#why was the solution to just yell her kid's name

[namtans-jean-jacket]

i agree with the "agatha's trial was fake" camp bc it doesn't make sense if it was real!!!! but i also don't understand it if it was fake!!!!! i need a real explanation in one of the last 2 eps bc i don't understanddddd

[a-998h]

hi, may I know the reaction of fatui harbingers to the fact that the creator got pregnant from Dottore? 9 months later, she gave birth to a daughter and called her Olivia

I'm changing the name from Oliva to Feodora due to Sneznaya being themed after Russia from the bit of it we have seen, also because I like the name better.

Pregnancy

Two year after you and Dottore's wedding, you started to feel off. You were fatigued, dizzy, and you had killer headaches. At first they thought you just got sick, which sent them all into a panic. Dottore checked you over and you seemed physically fine. But things turned frighting when you messed your period, you start to panic. Dottore cheks you over and then does some math, as he realizes something. One pregnancy test and examination later, you're now discovered to not only be pregnant but you're also 3 months pregnant.

Que the panicking from both of you, mostly you. You both wanted kids, and you were right in the danger zone. Also, you now have to tell a group of people who love you, but hate Dottore, that he got you pregnant. So, you two come up with a solution, don't tell anyone until you're out of the danger zone.

So, you did. It helped you weren't showing yet. But now that you were out of the danger zone, and you had to tell the other Harbingers.

The other Harbingers have been norice how off you and Dottore have been acting. You've been having mood swings, when Childe made you favorite dish you frowned and didn't eat it, and other strange behaviors. Pulcinella was worried so he was going to organize a meeting with you, then he was told that you and Dottore wanted to meet with with them all.

"We have something to tell you," You begin.

"You're a getting a divorce?" Sandrone asks.

"What, no!" You exclaim.

"Then why are we here?" Arlecchino asks.

"I'm pregnant," you say.

There is a deafing silence in the room, and then Pulcinella gets up, and charges at Dottore. Pulcinella is yelling about how Dottore defiled you.

Once you calm everyone done, and make sure no one kills Dottore, your pregnancy has changed.

Arlecchino would be giving you and Dottore parenting advice and might send you baby toys and blankets from Fontaine. She also buys parenting books for Dottore. She takes you baby shopping in Fontaine, or she does the shopping alone and sends the items to you by mail.

Pulcinella is... conflicted. On the one hand, he is thrilled to be a great grandpa, on the other hand he is not happy that the child is Dottore's. But, he tries his best to help. Makes sure deranged followers leave you alone. He also makes sure you stay safe, your cravings are met, and that you have the best doctor possible. He also reminds Dottore to be a good parent of else.

Pantalone is buying baby and nursery stuff. He also just hands you money for the baby. He will spoil this child when they're born. He buys high quality stuff. Will also take you shopping.

Sandrone is now making dolls for the as yet unborn child. She is also planning to teach the kid how to make robots when they're older. She's more hands off compared to the others because children are kind of a fence in a workshop. She is also supply the nursery with books.

Columbia is so excited. She is being the best future aunt se can. She is the once who plays music for the baby in your belly. Writes down which music the baby "likes" and "dislikes". She will sing and pet your belly. You have to pull her away from your belly, she also complies with your cravings.

Scaramouche is not that happy about it, at first. He's just grumpy and children are loud and annoying. But he warms up to the idea. He can't handle your hormones and modd swings. He sneaks you craving foods. Overall just tries to keep his patience from snapping. He will try and stay away from everything because he has no idea what to do and doesn't want to upset you. He well try his best though. He will keep the crazy followers away from you.

La Signora is so excited. She will definitely has rich aunt vibes. She will also do baby shopping with you. She also helps by making sure you have everything you need. She uses her position as a way to keep people from bothering you. Also makes a list of what foods you can and can't eat, along with what foods you're craving. She is the most helpful and makes sure nothing bad happens to you or the baby.

Capitono is more protective over you now. He knew you were already fragile, but now that you're pregnant... he's in overdrive. Whenever you go anywhere, he's going with you. He is worried anything and everything will hurt you and the baby. Other than being a guard dog, he doesn't really do much.

Childe is uncle material. He is super excited. He will also give childcare advice and he might give you hand me down things from his siblings. Is also one of your scary guard dogs. He wants to make sure you and the baby are safe and healthy.

Pierro is lost. He doesn't know the first thing about raising a baby or pregnant women. The only thing he's good for is keeping the crazy people away from you. He is neutral about all this, cause again, he has no idea how to handle you now.

Timeskip

There was much debate over the baby's name. Dottore wanted Sumeru names, Arlecchino suggested Fontaine names, Childe and Pulcinella suggested Sneznayan names, and La Signora suggested Modstandt names. Eventually, you pick a name... Feodora.

Once Feodora is born, everything turns upside down as you all have to get used to having a baby around.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Loyalist of Clubs.

There are so many regrets born out of ignorance. So many bonds lost to time.

He wishes he could have done more then.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

“Wh-What’s happening, Trey?”

The question comes from the boy huddled on the guest bed. He’s smallish and demure, like a rose bud yet to bloom. His eyes and cheeks are the same color as his hair—red, from crying.

Trey awkwardly peels himself away from the door. Even shut, shouting is audible from beyond it.

“HE KIDNAPPED MY SON!! Bring him back this instant, or I’ll call the authorities!”

“Ma’am, please calm down. They’re children—”

Trey pictures Mrs. Rosehearts as a balloon, bright red and inflated with hot air. The more she screams, the more air leaks put of her twisted mouth. She shrinks and shrinks until she poofs out of existence.

It doesn’t feel right to stand, so he sits on the bed beside his friend. The frame groans from their combined weights, light as they are.

“… I’m not sure,” Trey admits. “I saw you upset and grabbed your hand and ran. I didn’t want you to be stuck in that situation anymore.”

He pats a pillow. Attempts to comfort his friend.

“You can stay here.” Forever, if you want. But he doesn’t say that, only hopes it in his heart. The solution is so simple in his kid mind. “At least until your mom isn’t mad anymore.”

“Is that… allowed?”

“Sure it is. My parents won’t mind—er, probably. They like having new people over. We’ll pretend it’s a normal sleepover.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s when you sleep over at another person’s house—that’s where the name comes from. You stay up late, watch movies, play games, eat snacks, and then fall asleep together.”

Riddle’s eyes widen. “That sounds like breaking so many rules,” he says nervously.

“Those are the rules for sleepovers. The point is to have fun.”

“Fun…” Riddle nibbles on his lip, drawing his knees closer to his torso. He hugs his legs, collapsing into himself with a sniff. “I-I don’t know—I don’t like not knowing. I’m scared, Trey. Mama is so angry with me. I’m not supposed to…”

“It’s okay to not know. No one knows everything.”

“Mama does. Everyone says so. That’s why she’s always right.”

“That’s not true. I know she’s wrong about this—about us, and about Che’nya.” He grabs Riddle’s clammy hand and squeezes. “She can’t keep us three from being friends.”

“We are…?”

“Yup.” Trey pokes him, then points to himself, “We’re friends. And friends stick up for each other, watch each other’s backs.”

Riddle hesitates. “Is that… the rule?”

“You can think of it like that if you want. But I didn’t do any of this because of some rule, I did it because I wanted to help you somehow, any way I can."

"B-But we're just kids. What can we do?"

Trey worriedly glances at the door--the adults' voices haven't quieted at all--then at Riddle and the stress deeply etched into his round face. This isn't a good place for him right now either.

"We could... go over to Che'nya's. He and his grandpa will be happy to see us, and we can all have that sleepover.”

Riddle looks bewildered at the mere suggestion. "We're going to leave?"

"Shouldn't be too hard. We've already played hooky before," Trey says, tugging him up and off the bed by the arm. "Besides, a walk can help take your mind off of things."

We can be ourselves. We can forget our worries. Everything can be as it was.

Riddle’s eyes are wide with alarm. His knees wobble, and Trey catches him.

“It’ll be fine! I’ll be with you all the way—so if we get yelled at, we can be yelled at together. You won’t be alone.”

Not ever again.

Riddle responds in a shaky mew. His cheeks are wet from crying, and his words trembling—but his trust is firm. “O-Okay… I believe in you. Let’s go. Let’s go see Che’nya.”

Trey smiles reassuringly. “Alright, we’ll escape through the window. It’s a classic. You know how to do it safely by now, right?”

“Yes…!”

The two boys scramble to the bedroom window, undoing its latch and sliding it up. Trey leads the charge, easily clearing the sill. He looks back, urging Riddle to follow.

The threshold is daunting, less the boundary between inside and out and more like the bridge to a world unknown. When Riddle charges at the open window, he expects to smack into the wall. To fall, to fail.

The ground rumbles,

Splintering, fissures appearing.

“You got this!!” Trey cheers from the other side.

Riddle vaults too early and slips.

Panic shoots through him like a bolt of lightning.

Something erupts from out of the floor, racing under the boy to break his fall. Riddle lands on a thick, cushy stalk, leaves twisting around it. Above him, a giant head of petals--blue, bell-shaped, and ringing.

Bluebell.

Another flower sprouts by the boy's feet, bearing a crimson mouth--two lips, pulled back in a laugh. "Frolic, rejoice," says the Tulip. "Be free.”

“Free, free,” a patch of tiny, shrinking violets choruses.

“To dance around the posies and spin daisy chains and search for four leaf clovers.”

“We’ll lift you up when you’re down.”

Plants are poking out from every inch of the guest room, making their own quips and banter. Trey should be startled, but instead he laughs and waves for Riddle.

He waves back shyly, then gasps. His feet find something squishy yet solid under them.

Mushrooms with flat caps, a whole flight of them, in ascending height. The boy clumsily crosses them, each step sending up a cloud of fat, lazy spores. Riddle sneezes, nearly careening off the side—but a wall of snapping dragons or sly gloves in foxes closes in, surprisingly gentle as they support him.

He hops over the sill with ease.

And the flowers follow.

It’s a rainbow come alive, color sprawling over the roads and knitting rooftops with new lattice designs. Some designs dare to go higher and flashier: beanstalks that pierce the clouds, fruit clusters so heavy they bend and droop, petals dripping with jewels. Even the air is more jubilant, filled with shimmering particles--pollen?

Sunshine opens on Riddle’s face.

“Whaaaa~ So pretty!!”

“Isn’t it?” Trey’s grin is so wide his teeth ache. “We should hurry and get Che’nya so he can see this too.”

“It’s going to take so long to wade through all of this.”

“Fine by me." Trey grabs his friend's hand. It feels so small in his, and he thinks of a seed in need of water and light. "We can take our time to stop and smell the roses!”

His other hand reaches out and finds the stem of a large passing dandelion tuft. It forms an umbrella from its fuzzy white tendrils, the perfect shape for sailing on the wind.

Whoosh.

Trey and Riddle squeal as they're whisked off.

Up, up, and away, where their troubles can't chase them.

[the-way-astray]

STRIEEFE 😆

This was the Katie prompt

(Sophie pov)

Sophie had always wondered if kissing could be as great as people had claimed. But kissing Keefe was so. Much. Better-

She stumbled forward suddenly. She glanced around. She wasn't in the Grove with Keefe anymore. In fact, Keefe wasn't anywhere!

People milled about in the park. Sophie tried to find a clue to where she was. Birds chirped in the breezy air.

The Forbidden Cities. She was back in the Forbidden Cities. But... why? How could she get back to Keefe?

(Stria pov)

The last thing Stria expected while taking her walk was to be randomly teleported into her childhood book series. But now, here she was, lips pressed against her least favorite character.

It had taken her a second to process what had happened. One moment, she was walking at her local park. The next, she found herself practically eating Keefe's face off.

Once she had realized what was going on, she jerked away. Keefe looked hurt until his eyes landed on Stria. His brows pressed together in confusion.

That face lasted all of two seconds before Stria reered her arm back. She slapped him clean across his cheek. It left a handprint on his face.

(Keefe pov)

Keefe reached up to feel his bruised cheek. It felt like it was starting to swell. Who was she? Where was Sophie?

"The frick!" He yelled. "Who are you?"

"I'm Stria," she told him. "Why was I kissing you?! I hate you!"

Ok, rude.

"You just randomly teleported in place of Foster. You don't even know me. HOW DO YOU HATE ME?"

She snorted. "Oh, trust me. I know you."

Ok, he wasn't liking this chick. "Ok, if you know me so well, what's my name?"

"Keefe Sencen," Stria replied, not missing a beat.

"That's freaky."

She crossed her arms. "Like I said. I know you."

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Because," she scoffed. "You're obnoxious, manipulative, immature, and, frankly, you're basic."

"Ok, I don't like this replacement Sophie," Keefe decided.

"I didn't ask for this either!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, fine, how do we switch back?"

"Like heck if I know."

Keefe tried to rack his brain for a solution. "What were you doing when you got teleported here?"

"I was walking in the park near the water fountain."

(Stria pov)

Keefe considered this for a moment. "Alright. I think I know how you guys can switch back."

Stria had a strong feeling she wasn't about to like this plan.

"So we all need to do what the other was doing when you got swapped."

She thought about the implications of what that meant. That meant she was going to have to kiss him again. Hard pass.

"No," she decided.

"Do you want to go home or not? I'm not a fan of this plan either."

"Ugh. Fine." She rolled her eyes. "Sophie better walk by that fountain again soon. Or else I might end up vomiting in your mouth."

Every cell in Stria's body wanted to twist, scream, crawl, and kick as she stepped closer to the blonde boy in front of her. His stiff arms wrapped around her waist. He crinkled his nose before finally leaning down. Stria had to physically hold back her gag.

She was counting on Sophie as her lifeline at this point. Several minutes had gone by, lips on lips, and she had to keep herself from squirming. Even if all of her instincts screamed at her to clock him in his smug smirky face and run.

(Sophie pov)

Sophie still didn't know what to do. She had gone by a nearby hotdog stand for some food. She missed meat dearly. But she had finished it now and was sitting on the bench.

She was hoping that she waited long enough she'd get sent back home. Nope.

She sighed and headed back off near the main plaza of the park. She was getting antsy. She started to go near the fountain to look out at the water and coins of little kids wishes.

But when she got in the vicinity of it, something happened. She was disoriented until she realized she was back to kissing Keefe. She was back!

He pulled away and let out a sigh. "Oh, thank God," he sighed. "You're back!"

He crushed her with his hug.

"What happened to your face," she asked. She gently reached out to his bruised face.

"I don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled. "I'm just glad you're back."

He buried his face in her neck. She laughed and patted his head.

sigh . . .

the excessive use of exclamation points is absolutely taking me out

“The Forbidden Cities. She was back in the Forbidden Cities. But... why? How could she get back to Keefe?” this question is never answered . . . why did the swap happen

“The last thing Stria expected while taking her walk was to be randomly teleported into her childhood book series.” yeah, but why me . . . there are so many other kotlc fans

“One moment, she was walking at her local park. The next, she found herself practically eating Keefe's face off.” this sentence was pure pain to read. well. technically i wouldn’t be kissing him i would be trying to wash my mouth out with soap

“Once she had realized what was going on, she jerked away.” i like to think some core part of me would be way ahead of me and jerk back without my conscious kind no knowing what was happening yet because that’s how much i dislike keefe

“She slapped him clean across his cheek. It left a handprint on his face.” to be fair, i wouldn’t really blame him or hit him because that’s mean and this isn’t really his fault

“"I'm Stria," she told him. "Why was I kissing you?! I hate you!" Ok, rude.” please save me from this cringe

“"Because," she scoffed. "You're obnoxious, manipulative, immature, and, frankly, you're basic."” you forgot so many things . . .

“"Sophie better walk by that fountain again soon. Or else I might end up vomiting in your mouth."” please let me vomit in his mouth . . . i want him to feel pure disgust in my presence . . .

“Every cell in Stria's body wanted to twist, scream, crawl, and kick as she stepped closer to the blonde boy in front of her.” yeah, my skin actually physically crawls when i get disgusted so this is pretty accurate

“Several minutes had gone by, lips on lips, and she had to keep herself from squirming.” SEVERAL MINUTES???? what the fuck . . . do people kiss for several minutes even . . . also why should i keep myself from squirming. squirming doesn’t change the kissing part

“She had gone by a nearby hotdog stand for some food.” while i was having the worst time of my life, sophie was getting food???? realistically she’d be panicking but okay

“"I don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled. "I'm just glad you're back."” oh come on keefe tell sophie about my triumph

that honestly wasn’t too bad. at least i was disgusted by keefe the entire time. i rate this a 3/10

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.101 Cash money

I took Kooper for a nice long walk, which was something we didn't do often. He was chill and required less physical activity than Rosie, so I always favored her when I wanted company on my jogs. Even though he could have gone without, he appreciated the time together and smiled the entire time. When we got home, Sophia was standing at the door giving me that look. I unleashed Kooper as quickly as I could and whisked her away into our love den. Being on vacation in a fancy house was cool and all, but nothing compared to our own bed. I think we were trying to show it how much we missed it and lingered there until our stomachs growled around dinnertime. Afterward, we attempted to settle on the couch in the office, but we were intercepted by a huge pile of presents. I forgot that was a thing sims did at weddings. Sophia was overjoyed at the sight; it felt like Winterfest all over again.

I let her open the first two from my parents, but then she handed me a box that had my name on it. I thought it was odd that the sender would single me out when the gift should have been for both of us. But when I saw who it was from, I understood.

"It's from Dub! Oh, there's a card..."

[click to enlarge]

I couldn't believe it and had to sit down and read it again. He had no idea how much of a blessing that was for us. Or maybe he did. Whatever the case, I was elated, and humbled, and determined, and proud, and all the other positive emotions. Our friendship was such a beautiful thing. Not because he gave me money, but because it was pure. It had no conditions or warnings or complications. He was the kind of friend I always wanted.

Eventually, it hit me that Sophia and I were about to come into a bunch of money and we could accomplish our dreams a lot sooner than later. I started dancing in my seat.

"A money tree? I didn't think they were real," Sophia said.

"Isn't it great?? If it grows fast enough, we could be in our house by next week!"

That thought excited me even more, and I danced even wilder.

"It's a very generous gift," she said hesitantly, "but..."

Like a record scratch in the club, I stopped. Party done.

"What's wrong? With all the money we're about to have, you'll never have to work again if you don't want to. We can go on vacations and stay as long as we want, buy our kids whatever they want... Hell, maybe I won't have to worry about teaching classes anymore. It's gonna be great!"

Her hands snapped to her hips, and I knew I'd messed up somehow.

"No, Luca! This is what I mean! I like who we are. Money has a way of changing sims, and I don't want that. I thought you taught yoga because you were passionate about it. Why would you stop? Are you doing it for the money?"

"I am passionate about it! But it's also how I make a living. If I didn't have to worry about making money, maybe I wouldn't have to worry about going from spa to spa, begging for a chance to teach!"

Her eyes flicked open, like she just realized something.

"But that's why you're going to open a studio."

"Yeah, but..." I sank back in the chair and let out all the air in my lungs. "That was my mom's idea. It's a good one, and sometimes I want to do it too. But sometimes I want my own plan. Everything I've done has been her idea, and..."

"So...you don't want a studio?"

"I don't know!"

She gasped.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. It's just...it's complicated. You want me to return the seed, then?"

She sighed.

"No. That will be an insult to Dub and his family..." She sighed again and paced the room, searching for a solution that would satisfy us both. "It would be nice to move into our house before the baby comes, but I don't want this to get out of control."

Something like a bolt of lightning struck through my soul, and I felt my eyes grow as large as the sun.

"The baby?! Are you-"

She gasped again.

"I'm sorry! That came out wrong! I just meant it would be nice to be settled in our home before we start having babies."

"So...we're not having a baby?"

"Not at the moment."

I was a little bit disappointed, to be honest. Her slip up shocked me at first, but I was kind of excited about it.

"Alright, so what do you suggest we do?" I asked.

"I just think we need a plan. Put some controls on it so we don't go crazy."

Heh, I know she said we, but she totally meant me. Whatever.

"We don't know how much money it's going to give us," she continued. "So what if we just take what we need to get our house and cover ourselves for a few months?"

"Alright... But what happens after that?"

"It can just sit there until an emergency comes up. Or when our kids want to move out or go to university or get married or...whatever."

The plan wasn't exactly what I wanted, but at least she wasn't completely opposed. This very much felt like one of those pick your battles moments, so I conceded.

"Okay fine. We can do it that way. Let's get this thing in the ground."

We went outside and picked a spot to plant it. I laughed when I took the seed out of the box.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"This seed! It's cash shaped like a flower! What kind of wizardry is this?"

I dug a hole, dumped the seed, covered it, and poured some water on it. Then, I stood over it, watching as if something were supposed to happen.

"Grow fast, little guy. I want to be in our new house as soon as possible."

Before going back into the house, I sent Dub a message to thank him for the gift.

Dub's note written by @mysimsloveaffair

[abbatoirablaze]

Behind Closed Doors, Chapter 1

Word Count:2k

Warnings: some cursing.

“So what I’m hearing is you made a mistake?”

Sebastian growled as he tried to keep from throwing his cell phone at the wall, “I didn’t make a mistake, Petashnik.  My manager did.  I’m calling you because I want you to fix it.  Tonight is a big night, and I want it to go perfectly.”

“Sounds like you need to shake things up with your manager then, Stan.   Not me,” the man on the other line said apathetically, “I understand that you may be having a big night, but I’m not the man that caused the problem.  I’m the man trying to offer you a solution.”

“Trust me,” Sebastian growled through the phone, “Marty is done with me.  I’ve decided that I’m going to personally see this through.”

“So then…what can I do for you?” he reiterated, asking the question once again, “you’ve got a girl for tonight, so you do have a date, correct?  She showed up to your apartment?”

“The girl…the one that I actually wanted…I want her…not…this girl that showed up at my apartment.” He frowned as he looked over to who was supposed to be his date for the evening to the party.  She was sucking in her cheeks, and giving him a dissatisfied look in response.  He frowned and held a hand up, “no offense.  I’m sure you’re wonderful.  I just-hadn’t picked you, so I-”

“If she’s wonderful, then what’s the problem, Stan?” Petashnik asked, cutting the actor off as he tired listening to his complaints.

“She’s not the girl I chose.”

“And who did you choose?”

“Excuse me?”

“What girl were you meaning to pick before your manager fucked it up?” the inpatient man repeated, “What was the number on her headshot?  I don’t mean to be blunt, but our call is nearing a half-hour and you’ve yet to tell me who it actually is, when she might be on call.  If it’s a simple mistake like that, then we can switch out the girls.”

Sebastian’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

“Really.  What is the number on the back of the shots we sent you?  I take it you still have her shots.  Most of the men like to keep the ones they pick so that they can…compare.”

Sebastian stalked over to his counter where surely enough, the boudoir photo of you sat.  Flipping it over he repeated the ID number on the back. 

There was a moment of silence on the other end and Sebastian could hear the clicking of something being typed into a computer, before the guy sighed on the other end, “Sorry, kid.  She was booked tonight as well.  She’s not available.”

“Well then why did you send out her picture?”

“Actually…looks like late last night we had a gentleman come in and signed her for a short-term contract…PR relationship deal.  You know how it goes.  She’s not going to be available for twelve to fourteen months, that is if you’re still as interested as you were initially.  You’ll have to wait at a shot for her.”

“TWELVE TO FOURTEEN MONTHS?” Sebastian yelled, “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ELROY?”

“Some actor shooting up in the ranks needs a serious relationship to show that he’s not just some East Coast party boy…sorry, Stan.  She was signed late last night after your manager already turned in the request for Violet.”

“SON OF A BITCH!” he growled, his hand slamming down on the counter while his mind ran at lightspeed, “what’s the actor’s name?  Maybe I cou-“

“It doesn’t work like that, Stan,” Elroy chuckled from his end of the line, “she signed the contract agreeing to the PR relationship, and we don’t just give that information out.  Paying customer or not.  Looks like you’ll just have to keep an eye on the tabloids and track her down on your own dime if you’re that serious about the girl.”

“God damn it…” he hissed.

“Need anything else?” he asked, “still got time before your party!  Did you want me to send over a different girl?”

“No…” he grumbled, “I don’t have time to get to know another one…”

“So how did the two of you meet again?”

Sebastian felt his breath catching in his throat the second he saw you. Your melodic laugh had him drawn even closer, ignoring the date he’d brought with him.

Sure, it was a short-list preliminary party for men and women who were considered for the Marvel films slated for a few years from now, but he couldn’t believe his luck when he saw you on the arm of one of the other guys. 

“Well, I was at a café…and Chris just happened to be there-“

“Did you ask for an autograph?” another of the men asked, cutting in.

“Actually…I accidentally took her drink,” Chris lied, a blush rising on his cheeks as he looked at you, “she was there studying for one of her midterms and I grabbed her drink…”

“He was hungover from a party the previous night, so he didn’t think twice when he’d barely paid and they called the drink order.  I guess he thought that they were just giving him he celebrity treatment because they recognized him from a previous film,” you said playfully as you leaned into him, “and apparently, he didn’t hear it when they called my name at the end of the drink order, either.”

“In all fairness, what are the odds that two people got that drink?” he asked, adding his own laughter in as his arm looped around your waist, pulling you even closer to his side, “I’ll have you guys know that it was a very particular order…I wasn’t just being a douche, grabbing the first drink I saw!”

“Our names sound nothing alike!” you accused, “and I get mine with cinnamon sprinkled on top…god your face was amazing when you tasted it.  You looked appalled that someone would get cinnamon on it.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but feel drawn to you as you giggled again, eyes never leaving Chris’.

“A more romantic person would have called it fate!” Chris teased, nudging, “fate intervening and pushing us together.”

“You two are cute, I’ll give you that!” Another actor, Mark Ruffalo, had smiled as his own arm held firm on his wife’s waist.

“So…what happened from there?” his wife asked curiously.

“I not so nicely asked him how my drink tasted, to which the barista apologized and began to remake it, while Mr. Doe eyes here tried to play innocent, acting like he’d had no idea that he’d just chugged half of my drink down.”

“I was!”

“Long story short he tried to play the actor card, and I told him that I didn’t know who he was.”

“I still think you were trying to knock my ego down a peg…” he shrugged, “I mean…come on everyone’s seen Fantastic Four…” 

“You know darn well I saw Not Another Teen Movie…Mr. Wyler!” you teased playfully.  A blush rose to his cheeks, like there was some inside joke between the two of you, and it made Sebastian’s blood boil as you leaned in and brushed his cheek before leaning against him, “Worked, didn’t it?”

He smirked and pressed a kiss to your temple, and Sebastian frowned.  The two of you seemed to have a very easy connection, and he found himself wondering if it would have been the same with him if he’d gotten to you first.

“You two are too cute!” Marks wife commented, softly, leaning against her own husband. 

“You’re giving us too much credit!”

“No, really…things don’t happen like that anymore!” Mark commented with his own smile, “its…refreshing.”

Chris gave them both a polite smile, but it was you that spoke as you gently pointed across the room, “babe���isn’t that your friend, Scarlett?  I thought you said she was going to pass on the Marvel stuff?”

“So it is,” he commented, his brow furrowing as he turned his attention back to Mark and his wife, “ I’m sorry to ask this, but do you mind if we cut out and say hi to Scarlett?  I haven’t seen her in months.”

The people that they’d been in a conversation with were perfectly okay with the two of you leaving it, and so you made a polite and curt goodbye before following Chris along to another group, threading seamlessly through the people.

“Are you sure you even want me here?”

Sebastian’s gaze shifted to the woman that he’d been with for the past few hours, and he shrugged to himself, her presence not entirely mattering in the slightest to him, “do you want to be here?”

The two shared a look and she frowned, “I saw one of my regulars in the other room…he’s probably upset that I took another booking-“

“Go…but tell Elroy I’m not paying for the night.”

She shrugged, making her way away from him and he frowned to himself.  Taking out his phone his frown only deepened when he thought about how much longer he’d have to plaster on a smile and work the room before he could slink back to his apartment alone; thoughts of you on his mind.

“Twelve to fourteen months!” he muttered to himself as he shook his head. 

“Those things will kill you, you know…”

Sebastian nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the door closing behind him.  You took a few steps towards the balcony and leaned against the railing, looking out into the open air. 

“You look like you could use one…” he said softly, “know it can’t be easy lying like that in there…”

You frowned as you gave him a look, “e-excuse me?”

“You and Evans,” he chuckled, taking another drag before blowing the smoke away from the two of you, “I know he went to the company…you were in a lineup of available girls yesterday…”

“I saw you with Violet…” you uttered softly, “Before she started hanging around a director…did she ditch you?  I-I could mention it to Mr. Petas-”

“Didn’t care for her company,” he said with a shrug as he cut you off, “I was supposed to have a different girl…my manager screwed up the order.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, flicking the butt over the edge, “tried to rectify it myself…but when I called today…you weren’t available anymore.”

“Oh…” Your eyes widened ever so slightly as you looked at him, the realization that he had wanted to order you crossing your features, “y-you wanted to book me?”

He leant against the rail and nodded, not feeling confident to look at you any longer, “Yeah…but Elroy said that you’re going to be booked for the next twelve to fourteen months…so it doesn’t look like I’ll get to enjoy your company any time soon…”

“Oh…uh, yeah…Chris and I-“

“I know what it is…” he chuckled, “PR relationships happen all the time in our business, sweetheart.  Just uh-you know…if you are interested, after it’s all said and done…you should give me a call…”

“I-It’s not just a PR relationship,” you admitted softly, not daring to look at him either as you thought about the details of the contract that you had signed, “Chris…he wants to settle down…have kids…a wife…he uh-his manager explained it all to me when they sat me down last night to go over the contract.  I-I’ll be staying with him…and I’m with him.  We’re a couple.”

Sebastian’s eyes snapped to yours his brow raising, “What?   Elroy said-“

“Twelve months is the time frame Chris set as a minimum…if nothing happens after fourteen months then we can readjust and see if we want to continue,” you admitted softly, “he-he wants to start trying immediately though.  So he-“

“You’re a high-profile escort.  You don’t have kids with the client.  There’s not a contract for that sort of thing.”

“There is though…”You laughed, shaking your head at him, “it’s called a Behind Closed Doors contract…and it means just that.  The PR relationship is just a part of it…but I’m obligated to get to know him…just as he is with me…I won’t be available in twelve to fourteen months…if uh-things go well, I won’t be returning to the company.  I’m going to be with Chris…the contract signing was last night, but that was also the night of the final interview, where he chose between me and Violet.  I’m sorry Elroy gave you the wrong information, Mr. Stan.” 

Chapter 2

[albertasunrise]

Only You - 50/50

Masterlist

Summary: Having spent most of your life in relationships that went nowhere. You struggled to trust that this man… this ray of sunshine… wouldn’t leave you eventually. (18+)

Relationships: Reader x Ben Miller

Warnings:Like AO3, I choose to give none. Read at your own risk. 18+ (So... sorry this took so long!! I hope you enjoy this update ♥️)

Series Masterlist - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

“What do you mean you’re pretty sure it’s mine?” Ben growled out as glared at you “You and Mike not been fuckin’ too?”

“Well yes.” You replied “But he always uses a condom and well… we didn’t.”

“Fuck!” Ben yelled as he got to his feet.

“I know this isn’t ideal but-“

“Ideal??” He scoffed “This is a fuckin’ shit show!”

“Benny please-“

“So what’s the plan?” He interrupted “Marry Mike and pass this baby off as his?… Cus I dunno if you’ve noticed sweetheart but we don’t look all that much alike.”

“No. That isn’t my plan.” You grumbled, feeling your temper rise.

“So what? How are you gonna fix this?”

“I’m gonna get rid of it.” You answered plainly and Ben’s jaw dropped.

“No.”

“Like you said. I can’t pass this kid off as Mike’s and we’re gonna get married so the only solution is to terminate it.” You continued with a shaky voice as you looked up to see the crestfallen expression on Ben’s face.

“You’re gonna kill my kid?” He spat, tears forming in his ice-blue eyes.

“Ben, come on, we both know this is for the best.”

“Do we?!” He shrieked “Cus I told you the other day that I wanted kids with you… I want this and now you’re telling me it's there but I can’t have it?”

“Benny please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

“Why fucking tell me if nothing I say is gonna change your mind?” He shouted, anger bursting from the seams “Did you just wanna hurt me some more of good measure?”

“No.” You choked as your tears flowed freely down your flushed cheeks.

“Then why?” He sobbed “You give me hope, then you rip it away. Over and over.”

“Benny-“

“I fucking hate you Stitch!” He choked “I hate you.”

You sobbed hard at this confession. Your cries were guttural as you clutched your stomach and wailed. Benny watched you, his heart aching to comfort you but his head telling him to tell you to leave. He hated the fact that he didn’t hate you. Not one bit.

He just hated that he couldn’t have you.

“I should go.” You piped up when your cries quietened.

“Yeah, you should,” Miller replied, not looking at you as you stood to leave.

“I am sorry Benny.” You sobbed “I never meant to hurt you.”

Ben didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at you. Just stared off at the wall as you let yourself out. When he was sure you were gone, he let his wall break. Tears poured from him like a broken levee.

He wished you’d never told him you were pregnant.

That he’d never asked for your name.

…

Ben thanked Frankie with a nod as the pilot placed another beer in front of him. They sat in tense silence for a while before Frank finally asked Ben the inevitable question.

“How are you doing?”

“I'm fine!” Ben replied but the older man wasn’t buying it.

“You’re a shit liar you know.”

“What do you want me to say Fish?” Benny growled, “The woman I love gave me hope that we could be together, only to stomp on it.” The younger man spat out “And not she’s pregnant with my kid but she’s getting rid of it-“

“Stitch is pregnant?” Frankie blanched.

“Assumed you knew. She and Maria are tight aren't they?”

“Well yeah but she’s not been over lately.” Fish replied, “She’s getting rid of it?”

“That’s the plan.” Benny scoffed and the pilot let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry brother.” A comforting hand was placed on Ben’s arm “I know you wanted a family with her.”

“I wanted everything with her!” He practically yelled, “I just don’t get why she fucking told me if she planned to get rid of it all along.”

“Perhaps she felt like she owed it to you.”

“Yeah well… best she’d just kept it to herself.” The blonde scoffed.

Frankie gave him a sympathetic smile, watching as the man pushed himself to his feet “Need a piss.” He grumbled out, leaving the pilot alone.

Picking up his phone, he called the only person he could think of.

“Hey, it’s me.”

…

You were startled by banging at your front door. Checking your phone you noted it was a little after eight. You weren't sure who it was. Mike having had to work at one of the restaurants that evening. Padding across your lounge, you pulled the blanket around your shoulders tighter as you opened the door to find a furious-looking Maria standing there.

"What are you-"

"You're pregnant?!" She practically shrieked, before looking down quickly at the sleeping baby in her arms.

"How did you?…"

"Ben's out for drinks with Frank." She stated, stepping into your house "Assumed you'd told me and that Frank would know."

"Right."

"Apparently you're getting rid of it?"

"Maria-"

"Look, I didn't judge you when you told me about what happened with Ben… Or even your choice to stay with Mike - which is dumb by the way - but I can't stand by and let you get rid of something I know you want."

"It's Ben's though Maria!"

"I know that." She replied plainly.

"So what, I tell Mike I cheated and got pregnant and that I want to keep it?" You scoffed "He'll leave me!"

"So?"

"What do you mean so??" You shrieked, sighing when the baby started to cry.

"Take her a sec." The older woman sighed as she handed you the wailing infant.

"I'm sorry Princessa." You cooed as you rocked her in your arms, watching as Maria pulled out what she needed to make the little one's bottle.

Suddenly the crying stopped and two big, wet, round, chocolate-brown orbs stared up at you. You smiled at her and she smiled back, giving you that gummy grin that you loved too much and suddenly something inside you shifted.

"Come here l

Lila" Maria cooed as she took her baby from you and perched on the couch, smiling when she latched to her bottle eagerly.

She then looked at you. Noting how you were staring at the little one with an expression that was plain as day. Your hand unconsciously resting on your stomach.

"I can't do this." You choked as you finally tore your eyes away from the baby and looked at your friend.

"I know." She replied with a knowing look "I will support you. Whatever happens but know that Ben wants this with you…" She trailed off.

"I know he does."

"Then stop putting the wrong man first." Mari sighed "Choose the man that wants to give you the world… Not the one that can give you expensive presents."

"You're right." You nodded "I need to tell Mike."

"Tell me what?"

The two of you jumped as you turned to look at Mike who was standing beside your open front door. His brows were pulled together as his eyes flitted between you and Maria.

"Baby… Tell me what?"

"Mike, I'm pregnant." You sighed, your expression severe.

"Really?" Mike squeaked, a grin filling his features as he took a step towards you.

"Mike it isn't yours." You stopped him in his tracks and his elated expression returned to confusion.

"What do you mean it's not mine?"

"It's Ben's." You confessed, your heart thundering in your chest "When you were away, we… Well, we-"

"You cheated on me." He growled and you nodded "And now you're fucking pregnant with his bastard kid?"

"Mike!" Maria warned but the man was having none of it.

"I shower you with gifts… treat you like a queen and this is how you repay me??"

"You cheated on me too Mike or did you forget about that?" You growled.

"I made a mistake!" He yelled, groaning when Lila started to cry again "Get that fucking baby out of here."

"No!" You yelled, "Maria stays."

"We need to talk about this-"

"There's nothing to talk about." You snarled "I chose you over Ben because I felt bad for you. I broke the heart of the man I love because your mum died and I felt like it was my duty to get you through it."

"Damn right, it is!"

"Well, I'm done putting everyone else first Mike." You snapped "I am putting myself first for once."

Your chest was heaving as you stared at the man. Your eyes burning into him as you finally said what you wanted to say to him all those weeks ago.

"It's over Mike." You stated plainly "I'm in love with Ben… I want to be with him and I wanna raise this baby with him."

"Fucking bitch!" He spat as he pulled off the keys you'd have cut for him and threw them at you.

You flinched as the metal objects hit your cheek, schooling your features to remain unaffected when you touched your cheek and they came away blood.

"Don't come running back to me when he leaves you." He scoffed before storming out of the house.

You let out a shaky breath as you felt your emotions start to bubble over. You sobbed as you held your cheek, sprinting to the kitchen to grab a cloth. Your emotions were a mess. On the one hand, you were happy you'd broken things off. On the other, you were terrified that you were too late. You knew you had to speak to Ben. You just hoped he'd listen.

Maria then helped you clean and dress the gash Mike had inflicted on your cheek. Three butterfly stitches standing out in stark contrast to the redness of your skin.

"I need to talk to Benny." You sighed when Maria grabbed the last of her things to leave.

"Yup." She chuckled, smiling sweetly at you as Lila snoozed on her shoulder.

"Think he'll listen to me?"

"I think that boy loves you." She replied, "You hurt him and you're going to have some work to do but I know that he wants this with you."

"He told me he hated me."

"He doesn't hate you, sweetie." She sighed, tilting her head to one side as she spoke "He hates that didn't just act sooner."

…

You thought about waiting a few days. Waiting for the dust to settle but you knew that that was just you trying to avoid the potential rejection that was waiting for you. So when you found yourself standing in front of his door with your fist raised, ready to knock, you took a steadying breath and did it.

Ben's face when he opened the door wasn't hard to read. He didn't say anything. Just stepped aside to let you in and you thanked him with a small nod. When you were sat and so was Ben, the two of you sat there in awkward silence for a while. Neither one of you knew what to say to the other.

"I told Mike." You piped up when the silence became too much and Ben nodded but didn't say anything "Ben?"

"What do you want me to say?" He grumbled and you rolled your eyes at his response.

"How about what did he say?" You asked as you tucked your hair behind your ear, revealing the cut on your cheek that was now bruised around the edges.

Ben's demeanour instantly changed. He shot to his feet and sat beside you, his fingers brushing your skin as he inspected the injury.

"Did he do this?" He growled as he pinched your chin and brought your gaze to him.

"He uh�� He threw his set of keys at me." You sighed "We broke up."

This grabbed Ben's attention. Sitting back, his eyes studied you closely as he waited for you to elaborate.

"Maria made it very clear to me that I have been making stupid decisions lately." Ben scoffed at that but smiled, feeling his anger start to fizzle a little "I have always put everyone else first. I stay with Mike because I felt like it was my duty to support him.

"I have never put myself first before so this is me doing that… I love you, Benny. I love you and I know I have fucked up so bad with you but if I'm not too late… I choose you."

"Stitch-"

"Before you say anything… I uh… Well, I have something to show you." You said as you rummaged in your bag and pulled out what you were looking for "Thought you might wanna see these."

His eyes went wide as you handed him the sonogram pictures from your scan earlier that day. He choked on a sob as he looked through them. A bright smile filled his features as he studied them closely.

"I want to do this with you, Benny." You piped up after a short pause "I want to have this baby with you. I want to be a family."

He looked up at you with a teary smile and beamed. Nodding like a loon as he glanced down at the pictures again before grabbing the back of your neck and pulling you in for a kiss that took your breath away.

"Okay." He whispered against your lips as he pulled back enough to look at you through his long lashes "Let's do this Stitch."

"Yeah?" You asked, your voice trembling with a mixture of need and excitement.

"Let's have a baby."

Next

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[donnetellotheturtle]

Siren

Chapter 6

Varian didn’t like that Hugo was so quiet. He had his suspicions on what Hugo was. He only wondered why he wouldn’t just tell him.

“….Im not an idiot, you know.” Varian said after a couple long hours of silence. Hed figured Hugo would break it eventually, but the blonde didn’t, leaving Varian to be the adult and broach the topic.

Hugo looked at him. “I never said you were.”

“Youre a siren.”

Hugos face paled. He didn’t say anything though, so Varian continued.

“The late night trips back on the sundrop…You smell like the sea. Not in a bad way…I actually really like it…your blood is silver. And when you’ve been out of the water for too long, you were about to die.”

Hugo bit his lip. The sick feeling was starting to settle in again.

“I have a lot of questions…”

“Don’t expect me to answer.”

Varian sighed. “Youre still not going to open up to me.”

Hugo glared. “Oh sorry you figured out what I am and you expect me to suddenly be an open book? Hell no hairstripe.”

Varians baby blue eyes bore into Hugos. Hugo looked away before the guilt started eating at him more.

“Hugo. My mom was a mermaid.”

Hugo turned.

Varian smiled a little. “I guess you noticed that my singing voice wasn’t exactly…normal.”

Hugo was speechless. He didn’t know how to react to this information.

“So do you have-“

“The tail? No.” Varian chuckled. “No gills either. But besides the singing, I can hold my breath for a long time. Though I think that comes from my dad teaching me not from my mom…”

“Can you swim?”

“why do you think im a sailor?”

Hugo took a deep breath. “….what was her name?”

“Ulla.”

“Ulla?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“…..That was the name of my moms research partner. She disappeared a while ago.”

“Huh.” Varian chuckled. “Small world.”

Hugo curled up, starting to feel worse. “Shit…”

“Hugo, you need to tell me how you called for help. And what they’re going to do when they get here.”

“…I…I don’t know exactly. But they’re going to bring down the ship after rescuing us.”

“So theyre all going to drown?”

“Is that a problem?”

Varian hesitated. Hugo raised an eyebrow. “Goggles, they kidnapped us and are going to force us to kill ourselves trying to shut down this thing on Motonui. Plus with what they’ve done to you in the past, I’ve half a mind to do it myself.”

“Aw…you do care.”

Hugo playfully punched his arm. “it’s only cause you’re half siren.”

“Nah I think you started caring way before that…I saw that look when I gave you your glasses.”

Hugo blushed. “I um…”

“I care about you too.”

Hugos face went bright red, before he hacked out a cough. When he pulled it away, silver blood was on his hand. That…that was not a good sign.

“We need to get you into the water.”

“I-If we could just hold out…Donella and Cyrus should be here soon…hopefully.” Hugo coughed more. His chest hurt.

“We don’t know when they’re going to get here. We need a solution now.”

“I could…I could try to sing?” Hugo shrugged.

Ruddiger made a chirping sound. Like an alert. There was a crash up top. Then yelling. It was like they were being attacked but it didn’t indicate that there was another ship. In fact it sounded like just one person. Then it went silent for a moment.

The door opened. Varian looked up and to his absolute relief, his aunt was there.

“Adira!”

“it’s time for a jailbreak!” she sliced the lock open, then bent down to Hugo, who raised an eyebrow at her. “oh kid doesn’t look too good.”

“Hes sick! He needs sea water quickly.”

Adira made a face that Varian couldn’t figure out. Then she looked up at Varian. “Grab Ruddiger and let’s go.”

Hugo tried to get out of Adiras grip as she lifted him bridal style. It made his stomach churn.

“How did you know-“

“Who do you think sent him? Come on, freckles.”

Varian followed his aunt up top. Everyone, including Andrew, were unconscious.

“Holy shit Adira.” Varian mumbled.

“I didn’t even touch them. Come on. Before they wake up.”

Adira casually walked with Varian to the makeshift bridge she had on her own boat. Varian let out a sigh of relief at being away from Andrew, then frowned at seeing Hugo, who was hacking up a metaphorical lung.

Adira removed the bridge and casted off, getting as far away as they could as quickly as they could.

“Adira, he needs sea water. Right now or he’s going to die.”

Adira looked down at the blonde. “Right. I’ll take care of him. You go get changed.”

“But I want-“

Adira just gave Varian a look. Varian pulled back. “…please be careful with him.”

“Don’t leave me alone with this crazy lady!” Hugo tried to wiggle out of Adiras grip but it was like steel.

“Ill be right back.” Varian chuckled. “and she won’t hurt you. Right Adira?” he looked up at his aunt.

“Of course…We’re just gonna have a talk.”

“A talk or a talk?”

Adira shrugged. “We’ll see where it takes us.”

“Adira!” Varian glared.

“Fine. A normal talk.”

Varian nodded, satisfied, and walked below deck, Ruddiger on his shoulders. He had his own room there. Adira put down Hugo, then locked the door behind her nephew, just in case. She didn’t want him seeing what she was going to do.

Hugo was splashed with sweet sweet ocean water. He took the deepest breath that he had in days. His stomach settled. It felt like he could breathe again. It took a few coughs but his throat eventually came back to normal.

But when he opened his eyes, She had a sword pointed at his throat. God this job sucked.

“Okay Siren.” She said simply. “Start talking.”

Hugo grimaced.

--

Varian was relieved to finally be in safety. Still, on this ship…it was like walking into a memory.

He remembered the last time he was on this ship. 14 and grieving over a father who wasn’t dead but not able to be with him anymore. This was the last spot he had seen him up and moving and talking and truly alive. Not just a meat sack unable to talk to him.

Varian took a deep breath, going into his room and taking off his clothes, changing into one’s that Adira had set out for him. He went over to the water basin and cleaned his face hair and hands. The rest of his body could wait for later.

He looked in the mirror. When did he start looking so much like his dad?

Ruddiger sat on Varians old bed, and made a sound to get Varians attention. The boy looked over to him. “So Adira sent you huh?”

He just nuzzled Varians hand as he sat down the bed next to the raccoon. Varian chuckled. Then noticed a cheese platter on his bedside table. He smiled and shared them with Ruddinger.

He was worried about Hugo, sure, but he also knew he could trust his aunt to take care of him and make sure he was safe.

So for now, he let himself relax. He let himself settle into his childhood bed.

--

Not far from Hugo and Adira, a large wave appeared. Hugo immediately knew.

“Cyrus.”

Adira stopped, looking at the pirate ship in the distance that was swallowed up by the monstrous wave. For a moment, Adira thought it was coming for them. Then it calmed as if it never happened.

Adira put her sword away as there was a large splash and Cyrus was on the ship, over Hugo, grabbing his face.

“Ow, ow Cyrus! Stop it!”

Cyrus, a large man soaked in sea water, wearing armor as if he’d been ready for a fight, was examining Hugos face.

“They didn’t hurt you anymore than you needed right?” He asked.

Hugo chuckled, and then threw his arms around Cyrus. Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief. “You dumbass don’t ever scare me like that again.

“Cyrus.” Adira said simply.

Cyrus turned, then smiled. “Adira. It’s been a while.”

“Ten years.”

Hugo let go of the bigger man as he stood. “…you two know each other?”

Adira nodded. “the only reason he didn’t drown this boat too. Good work by the way.”

Cyrus chuckled. “Just taking care of this one.” He ruffled Hugos hair, who grumbled in response. “He sent me a blood message.”

“my conch shell is back on the sundrop.” Hugo muttered. Adira relaxed a bit.

“I apologize for my previous behavior.” She sheathed her sword. “But since you’re Cyrus’ son…you get a pass. For now.”

Hugo blushed. “I’m not his…”

Cyrus just looked at him. Hugo smiled a bit.

She came over and unlocked the door, opening it only to find Varian tumbling out. She didn’t look surprised. “Hey freckles.”

Varian chuckled. “Hey Adira…what’s going on?”

“Your boyfriend here is with an old friend of mine.”

“Hes not my boyfriend!’” Varian and Hugo yelled at the same time, both of their faces going red.

Cyrus and Adira looked at each other, and chuckled.

Cyrus then looked at Hugo. “You look sick. Come on, let’s get you into the water.”

“….can we talk about the mission?”

Cyrus nodded. “Donellas not far. We can talk about it with her.”

Varian frowned softly, looking down. Hugo saw him and smiled. “I’ll be back in a bit, sweetcheeks.”

Varian blushed hard. “Hugo!”

Hugo winked, and he and Cyrus jumped into the water.

Adira looked at Varian. “God you’re just like your dad.”

Varian cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Both of you fell in love with sirens.”

Varian blushed deeply. “I’m not in love with him! He’s my friend!”

Adira ruffled her nephews hair. “Yeah. That’s what your dad said too.”

< >

Read this on A03!

[ghostbustermelanieking]

i've never really considered myself a theater kid (mostly because i've never involved myself in productions outside of like elementary school) but this is an inaccurate self evaluation, i think. anyways, i coincidentally got to see wicked twice onstage (once on broadway), and the constant bombardment of advertisements led me to see the movie last night. and i had a surprising amount of thoughts! below the cut, bc there are some spoilers (for the movie and for both halves of the musical)

i should start by saying that i really did enjoy this adaptation a lot, way more than i would have guessed months or years ago, and that's pretty cool. in my mind, the extended run time works to flesh out some things that felt rushed in the original musical, and just to build the world more, and i really enjoy it. in some ways, i think this movie is closer to what little kid me was envisioning when i read the wikipedia synopsis

i frickin loved the shout outs to the original wizard of oz, like the title plates (which i MISSED the opening title but i've seen pics), or the bike elphaba rides, etc. i've probably missed a lot from this story bc i've only ever seen these characters as vague shapes through nosebleed seats, but listening to the soundtrack before going to see the movie helped me pick up on a lot of easter eggs in the lyrics i'd either forgotten or never noticed (holy fuck the wizard and i kills me 😭)

my favorite song from this musical since i saw it in 2019 has been what is this feeling, i don't know why i ever doubted myself

i love how they did the green elixir part of the opening song, but i'm shocked spotify just like. put jeff goldblum's name in the track listing, like we're not supposed to know that yet. they went through the trouble of only releasing half the soundtrack for lack of spoilers, but then they spoil elphaba's father in the credits??

this was basically me internally the entire fucking movie

in every fucking scene, but particularly when they hold hands, and when elphaba yells let her go its me you want! during defying gravity, and the fucking dance scene ahhhghgdhgh

obviously i ship the hell out of elphaba/glinda, it's so obvious, but i do admittedly have a real soft spot for fiyero/elphaba. i vibe with it, particularly the way they frame it in this movie

the solution is a three way

admittedly glinda is an interesting and frustrating character, and i'm curious to see how i'll feel seeing part 2. my memories of the stage musical are so fuzzy bc it's been years. i feel like i'm consistently so frustrated with glinda's limitations when it comes to elphaba and her cause, and i know that opening scene is her acting, for a reason, but it leaves a weird taste in my mouth without the second half to wrap it up. perhaps that is the point?

i really can only kind of remember the stage version -- there's like certain moments that pop out to scratch my brain every now and then, but also probably a lot i forget. the movie helps to pad out the story and make parts of the musical feel less rushed -- more on that later -- but there's some things i'm uncertain as to whether or not they're additions; can any fans of the stage production help me out?

i'm 90% sure elphaba not being intended to stay at the school is something they added (i love that explanation as to why she and nessa were starting at the same time), but i'm not positive

i also feel like that first scene of glinda and elphaba in the room was an addition, but also unsure?

the scene where fiyero runs into elphaba in the forest?

did elphaba get glinda in with morrible in the original musical or did the movie add that?

i know the oz history segue in one short day is an addition, but where did they discuss the grimmerie in the original musical? i do not remember its introduction

i feel like the guards going after glinda and elphaba saying it's me it's me is an addition, but i can't be sure (part of me hopes it is, because in my heart it's a tribute to sarah fier, but it probably isn't)

most of the additions were excellent. i loved the setting switch to a secret animal meeting in something bad. i love the addition of the bear nanny to elphaba's backstory. i love that they actually include a chase scene before defying gravity, bc i cannot for the life of me fill in how elphaba gets to sing defying gravity in the stage production

also i've seen other people scream about the choice to have elphaba fall and take her childhood self's hand before she flies, but i'll add to it. i fucking loved that

now for the things i wasn't as big a fan of

some of the song/montage sequences went on for what felt like way too long for me. particularly defying gravity (i hate to say it, but my god, i was like lmfao how have the guards not caught them??) i love most of the sequence and i'm not even sure where the cuts would be made, but i've seen someone joke that the last song played for like 30 minutes and that is kind of what it felt like

the idina/kristen cameo (ALSO spoiled by spotify!!) made me smile so much, buuut it did feel like their moment dragged on a little too long. and this is a stupid thing to complain about, since it's in every fucking trailer, but i wish idina hadn't done the little defying gravity moment because it felt like taking away from cynthia's moment at the end, at least in my mind

like maybe it would've worked if they'd made the joke in the 2nd part? idk

even though the length is not an issue to me, i do wonder why we didn't get more time in the middle part where elphaba and glinda are just close friends. it feels like everything between popular and the train scene was more focused on fiyero and the girls, which like... it's important, for sure, but i was hoping the run time would add just some more meat to the friendship (like i'm fully invested ofc but there's a little voice inside me going "shit, this is a big turn around; i need more of this and the why." like that little moment before popular where elphaba flinches away and doesn't want to be vulnerable? her stepping away when glinda calls her beautiful at the end of popular? i wanted a little more of that lonely girl uncertainty)

i am still surprised i had this many thoughts, but what are you gonna do? i really enjoyed the movie and a year is too long

[ignitedfms]

[ yim siwan, demi-man, he/they ] Look who just landed! DAESUNG SHIN (SH-1N V4.5), I sure hope you packed all you need. Perhaps you’re not worried as SCIENTIST of X ACADEMY. The city has plenty of spots for a 32 year old ANDROID like you. You’ll be known in the city soon enough as THE DOUBLE EDGED SWORD, being AFFABLE and ABSENTMINDED. ( anna, 26, gmt+7, removed for discretion )

00000 - - INTERVIEW INCOMING - - - 001

001101 1- - ARE you A LOCAL OF MARS OR HAVE you LANDED HERE RECENTLY? WHAT IS your OPINION OF THE CITY OF NEW JAKARTA? - 00011011

-- RISK ASSESSMENT IN PROGRESS ... [ 100% COMPLETED ] -- IMMINENT THREAT DETECTED? ... [ 01001110 ] -- ACTIVATE HYDE PROTOCOL? ... [ 01001110 ]

Daesung blinked, their wandering mind wired back to the present. Did they zone out out of bad habit or jitters, Daesung wasn't sure, though that didn't stop them from cursing themselves for spacing out. Not that they were here because they were in trouble. This was a harmless, run-off-the-mill background check. Still, as the officer looked up from her screen (one that Daesung could only guess showcased their personal data and documents) the sharp gaze made them wonder if she'd slam the table and yell at him for being suspicious like in one of those sinetrons.

Now what was the first thing she had asked— something, something landed recently?

“I did not land here recently, no,” they said slowly, just to test the waters. When the officer’s face remained impassive, Daesung took it as a sign to continue. “I was born and raised in NEW JAKARTA. Or well, at least, that's what the folks at the orphanage put on my document.” They smiled sheepishly. “No one really knew where I came from. Though from what I was told, I was really tiny when they found me which would make interplanet travels impossible. So, I suppose it was a pretty fair assumption.” They shrugged. “Either way, it's the only home I know of, and I do quite like the city. Sure, there are still a lot of things we could improve on, but I'm of the opinion that new and innovative solutions will come with more scientific and technological advances.”

0101022 - - ARE you AWARE OF THE CRIMINAL CIRCUIT OF NEW JAKARTA? WOULD you BE WILLING TO INFORM THE OVERSEERS IF you SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY? - 001200

"Yes, I'm well aware of their exist," Daesung replied with a nod. I try to keep up with the current happenings from the news and other social platforms, but that's the extent of my knowledge on them."

It was a true enough answer, if not a tad bit glossed over. After all, Daesung had grown up in AKUMU SLUMS and it was hard not to notice the dealings happening in shadows of every streets and alleys. Oddly enough, the overheard conversation on drug dealing behind a street food stall was an easier memory for Daesung to recall than naming he games they used to play with the rest of the kids in the orphanage, the people who had taken care of them at that age.

"I'd like to think I can keep myself as far away from any kinds of trouble. But yes, I see no reason why I shouldn't report in anything suspicious.”

000111311 - - HAVE you BEEN TESTED FOR ANY TRACES OF SIGHIR? HAVE your TESTS ON THE VIRUSES COME BACK CLEAN? - - 0012133

“Of course,” Daesung nodded. “I've submitted everything for your review. All tests were conducted fairly recent...”

They paused for a moment, brows furrowing slightly. They couldn't remember when he had taken the test or even the time he had made the appointment to do it. Daesung shook their head, as if that was what it takes to shake off their mind fog. But when their recollection remained hazy, they simply continued, “The date should be printed there if you need the exact information, but I don't possess any affinity for SIGHIR. Results for the viruses are perfectly clean as well.”

0113114 - - DO you HAVE ANYTHING TO DECLARE? WEAPONS, AUGMENTATIONS, MECHANICAL PARTS OR AI-RELATED APERTURE? - 0012444

"I own no weapon, nor anything else that could be classified as hazardous, no,“ Daesung said with a shake of their head. “And I haven't undergone any augmentations procedures.” Then, with a small frown, “Well, unless you count a skin graft procedure, which was uh, medically necessary.”

When the overseer asked them to elaborate, Daesung hadn't been surprised. Still, it didn't stop the uneasiness from clawing out from their chest either. No matter how hard they tried to lock it in the deepest recesses of their mind, it was one of the only memory from their youth that they had remembered vividly. “It was after the accident,” they explained. “The big fire at an orphanage over a decade ago.” In that moment, Daesung saw something clicked with the overseer. She looked away from her screen, and Daesung hated how the pity in her eyes weighed heavy on them. They shifted in their seat, trying to maintain their composure. “I suffered from severe burns on my body and had new skin grafted as part of the treatment.” Then, with a wry smile, “So yeah, other than a thicker skin in the most literal sense, I have no other modifications to report.”

[gotta-pet-em-all]

🪐

Teresa Chihiro never wanted a child. But thanks to one ill-advised college party, she has a daughter. And thanks to the fear of her family finding out about what she did, she now has a husband. He isn’t exactly the loving type; he looked a lot better in the half-dark lighting of the party with the haze of alcohol to cast a rose-tinted light on his features.

But she has them, right up until the day that her parents disown her, and she’s fucking had it. She gets into a fight with her husband, the kind of fight that makes her five-year-old-daughter hide under the bed. She snaps and lashes out until he's reached his limit.

"Why are we even married?" He demands. "Because you damn sure never loved me, and I never wanted that brat."

"Neither did I, but we have a daughter, dipshit!" She yells in his face.

(He doesn't come back after that.)

So that's fine. He'll just be a deadbeat, if that's the kind of person he is. She takes her maiden name back, Corbin, changes her daughter's name too, and seethes. There's a couple weeks where she's so angry, she can't even cook without having a breakdown in the kitchen. And she never wanted a daughter, but that's a scared and hungry kid.

Bryelle Corbin stays at the pokemon center for about a month. It's not an ideal solution for a child, but it's better than having her around the house when Teresa's in this kind of state.

So, she picks up her life, throws away her pride, and starts trying.

In another life, she gave up, she joined a suspiciously cultish group and ignored the red flags. But in this one, her stubbornness wins out.

She hires babysitters, she spends a lot of time at the pokemon center. They hire her as a paid intern-- she was in college for human nursing, but she can adapt. She's determined and skilled, and she's not going to throw away all of her schooling just to become a stay at home mom. She more than earns her place, and gets a permanent position as a nurses aide.

Her daughter... she doesn't love her daughter. Whatever maternal instinct was supposed to kick in, it never did. But she knows the kid deserves better. So she lets her keep the alomomola she finds in the wild one day. She takes her daughter to the arena behind the pokemon center so the kid can run around asking every trainer she meets if she can pretty please snuggle their pokemon. She asks a group of trainers who seem well versed in the matter, how can I deal with my daughter's health issues?

So what if the kid flaps her hands and is a picky eater and doesn't make a lot of friends in school. So what if she's clumsy and gets hurt a lot during recess? Teresa writes a couple emails to the school board, asking them to go easy on her during gym, figures maybe Bryelle just has something wrong with her coordination, and cooks the same meal over and over.

It's hard to call them a family. She never wanted a family. But her kid has a partner pokemon and a favorite babysitter and a set of knee pads for how often she falls down. And maybe that can at least help to make up for the love that never existed.

Teresa Corbin doesn't love her daughter, but she at least wants her daughter to feel loved.

[fayesdiary]

Faye's Fòdlan Journey: Season 1 - Chapter 1: Welcome to Fòdlan

Introduction

<-Previous Masterpost Next->

After two posts' worth of introductions and preambling, we can finally start playing the actual game.

The objective is simple: Defeat the bandits' leader before they burn down the village. Easy enough.

Weapon Durability returns in this game, contrary to Fates, Echoes and Engage. Personally I feel pretty neutral towards the mechanic as a whole, but it's a nice way to balance Combat Arts, returning from Echoes and consuming durability instead of HP this time.

Here when a weapon breaks, instead of disappearing altogether or turning into a worthless 30 weight 0 might weapon you have to repair or get rid off, it gets a penalty in Might, Hit and Attack Speed, which could be a more elegant solution depending on how severe it is.

Bows also seem to work like they did in Echoes, with an added penalty on hit the further you attack from. Which is, you know, pretty fair. Wonder if Hunter's Volley is just as busted here.

After having a pleasant chat with the three completely ordinary kids, they along with Byleth begin clearing out the bandits, while Jeralt sits in the back doing fuck all and yelling random advice.

Thanks, dad. Really cool.

Good thing Edelgard's there to pick up his slack with the first crit of the game.

Also the proportions between the characters and the village is really funny. My main Edelgard headcanon is that she's a huge kaiju fangirl, so it's nice to see she's fulfilling her dreams. All she needs now is learn how to fire a laser from her mouth.

After killing a few bandits, their leader shows up to pick a fight with Byleth.

They kill him pretty easily.

Except Kostas must have smuggled a Revival Stone from Elyos, since he gets back up like it's nothing.

He charges at Edelgard, but Byleth puts themselves in the way.

But just when the bandit is about to strike...

The world stops.

And Byleth finds themselves in front of Sothis once more, who is pretty peeved they were about to throw away their life so recklessly, since that would also kill her.

She finally introduces herself: Her name is Sothis, also known as "The Beginning". Though she wouldn't be able to tell you why is that, given that lo and behold, she has amnesia, the favorite plot point of modern Fire Emblem.

Someone had to have it, and since Byleth seems to have all of their memories, she lost her privilege to hers. Honestly, I think she'd get along with Alear.

One thing's for sure, though: Her first impression of Byleth is... less then stellar. While she lives and breathes sass and metaphors and moves and emotes a lot for someone with the eepy disease, Byleth is overly blunt, barely emotes and tells morbid jokes with such a straight face everyone thinks they're serious.

Or at least, I'm having them be that way. I love the idea of Byleth being selectively mute and socially inept.

(Also apparently support points can go down? I doubt you'd be able to get the characters to dislike you so it probably just hinders your progress to get their convos)

Apparently Sothis stopped time, something she herself didn't remember she could do. Well, that's convenient.

Luckily for both of them, she figures out she can reverse time too.

Not thanks to Byleth, who joked they could just sit here and wait to die.

Sothis turns back time just enough for Byleth to react to the bandit's attack, bids them farewell with some cryptic nonsense and- wait, is that readable text?

Upon further inspection, it is, even if the only phrase I recognise is at the top, "The goddess always lives in heaven and Fòdlan" and "It is watching over us. The mother[???]".

That's neat! Didn't expect to see readable text in actual English. Usually this stuff is hidden with a special alphabet.

Anyway, this time instead of just putting themselves in front of Edelgard Byleth actually strikes back at the bandit leader, finally putting him down for good.

Wait is he aware Byleth turned back time? How!?

Byleth earns the MVP, which in this game looks like one of those photos you'd get for Employee of the Month. Which I suppose makes sense.

A face shows late to the party. It's Alois, of the Knights of Seiros.

He's really happy to see Jeralt after 20 years, who apparently was the former captain.

Jeralt is way less thrilled to see him, though.

Jeralt and Byleth are "invited" to return to the Garreg Mach Monastery with Alois and the Three House Leaders. I say "invited" becuse Jeralt clearly does not want to go there but feels he has no choice, and I suspect Byleth would just go wherever their father goes.

Before heading out, Byleth has a chat with Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude, who all seem... oddly interested in them.

Huh. Jeralt would have done wonders in Elyos with a name like that.

Claude makes it clear once again that our presence at the monastery is, in fact, mandatory. So for all of those who hoped there was a secret fifth route where Byleth just retreats to the woods and lives a long, peaceful life, I'm sorry to crush your dreams.

They finally mention they're students at the Officers Academy of the Monastery. And through a quarrel they immediately start with each other, we learn they're the heirs of their respective nations.

Whoah. Shocker, I know.

And already not only they're fighting each other (seriously guys it's only the prologue, fucking chill), they are all strangely in awe of Byleth despite them having just killed a few bandits (with their help no less) and are already fighting each other to have them join their side. Boy, this does not bode well for the future.

WAIT I ALREADY HAVE TO CHOOSE WHAT

I know I'm going to choose Dimitri regardless given this is Azure Moon, but GEEZ this is way too soon to force a choice like this onto the player! You just met these people and already you have to declare your allegiance to one of them!

With that choice way too important for just the prologue of the whole game being done, we finally head back to the monastery.

But not before Byleth ponders a bit about the three of them.

They think Claude has an easy smile that is striking as well as fake, that Edelgard is constantly judging them and that Dimitri seems honest but with a lot of darkness to hide. What that means, we still don't know.

All in all, a decent Prologue. There isn't a lot here to chew on, but it shows the basic mechanics fine enough. The lightning is great and I LOVE Fòdlan Winds as a track.

Fòdlan as a whole has a particularly distinct sound, I think. Though I wouldn't be able to tell you why.

I am still baffled they have you choose a route this soon, though, and while the house leaders bickering with each other already is just worrying in-universe for the storm that will one day come, the fact they already seem to be throwing themselves at Byleth's feet for just killing a few bandits is mainly concerning for the narrative.

While I don't think power fantasies are inherently a bad thing, I fear it wouldn't gel at all with what Fòdlan seems to be going for. But I guess we'll see.

Lastly before closing off, a few notes about the characters we met until now.

Seiros: Local goddess is fucking pissed. I guess we'll see the aftermath of what happened in the intro soon enough. Also I still swear her design is Greek-inspired.

Nemesis: Wonder what caused the war between him and Seiros to begin with?

My guess is likely the creation of the legendary weapons given that, you know, they seem to be made out of Seiros' family and that is enough reason for her to want him dead. But if that's the case, we still don't know why he did that. Is it just for power, or something else?

Byleth: Not gonna lie, getting a few red flags from the way they're handled. No customization options, a mostly silent protagonist, their dialogue choices may very well have barely any effect. Not to mention they already seem to sloowly gravitate the plot around them.

Jeralt:

Jokes aside, he seems fine as a parent. Save for him not doing anything during a bandit attack.

The question is always not if he's gonna kick the bucket, but when. I even somewhat know the how.

Hey, he's a Fire Emblem parent, is that really a spoiler?

By the way, I'm suprised he's a Paladin. Always thought he was, you know, a Mercenary, but maybe that's just because I kept comparing him to Greil given they're both mercenary dads.

Sothis:

BEST GIRL BEST GIRL BEST GI-

*ahem*

I freaking love her.

She's the perfect combination between refined and a sassy chaotic gremlin, and she has one of my favorite tropes which is living inside another character's body. I am SO excited she can talk to Byleth whenever (and apparently read their thoughts?) and can't wait to see what they do with her!

Alois: Very little to say since we barely met him, but he seems a jolly fellow.

Claude: You know, maybe this is a 4D chess move I don't understand, but isn't the whole point of a schemer and deciever to NOT come across as sketchy? I feel constantly talking about how sus you are kinda undermines that but, what do I know.

Edelgard: Ah, the one who just mentioning her name starts a flame war. Not much to say about her yet, although she seems the type to sleep light with a few knives on her person, given how openly mistrusting of others she is.

Also she is a massive kaiju fangirl. I don't care how little sense that makes, you will have to take that headcnon from my dead body.

Dimitri: Honestly right now I'm just waiting to see what that "darkness" is about. I just know it will lead to him becoming VERY murdery in the timeskip so boy, can't wait to see him snap.

Introduction

<-Previous Masterpost Next->

[stylinskies]

I.

Wind’s in the east, mist comin’ in….

This wasn’t going to take him down. Stiles stared at the piece of paper on his desk until his vision went blurry. He knew the answer, but it was just brushing against the fingertips of his sleep deprived memory. What gets wetter as it dries. “A towel!” He yelled in triumph, the few members of his department still there turning to glance at him as Frank rolled his eyes at his partner. 

“No way man, a towel?” He scoffed, grabbing the paper from Stiles and the page a day calendar that it came from to check the answer. It was a Secret Santa gift from the head of Finance to Frank, who forgot to fill out the form so he got what was left at the gifts under $10 table at Barnes and Noble the day before the gift exchange. Frank had decided to make it a daily challenge for himself to solve the riddle before lunch. But for some reason, this one in particular was stumping him for the past three days. Instead of asking for help, he refused to change the day on the calendar until he solved it on his own. 

That is, until Stiles finally snapped. He was already getting his ass kicked by this serial killer case, no way he was going to let a fucking calendar for children taunt him too. Which is why another triumphant laugh burst from him as Frank stared at the solution to the riddle. “Dude, seriously when are you going to stop questioning me?” The eyeroll he got from his partner only made him laugh harder.

“Whatever dude. I’m going to get more coffee,” Frank said, crumpling the offensive riddle and dumping it into the trash can as he grabbed his wallet. “And I’m getting you decaf.” Stiles let Frank walk out with that Trump card played, and once his friend turned the corner, Stiles pulled a can of Redbull out of his bag and cracked it open. With his distraction out of the way, there was nothing else to do but turn his chair back to his evidence board. 

Red lines criss crossed over maps of his hometown and pictures of crime scenes. Three deaths, seemingly random. But there had to be something connecting them all. There was the religion angle…one of the identified bodies had been a steady member of a church. But the only other identified victim hadn’t from what detectives could find. Finding a connection would be easier if the third body — another woman, the second one found — had been identified. But she seemed to have put up a fight. There was some facial reconstruction that had to be done before they could connect her to the missing person’s database. There had to be something. 

He was only pulled out of the rip current of his own thoughts by a voice behind him. “...on the phone.” Stiles had tuned out the first half of the sentence as he turned. 

“What Brad?” Stiles asked the agent who typically worked the front desk. Maybe he sounded a little too irritated by the interruption, because Brad shot back with an irritated hand wave to Stiles’ clue board. 

“The case? Local PD is on the phone. Wants to talk to you.” Looking back at the board, Stiles narrowed his eyes, and then turned back to the other agent. 

“For fucks sake dude just say my dad is on the line.” Rolling his eyes, Stiles grabbed his desk phone and dismissed Brad with a single finger hand gesture. “Hey dad. You don’t usually call this number…” He said, sitting up. In reality, his dad never called his office line unless there was a break in the case. 

“It’s all business kid,” Noah said, voice crackling through the receiver, but Stiles can’t still hear the exhaustion in his words. “Need you down here. We identified the third body….” Brown eyes went straight for the board, staring at the image marked Jane Doe. There had been something about the blonde hair caught in the tree branches that seemed familiar.

And then his father said the name. “Heather. Her mom said she hasn’t heard from her since she went back to school. Didn’t think anything of it until her brothers birthday passed and she didn’t come home…We didn’t think about her because she wasn’t on the missing persons…Stiles are you listening?” 

He was. But he also wasn’t. Stiles’ ears were filled with the static of memories of growing up with Heather. Losing touch and reconnecting over the summer. It was only a few days, and things were awkward when Stiles turned a specific advance down, but it was like their childhood friendship just hit a growth spurt with them. “Yeah I’m here,” He said, swallowing around the memory of their last words. If you change your mind, you’ll know where to find me. She had winked at him and he had just snorted. He wasn’t interested in finding her for that. 

But Stiles didn’t want to find her like this either. 

“Figured it would be better if you and I told her mother. Instead of a random suit. Can you get here by the morning?” He checked the corner of his computer screen, already reaching for the open can of RedBull. 

“Yeah, dad. I’m on my way.” He said, hanging up after a quick goodbye and chugging the last of the energy drink as Frank walked back in. “Get in the car,” Stiles said to his partner, barely shutting his backpack in his haste to get out the door. “We’re going to Beacon Hills.”

Like something is brewing, about to begin.

The blonde one fought back. Which was less of a hindrance to the plan, and more of an irritation. They were on a time crunch, what didn’t these people understand? Their sacrifice was for the greater good — well a specific greater good — and pleading for their lives wasn’t going to change anything. They’ve learned to tune out the crying. The praying. The bartering. White noise as they prepared the ritual, whispering to the being that gave them life again before, begging to be given another chance to take on those that hunted them. 

But the blonde — they knew her name, but giving them names made it more complicated — had apparently practiced escaping from bonds. Because their back was turned for just a second and she was running through the forest. Screaming for help. Oh this would not do. They didn’t have time to play around. It didn’t take long to catch up — the uneven forest floor knocked the blonde one flat on her face as she tried to climb out of danger. Long nails dug into the ankle as they dragged her back. The screaming became less of fear and more of pain, as the debris beneath her tore at her skin, peeling back skin and leaving a path of blood in her wake. 

The screaming didn’t stop until the garotte was pulled tight against her neck. And it wasn’t until that silence came that they could breathe again. One step closer. “If you can hear me….” They whispered. “I await the power you can provide.”

The wind only whistled in response.

Can’t put my finger, on what lies in store…

Beneath their feet, the blood dripped off rocks, melted into soil, and settled into the roots of a tree long forgotten. Satiating a thirst that hadn’t been dealt with for years, something stirred in the darkness. A disquieting silence interrupted only by the rustling of leaves above. The sacrifices were made to get power, and power it would bring. As above, so below, the philosopher’s said. And as they were above, preparing sacrifices to awaken the power that was once so great, so below, someone was waking up after decades of sleep. 

What can rein without a crown? 

A spirit, brought into this world, only to be taken out. To be forced into the shadows, festering in its anger for decades. Gaining strength with each body sacrificed in the name of the Nemeton. They wouldn’t be bested again.

Chaos.

But I fear what’s to happen, all happened before.

[authordanielleforrest]

Fated Mates of the Drakoan: Episode 1

He stared down at a list of names, the information in front of him overwhelming. Name after name stared back at him, along with country of origin, popularity, pronunciation, spelling variants, and so much more. He nearly growled with frustration. 

You just need to pick one.

It felt weird, just picking a name like this. He’d been putting this off, just going by “commander” when talking with the human ships, but that wasn’t exactly a long-term solution. He had to pick a name if he wanted to interact with humans with any regularity. They didn’t have the oral capacity to pronounce many Drakonian names, and from what he could tell, it was a time-honored tradition for foreigners on Earth to pick local names. And he supposed it was easier to learn to identify with a name people could pronounce than to wince every time people butchered your birth name.

With resignation, he scrolled down with his eyes closed and tapped his finger on the screen, then peeked one eye open.

Davin.

“I guess I’m Davin now.” He sighed and switched screens on his monitor, returning to the impetus that had finally forced him to pick a name—the situation with Earth. His fleet and the remainder of the human military ships surrounding the planet had been trying to contact Earth command for days now, too many days, and they were growing concerned.

No, that wasn’t true. They had long passed the point of “concerned.” No one said it, but he could see the panic rising in the eyes of the captains of the other ships when they had their conference calls.  Everyone was worried.  No one knew what was going on down there.

As he continued reviewing what little information they had, he tried to reassure himself that everything was probably fine. From what they could tell, those last bombs, the ones that had turned the tides of the conflict, had also deactivated or destroyed every satellite in orbit. He could communicate with the other ships, but his records indicated that a massive amount of the Earth’s communication systems relied on that satellite network that was now defunct.

His comm buzzed, startling him and jerked his mind away from his concerns for the people of Earth. “Damn it,” he said, copying a common Earth phrase he’d learned while watching their media back home. He’d grown up with it. The streaming services had set up shop on Koa for the human colony there, but it had quickly become quite popular among the Drakoans as well.

Davin looked down at his bracer, internally groaning when his sister’s name scrolled across the screen. He tapped answer, and the bracer interfaced with his desk, putting the video up on the monitor. She smiled at him in that enigmatic way she had, and he knew something was up. 

He sighed. “What did you do?”

She clutched her chest, pretending to be offended. Light glinted off pale red scales she’d clearly spent a sizable portion of the day polishing and primping to perfection. “Me? I can’t believe you’d say such a thing.”

Davin didn’t speak, instead crossing his arms and waiting for the inevitable confession. He was reminded of why he spent so much time away from home. His family was chaos incarnate and joining the military had been the only way to get a little peace in his life.

Of course, chaos could never let peace reign for long, and today was no different.

Eventually, she gave up the pretense. “It wasn’t me.” She looked away from the camera, her gaze roving around the room, and he just knew she was trying to come up with some excuse that would shift the blame away from one of her nightmarish kids. Because why else would she be calling? It certainly wasn’t to talk to him. “My son was playing in your room earlier today.”

Davin’s entire body went tense, and he saw red. “My room is off limits. You know that.” It took everything in him to keep still. He wanted to yell, to pace, but a fit of anger wouldn’t solve anything, especially not with his family. 

“Oh, you know kids. Can’t keep them out of anything,” she said, waving her hand in dismissal.

Yeah, especially when you unlock the door for the little monsters.

He could just see it now. His nephew had probably been whining and generally being a pain, and instead of actually parenting him, she’d bribed him with exploring the forbidden, aka his uncle’s locked room. “What happened?”

She held up an action figure that was currently missing an arm. “It was an accident.”

Davin ground his teeth and closed his eyes, trying to regain control.

Anger doesn’t solve anything. Besides, you can’t strangle her over a comm.

He opened them again and forced words out through gritted teeth. “That… was a Star Wars Limited Edition. I bought it when I was ten.” It was one of his most prized possessions. Growing up, he’d been obsessed with Star Wars. There had been other “Science Fiction” shows and movies to watch, but many had steered a little too close to the familiar, a little too close to home. But Star Wars? Star Wars was different. It involved special powers and the ultimate fight of good vs. evil. For a little boy, the idea of playing around with a light sword and moving things with your mind? Pure magic.

As he’d grown older, he’d started collecting. It was hard coming by these things, partially because he lived on another planet and partially because Star Wars was a very old franchise and thus a fairly niche one. Not everyone had even heard of it, and that made wanting to collect all things Star Wars even more important to him. He couldn’t enthuse about it with his friends, and so he’d thrust those impulses into his treasures.

As he’d grown up, those impulses had matured, and eventually, they’d even been part of the reason he’d decided to join the military. The idea of being like the Jedis was appealing to him. He liked the idea of being a hero, of being on the front lines, of maybe even being the only thing between peace and war. 

She waved her hand again. “I know how much you like your silly Star something or ‘nother, but he didn’t mean it. It was just an accident.”

He looked away.

There she goes again. Opens her mouth and suddenly I’m pissed.

“It wasn’t an accident,” he ground out. “It shouldn’t have been within his reach. The door was locked for good reason. I don’t want anyone touching my things. You know this.”

“Oh, it’s not that big a deal.”

“Isn’t it? You encourage him to violate someone’s privacy, their personal space, then you try to prevent him from having consequences when he damages another person’s property, which is a crime, by the way.”

She glared at him, her expression growing calculating. “Do I have to get mom on the line?”

For a split second, his heart lurched in his chest, his immediate reaction of panic setting in before he could control it. “Mom” was the ultimate authority, and each of his generation wielded it like a finely hewn weapon to be unleashed with ruthlessness. “You’re lucky I don’t have the time for this. Lives are on the line, and I need to go,” he said, changing the subject.

“Aren’t they always?” A slight smirk tipped her lips. “Well, I said what I intended to say. I’ll catch you later.”

She ended the call, and he fell back in his seat with a groan, palm covering his eyes. “Family sucks.” A part of him wished he could go home and inspect his room. What else had the little monster got into while he was breaking things? Just thinking about the possibilities sent anxiety spiking through him.

I need to upgrade my locks.

He took several deep breaths, then pulled up the messenger app on his desk. 

Hello, Mom. Can you upgrade the locks on my room? And this time, don’t give my sister a key. My nephew got in there again.

He hit send and let out a deep breath. “It’s so much easier to talk to her over text,” he said, shaking his head and chuckling at the contradictions. He loved his mom, loved his family, but most of the time, he needed at least a few hundred thousand miles between them just to stay sane.  

“Now, where was I?” He checked the open screens on his computer. “Right,” he said, staring at information that had started to blur together and almost make less sense the more he reviewed it. And the longer the problem persisted, the tighter the knots in his stomach grew. The unknown was a terrible thing, and knowing that the fate of an entire planet, an entire species, was unknown? He didn’t even want to think about what all could be going on down there. It was too much to contemplate.

Knock, knock, knock.

He looked up at his office door. “Enter.”

His second in command stepped in, shoulders pulled back and chin high. Behind him, his tail was perfectly still, speaking to the reserved presence he was known for.

“Have you picked a human name yet?” 

“Van,” he said with a nod, his line of a mouth growing even thinner. It was the closest thing to a frown he’d ever seen on the man.

“Good. Have we heard from the humans again?”

“I talked with the Captain of the USS Venture.”

“And?” Davin leaned forward, eager for news. They’d come to back up Earth’s defenses from an alien invasion days ago, only to find destruction. A shiver ran up his spine as he remembered the devastation. A massive debris field had cluttered the space around the planet, with only a handful of human ships still registering on the bridge’s display. Around those ships, countless unidentified orange dots had surrounded them, and for a heart-stopping moment, he’d wondered if his fleet had arrived too late.

But moments later, an explosion had detonated unlike anything he’d ever seen. His people were mostly peaceful, keeping to themselves, keeping a standing military exclusively for defensive purposes. He’d never seen anything like it. He’d believed it impossible. That is, until that blindingly white light had blotted out their cameras and shorted their displays, throwing the room into perfect darkness. 

They’d scrambled to get their systems back online while fearing for their allies. With no working cameras, sensors, or comms, all they’d had was their imaginations to fill in the blanks on what had happened. It wasn’t until later, when they’d reestablished contact with the other ships, that they’d learned that Earth Command had detonated a nuclear bomb. 

Many nuclear bombs.

“The satellites are a lost cause,” Van said, interrupting Davin’s thoughts.

“Oh?” he said, tuning back into the conversation. It had been easy of late to let his mind wander. There were just too many unknowns in this situation, and he didn’t like it. His mind wanted to run through tactics and scenarios, plan out strategies for each potential eventuality, but the possibilities were limitless and there was only so much time.

“The Venture’s Captain sent shuttles to investigate if they could salvage any of the satellites, but a significant percentage of them have already lost geostationary orbit. Many more will require extensive repair and some, they haven’t been able to find. He thinks they were destroyed in the blasts.”

Davin nodded. “And that means there’s no hope of communicating with Earth?”

In an uncharacteristic expression of emotion, Van sighed. “It means communication is more… difficult. As we’ve been able to confirm, their communications systems are designed around those satellites. But the captain’s also concerned that there could be broader issues at play.”

“Like?”

“The planet’s gone dark.”

Davin tensed. “Gone dark?”

“Yes. During their investigations, shuttles that traveled to the night side of the planet reported no electrical lighting visible from space.”

Meaning they’ve lost power.

“So,” Davin said, “even if we had the satellites up and running, there’s no guarantee anyone could respond.”

“That was my conclusion as well,” Van said with a nod of respect.

“Contact the human captains again. I want a conference call.”

“You have a plan?” Van asked.

“When do I not?”

Van paused, waiting for the explanation he knew was coming.

“Someone has to go down to Earth, reestablish contact. Without the satellites, there’s no way to even try to do it from here.” He shook his head, worry for the humans intensifying. What was happening down there? Were they okay? And had any of the enemy managed to slip past them before the blasts?  He hadn’t really thought of that yet, but it was possible, right?  There was no guarantee all the enemy had been destroyed.  Anything could be going on down there.  Nothing was outside the realm of possibility at this point.

“And you intend it to be us.”

Davin nodded. “I do.” He couldn’t imagine doing it any other way. Maybe it was a failing of his, but he’d always believed if you wanted something done right, you didn’t ask someone else to do it.

“They could shoot at us. They just fought off an alien invasion. You know how humans can be.”

He did. He’d seen enough human movies and shows to know sometimes their modus operandi was “shoot first, ask questions later,” but he didn’t care. The humans needed help, and he wanted to help them. 

And there was no one he trusted to do that more than his own people.

[kitty-used]

Mockingbird: Part 1

Y/N, a normal 17 year old high school girl living in the dangerous side of Tokyo, Japan. One day she meets a pair of twins who seem to be hurt. She asks for their name, to which my reply Ran and Rindou. What will happen next?

“Fuck- it’s so damn hot tokay!” I yelled in frustration, walking out of school and home, a dingy little house with neglecting parents. I tried to keep up with my parents until my 18th birthday and move out with the money I saved secretly since I started middle school, which was about 10k. I already had my paperwork ready and I would be graduating high school next year which will give me enough time to prepare to get out. I didn’t plan to go to college but instead work in a small shop, preferably a mechanic store. “….yea…I can’t wait to get out, just keep up with them for a couple months y/n!” Talking to myself, lost deep in my thoughts. “Hey..don’t pass out on me now!…Rin!!” I heard a child yelling in the distant. I turned back on my heels and headed towards the noise, where I saw two injured kids.

“Hey! Are you guys okay?” I yelled running towards them. They looked way worse up close. “What happened to you kids? Where are your parents?” I asked them quickly in concern. “Who are you?!” The little kid with the braids shouted at me and shielded him brother. Oh… I felt so bad for them right now.. I’ll get them patched up. “Hello, I’m Y/N and I saw you two badly beaten up and I jus’ wan’td to help ya’! The kid with the braids, who looked like the older brother seemed to become less afraid of me. “It’s none of your business! Since when did you people start caring about us?!” He yelled in pain and frustration, I could see him trying to not tear up and look strong in front of his brother. “Kid I’m not here to hurt ya.. I just wanna know what happened so I could give you a helping hand. How about we go and sit on the bench over there while I patch you two up, okay?” The kids seems hesitant at first but they knew they wouldn’t be able to take the pain anymore and walked with me towards the bench. I took out my small case of first aid kit, a few bandaids and cleaning solution.

“Kids you’re gonna have to trust me on this, I promise to be gentle.” I said in a soft voice. “W-why are you helping us..?” The braided kid asked and sounded as if he was gonna breakdown any minute. “Kid I just wanna help you get cleaned up.” I said while cleaning their wounds, which was quite literally all over their body so I had to be extra gentle. “Tell me, what are your names? And where are your parents?” The brothers went pale when asked that question. “What’s wrong? Don’t be scared, just trust me right now.” “My name is Ran Haitani and my twins name is Rindou Haitani… o-our parents- we don’t know where they are… they haven’t been home since last night. It’s not uncommon for them though so we was surprised when ya wanted to help us!”

My heart felt heavy when he said that, and with a happy face as well. “Well… do you know their phone number?” I said trying to not show them any sign of judgement in case they run away from me. “No… we don’t know anything about them.. even their names so we jus’ call ‘em’ mom and dad.” “That’s.. I’m sorry, you two don’t deserve to go through this. I-I may be overstepping my boundaries right now, but I can look after you two, not all times but when ya need to to!”

They twins looked shocked when they heard that. “We don’t even know each other though!” “Of course we do, we know each other’s names and I wanna help ya out in any way I can! Don’t worry about anything now, your big sis got ya now!” The twins looked scared at the random stranger they just met but felt safe enough to begin depending on her. “Rin, do you want to her to be our big sis?” “Yeaaa!! We have a big sis to take care of us now Ran!” Ran sighed in relief and seemed calm now. “Fine, we will accept you as our big sis!” Ran and Rin said ecstatically. “Deal! Just depend on me for now. I’m here for you now so don’t worry about anything.”

I wonder how my life changed so suddenly. What will it be like now? What about my future…? But these kids come first!

Wait for Part 2 of Mockingbird <3

[raewrites42]

FALLING Part.3.1

SPOILERS ATSV!!! i dont Really think there's any spoilers for ATSV in here but i'll put it just in case.

This is an OC story.

behold the next part to the story!

~MIGUEL~

Miguel and Taylor are cuddled up together on Miguel’s couch in his office. Taylor is running her fingers through Miguel’s hair as they continue to lay there in silence. “What’s wrong Miguel? You seem stressed. More than usual.” Miguel lets out a deep exhale, “It’s nothing you should worry about.” “I’m going to worry, because I care about you.” “it’s really nothing.” Taylor stops rubbing Miguel’s hair and fixes him with a look. Causing Miguel to groan and sit up. “Fine. It’s that kid. I’ve been working non-stop to fix what HIS mistake.” “Why is this one kid so important to you?” “Because he’s an anomaly, he’s the original anomaly. Someone has to stop him from destroying the multi-verse.” “And that someone has to, be you?” “You know it does, because I’m the only one willing to do what is necessary.” “Even if that means losing me?” Miguel pauses and turns to look at Taylor confused. “What?” “Is your mission more important than me?” “Taylor what are you talking about?” “Is that why you didn’t tr to save me?” Miguel’s face switches from one of confusion to one of horror. He tries to stand but falls to the ground. Taylor stands over him. “I’m dead Miguel.” “No, you’re not. You’re not, LYLA said- “Taylor cuts him off. “She said she can’t find me. My last location was an explosion. How could I survive that.” “No, No! You’re alive!”  “If my watch isn’t working, how do you know I haven’t glitched one to many times? Hmmm” Miguel does not respond angering Taylor. “ANSWER ME!” Miguel yells back, “I DON KNOW!”  Taylor scoffs, “We both know this is all you’re fault.” “No.” “You should have never given me a watch, let alone use those web shooters.” “No.” “and now I’m dead. And my blood is on your hands.” “NO!” Miguel yells shooting up out of his sleep panting. Taking in his surrounding seeing he fell asleep on the couch in his office, but Taylor is nowhere to be found. Miguel gets up from the could knowing that after that nightmare sleep was no longer an option. Instead, he types in earth 120703 into his watch and goes through the portal.

~TAYLOR & PETER~EARTH 199999

“Strange? What kind of a name is strange?” I asked the wizard. “what do you mean? It’s a normal name.” “No, it’s not.” “Yes, it is.” “Peter back me up here.”  Me and strange look to peter waiting for him to chime in. Peter shrugs his shoulders, “it is pretty weird man.” “See!” I say. Strange just looks at us more annoyed then shakes his head. “How about we stop talking about my name and start talking about what you two think you were doing trying to rip a hole into the multi-verse.” Peter and I look away shyly. Strange looks at us with his arms crossed. I break the silence, “I’m just trying to go home.” Strange looks confused, “home? Are you and him not from the same universe?” “No, I fell into his universe a month ago and we’ve been trying to get me home ever since.” “And the solution that you came up with was to destroy the multi verse?” peter chimes in, “We weren’t trying to destroy anything, ok.” Strange look at he, “you destroyed a super collider.” “Not on purpose.” “How do you do that on accident?” “You try turning one on, the buttons aren’t labeled. There’s no on and off button.” “And that wasn’t enough for you not to touch it?” “We needed the collider to send her home!” strange turns to me, “why didn’t you just go back the same way you came? Wait hold on, how did you open a portal?” I lift up my watch, “with this.” “What is that?” peter answers, “a watch.” Strange gives peter a look then turns back to me. I step closer to strange watch still held out, “it’s a special watch that allows me to travel to different universes and helps me not glitch.” “Glitch?” “Yes, it’s what happens when you are in a universe that you don’t belong in, and your atoms are trying to glitch you back to your original universe, but you usually end up dying.” After I finish talking, I turn to peter. Who hasn’t glitched once since we’ve been here. I point at him, “why aren’t you glitching?” “Peter inspects himself then looks at me, “I don’t know. Am I supposed to?” Peter and I look at strange for answers. “Why isn’t he glitching?” “It’s because I brought him here using magic.” “What?” I question him and of course he rolls his eyes at me. “In every universe there is balance. Everything works together in harmony to maintain balance. Magic is a part of the natural order of things, however when something throws a wrench in that order nature tends to get upset.” “a wrench?” “Yes, a wrench like a man-made piece of technology allowing humans to do something they were never meant to do.” Peter and I look at each other confused. Peter asks, “but you just said magic allows people to travel to different universes. How were they never meant to do it?” strange rubs his temples with his hands, “obviously were meant to do it with magic, but not often or you could disrupt the natural balance of that universe.” I speak, “like stopping a canon event.” “a what?” Peter and strange looked at me confused. Were going to be here a while.

~EARTH 120703~

 Miguel is at the site of the destroyed super collider inspecting the wreckage. LYLA pops up, “I already told you Miguel there’s nothing here that’s going to tell you anything I haven’t already.” “There has to be something here.” “Why don’t you just go back to HQ and- “Miguel cuts her off. “I can’t just keep sitting and waiting. It’s been a month. A whole month and we don’t know if she’s still alive.” “Miguel, I told you- ““That her watch pinged the explosion. We don’t know if she survived the explosion, all we know is that she’s been alive up until that point. We’re back to square one again.” Miguel throws a chunk of rubble across the room. He stands there huffing then an idea pops into his head, “LYLA who’s the spiderman in this universe?” LYLA pulls up a file, “Peter Parker the one and only spiderman of earth 120703.” “Where does he stay” “With his aunt May.” Miguel doesn’t say anything, just takes off running in a random direction. “Miguel where are you going? I didn’t even give you the address.” “Then hurry up and give it to me LYLA, we don’t have any time to waste.” LYLA gives Miguel the address and he’s off.

~SIDE NOTE FROM RAE~

Some reason this isn't letting me pot the whole story so the second half is just going to be part 3.2. I'm posting it as soon as i post this so there will be no waiting.