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wangxianficfinder · 7 months ago

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In the mood for...

March 28th

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1. Hi... Is there any wangxian fic in the potter world that you can recommend? I'm open to any fic, tags, dynamics etc.

Thanks in advance for answering my question. ☺️💕

are you asking for fics where characters make clay things or a Harry Potter fusion/crossover?

love potion no. 9 by ria_green (G, 2k, WangXian, Hogwarts, Oblivious WWX, Fluff and Humor, Amortentia, Patronus, Love Confessions, Fusion, POV Outsider, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions)

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2. hi do u hv outsider pov fics for wangxian like pls recommend all the ones u hv ty

the world is but a stage for the two of us by MandMandM (Not Rated, 10k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Established Relationship, Shameless WangXian)

what builds a home by Stratisphyre (T, 46k, WangXian, MY & WWX, Canon Divergence, Adopted WWX, POV Multiple, warning for JGS behaving exactly as expected, child endangerment, Brother Feels, Minor Character Death)

he sang about the stars by nenyanaryavilya (M, 29k, LXC & LWJ, WangXian, Brotherhood, Growing Up Together, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Canonical Character Death)

Su She Eats his Heart Out by KizuKatana (T, 16k, wangxian, modern, Guest-starring the belated but incendiary sexual awakening of LWJ, 3rd person pov, SS is hyperfixated on LWJ, LWJ does his best to pretend SS doesn't exist, WWX isn't even pretending he really doesn't notice SS exists, MM exists and is awesome, implied offscreen wangxian sex)

rerun from the outside by Eicas (T, 2k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time travel, Crack, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, JC POV)

🔒 born under unlucky stars by RoseThorne (M, 1k, JZX & MXY, JZX & QS, WN & WQ, WWX & WQ, WangXian, Canonical Character Death, Ghosts, Souls, Implied/Referenced Sex, Brotherly Love, Anger, Spells & Enchantments, MXY Deserves Better, Revenge, POV MXY)

love - all by vastlyunknown (M, 18k, WangXian, Modern AU, Tennis AU, Time jumps)

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3. Fo you have ploty fics? Fics where the romance or relationship part isn't much in the front just a background thing in the story. I'm looking for fics where plot is given more priority. No modern au please.

We Meet at the Thousandth Step by Admiranda, Rynne (T, 258k, wangxian, CSSR/WCZ, WIP, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, CSSR & WCZ Live, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Different First Meeting, Night Hunts, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Strangers to married, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Everyone Lives AU, Developing Relationship, Minor Violence, Case Fic, Mystery, Flirting, WWX's Canon-Typical Flower Flirting, Arson, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, First Kiss, Meeting the Parents, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, WWX Is a Good Big Brother, New Relationship Bliss, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Blood and Injury, Yiling siblings) Wei Ying & Lan Zhan's relationship develops as the story goes on (it hasn't been a huge focus yet) but it's plot-driven with case studies.

Bitter Plants Bearing Sweet Fruit by Kryal (T, 83k, wangxian, canon-typical horror elements, Worldbuilding, Desert, Misuse of Historic Setting, Original Character Death(s), Case Fic, aftermath of canon, Established Relationship, Nothing Explicit But Shameless Innuendo)

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4. Fo you have any fics where wwx has a personality like he has in twelve moons and a fortnight by Stiltonbasket ? People love making wwx shameless in their fics , but they make him shameless by today's time standards, which is pretty annoying and actually qi divination inducing, but in the novel wwx was shameless by the then time standards.

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5. hi an itmf request for fics similar to stolen fruit is the sweetest by mondengel. thank you so much for your hard work 🫡

A Baby Dragon’s Guide To Seducing Your Huli Jing by sweetlolixo (M, 102k, wangxian, fantasy au, dragon LWJ, fox WWX, younger LWJ, older WWX, fluff, humor, happy ending) Im not sure what theyre looking for in terms of similar but heres a few w a shameless Lan Zhan

Beautiful mess, a colourful wreck by covalentbonds (Not rated, 12k, wangxian, modern, rule 63, fluff & humor, mild smut, childhood friends, first meetings, evil vending machines)

a quest (for kisses) by kyoongs (G, 4k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Fluff, Humor, WWX being shameless WWX we love it, a little angst in the middle but squint and it's fluff again, kisses!! lots of kisses!!, wangxian are MARRIED and they have a SON)

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6. fic recs on wwx getting his old body back? thank uu

Wei Wuxian keeps / gets his OG body

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7. favourite bottom wwx fics? thanks ❤️

Closer than my hands have been by Spodumene (E, 5k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, rough sex, dom/sub undertones, consensual non-con, hair-pulling, face-fucking, bondage, spanking, cock slapping, jealousy, top drop)

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8. Hey there! I was wondering if you had recs for fics similar to Harmony between a qin and se by Alaceron. Ta!

Hey! I was #8 on the March 28th ITMF. The recs were wonderful! To clarify since you asked, I was looking for anything in with similar flavour, I did not think historical au, het wangxian, or non cultivation au were the core themes 🤦‍♂️

I was going by the feel of it, which is a tricky way to find fics. Must say you were spot on with Stilton's WIP. Thanks again!

does op mean like, historical setting with no cultivation or like.... het!wangxian? Wwx being successfully scheming? Anyways, here's a few I THINK op might like

When the Hills Are All Flat, and the Rivers Run Dry by stiltonbasket (G, 5k, WIP, WangXian, Historical, Royalty, Female WWX, Emperor LWJ, Identity Shenanigans, Parents LWJ and WWX, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Humor, Love at First Sight, Happy Ending, Female LXC, Gender Changes)

The Lost Prince by hmmmmmmmm (E, 40k, WangXian, Royalty, Historical, No Powers, Bottom LWJ, Slow Burn, Prince WWX, Oral Sex)

❤️ nightingale Series by Moominmammashandbag (M, 62k, WIP, WangXian, XuanLi, LQY/JC, Pseudo-History, No power AU, Empires, Discussion Of Murder, aftermath of war, prisoner exchange, Grief/Mourning, LWJ POV, Angst, Emperor JZX, Imperial Advisor LWJ, widower LWJ, JYL is the Empress the world deserves, Happy Ending, POW WWX, Reunions, Fluff, Smut, Dysfunctional Family, Poetry, BAMF LWJ, emotional support goat, poetry as a weapon, Injury Recovery, Rehabilitation, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Body Image, Self-Esteem Issues, Married Life, Domestic Fluff, Childbirth)

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9. hii for itmf do you have any recs for fanfics from lan jingyi pov? could be with jingyi/jin ling but not necessarily just not with any other junior ship (smth like best friends forever by varnes)

tysm<;3 @r3n-vy

❤️ The One-Body Problem by metisket (T, 29k, LJY & WWX, LJY & LSZ, wangxian, possession, cohabitation, Mojo’s bookmark)

🔒 blue flies buzzing by RoseThorne (T, 2k, JL & LJY & OYZZ & LSZ, JC & WWX, wangxian, LSZ & WWX, LSZ & LWJ, LSZ & LXC, Gossip, Rumors, Mentioned Wen Remnants, Sect Leader Yao Bashing, JC & WWX Reconciliation, NHS is a Little Shit, POV LJY, POV Third Person, Threats, Justice, Cultivation Discussion Conferences, LWJ is LSZ’s Parent, LJY Being LJY, Podfic Welcome)

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10. Hi, i've seen how you help people find fanfictions and all, i was wondering if you can help me find a good Wangxian personality swap Au, if your up to it? Thank you

there is a fic where Lan Zhan was named Wei Wuxian, and Wei Ying was named Lan Zhan, which is the closed I've seen to a personality swap. I will look for it, but if anyone knows it, pls post the link! Also, there is a body swap fic, where they took on hints of each others personality. in that Wei Ying was hornier, and Lan Zhan was more ADHD coded , I'll have to look for that one too. I decided to comment in case I don't find any of these but someone else knows

Call Me By Your Name by DizziDreams (E, 52k, WangXian, Modern AU, America, University, Smut, Dubious Consent, Misunderstandings, Masturbation, Semi-Public Sex, Edging, names have been swapped, Mutual Pining, Pining while fucking) I think the first fic that was suggested for #10 (where lwj and wwx have each other's names) is the modern AU

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11. ur fav dad fics where wwx or lwj raises a-yuan? especially modern? thank uuu

my little love by mellowflicker (T, 54k, WangXian, Modern AU, Single Parent WWX, kindergarten teacher!lwj, Kid Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Pining)

The stuffed bunny, the beautiful nephew, and other gifts from Lan Qiren by deliciousblizzardshark (G, 8k, LQR & WWX, wangxian, Modern, Single Parent WWX, Good Uncle LQR, Accidental Uncle Acquisition, Found Family, Fluff)

box your errors by mellowflicker (T, 42k, WangXian, Modern AU, single dad lwj, Domestic Fluff, Family Issues, Slow Burn, Kid Fic, let lwj have friends agenda, Hurt/Comfort, Pining)

Single Parent Lan Wangji / Single Parent Wei Wuxian

🧡 paint smears on sunny days by SnowshadowAO3 (E, 53k, WangXian, Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Everyone Is Alive, Modern AU, Dadji, Mutual Pining, Happy Ending, Brief Alcohol Mention, Masturbation, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Accidentally co-parenting with your son's art teacher, Fatherhood)

Where’s Your Emergency? by trippednfell (M, 64k, WangXian, 911 Dispatcher WWX, Single dad LWJ, Kid fic, Modern AU, D&D Games, Angst with a happy ending)

Come Around and Stay by trippednfell (M, 160k, WangXian, NieLan, Slow Burn, Kid Fic, Found Family, Modern AU, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, PTSD, Blood and Injury, Dissociation, Angst with a Happy Ending, Musicals, POV Alternating, Baking, Yunmeng reconciliation (eventually), Friend Zoning, Literal Sleeping Together, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks)

for you, andante by xuanxuanwo (ostentatiouslyrealistic) (T, 35k, WangXian, Modern AU, Music, Musicians, Pianist LWJ, Guitarist WWX, Kid Fic Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Existential Crisis, Unrelated JGY & QS, Friendship, Romance, Light Angst, Happy Ending)

💖 The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 71k, wangxian, modern, accidental baby acquisition, slow burn, pining, [Podfic of] The Simplest Way Forward by knight_tracer)

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12. heyyy admins! what are some of your favorite wwx and junior fics?

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13. ITMF white haired wwx!!

🔒归心似箭 | Longing to Go Home by dragongirlG (M, 7k, LSZ & WWX, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Aging, Aged WWX, Grief/Mourning, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Diaspora Feels (displacement), Dramatic Irony, Secret Identity, Pining, Brief Reference To Suicidal Thoughts, Hopeful Ending, [Podfic] 归心似箭 | Longing to Go Home by Koontyme)

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14. (ITMF) Thanks so much for all that you do! I've just finished rereading And Miles To Go Before I Sleep by glitterbombshell and I've got a hankering for more LWJ vs LXC or Lan comeuppance or even Lan bashing (I have checked that tag). I'm craving Lan angst (even LWJ as long as WWX ends up happy). Bonus if we see them suffer (vs LWJ just going nutso and killing everyone off screen). Thank you, thank you. 💕💕 @ck90

🔒💖 When has silence saved anyone? by Vrishchika (T, 6k, wangxian, LSZ & WWX & LWJ, post-canon, LXC critical, family feels, angry LWJ & LSZ, LXC gets scolded)

this blood in my mouth by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 3k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX & LWJ, Post-Canon, POV LXC)

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15. hiii itmf idol x fan wangxian aus preferably idol!wwx but the opposite works as well @nalalie

All My Songs I Wrote to Find You by Winxhelina (T, 8k, wangxian, Social Media, Bullying, Immortal WangXian, Scheming NHS, Musicians, Explicit Language, Kissing, Making Out) a bit of a twist as they're immortals who got separated in this one

The Ties that Bind Us by Dyapaya (G, 10k, wangxian, JC & WWX, JYL/JZX, JC/NHS, Idols AU, idol WWX, fanboy LWJ, College/University, Modern, Obsessive Behavior, Misunderstandings, Twitter Fic, Stalker)

If I Can't Have You by Leffy (E, 47k, wangxian, Modern, Actors AU, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, Slow Burn, Intercrural Sex, Frottage, Masturbation, Blow Jobs)

time of fate is passing; or: The Great and Lonely Fudanshi; or: How Lan Zhan Defeated Heterosexuality and Learned to Love Again by verseau (E, 9k, WangXian, Modern AU, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Fandom Allusions & Cliches & References, Don't Take Seriously, Idol WWX, Fudanshi LWJ)

The Brightest Star In His Sky by Liebing (M, 5k, WangXian, Modern AU, Idol LWJ, past relationship, Break Up, Angst, Mutual Pining, Fluff, soft, Happy Ending, Background XiYao, idol MY, WWX POV, Background ChengQing, pregnant WQ, Making Up, concert setting, Song writer WWX, LSZ is an unseen matchmaker, Jealous WWX, Hand Jobs, Kissing, Love Confessions, Dominant LWJ, Soulmates)

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16. I just read “a grave is all too weak a thing by Reverie (cl410)“ and now I’m hungry for multi-chapter fics with a similar premise. Does anybody know of anymore fics where others (this one has Jin Ling’s parents & Wen Qing) were resurrected along with WWX? (Like this one has them in their og bodies and even clothes so I guess their resurrections followed Untamed rules) And if no one can find any, please use this as a prompt. (The ficlet is in a prompts playlist anyway) @omgnectarina

a bird in your teeth by Eevee (ChaosBitch) (E, 61k, JYL/XY, wangxian, Let XY have nice things, Let JYL get some good dick, (sorry JZX I know you did your best), Past JYL/JZX, Past JYL/MM, All of the sex in this fic is consensual, But one of the participants IS a fierce corpse, JYL POV, Minor Character Death, I feel like this fic turned out surprisingly soft, but XY still does some onscreen murders, Implied/Referenced Torture, Mention of JGS's canon behavior, Mentions of XY's canon behavior, Also Wangxian is not the main pairing, but they're definitely here and stupider in love than ever, Angst, past XY/JGY, Hopeful Ending) This has XY bringing JYL back as a fierce corpse & WWX getting resurrected earlier than in canon. Not sure if it quite fits the request, but it involves someone other than WWX being resurrected, so I'm throwing it in

the problem with authority by isabilightwood (M, 139k, WangXian, JYL/WQ, QS & JYL, Canon Divergence, Sacrifice Summon, only the summoner sticks around, slightly dark JYL, WQ lives, Slow Burn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chronic Pain, Mild Sexual Content, Switch Wangxian, WWX has to be resurrected & LWJ find out before they can interact, but there’s plenty of wangxian once they do, manipulative relationship) different summon followed by eventual wwx summon.

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17. Hello, I’ve never asked this blog something before but I believe this falls under the “In the Mood for a Fic” catagory?

Any fics where it shows Lan Zhan’s pov as he realizes that Wei Ying has returned (hearing him play Wangxian)? @xinilia

🔒The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks (E, 67k, WangXian, Minor canon divergence, Angst, POV LWJ, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, semi-verbal!LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide) The events of the novel from LWJ's pov

🔒 a song of joy and regret by RoseThorne (G, <1k, wangxian, longing, grief/mourning, regret, crying, devotion, resurrection, dreams, angst, LWJ pov)

🔒 Season of Resurrection by Pyrrti (G, 1k, wangxian, pre-relationship, reunions, sky children of the light fusion, multiple POV, LSZ pov, LWJ pov, WWX pov)

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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mudhamster · 10 months ago

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CHWHWN: 28. December - " 4 days left"

The holidays were a whirlwind of Kacchan's snarky relatives with lots of opinion, way too much food, and mulled wine in the backyard.

It was nothing like the quiet atmosphere he used to share with his mother in the days between Christmas and New Year's. They usually did puzzles, watched TV reruns, or went for walks in the snow. At no time did he feel the urgent need to leave the room to catch his breath.

But with Kacchan, from the moment he set foot in the kitchen as the new odd guy, it was a state of exception. Kacchan fit into the picture like one of a dozen noodles in a pot, but he stood out like the only spinach-flavored fusilli, if you knew what those looked like. Izuku didn't really know why, but it seemed like everyone in this house wanted to meet him. He could tell the difference between Masaru's side of the family and Mitsuki's side of the family by the sheer ferocity with which his hand was shaken. Regardless of the eyes.

At the of the first day, he felt like an over-announced surprise guest who was nothing but a disappointment in the end. (Even if everyone kept telling him how sweet he was). And the uncle, the 'useless' uncle who slept in the guest room, was not useless at all in his opinion. Sure, he didn't design designer clothes or coach the upper class on the latest superfoods or diets… he was 'just' the boss of a giant fast food chain...?!

On the second day of Christmas, when the atmosphere was a little quieter because it was mostly Masaru's relatives sitting around the campfire, Izuku thought for the first time how it would be to actually be here together. How it would make him feel. To be a fully accepted part of the family. To sit around the fire and roast marshmallows as Kacchan's partner every year. Not to burst with emotion when Kacchan brought him a second pillow from inside, seeing that he was cold despite being so close to the fire. He was ready to go all out if the slightest chance presented itself.

Today was Thursday, the second day that the house was empty because everyone was back at work. The uncle had left as well… but the futon (which didn't smell like death, by the way, but rather like antique lavender oil) was still lying next to Kacchan's bed. They could have put it away, but it made sense to sit on it in the evening and watch all the All-Might interviews Kacchan's parents had recorded over the years. And whether it seemed possible or not, there had been two so far that Izuku hadn't known.

At the moment, Izuku was sitting in the kitchen reading the newspaper when he heard Kacchan stomping down the stairs. He had a training appointment with Eijirou in a little over an hour, as exemplary as he was.

He heard the classic groan of the handrail as Kacchan skipped the last few steps and jumped straight into the hallway outside the kitchen door, pushing an empty cup next to the coffee pot. Kacchan burst through the door and shot him a smirk when he spotted him at the table. "Anything interesting?" With a hidden smile, Izuku watched as Katsuki poured himself a cup of coffee and slid into the chair opposite him. "Nope. But they've published a calendar of events for New Year's." The newspaper was snatched out of his hand and turned once. While Katsuki skimmed over the listings, Izuku lowered his face into his hand and silently watched as he burned the tip of his tongue on the fresh coffee. Another tiny memory that would burn itself into the corners of his brain forever. Just like the time they spent together in the evening. Or when Mitsuki burnt the crème brûlée at the last moment and kicked them both out with far too much money to buy a replacement dessert. It had been a turbulent few days, but he had never been as happy as he was here with Kacchan. "So, Shrine?" Kacchan asked across the table, turning back the newspaper and marking the shrine he had obviously chosen with a tiny burn mark, "You and me?" He let his eyes wander over the display and took a deep breath. The shrine he had chosen was much more traditional than the one on the outskirts of the city center. They would have to travel some distance out of the city and into the mountains. "What about the rest of your family?" "They come too. Someone has to drive, or do you think I'll take the train in this outfit? Tch." Ah, the outfit. Izuku had thought it was some kind of advertisement… but in fact, the people in front of the shrine among the snowy trees and mountains were exceptionally… colorful. "Do you even have a kimono?" "N-no," he replied, and Kacchan sank back into the chair, his lips curled into a thoughtful pout. Izuku flipped a page, back to the local shrines, and handed the paper back to Kacchan, "I've only ever been normal…" "You've never been inside, to the altar?" …To the altar. Ugh. "No." "Hm." Izuku was burning with curiosity. What kind of altar? But Kacchan closed the newspaper, dumped the rest of his black coffee into the sink and saluted him before leaving him to wonder alone in the kitchen.

#bkdk #mha #bakudeku #izuku midoriya #boku no hero academia #deku #fanfiction #fluff #kacchan #chwhwn #bakugou katsuki #ao3 #ao3 fanfic

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imagineteamfreewill · 2 years ago

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softly, gently, falling

Title: softly, gently, falling

Pairing: Castiel x Reader

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: Mentions of a bad day at work

Square Filled: First Snowfall

Trope Completed: Comfort Fic

Summary: After a long day at work, Y/N returns home to Cas, who’s waiting to make her feel better.

A/N: This is a submission for the 2022 SPN Christmas Bingo (@spnchristmasbingo)and fulfills Trope #19 in my 25 Days of Tropes series! I am determined to finally finish this trope list after several years of avoiding working on it. I hope you all enjoy.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

25 Days of Tropes Masterlist

“What do you need?” he asked.

You shrugged under the blanket Cas had draped around you immediately after you’d curled up on the couch. “A new boss? More food? Quitting?” You sighed and leaned your head against his shoulder. “I don’t know, Cas. It was just a bad day, you know? I don’t know what exactly will make it feel better. I just want it to be over.”

Right now, everything and nothing sounded like the best solution ever to your horrible day. You were so exhausted that you could barely keep your eyes open on the drive home. Customers had been coming in droves, and none of them were even the slightest bit thankful for your help. Not even your boss had thanked you today, despite the fact that you’d gone above and beyond. The only thanks you’d gotten was an hour’s worth of overtime pay, but that was nothing compared to what you deserved after a day like today. Thankfully, Cas had dinner waiting when you arrived home, and now you could spend what little remaining energy you had on him.

Sighing again, you snuggled closer to him and cradled your bowl of soup between your thighs. He adjusted his arm and the blanket so that you were still kept warm as you moved, and you smiled a little. No matter how long you’d been together, his thoughtfulness never failed to make you feel a little giddy inside. Castiel had a way of making you feel special. The blanket he’d chosen was one of your favorites, as was the soup, and you knew that if you even mentioned it, he’d be able to pull one of your favorite desserts out of the kitchen. He probably even had one of your favorite movies on standby if you wanted to watch something together.

“It is over,” he reminded you, and you hummed in agreement. “And now we have the weekend together. We can sleep in tomorrow, and then we can do whatever we want.”

“Yes, we can.”

You smiled a little more. The two of you had been planning your Christmas weekend for almost a full year now. It was the first time either of you had been able to spend it away from the craziness of your families. It would just be the two of you in your little apartment, celebrating how far you’d come since this time last year. Grand ideas for vacations and friends-only parties had been tossed around, but eventually you’d settled on a quiet weekend at home. It was exactly what the two of you needed, especially after today.

You and Cas continued to eat your soup in silence, though the TV continued playing reruns in the background. He’d kept the volume low, mostly to fill the empty space, but you didn’t need it. Cas did, though, and anything that helped him stay in the moment while you were together was okay with you. You’d gotten used to the different tricks and techniques he used on a daily basis, and tuning out the TV was second nature by now.

Once your bowl was empty, you nudged him in the side with your elbow. He grumbled about you knocking his organs out of alignment, but you caught his playful smile out of the corner of your eye and smiled back.

“I’m glad you were off today. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been here…”

When you trailed off, your smile fading at the reminder of the terrible day you’d had at work, Cas nudged you back. You lifted your eyes just enough to meet his.

“You could’ve called me. You can always call me if you need me. I’ll always come, even if I have to reschedule a meeting or move a client to another day. You’re more important to me than any job,” he told you.

Your heart grew two sizes, if that was even possible, and you leaned into him a little bit more. He kissed the top of your head. You could’ve sworn that you fell in love with him a little more each day, and you had been for years now.

“Have I ever told you that I love you?” you asked as you snuggled against him.

Cas took the empty bowl from your lap and set it on the coffee table beside his. “I believe you have.”

“Well, I do.” You grabbed his hand before he could tuck it back under the blankets and began to play with his fingers. He watched you in silence, letting you fidget as you continued to warm up from the long walk from your car to the building. With holiday visitors taking up over half the spots, you’d had to park even farther away than usual.

You were starting to drift off to sleep in Cas’ arms when he shook you, then stood up from the couch. If you hadn’t caught yourself, you would’ve faceplanted on the cushion.

“Y/N, look!”

You squinted up at him for a moment and propped yourself up with one arm. Cas gestured toward the sliding glass door that led out onto your small balcony, and you blinked a few times to clear your blurry vision. He hadn’t shown this much enthusiasm since you’d arrived home, but you’d just assumed he’d tampered down his usual evening energy to help your night be more relaxing.

“What is it?” you yawned, blinking a few more times.

Still smiling, he carefully helped you to your feet and led you by the hand over to the windows. With the other hand, he pushed the curtains out of the way so you could see what had made him so excited.

Outside, fluffy white snowflakes had begun to fall. They fell steadily, gently covering each car and bush with a thick layer of white. Judging by what you could see from the floodlights on the sides of your building, it had already been snowing for a while now, but neither you nor Cas had noticed while you were wrapped up in each other.

The frigid cold had settled in days ago, leaving everyone with high expectations for a white Christmas, but no snow had fallen until now. Almost everyone had given up hope. You gripped Castiel’s arm with both hands, smiling wide as you watched the snow float down from the sky above. All thoughts of sleep were gone from your mind, instead replaced with ideas involving snowmen, hot chocolate, and a quiet breakfast beside the windows.

“It’s beautiful,” you whispered, and he nodded beside you. String lights twinkled on other apartment balconies and windows, creating a picturesque view from your fifth floor apartment.

You slid one hand down to lace your fingers with his. Cas hummed happily when you did, and you smiled a little bit more, looking up at him.

“Merry Christmas,” you told him.

He smiled back, then leaned down to kiss you sweetly. “Merry Christmas.”

Thank you for reading! <3

If you liked this story, please reblog! That is the best way to share your love for my work and to spread it so that other people can enjoy this story. If you would like to support me further, please consider supporting my writing by donating on Ko-fi, supporting me on Patreon, or commissioning a story of your own!

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clefaiiiry · 8 months ago

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New Heights, New Depths

more bottom / sub sett agenda

the working title for this was 'wham bam thank you ma'am' just because i thought it was funny

Read on AO3

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-~*~-

How did he let K’Sante rope him into this?

“Nu-uh, this was your idea!” K’Sante says.

Sett digs in his heels. “Well, maybe for once in my life I had a shitty idea-”

“C’mon, you keep saying you wanna try it,” K’Sante says, all but dragging him down the street.

“Sure, yeah, but there is a huge difference between talking about doing it and actually doing it, ya know?”

K’Sante waves to a guy as they reach the doors and he hauls Sett over the threshold. “Just trust me. Try it once and if you hate it then, hey, at least you gave it a shot.”

He’s right, and he hates when K’Sante is right. He’s always so smug about it. Sett can already hear him now, ‘see? You just gotta push out of your comfort zone!’

If his comfort zone is staying at home watching baking show reruns, then a BDSM club was probably the furthest away he could get.

Part of him regrets asking K’Sante what the deal was with that necklace he never took off. A day collar, he’d called it, from Yone. That opened a whole goddamn rabbit hole and left him feeling like he was fifteen again, trying to hide his search history from his momma.

He’s had sex, has even been told he’s pretty good at it, and obviously he’s watched plenty of porn, he was a guy-

But learning how vanilla all his experience was shattered any kind of self conceptualisation he’d managed since his teenage years.

“There’s nothing wrong with vanilla,” K’Sante had said, but that shit was like Pandora’s box; once it was open Sett couldn’t leave it alone.

So now he’s here, hanging outside Targon dressed like a damn nun compared to the outfits some folks were walking in wearing. No judgement, show it off if you’ve got it and all that, he just felt very overdressed. And like a total loser.

At least he wasn’t as much of a loser as Ezreal was for staying home. Loser.

Once they get inside, K’Sante stops to chat with another friend and retrieves a little yellow wristband from the basket on the door for himself. He whistles to catch Sett’s attention and his ears swivel first before he turns.

“Hey, you’re a sub, right?”

“What if I don’t know I’m a switch yet?”

K’Sante gives him a look. “Are you being serious?” He plucks a blue wristband from the basket and tosses it to Sett. “Yellow for doms, blue for subs, green for switches.”

Sett rolls his eyes, but accepts the stupid little wristband anyways.

Initially, it looks like any other club and a pretty tame one at that. Now, Sett was nearing his thirties and hadn’t been clubbing for years, but he was struggling to remember why he enjoyed it so much. His ears flatten against his head to attempt to block out the pretty horrendous electronic crap coming through the speakers. Someone’s being hauled off the dancefloor after nearly passing out, but they still seemed to be having a good time.

He stays close to K’Sante as they pass through, heading to a heavy curtain at the back. It’s sectioned off with velvet rope, bright purple LED trimmed above the entryway. A woman stands to one side, pretending to look busy on a tablet.

“No,” she says without looking up and before K’Sante even has a chance to open his mouth.

He laughs, casual and suave as usual, leaning forward in that way that made anyone swoon. “Awh, c’mon Leo, I’ll vouch for him.”

Unfortunately for K’Sante, this woman is immune to his charms. “You know the rules,” she says, ponytail swinging as she finally meets his eyes, “he needs an application before he can come in. Really, what did you think I was going to say?”

“Look, if he gets into any trouble it’ll be on me. Please?”

“No. Because it won’t fall back on you, it’ll fall back on me.”

K’Sante groans and rubs his face. “Can I go in and find the guy I’m looking for, at least?”

“Fine,” she says, unclipping the rope and holding it to one side.

K’Sante glances back to Sett. “Get a drink, chat someone up,” he waves a hand, “I dunno, unwind a little.”

K’Sante abandons him before he can object.

Sett hovers awkwardly for a few seconds longer before he drifts off toward the bar. He leans against the counter trying to appear comfortable, like he actually knew what he was doing, though he wonders how convincing he could really be when his ears are still flat against his head. It wasn’t his fault, the bass was particularly loud in this corner.

God, what was he, sixty? Complaining about noise? Kayn was right, he really is a momma’s boy.

This should not be so-

“Good evening.”

An older woman perches on the stool beside him, swirling her drink. He thinks she’s Ottrani vastaya but honestly can’t tell, her ears just barely poking out from her fluffy hair. He notes her wristband, yellow.

“I’m urh, waiting for someone.” Smooth Sett, real smooth.

“Don’t worry, I know you’re here with K’Sante,” she says, “you just looked utterly terrified all on your lonesome.”

“What, me? Nah, I’m fine. Totally fine.”

She smirks. “Then you won’t mind if I just chat with my new friend.”

“Typically you give your friends a name.”

She places her free hand over her chest. “I’m Soraka.”

“Sett. So, you come here often?”

Conversation flows so naturally it’s quite easy to forget where he is. If not for the occasional people covered in leather heading into the VIP area, he could forget why they were actually there. Soraka’s voice is steady, warm, eases his gnawing uncertainty. She offers to buy him a drink and when he declines she only smiles, tells him everything will be fine and he honestly believes her. Is she the kind of woman Ezreal would go nuts over? Is she a milf? He's not sure if she’s old enough but he’s sure as hell not gonna ask.

They’ve probably been chatting for about twenty minutes when he spots K’Sante again, returning from the VIP area with another man. He’s a pretty thing, slim and tall, geometric ink trailing up his arms, boots landing with a heavy thunk at every step.

Then he taps at K’Sante’s shoulder to get his attention and raises his arms, hands moving rapidly.

Oh, he signs.

“And he’s not going to cause trouble?”

“He's a good guy,” he hears K’Sante say over the music, “don’t worry about it.”

The man hums, glancing over. Even in the low light, those eyes are piercing, trying to pick him apart from across the room. Sett averts his own.

“Oh, he’s setting you up with Aphelios,” Soraka huffs over the rim of her glass, “you really are after a workout, aren’t you?”

“Should I be scared?”

Soraka laughs. “Only if that’s what you’re into. He can be just a little intense, is all.”

Sett scoffs, leaning back against the bar. “I can handle intense just fine.”

She only stares at him, then finishes her drink. “Have fun,” she says, melodic and sweet, then rises to her feet and twirls away back over to the dancefloor.

Since K’Sante’s been gone, he’s managed to get glitter in his beard. Sett decides he’s better off not asking. K’Sante gestures to the man at his side as they close in.

“Sett, this is Aphelios. Aphelios, this is Settrigh.”

Sett cringes, extending his hand. “Sett is fine.”

Aphelios gives him a once over from head to toe, expression impassive, arms crossed over his chest. The moment drags with all the grace of a limping hound.

Hey buddy, wanna shake my damn hand yet? You’re only making me look like a total asshole-

Finally, he takes it with a little nod. His hand is colder than Sett expects. “A pleasure. K’Sante says you’re new to all this.”

“Ha, he’s sharing all my secrets already?” He grits out, shooting K’Sante a glance, who only shrugs.

Aphelios taps K’Sante’s shoulder, then signs, “Maybe you should book him with Soraka instead? Or Alune even.”

“No way, they ain’t got a session for weeks. Besides, you were the one mad about a cancellation.”

“Usually that’s what waiting lists are for.”

“Consider it a favour owed.”

Aphelios lets out a deep, long sigh through his nose. He closes his eyes, running a hand through his hair. He’s got a cute little cowlick that flicks back up as soon as he moves his hand away.

Then he signs, “Fine, let’s talk.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” K’Sante says with a grin, “Yone’s waitin’ in the back.” And he’s gone again. For such a huge guy, man he can move.

Yone’s here too? No wonder he’s so desperate to ditch him-

“What is it you’re looking for?” Aphelios says, leaning against the bar in a manner much too casual for the environment.

It takes him a few seconds to register that Aphelios has asked him a question. Sett shrugs and rubs the back of his neck. “It’s embarrassing-”

Aphelios scoffs. “Look where you are. Whatever you want, I’ve probably heard it before. You can’t surprise me.”

It was Sett’s turn to size him up and yeah, he could believe that. Still, verbalising it seems impossible.

“I- I wanna- I’d like to- Urgh.” He takes a breath, then forces it out. “I’m the boss all the time. Everyday, every hour- Ya know, it’s exhausting.” His ears pin back against his head and he averts his eyes. “I guess I just wanna not be the boss for a while.”

Aphelios stares at him for a moment longer, then waves to catch Soraka’s attention. He makes a vague gesture, but she understands, slipping through the crowd toward them.

“Sure,” Aphelios says, “we can figure something out.”

When Soraka gets to them, she slips a little business card into Sett’s hands with a nudge and a wink.

“Go the the website and fill in the form before-” Aphelios furrows his brows in thought for a moment. “-Friday?”

Sett huffs through his nose. “I can do Saturday.”

Aphelios lips twitch into a smile. “That works. I’ll text you.”

-~*~-

‘This form is the beginning of negotiations. Please make sure to communicate!’

‘Remember the question, “What do you mean by _____?”’

The negotiation side made the whole process way less sexy than Sett would have liked. He was expecting maybe, two pages max, but after page five this was starting to feel like it would never end.

Kink etiquette, ID checks, STI checks, yadda yadda- if he knew it was gonna be this complicated to get smacked around he would have just gotten into a street fight.

“Hey, at least it’s thorough,” K’Sante had said.

Sett only groans and continues swiping through all the options, each to be marked Yes, No, Not Sure, or Discuss Further.

Does the submissive wish to receive pain? Does the submissive wish to resist? Does the submissive wish to be restrained?

Bondage, collaring, leather, latex, gags, blindfolds, rope, chains, tape, wax-

Sett ends up marking half his answers as ‘not sure’ or ‘discuss further.’

Once it’s complete, Aphelios sends him a text the following evening. He communicates mostly in emojis so it initially takes Sett a few reads to understand what he’s actually saying. He sends through an attachment of his own form and tells Sett to read it.

Sett skips most of the boring parts, swiping and skim reading through the pages until he finds,

What will the submissive call the dominant? BOSS

Oh, the motherfucker-

“Boss? Really?” Sett laughs. At least that meant he was attentive. That’s probably a good trait for a dom to have, right? He tries to remember his own answers to the equivalent question,

What will the dominant call the submissive? Mutt, Pet

Those weren’t too out there, besides they could always up the ante if they weren't doing it for him.

Aphelios’ form is much more certain than Sett’s. It’s an interesting read, and he actually manages it with a mostly straight face. Aphelios, as it turns out, is more than willing to throw his punches. Happy to inflict high levels of pain, to tease, to withhold or ruin orgasms. Choking, waxplay, sensory deprivation, it seems Aphelios is open to pretty much anything so long as he was the one calling the shots. The ‘no’s were minimal, mostly reserved for more specific kinks that even Sett had turned his nose up at, but one catches his interest,

Is the dominant open to switching? Yes | No | Not Sure | Discuss Further

Sett debates asking about that one, since he’s such a nosy fucker, but decides it’s probably best left unprodded.

His phone pings again and he’s been sent another cryptic string of emojis. Once he deciphers them, he figures out Aphelios is asking if there’s anything in particular that he’d want for his first scene.

‘Surprise me,’ Sett sends back, even though it felt like tempting fate.

He gets a little devil face in response.

-~*~-

Saturday is upon him before he can even blink. Sett is totally prepared and absolutely not pacing a dent into the apartment floor.

“Quit freaking out. It’s just a scene. It’s not like you’re going on a date or whatever,” K’Sante had said.

“What if I’m so great it turns into a date?”

K’Sante had laughed. “Sure, keep dreaming, buddy.”

A few hours later, Sett finds himself standing outside Targon again. He stares up at the glowing neon sign for approximately ten minutes before he works up the nerve to finally walk inside. It’s very much the same as it had been last time, though he doesn’t stop to collect a wristband on the way in. The bouncer on the VIP section is the same redhead woman as last time, though if she recognises Sett she doesn't show it.

“I’m here for Aphelios?” he says.

“Sorry,” she says, though is anything but sincere, “he only does by appointment and he’s booked up for months.”

“No, I’m his date, or whatever.”

She blinks, then her lips twist into a smile. “Ah, you’re Sett! Yes, he said you’d probably be early. Can I just ask you to sign here-”

When he’s finally let in, she tells him to wait while she informs Aphelios, and Sett finds it difficult to look, well, anywhere. He doesn’t want to stare but since most people in here are half naked or covered in latex that’s a pretty tough task. Is that guy wearing a dog tail buttplug? Yep, he sure is. Good for him. That lady’s being used as a footstool? Hope her back is alright- Is that a pair of subs in a cage? How would he feel in a cage? It’s really too much for him to process at the moment.

He retreats to the wall and leans back against it, tapping an offbeat rhythm on his knees. It strikes him how much it feels like he’s waiting for the headmaster to show up and scold him.

He had marked all the role play options as ‘discuss further’-

A hand taps at his shoulder and he jerks from his thoughts. Though his expression is neutral, Aphelios offers a cute little wave.

“Oh, hey,” Sett says, really hoping he comes across as nonchalant and not like he’s currently shitting a brick, “You urh, you weren’t stood there long, were ya?”

Aphelios shakes his head and gestures for Sett to follow. No point standing on ceremony.

They head further into the VIP area and down a corridor at the back, Aphelios moving swiftly as Sett strides to keep up. It’s quieter back here, the thrum of music from the main room only a distant rumble. There’s signs along the walls, informing about club rules, consent, protection, all the formalities. Most of the rooms are free as they pass, but the night is still young.

The room they end up in is at the end of the corridor, one Aphelios unlocks with a keycard. It’s almost sterile, with dark walls and vinyl flooring. There’s a low bench along one wall, a table against the opposite. There is a bed, but the mattress is all leather so he can’t imagine it’s particularly comfortable. A kneeler is shoved off to one side, out of use for tonight it seems.

Aphelios dumps his phone and keys on the table where there’s already a bottle of water, condensation dripping down the outside. He waits until Sett closes the door behind them before he signs,

“You didn’t put anything for safewords so we’ll use traffic lights. If you’re happy to continue, you say green. If you want me to slow down, you say yellow. If you need to stop completely, you say red. Do not hesitate with your safewords, do you understand?”

“Sounds good.”

“Since you won’t always be able to see my hands, I’ll snap my fingers when I wish to speak with you.”

It all feels very professional, way too formal. Then again, Sett reminds himself of the sheer amount of paperwork it took to even get into this room so he really should have expected it. He peers at the table and feels the sting of disappointment when he realises there aren’t any toys or tools he can see.

Aphelios sees his expression and says, “I want to figure out your limits, especially since you’re new to all this.”

Sett scoffs. “I ain’t soft.”

“I never said that.” He’s frowning as he signs it, brows furrowed tightly. “Besides, I can ruin you just fine without striking you once.”

Oh, he likes the sound of that. “Then ruin me, pretty boy.”

Aphelios raises his chin, lips twitching. “As long as we’re in this room, you call me boss. Is that clear?”

He nods a little too eagerly, then realises his mistake. “As day, boss.”

Aphelios hums. “Undress, then kneel here.”

Fortunately, Sett had the forethought not to wear complicated layers, so his shirt is off before Aphelios even finishes his sentence. He’s probably a little too keen on this, but he’s been patient enough already. He just wants some damn action already. His belt clinks as he tosses his clothes over in the vague direction of the bed. Then a moment of hesitation as his fingers hover over the waistband of his underwear, and he glances back up. Aphelios nods, so he takes them off too.

Once he’s down on his knees, Aphelios takes a step toward him, expression impassive, almost bored. But behind that facade is a distinct, primal hunger that leaves Sett feeling smaller than he ever has.

He wants more.

“Don’t slouch, fix your posture.”

It doesn’t occur to Sett that he could disobey. There’s nothing forcing him, but still he finds himself following the order without hesitation. He’s already half hard and should probably feel a modicum of shame for that, but finds himself uncaring. He sits up straighter, chin raised.

Aphelios continues signing, “Keep your hands behind your back. Hold your wrist if you have to, but keep them there.”

Sett does as he’s told, resting his hands at the small of his back. The way his tail tickles his arms is oddly grounding.

“Good. Very good.”

Pride wells up in his chest and Sett can’t resist a grin. Aphelios’ expression darkens.

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself. I haven’t touched you yet.”

“Sorry, boss.”

Aphelios bares his teeth and, after one last disinterested glance up and down, circles around behind him out of sight.

His ears perk, following every movement intently. Fingers idly play with the tip of one, carefully rubbing the soft fur. Sett remains firm, determined not to sink so quickly.

Lithe hands trail down Sett’s throat, tilt his jaw up so he sits straight. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows involuntarily, clutching his wrist. Aphelios doesn’t squeeze, but his hand lingers, firm and unyielding. Sett’s a big guy, he could probably throw him off if he really wanted to, but there’s something about the illusion of helplessness that has him panting.

Then he’s forcing Sett’s chin upward, far enough to strain, back arching. Sett shudders as Aphelios’s trails his nails down, digging in minutely and his breath stutters in his throat.

“Fuck,” Sett grunts, but stays put, a dull ache building in his wrist from his nails. That earns him a little scratch at the base of his ear. He groans, ear flicking instinctively, ticklish.

Aphelios leans up, pulling Sett back just a little further to meet him halfway. Lips tease the soft, wispy fur at the tips of his ears and he can’t help but shudder against the sensation.

Then there’s teeth and Sett yelps, the sound melting into a needy whimper as Aphelios tugs at his ear. He’s not biting hard, but it’s enough to send sparks down his spine.

Aphelios’s free hand follows the curve of his back, appreciating the muscle beneath his fingers. Aphelios’ hands are cold, or maybe Sett is just burning hot, but it leaves him squirming against the sensation.

“Aphelios-”

He withdraws completely and Sett whines.

“Wait-”

Aphelios circles around to stand in front of him, painted lips twisting in contempt, in pure disgust. “If you can’t be a good mutt, then you don’t get touched.”

It takes a moment to realise he’s slouched again and Sett chokes around a whimper as he sits straight. “I’m sorry, boss. I’ll be good, I promise I’ll be good.”

There’s a hand on his jaw then, squeezing. Sett pants, lets his face be tilted upward to meet those piercing eyes.

Aphelios raises his free hand then, “Open your mouth.”

He does. Aphelios squeezes even tighter.

“Wider.”

Sett whines and opens as wide as he can.

Aphelios huffs through his nose. Then he spits in Sett’s waiting mouth, clamps it shut, and presses his free hand over his lips. He doesn’t need to sign for the next command.

Swallow.

Sett’s eyes roll back as he does so, holding his breath until Aphelios steps back and removes his hands. He opens his mouth again to show his obedience, tail wagging against his hands.

“So, you can follow an order.” Aphelios huffs through his nose and squats in front of him, head tilted. “And you’re already in such a state.”

Sett can’t help but squirm under such scrutiny. “Boss, please.”

“Please what?” He signs and the fucker tries to stifle the smirk on his face, tries to maintain the impassive, mildly annoyed expression. “Use your words, pet.”

“Please touch me.”

Aphelios reaches out and slides his fingers into Sett’s hair, rubbing at the base of his ear. A purr rumbles up from his chest before he can push it back down and Sett leans into the sensation, closing his eyes, letting himself drift.

There’s a snap of fingers and it takes a moment for his muddy mind to comprehend. Sett blinks a few times, then sits straight, wrists at the small of his back.

Aphelios watches him intently, lets him stew in it for a while longer before he slides a hand down Sett’s flushed, damp chest. Even such a slight touch has him arching forward, groaning.

It’s agonising watching those fingers dance their way down, slowly, so slowly. He tries to steady his breathing, spreads his knees a little wider as if it could tempt him.

But Aphelios does not budge, in fact his hand stops just inches from where Sett needs them and he realises he’s shaking.

Aphelios scoffs. “So desperate.”

Sett tries to roll his hips, only minutely, praying to whatever god would listen that Aphelios wouldn’t notice, but of course he does and removes his hand in punishment.

“Fuck. Boss, please- please touch me.”

“I already did,” he signs innocently, “wasn’t that enough? Such a demanding little mutt, aren’t you?”

Sett’s ears are flat against his head as he tries in vain to still his quivering hips. “Boss, please touch my cock, please-” He licks his lips, whines oh so sweetly. “I’ll do anything! Please!”

That earns him a hand on his face, thumb smoothing over his cheekbone. Sett shoves into it like a man starved, gazing at him with the prettiest flushed cheeks. Aphelios pats his cheek twice, a condescending slap with barely any force. Sett whines despite it.

“Open.”

Sett does as he’s told and Aphelios presses two fingers inside, pushing down on his tongue.

“Suck.”

And by God, Sett licks and sucks like he might die tomorrow, vulgar filthy noises tumbling from his throat. He takes them as deep as he can, gagging and choking around them in earnest. There’s drool spilling from his lips, down his chin. He must look like such a mess-

Then there’s a hand on his cock and it’s like his entire existence has led to this moment. Sett keens around the fingers, the sound cut off by another gag as he fights to take them deeper.

There’s red rising in Aphelios’ cheeks, a small victory compared to the absolute state Sett is in. His hand is slick, Sett has no fucking idea when he had time to lube it up but he’s not complaining as it slides in a slow, harsh rhythm. Up, down, up-

Heat keeps building in his gut, swirling and molten and Sett feels like he’s going to explode. He can’t stop the way his hips jut upward, but the pathetic little whimper he delivers afterward seems to be a good enough apology.

The fingers in his mouth are cruelly withdrawn and Sett is left freely to spew soaked, filthy noises from his worn throat. It’s all surging too quickly, he’s dizzy and his cock is soaked, he’s so fucking hard-

He doesn’t want this to be over so soon-

“Boss, wait- I can’t- I’m gonna-”

Aphelios hisses and it takes a long moment to realise that he’s trying to hush him. His free, spit covered hand rises into view. “It’s okay, pet, you can cum.”

Sett can’t construct a response before he’s jerking his hips and crying out as that heat erupts. He cums harder than he has in months, dimly aware of the way it splatters across the floor. He rides out every second, until his stomach starts to hurt and his cock starts to burn from overstimulation. He tries to pull back but Aphelios forces his hips back down. He’s still going.

“Boss, I can’t- I can’t- it hurts-”

Aphelios coos and snaps his fingers so Sett looks up. His smile is wicked, his tongue peeking out between his lips. Oh, he’s evil.

His hand keeps moving until Sett is crying, until his throat is raw from his pathetic sobbing, wriggling beneath Aphelios’ iron hold.

But he doesn’t safeword, doesn’t let go of his wrist.

Finally, finally, Aphelios releases him and Sett can’t stop himself flopping to the ground with a heavy thud, panting and gasping for precious air. He’s quaking violently now, every muscle aching from strain.

His vision is blurred, everything hurts, he’s pretty sure he’s landed partially in his own spend. He’s so cold, reality feels so distant and alien.

He’s not even sure where Aphelios has gone, not even the vague notion of where he could be in the small room. Sett wracks his brain, pure mush, trying to recall what he’d put down for aftercare-

“I won’t need anythin’,” he’d said to K’Sante.

“You just want him to leave you there after? Not even a pat on the head?”

“Why not? I can take a beatin’, no problem.”

He hadn’t understood K’Sante’s insistence at the time but right now? Crumpled on the ground, shaking and nauseous?

This sucks, it sucks so hard. He feels like he’s about to puke-

There’s a quiet sound beside him and he looks up as Aphelios sits beside him, cross-legged, watching intently for a few long seconds.

Then he opens his arms. An invitation, one Sett takes with embarrassing haste. He can’t quite get upright, so shuffles across the floor until he can rest his head in Aphelios’ lap, a torn breath ripping from his chest and pittering into a sob. Aphelios only strokes his hair, his other hand reaching downward, curling around his shoulders. Sett’s arms snake around Aphelios’ waist, clinging to him like a lifeline.

If it bothers him, Aphelios doesn’t make it obvious.

He leans down, curling around him almost protectively, like nothing in the world could touch him as long as Aphelios was there. And in the back of his lucid mind, he honestly believes it.

Slowly, very slowly, Sett starts to ground himself, the little coil he’s wound himself up into finally starting to loosen. He blinks a few times, then reality crashes back into him.

“Fuck,” he says, shooting up to a sitting position. How he doesn’t headbutt Aphelios on the way up, he has no idea. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

Aphelios smiles. A little thing, a barely-there twitch of his lips, but it utterly bewitches Sett in an instant. His heart feels ready to burst from his chest.

“Do you feel any better?” he asks.

“Yeah! Yeah… Tired.”

Aphelios snorts. “That’s pretty standard.”

He moves closer, carefully guiding Sett to lean against him again. Sett’s head ends up on his shoulder, kneeling before him as Aphelios strokes through his hair. He drifts, sluggish and heavy, kinda like how he feels after too long a workout.

“Hey, wait- wait,” Sett blurts out, “I didn’t get you off.” He reaches out with his lead hands-

Aphelios catches them and jerks back, eyes wide, manic almost. Sett recoils.

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to.”

“You sure? I’m more than happy to!” I really want to, please let me-

Aphelios only smiles. “That’s very sweet of you, but it’s fine, really.” Then after a pause, he adds, “maybe next time?”

Sett’s ears perk and his tail wiggles. “Next time?”

“Sure, if you’re up for another round.”

“I can handle anything you throw at me, boss.”

A mischievous smirk spreads over his features. “Be careful what you wish for.”

Sett looks around for his clothes, tries to stand- and crumples. Aphelios is there to ensure he doesn’t smash his knees but Sett is more astonished that he can handle the weight without even a stagger.

It does feel a little embarrassing, being led over to the bench and having his clothes handed over like he’s totally shitfaced, but it’s kinda nice being taken care of.

Aphelios makes certain he isn’t going to slump over, then passes him the water bottle from the table. While Sett sips, he signs,

“Let me call you a cab.”

“Nah, it’s fine, I can-”

“I insist.”

Maybe he’s just too goddamn tired, but Sett feels he doesn’t have much room to argue back.

#league of legends #settphel #sett league of legends #aphelios league of legends #fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 #my writing

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beezusvreeland · 1 year ago

Text

a very good idea - chapter 4

summary: After your boyfriend cheats on you at a party, you break up with him, who tells you nobody else is willing to be with you like him. You decide to prove him wrong, with a little help from a new friend.

ship: miguel o'hara x f!reader

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Chapter 4

You had more homework than the regular person and not just because you were taking some advanced classes. Before your side hustle, you would babysit kids in your neighborhood during the week and work as a waitress on events organized by your brother-in-law’s catering business on the weekends.

You’ve had summer jobs before, but when high school came around, your mom got really sick and it took doctors a few months to come to the conclusion that she was exhausted. The burnout type of exhaustion. She started seeing a psychiatrist and, stubborn as always, went right back to her two jobs. You and your sister Jenna had to bargain a lot, but at last convinced her to quit at least one of them and let the two of you help her.

All the money from the babysitting and waitressing went to house and health bills, mostly your mom’s. You very quickly realized that, unless you got an all inclusive scholarship, your chances of going to college were zero to none. Attending college had been your dream since you were a kid, when you’d watch reruns of Felicity with Jenna, both of you fascinated with all the classes and drama the protagonist went through. Your mom didn’t have the opportunity to go to college and, when your sister’s time came, she chose to focus on working in restaurants, learning as much as she could so she could open her bakery someday. When she met her husband Mike, they united their toothbrushes and business aspirations. Now he would organize events and she would develop a menu for them. You’ve loved the way they were each other’s biggest fans. They were your idea of what a loving relationship should be. Mikes were really hard to find, though.

The first time you hung out at Harry’s Manhattan penthouse, some of his friends were there. You thought maybe you and Harry could watch a movie and spend time with each other, but obviously that wouldn’t happen.

Harry was different when his friends were around: louder, he would drink more and more arrogant, whatever it took for boys like Flash Thompson and Eddie Brock to laugh and agree with him.

Flash was complaining about how he had to turn in an essay about the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

“It’s so fucking boring, who cares what happened literally a hundred years ago”, Flash said, like doing the paper was the worse thing could ever happen to someone. “The only interesting thing about Wall Street is the Wolf and Margot Robbie.”

It took a lot of effort for you not to roll your eyes.

“Don’t turn that shit in, then”, Eddie said, making Harry laugh and shake his head.

“My dad said that if I don’t get at least a C, I can kiss the Dubai trip goodbye.”

“A C?”, you gasped, in spite of yourself.

“I know right, it fucking sucks”, Flash looked at you, all serious.

That was a little too much for you. Forgetting to care how Harry and his friends perceived you for a moment, you said: “Gosh, I could write a C type of essay about anything in an hour”.

“Well, write mine, then.”

You finally gave into the need to roll your eyes, then looked at him.

“For 200 dollars I just might”, you joked.

However, Flash took his wallet from his back pocket and gave the money to you. Just like that. Like it was nothing. It probably was nothing to him, but to you, that money was really valuable. That’s how you have justified your hustle since then: you would write reports and essays for some of the rich kids from school and earn enough to help out at home and save for college. It was a perfect scheme, unless someone found out, which you (and your clients, really) have been really careful to prevent.

***

After an hour inside the library, you still had to finish a book report of your own, so you took your things and decided to go to the basketball court. Miguel’s practice hadn’t even started yet, he and some other boys, including Miles, paid attention to what their coach was saying.

You climbed a few steps and sat at the bleachers. Before opening your copy of Hamlet , you observed your surroundings. Besides the basketball team, there were a few freshman kids ready to watch the practice, as well as some girls you recognized from the hallways.

The coach whistled loudly and the boys clapped their hands, scattering through the court to start playing. Miles saw you and waved. Miguel turned to see who his friend was smiling at, his eyes finding yours. You gave him a shy wave, which he responded to with a nod, turning back to his teammates.

You felt disappointed at that. Your mind was telling you to stop being stupid, that you had no business having any expectations at all. But you also remembered his smile a few hours before, at lunch. He had a really beautiful smile. You wished it wasn’t a rare occurrence.

You tried to focus on the book, which you had already read, a pencil and a highlighter in hand. During your reading process, you used post-its to mark pages that had scenes and dialogues that could be useful remembering while writing the report. You always felt grateful to your past self.

Sounds of sneakers gliding on the court’s shiny floor and the ball being thrown and caught filled your ears in an almost relaxing way.

“Why is she even here?”, you heard a voice saying not so quietly on your right.

You pretended not to hear, struggling to read the same sentence for the third time.

“Probably trying to find a rebound”, the two girls laughed at the pun. “It’s kind of desperate, if you ask me.”

Dealing with Harry was hard enough, but people you have never spoken to before? Who were they to say anything about you? Why did they even care? And, most of all, why did those stupid comments hurt you?

“Hey!”

Looking up, your eyes meet Miguel’s again, but this time he climbs the steps, stopping one before where you were. He took his hoodie off, the white shirt underneath going up with it, before coming down all together. It was so quick, but you swore seeing a part of his six pack awakened something in you.

Miguel put his hand through his hair, trying to put it back in place. He proceeded to fold his hoodie and get on his knees, his long arms offering it to you.

“Can you hold this for me?”, Miguel asked, sounding so sweet, yet another thing you weren’t prepared for. He was so close to you, you could see a few of his sweat droplets in great detail.

“Yeah”, you nodded, feeling his hand palm one of your cheeks, while his lips kissed the other.

He went back to the court in what felt like too soon. You put your hand where his was just a moment before, you could feel the heat spread through your face. Back at the court, Miguel was smiling at himself and, next to you, the girls stood in absolute silence.

______________________________________________________________

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a very good idea playlist

#a very good idea #oscar isaac fic #miguel o'hara fanfic #miguel o'hara x reader #harry osborn x reader #miguel o'hara #gwen stacy #peter b. parker #hobie brown #miles morales #jessica drew #friends to lovers #unrequited crush #Spotify

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genericpuff · 2 years ago

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always wanted to make one of those 'day in the life' posts so here u go!

TW/CW: Tattoo needles, mild blood/mentioning of blood

ima be honest with you, sometimes those 'day in the life' reels on tiktok n junk annoy the piss out of me because they seem so disingenuous, but that's honest to god probably just my executive dysfunction being salty because there's no way in HELL i'm gonna be on some 'grind' where i'm getting up at 6 am to make smoothies and do a workout before i have to go to actual work, i can't with that and i struggle to fathom anyone else doing that consistently LMAO (but i know there are and y'all are a different breed, i wouldn't be able to do it LOL)

like i literally get up anywhere between 30-10 minutes before i gotta catch the bus to go to work-

(understand that i can only get away with doing this because the bus stop is LITERALLY RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE LMAOOO i could also just as easily walk , work is about 15-20 minutes away, but like... i don't wanna when i could just sleep in for another 15-20 minutes LOL)

most of my mornings consist of battling with myself to get out of bed until the last possible minute and then hoping the bus isn't early so i don't miss it on account of my own executive dysfunction, paired with timmy's because i'm a canadian hoser, buds.

i'm actually pretty hyped though for that apartment move at the start of april because as soon as we've moved, we'll be even CLOSER to my work to the point i won't even have to catch the bus anymore, you can literally see the new place out my work window. watch me find ways to still be late for work LMAO

anyways. i got off kinda easy today because NORMALLY i have to get up earlier as most of the time my appointments start at 1 PM, but I only had one appointment today and we had booked it for 3 so I got to sleep in a bit longer <3 This was the design I had made up for them (a sternum piece):

but then it turned out i had completely neglected the one change they wanted, which was to make the middle flower a lotus flower. thank god for my ipad, having the ability to change up designs on the go was half the reason I bought it ~

easy fix uwu

as for the setup, my tattoo setup is pretty simple, the machine isn't actually ready to go yet but i usually set that up after the stencil is applied to give the stencil time to sit and dry (and i don't like having nothing to do while i wait):

(the actual machine once it's wrapped):

it was a full kitchen in the shop today meaning me, my boss, and my two other coworkers who work in the open area were all working and having a good time. one of my other coworkers wasn't in today but they work in a separate private room so the main area itself was full. sometimes i'll come in and i can tell who was in first based on what's playing on the TV. if it's documentaries or reruns of old comedy shows (like the Office) I know it's my boss, if it's reality TV then I know it's L, and if it's music from Spotify then it's usually my other coworker S.

It was S today :' )

here's the actual stencil on the skin! my client is an old pal who i've tattooed a couple times and was thankfully okay with me taking pics and posting these ~ (haha, no female presenting nipples here, tumblr!)

as you can probably see I had to take a marker to the tail and redraw it so it would go around the belly button, originally the stencil went right thru it and wouldn't have looked good

but guess what? didn't matter anyways because the fucking stencil wouLDN'T FUCKING STICK. like, as soon as I started working on it, I realized it was gonna be one of those stencils, the kind that wipe away INSTANTLY. I think it was a combination of just the placement (backs and sternums don't tend to hold as well) as well as her skin type (not all skin types hold onto stencils and ink equally) and the fact that it was hotter in the shop than it usually is which amounted to a bit of sweat (esp in the belly area where things tend to be a lot warmer) which resulted in the stencil not holding in the slightest. y'all it was STRESSFUL and even after I tried to re-apply the stencil again as best as I could (with the tattoo already in progress and the old stencil pretty much gone) it STILL wouldn't hold, so I essentially had to bloodline the whole thing (i.e. line it in so lightly and quickly just to get SOMETHING visible in there after the stencil disappeared. half the lines weren't even genuine lines, just the tiniest faintest impressions that mostly consisted of blood, but still better than nothing).

eventually my coworkers had all clocked out for the day so i was the last one standing, meaning I got control over the Spotify >:D

(and played pretty much the exact same music my coworker would have because we have the exact same tastes in music lmao)

so this is where i had to re-stencil because the original stencil i had put on was wiping away like crazy, but then the second stencil ended up being just as shitty. like you can see where i had to put the lines in 'good enough' near the top because even the shoddy stencil redo was GONE as i was working on it, and it created this sort of cyclical problem where i couldn't just not wipe while i worked because that would result in there being ink anywhere so i couldn't see what i was doing... but then i would wipe to clean it up and poof stencil gone. it was a nightmare and stressed me out but big thanks to my client for understanding and trusting the process <3

because even tattoos are allowed to have an ugly stage before they look good ~

all in all i'm pretty happy with how it came out in the end, the process definitely didn't go as smoothly as i had initially hoped and i would have liked to spend more time on the actual lining process in the beginning, but i had to rush that shit. thankfully as soon as that foundation was laid, it gave me time to just go in and tighten up those lines, a lot of this ended up being freehand compared to what i had planned on doing :' )

(the best part is this client has two lil' dermals just an inch or so above the tattoo that the snake's face and tongue line up perfectly with, it's adorable haha)

either way, that was my day at the shop, i was the last one there so it was on me to settle the debit/credit machine, set the alarms and have everything ready for another day tomorrow!

very appropriate music for the last track of the day lmao and our shop pet, Smaug, poked his head out to say hello!

for the most part, a good day! aside from that stupid stencil giving me a hard time, it was still pretty chill, came out to be a 3 hour day, I showed up around 2:30, my appointment started at 3 and we were all done by 5:30, left just in time to go pick up some sushi takeout and catch the next bus home <3

(have I ever shown my face on my Tumblr before??? if not, here's me!)

My job's pretty cool. Still have to deal with a lot of "typical bullshit" esp when it comes to communicating with clients and setting up appointments as well as tattoo-unique bullshit like dealing with squirmers or crappy stencils or not being able to have a social life without people pestering me for free work, but it's the best job I could ever ask for especially in this particular location. The husband and wife duo who run the place are super sweet but have their shit together well, they run a tight ship and it means I don't have anything to worry about besides setting up my appointments and tattooing. It took a lot of fighting over the course of years to finally end up in a comfortable place, and many times I almost gave up, but it was worth it because now I'm in a great place that pays well and I get to do what I love.

But I'm still pretty eager to get home most days lol So I grabbed my sushi, caught the bus, and made it home.

It was about 6:25 when I landed and because of Daylight Savings, it's still very light out. It does so much for my mental health to leave work and have it still be sunny, the ✨ seasonal depression ✨ is gone and all I have to worry about now is ✨ regular depression ✨ And it's gonna be even better once we move to the new place because it's on a ground floor and has windows aplenty, loads of natural light (compared to the gross basement we live in rn).

But until then, this is what I come home to (～￣▽￣)～

I will now spend the next 6-8 hours playing FF XIV, watching my shows, and working on Rekindled and Time Gate, pretty much all at the same time or at least jumping between. Usually I'll have something playing on rerun on the TV in the background (so something I don't have to pay attention to, like reruns of the Office or Bob's Burgers or w/e I'm feeling that day) and then I'll be listening to music in my headphones or - if I want to engage with something that isn't a rerun - I'll put on a Youtube video that's easy to listen to and absorb without having to look directly at. Sometimes it's speedrun documentaries, sometimes it's GameGrumps compilations, just depends on what I'm feeling and what shows up in my recommended that day LOL Yes , it might seem 'pointless' to have a show playing in the background while also listening to music, but it's sorta just there as a presence and idk, it brings my ADHD brain comfort lol

If you don't believe me that this is the level of multitasking that I'm at, the other day I made a call to Nintendo Support to help my husband get back into his account and I did it while running dungeons in FF XIV, yaaaaay ADHD! My brain needs constant stimulation to function! ╰（‵□′）╯

(and yes, I'm usually joined by Psuwis - it's Maliseet for 'cat' - who's very needy for my attention as soon as I get home lol)

This is how I spend most of my evenings, and even entire days if I'm not in the shop (and my schedule's pretty flexible, sometimes I'm at the shop 5 days a week, other times I might only work 2 or 3 days, it just depends on how busy my bookings are). My husband is actually probably just getting off work rn so he'll likely be home by the time I'm wrapping up this post lmao

Supper!

I actually worked on Rekindled pretty much all day yesterday, so now the episode's almost done already, it's coming along nicely! I'm hoping to have it done tonight or tomorrow so that I can have it ready for Saturday when I'm away on my trip (and maybe get a headstart on Ep 12 so that we can have a new episode next weekend as well during my apartment move!)

Anyone in my follows play FF XIV? Currently working on my Astrologian, it's pretty fun! You can find me (Pym Thras'rala) in Hyperion if you ever wanna party up sometime!

That's pretty much it! Not really anything super crazy or exciting to show, my life's pretty routine and that's how I like it. A lot of my social life is online nowadays but I do make time to go out and hang out with IRL pals as well. If this were done on a Friday most of what I'd be doing is hanging out down at the bar with pals LMAO

So yeah! hope you enjoyed this lil' self-indulgent "talk about myself for 20 minutes" post （￣︶￣）↗　If anything I hope it offers some kind of solidarity to the other pals out there who need 27390572309 forms of stimulation to get through the day LMAO

(also not recommending anyone live the way i do, my back hurts, my sleep schedule is fucked and my brain is fried（*゜ー゜*）let's all hold each other accountable and remember to check our postures, stand up and stretch every hour, and stay hydrated <3 ).

#lore rekindled #lore rekindled comic #day in the life #ama #ask me anything #anon ama #anon ask me anything #about me post #about me

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sarcasticsciencefictionwriter · 1 year ago

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This story was written for @starbuckxcarter for the AU prompt list. They requested this on 7/3/23... This was a request through a comment on the post, not an ask, hence my summary here. The request was for a 'Teslen enemies/costars AU please'. So here it is. I will be writing a much larger AU based off of this (for Fictober, most likely).

_____

Untitled

_____

The scene looked cozy and relaxing. A handsome man and a beautiful woman, sitting at a table with baked goods and wine, smiling at each other. The background was charming. He was pouring wine into her glass, she had just set a pair of pastel macarons on a plate in front of him.

"They look wonderful, Helen. They'll pair very well with the Moscato." he said, still smiling.

"Then you should try them instead of talking about them." she invited, giving him a flirty smile in return.

They knocked their wine glasses together and each sipped before turning to the pastries on their plates.

It was only a few seconds after they had each finished one that anything else was said.

"Cut! That's a wrap!"

As soon as those words were said and the camera was turned off, both of their smiles vanished. They moved away from each other as if they couldn't stand being close for another moment.

The man, Nikola Tesla, picked his glass back up and knocked back the rest of his wine. Then he picked up the other glass and knocked that back too.

The woman, Helen Magnus, glared at him.

"That was mine."

"Trust me--I need it more than you do. All that time with you is putting me over the edge."

Helen snorted, standing up from the table and neatly brushing her skirt off.

"I am far more pleasant than you. And what did you do all day?" she countered, glaring at him.

"Be ordered around by you."

"You measured flour and stole my ingredients while worshipping alcohol." Helen snapped.

The crew ignored the back and forth between the two of them. While the two might have presented a charming, friendly, attractive pair on TV, they certainly didn't carry an ounce of that in real life. This argument was nothing new.

Nikola picked up one of the macarons, pale pink, and held it up.

"You make girly cookies. I, however, explore the complexities of alcohol and its relationship with food."

"You run a glorified drinking show!"

Nikola's eyes flashed at this. Helen gave him a smirk, clearly liking the effect that she was having on him. He stood up. The crew continued to go about their business, rolling their eyes or ignoring the pair.

Nikola was the well known host of the show Enigmatic Eats, a very popular show where he chose a different alcohol--whether it was type, flavor, brand or more--and cooked a meal to pair perfectly with it. Food, according to Nikola, was an art, but alcohol was the masterpiece and should never be overwhelmed or lost to the meal.

"It's better than what you do." he said hotly. "Your show just feeds the convention that women belong in the kitchen, baking pretty feminine things instead of anything else."

Helen gaped at Nikola, outraged by this.

Helen hosted her own show, Tokens of Confection, baking and making confections. She was the exact opposite of Nikola in some ways. Her show started simple each season, progressing in difficulty so that viewers had the chance to work along with her. Her kitchen was bright and simple, hallmarking an bygone era.

Nikola's, on the other hand, was dark wood and stainless steel, appearing more lab than kitchen in some aspects.

Theirs were the two most popular single-hosted, non-competition shows the network had, both having started in the same year. The shows aired from autumn to spring, leaving a gap in the network's ratings for the summer. Rather than shifting one show and tired of reruns, the network had put them together for a new show.

Enigmatic Confections--a name chosen as a compromise, though Nikola gloated that his went first--followed the premise of Nikola's show with the alcohol, but it was Helen baking things that complimented the choices.

This was the second season of filming for the pair and the behind-the-scenes hadn't gotten any easier. The two were more than willing to go for the other's throat if they had the chance. How they managed to pull it together for when the camera was on was a complete mystery.

Rather than engage in the current battle, Helen walked away from the argument, stepping behind the camera, minding any cords and things there might have been to trip her up.

She didn't have to take this and today she wasn't going to let it bother her. She'd had enough of this pointless arguing for the last few days.

They would be at it again soon enough. She didn't need any more right now. Of course, that wasn't what Nikola thought. He followed her. They were done filming, so now they were basically obsolete.

"Helen."

Helen ignored Nikola and kept walking. She didn't want to get into it right now.

"Helen, wait." Nikola said, grabbing for her arm.

Helen whipped around, feeling a surge of annoyance that was bordering on anger. She yanked her arm away from him. Nikola dropped his hand, but he looked curious.

"Did I really offend you that much?" he asked.

"Leave me alone, Nikola." Helen snapped, turning and walking around.

This time he let her.

_____

The next day, Helen was trying her hardest to ignore Nikola. He seemed remorseful for her reaction to his words, as if he somehow knew he had hit a sore spot.

Helen had to grudgingly admit to herself that it wasn't as if Nikola could have known that things like that had been said to her her entire career. Especially when she had chosen it as a career over anything else.

She had been told that she was feeding a stereotype. That if she wanted to prove that women could do anything, then she wasn't allowed to showcase that by doing what they were already told they could do.

Helen hated the hypocrisy. If you wanted to demonstrate that women could do anything, then you weren't allowed to do what women already did, even if you were good at it.

She doubted that Nikola thought about that sort of thing. But Helen was well aware that she was setting an example, especially when she had a young daughter of her own.

It was not just a baking show. It was a way to show the world what she could do. To encourage other to do the same. To show herself that she could make it on her own, especially as a single mother of two.

"Cut!"

Helen looked up, startled by this direction, pausing in her mixing. Nikola stopped romanticizing the flavor of the sake he had chosen for today. It was a challenge to pair sake of all things with baked goods, but Helen had enjoyed the challenge.

"In the middle of my dialouge?" Nikola said indignantly, setting down the glass.

The producer behind the camera didn't look very happy as he surveyed the two of them.

"Helen." the producer said. "You need to stop looking like that."

Helen set her whisk down and stared at him.

"Looking like what?"

"You're furrowing your brow and biting your lip. You look like the dry ingredients have done something to you. Take if from the top."

Helen stared.

"I've already mixed--"

"Throw it out and start again."

Helen did not throw it out. That was just wasteful. She put it away to use later, after the filming had stopped.

Nikola was actually much more helpful the second time around. He lined up the jars nicely for her and measured out what she needed, actually using the mixer to whip the egg whites without her having to ask him.

They got the sponge into the oven and then set about making the rest.

By the time they were sitting together, with the match tiramisu she had made and Nikola's chosen, chilled sake, Helen was feeling much better.

She had no idea why, exactly. Nikola was still being annoying. Snarky. But the simple gestures of helping without her asking him had made her feel better.

Of course, it didn't last. Her smile may not have been as forced as usual at the beginning, but they had to refilm before they had even cut into the tiramisu. Mostly because Nikola had reverted back to his usual charming self.

Helen was relieved when they had finished for the day. Once the camera crew had cleared out, she went back into the kitchen. She wasn't going to make anything like the tiramisu, but the ingredients were there and she would make a simple sponge. Take it home. Henry in particular loved plain sponge.

She was mixing the rest of the ingredients in, humming to herself, when she heard a noise.

Helen looked up. Nikola was leaning in the doorway, watching her with raised eyebrows and a small smile that looked almost... predatory.

"What?" she snapped at him, continuing to mix, glaring at him.

"Just wanted to see what the great Helen Magnus was up to. I didn't think that you would be baking in your off hours. Don't you have a rug rat or two to get home to?"

Helen poured the mix into the pan.

"They're with my ex-husband." she bit out.

"Now that doesn't surprise me."

"What?" Helen was genuinely puzzled by the comment.

"That you have an ex-husband. It makes a lot more sense than you actually keeping one considering your oh-so-pleasant demeanor."

Helen threw her spatula at him.

Nikola ducked, but she hadn't been aiming for his head and it struck him on the left side of the chest, smearing a pale streak of sponge batter down his dark suit jacket. He gaped at her, looking at the smear.

"Do you have any idea how much this costs?!" he yelled at her, clearly not certain what to do to get it off without making it worse.

It made her feel a little smug.

"More money than it should for something you wear around good prep." Helen said smoothly, bending and sliding her pan into the oven. She closed the door and set the timer.

If it hadn't been for the bloody contract and the fact that the potential renewal of her show--her livelihood--hung in the balance, Helen would have quit the show. She didn't want to have to deal with Nikola's arrogance so often.

They had aways been rivals. How could they not be, when their shows had started in the same year and everything else? They each had high satisfaction when they beat the other in ratings and things like that. Work functions had brought them together and introduced them to each other. Now that they had been forced together things had just escalated.

Nikola stalked towards her. The counter stayed between them and Helen knew that it was probably a good thing. They had never gotten physical with each other--at least, not enough to harm each other--but Helen was tempted.

She was in a bad mood. What Nikola had said grated. Everything he said or did. Not just today or yesterday. The fact she wouldn't be coming home to her children.

Helen stared Nikola down, holding his gaze.

She was shocked to find herself noticing just how blue his eyes were, even alight with anger like they were right now.

Helen was furious with herself for this.

Nikola dragged his fingers through the batter on his chest and, slowly and deliberately, ran his hand across her face and into her hair.

"Nikola!"

Helen jerked back, holding out her hair to see how far it had spread. Nikola smirked, looking very satisfied. Helen glared at him and searched for something else to hit him with, to make him as messy as possible. She had nothing on hand, unless she wanted to put the bowl on his head.

"That was--" Helen spluttered.

"Turn the battle into a war, Magnus, and be prepared to receive what you deal."

With that, Nikola sauntered out of the kitchen.

_____

The tension rose between them each filming day, the weeks passing quickly. The stakes were higher.

After another round of smearing each other with ingredients--this time in front of the entire crew---both Helen and Nikola had been sat down and scolded as if they were children. If they couldn't get their acts together, if the show was cancelled, both of their own shows would be on the line.

Helen had the sinking feeling that hers would be on the chopping block first. Because that was how it worked. Nikola was more charismatic. He was a man. If they couldn't get alone, it would be her that was thrown out in the cold.

The pressure to be polite, to ignore Nikola trying to get under her skin, was getting to Helen.

But she was good enough for the cameras.

If she didn't know better, Helen would have thought that Nikola actually noticed and was trying to dial it back. He was kinder to her off camera, in the short window they interacted when the camera was off.

Today was actually a set of confections of floral flavors to compliment Nikola's chosen gewurztraminer. She could have made more macarons, but since she had already done those this season, there was no redoing them.

They did what they were supposed to do with minimal fighting between takes and scenes. Nikola was actually helping and Helen caught herself staring at him more than she normally would, watching him and wondering.

He was still annoying--more than--of course. But Helen was, for the first time, trying to look underneath that. The Nikola that she had initially met wouldn't have been helpful. He wouldn't have been remorseful. But now he was and it was confusing and the hell out of Helen was putting her even more on edge.

Which was ironic, because Helen was fairly certain that Nikola was actually trying to put her at ease. She put the meringue kisses into the oven and moved on to the next confection.

They didn't exactly have a script and Nikola loved to go off of it, but he was being nicer than usual. Oh, his usual attitude didn't vanish, but the things that he was saying were reading differently than they usually did.

And Helen caught him looking at her like she was looking at him.

She was baffled. This wasn't how they usually worked. But she found that she didn't mind it. That was the strangest thing.

Nikola grinned at her as he took the bowl from her, taking over mixing so that she could measure. Helen, flustered, smiled back.

Her smile was still very much real when they were sitting at the table together, sipping their wine and sampling what she had made.

"Cut!"

Helen dragged her eyes away from Nikola when this was said and looked behind the camera. It seemed that they had done no wrong, because they got a thumbs up.

Nikola sipped his wine one more time and got up. Helen stayed where she was seated, biting down on her lip for a moment. She sipped her wine, watching as Nikola walked away.

She looked calm and collected, but her mind was racing. The idea of what she was considering doing was thrilling and scary at the same time.

Taking a deep breath, Helen set her wine down and followed Nikola. She had timed it at least, so the crew wasn't around them.

"Nikola."

He half turned towards her, arching an eyebrow. She had never come after him like this. A part of Helen was telling her just how bad of an idea this was. They had spent the majority of their time hating each other, after all. This could go very wrong.

"Yes?" he asked at her prolonged silence.

"I was wondering if you would like to get something to eat with me later. Perhaps a drink." Helen said.

He looked her up and down.

"You do realize that was what we were just doing, don't you?" he asked.

Helen gave him a look.

"I was thinking perhaps somewhere you don't have to analyze and choose the alcohol and I don't have to make the food." she said.

Nikola was quiet for a few moments, during which Helen became convinced this had been a horrible idea. But then he gave her that signature smile.

"All right."

Helen stared, surprised by the answer.

"All right?"

"I do believe that's what I said." Nikola waited a beat. "But you're paying."

Helen smiled in return.

"All right."

#teslen #helen magnus #nikola tesla #au #sanctuary #fanfiction #ask answered #thanks for the ask!

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south-sea · 1 year ago

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ask game stuff yahooo

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

baby's first favorite character ever. i think. definitely the first one who properly stuck with me, anyway. thank you 4kids reruns of the SA2 arc of Sonic X burning certain parts of those episodes into my brain for the rest of eternity. it has been almost nineteen years and my attachment to him never really went away.

i don't know how to describe it other than i was just endlessly fascinated by him as a kid. these days it's about gradually discovering and exploring ways his backstory and company has an impact on him as a person, and how it might differ depending on those circumstances.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

i would say he's fine right where he's at, but that's a trick answer considering in my AU that means "literally anywhere, since it's the multiverse". maybe that's just the answer; he's hard to imagine tied down to any one specific place.

maybe the closest equivalent then would be the game Starbound? but if i had to pick something still in-universe for him, i want a still-pixel remake of Sonic Battle with him included. like just keep all the other assets the same and add him onto the playable roster with a new story arc and such.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

easiest thing in the world. he's a very well-mannered quiet little guy. usually. and i mean he's already been living rent free in my head for nearly nineteen years already so what's the difference,

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

i don't know about emojis, but metal in the context of second chance au canonically sends the most bizarre memes and such only he really understands the intention behind.

like metal. buddy. what the hell does any of this mean

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

you're going to have to wait 1-3 business days for the drawn response to a similar ask game prompt anon

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

love love love writing from metal's point of view and how his manner of processing information influences the narrative style/generally just how he sees the world. the sky is blue because that's the way light works, and it is not pretty, etc. everything's always just about the science and logic.

shadow's narrative style is not very unique by comparison. it's more about the implications and nuances in her actions rather than about internal thoughts. i guess it just comes down to the fact i don't have to think too hard about writing for him.

there's nothing i particularly dislike when it comes to writing for either of them.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

way back when, i didn't have the full picture of SA2, only what those Sonic X episodes showed, so my understanding of shadow was that i didn't understand him at all. i couldn't wrap my head around what his motives were, didn't have a good grasp on his character traits, hardly even knew who maria was, and that fascinated me. he was the ultimate mystery.

in a way, that's still true when i look at canon shadow, but not in a particularly good way. i see inconsistencies and loopholes and frankly prefer to just turn away and look at the interpretations that make sense to me, like SA2, Battle, Rivals, and 06. hence "semi-modern" being what he is.

for metal, my first introduction to him was the OVA. and all i have to say about that is looking back, it's pretty clear where my appreciation for robotic characters came from, among certain other relevant trends. the amount of narrative nuance/angst/exploration that can fit into one little guy is impressive. now i just want him to be content if nothing else.

mephiles is probably the weirdest one on the list, seeing as my first time seeing him was in the 06 fandub. so i latched onto the parody interpretation first, even ending up with my own before anything else (that would be ros). i've done some dabbling in canon, and like all stories, i end up invested in my own little corner of what-ifs that got away from me completely. and now the character i view as "mephiles" vs their canon counterpart is still different, for completely different reasons now.

it's probably safe to say i never fully had a chance to appreciate canon mephiles for what he is, and instead kept rerouting into parodies and eventually AU elements so much i doubt my appreciation for canon mephiles as a concept even really counts. i'm more invested in everything but canon mephiles. which is not to say i dislike him in canon or anything, i just never had a chance to interact with him firsthand so to speak.

i don't think my versions are "better" or "should be considered canon" or whatever. using the foundation already there but exploring my own story routes/backstory elements/etc is just how my brain works when it comes to staying invested in a character.

#sea answers #i don't know if this is all the same anon but i figured this format would be better than lots of separate posts #kissing you on the mouth anon(s) mwah thank you

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fancoloredglasses · 1 month ago

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[RERUN] Crisis on Infinite Earths (The Second DC Reboot), introduction

[All images are owned by DC Comics. Please don’t sue me]

(Except the image above and unless otherwise stated, all images are courtesy of DC Database)

I’ve mentioned Crisis quite a few times when discussing the various media based on characters created/acquired by National Publications (which became DC Comics in the 70s), but haven’t really gone in-depth as to what it is. That’s because…it’s complicated.

Crisis on Infinite Earths was to comics in the 80s what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is to movies: a massive undertaking that redefined what creative teams could do with the media if the stars aligned (and subsequent attempts showed what would happen if they didn’t)

First, a bit of history, dating back to the 50s. While Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were still in publication after World War II, the rest of the heroes of the “Golden Age” faded into obscurity as people stopped caring about them after the war. In 1956, National decided to “test the waters” by bringing back the Flash…

…but updated for “modern” times (forensic scientist Barry Allen instead of college student Jay Garrick) When that succeeded, they introduced more. Then they “updated” the origins of the “Big Three” to suit the times (obviously they couldn’t have been active since the war!) This was the first “reboot” (as we now call them) to what is now known as the “Silver Age” of comics. The Golden Age had nothing to do with the current direction National was going.

That changed a few years later when the Flash of the Silver Age met the Flash of the Golden Age, and they determined that the Golden Age heroes were part of another universe (dubbed Earth-2, since OF COURSE the Silver Age Earth, which started after the Golden Age, would be Earth-1). And thus was born the Multiverse. As writers got ideas on stories that wouldn’t fit on Earth-1, more universes were created:

Earth-3 was a world where the Earth-1 heroes were villains (collectively known as the Crime Syndicate of America) who ruled the Earth, and Lex Luthor was the sole hero trying to end their tyranny.

(Thanks again to Wikipedia)

Earth-C (for “cartoon”) was home to Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew (think Superfriends meets Looney Toons)

Earth-S (for “SHAZAM!”) was home to the characters National licensed from Fawcett Comics in 1973. (nice to see they were given a home after National sued them out of existence…)

Earth-4 was home to the characters DC acquired after buying Charlton Comics in 1983. Alan Moore wanted to use them for a story, but since that would involve killing characters DC just spent a fortune for, he tweaked names and attitudes a bit and created Watchmen.

Earth-X was home to a number of the characters National acquired after buying Quality Comics in the 50s (the rest wound up on Earth-Q), Earth-X differed from most of the other Earths in that World War II didn’t end in 1945, but continued through to the time of Crisis.

…and so on. It started to get a bit confusing keeping everyone straight, so in the early 80s, as part of their 50th anniversary celebration, DC started two projects. In 1986, DC published The History of the DC Universe. A tale of the events in the DC Universe from the Dawn of Time through the Legion of Super Heroes in the 30th century

Wait, how does that work with DC being a multiverse? Well, that was why the other project started the year prior, a streamlining and rebooting of the entire DC line from the Golden Age onward into one (more or less) cohesive narrative. Characters and universes rewritten, if not outright removed, to suit the new narrative (sorry, Captain Carrot) It was all explained in a 12-issue series that expanded and crossed over into nearly every DC title called Crisis on Infinite Earths.

I’ll be doing an issue-by-issue narrative (interspersed with my usual humor and opinions) of the events of the main series (and ONLY the main series, because most of the crossovers had little impact on the main story and were mainly to (a) explain how Crisis was affecting your favorite heroes and (2) to generate sales, since DC was saying every Crisis crossover was a “must read” story), as well as the series’ impact on DC.

If you would like to read the series, it has been collected in graphic novel form and is available (or can be ordered) at your favorite comic shop, bookstore, or online retailer…or on Read Comic Online.

Watch for the Issue 1 episode review soon!

#dc comics #crisis on infinite earths #dc multiverse #fan colored glasses #i hate reruns

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unitedstatesofworld · 2 months ago

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Dan Schneider Net Worth: The Man Behind Nickelodeon’s Golden Era

Dan Schneider, the creative genius behind some of Nickelodeon's most iconic shows, is no stranger to success. With a career that spans decades, his work has left an indelible mark on children’s television. So, it's no wonder people are curious about Dan Schneider’s net worth. Just how much has this prolific producer and writer amassed over the years? Let’s dive into his journey, exploring his creative empire, career highlights, and of course, his impressive financial standing!

Dan Schneider: The Beginning of a Creative Powerhouse

Before Dan Schneider’s net worth skyrocketed, he was just a kid from Memphis, Tennessee, dreaming of big things. He didn't begin in the entertainment industry, though. Believe it or not, Dan started his journey by fixing computers—yes, fixing computers! But soon enough, Hollywood came calling, and Schneider transitioned into acting in the 1980s. After dabbling in minor acting roles, his creative juices took him in a different direction. He quickly found his niche as a writer and producer, setting the stage for his massive success.

The Nickelodeon Era: Where Dan Schneider Shined

When people think of Dan Schneider, they think of shows like iCarly, Drake & Josh, and Zoey 101. These series are not just household names—they defined an entire generation of young viewers. Schneider was known for his quirky, fun, and relatable characters, who often faced the hilariously awkward moments of adolescence.

But what really set Schneider apart? It was his unique ability to tap into the pulse of teenage culture. This talent translated into massive viewership, ratings, and, of course, a growing financial empire. It’s no wonder that Dan Schneider’s net worth reflects his monumental impact on the industry.

How Did Dan Schneider Build His Wealth?

So, how did Schneider build his fortune? Primarily, it boils down to royalties, production deals, and syndication of his hit shows. When your content is as popular as his, it continues to generate revenue long after it first airs. From licensing deals with networks to selling DVDs and streaming rights, Schneider's shows have had impressive staying power.

Royalties: His shows continue to generate income through reruns and syndication.

Production Deals: Schneider signed lucrative deals with Nickelodeon over the years, securing him a significant slice of the financial pie.

Merchandise: Many of the shows he produced also had associated merchandise, further contributing to his wealth.

The Dan Schneider Empire: Beyond TV Shows

While Nickelodeon might be his most famous stomping ground, Schneider’s influence goes beyond just kids' television. He has also worked on a variety of other projects in both film and TV, further padding Dan Schneider’s net worth. His production company, Schneider's Bakery, became a launchpad for many of his creations, making it a lucrative endeavor all on its own.

Why Did Schneider Leave Nickelodeon?

In 2018, Dan Schneider parted ways with Nickelodeon. Many fans were left asking, "What happened?" Schneider had produced hit after hit, so why the sudden exit? The exact details have been somewhat murky, but Nickelodeon released a statement saying the decision was mutual. While some speculated controversies, Schneider hasn’t been entirely silent since. He’s been working on new projects, though nothing has matched the scale of his Nickelodeon days. But even after leaving, Dan Schneider’s net worth remains impressive.

What's Next for Dan Schneider?

Though Schneider has taken a backseat from the public eye, there’s little doubt that his creative mind is still ticking. Could he make a return to television? What if he’s cooking up something completely different? Only time will tell, but if his track record is anything to go by, the future is bound to hold more success—and perhaps even a boost in Dan Schneider’s net worth!

How Much is Dan Schneider’s Net Worth?

Alright, let’s get down to the big question: What is Dan Schneider’s net worth today? Estimates suggest that Schneider is worth a whopping $40 million. Not too shabby for a guy who started out fixing computers, huh? While his departure from Nickelodeon might have slowed down his career trajectory, his wealth remains largely intact, thanks to the continued popularity of his past work.

Factors Contributing to Dan Schneider’s Net Worth

Television royalties from shows like iCarly and Drake & Josh.

Streaming services picking up his iconic shows, further expanding his revenue.

Licensing and merchandising, which continue to make Schneider a household name.

Conclusion

Dan Schneider has undoubtedly left a significant mark on the entertainment world. From launching timeless TV shows to securing long-lasting royalties, Dan Schneider’s net worth is a testament to his creativity and business savvy. Whether you’re a fan of his work or just curious about how he amassed his fortune, one thing is for sure—Schneider's empire isn’t going anywhere soon!

#Dan Schneider #Entertainment Industry

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touyamun · 4 months ago

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First thing that comes to mind is how genshin saw the success that came from letting your fans speculate in things you dont elaborate on which has been made more common over the years and then decides to absolutely never commit to anything and let the fans do all the heavy work.

Oh look this is art of kunikuzushi, so where can i see the scene where he's shown in the past? Uh. Hes never shown. People just used this one representation that can only be seen if you get and make a very specific decoration for your furniture and then use elements on it? And it shows who looks to be scaramouche with a different appearance and because it has the old japan vibes people ran with it.

Oh diluc almost killed kaeya and they used to be brothers and thats how kaeya got his vision so we got that scene right? Nah. Oh and that information was event specific that will never be rerun so you literally have to get this info spoilered to you if you wanna find out at all.

Oh we have the story of how chongyun is an exorcist and how his condition gives him a lot of issues cool! Do we have an example of that? Oh.... Another timed event? And... Nothing really happens? I see....

And you will notice, all of these are things the fans build on again and again and again to the ppint where they have better built character than the game and this is cause the devs get urged into making new shit to keep the players engaged so like. Character development? Wtf is that lmao. They will do it to a point and then. Never again. Sure the game isnt over but how many characters havent been seen since they were introduced? CoffcoffShenhecoffcoff. And main story characters arent safe either. Remember scaramouche? The guy literally made a suicide attempt and afterwards hes??? Fine??????? Oh yeah erasing myself from the world fixed me. Yay💖 what do you mesn what do you MEAN

And this has made me like, not engage with the story 95% of the time. I skip dialogue like a madman just give me the funny games and shut up.

#tw suicide mention

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bunny-rambles · 1 year ago

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hi. uhm.

i'm aware i totally disappeared but to be fair i kinda did so on the entire platform lmao. as per january i am, indeed, working full time all the while still having to go to uni! so ahah there's that.

it's just that today it's a very boring day at work, so yeah, i felt like checking up on you? is that weird?

in any case, how do you do? i hope those months have treated you well.

as per me, i am officially a c1 scaramouche haver currently waiting on his rerun to maybe get c2 — i was super lucky with my pulls btw, got my first copy on my first ten pull ahah

i still try to play genshin in my breaks from work, and my biggest pride and joy is the fact that my sumeru teapot is thriving.

i wish i had some fun facts to share, but my life has been pretty boring since i started working - unless my clients really fuck up when writing their requests to me, nothing funny ever happens. oh, but today i'll be going with a friend to do a full-night reading of one of the greatest fics that has ever written by an italian author, so that's good ig! also my obsession with bungou stray dogs kicked in again so that's all i'm thinking about 24/7 rn your italian word of the day, it's "nostalgia" — it's written exactly like in english, but the pronounciation is different. there's even a funny italian song with this word in it! in english it would say something along the lines of "nostalgia, nostalgia, what a bitch" (scaramouche might like it, but it's way too bubbly a song for him — if he ever met kazuha tho, i'm sure he'd sing it for him)

i wish you all well! i hope to be able to hear (read, mayhaps?) your stories again

sending a strong hug, tvb <3

- 🍓

hello dear,

it’s been a while, hasn’t it? we both kind of went off the deep end and disappeared for a little bit.

I know you wrote this a while ago, but I’m going to answer it anyway, and I hope you’re still around to read it.

it’s not weird, no. I’ve wanted to know what you’ve been up to, and I’m glad you have a job and seem to be doing well.

I have had many ups and downs over these months, and at the moment I’m in a bit of a limbo. I don’t know how I feel. But summers soon, so I guess I don’t have to think much about that, and I can just enjoy the nice weather (which is rare here)

nice, join the c1 club :,) I’m so happy you managed to get him, he’s very fun to play and he’s probably never leaving my team. Maybe at some point I’ll have to drop by to see your teapot, hm?

Boring can be nice sometimes. At least things are stable, and peaceful. And I’m glad you still have friends to do those things with. I’m really happy for you.

That song does definitely feel like it would suit our baby Scara, and agreed, nostalgia can be such a bitch.

You can read some stuff from me whenever you like, I believe there’s three new things or so (?) that are in the masterlist, if you want to go see. But no pressure, they’ll always be there whenever you decide to read them again.

Ti voglio bene, berry 🩵

#🍓 anon #bun speaks #I missed you

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lumine-blight · 3 years ago

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cold ― an albedo imagine.

i'm pissed because i'm offline and my downloaded pdf version of an ao3 fanfic is unfinished so here's an albedo fic inspired by it. here's the link to the fic: <3

genre: fluff (?)

word count: 3.6k

tags: albedo is kind of a jerk at first, you're new working under his wing, not much romance in this tbh, but it's albedo so its okay, AND THERES AN ALBEDO RERUN CONFRIMED IM GONNA CRYSRKJSDF

Ever since the Grandmaster Varka set out on an expedition with a whole army of soldiers and all the available horses of the cavalry, the Knights of Favonius' number and performance has plummeted. Well, that could be an exaggeration but it's somewhat that way, anyway. There were less of the better trained knights and more duties to fulfill. And talk about the former cavalry captain's stepping down. Diluc was one of the best knights, but now he sees the knights as nothing but, well, inefficient. Though you barely got to work with him before, you still kept in touch somehow, but it would mostly annoy him. But the tavern was a pretty nice and cozy place to hang out when you're off duty. Diluc murmuring the inefficiency of the Knights of Favonius just makes it better.

After the mass recruitment drive last month, and the tryouts last week, Kaeya now had the list of the better suited and well versed knights to be put in consideration for joining the Knights of Favonius. Though, this too, made you question the real nature of the man's work. Wouldn't matters like this be more fitting for the Intelligence team? Recon? Better yet, the Recruitment Department. What's a cavalry captain doing gathering intel and using them against the treasure hoarders anyway? And most importantly, what is he doing being the one to look at everyone's backgrounds?

Despite all these questions that have been in your head for the longest while now—every time you heard of Kaeya—you dare not ask. It would be fair to say that you aren't exactly so fond of him. Or just that you aren't one to strike a conversation with him and hit it off even though he himself is already the smooth talker. You weren't much of that, but being a part of the Reconnaissance Company you knew how to handle people. You usually did that instead of Eula. You know just how much she holds on to having vengeance, it never really works well with others—most, if you may.

“Oh, and by the way, we had to do a little bit of...let's call it revamping. Or reshuffling, if you may. Those who seem capable enough of other areas other than those that they are a part of now, will be transferred to a different team,” said Kaeya, and his gaze fixing upon you didn't give any good indications. You broke the brief eye contact, and looked around the room, at the other knights called to go to the meeting. You looked over at Jean, then at Eula. Now that you've thought of it, where are the others? Sure, you knew familiar faces here, such as Huffman, Aramis, and more of the other knights. But that wasn't exactly the point. Amber wasn't here, and so was Sucrose. Her superior, the chief alchemist, was always gone anyway so it wasn't a bother.

“This doesn't feel right...” you thought out loud—or muttered to yourself, better put. Lisa wasn't here either—at this point you were only beginning to notice everyone who wasn't with you in the meeting. You thought you were assigned to go because you were second to Eula in the Recon Company, but now you're having your doubts.

“There were very few who were capable of joining the Investigation Team. Either they simply had no experience or not enough knowledge to immediately kickstart work. So, we are transferring Ms. Y/N to the Investigation Team under the Chief Alchemist's supervision,” Kaeya announced, and you gripped on your vision at that, feeling it's heat rise as it glowed, only a few tiny rays of red escaping through your hands.

“You've tinkered around alchemy before, haven't you Ms. Y/N? I'm sure there wouldn't be much of a problem between you and our dearest Chief Alchemist,” Kaeya said, the joking (or mocking) tone underneath almost seeping out with only a thin layer of formality. You continued to feel dread thinking of having to stay in that cold and steep mountain, and Kaeya continued to announce who is being transferred to

which. Great, you're alone as an Investigation Team newbie.

...

At that point, the only hope you had was Sucrose. She was the only one you could actually hold a proper conversation with, or so you believe. You'd hang out with her a few times, usually by the crafting station in the city where she would talk to you about her latest discoveries ever so passionately. The way Sucrose loved her area of work was the same way you felt about negotiating and delegating, but now you had to drown yourself in research papers and study certain properties of certain materials and whatnot. Sure, you did tinker around alchemy for some time, but there was a reason why it had only lasted a certain amount of time.

You often find yourself delving into a new field, a whole new area of study, and a whole new passion to immerse yourself in. But you could never really stick with it. Once you were interested in history and hung out in the library for pretty much all your free time, then you grew the same interest for cooking, and so on, so forth. Of course it went the same for alchemy. While at some point you did think Alchemy was THE thing, it didn't last long enough for you to stay too invested in. And so you ended up in the Reconnaissance Company with Eula, mostly because she was the only one there at that time, and the field covered by the work seemed diverse enough.

You sighed, cold smoke slipping past your lips and forming cloud-like shapes dissipating in a fleeting moment. Taking out your catalyst which you had freshly forged from Wagner's, you lit a nearby torch, your Pyro vision burning bright red once more, as you thought about how difficult climbing this mountain was. Thankfully, the path was already cleared so as not to have hilichurls slowing you down.

After that rest you took halfway into the mountain, you continued your venture through the cold icy mountain to the camp where the rest of the researchers currently are. You were pretty nervous despite already knowing who you were working with. You weren't so familiar with Albedo, despite your relations to Alchemy, because at the time when you dabbled in the arts of life, he was just in the mountains, developing the warmers replicated from the nature of seelies. You never actually got to see one of those in person, since you barely went to Dragonspine—you almost never did, unless some unfortunate situations occur and you would have to do the patrolling around that area yourself, being the most qualified for wielding Pyro for warmth.

You weren't sure what or who exactly to expect, but caught in surprise when you were only met with one person. Not even one to acknowledge your existence and welcome you after trekking through extreme temperatures. You stood there awkwardly for a good minute or two with hands holding onto the straps of your leather backpack. You let out a fake cough, then another one, and a third one.

No response.

This lack of acknowledgement prompted you to be the one to approach the man so fully immersed in his papers he couldn't even notice that the fire on his torch has now gone out.

“Mr. Albedo...?” you carefully called out. Most of the time, you would be more confident rather than having your volume decrease through a word. Though, you couldn't be blamed. While Albedo himself seems like a decent person overall, he just had this cold aura around him. It's almost surprising how he didn't get a Cryo vision instead. But well, Geo does fit his grounded attitude towards his work.

He sighed, and placed the papers he was reading on the table beside the flasks. Albedo finally faced you, and you wondered whether he was just simply uninterested or his brain dried out reading those reports. He said nothing.

“...”

“Ah—right! I'm Y/N, and I've been transferred to work under your wing from now on. I hope we can work well together along with the rest of the team.” Before you could go on asking where the rest of the team was, you held out a hand for a handshake, which, by the way, hung there in the cold and open air for a good five seconds before Albedo

shook it. His hands seemed to linger for a while longer though, and you figured it was because of your naturally warmer temperature, and the fact that his fire has been put out since you got there.

“Great to meet you. Will you please light this torch up so I can continue with my research,” he asked, not even sounding like a question at all. Though, you did what you were asked anyway. After doing so, you were eager to get to know the guy, so that you could also help with something other than lighting torches. You didn't train and learn Alchemy only to be a human matchbox.

“Oh, did you mean OUR research? So, what do we have here, Mr. Albedo?” you walked up to him and peeked on his papers, then proceeded to observe the graphs and tables posted on the board before you.

“No, this is my research. I'm not doing this for the Knights, as you should've noticed already. If I were, then Sucrose and Timaeus would've accompanied me,” he answered flatly.

You were currently left with no words, and pondered whether you should just leave him with his own personal research and go look for the other researchers to have them orient you instead. Even if you traversed that difficult path up here to the camp, you felt as though you were unwelcomed, which might as well be.

“O-oh, is that so? My apologies, I thought today was the day when I was supposed to be oriented around the team. I'll get going, then—”

“No, you're not. I ran out of matches in the middle of an experiment. If the fire goes out once more, I'd freeze to death. I already asked Timaeus to bring me some matches on his way. You can leave once he's back.”

“Hold up. So basically, I'll be here as a tool while you wait for your other researchers to do your errands?” you were getting irritated, and it was showing with your manner of speaking.

“As someone who claimed to have the skills with people, you seem short-tempered. More to the reasons why you're transferred, it seems.”

“Oh, Barbatos, I cannot believe I'll be working with a bitch as my superior,” you muttered under your breath, though you were pretty sure it was audible to Albedo. Unless he wasn't paying attention again. Turns out, he wasn't. With that, you saw no point in arguing further, and decided to head back down no matter how much your body is aching already.

Though, special thank you for your Pyro vision that melted all the surrounding snow, the ground was now slippery and you became its victim. This time Albedo paid attention to you without you having to solicit it from him. Despite being unsolicited, you hated it because he only ever looked when he needed your assistance that's not even work-related, or when he insulted you.

“What're you looking at now, Mr. Albedo? Please, if you shall, go back to your research. I don't want to be taking too much of your time,” you spat, with sarcasm seeping on each word.

“Ms. Y/N, I strongly don't recommend going down all alone. By now, snow has probably started accumulating again, getting thicker and thicker. And given the circumstances, you may slip again once your steps melt the snow. Though this time it would be worse because the slopes are steep and there's no one who can help you out.”

Albedo confused the living daylights out of you. So did he want you to leave or stay? Well, surely he wanted you to stay so he could have infinite warmth while his apprentice ran his errand. But you didn't feel quite welcome either. You didn't reply, and just shot him a look for a while, trying to fathom his words. He stared back, but was the one to break it, clearing his throat as he continued on with his research. You felt rather victorious, as childish as it sounds, because he was the one to break eye contact. It's as if you had the bragging rights to say he looked away first and therefore was the first one to feel self-conscious.

“Alright, I'll stay in one condition,” you finally spoke up.

“Why should I have to agree to your condition? I'm good here as I am.”

“Just minutes ago you were asking me to light a torch so that you wouldn't freeze to death,” you scoffed. “But

anyway, tell me more about your research and I'll give you my insights and more helpful resources. I guarantee you they're credible.”

“You know nothing of what I'm researching. Just leave it and stay here to warm me up,” he said, almost as if purposely pissing you off again. You thought of one way to both warm him up and shut him up, but it was a little too inappropriate given your working status, and no way in hell did you want to associate yourself with him in such intimate terms—you immediately cut off that train of thought.

“That's precisely why I asked for more details, is it not?” Somehow, his attempts of pissing you off is actually working, but you stood your ground, skimmed through the board and gathered some thoughts together. You took a deep breath to stop yourself from throwing hands right on his pretty face at the moment. You regained composure.

“So, what is the truth of this world? You mean like natural sciences with philosophy on the side? Seems like it.”

“Not necessarily, but in a way, yes. I'm trying to understand how things work in this world, how life is formed and destroyed. For example, the slimes which could be a manifestation of the elemental energy in the surroundings.”

“Could be, yes. But not every human being can stand elemental energy. Sure, it's not that high in concentration around the more populated parts but continuous exposure to it could start to cause harm. So I'd say that the slimes are more of uh...a residue.”

“Continuous exposure to a certain amount of elemental energy you say? One could think you're talking about radioactive energy...but it does make sense, in a way. But I don't believe the energy surrounding us could be that intense. In fact, I do think it's harmless. Only the manifestations—residue—are the ones that could cause harm.

Say for example, the flora that accumulated energy and turned into a monster. But even though the element is Pyro or Cryo, fire and ice don't have the same effect.”

Your conversation went on, and it was your most civilized one so far. Perhaps when geeking out on natural sciences, you two could experience peace even within a foot or two radius with each other. You continued to talk about how slimes and other elemental beings could be the harmful manifestations of the energies harnessed over time, and how they evolve and such. You discussed how their properties are distinct and how they can deteriorate over time. It got philosophical at some point, when you started quoting certain lines from books and such materials. Even your thoughts when practicing alchemy back then were re-remembered and only now made sense.

It was starting to get late and you were still in the middle of your discussion, drawing maps and connecting dots and taking notes. Of course you had to hydrate yourself, but your water bottle has turned into ice. You took it to your hands and waited until it was warm enough to drink. It wouldn't be a day if Albedo didn't ask you to warm his beverage as well. Not long after the sun started setting halfway, a snowstorm came through, and you were immediately brought to a cave.

“This is where I take shelter when storms come. We should stay here for a while,” he said.

Despite bearing a Pyro Vision, you still felt cold. It's sheer cold you're against, after all. Though, not as much as Albedo, probably.

“Are you cold?” you asked your superior as you looked around the cave for a torch of some sort. Or just something you could light up to amplify the warmth inside.

“I don't think there are any torches here. The only one is in the camp outside, and it'd be too dangerous to go back. But don't worry, I'm accustomed to the extreme temperatures,” Albedo replied, and crouched down to the ground, sitting down.

You followed and sat next to him. This, at least, you hoped warmed him up a bit more.

“By the way, where's Timaeus? I thought he was supposed to arrive earlier—could he have gotten caught in the middle of the storm?” you started to worry, but it seemed that Albedo wasn't bothered at all. You wondered if he simply just has no emotions because of his different origin and nature, or that he just sees everything as a tool for his studies. Sure, that's a good thing to utilize but this would be too far from that.

“Don't worry about him, I'm sure Timaeus is fine,” Albedo replied still in a calm manner. You raised eyebrows at this, and your civilized moments with him are put to an end.

“What do you mean fine? He could be out there freezing to death because you made him run your errands, Albedo!”

This was the first time you called him by his name; not Chief Alchemist, not Mr. Albedo, but just Albedo. And you were pissed. Earlier you saw light that you could actually work pretty well, but now you're taking it back again. Maybe it's a little too early to conclude that, but even Eula Lawrence had more compassion than your new superior.

You stood from the ground and looked outside to see how bad it was getting, how heavy the snow was accumulating, which only worried you even more. You would voluntarily go out and find Timaeus yourself but that wouldn't be such a smart move now, would it? If anything, it's just gonna cause twice the harm. Well, at least Albedo would be the one to blame but that was far too childish and petty.

“For someone who used to lead the Recon Company you're pretty slow, it's fascinating.”

Now, what?

“Excuse me?” you retorted, not taking any of his shenanigans anymore.

“Timaeus is perfectly fine because I didn't send him out to do my "errands" in the first place,” Albedo replied, looking up at you. He put emphasis on the word errands, which only you were using against him earlier.

You didn't know whether to be relieved or be even more pissed. Though, right now, you really felt heated up, with embarrassment, disbelief, and because you felt defeated—and pissed off again. You know, maybe your Pyro Vision just symbolized your hot-headedness, too. Not that it mattered, because you believed that anyone in your situation would most likely feel the same.

But before you could say anything back, Albedo stood up and dusted his robe, before then pulling you back down to sit with him. It left you speechless, the gesture, but you just sat there anyway. There was nothing else you could do, and nowhere else you could go. Outside, the snow rages and piles up until it could melt once more, and you're here in the cave waiting for that.

“Stay closer. I'm cold,” said Albedo, which you wanted to protest against but once again was beat to it. He had already scooted closer to you, and you could feel yourself getting warmer than usual. You dismissed this as simply warmth transfer through body contact, but you were sure Albedo's clothes were thick enough to preserve warmth only to himself.

“What are you doing...” you mumbled, moving farther away from him only to be followed, making your efforts of staying away useless.

“Sorry for earlier, by the way. I didn't mean to be rude, especially to someone who I'll be working with from now on,” said Albedo.

“No, it's fine. I can just request another transfer and find you a new assistant, if that would be better,” you replied.

“Actually, when we were having our discussion earlier, I've come to realize that you're far more interesting. So, to answer that, there is no need. I'll be happy to work with you,” he said. “If, that's still alright with you.”

You stayed silent for a few seconds, processing what he had just said. It almost felt as if you were talking to a whole new Albedo and you weren't sure whether it's a good or bad thing. But given your bad blood with him since your first meeting, you decided simply acknowledging him and being polite wouldn't be your response.

“Interesting? What am I now, a test subject?” you answered, which caused Albedo to panic only until he realized that you were actually just joking.

You proceeded to hold out a hand to him: “Greetings, Mr. Albedo. I'm Y/N, hope we work well together,” you said, as if a restart to your introductions.

“Well, it's nice to meet you. Today will be just a briefing, and I do also hope that we work well. I'm sure you have knowledge of alchemy prior to this?” Albedo played along, and shook your hand. You answered a yes to his question but he said nothing further than that.

Instead, he just kept his hold on your hand, only adjusting your fingers better to be more comfortable. This, means that your fingers were now intertwined, and as you were about to escape from his hold he only held your hands tighter.

“Uh...Mr. Albedo...?” you questioned.

“I'm cold,” was all that he replied.

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