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devnicolee · 4 years ago

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The Chosen Ones (One-Shot): Surprise

A/N: Very random but it is what my brain wanted this weekend lol Also I miss Asha lol my fav! Anyway, enjoy!

***

Asha’s hand covered her mouth as she yawned, resting her book on her chest and letting her head gently fall on the mountain of propped up pillows behind her.

“You have been really tried lately, firecracker?” M’Baku called as he walked out of their bathroom to grab his pajamas at the foot of the bed. Asha nodded lightly, her mind immediately distracted, like a child with a new toy, as her eyes gazed over his naked body. They had only known each other for a year, been married for six months, and his body still managed to take her breath away.

She licked her lips lightly, desire flaring in her eyes as she ignored his question and her previous exhaustion. M’Baku chuckled as he examined her.

“Are you listening, my queen?”

She smiled slyly, pulling herself from under the covers, sexily crawling down to the edge of the bed where he stood.

“I’m sorry, my king. You are just my greatest distraction,” she whispered seductively in his ear, her teeth gently nipping at his earlobe, his favorite spot.

He groaned before pulling back slightly. “There will time for that later. But I am serious, Asha. Are you sure you are feeling ok?” His eyes examined her closely as if he could see a mysterious illness in her eyes. “You usually only sleep one or two nights a week and you have been dead to the world every night this week.”

“Maybe it is our late night activities,” she winked before kissing his neck. She ended her ministrations as she heard the frustrated sigh leave his lips. Her usual methods of distraction weren’t going to work this time.

He wasn’t wrong, she usually didn’t need sleep or, at least, not much of it. She spent most nights working with T’Challa, who was usually awake as well, or reading in the library. That is, after she and M’Baku finished their intimate time, which was continuing at a rate of every single night. She was wondering when he would slow down, get tired of her… but that day had yet to come. She was convinced that was part of it, M’Baku had more energy than her. He pushed her body to its limits most nights, even after a long day, he was rarely satisfied with lazy sex.

“Sorry, I know you are serious. I don’t know what it is though… nothing has changed. I-I’ve just felt really tired the last week or two. I’m sure it will pass, don’t worry about it, ok?” She kissed his cheek.

Silence fell over them as his eyes examined her. “If it continues, you will go see a healer, yes?”

“Of course. Now…” her small hands drifted to the hem of the shirt he just pulled onto his broad frame and started to pull it back off. “Why don’t you come over here and give me a reason to be exhausted?”

M’Baku climbed over her as their lips connected and their tongues explored each other.

“Anything you wish, my queen.”

****

Asha groaned slightly as she turned over in bed, the sheets sliding off of her naked body. M’Baku instinctively turned with her, his arm resting over her hip as she tried to get comfortable again. She glanced at the clock, surprised at how long she had slept. But she wasn’t surprised, M’Baku seemed determined to send her to new heights that evening, pouring all his love and energy into worshipping her body. She reached for her beads, finding a missed message from T’Challa.

She groaned as she remembered she was supposed to be going over some treaties with him that evening. She quietly got out of bed to get her tablet to call him. However, as she stood up, she felt her stomach start to turn, an unfortunate wave of nausea overtaking her. She sat back on the bed, her mind running through the food she ate throughout the day to determine what caused this.

After a few minutes, she felt that unmistakable churn that forced her to leap off the bed. She barely made it to the toilet before she began throwing up. It felt as if her body was trying to rid itself of every substance she ever consumed. After a few minutes of heaving, she rested her head on her arms, exhaustion settling in, as she waited for the next wave she knew would be coming.

When the second wave hit, she didn’t even notice M’Baku behind her, holding her braids back for her. When she was done, she felt a damp rag wiping her forehead. She offered him a small smile and a feeble ‘thank you.’

“What happened, baby?” He whispered as he rubbed her back.

“I-I don’t know. Just one of those stomach bugs probably,” she waved his concerns away.

“Maybe we should go see a healer tomorrow, firecracker?”

Asha immediately shook her head. “No, no. I promise I’m fine.”

She pushed herself up and walked slowly over to their wooden counter. She discreetly leaned against it as she reached for her toothbrush. “Look, if I get sick again, I promise I will go see a doctor. But there is no need to fuss. I feel much better already.”

“Ok, one more incident and you are headed to the doctor, no complaints.”

“Yes sir. Now let me brush my teeth and then we can go back to bed. I’ll be there in a second.”

She watched M’Baku’s back retreat from her as he returned to their bedroom. She slumped forward, her head resting in her hand. Something was off, she knew that much.

***

“Are you sure you are ok?” M’Baku asked as Asha wrapped her arm in his as they strolled through the market. She rolled her eyes.

She appreciated M’baku’s protectiveness, truly. But sometimes it felt overbearing. Aside from that bout of sickness two days ago, Asha had felt fine. Still tired but fine. And yet, he has asked her how she was feeling every hour for the last 48 hours. But when she thought about the husband she almost had, she chose to be grateful for this quirk of his. It just meant he cared deeply and wanted her to know that. She would always appreciate that about him… the lengths he went to ensure she felt loved, cherished and protected every single day. He wanted her to be around as long as she possibly could be and wanted to protect her from anything that could stop that.

“When are you going to stop asking me if I am ok?“

“When you are back to my usual energetic, non-sleeping, sickness-free fire goddess,” he mused.

“I promise, it was just one night. Even goddesses get sick, my king,” she teased, as she waved at a few vendors as they passed by. “Seriously, I’m good.”

“If you say so,” he muttered, his usual response to her assurances, an indication that he didn’t really believe her.

They approached Asha’s favorite shop in the market, a dressmaker who was a true magician with fabric. Asha had dragged Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri here to see Adisa, firmly believing her dresses were better than 99 percent of the dressmakers in the Golden City.

“My king, my queen,” Adisa saluted them as they entered the shop.

“Asha!”

“Neema! It is Queen Asha, you know that. Be respectful,” her mother called as the little girl barreled toward her chief and chieftess.

Asha smiled as Adisa’s daughter came rushing up to her and rammed into her legs for a hug. She didn’t particularly care about the young girl, or anyone in the tribe, calling her by her title. She was still getting used to that part.

“Oof!” Asha exclaimed as she wrapped her small arms around her legs. “Have you gotten stronger since I was last here? I think you have found your next great warrior, M’Baku,” she mused, sharing a wink with her husband.

The young girl glanced up at M’Baku, her eyes big with wonder and excitement. “Reallyyyy?” Her baby voice asked. M’Baku swooped down and picked her up, the girl immediately resting her head on his shoulder.

“I agree! We need strong warriors like you. You will train hard, yes? I will be looking for you to join us in a few years,” he remarked, smiling at the young girl.

It always made Asha’s heart melt watching M’Baku interact with children throughout the tribe. They all adored him. He had such a way with them, gentle and loving.

He placed her feet back on the ground, offering her another big smile before she turned her attention back to Asha.

“Can you make the fire, Queen Asha, pleasseeeee?”

Asha smiled before taking a few steps back, to put a healthy distance between her and the young girl, and stretched out her hands. While she enjoyed free use of her powers in Jabariland, she honestly didn’t think much about them anymore or use them often, especially this time of year. They were a joy for everyone during the winter months, instant fire at her fingertips whenever they needed it. But in the summer, Asha’s gift wasn’t as necessary as others were. Only one year into living among the Jabari and she truly appreciated how the Chosen were seen as gifts and help to the tribe, each one stepping up to fill a need or a gap when necessary.

Asha concentrated as she stretched her hands out, several flames emerging before forming three small gorillas. She and Neema watched as the gorillas ran around in her palms, the young girl getting close enough to watch but keeping a safe distance to ensure she didn’t get hurt.

She giggled and clapped her hands at the show, before Asha closed her palms, causing the fire to die out.

“What do you say?” Her mother prompted as she carried several large garment bags out of the back of the shop.

“Thank you!”

She gave Asha another hug before running to the back room. As she straightened back up, Asha swayed slightly for a second, unexpected dizziness washing over her. She took a deep breath, ignoring it briefly.

“Thank you for always entertaining her. She just loves that.”

M’Baku took the long garment bags out of her hands, trading them for a stack of Wakandan dollars.

Asha waved her hand, “It is nothing. She is a dream, so sweet. And thank you for the new pieces. So happy I have something for King T’Challa’s birthday this weekend.”

“I hope you like them! Will I see you again next week? I will have some new things for you to try?”

Asha nodded, “Of course!”

She and M’Baku said their goodbyes before heading back into the market toward their carriage. She leaned against M’Baku, using him to help her walk as the dizzy feeling grew. She wanted to ask him to stop but didn’t want to send him into a frenzy in the middle of the crowded market. But after a few more paces, she realized she couldn’t take it any longer.

“My love, can we s-slow down for one second?” She asked, her feet coming to a halt.

“Of course. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just felt dizzy all of a sudden. I am sure it is nothing.”

His hands went to her waist as he examined her. After a few minutes of deep breathes, Asha finally opened her eyes to see the extreme concern in his.

“Better?”

She nodded, “Much. Thanks.”

“Good. And we will have no more of this. I am calling a healer as soon as we get home.”

“M’Baku…” Asha whined. “Please, don’t make a big deal out of this. I just needed a minute.”

“And I need for you to be ok, really ok. And you aren’t. Lying about that for my benefit isn’t helping either of us. Even if it is something small, I would rather know about it so we can deal with it. Understand?” He kissed her forehead gently.

Asha nodded, accepting that this was not a battle she could win. “Understood.”

***

Asha paced up and down their bedroom as she waited for M’Baku to come home from his office. He had demanded she take the day off and rest, rearranging her entire day for her and arranging for his private healer to come check in on her.

The healer had left over an hour ago, leaving behind a diagnosis Asha hadn’t never thought to consider.

She was pregnant.

She almost fainted when he told her. She even asked him to check again to be sure.

Asha couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t tell whether to be excited or terrified. Asha had always wanted children but convinced herself for years that she would never have them. And then M’Baku came along and changed all of that. He made her impossible dreams feel possible again. And they both wanted children, him an army of them. But not this soon, they had barely been married.

She worried they were moving too fast. After all, they had dated, gotten engaged and gotten married all in less than a year. Asha regretted none of it, even if the move to Jabariland came with a steep learning curve. She had figured it out and she had never been happier. However, children were not something you rushed, they were something you planned for. And they hadn’t done any real planning yet.

Part of her worried how M’Baku would react, but only for a second. Regardless of the timing, he would be ecstatic, beside himself.

She had spent the last hour pacing their quarters, wondering how to tell him. However, she wouldn’t have to wait much longer as she looked up to find him walking into their quarters.

“My love, you are supposed to be in bed,” he chastised lightly, kissing her on the forehead. “What’s wrong?” He asked immediately as he took in the stressed look on her face. “What did the doctor say?”

Asha stared at his chest. She knew there was a better way to tell him this, something cute and romantic. But she was freaking out and needed him… his strength, his steadfastness, his wisdom. He would forgive the lack of fanfare in the announcement.

“Nothing bad. I’m ok… I-I’m just pregnant.”

She stole a glance at his face, finding a smile slowly growing there like a blooming flower.

“What?” He asked for clarification.

“I am pregnant.”

“Ah!” Asha let out a light scream and laugh as she was suddenly swept off her feet. M’Baku captured her lips as he spun her around. She giggled lightly.

“Are you happy?” She asked.

“You have made me the happiest man in the world, Asha. I love you more than anything.” He kissed her deeply.

He clapped his hands and laughed as they broke apart, immediately launching into a speech.

“We have to celebrate! In the Golden City this weekend! Oh and we have to tell our families. AND the Council. They will be ecstatic at this news… an heir. Wow. Oh he or she will be the greatest leader the Jabari has ever seen.” Asha watched as he paced and talked, his excitement flowing out of him like the rivers cut the mountains. “I will carve them a knobkerrie and I s-should start on the crib now. Do you th-“ he stopped as he looked over at his wife, his words dying at the sad smile on her face.

“What’s wrong, usana?” He asked, immediately coming up to her and rubbing her bare arms. As he looked at her, he could see the signs of her anxiety and fear, the unshed tears she was desperately trying to hold back glistening vin her eyes. “Are you not happy?”

She shook her head immediately, “No, no. I am happy. Of course, I’m happy,” she emphasized looking up at him. “I ju-“ she shook her head again, hesitant at sharing her fears with him… fears she knew he wouldn’t share. “N-nothing, it’s nothing. I am happy, really.”

“Stop. No, do not do that. Something is bothering you. Tell me.”

Asha looked away from him, her fears growing as she struggled to voice her anxieties to her husband. This was the part of marriage she still struggled with, being vulnerable and letting him in.

“Hey, look at me, baby.” His hand gently guided her chin so her eyes were back on him. “Whatever you have, whatever you are feeling… the good, the bad, all the complicated feelings in between, I want to hear them. I want all of you, always, Asha. Please, tell me what is troubling you.”

“Do you think I would be a good mother?” She whispered.

M’Baku tilted his head in confusion. Of all the things he expected her to say, this was not it. “Of course. Why would you ask such a thing?”

Asha sighed, a tear falling down her cheek. “Y-You know how my parents were. I mean, I basically died a-and my mother didn’t even check on me. She never protected me o-or loved me. The moment she could rid me from her life, she did. I probably don’t have a mothering bone i-in my body. I don’t know how to do this a-and I thought we would have more time for me to figure it out. A-and I am terrified… terrified I will disappoint them a-and you.”

M’Baku settled next to her, a comforting hand rubbing her back. “You are nothing like your parents, Asha. What’s that American saying, ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?’ Well, you and your siblings seemed to have fallen in a different field.” His heart lifted at the little smile at graced her face at his joke. It shattered him to hear how little she thought of herself, how her parents’ actions still haunted her. He understood, saw it every time they were in the Golden City.

She had begun healing from her relationship with her father since she spoke with him in the Ancestral Plane… she had closure at least. But her mother… that was a minefield he, T’Challa, and Shuri tried to avoid, at Asha’s insistence. They maintained pleasantries at official events and in front of the Council, for the sake of optics. But other than that, M’Baku couldn’t think of the last time she and her mother had uttered two words directly to each other or been in the same room without T’Challa and Shuri. However, that didn’t stop the snide remarks sent her way from her mother.

Asha pretended it didn’t bother her to be ignored, disrespected by her mother continuously. But M’Baku saw it, the way her heart fell - even just for a second - every single time. He remembered her coronation 6 months ago, two days after their wedding. He still remembered her face when the rest of her family and friends descended from the Talon but her Ramonda didn’t. T’Challa’s sorry attempt to find an excuse for her couldn’t hide what they all knew: the Queen Mother simply didn’t care to attend. It crushed her, he knew, to never be accepted by her. He cursed himself for never thinking about how that might affect her feelings about parenting their own children.

He wrapped his arm around her, her body immediately nestling into his. “I have seen the way you are with our nieces and nephews, the other children here. They all love you, Asha. You are nurturing and kind, gentle. But most importantly, you affirm them always, you uplift them and do everything in your power to ensure they know how valuable and important they are. You are already leagues and bounds ahead of your mother. I have no doubt in your mothering abilities because you are a mother to everyone in this tribe who needs you. I have no doubt you will be the same for our child,” his hand rubbed her stomach through her thick knit sweater.

“You think so?” She asked quietly, wiping her tears.

He kissed the side of her head, “I know so. And I also know there is no shame in fear, usana. Fear is the consequence that comes with growing and stretching ourselves as people. Parenting is hard, it will be the hardest thing we ever do. And I am scared too,” he nodded, nonverbally reiterating his statement at her skeptical eyebrow raise. “I am. But I will lean on Hanuman and I will lean on you, as I always do when I am scared. And I hope you will do for me. We can do this, Asha. You can do this.”

Asha nodded, smiling at him, “You are amazing. How did I get so lucky?” Her lips connected with his cheek, his coarse beard tickling her lips.

“I ask Hanuman the same thing everyday about you,” he whispered back, kissing her forehead. “Come on firecracker,” he laughed as he watched her try to hide a yawn. “My Queen deserves all the rest and relaxation.”

He helped her strip down to her undies before giving her one of his sweaters to sleep in and helped her into bed. Before she settled fully, she waved her hand to extinguish the fire across the room, her body heat being enough for both of them. Once she was settled, he joined her as she draped her body over his bare chest.

“This will be good, Asha. We will be great parents,” he said as they laid in the darkness.

Asha smiled, the first genuine one since she found out the news.

“I think we will too.”

***

Tag List: @destinio1 @muse-of-mbaku @jellybean531 @skysynclair19@ashanti-notthesinger @gloriousgam3r @archivistofwakanda@leahnicole1219 @mygirlrenee @dramaqueeenamby

#black panther fanfiction #m'baku x oc #m'baku x reader #m'baku imagine #black panther imagines #black panther fics #black writers #black panther #m'baku

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dickpuncher420 · 4 years ago

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Re: your post about aang taking a surname One of my best friends in high school was Tibetan and her surname was Neema. Idk if everyone in her family had the same surname (i don't think so but I can't remember now?) or how the named traditions worked but, so in not that much of a help but here's a suggestion for one at least 💗

thanks for the suggestion! i guess what i am more interested in here is finding out how exactly a tibetan person living in a western country would go about choosing a surname for themself, rather than just blindly picking a name at random, but i appreciate the input! :)

#olympics au #anonymous #ask

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memesiders · 5 years ago

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Part 1

Death x OC Office AU

(I'm still obsessed with the Office AU created by @notesz-b so I started writing a little something. It's not the best but I'm proud of it so yeah... Any suggestions for a title or critiques are welcome. Just please be gentle lol)

My eyes flicked to the clock on the wall for what felt like the hundredth time in the past forty five minutes. How much longer would I have to wait? It wasn't like there were a bunch of people here; when I'd arrived there had only been three people in the waiting area. Now, only I remained. Well, me and the woman sitting behind her desk, tapping away at her keyboard. Amber, I think her name was. I flicked my eyes down to her, admiring her long platinum hair that was pulled into a tight ponytail.

Very Ariana Grande of her. Did she get migraines often from the strain on her scalp?

She looked up at me suddenly, cool eyes studying me while one of her perfect brows arched curiously. I smiled awkwardly, embarrassed by being caught for looking too long. She let out a long breath and picked up the phone on the desk, putting it to her ear and hitting a button. My smile dropped and I looked away quickly, nervously tugging at the few loose strands of hair that fell into my face.

"Hello, sir," Amber said, breaking the silence. "Yes, still here..." I cut my eyes back to her. "Yes... Okay. Do you want me to tell her to leave?" My heart dropped into my stomach. Oh no, I was not going to leave here without getting my interview. I shot up and adjusted my bag, walking over to her desk. She hung up as I reached it and turned to me. "I'm sorry, but we have to reschedule your interview. Something's come up and-"

"I need this interview," I cut in, feeling slight guilt at interrupting her. "Please, I really, really need this interview. I've been waiting for almost an hour and-"

"I apologize." Her voice was louder and less kind than it had been. "But the boss is not up to interviewing any potential-"

"Oh, fuck that," I muttered under my breath, walking to the two large office doors. Amber yelled at me to stop but I ignored her, grabbing one of the sleek handles and twisting it. Something hard hit my back and I fell forward, the door swinging open. All I could do was yelp before my face hit the ground and I was being subdued by Office Barbie. I grunted and struggled against her, kicking my legs and swinging back to try and hit her. She grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. I hissed at the action and tried to pull my arm free to no avail; how could someone so tiny be so strong?

"Amber, enough," a deep voice ordered. The weight on top of me disappeared seconds after the command and I pushed myself onto my knees, hugging my throbbing arm to my chest. I glared up at the woman who wasn't even looking at me.

"Should I remove her from the premises, sir?" she asked, the expression on her face clearly saying she wanted the speaker to say yes.

"That won't be necessary," the man sighed. He sounded tired, exhausted even. I turned my head to look at the speaker, my breath escaping me. There was something about him that was almost ethereal. I couldn't tell if it was the pale skin, the long raven hair, or the eyes that seemed to burn like hot embers. Maybe it was none of that and was, instead, the muscles that flexed under the dark suit he wore. One thing was for certain though; he wasn't human.

He wasn't an angel either, nor a demon, the lack of wings proved that. I could practically hear my older sister yelling at me what he was. I should've paid attention to what she told me. Something about ancient beings and being the last of their kind or something like that. Fuck, why hadn't I paid attention?

He cleared his throat and I jumped, shaking off the cloud that had formed around me. I shakily got to my feet and brushed off my skirt and tights, combing a quick hand through my hair. He lazily waved his hand and Amber moved from my side, leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Goosebumps rose on my arms as I realized I was now alone with him, and that my first impression was probably the worst that could've happened. "Well?" I jumped again, noting the irritation in his voice. I stared at him with wide eyes, afraid to move for some reason.

He rolled his eyes and sat up straight in his chair, clasping his hands together. "You barge into my office for an interview I canceled and now you have nothing to say?" I made a strangled sound and squeezed the strap of my bag tightly.

"I- I'm, uh, I'm sorry," I managed to choke out, wishing I'd just left instead of bulldozing my way forward. Death scoffed and rubbed his temples, a vein in his neck popping out as he clenched his jaw. I had to do this right before he changed his mind and had Amber throw me out on my ass. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders, walking over to his desk with confidence I could only fake at the moment.

"My name is Aziza Banks," I said, offering him my hand. He stared at it for a good minute before finally taking it. We shook and I couldn't help but notice how large his hand was compared to mine, and how cold his skin felt against my palm. I nearly yanked my hand away from the icy touch. He gestured for me to take a seat and I nodded in appreciation, sitting down in one of the nice leather chairs and setting my bag in the other. I pulled out my resumé and placed it in the dark desk, sliding it across to him. "I'm here about the part time receptionist opening."

He nodded but made no move to pick up my resumé. I shifted nervously and took a deep breath, fighting the urge to bounce my leg. I did that whenever I was anxious, and it was taking everything in my to not give in. "What are your qualifications? Experience?"

"If you look inside you'll find-"

"I want to hear them from you." I bit my tongue, holding back the string of curses I wanted to throw his way. He had made me wait an hour, tried to cancel the interview, and now he wanted me to tell him what was so easily accessible to him? God, what a prick.

"It's in my resumé, which I thought you read," I said calmly, adding a bite to my words. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly and he grabbed the folder, flipping through it without looking at it. Instead, he stared at a small bird statue on his desk. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he looked through the file.

"Twenty Four, graduated with a bachelor's in art & design." He snorted quietly and continued down, one of his brows arching. "What is this?" He held up a photograph and I knew my face was redder than a tomato. It was a photo of my younger sister and I wearing fedoras and flipping off the camera. I had my tongue sticking out. Oh God.

"Goddammit, Neema," I muttered under my breath, covering my face with a hand. "I'm so sorry; I think my little sister slipped it in. She's always playing jokes and trying to embarrass me." I dropped my hand and sighed. "I am so, so sorry." He gave me what seemed like a sympathetic look and tucked the picture back into the folder.

"Siblings can be... irritating," he replied, squinting his eyes slightly as he continued to look through my file.

"That's putting it mildly." The corner of his mouth twitched slightly and I fought back a small smile of my own. Silence fell over us after that. I turned my attention to the room we were in, studying everything. There was a couch and a few chairs in one of the corners of the large office, a coffee table in the center of the circle of furniture. Two plants rested in different corners and two large ornate scythes were displayed on a wall, one crossing over the other. Shelves hung on a different wall with books stacked neatly on them and a picture frame with four people in it.

I couldn't make them all out from where I was sitting but I was almost certain the one on the inner left was Death. Underneath The shelves was a bar with a mini fridge and crystal glasses neatly displayed on the countertop. The office, for how large it was, was mostly bare; the man was definitely a minimalist.

I finished looking around and finally turned my attention back to Death, who had been watching me. For how long, I didn't know, but I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw those amber eyes staring at me. I straightened up and gave him a small smile, nodding at my resumé. "There anything else you'd like to know that isn't in there?" I asked politely. He closed the folder and slid it back to me, shaking his head.

"No, thank you." He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together. "I'm sorry, Miss Banks, but I don't think you'd be a right fit." My heart sank and I completely deflated, shoulders dropping.

"What? Why not?" I asked, sounding more pathetic than I'd meant to. Death shrugged.

"I don't see anything in your resumé that suggest that you'd be right for the job. Your degree is in arts & design, not business, communications, or anything that could be useful to my office." I opened my mouth to speak but he continued. "I'm interested in people who can contribute something valuable to me and the company; you have nothing to offer. I'm sorry for wasting your time, have a nice day." With that, he turned his attention to his computer screen. Something started to bubble inside of me, something hot and anxious. I was mad- no, pissed. How could I not be a good fit? How could I not have something valuable to contribute? I could definitely contribute patience; that was evident by the hour I waited outside his fucking office. I slammed my hands down on his desk and stood, scoffing loudly. He looked back at me.

"Are you serious right now?" I laughed, but it wasn't because I was amused. "I spent a chunk of my time in your waiting room while you were in here doing God knows what, only getting a meeting with you after running past and being taken down by your attack dog, only so you can turn me down because you think I can't contribute anything to the office? That I'm not a valuable asset or have something worthy for you?" The bubbling had turned into a fire in the pit of my stomach and I could feel tears pricking the corners of my eyes. Fuck, why did I always cry when I was pissed off? "That's absolute bullshit!" Death regarded me coolly and stood, now towering over me. He was well over 6'0, that was for sure, because I was about that height and I seemed tiny now in comparison. His height didn't discourage me though; I was too angry for that.

"Honestly, you're not making the situation any better for yourself," he replied calmly, as if we were both having a normal conversation. "Do you think you deserve a job here because I made you wait? Or maybe because you got past my 'attack dog'?" I blinked, taken aback.

"Wha- No, of course not!" He was really pissing me off now. He leaned down to me, his face nearly touching mine. I could smell a hint of alcohol on his breath, and something else I couldn't quite place.

"Then why?" Death asked, voice low. He was trying to intimidate me, I knew it. He wasn't going to get that satisfaction; no one ever had and no one ever would. I rocked forward onto my toes, pushing myself up so that our noses brushed. The loose strands of his hair brushed against my cheek, tickling my skin and catching my eyelashes.

"Because I'm qualified and I'm pretty sure I'm the only applicant who hasn't bailed on you because of how long you avoided them," I answered, my voice unable to stay calm. "I can take anything you throw at me and get it done perfectly. I busted my ass getting here and if you give me a chance, I'll show you that I deserve to be here. That I have something of value to bring to the table." Silence fell back over us, our eyes locked in a silent battle. I wasn't about to back down, and I knew he definitely wouldn't; he didn't seem like the type of man to back down from a fight.

I heard a light knock on the door, followed by the sound of it being opened, but my gaze never wavered. "Sir," I heard Amber say. "You brother is waiting for you." Death's eyes burned holes into me but I didn't dare look away. Angels and demons had had their fair share of trying to intimidate me and had failed, this guy wouldn't be the first to break me.

"Which one?" he growled, refusing to drop eye contact. There was a loud bang and I couldn't help but jump and subsequently look over my shoulder. Standing next to Amber was a man about the same height as Death, with dark skin and disheveled hair that fell back over his head and ended in little spikes. It reminded me of a character in some anime Neema tried getting me to watch.

"Brother," he exclaimed, a shit eating grin on his face. "Good to see you!" Death groaned and fell back into his seat.

"Strife," he muttered. Strife sauntered in, holding his arms out.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by just to say hi, maybe catch up."

"You live on the other side of town!" I looked between them, suddenly feeling awkward. Death dragged a hand down his face and stared at his brother, the bags under his eyes seeming to deepen. "What do you really want?" Strife clutched his heart and frowned.

"Why, big brother, what do you mean? Can't I just be here for a nice visit with my sibling?"

"No," he replied before Strife could even finish.

"Should I remove him from the premises, sir?" Amber asked, cracking her knuckles. Death and Strife stared at each other, Strife's eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. The building tension in the room made me want to shiver, but instead I fell back into my seat just as Death answered,

"No, thank you, Amber. It'll be fine." She nodded and left, closing the door behind her, but not before casting me a curious glance. Strife continued over and pulled back a chair, sweeping my bag off of the seat without a care to ask me to move it. My purse hit the floor, contents spilling out all over. I sucked in a sharp breath and glared at the man as he plopped down, ignoring me completely.

"Nice manners, asshole," I muttered, scooting out of my seat to pick up my things. I grabbed the dumped items- gum, a pen, my wallet, and an empty candy bar wrapper- and tossed the items back into my bag. As I went to pick it up, a boot came down on the purse strap. I snapped my head up, scowling at him. He smirked and reached for his sunglasses, tipping them up slightly to reveal two intense yellow eyes. My breath hitched in my throat at the sight of them; absolutely beautiful.

"Do you know who I am, little girl?" he asked, his tone vaguely threatening. I frowned, yanking the purse strap out from under his boot.

"Yeah," I said, settling back into my seat. "You're the biggest asshole in the city; nice to finally meet you." He stared at me for a few seconds and I wondered if, perhaps, I should have kept my mouth shut. After all, this was the brother of the man I was trying to get to hire me, and he was pretty important himself. He let his glasses fall back over his eyes and, to my surprise, started to laugh. He tipped his head back as he snickered, his body shaking from the laughter. My frown deepened as I watched him; this was definitely not what I'd expected.

"Oh, Creator, that was good," he wheezed out after a few more moments of giggling. He looked to his brother. "Death, where did you find this one? Can I have her?"

"She's not mine," Death hissed, sitting back and rubbing his temples.

"Yes I am," I snapped. I wasn't about to leave here after waiting for an hour without a job.

"Really," Strife sang, turning his attention to me. He leaned on the arm of his chair, resting his chin on his fist as he regarded me. "So how long have you been banging my brother?" My eyes widened at his question. What? I wasn't- how did he think- "He never told me he had a lovely little human on his arm."

"Strife," Death growled, getting no reaction from his sibling other than a smirk.

"I'm not his like that!" I finally sputtered out. My face was warm and I could only imagine how red my cheeks were. "I just meant-"

"You're not mine in any way, shape, or form!" I shot a glare at Death, ready to enter another round of arguing with him, when Strife cut in.

"If he's not gonna give you a job, I'll happily take you in," he purred, a mischievous grin on his face. I rolled my eyes at his offer and sighed, shaking my head.

"You'll do no such thing," Death stated, narrowing his eyes at the other man. Strife's grin only grew and he turned to his brother.

"You're not the boss of either of us, big brother. I'd be more than welcome to take the little human in." The two stared at each other silently, the tension in the air only growing. I was sure one of them was going to throw the first punch at any minute. Suddenly, Death spoke.

"Amber!" In less than five seconds the blonde was at the door, her eyes trained on Strife like a guard dog waiting for her owner to give the command. "Please, escort Miss Banks out of my office. I need to speak to my brother, alone." I frowned, my hands curling into fists.

"What?" I spat, glaring at him. "No, we're not finished here!" He met my gaze and the air around me seemed to chill. I wanted to recoil, but I couldn't back down.

"Yes, I believe we are. I am sorry, Miss Banks, but you do not have the job." I stood quickly, nearly knocking back the chair, and slammed my hands down on the desk.

"No, I'm not leaving. You can't just-"

"Please come with me or else I'll have to use force," Amber said, appearing next to me. I disregarded her.

"I came here for a job and I'm not leaving until I get one, you pompous, stuck up ba-" Before I could finish tearing him a new one, Amber had my arm twisted behind my back and was pushing me to the exit, my bag in her hand. "Wait!"

"Have a nice day, Miss Banks," Death called as I was shoved out. I tossed a glance over my shoulder and I could've sworn I saw a smirk on his face. Son of a bitch. Amber didn't let go of me until I was in the elevator.

"I'm sorry the interview didn't go your way," she said, sounding and looking sincere. "Don't take what he said personally; he's is in a mood today. Something to do with his siblings, I'd assume." The anger seemes to drain out of me as she talked, not because I felt bad for the guy, but because the reality of what had just happened was settling in. I suddenly felt ashamed of myself; my actions weren't something I was entirely proud of. I'd never been so upset by an interview before. I'd had plenty of them, and had been turned down more times than I cared to admit, so why had I lost it at this one? Maybe it was the looming reminder of failure hanging over me. Whatever it was, it was inexcusable of me to behave like that. I almost felt like I owed Death an apology.

Almost.

"It's alright," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I took my bag from her hand, my frown deepening. "I shouldn't have behaved like a crazy bitch. That probably didn't help my case." Amber cracked a small smile and nodded, stepping back. I hit the lobby button and leaned against the elevator wall. "It was nice meeting you, Amber."

"Same to you, Aziza," she replied as the elevator doors came to a close. I let my head fall back and sighed, closing my eyes as tears started to build.

What a fucking failure.

#darksiders #office au #death x oc

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isolctions · 5 years ago

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visiting hours are over. neema @ sam'raa.

the warmest december

“Who said that I was here to visit anyone?” Her voice rang heavy through the stone walls, making a conscious effort to fixate on the patterns and the artwork that adorned the walls, the brightly lit lamps that illuminated the path in front of her. Directly to Neema. And while the other hadn’t been the reason for Sam’raa making such a visit — she was far too damn prideful to ever admit that she enjoyed Neema’s presence when she wasn’t motivated to kill the girl right then and there — it wasn’t unwelcoming to her to see her there. She could’ve treated Neema cordially, passed by the other royal without incident. But what fun would it be to walk past a dragon and not poke at it?

“My being here has absolutely nothing to do with you. But I appreciate the welcome at your expense.” A smile pressed to the corners of her mouth, waving a hand to a guard at her side to clear out a path for her as she approached Neema. “By the way…you should do something with the place. I’d hate for you to come into power with such a bland background.”

#sam'raa — meme #saturnrang

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myfavoritewordiscat · 6 years ago

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in case you still do the oc asks, how about 12, 17 and 19? if you don't mind me asking :)

Hi, thanks for sending the asks in! I appreciate it!

12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot

I’m not entirely sure if this counts, but I really love Kaladin from the Stormlight Archive! He is such an amazing character who struggles with depression and tries to save everyone, but he knows he can’t. He is so beautifully written and so complex that sometimes I forget he’s a fictional character!

17. Any OC OTPs?

My own OCs, Cyrus and Neema, are my favorite OTP haha. They aren’t perfect for each other, but they are such great friends that romance starts to bloom without them even knowing. I haven’t written anything about their romantic relationship yet, mostly because I don’t know how! I want to get everything right!

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

Cyrus definitely means the world to me. I first came up with him while sitting in my neighbors backyard and I remember thinking that I should write a book. At the time, I was reading Game of Thrones so I was in the medieval fantasy mindset and, out of nowhere, a young man with platinum blonde hair popped into my mind. I remember thinking in my head, ‘his name will be Cyrus and he will be the hero.’ From there, I began developing him and creating more characters. Talos soon came after Cyrus because I couldn’t have a story without a couple of dragons in it!

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spinnysocks · 10 months ago

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appreciation for @devilsrecreation's janja and kiburi swap au (post here) bc i've had SO MUCH BRAINROT over it and i want to share some thoughts :3

for kiburi

first of all and mostly importantly, HE SINGS! LIKE, A LOT! it would be so fun to hear Tonight We Strike, an already A*** song, in his voice. i wonder if the songs would be different because he and his float are crocodiles 👀

more tamka and nduli screen time! :3 they'd be way more fleshed out and we'd get kiburi calling them "fish-for-brains" all the time <3

neema taking the place of nne and tano... kiburi gets so annoyed at tamka and nduli one day that he appoints neema to second-in-command. yeah, it goes downhill 💀

i feel like nduli in this au would enhance my mjuzi au even more if it was put into this! mainly because he'd be the mjuzi to makuu (because he swaps with jasiri)

on that note, makuu taking the place of jasiri is SO FUNNY. he's got practically the exact same personality as when he becomes a respected leader in canon, but he's... cheery? compassionate? helpful? basically enough of a small difference for him to greet kion like jasiri does in canon

makuu singing Siwi Ni Sawa 😭 i want to see that so bad. this is making me wonder if makuu and the other crocodiles would be teens maybe? unless kion just makes friends with a whole ass fully grown crocodile from the outlands who happens to be friendly hgdgf

and on THAT note, makuu and kiburi replace jasiri and janja, so gay croc bfs!!! kiburi's personality is obviously slightly altered to fit janja's role but it's so funny cuz dude just has internal gay panic. him singing A New Way To Go would be fucking amazing

as i'm typing this i realised that makuu x kiburi reminds me of that Go For It, [Insert Character]! meme. kiburi's the one who has to go for it and he's surrounded by images of makuu lmao

makuu and kion having a close friendship would be so fun, it's such a cool twist from canon cuz makuu is just that little bit more compassionate. it also means he becomes leader of the outlands! now THAT would be something to see

reformed kiburi 😍 who doesn't wanna see that?? him defending makuu's leadership and everything! what a twist from canon huh

i can just imagine the scene of makuu and kiburi reaching the tree of life, it takes all of kiburi's self control not to snap at bunga when he pounces him lmao. also he'd so be scared of lightning but pretend to be chill in front of makuu adsjjdhh. i love janja and azaad's friendly rivalry in canon, would be funny to see that with kiburi because "afraid of water, cheetah?" would make so much sense since he's a croc lol

OH MY GOD I JUST REALISED WE'D GET BABY CROCS IN "THE LAKE OF REFLECTION"!!!

also i love kiburi and reirei's allyship in canon so it'd be funny to see them bicker, and they'd get a song!!

the weird twist of hodari and kinyonga being the spies for scar's army while the skinks live in the pridelands as good guys. shupavu and njano actually being friends with the lion guard is really weird but also would be fun. njano wanting to be a croc! and SINGING!!! 🥺

in general, it would just be so goddamn funny for the lion guard to deal with kiburi's attitude all the time lmao

for janja

actual asshole janja is not something i thought of before but now i'm rocking with it. he literally just hates jasiri's rule, is like "nah, fuck you, i wanna be leader!" and gets his tail kicked like an idiot /affectionate

jasiri taking makuu's place and maybe being a bad leader at first?? that'd be pretty interesting to see especially with her personality. imagine her not being trusted at the savanna summit!

her being humbled by the pridelanders saving her clan would be awesome to see, i'd really like to see her personality shifted to the point where she's cocky and disrespectful but she betters herself

a hyena mashindano between jasiri and janja 👀 damn that'd be cool

i think i like this au of jasiri a lot bc she is involved in the pridelands, and it reminds me of this post <3 which could be even more fun if inserted into this au, with makuu as leader of the outlands accepted into the summit, cause crocs are a lot more dangerous than hyenas let me tell you that. it also adds depth bc it would be personal healing for kiara, as she was attacked by outlander crocodiles in TLK 2!

i wish i could talk more about janja but kiburi is canon does not have too much depth tbh 😭 but the concept of them swapping is soooo cool. it would be so trippy for them to be swapped when they meet in Let Sleeping Crocs Lie

i'm probably gonna get even more ideas after i post this i guarantee. just a very cool au with a lotta potential!!

#the lion guard #tlg #tlg au #tlg outlanders #janja #kiburi #makuu #jasiri

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devilsrecreation · 1 month ago

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Random Outlander Interaction Headcanons pt 2

Kiburi and Mzingo:

I can see them being fist-bump buddies, with the two of them thinking they’re the only actual normal ones in the Outlands lmao. They just sit back looking at everyone’s antics like “You gotta deal with this shit too?”

“All the time.”

I like to imagine while Janja and Reirei are arguing, Kiburi just gestures to Mzingo like “Ask him. He’s smarter than the both of you combined” or smth along those lines. Mzingo appreciates it

Cheezi and Njano:

Omg derpy tongue bois. Although Cheezi was a bit creeped out by the skinks at first, I can picture him being the first one to actually befriend one of them and that being Njano. It literally started with a “Wait a minute…you look just like me! :D” “Huh, thought I was the only one!” and boom-friendship.

I mentioned this to Spinny before, but Njano is a horrible influence on Cheezi lmao. He’ll dare Cheezi to do something or make a lighthearted joke and next thing you know, Cheezi started a damn fire 😭 Silly little gremlins

Sumu and Chungu:

So I hc that Sumu somehow finds himself hanging out with/befriending the Idiots after a rescue mission and I firmly believe Chungu is the reason for that. He’s the first of the Idiots to invite Sumu to hang with them in the first place and the first one to call him a friend. He also makes sweet remarks about how smart Sumu is and Sumu, while a bit awkward due to all the kindness, regards him as a good friend

Nne and Mwoga:

Nne doesn’t really deal with idiocy, but Mwoga would definitely be the exception for two reasons: 1. He’s not REALLY stupid (a little ditzy but he still has a brain) and 2. He helped raise him so he definitely respects him. Mwoga tends to be somewhat of a mediator between Nne and Tano and Chungu and Cheezi, usually reminding Nne that they mean well and to be a bit nicer to them

Tamka and Tano:

You know, when Neema told Tano how much of an idiot Tamka was, he thought he was exaggerating….until he and Nne actually met him in my Neema-centered episode idea and oh my stars he’s as dumb as Chungu is, if not stupider. I imagine he gets cocky with him, saying stuff like “You should know that, mate”

And then Tamka’s wondering why this hyena thinks of him as his mate 😭

Mwoga and Janja:

I like to think Mwoga is almost as close as he is with Janja as Mzingo is. He was a bit confused why he was suddenly a surrogate to a hyena but he loved and accepted him all the same. Mwoga reads right through Janja when he’s talking about how annoying Chungu and Cheezi have been. Janja may be ranting, but Mwoga knows just how much he loves them and tells the others as such

Kiburi and Tano:

Interesting…I think they’d be cool with each other. Kiburi’s lowkey impressed with Tano’s knowledge about other animals and would definitely approve of him and Neema’s friendship. Although he wasn’t above threatening them when wanting to know where Neema went off to.

They also roll their eyes at Tamka’s stupidity like

“Is he always like this?”

“Yup.”

Dogo and Chungu:

I feel like Chungu was the first to warm up to Dogo when the hyenas and jackals became allies. Dogo just had to say “sorry” while giving the yeens his signature puppy eyes and Chungu was like “Why do we hate him again?”.

Janja: Cuz he tried stealin’ our food, furbrain

Chungu: Oh yeah!

Dogo: Don’t worry, I promise I’m ashamed :3

Chungu: Dawwww! We forgive you!

Reirei and Nduli:

Reirei thinks Nduli is a real sweetheart. He likes to compliment her and even admires her parenting skills. Maybe she (and Goigoi) gives him parenting advice that he uses when he has kids of his own. This is part of the reason why he’s so overbearing to his kids lol

Sumu and Nduli:

Sumu had no idea a crocodile could be such a sweetheart but he now feels like he has an obligation to protect his innocence. Nduli’s basically the equivalent to Winnie the Pooh in his eyes so he tends to show his soft side to him (Sumu doesn’t do that unless he’s with his mother so that's a huge plus). No matter what idea Nduli has, Sumu agrees cuz he literally can’t say no to him.

Meanwhile Nduli likes hearing about all the scorpion facts. He finds them fascinating.

Kijana and Tamka:

You know how the adult is supposed to babysit the child? Yeah, it’s the exact opposite with these two. Because Kijana takes more after her mother, she’s pretty much the brains to Tamka’s brawn and often keeps a close eye on him to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself. I feel like they’d make a lighthearted joke where Kijana goes “alright that’s enough fun for today, time for us to go home” and Tamka (and Nduli) are like “awww, five more minutes!”

Also Tamka seeing what Goigoi means when he says that his kids are just like Reirei lol

Wema and Kiburi:

Awwwwwwww! A baby and a fully grown crocodile, what can go wrong?/j

Nah, Kiburi would warm up to her. She’s not as annoying as most of the other hyenas and actually likes how sweet she is. Plus he has to admit, she’s adorable when she’s trying to act as brave as a crocodile. Wema thinks he’s cool and she loves hearing his stories (I didn’t forget about Storytime with Kiburi)

Cheezi and Chungu (what are the odds I get the Spongebob and Patrick of the Outlands):

Omg can I say about their friendship that isn’t already canon? Ooh, I know! I’ll say how they met!

Chungu and Cheezi met when they were wee little cubs! Baby Chungu was wandering around while his parents were sleeping (permanently but he didn’t know that) and just so happened to bump into little Cheezi, who was playing a game that was a mixture of hide-and-seek and tag. They introduced themselves, Cheezi invited him to play and they started talking and laughing until little Janja found them (they were being loud lmao). Cheezi introduced Chungu, and the rest is history

Nne and Tamka:

First Tano now Nne fjfhhrh. I figure it’s very similar to Tano’s interactions, only Nne keeps making passive-aggressive insults only to “fix” them when Tamka asks what he’s talking about

Tamka: Didja hear that?! Neema called me an idiot!

Nne: He’s right

Tamka: What’d you say?

Nne: I said “don’t fight”

Tamka: Oh :)

Kenge and Chungu:

Chungu’s still scared of Kenge cuz of his temperament, but that doesn’t stop him from accidentally saying the word “little” around him (Janja and Cheezi do it too). However, he HAS had some “friendlier” interactions with him, like talking to him about his feelings toward Aibu and Kenge making him realize said feelings are romantic. He also isn’t above listening to Kenge’s ranting and even gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder once. Kenge doesn’t call Chungu a friend until he fully reforms but he…appreciates Chungu’s support

#phew and that’s it!#lemme know if you guys want a part 3 #but for now i think i’ll take a break from random interactions #i COULD do this with the skinks though-#headcanons #tlg outlanders #the lion guard

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ericvick · 3 years ago

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10 a long time later, Just one Really like Sports is nonetheless heading sturdy

1 Enjoy Sports Academy founder Jamaal Wornum does not just support Boston youth locate their way—he sees himself in them.

Wornum begun A person Really like as a memorial basketball match in honor of his late brother, Aaron, a 25-year-aged person with a enthusiasm for music and youth empowerment who was shot to death on Sumner Street in Dorchester in 2011.

Jamaal applied the match as a starting off point for the development of a sports activities league with a number of courses in his brother’s memory.

Currently, the league is primarily based at Mary Hannon Park on Dudley Street in Dorchester. It runs through August 30.

According to Wornum, One particular Appreciate “started essentially as me seeking to do a memorial basketball event in Aaron’s honor on best of me remaining an outreach worker for the metropolis of Boston. There was a absence of assets and recreational sporting activities things to do for little ones from 12 to 18 years of age, so I made a determination to begin a basketball league for people young ones but nonetheless maintain it in memory of my little brother.

“The tricky aspect was that in the course of the winter and the fall, a large amount of the little ones I had constructed associations with in the summer season I would see throughout my career as an outreach coordinator [in reports or court]. So, I determined to prolong what I do all through the season.”

In 2014, he consolidated his initiatives into 1 Like, mainly funding the organization out of his very own pocket. Since then, he has ongoing to grow his offerings in an effort and hard work to achieve a lot more children in Dorchester and surrounding neighborhoods. One Really like currently delivers a sports activities league, workout software, monetary literacy system, yoga program, unity healing circle, e-book club, and far more.

Warnum is thrilled by One Love’s development.

“It grew from me possessing 50 youngsters to me owning 125 youngsters, so now it’s a entire-fledged non-income,” he mentioned. “Its concentrate is on presenting these kids good assets, developing a safe place for them to increase, establish, play, all that things, and at the exact same time, just delivering them with distinctive avenues or outlooks that they may well not get if they are not associated in the league. It has grown into a thing that the local community expects and that the kids have to have.”

He added: “When I was younger, I was in a great deal of the positions that these young children are in. The very same chances that [youth organizations] available for me, I’m performing that for the upcoming technology coming up. I really do not have any magic tricks—I’m just there. I’m just out there.”

Neema Avashia, a civics instructor at Boston Community Schools and liaison to 1 Appreciate, recalled her interactions with Wornum really positively.

“I bought to know him initial in his capability as a streetworker for the town of Boston,” she claimed. “We experienced some youthful men and women who had been struggling, and we ended up trying to assume creatively about how to help them. He was a close friend of a buddy, and he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll occur in. It’s not throughout my get the job done hrs, but that doesn’t subject to me. I care about the young ones. I’ll appear in, I’ll mentor little ones, I’ll check in, I’ll establish associations.’ And he started off coming in on his very own volition each individual week, week-and-a-half to satisfy with younger people. To check out to get them to programming, to assistance them, assistance them to see that there are folks in the neighborhood who treatment about them and are invested in them.” And that all predates the business, mentioned Avashia. “But which is Jamaal. That ethic, that level of care and expenditure in youthful individuals, is what makes his function so essential. He will go to just about every extent to make confident that young men and women are getting what they want.”

She added, “He’s genuinely good at observing the relationship among what occurs in university and what happens out of faculty. With a whole lot of corporations in the metropolis, there is a difficult line. But Jamal understands that there has to be a dialogue amongst university-primarily based programming and out-of-university programming.”

Tome Barros, a private mate of Wornum who has volunteered with One particular Really like, echoed Avashia’s sentiments. “Jamaal’s experienced rather the life time knowledge – some favourable, some not so fantastic. But he has been capable to harmony all the trials and tribulations of his lifestyle and managed to be on the ideal facet of executing some awesome get the job done. Any time I discuss to someone about him, I use these words and phrases: Jamaal is the 21st century version of what a nonprofit need to look like. What he’s creating is grassroots and neighborhood-created.

“If you search at a whole lot of the non-gains that are out there now, the government director does not know what our youth really want in conditions of total wrap-all over providers. They may perhaps know sporting activities, and arts, and how to maintain young children active, but what separates Jamaal is that he understands those people wraparound expert services, these certain traumas he went via as a boy or girl. So genuinely,” reported Barros,” he’s wanting at it from a preventative lens, wherever he wishes to shield these youths from what he went via in his youth.”

As A person Love proceeds to grow, Wornum hopes that it gets “the standard-bearer” of how non-profit organizations offer with and interact with youth. “I want kids to develop in the organization. If we have a kid at 11, by 16 he need to know exactly where he desires to be in lifetime and where his path is. If we get him at 16, by 18 he ought to get task skills. As extensive as we’re elevating and evolving each and every 12 months as the kids develop, I’m high-quality with that. Truly, wonderful with that.”

Avashia adds: “I hope that this is an corporation that folks demonstrate up for. I’ve worked in Boston for a extended time, and there are a great deal of organizations that say they are doing the job with the young people today of Boston, but they are only operating with a subset. A ton say they’re operating with the most susceptible little ones, and they are not. That is Jamaal’s tale. He was the kid that struggled. He is familiar with really intimately what it signifies to be the child that nobody was spending focus to that received dropped. There is not many corporations in Boston in which the leadership has that encounter.”

To understand a lot more about A single Really like, signal up for its expert services, volunteer, or donate, take a look at onelovesports.org.

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#heading #Long #Sports #Sturdy #Time

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letterboxd · 4 years ago

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Loopy.

Andy Siara, writer of time-loop romcom Palm Springs, talks to Ella Kemp about having one foot on a banana peel and the other in the grave, and the expansive magic of being a ‘desert person’.

If you could re-live a perfect day again and again, would you do it? Would you be alone, or would it be better if your favorite person in the world was with you? Would the endless company, repetitive and increasingly claustrophobic, make you snap?

There’s a reason that time-loop movies tend to favor loners: watch as the hapless hero has to figure out the meaning of life! Harold Ramis’ 1993 comedy Groundhog Day is the gold standard for the device—Bill Murray trapped in a bizarre national holiday that’s become a universal adjective (which feels especially apt now). But Palm Springs, the new film from The Lonely Island comedy team, finds a way to dismantle the genre, play around with the ingredients, and cook up something entirely new.

There is still a time loop, we’re all still stuck, but here’s the thing: we’re stuck with two people now. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are wedding guests Nyles and Sarah—he, someone’s random boyfriend people pretend to know; she, the reluctant maid of honor and sister of the bride. Through one freak twist of fate involving a cave, they end up reliving the same wedding day, taking advantage of the daily ‘reset’ to throw as much life at the wall as they can, while probing every possible escape route.

It’s a first for the genre, and a first film for the writer-director team (Samberg produces the film alongside his Lonely Island brothers Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, who have years of glorious Saturday Night Live sketches and comedy specials under their belts). Director Max Barbakow cut his teeth making short films for the past decade—just like his closest collaborator, debut feature screenwriter Andy Siara.

Barbakow and Siara developed the story together over five years, and then Siara turned it into the fast-paced, razor-sharp, at once feather-light and often deeply moving script that became Palm Springs.

Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg in ‘Palm Springs’.

A quick scan of Letterboxd activity finds plenty of fans already. Jacob recognizes the paradoxical brilliance of the film, calling it a “high-concept romcom that wears its influences on its sleeve”, while still praising how it’s “so smart moment to moment that it absolutely feels like its own original story”. What makes this so special, so fresh—a movie about one day on repeat, released during, you know, a global pandemic, that neat event that makes so many homebound days blur into one—is just how much heart it has. “The little moments, the little cues, the timing,” Neema Sadeghi points out. “Everything felt so right and my heart was so so warmed.”

The following interview contains discussion of plot points and soundtrack choices, and has been edited for clarity.

Could you tell me about your relationship with Groundhog Day, before and after writing Palm Springs? Andy Siara: Before and after, I still consider it one of the greatest, if not the greatest comedy of all time. Doing a time-loop thing in this movie was never initially the idea, five years ago when Max and I first started talking about it. It organically evolved to that point. What was helpful to me was thinking about how at the end of Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s character figures out the meaning of life, to a point, and it ends with the time loop breaking. In our film, Nyles figures out whatever he thinks the meaning of life is, and at the end, nope, the time loop doesn’t break, you’re still stuck here for eternity. So then what do you do? That became the jumping off point. Palm Springs is potentially a sequel to a movie that doesn’t exist, and that helped free myself of repeating too much of what the time-loop genre, and especially Groundhog Day, has done so well.

If the time loop wasn’t the starting point, what was? Nyles. Max and I knew we wanted to do a tiny-budget movie in Palm Springs. We didn’t know what that was, but the first idea was of this character of Nyles. We never outlined anything, so we let the character lead the way. In doing that, I got a full grasp of who he is on a deep level and everything else built from there. We never once were like, “This is a wedding time-loop romcom about two lost souls!” Max and I joked that the earlier version of this was our version of Leaving Las Vegas. The story grew from Nyles, thinking: ‘What is the best way to deeply challenge this flawed character?’ And that’s where we came up with Sarah, who became even more fully realized. And the best way to challenge her was Nyles. Putting those two characters together and seeing the friction it causes, the story grew around that.

Their dynamic, and the film more broadly, feels very philosophical. I’m thinking of a line like “Your best bet is to learn to suffer existence”. When you were writing, were there any conscious thinkers you wanted to incorporate? Max and I talked a lot about Albert Camus, and Jorge Luis Borges… but when I got to actually writing, Max gave me his copy of Be Here Now by Ram Dass. His copy, when he gave it to me, had over 100 Post-it notes. We’d talked in abstract ways in a philosophical sense, about individuation and what not. But every day before writing I’d take Be Here Now and open up at any page, read a page to kickstart the day. I think even that idea of suffering existence, that might actually be in Be Here Now…

Quyen Tran (operating camera) and director Max Barbakow (right) on the set of ‘Palm Springs’.

It felt so refreshing to see these characters delivering such epic lines seriously, but the film never becomes somber or dramatic. It stays light. Comedy is balanced with sincere emotion so well—especially when it comes to romance. In a scene outside the cave, when Nyles is giving his big speech, he says, “I’d rather die with you than live in this world without you.” Reading this out of context, it could be from an epic romance. How did you manage to marry the wit with such big feelings? That is one of the lines that, read out of context, could feel heavy-handed, so I appreciate that! From the get-go, it was important to set the tone of this movie, that we will never take ourselves too seriously. Max and I would joke about having one foot on a banana peel and the other in the grave, being able to go from slapstick to serious was always an important tonal shift for us. There’s a silliness to the movie, and so therefore with those lines, my hope is that even in reading the script, by the time you get to a line like that, you as a reader would know what Nyles is like in your mind. Also, I credit Andy Samberg for knowing how to deliver lines like that without them feeling cheesy. When we first met Andy and the Lonely Island guys, he understood this character, by the end better than I did. The character was just words on a page, a figure that existed in my mind. He created this character.

What did you learn from working with the Lonely Island guys, in terms of taking inspiration from their comedy experience while creating something brand new? By the time it got to them, the script was finished to a point that I was happy with. But Max and I didn’t know that much! So those three guys, and Becky Sloviter who was the producer for them, they know so much more than we did. We were able to not only on the practical side make people want to make this movie, but also on the other side, I’d say primarily in third-act stuff, they helped me dig deeper, and find a satisfying conclusion to the movie where the earlier version of the script just wasn’t as satisfying—you still got to the point, but we were able to mess with the mechanics a little bit more. And they got me to dig deeper on the science part too, where I let this journey into the subconscious via a Jungian, individuation approach maybe take hold a little too much!

I’m not very familiar with Palm Springs as a place. What was the appeal to build everything around this specific location? Both Max and I grew up in Southern California, and since the late 1980s I’ve been going to Palm Springs every year—my aunt had a condo out there. The place is a primarily LA retreat, with golf courses and retirement communities. Over the years, it’s just become a place for a lot of weddings to happen. So there’s that side, my own personal history of having seen the change and having gone there so many times over the past 34 years. I remember camping trips to Joshua Tree [National Park]—and I also got married in Palm Springs and went out to countless friends’ weddings there. But then also, I think there are mountain people, desert people, city people. I think I’m a desert person. There’s this mass openness that I find has a magical quality to it. Even if I don’t believe in magic, there’s somehow a magical solitude that comes in the desert. And there’s all sorts of literature, even going into pseudo-science, that is centered around the desert. Specifically the one surrounding Palm Springs.

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti in ‘Palm Springs’.

It feels like a blank canvas on which anything can happen—and if anything, having more space can make you more anxious about being trapped there. I agree. And I had written two Gram Parsons songs into the script, and he was also drawn to the desert in the 1970s, [the] Joshua Tree area. He wrote a lot there with Keith Richards. There’s some kind of draw to the desert that I don’t totally understand to be honest, it’s on a deeper subconscious level that it strikes that chord for me.

Speaking of the music, the film has so many satisfying needle drops. I’m thinking of Leonard Cohen’s ‘The Partisan’ and then Kate Bush’s ‘Cloudbusting’ in that amazing final scene. Were these written in from the start? A lot of songs were written in from the start that didn’t make it in for various reasons. ‘Cloudbusting’ came up in our first or second meeting with Andy—it was his idea and we were like, that’s perfect! Andy and Max [and I] all wanted to make sure Palm Springs didn’t use songs we had seen a million times in other movies. It was so important to us. And then we also wanted songs that spoke to a more magical quality too. I think the Leonard Cohen one was Cristin’s idea, so it was a very collaborative field, but we all knew what kind of stuff we wanted. It was about thinking, let’s try and find a sonic happy place.

What film first made you want to be a filmmaker? Jurassic Park is my number one. It made me want to do everything.

Related content

A list of films set in and around Palm Springs.

More films produced by The Lonely Island

A list of time loop, paradox and causality movies

‘Palm Springs’ is streaming on Hulu from July 10 and screening at select drive-ins. With thanks to NEON.

#letterboxd #writer #palm springs #time loop #movie #andy samberg #cristin milioti #andy siara #max barbakow

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dochaes · 3 years ago

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anderwhohn.

The unexpected burst from her comms is startling as Tali jumps at the return signal, terrified at first that it’s some form of geth interference, only to hear Khelish in a feminine voice break through the static - a quarian she doesn’t recognise at all, at least not by her voice alone.

“Keelah, how– No, nevermind. Not important right now. Yes, I… It looks like you’re near the control room where Kal'Reegar activated the security lockdown. You’ll need to override the lockdown and open the shutters to get to the observatory from there, but…”

She sighs, shaking her head in dismay. “There’s a Colossus just outside the observatory, and the area’s swarming with geth. I don’t have visuals outside this room, so I can’t tell you what the situation out there is like right now, but Reegar said they were at nearly platoon strength. I can’t provide covering fire for you with the Colossus right outside the door - I’d be killed the moment I open the door.”

It’s a bad situation, she knows, but if the other woman has made it this far, maybe she and her squad were as good as Shepard and could handle it. Tali certainly hopes so, at least.

“Please, I know you want to help, and I appreciate it. I really do. But don’t get yourselves killed for my sake. The Migrant Fleet has lost too many today as it is on this mission. If you can’t handle the geth, get yourselves out of here and return to the fleet.”

It’s a lot of new information to absorb. The Doctor wonders about this Tali’Zorah vas Neema; who is she? What species? What exactly are the shooty things ⸺ the geth? Synthetic, certainly, but they don’t seem mere machines. Artificial intelligence? The Migrant Fleet... the title speaks somewhat for itself. Hmmm. It is exciting to come across something new, even if this perhaps is not the best timing for it; but when is it, ever? She’s buzzing with regeneration energy. At least if she gets shot, she won’t perish. Still cooking. Not that it doesn’t hurt.

❝ Don’t you worry about little old me, ❞ she responds, walking about the calmer area she’s at, trying to settle on the best approach. ❝ This Colossus you mention... is it at all like the geth? Synthetic? I had no issue with the ones I encountered before. They tried to shoot me. I disabled them. Easy. ❞

As long as the Colossus isn’t organically speaking alive, there should be no issue. Right? Even if there were a lot of the kind she disabled before, she can easily incapacitate an entire room with just a few signals from her sonic. Few seconds... and if she does get shot, fine, blast them with regeneration energy.

❝ Tali’Zorah, ❞ she says, ❝ I think you presume me to be someone I’m not. I have no fleet to return to. Got my ship, but... kind of crashlanded. Ship’s not with me. I’ll find her, I always do, but right now it’s just me. I am positive that I have exactly what I need to get to you, though. Neither of us will die today, if I have anything to say about it. ❞ Technically, she already did die today. She also omits that what she’s armed with is a screwdriver. If it gets the job done...

❝ I know what I need to do, I know where I’m headed ⸺ thank you. If there’s anything else I need to worry about, now’s the time to mention it. Just sit tight, yeah? I’m there before you know it. ❞

#anderwhohn #; a stranger to herself ❪ verse / newly regenerated. ❫#; anderwhohn / tali / 001

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memesiders · 5 years ago

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Part 10

Death x OC Office AU

(I feel like I haven't updated in weeks, lol. Enjoy!! 💖)

“I’m just gonna go out for a walk,” I sighed, shoving my feet into a pair of old studded combat boots. “That’s all.”

“You don’t get all dressed up like that to just go for a walk,” Safiya said behind me. I rolled my eyes and tied up the laces, flipping my hair out of my face. “Plus, you straightened your hair and shaved, and you put on your sexy underwear.” I scoffed and stood, turning to her.

“Maybe I just wanna feel hot while I go on a walk, you ever think of that?”

“You’re the worst liar in this house. Where are you really going?” I groaned loudly and slipped my leather jacket over my shoulders, moving my hair.

“Nowhere, except for a walk.”

“So, who is it?” Neema asked from the couch, looking at me inquisitively. I threw my hands up.

“No one!”

“It’s your boss, isn’t it?”

“It better not,” Safiya scoffed. I glared at her. “Are you going to see him?” I felt my face grow warm.

“No!” I cried, running my hands through my hair.

“Aziza, if you’re going to see him-”

“I’m not, I’m just gonna get drinks with someone from work! You happy now?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her jaw clenched. She was thoroughly unconvinced by my answer. I rolled my eyes. “I’ve gotta go or else I’m gonna be late.”

“Aziza-”

“Don’t wait up!” I grabbed my keys and shoved them into my purse, walking out. I slammed the door behind me and hurried down the stairs. I slammed against the front door and pushed it open, walking out into the cold. I gulped down fresh air and moved to lean against the side of the building. I slowly slid down, crouching, and held my head in my hands. The weekend had snuck up on me.

I hadn’t even realized it was Saturday when I woke up this morning. All day I could only think about my date with Death. I was nervous and excited and irritated, but the irritation wasn’t at him. Safiya had sensed something off with me and had been hounding me all day about what was going on with me. I knew she’d blow a gasket if she knew I was going to see my boss, so I just didn’t tell her. I hadn’t told either of my sisters, which was uncharacteristic of me, to be honest. Usually, I told them everything; from what I had for lunch to how many times I had to use the restroom.

I shared my life with them completely, but I couldn’t share this. From how Safiya had just acted, I didn’t even want to imagine her reaction if I’d told her the truth. Knowing that I was going to meet someone from work was enough for them to know. Still, I felt guilty about keeping this from them. I knew Neema wouldn’t care, and she’d probably only tease me about it, but I didn’t want her to have to keep a secret from Safiya for me. It wasn’t fair to her.

I sniffled, the cold freezing my nose, and stood. I’d asked to meet Death at the office instead of having him pick me up at home. There was no way my sisters wouldn’t know who I was seeing if he pulled up in his Rolls Royce. I sighed and shoved my hands into the pockets of my jacket, pushing the drama with my sisters to the back of my mind. I had been waiting for this night for days, and nothing was going to take away my excitement. I’d been restless the rest of the week, thinking only about tonight.

What did he have planned for us? Was he as nervous as I was? What if I messed things up or we found out we were completely incompatible? Or if I did something horrible would he fire me? I didn’t want to have to tell Safiya she was right; that would be the icing on the cake.

I shuttered at the thought of having to admit to her that I was wrong and she was right.

I reached the building fairly easy. The crowd on the sidewalk was beginning to get denser just as I arrived. Death was waiting outside, leaning against the front door. He was dressed nicely, with dark jeans, a neatly tucked iris shirt, and a pair of black boots that looked like they could easily pay rent for three months. His hands were shoved into the pockets of a nice black trench coat, his head resting against the glass. His eyes were closed but he seemed to know I was here, because before I could finish crossing the street his eyes were open and trained on me. I smiled and waved, running up to him.

“Sorry if I’m late,” I said. He smiled softly at me.

“It’s worth the wait,” he replied. I blushed and he looked me up and down, pushing away from the door. “Should we get going?” I nodded and he walked to his car that was parked in front of us, opening my door for me. I thanked him and got in, setting my purse next to me. He closed my door and was in his seat in a flash, the engine of the car roaring to life. I smiled and relaxed into my seat, clipping my seatbelt on.

“So, what do you have planned for us for the evening?” I asked as we pulled away from the curb. He looked at me out of the corner of her eye.

“Nothing, really… I was hoping you had an idea.” I snickered and shook my head.

“I’m indecisive when it comes to decisions like this! I thought you’d have something fancy planned.” He hummed quietly and I bit the inside of my cheek. “I don’t need anything fancy, Death. We could sit in the car and eat fast food and I’d be fine.” He snorted softly and turned to look at me as we came to a stoplight, traffic starting to pick up.

“I suppose we should have dinner?” I shrugged. “Have you eaten?”

“I ate some mashed potatoes and corn.” He cocked his head slightly. “It was either that or ramen again.”

“Dinner it is,” he said. I smiled and nodded.

“Dinner it is,” I repeated. I turned my body as much as I could and rested my head against the seat. “Tell me about yourself.” He chuckled darkly and looked away from me.

“You don’t want to know.” His tone was morose. I reached over and put my hand on his knee, giving him an encouraging look.

“I’m pretty sure I do. You don’t have to tell me your whole life story. Let’s start simple, like… What’s your favorite movie?” He stared at me quizzically. “Come on, you have to have a favorite film. Mine’s The Sixth Sense.” He shook his head slowly.

“I’ve never watched a movie.” My jaw dropped and I furrowed my brows, looking at him skeptically.

“You’re lying; you have to be. You’re telling me you haven’t watched one single movie in your entire life?” He nodded.

“I read.”

“Well so do I but it’s nice to take a seat and kick back with some snacks to watch Bruce Willis see ghosts.”

“What?” I waved his comment away and laughed.

“I can’t believe you haven’t seen a movie… That’s just criminally unjust. We’re gonna have to change that.” He rolled his eyes. “Okay, how about a different question? What… What’s your favorite book?” He tilted his head thoughtfully, silence hanging over us as we drove. Is it really that hard to pick a favorite book? How many has he read?

“You couldn’t possibly have read my favorite book. It’s not in your language.”

“Hey, I took an Enochian class in college!” He smirked.

“It remains in Heaven’s vast libraries.”

“Oh… Then I probably haven’t read it.” He laughed quietly and looked at me.

“What about you,” he asked. “What’s your favorite novel?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?” He nodded. I took a deep breath. “Pride and Prejudice.” His smirk grew and I pointed a finger at him. “Hey, you promised!”

“I’m not laughing.” He sounded like he was fighting to not laugh, the bastard. “It’s a nice novel for humans.”

“It’s a classic! How can you not like it? The romance between Elizabeth and Darcy and the way it builds up is just-” I kissed my fingers. “Perfecto.” He gave me a side eye and I arched a brow. “You just don’t get it.”

“I’ll admit, I don’t appreciate it like you do.” I smiled. “What question next?” I tapped my finger against my chin, thinking it over. You can ask anything you want, anything at all.

“Do you… Do you sleep with the window closed or open?”

“It doesn’t matter to me, but I prefer fresh air so I usually leave it open.”

I jumped up. “Me too,” I exclaimed. “Neema absolutely despises it but I can’t sleep without the window at least cracked open.” I clapped, shimmying happily in my seat. “Alright, that’s one thing in common!” He chuckled amusedly. We arrived at our destination a few minutes later. In that time, I’d learned his favorite color, favorite album, and favorite football team; unsurprisingly, he didn’t watch football.

We entered the restaurant I felt a chill go down my spine. Not because of anything scary, but because this place was boujee as hell. The floor was made of some type of red crystal that glowed blue wherever you stepped. The walls were black with a gold trim and chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, orbs of blue and golden light swirling around it. The tables and chairs were made from the same crystals as the floor, lit up yellow wherever a person sat. The booths were the same, but had a cushy looking leather backing to them. Orbs floated through the place, soaring past tables and weaving between legs. It was a beautiful, and most definitely expensive, place to be. The line had extended all the way outside but Death had walked in like he owned the place. He walked up to the maître de and held up two fingers.

“The usual, this time for two,” he said. The demon next to him opened her mouth to say something when the angel next to her put his hand on her arm, shaking his head at her. She clenched her jaw, looking like she wanted to tear his eyes out, but remained silent. The maître de smiled at him and grabbed two menus, motioning for him to follow her. He took my hand and led me through the room, completely ignoring the fact that we’d just cut in line. I felt guilty; after all, they were here first. The woman led us up a platform, heels clicking loudly against the crystal floor, and set the menus down at one of the booths.

She said goodbye and hurried back to her post, never once sparing me a glance. We sat down and I shifted awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable. I wasn’t dressed to be in a place this nice. “Are you okay?” I looked at the Nephilim, who regarded me with an enquiring look. I smiled a little and nodded.

“Yeah,” I said, picking up my menu. “I’m just a little uncomfortable. I’m not dressed to be in a place like this…”

“You look fine. Most everyone here is dressed up for two reasons; to get laid or to get paid, sometimes both.” I giggled softly and shook my head, studying the menu.

“We also kind of cut in line, you know. That’s kinda rude.”

“I thought you’d want to eat. Besides, this is my regular booth.” I flicked my eyes up to him.

“You come here often?”

“I try to come at least once a week. Fury says it’s good for me to go out and socialize.” I hid my giant smile behind the menu.

“Sitting alone in a booth in a room full of people isn’t socializing, you know.” He gave me an amused smirk, his eyes meeting mine.

“Well, I’m not alone now, am I?” I rolled my eyes playfully and turned my attention back to the menu, nearly choking on air when I saw the prices.

“Death,” I said quietly. He hummed, not looking up from the menu. “This is really expensive.” His eyes moved back to mine.

“I have a Rolls and you’re worried about pricing?” he asked, a sarcastic tone to his voice. I pursed my lips slightly.

“Well, I have fifty bucks to pay for myself tonight and the lowest prince is the forty-five-dollar sweet potato fries flaked with gold.” He snorted softly and set the menu down.

“I’m paying for tonight, so order anything you want.” I frowned.

“I want to pay for my meal; I’d feel bad if you paid for everything.” He gave a small smile, watching me thoughtfully.

“Think of it as a bonus for being around me past your work hours.” I rolled my eyes.

“This is a date, not work.” I sighed and shook my head, looking back at the menu. “Fine, I’ll let you pay for tonight; but only because I’m hungry and this prime rib looks delicious.” He chuckled, the sound of it making it impossible for me to not smile as much as I could. We ordered a few minutes later and then continued our talk. I rested my elbows on the table and cupped my face, staring at him. He arched a brow and tilted his head up slightly, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

“You do know that elbows on the table is considered rude, yes?” he asked amusedly. I smiled.

“Is that a date dealbreaker?” I teased, my feet dancing under the table. I was suddenly very nervous, but I tried to play it off.

“Hmm…” He tapped a finger against his chin. “No, I don’t think it is.” My smile widened and I scrunched my shoulders, attempting to look cute. He let out a breath that almost sounded like laughter and shook his head, relaxing into his seat. I folded my arms and flipped some loose strands of hair out of my face.

“So, any questions you have for me,” I asked. He pursed his lips slightly and stared at me, thinking over his next words.

“Yes,” he answered slowly. “I would like to know why you decided to apply for my office when your personality suggests you’d get along with Strife better.” I scoffed and shook my head, sitting up.

“The pay, number one! Number two, it’s close to home and to Neema’s school, and number three, I wanted to see if you were as big and bad as I’d heard.” He cocked his head.

“Where did you hear that?”

I shrugged. “My sister has a friend whose brother worked for you and he said you were a strict hard ass with no compassion and that every time you walked into a room the temperature would drop.” Death laughed, his eyes glinting with delight. “Also, my sister dated an employee of yours who said you were colder than ice cold.”

“Sounds about right,” he snickered. I smiled a little and shook my head.

“No, I don’t think so,” I said. He peered at me inquisitively. “You are an asshole, but the temperature has never dropped when you walk in a room.” He scoffed amusedly. “You’re also not without compassion. You let Nora cut back her hours to spend more time with her baby and gave me a chance to work for you even after I flipped out in your office. Plus, you bought me lunch once.”

“That was just-”

“You didn’t have to buy me so much. You could’ve gotten me a salad or even gotten me nothing at all. I think that takes some compassion, don’t you?” He stared at me thoughtfully, a small smile on his lips.

“You’re kinder than I deserve,” he said, his voice surprisingly soft. My cheeks started to warm up and I looked down, trying to fight back the smile that wanted to stretch across my face.

“I don’t think so,” I said, looking back up at him. “I think you deserve more kindness.” His eyes grew dark and he clasped his hands together, his gaze leaving mine.

“If you knew of all the things I’ve done, you wouldn’t think that.” My smile fell and I reached across the table, taking one of his hands in mine. His eyes met mine once again and I gave his hand a gently squeeze.

“Whatever your sins are, just know I don’t care. I care about who you are right now.” He sighed and laced his fingers through mine, staring at our joined hands.

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is with me. I don’t know what you’ve done to think you don’t deserve basic kindness.” His hand squeezed mine, and for a moment I could’ve sworn I saw torture in his eyes.

“A lot, Aziza. I’ve done a lot.”

#death x oc #darksiders #office au #darksiders 2 #death

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