#in an opening and closing image you want to show change you want to dramatically contrast where the character is at

[queerfables]

My two cents on Aziraphale's "I forgive you" is that he was straightforwardly lashing out. He knows how little Crowley wants to be forgiven. He knows because Crowley just told him. Crowley rejects forgiveness so absolutely that he rejects Aziraphale right along with it. It's the whole fight in a microcosm: Aziraphale standing there offering forgiveness and Crowley saying, I don't want it.

So maybe the words are Aziraphale showing he finally understands Crowley. He knows now that "I forgive you" is the very worst thing he could say to Crowley. That's why he says it. That's how he means it.

[bloodxbat]

gojo and fem reader are best friends with a heavy sexual relationship— like so bad that when Satoru sees his bestie all his blood rushes to his cock. add a lil jealousy to that to spice it up

More than friends

Satoru Gojo x Fem! Reader

Warnings: SMUT 18+, MDNI, Jealous Sex, Oral (male receiving), Choking, Dom/Sub, Bondage/Restraints

Word Count: 2,638K

Summary: Y/N and Satoru are best friends….with benefits. None of their other friends know this, so when they all go out to the mall and Geto starts flirting with Y/N, Gojo gets heated and wants to show her who she belongs to.

A/N: I LOVE THIS IDEA THANKS FOR THE REQUEST ANON!!!! Hope you enjoy :))

Masterlist

Taglist

Ko-fi

It was a nice bright and sunny day in Tokyo, and it was a weekend which meant one thing. No school! Y/N, Gojo, Geto and Shoko were out on a trip to the mall for a well deserved break from school. The four had been friends since their first year at Jujitsu High, Y/N was a transfer student at the time but soon found her peace with these crazy three. 

Y/N and Shoko were leading the way, laughing at whatever they were talking about. It was good to get a bit of girl time while Gojo and Geto struggled behind carrying you and Shoko’s bags. There weren’t that many, you’re convinced they're just being dramatic. 

Gojo and Geto didn’t mind really, they were just putting it on. Part of their “cool guy” personalities you know? Gojo couldn’t concentrate on anything other than staring at you anyways, he could feel the blood rushing to his cock just from the sight of you. He had to quickly cover his crotch with the bags he was carrying, suppressing a blush. As you and Gojo had been secretly fucking behind closed doors for quite some time. Not dating, no, just fucking. Sometimes Gojo would often dream that you two were actually dating, he would love to show you off, spoil you, kiss you freely without fear of getting caught. He often wondered if you felt the same way. 

“Guys! That new ramen bar is open just down to the right!” Y/N yells back at the boys “Lets go try it!”. Ramen was always your favourite, you would eat it 3 times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner if you could. “Yeah sure, I'm getting quite hungry myself anyways, what about you Satoru?” Geto asks, “Yeah I'm down” Gojo smiles looking straight at you. 

The four of you were sitting in the booth at the new Ramen place. Get was sitting next to you, Gojo across from you and Shoko next to him. Normally you sat next to Gojo but he decided he wanted to look at you as he ate this time round. 

“My my Y/N, not often I get to sit next to such a pretty lady such as yourself” Geto purred next to you, playfully flirting due to the change in normal seating arrangement. You almost choke on your ramen as he says this stifling a laugh clearly knowing that he was being playful. 

“I could say the same for you, sitting next to such a handsome strong man” You smirked leaning onto his shoulder. Both of you are smiling and chuckling slightly. Shoko laughed along with you as well, you knew she had a thing for Geto but at least she wasn’t jealous of your playful flirting. 

Gojo on the other hand was faking a smile as he continued to eat his ramen. He knew it was just a joke but hearing you talk that way to another man, never mind that man being Geto of all people, stuck something inside of him that made him unbelievably jealous. If his eyes weren’t such a bright blue you couldn't have sworn they would turn red with rage. Geto put his arm around you kissing you on the head laughing. This image continued to play in Gojos mind for the rest of the day. 

Once you had all finished eating your ramen til you were so full you could barely move. You all agreed it was time for you all to head back to your apartments. Geto and Shoko lived in the opposite direction as you and Gojos apartments. So half way back you both said your goodbyes to each other.

“Goodbye beautiful” Geto winked, blowing you a kiss. You pretended to catch the kiss and put it in your pocket “Bye Suguruuuu” you sang. Then you hug Shoko goodbye before turning round and beginning the silent walk home with Gojo by your side. 

Once you got back to your apartment, you were expecting to turn round to say goodbye to Gojo but instead found him following you into your home. Although you weren’t expecting this it wasn’t at all unusual for Gojo to join you in your home after a day out. So you let him follow you in without a question. 

As soon as you lock the door behind you, Gojo drops your bags (you forgot he was carrying) and pins you to the door. Your eyes widen as he does this, “Toru?” you begin to talk but Gojo cuts you off with his hand over your mouth, a whine leaving you as he does this. 

“What was that all about back there with Suguru huh? You're just gonna whore yourself out to anyone now?” He growls. 

“I-it was just for show Toru, we don’t actually feel that way for each other”

“Is that right? Seemed pretty convincing to me” He was clearly angry and hurt.

“Why do you even care, it's not like we’re dating”

“Oh i wanna change that real fucking soon darling, but first i’m gonna fuck you”

Gojo’s lips crashed down onto yours before you could even protest. The sweet taste of him coating your lips causes you to melt into the kiss. He had one hand on the back of your neck, the other on your waist as he pinned you to the door with his body. Your hands were laying on his muscular chest, gripping onto his t-shirt. 

Gojo forced his tongue into your mouth, shoving it so far down your throat you gag a little bit. That noise drives him even more crazy. You feel your knees buckle from beneath you and Gojo takes advantage of this, lifting you up easily as if you were nothing. His hands rested under your ass as your legs wrapped around his waist as you made out. 

Gojo growled and moaned into your mouth as he could feel your heat just resting over his crotch. All these noises coming from your best friend were sending you into a place you've never been before, your panties were so incredibly wet they could probably rip in half. 

The soft feeling of the bed hit your back as Gojo threw you, instantly climbing on top of you only breaking your kiss to take a breath every now and then. “Fuck Y/N, y’make me go crazy” Gojo moans onto your mouth. You could feel his hard cock through his trousers pushing down onto you, it hurt slightly due to how big he was, but it was a pain you craved when he wasn’t around. 

His touch felt like lightning against your skin as he pulled your shirt over your head, almost ripping it with desperation. Skillfully taking your bra off with one hand discarding all of your clothing onto the floor. Leaving you and only you, naked and vulnerable, just how Gojo liked you. Gojo stands up from the bed and knowing your place you stand lying down. 

“Fuck look at you” he laughs “you’re fucking beautiful you know that?” 

His sincerity almost made you tear up as you watched his bright blue eyes swim all over your naked form. 

“And you’re all fucking mine, you got that whore?” his eyes darken as his jealousy over earlier today begins to front. 

Gojo walks over to the drawer in your bedroom where you keep all of your toys. He skims the contents for a few minutes before pulling out a stretcher bar and handcuffs. The stretcher bar clips on to your ankles to keep your legs spread wide open. Gojo approaches you with the restraints smirking darkly at you. He forces your legs apart and straps you into the stretcher bar, then trails his hand up your body making you shiver before handcuffing you. You stare up at Gojo, his bright eyes glowing in the dimly lit room. 

“Who owns you?” 

“Y-you do ‘Toru” 

“Good girl” he purrs

He begins to strip from his clothes. Starting with his shirt, pulling it over his head, his muscles flexing as he does so. Gojo was fit, really fit, his abs were so defined it had you drooling. Then his trousers, he brought his fingers down to the zip and slowly pulled it down, he knew what he was doing, he was teasing you. You whine at his teasing and he chuckles in response. He drops his trousers and all that's left is his boxers, his hard cock begging to be released from behind the fabric. 

“Take them off…please” you say, squeezing your legs together trying to get some sort of friction from the sight before you.

“So impatient” he laughs

His boxers fall to the floor releasing his cock, it hits his lower stomach with a slap. You moan at the sight, the tip of his cock, red and dripping with precum. 

“Gonna be a good girl f’me and suck my cock?” 

All you can do is nod your head, not wanting to waste time on words, you needed him and you needed him now. Gojo laughs at your patheticness and walks over to the bed. He pulls you to the edge, hanging your head over the side of the bed, at the perfect height for him to shove his cock down your throat. 

“Go on, open that pretty little mouth for me” 

As soon as you do, Gojo thrusts into your mouth, slowly pushing until you take all of him. You can feel his tip hit the back of your throat and you gag. Gojo moans loudly at this, your warm mouth feels so good around him. It had been weeks since you last hooked up and you were both desperate for any type of action making you sensitive for each movement. 

“Oh my - fuck Y/N you take my cock so fucking well in that pretty mouth of yours” 

He grabs onto the sides of your head, grasping your hair slightly to help him thrust into your mouth. The wet noises of your spit covering him echoes around the room. You manage to tap Gojos leg to indicate to him that you needed air. He pulled out of you, letting go of your head. 

“Awww was that too much for you to handle, needed a breath of fresh air did you?”

You can only nod as you are gasping for air, normally you can take him no problem but the angle means you are being suffocated by his balls each time he thrust into you fully. Gojo flipped you back round onto the bed properly and climbed on top of you. He quickly smashed his lips against yours, he could taste himself on your tongue. The vibrations from his groans shaking through your whole body. Complete euphoria is what you were feeling, it felt like you were on cloud nine. 

“M’gonna fuck you now, m’gonna fuck you til you can’t even think straight, teach you a lesson” he growled into your ear sending shivers down your spine. 

Gojo pulls at your thighs, his fingers digging into your skin most likely leaving bruises, bruises that would show others who you belong to. He swipes the tip of his cock through your folds, lubing himself up before he slams into your hole. 

“Nhhhhgg FUCK TORU” 

You weren’t expecting him to be so rough, he’s normally always so gentle…….you liked it. His cock moulded perfectly with your insides, it was like you were made for him. Gojo was big, very big and with just how rough he was benign you could already tell he was bruising your cervix, walking would definitely be a challenge tomorrow. 

Your mind was so foggy as he pounded into you, it was hard to think of anything other than him. Your eyes rolling into the back of your head now and then, almost dipping out of consciousness with Gojos hand round your throat, pressing at just the right pressure. One of Gojo’s favourite sights was his hand round your throat. He could see that you were unable to think straight, he was fucking the thoughts out of you and he loved it. He loved how much dominance he had over you and how you just fully submitted and let him use you. 

“Not thinking about him are you huh? It’s not his cock deep inside of you is it?” 

He really was jealous of you and Geto flirting earlier. Even though you and Gojo weren’t officially dating, you could see it in his eyes at the ramen restaurant and now you could feel it with how he was fucking you. If this is how he reacted to you flirting with other guys then you need to start doing it more often.

“From this day forward you’re my fuck toy and only mine. Got it?” he growled, not even slowing his pace. 

“Y-yes T-toru, on-ly yours OH MY GOD” you screamed the last part as you felt his thumb start to draw circles on your clit, stimulating you fully pushing you closer and closer to an orgasm. The pure overstimulation from touch and the fact that you were completely helpless under him, unable to move any of your body was sending you over the edge. 

“Mmmmnnghh fuck, s’fucking tight just f’me, can feel you getting closer. You gonna cum?”

“Ye-s yes m’gonna cum please let me cum” you begged, which was music to Gojo’s ears. 

“Go on then, cum for me, cum all over my cock before I fill you up” 

It didn’t take long after his words before you reached your orgasm and came, squirting all over him, soaking his lower body and the bed beneath you. You really should’ve put a towel down. 

The feeling of your pussy pulsing as you came also sent Gojo over the edge, with a loud groan, his body tightened as he released all of his cum inside of you coating your pussy. 

He slowed right down riding out both of your highs slowly and gently, before coming to a complete stop. He collapsed on top of you, both of your breathing so heavy no words were exchanged for a good few minutes. 

After a while, Gojo rolls off of you, breaks you free from the restraints and lies down beside you, laying on his arm and eyes closed. 

“That felt so good” he breathed

“Are you really that jealous of me and Suguru FAKE flirting?” you asked cocking your head to the side to look at him. Gojos eyes opened to meet yours. He had been battling the fact that he had absolutely fallen in love with you over the time that you have been hooking up. He was dreadfully terrified of confessing incase he lost you completely. 

“I- uhm” he started and propped himself up on his hand. 

“I have a confession…..a few weeks into us starting to hook up here and there, I- uhh- I began to develop feelings for you” He was avoiding eye contact scared in case he was met with not only rejection but a lost friendship.

Your eyes opened wide, you  couldn't believe it, Gojo had actually developed feelings for you?. This whole time you were absolutely in love with your best friend and finally he admitted that he too felt the same way. It felt like you were dreaming again. 

Panicked by your long silence, Gojo spoke again.

“Y/N i’m sorry if i’ve ruined everything I just hmmmppff” 

You cut him off with crashing your lips onto his, your hands resting on his sweating muscled chest. A smile spread right across your mouth. Gojo melted into your kiss, his heartbeat slowing down the anxiety leaving his body as he got your message. 

Glad that you both felt the same way you both fell asleep wrapped up in each other's arms. Smiles permanently spread across your faces. You were finally his and he was finally yours. 

taglist: @writing-wh0re

[daphwritesworld]

Don't know if you write for her but if you do could you write some bottom ella toone smut please?

Ella Toone x Teammate!Reader

content: pussy eating (R receiving), fingering (E receiving), dom/sub relationship, Top!Reader, Bottom!Ella

warnings: locker room sex, Ella being a tease, Ella pushing your buttons, grumpy morning reader, mirror kink?

synopsis: Ella ignores you during practice so you show her how you feel about it in the locker room.

word count: 2.0k

!! 18+ MINORS DNI !!

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From the second you two woke up this morning, you swear Ella’s had it out for you. She must’ve made it her singular mission today to push all your buttons. It started out with her not waking you up on time. She’d swore she’d wake you up early enough to get your run in if you stayed over last night…now 15 minutes late as you're throwing your bag into the trunk of her car and steal the keys from her hand.

“Hey! What do you think you're doing, big man?” She makes a face as she says it, titling her head to the side as her eyes squint.

“Baby, we don't have time for this. Get in the car, I’m driving today,” you say it as a sigh. Sleep still present in your face and voice as the grumpiness still hasn’t worn off…especiellay because you didn’t have time for your daily jog!

“No! It's my new car, and you’ve driven it more than me!” She’s starting to whine at you now, the pitch and attitude of her words changing at the drop of a hat.

“Ella, please just get in the car. I want to at least be able to stop and get some coffee before practice,” you close your eyes as you pinch the bridge of your nose. You’re really trying to stay calm, the morning monster inside of you burying itself as you hear her open the passenger door. A dramatic sigh of “Fiiiiiinnneee!” leaving her lips before she shuts it and waits on you inside.

And everything was okay after that, until you pulled into the parking lot of the training facility. She immediately hops out, running off with her friends as she leaves you to get both of your bags. And of course you'll do it without complaint, but she'd usually at least walk with you as you did. Always complimenting your muscles as she makes the same Popeye joke she does every time— and you still laugh at it every time, too. You catch up and set her bag strap on her shoulder, not even getting to see her face as she just grabs it and keeps walking ahead of you. She then decides today's a good day to team up Alessia, running off calling to her as she leaves you to find another partner for drills.

You team up with Lucy and things seem to be going pretty good for a while…until Ella decides to take her shirt off halfway through. The sweat glistening off her body catches the reflection of the sun like she's a made of fucking diamonds. You lick your lips, being met with a salty sheen covering your own face. And just for a second you imagine it's from running your tongue up her abs, tasting her skin as you peel her bottoms off. You'd fuck her right here in front of everybody if you could..suck on her her nipples through her sports bra as she grinds her pussy down onto your thigh, and mark her as yours for everyone to see. Make them watch as you break her apart and put her back together, like a puzzle you know by heart. But alas that's illegal— so you won't…but you sure as hell fixate on it for the rest of practice. Like fuel to a fire, pushing you to be better as you try and burn the image out of your head for the moment. You can never have a moment of peace with Ella around.

Then when you guys are in the locker room? You swear she's giving you those fuck me eyes under her eyelashes, but that could also be the ragging desire for her that's brewing inside of you fueling some delusion. You've spent hours now trying to ignore the absolute mess between your thighs, and you think it's finally starting to drive you crazy. So when you hear the last of the girls telling you guys goodnight, your heart starts to speed up. You know as soon as the door closes— you're pouncing. And pounce you do.

Within seconds after the last girl leaves the room, your hands are all over Ella's body. Pulling, groping, caressing…you name it and you're doing it. She's letting out little moans as you explore her body, arching herself into your touch as she reaches to pull the sports bra off her head. "Go ahead, baby, Lemme see you," you say as you start kissing down her neck.

She pulls the undergarment off and flings it across the room. Her hands come to gather in your hair as she tries to guide your head towards her nipples. You chuckle at that, leaning up to stare down at her with that smirk on your face. "You really think I'm gonna give it to you that easy? Oh no, baby. You've got to earn it this time," you say it between kisses on her chest. Then you pulling away as you start stripping yourself, folding your clothes and sitting them down on the bench. A stark contrast to Ella's messily thrown around the room. "On your knees, love."

So she slides down onto her knees, head shooting up as you walk in front of her. Your naked body standing above hers as you step a leg being her, your dripping wet pussy only inches away from her face now. "Be a good girl and clean me up, then maybe I'll think about letting you cum. Understand?"

She lets out a whine at that, biting her lip as she gets lost in a trance as your pussy twitches right in front of her. "Y-yeah. I understand!"

"Good. Now stick your tongue out and don't fucking move," you yank her head back into position by her ponytail. A loud cry falling from her lips as her tongue sticks up to lay flat against your pussy. It's immediate the way you start grinding against it, chasing the euphoric feeling you know her mouth can give you. She starts moaning into your cunt as she watches you, eyes boring into the way your abs flex from the roll of your hips. You're using her body— her mouth for your own pleasure. And she fucking loves it. She loves the way she can feel when your are legs flex, knowing that you're close just from how hard the muscles beside her head are tensing up. She loves knowing all she has to do is ignore you at practice to get you this worked up.

Your own hands find your nipples— pinching and pulling as your hips start getting erratic. You both know you're close, but you bring a hand down to keep her head in place just to make sure. No letting anything take away this orgasm you've been needing since this morning. Your hips start jerking messily on her face, your cum running down her cheeks as she runs her tongue up through your folds. Cleaning up the mess she was the cause of. You groan out as a smile takes over your face, looking down as you watch her lap up everything you're giving her.

"Good fucking girl," you let it between pants as you start pulling away from her mouth. Hands going to pull her up and sit you both on the bench beside you. You throw one of your legs over the bench as you make her mirror you, pulling her back to your front as you're met with your reflections on the wall mirror in front of you. You run your hands over her body, taking in the way she shivers and wiggles around from the light touches. She's biting her lip— trying to keep all her whines and complaints in as she lets you have your way with her. "Look at yourself, baby. I won't touch you how you want until you do," It's said with a kiss to the back of her neck.

So without hesitation she meets her eyes in the slightly dirty mirror. It's a sight to behold for sure— she's flushed completely. A pretty light blush spread across her body as she heaves a little, breath speeding up the longer it takes for you to touch her properly. She's scanning over every inch of herself, watching as your hands start sliding their way towards her pussy with a relieved sigh. You start out with running your nails against her inner thighs, wanting to see them shake before you even touch her clit. You love her responsive she always is, so sensitive whenever you're touching her. It's like a bolt of lightening every time your fingertips touch her skin, and it ignites an explosion under her skin as she craves you even more.

You kiss her neck as you see her listening to you, your fingers from one hand sliding down to prod at her entrance. Ella's so wet at this point you can see it dripping down onto the bench below you, and when her fingers start sliding in? Well it doesn't take long for a little puddle to form underneath her ass. Eyes glued to the way your three fingers are bullying their way through her cunt, her eyes rolling back as her moans bounce off walls echoing in the room. Anyone in the hallway could definitely hear here clear as day, but you just simply didn't give a fuck. She'd been playing with fire today and she knew it— so now she's happily getting burned. You know it's happily from the way loud words of pleasure are falling from her lips as she's getting finger fucked… Exactly where she saw her captain tying her shoes this morning might I add. It's all too much for her, too dizzying, too taboo. She's letting you fuck her out the open— okay not really but anyone could walk in at any moment. And Ella isn't sure if this is exactly what she had planned when she decided to push your buttons today….but she isn't complaining right now. Right now she's screaming out your name, pussy gushing over your thick fingers shoved inside her tight cunt on display— for your eyes only.

She's reaching a hand down to your wrist, back arching off your chest as she announces she's on the edge. You weight your options real quick, you could deny her. Make her cry and sulk all the way home where you might let her cum….or you could give in. Let her scream out profanities in the one place you know she shouldn't be.

Yeah you totally fold…so with a sigh of you wrap a hand around Ella's throat— pulling her back for a kiss on the lips. Fingers still buried inside of her as your palm grinds into her puffy clit. Tears gathering in her eyes as she's pushed over the edge. "F-Fuck! I-I'm cummin, baby! I'm c-cummin!"

You can't help but whimper from the way her pussy clenches down so hard, squeezing your fingers out of her as she winces at the feeling of being emptied. Your fingers are pruny from being buried in her pussy for so long, not noticing how much time has passed since you both started.

"Oh dammit! We totally missed happy hour for those mini cheesecakes I see the ad for!"

You can't help the absolute chuckle that bubbles out of your chest, throwing your head back as tears gather in your eyes. "Please tell me you aren't seriously thinking about cheesecake after what we've just done?!"

"What? You know how to work a girls appetite up, that's all I'm saying!" and just like that you're doubling over as you push at her shoulder. Giving her a kiss on the forehead as you start to dress you both back up. It only takes about 10 minutes until you're both bundled up, ready to face the cold night air…but those plans are soon foiled. Every time you press on the door— it doesn't budge.

"I think we're locked in, Ells..."

"Of course we are…So do we risk social suicide and call the girls or you just wanna have a sleep over in here? It can't be THAT bad, right?"

"ELLA! Don't be fucking ridiculous!….I have a blanket in my locker. Of course we aren't calling anyone on the team."

[night-dazai]

Hiii you ahould totally do like a romantic/fluffy s/o dancing with dazai like that scene with sigma and dazai😔🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 i wish to dance with this man😍

Dancing with the Changed Devil : 

Dazai X Reader 

This request was such a lovely and sweet one thanks i enjoyed imaging and writing this . !!😊

The party was loud and after work this was not helping you in any way. Dazai had gone into a room with Mori and the director “ 2 hours now “ you signed look at your phone once again . After defeating all villains you crave rest while the world wants to celebrate you but all you aksed was for a DAYS OFF , you did not get it . Now you sat in the party hall as all of the agency was out there eating(ranpo) , networking (Kunikida ) and the other kids running around and dancing. You smiled at them all enjoying this enev though you did not much front line work as your ability was more of a backup plan but the image of people close to you being dead haunted you for nights and thus you sat there tired and sleepless in the red gown hair loose waiting for your bf .

The director came out talking with Dazai “ yes sir of course i see it all donee~” you heard your lover's dramatic voice. After talking with him they both walked to you “ y/n if you are very tired yo-” he could not finish as the hall went dim “ now for the special show , lovers, couples all take the dance floor all yours “ the host announced. Dazai’s eyes twinkled as he swiftly grabbed your hand “y/n lets go !” his childlike enthusiasm made you smile but not move “ i am tired please” you said softly. Normally he would push you more but now he knew the stress you were under and kissed your knuckles “ lets go home Donna “ he said. Both of you left the party very early saying your byes to all of the members. 

The cab ride was quiet as both of you just started at each and out of the window “ its hurts is it time ?” you wondered holding your abdomen. Dazai noticing how you held yourself asked worried “Bella?” his hand on top of yours on your stomach “All right ?” his eyes worried. Smiling “ yeah ..think its time, “ you said making him blink twice before he got the meaning “Ahhhh~~~ lovely doll come here i will provide you warmth . “ he said opening his arms . You were sure the driver was cringing at you two but you couldn't care less and settled into his arms and went into a long slumber. 

Dazai put you on the bed and went to change his clothes. As your opened your eyes feeling your soft bed under you wonder you mumbled “ dazai?..” “ one second love “ he said from the other side and the bathroom door opened with him coming out “ i bought some pads change up i will make something warm “ he said walking into the kitchen kissing your forehead. As you were changing your mind wondered “Does he hate me for what i said there “ you thought washing your face “ but i am tired and periods no wonder i felt cranky “ you thought but the more you thought the more guilty you felt and soon you come out and sat on your bed crying in the sheets to be found by Dazai with 2 cups of coco milk .

“Y/N!” he said keeping the cups down and removing the sheets from you searching for any signs of injury “ what happened why are you crying ?” his voice filled with worry only made you sobs worse. Your hid your face in his chest as he patted your head worried but sure you were not hurt physically  “Maybe periods is soo bad ? did she fall in the bathroom, did someone say something to her in the hall…” as his mind raced all thoughts he looked down hearing your soft sorry’s. Confused he held your chin gently forcing you to look up “ why love ?” “ you ..you wanted to dance…i said noo..i am sorry i am really tired did not mean itt….i “you kept mumbling making his heart squee both in pain and love . “how did i end up with someone so cute This is not possible, “ Dazai thought and laughed making you look at him confused “Periods is messing her head “ he mumbled and before you could hear it he had you on your feet dragging you to your balcony. 

The moon was there big and bright shining on you two, he kneeled “ my dear y/n would you do the honour and dance with this undeserving man ?” his voice laced with love and passion he kissed your hands. Wiping your tears you nodded your head , your fingers intertwined his and one of his hands rested on your waist and the other pulled and guided you. His movements were soft and gentle “Love i want you and nothing you say can ever hurt me “ he whispered into your ear seeing you calm down. Both your bodies swayed to the rhythm “wait !” he suddenly paused and went back and got his phone playing the most romantic song he knew “ lets dance love “ he said. You saw the same energy in his eyes and knew he was not mad “ yes dear “ . You twirled and twisted guided by his gentle but strong hands not letting you go even for a second. As you bent back the music ended with Dazai whispering on your neck “Darling i must warn you again i don't deserve you i am a monster you know that right ?” he asked pulling you up and hugging you to his chest.

Smiling you pushed him and got on your knees making his eyes go wide “ Dazai Osamu , devil or angel, good or bad dont care. I want you , i love you and will always be with you . you dont want marriage no probs lets stay like this , you want to go forward lets go , anything you want i am at your command “ you said like a knight saying his oath to their king and as you looked up it was a heavenly scene which your eyes observed. The tall bandaged creature stood having a hand to his mouth as his chocolate brown hair swayed in the slow wind the big moon behind him he tried to hold his tears in but his brown orbs did not allow it . As he fell crying you hugged him “my my Osamu how in the world did i end up with someone soo precious as you . You won't hate me if i say not dancing our going out if i am tired right ? “ you said into his ear just to get a nod from the fragile man in your arms. 

this is how he looks when he says he wants to dance with you !!!

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

What It Is to "See" in Trigun

"You can really lose yourself in that blue sky... Ah... There I go again. Rem... It's silly, isn't it... that I'm still thinking about... how I want to show it to you."

The theme of sight, showing, and eyes comes up quite a lot in Trigun. This isn't exactly an in-depth analysis, more just an examination of what "seeing" really is, at least in the context of this manga.

A notable recurring thing that happens in many of Knives' scenes is the obscuring of eyes and faces, either others (Vash, usually) or his own.

[ID: Two panels from Trigun Maximum Volume 7. One is of young Knives, his hand obscuring most of his face. His thumb is bleeding from where he's bitten it, and it streaks blood next to his open left eye. The other is also of young Knives, his face shadowed dramatically. His right eye is closed and crying. His left is wide open, ringed in darkness and blood from where his thumb has trailed down his face. End ID.]

The obscuring of one eye in the scene where Knives decides to crash the ships makes it so he only looks through one of his eyes - or, like he is only seeing one perspective, or one side to things. Knives, in his fear and anger, blinds himself to seeing anything other than what he already expects. In the second image, he is torn between a closed crying eye and a wide open one, dragging blood down the side of his face. He chooses the path of blood over tears, and refuses to change this from this point on.

[ID: A panel from Trigun Maximum Volume 13. A younger Legato leans over with a stricken expression. His right eye is obscured by his hair as tears spill from his right. End ID.]

As a bonus note, Legato's hair often conceals that same eye that Knives has obscured on himself, perhaps a visual representation of not only him also seeing only one path forward, but also that his path is one of devotion to Knives. Elendira's hair does much the same.

We also have the cult known as the Eye of Michael - "Eye", which counter to its name, actually blinds its disciples into again, only seeing one perspective - looking through only one eye. Half of Chapel's face is frequently shadowed. In the "shoot" scene, only Wolfwood's left eye is fully visible - as, even though he makes a definite point, he himself is genuinely rather hopeless at this point, only seeing one path and one perspective.

[ID: A screenshot from Trigun Maximum Volume 2. From a slightly overhead perspective, Wolfwood pulls the gun Vash is holding and aims it at his own head. Only his left eye is visible. End ID.]

It's why it's pretty significant that we start to see both his eyes in Volumes 9 and 10, and why I think it matters that he died with his eyes open.

Livio and Razlo are interesting in this regard too. Split between the two eyes, Livio with his obscured right eye and Razlo with his exposed left. When Livio cuts his hair, his eye becomes more visible, like something of a balancing - but it doesn't end there. Throughout the fight against Elendira, when the two are working together, both their eyes can be seen. They even do a switch, with Razlo being shown on the right, and Livio on the left, as if to show, through their conversation, that they have learned to see each other's perspectives better, and work as a team - they have learned to "see through each other's eyes".

[ID: Two panels from Trigun Maximum Volume 13. The first is Razlo shown from the right, eye wide and grinning as he rushes forwards. The second is Livio shown from the left, sweating in exertion. End ID.]

Speaking of seeing through other's eyes, we have Hoppered and Meryl's unwilling vision of Vash's memories, which, while incredibly traumatic, also gave them a new perspective they otherwise couldn't have had. This moment is actually key for Meryl to understand Vash as a person on a deeper level, to communicate what she knows about him to others, and to understand why he felt like he had to do everything alone... so that she could make it clear that he no longer had to.

Meryl and Vash, in particular, share in that painful past, and have come to the same conclusion about it - things take time to heal, but it's always worth it to try, and to work with others to bring a brighter world about.

This "seeing the world through another's eyes" is a running theme all throughout the story, and it's the reason for the first quote at the beginning of this write-up.

[ID: A screenshot from Trigun Maximum Volume 7. Young Vash stares, eyes wide, as Rem cries and says to him, "Let's see the world together, let's walk through it together. Because the world... I swear, it's not just full of worthless people." End ID.]

Vash doesn't just want Rem to see the beautiful blue sky, he wants to see it with her, because that was what he needed when he was a young kid, fresh from the trauma of discovering Tesla, and unable to see the good in the world all alone. He needed another perspective, someone who could show him something other than hopelessness and fear. Instead, he had to force himself to search for it alone.

When he wants to show Rem that blue sky, it's because he wants to show her he's found something worthwhile and good. Just like she promised. It's not all awful.

[ID: A screenshot from Trigun Maximum Volume 10. Amidst two panels of Vash's outstretched hand and Wolfwood falling towards him, on a white background, he thinks "That's why, after everything's been said and done, I wanted to see tomorrow with him. Isn't that right... Wolfwood?" End ID.]

When he wants to "see" tomorrow with Wolfwood, it's a promise of sticking together and of continuing to offset each other's perspectives - they trust each other to be their other set of eyes that makes seeing the hope in the world, and other pathways and options and interpretations different from their own just that much easier. Vash sees a future and a hope outside of fighting Knives through Wolfwood, something he previously could not do.

[ID: A screenshot from Trigun Maximum Volume 14. Ethereal looking feathers fall over a crowd of civilians, who look upwards at them with varying expressions of shock and curiosity. End ID.]

And when the Plants share their memories with humans, and the humans respond with tears, it's the ultimate culmination of what it is to "see" in Trigun - to see is to understand another's story and their personal plight.

To see is to understand is to hope for the better for yourself and for others, and that puts you on the path to slowly but surely healing. To making a change for the better, to finding that light in the dark. That blank ticket.

[fudgelling-away]

Sans, tail me your secret

sfw, 1000 words

An innocent slice of life. You and Sans get to know each other better in the early stages of relationship.

Warnings: Intimacy (but no outright suggestive themes, nothing happens besides obvious attraction, that’s not the focus of this text) A few curse words Some tears, some drama (but it ends well, you both will be alright)

As always, your writing and drawings are more than welcome! You can write a different ending, or change how the whole scene would play out, I'd love to see it.

.... What a nice evening, you thought.

You two got ready to binge-watch the tenth season of Ancient Aliens. Almost 10 years have passed since the monsters came to the surface and Sans has been busy with going through all the old shows. It gave you an opportunity to rewatch some old classics or discover something you have previously missed.

Surrounded with snacks and blankets, you got comfortable and he was now sitting close to you on the couch. Not really paying attention to NASA's Secret Agenda, you were discreetly observing his face. So relaxed, lively. Happy.

In a sudden surge of courage and affection you coaxed him to move onto your lap.

He followed your lead seemingly without a second thought while his eyelights remained glued to the TV. You almost missed the twitch of the corner of his smile as he tried to keep a poker face, but you were getting really good at reading him those days. As he nestled in your lap, leaning with his back against your chest, an eerie feeling crept up on you. Even though his bones were thicker than your own, he seemed so fragile. It was... wrong. He was too exposed and you didn't like that at all. You embraced him gently, closing your eyes and wishing that your body could become his shield. What a nice evening.

The living room was pleasantly warm, contrasting with the snow that was faintly visible outside the windows. Fire crackling in the fireplace, the smell of burning pine wood, tea with orange slices and cloves.... What a nice–

Your eyes opened wide. With him sitting flush against you the crests of his ischium dug into your thighs – it felt insanely intimate, but you kept your composure until something poked against your abdomen. ... The fuck was that? You froze. Both his hands were in your view. He was still sitting calmly, though you could see droplets of sweat forming on his skull. When he leaned forward to reach for a cookie, something the size of a finger brushed against your belly, and suddenly all you could see was an image of a big fat rat crawling under his shorts, or a spider, or....

You jumped up with a yelp, throwing Sans off your lap, trying to catch him with your left hand and falling with him on the carpet, cookies flying through the air, crumbs everywhere. You managed to break the fall with your right forearm, still awkwardly squishing Sans to your left side.

Silence.

Only the dramatic clatter of the tin bowl against the wooden floor.

He scrambled away from you with such pain in his wide-open eyesockets that you thought he was about to cry, but there was no chance to console him. He shortcutted out of the room. He just wanted a fucking chocolate cookie. You felt a wave of dread surging through your body in a sickening way. You felt like the worst trash on earth. Calm down. At least one of you can't freak out. You are going to laugh about it later, it's okay. Breathe. You climbed the stairs on shaky legs and quietly knocked on his door.

“Sans? Are you there?”

No response.

“Knock, knock?” you whined miserably. “Babe, I'm so sorry, please let me explain.”

You began to wonder if he had teleported to his room at all, and not somewhere else. You sat down by the door and took out your phone. Your hands were shaking so much that writing a message was a real challenge.

You:

Sans. I am extremely sorry. My reaction was involuntary, caused by surprise and nothing more. I am so disappointed in myself for hurting you like this. Your expression will haunt me till the day I die. Rest assured I am punished. I was simply surprised because…

dont tell him about the rat

...because I still have no idea what you touched me with. I don't know your body that well yet. I'm sorry that my reaction was so spectacular. Read. You sighed with relief and waited.

Sans:

heh it was quite spectacular wasn't it

You:

I'm so sorry Will you come back and talk?

Sans: and risk being yeeted across the floor? fat chance, buddy

You: I'm so sorry... After a bit of back and forth, some more grovelling and some heartfelt promises, Sans opened the door. You sat up hopefully, but slouched again when you saw his serious expression. His usual grin looked more like an uneasy grimace.

“it's my tail” he grumbled so quietly you almost didn't catch that.

“Your... tail? Your tail moves?”

“i move it. it doesn’t have a mind of its own.”

“Why did you move it?” You asked stupidly and mentally slapped yourself in the face.

Exasperation flashed through his face briefly as he rolled his eyelights.

“i didn't– buddy, pal, it’s short but it’s still a tail and functions like one. when i bend or reach, it reacts to balance me, however ridiculous that sounds.”

He remained silent for a moment and you dared not to speak. His eyesockets narrowed slightly.

“yours doesn't, huh?”

“No! I don't really have one, mine is just a couple of fused vertebrae.”

“mine isn't fused.”

You wanted to ask if you could see it, but even though you bit your tongue Sans read your face like an open book.

“tsch. you've got some nerve.”

You groaned, curling up on the floor in front of him.

“I am so sorry...”

“i will remember to let myself react wildly the moment your body surprises me,” You heard his ominous voice above you. He hummed thoughtfully and a smirk slowly crept on his face. “yeah. i will flail and scream. heh.”

“Sans...”

“now, my tea’s getting cold” he walked past you calmly, his voice finally relaxed again. “and i believe you’ve got crumbs to sweep up. c'mon.”

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Nightlife 5

Warnings: dark elements to come. Proceed with caution.

Note: I know what you’re thinking, why the fuck are you doing this? Well, you wanted bouncer Lee and I did too. Also, short!reader, not sorry.

Walking home from the library, you find yourself checking over your shoulder. Each set of headlights has you envisioning the bronze corvette, every shadow of a passerby appears first as Lee's broad silhouette. Your eventual arrival is a relief, but not for long.

You look at your phone as it vibrates. You clutched it the whole way home. You see Lee's message floating below the time. 

"Sup?" Raquel asks as she lazes on the couch.

"Oh, just studying," you answer as you take off your shoes, "feel better."

"Feel like shit," she answers without looking up from her cellphone. "Want some pizza? Was gonna order from Guillaume's."

"Hm, not really hungry," you shrug and your bag slips down to your elbow.

"Fine," she replies glumly, "guess I'll just get a small."

Your phone buzzes again and you quickly forget her disappointment. You flit by the couch and pause at the end. Should you tell her about Lee? She knows more about guys than you.

Your embarrassment gets the better of you. It's obvious you're stupid about boys but admitting it is too much. Besides, she's your roommate, not your friend. Her 'friends' were nowhere to be found when she was drunk at the club.

Your kick yourself back into step and retreat to your room. You shut the door and throw your bag on the bed. You open your messages and skim Lee's texts. Asking how studying went, how you're doing. 

You type in a response, not much different than what you told Raquel. You set your phone on your desk and change into a pair of pj's: polka dot shorts and matching tee. You grab your cell and hop on the bed, dragging your bag closer to take out your laptop.

You turn on the 00s teen drama you ever been binging in passing as your phone rumbles in your hand. You lau back against your pillows. 

'Lazy night, I like it.'

'Class tomorrow. Should settle down.'

You send your evasive reply and turn your attention to the dramatic argument between the sophomores played by thirtysomethings. It isn't long before another text shakes your phone.

'Too bad. Was hoping for a call.'

You stare at the message. You want to say no but you don't want to be rude. You don't answer as you languish in indecision. 

A new text comes in before you can come up with a response. 

'Just a short call. To say goodnight. I had such a nice time today.'

Shit. You don't know how he's persuasive even through text. The walls close in as you desperately search for an easy way to let him down. You got nothing.

'Alright.'

You regret your acquiescence as soon as you hit send. You blow out a heavy breath and look up at the ceiling. You could've just said you're going to sleep, you could lie. No, you've never been good at that.

Your phone chimes with the usual melody of a video call coming in. Huh? You assumed he meant phone call, not seeing you. Oh geez.

You sit up and hit pause on your laptop. You fumble to answer the call and the image of yourself in the corner shows only the top left portion of your face. You pull the phone back and center yourself in the small box, only then taking in the sight of the man that takes up the bulk of the screen.

Lee smiles at you through the camera, "hey, little darling, don't you look cozy."

You blink and give a nervous chuckle, more a rattle in your throat. You gulp as you notice the bareness of his shoulders. Eek. He can't be…

"Like the color of that shirt, can I get a look at all of ya?"

"Um, I don't know," you adjust your grip on the phone, "I…"

"Come on, I'm sure ya look scrumptious, sweet thing."

You tug on your lip. Your head is empty. Painfully so as your heart hammers in your chest. Facing him through a lens is somehow just intimidating as in the flesh.

“Errr,” you glance around cluelessly.

“Go on,” he urges, “just wanna see ya.”

You clamp your mouth shut as an icy wave rolls over you. It’s okay. It’s no big deal. Just your pajamas.

You climb off the bed, jostling the phone and you set it on the desk, leaning it against a book as you back up. You squint at your image in the frame as Lee hums in approval. He adjusts his phone, giving a small peek of the hair along the top of his chest.

“You look delicious,” he purrs, “ain’t you so cute.”

“Thanks,” you reach for the phone and quickly focus the camera on your face.

“The way you lookin’ right now, makes me wanna come over and… snuggle ya,” he smirks, “you’re such a sweet girl, huh?”

You don’t know what to say. You rub your lips together nervously and tug on your ear. He groans again, the image on his end shifting subtly.

“Or you could come over here, hm?” He drawls, “sneak up here, climb in next to me…” his voice grits as the camera shakes, the image of him blurring. “Wouldn’t you like that, sweetheart, you could get on top–” he drones as the angle changes and you see how his shoulder moves, his arm in a steady motion. Oh my, what is he doing?

“Lee?” You squeak in horror.

“I can’t help myself, this is what you do to me,” he growls, “the way I’ve been thinking of you all day. What if I just came there and crawled up on ya–” he nearly chokes, “tuck into you. Bet ya nice and tight–”

“Please, Lee–”

“Say it again, blossom,” he groans.

“Lee,” you beg.

“Mmmm,” his hand falls down, taking the phone with it. 

Suddenly, the screen dims but you can still see shapes through the shadows. The silhouette of his dick as he strokes it, his thick fingers squeezing tight as his voice rumbles in the air. You’re too stunned to say a word, to hit end. You just gape and watch him play with himself.

“You see what you make me do, little darling,” he snarls, “you got me–”

He chokes and spasms, rubbing his cocks as he stammers out a splintered moan. You see the eruption from his tip and hear the slickness as he spreads it up and down his length. You squeal and cover your eyes at last. You’re absolutely humiliated.

“Lee!” You exclaim as you peek through your fingers.

He sighs and fixes the camera, turning it back to his face. His skin is shiny with sweat and a lock of hair hangs down his forehead. His cheeks are ruddy and flushed from his excitement. 

“I hadta, sweet thing,” he growls, “if I didn’t,” he clears his throat, “I woulda had to come over there and do more.”

“Wh-why… Lee, I… I gotta go to sleep. Please. I got class tomorrow,” you plead.

“Mmm, such a good girl. I’ll dream of you,” he says, “hope not too much, the way you got me right now.”

“I’m sorry, I gotta be up early,” you murmur, hoping he’ll let you go. 

“It hurts, blossom, how much I want you.”

“Mhmm,” you look away from the phone, “I…good night.”

He lets out a long exhale, a thick gristle catching in his throat, “night, darlin’. Now don’t you be touching yourself. You save that for me.”

“Lee, I wouldn’t–” you bat your lashes in shock.

“I know, sweet thing, I know. I’m just teasing. You sleep tight.”

You hit end in hopes he doesn’t notice your frown. You throw the phone away from you and plunge onto the bed. You hide your head under the pillow and squeal. You can’t believe what he just did and you’re terrified of what he might do next.

[universaln0b0dy]

Always the side characters (Twist au)

Note: Lol, I finally decided to post the au in which all of my silly little twist ocs are canon and the rest will be in its blog, but here! Have the very pretty intro. Also, i am not planning on sticking to canon. It's my au, i get to do what ever i want, so be prepared. (Also all of this is just for fun and not fleshed out yet. I wrote this as if I was describing a movie trailer.

Intro one: Always the side characters

"As far as I can remember, I was always left behind." Image cutting to multiple pictures, with blurry people talking to each other. Yuna stands far behind them. "Maybe i wouldn't have minded that much if the reason hadn't been my twin." It starts colouring the pictures with Yuu in the middle and people around them. Yuna starts getting blacked out.

"For years and years I was the second fiddle, it didn't matter what I did... Yuu did it better." It cuts to Yuna having an A, but Yuu having an A+ and getting more praise from the parents. Yuna plays the Trombone beautifully, but you can't hear her cause Yuu is the main theme and she just the brass. It continues on and on.

"After a while I had enough of being the side character in someone else's life." Scene cuts to Yuu and Yuna fighting.

"You have to tell me what's wrong! I can't help you if you aren't going to tell me what the problem is." Yuu tries to pull Yuna back, but she slaps their hand away. "I don't need your help okay? I want to do things on my own. WHY CAN'T I PERSUE ART ON MY OWN?"

Yuu is taken aback by this outburst. "W-what? But I thought you would like it if we did the courses together. We are twins-"

Yuna turns around and stares at them angrily. "I never asked you to join! I wanted to do this on my own, you-you just burst into my hobbies like their your own. And what do you mean with TWINS?" Yunas shoulders stiff and she clenched her fists. "Us being twins doesn't mean we have to do everything together."

Yuu is shocked and takes two steps back, letting Yuna leave. "After that day, everything changed." Yuna sees a carriage on the road and is forced to enter it, the scene fades to black.

"Hello~" There is a voice calling her awake and Yuna blinks and opens her eyes. It cuts to a girl with red eyes and curly red hair leaning over her, smiling.

"HUH?"

"Good evening! I hope you feel alright." The girl turns her head to the side, her hair has a few rainbow streaks. "Mrs. YZME? The students awake."

Cut to the vice headmistress showing Yuna around school. "Suddenly I was in a completely different world, in a school for people with magic.... without magic."

( insert dorm sorting ceremony and cut to a dirty dorm being revealed)

"Ew" Yuna looks around in disgust. Camera swings to a platypus shrugging. "Oh I forgot to mention, I also have a roommate. The great Phil, he is lazy but very nice."

The two are seen fighting over a blanket till a knock stops them. "I have to study for a whole new world, but luckily Madelyne and the dees are there for me."

Madelyne proudly showing off her second year mark, before it cuts to a pair of twins one very hyper and one almost emotionless.

"I have adapted to my new life quickly." It cuts to a few silly scenes and school stuff until the atmosphere gets eerie.

"But it doesn't stop the fact that this school has a terrible secrets." It cuts to Overblots, a hall of masks, ghosts, a secret library door opening and closing.

"And I am dead set on saving my friends and protecting what's mine."

There is a long line with all characters (shadowed) exept for Yuna in the front and the twins to each of her sides.

-----

Intro: NCR meets FTA

It cuts to Yuu looking at a picture. "I thought at first it wasn't possible." Dramatic music and a zoom in on Yuna in a Feetale academy uniform, the people she is with get blurred away. "She shouldn't be here, my precious little twin."

Cut to Yuu slamming their fist on the table. "What do you know about this school!?" Cut to some of the housewardens. Most look confused except for Riddle, Kalim, Azul and Leona.

First interview with Riddle. "I don't know much about this school only that a former..... friend... of mine attends this academy."

Cut to Azul. "Well a classmate who I know is very close to Rielle is attending this school, but there isn't more to know."

Cut to Leona: "Huh? Why are you asking me about those sleazebags?" Ruggie chimes in: "Oh isn't this the school rumoured to be filled with RSA's lap dogs?"

Cut to Kalim, who seems genuinely uncomfortable/sad: "A friend of mine attends this school, along with a friend of Jamil's. As far as I know they were forced to cut off contact after Geena and Peggy were forced to....."

Next skip to Ramshackle being covered in red yarn, with yuu connecting storys and pictures but sighing frustrated. "THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT THIS SCHOOL!"

It cuts to Yuu searching through the internet but there being nothing, not even interviews of former students. "I have to see if my twin is there, no matter what it takes. But how do I get to the school when there is this little info on them?"

Dramatic framing of a tournament that takes part between all schools at the end if the year. "Yes, I have to make this school win this, forcing them into the spotlight!"

That is what I have so far for the cinema like intro, I hope you all like it^^

[gaysindistress]

Sad girl - eighteen

summary: James has an interesting new business proposal and one hell of a condition to deal with.

pairing: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader

warnings: cursing, Bucky’s smartass, angst, guns, violence, Walker has decided that he wants to be Joe Goldberg

word count: 2.2k

a/n: there are some POV shifts in this part but I tried to make it obvious with dividers so it wasn’t too confusing. Anyways, there’s one part left!

part 17 | series masterlist

Taglist: @missvelvetsstuff @angelsincident @spencerreidisagorgman @goldensunflowe-r   @i-have-no-life-charlie @esposadomd @iateall-yourcookies  @littlelizardlizzie @alana4610 @kandis-mom @beware-my-thorns @ozwriterchick @reader-without-a-story @unaxv @wh0reforbucknasty @cjand10  @vickie5446 @katymae12344 @openup-yourmind @callsign-athena

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

The Stark Estate is always the looming house on the hill as the SUV approaches the large iron gates. The brick mansion is mostly covered in vines and plants, much to Pepper’s dismay. Anthony thought it gave the 20s-built house character and a homey feel so the vines were left along with the ridiculous amount of landscaping that lined the driveway. Bucky resists the urge to roll his eyes at the blatant display of wealth as the SUV rolls down the driveway to the main house. Scott is the one to meet the men, standing with his arms crossed in front of him. The SUV slows to a stop beside him and Bucky gets out of the driver’s seat. 

“The others in position,” Scott asks him as Bucky adjusts his black jean jacket to conceal his holster and gun better. 

“Yep, yours?”

Scott nods while the two walk into the house. While Pepper may not have any say about the outside, she took full advantage of changing every little detail inside to fit her taste. White and marble covered every inch of the 20,000 square foot home, a stark difference from the industrial and wood feel of Bucky’s house. It reeked of cold indifference as they walked up the same stairs Doll nearly cracked with anger that day. Scott pushes open the heavy doors, letting the other man enter the room first. 

As usual, Anthony is seated at his desk however without his normal crowd of men in black. Thor and Loki are reclining on the couches, guns completely on display due to their relaxed posture. A younger man, who he assumes is the new recruit Peter Parker is standing off to the side of Anthony. 

“You brought a kid?” Bucky tries to hide the disgust in their voice when he sits in the same chair he had during that meeting. 

“He’s not a kid and you didn’t bother to dress for the occasion,” Anthony, however, doesn’t even bother to cover his disapproval at Bucky’s outfit. 

Leveling a blank stare at the other man, he speaks again “We’re not here to do business.”

Anthony rolls his eyes dramatically, making a show of it as he gestures to Scott to come over. He says something about the ETA of John to which Scott tells him he’s at the gates before leaving the room. 

“What’s the status of your team?” He turns to his son-in-law. 

“Waiting for my cue.”

“Good good. How about my daughter?”

“Safe.”

“Wow, I forgot how quiet you are,”  he widens his eyes in annoyance, “Anyways when John gets here, I don’t want you to speak. Let me handle it and if I need you to step in, I’ll let you know.”

“Fine by me,” a hardened expression takes on his face as he rests his hands together in between his spread legs. 

John’s voice echoes up the marble staircase as Bucky’s phone rings. 

“Buck we have a problem.”

Nat had promised Doll that his meeting would only last a couple of hours and that it was just a business meeting. 

“I swear it’s just a meeting that’s all.”

“He took his gun,” Doll is trying not to panic, however with his injury and their developing closeness, it’s getting harder and harder to stop it. 

“He takes it everywhere.”

“But this is different, I can feel it. He didn’t tell me where he was going and he always tells me.”

Nat takes her by the shoulders and stops her pacing, “Do you really want to know?”

She pushes the other woman’s hands off of her, “Obviously.”

“If I tell you, will you promise to stay here until he gets back?” she demands as she sits down on the living room couch. 

Doll takes a seat as well while nodding her head. 

“He set up a meeting with John at your dad’s house to get him to cut his bullshit and to get your mom. Steve and Sam are headed in to get her as we speak.”

“Natasha what the fuck?” she jumps off the couch, yelling at Nat, “why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew this is how you were going to react. Now sit your ass back down. They’re going to be back in like an hour.”

Doll’s phone goes off, the ringtone specifically set for Morgan and she answers it in confusion, “Hey Mo Mo, what’s up?”

“Sissy help! He’s hurting everyone,” Morgan’s small voice is full of terror as she whispers into the phone. 

“Mo Mo what’s going on?”

“John, he's hurting everyone. Sissy, please help!”

She looks at Nat with frightened eyes, “Where are you? Are you hiding?”

“I’m hiding in Daddy’s closet,” she cries into the phone. 

She gestures to Nat to stand up as she holds the phone between her head and shoulder, “Okay Mo Mo, stay there and don’t make a sound okay? Do not open the door unless it’s Daddy, Mommy, or Scott. I’m coming.” 

Hastily shoving her feet into her torn vans, she throws a pair of keys to Nat and points to the door, “Start the car and call Bucky. Shit is going down.”

“Buck we have a problem.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“She’s not here.”

“What do you mean she’s not there?” 

Sam shutters from the other line, “The woman we saw isn’t her. She says she’s a housekeeper and that Walker forced her to dress up as Marianne and stay in her room until he came and got her.”

“Fuck, get out and get over here,” Bucky hangs up the phone as John bursts into the room dragging the woman in question beside him. Blood is dripping from her eyebrow and her lip no doubt from where he hit her. Bruises are starting to form on her face and arms as she drops to the floor when John lets go of her arm. Thor and Loki jump to their feet, guns drawn and pointed at the man. 

“Gentlemen! What a lovely fucking surprise,” he exclaims, holding Marianne by the hair, “Imagine my surprise when Scott here told me that I was being set up and I found your two buddies lurking around my house.”

Anthony stands but the sudden movement is not welcomed by the furious man and he pulls his own gun on the woman beside him.  

“Sit down or I’ll shoot sweet Marianne,” the threat causes her to start crying and begging for her life as she claws at the hand holding her hair, “Shut the fuck up.”

Anthony does as he’s told and sits down. Bucky’s chest rises and falls at a steady pace, the soldier and mercenary in him remaining calm even when the room is up in arms. He rubs his eyebrow in mild annoyance that the meeting went south so quickly. He expected that this would happen, just not so quickly. Scott, on the other hand, is frozen by the door after being caught double-crossing his boss. 

“Thor and Loki sit,” John demands of the two brothers. 

Thor glances back to Anthony who gives him a nod and a dismissive wave. A shot rings out and is followed by a thud. Bucky glances over his shoulder to see that Scott is the one hit. Footsteps and shuffling are heard from behind him as the two brothers collect the body and take it out of the room. Looking forward again, he can see the disgusted and sickened face of Peter who hasn’t moved an inch since this whole thing started. 

“Peter, go find my wife and daughter,” Anthony directs the young man. 

He doesn’t move at first but Anthony saying his name sharply snaps him back to reality as he rushes out of the room to find the two other Stark family members. Marianne cries out again as John rips her up to her feet and forces her to sit in the chair next to Bucky. 

“Care to explain what the real reason for this meeting was?” John sneers at the two men, eyes rapidly shifting between them. 

Taking a deep breath and shifting his feet slightly so they’re more solid on the ground, Bucky speaks, “It was to ask you to leave my wife and her mom alone however objectives have changed.”

“Enough with the cryptic nonsense, start talking,” he shoves the gun into the woman’s hair, releasing another cry for help. 

“Let her go and we can.”

“No.”

“I’m not going to ask again,” Bucky rolls his shoulders and shifts to the edge of his chair. 

“Then don’t,” he moves his attention to Anthony, “And you. I can’t believe you would help him with all of this. I had to go through Scott to find all of this out.”

Anthony licks his lips, “He is married to my daughter so I felt obligated to help.”

John lets out a downright evil laugh, “Obligated? You felt obligated? That’s fucking hilarious. I think you wanted to cut me out of the deal and saw your opportunity.”

“So what?” the older man shrugs his shoulders at the accusation. 

“If you felt so obligated to help your family then you would try and stop me if I shot Marianne?”

“No, she’s not my family.”

“You’re not going to shoot her. You are going to let her go though,” Bucky clears his throat and aims his stare at John. 

The constant demands are starting to wear down his resolve and his finger grows restless on the trigger. Taking out all three of them right now would solve all of his problems. Taking out all three would bring back his sweetheart and he could have her all to himself. The decision is made for him when three shots crack out and three loud thuds hit the floor. 

“Fuck, get out and get over here.”

Sam curses under his breath as he pockets his phone and waves Steve over from his search of the bedroom. 

“Buck said to head to the Stark estate. John took her with him.”

“Shit,” Steve curses before turning to the housekeeper, “Go home, pack your stuff, and get out of here.”

She nods quickly while crying and takes off out of the room. The two men reupholster their guns and leave the room. They swiftly exit the house and climb into their SUV, speeding off to the Stark Estate. 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Sam tells the man to his side as he races through the city streets. 

“Me too. Did he say anything else?”

“Not just that we needed to get over there. Do we have a first aid kit?”

Steve reaches behind the driver’s seat and pulls a backpack to the front. Opening it, he digs through it until he finds the kit.

“I hope you’re wrong,” he says, shoving the kit back in and putting it at his feet. He pulls his gun out and checks his clip before checking the rest of the clips attached to his tactile vest. 

“Me too, man, me too.”

Nat refused to let Doll drive, insisting that she could get them there faster and in one piece. Morgan had hung up the phone before they left in fear that John would hear her voice and find her. She promised to answer when her sister got there and called her to get her out. The phone rings over the car’s speakers and she smashes the answer button when she sees that it’s Sam calling. 

“Nat get her out of New York. We’re here and shit isn’t looking good.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” Doll says with an eerily calm voice. 

“Shit, where is Nat?”

“Here.” “Please tell me you’re not on your way here,” the stress of the situation is draining his energy. 

“Morgan called me crying that John was hurting people. She’s hiding in our parent’s closet. Do you know where their room is?” 

“Do not go in until we can meet you. Nat, make sure she stays put until we have eyes on you and Bucky,” Steve’s voice is harsh and authoritative as he takes over the call, “Doll I need you to answer me.” 

“Yes I won’t go in until I see you or Sam,” she begrudgingly answers, slouching into the car seat. 

“Good see you guys in a few,” he hangs up the phone. 

“Do you have an extra gun?” She asks, opening the glove compartment and riffling through it. 

“No close that,” Nat slams it shut, “you’re not going in.”

[maddy-k-reads-all-day]

I just realized something wild

I just realized something WILD about Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle's lore. Spoilers below

We know that the Demon King Twilight is trying to improve the relations between the human and nonhuman kingdoms. We are shown time after time just how wrong the average human perception of a demon is. How even human children and schools are getting shown a very flawed depiction of demons and their culture.

A big part of the story is how Princess Syalis unlearns a lot of this stuff by spending time with actual demons. Eventually, she comes to want the same thing as Twilight.

But what's wild to me is the way the other members of the royal family act about this.

Let's start with Syalis's grandmother who is very "close friends" (depending on how you see it) with the demon Silmoth. Now being a former member of royalty would probably give her a lot sway over the public opinion. She could've spoken positively in the demon's favor at any point in time. It might not change everything but if a member of the royal family has a positive image of demons and believes humans and demons can coexist (considering her coexistence with Silmoth) it would probably sway at least some people in favor of peace between humans and demons. But clearly, she didn't do that. Otherwise I feel like things would be different, but maybe she did and nothing happened idk.

What's worse though is Syalis's mother. She seems sweet on the outside, but when you think about it... she is messed up. In volume 14, the Queen visits Syalis to discern her safety in the Demon Castle, afterwards she apologizes to Twilight for all the trouble Syalis caused. She seems to be okay with human-demon peace but says the King is stubborn. However, in Chapter 318 when we finally meet this king, he seems okay with it as well, but spies on the Demon King to make sure (and there's that whole miscommunication thing going). The Queen had anonymously uploaded a video showing the demons in a positive light, here we learn that the King doesn't know she was the one who did that. But also, he clearly doesn't know that Syalis is actually safe and happy in the castle. It seems really messed up in my opinion for Syalis's mom NOT to tell her father that his kid is safe and well. The mention of her video that is direct callback to that arc makes me think this isn't some plot hole.

Then there's Syalis's aunt who holds a mixed human-demon training ground. I think she's the only one of Syalis's family who is actually doing something toward human-demon peace. Twilight came to her for advice on how to achieve demon-human peace. Considering the whole situation with her kidnapped niece, and her also discovering Syalis is doing well in the demon's care... she could've also sent some sort of message to her brother letting him know this information. I'll give her the most leeway though since she lives in the mountains and has to manage the temple and I'm not sure about how good the communication technology in this world is.

The human royalty is supposed have the power to change this relationship between humans and demons and they learned that the demons have no ill will against them. And yet they do nothing with that information.

The Demon King felt like he needed to do something drastic (aka kidnap their princess) in order to open up any sort of conversation between them. At first it sounds dramatic but... now it kind of feels like he had the right idea. But even kidnapping Syalis doesn't seem to have worked. Lowkey they don't seem to care that much. We learned the Queen (and probably the king too) Can teleport right to the Demon kingdom. Heck, they could send a whole army directly to them and instead they sent Dawner and his friends who are hopelessly bad at their jobs. They have no agency towards any of this.

I used to think that they were good people because they weren't inherently evil... but now I'm starting to doubt that. IDK... am I overthinking it? It's just really weird that they haven't done anything. I mean, at least the story hasn't told us they have done anything. Is it intentional? Is it a plot hole or bad writing? It's definitely a confusing situation. I hope future chapters clear this up. Like maybe they don't have as much political power as we thought? But if so, who has that power?

[devskindawritingblog]

TaiVan movie date pleeeeease

Taivan movie date

Click to help Palestine 🇵🇸 🍉

AN: okay back with another fic. I’ll try to post fics more often but as June is approaching I’m getting busier 😅. But I’ll try my best to finish all the requests at some point. Taivan again I love writing for them so much. I used they/them pronouns for Van because I felt like it. I usually use them if that’s not something you want maybe mention it to me. Also! If anyone wants to be in a tag list comment on the fic letting me know or dm me. I’ll make an official post so it reaches more people.

word count rounded: 1.7k

Taissa and Van stand in front of the stove, a packet of popcorn slowly expanding as the loud popping sound fills the kitchen. It was their weekly date night, and Van got to choose this week, and of course they chose a movie night, not to anyone's surprise. No movie night would be complete without some snacks, so they both walked to the corner store and got some candy. 

“Sooooo, what do you want to watch?” Taissa asks as she takes the popcorn off the stove, opens it up, and pours it into a bowl. Van leans over Tai’s shoulder and grabs a handful of popcorn, then shoves it in their mouth. 

“Hey!” Tai exclaims with a giggle. “Save some for the movie, silly.” She swats at Van's hand as they go to reach for another handful. Van pulls back, pouting dramatically, and Taissa smiles and pulls them into a kiss. “Come on, you thief, let's go watch the movie.” Taissa says, dragging Van over to the couch. She places the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and grabs a throw blanket, wrapping it around both of them. Tai wraps her arm around Van’s shoulder, pulling them close. Van reaches forward, grabbing the bowl.

Taissa grabs a packet of M&M’s and opens them up. Van looks over at Taissa, confused, as Tai reaches for the popcorn. “What are you doing?”

“Putting chocolate in the popcorn? You don't do that?” Taissa asks, turning towards them. Van scoffs almost offended that Tai would even suggest a food crime of such. “Okay, fine, no m&m’s in the popcorn.”. Tai sighs, pouring a handful and plopping them into her mouth. Van places the popcorn bowl in between the two of them, chocolate-free. 

Van gets up off the couch and goes over to her shelf of VHS tapes. Van won’t admit it, but they are a bit of a movie freak, having gathered a big collection of movies that they are very proud of. They pull out a new tape from their collection, The Craft. Van went to their favourite spot, the local video shop. They had ridden their bike over to the shop yesterday to find a new movie for a change. The image on the front of the tape initially pulled them in, and the shop owner played it up: “If you like witches." They turn around and walk back over to Taissa, showing her their pick for the night. “Ta Da!” 

“The Craft?” Taissa asks questioningly. "Yeah, I don’t know. It seems fun, right? Why not give it a try? Neve Campbell is in it. You know? from Scream."     Van asks, sitting down next to Tai. “Right, right. She's good; what's it about?” Tai says, nodding, and she knows Van is going to over explain it even though they haven't watched it. 

“Okay! So the worker explained it to me. It's like these four high school girls, and one of them is new, and you know the whole new girl, new school thing. She has a crush on some football dude. And she becomes friends with these three outcast girls, and they are like witches or something like that. She didn’t want to spoil it too much for me.” Van says it breathlessly as they finish their summary way too fast. Tai smiles and laughs a bit. “Is that all?” Taissa teases, smirking, as Van rolls their eyes. “You asked what it was about. I gave you what you wanted.” Van shoots back. “What more do you want, babe? It's about witches, ooooooh!!!” Van exclaims, wiggling their fingers and mimicking the sound of a very shitty ghost, and laughs as Taissa rolls her eyes playfully.

“You're such a nerd.” Taissa says as she playfully nudges Van. They scoff playfully and scoot into Tai’s lap. “Yeah, but you like that about me.” They say this as they lean forward and capture Tai’s lips with theirs, kissing her deeply. Taissa hums into the kiss, pulling Van further into her lap so they are straddling her waist. Taissa's hands find their way to Van’s hips as they deepen the kiss, their hand placed at the base of Tai’s neck. They make out on the couch as Taissa changes it up, pushing Van over so she is laying on top of them. They both pull away and smile. 

“We can kiss more later; let's start watching!!” Van exclaims, jumping off the couch and setting up the movie in the player. The movie starts, and they snuggle back into their position next to Taissa. She opens her arms, and Van cuddles next to her. They tangle their legs together, and Van rests their heads on Tai’s shoulder. Van reaches for Taissa’s hand, and they interlock their fingers. The movie begins, and they settle into a comfortable silence.

“Damm, that’s a lot of candles. Does she really need that much for witchcraft?” Van asks, pointing to the TV and furrowing their brow. “I don’t know, babe. I'm not a witch now, am I?” Taissa responds, looking back at Van. “Hmmm, you could be. You’re enchanting and beautiful, and I'm sure you’ve put a spell on me, baby.” Van responds back with a grin. Taissa rolls her eyes, but Van can tell that she finds it funny. “You're unbelievable.” Taissa responds gently, pushing Van's cheek, trying not to smile as Van gasps dramatically. It ends up not working. “What’s going on? I feel the urge to come over here and kiss you. Oh no!! I'm under your spell.” Van jokes, unable to hold back their giggles as they crawl back over to Tai. She doesn’t try to hide the smile as she lets Van pull them into a kiss again. 

They move away from Tai’s lips and down to her neck. Taissa sighs as they put their hands on Van's hips and feel their lips travel down to her collarbone. Van pulls away, smiles, and gives her a kiss on the nose before cuddling back into her side. “You’re such a dork, you know that?” She smiles while playing with Van's hair. "Course, I do, but I didn't see you trying to get away from all of that.” Van smirks, raising their eyebrows, before cuddling back into Tai and continuing watching the movie. 

“Doesn’t that dude remind you of Randy?” Van asks, pointing to the screen. “Who? Don't  know French dude? Yeah, kinda; I see it. Real dumb and hangs out with a guy who isn't much smarter.” Taissa jokes and giggles along with Van as they break down laughing. “Oh my gosh, Tai!!!” They giggle. “What!? You were thinking about it too.” Taissa shoots back, laughing, before turning her attention to Van. They sigh and laugh. "Yeah, I just don’t say it out loud.”. Tai rolls her eyes playfully, but she goes back to watching the movie. 

Taissa reaches over to grab the m&m’s and finish them off. Van  holds their hand out. Taissa glances over and pours out a little handful . They grab one of the chocolates and toss it up, tilting their heads back, hoping to catch it. Instead, it misses them and hits them on the forehead. They laugh and blush as they scramble to grab it before it slips into the crack of the couch. “Real smooth, babe." Taissa teases, giggling, as Van eats the m&m normally. “Shut up”. They say the blush deepens a little as Taissa leans over to kiss them on the cheek.

But Van is quite stubborn, and after a few minutes, they go back to trying to catch it. They try quite a few times, and finally they actually do. Their eyes light up, and they laugh. ”Fuck yeah!" Did you see that, babe?”. Van yells, laughing, as they try again, but their luck runs out and it lands on the carpet. Taissa shakes her head, smiling at her girlfriend's excitement and then annoyance. “Let me try." Taissa says she is reaching out to take one. She tosses it up, brings her head back, and catches it on the first try.

“No fucking way!” Van yells, their face a mix of shock and playful anger. Taissa looks back down at Van, smirking. Taissa laughs, unable to hold back as Van’s shocked look still hasn't left their face. “You really are a witch." Van says as they also break down into giggles. Van flops over into Tai’s lap as they both slowly die down, laughing. They both sigh, and Van settles their heads into Taissa’s lap. Tai reaches down, running her fingers through Van’s long hair. She softly scratches their scalp as the movie comes to an end.

Taissa stops when she realises she hasn't heard Van make a joke or a nerdy little comment in over 10 minutes. She leans over and finds Van’s eyes shut, their body relaxed as they softly snore. Taissa smiles and traces her finger along their freckles. Taissa leans down again to give them a kiss on their nose and again on their shoulder. Van blinks and shifts slightly, waking back up from their little nap. They slowly stir awake, shifting a little as Tai gives them another kiss on the cheek as she feels Van’s smile widen.

“Sorry”. They mumble sleepily. Taissa smiles while playing with Van’s hair again. “Don't worry, baby; cuddling with you was better than the movie anyway." We could always watch it again for another movie  night." Tai says softly as she goes back to running her fingers through Van’s hair, loosely braiding it, and then running her fingers back through it to take it out. Van smiles up at Tai, and she can see the blush spreading across their face as they sit up to kiss Tai on the lips. They shift around, so Taissa is laying on the couch with Van cuddled into her chest, trying to fight the sleep.

“You sleepy?” Taissa asks, giving Van a soft kiss on their forehead. Van shakes their head but they can barely open their eyes. Tai smiles and pulls Van closer, rubbing their back and giving them another kiss. “Just go to sleep, baby, sweet dreams." She whispers as Van’s eyes slowly flutter shut and they relax their head on her chest. Taissa gives Van one final goodnight kiss and falls asleep shortly after. The perfect end to a date night

[ashasworld23]

I feel like the show never really took a deep dive onto Quirin and what it was like for him being trapped in the amber an his P.O.V. On it this is also based off on the episode once upon a head maiden before Varian showed Eugene his weapon.

Work Text:

It was a beautiful morning in Corona and Varian was taking his father to the castle to show him his newest invention although Quirin's mind was blank yet racing with images of him during his time being trapped in that amber he felt like he couldn't…..”Dad, are you okay?”

Varian's face looked concerned as he unknowingly interrupted his father's thoughts. “I…I’m okay son what is it that you wanted to show me?”

Varian didn't look too convinced that his dad was really okay but he brushed it off cause he didn't want to push any unwanted buttons, especially for today

“This project that I've been working on with Eugene this is the one weapon that will defeat or contain Cassandra.”

Varian dramatically opens the door to the outside training for the guards which changes into training for Varian’s newest invention

“Father I present to you pause for dramatic effect”

Quirin looked at his son confused but then chuckled a little bit. Varian then grabs his invention

“I can now present to you Project Of Obsidian!!....This Machine here is a weapon that can trap Cassandra in her tracks with a similar formula that encases the moon rocks.

Wait the formula the same one that kept him trapped in for a whole year? Quirin tried to pull a smile for his son to let him know that he was proud of him but he felt like he couldn't breathe as he looked at the very similar yellow amber suddenly he felt dizzy and nauseous his ears started to ring as his son was still speaking about his weapon Quirin was about to speak but his son turned around and he blasted the weapon again at the wooden stand that had Cassandra's face painted on it.

For target practice Varian then turned around but suddenly looked concerned when he saw his father gripping his shirt tightly and started to hyperventilate and he started to lower himself to the ground Varian then ran up to his father while dropping his weapon “DAD!…dad?..”

Varian looked at his father and touching his dads shoulder with his hand not knowing what to do so he says “ Dad I'm..i'm going to get help just—”

“No..please just I need you here..*gulps for air *, ..please just.”

Quirin was too afraid of the flashing images in his head to even finish his sentence; he was this close to crying in front of his own son. “I need to know that..I'm not there again.”

Varian looked at his dad confused and asked “Again? What do you mean?…. I ….oh. Variant wanted to punch himself in the face so maybe he could get Eugene to punch him once he calms his father down. Varian hesitated at first but he took his father’s hand and said “Dad you're not trapped in the amber you’re here with me outside,what are 3 things that you can feel?”

But Quirin felt confused at first with his son’s question but he answered.

“I..umm…*gulps* …feel the breeze of the air.. and your hands the grass?” Quirin then opened his eyes and saw his son leaning against his shoulder then the dam broke and he started sobbing. Varian then hugged his Father as he cried and tried to speak as he was crying

“I’m..*gasp*..I’m sorry I….I know that I’m supposed to be strong for you son but I can’t I really can’t especially when it’s about this,being trapped inside that damn Amber ruining our lives and relationships with the people of Corona…I’m sorry that I couldn’t be strong for you.”

Quirin then spoke more about how he felt being trapped in the amber

“I was just completely frozen, unable to move but I could hear only small muffled voices but I couldn’t move…or open my eyes just frozen and no one could ever understand what that could’ve been like, not even you my son.”

Varian then pulled away from the hug with tears falling from his face and said “Dad you can always be honest with me on how you feel and I’m so sorry for showing you this. I should've known that seeing this amber again could’ve triggered you.”

Quirin wiped his tears and said “I was already off edge earlier today thinking about that amber and please son it…it wasn’t your fault.” Varian hugged his Father and said “I love you dad please try to be more honest with me if you get those attacks again.”

Quirin hugged his son back and said “I promise…love you too.”

The End

#t

[rikerxworf]

pair: Riker x Worf (Star Trek TNG) wordcount: 1,209 tags: dress uniforms, fluff » read on AO3 ♡

Worf hates diplomatic occasions. Riker has a suggestion for him to change that. For Worfriker Week 2024, day one: dress uniforms.

.

It’s always the same: another dinner with alien representatives, another grand buffet, another grumpy Worf.

Will can’t help but smile when he goes to fetch Worf from his quarters. His exhausted sighs and cute growls could never tire Will – or so he thought. He cannot deny the tension in his shoulders as he nears Worf’s doors.

Tonight’s Zeekelian reception really has had the poor Klingon on edge for the past few days. Will would lie if he said he didn’t adore the sharp sparks in Worf’s eyes, or the habit of clenching and grinding his jaws to keep his annoyance at bay – but at the end of the day, he’d much rather see Worf smile and hear his laugh, having a good time, with food he likes and company he – hopefully – cherishes.

And so, Will’s ring at Worf’s door is not as carefree as he’d like.

“Enter!”

The doors swish open and reveal the musky and dimly lit cave that is Worf’s home. Will asks, “Ready for the inevitable?” Best to open with a dramatic joke, he figures.

It does nothing for Worf. He is withering away in front of his mirror. Even in his gorgeous golden dress uniform, with the striking silver sash over his broad chest, he looks downcast. His strong shoulders are without tension.

Although it is a rare sight, Will knows the look: Worf has overcome frustration and is in his ‘defeat’ phase.

Will frowns. The Zeekelians are not the worst ambassadors in the galaxy, far from it. That can’t be it. But as a Klingon in a Starfleet dress uniform, Worf will always stick out like a sore thumb, in general, no matter the occasion.

Suddenly, part of Will wishes the Captain would just put poor Worf on leave – just for tonight. They’re passing by a glittering asteroid belt, for God’s sake! When you have such a sight to behold, the evening can be spent much better beyond political discussion and polite smiles.

Will looks away.

“We can leave,” Worf says in that matter-of-fact tone he uses on duty. His posture may be impeccable, but his eyes are empty.

Will offers him a smile. He finds it’s genuine as soon as he opens his mouth: “If it’s any consolation, you’re looking real good.”

Worf turns to take another look at himself in the mirror. “I am discontent with my hair.”

Will has to bite back a snort – that’s a remarkably vain concern for Worf’s standards. He scans the tight ponytail has Worf bound in his nape. It’s true, the binding is less orderly than usual. A few single hairs are sticking out, too.

“You want any help?” Will asks before his brain can stop his mouth.

Worf turns around. “No. Thank you, sir.” In a deeper growl, he adds, “We should get going.” He walks past Will to be out the door before him. He’s so close Will can smell his thyme perfume.

“Why don’t you open it?”

Worf pauses. “Open what?”

Oh, screw it – Will could just as well articulate the thought properly instead of waving it off. The image is already too clear in his mind, widening his grin. This’ll be glorious, oh, the party is saved!

“Wear your hair down, I mean,” he clarifies in a gentler tone.

Though barely visible, for a moment, Worf’s hard features soften in confusion.

Will scans his outfit. “I’ve seen you wear it loose after calisthenics. And even then, it’s not sweaty and gross, just soft and wavy. Why not show it off on an occasion like this? If I had your hair, I wouldn’t want to strain and hide it like that all the time.”

His eyes wander when he says that last part. Good gracious, get it together, Riker.

Self-awareness has crept back into Worf’s body at the exact same moment. He glances at the mirror behind them. Will knows how outrageous the suggestion must sound to him. After all, Worf works hard to appear put-together and professional when he’s on duty, under the misguided belief that his natural hair would hinder that appearance. Perhaps having his hair open is too intimate, like it was with women in nineteenth century Europe.

It’s not like they’ve ever talked about it.

However, when Worf turns to look at Will again, there is a spark in his eyes that shows he has already made up his mind. Still, he brings himself to brightly ask, “Would it be appropriate, sir?”

Will plays along. “Oh, absolutely. Any complaints about violations of morals or dress codes would be invalid. There’s no paragraph concerning hair.”

“That is true.”

“If anyone has any complaints to make, you can refer them to me.”

Worf straightens and keeps up their little rank charades, though there is an undeniable softness around his eyes now. “Thank you, sir.”

Will just smiles. He loves when Worf uses such decidedly human expressions.

He also loves his hair. The way it flows around his big head and rests on his shoulders and back, it doesn’t look like it framed his face – it was part of the artwork itself. Even amidst his guests and fellow officers, Will can’t help but smile and sway anytime Worf shoots him a look past his brown curls, sometimes a knowing one, sometimes a softer, dreamier one.

Worf always looks beautiful when he isn’t focusing for a few seconds.

But most of all, Will loves when Worf is at ease. ‘Is there nothing in your heart but duty?’ others have asked him. ‘Duty’ is such a normal mode for Worf that it’s easy to forget the brimming soul behind it sometimes.

If having his hair open was more intimate, then intimacy was a good look for him.

His dry sense of humor is a delight as well. Will adores the smiles they exchange over the buffet. He chuckles at how Worf briefly returns to his Lieutenant role when Data engages him in one of the diplomatic conversation programs he likes to test, but it only lasts until Data compliments his hair, in that charmingly unadorned android way.

“Thank you, sir,” Worf says. His gorgeous curls have stayed smooth and massy all night. He looks like a goddamn sun, with that golden uniform and warmth in his eyes.

Will grins over his glass. “Way too beautiful to put into that strict ponytail all the time, right, Data?”

Visibly putting on his polite small-talk routine, Data agrees. “Indeed! If you have got it, flaunt it! Haha!”

His tone almost makes Will spit out his champagne. Data’s overzeal never cracks Worf up as much as the rest of the crew, but he still offers Will a gentle hand when he’s struggling with the laughter in his throat, long after Data has left to chat with a Zeekelian at the other end of Ten Forward. And Worf’s gratification for Will’s pain is visible in his curling lips. He stays playful and in such a good mood that Will eventually mourns him leaving to prepare the next security roster. There goes his evening.

A talk with Deanna later on reveals that it – confusingly and disappointingly – wasn’t the loose hair that has brought Worf such a carefree night. What else could’ve made him sparkle with such joy, she wouldn’t say.

.

Something short and sweet to kick this event off! Thank you for reading!

[cutegirlmayra]

Sonamy songfic prompt: Amy is trying to learn the piano and learn the parts to a song she likes Rewrite the Stars. Thing is it's a duet. Sonic sees Amy struggling and teaches her the basics. Over the course of the sing he starts to come to terms with his growing feelings for her. You can either keep the boy and girl parts the same or change it so the part matches the characters personality.

Forgive me, thou art grand, but tis noble to perhaps suggest I have a different--more dramatic--idea..?

Prompt:

Green data bits begin to fly up from a black canvas, before that canvas tilts to reveal the dimensions of a blank room as white glows and rises up as famous Sonamy Comments ranging from many different sources of Social Media that glaze up and fly out to then have their whites cover the three-walled space. The Zeros and ones suddenly fly back into view like a literal chain, shifting between being zeros and ones, forming the color purple that begins to shake… then tear each other apart to be blue and pink ones and zeros.

From these two, now distinct chains, they swirl and the white forms a figure inbetween the vortex… “You know I want you…” Sonic The Hedgehog forms with the blue chains now swirling down his arm as he looks over his shoulder, seeing Amy Rose get formed.

“It’s not a secret I try, to hide.” He looks as though he’s trying to defend himself slightly, his hand forming a fist, his eyes slightly narrowed, before turning away to look at the back wall of positive comments and famous Sonamy moments. “I know you want me…” He holds and sprawls out a hand to Episode 52, of Amy’s crying face on the back screen, which is clearly showing they are within a computer.

“So don’t keep saying our hands, are tied.” He turns back to her and holds his wrists out as though they are chained together as data strips of code snake around them quickly before he breaks the links by parting his hands and walking past her, looking serious in his declarations.

Amy holds a hand of cards to her chest, looking down as though contemplating his words, but then worriedly turns to continue to watch him.

“You claim it’s not in the cards!” He turns back and swipes a hand out, disarming Amy as the wind from his gesture scatters the Tarot cards she was holding–Looking like the official deck SEGA had released–past her as the wind makes her pull her bundled fists up to her face to block it out, her hair flying back from the action. “Fate is pulling you miles away-” She blinks her eyes open to see Sonic reaching for her but the wind was too strong, and it carries her up into the air as she flails, “And out of reach from me..!” He jumps up to catch her hand, and when he does, the background now reveals a bright white book opening up and the wind turning the pages, “But you’re here in my heart-” He pulls her into him as the book is sucking in all the strings of blue and pink code, Sonamy scenes, positive Sonamy comments, and seems to even be drawing Sonic and Amy closer to itself as well. “So who can stop me if I decide that you’re my destiny..?”

He embraces her as the Book looks as though it would slam it’s covers on them… but then, just before touching them, it twitches, flinches, wobbles, “What if we-” The two look as though their scrunching their bodies up, pulling their legs in, cuddled close together before the Book spontaneously shoots open again when Sonic pushes an arm out as though he had repelled the closing of their story, and thousands and thousands of purple stars flare out into the space around them.

“Rewrite the stars~” Sonic looks around as Amy gazes in awe as the stars encircle and spread out into patterns of shapes and fun patterns, some that symbolize the Sonic universe like checkerboards, rings, chao heads/fruits, loop-de-loops, and emeralds.

“Say you were made-” He gently brings her wandering chin back to him with the tips of his pointer and middle finger, as a Purple star flies by to show an image of the earliest known drawing of Rosy the Rascal. “To be mine?” then more Purple stars fly by with images of her transformation throughout the years with Sonic.

He pulls away to spread out, showing they are slightly falling back down but gently enough that they touch the ground together, “Nothing could keep us apart.” The Book now flaps its pages like multiple layers of wings, creating the wind that was keeping them up in the air before letting them glide or hover down.

“You’d be the one, I was meant, to find.” He’d hold her still and spin her around for a moment, then hold her hand with both his own before dramatically turning back to the book as it shows added scenes of their adventures together, through every Game ever made, even scenes that aren’t shown in the original stories but still show they were apart of those adventures together.

“It’s up to you, and it’s up to me. No one can say what we get to be,” He turns back to Amy, gesturing to himself and then to her, then gesturing to the stars as they sparkle and twinkle in the space above… However, they form into silhouettes of generic people, almost like Sonic is referencing those that control the game’s narrative and the characters.

“So why don’t we-” From those silhouettes of purple sprays out Black as night Game Wires with AV cables with their tips being yellow, red, and white. “Rewrite the stars~” They droop as Sonic catches one and gets pulled up a bit into the air, stretching a hand out to Amy. “Maybe the world~”

The Cables circle and corral the Purple stars into forming the Sonic Earth.

“Can be ours~” He smiles gently to Amy, as though to trust him, he now seems pretty confident.

Amy’s eyes look so endeared to him, wanting to reach… her hand starts to raise up… behind the rising hand is the Purple Earth picture… but one star goes black with a hateful comment reading a typical Anti-Sonamy message like a tweet or Tumblr post–This is very subtle but it’s what causes her hand to waver, the first sign of hesitancy of belief.

However, Sonic’s hand doesn’t wait any longer, grabbing hers by reaching down and making up the distance. “Tonight!”

Amy is lifted up off the ground, and it shows upon her face that it was sudden and she’s still somewhat unsure, but suddenly starts having fun as Sonic swings from Cable to Cable, their spinning at times as it sways them along, and Sonic looking tenderly and kindly to Amy in his arms as she watches the Stars break from the World image behind them and start swaying on the ‘vines’ of Cable cords as well…

But one attacks a Purple Star, plugging into it as another Black star is created, showing a glitching montage of different Sonic ships that oppose Amy and Sonic together.

It only happens for a moment… Amy notices it and her joy slowly begins to fade, Sonic is looking ahead, but she pushes away from him and jumps onto a cord as Sonic has to tug the cord and get swung back to where she’s hanging on, wondering what’s going on.

“You think it’s easy?” She looks up as though sadly having to glare at him, gripping the Cords tightly, looking somewhat afraid, “You think I don’t want to run, to you?” She beautifully slides down the Cable, spinning delicately and landing with grace as her arm flares out to show some elegance to her while Sonic reaches down to her–looking worried.

��But there are mountains…” Closing her eyes, as though she wished it wasn’t there, she turns to reveal a pile of hateful comments, images, and statements of rules made by SEGA prohibiting such things as Sonic was trying to promote…

In a way, she’s showing Sonic that they're not just fighting against SEGA… But the Audience of their community and fandom as well.

The weight and magnitude of the ‘mountain’ of comments expands as Sonic is still far back up on a cable, and realizes what she means, but grits his teeth and starts swinging down, trying to reach her again.

“And there are doors-” She walks towards what looks like a Book page folding open to create a black door, and inside, a purple silhouette of someone on the other side… “That we can’t-” He reaches out to grab the opened page from within the base of the mountains of Anti-material. “Walk through…” She reaches a hand out, to stop the man, but it slams the door shut and she immediately turns herself around to look pretty certain towards Sonic who is ready to fight this negative streak behind her, but she stands firmly where she is and holds out her hands to mimic her action of saving Gamma.

“I know you’re wondering why,” She’s defending the fans, but it pains her to do so… she doesn’t want this, and shakes her head to the side, as though ashamed to admit it but… maybe they’re right? “Because we’re able to be-” She puts her arms down to gently fold one back to her heart and use the other to try and reach out to Sonic, in hopes of calming him down as he seems bent on destroying the mountain… but she’s standing against him? In his way? Why?

“Just you, and me.” Pleading, she gestures to him and to her, mimicking what he did earlier in the song. “Within these walls,” She spreads out her arms in an arc towards the sky as the stars all fall from the space above, and the Book is revealed to still have its pages flapping like multiple wings… as though Fanfiction… are they truly to only exist in stories? “But when we go outside-!” She gestures passionately beyond the ‘walls of the book’s covers’ to the fourth wall that fizzles out like a TV screen… the Cables now slither and curl up like snake heads, as though about to attack Sonic and Amy within…

The screen turns into fuzzy grey and black… as though disconnected… “You’re gonna wake up and see~ That it was hopeless after all…”

The TV is then bombarded by hearts, as though every fans’ love is powering up the TV again, “No one can-” and the image zaps back to life as hearts zoom back to Sonic and Amy now entangled, trapped, and completely covered in wires trying to restrain them. “Rewrite the Stars~”

She reaches for him, pulling with her other hand a enstrangling Cable out from her mouth to speak, looking as though putting great effort into trying to escape. “How can you say-” Sonic is also trying to reach out through being tied back with Cables, both suspended in the air before his one, visible eye from the mass of tangled Cables widens and Amy is yanked away and up to be pinned into the Mountain of hate, the comments now black with white wording, and images now black and white, or grayscale shaded, as well. “You’ll be mine.”

The Cables, like sowing threads, pierce through the comments like paper and begin to literally embed her into the media by leaping over her body multiple times and piercing through paper like jumping lines of dolphins in the water. “Everything-” She has her arms out to her sides, as though crucified by the Fandom, and although her eyes long for Sonic, she hangs her head down as though defeated. “Keeps-” Above the mountain, Silhouettes of SEGA represented heads now look down at the trapped Amy. “Us-” She raises her head, looking helpless and miserable.

“Apart~” Sonic’s eyes twitches into a sharp angle, his pupils dilate on Amy’s image, and then he struggles for a moment but curls and spins himself into a ball to break the Cables containing him.

“And I’m not the one-” He then charges up blue light around him, before bursts into a Homing Attack towards the Mountain of Hating comments and images from Social Media, “You were meant-” Amy’s eyes widen at his blue streak suddenly taking over the white and black of the mountain and space. “To find~” She turns her head, bracing as Sonic makes impact.

The mountainous tower of comments breaks apart, falling like a tower of cards, as Amy begins to fall from the loosened Cables that had sown her to it as well. “It’s not up to you-” She is falling slowly through the empty space of where the ‘cards’ of comments once stood, blinking her eyes open. “It’s not up to me.” As she slow-motion falls, she looks up to see the silhouettes of the supposed SEGA Officials, watching her fall, “When everyone tells us what we can be.” Their heads enlargen and seem to almost follow her descent,...

“How can we-” She turns herself in the floating air, to turn her back to what makes her so sad and unhappy, and spreads herself out like a star towards the ground. “Rewrite the Stars?” The mountain becomes black and glitching stars of hate again… she’s falling through them… she can’t take much more of this… her eyes close and she brings her arms to her body’s sides and legs together gently as though accepting the abyssal beyond… “Say that the world-”

She softly turns to fall into her fate… “Can be ours…”

“Tonight.” She opens her eyes as she lands on something, startled, and looks to see that it’s in Sonic’s arms… Her hero’s arms… but not just that-

“All I want is to-” Sonic is flying! The Book has torn its pages, falling backwards, and Sonic now has the large multi-page wings to his body. “Flllllyyy~” Sonic looks behind him, the Cables are shooting out like harpooned missiles, but he takes off. “With you!”

Sonic weaves and dodges the Cables, as he passes by, Stars are shooting forward to race the wind and clash with the Cables, turning into Purple stars of familiar words and scenes again. “All I want is to fall with you.” Sonic spins downwards as the cables all intertwine to follow him, “So just give me-” spinning into one massive Cable Head! “All~ Of you!”

Sonic stops his plummet to look up, seeing the massive plug coming towards them, as Amy takes his head with one of her hands and pushes her face up against his forehead to speak directly into his eyes. “It feels impossible..!” Sonic shakes his head, “It’s not impossible,” He looks back up as the cable jerks it’s head back a second, a cobra to strike, “Is it impossible..?” but Sonic and Amy reach out their hands as one towards it.

“Say that it’s possible..!!!”

All the restored Purple Stars and Hearts from before shoot down and then curve to fly at lightning speeds from beneath Sonic and Amy and pummel into the Cable Plug Head, “How do we Rewrite the Stars..!!!” getting jammed into it as the colors fly up the cable and burst into the open space above as Green Codes of Zeroes and Ones… “Say you were made to be mine!”

But… What of Sonic and Amy below?

The Code is just lines that wave and spiral down… “Nothing can-” The Cable being torn in half… softly and gently destroyed as it turns into data… “Keep us apart!”

“Cause you are the One,”

Sonic and Amy are still alright, holding one another, suspended in hovering space within the air as the Book pages begin to fly off Sonic one layer at a time, falling backwards as Amy and Sonic slowly lower their hands from being stretched out towards the Cable… representing the world and its ‘rules and opinions’...

“I was meant, to find.”

Amy looks to Sonic first, gripping him with her hand in joy and waiting for him to realize, before he slowly tears his eyes away from the scene above, and looks to Amy with a grateful and relieved smile.

He winks to her, his signature cocky attitude.

“It’s up to you.”

She pulls him closer with all her strength,

“And it’s up to me.”

They both shake their heads as their nose nuzzle in sheer delight at their victory.

“No one can say what we get to be.”

Together, strong, and joined hand in hand, “And why don’t we-” They spread their legs as though trying to burst up, and the Data lines of code secure a footing arched web for them and they are brought back up.

“Rewrite the Stars!”

The images of the silhouetted men look as though their giant forms are falling, their massive heads dragging them down as Sonic and Amy are lifted past them. “Changing the world-!”

They turn to each other and hold both their hands now. “To be ours…” Their faces look so happy… to be in love.

Sonic’s head tilts first… then Amy just happily lets his hands go, flings her arms up, and dives into a kiss with him.

But…

When they reach the top, and are lowered back to the level of the three walls…

They walk off together… and the Tarot cards that were first scattered… shiver and shake… before forming black coded zeroes and ones…

They fly over to Amy…

She reaches a hand up to his face, “You know I want you…”

They circle her wrist, just like what the green code did to Sonic in the beginning… but these are deadly, and pull her hand down from his face.

Sonic looks shaken at them, as Amy steps back, also realizing…

She sees it circling her bracelets… and looks at her other wrist.

“It’s not a secret I try-”

She looks hopelessly up to Sonic… free… but what about her?

He looks at his own hands, nothing… the Green Codes are nowhere near him anymore.

He looks back up at her, heartbroken. “To hide.” Her eyes bend back as Game Console Controllers and their Black Wires slowly and softly start to constrict Amy… yet again…

 She can’t escape it, “But I can’t have you.” She speaks through them encircling and covering her body over…

The prejudice, the scorn, the canon-limitations…

“We’re bound to break-” Sonic rushes towards her.

He punches them and they turn to Green Code again…

But Amy looks down at her wrists…

“And my hands…”

She steps back daintly, and holds up her chained hands by one simple Line of Script.

“Are tied.”

The Chains of letters in black read out: [PROPERTY OF SEGA].

[regarding-stories]

Fallout TV Series Follow-Along: Episode 1

I decided to change format a bit for this one. Several people recommended the series to me but I quit Prime when they wanted to charge me and show me ads (or pay even more). Personally, Prime Video in itself has never been worth it. Most of the content I'm looking for is outside of it and you need to pay extra (and at times, 3 bucks per episode!), and the content that Amazon makes often strikes me as second-rate at best. The first season of "Good Omens" is an exception, but even there, in my book, and as fan of the book, Amazon, and even the co-author Neil Gaiman, dropped the ball quite a bit. But this is for another time.

So, they offered me a week of Prime for a buck.

So that's the time I have to work with, and I decided to invest that in the Fallout TV Series. I'm jotting down impressions as I watch. By necessity, this will be littered with spoilers. But chances are, you already watched.

The first impression

Our first look at the world of Fallout is a sequence set before the nuclear holocaust strikes humanity. One thing to notice here is that the longer the Fallout franchise exists, the more 1950s it becomes. Almost everything here is 1950s. It's alluded the first protagonist shown is an actor rehashing his role on birthday parties to pay alimony. What kind of actor is he? A full-blown 50s Western star. You can imagine him in a black-and-white show advertising cereal to kids. But it's everything - the clothes, the furniture, the lifestyle.

That Fallout isn't set in the 1950s is only partially alluded to, but effectively. While TVs are black-and-white and, well, tubes, we also see a Mr Handy robot and we eventually see the steel-and-glass skyscrapers in the background.

Contrary to our image of the 1950s, black and white America seem to mingle freely. In general, the world of Fallout doesn't seem to be big on the theme of "color" racism (not sure how to say it) at all, given that eventually humans have to deal with mutants and what not. So maybe it was already no big deal before the War - in spite of its 1950s aesthetics Fallout isn't set in the 1950s, but in a regressive society of an alternate 2077. Also, Amazon and Netflix productions these days have a tendency to show us a past "we" (the imaginary audience) would have liked to have happened. It's always worth to look at which issues they include and exclude - and I will talk about it later, as this will be evident by episode 2. After all, not all is well in the world of Fallout (or rather: nothing is). But I digress - in the Fallout Universe, this might just as well be canon.

In general, the whole intro makes a really good prelude to the dropping of the bombs. Not for its callouts to scenes and aesthetics from the games, but for some of its original images. The people switching away the news, ignoring them because they are scary. He teaching his daughter how to identify when you are "too close to bother." And the anxiety-inducing scene when a nuke lights in the distance, we see the flash of the explosion, and the girl holds up her thumb and asks if it's her thumb (size-wise) or his. Which makes us know - yes, this is too close.

When I say, anxiety-inducing, this scene really got me. It worked entirely as intended, well executed, an emotional hard-hitter.

After the emotional impact it flattens quite a bit. Lots of bombs exploding, all ground bursts. People fighting for access to a 50s style nuclear shelter. There are several things wrong here, but you might not know it. This scene is focused on emotional impact, not on getting it right. It's focused on iconic imagery. So you need the big blasts and a picture of panic. It's also a big shout-out to the opening scene of Fallout 4 (the game) - but with differences.

Even in FO4, you get an advance warning. For dramatic effect it's first coming through a TV newscast before the sirens engage (not how a warning system works) and select people can evacuate before the bombs strike - it's already all for drama. (Where did the soldiers come from that wave you through? Don't ask.) This is not how you get hundreds of people into a vault. But it's dramatic.

Since it doesn't fit the dramatic intention of the TV series, there isn't even a warning system. So the people of 2077, in imminent danger of a nuclear war, have no warning system. How will they get to the vaults in time?

But let's not dwell on this. It's an emotional, impactful scene that sets things off quite well. And we have a lot of ground to cover still.

It all starts in a Vault

Next we find ourselves in a Vault. Like in FO1, FO3, and FO4 at the beginning. It's not surprising that the series plays it safe, but for the Fallout Universe this is like "they met in a tavern" for fantasy.

We soon learn it's about 219 years in the future - so firmly after the latest games. Which makes the people still in the Vault a bit questionable. But frankly - seeing a Vault like this? Again damn cool.

It also follows another rule of the Fallout Universe: If it's a Vault, it will almost certainly go wrong.

I frankly don't see the a big connection to the lore here (for the most part), as there are a lot of contradictions to unpack about the whole Vault sequence, and not a lot to go on about the why of Vault 33 (and by extension of 32). But one connection to the lore exists: The vaults were social experiments (just "us viewers" don't know this). Instead of uniting the population of the two vaults into one, they are separated but dependent on each other for breeding purposes (probably due to population size). But they each handle their struggles individually, and there's a hint that the other Vault suffered crop failures (not sure if real or part of the ruse). But the Vaults keep this strange isolation up unquestioningly, at least in case of Vault 33.

There are shout-outs aplenty in the upcoming scene - Stimpak for treating a wound, a raider taking a chem (= drug) to get in a sort of battle rage, the Syringer gun that basically shoots tranquilizer darts. The Pipboy modules for the arm, the vault suits, the whole architecture.

The whole ambush and raid, however, is not really working, and the whole sequence seems like a big plot hole. Given that the twin Vaults intermarry constantly and exchange population (breeding males), how can they fail to recognize that there are strangers at least mixed in? How do the supposed raiders from the surface be mostly unblemished, damned clean, and have impeccable dental work? They look healthier than the Vault people. (Which, genetically, might even make sense, but not in terms of environment.)

Where did they keep the weapons? The whole scene is a complete mess, logic-wise. It's purely for effect, don't think about it. I was mostly disappointed. When Kyle MacLachlan drowned a raider in a barrel of cucumbers, it seemed just like it was there for a needlessly sadistic death.

One thing, however, was extremely well-done. The 3D imagery for the background comes out of a sort of olden-style projector, and its special "celluloid" burns in the carnage. And so we see the background burn in a callback to the nuclear fire consuming the world. That was amazing by itself, very good scene-setting while also a metaphor.

This whole sequence, which at this point we cannot make sense of, ends with a choice by the Overseer who choses his daughter. This is a call-out to the kind of choices made in the games, I'm very sure of it. (It's not a great scene, either, nor a particularly good choice. It's just some minor character establishing moment. In the end, it is shown to have zero impact as none of the people involved die...)

So the whole Vault sequence left me with mixed feelings. The atmospheric setup? Impeccable. Artful. The looks, the aesthetics, the feel of a Vault? You did it. The unfolding plot, the action? More holes than a Swiss cheese.

The unbrotherly Brotherhood

Next we're thrown into what quickly became apparent to be a Brotherhood of Steel bootcamp. This piece does many things very well: It shows, not tells. We see the inside of an organization that mixes medieval concepts (knights, squire) and the ritual of a knightly order with its legacy as being descendant from the US Army.

One thing it does even better is showing us what the Brotherhood has become. In Fallout 4, the East Coast Brotherhood is essentially a nation, a warring state of its own. And so it makes sense that, as opposed to the early games (including everything before Fallout 4), it does not need to hide out in bunkers anymore. It has numbers. It actively recruits. It's no longer secret. The whole setup here made so much sense. I welcomed this expansion of setting lore with this training base in the middle of nowhere.

After showing us our protagonist it then shows us most anyone else is an asshole. Which we even suspect of the Elder who hands out the verdict over him - until we see that the Elder, no matter what his thoughts are about the Aspirant's guilt, is quite capable of spotting devotion to the cause.

We also see a lot of Fallout shout-outs - including an airship like the Prydwen, Vertibird "helicopter-planes," T-60 Power Armor, even a power-armor repair stand... It was at this point that I finally confirmed for myself that this show is fully and absolutely rooted in Fallout 4. It takes its setting details solely from that game, so basically everything that Fallout is, we see through the lens of Fallout 4. For good and bad.

Still, this whole sequence was good. Its world-building well-done, its setting details - well, definitely true to Fallout 4. No big logic gaps. We just feel sorry for our hero. He's a very relatable character, capable of great honesty, human. His relation to the Brotherhood is also very understandable, having been taken in as an orphan.

Were these parts written by different people on the same team?

Setting out into the Wasteland

Sorry for breaking sequence. In between our heroine sets out into the Wasteland. And regardless of how likable and spunky she is, almost every time she's on screen, something illogical happens. (Not her fault.)

After having been attacked by Raiders the population of the Vault is still scared of opening the door. (By the way, shouting "Raiders!!" was a call-out to a typical Fallout term, but was this term already in common use when people were locked away in Vaults? Could be from a Vault-Tec training tape...) So, by measuring radiation (urgh) she originally established that there were people from the surface in that raiding party. Yet nobody acts like this was the case. (The surface in general wouldn't be irradiated two hundred years in the future, but I guess lore-wise this is okay-ish and a short-hand for the mutations caused in the past by exposure.)

We are left unclear about the goals and impact of the raid except for injuries and dead. What went missing beside her dad? (Which is, by the way, a big shout-out to Fallout 3. She's going out of the Vault to go look for her Daddy...)

We then are treated to a leaving the Vault sequence, very cool and true to what we see in Fallout 4, even down to the security railings.

However this particular character cannot escape the rails of poor writing! After growing up in a steel box she's not only under an open sky, she sees the damn ocean for the first time. You could get a nervous breakdown from that. But she just says "Okey-dokey." You can overdo the "can-do" attitude...

Then we are treated to walking among skeletons and petrified corpses. I don't think petrification is a side effect of nuclear bombs (bodies evaporate if too close), but I might be wrong. I also checked, and it's unlikely skeletons would be intact after lying in the open for two centuries. (They can last enormously long underground, but we also have to assume their integrity had already been damaged by radiation.) These are Fallout staples and purely for effect. I wouldn't have minded so much if it wasn't for her flippant reactions to most of this.

Why anybody would build a Vault on a beach, though? There's no natural shielding through a thick layer of rock. And why would the bomb go off so close to the beach to raze off the top of the structure?

As I said, when she (sorry, I couldn't remember names of any protagonist yet) is on the screen, logic goes out of the window all too often.

Western Feel, that's all

Now we're back to our initial protagonist. We find him in a grave. But before we get to this shout-out to Fallout: New Vegas, we are treated to the most silly shout-out in the whole episode:

Somebody gets killed by a Rock-it Launcher/Junk Jet, by basically firing a doll at him at ballistic speed. Yeah, this happens in FO3 and FO4, but these are the kind of things too stupid to consider canon. That's just blind, idiotic shooter-game fun that really undermines the exposition of this series. I guess they wanted a Mad Max vibe here where anything crazy goes because post-apocalypse punk. But frankly, just ignore it.

The rest of the scene isn't much better. There are three bounty hunter scoundrels making their way into a guarded graveyard. They want to enlist a ghoul forcefully buried there. We are told that he's buried there and tortured a bit every year - which actually makes sense in the Fallout Universe since ghouls are effectively immortal.

What doesn't make sense is pumping what looks like RadAway, a rare (enough) substance into a grave, given that ghouls are basically impervious to radiation. I don't think the series ever established the reason for it. So unless these IVs are empty and just for macabre show, the whole bit was just nonsensical. (Also, it renders the whole discussion about which grave it is entirely moot.)

We are not told a lot about ghouls, except that they can go feral. The whole chicken bit is funny because it is the only survivor except the Ghoul himself. I guess it establishes him as a calculating killer, somebody quite capable of making his own decisions, as unpleasant as it may be. He's not out of control.

It's just his decisions are stupid. He basically kills off the bounty hunters that went to the trouble of freeing him from his predicament because he's, well, a moody ass. It's hard to imagine how he could have actually worked with the bounty hunter boss' father, unless he really took a bad turn after. And he also kills off his chance to learn anything more. He's just so badass he can get away with this even at a disadvantage.

We are not told yet how the person we originally saw as patient, able to take an insult, and a caring father turn into a jerkass (or a ghoul, for that matter). So we need to take this as his character intro for now and see what happens.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Given the Western vibes at least of one part of the story, you might think I refer to the Ghoul as the ugly. But what's ugly here is not the Ghoul, but some of the writing of the show where logic at times is really shallow or absent. This is the point that mars watching it the most. (How does half the Wasteland know how to hunt one man and a dog? I need to stop asking these questions...)

As for the bad... it isn't exactly bad. The show works well enough to go on, and while it's callous (wait for episode 2!), it's not out of tune with the Fallout Universe. This is one show where the over-the-top violence actually can make sense. What is bad is taking one particular cue from Fallout 4 (and especially, by extension, from Fallout 3). It likes the "Rule of Cool" - when in doubt, and it's cool, put it in. (Junk Jet... good grief.)

As for the good... its aesthetics and special effects are often top-notch, it's what you would want as fan of Fallout 4. It has the look and feel, and it feels like a Fallout story. It doesn't have to be the best Fallout story ever if it gets that right. And in spite of its logical holes, it does often carry the Fallout vibe. It might drop the ball on logic at times, but I guess it does carry the vibe. I guess it does on par with many contemporary shows on that count.

[rainbows-fanfics]

Help Unwanted (Chapter 12)

Summary: After losing the Pirate, Deacon is unwillingly paired with a partner to help with his job. The only problem is - they can't stand each other, and time is dwindling until he can re-capture all his lost prisoners.

Human AU of the Armada from Pirate101.

Pairings: Deacon/Queen!Deacon, Deacon/OC

--

It was a few days into Dea’s recovery and she was doing well. Her bandages were changed on a regular basis and her wound was beginning to heal. She still didn’t have much of an appetite – eating was one of the last things she wanted to do, really – but she finally got around to nibbling off the food they gave her. 

She was told not to do any strenuous thinking, to not fret over her missing memories - but it was driving her mad. What had exactly happened for her to get shot? Deacon said they were on an undercover mission and she’d been in a disguise…but she couldn’t recall where they went or who they chased after. She was able to recall a man in black, but she couldn’t put a name to his character. It was aggravating.

So, she distracted herself. Which was hard to do when one was stuck in a hospital room. Her nurse offered a selection of books to read - and Dea had initially declined, not seeing anything particularly interesting. She wasn’t that big of a bookworm and she wasn’t desperate to become one right now. But then she spotted one of the novels she’d seen Deacon reading back on their ship, and requested for it. 

…It was a detective slash romance novel. 

Oh, she was going to tease him about this for sure!

It was held in her hands and opened to the second chapter. She just started reading and her only gripe was that it was a little cliché. Not like she had read many of these, but it wasn’t hard to tell where the story was heading. She briefly wondered if these were the type of things Deacon read - did he like thriller novels? That would make sense, what with his line of work. Did he enjoy romance stories? She almost laughed at that thought. She couldn’t picture him holding a book with the cover of a woman dangling dramatically from a shirtless man’s arms. It just didn’t seem like him. 

She was in the middle of flipping the page when the door opened. Her nurse peeked in and smiled.

“You have a visitor, miss. Is it alright if I let them in?” 

Dea folded the corner of the page to mark her spot. “...Who is it?” 

She hadn’t contacted her family since she got promoted in the Armada. She made sure they didn’t know of her whereabouts. She wasn’t ready to see them. She still needed to prove herself. It would be terrible if they came and saw her like this. She could already see the disappointment in her father’s eyes, and hear judgemental tsks from her mother’s lips… 

“A special visitor,” The nurse replied happily. This confused her - but she didn’t want to get her head throbbing again, so she nodded and sent him off. 

It was tense as she waited for whoever it was to arrive. She didn’t have to idle long before the door opened again, and a mask peered in from the small crack. Dea jumped in immediate recognition -  instinctively moving to rise to her feet and salute respectively to her guest.

“Q-Queen!” 

“At ease,” Her voice gently commanded.

She rested against the mattress and watched as the tall woman closed the door. She moved across the room smoothly. She had an elegant way of walking, able to conceal the movement of her feet underneath her dress. Sometimes it looked like she floated across the floor. It was the result of extensive practice, to show how attentive she was with her image. Dea watched in awe as she pulled up a chair and sat at her bedside in one fluid motion. 

“I wanted to see you as soon as I could,” She began the conversation, turning her head and the mask followed it naturally. “How have you been?” 

Dea tried not to fidget under her attention. She was nervous to be in her private company - who wouldn’t? Any soldier who came across the Armada’s Queen was either in trouble or getting interrogated. She was kept as a rare sight for a reason. Dea remembered how anxious she’d been the first time she met her, and tried to swallow down her worry. 

“I’ve been fine. Why have you come to see me..?” 

“I heard about what happened to you. You should understand my concern.” 

Her gloved hand unconsciously came up to feel the crack in her mask. She often repeated this action when she felt fidgety. It was hard *not* to, when she knew there was an imperfection on her second face. It was upsetting, but it was also the only clue as to what had happened. It was…another irritating thing she wondered about. 

Queen’s eyes followed her hand and Dea tensed. She struggled for an explanation. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to break it.” 

Masks were a touchy subject. They were the most valued part of an Armada uniform. Leaving them dirty violated the dress code, so they were promptly cleaned after every battle. To actually break one was generally frowned upon. It was encouraged to immediately replace and fix any tampered masks - and Dea hadn't had the opportunity to do that yet. The sight had earned her sympathetic looks from doctors and nurses. 

“Non ti preoccupare. I will have my husband make you a new one.” She leaned out of her seat and splayed her fingertips across Dea’s mask. She pressed the material slightly, to test the last of its durability. “I apologize you had to wear that delicate thing. You shouldn’t have been given such a flimsy mask, dear.” 

She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until Queen moved away. A relieved sigh left her lips. So she was getting a new mask…It was even being made by the highest hand of the Armada. She thanked the Gods that she hadn’t upset her superior. If her posture was anything to go by, she seemed to be in a relatively good mood, all things considered. Dea began fiddling with the blanket as she prepared herself to have the conversation she dreaded. She needed to, while she had this chance. 

“I am sorry for my failure.” Her eyes fell to the floor in shame. “If you decide to demote or even discharge me, I understand."

“Oh, bella. This sort of thing happens all the time. You’re just fortunate nothing worse happened to you.” 

“But I still… disappointed you. You were the one to promote me. You had such high hopes in myself, and…I failed to meet those expectations.” 

A hand landed on her shoulder. Queen looked at her compassionately. “You could never disappoint me.” 

She clenched her jaw, withholding emotions that wanted to escape her. “Why?”

“Us sorellas need to stick together. You were a victim, Reyna. But that does not define you - you are strong. No matter what happens, I have every confidence in you.” 

She looked away and breathed heavily to calm herself. This happened the last time she was approached by Queen. She said such inspiring words and showed an immense belief in her…support that her own mother had never offered to her. It was the first time Dea had not been disparaged in her career, and it was then she knew the Armada was the right place for her. 

“...It’s, um, ‘Dea’, now.”

“Dea?” The Elite repeated, holding a hand in front of her mask and giggling. “My, that’s…cute.” 

She grew embarrassed and regretted her bold choice of alias. Queen was clearly amused, but did not press the topic any further. She readjusted her hold on her mask and shifted in her seat. She perked up when she spotted an item sitting on her bedside table. 

“Oh! Have you borrowed one of Deacon’s books?” She asked, reaching for it. Dea extended a hand to stop her, but she already had it in her possession.

“No, that is the hospital’s-”

“I gave this to him last Christmas,” She continued, ignoring her unnerved state. “I didn’t think he ever got to it.” 

“He, ah, reads all the time on our voyages. I think he finished that one recently..” 

She flipped it around in her hands, reading the text and observing the cover wordlessly. She finally asked the question that had been lingering between them. “How are things with Deacon? Are the two of you still not getting along?” 

She crossed her arms and groaned. Her green eyes lifted to the ceiling in regret. She didn’t know how Queen had learned about this. She must have her ways. “...I think I messed up.”

It felt like the room had dropped a few degrees. She rubbed her arms and unconsciously leaned into the trench coat laid underneath her. Queen’s attention momentarily flitted to the item, but she moved her gaze back when Dea let out an exasperated breath. 

“I know what you said about him, but…I didn’t know what to make of Deacon really, and I…may have been a little harsh. He wasn’t all that friendly with me, either, but..I think I made him hate me.”  

“Don’t say that–” 

“-Es cierto. We’ve had a few arguments; I said things I shouldn’t have. I once made him so upset he hadn’t bothered working with me for half the day.” 

“Dear, he’s just frustrated. He’s had a lot going on. You’d be irritable, too, if the same things happened to you.” 

She frowned underneath her mask. “..What should I do?” 

Queen crossed one of her legs over the other. “Show him a little more patience. He’s an independent man. He’s never had to rely on anybody else."

Her heart twisted in guilt. She really had imposed herself. She’d heard of Deacon’s mistake when getting promoted and cruelly taunted it in his face several times. She enjoyed having the upper-hand over someone for once, rather than the other way around. But it was unprovoked. He must have been going through his own personal Hell, and she merely added to it. That’s why he wanted nothing to do with her. She only had herself to blame. 

If she’d lost an entire ship, her prisoners, and members of a crew she was responsible for…she’d be constantly kicking herself for it. She could only imagine what had been running through his mind for these past couple of months. That last thought reminded her of something and she sucked in a harsh breath. 

“Queen? Am I…still involved in this operation?” 

She hesitated. “There was talk about it. Your medical leave puts a slight strain on your mission, so…you and Deacon have been granted some more time.” 

“..Is that even necessary, if he’s still working while I’m gone?” 

“Hmm. I don’t know what he told you, but we haven’t received an update since your admittance. If he is, I don’t think he’ll be working very hard in your absence, bella.” 

Her lips pursed in thought. She thought he’d have already been close to capturing another fugitive by now. He worked diligently when she wasn’t involved – she learned that the hard way.  Was he waiting for her return? Or was he going to work more efficiently with her out of the picture, like she presumed? She didn’t know what to expect and the uncertainty made her restless. 

Queen stood and glanced down at her. “I should leave now. I’ll return with your new mask…It’s a promise, Dea.” 

She went to make her exit, but stopped in front of the door. She appeared to remember something, spinning on her heel to face her again. “-Oh, and after all of this is over with, I would like to have a special day together. Just you and me.” 

“-A ‘special’ day?” She repeated, tilting her head in confusion. 

“You deserve something nice. It will be fun.” Her tone was slightly mischievous as she reached for the handle and let herself out. “Rest easy, sorella.” 

----

“Hell yeah!” 

Rooke’s laughter filled the room as he hit the bullseye on the dartboard. There were only a couple of nearby patrons watching the pair across the room. They’d come at a relatively empty part of the week. Normally, when Deacon and Rooke visited their favorite bar together, it was to celebrate their time off and drink the night away in the company of their Armada troops. Right now, it was only the two of them playing darts with a couple of beers in the middle of the day. 

When it was Deacon’s turn, he carefully aimed his missile and threw it to his best attempt. He’d only gotten a single score. On his next try, he didn’t fare any better. It was pathetic when they tallied the end scores. Rooke had royally kicked his ass, which was mortifying - as darts was Deacon’s game. 

“What’s the matter? You’ve never let me win before.” His brother prodded when they sat back down. The spymaster chose to deflect the question.

“I’m obviously not drunk yet.” 

This failed to make the other laugh. “Hey,” His voice lowered and Deacon knew he was in for it. “I found out what happened. Are you doing alright?” 

“Of course I am.” He snapped. The General glared at him.

“It’s bothering you, isn’t it?” 

. . . 

. . .

Deacon was at his wit's end.

He’d meant to carry on with his mission days ago - but after Dea’s admittance, waking up and finding her bed empty gave him the strangest sense of loneliness. Deacon found himself changing behind his privacy sheet before realizing there was no need to. Their journey that day had been unusually silent. There was no sound of feminine singing as they sailed, so no one had any reason to make noise.

It was ironic. He would have begged for this exact situation two months ago, but now he didn't care for it. 

He made the disturbing mistake later that day, when he spoke aloud at the captain's wheel, intending to ask Dea what she thought of the weather. He quickly made the shameful realization that he was talking to himself. His final straw was when he had accidentally made two orders for his dinner that night instead of one. That next morning, he insisted that his crew take the next few days off, as he was afraid of what would happen if he kept up with this strange behavior. He used the excuse that they were working hard lately, and deserved to have a little fun.

He was trying to convince himself that he was simply used to the routine, not *Dea*. Habits were easy to form, but harder to break, as he knew. Change was clearly the issue here. Wasn’t it? 

He had the intention of taking it easy today, asking Rooke if he was free to hang out, but when they actually made it to the bar, Deacon felt depressed. He wondered how long he could’ve hid it from him - he probably would’ve done a fine job, had they not picked up a game of darts. 

“I don’t know,” He confessed. And it was the truth. He genuinely did not understand what was going on with him right now. 

“You’re really going through it, aren’t you?” His tone was remorseful. “Losing the Erebus, your prisoners, then nearly your partner… ? I’m surprised you haven’t lost it yourself.”

‘I am losing it!’ Deacon wanted to scream. Why was he so fussed over this woman? He wanted to throw his head into a wall. 

“You don’t understand. It was my gun that shot her. My own bullet.”

“Don’t blame yourself. It was an accident.”

“But I pulled the trigger-” 

Rooke shoved the beer towards him. He gave him a stern tilt of the head before his brother reluctantly took a drink. He crumbled in his seat, covering his face underneath his mask and shaking from the guilt.

He was finally surrendering to his emotions.

He was better than this. 

“I’m no stranger to casualties. Accidents happen all the time on the battlefield. Sometimes you can’t predict what your enemy is going to do. Chi Non Fa, Non Falla.” 

‘He who does nothing, makes no mistakes.’

The Emissary faltered. Of course Rooke had seen worse. He’d probably witnessed his soldiers blowing up and dying before his eyes. His line of work was as equally disturbing as Deacon’s, just in different ways. It was sometimes therapeutic to discuss these things with him. Whenever he thought he couldn’t relate, he always surprised him. 

“You should go visit her in the hospital,” He suggested all too nonchalantly. “Buy her flowers, maybe.” 

He didn’t respond. The larger man waited expectantly at his silence. He caved in with a wince. “She thinks I hate her.” 

“Deacon.” 

“I don’t. I just - damnit! She’s been a thorn in my side for so long, but…” He struggled to explain how he felt. Even he wasn’t sure. His emotions felt like a jumbled mess. “She doesn’t deserve her pain, and she shouldn’t think I despise her.” 

“Here’s how I see it-” Rooke leaned back in his chair, gesturing with his hands. “You’ve gotten used to her company. You two have been practically roommates.” 

He scrunched up his nose and looked away. “-But it doesn’t feel like that.” 

“-Then what DOES it feel like?” 

He dropped his frustration. Now he felt conflicted. Over how he’s handled these two months, even after Rooke advised him to open up to her. And he had …He played the piano in front of Dea, tied her corset for her, and discussed the things he liked. He thought that would be enough to start something, a friendship of some sorts, maybe, but…it still didn’t feel like they were close enough. It was unbalanced. He had learned more about his co-captain, even a clue as to what she looked like, while he remained an enigma in comparison.  

“I don’t know.”

This conversation felt futile. He’d gotten nothing out of it, beyond venting to Rooke about his guilt. His brother looked tired. He motioned for them to finish their beers. Deacon obliged – shifting his gaze and somehow feeling even worse. Had he wasted both of their time? Maybe being with him right now hadn’t been the best idea. He should’ve known to wait until he was more mentally stable. 

Rooke noticed his dispirited demeanor and patted him on the back. It was his usual gesture of comfort. “You should still go see her while you can. Try to talk some things out.” 

“..You think she’ll want to see me?” 

“Why not?” He shrugged. 

…

Why not, indeed. 

----

Two visitors in one day felt like too much for Dea. 

She was tempted to have the nurse send them off, but she really had nothing else to do here. Her conversation with Queen had sent her mind running. What did she mean by a ‘special day together’? She was cryptic with her words, sometimes, and it scared her. She’d been in a frenzy about it, wondering if she should feel relieved or nervous. So she was sort of thankful for the distraction when she was told that someone else wanted to see her.

The last thing she expected, however, was to find Deacon shuffling his way into the room. 

He was finally in his blue ensemble again - his familiar jackets and cape giving Dea a great relief. Just seeing him like this made things feel normal again. She wanted to be back on the ship doing the usual things like chatting with their crew while Deacon simultaneously juggled steering the wheel and reading a book.  

“Ciao.” He greeted her in kind.

“…What are you doing here?” 

“--Checking on you. Would you rather me *not* do that?” He asked seriously. She shook her head. 

“I’m just wondering why you’re not out at sea right now..?” 

“Took the day off,” He mumbled, helping himself into the seat. Unlike Queen, he didn’t pull it up to her bedside and instead settled on watching her from afar. “How are things?” 

“Not so bad. The pain is getting better, but my head is still…” She waved her hand as she thought how to word it. “-Weird? A lot is coming back to me, though.” 

He looked at her curiously. She paused, wondering if she should bring certain things up. She had a few questions, but something in particular had been bothering her. Was it better to wait? Get her answers later?  She decided to bide her time and reached over to grab the book from the table. She held it with a wryly smile - somewhat disappointed that he couldn’t see her expression right now. His eyes moved to look at what she was holding.

“I didn’t think you knew how to read,” He commented dryly. She shrugged and opened it, flipping through the pages casually. 

“I usually don’t, but I saw you had this one, and wanted to check it out.” She pinched her lips together, stifling a giggle. “-You really enjoy this stuff?” 

“I didn’t pick it out,” He defended. “And for the record, there *are* some good detective novels out there.” 

“I’m sure,” She replied humorously, returning the book to its place. Her tone grew curious. “I never asked you, but what do you like to read, Espía?” 

He looked surprised. It took him a minute or two to think about his answer. “Mystery, thrillers, adventure…” 

“What’s your favorite book?” 

“Moby-Dick.”

“No way!” 

He shrugged, entwining his gloved fingers together. “It was one of the first serious stories I'd ever read.” 

Her laugh was like music to his ears. He didn’t expect Dea to ever ask something like this - but he was delighted. He’d just been thinking of how little she knew about him, and he was glad to change that. He owed it to her, after all. His eyes wandered while she calmed down and noticed the article of clothing shoved behind her person. It took a few seconds for him to recognize what it was and realize he had completely forgotten about his trench coat. 

“Comfortable?” He asked, much-too-knowing not to be suspicious. Dea looked at him strangely before realizing where he was looking. Her face grew hot under her mask.

“I - ah,” She stammered, moving to hide the coat from his view. “If I remember correctly, YOU were the one who gave this to me..!” 

He gave a casual hum, sitting back in the chair. From what *he* remembered, she didn’t even want it. She grew annoyed at his reaction and waved him off. This did not dissuade him from continuing the conversation. 

“Who is your favorite singer?” He prompted. She blinked in surprise.

“What?”

“The person who inspired you,” He clarified. She wondered why he inquired about this, but figured it was fair, since she had asked him about his books. She clicked her tongue. 

“My aunt loved to sing. She would teach me all sorts of songs and play instruments for me. She was a big inspiration in my life.” A particular word rang heavy in the room, so she elaborated. “She passed away a long time ago. I’ve wanted to sing in her memory, if that makes sense. She always wanted to share her voice with the world, but never got to. I…guess I haven’t, either…”

“...I see.” He responded. He sounded happy to know, but sympathetic to hear at the same time. She offered the question back to him. 

“You’re really good at the piano. I bet you’re talented with the violin. Who inspired you to play?” 

“No one, really. It was just beneficial to learn.”

“Then how come you didn’t pursue it? As a career?”

“Not what I really wanted to do,” He confessed. “I liked to be on boats, go sailing. I did well in school, so my father thought I was educated enough to become an Emissary.” 

She continued to pry. “Do you like your job?” 

This was when he fell silent. Of course he loved his job. He was miserable whenever he was put on-hold. But he couldn’t admit that aloud. It didn’t feel right. Being an Emissary and a spymaster came with all sorts of responsibilities, and he was held to such high standards that it was often stressful for him. When he made mistakes, he faced brutal consequences. Being an Elite was a privilege, and not one he wanted to lose. So he overworked himself and never had any time for anything else.  

Maybe if he had become a professional musician, he’d be a little happier. He wouldn’t be held to such standards, and wouldn't have to work under Kane. He would never have to deal with his disappointment because he was conditioned not to make any mistakes on strings. He was slippery with his job now, things constantly happened out of his control…he suddenly wondered if he had made the right choice with his life.

Seeing his struggle, Dea spared him from answering. “I bet it’s hard.” 

“Unbelievably so.” 

He wanted to change the subject. He had to, before things escalated and they were digging into territory he did not want to discuss. Before he could say anything, a troubled sigh escaped the woman. She clasped her hands together and looked away. 

“Deacon…I remembered what I was trying to ask you, back at that church. You said we would talk about it later. Is now a good time?” 

He held his breath. No time was good for this, period, but he’d rather talk about it like this. Alone, and when the air between them was still light. He gave her a solemn nod and she took a second before having the courage to ask again. 

“What happens to these prisoners, when we are done capturing them?” 

“As I told you,” He began calmly. “They will be taken back to Valencia to be questioned.” 

This conversation was going exactly the same as it did last time. Maybe that was for the best. “-And they’ll be questioned about *what*...?” 

“I have studied the rise of piracy within this past year, and suspect these pirates will grow numerous in the long-term and pose a threat to the Armada and our plans. The criminals and undesirables we are arresting have valuable intel about a pirate haven located somewhere in Skull Island.” 

Her eyes grew in shock. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together. Her stomach felt like it was in a knot. She had to gather her strength to ask the next question that popped up in her mind. 

“And if these prisoners don’t tell you what you want..?” 

He bowed his head, his tone ominous. “They will be tortured until they do." He looked her in the eye before finishing, "-By me.”