#they really spared no adam expenses

[apprenticehoffman]

lowkey love that the guy they have playing Adam in saw the musical is also named Adam irl. and looks fucking identical to saw 2004 Adam

[popponn]

so what if mikage reo is running late and crashes to you—a culinary student, also late—on his rush. predictably, the coffee in his hand got spilled all over his expensive coat. unpredictably, you—a scholarship student too busy trying to survive—don't know how rich he actually is and automatically offer to compensate him somehow.

since washing his coat somehow will cost you ten times your rent while buying one is simply asking for a lifelong debt, you offer to him what you do best—your cooking for a full month. at first, reo really doesn't want it as he doesn't mind. also, stranger danger? but since you are adamant enough to even offer him "i will make it in front of you!" he ends up accepting it.

and somehow, as people say, a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. reo kind of falls in love a bit too hard and a bit too clumsily before he knows it. but hey, if the love of his life is offering him lunch with a full-blown smile maybe learning to be a proper domestic husband while juggling soccer and business is worth it.

#1:

"so, is it good?" you asked in the manner of a true excited cook.

reo wanted to say that he knew it would be good even before he put your food in his mouth. or say that even if you offer him to eat a marshmallow that is one fire he will still do it for you at this point. or maybe he really should just blurt out, "it is. please marry me and let me have your cooking for the rest of my life. i love you."

but, reo has his pride as your trusted food tester—so, with a wide grin that was objectively handsome if not a bit too full of love, reo answered, "very! guess, studying and testing all those spices really paid off, huh?"

#2:

"can you guys—" nagi paused, making a face as if he was tasting the words on his tongue, "—just get it together?"

you blinked. "uh? pardon?"

nagi didn't raise his head from his phone. "reo keeps looking at you like he wants to—"

"dude," chigiri interrupted, kicking nagi's leg visibly. nagi grunted, which chigiri ignored him in favor of offering you a nervous laugh instead. "sorry, reo kind of ruined his game yesterday. he kept grudges—"

"hey, reo kicked my head—"

chigiri immediately kicked nagi's shin hard enough that the table shook. you spared the white-haired male a pitying squint as you tried to not wince too much. you really should have gone to pick up the food with reo.

note: aka a post canon romcom au no plot no braincell just vibe of supportive x supportive. it's reo just falling in love with you who offer good food and good mental support. and hey this au entails classic "rich guy tries domestic mundane things he never even touch once" which of course would let to reo getting your guidance (while staring longing at you like a boy in love). at least this is reo, so through sheer power of natural learning capability and also love, he will do it right at the second or third time. oh, of course nagi and chigiri is there. chigiri wishes reo would stop bragging about your food and you if he isn't going to grow a bone and confess. nagi wishes reo would stop hitting him each time you send him an emoji or a praise—reo you are ruining his full combo. aka do you see idiot 1 & idiot 2? there is never too many idiots to lovers. might have went way too self indulgence thinking about this—"after bllk they still go to uni" this kind of thinking should tell you enough how many braincel is present here. but. uh yeah. "i want to support and comfort reo" is a feeling. anyway ok. thanks for reading this blurb i should be doing something else rn but 🫶 yeah have this. take this. love u.

[deathbxnny]

helloo, platonic otto with a child!reader he made from his and Kallen’s dna, kinda similar to dr.mei making adam with her and kevins dna :3

I absolutely love this idea, and thank you for the request, Anon! I hope you like this!<33

Content: Platonic relationships, vague descriptions of experimentation, brainwashing(?,) Otto being questionably evil per usual, child reader, maybe ooc?, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not fully proofread))

He considered the day of your "birth" to be the second best one of his life. The first one was meeting Kallen, of course, but your existence finally coming to life after so many endless years of hard research and experimenting almost beat it. But only almost.

For a while, he didn't really see you as a person. Sure you were technically his child now, but ultimately, you were really just created to follow in your "mothers" footsteps and make him proud! From the moment you can speak and walk, you are put through extensive training and schooling. He makes sure to let you know perfectly that this is all for your greater good and that you are very much expected to follow everything he says.

He sometimes conducts experiments on you as well, not necessarily any harmful ones, but rather one's that challenge your strength or intelligence. Failing his tests makes him irritated, although he hides it well behind strain smiles and rather rough pats to your head, as he tells you to do better next time. You've certainly taught him patience, that's for sure.

With that said, he loves ranting to you about literally anything that comes to mind. It doesn't matter that you are still a child or that you don't even understand anything he says. He will simply talk for hours on end and expect you to be listening. In a way, he thinks that you're the only person who can understand him. You are his child after all.

Theresa is less excited about hearing of your existence and Otto knows this, which is why he hides you very well from most, if not all, Valkyries. The last thing he wants is for anyone to get their hands on you or hurt you for that matter. Perhaps you've really grown on him more than just a perfect experiment after all.

Bit rest assured, that you will be spoiled greatly, especially if you do have some of Kallen's personality traits. He spares no expenses, as his only request is for you to never leave his side like everyone else did.

Sorry this took a while. School, work, and my health have been all jumping me at once, so I hope this is okay, Anon! And thank you again for the request!<33

[eridanidreams]

Labor Day Lagniappe

tagging: @bearlytolerant, @silurisanguine, @aro-pancake, @fangbangerghoul, @atonalginger, @aislingdmdt, @fshenkoescape, @ninjaofnaps, @lisa-and-shadow, @a-cosmic-elf, @thatsgoodsquishy0, @hockeydemon42, @fomagranfalloon, @violenceandviolets, @therealgchu, @staticpallour, @artemis-crimson, @genesisarclite and @constellation2330

Because the muse is coming back, and I did some rewrites on a future chapter of Odysseus Gambit...

Working title: Never Tame Your Demons, aka "What Sloane Was Doing During Mankind Divided".

TW: canon-typical violence

Sloane stifled a yawn as David nattered on about his plans for getting votes to block the upcoming vote on the Human Restoration Act. He seemed to take it for granted that she was going to accompany him on a round of cocktail parties and formal dinners held for the express purpose of what were, for all intents and purposes, high-level diplomatic negotiations, and she was trying to figure out the most polite way to tell him that she’d rather chew her own arm off.

Abruptly, she stood, causing him to trail off. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she temporized; she flexed her shoulders, rolling and stretching, enjoying the crackle and pop as the tendons loosened up. “The bar downstairs—they serve ice cream, right? I’m craving something sweet.”

“Well, of course they do,” David seemed delighted at such a simple request. “I’ll call room service, get you whatever you like!”

Inwardly, Sloane groaned. David combined an almost desperate need to please her with the complete inability to listen to what she actually wanted. She couldn’t even yell at him about it. Well, she could, but it would be like kicking a puppy—a loud, yappy, insistent puppy that wouldn’t leave you alone and whose house you were crashing in. It was positively suffocating.

She pasted a smile on her face. “I appreciate the thought, but I need to stretch my legs. Think I’ll take a run down the stairs, get a little cardio in.”

“We’re on the forty-eighth floor,” David said, in a tone of mild protest.

Forty-eight floors of blessed silence; Sloane briefly wished they were twice as high. “In the Army,” she not-so-subtly reminded him, “That would be a warm-up. And a little exercise will make the ice cream taste better.” She headed for the door—she knew that if she let David get a word in edgewise, she’d never escape.

“Sloane—” He reached a hand out briefly, then let it fall back to his side.

“I’ll be back,” she said cheerily, and let the door fall behind her. One, two, three long strides down the corridor, and she finally allowed herself to really breathe. “That man is going to drive me fucking crazy,” she muttered. She paused in the atrium—leave it to Sarif to get one of the most expensive suites in the Apex residential towers, but even she had to admit it was a hell of a view. The Apex Centre was buzzing with activity. Tiny dark figures seemed to be setting up a cordon—security for the convention, no doubt—and, even as she watched, a VTOL landed delicately on the helipad. David really should be down there, she mused. When I get back, think I’ll call it an early night and free him up to do what he really wants to. Her lips quirked in a faint smile—nice to sleep in a real bed again—but it faded as she remembered just whose bed the last one had been.

Sloane sighed, leaning her head against the cool glass. Adam had told her to stay at his place just before he’d been called out. She’d thought it had meant something—he didn’t let people into his private spaces lightly—but it had never felt right. A persistent feeling of being watched had her spine in knots after a couple days; when one of Ad Astra’s spare apartments had become available, she’d moved on.

A week later, he appeared out of the wreckage of Růžička, grey with dust and ash, bleeding from a head wound. She’d just spent twelve hours arms-deep in human wreckage as triage had turned into field surgery. He’d walked right past her; she wasn’t even sure he’d recognized her. Days passed—no call, no message—and she had to wonder if he’d even remembered she’d been there.

Then Prague blew the fuck up.

The night of Rucker’s death, she gave the apartment over to a couple of terrified families who’d fallen afoul of the curfew. Even le Gruyere wasn’t safe; she’d had to destroy three police drones trying to smoke people out, and the ensuing game of hide-and-seek with the peckerheads had ended up with her spending an uncomfortable night in the Scar. After that, it hadn’t taken David much to persuade her to come out to London, to finally meet him face-to-face.

A little time, a little distance, and a couple solid nights of sleep later, Sloane was beginning to wonder if she’d overreacted. Adam usually kept clear boundaries between on-mission and off-mission, something she had no problem with, so why had her nose gotten out of joint? Not to mention… He’d just gotten blown up, idiot, along with a whole lot of innocent people; can you really blame him being a little off? Or for being focused on going after the guys behind it? She shook her head tiredly. Everything in her screamed that the whatever-it-was between them was ending, just as she’d known it would—but she’d promised to try to trust him, and she took her promises seriously. She was going to have to talk with him, at least once more.

She continued on to the nearest stairwell. Pointless downtime always screwed with her head; a good run was just the thing to clear her mind. She shouldered the stairwell door open, letting it fall shut behind her with a faint clang. One flight turned into two turned into four; by the eighth, she’d fallen into a comfortable rhythm. She hit a landing, already pivoting to head down the next flight—and saw the guy next to an open fire extinguisher box too late to avoid colliding with him. She bounced back from the impact; her unfortunate victim was knocked back into the wall.

She was framing an apology when something about his turn triggered hard-won instinct, and she flung herself to the side. The blast that would have taken her head off peppered the wall behind her with ragged little craters. Brain caught up with eyes, registering the threat: a heavily-muscled man wearing high-end tactical gear under a dark, hooded ballistic jacket. His face was hidden by a faceted gold mask, and the shotgun in his augmented left arm had a bore that looked like a train tunnel.

Quicksilver reflexes spun her away from a second blast, a stray few flechettes ripping into her cheek. Sloane’s lips curled in a snarl; she pushed off the stairs to bounce off the wall, hoping that the unexpected motion would throw her opponent off guard—instead, there was a flash of actinic gold, and his body slammed her into the wall. Augment-strong, the arm that wasn’t a shotgun hurled her across the small landing. Her head impacted hard enough to leave spiderwebs in the tempered-glass wall and make the world grey out around her. Dazed, she fumbled around for something—anything—that might buy her a few seconds. Her flailing hand landed on the fire extinguisher, and she flung it in his general direction. She got lucky—the pressurized cylinder caught most of the blast when his shotgun arm fired again, exploding in a yellowish-grey cloud of flame retardant.

A dim glow filtered through the haze, and even muzzy as she was, Sloane knew he was gearing up for another of those vicious, aug-enhanced charges. In sheer, unthinking reflex, she hit her cloak and rolled forward through the dispersing particulates—if only her head would clear! He blitzed past her like a miniature thunderbolt, his passage ripping the cloud to shreds. Still dazed, she was too slow to evade the nimbus of electricity surrounding him; while it wasn’t a true EMP, it was enough to crash her bioenergy reserves. Her cloak flickered, then failed entirely.

She stumbled against the far wall, hearing the snap-crackle as the electricity gathered again, and knew she couldn’t avoid him a third time… she barely had time to turn, throwing up her arm in a desperate, instinctive block. Sparks danced painfully across her augs—something smashed into her raised forearm, she heard a sickening sound somewhere between a crack and a squnch, and the next thing she knew, she was pinned half-prone against the wall by two hundred pounds of dead terrorist.

Sloane ached in every inch of her body, and she wasn’t sure how long it took before her thoughts unscrambled. “Fuck,” she panted, as she shoved the dead meat off her—the way his head flopped like a child’s rag doll told her what had happened. His chin had hit her arm hard enough, and at just the right angle, to snap his head backward and sever his neck. Less than half an inch either direction, and she’d have been the cooling meat instead; the gods of battle were fickle.

Her first order of business was to get back to full capacity. A biocell peeked out of his tactical gear, and without hesitation she slapped it into her forearm. The world shivered into sharp focus as the Sentinel cleared the concussion. Radar kicked in—no threats in the immediate area—and she frowned as her eyes fell on something lying in the shards of the fire extinguisher cabinet. A chill went up her spine as she recognized it: a remote-detonated demolition charge.

Somebody wanted this tower to come down hard and fast.

“Fucking shotgun arm better not have been your only weapon,” she muttered as she searched the body. Her fingers felt for an earpiece, but only felt the hard ridges of a subdermal mic. She yanked roughly at the ballistic jacket, revealing a shoulder holster with a machine pistol and two reloads. Without hesitation, she appropriated it. The jacket too, for good measure—it wasn’t great, but would protect her against anything up to a heavy pistol. He carried frag grenades and more biocells in a tactical pouch; in a flare of temper, she ripped off his tactical belt and slung it around her shoulder. She debated taking the mask, then decided it would be worth it for the element of surprise, and settled it on her own face. It was cool and heavy, and rubbed uncomfortably against half-healed wounds. But if she was lucky, it’d buy her time until the cavalry arrived, and speaking of the cavalry—she straightened to her feet and called David.

“Just listen,” she ordered before he could say anything, in the calm, authoritative tone she’d learned to use in a crisis. “Terrorists are setting up bombs in the tower. Highly trained, milspec augs. Call emergency services and then go barricade yourself in the bathroom. If there’s a structural failure, the tub will give you some protection.” It wouldn’t be much, but better than nothing.

“What?” he yelped, then—more quickly than she’d expected— “all right. Milspec augs setting up bombs in the tower.” He paused, then added, quickly, “Wait—why can’t you call?”

“They’ll listen to David Sarif,” she said. The part of her she usually kept tight-leashed—the predator—the killer—clamored to be released; it was almost a relief to cut it loose, shake it out and wrap herself in it like a well-worn uniform. Her hands ran over the unfamiliar gear, less to settle it than to settle herself, and her voice went cold and sharp. “I’m going to be busy.”

“Doing what?” he asked warily.

“Hunting,” the killer growled, and cut the connection.

[the-clay-quarters]

Follow up from this ask bcus @capn-twitchery enabled me >:D

So! Outfit choices!

Cordelia/Theodore Pembroke

Pembroke puts a lot of thought into her outfits because a) she's a tailor with generally a major interest in fashion and b) her whole thing with the separate personas hinges on presentation.

As Cordelia, she goes all out on the intricacies and elaborate designs. Time to show off those tailoring skills and have fun with sewing! Putting aside the general extravagance, the main cut of her dresses is actually pretty modest -- even as general fashion shows more skin, she's not budging. This mostly comes back to the separate personas; her arms (and torso. and legs.) have ended up with a lot of scars from monster hunting as Theodore, can't really expose those without raising more questions than it's worth. It also relates to her gender identity as she's transfem/genderfluid and AMAB, easiest way to hide things like body hair or an adam's apple is to simply cover it.

As Theodore, his outfit is quite casual, all things considered. Most of his time like this is spent being very active and energetic, calling for a much larger range of motion than as Cordelia. He's also a lot more likely to rip/stain/etc this set of clothes, so they're not as expensive and are easier to fix. Theodore also gets the freedom of showing more skin; no need to hide scars or male traits he's expected to have! He still keeps his hair long though, usually just in a ponytail.

Flint Silverstein

Silverstein is... a lot less bothered with fashion. His only real hang ups are a) finding clothes that fit him and b) looking respectable. He doesn't particularly want to stand out or draw attention. At one point he decided that people treat you better in a suit and stuck with that, he's a very consistent guy. Type of guy who would eat the same thing for dinner every day (he is only spared from this by not needing to eat lol)

He does actually have alternate outfits, to be fair. They're usually things Pembroke made him that he'll only wear if she asks, like their hallowmas set. She would make him normal clothes if he wanted but he doesn't care.

So, yeah, very different views on clothing! They both see it as a way to change how people treat you but go about it in very different ways.

[stesierra]

@winterandwords tagged me! Sorry to be so slow to get to this! I'm just getting my brain back in gear after some med changes.

You visit your own grave and someone asks "did you know them?"

What's your answer? Tell us what your OC/s would say to this, bonus points if it's in their voice/a mini snippet

I'll tag @anonymousfoz and @teacupsandstarlight and @dyrewrites.

You guys ready for this? I have a lot of OCs. I'm going to interpret this a bit loosely. Hope that's ok.

Antea from Stitches and Memories

"That's Antea's grave," the stranger said. "Did you know her?"

It was an impossible statement, or should have been, but the truth screamed in Antea's head, in the little space her headache left free. She was buried there, three feet down in a shallow hole made by someone who couldn't be bothered, and her skin was already degloving from her hands as she rotted and became one with the dirt. She was dead, some version of her, and Jadan had died with her. He was curled around her in that pit, for eternity.

Behind her, Jadan was telling the stranger that he was wrong, that she was alive. But Antea said nothing. She fell to her knees and threw up.

Nelone from As Immortality Fades

"Nelone's grave?" I said, gazing up at the elaborate mausoleum that had been added to the City of the Dead. It certainly looked like the grave of a beloved queen, one that her subjects had spared no expense to honor. There was one problem: I wasn't dead.

"Did you ever meet her?" the stranger asked. "They say she ruled for five hundred years as a teenager before her age caught up with her all in one day."

I laughed and touched the lines on my face. "It was bound to happen eventually. And yes. I knew her."

Zisha from Cast Out

I stared down at the plain, unmarked stone. I wanted to ask, are you sure? Is this really me? But instead I signed, "A little" and sat down in the loose dirt where someone (me?) had just been buried. The stone needed a painting. A face, immortalized forever. But I didn't know if I would paint myself there or a stranger.

Elise from the Bone Queen

I stared at the grave for a long moment. And then, without thinking about it much, I started to laugh.

Mausart put a hand on my shoulder. He murmured in my ear, "It can't be true, love. You're not in there."

I giggled, utterly delighted. "But if I AM, I'm peaceful and in a grave. Idony didn't chain my ghost to my bones. She didn't lock me in servitude forever! And do you know what that means?"

"What?"

I spun towards him. "She lost."

Adam from Triangle Park

Adam stared down at the gravestone. It was carved with angels and his name and dated to a year ago. The birth date had been left blank completely. It looked like a human grave, except no human was just named Adam, of no last name in particular. But faeries didn't carve gravestones.

Lizzy shuffled her Birkenstocks beside him and said, "Sorry. I thought you were dead. I thought... I just wanted something nice. To commemorate you. You know?"

"That's, ah, very thoughtful," Adam managed.

Rabbit tugged on his hand and leaned her head against his side. "What's this? Why's there a big rock?"

Adam crouched beside her. "To remember the dead. It's a grave."

Rabbit wrinkled up her nose. "But it's got your name on it!"

He cast a glance up at Lizzy. "Yes, well..."

Rabbit stuck out her lower lip. "Maybe it's a different Adam. Because you're not dead. Not like Sniffer."

"Maybe it is," Adam agreed.

She beamed up at him, her face full of relief. "Did you know him?"

"I can't say I did."

Mindral from the Halfway Revenant

"We dug you a grave," the man said, gesturing down at the open pit. "A grave for Mindral Thideet, who destroyed her family."

Mindral's fingernails cut into her palms. "How kind of you."

"A grave for Mindral, who is dead. Go on. Climb in."

She snapped, "I'm not dead. Do I smell like a woman who died a month ago?"

He leered at her, perfect teeth bared. "There's an unbinding symbol carved into your brow. That body's heart may beat, but Mindral Thideet's soul is with the gods. You're nothing but a filthy godkin."

"Would a godkin do this?" Mindral asked. And she shoved him into the grave.

Kerra from Court Phoenix

I cradled Hes against my chest and looked at Chujulan through the curtain of flame that danced across the phoenix's back. "What do you mean, I died?"

The sister of my heart stared at me, her shoulders rigid and feet set as though she expected to weather a charge. "You died, Kerra. That's your grave. I lowered your body into it. Mounded up the dirt with my own hands. I wept. I haven't wept since Cherin died." Her voice was a raw, wounded thing, the cry of an animal dying in a corner.

My blood rushed in my ears, whum whum whum. "But--"

Her green eyes flashed. "You died, and I've spent my whole life refusing to believe in ghosts. I've mocked all the lordly who hide from them by sleeping through their days. I've walked outside of the city wards and laughed. So how dare you come back."

Hes screamed, a mournful wail that didn't even sound like it came from a bird's throat.

I wanted to say something. But the words didn't come.

Juniper from School of Souls

I stood in front of my grave. And the worst thing, the thing that made me want to run through the streets until someone ran a red light and put me out of my misery, was that it really WAS my grave. My aunt had stuffed my body into a pretty, sterile coffin and laid it to rest next to Mom and Dad. The school had so helpfully sent my corpse to my next of kin. And now I could never go home.

Besides me, Ophelia smiled like a shark and said, "Oh, look at that! Little dead Juniper Fellows. Rotting in a pit in the ground. How sad. Do you need me to help you forget? I can make you think you've never heard the name."

Franklin, on my other side, balled his hands into fists. "Fuck you, Ophelia. Shut up."

Ameryi from the Many-faced Princess

I didn't need him to defend me. I found my voice. "Like you forgot your name? It wasn't Ophelia, was it? You just stole Ophelia's body and her life and forgot everything that came before."

Ophelia laughed joyfully. "And why not? Why shouldn't I forget?"

"Because you're a murderer? Because you're a thief? Because you're DEAD, like we're all dead?" I was shouting by now, and my voice should have echoed off the manicured cemetery lawn and rows of polished stones. But instead they swallowed it. Franklin put a hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged him off. "We shouldn't be here. None of us. We don't deserve it."

I was crying now. But not for me and my dead body. For the girl whose body I wore. Because she was dead, too, only no one would ever give her a grave.

Rebeka from Mud-Child

Ameryi stared down at the little mound of dirt. "Princess Ameryi is buried here? There isn't even a marker."

The gravekeeper spat. "She was a face-shifter. She worshipped Akihel. She's lucky they didn't feed her to the dogs."

Ameryi kept a pleasant smile on her borrowed face. "What did she look like when she was buried? Herself?"

He spat again, this time right on the grave. "Does it matter? Dead's dead."

It didn't. Ameryi already knew the answer. She knew who had died in her name, who she would never be able to repay. And she would blame herself forever.

Rebeka said, "Fuck that. I ain't dead."

Tag list for everything

@anonymousfoz

@moremysteriesthantragedies

@elizababie

@sm-writes-chaos

@bellascarousel

@macabremoons

@the-dragon-chronicler

@teacupsandstarlight

@vorskra

@wrenofthewords

@amostdelectablescribbler

@mysticstarlightduck

@phantommill

@gracewritesbooks

@aziz-reads

@owlsandwich

@symbioticsimplicity

@squarebracket-trick

@fishythewriter

@koala2all

@rmgrey-author

@atomatowriter

Just chapters and snippets

@da-na-hae

[empress-of-hugs]

Oops! ...I Did It Again

Click on the title to read on AO3

“He’s back,” Emily whispered in a sing-song voice as the doors of the bookstore parted to allow passage to a gangly young man. JJ immediatly looked toward the door, hissing at her friend to be quiet. She felt a treacherous blush creep up on her cheeks as he did an awkward little wave and said hello. 

JJ swallowed down her nerves and gave him her sweetest smile. “Welcome back!” 

“Yeah, er, good to be back?” he almost phrased it as a question and JJ involuntarily chuckled. 

“Feel free to browse, I’ll be right here if you have any questions,” she managed to squeeze out the words, barely hearing them over the erratic beating of her heart. 

“Er, thank you.” He didn’t say anything more, simply turning into the non-fiction aisle. 

JJ took a deep, calming breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Emily giving her a sympathetic look. JJ smiled at her, feeling her nerves subside just a little bit because she could share them with Emily. A customer materialized in front of her, and JJ put on her customer service face as she checked the older woman out. In the meantime, her eyes followed the young man through the store as he wandered from section to section, picking up books and placing them back on the shelves. Every once in a while, he’d throw a longing look at the cash register. JJ saw him check the price tag of a book about ancient Egypt before he placed it back on the shelf. She finished up the transaction with her current customer and turned to see if she could help the young man who was now visibly agonizing over the price of a thick book about Irish mythology. 

“That’s a good one,” Emily said to him. JJ hadn’t noticed her friend straightening out the books on the aisle next to the young man and startled almost as much as he did. “My friend’s reading it. I’m gonna borrow her copy after she’s done though, it really is expensive.” 

He nodded solemnly and placed the book back on the shelf. At the counter, JJ fingered her own copy. It was laying on the shelf just under the fake-marble surface. She read it in between her other duties, since a small bookstore in an all-but abandoned mall didn’t exactly need a two-woman team. But the owner didn’t want them to be alone in the store, so they always worked in pairs. JJ had often wondered if that was why the books here were so much more expensive. She watched as the young man picked up the book again, flipping through the pages one last time before shooting another look at the register. Without thinking, JJ grabbed her own book and held it up, hoping that her smile came out right. She watched his Adam's apple dance as he swallowed before nestling the book in the crook of his arm. 

She lost track of him as he disappeared between the shelves again. Soon after, a small group of people all wanted to check out at the same time and JJ could no longer spare the time to look at the young man still roaming the store. Emily moved to stand beside her, opening the other register as they did their best to get through the throng of customers together. Soon enough, they’d all but cleared the lot and Emily smiled at her as her last customer walked away. 

JJ’s stomach tied into a tight knot as she suddenly saw the young man again, walking up to the counter. She was too busy checking out an old man with a whole stack of books; he was going to check out his books with Emily. JJ sighed under her breath and focused her attention on the customer in front of her. 

She always tried not to judge the people who bought the trashy romance paperbacks from the basket by the door, but it proved hard to ignore the fifteen scantily clad women on the covers of his fifteen books. He made her feel a little uncomfortable as he asked her if she ever wore pretty dresses like the one on the cover of this book here. JJ just shook her head a little as she scanned the barcode. 

“Are you sure? You’d look great in something like this.” He held up one of the books and JJ just barely glanced at the picture on the cover. The woman was wearing a pink dress with a split going up all the way on her side, high enough that JJ was pretty sure that the lady wasn't wearing a bra. She shook her head again, taking the book out of his hand so she could put it with the others in the plastic bag. After she sent the old man on his way, JJ glanced around the store. That guy was probably long gone by now. She sighed. 

“I’m sorry, he really shouldn’t have asked all that,” a quiet voice called her from her thoughts and she looked up into the face that always managed to brighten her day. 

“It’s okay,” she said as she pulled her long hair out of her face. “Some people are like that. I’m used to it.” She carefully looked at the register next to her, but Emily was nowhere to be seen. 

“She said she had to go take care of something urgent,” he told her sheepishly as he placed a small stack of books on the counter. “I hope you don’t mind.” 

“Oh, no. Not at all!” Relief crashed through her body, making her feel light as a feather. “That’s my job, right?” 

“Right,” he said quietly and JJ internally scolded herself for pushing him away. 

“I mean, I like my job. You know?” She tried to salvage the conversation. 

“I guess you get to see all the new books before they even hit the shelves, huh?” His eyes fondled the YA book that Emily had carelessly left out on the counter. The bookmark was a shirtless picture of Emily’s favorite actor, cut out of a magazine and stuck to a piece of cardstock. JJ swallowed and pushed the book and its embarrassing bookmark aside. 

“Yeah. Sometimes we even get a book for free so we can read it and recommend it to people.” She motioned to the book with the insultingly childish-looking cover and the far from childish bookmark. All the books he was checking out were so far out of that book’s league that it made her feel a little dumb for enjoying books like the one Emily was reading. 

He nodded politely. “I don’t have much time for fun reading anymore. I kind of miss it sometimes.” 

She looked up at him. His expression was unexpectedly soft and he picked up the book Emily was reading, turning it so he could read the synopsis on the back. “Oh, I remember reading the first book of this. I didn’t know it was a series.” 

“The second book just came out,” JJ said breathlessly. “Almost a decade after the first one.”

“Yeah,” he sounded excited. “I read the first book as it came out. I really enjoyed it. Is the sequel any good?” He looked at her with warm, happy eyes and JJ couldn’t stop the waterfall of words from falling down her lips. 

“It’s amazing! Much better than the first one, even. Louise is convinced that after what happened in the last book, Jean has turned into a bird that flew off with the rest of the flock, and she goes to find him. It’s a bit heavier than the first book, but that is what makes it so great! There’s so many feelings involved and you can really emphasize with Lousie and Ronnie – Ronnie is a new character, by the way, but he’s super cool. He’s kind of like this big nerd, but in a totally amazing way – he knows so much stuff and he’s hyper-rational, which is a beautiful contrast to Louise and the whole quest that they’re on. And she can really rely on him to – I’m sorry,” she finally caught herself. “I’m rambling again, aren’t I?”

He smiled at her, a happy, sincere smile. “No, it’s fine! I have a tendency to ramble on about stuff too.” He hesitated for a moment, looking at the display of books just off to his left. “How much are they?” 

“Nineteen-ninety-nine,” JJ said without hesitation. “Do you want one?” 

The look on his face soured a little bit as he checked his wallet. “Maybe next time. My paycheck comes in two weeks…” 

JJ threw him a sympathetic look. “I feel ya…” She grabbed the books he brought over to the counter and quickly scanned them before putting them into a bag. 

The whole time, he just stood there, looking a little awkward as he clearly eyed the books on the display. JJ couldn’t help but see it; the haunted look in his eyes as he weighed his wallet on the palm of his hand. 

“You know,” she suddenly said, unsure where the words were coming from, “you’ve been a regular customer for a long time now. Let me take a quick look to see if maybe you qualify for a discount or something.” 

His eyes turned to her, careful hope pushed down to their depths and beyond. “You really don’t have to.” 

“Oh no, I want to,” she assured him as she quickly typed something into her terminal. “Oh, see? You do qualify for a discount! Tell you what, with the books you’re buying today, if you add the novel, and I add the discount…” she did a quick bit of math in her head. “You’d basically be getting the novel for one dollar. How does that sound?” 

He smiled at her, an uncomfortable smile. “Are you sure you can do that?”

“Definitely.” She pushed down her own insecurity and gave him a beaming smile. “And then, next time we see each other, you can tell me if you enjoyed the second part of the series. I heard a rumor that if it sells well enough, they might go for a third installment.” 

That might’ve been the words that pushed him over the ledge, JJ mused as the young man reached out and grabbed a copy of the novel. “Alright then,” he said softly. “I’ll read it tonight.” 

JJ eyed the thick book as she scanned it and added it to the bag. It had taken her almost two weeks to read it – and she had the luxury of reading on the clock. 

>>>...

Spencer breathed a sigh of relief as he left the mall. The cute young woman at the bookstore always made his heart race and his palms go sweaty. But she also made him feel happy, and light, and so, so very awkward. And to top it all off, the bookstore she worked at was always far more expensive than the one near his university campus. Spencer shook his head a little, what did he keep coming over here for? Why put himself through all that? She wasn't any more friendly or kind to him than she was to other customers. She never looked at him the way he secretly looked at her. And yet, every other week he was back here. Spending money that he couldn't really afford to spend just to hope that she'd be the one at the check out. Just so she would smile at him. At least this time he'd apparantly qualified for a discount. His overflowing bookshelves were good for something after all. 

He lifted the stately-purple bag with the pretentious logo and searched in between the heavy books for a piece of flimsy paper. After a few moments of searching, he found it. Spencer carefully fished the receipt out of the bag. His eyes searched for the discount code that she'd written down for him. She'd told him it was good until the end of the semester and it had no limit on how often he could use it. Spencer didn't know much about marketing and such, but he did realize this was an unlikely kind of promotion. She must've made a mistake somehow. 

His eyes ran down the lines of overpriced books until he found the word 'discount'. Something felt off, and Spencer's eyes were drawn to the word before it. 'Employee discount' it read. '15%'. 

Spencer blinked. His eyes traveled down toward the end of the receipt. It said he'd been served by 'JJ'. And to 'have a pleasant day'. Lower still, just above JJ's beautiful, rounded handwriting, it said: 'Employee discount applied. Employee #164075. Jennifer Jareau.' Underneath it, she had scribbled a phone number, followed by the words 'call me'. 

The rest of Spencer’s day was spent agonizing over JJ’s note. He tried to talk to his roommate about it, but Derek didn’t seem very interested. He’d taken just a quick look at the receipt before telling Spencer to ‘call the girl’. But how could he possibly do that? He must be misunderstanding something. There was no way anyone that cute would be interested in him of all people. 

By the time he finished his dinner and left the dining hall, Spencer had just about decided that he could never show his face at that bookstore again. His wallet would thank him. His heart already ached with an emptiness he couldn’t quite understand. 

“Hey there, Pretty Boy!” An arm came to rest around his shoulders as Derek caught up with him. Next to him walked Penelope, Derek’s best friend who he swore he wasn’t sleeping with. Yet at least a few times a month, Derek would be a no show at their dorm room after going to hang out with Penelope during the evening. 

“Derek told me about receipt-girl,” Penelope said, wrapping her colorful shawl around her shoulders a little tighter. “You should totally call her.” 

“I dunno, guys…” Spencer said softly. “She’s way out of my league…” 

“So what?” Derek smiled at him. “She chose to give you her number, didn’t she?” 

“I suppose so…” 

“You dummy,” Penelope cut in. “She clearly wants you to call her. So call her. Chicken.” 

Spencer threw her a mock frown. “Hey…!” 

Derek mocked him further by making a few clucking sounds and Spencer felt himself pull back. “I just don’t know what to say, guys…” he whispered softly. 

Penelope shot him a reassuring look. “Just say hello. Hi, my name’s Spencer. I’m the cutie you gave your number to at the bookstore. The one that wears these god awful knitted vests all year round. Yeah, that guy. I promise my lack of fashion sense has not yet contaminated any of the other parts of my brain – in fact, I’m so smart that I read your damn book over dinner.”

“Hey!” Spencer called out, feeling genuinely hurt by her words. “My mom knitted this for me! And also, I haven't finished the book yet. I still have a few pages left.” He hugged the novel tightly to his chest with both arms as he shot his only two friends a pained look. 

“I’m sorry,” Penelope said, and she seemed to mean at least some of that. “But I doubt you didn’t finish it yet.” 

“Like I said, I have a few pages left…” Spencer didn’t explain that this was only because he somehow felt that finishing the book would push him further away from that beautiful person who’d encouraged him to buy it. It didn’t make any sense to him, either. And Derek and Penelope definitely wouldn’t understand. 

“Lemme see,” Derek suddenly said – his hand already taking the book out of Spencer’s hand. “A Bird’s Cry,” he read out loud. “Is it good?” 

Spencer pulled a face. “The first book was great. Back when I was eight…” 

“Ah…” Derek chuckled a little. “Worried she’s not smart enough for you?” 

It was painful to hear him pinpoint Spencer’s biggest fear just like that. Spencer swallowed. His eyes studied Derek’s face. Derek’s eyes searched his face. Eventually, Derek sighed. 

“Look, Kid… I dunno what to tell you. But she seems like a nice girl, right? Go take her out for some coffee or something, see if you have anything more in common. That’s the least you could do after she put herself out there like that.” 

Spencer shook his head. “I can’t…” 

Behind Derek, Penelope rolled her eyes. “It’s coffee, Spencer. You love coffee.” 

“I do.” Spencer nodded. “And honestly, I’d love to take her out for coffee. I’d love nothing more than to talk to her – even if I have no idea what to talk about.” 

“Just…” Derek slid a hand across his closely cropped hair. “Just… compliment her shirt. Don’t stare at it, though. And… and maybe ask her what she thought of the book. Or, if you don’t want her to find out you thought it was boring, talk about… I dunno…” 

“Irish mythology? She was reading the same book I bought.” 

“She was reading an Irish mythology book?” Derek deadpanned. “A book that you bought because you were interested in it?” 

“Yeah…” 

“Then why did you buy this one, you dimwit?” He gently bonked Spencer on the head with the thick paperback. 

“Because… I dunno. I have good memories of the first book. My mom read it to me.” 

He watched as Derek and Penelope exchanged a Look. Then, Penelope looked back at him. “Alright. So. You talk about Irish mythology. Sure. And compliment her shirt. Or her earrings. Or her necklace. Don’t do all of it. That’s kind of creepy. By then, knowing you, you should’ve probably finished about five cups of coffee and it’s time to let the poor girl go home to recover from your caffeine-fueled frenzy. And then, if you still like her, you ask her to grab some lunch come Saturday. It’s that easy.” 

Spencer helplessly shook his head. “It’s not. I can do the complimenting, I practiced that with my mom.” He ignored the slightly awkward look the other two exchanged and soldiered on. “And I can talk about Irish mythology as much or as little as she’d like. And there’s plenty of other things I’m sure we can talk about, but I just can’t do it.” 

Derek’s sigh seemed to come from somewhere around his toes. “Alright, I’ll bite. What’s the actual problem then?” 

Spencer bit his lip for a moment before shyly looking up to meet his friends’ gaze. “I just spent my entire food budget on books. Again.” 

[dovechariot]

Know ye not that I have power to deliver you up unto the flames? (Alma & Amulek's enemies)

Hearing God when the flames are over us are essential. Today I went over my page and read to hear God speak to me to find God speak back to me with words I collected. I deleted what I no longer needed. I felt God speak to me as I read the words and looked at pictures bringing me peace. God taught me to search for him and his voice of comfort became clear.

Last night I trained my eyes again. I saw with new lights a shimmering color. I saw God clearly in something new that my eyes were never able to see. When I sat down and felt the beauty, I could see more things around me that God was in. I saw a red earthy canteen and that spoke to me of a woman at the well lifting up water for Jesus to drink. I saw a clear big apple jar with a few Lifesavers in it. It reminded me of Adam and Eve at the garden and Jesus visiting them before they fell from the Garden of Eden. He was there to save them. I not only felt God, but he opened my eyes. He used my physical eyes to open my spiritual eyes.

I found God in pictures that reminded me of bad memories and he trained me to look again to find him in the story. A pink mansion was where a bad memory I had was stuck with me forever. I saw the pink mansion with somber eyes. I was challenged by the Spirit to look again to find Jesus.

My brother drowned in that mansion and I could not speak to save him. We were playing and asking him to get a ball, but he drowned. I watched him with terror. It felt like my voice was gone forever after that day.

I never felt safe enough around my parents to speak. My brother was saved, but I died that day.

God asked me to go back and look for him all throughout the story. There was a woman named Mrs Fox who lived in that big pink mansion. She was just like the story books I read of Grandma's giving cookies to all her kids she could find. She gave us gummy bears from her jar when my dad would stop by. She gave us Christmas presents too. She offered her spare pink guest house to my uncle's who were ministers and they loved to smoke. That's all I remember was cigarettes and ashes in a big pink mansion behind her tennis court. My dad gave her free electric work and she would pay us off in really big ways. She lived across the beach and she would invite us there. She had a really big kitchen with clear refrigerators you'd find at the store and she would share her expensive chocolates with us. She reminded me of Jesus. Everything my dad would give her she would multiply it back until we couldn't pay her back. She even came with my parents to fly in a test flight to their home island. She moved out of her mansion and bought a new house to be close to her children. I remember her saying how much she would miss her house. Maybe this is what God wants me to remember. I was afraid of my parents. So many terrible things kept happening wherever we lived, but God's warmth was around me with people like Mrs. Fox. She missed her pink house. I decided to redecorate her pink house in my mind and make it a home away from home. God saved me.

[cavefilllingcorporation]

A Guide to Space Cave Housing, by Jake Adams

The camera focuses on a white room, with only a single stool in the middle. A man walks over from the side and sits on the stool. Then a voice calls out from behind the camera.

“Please introduce yourself.”

The man on the stool answers.

“My name is Jake Adams. I was formally a restaurant owner with my two friends, which was funded by the Corporation, and I am now one of the Corporation’s cafeteria workers on Family Sanctuary, the most populated Space Cave in the Corporation.”

“Could you explain what a Space Cave is?”

Jake looks a bit flustered. “What? Seriously? Doesn’t everyone know what a space cave is?”

“This is for new recruits and move-ins.”

“Ah. Well, in that case, the Space Caves are the main headquarters of the Corporation. There are four of them which sit in stationary places in space… do you want me to explain what each of them are? I’m not quite sure myself.”

“That’s fine. We’ll make another entry for those. For now, let’s move onto the main point of today’s information guide: Housing.”

“Oh yeah. When I moved in, I didn’t know what I was going to do and where I was going to live, but that was sorted really fast. I was given a small apartment to start, and within a month, I was able to get a schedule going and apply to get a bigger apartment. I now have what I think is a medium-sized, with rather large kitchen, a good bedroom, a small greeting room, a good bathroom, and so on, and I still have lots of Corporation credits left over!”

“Could you tell us what it was like upgrading and how one would go ahead and do so?”

“Oh yeah. Really simple really. When you work for the Corporation, you are paid in Corporation credits, a virtual currency, though you can get it in physical form. Most don’t though. One you have enough, you can pay the upfront fee in order to upgrade, and then you’ve got to make sure you have enough for rent.”

“Could you explain the fees and rent in more detail?”

“…Alright. From what I understand, the upfront fee is to make sure that you can afford to pay the rent and to prevent people from mindlessly upgrading whenever possible. As for the rent itself, it’s usually a monthly rent, though you can make it a yearly one if you apply for it. You have to prove you are a stable worker though. Haven’t worked my way up there yet. I don’t have the most expensive place in the world, those usually have the space windows and have so much space I wouldn’t know what to do with myself!”

“Let’s go back to the small apartment. Did you have to pay rent for that?”

“No, not really. It was free by the company. Mind you, it’s not the best neighborhood  considering the people that refuse to work enough to pay rent enough to get a better place. Besides, its not fun to live there either. There’s barely any space, and you just get a bed, a drawer to hold clothes, and a bathroom with just a sink and a toilet. That’s it. I would seriously recommend upgrading as soon as you can. There’s a ton of cheap options that you can chose that are much better than the default.”

“So, the free options don’t have showers?”

“Or laundromats for that matter. There are services that allow you to make up for the missing features. The showers are free, though you have to bring your own soap and shampoo, and there are laundromat services. But in my opinion, just get a rented apartment. Even the cheap options have showers and washing machines.”

“What if you can’t even afford the supplementary services?”

“I would be surprised if that was the case. As I said before, I can afford my good-sized apartment with cash to spare on my cafeteria salary. As long as you can work, you should be able to afford something. Then yet again, I do usually work most days. I guess it comes from my past experience owning a restaurant. You don’t usually get to take normal breaks then, so I guess I just don’t do it now…”

Jake then thought for a moment, before continuing:

“That being said, I think you could go ahead and get a roommate and share the cost. You can room with friends and loved ones, but you can also use the roommate finding services to get one that matches your preferences. I even heard that the financing office has a service to deal with roommate disagreements and automatically deduct pay from your salary to pay for your room, that way you can be sure you are paying for your stuff and such. That’s what Nico and his fiancée are doing, and it’s really working out well for them. I know it involves the rentable rooms, though I do have to wonder if it works for the free verions as well…”

The man behind the camera than answered Jake’s question.

“There is a version for that, and the Corporation pays you to have roommates in the free version. I think some people get by on almost nothing by rooming with 8 people.”

“I… can’t imagine it’s too profitable, probably just enough to pay for supplements. Also, I would imagine that those people are the type who would lose their renting license, so I wouldn’t do that.”

“Renting License? You need a license to rent a room?”

“It’s nothing really. You get one automatically when you rent your first place. They just issue it out so they can revoke it if needed to deal with criminal conduct. I think it’s only used for some of the worst infractions.”

“I see. What if you want to raise a family? Or take care of loved ones who can’t work?”

“Oh, there’s nothing that says you can’t do that. That’s what Jodie does with her family. The corporation doesn’t care who lives in the apartments or what happens inside of them, just that nothing criminal happens and that the rent is paid. Do you have any other questions for me?”

“No, that does it for now. For our investors who wish to know more, please check out our Investor Inquiries. They can ask about the specifics of housing within Space Caves, and more.”

Jake Adams then responded.

“Yes, and they can even ask me questions if needbe to.”

“Within reason.”

“Yeah.”

“So yes. Thank you, Jake Adams, for your time, and this has been the Cave Filling Corporation’s Guide to Housing. We hope to see you again when we have more interviews like this.”

[piscesgirl87]

mack can have better and happier memories in a big, beautiful, expensive house. who says you can only have better and happier memories in cheap, ugly, small, unsafe houses? 😂 if he really cared about mack he would have bought her a big house with a yard with more space for her to run around and play. im sure mack would prefer a house with more space to run around and play. i really dont understand why they have the worst looking house out of all the characters in oc. you guys act like adam and kim are the only oc characters who have kids. cindy and herman have nice big house and they have 5 kids. cruz and chloe have 2. i already explained why the look and size of house bothers me and how i know he can afford better. again the look and size of the house wouldnt have mattered so much to me if he didnt almost buy the big, beautiful, expensive condo with hailey in s6. that tells me he has more than enough money to afford big, beautiful, expensive house and spare expenses for other costs. i care and it bothers me because this is insulting and unfair to kim and mack especially kim. he was ready to buy a big, beautiful, expensive condo with hailey after knowing her for only a year and dating her for few weeks. but with kim he dragged his feet about moving in with her after dating for 2 years and being engaged to her. now 10 years in he buys her and their kid a cheap, small, ugly, unsafe house instead of a big, beautiful, expensive place like he almost buy for him and hailey. again after only knowing her for a few year atp and dating her for few weeks! kim doesnt care because she doesnt know about all this. and she doesnt know adam almost took hailey on trip to his uncle cabin right before they broke up with him but has to yet take kim and mack on trip or vacation. after all kim and mack has been through he should have taken on trip or vacation by now. why hasnt he? if kim knew about all this she would feel bothered and insulted. i hope burzek house burns down. not while they are inside ofc! maybe then adam will buy them a big, beautiful, expensive house like he should have in the 1st place. even if he cant afford expensive house im sure there are big, beautiful houses that are affordable. if cindy and herman can afford to pay for a nice, big, beautiful house with 5 kids and cruz and cindy with 2 kids then adam and kim who only have 1 kid can afford it too!

A big house doesn’t always = happy memories….

I’m sure it’s plenty safe

They are happy. That’s all that should matter

Cops don’t get a lot of vacation time especially in their unit

They can’t just up and leave to somewhere

Why on earth would you wish it to burn down? That’s awful

You keep saying the same things

Just admit you don’t like Adam

[that-storming-writer]

Puppet

Warehouses were always creepy. They just happened to be creepiest during the dead of night; devoid of life and strangely silent. Hero slipped through the building, their only source of comfort coming from an eerie light at the center of the main room. The warehouse was supposed to be long-abandoned, but the boxes and crates that lined the edge of the room told a different story.

"Have you found Villain yet?" Mentor asked through the earpiece.

"No yet," Hero whispered back. "I haven't seen any sign of them, actually."

"Keep looking. I know the coward's around here somewhere." Hero nodded, though they knew Mentor had no eyes on them. They ducked around a crate, checking their surroundings in the dim light. There was something...wrong about the situation, though they couldn't quite figure out what.

"Are you sure Villain--"

"Hero," Mentor sighed, "we've been over this. I know you don't hate Villain, but you can't let your feelings cloud your judgement."

"I-I know, but I can't help but think we're following a false lead. Villain isn't exactly known for cold-blooded murder. Robbery? Hostage taking? Scamming people? Sure, they've done it and have admitted to those crimes; but they've never killed anyone and were adamant they didn't kill Superhero. Why be honest about the other crimes, but lie about this one?" Mentor was silent for a moment.

"Hero, do you trust me?"

"Of-of course, Mentor. Why do you ask? I mean... It's just that--"

"If you trust me then please stop questioning me. I understand this may be hard for you, but you have to bring Villain to justice. For the good of the people. For the good of your fellow heroes." They paused. "For the good of Superhero."

"Right. For the good of everyone," they mumbled. Despite Mentor's reassurances, it was difficult for Hero to ignore the gnawing at their stomach.

"Remember, when you find Villain, contact me immediately. We know they're capable of murder now, and I don't want you to be their next victim. Understood?"

"Yes, understood." Hero turned their attention back to their task, shoving the feeling of unease away. Mentor was right. The killer needed to be brought to justice--even if it was Villain who did it.

Hero continued their search, the warehouse no less creepy than before. It didn't take long to find their nemesis, seated motionless and hunched over. Hero position themselves out of sight, but close enough to keep an eye on them.

"I think I found them," they whispered into the earpiece.

Silence.

"Mentor? ...Mentor, can you hear me?" More silence. Hero swallowed and narrowed their eyes toward their enemy. They were still, unmoving. Were they dead? Cautiously, Hero approached, their heartbeat pounding in their ears the closer they got. They reached out to touch Villain, steady--

"I can't believe you fell for the old 'mannequin disguised as a person trick'." Hero jumped, yelping in alarm. They were vaguely aware of Villain laughing behind them. When their breathing slowed, they faced the fiend with a glare.

"Oh great, this place has mannequins?! As if it couldn't get creepier. And excuse me for thinking the human-like figure was you just sitting around in this very dark and hard to see in warehouse. I'm sure no one else could make that mistake," they grumbled.

"Yeah, I know it's creepy, but it worked out for me," Villain said as they led Hero to the center of the room. "You didn't even hear me coming, you were so distracted with that thing!"

"You're really proud of yourself for that. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you love being entertained at my expense." They reached a table with the lone light, cluttered with loose papers and more pens than what should be considered acceptable.

"Entertaining me with your antics is actually something you're good at," Villain teased. Hero rolled their eyes, but spared a small smile for the criminal. Annoying as they were, it was difficult not to grin around them. Villain smiled back. They always smiled back, and it was always wonderful...

Wait. This was wrong. Their mission--the entire reason they were there in the first place--was to confront a killer. Hero stared at Villain, who noticed the change in their demeanor. The criminal reached out, only for Hero to recoil at their movement.

"No, I-I can't be talking to you like this. You killed Superhero!" Villain grimaced, shoulders sinking as they ran a hand through their unkempt hair.

"Look Hero, I'm sorry about your friend's death, but I wasn't the one who killed them. We have at least a few minutes before Mentor comes bursting through the doors, so could you please let me explain myself in that time?" Hero considered their words, watching them with hard eyes.

"Promise you won't try anything in that time? Promise you won't hurt me?" Villain's face softened.

"I-I could never hurt you, Hero." After a moment, they added, "But if it makes you feel better, I promise I won't try anything and you'll be safe with me." Hero nodded, but remained silent. Villain fiddled with their ring, unable to meet their enemy's eyes.

"Mentor killed Superhero."

Hero stared at them, face shifting from anguish to horror before finally settling into fury.

"Wh-what's wrong with you?" Their voice was low, threatening. Villain stepped back, hands up in an attempt to placate Hero.

"I understand how this sounds. They're Mentor, a hero who fights to protect the innocent. How could they murder someone, especially their own teammate?"

"You're lying."

"Are you sure about that? Who found Superhero?"

"Mentor did. When...when they found their body, they immediately called it in."

"Where was Superhero found?"

"They were found in an alley near Seventh and Rosewood." That was close to Mentor's base.

"Why do you think I killed them?" This time, Hero was quiet for a moment. They both knew the answer.

"Because Mentor...Mentor said they saw you fleeing the scene."

"Don't you see, Hero? Mentor is stringing you along, driving a wedge between us! They tell you I'm a killer, and you blindly follow their lead! You're like their puppet." Villain drew in a breath, calming themself. "You're better than this, Hero. You may not believe me, but you know I didn't murder Superhero."

"How do I know you're not trying to manipulate me? Not trying to string me along like you claim Mentor is doing?" The pair locked eyes and Villain took Hero's hand.

"You don't. You just have to trust me." They continued to stare at each other, only breaking from their trance at the sound of Mentor's arrival. Screeching metal echoed from the far end of the warehouse. Hero looked between Villain the direction of the noise.

"Time's up. Whenever you're ready to talk, you know where to find me, Hero. Good luck and please stay safe." They gently kissed Hero's hand before disappearing into the darkness. Hero stared after them, their mind abuzz with the ramifications of Villain's words and the choice they had to make. They didn't notice Mentor approach.

[atlafan]

[BESTIES IS COMING TO PATREON ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH @ 5PM EST] [ASK]

Words - 48K I Warnings - angst, mentions of ED, smut I A/N - this is essentially a reboot of Friends, but better imo. Here’s the character breakdown:

Macie = Monica (still a chef)

Adam = Ross (still a paleontologist)

Harry = Chandler (still works a job that no one really has any idea of what he actually does)

Niall = Joey (still an aspiring actor)

Penny = Phoebe (still a massage therapist)

Rachel = Rachel

When Rachel walks out on her fiance on the day of their engagement party, the only thing she can think to do is go to her old best friend, Macie, someone she hasn’t spoken to in years. Macie welcomes Rachel with open arms, and introduces her to her group of friends. Two of which Rachel already knows - Macie’s older brother Adam, and his old college roommate Harry.

Harry, and is current roommate Niall, live across the hall from Macie. Penny lives a few blocks away near Adam. Penny used to live with Macie. Since Macie has a spare room that’s not being used, Rachel moves in with her that same day.

Adam’s marriage with Jackie just ended, so he sees Rachel as this beam of light. He’s liked her since they were kids, why not go for it? As nice and sweet and handsome as Adam is, Rachel stays oblivious to his advances. Especially since she’s trying to start her life over. And especially since she has a secret shared past with the curly haired man across the hall.

April 23, 2022

It’s an ordinary Saturday morning. The gang is hanging out at their usual, local coffee shop. The majority of them live in the apartments upstairs, so it’s easy for them to frequent. The WiFi is fast and free, and the coffee isn’t terribly expensive. Plus, the muffins and pastries are made fresh daily.

Macie, Niall, Harry, Adam, and Penny are all sitting around. It’s a rainy day out. Penny is tuning her acoustic guitar, Niall is looking over his lines for an off broadway show he’s been cast in, Adam and Macie are looking at some pictures their mother texted to them earlier, and Harry is scrolling on his phone. Separate togetherness is their favorite pastime.

The front entrance of the coffee shop swings open suddenly. A young woman, drenched from the rain, walks in as she catches her breath, dropping two large luggage bags to the floor. This catches the attention of just about everyone in the place. The woman crosses the shop over to the counter.

“Excuse me, may I please have a cup of water?” The woman asks one of the workers behind the bar.

“Oh my god, Rachel?” Macie stands up with wide eyes.

“Macie!” Rachel shrieks with relief, and runs over to hug her. “Thank god, thank god.”

“Are you okay? You’re soaked. What are you doing here?” Macie asks as she grabs some napkins to try to dry Rachel off with.

“This is going to sound really creepy, but obviously we’re friends on insta, and you check in here all the time so I thought this would be the best place to find you. We haven’t talked in so long, I was scared to just DM you.”

“You’re really dressed up.” Macie looks Rachel up and down. She’s wearing a lovely, white jumpsuit.

“Um, yeah…did you see that I got engaged recently?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I just ran out on my engagement party.”

“Hey, Mace, care to share with the class?” Penny asks.

“Oh!” Macie guides Rachel over to the gang. “Everyone, this is my childhood best friend, Rachel. Rach, you remember my brother, Adam, right?”

“Sure, hi.” Rachel gives Adam a friendly hug. He’s ecstatic.

“And this is Harry, I think you guys met a few times back in the day. He was Adam’s college roommate.” Macie goes on.

“Yeah.” Rachel gives Harry a small wave.

“And this is Niall, Harry’s current roommate. He’s an aspiring actor. And this is Penny. She and I used to live together up until recently.”

“It’s so nice to meet all of you.” Rachel says, then looks at Macie. “So…does this mean you’re looking for a roommate?”

“I mean, my apartment is rent controlled thanks to my grandmother, so I’m not actively looking. Why?”

“I…I was sort of hoping maybe I could come stay with you. I…I needed to get out and away from everything. I don’t want to marry my fiancé, and my parents don’t want to listen.”

“You’re engaged?” Adam asks.

“Not after today.” Rachel says. “Mace, I know I’ve been a shitty friend since we graduated college, and I know I don’t deserve any of your kindness, but…you’re the only person I could think of to run to.”

“You said today was your engagement party?” Rachel nods yes at Macie. “Thanks for the invite.” She smirks.

“Ugh, I’m sorry. The woman who was supposed to be my mother in law barely let me invite any of my friends. It’s another reason I don’t want to marry into the family.”

After a bit more context, Adam is carrying the the two large luggage bags that Rachel came running into the coffee shop with up to Macie’s apartment. Everyone else follows behind to see how they can help. Macie gives Rachel some sweats to change into, and sets her up in the shower.

“Wait, so you grew up with this girl?” Niall asks.

“Yeah, we were best friends. We went to different colleges. I obviously went to culinary school, and she joined a sorority. We stayed pretty good friends up until we both graduated. She went back to high society living, and I came to the city to work.” Macie explains. “We stayed friends on social media, but haven’t talked much in a couple of years.”

“She’s pretty hot, I’m kinda glad she’s not getting married.” Niall smirks.

“Maybe wait at least a day until you start hitting on her.” Macie rolls her eyes playfully.

“Or not at all.” Adam says.

“I don’t know, it could make her laugh.” Harry chimes in.

“Oh! I could play her a song!” Penny says cheerily.

“I think we should just give her some space for tonight. She’s obviously been through a lot today.” Macie says, giving Penny’s shoulder a squeeze. “Guys, would you mind going out to pick up a couple of pizzas? Comfort food is going to be much needed.”

“Sure.” Harry nods.

“I’ll stay here.” Adam says. “I’m another familiar face, could make her feel more comfortable.”

“I’ll go.” Penny volunteers. “I want to get a gluten free pizza.”

Penny, Niall, and Harry all leave. Rachel comes out of the bathroom in Macie’s clothes, looking much more fresh. Her face is still a little puffy from crying, but she’s feeling better.

“The others went out for pizza, they’ll bring it back soon.” Macie says. “Do you want some tea or anything?”

“No, thank you.” Rachel gives her a soft smile. Her phone buzzes in her hand and she sighs heavily. “I’m turning this off. If I get one more call from my parents, I’ll scream.”

“Do they at least know you’re alright?” Adam asks.

“Yeah, I let them know I was somewhere safe, and that I’d call in a few days.”

“If you didn’t want to get married, why’d you say yes to your fiancé?” Adam asks.

“I felt pressured. He asked me in a really public setting, and I didn’t want to embarrass him. This morning I packed a ton of my shit because I knew it was now or never. He had to work earlier, so he had no idea I packed things up. He was blindsided, so I feel guilty about that, but I needed to get out.”

“Was he…abusing you at all?” Adam asks carefully.

“No.” Rachel shakes her head. “He’s a very kind man, he’s just not my forever. I don’t want to be a house wife on the arm of some doctor who has no time for me or our kids.”

“You were going to marry a doctor?” Macie asks.

“Yeah, Brad’s an orthodontist.”

“Brad?” Adam repeats.

“It’s short for Bradford. He’s forty, and very kind, and was loving. But…I felt pressured to stay with him, and-“

“I’m sorry, forty? Aren’t you only twenty-six?” Adam asks.

“Yeah, so?”

“So…your parents were okay with that age difference?”

“They love Brad, are you kidding?” Rachel scoffs. “Their darling daughter was going to marry a doctor. They were over the moon excited.”

“Pizza’s here!” Niall says as he opens the door. “Hey, Rachel, feeling any better?”

“Much.” Rachel nods. “Thanks for going out in this awful weather.”

“No problem. Pizza cures everything.” Penny smiles.

Rachel fills the rest of the gang in on her life with Brad. They take turns asking her various questions. Harry doesn’t ask her much of anything, he just chimes in with comments here and there. Several bottles of wine are opened. Niall ends up taking Penny home, to make sure she got back alright. Macie had to go to bed because she had to be in early at the restaurant. Adam had basically eyed Harry to tell him to get lost so he did, which left Rachel alone with him.

“I’m sorry to hear about your divorce, by the way.” Rachel says to Adam.

“Oh, thanks. It was for the best. I think we’re both much happier now.” He sits up a little and clears his throat. “You know, when we were younger…I had a huge crush on you.”

“Yeah, I knew.” She smiles.

“Oh…I always just thought you looked at me like I was Macie’s nerdy older brother.”

“I did.” Rachel’s smile grows.

“Oh.” Adam clears his throat again. “Do you still think I’m nerdy?”

“You’re a paleontologist, so yeah a little. But you’ve matured a lot.”

“Would you ever…you know, when you’re feeling up to it…want to go out sometime?”

“Maybe, yeah.” Her smiles continues. “I don’t think I’ll be ready to date for a while, but when I am, I’ll let you know.”

“Cool.” Adam smiles. “Well, I’m sure you’re exhausted. I hope you sleep alright.”

“Thank you, Adam.”

Rachel watches him leave before shuffling into her new bedroom. Macie spent some time making sure everything was good to go in there for her. As she lays down, she can’t help but start crying. She turns her phone on, and sees the dozens of texts and calls she missed. She opens up her text thread with Brad and sends him a simple, I’m sorry, before turning her phone back off.

[sardonic-the-writer]

okay, so we went to an annual fall festival yesterday that his hometown throws once a year. we walked around for a bit before eventually deciding to ride a few rides, and got in a long line for one. i didn't want to just sit on my phone the whole time, so i turned to my dad and started asking random questions. at one point, i asked him what he used to dress up for on halloween when he was younger. after cycling through a few generic pas costume choices (dracula, zombie, etc) he told me that once he went as a witch, but blew up balloons and put them under his shirt to look like boobs. i laughed and then asked as a joke if he ever did drag, and nearly choked when he said "no. wait, actually!" before launching into a long winded story

when he was in college in the nineties, my dad used to have parties that usually turned out to be kegers. it was a halloween party this one night, and he and his roommate joked about going in drag a few days before they were going to throw it. it isn't uncommon for my dad to get into weird situations when he gets together with his friends (ex: i could tell an entirely different story about the time he broke into an exotic farm while in high school and attempted to ride an ostrich) but i at this point i had no idea where the story was going and was far more interested in it than the moving line for the ride.

i dont know about his roommate, but my dad ended up going through with it. the night before the halloween party, he asked a girl in one of his classes if she had any spare dresses he could wear. she immediately went yep! and gave him one that night. later, he asked another girl in his class if she had any makeup tips, and ended up going to her house where she gave him a full makeover complete with like. foundation eyeshadow and all— which had been more than my dad was even hoping for. he said he expected some lipstick or something, but got a complete transformation instead. (at this point i stopped him and was like, "you are dropping so much dad lore right now," to which he laughed before continuing) so, he got to the party on halloween night, which was held at his place, dressed entirely in drag. he had fun, drank a lot of beer, and acted a fool basically.

he told me, though, that the one thing i needed to know about his parties was that they always got busted by the cops. he said probably because they never did a good job at being quiet about them, but i digress.

anyways, the cops showed up about halfway through, and started kicking people out to look for the guys that lived there; which was a big problem because it was my dad's plus his roomates place where the party was being held. but really, he wasn't too overly stressed about getting caught. according to my dad, the cops used to always pull this trick where'd they say "anyone who doesn't live here, get out!" and would get real confused when literally everyone left. because duh. nobody wanted to admit they live at the house where a rager is being thrown. sometimes the trick worked, but sometimes it didn't.

here's the thing, though. like i said before, my dad was in drag. and he looked good. when i say that, i dont mean he had a nice costume or something, i mean he actually looked like a girl. standing there in a group of girls he was trying to hit on, wearing an expensive dress loaned to him, with a face full of nice make up. he didn't even have an adams apple at that point yet. he said he was too underdeveloped at the time

i say all this, because when the cops eventually got to the corner of the house where my dad was standing with the group of girls, they officer took one good look at all them, guestured behind him and said "alright ladies. you all get out of here."

the story kind of ended after that because i lost my shit laughing, but my dad told me he stumbled out of his own house alongside a bunch of girls trying his best not to completely fall apart laughing in front of a bunch a cop cars outside

does anyone want to hear about the time my dad did drag.

[millionsknives]

phantom thoughts:

julia udine was a fantastic christine. really strong vocally, a courageous and compassionate and really solid leading lady. she starts out clueless and scared and grows into a capable and resolute person, even though she’s clearly damaged and still scared. i loved how her ‘wishing you were somehow here again’ came across as a rallying point for the character instead of just a lament. (hoped we would get to see emilie kouatchou in the role, since she was on the posters and promotional material, but alas)

ben crawford’s phantom was good, but unusual. he has weird diction where he tightens his vowels (instead of loosening them like most singers) which was a little distracting, but it wasn’t bad by any means. he played the role more like a straight-up villain which was exciting, considering my favorite and most-watched versions of the phantom are the softer/childish/sympathetic portrayals (we are hugh panaro stans first and people second) the only downside to this bad-guy take is that his change of heart during the final lair seems somewhat abrupt because of his prior villainy, but it was a fun change of pace to have an a-hole phantom. i wish he would have gone with a softer portrayal at times though because he was really really good in the quiet and tender moments!

he also did that thing where he doesnt know what to do with his hands any time he’s around christine, like he wants to touch her but isnt allowed to, ESPECIALLY when she kisses him (and i love it)

let me talk about my favorite ben crawford phantom moment now: the first high note in ‘music of the night’ (the high A♭ on soar). i was in shock bc i always hear vocalists go into falsetto or head voice on just that note and i was fully expecting to hear that little break/switch in the voice on soar but he sang it in full chest voice, and it still sounded gentle and floaty and ethereal.

as an aside, assuming ben stays on until february, i love that the role is bookended by two crawfords

paul adam schaefer was a solid raoul, no complaints. it sounds dismissive when i say it, but i mean it in the best way possible since raoul isnt as nuanced of a role compared to the phantom and christine. there wasnt anything that stood out as particularly different or extraordinary about his performance, nor anything negative. he was good and i liked him 👍

im just in awe of the sheer magnitude of the production. no expense spared. entire setpieces and props used only for five minutes and never seen again. the ensemble is massive and the costumes sumptuous and there’s always something else happening on stage (ballet chorus practicing during angel of music, stagehands running around ‘backstage’, etc) it’s so immersive. not to mention the chandelier 👁️👄👁️. and the pyrotechnics. and the hanging angel sculpture. and th

jaw on the mf floor when the curtain came up on the masquerade. the giant staircase, the entire ensemble in these insane costumes, the fake people on the ends of the rows. i could watch it twelve times and notice something new every time. they really dont make theatre like they used to

the two opera managers (nehal joshi as andre and craig bennett as firmin) almost stole the show. their comedic timing was impeccable and they both were able to inject humor into lines that i’ve seen otherwise played straight by other actors. & one of them is big and tall and the other is shorter and small, so theyve got that big/small comedy duo thing to add to the humor

emma thought meg sang a little flat when she wasn’t in harmony, but i didn’t hear it (emma is a much better vocalist than i am though, so i’ll just take her word for it)

raquel suarez groen as carlotta was just *chef kiss* she’s one of my favorite roles in the musical for the sheer skill required for such an underrated role

i still have no idea how he disappears through that chair at the end.

and finally, here’s me at da majestic, 9 years in the making :3

edit: i also bought this cool pin

[vodkassassin]

Inspired by your Jiuplane fic, Everyone loves SQH series and Nighthaunting's work.

Shen Jiu has never actually spared much attention to An Ding. While he doesn't consider them less-his past would never allow himself to look at anyone being derided for doing 'servant duties' less- he also doesn't pay much attention to them. Ever since Shang Qinghua modified the teleportation talismans for transporting large amounts of goods between the Peaks, An Ding disciples have all but disappeared from view. Shen Qingqiu occasionally saw a groundskeeper or a cook return back to An Ding but that was about it. He was pretty sure that people outside the sect saw more of the Logistics Peak than the people in it. And during meetings Shang Qinghua barely makes a sound, just records whatever was he was supposed to and just vanish off to his peak the minute the meeting inevitably ended in chaos. It was like An Ding never existed.......in hindsight, that should have been suspicious. But Shen Qingqiu never even noticed glaring absence and he would forever berate himself for that. It happened quite unexpectedly. Shen Qingqiu was supposed to go on mission with Qi Qingqi, the only Peak Lord he could tolerate beyond a certain period of time but Xuan Shu Peak suddenly had an emergency that she had to take care. Mu Qingfang was busy with preparing the Baying Moon Jade Orchid that he had been given (Really that should've tipped him off! Those flowers were ludicrously expensive because they only grow in the Demon Realm and Mu Qingfang had been given an entire crate of them along with his monthly supplies!), and the only other Peak Lords available were Liu Qingqe and Shang Qinghua. The choice was obvious.

The mission was relatively simple. Wan Jian disciples had been sent as a response to a request for assistance from a cluster of villages deep in a mountain valley. The disciples had found evidence of a large monster but it seemed to be intelligent and the presence of cultivators had run it off to a cave system. By the trails it left and it's actions, the lead disciple had judged it too dangerous for normal disciples, especially in the enclosed spaces of a cave system and had reported to his Peak Lord. The mission thus had been entered into the Peak Lords' roster. It should have been routine, should have been simple. But Shen Qingqiu had the world's worst luck and so everything turned sideways within ten minutes of them entering the cave.

First of all, the monster seemed to have destabilized the cave so they got caved in. Secondly, it wasn't a monster at all but a demonic beast, a Thousand Screams of Ruin Swan, a rabid thing that was created when someone forcibly corrupted a Thousand Screams Swan with too much demonic qi. And finally, the beasts absolutely hated each other. A Thousand Screams Swan had the ability to gauge the truth and a lie in its presence would not only prompt the most ear piercing of all screeches but also destabilizes the qi of the liar in particular and produce unimaginable pain. The southern demon courts use the swan in interrogations, putting the accused and the swan in enclosed spaces and the interrogators questioning from behind a sound muffling seal. However if the swan were overloaded with too much malicious qi, it would grow to enormous sizes and it's screech would actually cause death to anyone in the vicinity. In this state it was called a Thousand Screams of Ruin Swan. So after every interrogation the beast is taken for purification. The question is how a pair of valuable demonic beasts from the Southern Demon courts end up in a remote village far away from the borderlands?

If it was any other situation, Shen Qingqiu would've been fascinated. But as it was he had no time to dawdle. The confined space of the caves meant that the screeches of the swan would be magnified in intensity and their muffling shields were already cracking under the pressure of the sound waves. If they did, they would be dead as their qi system would be destabilized enough to cause a painful death. Shen Qingqiu, with his already unstable qi was extremely vulnerable in this situation. With Shang Qinghua having no combat ability to think of, they were completely under the mercy of two rabid S-rank demonic beasts who hated them and each other.

Then the shields cracked. Shen Qingqiu barely had time to close off his hearing using qi before Shang Qinghua disappeared into one of the caves with a beast after him. On one hand Shen Qingqiu now had to worry about only one Thousand Scream of Ruin Swan. On the other hand, no hearing was a double edged sword in a situation like this and there was no back up, negligible as it would have been. But he marshalled his focus and unsheathed Xiu Ya. If that overgrown bird thought that the Qing Jing Peak Lord was going down without a fight, it was wrong.

Two hours later the fight was still going on. His head was hurting only from being flung into the stone walls of the cave but also from sealing off his hearing for so long. The Beast's rampage had destroyed one of the cave walls and they had both fallen into a lake within the cave system. Shen Qingqiu had somehow managed to pull himself out of the water, not being stupid enough to fight a water fowl in water. He was exhausted, looked like a wet rag and was bleeding. There was no sign of Shang Qinghua and that either meant he was dead or that Shen Qingqiu was so far off from the main caves that he wouldn't be found in time. While the former was more likely, he at least hoped that Shang Qinghua made it to the surface and called for help because as much as he hated to admit it, that brute Liu Qingqe and his brutish sword would be helpful at the moment. He was tiring and his core couldn't hold on any longer while the beast was all but brimming in energy. It lunged and the Peak Lord futilely brought up his sword, knowing it wouldn't do anything, realizing that this was the end of Shen Jiu, dead by a rabid bird in a fucking cave. And then...there was light.

Lightning, there was lightning in the cave, huge arcs of it racing towards the beast and striking it over and over, the lake water acting as a conductor and exacerbating the damage. And on a ledge, was a creature wearing Shang Qinghua. Because that couldn't be Shang Qinghua. Shang Qinghua was a mousy, nervous, skittish mess of a man. Non obtrusive, and a pushover. He was weak and had no combat abilities to speak of. He barely had a core....except that wasn't true was it? None of them had ever seen Shang Qinghua fight. None of them had ever felt the power of his core. Shang Qinghua always ran solo and the occasional company of his head disciple so none of them had been on a mission with him. In fact, none of them knew anything about Shang Qinghua. They just assumed that he was weak...because he was An Ding and acted like a coward. But now it was clear Shen Qingqiu that it was by design. It should have impossible to constantly keep up a facade like that but looking at the imperious creature watching on dispassionately at the Demonic Beast writhing in his lightning, Shen Qingqiu knew that the impossible had been done.

The creature that was Shang Qinghua jumped down from the ledge and made his way to Shen Qingqiu. He was clutching a Thousand Screams Swan now back to its original size. He was barefoot. His clothing was ripped in places. A large slit too clean to be from the beast ran up both his legs just shy of his hips revealing long legs adorned in gorgeous ink patterns climbing up them and disappearing up the torso. It was clear Shang Qinghua cut them up to increase mobility. The sleeves were also ripped, also covered with beautiful tattoos and the high collar of the robes were open showing off beautiful collar bones. His hair was left free and falling russet waves down his back to his knees and with each shift Shen Qingqiu could see a silver shine of what seems to be metal strings woven into it. He was... He was a vision.

Shang Qinghua was always covered. He wore high collar robes that never showed an inch of skin on his body. So seeing him with his legs and arms and his collar visible, it was obscene! Shen Qingqiu realized to horror that he was blushing. His entire face was burning! Shang Qinghua must have succubus blood in him! He must have! Shen Qingqiu is not the type to blush at every pretty face! He hoped to the gods that Shang Qinghua just think of his blushing face as a result of exertion.

As Shang Qinghua drew closer, Shen Qingqiu noticed something strange. Gauntlets. Silver gauntlets carved with seals. Two on the ankles, two on the wrists. And one collar on the neck. Hidden underneath high collar robes as they were, this was the first time Shen Qingqiu had ever seen them. At first they looked like enhancers and looking at the lightning still attacking the beast which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, it seemed most likely. But Shen Qingqiu was done assuming things about Shang Qinghua. And he was right, because closer inspection revealed the seals to be limiters. Shen Qingqiu for the first time since he became a Peak Lord, was truly astonished. Limiter seals active on five points on the body and undoubtedly forming a restructure five point qi circuit and still manages to defeat two S class demonic beasts? Incredible. Shen Qingqiu wanted to know everything about him. He wanted to burrow underneath his skin. He has never wanted anything more.

After the Beast shrunk down somehow, Shang Qinghua retrieved it with a talisman that seemed to be some sort of Binding. He silently clutched the swans together and made his way to one of the caves, silently motioning for Shen Qingqiu to follow. As they made their way up the caves, Shen Qingqiu looked at his mysterious companion and told him what he was adamant about from the moment he saw the other bring down the wrath of the heavens,

"You can't hide from me anymore."

Shang Qinghua was silent. Then, like a whisper of silk on soft skin, he replied,

"I can try."

Shen Qingqiu smirked,

"Yes you can. But you won't succeed."

The Xiu Ya sword looked the two beasts the other was holding, two Thousand Screams Swans.

"Is Shang Lei even a real name? "

The other didn't answer and that was an answer in itself. Shen Qingqiu couldn't wait to have him.

Anon oh my god this is GORGEOUS!!! Thank you for feeding me, it was delicious!! Bamf SQH! Beautiful SQH! Badass, pretty, mysterious SQH!!!! Attractive as hell, an unattainable prospect!!!

@nighthaunting look look, it’s our writing child

[the-graves-family]

Ace blushes and looks very intently at a rose bush nearby. "Thank you. Father reached out to the David Austin company to buy some of their best plants. He even got a team of theirs to come and help with the planting." Which must have, and had, cost a small fortune. But Victor really did spare no expense when it came to his middle youngest son. "Did you know they still do all their breeding and budding by hand?" Ace likes sharing what he knows; sometimes, it's like he can't stop himself.

The thought of Yancy's apartment, so high up, has him flustered, for some reason. Get a hold of yourself, this is undignified. "Ah, yes. I mostly stay here, or on our other properties." He got moved around a lot, especially if Father or Adrian thought he was in danger. "But sometimes I go to events, like galas or red carpets." A little overwhelming, but he does like the attention. The Family is pretty well-known, and Adam is the face of the more... legal side of the business. Which mostly means he gets to look pretty and know next to nothing about the rest of his family's dealings.

"Adrian takes me to the best ice-cream shops sometimes, though. I like those. There's one where they make your cone look like a flower," Ace says dreamily as he smiles. "When I go with him, I don't need all the bodyguards. Don't get me wrong, Jacob and the team are very nice and I like them a lot, but it's a little too much, sometimes."

Taking a look around, Yancy chuckles, deep and quiet, as he rubs the back of his neck. Sure, he had been a bit distracted to notice that they were surrounded by a lot of roses. "I probably coulda guessed that, huh. Yeah, I agree. They're real pretty... you got good taste."

He approaches the water fountain, almost forgetting to keep a respectable distance until the last moment. Turning to face him, his hands clasp behind his back once more as he nods. "Yeah, downtown. It's a bit hectic, but I gotta real nice view of the water from the top floor." It's not too hard to pick up on a few things from context. With how protective his brother seemed to be, it was only natural that Ace probably didn't go to the city often. Or he had a massive envoy when he did. "Only sometimes? Anywhere in particular you enjoy visitin'?"