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readerg1rl · 1 year ago

Text

Too rough

Bakugou is sweet but too rough, use of pronouns she her, degradation (lots of degrading words during sex), reader just realizing love for Bakugou

this is for people 18+ minors do NOT interact

You have been transferred to UA from a small town. You are not very shy and do not look very strong, for the record you look like you don't even have powers at all. Your parents owned a big business and were quite rich but they like a small town vibe so they stayed there.

it's your first day and Aizawa presents you to the class, you are a bit embarrassed for some reason and keeping your head down, you sit at the back behind Denki, left to you is Iida and right to you is Ochaco.

The lunch break starts, and you are alone at your table eating a bento that you made, you made some pandas from rice, some sushi, avocado and a candy bar, nothing much.

Denki saw you and asked you to come with him, Mina, Bakugou, Sero and Kirishima. You nodded, Mina was so happy, Sero and Kirishima too, Bakugou was well... Bakugou, silent and looking away, you weren't thinking too much of him, you were happy that you made friends the first day.

"we are going to lunch, do you wanna go with us y/n?" Kirishima asked you after school, you nodded. They asked a lot questions about you and you did about them, you wanted to get to know them and they wanted to get to know you too. There was one person that you didn't even hear a word from, they all talked in his name, he was calm.

They all called him rough and very vocal, always angry and really possessive, but he didn't seem like that to you but it didn't quite matter, they were all friends to you.

A month passed and everything was fine until Ectoplasm did a very hard math lesson you just couldn't understand, you asked Mina but she said that she understands but can't teach very good, she tried to explain it but she vas very bad.

"Bakugou is great at math, maybe he can help you, I mean he helped Denki and Sero too. Kirishima thinks it's not manly to ask for help so he is trying alone to understand" Mina said

"can you ask him for me? I don't want to bother him, I mean... if it's okay with you." you said

"NO PROBLEM" Mina replied

she went over to Bakugou and he looked very irritated and angry but reluctantly agreed.

"after classes at my dorm." Bakugou said

After classes you came to his dorm, you took a shower, dressed nicely but comfortably, you looked very common and you smelled like vanilla an flowers. He looked pulled together really well, he seemed a bit happy to see you, his room was full of All Might figurines and limited edition posters, he was incredibly tidy person, his room looked very comfortable and warm. He offered you some juice and cola and very quickly you got to the problem.

He spent around 30 minutes explaining the lecture to you and you seemed to understand it quite well. Around 15 minutes after that you two were over.

"You can come over tomorrow to review the lection to make sure you remember it" He seemed shy but straight forward as ever

Was that a small blush on his face?!

"sure thing" you reply "thank you, I owe you one"

tomorrow after classes you come to his dorm, this time he is wearing grey sweatpants and a COMPRESS T-SHIRT?! He looked very VERY hot, to a level you might've blushed just a bit, his rock hard abs and big strong chest were very well defined under his shirt, he seemed to be blushing too.

You were studying and as you were doing equations you felt his eyes scanning every detail, every curve, every fold, your eyes, nose, lips...

"let's take a break" he said

"yeah, sure" you said

"Do you want any snacks?" he asked lightly tilting his head to the right

"sure" you reply sweetly

he brought some chocolate, some chips and cold juice, those were all of your favorite things, you only told that to Mina. Maybe he likes the same stuff

"do you like the things I bought?" he asks quietly

"yeah, you really... you bought this only for me?!" you were blushing

"well, Mina told me you liked these" he said unsurely

Mina told him, why would he ask her

"you are red, are you okay, is it hot in here, do you want me to turn on the A/C?" he looked a bit worried

"no, I'm fine, but... why did you ask Mina?"

now he was blushing

"i- i just wanted to make this study session less..."

"less what?" you were curious

"more chill and less... study strict..." he was looking down and on to his pants, his eyes widened and he stood up quickly "excuse me" he rushes into the toilet. Few minutes later he looked refreshed

"you know, you have really beautiful eyes y/n" he said

"thanks"

"do you maybe wanna go out for a drink sometimes?" he said nervously

"umm... yeah, sure" you are blushing

"we can stay here and hang out for a bit if you want to" he said wanting to make you feel comfortable

"okay" you replied

"wanna watch a movie?" he asked

"sure"

You decided a movie and halfway trough you decided to break the ice and put your head on his shoulder. After few minutes he started stroking your hair, it relaxed you and atmosphere lightened up. Before you left you gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, he blushed.

He barely slept, he thought of you for the whole night and that kiss on the cheek.

Tomorrow in school he approached you

"do you wanna go to the nearby caffe after school?" he asked politely

"i don't see why not" you replied

The whole school day and trainings go by very quickly. later you put on a nice button up shirt and a skirt, it looked very cute on you, and you felt very excited for this "date"

Two meet up outside and start walking and talking, date goes very nicely and the two of you have a great time, you end up sitting on a bench that was on a small hill, and you two were watching sunset together, his hand crawls up to yours and you two hold hands in silence, he turns towards you and you turn towards him

"may I?" he asks

"you may" you blush

He slowly leans in and gives you a long kiss on the lips, you kiss him back, and even though this is your first kiss, its very shooting and relaxing, he is very passionate. At the end he even lightly bites your lip and nibbles on it softly. You hum just a little and he smiles. He puts his hand on your cheek and gently caresses it with his thumb.

"you look adorable right now. May I kiss you again?"

you just nod, you seem to be desperate for him, you just adore the sensation of his lips on yours. he gently nibbles on your lip as he kisses it causing him to groan a little and for you to gently moan pleasure

"let's go to my dorm" he says with a wink

"yeah" you are blushing hard

You two come to his dorm and he sits on his bed signaling for you to sit on his lap. As you sit he gently squeezes your cheeks and kisses you. His tongue gently enters your mouth as he tries to taste more of you. Shortly after all of his tongue is in your mouth, savoring every taste and swallowing every gentle moan that tries to escape your mouth.

His left hand travels to your shirt and plays with a top button

"this is a really nice shirt you've got up here" he says with a sly grin

"but i think that you would be prettier without it" without a delay he starts to unbutton your shirt and toss it on the ground, revealing your beautiful pink bra

"what a beautiful sight" he grins as he slowly lifts your breasts and starts to fondle them. he pinches and flicks your nipples as you moan at every flick.

He lays you down on the bed and he slowly removes your bra as his mouth finds the way to your chest, he slowly kisses your breast and nibbles on your hardened nipple, his tongue sharply flicks your nipple causing you to moan.

his hands slowly wander to your tummy and to your hips, slowly gliding to the end of your skirt and going under the fabric of the skirt slowly gliding up your thighs

you put a hand on his head trying to pull him away to stop the abuse over your breasts and your sensitive nipples.

his head slowly rises, "why do you want me to stop princess, I thought that you like this"

his fingers glide to your soaked panties

"your body is telling me a different story"

His fingers continue to tease your clothed pussy, your hips start moving up and down in search for more friction, more pleasure, more power.

"look at you whore, so desperate for me, don't worry, I will start to satisfy you very soon" he continues to tease her

He lifts her skirt to see her pink panties soaked, he takes off her skirt and then her panties revealing a beautiful pussy. His mouth slowly glides from her tummy to her clit and slowly licks it and makes circles around it. Your hips start moving faster as he spreads your legs. You start moaning

"a-ah, Bakugou, ngh... slow down"

"let me enjoy my meal bitch" he replies aggressively going faster, squeezing and fondling your breasts harder

"Bakugou I'm gonna.... I'm gonna..."

He continues "I don't care" he replies going faster and faster making you come on his face and he drinks up most of it licking his lower lip and grinning widely.

"Such a slut, aren't you, coming all over my face, such a dirty whore. I should punish you for this" he forcefully bends you over his knees and starts spanking you

"AAH Bakugou, stop" you shout in pain

"Scream more" he continues spanking you hard as his hard slaps and your cries fill the room

"STOP PLEASE" you shout

"Good girl, begging like a whore you are, lay back down on your back" he commands and you obey.

His fingers find a way to your pussy, his fingers slowly ender deep and curls his fingers right onto your g-spot causing you to moan in pleasure. his fingers go faster and faster as he spits on your pussy making you come again.

without further ado he takes off his shirt and his pants and rubs his rock hard dick leaking precum against your entrance before slamming into you causing your back to arch and you to scream, he goes faster and faster

"do you like this whore? do you like me using you as a sex toy, you are nothing more than a whore to me" he says in pure sadistic joy watching as your eyes fill with tears

"don't cry now bitch, I'm gonna carve my big cock shape into your tight pussy, I'm gonna mark you as mine" he groans going faster and faster and with a final slam against you he fills you up with his sperm

"good girl, let's take a shower ok?"

you both take a shower and you lay down in his arms, he starts kissing your forehead

"you were too rough" you say

"okay, and?" he replies

"please don't be as rough next time..." you say shyly

"i can't promise you that" he chuckles

And with that you both fall asleep

"Bakugou wake up! we are late for school!"

"Don't worry, its Saturday..."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

hello, it's the writer speaking, I hope you liked my first ever fanfic. if you have any recommendations for characters of any anime (preferably mha, jjk, op, haikyuu, death note) I can do, I could also do some spiderman ones or k-pop OR manhwa characters. Since I identify as a female I don't think that I will do any male readers but we'll see. I hope you enjoyed 3:30h of my work!

#mha #mha bakugou #mha x reader #bakugou x reader #x reader #fanfic

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autisticempathydaemon · 2 years ago

Note

Hello hello, thank you for doing these match ups for us! Never done one of these before so I'm excited to see who I'll end up with. 💕

- What song are you fixated on at the moment? What lyric or verse, and why?

Great Wide Unknown by Pealeaf. Technically, I love the lyrics in their entirety but especially this: 'There are things we'll never know

Wish I could find a way to live like this forever

But there's a burning in my soul

And these days, it burns brighter than ever'.

As well as

'These stars were never mine to chase

I'll chase them anyway

Take me to a land far away

This path was never mine to take

Was my fate set in stone

Or just one thread in the great wide unknown'

Because after years of not getting anywhere in my life, I'm finally moving forward.

- Enneagram/Mbti:

The Loyalist, INFJ-T

- Do you love gargantuan Youtube video essays, and if so, which is your favorite and why?

Does currently watching Hardcore Singular Type Pokemon Nuzlockes count? If not, then I enjoy essay videos on revitalizing abandoned landscapes.

- What is your go-to way to fall asleep?

Laying on my side. Sometimes, I put on a yt video.

- If you had to change your name, what would it be, and why?

If I had to, I'd choose Inga, cause that's what my mom would have named me (it was dad's turn for me :p ) and I think it's a cute name.

- What is your favorite of Redacted’s audios, and why?

Torn between 'caught stealing your alpha werewolf boyfriend's hoodie' and 'your yandere friend wants to be closer to you'. For the former, I love the sweet vulnerability and the casual touches, the relaxation and bone deep love. For the latter, the way Blake helps the listener fall asleep works so well for me, him humming softly at the end... and I love manipulative/gaslighting characters. :')

- What Redacted boy holds no appeal to you, and why? Like, not the one you hate but the one who you don’t get the hype for.

Eeeh. Aaron, I suppose?

- Tell me about that one book/movie/tv show you know all the words to.

Lord of the Rings (Movie Edition). Especially Return of the King.

- Which Redacted boy are you platonically attracted to? Like- forget dating, which dude do you want to be your best friend?

Asher. Sorry, David, I hope you can share. Or Huxley. He's the actual sweetest dude who deserves the world and then some.

- Do you have a go-to thing you ramble about when you’re tired, and if so, what is it?

No, I just get grumpy when I'm tired.

- Tell me your go-to gas station and drink combo.

Eeh. Salty Pringles and a cola/orange fanta combo drink.

- Tell me about your favorite playlist at the moment.

Freelancer season 1 and Fallen Empathy Daemon. Yes, I am unable to decide once more. Outside of that, my Favorite Video Game Music playlist featuring mostly calm bgms and the occasional boss theme.

What’s your guilty pleasure media, and why?

Any type of dating game with yandere characters. I like the psychological horror aspects as well as the devotion. Is that kind of relationship toxic irl? Hell yeah it is. Do I still love games about the topic? You bet I do. Also, farming simulator games like Stardew Valley or Rune Factory.

Anything else?

Perfectionist (but slowly letting go of that), late-bloomer, creative. Whenever I have a moment, I get lost in my head, thinking up scenarios or plot for a new fanfic I'll never write. A cuddlebug but I feel more comfortable initiating and I prefer it if people ask before they touch me. I work with kids and I genuinely love my job despite the mental and physical exhaustion. I've got a very dry sense of humor and I actually love silly puns and humor.

Hope you have a good day!! ♥️

I know Fred and Bright, like, aren’t actual children (I imagine them as no older than twenty but still), but they’re basically Sam’s kids, and I just think he would more than appreciate a partner who likes kids and wouldn’t mind dating a single dad /hj

Something I think works well between Sixes and Eights (which is what I strongly hc Sam to be) is that both of you can be so… I don’t want to say guarded but careful with trust and intimacy. That shit has to be earned, and when you do get to know one another, you’ll learn how well-matched you are. Sixes are fueled by the desire to have security and stability, and Eights are fueled by the desire to lead and protect. Fundamentally, you are uniquely situated to be everything the other needs.

I also think Sam would be the perfect cuddle partner for you. Ever since that second video where he politely asks permission to lay hands, even in an emergency, we’ve known for sure he’s so careful about consent and boundaries. I can easily imagine the two of you settling down for a LOTR movie and him waiting with open arms for you to reach out at your pace and comfort level. (Gosh, wouldn’t that be so cute, you showing him the trilogy for the first time and excitedly telling him about how Viggo Mortenson broke his ankle?)

Song:

But here's a map, here's a shovel/ Here's my Achilles' heel/ I'm all in, palms out/ I'm at your mercy now and I'm ready to begin/ I am strong, I am strong, I am strong enough to let you in

Thank the lord for you, I have been waiting for someone I can match with Sam because this is my Sam song; I think of him every time I hear it. In my head, this is his internal monologue as he confesses. He’s lived such a long life of being hurt and protecting himself from more; trusting you enough to let you in, to not hurt him more, to acknowledge that risk is the greatest act of love of which he is capable.

Runner-Ups:

Milo’s a really cute possibility, because Sweetheart also strikes me as a recovering perfectionist, so I think he’d be a really supportive partner in that respect. “Who’s expectin ya to do all of that? It certainly ain’t me and damn sure shouldn’t be you.” is something I can hear him saying in his voice, if that makes sense. Also, I see your love of yanderes, hence Flyboi!Ivan. I ain’t pairing you with someone who got all them tendencies, because I love you, but we can have a little of that, the potential of the crazy as a treat /affectionate

Note: unrelated but bruh how you feelin after that Balance season finale because wowee Blake

Want a match-up of your own? Read this post, and tell me about yourself! 💌

#redactedasmr #redactedverse #redacted asmr #redactedaudio #redacted audio #redacted #busybee matches

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a-heart-like-a-sparrow · 5 months ago

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September 21st, 2024 - Spring

Warning: Absurdly long entry.

+ ° . ๑・° ⊹ . + ° . ๑・° ⊹ . + ° . ๑・° ⊹ . +

Here's a little recap of yesterday and today.

Friday morning. I went to school because they were making a little celebration for the beginning of spring and Students Day. I really wanted a sandwich and chocolate cake. Turns out everything had been sold before. Fuck.

At least I had a great conversation E. She's really cool. I don't know if I can call her a friend, but I like talking to her.

For the Friday night I have to give some context. Here in my town, the graduating students build a huge wooden snowman in August and burn it the night before spring.

Also, the classes before them (mine) run around them while they burn the poor snowman, which was... decent. A little small.

Does it sound quite satanic? Because it is... kinda.

And then after all that happens, everyone stays there to party.

Surprisingly, I had fun. A lot of fun. Y disappeared, so I stayed with E all the time. She somehow made me be a bit more open and hang out with her friends. Thanks, girl, you saved me.

Actually, I don't know how many of those people were real friends. At some point I walked with her and two other girls, and it turns out that she didn't even know them. I separated from E for a little while and sat down with a 13-year-old who had to leave after a while. So I stayed alone for a little bit. It was weird.

I also walked with this other two people and E to a shop at the city centre, and I helped them by hiding a bottle of alcohol in my backpack lol

That thing was... okay. I could feel it burning my chest, but it wasn't as gross as I thought it would be.

I didn't dance a lot tho. I really didn't know what to do. It was kinda awkward. But I did move a bit.

For some reason it ended earlier than we expected. E and I sat down outside a little bit and she and her mother walked with me on my way home.

I changed to my rags, brushed my teeth and washed the dishes, even though I was fucking dead. I was walking around as if I was lame because my feet hurt like hell.

On Saturday morning I woke up and realized that I contradicted myself and lied. I wasn't with E all the time lol

I had a little headache tho. Hangover, I guess. I have no idea.

I hung out with E and some new buddies. The party continues during the day. But before that we bought the limited edition Oreo-flavoured Coca Cola. It's incredible, we loved it. We wanted Coca-Cola-flavoured Oreos but we couldn't find them.

And this time I drank more than yesterday. At some point I accepted sangria from some guy from another school. I didn't even know him. But it was quite tasty.

I don't even know why I did it. A few weeks ago I would've declined everything, but today I wanted to be like them. And I liked it.

The whole thing ended at 6 PM, and I walked with E to a café and bought milkshakes. We yapped and yapped and laughed and it was amazing.

Y told her about my whole... situation with him. It was so embarrassing. But she said she could arrange something to go out together so I can talk to him. It would be nice, I don't know. Right now I don't care about what I'm doing, as long as it doesn't kill me.

I came home at 8 PM and stayed in bed for a while. I got up to charge my phone and animatedly danced to Soda Stereo. I stopped because I had to write this, and because I started to question my actions and start to believe I'm drunk.

I don't know how that feels, so I'm not sure. But I feel this little warmth on my face and my head feels light sometimes. Well, as long as my mother doesn't notice it.

And that's all! That's why I didn't post anything last night.

I feel a bit older now. I finally did what I was supposed to, and I enjoyed it (strangely). I'm really happy. I had a great day and I even made a new friend. Those other guys were cool, too. I don't know if I'll ever see them again - I hope so.

Tomorrow it's going to rain. A lot. So I'll just stay at home and relax for a bit. I need to recover from this (even though it wasn't really a big deal?).

I think I'll cook some pasta. Just to have dinner now and go to sleep as soon as possible.

Also, I think I smell smoke. I swear I didn't smoke anything, I was surrounded by people with cigarettes.

Last night I didn't know how many of them were tobacco. At least one of them wasn't, I'm sure about that.

I should have a shower. Is it too late for that?

Anyway, I gotta go now.

Rest well - I definitely will.

And happy spring.

+ ° . ๑・° ⊹ . + ° . ๑・° ⊹ . + ° . ๑・° ⊹ . +

#diary #dear diary #long post #finally #something interesting #how crazy is that #(very much)#wooooo #i feel so cool #lol

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barnesandco · 4 years ago

Text

Little Hands (II)

Series Masterlist

You, Bucky, and Anastasia pay Bruce Banner a visit.

This is an entry for @star-spangled-bingo 2021. Word count: 1836. Square filled: “You don’t wanna know.”

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: More Sad Child. Needles, fear of. So much overthinking.

A/N: Gosh, I’m so glad I got this chapter edited in time. I hope you like it and I’m sorry for skipping out on y’all last week! To make up for it, there’ll be two updates this weekend, so look out for the next chapter tomorrow! Lmk what you thinkkkk

The Avengers Compound is every bit as spectacular as you could have possibly hoped, and yet you’re unable to fully appreciate it because of the sheer absurdity of the situation. Your hand is in the vice-tight grip of the supposed daughter of your neighbor, who happens to be an Avenger.

Said neighbor is pacing back and forth in front of you as you sit in Bruce Banner’s laboratory, with Anastasia beside you while you wait for Bruce to arrive. Ana is remarkably calm, her young features – the round cheeks, still-wet eyes – made mature by her abnormal silence. Something about her makes you think she’s used to this kind of tension. Something about her screams war-child. Perhaps this grip she has on you is the first demand she has made in a long time, the only tantrum she has ever been allowed to throw.

While you aren’t particularly experienced with children, you think you want her to feel safe with you, because it seems she hasn’t been elsewhere. Ana’s eyes flit around the room in the only behavioral indication of her youth – a childlike curiosity, shining in the face of this fancy, new place that gleams like a toy store. Every now and then, her gaze jumps back from the alien appearance of the lab to her father (?) who seems intent on wearing a hole in the tiles with his pacing.

It is beginning to wear on you: both Bucky’s pacing and Ana’s steadily increasing anxiety. He hasn’t said a word to her since he opened the envelope, only asked that you accompany him to the Compound seeing as Ana won’t go alone with him (You would have gone with him even if that hadn’t been so. Though the nature of your relationship is ambiguous at times, the strength of your friendship is not. You’ll figure this out. You won’t leave him alone). Clearly, there is some unspoken memory that has him convinced the claim in the letter is plausible. Neither of you would be here if it wasn’t.

Bucky doesn’t talk too much about his past. He has offered a few of the shattered shards of his past reflection to you in the few night-caped moments you have hammered on his door upon hearing shouts across the hall. Between that, and what you know thanks to Black Widow’s file dump, the big Avengers’ in-fight in Europe last summer, the consequent resolution to the Accords, and Bucky’s publicized pardon, you can guess at the traumas that lurk in the depths of him.

They’re traumas that are closer to the surface of his eyes now, pulled forth by this new life, this little soul that has no business with such dark things, and the implication that this holds. Ana, innocent as she may be, is an insinuation of what else might have been unwillingly torn from Bucky.

You don’t want to think about it, because it hurts to do so, because you care for him, in many, many ways. It seems that Anastasia is also starting to tire of it. With every step Bucky takes, her hand tightens on yours. Fortunately, soon, the door to your left opens, and Bruce Banner enters his lab.

He's appropriately disheveled for this hour in the morning. Under his pristine lab coat, one of his shirt buttons is done into the wrong buttonhole, but his eyes are alert, frantic even, though you get the feeling that this is a man always on the edge of escape.

Bucky lets out a breath he seems to have been holding at the same time as his shoulders tense. “Thanks for coming so early, Doctor Banner. I wouldn’t have called if—”

“You never call, so I know it must have been important. But it looks like I’ve kept you waiting anyways,” Banner says, his eyes widening as they move from Bucky, to you, to the little girl at your side. “What’s the matter? You know I’m not a medical doctor, right?” He asks, putting a work bench between himself and his visitors.

Bucky clears his throat, and doesn’t quite know how to say what he needs to. After a few more seconds of hesitation, in which Banner waits patiently, Bucky extracts the envelope containing the fateful letter from his pocket, and hands it over.

The furrows in Doctor Banner’s brow multiply spontaneously, and when he looks up, Bucky gestures with a subtle nod of his head to Ana. He has yet to explain your presence, but you think Doctor Banner is a smart man. It won’t take more than Anastasia’s tight hold on you for him to put two and two together. Sometimes, a scared child is just that, no matter how unusual.

Most of their ensuing conversation is held at a lowered volume, set by Bucky, probably out of courtesy for Ana. You can hear snatches and phrases, most of them confirmations of things you had expected and some, not so much. Lobby security cam footage… fingerprints… paternity test… serum… blood sample…

By the end of it, some facsimile of a plan seems to have evolved between the two men, because Doctor Banner turns away with a smile and you, taking it as a welcome, stand and approach him. He rounds his desk and shakes your hand, exchange introductions though he hardly needs one, and then, he crouches, the way Bucky had, and offers Ana his hand.

“Hi, I’m Bruce.”

“Ana.”

Bucky steps forward. “Anastasia—” the name is clumsy on his tongue, because he’s scared. You can see it, and you hope he knows you are, too, but you’ll stand with him regardless, “—Bruce is going to check that you aren’t sick.”

“I’m okay.”

“We need to be sure.”

“Okay.”

Banner pulls out a chair, and you’re about to sit Ana down on it, when she pushes you gently into it, and sits on your lap. You can do nothing but wrap your arms gently around her, so she doesn’t fall. The apology in Bucky’s eyes is melted with a sympathetic smile. It’s alright. A child developing an inexplicable affection for you is not the worst thing to ever happen to you.

Ana is warm and a comfortable weight on you, and you hold her as loosely as you can, feel the movement of her chest against your arms with each breath. Her hair is a mix of wool-thick and silk-soft against your chin, smelling faintly of the sugar-sweet strawberry scent found in children’s shampoos. Someone took care of her.

Someone she isn’t asking for. What kind of child doesn’t ask for their mother, past the initial, momentary heartbreak? How has she come to terms with the apparent change in custody, when the new custodian hasn’t?

Whether Bucky is to be the new guardian has yet to be determined. You can see Bruce pulling out a syringe and preparing a vial. You wonder if she’s scared of needles. Bucky flinches at the sight of them, even now. He’s said that his disdain for the cold clinicism of medicine dates back to long before Hydra. Medical equipment reminds him of worrying that his best friend was going to die. It’s the fear he has harbored longest, longer than his fear of war, of gunshots in the dark, of blood on his hands.

Ana shares it. When she sees the needle, she screams, and Bucky lunges forward to help you hold her in place. She’s so, so much stronger than you thought and while you can hold her limbs, her head thrashes about, and so does her torso, making it impossible for Bruce to get to the inside of her elbow.

In the chaos, your eye lands on a trinket on a nearby desk, sitting there like a peace offering, literally beckoning to you. “Hey, Ana,” you whisper-yell, trying not to get hit in the jaw by her head. “Do you like animals? Cats? I have a friend who has lots and lots of cats, and I could take you to see them.” It’s working. You’re out of breath, but she’s quieting. Most little kids love cats. You love cats. “I think Bruce has a toy cat. See, over there?” You dare to lift an arm to point at the maneki-neko on the table. Ana stills. Her eyes follow the hypnotic movement, and the syringe at Ana’s elbow does its job.

When the bandage is put on, you and Bucky let go with twin nervous chuckles of relief and disbelief, and Bruce puts the vial in a machine. Ana hops off to approach the desk, and bats at the paw waving at her like a mirror of it.

“We should have the results soon. I think the others are starting to wake up, if you want to say hi,” Bruce says, taking off his glasses and wiping them on the corner of his lab coat.

“Maybe later,” you say, seeing that Bucky is hardly in any position to converse casually with his teammates right now. Not to mention, it’d be a lot of work to explain Ana, especially before having any sort of confirmation of who she is.

Bucky pulls out a chair next to you while Bruce opens a laptop a few counters away, and an x-ray machine lifts its head behind Ana, who has moved on from the lucky cat, and is stroking the leaves of a flowering plant.

“Peace lily,” Bucky says, startling you. You look at him, the bags under his eyes, the way he almost looks his age right now, and fight the urge to hold his hand. “It’s the first flower I bought for my apartment. I put it in a community garden after a nightmare about the war. Didn’t feel right for me to have it.”

He's talking about the Second World War. The war always refers to his first war. You think he’s talking about peace, and not the lily, after what he’s done. After what he was forced to do.

“It’s not your fault,” is an automatic response, and never enough, especially for the war, because at least he was in his own senses, even if he was drafted. It always elicits a self-deprecating laugh, but right now, he’s too tired for even that.

Right now, he can only watch as the x-ray camera follows Ana around the room, from the peace lilies, to an Amazon elephant’s ear, to a strange sculpture made from Coca-Cola cans glued together by what looks like spider-webs.

Too soon, Bruce calls you over to his work station. You follow Bucky, one eye on Ana.

“She’s yours,” Bruce says, and Bucky inhales sharply. Now, you do take his hand, stroke the metal ridges with your calloused thumb. “But she has disproportionately more of your DNA than her mother’s.”

“What does that mean?”

Bruce wrings his hands. “She’s not a complete clone, but nearly a genetic copy. 80% of a clone, if you will.”

Bucky is growing increasingly uncomfortable, shifting next to you. “How’s that possible?”

“You don’t wanna know.”

#SSB2021 #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fanfic #reader insert #fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #marvel #mcu #fanfic

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satans-left-asscheeky · 4 years ago

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Three step programs to help get your favorite fallout companion to love you / become your little bitch

Part three.

Piper

Is your Piper finding it hard to enjoy her usual shenanigans? Is your Piper experiencing the a dreaded writers block and lack of motivation? Is your Piper struggling to balance working a full time job, travel with her trusty dusty Blue popsicle and be a big sibling/full time parent to her little sister? Has your Piper been in a withdrawal of sorts after spending an ungodly amount of time in the diamond City slammer thanks to the corrupt government run by the shiny freshly packaged life meddling fuckers known as the institute? Lucky for you this three step program will help get your Piper back to her nosy reporter kick-ass bad bitch self!

Step One: Mayor Mcdonough? more like mayor Mc-done-for! It must have taken the institute a long ass time to make not one, but two faces for him! Kill the fuck outta the cowardly double crossing pretentious douche bag!

Step Two: You wanna know what would help your Piper? No more late night abductions! take the fight to the institute by any means necessary.... (besides the BOS ofc)... Why tf do they even replace people? Probing? Dissection?....... news flash institute normal people have this thing called a heart! who tf knows why the creeps prey apon the people of the commonwealth. What your Piper does know is their gonna need an ass transplant once her foot is done with em.

Step Three: Okay so this might sound totally domestic (and less violent cuz damn that sounded like a bad psycho trip...) compared to the last two steps, but something that will totally help your Piper is.... A writers nook. Filled with real printing supplies. Old world novels, or even better creating new world novels with your Piper! One of the many things that historians claim makes a "civilization" is the production of unique works of literature (or something like that don't sue me if I'm wrong I'm quoting my freshman year history teacher and a bitch snoozed in that class) ... so technically, though a soft approach, your helping pave the pathway to a better future one line at a time.

(We can not be held responsible for any offensive news articles your Piper may write once she has her mojo back. If your Piper is experiencing an increased number of threats please contact your local Cait to open up a can of whoop ass)

Nick

Does your Nick have a case of depresso espresso that he just can't seem to solve? Is your Nick a melancholy mix of man and machine still trying to find his way in life after approximately 80 years of mixed experience? Is your Nick obsessing over fixing other people's problems to avoid his own? Is your Nick screwing his dang hand at the most inopportune times? (Like dude when a we're playing chicken with a super mutan suicider is not the time to screw your damn hand! Fucking Lydia had more tact than your ass) Luckily for you we have just the evidence you need to close the case on your weeping widow tin man!

Step one: Go on the annoyingly long hunt for all of Eddie Winters encrypted holotapes. Once every nook and cranny of every police station in massachusetts has been searched go kill the fuck out of that murdering bastard! You know what they say.... "If you can't fill the hole in your aching neon heart blow a hole in someone else's!"

Step two: Sarcasm galore! The more sassy the better! How can you be a saddy if your sassy? No but seriously witty remarks are your Nick's love language.

Step three: Generosity. Though it may be true the wastland will never be able to go back to the utopia it once was, but you and your Nick will be damned if you don't die trying to make the world a better place. If one small act of kindness is all your Nick is rembered for then he did well in life. Even if that means that act of kindness was giving Sheffield a damn nuka-cola.

(Okay so I'm not sure how I'm gonna be able to live with myself knowing that I'm the reason that this exist... Please forgive me for I shall never forgive myself.... okay but seriously why does the after look like my ex....) Ps I never noticed he had a cute chin dimple/dent before... I love it so much! He's so adorable.

Preston

Is your Preston still haunted by the series of unfortunate events that followed him from quincy to concord? Is your Preston suffering from survivers guilt and rain? Well have we got just the thing for you!

Step one: Find some way to control the weather! How can your Preston ever be sad if it's never raining?

Step two: Take your Preston on villager saving sprees! Rebuild the entire commonwealth.... it would be rude and inconsiderate of your Preston to even think about being happy when all those settlements still need your help.... what better way to remind your Preston of the good little sunshine boi he is than taking care of that settlement over there..... lemme mark it on your map for you!

Step three: Put a stop to all the meanies of the commonwealth.... Raiders demanding resources from settlers? gotta die. Super mutans eating settlers? gotta go. How can your Preston truly be happy if even a single living breathing soul in the commonwealth isn't? Your Preston has a big fat bleeding heart on his sleeve.... but hey the second you showed him any kind of human decency he clung onto you like a piece of raider stuck in a deathclaws teeth.

(We can not be held responsible for all the settlements that will be marked on your map.... But hey at least it's not raining.... babe!)

Hey so not gonna lie I could keep this in the draft and edit it for the rest of eternity, but at this point I think it's time to stop obsessing and post lol. Hope you enjoy or at least tolerate it like me!

Part 1

Part 2

#fallout #fallout 4 #fallout shitpost #fo4 companions #fallout 4 companions #nick valentine #fo4 nick valentine #fallout piper #fo4 preston #preston garvey #piper wright #fo4 #fallout companions

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guujiyaemiko · 3 years ago

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I hate to do this, but we’re really struggling. Rent is due soon and we’re behind because we’ve had to apply for so many apartments. We were unsure why we kept being rejected. Turns out we owed money to one of our previous apartments. Paying that off took all of what we had saved for moving costs and some of what we needed for rent.

Plus I just got over pneumonia, so I was unable to do much work lately. I’m still fighting for disability, but it looks like I may not get it unless my wife and I get a divorce.. Which also costs money we don’t have right now. I can’t work a traditional job because of all my health problems. Medical bills keep piling up, too, but those are less immediate than the threat of homelessness.

My current income is limited to what I sell on etsy. I would really appreciate it if you could give the shop a look at and, if you’re interested, placing an order? Custom order are available! If you have a scent in mind, let me know. It doesn’t have to be Genshin themed. I have more essential oils than I care to count! Chances are, I have what you’re looking for. I’m also willing to make customs based on just.. whatever you like!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/milkywaybathandbody

If you still want to help out, but can’t order/don’t want to order right now, my Ko-fi is here!

https://ko-fi.com/ascheylia

EDIT: I would like to add a huge than you to those of you that bought or donated. I appreciate it so much.

Even just reblogging this to boost it is very much appreciated. Thank you.

Below are all my scents EDIT: I added a few more scents

Windblumes - Gardenia, Red Apples, and Vanilla

Lighter Than Air - Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry

Knight’s Retreat - Honeydew, Banana, and Coconut

Tropical Idol’s - Pineapple, Melon, Dragonfruit & Berries

Jade Chamber - Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Fig & Grapefruit

Cocogoat - Coconut, Vanilla, & Sugar Violet Petals

Dawn Winery’s - Grape Juice & Apple Cider

Emergency Food - Sugared Strawberries, Watermelon, Honeydew, Cherry, Kiwi, & Peach.

Kätzlein - Blue Cotton Candy and Strawberries

Outrider - Coffee, Cocoa, Vanilla, & Cake

Body and Mind - Eucalyptus, Rain, & Bamboo

Glaze Over* - Rain, Lotus, & Green Tea

Osmanthus Memories* - Amber, Osmanthus & Merlot

Wolvendom* - Pine, Berries, & a hint of Smoke

Thorny Rose* - Rose & Vanilla

Shimmering Dance* - Mint, Berries & Cream

Tartaglia* - Ocean Breeze & Spun Sugar & Cola

Adventure* - S’mores with a hit of campfire smoke

Akaya Themed Scent* - Cherry Blossom & Green Tea

Raiden Shogun Themed Scent* - Wisteria, Strawberry, & Vanilla

* These are not currently on the etsy listing. If you would like a scent with an asterisk next to it, just message me. I’ll put up a listing for you!

#( ‘ 🌸 ･ﾟ ooc

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kuromantic · 4 years ago

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Tales of Zombish: Haikyuu Light Novel Translation

*This is my translation of the Zombie Knight Zombish snippets from the light novel. It’s split into 5 parts, and inserted between each chapter of the light novel. Don’t copy this to another site. The translation is under the cut!

Zombie Knight Zombish

1: Zombish is Born!!

Nightfall. A lone swordsman wakes up. A swordsman that does not know of true death, because of experiencing a false death.

“...Wait, it’s still evening, you stupid crow!”

The man yells at the small crow beside him, having just woken up by a thin bush. The man’s body was wrapped up in an old, tattered cloth—which must have been a cloak some time ago—which covered his entire body.

“I could have gotten burned by the setting sun…” The man blocks out the sunlight with the tattered cloth, and the crow caws apologetically.

“Well, it’s okay. I don’t even have a body that can be burned.”

The man laughs, and the crow flaps its black wings, flying ahead up into the sky. The man follows it with his gaze, squinting at the brightness. He stands up.

“Oh, well. Guess I’ll go.”

The man starts to walk. His frame was thin and delicate, which could be seen even when it was covered with the tattered cloth. And on his back, was a sword.

The sword, which is large enough to not be recognized as one at first glance, does not suit the lean man.

“Man, I wonder if a car will pass by… Eh, I guess no sane person would have gasoline now.”

There’s no road where the man looks ahead.

In the dead world where smokey, dried up wastelands stretch out for seemingly forever, the man continues to walk alone today.

“Yeah, isn’t this good? Isn’t this good? It sounds like the story’s just begun, right?”

The rookie mangaka, Udai Tenma, stands up with an excited face and gets another drink from the self-service fountains. He returns to his table with a glass of cola in his hand. He continues working on his storyboard.

The only equipment on the table is a notebook, a pencil and an eraser. On the open page, there are scribbles that nobody else could decipher. It’s the storyboard Udai made with all his effort.

I wanna try and make a manga. I like it. With that, Udai had drawn a manga during his college years. And it had won an honourable mention in the rookie awards. He had gotten an editor and debuted as a mangaka. But the reality was, he wasn’t quite reaching serialization.

But now, “Zombie Knight Zombish”, is being created in the restaurant. And there’s a confidence that hasn’t been there before.

“‘Everything but death is nothing but a scratch’? He needs to get over himself… No, maybe ‘Mortal bodies, they make me jealous.’...”

Udai mumbles dialogues to himself, changing his expressions to suit the main character’s. The other customers at the restaurant glance at him.

But he can’t afford to care about those gazes.

Zombish needs to help the heroine attacked by the enemy, in an extremely cool and overdramatic manner.

And the enemy has to be a fated opponent that Zombish has known before turning into a zombie. The heroine needs to be a key person, for Zombish to return from zombie to human. And of course, she needs to be cute, a little strong-willed, who tries to join in on the fighting sometimes. But also a girl who you just want to protect…

A flash.

The girl’s eyes can only capture the white hand, emerging from the tattered cloth and gripping the sword on his back.

She feels wind brush past her cheeks, and closes her eyes. She opens them again, and the bandits have already collapsed onto the dry ground.

“Huh? What…?”

As the girl struggles to comprehend what had happened, Zombish is already starting to walk away.

“Hey, don’t leave me behind!”

She grabs the knight. At that moment, the tattered cloth on him rips and falls to the ground.

What appears is not the handsome knight she expected. Nor a fighter that’s big and well-muscled. It’s a skeleton.

“...Wait, bone?! Why bone! Bone? Wait, do bones even talk?!”

“Yeah, I’m bone! So sorry I’m bone, sue me!”

The knight picks up the truly tattered piece of rag, and hides his body. It truly looks like a skeletal model. He turns his back to the girl.

“Anyway, I’m bone. So I can’t go with you. Protect yourself, you’re on your own.”

The “bone”, that had slain a crowd of bandits instantly, tries to walk away from one single girl, as if to escape from her.

Staring at Zombish’s lanky, weak-looking back and the huge sword on it, the girl shouts over at him.

“Hey, bone! Can you eat?”

Zombish turns around, lifts the tattered cloth, and points around his stomach with a laugh.

“You wanna see me eat? It’s hilarious.”

“If you don’t eat… That means I don’t have to share my food or water with you, right?”

“Huh?”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re bone or not, if you can defeat these guys. You’re pretty strong.” The girl points to the iron-clad, muscular bandit with a mohawk. “And I should sew that cloth I ripped back together…”

Zombish laughs, his hard skull distorting a little. “I’m not strong. Those guys are just small fries. But I guess I’ll have you fix this cloth for me.”

At those words, the girl runs up to him.

In the dried-up world of death, two footsteps mark their paths. Up above in the sky, a crow flies around in circles. As if to watch over them.

Zombish’s journey has just started!!

“I wonder what my editor will say…”

The man, once the “Little Giant”, leaves the restaurant and returns home. And without changing his clothes, collapses into his futon for the first time in a while.

2. VS Editor A!!

“Zombies aren’t usually skeletons, right?” Akaashi Keiji opens his heavy mouth, holding his coffee in one hand. It makes Akaashi heavy-hearted to meddle with a work an author brought to him.

Kanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo.

In the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Vie, there’s an extreme lack of people in the afternoon.

The rookie mangaka, Udai Tenma, freezes momentarily in the meeting space. And he attempts to brush it off with a laugh.

“Yeah, I thought, ‘Is a skeleton okay?’ for a bit. But maybe a Japanese-style zombie would be new, and I thought I could pull it off. We all get cremated in Japan, too. Hahaha.”

“I see.”

Akaashi looks at the copy of “Zombie Knight Zombish” on the table, and Udai laughing in front of him. And he says one more time, with force behind his words. That this is the last time he’ll say this, and he won’t say the same thing again.

“Zombies aren’t usually skeletons, right.”

The question mark had disappeared.

It’s not a question, but a confirmation of fact.

“...Yeah.” Udai replies weakly. He drops his shoulders, and bites the straw of his cola.

It’s tough.

It had been his best work. He had a confidence in it, that he hadn’t before with his other works. But his concept had been fundamentally criticized.

The editor continues talking to the crestfallen Udai.

“And one more thing.”

“...What is it?”

Udai hunches his shoulders, looking up at Akaashi like a scolded child. Akaashi sips his coffee, adjusts his glasses and lets out a breath. He opens his mouth slowly.

“We’ve established that a skeleton is not a zombie. But I think this skeleton’s design is a little lacking, in the first place. It’s no different to any old skeleton. For the main character, I want a quirk that will tell you it’s Zombish with just one look.”

“Any old skeleton?” Udai says, and draws a normal-looking skeleton into his notebook.

“Yes. For example, he could be wearing glasses, or he could have a large scar. I want a unique design. Even if you draw him simply, you would know it’s him. If I were to ask for more, I’d even say make his silhouette recognizable. That’s how strong his design should be.”

Udai adds a scar to his skeleton, and mumbles, “I guess it can’t be a scar, if his silhouette has to be recognizable.”

“The scar is just one example.”

“I’m sorry…”

Udai slurps the cola at the bottom of the glass, which is pretty much melted ice. He laughs disappointedly.

“I thought the skeleton was fine, since he was cremated. Like a Japanese-style zombie. Well, there’s no zombie-ness, I guess…”

At those words, Akaashi’s glasses shine.

“Then… How about you make Zombish look more Japanese? It could link with his sword, too.”

“What?”

“Well, this is just one what-if scenario.”

“...No, I think it could work. I’ll think about it! Then maybe he can look different from any old zombie!” Udai grabs his pen, and draws a Japanese-style zombie in his notebook. “If it’s Japanese clothes and a sword, he’d just be a samurai… How do I give him the zombie knight feeling…”

Watching the pen move busily and create many versions of Zombish, Akaashi feels a weight lift from his heart.

It makes him heavy-hearted to meddle with other people’s works. But sometimes, his words make the author take a step in a good direction. That must be why he can continue with this job.

“So now, please brush up on the work. And, depending on the edited manuscript, I may bring it up during the serialization meeting.”

Udai’s pen stops moving. “Wait, why?! You’ve been talking about my work so harshly and tearing into it this whole time!”

“...I haven’t been tearing into it. It’s entertaining, so I just want to make the story even more entertaining.”

Udai’s face crumples, as he looks up at Akaashi. “Akaashi-san, you weren’t just an unpleasant person, after all!”

“I’m an unpleasant person…?”

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean it that way! I meant it in an um, good way!”

Akaashi doesn’t ask what exactly he means by that, and organizes the manuscript. “Zombish is very entertaining, compared to the works you have brought me so far. I think you have a chance.”

“Thank you!”

“Oh, and lastly…”

“There’s… still more?” Udai tenses.

Akaashi chuckles, before talking. “I’ve been thinking for a while, but this bit on the edge of the page, saying ‘Zombish’s journey has only just begun!’. You don’t need to write that. It’s the editor’s job.”

“...!!”

4. Get Serialized!!

It’s just past noon. Noticing that the phone is ringing, Udai reaches out from under the futon. He checks, and realizes it’s Akaashi. He gets out of the futon in a hurry, and answers.

“You were asleep.” Akaashi says, in the same straightforward tone.

“...I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry too. I’m going to get into it. Your one-shot is well-received.”

At those words, Udai’s hand begins to sweat. He had been told to make a one-shot for the extra issue, and had made “Zombie Knight Zombish” with everything he’d got.

He had changed Zombish’s design into a young man with patchwork skin, after Akaashi’s critique. He likes the way the bandages show around his collar. It can’t have been a skeleton, he thinks. It’s hard to relate to a skeleton.

The “recognizable by silhouette” task had been cleared with the axe on his head. The zombie knight element was incorporated, by making him detach his left arm to wield his sword. Maybe they’ll make a movable figure out of the character.

Above all, it was a work he’d been confident in. If it had still been absolutely hopeless, Udai wouldn’t have been able to recover from it.

“Thank god…” Udai feels the tension drain out of him, and Akaashi continues.

“And now, I would like to brush up Zombish to prepare for serialization.”

“Of course! With pleasure!” Udai answers with gusto, almost like an izakaya employee.

“Firstly, your heroine.”

“Yes!”

I should probably fix up the heroine a bit more, Udai thinks. Make her cuter, better… But Akaashi doesn’t steer the conversation in that direction.

“In the one-shot, Zombish saves her, and they decide to go on a journey together, and it ends there.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

“If the one-shot will be chapter one, are they going to be travelling together in chapter two and beyond?”

It’s not anything fun, like about making the heroine have a good figure or about how revealing her clothes should be.

And really, Udai hadn’t been thinking what would happen once it got serialized. Well, he supposes it would be like what Akaashi just said.

“Wouldn’t the readers grow bored of that?” As if to read Udai’s mind, Akaashi says.

“What?”

“The main character and the heroine go on a journey together the whole time, an enemy appears, he saves her, he defeats the enemy, and then moves on. And they continue like that until the final boss.”

“Yeah…”

“Wouldn’t that bore people?”

Wait, am I getting given out to?

No, he’d only been thinking of the one-shot as a base, so he hadn’t set anything beyond that in stone. He had only thought that leaving the readers hoping for more would be enough.

“...Um, if it’s possible, I’d like to talk about this in person.” Udai says, wiping the sweat off his palms with his t-shirt.

“All right. When are you free?”

And so, in the editorial department the day after, the brainstorming session in the meeting space had continued for more than two hours.

“So then, instead of a heroine that just keeps getting saved…”

“She’d be like a buddy that also gives witty comebacks.”

Udai draws a bunch of expressions for the female character. Flustered, angry, glaring… He stops his pen, and looks at Akaashi.

“Then maybe Zombish will have a goofy side, instead of just being cool?”

“But please don’t make it into a gag manga. Looking at the survey results, there are a lot of people saying that the manga is interesting because Zombish is cool.” Akaashi answers, looking at the survey chart.

“I see… Balancing it out is hard.” Udai draws out a bunch of Zombish’s expressions in his notebook, and laughs. “But it’s fun. It feels like I’m making a manga.”

“It’s good to hear that.” Akaashi smiles for a moment, and continues. “And also, about the enemy. Instead of them being a group of bandits in the harsh world, making them an organization would add depth to the story.”

“Oh, maybe they’re the reason Zombish turned into a zombie?”

“Sounds good.”

Udai’s mood lifts from Akaashi’s acknowledgement, and opens up a page earlier on in his notebook.

“Look here! The final boss is a fated opponent from before Zombish turned into a zombie. And the heroine is a key person for Zombish to turn back into a human. So I thought right now, maybe the heroine is the daughter of the final boss.”

In contrast to the excited Udai, Akaashi lets out a low groan of uncertainty.

“...So what, exactly, is Zombish fighting for?”

“You always ask questions that can make the whole thing fall apart, Akaashi-san.”

“Well, isn’t that the most important part?”

Expanding ideas simple-mindedly is fun. The more he expands, picking up the pieces and making the story coherent will be hell, though. But knowing that, talking about final bosses and rivals is genuinely fun.

“Secret hideouts are great, aren’t they?”

“If they’ve taken over this world, isn’t there no need to keep it a secret? Something that would display their power…”

“A castle!”

7. Secret Technique: Bolster Up!

Just after serialization, the response had been very good. It had been. Udai had been in a good mood, asking “This will definitely be turned into an anime, right?”

But now, it had gotten to a point where they couldn’t let it get any lower on the survey rankings.

“........”

“Are you okay?” Akaashi’s senior sees him with his head in his hands, and speaks to him.

“...Oh, yes.”

“It’s about Zombish, right? You should bolster it up with something. Like, with a pretty girl or a handsome guy,” the senior says. “Well, I don’t know.” He returns to his seat, after saying his part.

“Bolster it up…”

Akaashi’s brows knit together.

Would that be enough? Could such a hasty, superficial solution entertain the readers? Well, the current results point to the fact that they’re not entertained. But even so, shouldn’t they be charming the audience with the protagonist’s appeal, or how interesting the story is?

“The protagonist’s appeal, huh…”

But what are the features of a protagonist that will be loved?

What kind of story makes the readers want to come back for more?

“.....”

It would be the anticipation the readers have for the main character. What will happen next week? What will he show us next? Expectations as such. There must have been a lack of absolute protagonist strength, if he thinks about it.

But that was the result of trying to create a dark fantasy, painting a delicate picture of emotions. Precisely because it was an absurd world with a zombie knight appearing in it. Was that what they had done wrong? Was it impossible for his literature department-aspiring self to make an entertaining manga, after all…?

After pondering for a long time, Akaashi lifts his head with a start.

“....!”

Wait a minute.

Am I making the same mistake again?

Am I thinking I could control the author and the readers?

“...No. Pour your spirit into each ball, pour your spirit into each ball…”

Yes. Focus on the next point, the next ball. Focus on this week’s story, the obstacle the protagonist must overcome.

His desk becomes messier each day, as if to reflect inside his heart. Akaashi closes his eyes, and focuses his mental state.

“Don’t think about what’s easy, think about what’s fun. What’s fun…”

The survey rankings going down, getting discontinued isn’t fun. Then what is he meant to do…?

“Give feedback… Connect it to the next step… The next…”

The seniors look at Akaashi worriedly, in front of the printer.

“Akaashi is muttering to himself again, is he okay? He won’t quit, will he?”

“He always comes back to life afterwards, you can leave him alone.”

“Yep.”

“I want an absolute, strong main character.” Akaashi says to Udai, during their meeting.

“Absolute?”

“Yes. Like a star that hits any ball with his utmost ability.”

“Am I going to get discontinued?!”

Udai stands up with a clatter, face growing pale. Akaashi shakes his head quietly.

“...Please calm down. It’s not getting discontinued, yet.”

“...Yet…” Udai shrinks, and sits back down.

“It’s a tough situation, but let’s turn things around.”

They’re burning their bridges behind them.

On the walls around the meeting space, there are many posters of works that had been turned into anime and movies. And the cardboard boxes blocking the corridor are packed with samples of goods.

They have to join the ranks of those popular works, at all cost…!

Akaashi brings his gaze back to Udai, and starts to summarize the things he had thought about for the past week.

“The main character… Zombish is a ‘star’. The readers have expectations for the star. What will he do next? What awesome moves will he show us? What kind of crazy risks will he take?

“We want the main character to amaze us with unexpected, yet charming actions. Whether Zombish sinks or swims will depend on how he overcomes next week’s desperate situation.”

Akaashi lifts the paper bag on the floor. “And there’s a favour I want to ask from you.”

“What’s this? I was wondering about it for a while.” The paper bag handed to him is unexpectedly heavy. Udai glances inside. “A blu-ray?”

“Yes. I picked out swashbuckler films of all types, that have useful scenes for composition and pose references. At this point, we should take in anything cool and flashy.”

“Thank you!”

“Also, it will be hard for you to watch it all, so I wrote the times for scenes I want you to watch.” Akaashi gives him a note.

“I’ll definitely watch it! I’ll use them as references!”

“I’ll do anything I can as well. Let’s both try our best.”

There’s no way Akaashi can control what story the author will bring to him, what the other works will be like, how the readers will react.

So, he should think about what he can do, what he should do.

Avoiding discontinuation— it’s hard, but it shouldn’t be impossible.

10. Our fight has only just begun!

“Zombish is getting discontinued… You have seven chapters left…”

After getting the phone call informing him of the discontinuation, Udai had gone outside. Staying in his room felt too painful. But why, and how he’d come to the editing department, he doesn’t remember.

Akaashi had been taken aback, after Udai had come without contacting him. But one look at his face, and he knew he couldn’t leave him by himself. And so he had taken him to a nearby coffee shop to talk to him. It was just his luck that he hadn’t gone outside the company.

“Please order anything you like.”

Akaashi gives the menu to Udai sitting opposite to him, but Udai drops it onto the table, not having enough energy to hold it.

Akaashi pulls the menu closer to himself, trying not to show his shock. “Is coffee all right, then?”

“........”

There’s no answer, but Akaashi asks for two cups of coffee from the waiter. He chooses his words carefully, and begins to speak.

“We had unfortunate results this time, but…” Akaashi continues, to the dejected Udai. “And as a suggestion from me…”

“........”

“I would like to get a fresh start with a new work. We should solidify the concept more for your next work, and compete with a work only you can make.”

“Next…?” Udai raises his head at last, only to slam it back into the table. “There’s nothing! There’s no such thing that only I can make!” He lifts his crumpled face, and yells.

“That’s not true. There must be something…”

“It is too! There’s nothing!”

Akaashi can only bite his lip, while his assigned author descends into total panic.

What should he do…

He can’t just say “Bye, then,” and leave him feeling downcast. He had wanted to part ways with him in a positive manner, connecting him to the next step. That might just be his own ego talking, though.

“...I’m sure there’s a good theme for you. Is there anything you liked as a child, or something you put your heart into?”

“I’m just a jack-of-all-trades, average guy. I’ve just gotten by in regards to study, sports, art and music…”

When Udai had been in good form, he had preened about it, saying “I can do pretty much anything!”, but now he’s totally dejected. Well, that can’t be helped. He’s getting discontinued, after all.

The only thing Akaashi can do, is to tell him his completely honest thoughts.

“I don’t think a serialized author is just a jack-of-all-trades, average person.”

“I’m not a serialized author anymore, I’m a discontinued author…”

At that moment, the waiter arrives. He shows a slightly intrigued face at Udai’s words, but immediately puts on his professional face and turns on his heels.

Akaashi takes the cup, and inhales the aroma of coffee to calm himself down. He thinks. Maybe he should make some small talk, and change the mood.

What should he talk about? Not about his work, or about what lays ahead. Then, about Udai himself? He wonders what he had talked about with him recently. What club had he joined in college? Where was he from?

And he remembers.

“Udai-san, you told me before that you’re from Tohoku. Were there any unusual traditions there? That you can write a manga about.”

“...Yeah, I’m from Miyagi. But I lived in a normal estate, it was all pretty normal.”

Udai says with a hoarse voice, and absentmindedly puts sugar cubes into his coffee. Many, many sugar cubes. Akaashi thinks he’s adding a bit too much, but there’s an atmosphere around them that makes him unable to say that.

“Well, maybe where I live is in the middle of nowhere in the countryside, to you. You’re from Tokyo, after all.”

“That’s not…”

Akaashi thinks that Udai is getting a little too dejected with him, but he can’t be blamed. “Zombie Knight Zombish” is Udai’s first serialization, and his first discontinuation.

Food, sleep… Udai had sacrificed such human necessities, and yet his work had not been well-received. Of course he would be dejected.

And as a new employee, “Zombie Knight Zombish” was Akaashi’s first work that he had launched from nothing. Due to being emotionally invested in it, Akaashi had felt deeply disappointed about the decision made for Zombish.

Which is exactly why he had wanted to end it on a positive note. Surely there’s something in common with them, that they can talk about…

Akaashi, feeling cornered, opens his mouth. And starts to talk about something unexpected, even to himself.

“...Actually, I have someone I know in Miyagi. It was in relation to the club I was in during high school.”

“I see.”

Udai stirs his coffee with lifeless eyes, not picking up the conversation at all. He doesn’t even drink the coffee that is surely too sweet.

“........”

Of course. Someone else’s high school years is the most irrelevant subject to Udai right now. But really, what should he do? Telling someone they’re being discontinued, and thinking of what happens afterwards, is a first for Akaashi. And it’s a big job. He isn’t sure what the correct thing to do is.

Akaashi falls silent, and Udai opens his mouth. “...What club were you in, during high school?” He asks, not sounding that interested. It feels more like he asked out of obligation, because there was a break in the conversation.

Akaashi feels regret, after realizing he’s made Udai read the room for him. But at the same time, he feels relieved that some of Udai’s energy has come back.

“Volleyball.”

“I see. I did volleyball, too.” Udai says. “During my years, we went to the Spring High nationals, too.”

At those words, Akaashi places the coffee he had lifted back onto the table.

“Oh, me… too.”

“Really?! That’s amazing, Akaashi-san!”

“No, you too.”

And with a light premonition, Akaashi asks. “...Which school did you attend in Miyagi?”

“It’s not a powerhouse, so I don’t know if you’d know…” Udai laughs, before answering. “It’s called Karasuno.”

Please look forward to Udai-sensei’s next work, “Meteo Attack”!

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu novel translation #akaashi keiji #udai tenma #zombie knight zombish

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pedrito-friskito · 2 years ago

Note

Imma go on anon for this one. (Because I’m shy.) And I saw your sleepover post so I have a couple things to say/ask! First! Thank you so much for pouring your time and talent into stories for us. They’re genuinely fantastic and they make us all so happy! Second, favorite Coca-Cola flavor. Turns out there’s like… I don’t know, twenty?

Third, and this is just some dumb little head-canons. (I’m a bit of a writer myself!) I like to think some of the Pedro Bois have some fun little quirks about them. For instance, Frankie has this ticklish spot on his neck, right in between his earlobe and that gentle, stubble fuzzed curve of his jawline. He giggles and try to push you away everytime your lips graze it.

Agent Whiskey has a soft spot for sheep. He’s always been a cowboy, but he’s secretly a shepherd at heart. The man loves the process of caring for sheep, shearing them, (and took up knitting as a hobby). Ginger and Champ both know but Tequila remains completely oblivious as to why near every gift whiskey gives a statesman is a custom scarf or sweater that hides an inside joke or compliments a fellow agents work uniform. He visits volunteer farms to help out an has named two lambs. After they near imprinted on him he called the Wheat and Hopps. (If you know, you know. Some alcohol humor there.) Javier and Marcus M. really like kinder eggs. It’s this unexplainable love for the childhood nostalgia of the candy melded with the passion for building the little toy afterwards. They both keep the toys, but Marcus proudly display them on one of his shelves in Heroics HQ.

Javier hides his in a shallow desk drawer. Murphy discovered the little trinkets once when looking for a file, and him and Javi have an unspoken agreement where they both say nothing. Javi can’t help but smile to himself though when after a hard mission the little half-treat, half-trinket egg appears on his desk.

Anyways, I don’t want this to be too long! Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for you fantastic writing, and best wishes!

hi nonnie!!! 💕

first of all thank u 🥺 y’all are truly too kind to me

second of all: I’m canadian and we only have one flavour 😫 but sometimes we get like special edition and stuff - I really like the vanilla and the cherry!!!

third of all: I. love. ALL OF THIS. especially the agent whiskey bit - that man 100000% has a soft spot and I love the idea of him raising little lambs and knitting by the fire oh my god

thank you so much for these!!!

send me sleepover asks!!

#kay talks to people #this was so fuckin cute #lovely people are lovely #ask games

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cheri-translates · 4 years ago

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Headcanon - When your phone has a mind of its own

This work, 我的手机有自己的想法, was originally written by Twhalf on Lofter, and she has given me permission to translate it 💙

[ THE VICTOR-PHONE ]

The wallpaper features major finance-related magazines. When you change it to an adorable and feminine wallpaper, one word would appear on the screen the next day - “CHILDISH”.

There are strict power on and off timings. Staying up late is strictly prohibited - the alarm would ring incessantly. The only merit is that when you’re complaining about not being able to finish your work, the Victor-Phone would quietly pause time.

It will recommend you all sorts of recipes for delicious food. When you complain that the recipes are too difficult to make, simpler homemade dishes would be recommended to you. In the end, it’d recommend "Silly Kitchen! Dishes that even foolish people can make!”

When you accidentally enter a bad website, the Victor-Phone would immediately clear its content and allow your phone to return to its pure and untainted state. The moment you try entering the website again, the phone would automatically direct you to a mysterious page with only one sentence - “Are you done with your proposal”?

The Victor-Phone doesn’t like overly girlish phone covers. However, he wouldn’t do anything to destroy the cover. Usually, it would just hint that you should switch to a more stylish cover. However, the moment he interacts with other devices such as the Goldman-Phone, he would immediately pause time until you change the cover to a less eye-catching one.

[ THE GAVIN-PHONE ]

For some inexplicable reason, the wallpaper of the Gavin-Phone will always switch to your photograph. Sometimes, you don’t even know where such photographs come from. After sensing your persistence in having your wallpaper changed, the Gavin-Phone eventually changes it to a picture of a ginkgo.

The phone comes with a fan function, and doesn’t heat up unless you attempt to kiss it. At this point, the Gavin-Phone would release wind in an attempt to stop you. However, the wind is very gentle, and doesn’t help much. The moment you successfully kiss your phone, it would immediately fling itself far from you, sticking itself to the wall before sliding down slowly.

It will recommend you information pertaining to self-defence, and content related to how you should react in times of danger. However, when you’re truly in danger, such knowledge isn’t of much assistance because the Gavin-Phone would lift you into the air.

When you accidentally enter a bad website, the Gavin-Phone would overheat and release gusts of wind to lower the temperature, causing condensation to block the screen.

The Gavin-Phone doesn’t mind wearing a feminine phone cover. Its guiding principle is - as long as you like it, it’s fine. The prerequisite is that he can’t meet the Minor-Phone while wearing it.

[ THE LUCIEN-PHONE ]

The wallpaper features pictures of all sorts of butterflies, the commonality between them being how they are all colourful and extremely beautiful. Since you find it pretty, you don’t change it. As a reward for not changing them, the wallpaper will occasionally turn into cute illustrations of animals.

It seems to aid with sleep. As long as you place the Lucien-Phone next to you, your sleep will be very peaceful.

It’s incredibly accurate in guessing your preferences. Each time you feel like doing something or if you need anything, the Lucien-Phone will recommend you related information. It has never been wrong, and you have no idea how the phone does it.

When you accidentally click on a bad website, the Lucien-Phone will display the word "Downloading", which frightens you enough to immediately leave the site. Although you do this, the download continues anyway. When you click it open while trembling, you’ll discover that it’s simply a document with a sentence: “Be good. Good children shouldn’t read such things ^_^”

You find that the Lucien-Phone dislikes feminine phone cases. After getting bombarded constantly with advertisements from shopping websites for feminine phone cases, even you can’t stand them. For the sake of your mental health, you decide not to change your phone case.

[ THE KIRO-PHONE ]

The wallpaper, which automatically switches at set intervals, features a variety of delicacies which never seem to be repeated. Sometimes, they are replaced with dazzling sunflowers.

It seems to be a very likeable phone. There will always be someone staring at your phone and reminding you to treasure it. Thieves have stolen your phone before, but even before you have time to lodge a police report, the thief would have already taken the initiative to return the phone, reflecting on his actions.

Many delicious snacks will be recommended to you. As a result, you often can’t find space in your stomach to have proper meals because of the snacks you purchased. When this happens, the Kiro-Phone will play a song - "Fault, fault, fault, this is all my fault."

When you accidentally click on a bad website, the Kiro-Phone will simply delete the bad website completely, so you can only see “404 Not Found”.

Although it doesn’t dislike feminine phone cases, the Kiro-Phone prefers sparkling and glittering cases, and even sends you a case with a small light bulb on it. When you tell it frankly that the phone itself is already bright enough, the Kiro-Phone heats up and plays the song - "I Like You".

[ THE SHAW-PHONE ]

For some strange reason, the wallpaper will always change into pictures of skateboards, bass guitars or cola cans.

It can’t be charged with a charger. The Shaw-Phone has its own unique charging method. Once the power dips below 90%, it will automatically display "Charging", but the automatic charging function only works during the day and the power will be consumed normally at night. But don't stay up late to use your phone, because when Shaw-Phone realises that you have spent the night using your phone and draining the battery, it will release a small amount of electricity that isn’t harmful but deters you from picking it up.

It takes a long time for its anger to dissipate. But once you start neglecting the phone and turn to other entertainment products, the phone will automatically turn its volume to the maximum and play songs from the band, Isolated. It won’t stop until you pick it up.

This phone also has a magical function. Its weather forecast can be edited freely, but there are only two options available - "Rain" and "Thunder". If you choose “Rain”, the sky will immediately start to pour. If you choose “Thunder”, the sky will explode with purple lightning. Interesting, isn’t it?

It will recommend punk rock music to you. When you click the cross and express that you can’t appreciate such music, the Shaw-Phone will vibrate and release a “Tch” sound.

When you accidentally click on a bad website, a gigantic question mark will appear in the middle of the page. Then, it will recommend annoying articles to you in quick succession, such as "Ten Hazards of Browsing Bad Websites" and "Shocked! After browsing bad websites, the mobile phone unexpectedly..."

The Shaw-Phone rejects any phone cases that are too girlish. Once you put such phone cases on it, it will split the case into half.

More translated and original works: here

[ Permission to translate ]

Twhalf: Can can, thank you for liking it

#mlqc #cheri shortcake

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exosmutfactory · 4 years ago

Text

Six Phases 006 Pt 1

Who knew it nearly took 6 months to win your heart, and 6 phases for Baekhyun to lose his mind.

A/N: Hello!~ Long time no see. Are you ready for what comes next? 🤭😇

This chapter update is 20.5k so far... and it’s only the 1st “section” of Chapter 6 so you can imagine how this is gonna go (<.<) oops

[ contains: romance, fluff, angst, & smut (in part 2) ]

•⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •

⏰🌹Six Phases Tag List: 🌹⏰

@to-all-the-stories-i-love @insta1010

(I was unable to tag one of you guys, sorry love💗)

If you’d like to be added next time, please check out this blog post. Thank you ^^ 🌹

•⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •

A/N: I will be making the story layout more pretty ^^ Hope you like it! Let’s go!~

Track 01

It's funny how the most important people in your life can enter your world at any given moment. So suddenly—so unexpectedly that you can't imagine your new acquaintance becoming one of your best friends, a flirty friend of friends looking out for you, or even winning a playboy millionaire's heart.

Sometimes these people come out of the blue, and you may not see it then, but they will become pillars to help you hold yourself up; practical family members that you can go to in times of uncertainty—and you will thank your lucky stars every night for not being dumb enough to push these pillars of strength away. Especially if one of them holds the key to your heart…

As dumb as he can be with some things.

And there's just something about observing a silver-haired man walking through a world of white. Snowflakes clinging to the top of his head and his brown winter coat as he struggles with a large box in his hands.

• • •

The adorable pout on his lips makes a giggle escape mine. I watch him from afar with a fond smile, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Baekhyun!"

My loud call seems to startle him. I burst into laughter as he stumbles over his feet again. "Here, here." Chuckling, I quickly run across the parking lot to assist him. Thankfully without slipping on a patch of black ice along the way. "Let me help you."

"Please do." His warm brown eyes meet mine under the dim street lights, a pout still on his lips. "You sure we'll be alone tonight? This box is quite heavy."

I shoot him a small, secretive smile, neatly tucking my hands under the box along with his, my mitten-covered fingertips brushing against his leather gloves. "Yes babe, it's just you and me~"

Baekhyun hums, unconvinced, as we walk the box to his car, carefully setting it on the floor in the backseat. I catch a whiff of his heart-fluttering, cinnamon-scented cologne before he walks around to the driver's side. "Ready to tell me what's in it?" He raises a brow, resting his folded arms on the top of the snow-covered Audi, a smile playing at his lips.

"I'll think about it~" I chirp, slipping into the passenger seat as he climbs in with a chuckle, hovering my palms over the vent when he starts the car and cranks up the heat. "It's a surprise though."

He hums, carefully backing out of the empty parking lot.

"Oh!" Turning to him with my best puppy eyes, I softly ask, "Can we stop by the convenience store?"

"If you tighten your seatbelt," He advises, taking a quick glance at me and a moment to adjust his own before turning onto the road.

I lean back in the comfortable leather seat, humming along to a familiar song on the radio as he taps his fingers to the beat on the steering wheel. A smile forming on my lips while admiring his side profile against the snowy backdrop of the fogged-up driver's window.

He glances over with a smile of his own, "What?"

I can't help but giggle. "Nothing." Cheekily resting my chin on my palm and balancing my elbow on the handle of the door, I muse, "Just admiring my handsome boyfriend."

Even with only the glow from the radio and the occasional streetlight, I can spot the telling red color on his cheeks. "Shh, you're distracting me." He insists in a flustered murmur, steering the wheel.

Chuckling softly, I turn to face the window, sneaking a peek at him every now and then.

• • •

After I flashed the cashier my ID and purchased what I desired at the store, I held the bottle in my lap for the rest of the ride home, carrying it up as Baekhyun assured me he could manage walking the box on his own to the elevator. Of course, I held open the door for him to make both our lives—and my subconscious—easier, and I unlocked the one to our shared apartment.

He had asked me to move in with him the night of our one year anniversary. The question came so out of the blue, I nearly sprayed champagne all over his nervous features across our chandelier-lit table at an upscale Italian restaurant. I mean… I love surprises—and him as well—but damn man, not even a subtle warning!? And why the hell does he want to live with me anyway?

"I want to wake up every morning to your sleeping face curled up by my side," He murmurs, cheeks rosy. From his confession or the champagne, no one knows. My face doesn't feel like it's doing any better either. "Your hair products cluttering our dresser and your toothbrush next to-"

—Okay, okay. Baekhyun is a hopeless romantic who I'm forever trying my best not to melt into a lovestruck puddle on the floor because of his heart quaking words. And what he wants is what he gets. Most of my clothes are stored in our closet, my purple toothbrush next to his golden one, and my 'emergency' duffle bag is stuffed in the farthest corner of the large space.

Now that I'm officially considered, "Baekhyun's woman," Among his group of friends, I have plenty of options for places to crash for a few nights if the need arises. I'm still getting used to his face being the first thing I see in the morning and sometimes I need a little breather, especially when I sense an argument on the rise. It's all fun and games until we're both running low on sleep and high on adrenaline. A girl's always got to have a plan B.

Even Jongdae offered me his guest bedroom for shelter—and sleepovers!—since Jenny moved in with him after graduating earlier in the year. Must be nice, I got a few classes to finish up while diligently editing the current novel that Park's Publishing is working towards welcoming to the public. It's a lengthy fantasy read full of cheesy romance and battling monsters I can't even think to name—typical shit, a few twists and turns along the way, you get the gist.

Baekhyun carefully sets the box down in the living room while I remove my white coat and snow-covered shoes, quickly skipping into the kitchen with the bottle in hand. "Still trying to figure it out?" I call over my shoulder, moving to get ice from the freezer.

"They're definitely canned," He murmurs, padding into the room on sock-clad feet; his arms wrapping around my waist and chin resting on my shoulder as I work on the countertop. "Did you order exotic food again?"

I shake the bottle in my hand, "What goes good with vodka?" Looking over my shoulder, I find his eyes shifting back and forth between the drink in my hand, and the two iced filled glasses on the counter. His brown eyes light up in realization. "Cheerwine?" He chuckles at my excited nod, "You were serious, weren't you?"

"I miss my homeland soda, okay!" I huff, grinning at his endearing laugh before batting my eyes up at him, "Mind opening the box, babe?~" My eyes flutter closed as he presses a lingering kiss to my forehead.

"Of course," He murmurs, soft lips curled in a smile.

As he goes to unpack the drinks, I put my focus back on the ones in front of me, carefully pouring roughly an ounce of vodka in each glass. There is no desire to party too hard tonight when both of us have work in the morning.

"Are you ready, babe?" I tilt my head towards him, holding a glass in each hand. At the confirmation of him indeed prying open the box, I bring the drinks into the living room, neatly setting them down next to the two red cans on the coffee table. "Ready to relax?" I utter playfully to his lean body stretched comfortably across the entirety of our black & white striped couch. His black button-down shirt and matching snug jeans straining deliciously over his thick thighs and firm chest.

Baekhyun nods with a soft hum, and I won't even deny the way my heartbeat skips when he sits up, welcoming me into his open arms with sparkly brown orbs. "Come here."

Accepting the invitation—what am I gonna do? Say no? No way in hell—I carefully nestle myself in his lap, snuggling into his firm chest as my cheeks warm. They burn even more as my eyes catch his fond-filled ones. "Uh-uh." I gulp, squeaking, "Drinks?" Carefully pulling the tab on the first can he hands me before leaning forward to pour an even amount of soda in each glass. Relishing in the familiarity that washes over me in wake of the soft fizz.

Baekhyun hums, a soft smile playing at his lips. He hands me a glass and collects the other for himself. The feeling of his racing heart on my back has me hiding a smile of my own in the fabric of my pastel green turtleneck. I watch his reaction as he takes a tentative sip; his jaw moving while he seems to savor the taste before taking another, briefly meeting my eye.

I blink expectantly, "Well?"

Baekhyun chuckles, planting a heart-fluttering kiss on my nose. "It has a nice cherry flavor. I like it."

I hum, arching a brow, not quite satisfied. "Better than Cola?"

He laughs, nodding as I sip on my own. "Yes, baby," He murmurs, soft lips brushing over my forehead while pulling me closer, "definitely better."

With a nod, I let the conversation lull into a calm silence, nothing but the tinkering of shifting ice and the reassuring beat of Baekhyun's heart interrupting the blissful atmosphere. Nights like these are my favorite: staying in and curling up to each other for warmth. Away from the loud bustle of our daily lives.

Thankfully with my hard work ethic, (read numerous sleepless nights,) the higher-ups have allowed me to work from home as long as I come in for important meetings and I am present three days a week. I rarely miss more than a day every few weeks though; I have no issues working in my designated office there. However, having the option to pack up my laptop and go spend lunch with Baekhyun in his company a few blocks over is always a treat. And the cutest expression of surprise that forms on his features... I'm never taking it for granted.

I stir a little at a soft pressure on the top of my head, blinking a few times before looking up at an equally sleepy Baekhyun. Giggles soon escape us both. "Cheerwine is a sleeping drink, hmm?" He smiles, eyes twinkling.

"It's really relaxing okay," I smile as more laughter rumbles in his chest, melting further into him as his hand rubs soothingly over my back. "I had a lot through high school."

"Helped to prepare for finals?" He inquires, gently combing warm slender fingers through my hair, melted ice swirling around the bottom of his glass.

I nod, briefly closing my eyes with a hum. "That and facing idiots every day. I almost didn't want to go to college, man."

A gentle smile lights up his face, "But you did." The sparkle in his eyes as he gazes down at me warms me up from the inside out. "And then you met me."

"—The persistent idiot from a frat party."

"Yah!" He complains as I erupt into another giggle fit, squealing when he starts leaving ticklish kisses all over my neck.

"Hey, I'm drinking here!"

Baekhyun chuckles, stopping his playful attacks; his small smile pressed to my neck.

"What?" I mutter breathlessly, savoring the remainder of my drink while regaining my breath. Trying not to waver despite the heat rising in my cheeks under the warmth of his stare. His comforting grip on my waist isn't easily ignored either.

"Nothing," He murmurs, looking me over for a moment. Adoration shining clear in his bright orbs as he tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, uttering softly, "Want to take a bath with me?"

"H—Huh?" I squeak, wide-eyed, hiding behind my hand. My face damn near bursting into flames. "Why?"

Baekhyun laughs softly, briefly squeezing my waist. "I don't know, I just…" He falters, fingers fidgeting, an all-telling red hue filling his cute cheeks. "Just thought it'd be nice."

"Nice, huh?" I mumble over the rim of my glass, licking a few stray drops before they can fall while arching a brow; my lips curling at the tint of red crawling up his ears.

"Y-Yeah, I mean," He stutters, focused on my cherry lips.

"I think you just want to see me naked," I tease, leaning forward to set my glass on the wooden table behind his blushing form sitting against the armrest of the couch.

"No-" Baekhyun's breath hitches, tilting his head back at my cold lips softly exploring the warm skin of his gorgeous neck. "M-Maybe…"

"Mmhm." Gently nibbling where his neck meets his jaw and putting his half-full glass away as well, I murmur, "That can be arranged."

Baekhyun sits there for a long moment, blinking owlishly at me before he straightens up. He swoops his arms under my knees and behind my back, standing up without a word, his biceps flexing at the motion. Soft eager lips press to my squealing ones as he walks down the hall to our bedroom.

I wrap my arms around his neck with a shy smile, smirking inwardly at the rapid beat of his heart under my palm resting against his neck.

"Give me a sec," He mumbles, entering the master bathroom. He sets me down on the spacious counter and opens a nearby drawer. "Can you open the cabinet for me?"

"You're gonna light a candle?" I blink, eyes widening at the box of matches in his hand.

"Not a candle," He braces his free hand on the countertop, capturing my lips in an unhurried kiss that makes me gasp. "Many candles."

"How romantic," I chuckle, breathy as he pulls away.

"Everything for you," His lips curl into that adorable, boyish smile; his hand patiently waiting. I retrieve the container of cream-colored candles from beyond the mirrored door behind me, carefully closing it before turning back to him, watching as he lights the match. The flickering flame reflects beautifully in his brown eyes while he holds it to the first candle, the scent of vanilla filling the room. A knowing smile forms on his lips at my unwavering stare.

I clear my throat, gripping the edge of the counter, "I'll go start the water-"

Baekhyun wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me back to him with a shake of his head. "No, I'll do it."

"But-"

"Baby," He has that pleading look in his eyes, lowering the lit match held between his fingertips. "Let me pamper you."

"You're gonna make me spoiled," I grumble, eyes fluttering shut at the soft brush of his lips over my cheek.

"You're my girl," He murmurs, chuckling, softly squeezing my waist. "Of course I'm going to spoil you."

My chest nearly bursts under the weight of my surging affection. "Well then..." I begin, calm despite my racing heart, sliding my hands down to unbutton his shirt and tug at the belt on his jeans. I pull up his tucked-in t-shirt, aimlessly searching for his lips. "Do it properly."

My eyes flicker open just in time to catch his adam's apple bobbing, his little nod causes my lips to curl up. He hands me the lit match before shrugging off his shirt; his black t-shirt not too far behind. I lick my lips, trailing my gaze over his honey-toned torso. Smiling before pressing my mouth back to his soft pillows, mindful of the flame between my fingers while wrapping my legs around his waist, pulling him closer. "My favorite view."

Baekhyun's bashful smile presses more firmly to mine, strong arms holding me flush to his body. I don't know if the sudden heat in the room is coming from my thick clothes or the proximity of his firm chest.

Just as I start to feel overwhelmed by the warmth, he detaches our lips with a loud smooch, carefully taking the match from my hand. The passionate fire in his orbs burning brighter than the flame between his fingers is enough to make me scorching hot under the collar.

Baekhyun has that knowing little smirk forming on his face again, lighting a few more candles before blowing out the match. "I'll start the water."

I can only giggle, completely enamored with him. The twinkling sparkle in his eyes in response to my laugh makes my heartbeat skip even more. I duck my head to hide from his amused expression and adoring gaze.

He just chuckles, planting a fleeting kiss on my forehead before stepping towards the grand tub on the other side of the room. Grand because the damn thing has three white steps leading up to it and it's at least as big as our king-sized bed in the other room.

The soothing sound of running water fills the air, mixing with the sweet aroma of vanilla and the view of Baekhyun leaning over the tub. His back muscles flexing alluringly, black belt tugging perfectly on his hips.

I look away, covering my red face with a muffled giggle, tugging at the collar of my shirt. Just what has this man done to me?

"What?" He glances over his shoulder, an amused smile playing at his lips.

"Nothing." Hiding my smile is nearly impossible until it falls off my face entirely in wake of him running a wet hand through his silver hair. The soft strands pushed off his gorgeous forehead with those dancing brown eyes of his watching me. I'm not blushing, I swear it's the humidity in the room.

He steps back over to me with antagonizing slow strides, his hands resting comfortably on my waist. "May I?" He murmurs, sliding them down to take hold of the hem of my turtleneck. The warmth of them somehow manages to seep through the thick fabric of my shirt.

I can only gulp, nodding meekly as he smiles, pulling the soft material over my head. The way his eyes drift over my tank top makes my cheeks warm—even more so when he rids me of it without hesitation.

"I should consider underwear," He mutters distractedly, one hand swiping under the edge of my bra while the other slides warmly up my back.

"You wanna compete with them too?" I arch a brow, leaning into his touch.

"No," He shakes his head, wrapping his arm around my waist, lifting those brown eyes back up to meet mine. "I want to see you with my name."

I can't help but snort despite my racing heart, giving him a disbelieving look. "You'd make a whole clothing line just for me to wear?" My amused grin falters at his serious nod. "I wouldn't be the only one wearing them, Baekhyun."

He hums, leisurely peppering kisses to the exposed skin of my chest. Goosebumps rise under his gentle caress as he pulls off my bra, quietly muttering, "You're the only one that matters."

There's no hiding my quickening heartbeat with his lips pressed so firmly to my skin; his brief smile not helping the state of my flushing cheeks at all. Just as I part my lips, my breath hitches—words forgotten with his hands trying to slip under the waistband of my thick leggings. I tsk, lightly smacking them away. "Yours first, mister."

"Mmm." He smiles, his palms sliding down my thighs. He's got that look in his eyes again that tells of unspoken mischief. "I kinda like the sound of that-"

"Never in a million years, Byun."

He chuckles, warm breath fanning over my cheek. "Remember last time? When you just-"

"Baekhyun!" My hand clapping over his mouth does nothing to muffle his contagious laughter. I can only shake my head, reaching to unzip and pop the button of his jeans. He gets quiet as I push them down to his calves. "Don't give me that look," I mutter, running my hands over his back, already well aware of the barely concealed problem he has.

"Why?" He murmurs, seeming to be content with painting me in gentle pink hues with his soft lips.

"You're staring."

Baekhyun chuckles, lifting his head, meeting my eyes with his twinkling ones. "I love admiring art."

"Oh, so I'm an object now?" I arch a brow, leaning back on my palms braced against the countertop.

"No." He shakes his head, brown eyes still focused on mine, long strands of silver hair cascading down his forehead. "You're the source," He pauses, smiling almost shyly, "Of my love and affection."

I'm ignoring the urge to coo at his reddening ears, merely planting a kiss on his cheek before wiggling out of my pants and carefully sliding off the counter. I collect our scattered clothes from the floor, tossing them into the wash basket a few feet away, curiously venturing over to the tub. Funny how we haven't used it since I moved in with him months ago. Then again, dating a CEO or not, I still think it is a waste of water just to fill up half of this thing, let alone what kind of water bills come with turning on the internal jacuzzi mode that will set the water into motion. But tonight is a special occasion.

No need for fancy anything—well, excluding the expensive bathtub—just being by his side is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.

The steam rising from the still water makes my face feel dewy and refreshed. Coaxing me to dip into its heated depths. I gather my hair up into a bun, reaching for my hair-tie only to find out that it isn't on either of my wrists.

"Ah—do you need one?" Baekhyun mumbles, pausing mid-stride, pink lips pouting as he ruffles his silver hair.

Smiling adoringly, I make my way back to him with a shake of my head, grabbing his wrist. "No, it's fine."

"But-"

"It's alright, Baekhyun." Noticing the uncertainty playing on his features, I giggle. "It's not going to melt off, you know?"

He still has a furrow between his brows.

Fighting my smile, I shrug after a few moments, scrunching my nose, "My hair just gets a bit puffy—but." Holding my hand up at the sight of his dancing orbs, I narrow my eyes, muttering, "If my head ends up underwater, we are going to have a problem."

"Alright," He nods, lips curled up in a sheepish smile. "I can work with that."

I smile softly, taking a deep breath as he steps closer; heart palpitating when his familiar scent hits my nose, mixing with the aroma of vanilla permeating the air. His wet hair flops over his forehead in the most endearing of ways, outlining the cute droop of his eyes and his brown irises lit with the flickering candle flames. I doubt I will ever find a more comforting place than the shelter of his strong arms, fully content with melting into the security of his honey-toned skin.

"The water's getting cold," I blurt, muffled in the safety of his shoulder.

Baekhyun laughs, briefly dipping his hand into the water. We strip off the rest of our clothes and slip into its pleasantly warm depths.

'Wow,' I mouth, settling against the far side of the tub, relaxing under the water comfortably lapping at my shoulders.

"Nice, hmm?"

"Nice!?" My eyes drift to him as he moves closer. "Dude, I could spend an entire lifetime here if I wouldn't shrivel up like a prune."

I catch a glimpse of his sugar-sweet smile before he moves to sit behind me, pulling me close until my back is resting on his chest. Relaxing completely against him, all tension seems to leave my body, only a sense of warmth and security fills my being.

This kind of closeness—this intimacy—is something I'm definitely up for getting used to. The steady beating of his heart, the soft puffs of his every breath... It makes me inwardly scold myself for not doing this with him sooner. But when I stop to think about it…

I shoot down the thought quickly, fighting the urge to squeeze my eyes shut. The past is in the past. It shouldn't define the present, nor should I think about it. No matter how painful it is, I rather focus on Baekhyun's fingers gently playing with the ends of my hair instead of getting lost in the reminders of why my chest aches from time to time. The unanswered questions and concerns that easily plague my mind if I'm not careful enough.

I'm brought back to the calming waters of the tub by the feeling of Baekhyun's hand sliding down my stomach. "What are you doing?" I grumble, peeking an eye open.

"Appreciating," He murmurs with a small smile, wet strands of his hair tickling my ear as he plants a kiss on my shoulder. "I want to wash your hair. May I?"

Both my eyes flutter open with a quiet hum, a lazy smile forming on my lips. "Only if I can too," I propose, peeking over my shoulder at him. The view of his slender neck bared while his head rests against the back of the tub with water lapping at his chest is damn near intoxicating. Like what the hell, I swear this man grows finer by the day—or maybe I'm just a sucker for him... At this point, it's probably a mixer of both. Possibilities are endless when it comes to being in love—especially the cringe-worthy ones.

Baekhyun hums, brown eyes shimmering brightly as I turn around to face him, resting my palms on his lean abdomen for stability. "I'd love that," He murmurs, arms wrapping around my waist.

I shoot him another sweet smile, reaching to grab his shampoo bottle left on the edge of the tub. An all-too-familiar citrus scent wafts into the air when I open it. Squeezing a bit in my palm, I rub my hands together. "Close your eyes—just in case," I mumble sheepishly. I'm not about to risk him getting soap in his eyes tonight. Between his luck and my clumsiness, we must take all precautions.

Baekhyun chuckles, his eyes fluttering shut as I carefully run my hands through his hair, shifting into a comfortable position on his lap. He rubs soothing circles on my back, making me smile shyly, treating his soft strands with care.

"Your roots are showing," I note, gently ruffling his silver locks.

"I know." He tsks, cracking an eye open. "I'll get it done in a few days. When inventory calms down."

Humming, I swipe away shampoo drifting down his forehead, looking into his eyes sternly. "Enough of that. Less talking, more washing."

Soft laughter rumbles in his chest. "Yes ma'am," He mumbles, brown orbs shining in amusement, shutting his eyes again.

I massage the shampoo into his scalp, thoroughly covering the hair at the nape of his neck, pausing at the soft peck he presses to my lips. My cheeks burst into flames, "Lay back for me?"

"Oh?" He peeks, soapy suds sliding down his jaw. "This isn't what I was expecting, but I'm not complaining," He murmurs, smirking.

"Baekhyun!"

He's full-on laughing, causing the water to ripple around us. I shake my head, smiling a little, shielding his forehead and scooping up water to rinse his hair.

"Almost done," I mumble distractedly, my gaze drifting over his handsome features in the meantime. There's nothing like seeing a peaceful expression form on his face, or being the one to help him relax after a tiring day. Witnessing the way his stern eyes soften into the purest brown pools of love makes me feel like a criminal. "There."

"Thank you, baby." He hums, eyelashes brushing his cute cheeks before his sparkly brown orbs focus on me. He leans up for a sweet kiss that washes my every worry away, his warm breath causing goosebumps to form on my skin. "Your turn."

I don't even try hiding my smile, relaxing at the rare feeling of his hands carding through my hair. Something about the gentle way he does it makes me giggle, giddiness bubbling in my chest.

"What's so funny, hmm?" He murmurs, biting my ear.

"Baek!" I squeal, nearly opening my eyes as he chuckles, pressing a ticklish smooch to my neck.

Stealing a peek at him, I could melt at the adorable concentrated look on his face. Moments like these remind me how much I love this man. His every habit and cute mannerisms. Even on days when we've had enough of each other, where we teeter close to the edge of a breakup, I rather try a thousand times with him than start over with someone else. Stubborn personality and all, no pride of mine outweighs my never-ending love for him.

Nothing compares to how much I would do for him. Rain, sleet, or snow, I'll be there—and knowing he'd do the same, that he feels the same—is the greatest feeling imaginable.

"Baekhyun?"

"Hmm?" He lifts his head from the edge of the tub, holding me close to his beating heart, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. The warmth of his gaze and the familiarity of his palm cupping my cheek send my adoration to new heights.

Taking my time to gaze over his features, I map every soft slope, every stunning curve, every unique freckle of his skin to memory. The little imperfections that make him even more perfect to me, reminders of why I haven't given up completely on humanity. I could spend forever with you. "I love you."

His beaming smile is the most heart-fluttering gesture in the world. "I love you too."

The sizzling of meat and the mouth-watering aroma of seasoned beef fills the air, popping to the tempo of my anxious heart. I blow away annoying strands of hair dangling in my eyes, painstakingly swirling the steadily cooking, thinly sliced marinated strips around the pan. Monitoring the rice cooker on the other side of the stove while being mindful of the glass plates neatly set out on the counter. I'm grateful that this recipe is as simple as the online articles have stated, who knows what kind of disastrous mess the kitchen would be in by now if it were any more difficult on this Friday night. 8 straight hours of back and forth with a picky, opinionated novelist has left me ravenous, I can't imagine what Baekhyun must be feeling.

The familiar sound of the security code being typed in is audible over the quiet atmosphere, bringing a smile to my lips as the front door opens.

"Honey," That honey-filled voice chimes, beautiful even with the tiredness in his soothing timbre. "I'm home-"

I carefully slide the food out of the pan, giving his plate the bigger portion, glancing over my shoulder at him while trying a piece of meat. He's just standing there in the middle of the room with parted lips, his white dress shirt straining against his chest and black blazer hanging off his biceps.

"Welcome home, Baekhyunee," I murmur, an amused smile tugging at my lips.

He hangs up his coat and blazer with an acknowledging hum, neatly placing his dress shoes on the shoe rack before slipping into his black house slippers, entering the kitchen with quick resounding footsteps.

My eyes flicker over to the beeping rice cooker as I finish emptying the meat from the pan, barely taking two steps before he's wrapping his arms around my waist. "You're home early."

"That I am," He muses, pressing a kiss to my hairline, strong arms tightening around me. "What's all this?"

"...Do you not recognize Bulgogi?" I frown, giving him the side-eye while scooping rice out of the cooker, smiling at the result. It's not overdone or undercooked. Perfect. "—Wait, is it that unrecognizable? Did I fuck-" I gasp, disoriented from being spun around so quickly.

Baekhyun chuckles, brown eyes twinkling in awe as he smiles down at me. "You didn't, baby." His thumb brushes over my lips, dexterous fingers curling stubborn strands of hair behind my ear. "I'm just surprised is all. What's the occasion?"

"Well..." I mumble, spooning a piece of meat on top of some rice. "I'm tired of getting takeout all the time. We may be busy, but I'll be damned if we buy food that we can cook in mere minutes like what's the point? When we can just-" My eyes flutter close, heart rate exhilarating at the feeling of his soft pillows pressed to mine.

"Let's cook more often," He proposes with a smile, leaning down to take a bite of the spoonful of food held in my frozen hand. Not even two seconds go by before his eyes widen.

"What?" My eyes enlarge the longer he's quiet; he's chewing so nonchalantly I have the urge to run away in a burst of panic.

"It's amazing," He mumbles after a few minutes, eyes sparkling so brightly while gazing at me, planting a kiss on my nose. "I love it."

"You…" I blink a few times, lightly smacking his arm. "You jerk!"

Baekhyun just laughs, pulling me further into his warm embrace. Brown eyes forming cute crescent moons.

"I thought you didn't like it," I mumble, slumping in defeat, unmistakable warmth rising on my cheeks.

"Why wouldn't I?" He murmurs, planting a kiss on top of my head. The tiredness from a long day of work only amplifying the sexy rasp of his voice. "Even if you burnt it to a crisp, I'd compliment you."

I scoff with a racing heart, stepping out of his hold, "That's not very honest."

"Mmhm, but-" He chuckles softly, taking me by the hand and spinning me back around, love shining in those deep brown orbs of his. He's breathtaking under the dim overhead light of the stove that will need to be replaced soon. The faint glow and coupling shadows cast over his features in a captivating way, making him appear older and reformed yet reflecting the youthful emotions in his eyes all the same. His silver hair is blinding under the reflective light; surprisingly the least bit ruffled in its state over his forehead. How someone can look so stunning after working all day will always astonish me, but that's just him.

"I'm honestly in love with you," Baekhyun utters in a heart-quaking hush as if sharing a secret, setting my cheeks aflame. "—And your cooking. Holy shit, what did you put in this?"

I shoot him a small, secretive smile, resting my hand on his bicep, "It's a secret~"

"A secret, huh?" Baekhyun muses, arching a brow, fighting a smile. He briefly glances down at my mouth at that moment, licking his lips before leaning in.

"Ah-" I take a step back just as his soft pillows brush against mine, bracing my hand on his firm chest when he steps closer. "Don't you dare."

"What?" He mumbles, meeting my eyes, pink lips jutted out in the tiniest pout.

Shifting my gaze away from the unfairly adorable sight, I mutter, "I spent all afternoon marinating that meat. You better not let it get cold."

"I'm hungry for something else at the moment," He murmurs lowly, biting his lip. Just those words alone from his sinful mouth make my insides quiver. I clear my throat, trying my best to keep a flush from reappearing on my face as he runs a hand through his silver hair, giving me those darkening brown eyes.

Spotting a magazine out of the corner of my eye, I grab it just as he's leaning in again, promptly smacking his arm. "Dessert comes after dinner—if," I breathe, bottom lip brushing against his, "you're lucky."

"May luck be on my side then..." He hums thoughtfully, swiping his thumb over his lips; slender fingers softly squeezing my waist. His dark brown orbs lift back up to mine, eyeing me intensely for a long minute. My cheeks redden at the implications.

Baekhyun finally shifts his attention back to the steaming plates. "I'll handle these. Go sit down."

"I-"

He turns those dark brown eyes onto me again, the mischievous promises swirling within them enough to weaken my knees. I spin around on my heel without another word, hurrying to the dining table. He brings both the plates over, setting them down on the winter-themed table mats placed in front of our designated seats. We prefer sitting next to each other when having meals together at home—some nights spent with my right hand being held securely in his left one.

Baekhyun slides into his chair just as I pick up a pair of chopsticks, the faint scent of his cologne tickles my nose. Would it be silly to say that the room seems to warm up whenever he is around? He's like a little source of comfort and warmth, relaxing me in any situation. It doesn't matter where I am; if he is there, I'll know I'm safe, that everything's going to be alright.

"Say ah," Baekhyun's melodic voice rings, sending butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

I pause mid-bite, glancing over at him. He continues to hold up a piece of meat despite my incredulous stare, "Really?"

He just smiles sweetly, patiently waiting, his bright brown eyes sparkling when I take the offered food with a playfully annoyed sigh.

"I missed you today," He murmurs warmly, pointedly staring down at his plate. My heart nearly jumps out my chest at the sweetness. I bite my lips to fight back a smile, holding back a giggle. It's always heartwarming to know that even after all this time, I'm not the only one bursting at the seams with my love for him. He's so fucking adorable.

"I missed you too," I mutter, kissing his rosy cheek before shifting my attention back to my food. "Eat up, you've had a long day."

"Oh baby, you have no idea." He groans. The familiar sound of metal cutlery clinking against glass dishes fills the room.

"Wanna share?" I inquire, resting my chin on my palm, carefully picking up a few pieces of beef and rice. I gaze intently at him with an encouraging smile.

"I've had three meetings since the afternoon," He grumbles, a tired smile briefly tugging at his lips. "Someone kept messing up the orders and a truckload of the material conveniently ended up shipped to the wrong facility."

"Conveniently?" My gaze flickers to his glass of water on the table, dangerously close to the edge. I move it closer to the center of the table mat, eyes widening slightly at the clench of his jaw. His eyes are full of that stern businessman gleam he only gets when he's restraining the urge to go off on a subordinate.

"Mmm." His body is rigid despite his calm tone, voice deeper than usual, "I swear that they are out to get on my nerves." He speaks slowly as if containing his anger. "We've been at this for years, why haven't they got their shit together yet?"

"Did you get the shipment?" My voice is soft as I tentatively rest my head on his shoulder, stroking his arm.

Baekhyun hums, relaxing a little, resting his head on top of mine. "It's frustrating." He sighs.

"Good thing you're the boss then," I chirp, peeking at him, cheekily adding, "You can yell at them and you won't get fired."

Thankfully, my words make him laugh, breaking the tension in his broad shoulders. The joyous sound rumbles his chest and echoes off of the walls.

"Shh!" I whisper, softly covering his mouth, making a show of looking around. "Yah, don't wake the neighbors. They might think I'm watching questionable comedy again."

Baekhyun only laughs harder, pressing a kiss to my palm before taking my hand into his own, his brown orbs lit up in amusement. "That movie was a wild ride."

"Literally," I agree, raising my brows to broaden his smile. "How much longer do you have to work these long hours?" My tone comes out whiner than intended, but I just hide my face in his neck, basking in his comforting scent.

"A few more days," He mumbles, kissing my head, gently tangling his fingers in my hair. "Why? Do you miss me?" He teases, curling a strand around his finger.

My heart downright quivers. "Nah, I'm just curious—of course, I miss you!" I retort, scoffing, shooting him a look. "12-hour shifts are too much. You're gonna start getting gray hair for real."

"Just until Thursday, baby." He murmurs, chuckling at my doubtful expression, tucking hair behind my ear, and cupping my cheek in his warm palm. "Two more days and then I'm all yours."

"Are you sure about that?" Muttering under my breath, I get lost in the mocha brown of his eyes, my own fluttering shut at the light kiss he presses to my lips.

"Mmm as sure as I am about loving you," He smiles, caressing my cheek with his thumb, gazing adoringly into my eyes.

If I was standing, I'm positive I would have stumbled over my feet by now. I swear this man and his affection will make me melt into a damn puddle one day—possibly today at this rate.

The loud buzz of a phone goes off in the room. Heavy vibrations come from the left pocket of Baekhyun's black slacks, warmly pressed against my thigh. He pulls it out without breaking eye contact, but the sight of a child out of the corner of my eye draws my attention. My heart quickly sinks at the realization that…

This kid looks just like the man next to me.

"Hello?" Baekhyun hums, closing his eyes, a peaceful expression forming on his features until they snap back open. "What did you say?" He breathes, straightening up, face going pale the longer the person's muffled speech filters through the phone.

My eyes shift back and forth between him and the blank screen of his phone, the image of that child still circling around my mind. Who is he? Why is there a picture of a child that resembles him so much on his phone?

Baekhyun and I never really talked about his family, despite him meeting mine. I just assumed that it was a touchy topic or something, so I never—

"I can't—I can't," He grits out, abruptly leaning away from me, knuckles white from his tight grip on the device. He roughly runs a hand through his hair, growing more agitated by the second. "My schedule is packed for the next two weeks. I won't be able to..." He goes quiet, listening as his brown eyes drift over to mine. The nearly blank look in them makes my heart race, and not in a good way.

"I understand," He mutters, ending the call.

The silence that stretches out in the space between us while he re-pockets his phone is unbearable. Even more so with the way he seems to avoid my eye, crossing his arms over his heaving chest; a faraway look within his dimmed brown orbs.

It takes a few deep breaths for me to dare to say anything, reaching out towards him only to lower my hand back to my lap, curling it into a fist. "...Baekhyun?"

"Hmm?" His head snaps up, blinking a few times before meeting my gaze. The unfamiliar daze in his tired eyes is worrisome, "Yeah, baby?"

"That…" I bite the inside of my cheek, not sure how to go about the question I'm dying to ask. Baekhyun rarely gets like this—he gets angry, yes, but to reach this extent of...rage? I only recall witnessing it last fall when I had my phone off all night, and that one time I almost sliced off my thumb while trying to peel potatoes. Multiple chirps of his phone has my eyes darting back down to his pocket.

Baekhyun follows my line of sight, realization dawning on his features. "Ah..." He nods, adam's apple bobbing in his throat, smiling a little before reaching out for me. "Sorry about that, my love."

"Who was that?" I try my best not to seem stiff when he pulls me into his arms, but by the way his smile falls off his face, he already knows.

"My brother," He mumbles, pressing kisses to my forehead, gathering me closer despite the protesting squeak of our chairs.

"And the kid?" I look at him dead in the eye, leaning back regardless of the frown forming on his face.

"Hmm?" He tilts his head for a moment, brown eyes soon widening. "Oh! That." His sheepish smile is borderline guilty as he ruffles his hair, uttering quietly, "That's my nephew. Isn't he adorable?"

Nodding slowly, I hum, turning to poke aimlessly at my cold food. "Looks just like you."

Baekhyun's arm tenses up under my hand. He pulls the phone back out of his pocket. "You mean his father. See?" After a few swipes of his finger, he holds it up; the device displays an image of the little kid and an older-looking version of Baekhyun. "Baekbeom and I got confused a lot growing up."

Uh-huh... My heart squeezes uncomfortably in my chest as I twirl a chopstick around my plate. "Why do you never talk about them?" I whisper, taking a peek at him.

"Why don't you ever ask?" He shrugs, lips twitching—an almost annoyed tone in his voice.

"O-Oh well..." The painful throb in my chest is immediate. I grit my teeth, lowering my head and pushing away from the table. "I'll go wash the dishes-"

"No—wait." Baekhyun grabs my wrist, gently pulling me to him. "Come here." He whispers, wide eyes flickering all over my person.

"The chair's gonna break," I mutter, avoiding his eye, reluctantly sitting on the edge of his lap.

"Shh—baby." His voice has taken on that soft comforting timbre he reserves for dreary nights and hushed calls between meetings. His strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me further into his warmth. "Look at me, please?" He tucks a finger under my chin, coaxing me to face him.

Shaking my head, I keep my eyes down on my hands, fully content with examining the state of my chipped nail polish instead.

Baekhyun sighs after a while. "I'm sorry," He mumbles, hugging me to his chest, nuzzling his nose into my hair. "I had a long day and shouldn't be taking it out on you."

"And I cooked for you." I huff quietly, crossing my arms. "Next time I'm making food for myself. You can stick to your precious takeout."

"No," He whines, hiding further in my hair. "I want your food. Your cooking is the best."

"You only had one meal." I roll my eyes.

"And I want them all." He pulls back, cupping my cheek in his hand, staring deep into my eyes. "I want all of you."

There's no holding back the smile that automatically forms on my face, but his words do nothing to ease the lump in my throat or the burn of his actions. No amount of butterflies in my stomach can hide the fact that... there are parts of Baekhyun's life that he refuses to share with me. But there's no point in getting upset over something I've known for over a year, is it?

Baekhyun peeks over at me mid-bite. "What?"

"Nothing," I murmur, breaking out of my daze, mustering up a smile. Gently wiping away a grain of rice from the corner of his lips. "You're just so cute, I bet you were adorable as a kid."

"Mmhm." He nods nonchalantly, though his reddening cheeks are a dead giveaway. "Our kids will be lucky."

I splutter, damn near dropping the glass in my hand. "Baek!" My light slap on his chest does nothing to disturb his laughter. "Stop playing, I'm still upset."

His chuckles evaporate in an instant. "I'm not." The serious tone of his voice mirrors the determination in his eyes. "I mean it."

My eyes widen, "Oh..."

"Do you ever think about it?" Baekhyun's voice barely reaches a whisper, he meets my eyes with a bashful expression before looking away. "Having kids, I mean."

"Yeah."

"Yeah?" He breathes, wide brown eyes focused on me. The utterly surprised look on his face is refreshing to say the least.

I nod, choosing my words carefully, "I wouldn't mind 2, 3, 4 mini me's."

"Four!?" The chair creaks as he leans back in astonishment. If his eyes were wide before, they are the size of saucers now. "Are you mad, woman?"

"No! I just-" It's hard to formulate words with his fingers mercilessly tickling my sides. "Stop." I groan, laughing, batting his hands away. "Can't I dream about having a bunch of cute kids?" I shrug, looking away. "I dream big, so what?"

"Nothing." He smiles, bright orbs dancing, softly squeezing my waist. "Keep dreaming, baby."

"Mmhm." Relaxing against him, I wrap my arm around his neck, giving him a look. "What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't 'hmm' me." His widening smile is contagious, I just want to kiss it off of him. "How many kids you want?" I murmur, picking lint off of his dress shirt, peeking under my eyelashes at him. He stays quiet as I gently curl his hair around my finger, "Go on. Spill."

"Doesn't matter," He mumbles, pressing a kiss to my palm, picking up his chopsticks again.

"Really?" I arch a brow, not the least bit convinced. "Are you sure? I bet you want two."

"Nope." The word comes out muffled around the cheek-full of food in his mouth. Even his audible chewing is adorable and attractive.

I scoff in disbelief, smiling a little with a tilt of my head, resting it on his shoulder. "How many do you want then?"

"Doesn't matter the number or gender," He shakes his head, neatly setting his chopsticks down on his empty plate. "I just want them." He peeks at me, "With you."

My brows raise in surprise. "Thinking ahead, are we?"

He shrugs, a smile quirking at his lips. "I like being prepared."

"You know life is unpredictable, right?" I mutter, narrowing my eyes at his cheeky expression.

Baekhyun smiles sweetly, pulling the collar of my oversized shirt off my shoulder, brushing his lips over my skin. "Then I hope life predicts me with you."

It takes everything in me to hold in a gasp, tangling my fingers further in his silver locks. "What are you up to now?"

"Making it up to you." He leaves a trail of soft smooches up to my collarbone, nibbling at the sensitive skin, gently digging his fingers further into the swell of my waist.

"Making it up..." I mumble, melting into him, resting my hand over his heart. "How exactly?"

"Well." He pulls back with a tiny grin, biting his lip, pure mischief swirling within his sparkling eyes. "There are many ways my mouth can apologize..."

•⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •

A/N: What is Baekhyun up to now? I swear he grows more complex by the day. Do I write the fic or does the fic write itself? (>.<) let’s not talk about the filth that leaves his mouth (<.<) *coughs* 😳🔥🌹 onto part 2 we go~

#baekhyun smut #bbh-net #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun romance #baekhyun angst #Six Phases

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logansimmingwolverine · 4 years ago

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Coinage - Part 1

The Time as come to finally release this, I’ve started working on this since… Late July, And I only released this today because I decided to motivate myself to do so.

So now I’m giving you all not 1, not 2, not 10… a whopping 71 CASH DEFAULTS with Coins, Shells, Gems and other assortments of Historic and Fantasy Currencies.

So for Starters we have hriveresse Drachmas converted from their acessory form, Hodgekisse’s Medieval Coins with 2 more extra styles of coin (Boat and White Gold Tower) besides the original 2 styles (Face and Imperial) in 3 colors for a whooping 12 Defaults, worship4ever0227 Investment Silver, with Xia’s 4 recolors, and 3 styles of Asian Coins, by me, Koban and Tenpo Tsuho only have one Color as of now, but the One I call “Cash Coins” has 7 Defaults:

- Thuận Thiên Nguyên Bảo

- Sangpyeong Tongbo

- Eiraku Tsuho/Yongle Tongbao/Vĩnh Lạc Thông Bảo (In Copper and Silver)

- Qianlong Tongbao/Càn Long Thông Bảo

- Hongwu Tongbao

- Wu Zhu

We also have some Gemstones from TSM in 7 Sun & Moon Colors, The Nuggets are based on an edited free mesh from Sketchfab, it only came in gold, so I made silver and copper colors, And Pearls from Skyrim, although the texture is not from Skyrim.

And I couldn’t forget seashell Currencies, We have Cowrie Shells, made by me, Bon Voyage Seashells, and Sand Dollars from Retailsims

And for the Legend of Zelda Afficionados out there, we have Rupees, A Rupee Bag from Hyrule Warriors, and a Bunch of Rupees from Link’s Awakening Remake, All come in 7 defaults each.

And to end it all, we have Frac’s Coin Pouch in 3 leather colors and 3 coin colors, making 9 defaults each, and a burlap pouch with salt and rice for currency, adding 2 more defaults for a total of 11 coin pouch defaults, we also have 3 Bottlecap defaults from Fallout 4 (Two Nuka Cola and One Sunset Sarsparilla) and to finish, Cocoa Beans made by me.

Some of these meshes might clip in Sim Hands, I tried mitigating it at best, but that’s gonna have to be something you’ll have to live with if you use them.

Feel free to use meshes I did for whatever, just give credit and don’t put them behind a paywall.

This will be all for the time being, I might do a part 2 later down the line, but for the time being, enjoy all the defaults. Special Thanks to @fireflowersims, @fracturedmoonlight, @hodgekiss and @illenlan for helping me with fetching for references and resources.

Swatches are included in the files, File have also been compressorized.

Download Here

#the sims 2 #the sims 2 cc #ts2 #ts2cc #default replacement

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pumpkinpatchpanics · 4 years ago

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Re & Ro Agere Fic

Summary: When Roman regress Remus is around to help him. Ships: Remus x Roman Characters: Roman, Remus Tags: General, Tw sharp objects like glass, tw Blood mentioned <- not real blood

CHARACTERS MENTIONED: Patton, Sleep/REMy, Emile, Logan, and Janus

I would like to thank Cola for helping me edit and find my way through this fic. I’m sure this would have been another incomplete fic in my drafts for years if it wasn't for her. Thank you.

Ao3

Roughly he pushed the door open to his room. He just wanted to do something. But he didn't know what. Maybe he can do some art, or even writing. But he didn't want to. Why? He wasn't sure why. And for some odd reason this made him upset.

Roman slammed the door to his room shut. It made the picture frames on his wall shake a little.

Why was he suddenly mad?

Was this stress? Was he just tired?

He has spent the whole day in this sudden funk and he just wasn't sure how to get out of it.

Most importantly everyone else was busy doing stuff. Without him.

It started off as any other day. Janus had gone off to write up plans along with Logan, Patton was off with Emile, and REMy was with Remus doing whatever they do together.

And no one was paying him any attention.

Attention.

That's all he wanted.

And honestly he could go ask for attention.

But he wasn't someone to beg. No! That wasn't Roman at all.

He held his breath trying to gain control of his thoughts and feelings. It wasn't working.

...

Roman wasn’t sure why but he was now standing in Remus’s room. He wasn’t summoned, but instead he walked there. Why, you may ask? Well, that would be because everyone else was busy. And for some reason the presence of Remus made him feel better.

He turned to face the door, to go back to his room, but he didn't want to. Something inside of him was telling him to stay. And honestly his head was feeling kinda fuzzy.

So instead of walking back out the door, he decided to climb onto the bed. Kicking off his shoes in the process he sat with his back against the black shiny headboard.

Remus’s room was kinda similar to his own. Except replace everything red with like green and everything white with black.

For example, on Remus's king size bed he had nice dark warm wood for a canopy bed frame. It had lime green curtains hanging from the sides but not covering the top off the frame over the bed so that the ceiling was still visible if Roman were to look up while laying down.

Remus’s comforter was black with red spots on it. No not spots… it looked very similar to blood splatter but-

Roman frowned slightly at the comforter he was on top of. He did not like this. He knew this was only a design but it still scared him. So he kicked the comforter off the bed and onto the floor.

He sat back down on top of the bed and continued to stare at random things across the room.

Without even thinking he stuck his thumb into his mouth and began to suck.

The door opened suddenly making Roman jump.

“Oh,-“ That’s all that Remus said, he was surprised to walk into his room to see his brother. “Hey Roman.”

Roman just looked at him, his hand still in mouth. Remus didn’t pay much attention to this since everything that Roman does was considered weird to him. He walked over to his dresser and began to write on his TO DO board that had all of his ideas on them. Picking up the marker he began to write stuff down in his messy handwriting.

“What made you venture into my room?” Remus asks, not paying much attention to his brother.

Roman shifted awkwardly on the bed. He watched as Remus wrote in green marker on the board. Words that suddenly Roman didn’t understand. He squints at the board, trying his very hardest to understand. But soon it became useless.

Remus, now done with his note, places the marker down and glances over to Roman who hadn’t spoken a single word to him since he walked in.

“Roman?” he calls out, gaining Roman’s attention from his dark green bed sheets. He finally really looked at Roman, taking in his whole body language.

“Hm?” a soft pur from Roman as a reply.

Remus walks over to the bed.

“Hugs?” Roman’s arms open wide for Remus to come closer and accept.

Hugs? Roman hardly ever asks Remus to touch him. Unless they were sparing or wrestling.

“Please,” his voice was softer now. Remus nods his head, sits beside him on the bed and pulls Roman closer to him and wraps his arms around him.

The hug was warm. And a soft hum happened to slip from Roman’s lips. Which Remus also found odd. But if a hug is what Roman wants, then a hug is what Roman gets.

Soon Remus pulled back to finally give Roman a good look over. His thumb found its way back into his mouth. And his eyes were bigger, if that made any sense. More innocent looking than usual. Also not to mention how he seems to curl in on himself. That's when the thought passed his mind. Roman was regressed! But he needed to be sure about it.

“Roman,” Remus starts, this time his voice is very soft, unlike its usually high pitched harsh sound. “Are you feeling small, honey?”

Roman nods his head in response. And then put up 4 fingers. His fingers wiggling in front of Remus’s face.

A smile came across his face.

“Oh so you’re 4, huh my little prince?”

Roman nods again. Remus tapped Romans hand that had his thumb in his mouth. ‘He's gonna need his pacifiers’ Remus thought to himself.

“Lets go get your paci,” he boops Roman’s nose and gets a small giggle from the other. It was nice and delightful.

He picked Roman up making sure roman wasn't going to slip from his grasp and together they exited his room and went across the hallway to Romans room. Inside the room was a mess. And not like Roman’s regular mess. It was a big mess.

“Oh, what happened here?” Remus asks Roman who had his thumb back into his mouth again. He shook his head in response along with an uncomfortable whine.

“That’s ok little prince. You don't have to tell me.”

Remus carefully stepped over the shards of glass to make sure he didn't cut his socked feet. He set Roman down on the bed which was next to the night stan. In the bottom drawer and in the very back is where Remus found Romans regression supplies, or at least the tiny stuff that Roman can hide.

There was a small box that Remus knew held Roman’s collection of pacifiers. So many different colors and little animals on them. However Roman was a big fan of the lion one.

“Which one do you want?” Remus asks holding the small box up for Roman to see and choose. Remus already knew which one Roman was gonna choose.

“That one,” he pointed to the lion pacifier. It was a nice royal red with a lion on it. Very simple but also very cute.

Remus picks it up and hands it to Roman who then puts it in his mouth. A suitable replacement from his thumb.

Remus arranges the drawer back how he found it and then picks Roman back up.

“Okie Dokie little one lets go lay down.”

He closed the door and made a mental note come back and at least clean up the glass from the floor so no one else could get hurt. Back across the halfway they went.

“Can you stand for me prince?”

He nodded his head.

Roman watched as Remus collected the disguared slightly horror themed comforter off the floor and threw it into his closet. Roman rocked back and forth on his heels. His eyes wandered around the room again. But this time he could walk around. As he waited for Remus to do … Well whatever Remus was doing, he walked to the other side of the room.

There was odd green slime on Remus’s dresser. Even when regressed Roman knew not to touch anything that glowed in Remus's room. But-

But it was very shiny.

Not to mention it moved. Kinda.

He reaches his hand out. A small touch couldn't hurt right?

“Roman,” it was the voice of Remus before he was then yanked back towards the bed and away from the odd green goo on the dresser.

“Please don't ever touch things you don't know if they are safe,” Remus whispers as he holds him closely. A hug like earlier but this time more protective. Roman could tell.

“Okie.”

“I made the bed. Would you like to get in?”

Roman pulled back sure enough the bed was made. It was the same shade of green as everything else in this room with an image of a cartoonie looking octopus on it. It held boats and people in its tentacles. But it also had a huge innocent smile on its face. Roman giggles and nods his head. He hops on to the bed, a pacifier falling from his mouth.

He traces the smile of the octopus. “Re.”

“Yeah, Re,” Remus agrees with a smile also appearing on his face. He pulls back the covers and pats the bed for Roman.

Roman crawls over and gets himself settled underneath the sheets.

With a flick of his hand the lights went off. Roman looks up at the ceiling.

“Pretty.”

The ceiling was decorated as if one was looking at light reflected off of water and waves on a dark night. It was mesmerizing. Roman wanted to touch it, but he also knew trying to touch the ceiling was a bad idea.

Remus walked to the other side of the bed and proceeded to get in. Remus got closer and pulled Remus into a cuddle. Roman really loves cuddles when he is small.

“Nighty night, Re,” Roman hums. Remus plants a kiss upon Roman’s forehead.

“Nighty night, Ro. Sleep well little prince.”

...

1647 Words

Feel free to say hi. :)

#remrom #pumpkinpatchpanics works #agere roman #cg remus #agere #sfw agere #agere community #sanders sides agere #ts agere #remus sanders #roman sanders #sanders sides #sharp objects #proshipagere

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voughtcorsair · 5 years ago

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party poisons asmr-ish youtube channel titles. thanks

written w/ pink @hyperthrust in a fit of hilarity & posted at the request of a friend 😔 some references may not make cents that's just cuz u do not get to see inside our brains sorry

drinking bubble solution asmr

coughing up bubbles

growling 4 10 hours

three-hour long whispered rant about how much i hate tiny bugs

purring mix (+ NEW BOYFRIEND????)

i go on a walk and gently jump off cliffs (+ my friends scream at me to stop doing that but they can't stop me) 50 hour long playlist

near-death experience compilation (thanks for 10k) (set to mr blue sky)

satisfying crunching of scarecrow corpses when kicked (1 hour)

mousekat tells you arcane rituals and summons bloody mary (ending will surprise you!)

TOP FIVE APOLOGIES (the ending will surprise you!)

TOP 10 ANIME DEATHS! YOUR ASS RIGHT NOW!!!

making other people angry for stealing their hot goth love interest (PLEASE DON'T SUE ME)

GOTH VS GLAM (my crush does my makeup)

critiquing the finer points of zone psychadelia (SPECIAL GUEST!)

WHY MOUSEKAT IS NOT EVIL (a response to cherri cola) (fuck you)

FUCK YOU CHERRI COLA I HATE YOU (5 hour playlist)

I Adopted Three Teenagers, Please Send Help (blood spilled on camera!)

homoerotic actions with my best friend (complete compilation)

kidnapping feral animals!!! (please help identify!)

following coyotes for 1 WEEK!!! (RABIES SHOT FUNDRAISER IN DESCRIPTION) (time sensitive)

Gone Fucking Mad (NOT POISON POSTING PLEASE HELP THEM)

how many objects can i balance on a sleeping ghoul before he kills me

jet star piggyback ride (i love tall people) (10 hours)

custom mod rayguns (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. CONTENT WARNINGS FOR BLOOD, BURNS, FLASHING LIGHTS, LOUD AND SUDDEN NOISES, GHOSTLY POSSESSION)

pegging dracs with a crossbow without getting noticed (FOR 4 HOURS)

Teaching My Adopted Brother Hand-to-Hand Combat (HE CRIES)

ULTIMATE CHALLENGE: dropping the V’s in a random location - can they find their way home???

BATTLE ROYALE: Locking Val in a room with a Small Lizard

Val Stole My Car (NEW RECORD)

Teaching Val To Drive (Part 1 of 30)

Teaching Val To Drive (DISCONTINUED)

URBAN EXPLORATION: BLI WEAPONS PLANT (we got caught!!!)

Pro Killjoys Improve 18 Kitchen Gadgets (into explosives!!!)

RAW MEAT EATING CHALLENGE (did not get sick) (GHOUL IS LYING)

36 HOURS LIVING IN THE CAR (pissed jet off)

Helping My Goth Boyfriend Plan A Mutiny

WE HAVE POWER (radioactive baby???)

taping over kobra's favorite kung fu movie (HOSPITAL BILL FUNDRAISER PLEASE HELP)

I Gave Our Kid Radium Water And Now She's Levitating

HAUNTED MASK??? (likes pets)

Living with Rabies: My Story

Harassing Cherri Cola With My Mask: Part 1/??? (i hate this bitch)

The Truth About The Fabulous Four (thumbnail has rly badly edited bli stuff all over)

Harassing Cherri Cola With My Mask: part 728/??? (how is he still scared?)

BLI PROPAGANDA DRINKING GAME (I CANT FEEL MY FACE)

mousekat eats 5000 calories in one sitting!!! (RIP COLA: memorial fund in desc)

Letting My Pet Mousekat Possess A Neutral (NOT CLICKBAIT!!! JUMPSCARE WARNING)

#radiowaves #danger days #party poison #im sorry :-(#long post #???

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thebigqueer · 4 years ago

Note

fic prompt: a vibey group of friends (all diff aesthetics but they fit) being very swaggy and then they engage in THIEVERY and get away with it like the cool peeps they are - for flavor throw in a bunch of androgyny and no romance but instead they are very good friends

at first i was considering using my OCs but then i remembered that i really wanted to do a fic with the Art Hoes TM so thank you for this perfect prompt (also lakjsdljkdf yes this is very late but in my defense i also could not figure out how to write this one) thanks for the prompt! i hope y’all like this! and, as always: I do no editing on these, so please don’t be too judgmental.

The light overhead flickers, brushing strokes of darkness over the ceiling intermittently. A low hum emanates from the packed freezer, showcasing the variety of expired milk and sweet ice creams. Perhaps they shouldn’t do this to the poor twenty year old at the counter, but in their defense, the cashier seems like they’re too dead to even notice what’s happening. They should really be focused. In the quick flash of darkness, two beings flicker into existence in a corner, shadows coiling like snakes behind them. They balance themselves against the wall to fight off the wave of dizziness and wait for the signal of Lou Ellen. She stands by the candy aisle, browsing through an assortment of teeth-rotting delicacies, all the while brushing her hand over the air to pull them all under the guise of invisibility through the Mist. The beings step into the light once again but there’s no anxiety in doing so; the cashier won’t see them. They whisper past the shelves of snacks and junk food and approach Lou Ellen. Alex pulls out a dark green bag and quietly shifts through the snacks, pushing only his favorite ones into the sack. Nico opens a rip of darkness between the bottom and top shelf and shoves Twizzlers, gummies, and a wide assortment of chocolates in. They’re careful to keep silent; the Mist can only really hide the most bizarre of scenes, most incomprehensible of scenes. It’s not created to hide the image of three shithead teenagers very obviously committing shoplifting. A bead of sweat pops over Lou Ellen’s forehead as she shoves a pack of Starbust into Nico’s rip of darkness. “We’re gonna need to hurry,” she hisses, fingers trembling as she pushes Sour Patch Kids into Alex’s sack. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold it.” Nico sighs as they scrutinize a bottle of Coca-Cola. “I knew I should have brought Hazel with us. She would be able to help you. Sorry, Lou.” “Less talky, more stealy,” Alex mutters, opening his arms wide and shoving almost an entire shelf of candy into the tear of darkness. He fixes Nico with a glare. “Honestly, it’s like none of you have stolen before.” Lou Ellen mutters, “Sorry we haven’t exactly mastered the art of thievery.” “Speak for yourself,” Nico whispers, a smile creeping over his lips. “I’ve had my fair share of thievery when I was rogue.” Finally, when it seems like Alex’s back can’t hold anymore and the ripple of darkness that Nico opened is bursting with stomachache-inducing goodies, the three stop shoving food in. Nico tilts his head and frowns. “I think we have more than we even need.” “It’s fine,” Lou Ellen says, face turning a little red. “We don’t have time to pull it back out. We can just give it to Will and Magnus and Percy and maybe the Stolls. They’ll find a way to sell it off.” Nico snorts, eyes glimmering in amusement. “Can’t believe we’ve become candy dealers.” Alex laughs silently. “Oh, we are so bad. Maggie’s gonna be so scared of me.” Lou Ellen glares at the two of them. “Okay, yes, ha-ha. Can we go now? I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.” As if on cue, her eyelids flutter and her hands drop. She sways on her feet and almost collapses, but Alex is there to hold her steady. Lou Ellen wipes her face over her palm. “See? Let’s go.” Alex and Lou Ellen hesitate, watching Nico. But he gazes ahead to the cashier with his eyebrows furrowed as if deep in thought. They pull their hand into their pocket; the clinking sound of money chimes from his pockets.

Alex raises an eyebrow. “Nico, let’s go.”

“Hold on.” And before Alex can protest, Nico disappears into a nearby shadow, leaving only the darkness lingering behind them like smoke in the air. Alex’s heart punches against his chest with anxiety. What is wrong with him? he asks himself. Turning abruptly, Alex discovers Nico standing before the cashier, placing a pile of coins over the counter. The cashier doesn’t seem to notice Nico, perhaps fooled by the mist, but he certainly notices the new money appearing before him. His eyes widen in surprise, a panicked look overcoming his face.

Alex facepalms. “Of course. Nico just has to go ahead and be a noble hero.” He sighs. “At least he’s quiet. Maybe the poor cashier will think it’s just a ghost giving him money.”

But then, right at that moment, Lou Ellen gasps and stumbles to the ground. A large whoosh flows through the convenience store, the sound of the Mist slipping away from her grasp. For a second, everything stills. There’s a tense hestiation in the air, as if everyone’s waiting for something to happen. Alex bites his lip.

And then the cashier screams, pushing against his chair, a look of pure fear erupting in his eyes. Nico’s eyes widen and they step back into the shadows, melting away. A second later, they pop up right next to Alex, skin pale.

He glares. “Is there something-”

Nico shakes his head and pulls a finger to their lips. “Come on, we gotta go,” they whisper. They lean in for Lou Ellen’s arm, who’s panting on the ground, and reach for Alex’s arm with his other hand. Then, before Alex can even process what’s happening, the world melts into darkness. Shadows surround them, licking their bare skin like cold flames. Nothingness surrounds them. Time is nonexistent.

And then they pop up in a cold area, darkness envelops them. The three collapse onto the ground, exhaustion spilling into their bones.

A figure steps before them, hands on their hips. “Well, look who’s made it to the party.”

About twenty minutes later, the group has made itself comfortable on the grass of Central Park, scavenging through the loot that Alex, Nico, and Lou Ellen managed to pick up. Midnight bleeds over the sky, the only source of light being the stars that poke through the encompassing darkness. A cool breeze flows past them. Nico lies on their back, staring at the sky, trying to fend off the exhaustion threatening to pull their eyelids down.

When the three demigods finally came to, Alex had his fair share of scolding: “Are you stupid? Do you realize what you’ve done? We could be caught! Why did you do that? Do you realize what robbing is? Putting money on the counter defeats the entire purpose!”

It went like that for fifteen minutes, just enough time for Nico to regain his stability and stand. They shrugged and smiled. “Hey, it’s not our fault that the poor dude had nothing going for him. Besides, he’ll forget about it.” Opening a Twizzler packet, the child of Hades smirked and said, “They always do.”

Now, as he and Alex, Hazel, Rachel, and Lou Ellen circle around each other on the grass, all the anxiety of earlier fades away, replaced only by a tranquility. Alex has his arm around Rachel, the two of them munching on some Twix; Hazel leans back on her arms and watches the stars with Nico. Lou Ellen rummages through their candy pile. A comfortable silence surrounds them.

When Rachel snorts, Nico sits up and offers her a confused look. She laughs. “I can’t believe you really threatened the entire mission. You’ve fought monsters and can’t even rob a store for just candy?”

“Hey, fuck the rich,” he replies, stealing a gummy from Hazel’s hands. She protests but they ignore her. “The dude deserved some money. He looked like he was barely living.” Raising an eyebrow at Alex, he adds, “And that’s saying something, because we literally have a dead person here.”

“Aren’t we all dead inside, though?” Lou Ellen reasons, frowning.

“Yeah,” Nico agrees, pulling a Twizzler out from a packet next to him. Placing one end to his mouth, he says, “But he looked even more dead than the average person.”

Alex scoffs and leans his head against Rachel’s, the green locks dramatically clashing with her bright red. “As much as I want to agree with you, it was so incredibly stupid.” He lays his palms out in a placating manner. “I mean, yeah, fuck the rich, but... come on. Now the rich are gonna fuck us.”

Nico shakes his head and chews a piece off the candy, feeling the bland sweetness of the candy sweep over his taste buds. “They won’t see anything. These things usually fix themselves with the Mist. Percy once crashed his stepdad’s car and he got away with it.”

Rachel rolls her eyes. “Yeah, only after he was chased halfway across the country.”

“Hey, now, no need to get into the specifics.”

Hazel laughs, her voice tinkling in the eerie quiet. “Can’t believe I’ve got an accomplice for a sibling.” Edging her toe against the grass, she adds, “Almost wish I was there.”

“Hey, no wishing!” Rachel exclaims, frowning. “You and I had a blast robbing my dad’s car from his house. Let’s not forget that we were the most important mission. We literally got all the tagging supplies.”

“Yeah, but who got all the candy?” Alex asks, raising his eyebrows. “We got the nutritious food for you children. Honestly, Rachel, it’s like I’m the only one who cares about keeping the roof over the house.”

“Okay, shut up.” Rachel’s fingers clamp over the ground. “Say one more word and I will throw dirt at you.”

A daring look comes over Alex’s eyes and he raises an eyebrow. “One more word-”

Rachel throws a fistful of muck against his face and he stumbles backward, spitting and groaning. His laughter echoes, and soon Rachel’s own giggles sprinkle into the air.

A car blares in the background. Lights from the city blaze against the sky. Streetlamps glimmer over the outskirts of the park. The familiar electricity of New York buzzes in the air, making Nico’s blood simmer with anticipation. Euphoria fizzes within him. It’s something about hanging out with these four that makes their heart pound with excitement, makes their body glow with superfluous joy.

They lie back down again. Grass prickles the back of their head, tickles his bare hands. Laughter continues falling over him in a waterfall of sounds.

They smile.

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jq37 · 5 years ago

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The Royal Report– A Crown of Candy Ep 9 Safe Harbor

Out at Sea

We start this week on the recently commandeered La Fondue, milk raining down on our exhausted and injured PCs who are still reeling from Stilton’s betrayal. Most of Annabelle’s crew are even more badly injured so the PCs are forced to help sail the ship in a group skill check which 4/6 of them pass for a group pass. The gang watches the surviving enemy ships sail away and Jet considers blasting them with canons but the La Fondue doesn’t have artillery. Jet also asks Annabelle if maybe, now that they’ve saved all of their lives, they can break protocol and bring them to Candia instead of the Dairy Islands, a question she doesn’t answer at the moment.

(Edit: Wait! I should have called this section Sweet Life on Deck! Dangit! They better be on a boat again so I can use it!)

Most of the group start to fall asleep, understandable considering they’re living through the longest day of their lives, but Theo takes a second to talk to Cumulous first. He asks about Cumulous’s backstory and learns that the Spinning Star monks used to be able to teleport all over the place with teleportation circles made by Lazuli but, without her around to tend to them, they’ve been breaking down and are now unstable and dangerous to use. Him using one to get to them was a big risk and he really only made it because he’s one of the strongest monks. Additionally, as alluded to before, Candia being at war with the Concord released him from certain vows which allowed him to join the fight. They also bond over being the #1 and #2 Archmage Lazuli stans (or actually maybe #2 and #3 as we’ll find out soon) and Cumulous who is either really into magical weapons in general or magical weapons made by Lazli or a little of both gets emotional over Battlepop like he did over Sourscratch a scene before.

The next day, there’s a funeral for the one sailor Annabelle lost in the fight. Ruby ties the milk-silk handkerchief from Primsy to her collar in solidarity. Speaking of, Primsy shows up--still injured from the attempt on her life--and invites everyone not to tea, but to a parlay. Clearly affected by the recent events, she declares that she doesn’t recognize the excommunication of Amethar and questions the church’s position on witchcraft considering all the witchcraft her Candian allies used to save her. She’s also pretty chill about the whole Stilton thing considering.

Primsy says she’ll help them but first wants them to fill in the gaps in Brie’s brief letter. Amethar explains about how he was excommunicated for still officially being married to Katherine Ghee. During an aside to this conversation, he drops what I naively thought was going to be the headline news from this episode: Caramelinda was engaged to someone else before marrying Amethar--Lazuli! It was for political reasons in part but also a love match and when Lazuli died, she ended up getting married to Amethar to at least maintain the alliance. Anyway, Ruby asks if Cara knew about Ghee and Amethar says no one knew except Jack, Belford (the priest), and Ghee herself (plus his sisters but they’re all dead). Annabelle and Primsy question whether Amethar didn’t try to have the marriage annulled and he says that he did right after the war but she couldn’t be found. Annabelle says that there are a lot of little islands she could have run to in the aftermath of the war (a smart move considering the target that would be on her back) and says that Dairy ships have a better chance at finding Ghee if she’s still around so she’ll help arrange that.

They have a little convo-detour about various plot points:

Primsy asks how the Pontifex knew to ask Jack about Ghee in the first place. Ruby and Jet suggest she used magic or maybe found something in the files Ciabatta claimed had no Candian secrets.

Annabelle questions the fact that Plumbeline would name Ciabatta as the successor right before having to swear on the Book of Leaves. That seems to indicate that either she’s not working with the Pontifex or the Pontifex wanted to specifically and publicly rule out Ciabatta as a possible candidate.

Also, we learn that ex-communicating Amethar doesn’t take away his right to rule as Emperor. The Pontifex doesn’t have that authority, at least not on paper. But, as Ruby points out, she effectively has the authority by power. Still, if they can get the Book of Leaves and confirm Amethar was named emperor, that’s a huge point in their favor because he obviously wouldn’t declare war on Candia as emperor so the war would be without proper authorization and a violation of the Concord pact.

Theo and Amethar speculate that the Pontifex doesn’t actually want to name a new emperor and want to just “provisionally” (but really indefinitely) fill the power vacuum herself.

Anyway, Primsy reaffirms that the Dairy Islands are with Candia all the way and they continue to sail. They have 18 days before they land and Jet uses that time to finally read the rest of her banned book. You’ll remember that she already read about the first thing--the Profidian Heresy--which was an old, now heretical belief of certain members of the church that the Hungry One was as strong as the Bulb. We get a little bit of new info on that: One person who believed that doctrine and was later killed for it was a Veduit Priest (fight me Brennan) named Bartholomew Brocolpatch who was a mentor to a young Belizabeth Brassica.

Onto the second term--the Ramsian Doctrine (did not clock the Gordon Ramsay reference until it was mentioned on Adventuring Party). It is a full, end times, Revelations, Ragnarok type thing. Ruby helps with this because she speaks Bulbosi (which is like Candian Celestial or church speak). Basically what it says is that the Bulb can’t win until the Hungry One devours the world and the Hungry One won’t devour unhealthy souls (Ruby translates “healthy” from the Bulbosi phrases “farm to table” and “locally sourced”) so in order to bring about the end of days, there needs to be a destruction of all the trash people or, phrased differently because the word for people and food is the same in Bulbosi--the junk food.

Even knowing what happens later in this episode, this still might be the thing I'm most mad at Brennan about.

Cumulous later calls a meeting of all the Candians and drops a little more exposition on them. He says that the reason that Candia has magic and the other kingdoms largely don’t is because his order of monks curates and tends to the magic of the realm while other kingdoms neglect their sources of magic. He also says that the church’s power comes from others not having it. After Ruby mentions that she sees Lazuli on a semi-regular basis through her magic, Cumulous drops the bombshell that his power comes from the Hungry One--though he doesn’t worship them. It’s just like a power source. They also discuss Jet’s research on the end of days stuff and Jet thinks maybe the move is to spread as much junk food as possible to delay the apocalypse.

Homecoming

After a long time out at sea, the gang arrives at Port Syrup at the mouth of the Cola River. As they sail in, they see three sunk Imperial warships and that the port is heavily defended. Clearly they got the memo. And we quickly see who gave it to them when Brie and Manta Ray Jack run up to meet them! Amethar is super happy to see his friends alive and they also confirm that Cal made it out and so did basically everyone except the Swirlies (RIP). The Jawbreaker castle--Castle Many-Licks--is under siege but it’s very hard to break into and it seems like most of the rest of Candia is doing OK.

Brie thanks Ruby for her help in finding Manta Ray Jack and then confirms Amethar/Theo’s suspicions that the Pontifex is ruling in the absence of an emperor (she says that until Candia is back in the Concord, technically, there can be no emperor). He also swears to duel Liam who truly cannot stop putting his foot in his mouth (this time about the church and a *very* confusing..complement?), after the war.

Amethar and Cumulous have a quick aside where Cumulous once again says that his mission is more to protect the magic of Candia than them specifically. It just so happens that, right now, those two things are pretty aligned.

As they make their way back to Castle Candy (w/ their Dairy Island friends), the citizens are pretty stoked to see them so it seems that war with the Concord has not lessened the populace’s love for their king. They take a pit stop and get a war update. The mountains are full of Imperial soldiers and random marauders plus there are reports of “Long Live the Queen” written in Imperial soldier blood on the side of a mountain which isn’t ominous at all. Also, there’s a call for all the help they can get to defend Castle Candy because an army from Comida is coming. Ruby tries and succeeds in communing with Lazuli who sends her a vision: to help Castle Many Licks troop-wise, they’d have to leave Port Syrup defenseless basically which would be a huge strategic loss. Meanwhile, the army coming to Castle Candy is full of discord so there’s a better chance at being able to muster (not mustard) troops there and be successful. The Dairy peeps say they’ll help as well and leave for Lacramore--except for Brie who holds down the fort in Port Syrup and Jack who goes with them to Castle Candy.

They make it there, at like 4am and Carmelinda is there to meet them, full weeping in relief at her daughters’ safe return. Cal is also there (with fancy new pants) and very happy to see Amethar. Caramelinda is less happy to see Amethar and you can clearly feel the tense conversation they’re gearing up for. The girls want to stay but Cara lays down the mom hammer and starts lecturing them. They all try to stealth away (non-daughters included) but Cara goes Full Mom and hits a Nat 20 to eyes-on-the-back-of-her-head notice. She stomps her foot and traps them all in caramel, demanding they all stop messing around and go to bed. Theo Messages her to give a quick word in favor of the girls and their maturity and battle prowess which Cara acknowledges.

Cal gets acquainted with Cumulous while Amethar follows Cara into their chambers for a convo that had me feeling like *I* was in trouble. She’s emotionally overwhelmed in a kind of understated and detached way as she talks to Amethar--she’s again openly weeping but not really about him. She doesn’t expect much from him. Him never telling her and hoping the problem would go away like a child makes sense. But his sisters knew which means Lazuli knew and never told her which hurts a whole lot more because, “Lazuli I loved with all my heart and this is just politics.” Ow. Amethar promises he’s going to do better. She doesn’t seem convinced as she leaves the room.

Later (Note: I’m not 100% clear on the timeline since Siobhan says when they wake up but it seems like it’s still dark in the next scene), Ruby takes the “For Candia” note from Lapin and brings the rest of the PCs to the Sugar Plum Fairy’s standing stones to have a little funeral. Liam finds a peppermint seed and puts it down for Preston. Cumulous is also there and has the urge to meditate while everyone goes back to the castle.

Rocks Fall

Ruby and Jet see, as their mom walks out of her study, a piece of tearaway lingerie in her desk as she locks the door behind her. And it’s not Jet’s. You know the girls gotta investigate that and Ruby, of course, gets a Nat 20 to pick the lock. In fact she doesn’t have to pick it. She approaches it with an air of mischief and it yields to her, opening without her even having to break out her thieves' tools. They find a letter from Lazi Fierce (interesting name choice) of Lazi Fierce Lingerie who apparently has been spying on them for their mom since they were little (which is funny considering she seemed outraged about their buying lingerie in ep 1). The letter also cryptically refers to something she’s keeping hidden in the attic of her shop and that she needs to leave and she doesn’t know when she’ll be back so if Cara needs it, she should go get it. Much like Siobhan/Adaine stealing that book in S1 of Fantasy High, there is no way the girls were gonna get that info and *not* follow up on it. They grab Liam and go.

With a 25, Ruby easily picks the lock and...we cut to Cumulous.

As he’s meditating, the Sugar Plum Fairy appears to him in a traditional, cutesy form. Cumulous sees through the glamour and asks what she wants. She says she wants the magic of Candia safe, same as him and says she would owe him a boon if he brought the royal family (who she needs safe) to the Great Stone Candy Mountain. She says there’s safety there for them and Candia’s magic. Maybe not in the way Lazuli planned but this is a better plan. Cumulous says he’ll think about it.

Calroy finds Amethar and takes him to the ramparts of the castle to have a guy chat and also talk strategy. As they get up there, Amethar sees that there’s a ton of soldiers in tents out in the fields. And then he feels a knife in his back. Brennan asks for 3 Con saves.

Water dagger.

He takes 34 points of damage (about half his HP) and is paralyzed as Cal starts to monologue about how he’s always hated Amethar for being so lucky. Fifth in line and somehow makes it to the throne while he’s stuck having to wheel and deal for everything he has. He reveals that he had Rococoa killed when she found out he was selling weapons to Cersians AND that the tents in the field aren’t all Candian tents. Some of them are Ceresians. He got Stilton interested in Primsy. He set up the cheese ambush. He worked with Alfredi to get the water daggers to Kerradin. He told the Pontifex about Ghee (he was in that conversation you’ll remember). He *also* says that, in her younger days, the Pontifex had Citrina (who he claims to have actually liked) killed in the street by Vegetanian knights.

“I wonder if they’ll call you Amethar the Unfallen after this.”

Boom, Amethar is sent over the castle walls.

Jet, Ruby, and Liam are in the attic and they see a gleam of golden light from a chest where something is clearly being held. Brennan makes everyone roll Initiative as they walk in and Liam sees four shapes in the room move, all masked, dressed in black, and holding water-steel daggers.

Ally scrambles for combat dice--because this is a STORY episode what is HAPPENING--and attacks for, in total, 67 damage to one guy who smells of sourdough and does not drop. He hides and Ally, in a burst of realization, puts together that it must have been Ciabatta, something confirmed by Brennan’s coy smile as he rolls a million dice.

Emily and Siobhan hold hands and brace for whatever’s coming.

Ruby is hit by a dagger and Jet, it seems, is hit by two (since she takes 6 saving throws to Ruby’s 3). Ruby takes 49 damage (down to THREE) and Jet takes 53+51, dropping her and poisoning her. She has to make a death save with disadvantage (bc of the poison) which she passes.

Ruby wants to stay and fight but Liam and Jet insist she run so, visibly distraught, she casts Invisibility on herself and runs for Theo. Liam casts Rope Trick, grabs Jet, and brings her into a little pocket dimension with him. Ciabatta takes off his mask and tells his men to find them and they say, “Yes Imperator.” They leave. We’re out of combat.

But Jet still has death saves to make.

Nat 1.

That’s two fails.

Liam tries to make a DC 15 medicine check to stabilize her or at least give advantage but fails.

She rolls again.

Nat 1.

As she lays in the Rope Trick, bleeding out, Liam trying his best to stanch the wound, Jet feels a glow on her Locket of the Sweetest Heart. Ruby feels the glow as she sprints over the bridge back to the castle and as she reaches the other side, the glow extinguishes.

“Tell Ruby I love her,” Jet says to Liam, not from her body, but standing above her body. “And tell her she did the right thing.”

The spirit of her aunt Rococoa shows up to ferry her to the other side.

“Good job soldier. You got her home. Ruby’s gonna be alright. Work’s not over. There’s plenty we can do from this side. You ready?” Oh, hell yeah she is.

Which brings us to Theo who is in the castle, looking for other knights, when he finds Sir Toby in his room, butchered. The door is slammed and locked shut behind him by some of Cal’s men who taunt him about eating Toby’s corpse to survive. But Theo isn’t just a brawn guy. He’s the ward of Archmage Lazuli. He casts Knock and the door flies open.

Cumulous hears shouting from the castle and runs towards it immediately.

And Amethar is still falling.

Brennan says he has the time to make 3 checks to come out of paralysis. He comes out of paralysis on his first turn and, as is mechanically useful and narratively appropriate, goes into a rage. As he falls he thinks about Ruby doing that slick aerial arrow shooting last ep and Jet stabbing that dude with him during the ambush. He sees a point of light across town cross the bridge and go out and he *knows* Jet is dead. If he wasn’t raging before, he’s raging now. He falls and takes 72 points of damage, halved to 36. He’s still up. Amethar the Unfallen, yet again.

The sounds of war erupt and that’s where we end our ep.

Safe harbor my ass.

In Memoriam

Oh, Jet.

I’ve known this was something I was going to have to write for ages now. I’m honestly only surprised this wasn’t the first one. Jet has had a date with the Grim Reaper for ages now and it was just down to confirming the date and time.

The moment she said, “I go on top of the carriage and lay myself perfectly to protect Ruby,” she might as well have started picking flowers for her grave. Her willingness to throw herself in harm’s way to protect anyone she held in any regard without the slightest hesitation was always going to be her downfall. A noble end to be sure, but still an end. And it sucks that, if she had to die, she didn’t die in a blaze of glory in battle, but she made the most of her senseless death. She died, telling Ruby to run, wishing she could have done more to save her, telling Liam to make sure she knows that she’s loved and that she didn’t abandon her, she did the right thing. Not a single thought for herself, only for her sister.

Jet, who never wanted to be queen and now never will be.

Jet who longed for war and fell right on the cusp on the biggest one in years.

Jet who was forced by circumstances to step up and did so every time.

I didn’t include her last exchange with Rococoa in the recap because I wanted to use those lines here.

Her aunt says, “I have bad news. If you thought the adventure was gonna end, it’s not.”

“Well,” Jet replies with a slight smile, “if you thought the adventurer was gonna die, she definitely fucking wasn’t.”

The Bastard Jet Rocks. RIP.

1 Million Years Dungeon

That damn cake bastard and his stupid fancy pants. I KNEW it I KNEW it I hate that I’m right but I KNEW IT.

Not that it was a crazy puzzle as a viewer. In a story like this there *has* to be a traitor to the king and for someone to be a traitor, they first have to be a friend. And Cal has been *real* friendly. Brennan thought he could throw us off the scent by saying that Cal was is his DMNPC, as if we don’t already know he’s the enemy. That’s just more evidence for the pile baby! I SEE YOU VILLAIN.

But damn if it didn’t still hurt when it happened. After what he’d just been through? That’s just insult to injury, or vice versa I suppose. And in a story ep???? Brennan?????

Wild that he waited 20 years to off this dude and then monologued his entire plan and didn’t wait to make sure Amethar--the famously Unfallen--was dead though.

Anyway, absolute BASTARD MAN (and not in the cool Jet way). I need him DEAD and I need that to happen ASAP.

(Also, this is more on Brennan but full-circling Lou’s “shit/piss” running joke with a MURDER ATTEMPT? That’s an extra year dungeon my guy.)

Sunnyside Up

“You’ve struck me. Why have you done this? It was wee and gentle but you've struck me nonetheless.” I love Primsy with my whole heart.

The “slam down big style” line was, like, moderately funny when I first heard it but every repetition in and out of game made it exponentially funnier.

“If we have to follow the rules, you have to follow the rules!”

“Everyone needs to stop making sworn enemies. We already have enough.”

“I sentence you to death.”/“No let him do it.” and then his, “Later.” So good.

It didn’t *end* funny but I maintain that that the, “There’s a *war* going on,” back and forth between Jet and Ruby was gold.

This isn’t actually from the episode but everyone roasting Brennan with full lies when he gets up to use the bathroom in the Adventuring Party is one of the funniest things Dropout has ever put out. Also, Murph taking Brenna’s cookie story and Murphing it is very good. Just watch this week’s AP, even if you don’t usually.

Things I’m Concerned About

Going into this battle ep, Ruby has THREE HP and Amethar has FIFTEEN. Like I know Rococoa said Ruby would be OK but I hope that has some mechanical effect because IDK ABOUT THAT.

Is Lady Donetta w/ Cal or was she just a pawn, like Primsy?

Also, idk if this matters but I can’t shake the thought that Cal murdered the Swirlies. Like it’s very probable that they just suck but the thought struck me.

Don’t love that it seems like Cal is going right for Cara this ep. Hopefully Theo (who Big Brained on that clutch Knock) can help her out and, if not, it looks like she has some skills of her own. I’m pulling for her.

How out the window is the format? Like, I’ve been concerned about a random combat ambush for a while now--partially because of the genre and partially because of how story heavy the tourney ep was. Things have been bleeding through already and now, at the halfway point, it seems like a plausible time for Brennan to fully throw the rulebook out the window and be like, “Game’s changed y’all.” They didn’t roll for initiative at the end of last ep. I wonder if that’s logistical or somehow relevant (like, are they going *right* into combat or not).

AHHHHHHH, OK, Jet’s death. As much as I felt it coming, ouch. And not just ouch for me Ouch for everyone. I am so worried about how this is going to break Ruby specifically. Like, poor Cara--she *just* got her daughter back only for her to die in her old stomping grounds because of a letter *she* had--poor Amethar--he’s outlived his firstborn who he saw safely through battle and loved more than anyone besides his other daughter, just like he outlived all his sisters--but Ruby? This is going to CRUSH her. She egged on the sneaking out. She ran instead of staying to try and help (correct move but total guilt trip). She’s never been alone before. I know we’ve all been kinda tense for whatever that, “Family is vulnerable,” line from Siobhan in the trailer is but man I’m *so* much more tense now. I wonder if she’s gonna take a class tweak like Liam did (I know he had more of a reason for it but still curious).

(Also, Theo who’s whole purpose in life is protect the Rocks family having Jet die and Amethar almost die in one night? RIP to that dude’s mental health.)

Note: I recognize that there’s a theory floating around that Cara set up what happened as an ambush and is evil but I refuse to consider that and if that makes me boo boo the fool in two episodes, so be it.

Seriously though, Concerned about whatever that “Long Live the Queen” stuff is. Like it could be referring to Cara but it could be referring to someone else entirely. Either way, sketchy.

Lol also the health food-pocalypse. That’s a thing. Extremely wild that that’s not even close to the headline of this episode.

I may have trusted Lapin by the end but I do *not* trust the Sugar Plum Fairy. Whatever’s going on with her and Cumulous? Do not vibe.

Ciabatta better be toast by the end of this show. This isn’t a concern. This is my Denny’s order. Toasted Ciabatta with a side of dice I can pour down Brennan’s throat.

Five More Things

So, Emily’s new character. I have two thoughts. One (and this was suggested to me by @buck92) is that she’s playing the Queen’s Champion--Ser Amanda Maillard who’s been mentioned twice--once in the first episode by Theo and Sir Toby and once this episode as part of the war effort (leading troops south). A named character doing important things but with no art sounds like a possible backup PC. Also, Emily getting to play this cool knight who Murph’s character is slightly jealous of would be A Dynamic. The other strong possibility is the Sugar-free chocolate warlock Brennan mentioned in episode 1 when they were on the way to Comida. I thought they were gonna get jumped by that character and they weren’t which makes me think that’s a PC too. It would also make Emily 3 for 3 on warlocks!

RIP to all of us who made the Bread Wedding joke before the season started. We were right, but at what cost.

Ruby talking about how it doesn’t matter what she does because she’s not next in line and then having Jet suddenly die and instantly becoming crown princess has painfully Big Amethar Energy.

Also, a nat 20 to break in and find the letter and then two Nat 1 death saves? The dice REALLY wanted Jet dead. Addendum: Almost forgot! Liam *just* learned Twinspeak! Like, off. What a narrative hand-off having that happen right before Jet died. It was like written in the stars.

It’s just a little moment but I loved Cara including Liam in her lecture with a little, “You are included, Liam.”

One More Thing!

This has been circulated a bunch already but I still wanted to shout out this very good video edit by @breadddie! It hit me real hard man.

Also, I don’t think I can link this properly without tumblr getting mad at me but this animatic with Amethar’s Fall set to What’s Up Danger on Twitter is excellent!

Edit: Here’s a link to an ask where I link to the animatic! Novatank is the artist��s @ btw.

#a crown of candy #a crown of candy spoilers #dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #the royal report #man there was so much in this ep I'm sure I didn't capture all my stray thoughts but that's ok!#this is a recap if you want thoughts on s/t I didn't mention for some reason hit me up!

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