#the next day Sprite has no mercy

[softquietsteadylove]

Some soft moment for thenamesh Actor AU? Love this AU and would love to read more about them ❤️

"Fucking finally!"

Gil chuckled as Thena threw herself onto her couch as soon as they were inside. He looked around the dimly lit living room, with its massive ceiling opening up to the rest of the house. "Is Sprite..."

"Asleep," Thena grumbled right into the couch cushions, before lifting her head to peek, "hopefully. Or she's playing some game with her headphones on."

Gil sat himself on the couch more properly, although he was just as tired as she was after a night of awards and clapping and smiling. Even socialising at the afterparty, since it was so important for the networking of their careers.

At least he had been given a different outfit for the afterparty--he didn't think he would have survived a long night in that ultra thin and light shirt he had worn for the red carpet before the awards.

Even if he had caught Thena checking him out multiple times.

Thena turned herself over, mussing her carefully curled hair, rumpling her carefully selected dress. She looked so much more human when she was relaxed. "Are you hungry?"

"Starved," he answered readily, at which Thena beamed. He had no doubt she was famished, especially with how little she always ate at awards nights. Whenever they were together at these things she would end up asking him to finish hers for her so she wouldn't appear rude.

After the third time doing so, he made an effort to eat slower. He would take notice of what her favourite part of the meal was and save it. When she inevitably asked him to finish her meal, he would pick up his plate - with only her favourite part of the dish left - and swap it with hers.

Thena didn't even stand, letting herself roll off the couch without any of her usual veil of elegance and delicacy. It was cute. "Let's see."

Gil stood from the couch and stretched. He had already removed his tie in the car home, now shirking off his suit jacket and even untucking the dress shirt he was wearing.

Thena opened the double doors to her positively massive fridge.

Gil leaned over her shoulder, "slim pickings, huh?"

She sighed, "I'm not exactly a chef--you know that."

Gil positioned himself behind her, opening the doors up even further until her fingers had to stretch to touch the doors. He nudged the back of her head with his chin, "I'm sure I could whip us up something."

Thena gave him a gentle and affectionate bop in the chin in return. "Make something?--I was going to pull out a block of cheese and trade one knife between the two of us on the floor."

Gil laughed, and Thena laughed with him. He felt the cool skin of her bare shoulders brush against his chest. "Why are we on the floor?"

"Because that's usually just my state of mind when it's time for cheese straight from the fridge."

Gil wrapped his arm around her, lifting her up and moving her away from the cool of the fridge. "You got instant noodles?"

"Do I have-" Thena rolled her eyes instead of answering the question, opening up one of the cupboards to an entire stash of cup ramen. "Sprite's main source of carbohydrates, you mean?"

"Perfect," Gil grinned, receiving two cups from Thena, as well as pulling out some green onion, a jar of chili oil and a few eggs. "This is exactly what I'd make for myself when I was a starving student, or even when I was just starting out in the biz."

Thena sighed, sitting herself at the counter as she watched him position himself at her beautiful stovetop built right into the kitchen island. Her house came with such a beautiful kitchen just for her to never use it.

Gil got the chili oil into the pan, heating it high and fast so their eggs could crisp at the edges slightly. He kept his eyes on his ingredients, not wanting to discourage Thena from her staring.

She had been eyeing him all night, and he wasn't exactly opposed.

"If we were at your house, what would you be 'whipping up', then?"

Gil chuckled, cracking in two of the four eggs he pulled out. "Well, if I were alone I guess I'd say I would just order in. But since I have a guest to impress-"

Thena rolled her eyes (but he could see her smiling).

"Maybe I'd make some quick pasta," he shrugged, turning off the kettle of boiling water and filling their cups. "Rigatoni, make some quick rose sauce in a pan. If I have sausages in the fridge, I can even fry those up for a quick meat sauce."

Thena inhaled as if she could smell it just from its description. "Why the hell did we come back to mine, then?"

They both laughed again. Gil added the spice and veggie packs to both cups, and then cracked in the other eggs straight into the broth, stirring them vigorously. "This is the trick to really making them feel luxurious."

Thena watched with hungry eyes - literally - as he topped each cup with the chili oil egg and green onions set aside. She beamed as he slid the cup towards her. "Thank you, Chef."

Gil blushed, "okay, come on."

Thena was the only one who called him that, even as a joke. And even then, he wasn't exactly opposed to that either.

"Good?" he asked between pretty big bites. He had seen Thena both eat delicately, and eat like a ravenous monster (not that she would appreciate that description).

Thena slurped back her bite, despite the hot oiled egg and the boiling hot broth. She gave him an emphatic nod, cheeks puffed until she gulped loudly.

Gil shook his head; there should be rules about being so cute. She was already the most beautiful woman in the world, did she have to be adorable too?

Thena licked her lips as she picked up another bite of egg, "Gil it's-"

He laughed faintly as she cut herself off, unable to resist her next bite for even a second. He leaned over the counter, reaching forward, "hey."

Thena blinked, allowing him to swipe his thumb over the corner of her lip, catching the bit of egg yolk that had escaped. Her lip budged ever so slightly as their eyes met. "Thanks."

Gil just nodded, completely unconsciously moving his thumb up to his own mouth to lick.

"Hey!"

Both actors turned as Sprite plunked down the stairs. She had a pair of over-ear headphones sitting around her neck, her hair completely ruffled from them. "Who said you could get into those?!"

Thena rose from her seat immediately, glaring at her small sister, "excuse me?"

Gil watched Sprite rear back, like an animal coming to realise it was no match for its predator.

"Uh," Sprite cleared her throat, sidestepping her sister and moving to Gil's side of the island instead, "how was the awards ceremony?"

"Boring," he shrugged, watching as Thena let go of her ire to return to her late night snack. He looked down at Sprite, "want one?"

"Hell yeah!"

Gil retrieved another two eggs as Sprite got herself a cup of ramen. She tossed it onto the counter before moving to sit beside Thena, who refused her a bite since she would be getting her own momentarily.

"I saw the red carpet looks online already," Sprite leaned her chin into her palm, elbow on the counter. "You guys were a hit."

"Kingo does good work," Gil smiled as he poured just slightly less chili oil for Sprite's egg.

"You in particular," Sprite snickered. "Everyone's super thirsty for you after that shirt you had on."

"Everyone's what?"

Sprite snuck her eyes over to her sister, "but you already knew that, huh?"

[moiraimyths]

On a scale of 1 to 10, how easy/difficult would it be for MC to convince their RO to stay in bed with them all day 👉👈?

Shae: 1. Shae loves cuddles, but they have a lot of responsibility, too. Keagan: If he has a busy day, he will rearrange anything he can to stay longer with you. If he can get away with it, he'll stay as long as you want. So 7-10 depending on his schedule. Sorry, Your Majesty. Aífe: 3. If she's got nothing else to do, that would be one thing, but she is the Queen. Plus, lazing about does get a trifle boring. Maeve: 3-6. She is the Captain of the Guard so she has a little leeway with what she does, but she isn't the type to let others do her work for her so she would have to be convinced she wasn't slacking off. Flannán: 5. He wants to. I mean, REALLY wants to. But he's the King. Robin: 10, but you are entirely at their mercy.

***

The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe) is now out on Steam and Itch.io, and has a Kickstarter pre-launch page! Check our pinned post for details!

Remember: If we get to 800 favourites on our Kickstarter pre-launch page, we’ll release flirty sprites for all the ROs! (Current progress: Aífe's sprite is on its way! Next to be revealed is Shae at 500!)

[just-horrible-things]

Whumptober Day 8 : Everything Hurts And I'm Dying

‘Verse: Resistance Story: Chewtoy AU, co-author @whump-sprite Timeline: Connor is rescuing Ariadne

Everything Hurts And I'm Dying [ Prev | Next ]

Ariadne doesn't sleep. She lays there with her eyes closed and tries, but her breathing never evens out. Her grip on Connor's hand never loosens. Painful-looking twitches wrack her body, and dampness lingers in the corners of her eyes. 

"What do you need?" Connor asks her. "Don't – know," she forces out laboriously "-- sir." "Just Connor," Connor tells her grimly. He's not a sir to anyone anymore. She doesn't respond to that. He holds her hand, and she holds onto his fingers as if for dear life. 

Under his jacket, his gun is a reassuring weight. If there's pursuit, if they come for them… he'll kill Ari, then he'll kill himself rather than be taken as a traitor.

He gets up, and Ariadne's eyes snap open. 

"What do you need?" he asks.  "Where – y'going?" "Nowhere," he answers. "I just need to make some calls. You rest."

He contacts a couple of different law firms. Each of their phone systems requires him to navigate a frustrating flowchart of automated menus and stuttering hold music before he even gets to explain his situation to a human being. 

Then he calls the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and it's more of the same – except that the wait time is even longer. 

"What do you need?" he asks Ariadne while the phone line mangles some tinny jazz into discordance. "Mercy, please," she whimpers. It turns Connors stomach.  "Hey, no, it's just me," he tells her. "What can I do to help you?"  "... hhurts," she whines. "Okay. I can help with that."

The painkillers are in his bag. He's been trying to make them last, there's only a few pills left over from when he sprained his elbow last year. But she definitely needs another dose. 

She makes him drop them directly into her mouth again. She only takes a couple of swallows of water before she turns her face away, saying "I, fffeel sick."

Connor worries, but a Canadian immigrations worker finally picks up, and he has to turn his attention back to the phone. 

"I'm going outside," he tells Ari after, "to get some supplies. I won't be long." She makes an indistinct sound in acknowledgement, and Connor can only hope that she understands. 

He comes back with food and caffeine, fresh bottles of painkillers and antibiotics, and ice packs for Ariadne's ribs. She sighs in appreciation and mumbles something that's probably a thank you, but it does nothing to ease the pained creases out of her face. 

"Are you hungry?" he asks her.  "Nnh… nno." "Try to eat a little. You need the energy." She manages one mouthful of saltine cracker before she presses her lips together and refuses.  "Gonna… be sick," she whines plaintively when Connor tries to insist, "please no."

He props her up with some pillows under her chest so that he can feed her more gatorade, and she drinks that, at least.

"Thnk you, sir," she mumbles.  "Connor."

He sits beside her and rests a hand on the back of her head. She's looking at him less and less and he's not sure she understands that he's here to take care of her at all.

"C'nn'r," she slurs eventually. There are tears in her eyes again.  "Yeah," he agrees. "What can I do to help you, Ari? What do you need? And please don't say mercy, you don't need to ask me for that."

She hums a wavering and uncertain hum.

Connor checks her temperature again, but she isn't running a fever. Whatever's making her so distant, it isn't that. 

"... feel sick," she repeats uncertainly. "I know." "Ffeel… like m'dying, Conn'r…" Connor's hand stills on the back of her head.  "Don't die on me, Ariadne." He tries to make it a joke, but it isn't.

He checks her pulse in her neck. It's too fast. He doesn't know what that means. 

"Sorry I'm not a doctor," he tells her gruffly. "... m'sorry," she echoes. 

She can't be dying. What would she be dying of? Connor checked her head to toe, there's no deep infections… He didn't come all this way to lose her now. 

He eats, and chugs an energy drink for the caffeine and sugar. He's not usually a fan, but he needs to be alert to speak to the lawyers, and the prospect of enough terrible instant coffee to keep him awake is too grim. He'd rather not resort to the go pills he fed Ariadne to get her through the night. 

The waiting is the hardest part. The Immigration and Refugee Board said they'd call him back, but it's been more than the hour they estimated. 

He paces, then he returns to Ariadne's side to sit with her. She's crying silently, shoulders shaking with tiny sobs, tears slowly soaking dark circles into the pillow under her face. 

"... ssir?" "What do you need?" Her gaze wanders. "... m'sorry …"

Connor checks her pulse. Too fast, and… it flutters and skips irregularly under his fingertips.

He lifts Ari by her shoulders. She moans and shudders, but she doesn't resist. Connor pulls her against his body, gets an arm behind her legs, and lifts. She doesn't hold on, just flops limply in his grip. He can feel the muscles twitching and spasming in her thighs. 

"I'm taking you to a hospital," he says. "You're going to be okay." "... yssir," she mumbles into his shoulder. 

[Next]

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #815: Last Straw (Super Smash Bros Ultimate X Persona 5)

2:12 p.m. at the Isle Defino's Restaurant.........

Pink Female Pianta: (Smiles Brightly at Mario, Peach, Ren, and Makoto After She Place Their Meals Down on the Table) I hope you all enjoy our meals for today!~ (Turns to Mario with a Dark Expression on her Eyes) Especially you, you no good criminal of a plumber....(Went Back to Smiling Brightly Again Before Walking Away) Goodbyeeee!~

Mario: (Chuckles Awkwardly) I see that.... we're....(Puts on a Deadpinned Look on his Face) Still on that phase, aren't we?

Peach: (Groans Which Pinching her Nose a Little)

Mario: (Turns to Peach While Placing his Hand on Top of Her Other One) Are you okay, Peach?

Peach: (Turns to Mario With a Reassuring Smile on her Face) I'll be fine, honey. ('Sigh') I'm just trying not let those Piantas get the better of me. I'd never realized it would be so challenging.....

Makoto: I'd say. I could never imagine getting over it that easily if I were in that position.....

Ren: ('Sigh') Tell me about it. (Turns to Mario) I'm surprised none of this is bothering you in the slightest.

Mario: (Smiles Sheepishly at Ren While Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth) I wouldn't say it doesn't bother me completely. I just try and look at the brighter side of all of this, you know? I even tried not to think too hard on the messier part of the past.

Makoto: (Raised an Eyebrow) How "messier" are we talking about exactly?

Mario: Welllllllll.....For starters, back when Shadow Mario kidnapped the princess and took her to Pinna Park, there were a few eye witnesses that saw the whole incident going. It was practically a golden opportunity to prove the fact that there were two of me and all of this was misunderstanding to begin with. Yet.....They still think I was a criminal.

Makoto: (Couldn't Believe What She's Hearing) My God.... That's terrible.....

Peach: It was.....(Turns to Mario) I'm so sorry I wasn't much help to you during that time around, Mario. I was going scream out for help, but Shadow Mario, who was Bowser Jr at the time.

Makoto: (Nodded While Understanding What Ren is Telling Her) Okay.....

Ren: Yeah......

Peach: ...Taped my mouth shut at last second.

Makoto: But some of the citizens still saw you getting kidnapped during that time, right?

Peach: Yes, but....('Sigh') They were panicking for the most part.

Makoto: And there were no policemen involved?

Mario: (Shook his Head) Not a single one I'm afraid. Didn't make any better when tried telling them everything that happened during that time and even when Junior first tired to kidnap the princess, they kept telling me that I was slacking off and that I should get back to work on cleaning the Island.

Makoto: (Starts Facepalming Herself in Disbelief) I don't believe this......

Ren: I know, right? Their police system are million times worst than the one in our universe......

Mario: That..... wasn't worse of it......

Makoto/Peach: It wasn't?

Mario: Nope. (Turns to Peach) Do you remember those Star Sprites they wanted me to gather to restore the brightness of their island?

Peach: Yeah. You had to go through other worlds to obtain them, right?

Mario: .....For the most part.....There were a few citizens here that had them already. They only gave them to me after I do their chores for them.

Peach: ('Gasps')

Makoto: (Turns to Ren) Ren, is all of this is true?

Ren: Yep. And it's not even the worst of it.

Makoto: Oh sweet, merciful Johanna....What now?

Ren: (Points at a White House Standing on the End of the Dock) You see that house over there?

Makoto: (Turns to the House Ren is Showing Her) Yeah? What about it?

Ren: There these two raccoons who lives over there and they have a crap ton of Star Sprites inside. But the only way to get any of them is to trade them-

Mario: Blue Coins. ('Groans a Little') I remember how exhausting it was to get them all........(Chuckles Lightly) Good thing I got it all over it and made it back in one piece.

Peach: ............................

Mario: Uh.....Peach? D-Darling?

Peach: (Starts Taking a Deep Breath Before Speaking) Let me see if I get this right....You mean to tell that there are raccoons who are living in that house, trading Star Sprites for Blue Coins as a currency....The SAME Star Sprites that were SUPPOSED TO BE USED to restore the brightness of the entire Island.....AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT NO ONE, NOT EVEN THE AUTHORITIES, EVEN BOTHER TO QUESTION THEM AT ALL!?

Mario: .........Pretty much. Yeah.

Peach: .......... That's it. (Immediately Gets Up From her Table) I'mma sue 'em.

Mario: ('Sigh') Peach....

Peach: (Turns to Mario With a Form Frown on her Face) No, Mario! Ever since the day we arrived here, I have tried SO hard not let all of this get me. But after everything they've put you through, even AFTER you risk your life to save them, I cannot sit here and let this slide anymore! Enough is enough!!

Mario: But how are we going to find ourselves a lawyer here? We've never got one the last time we went to court.

Ren: (Already Has a Smirk on Face) No worry, you guys. Makoto and I know someone who can help plead your case no problem.

Makoto: Wait. We do? (Eyes Widened For a Brief Second Before Sighing at the Fact That She Figured Who Ren is Talking About) Ren, we're not asking my sister to come over here to court.

Ren: Ah c'mon, 'hon. She's the only person we know who has any experience being in a courtroom.

Makoto: But what if she already working this remaining week!? We can't just back to Shiyuba and ask her to come with us! She'll decline the offer quicker than you can say-

???: Why, hello my dear little sister.

Makoto yelps while quickly jumping into Ren's arms before turning around to see that it's none other than her older sister, Sae Niijima.

Makoto: Sis? W-What are you doing here!?

Sae: My boss gave me a few days off yesterday. So I decided to come here to spend the rest it with you. And before you ask, I used one of your Dimensional Rings to get here.

Makoto: Oh sis...(Hugs Sae Lovingly) You have no idea how happy this made me~

Sae: (Giggles Softly) Likewise. I'm really happy to see you again, Makoto. (Kiss the Top of Makoto's Head Before Turning to Ren) You too, Ren. I hope you're treating my little sister well as usual.

Ren: (Happily Nodded) Yep.

Peach: Ms. Niijima, I know you've just arrived here and everything, but could you please help us with our case in court?

Sae: (Simply Nodded) Of course I can, your highness. I may be prosecutor for most, but I have learned a thing or two about being lawyer in the paat. So you and Mario-san are in good hands.

Peach: (Gasps Happily Before Grabbing Both of Sae's Hands) Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!~ Is there anything we can do to return a favor!?

Sae: Only if you don't mind having me be a part of your family vacation....(Turns to Ren and Makoto with a Smirk on her Face) And that I get to share a room with Ren and Makoto in the process.

Ren/Makoto: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) WHAT!?

Mario: (Chuckles Lightly) You're here already, aren't you? Of course you can be a part of our family vacation! (Turns to Ren and Makoto) You two don't mind having Sae in your room for the time being, do you?

Ren/Makoto: ('Sighs in Utter Defeat') No.......

Makoto: (Turns to Ren) I knew this was a mistake.......

Sae: (Place her Arms Around Ren and Makoto's Shoulder) Oh don't be like that, you two. We should focus on something more important at hand: Winning this case!

One Court Session Later......

'Jail Cell Closing'

Sae: (Standing Behind the Cell Bars With Genuine Surprise Look on her Face) I was not expecting the courtroom to be that stubborn.......

Mario: (Sitting Next to Peach on One Side of the Cell) I can't believe they locked us up in a matter of minutes!!....And call me crazy, but I think this might be my second time coming back to this prison cell again.

Sae: (Turns to Mario) How can you tell this one is yours?

Mario: (Points at the Craved, Written Words at the Top of the Wall) It has my name up there.

Sae: (Looks Up and See the Name Mario on That Said Wall) Ah. What a...... Strange discovery....

Ren: (Sitting Next to Makoto on the Other Side of the Cell) Being in jail isn't too bad. (Crosses his Arms) Got locked up twice in row and I was still fine enough as it is.......(Suddenly Starts Shaking his Arms in a Bit of Fear)

Makoto: (Starts Worrying For her Boyfriend Before Hugging Him Lovingly and Reassuringly)

Peach: (Looking Down at the Floor With Regret on her Face) I'm sorry I put you all into this.... If I didn't thought of suing them in the first place, then none of this would've happened.

Mario: (Places his Hand on Peach's Shoulder) Your heart was in the right place through all of this, dear. It's okay. And besides.....(Starts Blushing While Smiling a Little) I thought it was really sweet of you to go out of your way to do this for me to begin. Even though you...really didn't have to.....

Peach: (Immediately Turns to Mario) But I wanted to do it for you, Mario! You've done so much for me since the day we first place. Whether it's saving me from getting kidnapped, giving me all the support and care I needed, helping me go through my common and personal problems, or everything else in between. All I ever wanted to do is to be there for you too. Because you mean so much more to me than just being my hero o-or my Knight in Shining Armor....(Tears Starts Falling Down From Her Eyes) You're the man I wanna love and be with for the rest of my life.....

Mario: (Heart Begins to Melt by Peach's Words) Oh Peach.......(Gives Peach a Loving Hug) You know just as well as I do that you've done so much for me than anyone thinks you do. Besides my own brother, I wouldn't even be half the man I am today if weren't for all the love, care, and support you've given me throughout the years. Heck, you being here with me at all as already made my day and many others before and after that, all the more special to me and I can't even begin to tell you how much you mean to me too. (Smiles Brightly) But all I know is that no matter what happens, I'll always love you from the bottom of my heart, Princess Peach.

Peach: (Heart Begins to Melt as Well) Mario.......('Sniff') (Immediately Hugs Mario Back Lovingly) I love you too!~ Never ever ever ever ever ever EVER forget that, okay!?~

Mario: (Chuckles Lightly) Of course, dear~

'Jail Cell Opens'

Blue Police Pianta: Alright, troublemakers. You're free to go now.

Daisy: (Pops Out From the Back of the Policeman on One Side) Heeeey, Cuz!~

Luigi: (Pops Out From the Other Side of the Policeman While Happily Waving at Mario) Hey, Bro!

Peach: (Eyes Widened at What is Happening Right Now Along With the Others) Daisy!? Luigi!?

Mario: You two bailed us out!?

Daisy: (Smiles Brightly While Resting her Arm Onto Luigi's Shoulder) Yep! We used the money from the safe whenever one of us get arrested.

Luigi: (Smiles Brightly as Well) We even brought the safe from the home with us the entire just in case. Are you okay?

Peach: (Smiles Reliefly and Brightly) Oh you two have no idea how-

Orange Police Pianta: Yeah, yeah. Tell 'em all about it when you get outside. Now, come on! Out of the cell! All of you!

Few Minutes Later Outside..........

Police Pianta: Now, I hope you five learned a valuable lesson about causing trouble to this town.

Daisy: But.... all they did was trying to sue you-

Orange Police Pianta: QUIET!

Blue Police Pianta: Now, as what I was saying, we'll be watching you, pals. We'll know right away if you start causing more trouble.

Luigi: Uhhh...

Mario: (Whispers to Luigi) They won't do anything, bro. Trust me on this one.

Luigi: (Shrugs) Okie Dokie. (Starts Walking Away Along With The Others)

Makoto: ('Sigh') Well.....That was a lot more eventful than I could ever imagine.

Sae: Agreed. I never thought I would start my vacation here in a prison cell....(Turns to Luigi and Daisy) Has anyone else in the Smash Family actually got arrested before all of this?

Luigi: (Smiles a Bit Sheepishly) Well, Dedede was arrested two years ago for raiding across the Area 51 by Naruto running.

Sae: ........ You're Kidding.....

Daisy: (Giggles Softly While Hugging Onto Luigi's Arm) Nope!~ It was all around the news when it happened. He even got his chewed out by Peach afterwards. It was priceless!~

Luigi: And effective.

Sae: ('Sigh') You know, I'm starting to think our arrest is more meaningless than before.........

Peach: (Sighs While Resting her Head Onto Mario's Shoulder) Well, I'm just glad all of this is over now.

Ren: Tell me about it. Don't know about you guys, but I can really go for a nice, relaxing back massage right now-

?????: RENNNNNN!!!!

And with that, Palutena and Bayonetta, along with all the members of the Phantom Thieves rushes over and hug tackle Ren into the ground one by one. All was right in the world yet again.

@keyenuta

@caleb13frede

@princekirijo

@ma-lemons

@albion-93

@italian-love-cake

@cyber-wildcat

@26shann

@shumakoweek

[chazz-anova]

A Little Bit Of Magic - Chapter 1

Fandom: Far Cry 5

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: Lady Veronica Rook, a wizard turned rogue bounty hunter and part time thief, is approached by one of the King's men on a stormy night to acquire her services. Little does she know, she's setting off on a quest that will change her forever. (Fantasy!AU)

A/N: LITERALLY I saw one picture and that spawned this entire AU lmao, this has been a fun start and I'm excited for the rest of this little mini-series! I hope you all like as well <3

Dancing candlelight casted amorphous shadows on a bare stone wall. In the center of the room, a firepit blazed; warming the bones of weary travelers who sought refuge from a tempest storm brewing outside the walls of the inn.

Barmaids bustled from table to table, bringing stout ale to rowdy patrons. One such patron sat at the short oak bar, nursing a tankard of beer. In front of the customer stood a barkeep who looked rather piqued. “Veronica, every night you sit here and take up space that could be filled by paying customers. Pray tell, what must I do to squeeze some coin from you?” The woman asked, her sunny blonde hair bobbing as she swept a damp rag over the counter.

Across the bar, Veronica looked up from her stein with a smirk as she replied, “You’d just as likely squeeze coin from me as easily as you’d milk a dragon, Mary May. Is there not a special allowance for a friend who’s saved your life twice over?”

“If I’d known your aid would end up costing me damn near a barrel of ale in the long run, I would have gladly thrown myself into the jaws of death!” Mary professed dramatically, a small smile giving her away.

V rose her tankard high, proclaiming “And what you pay in ale, you make back doubly in entertainment!”

With a sigh- the barmaid stashed the rag she’d been holding under the counter. “Well allow me to take my leave, before your entertainment proves to be too much!” Mary May rolled her eyes as she departed to the back storeroom; Veronica always knew how to work her last nerve.

Now left to her own devices, the woman spun in her seat to analyze the other patrons. She hoped with any luck, she could swindle some coin from someone deep in their cups to secure a room for the night. Unfortunately- saving a friend’s life only afforded you free drinks, not free rooms. Having grown up in the streets of the Kingdom of Hope, Veronica trusted her pickpocketing skills; especially in a tavern such as this.

The Splayed Eagle Inn was run by V’s friend, Mary May, and had been her home for the past few months. All types found themselves in this bar, whether they be well-to-do, working class, or a simple ne’er-do-well. Of course- Veronica liked to think she didn’t fit into any of those categories.

Sitting around the main floor of the inn were a few possible targets, and our girl set to sizing up the first; an older man seated in the corner. He wore the garb of the royal guard. His complexion was that of worn leather, and his eyes scanned the room suspiciously. ‘Not a great mark..’ Veronica thought, shifting her gaze to her next person.

The person in question was not a person at all, but rather a dwarf. The short man guzzled beer from his stein greedily, egged on by two more of his kind. Finishing the drink he slammed down his cup and roared in revelry. ‘Though dwarves love gold and these ones would certainly have some coin, perhaps they are a hair too unmanageable for a robbery.’ Considering this, the woman moved down the list.

Just as Veronica was about to size up her next mark, she felt a hand on her shoulder. The blonde turned, expecting to see Mary May had returned to give her more grief. V was surprised to see an unfamiliar face and she immediately went on the defense, shrugging the stranger’s hand off her shoulder. “Can I help you?” Her words dripped with distrust.

The stranger met her eyes with a look of contempt, and V considered grabbing her dagger in case things became dicey. The woman who’d grabbed her shoulder stepped back now, regarding Veronica coldly with dark eyes. She wore a black fur cape with the hood up, obscuring her features, though her greasy black hair hung in matted locks on her shoulders. She lifted her hood to reveal a ghastly scar across her face. “Yes, mage, I do believe you can help me.” The stranger chuckled.

Hearing her true title, Veronica started visibly, but quickly recovered. ‘How does she know? Certainly this wench is no mage, I sense no magic in her! Is she an assassin from the Guild? Gods, Mary May will kill me if I’ve brought such darkness to her doorstep!’ V’s inner monologue was harried, in contrast to her cool voice as she rebuffed, “Mage? Surely you jest! I am but a humble adventurer.”

Spitting at her feet, the woman scoffed. “Save your lies! I already know of you, Lady Veronica, and of your discharge from the Royal Mages Guild. I come seeking your help in regards to your… new vocation.”

“And what would that be?” V continued to be difficult, her tone hostile. She didn’t like how much this woman knew of her.

“Bounty hunting, of course. Or was it not you that the Royal Guard granted a bounty to just a week ago for bringing in one of the Banshee Queen’s sprites?” At this, Veronica’s mouth drew into a thin line. She knew she’d been got. The ravenette shrugged, “I dare not judge, how else is a rogue witch to make any coin these days?” Though she put on a facade of good cheer, something dangerous lurked in her gaze.

A humorless laugh escaped Ronnie and she lifted her chin defiantly, “Even if you speak the truth, why should I help you, hag?”

Smiling cruelly, she retorted “It is not I who requests your service, but your King and country.”

“Well, his Kingly-ness will simply have to bring is ass down here if he truly wants me help!” V laughed, chalking up the woman’s words to a childish prank.

Suddenly- the stranger closed the short distance between them and the mage felt the tip of a blade threatening to pierce her gut. “I would recommend a modicum of respect for King Dutch. As his bodyguard, I may feel inclined to defend his honor.”

Under her breath, Veronica murmured ancient arcane words and a ball of flames appeared in her spread palm near the woman’s head. “And I may feel inclined to worsen your scar if you do not back away.” She growled the threat, feeling a rush of relief when the King’s bodyguard moved away. She would rather not release a fan of fire in her friend’s bar.

Sheathing her dagger, the woman took a breath. “Let us start over. I am Jess Black, bodyguard and right hand to King Dutch Roosevelt.” She gave a stately bow along with her title.

“Well Lady Black, what would you have of me?” V asked, voice laden with suspicion. Though she preferred to seek her own bounties, a requisition from the King was sure to bring decent coin.

As they began to discuss business, Jess took a seat next to Veronica and spoke vaguely. “Our ruler would have you retrieve a package for him, for a hefty reward.” When the mage said nothing, she continued, “I cannot divulge the details- but you will find what you need in the hamlet of Fall’s End with a cleric named Jerome.”

“Am I expected to go forward with such little information?” She shook her head in disbelief, finally finishing her drink.

“You are expected to do as our ruler bids! I have told you all I know.”

Veronica’s brow furrowed as she probed, “Surely his majesty has sent some sort of incentive, if it is truly he who sent you!”

Jess sighed heavily, producing a leather pouch from the folds of her cape. She set it on the bar with a clink, and V grabbed it immediately. “Gods, there must be nearly forty gold here!” She exclaimed, counting it out quickly.

“Our benefactor has put this forward as a downpayment of sorts, with the promise of more once he’s gotten his package. On the condition that you leave immediately.” Jess asserted with a nod.

The blonde eyed the gold hungrily- knowing she was on hard times. “Well if my kingdom needs me, who am I to resist the call? Though surely ‘immediately’ could mean ‘first thing in the morn’, with his Highness’s mercy?”

Putting a hand on the pouch of gold, the ravenette shook her head. “I must insist on your departure this night, King Roosevelt wishes for no delay in your meeting with Jerome.”

For a moment Veronica’s gaze shifted from Jess back to the pouch of gold, but she relented with a sigh. “It will take me a moment to prepare myself, and I shall make haste.”

Jess gave a rare smile, acquiescing “Your speed is most appreciated.” She turned to the back wall of the bar then, wondering aloud, “Where is the damn barkeep?”

With their conversation over and coin now heavy in her pocket, V slipped behind the bar to the back office where she’d stashed her travel pack.

Mary May’s office was small but tidy, featuring a large desk and business ledger. Sitting there was Mary herself, counting out coin into the safe next to the desk. Next to the safe was Veronica’s beige backpack, which May let her stash in the office during business hours. Hearing her footsteps, the blonde turned away from her safe to face V. “Ah, come to retrieve your loot without buying a room to store it in first? You must have gotten yourself a job.”

A smile crossed Veronica’s features, showing pearly white teeth. “You know me well friend, I must be off immediately unfortunately, so it would appear you’ll save some ale tonight yet!” She crossed the threshold into the room, leaning over the other to grab her sack.

“My, it must be an illustrious one to cause you to abandon a perfectly good night of drinking!” She chuckled.

This made the blonde stop a moment as she considered telling her friend the details. Thinking better of it, she instead said, “Nothing so fancy! I should be back in a week at the latest, try not to miss me too much!” Giving Mary May a chuckle., Before Veronica was fully out the door, she leaned back to say quickly “And be sure to give your worst service to the raven-haired patron sitting at the bar!”

V slung her sack across her back, weaving through Mary May’s drunken customers towards the front door. Once she cleared the room, she turned back one last time and saw Jess staring at her as she departed. The look on her face gave her chills.

The heavy door to the Splayed Eagle Inn opened with a prolonged creak, and gave way to a gust of wind that caused the mage to pull her cloak closer around her. She stepped foot into the deluge outside and hustled into the treeline, taking her first steps towards facing an evil she couldn’t begin to imagine.

[tothemeadow]

these Mario kart AUs are killing me 😭 Ok so, after that little um..’display’ lol, It’s come down to this...Girls vs boys..The reader with the girls competing in the hardest mode: ☀️S h i n e T h e i f☀️ Empress-Sama can pick the punishment 👀

‘to claim victory pt. 3′ / Pillars x Reader

warnings: slight NSFW

words: 1,556

(a/n): Muichiro is 18+ in this! 

also, one word: femdom

-

This is it.

This is your chance.

You’ve come so far, and you are not going to give up. Failure is a well-known friend by now, lingering on your shoulders and whispering words of doubt into your ears. There is nothing left to lose, now, and you’re going to give it your all.

The same can be said for Shinobu and Mitsuri. Like you, they’re tired of facing a loss and crave after the sweet taste of victory. The other team – the guys – have had far too good for far too long. It’s their turn for them to plead for forgiveness, to kneel at your feet and cry for mercy.

You’re so damn hungry for power. It’s well within your grasp, inches away. You are not going to lose this time. Boys be damned.

Stripped down to your undies, your flesh bears fresh goosebumps. The heat radiating off of Tengen and Kyojuro is downright pleasant, and you desire to have them cling onto you. But no, you cannot allow yourself to be distracted.

Your character frantically chases after Shy Guy, gradually closing in on his little buggy. The Shine Sprite hanging above him sticks out like a sore thumb, and you’re practically salivating to get a hold of it. You wait until you’re directly behind and take your aim.

“It’s nothing personal, Gyomei,” you speak.

At that, your character whips a green shell at Shy Guy. The Shine Sprite flies off, allowing you to quickly grab onto it before zooming away.

“Dammit,” Tengen curses by your side.

“Oh my gosh!” Mitsuri cries out. “We got it! We got it!”

“Don’t lose focus, Mitsuri,” Shinobu is quick to respond. “(y/n),” she says to you, “we’ll cover you.”

“Like hell you will,” Giyuu grunts.

Yoshi comes barreling towards your character. Boo King slams straight into him, effectively keeping him from reaching you.

“Thanks, Shinobu!”

“Oi, jackass,” Sanemi barks at his teammate, “don’t fuck this up!”

Your heart thuds with every beeping second. Twenty seconds left. You have to hold onto it for thirty. You must.

Again and again, the guys either launch themselves or an attack at you, but either one of the girls comes to your aid just in time or you somehow dodge it. Isabelle is hot on your heels. Waluigi is charging straight towards you. There are only moments to make a decision.

Screw it, you think as you rear your character to the side. You can hear both Muichiro and Obanai muttering curses.

Ten seconds left.

Your skin is absolutely crawling.

“Give it up!” Kyojuro taunts in his usual happy-go-lucky way. He tries to be intimidating while playing games, but he’s really not.

“Kiss my ass,” you toss back. You flash him a smile right when the clock reaches zero.

“No!” all of the boys shout.

“Yes!” the girls cheer.

Giyuu merely sighs and sets his device to the side.

Mitsuri wildly claps her hands. “(y/n), you did it! You really did it!” You quickly hop up from your seat to meet her hug.

Shinobu comes to stand next to the two of you, a dark glint in her eyes. Her lips curl into a sadistic smile. “Girls,” she begins, using a low voice, “you know what this means.”

A similar smile appears on your own face. It’s time for revenge.

The three of you simultaneously turn to the guys.

“Alright,” Shinobu continues, crossing her arms. “Now it’s our turn to pick the punishment.”

A round of grumbles comes as a reply. The guys are in no place to be angry, especially since all of them agreed to the conditions.

Shinobu claps her hands together. “Alright, gentlemen, please do us a favor and strip.”

You bite your lip and share a sneaky smile with Mitsuri.

Their reactions are amusing, to say the least. Of course, Tengen has no issue with whipping off his clothes and showing off all his glory. Kyojuro doesn’t mind, but is face turns red while he does so. Sanemi and Obanai only seem annoyed by the ordeal. The rest reluctantly do as told, an anxious expression written across theirs features. Soon enough, the room is filled with half naked men.

Mitsuri’s face blows with a bright pink. “Oh, wow.”

You agree. You know all of the guys spend a lot of time working on their physiques, but to see them up close and personal? It’s incredible.

Tengen flexes as your gaze flicks over his torso. “Like what you see, sweetheart? I know, this is quite some prize,” he purrs.

Shinobu rolls her eyes. “Pick two,” she says to you and Mitsuri. “I think we should give them a taste of their own medicine, don’t you agree?”

Your dominant side perks at the suggestion. It’s revenge, alright. And if you can get the guys as embarrassed and flustered as they made you, then sobeit. Humming, you tap your chin, eyes scanning over the different guys. “I want him,” you say, pointing at Sanemi, “and him.” Your finger lands at Muichiro.

“Alright,” Sanemi growls, “let’s get this shit going, then.”

You meet his challenge with a shark-toothed smile.

It’s funny that Sanemi is trying to pass as unbothered about the whole thing. For one, he hates to lose. Second, you can see the subtle shifts in his character. The light trembling. The way he swallows harder than usual. You’re already affecting him and you haven’t done anything yet. Taking a seat next to him, you bat your eyelashes at him.

“I promise I won’t bite.”

Sanemi scoffs at your obvious bluff. He knows it’s a personal jab; he’s into biting himself, and the mark on Mitsuri’s shoulder says it all.

Kyojuro’s sudden giggling catches your attention. Turning to him, you see Mitsuri peppering kisses up and down the column of his neck. Oh, so he’s sensitive? You’ll have to keep that in mind. On the other hand, Shinobu is sitting on Gyomei’s lap. Compared to his massive size and her tiny one, she’s more of a doll sitting in his lap rather than a human.

Fingers dig into your fleshy hip. “Stop watching them,” Sanemi growls, just low enough for you to hear. Jealousy laces his words, and it’s clear as day. Heat spikes up your back.

You cast your attention back to him and click your tongue. “Brat,” you hiss. His fingers dig into you harder. “Don’t be so upset,” you breathe into his ear. “I’ll mark you, okay?”

A heavy breath passes through Sanemi’s nose as you nibble at his earlobe. Lips skimming his sharp jawline, your lids fall into a sultry squint. Sanemi gulps.

It starts with a few light kisses situated under his jaw. You soon grow bolder; it turns into open mouthed kisses, sensuous licks. You take delight in how much he’s trembling. His hand forces your thigh over his legs so that you’re half-straddling him. Although he’s acting extremely bratty, he knocks his head to the side when you suckle on his flesh.

Other sounds fill the room. They’re mostly grunts and little pleasured sighs, but there’s also impatient ones mingling with them. Seems like the others are impatient for their punishment.

Sanemi’s openly groping and kneading your thigh now. You swat his hand away as a warning, but it goes unheeded. You sink your teeth into him in return.

“Fuck!” Sanemi barks.

“Shit,” Tengen mutters off to the side.

Your fingers grip onto his hair and jaw, keeping him in place. After a few moments, your tongue licks over the fresh bitemark and you pull away. You flash Sanemi a devilish grin as he scowls back at you, his chest heaving. Gingerly, you grab him by the wrist and take his hand off of your thigh.

“What did I tell you?” you whisper. “Now you’re bearing my mark - just like you wanted, right?”

Sanemi inhales sharply through his teeth.

Picking yourself into a stand, you look to Muichiro. From his spot on the floor, he looks impossibly tiny. His brilliant eyes widen as you cross over and stand directly in front of him.

“Sit back,” you order him.

And just like that, Muichiro snaps from his hunched position and leans back, his palms pressed to the floor. You quickly drop to the floor, a leg swinging over him; as you straddle him, you press your hands flush to his exposed abdomen.

“I wonder where I should mark you,” you murmur, mimicking the words he said to you earlier. “You think you’re always so sly, Mui. Maybe I should put you in your place.”

Your words take him by surprise. Leaning down, you pick your spot on his collarbone. Muichiro’s high-pitched gasp fills your ears, fuels that growing fire inside of you. You suckle on his skin languidly, dragging your tongue and your teeth whenever you feel like it. Muichiro’s muscles flex underneath your hands.

“Such a good, pretty boy,” you mumble offhandedly. “You’re not a brat like Sanemi.”

To your surprise (and delight), a soft moan breaks through his lips. Color immediately colors his face and Muichiro promptly clamps his mouth shut. Pulling away, you lick your lips and cock your head at him. His eyes shine with that fierce emotion you saw in them earlier.

“Hmm,” you say aloud, grabbing everyone’s attention, “I decided that I like winning a lot more than losing.”

[demivampirew]

Amelie

Protective-Dad Henry one shot.

Summary: Henry and you had a daughter when you were twenty years old. Now, Amelie is a teenager and has to tell his dad that she’s dating a boy.

Triggers: Talking about sex; young pregnancy (and the struggle of being young parents) - I think those are all the triggers 😁

You can find more of my writings in the Masterlist

Tag list: @lunedelorient @henrythickcavill @wolvesandhoundshowltogether @mary-ann84 @desperate-and-broken @peakygroupie @summersong69 @ivvitm1109 @madbaddic7ed @iloveyouyen @the-soot-sprite @hell1129-blog @whyyoudothistomecavill @thetaoofzoe​ @thereisa8ella​​

- Please, don't make me do this, mom! - Amelie pleaded.

- You want to be treated like an adult, then act like one.- you said with a steady voice.

She looked at you angrily but begging for mercy at the same time but then finally obeyed your order and went into his father's computer room to share the news. As she started to find a way to tell her dad about her new boyfriend, you laid against the door frame to witness the conversation.

- Dad, I ... I... -the teenager began, trying to find the words that seemed to vanished from her head out of fear.

She and her dad were closed and she was the apple of his eyes. From the moment she was born, he went above and beyond to make sure she would have everything she could ever need and want. You two were a great team, making sure she was happy but did not spoil her too much and made her work hard on domestic tasks for her to pay for any unnecessary item she wanted to help her learn about the importance of valuing work.

Having a kid when you were only twenty was a challenge that you hope she would never have to face herself. In your case, you were lucky: you were dating the most wonderful man who saw that pregnancy as a miracle despite the difficulties it may bring with it. He was next to you every second he could and even on those times he had to be in LA as he tried hard to make it in Hollywood -many times he tried to quit and join the Royal Marines so he could support you and the baby, but every time you would encourage him to keep fighting for his dream-job since you were lucky to have a well-paid job as a secretary for your cousin who was a Doctor and thankfully counted with the help of yours and his mom to look after the baby girl while you worked. But, even if you were living apart for months, he would be there one way or another.

The last few years he had been busier travelling around the world, but he remained the same loving father and husband that he had always been.

For someone who would have done anything for his little angel, like renouncing his dream career or even risk his life on the Marines so he could give his family a decent life, it would be hard to digest the fact that she had a boyfriend. He may not be one of those authoritative dads, a controlling father figure, but he was overprotective. He would not shame his daughter for wanting a relationship, but he didn't trust guys. He lived his life in fear of that day in which his princess would found a guy: what if he hurt her when he wasn't around to protect her? What if he wanted her just for sex and broke her heart? Those were some of the worries he has had since she turned fourteen, he knew that this day was likely to happen.

- What's going on, Mel? - he asked worriedly as he stood up from his pc-chair and approached her to cup her face on his hands, inspecting her face to make sure she was ok.

-I... - Amelie took a deep breath and spilt out the words- I have a boyfriend.- she said and closed her eyes of fear - no because she feared he would get violent or anything like that; she didn't want to see the disappointment and pain on his face.

- That can't be possible! No, no, no... you're a little girl! - he exclaimed, frustrated.

- I'm not! I'm fifteen, dad!- she argued.

- Exactly! Fifteen! A baby! - he confirmed.

- I'm only five years younger than you two when you had me.- she replied angrily.

- Darling, I love you, but being a parent at that age wasn't exactly a walk in the park. We struggle a lot to make it work. Do you want to be in our shoes? - he questioned.

- OMG, Dad, stop it!- Mel shouted embarrassed.

- You're the same age that the girl from Taylor Swift's song Fifteen and you know what happened to that girl? She had a boyfriend and he only wanted to have sex with her.- he explained.

At that moment, you chuckled at the fact that he knew so well a Taylor Swift song - probably he got into her music to bond with his daughter who was a big fan of her music. They both looked at you as if they just noticed you there.

- See? I told you I shouldn't have told him!- the teenager reproached you.

- Did you know about this?! - Henry asked you surprised and disappointed. - Anyway, you're not allowed to keep seeing this boy.-he ordered.

- Go to your room.- you asked gently to the girl who was both angry and sad. She was about to cry, you knew it.

After Amelie stormed out of the room, you approached your husband who was now sitting on the chair, lost in his thoughts. You went from behind and leaned to hug him. He placed his hands over yours but didn't speak as he was still caught on the argument he just had with his little princess.

- Why did she have to grow up so fast? - he wondered sadly.

- I know.- you replied softly close to his ear.- You need to talk to her...you need to stop preventing her from seeing this boy or any other person she might want to date in the future.

He turned around to face you. Your eyes on his and vice-versa. His arms embraced you when you sit on his lap to be closer to him to talk more comfortably.

- Look, I know that you think you're doing the best for her and all you want to do it's protect her, but you're doing the opposite by prohibiting her from having a relationship.- you began to explain as you played with the few curls on his hair.- She's not a kid any more...she might be your little angel and she will continue to be so until your dying day. She'll never cease to be your precious Melie, no matter her age. But now, this is an important time in the life of a woman or any person: she's starting to have feelings, desires, dreams, etc and we need to encourage her to pursue them in a safe environment. If you act the way you just did, that won't stop her from dating, but she'll avoid telling you and you risk losing that close bond you work so hard to have. Besides, if she doesn't trust you to tell you she's dating someone because she knows you'll get mad at her, she probably won't share if something bad happens to her, if she's been hurt in any way, because she might believe you blamed that on her and how do you expect to protect your daughter if she doesn't allow you to know about her intimacy.

- But, that's exactly why I don't want her to date! She's young and boys are creeps and only think of sex. What if someone uses her for that o worse, forced himself on her? - he questioned worriedly. He was almost in tears by the thought of somebody hurting his little girl.

- Give her the benefit of doubt. I was around her age when I had my first boyfriend and yes, he was one of those who only wanted me for sex, but I was smart enough to realize that and I left him before anything happened. A lot of my friends and school-mates went through that, some were smart as I was, other not so much but learned an important lesson and few lucky ladies truly found amazing guys who were in love with them. I found you no long after that and you didn't want me only for that, did you?- you asked even though you already knew the answer.

- Of course not, you were everything to me.- he confirmed.

- Don't you think Amelie is special enough for her to find somebody like you?

- I guess.-he replied sighing, defeated.

- Don't lose the bond you have with her. Let her know that no matter what her dad will always be there for her. That she doesn't have to hide anything from you, that eventually, you will be ok with it and that you only want her to be safe.- you advised him. He nodded and then pressed his forehead against yours as he placed one of his hands on your face.

- You two are my entire world.- he said softly.

- I know, baby. And you are mine too.- you replied with a smile.

Henry kissed you and then he went to talk to his daughter while you headed to the living room to replied some work-mails from on your laptop. Later, your daughter came into the room and hugged you.

-Thanks, mom, you're the best!- she thanked you.

- You're welcome, sweetie.- you answered- You have to understand your dad... he's done the impossible to protect you and now he's scared for you because the world is dangerous for us, women, and he was a teen too; he grew up with other boys of that age who weren't as nice and he fears you might found someone that doesn't have the best intentions with you. He wants you to be safe, that's all.- you informed her and she nodded.

On Sunday, you organized for Tyler, your daughter's boyfriend, to come to have lunch with the family so you could meet him officially.

The boy was polite and well-educated. He had impeccable modals for a fifteen-year-old and seemed smart too.

He seemed to be intimidated by your husband, who purposely acted menacing -which made you rolled your eyes and chuckled.

You had to give credits when it's due: the boy not only survived the day with his girlfriend's dad but he actually managed to get him to like him - all things considered. He was a gamer and into comic books and fantasy books, he found something to bond with your husband

[noaltbruh]

BUCCI GANG AND HOW THEY WOULD PLAY UNDERTALE

Since I got my friend into the UT fandom, and the brainrot for this game is slowly coming back, I've figured that I'd fuse my favourite franchises and make this post, enjoy!

GIORNO:

-This may surprise you, but Giorno would almost do a Blind Pacifist run

-While at first, he was planning on taking out whoever got in his way, he changed his mind in the moment he saw Toriel

-After she taught him how to resolve the various conflicts peacefully, he decided not to fight, but to show MERCY to every monster

-He finds the multiplicity of choices a very interesting mechanism, especially since he's not much of a gamer, and he's pleasantly surprised to see such an innovative game

-While most of the times he would completely avoid the FIGHT button, if a monster got on his nerves a little too much, he may attack it until it doesn't want to fight anymore

-He takes the time to interact with everything and everyone, he wants to enjoy the game at its fullest

-He was so freaking lucky to meet Gaster on his first run

-Actually brought the piece of snowman with him

-He's part of the "Chara defense squad", and finds them strangely...relatable

-He was just about to do a full Pacifist route, but he couldn't bring himself to SPARE Flowey, and killed him

-"I won't let you hurt her"

-Ultimately, he regretted it, and reset his save file

-After doing a TRUE Pacifist, he left the game, leaving the monsters alone and giving them an happy ending

-Only knows about the Genocide through gameplays

-Favourite character: Toriel, but also likes Chara quite a lot

-Favourite OST: Memories, followed by home, Undertale, Megalo strikes back and Star (he doesn't care if they actually don't play in the game)

-What SOUL would he have: DETERMINATION

BRUNO:

-My man wouldn't hurt a fly if he had the chance to, off to the Pacifist route he goes

-Similar to Giorno, he finds Toriel a very comforting character, but he feels bad for pretty much every monster he meets. He thinks it's unfair for them to be forced to stay in the UNDERGROUND, and wants to find a way to destroy the barrier at any cost

-He's never played a videogame before, but he gets the hand of it quite quickly, even though he still ends up dying a couple of times.

-He would also be the kind of player to interact with EVERYTHING, paying close attention to whatever the passing monster has to say

-Sometimes, he likes to take a break, lay down and listen to the OST of the place he's exploring

-The most challenging enemies for him were Undyne and Asgore. It took him a while to realize that the only way to spare her was to run away, and he just really didn't want to hurt Goat papa

-He lets the bird carrying him to the other side, even if he doesn't actually need to move around. He just wants the little guy to feel appreciated

-Veeeery reluctantly, he decided to SPARE Flowey, it would have been a waste to kill somebody now, after everything that he had done so far

-He almost cried at the Pacifist ending

-He refuses to even acknowledge what happened in the Genocide route

-Favourite characters: Toriel and Asgore

-Favourite OST: Fallen down, but he also likes Heartache, Home and Waterfall

-What SOUL would he have: KINDNESS

MISTA:

-Mista's first run would be a Neutral. It's not that he enjoys killing the monsters, he's mostly just too lazy to think of a way to spare them

-If it's obvious, however, he'll just casually show the enemy MERCY, there's no need to take out absolutely everyone

-The only one who he genuinely looked for a way to spare was Papyrus. Honestly, he couldn't bring himself to just hurt him 'cause he had the chance to. Besides...He was afraid of what Sans would have done

-Speaking of him, he finds his jokes HILARIOUS, and he will use them in real life conversations if he gets the chance to

-He basically wasted all his money fighting Undyne

-He didn't buy the spider donut in the RUINS, and was forced to farm gold for 3 entire freaking days and buy one directly from Muffet

-After finishing the neutral route, he decided to go back and try the others. His next route was a Genocide

-He was about to shoot his computer AND himself while fighting Sans, but he eventually managed to beat him. Of course, after swearing at 3 A. M., drinking 10 cans of Sprite, listening to Megalovania on loop and threatening to throw Narancia out of the window because he interrupted him while he was playing

-His favourite moment during the Pacifist was cooking with Undyne

-He immediately questioned his life choices when he finished the route and saw Chara taking over Frisk's body. Closed the game and never opened it again

-Favourite characters: Papyrus, Sans and Undyne. He refuses to choose an absolute favorite

-Favourite OSTs: Megalovania and Song that might play when you fight Sans. He also likes Bonetroulse and Spear of justice

-What SOUL would he have: BRAVERY

NARANCIA:

-Narancia playing this game would be a total mess. Ironic, considering he's the one in the gang that likes video games the most

-Despite Toriel's guidance, at first, he would FIGHT every monster that got in his way, following the simple "It's an rpg, the more I kill, the better it is" logic

-When he saw the "but nobody came" screen, however, he freaked the hell out and immediately reset

-After that mini heart attack, he went on a full Pacifist route. However, sometimes, he would snap and accidentally kill a monster. He lost count of how many times he had to reload the file

-He also really likes Toriel (she's just very popular among the Bucci gang). The reason for it...Is not a very happy one, like in Giorno's case

-He genuinely tried to stay with her, he didn't want to leave Goat mom

-He's the one who gets emotionally invested in the game the most, he even forgets it's a game at times and just erase the surrounding world from his head

-He LOVES to voice the characters while he plays, it makes the story feel way more alive for him. He makes a very good Papyrus impression

-Speaking of which, his favourite parts of the game were the interactions between Sans and Papyrus.

-He lost his s**t when he arrived at the Temmie village. He stayed there FOR HOURS farming money. Heck, he even bought the Temmie armor

-He refused to open the game for two days after Flowey stole the SOULS

-He wanted to ask someone to play the TRUE lab with him, but he refused to admit that he was scared

-While he's not the kind of player who stops by to read every dialogue, he makes an exception for Snowdin. He really likes that area of the game!

-While he would never admit it, he cried three times during the Pacifist route. The first time when he left Toriel, the second when he heard Chara and Asriel's story, and the third when he finished it

-His favourite fight in the game is the one against Asriel. He kept on repeating the "Don't you have anything better to do" dialogue for 20 minutes, before giving up to the idea that there was really no way to save him

-After giving the monster an happy ending, he was overwhelmed by his own curiosity, and decided to try the Genocide route...Boy did it go wrong

-You thought he cried a lot during the Pacifist? He became a freaking fountain during the Genocide. Every single time he killed a Boss, he cried, with no exception

-He spent days trying to defeat Sans, until he was given the option to SPARE him, and so he did

-...The others could hear him yelling from the other floor after what happened next

-He got tired of Sans' bulls**ts, reset and did a Pacifist again

-He watched a gameplay to know what happened in the Genocide ending. Chara's jumpscare still haunts him

-Narancia gets really involved in the stuff made by the fandom, especially fan made songs and comics

-He listens to "To the bone" religiously, it's part of his routine

-He tried and failed to figure out how AUs work

-Favourite character: Papyrus, followed by Toriel and Asriel. He used to like Sans a lot too...But now he gets Vietnam flashbacks every time he thinks about him

-Favourite OSTs: Bonetroulse, Hopes and dreams and Snowdin. He can't choose between them

-What SOUL would he have: INTEGRITY

FUGO:

-Fugo would categorically refuse to reset on his first run. What it's done, it's done, and he has to take responsibilities for his choices

-He would do a Neutral, killing whoever he encounters, but without specifically looking for the monsters just so that he can kill them

-That doesn't mean, however, that he dislikes to play with the timeline. It's quite the opposite, to be honest

-Fugo enjoys messing around with the save files A LITTLE too much, dude basically became an hacker playing this game

-In his attempt to make a Pacifist run, he fu**ed up and accidentally got the Hacker ending

-"...THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT WHEN I SAID I WANTED EVERY ENDING"

-He toned it down a little after that, but he still managed to modify the FUN value enough to meet Gaster and his followers

-He's also the only one who unlocked Sans' room. He doesn't trust him, but he finds him an interesting character

-Neither the Pacifist or Genocide endings particularly picked his interest, even though he did punch the walls a couple of times fighting Sans

-He likes to try the different Neutral endings, he doesn't do all of them, just the ones he thinks that would affect the monsters the most

-The only character he got attached to emotionally was Alphys, he can see himself a lot in her

-He's very interested in the various theories that surround this game, and he's waiting for Deltarune to come out, he just wants to know more about Gaster

-Favourite character: Alphys, but Gaster is a close second

-Favourite OST: Darker, darker, yet darker, followed by Here we are, Waterfall and Premonition

What SOUL would he have: faded BRAVERY

ABBACCHIO:

-MERCY? Is that a food? Yeah uhm...No, that doesn't exist with Abbacchio, nothing but Genocide for him

-It's already a surprise someone convinced him to play this game. He'll play in his own way, and that means killing literally everyone, not simply the ones he encounters, but even looking for them just to earn more Exp

-He was...Weirdly satisfied when he saw the "But nobody came" screen, and he was lucky enough to find every monster almost immediately

-He hadn't found a single character that he liked until he reached Undyne. Her sense of justice reminded him of his old self, which wasn't exactly pleasant at first, but at least he felt something

-He was finally happy to see a monster actually trying to stop what he was doing, and killing her was the only thing in the game that made him slightly sad

-He's still offended for not having the chance to kill monster kid, he couldn't stand that child

-He skipped through pretty much every dialogue in the game, not that there are many people to interact with during the Genocide...

-He'd eat a piece of the snowman right in front of him just to spite him, then take the rest and leave

-He didn't care about whatever Flowey was trying to tell him about his past. That's also because without knowing he's Asriel, most of what he says doesn't really make sense

-In the moment Sans dodged his attack, he realized that he had screwed up REALLY bad. After dying against him a couple of times, he considered resetting, but he wouldn't have let "the lazy skelefu**" have it his way

-He let out a huge "YES" and a sigh of relief when he finally managed to hit him, it took him around a week

-However, little did he know, that the worst still had to come. When he noticed that he wasn't the one who had just killed Asgore and Flowey, he freaked out a little, and Chara staring directly at him made him feel a small shiver down his spine

-Still, he decided to decline their offer to destroy everything, not because he regretted what he had done, he just wanted his revenge on the child for scaring him

-He closed the game after the jumpscare, and never questioned what the hell he had been through

-Favourite character: Undyne

-Favourite OSTs: But nobody came and Battle against a true hero, he also likes The fallen child

-What SOUL would he have: very very faded JUSTICE

TRISH:

-Trish got into this game just because of its music, she kept on hearing it everywhere and wanted to understand where it came from

-She was kinda scared at first, videogames aren't exactly her forte, and her encounter with Flowey didn't help

-She slowly got used to the dynamics of the game, even though she died at least three times in every area, exept for the RUINS. (She only got a game over two times there)

-She doesn't have the heart to hurt anybody, she thinks the monsters (well...Most of them, at least) are adorable! Shyren is her favourite minor enemy, and when she saw the "Taking piano lessons again" text, her heart melted a little

-She refused to take off the faded ribbon until she found she tutu, but she never sold either of them

-She loves flirting with literally ANYONE. You can? Well then...You must!

-Her favourite area is Hotland, including the Core too. She loves the whole "artificial" theme of the place, and she had a lot of fun reading Alphys's posts!

-She would pretend to be an actual part of Mettaton's programmes, but only when she was 100% sure nobody could hear her

-Needless to say, the boss fight against him was one of the funniest parts of the story for her

-Another thing she absolutely adored were the dates with Papyrus and Alphys, especially the latter. After everything that had happened, it was a nice opportunity to relax for a bit

-Similar to Narancia, Trish gets really involved emotionally in playing the game, and she had to take a little break from it before facing Asgore

-The ending genuinely made her cry, but it was the only time she shed a tear through it

-She doesn't care about trying the Genocide, she's worked hard to give the monsters an happy ending, and she wasn't going to throw it away

-She's in love with the Undertale Musical by Man on the Internet, she knows pretty much every song by memory

-Favourite character: Mettaton, but she honestly really likes all of them

-Favourite OST: Death by glamour, followed by Metal crusher, Power of NEO, and Another medium

-What SOUL would she have: INTEGRITY

Yes, I know that Narancia's part is longer, but it's just so funny to write about this baby, bear with me please 😌

[starlightshore]

New Route and Major Game Dev Talk

figured I’d make it official! there will be a no mercy route. You get to pick which route early on in the game, though I am unsure at this stage if you can change to a neutral. I only recently decided to make this route because I felt that the game didn’t have enough narrative choices. I held off on making one because I was worried how to make a branching path when the story itself is set as a prequel. In this game, you can’t kill Toriel or Asgore, for obvious reasons.

It’s been a bit since I last gave a in depth talk on what I’ve been up to. I’m in online school, have been working on a UT anniversary (rn the plan is just to get it done by Deltarune, After Effects is kicking my butt) and I’m taking a break from my webcomic. All this time I’ve been working on some part of Angel’s Lullaby, it’s always running on my mind.

The story has been finished since 2019. I’m on rough draft 3.2, adding new details to further flesh out the story and give the game more of a life and identity it hadn’t before. I’m still struggling, especially since this is my first real attempt at a fangame, with tons of battles and a world to explore. One major reason I make Angel’s Lullaby is so I can prepare myself to make a full original game someday. So I wanna be my best so I can get even better!

The Demo covers Day One, which contains:

-the outdoors (tileset finished, needs more flowers + some minor things)

Abandoned Castle (imaged below, tileset finished, needs some minor adjustments and traps)

The Caverns (Needs concept art. The bulk of the “play” of the game is here, needs NPCs and Enemies planned)

Mini-boss area (single room, but specially detailed)

The Lost City (Needs concept art, needs NPCs planned)

Knight’s House (already spirited the interior, needs exterior + extra Knight Overworld sprites)

Here’s the Ruined Castle! (note; this is just a mock-up using the sprites, this is not in-engine. seeing it actually laid out I can see where it needs some fixes. also, this is the candy room from undertale, just remade with my tileset instead)

Sadly since I’m switching to Godot in a few months, I won’t touch the battle system since that’ll be changed heavily. I’m sure even the way to make the battles themselves will be different, so I don’t want to bother until I learn. That said, I’ll still plan them out.

here’s what I’m planning on working on next:

a detailed animated cutscene

concept art and lots and lots of world building. i need a ton of NPCs and battles planned

make an assortment of expressions and overworld acting sprites for cutscenes

but yeah! that’s all I really can say for now. thanks everyone for being so patient and supportive over these last 2 years, I’m excited to finally really be making the game I’ve been dreaming to make this whole time.

and sorry to get a little sentimental here, but this story has been one that means a lot to me. I love Undertale and I want to build onto it’s themes of grief and war, but ultimately I want to tell a story about identity growing past one’s background to build a new and better life.

again thank you so much! I hope you all will love this game as much I do. ;-; here’s to hoping I can get this new demo done sometime in 2021!

[mrsdr-ethan-ramsey]

God, Have Mercy pt. 2 (Ethan Ramsey x f!MC)

You all asked, and now you shall receive...here is part 2 to God, Have Mercy (linked if you haven’t read it). I hope y’all like it part 2! I loved writing Ethan and his father. Part 3?? Yes please? No, stop you’re butchering this idea? What do y’all think?

Part Three Here!

Tag List: @the-soot-sprite​ @ethandaddyramsey @silverlitskies @trappedinfandoms @samihatuli @sherlockedmcu @marywitchjane @awalker965 @openheart12 @flyawayboo @hatescapsicum @edith-eggs1 @princess-geek @akacalliope @my-heart-beats-for-ya @hipstercoffeeshop @miyakokurono @riverrune @chasingrobbie @sekizincimektup @canthandlechoices @thatysn @virtualrain202 @myusualnerdyself 

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Parker Kennedy)

Summary: Ethan posts his first pictagram thanks to his father’s photography skills and Parker knows it was meant for her.

Warnings: Swear words? 

Word Count: ~1300

Ethan never expected to actual use his new social media account. He had intended to delete it as soon as he got what he needed from it, but now? He could see the perks of social media. One of them being, seeing all the photos Parker would post. Since the ‘incident’ in his office, Ethan became addicted to checking the website just to see if she had posted anything else. Nothing since that day. Deciding that he needed a distraction, Ethan made the snap decision to visit his father for the weekend. Hopefully the distance from Parker would clear his mind.

Ethan arrived in Providence late on Friday night, in time to talk to his father before they both went to bed. He had spent most of Saturday helping his father with projects around the beach house and cleaning up the space. Since Ethan left and his father was living on his own, he had gotten better about keeping the house tidy but Ethan would always clean when he would visit. There was always something worn or broken for him to help. It was the least he could do for him.

On Sunday morning, Ethan woke up early as usual. His father was already up, as when he went to the kitchen the coffee pot was freshly brewed. Pouring himself a cup, Ethan went outside where his father was sitting on the porch drinking his own cup of coffee like he did every morning. This was always the highlight of Ethan’s trips home, just sitting with his father in the morning simply enjoying that they were together.

“Good morning,” Ethan said, his voice gruff from just waking up. He sat down in the chair next to his father, relaxing back into it.

“Good morning Ethan,” Alan replied, eyes staying on the waves rolling in from the ocean.

They stayed quiet for a while, letting the sound of crashing waves be the only thing to listen to. It was peaceful, completely different than the usual sounds of Boston traffic that Ethan listened to in the morning. Ethan’s eyes stayed on the horizon as he brought his mug to his lips, not expecting the next words out of his father’s mouth.

“So Ethan…when are you going to settle down?”

For the second time this week Ethan coughed out his coffee, the brown liquid landing on his lap and the deck this time (instead of the picture of Parker practically naked...great now he was thinking about that again).

“What??” he choked out, his head snapping to face his father.

Alan chucked as he watched his son’s eyes widen, a red tinge coming to his cheeks. “You’re 37, don’t you think it’s time you found someone? Unless…you already have someone?”

“No.”

Ethan said it too quickly, making his father just smirk and turn back to the view. Ethan tried to clean the coffee of his pants as his father spoke.

“Not even that colleague of yours? The blonde you call Rookie?”

“I’m her boss, it would be inappropriate.”

“Plenty of colleagues date Ethan. It sounds to me like you’re just making excuses,” Alan argued, taking a long drink from his mug.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at his dad, shaking his head he replied, “I’m not making excuses. It could hurt her future career if anything happened between us. I need to be able to push her professionally.”

“So we should set you up on online dating?”

Thankfully Ethan wasn’t drinking because he knew he would have coughed up his drink, again. Online dating?? What was his father doing in his free time? Reading Cosmo?

“I am not doing online dating,” Ethan said flatly, trying to deter his father from the idea.

“And why not?”

“I will not use the internet to date. The internet is for research, not relationships.”

“Well, if you change your mind…”

Ethan’s phone buzzed in his pocket as father put his own down. As he unlocked it, he had several photos of himself sent from his father. They were all taken here, in Providence, but he couldn’t remember him taking any of the pictures.

“When did you take these?!” Ethan asked, scrolling through what he had sent. He had never seen these photos before. 

Alan shrugged, “I knew you wouldn’t let me take photos of your visits so I did it when you weren’t paying attention. Figured I could create a…oh what’s it called…Timber?”

“Tinder.”

Alan smiled, “That’s it! I figured I could make a Tinder account for you to find someone to introduce you to. That was until I thought you’d probably want someone in the Boston area.”

“You were going to steal my identity to find me a partner?” Ethan asked, completely baffled that his father was admitting this to him.

“I figured one of us should be trying to get you a spouse. I’m getting old Ethan and I want grandchildr-”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Ethan cut him off and put his phone away. He wasn’t going to entertain the idea of him being in a relationship with his father. He wouldn’t use those photos to create a Tinder, but as he looked through them some more...maybe they could be useful.

***** “Holy moly!! Ethan has a pictagram! I repeat, Ethan Ramsey has a pictagram!” Sienna shouted as she ran out of her room and into the living room where Parker and Elijah were currently watching Spider-Man: Far from Home. Parker tried to look shocked, like she hadn’t been there to help him set up the account.

“What??” Elijah asked, his jaw dropping as he paused the movie.

“He has a pictagram! Danny texted me that everyone in the hospital is talking about it! He even posted!” Sienna said rather loudly, causing Jackie and Aurora to join the other roommates in the living room.

Jackie cocked a brow, “You’re kidding, right?”

“No! Go look up @ethan-ramsey!”

Each of the roommates pulled out their devices, searching the username in the app. When Parker’s timeline finally loaded her eyes widened. Holy. Shit. There in all his shirtless glory was Ethan Freaking Ramsey at the top of her page. Scrolling through the likes and comments, it was obvious that all of the hospital and more had found his account. He had blown up with one post. How was that even possible!?, Parker thought to herself as she scanned every inch of Ethan’s bare chest. He looked more relaxed than Parker had seen him in a long time.

“Look at all those thirsty comments…” Jackie mumbled.

Aurora read aloud, “ ‘I would catch a disease just to see this doctor’. Who comes up with this stuff??”

Parker could practically feel herself turn green. She had never been one to get jealous, but see all the people throwing themselves at Ethan made her only see green. She had always known that Ethan could get anyone he wanted, but this just made it way more obvious to her. Ethan Ramsey could honest to God get any man or woman he wanted.

“Huh,” Elijah said with a furrowed brow. “He’s only following one person, but I can’t see who it is.”

“I-It’s probably Edenbrook,” Parker said quickly, trying to control the color in her cheeks. She knew it was her profile, but she couldn’t tell her roommates that.

Sienna eyed her, thinking about the recent photo Parker posted on her pictagram. Parker could see her connecting the dots in her head. She quickly shook her head no at her, begging her not to say anything to the others. Parker could handle Sienna knowing, but she didn’t feeling like airing her dirty laundry to the rest of them.

“Yeah, it probably is,” Sienna agreed slowly. She sent Parker a look though, telling her that she’d have to give her all the details about why Ethan Ramsey was following her later.

The excitement of the event quickly went away and everyone returned to what they had been doing before Sienna had run out. Everyone except Parker. She looked at the image, imagining being there with him. The wind blowing through his thick hair, the smell of salt in the air. He looked like an angel. Parker chewed at her bottom lip as she thought. Did he post this as a reply to her photo? He must have…he said he didn’t want to post anything. Now he was on his way to be as famous as Bryce on pictagram. If this was how he was going to be, Parker could easily keep up with him. She smirked as she double tapped the image, a red heart covering his chest. Game on Ramsey. Game on.

[just-horrible-things]

‘Verse: Resistance Story: Unlikely Salvation, co-author @whump-sprite Timeline: Arc 5, Ariadne is loyal to the Resistance

Dev Rescues Ari, pt3 [ First | Pt1 | Prev | Next ]

For three days, Dev plays nurse to the broken shell of a person they hauled out of that prison. She burns through their carefully hoarded stash of drugs, and their medical supplies too. They buy more, spending the money from the last job. They clean Milonas’ wounds daily. They put ice packs against her head and under her arms to try and bring the fever down.

And all the while Maura’s ghost, summoned by the sound of a broken, fevered wreck of a person pleading for mercy, stalks the apartment. Her heels click through Dev’s nightmares. Her voice whispers just out of hearing.

As soon as Dev finds out where Anders is holed up he can have his ex-fed back and he’d better be grateful. Dev was willing to treat her injuries for her and put her up for a little while. They didn’t sign up for this.

But wherever Anders has gone he’s well hidden, and no one’s heard a whisper out of the Resistance since the raids. Even the healer who used to live two floors up from Dev, who didn’t have any connection to the Resistance that they knew of, hasn’t been seen in months.

So all Milonas has is Dev.

They keep her fed, and drugged, and clean. They tell her over and over that they won’t hurt her. When they go out they leave the TV on in the other room for her to listen to. Or better yet, music. There was no music in Mistress’ dungeon. 

On the fourth day Milonas looks at Dev and asks, “What … d’you want from me?” Dev grins. “Nothing much,” they say. Then, a little softer, “If you haven’t noticed yet, you’ve been rescued. By me.” She blinks slowly. Dev watches her gaze move to the IV bag, to the bedside table where they’ve left an empty syringe and yesterday’s glass, to the bedroom door and then back to Dev. “You’re…” she tries, “... you gonna… hurt me?” “Nope!”

There’s hope in her eyes, and Dev is elated. She’s finally hearing them.

Breakfast is leftover ramen. Both of Milonas’ hands are still useless bundles of splints, so Dev feeds her. She eats carefully. Chewing seems to take concentration.

“... why not?” she asks. “I have decided not to,” they say firmly, lifting another forkful to her mouth. “I live here, you know. You’d get blood in the carpet. Look, I haven’t ever tortured anyone here in this apartment and I’m not about to start with you. So you’re safe here, okay?” She nods, teeth clicking against the fork.

After breakfast Dev tries to get her out of bed, since she seems more human today. It would do her good. But she cries when they try to help her sit up, and protests feebly that she can’t. “Sure you can,” says Dev, “you’re tough as nails.” They almost mention how many knives through her arm it took to make her scream. But they think better of it. “m’sorry,” she whimpers, “m’sorry.”

Maybe they’ll try again later.

Milonas watches silently as Dev perches on the end of the bed to put their makeup on. “Any requests for lunch?” they ask. “... what?” “I’m going out. I’ll come back with lunch. What would you like to eat?” “I … don’t know,” she shakes her head. “Anything.” “Making me choose again,” they tsk, but they smile at her to soften the joke. 

It doesn’t seem to help.

Still, I don’t know is progress from please sir mercy. Dev must be doing something right.

After lunch they try again to get her up. She cooperates this time, panting hard from the effort as she clings to Dev with her less-bad arm. She whimpers, but she doesn’t beg them to stop. 

Only one of her ankles is broken, so with an arm across Dev’s shoulders she can just about limp from the bedroom to the lounge. They help her collapse onto the couch – sideways, so that her raw back isn’t touching anything –  and she clings to the back, looking fit to pass out.

Dev takes a moment to arrange her legs across the cushions, then they grab the end of the couch and drag it round so that Milonas is facing the TV. She stares at them with such bewildered terror that they almost laugh. “What would you like to watch?” Silence again. Dev doesn’t miss a beat. “Nevermind. Say something if you’d like to change the channel.”

They flop into a beanbag chair, and start flicking through channels.

Ariadne clings to the back of Dev’s couch and watches Dev. The noise from the TV, snippets of sound, voices caught partway through sentences and cut off again – it’s jarring, jangling. It rattles around inside her skull. When she glances at the screen it is too bright. The picture seems to overspill the bounds of the screen, fuzzy round the edges.

She’s sick, she understands. It’s about the only thing she does understand.

She watches Dev, the torturer whose couch she is inexplicably sitting on, until they make a decision, put the remote down, and settle themself more comfortably into their seat. Then, inexorably, despite her distrust, her attention is slowly stolen by the bright harsh motion of the figures on the screen.

Basketball.

It’s mesmerizing.

The screen is far away as she watches, then very close, then far away again, then both at once.

Dev comments occasionally on the state of play. Each time they do, Ariadne’s focus snaps back to them and her pulse races. But each time, she startles a little less, and it’s a little easier to let herself look back to the screen.

It’s a welcome distraction from the pain. But it’s more difficult to sit upright like this than it was to lay in bed and do nothing. Every breath hurts worse. Fatigue creeps through her core, an ache in her abdomen and a painful heat up the length of her ruined back.

She doesn’t know if she’s allowed to go back to bed.

She doesn’t know if she’s allowed to ask.

She waits.

Dev keeps on just… being there. Watching the TV. Not hurting her.

She wants to ask for their attention, terrifying as it is. She wants to say “sir?” but she dimly remembers not a sir and she doesn’t know how else to ask.

Eventually she sort of tries to clear her throat. It comes out as a softer sound than that, an uncertain hum, almost a whimper. “What do you need?” Dev asks. Relief is a lot like gratitude, a lot like shame. “Can I, mh, lie down, please?” “You sure can,” they say. “Here on the couch, or would you rather go back to bed?”

She quails a little as they come near. They’re going to touch her, going to move her, going to hurt her – she tries to focus through the haze. Thinking takes her too long. She can’t weigh up the options she’s being offered. “Here, please?” she ventures nervously. Dev holds up a slender finger. “No please,” they chide. “Sorry.”

They sigh, and Ari doesn’t understand, she doesn’t understand what they want from her. She’ll do it, she’ll behave herself, but she can’t think through the fog in her head. She doesn’t understand.

Dev touches, to move her. And everywhere their hands and arms make contact with her bruised and battered body it is pain. She can’t breathe. She loses track of her broken limbs. When her face touches the upholstery she pushes hard down into it and holds like that, lips and nose squashed against the fabric, until the wave of agony crests and starts to subside.

When she looks up, Dev doesn’t have hands on her anymore, but they are still looking at her. “Just ask for what you need,” they say, “okay? No begging required.” No begging. She nods, head throbbing. When Dev steps away she feels another twist of relief-gratitude-shame. 

Beg me for mercy, they said. It wasn’t enough, then. And now it’s too much? 

“Why?” she tries to ask, and the salt tears in the back of her throat turn her voice into a pitiful croak. “Why don’t y’want… what do you want?” 

She doesn’t have anything else to offer.

Dev folds neatly back into their beanbag chair with a practiced nonchalance. They look so normal, so dangerous, so relaxed, so strange.

“I begged like that for years,” they say, casual as anything. Ariadne scrunches her eyes closed to clear them of tears. Dev has been generous with the water, she thinks, feeling the moisture on her eyelids. She’s begged so, so much it’s become thoughtless. Broken.

Dev has been broken.

“It… got me what I needed,” she whispers. “... some of the time.” “Yep,” they agree. “But only some of the time. Here, all you have to do is ask.” It hurts to hear, another twist in her chest that she cannot name.

“Or demand,” Dev continues lightly. “Say ‘get me some fucking water, bitch.’ Then I’ll really know you’re in there.” The very idea is enough to startle Ari into lifting her gaze. Dev is smiling at her, she hates that smile. She goggles at them. She can’t possibly say that. She isn’t nearly brave enough.

“You remember the about twenty times I told you I’m not going to hurt you this time?” they ask. “Not… most of them,” she answers honestly, “but, yeah…” “Good. Try it. Call me a bitch.”

It sounds like an order.

Ari’s eyes grow hot again. She can’t, she can’t ask to be hurt like that. She can’t disobey either. This isn’t fair – and what a pathetic thought that is. She swallows, trying not to let the tears spill over. 

Dev is waiting, watching her.

Humiliation burns.

“... you’re a bitch,” she manages to say. She fails to put even an iota of force into it. “I sure am.” Dev grins and Ari flinches from it.

This is the point where they turn it around on her, where they teach the lesson that she cannot speak to them like that…

But they don’t move.

They just turn their eyes back to the TV screen. They pick up the remote and flick to a different channel, then another, then back to the basketball.

Ari watches, uncomprehending, for a long time before she’s able to take her eyes off Dev to look at the screen again.

[Next]

[listless-brainrot]

Avatar: The Last Airbender DS Game Review

no one asked for this but i don’t ever see anyone talk about the atla videogames, which is a true tragedy, and i know that this may be because the video games aren’t technically canon, but i think they’re still worth talking about!

i finished this game in about three days, and i’m going to be talking about its gameplay, graphics, and story, all in that order. 

spoilers below, as i’ll be talking about the entire game in depth.

Gameplay: 

the bulk of the gameplay consists of controlling your party of four, which consists of aang, sokka, katara, and haru. you can swap between any member of your party at any time using the touchscreen. you can run around with the d-pad, and you can also walk by holding down the b button. but onto the combat- each member has a specific set of attacks they can use, with two kinds of attacks and defenses, primaries and specials, with attacks assigned to the y and x buttons, and defenses assigned to the b and a buttons respectively. the game is jrpg-esque, in the sense that it has (somewhat) random encounters and a multi-person party, each with strengths and weaknesses. the random encounters aren’t fully random, as the enemies (which range from animals to machines) can be easily spotted and avoided in the overworld, but they do chase the party down. there is no in-game option to run from any random encounter, as you have to purchase smoke balls to run away from a fight. each random encounter will either drop a healing item or an unspecified amount of gold, which can be used in shops.

the game works in “chapters”, similar to the actual show’s structure, which has episodes, each of which start you and your party in/near a village, according to whatever setting the plot deems necessary. in each village, there is a variety of shops, which include an herbalist, medicine man, and fruit seller. the herbalist will mix together any random herbs you find (for a fee) in the overworld, creating single use status-buffing items that have varying effects based on the kinds of herbs used. the medicine man (unsure if that’s what he’s actually called) will sell incense and smoke bombs, with the latter used to control the rest of the party, with different kinds of incense used to dictate their behavior in battle. for example, defense incense will make the rest of your party use more defensive moves, rather than offensive. the fruit seller sells various healing items, which range between single and party-healing. as the game progresses, these items grow more and more costly, requiring increasing amounts of gold. there are also hidden item boxes, though these are found in both the villages and world itself. items can be held in a sizeable inventory, but items must manually be moved up into a six-slot hotbar for use during combat.

though the bulk of the gameplay is exploration and fighting, there are also some smaller parts within the game that switch it up a bit. there are minigames, such as four nations force, which can be found in villages and is a pai-sho-esque game with similar tiles, as well as opportunities to train certain members of the party, namely haru (at least in my experience). there is a segment in which you can control momo, and have him solve a puzzle to open a door, and in that same segment, there is a mission where you have to utilize the b-button to silently walk past guards. there are a few of fetch-quests, though they aren’t too difficult, and drive the plot forward. 

the gameplay isn’t anything groundbreaking or spectacular, but it serves its purpose well, and can make for some really fun strategy-driven moments where you have to constantly swap between characters to see if there’s advantages to using one over the other, and rationing out health items carefully to see if they’ll last you before a boss fight. there’s definitely a lot of combat, and, while the game doesn’t force you to, there is the inherent expectation of level-grinding, which can make certain segments of the game a whole lot easier, especially with unlocked specials and higher power. there is also the fact that, should you lose a random encounter fight with no smoke bombs, you are basically stuck in the fight until you win or quit, which are the only two options. furthermore, should you quit, you’ll be sent back to your last save, and you must manually save, as is standard for most games of this era, as it only prompts you to save at the very conclusion of a chapter. there is a bit of mercy, however- should your entire party die and you continue, your party’s health will be restored to at least a third, and all items used in the previous battle will return in your inventory, ready to be used again.

Graphics:

as is expected with ds games of this era, the characters are rendered in charming little pixel sprites, which each sprite being beautifully animated and full of personality. in cutscenes, each character emotes with their own set of sprites, and their mouths are animated when they talk. sometimes, their sprites are used for comedic effect- there are rarely moments where characters are just standing and spewing dialogue. there are also pixel-rendered portraits of each character in the party on the touchscreen, allowing you to see their health, moves, and level.

what’s interesting about this game, however, is that, while the characters are 2d sprites, their surroundings are 3d, and you can change the viewpoint of the camera at any time in the overworld with the l and r bumpers, allowing you to really see the entirety of the map. this makes exploring all the more interesting, as you can spin the camera around to see hidden loot boxes or other items you may have missed. in villages, there is a lot of new personality and depth given to each setting, especially familiar sights from the show such as omashu and the northern air temple. the aesthetic of the overall show is kept intact well, as even the npcs in new towns all appear to fit by design, and there is a sense of visual cohesion that makes it feel true to its roots. there are little nods to canon beyond just the main characters, such as one of the healing items in the game being a custard tart, and town designs expanding on already established settings.

each segment of the game carries with it a unique feel, making each chapter easily distinguishable from the last. the game has so much charm, with its bright visual styles and faithfulness to its canon inspiration, and each setting is unique and fun to explore. the only thing that may bog it down in terms of both gameplay and graphics is that a majority of the surrounding buildings in villages and cities can’t be entered nor explored- they’re just props. this gives a slightly empty vibe to the environment when you notice that the background props are just props. it would be much more fun to explore the given environment if there was more to do, rather than just the same three to five things. furthermore, while the camera function is very useful, it can also be really confusing in terms of navigation. there’s a map and a compass, sure, but sometimes you’ll be stuck spinning the camera until you’re absolutely sure you’re headed in the right direction. the map, at least, does give you an indicator on where you’re supposed to go next to advance the plot, and there is a similar kind on the compass as well, which helps immensely.

Story:

unlike other games (namely burning earth and into the inferno), this game’s plot is mostly standalone, and doesn’t follow the canon timeline very closely. there is less “a game about playing through the show’s events”, and more of “a game that uses canon elements to create a story of its own”. the story, which doesn’t fully fit within the bounds of canon, is still an interesting story to present nonetheless.

spoilers for the entire story begin here!

the story opens with aang, katara, and sokka in the north pole, where master pakku has been mysteriously replaced with a character named master wei, who tells the gaang that one of their waterbenders, named hiryu, has vanished. upon further investigation, a waterskin and a weird piece of metal is discovered where the waterbender was seen last- however, these investigations are quickly halted by the arrival of zuko and the fire nation, who kidnap katara as bait for aang. sokka and aang track her down to a fire nation prison, where they have to dress up as fire nation soldiers in order to sneak in and get info on her whereabouts in order to save her. while saving katara, they also discover another prisoner named lian, who is presumably being forced to work for the fire nation. after a brief battle with the warden, they find that lian has escaped on her own, and left a note behind, pointing them in the direction of an earth kingdom village.

after katara has been saved and the gaang follows the note, they find the village being terrorized by mysterious machines with the ability to bend/use singular elements, though they are being fended off by two earthbenders. upon further investigation, the earthbenders turn out to be tyro and haru, who were saving villages when this one was attacked by machines. after defeating the machines, the gaang learns from tyro that another bender has been kidnapped- an earthbender named yuan, who was one of haru’s closest friends. because of this, tyro encourages haru to join the gaang’s quest to find out where the machines are coming from, and points them towards the forest for clues, as a wise spirit resides there. the party then encounters a bear-like creature, which attacks them, though upon defeat, reveals itself to be the forest spirit, who gives them very cryptic answers when asked about the origins of the machines, saying something related to the heart of the earth kingdom.

somehow, this prompts the gaang (now joined by haru) to go to omashu, as it’s in the heart of the earth kingdom. aang decides to ask his friend king bumi to help them figure out where they need to go to find the origins of the machines, and the king, while happy to see his friends again, is forbidden from helping the group discover secrets, due to his royal counsul, who refuses to let them go to where they need to go. nevertheless, bumi directs them towards the earth kingdom royal library, where a scroll is found showing a series of bending techniques, as well as some kind of map. upon bringing their findings to king bumi, he points them in the direction of four paws island- an unmarked island off the coast of the earth kingdom. however, as the gaang prepares to leave, the fire nation attacks once more, forcing them to find an alternate route out of the city, where they are challenged by the royal counsul, who is revealed to be conspiring with someone relating to the machines. haru, enraged by the counsul’s traitorous actions, takes him on one on one, and, upon defeat, allows the gaang to escape to four paws island.

now on four paws island, the party finds more mysteries than they bargained for, as there are more machines terrorizing the people of four paws, as well as more benders going missing. unsure where to start, they begin to search the island for a statue they recognized from the royal library, soon discovering a hidden passageway underneath it that leads them to a model of the island itself, which holds a mysterious blue rock. the rock, covered in old writing, is then brought to the elder of the village, who reveals that it holds the entire history of four paws, and also serves as a key to a secret passageway. the passageway, which is discovered in the side of a cliff west of the village, is revealed to be a sprawling, underground lair, crawling with machines. at the end of it, a large machine sits in wait as a familiar face operates on it. the person reveals themselves to be lian, who has been building the machines in hopes of restoring peace to the world. the machines, she hopes, will wipe out and replace benders, thus evening the playing field, as the very existence of benders creates divide between people and nations. she worked with the fire nation solely to gain resources for her machines, as well as the omashu royal counsul, and she tries to persuade aang to join her, stating that he will never be ready to fight ozai. aang refuses, along with the rest of the gaang, and, in a fit of rage, she states that she will cut off his connection to the avatar state and unleashes her prototype bending machine on them, which uses three of the four elements to attack. upon defeat of the machine, the gaang rushes to catch lian before she can escape again.

the group now lands at an earth kingdom village that borders the air temples, and aang decides to take appa head off on his own towards the northern air temple, knowing that lian will most likely head there and destroy the avatar statues, mistakenly believing that this action will sever his ties to the spirit world. the story then alternates between aang at the air temple, and katara, sokka, and haru back at the village. while aang fights off machines and tries to protect the air temple from destruction, the rest of the group fights off machines in the forest, where the people from the village were trying to rebuild. after defeating the machines, however, a mysterious large machine appears, and katara, sokka, and haru are taken. when aang arrives back at the village after successfully protecting the temple, he is attacked by a drill-like machine, and has to destroy it on his own. upon defeating the machine, he discovers a large hole/tunnel in the ground, and decides to follow it, hoping it’ll lead him to his friends.

the tunnel leads aang to another village, where a large temple resides in the northwest that villagers refuse to enter, due to benders mysteriously disappearing around there. aang, after battling his way through the surrounding forest, enters the temple and discovers his friends imprisoned there by lian, and he is forced to save each of them separately. sokka is found trapped in a strung up cage, and he discovers a tool left behind by lian, which he uses to open locked doors within the temple. katara is inexplicably found on the other side of a large lava pit, and aang must fly across it to save her. haru is found in a metal prison below the temple, and, after being feed by sokka, tells the rest of the gaang where lian is headed. now fully reunited, the group heads towards the heart of the temple, which is blocked by a series of large rocks that haru makes quick work of, and they prepare to stop lian.

before stopping lian, however, the group discovers zuko, who lays injured on a bridge. aang, who runs to help him, asks if he needs help and assumes he was captured by lian as well, but zuko refuses to accept his help, instead berating the fire nation for trusting lian and her nefarious machines. the gaang reassures zuko that they will do something about the machines, but are forced to leave him behind, unable to do anything to save him at the time, despite aang’s protests. the group then falls for a trap, which unleashes an even stronger version of the prototype bending machine from before, which now has the ability to freeze water, and is forced to destroy it before they can continue. after the ensuing battle, aang, sokka, katara, and haru finally prepare to confront lian for the final time.

lian, standing in front of a powerful machine with the ability to use all four of the elements, is found alongside two other benders- hiryu and yuan, who are revealed to be working with and for lian, teaching her machines their bending techniques, as they support and believe in their cause, rather than held against their will, as originally believed. this upsets haru, who tries to convince yuan to join their group, to no avail. lian repeats her speech on division between the four nations and elements, stating that she would rather have thinkers in charge of the world, rather than magicians. she gives the group one more chance to join her side, lest they be eliminated by her ‘avatar’ machine, stating that benders such as yuan that side with her cause will be spared, and that benders such as zuko who refuse will suffer the consequences. aang, who firmly believes that zuko didn’t make the wrong choice, states that being the avatar is something that can’t be replaced by machines, and he and the rest of the party ultimately challenge and prepare to destroy her ‘avatar’ machine.

midway through the fight, however, a fireball is shot at aang, which none of the group sees except for katara, and she throws herself in front of it, taking the hit for aang. while the rest of the group rushes to her aid, lian mocks the group for being weak, showing that this is proof that her machine is stronger than all benders. enraged, aang enters the avatar state, facing the machine alone and destroying it quickly, soon passing out from exhausion once the fight ends. unlike in other iterations of this same game, lian survives and is helped by hiryu and yuan, who realize the consequences of their mistakes and elect to help lian and improve themselves. escaping as sokka and haru care for aang and katara.

aang eventually reawakens in katara’s arms, and sokka gets angry with katara putting her life on the line for aang, but katara says that she had to do something, as aang is important to not only the world, but her as well. aang learns that this message is applicable to his role as the avatar, realizing that he has a responsibility to help when no one else can, and he must accept his role in the world. soon, the group escapes the fortress over to appa and momo, and begin heading back to haru’s village, bringing him home before starting back off on aang’s quest to learn all four elements. zuko is also revealed to have escaped the fortress, and is upset that he missed his opportunity to capture the avatar.

spoilers for the entire story end here!

the story is extremely simple, yet chaming and full of twists. it’s definitely not something one would expect from atla’s usual fare, especially considering the technology and themes, but it still fits pretty well. lian is an interesting and dynamic villain, and her motivations are presented in a believable manner, and she makes for a pretty sizeable threat over the course of the story. the dialogue and cutscenes are generally entertaining, and the story is fun to watch unravel. the only things i personally took issue with were the pacing and some character inconsistencies. there’s a segment in omashu that’s a bunch of fetch quests that lead up to a joke, and, while the joke is pretty funny, bogs the pacing down a lot. there’s also no sidequests whatsoever (barring the singular one in the north), and there is no way to go back to a previous chapter, so you have to accomplish every single thing you want to accomplish before moving forward. the story is extremely linear, which works well, but i found myself wanting more, especially in the character department. surprisingly, haru works extremely well as a member of the gaang, and i found his interactions with them to be entertaining and fun to watch. it’s cool to have an atla piece of media that not only remembers him, but makes him an actual character. however, there’s not much for character on character interactions, even with all the cutscenes. i wanted to see more of this new gaang being friends, since it presented an entirely different dynamic from the show. there’s also the issue of some interactions feeling pretty flat, such as haru being imprisoned again and having no reaction to it, or sokka not being given much depth outside of being the butt of many jokes (outside of the one scene with the kid and the boomerang), but these are minor gripes in the face of the characters and story it presented. overall, i think the only big thing i have to complain about is the ending, which was changed from the original ending, where lian ambiguously dies and haru and yuan reconcile. it feels like a last ditch attempt to redeem lian and yuan, which i understand to some extend, but it feels extremely out of place and put in at the last moment. this also downplays haru and yuan, which is sad considering that yuan getting captured is what leads haru to join the adventure in the first place.

In Summary:

7.5/10. it’s a fun game with some difficulty spikes and a genuinely enjoyable story. i know that most tv show videogames don’t have a great reputation, so i think this was pretty good compared to what i’ve played before. the main things that keep it from being a 10/10 for me was the realization that the game wanted me to grind, lack of extra content that would’ve heightened the experience, some story and character snags, and rather repetitive boss fights. i took off an entire .5 for the fight with the spirit bear, which was a really infuriating experience (that was largely my own fault as i walked in unprepared), but other than that, i would genuinely recommend this game to anyone who wants a fun time with well-made spinoff videogame.

[perriewinklenerdie]

I’m the powder, you’re the fuse (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

A/N:  Hello, hello, hello! It's smut time! I'm pretty sure it's been six months since I last wrote smut, so be gentle with me :D It's part of the Ever Since I Met You series (can be read as a separate fic, all you need to know is that Ethan and Claire got married before she started working with him) This work is NSFW, you have been warned.

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23686729

Tag list:   @paleweasels, @hopelessromantic1352, @kittykatchoices, @valiantlychaoticbarbarian , @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @strawberrwess @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements,  @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie, @choicesobsessedd, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h 

Enjoy! <3

-------------

The tranquility of his office provided the much-needed silence that his head longed for after a day of work. It seemed as though the second he closed the door behind him, all the tension began to fade away. His phone was pressed to his ear, his mind focused on the sole reason he’s going through the day as swiftly as he is.

“It’s really hard to focus on anything really, when all that is on my mind is you.” he muttered under his breath, a delicate smile pulling on the corners of his lips. He was met with a bright laughter on the other end of the line, making his heart skip a beat.

“I would make fun of you, if it wasn’t for a fact that I feel exactly the same. Maybe that’s why my professor had to ask me a question twice today…” Claire trailed off, and if Ethan had to guess, he’d say she was smiling. He sat down in his office chair, leaning back as his eyes swiped over the books on the shelf.

“I’m that distracting to you, huh? Can’t say I mind that.”

“You’re saying that as though you didn’t have Naveen repeat the patient information three times because, and I quote “you had dreamy eyes, practically swooning”.” She shot back, laughter coloring her tone.

“How do you… Naveen. I knew that you two having each other’s phone numbers was a bad idea.” He muttered, running his hand over his face. The vision of her face flooded his mind, relaxing his muscles a bit, taking away from the frustration he felt. “Will I be seeing you today?”

‘Unfortunately, no. We just finished the last lecture and now we’re going to grab something to eat and then hit the bar.” Claire’s voice betrayed her anticipation to kick back and not worry about her academic duties for one night. There was an underlying sliver of regret that he wouldn’t be joining her, but he expressed time and time again that he didn’t really feel comfortable with her university friends and they both knew that she should have a space of her life that wasn’t completely occupied by him. Ethan was the very first man in her life that understood that need for space, and when he told her about it, she was so happy she could cry. She loved him and he loved her, the mutual trust and understanding were a big part of that.

“And here I was, hoping to occupy all your thoughts for the night.” He trailed off, smirking at the suggestion in his words. Her laughter cracked on the other end of the line, warming him on the inside.

“I’ll hold you to it the next time we see each other. Until then, have a good evening, Dr. Ramsey.”

“Be careful out there and have fun, Miss Herondale.” He bid her goodbye, looking back to his workload with dread in his eyes. It was going to be a very long afternoon, and an even longer evening, since he didn’t have anything specific to look forward to after work.

His phone rang shortly, signaling an incoming text. Upon unlocking the screen, he saw her face, smiling brightly, surrounded by her friends. He smiled wider, despite himself, then put his phone down to get back to his papers.

------------

The sun has set hours ago, leaving the streets of Boston in complete darkness, save for the streetlamps that lit the way for his car. Jenner greeted him as soon as he stepped over the threshold of his apartment, barking at the sight of Claire missing from his side. He petted him for a while, then went to prepare dinner for himself.

It wasn’t anything unusual for him to be alone in the evenings. Most of the days of the week ended that way for him, for she was only staying with him for three days a week, despite them agreeing to four in a memorable game of Monopoly a few weeks back. As it almost always happened, life got in the way and they had to reduce that number by one. That gave them still plenty of time together, while not interfering with their schedules and duties.

That being said, every time she went out with her friends, he got that quiet voice in the back of his head to be on alert, just in case something went south. It was worse in the beginning, when they were still getting to know each other, and the feeling intensified when one of her friends got attacked after they went home one of those nights. They were both better now, both mostly over the paranoia that took over their lives for the first week after that incident, but the caution remained, for better or worse.

Throughout the evening, he got plenty of updates from her in a form of various photos, both taken by her and her friends. It wasn’t that Ethan didn’t like those people, they all knew him and got along with him splendidly, it’s just that he preferred to not get dragged to one bar after the other. Those years were far behind him, or, at least, that’s what he claimed was the case for him. Claire made fun of him for being old and teased him about them having too many years apart, grinning like a mad woman when he picked her up and kissed her senselessly, pouring all of him into the act.

It must have been well after ten in the evening when his book reading was interrupted by a gentle knock on his door. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but there was a chance that his neighbor came to complain about Jenner barking, again, no matter how many times they talked about it. He stood up, still reading, and went to open his door.

“Can I help you-“ he started,  pulling his gaze away from the passage of the novel he was reading and aiming it at the person in the hallway. To his surprise, Claire’s bright eyes stared right back at him, her teeth sunken into her lower lip gently, teasingly.

“You can help me by pulling that sweater off.” She mused, walking towards him confidently. She kicked the door shut with her heel, wrapping his tie around her hand and pulling on it, making him stumble towards her. The book fell to the ground with an empty thud, forgotten in the hurricane of endorphins that rushed through his bloodstream.

Her back hit the door, her hand resting on his shoulder made its way down his chest, slowly, teasingly, tracing the lines of his muscles beneath the material of the shirt. A pleasant shiver followed her every move, his eyes watching her with adoration, giving himself up to her, being completely at her mercy.

Eventually, her hand reached his pants, her nails scraping the top seam with a look of wonder in her eyes. She breathed out deeply, as though she didn’t have anything else to do, so she might as well be doing this.

Without a warning, she hooked her finger into the beltloop, pulling him against her even more, the force combined with the one already existing from her grip on his tie causing him to slam his body against hers in the most pleasurable way one could be colliding with someone.

He groaned slightly, slowly reading into the game she had planned for them. The confidence that she glowed with stunned him into oblivion, like waking up from a trance. His hands, previously at his sides, hanging there aimlessly, now reached as far down her legs as they could, dragging upwards with the slightest of touches, rising the light material of her dress up along with them. The moment he reached her hips, his grip tightened, the fabric still bunched up, exposing her stockings and the skin of her thighs to the cool air of his apartment.

“Don’t move.” She whispered, moving her hands to the lapels of his sweater to push it down his arms. He complied, helping her remove it, then resumed his hold on her. She grinned at his eagerness to go along with her actions, nudging his chin with her nose.

“I thought you were going out this evening.” he noted, pressing circles into her hipbones with his thumbs. Her hands travelled up to the knot of his tie, working it off in unhurried motions.

“It’s technically night. I thought about you being in here, bored and all alone… I just couldn’t resist. But I suppose… “ she explained briefly, undoing the tie with precise movement. “… I could leave… “ the material fell loose, allowing her to grab both ends with her hands and wrap them around her wrists. With one strong move, their faces were aligned, noses touching, breaths quickening with excitement. “… If you want me to.”

“Don’t.” he panted, snaking his arms up and around her waist, pressing their bodies flush against one another. Her cheekbones went up as she smiled, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip absentmindedly. His voice was hoarse when his eyes fell to her lips, his pupils dilating.  “I lose my mind when you do that. You don’t know what you’re doing to me, do you.”

Claire brushed her fingers up the lines of his neck, hooking her index fingers behind his ears to grab his face securely. She shook her head at his words, her green irises sparkling in the dim light. “Maybe I know exactly what I’m doing to you.” Leaning forward, she let their lips brush together, just for a second, just enough for a spark to jump between them. Just enough to give him a taste of what was to come. “Maybe I like it.”

The last bit of restraint flew out the window, the hot and intense want burning beneath his skin. Claire’s lips pressed against his once more, the touch fleeting, barely palpable. Then again, more pressure, still gentle, after which she leaned back to gauge his reaction. He was breathing shallowly, his eyes almost closed in anticipation.

Mercifully, generously, she pressed their lips together, but she didn’t move them yet. It was a game that she intended to win, and a bit of teasing wouldn’t kill them. He breathed in sharply at the contact, focusing on reading her actions. His hands caressed her back gently, reveling in the softness of her body beneath the material.

After what felt like an eternity and a half, she fell back against the door even further than before, pulling him along with her, finally kissing him like she meant to. A quiet moan rose in the back of her throat, in perfect symphony with his groan, mixing and falling around them.

Ethan’s hand traveled up her spine, wrapping his fingers around the back of her neck and pulling their faces even closer together. Their lips clashed with bruising force, tongues brushing once, twice, tempting the other with slow and insecure movements. Intensity skyrocketed when her hand once again made its way down his chest and between their bodies, dipping two fingers beneath the ridge of his jeans and pulling him against her. He bit back a groan that threatened to ring in the quiet room, standing out like a scream in the dead of the night.

The way their bodies moved put all kinds of images into his mind, but it wasn’t in his nature to wander into the territory that wasn’t his to roam, so with an effort that boarded on being painful, he pulled away from her, his hold on her just as tight as moments before.

“Claire, do you-“

“I want you to take those clothes off.” She breathed out, reaching for the first button of his shirt. He followed her lead, still unsure where they were standing. “I think it’s time we stop being so formal.”

I think it’s time you make love to me is what she meant to say, and he got the meaning perfectly well.

“Like we were ever formal to begin with.” He pointed out, working on the buckle of his belt while she finished her way down the middle of his chest. Maneuvering around his wrists, she undid the smaller buttons on his cuffs, then finally reached to touch his skin beneath the shirt.

Halting his efforts to take his jeans off, she pushed the fabric away from his arms, leaning forward to press her lips to the hollow of his throat. The skin was hot to touch, as though he had fever, and given the circumstance they were in, his temperature was perfectly normal.

“You’re making it impossible to focus.” His voice didn’t resemble his own, his throat tightening at the sensation of her lips following the line of his muscles to his collarbone. With much more effort than he anticipated, he finally got rid of his pants, standing before her in his underwear. She pushed him away slightly, leaning back against the door herself to give herself a good vantage point.

“I promise to be as distracting for you as I can.”

Claire’s eyes started their journey from his feet and moved upwards, focusing on the lines and dips in the outline of his muscles. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Everywhere she looked, everywhere her eyes lingered, left hot flash and goosebumps in its wake. Unsurprisingly, she barely brushed the general area of his hips, completely missing the point, instead moving upwards almost immediately, making a mental note to follow all the lines she’s seeing with her tongue sometime in the future.

At last, her gaze reached his face, and it focused on his lips for a suspicious amount of time. Teasingly, he opened them, just slightly, waiting for a reaction, but got none. When their eyes finally met, it was as though something clicked. Both were unable to move for a few lingering moments, and then they crashed against each other like a wave crashes onto the shore.

Hands everywhere, legs tangling in an awkward position, lips coming together and separating messily as they moved down the hall and into the bedroom. Right as they reached the bed, she turned them around and pushed him onto the mattress with a smirk. He looked up at her with adoration and wild desire, irises so dark they might as well have been black.

“You’re overdressed.” He panted, pressing his palms into the comforter to keep himself from reaching out for her. She flashed him a teasing smile, then slowly crouched, grabbing the hems of her dress. Dragging the fabric up her body, she observed closely how his eyes watched her every move, how they devoured every new piece of her that got uncovered.

Inch by inch, she revealed the black stockings, still trapped in her heels. Then her panties, navy blue lace, matching the color of her bra that got revealed mere seconds later. Her hair fell down her back when the dress was finally removed, the piece of fabric being thrown to the floor in the back of the room. She put her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side, awaiting his reaction.

At that clear invitation, he sat up on the edge of the bed and beckoned her to come closer to him. She complied, coming to a stop a few inches away from him, just barely within his grasp. Looking up at her, she noticed the spark of mischief, and then his hands were on her hips and she was being pulled way closer to him, after which, it was all peaceful again.

He traced the lines of the stockings mindlessly, dipping his finger beneath them once or twice. With just the tips of his fingers, he trailed a path up to her panties, following the intricate patterns of it, teasing her mercilessly. Everywhere he touched felt like coming alive, again and again. He ran a single finger over the line in the center, prompting her legs to spread just enough for him to tease her briefly before he retreated. She protested with a whimper, swaying just a bit.

“It sounds as though you want something.” He asked, straight and without any veils to cover his intention. She huffed, shaking her head to let her hair fall behind her shoulders.

“I want you to take my underwear off and stop playing around.”

“But I like teasing you so much.” he grinned, softly at first, and then even wider when he met her eyes and saw the frustration in them.

He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties, dragging them down her legs slowly, not making it any easier on her. The sound of her heavy breath, her tiny whimpers of anticipation were the music for his ears, the most personal and perfect melody, only for him to enjoy.

Once he reached her ankles, he helped her lose her shoes, pondering upon the idea of leaving the stockings on for a moment before deciding to take them off. He wanted to feel her, not the fabric that covered her body.

Ethan sat back up, waiting for a long moment, riling her up a bit more, and just when she was about to say something, he reached towards her with his fingers, prompting her thighs apart. With the soft touch, he ran his fingertips along the lines of the inside of her thighs, getting closer and closer to her center, but never quite reaching it. Right as the words of annoyance were about to fall off the tip of her tongue, he ran a finger through her folds.

Her whole body stiffened, the sensation being much more stimulating than she expected. It’s been a while since she was intimate with anyone, but she remembered what it was like. And all of those times had nothing on what she was feeling right now. He didn’t stop at that, instead continuing with his ministrations, tracing circles around her most sensitive parts, running up and down from time to time. Claire’s breathing was getting heavier by each second that passed with his touch on her, and just when she thought about taking a step back to undress him, he found her clit and pressed on the bundle of nerves gently.

A surprised yelp escaped her lips, causing her to double over and grab his shoulders for support. His face was pressed against her stomach, allowing her to feel the smirk that bloomed on his face. And he was just getting started.

Slowly at first, he ran small circles in that exact spot. Alternating with various pressures and movements, he listened to her moans and whimpers, learning her body as he went.

“Those moans of yours won’t leave my head for weeks.” He groaned under his breath, taking his touch away from her.

Any sign of protest was lost the moment he pressed a finger into her. She breathed out slowly, awaiting his next move, getting lost in the pace he set for her. Adding a second one made it impossible to keep silent anymore, the sound of pleasure ringing straight into his ear as she leaned down over his shoulder to try and catch any amount of air.

“Right there…” she breathed out softly, gathering enough strength to lean back into somewhat of a standing position. Ethan looked up into her eyes, then slowly, while maintaining eye contact with her, pressed his lips to her clit and grazed it with his tongue.

The new sensation tore a low groan out of her, her grip on his shoulders tightening. His fingers continuously moved in and out of her and combined with the feeling of his tongue grazing the sensitive nerve endings, provided the sensation that felt so impossibly good, she could cry. Her hips began gently moving along with his actions, seeking friction and stimulation that she yearned for.

His other arm wrapped around her lower back, holding her upwards as he worked her more and more intensely, and when his teeth grazed her, all the tension and pleasure that has been building reached its peak and she came with a silent scream, breathing heavily as waves crashed through her. She was grateful for him keeping her up, for she was certain she would have fallen if he hadn’t.

He slowed his actions bit by bit, helping her ride out the aftershocks of her orgasm, and then he retreated entirely, running his hands up and down her sides soothingly.

“Oh god.” She managed to mutter after who knows how long, finally able to stand up on her own. He was looking at her as though she was a miracle, and she was pretty sure there was a very prominent sense of pride on his features too. She leaned down, kissing him gingerly, tasting herself on his lips.

“You’re beautiful.” He told her, stroking her skin continuously. She laughed gently, massaging his shoulders.

He continued his journey up her body, tracing the lines of her bra, slipping the straps off her shoulders, one, then the other, before reaching behind her and undoing the clasp, letting the garment fall aimlessly to the floor.

With the touch so light that she could have sworn it was barely there, he traced the outline of her nipple, then ran his thumb over the sensitive flesh with equally gentle touch. While continuing his actions, he kissed up her stomach and settled his lips around her other nipple, kissing and sucking gently, running his tongue over it. A shuddered breath escaped her lips, her head falling back as her eyes closed.

He let her skin go, continuing his journey up, reaching her arms and then making his way down her arms until he reached her hands, lacing their fingers together. They stared at one another for a while before she spoke again.

“Okay, handsome, time to level the playing field. Up.” she nodded towards him, pulling him to his feet. He hesitated, shaking his head, indicating that she didn’t have to do anything, but she silenced him with one look, grinning teasingly. “If I don’t have you right here, right now, I will lose my mind. Come on, you’re overdressed, stop stalling.”

She dragged his boxers down his legs, then trailed her hands up against his skin. Her nails teased him out of nowhere, causing him to gasp in surprise, and then once more when she pushed him onto the bed again and straddled him.

“Now tell me, what were your plans for tonight?” she asked, pressing their bodies a bit closer together. His eyes flashed dangerously, but nevertheless, he tried to focus and remember what he was supposed to be doing while she was gone.

“I was going to go over the files again, drink some tea, finish the book that we so rudely threw onto the floo- oh…” he started listing all the plans he made, but in an instant, they became irrelevant. Looking straight into his eyes, she sank down onto him, watching with a smirk how his face expression morphed from a neutral to a tense one, and then laced with sparks of pleasure.

“All that work will have to wait, I’m afraid. I’m terribly sorry.” She ran her fingers through his hair, then moved her hips up and down, slowly at first, then with a bit more speed, keeping the tempo steady.

“I’m not.” He confessed, teasing the skin of her back with his fingers as he held her in his arms. The tension kept on building steadily, with each move or her hips against his, with every word of a hushed conversation that they had. “Did you plan this all along?”

“You mean did I plan to come here… and seduce you instead of… drinking my ass off in a bar with my friends?” she asked, rolling her hips in an opposite direction experimentally, a surprised moan cutting her words off momentarily, then again and again. His own brain was beginning to get too clouded to think straight and he had no idea how much longer he would be able to have a conversation with her. Claire’s lips brushed against his ear as she whispered. “Yes, I did.”

“I’m not sure if I should be glad for the surprise or relieved that I’m on the receiving end of this heaven.” His sentence turned into a moaning confession when she squeezed him with her inner muscles, watching with satisfaction how he stumbled over his words, seeing the warning signs of his breaking point approaching.

Her movements became more desperate, her hand brushing against his lips to stop him from talking more, then grabbed his shoulders and began riding him, grinding against him, her head falling back, exposing her neck to his ministrations.

His hands grabbed her hips, helping her move up and down, his own hips snapping upwards, creating a different angle every time he entered her. Her whimpers were telling enough for him to know that she needed more, and knowing her body more than he did three hours ago, he moved his right hand between them, finding her clit and pressing his fingers up and down against it.

Immediately, he was awarded with a deep moan from her, her words breathed out into the night. “A little to the right- that’s it, oh god…”

The slowness and tenderness were a bit further away from them than they were moments before. Their movements turned desperate, both chasing release, both craving the relief that would crash against them in mere moments. He felt himself approaching the limit but willed himself to wait until he was sure she was satisfied.

Their lips met in sloppy kisses, the constant rocking of their bodies making it almost impossible to kiss properly. With a couple more strokes of his fingers, she clenched around him and came with his name on her lips, hanging onto him as though she was drowning. Her nails sunk into the skin of his back, the pain such a contrast to the pleasure he felt, triggering his own orgasm, his grip on her tightening slightly as he pressed his hips up against hers and kept her there, hiding his face in the juncture of her shoulder. Their cries mixed, ringing against the walls and falling into the dead silence when the aftershocks finally subsided.

She ran her fingers through his hair absentmindedly, catching her breath with her eyes closed. After a long moment, she got up from his lap and left him with a wink, disappearing behind the bathroom door to clean herself up.

Ethan fell back against the pillows on his bed, staring at the ceiling. When he was thinking about their first time together, he had something else in mind, but nothing he could ever come up with would match what they just did.

Claire walked back into the bedroom, wearing the shirt he wore that day, smiling cheekily at him when she jumped into his arms, resting her head on his chest. He embraced her, pressing his lips to her forehead, his fingers tracing abstract patterns on the skin of her shoulder, peaking from underneath the fabric of his shirt.

“So… how did this evening compare to what you wanted to be doing?” she asked slowly, a playful undertone in her voice, but he also could sense a sliver of insecurity. His grip on her tightened, pressing them closer as he covered them with a blanket.

“I couldn’t imagine a better evening if I tried.” He replied, looking down at her with an amused face. She gazed up at him, immediately bursting out laughing, nuzzling against his chest.

“I sure hope so. They had a discount for med school students tonight at the bar I like, but I didn’t go. If you said it wasn’t worth it…” she wondered out loud, coaxing a laugh out of him. She leaned up, their noses touching, eyes meeting. “… you would be in trouble.”

[nalufever]

do you have any more nalu fic recs?

Sorry, not sorry - you’ve unleashed more than you could’ve guessed. ^^ Always happy to Recommend a List of Fics ~ And thank you for asking! Admittedly there’s a few Recs that aren’t Nalu - I got excited to share my favs. ;)

A Girl Worth Fighting For: Natsu navigates unspeakable horrors to win Lucy’s love or Natsu goes shopping, looking for the perfect white day gift. 

A Lesson: Natsu and Lucy can’t keep themselves from expressing their passions - and the results are bed breaking. Short but smutty - smexy in fact. ;P 

A Solidly Constructed Kiss: Erza strong-arms Lucy and Natsu into working the Kissing Booth to raise funds for a school trip. Lucy’s never been kissed and Natsu acts like he’s never entertained even the idea of kissing another person. Things naturally come to a head when Lucy and Natsu are given the task to build the actual booth; will they fight over construction or build themselves some kind of relationship? 

Fairy Tail Week: A collection of drabbles from tumblr prompts to celebrate Fairy Tail. Fairy, Ladies, Lads, Magic, Guild, Ultimate Team, Stronger, Mashima, Tail. Only rated teen to err on the side of caution, family friendly content featuring most of the Fairy Tail Guild! 

Feathers and Scales: Angel/Demon AU. Devils are more than they seem and Angels no less. Pitted against each other in a never-ending battle for souls, a single Angel and Devil trade mercies and fall in love. Warning: major character death(s). 

Full Moon Secret: Natsu had wanted to tell Lucy his secrets, to share his family history with the fey…it had just never been the right time. Tonight the truth was going to be revealed, one way or another. 

Okay, I could just keep hyping all of my own fics individually - but I won’t - other than to just put in a link to ALL OF THEM. ;) Fair warning, I have a few other fandoms works in all the Fairy Tail stories - from Brooklyn 99 to The Flash, Snow White with the Red Hair, RWBY, Blue Exorcist, Teen Titans and some Hakuouki. Yes, I’m a shameless self-promoter. Speaking of that - one more I need to rec!  Natsu’s Stars in Lucy’s Sky. I swear Imma finish this. 

I also have more than a few favourite authors who write for Fairy Tail (and other fandoms) ~ some have not contributed lately to Fairy Tail or chosen to concentrate on other fandoms - but I like them and their excellent writing. 

ObsessedwithNalu: One of my first fandom friends and pretty much any of her FT stories is gold. @obsessedwithnalu  

Christmas Treats: Admittedly a gift to me and very cherished for that fact - and - it’s frigging awesome. Lucy does a little holiday baking at home before Fairy Tail’s Christmas party. Natsu, as always, is there. One thing leads to another… 

Thanks, Krov: When Krov decided to relax at his favorite bar after work, he never imagined that he’d be seeing some of his old guild members, especially since he thought they had died long ago. Nalu fluff. 

Edo-Nalu love fest: Submissions for the Nalu love fest week of 2014. But instead of regular Nalu, these ones feature Edo-Nalu. Smut-tastic and delightfully mature. 

ImpracticalDemon: Another early fandom friend who’s still writing this, that and the other thing - and she’s just GREAT. Again, a link to all her works and a few that are special to me follow. XOXOX @impracticaldemon  

May the Best Man Survive: “Gray would never have in a million years thought he’d host Natsu’s bachelor party (Nalu pairing). Why is it his job to herd the bunch of rowdy mages from bar to bar, ending up at the guild where the real surprise party is? Oh yeah, the idiot had asked him to be the best man at his wedding. Hijinks, chaos and hilarity ensue.” ^^ A prompt supplied by me and I’m smirking so wide because the fic Imp came up with delivered more awesomeness than I could have hoped for! 

A Star At His Side: “Accidentally Fall Asleep Together” for Endragoneel on tumblr. Natsu and Lucy spend the day together at a festival in Magnolia. Natsu ends up watching more than just the stars when the festival is over… 

Christmas Gifts: When Erza walks Wendy home from the Guild’s Christmas Party, Wendy realizes how alone her friend and mentor is feeling. She sets out to recruit Lucy, Natsu and the rest to break Jellal out of prison for just one night, as a Christmas gift for Erza. Meanwhile, Natsu has accidentally burned some of Lucy’s writing. Will she forgive him? 

Dark Shining Light: One of the best and most welcoming writers I have ever interacted with! I’m still gobsmacked she’s a friend! She’s a legend and I don’t know what else I could add to any discourse about her writing - but the classics are classic for a reason, yeah? Here’s a few of my personal favourites of her works and just know there’s too many to list them all! AKA @ff-darkshininglight 

Mischievous Cat: Let’s just say there have been a few incidents where Happy has come in at a bad time. 

What Belongs to a Demon: Everyone knew she belonged to the great demon lord and she would prove that she deserved to stand by his side. 

The Truth Revealing Cards: Lucy should have known if there was a card that would reveal her secrets, Natsu would want it. 

Eliz1369: Got introduced to her for her Hakuoki fics but she’d dipped her toes into FT as well ~ and this is a great fic. ^^ @eliz1369 

The Light of Fairy Tail: The members of Fairy Tail may be their own brand of crazy, but their hearts are always in the right place. 

rougescribe: Shame on me for not reading more of this author’s works! @rougescribe  

Fire Sprite No 5: For him, Heaven wasn’t a place or a single moment in time. It was a feeling built on memories upon memories, past and present and a hope for future ones all tied down together. All sharing one common denominator: Her. Nalu. Tumblr Valentine’s Event. 

Fallen Ark Angel: Admittedly I only have interacted from afar with this writer. I mainly read Nalu fics but I love her take on Mira and Laxus and her next gen offspring characters. She’s got a lot to offer and it’s all superb. @fallen029

Loving Satan: Loving Satan is never easy. But when she loves you back, its twice as bad. 

Madartiste: Another one-sided love affair with someone else’s writing. And her stories are all wonderful and prolly appear on hundreds of Fic Rec Lists - but here’s one of my Favs! @madartiste  

Hoarding: Getting interrupted gets old fast. 

UranoMetria: I added her to my stable of fav authors 05-03-2014. Wow. Eons ago and even if I’m not sure she’s still active in the fandom, I salute her. Kudos. 

The Goddess Gate: With six years of partnership, Natsu and Lucy are torn apart by a mysterious visit from a secret magic council. Lucy is kidnapped and her memories suppressed. She fights her way back home to regain her life - with a startling secret revealed as she begins to remember. The lives of all Earthland hang in the balance. **Okay, this is a wicked old fic - but amazingly written and fuelled my own desires for writing. Last updated in 2018 but who knows? Some current attention may slay any demons on her back in regards to writing - and even if not - the hours of enjoyment reading this is worth giving a comment just to say, ‘thank you for writing.‘ 

Wild Rhov: Do I even need to say anything about this author? Famous, famous, famous. Excellent. Writes a lot of pairings and fleshes every relationship into something REAL. I Can’t Even. @wildrhov  

Beastly Possession: Something is murdering people in Magnolia. When Lucy is attacked, Natsu goes on a rampage to find the culprit, and everyone in Fairy Tail wants revenge. But could this bloodthirsty attacker be someone they know? Warning: High octane nightmare fuel! Do not read while eating, and beware of red eyes in the dark! 

Shell1331: Introduced via Imp. This writer is in a few fandoms and is worth reading. @shell-senji  

Juicy: Impulsivity and poorly chosen words get Natsu into more trouble than he’d expected, which is saying something for him. 

AbsentAngel: Everyone should know this writer. Been stalking her since 2014 so that says something. Tho, it’s prolly just that I’m creepy. ;) My suggested fic here is being re-written/has been? into something original and worth being purchased when it becomes available and re-read over and over. No, I am not being paid to shill but I am open to having senpai notice me. @absent-angel  

To the Flame: She stares, transfixed, as the blood runs down his fingers and begins to pool in his palm. He holds his hand up to her lips in offering, and she tears her eyes away from the blood to study his face. He is smiling softly. “Go on Luce, I didn’t cut them for nothing.” [Vamp AU] 

HawkofNavarre: Loved for awesome and delightful Gruvia content. Looks like there’s a tumblr but I can’t manage to link it. :(

You Stole the Rain: He just wanted to be friends; fine, she just needed to change his mind. Gray x Juvia 

Ricardian Scholar Clark-Weasley: Not sure I spelled that right even after checking three times! I usually short hand that to RS-CW in my head. And she’s prolific - has a tonne of fandoms and is a tower of talent. Is anyone reading all my fangirl gushing? 'Cause she follows one of my fics and comments (sorry I haven’t updated that fic in a while) and it’s a source of happiness that someone who writes so well happens to enjoy some of my content. Okay, bragging over - back to the Recs! 

Tales of Fairies: A collection of oneshots exploring different friendships, ideas, sad themes, comical scenarios, and lots and lots of pairings…but mainly Nalu. 

snogfairy: Another giant in the FT fandom. Impressive talent. @lineffability  

naughty nalus: smutty nalu oneshots B) ***Mature content!*** 

Rivendell101: Another giant in FT and other fandoms. This author would be considered required reading if I ran a fandom course in a University setting. Just sayin’ @rivendell101  

Crave: /krāv/ Verb. To feel a powerful desire for (something). They crave each other. And satiation doesn’t come easily. He growls against her again. “Beg for it,” he demands, lips ghosting against her. 

Lakerae aka @hidetheremote : Did you think I’d forgotten you? Ha! Gotcha good! You’re an inspiration to me because you’re working so hard to publish your children’s books. Kudos to you li'l sis! You’re busy but still make it a point to talk to me and I love you for that and everything.

The Gift of the Magi: A Gajevy Twist: A retelling of the classic Christmas story “The Gift of the Magi,” with your favorite Fairy Tail couple Gajeel and Levy! It’s Christmas time and Gajeel and Levy exchange gifts. They both are surprised what they receive and learn a lesson of the true meaning of Christmas. 

I could add more and more as I search my saved favs on FF.net ~ and I’m sorry to not include all of them - but this is crazy long as it is. If you read and like any of the recommended fics, please be sure to let the author know. To the authors of these and all fanfics, Thanks for everything.

[zaffrenotes]

[ROD] MPC + SDCC

Players/Pairing: Mercy Park Crew/Logan x Jin, crossover guest appearance Rating/Warnings: G Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * I got an idea to make a completely random edit (shown at the end) back in May, and I decided it needed a story to go with it…and then everything got shelved. But! Here it is, finished for @rodappreciationweek Wildcard Day, featuring the whole Mercy Park Crew, and a special appearance from another one of my favorite pairings 😉 * Huge thank you to @abookishcreative and the group that pulls assets from all the books! * Also a huge thank you to @brightpinkpeppercorn @choicesarehard and @client-327 for hosting RODAW - there was so much awesome creativity that was shared this week through fanfic, fan art, music (!!!), aesthetics, mood boards, and more! *  Word Count: +/- 2600

All my appropriate taglists because I don’t want to give away much, but you’ll ALL want to read 😉 :: @ao719 @blackcatkita @brightpinkpeppercorn @desireepow-1986 @gibbles82 @innerpostmentality @loveellamae @smalltalk88 @thecordoniandiaries @aestheticartsx @aworldoffandoms @bascmve01 @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @custaroonie @darley1101 @dcbbw @gardeningourmet @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @lovemychoices @missevabean @rainbowsinthestorm @superharriet @the-soot-sprite @choicesarehard @dailydoseofchoices @eileendannie @liyanin @omgjasminesimone @storyofmychoices @client-327 @debramcg1106​ @everythingchoices​ @saivilo​

“Oh. My. GOD! Logan, look!” Jin thrust her phone in front of Logan’s face and he reflexively jerked his head back at the movement, grinning softly at her. He glanced down in front of him, brows pinching together curiously at the video clip that played on the screen. One of his hands absentmindedly twirled the end of Jin’s braid, and he shifted on the couch to get a better look at the video.

“Blades of Light…and Shadow?” He tilted his head to one side, just like a confused puppy would, before turning to look at Jin. “Isn’t that the name of the book…game…thing you were obsessed with a couple of summers ago?”

Jin beamed at him. “Yes! It was a game, and it’s being made into a movie! And they’re going to have a panel at the San Diego Comic Con next year to promote its release!” She began rapidly tapping his thigh as the video played again. “And! And! They’re offering a prize for the best group cosplay,” she added, tapping his thigh with even more enthusiasm. “Tickets to the premiere! And a meet and greet with the cast!” Logan held his breath, nervous smile playing across his lips. “We HAVE to do it!” She paused, taking in the hesitant look on Logan’s face. “You’ll do it with me, right? And talk to the others to join us?”

Logan pulled his lips back and gave her an unconvincing grin. Jin pursed her lips at him in response. “You know I’ll be your dashing rogue any day, stealing hearts wherever I go,” he smirked, waggling his brows at her. The corners of Jin’s mouth twitched as she fought to keep from smiling. “Toby’s a given, Xi will do it because you asked her to. It’s Colt and Mona that’ll need convincing.”

“I can get Colt to say yes,” Jin grinned. “He’d make a perfect Tyril. And Mona kiiiind of has a crush on the actress that plays Nia, so she won’t need much arm twisting if we win and get to meet the cast.”

“Aren’t cosplay costumes expensive to make?” Logan handed Jin her phone again and leaned towards her to pull his phone from his back pocket; she laid her head down in his lap once he had the phone in his hands, and she started tapping at her phone screen to send a message to someone. He scrolled through search results on how much it cost to make realistic cosplay outfits. “Especially if you’re trying to win first place?”

“We can make some stuff on our own, fake weapons out of foam core and paint and stuff,” she shrugged, scrolling through images on her phone. “I helped my roommate make stuff like that for her cosplay. And I can ask my cousin for help making the clothes, she’s like a super genius or something when it comes to recreating costumes – she won first prize for making a Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor couples costume for a Halloween party.” Jin tilted her head back to look up at Logan, handing her phone to him after pulling up a photo. “See?”

Logan looked at the screen, his eyes going wide as he looked at the couple in the photo. “She made those outfits?”

“Yup!” Jin sat up as her phone started to ring. “Ooh, that’s her now, hold on,” she added, swiping the screen to answer. Logan merely shook his head as he watched Jin get up from the couch before she started pacing around the room, a bemused expression blooming across his face. “Hey, Katrina, I have a proposition for you…would you be able to make six costumes in a year?”

.:.

After several long phone and video calls with her cousin in New York, a surprisingly short conversation with Mona, and a little pleading with Colt, Jin succeeded in getting everyone in the group on board with her plan to enter the contest. Logan was right in his assumption that Toby wouldn’t hesitate – he’d been just as invested in the game as Jin when it first came out, and the pair of them discussed their playthroughs every week as each chapter was released. He was right about Ximena as well – just seeing the excitement in Jin’s face was enough to get her to agree to dress up.

Logan was just happy that Jin was home for the summer; she was halfway through college at Langston, and spending months at a time apart was torture for both of them. He relished the time they had together for winter break, and more so the time in the summer. They would spend nearly all their waking hours together since she worked at the garage with the rest of the crew.

Instead of spending the slow stretches of time hanging out with him in the shop, Logan often found Jin in the break room or up in his loft, channeling the studious side of herself that he loved so much to research methods of crafting cosplay weapons. She watched video tutorials and took copious notes on how to treat faux leather to add intricate designs without leathermaking tools – apparently it involved glue guns and lots of paint – and smirked when she bookmarked a number of pages on corsetry.

He admired Jin’s enthusiasm and dedication to the whole project, along with the magic her cross-country cousin seemed to possess – by July, Katrina had finished the costumes for Toby and Ximena, along with the underpinnings for Colt’s costume. Everyone chipped in to pay her after she shipped Ximena’s costume and they marveled at the level of detail in all the pieces, even though she only asked for the cost of the materials.

By August, Colt’s costume arrived; Colt looked genuinely surprised when Jin finished helping him with the armor she’d spent weeks assembling and painting. Everything fit alarmingly well without having to make adjustments to the cloth garments underneath. He raised his eyebrow at Jin and her cousin on the video call. “Told ya,” Jin quipped. “My cousin is a magician with a sewing machine!”

A week later, Logan was at the airport with Jin, helping her load her suitcase onto the scale at the check-in counter. “Promise me you’ll keep the weapons away from Colt until the Con,” Jin pleaded, speaking into Logan’s chest as he held her tight. “He’s already busted a sword twice. If I have to make another one over Winter Break, he’s paying for all the supplies.”

Logan tipped his chin down, kissing the top of her head and chuckled lightly. “No swords for the Elf Boy. On it, my Priestess of the Light.”

“That goes double for Mona and her sword,” Jin added, squeezing his sides. “Those two are impossible.”

“You wanted them to get into their characters! It was inevitable they’d like having weapons,” he teased, letting out another soft laugh. He felt Jin nuzzle her nose into the hollow of his chest, her cheeks pressing against the fabric of his shirt to let him know she was smiling.

“Just…keep them intact, please,” she mumbled into his chest again.

“As you wish,” he grinned, kissing the top of her head again. “I’ll see you for Christmas?”

“With all the phone calls and video chats you can stand in between,” she answered, smiling sadly.

.:.

When Jin returned home for Christmas break, she handed Logan and Mona their costumes, courtesy of Katrina.

Mona and Colt handed her wads of cash to make new weapons. She kept them at her house after that.

.:.

SIX MONTHS LATER

Logan fiddled nervously with the buckles on his gloves as he looked in the mirror, adding the last bits of his costume as he waited for Jin’s flight to get in from Logan International. He chuckled to himself at the irony of sharing a name with the airport in Boston. He’d offered and nearly insisted on picking her up, but she wanted him to take his time getting ready for the Con. She had stayed in Boston for a six-week summer session so she could double major, and was flying straight to San Diego on a red eye to make it in time, promising to meet them at the convention center in full costume.  

SDCC kicked off the day before, but the Blades panel and costume contest were scheduled on the second day of the three day event. Ximena and Colt had already been up for hours, applying body paint to their skin to really dress the part for their characters.

Logan pulled the mock dagger from his belt and spun it in his hand before slipping it back into the leather loop. He ran his fingers through the years’ worth of hair he’d grown out, adjusted the armor on one shoulder, and breathed in slowly. He checked the time on his phone one more time and sighed nervously, before unlocking the trunk on one side of the loft, and pulled out the mock swords for Colt and Mona before heading downstairs. Jin had the foresight to give them to him for safekeeping over Winter Break, when she made the decision to take summer classes. He descended the stairs with the weapons in his arms and heard raised voices in the garage.

“Just close your eyes and quit squirming!”

“This stupid wig is too hot! I’m not going to get through another hour, let alone the whole damn day with this thing on!”

“You knew what you were signing up for, at least you don’t have to worry about your horns falling off if you sweat too much! Now sit! Still! Colt!”

Logan shook his head as he watched Colt’s shoulders droop while he sat on a stool. He closed his eyes as Ximena used an airbrush to finish painting his face a light shade of blue; her own face, neck, and arms were painted green, and a pair of black horns protruded from her forehead.

“You get sleeves, so don’t even talk to me,” Ximena sighed, pressing the button on the machine to spray more blue paint onto Colt’s skin.

“You look like a smurf.” Logan laughed at Colt as he passed him, and wordlessly handed a sword to Mona. She took a few practice swipes in the air before sheathing it against her belt.

“Laugh it up, pretty boy,” Colt grumbled. “Your girlfriend better appreciate this. I can’t believe I have to go out in public looking like this.”

“It’ll be worth it when we win.”

“If. If we win,” Colt spat back. “Who knows what other nerds have been planning for this thing.”

“Oh, we’ve got some good competition!” Toby chimed in, spooning cereal into his mouth. “Winged creatures, elf royalty, mermaids…but I’d say we have a decent chance since we’re going with the core group.”

“Okay, just…sit there. And let things dry for ten minutes,” Ximena instructed. “I’ll set it once you’re not so tacky, and then we can head out.”

.:.

The convention center was packed, and the crew was surrounded by mobs of people milling about. Many were in regular street clothes as fans and attendees, but half the crowd seemed to be in costume. They ranged from low-end, pre-fabricated outfits, to detailed replicas from various comic books and movies. A dozen Spider Men wandered through, dancing to music one of them was blasting from a tiny speaker. Logan smiled softly at all the young kids he saw with their families, dressed up as tiny versions of Superman and Star Wars characters. He even spied a young Kenna Rys atop the shoulders of a dragon Dom.

Toby whipped around, eyes wide with delight, as he tried to take in everything around him. He looked like he might spontaneously combust from excitement. Ximena stepped away to grab a few free tote bags for the group, knowing they’d come in handy for any swag or purchases once inside the main area. Mona was busy trying to find the right angle to take a selfie with an anime girl, and Colt looked like he wanted to leave.

Logan’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he swiped to answer when he saw Jin’s photo on the screen. “Hey, where are you?” He craned his neck over the crowd and looked around for any sign of his girlfriend.

“Stay on the phone with me, I just walked into the building and this is insane!”

Logan gestured at the rest of the crew to stand near a pillar with him, and he anxiously scanned the crowd for any sign of Jin. He grinned widely when he saw Jin’s head pop up from the sea of people, admiring the red hair from her wig when she popped up again. His grin wavered for a moment when he noticed a tall guy and a young woman following behind her, but grinned again when he recognized their faces from Jin’s many video calls with her cousin.

Logan’s mouth dropped when Jin finally made her way through the crowd, with Katrina and Katrina’s boyfriend following right behind her. Jin did a little pirouette to show off her costume, before launching herself into Logan’s arms. He wrapped his arms around her and they spun in a small circle from the momentum, and he planted a flurry of kisses to her lips as she pressed herself to him in a tight embrace. She beamed a huge smile up to him as he set her down. “Troublemaker, you look gorgeous,” he breathed, voice low.

Jin craned her neck up and kissed him sweetly on the lips, biting her bottom lip as she looked up at him again. “You look so dashing!” She stepped back and looked at the rest of the group, smiling at them. “You all look so great! Oh, guys, this is my cousin Katrina, and her boyfriend Liam. Katrina, Liam, this is my boyfriend Logan, and this is Mona, and Colt, and Toby, and Ximena!”

There was an exchange of handshakes, waves, and smiles with introductions, and the group moved to one of the tables to pick up their badges, before heading into the main convention arena. As they made their way towards the fantasy booths, Toby called the group over to a mural against a wall, bouncing on the balls of his feet, and Jin handed Katrina her phone to take a photo. She stood near the center with Logan next to her, and Colt stepped to move to her other side. Mona, Ximena, and Toby shuffled in next to them and Katrina snapped several photos in a row.

A woman dressed as Sailor Mars smiled at them and offered to take a photo so Katrina and Liam could join them, and they squeezed in behind Jin, smiling happily for the photo. 

“I feel like I’m gonna sweat all this blue paint off before the contest even happens,” Colt muttered under his breath, once they were done taking photos.

“Could be worse,” Katrina replied. “You could be that guy.” She elbowed Colt lightly and jutted her chin out to catch his attention, and Colt let out a small chuckle.

“Sucks to be him,” he chortled.

A man in head to toe blue paint walked past, his shoulders and arms sporting darker blue painted tribal tattoos, and he had a massive green braided mohawk down his back. He wore contacts that changed his eyes to an alarming shade of yellow, and turned his head, giving Colt an acknowledging nod before continuing on his walk. “Full Vaanti in this heat? That’s a commitment.”

“What’s a commitment?” Liam strode over to join Katrina and Colt in their conversation as they started walking.

Katrina tipped her chin forward again, pointing at the painted man in blue. “That dude dressed as Varyyn, from the Endless Summer series.”

A smug grin appeared on Liam’s face. “I could wear that, I think.”

“Dude, Varyyn’s a prince turned king of his people on a crazy island in a time traveling bubble,” Colt scoffed. “You wish you could wear that.” He quickened his pace to catch up to the group.

Liam leaned down to whisper in Katrina’s ear. “I could totally rock that costume, just get me a leaf skirt. Maybe a matching one for you,” he teased. “Now tell me about this time travel island full of blue people?”

Katrina laughed nervously. “Hoooo boy, that’ll take more than a walk through this thing.”  

[kornyo]

Hello, my name is korny and some of you know me as a former beta, then sweet elite’s former clothing artist, that also (singlehandedly) drew the animated mini-game with momo and the little coffee and coin icons. I never had a proper introduction which is why probably most of you see me for the first time now.

I didn’t plan on publicly making a statement, but it has been brought to my attention that the se management said rude and nasty things that – most importantly – are just plain bullshit and I cannot let this be said without a proper response.

 If you click this link you will find a google doc with various screenshots, showing what exactly has been going on that made me (& cecile) finally leave the team. I made the doc and the screens a few days prior to leaving (April 2019) and already shared it with all the betas and some staff back then, but also some people on tumblr who have come into my dms asking me to clarify what happened. I feel the right time has come to share this link with the public, although it might be a little confusing to understand for some.

 Now, what bothers me the most about serenas ugly behaviour from the past few days is the topic of “’lazy’ cecile”. I’d like to clarify that this entire post is MY opinion, and was written because *I* am angry about this, I was not forced to write this whatsoever by Cecile or anyone else. I’ve kept my mouth shut so far bc I could not be bothered, but this is where I draw the line.

“Lazy Cecile” has been something even BEFORE my beta days (which started in January 2018). Serena used (and still does, as you can see in her latest posts) to call Cecile “lazy” a lot jokingly, but saying it that often didn’t make it funny anymore, and it certainly isn’t a nice thing to say to a good friend. She continued to say it even after Cecile approached her not to.

To add, Cecile is - if not THE - most hardworking person that ever participated in the production of the game. While juggling a full-time job, she also drew AND redrew ALL the sprites, for a short time also drew ALL the illustrations WITH customization (2 genders x 3 three different hairstyles), AND new backgrounds because An already left the team. And that’s just the art she did! She also took part in writing large chunks in almost every chapter, even writing an entire big ass chapter 7 ON HER OWN, which she now has posted on her blog @retconomics (which Serena in response tried to make us afraid by telling us how merciful she is by not suing us for copyright. Your case wouldn’t be that strong honey LMAO not without a contract anyway 😉 ). ALL WHILE WORKING A FULL DAY JOB AND GETTING A DOG, WHICH ALSO REQUIRES A LOT OF ATTENTION. Meanwhile, it took Serena several months to almost a YEAR now, guessing from the release date, to write chapter 6 and it wasn’t a rare case for her to magically loose the file or it getting corrupted. So please tell me how the fuck cecile is lazy? In any fucking way?

Her time schedule was very demanding, so of course we had to cheat a little bit, which brings me to my next point: professionalism. Serena claims that Cecile was very unprofessional, “cutting corners” and her art “unpolished” and “not up to par”. In her example of ‘proper’ professionalism, serena used this image:

Illustrating how the new artist does things better and more polished.

This is where I call huge, MAJOR bullshit.

I have worked on the sprites with cecile. Due to the tight deadline Serena has given us, Cecile would give me the rough sprites and I would finish them & look for any spots that were smudges/did not have clear edges or full transparency. Wanna know how these files looked like?

Hm! Absolutely no fucking different! The expressions were all on one layer, unlike in the example above, but as Serena said: she didn’t say anything against that. That was because Serena wanted to pump content out, which, fair enough, and she needed everyone in the team to “set priorities”, as she said. And adding so much customization was NOT a priority at that time and she knows it.

However, if it DID bug her that much, it’s her own fault if she won’t say “hey Cecile, could you put all the brows on one single layer, all the mouths etc”. And if her excuse is that Cecile lacked the time, I could’ve done it just as easily, as I worked on the sprites anyway and did not have the huge workload cecile had at that time. If the manager is unhappy with their product, they should say something, otherwise nothing will happen. So, if Serena was unhappy with the ‘lack’ of expressions (lets be real tho, 5 expressions isn’t lacking at all)? Her fault.

“Not to mention, all of the sprites will be polished and the artstyle will finally be consistent throughout the entire game (something that our old artist really struggled with at times). Also, both Alita and Ariel are awesome at what they do, take growth and sustainability seriously, and constantly look for ways to improve and build onto the world of Sweet Elite.” Taken from here (x).

Ah, yes. You want consistency and yet hired two artists with two very different styles, and even *advertised* it as something good. Also, if somebody improves art wise, they rarely stay the same way. Art is FLUID. Art CHANGES, especially while improving. And if ceciles art was so unprofessional looking and unpolished for you serena, why didn’t you just tell her to stop drawing? Why not “get rid of the garbage” sooner? Would have saved both you and cecile the clownery that has happened and is going on right now.

(taken from here)

Also calling Cecile a weakness while she literally held the weight of the entire game on her shoulders while having to provide so much art and writing while you failed to write even one chapter during all that? You’re pettier than you care to admit.

I literally could go on and on about this, but this is already 1k words, so im gonna wrap this up. But I am so mad about this “boo hoo there is a narrative spun against me ☹” “I was creatively constricted by my cowriters” (also bullshit lmao, but another topic). You’re just a big liar and an awful person overall, and don’t get me started on your boyfriend.

While you’re getting “rid of the garbage”, please also remove MY minigame which I was forced to make while I was collecting money for my dog, and pay me 100€. You can have the clothes as I actually *agreed* on doing that for no money. 25€ for all the coffee and coin icons would be appropriate as well.

Now, as a former fan thats been on this journey since 2015, I am very dissapointed in how this game is developing. You’re taking this game into a direction you promised not to - not diverse, full of clichés, mainstream. As a fan, this broke my heart. A lot.

I hope you learn that your actions have consequences and that I will NOT be quiet if you decide to spit some lies again.