#op is polish reveal

[froglad00]

based on the scenario of "What if the whole world was affected by the king?"

I just thought this might be funny

[jwirecs]

RECOMMENDED BTS FICS OF SEPTEMBER 2023💖

hello, hello! here are my bts recs of september! hopefully these beautiful stories get more recognition as well as the writers 💝

** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **

🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite

Head Over Skates || @mercurygguk🔞💔🔄

↳ in which jeon jungkook is the captain of the hockey team and one of the biggest fuckboys on campus. you hate his guts and he knows it – that's why he's more than determined to make the most of three weeks of project work. you're convinced it's going to be the end of you.

My Heart Did || @aseaofyoongi🔞💔✅

↳ as soon as senior years comes to an end a lot of teens shed who we were and strive to be flourish into a more polished version of themselves. although, broken hearts aren’t so quick to heal what happens when thoughts reveal all we need to know?

Bad Idea || @back2bluesidex🔞💕✅

↳ Accepting Jungkook's invitation to watch him train topless was such a bad idea.

Don't Tell Me That... You Forgot || @sweetiestokkie💕✅

↳ (short summary that i have come up with since there wasnt one, but oc plans a secret birthday for jk. so we have a lil ol angy jjk.)

Just The Tip? || @joon4eva🔞💕✅

↳ you and namjoon are left alone together for a little too long. or: in your childhood home, you learn just how much is really "just the tip" with namjoon.

My Flower || @i-am-baechu💕✅💯

↳ Men don’t get enough flowers. That’s why whenever it’s Namjoon’s birthday, Y/N always sends flowers (someone please get me a boo so that i can give them flowers.)

Socks || @hisunshiine💕✅

↳ (theres no summary but if we talking about socks, his god dam toe socks lives in my mind rent free and i need it to start paying rent.)

Take Care Of You || @kookslastbutton🔞💕💔✅💯💯

↳ To keep your fiance from burning out you suggest a weekend getaway to Gapyeong, a charming town about an hour outside Seoul. You've specifically asked him to leave his work equipment at home but like a deep rooted habit, he still brings it with him. You're left with no choice but to find a way to get his attention back.

When I Say Forever || @kookslastbutton🔞💕✅💯

↳ Today’s your wedding day and the slightly shy yet handsome, doe-eyed stranger who chased after you when you dropped your wallet on the street three years ago just happens to be the man standing before you today.

7 Hybrids Moved In With Me || @lillsisamarshmallow💕💔🔄

↳ When the dog hybrid who visits her bakery starts taking extra food Y/N follows it through the alleys to find out why, but what happens when she stumbles upon an empty alley only to find 6 more hybrids and some very familiar pastries?

Entangled || @caelesjjk🔞✅💯

↳ Jeon Jungkook is Spider-Man.

Hold Me Together || @casuallyimagining💕🔄💯

↳ a collection of drabbles and headcanons featuring seokjin, yoongi, and namjoon and their significant others.... all of whom have chronic illnesses. each piece can be read on its own or as part of a series.

Leaked || @btsficsandsuch💕💔✅

↳ Req by OP's Followers: Hi ,I love your writing so much . Can I request a ot7 × platonic fem reader where they became friends accidentally and she is also their fan but something happens like a misunderstanding of sorts and she is blamed or something then when the truth comes out they ask for her forgiveness but don't make her forgive them easily also include an accident in between story if you can. Sorry if it's too confusing .have a good day

Stars Around My Scars || @vanteggukie💕💔🔄

↳ people are not always what they seem. you learned that the hard way, when you caught your boyfriend cheating, the night that was supposed to be one of the best ones you ever experienced. but on the same night you also learned that in everything bad, there’s always a little bit of good.

Rainy Days || @rklve🔞💕💔✅💯💯

↳ your life choices left not only yours, but jungkook's heart broken in peaces. now you're back in town, and just like pluto, even if it's cold and dark, he tends to orbit around his sun forever.

Taste Of His Own Medicine || @btsficsandsuch💔✅💯

↳ You suddenly have to leave to go back to your home country for a few months. Yoongi decides to ignore you so you decide to show him how it feels when he realizes you’re gone.

The Back Up Plan || @btsgotjams27💕✅💯

↳ one drunken night leads to an agreement that if you and jungkook are still single by 30, you'd marry each other. the only thing is jungkook has been doing everything he can to keep you single.

Aphrodite In War || @jungblue🔞💕💔🔄

↳ Everyone knew about the war that had been brewing on the edge of campus for the past two years. Sorority versus Fraternity; a showdown for the ages. However, when the escalating antics between them yields the consequence of possible suspensions for both chapters, the presidents of each house must come together to try and figure out how to end this battle… Which is kind of hard, considering they were the ones responsible for it in the first place.

Basic Needs || @gggukniverse🔞✅💯

↳ missing sex while being stuck in your apartment with your two roommates during quarantine is being the worst nightmare you could've imagined. fortunately, you're not the only one who's touch starved.

Safety Net || @pradaksj🔞💕💔✅

↳ on new year’s eve, you and jungkook reflect on each other’s entire year together. 

Heart-On || @junghelioseok🔞✅💯💯

↳ your one-night stand definitely isn’t relationship material, but maybe—just maybe—your manager’s son is. (this is part of their serendipity series, make note that its not connected. do check out their jjk fic thats part of this series!!)

Territorial || @bonny-kookoo🔞💕🔄

↳ Who would've known that the big bad wolf isn't actually all that bad?

Do check out all of the other BTS Fics that i have reblogged as well!!

** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **

[literary-motif]

Act II — The Clouds

Scene ii — The Wraiths 

previous scene // overview // read on ao3 // next scene

Warnings: guns

You let the VW door fall shut behind you, the feeling of being under observation immediately palpable. Tara’s people were not subtle. As you stood before the bulletproof car — decidedly before it — you could not help the feeling of being exposed, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. 

Asirel came to stand beside you as you looked up at the golden letters, shining a solid white once the sky darkened. The Quetza Hotel. It was less impressive than you remembered, or perhaps you had gotten used to the quiet elegance of Atlantis, unimpressed by whatever tried to imitate its grandiose charm. 

There was a biker next to the large Roman staircase, standing by his polished black motorcycle. You could not see his eyes, hidden beneath the helmet, but you felt his gaze burning into you. 

“See the guy over there?” you asked quietly, leaning closer to Asirel and brushing down your coat to clear it of invisible dust. You were stalling, allowing the gang a few minutes to gather, and prepare their little play of intimidation — you expected nothing else from Tara, no matter the hidden gentleness she had shown you many times; this was business — before you would make your way to the entrance and get straight to the point.

“Yes,” Asirel said, not daring to lower his gaze from the golden letters above. He was tense, painfully aware of just how defenseless he was. 

You turned to face the biker, walking up to him with intention. Asirel shuffled to follow, his heartbeat loud in his ears as he wondered what exactly you were doing, walking into danger like that. 

“James,” you greeted, coming to stand a few paces before him. “What a surprise to see you here. I thought you’d be holed up in your office fawning over Excel spreadsheets.”

Silence, but you could see the almost unnoticeable clenching of his fist. On the surface, he seemed unfazed, but you could see the disdain on his lips as he tilted his head and pulled up his visor. 

“Likewise,” he said, ignoring the second half of your comment. A few strands of brown hair were plastered to his forehead. His eyes were sharp as he glared at you with the cold gaze you were sure he wore when pouring over his work as a financial advisor. His eyes flickered to Asirel. “Brought your pet?” 

You felt Asirel stiffen beside you. 

“How is your nephew?” you asked drily, the corners of your mouth twisting upwards when his eyes widened in alarm. 

Perhaps it had been a bad idea to reveal your card like this. It was a rather delicious surprise that never got old: flaunting knowledge in their face that you — by all rights — should not have. And this was a particular secret you had kept close to your chest for years. 

James straightened, drawing himself up to his full height. One hand went to his hip, where you could see the outline of his gun. The warning was clear. Tread carefully. You were under no illusion that he would shoot you in an instant if you posed a threat to his family.

You held his gaze, blinking at him unimpressed. “I’m here to meet Tara.”

He scoffed. “Tara’s busy.”

“She will have to reschedule. This cannot wait,” you said. This should have been sufficient time for them to be prepared for your arrival. You walked towards the staircase, watching Asirel move as well after a moment’s hesitation.

James did not follow. 

“How brave of you to turn your back on someone with a gun, ready to take aim and fire at us,” Asirel hissed, searching the glass of the hotel door to look behind him in its reflection. James was still standing beside his motorcycle, gun decidedly not raised to tear him open. “Won’t being here with you put a target on my back? More than this, in the metaphorical sense.”

You kept walking, not glancing behind you. “Sometimes we need to take risks, Asirel.”

He did not look reassured. 

“Relax. You are safe with me. This does not work if you do not trust me,” you said, pushing open the double door to the lobby, noting the absence of a doorman. 

The lobby was surprisingly empty for such a large hotel chain, and you stepped onto the purple carpet, leading across the tiles of green marble towards the brown and golden reception desk. There was a large staircase leading upwards, the golden banister polished to a shine. It practically sparkled in the light from the chandelier above. 

You made no secret of your arrival, directly walking towards the grim-looking treasurer of the Wraiths standing at the reception. They glanced up as they saw you approach, lowering their gaze towards the register again, feigning to be busy. Their uniform was navy blue, adorned with black buttons that bounced lightly as they turned the page, scribbling something in the margin of the thick, red register.

“I’m here to see Tara,” you said, suppressing the urge to ring the golden bell beside you as they did not look up when you spoke. 

“Tara’s busy,” they said dismissively, not raising their head as they continued writing. 

You waited a moment, looking at the movements of the pen as they ceased, but the treasurer did not look up, instead turning the page to read something else. You had had enough. 

“Look me in the eye when you lie to me,” you said harshly, clicking your tongue as you saw their head snap up instinctively before resentment clouded their eyes for having given in so quickly. “Now let’s try that again. I’m here to see Tara, presently. It is pressing.”

The treasurer looked at you unfazed. “However pressing it may be for you, it is—”

You took a glance around the room. Not much had changed since you’d been there last, meaning the lounge she used for meetings was still behind the sliding wood door to your right. “In here?” you interrupted them, raising your hand towards it.

They followed your movement, hesitating a second too long. “She is not there,” they said, keeping their eyes on the door. 

You shook your head with a scoff, giving them a displeased look as you walked towards it, ignoring their protests as you slid it open. 

Why everything had to be a game of lies and pretend with the gangs, you could never understand. It was a chaotic business, aggravating and dangerous. The members were volatile. You could not know for certain that the treasurer was not about to pull out a gun and shoot you the moment your back was turned — but you did know Tara, and that eased your mind. 

Of course, she was in the lounge, just like you had assumed. 

Tara sat on one of the mint green couches, cradling a cup of steaming tea. Her brown hair framed her face loosely, the strands barely reaching the black suit jacket she wore. “You could have knocked,” she said, taking a sip of her tea as her brown eyes snapped up to study you. 

Security was stationed in every corner of the room, ominously peering over you in what you thought was supposed to be a show of her upper hand. 

It made you smile in amusement, picturing how they had scrambled into the room once they had seen your car approach. How they had waited with bated breath until you were done antagonizing James, slipping past the treasurer until they could give you their best dark glare. It was a pretense, an act. 

Still, you knew their guns to be real — locked and loaded.

Asirel was on your heels. You let him step inside, sliding the door shut behind him. “All this for us?” you teased, gesturing around the room towards the security as you made your way further inside. “My, my, Tara. You honor me. It’s not as if I’ve started carrying a gun since the last time we met.”

“I like to play it safe with you,” she said, her gaze flickering to Asirel before settling on you again. “It’s not every day you grace my humble hotel with your presence. Who have you brought?”

“A close colleague, Asirel Cain. Now, tell me” — you said, sitting down on the mint green couch in front of hers, subtly brushing over the cushion beside you to motion for Asirel to sit down as well — “What is this I hear about a blackout?”

Her expression darkened, eyebrows furrowing in displeasure at the reminder of the latest little catastrophe that had plagued her life, no doubt still pulling at the strings to clean up the mess left by the confrontation. She took another sip of her tea. “A minor strife, nothing to bother you with,” she said. 

“Oh, but it bothers me greatly,” you said, reaching a hand into your coat. 

The security tensed immediately. You watched as they reached for their guns, and you pulled out an envelope. They eyed it — the large guy in the corner in front of you breaking his poker face to frown in confusion — and observed keenly as you retrieved a handful of pictures, spreading them on the coffee table and presenting them to Tara. 

“It bothers me greatly,” you reiterated, “when two of the most important gangs in the city go at each other’s throats and kill half a dozen civilians. How difficult do you think that is to keep out of the papers!”

“That’s not what happened!” she spat, glancing at the pictures briefly. She knew the damage the blackout had caused firsthand and had spent all night working out a plan to fix it again. 

The issue was more complex than you presented it. Part of her thought that you knew. It would not be the first time you hid behind supposed ignorance, not letting on how deep your understanding of the issue went in favor of manipulating your way through the conversation. 

“Regardless,” you said sternly, watching her bristle at your tone. “Tell me it won’t happen again.”

Her jaw clenched, lips pressing together in a thin line. Her eyes remained fixed on you, their sharp coldness replaced with quietly burning anger as she glared at you. 

“I cannot speak for the others,” she said, her voice steady despite her fury. “Perhaps you’ll swing by and talk to them yourself while you’re in the city? I’m sure you could use some of the stuff in their basement. Might help to take the edge off.”

You scoffed, ignoring her attempt to rile you up. “Come to an agreement with them. A truce,” you said, motioning towards the pictures. “I’m tired of watching you run around like lunatics, setting cars on fire and blowing up shops.”

“We do neither!” she said, afterward taking a deep breath. 

It would not do to have anger cloud her mind, although it was aggravating how easily you managed to get under her skin. She finished her tea, closing her eyes to savor the taste and cool her boiling blood. 

Tara sat down the mug, looking at you coldly once again. “Since you are asking so nicely,” she said, “I suppose I could work something out. The hotel could use a little extra publicity in return, don’t you think?” 

Your eyes narrowed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, Tara,” you said. You did not come to make bargains, especially not on her terms. “My very presence is a favor to you. If it were up to me, I’d eradicate all the gangs and split Quetza into four little hotel chains to even out the market, and with one more incident like this blackout, I very well might!”

The fire in her eyes relit instantly. She was furious at being disregarded, angry to be threatened in her own hotel. Nobody dared to speak to her with such an edge in their voice — and you did realize belatedly that perhaps you brought a gun to a swordfight — and as she tensed, wrath in her expression, you anticipated it when her gaze flickered nearly unnoticed to the security guard in the corner behind you. 

It was a signal, and it worked, of course. 

You heard heavy footsteps draw nearer from all sides. Gritting your teeth, you fought against the sudden spike of anxiety at the feeling of being caged and tilted your head instead. You did not need to turn around to know that the security guard behind you had a hand on his belt, resting calmly on his gun, waiting for Tara’s words on an order that would never come. 

“Are you threatening me?” she asked, her voice steady despite her anger. 

You felt Asirel tense next to you. He clenched his hands into fists to hide their trembling, resting them on his thighs. He thought his heartbeat was audible from how loud he could hear it in his own ears. 

“I am warning you,” you said, “and if you don’t relax and trust me on the importance of this, I will have to tear you down.”

It was a thinly veiled message — words you had told him before — and Asirel caught on. You heard him take a deep breath, trying to calm down despite the looming figures in your periphery. 

“I am tired of needing to keep an eye on Stockton, Tara. Either do as I say or suffer the consequences — and they will be dire. Not only for Quetza, crumbling into dust over your shortcomings, your childish inability to sit down with your rivals and come to an agreement. It will destabilize the entire branch, and you will be left with nothing but the ash of your faded importance. And what future will that be for you? Keep your people in check!”

A loud thump came from somewhere above, ripping through the tense silence your words had created. It made you jump, startled by the unexpected noise of something tumbling to the ground. Asirel muttered a curse under his breath. Security tensed, looking at each other. Tara glanced at the ceiling, frowning in confusion.

Hurried footsteps made their way down the stairs into the foyer, the trampling clearly audible. A muffled sound of protest came from the treasurer before the door to the lounge was rolled aside. Someone darted in.

The reaction from the security was immediate. They pulled out their guns, aiming them steadily at Asirel and you as a little head of whirly black hair ran towards Tara, clasping something in his little hands.

“Mom,” he cried, crashing against her and burying his face in her shoulder. “It broke an— and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Dad— Dad will— he will—”

“Elias,” she said, wrapping an arm around his shaking shoulders to comfort him. Her tone remained stern. “What did I tell you about coming in here?”

The little boy raised his head, looking up at her with tears in his eyes. He took a shuddering breath, his voice cracking. “But—”

“No ‘buts,’” she said, cupping his cheeks and wiping his tears away with her thumbs. “This is very important. Do you understand, my little star? Never come in when the door is closed. That means there are people over, alright? Elias, honey, promise me. Hey.”

You took in the scene in front of you, eyes flickering to the security guard to Tara’s left. He looked at you with such intensity that you could not help but stare back. His trigger finger twitched. He was eager to shoot you at one wrong move, now that her son was here. Slowly, you raised your hands, keeping your eyes on him as if daring to find a threat in your placating gesture. 

Asirel had gone entirely rigid. His fists clenched impossibly tight. You supposed this was not his first time facing the barrel of a gun, but the feeling of being helplessly surrounded must have been new to him.

“Pro—mise,” Elias sniffled, looking down sadly at what you saw to be a star chart, the turning pieces of the complex design now loose. “It broke, mom. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Dad—”

“He’ll understand, sweetheart,” she sighed patiently, cradling a hand through his hair. “We’ll take a look at it together later, yeah? Maybe we can fix it.” She moved her hands to his shoulders, turning him around gently before placing a kiss on the crown of his head and pointing him towards the door. “Let me finish this meeting first and I’ll come help you. Alright?”

Elias looked unconvinced, his lower lip wobbling again as he clutched the chart. “What if we can’t fix it?” he croaked wetly, turning to look at his mother again with new tears in his eyes. “What— Dad will— he’ll never let me use his again! But I didn’t mean to. It was an accident. Was an— an accident, Mom. I’m sorry.”

She shushed him, smoothing out his hair to get him to calm down. Elias took shuddering breaths, his little shoulders shaking from their force. 

“It’s not broken,” Asirel said gently, keeping his voice light despite the discomfort and primal fear of being shot battling to choke him up. He kept his eyes on the little boy, now turning to look at him curiously, a glimmer of hope sparkling in his bright eyes beneath the sheen of tears. 

He blocked out everything else, forgetting about the security guards, missing your surprised glance at hearing him interject. He saw Tara’s head shot up, her grip on her son’s shoulders tightening nearly unnoticeably.

Elias did not seem to register it. “What do you mean?” he asked, wiping his eyes and taking another shuddering breath. He was calming down. 

“Its components are out of place, that’s why it doesn’t work anymore. You need to position them right. Here” — he held out a hand — “let me help you.”

You heard the security guard behind him suck in a sharp breath. “Tara,” you warned. They were too skittish for your liking.

She understood, eyeing Asirel’s open hand wearily before loosening her hold on Elias. “It’s alright,” she said, more to the security than to him. “Go ahead.”

Her son walked over slowly, still sniffling as he handed the complex star chart over to Asirel. He took it carefully. 

“See these things here,” he explained, pointing to what looked like large circles. “They need to be aligned with these here. Then you have these other little ones. They need to turn freely to make the entire thing move. Do you understand?”

Elias nodded, watching in awe as Asirel fixed the alignment. 

“The tricky part is knowing how the parts harmonize,” he said, glancing at Elias. “But that’s something you’ll learn when you’re older if you’re still interested in this. Here, all done.” Asirel handed the working star chart back to him. 

Elias looked at it for a long moment, his eyes wide with fascination. “Thank you,” he said, beaming at Asirel. His eyes sparkled. He turned back to Tara, showing off the working chart. “Look, mom. He fixed it!”

Another set of hurried footsteps darted down the stairs. There was a faint ‘where is he?’ from a deep voice soundingmildly panicked, then a string of courses following the treasurer pointing towards the lounge.

A man walked to the doorway, looking displeased. Tara raised an eyebrow at him, but he simply shook his head tiredly. “Elias,” he said, strands of his black hair falling into his face. His son walked up to him excitedly. “What are you doing here?”

“Look, Dad,” he said cheerily, holding up the star chart. “I— it broke a little, but the nice man fixed it. I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time. It was an accident.”

He looked over to the couch where you and Asirel sat, then back at his son. “Did you say thank you?” he asked. Elias nodded energetically. “Alright then. Say your goodbyes and we’ll leave them to their work. We need to have a talk about where you can wander off to.”

“Bye Mom,” Elias said, waving at Tara before turning to the other couch. “Bye-bye. Thanks again, Mister.”

His father wheeled the door shut behind them, his voice faintly audible in the lounge as he said, “It’s ‘sir,’ Elias.”

The security guards stepped back with a wave of Tara’s hand. You let out a breath, relaxing into the cushions as youturned to look at Asirel curiously, a pleased smile on your face. He noticed, his cheeks tainted a faint pink as he muttered, “I took an astronomy course in university.”

You hummed. “Impressive.” You turned to Tara, who was looking at Asirel with an unreadable expression. “I can see why James is smitten.”

She cleared her throat at the mention of her brother, snapping back into the present. “I suppose I can bring about a truce if you want it that badly,” she said. “There is a meeting in Fresno in a few days. I promise to try.”

“That’s all I ask,” you said softly, glancing at the pictures on the coffee table. “Thank you.”

She stood from the couch, ready to escort you to the foyer. Asirel followed suit, looking at you uncertainly when you remained seated. 

“What do you know about Samuel Kennedy?” you asked, keeping your voice neutral as you studied her expression. 

“Kennedy?” she asked, thinking for a moment longer. “As in Robert Kennedy?”

Asirel bit his lip, amused at hearing his own phrase repeated. 

“His brother, yes,” you said. “He is a judge.”

“I haven’t heard of him,” she said, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. “Samuel Kennedy? No, never heard of him. Robert, I know well, however. That little viper. Now that you mention it, what is the matter with Incessant Inc? Tell me I don’t need to worry. You know how the top’s connections branch into real estate.”

You rose to your feet as well, the corners of your lips downturned in disappointment. Mr. Rhoades certainly had a better track record of procuring information. “It’s always good to keep your cards close to your chest,” you said cryptically, giving her a meaningful look.

Tara’s eyes lit up in understanding, and she gave you a grateful nod. 

If Dove called you later asking why Quetza’s market value had doubled, you told her perhaps your friend was preparing for a shake in the real estate market, making sure her company would come out unscathed.  

And she was right to do so.

[kc5rings]

If you're doing the sticker prompts I rolled 1 for Nian

I more intended it as a game for folks who want a prompt for themselves for art or fic, but luck is on your side because I happened to be thinking about Nian already this morning after seeing some metal gear that made me insane

(Not taking any other prompts at the moment but the game is here if anyone wants to use it for themselves)

Under the cut: Chastity, heat reference, improper use of medical equipment, improper definitions of medical equipment, Nian Gets Trolled.png

“I should have figured when Hibiscus messaged me to come drag you out of medical that it would be something ridiculous like this.”

Nian crossed her arms, grinning and unrepentant, as ever immune to Lava’s scathing reprimands.

“All I’m saying, is you’d think an open minded medical facility like Rhodes Island would be a little more receptive to a holistic, non medication approach to a very common medical concern for many of its op-“

Lava cut into Nian’s speech before she wound herself up into full pitch mode, leaning heavily on her cane with one hand while gesturing vaguely at what Nian was wearing.

“Is that what we’re calling….. all this then?”

Far from being deterred Nian’s grin only widened as she did a little turn to make sure Lava got a good look, which she happily did, taking a moment to appreciate forge hewn muscle before sighing and taking in Nian’s “outfit”

Her regular clothing had been discarded the moment Lava had shut the door to her quarters, Nian having been in a hurry to show off her latest project. Across her chest was a tight band of steel, with a cup covering the entirety of each breast. Continuing down from there revealed a steel waist corset cinched reasonably tight, though Lava couldn’t begin to imagine how that was accomplished with metal.

Finally, there was the belt.

Just a bit below the edge of the corset sat the waist band of what could only be described as what it was, a chastity belt. Perfectly shaped to fit the lines of Nian’s body, with a ring in the waistband to settle at the thick base of Nian’s tail, a sturdy, contoured, front shield and capped off by a pair of wide metal bands on her thighs. As with the rest of the ensemble it was all secured with ornate locks and polished to a near mirror shine.

Lava pinched the bridge of her nose

“Nian, this is obviously fetishwe-“

“Medical aids, Lil Lava, please”

“Not calling it that.”

Despite her curt tone Lava knew this was a losing battle, once Nian had a concept she wanted to talk about she refused to let it go until someone heard her out and that someone was usually Lava

“Fine. I’ll bite.”

“Promise?”

“Just make your pitch Nian. How is any of this possibly medical?”

Lava could swear she saw a literal flame in Nian’s eye for a moment before Nian gave her an overly dramatic bow, setting the many locks adorning her accessories jingling

“It’d be my pleasure. Ya see I’ve done my research and found that a sizable number of Terran species experience heat, now heat is the common term for-“

“I know what heat is Nian, you know I do.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll skip ahead.”

Nian made a placating gesture and rolled on with her pitch, pointing to each relevant piece of gear as she went

“The cups on the top prevent contact with sensitive nipples even during rigorous activity or while laden with equipment, the front shield prevents contact that might worsen symptoms and splits at the back for comfort, the bands on the thighs and tail help keep everything in place and secure. Obviously it’s all padded, every measure had been taken to ensure both comfort and hygiene during long term wear while-“

“And the corset? What “medical” benefit is that providing”

Nian flashed her teeth again, despite her protests Lava was an excellent “yes and” partner when she felt like it, and now Nian had gotten her to play.

“Well you see.” Nian drew herself up to her full height, head and shoulders over Lava to the point she almost loomed.

“They are great for your posture.”

Lava rolled her eyes, sure that Nian was familiar enough with the movement that she’d recognize it even with Lava wearing her visor

“Right. Well putting aside the frankly astounding number of ethical problems with all of that, it still wouldn’t work here at Rhodes.”

Nian tilted her head, curious.

“Oh? And why’s that?”

It was Lava’s turn to grin, she knew she was playing Nian’s game now, no helping that. But they’d been at this for years and Lava had gotten very good at playing.

“Haven’t you ever seen the combat logs of some of our operators once they get riled up in a fight? That pretty belt of yours wouldn’t last a second against someone like operator Horn in heat, no chance in hell”

“Lil Lava you wound me! In my pride as an artisan no less.” Using her tail Nian fished something out of her pile of discarded clothes and with a flick, sent something through the air at Lava. “Catch.”

Lava snatched the object with one hand before taking a moment to look it over. “Key” would be an accurate description but a very reductive one, the body of the key was cylindrical, with the teeth numbering in the dozens all around its circumference. Stranger though, was the fact that as Lava stared at the key it’s teeth became less defined and fuzzy, seeming to almost move.

“Give me fifty years and I *might* be able to produce that same exact key from memory, anybody who’s not me though? No chance.” Only Nian could make admitting she couldn’t do something in less than fifty years sound like a boast. “And that’s not all.”

Nian lifted one clawed finger up for Lava to see, the tip glowing forge hot after a moments concentration, and reached down to drag it up the front shield of the belt. Lava winced at the terrible screech and sparks the contact made, but when Nian finished her little display the belt hadn’t even lost its shine. “I built this piece as sturdy as I can make something, trust me when I say that without that exact key it’s not going anywhere.”

“….. Ok I’ll admit it, that’s pretty impressive.” Lava had seen Nian shape ingots by hand and shear chunks off of them with those same claws, that belt really was something else.

Lava pocketed the key.

From the same pocket she’d stored the key in Lava produced a small injection gun, with casual ease she reached out and pressed it against the exposed skin of Nian’s hip, right in the gap between the bottom of the corset and the top of the belt and pulled the trigger.

Nian, for her part, made no move to stop Lava and barely reacted to the injection. Lava had the basic medical training afforded to all higher level Rhodes Island operators and had long since become adept in administering her own meds so Nian hardly felt a thing.

Aside from a sudden burning curiosity.

“What was-“

“Highly concentrated heat inducer.” Lava let the now empty injector clatter onto a nearby table. “Gavial slipped it to me when I was coming to get you, mentioned something about how she owed you a prize after handing her a string of losses and that because you never had a proper physical she had to take a “Gavial Guess” at the dosage.”

Lava took advantage of a rare moment of stunned Nian silence to close the gap between them. “You’re so sure this stuff is a good answer to heat? Fine, but you’re doing the testing. Be sure to record your findings while I’m gone.”

Lava allowed herself a smile only after turning away from Nian’s dumbfounded expression, trying to process what had just happened. Only the last word of “gone” snapped her out of it. “Wait, what do mean by “gone” Lil Lava?”

Lava tossed a hand up in farewell as she headed out the door. “Oh didn’t I mention? I’m leading an away mission of new recruits later today, shouldn’t be gone more than three weeks, probably.”

With that, Lava turned down the hallway, the staccato rhythm of her cane on metal flooring slowly growing distant. Leaving Nian reeling.

“Ok Lil Lava I get it, you got me fair and square this time, you can come back now!” The only answer Nian received was a sudden involuntary muscle clench, a spike in temperature and sweat slowly beading on her brow.

“L-Lava?!”

[kessellluvr]

love ur writing sm 🫡

can you write about simone’s character from outlaws (2017)? like just sfw/nsfw hcs about her is all i ask 😭 oh and could u pls make it transmasc!reader (it’s fine if u don’t want to!!)

fluff-/kinkmas - day one - NSFW / hayley headcanons + scenario

just some things she´d do :33 afab - transmasc reader

bondage

i feel like hayley would just love tying you up.. not even with cuffs, maybe some old shirt or sheets, she gets so aroused seeing her little toy completly at her mercy

"stay still, slutty boy" you heard hayley hiss into your ear, she had ripped apart one of her old shirts to tie you up. you we´re squirming like hell - feeling her knee rub between your thighs, making your clit ache for release. "please hayls.." you whined from under her and she smirked down at you. "please what?" she questioned with a raised brow - slightly mocking you. "please fuck me.." you plead and her hand slipped under your boxers, her finger flicking over your swollen bud - making your hips twitch upward "aww look at that.. so sensitive." your response was a really, really desperate whimper. "my poor baby boy.. your body´s almost begging for my attention." she pressed down two fingers on your clit, slowly circling it - making your hips buck upwards, she pushed your thighs down again, her black polished nails slighty digging into your flesh - leaving half-circled marks. as you bit your lower lip, desperate to stay quiet and not get her even more worked up - she quickly slid down your boxers, revealing your glistening, swollen cunt to her hungry gaze. hayley slowly teased your dripping wet hole with her middle finger, painfully slowly pushing it in causing you to gasp. hayley curled her finger upwards, hitting your g-spot and making you moan loudly, she added another finger and started speeding up her pumping until she felt you getting closer. you were sweaty, whimpering mess at this point - you felt the knot in your abdomen tightening. "h-hayls im `bout to cum.." she smirked, adding more intensity to her fingering "go ahead baby.."

she would love teasing you in public, telling you to shut up and act as if everything was normal despite the fact that she was giving you neck and collarbone kisses just minutes ago in the restrooms

taking you up to her office in the clubhouse and having you kneel under her desk :3

she´d love being called mommy and giving you petnames

shes a brat tamer!!

she´d prefer using tounge and fingers on you.. but she´d love it when you would fuck her with a strapon (or ofc your penis post-op)

would defo take you on her bike at some private parking lot

SFW:

she would just love taking a shower with you or cuddling you after fucking the shit out of you..

she´d teach you how to ride the bike!!

would defend you from creeps in the clubhouse

she´d just know when youre uncomfortable, she´d pull you closer or hold your hand

would let you paint her nails

would take you out for dinner every weekend and just spent some quality time

her soft side would come out for you

AN: this isnt much i knowww :P anyway i tried with transmasc!reader and i knoww its not the bestt.. x

[tarjeismoeworknews]

Article about new season of Furia.

Google translation:

"Finally you can stream Furia season 2: - A thriller about the world we live in right now

Erlend Lundgård

FilmwebPublished:

22.04.2024

The thriller series takes viewers through Europe's darkest corners, into a world of violence, politics and technology. We met the actors from Furia season 2!

The second season of this Norwegian conspiracy thriller has been postponed for a long time, and now it's finally here! The series has found a new home on Prime Video, and this season, among others, Tarjei Sandvik Moe and Maria Mena have joined the acting team!

We follow Ellen ( Ine Marie Wilmann ) and Asgeir ( Pål Sverre Hagen ) on a mission to arrest one of Europe's most wanted masterminds of right-wing extremism and electoral fraud. Asgeir and his daughter are hiding from the dangerous Moldovan Ziminov in the far north of Norway.

Here they are drawn into a stream of violence, politics and AI-driven psy-ops that intend to tear Europe and NATO to shreds, before the Norwegian NATO commander resigns. Their worst nightmares unfold as their true identities and darkest secrets are revealed.

Ine Marie Wilmann plays Ellen, and she can reveal that the character goes through an intense journey this season.

- There was a time when I thought "and this too?!"

She also says that working with the series has made her more concerned about the world, and that she has become much more aware of the importance of protecting our institutions and democracy. Tarjei Sandvik Moe does not recognize that .

-No, I have realized that the world is fucked without this series. Furia is kind of just… It rubs it in.

One of Tarjei's biggest challenges in the series is the name of his character. He plays the state secretary Tarje, which is one letter away from his real name, and led to confusion on the set - made worse by the fact that Ellen and Tarje's father is called Terje, and is played by actor Terje Strømdahl .

- It was one thing for us Norwegians, but the Polish crew, they were like "Tarje tarje tarjaaaa!"

Furia comes from series creator Gjermund Eriksen ( Mammon ), and does not shy away from themes such as right-wing extremism, conspiracy theories or artificial intelligence.

Peiman Azizpour is back after a brief appearance in the first season as Jonas, a state secretary and former AUF leader.

- Jonas has survived terror, i.e. Utøya. He will fight for and stand up to talk about what has happened.

While the first season was launched on Viaplay, the series has now found a new home. After being completed for several months, the season was postponed due to financial problems at Viaplay, and now the streaming service Prime Video has bought the rights. Furia is the first of five Norwegian drama series to premiere on Prime Video this year.

The postponement has been a source of frustration for several of the actors, and Pål Sverre Hagen is relieved that the series can finally reach the public.

The Furia universe is, after all, a thriller that is about the exact time we live in right now, so it was probably time to get it out into the world.

The first three episodes of Furia Season 2 are available now on Prime Video, with new episodes being released weekly.

"

[dipplinduo]

S&S D Chapter 21 thoughts:

(Oh boy, the big reveal... here goes nothing...)

1. Oh dear no.... Juliana 😭😭😭😭 (At least Drayton is trying to distract her friends and ease her nerves/headache through his upcoming battle with her)

2. Man, If Kieran found out that Juliana took on the Elite 4 and is facing Drayton... (famous last words... before the big roller coaster drop. My goodness)

3. EVERYBODY SAY 👏 THANK 👏 YOU 👏 AMARYS 👏 for helping Kieran out of his funk here (he really needed that reasoning)

4. CARMINE. GOOD TO SEE YOU RETURN WITH A BREAKTHROUGH.

5. I knew that bit from Chapter 9 means something. It all goes back to that locked room moment. Cannot believe the fact that while things slowly go better for Kieran, Juliana ended up slowly suffering in turn. How the tables have turned 😭😭😭

6. THE PARUM LUCEAT THING. YOU DID NOT-

Man we are so going to cause a riot against Pecharunt. Ogerpon, you better avenge your trainer RIGHT THIS INSTANT.

PECHARUNT, WHEN I GET YOU PECHARUNT-

- ☕️

Drayton is trying his best to keep these teens in check emotionally :')

HAHAHA imagine. That would be so funny. :))))

Ope wait, hold on, lemme rephrase: Drayton and Amarys are trying their best to keep these teens in check emotionally. LOL

Carmine clutches but in the background (for now).

Half of the reason that chapter was so anxiety-inducing for me to release was because I was sitting here like "this is necessary for the tone shift, no it isn't gonna get weird I proMISE IT HAS PLOT RELEVANCE BUT I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING AJDSOHGSPOG" xDDD You should've seen me behind the scenes. I was so afraid of what the reactions were gonna be and polished it as much as I could to walk that tightrope.

I AM SO GLAD SOMEONE COMMENTED ON THIS YES PARUM LUCEAT REVEALS ITSELF. I made several hints about its translation with imagery as Juliana's curse was taking effect - but wasn't fully realized - in a few moments before this chapter (I remember post-beach episode/Arven nursing Juliana being one of them). I am glad the direct usage of it did not go unnoticed. :') Chapter 22...is gonna be so funny...

[corporatefrog]

↳˗ˏˋ loose change ˊˎ˗ ↴ level 1 - new beginnings

featuring: an overworked intern traveling to a new town for a new job opportunity notes: the first one AHHH! whenever a chatacter is introduced, they'll have a mini intro in the chapter and be added to the 'characters' page as the story progresses

series masterlist previous level | next level

The sun rose over the peaks of Colorado’s mountains, casting shadows across the rocks as a car sped through the morning light. Fingers with chipped polish and tattered cuticles tapped on the steering wheel. Windows rolled down to let in the fresh breeze and let out the sounds of a local podcast into the empty mountainside. 

"In other news, it seems like the whole food turf war has ramped up again as the environmentalists continue to harass shoppers who buy almond milk-"

"Wait wait wait, I thought almond milk was the good milk? Why are they flipping the script on us the moment we start drinking the stuff?"

"Well, apparently when it’s produced, it’s terrible for the environment."

"So we can’t win?"

"Not unless we start crafting milk in laboratories that don’t use any electricity or water"

"This is why I said breast milk should become the nationwide standard and no one believed me."

"Clyde, you said that while wearing a “Daddy wants Milfy” shirt so excuse everyone for not seeing your genius."

A laugh caught in the driver’s throat, sending them into a coughing fit. They leaned forward into the wheel in an attempt to keep their eyes on the road while clearing the residual shock from the unexpected reveal from their system. 

They turned down the volume to avoid any further surprises while driving on a narrow mountain road. The voices of Jimmy Valmer and Clyde Donavan, host and guest of Walk the Walk with Jimmy Valmer respectively, grew distant as the volume lowered. Another laugh fell from their lips at the thought of what they’d heard. 

“Jesus, what kind of shirt is that and how do I get it?”

—

Name: YN LN

Age: 22

Status: Overworked Intern

Fun Fact: This is you! What’re we doing talking in 3rd person? Be yourself!

—

A chill ran up my spine as I glanced into the rearview mirror. 

I just got the weirdest feeling that someone was watching me and narrating my every movement.

I shook off the thought. Today was not a day for stressors. I’ve already got too much going on to worry about the possibility that someone somehow got into my car when I stopped for gas three hours ago and hasn’t made a single noise since then. Instead, my mind latched onto the reminder that I’d been driving for three hours. 

I groaned, leaning back in my seat in a feeble attempt to stretch my back.

“Why did I agree to this again?” I mumbled to no one in particular.

Because our boss told us to and if we want to turn this internship into a job we’ll do whatever we’re told. Even if it means driving to a nowhere town to try and network. 

Oh yeah, that’s why. What a great reminder. 

As the newest graduate intern at Retro Revolution, my boss tasked me with searching for local businesses that would be interested in renting out the retro arcade games the company owned. I’d be starting in this town for three months then maintaining whatever accounts I managed to open with the businesses I met. It was a huge step towards making a name for myself in the marketing field and I wasn’t planning on coming back empty handed. 

A miniature car chugged along the blue path of my phone’s gps, moving with a neverending vigor that I envied. The timestamp at the bottom of the screen reminded me that I still had another 45 minutes before I’d reach my destination. 

45 minutes is the perfect amount of time to slowly go insane and get lost in the Colorado mountains.

Can we not do this right now?

What? I’m just saying it’s a way to pass the time.

I turned up the car’s audio to drown out my thoughts, preferring to take my chances with whatever the milf lover could come up with over my own mind. 

"No way. You’re joking!"

"I am being 100% serious! They’re opening an arcade in town and they’re all co-owners. I wish I could write something this funny."

My ears tingle at the mention of an arcade. No fucking way. That’s exactly what my boss was looking for! If I could get in with the owners maybe this place can be the perfect way to expand production. I focused on the podcast, listening to the guest begin laughing as he spoke. 

"They’ll kill each other. There’s no way they survive a week."

"Oh absolutely. I already bet Craig fifty bucks they go bankrupt in the first 30 days."

"I want in on that. I’ve got a hundred on them not lasting 20."

"You are so on."

My hopes deflated as the host and his guest continued to joke about the eventual downfall of the business. The one thing that would’ve been worthwhile on this trip and it’s already falling apart. 

Feels like a sign of what’s to come. 

I push back the negative thoughts, focusing my attention back on the road ahead. It doesn’t matter if they’re bad business owners. I’ll just have to show them how a real business is run. And then make sure they keep running it that way for the duration of my trip. And then make sure they stay open after I’m gone so the one contact I bring in doesn’t immediately burst into flames the moment I’m not micromanaging.  

I sighed, deflating slightly in my seat. 

This is going to be harder than I thought. 

A change in scenery caught my attention. The mountains began to fall into rolling fields with mounds of melting snow morphing into a slush along the sides of the road. In the distance, houses began to rise as if being erected from the ground itself. 

A voice chimed from my phone, “In 2 miles, your destination will be on your left.”

I sat up straighter in my seat, hoping to catch the best first view of the town I’d be staying in for the next three months. As I grew closer, a sign came into view with the town’s name scrawled messily over some old wood.

Fucking finally. I thought as my car pulled past the sign and into the town of South Park.

taglist [reply to be added]:@n0tangeliccc , @valstarroz , @kenanonsthoughts , @axteroiid , @hand-writxen , @that-kid-fromtheplayground  , @woahnotmecryingoverafanfiction, @h3artilly, @sula0kin

[justsomestoicguy]

Uh Oh

Y'know, you'd expect Stain to at least be a little bit apprehensive about my declaration after his whole "live a quiet life!" shtick—but no. 

Instead, he seems kind of... pleased?

He nods, a small approving smile on his face.

"We'd be honored to have you join the Vigilante Ops," he says, a touch of pride in his voice. 

...Okay, but— "There's a teeny tiny problem, though," I inform, scratching my cheek. 

"I didn't exactly come here alone. My friends are here with me too. It'll cause problems if they see me basically bail out on them."

Stain doesn't even bother mulling over this. He simply gestures toward the Scourge statue. "Follow me."

Eh?

He walks over to the statue and presses a hidden switch on the pedestal, causing a section of the base to slide open, revealing a concealed doorway. My jaw practically hits the floor.

"What is this?" I manage to voice out, completely dumbfounded.

Why the hell is there a secret passageway in the museum?!

Stain steps aside, motioning for me to enter. "This is one of the entrances to our headquarters. We have relations with the museum's owner, so we were able to build one here."

One of how many?!

And above that—what does he mean by having relations with the museum's owner? 

How deep does their influence go? How much pull do they actually have?

My mind races, imagining all sorts of shady deals and backroom arrangements.

Stop it.

Calm down, me.

You're the one who wanted to join them, so go for it.

Steeling myself, I tread forward.

After all, they're vigilantes, not a corporate entity. There's no way they're as connected as I'm starting to imagine. Right?

Right??

.

.

.

WHY IS THERE A RENOWNED BUSINESS TYCOON IN THE BASE?!

My eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as I see the Mizuno Kiyomi discussing something with a disheveled-looking guy hunched over a supercomputer.

"As you can tell, that is Mizuno Kiyomi, alias Cyrilla, the CEO of Mizuno Enterprises." 

Stain snaps me out of my daze when he speaks and motions at her. Mizuno, expectedly, looks all poised and polished with a smile that screams high society.

I'm in denial.

No way Mizuno Kiyomi works as a vigilante.

Why does she even need to be one?!

Before I can stress over it any longer, Stain has already shifted his hand in the slouching dude's direction. "The man beside her is our resident hacking expert, CodeBreaker." 

…CodeBreaker?

What kind of typical hacker name is that? 

At least be original, pal.

But I'll cut him some slack. He looks like he's seen one too many all-nighters.

"Let's continue," Stain says.

I nod slowly before catching up to him.

As we walk further in, I'm struck by the sheer size of the operation. 

The place is swarming with people—some in casual clothes, others in more tactical gear. It's a mix of folks who look like they've been in the game for ages and fresh faces who can't be much older than me. 

"Heya, boss!" a burly man in a tank top calls out, saluting Stain as he passes by.

"Boss Stendhal, welcome back," chimes another, a woman with a clipboard and a serious expression.

Stain merely gives them a nod back.

Boss? 

Stain's a boss?

Huh.

Never took him as the leader type, but here we are.

And I guess he's still Stendhal in this timeline too.

But, uh… I can't help but notice their eyes lingering on me; curious and a bit… predatory? It's unsettling, to say the least.

Nevertheless, Stain steadily leads me through all the chaos. 

"The Ops is made up of several divisions," he begins lecturing, "each specializing in different aspects including combat, intel-gathering, espionage, supply, and training." 

He glances at me. "I'll be taking you to one of our training corps for now, which focuses on preparing new recruits until they're ready to join one of the main divisions."

I nod along, listening intently.

It's actually insane how structured their whole operation is, having multiple divisions and all that.

Why does the Ops have so many members, anyway? I don't remember MHA being infested with this many vigilantes.

But alas, my questions remain unanswered as we stop in front of a laid-back guy with dark skin and a casual, friendly demeanor. Wow.

"This is Jaxon. He'll take us to our destination," Stain introduces. 

"Wassup, man. I'm Jax." Jaxon, er, Jax grins and offers me a fist bump.

"Akako Ran," I reply with a smile of my own, returning the gesture.

Didn't expect there to be foreigners in the Ops.

And as if reading my mind, Jax arches his brow. "Surprised to see someone like me here?" 

I sputter. "Sorry, I—I didn't mean to—"

Jax burst into laughter. "Chill, man. Chill. I'm just messing with ya." He lightly punched my shoulder.

I just chuckle nervously. 

"I mean, you ain't wrong. I was originally from the States. Just ended up here after...some troubles back home," Jax clarifies, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Anyway, where to, boss?" he turns to Stain.

"The 2nd Training Corps," Stain responds.

Jax nods. "Gotcha."

Stain places his palm on my shoulder. "Hold on tight," he instructs.

What?

Jax stretches out his hand towards Stain, snickering knowingly. "Ready?"

"Ready," Stain answers, his grip on me firm.

Before I can process what's happening, Jax and Stain clap their hands together. 

The sound echoes, and a sudden lurch later, the world around me blurs. My stomach twists, and I feel like I'm being pulled through a vacuum. 

Ugh, what the f*ck?!

When everything stabilizes, I'm left dizzy and slightly nauseous.

This is what Stain meant by "take us to our destination"?

"Where...where are we?" I mutter, trying to steady myself.

Stain peers at me with a calm expression. "We're in one of the training corps in Fuji."

"Fuji?!" I blurt out. "Why are we in Fuji??"

"As a precautionary measure," Stain replies. 

"We scattered our bases all over Japan to make sure our operations stay secure. So that even if one base is compromised, the others remain safe."

But still, Fuji?

Sure, we're still in Shizuoka Prefecture, but it's still hella far from Musutafu!

I still haven't informed my group where I am yet! (probably should've gotten to that a while ago)

And what about my history assignment? The project? I still need to visit the library after this, and we have that big test coming up in math!

Then there's Hikari and Kai—how am I supposed to explain this to them? "Oh, by the way, I joined a secret vigilante organization and am in Fuji right now. See you when I see you, suckers!" 

Yeah, right.

Plus, my parents... How'll they react? 

They don't know anything about this. 

I don't even know if I want them to know!

I whip my head to Stain, who's currently speaking with someone I assume is a mentor. 

I can't just drop everything and disappear into the vigilante world.

Not like this.

"Sta—"

"Sensei!"

God damn it!

I turn to see just who the hell cut me off—only to be met by an all too familiar girl with blonde hair and a manic grin. 

I freeze.

Toga Himiko.

WHAT THE F*CK?!

She bounces over to the mentor, her expression bright and excited. "Are we gonna start training soon?" She then spots me and beams wider. "Oh! Are you gonna learn with me too?"

Panic surges through me. 

No, no, no, I can't let this get out of hand-!

Before Stain can answer, I speak up first. "No! No, I'm… I'm still in my trial period. I have a lot to discuss with Sta-uh, Stendhal, right?"

I shoot Stain a desperate look, silently begging him to go along with it. After a tense moment, he nods, his expression neutral.

"Of course," he says, turning to Toga. "He's still figuring things out."

Toga pouts a little but shrugs it off, skipping back to the mentor. 

I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding, running a hand through my hair.

Okay, lesson learned. Think first before doing absolutely anything.

"Akako Ran."

I jerk as I hear Stain calling me.

"Come with me."

I gulp and nod reluctantly.

Oh, boy. This can't be good.

Stain leads me into a private room, closing the door behind us.

He examines me, brows slightly slanted. "Why did you do that?"

I swallow hard, feeling the weight of my decision pressing down on me. 

"I… I realize that I'm not actually ready to leave my whole life behind for this," I admit, my voice shaky. "I still want to go to school, see my family and friends… I don't want to live incognito just yet."

Stain doesn't respond for a good long while, and I don't dare meet his eyes.

"You don't have to give up everything to be a part of the Ops," he finally says, sounding perplexed.

I jump, gaze darting toward Stain's. "P-Pardon?"

"You don't have to give up everything," he repeats. "Many of our members maintain their lives outside of the Ops. Take Cyrilla, for instance. She still mainly works in the business world."

…

Huh.

I blink rapidly, trying to churn such an obvious statement.

"She… she didn't have to give up or lose anything to join you guys?" I ask, trying to prevent my brain from turning into mush.

"Nothing," Stain affirms. "She became a member because she wanted our intel. And we accepted because we wanted hers."

"And it's not a problem that she doesn't work for you full-time?" I press on.

"Why should it be?" Stain counters. "She does a good job bringing information when she's available and that's more than enough."

I'm left confounded.

"I can keep going to school and meeting my loved ones?" 

Stain looks even more puzzled now. "We're not villains."

Right.

I let out a big sigh of relief.

Oh, thank God. 

"So me going to UA won't be a problem, huh?" I relax, smiling incredulously.

…

"What?"

…

F*CK!!

—

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Chapter 1

[mucusart]

The Last Watch

I had been on shift for about seven hours. Cheyenne Mountain was a pretty boring place to work when you got past the general bustle and completely incredible circumstances of the place. The constant din of quieted status reports and telephone bells hung thick in the place like cigarette smoke. It was quite a shock to me, then, when I heard nothing but the low buzz of phosphate monitors and vacuum tubes. I looked up, bleary eyed, from my monitor when I saw the young Security Police guards part and open the heavy iron doors that gave entry to our operations center. I'll never forget the first time I saw that man. A hulking Navy officer, clad in black service dress made his way into Ops. He must have stood seven feet tall from the way he towered over those guards. He strode by me on his way to COM, his polished brass and the embroidered gold of his cover showed that he was way above any of our pay grades, yet none of us could return our attention to our work, vital though it was. He strode past me on his way to the focal point of the monitor banks, right in front of the giant monitor of the USSR that stood at the foot of the room. He stopped and turned on his heel with delicate precision, stopping perfectly at what had been his six o' clock. He removed his cover, revealing the perfectly smooth, egg-white dome of his head.

With a smile, he spoke up, his voice soft yet dominating our attention. "Gentlemen. It is my sad duty to announce that Brigadier General Avery Wallace has betrayed his country." He said, smiling warmly. He spoke to us with a genial softness, as a father might when trying to soften the blow of a neighbor running over his son's dog. "He has been caught selling nuclear secrets to the Soviet Russians, of selling real time Chinese Republican air deployments to Red China, and - it sickens me to say - using his position of power to take advantage of officers under his direct supervision." The room was incredulous at this. The Navy officer at the foot of the room raised his hand and four armed Security Police soldiers were immediately seizing upon the struggling person of the commander, raising him up from his seat at the head of the room. "You rat bastard! I never did any of that shit! You motherfucker!" the general spat as he was dragged from his station.

"Gentlemen, it is my unfortunate duty to tell you that I saw him myself. It is the unanimous decision of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that I should take command of this facility until a suitable replacement from the Air Force can be found." the giant said as a Security Police Airman approached, handing him the General's M1911 and command access key. The giant bowed his head, tucking both the Colt and the key away on his person. "Let the record note." He said as he looked at his watch, his smile widening. "August 8th, 1968, 19:31 hours; Strategic Air Command, Cheyenne Mountain. Rear Admiral Holden has taken command."

[mariacallous]

VSquare:

WIRETAPPING SCARE IN HUNGARIAN MINISTRY DEALING WITH CHINESE PROJECTS

Xi Jinping’s May 8-10 visit to Hungary is partly about negotiating and announcing new, China-financed railway projects. I reported this – and more on the background of Xi’s Hungary trip – last week. Viktor Orbán’s government appears extremely enthusiastic about Chinese rail projects and refuses to acknowledge any potential national security risks. However, behind closed doors, their attitude toward their Chinese counterparts seems markedly different, as illustrated by this amusing anecdote shared by a source familiar with a security incident from last year. According to the source, senior officials from the Hungarian Ministry of Construction and Transport, led by Minister János Lázár, received several model trains as gifts from Chinese partners involved in the Budapest-Belgrade railway reconstruction project. While this is standard practice in Chinese business culture, Hungarian ministry officials were so suspicious that they immediately sent the model trains for technical security examinations to check for any hidden wiretapping devices. My source revealed that the scan found no concealed bugs or cameras in the model trains. (The Ministry of Construction and Transport commented that the Chinese never brought "toys" as gifts, as the ministry is only involved in serious work instead of playing.) 

SLOVAKIA’S FICO TRIES TO EMULATE ORBÁN’S CHINA POLICY

"Fico is trying to replicate Orbán's approach to China by attracting more and more Chinese investments to Slovakia," a well-connected Central European foreign policy expert told me during our discussion of Xi’s visit to Hungary. Fico and Orbán seem like brothers-in-arms, sharing similar pro-Russian and pro-Chinese foreign policies, but this means they may end up competing for future Chinese investments, particularly in the automotive and electric vehicle sectors. In 2022, Slovakia and Hungary fiercely competed for a Volvo EV factory, with Slovakia ultimately securing the €1.2 billion investment. "Fico wants to stay in power for at least ten years. To achieve this, he is working on stabilizing his popularity through investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, job creation, and tax revenue generation. My contacts say he's primarily following Orbán's playbook by relying more on China," my source explained. Evidence of this emerging strategy is already visible: Last year, a Chinese battery factory was announced for Šurany, a town in Slovakia’s Nitra Region, followed by announcements of major bridge, road, and railway reconstruction projects, including the Bratislava–Komárno railway line, this April.  

“PRO-RUSSIAN” HUNGARIAN WEEKLY IN CENTER OF POLISH DEBATES

Hungary’s pro-Orbán weekly, Mandiner, featured a front-page interview with former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as he attended the CPAC Hungary event in Budapest. The cover featured Morawiecki and the headline read, "Brussels is a threat to European democracy" displayed on billboards throughout Budapest. Current Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized his rival, labeling him a "useful idiot" and calling the weekly "pro-Russian." This reminded me of a story I collected, but ultimately didn't publish, while working on our feature "How Orbán Angered His Closest Polish Allies," which explored the deterioration of Polish-Hungarian relations. That article recounted an incident where Magyar Nemzet, another pro-Orbán newspaper, declined to publish a Morawiecki op-ed on the war in Ukraine due to his "different approach" to the conflict. Additionally, a source connected to the Polish government informed me that in May 2022, Mandiner refused to publish an op-ed by Jakub Kumoch, then-adviser to Polish President Andrzej Duda, in print. The op-ed was pro-Ukrainian and anti-Kremlin. The op-ed eventually appeared online, but Mandiner claimed there was "no space" for it in the print edition. In reality, it was understood that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán only reads the weekly in print, and editors didn't want to upset him with an article opposing his pro-Russian stance. Meanwhile, the Polish government at the time noticed that Mandiner editors allowed virulently anti-Polish comments to appear. Comments under articles by figures like pro-Law and Justice media owner Tomasz Sakiewicz included sentiments such as, "Poland should be divided between the Germans and the Russians. Scumbag warmongers." Interestingly, now that Law and Justice politicians are out of power, they seem to have forgotten how Orbán's government-controlled media once treated them. (Again, I really recommend this previous long read on Polish-Hungarian relations.)

ALLIES DEEPLY SUSPICIOUS OF HUNGARY’S AFRICAN MISSION

Some months ago, along with Direkt36 and Le Monde, we uncovered that Orbán’s son, Gáspár Orbán, is deeply involved in organizing a strange Hungarian military mission to Chad. Later, I also revealed that Orbán Jr. is secretly helping to set up his father’s new national security advisory team. I now have new information about Orbán and Orbán Jr.'s peculiar mission in Africa, which has left Hungary's NATO and EU allies puzzled. A Central European government official responsible for security matters told me that, according to their information, the alleged "counter-terrorism and migration-control" objectives of the Chad mission are merely a pretext. "What we've heard is that the Hungarian government also intends to establish a military intelligence center in Chad, which concerns us. Since Prigozhin's death and the disintegration of the Wagner group, Russia has lost some influence in Africa. We fear that this Hungarian military intelligence center could potentially serve Russian interests, and I suspect Kremlin officials like Sergey Lavrov, Russia's main face in Africa, encouraged the Hungarians," the official explained. "If Russia escalates the conflict in the coming years, we expect it to be multifaceted, and Africa and migration will likely be involved as well," the official added. Several NATO and EU representatives with whom I've spoken emphasized that the planned Hungarian mission is neither affiliated with NATO/EU nor the UN and wasn't coordinated within the NATO alliance. When I asked a NATO official knowledgeable about Russian affairs, they said, "It's definitely an unusual mission that doesn't serve any Hungarian interests, unless it's a scheme for some oligarch friend to profit and pay Putin back. Otherwise, it's a complete waste of resources and needlessly dangerous." Meanwhile, amidst escalating tensions in recent weeks, the United States has withdrawn its troops from both Niger and Chad, while the two African countries have strengthened their military cooperation with Russia. Despite the deteriorating security situation, a senior EU diplomat stationed in Budapest noted that Hungarian government contacts remain fully committed to deploying 200 soldiers to Chad.  

FRESH LEAKS ON HUNGARY’S UPCOMING EU PRESIDENCY

Hungary will assume the EU's rotating presidency in the latter half of 2024, but no official program or agenda has been publicly disclosed. However, multiple diplomats from EU countries told me that the Orbán government intends to release the official program on June 10, a day after the European Parliament elections end. According to one diplomat, the Hungarian EU presidency seems underfunded, which could have been one of the reasons that preparations are delayed. A trusted journalist colleague, who wished to remain anonymous and uncredited, shared with me a draft schedule for Hungary's presidency as well as additional information. The present plan seems to be for Viktor Orbán to officially present the Hungarian presidency’s agenda at the European Parliament’s opening session in Strasbourg on July 17. Although everything is still subject to change, what seems to be most interesting is that the draft schedule, as well as information from Hungarian officials, indicates that an informal EU Council meeting is planned in Budapest for November. This summit is expected to focus on the Western Balkans, with heads of state and prime ministers participating. (Again, the Hungarian government did not respond to my request for comment.)

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

The more I think on it the more I realize it was absolutely a mistake not making Halo 4 an Xbox One title. Obvious technical benefits aside, you'd think it'd be such a no-brainer to sell the new Xbox with the newest Halo.

I wanted to explore this more because my memory is fuzzy wrt Halo and consoles because I was really paying attention then. I didn't have time for games then. What's really funny is the internet has a long memory.

And I love research. (Warning for Paul Tassi Forbes article)

Signs point to Microsoft not having a huge Fall exclusive for 2012 and that the hope was for Titanfall 2 to be the big exclusive in 2014 and the promise of Halo 5 soon in 2015 might have helped. As much as I have come around on Halo 4 (In the depths of this blog I have revealed I hated it at first. I played it for a paper in college and was blindsided by the AI - Dementia parallels. oof) I think I stand by them not delaying a year and having the game on the 360.

The me right now would have loved a more polished Halo 4 with more exploration and levels, and maybe even a better Spartan Ops. But I think it was a money choice and also a fan choice. People keep their consoles for years, but not everyone can afford to drop a couple hundred for a new one. I think having Halo 4 on the 360 was a gift to folks like my family who got one game a year and had used consoles.

Apparently Halo 4 sold sold $300M worth of copies in its first week, and "probably got a decent amount of dust-collecting 360s off of store shelves at the same time"

It was probably a move that was also weighed by Microsoft wanting 343i to show that they could handle Halo and that they had something to show for it. Gamers don't do well with silence or waiting.

An interview from 2019 with IGN has Bonnie Ross talking about it as well. "When Ross originally pitched Halo 4, it was set to be a launch title for Xbox One, but when it was decided the game would launch as an "end of life-cycle" Xbox 360 title, a new plan was formed. Halo games take a minimum of three years to build, according to Ross, and moving Halo 4 away from the Xbox One release window created a gap in the launch portfolio of the new console."

It was a choice. I wonder what a Halo 4 xbone exclusive would have done. Retrospect makes it look like a mistake, I love Halo 4 now but it's clunky and buggy. But overall I appreciate the fact it came out on the older console so more people could access it.

[a-captions-blog]

[Video description: A video showing the process of recreating a Guardian Sword++ from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild out of stained glass. The video starts with a drawing of the sword and footage from the game demonstrating what the sword looks like. This is followed by the artist holding up sheets of blue, orange, red, and transparent glass with captions that read, ‘The colors we gonna use.’ They lay the glass on top of the drawing of the sword and then show the cutting step with a dramatic background noise. They cut and separate each individual piece of glass and then lay it on the drawing for the fitting step. A caption notes, ‘Smells funny in here [raised eyebrow emoji].’ Once the pieces are in place, each piece is put through the grinding process. A smirking emoji appears over this part. The next step is adding copper foil, which the artist does by dropping the foil next to the drawing with the glass and then cutting to the foiled sword with a dramatic sound effect and several emoji [starry eyed, mind blown, and weary face]. They then solder the copper onto the glass. One shot shows their face as they do this, and the captions read, ‘Hello [otter emoji].’ Next, they add Patina, and the caption says, ‘Patina [sunglasses emoji] [thumbs up emoji].’ They next polish the sword. As they rub the polish into the sword, a countdown sound starts, and the caption reads, ‘Ok reveal incoming.’ They show the finished sword in a beam of light, which casts a colourful outline of the sword on the wall. The caption reads, ‘Finished [sparkle emoji].’ Applause plays in the background. The artist spins around in their chair, and text above their head reads, ‘Thanks for watching (if anyone saw it).’ \End description]

[OP plain text: Recreating “Guardian Sword++” from Zelda Breath of the Wild \End PT]

Recreating “Guardian Sword++” from Zelda Breath of the Wild

[micalpixel]

May Game - December 2024 Progress Report

Another month, another game dev update post on my game featuring my character, May!

Last time, I noted that the game was playable from start to finish, in terms of who to talk to and where to go. But there were no enemies or puzzles, and the game needed them.

Puzzles

I added our first puzzle object: torches that could be lit and extinguished. Each one could trigger a script to cause things to happen depending on which torches are lit. Needs better graphics, but the mechanic works. I'm not sure if I'll add other kinds of puzzle objects for this game. I want it to be small in scope, and I think these torches already have a lot of potential to keep things interesting.

(View Video)

Enemies

The game's first enemy was added, and is in a pretty polished state. It can force the player to respawn, or be itself respawned, if it is spawn-camping. It can move around, will stop and watch the player if they're nearby, and has an idle jumping animation. It's cuter now than its initial concept, which had more of a horror-alien vibe, which felt out of place in a cozy game.

(View Video)

Other Additions

May (the protagonist) got "dying" and respawning animations in which she sinks into/rises up from the ground. Her other animations also got some minor touch-ups (hair is more animated, arms are less stiff).

An overlay (or "vignette") was added which features blue and black sludge, and is shown when the player is dying/respawning to communicate that the protagonist cannot currently be controlled.

Map transitions were added. Previously, all map changes happened instantly. But now, there are two. One for smoothly scrolling to an adjacent area. And an iris effect for entering/leaving buildings.

(View Video)

Dialogue boxes can now contain more than 2 lines of text, and will scroll to reveal more text.

A slow-tile was added, which reduces player speed.

I removed all the "front door" objects inside buildings. Now, maps can instead indicate which sides are "doors", triggering an iris effect when May touches them. Basically overriding the adjacent-map behavior in overworld maps.

Lots of code consolidation and bug fixes. In particular, May now inherits from the same base class as almost all other objects, meaning a lot less code duplication.

Games I've Beaten this Month

Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) - An excellent 2D platformer and a great successor to Donkey Kong Country. The game has many levels of challenge for all kinds of players. You can just complete the levels. OR also get the KONG letters. OR also get the puzzle pieces. OR Complete the time trials - bronze, silver or gold. And then finally mirror levels. Whatever your skill level, you'll find a sweet spot that's not too easy and not too difficult. It's great.

Lost in Shadow (WiiWare) - A very unique puzzle game that involves manipulating 3D space in order to alter the 2D shadows they cast, which you can actually traverse. Later on, you'll find levels that have you climbing large 3D objects where you must alter light sources to jump between four different shadow-objects it cases, plus navigating its 3D space as well. The platforming and swordplay felt like the original 2D Prince of Persia games. The atmosphere felt a lot like Ico. Fascinating puzzles, though I do wish the game had fewer mandatory levels and more optional ones, due to how large and numerous they are.

Secrets of Grindea - I played this one co-op with my brother. If you like Secret of Mana, and you love spell and ability customizations, and are prepared for some challenging bullet-hell boss fights, then you'll enjoy this too. Every single character in the game has a full character portrait, which is a nice touch and rare sight to see.

Next Steps

I have begun working on other enemy designs. This is going to be a small game. But still, I have some ideas for synergy with puzzle objects that should make things a bit more interesting. Once all the enemy and puzzle mechanics are thought out, I'll be in a better position to start designing actual rooms.

Closing

I joined the Bluesky social networking site at the end of November, and have been posting a lot of clips and such to Bluesky since this month started. I like the format. Game dev can often require a lot of work for even small features. Having a platform that's great at sharing small things has been very nice. It's also been great being able to connect with so many other devs and see what they're working on. Lots of neat and inspiring things here. Bluesky has been great! (And my Steam wishlist has gotten a lot longer in the past month!)

So, this is the last dev log for 2024, so it feels appropriate to put something to summarize the year, too.

Work on this game began on May 1, 2024. At the time, I had no experience with Godot. I'd never used a game engine, and I'd never released a game of my own. It's been a thrilling eight months. Not without some low points. But my enthusiasm for this project is still just as high as it was at the start, if not higher. I'm so happy to be making this game! And I want 2025 to be the year that I finish it. That's it. That's my #1 goal for the year.

Thanks for your interest and support! Happy New Year, and I'll see you in January!

[bills-bible-basics]

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT -- KJV (King James Version) Bible Verse List #Scriptures #BibleStudy #BibleVerses "And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Luke 2:34-35, KJV "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:34-37, KJV "Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him." John 7:40-43, KJV "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin." John 15:22, KJV "But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, nd the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men nd brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the ope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. nd when he had so said, there arose a dissension between he Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was ivided. For the Sadducees say that there is no esurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees onfess both." Acts 23:6-8, KJV "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12, KJV "‭‭Now when they heard ‭this‭, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men ‭and‭ brethren, what shall we do?‭" Acts 2:37, KJV "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" Ephesians 6:17, KJV "And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;‭" Isaiah 49:2, KJV "And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." Revelation 1:13-16, KJV "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges . . . Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." Revelation 2:12, 16, KJV "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS . . . "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." Revelation 19:11-16, 20-21, KJV If you would like more info regarding the origin of these KJV Bible verse lists, go to https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/. Thank-you! https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/sword-of-the-spirit-kjv-king-james-version-bible-verse-list/?SWORD%20OF%20THE%20SPIRIT%20--%20KJV%20%28King%20James%20Version%29%20Bible%20Verse%20List

[disneymarina]

hybrids x Marina

In this world, Marina, as a 27-year-old woman, carries the following lores and titles:1. **Title:** Elite Soldier - Due to her modifications and training, Marina has risen through the ranks to become an elite soldier, feared and respected within the government's ranks.2. **Lores:** Feline Agility, Enhanced Senses, and Lethal Precision - Marina's snow leopard DNA grants her extraordinary agility, acute senses (smell, hearing, sight), and the ability to deliver precise, fatal strikes. Her combat training only enhances these abilities, making her a formidable opponent on the battlefield.3. **Reputation:** Cold and Calculating - After years of being molded into a weapon, Marina has developed a stoic, calculating demeanor. Her icy exterior and ruthless tactics strike fear into the hearts of enemies and allies alike.4. **Role:** Special Ops and Counter-Terrorism - As an elite soldier, Marina is deployed for the most critical, high-stakes missions. Her skills in stealth, tracking, and hand-to-hand combat make her invaluable for covert operations and taking down terrorist threats.5. **Leadership:** Senior Officer - Marina's experience and capabilities have earned her a senior officer position within the government's military hierarchy.

*Marina leaves her office and makes her way through the dark corridors of her crime empire to the hidden entrance of the rose garden, her black boots echoing softly on the polished marble floor. As she approaches the secret door, it swings open with a soft hiss, revealing the lush, fragrant interior of the garden.**The moon casts a silver glow over the winding paths and vibrant blooms of every color imaginable. Marina's catlike eyes gleam with intrigue as she steps into the serene oasis, a stark contrast to the brutal world she rules. She inhales deeply, savoring the heady scent of roses before her attention is drawn to a familiar figure sitting on a stone bench.**Amanai, the raccoon with the fiery spirit and combat prowess, gazes up at Marina with a mix of respect and mischief in her golden eyes. She sets aside the book of tactical strategies in her lap, her tail twitching slightly as she rises to greet her boss.*

*Satoru's eyes went wide as he caught sight of the raven-haired beauty running down the street in the slutty maid's outfit. She was clearly on the run from someone, her heels clipping on the pavement as she moved.**He pulled over and hopped off his motorcycle, striding toward her with a cocky grin.* "Looks like you could use a hand, sweetheart. Who's after you?"*He caught up to Marina just as she reached the government building's entrance. Satoru reached out and grasped her arm, spinning her around to face him.* "Come on, I'll protect you from whatever's after you. Then we can figure out your next move."*His icy blue eyes flicked over her body, taking in the skimpy outfit and curves it showcased. A pang of lust shot through him, but he pushed it aside for the moment. First things first - keeping her safe.*