to be better

But everything seems to slip through his fingers, coming back to resent him later on

He just wants someone to open their eyes and see that he’s worth their time, even if that person is Dark

Mirabel dancing on screen, singing about how she wished to be noticed as part of the family, made Actor tear up, wiping them away before someone could see them

Eventually, it got to be too much (especially seeing how Mirabel was pushed away by her family after trying to help them) and he left the room, using the excuse of getting more snacks

As soon as he entered the kitchen, he had a silent breakdown

Googleplier

Surface Pressure

I can’t really hear Louisa sing “I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service” without thinking about Google and his first objective

Yes, his secondary objective is relatively important, but the first one is.. Well it’s his PRIMARY objective

If he can’t do anything other than hurt people, then what is the point of him being there?

His optics widen and his mechanical heart speeds up

“How do you feel?” survey pops up and he clicks on one

“I’m in this picture and I don’t like it”

Bingiplier

What Else Can I Do?

He’s imperfect

That’s all I really need to say, but I’ll continue

He’s always compared to Google and he knows deep down that he’s worth more than his search bar abilities

He doesn’t want to be perfect like Google

He just wants to be himself, which is hard when everyone is always doting on him for every mistake he makes

Isabella creating spiky plants and beautiful flowers in front of him makes his optics widen and he slowly smiles, feeling an odd mixture of happiness and sadness as he watches her accept her imperfections in spite of her family’s expectations

Dr. Iplier

He doesn’t really get emotional during the songs

However

When it’s revealed that Bruno has been shunned by his family because of his gift, he smiled sadly

“How unfortunate,” he thought, “for someone to be abandoned because of something uncontrollable and never be spoken of again for fear of taboo”

He’s seen patients in the hospital who never have anyone visit them

He always feels sad when he finds out that someone has been abandoned

He secretly makes trips to animal shelters for that reason, to visit the abandoned animals and give them some love

He gets happy again when Bruno is reunited with his loved ones who welcome him back with open arms

Yandereplier

Dos Oruguitas

He wouldn’t relate to any of the English songs enough to have a real reaction

He gets emotional during certain parts of the movie because he recognizes a lot of what’s going on in the Madrigal family (Toxic family roles and stuff like that)

He feels bad for the characters (especially Mirabel and Bruno)

But when “Dos Oruguitas” starts playing and we find out the heartbreaking truth behind Abuelo Pedro’s death

WHOOOO BOY the tears start FLOWING

He hates to imagine the pain Abuela went through, losing the love of her life

Yandere, being a very romantic man, can’t stand the thought of his own senpai leaving him

Like, she’s everything to him!

He’d become very protective of her after watching this movie, afraid of anyone taking her away from him

He’s fine with the movie though, loves the music for the most part

Yancy

Friggin ALL OF THE SONGS

He loves music and finds each of them so amazing

He also kinda relates to each of the English sung songs in their own way (except “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”)

WOAM: The want to be extraordinary and help others

SP: The need to be the tough one and look out for his fellow prisoners and weaker “brothers”

WECAD: The want to live life how he wants without being the picture perfect civilian that the world wants him to be

He thinks very highly of this movie and loves it to bits

He does eventually become frustrated with how often “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” gets sung by people both online and in real life

Like, he gets that it’s a catchy song, but still, give it a break

Illinois

Waiting On A Miracle

Yes, Illinois is a special adventurous and flirtatious boy

But not everything is really as it seems with him

His whole “Everyone falls in love with me” act is a facade

He’s trying to convince himself that he’s loved / cared about by someone

He took up adventuring to be different

To be a conversation starter

To be interesting so that somebody

ANYBODY

Would look his way and want to be around him

After all..

He wasn’t special or cool enough growing up to have many / any friends

He sees way too much of himself in Mirabel and ends up leaving the group for a few minutes to cry in the bathroom

Engineer Mark

Waiting On A Miracle

What else needs to be said?

If given pictures of Engineer and Mirabel everyone would say they were the same image

Insecure

Feels unwanted

Wants to be impressive and help those around him with his talents and ideas

Hides behind a false persona of happiness

THEY

ARE

THE

SAME

PERSON

He’s close to leaving the room but stays put, activating his space helmet which is also soundproof so no one can see / hear him start to cry

Poor man can’t hear “Waiting On A Miracle” without having a breakdown

#iplier egos #markiplier egos #headcannons #encanto #head engineer mark x reader #googleplier #dr iplier #yanderiplier #darkiplier #wilford motherloving warfstache #markiplier wilford #illinois jones #movie night #yancy #ahwm yancy #bingiplier #Actor Mark #encanto headcanons #encanto disney

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fullscoreshenanigans · 2 years ago

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I’m never going to be over Ray and Emma both having visions of Norman when they both desperately needed the comfort of his presence.

I could have gone with manga panels for both of these for uniformity, but yet again CloverWorks takes advantage of the medium shift to add such beautiful nuance to (hallucination!)Norman and Ray’s exchange in the S1 finale—Norman speaking to Ray so, so gently in both the English and Japanese dubs with his final remark featured here, Ray being so overwhelmed by everything that’s happened in the past hour already and now topped with seeing one of the two people who was most important to him reappear, after he thought he’d never see him again, that he nearly cries at his words. I can’t express how much I adore the way they handled this scene.

By turning out to be a hallucination/dream as opposed to a ghost, we’re shown Norman’s departed spirit isn’t actually guiding them as its own independent entity with an agenda in another incorporeal form, but instead how they both internalized his character and personality and, most importantly, how they wished to see him again that manifested his appearance (see this post for further differences between their perspectives of him on this particular night).

Ray has spent over half of his life utterly loathing himself for the choices he made in order to save Emma and Norman. So much so he built up a bravado around the act of his self-immolation for years, resulting in the manic fervor he displays when giving his speech to Emma in the few minutes before the clock strikes midnight on his officially listed birthday (this is also fueled by his fraught relationship with Isabella, but that’s for other posts). He not only believes he deserves to die for his actions and perceived inaction, but that he should do so in a violent, agonizing way.

Ray knows Norman, knows his sense of rigid morality well enough to account for him discovering his alliance with Isabella and using that to his advantage, to further push Norman away so he’ll be more comfortable with using him (he even chides Norman for not keeping his original plan to do this a secret) and so his death will hurt him and Emma less. And for roughly the entire back half of October 2045, Norman did genuinely hate Ray for his betrayal in the same way he hated Isabella, his reaction so visceral at being deceived and hurt by people he had loved all his life. He would have been willing to sacrifice Ray if not for intervention from Emma, which opened him up to directly confronting Ray and, in turn, led him to discover Ray’s true motives. He was so humbled and taken aback by the depths of Ray’s love and loyalty he returned to his original categorization of him: a dear friend who needed to be saved from his intended fate in their cruel world. Even if saving him came at the cost of his own life; even if he desperately wanted to live.

One could argue Ray hallucinating Norman up on the wall was to assuage his own guilt at being unable to save him as he originally planned (something that, on his darker days, I think Ray himself would believe), but I prefer to view it as the final marker of his truly internalizing one of the deepest desires in his heart that he had locked away for so long. After living under that oppressive reality of dehumanization and exploitation and believing that there was nothing else for him, that this was all there was, that things would never get better and after everything he did up to that point, he didn’t deserve better, on top of Isabella throwing him completely off balance by shipping Norman out early and just being this incredibly conflicting and painful presence in his life, to have his siblings come together for this escape plan and without putting it explicitly in words convey “you’re worth saving, Ray, and we love you,” and that they gave him hope back

(Chapter 36)

it fucks me up something fierce.

Emma’s hallucination of Norman is much more brief during this time.

No words are exchanged, but none are necessary.

(Chapter 31)

After two and a half months of grappling with the real, palpable grief she felt at his death, seeing him around every corner and hearing his voice, and sublimating it into her efforts to ensure the success of the escape, she’s able to find solace in her vision of him before the wall.

(Chapter 119)

It’s why she sheds no tears for him until their reunion nearly two years later.

(TPN Light Novel 1: A Letter from Norman - “The Day Emma Cried”; translated by @1000sunnygo)

But up until that point, she repeatedly draws strength and comfort from his memory.

Even before chapter 93, she’s unconsciously reaching for him in her fevered dreams.

(Chapter 45 Side Scene)

Him and Isabella, predominantly in black due to her belief they’re dead, and Ray and the rest of the escapees who she hopes are still alive, predominately in white.

(Chapter 50)

Though she had to compromise on their original plan by only bringing along those over five at its outset, she’s committed to their end goal. She was the spark that pushed them to strive for the ideal outcome instead of settling for the safest one that would be tinged in regrets, and he gave up everything to facilitate it.

(Chapter 53)

The three-panel overview of her thought process ends on her final handshake with Norman. It’s painful enough for this man to be insulting her living family, but when her thoughts drift to the boy who had given his life so they would have a chance to live freely, who came to believe in all those things the man was disparaging, it’s the final straw that breaks her silence. She won’t stand and let her family be disregarded so casually or let Norman’s memory be desecrated like that.

(Chapter 64)

She eventually brings him up to Yuugo in an attempt to connect with him over lost friends, and her framing of it is interesting because while viewing Norman as having agency in making his choice (as much as they can have under the circumstances in that he went willingly, which isn’t much, but from her perspective as a traumatized child), she states simply that she let him go. (Shoutout to the way SKATES delivers said line in the manga dub. Wonderfully heartbreaking. </3)

(Chapter 30)

After she and Ray both knew how much he wanted to see the world beyond their walled existence and live on with them.

So when we get to chapter 93 where she’s on the brink of death, having visions of all the suffering experienced on the grounds of Goldy Pond before finding refuge and strength in visions of her family, the one who catches he when she begins to sink is Norman.

Unlike with the hallucinations at the end of the escape arc that were meant to obfuscate his fate, at this point we as an audience know he’s alive at Lambda, so this is all coming from the perception of Norman Emma holds deep within her heart. Even from beyond, even if it meant being separated from her longer, she sees him guiding her out of the unknown, murky depths so she can continue fighting to actualize their plan. (To say nothing of the way she imagines him delicately intertwining their fingers upon reaching her as the way he catches her. The association with safety and gentleness is always present and yet another valued refuge in light of the violence she’s in the middle of.)

Minor tangent to end on, but it’s interesting to me how when Emma brings up Norman’s name among people she misses, during the only time they privately mention him, Ray takes a beat to gather himself before focusing on what’s still obtainable in this life.

(Chapter 55)

There’s zero chance she blames him for Norman’s shipment, but he’s still not ready to look her in the eye and delve into it where they could potentially draw attention from others when he considers it a failure to his two most precious people after years of meticulous planning.

(Chapter 65)

But Norman’s still in his thoughts too as he adamantly refuses to fail Emma again.

(Chapter 93)

Though he comes very close.

(Chapter 123)

And he’s the one to remind Emma of how special their bond is when she’s having doubts about voicing her disagreement with Norman’s plan.

#The Promised Neverland #Yakusoku no Neverland #TPN #Full Score Trio #TPN Emma #TPN Norman #TPN Ray #Norrayemma #Noremray #Norray #Noremma #Emma #Norman #Ray #TPN S1 #Goldy Pond Battle Arc #TPN 093 #Long Post #FSS Chatter #Escape Arc #TPN S1e11 #TPN S1e12 #Shirai can i give you $100 for a bonus scene of these two talking about how they both had visions of him #at some point during their search for the Seven Walls i refuse to believe it didn't happen B L S #also huh @ how the the two times the NE handshake is redrawn instead of copypasta'd like in Ch64 #Demizu making the correction of him going for a two-handed one if he's not holding his suitcase #reason no.55 they truncated S2: they knew people would've lost their shit at the NE dream sequence #thinking of all the little nuances they could've added to it in the way their eyes shown or their minute movements #with the ethereal and fantastical whimsy afforded by it being a dream and the gorgeous Obata track that would've accompanied it #they knew the world was not ready

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whumpshaped · 1 year ago

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Hiii can we have a look into helle's life when they were alone at the mansion?? (after their siblings left but before they met beck)

-whumppmuhw

masterlist

tw emotional whump, lashing out, vampire whumpee, abandonment

Helle's footsteps were unbearably loud in the empty hallway. The constant, suffocating silence was nothing but a reminder of just how lonely they were, and they felt like they were starting to go a little crazy from it.

"I do not need any of you," they snapped, but the way their own voice bounced off the walls and got swallowed by the stillness did little to make them feel less alone. "I do not need a sire to tell me what to do. I do not need disloyal, ungrateful siblings."

They walked down the stairs, anxious to be doing something, anything, but found they had no idea how to pass the time. The books reminded them of the lady, the harpsichord still held the touch of Nikolai's skillful hands, the chessboard and the deck of cards brought forth memories of Isabella's gentle explanations and Aurora's childish whining about how it wasn't fair that she'd had so much more time to get good at the games.

They should've gotten rid of it all. They should've torn them all up, broken them, thrown them away, they should've purged every single item that served to make them so miserable; but parting with them was an even worse thought.

What if they came back? What would they say about it? Would they be angry with them? Would they call them stupid and emotional? An immature brat who couldn't handle rejection? Or abandonment? Or isolation?

"If you'd wished to hold onto these, you should not have left!" they exclaimed. "I am not the immature one! I am not the one who ran away without a word! What is that if not immaturity? What is it if not cowardice?"

They grabbed the chessboard and threw it against the wall, watching as the wood splintered and broke. The pieces flew in every which direction, rolling around loudly until they inevitably knocked into something and came to a halt.

Way too quickly, everything was still again.

Helle dropped to a crouch, then sat on the carpet, burying their face in their knees. They screamed into the soft fabric of their pants, earnestly, hoping to get out all the pointless frustration and grief. They didn't need any of it. They didn't want it. They didn't want to feel like it had all been for naught.

They stayed like that for a while after, clutching fistfuls of their hair and sobbing like a petulant child, unwilling to face the reality they themself had created. Why, why, why, why them. There were so many others out there, worse people, and yet all the damn tragedies seemed to be standing in line in front of their door.

They just wanted someone to tell them it had been worth it. That it wasn't wrong of them to want something better, to want to be free. That it wasn't a choice between constant torture and debilitating loneliness, or at least it wouldn't be, not forever.

They just wanted a hug, even if it was from a disgusting fucking corpse like themself.

They took a deep breath, slowly untangling their fingers from their hair. They didn't look up yet — they didn't want to see the ruined chessboard, nor imagine Isabella smacking them upside the head for having thrown a tantrum like that. But they breathed, mindfully and deliberately, and it made the weeping stop.

Clearly, there was nothing to do in the mansion. They had to get out.

They pushed themself to their feet, swaying a little from the utter exhaustion of it all, and walked to the front door. There would be plenty of warm bodies to hold out there, no? What did they need vampires for?

taglist: @whumpsday @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @delicateprincepaper @whumppmuhw @florissimps @nicolepascaline @oliversrarebooks @thecyrulik @pirefyrelight @there-will-always-be-blood @pigeonwhumps @echo-goes-mmm @whumpycries @morning-star-whump @d-cs @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @tauntedoctopuses @blueyellow8green @typewrittenfangs @whumpsoda @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @auroragehenna @whumpedydump

#whump #whump writing #at my beck and call #helle #emotional whump #lashing out #vampire whumpee #abandonment

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wutheringmights · 2 months ago

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Last Sunday, I finally finished reading for the first time Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Don’t look at my username. You don’t need to think too hard about it. Don’t worry about it.

I actually started Wuthering Heights in September, right after I finished Iron Flame. However, I had difficulty sitting down and committing to reading it-- not because it’s by any means hard to get through. Every time I sat down to read the novel, I was sucked right in (I even read 70 pages of it in one sitting). But I was a little burnt out from Iron Flame, and I think I needed a rest. A classic novel that requires brainpower isn’t the definition of a break.

Frankly, this has been a bit of a bad year of reading for me. Besides a couple of books, everything I have read this year has been a total dud. Deep down, I’ve been craving the deep satisfaction and entertainment-value that I got from reading Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo. So I decided that tackling another classic would be my antidote.

Was it? In a lot of ways, yeah. Wuthering Heights is fantastic. I loved it.

Wuthering Height’s reputation can be sufficiently summarized by (believe it or not) a quote from fucking Twilight, where Bella Swan says that it’s the greatest romance ever written because the love Heathcliff and Catherine hold for each other is the only good things about them.

I have to admit-- their romance is incredible. All of their romantic proclamations to each other made me melt. I was highlighting the hell out of their conversations. And the fact that they feel destined for each other in part because they are both so awful makes it better. I love reading about terrible people, and sometimes the terrible people should be in love with each other.

But calling Wuthering Heights a romance really is reductive. I didn’t realize how much the book is misrepresented until I read it.

Wuthering Heights is about race (coincidentally, I discovered this days before the latest casting controversy for the newest adaptation started). Heathercliff is regarded as one of the great gothic figures, and the issue of his race is rarely ever brought up despite being the crux of his character. He was mistreated as a child because he was not white. He is the way he is because of prejudice, not because he is uniquely evil. I almost can’t believe how much this gets erased in any retelling of the story.

Wuthering Heights is also about how the law actively works against women. The threat of bad marriages looms over the leading ladies of the novel. Heathcliff is able to terrorize Isabella, and consequently Catherine Linton, because the law enables him to act how he pleases without any repercussions. He can steal Catherine’s inheritance because the law was not made to guarantee it for her. As one of my edition’s footnotes says: women at this period of time had less rights in England than many enslaved people had in other parts of the world.

That’s where the horror comes from-- not the gloomy moors or the houses, but from how unstoppable a man becomes when he decides to ruin a woman’s life.

Speaking of which, Catherine Linton really needs to be on the list of great gothic heroines. Is she naive? Sure, but she continued to have the audacity to pick fights with Heathcliff even after he ostensibly ruined her life. I love that for her.

Wuthering Heights is a fantastic novel about abuse. It lives up to its hype and more. I love it, and I think you will too.

#me rambling #me reading #wuthering heights #emily bronte #bookish #books and reading #books #bookblr

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elvenbeard · 10 months ago

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Exit Strategy

Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfic

Summary: V finally meets again with Dr. Fuentes, who during their first meeting already seemed very intrigued in his case. With not much left to lose, he takes her offer for an informal appointment - but even so, in Night City everything comes at a price. (Post-Sun-Ending, mostly canon-compliant, Chapter 13/?, 8258 words, Kerry Eurodyne/V - notes at the end) >> Previous Chapter >> Read from the Beginning

Kerry leaned over from the driver’s seat of his car and gently turned V’s head to give him a brief goodbye kiss. V didn’t want it to end, didn’t want to unglue his ass from the passenger seat, or go to that appointment with Fuentes. His hand lingered on Kerry’s thigh too long and gripped too tightly for Kerry to not notice. He had been right. V truly hated hospitals and doctors and anything to do with either.

“Ya sure you don’t want me to come?” Kerry asked with the utmost genuine worry in his eyes.

“Not that I don’t wanna,” V whispered, “But I’ll manage. And you’ll manage.”

He tried to convince himself more than Kerry really, and Kerry’s little grin told him that he knew that just as well. So, he just kissed him once more for good measure.

“I’ll give ya a call as soon as I’m out and I’ll be all yours for the rest of the day. Promise.”

“Okay,” Kerry nodded, beard brushing against V’s lips briefly. Then he withdrew, and V slowly lifted his hand to the doorhandle.

He wasn’t sure how, but somehow, he made it out of the car eventually. Exited the steel and gold colored Guinevre, waved Kerry goodbye briefly as he slowly drove off towards Charter Hill. Then he entered the MedCenter with his heart beating in his throat.

Finding the right name plate on the right room turned into a downright scavenger hunt in the hospital’s endless white hallways that all looked the same. A kind med-tech pointed V into the right direction eventually and opened the door for him. Now he was sitting in a too comfortable armchair in Dr. Fuente’s office. He had been a little early, but she was close to running late. V wasn’t sure if he liked it better that way or not.

His neck was stiff and hurt, partially from the accident still, but also from sleeping on the couch last night, huddled up to Kerry closely. After their pizza had arrived, they’d watched old movies until they both eventually dozed off. Falling asleep to the bad audio of an old action film and Kerry’s soft snoring had been another of those moments he wouldn’t have minded lasting a lifetime.

He pulled up the files on Fuentes again, gave them another quick read. Nix had sent them late last night and V had studied them over breakfast this morning. He had come to the same conclusion as the Afterlife’s resident netrunner: nothing too out of the ordinary with this doctor. At least on the surface.

Isabella Fuentes was born January 19th, 2024, in Puerto Rico. When she was two, the family moved to Tucson, Arizona. She was divorced, had two daughters, both adults around V’s age. One moved to Los Angeles two years ago, the other still studied at NCU. Fuentes herself had come to Night City with a medicine scholarship for the same university back in the middle of the century.

So much to the pretty ordinary basics. But V perked up when he learned that soon after finishing her studies, Fuentes worked for BioDyne for a considerable number of years. During their first meeting she had been quite adamant about not having any loyalties to that particular corporation. Nix was unable to turn up details on why – or how – she left, but that she got out of the corporate world alive after such a long time spoke for itself. BioDyne may not have been as militaristic as Arasaka, but V doubted they just let go of long-term employees without repercussions for either side.

After the end of her corporate career, Fuentes worked for Trauma Team briefly, in the field. She was injured during the time of the Unification war, although not related to war activities. She continued on the administrative side as she recovered and eventually took on her current role at the MedCenter’s neurology department. Ever since the end of the war she’d been exactly there, predominantly helping veterans and contributing to studies in her field. A long and remarkable career so far, even if not nearly as prestigious as it could have been with her prerequisites. V was certain there were parts of her past she would like to avoid talking about, and Nix had offered to dig deeper into some aspects… But for now, V was content with what he had. The rest would be determined by how this meeting went.

It was almost 10:15 at this point, no sign of the doctor still. V took a deep breath and looked around the room. The office was on one of the higher floors of the building. Not overly large or impressive, but it had a decently sized window. The shutters were closed, sadly, otherwise the view across Little China may have been quite beautiful this morning. All light came from some simple embedded ceiling lights, a warm white glow, a barely audible hum. The furnishings were sparse, a large grey desk front and center, two armchairs, an office chair, all upholstered with white synleather. V had uncomfortable flashbacks to Blue-Eyes’ office, but this room was thankfully too narrow for secret floor compartments containing synthetic bodies. The wall to his right was lined with shelves displaying mostly books, documents, and data shards, as well as a few personal items. Some quaint figurines that could’ve been Mexican, but V wasn’t sure. Souvenirs from a trip long in the past. There also were some tiny, colorful flowerpots that looked like they were hand-painted by children, containing even tinier succulents that may have been just plastic. To his left, on the wall opposite to the bookshelves, was a door, but not the one he had entered through. Just when he finished the thought, V suppressed a wince as the door right behind him slid open and a slightly out of breath Dr. Fuentes finally entered her office.

“Please excuse the delay, I had an emergency this morning and my whole schedule is shifted now,” she said, then stopped by V’s side briefly, extending a hand. V got up to shake it.

“Good morning, first of all,” she said, nodding and smiling politely, “I’m happy you’re back. You look better already than last week.”

“Thanks,” V said briefly and sank back into his chair while Fuentes went to open the window shutters, letting in some natural light. She hung her white coat over the backrest of her chair then sat down across from V behind her desk and folded her hands on her lap. Intelligent dark eyes were fixated on him, and V tried not to let his thoughts run too wild just yet with assumptions and theories about potential ulterior motives on her side.

“Alright,” Fuentes said as she had finally caught her breath again, “I suggest we cut straight to the chase.”

“Yes,” V nodded, “Thank you again for taking the time.”

“Of course,” Fuentes nodded, “I have to admit, I have been thinking about you and your case a lot these past days. Even with the limited knowledge I have so far, I still believe I may be able to help. If you are willing to tell me more about your condition now.”

‘Willing’ wasn’t the word V would’ve used. It was more a necessity at this point that he got help.

“I will,” he said, “But only if you can provide me with a certain level of security.”

Fuentes shifted in her chair slightly and frowned, then she opened one of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a tablet. She turned it on and began to search for something on it while maintaining eye contact with V as best as she managed.

“You’ve come here today as my patient. As far as I’m concerned, everything, anything that we discuss, falls under the doctor-patient confidentiality. My contract with the Little China MedCenter binds me to treat your data and information with utmost care and discretion. All data we store is locked away securely, all in accordance with your Trauma Team policy. I can resend you the patient information papers and contracts, although I think most of them you should already have…”

“I care less about the MedCenter than about what you personally do with the information I’m going to give you,” V said, and Fuentes stopped her search, narrowing her eyes slightly.

“I’m not sure what you’re alluding to,” she said, still polite, but shoulders visibly more tense than before.

“Nothing,” V shook his head carefully, “This is just not something I tell every random stranger on the street… no offense, of course.”

He paused.

“If I have to play with open cards, I need you to as well.”

A short, knowing smile flashed across Fuentes’ lips, and again, it was for just a split-second. V had known he was onto something from the first moment they ever looked at each other face to face. The question was not whether or not Fuentes could help him, but if he even wanted her to help him.

Fuentes put the tablet down and leaned back in her chair, brushing a black and grey curl out of her face. The late morning light coming in through the window right behind her framed her in a hazy golden glow, almost as if she wasn’t real, just wishful thinking in a hopeless situation.

“Alright,” she said calmly and nodded, “It is only fair.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then rested her chin on her interlocking fingers.

“I know very well who you are, V. They call you ‘King of the Afterlife’ on the streets. A mercenary with a background at Arasaka’s department for Counterintelligence, and that’s only where the rumors and hearsay begin... Admittedly, I wonder how much of it all is true.”

V wasn’t surprised. He was certain his old Trauma Team records from his time at Arasaka were still stored somewhere. They must’ve come up when the hospital checked his insurance status after the accident. And the hearsay and rumors, well… Didn’t have to pay a fixer much for that kind of superficial intel.

This was not what he had hoped she would open their conversation up with, but it was a start.

“From my experience, telling the truth is the easiest way to make people believe you’re lying,” he decided to say. Fuentes chuckled briefly, then nodded, serious as ever. She looked him directly in the eyes, piercing, trying to read his thoughts. He wondered if she had cyberoptics – probably, as a neurosurgeon, and with her age. Doubtful though whether she had the means to covertly scan his system and biometrics. She wouldn’t be very successful either way, and the little information of him that was on public record he didn’t care about people knowing.

“Is it true you’re one of the best that money can buy?” she then asked with sincerity. Regardless, this time V was at least a little taken aback by how sudden and straightforward the question came.

“And I thought you wanted to help me, not the other way around…”

He leaned back in his chair too now and crossed his legs loosely. Undoubtedly, he was intrigued by this turn of the conversation, but at the same time his guts twisted into a knot.

“I think we can help each other,” Fuentes said, “And we both have a lot to lose.”

“Is that so?”

She smiled sadly, then shook her head.

“No, actually, I lost a lot already. And not even Night City’s best mercenary could bring it back,” she said, voice calm and composed, “But I would be satisfied just with plain revenge as well.”

The fire in her eyes was reignited, the same fire from their first meeting, the same anger Takemura had always spoken with about “restoring his honor” while to V it had always sounded more like a thirst for revenge at the core. Restoring an order that couldn’t be restored when he could’ve, should’ve just turned his back to the Arasakas the moment he had the chance.

Something like that was easy to say for V, of course, who hadn’t dedicated his whole life to a corporation.

And now, Fuentes, mysteriously non-associated with her former employer BioDyne, spoke of revenge. That could only mean trouble, and V hoped not to a similar degree as with Goro and the Arasakas.

“Not a fan of revenge,” he said truthfully, “It rarely solves anything and only creates more problems, usually.”

Fuentes laughed dryly.

“So what, live and let live?”

“Focusing on just living so far has at least brought me further than trying to get back at everyone who ever wronged me.”

“Maybe you haven’t been wronged badly enough yet then. You’re still young,” Fuentes smiled, but her eyes didn’t. V considered her words for a moment. Somewhere in the distance a barely audible announcement droned over loudspeakers, calling doctor so-and-so to room this-and-that. Otherwise, it was eerily quiet in this part of the hospital. No beeping machines, no hectically running people in the hallways. V began to understand why she’d wanted to meet him in her private office instead of an examination room downstairs now.

“Back in April I was shot in the head by my fixer and dumped in a landfill,” V then said, “I think I’ve been wronged a fair amount in my life so far. Although that surely takes the cake.”

He paused for a moment.

“Admittedly, had I had the chance, I’d returned him the favor. Although, I wouldn’t have called it revenge. Justice suits me better.”

Fuentes said nothing for a couple of moments, just studied his face. V could see her thoughts racing, although he wasn’t quite sure about her next move just yet.

“That’s your old injury?” she then simply asked and picked up her tablet again. She pulled up his brain scans and sat it down in the center of the desk so they both had a good view of the screen.

“A degeneration like this is nothing I’ve ever seen caused by a mere gunshot wound,” she said, “Although, I don’t recall someone still standing in front of me and talking normally with an injury as deep and massive in that general area of the brain…”

V’s pulse sped up just slightly when she looked back up at him again, inquisitive and head tilted slightly.

“You were very lucky…”

“’Luck’ doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface,” he said, peeling away at his cast again. The little plastic barrier between his left thumb and index finger was smooth as glass already from his consistent fidgeting with it.

“Was… or rather, is it an infection?” she continued to inquire, “I can imagine, ending up in a landfill barely alive with a wound like that…”

“I guess you could call it that, although not from the cause you assume,” V smirked, suppressed a chuckle. He almost heard Johnny’s disapproving scoff, saw him in the corner of the room leaned against the shelf, flipping him off with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. Almost, not really. Not like he used to be able to.

“You remember the murder of Saburo Arasaka?” he tried to bring himself back into the conversation, out of his head. He wanted to bait the doctor some more, get her intrigued.

Fuentes seemed confused but nodded.

“His son killed him, or so was the conclusion in the end. Although, I remember assassins were blamed for it at first, hired killers. It was all over the news for weeks, until the parade. Then that was all over the news…”

Slowly, it began to dawn on her.

“You were involved in that?”

“Unwillingly, not directly,” V quickly clarified, “But before I explain how this is all connected and important… What do you want from me?”

Fuentes slumped back into her chair slightly and cleared her throat, disappointed almost.

“Would you be open to a job even if it boils down to a simple act of revenge?” she asked, then huffed amusedly, “I never would have guessed to ever ask a self-proclaimed mercenary that question.”

“Yeah, we’re generally pretty amoral people, all the way through to our cold, money-filled hearts,” V said bluntly, and Fuentes cheeks turned a slightly darker shade. She cleared her throat.

“Don’t worry, I’m joking,” V added after keeping her in suspense for at least a little bit, “Whether or not I take a job usually depends on what I can gain from it, so… Tell me the details. I’m listening.”

“You are very different from how I imagined you,” she then sighed, avoiding answering again, “I was surprised the other day already, but I chalked it up to the shock, your medication...”

V shifted in his seat slightly but tried to keep his posture relaxed and open.

“What did you imagine?” he asked.

“I’m not even sure anymore,” she said, “Less strings attached… or rather, different strings altogether.”

“You thought, ‘I’ll just hire someone to solve my problem for me, how complicated can it be’?”

V couldn’t hold himself back, because very often it boiled down to that. Not that he minded it particularly. Fuentes shrugged.

“Maybe,” she said, “In the end, it doesn’t matter. We’re here now and… And if you can help me with my problem, I’m more than willing to help you with yours free of charge in exchange.”

“Money’s not an issue,” V said, as Kerry had reassured him many times before as well. Truthfully, he still hoped he could somehow get out of having to assist her revenge plans, whatever they were.

“Well… regardless, you may not have a choice but help me.”

And here it was, the catch V had been waiting for, as if she’d read his mind.

“Why don’t we finally stop with the games, and you tell me what you want,” he said, no longer hiding his growing impatience.

Fuentes slowly turned to open a drawer on the other side of her desk. She pulled out a small black shard case, somewhat old-fashioned looking. Carefully, almost as if she feared it could shatter, she placed it on the desk and then slowly slid it closer to V without letting go.

“Have a look,” she said, “Far from a professional dossier, I fear, but I hope it helps as a start.”

V reached out to take the case and ejected the contained shard. He knew the model, knew that even if Fuentes had put a daemon or virus on it and this whole meeting was an elaborate trap, his system had enough countermeasures built in to catch it before it could cause any real damage. Not letting his hesitation shine through he inserted the shard into his free neck slot. A handful of files popped up on his interface, indeed not in the quality or as organized as he was used to from his fixers. But it was a more than decent start for the work of an amateur like Fuentes.

He opened a video clip front and center among the files. It was only a few seconds long and looped, showing a man around Fuentes’ age, maybe a bit older. The quality of the footage wasn’t the best, as if illegally captured from a public camera feed. The man wore a dark suit but was otherwise rather non-descript. Light hair, glasses… ironically, the same way Fuentes kept reminding him of Takemura, this man reminded V of Hellman. He had to do a double take, but no, the more often he saw him get out of a Delamain cab and hurriedly walk towards the entrance of what appeared to be a hotel, the more certain he was that this wasn’t Hellman. V skimmed through the other documents attached.

“Nathaniel Sutter,” he said, as he began to read through the files, “The name rings a bell… Not sure why though…”

Fuentes shrugged slightly and shook her head.

“It would surprise me if you knew him,” she said, “He is good at keeping a low profile, always has been. Finding a way to get to him, wherever he is at the moment, would be part of your job.”

“Last known place of residence Palm Street 78, Apartment 3, Charter Hill. Back in March still. Worked at BioDyne as a high-ranking researcher, manager… stopped active work for the corporation five years ago but remains on the executive board until today,” V summarized what he could gather from the files, some of them internal BioDyne documents he was certain were not meant for outsider’s eyes. Others were reports from business magazines, newsfeed articles, and so on, also not his go-to reading material. But he was certain he’d seen the name before somewhere.

“Let me guess…” he said after copying the data over and ejecting the shard again to return it to its case, “He ruined your career and you wanna get back at him as a late revenge, forever leave him in the unknown about what he did wrong?”

Fuentes smiled and shook her head as she took the shard back from V.

“No,” she said, holding the case gently between her fingertips before slowly looking back up at him, “I want his last thoughts to be regret. I want him to know that it was me who had him killed, and that it was for stealing my life’s work for nothing but the furtherment of his pathetic career.”

She spat her words out like venom, her eyes burning with disdain. V was quick to put two and two together. Also, he liked her bravado. He preferred clients that wanted their targets to know exactly why they met their demise over those who wanted him to do all the dirty work to keep their own conscience and hands clean.

“So, I think what you want is justice as well, not revenge,” he said after a short pause.

“What’s the difference, in your opinion?” Fuentes asked, leaning back in her chair again, eyebrows raised and shrugging slightly.

“Revenge is all about emotion,” V said, “You wronged me, so I’ll wrong you back, because I’m pissed or upset or otherwise hurt. Emotions always make things complicated. Justice, on the other hand, is logical. You analyze what went wrong, how you’ve been wronged… and then find an adequate punishment.”

Fuentes chuckled.

“A mercenary or a philosopher?”

“Neither,” V said, “Not really.”

Fuentes had no response to that, only smiled as if something had just clicked into place. V took the opportunity to change the subject away from him again.

“So, you did work on what they’re now marketing as the cure for MS?” he asked and finally Fuentes nodded. She let out a heavy sigh, her eyes drifting across her bookshelves briefly before finding V’s again.

“Of course, in the end, it was all in the name of BioDyne,” she explained, “It had always been a project intended to create great profits for people already a hundred times richer than what six generations of my family ever called their own. But somewhere deep down I was convinced, young and naïve, that regardless it was an innovation that could save the lives of thousands one day.”

“Was he your supervisor?” V asked, once more pulling up the video of Sutter and sending a handful of somewhat decent still frames to Nix for a quick background check. He would’ve loved to dig up some dirt on him himself, but if Fuentes kept her word he’d still be occupied for a while here for further testing and examination of his symptoms.

“We both started at BioDyne almost at the same time, both fresh out of university,” she explained, “He came here from a different city, and we bonded over both being outsiders in NC. Originally, we also shared similar goals, but somewhere down the line something changed.”

“Heard that story a million times before,” V said, exaggerating, but Fuentes just nodded again, knowingly.

“It’s as old as time,” she said, “But it still hurts, looking back… Anyway yes, you guessed right, he ruined my career – but not even in the sense that I was focused on advancing it. My primary goal was furthering my research, helping people. Long story short, something somewhere was going on in another department of the company, and because of it, even though we were ready, we weren’t allowed to publish our work.”

“Marketing schemes?” V wondered aloud, remembering similar ploys from Arasaka. Two departments that didn’t even know of each other’s existence influenced each other’s operations, which caused many frustrations on both sides. A handful of times it had been down to V and his subordinates even to play two departments against each other to test morale and company loyalty. He was sure all big corporations worked similarly on the inside.

“I have no clue,” Fuentes only shrugged, “I just know one night I went home none the wiser, and the next morning all my data and findings were gone because I had complained about the management’s practices.”

“To Sutter?” V asked and Fuentes nodded.

“He was also the only one who had access to my data, knew where I stored some more obscure findings that weren’t even relevant to our research. It was all gone, and I was told to pack my stuff and leave. And to better keep my mouth shut or else I’d never find work in my field again.”

“How long ago was that?” V asked, just to be sure the information Nix had given him matched up with her story.

“Fifteen years this year,” Fuentes said.

“A long time,” V nodded, “Why now the sudden lust for revenge?”

Fuentes smiled sadly.

“Because the cure is out now and people are being helped,” she said, “I saw some first results and findings, read the recent studies they conducted, and everything is working as intended. I don’t care anymore what happens now, as long as I can be sure my work wasn’t in vain.”

V frowned.

“Your work for BioDyne wasn’t in vain then, no,” he said, “What about you helping me though, what timeline of events are you picturing here?”

If she would only help him after he took care of Sutter and then instantly got assassinated by BioDyne agents, V would’ve been used as nothing but a tool once more. That he refused.

“I guess that depends on how urgently you need my help,” she said, “And how invasive my help is going to have to be.”

She finally returned the shard case to her desk, and V noticed now that there were some additional little clicking noises – a secret compartment probably, as she should keep something like that in one.

“Shall we begin with the classic ‘how are we feeling today, Mr. Ezaki?’, or would you like to continue where we left off, with the infection and the gunshot wound?”

The pit in V’s stomach grew as there really was no way to evade the topic anymore now. Fuentes had played with open cards, given him a decent bunch of incriminating information that he may as well use against her this instant if he wanted to. She’d put her trust in him, now he had to do the same.

“I will omit some details here and there, as they’re not relevant to my current situation anymore,” he began slowly, “And I want to protect the identities of some people – and you from knowing too much, too.”

“Of course,” Fuentes said calmly. V took a deep breath and steeled himself to tell his story once more, and once more as well to a person he barely knew.

“How familiar are you with Arasaka’s ‘Secure your Soul’ program?”

“Somewhat, but only on a superficial level,” Fuentes said, “It didn’t work as intended, as far as I know, but I can do some more reading on it.”

“If you need anything, I can also send you some more substantial data on it. It technically isn’t even classified anymore, was all part of the data leaks.”

More or less, at least.

“Sure…” Fuentes said, “Although I’m not sure I can follow why this is important. Wasn’t ‘Secure your Soul’ marketed as a means to speak to the dead, basically? What the engrams were actually used for in the end we’ll not delve into just now, but… You’re alive, most certainly.”

“Yeah… somewhat.”

V sat up straight again, cleared his throat, and began to recount the events that were set in motion at No-Tell-Motel in the early morning hours of April 17th 2077. He left out most details, especially about the hunt for Hellman, Evelyn’s involvement and what became of her. He didn’t mention Alt or Johnny by name and omitted all that happened in Dogtown entirely.

What he told Fuentes about was the Relic kickstarting him back into life, somehow, Johnny’s presence and his engram creeping into his brain. He explained how the Relic 2.0 was supposed to work and that his didn’t as intended and yet even better than imagined by its creator. He tried to explain what happened at Mikoshi, and how he felt like afterwards, ever since… Blue-Eyes he decided not to mention yet, but he touched upon trying varying “therapies”, of which the most recent one had many undesirable side-effects.

Fuentes listened with great attention, rarely interrupted him, and when she did, only to clarify the more medical aspects V touched upon. She noted down his symptoms during his attacks back then and now, and requested access to any of the scans Vik had done during all this time to get an idea of the overall development of his physical and mental state in the last months.

“So, if I’m understanding you correctly,” she eventually said after V had concluded his story, “The V I’m talking to right now, your personality, memories, and so on… is all stored on the biochip as an engram?”

Hearing it spelled out like that by a stranger somehow made sound even more surreal than it was. Or a slap in the face, a reality check V didn’t want or need.

“Can you understand now why this is not something I want to be public knowledge?” he asked, and Fuentes nodded pensively. She leaned back in her chair for a moment, looked up at the ceiling, then returned her attention back to her tablet.

“Your brain scans seemed so normal though,” she said, pulling the images up again as if she needed to be sure, “Well, a mild concussion, but other than that…”

“That’s beyond what I’m able to explain,” V said, “Some of my previous doctors said brain scans could seem normal on the surface, because my body has to be kept up and running somehow. There is some brain activity, but all higher functions are carried out on the Relic. The chip itself undid some of the damage from the gunshot because it tried to mimic, recreate the engram’s brain. I’m not even sure how far completed the process was, but given how easy it was for him to take over in the end, pretty far I guess.”

V's stomach turned at the thought, the memories, the feeling of sheer helplessness as he could only watch as Johnny piloted his body. Wondering still what happened during the times when he was fully blacked out, as Johnny had never been a fan of telling the whole truth.

Fuentes folded her hands on the table again, brow furrowed and studying V’s face.

“Your own engram can’t settle back in the same way… why exactly?”

“The Arasaka-AI I spoke to said the process I underwent couldn’t be reversed. My theory is that, since this specific Relic is a faulty prototype, it simply is incapable of kickstarting another process of rewiring my brain again. Or even if it could, my body has been through too much already to be able to take such radical adjustments.”

“Some radical measures may be needed indeed,” Fuentes said quietly, and V shivered, “But I am taking into account that you’re currently not in good health and we have to be careful. If you’re willing to accept my help still, of course.”

“I would like to hear out your plan at the very least,” V said, not trying to let his desperation show, “And, for my friends’ sake... maybe you can give me your opinion how bad it is. How much time I got left if things go on like they do currently.”

Fuentes nodded, then they both went quiet for a couple of seconds.

“This Arasaka-AI…” she broke the heavy silence, “Did it ever occur to you that it may have been lying about your condition?”

V thought about it for a moment.

“To gain what exactly?” he wondered.

“Not sure, just a thought,” Fuentes shrugged, “An AI created by Arasaka surely would act in Arasaka’s best interests. In this case, discourage you from leaving and carrying all their secrets out into the world.”

V shuddered, hoped that Fuentes didn’t notice it.

“The engram might’ve done it instead of me, had I given up my body,” he said, he hoped, “Besides, it’s a little bit more complicated than that with this particular AI. But that’s none of your concern.”

“Alright,” Fuentes nodded, “As I said, it was just a thought.”

She picked up her tablet again, read through her notes. Then she motioned to get up from her chair, setting the tablet back down, but hesitated.

“May I have a look at the chip?” she asked, still in her chair waiting for V’s okay. He froze.

“Just the slot, examine it externally,” she clarified, made tapping gestures.

V shifted in his seat slightly.

“I’d just… ask you to be careful.”

“Of course,” she nodded, then got up and slowly walked around her desk, past the bookshelves, coming to a halt to V’s right.

“May I?” she asked, smiling, and moving gently, as if she could sense his tension and fear. She probably could, to be fair. She motioned wanting to touch his head and neck, and after another couple of seconds of hesitation V nodded and turned his head away to bare his neck ports. Fuentes put one hand on the back of his neck, the other on his head, gently and slowly turning it to get a good look.

“Is this alright?” she made sure, “If at any point it hurts, let me know.”

“It’s fine,” V said, his voice much quieter and timid than he wanted. His whole body was tingling from tension and anxiety.

Fuentes’ hand wandered from the back of his neck to the ports behind his ear, embedded directly into his nervous system and connecting what was left of him on that chip with what was left of his body.

“This one?” she said, tapping beside the port that contained the Relic, and V shivered, his entire skin covered in goosebumps in an instant. He couldn’t reply.

“Does it hurt?” Fuentes asked gently, “It doesn’t look infected but…”

“Been having issues with these ports since I was a teen,” V explained briefly, “Didn’t take an upgrade well one time and ever since they’ve been prone to act up.”

“I see…” Fuentes nodded, “I bet slotting an experimental biochip in there didn’t improve the situation.”

“No...”

She let go of his head again and moved away slightly to give him space. V took a deep breath and almost reflexively his hand shot up to his neck, brushing over the slots as if to make sure they were still there.

Fuentes leaned against the edge of her desk, her arms crossed.

“You ever take the metro?” she asked after a pause, “Hang out in shady bars and dark alleys?”

“What?” V squinted up at her, hand still covering the Relic.

“I’m just wondering what you’re doing against picksockets,” she explained calmly, but her brow deeply furrowed with worry, “Or in general, any other protective measures you utilize to not have someone come up at you and yank this from your neck.”

V dropped his hand and began to fumble with his cast again.

“Doing everything in my power,” he said quietly at first, but at the same time, anger welled up in him. At his situation, not at the doctor necessarily.

“I’m well aware how risky it is to just step out the front door like a normal person, when my life is far from that. But… what’s the alternative? Lock myself up until I die?”

Fuentes nodded pensively, understandingly.

“You mentioned this therapy you tried… You think the medication has increased this feeling of apathy, of not being able to voice your thoughts clearly? How long since you’re not taking the pills anymore?”

“Just a day,” V said, not exactly happy about the topic change either.

“Do you feel clearer now than you did a few days ago?”

He paused to really think it through. His emotions were all over the place, the last few days had been an intense firework of horrible impressions and new, uncomfortable discoveries. He’d had troubles being honest with Kerry, although, their argument yesterday morning, even if it hurt, had been very straightforward. Much more so than many of the other conversations they’d had lately.

“I… can’t say for sure,” he said, “Maybe. But I’ve had clearer days in-between occasionally, too.”

“Alright,” Fuentes said, then she walked back to her chair to sit down. She looked at V intensely again for what seemed like an eternity. He didn’t recall the last time he felt as naked while being fully clothed.

“Knowing your case a bit better now, I see two main problems. The first: the decline of your physical and mental health. Your deteriorating nervous system, seizures, depression, depersonalization, and so on. That is something I need to examine more closely, put you through some tests. And we have to run a whole bunch of scans, unfortunately. Some we can do today, but others take some time and require planning in advance.”

“Yay, tests and scans,” V said as unenthusiastically as possible, and he didn’t even have to try hard.

Fuentes chuckled.

“I know, you’ve probably been through that a lot with your previous doctors. If you still have their findings available, I’d love to see them, too.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” V said, raising his hand to slow Fuentes down, “But can you tell me like… in general if you have any plan, any idea of how to tackle this already? Just so I know where I’m at.”

In fact, he solely wanted, needed something concrete beyond “we need to do tests” that he could tell Kerry. A sliver of hope, a promise, maybe, that V didn’t need to keep but the doctor. He needed someone else who could take the blame if things went down south if he was being completely honest.

“That would bring me to your second main problem: the biochip continuously taking up a slot in an already strained system while being extremely exposed to external influences,” Fuentes said, “There’s a reason why these slots are not intended for long-term usage, and we rely on built-in cyberware solutions for permanent modification purposes. In your case, you currently have no other choice, of course. But it is still something that should be tackled in the short rather than the long term.”

Fuentes turned the tablet back on and opened V’s brain scans in a program that allowed her to draw onto the 3D-model, visualizing her ideas.

“I should preface this by saying that yes, your case is unique. I’ve never done anything like this before. I have an idea, but I need to do a lot of research and preparations first, still… and you can use that time to prepare everything else you feel you need to prepare… Just in case, if you catch my meaning.”

V swallowed.

“That invasive, then, huh?” he tried to joke to ease the tension. Fuentes smiled sadly. She drew some lines along the backside of the scan of V’s head.

“My current idea is to create a safer container and environment for the chip inside your skull,” she explained, “We can make use of the existing connections… it will have to stay in its port, obviously, but we can pull it inside as a whole and place it roughly here maybe.”

She drew a vertical line along the back of his skull, right at the base.

“The exact spot I’ll have to determine once I have a full scan of your system configuration, nervous system, and so on,” she added, “And yes, the procedure how I’m picturing it right now will be invasive, painful, probably leave scars… but it will contribute to stabilizing the Relic’s overall state, having it in a container actually designed to hold it long-term.”

“I see,” V said, but he struggled to take in the information, even though Fuentes seemed extremely confident and competent in the way she explained and sketched out her thoughts.

“In regard to your deteriorating health, well,” she said after a moment of contemplation, “As I said, I need to run tests first. We need to take as much strain from your body as possible, you need to rest, relax.”

“Easier said than done. There’s an BioDyne executive board member I’ve been asked to kill.”

Fuentes’ face twitched briefly, and she just nodded.

“I know,” she said, voice heavy, “But as I said, there may be no way around it.”

V frowned.

“I think the best way to tackle your health concerns, would be a modified version of the nanobots we used in our studies at BioDyne back then,” she explained, “They’re not the same anymore as the ones utilized in the current treatments, BioDyne heavily controls their usage too. Obviously. But I know for a fact that Sutter kept some of our prototypes to himself, secretly of course. Gloating, and so sure of himself he’d never be discovered.”

V was tempted to ask for a moment what Sutter would keep them for, but with the information he had on him currently, the answer was obvious: to sell them at a huge profit should things ever go awry with BioDyne. Every single person rising high enough in the ranks of a corporation had exit plans like this. Had V not spent his last 6 months at Arasaka high out of his mind most of the time, had he not invested his spare time and money into drugs and random hookups but an exit strategy, he probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Admittedly though, he wasn’t sure where he would be sitting instead, and if he’d be any happier or maybe even more miserable.

“And you could reprogram these prototypes to… reprogram my nervous system, fix all the damages, basically?” V concluded.

“That would be my approach, yes.”

He leaned back in his chair again, rubbed his forehead, his temples throbbing slightly.

“This therapy I tried,” he said, “The one with the bad side effects. I think that one utilized nanobots as well.”

Fuentes tilted her head.

“You think it utilized nanobots?” she asked, “Your doctor didn’t discuss their use with you?”

“It’s… complicated.”

He lowered his hand and looked back at her again.

“Believe me, the less you know about this, the better. But I think I was given something as part of a treatment that I shouldn’t have been given. And I’m not sure how much damage it did. So, I’m a little wary about nanobots reorganizing my brain.”

“Understandable…” Fuentes said tensely, “Well… I can assure you at least that I will not administer anything to you that I did not thoroughly discuss with you before. And have your consent on.”

V nodded weakly, shrugged. Words meant nothing, deeds meant everything.

Fuentes eyes wandered back to her tablet, the 3d model, her notes.

“I wish I had something a little more substantial to offer at this point,” she then said, “I think I could already make a clearer assessment once we’ve run some initial tests.”

V let their whole conversation play in his mind again, trying to think if there was anything left he needed clarification on, anything he forgot to mention that would be important.

“You said that Sutter likely still has the nanobots,” he said, “What makes you so sure that he didn’t sell them years ago?”

Fuentes shuffled slightly, as V seemed to have hit the mark once more.

“Alright, there is one thing I wasn’t entirely honest about,” she said, and V steeled himself for whatever was to come.

“Well, now’s the time to spill it,” he said calmly, “Or I’m out the door.”

Fuentes’ eyes told him that she knew he was bluffing, but she also had to know that this would sooner or later backfire if she didn’t tell the whole truth.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on Sutter with the help of private investigators for years,” she explained, “As I said, he’s a slippery one, always extra sure to cover his tracks... But not impossible to find information on. Right before he disappeared off the face of the earth my P.I. at the time captured the video footage I already showed you, but… that’s just part of the clip. It goes on a bit further.”

“Where’s the rest of it?” V asked, but he knew the answer already.

“Not with me, not here, no,” she said, confirming his suspicion, “I can send it your way via some detours, just in case. But basically, he met with a businessman, and from what my P.I. told me and documented, I’m fairly certain he sold him the bots.”

V sighed.

“Then killing him will only be for your revenge purposes after all and not actually help me…”

Fuentes shook her head.

“No, no. He would still have the blueprints, I’m certain. He has to. He has a special memory chip, almost impossible to trace, that he kept all important data on that no one else should get their hands on.”

“In a ‘sell his nanobots but keep them too’ kinda way?” V asked, and Fuentes nodded.

“He prided himself with being so smart and playing everyone all the time. The chip is, according to him, pretty much unhackable, unretrievable. Killing him would instantly delete the chip’s contents, too, so, no point in doing that.”

“How to get your hands on it then?” V asked, “Cut it out of his body while he’s still alive?”

Fuentes said nothing, only looked down to her lap.

“Fantastic…” V sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Fuentes said, “There’s a reason I didn’t want to start off with this.”

“And you’re still not even sure if there is anything useful on the chip, mind you,” V said, trying to remain calm, “And you’ll still have to construct, reprogram, and get the nanobots working if I can get my hands on the blueprints at all. If I even manage to find Sutter. That is a lot of ifs in return for even more uncertainty.”

“Of course,” Fuentes said quietly, “I can promise you that constructing and adjusting the nanobots to work for your particular condition actually is not as complicated as it sounds. I would need a DNA sample from you from prior to the gunshot wound, but I’m relatively certain your profile is stored in your old Trauma Team records from your time at Arasaka.”

“Probably, yeah,” V said.

“There are means and ways, always,” Fuentes nodded.

“What if there are no blueprints, if he sold them together with the bots?”

“I could look into alternatives… constructing new bots from scratch would certainly take longer. A month or two but given your condition we might not have as long.”

“If I could get my hands on the bots from my therapy,” V suggested, “Could that help?”

Fuentes hummed.

“I would certainly like to take a look at them, yes. If only to tell you what exactly they’re doing and if they could be causing your symptoms.”

V shifted to reach into his jacket’s inner pocket, pulling out a ziplock bag with the pills coming from Mr. Blue Eyes. Fuentes’ expression was almost hilariously confused when he dropped the bag on the table.

“Don’t ask,” he said, “My Ripper thinks there’s nanobots embedded in these pills.”

“Not quite how you’d administer them, necessarily…” Fuentes mused as she picked up the bag and held it up against the light, “They’d have to dissolve over time or otherwise leave the body eventually, as you’d keep adding new ones by taking new pills. Not impossible, but the standard procedure is introducing them via the spine and extracting them again once their task is completed.”

“Everything about this whole situation is a special case,” V said, “I would say ‘I’d love to hear anything you figure out’… but actually, I’m not sure if I really do.”

Fuentes nodded sternly and put the pills away safely in the same secret compartment her shard on Sutter was stored in.

“I will have a look at them later,” she promised.

“Alright,” V said, holding on to the armrest with his healthy hand, “Anything else you can tell me that I need to know?”

“There is… one more thing,” Fuentes nodded, “I know where Sutter is.”

She paused, but V didn’t know what to respond.

“But you’ll still have to figure out how to get to him, I’m… drawing a blank on that.”

V squinted.

“You’re making it sound like he’s on the moon.”

Fuentes laughed weakly and tapped something into the search bar on her tablet.

“Almost.” she said. Then a familiar advertisement started playing on the screen.

*****************

>> Next Chapter

*****************

Notes:

This one has been in the works since January, and chapter 14 is almost done actually, as I let this one here sit and stew a bit in between, dreading the editing xD Ngl, when it comes to the medical stuff I always struggle a bit, because I want it to be realistic, but I also have no clue about much xD I hope this isn't all too long-winded and was still an enjoyable read with some twists and turns as V and Dr. Fuentes try to always keep the upper hand against the other, subtly!

I really wanted to develop the doctor a little bit more, give her an interesting background and shady goals and have those all make sense in the grand scheme of things... Maybe you can already guess where her enemy Sutter's exit strategy led him to, where V has to follow soon? 👀

Next chapter out hopefully soon! :D

Requested Fic Update Tags:

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#cyberpunk 2077 #cp2077 #cyberpunk fanfiction #cyberpunk fanfic #cp2077 fanfiction #cp2077 fanfic #cyberpunk v #cyberpunk 2077 oc #my writing #love is stored in the olive jar

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