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bakuliwrites · 7 months

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So, I've been in the midst of planning for a longer BG3 fic featuring my Tav, Orlando (a Tiefling with a deep sea aesthetic), and her questline, were she to have one. However, my brain is in a bit of a fog right now and all I've really been able to write for it are a series of letters between her and Gortash. Also, Gortash storyline spoilers. TW: toxic relationship, slightly suggestive

For some context, I wrote up a post about them here. Otherwise, here are the final letters they sent one another before Orlando was captured by the mindflayers and tadpoled. Orlando doesn't have any idea what Gortash is up to, other than he's rising in the political sphere. She's not sure how, but she has some suspicions. Note: They write in code to one another and Gortash signs his letters as EF because Orlando knew him mostly as his surname Flymm when they were young

Orlando to Gortash:

My Cherished E,

I grow weary of you dodging my questions. You act as if you are doing me a favor by sparing me the dirty details of your work. You are not a martyr, and I am not a little girl trapped in a pond in the dank basement of a devil’s lair. I can handle whatever it is you have done. I have my own skeletons in the closet, as you well know. Over the years, you have shown me yours piece by piece, rib by rib, vertebrae by vertebrae. Can you not simply rip the wool from my eyes? I don’t care what it costs me. I suffer more in the dark.

You speak of our future together as if it is set in stone, yet when I ask to come see you, you deny me. You push me away, E. And then draw me back in, time and again, with promises of tomorrow. You say your furtiveness is for my protection. But I think you are afraid of something. Of me, E? Of me leaving? I won’t make promises I can’t keep, but can’t you at least grant me the respect of knowledge? Can’t you tell me what “grand plan” you have that’s to guarantee our future?

Sometimes I wonder if, perhaps, you are ashamed of us. Of where we came from, who we used to be. Would I be a detriment to your campaign? Were I to show up in the midst of your glory, would I disrupt the delicate balance you’ve built? You run from the past, as do I, but I’m tired of it.

E, as always- as it has been since our youth and as it shall always be- my heart is yours. But if our path is to be one paved in secrecy and withholding, I will need to reevaluate where we stand with one another. It is painful for me to write this, but I have shed too many tears to remain reticent over the matter.

Yours Eternally,

Gortash's Response:

My Abyssal Angel,

You wound me. If you would indulge me for a moment- imagine me, sitting at the desk in my office, bathed in fading candlelight, head hung in defeat as I pour over the letters you’ve sent me these last several months. Imagine the heavy sigh that escapes my lips as my eyes sweep over the closing of your last communication. Can you not hear the very ache of my heart when I read your cutting words? To imply that I have some ulterior motive for keeping my work from you wounds my very soul. My secrecy is your safety. My discretion, your protection.

Nothing has changed, my dearest. There is, and forever shall be, a place for you at my side. As there always has been. We are equals. My plans have always included space for you. But I “martyr” myself (as you put it) not just for you, but for my campaign. What if our letters were to be intercepted? What if our code were to be broken? What then? All would fall to ruin. I would have nothing to give you. But if you are going to be so insistent upon knowing the nitty-gritty details, then it seems I can no longer hide them from you. Come to me in Baldur’s Gate, quick as you can, and I will divulge everything. Let me prove to you that it is not shame I feel. I work only to protect you.

But I must warn you- what you learn will irrevocably alter the nature of our relationship. If you are ready for this, then by all means, come to me. Allow me to show you the fruits of my labor. Perhaps, when you partake in their glitz and glamor, you will understand why I have done what I have. Or perhaps not. Maybe you will find an underlying bitterness to their saccharine taste. Either way, come to me. Allow me to hold you one last time as the man you’ve known since our youth, before you meet the one I have become.

As it has been since our youth- as it shall always be- my heart is forfeit to you, O. I await your reply with bated breath.

Yours with Fervor,

Orlando's Response:

My Cherished E,

I wrote my last missive to you in a bout of sorrow and anger. I was upset. It was a hastily written, ill thought out rambling that should not have made it past the privacy of my diary.

E, what knowledge could you impart unto me that would so vastly alter my feelings for you? Even so, I will accept what you have to say. I will come to you in Baldur’s Gate, post haste. I can wait no longer. Too many years we have spent apart. It feels as if ages of the world have fallen away while we have sat idle. My heart yearns for yours. The sea bore me away from you. It is the sea that will carry me back. Share with me the strife you have faced in my absence. Share with me the secrets that weigh heaviest on your mind. I will listen with patience.

In a tenday, wait for me upon the docks. I will appear to you there, by the light of the stars, and you can make me yours. For however long that might be. One night or forever, I don’t care. I simply cannot live this way anymore.

Yours Eternally,

Gortash’s Response:

My Abyssal Angel,

You need not apologize for voicing your concerns. In fact, I find your combativeness refreshing. A stark change from the Devil’s Dutiful Daughter act you once put on for that oaf, Raphael. You have changed, blossomed in your years since our captivity. We’ve both grown so very much.

I look forward to seeing more of that fire in you when you arrive in Baldur’s Gate. You have embers in you, O. Unleash them. Let them blaze as bright as I know they can. I can feel them straining against the confines of your lungs. Breathe your fire, my darling. Set the world alight with me.

We are not tools. We are not pawns or playthings or trinkets to display. As I said before, you will always have a place at my side, a part to play in my work. Soon you will see what part that is. And soon, you will be by my side. For good, if that is what you should want. Our union would be good not only for the two of us, but for the world.

I know you do not keep up with news in Baldur’s Gate, but I know you are aware that I have been rising in the ranks these last several years (hence the secrecy). I now have every reason to believe that I will be crowned Archduke soon enough. I should like it if you are there for my coronation. Date, to be determined. It may be a few weeks, yet. If you can stay in Baldur’s Gate that long, I can promise you a most thrilling visit.

But enough shop talk. All will be illuminated once you arrive. Hopefully, by then, I’ll be more than I am now.

With Adoration,

P.S. I have come to understand that the throne in the audience chamber of Wyrm’s Rock is padded. My imagination runs rampant, my darling. Already I can feel the lick of your newfound flame on my lips…

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apirateslifeforbudgie · 1 month

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Wandering Star Snippet

Currently working on something! (Hint hint: log collection cover with a certain captain...) But today I was thinking about this scene I've had written for a while now! Keep in mind it's not polished or finalized 100% yet, but I think it's funny and have been wanting to share it for quite some time. And since Carmen's powers have been revealed as of last episode, I just decided to go for it today. It is a tiny bit spoiler-y, as it is from a way later episode.

Read below the cut!

Breakfast sizzled and popped in the skillet, and Killer removed it from the stove top to add it to a clean plate on the beaten island countertop behind him. Most of the spread had been picked clean by the crew - minus the captain - who sat and ate at the two tables just on the other side of the counter. The sound of forks scraping plates or cups being put back on the table replaced the usual morning chatter, and upon tiring of the silence, Heat gave a sigh.

“Alright…I’ll be the one to say it: Something happened.”

Most of the crew exchanged glances.

“Yeah?” seated directly across Heat, Haikei raised an eyebrow. “You were at the bar the other night– you saw what went down.”

“No, I mean after that. On the bow. Even after the bar, she still chose our ship. We’re all ordered off deck, and then she doesn’t show for two days?” He glanced over his shoulder to the kitchen. “Boss say anything about it to you, Killer?”

“Not a word,” Dishes clanged out as Killer placed them in the sink, and he grabbed a damp rag to wipe his hands. “You know he isn’t much of a talker.”

“Best stay out of the boss’ business,” Oscar interjected from the other table, warning his fellow crewmates. “This seems personal.”

Wire added, “And as much as I hate to say it…May as well get used to not having her around, anyway. We don’t have much longer before we reach the last island…” as he spoke, Carmen could be seen carefully peering into every angle of the room through the porthole window in the background, though she went unnoticed as Wire finished his thought. “Unless…Think maybe the boss will ask her to join the crew?”

Before any response could be given, the door opened and shut behind Carmen as she strolled in like she was already a part of the crew. Though they were taken off guard by her sudden appearance, they were just as delighted to see her again.

“Budgie!!” Noe happily threw his arms up in a greeting, and she hugged his neck from behind and sweetly spoke.

“Morning, boys,” she let her fingers gently brush against Heat’s smokey locks as she walked past and made her way into the kitchen to see the first mate. “Didn’t make my honey toast?”

“Didn’t expect you to join us – I’m a little surprised to see you this morning.”

Haikei called out to her as he took a bite. “Yeah, what’s the deal? Boss ban you from the ship again or something?”

“Because that worked so well the first time,” she teased with a smirk and Killer slapped her hand when she reached for a piece of toast on the counter. “I just figured you guys were getting sick of me and decided I should show the other crews some love. So! Now that you’ve had a little break, I came over to invite you fellas out tonight. Wanna come? We can have a bit extra fun since it got ruined last time.”

“You know you can count us in, Budgie,” Heat told her, but Wire chimed in with the concern.

“Doing okay? We haven’t really seen you since the other night.”

She crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the counter, not thrilled that the topic came up. “I’ve certainly been in worse situations.”

“That bastard….” Bubblegum gripped his fork just thinking about it. “Boss shoulda killed him.”

The Massacre Soldier spoke up. “Who’s to say he didn’t? At the very least, that guy won’t be walking that hit off for quite some time. So good news there. And speaking of the captain…” he turned his attention to Carmen. “Why do I get the sense you’re avoiding Kid?”

With a successfully stolen piece of toast in hand, Carmen could only offer a poorly-done change in subject. “Where’s your ‘Don’t Touch Anything’ apron? I like when you wear it.”

As she awaited his answer and went to bite into a corner of the toast, the door opened, causing her eyes to go wide and her body to drop on all-fours. The crew sounded out with casual greetings that were a mix of “Morning, Captain” and “Morning, Boss”, though she only heard him grunt in response and his approaching footsteps as she crawled around the far end of the counter, hair dragging the floor and toast hanging from her mouth.

“Morning, Kid,” Killer told his captain, who now stood where Carmen had just been as he handed the redhead the freshest plate.

“Go ahead and start morning routine without me, men,” Kid’s delayed reply was an order, and Carmen pressed her back into the end of the island as she intently listened, especially for footsteps. But for now, it seemed she was safe with more orders. “I got some work I wanna get done. Last I checked, we’re still on course to dock this afternoon. I want one of you to take an inventory check – see if anything needs restocked.”

“How about fruit?” Wire suggested. “Budgie may be willing to make us some more jam.”

From her hiding place, Carmen gave a thumbs-up to Haikei who confirmed for the crew. “Yeah, good idea. I get the feeling she’d be happy to.”

“Not much use for jam if there’s nothing to spread it on,” the redhead was aggravated as he observed the plate with a single piece of toast and mere crumbs. “Which one of you took an extra piece?”

Carmen’s face was flooded with dread as she heard Killer began his answer. “Oh, that was my mistake, Kid. Almost forgot,” the Massacre Soldier’s hand reached and yanked the somehow unscathed toast from her mouth, and she listened with wide eyes as he explained. “It got dropped this morning. The floors are clean if you want it.”

She heard his typical grunt of a response, but then came the concerning part – approaching footsteps. In a panic, she was on all-fours again, scuttling her way around to the outside of the counter. Some of the crew members were amused while others exchanged nervous glances as they watched her attempt at stealth while the captain once again stood where she had just been.

With only one arm, he placed the plate on the counter and began pouring a glass from one of the available pitchers. But with his height and the worried grimace on Carmen’s face, it was clear there was a real possibility of her being caught – any movement from her would be sure to catch his attention.

“Um…” Wire nervously spoke up. “Were there any more orders, boss?”

Carmen listened carefully with bated breath. From where she was pressed up against the island, she could just get a glimpse of those ridiculous lizard-print pants and that maroon feathered captain’s coat.

“Morning routine. Inventory,” he spoke after some thought, and stuffed his mouth with two pieces of bacon from the plate. “Prepare to dock in a few hours.”

“We’re on it, Kid,” Carmen heard Killer say, and the captain must’ve looked to his first mate because Bubblegum frantically gestured for her to move with his eyes. Quickly and quietly, she used her powers to levitate just above the ground and move towards the other end of the island, her calves down glowing blue and the usual trail of sparkles lighting up behind her.

“If one of you handle inventory, I’ll take over your part of morning routine,” Reck offered to anyone. “It’s been slow around here lately; I wouldn’t mind some extra work.”

Just as he finished his sentence, Carmen safely pressed her back to the end of the counter, though the sanctuary would be short-lived.

“Whatever, just get it done,” Kid placed his cup on the plate where bacon had been and carried the dish in his single had. “I’ll be in my quarters.”

Carmen had heard the footsteps immediately after the words, and before she knew it, she caught a glimpse of him walking by out of the peripheral of her wide eyes. An instant reaction, she was on all-fours for a final time, scurrying back around the counter, past Killer in the kitchen, and all the way back around to the far end where she stayed until she heard the captain kick the door close behind him.

“Whew!” she exclaimed when she bounced up, and the first mate already had his eyes on her through the mask.

“You owe me.”

“Of course, Kill,” Carmen took one of his hands and looked up to him with the utmost gratitude. “Buy you a drink tonight?” She offered as she span around him back into the kitchen where she was delighted to see that last piece of toast still on the plate. “Ooh~” As quickly as she saw it, she swiped it and was already hurrying to the exit. “Actually, I owe all of you for that. First round on me tonight! See you boys later!”

And just like that, she gone – door closed behind her and all – rushed out to avoid any and all questions.

“Alright…” the Massacre Solider spoke up to his crew, but those blue eyes behind that mask were fixed on the door. “Something happened.”

#one piece #one piece fanfiction #wandering star #carmen amsel #kid pirates #eustass kid #massacre soldier killer #op heat #op wire #one piece origial character #one oiece oc #my writing #snippet

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darkmasterofcupcakes · 11 months

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Total Drama Changes: World Tour

Part 3, and the first time I’m not going to be doing a “My Way” for the special between this season and the next one, since we’re officially into the seasons where they stopped having any kind of real transition between them (most likely because they didn’t want to have to worry about bringing up the winners in the specials).

As always, these aren’t going to go into a ton of detail about changes to the actual challenges, just the stuff involving the characters and their relationships/dynamics, as well as some of the elimination orders. And a small reminder that in this version of World Tour, the canon cast for the season is joined by Trent, Eva, Geoff, and Katie (I literally flipped a coin to decide which one would be part of the season).

Obviously the love triangle isn’t going to happen, considering Gwen and Trent are still together, though at least at the start of the season, Duncan and Courtney will still be broken up from the events of this version of the Celebrity Manhunt Special

While Zeke does still stow away on the plane, and is effected by it, the Feral Zeke subplot also does not happen. Zeke maintains his humanity despite his ordeal, though he does get paler from a lack of sunlight, and struggles a bit to speak in louder tones due to not talking much while he was hiding - since he didn’t want to reveal himself.

The canonical team members are the same as canon, including Izzy and Sierra switching teams. The difference is obviously from the inclusion of the four new characters. Eva is on Team Amazon, Geoff and Katie are on Team Chris, and Trent is on Team Victory.

Side note: yes, Chris did intentionally put Geoff and Trent on different teams from their girlfriends solely to mess with the four of them by forcing them to compete against each other until at least the merge.

The whole running gag of Team Victory always losing will not be included, nor will the DJ’s animal curse thing.

That being said, the exact elimination order hasn’t been decided yet, with the exception of Duncan being the first to leave, and Ezekiel goes fairly early as well, leading to the stowaway arc/plot line.

Alejandro will still have his whole thing of flirting with basically all the girls, including Bridgette, but it won’t be as successful as in canon. Meaning there might be some blushing/flustered stammering or whatever, but let’s just say the pole kiss never happens.

Cody doesn’t make it anywhere near the final three. He’s maybe not the first one gone from Team Amazon, but he’s close to it.

Cody gets eliminated for similar reasons to Duncan initially - not singing when he’s supposed to.

Trent and Courtney are among the people who make it the farthest. Not sure yet if they’d be the finalists, but they’d definitely make it well into the merge at the very least.

The whole volcano eruption never happens, nor does whoever win lose the million.

Actually, slight spoilers: in all of these changed versions, whoever wins the money in the end gets to actually keep it

Blaineley never joins the competition, and only actually appears as a temporary co-host in the Aftermath, along with Sadie (who, along with Katie, is who I decided would be the host from the Action episodes)

Duncan does come back later in the show like he did in canon but instead of starting a relationship with Gwen, in this version his subplot involves him and Courtney fixing their relationship, which they do shortly before Duncan gets eliminated for real

The London challenge ends up being a reward challenge, so Noah stays on a bit longer

Owen and Izzy don’t break up, and Izzy doesn’t have her “Brainzilla” thing at all

Gwen will probably get eliminated around the same time she did in canon, though obviously for at least slightly different reasons, since here it’s not like Courtney has any personal reason to want her gone

Because there’s no cheating subplot, Courtney and Gwen really form a solid friendship that extends into Courtney and Trent starting to bond after they both get into the merge

Sierra would be toned down a decent amount; she’d still have a very obvious crush on Cody, but would at least be a bit more respectful of his personal boundaries. But she’d still be in a bit of denial of the fact that Cody doesn’t feel the same way about her

#Total Drama #Total Drama World Tour #Fanfic Stuff

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myveryownfanfiction · 2 years

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18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI

YOU WILL BE BLOCKED

requested by @ghostlypie

Request: if it's not too early for Halloween prompts could you do movie marathon for Norman and Goblin? Any horror franchise is fine I've pretty much seen them all and am desensitized to them now, sadly

Warning: alien spoilers, horror movies, Goblin being a little shit

AN: Halloween requests are open btw! It’s the pinned post on this page. BTW there’s a point of view shift so you can see what the conversation between Norman and the Goblin is.

“Norman! Come on! If we wait any longer we won’t be able to do the full franchise!” There was some shuffling from the direction of the kitchen before some loud beeping. Shaking my head and fighting a laugh, I ventured into the room. “Need any help there dear?”

“I may have burned the popcorn.” Norman said as he bent down to look at the microwave where a new bag of popcorn was spinning. “I did exactly what you told me to do and it still didn’t work.” He looked over his shoulder at me. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. “I guess I’m not cut out for this after all.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned over his back to kiss his cheek.

“It’s fine. I’m sure with a little help you’ll have it this time.” Norman nodded and put a hand over mine on his stomach. We listened to the popping for a bit before I pointed at the microwave. “Stop it now.” He pushed the stop button and pulled out the bag. I let go of him as I grabbed the bowl and slid it over to him.

“Alright. Food and drinks are all set. Movie set up?” I nodded as I took his hand and led him back to the living room. “What are we watching again?” Sitting down, Norman’s arm settled over my shoulders and I leaned against his.

“The ‘Alien’ franchise. It’s a mix of sci-fi and horror. A couple jumpscares. But my favorite out of all of them.” Norman kissed my head as I started the movie. Everything was quiet as the movie progressed. I could feel Norman tense up as the face huggers made an appearance. I turned my head to look at him. He was hyper focused on the film and had a semi glazed over look in his eyes. I gently nudged him, making him jump slightly. “You alright?”

“Yeah.” His voice cracked a bit prompting him to clear his throat. “I’m fine. Really.” He kissed my temple and I settled in to wrap my arm across his stomach.

“We can switch to something else if you want. I don’t mind.” I kissed his neck as he settled more into the sofa. He shook his head and motioned to the tv. I squeezed his waist before turning my attention back to the movie. I tightened my grip on him as the chest burster caused him to nearly jump out of his seat. “Norman.” I paused the movie and sat up, taking his face in my hands. “If it’s too much I’ll change it. Horror movies aren’t for everyone. Trust me I know.” He shook his head again.

“I’m fine. I just didn’t expect any of this.” He waved his head at the screen. “Don’t stop just on my account.” Reluctantly, I started the movie up again and settled against him. Norman tightened his grip on me almost immediately.

‘Look at you Osborn.’ Norman swallowed thickly as the voice in his head made its presence known. ‘Too weak to make it through a stupid cheesy movie. Let me take over. At least you’ll stop jumping at every little scare. (Y/N) will appreciate it more.’ Norman stood up, making me slip out of his grip.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” He leaned down and kissed my head. “I’ll be right back.” I nodded as he left the room and I paused the movie. The door closed and I heard him talking to himself. Creeping up to the door, I leaned against the wall to listen. I knew it was wrong to listen in on his conversation but based on how one sided it is, I figured he was talking to the Goblin.

**************Norman’s POV****************

“You will not take over. It’s the one time a year (Y/N) finds joy in and I want to share that with them.” My hands hit the counter so hard I felt them sting. “I don’t care if it scares me half to death. I will make it through the damn movie if it kills me. But I won’t have to worry about that because YOU won’t let that happen.” I waved my hand at the reflection staring back at me. An eyebrow arched and a sneer stared back at me.

‘Cute Osborn. Very cute.’ I grit my teeth and gripped the counter. ‘Watching a little movie is nothing compared to any of the other things the two of you could do. Let me out. You know I won’t hurt them. The two of us watch the movie. You get to not watch the scary little movie.’ I scowled at the reflection.

“Shut up!” I hit the counter again. My palm was turning red with the amount of times I was hitting it. “Shut up! I will finish that movie. And you,” I poked the mirror and watched as the reflection matched my own. “Will stay out of this. Including what I think is best for this relationship. And you are not it.” Running my hand down my face, I turned around and opened the door.

****************normal POV*******************

“(Y/N).” Norman said as he walked into the hall. I slid my arms around his waist. I leaned my head against him and squeezed. His arms came around me hesitantly.

“It’s ok Norman. We don’t have to watch the movie anymore. We’ll find something else.” He shook his head and pushed me away gently.

“No.” Taking my hand and leading me back to the couch, Norman sat me down and crouched down in front of me. His eyes shown as he looked up at me. A nervous smile was on his face. “You love these and I want to spend the time with you. I don’t care if I’m scared. I know you’ll be there to keep me safe. You’ll keep me grounded with your arm around me. As long as I’m with you, I’ll be alright.” He leaned up and kissed me. Sitting back down, Norman pulled me against him. With another kiss, he started the movie and held me against him tightly.

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sorcerous-caress · 4 months

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The only tips I have are for Mass Effect 2 and 3 and I don’t wanna spoil anything so I’ll get back to you on that when you get there. I will say though you should pick either charm or intimidation rather than putting points into both because intimidation won’t have any use if you’re doing a good playthrough and same with charm when doing a bad playthrough. Also having max of one of them is very helpful for later skill checks. Although you should play how you want it’s an rpg after all just don’t want you to accidentally miss something or not be able to do a speech check. Speaking of missing something make sure you do all quests because they do all have some sort of impact. What kind of impact? As a time traveler would say, Spoilers. Hope this isn’t a lot lol

Also the reason the graphics for 1 look so good is because of the remaster lol if only they had those graphics in 2007

Fjhwidjs the time traveller bit was really funny. And this is perfect! Thanks for sharing this info with me.

And oh! It's remastered, that makes sense. Because If a game looked this good in 2007, then there would be a well established known cult for it already by now.

Off topic but man I really hate third party launchers in steam, having to load EA app each time before i play it does suck. At least it's better than ubisoft launchers.

I guess I am doing a good playthrough this time around, orphan war hero with charm, makes sense.

Also, i forgot to write it in the previous post since I rewrote it 4 whole times so here it is, I'm happy to see that you're still here <3

And I figured out the button for sprint! I am no longer power walking through the game!

I am still trying to figure out how to switch to mele on a controller tho- whoever came up with this layoutr must have hated the devs or people who play shooter games with controllers.

#♡otherfandoms #♡mass effect

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docexe-mx · 1 year

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Some belated thoughts on Boruto manga’s chapter 80

We have officially reached the time skip, a critical juncture for the story. Just at the same time, the manga decided to go on hiatus, almost a month after the anime did the same.

The manga’s absence will be short lived as it returns in August, so the hiatus is clearly for purposes of giving the creative team more time to prepare for the next arc. The anime, meanwhile, might take longer to return as I presume they’ll wait until the manga gets a good amount of material so it doesn’t catch up too quickly.

On the one hand, it makes sense the anime is taking a break given they had reached a point where they had little material left to adapt from the manga and it wasn’t easy to insert any more filler or original arcs.

On the other hand, I think it would have been better if they had adapted the rest of the Eida arc and finished “part I” on the current manga chapter before going on hiatus. I guess the Studio didn’t know the time skip was about to come or preferred to prioritize the celebration of the OG anime anniversary, given there’s going to be commemorative episodes from it later this year.

As to the content of the actual chapter itself, a few impressions with spoilers after the cut:

Honestly, as critical as this chapter is for the rest of the story, I feel that it was a bit rushed towards the end, but I have to admit I find the set-up intriguing. It’s essentially a twisted mirror of what happened at the end of Naruto’s part I: In the original series, Sasuke willingly abandons Konoha to become a missing nin in pursue of his revenge, while Naruto vows to bring him back and leaves on a training trip in order to become stronger. Here, with everyone’s memories of him altered, Boruto is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and forced to become a missing nin and abandon Konoha, while Kawaki vows to hunt him down and kill him in order to put an end to the Ootsutsuki clan.

Ironically, Sasuke also became a missing nin again but for completely different reasons: This time he helped Boruto escape and will be traveling with him in order to train him and protect him at the behest of Sarada. In a way, that also makes him parallel Jiraiya’s mentorship role in the original series even further. As an aside, him saying that even if he can’t trust his own memories he will always trust his daughter was a nice touch.

As I suspected, all this mess was engineered by Momoshiki himself in an attempt to break down Boruto spirit and take definitive control over his body. But just to show that the apple never falls far from the tree, in spite of how dire is his current situation, Boruto doesn’t let it brought him down and vows to become stronger and eventually return to fix things with Kawaki. I have to say that while the kid didn’t exactly start as one of my favorite Shonen protagonists, he definitely has become one after this chapter.

Eida got a few more points in my book as well, given how she apologized to Boruto for the mess caused by her Omnipotence Shinjutsu and decided to help him a little by refusing to share his location with Kawaki or Shikamaru. We also learn that even if she dies, the effects of her Shinjutsu won’t dispel. I wonder if there’s any possibility of she eventually learning how to control her powers (at least to a certain extent) in order to reverse the damage.

Sarada awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan in response to Boruto’s plight is a massive piece of BoruSara ship teasing, especially if you remember that, in the manga, Sarada didn’t awaken her Sharingan out of trauma or stress like the rest of her clan bur rather out of love: She awakened it specifically due to the excitement of finally meeting her father. I’m not necessarily complaining given I do like the pairing. I’m just extremely wary and already tired of the inevitable shipping wars that will come because this fandom never changes.

Naruto and Hinata are safe and sound, both in a state of unconsciousness akin to suspended animation. Time is stopped in the dimension that Kawaki sent them, so neither one will age or suffer from inanition while trapped there. It’s very likely they weren’t affected by Eida’s spell, so that will make things… interesting when/if they’re freed from there.

It seems Code is still building his army from the Juubi’s body. With his memories altered by Eida, all of his hatred towards Kawaki has now transferred to Boruto, so it seems like he plans to hunt him down as well. I guess that means he won’t attack Konoha for a while.

The chapter ended leaving a LOT of pressing questions unanswered, hence why I felt like it was rushed towards the end. Some of the more pressing ones:

Why are Sarada and Sumire immune to Eida’s power? Are they the only ones immune to the Shinjutsu or are there more people unaffected as well? If there are more people that were unaffected, does that mean Boruto and Sasuke might find allies during their travel?

What happened to Himawari? Was she also affected by the Omnipotence Shinjutsu and had the memories of her beloved brother rewritten? And if she wasn’t affected (which might be a possibility related to the strong “intensity” that Daemon felt from her) how is she going to react to Kawaki’s actions and the rest of the village turning against her brother?

For that matter, while we know the Shinjutsu overwrote the memories of people regarding Boruto and Kawaki, what about all the physical evidence that exists contradicting the new history? All the video, photos, documents and records that exists showing that Boruto is the Hokage son: Did all of those disappear? Were they altered by the Shinjutsu? Or is people’s perception of them altered so, to put an example, if someone looks at a photo of Boruto with his family they will see Kawaki there instead?

Now that most people think that Naruto is dead, what will happen to Konoha’s leadership? Will Kakashi return to the position as 6th Hokage? Will they name a successor?

I hope all of these questions get answered when the manga returns for the time skip.

#naruto #boruto naruto next generations #spoilers #analysis #criticism #uzumaki boruto #kawaki #uchiha sasuke #eida #uchiha sarada #ootsutsuki momoshiki

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faithofgods · 2 years

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fog log #36 - general update / break (august 13.22)

It’s been a minute since an actual fog log log, and it’s going to be a minute longer until there’s an ‘upcoming update’ one. More to the point, there’s been some medical emergency stuff happening with my sister in the last week, and I won’t be able to put any time towards actively working on the update for the next ~few months as I’ll be taking care of her until she recovers. I’ll try to keep the blog itself relatively active, but any writing will be on a complete hold.

Flor’s birthday is upcoming (next week, happy early birthday to them!), but with the halt on progress, the full celebration of it will be postponed; I really want there to be actual scenes to choose from re: their POVs, and as of the game’s standing now without the final part of the act, there aren’t many available.

To make up for it, I have some posts scheduled for the day of (August 17th) with snippets that were never shared or posted here; they revolve around their daily life in Treles, as well as around their relationship / life back home with a Mydras MC (both romantically and platonically). Hopefully these act as good substitutions until their birthday can actually be celebrated.

And with FOG progress being on hold, I figured I could share some things from / ramble a bit about the update below the cut—spoilers ahead!

general

There are two main paths the chapter splits into, stemming around the choice (or ‘choice’, for Sedruadal MCs) made at the end of the last update—whether Treles was entered alone or with Khiita / Flor’s help. The paths will rejoin by the end of it, but the branch itself will have lasting (and IMO, fun) consequences for MC for the rest of the game, particularly revolving around their ‘cover’ and what it may become

sol

The only thing that can really be shared with Sol’s route—beyond the inevitable conclusion to them (potentially) trespassing where they shouldn’t have—is that what’s been simmering in the background of their relationship with a romanced augur will finally have a chance to be forced into light and acted upon—one of a few things that can be impulsively acted on with them

khiita

Khiita is a bit of an interesting case with the update. The latter half of the chapter has a heavy involvement from + focus on her and Flor, that much has been said from the very beginning; what’s still up in the air is whether her preview scene will end up staying in this chapter like initially planned, or instead be moved to Chapter 4 or 5, where it has equal potential. Regardless, those who have accepted her or Flor’s help are in for a very busy day, and those on her romanced route will have a similar opportunity that those on Sol’s do

flor

It’s a Flor-heavy chapter! It's not a spoiler or a surprise, but they really are the star focus of it. Them (and their partner) have a prominent role throughout the chapter, and are the ultimate deciders of a very important fate for the augur + their goals. There’s also the full reunion scene with Mydras MCs to look forward to (some of which was shared here), as well as a smaller, equally sweet moment for non-past MCs to have a chance at getting to know them better

cían

Cían’s official introduction into the game! Finally, but also a fair amount of time spent with him in general. There’s a spot for his (first) intimate / explicit scene near the end of the chapter, though I’m unsure it’ll make it into the released version of the update (i.e, it won’t). FOG—at least, the COG / dashingdon version—isn’t marked as an 18+ game, which is where the hesitation lies. The tentative plan is to keep it from this version of the game, and later add it in with FOG’s move to Twine (which will be marked as 18+). As it stands, his conversation with the augur that leads to this ends with an awkward goodnight instead, which is still painfully on brand for him.

#aven.doc #fog log #fog spoilers #it says 'break' but it's more like. pause.

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sunkeeperxiv · 8 months

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FFXIV Write Day 14: Clear

Late post! I completely scrapped the way I was going with this halfway through, so it took a little longer, hah.

EW timeframe/spoilers; ~900 words

Daca'li isn't the worst patient imaginable... but some aspects of convalescence do wear on him, and he's never been shy about showing his frustration.

Daca’li flattened his ears and let a low growl escape his throat. It had been miserable enough to have been confined to a bed for the past two full weeks, not even counting the time he’d spent drifting in and out of consciousness. Since their return from Ultima Thule, he hadn’t had the energy to fight anyone on that restriction, not the Sharlayan chirurgeons, not the Scions, and certainly not any of his visiting family members.

Some indignities, however, he could not permit to continue, and the strict diet of archon loaf and clear broth he’d been placed on sat securely on the top of that list. Even now G’raha sat by his bedside, outright brandishing a thick slice of that awful concoction the Sharlayans called food at him. He had gone to some effort, it was true - it was toasted, and he’d spread butter and jam on it in an effort to make it more palatable. All the effort in the world wouldn’t help, though.

G’raha’s ears were down, a tired expression on his face. “Come, Daca’li. You must replenish your body’s stores of aether to recover your strength. Please, I know you dislike it, but it will help you." His gaze flicked upward briefly, but Daca’li ignored it, his attention fixed firmly on the bread slice.

“I can replenish my body’s aether just fine with real food,” he retorted. “Bring me some o’ that and I’ll eat whatever you want. But I can’t bear any more o’ that shite.” G’raha sighed and shook his head.

“The chirurgeons have recommended this. I promise, when you are well you may have whatever you like, but for now just put up with this.” Daca’li offered no concession, and a crack appeared in G’raha’s patience. “I have eaten this myself, you know. Many times. It is not nearly as bad as you are insisting it to be.”

“That’s no reason to force it on me! Just give me actual soup with actual bread!”

“You may have whatever you want when you are recovered enough.” The barest hint of a growl crept into G’raha’s own voice as he repeated himself. “For now, eat this. Surely, after all you have been through, this is among the least of the difficulties you have faced.”

That gave Daca’li pause. G’raha wasn’t one to growl, typically. He was intent on getting Daca’li to eat, and Daca’li knew better than to think G’raha wanted him to be miserable. “Why’s this so important to you? I’ve got all the time I need to recover, right? There’s no new crisis looming over us. I can take it slow if I need to.” G’raha frowned and drew his hand back, staring down at the slice of bread in it.

“I— Aye. There’s no reason to rush you, no. I only—“ He paused, biting at his lip. “I realize you are no stranger to injury but, this time was… extraordinarily severe.” He wouldn’t meet Daca’li’s eyes, but Daca’li knew the degree to which G’raha was understating the ordeal he’d just been through. “We were worried enough after we managed to revive you on the Ragnarok, but when you collapsed again, I— we all were worried we would lose you once more. Even now, your recovery has been so slow. I do not wish to do anything that might cause it to be slower… or cause you not to recover at all.”

Daca’li hummed thoughtfully. “Would it ease your mind to know I have been feeling better over the past week? I won’t deny it’s slow, but I am recovering, bit by bit.”

G’raha straightened a little, his expression softening. “That… is indeed reassuring. Still, your recovery is proceeding, not finished. Rest, medicine and food all remain integral to your well-being, and Archon loaf is uniquely nourishing, however much you dislike it.” The look on his face was downright pleading now. “It won’t be forever. Please, just for now, put up with it.”

Between G’raha’s obvious upset and his own infirmity, Daca’li was running out of willingness to argue. G’raha was smart enough to run circles around him in any argument besides, and stubborn to boot. “Can we strike a deal, then? I’ll put up with the Archon loaf for one meal a day, if I get real food for a different meal?”

G’raha appeared pensive, then held out the slice of bread to Daca’li again. “I believe I can acquiesce to that.”

Daca’li took the bread and decided to push his luck. “An’ maybe I could sit in a chair from time to time? Mayhap near an open window, before I forget what the sky looks like?” He braced himself and took as large a bite of the toast as he could, swallowing it with the bare minimum of chewing. Wicked white, but it was awful.

At this point G’raha seemed to be supressing laughter. “Perhaps such a thing could be arranged. If you keep up your end of the bargain.” Daca’li forced a smile and choked down the rest of the bread as quickly as he could. G’raha reached out and rubbed at one of his ears. “Thank you, love. I promise I’ll have something more palatable when I return.” Daca’li forced a purr in return.

“I’ll be better soon enough, don’t you worry,” he assured G’raha. “If only to be rid of this soddin' abomination of a breakfast. That’s a promise.”

“I’ve no doubt, truly,” G’raha replied. “But I’ll be right here with whatever you need, just in case.”

#ffxiv fic #ffxivwrite2023 #fic snippets #wolgraha #late but done

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ljfeed-spn-j2-bigbang · 1 year

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Writers! This is how to turn in your story!

We almost are to the first big deadline of this challenge. EXCITING. First drafts of ALL FIC are due May 1. Here's what you need to know about submitting your draft: 1. The deadline for submission is May 1. As long as it's May 1 wherever you are when you send it, you're on time. 2. Absolutely no extensions past May 1. We need to get things moving on May 2 in order to get ready for the art claiming part of this, which takes a lot of time, hence the deadline. 3. What I need from you by May 1: Send an email to [email protected] with this information pasted into the body of the email: 1. Your LJ username: 2. Your final title: 3. Story rating: 4. What ONE pairing (or gen, if no pairing) do you want your story listed under for claiming? 5. Your story summary for artists: 6. Any warnings an artist might need to know before choosing a story: Then, attach your story draft to the email. Do NOT paste the contents of your fic into the email itself. This just freezes my computer and makes me cranky. PLEASE attach your fic to the email, but paste the template information above into the email itself. Got it? Your complete first draft must be at least 20,000 words. No exceptions. Please send it in a word file attached to your email. (No one is going to see this but me, and I'm only looking for word count and story completeness.) A google doc link also is fine. A word about story summaries...for this draft, the summary is aimed at piquing the interest of an artist during the claims process. It probably is NOT the same summary you should use to attract readers. You might consider emphasizing any visual elements in your story. This is not the time to be worried about spoilers! You're looking for a collaborator here, so entice them! Be complete. Yet succinct. You should be able to do your summary in about one paragraph. 4. On May 10 I will post final titles and summaries (without the authors' names attached) for the artists to preview. Artist claims will open May 13. 5. Art/vids first drafts will be due by May 31. 6. I will make a staggered posting schedule starting June 12. Don't worry about this now, I'll make the schedule after I see how many stories have been turned in. You will have plenty of notice! Because this is so important, I'm going to say it again, in all caps: THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS, FOR ANY REASON, TO THE MAY 1 DEADLINE. A few more details:

I don't care what you put in the subject line of your email. Just send it!

If you need to drop out, just don't turn in a May 1 draft and you're out...see how easy that is?

You don't need to tell me you turned in your draft. I will check you in, it just won't be immediate, so give me a bit, ok?

PLEASE be kind if it takes me longer than you think necessary to respond! So that's it. Finish up, don't panic and have fun! There will be more reminders moving forward, so don't worry about forgetting or not having a chance to ask questions. You guys are doing awesome, KEEP GOING! from Supernatural and J-Squared Big Bang Challenge! https://ift.tt/GD654q2

#supernatural #J2 #big bang #spn-j2-bigbang #livejournal #fanworks

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thessalian · 2 years

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Thess vs Major Disappointment

I ... just can’t today. I literally just cannot.

All my bus routes were basically no-go zones because of roadworks. So I took the Tube. Which was expensive, but never mind, we live in hope that I won’t have to do this for much longer, right?

(Spoiler: that’s not exactly a given.)

So the typing queue was awful and I was still being left with the long crappy bits (oh, no, sorry; Temp took one. Left me the other dozen or so). We didn’t even really make a dent, partly because Milady’s away but mostly because one of the trusts that send us referral cases sent a grand total of five emails full of reports they wanted us to send to them, and guess who got the duty? Yeeeeeep. So between long, complicated typing, the pain spasms that had me in tears at my desk again, and that level of report-tracking, it wasn’t exactly a banner day for getting shit done.

Of course, about a half-hour of that got blown because IT guy’s boss, keen to make things right, at least tried to contact me about the whole issue with my laptop, after his IT guy has been messing me about for months. After some discussion, we figured it was because of a miscommunication issue - basically we were pretty sure I’d been given the wrong network address. So I said I’d give it a shot when I got home (because apparently the ethernet jacks are keyed to very specific computers so I couldn’t have tested any of this from work anyway).

Thing is ... that relied on my getting home. Because I could not face the walk to the Tube station, I decided to get the Overground. Unfortunately, the Overground train just ahead of us had an ‘incident’, and we got stuck at a middle-of-nowhere station for about twenty minutes. Probably more; I lost track. Anyway, we got moving again, but only got as far as Shepherd’s Bush before they decided that apparently they were going to take the train we were on out of service, and get us to wait for the next one. Now, keep in mind that Shepherd’s Bush a pretty large public transport hub - Overground, Central Line (second only to the Northern Line for how horrific the crush can get), and about a dozen buses. The Overground platform at Shepherd’s Bush is always crowded. When we got off, it was an absolute crush. I knew full well that I wasn’t even going to be able to get on a train, never mind get a seat. So I had to take the long way around just to get back to a spot I could actually commute from. So it was Central Line to Oxford bloody Circus, swap to the Bakerloo Line, and then there to Elephant and Castle where I could catch the 363. Thankfully I was at just about the tail end of rush hour by the time I finally got onto the Tube, so that’s something. Of course, I got out at Elephant and Castle just in time to see my bus drive away. Had to wait ten minutes for the next one ... only to find that I’d miscalculated the funds available on my Oyster Card and got told “Not enough money” when I tapped in on the bus. The one decent thing that happened in this whole mess was that the bus driver just waved me on when I stepped aside to dig for my debit card. I’m just really aggravated because I was sure there was an upper limit on how much you paid for London travel and I only topped the damn thing up today so there should have been enough to cover it. So I’m going to have to top the damn thing up again for tomorrow.

Another spoiler there. Because, see, when I finally staggered back home, first thing I did was test out whether we were right about my having been given the wrong network address. Turned out ... yeah, we were right! Someone gave the wrong network address and now I have the right one, and I logged onto my remote desktop with no problem! Finally! I was thrilled and relieved!

...Then I tested the transcription software which was what we were waiting to get sorted out in the first place.

Guess what?

IT DIDN’T. FUCKING. WORK.

Everything else works except for the one thing I really, literally need to do my damn job. So tomorrow I have put more money on my Oyster Card (I’ve spent well over my monthly travel budget because of the roadworks mess, and it’s pissing me off) and face the prospect of the hell-commute again, all to go back to IT guy’s boss and try to find a polite way of asking what the fuck he’s been doing, because this? The setting up of my transcription software? WAS WHAT ALL OF THIS WAS FOR IN THE FIRST PLACE! That was exactly what the original ticket was about. And yet somehow it took all this just to find out how much he did not do his damn job.

I’m supposed to be walking a player through less a level-up and more a major class change today (it was supposed to be last week but I was having a significant pain flare. Not that today’s any better but I was hoping to be working from home by now or at least have the prospect of upcoming work from home to ease the pain). I should be putting together dinner and sorting myself out for that. Game’s Sunday and I can’t put this off much longer. But honestly, all I want to do is curl up and cry. I have been through too much with all of this and I’m finally just at the point where I think it’s sorted and I find out that the absolute base level thing I was asking for? Just didn’t get done.

I would like to get through just one day where I don’t end up in tears. That would be really great.

#Thess has a day job

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sapphosclown · 1 year

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i just finished watching wednesday on netflix and i wanna talk about it

spoilers ahead

first and foremost i would like to say i am not a fan of the addams family, i do not know pretty much anything about the lore or anything other than the basic stuff, goth family, morticia and gomez are in love, wednesday is spooky. i wanted to watch this show for two reasons, i wanted to see more of the addams family and i think jenna ortega is pretty.

now that thats out of the way, i saw some people critiquing the family dynamics of the netflix show, saying the big thing about the addams family is that whilst being goth and morbid they love each other and the fact that was changed in the show really softened a blow for them. considering i haven’t seen past versions i don’t want ti comment too much on this. i will say tho, i think maybe giving wednesday mommy issues was cheap writing because i think a loving family dynamic would have made for more interesting characters. the switch up i can only imagine came into play because they needed a way to draw out the plot/leave wednesdays visions a mystery for longer.

speaking of cheap writing, i did find the show a bit corney from an outside perspective. i think the actors did a great job, especially jenna ortega, but the writing was meh and the plot was predictable, to me at least. that’s not to say it wasn’t enjoyable. i truly enjoyed my watch through and had a fun time watching and trying to put together the puzzle with wednesday. i will say i predicted that plot twist half way through the show purely because it seemed right there and i thought it would be funny. a lot of little moments i totally saw coming.

the plot itself wasn’t bad, persay, but i would’ve liked it to be different. the heavy focus on romance/the love triangle was not something i expected but i really should have to be honest. i didn’t have any expectations walking into the show so i can’t say definitively what i would’ve liked to see instead. again, an enjoyable watch if you’re just watching something for the hell of it but it didn’t feel like anything special to me, just another retold story of a beloved character.

the thing that distracted me maybe the most the whole time was the cgi of the hyde. literally what the fuck was that. why did it look so fucking goofy. i literally couldn’t even be stressed when it was on screen bc of how goofy it looked. ESPECIALLY when it showed tyler turning into the hype, damn near peed my pants. there’s no way they’re budget was that damn small that they couldn’t get some better special effects. like i can’t tell if it was supposed to be goofy as a style choice or if they just ran out of money for that part. i watched the entirety of First Kill (also on netflix) which had many reviews on the poor sfx and i truly think the hyde was worse than anything in that show.

on a little bit of a separate tangent but relating back to first kill, it’s a little frustrating that this show honestly was just as corney as first kill was but this one will probably get a second season but first kill won’t. whether it be the queer love story or it just simply isn’t as marketable as the addams family, it makes me sad.

i’m regards to the romance, i truly think from the bottom of my heart wednesday and enid should have gotten together. assuming there will be a season 2 i would still like to see them end up together. their hug at the end of episode 8 brought more emotion than any scene they had with their love interests. and i don’t want to say that platonic love can’t be portrayed like that, because i love platonic love and would be happy to see more of it. but id also be happy to see sapphic content, especially in something as recognizable and popular as the addams family. not to mention how queer themes already present themselves relevantly in the plot. this whole “outcasts vs normies” thing is a painfully obvious reflection on minority groups. wednesday being the odd one out even in her own strange family would be so well tied together in her also being queer. not to mention the blatant metaphor in the parents day episode about enid wolfing out and being afraid her family won’t accept her if she doesn’t fit their expectations. a sapphic love story between enid and wednesday would have enhanced the plot substantially and made it feel more fleshed out than a half assed love triangle with two white boys i can barley tell apart. i would take a focused story of these two girls falling for each other over the other one any day.

not to mention, wednesday did not really like tyler nor xavier. she only cared about herself and used them to get what she wanted/needed. and i love it for her! but why did they try to say she liked them! especially tyler! she had absolutely zero interest in him romantically. i honestly wanted to like it so bad but there was nothing between them to me. he clearly had feelings for her but she did not reciprocate them. on the other hand, i believe wednesday loves enid, if not proven by their hug. there was a solid chemistry between the two of them and while consistently shown in their em sections of the screen it was deliberate to me in a way i don’t think i can dissect right now having only watched once. but neither of their love interests had the chemistry they had with each other and i really wish they would’ve just gone with that story or head that direction next season.

i think i will probably watch the show again, i enjoyed it. i’ll enjoy reading analysis of it because i just love film analysis. i think the visuals were pretty (besides the hyde don’t even). and most of all jenna ortega’s take on wednesday addams was, in my lowly opinion, wonderfully executed, despite the writing and plot, i loved her and feel like she fit the part very well. watching her do her little dancey dance is mesmerizing and i’m in love with her.

i believe that’s all i have to say, i just had many many thoughts as i was watching and i really wanted to express them. thanks for reading if anyone did, this was a little nonsenish. i’d love to hear other opinions as well :)

#wednesday #wednesday netflix #wednesday addams #bonk thoughts

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obeiii-mee · 3 years

Note

MC had a bad day or they’re dealing with a bad loss from a loved one. So they decide to seek comfort from the Brothers! But they don’t do it in a normal way, they just barge in the room where the brothers are all relaxing or hanging out at before MC just busts in getting their attention and they go “I need a hug 🥺”. Let’s see the some fluffy hc’s of the brothers comforting MC 🥰

And how could they not want to hug their cute human that is literally 3 seconds away from breaking down into tears?

The Brothers Comforting MC After A Bad Day:

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You’re right, they wouldn’t be able to resist, they love their human too much 😌

*soBS* I want to hug one of them so bad rn

Thank you for the request, I love writing fluffy HCs, it’s my weak spot and it gives me serotonin. I hope you have a nice day/night!! Uh, it’s sort of implied that MC is slightly shorter than them so sorry if that’s a problem-

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Notes: Fluff, mentions of loss and dead family members/friends, mostly comfort though, short HCs

Characters: Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, Beezlebub and Belphegor.

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Lucifer:

-He doesn’t say anything and he doesn’t really need to because him just being there, arms wrapped around you and hands lightly running up and down your back, is worth more words than any sort of verbal consolation he could’ve given you and because of this, you feel at ease

-His touch is firm but gentle and you relax almost immediately, burying your head against his chest and feeling him press a kiss on top of your hairline, tightening your hold on him

-He already told his brothers to back off because the last thing he wanted was for you you to get overwhelmed by their insensitivity so you two were left in the living room by yourselves

-In a bit of an awkward position though, because you were both standing and after a while, it was clear a hug wasn’t going to be enough

-That’s his excuse as to why he picked you up bridal style five minutes later and carried you all the way to his bedroom, a place he knows his siblings won’t ever trespass without his permission and somewhere he can shield you from any prying eyes while you’re in this vulnerable state

-At this point, he was basically cradling you like a baby, having you sit on his lap and waiting for you to tire yourself out until you couldn’t cry anymore and watching you slip into that hiccuping stage you get after a breakdown

-Lucifer is obviously going to ask what happened, but whether you answer him or not is up to you because he’s not one to push matters if he sees you’re uncomfortable talking about it

-However, he might insist if he concludes that it’s affecting you and your well being and that’s how you know usually know he’s worried

-His voice is soft though and just listening to it makes you want to tell him everything, whether it’d be something as annoying as a small inconvenience you stumbled across that day or the death of a relative, you feel welcomed enough to spill everything

-Even if you decide not to, he’ll stay with you until you feel better, until you’re no longer crying or shaking or anything of the sort. He speaks occasionally, almost soothingly about how important you are to him and how capable you are of overcoming anything in your way. For the most part, however, he remains quiet and allows you to mull over your thoughts, willing to forget about his paperwork just to let you cling to him for a few hours

-Maybe later, when you’re no longer as distressed, he could get the full story out of you and help you overcome whatever problem you’re having trouble facing but for now, he understands all you need is for him to be there

“MC?” He calls your name out because he was thinking that maybe you had fallen asleep but he realised that was not the case when you looked up at him, streaks of tears still sliding down your cheeks. When you don’t respond, he sighs almost contently “A bit longer?” You don’t answer again but this time, he could feel you nod against him and he smiles despite himself as he leaned his head against yours “All right then, just a bit longer.”

Mammon:

-Truth be told, he’s never been the best at comforting someone and normally, he’s kind of awkward when he wants to show his support because it feels so out of his character

-But it’s not like he was going to refuse you anyway. Not when you specifically came to him and asked him for help and not when you looked like you were on the verge of crying. He’d be a monster to deny you >:(

-It upsets him too, you know. He’s meant to be your protector, guardian even, so the fact that he couldn’t keep you from getting hurt makes him feel like he failed at keeping his human safe. Actually, it takes a lot of convincing on your part just to tell him that you’re not actually physically hurt. Just a shitty day…

-Mammon, despite the walls he puts up ever now and then, is someone that genuinely cares for you. And he’s also the type that does almost everything in excess, especially when it comes to you or spending money. That’s just his personality; he’s loud and boisterous and even though he wants to deny this, completely transparent with his emotions

-You ask for a hug? He gives you plenty of hugs! He lets you lay on top of him while cuddling so he can hold you!!! He brings you snacks and drinks!!! Shit, he basically cradles you the whole night!!! And he’s blushing and acting annoyed the entire time, refusing to accept how much he’s actually enjoying this

-The point is, he tends to coddle you whenever you have a bad day or if you’re really affected by the loss of a dead loved one. This is probably because he, in turn, likes to be babied and cared for when he’s feeling down and he subconsciously does that to you because it’s the only means of comfort he knows how to execute well

-A hug would’ve sufficed, but you’re his human and let him be damned if he’s not gonna give you the world on a silver platter if you keep looking at him with those sad eyes of yours

-By now, if you need anything, you just need to ask because even with a bit of grumbling, he’ll get it for you. More snacks? Say less. Wanna watch TV with him for a while? Immediately reaches for the remote? You just want to cuddle? His body is naturally warm for a reason bby, dig in. You want his heart? Give him a moment to surgically get it out of his chest-

-No matter what, he’s so glad that you trust him enough to talk to him about this sort of stuff and that he’s the first person you think of when you need consolation

-It makes sense after all, right? He’s your first pact so your direct happiness is his responsibility while you’re in DevilDom! It’s his job to make sure you function again by tomorrow morning and that you’re no longer troubled by anything

“Hey! What’s with all the crying huh?” He cups your face in his hands and softly squishes the flesh between his fingers. His thumbs brush over the tears in your eyes and he let’s out a small ‘tsk’ as your foreheads touch and his hands drip to your shoulders to keep you steady “The Great Mammon is hugging ya right now, ya know? There’s no reason for you to be upset, not when I’ve got ya in my arms like this, OK? So you can stop with yer water works now.” As noisy as his voice is, there’s a gentle note behind it when he speaks and embraces you, his cologne spreading everywhere “I love you, ya big idiot. So please, stop cryin’ and lemme hold ya already! Yer making me worried, ya stupid human.”

Levi:

-You stopping by his room is not unusual. In fact, you do it every day and it’s just part of the routine you have with him. However, he’s wasn’t exactly expecting you to stand there, all shaken up and ask him for a hug!!!

-And he doesn’t process this request for a second but then he freaks out so badly-

-Yells incomprehensibly about how you’re ‘pulling your normie tricks on him again’ and how he’s ‘not going to be fooled by them anymore.’

-You raise your head to meet his eyes while he’s still rambling on though and he sees your teary expression and now he feels guilty because you look really upset. Levi’s kinda scared he made it worse-

-He’s the type to usher you in his room and lock the door as usual but instead of doing what the two of you always do, you literally stay attached to him because you need comfort damn it!

-Levi….is sort of clueless about these emotional outbursts since he himself doesn’t deal with them very well. However, he’s watched enough animes revolving around romance to conclude on the best course of action so-do not fear! (Spoiler, he still doesn’t know what he’s doing)

-He’s really stuck and can either stay as quiet as a nun or start babbling in a language you probably wouldn’t even understand because he’s so nervous

-Or actually, he might start crying with you if I’m being fair; he’s very in sync with his Henry and your emotions

-Once he calms down, he’s actually not all that bad at comforting. Levi is a bit stand offish with his hugs at first but he relaxes into them and by now, you’re both standing by the side of his bed, with you leaning onto him and him holding your hand. He then intertwines your fingers together but subconsciously because he wouldn’t have the gall otherwise

-Later, he tells you to help yourself with the snacks he has hidden in his room. I guarantee you he has a whole ass mini refrigerator hidden somewhere for his all night gaming session, in case he needs any boosts. No one knows how Beel hasn’t found the stash yet and there’s no need to tell him

-Then you watch re runs of old shows together and make fun of the shitty editing and dialogue. He’s still holding your hand though and he’s really flustered and wondering if it’s too sweaty for you but don’t mention it because he’ll get even more embarrassed

-He glances over to you, every once in a while, whilst you’re cuddled up against his arm, eyes glued on the TV, to make sure you’re OK. You almost gave him a seizure or at least that’s how he felt-so he made it his mission to make you feel better by any means necessary. Fuck today’s raids, his team can get them done without him!!

“I-I don’t know why you would want me of all people to hug you but…” he trailed off in a whisper, having to lean down so you could wrap your arms against his neck and bury your head in his shoulder. He pulled you in closer, a streak of protectiveness coursing through him as he shut the door to his room with his foot “Lord of the Shadows would never leave Henry all on his own, so I’m not going to do that either. This is an important character development arc and-just, please don’t cry. I’ll give you more hugs, OK? Seeing you like this is not good for my heart-“ stopped mid sentence after realising what he just said and now he’s the one burying his head in your shoulder, flushed beyond hell “Forget I just said that! Holy Lord Diavolo this is embarrassing, why am I like this????”

Satan:

-It troubles him greatly to see you like this and he can sort of feel the world shift out of place, seeing you with tears running down your face and hands balled into fists out of frustration almost immediately makes him fly into a fit of rage because who would dare to hurt you-

-Oh, a hug? If that’s all you need, he’s more than happy to oblige but if you’re as distraught as you seem to be, he wonders if just a small embrace from him would be enough

-Satan’s hugs are very intimate and even passionate at times. He has one hand on the back of your head and the other supporting your lower back while you bawl your eyes out into his shoulder and getting his uniform wet

-You can’t really seem to focus on what he’s trying to tell you because he’s so warm and welcoming and even though he’s someone as renowned as the Avatar of Wrath, he’s shockingly patient with you as you let out the overwhelming emotions that have been consuming you all day

-It’s hard to not relax when you’re in Satan’s presence because he’s calm and he smells like musty, old books and mahogany wood and cats, meaning he was most likely cuddling strays he found on the street the entire day. The first visual that comes to mind is fire crackling behind a grate in a chimney and someone reading a book while swinging back and forth on an old, rickety chair when you’re around him

-He will wait until you’re no longer crying and then, before you know it, you find yourself in the library with him, drinking tea and being handed a plate of biscuits he took from the kitchen to help you regain your strength after all that crying. You’re still feeling pretty miserable about the day you’ve had but you quickly lose yourself in a conversation with him over a cup of tea

-Sometimes, you two talk for hours on end about nothing important just to hear each other’s voices and finally have some quality time spent together. Even though he wishes the circumstances were better, he’s glad to have been able to snatch you away from his brothers for a while and he’s even happier you chose him to confide in

-Satan practically doesn’t even mention your outburst and keeps the small talk minimal but he wants you to know that if you do wish to tell him about it, he’s more than happy to listen and he’s not so bad at giving advice either

-The topic of the discussion you were having with him changed abruptly by the end of the night and now you’re reading together from this book he started a while ago, both of you covered with a blanket, your head on his chest and his leaning on yours. He’s holding the book with both of his hands, but still managed to get his left wrapped around you. And because of this feeling of safety and warmth, you don’t feel desperate anymore. Tomorrow, you’ll be able to sort out your feelings but now, you’re content to just listening to Satan read, in his clear, soft voice

“Ah MC, could you turn the page for me?” You do as he asked to and you could feel him smiling as he kissed your hairline, sighing before going back to the book and the story within “Thank you. You truly are amazing, did you know that? I’ve never met someone as caring and as kind as you. Well, I suppose Beel could compete for the title but unlike him, you don’t really leave us in debt whenever we visit the grocery store.” Hearing you laugh makes him smile even more and he lets you hold the other side of the book while he plays with your hair and now you join in reading with him, out loud and trying to act out voices for the characters. As everything unfolds, Satan feels the world click right back into place.

Asmo:

-It’s a known fact by now that Asmo is willing to give you any sort of affection at any point in time, whether it’d be a hug, a kiss, holding your hand-you name it! I mean, whenever he’s feeling down, you being there to encourage him helps a lot so it’s only natural it works the other way around too!

-If he notices that you’re genuinely upset by something, then he would have no problem whatsoever with lavishing you in attention and really, a hug or two from him is the bare minimum in situations like this

-In any case, he always enjoys fussing over you and you having a bad day is the perfect excuse for him to do so! After all, he can’t disappoint you since you came to him with your troubles and he will do anything in his power to make you feel better. Actually, if he could, he would keep hugging you forever but as miraculous as his charm can be, it’s not effective against someone with this low of a morale

-His first suggestion is to take a bath! It’s his way of taking care of you; you’re tired after such a long day and he feels like you’re neglecting yourself a little because of it. So you relax in his bathtub with him for a while, him actively trying to get your mind off any bad, lingering thoughts while you splash around in the bubbles

-And obviously after that, you need to have your mandatory spa sessions with him since you need to unwind and what’s a better way to do that than to let him paint your nails and apply lotion to your skin? Besides, it creates a great opportunity for you to take things off your chest

-He’s in need to hear gossip constantly so if you don’t feel like talking, he’s gonna be a bit bummed out but he still respects your wishes enough to not push you. If your problem is as sensitive as the death of a family member, you’re not obligated to talk to him about it and he will understand, since people grieve in different ways. He too shut down after the death of Lilith for a while after all

-A bad day is nothing Asmo can’t handle. He’s had plenty of those before, mostly because of Mammon and his thievery, they’re usually common factors. It’s only natural you experience those yourself and he’s more than willing to be your support system if you need one. He wants you to know that you can go to him if you need advice or help with anything, or even if you just need to someone to hear you out

-To give a more detailed explanation of his hugs, they are usually really light and you never feel suffocated when you’re in his arms. He never squeezes you too tight and he always smells amazing, so you feel inclined to stay near him for as long as possible. Despite his overtly loud nature, he gets incredibly soft spoken with you and he traces patterns on your back and arms as you stand there together

-It’s important to mention, he never pulls away from you first. He lets you decide when you’ve had enough and when you’re ready to move on or if you require some other means of comfort

-And even if you’re no longer disgruntled, he’s still going to pamper you as much as possible the next day with either a shopping spree or another few spa sessions, this time done at a professional institution rather than the privacy of his bedroom

-Asmo is in touch with your emotions and it’s kinda scary sometimes because of how well he can read you, since he almost always knows what you need

“Oh darling, how could I refuse a hug from you?” You can feel his arms embrace you, even with your eyes closed and for some reason, this makes you cry even harder, sobbing as he tries to comfort you. You’re aware he let go of you at some point and returned with a tissue to dab away at your tears, gently to not hurt your eyes and now he’s hugging you again, a wry smile on his face “You don’t have to worry about a thing, MC. Everything will get sorted out, I promise. In the meantime, come to me if anything troubles you again, OK? No more crying, darling-it’s bad for your eyes.”

Beel:

-The type to immediately lean in for a hug without even questioning why. As soon as you ask him, you barely have time to finish the question and you already find yourself in his arms. The only exception would be when he’s eating or maybe in the middle of a work out but the point is he doesn’t hesitate much when it comes to you. And I mean, he loves hugs just as much as his siblings do

-Beel is not the most observant and he may not realise you’re in a bad mood unless you tell him outright. It’s not even that he’s emotionally distant, it’s just that if you tell him that you’re fine, then he’s gonna take your word for it and believe you since he’s pretty straightforward with his feelings as well. However, as dense as he may be on occasion, even he’s bound to notice that you’re not being your usual self and this is especially true if you start crying out of nowhere while he’s nearby. Probably assumes the worst and is under the impression that he did something to upset you because shifting the blame onto himself whenever others suffer is his coping mechanism and we’ve seen him to do it before

-If you’ve just had a bad day, he understands that things could’ve been very overwhelming for you and he wishes he had known sooner so he could’ve helped back then, instead of letting it come to this. But he doesn’t hesitate all that much since he looks like he’s built for giving hugs on a daily basis. I’m not even sure this would classify as a hug since you’re not touching the floor. Rather, you are attached to him like a koala and he’s carrying you around as if you were a baby strapped to his chest. And he genuinely doesn’t mind. He’s been doing it with Belphie for centuries now

-Please, after a while he gets seriously concerned because are humans supposed to cry this much? What if you dehydrate or something? So he makes you stay in bed and just gives you plenty of water. You look so pale and sad, he shares his food with you too because his heart is aching just looking at you like this. He feels like besides being there, he can’t provide you with much help and he’s starting to think he’s hopeless at comforting

-If a family member died then…Beel is one of the best people you could’ve gone to. Honestly, having dealt with his sister’s situation, he knows how horrible it is to lose somebody you love dearly (I mean, all the brothers do but I’m making a point saying Beel, Belphie and Lucifer were especially affected). Now he’s sad himself since he’s aware that you’re going through something similar and his twin might walk in on the two of you being emotional on the floor

-For the most part, Beel makes sure you keep yourself healthy even when you’re tired and depressed. Continues to bring you food, even if he eats half of it on his way to your room, and just keeps you company in general in case you get lonely. Seeing you upset makes him even more considerate of your feelings and you don’t have the heart to tell him that he doesn’t need to stay with you all night. He thinks he does because you’ve always offered to stay with him whenever he’s had nightmares before so how he’s gotta return the favour

-Beel gives these bear hugs all the time, since he’s so big and his hand basically covers your entire back. So, more often than not, you end up cuddling while standing because he’s a lot taller than you, with him being a demon and all. Despite that, you feel so unbelievably complete when he holds you like this. It’s hard not to feel protected since his whole body is practically concealing yours so easily all the time and you feel sheltered from the world and it’s….nice

-And Beel enjoys hugging you too, because he knows that as long as he’s nearby, you’ll be safe and that’s really all he needs. He wants to be there for you the same way you were there for him when he needed it most and comforting you when you’re having a shitty day is like his full time job

-You could come to Beel with any problem and he would never judge you, no matter what. He’s just really unproblematic and he just wants you to go back to your normal self because it hurts him to see you cry your eyes out. Now, not only are hugs mandatory but holding your hand is too. It’s like hugging…but your hands are doing the hugging

-Definitely even goes to Belphie after a while if he really doesn’t know what to do and that’s how you know he’s desperate to do something. Since the Seventh Born isn’t exactly someone that yields great advice, more so when it comes to other…people….and his twin knows this-

-Beel’s best strategy at the moment is to just maintain some kind of physical contact because he discovered that makes you feel better and it calms you down more than him trying to verbally console you. He even invited you to sleep in his room if you’re comfortable doing so just so you’re not alone. After that one incident, he’s trying to coax you to tell him whenever something is wrong so he can jump in and help, because that’s all he really wants to do ahakenksms

“MC? Did something happen?” He’s honestly taken aback by how shaky you are and how you’re hands are trembling as they’re reaching to connect with his. Without much of a warning, he feels a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach and now he discovers that he doesn’t like seeing you with tears trailing down your face. And he feels worse the longer you wail in his chest and he doesn’t know what to do. So, he wraps his arms around you so tight you think you might explode, strangely comforted by the feeling as he speaks again “I’m sorry if I’ve done something to upset you. What can I do to help, MC? We can just stay like this for a while if you want” And when he sees you nod, he proceeds to not move an inch almost the entire night. Obviously, hunger overtook him eventually but he shared his stolen goods with you so can you really complain? Doubtful, not when he hasn’t let go of your hand the whole time.

Belphie:

- Hugging him is a gamble. Realistically speaking, you’re not going to catch him standing upright long enough for you to give him a hug. He’s laying on the floor somewhere, asleep so you shouldn’t expect much from him to begin with. Even if you were to get lucky and stumble upon him while he’s wide awake, he might slump over and succumb to sleep the moment you embrace him because you’re so warm

-Cuddling is a different story altogether. He’d rather shoot himself in the foot than not have you cuddle with him so if you need to be babied for once, he’s a pretty good option to consider

-As usual, he’s in the attic and you go to him because it’s really late and you didn’t want to wake up any of the other brothers. Actually, Belphie is normally awake by dusk so to see him sleep like a log past midnight was quite surprising. You didn’t exactly want to interrupt but if you stayed alone for any longer, you would’ve gone insane. So you shook him awake. And he was understandably confused and probably forgot what planet he was on for a minute when you did so

-Technically, he was half awake and from his point of view, everything must’ve been pretty blurry. He did see you; the problem was that because he was still feeling very sleepy, he was basically in a daze and could only squint at you to try and figure out if you were really there or if he was hallucinating. His suspicion was confirmed soon enough because he reached out after a few seconds and poked your cheek just to check. His face the entire time and the action itself was so amusing that, despite tittering on the edge of a breakdown, you burst out laughing

-Once he came to the conclusion that you were, in fact, real and he wasn’t dreaming, he sighed and opened his arms out for you; a direct invitation to cuddle with him. By now, he likely didn’t even noticed you looked sad because, as I said, he was all over the place but this little ritual you two have was common enough that it got engraved in his memory. Now he does it out of impulse whenever you’re around and he wants attention

-So you basically tackled him and threw yourself on top of him so hard, both of you toppled over on the bed and now you were used as a blanket, with his arms wrapped securely around you; preventing you from getting up. Not that you were planning on doing that anytime soon but moving on-

-You thought he had fallen back asleep, because he went really quiet and he stopped squirming to get comfortable. To be exact, the whole room was rather still and the only thing you could really hear was Belphie’s soft breathing and the rustle of the bedsheets every once in a while. And since it was extremely dark as well, you couldn’t see a thing either so it felt like the best place to let go of your stress

-It’s not like you were making much noise but as I said, the seventh born wasn’t sleeping just yet. And he wouldn’t be able to because it was obvious to him now that something was wrong. He believed that he was bearing witness to something that should’ve been a lot more private than this so he didn’t say anything. You should have your moment, let you have a chance to recollect your thoughts and the next day, he might ask you

-It was too much to handle. It’s not like he was gonna get any sleep unless he knew your problem was solved otherwise he might get nightmares all night. Besides, if you’re crying this much, then something terrible must’ve happened. You realised he was awake when he gave your entire body a small squeeze, as if to reassure you and you froze because did you just wake him up???? Or worse, did he hear all that sobbing you were doing????

-Hugging him is similar to hugging a pillow. He’s soft and squishy and warm and it’s impossible to resist him when rest at a time like this is so tempting. His fingers running over your pact mark once or twice, as if to remind you that he’s right there and low whispers describing the best dream he ever had about you, hoping to distract you for long enough to help you fall asleep

-To him, it doesn’t make a difference if a family member died or if you’re just having a bad day. All he knows is that you’re having a lot of emotional problems because of either one and as a result, you need a shoulder to lean on. He’s glad that you trust him enough to let him assist and if it was up to him, he would keep cuddling you forever. You’ve already suffered enough so let him take care of you this time around, OK?

“Dumbass, why are you crying?” The gentleness of his words was a clear contrast to that quick insult he shoved at the beginning of his statement, though you couldn’t hear any malice behind it and the fact that he really cared about what happened to cause you to struggle with your emotions so badly, would’ve made you wail even harder. However, he managed to silence you pretty well because he kept speaking and you wanted to listen; you wanted to hear what he had to say so you reduced your sobs and you sat quietly enough to do just that. Belphie flipped you over, now with him on top and you underneath and he laid there, cheek sloshed against yours as he sleepily mumbled out more praise for you, “MC, are you tired? You should go to bed, you need to get some sleep. Tomorrow, you can tell me what the problem is and I’ll help. I promise-I’ll even get up early for you. Just…please calm down. I don’t want to see you crying yourself to sleep ever again. I’ll stay here the entire time, alright? And I’ll make sure you have nice dreams tonight MC…just let me hold you…”

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starlitangels · 2 years

Text

The Pack Run

Still writing like nothing is going on in the canon universe... I wrote this an hour before the last Inversion episode was posted on YouTube so I didn’t know Sam didn’t know what Darlin’ looked like as a wolf until Inversion No Inversion spoilers, don’t worry 3.2k words (a lot longer than I intended... sorry?)

—

“Sam, I told you, you don’t have to come with us. I don’t care what Asher was saying,” I said. “I mean, it’s just gonna be you and a bunch of wolves who you won’t be able to really communicate with. The telepathic link really only works with the pack. It’s not... telepathy in its broadest sense. Not like the same telepathy magic that other magic races use. It’s just a mental link between shifted wolves.

“And besides, you’re a vampire. Even among a group of shifters, you’re going to be faster than any of us. Although, I will admit David might be able to keep up with you. At least a little bit.” I shook my head. “But he’s enormous—his long stride just eats up the ground beneath him.

“You’re more than welcome to stay here. David, Asher, and Milo’s mates will all be watching a movie or playing Charades or whatever the hell they did last year. I wasn’t here for that, so I have no clue. But I’m sure they’d be fine with you joining them. Or you could go back to our cabin and have a few hours of peace after all this. You don’t have to run with us. Literally, that’s all we’re gonna do. Run. We’re not even going to hunt or anything.”

“Darlin’,” Sam said, reaching up and touching my cheek gently with the backs of his fingers. “That’s not what matters. Do you want me to go with you?”

“Well, yeah. It’d be nice to know you’re out there with me. But if it’s going to make you feel awkward or uncomfortable in any way, I can manage running with my pack without you.” I fidgeted slightly and looked around the party. The fact that David had gone out of his way to make sure I knew I was invited to this wasn’t lost on me. I’d struggled to integrate with these people growing up and that hadn’t changed after spending a year-and-a-half or so not socializing with them.

Honestly, I figured after that pack meeting where everyone read me the riot act that I wouldn’t be invited up here, pack member or not. David’s wolf-form might have been pitch black, but I was the black sheep of the pack. The one who didn’t fit.

I didn’t tell Sam that I was desperate for him to go with me on the run. That if he decided not to go, I’d spend the entire run at the very back of the pack, lagging several yards behind everyone. Alone. Again. I could keep up with Asher and David for a while before their higher endurance started to put me behind, but even with my strength and speed, I’d stick to the back if Sam didn’t go with me.

I thought about the years since I joined the pack. In a race through the woods around Dahlia with just David, Ash, Milo, and Amanda, I could keep pace. But every solstice since my family joined the pack, I stayed at the rear. Removed from the others. The older members of the pack—not including my parents—didn’t even know how fast I was. Because they only ever saw me at the solstice run.

But Sam’s comfort was important to me. He already seemed uncomfortable enough just being a vampire surrounded by werewolves at a werewolf party. And he’d been willing to come with me in the first place to support me. That was enough. It had to be enough for me, if he didn’t want to join us for the run. Even if I desperately wanted him there.

Sam’s fingers on my face slowly trailed down my cheek before his hand dropped and found mine. “Darlin’,” he said quietly. “I told you before this trip, and I’ll tell you again: if you want me, I’m there.”

Absolutely throwing caution to the wind, I grabbed the back of his head with my other hand and kissed him. I didn’t care if Asher made fun of me or if Milo made some snarky comment. I’d pummel them both later if they tried—at the same time, and I’d win for once. Because Ash could beat me as a wolf, but not as a human, and I was going to punch him if he tried to start anything.

Sam kissed me back, though I could tell I surprised him.

“Were... were you that scared of runnin’ on your own?” he asked, keeping his voice down, as I pulled away, still clinging to his hand and his head.

“You know me better than that. I’m not scared of anything,” I retorted. “But... I’ll admit I was a little... apprehensive of being on my own with the pack again. Without you there. I just... I want you to be comfortable, Sam.”

He smiled. “Well, if we’re gonna make this work, darlin’, I might be crashin’ this party every year for a while yet. They may as well get used to havin’ me here.” He kissed my cheek. “And I’m glad to be by your side—for as long as you’ll have me.”

—

“Psst, Milo,” Asher said, elbowing Milo in the arm as he passed by.

Milo swore. “What?”

Asher nodded toward the corner.

Milo glanced over to see Tank and their vampire—partner? Mate?—kissing like the damn world was about to end. Milo glanced back at Ash. “You know if you say anythin’ to Tanker they’ll beat your ass into next week, right?” Milo asked.

“Yeah. Which is why I’m not saying anything. For once,” Asher replied. “I just figured you should also be made aware that big, bad, tough, lone wolf Tanker was kissing a vampire at our party.”

“A vampire who can definitely hear you talkin’,” Milo pointed out.

Asher swore. “Have you seen my mate? I should go find...” He craned his neck, looking around.

“Over talkin’ with David’s by the big picture window.” Milo gestured vaguely in the direction he last saw those two menaces gossiping with their heads together.

“Thanks.”

“Ash,” Milo said, grabbing Asher’s arm. “Don’t ruin this for Tanker.”

“If I even tried they’d tear my throat out as a human. I’m not stupid, Milo.”

“Coulda fooled me.”

“You little—” Asher swung an arm, taking a swipe that Milo dodged.

—

Sam sighed. “Your packmates are... rambunctious.”

“Tell me about it,” I grumbled. “What did you overhear this time?”

“I don’t think you want me tellin’ you, darlin’,” he said slowly.

“Okay. Then I’ll guess. Asher running his mouth, Milo making fun of him for it.”

“Somethin’ along those lines.”

“I’ve known those two idiots since we were thirteen. You’d think after this long, they’d have grown up.”

“You’re sure werewolves aren’t frozen in age like vampires?” Sam joked.

I snorted. “I’m sure. But I can’t say the same for Ash and Milo.” I looked over at the party to see Asher ducking under Colm Greer’s gesticulating arm to get to his and David’s mates standing at the window. “But... they’re the closest thing I ever had to brothers. Them and David.”

Sam chuckled. “I hear ya. I feel the same about Vincent and the newborns. The family we choose for ourselves.”

“Yeah. Even... even if it’s hard to connect with them.”

Sam gave me a gentle look. “It’ll get easier, darlin’. If you’re willing to put in the work to get there.”

“I’m trying, Sam.”

“I know.”

—

The frigid wind streaked through my fur. Sam kept pace with us easily. He was honestly jogging more than running, compared to how fast I’d seen him move before. I was up at the front of the pack with him, trying to stay by his side. Amanda ran beside me, her blond-tan fur rippling in the wind. David and Asher were the only ones ahead of us, Milo and Christian right behind.

Tank, how are you holding up? Asher asked.

Fine, why?

You’ve never been at the front of the pack during a solstice run.

Never had a reason to. This year, I do.

Showing off for Sam? Asher teased.

I growled low in my chest and nipped at Asher’s tail. Sam shot me a look as Asher whined. Say something like that again, I will rip you apart, Asher, I snapped.

Enough, both of you, David put in.

He started it, I said.

I don’t care who started it. I’m finishing it. Now, David retorted. Even his thoughts were growly and grumbly. It had been a while since I heard him over the mental link.

I shook my head at Sam, wishing I could loop him into the link. All he did was bounce his eyebrows at me and keep running.

I looked ahead at the path then back to Sam. I threw my head in the direction of the path, trying to tell him he could run faster if he wanted. We’d catch up. “You sure?” he asked. Voice still as soft as always. I drifted closer to him on the path and brushed against him with my shoulder, nodding.

He smiled. “See ya downstream, darlin’.”

The blast of him taking off sent cold wind sharply down my left side.

What’d you send him ahead for? Amanda asked.

I could tell he was bored running our speed, I replied. Once he finds a spot to hang out, he’ll wait till we catch up and then join again.

I wasn’t wrong when I said he could blow our doors off, Asher remarked.

Dunno. I think David could keep up, I said.

I could, David agreed, for a little while, at least. But it’s my job to lead the pack, not show off.

I didn’t say anything, just dodged around a tree.

We caught up to Sam two minutes later. He was leaning against a tree at the edge of a clearing, one leg braced against the trunk with his arms folded. Smiling in satisfaction. His eyes met mine as I assume he heard the way my already pounding heart sped up. The moment I met him in Wonder World, I thought he was a handsome man, and over the course of our time together that led us here, those thoughts and feelings only got stronger.

We’ll pause here, David said to the whole pack, slowing his pace so the pack did as well. Take a break. Catch your breath.

The pack filed into the clearing, claiming spaces and lying down in the snow. Pups who’d just manifested this year or last rolled in the snow, bounding around and playing. Asher played with them, pretending to lose as they wrestled with him.

Hey David, what do you think our mates are doing back at the cabin? Milo asked.

I think Asher’s mate was saying something about Pictionary?

Oh God, Milo said, someone’s gonna set somethin’ on fire.

Maybe.

I snorted, plodding over to Sam. He’d sat down on the ground, waiting for me. I set my head on his lap. “You gonna shift back, darlin’?” he asked.

I lifted my head from his lap and shook it.

He set a hand in the fur behind my ear. “That’s alright. I didn’t expect you to. I know you don’t shift with clothes on and it’s pretty damn cold out here. I mean, just look at this clearin’.”

I flicked my eyes over to see steam rising from the bodies of my pack, fogging the clearing. I nuzzled my head against Sam’s torso, pushing my head up into his hand.

He took the signal, scratching behind my ear. I sighed out my nose and relaxed.

Sam chuckled. “Always nice to see you unwind, darlin’,” he said gently. I just leaned my head against his torso.

Tanker, Tanker, Tanker! one of the pups called out, bounding over and bending on their front paws, ears and tail high. I wondered how the kid still had any energy. My first couple solstice runs had wiped me out as a teenager. Wanna come play with us? Asher says you’re the best wrestler in the pack after Alpha!

I lifted my head slightly, thinking about it. Then remembering I couldn’t risk even a drop of blood falling. Sam looked between me and the pup. Did he now? I asked. Well, I’ll have to prove it later. I’m gonna spend this break with—

It occurred to me that I wasn’t entirely sure what to call Sam. Sure, we were together—I considered him my partner. But was I ready to say “mate”? Were we there?

Sam, I finished.

The pup sniffed. Sam smells funny.

Sam is a vampire, I said. Of course he smells different to our noses. But that’s why he’s been able to keep up with us tonight. That’s why he ran ahead.

Cool! the pup said. Are you sure you don’t want to come wrestle?

Some other time, kid. Promise.

Okay! The pup bounded off, brown fur still dotted with snow.

I relaxed into Sam again. “Kid want you to go play?”

I nodded—and made a curious noise so he’d know I was wondering how he guessed.

Sam chuckled. “I can tell an excitable pup when I see one. I’m guessing you’re not going to?”

I shook my head, resting against his torso and legs heavier to make a point.

He scratched behind my ear. “Well. I’m glad you’re stayin’ with me, too.”

We sat there for a few minutes, relaxed, breath escaping in clouds in front of us. Sam wasn’t breathing particularly hard, but I was.

David plodded over and settled on his belly in the snow. How’s everything going over here? he asked.

Fine, I replied. We’re just resting.

I felt the mental link alter. He’d cut the rest of the pack off from hearing us. I’d tuned out everyone else’s conversations the same way I’d done with their human voices at the party, but the sudden silence jarred me. How are the two of you doing?

Sam’s great, I said. Barely winded. I’m just catching my breath.

I wasn’t meaning about the run, Tank. How are you doing?

Fine. Happy to have Sam with me.

That’s... great. I’m glad. David’s green eyes flicked to Sam, then back to me. Do you think he’ll be joining us next year?

Are you gossiping about my relationship, Alpha? I thought you were above such things, I teased. David’s mate and Asher were probably the only two people in the pack who could really tease David and get away with it, but sometimes I’d prod. Gently. David was my brother—and even though he could dish it better than he could take it, he could still take it.

I’m asking in the interest of pack planning, David replied, tone tightly controlled.

Okay. Yeah, I’m hoping Sam will be joining next year. I glanced back at Sam. He smiled down at me and scratched behind my ear. I managed not to let my eyes roll back in my head in front of David. That’d be humiliating. If he’s been patient enough to put up with me for this long, I imagine he can hold out another year. I wiggled my snout.

Maybe next year I’d actually introduce him to the pack as my mate. This year... yeah we weren’t there just yet.

David snorted out his nose, a puff of steam rising from it. I thought the same thing about my mate, if I’m being honest, he said.

Which probably should have surprised me more than it did.

David picked his way to his feet. Ready to run? The tone was excited—as excited as David Shaw could sound, anyway—and revved up. He was happier than I’d seen him in a long time. I really needed to have a decent conversation with his mate. Thank them for pulling his head out of his ass a little.

I smiled as best I could. Hell yeah, I thought.

David opened the link to the rest of the pack. If everyone’s ready, let’s get going.

Wolves surged to their feet, shaking off snow. Asher appeared from under a mound of the stuff that the pups had somehow piled on top of him. The splotch of black fur over his left ear and eye was almost as grey as the rest of his fur, dusted with snow as it was.

I got up. Sam pushed himself to his feet.

David went to the front of the pack and paused. Ash, Tank. Lead the charge, he said. The second half of the run, the alpha took up the rear. Keeping an eye on the whole pack, making sure the pups and older wolves didn’t stray too far.

Back when Gabe was the alpha, he’d run next to me at the back, never pushing to talk to me or anything. Just letting me know he was there. Since David had been the alpha, he’d always done the same. Though his silence was less comfortable and more tense.

I gestured with my head for Sam to follow me and trotted over. Why me? I asked softly to David as I approached.

Because you’re faster than Milo and Amanda, and you’re strong. And you’re one of us. Don’t you forget it, he replied, equally as soft.

I took my spot on his left side, Asher on his right, facing the pack.

Ash, David invited.

Asher howled, twisted, and took off. I copied his movements and matched his stride, Sam running beside me.

David stood still until the rest of the pack ran past him, then took up his spot in the rear.

—

Sam was sitting on the bed in the loft when I got out of the shower and emerged from the bathroom in my pajamas, towel drying my hair. He’d showered and changed before me, in his own pajamas. It was pushing 3AM and I was exhausted—but the good kind of exhausted, where I felt like I’d accomplished something.

“You going to sleep or stayin’ up for a bit?” I asked, plopping down onto the bed next to him and letting him wrap an arm around my shoulders. I threw the towel back into the bathroom.

“I was plannin’ on holdin’ you till you fell asleep,” he said.

I smiled, leaning against his side. “Then you’ll get up and do stuff?”

“Probably. Might go down the canyon a ways so I can get a cell signal and call my newborns. Check in on ‘em. Make sure they’re doin’ alright.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. I can’t imagine you didn’t teach them well.” I wrapped my arms around him. “C’mon. Let’s lay down.”

We climbed into the bed and snuggled close. I rested my head on his chest, listening to that steady, sturdy heartbeat. He held onto me, pressing his cheek into my hair. “Thank you, darlin’,” he said softly.

“For what?”

“For sharing that with me.”

“Thank you for joining me. I woulda stayed at the back by myself without you.”

“How come?”

“It’s always been my spot. Alone at the back until the second half. Then David—and Gabe before him—would run next to me. The back kept me away from everybody. Meant I didn’t have to talk to them much. I never had a reason to run at the front, even though I’m only a little slower than Ash. Until I needed to keep up with you.”

Sam chuckled. “Well. Glad I could provide some motivation, at least.”

“Mm... me too,” I said.

We stayed pressed against each other until I drifted off to sleep.

#Redacted ASMR #Redacted Sam #Sam #Sam Collins #fic #gender neutral reader #Redacted Darlin'#featuring #David #Milo #Asher #Starlit Fic

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darling-i-read-it · 3 years

Text

Peace

Karl Heisenberg x reader, Ethan Winters and the other Lords x platonic!reader

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR RE8!!, insinuations to smut, talks about having children

Author’s Note: this is so wacky and i just now finished it. Its just for fun and an excuse to write domestic resident evil 8 characters. I had a blast doing it. Also it was loosely influenced by @/nerdymixedpan on tiktok who makes this kind of AU stuff! Highly recommend their tiktoks

Summary: An AU where Ethan didn’t kill any of the Lords and was convinced to stay, leave Mia (the crazy chick who tried to kill him and also worked for a sketchy company prior to that) and raise Rose with the Lords and the reader.

Genre: fluff

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

You were walking around Dimitrescu castle, as you often did. You hopped between places when you could. You always went to sleep at the Heisenberg factory but you did get along well with the other Lords and liked to pay them a visit when you could.

It was actually Cassandra who asked for your presence. You had heard of course that the village was being attacked but you didn’t mind too much about that at the moment. Cassandra wanted you over at the castle, to try and talk some sense into Ethan Winters.

You had heard of Ethan at that point, of course. Everyone had. The father of the infamous Rose. But you didn’t think you would get to meet him.

So you came over there and knocked on Alcinas bedroom door. She swung it open, gazing down at you. She was no longer surprised when she came over and usually was quite pleased to have someone to talk to. Rarely did she speak to people outside her daughters and Mother Miranda and she had a responsibility to those people. She didn’t have a responsibility to you.

“What brings you along here? We’re a bit busy. I assume you’ve heard Ethan WInters has escaped Heisenbergs grasp.” You let out a huff of air and nodded.

“Yes, he was not pleased when he came back home. Cassandra called, said I should try and talk to him.”

“Cassandra wants him murdered.”

“Maybe she has some sympathy because of the baby,” you suggested. You gestured to the large castle. “Any idea where I can find him?” She shook her head, exasperated.

“If I had any idea, don’t you think I would have gone to find him already?” You nodded stiffly.

“I will look for him myself then. If you find a short person not in robes, double check to make sure it’s not me before you claw them,” you told her. She gave you a small smirk before you turned around and started back down the stairs.

You had free reign of the castle and had learned its insides and outs at this point. On occasion the girls asked you to stay over and hang out for a little while longer so you had slept there as well.

You started to check a couple of the rooms, walking around haphazardly. It was when you came to a room on the main floor that you found the Duke. He sat there and raised his eyebrows at the sight of you.

“You aren’t Ethan Winters,” he said.

“Ah so you’ve seen him. Care to point me in the right direction?” Duke shrugged a bit.

“He’ll be here eventually if you care to wait.” You let out a sigh. You could go searching but it was a sure bet that he will return to this spot. You pulled up a chair from the table there.

“Alright then. You selling any good food?”

=====

Ethan came running into the room as you were enjoying a nice dish. You stood up quickly, putting your dish down on the table. He had his gun up but dropped it at the sight of you.

“Are you a villager? Do you need help getting out?” he asked, clearly out of breath. You scoffed and shook your head.

“No, no. I’m here to talk to you Ethan.” He was still clearly frazzled. You grabbed your dish and held it up to him. “Care for some food?” you asked, hopefully as a peacemaker. He looked between you and the food and saw that you at least looked human.

He put his gun in his holster and took the food from you.

“Alright. What do you want to talk to me about?” he asked, sitting down at the table. “Who are you anyway?”

“This is Karl Heisenberg's pet,” said the Duke. You scoffed.

“Shush up, you’re not helping.” You sat beside Ethan. “Ethan, I know where Rose is.”

“You know where Rose is?! Where is she?!”

“Shush, let me finish.” You cleared your throat. “This whole thing, all of it, is about Mother Miranda. She took the place of Mia to try and take Rose away. She believes Rose will be a good vessel. Ethan, Lady Dimitrescu, Karl, none of the Lords are your enemy. It’s just Mother Miranda.”

“Well it looks like everyone is trying to kill me.” You shook your head.

“If you helped them kill Mother Miranda, they will let you keep Rose. In fact, I have it on good authority that most of them would love to help take care of her.” Ethan stared at you for a minute and leaned back. He had some food on his chin. You handed him a napkin and he took it gratefully. “And Ethan...Mia told Mother Miranda that you...you’re not exactly human.”

His eyes went wide.

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re mold Ethan.” He was silent for a very long time. Everything raced through his head. Why would he want to stay here? Granted the castle was nice...and these people did know how to save Rose...it would protect him from anything else Chris had planned that he didn’t know about.

And apparently, Mia had been keeping this secret for God knows how long.

It all seemed like too much for him.

“Take a second to take that in. I don’t want to rush you but I have to talk to the daughters about it.”

“You swear they’ll help me with Rose?”

“No one wants her to die, Ethan. We want Mother Miranda gone.” He leaned back in his chair.

“Why should I trust you?”

“I’m human. I’m not mold, I’m not an experiment. Just human. If I could live a happy life here, why can’t you and Rose?”

That made sense. If anything made sense, that did. Ethan took a deep breath.

“Fine. What do you need me to do?”

======

Some Time After The Death of Mother Miranda

“Have you seen Rose? She’s getting bigger everyday.” Karl was speaking when he walked into your room. You were sitting on the bed, flipping through a book. You looked up at him, a teasing smile on your face.

“What, now that you’ve killed Mother Miranda you’ve moved on to caring about the village baby?” you questioned, putting your hand in your palm. He gave you a look but you ignored him.

“You act as though you don’t want a baby every time you see her,” he commented. You scoffed.

“And it always ends up being pretty pleasurable for you doesn’t it?” You grabbed his hand and pushed him down on the bed so that he was sitting on the edge. You wrapped your arms around him from behind.

“You’re damn right.” He brought your hand up to kiss it. “Ethan’s going to Moreaus today, to swim around with Rose. He invited you,” Karl said. You raised an eyebrow.

“Did he invite me or do you want a nice night again?” He kissed your hand again and then kissed your wrist.

“You won’t know until you get there.”

“Fair point my love, fair point.” You kissed his cheek and got up. “I have lunch with Donna but I’ll try and catch up with Ethan afterwards. I may make it, I may not.” You slid off the bed. “Guess you’ll just have to wait to find out.”

He wanted to get up and drag you back but you were already walking out the door.

====

Ethan was by the water, holding Rose in his lap. She was truly getting bigger every day. Moreau was standing beside them, dry now. Ethan’s hair was damp. They must have just gotten done swimming.

“Good of you to join us,” Ethan said as you walked over.

“Salvatore, Ethan…” You leaned over Ethan to look Rose in the eyes. “Little Rosey. How was swimming you guys? Sorry it took so long, I was with Donna and lunch went overtime.” You sat down beside them.

“Rose was perfect,” Moreau said. “She’s a quick learner!” You nodded, looking over at her. You brought your finger up to her and she latched onto it.

“I believe it,” you said. Ethan locked eyes with you.

“I wanted you to come because I heard that Chris was trying to get into the factory.” You raised an eyebrow. You wrapped your arms around your knees and leaned against them.

“He’s still trying to get in here? I thought once Miranda was killed he would leave us alone.” Ethan shook his head.

“Apparently he wants Rose because she’s an asset now,” he muttered but he was looking down at his daughter who was reaching up to his face. He sighed. “She’s getting hungry.”

“You should probably take her back to the castle then.” That was where Ethan usually slept with her. He figured it would be easiest to keep Rose safe with four vampires around at all time that adored her.

“Yes my sister will be wondering where you are,” Moreau said. You nodded in agreement.

“I’ll tell Karl about Chris although I don’t think he’ll get past the Lycans. Then he has to worry about the machines that Karl makes and those are a hassle too. Not the brightest, but a hassle,” you admitted, standing. “I’ll walk you back.” Ethan nodded. You turned to Moreau. “I’ll see you later as well. Try to catch up on the TV show we were watching, I don’t wanna miss anything.”

“I will, of course!” he exclaimed. You smiled and then turned back to walk with Ethan and Rose back up to the Castle. You got into the boat.

“Can you hold her while I steer?” Ethan asked. You nodded and took Rose from him, cradling her in your arms. She was looking around, ever the well behaved child. Ethan started the boat and then you were off.

There was a few minutes of silence as he started to catch his bearings and you played with Rose. You and Ethan had grown close over the weeks he had lived there. He rarely knew peace and didn’t trust it that much but you always assured him that it would be alright.

“I was thinking of maybe starting to rebuild the village,” you said, looking up at him. He raised an eyebrow.

“By yourself?” You scoffed.

“No, obviously not. I’d get the help of everyone. Donna and Angie already wanna pitch in and I figure I could guilt trip Karl into helping, with his whole telepathy thing. I think it could be a fun project. Plus if you accidentally lose a hand you can put it right back on.”

He nudged you, laughing.

“I don’t think it’s a bad plan but who will live there?”

“Us maybe. Separate housing of course but it could be a home away from the Lords. And any villagers left stragglers around.”

“I don’t think there are any left,” he told you.

“Well have you checked?” He was silent. “Exactly. Rose may want a place for herself one day, who knows.” You looked back down at her. She was reaching up to play with your ear.

“She’ll need friends her own age one day,” he said, solemnly.

“We’ll see to that when it comes.” He looked back at you.

“Have you and Heisenberg ever talked about kids?” he teased. You laughed.

“We have our hands full with Rose and the thousands of metal children he makes on the daily,” you admitted. You glanced down at Rose again. “But maybe one day. He seems to be hinting at it and I don’t know...maybe it’s not such a bad idea.”

Ethan glanced back at you and then quickly looked away. You looked happy, curious, wondering.

“If it’s any help...I’m glad I had her. Even if she got me into this whole mess,” he said laughing a bit. You smiled up at him as he pulled into the dock.

“You want a little Heisenberg running around?” Ethan scoffed.

“I wouldn’t mind a little you. Rose could have a friend.” He got out of the boat and you handed him Rose. You got out as well.

“We’ll see. Karl may be banking on it.” You both started to walk back into town. At the castle entrance you had to part.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, if your legs still work.” You gasped, shoving him.

“You have a mouth on you Ethan Winters for living in a house with four other grown women,” you said. He laughed and went into the gate without saying anything else.

The walk back to the factory was a pleasant one. The sun was setting and the breeze was nice. Not too hot, not too cold.

You made it back to Karl in record timing. He wasn’t in the room so you went looking for him. He was in one of the work rooms, leaning over one of his new inventions. You walked up behind him and leaned over the head of the machinery.

“Hey there kitten! Back up, it might come alive at any second,” he muttered, moving you back. You nodded, stepping away from the table. He turned off his recording and turned around to look at you.

“Well how was swimming with Moreau?”

“And Rose and Ethan. I caught the tail end. She had fun though. You’re right, she is growing everyday.”

“I take it by you referencing our earlier conversation you remember how it ended.”

“I’m not doing it if this machine will come alive half way through and kill us.” Karl scoffed and took your hand.

“Up to the bedroom it is kitten!” You scoffed but let him drag you along, giggling the whole way up.

#karl heisenberg x reader #karl heisenberg imagines #resident evil 8 imagines #resident evil village imagines #donna beneviento #salvatore moreau #alcina dimitrescu #ethan winters

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