#ya girl has to become a doctor some way

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

Potential TW ::: Difficulty conceiving. & for my vomit-sensitive friends, here's a mildly changed version: PUKE FREE EDIT

A/N ::: I am so tired tonight that this was not super proofed. This was an ask that came via my messages. They wanted a story with the spicy and the sweet parts of Kats & F.reader tryin' for a baby. I hope it has all the elements you wanted and that you like it!

C/W ::: Aged up Kats x f.reader, several mentions of vomiting & other facial fluids being discharged (snot, tears, puke). Oral M->F Quite a bit of P->V. Lovey dovey stuff, sweet moments between 2 people who just want a freakin' baby. Ok? 😭

WC ::: 4,923 (Jesus christ, I'm so sorry. This totally got away from me and I don't even know how.)

"Hey babe, it's me." Katsuki said in his usual growly voice. "I guess you're still at work or somethin'. Anyway, I'll be home tomorrow night. Also, I'been holdin' back. So, be ready for me. I love you, call me if ya want."

Katsuki was out of town on a job. He's been gone for almost a week now, the longest you two have been apart since you got married, almost 2 years ago. You missed him, sure. But when he came home, stomping through the entryway, yelling for you, it was the best feeling to be wrapped up in his arms and smooshed into his chest.

The two of you have been leaving yourselves open to having a baby for about 4 months now. It hasn't been constant trying, but the longer it goes that you're not getting pregnant, the more you feel like you're needing to take this more seriously. You started reading up on the most productive positions to get the result you're looking for, studying what you can do before and after you do the deed. How to check your basal temperature. When doctor intervention becomes more than a discussion and an absolute necessity.

The phone beeps, alerting you to your missed call and voicemail. "What ... oh, damn it." You listen to the message Katsuki left you and couldn't help the soft pink blush that spread over your face and chest. No man had ever made you feel the way he has. You had been pretty reserved until he helped you tap into your inner slutty girl. It sounds bad, but you've not looked back once since he brought you out of your little sexual shell. And why should you? Every time you're with him you swear it's the best sex you've ever had. Point being, you got really lucky to have him love you and be able to love him.

Pushing #1 on speed dial, you hear the other line ringing and start praying to whatever gods would listen to you that he'd answer his phone.

"Hey brat. Y'ignorin' me now or some shit like that? The fuck ya think ya are?" You could hear him choke out a laugh. The background noise was almost louder than he was.

"You know it, you caught me. Trying to ignore you. What're you gonna do about it?" You giggled when you heard his breath hitch in his throat. Your voice got low and breathy, "You gonna punish me, hm? Good luck catching me, Kats."

The phone crackled a few times before you heard him, "Hey! Y'there? Babe!? Goddamn it, this shit ass fuc---" and then you heard nothing.

"K-Kats? Hello? Are you ... are you there? Oh." You tossed the phone on the couch and pouted. "Things were just about to get good, too." You whined to the cat. But you knew they didn't care. They were Kats' anyway. They merely tolerated you until they were hungry and then they were your biggest fan.

A chime rang out into the quiet room and you pounced on it. A text from Katsuki, "Sorry, shit reception here. I'll try to call you from the hotel later. XXX"

It was about 6pm. Too early for bed, too late to go anywhere. So you curled up on the couch and watched your wedding video. You laughed and cried about how stupid you felt for missing him so much. He's only been gone a week and he'll be home tomorrow. Less than 24 hours and you would be together again.

You woke up to the sun forcing its way through the edges of the window coverings. "He's coming home today! He ... is finally coming home today!" A contented sigh heaved its way from your chest as you stood and stretched the uncomfortable position you slept in from your body. And then immediately a wave of nausea washed over you. "The f-," you covered your mouth and ran to the bathroom. Lifting the toilet lid, you took pause and started praying that you wouldn't puke. "Mmm ..." Your eyes roamed to the bathroom cupboard. The nausea faded and soon your body followed your eyes' lead and you started to crawl to open the door and pull out a pregnancy test.

You peed on the plastic receptacle and set the timer you'd bought specially for the bathroom, only to hurry up and wait for the next 3 minutes.

"Oh." You tried so hard not to let yourself get wrapped up in the hope that all of your fun and hard work had finally paid off. But it still hurt. It always hurt. It was a relief though, that Katsuki wasn't here to have to go through this again. He always somehow got more excited than you at the prospect of you becoming parents. 'There's plenty uh’time, ma,' he always says to you whenever the result is another negative.

It would be several hours before he'd be home, so you put yourself together and set out to grocery shop. You decided to stop by your favorite little boutique and look around at the lingerie. Maybe that would help cheer you up and raise moral to romp around with your husband. You laughed at the stupid thought. It was always fun to be with Katsuki.

You managed to knock all of your tasks out in a couple of hours and drove home to get stuff put away. You still wanted to shower, put on the new lingerie you bought and figure out what to do for dinner. Take-out was calling your name tonight.

In the shower, you started to think about how much you loved Katsuki. And a familiar, warm, tingly feeling started to bloom in the pit of your stomach. Unconsciously, you began rubbing your thighs together trying to alleviate the pressure - however pleasant it might be - building there. It was a dangerous game you were playing here. If you rubbed them too much, you know you'd get beyond frustrated and have to take care of this on your own. And there was nothing you wanted more than for him to be the one to alleviate this pent up tension in your body. Seeing as he was the one causing it, it only seemed fair.

Hurrying to finish washing up, you managed to get out of there with only a little bit of lingering agitation. Perhaps agitation was too strong a word. But you missed him so much there was no other word you could think of to replace it.

All wrapped up in a towel, you went to your room and looked over the clothes you had laid out for tonight. The dress you chose was newer, you picked it up a month or so ago, but haven't had the chance to wear it. It’s so new that he hasn't even seen it on you. The lingerie was a strappy black 1 piece and it looked so confusing to you. But you wanted to look nice for him. You knew he would love it for the whole 30 seconds it was on you before he tore it off. Yet you couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous about his homecoming.

It all felt so new to you for some strange reason.

His Jeep pulled into the driveway and your heart all but stopped beating. Your face got hot and you felt like you were going to puke again. "Jesus, calm yourself, y/n. You're married for Christ's sake. Have been for over 2 years. He is your husband. He already loves you." But you didn't believe a word you said to yourself.

You ran to the bedroom to take one last quick glance at your appearance. Smoothing down the dress at your stomach, you noticed it didn't sit quite like it did when you first bought it. You just chalked it up to a little bit of stress eating with Katsuki being gone, and you trying to stay cool about (not) getting pregnant. It just caught up to you. No matter. He's home.

The front door opened and you heard his heavy footsteps. Music to your ears. "Babe? 'M home. Get yer ass ov-", You peeked your head out of the bedroom and gave him a sassy smile. "There you are, fuck, missed you so much. Don't move." He tossed his keys onto the kitchen table and walked toward you like he was hunting you. Like if he moved to quickly you'd get startled and run away from him. Little did he know that it would take a lot more than him running at you to make you even flinch.

"I missed you too, Kats. So much." You whispered as he got closer. He reached out for you and pulled you flush against him, his mouth immediately finding yours. His lips were so soft and warm and he smelled so good. You couldn't resist the urge to kiss him deeper, and you let your tongue brush his bottom lip. He growled and held you tighter.

"Fuck, y’taste so good. Yer gonna kill me. I can't wait for you any longer. All of you. Every part of you." He kissed your cheek and then your ear, sucking the lobe into his mouth and tugging on it with his teeth. You moaned and ground your hips into his. The sensation of his hardness rubbing against you made you ache with need.

"Oh God. Please. I need you so much." Every brush of his fingers against your body left a trail of raised, peach fuzz hairs in their wake. You were panting now, trying to catch your breath from his lips on your skin. He pulled back and looked at you, his eyes shining with love and lust. "I love you so much, babe."

"I love you too, Katsuki." Your voice was breathy and quiet, almost like you were afraid to say it.

He leaned in and kissed you again, this time with more heat and intensity. His hands found their way to your ass and he squeezed, eliciting a whimper from your lips. "Let's go to bed." He grabbed your hand and led you to the bedroom.

You walked in and he pushed you onto the bed. You squealed and giggled as you bounced. He stood over you and started to unbutton his shirt. His abs and pecs were on display for you. You couldn't help but lick your lips at the sight of his muscles moving as he shrugged his shirt off his shoulders. He moved to unbuckle his belt and you got a little nervous. He was so hot and you felt like you couldn't keep up with him. But he always managed to make you feel like the most beautiful woman on earth.

As he took his pants off, you got up and stood in front of him so he could unzip the dress. "You make this dress look so fuckin' beautiful, babe. Goddamn. So sexy. But y'know, 's much as I love this, 'm dying to see what's underne- Hoh fuck. Th- you- fuck that's hot. This new?" He asked as he covered his mouth with his right hand and shook his head slowly.

"You like it?" You blushed hard.

"Do I fuckin' like it. C'mere. Fuckin' c'mere and I'll show you just how much I like it." He pulled you close and kissed your lips, your neck, your chest. You could feel him hard and throbbing against your lower stomach. It was driving you wild.

He turned you around and began to kiss your shoulders. He moved the straps of the lingerie down and bit your skin gently. "Ah! Katsuki, please. Please touch me. I need you."

"Patience. G’na take my time with you. Got about 6 days to make up for, darlin'. Lemme have this. Lemme have you."

He turned you back around and kissed you deeply. He held you close and you could feel the heat radiating from his body. "I am so glad you're home, Kats." You whispered while you pulled him to the bed.

You laid there and let him take over, let him do what he wanted. And what he wanted was to drive you crazy. He kissed every inch of your body, making sure to pay extra attention to your most sensitive parts.

"You work out this week or somethin'?" He asked between kissing your hot skin. He moved down to your belly. "Fuck, you're just so ..." he growled against your skin as he breathed you in. "Your tits look fantastic. You're so ... gah ... I dunno. You're just so soft." He ran his hands over your curves and squeezed your hips.

You pulled his hair and guided him to your core. "Katsuki, need ... need your mouth." He obliged and licked a stripe up your slit, his tongue pressing firmly against your clit and you jumped back. "Hohmygod, Kats! Fuck!!"

"S'sensitive for me," he dove back in and started to suck on your clit, swirling his tongue around it and then flattening it and moving it side to side, "Fumkin' lub et." You felt like you were going to burst. The feeling was overwhelming and you felt yourself get close to the edge faster than you could ever remember.

"Katsu- kugh, ohmygod, I'm gonna ... I'm gonna ..." You grabbed his head and pushed him further into you. He moaned and his hands dug into your thighs as he kept working your swollen cunt.

"Cum for me, baby. Show me how fuckin’ hard y’can cum for me. Lemme see that pretty pussy cum for me." He moved back down and started sucking and licking your clit again, his fingers sliding inside you and hitting that spot you love so much.

Your whole body tensed up and you felt yourself explode all over his fingers and tongue. "Katsuki!!!" You screamed and bucked your hips against his face, chasing your orgasm. You could feel him smiling against your skin as you rode out your pleasure against his face and hands. You didn't know what you were rubbing yourself against but there was no part of you that could stop it from happening.

"G'girl. Fuck, you taste s'good, babe. Kinda diff’rent. More tart. Lemony." He kissed your thigh and then crawled up to kiss you. "Gonna fuck a baby into you now." He smiled down at you, much more sweetly than his intentions actually were and held your legs open so he could slide himself inside you.

"Mmmm, yes ... please, want you … in me." You whined as he started to push himself in. He was big, you were used to it. But tonight you needed a minute or two to adjust to his size. It felt like you were clenching down on him, almost purposely. Making it more difficult for him to push himself entirely inside of you. 

"Jesus fuck, you sure you weren't doing some pussy push-ups r'somethin'? You're so tight, babe. Feels so fuckin' good. But … Jesus."

You couldn't control your laughter at him calling kegel exercises 'pussy push-ups'. It was so stupid, but it made you feel warm and loved that he cared enough to notice things like that. "I've been practicing, yeah." You smirked and he leaned in and kissed you again.

"Good. So fuckin' good. Now, g'na fuck you 'til you can't stand it. I'm gonna cum in that hot pussy and make you the sexiest ma on the face of the planet." He growled against your lips as he started to move inside you.

You lost track of time and your body just reacted to him. He was rough and tender. Everything you needed and more. The two of you singing this song of moans in unison sounded better than any of your favorite songs ever had. His grunts and growls filled the room, as he fucked you harder and harder, so too, did your moaning and muttering of how good he felt get louder.

"Kats ... gonna cum again. Pleasepleaseplease ... you gotta cum first! It w- oh god - it works better if you cum first ... I think! Hurry up!" You wrapped your legs around his waist and pulled him deeper into you. You could feel your walls tightening and pulsating around his cock and it was the most exquisite feeling.

"Bah, fuck, I'm close babe. Gonna fill you up so good. Fuck, gonna fill you up with my cum." He grabbed your legs and pushed them back so your knees were against your chest and your ankles were at his ears. He held onto the back of your legs and pounded into you with all the strength he had left in him.

"Yesyesyes! Katsuki! Cum in me!" You were on the edge of your orgasm and you couldn't hold it at bay any longer. You felt the hot wetness of his seed filling you up and you let yourself go, your pussy clenched around his cock.

He stayed inside you for a minute or two, panting and kissing your forehead. Droplets of sweat fell from his face to yours. It was disgustingly intimate. You had never felt closer to him. Physically or emotionally.

"I love you." He whispered, his breath warm against your skin.

"I love you." You whispered back.

And with that, he rolled off of you and snuggled up against your back, his hand resting on your stomach. The two of you fell asleep a short time later. Still happily tangled up in one another.

The next morning you awoke to Katsuki gently rolling his cock against your ass. You turned your head as best you could to see him, but when you managed to, you saw that he was still fast asleep. It didn't diminish the arousal that began to creep its way through your body, though.

You rolled over and kissed his face, whispering sweet nothings to him as you tried to wake him. "Kaaats, you wanna go again?" Running your hand down his chest and stomach, stopping about halfway down his happy trail, he opened his eyes slowly and gave you a half smile that looked so sexy on him.

"Mornin' babe. Wha' was I doin'?" He asked, looking down at his erection. "Ah. Was havin' a really ... really good dream 'bout you. Wan' me to show ya what we were doin'?" He flopped onto his back and pulled you on top of him so you were straddling his waist. "Y'so fuckin' wet already. Damn woman. You could put out a fire with that pussy. Hm-hm. Let's start one first though, yeah?" His hands dug into the plush of your hips and pushed/pulled you over him.

Your cunt wrapped so perfectly around him made him let out the most guttural of moans that caused you to clench around nothing. But he felt it and moaned again. It was becoming a vicious little cycle: He'd moan, your body would react, so on and so forth.

He pulled you up, grabbing underneath your ass and lifted you so you were hovering just over his cock. You rolled your head forward to look at him as you slid down, putting just the head inside of you.

"Don't be a fuckin' tease." He growled at you and tried to pull you down, his cock twitching at the denial of the possibility of complete envelopment. "Fucking hell, you're so bratty. Gonna make you pay for this," he laughed.

"Sorry, can't hear you over how good just the head of your cock feels while I'm bouncin' on it." You smirked at him as you wiggled your hips side to side.

He reached up and grabbed your neck, pulling you down to him as he thrust up into you. "I said, don't be a fucking tease," he hissed out through a clenched jaw.

You felt your eyes roll back and your body tense up as he filled you completely. It was almost too much to handle. "Katsu ... ki ... ah, fu-ughh, fuck! Don't stop!" You couldn't hold on anymore. You ground your hips against him as you came, your pussy fluttering and gripping his cock so tightly he couldn't help but follow you over the edge.

All of a sudden, you stopped riding out the last waves of your orgasm. Sitting on top of him still, you put your hand over your mouth and you looked down at him with pure panic in your eyes. "Hmph ..." you shook your head when he asked if you were ok. "Hmphhuh," you gagged again. He helped you off of him and all but dragged your post-o, jellied, naked body to the bathroom and lifted the lid on the toilet for you.

"Y'fuckin' sick'er somethin', babe? Got the flu? What the hell's goin' on?" His brows furrowed and he scowled at you. You knew it was out of concern, not frustration.

You shook your head, trying to compose yourself after something so icky. Hating yourself for doing this right now. Right after such an intimate moment. While he was standing there, staring at you. Puking your guts out. Naked. "Don' knoooohhhh fuck, leave, Kats. Get out! Ple-!"

He squatted down next to you and held your hair back with his right hand and rubbed your back with his left. "'M not fuckin' leavin' you. Not for pukin', not for fuckin' nothin'. Y'fuckin' hear me? Better or worse. Sickness and health and all that other shit. Just shut up and finish. 'L be right here for ya."

The amount of fluid that left your face was disgusting. You'd never had such floodgates open like this before. Puking, crying, snot running from your nose. You were an actual mess. But he stood by you through all of it.

"Hey, babe ... d'ya ... ah shit. D'ya think yer pregnant?" Katsuki asked as you stood from the floor, moving slowly toward the sink to wash your face off. The sparkle in his eyes was undeniable. And it killed you that you had to tell him you weren't.

You leaned over the sink, your face in your hands, and started crying. "I ... oh, Kats. I'm ... I'm not. I took a test a couple of days ago. I didn't w-", his hands on your back silenced you. They were, to date, the most important hands in the world to you. They were strong. They were soft and warm and they are all encompassing. If there were any kind of god, you would live out the rest of your days under his hands.

"Why didn't you tell me? I don't want you carryin’ this all by yourself, y/n. What we don't succeed in doing together, we share the hardships and overcome that ... together. I'm so sorry, babe. I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I shouldn'ta left ya for so long." He spoke to you so quietly. Like his words would be the thing that finally throws you over the edge. The thing that finally breaks you.

"Maybe I ate something." You ran your forearm across your dry lips and hobbled back to the bed to bury yourself in the blankets. "I'm sorry, Kats. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I won't do that again, promise." He walked over to you and sat down on the edge and brushed the hair from your face.

"G'na get you some 7-up 'n a cold washcloth. Be right back, babe." You watched him walk out of the bedroom and turn down the hallway. His butt jiggling ever so slightly. It made you smile. And it made you feel something else.

"The hell ...?" You sat up in bed and realized that you were horny. Again. Katsuki came back a minute later with what he promised you. Something to drink and a cold, wet cloth for you to put on your face. Smiling as he handed you this stuff, you pulled him in close to you and kissed him on the cheek all the way down to his neck.

"Oh, babe. Yer jus' so ... hah. No matter what. Even with your hair matted to your face and your eyes puffy and red. I love you." He leaned over and kissed your forehead.

"Don't say it." You smiled at him. It was almost like you knew what he was going to say. And you couldn't bear to hear it. Not right now. You had no idea where you two stood in that department. You weren't ready to admit that to each other. Not yet. Not right now.

He smiled back and laid down next to you, spooning you from behind. He ran his hand along your waist and stomach, over and over. It was relaxing. And it was a little bit arousing, but you managed to keep yourself at bay. You had just thrown up, after all.

"I'm sorry, Kats. I'm sorry I can't give us the baby we want. I'm sorry I'm so fucking broken." You choked on your words as tears started to well in your eyes. "I'm so sorry."

He shifted behind you and held you tighter. "Babe, you're not broken. 'Sides, who says it ain't me? Maybe we should make a doctors appointment, yeah? Get my count tested and all that shit. Whatcha say?"

You sniffed and wiped your face with the washcloth. It felt good against your hot face. "You - Kats, you'd do that? You'd have your sperm count checked?" Rolling over to face him, you took his face in your hands and held it there while the two of you just stared at each other.

"Fuckin' never said I wouldn't! Course I will. 'F we ever wanna get to the bottom of this, we hafta explore every possibility, right?" He ran a rough finger along your cheek to collect the freshly fallen tears and wipe them on the sheets. You made an ick face at him and he told you to pipe down, they need to be changed anyway after the night you two just had on them.

***

A couple of weeks past and he had his appointment with the fertility specialist where they ran a count on Kats. They called and said his sperm was 'abnormally high and active'. Their exact words were, "We have never seen anything like it in our careers." He didn't shut up about it for 3 days.

This left you in a fog. Surely, you were the reason you two couldn't conceive. It made you feel like absolute shit. No matter what he said to you, it didn't lift the guilt you were trying to carry all on your own. You thought he shouldn't have to hurt when he wasn't the problem. This complex was exhausting you and you could feel yourself slipping deeper into sadness.

You went to the clinic at the end of the day that Friday, the last appointment they had for the week. They drew your blood and told you they would be in touch on Monday or Tuesday about the next step after they had a chance to evaluate the sample for any obvious

It was Saturday morning and you were both sitting on the back porch eating breakfast when your phone rang. "It's the clinic, Kats. You answer. I don't want to talk to them. They probably found a plastic bag where my uterus is supposed to be." You pushed your phone across the little glass tabletop and got up, carrying the dishes into the kitchen to wash them off.

"Yeah babe, on it. Hello? N-no. You're trying to reach Bakugou? Well, shit. Yeah. That's me, I mean ... I'm her husband, Katsuki. Yes! The man with incredible sperm!" He laughed, you cringed. "Wait, what? No, that's not ... I mean ...," his voice got quiet and he got up, walking across the yard to mess with a fence piece.

You watched him out there fiddle with the broken wooden slat and felt your heart breaking into even smaller pieces. "Fuck." You whispered, looking down at the tiny bubbles popping on the soaking dishes. A tear dripped from your chin and landed on your chest, darkening a spot on your gray Dynamight shirt.

Katsuki came walking into the kitchen and came over to you, putting his hands on your shoulders, he turned you to face him. "Hey, ma?" Getting down on his knees, he put his hands on your waist and smooshed his face into your tummy. "Ma?"

"Are you having a fucking stroke or something? What are you doing, dumbass?" You wiped your chin and huffed out a short, insincere laugh. "Kats, what did - what'd they say. Is it me? Am I ..."

"Yes, babe. It's you. It's you … and the little grenade you're carrying. You're ... we're ... having a baby, y/n. You're fuckin' pregnant." He beamed up at you, tears in his wide eyes. 

"It's you, babe. You and me. And … and … and a little us in you. We did it, y/n. We're gonna have a family!"

You covered your mouth with your hands and cried. Not just a few tears, but a full-on ugly cry. You were going to be a mom. Katsuki was going to be a dad. And this was just the beginning of your lives as a family.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe in us. I'm sorry I let myself think for a second that it wouldn't be us. Us. Just us. I'm so happy it's us." You bent over and kissed his forehead. He stood and wrapped you in his arms and you both just stood there letting this new beautiful reality sink in.

The future was yours and yours alone … well, and Kats’ and the babies, of course. 

Taglist ::: @dreamcastgirl99 @viburnt @arlerts-angel @darkstarlight82

#my hero academia #mha #bnha #katsuki bakugou #bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki smut #bakugou smut #mha bakugou #katsudad #dadsuki #katsuki x reader #katsuki x you #katsuki x y/n #bakugo x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader

[viviennevermillion]

Mortals and Fools — First Look #1 (Coming Soon)

Want to read a SFW coming-of-age fantasy novel with evil gods, two adult aspec protagonists and magic? Consider supporting this project!

Author's Note: After a total of 8 years of posting fanfiction on this account, I am excited to announce that I am finally starting my first long-term original work as an author! Goal is to get this series published as an actual novel but until then, I will be uploading chapters online as I write them, hopefully building an audience in the process! Mortals and Fools will be available on Wattpad and potentially other platforms. The first 4 chapters will be uploaded to Tumblr as well. Over the next few weeks I will keep uploading promo posts with new characters and more info! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me as a writer over the years and welcome to everyone who's new here!

Summary: In the land of Elsthess, brilliant but arrogant Dr. Immanuel Faust is doing his best to follow the teachings of the Goddess of Wisdom, live up to his late grandmother's expectations and hide the fact that he has been seeing strange, mystical apparitions all his life. When his pupil becomes afflicted with an ancient curse and the things he has seen turn out to be more than just hallucinations, Immanuel must forge a contract with Morgan, a being from another realm who's ready to humble him at every turn, and learn his religion's most despised art: magic. As he steps outside of the simple world he has grown up in, he slowly comes to realize that there is much more to learn for him still.

Themes:

The Meaning of Wisdom & Growth

Unlearning harmful narratives and prejudices

Religious Trauma

Healing from Abuse

Rebuilding trust in others

Learning to understand others

Navigating radical changes during adulthood

Elitism and class inequality

The problems with the ideal of meritocracy

Queerplatonic & Alterous Attraction

Addiction

Gender Dysphoria

What this story contains:

A variety of fun magical powers!

Evil Gods & Forces from other Realms!

Queer rep! (demisexual & aroace protagonists, a trans man and a wlw couple)

Mysteries to unravel

The coming-of-age fantasy adventures you're used to from YA novels but with characters in their 20s and struggles of adulthood

Humor

My blood, sweat and tears as an author

The Cast: Introducing 3 Characters

Here's some info on the three characters in the header, from left to right!

#1 — Dr. Immanuel Icarus Faust

❝ It wasn't supposed to be like this... I've failed... as both a doctor and a man of faith. I wanted to follow your teachings, dear Goddess, and guide those who seek wisdom and knowledge, as grandmother did... but I couldn't even save one innocent girl. Have I become godless? ❝

Raised by his grandmother, the High Priestess of Solbrynn's temple, Immanuel was taught from an early age on to aspire to be the best in everything he attempted to do and dedicate his life to wisdom, in order to make the Goddess Adira proud. Having become a renowned physician at the age of 28, Immanuel understands himself as his kingdom's ideal of a self-made man: a scholar who can achieve everything he puts his mind to, no matter the circumstances. As a result, he has put himself on a pedestal, believing that those who achieved less than him had all the chances and merely didn't use them. Fearing nothing more than failure and becoming anything like his absent, alcoholic father; Immanuel is bound for a rude awakening.

#2 — Morgan Miralaith

❝ While you were having your existential crisis in the mad scientist laboratory you call your bedroom, I took the liberty to read your grandmother's diary. The good news is, I finally understand where all the hubris comes from. ❝

Morgan, belonging to a long-lived species from the realm of Calliah, is the second-in-command for the Elsthess Resistance against the Plague Avatars. While the Resistance on Mhorunn regards her as a capable leader and a skilled fighter; using fire magic to blaze her way to victory; it is clear to most that she has many secrets and ulterior motives. She cares about others in her own way, yet hardly lets anyone close to her. With her mischievous demeanor and cynical nature, Morgan has made it her new mission to recruit Immanuel for the Resistance and, while at it, shatter his very distorted self-image and worldview. Upon forging a contract with her, Immanuel believes that he has sold his soul to a demon. It is only upon meeting others of her kind that he realizes that really is just her personality.

#3 — Mortis Grimm

❞ People reject that which is foreign to them. You of all people should know this. Still, my personal aspirations and origins are of no concern to you. Remember that. ❝

While there are several people from the Realm of Calliah in Elsthess, the realm that Mortis Grimm originated from is unknown. He seems to be the only one of his kind and there is something sinister about him. Wielding powerful magic that matches no other in recorded nature, Mortis, despite being the leader of the Resistance, is a big mystery to all of its members. Usually donning a Plague Doctor mask, Morgan is among the few to have seen his face. He is Mhorunn's greatest ally, but hardly a trusted one. Most understand that he could just as well become its greatest enemy one day.

Interested in reading more and receiving updates as they're posted? Comment on this post and tell me if you'd like to be added to the taglist! Reblogs are appreciated to spread the word! 💞

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#fantasy novel #aroace #ace representation #aroace representation #demisexual #indie author #webnovel #wattpad #author #writing #authorblr #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #indie fantasy #novel promo

[reluctantjoe]

‘Baddies are my new type’: Mathew Baynton on Ghosts, Wonka and wicked villains

He is about to say goodbye to his role in beloved spectral sitcom Ghosts. But dastardly turns in Wonka and the a festive Agatha Christie drama suggest the actor’s future is bright – if somewhat nefarious

“I feel like I’m moving into really wanky territory now,” says Mathew Baynton, looking a little anxious. We are talking about Ghosts, the much-loved comedy about a gaggle of spirits consigned to spend the afterlife in a crumbling country mansion, which Baynton co-writes and in which he plays a deceased Regency poet. After a triumphant five seasons, Ghosts officially breathed its last in October – except there’s now a Christmas episode on its way. (Last year’s Christmas special drew 5.9 million viewers, making it the BBC’s biggest comedy of 2022.)

When I ask Baynton what it is about Ghosts that struck a chord with viewers, he worries he might sound pretentious. “But here goes,” he says. “I have learned that, as a writer, you don’t always know what you’re writing. There are the quite boring times where you have an idea and it comes out as you imagined, and there’s no mystery in that process. But when it’s exciting, you have an idea and it leads you to places you don’t expect.”

With Ghosts, he and his co-writers initially imagined hundreds of spirits haunting Button House, which would have allowed them to tell different stories with a new set of characters each week. “But when we looked at the taster tape we made, we all went: ‘Hang on, there’s something much richer here,’” Baynton continues. “We realised it was a show about people being stuck together, potentially in eternity, and how they find ways to get along. All of which is to say that I’m enamoured with Ghosts too because, right from the get-go, we had absolutely no idea what it would become.”

Baynton, who is 43, is talking from his study at home in north London where he lives with his partner, the film historian and film-maker Kelly Robinson, and their two children. He is self-effacing and thoughtful, choosing his words carefully and, at intervals, wondering if he could be expressing himself better. “I think it’s partly the writer in me,” he says, “but I do come away from conversations thinking how I’d like to rewrite things I’ve said.”

As an actor, Baynton has cornered the market in ultra-sensitive men who walk a fine line between pathos and silliness. Along with his lovelorn poet in Ghosts, there was his turn as a Victorian psychiatrist in 2017’s Quacks, who masterminds a new treatment for patients called “talking”; his lute-playing bard in the 2015 film Bill, about the early life of Shakespeare (“London is not going to know what hit it!”); and good Samaritan Sam in The Wrong Mans (2013-14), which he co-wrote and starred in alongside James Corden.

But this winter heralds a new set of projects that Baynton has dubbed “my Christmas of villainy”. In Murder Is Easy, based on the Agatha Christie novel about a spate of killings in a sleepy English village, he plays a doctor who, he says, “is an awful person with some very awful views”. Next year brings A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, based on Holly Jackson’s bestselling YA novel, in which a young true-crime enthusiast investigates a five-year-old murder case; Baynton can’t reveal too much, although he confirms his character is a far cry from the puppy-eyed romantics for which he is known. And in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel, Wonka, released in cinemas earlier this month, he plays the devious Fickelgruber, Wonka’s Brylcreemed rival in the confectionery business.

Baynton can’t account for this sudden pivot into treachery beyond the fact that “a few [casting directors] had the same idea at the same time … Acting is strange like that. You do one notable thing early on and you are put on a track that for 10 years that can be hard to get off. Perhaps baddies are my new type.”

Wonka was co-written by his friend and Ghosts compadre Simon Farnaby (who also co-wrote Paddington 2) and was filmed at Warner Bros Studios in Hertfordshire. For Baynton, it “felt like you were with the same kids but in a plush playground … Even though you’re working with this huge Hollywood star [Timothée Chalamet, who plays Wonka] and you’re on a set that probably cost the same as an entire series of Ghosts, it’s still a comedy with a big heart, so for me it felt like home.”

Baynton and Farnaby first came together on the set of Horrible Histories, the anarchic children’s sketch show that recreated history’s most ludicrous and bloodthirsty moments, alongside Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond. Shortly after it finished its decade-long run, the six of them wrote the madcap puppet comedy Yonderland, largely because “we couldn’t bear that we weren’t going to get together for more mucking about in front of the camera”. This was followed by Bill, and, four years later, Ghosts. They have even given themselves the collective name Them There, mostly for production credits, though “no one actually calls us that”. Aren’t they more Britcom’s answer to the Brat Pack? “I don’t know about that,” Baynton says, bashfully, “though it depends on which of them you think I am.”

The youngest of three children, Baynton grew up in Southend on a diet of sea air and his dad’s Monty Python cassettes. He reckons being lowest in the pecking order at home contributed to his desire to perform and be noticed. In his teens, he went through a morose period during which he was overtaken by self-consciousness, but then he discovered theatre via a production of Bruno Schulz’s The Street of Crocodiles by Theatre de Complicité “which moved me to tears in ways I couldn’t understand and ignited something in me. I knew I wanted to be in that world in some way.”

Baynton went on to drama school, where he studied directing, but when he got there he realised acting was his calling. He spent a summer as assistant to Cal McCrystal, then director of the physical theatre group Peepolykus, who pushed him to join in with improv games. Later he went to Paris to study under the renowned clown Philippe Gaulier, which cemented his love of slapstick. Upon returning home, McCrystal gave him his first break on the stage in a production of Joe Orton’s Loot.

But it was Horrible Histories that really opened doors for Baynton, both as an actor and writer. On being offered the job, he nearly turned it down, fearing that he might get stuck doing nothing but children’s TV, but his agent persuaded him to take the job by telling him: “No one will see it.” In a talk last year at the Oxford Union, Baynton remarked how, were they making it today, they would do certain things differently, such as not using white actors in tanning makeup to portray Egyptians.

“I think it’s important that we examine where the line is [around portrayals of other cultures],” he says now. “It’s a murky area where intention sometimes doesn’t match reception. Certainly, no one had bad intentions making Horrible Histories and none of us at that time, in the culture as it was, hesitated and thought: ‘Hang on, maybe I shouldn’t play an Egyptian.’ But times have changed and I would hesitate now.”

If the odd Horrible Histories sketch hasn’t aged well, it is worth observing the sensitivity and inclusivity that runs through Ghosts. Baynton notes how throwing together characters from different historical periods allowed them to “highlight wrongful attitudes and interrogate how they had arrived at them. At one point, there’s a gay wedding at Button House and [the ghost of] Lady Button is appalled and goes on this journey in which she faces her own homophobia. When we were writing that story, it felt like I was having a conversation with my homophobic nan.”

Baynton is content moving between acting and writing, not least because “if I’m between acting jobs, it means I get to dream up new projects for myself and my friends”. Keen to avoid any signs of egotism as his career soars, Baynton keeps his feet on the ground by recalling the “pure dystopian hell” of his time as a school leaver working in a call centre. There, every second of the day was monitored and he was once upbraided by a manager for taking too many toilet breaks. “So when I’m on set in a scratchy costume or I’m feeling a bit tired and thinking what a terrible time I’m having,” he says, “I remember that time, and what a privilege it is do what I do.”

#mathew baynton #mat baynton #the guardian #bbc ghosts #murder is easy #a good girl's guide to murder #a good girls guide to murder #agggtm #wonka #wonka 2023 #wonka movie #wonka promo #wonka (2023) #wonka film #horrible histories #6 idiots #six idiots #the six idiots #themthere #them there #murder is easy spoilers #a good girl's guide to murder spoilers #a good girls guide to murder spoilers #agggtm spoilers #rj: interview #rj: the guardian #rj: mathew baynton #rj: 2023 #Youtube

[svtspeach]

Grief as we know it

Pairing: Seungcheol x Reader

Genre: Pure Angst 

Warning: Grief, Death, Angst, Injuries (but not in depth and accurate, lol. my medical knowledge is from Grey's Anatomy), Not proofread (lol I don’t know how to this yet, by this i mean putting all the warnings haha)

Word count: 674 words

Author’s note: Hi, Everyone! So I am new here and I don’t really know how to navigate this site as an author but I guess I’m trying my best? This is just a blurb that I wrote at 1 am in the morning and yeaaa, let me know if you like it and if you would want to see a longer version of it! See ya! 

----

The Loss

Choi Seungcheol was a quick-witted man, everybody knew that. He was able to respond quickly and effectively in situations of high pressure. Another thing about Seungcheol was that he was selfless, he would always sacrifice himself for the other people’s happiness and comfort. Seungcheol was also the epitome of bravery, a trait that everyone has always praised him for. He has never been afraid to take risks and stand up for what he believes in. It was his strongest trait, and one that you loved most about him. That is, until that trait was the thing that led him to the biggest sacrifice of his life and straight to the arms of death. 

“Can you repeat that for me again, please?” you said for the second time. It’s not that you didn’t hear the doctor’s voice, in fact you heard him loud and clear. But you just couldn’t seem to process the words coming out of doctor standing in front of you. 

“Miss, your partner was taken to the emergency room after a vehicle crash. From what we heard from the paramedics, he jumped in front of a loose truck in order to save a little girl and her grandma. He came in with several fractures, a puncture in his abdomen, and a severe head trauma. We took him in for an emergency surgery to repair the damages and we tried the best we could, but the damage was so severe, and he couldn’t…” the doctor explained once more but for some reason, you couldn’t seem to let yourself hear the end of his sentence. 

It didn’t matter how he was going to say it anyways. Seungcheol is dead and you just lost the love of your life. 

The Grief

Seungcheol has always been a constant in your life. You weren’t friends since childhood or anything of sorts, but you have been dating him for four years and living with him for two. It didn’t seem like a long time, but being with him most of the time for the past two years have made you feel so accustomed to his presence. You were deeply in love with him, in the best way possible. 

Loving him and being loved by him was the best thing you have ever experienced your whole life. It was fulfilling, warm, and nurturing. You like the person you have become when you are with him, and you loved how you were able to push for each other’s growth. Being in love with him was not suffocating, in fact it felt liberating, you felt like you were supported and cheered upon every step you take. You really felt like you have found the love of your life, and that you were going to spend the rest of your life with each other. 

You knew that you don’t want to live in a world without Seungcheol. Not because you can’t live without him, you know that you would be able to continue and move on with your life, but you knew that you were going to be miserable. And you were, indeed, very miserable right now. 

They say that the feeling of missing someone comes in waves. Initially, the grief hits you hard. It was intense and strong like a storm. The ocean of longing is calmer now, but the wave of yearning still washes over you now and then and it still sucks. It hits you in unexpected moments like now. You were watching a movie with your best friend, and you’ve reached the part where the main characters finally kissed each other passionately. Your mind started to drift away, and you tried to remember the last kiss you shared with Seungcheol, but you can’t. That’s because you thought that you had forever with Seungcheol, but you don’t. You never thought that the last time would be the last time because you thought that you would have more. It might not be as painful anymore, but you can feel the pieces of your heart slowly falling apart again. 

#seventeen #seventeen angst #seungcheol x reader #scoups x reader #svt x reader #seungcheol #choi seungcheol #seungcheol angst #scoups #seungcheol x you #scoups x you #peachy writes #seventeen imagine #seventeen fanfic #svt fanfic #svt #svt angst #seventeen scenarios #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol scenarios

[one-idea]

Hi its me again, I was thinking about Kaya and what her role would be in the reverse crew and I thought of something and wanted to know if you think it fits.

So you said that Kaya was really worried that she wasnt useful since she is the youngest and she doesnt have a stand out talent. So I thought that what she would do is try to learn a little bit from everyone, how to fight, how to cook, how to navigate, how to patch injuries etc. She is like a sponge absorbing all the information she can get.

So Kaya ends up being a jack of all trades, and one of the things she also learned was how to make up stories from Ussop. And what do you get if you put all of that together? Kaya is amazing at disguises and infiltrating. She knows enough about so many things that she can pretend to be almost any job and she can make up a backstory to fit them too.

What do you think?

Kaya is one of my favorites in the reverse strawhats.

You’re right she has a lot of insecurities about being the youngest one on the crew and the only one without a stand out talent.

Ace is the captain. He’s a brawler. And has a devil fruit.

Kuina is a trained swordswoman and is going to be the best in the world.

Nojiko knows her way around a bo staf and a shotgun. While she’s not as combat focused as the rest she can at least hold her own.

Reiju is a force to be reckoned with. She has Zeffs training but she also seems to know way more than just what Zeff taught her. Though no one’s willing to say it. (Everyone has their secrets)

So ya in the beginning she’s really aware that she is the weak link. None of her crewmates will say so but she knows it.

And it doesn’t help that after she joined they got Reiju on their crew. Someone older and stronger and way more competent. And it just highlights all of her weak points (the others don’t think about this but Kaya has a lot of selfdoubts.)

So she makes herself as useful as possible.

She provides them their ship.

She come with money.

She brings her father’s crossbow. Usopp taught her how to shoot but she’s not great at it.

She has a some medical knowledge and functions as the crews first aid.

And she learns everything she can from the others.

She trains with Nojiko to become a better shot

She trains her body with Kuina for up her physical strength and endurance.

She learns to cook with Reiju and later they train together. (Reiju knows and off amount about poisons that Kaya could use with her crossbow)

She trains with Ace learning how to throw a punch but also how to hunt and track animals.

But it never is enough. She’s just learning their skills. She’s not special like them. She doesn’t have a speciality.

Until Koza joins them. He knows a lot of different things , growing up with Vivi and then infiltrating Baroque Works. From him Kaya learns how to be a leader and diplomat but mostly it’s how to blend in. To not be noticed and gather informations (I love your idea for spy Kaya) and she really excels here.

She grew up as a rich girl. Being seen but not heard. Blending into her father’s meeting and learning from them but never drawling attention to herself. She knows the games the rich and powerful play. She’s been here before. And she’s good at it.

Once they make it to Drum island things change again.

Kaya is starting to feel comfortable with her place in the crew.

She’s become a good shot with her crossbow.

She’s learning espionage from Koza

She’s helpful to the crew

And is their medic

Or she was until Dr Hiriluk joins them. A strange man. An incredible doctor. And a Zoan user being able to turn into a reindeer.

And Kaya feels as though she’s not enough. Because she couldn’t save Nojiko from her illness. No matter how hard she tried. And she’s so grateful to Dr. Hiriluk for saving her crewmates life, but she also feels like she’s being replaced.

Luckily Hiriluk is the best dad in this AU and without knowing any of this walks up to her like “you did an amazing job! Not many could keep someone with five day diseases that healthy for that long.” And Kaya just sobs. (She’s under a lot of stress) and Hiriluk is now clearly hugging her and looking at the others like what do I do. Before offering to train her in medicine.

Kaya jumps at the opportunity. Now the crew has two doctors (one in training but they count her)

Kaya and Hiriluk get very close with him being a great mentor to her and the dad of the crew. He is the one she starts going to about her self doubts.

When Olivia joins the crew, and I mean after water 7 when Olivia is truly sees them as family, she helps Kaya with her espionage training. Olivia had to hide from the government for years. No one is better than her.

But Kaya also has an ability to know when people are lying. She wasn’t best friends with Usopp for years without being able to tell which one of his stories are fake and when he is being serious. She can spot a lie in seconds. A skill she thinks very little of. After all it just from being Usopp’s friend.

But the rest of the crew is astounded by this skill.

Especially in water 7 when she immediately didn’t trust the CP9 agents but did trust Paulie and the rest of Galley-la.

The crew has learned to trust Kaya’s instincts on people. But it’s hard at water 7 because does Kaya think Kaku is a lier because he is (they don’t know he’s a CP9 agent yet) or is it because she doesn’t want to lose the Merry.

It’s another reason why her and Ace’s fight isn’t as bad as Luffy and Usopp’s if Kaya doesn’t trust Kaku’s assessment then they will get one from someone she does trust.

Cue dragging either Paulie or Iceburg down to the Merry to tell Kaya to her face what is wrong with the ship. Ace believes and made peace with Merry being unsailable. But if Kaya says that man’s a lier she’s going to trust her and get a second opinion from someone Kaya thinks is honest. Even if he has to drag them down to the boat kicking and screaming

They also have way more time than the original Strawhats. They get to sail together for three years before Marineford/timeskip occurs. So Kaya has plenty of time to develope skills.

I love the idea of her being a spy. Someone who is good at blending in and getting information because she can just tell when someone is lying to her face. She crucial in them making alliances because she can tell the moment their allies aren’t telling them the truth.

Kaya might be a jack of all trades, sharpshooter, doctor, spy, etc. but she is a valuable member of their crew.

Even if she doesn’t always believe so

#one piece #straw hat pirates #fire fist ace #one piece ace #reverse strawhat pirate au #gol d. ace #portagas d. ace #vinsmoke reiju #nojiko #shimotsuki kuina #one piece kaya #dr hiriluk #nico olvia #one piece iceburg

[sashi-ya]

𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡; 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡. 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬, 𝐈 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ⋆˙⊹ trafalgar law x afab! reader. nsfw

request: @ottersdeservelove asked: ONG last Christmas I gave you my heart, trafalgar law x AFAB!reader, it's just perfect for him. ahh maybe yandere-esque and nsfw, please? 👉👈 | tw: nsfw. sex with a "stranger". masturbation. nipple work. vaginal. spanking | wc: 2.4k | masterlist | taglist: @zella07 @jin-supremacy01 @alexkanroji @jenwooly @owlham|

Doctor Heart Stealer has given his own heart once. Once. And never again. He swore that he would never again. Last year, Christmas morning become the saddest morning. She was gone, and in those cold sheets he asked himself why a man like him was bound to remain alone…

“No more love for me, it’s over” he said, deciding he was going to cover the shift on Christmas night. And so, as the date was finally here he picked up his keys and drove to his workplace; Heart’s Hospital.

As his icy grey scan the red and green decorated hallways of the ER, he dedicates subtle smiles at his co-workers. Nothing too sweet, that’s not how he is.

“Welcome Dr. Trafalgar! So far everything seems cal-“ one of the residents chimes, getting cut short by his companions. How dare her mention the word “calm” in an ER on a winter snowy night, specifically Christmas?

“Hello. Good. I’ll be on the office reading the medical records of the patients, call me whenever you need me” he mumbles, taking a sip of his hot chocolate (that everybody thinks it’s black coffee…)

As he takes an intense look at the papers in front of him, he can’t forget how last year on this same day he was happily waiting for her in his car. The way her smile shone with the warm fairy lights adorning the streets… and how she was actually married too.

Law shakes his black hair to ease the memories from coming back to hurt him, but the truth is that since that day where his heart broke into pieces he promised himself not to -ever- get excited for any other woman in his life.

“Dr. Trafalgar!! We have an emergency!” his coworkers hit -don’t knock- the door to announce him he needs to get ready.

“Great, the first one… I wonder which one is… the slippery street victim, or the family reunion fight hurt one…” Law grunts, putting the white coat over his grey scrubs and getting out of his office.

While he waits with his gloves on, and the paramedics bring his first patient in, through the big doors of the E.R., his eyes widen. As if destiny was determined to make him suffer, his patient was no other than the same person that made his last Christmas the worst so far.

Her, your friend. Holds your hand, squeezing it harder. Her belly about to pop, her baby about to born. And you, right by her side could only trust in the handsome doctor before your eyes.

“You… are… call the ob service” Law commands, ignoring how well he knew her. You, who aren’t stupid immediately understand something was off…

In between the piercing screams of a woman in labour you try to give the man dressed in medical attire as much information as possible. “Doctor, her water broke less than an hour ago. She said the baby is coming. Please help her!” you plead.

“Don’t worry. She will be fine. The baby will be fine too. Please wait us outside, I will keep you updated… miss…?” he says, asking your name before closing the curtains to assist the labour.

“Miss (name)… thank you sir…”

Not much of an hour later, after you have probably bitten off all your nails, he comes out of your friend’s cubicle. He seems pleased, nothing could make him act less professional than always. As he comes closer, and your belly feels fancy, you stand up.

His subtle smile lets you know that everything is ok, but you wait for his words either way.

“So, Miss (Name)-ya. Your friend is safe. The baby girl is healthy, however she will need some days in neo to check everything is ok with her” he informs you, placing his tattooed hand on your shoulder. Even if Law has done an excellent job bringing a baby into this world, his eyes don’t shine… he has just received the son of a man that’s been cheated on with no other than himself.

“Thank you so much, doctor…” you whisper, a little stunned by his beauty. You watch him nod and walk into his office, leaving you there enchanted by his aura… “bet he is sad because he is all alone working on this holy night…”

You spend what’s left for the night next to your friend, making company to her and waiting for the baby’s father who seemed too entertained with Christmas celebrations to arrive on time. And, while she finally fell asleep you have an idea. The memory of the icy stare of her doctor won’t abandon your mind, you thought since it was Christmas perhaps you could do something to make him feel better during his shift.

There is, however, not much you could do. The cafeteria is already closed, and the lights of the non-urgent services have been already turned off. The vending machines at the end of the hall would do.

A few chocolates and a can of coffee is what you buy for him and a little nervously you walk towards his office. “Dr. Trafalgar? It’s me, Miss (name)” you announce yourself after knocking at the door. You wait a few minutes outside, and just when you believed he wasn’t there the latch moves.

“Yes? Is everything alright?” he asks, with subtle hints of a crying face. “Ye-yes, doctor. I hope I’m not bothering you, but I thought I could bring you something to eat and drink as a Christmas gift but mainly for helping my friend and my nephew” you tell him, showing the cans and sweets in your hands.

Law swallows, and his frown intensifies. He takes some minutes to ponder the idea of letting a woman closer, but ultimately he decides you seem harmless to his icy heart. “thank you so much, would you like to come in?” he asks, since he is sure you are there to share the meal with him -even if you weren’t that sure of it, but who would say no, right?-

You smile and walk inside his office. There isn’t much. His coat hanged on the backrest of his chair, his desk covered in paperwork and two picture frames on each corner of it.

He invites you to sit down, while clearing the desk. You do it in silence, placing the cans and the chocolate right after. You take a look at the pictures, a happy family of doctors and a little boy with tired eyes and a fancy hat. On the other one, a man, as tall as a tree with a lovely smile, holding the same kid closely. Who are those people? Is that kid him?

When Law finally sits down, he scans you up and down. He opens both coffee cans and your fingers graze whenever he passes the beverage to you. What a weird sensation, a mix in between electricity and butterflies kisses… your cheeks burn.

“Thank you” he mumbles, before taking a sip. “So, since your friend’s husband finally arrived why don’t you go back home and celebrate Christmas?” he asks, kindly. In any case it felt like he was trying to fleet you off.

“I- I actually don’t really have anywhere to spend Christmas but my friend’s house. So, I guess it’s the same” you confess, toying with the chocolate wrapping paper.

Law falls back, drinking the last drops of coffee with his head back. “Well, I guess then you don’t have any intentions of giving anyone your heart tonight” he sighs.

You blink several times and soon you remember the song “Last Christmas”. Giggling you catch his attention. “You sound like you did give your heart last Christmas” you joke, well aware that man has nothing to do with romantic, movie like experiences. But you are wrong.

“Well, yes. I did. And apparently, destiny keeps making me feel like shit. But, it doesn’t matter anymore” he whispers, taking a bite of the last chocolate. It’s impossible to think someone like him could have had his heart broken, but apparently it’s the case.

“I hope you have a new memory from Christmas night from now on. You brought a child into this world” you try to cheer him up.

“And I got chocolate and coffee for free from a pretty lady” he jokes, making your cheeks go even hotter… but what it makes you jolt is the fact that his hand falls on yours. “Would you like me to take you home? My shift will be over in less than an hour”.

You simply nod, smiling softly with fluttery eyelashes that could kill a man. “I will go grab my stuff and salute my friends…”

How did it happen? How did you get into an ambulance on Christmas eve, and now, a caramel skin, tattooed, handsome doctor is driving you home?

And when Law’s BMW stops right by your home you ponder whether you should invite him inside or not… even if your lips move on your own. “Dr. Trafalgar… would you like to have some hot chocolate?”

The cold night that in winter lasts almost forever is about to finish, but no tired eyes nor exhausted muscles could make him say no… because the song does tell about how last Christmas he gave his heart to someone who doesn’t deserved it, but also tells about how this year someone special will receive it…

“Sure, I prefer hot chocolate better than coffee” he mumbles, already opening the door of his car and getting out to open your side. Law extents his inked hand; a hand you grab immediately.

You try to conceal the way your hand trembles when using your key… after all, he was a total stranger… was he really? Or his face reminds of the man with who your friend left last year’s Christmas party?

As soon as both get inside, and the snow has been shaken off your boots, you invite him to wait on your living room. He gets comfortable on your couch, and while you prepare the hot chocolate you can’t avoid taking quick peaks from the kitchen.

He is using his phone, and while he reads something he brush his spiky onyx hair back. He is really hot, really, really hot.

“Marshmallows?” you ask, surprising him all of a sudden with a tray and two cups of hot cocoa. “If they are as sweet as you, sure (Name)-ya” he says, flirting so blatantly that makes you laugh while sitting next to him.

But he wasn’t joking… not at all. And when some little trace of foamy milk remains on your cupids bow, Law takes thumb to clean it up. “You are truly sweet…” the doctor says, licking his finger clean so close to you it makes your breathing accelerate.

“Th- thank- you…” you stutter, able to see every little shade of grey in his irises from how close he is to you. “You are welcome…” he whispers, before both of your lips join in a soft, so subtle peck. Maybe it is too fast, maybe it is even crazy. But from halves, wholes are born. And those halves were lonely enough tonight…

As fast as you can actually recall, your hips straddle on his lap and his hands surround your frame. Kisses that deepen and intensify leads both to get rid of your coverings. The cold is not a problem, as the orangey glow of the fireplace keeps you both warm.

Law’s skilful hands untie your bra, freeing your breasts for his enjoyment. His lips, surrounding your nipples make you throw your head back and arch your spine. He holds you as he gradually goes further with his sucking motions, and the hardness underneath your core grows bigger.

What it looked like a calmed and soft doctor, ends up showing you that we cannot see the whole imagine up until you know them fully; Law is becoming feral with your body, and you are in total heaven.

The doctor you met tonight slides his hand down your pants, reaching for your wet core while you hold yourself on the backrest of your couch and his tongue keeps playing with your hardened nipples.

Law knows exactly where and how to touch; his thumb applies the perfect amount of pressure in between your labia, and the circle motions make you moan. You bury your nose into the crown of his head, inhaling the soft scent of his masculine shampoo mixed with the sterile smell of hospitals.

By looking at your raptured face squirming because of his touch, he gets harder, a lot harder. He gets so needy; he wants to bury himself inside you. And just whenever he is satisfied with how your inner thighs begin to tremble as climax is about to hit you, he is ready to give you more… a lot more.

“Stand up, please. Get on all fours” he commands, with a low raspy voice, tinted in desire that cannot be controlled any longer.

You comply, still panting. Your knees bury in the cushions of your sofa, and your forearms rest on the backrest. Law’s hands pull down your trousers and panties. He takes a brief moment to enjoy the view of your wiggling entrance, dripping and so ready to receive him.

Law gets tempted to spank your glutes softly, and he does. The sudden punishment makes you whine, and that same sound is followed by the one his zipper does when it goes down. He does not wait a single second more, and just like he freed his sex he begins to guide it towards your entrance.

However, he doesn’t penetrate you instantly. He enjoys how his already hard and drippy tip gets coated by the abundant wetness of your sex. His hardness rubs against your labia, and then in between your folds but never really inside. He teases just enough to make you move your hips back in unconscious attempts of feeling him invading your cave.

“And you were so sweet… but now you are asking for more…(Name)-ya” he moans, making you tremble. His reflection on the window behind the couch makes you even weaker. His well-trained abdomen, the tattoos that completely cover his caramel skin, his expression while he bites his lower lip…

“Dr. Trafalgar please… fuck me…” you beg, looking back at him with eyes of lust.

“I couldn’t say no to such a sweet face, (Name)-ya” he scoffs, smirking with sloppy eyelids until he rams sudden, violent, and unexpectedly into you. “It should have been you, not your friend… the one I took home last year”

“I’ve always knew it, Law… fuck me rough…”

#trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar law #trafalgardwaterlaw #trafalgar one piece #sashi-ya #trafalgar d. water law #trafalgar law x reader #one piece #law one piece #law x y/n #kinktober #law x reader #one piece x reader #one piece x you #one piece x y/n #one piece x oc #law imagine #trafalgar law imagine #trafalgar law one piece #trafalgar d water law #trafalgar law x y/n #sashi ya

[sea-owl]

I was rereading my favorite campy ya novels, the Selection, and I thought let me make a Bridgerton au.

So, for some context, the Selection is basically the Bachelor set in a dystopian world. War happened, and now North America is this monarchy, and there is a caste system. Your career and basically quality of life is basically determined by your caste number. 1 is the highest and is royalty. 2s are celebrities and military. 3s are business people in higher postions, doctors, scientists, and teachers. 4s are those like jewelers, factory workers, construction managers, farmers, real estate agents. 5s are the artists and performers. 6s minimum wage workers, basically. They were housekeepers, cooks, store clerks, drivers, waitresses, and seamstresses. 7s are manual laborers like farm hands, gardeners, movers, trash collectors. 8s were considered the "untouchables." Left homeless, unemployable, and basically forced to beg.

There were ways to raise your caste one is to become very famous for your work. One of the characters in the book got his caste raised from a 5 to I believe a 3 because his art was so popular. Women took on their husband's caste when they married, so if she married well, she could be raised up. Joining the military also would raise up men. Another way for a woman to raise her caste is by joining the Selection.

For the royal family in the book the daughters were married for alliances and the sons were married for patriotism. The sons had an event called the Selection where it's basically the Bachelor. Girls in the right age range from all different castes could apply for a chance to marry the prince. It's a televised thing to see who the future queen or princess will be. I believe 35 girls are chosen. Their caste immediately gets risen to a 3 unless they already naturally a 3 or 2, reason being that the girls become so use to a quality of life in the palace they didn't think they could readjust back to their natural castes.

Anyway onto the au. So let's say Violet won Edmund's selection. They get married, they're happy, and they have kids. But when they inherited the throne, they also inherited a war that unfortunately kept them from being able to make the changes they wanted. They managed to secure four alliances by arranging marriages to their daughters, but now they turn around with three sons of marriageble age and a country extremely distrustful of their rulers.

Edmund and Violet decide it's time to do a special edition of the Selection. Three sons, triple the amount of girls. Anthony does not want to do this, there are important matters of estate we need to attend to. Benedict is just gonna take it as an opportunity to get some art advice, and hopes that a few five girls make it in. Something to distract him and ease the border. Colin is going with the flow, if he gets to make fun of his brothers during this whole thing then it's a win for him. After all the goal will be to put on a show and get Anthony the heir married, right?

An application goes out to all homes with an eligible daughter as soon as it's announced. It's extensive from a medical physical, to hobbies the girls do, to their jobs within their castes, and which prince their application will be for. Unedited photos are also required so when the applications are sent in the girl has to go to a government building to also have her picture taken.

Enter Kate, Sophie, and Penelope, castes 4, 6, and 5 respectively.

Kate didn't want to enter the Selection, she actually told her family that she felt sorry for the girls who ended up winning this, especially the one who will have to marry Prince Anthony. She only did it because Edwina begged her to, saying it could potentially help their family out financially and didn't Kate want to have the best possible chances of that? Kate relented because if and that's a strong if, one of them did get selected there was a nice allowance that they got and would really help them. Kate made Edwina fill out the paper work though. She didn't know that Edwina had put Anthony down as Kate's choice of prince.

Sophie saw the Selection as a chance to escape. While her father was a two he had an affair with Sophie's mother who was a six, thus making Sophie a six as well. It was something Sophie's stepmother loved having over Sophie as she essentially trapped her in her father's house. The other servants had thankfully hidden Sophie's own application and helped her fill it out. Sophie picked Benedict at random, he seemed handsome enough, so long as she was picked and could escape this house she didn't care how long she was in the competition.

Penelope didn't have a choice on the application. Her mother was a social climber, always looking to get the best gigs to increase their family's popularity to hopefully rise up in the castes. A chance to have a daughter become a three, or even a one? All her eligible daughters were sending in an application. Penelope doubted she would get picked, the application required an unaltered photo, and others have made it clear to her that she wasn't that special to look at. She randomly picked the third prince, pretending to say it was good luck, a third daughter for a third prince.

The day the chosen girls are announced Kate, Sophie, and Penelope all watch their faces appear on the tv screen.

Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth are all excited to see their brothers make fools of themselves on live tv. Daphne, Eloise, and Francesca also have their fiancés with them to drag around and help them with their schemes to "help" their brothers chose the best girls to be their new sister in-laws.

#bridgerton #polin #kathony #benophie #the selection au

[dairy-farmer]

Back at it again, with me haunting your ask box~ ,(^○^)/

But? I think I cracked it. The kink code for my current writing phase! Distilled for purity and ready to be shipped! Lol Is a combo of service tops, overstimulation, and toys. But how do these fine fruits come together in a wine, you may ask? Glad ya did!

May I present to you o/~~☆ : The Pollen Kink. 🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉

But What 🤔 Is this marvelous invention? I hear you ask, in your smart and sexy voices! How smart and sexy of you! Why, thanks to our dear friend Dr. Pamela Isely? Pollen can be anything from a Fuck-Or-Die powder to a Hallucinogenic Fuck Powder! Something to ride out while helpless and emotionally vulnerable. It depends on the plants she has and her mood!

But WAIT! There's MORE! You may be asking? How does this terrifying and marvelous powder become a kink? Why, it's simple my dear friends!

You simply need to have the emotional vulnerability of a brick wall, equal communication skill, AND routinely agitated the good Doctor! You'll be Pollened in no time!

Thus? As, say, a local Caped Crusader? You'll have to create Counter Measures! Now, we'd all LIKE to think we can just jab our selves with a counter-agent and skip along our way, after being hit by the good Doctor's creation, but this is simply Not So! While such counter-agent agents exsist, they are medically QUITE harsh on the body! To many back to back risks the liver and kidneys!

It's medically? Not recommended to USE such agents unless you test positive for one of the lethal strains! And even then, you'll be in for at LEAST an hour of "discomfort" as it were.

Now! Show of hands 🤚🤚🤚 ! Who here knows how we used to treat "female hysteria"? I see some dots connecting 😃😘😏! Now, AS a Batman? (For there are many.) What do you DO when you've been hit? Punish yourself. Obviously. You have deep, DEEP seated issues! Pleasure? In THIS good Bat themed Cave? Absolutely not!

But it CHANGES when you introduce your SONS, doesn't it? Do THEY deserve to suffer? To hurt? Of course not! But... how... EXACTLY? Can you HELP? Touch Them??? You'd sooner set fire to both your hands. But! They would be SUFFERING! But Bad Touch(tm)! But-!

And then it occurs to you! Machines. THEY can control what THEY feel comfortable with and need! Oh thank god! No conversations needed. And it mostly works! Yes, there are terrifying moments where it does not, but that is solved with a jab of counter-agent. With bundling your son up in blankets and ignoring the frantic movements of their hands. Being there for them, when they are scared. No different to fear toxin.

It sets a precedent... don't it~ Isn't Superhero life such a mess? If only you had all TALKED about this. But~ it is what it is~~

Because Jason dies. Robin number 3 comes crashing into your life. He is clearly a he and you're trying to ignore him. Why do an indepth medical? Or even check his current medical files? THAT certainly won't haunt you! Oh? Ivy's having a girls night? Time to suit up! Aaaaaand?

Well shit. Congratulations on entry to the "I want to punch Ivy in the dick she doesn't have" Club! Tim has been hit by Pollen~

Bruce, awkwardly explains protocol as he runs the standard "does it need a needle jab?" Test. Tim is getting hornier and honier. He squirms, nods to Batman, goes to check The Box Robin's Don't Talk About(tm). Dead silence. Longer dead silence. A sniffle. Bruce doesn't want to be here. But Would Not abandon ANYONE in such distress. No matter his complicated feelings about them. He sighs and walks over.

Does Tim need help understanding what they are? Or is he overwhelmed?

Then the devastating blow Bruce will not recover from. Big, teary eyes turn to him. Shoulders curling in when they usual square so defiant and bold. A tiny trembling voice. These all require a... a... he doesn't HAVE a...

And Bruce is not a stupid man. His eyes dart to the box, back to his miserable and apparently TRANS sidekick. He's fucked up. Tim is CRYING. Bruce Does The Panic(tm). Thankfully DOESNT blurt out anything stupid. Small miracles. He nods. See? He is accepting and supporting you in this time of vulnerability, doing a Mentor. Not panicking in the slightest as he digs through the box. He's NOT.

He finds one with a vibrating component. Uses a near by set of tools to break the bead vibrator free. Tim has curled in on himself. A miserable little ball on the floor. Bruce is still Not Panicking. About to hand the vibrator over when... his paranoid little brain drop kicks him. Power slam! Straight from the high bar!

What if this sets off a bout of disphoria? Or Tim refuses to use it out of fear of being perceived as feminine? Does he even know HOW to use this? What if it sparks or was rendered unsafe because removing it from the toy it was attached to, made it no longer water proof somehow? Would be be cognizant enough to STOP before he seriously hurt himself? The toy stays gripped, dangling like a noose from his hand.

Tim is making the sniffling little huffs of a someone about to burst into tears. Bruce changes his plans. There... IS a precedent... sorta. And most importantly? Someone NEEDS him. Needs help. He strides over and scoops up his miserable Robin. Who blinks at him with DEVASTATINGLY effective, teary doe eyes.

It's quick work to change them out. Throw an oversized shit on Tim. Then he's up in his room with a pile of blankets. Guest rooms would have been better but... it felt WRONG somehow. And Tim doesn't HAVE a room to take him back too. Not like Dick or Jason. He should fix that. But first? The softest blanket he has. To separate them. So it's... less wrong...

Wraps himself like safety and security around his Robin. He's here. He's gonna make it okay. Gonna make the fire under your skin STOP. He hesitates... but then turns on the bead... slips him hand between those legs. Finds that little virgin clit. Holds Tim as he jerks and sobs and orgasms, again and again. Murmurs soothing words and praise. Feels the wets against his fingers. The way he gets warm and boneless and shake-y in his arms.

He tries not to notice how... GOOD it feels. To take care of someone like this. To do nothing but make them feel good. Make them feel WANTED and SAFE and to be so completely, utterly trusted. To CREATE something purely good in the world. Like whiping away some of the hurt. And... and not having to drop HIS gaurd to do it. No nakedness. No messy, physical vulnerability.

Just the sweet, warm glow of intamcy. The after glow. Like being a cat, basking in sunlight.

Yes, he CERTAINLY makes no notice of that. Nope! He is WELL versed in denial! But if he does more RESEARCH then you would expect? To expand the Ivy Exposure Box? That's his business.

Except... EXCEPT! Fate is LAUGHING at him. Ivy keeps getting OUT. Tim apparently can't dodge for SHIT but ONLY and SPECIFICALLY when Ivy is involved. Worse, the NEW variant of the Pollen makes you... needy. Causes actual near physical pain if you are not being touched. Cuddled. Held. It's apparently to help speed the whole process along. Bruce may personally strangle Isely himself.

There is ALSO a lose of coordination added, thanks to years of him chasing after her. Which means? Tim can't... can't Take Care Off himself. So Bruce does. But! This isn't.. isn't some sex thing for HIM! So he has to use whatever TIM needs! Of course. And if TIM needs to fill full?

Well he has to be responsible. Can't let Tim HURT himself. Will hold him and gently work bigger and bigger toys into that tight little hole. Impossibly tight at first. Let him feel full, and rock it in and out, while it buzzes so nice. Or patiently work in a string of beads until he feels like he'll burst. And... and if he REALLY needs fingers...

It would be cruel righ? To make him sit there, suffering cold unfeeling plastic, while he literally cries for the kindness and warmth of a friendly hand... right? So maybe he slides a hand, now so familiar, down to rub and rub. To slide deeper and IN. To gently take care of his Boy.

And maybe at some point, Dick is visiting. He SEES this new protocol. And he-! A moment of fury! But then Tim's miserable little face turns towards him. An arms works its way free of his blanket burrito. Reaches desperately. Bruce is calling him over, Tim NEEDS him. And... and.... his Fury crumbles

Because this? It's sparking something in his brain. Everything lighting up with pleasure and RIGHT. He... he HATES being objectified. The constant lust. Always AT him, never WITH him. But... but the AFTER GLOW. The warmth and cuddles and-! That softness? He might just die without it. Is ADDICTED to it. T-This is... he can have?? And with Timmy???

He takes SUCH good care of his baby bro. All soft touches and gentle words as he drags Tim over the edge so many times they blur together. Until his boneless and brainless. And neither he nor Bruce bring up the kink the DEFINITELY have developed. They wait for the inevitable. Pretend.

Jason? At first he's mean about it. Fucking machines and ignoring him. Getting his ass handed to him him be Dick and Bruce for it. He figures FINE. If they'll leave him the hell alone about it. He'll be sweet and gentle with the princess.

It rocks his world. Holding his replacement close, like a lover, wrapped up in his arms. Gasping and shaking and needing him as the guy falls apart on his fingers. Getting so... so WET. And he's not... he doesn't DO casual sex. Barely likes being touched some days. But this? The quiet, domestic, almost sacred nature of it? The soft noises and how desperately he clung? How warm and trusting he was after?

It's amazing.

Damian of course takes longest to realize this. He's still trying to fight everything. But protocol is protocol and with just the two of them? Be greatful Drake. But oh? What's THAT Damian? You're deep rooted love for taking care of soft, vulnerable things? Your desperate need for acceptance and warmth? Softness? And suddenly you're AWASH in ALL of that? Oh dear >:3c how that doesn't AWAKEN anything in you~ (it doooooes)

But! Unlike the others? Damian has NO CHILL. Patience? What name so? So Tim wakes UP to Damian deciding... his day off? Timmy Fuckies Day. All orgasms, all day. Your welcome. Brace yourself. And the others of course wonder where they went! Find them! Wait, Damian, you can't do that!

He most certainly can and is! And Tim is letting him! *various buffering noises* Wait... that... That was An Option!?

So now? Not unusual to just... find a Bat hauling around a stuffed full and twitching Timmy, like a teddybear. Just watching TV. Doing some research. Playing a video game. All while Tim is bundled up and panting, gushing, getting brought off for the fifteenth time today. Their warm, cuddly, lil bundle of Good Vibes~ *smooch* *turns up the toys* They DO gave to schedule who gets Tim which days though, or there's fighting.

them using tim's body as a little plaything🥺🥺🥺at first it was because of the pollen, all of them rationalizing it to themselves but then 👀👀👀👀👀 it was because tim was sooo perfect for them so sweet and wet and they just couldn't help but use his body like it was a toy, watching every twitch and expression he made 👀

#anonymous #asks #answered asks

[sneef-to-a-snorf-fight]

Totally Spies! S1 E10-15

ok we watched these late last night while also a lil high so its a lil hazy. also we have found a new top contender for the worst episode. not for the usual reasons. here ya go

oh also i rearranged a few of the last ones cuz they were just. wrong.

ok lets get to the notes

Silicon Valley Girls: ai named CHAD starts torturing people who bullied his creator Adam, machine kinda sexyevil like glados?, saying shit to everyone like "you've been a very bad boy. you deserve punishment" also CHAD reprograms Adam

Queen for a Day: fetishization of North African/ Middle Eastern women, kidnapping, bondage, forced dating

Shrinking: honestly not as bad as it could've been, micro/macro stuff, clover does wear doll's clothes at the end tho

Aliens: actually almost fine other than the torture/ murder machine, and also the organization called Gooper? more on this episode later

Wild Style: oh boy! this episode is the Island of Doctor Moreau but with Jimmy Buffet and Buffalo Bill (but a lady), evil fashion lady forcibly turns people into animal people so she can flay them and make clothing out of their fur/skin, she does in fact wear a coat made of human skin, she served cunt tho so i support women's wrongs, oh also clover becomes a catgirl and her outfit rips in some horny ways :/

Ok so now that that's out of the way, I NEED to talk about the geopolitical implications of the totally spies! world. so we see a couple world maps in the episode "Aliens"

so i have a couple theories for this situation. the breaks in the countries vaguely correspond to real tectonic faults? and we see an earthquake generator in this episode that's the size of a radio? so im thinking since there's basically constant supervillian activities, this may be causing the faults to move rapidly. and also IS CALIFORNIA AN ISLAND??

despite this drastic geologic difference to our earth, we often see a lot of places in this show mostly unchanged. like. Mexico has been Fucked but we still see Mexico City. We see New York twin towers and all. And Beverly Hills of course. There are some made up countries like Kenyopia and Lirobia (i think) but its like. An excuse for them to use weird medieval middle eastern stereotypes for a modern day thingie i guess. There were some others but I'm not going back and watching past episodes. France and Peru and China all exist. Also, Ivy pointed out that the Great Wall of China is still there even though there's a sea there now? We're gonna start noting these things now.

I also have some stuff to say about the music but we'll save that for it's own post.

11 episodes left in Season 1!

#totally spies #totally spies! #totally spies! tier list

[anonymouspumpking]

Completing your dream

¡Long Trafalgar Law fic!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Summary: You are a girl looking to fulfill her dream, which is to become the best doctor the world has ever seen, but to achieve this she has become an apprentice to one of the most renowned pirates of the worst generation.

Chapter 5

Some months passed by, and I felt like I was already part of the heart pirates.

Today is an exciting day. Today is the day that Law let us all take a free day and had fun going around on an island we were stopping by. Shachi, Penguin, Bepo and I had planned to go to a bar and playing some drinking games, so by now, I was making myself ready to spend the night out of the boat.

This was the first time in months since I have worn my normal clothes, it was so exciting. Having that in mind, I wanted to take advantage of the situation and finally use a black dressed I bought a year ago, that I haven’t had any opportunity to use.

The dress suited me well, it was a short, tight dress that highlighted all my curves. I also added to the outfit a pair of gold heels, some hoop earrings, and I let my hair down. By sunset time, I was already ready for my fun going out.

I was waiting for Shachi and Penguin in the deck, when I notice Law coming at me from behind.

“Y/n?”, Law asked.

“Hi cap, are you also having some fun tonight?”, I asked him with the biggest smile on my face.

“Maybe I am” he then made a small smile on his face. “Where are you going looking that way?”

“I’m going drinking at the bar with Shachi, Penguin and Bepo, Is there something wrong with my outfit?”

“No, no, your outfit is great, you look great” he said nervously. “I was just asking because you look very elegant today”.

“Thanks cap” I gave him a kiss on his cheek. “I just want to use this opportunity to use this dress”.

Law was going to say something more when I noticed Shachi, Penguin and Beppo yelling at me to hurry up.

“Let’s chat later cap, see ya and have fun”.

It was already midnight and Beppo had already passed out, Shachi, Penguin and I where drunk but still on our senses.

“Later we will ask the captain to took Bepo to the boat”, Shachi said.

“Yeah, let’s not worry about this right now”, Penguin added.

We were having some much fun talking about any nonsense that came to our mind that we didn’t notice Law arrival at the bar. He took a sit in the bar and asked for something to the bartender.

“So, Y/n, tell us, do you like the captain?” Penguin said taking a shot.

“I mean, he has been nicer to me”.

“But are you attracted to him”, Shachi added.

“Are you kidding me? He is so fucking hot. He has a body made by the gods themselves, and fuck, those tattoos. Do you know how sexy his tattoos are?” I replied.

“So, you would fuck him”, both asked.

“Absolutely I would. However, I doubt the captain ever getting interested on me”.

“We will see about that” Penguin said to himself once he notices Law sitting at the other side of the bar.

An hour passed by, and we kept taking tequila shots playing some dumb drinking games.

“Truth or dare” Penguin asked.

“Dare”, I answered.

“I dare you to flirt with the captain”, Penguin said.

“Dude, ask for something she could do right know”, Shachi added.

“Oh, that is something she CAN do right know”.

We, (Shahi and I), both looked confused and then our attention got drown to Penguin pointing out Law seated at the other side of the bar.

SHIT, I thought to myself, but by this point I was so drunk that I couldn’t think of any possible repercussions. Then I stand up from my seat, and walked, pretending that I wasn’t falling out, toward Law.

“Hey hot stuff”, I said supporting my arm on the bar.

“Y/n? Are you drunk?”

“Do you know how fucking sexy you are?”

Law does not speak for a few moments, clearly caught off guard by the interruption and unexpected question “What are you talking about?!”

“I just wanted to tell you how sexy you are”.

Law sighed, and then his expression instantly brightened as he smiled. “Thank you. You know you're quite sexy yourself.”, he said whispering to my ear.

“Thanks, I know” I reply with a boost of confidence that came from the alcohol.

“Don't let it get to your head now.” Law chuckled, running his fingers through my hair, and ruffling it up.

Law looked all over the place and then notice that Bepo was nocked down by the alcohol. He took a minute to decide, and then he acted up.

“Well, my great doctor, I think is time for you and Bepo to get some rest”.

I was going to reproach when I heard the characteristic “Room and shambles” from Law. Seconds later I was already on the boat. I took a sit at the deck to keep my balance, and then noticed Law carrying Bepo towards Bepos chambers. When he finished his task, he took a sit by my side.

“It is time for you to sleep princess, or do you want me to tuck you in as well?”

My face turned bright red, but I managed to answer him. “I do actually want to tuck me in”.

Law didn’t know how to react to the answer, but after some seconds, he smiled, and he carried me toward my room. Once in there, he laid me down on my bed. He was about to go when I grab his arm.

“Law, I want to kiss you”.

Law's face instantly turned red and kneeled down on the floor to speak with me.

“How fucking cute are you being at the moment, but I am afraid that your feelings are only a result of the alcohol in your system. I’m going to bring you some water”.

“Law, I swear to you that my feelings are not a result from the alcohol I had earlier. The only thing the alcohol did was to give me enough courage to admit it to you”.

Law smiled. “I suppose we must talk about this in the morning”. Then he was going to get some water when I grabbed his hand again.

“Don’t leave me Law, please”, I asked him. “Stay with me”

He then laughed and took a minute to think. “Do you want me to cuddle you?”.

“I would actually love it, please”.

Law got in bed next to me and hugged me tightly.

#one piece #trafalgar law #trafalgar one piece #trafalgardwaterlaw #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar law x you

[zacharyleartist69]

Realized I haven’t posted anything in like a while so might as well share some headcanons of my Donkey Kong AU:

Donkey Kong and Funky Kong’s Parents:

The mother of Donkey Kong and Funky Kong’s name is Fay Kong. Fay Kong is known as the hyper active party girl with her sisters, she is a triplet. She owns the bar that Funky now owns and sometimes perform with her sisters like singing. She also likes to take risk and won’t back down a dare, even if it’s dangerous.

How Donkey Kong Junior met Fay is pretty silly; Donkey Kong Junior was in the middle of racing a kong until he spotted Fay Kong just chilling on the beach, sunbathing away. He fell in love at that very moment and couldn’t keep his eyes off of her until he tripped and rolled to her. Fay was startled when DK Jr landed in front of her, but she finds it funny and started laughing. Even though DK Jr was embarrassed, he laughed with her then started talking with her, which she happily accepts his company.

Donkey Kong Jr actually knows how to surf and uses that hobby to escape the responsibilities of being the king of the Kong Island. He sometimes teaches Fay so that he can have a surfing buddy, but Fay isn’t really good at it.

Gotta add the proposal headcanon for them; DK Jr asked his buddies to help him propose to Fay exactly on the day of their 3rd year anniversary. The scenery was perfect, flower pedals scattered around with candles leading her to where DK Jr is waiting, heart shaped fair lights blink her colors (blue, red, and white), and soon two pinetrees are shaped as a heart with vines wrapped around it with flowers glowing on it. It was a magical sight for Fay and she happily accepted his proposal once DK Jr popped the question. After the proposal, DK Jr and Fay carves a heart on one of the pine trees with their initials on it to keep the memory alive forever.

Ya know the wedding was popping after months of planning and a lot of Cranky and Wrinkly’s money spent. The theme of their wedding is a tropical island (since they live in one), so Fay needed a perfect wedding dress to not only walk properly, but to dance in it. Lucky for her, Wrinkly Kong had the perfect dress for her and Fay fell in love with it the moment she lay eyes on it. The dress had a short skirt then goes down to a longer version like a cape. Tropical Flowers wraps around the dress, resting on one side of the dress then swirls around to the bottom of the skirt (might draw it out soon). When I tell you DK Jr cried seeing Fay in that dress, he fucking cried. He kept on calling her beautiful the moment she stands next to him and she had to calm him down so that they can get on with the wedding lmao.

Fay’s dream is to become a mom one day with the right guy and she accomplished that dream when she found out she was pregnant with Funky. DK Jr and Fay were over the moon with excitement when they find out they are gonna have a baby together, so they prepared a room just for little Funky. Throughout the months Fay was pregnant, DK Jr did nothing but protect and love her no matter what, even if it’s something little he is still there for her no matter what. Fay was the one who came up with the name Funky and DK Jr agreed to it either way since this is their first baby. Once Funky arrived, the two have been spoiling him none stop with affection and parental love. One of the moments I like to think is that Fay sings a lullaby to baby Funky when he has trouble sleeping. After three years, they decided to give Funky a baby brother and named him Donkey Kong the Third (the reasoning behind it is that Cranky won’t stop nagging Fay and DK Jr to name their second kid after him and DK Jr).

However, after DK the Third was born, Fay became extremely ill and the doctor recommended her to rest and take medicine. Fay, being the stubborn women she is, fight against the illness and does her best to take care of not only Funky, but DK the Third as well. As the years go on, Fay became more and more weaker to the point she had to rest on a hammock. During this time, the Kremlin and Kong war erupted and DK Jr had to leave Fay and his boys behind to fight in the war. As days goes by, Cranky and Wrinkly makes sure they take care of Funky and DK the Third while Fay is resting until a kremling invaded the house they are living in. This kremling was not alone, a tall female Kremling comes through the door and revealed herself as Kalypso. Kalypso wanted to take Funky and DK the Third to the kremling base to threaten DK Jr to surrender, but Fay didn’t let that happen.

Although Fay is weak and ill, she uses all of her strength to fight against Kalypso to the point she had to retreat out of the house. Now that she is injured, time started to slow down around her. She knew her time is almost done, so she makes her way to where Wrinkly and Cranky is with her boys are hiding and shared her last moments with them. She holds her boys tight as tears streamed down her face, telling them that everything is gonna be okay and to never give up hope even if time can be rough to handle. With small kisses on Funkky and DK the Third’s head, she eventually passed away that night with a smile on her face. Her final words were “Don’t forget that mama will always love you.. even if I’m not here to show it anymore I’ll still be here.. but in your hearts.. I know you two will be great when y’all grow up.. I love you two dearly.. And I mean it from the bottom of my heart.. I love you two ever so much”.

Y’all already know what happened to DK Jr so Ima just end it here lmao.

I love making hadcanons, even if they are sad :)

#donkey kong #funky kong #cranky kong #wrinkly kong #donkey kong jr #Fay Kong #kalypso #donkey kong country #nintendo #headcanon #sad headcanon #original content

[lonelypond]

A Whole Heap Of Trouble

NicoMaki, NozoEli, Love Live, 2.4K, 6/?

The time to track down the A-Rise gang is nearing. Nishikino Maki has feelings to confront; Sonoda Umi has allies to recruit

A Whole Heap Of Trouble

For once, Nozomi Tojo was eager to climb the stairs to her room over the general store, to have  some private moments. Business had been bustling, people in and out, full of news, but Nozomi couldn’t shake the sense that as much as the flow of information flowed freely on the surface, there were undercurrents and shadows in the depths. Maki’s cousin, Rin, was a friendly visitor nearly every day, but some days her purchases made no sense if Nozomi tried to link them to Hanayo’s ranch. And frankly, the only person in town who had as much cash as Rin was spending was Doctor Maki. Even when they socialized together, dinner with the girls and Hanayo at the saloon, once a week as usual for Maki, Nozomi couldn’t get a read on their relationship. The Doctor was even more closed off than usual. And Eli, Eli was working later, spending more time visiting distant ranches, and restless when she and Nozomi found themselves together. That wired energy would translate into nights with Eli that Nozomi wanted to linger in bed and daydream about, but somehow it wasn’t exactly the Eli that Nozomi knew and loved. Today, today, Nozomi would get answers from her oldest friend, the well worn Tarot deck she carried everywhere. Her thoughts on Eli, the feel of the cards against her fingertips familiar, Nozomi dealt out three cards.

A very mixed picture. In the Past slot she had the Two of Pentacles. Freezing passerbys outside looking in, unable or unwilling to reach for help. The Present slot was the frankly disturbing reversed Eight of Swords, a woman blindfolded in a maze of deadly edges. There is a path out of the present twisting around, but steps must taken blindly, forward. The future was a strike from a reversed Ace of Wands. Unexpected change. What path will be chosen?

Disgruntled, Nozomi reached again for the deck, taking the top card and turning it, giving the pictures shuffling around her some grounding. Three of wands. A horizon, perhaps a journey, a new start. A new start that embraced a past Nozomi had asked Eli had put behind her. Nozomi sighed. She should have known better than to set Eli on a path that took nothing forward.

Something important was about to happen, an opportunity for Eli to help, but only if Nozomi could convince her that breaking a promise was the only way forward. Reshuffling the cards, Nozomi left them out, where Eli would see them. The next step was to return something Eli believed gone forever.

###

Kousaka Honoka walked at a brisk pace, blue eyes taking in as much detail as possible, goofy grin on her face covering serious thoughts. She’d gotten a message, a fellow marshal had taken a chance and sidled up to the bar next to her, demanding they cut cards for whiskey shots. Honoka had lost two pulls of of three, but thanks to very carefully phrased challenges, Honoka knew that help was coming, riding out to the train intercept. Not from this town though. Honoka had realized A-Rise had chosen this Colorado town as a reunion point because Tsubasa had a very cozy relationship with the sheriff, who was passing information from the marshals. Honoka and Rin had known that there was a turncoat in the organization somewhere. They kept their plans limited to the people they could absolutely trust. Yazawa Nico had become one of them so Honoka was glad Rin had ridden after her. But that left Honoka in a lonely, dangerous position.

“Honoka!” Yuuki Anju, one of A-Rise’s lieutenants bounced up to throw an arm around Honoka, “Where ya been? Tsuba’s been looking for you.”

Honoka rolled up the frayed cuff of her jacket, showing a new undyed shirt sleeve. “Caught my sleeve on a nail at the livery, needed a new shirt.”

“Can’t wait to get to San Francisco and buy something fancier than you can get here.” Anju scuffed at the material.

“Yeah.” Honoka chuckled, “I’ll go straight for linen. Calico’s too coarse.”Honoka straightened her battered gray bowler, “Need a new hat too. This one’ll see me through the winter but…”

‘No flair.”

Honoka swallowed a wince at the woman’s matter of fact assessment. She really needed to dandy up before she saw Umi and Kotori again.

###

Yazawa Nico knocked gently on Maki’s office doorframe. “The girls are all packed and ready for tomorrow. Nico’s about to cook up lunch. Want some?”

Maki shook her head.

“They’re so excited. They say they've been wanting to go camping for awhile now. All the songs made them curious." Nico grinned, bright and jaunty.

Maki shrugged, “Busy.” She smiled down at her inventory, thinking of Ruby and Dia playing, tumbling around and roughhousing with her. “Plus, they outnumber me.”

“Nico fixes that.”

“You do.” The smile continued.

A pause.

“Nico will save you lunch. For whenever you're done with serious doctor things.”

“Thank you.” Back to serious doctor face.

Getting Maki to talk about anything for more than a sentence or two was becoming impossible. Nico wondered if it was punishment for Nico leaving or just the doctor shutting off her emotions. But Nico kept throwing out topics like baited fish hooks, hoping to snag the doctor's attention.

“Nico is looking forward to seeing this waterfall. Your pictures are gorgeous.”

Maki grunted.

“Nico is very lucky to have found such a beautiful place and such a beautiful doctor.”

Why did Nico keep doing that? Maki grumbled to herself. Maki didn’t know, had never known what to say to compliments. Nico must know that. She’d been tossing sweet words at Maki like lariat loops, but Maki just let them slip to the ground. She raised a hand to her warming cheek. A blush. Had Nico seen that?

Since their conversation under the stars two nights ago, Nico had carefully kept her talk mostly general, telling stories to the girls, asking Maki about ‘doctor things,’ but no more lips brushing anything or Nico expressing future plans. Why not? How could Nico just leave that statement out there, “Nico wants a family of her own sometime”, ambushing Maki at random, without any further discussion.

Maki was on feet, out of her office, before Nico was halfway across the living room.

“Why?”

Nico turned.

“If you want…” Maki couldn’t articulate what Nico had described. Her hands flailed in the air, “Why are you going away to get yourself shot? Again?”

Nico’s shoulders slumped, she looked back, but the girls remained in the kitchen. So she stepped toward Maki. “It’s the right thing to do. It’s what Nico has to do.”

“You’re not a marshal, you're not a hero. You’re just…” Maki stopped before she started crying.

“No, Nico’s not a hero.” Nico had Maki's hand again, and then Nico was brushing tears from Maki’s cheek. Her voice was a whisper, “Tsubasa threatened my family. I have to make sure they’re going to be safe. Nico made a big mistake back then; I’m gonna fix it. I can’t bring my problems here, Maki. You deserve better.”

“I don't care. I can help.”

“You have to take care of Ruby and Dia. They need you. Nico can take care of Nico.”

“You shouldn’t have to.” Maki was on a cliff and neither she nor an imaginary speeding horse knew where the fall would start.

“It’s what Nico does.” Nico was too good at easily shrugging off Maki’s arguments.

But before Maki could explode, two cheerful voices came rushing forward.

“Mama, come have lunch.” Dia skipped to Maki.

Ruby crushed Nico’s leg into a hug. "Soup!!!"

For this moment, the present, the presence of Ruby, Dia, Nico, and lunch pushed future concerns past the horizon. Perhaps Maki could just stay in this moment, not think, and let the cheerful bustle surround her.

“Yeah, come have lunch, Doctor Maki. You can sit next to Nico.” Nico winked, before she turned to pull Maki into the kitchen, not letting go of her hand.

“Soup!!!” Ruby cheered.

Maki picked up her youngest daughter, engaged in every detail, every sensation around her, forcing a match for Ruby’s enthusiasm. “Soup!!!”

###

“Nontan.”

Nozomi had fallen asleep. Eli had crept into the room so quietly, sitting next to Nozomi, brushing her hair with gentle fingers. Twilight had left the room in a limnal state, Eli catching just enough of a glow from Nozomi’s Tarot deck to wonder what the psychic had been up to before her nap.

“mmmmmm….Eli.” Nozomi murmured softly as she nuzzled into Eli.

“I’m back, Love. Did you have a good nap. Shall I cook you something?”

Nozomi shook her head, then pulled Eli down into a deep, slow kiss. Surprised at the sudden intensity, Eli pulled back, blue eyes seeking clues.

“I love you, Eli. From the very first day we met. You know that, right?”

“What’s wrong, Nozomi?”

“You’ve been restless.”

Eli sighed, then laughed, “Much as I love horses, they’re not really much for talking.”

“You miss….”

Eli’s response was sharp, cutting off what she thought Nozomi might say, “I gave that up when you asked me to, Nozomi. I have no regrets.”

Another kiss.

“I was silly. And worried. Scared.”

“I know.” Eli held Nozomi’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“I have something for you, something you'll need.” Nozomi whispered, her head pressing into Eli’s shoulder. She then leaned over to pull something out from Eli’s usual pillow. The dark, polished leather of Eli’s gunbelt, customized pearl handled twin revolvers were so out of place on the bed they often shared.

Eli froze, shocked at her lover’s action.

“Nozomi? Love???” Eli’s voice cracked. "What did the cards..."

“They say it’s time to embrace your past, to not be an outsider, to take steps forward.”

Eli pushed back from Nozomi, “You made me promise never to wear those again.”

Nozomi’s eyes fluttered closed, as the seer considered her next statement, “I should never have asked you to bury your past.”

“But it was for our future.”

Nozomi put both hands on Eli’s cheeks, holding the teary blue gaze, “Can you tell me you’re happy?”

A harsh knock on the door sent Eli diving off the bed, reaching instinctively for a pistol. The Russian’s reflexes were deep muscle history, the weight of the gun lay perfectly in her palm and she lined up a shot, just as if someone were about to break into her hotel room, to try to recover some of the money Eli had won at poker.

“Nozomi, Eli?” Umi. “I have a favor to ask”

“Of course.”

Nozomi slowly opened the door, Eli taking the opportunity to stash the gun belt under the bed. Umi stepped inside, head bowed.

“My apologies for intruding.”

“You’re always welcome.”

Umi flashed a glance at Nozomi, who pointed her to a chair. Nozomi joined Eli on the bed.

“What can we do ya for?” Nozomi asked gaily in her best company drawl.

Umi twisted her hands, weight centered, leaning forward over her firmly planted boots. “I’ll be riding out in a couple of days, with Rin and Nico.”

“Nico?” One question, two voices.

Umi frowned, “The big black horse new at Hanayo’s is hers. Maki’s been tending her bullet wounds. She and Rin escaped from the A-Rise gang.”

Umi’s voice was soft. But this was hard news. Eli and Nozomi had both heard A-Rise tales, a flood of crime, mayhem, and murder from Colorado to the Pacific sea. The gang had splinter groups, always on the move, uniting together for big heists. They had never been active in these mountains, but the stories went everywhere the rails did.

“Rin’s not Maki’s cousin? But she’s so nice. Does Hanayo know?”

Mutual confusion worrying her, Nozomi took Eli’s hand in hers.

“You cannot share this with anyone. Anyone.” Umi’s tone was so solemn Nozomi and Eli nodded automatically.

“Rin is a marshal. She was undercover with another marshal to get enough evidence to bring down the gang leaders. She saved Nico’s life, but had to leave her assignment.” Umi’s golden brown eyes flooded with worry. “The other marshal has been keeping her cover. And now we have a chance to ambush and corral the gang.”

“They’ve caused a whole heap of trouble.” Nozomi knew the news and gossip was always full of the gang.

“And they have informants inside law enforcement. They’ve paid off many sheriffs. We don’t know who to rely on in other towns.”

“So you’re going to go ambush the biggest gang in the West and rescue a marshal, you, Rin, and this Nico person. With no sheriffs to help you.”

“Kotori, as well. The other marshal is…” Umi sighed, “our partner.”

A memory of the fair haired tailor at work, strong hands cutting through leather fabric, sharp eyes measuring unerringly came to Eli. She had faced many less sure opponents across gaming tables and duel distances.

“Why did you come to us?” Nozomi batted her eyelashes, voice coy.

“Nontan.” Eli chided.

Umi cleared her throat, but there was no embarrassment in her voice, “My job is to keep Otonokizaka Falls safe. So when someone new arrives in town, I send discreet inquiries to some trusted colleagues. Eli Ayase is a well known name in some very big towns.”

“That’s not true.” Nozomi leaned forward, turquoise eyes glittering with mischief.

Eli smiled apologetically at Umi. “Nozomi, please don’t tease our friend.”

“She is right though.” Umi stood, “I am not here for Eli Ayase, blacksmith. I need the skills The Russian can bring to this job, guile, street smarts, and unerring aim.” She extended her hand to Eli, “I know you’ve hung up your guns, but I must ask you to take one more gamble.”

Nozomi stood next to Eli, her arms wrapped around her lover’s waist, Eli seeing nothing but a hearth fire worth of warmth in those eyes. She remembered the thrill of taking a risk, of only knowing the probable outcome, not certain of the success of a gambit. And Umi was her good friend. Eli wanted to be there, to help her return a loved one home.

“I’m in.”

Nozomi’s loud kiss smacked on Eli’s cheek covered Umi’s “thank you”.

“My hero.”

Eli rolled her eyes. “We’ll be doing this with a minimum of heroics and a maximum of solid planning.”

“Agreed.”

Nozomi’s raised a hand to her heart. “Y’all make a lady swoon with your sweet talk.”

Even Umi couldn’t hold in the giggle.

A/N: This one was hard yo…so many feelings. Although I did enjoy the chance to cast Tarot cards for Nozomi

#NicoMaki #NozoEli #Nishikino Maki #Yazawa Nico #Ayase Eli #Tojo Nozomi #Sonoda Umi #Kousaka Honoka #yeehawgust #Western #frontier orphan Dia and Ruby #getting angsty #but still fun #Think of Eli as Maverick

[dossantosbooks]

Nightmare Junction

(i once started a book, but it ended up as a short story that won a Writers of the Future Honorable Mention, and was longlisted for First Chapters Contest at Voyage YA Magazine, and now I share it with you)

NIGHTMARE JUNCTION.

My mother needs more Venom.

"Laina," she whispers, reaching for my hand as I sit on her bed. Her skin is cold and clammy. Fear seeps in through my pores from her trembling fingers and digs under my skin.

"You okay, Momma?"

She nods but the tight lines around her mouth betray her. Her face is thin and sallow, her curly hair brittle. Her pain is, at times, unbearable as her body turns against itself; her hopelessness suffocating. She wants to hide it from me, but I can feel it almost as if it were my own--courtesy of my enhancement for heightened empathic intelligence--and my mother knows it. Knowing her pain in this way, so close and intimate, stokes the guilt burning inside of me.

It's my fault my mother is dying after all.

Microchimerism, the doctors call it, bits of genetic material passed from fetus to mother during pregnancy. In most people, nothing comes of it, but I have a 47th techno-chromosome-- added for genetic enhancements--and it triggered an autoimmune disorder in my mother.

My extra man-made chromosome is, apparently, a killer.

I want to pull my hand away, but I squeeze hers instead, then I grab a box of syringes from the nightstand drawer and a small, brown bottle of Venom. I don't need to shake it to know it's only half full. I always know how much Venom we have and it's never enough.

"Do you need help?" I ask her.

"Please." Her hands have become too unsteady. Lately, on the really bad days, they curl inward, tendons and muscles all haywire, though it is unclear at this point how much of it is the autoimmune disorder and how much it's the drugs ravaging her nervous system while providing pain relief. Venom is made with a compound from a snake's venom, hence the name. It's illegal and highly addictive, and the only thing we can afford to help with the pain. The Venom will likely kill her if her body doesn't fail her first.

There is a cure, but we can't afford it, and insurance won't pay for it on the grounds my mother volunteered to participate in the experiment twenty years ago, signing all kinds of waivers she shouldn't have. I don't allow myself to think about it much, how the company took advantage of thousands of poor young girls, how the government has done nothing to protect them or help the ones who, twenty years later, are suffering.

I prep the syringe while my mother ties a tourniquet around an arm that is all bone and sagging skin. She closes her eyes. I insert the needle into her vein and pump the cocktail of synthetic drugs into her. The first time she asked for help, my hands shook worse than hers. She ended up crying the rest of the day--not because I hurt her, but for making her daughter complicit in this war against her body. I decided that day my hands would never shake again, but the sour taste of guilt still coats my mouth every single time.

I throw the used needle in the trash and put everything else back in the drawer with a sinking heart. We only have enough Venom to last us a couple more days, maybe.

"Thanks, baby," she says, the lines around her eyes and mouth softening, her voice thickening with relief. "Are you working tonight?"

The question launches my heart into a frantic rhythm against my ribcage. I hate lying to her, but I can't tell her I got fired two weeks ago and haven't been able to find work since. No one will hire 47s.

I can't tell her we're running out of money for bills. For food. For Venom. Instead, I smile, and I nod.

It's not a lie, not entirely.

Tonight, I go to the Nightmare Junction.

#

I hurry through blocks of graffiti decorated storefronts and overflowing garbage cans hugging the edge of sidewalks. Rusted, gas-guzzling cars turned prime real estate for the homeless line the streets. Some have plastic covering the windows, some have cardboard, very few still have glass. When a tank of gas costs more than a month's rent, the poor stay put. I turn onto Commerce Drive and spot a group of men gathered around the next intersection. 

Protestors. 

Handmade signs bobbing up in the air and all.

I slow my pace.

They pop up every so often to remind us all the Enhanced are the damnation of the human race. Very holy of them. Last year, an enhanced kid was beaten to death. The murderers's defense: enhanced aren't human because of their extra manufactured chromosome. Human or not, those bastards are serving two life sentences.

There's no way for me to avoid them completely, but I cross the street to keep as much distance as I possibly can. One of the men, short but broad shouldered with thick hands fisted around the signpost, stares straight at me. Heat spreads from my chest all the way to my face under scrutinizing eyes--he knows he knows he knows.

 I reach for the small blade I keep on me whenever I go out.

"They belong in Hell's fires," he yells, raising his sign up in the air. It has a proverb written on it, and I can't help but imagine its pointy handle coming down on my head. Like a stake.

He can't know, I remind myself over the panic ballooning in my chest that's making it hard to breathe. Our ultraviolet markers are tattooed just below the clavicle where it meets the shoulder--easy to cover--but I hold onto the blade nonetheless, and keep my senses on high alert until I round the next street corner. It's not until I'm a couple of blocks away that my heart finally settles back into its place.

By the time I reach the industrial park on the edge of the city, the sun has set and my nerves are back on overdrive. There are just enough working street lamps left to illuminate a long row of abandoned factory buildings. I search for number twenty-seven, which is easy enough to find given the cars parked in the lot across the street, and take the ramp leading to a door. I try it. It's locked. I'm about to bang on it when a voice startles me. "Try the doorbell."

The buzzer mocks me on the wall next to the door. I go to ring it, but the door buzzes before I do, and I scramble to open it before the person changes their mind. I imagine them watching me from a camera and laughing. My cheeks burn in the dark.

Inside, an astringent smell of chemicals and plastics fills my nostrils. I look around, unsure of where to go. Across the way, on the other side of the large loading area, I spot a door with soft light glowing through a small viewing window. I hustle towards it before I change my mind, taking careful steps to avoid puddles of water dotting the concrete floor. I go down a flight of stairs and through another door.

A guy sits on a stool, arms crossed over his chest. Everything about him is hard and mean looking.

"I'm looking for Victor" I say, a little breathless, a little unsure.

He makes a motion with his hands I don't understand, so he gets up, reaches under my arms, and slaps them up. I stiffen. "Sorry, sweetheart," he says, his voice deep and rough like he just swallowed glass, while he pats me down. "We check everyone that walks through the door." He finds my pocket knife and throws it in a box behind his stool. Before I can protest, he adds, "You can get it back on your way out." And then I'm following him through a large open area that seems to run the length of the building. 

Old shop machines are pushed up against the walls. Men stand around an elevated area--like a boxing ring. Screens hang from the ceiling over it. Everyone's eyes are on them, but I can't make out what they're looking at. The air reeks of cigarettes, hard liquor and sweat. On the opposite end of the floor, he leads me down a short hallway and into an office.

Victor sits behind a desk. Green, cunning eyes seem to glow against the warm light brown of his skin.

"A friend told me to come see you about the games," I say, though drug dealer is a more accurate description for Chipper than friend. When I didn't have enough money to buy more drugs after being fired, Chipper told me I could make more than enough money playing a virtual reality game.

Victor puts out a cigarette in an already full ashtray, reaches for the whiskey next to it, and motions for me to sit in a plastic chair across from him, "It's fifty a game," he says, swirling the liquid. Ice clinks against the glass. "You get it back if you win plus a percentage of my winnings."

"I don't have that kind of money." I have so little of it left, the idea of losing it all knots my insides.

He leans back on his chair, eyes never wavering from mine. "I'll make you a deal. I'll front you the entry fees and if you win, you get the drugs you need for your mother. If you lose, you owe me the fee plus ten percent interest."

My blood thickens in my veins. I want to ask him how he knows about my mother, but I already know the answer. Chipper.

"Venom is cheaper than your entry fees," I say, straightening up in the chair.

"It is, only no one in this city will sell it to you after tonight."

I frown, trying to understand the meaning behind his words, but when he picks up his drink and downs the whole thing in one gulp, I see it.

The tattoo.

A red circle with a GS in the center of it--the gang symbol for the Great Sharks--peeks from the cuff of his shirt. This part of the city belongs to the Sharks, and the Sharks control drug supplies.

My heart sinks.

Victor sets the glass down and smiles. There's no tension in the lines around his mouth, and for a moment I'm confused by the sincerity behind it, then realize it's not sincerity but a knowing.

He's just made it impossible for me to walk away. 

#

Victor sends me into another office where I have nanobots injected into me by Joaquim who most definitely does not look like a doctor.

The bots will travel to the part of the brain involved in dreaming and transmit the game directly into my dream center. Right before a match, he tells me, I'll be given a quick acting sedative that also blocks hypocretin receptors, sending me straight into REM sleep and a state of lucid dreaming.

I imagine tiny robots traveling through my body, conquering my brain, turning me into a robot

"Welcome to the Junction," Joaquin says, then sends me into the Pit.

#

The Pit is where the players wait for their turn to play. The whole room goes silent when I walk in. The floor is dirty, the walls grey and dingy, the lack of windows suffocating.

I stand, unsure, at the door, heart hammering in my chest. A few guys sitting around a table watch me. One of them says something I don't catch, and they all laugh. My fingers itch for the knife I no longer have.

 This room is a storm of excitement and dread and a hunger I don’t quite understand; it rattles my bones. It feels like war.

Across the room, a girl sitting on top of a counter waves me over. A wide smile cracks her mouth open, and my feet make the decision for me before my brain does, releasing my breath when the room fills with the clatter of chatter once again. 

"I'm Arlington," she says.

"Laina."

Her knee bounces up and down. Up and down. Fast and manic, her energy is prickly and consuming. I pull in a few deep, centering breaths to help me keep her erratic energy at bay, but I’m struggling. A headache is starting to form at my temples, and I can't tell if it's the late hour or the exertion of keeping myself from drowning in the midst of so much energy.

"That's Mario," she says, nodding at a kid sitting at the other end of the counter, doodling on his jeans with a black pen. He glances up--he has round, soft features, like puberty hasn't quite made its mark on him yet--but gets back to his drawing without saying anything.

The tingly feeling of someone watching me creeps up my spine. I scan the room and find menacing eyes boring into me from one of the guys sitting at the table. He’s tall, lanky, dark hair and sharp features. The intensity coming off of him is unsettling. Violent. I jut my chin out, not wanting to show how nervous I actually am.

"That's Razor," Arlington says, having noticed him staring as well. "Stay out of his way if you can."

"Is he any good?" I ask, glad for a reason to let my gaze travel to a board hanging on a wall with names on it, but not before catching the start of a smirk pulling at his lips.

His name is at the top.

"Undefeated," she says. "He's a beast, afraid of nothing. He's also the mayor's son." She offers that last bit of information like a warning I don't quite grasp.

My own name has been added to the bottom of the list. There are numbers next to some of the names, which Arlington tells me are scores. "What's with the stars on some of the names?" I ask, noticing one next to mine.

"Enhanced players."

Panic rises in my chest, and I feel the blood drain from my face. My eyes slide back to Razor, thinking about the violence I had sensed from him, and Arlington's earlier warning about his father being the Mayor. Razor's attention is on the guy next to him talking. I let out my breath, slowly. The Mayor has been vocal about his belief that the Enhanced don't have the right to privacy, that we are a threat to society and should be monitored at all times. Because of him, I’ve had to report to social services for an yearly interview that feels like an interrogation. He has made our lives harder than they ever needed to be in this city; he has made me feel like a criminal.

Keeping the truth of my enhancement hidden as much as possible has always felt like a matter of survival, but now it is being displayed for all in this room to see--maybe even the people watching out there--and I have no idea what they will do with this information.

Arlington, too, has a star.

When I turn back to her, she points at the kid doodling on his pants and says, "The three of us." 

"I've never..."

She grins. “Wild, right?”

The impossibility of it makes me lightheaded. I have never met another Enhanced, though I know there are others who live in this city. Most hide what we are.

Arlington doesn't appear to be scared that everyone here knows about us. I glance at Mario. His energy is murky, I can't quite read it unless I were to reach out to him--place a hand on his knee, grab his hand--which I'm not going to. I know what it feels like to have someone disregard my right to privacy.

"Game's on!" someone shouts. Everyone hushes and turns their attention to a large screen hanging next to the board with all the players's names.

The screen splits in half.

Player one is in a bedroom, player two in a living room. The camera in the bedroom starts to move and I realize we're watching from the players point of view. The players are exploring around, one moving quicker than the other. 

There's a sound, like a door slamming shut, and both players freeze. In hushed whispers, Arlington explains what's happening, which I am thankful for. No one else has, outside of the basics.

"Each player gets dropped in a different part of the level,” she says, ”but eventually, you either run into each other, or the game brings you together. The goal is to fight your opponent until one of you wakes up. The game leaves parts of the environment blank, including what your opponent looks like, and because you are in a dream state, your subconscious fills those blanks in with stuff that's personal to you. And--" the pitch of her voice rises. Her energy crashes against me, and I lean away from her. "--since your fear center has been stimulated, your subconscious is more likely to fill those blanks with things that scare you. Like a nightmare. It's fucking brilliant." 

There's a flurry of movement on the screen. My eyes dart from one player to the other trying to understand what I'm looking at. A growl rips through the air, then both players start running. Player one is being chased by player two down a darkly lit hallway that seems to have no end. For a few moments there's only the sound of feet pounding, and someone panting. Their panic comes in short bursts of air, in and out, in and out, and I find my pulse quickening to match their rhythm.

Another growl, raspy and wet and desperately hungry, cuts through the air as player two leaps forward. Something metal glints in the screen, and it's not until it connects with player one's shoulder that I realize they're claws. Metal claws that slash down his back. There's a cry, either of pain or fear, I can't tell, and the screen goes black.

I hold my breath, staring at the screen waiting for it to come back on. It doesn't. The other side of the room fills with cheering and laughter.

"What just happened?" I ask.

"Game's over," Arlington answers.

"Laina! Joshua! You're up." Someone calls out.

My heart sinks.

#

The crowd is thick and loud, and I'm barely keeping it together with everyone's energy encroaching on me. I can't feel my legs when I climb the three steps up to the ring. My opponent is already sitting in a chair. His eyes are closed.

Joaquin, the guy that injected the nanobots into me, stands behind a table full of computers.

I take the chair across from my opponent and look out into the crowd, into the sea of faces. The room is suddenly a million degrees warmer, melting my limbs until I can't feel them. I fix my gaze on my clasped hands resting on my lap and focus on evening my breathing.

"Lean forward," Joaquin says, and I feel a calloused finger on my neck, feeling and prodding between my vertebrae. I tense. Something cold and hard touches my neck. "Relax and don't move," he says. A moment later I feel a pinching that sends an electrical current up and down my spine. My eyes well up with tears. "It's just the stimulant, now lean back." 

He lowers the back of my chair until I'm staring at the wires coming off the screens hanging from the ceiling. I touch the back of my neck and find nothing even though I feel a weight hanging from it. My heart races, unnaturally fast, and my hands are tingling, like they have fallen asleep.

"Players ready for the Junction," Joaquin calls out.

I want to tell him I'm not ready, that this whole night already feels like a nightmare, but loud cries and cheers erupt from the crowd and the words dry up in my throat. I close my eyes and breathe slowly, trying to block out all the noise.

In and out. 

This is for my mother. 

In and out.

It's just a game.

The countdown starts.

Five...four...three--

#

The sound of metal clanking startles me, and I spin around. I'm standing in the middle of a deserted street I don't recognize. A street lamp a few feet away casts a dull light that glints on wet pavement. I squint and focus on a plaque hanging from the lamp post. Nightmare Junction, it reads. The words tug at me, the feeling like I should know its meaning. 

A bitter cold wind cuts through my clothes, rattling my bones and I'm suddenly aware it's raining. It's just a drizzle but it stings when it hits my face. Shivering, I pull my sleeves over my hands.

I can hear traffic off in the distance.

There's that scraping sound again. 

It's coming from a different direction now, but I can't tell from where. I walk towards the traffic noises because it feels like that's where I'm meant to go. Or should go. The buildings on both sides of the street are inching closer. I blink several times. It's the rain and the darkness making the world seem distorted, I tell myself. Buildings can't move. 

Off in the distance, headlights zoom by. I quicken my pace, wanting to find people, but the lights are getting farther away instead of closer. What the hell? I break into a run, determined to catch up, but the faster I run, the farther they get, like that end of the street is being pulled away from me, stretching the already narrow street too thin, forcing the buildings on either side of me closer together. 

I run faster and faster, gasping for air as the buildings loom closer and closer. Laughter erupts all around me and I trip over my own feet and fall. A sharp pain shoots up my elbow, I cry out but jump back up to my feet and spin around, wanting to know who the laughter belongs to.

There's no one. 

My right hand burns. The skin has been scraped off my knuckles. They are red and raw and the tips of my fingers burn from the cold and the pain. Everything is blurry, and I can't tell if it's the rain or tears. I wipe my eyes on my sleeves. I need to keep going towards the lights, but just as I think this, I spot a door to the right. I hesitate. Something about the door pulls at me, beckoning, but I'm overcome with the feeling that I am safer out here on the street.

I will my feet to move, and suddenly, the world explodes with noise, like a bomb went off right above me and the world comes crashing on my head. I cover my ears and drop to the ground, this time on purpose, and fold into myself. I might be screaming but I can't be sure. The ringing in my ears is deafening.

Underneath me, the ground trembles, gently at first, but the trembling quickly strengthens, and the earth is cracking open and about to swallow me whole. I scream again, this time I am sure sound erupts from my throat though I can't hear it. Another explosion. I throw my arms over my head in an attempt to protect myself.

This is it. This is where I die, buried underneath these buildings on a street I don't even recognize.

And then, everything--the noise, the shaking-- stops just as suddenly as it started. My mouth and throat are coated with dust.

My breath catches.

The buildings have jumped. Close together. My brain tries to make sense of it, it's no illusion. Their walls are cracked, the windows shattered. I stand, cradling my elbow. Heart racing. The buildings start to move again, slowly this time, silently.

They're going to crush me. 

"Please stop!"

I catch a glimpse of the door again. It's open now. I still don't want to go in, but it's either that or be crushed between walls.

I'm inside a living room. Sheets cover the furniture, the windows so caked in dirt there's barely any light coming in from the outside. The air is damp and musty, and underneath it there's a pungent smell, like something has died and is rotting away. My pulse quickens at all the possibilities running through my mind that could explain the smell of rot. There's a knock on the door even though I don't remember closing it.

"Who's there?"

My throat is still burning from all the screaming and the dust from the city, but that seems to have been so long ago.

"Laina?"

"Oh God, Momma!" I run to open the door and fumble with the chain. I'm so happy to have finally found her. Was I looking for her? Yes, I must have been. I finally get the chain and throw the door open but it's not my mother on the other side.

A man smiles with a mouth full of tiny razor sharp teeth. Dark angry eyes bore into me. "I've been looking for you," he says and when he speaks the air fills with the scent of death. I stumble backwards. He steps into the room, a wooden spike resting over his shoulder. 

I scramble back, my legs hit a couch and he's suddenly on me, trapping me against the couch. "I've been cleaning the world of filth," he says, grabbing the spike with both hands. As he brings it forward, in front of him, the other end of it rises up into the air.

And there, at the top of it there's a head. A human head. His mouth cracks open into what I think he means to be a smile. "It's your turn," he says at the exact same moment dead eyes meet mine. He lifts the spike over my head.

I scream and--

#

Gasping for breath, I bring my hand up to shield my eyes from the bright lights, and will myself not to cry. The man's face flashes in my mind's eye and bile rises in my throat as I suddenly realize where I know him from. He was the protestor I saw on the way here.

I avoid looking into the crowd, into the eyes of all these men who have seen the inside of my head, and the worst part is, I realize I didn’t even know I was in the game. It felt like a real nightmare. Across from me, my opponent stands. He is tall, with gangly arms dangling by his side. I wonder what kind of monster I was in his head. I want to tell him that I'm sorry, but when our eyes meet, his mouth twists into a smirk, reminding me that I am the loser here.

#

We ran out of Venom two days ago.

My mother tried to stretch it as much as she could, but there's only so much pain she can handle. I've barely slept the past two nights, I'm so afraid something will happen to her while I sleep. She tries to hide the pain, but I can hear her soft, muffled cries. I can feel it in her energy every time I walk into her bedroom.

So tonight, as I walk into the games, I tell myself over and over that I have no choice but to win.

I just need to focus.

When I walk into the Pit, Razor is standing by the door, like a sentinel. "You're back," he says, face twisted into a scowl.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I try to sound relaxed, but every ounce of self-preservation I own is screaming danger at me.

"Figured after losing last week, you'd realize this isn't girl's play." He means it to be mocking but his tone is much too serious.

"And yet," I say before I can stop myself, "you sound worried."

Surprise flickers in his eyes, and I know I've got it right. He's threatened. I just don't know by what. It can't be me. I'm at the bottom of the pyramid, and he is at the very top. He leans in, too close, and hatred washes over me with such force, my breath catches. 

"You think you're better than us,” he says, “but I'm going to make you regret ever walking through that door." Then saunters to the table and sits next to his buddies, laughing like he didn't just leave a ticking bomb at my feet.

When my turn to play comes, I stare at the wires and screens above my head, the buzzing of the crowd scratching against my awareness.

My head is stuffed with ants crawling all over my brain as I listen to the countdown and sink into the game.

#

The burning sensation comes into focus before the room does.

I hold a cup. Hot water runs from the faucet into it and overflows, burning my hands. I drop the cup and it shatters against the porcelain sink. I turn the hot water off and turn on the cold, hoping to soothe the stinging. The pipes groan in protest then sputter out something that's not water, but dark and thick, and the smell of rotten eggs fills my nostrils and I shut that off too. I was filling the cup for something important, but I can't remember what that might have been now.

I pat my hands on my jeans and look out the window above the sink. Slim naked trees are black against a bruised sky. The feeling of being watched washes over me, so I turn away from the window.

It's dark inside save for a single lit candle in the middle of a kitchen table. The flame struggles to stay alive against the drafty old house. I walk towards it, slowly, carefully, holding my breath, afraid the candle might go out if I release it. The top of the wooden table has carvings on it. I can't make sense of most of it, but one thing catches my eye, the words Nightmare Junction.

As soon as I read it, the candle goes out. My pulse quickens. The words are familiar but I can't quite place where I have heard them before and I'm overcome with the sense that I need to get out of here. As soon as I think this though, I hear it. Running water. 

I turn back to the sink. It's not coming from there. 

It's nearly pitch black but my eyes have adjusted enough that I can make out the furniture as I go around the table and into the living room. There are stairs to my left, and there's the sound of water again. I seem to have forgotten it for a moment, but it is coming from upstairs.

The steps creak under my weight. There are pictures on the wall leading up to the second floor. Family portraits. I stop halfway up the staircase to take a closer look, wanting to know whose house this is. I have to get really close and squint to see, like the pictures might be out of focus. It's the same woman in all of them. She's in her mid-twenties, long curly hair. She's expressionless, her eyes missing a spark so that she doesn't quite seem human.

A shiver runs down my spine and I start back up the stairs, still looking at the pictures, but not as closely. 

There's a thumping sound. I stop. There's another, then another, like footsteps going up the stairs. But there is only me. My heart quickens. It sounds like it's coming from the other side of the wall so I press my ear to it and listen.

"Hello?"

The thumping stops.

I imagine whoever is on the other side has their ear on the wall too. 

Listening back. 

The longer I stand here with my ear pressed against the wall the more I feel like I'm not just being listened for, but also watched. Dread snakes up my spine and I run up the stairs, the sound of water dripping filling my head. 

The bathroom door is open, water overflows from an iron claw tub. I look down. The water level is at my knees, which seems impossible, and rising quickly. I try to hurry towards the tub, but my movements are slow and sluggish, like I'm walking knee deep in mud instead of bathwater.

"There you are," a voice says. 

I whip around.

It's my mother, and I realize she's the woman in all the pictures. A younger version of her. There's no water where my mother stands even though she's just a few feet away.

"Help me," I say, but my mother doesn't move, her eyes are as empty as they were in the pictures. 

The water is up to my chest and I'm suddenly aware of how cold it is. I start shivering. My whole body aches from it. I look down at my feet, willing them to move. They do not. 

When I look back up, my mother is standing mere inches in front of me.

A stone statue, mouth wide in a silent scream, eyes are black holes, hand raised over her head. She holds a needle. And though her face is frozen, like an angel of death, she says, "I've got your Venom."

 And plunges the needle into my chest.

#

I wake up to the burning of bile rising up my throat. My eyes water. I press my hands into my eyes to push back the tears. I will not cry. My skin's cool and moist. My chest aches where my heart thrums against it from the adrenaline rush. This part I hate, the shakiness and jumpiness. Last week it took hours for the effects of the stimulant to wear off.

Joaquin has that same look as last time, a mix of kindness and pity, but he doesn't say anything about that. Instead, he says, "Victor wants to see you."

I avoid looking into the crowd. Into the eyes of all these men who have seen the inside of my head. 

Victor stands outside his office talking to some guy. I slow my pace and wait for him to be done. When I'm within his reach, he grabs my arm and pulls me close. His bald head glistens with sweat. His nostrils flare. His fingers dig into my arm, and I wince. 

"Let go of me." I try to jerk free. His energy rams against me. It’s all anger.

"I took you on to win. Not to cower and hide every time the boogeyman shows up."

"There was nothing I could do," I say, the tremble in my voice giving away the fear rattling inside my chest.

"It's a fucking game, fight back." 

"I'll do better next time. I promise."

"Next time is all you have." He lets go of me and walks away leaving me with a bruised arm and a pit of fear in my stomach. I am deeper in the hole and farther away from being able to get Venom for my mom.

#

I splash cold water on my face. The restroom is small, two stalls covered in graffiti and a sink. The mirror looks as if it has never been cleaned. It stinks of urine and mildew and cigarette smoke.

My whole body hurts, like I strained during the game when in reality, I was paralyzed by fear.

Arlington comes out of one of the stalls, leans on the wall behind her and meets my gaze in the mirror. "You okay?"

"I can't even tell I'm in the game," I say, trying to hold back tears.

“The words Nightmare Junction always show up right away,” she says, “that’s your clue. Sometimes it takes our brains a few games to figure it out, though. To adjust the way the game works and remember it’s not a real dream. But once it clicks, you’ll be fine.”

I grip the edge of the sink. "I don’t have a few games. Victor wants me to play again tonight, and if I lose again, I'm out."

Her gaze drops to my hands. "Too much of that shit will mess you up."

"I don't have a choice."

"Victor doesn’t fucking care if it kills us, you know that, right?" There's something in her tone I don't understand. An urgency. A warning.

She closes the distance between us, our gazes still locked in the mirror. "No one cares what happens to us, Laina. They look at us like we're not even human."

I drop my gaze, afraid Arlington will see the ugly truth. That maybe I believe it too, that the techno-chromosome has made us something other.

"They're wrong," Arlington insists, like she can hear my thoughts. She starts pacing the short distance between the wall and the sink. I focus on keeping her energy at bay. I want her to stop talking, to stop moving, but she just keeps going. "They took advantage of our mothers and used them as lab rats. And now, they make us feel ashamed so we hide who we are, so they don't have to face the consequences of their carelessness and can go on about their lives without guilt."

The bathroom is suddenly too small for this storm. My mouth and throat go dry. Arlington is putting words to feelings I've worked hard to trample down.

"They didn't know what the consequences would be," I say. "How could they?"

Arlington comes to an abrupt stop. "Oh come on! They made us sterile, Laina. They knew how risky the experiment was and they made sure if shit went wrong, it'd end with us." She turns to the mirror, leans in closer and stares at her reflection.

I want to ask her what her enhancement is. I want to know her, but I'm afraid. And yet, she is right. I know she is. We hide, we're scared, but the world made us this way. We never asked for it.

"I can read minds," I blurt out, and my heart stops. Arlignton's eyes grow wide in the mirror, but I push through the panic welling up in my chest. "Sort of," I add. "If someone is feeling something strongly and I touch them, I can..." I look for the right word because It's not that I can hear their thoughts exactly, it’s a knowing. "I get an impression of what they are thinking or feeling, I guess."

Arlington grins. "Holy shit, you have a legit superpower."

A nervous laugh escapes me. "No, it's not like that. I can feel people's energy really well, but lots of people can do that, you know? The knowing what they are thinking, that's more... well, I don't know how accurate it is or isn't, exactly, because I've spent my life tamping it down."

Arlington nods. "Out of fear."

I nod back. "I've spent my life protecting them from me."

"It's no wonder you always look like you're about to fold into yourself," she says, then she grows serious.

For the first time in my life, as we stand in a filthy restroom, in silence, I feel like I am no longer alone. Tears prick the back of my eyes.

A smile begins to crack her mouth open--slowly. She reaches for my hand. I'm startled, but fight the urge to pull away. Her hands are warm. Her energy is like a derailed train. I've never felt anything quite like it. It's overwhelming, and I wonder if she knows this is what she feels like. Would she want to know? And it hits me: Arlington touched me knowing what I can do.

She isn't afraid.

She doesn't think I'm a monster.

"You're a train wreck," I say, a little breathless. 

She laughs. "They erased my fear center. I've been a danger to myself and others from the moment I was born." She squeezes my hand, and when she lets go, it feels a little like falling, and I need a moment to steady myself.

"Laina," she says, leaning in, eyes boring into me, "use your enhancement in the game. You--who you are--is how you win."

#

The crowd is loud and expectant, its energy humming against my skin until it burns. As I approach the ring, Arlington's words crash against my skull, the desperate need to help my mother and the fear of being found out at war with each other. I remind myself everyone here already knows I’m enhanced.

I'm playing Jordan next. He's not one of the best players, but certainly better than I am. Everyone is. If I lose, I'll have failed my mother. Fear coils in my stomach, ready to strike. When I reach the steps, I move aside to let my opponent go first, wanting to buy myself an extra few seconds to think through what I'm going to do.

The crowd breaks into hollers and cheers. I frown, then climb the first step and crane my neck to see over the sea of heads.

My heart sinks.

It's not Jordan walking out of the Pit.

It's Razor.

The crowd parts for him, slapping his back, already congratulating him on his win. This is wrong. I'm supposed to play Jordan, not Razor, the best player in the games. 

I swallow the bile burning up my throat.

He saunters up the stairs, his mouth cracks into a malicious grin, the ticking bomb ready to detonate, but before he can get away from me, I grab his hand. I don’t know if it will work, but I have to try something.

He pauses, gaze dropping to our hands. His is hot and sweaty, and I fight the urge to pull away. "Good luck," I say, smiling, because I have no other choice.

Confusion flickers in his eyes, and he yanks his hand back.

My smile widens. It was enough.

I follow behind him. I plop on the chair, then Joaquin's fingers are on my neck, and there’s the pinch that follows. I let the crowd's energy wash over me. I wait for the shame of what I have just done to come crashing down and drown me, but instead, as the countdown into the Nightmare Junction begins, all I can think is about Razor's older brother. How afraid he is of him, and how terrified he is his brother will show up in the game.

I have no idea what I’ll do with this once in the game, but if I can win against Razor, if I can find a way to win these games, I can renegotiate my agreement with Victor and,maybe even make enough money to pay for the treatment that will cure my mother.

#

A single bulb swings from the ceiling. I glance over my shoulders. Behind me there's only darkness.

"Hello?" I call out through the fear thickening in my throat.

No one answers. I start towards the light. The floor is sticky under my boots. The hallway is not very wide, if I reach out I can touch both sides before having to extend both of my arms out. I don't.  

As I near the light I can make out stains in the walls. Wet stains. There's a metallic smell in the air. I can taste it.  When I'm under the light, I realize those are not stains on the walls, but writing. Symbols I don't understand. My gaze follows it all the way up the wall and onto the ceiling. I tilt my head all the way.

Nightmare Junction is written on the ceiling around the single lightbulb.

At the sight of the words, something clicks.

I smile.

I’m in the game.

There's the sound clicking and scratching somewhere behind me, and I turn. It takes me a moment to realize it's claws. Claws scraping at metal. And then there's growling. It's getting closer. I can hear someone or something, breathing fast and ragged.

My whole body tenses, and I'm frozen in place, but when the growling comes again, I forget everything and I run. Away from the light. Now there's only darkness approaching, the sound of my boots pounding the floor, and my heart punching my chest.

The hallway seems to go on forever and I have to slow down because I can't see very well. Whatever is behind me has also slowed down. I realize too late I should have stayed where there was light and fought back, but in that moment, my flight response took over.

I have one arm straight out in front of me, and the other feeling the wall on my right. The tips of my fingers feel for what's coming ahead as they brush the wall's uneven surface and feel the wetness of the paint, or at least I hope that's still what I'm touching.

And then, there's nothing.

It's disorienting, and I sway.

I reach to the right, extending my arm even more and find nothing. I feel for the wall on the left. Still there. 

I hesitate, unsure of what to do, but then I hear the growling and it's much too close and I swear I can feel hot breath on my neck.

I veer to the right and break into a run.

Up ahead there's a red glow, as I get closer the word Exit sharpens. I run faster as a laugh bubbles in my chest. I win if I can just get to the exit. I run and run and then it's gone. The sign is gone, and I realize too late it's a trick, I try to slow my pace and turn but still slam my shoulder into a wall, screaming as loud as I can. Searing pain shoots through me. It's blinding and I fall to my knees. Hot tears stream down my face and I'm having trouble breathing, my arm hurts so bad.

It's just a game. 

The growling is back, and I know the monster is coming. Grabbing my shoulder, I get to my feet and press my back against the wall because my legs feel like they might give in from under me. My heart beats in my throat. Think Laina. Think through the pain.

Play the game.

There is no monster, only Razor. The boy who is afraid of his brother. I can only see a couple of feet in front of me. "Come on, give me something,' I whisper, willing the game to obey me, as I look all around me.

Anything.

And it does. An axe leans against the wall just behind me. I wonder if I just ran past it, or if I actually made it appear. It doesn't matter. The monster is coming straight at me, growling like I'm a meal.

He can't hurt me.

This is just a dream.

I reach for the axe, my shoulder burning like someone is trying to rip my arm off as I swing it over my head.

"Hey, little brother," I say, right before Razor comes into view, and at my words, he stops.

I step forward, hope blooming in my chest. “I’m coming to get you.” The words tumble out of me. I don’t recognize my own voice, all sing-song-like, but it has the desired effect.

When I step close enough that I can finally see him, and he can see me, I hesitate. He is a nasty thing, all sharp teeth and claws--a nightmare from my own brain. I think he's about to retreat, but I don't wait. 

I am here to win.

I let the axe come down on the monster's head.

#

I squint against the bright lights blinding me, and I laugh.

My mother will get her Venom tonight.

#writing #short story #scifi #virtual reality #writers of the future #authors #am writing #ya books

[dragon-kazansky]

His Little Dragon

Doc Holliday x OC

Dedicated to @callsignscupcake

[Masterlist]

[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter]

Doctor John Holliday hasn't seen his darling Little Dragon for many years. Once as thick as thieves, they were quite the pair, but that long since ended when he left. Now, with opportunity blooming in Tombstone, it would seem they have a second chance at the love they lost. However, a threat looms over the town, and if he wants his Dragon back, he has to win the heart of little Baylie too. Nothing is ever easy.

Word count: 1.8k

Chapter Twenty Three - Secrets

♡♡♡

As soon as Doc walked into the saloon, Baylie was up from her seat and into his arms in seconds. He catches her with ease as he lifts her up. Baylie clings to him.

"I got ya, Lucky. I got ya."

She buries her face in his neck, hiding from the world. Cupcake comes over.

"Doc."

"Thank you, Miss Cupcake. I'll take her from here."

Cupcake nods and leaves them both alone. Baylie doesn't loosen her hold on him, so he pulls out a chair and sits down with her in his lap.

"Look at me, darlin'."

Baylie lifts her head slowly and looks at him.

"There you are. You alright?" He asks her. Baylie only responds with a nod of the head. "Your mama is waiting for you at the hotel. I cane to get ya."

Baylie still doesn't say anything. Doc sighs.

"Tombstone ain't so safe no more. You understand?"

Baylie nods her head.

"Good. I need you to keep that in mind from here on out, okay? A lot of things are going to happen rather quickly. You need to be a big girl for me, darlin'."

Baylie nods her head and give him a small "okay."

John smiles at the girl and hugs her again.

"I've grown so fond of you, Baylie. Do you want to know why you're really my lucky charm?"

Baylie nods.

"Because if I hadn't been for you, I don't think your ma would have stayed in Tombstone, if come at all. You were reason she came here. To build a better life for you. Unintentionally, you brought her back to me. You do realise how special that makes you?"

Baylie looks at him with a confused gaze.

"I'm special?"

"I'd say so. You're special to your ma. You're special to me."

Baylie smiles softly at him. "What's going to happen?" She asks, her voice quiet.

"You're going to be safe. That's what's going to happen."

"With you and mama?"

Doc falls quiet.

"No!" Baylie shakes her head. "Not without you and mama!"

"I'm sorry, darlin', I really am. Uncle Wyatt needs help, and I'm going to stay to help him. Your ma... refuses to leave me behind, no matter how much I want her to go. We are going to find you somewhere safe. Someone to look after ya until we can find you again."

Baylie shakes her head again.

"I don't want to leave you!"

There is nothing else Doc can say to her. This is something she should be talking about with you, but the way she clings to him has his heart breaking. She's too young to understand just how dangerous things are becoming.

Cupcake, who had excused herself but was still in the room, steps forward again.

"You need somewhere safe for the little miss to go?" She asks.

Doc looks up at her. "That's right."

"I know a solution then."

"That so? I'll have her ma come and talk to you about it then."

Cupcake nods. Doc rises from the chair, Baylie still clinging to him, and takes his leave.

The walk back to the hotel is quiet. Baylie keeps her face buried in his shoulder, hiding from the world. He goes straight to the Grand.

He knocks on the door firmly. It opens moments later. Rachael smiles softly at him and let's him into the room. Doc enters and settles Baylie on the bed. She begins to cry.

"My darling girl," Rachael sits on the bed with her and brings her into a hug. Doc watches them with a sad look on his face.

"I don't wanna go!" Baylie cries.

Rachael glances up at Doc, who just shakes his subtly. Rachael turns back to her girl.

"I know, sweet pea, but I'm needed here."

Baylie cries some more.

"I wish the bad guys would just go away! I want my family!"

Rachael's heart breaks.

"Your family..."

Baylie looks at her ma and then at Doc. "My family," she mutters.

Rachael's expression falls to one of surprise. Doc looks just as taken back. She meant them.

"Oh Baylie."

"Miss Cupcake at the saloon says she can help with Baylie. She knows somewhere sage she can go. I told her I'd tell ya," Doc says.

"Right. I'll speak to her as soon as I can."

"I can stay with Baylie if you'd like."

Rachael looks up at Doc with a small smile.

"Would you?"

He smiles back. "Of course, darlin'."

"The sooner I get Baylie out, the better," she says quietly. Doc nods in understanding.

"I'll take her to my room. Give her a change of scenery."

"Alright. I'll come by later."

As Rachael stands, getting Baylie to let go of her, Doc catches Rachael with one arm and presses a kiss to her forehead. Rachael smiles softly and leaves the two to go see Cupcake.

Baylie turns once again to clinging to Doc as he picks her up. He wanted to comfort her as much as possible. He takes her back to his hotel hoping a different room might give her some entertainment. Baylie said nothing the entire way there.

Upon arriving to his hotel, and then his room, Baylie is put down on the ground. She reaches for his hand and he takes it, letting her walk inside. As soon as the door closes behind them, she sits on the bed and looks at the floor, keeping her head bowed forward.

Doc sighs softly as he walks over to her and then kneels just out of line of where she's staring. He puts one arm on the bed to stabilise himself as he looks at her.

"Baylie?"

She glances up at him. He smiles softly. Baylie smiles back. She really likes Doc. After she got over her grudge against him, she began to learn a lot about him. He's cool, knows a bunch of stuff, can play the piano, and he's protective and brave.

There is a framed photo sitting on a desk behind Doc. It catches her attention. Doc sees that she's looking at something behind him and turns to look. He smiles when he sees the photo. Doc stands and picks the frame up, walking back over to Baylie and sitting on the bed with her.

He holds the photo out. Baylie takes it into her small hands.

"That's you," she says, looking at the man in the photo. "And that's... mama?"

Doc chuckles.

"That's right. We were younger then."

Baylie looks at the photo with deep interest.

"Mama looks different here."

Doc chuckles.

"She was a different woman in those days. Though she still has it in her. Which is why your ma is going to stay here. As soon as this is over, she'll come and get ya."

"Will you come get me too?" Baylie asks, looking up at him.

"If you want that."

"I do. I want you and mama. My family!" She smiles. Those words really tug at his heartstrings.

"Your family."

"You do want to be family with me and mama, don't you?"

"More than anything."

Baylie smiles up at him. "Mama wants that too. She wouldn't be doing this if not."

Doc kneels back down on the ground to look Baylie in the eye.

"Things will change. I promise. As soon as we have dine our business, we will come and get ya. We can be a family then. I'll look after you both. My girls."

Baylie smiles at him so brightly. She looks at the photo again. They look so happy in it. Her mama is looking at the camera, but Doc is looking at her.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Baylie asks.

"Of course."

"The day mama saved me, I remember it."

He furrows his brow as he looks her over. What does she mean? It did only happen a number of months ago, so he was sure it was still rather fresh in her mind.

"I haven't told mama."

"Told her what?" Doc asks, being gentle with the subject.

"I didn't tell her exactly what I saw."

"Baylie, you don't have to tell me this."

She shakes her head.

"There was yelling. I remember my mama shouting at the man. She had told me to stay inside, so the only way I could see was through the window. Mama had a chest that she kept right below it, and I could climb it. I looked outside and saw three men on horses. Mama was yelling at him. I couldn't really see his face, but I heard him talk."

"Baylie..."

"He said something about daddy. Daddy owed them for what he did. Mama said she had nothing. There was a bang. Mama fell, she was crying. I was scared and ducked down off the box. I went back to my hiding space. They didn't find me. They took stuff and left. When I heard the horses leave, I came out. Mama had stopped crying. She had stopped."

Baylie looks up at Doc. She was crying.

"Mama wouldn't move. She wouldn't talk to me. Then there was another horse. My new mama. She rescued me. I never told her I saw."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because I remember something else."

"What do you remember?" He asks.

"The red scarf."

Doc freezes.

"Red scarf?"

Baylie nods. "Like the ones the people are wearing. I saw it."

Doc wraps his arms around Baylie and holds her close to his chest. Baylie hugs the photo as she leans against him. He had no idea Baylie had been exposed to these filthy rats before. He could only assume Rachael didn't know either.

"I have a secret too."

Baylie looks up at Doc. He looks at her with a small smile.

"It's only fair I tell you mine."

Doc let's go of Baylie and over to his dresser. He hopes sharing this will set her mind on other things. He takes out a small item and returns to her side.

"This is for you ma." He holds his hand out.

Baylie holds her hand open to accept it. Something small falls into her palm. Doc moves his hand away and Baylie looks at the item. She holds it up as her eyes sparkle.

"For mama?"

Doc grins.

"For ya mama. I've had it on me since she left, as a reminder of what I had lost. I think, perhaps, I will be ready to give it to her, if you accept me too."

Baylie smiles up at Doc and then hops up, wrapping her arms around him. He hugs her back.

"Yes! Yes please! We can be a real family!"

Doc chuckles and kisses the top of her head lightly.

"Yeah. We can."

♡♡♡

@bayisdying - @callsignscupcake - @mrsjaderogers - @cycbaby - @mtnofgrace @kiichirose - @askmarinaandothers - @themusingofagothicsoul - @gizmodear - @beaner-life-23 - @luckyladycreator2 - @scissorhandsgirl2000 -

#doc holliday x rachael #doc holliday x dragon #doc holliday x oc #doc holliday #tombstone 1993 #his little dragon

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: A pulse-pounding new YA fantasy in which "you’ll gasp, you’ll scream, you’ll cry, and you’ll be begging for the next book." (Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of These Violent Delights) Nhika is a bloodcarver. A coldhearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch.

In the industrial city of Theumas, Nhika is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure. And in the city's criminal underbelly, the rarest of monsters are traded for gold. When Nhika is finally caught by the infamous Butchers, she's forced to heal the last witness to a high-profile murder.

As Nhika delves into the investigation, all signs point to Ven Kochin, an alluring yet entitled physician's aide. Despite his relentless attempts to push her out of his opulent world, something inexplicable draws Nhika to him. But when she discovers Kochin is not who he claims to be, Nhika will be faced with a greater, more terrifying evil lurking in the city's center...

Her only chance to survive lies in a terrible choice—become the dreaded monster the city fears, or risk jeopardizing the future of her kind.

Cinder meets Divine Rivals in Vanessa Le's The Last Bloodcarver, the first in a two-book debut - with a riveting medical magic system and lush Vietnam-inspired fantasy world.

Review:

A girl with the ability the forbidden ability to heal, to control, and know the body and control it with a single touch finds herself in over her head when she begins working for a wealthy family to heal their relative... who is the only witness to the murder of their father... and not to mention the strangely antagonistic boy who hides behind a fox masks that knows her secret. Nhika is what some would call a bloodcarver, someone who can alter human biology with just a touch... but what she truly is is a heartsoother, she heals. Yet her healing is illegal and so many people fear people gifted with her abilities. Yet when her latest client outs her and she is kidnapped by the city's criminal underbelly... she is sold to a wealthy girl who asks her to heal her uncle who was in an accident with her father... her father whom she believes was murdered. Nhika is foisted into a world of wealthy society with a complicated family that needs her to solve their murder mystery. It doesn't help that she has to keep her abilities as much of a secret as possible and somebody knows who and what she truly is, and he just happens to be the assistant to the family friend's doctor... and he also happens to be the boy in the fox masked that had initially tried to help her. Nhika can't make out what Kochin wants and what his goals are... he keeps trying to push her out yet he knows more than he is letting on about who she truly is. Nhika will have to find a way to save herself and solve the mystery... but once the killer is revealed... she might be in danger too. Romance, magic, and a murder mystery! This was a really fun world to get immersed in and I really enjoyed the magic system that the author created. This is the first book in a duology and I am so so excited to see where the next book goes ( especially with how this one ends). I always enjoy a fun murder mystery and I love the little bit of romance and the unique magic system that was put there.This is definitely a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a murder mystery with unique magic and an overall really good time!

*Spoiler: Nhika and Kochin first met when he was in a fox mask and had tried to get the criminals chasing her off her trail but she was captured. Nhika and Kochin meet again and he keeps trying to warn her away but he fails, it is revealed that the family friend and the person who Kochin works for, Dr. Santo was the real killer who forced Kochin to kill Mimi and Andoin's dad. Dr. Santo found out that Kochin was also a heartsoother (not as strong as Nhika) and threatened to kill his family if he didn't do what he wanted. Kochin saved Hedon (mimi's uncle who was the witness in the accident). Nhika and Kochin work together to try and reveal Dr. Santo as the killer. Dr. Santo wanted Kochin and Nhika's abilities to resurrect his son. He shots both Kochin and Nhika and planned on harvesting Kochin's heart but Nhika stopped him. Kochin is mortally wounded and Nhika uses her abilities to save him, transferring her gift in him (she dies). Before she does they both have confessed their love together. Before facing Dr. Santo they had planned to return to Kochin's family together and find peace and family together. Dr. Santo is sentenced to life and Mimi and her family get justice. While visiting Nhika's grave Kochin decides that he is going to do everything in his powers to find a way to bring back Nhika.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #book #the last bloodcarver

[what-gs-watching]

“I really do remember though…every second with you."

So I’m in the last week of my bootcamp and I have a couple of job interviews this week and things are going I guess BUT my brain doesn’t really care about any of that.

Because Y’ALL. I’m still 1000000% inside the first episode of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials. I’ve been waiting for this since I saw the first trailer in like September and David Tennant has been constantly on my mind and it was just everything. All the things. 

Wherein, after the 13th doctor regenerates into THE 10TH DOCTOR’S OLD FACE, he lands in London obviously and immediately runs into none other than Donna Noble, his very best friend in the entire universe who absolutely cannot remember him because if she does, she’ll very quickly die.

They did an  intro into the episode that explained the whole backstory which was a little forced and cheesy  but I get it, not everyone is insane enough to have just rewatched all of 10’s episodes just because this was coming (though they should be). 

I’m gonna admit I had no idea what the episode was supposed to be about other than reuniting some of my two favorite characters in the whole wide world, and I’m glad I didn’t. It was definitely a traditional Doctor Who romp: aliens crash land on earth, UNIT gets involved,  one alien faction is going after another alien faction, Donna’s family ends up in the center of it, they need to figure out a way to keep London from getting destroyed.

Ya know, the usual. 

The thing I’m here for, friends, is David Tennant becoming a new version of his own doctor because that’s fascinating, while still absolutely painted into his skinny suit (which is so Crowley somehow), and catharsis. All the catharsis.

After watching his entire run again, I stand behind the opinion that Donna got the worst deal of all the companions. Rose got to keep her Doctor human clone, Martha ended up with Mickey, but Donna had literally EVERYTHING ripped from her. Can you imagine the size of the hole the Doctor would leave in your subconscious after being removed? Like, how do you manage any kind of life after that?

But she did. She’s got a husband, and a kid, and she donated almost all of her lottery winnings while dealing with what I can imagine is an overwhelming, horrible sense of loss. Humans can get used to anything. And that thought is kind of devastating.

Which means all I really wanted was to see the two of them together again, and Russell T Davies delivered the goods. 

The Doctor runs into Donna basically immediately after landing in London of course and he learns her daughter’s name is Rose and I can’t get over how many times he shouted “WOT?” in this episode, I always loved 10’s incredulous “WOT!” 

She rambles at him of course and is messing with boxes full of stuff she’s holding so she misses the spaceship very NOTICEABLY crashing to earth because that’s her thing, always missing everything. But she’s ready to go so in true Donna fashion tells him “Nice to meet you, skinny man. Oh, word of advice. You can wear a suit that tight up to the age of 35, and no further.” Baby girl is still herself, and she’s ruthless, and I love it.

 After the Doctor follows the ‘crashed’ spaceship, he runs into a scientist from UNIT who is holding herself together insanely well considering she’s stumbled upon the doctor, and he tells her that all of this is swirling around Donna of course and he says “she was my best friend in the whole wide universe. I absolutely love her” and then he’s surprised that popped out of his mouth because you know 10 was never going to admit to that so thoroughly, and these are the interactions I need in my life.

Here’s the situation gang: I absolutely love a love story. I really do. If my Good Omens fixation is anything to go by. But I also really love a good, solid, perfect friendship. Two people challenging each other and accepting each other and just being on the exact right wavelength. I’ve had some terrible friends in my life, and so beautiful positive depictions  cut right to my heart. Which means I’m really here just for the two of them being those amazing friends again.

Meanwhile, Donna’s daughter finds one of the rogue aliens, AKA The Meep, which I found to be HELLA creepy, like everyone was all ‘aw it’s cute’ but nah y’all, I knew that motherfucker wasn’t cute. But just like her mother, she wants to help and she brings The Meep into her little shed in their backyard because obviously, and it all takes a turn.

The other aliens that were apparently pursuing The Meep show up, and Donna catches wind that there’s a martian in her house (I love it, everything is always a martian, she’s my favorite) and her mother, bless her, tries hard to make Donna ignore the entire situation because she cannot remember, but it doesn’t matter, the Doctor crashes in anyway.

I also love that she was instantly annoyed with him, still calling him “skinny man”  and wondering why the hell he was following her. And he does kind of try to extricate himself from her and her family but of course it was never gonna go that way.

So the UNIT soldiers have been overtaken by some weird light they found in the spaceship and they come to the house to start attacking and the other aliens are there to also attack and the Doctor’s gotta get everyone out, of course. They do some ridiculous trek through the attics in the attached rowhouses to try to get out to the car parked nearby. Miraculous escape, always! 

Also why am I weirdly all about the Doctor driving the car? I was like ‘yes’ but maybe that’s just a residue Bentley thing, who knows. The point is, he takes them to an underground garage and the other aliens tracking The Meep show up and TWIST, we find out The Meep lied about his backstory while the Doctor wears a ridiculous barrister wig he pulled from his jacket. Turns out The Meep is absolutely crazy because the sun his planet orbited went…psychedelic? Don’t look too much at what’s going on with that whole story, it’s fine, just go with it. 

So The Meep tries to attack! And the Doctor jumps to cover Donna and the dosed up UNIT soldiers show up and everyone is taken hostage and brought back to where the spaceship is being repaired. The Meep wants to eat them, or something? Because sure. The teeth they put on that thing, woooof. I knew that asshole was trouble from the get.

Turns out The Meep plans to escape in the ship and to do so he basically has to burrow under London which will obliterate the entire city. Surprise!

Not to worry about that though, the Doctor and the UNIT scientist create a scenario wherein Donna, her husband, Rose and the grandmother can all get away and the Doctor will handle this situation on his own, thanks. But Donna’s brain kicks in, and she says she has to help him, even if she doesn’t know why. 

She follows him into the ship. And he’s like ‘nah girl you gotta get outta here’ but she’s not having that of course, because that’s her. He tried to shake her a few times the very first time they met and he never could. It’s that friendship pull.

The point is, he’s trying to disable the ship himself but there’s a lot of buttons to press and he has to do a lot of weird shit (again, don’t pay attention to the crazy dialogue of the things he’s saying he’s doing) and then a separator comes down and splits the room they’re in, the Doctor on one side and Donna on the other. And he’s still trying to protect her. He knows they could stop the ship together, but he’d need her, all of her, to do it. 

He tells her that if she helps him, she’ll die. And she just says “okay.” She says her daughter’s down there, and 9 million other people, so who cares about her? And now we’re into what I was waiting for, he’s yelling “I DO!” She says she’s just no one and he emphatically tells her she’s not, and he screams

“WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE THIS?!”

Anyone else crying yet? No? C’mon. This is when I started crying at the trailer. It’s horribly unfair; he gave her up so she could live her life and he never wanted to involve her again, she’d helped save the fucking world already and 10 never really did get a break really, and here he is back at it as 14 and it’s still just as terrible. 

So he starts saying words. And his poor face. You can see it’s ripping him apart. “Westerly. Pelican. Dreams. Tornado. Clifftops. Andante. Grief. Fingerprint. Susurration.” And then she picks up on it, she says “Sparrow” and he says “Sparrow. Dance. Mexico.” 

And she finishes, “Binary. Binary. Binary.”

In true Donna fashion, as soon as she’s fully aware she starts freaking out at him about giving away her lottery winnings because she was trying to be like him and I love it, there’s a countdown to launch in the background and she doesn’t give a shit, it’s so the two of them but she jumps into action anyway again saying some crazy shit about what she’s doing. He tells her she has 55 seconds to live and she says “55 best seconds of my life” and she flips a bunch of switches and tada, they’ve done it.

The partition comes up in the room and The Meep storms in and Donna collapses in the Doctor’s arms. She asks him why this face had come back and she says “to say goodbye? Good fun though” and she fucking DIES. 

The way he cradles her. Jesus. It’s so tender. And the pure fucking anguish in his face. David Tennant’s face, goddamn. I can’t. 

The Meep is still trying to kill him though using UNIT soldiers and he doesn’t give a shit because he’s been basically foiled by “The DoctorDonna” but then, suddenly, the UNIT soldiers are released from their hold and Donna WAKES UP and everyone is like “WOT!”

And we see Rose, manning the controls outside the ship, brilliant as anything. I love this explanation so much: Donna’s metacrisis was too much for one person, but because she had a child, she passed it down, a “shared inheritance.” Her little shed in their backyard was an errant memory of the TARDIS, she’d been creating little stuffed animal toys of all the creatures Donna and the Doctor had met traveling, she’d chosen her new name herself,  the name of one of the Doctor’s most important companions. They realize, the two of them, Donna and the Doctor are binary, but Rose is not because 

“The Doctor is male…and female….and neither. And more.”

IT’S SO FUCKING CUTE. And perfect. And I love it. She had timelord energy strumming through her, her entire life, and it made her feel weird and different but also made her amazingly unique and wonderful. 

And then, to top it off, the Doctor tells them he still needs to heal them of the crisis because it may be slowed down, but it won’t stop. And Rose and her mother just scoff at him. They know exactly what to do. They just let it go. Because they’re incredible.

And I love all of this so far. But I cannot lie, my favorite part of the entire episode is when the Doctor convinces her to take a ride in the TARDIS so they can go visit Wilf. They go inside, and of course the TARDIS has changed again and I’m not gonna lie, it’s probably my favorite design so far. The Doctor freaks out about it, and Donna tries to be nonchalant but she finally admits “it’s GORGEOUS!” and the happy fucking look between the two of them, the Doctor is bouncing, he’s bouncy Crowley. And then he starts racing around the place, running up and down the different levels and honestly that just made me cry harder.

10 was always so sad, I always wanted that boy to be happy and maybe he was a little bit but everything was always so serious but now he’s been able to resolve probably his biggest regret and that’s such a gift. Which I think is gonna make it even harder for him to let go, a second time. I am not excited to watch him leave, again. 

The point is, after he makes her a coffee the way she likes, he says “ I really do remember, though. Every second with you. I'm so glad you're back, cos it killed me, Donna. It killed me, it killed me, it killed me.” And she deserves to hear that. It was one of the worst things he had to do. And 10 was never going to say it. I’m SO glad 14 got the chance. 

Catharsis. They needed it, I needed it. The Doctor back to a true and familiar form. It’s going to kill me to only have 3 episodes of this, but I’ll take it. As long as I get one last “allons-y!”

#what g's watching #doctor who 60th anniversary #doctor who #tenth doctor #fourteenth doctor #donna noble #david tennant