#means the world is once again my oyster

[platosarse]

Well I got rejected for the UKHSA job, so back to the drawing board.

Edit: turns out I was the second highest-scoring interviewee and the only reason I didn’t get the job was because I couldn’t start until May. Good sign for if I want to apply for a UKHSA job again.

[pyrosomatic-metamorphosis]

Uh Oh ! Brainrotting !

bloodless under cut

wink wonk or smthn

[bumblebeesfromvenus]

Siren!Leon headcannons 🧜🏼‍♂️🐚

A/N: this was so much fun!!! I got a little carried away, but I feel there's still so much I could add here, so let me know if you want to see more! There's not smut in this one sadly, because um... idk.. how that would work?

~Fi 🐝

《Prompt》: lovely request by @maviettt is here!

《Warnings》: brief mentions of gore and Leon eating people, obessesive and possessive Leon, some angst, insecure Leon :(, lots of luv for the fish boy <3

《Word count》: 2.4k

Please don't copy my work! I put a lot of effort and heart into the things I write.

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Siren!Leon, who spends his days luring all the pretty sailors to their demise, having himself a tasty meal of naivety and pure unawareness. I mean, what girl wouldn't be enarmoured with this handsome and so kind merman, right? With his blue, ocean eyes and shiny scales.

Siren!Leon, who lurs them in with promises of love and care, only to yank them into the deep sea and tear into them with his pointy teeth. He's not too fond of doing this, but he doesn't really have a choice, and you get hardened over the years.

Siren!Leon, who casually swims through a nearby Lagoon, catching a glimpse of you and your sisters lounging in the sun. You're laughing, and Leon swears that you're the Siren in this scenario. You look so pretty with your colorful, glittery tail. Your damp hair that's drying up from the salty water. The small trinkets braided into your locks and hung from your body.

Siren!Leon, who is always drawn back to this Lagoon, always wanting to see you again. He thinks you're a bright, shining pearl, and the world is your oyster. But he also understands that you're off limits to him. You would be scared of him, wouldn't you? You're such a pretty thing. His treasure.

Siren!Leon, who admires you from afar, always hoping to see you smile once again. He's infatuated with you. He's sighing dreamily when he sees you throw your head back in laughter or hiding your giggles behind your hand.

Siren!Leon, who looks for you after he hasn't seen you at the Lagoon for a while, only to find you washed up on the beach, all tangled up in a net. You look so... dry. The colors of your tail are dulled, and your skin doesn't look like it was kissed by the morning dew anymore.

Siren!Leon, who is so conflicted. He needs to help you, but what if he scares you? He doesn't want to risk that. You're the favorite part of his day! Alas, he relents and carefully swims up to you as close as he can before gently tugging you back into the water by your tail.

Siren!Leon, who holds you until you've gotten some of the ocean's energy into you. He can basically watch you flourish as you're returned to your home. But his heart breaks when you gain back consciousness and immediately try and get away from him.

Siren!Leon, who tries to explain to you that he just wants to help. You're still bound in the net, and you can't swim properly like this. You're obviously skeptical. Acting all kind and luring people in was kind of his deal as a Siren, after all. But there's something so soft about his voice and expressions.

Siren!Leon, who truly has no bad intentions, but he has to restrain himself from pouncing on you the second you give him the go-ahead to free you from the net with his sharp teeth.

Siren!Leon, who doesn't miss your blush, when his lips brush against your skin while he's chewing you out of your bounds. He can't help himself and grins, and accidentally bumps his lips against your scales more just to see you react.

Siren!Leon, who is quite flustered himself when you thank him and tell him that he's not as scary as you thought he would be. And when you tell him you like the color of his scales and his cute little fin ears, he is over the moon!!

Siren!Leon who tries to hide his malicious side from you as best as he can just because he is terrified that you would be scared of him. Maybe even disgusted. He doesn't want that.

Siren!Leon, who sees you wave to him on his usual morning round past the Lagoon, and he almost passes out. Yeah, he had saved you, but for you to so boldly be nice to him in front of your sisters? He's thinking of that for the rest of the day.

Siren!Leon, who gets bolder each day, waving back with a smile, maybe even greeting you and your sisters until he fully swims up to all of you! He's kinda crushed when your sisters scatter like little anchovies. He just wanted to say hi :(

Siren!Leon, who gets comforted and assured by you, saying that "they don't know you like I do." You explain how, although Leon is a Siren, he's so sweet! He saved you from certain death, after all.

Siren!Leon, who eventually gets taken in by your sisters, and he gets to lounge in the Lagoon with you. Some are still a little weary, but as time goes on, they all warm up to that smile and those pretty eyes.

Siren!Leon, who only has eyes for you. You are the sun in his sky, the moon that guides his tides. He's head over heels for you. It started off as forbidden glances, admiring your beauty, and now he is making you laugh and spending as much time with you as he can.

Siren!Leon, who knows you're falling for him too when you start bringing him little treasures and trinkets that you found. It's usually a shiny rock or a seashell, but sometimes you bring him valuable shinies from recent shipwrecks that you're not supposed to be around.

Siren!Leon, whose heart pumps out of his chest when he sees all your sisters nudging you in his direction with your hand behind your back and a red face. He revels in your cuteness when you shyly press the rock into his hand and speed off.

Siren!Leon, who starts calling you his treasure or his pearl. That's exactly what you are to him, and he needs the whole seven seas to know that. Plus, your pretty smile and the kiss to the cheek he gets from you after is a nice bonus.

Siren!Leon, who lets you decorate him and his tail when you run out of space on your own. You tie cloth and braided seaweed around his fin and arms, adding one of your little trinkets at the end. He wears them with pride because everyone knows they're from you.

Siren!Leon, who loves to braid your hair for you. You're always finding more pretty things to put in your hair, and you can't see the back, obviously, but he loves doing it for you. He gets so good to the point that he's doing all of your sisters' hair, too.

Siren!Leon, who rarely goes back to luring humans to their death, simply because he would rather spend time with you. He's acquired a taste for small fish, which unfortunately can't match the salivating taste of humam flesh, but he's willing to give it all up for you. he's still so worried that you'll catch him one day and see the monster he truly is.

Siren!Leon, who sits in the small tide pool close to a bay, soaking up the moonlight with you, and the way it makes you look ethereal. You look even prettier like this than in the sun. The silvery streaks reflect off of your features so beautifully, and he knows that he's doomed.

Siren!Leon, who spends all of his nights with you, not wanting that image of your lovely self dipped in the rays of Mother Moon to go away. He loves talking to you at night. Sharing quiet stories and tales interrupted by soft giggles.

Siren!Leon, who kisses you for the first time on the beach where he saved you. He melts when he finally feels your lips on his, and he's holding you so tight and full of love that you can't imagine being anywhere else.

Siren!Leon, who found a pearl at the bottom of the ocean, your favorite color, and he gives it to you as a gift under one of those moonlit nights. He's confessing his love to you, giving the pearl to you as a sign of always wanting to be with you.

Siren!Leon who doesn't know whether to blush and hide or be giddy like an idiot when he sees you wearing his pearl the next morning, showing it off to all your sisters who are all in awe of its beauty.

Siren!Leon, who loves to spend his days lying in the sand with you, playing with the many small braids and twists that adorn your silky locks. There's not much to do, but you make the days go by so fast.

Siren!Leon, who goes ballistic when your sisters rush to tell him that you've been captured by some filthy pirates while you were out exploring a new shipwreck, trying to find more odds and ends for your collection.

Siren!Leon, who can feel his blood boil in his veins. It's like a switch was flipped, and he falls back into his bloodthirsty and feral ways. It scares your sisters, but they know he's doing it for you.

Siren!Leon, who follows your scent and your soft pleads for mercy as the pirates decide whether to gut you or keep you for themselves. He has never swam this fast in his life. He had a strong tail, no doubt, but he pushed himself to his limit only to get to you.

Siren!Leon who feels so deeply and can feel the storm brewing inside of him. He can't help but feel somewhat reassured when dark, thick clouds rise in the sky and heavy winds, rain, and thundering streaks of lightning descend from the sky. He thanks Mother Moon with all his being for helping him rescue his treasure.

Siren!Leon, who sneaks close to the ship undetected, due to the heavy rain and loud thunder. He is out for blood, and one thing is clear; that ship will sink today, and he will make them pay.

Siren!Leon who punches holes into the body of the ship with his strong tail, making the ship sink slowly into the dark embrace of the ocean.

Siren!Leon, who when he finally gets to the bastard pirates, tears them to shreds without a thought. Thick crimson spills into the rowdy waters, and you can almost see the red reflecting in his eyes.

It's a mess of limbs and guts, the blood clinging to his pale skin like a curse. He doesn't want to admit how refreshing this felt- he was still a siren after all.

Siren!Leon who snaps out of his craze and immediately starts searching for you, calling out your name with desperation and fear. The lightning gets worse as he looks around frantically.

Siren!Leon, who finally spots you clinging to a piece of wood with bloody hands and teary eyes. He rushes over to you, and the relieved cries that rip from your throat make his heart hurt.

Siren!Leon, who scowls at the deep gash on your tail, no doubt courtesy of those pirates. He embraces you so softly, kissing your temple and whispering sweet reassurances to you.

You sniffled and looked up at him, the rain slowly washing away the blood that tarnished his skin. You spotted tears of his own welling up in his blue eyes, pained by the image of your wounded self. He never stopped stroking your hair and wiping away the rain that mixes with your tears as it falls on your face.

"They... they only hurt me because I didn't want to give them... this.." You spoke quietly, opening your bloody hand, revealing the pearl he had gifted you now smeared with blood. Leon felt his heartbeat all the way in his head. The gusting winds, loud thunder and the electrifying strikes of lightning died down and the surface of the water stilled into a soft ripple as he stared at you, not knowing what to do, or to feel.

Only the soft patter of rain on the ocean filled the silence that lingered between you two. Leon swallowed thickly and cupped your face, finding his words.

"My treasure, My pearl... why?"

You'd never heard him this hurt, defeated before.

"Because you gave it to me."

With your simple answer, he pulled you tight against his chest with his lips pressed to your forehead, hoping the rain would cover the tears that ran down his face, soaking into your hair.

Siren!Leon, whose blood freezes in his veins when you catch a glimpse of the massacre he had left and absolute horror washes over your face. He can feel his heart shatter with the way you look at him, with so much fear and- ...gratitude?

Siren!Leon, who gets the words knocked out of his head once again, when you softly touch his cheek and tell him that you're not afraid of him. You're still shaken up, in agony, and dismembered bodies aren't part of your usual routine.

But you tell him that you could never be scared of him. You know he would never hurt you, he loves you, and he only did what he needed to in order to rescue you. You're fully aware of what he is- a Siren, not a monster. He proved that to you many times with his gentle and kind nature. He feels pathetic when he breaks down as you whisper that you love him and press kisses to his hair. You're hurt, and he's crying, utterly overwhelmed by you and your love.

Siren!Leon, who will take care of you and the wound on your tail until it's fully healed. He gently drapes seaweed wraps over the gash and always makes sure you're not in any pain. He will make you hang onto him by his neck when he swims so you can still get around but not put any strain on your tail.

Siren!Leon, who plucks a scale from his tail and gifts it to you as full proof of his love and devotion for you. It hangs around your neck, right next to the pearl he had given you, and he can't help but smile when he sees how his shimmery blue scale looks against your skin.

Siren!Leon, who wears one of your scales on a cloth, tied around his arm, proudly showing it off whenever he can. Because he's as much yours as you are his. <3

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I loved writing this so much!! Lmk your thoughts on Siren!Leon <3

More Leon works are here 🩷

《Tag list》: @dmitriene @k-fallingstar @vampkennedy

Comment to be added!

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

What do you mean Nikolai Lantsov was a morally grey character? He was a selfless hero!

Literally Nikolai Lantsov:

Befriended and convinced already disoriented and ignorant Alina that the Darkling was a bigger issue than the First Army and the people turning on Grisha and executing them, a brewing civil war that would most likely happen even if they killed the Darkling, Fjerda and Shu-Han casually invading their territory, etc. That they should abandon negotiations with the Darkling and prepare for war even though the country can't take it. Also, his reasoning that he should become the King? Nikolai: Oh yeah, I'm a bastard with no claim to the throne who has never actually done anything to change Ravka for the better, I was too busy playing pirates. And I just gave the rapist King who doomed this country a nice retirement and more servants to rape, while your friend Genya who he raped gets a trial for attempted regicide, be grateful she will be spared.

"Fouche did not miss the boat: Befriending the revolutionary leader Robespierre, he quickly rose in the rebel ranks. When Fouche arrived in Paris to take his seat at the convention, a violent rift had broken out between die moderates and the radical Jacobins. Fouche sensed that in the long run neither side would emerge victorious."

While Alina and Darkling were watching each other, Nikolai was watching the throne. Darkling got rid of the King and the only legitimate heir for him, so all Nikolai had to do is march into a disbanded army and declare himself a war hero and the King. Nikolai: Maybe we should just abolish absolute monarchy in Ravka because it's 20th century already, some of the countries no longer have it and no one even wants it anymore? Don't be ridiculous. My mother was an oyster and I'm the pearl or something.

"Power rarely ends up in the hands of those who start a revolution, or even of those who further it; power sticks to those who bring it to a conclusion. That was the side Fouche wanted to be on.

At a certain moment, however, he called a halt to the killings, sensing the mood of the country was turning, and despite the blood already on his hands, citizens of Lyons hailed him as a savior from what had become known as the Terror."

Nikolai to the remaining Grisha after the civil war: Right, so I know I used my big guns to slaughter you, the oppressed minority, because you sided with a man who gave you shelter, saved you and was your respected general instead of a girl who was prejudiced against you, never trained, and abandoned you, BUT I need an army. So, here's your pardon and you can once again become serfs to the monarchy who failed you for centuries. Also, the drafting age has been lowered for Grisha and now we're sending unprepared children to missions. Freedom for Grisha? Letting them buy land? Don't be ridiculous. Can't you see I have more important problems to deal with? The Darkling still exists trapped somewhere in the form of a ghost!

If only the author would acknowledge in KoS duology that he has flaws and selfish ambitions. Let him be a complicated character with layers, it's not the end of the world.

[mashiraostail]

I hope school is going well for you! I'm almost done with my first year of my master's program, so I feel the pain of Zoom U! (Not so) secretly seeking comfort in your wonderful fics and headcanons - especially with my husbands Gang Orca and Aizawa <3 Request perhaps when you have the time/desire: the husbands, adding based on your preference, spending time with their loved one once they've finished a hard project or got a break from school, etc. Lots of Love!

yesss ! i recently completed my m.ed and got into my phd program so i feel this and wanting to celebrate and enjoy time with loved ones is epic

Shota Aizawa

"I'm gonna put my head through a wall." You flip through your mail again, "seriously, still nothing." You'd be obsessively refreshing your browser as well, hoping for an acceptance letter, at this point a rejection would be fine too.

"What's wrong honey?" Aizawa looked up from his paperwork. "What are you looking for?"

"My letter? From the university?" You're almost annoyed at him for asking, maybe he was playing dumb. "I can't really start my break without hearing back...I'm too on edge."

"You just finished your graduate degree, take a load off." He laughs, "school isn't going anywhere."

"I can't until I know I'm all set, I need to plan for the future Shota." You rub your face, "I'm so frustrated. I just want to know."

"Oh, hey now that you mention it I think you got some mail from them, it came at a weird time. Big envelope...I think it's in the kitchen."

"WHAT?" You shriek and jolt up, "go get it!"

"Why me?"

"I'm scared! I haven't seen anything online, what if they rejected me?"

"I'm sure they didn't." He gets up anyway and brings the manilla folder in for you. "Want me to open it?" You nod meekly. He opens it painstakingly slow, you watch his every move, analyze his face for a hint of the outcome.

"What does it say." Your stomach lurches when he sighs.

"Jeeze..." He makes a nervous face and you can feel your eyes watering.

"What, Shota, please tell me..." You're pulling on your shirt hem nervously.

"I'm barely gonna see you anymore." he turns the paper around, but he's smiling. You practically launch yourself at him and he accepts it with just as much gusto.

"I knew you made it honey." You feel his nose by your scalp, his breath is warm and inviting, you wrap your arms tighter around him.

"I'm so relieved." You feel like crying, you're so thankful the pit in your stomach is gone, all you feel is excitement for what's to come.

Shota laughs a little, "you take it all in stride." He pulls away a little and brushes your hair back, "you've been doing so great lately. I'm proud, but I'm not surprised."

"Thank you for all your help." You look at him and the unmistakable fondness in his eyes made your chest warm, you swore you're the only person to ever see it.

He makes a small noise, like kissing his teeth but softer, "don't look at me like that, I didn't help that much." He tosses the folder onto the nearest table and you tumble down onto the couch, his paperwork long forgotten. "Let's have dinner, whatever you want."

You gasp excitedly, "whatever I want?"

"Yeah.." He laughs a little, it comes from his chest and wraps you up like a blanket, "whatever you want. I can cook, we can order out, we can go out, the world is your oyster." He's grinning, "and money's no object, you earned it."

"I wanna stay in with you, let's watch that movie that I've been looking at. We should order out. And can we eat in bed?"

"Yes, yes and yes." You feel his lips on your temple, "I can't say no to you right now."

You're practically vibrating with excitement, Shota was always playfully mean, he enjoyed your constant whining for his affection for him to be so unabashedly affectionate and kind is a rare treat.

"I'll order the food, we can have a shower together," he tries and fails to stifle his laughter at the way your eyes light up, "and we can get into pajamas and watch that movie." You're nodding, thrilled, beyond thrilled.

"Let me know if there's anything else you want."

There wasn't, it was honestly perfect. You order your favorite food and get to cuddle up comfortably in bed with a good movie and even better company

Kugo Sakamata

Lately it feels like Kugo only sees you crouched over your laptop, typing furiously at your keyboard. Occasionally you'll groan and rub your eyes, or mutter something to yourself. You mentioned that you were finishing your thesis, that you were swamped. He tried not to get in your way, to bring you snacks and drinks and to check up on you when you were writing and editing for long hours.

Currently he is doing his own work, at his desk. It's late, you'd been working all night since dinner. He thinks he should check on you, maybe you'd gone to bed. He hopes you had, he disliked the idea of you staying up so late to work, especially when you worked so much during the day. He helped you when he could, proof reading, giving you ideas, and offering you support when you needed, he wished he could do more.

As he considered this his door opened and there you were, laptop in hand.

"Kugo I think I finished!" You look thrilled, he feels thrilled for you.

"My love that's wonderful news, can I see it?" He's glad to watch you bound over to him, and he easily sets his own work aside for you. You show him, though he's sure it would take him a while to get through it all he looks through the beginnings of it.

"You can have a copy when I print it all out to send in." You're beaming, it sends a million arrows straight through his chest.

"I'm thrilled to see you so happy, you have no idea." He sets your laptop down on top of his paperwork, "come here to me."

Of course you go, his hands wrap around your arms as you slide onto his lap. "I'm glad to be done." You feel his hands on your lower back, yours rest on his chest.

"Selfishly, I'm glad you're done too." You feel his thumbs running long strokes over your skin where your shirt rode up under his palms, "when was the last time we went to bed together?"

"I know.." You lament, "i'm sorry I've worked so much."

"No," he tsks, "don't be sorry. I'm proud of all the work you did. I'm glad to have you to myself now."

"Kugo.." You laugh, a bit nervously.

"How do you want to celebrate?" He asks, "I know it's late, but we should do something."

"I just want to spend time with you."

"I can arrange that." He laughs, it's a bubbling sort of warm sound, like a rolling boil. "I'll stay home tomorrow."

"No!" You gasp, "Kugo your job is very important!"

"I know, but I've missed you. I want to talk about all the work you've done. I'd like to have you for the day, if it's alright? We can have breakfast and do whatever you like all day. I'll give you whatever you like."

"You'd really do that? I feel like I'm stealing you."

"You don't have to worry about that. You stole me a while ago." His hand comes up to your face, his palm is smooth over your cheek, his finger brushes the shell of your ear, "you'll stay with me tomorrow, wont you?"

"Of course.." You flush a little, the warmth had started in your stomach and radiated up to your cheeks, "what should we do to celebrate until then..."

"Well why don't you tell me."

[male-body-swap-lover]

Time Travel Christmas Part 2

Christmas 2023. I can’t believe I’ve managed to live this long. Once my wife, or I mean my grandmother, but really my wife died, I didn’t think I had the will to go on. But here I am. What a life I have led. Once I was transported back in time into my grandfather’s body, I was so worried. How would I make it through. However, it all seemed to work out. I got my grandfather’s memories and knowledge as well as I retained my own. My body could run on autopilot. It was quite amazing. The things I have seen. The moments in history that I have experienced, I will never forget. Quite frankly, I barely remember that I am supposed to be Roger Braddock the 3rd. I am Roger Braddock the 1st.

I was also worried about the butterfly effect. I was afraid I would change the future if things did play out perfectly how they happened originally. Would I even be born the same in the future. Turns out, nothing much changed. I did use some knowledge and, in this life, my family was a bit wealthier. It helped to know when certain stocks were going to grow. Nothing unethical about that. Now it’s Christmas 2023 and I am over at my son’s house. We are waiting for everyone else to show up. I am browsing his library and came across this photo.

I remember when this was taken. God the 1970’ were so much fun. He is probably 14 in this photo. I could never kick that smoking habit, but luckily, I never developed cancer. Just a wicked cough. I wish I could be young again, even my 40’s when this photo was taken. Go back to those fun fashions. As a formerly gay man, I certainly had fun with that. But in this life, I was straight. I followed what my body wanted. At least I have those memories. I let my son know that I was tired and am going to go lie down and wait for everyone to show up. I get so sleepy so easily these days. However, I suppose when one is in their 90’s, life is tiring.

Damn, what time is it. I slept so well. God, I feel so refreshed and lighter. It’s like I’ve lost weight. As I looked around the room, I realized I wasn’t where I fell asleep. This room was familiar. It’s what my son’s room had looked like in the 1970’s. Wait a minute; this is my son’s room, in my old house. How could that be the case. We remodeled this room and we sold this house years ago. I look down and see that my stomach is gone and I am wearing an outfit straight out of the 1970’s. Oh my god! Not again. I jumped up and looked in the mirror.

Holy Shit! I’m my son, well also my dad depending on the way you look at it. I must be about 18. How can this have happened again. It must be because I wished to be young again, but I also meant to be a younger Roger Braddock the 1st, or back to my original body. Now this means I am going to be living the life of Roger Braddock the 2nd. I wonder which world I will be living in. The one where my grandfather was my grandfather, or the one where I was Roger Braddock the 1st. What a story this would make, if only anyone would believe it. I kind of forgot how sexy my son was. He was so athletic and never lacked for a girlfriend. This could actually be really fun.

“Roger, the family is arriving. Come downstairs and greet them!”

That’s my mother. I look over at a calendar and realize that it is Christmas 1977. So, I am a senior in high school and am 18. Guess it’s time to open my presents. See some people that have passed on. Relieve these memories again. This is kind of fun. I get to live another life. I wonder how long I will be Roger Braddock the 2nd? I quickly change out of this colorful shirt and put on a Christmas sweater. I brush my hair and go downstairs. Well, this is groovy. Maybe I’ll go out to a disco later. The world is my oyster yet again.

[joysmercer]

Today should be the happiest day of Gina's life.

That's what her mom said when she woke her up this morning (bright and early, for the dress fitting); Quinn and Miss Jenn had repeated some version of the phrase over the course of the day. Even just now, Maddox pulled her away from the dressing room with an air of excitement Gina has yet to feel herself.

This moment should be the happiest of Gina's life. She knows she should be soaking it all in, paying attention to every step, every swish of this designer gown around her ankles, committing the scene to memory.

The world is your oyster, now.

So why does she feel like her world is ending, instead?

The hallway fades into a dizzying blur around Gina. She vaguely recognizes the presence of two other PAs on either side of her, like guards (though, right now, they feel more warden-like than protective). Maddie's hand slips from hers, moments away from grasping the handle of the stage entrance, and—

"Wait," Gina rasps. It's just one word, but she has to force it out like she's trying to cough up peanut butter.

It's not like there's much of a choice, when you're choking.

"Porter, you're already late. The reporters are getting—"

"No, just—" she spots a blob of white in the periphery. Her vision swimming, she turns to it, pleading, "Mommy, please, just a minute?"

The blob says something, but her hearing's gone, now, too, and all Gina can do is lean against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut.

The blobs disappear, the ringing in hear ears fades, and she tries desperately to catch her breath. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know, her mind starts to sing, out of nowhere. An absurd song for an equally absurd moment.

Put on a show!

But then again, she was never much of an Elsa, was she.

Make one wrong move and everyone will know.

And, suddenly, someone's touching, then gripping, her shoulders. Gina stiffens, not trusting herself to open her eyes just yet.

If this is how it ends, getting kidnapped by someone because she insisted on a moment alone, then—

"Gi, Gi, can you hear me?"

Ricky.

Gina opens her eyes.

"Sorry, did I startle you? I called your name, like, three times, and you were just—"

His brows are furrowed, those brown eyes staring right into the depths of her soul. She takes one look at him and knows.

Knows she loves him.

Knows, with every fiber of her being, that he loves her.

And she can't bear the thought of leaving here without him knowing.

"I love you," she whispers.

But the voice she hears is stronger, deeper, and…decidedly not hers.

"Wait, what?" she splutters.

"I love you." Ricky smirks. "I love you," he says again, cupping her cheek. "I love you." He brushes their lips together, soft and sweet. "I—"

"I love you too, Ricky Bowen," Gina interrupts, wanting to make sure he hears her properly. "God, I love you too." She kisses him once more.

"Ok, now that that's established," Ricky says, when they finally break apart. "What do you say we head inside? The whole world awaits!"

Oh, yeah. That. Gina's knees start to wobble again, Ricky's arms draped over her shoulders being the only thing steadying her. "I, um. I can't?"

Ricky frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I can't," Gina repeats. "I don't want to." The minute the words leave her mouth, a weight lifts off her shoulders, and an angel gains their wings. Or whatever the phrase is. "Yeah, I don't want to."

"But—"

"Ricky," Gina says, slowly. "I haven't signed a contract yet."

It takes a moment for the implication of her words to dawn on him. "Wait, you're—"

"Let's get out of here, please?" she asks, extra sweetly.

He doesn't need to be asked a second time. He grabs her hand and runs, their giggles intermingling as they sprint halfway down the hallway, together.

"Wait!" a voice calls. They turn to find Maddox jogging up to them. "I'm coming too."

"Maddie—"

"A job is a job. You're my friend," she shrugs. "Besides, I don't wanna be the one to have to clean up that mess."

Ricky loops his free arm through hers. "The more the merrier!"

Gina laughs and they take off once again. Just as they turn the corner, they find…

…the rest of the Drama Club. "Where are you guys going?" Miss Jenn asks.

Before Gina can come up with an explanation, Ricky jumps in, saving the day for the umpteenth time. "I dunno, where do theater kids go after opening night?" he asks cheekily.

Their friends immediately start cheering. They leave Jenn to explain to a bemused Mazzara and run out the door.

A man in a tuxedo and a gold-plated nametag gets out of the limousine waiting for them out front. "Gina Porter?" the chauffeur asks, hurrying to open the passenger door.

Gina turns to her friends and shrugs. It's not technically stealing if the guy offers.

"Hell yeah!" Ash squeals. Gina takes that as her cue and climbs in, everyone else clambering after.

[bismuthburnsblue]

YOU SELECTED: NO SLEEVES

Who saw that one coming, huh? certainly not me! a big surprise, but you know what? i will NOT be complaining about not sewing sleeves (though its less about putting them in and more about making a nice pattern, for me) its too early to say, but there might be some fun facing shenanigans coming with this choice!

Onto the collars! Once again, these are generalised a little, ill decide the exact shaping as im doing the patterning (there wont be a lot of variation, just widths and precise angles)

To split this up in a way that gives each option a fair vote, i decided to do this as a mini bracket! this post will contain the first poll, and there will be links to the other two for this round right below it. as usual there will be explanations of what exactly im meaning with each option under the cut- it might really be worth reading for this round, because some of the differences between options kind of only exist as long as i cut them differently (its hard to explain- i did a LOT of research and didnt come to any actual separations on some fronts)

There may also be an additional round for decorative features- piping, contrast accents, fun little shapes! itll depend what option is picked, i think :)

Lapel/Revere Collar vs Peter Pan Collar

Shawl Collar vs Convertible Collar (no stand)

Shirt Collar (with stand): i really struggled to define the difference between this and the convertible collar- theres not one solid answer, honestly. for the purposes of this poll im separating it based on whether its constructed with one piece, or two! if you look at all these images, you'll see that at the neckline, theres a band of fabric sewn in to bridge the divide between the shirt and the collar. the main thing this does is make the collar sit more upright on the neck, versus without which tends to sit flatter along the shoulders. it has a very traditional shirt look, but tends to only look really good when fully buttoned, in my eyes.

You could also have shirt collars that look something like this!! fun shapes and layers, the world is your oyster :)

Wing Collar: Based on my research, these can really be any shape you can imagine, at any angle and any rise. The main unifying factor is how they come to a much stronger point than a regular collar. in general, the ones i like sit pretty flat to the body at the front, folding over softly instead of having a noticeable rise (like a shirt collar does) for me, the point also has to be visible (though it can sit pretty high up round the shoulder) as otherwise it starts to look too much like a shawl collar.

[geek-fashionista]

Once again editing the paid content for Trainwrecks Season 1, and when I'm done I get to tAKE A BREAK.

I'm tired, y'all! I've been an absolute basket case for the last week and a half, snapping and crying and then feeling nothing at all and then aNxIeTy, rinse and repeat. Several times I have considered taking one of my chill pills just to function like a normal human being. Held off because I didn't want to be eepy.

My husband and housemates are on board for a Trainwrecks launch party, which means I need to decide what we're all breaking our diets for. Fancy cakes from a place in Cherry Creek? Brookies? Insomnia Cookies? All of the above?

Anyway, I'm going to take a month off from the series before I pick up Season 2 again. Maybe I'll write a different novel. Or start a fan fic. The (writing) world is my oyster.

[veritable-trash]

You Know The Rules

look at that stupid slutty mustache... god please answer my prayers just this once

Pairing: Finnegan(Everybody Wants Some!!) x Fem!Reader

Summary: God you hate him.

Word Count: 2K

Rating: M - mainly for drugs babayyyyy, weed, that good, otherwise it's pretty clean in these sheets(this time around)

A/N: haha. no one asked for this. but listen! all my glen powell sloots we need to remember the original. sweet daddy finnegan. mustached, shaggy haired, 80s baseball player i mean i couldn't have written a sluttier man if i tried. this movie isn't the greatest, but the music is dope, the outfits are cute, and it serves as a public service announcement that men need to start wearing crop tops IMMEDIATELY. this is a petition for men to start dressing like sluts again so i can finally be at peace. anyways this is completely and utterly self serving but the glen powell top gun resurgence just kept reminding me that this is peak glen to me. give me mustaches or give me death!

sorry that i haven't written... or literally done anything of value in an eon. my brain has given up and also i moved and am currently unemployed and am about to go travel for three months and want to write but have zero inspiration and tumblr makes me sad because everyone is so good at writing and i am a troll under a bridge. this is me trying to release the need to produce things of "value" because does that even mean anymore? i hope someone finds this a little fun because honestly i kinda did :) hugs and kisses <;33333

tell me what you think! i'm literally begging! on my hands and knees! the desperation is palpable yeesh

masterlist yay yay!!!

~~~~~

College.

What a fucking heinous place. Filled with suffocating expectations, the constant need to pretend you’re someone you’re not because of everyone else’s supposed opinions of you. 

It made you want to vomit. 

And yet here you were, cowering in the corner of the kitchen at this stupid, lame, awful college party. A baseball party no less. Those absolute heathens. Probably the worst category of men on this campus by about 20 miles and you were definitely counting. 

The joint you haphazardly rolled in the absolutely disgusting bathroom crackles between your lips as you try to tune out every single person here and catch the steady baseline of the song playing hoping that that will somehow lull you into a state of calm.

This new weed sucked shit. All stems, all seeds, and got you high for about 30 seconds. You were going to kill Willoughby when you saw him. Honestly the only baseball player in this house you liked and even he was about to get moved right onto the shit list with the rest of the men of this house. 

Your friends had badgered you endlessly all week to ask Willoughby for the invite, not that you really need to even ask him. Girls? More than one? The baseball boys were already salivating like it was their last meal on death row.

The standards in this place were in the fucking basement. 

Some would call you a pessimist. Angry, bitchy, snippy, negative, the whole gambit and they might be right. But college was a fucking weird ass place that made your skin crawl and your anxiety spike and all you wanted to do was smoke your green, pass your classes, and watch your cartoons in peace, please and thank you. 

And then his voice cut through your slow building haze like a serrated knife on a chalkboard. Made of sandpaper.

“Sweetheart! I thought Willoughby mentioned you’d be here, and why am I not surprised you’re toking it up alone in our kitchen, my favorite little stoner weirdo.”

Finnegan.

The absolute ultimate fuck. 

Mustached, wide shoulders, shaggy blonde, crisp baby blues, he was everything your vagina yearned for until he opened his stupid mouth. And of course that was just as pretty as the rest of him too. 

You’d met him for the first time freshman year. Fresh faced and thinking the world was truly your oyster, he’d popped into your life in intro to philosophy and swept you away with his silky, fancy words and the fact that he looked like that. 

He’d invited you to the first baseball party you’d ever gone to and made you a special promise that he would be your knight in shining armor for the night. That he’d be waiting for your arrival, was counting down the minutes till you showed up at his door and he could dance the night away with you.

That was until you saw him sucking face with Tracy. Who was also in your intro to philosophy class. 

Obviously, you’d hated him to his core ever since. 

But for some reason he’d stuck around. Always kept tabs on you, always had a class with you, always found you at any party, bar, disco, literally fucking anywhere and it made you want to tear your hair out. 

He was your pretty boy kryptonite and you needed him to leave you the fuck alone.

“Oh Finny. Finny, Finnegan, fuckhead. You know I thought I’d somehow be able to avoid you tonight but it seems like my stalker persists no matter the obstacles.”

Smoke trickles from between your clenched teeth and he has the audacity to stare at your lips and grin.

Fucking grin!!!

“You wound me princess. Ain’t even gonna share that little pinner of yours, I mean the absolute cruelty of it all.”

The grins still blazing on his lips but in Finn fashion he has to play up his part. 

Clutching at his pearls, leaning against the kitchen counter like you’d just stabbed him straight through. Your eyes roll so far back in your head they almost launch themselves out of your skull. 

“No Finn, I’m not gonna share with the likes of you. Go find Will and get him to roll you one, he’s the one I got the weed from anyways. Or maybe go find some other poor unsuspecting girl to do the deed for you, but you ain’t getting shit from me. You know the rules sweet Finny: ass, cash, or grass and god only knows I ain’t taking any of those three from you.” 

You regret those last few words the second they enter the air between you.

Because Finnegan’s eyes drop straight to your mouth again and now he’s crowding you into the corner of the counter. 

“Oh sweetheart if you just let me show you what this ass can do I think you would be singing quite a different tune. You think I’m all bravado and show but you and I both know the two of us could be quite a duo. I just know you’re absolutely unreal beneath that veneer of hatred you slap on.”

He’s still staring at your lips, the joint hanging limply between them as you try and control your breath and not cough up a lung. 

Two can play this fucking game.

You take a thick drag, the tip burning bright orange and crackling like cinders and his eyes only deepen in shade. The smoke curls out and up into your nose and he stares at you his jaw dropping a little slack as you play him like the fucking fiddle he is. 

“Finn.” Your index finger trails up his arm as you ash the joint in the sink, and you can feel the muscles of his bicep twitch with the contact. “If you think I’m gonna let you touch me you’ve lost your god damn mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go find some peace and quiet. Away from you.”

Your voice is sticky sweet and he barely registers that you’re telling him off for the millionth time tonight until you’re traipsing out of the kitchen at lightning speed before you do something else you’ll regret. 

He got too fucking close this time around. You let him get too fucking close. 

Your feet stomp quick up the stairs to the only safe place you’d ever been able to find in this house. 

The roof. That blissful open space, like the crispest breath of fresh air it tasted almost minty. Your hands dig into your pockets looking for your weed, your lighter, and your rolling papers-

Fuck.

Of course you’d forgotten papers, predicable as always and fucking annoying as hell and you’re about to turn back down the stairs when your eyes land on something sitting on the windowsill. 

Finn’s wood pipe. 

You loved to hate it but it was his calling card. Stupid and quirky and so perfectly him that the sight of it made you heart twist just a little. 

Not that you would ever fucking admit that. 

Well beggars can’t be chooser as they say. 

It’s deceptively crisp out on the roof as you shuffle around other groups till you get to your super secret corner on the far side of the house. No one ever seems to want to venture this far and you could smoke in peace and tranquility as the rest of the party raged somewhere far, far away. 

The bowls packed, green just catching a smolder and you have to admit the stupid Sherlock Holmes pipe is kinda fun. Maybe you’d leave a fresh bowl packed for sweet Finn as a secret thank you gift. 

Maybe this weed was stronger than you thought. 

“Alrighty first you don’t share your joint, then you verbally assault me in my own house, and now you’re smoking out of my pipe? You really are trying to start a fight with me this evening now aren’t ya?”

Your eyes are red rimmed and your brain has that pleasant haze coating every synapse and you can’t find it in you anymore to really fight Finn right now. The stars look too damn good and the tree has hit too damn deep to let your hackles rise.

“You know maybe I’ve been giving you a bit of a hard time, but you damn well deserve it.” You smile around the pipe as you take another drag, but this time you pass it to Finn as he sits down just a little closer than usual. 

His fingers snag against yours as you pass it and you both flinch a bit at the contact, sparkles zipping up your arms.

He stays quiet this time around, pulling puffs as you both watch people flit around the grass below you, the party continuing into this seemingly never ending night. 

Friday’s, they really were something.

Your knees knock, fingers catching again as he passes the pipe back to you. Another pull fills your lungs and you lean back, back, back until your back presses down on the cool paneling of the roof and you let the smoke drift up and away among those pretty little stars. 

“Finn you can just be so fucking annoying sometimes, I just wanna shut you up for like five seconds so we can all take a fucking breather.”

He laughs at that. Real and deep, curling around the base of your spine as he turns to stare down at you and the feeling spreads all the way to your fingertips. All the way to your toes.

“I’m well aware, but it’s sorta a part of my charm. I’m just waiting for it to final start charming you.”

Your eyes click to his, haze lifting for a split moment, and his eyes twinkle almost brighter than the stars. 

“That’s such a fucking line and you know that shit doesn’t work on me. Fool me once and all of that jazz.” But you can’t stop staring at him and now his eyes color puzzled, a little hazy as he tries to decipher your words. “Oh come on, freshman year? You invited me to the party with all your fancy little words that you love to spin for me to only find you eating Tracy’s lips straight off her face? Honestly she still talks about that night to this day so I guess in a weird way kudos to you but man that did sting a bit.”

You chuckle around another pull and you go to pass it back but he’s clearly no longer interested in that. He seems very intent on memorizing every detail of your face under the stars and you can’t help but wiggle a little under his hyper focused gaze. 

“I-I didn’t know that you were there that night. McReynolds told me you’d left with some dude and Tracy was more than willing to fill in that blank.”

Oh fuck.

You’re both just staring at each other as moment after moment click like puzzles pieces. Every snippy comment, every lingering glance, every class, every time you just happened to run into each other all no longer strange coincidences and some secret hatred. Every little moment stitching itself together till it left just you and Finn. 

And there’s that fucking grin again.

But it’s softer this time, a little less sleazy and a little more lovely and now you’re sure his eyes are brighter than any star. 

Your own lips tick up with a soft, nervous smile.

His fingers card between yours and he brings your knuckles up to his lips, stupid mustache tickling your skin in ways that make you shiver. 

“I feel like nows the time to return to my earlier question since you finally shared some of that green with me, so what do I owe ya? Ass, cash, or more grass?”

You snort into the air between you and his grin splits into a megawatt smile and you finally let yourself tumble head first into kissing stupid, idiot, fuckhead Finnegan.

“Ass, 100%.”

~~~~~

tell me what you think if anyone is actually reading this because i'm bored and this site is lonely and i just want some weirdo friends who also think mustaches are peak sexiness. alright i need to go to sleep the psychosis is taking over :P

[westadventure24]

Day 4 - That’s history!!!

Hello all! I apologize for such a late update. I had my usual morning post all done and ready to go and then no service when I went to post.

The chilly temperature this morning in Custer woke me up early so I decided to take Lily for a walk around the lake as the sun came up. Lily enjoyed all the strange smells and I think she was trying her best to hunt down that bison who was in camp the night before. (Side note, when we pulled out this morning the behemoth beast was standing right at the edge of the road. I guess he likes camping!) taking that lake walk this morning was contagious. Everyone went walking by the lake in their own time, but Todd was the only one lucky enough to see any horned wildlife. Well, I guess Mom saw some too since she went with Dad. 😊

After walking and organizing, we headed towards Mountain Rushmore. A dear friend of mine, Joanie, told me once “It is like nothing you have ever seen. Indescribable.” She was not wrong!

As Todd maneuvered the camper van through the S curves and beautiful mountains, there it was. The feeling brought me back to that same excitement when I was a kid screaming, “I see the Eiffel Tower!!!” as we neared King’s Island. But this…WOW! To see one and only completed, hand carved, rock sculpture of the faces of four of the most influential presidents U.S. history is truly unbelievable. Seeing it in books and pictures just doesn’t do it justice. Even Lily stopped to look!!! I asked Mom if she ever thought she would see it in person…her response was nothing short of what anyone reading this would expect, “No, I did not.” I am so thankful that she was able to see what some might call the 8th Wonder of the World. (I don’t know if anyone actually calls it that except the guy I heard say it while we were there, but it sounded feasible to me!)

After our visit to Mount Rushmore, we made our way to Deadwood, SD, where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are laid to rest. After watching, the HBO series of the same name a few years back, I couldn’t wait to visit the famous western gold mining town. I have to say, I was highly disappointed in the town as it was not the original or even the close reproduction that I had expected, but much more commercialized with casinos and souvenir shops being nearly every establishment on Main Street. We didn’t let that ruin our fun! Todd’s hopes were deflated when he discovered the brothel had been shut down by the FBI over 40 years ago. Just kidding….he had no idea…didn’t even know the sign was there when I took his picture!! 😂

While Calamity Jane always raised a ruckus, I knew Dad would give her a run for her money. A local bartender recommended the Oyster Bay restaurant for the best pizza in town, so off we went. Like everywhere else, they had slot machines. What we learned is that not only Dad, but Mom, had missed their calling….millwright and customer service worker, pfft! They should have moved west and became gamblers! We gave them each $2 and Todd showed them how the penny slot worked. Mom won $9.64 and Dad won $7.35! They nearly won enough to pay for their lunch AND were smart enough to cash out and be done!

After making a brief stop at the Bar where Wild Bill Hickok was shot while holding a hand of Aces and Eights, we decided to head out of town after making one last stop at Mt. Moriah cemetery where Bill, Jane and the town’s first sheriff, Seth Bullock, were buried. I mean, we were there, right? Why not?

On the road again, Wyoming brings a different kind of terrain….many meadows of antelope, but coolest of all was seeing Devil’s Tower in the distance as we made our way to our campground in Moorcroft. I guess I have been doing this way too long both Mom and Todd just asked if I had posted. Until tomorrow family and friends! ❤️

[hopefulfuturenovelauthor]

The World Was Wide Enough

Cameron Mahkent x gn reader (established relationship)

almost 1k words

warnings: maybe language and humor

You fell from your place floating in the air, exhaustion creeping over you. Stabilizing the reactor had taken all of your energy albeit  your earlier concern was most certainly being made valid. You felt like you could sleep for weeks. A throbbing ringing filled your ears as the world became spotted. Your feet couldn’t find the ground, contact was imposible considering your position. Within an instant you knew you would be blacking out, you only hoped there would be someone to catch you.

—

“I swear to God, Luther and Thawne better be ready the next time I see them. Mage could have died from that.” Your eyes remained shut, as you held onto every word surrounding you.

“It wasn't on purpose,” the voice of the one and only Psimon filled your ears.

“Yea, Junior, them doing that just thickened up their skin. They’ll be more ready the next time,” the eldest Terror Twin said. His counterpart hummed in agreement in the background.

“How about we just let them rest,” Devistation offered to the group, “Icicle, you can shut off the lights and shit. We have things we need to do.”

Cameron grumbled as the others chuckled, walking out of the room. The sound of the heart monitor you were attached to beeped to your right. Slowly you opened your eyes after the ice meta turned off the overhead light. The lamp at your bedside remained on and you glanced across the room to the last member of your messy, unagreeable team. 

“Yeah, if Reverse shows his face any time soon I’m going to pin him in the air and leave him there so he can’t phase himself free,” you said from the medical bed you were laying on.

Cameron’s head turned quickly, looking over you once, and then he bounded across the room. He swiftly lifted you up and into his arms. The embrace was cool and kind as you returned the sentiment engulfing his body with yours. 

“You scared the shit out of me, babe,” Cameron pulled back to look at you.

“Yeah, well someone has to keep you on your toes,” you smiled back at him. Cool lips pressed against your own softly and sweetly. His hand traced your cheek carefully, still worried that you would fall away again. You pulled back just enough so that your foreheads touched as you nuzzled into his space.

“I think I’m kept on my toes enough,” he said in response as you hummed at his answer, taking in his presence.

“Maybe I just thought we needed something exciting to happen. However, I was not expecting that much kickback,” you chuckled lightheartedly.

“Why would you want to put yourself through something like that?” Cam asked. “I know you didn’t think it would go well and warned them that they were underestimating the job. You could have said no,” he whispered. His eyes were sad as he stared into yours waiting for an answer. 

You brought your own hand up to his cheek. “Because I knew I’d be okay. Sure, in the moment I wasn’t fine, but I’m alright now, C. This is what we do. This is our responsibility-“

“I don’t want that responsibility. If you’re going to get hurt or pass out from shit then you shouldn’t do it and no one should fucking expect you to. I want you to be safe.” His hands grasped the one at your side.

“Cam, this job we do, it will never be safe, for either of us,” you said calmly, trying to cool the always cold criminal off.

“Then…” Cameron said, his eyes up at the ceiling as he bit his lip in concentration.

“Then?” you prompted softly, awaiting his answer. As his thoughts continued to race you patted his hair and left a gentle kiss on his temple.

“Why don’t we leave?” he asked, finally returning his gaze to you.

“Why don’t we leave?” you repeated. Your brow furrowed in confusion.

“Yeah, we can just go. The world is our oyster,” he said giddily, grabbing your hands in his, “we could run away together. We could, we could, elope!”

“Cameron, babe, I love you. But do you even know what that word means?” you questioned gently.

“Yeah, we leave everything behind and run off into the sunset free from our responsibilities,” he replied innocently with anticipation. His eyes were wide and shined brightly for your response.

“Look, Cam, I’m-I’m all for leaving if you want to leave. I’d follow you to the end of the world. However, I still don’t think you completely understand the connotation of that word,” you admitted.

“Yeah, yeah, look, we can travel the whole world together. Hang out in the Caribbean, tour Europe together, visit Italy, and travel through Rome. Trust me, I’ll make that honeymoon worth your while,” he grinned smugly, sending you a wink.

You slapped his arm jokingly with a roll of your eyes as he feigned injury, “Dick.”

“That’s what I was implying, babe,” he smirked.

“Well,” you chuckled, dancing your hand up his arm finger by finger, tracing all the way up to his shoulder, “if you promise to take me to Europe, you won’t have to wait for the honeymoon.”

Cameron’s eyes widened as he shot up from his spot beside you, “okay, let’s go. Time to get a move on, up and out of bed, babe.”

You smiled at his antics, kicking your legs over the medical bed and rose from your place. Your hands easily found his, pulling him back in. The smile on your face held affection as the look in your eyes contained excitement for the future and comfort in what was to come. You brought him closer, reattaching your lips, looking forward to the rest of your life beside him.

[serafiel-jacobs]

Piece of Cake (Fanfic)

New chapter from my mains series 🩷

January 9th 18XX

Pinocchio had gotten ready and was in the hotel lobby waiting for Alice, he kept looking at his pocket watch, and glancing at the entrance door, Gemini kept telling him to calm down, 5 minutes had passed since the agreed time when Alice stepped into the hotel, Pinocchio waves at her and she went his way to sit with him.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry I’m late” Alice was mentally scolding herself, she shouldn’t start sharing the habit of her dear friend the white rabbit.

“It’s alright, it’s only been five minutes, this boy is just too impatient” Gemini chirped, Pinocchio always gets too excited for everything, he has to constantly remind him to calm down and things flow naturally.

There was a table in the lobby where you could prepare your own tea, each one of them made their own, Alice served herself a black tea while Pinocchio made his tea extremely sweet.

“I take it you don’t like bitter things?” Alice doesn’t enjoy sweets, perhaps every once in a while, but unlike what her Wonderland would like most to believe, she isn’t a fan of sugary things.

“Bitter things taste weird” Pinocchio loved sweets on the other hand, ever since he could start to eat he would beg his father to let him eat things like chocolate, “Although my father doesn’t like it much when I eat too many sweets”

“That’s because you are a brat that gets too hyperactive when you eat sugar” Gemini has already kept reminding him to take things slowly, when he eats too much sugar he somehow gets even more energy.

“Did you lads read the newspaper? They caught Jack The Ripper!” They overheard the voice of a man speaking. Stopping their small talk they realized how most of the guests were speaking of how he was arrested and would be pending trial, with many comments about how they didn’t expect a respected doctor to be the one behind those crimes.

Alice gave Pinocchio a wink, and he smiled back at her, they had done a good job.

“So, can you tell me more about Wonderland?” asked Pinocchio, he was too eager to finally hear what Alice’s world was like.

Alice didn’t even know where to start, it was such a long story, although he would only tell him about her adventures as a child, Pinocchio might be her friend but the tale of a corrupted Wonderland would stay secret, it was too personal to give away the details.

Alice recalled when she first fell down that rabbit hole, how she met Cheshire, her journey to meet the Mad Hatter with his peculiar tea parties with the Dormouse and The March Hare, and how it all led her to the Queen of Hearts; she also recalled her adventures through the Looking Glass Line.

Alice was glad that the infernal train was stopped, the Mock Turtle was now back in charge, and he wouldn’t allow any demonic trains to take over again.

Alice was telling Pinocchio the story of The Carpenter and the Walrus when Pinocchio began to cry, “What do you mean he ate the poor little Oysters?!”

A few people turned around to look at the, “Pinocchio calm down, they aren’t actually real” Gemini gave a sigh, he sometimes thinks his friend is just too pure for this world, but then he remembers how much of a brat he can be and the thought leaves his mind.

“But, they are real to Alice!”

“That is true, although do not worry, they sort of all come back, even after dying” They are figments of her mind so they cannot be destroyed, they were almost destroyed by the infernal train but Alice stopped it, if she beat that, nothing could ever truly harm her Wonderland.

“Do I have a Wonderland?” Pinocchio was curious, maybe not exactly Wonderland but he had been to the Otherlands, and those are just worlds that people create in their minds, although he was worried that because he wasn’t fully human he wouldn’t have one.

“Mmm, I supposed you do, you seem to have a great deal of imagination, I imagine your world must be very interesting”

“How do I go inside of it?” Pinocchio didn’t have the power to enter the worlds of others, Alice was the one to get them in and out, but if it was his own world then surely he could access it whenever he liked.

“Well…” Alice wondered how she should explain it, “The thing is, maybe it won’t do you any good to be there”

“What do you mean?” Pinocchio was confused, Alice’s world sounded so fun.

“The reason people retrieve into their mind like that, it’s because they want to escape from reality, and you cannot do that, well, you can’t but you shouldn’t” Alice knew firsthand what escapism can do to someone’s mind, “Wonderland is very dear to me, it’s my world, it’s me; but I made it because I was a lonely child, and I wanted to be in a place where I could be happy, were I would be noticed” and after the fire things became only worse, Alice retreated to her mind, but her mind was in shambles, she had to pull herself together, it took her years to do, she couldn’t accept what had happened, she couldn’t accept the death of her family.

“Oh, I see” Pinocchio now felt bad for asking Alice about that, and she could sense his discomfort.

“Do not worry, it’s still there, everyone has their own little worlds in their minds, I bet yours is very lovely, even if you don’t know what it looks like”

Pinocchio took a sip of the tea, what would his world look like? He wishes it was something very nice and happy, but a part of him knows that inside of it there is probably something that could make him feel distress, like his memories of the people he fought against in the disaster.

Gemini saw how uncomfortable the situation had gotten, so he decided to speak up to try to lighten up the mood, “I beat it has a valley made out of tears”

“Gemini!” Pinocchio was about to shake his cage when Alice laughing stopped him.

“Why I don’t know about him, but I do have one of those”

“Really?!” Pinocchio was intrigued again, Alice talked more about Wonderland, she enjoyed speaking about it, although Wonderland was born out of her sadness and loneliness, it was vital to her to protect it, she loved speaking of it to her family and her nan; but after the fire for so many years she was told to get rid of it, she couldn’t speak of it to others, it felt good to finally talk about Wonderland with someone else again, someone who didn’t judge her and that actually listen to her.

Alice wasn’t the one to fully dominate the conversation, Pinocchio talked about his family back in Krat, and eventually, they branched out into other topics.

“I love how you work at an Opera House, I’ve only been once back in Krat” No, going there back and forward to fight doesn’t count to him, “My father hasn’t taken me back, I wonder why”

“Pinocchio you cried for two hours because you thought that the Phantom of The Opera was actually real” Gemini realizes now in hindsight that it was a pretty dumb idea for Geppetto to bring him to that play.

“You really are a big crybaby are you?” Alice teased him.

“It was just very realistic” Pinocchio pouted, it was all his father’s fault he should have taken him to see a play that wasn’t scary. Although he really enjoyed the songs, he particularly loved the voice of the woman who sang Christine’s part. “And I liked the songs, I can play the piano and the violin, but I can’t sing”

“Gemini do you know how to sing? I figure that as a cricket you could” Alice was very amazed by Gemini’s existence, she believes Pinocchio is lucky to have a friend like that with him all the time.

“I can sing, what kind of cricket isn’t able to sign anyways?” He might not be an actual bug like them, but he can still sing just as well.

“Why have you never sung before?” Pinocchio asked him, looking back, it does feel odd that even he didn’t know that his friend could sign.

“Well, it’s not like I could just randomly start singing while we were fighting monsters, I guess I could sing to you one of these days” Gemini would like that do that, he hears Pinocchio play music all the time, it’s only fair he chirps him a tune one day.

Eventually, evening finally came, and Pinocchio saw his father entering the lobby and going towards them.

“Ah, you must be Alice, right? It’s a pleasure to finally meet you” Geppetto gave her a smile.

“I’m Alice Liddel, a pleasure to meet you, sir”

“Hopefully my son hasn’t given you any trouble”

“Father!” Pinocchio was pouting again, he in fact did the opposite and helped fix trouble.

“Oh not at all, he is a great young man, you must be proud of him”

Geppetto played with his son’s hair, “I am, he is a very good boy”

Pinocchio’s heart was pounding, he loved getting compliments, especially if they came out from his father or mother. He stood up and gave his father a big hug.

“I must be going then, I believe I have already taken much time out this vacation the two of you are having” Alice looked a bit sad, but she had to actually do her job, getting fired would be too much so he couldn’t hang out anymore, and Pinocchio wasn’t going to stay in London forever, it was best for them to part ways now.

“Aaww Alice, I wish I could still talk to you” Pinocchio was sad too, he wished he could stay in touch with her.

“Why don’t the two of you write each other letters?” Geppetto suggested.

Pinocchio’s eyes beamed with joy, “Really? We can? Really?!”

“Calm down buddy” Gemini feels like a broken record by now.

“Why I’d love to do that,” Alice said cheerfully, she wrote her address on a piece of paper and Geppetto gave out their address to her as well.

Alice gave her goodbyes and promised that she would write, and Pinocchio was thrilled to write too.

“Hopefully Antonia is still helping you with your handwriting,” Geppetto said to his son.

“Father!” Why was everyone teasing him so much today?!

———-

Geppetto and Pinocchio decided to go sightseeing, just to spend the day together, they made it back to the Hotel by twilight, and they started to make their actual vacation plans once they were back in their room, Pinocchio couldn’t wait to see all the other places where they would spend time together; Geppetto also mentioned how he would like for Pinocchio to properly meet Alexander and spent at least a day with him, Geppetto wanted to catch up with him and he wanted his friend to know more about his son, the more he gets to brag about Pinocchio the better, back before Carlo died, he actually spoke a lot about him to others, the relationship between the two of them was rocky, and Geppetto made a lot of mistakes, but he always talked and talked about Carlo every time someone asked about his son.

It was nice to spend time as a family, this was a moment to be treasured.

————-

January 17th 18XX

Pinocchio did as he was told and followed him downstairs, down to the basement, he carefully took each step, the floorboards creaking along the way, that was odd, why were the lights turned off?

They reached their destination, there was only one light turned on inside the room, Pinocchio could barely see what was around him, the light illuminated a big table, the table was strange, it didn’t look like a table to put things in or use it in a kitchen, he saw that the table was hanging some strange rope from hanging its sides, Pinocchio looked at the only other thing that could be seen in the darkness, something was that was covered by a piece of cloth was bolted in the wall in front of him, Pinocchio wanted to take a closer look, but he suddenly felt a deep pain in his chest, he fell on his knees to the floor, he tried to get up but he couldn’t, he could barely move his hands, he tried to speak but he wasn’t able to properly form words.

Pinocchio heard laughter behind him, “You are even more stupid than I thought”

[omegaremix]

MRKE, 2021.

It’s April. To me, I feel that nothing’s changed. By now I know that all of my favorite businesses to patronize stayed open. Not one record store on the island shuttered. So far, I was proud of myself to visit Williamsburg’s Rough Trade before their relocation this summer. It was the best $417.00 I ever spent. A pinball parlor opened up at my former local mall to my total surprise. It’s something that Long Island never had before. For eight hours and $25.00 I had more than my money’s worth. It’s safe to say that most of the money is coming back again, even if the third stimulus has no face or feelings of how people either benefit or still suffering. Businesses re-opened after New York State’s mandated closures, like my local ticket arcade where I benefit from buy-twenty-get-twenty specials and half-off games on Wednesdays so I’m relieved. It’s been years since I went and I’m long overdue for a night out of a real life 2021 version of The Price Is Right.

My friend M-Ro, brother of archivist and WUSB’s J-Ro, had been out of a job since the cinema-house closed down. He’s done nothing but stay home with his four kids watching infinite amounts of Disney, long-forgotten sitcoms, and other cringy obscurities. Not long ago, he started working again with a friend who later changed career paths and decided to open Pickle Island, a pickle house in Oyster Bay. He offered M-Ro to help run the place and Pickle Island is now a two-man operation.

I hate pickles. I think they’re disgusting, unappetizing, and revolting, They’re an unattractive food to me. I’d never have a reason to buy them ever, ergo be near a pickle house. But when your friend sells part of their CD and video collections there, then you do have a reason to go. I always support my friends with what they do. Snakeskin belts, local shows, photography books, or new ventures. You sell it, I buy it. I haven’t seen M-Ro since one of his final live performances of This’ll Kill Ya’ for his bro-’s bornday at a crowded bar in Hauppauge, so it’s about time I do.

I traveled west on the Long Island Expressway / Rt. 495 and drove past Exit 46, Sunnyside Blvd. / Plainview, where a once-astonishing world of fresh faces and memories that opened up my junior year was an era long dead. Then up north on Rt. 106 / 107. The last time I traveled down that path was when I worked at the Jewish center post-senior year. I got the girl, a Dutch caramel blonde, and also got the job through her father; a mean, threatening, over-protective scumbag who had me on his shit-list for two summer months because I was dating his daughter. I drive up Rt. 106 / Oyster Bay Rd.’s silent, wide-open, grassy roads riding past the stables and million-dollar houses on hills. View the scenic picturesque neighborhoods and one would think how Nassau County sits at the top ten highest-taxed neighborhoods in the entire U.S. Go up North Shore Rd. and see an amazing grandiose view of the harbor’s massive body of water as you coast over the Bayville Bridge and slide into the parking lot across from Pickle Island. I see M-Ro through the storefront, sitting on the couch minding his own as I walk in. He sees me walking towards and waves hello as I come in.

I unintentionally give him a friendly good-to-see-ya’-again hug. Oops. I realized you’re not supposed to do that in a pandemic world. But it’s two weeks after the fact and we’re still alive. After a few lines of conversation, I said to him that it’d be quick and he knows.

I’m not here for the pickles. I’m here to see what CDs he’s selling. It’s already cramped quarters. A Ms. Pac-Man cocktail cabinet sits behind the front window. There’s a few racks of issues of Captain America, Green Lantern, and Wolverine. Another rack of VHS tapes and a shelf of DVDs and Blu-rays. Then the CDs. They’re from his collection. Some duplicates and others he didn’t care about parting, he says. Eight rows or sixteen shelves of discs in total which would take me no more than ten to fifteen minutes to scan…and some neck pain from having to see it all sideways because that’s how he placed them, you  Tetris artist. I’m already positioned in blocking the owner from going behind the front counter. And an all-too-nice suburbanite family of three just walked in; a father and his two kid who are all so fine and dandy to be there. As if they never experienced a bad day or tragedy in their white-winged innocent lives. Nice to know that Dad Of The Year never looked in my direction and wondered why a stranger is twisting over by the shelves.

Seeing his partial stash, M-Ro was never one to shy away from pop. Jewel, Head Automatica, Pretty Girls Make Graves, some pop-punk, first and third-wave ska, Warped Tour bands…no judgment here. Because he’s a solo artist who goes by The Matt Roren Karaoke Experience doing covers and music videos of various popular chart-topping hits. Before that, he was also part of the legendary local pop-punk / ska band The Microwave Orphans and after that the garage-punk outfit The Repercussions which I ended up getting two CDs of. Don’t Fear…and Modern Sounds were the two most expensive discs I bought at $7.00 and $10.00 respectively, still sealed. Come on. You have to support your friends.

As with any receipt, there’s plenty of firsts. This one, however, had the majority of them. Veruca Salt, Faith No More, and The Posies were bands that my alternative circles of friends from both Brentwood and Plainview were into. A low price point allows me to have them now for the first time. Stabbing Westward, as it’s industrial rock, is in my hands. The Presidents Of The United States Of America? Yes. They wrote that song about peaches so that’s valid. Why not get The Stooges first album with a second disc of live material? And being I have their second album, why not get the first from The Specials? It’s one of the very select few ska bands I’ll allow in my collection. None of that too-important elitist third-wave carnival music. I don’t think I have Phil Collins’ But Seriously, and he was someone I listened to feverishly during my Nintendo youth. And Richard Marx? None of you know who he is and if you did you wouldn’t dare mention his name. But I will. My ma’ loved him and once had the cassette. So both middle digits flying high to you all.

As M-Ro counted up the tab, I look to my right and there it was: a Sony Watchman. It’s the third one in two months I seen. My interest in them started when during my Saturday shift, one of my favorite customers, a young 20-ish redhead with glasses asked me for a power bank. On my way of showing them to her, she mentioned about buying some more accessories for her Watchman. I’m not much of a movie person so that kind of flew over me until she showed me an actual Sony Watchman handheld TV. She took it out of the box and turned it on for me. I almost dropped dead in front of her. I read about these things all the time but never saw one in the wild. Now here it was. She recently bought one at Savers for only $4.00 and bought an analog-to-digital converter from us to try and stream it to her flat-screen TV. She even went a step further and told me the manufacture date on it: 1985. The fact that it was her holding obsolete antiquated technology in her hands and was still in working condition made my entire month for me. I told this story to my friends at the radio station and our resident fantasy aficionado Captain Phil offered to send me one from his eBay store, which I’m now a proud owner. Pickle Island had a larger unit sitting on its counter showing a random movie and I’m wondering if some talking head, celebrity, influencer, or magic cartoon kangaroo on Instagram recently touted them for everyone to grab.

This one-and-done expedition was just as quick as when I visited Rosie’s Vintage three years ago, but not the least expensive. $62.00 later, I was the proud owner of a piece of M-Ro’s life. Not a gift, but a purchase. Being Pickle Island is not a legitimate music store by any means, it doesn’t count towards my record-store victory tour. I thanked M-Ro profusely for my patronage and told him to stay in touch which he would. It’s now time to reverse the drive home under partly cloudy blue skies with a playlist of past Springtime discoveries as the evening’s soundtrack. I’ll get to experience the harbor one more time and get an idea of where to take a scenic shoot in the near future. I’m not taking the L.I.E. this time as it’s cramped with traffic but this time the Northern State to Rt. 25, Rt. 345, and Rt. 454 all the way through. I’ll log on to social media for all of my friends and allies at WUSB to hear about because I never shut up about what I bought. I need the assurance and affirmation from everyone which I bought with my money today and, so far so good, it’s favorable. Then I see this posted under my purchase:

“You’re lucky I left some stuff for you.” said his brother J-Ro.

You don’t say! I had no idea some of his collection was mixed in for sale with his brother’s. So which ones, exactly? Unlike his offering, the stuff I left for him from my collection was totally free and not out of pocket. Take that to the bank and cash it in.

Repercussions, The: Don’t Fear…

Stabbing Westward: Wither Blister Burn + Peel

Stooges, The: self-titled

Veruca Salt: American Thighs

Phil Collins: But Seriously

Faith No More: Songs To Make Love To

Lacuna Coil: Karmacode

Richard Marx: Repeat Offender

Posies, The: Frosting On The Beater

Specials, The: self-titled

Presidents Of The United States Of America, The: self-titled

Raveonettes, The: Whip It On

Faith No More: Angel Dust

Repercussions, The: Modern Sounds

[livvyglizzy]

So I have a friend that looks like me, speaks like me, and lives in my house with me, who isn't me (that would be silly haha), that has a question for you;

She started questioning their current pronouns, and is starting to feel disconnected from one, and more connected to the other, like she feels more connected with one of those than their other one.

The thing is, she just recently changed her pronouns, and feels like it might be too soon to change them again, and fears that people might just hate her for changing her preferred pronouns too quickly, along other related things.

The question is, what would you advice her to do? Should she stick with their current pronouns for longer, or get it out of her chest and change this once and for all?

Thanks for taking your time to read this question from my friend, I hope this helps her in some way

well my advice to your oddly similar friend is:

more than likely, you're gonna wanna change this stuff eventually. change is always happening, your friend isn't a bad person for suddenly realizing she wants different pronouns, and the fact that it hasn't been so long since the last time doesn't have any bearing on that imo

for a while I went by they/them but once I did that I immediately realized that no, I want she/her, but I was too scared to admit that to anyone else so I just holed that up inside myself for a while until I finally bit the bullet and started using she/her and that waiting period fuckin sucked!! she/her is great :3

obviously after I figured out I liked she/her I never changed my pronouns again :3 (real and true and definitely not fake)

(actually I lied, I did he/him -> they/them -> she/her -> she/they -> she/her -> she/him? -> she/it and I've got no clue where this rollercoaster's gonna stop)

shit happens!! you can't ever be comfortable if you're just pandering to the wants of those around you, cuz you're not gonna be able to explore all the options that you want to explore if you're just always thinkin "oh jeez what if Nancy tells me I'm a Terrible Person for changing my pronouns Twice in One Week"

that's obvs an exaggeration, but like. live your life, gal. the world's your pronoun-flavored oyster, as they say

err, I mean your friend. definitely tell her this

((also also this is coming from me, person who has incredibly inclusive circles of friends, gender and its idiosyncrasies are merely playgrounds of the eternal mind to us. your mileage may vary))

[shmackhaystack]

The Queen and Her Levi - Chapter 7: The Castle

King!Levi Ackerman x fem!reader

Description:

"All my life I have never known what it was like to love someone, if anything, really. Until I met you, and everything changed, you brat."

"Reader" has a name, if you don't like it, then change it to your own, the world is your oyster.

Will contain VERY mature and triggering content. Viewer discretion is advised and minors please DNI.

Also on Wattpad. If you would like to message me please feel free! I would appreciate and encourage any feedback. Hope you enjoy.

[word count: 4.5k]

Prologue | Previous chapter

[AN: Before you begin!!! I've decided that since there will be a lot of MATURE and TRIGGERING content in this story. I am going to begin it with a bold 'X' so that you know that there will be 18+ content that is within the coming chapters, you shouldn't miss it. I'm sure a lot of you will appreciate the smut, though ;p  By the way...! Our girl called 'Asuna' is YOU!! It's easier for me to write if she (you) has a name...if you don't prefer that name or her appearance, change it to your own! Also not proof read as of April 2024, but grammatical changes may be made. And without further ado..]

X :)

The guards continued to stand next to Asuna and Levi's bedroom doors as if they were afraid something was going to break into the room. She looked over and felt rather concerned. She wasn't an idiot, she could tell something was off, and she felt like Dana knew about it. 

"What is going on?" Asuna asks while standing up, still eyeing the guards that were guarding her door for dear life. The guards nodded at their Queen and closed the door softly, locking it once again. 

They didn't answer her, as if they were instructed not to say anything to her. It angered her that she was getting secrets kept from her. Normally she wouldn't mind, but if there are guards standing at her door and her personal handmaiden acting off about the situation, everyone would be curious. She looks at Dana and glares, trying to get an answer out of the young handmaiden. Considering Asuna was going to be the new Queen within the week, Dana wouldn't dream of disappointed her, so she answered her silent question as to what was going on and why everyone around her seemed so tense. 

"There has been threats made against the palace..." Dana says after a couple minutes of silence. "Levi doesn't take threats lightly, so that's why everyone is alert right now. It shouldn't be anything to worry about though!" she finishes. 

Asuna looks at her with some confusion and nods lightly. 

"What kind of threats?" she asks.

"I've told you all I know," Dana replies. "I promise, Your Grace, if I knew something I would tell you." 

There it is again. 'Your Grace...' I'm never going to get used to that, am I? 

Asuna walks back to her side of the king sized bed and sits down, glancing at the balcony and looking at the pretty blue sky that stood above her inside the large castle she was in, she was ready to explore it. Even if Levi would keep her locked in this room, she still wanted to get used to her surroundings and the giant castle she was living in, but everyone else was right. If there were threats against the castle, or her, or Levi, she was glad that whatever those threats were were not being ignored, and that everyone was handling it to the best of their ability. She secretly appreciated all the protection she was getting, but if this protection means being locked in her room all day with nobody but her handmaidens to talk to, then she didn't want it. 

Dana slowly walked toward her and stood above her smiling. She put her hand in hers and squeezed it, realizing that Asuna needed this right now, after feeling so alone and unsure about everything going on around her. Asuna smiled back and took the stranger's hand in hers, realizing that if she was going to trust anyone around her at this point, it should be her. She suddenly looks back to the events of last night and starts to get emotional. 

How is any of this going to work? Am I going to find any sort of happiness here? Or is it always going to be like this? I don't want to feel like this. I don't want to be unhappy.. I deserve better.

She remembers Dana's comment on how her relationship with Levi will get easier, but it's hard to believe that when nothing seems to be going right when it came to the way she feels about him, and the way he treated her just a few hours prior. 

About an hour or two passed with her and Dana talking to each other and getting to know each other as regular people. - She had offered Asuna so many things that she might want. Such as some snacks, drinks, towels, new clothes, even a glass of wine at one point. She was nervous about saying yes and acting so needy, but knowing she would soon be the Queen, she knew she might have to say yes to things she wants or needs at one point or another. 

They continued talking under a large knock was heard at the door which made Asuna jump. Dana smiled at her and called out to whoever was at the door to come in. Exasperatingly, Hange barged in by herself and saw Asuna sitting there confused, and obviously still unsure about everything around her. Hange smiled and approached her, while Dana rolled her eyes at Hange.

"Asuna!" The excited Scout yelled at her and smiled. "You're still okay with me calling you by your first name... right?!"

Asuna smiled up at her unwillingly and stood up, she nodded and greeted her with grace. 

"Hange, it's good to see you again!" She responded. "May I ask what took so long?"

Jeez... I'm already starting to sound so stuck up and spoiled... I need to keep my cool and try to be nicer and not so demanding.. But damn... I've been wondering where she was for hours...

Hange looked at her with her eyes widened, she giggled nervously and shrugged it off, stood next to her and put her hand on her shoulder. 

"Just some military business!" Hange responded. "Nothing to worry about!"

When Hange responded, Asuna glanced over at Dana to see she was still sitting there at the table they were talking at, looking stressed and scared, but still smiled regardless at her new Queen. Asuna brushed it off and nodded, wondering what she should say next. She was never really the shy type of girl. She had always said what came to her mind without worrying about what anyone would think of her. She thought for the first time in her life, she was shy and speechless. 

"Anyway!" Hange continued. "Are you ready for me to show you around your new home?!"

Asuna nodded almost immediately. She never thought she'd be more ready to see the castle as she was right now. 

"I was so scared I'd be locked in this room forever." 

Hange's eyes widened as she glared.  "Levi locked you in here?! Are you serious?!"

"I wish I wasn't" She responded.

"That little-" Hange stopped herself from saying anything more. Asuna could see the anger in her eyes at realizing Levi had locked her in the bedroom as if she was some prisoner. She signed and looked down at the ground then glanced over at Dana, who had the same expression. It's almost as if these two read her mind, she was happy to know that they didn't agree with Levi's behavior, but at the same time, knew they couldn't do anything about it. He was the King after all.

Asuna chuckled a bit, trying to hide the conflicting feelings she felt deep inside her. Let's just hope that Hange or anyone else can try to talk to Levi, if he was planning on locking me inside this room 24/7, after all. 

"It doesn't matter..." Asuna lies, looking down at the ground. "I'm sure it'll all be okay..." 

"I love your confidence!" Hange smiles and sits up. "Are you ready to see your new home?!"

Asuna nods and gets up with her, very excited to leave this room finally. She's only been in this room for 12 hours, but to her, it felt like years. 

The tour around the castle with Hange was amazing, the castle was absolutely beautiful. It has gorgeous white painted walls with velvet carpeting around the long hallways. Hange showed her all of the great views from the balconies that surrounded the palace, every balcony had an amazing view of Stohess, which was the city in which Levi chose to stay due to his history of growing up beneath it, his uncle lived there too when he was King as well, so he just decided to stay there- despite him hating it most of the time. 

Hange showed Asuna all of the offices that belonged to the higher up military officers. She saw Erwin, who she admired well due to his empathy towards her situation. He smiled and waved at her, seeing a sort of kindness in him that she saw in Hange as well, but not Levi. Hange also showed her Levi's office and offered if she wanted to go in and see him, but she shook her head and said she'd rather not, trying to avoid him truthfully.  

Same with other officers, such as Miche Zacharius, Nanaba, and Levi's so called special elite squad in the Scout Regiment, Petra, Gunther, Eld, and Oruo. All of these people seemed super nice and welcoming, bowing to their new Queen and attempting to establish a good relationship with her. One thing she just couldn't wrap her head around was, seeing all of these people, but Levi was not in sight. She hasn't seen him since he left her this morning. She also noticed that guards and other military officers were running around her, in a rush or something. As if something was happening. She remembered well about some sort of threats that were being made, it aggravated her that nobody was telling her what threats were happening, maybe that's why Levi was not seen. 

The last area in the castle that Hange introduced to her was the throne room of the castle, it was the largest room that she had seen, she felt so tiny when she walked in there for the first time. Asuna's eyes widen, as she sees the large room with a single throne standing above marble plated stairs and large windows behind it, shining light on her face that made her mouth hang open in awe, it was so beautiful. 

"As you can see, there is only one throne." Hange breaks Asuna out of her trance on how gorgeous the throne room was. "Levi never sits in it though, I think I've only seen the man sit in it twice or so since I've known him..." 

"Why doesn't he sit in it?" Asuna looks up at Hange, genuinely curious. 

"Hmmm, not sure!" She responds. "The truth is.. Levi never wanted to be King... He mainly did it out of duty, and the fact that his uncle abdicated." 

Asuna was intrigued. She knew little to nothing of King Levi's past or how he came to be the King, and how he rose to power despite supposedly Levi living underground for the majority of his childhood. Asuna wanted to ask more, she cursed herself for being curious about all of it, and mainly what she was forced to be involved with. Ignoring her curiosity, she looks around the throne room, admiring it and seeing the main picture of her new life as a Queen.

Suddenly, a man she had never seen before with brown hair and a bull cut runs up to Hange.

"What is it, Moblit?" Hange asks the man. 

Moblit bows at Asuna as he whispers something in Hange's ear. Hange sighs as she looks up, trying not to cause Asuna to think anything was actually wrong. 

"Sorry, Your Grace!" Hange says. "There is some other business I need to tend to right now!"

Asuna nods and smiles back at her. 

"Would you let me escort you back to your room?"

"I think I remember the way back up there, I'll be okay." She responds. 

"Sorry, Your Grace. But I need to have at least someone escort you back, whether or not you know the way back!" 

"What? Why?" Asuna asks, trying not to sound agitated at her. Hange was being so kind and welcoming, it wouldn't be fair of her to be rude just because of an inconvenience. Until now Asuna always felt so independent, basically doing everything herself for as long as she could remember, now in the matter of a day, everything changed. 

"For right now, Levi insists that you be guarded and escorted." Hange responds, being honest with her. Asuna wanted to ask why again, but there was no reason to, instead she asked something else. 

"What is going on, Hange-san?" Asuna asks as guards walk around her, waiting for her so they can take her back to her room. "Why does everything seem so tense? Is it always like this?"

Hange sighs and gives her a slight smile. "As Dana said earlier, there are some threats against the castle right now. We need to be cautious and protect yo-"

"What threats? What is happening?" Asuna interrupted. "Please, tell me." 

"Sorry, Your Gra-"

"It's Asuna." 

"Sorry, Asuna." Hange corrected herself. "I'm sure Levi will tell you, eventually."

Asuna sighs in annoyance. Can someone please just tell me what the hell is going on?! I feel like secrets are being kept from me. I hope this isn't a regular thing...

Hange waves her hand, smiles, and bows as she leaves with Moblit. She turns around to see guards standing before her, waiting for her to take herself back to the bedroom, or more like a dungeon, she thought. 

The guards escort her back to her room as they bow, closing the door before locking it once again. Asuna tries to unlock the door but it was no use, she was stuck in there again. 

She could see that the sun was about to go down, with no sign of Levi since the morning. Dana and a few other hand maidens had offered to help her out of her dress, but she insisted on doing it herself. Undoing the corset of her dress, she looks in her new wardrobe and sees several dresses that weren't there before, including a few nightgowns. 

She wanted to go through all of the pretty dresses and night gowns that were given to her, as well as explore more of the room, especially the huge bookcase full of books that were sure to be good reads. If she was going to be locked in this room for who knows how long, she was looking forward to at least some sort of entertainment. Despite her curiosity on wanting to browse around her new shared bedroom with Levi, all she could think about was how exhausted she was. 

The lack of sleep she had the night before was starting to get to her, she felt her eyes closing up as everything around her started to look blurry. Perhaps things would work out better if she tried to get some decent rest, but first, she needed to shower and clear her head.

A few hours later, Levi had finally come back to the bedroom. It was probably almost midnight, locking the door behind him as he saw Asuna's gorgeous figure lying down on her side of the bed. The poor girl, she was utterly exhausted and overwhelmed, what he did to her the night before definitely didn't help with that either, but he didn't care. 

He takes off his expensive blazer and puts it on his chair, unbuttoning a few buttons from his shirt to get more comfortable. He walks towards her, slowly, incase she was awake he didn't want to startle her. He sits down beside her and admires how pretty she was. She was passed out, completely asleep. Water droplets from her hair and her body making her skin glisten. She smelt so good, she must have been so tired that she didn't even have the strength or the thought of changing into a nightgown. Instead, a towel was wrapped around her, covering her body. How foolish of you. He thought and chuckled to himself. 

"If you really wanted me to keep my hands off you, you would have tried harder to hide yourself. Instead, you fall asleep with nothing but a towel covering your body, what a silly little brat you are." He said to himself quietly, not loud enough to wake her. 

He smiles softly before brushing a strand of hair from her face, admiring her pretty features as she slept. He wanted to stay there forever, just watching his pretty little wife-to-be sleep, but he didn't. He couldn't get the thought of her tied to the bed once more out of his head. Perhaps, he let the intrusive thoughts win. 

Asuna suddenly woke up minutes later, it takes her a few minutes to get out of her sleeping trance. She tries to move, but soon discovers that she can't move her wrists. She wakes up almost immediately, looking up to see that her wrists were tied to the head board once more. Completely naked, she gasps and tries to control her breathing as she panics for a moment, until looking up to see Levi, naked as well with his large cock hanging out, standing right above her. 

"Levi- what?!... What the fuck are you doing?!" She yells, but right as she tries to protest, he covers her mouth with his hand. 

"Shhh." He whispers. Kissing her forehead as he leans against her. 

"You shouldn't have fallen asleep with nothing but a light towel covering you..." He answers. "Maybe you do want this after all..." 

He takes his hand away from her mouth. She wanted to cry again, but she tried to be brave because she knew she was stronger than this. She wanted to try to show him that she was tough. She tries to break free, but the rope tying her wrists to the bed seemed to be much tighter than last time.

He was none too gentle as he suddenly pushes two fingers inside of her, feeling her wetness. She moans and arches her back again, making his cock twitch as she tightened up. He pumps in and out, moaning as well as he doesn't take his eyes off her flushed face. He moves his left hand up to cup her breast, pinching her nipple until she's crying out. 

Asuna doesn't say anything. She doesn't protest. All she can let out was helpless moans as he continued to finger her faster, curling them to the spot where he knew would send her flying in whispers and moans. He kisses her lips, as he moves to kiss all over her face, her neck, and her chest, moving down to swirl his tongue around her nipples, hardening them as she shook from his intense fingering of her cunt. 

She could swear as she saw him feeling around her body that he was smiling down at her, grinning as she attempts to struggle, but her wrists bound to the headboard of their bed was keeping her from moving a muscle. His muscular body was sitting in between her legs, too strong for her to push him away as he continued to play with her pussy and her large tits. He continued to finger her, rub her clit at a fast pace, all while moaning and smiling down as she attempted to hide that she was starting to enjoy this. Moaning uncontrollably, he grinned at her as he could feel her getting wetter and wetter, breaking the silence, Levi speaks. 

"Hmm," He moans as he continues to kiss her neck. "You enjoying the way I touch you? Feel yourself tightening up around my fingers?" 

"Shut...-" She attempts to say between moans.

"Sorry, baby..." He switches to rubbing her clit faster than before, causing her to tense up and moan louder. "I didn't catch that." 

"Shut up!" She yells at him. "Is there a reason why you need to tie me up...? You son of a bitch?!"

He laughs softly at her comment, rubbing her clit some more. After a few moments, she squirts all over his fingers, feeling her cunt getting wetter and wetter as she comes down from her high. He groans some more, admiring how beautiful she was despite her face being on fire with humiliation. He grins softly as he puts his fingers into his mouth, tasting her sweetness. He sits up on his knees, still looking down at her helpless form underneath him. To her surprise, he begins to untie her wrists from the headboard, loosing the knots as he throws the rope to the side. 

Though, to his surprise, she doesn't try to get away. She remains underneath him, rubbing her wrists to try to get rid of the small red marks around them. He grabs her wrists again, she gasped thinking he is going to hold her down again, instead he kisses the small red marks around her wrists, easing the pain. Without meaning to, she blushes a bit. 

Asuna tries to relax, attempting to accept the fact this was going to happen. To be fair, she would have preferred to have sex with him right now without being restrained, she would rather just hold him tightly and try to pretend like it all actually meant something to him. 

"Good girl." He says quietly, kissing her on the lips again. Holding her soft face in his hands, he admires her gorgeous face, looking up at him with her pretty eyes, glistening in the moonlight that was lingering through their room. To his surprise again, she wraps her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. He tries to hide his blushing as she rubs her hands through his undercut, feeling his soft, dark locks as she held him tight. 

He smiles softly again, an emotion that didn't come often with Levi Ackerman. Without warning, he pushes his large member inside of her, instead of letting out protesting pleas or tears, she moans in pleasure as he softly eases himself inside of her. Going slow, pushing in and out before fully sheathing himself inside of her, feeling him in her lower belly. Considering this was only her second time ever having sex, it was still a bit uncomfortable for her, the feeling of being full against her will. The pain was intense, but as he continued to thrust into her slowly, she was discovering it was the type of pain that was starting to feel good. 

"Tell me, beautiful." He says between thrusts, holding her outer thighs as he squeezes her ass, causing her to yelp. "How good does this feel?" 

She can't exactly comprehend a sentence at that moment. She was too focused on the feeling of him deep inside her, how the pain started to get better. Feeling the bulge of his large cock deep in her belly, she couldn't answer as she was too occupied on how good it felt. Not hearing an answer from her, he grabs her ass tighter. Moving his other hand up to grab her breast and pinching her nipple more, peppering her face with kisses. He sheathes himself into her harder, at this point, her moans were louder than before. 

"I asked you a question, sweetheart." Levi says he thrusts into her deeper, at much faster pace. "How good does my cock feel deep inside of you?"

Asuna tries to muster the strength as she is beginning to see stars. The pleasure felt nothing but intense, she could feel herself wanting to cum again with how deep he was going. 

"Feels... good-hah!" She manages to speak. Wrapping her arms around his neck tighter, digging her nails into his upper back, but he didn't much care. In fact, it turned him on even more to see that she was feeling good from this. He goes into her faster, lifting her legs up towards her rips so his hands were grabbing her thighs, reaching her g-spot and feeling her gummy walls tighten around him. 

The sex lasted almost an hour, with Levi going at various paces and holding her tight with each thrust. His sweaty forehead meets hers, the pain Asuna was feeling was no longer there, but at the same time, she couldn't get rid of the thought that he was only doing this for his mere entertainment. As well as the fact that she belonged to him now, and was going to be his wife, he didn't have the need to feel bad at all. 

Before long, he could feel himself getting closer and closer to his climax. She felt so good, he didn't want it to end. 

"Levi... Please..." Asuna moans, feeling herself running out of strength. Levi had a really high stamina, his sex drive over the roof. "I can't take it... much longer." 

"Shh, I'm almost there." He answers her, kissing her forehead. "You're doing so good for me, baby." 

A few moments later, he released inside of her. She moans loud as she can feel the warmth spreading deep inside, planting his seed. He breaths heavily as he takes a few moments before pulling out of her, admiring his cum spilling out of her pretty, yet overstimulated pussy. 

Levi gets up slowly and grabs a small towel, walking back to her exhausted form lying on the bed, splayed and vulnerable to him. He gently wipes her down everywhere, caressing her cheek and kissing her some more. He soon lays down next to her, holding her body closely as he wraps his arms around her waist. He turns her over so she can look at him, she looks into her gorgeous, emerald green eyes that he could stare at for hours. He chuckles softly before kissing her gently on the lips, holding her cheek and letting go before speaking. 

"Your name... Will be Asuna Ackerman." Levi says suddenly. "You will be the Queen of the Walls, wife to Levi Ackerman, and the most powerful woman within the walls. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Asuna doesn't say anything back, too tired to speak. She does respond though in her own way, grinning softly. Levi couldn't tell if that was a forced smile or she may have felt happy about her new life, her new fiancee. 

Levi gently kisses her forehead once more before lying back down, wrapping his arms around her waist once more. Listening to her soft breaths, rubbing her belly softly as he buries his face in her neck.

'Asuna Ackerman,' She thought to herself. Does it really have a 'nice ring' to it? Maybe I can find happiness here. Maybe I can learn to love him the way I am supposed to. But the real question is, will he love me back? She suddenly remembers the threats that she heard was being made against the castle, and that she hasn't had a chance to ask him yet.

And will he be honest with me... and tell me what the hell is going on? 

[AN: After this chapter, there is one more and this story will be fully updated to Tumblr! Working on chapter 9 as of right now. Arigato]

MASTERLIST <3

-Kat