#we showed each other our collections he had some very interesting items

[dreamlanddeluxe]

lbp is like. iunno it holds a rlly special place in my heart & i remember being really young and not having the coordination to swing from thing to thing on the first level and being SO scared of the haunted castle,, idk do u know if there’s any way to emulate it i feel so bad asking but 😭 bro i miss it soo much im so happy someone gets it!! i’d love to see ur collection sometime :) you’re free to come in my inbox any time and tell me any lbp facts Please

SO SORRY I FORGOT TO ANSWER THIS umm I think I remember someone I follow posting about emulating the game but I don’t remember who I’m sorry, but I believe there is a way if any of my followers know feel free to say something! And yeah I remember playing one of the first levels in the garden area when I was little and not understanding where I needed to throw those sponge ball things and I ended up beating it by accident after I just stared flinging them everywhere and ended up putting them where they were supposed to by doing that lol. I’d be happy to show you my collection also ^_^ I’m in the middle of moving stuff right now so I don’t have all my items on hand but when I do I’ll definitely show it off, it’s been a while since I took a pic of my updated collection anyways, and I’ll definitely share some facts with you when I can!

[sylvia-forest]

[CN] Shaw's 6th Anniversary event - Day 4

⚡ Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for an Event which hasn't been released in EN yet!⚡

[Day 4]

MC: Why did you suddenly buy a suitcase? MC: We've been traveling in the RV this whole time, so we shouldn't need it, right? Shaw: Did you forget about all the things you've collected from various small shops along the way? Shaw: A pile of odds and ends needs a box when you take it home. MC: Oh, right! But is the graffiti on it is the masterpiece of Mr. Shaw? Shaw: Obviously, that's correct. Shaw: But if you want to praise me, put it on hold for now. Shaw: Come over, grab a spray can, and let's finish it together.

MC: You left a spot for me? I'm coming~ Shaw: Of course, doing graffiti together is more fun. MC: Shaw, I think I have a rough idea of what the "thing" you hid during our trip is. MC: Based on my understanding of you and my extensive search efforts… MC: Firstly, it's probably not a physical object, right? Shaw: Seeing that you've analyzed it to this level, I'll make an exception and give you a hint. Shaw: Indeed, it's not a physical object. MC: Oh~ I think I have a good idea now. MC: Let me observe the rest!

—

MC: Wow, this vast sea of flowers is too beautiful and splendid! Shaw: Big producer, can you enrich your vocabulary a bit? Shaw: Everywhere we go is full of beauty, and I'm getting aesthetically tired from it. MC: Then you show me how it's done? Shaw: There's a barbecue restaurant ahead, and the food they grill is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Shaw: Pair that with spicy sauce, and I guarantee it'll make some people drool. MC: Very well, although what you said is ordinary, it still made my mouth water. Let's go!

—

In winter, the surroundings here are full of the lively atmosphere of spring. Bees dance among the flowers, and Shaw and I stroll through this floral town, as if enjoying a colorful oil painting.

MC: Such a beautiful place. What should we do here?

I hinted, and Shaw shrugged with a knowing smile.

Shaw: To be honest, I haven't planned anything. After all, we've been well-prepared throughout this journey, and I'm getting a bit tired of it.

He took a step back, covering my eyes from behind.

Shaw: So, let's just go with a random itinerary. You get to decide where we go. MC: Haha, can we really play like this? Shaw: Of course, aren't you the one claiming to be a lucky charm? It's time to test your luck.

After Shaw spun me around in place, I pointed forward casually.

He promptly released his hand, and following my fingertip, I found it happened to point to a shop.

The storefront displayed various heart-shaped items, and the signboard above had a pink and white name—Love Challenge.

Shaw: Your luck in choosing places is quite something, picking one I'm least interested in. MC: Do you already know what the shop is about? Shaw: No idea, but just by the name, it seems to have an intentionally created atmosphere, quite artificial.

Seeing a hint of disdain on his face, I mischievously pushed him into the shop.

MC: You set the rules yourself, so just follow them.

Inside, the shop was lively. Besides numerous couples, many harmonious families were also queuing up in front of the long corridor.

A staff member dressed in a mascot costume approached us, handing over a card with instructions.

Staff member: Welcome! This is a love-themed pop-up shop, focusing on a game called "You Guess More Than I Do." Staff member: Based on drawing lots, each person is assigned a "role," and the one in charge of gesturing comes up with a question for the other to guess.

After a brief introduction, I carefully read the instructions on the card and nudged Shaw with my elbow.

MC: It looks simple enough. With our skills, we should be able to win a plush toy reward. Want to give it a try?

Shaw raised an eyebrow, signifying his agreement.

After drawing lots, I became the guesser.

After Shaw finished writing the "question," we were led into a room with a floor-to-ceiling glass separating us at both ends, even blocking our voices.

Watching the countdown clock start ticking, I gestured to Shaw to start gesturing.

However, he seemed in no hurry, nonchalantly making two "thumbs up" gestures next to his ear.

MC: Rabbit...? Rabbit! What's next?

He then pointed to himself and drew a circle, finishing with a thumbs-up.

MC: …..??

I checked the time and gestured for him to repeat it. After he did, I was still puzzled.

Rabbit, Shaw, circle, thumbs up?

What does it mean?

Seemingly sensing my confusion, he sighed deeply with his hands on his hips.

I pursed my lips, decided to break the deadlock by playing defensively, and raised my hand to make the "1" gesture, planning to go one by one.

MC: The first word is rabbit, right?

I made a gesture resembling rabbit ears, tilting my head to confirm with him.

Seeing Shaw nod, I clenched both fists, mimicking the shape of red panda ears.

Worried he might not understand, I also drew the shape of a chubby tail behind me and shook it left and right.

Shaw: .......!

Perhaps I acted too enthusiastically, he chuckled, immediately took out his phone, and aimed it at me for a moment.

Then, he swiftly swiped and drew on the screen until he stopped, then beckoned me with his finger.

I seemed to understand something and quickly looked around, only to find no cameras here. I chuckled.

Unexpectedly, this person would "go easy" on me.

So I walked briskly to the glass, and he also turned his phone screen toward me—

The expected answer wasn't there, but instead, it captured a moment where he "parodied" me.

In addition to my pouting appearance, he drew reddish-brown red panda ears on my head and a long chubby tail behind me.

It was exactly the mimicry I had just done, but he added a touch of humor to it.

MC: ………

Watching the remaining time, I anxiously knocked on the glass, signaling him to be serious.

But he just shrugged carelessly and then flicked my forehead across the barrier.

Shaw: "......."

Although I didn't hear anything, that familiar mouth shape automatically filled in the voice of him teasing me, "Really stupid."

At that moment, the ending signal sounded.

I could only pout, grab a paper and pen, and replayed his actions in my mind repeatedly.

Firstly, the rabbit was undoubtedly correct. As for the red panda... he did point to himself, so it should be right?

I wrote down the phrase "Rabbits and red pandas are the best!" and showed it to him, thinking I got it right.

Shaw leaned over to look at the answer I wrote, and then his eyes slowly filled with laughter.

Just when I thought I guessed correctly, he made a crossing gesture in front of his chest.

MC: Shaw, you made me lose the plush toy reward for nothing! No, I need to see what you wrote!

Wrong answer.

—

After leaving the shop, the more I thought about it, the more unwilling I became. I reached out to grab the note from his pocket, but he skillfully dodged. As I continued to stomp toward him...

A chubby little pink rabbit pendant swung in front of my eyes.

Shaw: The prize plushies they offer aren't cute at all. Don't you think this one suits you better? Shaw: Consider it compensation from me.

The rabbit, nibbling on a carrot in the sunlight, looked adorable, and I instantly calmed down by half.

MC: When did you buy it?

Shaw: While you were touching up your makeup in the bathroom, I wandered around nearby. MC: You have a little conscience, but don't think you can divert my attention. Quickly, tell me what you wrote!

Shaw: You couldn't guess something so simple; it's your fault. So, you have to accept the consequences. MC: You! Shaw: Alright, it's time to add a finishing touch. This time, I'll treat you to hot pot, and you'll foot the bill. How about that?

Seeing that he was determined not to tell me, I glared at him with widened eyes.

MC: You didn't plan anything at all. I don't want any finishing touch. Shaw: Is that so? Then, I'll just confiscate this rabbit.

I quickly reached for the little rabbit, but he lifted it high.

Thinking about how to get it back, I first noticed the note hanging precariously at the edge of his pocket.

Humph, he was careless.

While pretending to reach for the rabbit, my other hand swiftly grabbed the crumpled note.

Shaw: ...Hey, don't be unfair. Give it back quickly. MC: I won't. Clearly, someone else is being unfair~

I grinned and quickly turned around to open the note. The words on it were vividly revealed—

"With you silly rabbit by my side, everything goes well."

I couldn't help but hum happily. Just as I was about to say something, my vision was suddenly blocked by someone.

MC: Humph, I've seen it already. MC: Although you call me stupid, I understand the meaning of this sentence because I am considerate.

I crouched down to escape his restraint while triumphantly waved the note in my hand.

MC: Since it's an expression of feelings, why hide it?

Shaw: Who said it's hidden? I just don't want to see certain people being smug.

Seeing him stubborn, a thought flashed through my mind, and I slowly started to smile.

MC: Shaw, didn't you say you hid a "something" before? MC: It wouldn't happen to be your feelings, right?

He glanced at me, and interest sparked in his eyes.

Shaw: If you're trying to probe me, I advise you to give up. MC: Why would I be probing? You clearly said we could find it before the end of the journey. Now, we're at the last stop. MC: Moreover, you mentioned it's not a physical item, meaning...

I paused, my gaze softening.

MC: It could be a sentence, a message you want to convey, or the understanding between us. MC: And after these days of little moments, I am convinced that the "answer" you hid is actually—

Before I could finish my sentence, he gently covered my mouth with the rabbit pendant.

Shaw: Stop. When did I say this is the last stop? Shaw: The organizers designed it as the final destination, not me.

Shaw smirked triumphantly, pulled me along without another word.

MC: Wait, where are we going?

Shaw: Wherever we walk is where we end up. Since it's not the last stop yet, there's no reason to stop.

—

🚐 Finale

[manic-maniac-man]

Eyescream Feb 2015

A shop where you can see the workshop and order your own shoes

Yasuhiro Mihara

[MIHARAYASUHIRO] designer Mihara Yasuhiro has returned to his roots in shoemaking by opening Atelier MIHARAYASUHIRO in Jingumae. The shop combines a shoe specialty store with a workshop staffed by experienced shoemakers, and you can even order something special while speaking with Mihara (semi-orders, where you can choose the upper and sole to your liking, will be accepted from March). In this place where you can enjoy a quality time with shoes at the core, even the months you wait for the finished product seem luxurious.

(Top right) A photo from 17 or 18 years ago when Mihara met Hayakawa is on display. (Bottom right) Wooden shoe lasts, the basis of shoemaking. "We've reduced the number considerably, but we still have hundreds in the warehouse." (Top left) The store is filled with antique fixtures. Shoemaking seminars are also held regularly. (Bottom left) Mihara and Hayakawa work and discuss through the glass.

The customer is asked to choose the type and style of shoes, or if left to their own devices, Mihara will consider the style of clothing and think about a suitable design and sketch it.

"We call it semi-custom, but almost everything except the wooden molds is made from scratch, so Hayakawa is flexible and can make patterns that no one else would. On the other hand, when we use normal patterns, we sometimes wonder if it's really okay. We work while talking like that, and some techniques just happen to come about."

The workshop where the two are talking is walled in glass, allowing customers inside the shop to get a good view of the craftsmen at work.

"You know those dumpling and cake shops that make things after they receive an order? They make it right in front of you. I think that's very honest. I think it's good for customers to see the shoemaking process. That keeps us on our toes and it's more interesting. So, although it's easy to say we're going back to our roots, there's a part of me that doesn't really agree with that. I always want to move forward, and I'm not doing my job to look back on the past. I felt that I had to do this because I felt that working with someone close to me (like Hayakawa) would be the most stimulating way to move forward. I wanted to further evolve these things that I value the most and bring them to the surface."

It's unusual for a designer who has his own brand name to be stationed in a place where he can always meet customers, but the fact that it's an oven leads to trust, and somehow it seems to be connected to the modern way of being where sharing increases intimacy. Rather than ordinary items that can be delivered with a single click, there are things that require time and effort, like crafts, the sense of security of seeing the face of the maker, and the richness of feeling that comes from taking the time to order. When did these things that were once taken for granted start to feel fresh and even luxurious?

"I think it's becoming more and more convenient. In the past, even if you did a collection in Paris i, it would take a while to get featured in a magazine.

It used to take about three or four months, but now, if we're not careful, the shoes will be up on the web before the show is over. That said, even if we thought about uploading videos of the shoes being made on the Internet, I still think there are parts that don't get across. Even if a customer spends two or three hours in the store before buying a product, or waits six months to receive it after placing an order, it's interesting for them and for us, and it's a luxury, in fact. So, for me, this is the most evolved way of being. The clothing atelier is upstairs, and this is the shoe atelier, but one day I'd like to show the product-like production process for the clothing as well. I think it's important not just to have products lined up, but to have something behind each one."

If the collection in Paris is like a mass email to the world, then custom-made items might be more like handwritten letters.

"Of course we'll continue with shows and collections. In a way, if we just do the same routine of catwalks, exhibitions, taking orders, and delivery, it's not fun for us anymore. I had always thought I'd do this place when I was older, but I thought maybe now would be a good time. Once I started working here, I stopped thinking about pointless things. I enjoy what I'm doing now more than all the messy little things. Everyone says I look like I'm having the most fun (laughs)."

[cosmosoracle]

Hoyt grabs Egon's hand and shakes it reluctantly - showing a very silent fury, to the attentive eye. He turns and approaches the oracle's unmoving body, slowly taking a hold of her bag to search through her belongings under the watch of the General. Zinnya follows him with her eyes together with Egon; she sees him start to move around the various items that their friend collected between magical utilities and personal trinkets, and he seems to need a bit for that. Be it because he wants to stall for some more time or because he actually doesn't find it is something that the witch will find out along with the fiend; but in the meantime, she deems it a good occasion to ask some more questions before he leaves.

She turns back to him, a light frown on her face. "You also have the black tears."

"Indeed I do. They look beautiful." Egon seems to show a sort of pride when the young one brings the topic to the table, and her interest is equally picked.

"What do they mean for you?"

"They symbolize the respect I pay to my Master." He takes a short break and narrows his eyes, but once he's asked, he seems open to discuss about them, at least to a degree. "They are a way to identify who has been enlightened by him; I was, and I have been given so much more than I could hope for." He tilts his head, and the golden shine shows again like a spark. "If you'd like it, I can enlighten you as well."

"And what would that mean for me?" Curiosity knows little boundaries for the horned witch, which seems to be a point of interest for the one in front of her, but also a mean to get out of a conversation that could lead to spreading more informations than necessary. He tilts his head towards Evangelia, and his attention returns to her and to Hoyt, still curved over her bag. He doesn't see the assassin's other hand fidgeting with something in his satchel on the other side - the lucky dice that he often uses to cheat fate; maybe Egon doesn't even care, since he can still read the bitterness of defeat on his face.

"Your friend has been enlightened, too. Hasn't she explained what it meant to you?"

Zinnya hums for a moment. "From what I gathered, Lia's experience with that has been... unconventional."

The tall man blinks, and ponders in silence for a minute. His smile fades a little before he replies. "I will keep that in mind. But now," he seems to have had enough. "About my book."

At that point, Hoyt gives up on trying to find a way out of the situation. He takes the book and pulls it out with a rough movement; he swims back to his place and hands it over with the same kind of motion. "Here, have your fucking book." His glare is met with deep satisfaction, even joy.

Egon takes the tome out of his hands, and as he holds it to his chest, an ecstatic sigh leaves his lips. Additional tears seem to fall from his eyes as they flash in white and he pulls back his head, darkening the marks he already wore so proudly. Then he regains his composure and offers a wicked grin.

"Marvelous, thank you. I'll immediately inform my Master about the result of this deal; your friend will be awake very soon."

"Yes, now you can fucking go," Hoyt growls at him. Zinnya tries to have him stay until the fallen actually wakes up, but Egon interrupts her, convening with the rogue.

"Yes, I do prefer to go; there's nothing left to do for me here. I hope we will see each other again. It was a pleasure."

"Oh, you can bet on that."

The devil shares a complicit glance with Hoyt, and moves one hand in front of his mouth to zip his lips shut. "That will be between you and me. I'll add it on top of our deal."

Hoyt flashes his eyes red in return, injected with blood and pure hatred. Few moments later, Egon disappears in a cloud of black smoke.

Silence drops around the Fountain, until Hoyt suddenly throws a punch to the rock with his metal hand, cursing at the top of his lungs. Both Zinnya and Opak remain speechless to such a reaction; they take a moment to return to themselves, and when Zinnya does, she swims closer to Evangelia again to hold her hand. All that is left to do is wait and hope that the devil said the truth...

[hakesbros]

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[my-year-of-game-boy]

Week 5: Doncaster Video Game Market

I stole this from their Facebook, but it's okay because they stole the Sonic font first

I'm doing something a little different this week. I mentioned in my very first post for this blog that one of the things I like to do to build my Game Boy collection is to visit retro game shows and conventions. Well, this weekend, I went to a local one that I had some good luck at last year. In fact, you'll probably be hearing a bit more about one of the games I picked up at that one later in the month.

We got in...eventually.

My wife and a friend of ours made our way to the historic Doncaster Dome for the annual retro game hootenanny. Last year, we were pretty prepared, organizing a bunch of folks and getting early access tickets. This year, um, we nearly forgot the date but made it as doors opened to non-ticket holders. Luckily, we weren't after any big ticket items or else we would have died of regret seeing someone carry out a Power Glove as we were making our way in.

In retrospect, I should've started a Planet of the Apes game collection...

I've got a giant list of Game Boy games I'm after that I'm unlikely to ever finish. So the goal of the day, just like last year, was to check a few of those off. That means anytime I saw a line of square cardboard boxes like this or a stack of grey cartridges, I was making my through the horde to take a look at each and every one of them.

There's gold in them there tubs!

In addition to having this little list, I've got a vague idea of what the games are worth. And sometimes, how it's worth saving quite a few bucks (Or British pounds or whatever they call money here) by grabbing a Japanese version of something that doesn't really require much text. Which also requires hoping I can recognize some logos or art on a cartridge. Finding some common imports without having to actually import is the other nice thing about these bins full of imports.

I just think this is beautiful.

It's nice being able to actually see the condition of a cartridge in a way you really can't with online pictures. And there's sometimes a sense of history to that particular cartridge, as I recounted in my Star X entry. You mean a few interesting characters, too. This time around, there was someone going around to every booth with a PSP and checking to see if they worked or not, seemingly with no intention of actually buying one.

I'm pretty sure this port is bad, while the GBA port is good, but regardless, I decided I didn't need a Game Boy version of Street Fighter II.

I was mainly focused on Game Boy, but I was keeping an eye out for some other games, both for myself and others. I have a work friend who is really into horror games and is serious about building up that collection, so I kept sending updating him on gems like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and Parasite Eve II. While a friend of my wife's is a Myst speed runner and tries for records on any port of the game he can, so we picked up an Xbox copy of Myst III for him. Meanwhile, my wife finally added a grail game to her collection with Chibi Robo, albeit a Japanese copy.

There was literally a sign saying you should ask for any Pokémon plush not on the shelf.

Merch was a plenty, and I'm kind of surprised we didn't pick up any of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet cards from Japan just for the novelty of it. I remember buying Johto singles as a kid before I knew who any of the new Pokémon were. At a show like this, buying cards and toys is kind of my equivalent of trying not to fill up on bread. I'll end up blowing my budget on things that aren't really my main purpose of going. But for some folks, grabbing a wheelbarrow full of plushies is the end goal, and more power to them.

Maybe next year should be My Year of game.com...

Anyway, I ultimately had fun, as did my better half, although our friend only made it out with one game (One relevant to this blog, the GBA port of Yoshi's Island). I came out with about 11 and mostly in my budget. Mostly...

Looks like a random grab bag, huh?

I don't normally do CiB, but these were much cheaper than they were going for online and they were on my list, so...

Pretty sure this won't play on my Analogue Pocket.

My wife was the plushie person this time and she got me the Dragonair!

That's my haul from this year. For those that can't see the pictures, we've got Wade Hixton's Counter Punch (GBA), Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (JPN) (GBA), Mario's Picross (GB), One Piece: Grand Line Dream Adventure Log (GBC), Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (GB), Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II (GBC), James Bond 007 (GB), Magi-Nation (GBC), Pinobee: Wings of Adventure (GBA), Dragon Ball Z: Collectible Card Game (GBA), Izuna: The Unemployed Ninja (I refuse to call this by its European name) (DS), and Pokémon plush toys. Some of these might get their own entries on this blog, so I won't talk too much about them. I guess one I can safely say I won't be writing much more about is this One Piece game. I mostly grabbed it because it has the distinction of being the last officially license game released that's compatible with the original Game Boy. Also, it has some pretty cool Game Boy versions of music from the anime. That and Izuna, but, who knows, maybe I'll do a Year of DS?

Speaking of, hope y'all enjoyed this slightly different entry even if I didn't talk about a specific game. I technically did play these all for a few minutes to make sure they worked, but there's not a lot to write about there just yet.

I've seen this exact copy of the Elder Scrolls N-Gage game at three different cons and one day, it will be mine. £200 be damned...

[luveline]

you know, I'm coming right back [Fred Weasley x Reader]

summary: you're a lonely artist and Fred is your adoring model

word count: 2.4k

tags: reader insert, lonely reader, artist reader, seventh year, kids in love, first kiss, getting together, pining, fluff, friends-to-lovers

It was easy for you, usually, to act fine. To feel fine. Any loneliness that clouded your life was pushed firmly into the depths of your thoughts. You tried to focus on the things that mattered, essays and charms and your art.

You loved to draw. You had sketchbooks filled to the brim with sketches, some half finished, others coloured and lined. You drew everything, though you struggled to bring anything from your memory. Everything you drew had to be done right there, right then, with unsuspecting models. You sketched students eating their dinner, scribbled side profiles when you managed a spare minute in class. But you're most impressive artwork was done in the library, where nothing moved. Everyone was silent. You had pages and pages of bored, tired looking students. When exams approached, you hurriedly copied down the expressions of people on the edge of depression and panic.

You had friends, ish. You knew people. You'd had intense friendships that somehow always ended in awkward drifting aparts. Well, you thought. There must be something wrong with me. They liked me before they didn't, so the fault must've been mine.

You huffed out a sigh, pressing your face deep into the textured page of your sketch book, breathing in the smell of charcoal. You were sketching the illusive Fred Weasley, who you'd never truly drawn before. Maybe you had scraps from your second or third year when you'd still attempted to draw moving objects before getting comfortable and accepting that still life was your forte.

He was maddeningly good lucking when his eyebrows puckered in concentration. He seemed to actually be studying for once, sat at a table with his brother, George, and housemates Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet.

You were sat by yourself, and couldn't help listening to his lilting voice as he bantered with his friends. They were talking about Umbridge (the current victim of the Hogwarts' student body hate train), and quidditch, and their recent ban from quidditch. You'd never played.

"Watch out, dolly fell asleep," said one of the girls.

You bit your lip. You'd been nicknamed dolly by the girls in your dorm because of your porcelain doll you'd had since childhood. Even though this year was your last, you still hadn't felt the need to hide her away. She made you feel much less anxious and alone.

The whole school knew, naturally.

"Don't get any funny ideas," said Angelina,  to the twins.

"Come on Angie, you think so little of us?" said George.

"Yesterday I watched you trick a group of forth years into taking puking pastilles." Angelina said.

"It was hardly a trick. We told them they were multi-faceted," said George.

You could hear your heartbeat if you focused. It was in your ears. It bump, bump, bumped.

Bump bump. You flinched, a hand settled on your shoulder quickly moved.

"Wake up, dolly. Library's closing."

You squinted up into Fred's face, head halo'd by candlelight. Lifting your head from the wooden table, you stretched your neck to the left. It clicked.

"Uh..."

"Hmm?" You prompted him, smoothing your hair behind your ears.

"You have - dirt. On your face. Here-" He said, reaching forward. You closed your eyes as he gently wiped the skin above your eyebrow.

"It's charcoal."

"What?"

"It's not dirt," you said, peaking at him through your eyelashes. "It's charcoal."

He looked mildly surprised. You shifted, hoping to cover your sketch before he caught sight of it.

It didn't matter.

"It's me. My gorgeous dolly, you've created quite the masterpiece right there, haven't you? I look vexingly handsome, of course. Thought if that's a consequence of your skill or my handsomeness is anyones guess."

You were lost for words. "Uh, quite."

"Yes, yes, quite. Say, could I keep it?"

"... You want the drawing?"

"I'd love it, if that's okay."

"I," you quickly dug your thumbnail into the paper, tearing carefully at the centre. The paper came away a little ragged and smudged. "Of course. It's yours."

He handled it with care.

The librarian jingled her little bell again.

"Thank you. So, see you?"

"Yep," you agreed.

He nodded his head and bowed out with his friends. You tried not to feel paranoid at their laughter.

-

You were curled up in a hidden alcove, though it was hardly hidden. Most students knew where to seek privacy in the castle. You just so happened to get there first that evening.

You were trying to sketch Fred again. It felt weird to be missing a page from your book, and weirder still that you couldn't remember his face when he wasn't right in front of you. You tried, but it kept going wrong.

When you finally managed one you liked well enough, you had accidentally ruined it with a heavy hand and the wrong shade of brown.

He looked much too brunette.

You carefully rolled your coloured pencils back up, securing the leather ties tightly so as to keep every pencil confined.

Sighing morosely, you flipped to a new page. Things got so complicated sometimes, it made you agitated. You doodled a little sad face in the corner of your page. When the one thing that you enjoyed in life started to go wrong, it set off your whole mood.

Your birthday was coming up. It had been on your mind a lot lately. You'd spend it alone. That's what you figured. Nobody would know it was your birthday, or if they did, you weren't friends now, so...

You began with an arching circle, bisecting the lines appropriately. Feeling out the familiar lines of your own face came easy, the slight upper tilt of your brows, your hair and your pursed mouth. You always looked sad in the mirror, and it showed, dotted here and there when the only thing to draw was your own face.

The rudimentary outline of a birthday cake took form. The candles were unlit.

In a fit of unhappiness, you scratched out your mouth. It was never smiling.

"What did that piece of paper ever do to you?" said a voice.

You jumped. Fred was peering down at you curiously, wringing his hands. You put your pencil between the soft cover and smashed it flat, closed.

"Hi, dolly."

"Weasley."

"Oh, not even a first name?"

"You neglected mine first," you reasoned, rolling the words. He smiled at your joking tone.

"How rude of me. Hi, Y/N," he corrected himself.

"Hi, Weasley."

He smirked.

"Anymore of me in that blessed vessel?"

"Nah. You never stand still."

"If I pose for it?" He asked. You patted the ground in front of you.

He was a lovely model. He stayed infinitely still, more still than you imagined possible for him. He sat at a 3/4ths angle, chin up but not too far, mouth tilted and eyes open.

His eyes were the one thing he couldn't keep still. You tried not to flame in the cheeks everything you'd catch his gaze on you.

You sketched fast, choosing to hatch rather than render, big swooping lines to give the illusion of a depth that wasn't really there. You would've loved to do a full render, maybe even a colour portrait, but he was beginning to look a little antsy.

You set the book on the floor to face him and pushed it into his eyesight softlt. He turned. He looked nice like that, face bent, hair falling into his eyes.

After a moment, he began scrounging through his robe pockets. He set down a box, a lighter, a pair of gloves.

Finally, he set a galleon onto the floor close to your crossed legs.

"For you," he said, smiling at your inquisitive look. "For the drawing."

"Oh, I can't accept that. And I'd like to keep this one, if it's alright."

Fred thought for a moment. "Alright, you keep it. And the galleon, too, for the one you gave me the other day."

You bit back a smile. "I can't take your money, Fred."

"I can't keep having you draw me for free. It's as valuable a service as anything else. Plus, I'm not sure if you know, but I run a lucrative business these days."

You picked up the coin, rubbing your thumb against the engravings thoughtfully. "It's hardly a service."

"A talent, then. A skill. You're very good."

You're neck almost snapped as you looked into his face, wanting to assess his expression for genuineness. He looked earnest, and kind. You blinked away the gathering heat behind your eyes.

"Thank you."

He waved a hand at you. "Think nothing of it."

"Really-" you cleared your throat, "-you're doing me a favour. I'm not good at drawing things that move."

"I'm sure you're better than you think," he said.

You shook your head, smiling smiling smiling.

"What's in the box?"

"Oh, this old thing?" Fred weighed the box in his hands. It was soft at the corners, like a simple jewelry box that you had in your trunk. He offered it to you. You opened it carefully, the lid sliding free with a shhhhh sound. Inside was an evil looking fruit pastille, a match stick and a dried up flower petal.

It felt like a very private thing to see, suddenly. Such an eclectic collection of items couldn't be random.

"The first puking pastille George and I made. Or rather, the second - the first was forcibly fed to Lee Jordan in our third year. The match stick is from my Uncle's matchbox. I never met him. And the flower was from Ginny, when she was 9." He sounded nervous.

"It's a memory box."

"I- yes. It is. Things are sometimes so miserable now, with Umbridge and you-know-who. Scary, even. I look at them when I feel like it won't ever end."

You took them in for a little while longer and then placed the lid onto the box with nimble fingers. You scratched the lid with a fingernail.

"It's nice. You're right. Things are so awful right now, it's good to have reminders of why we keep going."

"Exaclty. Dolly, can I interest you in a fruit pastille?"

"Not on your life."

"They're perfectly edible!"

"Sure, Fred."

-

The honest conversation you'd shared with Fred was a catalyst between you. He often came to find you, each time whining and nagging you to just sit in the library like most people do.

"What, so your housemates can throw paper balls at me?"

"They thought you were sleeping!"

A likely story, you thought. He sometimes asked you to draw him, posing with the elegance of a natural born model. It was great for you personally, you felt that you were really getting a feel for his face. Eventually, you were able to draw his face from memory, the details of his nose coming to your fingers as easily as a first year spell.

It became about capturing emotion. You could capture his likeness now without a second thought, but his emotions were much more complicated. How would you show his veiled frustration the day Umbridge kicked him off the quidditch team? Through the clenching of his jaw? The shy veins in his forehead? How did you showcase the fear when he'd come back to Hogwarts after Christmas break, through his eyes, downturned and squinting just a little?

Today, it was poorly hidden elation. "How come you're so happy?" You asked, pencil between your teeth. He grinned. You measured his face with your thumb in the air, forming an L.

"Is it a prank?"

"You're thinking too small."

"A new product?"

"Still need to go bigger!"

"Hmmm," you hummed. Measure twice, cut once. Or in your case, sketch once.

"George and I, we're gonna open a shop."

"A section at Zonko's isn't enough for you?" You asked, casually, though you were very very happy for him.

"It's going to be amazing. We're going to run it, just the two of us, and you won't catch me in these scrappy long sleeves anymore. The next time you see me, I'll be in a full suit and tie."

"The next time? Is that not tomorrow?"

Fred closed his mouth, realising his mistake. He had revealed something he hadn't intended to. "We're leaving," he confessed. "We were going to wait for our NEWTs but... Well, we won't need them. This is going to work."

"So. You're leaving today?" You asked, crestfallen.

"Hey," Fred said, rubbing a placating hand over the curve of your shoulder. "Tomorrow. During the DADA OWL. We have a plan."

"This is goodbye?"

"No! No. Not if you don't want it to be. Actually, I've been meaning to ask you something, and maybe now isn't the best time, I had this whole letter planned and I didn't want to distract you from your exams and-"

"What do you want to ask me?"

Fred straightened. "I wanted to ask - will you go out with me? Not, you don't have to be my girlfriend if it's too soon, I'd love to take you for food someplace, I was going to ask you to Hogsmeade, but when the shop officially became ours, the plans changed so fast and I didn't know if you'd still want-" you cut off his rambling.

"I'll be your girlfriend," you said.

"You will?"

"Sure, if you'll be my boyfriend," you murmured.

Fred moved the arm that had been on your shoulder to the nape of your neck. "That's a dealbreaker," he said, leaning in.

He kissed you chastely on the lips first and then pulled back to look into your face. You chased him, a moment of bravery, and opened your mouth to taste him. He was sweet, like sugar. Your sketch pad crinkled beneath you both as he pressed forward. Your chests touched, heaving.

"You're not gonna be my boyfriend?" You asked against his mouth, breathing hard.

"I'm gonna be much more than that, dolly," he said heatedly.

Your mouth was tingling. "Kiss me again?"

You gasped at the force of him, laughing. He laughed too against your lips, and the sound tickled. He gave you a multitude of short and sweet kisses before pulling away again.

He wiped the wetness from your lip with his pinky finger. "Godric, you're cute. Look how flushed you are! You're insane."

Something churned in your stomach. The butterflies had acquired a trampoline. You felt happier than you had in a very long time. "You're not half-bad yourself, Weasley."

[ramzawrites]

can I request one where on doomsday dream techno Phil and y/n team up. like this team is super op cuz they’re all good at pvp.

RAMZA I WANNA SAY I LOVE YOUR WRITING YOU ARE VERY POG. STAY HYDRATED EAT WELL AND SLEEO WELL!!!

Reader Joins Team Doomsday

GN

Pairings: none

Characters included: Technoblade, Philza, Dream, Quackity, Ponk, Tubbo, (mentioned Tommy)

Warnings: fighting, mention of death (non descriptive), falling (non descriptive), cursing

Series: a request by a nice anon 💙

Summary: Dream and Technoblade just teamed up in front of almost whole L’Manberg which was a catrastrophic outcome in of itself but when Dream exteneded his invite for teaming up also to Y/N? The L’Manberg people knew they were absolutely screwed.

Words count: 3930

Authors Note: Thank you for the request!! 💙 Also thank you for the nice words!!! I hope you are doing well! Please make sure to stay hydrated and that you rest as well! Thank you pog anon!!

„Listen, we will blow up L’Manberg this time tomorrow!” Dream yelled out. His voice echoing through the ruin that used to be the Community House. All while he was surrounded by a handful of people decked out in armor brandishing their weapons.

Techno stood close by him. A sick grin on his face while he held his infamous rocket launcher between his hands. No surprise there that he would immediately jump on the idea of blowing up this government, especially after they went out of their way trying to kill him while he was in retirement.

A few people let out shocked gasps or surprised exclamations as Dream announced this. Knowing that Dream was a hundred percent serious with this, as well as Techno. Those two were a dangerous combination. A deadly even.

So when Dream moved his head upwards to look at Y/N who seemed to stoically stare at the happenings and calmly asked “Won’t you join us, Y/N?” Everyone’s worry spiked even more.

Y/N scoffed and slammed the end of the trident they were holding onto the small bit of solid ground they were standing on “You already know my answer, Dream.”

While Techno seemed to be a bit confused for a few seconds he appeared to make the connection. Those two have talked about this beforehand.

The others didn’t seem to understand though.

“Y/N? You are joining them?” Tubbo sounded downright hurt.

In that moment Quackity chimed in as well “You are betraying us?”

The grip on Y/N’s trident strengthened “You bet I will! You guys never treated me like one of yours! All I was good for was to get you better gear or play body guard! Hell, at some point you guys basically imprisoned me only to let me out to train you on how to fight Techno! One of my dear friends! How does this surprise you?”

People were already panicked and scared but this was the disaster scenario. There were only three people on this server known for being amazing fighters and all three of them just banded together to destroy their home and possibly kill them all.

Before anyone could retort Dream clapped loudly in his hands to pull everyone’s attention back on himself “We gave you the warning, that’s all. See you all tomorrow.”

With that Dream used an Ederpearl to flee. Y/N followed him suit, having all of this planned out beforehand. Though this also meant they awkwardly left Techno behind but he should be fine. After all he was the Technoblade and as everybody knew Technoblade never dies.

Once the two were far enough away Dream turned to Y/N “Thanks. I appreciate what you are doing. Wouldn’t want to fight against you.”

Y/N laughed “Neither do I. They already looked so scared with your team up with Techno but after you pulled me in they really looked like sheets of paper. It was… interesting to see. Either way I should be the one thanking you. You are giving me a chance for revenge.”

They continued to move towards a snowy tundra. Dream taking the lead since Y/N has been stuck in L’Manberg in the last few months. They wore netherite armor but it was unenchanted. Given to them by the butcher army after they told them of their plan to kill Dream.

The original plan was that Y/N would join them later and make sure that they will be alright. Playing a bodyguard for them once again. Normally they would have used the given armor and weapons as soon as they got it to flee but Dream has met them before this even happened. Hatching out a plan together so in the end this gear was an added bonus that gave extra protection while they fled with Dream.

“Why are we here?”

“Well we gotta prepare.” Dream answered as if that would answer Y/N’s question sufficiently.

While Y/N didn’t exactly truly trust Dream, mostly due to the fact they trusted no one, they didn’t feel the need to ask him to elaborate and instead continued to follow him dutiful. He had something planned and they had to follow him no matter what.

Where else could they go? Their only home was in L’Manberg even if it was more of a prison.

Dream was an enigma to them. Y/N had fought with the man a few times and it was always incredibly tiring every time which was something new for them.

Both Dream and Techno were physical strong, though Y/N suspected that Techno was a bit stronger simply because of his Piglin side.

Techno was a master at preparing and using everything to his disposal and if he didn’t have it he wasn’t scared to spend a ludicrous amount of time to gather these items. He was like a true juggernaut. People called him the Blood God for a reason after all.

Dream was more versatile. Of course he did plan things beforehand but he was better at acting during the situation. If the situation changed you can bet that he was already three moves ahead and noticed things around him he can use for his advantage. Now combine this with the knowledge he had about the world and he seemed almost unstoppable.

Just like Dream and Techno they too were physical strong which came naturally over the years but they relied more on their speed. Being a master at dodging blows and abusing peoples weak spots before they even realize they had any.

Now that they teamed up Y/N could understand how the people begun to fret. Alone the three were a force to be reckoned with but together it wasn’t hard to imagine that they could level a whole city or a nation in this specific case.

“Here, we arrived.” Dream almost whispered. His porcelain mask hiding his satisfied smile as he spotted Techno talking with Philza inside what looked like a nether wart farm. Probably telling him about what just happened and how Tommy betrayed him.

Philza waved towards the two new arrivals “Hello Dream and Y/N.”

Surprised Techno turned around.

“What? We have to plan this somehow even a little bit. This is a bit bigger than just winging it.” Dream explained.

Techno stepped out of the farm and dug his finger into Dream’s shoulder “I have a bone to pick with you two.” He made sure to throw his frown towards Y/N as well as he said that “You just left me! You left me alone surrounded by like thirty people!”

Dream slowly pushed Techno’s hand away from him “And yet here you stand alive and well.”

“No thanks to you!”

“Boy, am I glad to finally meet my old friend Technoblade after being imprisoned inside my own home.” Y/N interjected, already having heard enough of their bickering.

Philza sharply sucked in some air “Yeah, I know what that feels like.”

Techno sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose “Don’t get me even started on you. They started a government right in front of us, you helped me build the Wither’s that destroyed them and yet you still stayed.”

“Oh, Techno you know very well what happened! They managed to catch me when I made sure to keep them off your back as you fled! Besides it gave me time to find out more about their structure and what was happening! I couldn’t know we wouldn’t need it in the end since Dream himself appeared to join our cause in this instance!”

Dream was calm and collected before but now he seemed almost apalled that Y/N would throw such an accusation against him “What?! Now it’s my fault?!”

Phil made his way towards the arguing warriors and made sure to stand in between them, they wouldn’t fight, not yet at least, the fight wasn’t heated enough for that but he needed to get their attention off each other “Okay, I think that is enough. You only have so much time to plan Doomsday.”

“You are right Phil, of course. Well then I have to show both Dream and Y/N something.” Techno seemed to have calmed down and made his way towards his home. Dream followed him and Y/N was about to follow him as well but Philza stopped them by laying his hand on their shoulder.

“Are you okay? You basically have been locked up by the L’Manbergians longer than me”

Y/N smiled softly “Besides missing my old gear? I am alright. Really. But thanks for asking.”

This seemed to be answer enough since he let his hand fall back to his side and instead concentrated on Techno who came running out of his house again with a button in his hand. Dream closely following and confused. Y/N assumed he was confused by his body language but it was hard to tell with his mask.

“Please follow me.”

So the group did as he ran around the corner towards a mountain range. All the while complaining to Chat, the voices in his head, that they had wants for completely unrelated things.

He placed the button down and pressed it. With the loud sounds of pistons moving a flat stone wall begun retracting giving away to a room with wither skulls on the back of the room. Soul Sand structures decorating the room as well as  a few chests and what looked like the start of a netherite armor set.

“What!?” Dream exclaimed in his typical fashion running into the hidden place to get a better look at the Wither skulls.

While Y/N was certainly impressed by this something felt off about this. Technically those were a ton of Wither skulls since they are incredibly hard to get by but it didn’t feel enough for Techno but Y/N chose to hold their thoughts to themself.

“As you can see we have enough for a few Withers and combined with, you mentioned raining down TnT?”

“Yeah, Yeah I did. A machine that will literally rain down TnT on the nation.”

“Yeah, combined with that and our fighting power we shouldn’t have a problem destroying L’Manberg.”

Y/N stretched “Okay, we got the gist of the plan I guess but I want a proper one. How will this go down exactly?”

The next day Y/N woke up early. More out of habit than need. They put on their freshly enchanted netherite armor and grabbed their new weapons as well. A netherite sword, crossbow and trident. Techno was already up, probably way before them. He was meticulous when it comes to preparing for fights after all.

As Y/N climbed down the ladder to get to the main level of Techno’s house they found him looking through a chest.

“Morning Techno and thanks for the makeshift bed and letting me sleep over.”

“Seeing as you are currently homeless I didn’t really have a choice and besides it makes it easier to meet up. Even though mister green Teletubby thought otherwise.” He grumbled “By the way there are some baked potatoes inside the furnace. Feel free to grab some.”

Y/N nodded and moved towards the furnace grabbing their breakfast. Potatoes, how typical.

The next few hours was spent by Techno, Philza and Y/N brewing potions as well as warming up. They got into their armor and made sure all of their equipment was working.

Now imagine their surprise while all of them were deep in their preparations and Dream appeared a good hour or so too early.

“Dream? Already here?” Y/N asked him.

He laughed “What? Already sick of me? I’m joking but there is a small change in plans. Let’s get going. Now.”

In the last part the tone in his voice changed from happy to serious which gave Y/N a bit of whiplash with how fast he could apparently change his emotions.

Technoblade pivoted his head to the side “Why already? Did something happen?”

Thankfully Dream shook his head “No, but let’s catch them off guard. If we go now they will surely be surprised.”

“Huh. He has a point.” Philza noted.

So the small group, they begun calling themselves Team Doomsday, started making their way towards L’Manberg but not without first getting Techno’s Hound Army. It was a bit stressful to get through the Nether with them but in the end they managed to reach the Community Nether Portal which led them close to the nation.

“I’m getting ready for the TnT, you all three get into the city and begin doing your thing. Techno as soon as you give me the signal I will spawn Withers and start the machine.” Dream ranted off resulting in Y/N rolling their eyes.

“Dream we were there when we planned this all.”

“Right.” And with that he vanished.

Technoblade turned to Philza “And you stay out of danger. Just spawn some Withers and by Ender stay out of danger. Call for us if anyone gets too close to you.”

This was Philza’s time to roll his eyes “Mate, I know. I’ll be fine!”

He most likely would. Philza was some apparently immortal being after all that still somehow only had one life. It was confusing but Y/N didn’t want to ask since Philza himself seemed to be very secretive about his nature.

With that Philza made sure to stay far away from Techno and Y/N. Still watching them but from a safe distance, holding onto the bag with the extra Wither skulls from Techno.

Together Y/N and Techno ran into the city with the wolves. As soon as Techno spotted Tubbo he immediately ordered his hounds to attack but didn’t attack himself immediately. He needed Tubbo to call the others so this thing could really start. After all, all of them had to get what’s due for them.

And indeed it didn’t take long for Quackity and the others to appear.

“Shit, it’s both Y/N and Techno!”

“Where is Dream!”

“No, idea!”

“We are so fucked!”

The people were scrambling, trying to protect their home but every time they got too close to Techno or Y/N the hounds would throw themselves at them. It was almost ironic how when Sapnap appeared the fight really begun.

“Techno I’ll deal with the people! I think it’s time for our secret weapon!” Y/N yelled over the chaos as they kicked Quackity away.

Between the L’Manbergian party Sapnap and Punz were definitely the biggest problem but as it looked like Punz barely participated. Sapnap was a definite surprise so Y/N wanted to deal with him if they get the chance. Test their mettle against him and maybe find out what moved him to work against Dream so readily.

“Got you!” Techno answered, showing that he heard them.

He got out his rocket launcher and shot a few rounds into the air, giving Dream and Phil both the sign. When Techno himself also got out some soul sand the others understood what was happening and tried their best to reach the Pig Hybrid.

Unfortunately for them the hound army and Y/N stopped them dead in their track.

Y/N had no problem running from person to person to either deflect their attack or kick them away from Techno as he built his little contraption. Two Withers already begun flying towards the middle of the nation. This broke up the group and a few decided to dedicate their fighting prowess to ensure that the Withers wouldn’t cause too much damage.

To that suddenly red TnT blocks suddenly begun raining down from the sky. A manic laughing Dream standing on top of an obsidian structure.

While the people scrambled to not die to the Withers, the dogs or the explosions, Team Doomsday, minus Phil, saw their chance to properly get into the fights.

Y/N didn’t spend any time waiting and immediately jumped in front of Sapnap’s way brandishing their sword. A smirk on their face.

Sapnap looked determined but worry still managed to crack through his expression. He locked his eyes with theirs and moved in heaving his sword up in order to strike them.

But Y/N stayed calm. They took a step forward and practically flowed around him, dodging his attack as they slammed down the sword at his side. It made contact with his armor but as it slid down the metal it managed to hit an exposed part of his arm.

Hissing Sapnap tried hitting them with a sweeping move towards their direction. Y/N used their sword to redirect his weapons movement away from them.

“Your reaction time is good! Too bad I’m better.” Y/N mused as they went back in to attack him.

They attacked him again, giving him a false sense as he tried to block their incoming attack only for them to move around again and kick him in the back of his knee. His leg buckled and crashed down into the dirt. Without any mercy Y/N kicked him again in his leg using the extra strength they had due to the strength potions.

“Fuck!” Sapnap cried out and put his hand inside a brown bag on his side, getting out an Enderpearl and throwing it away. He soon followed and disappeared as well.

“Oh no! You get back here! I haven’t even had the chance to ask you what the hell you think you are doing!”

But Sapnap didn’t hear them. He was too busy dodging attacks from a Wither.

“Y/N!” It was Phil calling out to them. As Y/N looked to where his voice came from they noticed both Ponk and Quackity coming closer to him. They knew he probably could deal with them but still. He was on his last life after all. Extra caution was warranted.

Y/N angled their own Enderpearl towards the blonde brit. Originally planned to be used to follow Sapnap but Phil was more important right now.

The wind got knocked out of their lungs as they landed in front of Phil. The sound of metal hitting each other rung out. A sword hitting Y/N’s armored back.

For a second Phil looked surprised only to jump back to his serious expression as he managed to see Y/N’s smile. He immediately got out a splash potion and threw it at himself and Y/N. They immediately noticed their strength returning. A healing potion. He got another one which seemed to be a strength potion, prolonging the effect that was already on them.

Thankful for the small pit stop Y/N turned around while he was busy throwing the strength potions, looking Quackity right in his face.

Quackity looked pretty confident before but now he was white as snow. Ponk put his second hand on the hilt of the sword. His sword was the one that clattered down on Y/N only to get parried by their armor.

“You betrayed us! Y/N! Do you really wanna do this?” Quackity tried to appeal to them.

Y/N sneered “How does this surprise you still? How? How does this not get in your head? You imprisoned me and made me work against my will against one of my only friends? How does this not enter your thick skull?”

They moved their arm up and brought it down on Quackity. It didn’t surprise them that he managed to parry it with his own but Y/N doubled down pressing down on the blade with their own. Effectively locking him into this position.

Obviously Ponk saw his chance and tried attacking Y/N who was preoccupied with the Vice President but Philza was still there. He just had to extend his trident and managed to interlock Ponk’s blade between the forks of his weapons.

“Phil!” Weirdly enough he seemed to be surprised by that.

“You were about to attack me! Don’t sound so shocked!”

Y/N pushed even harder on Quackity, forcing him to take a step back, getting dangerously close to the edge of the crater that the TNT is still in the progress of making.

“You are just as bad as Techno. Just as bad as Dream.” He spat. Still trying to work against Y/N’s strength.

“From what I saw in my time in this L’Manberg I very much prefer that. At least they treat me like a human person and not just as a weapon to be used!”

With that Y/N musted up the rest of their strength and pushed even harder down. Forcing out a yell as they pushed him one last time. Quackity not having enough strength to hold out anymore had to take another step only to find that there was no ground anymore. He slipped and fell down into the crater.

Not wasting any time Y/N spun towards Ponk who was clashing his sword against Philza’s shield. He was a good enough fighter but it still looked pathetic. He was too desperate.

Y/N used the adrenaline of arguing with Quackity to run and throw their whole body into Ponk. Making him stumble and fall down onto the ground.

Pointing their sword at his throat “I’m sorry Ponk. I respect you for standing up to your ideals but here is the end of the road today for you. Maybe next time you will have a better chance.”

His eyes widened and a weak protest left his mouth but Y/N ignored it. Pushing their sword down, killing him. His body dissolving into golden dust. He was returning to his bed and respawning.

Phil looked at his worn out shield “You okay, Y/N?”

They laughed dryly “I should ask you that. I am fine. I am holding my own out here, how are you?”

“I’m luckily good as well. Thanks for helping me, Y/N.”

It was sad to think about how they never got a proper thanks from the L’Manberg people. It was expected that they helped them.

Y/N nodded “Always.”

They wanted to jump back into the fight but suddenly Dream stood next to them. Looking over the crater.

The opposing party was scattered. Now more dealing with injuries than the fights. Only one Wither left flying around. The crater reached bedrock and yet the explosions still rang.

“I think it’s time we go. This nation is done for.” He spoke.

Techno joined the party. He looked like he was doing alright. His armor obviously scratched up but he was doing alright.

“I say we seemed to be successful.” He noted.

Dream put his hand on Y/N’s shoulder “I saw you fight. Did you know that a few people did a wide berth around you? Avoiding you at all cost?”

Y/N raised one of their eyebrows as they stared at Dream’s masked face. His head directed straight ahead as he observed Tommy who helped Tubbo with one of his injuries he acquired when he protected him from one of Techno’s rockets.

A few seconds passed in silence but then he turned his head towards Y/N “They are scared of you. Proof of your strength. Do with that knowledge what you will but I thought I should tell you since it was interesting to watch from above.”

“Let’s get going. If we wait long enough for them to recuperate then we might still have a problem since we are getting low on potions as well.” Techno spoke in a calm voice.

Truly. For Tommy, Tubbo, for all of the people who tried to protect L’Manberg. The team up of Dream, Techno, Philza and Y/N was their biggest nightmare that just came to fruition.

They knew they didn’t have a chance and yet they had to try. Had to try to protect their home like they always did but it was a vain effort. Who would have enough power to fight against warrior gods?

[queenshelby]

Just Friends – Part Nine

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Words: 4,515

Warning: Smut, Mention of Pregnancy, Birth Control and Abortion

***Worries***

When you woke up the next morning, your little mishap the night before was on your mind and you weren’t quite yourself, worrying about all of the possible scenarios.

Cillian noticed immediately that something wasn’t right but, with everything that was going on, the arguments with your parents and his heavy filming schedule, you decided not to tell him. You believed that there was no need to worry him at this point.

But, after yet another fall out with your father during breakfast on the day of his birthday, you broke out in tears. Your emotions got the better of you.

‘Are you alright Y/N?’ Cillian asked as he followed you to your room. He knew that you weren’t as, usually, your father’s comments would not have gotten to you upset in the way they did this morning.

‘I just don’t know why he won’t just accept you. You are the best that happened to me in a long time’ you cried.

‘Y/N, I am a fair bit older than you and, by what I gather from his comments, he is concerned that I am not genuine about our relationship. He seems to have a strange misconception about actors, but I am sure he will come around over time’ Cillian said calmly, taking you into his arms just as your mother walked into the room and asked you whether you would still be able to pick up your grandmother from the train station at 11 o’clock.  

‘How about I get her and you spend some time with your parents’ Cillian suggested and you reminded him that you were meant to pick up the birthday cake as well and that you promised Max to take him with you so he could go to the toyshop in town. His grandfather had given him $20 pounds and he was very keen to spend it on some more LEGO.

Cillian suggested that he take Max with him instead and you agreed, thanking him for doing this for you.

***Trip to Town***

After Cillian had picked up your grandmother, he remembered that you had been talking about a jewellery shop in Birmingham that you liked. It stocked several vintage items and vintage jewellery was your secret obsession.

It was your birthday in three weeks and Cillian hadn’t gotten you a present yet. Your grandmother was kind enough to show him the location of the shop and suggested that she would go and get the cake while him and Max choose something nice for you for your birthday.

Cillian accepted your grandmother’s offer and him and Max went to the store. It was obvious that you shopped there frequently as the owner of the shop recognised Max and immediately asked about you.

‘So, I guess you are looking for a present for Y/N’s birthday?’ she asked Max and Cillian while Cillian looked at the different necklaces and earrings on display.

He had no idea what to get you, but the shop assistant showed him several necklaces she thought you might like while Max wandered through the shop.

To Cillian, all the necklaces looked pretty much the same and it took him about a minute to realise that Max walked off. He quickly excused himself before looking for Max, who was standing in front of a different display cabinet.

‘How about a ring… maybe this one?’ Max suggested after he took Cillian’s hand and dragged him half way across to the other side of the shop.

The shop assistant couldn’t help but giggle as Cillian took in a deep breath, being surprised by Max’s suggestion. The ring Max had chosen was a $7,000 pound engagement ring with an emerald in the middle and several diamonds imbedded in the gold band.

‘Mum’s favourite colour is green you know’ he added with a big grin on his face as he looked at the ring.

‘Max, you don’t usually give a ring as a present to a woman unless…’ Cillian said as he kneeled down in front of Max in order to have this conversation with him but, before he could finish his sentence, Max interrupted him.

‘I know. You only give a woman a ring when you want to marry her Don’t you want to marry my mum?’ Max asked and Cillian’s eyes widened while his chin dropped. He didn’t expect this question from Max.

‘Uhm…’ Cillian swallowed, unsure how respond to Max’s question and there immediately was an awkward silence in the shop as both, Max and the shop assistant looked at Cillian with wide eyes.

Cillian was speechless and simply chuckled before collecting his thoughts.

‘I am curious Max, how would you feel if I did want to marry your mum? Would you be ok with it?’ Cillian then went on to ask, trying not to answer Max’s question directly. After all, you haven’t even been together for six months but it certainly would be a possibility in the near future.

‘I would like that because then you would be my dad and that would be pretty cool’ Max explained, causing Cillian to chuckle and give him a hug.

‘That would be pretty cool, I agree. But you know that I am looking out for you anyway, right? Even if your mum and I aren’t married’ Cillian said with a warm smile before messing up Max’s hair as he usually does with his boys when they are being cheeky.

‘I know’ Max responded before giving Cillian a hug which was just when your grandmother arrived at the shop.

‘We are still looking at a birthday present for mum’ Max sighed and your grandmother got involved immediately, helping Cillian decide on a nice necklace and earrings for your birthday.

‘I am just going to pay for these and then meet you at the toy shop?’ Cillian asked, hoping that your grandmother would take Max to the toyshop so that he could buy the LEGO he wanted.

‘Sure, take your time’ your grandmother said as she took Max’s hand before leaving the jewellery shop.

***Birthday Party***

The remainder of the day went well, even to the point where your father and Cillian had a couple of beers together after dinner.

Immediately following dinner, Cillian and your father went outside to talk. They were there for thirty minutes, outside in your father’s men shed and you were rather concerned when Cillian and him had left together. Surely this wont end well you thought but, to your surprise, when they returned, all was well. Much better than before.

Curious about what had happened, you asked Cillian what they talked about. But, Cillian didn’t tell you. All he told you was that they had resolved their differences and you didn’t dare to question it any further.

***Sarah***

The following day, you and Cillian made your way to Manchester while Max stayed with your parents. Cillian had to return to filming and you were eager to finally meet the crew and also share a bed with him again.

But, there was one person you were not keen to meet and this was Cillian’s ex-girlfriend Sarah who, out of all people, portrayed Thomas Shelby’s current love interest on Peaky Blinders. She had been harassing Cillian for weeks now, calling him numerous times and sending him numerous text messages.

The thought of her kissing Cillian in front of the camera annoyed you even more so when you finally met her and, after spending an entire day on set, found out about her intentions. It was obvious to you that she wasn’t over Cillian and the fact that he had broken up with her.

She didn’t take you seriously and that was obvious to you. According to Sarah, you are no more but Cillian’s midlife crisis. The young girl he decided to be with to get over her. She was oblivious about the fact that you were living together which is something Cillian never wanted with her.

You were looking after Cillian’s children when he was away and had built a good relationship with Cillian’s family and even his ex-wife. Sarah, on the other hand, never met Cillian’s parents or children.

Regardless of this, Sarah played on the fact that she was having intimate scenes with Cillian as part of the script and she was quite vocal about it.

As such, on your first night in Manchester over dinner with the cast, she even told you about the scene between her and Cillian earlier that day which involved him kissing her and touching her half naked body. She also told you not to worry about it because they had done it before for real which, according to her, made it less awkward and easier to film. She said that they knew each other’s bodies, which made you wanted to vomit.

Things escalated when she followed you to the lady’s bathroom and told you about having had sex in Cillian’s trailer once about a year ago. Following this statement, she implied that she would do it again if he was up for it.

But, the fact that she was acting like an idiot didn’t bother you. It was the fact that Cillian had forgotten to inform you about his earlier scene with Sarah which caused in your first fight with him since you moved in together.

***Making Up***

‘And this is exactly what she wants Y/N, getting us to fight because of her’ Cillian said angrily as he closed the apartment door behind him while you hung up your coat and took off your shoes.

‘We wouldn’t be fighting if you had told me about kissing her on set today…for fuck sake Cillian’ you shouted, throwing your handbag onto the floor besides you.

‘This is my fucking job Y/N, nothing more. Do you actually think that I enjoy filming scenes like this?’ Cillian asked somewhat flustered.

‘Well, you used to fuck her so I don’t know’ you sighed as you started to aggressively unbutton your blouse.

Cillian was speechless. He didn’t know what you were doing and whether you were, in fact, still angry with him or wanted sex. Perhaps both were applicable?

‘Well yes, we used to be together which means we had sex’ Cillian said somewhat annoyed, looking at you as you were getting undressed rather quickly. ‘What are you doing Y/N?’ he then went on to ask, unsure whether he should approach you or not.

‘How thin are the walls of this apartment?’ you asked as you dropped your bra to the floor. By this point, you had undressed yourself almost completely, leaving you in nothing but your panties.

‘Thin’ Cillian responded with a chuckle as it became evident to him what you were doing. Sarah’s apartment was right next to his and she got back to the apartment building before you did. You could hear her TV in the background.

‘Alright then Mr Murphy. I am laying my claim. You better fuck me hard and good’ you chuckled as you walked over towards Cillian, wearing nothing but your panties.

‘When have I ever not fucked you good, eh?’ Cillian smirked, jokingly using his Tommy accent to respond to you before he kissed you hard.

‘Did you think about me when you had this scene today?’ you smirked, biting your lip suggestively, as soon as you pulled away from the kiss.

‘If I would have thought about you, this would have happened and I certainly didn’t want to give her that kind of satisfaction’ Cillian smirked as he brought your hand down to his crotch. You could feel his raging erection strain against his jeans.

‘I never wanted anyone as much as I want you Y/N. You are driving me fucking crazy’ Cillian then went on to say before kissing you again passionately. You parted your mouth slightly and your body ignited at the intrusion of his tongue. Cillian groaned as he tasted your mouth and your nipples hardened as you pressed against his chest, ready for his hands and lips.

He broke off the kiss with a ragged sigh before pulling his t-shirt over his head in a haste and getting rid of his jeans.

Cillian then ran his hands over your breasts and down in between your legs, over the top of your soaking panties. His eyes flickered back and forth. He starred at you with his deep blue eyes, taking in your curves.

‘What?’ you giggled as you noticed his stare. His fingers were gently tracing over your thighs.  

‘I've barely touched you and you're dying for me to fuck you’ Cillian observed before he pulled down your panties.

You stepped backwards, leaving your panties lie on the floor, before letting yourself fall onto the bed.

The wave of anger over Sarah actually made your vision haze over for a second. But you soon forgot all about it as Cillian hoovered over your naked body.

‘You are so fucking sexy, you know that?’ Cillian whispered, his mouth at your ear.

You threw your head back and moaned as he moved his lips downwards and lightly tugged at your already taut nipples. You arched your back, thrusting you breasts into his face, silently begging for more.

Cillian complied with your request and began sucking one nipple between his teeth. His tongue flicked nimbly across your nipple, and you felt your pussy clench in response.

He kissed his way to your other nipple and teased it until you began squirming and whimpering.

‘Cillian, please fuck me’ you cried loudly. ‘I need your cock inside me’ you moaned.

He released your nipple at last and you looked beseechingly at him.

‘Patience babe’ he said before kissing his way down your stomach slowly until, finally, he reached your mound.

Without any warning, his tongue ran through your slit, causing you to moan loudly.

After several licks, his tongue made its way to your clit, licking circles over it while he inserted two of his fingers, pushing them right against your g-spot.

‘Fuck Cillian, oh god’ you screamed. You weren’t prepared for this sensation so quickly. Usually, he was taking it slow so that you weren’t overwhelmed with the intensity.

But not tonight. He gave you no time to get used to the sensation and, while he used one hand to push your squirming legs apart, he used the other to finger you.

The tip of his fingers flicked against your g-spot over and over again while his lips sucked on your clit and it wasn’t long until you felt your orgasm hit you like speed train.

‘Oh my fucking god yes’ you moaned as you held onto Cillian’s hair, your legs quivering and shaking while his fingers thrusted in and out of you.

Cillian smiled against your mound. You were incredibly loud when he stimulated your g-spot, so loud that, previously, one of the boys stormed into the bedroom to see whether you were alright.

Luckily, he saw nothing as Cillian was quick to pull the doona over you both when he heard the door opening and, following this incident, you installed a door lock and you tried your best to control your moans.

But tonight, you didn’t hold back. You wanted Sarah to hear how much pleasure Cillian was giving you after having dealt with her terrible behaviour all day.

Just as you came down from your high, Cillian kissed his way back up to your breasts and neck before whispering into your ears.

‘On your knees’ he instructed, knowing very well how loud you are when he takes you from behind. It was your favourite position.  

Your stomach fluttered as Cillian took off his briefs and lined himself up with your entrance.

Slowly, he entered you, inch by inch, stretching your lips wide. Your legs were fatigued, but that was hardly going to stop you from taking him deeper and deeper until Cillian settled on an animal rhythm that only a climax could complete.

He gave you no time to adjust as he kept thrusting into you, hard and fast.

‘Push back against me babe’ Cillian ordered and you complied with his request, allowing him to drive into you deeper and deeper with each thrust.

You arched you back and gasped as Cillian brought one of his hands in between your legs, rubbing your clit while he kept thrusting into you.

You almost squealed as he was pleasuring you, taking you hard from behind.

‘Louder’ Cillian instructed, enjoying your moans and screams.

‘Cillian’ you cried and, just as you did, he pulled your upper body up against his, forcing you to hold on to the railing of the bedhead.

He kissed your neck forcefully, thrusting into you while rubbing your clit at the same time.

You felt the pleasure between your thighs sharpen to a spring-loaded bundle of nerves that Cillian’s body would set off in a matter of seconds. God, his body was miraculous.

You cried out his name over and over again as your second orgasm radiated through you and he continued to kiss your neck until her body stopped shuddering. Then he buried his face in your neck and grunted with nearly every thrust until, suddenly, he pulled out, allowing his own orgasm to wash over him and covering your back with his hot cum.

You felt his grip on you loosen as he groaned out his pleasure, much louder than he usually would

Between ragged breaths, Cillian quickly cleaned up your back and you almost instantly collapsed on the bed together.

‘Jesus’ he panted. ‘That makes me want to fuck you again’ he added.

‘We’ve got all night babe’ you smiled, pulling Cillian closer for a kiss before getting him ready for another round with your skilled hands and mouth.

***Time for Goodbye***

The next morning you accompanied Cillian to set for two hours before making your way back home to Dublin. Your grandmother and Max were already on their way and would meet you at Manchester airport later.

With a coffee in your hand, you sat on a chair in the make up room while Laura, the make up artist, applied Cillian’s make up.

Sarah was sitting next to him, having her hair done and make up applied and you couldn’t help but grin at her as you were enjoying your coffee.

‘Time for the tattoos Cilly’ Laura said and Cillian reluctantly took off his t-shirt, causing you to giggle. Your cheeks were flushed red and Cillian apologised to Laura in advance.

‘Did you get attacked by a tiger?’ Laura chuckled as she observed several scratch marks on Cillian’s back and a few small bruises on his neck.

‘Not exactly’ Cillian chuckled while Sarah sighed, trying not to look at Cillian but failing miserably.

‘And this is why we don’t usually allow partners on set. It creates too much work for the make up artists’ Anthony grinned with amusement as he sat down across from Cillian, discussing the schedule for the day with him.

‘There must be some kind benefit of being a producer of the show, right?’ Cillian chuckled and Anthony certainly didn’t argue his point.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after Cillian’s make up was finished until you had to leave, catching your flight back to Dublin.

Cillian and you shared some kisses and, with a small tear escaping your eye, you said goodbye and went on your way.

You knew you wouldn’t see Cillian until your birthday, which was three weeks away.

Not long after you arrived at home, something else arrived and that was period. It was way more than a week early but you didn’t complain following your little mishap three days ago. You were relieved and immediately made an appointment with your gynaecologist Lucy to get the IUD.

She had recommended it to you a few weeks ago when she visited your house and you had an open conversation with her about your forgetfulness.

Lucy wasn’t just your gynaecologist, but also a close friend. Her daughter went to kindergarten with Max and Cillian’s youngest son. Whilst you were afraid of the procedure, you trusted her advice as a doctor and as a friend and you discussed the available options with Cillian who, again, made it very clear to you that he didn’t want any more children. At that point, neither did you but you certainly believed in keeping your options open.

***Surprise Surprise***

‘Hi Y/N, how are you going?’ Lucy asked before offering a seat in her office.

‘Pretty good, how about you?’ you asked before taking a seat.

You looked around her office for a minute while Lucy brought up your blood test results and the results from the urine sample you had dropped off at the surgery the day before. To your surprise, she didn’t have anything prepared for your procedure.

‘Is everything alright?’ you asked, looking at her as she looked through the test results, one by one.

She took in a deep breath before she responded to your question.

‘We cannot do the procedure Y/N’ she then went on to say.

‘Why? I filled my prescription for the IUD already and I am keen to get it done as soon as possible’ you explained as you placed the box containing the IUD onto Lucy’s desk.

‘Well, you won’t be needing it Y/N. In fact, you won’t be needing any contraception for a while’ she then chuckled before turning the screen around so that you could see it.

Your heart skipped a beat as she pointed to the results of the urine test. The results read ‘PREGNANT’ in red capital letters.

‘Oh my god’ you shuddered, your hands shaking violently just as you broke out in tears.

Lucy handed you a box of tissues before taking your hand into hers. She didn’t know what to say. After all, she knew that you and Cillian weren’t planning on having children.

‘So, tell me, did you bleed?’ she then asked when you finally calmed down a little from your shock. She was curious why you didn’t notice being late with your period as, from your records, you were quite regular when it came to your menses.

‘Yeah, a little, about three weeks ago. It wasn’t much and I didn’t think about it because I figured that it was breakthrough bleeding when I stopped the pill…well I forgot my pill and then didn’t take it again…oh my fucking god…this cannot be happening’ you cried hysterically again, losing your words.

‘My guess is that it was implantation bleeding but I would like to do a quick ultrasound if that’s alright with you’ Lucy went on to say.

‘Is there not something I can take, like tablets or something?’ you asked, still in shock that you were pregnant.

‘Is this what you want?’ Lucy went on to ask and you simply took in a deep breath before telling her that you weren’t sure. You never thought about going through another pregnancy especially after Cillian had told you that he was done having children.

You explained the situation to Lucy and she convinced you to have the ultrasound anyway as, even if you decide to terminate the pregnancy, she wanted to ensure that you weren’t experiencing a pregnancy outside your uterus which could be life threatening.

You reluctantly agreed to have the ultrasound and Lucy took you into another room to perform it.

‘This will be a little uncomfortable’ Lucy said as she inserted the camera before starting to push slightly upwards, looking for your baby.

Then Lucy stilled, taking several screen shots while you held your breath. She was awfully close to your bladder which made you wanting to go to the bathroom badly.

‘Is everything alright?’ you asked as Lucy was silent. She didn’t talk to you while she looked at the ultrasound machine and her mind seemed to be ticking over.

‘Is Cillian home?’ she then asked and you shook your head.

‘He comes back home late tonight for my birthday this weekend. Why are you asking?’ you asked just as she withdrew the camera from inside you and handed you a towel so that you could clean yourself up.

‘Because you might need someone with you to digest the news’ Lucy said before taking in a deep breath.

‘Is there something wrong?’ you asked as you could see the concern on her face.

‘No, everything looks pretty good so far but, you aren’t just pregnant with one baby Y/N. You are pregnant with twins’ Lucy said and you immediately thought that this was a very bad joke.

‘Excuse me?’ you barely managed to say and Lucy immediately showed you the pictures she had taken on which she marked one small black spot as ‘B1’ and another ‘B2’.

‘Two babies, one here and one here…right where they should be’ she pointed out before explaining to you that the twins weren’t identical. There were two sacs and it certainly explained your bleeding. ‘You are just over 5 weeks along by what I can see, which means that you would have conceived the twins when you went over to the UK last’ she explained.

‘Fuck…’ you said before breaking out in tears again. ‘Cillian doesn’t want another child. He was quite clear about this when we got together and now I have to tell him that I am pregnant with not just one, but two babies? Can’t you just give me something Lucy? I beg you’ you cried.

‘I can but you do need to talk to him Y/N. This is my advice as your friend. He deserves to know and make this decision with you, don’t you think?’ Lucy said calmly, holding your hand and you nodded.

‘If you decide to terminate, I will see you next week and we will discuss alright? If you are going to keep the pregnancies, text me and I will give you a referral to the maternity hospital’ she then went on to say and you stayed in her office for another five minutes before having calmed down enough before driving back home.

You struggled with the thought of being pregnant but had to keep calm and collect your thoughts. After all, you had to pick up Max and Cillian’s boys following your appointment.

When you picked them, you barely coped and simply grabbed take away for dinner before putting them in front of the TV for the remainder of the afternoon. Luckily, being a Friday night, they were tired after a week at school and kindergarten and it was easy to get them to bed on time despite the fact that Cillian was due to arrive at 9 o’clock.

When Cillian arrived shortly after 9 o’clock, you didn’t get up to greet him and he noticed immediately that something was wrong.

‘What’s wrong babe? Are you alright?’ Cillian asked worried as he saw that you had been crying. Your eyes were red and your face was flushed.

‘No Cillian, I am not ok. We need to talk’ you said just as more tears began to build up in your eyes.

   Tag List (Cillian):

@lilymurphy03  @deefigs @theflamecrystal   @desperate-and-broken  @weepingstudentfishhorse   @livinginfantaxy  @rosey1981  @atomicsoulcollecto  @peakyboyslover  @nerdy4itall  @elenavampire21  @hanster1998  @mariapaiva13  @fairypitou  @harry-is-my-sunflower  @zozeebo  @lauren-raines-x @kasaikawa  @littlewierdalien  @sad-huffle-nerd  @theflamecrystal   @peakymalfoyscullymulder  @themissthang  @0ghostwriter0  @stylescanbeatmyback  @1-800-peakyblinders @datewithgianni  @momoneymolife  @ntmynouis @lilymurphy03  @mcntsee@cloudofdisney @missymurphy1985 @peakymalfoyscullymulder  @otterly-fey @janelongxox  @uchihacumdump @basiclassy  @being-worthy​  @chaotic-bean-of-smolness​  

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@l0tsofpennies @margoo0 @trolleydolly @avonlady1985 @chrisevanshoeee  @daydreamingnymph  @fookingshelby   @chocolatehalo

[jihyuncompass]

A Little More Interesting

Welcome to Kinktober 2021! While this is my first time participating I’m very exited to give you some treats and spice to add to your Starbucks drink and Halloween candy. Now. Without any further ado, welcome to the first fic of the month. 

Kinktober 2021. Week One 

Marius x MC

Word Count: 4.3k 

NSFW. Only read if 18+

Tags Below the Cut 

Warnings/Tags: Collaring, Vaginal Fingering, Public/Semi-Public, Toys

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

“I have a couple things for you,” Marius said after pulling into a parking spot. You glanced up from your phone, Marius’s eyes were on you. A glint in his eye that made it clear that he had something on his mind. Setting your phone aside, your attention went to him. Noticing your attention on him he smiled then reached for the bag in the backseat. 

He handed the bag over to you, dropping it into your lap. After giving him another odd look you reached back into the bag to find it’s contents. 

Marius’s gaze was locked on you as you pulled out what looked to be a jewelry box, too big for a ring but probably about the size of a necklace. Holding the box in your hand your gaze went back to Marius. His brow was arched, like he was waiting to see your reaction. Feeling around the box you started to pull up on the top. 

“Wait.” Marius said, his hand resting on the top of the box. “Before you open it.” Your hands stopped, eyes returning to him. “We talked about this not too long ago, but if you don’t want it. You don’t have to accept it.” 

His words only grew your curiosity, opening the jewelry box. Inside lay what a t first looked like a typical necklace. A simple silver chain with a ring in the center. Within the ring, a small purple gem. Simple, yet elegant. The realization didn’t hit until you lifted the piece out of the box, noticing the clasp on the end. Two small rings connected by what looked to be a small lock.

“You don’t have to wear it.” Marius said. Any previous show of confidence had fallen away. “If you don’t want to or you feel you’re not ready.” 

Holding it in your hands you considered it, knowing Marius it was likely custom made. Designed for you specifically by him. You could just imagine Marius, choosing the details on the silver chain, picking the perfect gem to match the color of his eyes. The lock on the clasp, small but by looks of it rather strong. 

“You have the key for it?” You asked him. Seemingly stunned by your sudden question Marius nodded quickly but took an extra second to find his voice. 

“I do.” Marius reached under his shirt, pulling out a similar silver chain to the one in your hand. At the end, a small silver key. 

You didn’t require much more time to consider it. Taking another moment to admire it, you handed it to Marius. Who was watching you intently. 

“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” He asked. 

“Yes.” You said, putting on a smile to show your honesty. “I trust you Marius, and I want this.” 

Marius took the key around his neck and quickly unlocked the tiny lock at the clasp. Adjusting in the seat you let your back face him. Moments later his hands put the subtle collar around your neck. Closing your eyes you focused in on the feeling of the lock clicking closed. The light but present pressure where the collar rested against your neck. Marius’s hands rested on your shoulders. Urging you to turn. 

“Well?” You asked him after you turned. At first he went speechless, ears turning red and voice lost. Then after a moment, when he’d been able to fully take you in, his expression shifted. His eyes narrowed and darkend, his lips pulled into a smirk. Playful yet mischievous. 

His fingers trailed from your shoulder to your neck, his fingers running over the silver chain. Leaning close to whisper. “It’s perfect.” His hand stopped at your jawline, pulling you into a kiss, his warm lips taking your’s, sending a warm feeling down into your abdomen. Breaking away from the kiss he leaned in, whispering against the shell of your ear. “It’s also the perfect reminder. That you’re mine.” 

“I am yours.” You whispered back, holding his face in your hands. “Always will be.” 

Marius smiled, his gaze full of warmth and adoration as he looked at you. Letting himself watch you for a moment longer he pulled away just the slightest bit. 

“There’s one more thing in the bag.” He said, motioning to the bag still resting in your lap. Letting your hands drop from his face you reached in for the second item, a larger box than the last one. 

Your mouth parted in a brief shock. Your face instantly flushed bright red. 

“These events are always so boring.” Marius said. “I thought this might make it a little more interesting.” 

Interesting was one word for it you thought as you held the box for a remote controlled vibrator. You’d seen these online and in other things but never in person, you turned the box over in your hands. The flush on your face was growing worse by the moment. 

“Well?” Marius asked. 

“You really think this is a good idea?” You questioned. 

Marius smirked. “Thought it could make the night a little more interesting, that’s all.” Marius winked, looking away from him you looked at the box in your hand. The idea seemed outrageous, it wasn’t appropriate and it could cause trouble for the both of you. 

But also, you couldn’t ignore the heat growing in your lower abdomen, and the excitement sparking through your nerves. Considering the box you pulled out the device, thumb brushing over the soft silicone outside. 

Marius leaned in, the smirk briefly disappearing from his face. “We don’t have to.” Glancing between Marius and the toy you weighed your options. 

“We can use our safe word?” You asked. 

“Of course.” Marius responded in complete seriousness. “Still paintbrush, right?” You nodded. 

Taking a breath of courage you fully removed the toy from its packaging, turning it around in your hand to get a feel for it. “Did you happen to bring any lube with you?” 

“Dammit.” Marius cursed. “I knew I forgot something.” He ran a hand through his carefully styled hair, messing up some of the strands. He hastily glanced around the car, hoping maybe he could find something suitable. 

“It’s okay.” You said, stopping his frantic search. “I can just do it the traditional way.” 

“Traditional way?” Marius asked. Before you answered you’d set the toy on the console, your hand reaching between your legs, pushing aside your clothes to get where you wanted to be. “Oh.” Marius said. “That way.” 

You smirked to yourself as your finger ran against your slit, already growing wet from just your thoughts alone. Your finger circled your clit, forcing you to take a sharp breath in, your finger rubbed on the sensitive nub quickly growing swollen by the sensation. 

As your fingers moved downwards, towards your core already beginning to ache you felt Marius’s eyes on you. Throwing him a glance you happily took in his flustered face while he watched you, 

“What’s that look for?” You cooed. “Do you want to help?” 

He cleared his throat, then nodded. Trying to keep his cool as he shifted his position. You pulled your own hand away as his hand traveled down your thigh to your core. Leaning back in the seat you readjusted your hips to get a better angle for him. 

Your eyes slipped closed as his fingers ran over your slit, collecting the wetness as he moved. Biting your lip you attempted to savor the feeling as he started down towards your entrance. Careful to use the fingers without a copious amount of rings he let one finger slip in, then a second not long after. 

Marius wasted no time, his fingers already pumping in and out of you as his thumb made quick circles around your clit. You didn’t hesitate to let moans fall past your lips, each sound only making Marius go faster. 

“Marius-” You said, forcing the name past your lips. 

“Hm?” Marius answered. 

“I think-” You paused to let another wave of pleasure pass. “I think I’m ready for it.” Marius slowed his hand, letting you reach for the toy you left on the console. 

He took the toy from you, using his other hand to angle it while his other hand pulled out of you. Using the remaining arousal coating his fingers to smear it on the tip. He looked back to your face, checking your expression. 

You nodded at him, giving him the confirmation he needed for him to push the toy past your folds and inside you. Swallowing thickly you groaned from the pleasant stretch, taking some moments to adjust to the new feeling. 

“How’s that?” Marius asked, hand resting on your upper thigh. 

“It’s good.” You readjusted your clothing, sitting up straight. Heavily aware of the toy now fully inside you as you sat in the seat of the car. Looking in the mirror you fixed your hair and straightened out your clothes. 

Marius put the vibrator box back into the bag, tossing it back into the backseat. Straightening himself out as you did. The two of you took a moment to collect yourselves before exchanging a glance. 

“Ready to go in?” Marius asked. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

-

Tonight’s event wasn’t anything special. Especially not in comparison to some of the other events you’d attended with Marius in the past. As always the drinks were overflowing and the food while of good quality not bountiful in quantity. Following your partner you made the rounds to the copious amounts of well dressed business associates Marius knew. 

“Oh my that’s such a beautiful choker you’re wearing.” One woman said to you, motioning to the accessory on your neck. In the corner of your eye you noticed how Marius smirked to you. “Where’d you get it?” 

You were about to speak when Marius spoke first. “It’s custom made.” He explained, focused on the woman speaking you missed Marius’s hand slipping into his pocket. 

“Well it’s absolutely beautiful.” She said to you, then turned to Marius. “I must get the name of your jeweler.” 

The sudden jolt of the toy nearly made you gasp, clearing your throat to avoid making any other sounds. Inside you the toy vibrated aggressively against your walls. Shooting Marius a look, you  cleared your throat again. 

“I’m sorry I think I need a drink.” You apologized. “Please excuse me.” Stepping away from the conversation you bit your lip, the vibrations grew slowly in intensity as you walked towards one of the servers carrying a tray of glasses of wine. 

While you walked back towards Marius the vibrations slowed to a stop. Marius’s hand leaving his pocket to shake someone’s hand. Breathing a sigh of relief you rejoined him, although the mischievous glint in his eye remained. 

“Doing okay? You look a little red.” Marius teased after the others had walked away. Pressing your lips into a thin line you ignored him, even as he took your hand in his, and his other hand slipped back into his pocket. 

You braced yourself, waiting for him to start the vibrator again. However he just winked at you, leading you towards another small gathering of people. Putting on his business smile as he approached. 

These conversations were usually nothing you found particularly interesting, this one included. You listened as Marius talked about business with one of the older men. Discussing PAX’s latest ventures and asking about one another’s families. You sipped at your wine while they spoke. Usually being just the littlest bit tipsy during times like this made the small talk bearable to get through. 

“And what about you?” The man Marius had been speaking to asked you. “What do you do for work?” 

“Oh I’m-” Your sentence was cut off by the return of the vibrations. You collected yourself after a moment, pushing through the increasing setting of the toy. 

“Are you feeling alright?” The man asked. “You look a bit overheated.” 

“I’m fine. Thank you.” You said, digging your nails into your hand to keep your composure. “It’s a bit warm. That’s all.”

 You carried on with your conversation, fighting the pleasure very quickly spreading through your boy as you talked. Marius was enjoying this, that you could easily tell. His expression showed how obviously he was undressing you with his eyes, and between the toy inside you and the pressure of the collar around your neck you were starting to find it difficult to keep your composure. 

The night continued this way, with Marius routinely turning the toy on and off as he pleased. With each cycle of it making it harder and harder for you to keep control of yourself. You already could tell your face was red, your knees getting shaky from how he’d started to get you close before turning it off again. 

After a while you’d convinced Marius to sit down with you at one of the tables in the venue. Marius held your hand as you watched others flutter around one another in conversation. All the same typical business chatter, what everyone was doing, new business plans or partnerships, maybe a mention of a spouse or children. 

“Do you want more to drink?” Marius asked, motioning to one of the servers. “I could get you another glass.” 

You shook your head, you’d already drunk enough to be pleasantly buzzed, but considering your current state and the way Marius was still looking at you, getting any more intoxicated would probably be a bad move. 

“I didn’t expect to see you both here.” A voice said from beside you. Turning your head, your mouth fell open as Artem walked up to the two of you. 

“Oh hey.” Marius said. His tone gave away a slight annoyance. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” 

“I had a client invite me along. Figured I’d accept the offer.” Artem said. He smiled at you softly. “It’s good to see you. I hope you’re enjoying yourself?” 

You matched his smile. “I am. Are you?” You asked. Artem pulled up a chair to sit next to you, your eyes on him instead of Marius you didn’t think much about the way he was looking at the two of you. 

“I’m usually not one for events like this, but it’s been pretty nice so far.” Artem said, nursing a glass of wine in his hand. You nodded thoughtfully. 

“I’m not really a huge fan of these either. The food and drinks definitely make up for it though.” You said. 

“Based on what I’ve had here, I think I’m inclined to agree with you.” 

You were about to speak further when your voice was caught in your throat. Marius had

turned the toy on again. This time at a higher speed than he had ever set before. Pressing your lips together in a fine line you attempted to breathe through the waves of pleasure pulsing through your body. If you looked uncomfortable at least Artem didn’t seem to notice as he carried on with the conversation. 

“How long are you both planning on staying?” Artem asked, sipping on his wine. 

“I’m not sure.” You said, crossing your legs to try and keep the intensity controlled the best you can. “How long are you staying?” 

“Not for long I hope.” Artem said. “I have some work I want to work on tonight.” You nodded, your nails digging into your knee as Marius turned up the vibrations again. Biting your cheek as you fought back the sounds you wanted to make, keeping yourself as still as possible so your knees didn’t shake. 

“Y-yeah.” You agreed, voice cracking. “Especially with that case we just got.” You said, having to force yourself to say every word while the intense pressure in your abdomen grew bigger and bigger, heart beating faster, and face getting more hot by the word. “I did look at the case files earlier but-” You took a breath to catch yourself. “I didn’t get a chance to spend much time with it.” 

Artem set his wine glass on the table. “If you’d like we could meet and go over the details of the case. There is a lot to keep track of.” 

“Oh that would be great-” The sudden increase in the speed of the toy made you stop, covering your face with your hand. Feigning a coughing fit to distract from how your whole body was shaking and how it was becoming impossible to keep yourself together anymore. You were getting so close, so close so- 

“Do you need something to drink?” Artem asked, leaning close to try and see your face, you coughed harder to keep your face hidden, nodding frantically. 

Just as Artem stepped away to find something for you to drink you shot Marius a look, he was smirking clearly proud of himself and the mess he was making you. 

“Awful coughing fit you’re having there.” Marius teased. 

You squeezed his thigh. “Paintbrush.” You said. Within a second the toy was off, and Marius took his hand out of his pocket. His smirk disappeared, replaced with concern. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, moving closer. 

You nodded after a second. Marius rubbing your back. “It was just too much right now.” You whispered. Marius nodded, understanding. “Thank you for stopping.” 

“Of course.” Marius said. Artem returned, a glass of water in his hand. Quickly handing it off to you. After several long sips you set the glass down, giving yourself time to collect yourself. 

“Better?” Artem asked, concern written all over his face. 

“Yes, much better.” You answered, sitting up straight. “Thank you.” You sipped at the water, feeling the flush in your face going down. Marius’s hand remained on the small of your back, his thumb rubbing small circles. 

After finishing the glass Artem brought you glanced back at Marius. He’d been watching the rest of the party but quickly turned back towards you. 

“Are you wanting to go?” Marius asked you, voice low and soft. 

“I think so.” You said, finally gaining your strength back. “Besides, we have something to do.” You smirked at him, his face completely changing as he realized what you were thinking. 

“Oh that’s right.” He said. “We did have something to do.” 

You both rose from your seats, even with the toy off your legs were still shaking, your whole body struggling to keep upright. “I’m sorry to leave just after running into you.” You said to Artem. 

“It’s alright, I’ll probably leave soon myself.” Artem stood to match you both. “Get home safe. Both of you.” 

After saying a proper goodbye, you both hurried out of the venue. Holding tight to Marius’s hand as you hurried back to the parking lot. 

The second Marius’s car came into view you headed straight for the backseat, hastily opening the door and pulling Marius inside with you. 

“What-” You cut Marius off by kissing him. Pushing him against the seats as you moved to straddle his hips. His hands went immediately to rest on your hips, pulling you closer, Your hands held his jaw. Forcing him to stay close. 

You only pulled away when you needed to breathe, Marius staring at you a bit stunned. 

“You’re eager.” He said, finding his voice. You frowned, leaning in close. 

“And who’s fault is that?” You shot back, kissing him again. Your lips moved against his, pulling him in further and deeper. Marius’s hands moved downwards until he was holding your ass, digging his fingers in as you groaned. 

Breaking away from his lips you moved to press kisses along his jawline and his neck. Seeking that sweet spot you knew he liked you to pay attention to. As you did so your hands moved to his waist, searching for his pocket where he kept his phone. 

“Mmn..” Marius moaned as you found the sweet spot, although not unaware of your hand as if reached into his pocket. “Whatcha looking for babe?” He asked, pulling your head away from his neck. 

“You know what I’m looking for Marius.” You went back to reaching into his pocket until Marius’s hand around your wrist stopped you. His mischievous look returned, sending a twinge of excitement straight to your core.  

“You want more?” He whispered into your ear. 

“Yes.” Marius’s fingers traveled towards your neck, fingers brushing against the collar still locked tightly around your neck. “Please Marius.” You asked. 

Marius hummed, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I’ll turn it on. But.” He started. “We’re doing this my way.” 

Before you could even answer Marius pulled you off of him, readjusting so his back was against the car door, legs laying across the seats. 

“Come here baby.” Marius said, leading for you to lay with your back against his front. You gave him a strange look over your shoulder while you laid against him. His arm around your waist to keep you in place. 

You watched as Marius opened the app he’d been using before. Waiting not-so patiently as he slowly started to turn it back up again. 

A loud sigh of relief escaped you as the vibrator started, watching as Marius slowly turned it up. 

“Faster.” You whispered. “Please make it go faster.” Marius shook his head as pressed a kiss to your temple. Savoring every moment as you whined against him.  “Marius, please.” 

After another long agonizing moment Marius obliged, turning up the intensity just the smallest amount. Enough for the sensations to be pleasant, but not enough to satisfy you. You needed more than that. 

“You’re so pretty like this.” Marius said. “All bothered and begging.” The hand around your waist moved up, cupping your breast. You groaned, head falling back against his shoulder. Closing your eyes you press your legs together, hoping to maybe get more sensation than the cruelly low setting Marius had the toy at. 

Marius used the hand with his phone to part your legs. “Let’s not do that, remember I’m the one in charge right now.” You whined, your eyes squeezed shut, you were going to go crazy like this. 

“Please turn it up more. Please.” You begged. “Please.” 

Marius considered you for a moment, your face was getting flushed already, you looked so perfect like this, like putty in his hands. If he really wanted to he could keep you like this for hours, but you also looked so beautiful, and he struggled to refuse you. 

He turned up the speed, leaving you gasping. It was high enough now that you couldn’t stop the moans from leaving your lips. Your hips ground down against Marius below you, seeking something, anything more to make you feel good. Behind you Marius groaned, turning up the toy even higher without another thought. 

“Marius oh god-” You cried out. “It’s- ugh-” The waves of pleasure were getting more intense, rising in pressure as you felt it start to swell in your abdomen. You weren’t going to last, you were so close. Just a little bit more is all you would need. 

“Are you close?” Marius asked. 

“Y-yes!” You said, your hand gripping his wrist so tightly you thought you might break it. “Please I’m so close I’m-” 

You cried out loudly as Marius turned down the vibrator, returning to a setting just barely enough to feel. 

“Why?” You asked. “Marius-” 

“You’re mine right?” He said. His hand moved from your breast to your neck, fingers tracing the bottom of your collar. 

“Marius.” You looked at him over your shoulder. He stared into your eyes, he looked like he was seeking something in you. Something that you’d only seen when he needed your reassurance. “Of course I’m yours. I’m only yours.” 

“Good.”He whispered. Marius kissed you, pulling you closer against him. With your eyes closed you were hardly focused on anything as with his one hand Marius turned the vibrator up again. You gasped into the kiss, pulling away a moment later to moan and looking back at his phone. Slowly he was turning it up, approaching the level it’d been at during the party. The point where you hadn’t been able to keep yourself collected anymore. 

Now you didn’t hesitate to moan. You couldn’t even care if people could hear you outside this car, right now you just needed to feel good. That’s it. 

Your eyes closed as you focused on the feeling, the white hot pressure that was at its breaking point inside you. Just a little more, just another moment, just another-

One last boost in the speed was all it took. You screamed in pure pleasure as your back arched, your entire body tensing as the pleasure exploded inside you. Your body shook, eyes shut and voice going hoarse from how loudly you’d cried. 

Marius turned the vibrator off a final time as you slumped against him, chest heaving as you caught your breath. A layer of sweat coating your skin, as your hands shook. Your eyes stayed closed, even while Marius pulled aside your clothes to remove the toy, covered in your slick. He smiled at the sight. Your eyes opened just enough to see it, before shutting again. 

Setting the toy aside Marius wrapped his arms around you, kissing your neck and jaw. “You did so good, baby. I love you.” Marius whispered. You smiled, too exhausted to say anything. 

You laid there like that for a long while, Marius pressing kisses wherever he could reach, your eyes closed while you gathered your strength again. 

“Let’s go home.” You said. “I think you deserve a little something tonight too.” 

Marius smiled. “Are you sure? I bet you’re exhausted.” 

“I’m sure.” You said, sitting up fully. Marius sat up with you, looking at you with those adoring eyes you were completely obsessed with. 

Marius’s hand brushed against the collar on your neck. “Do you want to keep this on? I can take it off if you want?” 

You shook your head. Taking his hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. “No, I like it. I want to keep it on.” 

Happily, Marius accepted your answer. Helping you out of the back and into the passenger seat. Ready to go home for the rest of the night. 

[vagabondreamer]

The Best Gift

Pairing: Lucifer x MC

Summary: MC tells Lucifer I love you for the first time.

Author's Note: Happy birthday to our boy!

*GN!MC wears make-up*

***

Months had past and you found yourself at home in the Devildom. Every day was a new adventure, and you had gained so many new friends and experiences along the way. But something felt missing - your heart yearned for something more.

You had a huge crush on Lucifer.

Well - it was just a crush.

But as time passed by, and as you spent more alone time with him, you knew it was more than just a school-girl crush on your friend.

Yes. Friend.

He never showed any interest in you, but to be fair, you had never made it known you were into him.

But that would soon change.

Mammon dragged you out Sunday afternoon to go shopping with him. This wasn't something new, so you didn't even question it.

"Hey, MC, what do you think of this smell?" He sprayed some cologne on his wrist and held it up to your nose.

"Smells okay."

"Okay isn't good enough." You figured he was just trying to mix up his collection. He spritzed another cologne and then another. Holding each up sample to your nose.

"Oh, that one smells pretty good." A mixture of sandalwood and spices enthralled your nostrils.

"Should I get it?"

"Yeah, you should."

He bought the cologne and he rushed the both of you back home. Usually you both would still hang out, either in his room or yours, but this time he went straight to his room and closed the door in your face.

"Okay rude."

Asmo had just noticed you and linked arms with you, encouraging you to join him in his room instead.

"Oh MC! Let me do your make-up!" It was more of a statement rather than a request.

You didn't have any other plans, so you let him. When he was done you looked in the mirror and saw he did a full glam look.

"Wow, Asmo, I look -"

"Stunning, gorgeous, beautiful - yes, darling, I know."

You just giggled at his confidence, but he was totally right. He had never dolled you up this good before.

"Let me get you an outfit!"

"Wait, Asmo, I already went out -"

And he didn't hear you. He was already in his huge closet picking out an equally stunning outfit.

Everything felt rushed today and you couldn't figure it out. Did you forget about something today? It felt like everyone was out of the house doing errands.

Asmo pushed a gorgeous outfit into your hands and pushed you to the bathroom to change. In the mean-time, he changed into his outfit and dragged you to the mirror to take selfies.

"Asmo, why the hell are we so dressed up? Where are we going?"

"What do you mean MC? We're going to Lucifer's birthday party."

The look of shock and fear on your face said it all.

"MC, you forgot?"

"What? No! No one told me! Why did no one tell me?!" Pure panic set in, you didn't have a gift for Lucifer. Oh you were going to kill Mammon for not telling you. "I don't have a present for him!"

"MC, that's okay, just give him...ya know." He winks at you. Your face instantly goes hot.

"W-what?!"

"Oh come on MC, I see how you look at him. And he looks at you, too."

"No he doesn't."

"He absolutely does. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little taste as a gift."

"Oh my - Asmo, please."

You couldn't take it anymore, the embarrassment was too much. Rushing out of his room, you walk downstairs just to take a breather and you find yourself right outside Lucifer's office. You peak your head in. He's not there. You take this as a chance to look around and see what kind of things he would like. The idea to re-gift something he already owns pops up, but that's a very Mammon thing to do so you decide against it. As you're looking around you don't notice the door slowly creaking open. Lucifer's just standing there, observing you.

"MC." You jump, almost dropping the item you had in your hand. Turning around, you see an amused Lucifer. "What are you doing in here?"

"Uh, looking for you."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"You're not looking for something to re-gift me, are you?" Your eyes widened.

"Can you read minds?" He laughed, clearly not upset at your confession. "No one told me it's your birthday."

"Good."

"Good?" You were utterly confused.

"It's not important."

"Yes it is," you furrowed your eyebrows. "You're important to me."

For a moment, you could see the self-doubt in Lucifer - something you didn't even think was possible for him.

"I love you, Lucifer."

And like that, it was out in the open.

"I love you too, MC." He opened his arms up, and you embraced him.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you a gift."

"This is the best gift you could give me."

[todoroki-waifu]

Atsumu x F! Reader

Scenario: When you try to subtly confess to Atsumu.

Word Count: 1,970

Genre: Fluff and humor.

Warnings: Cursing, female reader, and some OOC-ness (maybe?). My first time writing for Atsumu and the rest of the Inarizaki team. 

————

“I get that she’s the most beautiful here, but we are here to check out the art, too.” Atsumu jumps slightly at a voice and hand on his shoulder. 

“‘Samu!" 

"Could you be any more obvious?" 

"I-I wasn’t doing anything!” Atsumu huffs, a blush attacking his face as he shakes off his brother’s hand. 

“Why don’t you ask her out already before someone else does?" 

"I’m working on it!" 

"Hey, who’s that with __(y/n)?” Suna chimes into their conversation, nodding to where you had been standing and admiring a portrait. The two see a man conversing with you, both of you very engaged in whatever topic that was being discussed. He brought out a small electronic device, looking a bit nervous as he showed you the screen. 

“He’s probably going to ask for her number.” Osamu replies indifferently, but did a quick glance at his sibling.

“What?!” Atsumu immediately leaves the group.

“Wait, but doesn’t that guy-” Aran questions, but Kita cuts him off while the others hold in their chuckles.

“Let him figure it out." 

——-

"So if you put your-” While you were listening to the young man who approached you, a familiar face made himself known.

“Hey, buddy, is there a problem over here?” Atsumu suddenly inserts himself in between you and the stranger. He stands tall, looming over the shorter male.

“N-no, there is no problem.”

“Atsumu-kun, he was just-” You placed a hand on his arm and tried to explain the situation.

“Don’t worry, __(y/n)-chan. I got this.” Atsumu gently pushes you behind him to hide you.

“Was there something you needed from her?” He continues. 

“No, si-sir. I-I was only trying to-”

“Well, if you ain’t got any business with her, I suggest you beat it.” The blonde twin glares at the male hiding behind his black device. He smirks victoriously, watching the scared stranger run away. He turns around to find you with your arms crossed and an incredulous look. 

“Why were you so mean to him?”

“Mean? What do you mean? Wasn’t he trying to hit on you?”

“What? No! He works here! He’s a staff member." 

"But didn’t he have his phone out to get your number?”

“Get my..-you mean his Ipad? He wasn’t trying to get my number, he was asking for my email so he could send a survey for us to fill out on how satisfied we were with the staff and the place." 

Atsumu had no answer, processing what he did to the innocent and diligent worker and to you. You must think he’s a crazy idiot for sure. 

"As funny and adorable that was, you’re coming with me to apologize.” You grabbed his hand, dragging Atsumu to find the man who he wrongly yelled at. 

“Yes..” He pouts, but obeys. You’re zipping through the crowd until you finally spot your target.

“He’s with someone else, but we’re waiting until he’s finished and I’m not letting go until you do." 

"I-I wasn’t gonna run away.” His cheeks heat up at your clasped hands, avoiding your gaze. 

“Just in case.” You continued to look forward, __(e/c) eyes too shy to meet his brown ones. 

“Thank you though,” You break the short pause, “I know it was a misunderstanding, but it’s nice to know that someone has my back.”

Atsumu directs his head to you, but is unable to see your face since it’s turned away with your finger busying itself with a strand of your hair. 

“Of course. Always.” Your heart skips at his soft reply. You feel a gentle squeeze on your hand and respond similarly, fighting back the smile that was eager to present itself.

“Oh look! He’s done. Let’s go.” You gently pull him towards the staff worker once he has finished speaking to the other customers. You’re about to release his hand, but Atsumu keeps a tight grip. Probably he’s nervous about admitting to his mistake, you assume. 

So you hold his hand just as tight, figuring he needs the support. You knew how much of a big baby he was.

But really, Atsumu was using this as an excuse to hold you just a bit longer. His fingers felt right in between yours. 

——-

You managed to take some great pictures wherever it was allowed, but the artwork that forbade photos, you captured in your memory. After touring around the entire museum, you and the boys were starting to feel hungry, so everyone agreed to eat at the nearest restaurant.

You saw a few people scattered outside and you volunteered to ask the host how long the wait would be. Osamu steps behind his brother and lightly taps the back of his knees with his.

“Remember, that guy works here." 

"Shut up, 'samu! I know that.” Atsumu huffs, red cheeks puffing out slightly as his friends laugh loudly. They stop as soon as you near them, telling the boys that there was a table open that could accommodate your party.

You sat in between the Miya twins which made you both nervous and happy. Your crush on Atsumu was getting worse every day yet you didn’t hate the feeling. You distracted yourself by looking through the menu, all of you deciding to share a couple appetizers before choosing your individual meals. 

“What are you getting, __(y/n)-chan?” Atsumu asks, brown eyes looking at you as he lowers his menu.

“Hmmmm, I’m not sure yet. I’m caught between number 8 and 9.” You point to the items on the main course list. 

“Oh! I was going to get the number 8. How about I get 8 and you get the 9 and we can just share? That way, we can get a taste of both. I’m curious about number 9 also.”

“Really? You wouldn’t mind?" 

"Yea, of course I wouldn’t mind!” He grins, folding the menu before placing it on the table. You copy him and wait for the server to collect your orders. 

You then bring out your phone, taking pictures of the boys and the restaurant’s interesting decor. Despite your school’s motto, you liked to keep the memories. 

“Ne, Atsumu-kun, mind if I borrow your phone? Your camera is better than mine.” Your cell phone was a few years old, but Atsumu just replaced his and you were waiting to upgrade yours. Part of you was glad that you hadn't yet because you were going to use this opportunity to see how he feels about you. 

“Sure. Here ya go.” He hands you his phone. 

“Thanks!” You start taking pictures of yourself, really impressed with the photo quality. 

“Take a selfie with me.” You change the camera view as you hold out your hand in front of you and Atsumu.

“You’re so far! Get close to me like you actually like me.” You say jokingly as you hear a few, muffled snickers around the table. Atsumu stutters a response, but you interrupt him when you start counting from three. 

“Ready? Smile!” You take a few shots before looking at each one closely.

“Yeck, I’m deleting that one. I look gross in there.” You weren’t satisfied with how you smiled and your eyes looked like they were in mid blink. 

“What? Don’t say that. You’re gorgeous!” Atsumu looks up at you after he watches you remove one of the many pictures. You blush at his statement, dodging his stare.

“Oh, ummm. ..t-thank you." 

"You don’t gotta thank me. It’s the truth.” Atsumu murmurs, but it’s coherent enough where you could understand him.

“Get ready with your orders. The waiter is coming.” Kita sees the server walking towards your table. You went first and while everyone else was focused on the waiter, you quickly dragged your finger around on the phone screen. You immediately closed what you were doing and handed Atsumu back his phone. 

Your heart was beating fast, but you kept a calm smile on your face as you casually made conversation with the volleyball team. None of the guys knew about your crush, afraid that they would make fun of you. Not that you believed they would, but you weren’t comfortable telling anyone yet. 

Except for today. 

You finally were going to tell one person about your crush and that person was Atsumu. You planned everything out for a while, thinking of every possible situation that could happen and how you would approach it. You were surprised at how smoothly your idea was going, but that made you even more uneasy. 

But you already made your move and hoped that he would notice the little message in his phone. 

———

Dinner was both fun yet stressful. Every time Atsumu would check his phone, your heart would jump at the thought of him seeing what you put. But he made no reaction so you assumed he had yet to see it. 

And you were fine with that. You’d prefer if he read it at home instead of in a public place. 

Everyone went their separate ways after the restaurant except you and the Miya twins. Your house wasn’t too far from theirs so they walked most of the way with you. Once you were close enough, you waved goodbye to the brothers.

“Bye! See you soon! And don’t forget to send me those pictures later, okay, Atsumu-kun?" 

"Yeah, I will! Bye, __(y/n)-chan!” Atsumu waved back before turning away with Osamu.

——–

Unfortunately, he never sent those pictures. He must have forgotten, but with how many days has passed, you believed he probably felt awkward with the little note you put. 

If he saw it. He never acted any differently when you saw him at school.

Maybe he never did see it? But you were too afraid to ask so you were just going to live quietly with your heartache. 

——-

“Oh, shoot! I forgot to send those pics to __(y/n)-chan!” Atsumu says loudly while he and Osamu walk home from practice.

“You haven’t sent them yet? It’s been a week.” Osamu shakes his head. 

“I forgot! I was too busy thinking of a way to tell her I like her. I gotta make sure it’s perfect.” The setter takes out his phone and taps on the photo album icon. As he selects and scrolls through the photos, his eyes become rounded at one particular image. 

It was a selfie of you and him, sitting close, cheek to cheek as you both smile happily. What made him pause was the heart drawn over the two of you with the words ’yes or no?’ written at the bottom.

“Ahh! ’s-samu! Look, look!” He shows his phone to his brother. “I think __(y/n)-chan likes me back! She put this on our picture!”

As soon as Osamu sees what’s on the screen, his eyes also widen slightly then suddenly smacks his brother at the back of his head. “Dumbass! That photo has been sitting there for that long already?”

“I told you already, I forgot! And she never said anything! Other than to send the pictures after we ate- Oh my God, 'samu, I really am a dumbass!” Realization hit Atsumu harder than his brother’s slap.

“I knew that a long time ago. Now, why are you still here talking to me? Shouldn’t you be talking to __(y/n) instead?" 

"You’re right! I gotta text her!” Atsumu’s hands were working fast in trying to find your text message conversation. Before Osamu could even make a snide comment, Atsumu becomes aware of a better alternative to communicate with you. 

———

On your way home, you received multiple texts from Atsumu, all saying the same thing.

Yes!

Yes!!

Yes!

Yes!!!!

’The hell? Yes to what?’ Right when you were about to reply, you saw an incoming call from the setter who made your heart skip a beat daily. 

“Hello?” You answer. 

“Yes! __(y/n), yes! I want to be your boyfriend!”

[kieraelieson]

Three Times Patton Got Lost in a Market

Thomas was walking through the old store with his mom, careful to hold her hand while they shopped.

“Oh, look! There’s a wind chime! It’s just like the nice neighbor lady!” Patton said.

Thomas stopped to look, and his mom stopped too, looking at something else across the aisle.

“It isn’t exactly the same,” Logan said. “Hers has a hummingbird on top, but this one has a butterfly.”

“And anyway, this one has prettier colors when the light hits it,” Roman added.

“Oooh, the red really is pretty, Roman!” Patton said excitedly. “And the purple, and the yellow!”

“It’s exactly the colors of the most beautiful rainbow reflecting back from a pot of gold,” Roman said dreamily.

“Mom!” Virgil suddenly shrieked, alerting them all to the fact that Thomas’s mom was no longer beside them.

Instantly, there was a pandemonium of overlapping voices, all very confusing, and Virgil at the front screaming.

“Quiet!” Patton yelled, as loud as he could, and then felt a little like crying. He didn’t like yelling, but this was important!

“But we have to find Mom!”

“We should run after her!”

“If we yell someone will hear!”

“Listen to me!” Patton yelled again. “Remember what Mom said? If we get lost in the store we stay put, and if we see an employee then we ask them to call mom for us.”

Virgil bit down hard on his sleeves, and Patton took his silence for agreement.

“That is indeed what Thomas was told,” Logan admitted.

“I still think we should go find her!” Roman protested, though less pointedly than before.

Thomas plopped down on the floor.

“Ok. That settles it, we’re waiting for mom,” Patton said. “Let’s look for more pretty things while she comes to get us. Roman, what else can you see around us that looks like a rainbow?”

Roman grumpily crossed his arms. “There’s a rainbow on the lawn decoration.”

“Very good!” Patton said. “Logan, can you see anything that’s science-accurate?”

“Science-accurate is a very vague phrase, but I suppose you could be intending to direct me to the collection of decorative barometers.”

“Oooh~ yes, the water swan neck thingies~” Roman said.

Logan launched into an explanation of barometers, most of which Patton didn’t understand.

He checked on Virgil, who was scanning the aisle they were in over and over again, and chewing holes in his poor sleeves.

“She’ll be here in just a minute, don’t worry,” Patton said gently.

Virgil nodded slightly, but didn’t stop checking the ends of the aisle and staring down each person that passed.

And then his eyes went wide. Patton turned to look.

“Mom!”

“Thomas, I thought I lost you for a minute there! Stay close, ok?”

Thomas took his mother’s hand and nodded.

Patton let out a sigh of relief. They weren’t lost anymore.

••^*^••

Thomas was a bit worried about high school, and especially the test coming up, and Logan and Virgil were mostly helping him with that. But now he had to go to the store for groceries. And Roman was exhausted after being all excited over the play and was sound asleep.

So Patton was helping shop!

He smiled confidently, prompting Thomas to look at the list again. He needed to get the ingredients for tacos, and some bread, milk, eggs, and ice cream. Yum!

Now what all went into tacos?

There was meat, and sour cream, and little shredded lettuce, and cheese, and taco shells, or was he supposed to get soft tortillas?

Patton considered, wandering into the store towards the food. Maybe both? Yeah. Both. Oh! And there was the bread! That would probably have tortillas near it!

Patton hummed happily, finding the bread that looked the same as what mom had been getting, noting the brand name. Nature’s Own. Huh.

Now tortillas… what kind did they normally get?

He finally just picked the one that had blue on the label.

Virgil popped up, startling him for a moment, especially with his intense frown. “People are staring. We’re taking too long near the bread, and your humming is gonna make people think Thomas is weird.”

“Oh, it’s alright!” Patton said cheerfully, glad he hadn’t dropped the tortillas. “I didn’t get in anyone’s way, and they haven’t said anything yet about thinking Thomas is weird.”

“Yeah…” Virgil glared at the people milling around and shopping. “Well they could. Just… keep it quiet.”

“Will do!” Patton grinned, and Virgil sunk back out.

Next he had to find… well, next he had to find the next thing. Should he keep walking and hope to see them, or should he seek each one out? He’d stumbled upon the bread, surely he would stumble across the rest.

Patton hummed happily and kept walking, skipping along beside the cart as Thomas pushed it. Thomas must really be out of it, poor guy. But Patton could help him cheer up!

Pretty soon, they had almost everything! Except for taco seasoning. And Patton wasn’t sure if they were supposed to get the kind that was in packets, or the actual spices. And he also wasn’t sure whether he should look in the spices area or the Mexican food area. Or where those areas were.

Surely they’d passed those special Mexican drinks a while back. But where?

Patton encouraged Thomas to turn around and go back, but after several aisles he still couldn’t find anything he was looking for. He turned back around, and then again.

“Perhaps… I need to go from one end all the way to the other…”

Virgil popped up again, rather grumpy looking, but not as much as earlier. “That’s gonna take too long. We’re already late, and Mom is gonna need Thomas home son so she can make dinner.”

Patton sighed. “Ok. Logan, help please, I’m lost.”

Logan popped up, looked around, and then pointed. “That aisle.”

“But how do you know?” Patton asked.

“There’s a sign above it.”

Patton looked up. “Oh. Yeah.” He chuckled. “I should’ve thought to look for signs. Thanks, Logan!”

“You’re welcome. However I do suggest we attempt to make our trip home expedient. I’ll need Virgil’s full attention and assistance to prepare adequately for the test.”

“Will do!” Patton said, already spurring Thomas towards the aisle.

••^*^••

“I have created the ultimate maze!” Roman said excitedly. “It is called Infinite IKEA!”

Patton clapped excitedly, and even Logan gave a single clap.

“I really don’t see the point—“

“The point is a race, Emo Nightmare, and the winner gets to pick which old reruns Thomas watches tonight.”

Virgil tried to pretend he was still disinterested, but Patton could tell he was excited. “So what would we have to do to win the race?”

Roman grinned. “I’ve hidden a copy of each of our logos in the store somewhere, except for mine, which Logan hid by sinking in and placing it in a random place, so he doesn’t know the layout of the store yet. You have to find your own logo, and then exit the store!”

Oh, so that was why Logan had a bump on his head. He’d probably tried to rise up too close to a shelf. Ouch.

“Everybody ready! Set! Go!”

They all rushed into the store. Patton looked around excitedly, getting more excited to see that the store was full of items that came from houses where Thomas had lived or visited. He ran to the section of beds and flopped onto the biggest one.

He let out a comfy sigh, looking up at the roof which, rather than being metal supports and too-bright lights, was intricately painted with something that glowed.

It was amazing.

“You did a really great job, Roman,” Patton said, even though Roman was probably running ahead to win the race— oh! This was a race!

He jumped up and started walking, looking around for his heart with glasses.

After the bed section, where he wished he could stay and flip onto each one, he wandered into the lamps and chandeliers section. That was beautiful. He was still dazzled and in awe walking out. It even had that massive one Thomas had seen in the one hotel once.

And then came books, where Logan was!

“Hi, Logan!”

“Ah, greetings Patton.” Logan was looking through the books, just as captivated as Patton had been by the beds.

“Find your logo yet?”

“Not yet. I’m not overly concerned with winning, and Roman has certainly made this an interesting place to browse.”

“Mhmm!” Patton looked around. “Where are the kids books, I want to see if the Winnie the Pooh book is still chewed on or if Roman made it brand new.”

“That way, two shelves down,” Logan said, rather distracted by a book he’d picked off of the shelf.

“Thank you!”

Patton found the children’s section, and then found the book. It was still chewed on the corners. He smiled, and flipped through the thick cardboard pages. Thomas had loved this book.

And then, when he opened the last page, his logo fell out.

“Awww, look!” He picked it up, and found that it was a sticker. He promptly stuck the sticker to his chest and put the book back. Now all he had to do was find his way out!

He wandered into the next section, which was all dark and purples and blues and blacks and everything cozily packed together.

There was even a sign warning him away from certain aisles, because there would be spiders, and Patton was very glad Roman had thought of that.

And then he remembered the sunglasses stand sitting at the beginning of the lights aisle. That was probably for Virgil. Roman had been so thoughtful in building this! Patton hoped Roman would win. He certainly deserved the prize after putting all this together.

There was a whole section of Disney, all the movies, and posters, and any Disney themed toys and figurines, and even cardboard cut outs! It was lovely and chaotic and colorful, and it bridged Virgil’s section with Roman’s very well.

Roman had every single picture Thomas had ever seen, which was so many pictures!! Patton looked in awe until he realized that the paintbrushes weren’t just for show, some of them had been used. There was a little black cat in the corner of one painting, and a little V, and the paintbrush was in a cup of black water.

Patton found a picture of a field of flowers, and picked up the paintbrush, dabbing a bit of pink onto the picture. It turned instead into exactly the kind of flower Patton had been envisioning! He smiled wide and painted another, and another, and another, and each one turned out beautiful!

He ran to another painting and gave a little boy in the background a balloon and a smile. And then he gave the lady sitting in a rocking chair a baby to hold.

He finally had to stop himself. He could stay here forever, but he probably should get to the end of the store so he wouldn’t worry the others.

He got to the end of Roman’s section, only to find a massive blanket fort. He kept himself from exploring, and passed through, coming out at… the beds again?

Ohhhhh, right. It was a race and a maze.

Patton flopped down on the bed Thomas had grown up with, wrapping up in the blanket. He let out a happy sigh.

“Logan! Roman! Virgil! I’m lost! But I’m also gonna stay lost!”

Roman rose up and leaned against the footboard, a pleased smile on his face. “Enjoying the store?”

“I’m loving it!” Patton said happily, sitting up. “You did a really good job!”

Roman glowed. “I guess I’ll have to leave it up for you to wander in then. Once Virgil finds the exit I’ll put it somewhere more obvious so you can get out once you’re done.”

“Oh, did you and Logan already get out? Who won?”

“Logan, but only by a few minutes. He hid my logo in a hard place! How was I supposed to guess he’d put it under the makeup stash?”

Patton chuckled. “Wait, I didn’t see that.”

“It’s in Virgil’s section, in one of the spider aisles. I can un-spider it for you if you want.”

“Well, let Virgil have his fun first, but I’d really like that.” Patton smiled. He could have fun in here for a long time. “You did an amazing job with the paintings too! I loved those!”

Roman puffed up happily. “I did, didn’t I?”

There was a distant, triumphant, “Ha! I made it! Wait, Princey beat me? Aww.”

Patton giggled.

Roman patted his shoulder. “Have fun.”

“I will!” Patton said happily, eyeing the blanket fort which he now had time to explore.

—————

If you enjoyed, please reblog! And consider supporting me as I try to make a living off of writing 😊

[young-dumb-and-vaccinated]

Cult Girl: Doctorate (Hannibal x Female!Reader) pt. 4

Will

Cult girl attends her grandmother's funeral and is approached with a highly unorthodox last will and testament.

@wisesandwichshark

Trigger warnings: emotional manipulation and abuse, verbal abuse, death, slight emetophobia, body-shaming, ED mention, pregnancy and family planning

There was no use recounting anything from the leading up to the funeral. You spent that first night wine-drunk, munching on foie gras, watching Arrested Development and diagnosing each character to the best of your psychological abilities. You remembered cry-laughing at the same jokes you had memorized, and reminiscing on all the insane shit your own personal Lucille Bluth pulled on you. That was the highlight of the week. It was all downhill from there. 

Firstly, you were sick. That Sunday, you wrote it off as a hangover. Then, the hangover returned with a vengeance, just to add salt to the already open wound of having to pretend to mourn your abusive grandmother. At least the physical pain would give your acting an air of sincerity, you thought. 

Hannibal dressed in a solid black tux: it was almost uncanny to see him outside of any of his normal checkered suits. You selected a plain black dress and a strand of pearls.

The funeral was to be held at the same country club Anna’s wedding was held. Your grandmother was like a pharaoh, insisting that the empire she built know that even in death, she reigned supreme. The country club was her pyramid. 

Anna asked if you wanted to say a few words. As much as you wanted to get up and tell all her country club friends about the time she reported you as an abducted child at age twenty-two when you refused to leave your boyfriend and move back in with her, you knew that it wasn’t in good taste. You racked your brain for any story that could be considered remotely funeral-appropriate, but none came to mind. 

You spent the entire funeral trying not to roll your eyes too obviously at the stories of abuse her country club friends somehow remembered fondly. Your soul just left your body throughout the entire process and you were unsure if it would ever return. 

All things considered, it could have gone much worse. Then, it did. 

The beginning of the end was when your grandmother’s estate lawyer pulled you and Anna aside to conduct the reading of the will. He showed you to a side room, then excused himself before closing the door behind him. 

“Hello, [F/N].” Liam greeted, trying to cut through the awkward silence that came with first seeing each other after four straight years. “I’m very sorry about your gran. She was a great woman.” 

You gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “Thanks, Lee. I appreciate it.” 

“No she doesn’t.” Anna muttered. “And it’s Liam.” 

“I don’t mind ‘Lee’.” Liam contested. “My mum called me Lee. I actually quite like it.” 

Anna was in one of her ‘I’m so upset, please ask me why’ moods. She sat on one of the heavy armchairs with her legs crossed and eyes to the wall. You weren’t going to bite. 

Liam wasn’t so cautious. “Princess, what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing.” She pouted, not even dignifying her husband with a look. “I just think it’s interesting that I put the funeral together all by myself and someone couldn’t even be bothered to speak.” 

You shot Liam a look that said ‘way to go, jackass’. 

“Yeah,” You said, sitting down in an adjacent armchair. “That must suck.” 

Anna glared at you. “You really have nothing to say? Really?” 

You tensed up. “Let’s see, which charming anecdote would you have me tell? How about that time when she made you wear a fat suit for an hour after you complained about how the low-carb ice cream tasted like chemicals?” 

Liam looked in shock at his wife. “Did she really?” 

“Once.” Anna confessed, holding up one finger. 

You turned to Liam, as if you were sharing some hot gossip. “That was all it took to give her an eating disorder when she was thirteen.” 

Hannibal was just a fly on the wall. Anna noticed his lack of reaction. 

“And I bet Hannibal knows all about this, huh?” Anna said, throwing her hand in his direction. “Because he just needs to hear all of our private family business, right?” 

You stood up from your seat. “First of all, I take offense at the implication that my fiancée isn’t family.” 

An evil smile spread on Anna’s face. “But he wasn’t always your fiancé, was he, [F/N]?” 

“Holy shit, you cracked the code.” You said, flatly. “There was a point in time when Hannibal and I weren’t an item. Real shocker, that one.” 

“You know what I mean.” She sneered, then approached Hannibal. “Dr. Lecter, is it true that before you and [F/N] became romantically involved, you were her therapist?” 

Liam looked scandalized. Hannibal was just as put-together as always. 

“That is true.” He said, feeling no shame whatsoever. 

Anna turned back to you. “Now don’t you think that’s just a smidge unethical? For a therapist to date their much younger patient?” 

You narrowed your eyes. You carried yourself with the lightness of a woman who finally had the moral high ground. “So you want to talk about what’s ethical, huh? I suppose that means you’ve told Liam about pineapple.”

All the blood drained from her face. You crossed your arms and held your head up a little higher. 

“That’s what I thought.” You grinned. 

“Look, could we just pretend to be a normal, functioning family for ten minutes?” Anna pleaded, as if there were anyone other than herself to blame for provoking an argument.

“That’s on you two.” Liam, rightfully, pointed out. He gestured to himself and then to Hannibal. “Neither of us have said anything.” 

The estate lawyer must have gotten his juris doctorate alongside a master's in impeccable fucking timing, because that was when he decided to make his entrance.

"I'm sorry for the wait, everyone." He announced. "And I'm sorry for having to pull you aside in your hour of mourning. Usually the last will and testament is handled through email to the beneficiaries, but your grandmother was quite adamant it be approached this way."

"That definitely sounds like her." You said, exchanging glances with Hannibal. You'd talked about this for what felt like hours the week prior. She was going to pull some last-minute bullshit to humiliate you from beyond the grave. Give all the inheritance to Anna and leave a snide comment about you in a legal document. You knew it was coming. All you could hope was for it to be quick.

The lawyer pulled an envelope from his briefcase. "She specifically asked for her two living grandchildren and their significant others to be present."

"Did she say it like that?" Anna raised an eyebrow. "Or was it more like, 'Anna and her husband, and [F/N] and her therapist'?"

"Mrs. Young," Hannibal said, taking your hand. "Until you tell your husband about pineapple, you aren't allowed to judge us."

Anna glared at you. "What the hell? He knows, too?!"

"Yeah." You answered. "I tell him everything."

"Okay, who or what is pineapple?" Liam interjected. "And why do I get the feeling I'm the only one not in the know, here?"

"That's cause you are." You confirmed. "And you have your lovely wife to thank for that."

"Everyone!" The lawyer called out. Clearly, he'd seen his share of dysfunctional families. "Please, let me just read the will and you can continue arguing afterwards."

"Y'know what? Fair enough." You said, crossing your legs. "Let's rip off this band-aid, shall we?"

The lawyer opened the envelope and produced a single page. He cleared his throat.

"I, Beatrice [L/N], being of sound mind and body, do hereby bequeath all my worldly possessions-" He began reading the long first sentence. "Including but not limited to, a collective sum of $45 million, the family home and my shares of the country club, to the first of my granddaughters to give birth."

You expected nothing. You expected something. But you never could have expected this.

"Can you please read that last part again?" You asked, unsure if what you heard was the result of a stroke.

"The entire inheritance goes to the first one of you to have a baby." The lawyer clarified, trying to make it sound like a reasonable arrangement.

"That makes sense." Anna said, nodding.

You looked at her, dumbfounded. "How in the fuck on fire does that make sense to you?"

"Well, the money would be going to a good cause." She rationalized. "To raise the baby, right?"

You shook your head. "No, this is insane. Grandma has always had this weird obsession with bloodlines, and now she's trying to incentivize us to carry it out."

"What happens if neither of us can, y'know?" Anna asked.

The lawyer pushed his glasses up his nose. "If neither granddaughter is willing to produce a child, the entire inheritance will go to the Eagle Forum, so my ungrateful grandchildren can learn about family values."

"She hated the Eagle Forum!" Anna objected. "She wouldn't dare."

"She absolutely would." You pressed your fingers into your forehead. "That's upper-class white moderates for you. And she doesn't have to be around to see when they name a fucking wing after her."

"The Beatrice [L/N] center for denying women bodily autonomy." Hannibal said. "It's quite fitting."

"[F/N], we can't let that happen." Anna pleaded. "We can't let Eagle Forum get a penny of that money."

"Why the hell not?" You said. Though on principle, you agreed, you knew this was just another one of your grandmother's power grabs. At the end of the day, she chose to leave her money to the Eagle Forum. And it would be her name on that check, not yours.

"Oh my god, you actually hate babies more than you hate conservatives." Anna stood with her mouth agape.

"Don't put words in my mouth." You snapped. "I don't hate babies. I hate grandma for trying to threaten me into having one. I hate grandma for pinning us against each other and making sure it stays that way."

"What do you have against giving me a little niece or nephew, huh?" Anna folded her arms.

"I'm fucking done." You said, throwing up your hands. "This will be the last you ever see of me."

Of course, that's what you said the last time.

[gaijinhunter]

Monster Hunter Rise: 2nd Trailer and news blowout

Hey guys this is Gaijinhunter. I am uploading this as a text post since I caught a cold and have been unable to edit a video.

There was a huge second wave of news for Monster Hunter Rise with the reveal of the 2nd trailer the other day during the Game Awards 2020 show. Keep in mind the actual full length trailer is much longer and better than the shorter edit they showed during the show so makes sure you watch it. It showcased a second map, 2 new monsters, several returning monsters, and more. They also updated their official website with a ton of information so instead of doing a trailer reaction or breakdown, I am going to give you all the info they shared but split up by category, trying to focus only on the new stuff.

New Map

Director Ichinose hinted in an interview that one of the new maps would be nostalgic and boy he wasn't kidding. The Flooded Forest from Third Generation has been massively remade and is back in MH rise. Of course given this game’s focus is verticality, there is no underwater combat sections but they really nailed it from what I can see. One of the most iconic parts of the forest was the ruins in the backgrounds, and now you can scale up it using the wirebug. How cool is that. 

With the new map we also got the reveal of 2 new monsters.

First up is the mermaid wyvern, the Somnacanth. This marks the much hyped return of the leviathan class of monsters which were missing in world and iceborne. This Monster looks so wild. It has a special breath that will put you to sleep, is super aggressive, and has this crazy taiko drum like chest in which it will grab oysters and other things and bust them against it to break them open and buff itself. The Japanese name is quite a mouthful and is called Isonemikuni. This is the monster that Ichinose teased with his cute drawing on twitter.

Next up is the tengu beast, Bishaten. This monster is really unique, it looks like a mix of a monkey, bat, and bird. It has a huge and powerful tail it uses for massive mobility and it will chuck various fruits at you as well. One of the most iconic fruits it throws are persimmons, which are very Japanese and if you haven’t had them before, they are kind of an acquired taste. It’s Japanese name is Bishutendo. 

For returning monsters we have a few. First is our favorite sponge, the Royal Ludroth. This is a fan favorite and a great early to mid game monster. It has one of the best move sets in my opinion, very telegraphed but it can still catch you off guard even if you are super used to it. Strategically figuring gout where to stand in order to cut off its tail or break the sponge has always been really fun and intersting so I’m delighted to see this monster return, also look at that texture of the sponge!

Then we got the return of the Great Wroggi, the anti-poison skill tutorial monster. This thing really messed me up back in MH3G until I spent the time to get the materials to craft anti-posion decorations and even then, like the Great Izuchi, it fights really well with its sidekick small wroggis and I cant wait to see the improved cooperative AI that they are making for the Great Izuchi applied to this monster as well. It’s armor also spots a really cool Crocodile Dundee hat and look in the trailer and you can see the palico armor as well. So cool.

Finally, we got a small scene that appears to show a snow map and a group of baggi getting hit by a Khezu lightening shot. Does this mean the Great Baggi will return? Not sure. But that scream 100% is a Khezu, and I cannot wait to see how it looks with higher resolution texturing, I bet it will be creepy as heck. So while not technically confirmed, I’d say it’s safe to say Khezu is returning in some form. The balance of all these monsters is so great, I love the selection so far.

As far as other returning monsters that might return, I think we all expect nargacuga and zinogre. These are flagship monsters from games directed by Ichinose and he even tweeted his palamute and palico both named after these two monsters. Especially given the Japanese aesthetic, I think it’s pretty much guaranteed they are returning. Then I think mizutsune is also highly likely given its Japanese design, the fox theme, the kimono armor. Plus the model for it doesn't look that far off from the new Somnacanth. Anyway I have super hyped.

Interaction with animals and endemic life

One of the huge features of Monster Hunter Rise is the focus on wild life and animals to buff your hunter or be used as tools during a hunt.

There are 4 major types of Endemic Life: Temp Buffer, Permabuffer, Hunting Helper, and environmental.

For Permabuffer, we got a new render of the Spiribirds, which will buff your hunter if you move near one, and the effects depend on the color of the pollen it is carrying. Green increases your max Health, Orange increases your defense, red increases your attack power, and yellow increases your max stamina. There is even a special rainbow colored one, which I assume will buff all 4.

Via their website, Capcom announced a new item called the Petalace, a bracelet made of a plant called a Sending Sprig that each hunter has equipped. This is what collects the pollen from the birds and buffs your hunter. There is a variety of Petalaces in the game and some may increase the amount in which an attack boost is applied from a single Spiribird, raise the max value that health can be boosted, and more. Here in the screen shot we can see the caps for each and the amount gained for each buff. Just a quick note but this is not going to be replacing charms as we know that they are giving away a talisman for pre-order.

For Temp Buffer creatures, they revealed the name of the Clothfly, a butterfly that will temporarily increase your defense once you interact with it and cause it to generate a cloud of dust. In previous videos we have seen Peepers that reduce stamina usage, birds that raise your base stats, and a dragonfly that boosts your affinity and I had calculated it out to being applied for 90 seconds but we’ll have to wait for hte final game to see if that depends on the effect or if they change it, but it sounds about right.

For Hunting Helper creatures, we got an adorable new render of the Stinkmink. You can carry up to 5 Hunting Helpers and use them like items. The Stinkmink can be used to cover yourself in a special pheromone that will attract large monsters to you, even allowing you to lure one monster toward another to cause a turf war. I personally can think of other applications like luring a monster toward a trap and stuff like that.

And for environmental endemic life, they didn't show it in the trailer but there are also wildlife that can be used like environmental traps. For example, use raw meat and the giganha fish will go crazy, damaging anything nearby be it a hunter or monster. I can’t wait to see someone hunt a Great Wroggi using only raw meat. I love that we finally will have more use for this item.

NPCs

In the new trailer we got to hear several of the NPC villagers talking and on the website they go into a lot more details. They have quite the star-studded cast in Japanese and the English voice actors are also very interesting picks. This really marks the first time in Monster Hunter that the main cast of villagers will all be called by name and speak, which I think adds a lot of personality to the game.

First we have Fugen the village elder of Kamura and skilled long sword user. 

Then we have Hinoa the Quest Maiden, a cheerful and optimistic girl who serves as the quest giver in the village while her twin sister runs the gathering hub. While not announced in any other language, the French and Italian language sites for the game list her sister’s name as Minoto. Hinoa’s name is Hinoe in Japnaese and for the rest of the cast their names are identical between the two languages.

One thing I am excited for is that they said that one of the ways they will help communicate the uniqueness of Kamura is through songs and they shared a sample of one of them in the full trailer. This one is sung by Izumi Kato. If you remember back in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate they featured songs by the wyverian Diva, and I am so happy they decided to do songs again, they add so much richness to the world and are just lovely to listen to.

Next up is Yomogi, our village chef. In this game you will eat meals at her Tea Shop, where her speciality is the Bunny Dango she makes along with the help of some palicoes. I love that we’ve seen her in past videos with a heavy bowgun, so the idea that all the villagers are active participants in the story is great. 

Then we have Hamon the blacksmith. He used to hunt alongside Fugen back in the day but now creates weapons for the hunters of the village. His grandson also appears in the game and is a kind-hearted youth that loves your hunting companions.

Next is Kagero the merchant. Despite his mysterious appearance he is actually very warm and kind. If there is a sale going on, not only can you buy most items for half off, but you can also participate in a lottery where you spin a wheel and it dispenses a colored ball. Get a rare color ball to win a rare prize. You can do it once per sale, but you can also scan an amiibo to spin two more times, but only once per day per amiibo you own.

Finally we have Komitsu the sweet-tooth, she sells candy apples in town. What these do is still not yet revealed.

Companions

We got an adorable render for the Cohoot, the pet owl that shows the positions of monsters on your map. You can interact with it in the town and even dress them up in fancy outfits.

Kamura Village

We got gameplay showing that the entire village is open to the 4 person multiplayer session and you can even ride around on your palamute and use your wirebug while in the village to zip around and have fun. There is still a gathering hall but the ability to see each other in the village as well as jump around and really explore it is a lovely change they are making.

Story wise we got more info about the Rampage, both a story mechanic and new quest type. For some reason the monsters will sometimes gang up and attack the village all at once and no one knows why. They call this a Rampage. There was a really bad rampage 50 years ago that nearly destroyed the village and in response the town has created a Stronghold to stop further invasions. This looks like a new quest type with multiple monsters all at once, and a slew of different artillery options at your disposal. I could see this as being a really fun type of quest to do online with other players. 

And of course the most exciting news was that there will be a demo in January with more details to come later. That is far earlier than I expected and I now have to finish up my back catalogue of games in like the next month.

And that about wraps it up. Cpacom said that they will be sharing weapon preview videos for all 14 types very soon and if they do the way they used to do it, we’ll get one new video a day for 2 weeks. I hope you enjoyed this recap of the news and please let me know down in comments what you thought about the second trailer. And until next time, happy hunting.

[yukidragon]

Our Life Sippet - A Special Guest

It’s that time again, time for another slice of my first draft fanfic novelization for Our Life: Beginnings & Always! This time it’s another section of the Step 1 prologue. Time for some more cute little eight-year-olds being cute and another XOXO Droplets cameo!

Thanks, as always, to the game’s creators @gb-patch for making the game and inspiring me. You’re awesome and so are your games!

...

Cove carefully set down the box he brought with him before sitting beside Jamie. He realized too late that he should have asked her for permission before moving her stuff like it belonged to him. He made a small, awkward sound, drawing her attention away from the door and back to him as he fumbled for what to say. “I brought the box of shells. I wanna keep looking at them.”

Jamie had already noticed Cove carrying her treasure box with him, but didn’t pay as much mind to the act as he did. “Great,” she said with a smile. “Bust it open. We can keep looking while we wait for Shiloh.”

Relieved, Cove smiled back at Jamie before opening the box. Despite being careful when carrying it, the loose contents had shifted during the move. A bright shimmering streak of orange peeking out of tissue caught his eye. Carefully, he unwrapped a large intact conch streaked in shades of dark and light orange. He marveled at the way the light hit its polished surface and transformed the vibrant orange hue to a different color as he held it up for a closer look. His eyes widened in wonder and a sound of amazement escaped him as he turned the shell this way and that, watching how the shell somehow magically had the power to change from one color from the next before returning to its natural orange shade.

Cove turned to Jamie as he presented the conch to her with stars in his eyes and a huge smile on his face. “I think this one is the best of them.”

“That’s my favorite too,” Jamie said proudly. “That’s why I cleaned it up real good. If you put it to your ear, you can hear the ocean.”

Cove hesitated a moment to make sure that was an offer for him to try it rather than a statement of fact before holding the shell over his ear. He heard the sound of ocean waves just as promised and his smile grew wider.

Jamie delightedly watched Cove admire her prized treasure, her expression growing thoughtful. He seemed so happy with it - the happiest she had ever seen him.

Earlier that day, her moms talked about how it would be a good idea to give the Cove and his dad a special gift to welcome them to the neighborhood. Perhaps just the right welcoming gift would make Cove feel just a little better about the move and being away from his mom, and he wouldn’t have to feel sad anymore.

Sure, it was a bit of a shame to give away her best seashell, but Jamie was confident she could find another one she liked even better eventually. The best part was finding the treasure after all.

Decided, Jamie nodded to herself. “You can keep it if you want.”

Cove froze. He had just been starting the process of re-wrapping the shell in tissue when Jamie made her unbelievable offer. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open in absolute shock. “Really?!”

Jamie smiled, tickled that she had surprised him with her gift. “Sure. You like it a lot, right?”

Cove stared at Jamie a moment more before he had to look away, unable to meet her earnest gaze. It was strange that she was so ready to just give away something so obviously amazing and special, especially after she had just told him it was her favorite of her treasures. It made him feel weird in ways that he couldn’t put into words.

“Uh huh,” Cove finally said quietly as he placed the shell back down in the box. “But… I don’t want to take it from you. It’s okay.”

Jamie saw his hesitation and discomfort clear as day on his face and regretted making the offer. She hadn’t meant to make Cove feel pressured to take it. Gifts were meant to make people happy to get them, not nervous.

Maybe Cove would feel better about accepting it another time when they got to know each other better. They were neighbors now after all.

“Okay,” Jamie said as she gave Cove a reassuring smile to show that she wasn’t upset that he refused her gift. “Wanna hear how I found it?”

Cove shyly smiled back at Jamie, grateful for the subject change and that he hadn’t hurt her feelings. “Uh huh.”

With that, Jamie launched into another colorful story, and the awkward moment was quickly forgotten.

The pair had been able to look through a couple more items in the collection before the doorbell finally rang. They both jumped at the sudden loud sound and turned to the front door at the same time.

Cove frowned a little before looking at Jamie. “Lizzie’s friend?”

Jamie nodded. Only people who knew where to look could find the doorbell, which included Shiloh.

The frown on Cove’s face grew into an uncomfortable grimace. Though he got to his feet after Jamie did, it was with great reluctance as he stared at the door in a mixture of trepidation and resentment.

Jamie looked from the door to Cove. Although she knew she should answer it and let Shiloh in, she was reluctant to do so after seeing his clear distress at the idea. Cove didn’t hide his emotions very well, which made him very easy for her to read. However, before she could ask if he was going to be okay, he spoke up first.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Cove said as he shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay,” Jamie said, trying her best to sound comforting. “All you gotta do is say hi. Besides, there’s nowhere to go. He’s at our only door, and if you go upstairs, he’ll find you.”

Despite the reassurance and reasonable argument, Cove was already looking around, his eyes wide and searching for some sort of exit strategy. Finally, he locked his gaze to the back of the house and the large windows looking out to the hills he hid in last night. “I can go out the window.”

Cove didn’t wait to hear Jamie’s opinion on the matter, already moving quickly towards the window.

Panic shot through Jamie at the idea of Cove climbing out the window. What if he fell and broke his other arm? Her mind raced for a way to stop him as she ran after him. “Wait! You don’t have to do that!”

Jamie managed to get in front of Cove, holding up her arms both in an appeasing gesture and to block his way. “Shiloh’s not scary, really! Every single bunny rabbit is scarier than Shiloh.”

Cove frowned, but he didn’t try to get around Jamie. That was something at least, she decided. “But I don’t want to see him,” he said stubbornly. “I don’t know him.”

Jamie gave Cove a sympathetic smile. “I know you’re worried, but you’re not gonna have to meet him by yourself,” she said softly. “If you have a hard time with him, I’ll tell him to leave. Is that okay?”

Cove considered the offer seriously as he looked into Jamie’s blue eyes. Even though they hadn’t even known each other for a full day yet, somehow he found comfort in having her support. Finally, he nodded, his shoulders slumping a bit as he gave in. “Okay.”

That was when Shiloh poked his head into the house, holding open the front door. His big, curious gray eyes quickly locked on the other two children. He focused on Jamie first, who stared back at him.

Jamie managed to return the cheerful smile Shiloh sent her way with a small one of her own, but she couldn’t help but worry about how he was feeling. She had no idea when he opened the door, or how much of the conversation he heard. He didn’t look upset, or any different than he usually did really, but it was hard for her to believe that he hadn’t overheard at least part of what they were talking about.

“Hi, Jamie!” Shiloh said with his typical cheer, which only faltered with a touch of uncertainty as his gaze shifted to Cove. “And hi, uh, Cove?”

Cove didn’t turn around right away, his uneasy gaze lingering on Jamie until she looked back at him and gave him a reassuring smile. Slumping his shoulders a bit and letting out a sound of acknowledgement, he forced himself to face the kid his dad wanted him to make friends with. “Hi.”

Just like that, Shiloh’s smile was back to its normal level of pleasantness. “I’m Shiloh! It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah,” Cove said with nowhere near the level of affability of Shiloh. He couldn’t exactly return the sentiment, since that would be lying.

Since there was no escaping this encounter, Cove took a moment to take a good look at the other boy. Shiloh was noticeably shorter than him, with fluffy brown hair hidden under a very large blue hat that matched his striped shirt and overalls. For some reason, Shiloh was blushing, though Cove couldn’t see why. Still, it wasn’t as interesting as the fact that Shiloh’s peachy skin was covered from head to toe in more freckles than Cove had ever seen on anyone before.

“You have a lot of freckles,” Cove said once he finished his assessment.

Shiloh didn’t seem to know what to make of that observation for a moment, but he nodded all the same. “Uh, right. I do,” he said. He didn’t give Cove a chance to make another remark before he moved the topic along. “What are you guys doing?”

“We’re looking at shells,” Cove said as his gaze drifted back to Jamie’s treasure box.

“Awesome,” Shiloh said in what Jamie knew to be the usual Shiloh fashion. “Can I do it too?”

Cove could only offer a shrug. It wasn’t his collection to show, and he couldn’t say he cared either way if Shiloh was interested.

“Sure,” Jamie said happily. She wasn’t about to complain about the interest in her treasures, even if she had a feeling Shiloh would probably get bored of it soon. “We can look at them some more in my room.”

As soon as the three children returned to Jamie’s bedroom and the box was opened back up, Cove had already spotted another shell that caught his eye. “What about that one…?”

Jamie was only all too eager to dive back into another amusing story of her adventures hunting for treasures as she showed off her collection. As far as she was concerned, the plan for the afternoon was to look at all her treasures. She wasn’t particularly in the mood to do something else, especially not when Cove seemed to be having just as much fun as she was.

It was great to see Cove genuinely enjoying himself despite how unhappy the move made him, and Shiloh… well, he was smiling and expressing himself in typical Shiloh fashion, so that meant he was having fun too, right? At least Jamie hoped he was. She could never really tell with Shiloh.

“What’s that one?” Shiloh asked.

Jamie followed Shiloh’s pointing finger to her prized conch. It must not have gotten wrapped back up in its protective tissues properly, and its glittery surface easily drew attention when the sunlight hit it. Still, she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to show it off, and she delicately removed the shell from the tissue before holding it up to the light so it could be seen better. “This one’s my favorite. I found it last year on a family picnic.”

“Cool,” Shiloh said. “I think that’s my favorite too.”

The exchange rubbed Cove the wrong way for some reason. He watched Jamie as she beamed at the praise, and he wondered if she would offer the shell to Shiloh like she did for him earlier. He didn’t like the idea, but he knew he couldn’t say anything to stop her if she decided to give the shell away to someone else.

“Thanks!” Jamie said before retelling the story of its discovery.

To Cove’s surprise, when Jamie was done talking, she carefully re-wrapped the conch before setting it back down in the box.

“Check this out,” Jamie said as she picked up a red and bubbly piece of sea glass. “It looks like a heart, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does,” Shiloh said. “That’s neat.”

Cove stared at Jamie as she launched into yet another story. It was interesting, like all the others she told, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by his confusion. When he said the conch was his favorite shell, she didn’t hesitate to try to give it to him. When Shiloh said the exact same thing, it was like the thought of giving the shell away never crossed her mind.

It was strange. Cove didn’t see why Jamie would try to give the shell to him and not Shiloh; she knew Shiloh a lot longer than him after all.

Still, Cove wasn’t about to complain, no matter how weird and fluttery he felt about it.