#i'll make you properly seasoned food

[orangepeelshortbreadcookies]

OP you're not overthinking things. This is an excellent post. A lot of the points you've made also ran through my mind when I watched the episode, especially the part about Athena. Athena from what we know of her from Greek mythologies, does have being the biggest protector of the status quo and maintaining the social hierarchies as one of her functions. And we've already seen evidence of her petty cruelty last episode from the punishment she exacted on Medusa, yet it still breaks, my heart to see her do the same thing to Annabeth, her daughter, even as upon reflection, that kind of disporpotionate, bizarre discipline makes perfect sense for her character. And we haven't even seen her yet.

Watching the new Percy Jackson episode, and while by no means is the show perfect, I do love how they updated the blending of Greek mythology and the American Gothic for social commentary.

What I mean is Echidna, the mother of monsters, is some respectable-looking vaguely southern white woman who is able to convince the police on the train that three kids shattered a train window and used those institutions to isolate the kids so she can target them and scare them for the chimera's hunt. The way that the police especially treat Annabeth. Now, as a young black girl, she has to know how to ask if they're getting arrested, and gets called out by the police for her tone.

And then, at the St. Louis Arch, we see Grover upset because of the museum, which is basically a monument to Manifest Destiny (literally, there's a shot where the words are in full display in the background). And while they say, "Grover is upset because he doesn't like it when people hurt animals," they explicitly depict America's colonization and destruction of indigenous communities as The Bad Thing. It adds another layer of flavor for the whole "Pan is missing" - it's not just about Climate Change. It's about the extermination of indigenous groups (the centaurs they saw on the train, the reminder that there used to be more of them until humans started killing them). They say "humans" are bad, but they're showing us Western/American colonizers.

Also, a rare yet interesting moment of conflict between Annabeth as a daughter of Athena and Grover as a Satyr. Annabeth insists that the museum's commodifying and glorifying of American colonization is "not what the arch is actually about, it's about architecture and math," but Athena is the goddess who protects social institutions and a patron goddess of the state, law, order, industry, and war. The Industrial Revolution and Western social institutions definitely contributed to colonialism; just saying. We also see in this episode that Athena can be arrogant and cruel - letting a monster go after her own daughter because she was embarrassed.

Anyway, idk. Maybe I'm overthinking this but these were the things that popped out to me on first watch, and now that I think about them more, I would love a continuation of these kinds of themes and tropes in future seasons, if we get them.

[pullthehilt]

Reader is Yuu with an implied family with siblings. Not re-read or edited.

One day you realise that there is just a bit too much food on the table. It takes eating with the others to truly notice, but it starts with Grim complaining.

"We've been eating the same thing for days now!" And you laugh because it's true. After eating it fresh the first day, you tend to pack up and store the rest equally in the fridge and freezer because, yes, it's a lot. Dishes that are soups, or meals that are cooked in the larger pots and pans. Food that is to be served with rice on the side, portions that are bigger than your face. That isn't to say that you had a lot of thaumarks on you as you're just good at making bulk purchases worth it.

Everyone laughs at Grims moping, remarking of how he should be greatful you're feeding him at all. The banter is great.

But you're picking at your packed lunch now.

Why do you cook so much? Why do you reach for the bigger pots and pans? Why are your portions always for more than one?

From the fog of your mind, you see... your kitchen. Or you think it's your kitchen. It's not the kitchen back at Ramshackle, but the one from before Ramshackle. You're bustling around the counter, chatting to a faceless figure by the table, and reaching for seasonings without even looking. You're opening cabinets and finding what you need easily and asking the figure to make some rice to accompany whatever is in that pot. There's the squeals of children and hearty laughter from the other room. And hands, there's a hand at the small of your back and you think it's a motherly touch because how else can you describe the gentle way they press you to the side of their body.

For the next few days you can't eat properly. There's weight at your gut that substitutes for food and you don't make anything more. When your friends come over to invade the living room of Ramshackle, you don't have much snacks to offer them.

Peering into the fridge only reveals the stacks of containers of food you were eating days prior. You're mulling about maybe something you can make for them when,

"Whoa, talk about excess. Grim wasn't kidding." Ace's voice is right behind you.

"Ugh, sorry guys. i don't think I have anything proper to really feed you guys--"

"Is that some sort of egg salad?" Deuce's hand slithers forward to grab at one of the containters. "You have bread?" Nodding you gesture to the other cabinet. "Then I'll snack on this-- Er, if you wouldn't mind."

Epel peers from the doorway. "You don't happen to haf' some meat in 'er do ya?" Your fingers linger, before meekly pulling out a corrisponding tupperware.

"It's a bit stiff though, Epel."

"Hah, I'll jus' throw it on tha' stove or somthing. If it's still tough, I dun' care. Sometimes just gotta eat the greasy foods." He takes the tupperware and slaps it into a pan to heat it up. The aroma of sizzling meat is quick to attract both Sebek and Jack who add to the noise of chatter amongst the others, the former mostly.

You find yourself to the side, watching as they scour through your leftovers, opening and nodding at the meals inside before choosing which to heat up. And it's loud, but not grating. They're navigating through your space with expertice, slipping past each other and peering into cabinets. Jack's making rice and Sebek is counting the plates (whilst also making sounds whenever he sees a chip in the odd one or two). Over the stove Epel and Ace are jerking their hands into the pan, nipping their fingers to the corner pieces of the meat to just 'check if it's ready to eat'. Gathering the spoons and forks, Deuce nibbles on a piece of his egg salad sandwich before disappearing in the living area where everyone is setting up.

The dinner table has been set. You don't feel entirely there, floating to a cushion on the floor as your left overs are bought over to the table plate-by-plate. Everyone sits around you, Grim settled into your lap as he nibbles on a piece of fried fish, and they're passing the dishes around.

You've eaten these things before but you've always eaten them with Grim or alone when Grim takes his naps early. Instead of one set of cutlery scraping at porcelain, there's multiple sets-- a symphony playing to their hunger as they gather more to pile onto their plates.

[luveline]

jadey would you please mind giving us more of kbd!steve this season? xxxx

kbd dad!steve and mom!reader fight over christmas pyjamas, 1.4k

“I don't know what you want me to say.” 

Steve frowns deeply at you. Another haircut, another day more handsome than before, he pulls off everything, but not… 

“Say you like them,” he demands, hooking his thumbs in his pyjama top and pulling it outwards to properly show you the front. 

Steve is wearing Christmas pyjamas. The Grinch from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas in all his scrooge glory grins at you evilly against a red background. The pants are white, patterned by red and green drawings of the Grinch holding a Christmas present. He looks much happier from your husband's thighs than the long sleeved shirt. 

“Babe, they have cuffs. We're gonna be warm all day,” he says. 

“They don't match,” you say, pointing to the Grinch on his leg, who holds a pink gift wrapped in yellow ribbon. “Maybe it's the pink and red throwing me off.” 

His frown turns to a pout, the almond shape of his warm brown eyes at a downturn as he says, “You really don't like them.” 

You crack like a weak walled chestnut over a flame. “I'm kidding! I'm just messing with you, baby, I love them. They're so Christmas-sy. Did you get some for me?” 

His relief is palpable. “I got some for everyone.” 

Steve got matching pyjamas for himself, you, the kids, and Robin. He shows you them from a bag on the kitchen table, where you ooh and aah reluctantly. You love him, love everything he does, but you're finally on your holidays vacation and you'd wanted to spend as much of it sitting down as possible. Not that sitting down is possible at home, but you digress. 

Steve senses your reluctance with a grumble pressed into the back of your neck, his arms grabbing you from behind. “Alright, I get it! You hate me and your kids and you hate Christmas most of all, whatever. I should've married Tammy Thompson.” 

You laugh and lean forward over his arms. “Tammy Thompson wouldn't have wanted a thing to do with you, H, on account of you being a cruel, know-it-all narcissist who forces his exhausted wife off of the couch at every opportunity he–” 

“Alright, that's enough.” 

Steve squeezes you until you're pleading with him to let you go, a riot of giggles forced from your lungs as he digs his hands into your sides, his fingers practically drilled into your ribs. You call for mercy and he ignores it, muttering about narcissism in your ear. He laughs as you laugh, can't keep up the act. 

“Beg for me to stop,” he says. 

“Stop!” you say, trying to pull his arms off of your stomach. “Steve, stop it!” 

“Say you'll wear the pyjamas.” 

“Steve! I'll wear them! Would you–” 

“Get off of her!” Bethie shouts, barrelling into the room to push at her dad's legs. 

It's so unlike Beth to shout that you both immediately stop fighting. For a split second, you think she's worried that Steve was actually hurting you, but then she laughs as she punches him in the thigh and sticks herself between your breathless bodies, two small arms extended to keep you apart. 

When she's sure Steve is done, she wraps her arms around you, looking up into your face with a big smile. “Saved you, mom.” 

“You saved me,” you agree, bending down to hug her, “thank you, sweetheart, thank you.” You drop tens of kisses into her hair and face, so many that Steve makes a show of huffing.

“Beth, she deserved it,” he says. “She doesn't wanna wear our matching jammies. Don't you wanna do that?” 

She looks at him with those big sorry eyes only young children can master. “Yeah, dad, but…” 

“But what?” 

“But she's my mom.” 

You pull one of the kitchen chairs out and sit down, patting your lap for her to climb up and sit with you. “But I'm her mom,” you sing-song, ever so slightly smug. 

“And I'm, what? Cat food?” 

“Don't listen to him, baby, he's just jealous.” 

Steve turns away from you both, showfully miffed. Bethie giggles and turns into your chest. “He's mad,” she laughs. 

“So mad.” You drop your nose into the side of her cheek. 

“Are we still having a treat tonight?” she asks. 

“Of course we are. It's Christmas! Mom's home, daddy's catching up on his sleep, we're all having cake and ice cream and chocolates until we can't eat anymore,” you promise. 

“Wish you were home all the time.” 

“Me too, baby,” you say, rubbing her cheek with the tip of your nose slowly. “I wish you could come to work with me. That would be so fun. But we have to make the most of our time away, yeah? Let's have lots and lots of fun.” 

“I saved you,” she says, “so maybe I can have extra cake.” 

“Beth. You can have as much as you want tonight, I promise.” 

“I love Christmas,” she decides. 

Steve rushes back into the kitchen with a child under each arm. Dove laughs, her eyes practically sparkling, not a care in the world though she's upside down, and Avery clings to Steve's waist, shouting, “Dad, put me down!” through nervous giggles. 

“Tell mom what I told you,” he says. 

“Dad, I'm slipping!” 

“Avery, you're not slipping. I'm frankly insulted that you think I would drop you. Now tell your mother what we said.” 

“Daddy's not a nar-pasit!” Dove says joyfully. “He's a sweetheart.” 

“He's a huge narcissist,” you correct in a similar tone. 

“He's dropping me!” Avery cries. 

Steve shakes her until she screams. “I am not! For Christ's sake, I can curl you like two pound weight, you delinquent! Now.” He takes a deep, fake breath, pulling the two girls higher into his armpits. “Like we rehearsed.” 

“I did my turn,” Dove says, reaching out for you, her smile hard to miss even if she is upside down..

“Dad didn't even want to marry that lady,” Avery says, her eyes squeezed closed. Steve chuckles and kisses her head, amused by her silly worry. “He's only ever wanted to be in love with you. And to drop me.” 

Steve chokes he laughs so hard, leaning forward and depositing the eldest girl onto two steady feet. “Perfect as always, Ave. And you!” He twists into a shape, Dove's head getting closer and closer to the floor. She couldn't be happier, giggling like she's been tickled the whole while. “You did perfect too, honey.” 

“I didn't even bring up that lady,” you say. 

Steve and Dove return back to the right way round after some careful manoeuvring. “My bad. Babe. Y/N. I'm sorry, okay? I'm a loser and–” He nudges Dove aside gently to take your hands, your knees, ignoring Beth where she's in the way to kneel in front of you. “I just need you to want to wear these pyjamas as bad as I want you to. So pull it together.” 

You put your lips to the shell of Beth's ear. “Should we forgive him?” 

“Mmm…” Beth points at Avery. “He has to say sorry for almost dropping Avey.” 

“Right.” You nod sagely. 

Steve turns to Avery with wide eyes, “You're not actually upset, are you?” he asks, putting out his hand to her. 

“My brains are like cranberry sauce,” she says. 

He raises his eyebrows, delighted. “Yeah? The thick one from the can?” 

Dove climbs under his arm. He pulls her in for a cuddle unthinkingly, but just as quickly she's ducking away from him to walk up to Avery, reaching for her face. Avery leans down obligingly. 

Dove pokes her forehead. 

“I'm not really jelly!” Avery says, giggling. 

“Well, I'm sorry if I scared you almost dropping you,” Steve says, holding his hands together, brown eyes like melting sugar in his pleading. “Can you please forgive me, so mommy will forgive me, and we can put on our new jammies?” 

Avery isn't stubborn. “Yeh, okay. I'll forgive you.” 

He smiles, turning to you now for the final verdict. 

“I already said I'd wear them, Steve,” you say with a grin. 

“Oh. Good. Alright.” He climbs to his feet, split from cheek to cheek. “I'm gonna go get the baby. Aw, shit, and the camera. Practise your poses until I come back, angels!”

[ilikepjo24]

On Octavian ruining Percy's panda pillow pet...

Now, I thought this wasn't even a serious thing that needs to be addressed but I just finished arguing with someone over this, so apparently it does need its own meta.

So, the take we're debunking today is "Octavian is mean/evil for ruining Percy's pillow pet".

The thing about this pillow pet is that Percy was homeless for six months, he had to steal to survive and fight off monsters every single day, a task that was getting harder and harder every day, all while he remembered nothing. He only had his name. He didn't have friends, a home, a family, a safe place, a purpose, something that can get people by so that they don't just give up when struggling every day for no known reason with no known end goal gets too much.

During those months, his panda pillow was the one single form of comfort and familiarity he was granted. A small mercy if you will, to help get him through this. Although many people downgrade, poke fun off, and affectionately ridicule his relationship with the panda pillow pet, it was definitely something meaningful. Like the first participation trophy you got for participating in a competition for fun, only to realize you really like that activity and get hooked on it. Sure, the trophy does not indicate any real talent or success in itself, but to you it's the starting line for something you genuinely love. And to Percy his pillow pet has value because of it's emotional worth.

Which is why it had to be sacrificed.

I'll explain why soon enough, but for now, hold that thought I put in your head just now while I add a second idea there too.

This isn't talked about in the books, but it's something Uncle Rick made sure to address in the show. As Chris Rodriguez worded it: The gods love the smell of beging.

In Camp Half-Blood, when meal time is over, demigods throw the remaining of their food into the fire as a sacrifice and pray to the gods. In the show it was specified that it's better to sacrifice a portion of your favourite food, because if the gods see that you're willing to sacrifice your own comfort (even if it's just in the form of your favourite food) just to please them, they are more likely to answer your prayer. Once again, as Chris said, they love the smell of begging. And the more you beg, the more you're willing to sacrifice, the further you're willing to go, the better.

So Greek gods like it when you pray by sacrificing your food, and to an extent, your comfort. And the Roman gods like it when you sacrifice a life.

Which is why auguries became a thing. Of course you're not gonna see the future in the guts of an animal just because. The gods will grant you spoilers for the next season if you kill the animal because it will make them feel flattered to see that you're so desperate for their help that you'd rip out the soul of a living being in their honor just to get their attention.

However, Rick is writing books for tweens and teens. He can't just have animals being slaughtered left and right, especially for the purpose of feeding the gods' narcissism. So what can he do to make the situation a bit more pg 13? Remove the slaughtering of animals. And how will auguries be performed then? By sacrificing something else that has value. Emotional value.

It's quite logical to assume that the stuffed toys Octavian uses in his auguries are really expensive or collector's edition or handmade or are someone's childhood companion that they donated. The gods wouldn't just let you have information about the feature when all you gave to them was a sacrifice worth 1$ that you could even fish out of the trash.

Now I want you to hold on to that too and knit it together with the other thought I told you to hold on to, got it? And if you do that part of the process properly you should get to the conclusion that the best sacrifice available at the moment to get the gods to tell you how they feel about Percy joined the legion was Percy's panda pillow pet that he is so deeply emotionally connected to.

Octavian did not ruin something Percy loved for kicks. He didn't even know him yet, there's no way he had any type of malicious feelings towards Percy yet. He was just doing his job. The job Reyna tasked him to and the job Hazel told him to do during their conversation. And that was to read Percy's augury (which wasn't an augury bc Octavian is a haruspex but that's irrelevant right now). He wasn't actively trying to soil Percy's mood and ruin his day just to be the evil villain. He was just doing his job.

Thus proven.

[anachronismstellar]

Another day another scene from >Airplane vs The System< fic.

Should I post this on Ao3? Maybe, but that sounds like a Commitment(tm), and I'm pretending this is not a full fic lol so I'm posting here like is just a silly thing

There is a reference to another fun robot from a very good game released in 2007, if you get it I'll love you forever ❤️ fjsjskdjsk

Also, if you squint you can catch my fav mxtx baby showing up as a guest :D

TW: The System being a bully and uh torture? Nothing like canon tho

Hope you like it~!

----

Mobei-Jun became aware of himself slowly, like the first snow of the season. He wasn't able to feel his body, but his mind was there, commanding his fingers to bend, his head to turn left and right. Not that he had much to see, encased on an infinite white that made his eyes water.

Another thing that took too long to remember was how he ended up in such a situation. It was like trying to catch a slippery fish, the memory swimming away from him in the middle of a river of pain.

The only thing that kept him grounded was the memory of warm brown eyes and ink stained fingers. Shang Qinghua's face was a constant flash on Mobei-Jun's mind, but something kept making him flinch, there was something wrong with their last encounter, something that he couldn't-

“Oh, you're awake. Welcome Character_s201,” the Thing that looked like Shang Qinghua appeared in front of him, wearing something that seemed to be An Ding Peak robes, but didn't layer properly, as if the fabric kept melting against itself when the Thing moved.

Not that It moved much, it was like watching the shadow version of Qinghua, the Thing so still It looked like a doll. Mobei-Jun had faced many monsters throughout his life, none that actually chilled him to the bones such as the creature in front of him.

“There's no need to be scared, I won't hurt you,” It said as if It wasn't keeping Mobei-Jun bound to the wall, holding him so tight he could barely breathe. “You are here to complete a set of experiments to gather data. After the experiment, food will be provided, and you will be released.”

He said nothing back, focusing on keeping his eyes wide open. Could it be a shapeshifter? It would make sense, although no shapeshifter he had met behaved like that, they usually did their best to imitate their original forms to not attract suspicion. And a shapeshifter capable of knocking him out would be able to copy Qinghua's eyes.

A beat of silence passed between them, neither of them blinking. Then, as if It was seeing something to the side, it nodded, waving Its hand before changing forms right in front of Mobei-Jun.

Again, Mobei was an experienced demon. He had seen shit, as Qinghua would say, before even becoming Junshang's right hand. And after getting his title of Junshang's right hand, his encounter with weird creatures increased by leaps and bounds. He had seen shape-shifting done by different creatures and by magic, but nothing that could compare to what the Thing did.

It was like watching Junshang create a portal with Xin Mo, but instead of a tear in space and reality, it exploded in tiny multi-colored shards of glass, regrouping itself in a glimpse, the outfit now a neutral green and gray with accents of gold. Its face kept Qinghua's rounded shape, but the hair was mostly down, a small bun on top of Its head being held by a golden crown. The only thing it had kept the same were the eyes, still poison green that made Mobei's skin tingle as if a thousand fire ants were crawling over his body.

“Apologies for creating discomfort. Is this avatar more comfortable for interacting, Character_s201?”

Again Mobei kept his mouth shut. Whatever that thing was, it didn't want Mobei's comfort. He didn't believe in Its honeyed words either, what experiments? Was It going to torture him? What did It actually want?

“Character_s201 experience cannot be improved without proper feedback. Should I undo the avatar change?”

It was like he was listening to the words but couldn't grasp the meaning behind them. The most terrifying part was that the Thing sounded like Qinghua and Consort Shen when they thought no one could hear them. Was that the connection? Was this thing after Consort Shen? Or-

“Wh-” He tried to ask, the metallic taste on his mouth making him cough. The Thing approached, offering a ceramic cup with what seemed to be water, but Mobei wasn't stupid. He turned his face sideways, the movement bringing a searing pain to his neck, nausea and dizziness forcing him to close his eyes.

“There's no need for Character_s201 discomfort. Character_s201 health is important to not skew data results.” It insisted, grabbing Mobei-Jun's face, pressing the cup against his lips until he drank the liquid. He felt feverish, doing his best to spit on the Thing's face, but It did something to his tongue, as if it could control Mobei's body. He swallowed, the water healing his scratchy throat, but at what cost? It could have given him poison, or a truth serum, or-

“Water is important for Character_s201 maintenance. Now, Character_s201 experience cannot be improved without proper feedback. Should I undo the avatar change?”

Mobei-Jun felt himself sag, his wrists and legs burning as they held his weight. He was falling right into Its trap, spending his energy faster, becoming weaker.

“What's… An avatar?” He asked instead of physically fighting, but keeping his glare on the Thing. Which was good, because as soon as he asked, the Thing blinked, possibly for the first time since they had started talking, as if It had been caught by surprise by Mobei-Jun's question.

“An avatar is a graphical representation of a user, the user's character, or persona.” It explained after Its eyes flashed, blinking a couple of more times. “It's what Character_s201 would call my appearance.”

“It's fine,” Mobei-Jun grunted, agreeing with whatever nonsense the Thing was asking. Better a stranger than Qinghua's face, for sure.

“Understood. Avatar preferences updated. Now, shall we proceed?”

For the second time, the Thing pressed Its thumb against Mobei-Jun's demon mark, making the world around him plumb into darkness.

----

OK off I go to sleep now lol byeeeeee

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} The Homescreen Voice Lines Vault

Collection of all the voice lines I have translated on my Twitter account. Uploading it on here for archival purposes.

Note: A lot of them were made to fit the Twitter character limit, sometimes they're a bit freestyled.

Mostly Raito oriented, with some others thrown in the mix.

Chihiro: Raiting, you spend a lot of time watching vids, don'tcha~ What channels got you hooked?

Raito: Let me see, channels all about information over ramen and the occult stuff like Muu☆Tan's are vital to me.

Raito: Kuguri, you can do what you want but, have you considered to stop sleeping naked from time to time? No doubt you'll catch a cold.

Kuguri: I'd prefer for you to leave me be. A certain Someone who can't properly wake up in the morning has no right to police others on how they sleep.

Raito: According to this scripture of taboos that I procured on my own, it appears that Pandora's Box will open up again soon. The theory of hope remaining at the bottom is plausible but, let's just wait and see...

Akuta: Uugh... I can't... I can't go on like this anymore.... Raito-san, please do the usual thing again tonight!!

Raito: A hopeless guy, aren't you... Got it, I'll take care of you. I will... feed you the best late night ramen that there is.

Netaro: Raito~! Trouble's afoot! There's hearsay of a unfamiliar flickering luminant body appearing behind the dormitory~!

Raito: What!? An unidentified flying object, in other words!? We must unravel its true identity! Let's go right away, Netaro!

Kuguri: Sometimes Nanaki looks at me cutely and pleads for advice on composing music. Well, my involvement is limited to hearing him out and giving a nudge, however.

Kuguri: I don't disagree with your way of living, Ten... It smells sweet, exclusively so. How about we go on a drive together again sometime.

Ten: Aha, it's an honor to get invited by someone like Kuguri-san~ I don't mind the kinda relations where you stay outta each others affairs either.

Chihiro: Geez~! Taotao, you play Anigun way too much! Didn't you like promise you'd go shopping with Chii today! And here I sat looking forward to it~!

Tao: Sorry. To think there'd be an event out of nowhere... I'll buy you some pudding as apology. So let's go shopping. Okay?

Akuta: Like, during flower viewing... adults do /that/, right... Y'know... the thing... s- s- s- strip rock paper scissors....!

"yakyuuken" is a Japanese game on based rock paper scissors, where the loser ends up stripping.

Akuta: Ten-san, I heard you talking to a woman on the phone earlier, but is she for real... wrapped around your finger!? Like both hands all over a beaut and...!

Ten: Aha, the hell man. Don't slander me. She's just a plain ol' friend. Maybe you're still too young for this though~?

Akuta: That freakin' Kiroku, he put a kinda bracelet that girls would wear in his desk. Ah, wonder if he's like also doing the do with her...

Ushio: Oi Stupidtake, record what I make all you want but don't snatch food while i'm not looking. You itching to get banned or something?

Akuta: Geh... got caught, huh... I regret my actions! Please spare me from being exiled! Oh great god from heavens above Ushio-samaaa~!

Nanaki: Kugunii, come over whenever you feel like it again. I'm sure Dad, Mom and Big Bro all are eager to see you.

Kuguri: Perhaps so. ...I'll go if the mood strikes me.

Nanaki: Spring is the season of encounters, huh... I already have crossed paths with my G.O.A.T though.

GOAT: Gen Z slang, means "Greatest Of All Time".

Ushio: Listen Murakumo-san, I know you're fooling around, but can you please refrain from putting any weird ideas into the younger guys' heads?

Ten: Oh-hoh~ look at you sounding all cool there. Dunno what you mean with "weird ideas" though.

Ushio: ....I curse the freaking guy who dared to use my shampoo without permission to go bald from losing 10 hairs every second...!

Ryui: Toi, your hair's sticking out. Here, sit still. I'll fix it to make it pretty.

Toi: Wah... Thank you dearest Big Bro. My beloved Big Bro really is the coolest in the whole wide world... My heart's skipping a beat...

Toi: A mature seductiveness like Yodaka-san's... How can i end up having that too? I'm jealous, you see.

Yodaka: Fufu, but Toi. Don't you have your own kind of charm that I lack. I admit I'm also envious on that front.

[fragolar]

Secrets of the Forgotten Realm || Geralt Of Rivia - The Witcher

Greetings, It's been a while, specifically more than a year. My fixation for Geralt of Rivia has been re-awakened. And no. Before you ask, I will not watch the fourth season. I didn't even watch the second, since I come from the videogames and books. I'll try to make this a series, but also each chapter would be conclusive on it's own for those who like stand alones.

Summary: As Geralt continues his search for Ciri, he finds himself drawn to the secluded Amell Mountains, rumored to house a kingdom unknown to most. Guided by tales from Jaskier, Geralt ventures to the remote ruins of the mountains, where he encounters the enigmatic Princess Lexa Mor'wena, secret daughter to the absent King Ardan Mor'wena, who's on an expedition. As Geralt's curiosity is piqued by the mysterious princess, he embarks on an unexpected journey, his path becoming intertwined with Lexa's in ways he never imagined.

/mɔːrˈwɛnə/

Every step felt like a stab in the ribcage. Amidst the thick, intense mist, the Witcher finally understood why no one ever attempted to search for the lost kingdom. It was intense, the path uneven, long. The humidity making it hard to properly breathe.

Which, after all, wasn’t so lost. Simply hidden, enclosed by rough bark and dense leaves that deprived it of light.

Fatigue weighed heavily on his shoulders, his feet ached, and his mare was restless.

“What's wrong, Roach? Are you tired?” he asked. She snorted, clearly not amused by this journey. “Alright, alright. We’ll stop for a bit... Look, there’s a spring nearby. You’re thirsty, aren’t you?” His hand went to stroke her muzzle.

Once they settled down to rest, sleep began to take over; Geralt was exhausted. And so they spent the night, lighting a small fire, eating the little food they had left from hunting, and finally falling asleep in the middle of the forest.

Grave mistake. Upon awakening, Geralt's eyes weren't greeted by the now familiar leaves but to cement. Alertness jolted through his body, making him spring from the floor to dissipate the confusion. He was in a cell - a quite claustrophobic one, too. "Oh, the White Head is awake." A disinterested mumble reached Geralt's ears, making his eyes dart to the source. A guard stared at him, amused, before speaking again. "Hey, White Bunny, what's your business up in the woods? Don't you know scary wolves roam around? You're lucky that we found you before they did." Geralt scoffed, shaking his head slowly. "I wouldn't worry about a couple of wolves who bark." The guard frowned but quickly recomposed himself. "I asked you why you are here. Don't make me repeat myself a third time." "What would happen if I did?" Geralt was amused, no denying that. "Important personal matters, I'm searching for a girl." "Girl? The Princess?" Geralt raised an eyebrow, his thoughts briefly drifting to Ciri. Did they know her? "I'm looking for someone," he clarified, hoping to avoid more suspicion. "What's your matter with the Princess? How do you know about her?" The guard pressed. "No harm. Let me see her, and I'll go. King Ardan wouldn't treat an old acquaintance this way." The guard's expression grew increasingly perplexed. From his perspective, not only did this stranger know about Princess Lexa Mor'wena, but he also claimed familarity with King Ardan. Panic began to set in as the guard realized he might have severely mishandled the situation. If the King learned how badly he had treated a known guest, he would be in deep trouble.

"You must be the White Wolf my men found sleeping in the forest with his horse." The woman spoke calmly, seated on her throne. Geralt was kneeling in front of her, feeling a mix of disappointment and surprise. King Ardan had a secret daughter, a Princess unknown to the outside world. This explained why the King could leave his Kingdom for extended periods without fear of attack. There was always someone to rule in his absence. And Ciri was nowhere to be seen. "Are you perhaps the Butcher of Blaviken?" Geralt's head lifted up, not expecting to hear such an old name. Upon his expression, the Princess continued. "I’ll take your silence as an affirmation. I have never seen a Witcher before, let alone the Butcher-"

"Princess Mor’wena, I’d rather be called Geralt of Rivia."

She smiled amused, resting her cheek on her palm as she leaned on the throne armrest. "My guard said you were searching for me. How did you even know?"

"It’s a different kind of a princess, I’m searching for. I didn’t know about the King having such a pleasant surprise, however. I’m not complaining."

"Pretty words won’t get you anywhere Geralt. Are you talking about the promised child?" How much did she know? And why didn’t Geralt know anything? "I’m getting tired of your loud silence. Let us discuss after having lunch. You probably are starving."

Geralt rose from his kneeling position, his expression remaining neutral, then he gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. "I appreciate your hospitality, Princess," he said, his voice husky. "I have many questions, and I'm sure you do too. Lunch sounds like a good place to start."

As they walked to the dining area, Geralt remained observant, his sharp eyes taking in the surroundings and the demeanor of those around him. He kept a polite distance, his movements measured, showing respect but also an underlying readiness for any potential threat.

After a moment of silence and finally seated while attending their food, he asked, "What do you know of the promised child?" His tone was curious but cautious, seeking to gather information without revealing too much of his own vulnerabilities.

"Not much. My Father had told me about your unfortunate accident." Lexa looked at him. "I guess you learnt how to stay silent during the years."

Geralt was weirdly amused by how pungent she was, just like her father, but she was much more unfiltered. She seemed to not care how strong he truly is, or how impacted she could be from the way she spoke to him.

A spoiled child with a gold crown on her head. Geralt smirked to himself. "What's her name?" "Cirilla." "A nice name." Lexa began to drift off topic. "Did you choose it?" "She's not my child-" "Not biologically and yet..." "Princess, careful." His voice growly, warning her. A shiver of excitment running down her spine. "I may appear friendly, but I'm not here for fun."

"So the White Wolf would try to bite?" Lexa provoked. "He'd devour." His yellow eyes looked at her, knowing well what she was doing. And she looked quite pleased with his threats, something promising behind those words. Next part.

[kouchabu-archive]

Hajime Shino 4☆ Feature Scout 2

Title: President Grass and Pizza

Writer: Suika

Season: Summer

NOTE: I EXPLICITLY PROHIBIT USAGE OF ANY PART OF MY TRANSLATIONS ON ANYTHING THAT RELATES TO AI.

-----------

Rinne: (Hehe, today’s my lucky day!)

(Who knew I'd bag a big win in the slot machines today! Ain't that enough to make up for my losses this month?)

(I thought that of course I'd come home and celebrate, but I pro'lly got carried away and bought too many ingredients.)

(Well, not that I need to worry about leftovers when Niki's right there.)

(I gotta get back quick and let Niki—… Hm? That guy over there is…)

Hajime Shino-kun from Ra*bits, ain't it?

Hajime: Amagi-senpai? Hello~

Rinne: He~ya. Thrillin' to know that you remember this li'l ol' me's name.

So, what're ya hidin’ in the grass for? Up to somethin’ sneaky?

Are you buryin’ treasure or somethin'? Ya look like a little puppy digging like that~

Hajime: Oh, no. I just came to pick these up.

Rinne: Huh. Your bag has…some leaves and grass?

Hajime: That's right! I got quite a lot of them ♪

Rinne: Pickin' up wild grass, huh… Why?

Hajime: ? I'm going to eat them, of course?

Rinne: ………Ah, I got it. I can see what you're up to now.

That's for a TV show, isn't it? You should've told me earlier~

Hajime: Oh, this isn't for TV though? It's just that I got a craving for it since it's been a while since I ate these so I went here and got some.

Rinne: ………………

(From what I remember, aren't Ra*bits supposed to be a popular unit?)

(Well, not as much as UNDEAD or Akatsuki from the same agency but… each member seems to be goin’ strong in their own way, right?)

(So to see him here picking up grass like this… Never thought they're in deep shit that they can't even properly keep their stomachs full.)

'S that so? But ain't Seisoukan fully stocked with food? There's also lots of snacks in the ES break room, yeah?

If you're havin' trouble finding something to eat, ain't those better places to search in?

If anyone sees their precious idol foraging for grass in a place like this, that's not really a good look with the public, y'know?

Hajime: Trouble finding something to eat…?

Ah, no! You've got it wrong! I'm not gathering grass like this because I'm having trouble with money!

When I got on the phone with my family, we happened to talk about how we used to eat grass a lot when I was younger.

And then I just suddenly craved that nostalgic taste so I came here to pick these up. I normally eat properly, so please don't worry that much about it~

Rinne: Oh, so that's it? You made me uncharacteristically nervous for a sec there.

Hajime: I'm sorry for making you worry.

Rinne: Nah, don't mind it. My fault for jumpin' to conclusions so fast.

In fact, those grass growin' out there are delicious too. I also used to forage for them back when I was a li'l boy so I get ya, Hajime-kun.

I even used to go to the mountains to pick up some edible wild plants.

Thanks to that, I got some basic stuff down when it comes to edible grass. This one and this one can be eaten. This one's not. This one's edible too, but it's not really good.

Hajime: Wow! You didn't miss any! You're really knowledgeable about them!

Rinne: Hehe, told ya right? This ol' me won't ever lie ♪

This one's tasty if you blanch it a little. And this one's something that only Niki could munch on.

Hajime: Huh?! Shiina-senpai can eat this? I had an upset stomach when I ate this one by mistake.

Rinne: Yeah, same here. After eating it, I felt like dyin' the next day—couldn't move at all. But that guy's all fine and dandy.

Maybe it's got somethin' that only his stomach can digest. He's the one who cooked it, after all.

Hajime: Shiina-senpai is really good with cooking, isn't he? ♪

Rinne: Yeah. That guy's real good with his hands when it comes to food. Everything he makes is delicious. When I get home, I'll have him cook for me; that's why I got a lot of stuff here with me.

Hajime: Oh, that's indeed a lot. Let's see… Cheese, ketchup… There's also salami and basil… Are you planning to make pizza?

Rinne: Spot on ♪ Niki's pizza's always bangin', y'know? I end up eating too much if I don't watch it.

Hajime: Fufu, that's wonderful! Are you celebrating something today?

Rinne: Celebrating? No, not really…

Hajime: Huh? Is it okay to eat pizza on a normal day?

Back in my home, I was taught that pizza is a treat that you only eat on special occasions.

Rinne: Oh, is it now?

My bad, my bad. You're right, Hajime-kun. Of course, today is a special day~

And it's somethin' so important that we can't ever, ever forget about! None other than President Pizza's birthday!

Hajime: President Pizza's birthday?! I never knew about the existence of someone that great!

Rinne: You don't know him, Hajime-kun?! Man, that's really, really bad.

Hajime: W-What's wrong with it…?

Rinne: When it's President Pizza's birthday, everyone's gotta feast on some pizza.

If you only knew about it today, then I guess Hajime-kun never got to eat anything these past years, huh…

If that's the case, then it ain't good if you don't eat all those years' lost servings of pizza…

Hajime: All those years' lost servings of pizza… Are you saying that I should eat 17 years' worth of them?!

Rinne: Ah, then what I have here won't be enough. I gotta get back and grab some more ingredients, huh…

Hajime: I can't possibly eat that much!

Can't you do something to help me?! If I eat that much pizza, I'll end up hating it!

Rinne: Pfft… Ha…

Kyahahaha! Your reaction's takin' me out, Hajime-kun!

Hajime: This isn't a laughing matter! Uuu~ what am I supposed to do now?

Rinne: Don't ya worry your pretty li'l head. I was just messin' with you. That's a lie.

Hajime: A lie..? From which point was it a lie?

Rinne: Everything startin' from President Pizza's birthday.

Hajime: So, uhm… I don't have to stuff myself full of pizza until my stomach explodes?

Rinne: Yup. President Pizza doesn't exist.

Hajime: T-Thank god…

Rinne: I didn't expect you'd just take all of that without even questioning me.

You gotta put it in your head to suspect people a little more from now on, 'kay? Shino "Majime"-kun~ ♪ [1]

Hajime: Geez, you're so mean to deceive me like that, Amagi-senpai! You really scared me back there!

Rinne: Come on, sorry for bein' like that~

Oh, got it. As an apology for messin' with ya, lemme treat you to some pizza.

Hajime: …Are you sure you're not lying this time?

Rinne: Kyahahaha! Talk about a fast learner! Ya immediately got on your toes and suspected me! You take things so seriously. You really are Majime-kun, huh?

Hajime: M-My name is "Hajime"!

Rinne: Yessir~ Come on, let's bounce back home and have a feast! ♪

And while we're at it, let's use those grass you picked and make some wild grass pizza!

Hajime: W-Wah, please don't just drag me around, Amagi-senpai!

-----------

Translation: Sophie

Proofreading: Ara

NOTES:

[1] “Majime” / まじめ = lit. means as a person who’s earnestly sincere and honest, and therefore takes things seriously at its face value. It’s a syllable off Hajime’s name, which makes it funnier given how Rinne has a penchant for giving silly nicknames to people he encounters.

Also can I just point out how Hiiro, who’s actually Hajime’s classmate and therefore theoretically closer to him, calls him “Shino-kun” (last name) while Rinne calls him “Hajime-kun” (first name) right off the bat. I just think his shamelessness is hilarious LOL

[qwoomby]

Wine Valentine - Ammon story pt.1 & pt.2

The day after The Valentine's party ended successfully.

While I was resting in my room I remembered the time I spent with Ammon...

A few days ago a party was held at Grosvenor's house...

I was visiting a party venue that Ammon and the others were preparing.

Ammon: So..! Will the wall decorations look like this?

You: Things are going well, aren't they?

Ammon: That's right. We have also decided on which food and wine will be served.

Ammon: The preparations are almost finished. I'll have some spare time.

You: Right.

Ammon: Ah, also. As we've come to Grosvenor's mansion...

Ammon: Aruji-sama. Should we take a walk in the garden?

You: Eh..?

Ammon: I took a glimpse at it as I was preparing for the party. It was a lovely garden.

Ammon: There aren't many chances to visit Grosvenor's garden. I'll make sure to escort aruji-sama properly♪

Ammon: So, aruji-sama... Will you spend some time with me?

You: That seems a bit intimate...

Ammon: Isn't that good..? There's no one here now.

Hanamaru: ... We are literally here?

Ammon: Oh? If it isn't Hanamaru-san.

Hanamaru: Don't "oh" me. We've been here from the very beginning.

Ammon: Hehe. My bad~

Ammon: There's only lord in my eyes...

Bastien: Hm... That's not good, Ammon-san.

Bastien: As aruji-sama's butler... You should always be aware of your surroundings.

Ammon: Are you serious, Bastien..

Yuhan: Fufu... I also don't think that it's good to keep things all to yourself, Ammon-san.

Lato: Me too... I also want to walk alone with aruji-sama.

Ammon: Hehe. Well, I guess I can't just monopolize aruji-sama~

Ammon: The Valentine's Day is almost there... I feel like spending some romantic time with aruji-sama.

You: "Romantic time" you say...

Ammon: Huh? After all, that's what the Valentine's day is about?

Hanamaru: Oh my... Don't just say that, Ammon. We're all holding back here.

Hanamaru: Isn't this right, everyone? We all want to be romantic with aruji-sama?

Yuhan: Now, what is it? I'm a well-mannered butler.

Hanamaru: Liar. For those who say that, it's better...

Yuhan: ...Better..? What is it?

Hanamaru: Nothing.

You: (I wonder what it was...)

Yuhan: Right. By the way, Ammon-san...

Yuhan: As the food and drinks were decided... How about to choose flowers to decorate the room?

Ammon: Right, flowers...

Ammon: In the eastern land... There's a custom to arrange flowers, right?

Lato: Arranging... flowers?

Ammon: Right. It's a bit different in Central land.

Ammon: Combined with a beautiful vase... A well-thought-out beauty.

Yuhan: Yeah. I think it's suitable for Central land.

Yuhan: Aside from ikebana, I think that "Chabana"(?) would also be good.

You: -Chabana...?

-( There are even tea flowers....)

Bastien: Chabana... That's the first time I heard about it.

Ammon: In short, tea flowers are the flowers that are displayed in the tea room.

Ammon: Rather than ikebana, it puts more emphasis on being natural. Seasonality of flowers is also the key.

Ammon: For example, fresh windflowers picked up in nature.

Hanamaru: Heh, as expected from Ammon. You know everything about flowers.

Ammon: Hehe. Well, not that I've done it myself. I just have this knowledge.

Ammon: But, I see. Chabana...

Ammon: In Grosvenor's garden flowers are grown in flower beds. Besides, there are windflowers...

Ammon: It might be interesting to try.

Ammon: That's why I need everyone to quickly pick up some flowers!

You: Eh, now?

Bastien: Looking for flowers..? I'm not sure which I should choose....

Ammon: That's okay. Even if the flower seems simple, that's its charm.

Bastien: I see. Then, Ammon-san will...?

Ammon: I'll arrange the vase.

Ammon: I'll prepare the vase that perfectly matches the atmosphere of Eastern land.

Ammon: I'll bring the catalog... I'd like to hear aruji-sama's opinion.

You: Mine?

Ammon: Of course. You're the guest at the party, after all.

Ammon: I don't think it'll be too difficult. Don't worry too much♪

You: Understood.

Bastien: I see.. I'll leave it to Ammon-san then.

Yuhan: Then, aruji-sama. Please, excuse me for a moment.

You: Mm, good luck.

The butlers bowed. They left me alone with Ammon as they left to pick up the windflowers.

Ammon: They're gone....

You: Let's choose the vase together.

Ammon: Oh-ho? What did you say, aruji-sama?

Ammon: What vase? I've already put one in another room next to ours. (This dude---)

You: Eh...?

Ammon: Hehe. Which flowers would decorate the venue have been decided in advance.

Ammon: We have arranged the perfect tableware... The only thing to do was to decorate it with flowers.

Ammon: Everyone decided to collect flowers by themselves.. I just went along with that♪

You: But, what for..?

Ammon: Hehe. That would be...

Ammon: I will spend some private time with aruji-sama♪

Ammon: Speaking of The Valentine's day... You need to spend time with your loved ones.

Ammon: And speaking of my loved ones, it's aruji-sama, of course.

Ammon: We have delicious wine here...

Ammon: With important to me person... Drinking wine, while being surrounded by beautiful flowers...

Ammon: Well, the flowers are still to be here. While aruji-sama is here, that's already enough.

Ammon: Hehe. What about aruji-sama?

Ammon: With your loved one... You don't want to loose romantic time, do you..?

You: Teasing me like that again...

Ammon: Teasing..? I'm being honest, aruji-sama.

Ammon: The words of feeling the importance of aruji-sama... There's not even a single lie.

Ammon: Thinking how to spend more alone time with aruji-sama... As a result, I alienated other butlers.

Ammon: Hey... What are the true intentions of aruji-sama..?

Ammon: For someone like me... Is it okay to tell my true feelings..?

You: A-Ammon..

I was fully aware that it was the part of his strategy, but... When I look in those serious eyes... I can't help but speak my true feelings.

Lato: Kufufu... That's it, Ammon-kun.

You: !?

Ammon: Oh? Isn't that Lato-san?

Ammon: And everyone else... Have you already finished picking the flowers up?

Hanamaru: No. Actually, we were interrupted by the guard.

Yuhan: He said that the flowers were needed to decorate the party venue...

Yuhan: "You can't pick these flowers! Go to a flower shop!" is what he said...

Yuhan: Jeez.. That's a real problem for those, who can't understand simple beauty.

Bastien: Since we had no other choice, we decided to come back.

Hanamaru: Hehe. Looks like we made the right decision.

Hanamaru: Had it been a bit later, Ammon would pick the most beautiful flower.

Ammon: No wa~y, Hanamaru-san. Don't say such bad things about me.

Ammon: I just wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of The Valentine's day. Surely, aruji-sama would understand that it's just for fun♪

Hanamaru: However, why is aruji-sama's face so red?

Lato: It's good that there are vases in other room.

You: U-Uhm...

Ammon: Alright, everyone! There's a little time left to prepare for the party.

Ammon: Let's all work hard to collect the most beautiful flowers♪

Hanamaru: Ah. Changing the topic.

Yuhan: Fufu. But Ammon-san is right.

Yuhan: Since we have time... Let's all work hard to make the best pre-party.

Bastien: Yeah.. That's right.

So I watched as Ammon and the others decorated the venue... I wonder whether Ammon was serious or not earlier...

***

"So that's how it is" I thought as I flipped through the wine catalog. Ammon was very hospitable at the pre-party... Now, it's my turn to repay him. I bought him wine from Rosetown... And for Ammon... I prepared his favorite cheese. Being happy with him... I wanted to express it in a gift.

Knock knock.

You: Come in.

Ammon: As I said, I came alone, aruji-sama~

Ammon: I heard that you wanted to do something...

Ammon: Hehe. Maybe it has to do something with The Valentine's day~?

You: I want to give this to you.

Ammon: Eh? This is...

Ammon: Wine..? And, could it be..

Ammon: Really... Could it be a Valentine's gift?

You: - That's right.

- Thank you, Ammon.

Ammon: Hehe. Thank you, aruji-sama.

Ammon: This is... Rosetown's wine, right?

You: Apparently it goes well with cheese.

Ammon: Really? You've adapted it to my taste!

You: If you'd like, you can drink now.

When I said that, Ammon sat at the table I had prepared in advance. He took the empty glass and some cheese.

Ammon: Hehe... I had never thought that I would spend The Valentine's day with aruji-sama...

Ammon: Of course, I'll drink some! Because everything is delicious when I'm with aruji-sama.

Ammon: So, excuse me...

As Ammon pour some wine into the glass, he fully enjoys the scent. As he takes one sip... He takes some time to enjoy the taste.

Ammon: ... It's delicious, aruji-sama.

Ammon: The moment you open the bottle, there's a faint fragrance...

Ammon: It felt like flowers had bloomed in my mouth.

Ammon: Aruji-sama's feelings... They feel like flowers with no thorns.

Ammon: Hehe. I can't believe you gave me such a wonderful present...

Ammon: Really... Aruji-sama likes me♪

As usual, Ammon says something that is hard for me to respond to... But today I was a little braver than usual.

You: I really do.

Ammon: Eh...

You: I want you to continue being by my side.

Ammon: Erm... Aruji-sama...

Ammon: That's... Could it be....

Ammon: The revenge for pre-party time?

You: Did your heart flutter...?

Ammon: Hehe. It pretty much did♪

Ammon: I've never expected it from aruji-sama...

Ammon: But... If you allow me to give you a piece of advice...

Ammon: Don't you think the main part was revealed a little bit too early?~

Ammon: If only you could make me more nervous... It'd be more interesting~

You: I'm nothing like Ammon...

Ammon: Hehe. Well, I'm a pro in this sphere.

Ammon: ( Although, if I was more nervous... I doubt that I'd be able to restrain myself...)

You: What's wrong?

Ammon: N-No... Nothing!

Ammon: Spending The Valentine's day with aruji-sama is the best... I had to clench my teeth.

Ammon: Well then. We have wine and cheese...

Ammon: Just a little bit longer... Is it okay if I spend some more time being happy? Aruji-sama...

You: Of course.

Although I said something like that to make Ammon's heart flutter, I had to gather all my courage up.... I had to back up... I was more nervous, than I thought I'd be. And now... I wonder if Ammon always harbors feelings like that. While I was thinking about it... I spent some time with Ammon on The Valentine's day.

THE END.

a/n: I really hope you don't mind my adapted translation because holy shit the translation of translator is something. also, please don't mind any grammatical errors, it's literally like midnight and I suck at grammar. hope y'all enjoyed seeing blushing ammon. (because i really did)

[bi-bard]

Fine - Joel Miller Imagine [HBO's The Last of Us]

Title: Fine

Pairing: Joel Miller X Reader

Word Count: 1,050 words

Warning(s): Spoilers for episode 3, grief, mention of death

Summary: [Season 1, Episode 3] Joel, (Y/n), and Ellie make it to Bill and Frank's home in the hopes of getting some help. What they walk into is enough for (Y/n) to feel like they're falling apart. And beg for more from Joel than a plan for the next step.

Author's Note: Because I needed a fucking hug after that episode, and I didn't get one.

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

I knew something was wrong when we saw the fence around Bill and Frank's place.

I wasn't sure that Joel saw the same thing as me until we looked at each other. There was an air of uneasiness around us as he walked up to unlock the gate.

I grabbed Ellie's arm before she could touch the fence. I pointed to the high-voltage sign.

"Oh," she muttered. I nodded.

Joel held the gate open for us.

That uneasy feeling only got worse as we got closer to the house. Something was wrong. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. After what happened with Tess, I wasn't sure that I could handle what could have possibly happened to Bill and Frank.

The wooden gate was squeaking as it swung back and forth on its hinges.

The front door was unlocked.

It was all out of character for them. They kept the house in good shape. For their safety.

The creaking of the floor against the complete silence didn't soothe me at all. I could see the dust forming on some of the tables and shelves.

Joel called out to Bill and Frank.

When there was no response, he decided to go looking for them.

"Stay with her," Joel said to me, pointing to Ellie. I nodded.

Joel went down the hall. Ellie went to the sitting room while I peeked in the dining room. There were dishes sitting on the table. The food had flies gathering around it and it was going bad. I furrowed my eyebrows.

This was wrong. So, so wrong.

Ellie came in a minute later. She sat in one of the dining room chairs.

"I found a letter," she held up the paper for me to see. "'To whomever but probably Joel'."

"Let me," I held out my hand. She sighed and placed it in my hand.

I shouldn't have done that. I should have just left it to Ellie.

She dropped the key on the table as I opened the letter.

"What happened," she asked as I read the letter.

I didn't have a good response. Maybe it was the shock or the sadness. Maybe I did have a way to explain it, but I just didn't want to because if I said it out loud, then all of it was real. It didn't really matter. All that mattered was that I couldn't explain it to Ellie.

I dropped the letter on the table and stepped out without answering her. "Joel!"

He turned to look at me. His hand was resting on the doorknob.

"Don't," I said, nodding down at his hand.

His eyebrows furrowed but he still pulled his hand away.

When we both made it back to the dining room, Ellie was reading over the letter.

The first time I read it, I was able to hold back tears and hold myself together. Hearing it read out loud, I didn't have anything to focus on. I didn't have that choice.

I blinked a few times and tilted my head back, trying to keep myself from sobbing in front of Ellie.

I heard Joel tell her to stay put as he swiped the key and walked out.

I looked at his back for a second before turning to Ellie. I held a finger to tell her to wait there before I went to follow Joel outside.

"Joel."

"Go inside and watch Ellie."

"No, Joel," I shook my head.

"(Y/n), I am not fighting about this right now," he muttered as he stopped. "Just go. I'll be right back."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!"

The air shifted. It tensed. I was never one to yell. I was rarely known to cuss. I think Joel had some understanding then that I needed to be properly heard.

"For the love of God, please don't pull the drill sergeant act on me," I begged. "You may be able to compartmentalize all of this and keep moving, but I can't do that right now. We just lost our friends, Joel. Three people that we trusted and we cared for. You have your brother out there to keep you going, but I... I don't have anything other than you."

He didn't move.

"I... I can't deal with that like you can," I muttered. "Please... just... stop... just for a moment."

Joel took a deep breath before turning around. I saw his face shift. Like he hadn't realized that I had started crying until that moment. I closed my eyes and turned my head down.

A sob escaped me as soon as he pulled me into his arms. My face ended up buried in his shoulder as I hugged him as tight as I could. I felt his arms tighten around me as a shaky breath escaped him.

"I love you," I mumbled.

"(Y/n)-"

"Shut the hell up and listen to me," I stopped him. "Like it or not, I care about you and I love you. I... I need you to know that. To hear it."

"I love you too," he replied, voice closer to a grumble than anything.

I squeezed my arms around him one more time before stepping back. I grinned at him before wiping away what I could of the tears that had fallen.

I reached over and did the same for him. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone, so you can hold onto your tough-guy act."

A chuckle escaped him. "You're an ass."

"Yeah, so are you," I shrugged. "Get back soon, alright? Don't do anything stupid."

"Do I ever?"

"You don't want a real answer to that."

He glared at me for a moment. I just grinned a little wider at him.

I watched him walk away from the house. I turned and walked inside. Ellie was standing next to the window. She had watched the whole thing.

"Bill and Frank had a working shower last time I was here," I said. "Maybe you should go see if it's still working."

She slowly nodded. "Are... Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm fine."

She didn't seem to believe me.

"Go," I nodded toward the staircase.

She held her hands up and went up the stairs.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Fine. That was good enough.

I was okay with fine.

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

Navigation Guide

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Some Original Characters

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Do you have any favorite bl dramas or bl series that you watched that came out this year? What are they if you have any?

Hello anon. For sure I do. I've actually been thinking about this as the end of the year is approaching but since there are still a couple of shows to go, I haven't properly started thinking about my lists. Last year it took me forever so I wanted to start earlier this year, but just like what I say every year about shopping for xmas presents, I doubt I'll actually do it. But since you graced my inbox I'll give you some of my faves who will definitely come up in my end of year lists.

Let's start with Thailand and a couple of my fave og pairs that graced our screens this year.

Cherry Magic Thailand

I love all Cherry Magic versions. They are all different and special in their own way. Of course you give me cherry magic and TayNew and do it right, and it's pretty much perfection in my book. They are lovely and this show was a joy.

The Trainee

I love them. I will watch them always. Was it perfect? Nope. That whole separation bit was silly. But the ensemble was great to watch, it was funny, and the workplace drama I thought was realistic. I'm thinking I might still rewatch this one again this year if I have the time.

Korea was strong this year, and the year started great with

Love for Love's Sake

I have a hard time finding the words to talk about this show so I'll keep it brief. It was original, devastating and beautiful. And it gave us the blorbo of all time.

Time of Fever

This one released all episodes at once but the brainrot lasted a couple of months. I like to think of it as a stand alone piece and it destroyed me in the best way. It was so well acted and so beautifully shot. Just looking at them makes my heart hurt. Although in my head they had a happy ending and ULS is a completely different show.

And last but obviously not least, and this pains me to say, it was kind of a mixed bag for Japan this year. There was still plenty of good stuff though.

Sugar Dog Life

As you can see from my choice of pfp, I love Isumi a normal amount. This show was such an amazing surprise. I've rewatched twice since it ended so it's becoming one of my comfort watches. It was so wholesome and adorable and the besties were amazing, and the food as usual played an important part. I love it so much.

A Man Who Defies the World of BL 3

He came back to us!!!! I love all the seasons, but this one is probably my favourite. It's so funny. Hatano was such an interesting addition and I still want to know more about him. The only problem with this show is that it was only 6 episodes.

I really need to start thinking about this so I can hopefully talk about this year's shows a bit better. But this is what I got for you today Anon. Have a good night and thanks for dropping by.

[lilpotatjj]

Requestet: yes :)

Hope everyone like it❤️

Uses of Her/She

Warning: stupid acc.names 😅🤭 fluff and little flirty

Wordcount: 810

Sweet Nothings

"soooo....you wanna go live the next minutes?" you take off your shoes and go to the kitchen to make yourself something to eat while Bella changes and goes to the laptop after coming home. "ok....never really live let's see how many people even join" she makes a few settings on insta and looks at me. "So if you want you can sneak in secretly. People might want to know who you are."

"first I'll hide" you smile and give her a wink, get your food from the kitchen afterwards. When you come back with your bowl, she is now online.

"Wow, I didn't expect so many at once." She greets some of the people who are obviously freaking out with joy that Bella is live. You just smile.

scguuuuurl: *Bella <3*

ironman: *omg Bella I love uuu*

btwpotat: *good evening from Las Vegas*

"good evening"

dublin: *SEASON2? when do you start filming*

"ahh.so we've already started" she answers several questions and you just stand in front of the camera so that only a little bit of your legs are visible which makes people directly curious.

scguuuuurl: *there is someone?!*

bananaaaaa: *who is that?*

youAin'tShiat: *surely santa claus🎅*

btwpotat: *chuck noris*

Bella giggles her super cute giggle and just watching them going nuts.

gotchaALL: *ShOw YoUr FaCe*

LeonS.Kennedy: *it is the Dina actress isn't it?*

it'sSnow: *Female or Male?! *

AbbyjustHATESu: *it's the ABBY actress🏑🔨*

DaenerysSnOw: *mabe it's their LoVeR <3333*

ironman: *noooo Bella can't be taken. I want them🥺*

You can't help but laugh and put your hood up, sit behind Bella's back so you're back to back and just keep eating your food.

" they really getting excited who you are" Bella says, keep looking at the screen put her arms behind herself, around your neck so you can't escape.

"I'll fix you something to eat in a minute" you try to stand up, give her a sweet bitemark without showing your face yet and go into the kitchen with your empty bowl. While preparing something for Bella to eat, the live viewers go crazy because they heard you and saw a little of what happened.

chickencrisp: *oh hell they are in love*

bananaaaaa:*tha't soundet like a girl!*

Sydney: *was a guuurl*

gotchaALL:*a lady for the queen lol*

btwpotat:*she's a vampire hehehe*

dublin: *where will be the next filmset for season 2?*

"will be in Vancouver" She looks to you and smirks. "they think we are in love or even in a relationship".

"are we?" you simply ask in a bittersweet tone and gives her the bowl full of food.

"Of course not, we're just friends" She looks at the stream again and you sit down next to her, still hooded, but so that you're not in the frame.

it'sSnow: *just friends......well....*

chickencrisp: *friendzoned*

AbbyjustHATESu: *LIAR*

scguuuuurl: *so not friends*

"you guys" she laughs and eats somthing while you just lean against her shoulder, nestle your head against her and your face slightly visible in the camera.

BabySodaaa: *yooo I cAn SeE yOu*

TheLastOfThrusts: *'friends' 'caugh caugh'*

bananaaaaa: *she looks to cute show ur whole faaaace*

Dr.Greys: *vancouver omg that's my hometown. ◇cries in undead◇ *

Phieby: *I wanna meet uuu U___U *

"Most of Seattle is filmed in Vancouver" she continues to eat and you look a little lost at her fork. "what? you want a bit?" Bella holds her fork towards you and you quietly take a bite.

it'sSnow: *aaaaaawwww daaaaads so cuuuuute*

ironman: *I want also something from u Bella*

You look at her while she eats the rest without paying attention to the camera. Bella puts her empty bowl down next to her and looks at you. "What's wrong?"

"you can't even eat properly!" You laugh and playfully try to clean the corner of her mouth.

BabySodaaa: *oh oh ragemode activated*

chickencrisp: *your both so adorable <333*

eyesONme: *oh my god it's happening! EVERYBODY STAY FuCkIn' calm!

Zer00: *go get your queen 'throws a masterball' *

"ok stupid...stop it" Bella laughs , again but this time u had enough of all the playing. You just grab her face rough in your hands and kiss her.

it'sSnow: *OMG WTF*

ZaddyWatchesyou: *CANOOON..... and I'm here for that!*

TheLastOfThrusts: *Holy crap go get the holy water and safe my damned soul*

DaenerysSnOw:*told'cha guys*

Phieby: *changed 'single' mode to 'taken' Lmao xD *

"w..what the" Bella is completely red.

"ah...where just friends" You say as if nothing happen.

"you....I hate you!" her look playfull. "no you don't but you love me!" you say looking in her eyes. "I do...." she whispers completely offendet and suddenly quit the livestream.

"and you? do you love me!?" her look more serious. But before you say somthing you just show it her again, kissing her pretty intens and both of you don't seem to want to end this kiss.

[wardenv5]

If Stardew Valley had Desert and Wetland farms, I think those could be very interesting, though they would probably be for seasoned players. I'm putting this under a read more cause I had some thoughts (tho not that many). Keep in mind, these would be pretty outside the norm of Stardew Valley farms and not necessarily true to life (in the same way farming in the game isn't true to life). Other Ideas: Terracing, Food Forests, crop rotation, etc. Some of these can be done in Stardew (or other games) but they're often not the intended method, just rp or actively discouraged.

The Desert Farm would be inspired by seasonal Egyptian farming and traditional Omani irrigation systems. The main gimmick would be the change in seasons, limitation on water and reliance on flooding/canals. It would still be focused on farming, with maybe mining.

IRRIGATION: Instead of sprinklers/watering can, water comes from three sources: Rain, Aflaj and Floods. Aflaj is a system of gravity fed canals/tunnels that would provide consistent water source but would either be limited by having to release it at certain time or expand it through construction. The other source would be floods, after the flood season, crops may be planted and don't need to be watered for a time.

RAIN: Rain is overall rarer, but stronger, think if every rain had the effects of Green Rain. There would be a monsoon season of heavy storms, where part of the farm is cut off due to flooding. The day after it rains, the entire farm blooms. When the dry riverbed floods, any crops planted are destroyed.

CROPS: You would have access to desert crops/fish/immediately, and what crops you can grow will be affected by some seasonality changes I'll mention later. Winter crops could not be grown. I think they would be of higher quality to balance the reduced production (think the soil is more nutritious).

ANIMALS: Grass is much more sparse, but part of the farm is on a dry riverbed and so when it rains, the farm blooms with blue grass. Maybe having a system where less is more, or providing benefits to farming primarily goats and sheep?

SEASONS: Instead of the traditional four seasons, the farm is under three longer seasons - Monsoon/Flood (Summer/Fall) where there are storms and the river flood constantly, Post-Monsoon/Flood (Winter-Spring) where there is no rain but riverbed is fertile, and Pre-Monsoon/Flood (Spring-Summer), where it rains somewhat but the riverbed is dry again. This will affect what crops can and cannot be grown, and productivity of farming/animals. Along with random rain, this farm is extremely seasonal for its profits.

FISHING: I think there could either be a sinkhole or a bit of ocean for fishing, with desert fish and maybe beach or cave fish. It's available but probably not that useful.

MINING: Not necessarily present on the farm, though I think having some would give the player more to do.

COMBAT: Doesn't need it I'd say, or maybe just make it seasonal?

The Wetland Farm is inspired by Florida's wetlands and climate, as well as traditional agriculture and ecosystem management. The main gimmick would be that part of the farm had to be left fallow, but still managed; removing debris, picking up foraging, etc. This would result in quality fish and crops.

IRRIGATION: Crops can be planted adjacent to the shores of the wetland and be considered irrigated, otherwise sprinklers and watering can work as normal, EXCEPT the quality of crops increases only as the farm is properly managed (more on that).

RAIN: Generally, more rain and more storms and more green rain.

CROPS: To make things interesting, crops would be split into two seasons, except winter crops which can't be grown. As the game doesn't have any real way to do salinity, that can't really be a factor sadly.

ANIMALS: Animals wouldn't be affected much, but as you have to manage the land, there probably is a limit to how many barn/coop animals you have, although you'd be able to let them out year round. Fish ponds would probably be the way to go here.

SEASONS: There would be two seasons, a strong wet season and long (relatively) dry season.

FISHING: Fishing would be a huge benefit for the farm, as there would be both river and ocean fish available, as well as fish from the swamp. As with crops, managing the farm means higher quality fish. Fishing out trash would also improve the quality of the farm, so its not horrible when you finish them out.

COMBAT: I think there would be monsters, but instead of wilderness golems its mainly insects (accurate for wetlands), and as the quality increases maybe the type of monsters or level of monsters increases/decreases.

anyway im sleepy

[therantsofawriterrr]

The Umbrella Academy Final Season: My Version

Part Twelve: The Reunion

Overview: Klaus encounters a familiar face on a rescue mission, as the others arrive at Hargreeves mansion to confront the old man. TW: gore, ghosts, mentions of sexy times, i think thats it, tell me in the comments if i missed anything! Pairings: Klaus × Dave A/N: oh my god i finally finished this one yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

When Vanya, Allison, and Luther got out of the car outside the Hargreeves mansion, they found themselves hesitating,

"Are we really doing this?" Luther asked the other two.

"Yeah," Viktor replied. "Yeah, we are."

"Hold on," Luther said with narrowed, concerned eyes. "Why are you so in this? You hate Dad. Yet, here you are first in line to see him."

"I'm stuck, okay?" he answered softly. "I'm stuck in an endless argument with him in my head. And I feel like... like the only way I can move forward is if I finally say my piece to him. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Luther said.

"Just a friendly reminder to the group," Allison spoke up. "The last time you spoke your piece to him, he murdered you."

"I can defend myself now," he said firmly. "Will we able to make it past the front door, though?"

"Well, if civility doesn't work, I'll just rumor their brains all over the wall," Allison said. "Let's go."

As they approached the guards standing outside, a man came forward, looking burly and ominous. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, you can run inside and tell Reggie we're coming in whether he likes it or not," Allison said, hostility evident in her voice.

All three of them waited, relaxed but alert, as the tension built up. The man took off his sunglasses and gave Allison a polite smile.

"Of course, Ms. Hargreeves. Welcome," he said unexpectedly. "We've been expecting you."

Then his eyes flitted to Luther and Viktor as he said, "Luther. Viktor. I'll escort you inside the house. This way, please."

They followed him inside, looking around at the white all around. Some tune was played on a violin, and Viktor's ears perked up. All three looked at the front to find a woman playing it, looking immaculately graceful.

Just as the tune picked up speed, she stopped.

"What a pleasure to finally put faces to names," the woman said.

She carefully kept aside the violin and its bow before turning back to look at them.

"You must be Allison," she said, coming forward to squeeze her arms. "I've heard so much about you."

All of them gave her confused glances as she turned to Luther.

"Luther... my little space boy," she said as Luther's eyes widened a bit. "I finally get a chance to properly thank you for watching over me on the moon."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked immediately.

But, she ignored the question to turn to Viktor with a smile. "Dear Viktor. I understand we share a passion for the violin."

"It's more of a love-hate thing for me, but..." he trailed off, not knowing how to respond.

After a deep sigh, the woman said, "Come. Come, sit."

They looked at each other as the woman got up to put her instrument at its rightful place, before they went ahead and sat.

"Is, uh, Reggie home?" Viktor asked.

"I'm sure he's puttering around somewhere. Let's us get to know each other a bit first. I'm Abigail, by the way."

They all gave her polite smiles and she pointed towards the food, encouraging them to eat. "Go ahead. Don't be shy. The chef will be cross if you don't."

Meanwhile, Klaus was groaning about his legs again.

"Benjamin," he dragged out. "Why can't we wait for a car to pass or something?"

"We don't have time for that," Ben replied, shuffling forward despite the pain in his ankles. "She's not safe."

"Fine, then at least let's hotwire a car," Klaus said, noticing the slight limp in his legs. "You're about an hour away from your legs going numb, and not in the good way, Ben."

"Shh. We're here," he whispered, suddenly crouching down to peering over a bush. "Look, I can see her."

Klaus looked at where he was pointing, seeing a woman sitting at the window in a room on the upper floor. But the real problem was the guards with big guns standing on the ground outside.

"Okay, you take the guards, I'll sneak in and get her out?" Klaus suggested.

Ben grinned at him and let his tentacles out walking out, startling the people.

Klaus watched as Ben killed and thrashed many people, waiting for all of them to be distracted. Then, he slowly sneaked in, running into the house and looking for the stairs.

Where have all the good men gone

And where are all the gods?

Where's the streetwise Hercules

To fight the rising odds?

But, there were people inside the house too. They had revolvers, not submachine guns, but it was still just as lethal. He thrust both his hands out, summoning ghosts without a problem and setting them on the men and women.

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night, I toss and I turn

And I dream of what I need

He went up the stairs with a giggle as chaos reigned, ghosts having a field day with so many people to kill. Some ghosts were looking on horrified, while some were laughing and cheering, there were bets going on too, on who was going to go after who.

And at any other time, Klaus would stay to watch and enjoy with them. But, he was busy, he had a mission to do.

He'd hated missions back in the day. He'd always been high and useless. But now, with the power of the dead and more importantly, the power of sobriety on his side, he felt more powerful than the short bursts of control that he had many years ago.

He walked calmly and carefully down the hallway, hoping the room that Jennifer was in was here somewhere. And he did find it. But, he also found a familiar face standing outside, with his revolver out.

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night

He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

"What the fuck...?" the man said, blinking at the man standing beside him. He was the man of his dreams. Scratch that, he was the man in his dreams.

Klaus was just as surprised to see the man who was the love of his life. The only person that he cared for and loved more than himself.

"Dave," he said softly and saw the other's eyes widen.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, regaining his composure and pointing his revolver at him again.

"Dave, I..." Klaus was going to try to make him remember but then realized that for him, there was probably nothing to remember.

In this timeline, it was Klaus and Dave's first meeting.

"Okay, okay, look," Klaus said, raising his hands in surrender as he tried to think of something that would convince him to not kill him but also make him come with him. "Um, these people? They're crazy, okay? All they do is lie and deceive. So, how about you join hands with me?"

Dave scoffed, even if his heart raced at his voice. He wanted to believe this guy.

"You're the one lying right now, pal," he said. Dave knew what his name was. He'd had enough dreams about him to know almost everything about him. But he didn't wanna get his hopes up.

"Look, I'm not, okay?" Klaus said, desperation lacing his voice. "Dave, please. Just listen to me. Just trust me."

The last three words sent a shiver down Dave's spine. They were the words that were uttered by him at their first kiss in his dream. Their first time was also prefaced by the same three words. He had a whole love story with this man in his dream and those words were the crux of it.

He hesitated, and Klaus waited for his decision. Then Dave lifted the gun, and Klaus closed his eyes for the incoming shot.

I need a hero (BANG!)

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light

He's gotta be sure, and it's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than life

Larger than life

The bullet whistled past his left ear and hit a man behind him. Klaus opened his eyes and looked at Dave, who was still a bit skeptical, but willing to join hands.

Immediately after, he opened the door, making Jennifer jump.

"Come on," Dave urged.

She went with them both as Klaus rejoiced internally. Dave pushed them both behind him, holding the gun steadily in his hand. But at encountering the corpses downstairs, he turned back with a stunned expression.

"Did you do all that?" he asked.

Klaus shrugged, sending the ghosts away with a swish of his hand behind his back. Ben entered through the door, looking clean for the most part. Dave raised his gun again as Ben stopped with a confused look.

"He's with me," Klaus yelled out, so that the two didn't attack each other.

"What? Klaus, he's with them," Ben pointed out.

"No, he isn't," Klaus interjected. "He's agreed to help us."

"What if he's just acting?"

"He's not, alright, now can we go? Lonnie the llama is tired of blocking the door of the lunatics' room."

They all ran out, Jennifer's hand in Ben's and Dave's in Klaus's.

Back in the Hargreeves house, all four of them were sitting in awkward silence, trying their hands at small talk.

"Must be quite cold in Canada," Abigail said.

"I mean... yeah. It can be," Viktor floundered. "The summers can be quite pleasant."

"And Luther, what about you?" she asked. "What do you do?"

"I, uh, I work in a science museum," Luther answered after gulping down the tea. "I show them around, teach them stuff and all that."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Abigail regaled. "You've all done so well for yourselves. No thanks to your father, I might add."

"I heard that!" Reginald's voice boomed from behind the elder woman. "My chief of security informs me that the tiny hamlet of New Grumpson, Maine, is still smoldering in the wake of your colossal ineptitude."

The big words made the kids roll their eyes as Reginald leaned in to give Abigail a peck on her cheek.

"Reggie, darling, please," Abigail said soothingly, trying to calm him down.

"Tell me everything I want to know now or suffer the consequences," he said, sounding pretty non-threatening.

Viktor's eyes beamed orange as she got up, her power getting activated, "You first!"

Allison squeezed his arm, encouraging him to sit back down and relax.

"Ah, so it's true," Reginald declared. "I suspected you couldn't have done all that damage au naturel. But how?"

"Reggie. Enough," Abigail warned. "Is this really how you treat our guests? Threats and interrogations? Now, sit down, and we'll have a conversation like a civilized species."

"Guess we know who wears the monocle in this relationship," Allison murmured, making Viktor and Luther snicker under their breaths.

They both sat down as Reginald heaved a sigh.

"Tea, darling?" Abigail inquired followed by a, "No, thank you, darling," by Reginald.

"Now, if I may be so bold as to ask," Reginald started. "How did you regain your powers? Why did you destroy the town of New Grumpson? And... what have you done with the girl?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but it all started with these cult leaders named Gene and Jean Thibedeau," Luther said, thinking that he might be the one behind the Keepers as well.

"I'm unfamiliar with those names," Reginald said.

"You know what, the real question, is why you would build an entire town to hold a girl prisoner?" Allison asked.

"Her name is Jennifer," Reginald corrected. "And I wasn't holding her prisoner. I was protecting her."

"Protecting her from what?" Viktor demanded.

"From you, naturally," the elder man replied plainly.

"So, she is one of us," Allison said with a scoff.

"I'm afraid not. She's nothing like you. In fact, she's your complete opposite in every way imaginable. And, she has more power than all of you put together."

"Hey!" A guard yelled out as the door opened and closed.

Diego, Lila, Five, and Clementine came inside.

Diego held up a file in his hand and announced, "We need to talk about Ben."

He explained everything to the group, while pointing at the file.

"It's mostly redacted, though," he finished, handing the file to Allison's outstretched hand.

"Oh, great, so we can't read it or see it," Allison said sarcastically, opening it anyway.

"From what I can tell, this document is from our original timeline," Five explicated. "It explains how Ben died. It refers to it as the 'Jennifer incident'."

"But we already know how Ben died," Luther intervened.

"Okay, then. Tell us," Five demanded.

"Well, it was a tragic accident. Ben, our Ben, died because we failed as a team. Nobody was responsible, and..."

Luther trailed off as his face twisted into a perplexed one.

"And what?" Five asked. Then, he turned to his sister. "Allison, how did Ben die?"

"It was a tragic accident," she said, mirroring Luther's words. "Ben died because we-"

"Failed as a team," Luther joined in.

"Nobody was responsible, yet we were all responsible," Diego, Allison and Luther said together. "Ben Hargreeves represented the best of us. Ben was the Umbrella Academy."

They all finished the lines with confused and scared faces, not being able to understand what Five confirmed.

"What kind of sick party trick is this?" Lila asked Reginald.

"Okay, can any one of you remember how Ben actually died?" Five asked. "Anything?"

"Well, I wasn't there," Viktor said.

"Well, neither was I, but the rest of you were," Five explained as Luther, Allison, and Diego tried to recall the mission. "You think you'd remember something about the death of your beloved brother, but you don't."

"What the hell is going on here?" Luther asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Five asked plainly, turning to Reginald. "Someone's been playing putty with your hippocampus."

"Messing with our memories," Diego concluded.

"As fascinating as this may be, I assure you I haven't the foggiest notion of what this is about," Reginald said.

"You know something, old man," Diego said, walking over to his chair and standing beside Lila.

"You are speculating about the actions of a completely different version of myself from a completely different timeline! That said, it does sound like something I might do."

All of them sighed insufferably at the response, as they fought the urge to strangle the man.

"There may or may not have been a certain clandestine project with a certain clandestine intelligence agency," he narrated.

"Human experiments on the mind," Clementine speculated.

"I should have known," Five murmured.

"Psychological warfare was all the rage in the 60s. But it was only a brief contract. Immensely lucrative."

"So, you can erase memories?" Luther asked incredulously.

"With the human mind, anything is possible, young man," Reginald said proudly.

"If you can erase them, you can restore them, right?" Lila asked.

"With the proper technology," Reginald replied.

"Which you have?"

"Naturally," he affirmed. "I'm sure it's in this building somewhere."

"All right, old man," Five said. "You're gonna put 'em back. Each and every memory that has to do with Ben's death. Because, if you erased the Jennifer incident, that means there was something important enough that you'd take the time to get rid of it."

"I will do no such thing!" Reginald burst out. "We need to track down the girl before it's too late."

"Reggie, please," Abigail interrupted.

"Darling, this is messy work. It could take hours, days."

"Whatever chain of events has been set in motion is ultimately your handiwork. Whatever timeline it happened in, help them. Please."

Her words seemed to do the trick, because he looked at all of them with a defeated sigh.

"Well, then. Let's get on with it, I suppose."

Another A/N: Hello, hello, yes im alive, thank you. This is mostly dedicated to the person who craved the new chapter but its also dedicated to those who waited patiently for it, yall are the real ones. I recently joined uni, my classes are abt to start next week maybe? so thats why i havent been able to post much but now im hoping i get back to it. TUA taglist: @auxiliarydetective @alwayslatetothefandoms (tell me if you wanna be added!) Thanks for reading!!! Likes, reblogs and comments are highly appreciated!!

[pricescigar]

Love Bites Pt3

Summary: With Elvira still hoping that she would escape from the wrath of Dracula, he has other plans for her ...

Admin note: After 4 months! I'm bringing this bad boy back to life, maybe because of spooky season, and maybe because I bought a limited edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula..

(News flash I apologise if this particular part is dry, there will be more to come. Calm before the storm.)

It was something about seeing her again that made Price's undead heart stirr again, centuries he had gone without seeing her beautiful face. And here she was again… She came back to him, it almost felt unreal to him while Elvira was currently lying unconscious in his arms. He ran his hand down her cheek, his sharp nails gently grazing against her soft pale skin. Now picking her up in his arms, he took her upstairs into the master bedroom so she could sleep properly. As a Vampire he never really felt any need to sleep, he couldn't remember the last time he slept. Unless he was gravely injured then that's a different story.

He knew she came back to him for a reason, her fate was already sealed the moment Elvira walked through those doors. Now all John had to do was to make sure that she would never leave him again, no illness, no injury. No one… Would ever take her away from him again, not even those hunters would take her away from him again. The only way to keep her safe was in this castle, locked away and in his arms. If her Hunter friends dare to come and get her, then they'll meet the wrath of Dracula himself.

The door opened to the master bedroom, Price strided in carrying Elvira in his arms who was still unconscious. He laid her down on the King sized bed. The linen fabric was soft, and the mattress was comfortable sinking Elvira into it. First thing Price did was to remove her hunters outfit, she wouldn't be needing that anymore. Besides, he's got much prettier outfits for her.

Swiftly he removed her outfit. Dumping it aside for it to be disposed of, in the wardrobe he brought out a black lace nightgown. Putting it over her body with ease, gently guiding her arms in through the holes so it would fit comfortably on her body.

“Perfect…” Price muttered under his breath, he leaned down to her forehead. His beard tickled her skin slightly before placing a tender kiss on her head. His Lips lingered there for a moment before pulling away, after that he disappeared into the shadows.

He wasn't stupid. Part of him knew that her Hunter friends would try to come to her rescue, but little did they know Dracula had a few tricks up his sleeve when it came to dealing with hunters. He had to play the waiting game, and he was okay with that. After all, he had been waiting for her for so long.

The next morning Elvira opened her eyes, rubbing her eyes slightly. Vividly remembering what had happened yesterday, the battle she had with Dracula didn't go well as she expected. Looking around she noticed that the rook was entirely dark, keeping all forms of sunlight out. For good reason of course.

“I need to get out of here.” Elvira quickly removed the bedsheets off of her body, just about seeing the outline of the door. She walked over to it, before she could even grab the door handle. A hand from the shadows grabbed her.

“You know that won't do you any good dove.” Price looked down at Elvira, he continued to hold onto her arm before gripping it slightly.

“You're not leaving.” He revealed himself from the shadows, standing in front of the doorway not letting her escape.

“Let me go, I am not your dove.” Elvira spoke sternly.

“No, I'm not letting you go.” Price shook his head. “You're mine now.’

“I'm not your property-” Elvira then got interrupted when Price grabbed her chin, making her look up at him.

“Not another word from you.” He almost spat at his words.

“You may hate me now, but when I'm finished with you… You'll remember.”

“God, they were right when they said you were insane…” Elvira mumbled.

“Now, sit. I'll go and get you some food.” Price ushered her to sit on the edge of the bed.

“I'll be back.” It was all he said before he left the room, the soft click indicated he had locked the door.

“Of course he'd lock the door…” Elvira mumbled to herself. Standing up, she looked around the room, heading over to the curtains that were draped over the windows. She opened them slightly.

The sun was shining brightly, Elvira tried to open the windows but of course they were locked too. This Vampire was one step ahead of her, clearly she had underestimated the Vampire King.

“Fuck,” She'd say as she backed away from the window, the long curtains hiding the sunlight again. She almost felt herself beginning to panic, but that'll do no good now will it?

She would have to make her escape tonight, she would die trying, she would try to escape from him. Get all the other hunters together and-

Her thoughts were interrupted when Price had returned.

“I do not have Human food anymore, so I hope fruit would suffice.” Price had a small bowl full of all kinds of fruits, along with a goblet full of liquid for her to drink too. He placed it down on the table.

“I won't eat that,” Elvira said, approaching the small coffee table and two chairs that were in the bedroom. “What if you poisoned it?”

“I don't do poison.” Price’s voice was gruff. “If I wanted you dead, I would've killed you the moment you walked through my doors.” His gaze was somewhat different. “But I didn't.”

Price placed down the bowl and the goblet, looking back at Elvira once more, his gaze lingering on a little longer than usual.

“Maybe later.” Elvira didn't give him a definite answer.

“Suit yourself dove.” Price stepped towards the door. “You'll remain here.”

“Wait but what if I-” Elvira watched him leave once more, the door locking again. She kicked the door in frustration. “You can't keep me in here!” She yelled.

Price walked down the hallway not saying anything, he wanted to deprive her. Keep her locked up until she can think of anyone else, but him. His little Princess was back. He held himself back quite well, his primal instincts almost got the best of him. The urge to bite her then and there was strong, but not yet.

He wanted to break her first, to show her that he could only take care of her and no one else.

Price looked to one of his servants who were cleaning the hallway.

“Make sure she doesn't leave that room, I want her to remain in there at all costs.”

“Yes sir.” The two servants replied in unison bowing down watching Price walk by as they resumed back to work after he had left.

Price retired somewhere to “rest.” Leaving Elvira in the large bedroom by herself, with nothing to entertain herself with.

She eventually gave in and ate the bowl of fruit he gave her along with the drink that was there, the fruit tasted good. The drink? Well it had a strange taste to it, she didn't know what it was. But it satisfied her enough.

Evening soon was on the horizon. Elvira knew it was her chance to try and escape, she got a small pin out of her hair and went over to the door picking the lock. Twisting and turning it, she heard the indication that the door was unlocked. Opening the door she stepped out of her room.

Elvira felt relieved that no one seemed to be around, but she still didn't lower her guard. She had none of her weapons, or her crosses, no holy water. She was taking a risk.

“I'm sorry but you cannot leave.” A voice said to her out loud.

Elvira turned over to see a servant. That being Soap. Of course Price would have men roaming around watching her. “I'm leaving.” Elvira said a little more blunt this time.

“Can't have ya leaving lass’ yer Majesty will get mad.” Soap grabbed her before she walked away from him, taking her back into the room.

“Let me go otherwise-” Elvira was beginning to become agitated as she got pulled back into the bedroom.

“There's no point in fightin’” Soap commented, looking down at her. “He's been waiting for ya for ages.”

Elvira held back from saying something she would eventually regret, and so she pulled her arm away when they were back in the bedroom

“I appreciate you keeping an eye on her Soap.” Price stepped forward seeing the two standing there.

“Soap?” Elvira scoffed. “What kind of name is Soap?’

Soap didn't say anything but he left the room in a blink of an eye, leaving Price and Elvira alone in the room.

“I have my trustworthy men.” Price stepped forward into the room. “You'll see the others soon.” He smiled sheepishly. “Did you enjoy your breakfast?”

“Well yes, that's all I've been given.” Elvira spat in anger.

“Now, now dove.” Price tried to calm her down, he was getting closer to her now.

“I've got a special occasion for us tonight.”

“Oh and what's that?” Elvira crossed her arms.

“Now if I say it, it'll spoil the surprise now won't it?” Price grinned.

Elvira stayed silent watching Price saunter over to the wardrobe, taking out an outfit for the evening.

“You'll wear this.” Price commented. “I know it'll compliment your features.” He left the dress on the bed, getting footwear out too to match with it.

“You know nothing about me.” Elvira looked at him with anger in her eyes.

“I know plenty.” Price suddenly turned to look at her. “I know that your father got you up at the crack of dawn, head down on books, fighting outside at midday.” He said as he stepped towards her.

“How your grandfather always made sure you had time to draw, to read…”

Elvira stayed silent. “That is only basically about me-” She then got interrupted by Price.

“Your father killed your mother, but we don't speak about that do we?” Price taunted her.

“I know plenty about you, I know everything. Things that you do not know about yourself either.” His eyes glowed ever so slightly.

“I will show you such wonders, when you're ready.”

Elvira glared up at Price. “I'll wipe that smirk off your face.” She mumbled in anger.

“I'd love to see you try, see you tonight my love.” Price stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Allowing one of the female servants to enter to help Elvira get dressed.

“We have a situation.” Ghost walked towards Price, Gaz was with him too as they stood opposite of him.

“We overheard that a large group of Vampire hunters will be here tonight.” Gaz commented. "We scent about fourty of them."

“Then tonight, we feast.” Price responded to Ghost. “And she will watch.” He added.

[ssivinee]

➢ 𝙼𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝙲𝚕𝚞𝚋 𝙻𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜

⚠︎ Directions ⇒ Main | Chapter 1 Abyss- A bond that formed during high school, the five girls met in their school's music club. One was a beginner guitarist who wanted to learn more about music and how to get better. The other was a girl with a passion for singing. The last two were girls looking for new hobbies.

On the other hand, you became friends with the four and excelled in multiple instruments, and they let you join their makeshift band. After all those years, you girls are doing your best to put your group's name into the world.

Cha Y/n 03' Liner | Vocal, Bassist, Maknae The so-called "Miss Popular Perfectionist" during her high school years you weren't able to make many genuine friends. This was especially something that became an issue for you during your first year until you managed to come across one of the older music rooms being used by the four girls.

You started meeting up with the girls every day, and they were all intrigued by your musical talents. Karina herself asked you to join their band as the official bassist.

Things Y/n has said: "You can talk shit about me. I'll just be your worst nightmare after." "Maybe if you used your brain before speaking, we wouldn't be hearing bullshit all the time." "I feel bad for you. Do your two remaining brain cells ever work properly?"

Yu Jimin, aka Karina 00' Liner | Drummer Karina wanted to graduate from school while making a statement for herself, so she took matters into her own hands. The first of the girls to join the club, Karina was actually the first person to talk to the music teacher about starting a band within the music club.

With Karina being one of the teacher's favorite fourth years, it was an easy start-up. She had the school providing the instruments. Karina just needed the people for the next step.

Things Karina has said: "I'm all for world peace unless you eat my food in the fridge or talk shit about Minjeong. Then it's war." "Sorry about Giselle, she can be a hot mess sometimes... she's just an extra hot mess today." "Are you here to join the band, or are you here to just try and get some head for tonight?"

Uchinaga Aeri, aka Giselle 00' Liner | Rhythm Guitar The resident "hot girl" of their school was Karina's best friend. The oldest herself asked the girl to join, and Aeri obliged willingly, wanting to learn an instrument for a long time now.

She had worked with Winter and one of the music teachers to become the guitarist she is today. Knowing nothing about holding an instrument, to becoming the rhythm guitarist of their band.

Things Giselle has said: "I had to pair the top and shoes, or else I would literally jump off a cliff. My reputation is on the line here." "So I play this cord and this cord, but what are the little turny thingies on the top?" "The pattern of your skirt was totally last season. It's spring in 2024. Get with the program."

Kim Minjeong, aka Winter 01' Liner | Lead Guitarist The shy third-year girl all those years ago is now currently Karina's girlfriend. She had previous basic knowledge of reading music and playing an electric guitar. Once she saw the dorky flyers of the music club looking for more members, she quickly joined without another thought.

She was the first to reach out to the music teacher, and she was happily taught, becoming one of the most well-known musicians in their school.

Things Winter has said: "Maybe let go of the guitar if you don't know shit :3." "I wouldn't let a man or woman come near me with a ten-foot pole. Jimin is the only exception." "I didn't know a girl who was literally so good at everything couldn't do something as simple as read between the lines."

Ning Yizhuo, aka Ningning 02' Liner | Lead Vocal, Guitarist The outgoing, extroverted second year of the band at the time. She always flaunted her vocal capabilities and wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

You and Ningning didn't have the best relationship when you first met. Ning was prideful and had a massive ego, so your presence kind of intimidated her. Along the way, Ningning found your love for music admirable and became your best friend.

Things Ningning has said: "I auditioned for the lead role in my musical theater class in middle school. The rest were told to just 'go home' 'cause I was so good." "This kid in my class, Gyuwon, asked me out in class today, and I just laughed in his face." "Y/n is the best friend who would hug me out of love or try to choke me 'cause of the stupid shit I say. There's no in-between."