#which I'll say more about some other tIME LUNCH IS SERVED

[ravelqueen]

Because of one person asking POPULAR DEMAND: Metaphor Re:Fantazio a/b/o thoughts, to wit:

What if the alpha/omega thing is the super special Elda tribe trait but nobody knows about it anymore.

Used to be it was common knowledge, but since omegas almost only ever conceive during heat and only go into heat if they feel safe, the constant stress of being hunted as an "inferior race" got the population down, which in turn led to Elda leaving broader society behind to survive, so now it is more folklore to most other tribes. However, it DOES still survive as part of the stereotype attached to the Elda that now extends to them also being promiscuous/sexually perverse/too seductive/only good for sex.

So the insults that Will gets have a bit more of "get away from my husband you wicked harlot" or "well the army will sure find a use for an Elda" on top of the standard stuff - only since nobody actually knows shit about Elda/genotypes it's pretty inaccurate all around so it bothers him almost less than some other insults, because it's kind of funny? Like of course he's not "always wet and ready", how would that even work? "You in heat?" Clearly them asking means they don't know the first thing about a heat, because you're def able to tell.

He'd sometimes like to just at least correct the wrong assumptions people make about how this all works but the elders in the village were VERY CLEAR that people's ignorance around their nature is the best protection they could get - no way to abuse a heat-addled omega if you don't know the signs of pre-heat, no controlling a bunch of alphas through stressing out an omega enough that they'd do whatever it takes to not have to smell the terrible sour scent in the air.

In a way he feels almost safer after a while than he did at home sometimes, at least on that level, because other tribes have no scent glands so no matter how overtly threatening someone might behave towards him, at least he doesn't have to deal with someone trying to overwhelm his resistance through aggressive alpha pheromone bullshit. It's especially relaxing when he realises that none of these other people seem to be able to smell him either - he doesn't have the most distinctive scent, but there is definitely no way he could have enjoyed Barton working shirtless the way he did without stupid comments.

And that was fine at the when he left his village - he only thought about helping the prince and sure it was going to be hard in the outside world - especially with the elders INSISTING that he definitely can't fuck a non-Elda - but he wasn't a slave to his instincts just because he's an omega, he was going to fine. The mission was going to be a few weeks at most.

Only then he suddenly decides to go on the campaign trail and oh it's a lot harder than he thought. And turns out that "don't get involved with other tribes, don't tell them anything about what it means to be an omega, definitely don't sleep with them, don't ask why doesn't matter" isn't as easy an advice to follow when you are on the third month of being surrounded by distressingly hot non-Elda, who have also provided you a place that feels safe and home and smells like them (even though none of the others actually have scent glands, Will can still sort of get their natural scent and ohhh it is so nice, it smells like family, it smells like pack)

And yeah he doesn't want to mess with his new comrades dynamic too much (doesn't want to explain what he is, now that he's heard how the outside thinks of them, what they are taught an omega is) but there are others he meets, on the road and so many of them are big and buff and often protective, and he's not supposed to sleep with them, but there are no other Elda around to take off the edge, to keep him balanced.

On top of that there is Strohl who doesn't smell like an alpha, doesn't smell like anything really aside from clean sweat and clemar and burnt orange and the sword oil he uses a lot, who has especially decided to be buff and protective and affectionate and it's driving Will to DISTRACTION.

The THING IS Strohl has been really trying his very best at Checking His Privilege - not just around Will, but clearly the MOST around him. He especially gets angry at all these people insinuating that Will is easy or that he could control people through sex - it's ridiculous and demeaning and terrible of them (and just because Will could ask him anything with those big eyes and he'd do it, no questions asked, obviously is just because he's - they - HE'S NOT GOING TO THINK ABOUT IT). Who insists that it an absolute OUTRAGE that they would look at Will and think he'd into getting dragged down a dirty alley and get fucked hard (Will who has been trying not to imagine Strohl doing that "[strangled] yeah terrible")

Only when Strohl does these things - physically puts himself between Will and someone who tries to grope him in a bar, gets so offended, defends Will's honour - Will knows it's not what he thinks, he knows Strohl just cannot abide by injustice, maybe - best case - he just really likes Will, but to him it reads so much like courting that he can't help get his wires crossed sometimes. But the elders were very clear and he is terrified of messing things up with the really good thing he's got going right now, so he sort of resigns himself for a while to just being very horny for a while

And the nice thing is at least he gets to be horny without anyone the wiser, because while yes throwing his pheromones around the way he's been doing would be seen as extremely rude in his village, it's not like anyone around him can smell it and be influenced by it, so while it's uncomfortable, he's going to survive and it's just a him-problem in the end.

Only turns out that while other tribes don't have noses as sensitive/receptors capable of interpreting subtle shifts the way the Elda can, the elders were wrong in that omega pheromones don't affect them at all - which Will realises after he breaks and hooks up with Batlin after the exhibition at which point he apparently induced a sort of mini rut in someone who is really not equipped for it (he passes out after the third round).

So maybe everyone's dazed looks weren't just because of the sometimes oppressive heat in the gauntlet runner and maybe Strohl isn't feeling faint just because of sea sickness after all.

Well, shit.

[myth1cs]

Obedience Through Discipline (Myoui Mina x M!Reader)

Smut; An officer not listening to their superior is a clear sign of disobedience. Luckily nothing a bit of discipline can't fix. Word Count: 3,021

The hard part was already over. Now that you've finished the training phase now you could finally start doing some actual work. You were assigned to officer Myoui Mina. She was the best officer at the station though many people felt bad for you which you didn't understand why at first.

It didn't take long for you to figure out why. She was always someone who was very stuck up about following the rules. Every mistake you made was followed by a scolding by Mina on why what you did was wrong. While yes you did believe that this line of work didn't have room for mistakes you still felt like she was being too harsh on you.

Things only got worse when she became a sheriff only after a few months since you were partnered with her. Even though time after time she had clearly expressed her disdain for you she never made an attempt to get you fired. In fact ever since she became sheriff it felt like she was keeping a closer eye on you. And you'd be lying if you said it wasn't making you nervous.

During your break you were sitting in your patrol car alone since your partner Nayeon decided to have her break inside. While you were eating your lunch you heard a knocking on your window. You looked up and saw that it was none other than sheriff Mina.

You rolled down your window and greeted her. "Hello sheriff Mina. Can I help you with anything?"

"You know about the parade happening downtown next week right?"

"Of course, what about it?"

"Well Ryujin got injured in the line of duty yesterday and the doctor said she wouldn't be fit to come into work for the next 2 months. So now I need someone to replace her for patrolling the area around the parade. I'm guessing you can see where I'm going with this."

This was a surprise to you. Why was she asking you anyway? There were officers who have been serving longer in the police force which she respected more that would be available to take over Ryujin's shift.

"With all due respect sheriff I believe others may be more qualified than me. Why not try asking officer Kyujin or-"

"I don't think you understand Y/N. This isn't a request, it's an order. You WILL be the one patrolling the area during next week's parade."

You let out a sigh knowing that there was no debating this with her. Once Mina makes up her mind her decision is final.

"Alright sheriff."

You rolled back up your window and Mina walked back towards the station. "Damn brat, who does he think he is trying to tell me how to do my job? Tsk, it's my fault for letting his disobedience go on for too long. I'll have to do something about that."

Breathing a sigh of relief you were glad that the encounter went rather well. Usually she would scold you for trying to talk back for at least half an hour but this time she didn't. Though you wondered if this truly was a good thing or if there was another reason behind Mina's actions. But you didn't ponder on that idea for too long. It was silly to think otherwise... or so you thought.

The week flew by in a blink of an eye. Before you knew it it was the day before the parade. You had to attend a meeting about where everyone would be stationed at the parade and what protocols to follow. You weren't really paying attention to Mina's speech though. Not like your role was rather complicated. Just simply patrolling the perimeter, if you see anything suspicious you were to report it.

"Y/N! Y/N!"

Mina's yelling took you out of your thoughts.

"Wh- what happened?"

The whole room had gone silent. Everyone simply stared at you without saying a word. Mina walked towards you and you felt your heartbeat fasten. You felt like your heart was going to explode or that you would faint from nervousness at any moment.

"You think you're too smart for this huh?" Mina said with a mocking tone.

"N- no I would never-"

"Meet me at my office."

Mina walked back to the front of the room. The tension was thick in the air. Everyone paid attention to Mina, everyone was too scared to look away from Mina.

The meeting wasn't supposed to go on for too long. But it felt like it went by in just a few seconds while also feeling like it went on for 5 hours. Everyone avoided you as they left the room. You followed Mina to her office, hands sweating, and your heart was beating so loud you thought everyone in the building could hear it.

Mina unlocked her office door and walked in. Your legs didn't want to move forward. Was it fear? But what were you afraid of? Losing your job or was it something else?

"What are you waiting for Y/N?"

"Pardon me."

You walked in. Mina closed the door behind you and locked it which made you more nervous. "Sit down." Mina commanded as she pointed at a chair. You obeyed and sat down.

"You know what you did wrong?"

"I uhm-"

Mina sat down on her desk crossing her legs. She reached down to grab your chin and lifted it up to make you look at her.

"Look into my eyes as you say it."

"I wasn't listening."

"Say it with your full chest Y/N. I can't hear you."

"I wasn't listening!"

"Not listening to your superior are you Y/N? How troublesome indeed, will I have to punish you for this?"

"No sheriff, I'll behave from now on."

"Good to hear Y/N."

Mina's voice suddenly dropped.

"Cause this is your last warning."

Mina got off her table and went to sit down on her chair behind her desk. "Now get out."

Without hesitation you got up from your chair and made your way out of her office. As you left her office you breathed out a sigh of relief.

You went to your car to drive home but you suddenly bumped into your partner, Nayeon, in the parking lot.

"So Y/N were you fired?"

"What kind of question is that?! No I wasn't fired!"

"Relax Y/N I just had to know. So what did Mina talk to you about?"

"She just told me that this was my last warning."

"Well if that's all then I guess that's rather tame then."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Y/N I don't think I need to spell it out for you. Mina doesn't take things like this very lightly. If it was anyone else I'm sure she would've fired them already. And don't you think that she's been scolding you less recently?"

"Yeah I kinda picked up on it. Maybe this is a sign that she's turning over a new leaf."

"We can only hope so. Still the aura I get from even being in the same room as her is terrifying. I swear she gives off nothing but "Look at me the wrong way and I'll kill you" vibes."

"I swear she's knocked a few years off my life already."

"I feel that, anyways good luck with patrol duty tomorrow."

"Good luck to you to Nayeon."

-

The day of the parade came and you, along with a few other officers, were assigned to patrol the parameter and told to report anything deemed suspicious.

The area you were currently paroling didn't have many people. A few people passed by but nothing suspicious was happening in particular.

As you were walking you saw two people in an ally way. It seemed like they were committing an act of vandalism. While you were ordered to report things this wasn't any suspicious activity it was just people being stupid so you decided to just quickly deal with the situation.

Vandalism isn't something that you would arrest someone for in all honesty it was just a small misdemeanor but realized these were the same people you've had run-ins with these people before. At this point they were just begging for a prison sentence. The sentence for something like this was only up to a year so you didn't feel too bad.

-

Mina put Hwi in charge while she went on her break. For some reason she couldn't shake off the feeling that even though she told you that you were on your last warning you would still not listen to her. She made her way to where you were stationed.

"What the- I give him ONE job and he can't even follow that."

She pulled out her phone and called you. It only rang a few times before you picked up.

"Yes Mina?"

"Where are you?!"

"I'm driving these two people to the station-"

"Damn it you're supposed to report things! Do you even listen to me when I speak to you?!"

"Mina I-"

"I don't want to hear it! Meet me at my office the minute you're off the clock."

"But-" Before you could rebuttal Mina had already hung up.

You knew you were about to lose your job.

-

Once you got back to the parade Mina assigned someone else to stay by your side to make sure that you wouldn't deviate from your job.

The rest of the parade went fine. Nothing major happened that was worth noting. But you couldn't help but wish that it wouldn't end. You weren't prepared to be yelled at by Mina and get fired.

To your dismay the parade ended and so did your shift. You got a good look at yourself in your uniform before you walked to Mina's office knowing this was the last time you would be wearing it.

You had to pull yourself together and muster all your strength and courage to walk to Mina's office. Now you were standing in front of her door and you prepared for the worst.

Putting your hand on the handle and turning it you fully opened the door. Mina was sitting behind her desk sorting some paperwork.

Unsure what to do, you stood at the doorway simply staring at Mina. After a few minutes she looked up and made eye contact with you.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come in and take a seat in front of me?"

Without saying a word you walked in and closed the door before you went to sit down in front of Mina not daring to make any sort of eye contact with her.

She looked at you for a few seconds before she went to type something on her computer. It seemed like she was just doing work for the sake of it but you couldn't tell.

Eventually she got up and walked up to her board where she had pinned a few documents. You glanced at the clock and saw that it was about time where most people were headed home. Most officers working at this hour were patrolling the downtown area.

Mina sighed and turned to face you. "It's impossible for you to listen. So what should I do with you?"

Was it a rhetorical question?

"I'd much prefer if I could keep my job, sheriff."

"You're almost at your one year mark. And this marks my third month of having to deal with you as sheriff. So..."

"Please don't fire me."

"That's not what I asked so I'll ask again, What should I do with you?"

"Uhm"

"Ran out of excuses have you?"

"I never made excuses sheriff."

Mina took a deep breath.

"Do you know why I'm stringent with the rules Y/N?"

"Because this line of work doesn't have room for failure?"

"Well that's not my main reason. Do you know the main reason?"

"I don't, sheriff."

"It's because I don't want to see people hurt." Mina walked over to you towering over you. "Or maybe I should be more specific. I don't want to see you hurt."

Mina reached behind her back and grabbed handcuffs. She danged them in front of you. "But I can't just let this slip by. I'm going to punish you."

The situation seemed to develop so fast you didn't register what Mina just said until she was handcuffing you.

"Sorry I leave the fuzzy handcuffs at home so we'll have to make do with these."

Part of you was hoping she was joking. Was this really happening, were you about to do it with Mina?!

"Don't do this Mina. Th- this isn't right!"

"Don't speak back to me you filthy brat!"

Mina's sudden outburst scared you and made you quickly shut up not daring to try to speak out of term.

"Now be a good boy for my Y/N. Just sit here and accept your punishment."

Mina got down on her knees and started to undo your pants. There wasn't anything you could do but simply watch. Once she took off your pants she ran her fingers along your thigh.

"P- please stop."

"You want me to stop darling? But your body is reacting so eagerly to my touch. Are you sure you want me to stop?"

She wasn't lying, you were yearning for her touch as much as you wanted to deny it. Before you could respond Mina smacked your thigh. It wasn't too harsh but it stung a little.

"But darling, I thought I told you not to speak out. Don't make me remind you again okay?"

"Ow fuck-"

She smacked you again.

"Drop the language."

"Y- yes ma'am."

Mina kissed your thighs while her fingers were rubbing against your clothed aching cock. You wanted this to continue but you knew this was wrong. It's not like this is standard protocol and she didn't even ask if you were okay with it. Yet you still couldn't help but be turned on by the given situation.

Even though you denied it your body knew what it really wanted. Shivering every time she ran her finger on your body to your cock hardening it was all too obvious.

She could tell you wanted to say something. "If you want to say something then I'm granting you this opportunity to say it."

"Please"

"Please what darling? Use your big boy words now."

"Suck me off Mina please I'm begging you."

"Begging now are we? Well I'm not entirely convinced yet, maybe you should beg me some more and I'll consider listening to you."

"Mina please, I really want you to fuck me until I can't walk. I want to lose all senses and be at your mercy."

Mina giggled at your statement. "Oh darling if you think that's enough to get me to listen to you you're going to have to try a little harder than that I'm afraid."

"Please fuck me Mina! I only crave your touch, I swear I'll listen to every order you give me!"

Mina rubbed her nose against your clothed cock. "That's more like it darling. However since you've been so disobedient then you'll have to make me cum before I give you any pleasure."

She proceeded to stand up and take off her clothes. Mina made sure to take her sweet time taking off her clothes. She knew it was driving you crazy and you wanted to get up and take her clothes off for her but your hands were handcuffed to each other.

Eventually she stripped down to her bra and underwear. Both were the same colour of pink. Mina sat up on her desk and started to rub her pussy using one of her fingers.

Low moans fell out of her mouth as she pleasured herself. You couldn't do anything but watch. You felt yourself get turned on by watching the scene unfold in front of you.

"What are you waiting for darling? Come and make me cum!"

"My hands are tied."

Mina laughed at your comment "I know they are darling. But I didn't put a gag on you did I?"

When you realized what Mina wanted you leaned forward and used your mouth to take off her underwear.

"Just like that darling, make this a learning experience!"

You buried your face onto Mina's pussy and shoved your tongue deep into her. Mina wrapped her legs around you tightly cutting off your air supply. "If you want to breathe then make me cum. Or else you'll suffocate between my thighs. Though I'm guessing you'd be okay with that wouldn't you darling?"

Fastening your pace you licked every inch of Mina's delicious pussy. Part of you wished your hands weren't tied so you could grab her boobs. But the current situation would do.

Though you tried desperately you felt yourself losing consciousness and before you knew it everything went black. "Aw did you pass out already?"

Mina unwrapped her thighs that were around your head and started to finger herself. Wet sounds filled the room as she shoved her fingers in and out of herself while her other hand was on her clit.

You were suddenly woken up by the feeling of something splashing on your face. When your eyes adjusted you realized it must've been Mina's cum.

"Oh your awake again darling?"

"Mina what-"

Another smack was given to you.

"What did I say about speaking out of term? And to think I thought about letting you cum. Since you seem to suck at making me cum and suck at listening to orders then I'll let you sit here and think about your actions."

Mina got up and put her clothes back on and you didn't do anything but watch as she started to leave the room.

"Don't worry darling I'll come and get you early in the morning. Till then think about your actions and I might let you cum first thing in the morning!" Mina said as she left the room closing the door behind her leaving you handcuffed to the chair to think about your actions that led you to this moment.

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

Sorry for not uploading even though I said I would get back on schedule. In my defense I've been reading a really good Lux/Jinx fanfic.

Starring: You Mina, Nayeon (TWICE) Ryujin (ITZY) Kyujin (NMIXX) Hwi (TNX)

[caitchercatlady]

He'll Have to Go Through Me

-Diasomnia Version

Malleus Draconia

You would think that once your secret friendship with Malleus became public that no one would dare to lay a word or finger on you again. Malleus made his point to being a pacifist a couple of times, but if the time were to cal for it, Malleus will not hesitate to lay down the law. You and Hornton adore some peaceful evening walks to clear your heads.

On this night, you ask Hornton to relax together in the field, to which Malleus was more than willing to do as long as it's with you laying next to him. You two are laying in the grass when a duo of students also enjoying the night see you and utter the word "weakling" as if it was the most common word in their personal dictionaries. They learn quickly to shut up as a lightning bolt lands a little too close for comfort, causing them to run off like bats out of Hell.

"These humans get too bold for their own good. Rest assured, Child of Man, I will never let this boldness be to your detriment. If you are ever bothered again, promise me that you will seek my assistance, will you?"

You promise Malleus, and he is more than glad to guide you back to Ramshackle safely. If Malleus had his way, he would stay with you for as long as he saw fit, but when you told him that you'd be fine sleeping in your dorm tonight, Malleus respectfully lets you go until the next day.

Lilia Vanrouge

Ever since you piqued Lilia's interest, he's been aware of your every vibration. On one night, he senses something off coming from Ramshackle, so he has to pause his video game session to transport to your dorm. From a tree in the distance, he sees that Ramshackle is under a classic egging attack from a couple of dunces. Oh, this veteran is not going to accept this, regardless of how harmless the act is compared to what Lilia had to deal with throughout his life.

He poofs himself to another tree closer to the house and spooked the riff raff from continuing their "prank." The delinquents try to stand up to the Diasomnia Vice Housewarden, but Lilia doesn't move an inch.

"You're right. I can't do anything about it, but I best believe that the Headmage would get a real good laugh once I tell him this funny tale tomorrow morning. He would find it so funny that he would love to invite you to his office and talk to you about it. What do you think? Should I go do that, boys? Should I?"

Not wanting to argue with Lilia further, the riff raff make a complete dash for the hills. Lilia magically clears the egg aftermath out of existence. He spots you watching the entire show from your bedroom window. Lilia kindly winks before vanishing back to Diasomnia.

Silver

As aloof as Silver may be, his training since childhood isn't all for naught when it comes to keeping the peace at Night Raven. He's spending his lunch period, napping in the garden, when he is woken up to loud bantering from the other side. Silver spots you being cornered by a couple of his own dormmates, poking some fun at he school's lay person. You say something one of them doesn't like, and that hoodlum gets angry enough to use magic on you, hoping to put you in your place.

At the speed of light, Silver blocks the spell from touching you with his wand. The dormmates are terrified to see one of Malleus's righthand men intervening. In fact, Silver threatens to inform the Housewarden and the Vice Housewarden of their misdeeds if they refuse to leave the Prefect alone.

After they run off, Silver turns around and hugs you close to him as he could. He tells you that everything is okay. He senses that you want to let out something but can't.

"Let out a cry, Prefect. It is not courageous to keep your fears inside. I'll be right here to blow those fears away, so cry as you must. Cry it all out."

Sebek Zigvolt

Though Sebek's life goal is to serve Malleus for the rest of his living life, part of that position is also protecting all who Malleus cares about. That happens to include the Prefect, much to Sebek's chagrin. His loyalty to Malleus is put to the test as he's making his track runs during P.E. class.

You are just doing your best to make the track time when a couple of chuckleheads think it's funny to push you down into the grass. Sebek's blood boils at this. To avenge you, he uses his baton wand to trip the bullies onto the ground as he's sure that will catch their attention. Sebek berates the heathens and demands they apologize to you. The bullies scoff, but that only makes Sebek's wand grow brighter.

"I don't announce my commands twice. Apologize...NOW!"

The bullies quickly apologize (though their sincerity is questionable) and they run off away from you both. You are pleasantly surprised at Sebek's generous and noble deed to the point of tears. You hide your face in Sebek's P.E. uniform. The half croc fae's face reddens in embarrassment, but he reminds himself that this is for Malleus to see his worth. Although the thanks from you doesn't hurt much either.

[20dollarlolita]

Did you hear about joannes going bankrupt? Do you have any thoughts on that?

(Quick note so no one um actually's me: I'm aware that not all bankruptcy is Chapter 11. Thank you)

As a crafter, I'll say: oh dear, that's going to make shopping harder.

As a person who was aware of the insides of how that company was running, I'm going to say, "about fucking time."

See, here's what was happening with Joann. Problem #1 was that they stopped taking the "you have to spend money to make money," mentality and applying it to labor. A store is not about the products or the customers. The life of a store, the thing that keeps it beating, is the employees who serve the customer and serve the corporate ownership.

When they first started notably cutting labor, the store did have a lot of driven, passionate people who were willing to pick up the slack. It's possible to cut the freight shift one night a week when you have daytime floor associates who can do the freight when there's no customers immediately needing help. You can expect store managers to clean and recover the store, because it's a task that keeps them free to disconnect from when a store needs a manager to be acting as a manager. You can expect any free employee to fill in at the register or cut counter to cover a break or a lunch or fill in during a high-customer time. The store had a lot of employees who didn't mind doing some multitasking, and didn't mind being completely busy from the start of the shift until the very end.

However, when these labor cuts proved to be an effective way to save the store money, the amount of multitasking, and the amount of expecting one shift to cover for cuts made to another shift, started going up. It was no longer cutting the freight shift one day a week. It was cutting the freight shift until it was ONLY one day a week.

And that's where they made the big mistake in labor load. Instead of, "serve the customers, and do these tasks when you have time," it became, "do the task, and serve the customers if they demand your attention." A store is not the customers; it's the people who work in the store. But one of the key players in a retail store's staffing is the employees for whom making the customers happy is their primary drive. The way that stores were staffed, people whose primary drive was to serve customers were not allowed to adequately do so to reach customer satisfaction.

We need to add to this that, in addition to demanding more from every employee, Joann corporate has several of their demands on employees to be automatically measured. Customer response surveys, ship-from-store fulfillment, buy online pickup in store response times, number of remnants that were rolled to be sold, all of that can be sent to corporate with a pass/fail number assigned to it. Other elements of the store, like how much freight from a box actually makes it onto the shelf on time, or if a wheelchair can navigate the store, are not measured. This means that the company prescribes which tasks will actually be done and which can be shoved in the back for later. With the work load that was being put on employees, corporate decided that the ONLY tasks that should get done are ones that have specific metrics tied to them.

Employees whose drive is to help customer, who are not permitted to help the customers asking for help, will quit and go to a place where customers actually come first. Employees who are okay with doing two people's jobs, but who are asked to do three jobs, will leave to a place where they only have to do one job. Employees who have worked for the company for 4 years and never received a raise despite being praised for excellent work will go to a job where they get paid more. And suddenly, the only people who are left are the people who aren't overworked, because they're the people who will only do one job no matter how much demanding corporate has for them.

The last two years that I was at Joann, there were tons of employees asking or begging for more hours. It was not that they couldn't hire people. It's that they wouldn't assign labor hours. Employees who would happily work 35-40 hours a week, but who are assigned three hours a week, will leave and find a job where they can get a consistent number of hours. When they made all floor managers part time, a lot of people who had been with the company for years left to get more hours or some health insurance.

But, despite all of this, corporate never said, "if we put more people on the floor, our customers will be happier, and will spend more money." They still continued to treat labor as an unnecessary expense that should be limited. Why put more people on the floor when you can just overwork the people who bothered to show up for work today?

So, weirdly enough, that business model was absolutely not working for them, and it's all come crashing down. Damn right, as it should be. Respect the people who work for you, and they'll work for you. Take away the things that they're there to do, and they'll go somewhere else. Simple math.

Also, in the last decade, the fact is that, "Joann has a lot of coupons, so I can save money!" changed in the eye of the public into, "Joann is overpriced unless you know how to play the coupon game."

So yeah. I'm not surprised, and I hope their restructuring does good things for the employees who work there. Hell knows they need it, because their current system just proved that it cannot survive in that state.

[mvskedxrtist]

Under the Sea

Wᴀʀɴɪɴɢ: PwP (Porn with plot), Tentacles, Mommy Kink, Overstimulation, and Praise

Nᴏᴛᴇ: I saw a lot of people actually liked the first one I posted so I'm doing one of my favorite first years from Twisted Wonderland! Please enjoy and reblogs are greatly appreciated. I'll also say for this one specifically, NRC is co-ed for this to work.

Azul Sister!Reader x Deuce Spade - Under the Sea

Another day, another deal, another contract. That was normal between you and your younger brother Azul. He had done his usual routine of offering his help with finals, and the numbers were definitely increasing than what happened last year.

"225 new contracts, huh little brother." You asked him with a smile while leaning against the office wall, watching him look over what he gathered. "Much more than last year, dear sister." He told him with the same sadistic smile you had on yourself. The initial idea of offering their help was your idea anyway since your first year which lead to Azul doing it when he joined.

The next day while Azul was talking to a client in his office, you were observing the Mostro Lounge for him. Sitting by the counter, you were ordering some of the people with anemones on their heads, looking into the kitchen now and then so nothing bad happened. When you heard the doors open and saw the Tweels, you got up from your chair and walked over. "Well well well! So these are the new people that got trapped as well.. How hilarious!"

Dᴇᴜᴄᴇ's Pᴏᴠ

Oh we had really gotten ourselves into trouble. And ouch do these anemones hurt. Me and Ace were getting dragged into Mostro Lounge during lunch which I had to deal with Ace's complaints about the pain. When it did stop and we were in front of the Tweels, I had shifted slightly and turned to see the most beautiful girl leaning against the counter.

She was dressed in the same Housewarden outfit Azul would wear but with some things adjusted so students didn't think she was the Housewarden. The pants seemed a bit tighter on her than everyone else, it really showed how thick her thighs were in the pants and- NO! I shouldn't be thinking about my upperclassman like that! I have to stop staring.

Nᴏʀᴍᴀʟ Pᴏᴠ

You had smiled and rested your body against Jade, knowing he'd keep you steady before giving them all a cocky smile. "Finally you showed. Ok Tweels, you can get back to work. As for you two new people.. I'll just have you serve tables for today!" It was a simple task indeed, but anything could be turned complicated in an instant.

Seeing the dark orange haired boy ask his other two friends without anemones to help them with the task was funny a bit. So desperate even though it was easy, just how you usually liked it.

So where did you land when Azul pulled you into his office and explained the deal of a lifetime. And all you had to do was stop the small group not get that picture from the Atlantic Museum? It seemed simple enough.

It was simple enough. Way too simple. So you decided to have some fun. Especially with the boy you caught glancing at you. While you were in your merform (a dark and muted green cecaelia), you had spotted the group of Yuu, Jack, Ace, and your lovely target Deuce along with the Tweels who were also in their merforms messing around with them.

You had stepped back slightly while watching the Tweels play around with them before letting your tentacles wrap around Deuce's arms and pull him back towards your looming figure. "H-huh?! Wait... [N-name?!]" The boy looked in shock by your merform as you chuckled and leaned closer to him.

"You're absolutely correct, cutie~" You whispered in his ear before letting another tentacle take Deuce's pants off. "I've noticed you stare at me a few times when you're called for your job in the Mostro Lounge... So why not fulfill your fantasy?~"

Right after you said that, Deuce started squirming when he felt a tentacle go inside of his ass. This was such a new experience for him, it felt a bit weird but maybe he'd like it. The tentacle inside of him started pump in and out of him like a makeshift cock while you actually did grab his cock an started jerking him off. "W-wait no! Nghhh~" He groaned softly from the pleasure of both sides, looking up at you while he couldn't do much in your grasp.

Another tentacle had slid inside of Deuce which made him moan out softly for you. He was excited for what you'd do next, the pleasure felt amazing to him. "M-mommy~" He moaned out while you kept jerking him off, going fast as your tentacles inside of him matched your speed. "Aww, is my good boy close?~" You teased him an chuckled, leaning forward to kiss his neck and leave your mark on him while stimulating him.

"H-hahh— I'm gonna-!" Deuce shuddered before he came all over your hand, the boy already looking exhausted from his orgasm. "Good job dear!~" You cheered for him and kissed his neck again, seeing the second hickey on him. He thought that you two were now done sinc he had came, but he could still feel the tentacles inside of him move faster, making him whimper and whine for you.

You shook your hand slightly, watching the cum instantly get washed into the ocean before turning to look back at him. "M-mommy..~ I-I'm so sensitive—" Deuce whined and panted softly from pleasure before he had came again in the ocean, feeling hypersensitive of pleasure.

"Oh but we've just begun, baby boy~ and isn't this nice to lose your virginity Deuce? Under the sea?~"

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY ZEVRAN ARAINAI  *  assorted dialogue from dragon age: origins, updated version

i'll take that as an apology.

if you want to bed me, you have only to ask.

that's rather saucy of you, isn't it?

magic can kill. knives can kill. even small children, when launched at very fast speeds, can kill.

so let us pretend that i do, indeed, believe murder is wrong.

you say that like it's a bad thing.

why have we not made love as of yet?

how will you ever learn how to pleasure each other unless you talk about it?

it drives me mad with desire.

do i detect a bit of jealousy there? feeling territorial, are we?

sounds intriguing, if you ask me.

you get the most delightful wrinkle in your brow when you are curious.

shall i describe the rest of the ritual to you?

those stories you heard? all true.

i see where this is going. downhill. and quickly too.

you seem rather charmed by the idea.

i am willing to take my chances.

it is flattery only if i exaggerate the truth to please you. i am but stating a simple fact.

now i regret that extra pie at lunch.

so let me get this straight. you have... never wooed? not once? you are woo-less, as it were?

perhaps you have people you need killed.

i said no such thing.

politics and death go together like kisses and lovemaking.

you are... feeling all right, yes? perhaps you are tired?

one day you will realize that you have wasted your youth and beauty on bitterness and suspicion, mark my words.

i'm sorry... are you speaking to me?

does that make you jealous?

i admire you. you are a wicked, wicked woman.

i do not think you a fool. we are not so dissimilar, after all. i know what you are doing.

if you like, i could hoist you up on my back.

i don't go into forests as a rule.

i can think of many other things we can do other than sleep.

when the prey is caught, it deserves a good death, a clean death.

i am not permitted to tell you what they mean.

surely you can see i am serious now. i honestly wish to know.

didn't you desire companionship during those two years?

adventure has changed you.

so i imagine it has been some time for you.

i simply offer my services should you ever feel the need for... release.

has anyone told you what marvelous eyes you possess?

you should be admired by painters, copied by sculptors, exalted by poets.

i am so confused. i think i may cry. may i lay my head in your bosom?

i couldn't help hearing about your... predictament.

how could one kill such a creature without bedding it, first?

could you destroy something as pretty as i am?

one would have to be blind not to realize how very pretty we all are, and how important that is to preserve.

creating a new life can be a great deal of fun.

your form is wonderous, that's true.

i've thought about your predicament, my friend.

surely this must bring you discomfort, knowing you can never partake in such pleasures.

which girl? i saw many and i watched them all.

on second thought, i suppose it would be rude of me to intrude on another man's domain.

you are only slightly more attractive to me than a slime-filled pool of swamp water.

are you dispensing professional advice now?

and here i was becoming rather fond of the idea of you watching me closely.

that cynicism will serve you well, my friend. hold onto it.

[fang-and-feather]

Congratulations on your follower milestone!

Can I request Theo and the prompt "If you solve this I'll buy you lunch" prompt?

Thank you!

Thank you!! 🥰 I didn't expect getting here, but I am glad to celebrate with you!

Ikemen Vampire - Theo x Reader

Words: 3,577

Summary: The biggest proof Theo could give of trusting you were right about Vincent's safety when you tried reassuring his worries. But proving him you were right and could be trusted was a great responsibility, and the architect of such mystery wasn't making it easy for you? Or was her? And was this needed proof the only secret you were about to uncover?

Tags: Some Canon Divergence, Fluff, a bit of Romance at the end, Getting Together, First Kiss

Request from my 100 Followers Celebration. Prompts for it were from @anyfandomfluffbingo

Not planned as a birthday fic for Theo, but posted just in time for it so: Happy Birthday Theo!

(it was in fact planned to be paired with Vincent's birthday fic - and I finished neither in time - so the fic timeline is off for Theo's own birthday)

IkeVamp Masterlist / General Masterlist / AO3 Link

It wasn’t often that you had the opportunity to just sit in the dining room and enjoy a peaceful breakfast.

You always had an early, and sometimes rushed, breakfast, either before helping Sebastian serve breakfast as the other residents woke up or, most often, because Theo was in a hurry to leave for work, to which he often took you along.

Maybe you would take advantage of the beautiful day, find a nice spot in the garden, and finally read the books Vincent’s girlfriend left with you.

Or maybe you would head to town, do some window shopping, and stop by the cafe you had been meaning to visit for a while now. And maybe you could bring one of the books along. It was from Comte’s library, but he wouldn’t mind, would he? As long as you were careful with it.

But a dark cloud thundered on the horizon, threatening to rain over your sunny mood.

The name of that cloud was Theo, and by the thundering footsteps, loud enough even on the carpeted floor, his mood was as dark as the rain clouds, and with Vincent having gone out and Arthur busy writing, the problems that soured his mood would certainly rain over you.

And you had a good idea of what these problems were. The woman who had shown up about a week before, and whom Vincent introduced as his girlfriend. Apparently, they had been dating for a while, but it had been the first time Theo had ever heard of his brother having a girlfriend, and he immediately distrusted her.

Of course, he didn’t dare complain in front of Vincent. Not after his first few warnings were shut down. So it was you who had been subjected to his angry outburst the first time, until you calmed him enough to remind him that if Vincent had really fallen in love, that was a good thing.

Besides, although you had not dared say so to him then, you really thought Theo was exaggerating and being too quick to judge. Maybe because, for overprotective Theo, nobody was good enough for his brother, and anyone who dared try was targeting him because Vincent was an innocent angel that could see no evil in anyone.

You thought Vincent was more than capable of discerning bad intentions. He just chose to trust people. And his girlfriend was a little suspicious, yes, but whatever she was hiding seemed to be personal. Maybe something about her past or family, but not anything that would pose a danger to Vincent. You had yet to find a way to prove it to Theo, though.

And now you were likely in for another round of playing therapist.

Maybe listening to the same signs as you, Sebastian stepped out of the kitchen almost at the same time as Theo stormed in.

“You are quite late, Master Theodorus. I will have your breakfast ready in a moment.”

The only acknowledgement Tho gave Sebastian was a short grunt. You weren’t given even that as he roughly pulled the chair next to yours away from the table, and sat down, making the wood creak.

Finally opening the other hand that had been balled into a fist the whole time, Theo tried to roughly smother the crumpled piece of paper over the table.

By the way Theo glared at the paper as if he could set it on fire if he stared hard enough. It seemed to be the source of his foul mood, but when you peered at it, all you saw were lines.

Was it a sketch? A rough draft of an abstract painting? The lines were delicate and full of small curves and details, but they didn’t seem to form a definite shape. Or maybe you just weren’t looking at it the right way.

Theo looked equally stumped by its form or meaning. But maybe it just wasn’t finished. Why was he so determined to figure it out and so angry that he couldn’t?

You leaned over the table and closer to him, greeting in a loud, cheerful tone.

“Good morning, Theo!”

“Do you have to be so loud first thing in the morning, Hondje?” Theo groaned, rubbing his temple.

“Sorry, but you should rest if you’re not feeling well. Stressing will only make it worse.”

“Why shouldn’t I stress when Vincent didn’t come home yesterday? And I found this in his room, with my name written on the back, but that’s not Vincent’s handwriting. This must be a map to where she took him.”

You didn’t even need to ask who was “she”. There was only one person he would be so suspicious of, although you were also used to Theo being very rational. You forgot that, when it came to Vincent, Theo was a different person.

“So you think Vincent was kidnapped?”

“Why else would he just disappear without saying anything, or at least leave a note?”

“They left this. I think they just went out on a date. I mean, it’s Vincent’s birthday. Isn’t it normal to want to take your boyfriend on a date on his birthday? Maybe his girlfriend just signed the wrong paper by accident.”

In fact, you knew Vincent had gone on a date. You caught him leaving, and he made you promise not to tell Theo. But it wasn’t a problem if Vincent was already at his destination and Theo thought it was just your guess, right?

“Someday all that trust will get you into trouble.” Theo sighed. You were about to protest when he added in a softer tone. “Maybe I should really put a leash on you to keep you out of it.”

You used to complain about those kinds of comments, even if you knew Theo was joking, which led you to bicker a lot in the early days. But you knew how to read between the lines by now. And not only was he telling you that he cared enough that he wanted to keep you safe, but also, by the way anger seemed to slowly leave him, that he trusted you.

Could you be more in love with that man?

At first, you thought he was insufferably rude but, as he dragged you around to work, you started to see his inner kindness hidden by his harsh manners, as well as his passion for art and his loyalty to the people he loved. Only to start naming the things you discovered to love about him.

And he was handsome, to boot. While the house was full of pretty guys, you had to admit that, by looks alone, Theo was the one who caught your attention the most.

Theo had slowly made his way into your heart, and by now, he had taken permanent roots there. Yet, you were uncertain if he could feel the same way about you. At best, you wanted to believe the two of you had become friends.

And you would enjoy what you had while it lasted. You had to go back to your own time pretty soon, anyway. You just wanted to believe you could make Theo’s life a little better until then.

“Hondje!” Theo called loudly, and heat quickly rose up to your face as you realized you had been staring while lost in thought.

“Sorry. What did you say?”

“That little hondjes who don’t pay attention to their masters get punished.” He gave you one of his usual devious grins, and all you could think about was that he must have gotten back to his usual self, which was great.

“It wasn’t that!” You protested.

“I said that, even if you’re right about the date, this paper still holds some sort of secret. Vincent wouldn’t just leave without saying anything. And since you are so sure of yourself, then you should solve it. You two seem very close. ”

The paper was almost shoved in your hand as Sebastian set a plate piled high with pancakes in front of Theo, besides a big bottle of syrup and a glass of Rouge.

You cast a tense glance at Sebastian, your accomplice in Vincent’s little escapade, but the amused glint in his eyes informed you he had been listening and he was not going to be of any help.

As happy as it made you to know Theo trusted you enough to feel like Vincent was safe when you said so, you had no idea what these bunch little lines had to do with anything, and you didn’t think you could extract any answers from them.

“Theo, I…”

But you were shut off by a forkful of pancake drenched in syrup being shoved in your mouth.

“Do I have to keep that mouth of yours full for you to stop barking, Hondje?” He asked in an amused tone before using that same fork to feed himself, making your cheeks feel even hotter. “But fine. I won’t leave you without a treat. If you solve this, I will buy you lunch. If you do so before lunch, that is.”

Now that was a tempting offer. Going out for lunch with Theo sounded almost like a date. He’d taken you to eat out before, but it was always because he thought you were hungry or deserved a reward after work. You had never gone out exclusively for this.

You knew that was not how Theo meant it, but you could dream for a while, right? It would be a nice taste of what could have been. A precious memory to carry back when this place became nothing but a sweet dream.

“You know, it would be so much easier to figure something out if you hadn’t crumpled it this much.” You grumbled, trying to smother the paper.

Why did he ever think you could solve this, anyway? In fact, it was most likely that, now that he wasn’t worried anymore, he wanted to enjoy his pancakes in peace.

Should you leave and study this somewhere else? No. You would enjoy the company unless he told you to leave.

Your second impression of the mysterious paper, now that you could examine it up close, was the same as the first. The lines were too well done to not have a purpose, but at the same time were made of random patterns and didn’t seem to create anything discernible.

But not all art was straightforward, so you refused to let that be your final verdict.

You ran to your room to grab some supplies. You used a pencil to ‘color’ the areas between lines to get a better view of what you were dealing with. It made the picture look like some sort of pattern, which was some advance, and also served to highlight the form of the lines, making them look even more suspicious. Who drew patterns with such random lines?

The most telling result, though, was that it highlighted a few weirdly blank spots that looked like small arrows, indicating some form of direction around the pattern. At first you thought these were just flaws from the paper being all crumpled, but there were too many and all of them had roughly the same shape and were always close to the line.

Casting a side glance at Theo, you realized he had taken this time as his turn to stare at you, with a mix of amusement and… was it pride, in his gaze and smile? But as soon as you tried to get a better look, he turned back to his pancakes as if nothing had happened.

Now using the magnifying glass Theo had gifted you to take a closer look was a different story.

Whoever drew that knew what they were doing and wanted to complicate the life of whoever tried to decipher its mysteries.

It was easier to identify individual patterns like this and where they were repeated. They looked almost like letters now. It looked somewhat familiar, but wasn’t any language you knew.

That was too hard. Why would the person who left this for Theo - you were basically agreeing with him that it had been Vincent’s girlfriend - wouldn’t have left some sort of clue for him?

You closed your eyes and let out a small sigh, and Theo turned back to you.

“Giving up already, Hondje?”

“No. It’s just difficult. At least you were right. There is some sort of message here. I just need to find some context to start.”

What did you know about your new friend?

Nothing much, to be honest. You bonded through books. That was all it was.

Then something clicked in your mind. Books! What if the clue wasn’t left with Theo, because she expected for someone else to solve it for him? That person was you, and the writing looked familiar because it was in the books she left with you.

Running back to your room one last time, you quickly sought the books, finding similar writing on the first few introductory pages of the first one. Pages you had looked through just yesterday.

You hadn’t thought much of it at first because everything surrounding this house was strange and mysterious. These were books from the future, but it wouldn’t be the first time one such book made its way into Comte’s library. It currently housed all of Dazai’s books, who technically wasn’t even born yet, and Leonardo had told you they just showed up one day. The only difference was that the author of these wasn’t one of the residents. But who could prove there weren’t more books like these in the library? Maybe Leonardo, if you asked him, otherwise, you doubted anyone could know the full contents of a library that size without some sort of catalog.

But now that you thought about it, she had said something that had given you pause when you received the books. Something about you already having formed an opinion on reading it or not. As if she knew you had seen these particular books before.

You did read it before, in your time, and knew where to find answers.

You picked a new paper and, using the arrows to figure the order it was written in, started to translate it.

Curiously, it was written in English, adapted around some parts that didn’t translate well, which made it difficult to guess some words, but you were confident in your accuracy, given the context of the words you were sure of.

“I thought you had given up and ran away, hoping I wouldn’t catch you.” Theo spoke, leaning against the doorframe.

“Why do you sound like you wanted that to happen?” He smiled and so did you. “But I actually solved it. And it’s definitely not a ransom note.”

“What does it say, then?”

You weren’t sure you wanted a part in this game between Vincent’s girlfriend and Theo. Was it better to let him read it on his own?

“Spit it out, Hondje.”

Whatever. Not like the resulting translation was your fault, and Theo would understand that. So you took a deep breath and read it aloud.

The note basically complained about Theo’s obsession with Vincent, as it informed him that, because of it, she had decided to sneak out so they could go on a trip together. It didn’t explain why the cryptic message, but it informed she had left a more normal note. Theo just found this one first and got too focused on it.

To you, it sounded like she wanted him to find this note and give him a little of trouble, as some sort of revenge prank for the way he was acting.

And she had handed you the books with the solution, making you the only one who could solve the mystery. As if she knew, or at least hoped, Theo would go to you for help. As if she wanted to force him to.

Did she realize your feelings for Theo and wanted you two to interact more? Or was she just trying to push Theo towards the closest woman so she could have more time with Vincent without overprotective Theo getting in the way?

No. You knew little of her, but she wouldn’t just push people together without thinking there was some sort of relationship there. But it could be because you and Theo were friends, and she knew Arthur was too busy.

Theo swore in Dutch, from which you only understood the word cat, which you had no doubt he considered an insult, given his relationship with felines. The rest sounded awfully familiar, though, and although you didn't know the specific meanings, you knew they weren't exactly friendly words.

“She better not think that will get her off the hook. That’s why I don’t trust her.”

“Do you want to know what her secret is?” This little mystery had also given you a few clues for an entirely different answer, in a way that it felt like she wanted you to realize it. So there was no problem to share it, right? “Would that make you feel better?” You asked, before he could launch into a tirade of complaints about the girl. “I found something quite interesting during this game.”

“I don’t think it will help, but what is it?”

“I will tell you after lunch.” You couldn’t help grinning at him and adding: “If you behave.”

Instead of complaining, Theo grinned back, and stepped closer until he stood right before where you sat, forcing you to look up to see him, your eyes slowly trailing over his body. He was always such a great view from any angle, but there was something quite teasing and tempting from this point.

“Aren’t you cheeky today? What if I make you tell me right now?”

You gulped, your heart thundering in your ears with the way he looked down at you.

But the spell was quickly broken as Theo stepped back, his smile softening, and patted your head.

“If you wanted me to take you on a walk after lunch, you could have asked. You have been quite useful today. I will let you have it your way for now.”

Behind Theo’s typically weird phrasing, it sounded more and more like a date. Like he meant it as one, even though you knew there was no way.

“Don’t give me hope, Theo.” You thought, trying to keep your delusions to a minimum, enough so you wouldn’t give up your way home. Even though your recent discoveries were threatening to do so already.

Theo stepped back and pulled you to your feet, wrapping an arm around your waist to keep you close.

“Are you doubting my intentions, Hondje? Do you think I would take just anyone out like this? That I would trust just anyone when it came to Vincent? I am only interested in owning one other dog besides King. So be a good girl and stay.”

Before you could say anything in response, Theo’s lips were upon yours, his other hand moving to the back of your head, fingers tangling into your hair, as he kissed you with such urgency that it made your head spin. And you returned it with the same passion, a hand also tangling in his hair, the other around his neck, your hold on each other the only thing keeping you from collapsing.

Even at his best, Theo was powerful and relentless like a storm. One you were more than glad to be swept into the eye of. Even when he pulled away, on the brink of drowning you in his passion, the storm didn’t quiet. And you didn’t want it to. Now that you had his attention, you refused to let go of him.

But Theo released you and stepped back. You sighed, struggling to calm the storm that had overtaken you. The smile he gave you was softer that you had ever seen, and as your eyes met his, he reached out and tucked a stray strand of your hair behind your ear, but he pulled away almost immediately, a glint in his eyes you had never seen either, but that lacked the softness of his now faltering smile.

“I’m not going anywhere.” you finally replied. “As long as you’ll let me stay with you.”

“Good.” Theo turned away from you. “Now let’s take you out for lunch before I get hungry and decide to devour you instead. I’ll met you by the gate in fifteen minutes.”

As Theo left, you let your body collapse back on the bed. What an exciting day it had been. And you hadn’t gone through half of it yet.

So that was the start of his bloodlust threatening to take over that you noticed and that made him practically run away. An unnecessary proof of his attraction to you. Theo hadn’t really said he loved you, but his actions spoke it loud and clear, because Theo would never kiss someone like that without being serious about it.

You couldn’t believe it. After all the time you spent fretting over whether it was worth facing rejection or leaving without telling him of your feelings, that he returned your love.

And you couldn’t believe it took some external push for you to get to this point. You would have to do something to thank her later. But for now, you had less than fifteen minutes to get ready for your date, and you wanted it to be as perfect as possible.

Tag List:

@violettduchess, @tele86, @nightghoul381

@natimiles, @bicayaya, @eventinelysplayground

@2-lines-and-a-circle, @specters0rd, @vampiricpancake

If you want to be tagged/untagged on future writings, even if it's in specific contents, you can reply to this post or send me a message

IkeVamp Masterlist / General Masterlist

[beneathsilverstars]

you could. probably think if some characters are texture eaters and if so which textures they would prefer or what reactions they'd have over disliked textures

@kimdokjafan replied

I would love to hear what you have to say about the party's food preferences! Things like favorite food, things they dislike/won't eat

i started answering this anon and then got this reply, so i'll combine them. got really long lol, food is such a complex topic!

bonnie enjoys the multi-textured fish head, so they're probably big on texture! i think they're starting to have enough cooking experience to get put off when a texture isn't correct. like the problem isn't the texture itself but rather that rice should not be like that, they overcooked it, yuck, ugh! they would probably make a new batch if possible. however, they're also used to eating what you have because it's all you have — sometimes the nice neighbor drops off her shitty mac n cheese and it's better than nothing, or you mix up salt and sugar for today's bread but you're almost out of flour — so they'll try to come up with a new use for the fucked-up batch where the weird texture works better, or just eat it themself. unpleasant, but better than serving it to someone else or wasting it! as for what they enjoy the most: lots of different textures mixed together, like a salad or deluxe burrito. and chewy things!

we know bonnie's favorite foods are pineapple, rice, and samosas. i'd say they love sweet things as most kids do, but they're really starting to prefer a little more complexity to their sweet treats, like the tart acidity of pineapple. rice is a great favorite bc it's a comforting plain staple, but it can also be used in such a variety of dishes, as the entire base or to add texture! bonnie likes spicy, sour, etc... bring on the flavor! honestly i don't think there's many ingredients they don't like, it's more often a case of that flavor doesn't go there, why would you do that??? maybe they haven't grown into bitter vegetables yet.

siffrin also likes the fish head, so they really enjoy a fun texture, and they like trying new foods as they travel — but when they don't like something they hate it. but they also hate to raise a fuss! so if they're eating with other people, they'll try to just eat around the offending element without making it too obvious that's what they're doing, and then claim they're just not that hungry. if they're by themself, they'll spit it out and rinse out their mouth and eat something crunchy. they don't like tomatoes, which is convenient bc they also don't like when sandwich bread gets soggy at all. they don't like mushrooms or caramalized onion. they enjoy super crunchy things and a nice thick soup!

we know malanga fritters are presumably his favorite. i think he likes mashed potatoes too. fish, of course, and hearty stews. he loves clam chowder! he used to be a big sweet pastries fan, but post-canon he pivots to fruity sweetness bc he can't stand caramel-marshmallow-candy sweetness anymore, and even fruit's on thin ice. most of his disliked foods are about the texture, not the taste. but he's also really sensitive to associations - if he coincidentally gets sick after eating something, eats something badly seasoned, etc, it'll put him off of that taste for a while even if he doesn't remember why.

iirc isabeau wasn't into the fish head. he likes simpler and more predictable foods! he gets yucked out by overripe fruits, but luckily it's usually pretty easy to tell if a fruit will be good. if he does accidentally bite into a bad one, he makes a face and swallows it as quickly as possible, and asks if anyone else wants the rest before he donates it to the local wildlife. he likes fluffy breads and nuts! he's the kind of guy to pack a stack of pb&js and an apple for lunch every day, just buying a different flavor of jam each time he runs out. he doesn't like anything too spicy or bitter! probably a cheese fiend too.

mirabelle isn't super particular about textures, but she is pickier about tastes; she doesn't like a couple common vegetables, like green beans and cooked carrots, and a couple common sauces, like mustard and marinara. she doesn't like nuts, but sometimes eats them anyway because they're so popular in dormont's house for some reason and she gets tired of refusing to eat them, and now she sorta hates them even more but also will absentmindedly stand there munching on them? in general if she doesn't like a food she's served she'll still try to eat enough to be polite, but sometimes can't manage it. some foods she loves are honey, olives, and apple pie. she does love plums too, but it's less that they're objectively her favorite taste and more that they're her thing. it's fun having a thing!

odile likes delicate textures like flaky pastries and watermelon, and doesn't like purely glop-based foods like oatmeal, though it's tolerable with a crunchy topping. she really enjoys a good meat, like a nice herby steak or buttery pork belly. she doesn't dislike sweets, but she doesn't indulge in them in often; when she does, she prefers lemony desserts or bitter chocolate. she finds most foods tolerable at least, and especially likes sharp flavors, like vinegar and vodka!

[khoicesbyk]

The Royal Romance.

Forevermore.

A/N: this is the next chapter in the journey of my OTP. Follow along for the fun.

Rated: Mature (at times can and will be Explicit. I'll be sure to change the rating when and if that happens). | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual. Y'all should be used to this from me by now 😁) Also may contain some violence and other themes you may find offensive | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: King Marquise Rys (LI) and Queen Shanelle Miller-Rys (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and original characters created by me and/or other authors [their characters have been mentioned and/or used in the story with their permission] ) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 11K words. (may be slightly more or may be slightly less. Look, I stop counting after editing and re-editing and driving myself insane. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or DM me and I will gladly add you! 😁😘

This series is rated Mature. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

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Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @tessa-liam

TW: Mentions of death, mention of infant death and violence. Reader Discretion is STRONGLY ADVISED!

Chapter 15.) Darkest Day.

In the wake of the car accident that nearly claimed the lives of Duke and Duchess Joseph as well as Queens Regina and Genevieve, the news of the crash spread throughout the kingdom like wildfire and raised so many questions. While their children were with their grandmothers in Khari's library, Their Majesties went over the preliminary report about the crash with Damien. 

"What do we know about the accident so far?" Damien asked.

"From these preliminary reports, we know the driver lost control of the limousine when he came around a steep curve," Marquise replied. 

"What about the sustained injuries?" Shanelle asked. 

"The driver sustained the worst of all when he was thrown from the car. I was able to briefly speak to his wife, he's still in a coma." Marquise replied, "Have you spoken to your nephew Damien?" 

"Yes. He said his mother and Regina both suffered broken bones, specifically broken hips and both will require surgery to repair them. He and his siblings will be tending to her care." Damien replied. 

"To be honest, I can't say that I feel too bad for your sister-in-law or my father's widow."

"After the way they talked to and about us at the lunch, I know I feel don't bad for any of them at all." Shanelle piped up. 

Damien chuckled. 

"How shall my office proceed?" Damien asked. 

"Tread lightly Damien. This accident is enough of a firestorm as is. We will be holding a press conference on the matter so be sure to prep the press." Marquise replied. 

Damien nodded. 

"Very well. I will be back later." Damien said before taking his leave. 

Shanelle sighed.

"This is about to be a nightmare." she groaned. 

"True but it's serving the purpose I intended." 

"Which was?" 

"To distract the pests." 

"While overshadowing me," Shanelle complained. 

"Nothing overshadows you, my Queen."

"Except this goddamn accident," Shanelle muttered. 

"My love, I've seen the numbers from the lunch. While it was a tad bit chaotic, thanks to those two Neanderthals crashing your event, it was still wildly successful. Many enjoyed themselves and had nothing but great things to say about you and your hard work. So while this accident is currently front-page news, you still accomplished your goal. So take the win." 

Shanelle shook her head. 

"How do you always do that?"

"Do what?" 

"Always find a way to always make me feel special." 

"It's a talent. Now we have to discuss the elephant in the room."

"You mean the fact that we'll have to meet the family of Duke and Duchess Joseph?"

"Yes. I know you don't want to meet with them but..."

"Public perception is at an all-time high?" 

"Precisely." 

Shanelle sighed. 

"I really don't want to speak with them."

"I know but maybe this will entice you."

Shanelle raised a questioning eyebrow at him. 

"What?"

"This is off the record but, I have it on good authority that things are not as tight-knit and pristine in House Gallagher as they may seem."

"What does that mean?"

"According to my spies, Lord Gallagher's sisters are not very happy with how this whole challenge has gone." 

Shanelle was intrigued. 

"Really?"

"Yes. The older sisters are especially not too happy about their baby brother inviting those two birdbrained Neanderthals to your lunch." 

"And you want to spin this in our favor?"

"Exactly."

Shanelle nodded. 

"Well when you put it that way, I can't wait to meet with them and visit their parents." 

"Perfect. In the meantime, we have a press conference to attend."

"Lead the way, Your Majesty."

As they walked to the throne room, Marquise noticed that Shanelle was walking a little slower than usual. 

"Are you okay?" he asked. 

"Yes. I'm fine. Why?" 

"You're walking a little slow today."

Shanelle gestured to her growing stomach. 

"Kinda can't help it. With carrying your baby and all." 

"Fair. But if you don't want to attend this press conference, you don't have to."

"I'll be okay. I'll mostly be in the background while you do all the talking."

"Heard." 

When they got to the throne room doors, Marquise fixed his cuff, squared his shoulders, and donned a stoic mask on his face.

"You're hot when you do that," Shanelle said to him. 

Marquise winked at her. 

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I've had years of practice being a King. And not cosplaying one, like King Desaad."

Shanelle snickered. 

"This is true. So shall we go again?"

"Yes, we should."

With a nod from Marquise, the doors were opened. When they made their way to the throne, they were greeted by the waiting press. Marquise cleared his throat and held up a hand to quiet the press before addressing them. 

"Good morning everyone. I want to thank you all for joining Her Majesty and I here today. As many of you very well may know, a few short days ago, a limousine carrying the former Queens Regina Amaranth-Rys, Genevieve Stannos-Miller, as well as Duke and Duchess Joseph of House Gallagher, crashed."

Many started talking at once. 

"All we know at this stage of the investigation is that the driver lost control of the car after coming around a steep curve. At the time he lost control, he hit a tree that sent the limo down an embankment. He was unfortunately thrown from the vehicle while the others were sadly still trapped inside. From what we know so far, the car landed upside down at the bottom of the embankment, where those still inside had to be cut out by Emergency Services." he said to the press. 

One reporter spoke up. 

"Your Majesty! Maggie O'Heir of the CBC here, do you suspect any foul play?" she asked. 

"No. Given the nature of the crash, foul play was suspected but has since been ruled out. I'd also like to point out that excessive speed was ruled out as well." he replied. 

Another reporter spoke up. 

"My King. Ian Henry of Global News, can you clarify when exactly the accident happened?" he asked. 

"Yes. The four had just left Fydelia and were headed to Comery Isle when the accident happened. They had left at approximately 7:30 local time, and the accident happened around approximately 8:45 local time." Marquise replied. 

"So this accident wasn't after Her Majesty's luncheon?" he asked Marquise. 

"No. This accident happened much later than that. By that time they had already departed my wife's duchy." Marquise replied. 

"Now I'd like to ask you about King Desaad and Queen Ermina crashing the luncheon that Her Majesty was hosting. How are you really feeling about it?" he asked. 

Marquise took a measured breath before replying. 

"Am I angry that they crashed the lunch? No actually. Because they didn't crash the event, they were invited by Lord and Lady Gallagher. It was an attempt to supposedly teach me a lesson in diplomacy, that truth be told I didn't need to learn. I'm more...annoyed and quite frankly saddened that Their Majesties were invited by a member of The Cordonia Defense Council knowing our kingdom's stance on the war between Kasnia and Sulovaria. By the definition of the laws, Lord and Lady Gallagher have committed treason. Which is becoming a sad, recurring, and frankly terrifying theme for their house. Now I am bound by the law to have them arrested. But in the wake of Lord Gallagher's parents' horrible accident, I am willing to look past his and his wife's indiscretion." Marquise replied. 

"You are Your Majesty?" Ian asked. 

"Yes. Because of the challenge, I truly believe that he and his wife have become so obsessed with beating Her Majesty and I so much that I feel they've lost their perspective of why they challenged us in the first place. As of late it's been more about constantly one-upping us than it has been about what they would actually accomplish for Cordonia and her people. After all, they admitted at the luncheon that they would be willing to sell...I mean annex parts of our home to Sulovaria," Marquise replied before shaking his head sadly, "I will be the first to admit that the politics of the decisions Her Majesty and I make aren't always popular nor do many always agree with them but when we make decisions for Cordonia, it's never a selfish or self-centered decision. Every decision we make, good, bad, or indifferent is and always will be for Cordonia. And the one decision we would NEVER make as Monarchs is turning against the very people that we serve."

Ian nodded. 

"Thank you sire. I appreciate your candidness," he said to Marquise. 

Marquise nodded. 

"Thank you all for coming, today. Now Her Majesty and I have an appointment with the driver, Ernst Sylvester Tremblay's family, at the hospital that we mustn't be late to." Marquise said to the press before he and Shanelle made their exit. 

"Well that went well," Shanelle said to him as they walked down the hall. 

"Mmhmm. I didn't intend for it to be too long of a press conference," he replied. 

"I am curious though. Why aren't you angry at Lord Lady Gallagher for inviting King Desaad and his wife?" she asks. 

"Because it's called playing the long game. Since I'm on record saying I'm willing to look past his indiscretion, it'll put them, and especially their house, under an even finer of a microscope. Because as of right now the public doesn't know if they can truly trust those two." he replied, "and all I did at this press conference was further sow an even bigger seed of doubt." 

Shanelle nodded. 

"Okay. I'll trust you to know what you're doing. In the meantime, we're off to the hospital."

"Yup." 

Their Majesties departed the palace and headed to the hospital to visit with the driver's family. Once at the hospital, they were taken to a conference room where his family was waiting. 

"Your Majesties. Thank you for meeting with me and my family today." his wife Emma said in greeting. 

"Thank you for meeting with us. Please everyone have a seat." Marquise replied. 

Everyone sat down around the table. 

"Your Majesties, allow me to introduce you to our children. These are our sons Milo and Cameron, and our two oldest daughters, Sandra and Charlotte. And our youngest daughter Abigail." Mrs. Tremblay said as she introduced their children. 

"It is good to meet all of you," Shanelle replied. 

Mrs. Tremblay smiled softly at Shanelle. Marquise cleared his throat. 

"First let me say, how sorry I am that this accident happened. I am especially heartbroken for you and your family."

Mrs. Tremblay nodded tearily. 

"Thank you so much. Thank you for rallying behind my family and I, Your Majesties. It has been a comfort to be thought about by you." she replied, "I don't understand how this happened. My husband is an excellent driver. He's been driving for Her former Majesty for years."

Marquise nodded. 

"I am embarrassed to say this but I never took the time to get to know him. I knew of him because he is one of Regina's drivers but we were never formally introduced. For that, I apologize." 

Mrs. Tremblay nodded. 

"It's alright. When he came on you were still a Prince."

"How long has your husband been driving for Regina?" Shanelle asked, "Like my husband, I am not familiar with him."

"He began driving for Queen Regina in February of 2013. Approximately five months before our daughter Abby was born." Mrs. Tremblay replied before looking at Marquise, "Over the last few years, Ernst would often say that he felt like he knew you because you were all Regina complained about." 

Marquise scoffed. 

"I'm not surprised. Regina has always felt like I am forcing her to live way below her means even though she has never lived anywhere near below her means." 

Mrs. Tremblay's hands trembled.

"I still don't understand how this whole thing happened. Ernst has always been a safe and careful driver. He would never lose control of the car he was driving."

Marquise and Shanelle shared a silent look. 

"May I speak freely, Your Majesty?" Mrs. Tremblay asked Marquise. 

"Of course ma'am. You're in a safe space. And if there is something...anything you want us to know, please feel free to tell us." Marquise replied. 

Mrs. Tremblay nodded before speaking. 

"If I'm to be honest, I always hated him being Regina's driver. Because she was horrible to work for. She would always hang his job over his head." 

"What do you mean?" Marquise asked. 

"Regina always worked her drivers to the bone. Never allowing them breaks when they would drive her to and from. Ernst would have to keep a bottle with him to relieve himself because she forbade him and other drivers from taking a bathroom break." Mrs. Tremblay replied, "They have a dispatcher but she would often ignore him."

"Why didn't he go to Duchess Adelaide?" Shanelle asked. 

"He and the other drivers tried! They begged her for help! Even the dispatcher, whose name is Heinrich Dumas, even went with them to plead for help. But Duchess Adelaide chose to side with her cousin over them." Mrs Tremblay replied. Her voice was shaking. 

Shanelle nodded. 

"I'm sorry Mrs. Tremblay. I wasn't trying to upset you."

Mrs. Tremblay nodded before taking a deep breath. 

"Please excuse my outburst, Your Majesty. I know you were just asking." 

Shanelle reached across the table and took Mrs. Treblay's trembling hands in hers. 

"How long has all of this been going on?" Shanelle asked. 

"For years my Queen." Mrs. Tremblay replied, "Ernst would often keep a log of his daily routine as Regina's driver." 

That struck Marquise. 

"Do you know where this log is?" he asked Mrs. Tremblay. 

"Yes sire. We brought one with us." she replied before reaching into her bag and pulling out a tattered notebook, "This was recovered from the car at the time of the accident."

Marquise took the log book and briefly scanned through it.

"How many of these does he have or is this the only one?" he asked. 

"My father has dozens of these. This was just the latest one he was keeping." their son Milo replied, "If you look through it again, you'll see the reason why he was thrown from the car. I think it's on page 129 or 130." 

Marquise looked at the page and showed Shanelle. 

"Oh my God!" Shanelle gasped. 

"He hasn't been driving with a seatbelt on?" Marquise asked. 

"No. Regina forbade him to." Mrs. Tremblay replied. 

"How long has he been driving like this?" Shanelle asked. 

"Ever since he requested and was granted time off three months ago." 

"What happened?" Marquise asked. 

"Abby, our youngest, had a violin recital at her day school three months ago. And Ernst didn't want to miss it, so he requested and was granted that day off. And when Regina found out, she was livid. Because according to her she owns her drivers. So when he came into work that following day, he found that his driver-side seat belt had been removed. According to her, it was his punishment for leaving without her approval. Not that he needed it." Mrs. Tremblay replied. 

"And he's been driving like this ever since?" he asked. 

"Yes. I begged him to stop driving or at least switch to another car but he said couldn't. According to him, Regina threatened that if he tried to switch cars or even quit entirely, she would have him blacklisted so he could never drive again." Mrs. Tremblay replied. 

She shook her head. 

"Because of that, he began to drive slower than he usually would which only upset Her former Majesty. Because he didn't have a seat belt he didn't want to go very fast. He still got her to wherever she had to go but he stopped driving fast." Mrs. Tremblay said before shaking her head, "My husband wouldn't have been in that accident if he had a seat belt on! This was all Queen Regina's fault! She made his job unsafe! I blame her for this!" 

Marquise nodded. 

"I need you to do me a favor, Mrs. Tremblay. I need you to send all of your husband's logs, that you have access to, to my office as soon as possible. I will also speak with Duchess Madeleine about this and get it resolved promptly." 

Mrs. Tremblay nodded tearily. 

"I can do that. And thank you both so much for meeting with me and our family. Ernst is a good man and now he's in a coma. The doctors don't know when or even if Ernst will ever wake up." Mrs. Tremblay said before breaking down into tears in her son's arms. 

Marquise nodded sympathetically. 

Mrs. Tremblay's son spoke up. 

"With all due respect Your Majesties, I think it's time for us to end this conversation. It's been really hard on my mother. But I do appreciate you meeting with us." 

Marquise nodded. 

"We understand. Again I am so sorry that this happened. I believe you wholeheartedly when you say he is a good man. And I am also sorry that we didn't know about this situation sooner. But now that Her Majesty and I do know, we will do everything we can to rectify this egregious oversight on Her former Majesty's part." 

Her son nodded gratefully as Marquise and Shanelle took their leave. As Their Majesties stepped outside, they were greeted by Mr. Tremblay's doctor. 

"Your Majesties! My name is Dr. Andrea Rutherford. I've been treating Mr. Tremblay since he arrived. Is his family still in the conference room?" the doctor asked the couple. 

"Yes, they are. Is everything okay?" Shanelle replied. 

The doctor shook her head sadly. 

"Unfortunately no. Mr. Tremblay coded." Dr. Rutherford replied. 

"Oh no!" Shanelle gasped sadly. 

Marquise shook his head sadly. 

"What is the time of death for Mr. Tremblay?" Marquise asked. 

"11:40 AM. About 5 minutes ago. We did all we could to try to save him." Dr. Rutherford replied. 

Marquise nodded. 

"I understand. Please be gentle with his widow." Marquise said to Dr. Rutherford. 

"Of course Your Majesty," she replied. 

When Shanelle and Marquise got back to the residence, Shanelle stormed inside without a second look back. 

"Will you slow down?" Marquise asked as he finally caught up to her when she reached their bedroom door. 

Shanelle stopped in her tracks. 

"You haven't said a word since we left the hospital. Are you okay?" Marquise asked. 

"No. No, I'm not okay. Not at all." she replied. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Everything is wrong. This whole situation is wrong!" 

Shanelle rubbed her temples. 

"I know why you caused the accident. And I understand why you caused the accident. And I know that it served the purpose that you intended it to serve. But this should not have happened! Ernst Tremblay should still be alive!" 

Marquise sighed. 

"I know."

Shanelle let out an exasperated sigh. 

"I don't care about the Queens or Duke and Duchess being hurt in this accident. Because to be honest, they deserve it! After months of being a pain in our asses, they deserve everything that happened to them. But what I do care about is that because of this accident, one of our people is now dead! That was not a part of the deal!" 

"I know Shanelle."

"Do you?" Shanelle asked, "An innocent family is now broken beyond repair because of all of this."

"You think I don't know that?!" he asked. 

"Now look, I get it. You had no idea that he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, mainly because he didn't have one, no thanks to Regina, but still! Our people should not be the collateral damage of this challenge! If we are going to continue all of this, we need to be strategic! I do not want our people to be collateral damage!" she replied. 

Marquise sighed. 

"I get it. You're pissed at me."

Shanelle shook her head.

"I'm not pissed at you. I'm pissed at this challenge. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I'm aggravated. I'm irritated. I'm frustrated because it is always one goddamn thing after another. I am at my wit's end!"

Shanelle let out an aggravated breath. 

"I need you to remember that I am fucking pregnant! And all I've done my entire pregnancy is go from one crisis to another. I feel like I can't fucking breathe without someone or something breathing down my neck!" she snapped at him. 

Shanelle clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and took a deep calming breath. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that," she said to him.  

"No, I understand why you're so upset. Because you're right. I shouldn't have involved that driver. And we do need to be more strategic with how we go about this." 

"Just promise me right now that you'll keep our people out of this mess from now on."

Marquise nodded. 

"I promise. Our people will no longer be a part of this. At least not on our end."

"Okay." 

"Here let's go sit down," he said to her. 

They went inside their bedroom and sat down on their bed. She laid her head on his shoulder. 

"I know why you're tired. Because quite frankly I am tired of all of this. This challenge has gone on long enough." he said to her. 

"But when will it end? How much longer will we have to deal with this?" she asked. 

"Let me meet with the heads of Parliament and I'll have an answer for you soon," he replied, "in the meantime, we still have to meet with Duke and Duchess Joseph. I know you don't want to but we have no choice, we have to be seen as caring monarchs even if we don't personally like the people we're supposed to care for." 

Shanelle nodded. 

"Now onto other more pleasant news, do you still have plans to host the Lantern Festival?" he asked. 

"Yes. After confirming with the Duchy Volterias council of commissioners, it'll be held the third weekend in August," she replied. 

"That's wonderful. After the success and chaos of your lunch, I want to keep up the good work and momentum we have at the moment. So let's take advantage of it."

Shanelle nodded. 

"What about you? Are you still doing the Cordonia 5K race next weekend?" she replied. 

Marquise rubbed his hands together. 

"Oh yes! I am looking forward to it! And so are the guys."

Shanelle snorted. 

"You're forcing them to race with you, aren't you?" she asks. 

Marquise snickered. 

"I am their King after all. So what I say goes," he replied, "but that's for later on. Right now I'm focused on your upcoming OB appointment. We will soon find out what we are having." 

"I know. I'm excited and scared all at the same time. I wanna know but I also don't wanna know. But I wanna know!" 

Marquise chuckled. 

"I know. I am ready to find out. Any guesses?" he asked. 

"Nope! I'm not about to jinx us. But I will say that I want us to bring the kids. I want them to be a part of the excitement."

Marquise snorted. 

"That'll be hilarious. And a core memory for us." 

"Indeed."

"When is your appointment?"

"Next Friday. The day before the marathon." 

Marquise nodded. 

"Okay. I'll schedule our visit with Duke and Duchess Joseph for the week after."

"No. I'd rather get it over with now. So schedule it for Wednesday. That way I won't have to think about it after my appointment next week." 

Marquise nodded. 

"By your command, my Queen." 

Shanelle let out a yawn. 

"I think it's past my nap time," she said to him. 

"Okay. You take a nap. I'll go check on the boys." he replied. 

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

She kissed him sweetly. 

"I love you."

He kissed her back.  

"I love you too. Go take a nap."

Shanelle smiled at him before climbing into bed. With one last look at his wife, Marquise left their bedroom. After grabbing the twins from their grandmothers, he and Damien headed to his office. After getting the boys settled with coloring books, Marquise let Damien know what had happened at the hospital. 

"My God. Ernst Tremblay died?" Damien asked. 

"Yes. I will speak again to his widow in a few days." Marquise replied, "But before that, I want to get confirmation on his cause of death from the medical examiner."

"What shall we do in the meantime?" Damien asked. 

"Prepare a statement but wait until the family formally announces his death. In the meantime, I want your office to publish the logs he recorded as Regina's driver when you get them. Be sure to emphasize that the Monarchy does not condone her actions."

Damien shook his head. 

"There has to be a rule against what she made him do as a driver."

Marquise rubbed his brow.

"I don't know if there is but in the meantime, I will be making Regina pay for his funeral if and when that happens. She will also be compensating his family as well as the other drivers."

Damien nodded. 

"You know that she'll do nothing but resist and complain right?" 

"Damien, go ahead and ask me if I care."

Damien held his hands up in surrender. 

"Very well. And what about your visits to the other victims?" Damien asks. 

"Shanelle and I will be meeting with Duke and Duchess Joseph next Wednesday. And as far as the Queens, I don't think they want to see me at the moment. So we'll wait until later on to visit them." 

Damien raised a questioning eyebrow at Marquise. 

"They don't want to see you or you don't want to go at all?" Damien asked. 

"Yes." 

Damien chuckled. 

"Well, I'll take this log and meet with my staff and get everything rolling on my end."

"Alright. Let me know if you need any more information." 

Damien nodded before leaving. While getting a few emails sent out and returning a few phone calls, the twins were starting to get sleepy. Marquise knew it when Kylo toddled over and climbed into his lap while he was on a call. 

"What's wrong, my love, hmm? Are you sleepy?" he asked Kylo, whose only response was a yawn and him rubbing his eye. 

"Alright. Let Daddy finish up then it's nap time. Okay?" 

Kylo yawned again. After finishing his important call, it was nap time for him and the boys. 

"Okay, my love. It's nap time for us." Marquise said to Kylo. 

"Nap time Daddy?" Kylo replied. 

"Yes. So go get your blankie. Okay?"

"Otay (okay)." 

Kylo hopped down to go get his blanket. 

"Zyon! It's nap time. Get your blankie." Marquise said to his son who was still coloring. 

"Alwight (alright) Daddy!" Zyon replies. 

After getting their blankets, the twins joined their father on the big couch in his office, where they snuggled up with their Daddy. 

"Are you comfy, my love?" Marquise asked Kylo whose reply was him rubbing his eye. Marquise gave him a sweet kiss on his forehead. 

"And what about you, my love? Are you comfy?" he asked Zyon who replied with a yawn. Marquise gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead as well. 

"Alright boys. Let's take a nap," he said to them. 

It didn't take long for the Princes to fall asleep in their Daddy's arms. After the boys were sound asleep, Khari and Shanelle stopped by after Khari's gymnastics practice and a run to Book-A-Holic Cafe. 

"Oh! Look Mommy! They're sleeping." Khari said to her mother. 

"I can see that. We'll put their snacks on your daddy's desk," Shanelle replied. 

"Okay. But first I gotta do something."

Khari went and grabbed a large blanket and covered her father and brothers. 

"Thank you," Marquise said as she walked away, 

"Eep! Daddy!" Khari gasped as she stopped in her tracks. 

"Shh! Don't wake them up," he said to his daughter. 

"You scared me!" she fussed. 

"That's what you get for waking me up," he said with a yawn. 

Shanelle snickered. 

"Well, you look comfy," Shanelle said to her husband. 

Marquise gestured to the sleeping twins. 

"Yeah. Nice and cozy." Marquise said to her before seeing the snacks in her hands, "What's all that?" 

"Two chocolate croissants and a large Dark Roast coffee with four creams and four sugars for you and two blueberry muffins and grape and apple juice for the boys, " Khari replied. 

"Ooh! Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie!" he said to them. 

"Nope. You have your hands full. So I'm gonna put them on your desk." Shanelle said to him. 

"No. Don't do that!"

Marquise pouted as Shanelle set the snacks down on his desk. 

"Why are you pouting?"

"Because now I'll have to wait for these two to wake up to get to them."

"And what's wrong with that? Besides, you need to curb your addiction/codependency on their coffee anyway."  

"Ugh! How dare you do this to me!" 

"Stop pouting!"

"No, because by the time these two wake up, my coffee will be cold. And you know I hate it when my coffee gets cold!" 

"You have a microwave. Just heat it up after they wake up."

Marquise looked at his daughter. 

"And what about you? Do you agree with this?" he asked Khari with an eyebrow raised. 

"Switzerland," she replied. 

Marquise smirked at his daughter. 

"Smart answer."

"I learned from the best."

"Why thank you." 

"I meant Mommy but you're welcome too Daddy."

Marquise made a face.

"You're lucky that I love you."

"You always will."

"Yeah yeah. How was practice?" he asked.

"It was good. Jean-Henri says that I've improved a lot," she replied, "he wants me to continue my stretches."

"Well since I'm gonna be stuck here a while, you go do your stretches. I'll see you and your mom later."

Khari nodded.

"Okay," she said before she kissed him on the cheek. 

"Love you, Daddy."

"I love you too Precious." he said to her before speaking to Shanelle, "I'll see you later."

"I'll catch you later handsome. Oh and one more thing." 

She brought his coffee closer. 

"Here," she said as she set his coffee down on a table close to the couch.

"Thank you!" 

"You're welcome. Now go on and finish your nap." 

Marquise watched them leave before going back to sleep. Later that night, Their Majesties were out on their balcony enjoying a quiet moment by gazing up at the stars. 

"It's the moments like these that I love the most," Shanelle said to him. 

"I do too. Especially because our children are fast asleep while counting sheep," he replied. 

"You're a mess," she said as she shook her head. 

"And yet you loveeeeee meeeeeee!" 

"Sometimes."

"Don't ruin my moment!" he fussed. 

Shanelle snickered. 

"So are you ready for next week?" he asked. 

"Am I ready to visit with the injured members of House Gallagher on Wednesday? No, I'm not. I really don't want to waste my time on them because, at the end of the day, that's all this will be, a GIANT waste of time. But since we really have no choice in the matter, seeing as we are the King and Queen after all, I guess I can grin and bear it for the sake of the kingdom. Now if you were asking, am I ready for my appointment next Friday where we'll finally know what we are having? Then yes. Yes, I'm ready. I am so ready!" she replied, "I'm also ready to see you crush this 5K run on Saturday." 

Marquise nodded. 

"I can understand how you feel. Like you, I don't want to visit with Duke and Duchess Joseph but, I want to see if the supposed division within the house is real or just manufactured to gain the public's interest."

"Well, that's during the week. What about the weekend? Are you ready?" 

"Of course I'm ready for next weekend, I'm excited and I'm eager to find out what we're having on Friday. It means we are getting closer and closer to your due date. Which means we are one step closer to holding our newest bundle of joy. And when it comes to Saturday, I am going to thoroughly enjoy running circles around everyone!"

Shanelle snorted. 

"Uh, you do realize that you're running in a group of 4 right?"

"Stop! Stealing! My! Joy!" he fussed. 

Following two days of back-to-back meetings, Their Majesties found themselves traveling to Comery Isle to visit with Duke and Duchess Joseph at their home. When they arrived at their home, Shanelle inhaled and exhaled deeply. 

"Well, we're here," she said to her husband. 

"Yes, we are. So let's rip the bandaid off. Because the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave." he replied. 

As they stepped out of their limo, they were greeted by Headmaster Gallagher and her sister. 

"Good morning to you both! Welcome to our home." Headmaster Gallagher said in greeting, "Please allow me to introduce you to my twin sister, Countess Jessamyn Joseph-Steinbaum." 

Countess Jessamyn curtsied to them. 

"Hello and good morning sire. It has been quite some time since we have seen one another," she said to Marquise. 

Marquise nodded. 

"Indeed it has Countess. It's good to see you. And I see congratulations are in order."

The Countess smiled politely at him before addressing Shanelle. 

"Hello and good morning to you, Your Majesty! You look stunning! You must tell me where you got your dress." 

"Thank you, Countess. Good morning and congratulations to you as well. How far along are you?" Shanelle asked. 

"I am four months along." Countess Steinbaum replied, "This will be my husband and I's first child."

Shanelle nodded. 

"I am happy for you. I will also be happy to give you the name of my stylist." 

Countess Jessamyn's face lit up. 

"Thank you so much, ma'am! I do appreciate it."

"Shall we go inside?" Headmaster Gallagher asked. 

Marquise nodded. 

"Lead the way, ladies," he replied. 

"I didn't know that Headmaster Gallagher had a twin sister," Shanelle whispered to her husband, as they entered the home and followed down the hall.

"I did. And they aren't the only set of twins Duchess Daphne has had. All of her children are twins. These two are the oldest fraternal twins. The middle two are Kaitlyn and Kathlyn. Those two are the only identical twins. Even Lord Joseph is a twin." 

"Really?" 

"Mmmhmm. He had a fraternal twin brother named Alton who died of SIDS at just three months old. After his death, the Duke and Duchess decided not to have any more children." 

Shanelle nodded slowly. 

"I almost feel bad for the Duke and Duchess."

"I'm sure. After all, you and I both know what that loss feels like." 

When they arrived at the courtyard of the home, they were greeted by a very sour-looking Lord and Lady Joseph as a sour-looking Duke and Duchess. As well as Lord Joseph's two older sisters and their spouses. 

"Your Majesties, of course, you have met most of our family, but allow me to introduce our middle sisters, Lady Kathlyn Joseph-Ballentyne and her husband Robert and Lady Kaitlyn Joseph-Francois and her husband Andre," Countess Jessamyn said as she introduced her sisters and their husbands. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you all. And ladies, it has been far too long since we'd last seen each other." Marquise said to everyone as he and Shanelle sat down. 

"Can we offer you two anything to drink?" Headmaster Gallagher asked. 

Lady Makenna rolled her eyes. 

"Josselyn, you don't have to offer them anything!" she snapped at her sister-in-law. 

"Unlike you, my dear sister-in-law, I haven't forgotten my manners." Headmaster Gallagher said to Makenna. 

Lady Makenna huffed. 

"Some apple tea would be nice," Shanelle replied to Headmaster Gallagher. 

"Very well my Queen. And for your sire?" she asked Marquise. 

"Sparkling water if you don't mind," he replied. 

Josselyn summoned a servant who soon brought a pot of apple tea for Shanelle and sparkling water for Marquise. 

"I assure you both, your drinks have not been spiked. Unlike my brother and his wife, we would never stoop so low as to put either of you or your unborn baby in danger." Countess Jessamyn said to them. 

Once everyone was seated, Josselyn spoke. 

"First I'd like to say thank you, Your Majesties for coming today. Even with all of the tension between the two of you and our family, I appreciate your willingness to meet with us following my parents' horrible accident." 

Marquise nodded. 

"Despite everything that has transpired over the last few weeks and months, Her Majesty and I do still have an obligation to our people. Even if they don't necessarily like or agree with us." Marquise replied to Headmaster Gallagher before addressing Duke and Duchess Joseph, "Now I realize that you both may not believe me but, I mean it when I say I am so sorry about your accident. Especially in the wake of the driver's death. I may not agree with either of you but I would never wish any bodily harm upon you." 

Lady Makenna rolled her eyes. 

"How many times did you practice that speech in the mirror I wonder?" she asked sarcastically. 

Countess Jessamyn shot her a warning glare. 

"Makenna you may be the wife of our brother but THIS is STILL OUR house! Do not make me have you thrown out because you can't mind your manners or your mouth!" the Countess hissed, "Whether you like Their Majesties or not, you will be respectful! I don't know how many times you have to be reminded of that!" 

Shanelle sipped her tea quietly as the awkward tension hung in the air. Marquise cleared his throat.

"Thank you, Countess. But to answer your question, my Lady. I didn't practice speaking anything in front of a mirror. Now because of this challenge that you and your husband laid down, you can't see anything that Her Majesty and I do as even slightly admirable. It's always 'They're bad for Cordonia and must be thrown out!' We are here because that is what a Monarch does. I understand that you and even your husband don't want us here any more than we want to be here. But because of our duties to our people, which include your mother-in-law and father-in-law, as King and Queen here we are."

Lady Makenna huffed and crossed her arms. 

"Whatever!"

"Makenna that is enough! You will not embarrass this family any further!" Countess Jessamyn snapped at her. 

That's when Lord Gallagher spoke up. 

"Sister I love you but you will not speak to my wife that way," he said to her. 

"Then tell your so-called wife to hold her tongue when company is present!" Countess Jessamyn hissed at him.

The Countess took a deep breath. 

"Of all the women in the kingdom to marry, you, my dear baby brother, just had to go and marry a golddigger!" 

That statement stunned everyone. Shanelle and Marquise silently looked at each other. 

"You still think the division in this house is manufactured?" she whispered to him. 

"Shh! We are about to find out," he replied.  

"Excuse me? A golddigger?" Lady Makenna asked her sister-in-law. 

"You heard me! You're a golddigger! Just like your sisters and especially like your mother!" Jessamyn replied. 

Hearing that caused Shanelle to take a big gulp of her tea and Marquise to snicker quietly. 

"After all you only married my brother because your family is broke! Especially when King Elgin left your family nothing! Even though your father swore up and down that he would! Not to mention this whole challenge for the crown was your idea in the first place!" 

Makenna stared at her sister-in-law stunned and slack-jawed. 

"That is enough Jess! I will not have you speaking to my wife or me that way!" Lord Gallagher snapped at his sister. 

Countess Jessamyn stood her ground. 

"None of this challenge has actually been about helping Cordonia or the people. It's all been revenge. Your wife wants revenge on His Majesty for turning her cousin down! Well, look where it's gotten not only the two of you but look where it's gotten the rest of us!" she snapped at her brother, "this whole thing has been one big shitshow after another! And I am sick of it!" 

"As are we!" their sister Kathlyn spoke up, "it's time to end this!" 

"Kathlyn!" Duke Joseph fussed at her. 

"No Daddy! Our house has been struggling ever since all of this started. Enough is enough!" she said to her father. 

That statement piqued Marquise's interest. 

"If you don't mind my asking my Lady, what do you mean by that?" Marquise asked. 

"Our parents insisted that all of us pitch into this challenge," she replied. 

"But why? If memory serves, your house has always had a very sizable treasury."

"That was before our brother married Makenna. He has siphoned away nearly half of our family treasury to fund his wife's half-cocked and crazy ideas. And now our house is struggling financially because of this challenge."

Marquise nodded slowly. 

"My sister is correct. And no one in the family has suffered more than my family and I." Lady Kaitlyn spoke up. 

"What do you mean?" Shanelle asked. 

"My husband and I own an exporting business here on the island. We've always been successful. Especially since you and His Majesty initiated the Tax Incentive Program a few years ago. But ever since my brother announced that when and if he becomes King he will sell off parts of our kingdom to Sulovaria, no one will touch us. All of the contracts we had have since been canceled. While my husband and I have enough money to survive for now, I'm not too certain that we'll be able to survive in the future." Lady Kaitlyn replied. 

Shanelle nodded. 

"So you're blaming me and Makenna because your company's failing, instead of blaming the fact that your husband is a terrible businessman?" Lord Gallagher asked his sister. 

Lady Kaitlyn rounded on her little brother. 

"You selfish son of a bitch! This whole time all you have ever thought about is yourself! At no point have you ever thought about how the family is ultimately the collateral damage in you and your wife's plan!" she sneered at her brother, "while you may have the title of Head Of House, you are still the same petulant, selfish, arrogant, irresponsible, teenager that you have always been! You have not nor will you ever change! Only you two would be brazen, bold, and just plain stupid enough to invite the Monarchs of Sulovaria to our home!" 

Her husband stood up to calm her down. 

"Please my love, calm yourself," he said as he rubbed her shoulders. 

Lady Kaitlyn shook her head. 

"You know there are times I wish it was you who died and not Alton! Because at least he would've thought about how his decisions would affect the entire family, not just himself!"

"Kaitlyn! You don't mean that." Her mother finally spoke up. 

"Yes, I do, mother. I meant every word I said. Because I am tired of you and Daddy always coddling and enabling him and his selfish self-centered behavior. You put him on a pedestal while expecting the rest of us to be okay with it. All because you lost poor Alton. So I want you both to hear me clearly when I say this, as of right now I will no longer be supporting the Good Lord and his golddigger of a wife in this challenge!" Kaitlyn said to her mother before turning to Their Majesties, "if you both will have me and my husband, we will happily pledge our support to you both."

Her husband nodded. 

"Indeed we will, Your Majesty," he said to Marquise. 

"As do we." Lady Kathlyn spoke up before looking at Marquise, "My husband and I are tired of supporting a challenge that is clearly floundering. So we have decided it's in our family's best interest to support you both." 

"Yes, we have. Supporting The Monarchy is what's best for the kingdom and the family." Lady Kathlyn's husband added. 

Countess Jessamyn cleared her throat. 

"Well since we are announcing that we're switching support, I guess I should make my announcement as well. 

"Jess! Please don't do this!" Lord Gallagher pleaded. 

"I have to, little brother. I don't have any other choice. I have to think about what is best for my unborn child and their future. I can't risk their life and future on a whim. While Their Majesties aren't and haven't been perfect, they are willing to work with the people. You've made it crystal clear that you and Makenna can't be trusted. As stated before, YOU brought King Desaad here! Not Their Majesties. If you two are willing to sell off parts of our home to someone who is a known threat to Cordonia if they don't pledge fealty to you both, what else aren't the two of you willing to do?" She said to him before addressing Shanelle and Marquise, "Your Majesties, I am willing to put my faith and support in your hands. If you'll have me."

Marquise nodded before clearing his throat. 

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your offered support. Her Majesty and I gladly accept your support. I know that this decision was not at all easy for each of you to make but Her Majesty and I appreciate your bravery and courage. And I give you each my word that your support is not in vain." 

"Yes, we do. We thank you all for your support." Shanelle added. 

Lord Gallagher was in disbelief. He couldn't believe that his sisters turned on him. 

"So that's it?! All of you will happily turn on your family because I have the balls to challenge these two hacks?! Are you all serious?!" he asked his sisters, his voice shaking with anger. 

"No. We are not turning on our family! We are trying to save our family from going up in flames because you are too selfish and self-centered to see that you can not win this challenge!" Countess Jessamyn replied, "You have done nothing to secure our family or its future! You've only thought about yourself and your golddigger!" 

"I am getting tired of you three calling me a golddigger!" Lady Makenna snapped at them. 

"Don't want us calling you a golddigger? Then how about you stop being one!" Lady Kathlyn shot back at Makenna. 

All the bickering between the siblings led to a tension in the courtyard was not only awkward, but it was also deafening. 

"If that's how you all feel then fine! I don't need you three dragging me and Makenna down! And oh! When we win, you three will be the first to be exiled after those two!" Lord Gallagher snapped at his sisters as they walked out of the courtyard before turning to Headmaster Gallagher, "And what about you? Have you turned on me too?" 

"No, I haven't. But that doesn't mean that I'm happy with you and Makenna. Because our sisters are right, you are selfish and self-centered! Your actions are costing our family dearly! That all being said, you are still my brother. And I do feel compelled to support you in this challenge...for now." she replied. 

"What is that supposed to mean sister?" Lord Gallagher asked. 

"You're about to find out," Headmaster Gallagher. 

Headmaster Gallagher took a deep breath before addressing Their Majesties. 

"Your Majesties, I want you to know that my support for my brother is not personal, I hope you know that."

"We do. We understand," Marquise replied. 

"And you both have my word, that while I do support my brother, my decision will NEVER cloud my judgment as Headmaster. I want to assure you both right now, that your daughter will always be safe while at school. While this challenge has many students and staff disagreeing more than I'd like them to, again Crown Princess is and will always be safe. I will never allow this challenge to put her in any danger at school." 

Shanelle nodded. 

"Thank you, Headmaster. That means the world to me." Shanelle said to her. 

Headmaster Gallagher nodded before addressing her brother again. 

"As for the two of you, while I understand that you do have support from a few houses whose children attend the school, I will say this. Aldon, if you dare try to have those parents sic any of their children on the Princess, you will lose my support entirely! I will not have or allow either of you to go after an innocent child! You have my support but if you ever go anywhere near the Crown Princess, I will wash my hands of you both! Do you understand?" 

Lord Gallagher just stood still. 

"That's a question Aldon, and you'd better answer it," she warned him. 

"Yes, I understand. You have my word, we will leave their children out of this," he replied. 

"See that you do," she said to him.

Headmaster Gallagher took a steady breath. 

"Now if you all will excuse me, I must go check on our sisters," she said before addressing Their Majesties, "Your Majesties, thank you so much for coming. Whether my brother, sister-in-law, or parents say it to you both or not, we do appreciate it."

Marquise nodded. 

"Of course, Headmaster. Thank you for meeting with us." Marquise replied. 

She nodded before leaving the courtyard. A tense silence hung in the air as the rest remained. Before Marquise broke the silence. 

"Well, that went well don't you think?" he asked before taking the last swig of his sparkling water. 

Lord Gallagher gave Marquise a venomous look. 

"I bet you enjoyed that performance, didn't you?" he asked. 

"That seemed like more than a performance to me," Marquise replied as he stood up and helped Shanelle to her feet. 

"This is all your fault!" Makena sneered at Marquise. 

"Oh no! You will not blame me or my wife for you and your husband's giant fuck up! You lost the support of most of your sister-in-laws because you and your husband just had to shove your feet straight into your mouths! You thought that you wouldn't have any blowback after announcing that you would sell your own people to the highest bidder. But surprise! The people are pissed at you! And so are his sisters. As they should be! And who do you two have to blame for this? Your own goddamn reflections!" Marquise replied. 

"GET OUT! BOTH OF YOU! GET OUT OF MY HOME!" Lord Gallagher yelled at them. 

"Fine by us," Shanelle said before she and Marquise took their leave. 

After getting home, Their Majesties discussed their interaction. 

"Thank God that's over," Shanelle said with an exhale. 

"Indeed. It was interesting." 

"Do you think any of it was real?" 

"Part of me says yes. And the other says to wait and see. In the meantime, I'll have my staff look into the issues Lord Gallagher's sisters mentioned." 

"Okay."

"But now that all the ugliness of today is over. We can officially shift our focus to your appointment on Friday."

Shanelle squealed. 

"I knowwwww! I can't wait!"

"Any ideas?"

"What part of I am not trying to jinx us didn't you understand?" 

Marquise threw his hands up in mock surrender. 

"Okay okay. I'll wait for Friday."

"Good."

That Friday couldn't come fast enough for the Royal Family. After arriving at Dr. Ramirez's office, the family was led to a private room, where the boys were very curious about their surroundings. 

"They're cute when they're curious about something," he whispers to his wife. 

"True."

"How are you feeling?" he asked her. 

"Excited, nervous, anxious, ready to scream? So everything, everywhere, all at once?" she replied. 

He kissed the back of her right hand. 

"I'm always here. And so are they. You know this."

Shanelle nodded. 

"I know." 

There was a knock at the door. It was Dr. Ramirez. 

"Well, here we go." 

"Yup. I'm ready." she said to her husband before speaking to her kids, "Okay crew! You ready to find out?" 

They all nodded.

"Okay have a seat so we can get this show on the road," she said to them before addressing the door, "come in!" 

Dr. Ramirez and her assistant came in. 

"Hello! Hello everyone! My my! It seems we have a full house!" Dr. Ramirez said to everyone in greeting, "The last time I saw you young ones was when I delivered each of you. But look at how much you three have grown!"

"Hello, Doctor. It's good to see you again." Khari replied to her. 

Dr. Ramirez smiled at her before looking at her parents. 

"And how is the proud Daddy doing?" Dr. Ramirez asked. 

"I'm doing good, Doctor. Thank you." Marquise replied. 

Dr. Ramirez smiled at him before looking at Shanelle with a warm smile. 

"And how are Mama and Baby doing?" she asked.

"I'm doing well. And baby is...baby." Shanelle replied. 

"Well, that's good. Anything you need me to know?" 

"Morning sickness is a little stronger with this baby than it ever has been before but other than that not much to report."

Dr. Ramirez nodded as she noted it in her chart. 

"I'll be sure to prescribe something for that. Now looking at your chart, your weight looks good, your blood work looks good too, and most of your vitals are also good. Your blood pressure has fluctuated but I don't see anything to be too worried about, where that is concerned for now but we will stay on top of it. In the meantime, I believe we have a result to get to."

The children cheered. 

"Judging by their reactions, the children are ready to find out, so are the two of you ready?" Dr. Ramirez asked the parents. 

"We are so ready!" Shanelle replied. 

"Indeed we are." Marquise also replied. 

"Well everyone, let's find out, shall we?" Dr Ramirez announced. 

After getting Shanelle situated, Dr. Ramirez's assistant Tali applied the gel to her stomach. 

"Eeeee!" Shanelle squealed as the gel was applied. 

Soon the sonogram machine quietly hummed as the screen came to life. 

"Alright, everyone! Let's find out what this little one will be." 

After Dr. Ramirez touched the wand to Shanelle's stomach, the image of the baby came onto the screen. Khari and her brothers were so enamored. 

"Whoa! Boys look!" Khari said to her brothers, "That's the baby. Right there."

Dr. Ramirez nodded. 

"Now let's see what the baby is," she said to everyone. 

After moving the wand around, she landed on the right spot. 

"Your Majesties, say hello to your new...baby girl," she said to them. 

They were im shock.

"A girl?" Shanelle asked. 

"Yes ma'am." Dr. Ramirez replied. 

"A girl...we're having a girl?" Marquise asked in shock. 

"Yes sire. You will have another little girl." Dr. Ramirez replied. 

"The baby's a girl?" Khari asked. 

"Yes, Your Highness. You and your brothers will have a little sister."

"AWESOME!!!!!" Khari cheered, "Me and Mommy won't be outnumbered anymore! Boys! We get to have a baby sister!" 

"Baby sister sissy?" Kylo asked. 

"Yeah. We get to have a baby sister." Khari replied. 

"Me and brudder (brother)?" Zyon asked. 

"Yeah! You, me, and Kylo. We get to have a baby sister." Khari replied. 

The boys cheered. 

"I'm happy for the three of you. And how are Mama and Daddy doing?" Dr. Ramirez asked. 

"In shock? Our baby is a girl. We're having another girl." Shanelle replied. 

Marquise was too in shock to respond. 

"Uh oh! Mommy, I think Daddy is broken again." Khari piped up. 

Shanelle looked over to see her husband hadn't spoken. 

"Well, you know what that means! You get to be the new Monarch." Shanelle said to her daughter. 

"Regent Mommy. I get to be the regent until I turn 18. In the meantime, you get to rule." 

"Exactly!" 

That snapped Marquise back to reality. 

"Now cut that out!" He said to them, "I'm not dead yet!" 

Marquise shook his head. 

"I'm sorry if I zoned out for a moment because I still can't believe what I just heard. Doctor, you're sure the baby is a girl?" he asked.

"Yes sire. You have another Princess on the way." Dr. Ramirez replied. 

Marquise nodded slowly. 

"Well now that you all know, Tali and I will give you all some time to process before scheduling Her Majesty's next appointment." Dr. Ramirez said as her assistant cleaned Shanelle up before she and her assistant left. 

"Well, now we know," Marquise said to Shanelle. 

"Yeah. We know. We are having another daughter. I'm still in shock. It still hasn't sunk in yet." 

"I know. I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience. But it's real. We have another little girl on the way. Another Princess to love on and spoil rotten."

When Marquiss looked over at Khari, she smiled at him before climbing into his lap. 

"How are you feeling my love?" he asked his daughter. 

"I get to be a big sister all over again Daddy. And even better, I get to have a baby sister now. I'm happy." she replied. 

"Are you sure you're okay with there being another Princess in the family?" Shanelle asked her. 

"Definitely! I won't be the only Princess anymore." Khari replied. 

"You're a pretty amazing kid, you know that?" 

"Duh!"

Shanelle gave her daughter a look before hopping down off the exam table and taking a seat in a chair. 

"And what about you two my babies? Are you both happy?" she asked the twins who were huddled around her. 

"Yeah, yeah!" Zyon replied. 

"Happy! Happy!" Kylo replied. 

"Good. Now I have a big job for you." Shanelle said to the twins. 

"What's dat (that) Mommy?" Kylo asked. 

"What job?" Zyon asked. 

"I want the two of you and your sister to promise me that you'll love your baby sister as much as we love you. Can you do that?" Shanelle asked. 

"Yup yup!" Khari replied. 

"Yes!" Zyon replied. 

"Yeah yeah!" Kylo replied. 

"Perfect. Now let's go. I think we all need a nap. We've had a pretty exciting morning." 

"Works for us," Marquise said to her. 

After arriving home, everyone cuddled together and took a big family nap. Later that night after all the excitement of the day, including telling the grandparents that the baby is going to be a girl, Their Majesties enjoyed a moment in bed to themselves. 

"What! A! Day! Amirite?" she asked her husband. 

"Indeed it was. But we finally know what our baby will be. We're having a baby girl. I still can't get over it. Another beautiful little girl." he replied. 

Shanelle sighed contentedly. 

"And now we get to plan EVERYTHING!" 

"Except for her nursery. Because you heard the Princess. We are NOT to get involved."

Shanelle scoffed. 

"I still can't believe she banned me, her mother, from planning her sister's nursery."

"Unfortunately she did. This is between her, her cousins, and the interior designer that they chose."

Shanelle pouted. 

"Don't worry. We get to plan everything else."

"True. So we should start a list of names for our newest little girl." 

"I actually have a name in mind for her."

Shanelle sat up slightly. 

"You picked a name out already?" she asked. 

He took her left hand into his. 

"Please hear me out before you get upset. The name I have in mind for our daughter is sacred to me."

"I'm not angry Marquise, I just wish you would've told me sooner." 

"I'm telling you now. At least I'm trying to before I lose my nerve."

"Well what name do you have in mind?" she asked. 

"If it's okay with you, I would like to name her...after my mother," he replied. 

Shanelle blinked. 

"You want to name our daughter Eleanor?" 

Marquise nodded hesitantly. 

"Yes. It would mean everything to me to be able to honor my mother by giving her name to our daughter."

When Shanelle didn't say anything, he panicked. 

"Please say something Shanelle. You're scaring me:" 

"I don't know what to say other than I love that idea."

"You do?"

"Yes. Babe if it means that much to you, I wouldn't dare say no."

Marquise visibly relaxed. 

"Thank you. I'm sure you would've gotten the girls together and you all would've picked out her name. But I have been wanting to name a daughter after her. Since we didn't name Khari after her."

"Always babe. And for the record, we gave our daughter the name your grandfather gave you...Khari." 

Marquise snickered. 

"Yes, I know."

"Well since you stole my thunder and named our daughter, can I pick out her middle name?"

"Go for it."

Shanelle thought for a moment. 

"Ooh! I know! Ayana. It's a play on your mother's maiden name Anyango."

"I love it. Eleanor Ayana Rys. It has a nice ring to it."

"Then it's settled. Now let's get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow sir."

"I'm so excited!"

"And you just can't hide it?" she teased. 

"Go to bed!"

"Goodnight handsome."

"Goodnight beautiful."

The two drifted off to a peaceful sleep with Marquise's hand resting on her stomach. 

The next day was the big Cordonia 5K Charity Marathon. Many gathered in Angelica Park for the race. There were groups of all kinds, family groups, friend groups, coworker groups, and even a few running clubs. And of course, they all had people cheering them all on. As many groups huddled together, Marquise met with his crew. Including a last-minute addition to the team. 

"Lord Benton, thank you again for agreeing to run with us," Marquise said to him before addressing Naya and their daughter, "and thank you both for being here to cheer him on." 

"Thank you for having me, Your Majesty. It's an honor." Lord Benton replied. 

"It is. We're excited to see him race." Naya added. 

"It's great to have you on the team Trevor especially since someone conveniently sprained his ankle last night." 

Maxwell made a face. 

"Nothing about this is convenient for me!" he complained. 

"I mean you were always looking for an excuse to get out of this." Drake piped up. 

"I was not!" Maxwell protested. 

Leo shrugged. 

"I dunno Beaumont. You have been complaining about the training runs we've been doing for months." he quipped. 

"Again convenient," Marquise added. 

"NEED I REMIND ALL OF YOU THAT MY ANKLE IS IN A BRACE AND I AM ON CRUTCHES FOR A REASON?!" Maxwell asked with an annoyed huff. 

"Okay, you three. Enough picking on poor Maxwell. Even though his sudden sprained ankle does sound a bit suspicious." Shanelle said to the group. 

"Ugh! Not you too!" Maxwell groaned. 

The others snickered. 

"We're just kidding, calm down!" 

"It's okay Uncle Maxwell. I believe you." Khari said to him. 

"Thank you! See?! Why can you be more sympathetic like Khari?" Maxwell asked. 

"Because my daughter sees the good in everybody. Especially you." Marquise replied. 

He checked his watch. 

"Time to get going. I have an opening speech to give then the race is on. So you lot head up to the starting line and I'll meet you there when I'm through." 

"Good luck everyone!" Shanelle said to the group, "The cheer squad aka all of us will be cheering you on." 

As the group headed to the start line, Marquise made his way to a podium when he got there the crowd had quieted down. 

"Good morning everyone! Thank you all for being here for a great cause. This 5K race is of course for charity but it's also for fun. I see so many runners of varying degrees. And I'm looking forward to not only racing against all of you but I am also looking forward to beating all of you."

The crowd laughed. 

"But in all seriousness, I want to wish all of you good luck. Today promises to be a great day. And nothing will be able to ruin this day for any of us." 

Many applauded him as he stepped down and then made his way to the start line. Once he was at the start line, Khari gave the signal. 

"Runners! On your mark! Get set! Go!" she said. 

And the race was on. It started at the entrance to Angelica Park traveled all around the park and ended at Gregoria Lake near the Parliamentary Building. With Marquise and his crew leading the way. 

"Bro! Slow down!" Leo called out to his brother. 

"Eat my dust!" Marquise replied. 

Many gathered and cheered many of the teams on. None more than the kids as they watched the race on a big screen at the finish line with Shanelle, Hana, and Maxwell. 

"GO DADDY! GO!" Khari cheered. 

"YAY DADDY!" Kylo cheered. 

"DOE (go)! DOE (go)! DOE (go)!" Zyon cheers. 

"Daddy!" Bernadette cheered. 

"Yeah, Bernie!" Khari said to her. 

"GO TEAM GO!" Maxwell and Hana cheered along with the children. 

Shanelle noticed that Naya had just come back from the restroom and had a look on her face while she was clutching the bag she had in her arms. 

"Are you okay?" Shanelle asked her. 

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?" Naya replied. 

"You don't look okay. Plus you've been clutching your bag something fierce." 

Naya looked down at the bag in her arms. 

"Can I admit something to you but you can't tell anyone?" 

"Sure. What is it?" 

"Trevor doesn't know this yet but my doctor called the other day and..."

Shanelle blinked. 

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I'm six weeks along. Promise me you won't say anything. I want to surprise him and Bernie." 

Shanelle nodded. 

"Congrats Naya. Trevor and Bernie will be thrilled."

"I know. I'm excited for our family."

"Well if you want someone to teach your daughter about how to be a big sister," Shanelle said as she nodded to Khari. 

Naya chuckled. 

"I'll keep that in mind." 

As the runners rounded the corner Marquise was leading the way with Leo, Trevor, and Drake hot on his heels. 

"I AM GOING TO CATCH YOU!" Leo shouted at his brother. 

"YOU CAN'T CATCH ANYTHING BUT ARTHRITIS OLD MAN!" Marquise shouted back. 

What Leo didn't realize was Trevor had just passed him while catching up to Marquise. 

"HEY!" Leo shouted at him. 

"APOLOGIES YOUR HIGHNESS! BUT I DO HAVE A RACE TO WIN!" he shouted. 

"BUT WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM TREVOR!"

"BRAGGING RIGHTS AND ALL THAT! YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHEN I WIN!" Trevor shouted back at Leo before shouting up to Marquise, "I'M CLOSING IN ON A BIG VICTORY YOUR MAJESTY AND YOU'RE IN MY WAY!" 

"SORRY TO BURST YOUR BUBBLE MILORD! BUT I HAVE NO PLANS ON LOSING THE NUMBER ONE SPOT!" 

It was a photo finish at the end with Lord Benton and Marquise running neck and neck but ultimately His Majesty took the win by just slightly edging Lord Benton out at the finish line. Lord Benton finished second, with Leo and Drake coming in third and fourth respectively. 

"VICTORY IS ALL MINEEEEEE!!!" Marquise said with a cackle to his group as they regrouped. 

Leo shook his head. 

"Yeah yeah! You don't have to gloat about it."

Marquise looked at his brother with a smug smirk. 

"You think this is me gloating? Oh no no, my good man! This is me holding this victory over all of your heads for the rest of your lives." Marquise said with a cackle. 

"You're about to be insufferable aren't you?" Drake asked. 

"Of course I am! I! Won!" Marquise replied. 

His teammates groaned. 

"Technically Your Majesty, we all won. After all, this was a team activity." Lord Benton said to him. 

"Yeah!" Drake and Leo added. 

Marquise rolled his eyes. 

"Fine! Since you three insist on raining all over my parade. We all won. But before we close the race, I think our adoring fans would like to congratulate us." 

As the group walked to where their loved ones were standing a loud tire screech was heard followed by several screams. When Marquise looked up, a car had run through a barricade and plowed into a crowd of people who were attending the race. Causing many to flee for their lives. 

"RUN EVERYONE! RUN!" Marquise yelled. 

While many were able to get out of the cars' way, others unfortunately were not as lucky as the driver weaved and plowed into even more people. 

"GUARDS! GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE!" Marquise told the guards as he and others tried to get out of the way. 

The guards swarmed, some of the guards got Shanelle and the others as far back as possible. It was complete chaos. With many trying to dodge and scramble to get out of the speeding cars’ way. Marquise and Lord Benton swerved to get out of the way of the car before it hit two more people and then turned in their direction. When they couldn't get out of the way fast enough, Lord Benton pushed Marquise out of the way.

"TREVOR!" Naya screamed. 

Shanelle, Naya, and their children watched in horror as Lord Benton was hit, dragged, and pinned under the car after it crashed into the side of a building. 

"GUARDS!" Marquise called out. 

With the help of the guards, Leo, Drake, and a few volunteers, they were able to drag Lord Benton's body out from under the car. While he was motionless, his pulse was faint. 

"SOMEONE GET EMERGENCY SERVICES OUT HERE NOW!" Marquise yelled. 

He began CPR on Lord Benton. 

"Come on Trevor! Your family needs you! Stay with me! Don't you dare die on me!" Marquise said to him as he performed CPR. 

Meanwhile, Shanelle held a hysterical Naya as they watched. 

"It's okay Naya. Everything's gonna be okay." Shanelle said trying to soothe Naya. 

"Oh my God! Trevor! No! No! No! No! No!" Naya cried. 

What started as a day of fun has ended in an unimaginable tragedy. Who is the driver? What was their purpose for doing this?

So many questions that have no answers. At least not yet.

[perlapulido]

Their Pumpkin Queen

Summary: After getting our of a horrible divorce Diana moved on and getting away from it all by moving to New York. But it's more difficult than she thought with the Goblin.

Ch2

After serving Mr. Osborn and his men for three hours Diana picked up the finished plates from the men and about grab Norman's until her phone went off. She pulled out her phone placing on cheek while talking Norman's plate putting into the bin she was holding. "Ok. Ok. I'll her pick up. Thank you." Said Diana hanging up. "I'm so sorry. It's the daycare. Excuse me." Said Diana looking at the men. "It's no trouble. You take care of it. We understand." Said Norman looking at her with a smile. "Thank you N- i mean Mr. Osborn." Said Diana heading downstairs. She untied her apron walking to the locker with Manny on her trail. "Where do you think you're going? You got important customers upstairs." Said Manny. "I have to pick up Kelly. I'm working part time remember and Marvin has under control." Said Diana getting her thing sour of her locker. "Fine but it's gonna be on your paycheck." Said Manny walking off. Diana shook her head closing her locker and headed out to her car not far from the restaurant. She got to her car driving to the daycare and called Sharyn on speaker. "Hello." Said Sharyn. "Listen I got off of work early to pick up Kelly. The daycare called saying she's been feeling sick and started throwing up. They guess it could be a stomach bug." Said Diana. "okay. I'll grab some meds for the stomach and I think we got broth in the pantry." Said Sharyn. "Alright. Do you have the barf bags in the glove compartment?" Said Diana opening it during a red light. "There should be and some clothes under the passenger seat." Said Sharyn. Diana took one out before she drove again to the daycare building and pulled over. She got out walking inside seeing Kelly with dried wet spot on her white shirt and pants walking over to her. "here's her things. Get better okay sweetie." Said Margie handing her a plastic bag with her lunch bag inside. "I let her mom know already. Thanks Margie." Said Diana holding Kelly by the hand. She walked slowly to the car not wanting Kelly to feel sick again as got to the back seat. Kelly let Diana buckle her in then handed her a barf bag before getting to drive them home. "Mommy?" Said Kelly. "She's at work but will come home really quick." Said Diana making a slow turn and pulled over to the apartment building. She got out with Kelly who threw up a bit into the bag before they take a step inside. "Come on let me carry you. Hold your bag okay." Said Diana picking her up. She walked inside hitting the elevator button to the fourth floor and got to their room. 

Sharyn got home later that day with Diana going out with their dirty laundry and went to grab things. Pulling in the parking lot Diana stepped out close her door and went to the trunk to pull out the two bags of laundry. She struggles to bring them in until someone rushed over to help her and someone else was calling them. "Hi Diana." Said Peter holding the bag on his arms. "Oh hi Peter. Funny seeing you here." Said Diana then saw a teen coming over. "We were just heading to the movies with my friend Harry. I saw you having trouble so I thought I could help." Said Peter. "That's sweet. Yeah and heads up. Kelly has a stomach bug and threw up which you are holding." Said Diana switching it with him. She opened the door seeing the teen named Harry opened it for her. "Thanks boys." Said Diana putting the bag in a cart with Peter placing the other one down. "Listen I was wondering if you could take me to school again tomorrow. If that's not too much to asked." Said Peter. "No problem. I have three days off. Where do you live?" Said Diana pulling out a pen and small notebook. Peter took it from her writing his address as Harry looked at the time then at her. "Nice ring you have there." Said Harry gesturing her necklace. "My son Aiden." Said Diana holding up the ring closer to the boys. "Oh I'm sorry. How old was he?" Said Harry feeling embarrassed. "Don't apologize. He would've been a year and half. Wasnt born less then seven months. Then I got my daughter Hailey but she won't come yet in the mail." Said Diana. "It's must've been hard losing someone." Said Peter. "Listen you boys should get going. Don't want to miss out on movie night." Said Diana wiping off a tear from coming out. "Right. Nice to meet you." Said Harry opening the door. He let Peter out first then looked at her before he caught up with him. Four past by as Diana had the clothes folded up and placed in their bags in reverse. She pushed out the cart quickly knowing they werent allowed to take them out and put the clothes in the backseat. After closing the door Diana put the cart back inside then headed back home. She got out of the car and saw a black car with tainted windows slowly driving past her making her nervous. Grabbing her bags Diana went inside quickly amd got into the elevator without looking back. Reaching the apartment she ran inside and locked the door dropping the bags in the process. "Diana?"

*time skip*

"Here is good." Said Peter gesturing the empty space near the steps of the school. "You got everything." Said Diana. "Yeah." Said Peter heading out. He got closing the door as Diana stepped out standing her car watching Peter and Harry holding two roses approach him. She saw Peter looking over at her with Harry and gestured her tp come over. "Is everything okay?" Said Diana as Harry handed her the roses. "Whats this?" She asked. "I felt bad about bringing up Aiden." Harry started as Norman got out of the car. "You and Peter didnt know about my kids. Its okay." Said Diana. "Forget something. Hello again." Said Norman handing Harry his backpack. "Hello Norman." Said Diana smiling at him. "You two met before." Said Harry. "I got slammed into him on my way to work then me and a new waiter were serving his table." Diana explained. "So the roses were for Diana?" Said Norman. "Its actually for her kids." Said Peter. "Yeah i lost both of my children. Heres my son Aiden and Hailey wont be here yet." Said Diana holding up the ring around her neck. "You two should get going. Would you mind getting some lunch with me?" Sais Norman as the boys left. "Sure but i need to drop off my car for check ups." Said Diana walking to her car with Norman beside her. "Whats the issue?" Said Norman. "Its the battery that shuts the car off while im driving and the brakes gets stuck. Then the emergency brake came off." Said Diana. "I can help you with that. My driver has a friend who is a mechanic. Give him your phone number so he can let you know when it's ready." Said Norman. "Really? Thank you." Said Diana following back to Norman's driver. She explained the issue and exchange numbers with him before getting inside with Norman. "Tell me about yourself." Said Norman sitting next there. "I was born in San Francisco with my brother and my parents. High school and college graduate on culinary arts. I gotten into a arrange marriage to a chief officer for a short period of time." Said Diana. "Divorced." Said Norman. "And filed a restraining order but he didn't like that. He gone insane one day and nearly killed me in a car crash while i was pregnant and my daughter in the back seat. Since then I decided move here with my best friend Sharyn and her daughter Kelly." Said Diana looking around out the window. Norman placed a hand on top hers to stop her from playing with her fingers. "Forget about him. A beautiful woman shouldnt deserve the pain he caused you." Said Norman as Diana looked at him. He watched her fear fade away and gave his hand a light squeeze as they looked forward. 

[apocalypse-cowboy]

Note: So I've decided to move some of my own fanfic work over here just for shits and giggles :) idk what else to say about it lol

Summary: A "normal" day in the firehouse for the Ghostbusters.

Warnings: a little angsty at the end but otherwise it's pretty happy. My Ghostbusters OC Scout belongs to me (obviously lmao) Egon also might be a little OOC idk I think I did pretty well :)

Nerds Of A Feather

It was a quiet evening at the firehouse. Which was rare considering the people who reside there and the nature of their job.

Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Egon Spengler and his younger brother Scout Spengler.

Peter was a handful on his own, with his snarky personality and flirtatious remarks towards any woman who breathed in his general direction.

Ray was the heart of the Ghostbusters. His child-like wonder for all things paranormal and his love and loyalty for his friends was a nice thing to have around.

Winston was the most 'normal' of the group. He had laid back yet professional attitude. He was a good friend and hard worker, courtesy of being a former Marine.

Now, Egon and Scout...they were a little tricky. They both had a nack for anything scientific, yet they had atrocious social skills. Don't get them wrong, they have their goofy moments with the other Ghostbusters, they were just on the more serious side of things.

They were only a couple of years apart, but Egon always treated Scout like he was a baby. He is the OLDER brother after all. It's something that he uses to tease his sibling with on a daily basis.

Despite the clash of so many different personalities under one roof, it was a beautiful chaos that just felt right.

It was a slow day at Ghostbusters HQ. They had a few calls come in earlier in the day, but things slowed down after lunch. Sure there were still calls but they were few and far in between and they were just minor situations.

Egon and Scout were huddled up in a corner of the basement, each of them focused intensely on their respective hobbies. Egon was analyzing his spore, mold and fungi collection while Scout was nose deep in a book about various flora and fauna and taking heavily detailed notes.

It was a comfortable silence. They had shared it so many times ever since they were kids. The others were out getting some Thai food for dinner, so they wanted to bask in the silence while they still could.

The familiar sound of the Ecto-1's siren, Peter must have turned it on again, and the opening of the garage door was a sign that they were back. When Ray pulled in and parked the garage door shut obnoxiously, but it didn't seem to break the Spengler brother's concentration.

Peter was the first one to get out of the car with one of the bags of take-out "Honey! I'm home!" He said as loudly as possible, even though he knew well that the brothers were less than a few feet away. Ray and Winston get out of car after him and roll their eyes at Peter's actions "I'm surprised they haven't killed you yet." Winston remarked, holding a second bag. Egon and Scout share a mischievous look "Well, we were planning to." Egon said with a teasing tone still focused on his task. Scout nodded "We have a very detailed plan. We are just waiting for the right time to execute it." He gave a smirk over his shoulder to Peter who scoffed in fake annoyance. "I cannot believe what I'm hearing right now." He sighed dramatically and paused for more effect "My own friends...plotting my death so casually." He motioned to the bags of food and around the room "After all I've done for you...this is how you treat poor Peter Venkman?" The siblings only snort in amusement and shake their heads at his antics.

Ray chuckled and grabbed Peter, dragging him with them to the kitchen "Come on guys! Dinner is served." The two men nodded, though not moving just yet.

Egon finished up what he was doing and look at the younger man "You almost done?" He asked. Scout only nodded and motioned him to go ahead "I'll be there in a minute." He mumbled as he wrote down notes from the book he was reading.

Egon only nodded in response and patted his brother's shoulder. He knew it would be more than a minute, Scout had a habit were if he was invested in something so much, it would take him a bit to come back out of it. Egon silently walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table with the food for him and Scout.

Peter looked up and saw that Scout wasn't with him and sighed. "Rock, Paper Scissors for who has to go and get Scout?" Ray and Winston nodded. It went: Peter Vs Winston with Peter winning and then Peter Vs Ray....

Ray won.

Peter rolled his eyes muttering something about 'It's always me.' and he went into the garage seeing that Scout was still hunched over the desk still taking notes.

Peter didn't bother being quiet about it and walked quickly behind him and picked him up from underneath his arms.

"Okay NerdZilla, time to eat so you don't starve." He remarked literally dragging him into the kitchen and sat him in the seat next Egon, while said man slid the food in front of him.

They all joked and talk with each other as they ate. It wasn't the most ideal way of living, but it was worth every second that they all got to spend together. Just spending time in the company of a small close-nit family was always worth the stress of their daily life.

After they cleaned up their mess, it was late. They had decided to clean themselves up and change into their pajamas, and they watched a shitty movie while laughing at the horrible writing and acting.

Scout leand into Egon, finding comfort in his brother getting ready to fall asleep despite the boys laughing and joking loudly.

His long dark hair in his face slightly as Egon held his sibling close to him. He was the only one he was comfortable the most with showing physical affection to. Scout smiled at his beloved brother and spoke "Egon?" He whispered quietly, threatening to nod off to sleep at any moment. The taller man looked down at him, directing all his attention to his brother "Hmm?" He hummed in response. "Do you think we'll all still be like this in the future?" He asked quietly. The other's face dropped slightly, he didn't want to get any hopes up, but he also didn't want to upset his brother by saying no. So after debating in his head, he nodded "Yes, I think so." He tightened his grip on his brother and looked around at the others who were laughing and joking to their hearts content. "I think...there is a high probability that we will stay like this for a long time." He nods in reassurance, he wasn't sure if it was for himself or for Scout. Maybe both. Scout smiled and closed his eyes to fall asleep on his shoulder "I think so too." Egon smiles softly and turns his attention back to the movie and his friends, a small smile that was filled with hope for the future of his group of friends.

If only they knew what the future had planned for them. The heartbreak and hatred and loss that they would feel soon was going to be painful...For all of them..

[thejoyofseax]

An Early Irish Feast for Drachenwald's Spring Crown, AS LVIII

Spring Crown this year was hosted by Dun in Mara in the territory of Glen Rathlin. As with almost all SCA projects, this feast didn't quite hit all the things I intended. In particular, I'd been thinking of having documentation available alongside it, and of a few more dishes that didn't make it in the end. A fermented porridge was high on that list. Next time!

Before I start talking about food, though, let me thank my kitchen crew: THL Órlaith Caomhánach, Lady Gabrielle of Dun in Mara, Noble Mallymkun Rauði, Lady Erin Volya and Cassian of Allyshia. There were a few other folk in and out of the kitchen too (THL Yda Van Boulogne did excellent work on the various flavoured butters), but these five did the bulk of the work. Lady Erin also provided lunch; cooking at Crown for 80 people as her first event cookery is notable.

The main idea here was to lean heavily on seafood, which isn't often done in SCA feasts in my experience, and represents the food of Ireland well. I also wanted to include pork as a main meat, emphasise oats and barley, and use plain vegetables presented well. There were to be condiments on the table, hence Yda's butters: plain, honey, mackerel and garlic-and-chive, as well as green sauce (largely Órlaith's work, with Cass finishing it out). Condiments and the number of them available were an important aspect of Irish medieval hospitality.

I also wanted to nod to the usual progress of early Irish feasts, which started with formal services and frequently ended up so raucous and drunken that the nobility woke up the following morning on the hall floor along with everyone else. So we served to the tables to begin, and then had a less and less orderly buffet.

The first "course" was a set of pottages. The main one was pork, cabbage, onion, carrots, turnips, and barley, which had been slowly cooked down over a number of hours. There was also a version with lamb, for those who couldn't eat pork, and this doubled as the gluten-free version, having no barley. And there was a vegetarian one, including barley, but substituting mushrooms for the meat. These were served with flatbreads, risen yeast dough having been a tough proposition in the Irish climate (and still is, really; that's why the most Irish of breads is soda bread).

As that was consumed, we stocked the buffet with: sides of salmon (steamed then baked), mussels (boiled), monkfish and mackerel (also steamed and baked), chicken pieces (baked), hard-boiled eggs, turnips with butter, carrots with honey, samphire (new to many, most enthused about it), caramelised onions, creamed leeks, buttered cabbage with and without bacon bits, and a broth-based porridge, accompanied by a variety of flatbreads and oat pancakes. And as that all cleared, we put out fruit, some cheese, some oaten biscuits, and a "cheesecake", of sorts.

Everything was plausibly pre-Norman Irish, with the exception of the oaten biscuits and the cheesecake base, which were egregiously modern - although I could argue for something very like them. Simple cooking techniques mean that those are broadly plausible as well - steaming may seem incongruous, but I'll have more to say on that again.

It all seemed to go down well. A number of people said they weren't sure about fish, and then followed with "… but that was great!", and the green sauce, the samphire and the cheesecake were particular hits. The technique of doing a wide variety of simple things usually does well, I find; even the pickiest of eaters can usually have a few things, and the adventurous can pile their plates with a wide variety.

And I had energy enough left to wander around the party hall later offering plates of fruit, cheese and biscuits, which is one of my favourite things to do.

[welcometothedopeworld]

Boredom Buster ~ *Kanata & Nayuta Yatonokami*

Summary: You don't have a lot of free time. And when you do, you always spend it with your favorite pair of brothers. Now it's their turn to bust you out.

Pairing: N/A

Genre: Fluffy Drabble

Word Count: 830

Warning: N/A

Masterlist

"ORDER UP!"

The sound of the head cook in the kitchen book you out of your stupor. With quick and precise steps, you grabbed the food and brought it over to the correct table. You gave a smile and a nod before trudging over to stand behind the counter again.

Now, you loved the little diner that you worked at. It was quaint and full of kind people who loved the homestyle cooking it provided. But there was a lot of downtime and your boss was very strict, which meant you had to be ready at a moment's notice to serve. You wished he would lay off for even a day so you could scroll on your phone or joke around with the kitchen staff in the back. It wasn't too much to ask for a little fun, was it?

The front door bell jingled, which alerted you to a new customer. Grabbing a couple menus, you gave a bright smile that only brightened more when you saw who it was. "Hello! Welcome to Sonny's Diner! Usual table, boys?"

Nayuta nodded with a bright smile. "Yes please!"

"Excellent! Right this way!" 

As you led them to their usual table towards the front of the restaurant, you caught Nayuta elbowing his brother in the ribs. "See? I told you they would be working today."

When they sat down, you watched Kanata roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

You chuckle before saying, "Honestly, when am I not working? But it pays the bills, right, Kanata?"

He nodded and you caught the little blush on his cheeks. "I'm assuming Nayuta still wants the usual?"

His brother nodded. "Yes please!"

You nod and take their menus they didn't open. "Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."

You write their ticket and give it to the cooks. As they get to work, you make Kanata's coffee just the way he likes it and a milkshake for Nayuta. When you arrive back at your table, you give them their drinks.

"The usual coffee and milkshake."

"Usual?" Nayuta tilts his head to the side. "Are you trying to say we're boring?"

"They're not saying that." Kanata shot back, his hands darting for the coffee mug as soon as you set it down and almost scalding his tongue as he took a sip.

You shake your head. "It's not that at all, I promise! It's just this whole place gets boring after a while. It feels like it's the same thing day in and day out, and I don't know, I just feel like my days, or rather, my life needs some more excitement."

Nayuta frowned at your words as he drank his milkshake. "That's sad to hear. But you still like your job, right?"

"I love my job!" You exclaim. "I just feel like I'm standing still while everyone else is moving, you know? Like I've reached a dead end while everyone is going on to bigger and cooler things than me."

Kanata frowned. "You're not in a dead end."

"Thanks. I appreciate it. But I think you might be the only one who thinks that." You give a small sigh and a sad smile. This only makes the brother's frowns deepen.

However, before either of them can say anything, you are called back to the counter as the front door bell rings with more customers. You spend the next half hour doing your job like normal: taking orders, serving food, and bussing tables. Eventually, you have a few minutes to spare to talk to the Yatonokami brothers once more.

"How's everything tasting?" You ask with your usual bright customer service smile.

"Amazing as always!" Nayuta chirps.

"That's good to hear! I'll tell the kitchen to get your dessert order started-"

"When do you clock out?" Kanata asks before you can turn away.

You pause, not sure if you heard him correctly. "Pardon?"

"When do you clock out?"

"Um... not until after the lunch rush, which is in about an hour... why?" You ask, your eyebrows skeptically furrowing.

He glances over at his brother, who is practically bouncing in his seat, most likely from all the sugar he has had. "We're going to take you out to do something fun. We want to prove to you that you're not standing still while everyone's moving ahead."

A light blush decorated your cheeks. "Ah, you guys, you really don't have to-"

"It's not up for debate." Nayuta quips back, his chipper grin and sweet voice still present. "You're going and that's final, understand?"

You nod. "Alright then. Are you guys okay with waiting?"

Kanata held up his mug. "If you keep bringing me coffee, I'll stay as long as I have to."

You chuckle and tell him you'll get a fresh pot brewing just for him. As you leave their table, there's some pep in your step. You can't wait to see what fun things you'll get to do with your favorite customers in about an hour.

[haggishlyhagging]

I arranged to have lunch with an acquaintance to discuss her comments on a manuscript of mine. A couple of days after we'd made the appointment, the manuscript and her comments appeared in my mailbox with a note that said, "Thought I'd just send these and make it easier all around!" Because I wanted to be sure that I was accurately interpreting the meaning of her statement, I called her to confirm my guess that what she'd meant was, "I'm cancelling our lunch date!"

What factors do we consider when we choose to say something other than exactly what we mean? I can understand why men prefer the word "pedophilia" to saying "I rape children," why generals talk about "neutralizing the enemy" instead of how many soldiers were killed, why politicians prefer legislation that deals with "domestic violence" rather than "wife beating." Euphemism and other forms of oblique discourse serve the interests of the powerful. Any use of language that directs our attention away from the violence men do when they assert their power over other people enables them to deny their agency and responsibility for what they do. At the same time, oblique language enables women to pretend that they don't know what men are doing. If we remain "unaware" of male violence, we don't have to challenge them and, in this way, avoid the possibility of yet more male violence.

But what motivates us to use oblique language among ourselves, particularly in private situations where there is no audience to judge the relative merits of our behaviors? Why should those of us who are without social and political power perpetuate male forms of discourse? What is our investment in not saying what we mean? Using my friend's statement, I'll speculate. We don't say what we mean when we don't want to be honest. We don't want to be honest if we believe we won't like the results. Lying is a way of avoiding conflict. My friend didn't want to discuss whether or not we'd have lunch. As a discourse tactic, not saying what she meant was a way of exercising power over me without having to be responsible for her decision. She had decided she didn't want to have lunch with me, knew that she had to inform me of her decision without giving me an opportunity to ask her why she'd changed her mind, and was confident that I'd decipher her intention accurately. Being oblique gave her a way to inform me of her decision without discussing it; she made a unilateral decision that involved both of us without giving me an opportunity to argue whether we should have lunch. She reserved to herself all the power in the situation and invalidated any idea I might have had that we had a relationship in which we could discuss the pros and cons of having lunch together.

The meanings and results of her language are clearer than her motivations for it, but indicating some of the possibilities will illustrate why we have to say what we mean to each other. Two elements of her statement alerted me to hidden meaning: just, which downplayed the significance of her decision, and make it easier all around. With "all around" she suppressed explicit mention of the two of us. Her omission of explicit reference to her own agency was also important, but it didn't affect my interpretation. It was her choice of the adjective easier, because she didn't explain who her decision made "it easier" for, that told me she was trying to avoid saying something. Since I had had no part in the decision, I wasn't the beneficiary of easier. She was. How did her decision make "it" easier for her, though? Maybe she didn't want to have lunch on that day or something more important had come up and she didn't want to discuss the change in plans. Maybe she thought I'd be angry, disappointed, or annoyed by a change in plans, and she didn't want to deal with how I might feel about her decision. Maybe she doesn't like me and spoke obliquely to put me off; that way, she didn't have to be responsible for what she felt. Maybe she was angry at me about something l'd done or said and being oblique enabled her to cancel our lunch without discussing her feelings with me. Perhaps she thought I didn't want to have lunch with her, and using easier was her way of claiming that her decision was motivated by concern for me. Or, her self-esteem may be so low that she thought I didn't want to have lunch with her and, in order to avoid my hypothetical rejection, she cancelled our lunch before I could. Whatever her motivation, her goal was avoiding a situation she believed would be painful for her, and she succeeded.

-Julia Penelope, Speaking Freely: Unlearning the Lies of the Fathers’ Tongues

[wintercherryblossomsstuff]

WORST KISS EVER

Summary: lunch break offers conversations about worst kisses

Warnings: nothing (only my ugly writing probably)

Word count: 1k

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Finding myself eating shrimps for lunch has become quite the habit for me since I’ve started to work at the Five-O. Not that I mind, Kamekona’s ability to put those little commas in every dish and make it taste amazing is outstanding.

I transferred to Hawaii a little over a year ago, after my previous team was dismembered. Originally I had to get into HPD, but my curriculum caught the attention of the governor who presented me to Commander Mcgarrett… from that point after my life completely changed.

Working in the Hawaiian finest task force has been a blast… literally. It has been fun and, after so long, I finally feel like I've found Family; I also get blown up or shot at almost daily, but that’s beside the point and every time it feels like a little “get closer” moment. That’s what happens when you work with those five people. It’s almost like they attract bombs and bullets.

Somehow, the picnic tables at the truck always end up being witnesses to the most unhinged conversations between me, Danny, Kono, Chin, Lou, sometimes even Kamekona himself and Steve… today the topic, rigorously picked by Kono, is our first kiss.

“Oh, come on! It can not have been that bad!” that’s what she said, to which i replied “Kono, believe me…. It was, like, really bad”. I can't help but laugh at the memory. “In our defense, we were inexperienced teenagers, but still… it was bad and not even because we didn’t know how to kiss, but because the atmosphere and location were awful.” It was stupid of me to think that this would have been a good enough explanation for my nosey friends, in fact i shouldn’t have said a thing to begin with because now they will pester me till i don’t tell them every single detail.

“Surely you can go into more depth about it, no?” Lou chimes in with his usual sarcastic and witty tone, wiggling his eyebrows as everyone nods their heads in agreement. I roll my eyes and mutter to myself “I need to learn and shut my damn mouth”; after a moment of silence I sigh “it was during a game of truth or dare when I was a sophomore in high school, while on a school trip to a ranch.” “There are so many things in what you just said that sound so wrong, but please… continue.” I stick my tongue out at Danny after he, of course, comments on what I just said. “Anyways…you know how it goes. The same, overplayed movie cliche: I pick dare so I have to kiss the person I think is hot in the room. It was a disaster. We didn’t know how to kiss and we were in a stable, in front of everyone else and there was also a very strong smell of shit,” I explain “would not recommend.” Laughs erupt, obviously. “You could say it was a shitty situation.” “I'll pretend like I didn't hear that, Chin.” Seriously, that was a lame joke, but I can't help the chuckle escaping my mouth because, considering everything… it was, indeed, a shitty moment and the joke was just begging to be said.

At the end of our lunch break I stay behind to clean up, I hate to leave a mess for other people to clean. I guess that the few years of serving at restaurants in my teens really left an impact. Staying behind, though, gives me the opportunity to talk to Steve: “you have a habit, you know that?” “What habit?” he replies a bit confused as he puts the beer bottles in the trash. “You observe people having fun, more than you actually join in the conversation… you tend to do that quite a lot.” Looking at him, I just smile softly. He looks like a big tough guy, but he’s really a big softy. That’s one of the reasons why it was impossible for me not to fall for him. Steve always avoids sharing his feeling, what he doesn’t realize is that he has certain habits that show how he's really feeling and what is going through his head; some are more obvious than others: passing his hand on his chin when he’s mad, clenching his teeth when he’s irritated but can’t say anything or arching an eyebrow when he’s confused or he’s judging you… others are a little harder to identify because they are not something we all do:: him looking at the people that he loves having fun and smiling to himself being the first one. He’s not the type of guy to sit down with you and have a heart-to-heart conversation with you, but he will call you up and invite you out to do anything, just to distract you from whatever you have going on and he will remember everything that you told him about, even the smallest detail.

“I just like to see other people have fun, you know…” he shrugs. “Yeah…” I start “well, how about your worst kiss?” I ask, as we walk to his truck, ready to get back to work. “Oh man…” The cryptic response makes me chuckle. “Oh come on, it can’t be worse than mine…” Both the passenger and driver doors are closed shut. “I mean… we went to my house after the date and we were having fun, till my dad got back home earlier from work and found us making out on the couch. It was pretty embarrassing and then I had to listen to my dad giving me the talk…” “ow, that’s- yeah…" I raise my eyebrows and tilt my head as he starts the engine, driving then towards the Ali’iolani Hale palace.

When the car comes to a stop and we exit it walking toward the entrance, getting a message from Kono about a pretty big twist in the case we are working on, that leaves us rushing to the office and impatient to catch another criminal.

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Author: thank you @mayberrycryptid for the prompt idea💕. I hope you and everyone else that read it like it. Also let me know your thoughts. I had fun writing it!

[40sandfabulousaf]

大家好! The stall selling fish soup and porridge also sells zha jiang mian (noodles with pork and bean sauce) and I wanted to try it. ML, MI, SC and I returned to the stall and I ordered my fix. What can I say? Every version so far has been amazing. The savoury sauce coats every strand after tossing, the noodles are chewy, the pork is tasty and, for this version, the Chinese spinach adds texture. What I also like is the little bowl of peppery broth, which appears to be the same one served with their ban mian (board noodles). This meal was very delicious, it kept me so full, I couldn't stomach dinner and it cost $4. Can't wait to return and try their other menu items!

Back to sushi because why not. I decided on an all-salmon meal and grabbed a tray of nigiri sushi as well as a tray of sashimi. After paying, I sat down to eat. This is my favourite way of eating salmon, especially on a scorching hot afternoon. It's hard to pick which I prefer, but sashimi probably wins by a small margin. I may have a full sashimi lunch down the road after I've tried other meal options at this Japanese corner. They have unagi and cooked scallops with rice as well as yakitori and rice bentos which look very tempting.

ML, SC and I returned to the Hakka yong tau foo stall because we couldn't get enough of the delicious, perfectly-seasoned pork used to stuff vegetables as well as tofu items and fragrant chilli sauce. Customers can also choose curry gravy instead of clear broth, but we like the broth. Besides the curry gravy might mask the taste of the pork. This time, ML and I skipped the noodles and ordered the larger serving of 6 pieces (the regular with noodles comes with 4 pieces). I can't decide which I like better, both were so tasty. But I think I'll order meepok again the next time because it's hard to resist my favourite noodles.

I'm still doing the 250 calorie challenges out of compassion for Palestinians in Gaza. I just don't share them as often. This genocidal war is still ongoing and the official death toll inches closer to 40,000 by the day. Starvation is spreading in the war-torn strip and my heart goes out to the Palestinians who continue to suffer so much. I also no longer trust countries which proclaim themselves as the champions of human rights whilst supplying weapons to Israel. What is committed against Palestinians is barbaric, cruel, wicked and downright evil and they're indirectly facilitating it.

These countries are so shameless, I can't even. So yeah, there's nothing left to say because at this point, I'm wholly disgusted. We've reached an age of depravation when the brutal murder of another human being is somehow celebrated and justified. These are very dark times for mankind and it makes me wonder how the rules based order serves humanity when thousands of innocent lives are ended in such barbaric ways. Some countries just don't deserve to lead the world. 下次见!