#Also treasuring every comment I get like a rare gem

[getlostsquidward]

The gaps in your hearts (Part 2)

Lou Miller x fem!reader

A/N: You asked for part 2, and I shall deliver. I hope it's worth your wait!!

Summary: After your departure, an unexpected circumstance had you arriving back at the loft, back at Lou. Will the gaps in your hearts only become wider or will they be finally filled?

Part one

“Oh, bugger. Baby? I’m home.”

“Nice place.”

“Try heating it.”

“There’s a room for you upstairs. Your stuff’s upstairs too.”

Lou called your name a couple of times but she got no answer. Maybe you went out and got something from the store. She furrowed her eyebrows at the notion that you didn’t let her know you’ll go out like you usually does.

She can’t wait for you to meet Debbie.

The sun has set down and you weren’t at home yet. Lou was growing worried each minute that passes. She’d left you text messages, she tried to call you several times, but all of it went to voicemail. Where did you go?

Debbie had returned from her closure meeting with Claude. She had bought takeout for dinner but Lou wasn’t in any mood to eat. She was antsy but keeping it down so her friend won’t notice. Maybe you were called in at work? Maybe you went out with a friend and forgot to send her a text. The blonde knows you can perfectly take care of yourself but she can’t help but be worried.

“Where’s your girl?” Debbie asked, reminded of Lou calling someone ‘baby’ when they arrived earlier.

Lou just shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing what to answer.

“Maybe she hit her head and woke up from the truth,” the brunette joked.

Lou glared at her friend. “Not funny.”

“Tell me about her.”

The blonde started to tell her friend everything. From how you met, the ups and downs of your relationship, and how loving and wonderful you are. You were patient and understanding; you were perfect in every way and she hated how she’d managed to hurt the one person that did nothing but love her.

The day you moved out of the loft was the most devastating day of her life. It was way much worse than when Debbie left before.

She knew that you were checking in on her through Matt, and she was wracked with guilt. Even after what she’d done, you still care for her. Lou unconsciously checks her phone to see if you left a message but to no avail. You really honoured your word that you’d give her time, and she was thankful for that.

In your two-month break, she really had thought about it all. She used the time to sort out her feelings. Hell, she even opened up to some of her other friends for help, something she rarely does even with those who know her. Unearthing her feelings.

Lou had feelings for Debbie. She didn’t know if it was romantic or if it was just a deep affection. She didn’t really think much of it. Debbie was one of the few of the persons she knows she could trust with her life and in the conworld, such a person was like a rare gem. It was hard to find, and if you do, you’ve got to treasure it. And so she did.

“Maybe you’d mistaken the concept of love and affection. You told me you really didn’t think anything about it and that explains it. The moment you felt that that person was dear to you, you immediately equated it to romantic love.”

The words mentioned had hit Lou, hard. Once she realized that, she promptly had to find you. She called you, but you didn’t answer. She didn’t know where you were staying so she asked your friends, and that’s how Lou found you drowning in liquor in some alley.

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Debbie berated, feeling rather guilty about how she was probably the reason you left for the second time around.

“I do. No need to remind me.”

“I’m gonna tell you to go find her, but I also need you to focus on the job. Can you do both?”

“Of course,” Lou sighed. She won’t know what she would do if she were to lose you for real this time.

-

You were feeling rueful for leaving Lou without a word. You knew she’d be worried sick, but it was the best for the two of you. Once again, you fell into your routine. It was incredibly helpful that an event was coming and you can spend all of your time at work. Though this time, the constant drinking was out of your to-do list.

Your mind often wandered to Lou. She said something about a job, maybe that’s what they’re doing right now. Has she been thinking of you too?

The messages and missed calls Lou had sent you were not in your knowledge as you’d let your best friend hide your phone, and bought a new one for you. At first, you thought that it would be ridiculous and childlike of you but maybe she had a point. The worst-case scenario would be Lou filing for a missing person’s case, but you knew she wouldn’t dare cross paths with the police.

-

“Oh my god, you guys. This party is nuts. I’m not kidding! If your dress is ugly, you can’t wear it, no shit! They will bower your wardrobe!” Tammy rambled and rushed to get into the loft where she got everyone’s attention.

“I love that!” Lou quipped.

“Oh I gotta pee,” Tammy continued to ramble. “Every table cost a quarter-million dollars that if they allow you to buy one! I mean not just any $250,000 check will be approved, I mean they literally have to tell you whether or not they’ll take your money, it’s crazy!”

Everyone was standing outside the bathroom, still listening to Tammy rant about the Met.

“And then you can’t bring anyone, that you clearly go by yourself. They spend a hundred grand on food and apparently no one eats, it’s really crazy,” the blonde finished as she went out, kind of out of breath from the continuous rambling.

“Did you get the seating chart?” asked Debbie.

“The what?”

“The seating chart.” Tammy handed the special glasses she was wearing to Debbie.

“If I haven’t said it, it’s really crazy. This one person that I’m working with maybe is the only saving grace of that place. Thank goodness for Y/N,” the blonde sighed, capturing the attention of Lou.

She shared looks with Debbie, hoping that it was you their friend was talking about.

After discussing the seating chart, they approached Tammy and straightforwardly asked about you, if you were the same person she’d mentioned. Apparently, you quit your last job and had started few weeks prior to Tammy. Lou asked if you’re doing well, and almost cried when she nodded. When Tammy asked why they are curious, Debbie answered. “Lou’s girl. Left because of this dumbass right here.”

The blonde had a surprised expression on her face, a bit amazed at how small the world is. The person they’ve been looking for was only at their reach this whole time.

“She’s sweet. If you’re planning to get her back, which I know you would, you better not mess up.”

Since that day, Lou was itching to contact you but inhibited herself. She’d finish the job first, then she would have you back. If she was lucky enough to be given a second chance, which she wouldn’t fucking waste, she can finally go to California riding with you on her new bike like you always wanted to do.

Finally, it was the first Monday in May. Lou was still in the van with Nineball, preparing food for her. She remembered you telling her she would look good in a chef’s uniform. She wasn’t actually a chef right now, but she still owes you a hundred bucks.

What if you weren’t gone? Maybe you would be in on the heist too, and you would be the most beautiful woman in her eyes, everyone else in the Met is damned. She knew you would have loved and drooled over the green jumpsuit she was wearing.

The heist was successful, and the ladies were lounging at the loft. Their dillydally was halted when an unexpected guest has stormed the loft. Daphne Kluger.

“You guys are fucked,” the actress huffed. “Wow, nice place.”

“Excuse me, you are trespassing-”

“No, we asked her to come,” Lou cut Tammy’s accusation.

Debbie started to explain how Daphne might have gotten a sense of what they were doing, so they roped the brunette in. Daphne then asserted how she was the one who was saving everyone from insurance fraud. Another revelation had caused panic to those who didn’t know, scared that they might be busted and imprisoned.

“We will not be the prime suspect.”

“Then who will be the prime suspect?”

Lou listed several people like the security guys and the busboy. Their attention was focused on Daphne that they didn’t notice another person coming in. You quietly opened the door in purpose, glancing at each of the women inside. You’d heard the last bit of their conversation and captured their attention by announcing your presence.

“The shady guy who put Debbie away,” you casually commented, walking towards everyone.

“Wow,” Daphne chuckled. “The boyfriend.”

Everyone but Debbie and Daphne was shocked, for the third time around. They didn’t really expect guests today. Lou looked like she had seen a ghost but didn’t take her eyes off you.

“Yup. If they were gonna be looking for somebody, just had to make sure it wasn’t one of us.”

You whispered a “Hi, Tam” to your coworker, and took a sit in the middle of her and Daphne. “The precision, right?” the actress turned to you. “The attention to detail, a little grace note that really makes something sing.”

While she was blubbering about how well-thought the job was, she scooted closer to you and put a hand on your thigh. Lou raised an eyebrow at the action, jealousy bubbling in her chest.

“Why are you doing this?” Tammy asked, referring to Daphne. “And Y/N? You were in too? How?”

You let the brunette answer first and when she finished, Debbie had answered for you.

“She was our other mole in the Met, aside from you and Nine.”

“Oh, you were an angel, Y/N. She made sure I was okay after hurling my guts out. Much much better company than my date,” Daphne preached, leaning her head on your shoulder. You rest your head on hers in return.

Lou’s jaw was gritted, it was too much for her and she couldn’t look any longer. She looked at Debbie and gave her a perplexed look, asking for further explanation.

The brunette just shrugged her shoulder, knowing it was up to you to talk to Lou. After all, it was the reason she approached you. At first, she had only talked to you about Lou, but later called to ask if you were willing to join in the job. You’d said yes right away.

That night, you saw Lou sitting near the shore. She was staring straight ahead as you sat next to her.

“Lou?”

“You know, I planned to talk to you after we got the money. But you got to me first,” she whispered.

“You have to thank Debs for that.”

Lou chuckled, “Debs? What, you’re on a nickname basis now? She doesn’t even let me call her that.”

“She told me everything. And, I- I’m sorry, Lou. I shouldn’t have left like that, left you worried though you had a job to focus on-”

Lou cut you off as she pulled you in for a hug. “No, Y/N. I should be the one apologizing.”

Her hand was running up and down your back, the touch soothing all of your troubles. You can finally feel at peace. There was no snarling voice at the back of your head, no heavy feeling. You feel like a sailor in the middle of a calm sea.

“I’ll make it up to you, for real, this time,” Lou pulled back, giving you a smile. You nodded in return.

“Although you may have to explain first what was that earlier,” her smile faded, and glared at you playfully.

You were about to ask what she was referring to when you suddenly remembered. You told her how you may or may not have told Daphne that you were on a rough patch and she volunteered to help make Lou jealous. Both of you shared a laugh as she commented on how effective it was that she had to restrain herself from tearing you apart from the actress.

There was no time to waste, you thought as you pressed your lips against Lou’s. The kiss was slow and passionate, the both of you pouring all your feelings out. Her hand entangled itself on the base of your skull as she deepened the kiss, tongue swiping on your bottom lip asking for entrance. You let her dominate you, a soft moan coaxed out of your mouth.

The only thing you could focus on was the feeling of Lou’s lips; your hammering heart and the waves lapping gently at the shore.

“I love you, baby,” Lou murmured, both of you breathless.

“I know, Lou. I love you too.”

#cate blanchett #cate blanchett x reader #lou miller x reader #lou miller #ocean's 8 #ocean's 8 fanfiction #debbie ocean #tammy #daphne kluger

[redwinterroses]

Hi red, I just wanted to let you know that you are a huge inspiration to me and my writing. As a smaller fanfic writer I often struggle with getting feedback when I post things and was curious if you had any advice on that front. Not getting feedback doesn't effect my motivation to write but when I put effort into something it's still nice to talk about it.

Awwww... you're so sweet. *passes you plate of cookies* <3

Honestly, though -- it's hard to get feedback as a fic writer. (as any kind of writer, really; any of my published friends will say the same.) People just... aren't good about giving feedback. I average a comment for about every 60-70 hits or so. One out of every 60 readers actually bothers to say anything. Kudos are a bit more common, but they don't mean as much, ya know?

So yeah. I get that. It can be pretty demoralizing to post something you're really excited about and then like... two people comment or reblog with anything in the tags. (This is why I never reblog anything without saying something about it in the tags, and I very very very rarely leave kudos on a fic that I don't also comment on. I know how much it means to me, so I do my best to give that to other creators.)

I guess my biggest advice for that is a) don't be afraid to talk up your own stuff. It can feel a little... mmm. Egotistical? Possibly? But if you're excited about your story, talk about it. On the one hand you'll get to toss some of that excitement into the world instead of letting it stew in your head, and on the other, excitement can breed excitement and you might find more people interested in interacting if you give them more than enough playground to venture into.

And b) turn about's fair play. Be deliberate about interacting with other people's writing. Reblog with tags. Comment on fics. If someone I regularly see in my notes posts a story, you bet your last golden carrot I'm going to at least check it out, if for no other reason than returning the favor. Fic writing is really a communal activity, and deliberately building a great community around you that you can support and that can support you? That's super important.

I'm so glad that the motivation to write doesn't hinge on interaction for you. That's incredibly healthy, and something I constantly have to fight. (Frankly, the reason I write fic instead of editing the like... four manuscripts I have sitting around collecting dust is because I don't get constant feedback on manuscripts. It's addictive and I have a problem.) Writing, at the end of the day, really is and should be about you as the primary audience. Write what makes you happy, and treasure those little gems of interaction when you can get them.

And to anyone else reading this: I double-rendog-dare you to start leaving comments and tags on fics. (Make that a triple-rendog-dare if you're the kind of person to put "reblogs over likes!" on your art lol.) It doesn't take much. A "I loved this!" is worth a hundred kudos. An "oooooh my heart!" is worth about 6k. And if you're a Shadeswift or a Fearthefuzzybear or an Antykreatywna or a Mothervvoid and you leave paragraphs in the comments? You have my entire heart and love forever and you should know that my delight in seeing those comments is immeasurable. <3

...Anyway, anon: I hope that was in some way helpful, even if just in the solidarity. I wish you the best of luck in both writing and in cultivating an audience, and hey -- if you ever want to shoot me a link or anything (assuming I'm not already reading your stuff) feel free. :)

#redwinteranswers #please no one ask why I'm on tumblr at 3AM because I'm not proud of this fact #long post

[lsvdw-blog]

Hi babe! i come to you with some "newlywed" questions fo S and E. The thing is... you have to answer as them :D

For Both

On a scale from 1 to 10, how would your partner rate your first date?

How often do you go on dates now?

Who's the better kisser?

What did your partner wear on your first date?

Who is a better gift giver?

For Serena

Do you have a pet name for Ethan? If so, what is it?

What's the cutest thing he does in the morning?

Describe Ethan with the line of a poem.

How long did you date him before he proposed?

What is something you do he pretends to hate but secretly loves?

For Ethan

What's her go-to Karaoke song? Is she a good singer?

What's Serena's biggest shopping addiction?

Describe the thing you love the most about her.

What was the exact moment you knew you wanted to marry her?

What is your favorite meal to prepare for Serena?

Have fun!

OMG SCREAM!!!!! Bree, I love you so much!!!! These questions are so cuuuuute and I have been living with all of your answers about Lilac x Ethan lately, so thank you so much for asking and thinking of my two beans 🥰❤🥰❤ Buckle up, b/c this is gonna be LONG. Answers under the cut!

Let me set the scene: I imagine this happening like an interview about to be included in a magazine/recorded😂 like they're being interviewed by the Oprah of Boston b/c everyone is shook that the medical power couple is married. They're sitting next to each other on a loveseat, with Ethan leaving a respectable amount of space b/w them; the interviewer is across from them. S and E each have a tiny microphone attached to their collar. Serena is excited, but Ethan hates it here 😂

For Both

On a scale from 1 to 10, how would your partner rate your first date?

Serena: "Miami? Mmm, like a 2, because someone decided to block some fun," she looks pointedly at the interviewer, "activities. Our official first date? I'd say a solid 9."

Ethan stares at his wife, trying to hide his horror at her Miami comment. He clears his throat and runs his hand down the front of his tie before responding.

Ethan: "Our first date was an 8 for her."

How often do you go on dates now?

Serena: "Our schedules are very busy, so we try for twice a month for an actual date night."

Ethan: "Yes, what my wife said."

Who's the better kisser?

Serena: "Oh, me. Hands down. He is also a very good kisser, but... I'm better," she winks.

Ethan: "I concede this point to my wife," he smirks.

What did your partner wear on your first date?

Serena: "He wore a dark blue suit with a white dress shirt and black dress shoes. Black tie with a silver tie clip. Silver watch on his left wrist. Silvery-white pocket square. Everything impeccably tailored... really brought out his eyes," she says with a small smile, turning to look at him, eyes gleaming.

Ethan: "She wore a bright red bodycon midi dress with five large black buttons running down the front on the right side. She carried a small red purse with golden studs placed diagonally all along the front," he's been staring at her the entire time. He reaches for her hand now. "Extremely muted light purple wedges that could almost pass for white. She kept her hair straight, with a side part on the right. Red lipstick, neck adorned with a pearl and gold necklace, a jade bracelet on her left wrist, a silver one on her right," he finishes, eyes soft, thumb stroking hers.

Who is a better gift giver?

Serena: "Absolutely Ethan."

Ethan: "Yes, that would be me."

For Serena

Do you have a pet name for Ethan? If so, what is it?

"I don't know if you'd count this as a pet name, but I call him by his first initial, 'E,' quite a lot. There's also the occasional 'sweetheart,' or 'babe.'"

What's the cutest thing he does in the morning?

"I think it's a tie between two things. He gets up at an ungodly hour and I am not a morning person, so whenever he gets up, he'll carefully cover my eyes with his t-shirt to shield me from the light he turns on. He'll take it off when he's done. He also, without fail, kisses my forehead before leaving the room every morning."

How long did you date him before he proposed?

Describe Ethan with the line of a poem.

"'I don't think you will ever fully comprehend how you've made my dreams come true.' I went into medicine because of him and my dream was always to be at Edenbrook, working alongside him. This came true because he chose my application. Personally, he is such a pure and good man, better than I could have ever conjured up."

"Officially, two years in total. About 6 months after the end of my residency."

What is something you do he pretends to hate but secretly loves?

"The fact that I incessantly point out any and every dog we come across. He secretly finds it endearing." She smiles triumphantly.

For Ethan

What's her go-to Karaoke song? Is she a good singer?

"Anything that 'is a bop,' to quote her. She doesn't have one specific go-to song, as it depends on the mood she's in. But I remember one particularly exuberant performance of 'Livin' on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi with her brother. She's a decent singer: 6.5."

What's Serena's biggest shopping addiction?

He arches one brow. "Do I have to pick just one?" Serena playfully hits him on the arm. "Right now, it's handbags. But she's more particular about those, so she rarely ever buys one. However, she can always find new clothes and shoes to purchase. Always."

Describe the thing you love the most about her.

"Her energy. She lights up the entire room and has such a way about her that makes others feel at ease. She makes friends everywhere and perpetually has you laughing. She is never afraid to try something new, oftentimes shrugging and giving a "why not" facial expression before going to tackle said obstacle or adventure. Her easy-going confidence just... draws you to her."

What was the exact moment you knew you wanted to marry her?

"She was video calling one of her old college friends, who was coming down to Boston soon to visit her. They caught up, while also trying to plan their agenda. Serena began to list all of the must-see sights, must try cuisines, and local treasures and hidden gems. She spoke with so much excitement and passion for this city, her eyes positively sparkling. Watching and listening to her, I realized that she now saw Boston as her home, just as I do, and that I wanted to continue to experience all that this amazing city has to offer, not alone anymore, but with her. To make this city not 'my' home or 'her' home, but 'our' home," he raises Serena’s hand and kisses it.

What is your favorite meal to prepare for Serena?

"Her mom's honey roasted duck recipe, with a side of rice and sautéed vegetables."

I loved answering these so so much!!! Thank you for sending them to me; love you!! ❤❤

#asks #ethan ramsey × mc #ethan x mc #send me asks

[traccigaryn]

20 answers for a fanfic 2020

Thank you to @curator-on-ao3 for these questions! I'm a few days late, but who cares?

1. fandoms you wrote for this year

All Star Trek, all the time: Voyager, Picard, and DS9/TNG

2. favorite fic you wrote this year

Oh, that's such a hard question. I love them all, but I think the one that means the most was Tousled, an unrepentant bit of froth about Chakotay's hair. I hadn't written anything in months and was feeling sad but not bad about that. Despite the fact that I started out trying to make it crackfic, I think it may have been the first really truthful thing I'd written in some ways. Also, writing both Tuvok and Seven's voices, making them distinct and distinctive, was so. much. fun. 

3. favorite fic you read this year

One thing that fell to the wayside in 2020 for me was reading fic. Still, I read some absolute gems and look forward to unearthing more some time soon.

It is the destiny of stars to collapse by @amoderngirl (T, Chakotay/Janeway). This story. THIS STORY. Months later, and this is still all the coherence I can manage.

Siren Song by @curator-on-ao3 (G, Tom Paris & Cristóbal Ríos). This melancholy and hopeful story was beautifully written and captured Tom and Cris to perfection.

Your Shadow Falling (Caesar) by @coffeeblack75 (E, Chakotay/Cristóbal Rios). Coffee took all these conversations we had, all her insights into these characters and turned them into something joyous and true, smutty and searching.

Not Star Trek at all and not a new story, but Gentle Antidote by x_los was everything I could want in a Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane story that also happened to be a soulmark fic.

4. favorite opening line/scene you wrote this year

"I took another sip of tea and longed for coffee." - From I Thoroughly Lived. Mostly because that is how I feel every time I am drinking tea. 

5. favorite ending line/scene you wrote this year

"But in the morning he smiled at her, and she was lost all over again." From Touched. 

6. a trope you wrote this year

I think the only out-and-out trope I wrote was a stuck-in-the-turbolift story. Man, I need to do better next year. 

7. pairings you wrote this year

To the surprise of no one, mostly J/C, but with an increasing amount of Gen, which was an absolute dream to write. 

8. a fic regret from this year

I wrote something I was really proud of, but it hasn't had a chance to see the light of day yet. Hope springs eternal. 

9. a song that helped you write

I always feel weird admitting this, but I'm not a big music person? I spent several days listening to Patsy Cline in December, though, and it got me thinking about a whole series of angsty, melancholy stories based on her songs. Stay tuned. 

10. total number of fics you posted

Eleven stories. My goal for the year was ten, so suck it 2020.

11. total number of words you posted

63,653 (one piece was co-authored, but I can totes claim all those words for these purposes, right? :D )

12. most popular fic written this year

If we're talking hits and kudos alone, A Sensible Understanding - I mean, it was a smut fest with feels, what's not to love? It was an AU (of sorts) of a rather different story from a few months prior and became its far-more-popular younger sibling. I kind of love that about fic writing. 

Between Decks 4 and 5 has also chugged right along and struck a different chord with readers: two people, stuck together in many ways, really just needing to actually talk to each other. 

13. least popular fic written this year

Ship, a little drabble I wrote about Harry meeting Voyager. I don't mind. 

14. longest completed fic you posted this year

I Thoroughly Lived, coming in at 15,208 words. That was a fun one to write: first person POV, a period AU, and an attempt at gothic mystery. Also corset smut.

15. shortest completed fic you posted this year

The aforementioned Ship (100 words)

16. favorite character to write about this year

Well, that would be Chakotay, wouldn't it? Always and forever. I find the glimpses of layers and contradictions and growth endlessly fascinating. I particularly enjoyed getting to explore his relationships with others this year: Tuvok and Harry, Gerron, Seven, and Cris. Definitely planning on more of that for 2021. 

17. a fic you didn’t expect to write

Wherever We're Lost (Jupiter) was probably the most unexpected. It was the first time I'd stretched beyond writing for Voyager and the first time I'd written a pairing besides J/C. @coffeeblack75 and I had so much fun analyzing Cris, thinking about how he'd interact with Chakotay, what brought them both to where we see them. So far, our stories are still the only two in that pairing, but we have more planned. And hey, we all need a rare pair, don't we?

18. most memorable comment/review

I received so many lovely comments this year, and I treasure each one like the baubles they are, but I think my favorite one came from BlackVelvet on Wherever We're Lost (Jupiter) because it encompasses steps forward for me as a writer and the feeling that I am starting to progress:

"You could say i'm an unlikely fan of this story. I haven't seen Picard, have no idea who Rios is, rarely read m/m. Then again, i am a fan of your writing. And it's a delightful feeling to pick up a story, whatever story, and start reading it with a certainty that whatever happens, it'll be amazing, cause you trust the writer. You do not disappoint."

19. fics you wanted to write but didn’t

I've had several stories involving B'Elanna that hadn't quite bubbled to the surface yet, but I think (I hope) 2021 will be their year. 

20. something you want to write next year

The B'Elanna stories. The next chapter in the Mythology series. And I want to keeping branching out into other fandoms. That Nancy Drew/Frank Hardy story I've had half-written for a couple years now. Maybe some one-offs in other fandoms that give me some closure.

#fanfiction #my fic #writing meme #janeway x chakotay

[bnhavibes]

Like You (Shinsou x !musician Reader) Part 4

The clock seemed to be torturing you as you lay in the bed, and to your chagrin, nodding off about every other minute while Hitoshi started a bath.

10:17pm.

You were kicking yourself for being so tired despite still having another twenty-five or more minutes with your new lover.

He came out with a gentle smile he was growing to like the feel of on his face, especially with the way your eyes would light up when you’d see it.

“C’mon, kitty, let’s get you washed up.” He spoke softly, picking you up off the bed, and you wrapped your legs around his waist. You smiled lazily in the crook of his neck, pressing small kisses against it as he carried you to the huge hotel-sized jacuzzi tub and slowly brought the both of you down.

The water was just the right amount of scalding. It was exactly what your tender body needed. He’d even foraged through your bags for a pomegranate bubbling bath bomb you’d been gifted by fans. Hitoshi was still so gentle with you, cupping his large hands under the water and raising them to the crown of your head before letting the liquid free and smoothing his fingers along the back of your head.

“You’re so beautiful, (name).” He mumbled, pecking your cheeks.

“As are you, ‘Toshi.” You replied, your eyelids fluttered shut as he ran his hands through your hair, softly scrubbing shampoo in it. Pleasant tingles shot across your scalp and down your spine as he massaged circles into the sensitive skin.

He chuckled through his nose, caring for you thoroughly and letting you do the same to him.  The heat of the water had your skin reddening beneath the tan surface, making you just a bit darker. It didn’t seem to bother him, and you could almost cry as you remembered how horribly judged and out of place you felt your first day in Japan.

But Hitoshi treated you different.

Sure, he wanted to beat the brakes off your ass, but he also really didn’t comment much about how your body was different from most peoples. From your warm-gold tan, to the curling pieces of wet hair, and the way your nipples and areola were shades of brown.

He didn’t treat you as if you were some foreigner who didn’t belong and who looked undesirable, he acted like you were liquid gold, a rare gem to be treasured, not cast aside.

“I... I’m really going to miss you. When you leave.” You squeaked, scooting up in his lap so you could lay your head on his shoulder.

“I know, kitten. I’ll miss you too.” He says, tracing his fingers up your spine and laying his head on your own. “But we’re here now, right? We can still enjoy each other’s company for the next fifteen minutes.”

“I wish we had more time. I’d really love to talk all night with you. To cuddle you in bed.”

His heart was panging while you spoke, of all the times he could have fallen for someone, he had to be attracted to the most attractive and popular person in the world that lived across the ocean. Just his luck. “Maybe another day.”

You sighed, pressing kisses to his neck as he strained the conditioner from your curls. “Thank you. For coming here with me.”

“I can’t imagine being stupid enough to deny your offer. But... You really had to make me go and catch feelings huh?”

“Whatever, you’re the one who asked to not get fucked in the dressing room.”

“You’ve got me there,” He chuckled, squeezing you to his chest a bit tighter. “I hope you call me. As often as you can. I know you’re on tour and all, but I’m a patient guy. Just say the word and I’ll answer you.”

“How did I end up with someone as caring as you?”

“I guess it was in the cards.”

“I can’t believe you’re all mine.”

“Well you better, cause I don’t think I can convince you any harder right now.” He teased, nudging your head with his chin while you snuggled his chest. His steady heartbeat left you in a trance, the silence of the bathroom almost comforting— even as he pulled the plug and stood to walk you over to the bed. Apparently, while you were nodding off, he had called the front desk for a replacement duvet, and they came in when you were in the bath.

10:32pm

You groaned as you laid back against the comforting bedspread, you’d been too lazy to put clothes on so you settled for sleeping in the lush robe that the hotel provided. Shinsou had put his clothes back on and was currently nestled upon your body between your legs, his freshly conditioned hair covered by one of the many pieces of merchandise that appeared in a black gift bag outside your door when he went to let the hotel housekeepers in. The black beanie had your stagename embroidered into the front in lettering that looked as though a cat claw had etched it in.

“The driver will be here soon..” You said, absentmindedly scratching his scalp and twirling strands of hairs at the nape of his neck.

“I know.” He mumbled pressing kisses into your collarbones. “I just want to be here, in the moment with you.”You smiled, bringing your arms to meet between his shoulder blades and resting your chin on his head. Your mind reeled with the idea of being separated so soon after meeting him, how the tour of Japan would end in a month, but then it was time to give your American fans their own dedicated leg of the tour.

Your album just dropped, and you couldn’t let them down— not when they were spamming your twitter with pleads for a statewide tour. New fans flowing in from all parts of the world, you’d almost hit a million followers, plus your views on YouTube were skyrocketing with tonight’s performance being live-streamed by a local TV station.

Heroes from various countries followed you, some of the more popular ones even tweeting about you and your music! It was overwhelming, of course, but… You didn’t feel the weight of the world on you in this moment. The way this purple-eyed young man was tracing his fingers along the outside of your thigh that was entangled between his own two legs brought you peace of mind. Your head already swirling with lyrics to write about him, unintentionally humming an unwritten song as the minutes dragged on.

“You’ll be able to come visit, right?” He squeaked, raising his chin off your chest to look up at you with those sad, twinkling lilac eyes.

“I--.. I don’t know, actually. It might not be for a few months..”“(But you’ll still come. Promise me.)”

“(Of course,”) Your voice cracked, tears brimming themselves once again. “I promise you my love; I will come and see you as soon as I can.”

He smiled softly, “You better.”

“Well you better not get yourself hurt or worse, Mr. Hero.” You chuckled slightly, pulling him up to get in a final few kisses. Your phone rang shortly after you were able to catch a breath.

You both looked at it with such disdain. How rude of that device, to remind you that your time was running out. Still you sighed, dreadfully reaching out and answering it.

“Hello?”

The driver said his greetings, and was ready to take off back to the stadium. You had to explain that it was just going to be the man you brought back to the hotel, and how he would need to take him to the front, by some buses that would be waiting for him. He responded with a positive remark about how he was so awake he could drive you anywhere right now. You giggled half-heartedly, this wasn’t a local driver for this specific tour stop. No, this man was specially chosen by your label, and was able to get his hands on a rental car or limousine at any city, no matter the time or the cost. He added that he could tell you were saddened and if he should rough the boy up a little.

“No, in fact, I wish he didn’t have to go.” You said, looking over at Shinsou, who was at the door lacing his shoes up.“Ahh, I see. Love at first sight, I suppose. Those Yuuei students are remarkable indeed.”

You nearly choked on your own spit as he mentioned the school. “(Let’s keep that information between us, yes? I’m sure the label will be sending him an NDA soon, and I’m almost positive that his school will be doing the same for me. I already had to sign one to visit the other day. Just please, don’t let his friends see the car.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be where you were dropped off earlier.”

“Thanks, Hideharu-san.” You said, hanging up.

“I don’t think you should walk me out.” His voice was low as he scratched at his neck. “I won’t be able to control myself if I have to see your face disappear into the shadows while I get hauled back to the arena.”

“I don’t think I would’ve been able to handle it either,” You confessed, giggling a bit to relieve the tension, “You’ve got both my personal and business numbers, though. Plus, you’ll have school to distract you once the weekend is over.” You walked over to him as you spoke, entwining your hands in his and bumping your forehead against his chest.

“I’m going to be texting you as much as I can between classes.” He reassures, “And on the weekends I’ll FaceTime you after training, and we can stay on all day and all night.”

You suppress a sob in his shoulder, feigning a cough in your hands to cover it up. “Of course.” Silence fell upon you, his hands squeezing your hips— he had to go.

“Kiss me before I leave, you damn drama queen.” He jokes, but his eyes betray him with how welled up they were with tears when you looked up at him, giving him a passionate kiss goodbye.

You could feel the crinkle in his nose as he cupped your face; he was trying so hard not to cry. When he pulled back he used his right hand to trace your face with his fingers— etching your face into his mind. The two first digits coming down your forehead, just like earlier.

Except this time, when they reached your lips, he whispered something you couldn’t make out.

“What?” You ask softly, freezing in place when your mind goes blank.

“I said I’m sorry, but I needed you to respond to me. I can’t have you chasing me down or I’ll come back running into your arms.” He explained, fingers still on your face. “Stay here, okay, kitten? My Quirk will probably stop working when I get out of the elevator downstairs. But until then you’re stuck here.”

With a quick peck, he walked to the door, opening it and taking a deep breath before looking back at you one more time. “Goodbye for now, babes.”

And then, he was gone.

You cursed him mentally, and being unable to throw your hissy fit only aggravated you more. You could feel the tears running down your cheek though.

How had he known?

You were definitely the type to take another elevator and try to catch up to him as the car left.

Once you were able to, you kicked the air and stomped.

“So not cool,” you grumbled, running to the window just to see the car heading out toward the highway. You sucked your teeth, heading over to the bed and texting him a lengthy, angry drama queen paragraph filled with crying emojis and a gif of Togepi from Pokemon crying hysterically in Misty’s arms.

He sent back a gif of Itachi poking Sasuke’s head with the caption “Forgive me, Sasuke”

You hated yourself for laughing so hard at that. God, he was going to be trouble.

Five Months, Three Weeks, 6 days Later

He totally was, too.

Regardless of how often you two texted, you always found yourself alone at the end of the night. And on your current album tour, you wouldn’t have gotten a break until the middle of next year, and you just couldn’t handle it.

But with issues beginning to boil over in Japan, some high-risk/very populated states in the US had to avoid ginormous events like parades, festivals or concerts in order to prevent what could be League of Villain terrorist attacks.

After Stain had gone viral all over the internet, his motives began infecting the streets of almost every country. Left and right there were new, small, but absurdly powerful groups of villains beginning to merge. But the US was prepared for once, easily instilling Martial Law and stricter rules aside Japan; No more using your Quirk recreationally, in fear of traitorous ideals being melded with everyday life.

It would make it easier for the police and military to zero in on what small gangs were up to, and for the most part they were able to keep the numbers low.

But at one point you were screaming at your TV as you watched All Might break apart after fighting with One For All, and you immediately urged your promoters and managers to allow you a break to see Hitoshi.

Luckily, the next few weeks of shows had already begun to be cancelled and refunded due to them being in coastal cities or large, populated areas such as Boise, Idaho, or Houston, Texas.

You tried your hardest to make up for the lack of shows by overworking yourself with Music Video shoots every week, filming as many as you could for the songs off the album you’d dropped since you couldn’t make it to their shows. The day before each missed show, you’d drop a hint about a song that would be the next music video drop, consistently responding to your fans’ cries to see more of your artistry while also being able to manage your own schedule.

This was the end of the third week; you were supposed to be in your tour bus outside a Los Angeles arena, but instead you were in a plane.

Your own private jet, courtesy of the label, of course. Though you had been stressing over no facetime and missed calls with Hitoshi, you were making it up with sending him as many updates about your life through text everyday.

Where you were, what you were filming, how many outfit changes you had. Basically everything except when it would drop. That you kept to yourself, wanting to surprise him and see his response when he’d see.

Little did he know, today’s photos were taken days ago. You had to film two music videos last week in order to take this upcoming week off. The planned photos were so he had no idea or preparation for your visit.

The two of you, prior to the Licensing Exams, had spent plenty of your time together on FaceTime, either while he was studying or during your downtime in makeup chairs, hotel rooms, or before talk shows. He was a very proud boyfriend, seeing how well you were able to still rock the charts whilst also trending vigorously on social media.

You were doing so well, distracting civilians from the horrors going on between the Heroes and Villains of the world. Daily live-streams of you with over twenty-thousand something people, goofing around or even charity streams for cities affected by terrorist villain groups. You were trying your hardest to keep spirits up, almost like a hero in your own way.

But, what you had said that night you met in the hotel came to fruition. Your label and UA alike came together and had both you and Shinsou sign a non-disclosure agreement, not a week after being together. Basically, you couldn’t talk about Hitoshi publicly, because the rep his school had, but also to keep yourself safe. But Hitoshi also couldn’t let anyone outside of his family and classmates know about your relationship.

Knowing how private he was, you knew that wouldn’t be a problem.

In fact, this guy was so starry-eyed over you, you were never gonna be shared to anyone outside his family.......... and Denki.

You were his baby, and he relished in the privacy of having you to himself. He wasn’t afraid to let you know that, either.

Steamier facetime calls were not a rare occurrence. He’d enforce how much he loved hearing you call him your Daddy, and how the idea of you being his meant you could get him to do anything. He was possessive, but he didn’t have any bad intentions. He adored you, your cute sleepy voice after show nights, the way you sung softly to yourself when you were applying makeup, the sexy poses you’d make in the mirror when picking out what to wear, not to mention how good you looked wearing the shirts he’d send you(sprinkled by his cologne and maybe worn for a day so you could still feel close to him).

Your perfectly curved frame would drown in his tops, the shortness of your torso and lack in height the perfect combination that made him feel so many different emotions that he could hardly breathe when he’d see you in them before bed or when he called you a little too early due to the time differences always changing. Besides, after the end of the semester, thanks to gaining his provisional license, Hitoshi wasn’t as readily available to call you as often.

His voice was always the best way to cheer you up, though; the nicest things and absolute word vomit he’d spill when you were having a bad body image day or if a certain amount of trolls got to your head.

He was always so stoic if you called when playing video games, hanging out with his blonde friend or studying. But even when you called him on a particularly hard training day, he’d still make an effort to talk to you. He didn’t put on a front just to appease his surroundings. Sometimes he’d drop the occasional, “Baby” or “Kitty” around people other than Denki, but since he didn’t really owe anybody an explanation(to anybody outside the few 1A kids he hangout with and peers in his own class), he’d keep walking, talking, or doing whatever he was doing when he let it slip.

This didn’t stop a few pursuers from attempting to get his attention.

As the new semester started, girls in the general courses started to realize just how attractive he was. It was annoying, really, for him. He didn’t appreciate that only after he’d pursued the hero course that suddenly he was one of the “Top 10 to TX-Smash” in a hidden blog run by business students that also wrote the regular school newsletters.

You cackled when he showed you the page, his face a mixture of deadpanned shame and embarrassingly pink cheeks.

‘Coming in at number 8, General Course studies own Hitoshi, Shinsou.

Lust-worthy Lilac eyes, so buff, but lean, and not to mention his voice, if you’re ever lucky enough hear it. Check out his Twitch channel right here to get your fix.

Now ladies don’t go throwing your panties just yet! This drool-worthy e-boy is as emotionless as he is hard to get. According to our sources, when even offered dates or something a bit too indecent to mention by some of the hottest girls in class, this guy just didn’t budge!

It’s only making him even more desirable, and we can only have faith that he’s only taken— Not playing for the other team.

Selfish, we know, but take a look at these pictures snapped by various couple senior editors here at UA Undergrounds and then try to convince us that we’re in the wrong for wanting him all to ourselves.’

((waiting in the sun; artist))

((screenshot on FT; artist))

They were very good photos of him, you had to admit. Candid shots of him reading a book while playing with his pen, some dad hat sporting thanks to Sero, Denki and Kiri’s obsession with baseball on the weekends, and one that you may or may not have submitted of him on call with you but cropped just so perfectly that it looked like a candid photo in real life, his notorious headphones finally coming off as he watched you shove your nostrils in the frame in the most unattractive and annoying yet adorable way that he had to just stop and wait for you to stop begging for his attention one day while he was cleaning up his room.

The one you had sent was through a secondary twitter account where you got to share more private feelings, follow your boyfriend back, post subtweets about him that will earn one in response but since nobody really followed your personal private account there weren't any issues with discovering he was talking to you. Nor did it stop the sleazy blog from accepting the picture you had of him.

You bobbed your head to your most recently dropped single, and finished up writing in your journal. Sighing as you smoothed out the covers, clutching it in your hands as you nervously bit at your lip. You’d been exclusively spilling your true feelings for Hitoshi in this book, with full intentions of him reading each page at any point in time. You didn’t have to tear them out and label situations for him to read certain ones, because that was so cliche and you just couldn’t bring yourself to act like that.

Instead, the lines of english cursive filled the spaces with complete honesty, and you couldn’t wait to see him receive this gift in person for your six month celebratory date night rather than read it to him over the phone.

You’d scheduled your facetime date for right around the time you’d be arriving on campus, and your plane had already begun its descent as you hurriedly packed the notebook into your go bag.

You brought enough clothes for your stay and merch for only Hitoshi’s close friends-- unreleased merch at that! You loved being on the good side with them, despite knowing they probably didn’t know about the two of you. You had too many bags for you alone to carry so your flight attendant mentioned how they were pulling the bags from underneath the aircraft and directly putting them inside a car waiting for you to get out there.

You would have to sort through them when you got to the hotel, which you made sure was as close as possible to UA. You didn’t want to drag your ass halfway across town via train and then still need to ascend the hill on foot while being escorted by pro heroes with all those bags. It was better that you had time to get the specific merch bag isolated and only take that plus your gifts to Hitoshi when you visited in a couple hours.

Occasionally you’d see his school friends comment on Instagram/YouTube or even mention you on twitter when they were listening to your music.

Sometimes you’d see them thirsting via emojis under your pictures, other times they were wholesome support and attempts at getting you to reply about if you remembered them.

The sounds of bells dinging made your heart leap in excitement; you were finally gonna see him. “Chill out, (name),” You whispered to yourself as you gripped the crossbody messenger bag, “You still have an hour and a half til you see him, girl. Focus.”

You exhaled deeply as you slid your name brand privacy shades on, stepping down the steps of your plane and bowing to the awaiting flight staff, some PR people and that same assigned driver as before. You smiled widely when you saw him, opting in for a small hug of his side while walking to his car.

The PR women decided that it was best for you to drop the music video before you got too distracted at the school, which was expecting you to wear a Quirk cancelling necklace any time you were to step foot on campus this week. You nodded as they spoke about new laws and orders of protection put in place since it was obvious the League was targeting UA for a reason. You were to be interrogated before they’d decide to let you in at all, and if you were to fail it, Hitoshi wouldn’t be able to visit you off campus either.

On Campus

The questions you imagined that could be thrown at you were nothing compared to the real ones. The officers that met you at the base of the hill stepped you into the guard box that was enforcing passage restrictions and used a lie detecting Quirk to see if you had any sly ideas of using your Quirk.

Something you finally got to know was that the reason UA bought their students tickets to your show six months prior was due to the echelon never seeing a Quirk quite like yours, let alone knowing you used it anywhere but couldn’t figure out how it worked; they needed to see it in action, and if they could hide that behind the face of just wanting their students to have a fun night before licensing exams and the end of the semester, they’d succeed in their study.

You were going to be visiting after a very grueling mission, afterall. The hero course students hadn’t fully recovered still, the trauma and just overall realness of their situation of being targets was just... not a good time for the staff to invite a stranger in, but according to the company keeping the school open, and the spirit of the upcoming Culture Festival, the NDA should’ve sufficed.

That didn’t stop your full body search for weapons(which, duh, you passed), the 30 minute debrief/interrogation, or the passive threats by Midnight and Aizawa as they invited themselves into your car, which was given passage so long as it came directly back down after you got out.

You hit ‘Make Public’ on YouTube, and ‘Send Tweet’ just as the car approached the front of the campus, and let you three out. It was a long walk to the dorms, and Midnight chose to stay behind when you reached the main building.

Leaving just you and the quiet man next to you, who looked like he didn’t have time to clean up after sparring with Shinsou today.

You’d arrived thirty minutes before they usually finished, so he let him go for the day, but you blushed when you remember this was the staff member you gave your Lilac babydoll dress to.

“Not to be impolite, Mr. Aizawa, but did you keep my—?”

“Before you waste your breath, I’m not going to answer that question but you can only assume what a man like me would do with a gift like that.” He grumbled, shooting you a brief side glance. “But in case that’s your way of asking for it back, I don’t think you’d appreciate what I have to say about the state of it.”

Now you were blushing harder, eyes widened as you averted your gaze to the suddenly intriguing sidewalk. Your thick heeled boots, specially crafted heeled doc martens in case anyone asked , were molded into your most comfortable height with deep maroon rubber and black laces that matched the thigh high mesh socks with a doodled white cat face right about the knees.

You weren’t embarrassed at the fact you were wearing a black lace bodysuit covered by a mid-waisted, dark wash jean skirt that adorned six buttons up the middle and felt skin tight in the most flattering way. The long laced sleeves of the bodysuit sort of flared out at the ends, the almost witch-like resemblance only fueling your confidence. Your neck adorned in black chokers, and the silver quirk-deactivating collar, you felt as good as you did in the music video that was currently being viewed by thousands.

You knew. You just knew that Hitoshi would try to call you as he started watching the video on his laptop. But when you rejected the FaceTime audio, and said you couldn’t talk but you could text, he explained what was going down in the dorm community lounge.

Your last music video that Hitoshi saw be played by someone other than himself was for the song Addiction, which you’d been performing all those weeks ago when Hitoshi had taken his breather and ran into the girl that brought him backstage. Unfortunately it was dropped when Denki had been streaming in his room.

Shinsou was making his way to his own when he passed by the slightly ajar door of his best friend, hearing the sound of your sultry voice playing through his speakers.

“Woah! Damn, she’s so good you guys, and that outfit is totes not why I’m obsessed with this video right now.” He exclaimed, having paused his game to screen share the video on Twitch. “I saw her perform this song live, like a few months ago, by the way! I had no idea it was gonna be on a new album either, how cool is that?!”

The video consisted of similar choreography as the performance, with your body glistening with faux sweat, but face still flawlessly done up, along with wet looking curls that slicked back in a very appealing way to frame your face as you were singled out in a pile of bodies.

The blonde groaned about how lucky a guy Shinsou was, prompting the e-boy to kick the door open wider. Denki nearly shit himself, sputtering about how he meant it jokingly and how he was ‘looking respectfully’ at the video.

His chat flooded with PepeHands emotes in confusion and teasing lines about ‘Lavender_Insomniac kicking Pikanari’s ass’. But Hitoshi laughed, saying maybe he was lucky because he got a lap dance from her, afterall.

They’d continue watching together with commentary about you performing it live versus how you danced in the video until they ended the night four hours deep in some lore theories about a battle royals game called Apex Legends.

The largest PHEW! left Kaminari’s body as the camera shut off, and after he thanked Hitoshi for saving his ass, you’d began blowing his phone up over a missed FaceTime call and the overly tired hero student facepalmed when he realized he hadn’t texted you to let you know.

Today you did the same to him, but purposefully; Letting your phone ring until the last dial died out, texting him a brief apology and letting him know you were watching your own livestream and chatting with commenters.

You were, so it wasn’t really a lie, and while your newest video was playing on a big screen, they could see the fans comments losing beneath it as well as the occasional heart emoji or commentary from your own account.

Mr. Aizawa, as stern as he was being, only scoffed as he saw you become glued to your phone.

“Forgive me, I just uploaded a music video, so I want to see what my fans think of it.”

“Don’t mind me, I was just explaining the consequences I would make you face if you were to have my students slack off or do something they’re not allowed to.” He grumbled, but you reassured him with a small smile, telling him you’d already agreed to the terms down the hill.

Your music video had been centered around your relationship with Shinsou, that much was evident to the pouty boy sitting on the couch between a pent up Eijirou and a cheesing Denki, but it started out with a cutesy version of an XXX-cam website. Already the shark boy started shifting in his seat, leaning forward with his hands on his knees as he watched your cam show option be opened and go into full-screen mode.

‘I wanna touch on you, you see me in my room. Wish u were here right now.’

Shinsou couldn’t help the flush rising in his cheeks as he heard the lyrics he knew you had written about him. He remembered the exact day you shared them with him, after a particularly raunchy mutual masturbation session via Skype.

‘I wanna get freaky on camera, I looove when we get freaky on camera.’

Your silver triangular bra moved so easily with your breasts as you groped yourself, he chuckled at how much of a show you loved to put on, whether it was in private or on the web.

‘We freak on the cam, love at first sight just a link to the ‘Gram’

You were now in another area, dressed in that same outfit you wore when he’d got to have you dance on him; the lavender bra with matching fishnets and the white skater skirt being zoomed in on as well as a pair of kitty ears you added to the mix while you danced on a large black loveseat. Your knees pressed into the cushions as you bent over while looking back at the camera, legs spread out as you ‘sang’ the lyrics, “Pussy all pink with a tan and I play with it til my middle fingers are cramped up!”

Your own hand had scooped the mound between your legs as you said it, manicured fingers caressing the panty-covered parts and smacking at your own ass.

“Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to be that camera man.” Mineta cried, keeled over in a deep bow as he trembled at your panties so close and in HD. “I’d die to just get a whiff of her sweat when she’s sleeping”

“Oi, someone get that fucking pervert out of here before he ruins the carpet!” Bakugou growled as he entered from the kitchen, “Or else I’ll probably blast him to the next town over.”

Sero groaned as he grabbed the midget by his collar, easily peeling him off the ground despite his cries of protest. “Sorry, man, you go too far and it’s real creepy.”

The pipsqueak sobbed as he was thrown into a closet, which had a piece of notebook paper taped to it with the words ‘Horny Jail’ written in sharpie.

‘Make it pop in your face like a Samsung!’

Your face was now in full view from a high angle as you lapped at some spilling milk, tongue stuck out while it coated your chin followed by slow, scanning shots of the liquid dripping down your body.

Back to your face in the bed from the beginning, body splayed out as you said

“And that’s my T-chan, betta yet that’s my Hit-ta!” You winked at the camera.

It was a play on words only Hitoshi knew, a “hitta” was supposed to be an ode to someone who had no problem “getting rid” of the competition, but you said it after calling him T-chan (Toshi-chan), so it sounded like the first part of his name getting cut off. You were so fucking cute, he smirked as he watched you run your arms around your body on the silk sheets.

‘And he don’t even scroll through Insta, ‘less he going through my pictures!’

You were back on the loveseat, climbing all around it, splaying your body across it, all in such perfectly cut shots that kept the attention focused on the TV.

Hitoshi anxiously checked his phone, though. He was waiting for you to call him back and hoped you would do it as soon as the video was done. You were sending him kissy emojis and telling him that you missed seeing him all while you were less than five hundred feet from the dorms.

He texted back about what part of the video he was at, gushing about how hot you are and why he couldn’t wait to get you on FaceTime afterwards.

You smirked to yourself as Aizawa turned into the stretch of concrete that led to the front door of their building, your heart beginning to pound louder than the sound of your heels hitting the pavement.

‘When he off work, he callin me on Skype. Trust me, when I meet him, I’m fucking him on sight!’

The words had him looking back up at the TV, your small frame wrapped in various wires and dressed in a lingerie set designed to resemble a motherboard while your legs were clad by white thigh-high gogo boots. Standing around, you were pulling the wires through your legs and wrapping them snugly around your body. When you were laid down on a green floor, you’d rotate your hips around, grasping at your body parts as you sang to the camera, giving the audience the cutest flirty faces as the song went on.

‘Daddy my parents go through my shit! Huh, Oooh~ Can’t give head, you give me the facetime. Motokare’s a creep, caught him on Dateline, he ain’t getting pussy; he’s fucking an AI, Huh, Ooohhh’

Now he was audibly chuckling, quickly sending you a text about that line when the people in the room looked back at him.

You had told him a few ex-boyfriend horror stories, and geez did you have a few weirdos. That lyric about your “Motokare” was a jab about someone you went on a date with once, who told you he had built up his computer AI to have feelings and eventually mentioned possibly falling in love with it. After running away as soon as the opportunity came, you googled the shit out of him and found out that he had been on the show Dateline at one point.

You nervously tapped your fingers on your phone case as Aizawa flashed his credentials into the scanner of the door.

“Strict security measures, in case you’re planning to sneak in past curfew.”

You snorted, your nerves lessening slightly as he swung the door open for you.

Your feet were frozen, however. Your legs just weren’t moving as you heard yourself through the speakers in the lounge followed by laughing guys and some girls gasping or ogling over how cute you looked.

“C’mon already, you don’t have all day.”

“Ye-Yes sir, I— I just,” You sigh, “Haven’t seen him in a while.”

“I can assure you there’s nothing to be so damn nervous about. If you ask me, kid’s the one who should get nervous.” He says, leaning his back against the door, “Smokeshow like you deserves a real man. But don’t let me stop you from going in. I bet you’re about to shock the hell out of that group back there.”

‘Is you into that? (Into that, is you into that? Uh-uh)

Let's break the internet (Internet, on the internet, oh-oh)’

You blush, putting your phone into your clutch and fixing the straps of the large tote on your shoulder.

‘We do it the best, (it the best, doin it the best)’

“Still not budging huh?”

‘When we have cyber sex’

“Yessss, just—“

“Stall-time is over.” He said as he ushered you into the building by grabbing the back of your neck and pulling your body into the doorway.

(Cybersex, havin' cybersex, oh-ooohhhh)

Click! thunk! The door locked behind the two of you, louder than you expected.

“Oi, Shitty Hair, who’s at the door?” a voice barked, the sounds of someone closing YouTube and starting up Super Mario World echoes down the hall.

Your body froze as a familiar red-haired boy stretched over from his spot on the couch, a loud gasp escaped his throat as he found your gaze.

“What? Who the fuck is it?!”

“It’s... It’s Aizawai-sensei and..— and—“

Multiple bodies on the ground crawled over to the edge of the rug to follow his gaze. All of them with the same reaction. Now Shinsou was annoyed too, sighing loudly as he begrudgingly got up from his spot.

“You guys are so dumb, just spit it out alrea— Kitty. ”

All nerves washed away when his body came into frame, a huge smile plastering your face as you began power walking to him, the heads on the ground dramatically switching from looking at you and the quietest guy in school.

A squeal escaped your throat as you threw yourself in his arms, “I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, TOSHI!” He was stiff, but his arms held your legs up as you Koala’d your frame into his torso.

“’Toshi?” Kirishima echoed.

“WHAT— IS THAT (Stagename)?!” Jirou screamed from her position on the other couch.

“I missed you too, what the— How?” He was at a loss for words as he let your legs drop back down to the ground, his hands moving to your neck and face as he looked at you like he was in some sort of dream.

“Surprise!” You cried, “Oh, and I brought gifts!” You said, looking over your shoulder to the people on the floor, “For you guys! ”

They all bustled into conversations aimed at you and Shinsou, mostly questions about your relationship and gushing compliments over how cute it was for you to surprise him. (Well all except Bakugou, who was steaming in his chair in jealousy)

“Alright, alright,” Aizawa said loudly, immediately quieting the room. “Yes, (stagename) is here. No you’re not allowed to post about it, tell your friends nor take pictures of them together— Just don’t do anything stupid, alright? She’s not staying here, by the way. I’ll be back before curfew to take her back. If anyone on the streets during your internship paroles pesters just tell them she’s taking some classes about harnessing her Quirk use. That’s the official statement from the school, anyhow. Don’t stress her out or make her uncomfortable and we won’t have any problems, got it?”

“Hai, Sensei!” The students responded in unison, except Hitoshi who was still looking in your eyes with twinkling irises. A warm flush heated up your cheeks, (and other places) , while his fingers caressed the hair at your nape and the frame of your jawline.

“And you two!” The voice snapped both of your attentions over, your body physically turning to face the pro hero glaring at you with his arms crossed, “It doesn’t have to be said for you to understand right? This is still part of campus so don’t go breaking any rules.”

“Oh, I’m a good girl, sir, I wouldn’t dream of getting Hitoshi-san in trouble.” You cheekily say, tongue in cheek when Shinsou nudged you with the back of his hand at your lower back. A silent, ‘Stop’ that brought a small apologetic smile to your lips. “Thank you for allowing this visit, I really appreciate it.”

You bowed your head down a bit as you spoke, flashing your bright eyes at the grown man in front of you. You knew the power you still somehow held over the man, thanks to his earlier comments. He rolled his eyes and mumbled some response as he walked away. The sounds of Hitoshi’s friends beckoning for your attention drowned out whatever he had said.

This trip was going to be so much fun.

#shinsou hitoshi #bnha shinsou #bnha smut #bnha fanfiction #bnha hitoshi #hitoshi x reader #Hitoshi shinsou smut #hitoshi shinsou #shinsou x reader #shinsou Hitoshi x reader #eboi shinsou #shinsou x y/n #mha shinsou #bnha shinso hitoshi #shinsou fanart #yes I asked for permission #PLEASE DONT HATE ME AHSKDKEJSM #Its an old chapter #I forgot to post it here #bunny 🐰 #bunny #bunny writes

[voodoospeedcult]

A treasure hunt worth chasing

This week’s expedition takes us on a trek to find lost rally cars. The World over, rally cars are unfortunately a bit disposable due to the abuse they see while being used in competition. Rally is devastating to cars and equipment, even if a car never sees a bad crash. After constant use and abuse it’s hard to keep them straight and it’s even harder to keep them up to safety specs. It’s easy to keep a 40+ year old road race car up to specs but with rally, it’s nearly impossible without a large investment. With those factors in play, it is pretty common place to see used, semi-competitive rally cars selling very cheap and it’s very common to find them parked, just wasting away. I put my best Indiana Jones custom on and go searching for the holy grail of junked rally cars. Group B Dumpster/Treasure Chest

A Renault R5 Turbo and this isn’t just a normal R5, it’s an Evo 2 which were the homologation version built to make the R5 eligible for Group B rally racing. There were only 200 of the Evo 2 cars built! Seeing this one sitting there, used as a dumpster is heart breaking.

Skeletal Remains

Alright, I admit it, I have a bit of a fetish for the Lancia Stratos. Growing up in the States we didn’t see much Group B rally back in the day due to the lack of US media caring about international rally racing (and no, there wasn’t internet back then), the only time we saw Group B was in racing magazines, usually from Europe that would end up in the race shop being passed down from another shop or a race team. In 1990 my fetish started after seeing one at Willow Springs during a test day. Most would see this neglected Stratos as an eyesore, it is basically just part of the chassis and doors. It is way to expensive to rebuild but I want to take it home and use it as a lawn ornament.

Forgotten Gems

The 80s Citroen rally cars were never very popular due to the lack of… well everything except weight. The BX line of cars (there were a handful of different versions made/developed) exceeded the minimum weight requirements by almost 450lbs.! While weight was one issue, it was just one of MANY issues, they were slow, they handled horribly, they were unreliable, they were a mess! So why would we feature them here? Because no matter how bad they were, they are still very cool and very rare. And finding three of them, a BX 4TC, a BX 4TC Sport and a BX 4TC Evolution on the same transport truck just wasting away in Southern France is equivalent to finding the missing gold treasure of Billy the Kid.

Hidden in plain sight

Now what we have here is a very cool find, a Peugeot 205 Rallye. The 205 cars were commonplace in Europe for 15 years, you could get a boring one, a loaded/luxury one, a sporty one, a fast one and then one ready to race. Peugeot teamed up with Talbot Sport to make a almost race ready car available right from the dealer. The 205 Rallye came with a tuned engine, a closer ratio gear box, tweaked suspension and absolutely no creature comforts including sound deadening. They expected to sell 5000 over a 4 year time period but the cars were so popular they sold over 30,000 of them!

Like finding Atlantis

The Ford Cosworth, we could write a book about this motor and the cars that Ford has put them in, each and every one of them has been a winner. In rally the Cosworth Fords were the what legends are made of. The Escorts, the Sapphires, the XRs, the RS500 and the RS200 all had Cosworths powering them. The combination led to countless rally and rally championship wins with masters like Carlos Sainz, Ari Vatanen, Didier Auriol and Stig Blomqvist behind the wheel. A mint Ford Cosworth (any model) will fetch big money when sold and thrashed, forgotten cars like the RS500 and the Sapphire shown here will still bring more money than most normal cars sitting at your local used car dealer. Yard Sale

The Lancia Delta has a rally history that most other cars dream that they had. The Italian car maker who had been heavily involved in rally for decades hit it big with the Delta. They finally had a car that won in all conditions and all terrains, they were so capable that they even made mediocre drivers shine bright. The cars become so popular that Lancia produced dozens of versions, each of them very focused on being the ultimate driving machine for it’s targeted buyer. At the top of the line is the Delta HF Intergrale Evoluzione (yes, that is spelled correctly) II which was loaded with high performance features that have just recently started showing up in modern cars.

Fools Gold?

The car responsible for bringing AWD to rally, the Audi Quattro. The Quattro cars made their debut in 1980 but it wasn’t until 1984 when the Quattro S1 versions hit the rally stages that things got serious. The S1 cars were entirely different kind of rally car, as long as they stayed together or weren’t in an accident, they were virtually impossible for competitors to match. The car you see here has to be a replica or does it? The whereabouts of all but a handful of the S1 cars are known and those not accounted for were written off in accidents. So what do we have here? Of course a replica is the obvious answer but there are rumors that have been swirling in the rally community for years that the car pictured here was a car given as a gift to Walter Rohrl (Audi rally driver) by Audi. Though Audi nor Walter have never commented. Even if it is a replica it is worth big money as a replica is currently being sold in the States for $180,000. A find like that of Oak Island

Alright, I admit it, the title on this one is a little bit mean but I am making fun of myself. I love the Curse of Oak Island TV show and I love Triumph TR7 and TR8 cars but both of these things have the same thing in common, is there really treasure? The Triumph TR cars are weird, weird in good and bad ways. They are fun, they are amazing fun to drive, that is when they run. Many will argue that there are more unreliable cars, and I am sure there are but these are absolute shit! I seriously don’t understand how or why I have owned and raced two of them nor do I understand why I am still attracted to them. Did I mention that they are shit? Sure it made sense for Triumph to race them, they had to make the public want them and want them we did. On track and on asphalt/tarmac rallies the Triumphs were damn fast. But seriously finding this, I don’t know if I would be tempted to grab it, even if the immediate risk of being rolled over by a giant rock didn’t exist, I would know that every day after I grabbed it would be cursed. The small finds are the greatest

The Mini is a very important car, it is the car that made it possible for everyone to feel that they could be a rally driver. The first Mini hit the rally stages in 1960 but in 1962 a Mini driven by Paddy Hopkirk won the Monte Carlo rally which at the time was the most prestigious rally in the World. It was so big that even the press in the USA gave it some attention. Over a twelve year time span, Mini won dozens of rallies, it also won dozens of touring car championships and races. The Mini is arguably one of the most important production race cars ever! Finding one with documented rally heritage and being able to rescue it would be equal to finding something as special as finding the treasure of the Knights Templar.

[ko-yeop]

Lovecraft: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Coming soon

Characters: Saeran Choi X Reader

Word Count: 4,632

Genre: Witchcraft!AU, Fluff, Angst

Warnings: Mentions of child abuse

Summary: After an unfortunate drunken night, you, a fortune teller who was cursed from a young age by an unknown witch, breaks your own creed and read your own fate. Seeing nothing but ruin and isolation in the future, you seek out an apothecary named Saeran, who gives you untested potion called Aphrodite’s Blessing, not for free though. In return, he wishes to study and document it’s effects on you. Can his creation not only save you from fate, but also break your longstanding curse? 

You were a little thankful that Saeran had decided to meet up with you at your home rather than forcing you to walk to his shop two days in a row. The walk wasn’t necessarily unpleasant, but the days were getting shorter and colder. Thank the heavens that the flannel cloak you always wore was so warm even after all these years. If it wasn’t for the sweet heat it provided, you’d surely have frozen to death long ago. It was always in the back of your mind to purchase new boots, warmer scarves, and those gorgeous knitted mittens with the pearls sewn into the tops resembling snowflakes, but finances were tight. The overlooming thought of possibly not having money to buy food for tomorrow made you think twice about what was essential. More than often a meal and rent won over new clothing, even though it was dearly needed.

The town square’s market wasn’t too far from your street. It was quite handy, seeing as how you rarely had to travel far for anything you required. Not to mention on slower days when there were fewer vendors, you were able to set up a small table to sell readings. Fortunes, unveiling the true intentions of a relative, finding out if someone’s love was unrequited or not… Whatever anyone would request. The competitive nature of the market meant early mornings and long days to allocate a spot. It was far too troublesome, especially for a plain diviner like you who was commonly overlooked in favour of roasted sweet potatoes and fresh, bloody cuts of butchered cattle. Even if you were only able to get ten or fifteen customers every few days, the pocket change was still money in the end. It felt heavy in your pockets, you could feel the weight of each silver coin, and you treasured them as if they were your lifeline.

A knock at the door pulled you out of your thoughts. You trodded down the creaky steps, opening the door as little as possible. It’d be nice to keep some of the heat inside the stone walls. The metallic handle was cool to the touch. An igloo might have better insulation than this atrocious excuse for a home. It took an eternity for the warmth of the fireplace to reach the nooks and crannies of your small home, and you weren’t about to undo what took about three hours this morning.

“Ready to go?” Saeran tilted his head slightly as he asked. He peeked through the crack in the door, trying to survey your surroundings. The mess of cards and small jewels strewn across a nearby side table caught his eye. He never took much interest in divination, but he did find the idea of refreshing and “charging” divination tools with crystals quite interesting. It was well known that crystals were used in multiple crafts, from alchemy, to enhancing illusion and restoration spells, to simple blessings. Saeran himself used various pestles and spoons carved from crystals when creating his concoctions. He silently reminded himself to ask you about what properties you noticed from crystals and gems later. Perhaps there was something he could learn from a diviner. Saeran was eager to find out what knowledge he couldn’t learn from books and scrolls.

“Uh, yeah. Just let me grab my cape,” Quickly scurrying back up the stairs, you wrapped the trusty navy blue cloak around you, and tugged on the pointed hat, praying this much would keep you warm today. Perhaps you’d be able to haggle a deal on a pair of gloves while you were there. The market was held outdoors until the snow and chill became too much, then it would move to within one of the town halls. As much as most vendors preferred to be indoors, there was little space in the halls. Fewer people could get into it, and less product would be brought due to space confinements. The air would fill with the mixed scents of oils, herbs, meats, and wines. Which did not mix well at all. The scent was putrid at best. Often driving customers to leave for specialty shops that had concrete locations, if not just for breathable air.

Saeran noticed how your shivering wrists tugged at the neck of your cape, trying to wrap it tighter, closer. Anything to keep warm. Your cheeks were growing deeper in colour by the second. Each time the wind whipped at your skin it felt like an icy blade that slashed your skin.

“Are you sure you’ll be warm enough with just that on? You look kinda cold,”

“O-Oh, um… Yeah. I’ll be fine,” You tried to hide the fact that you were, and always had been, freezing. You didn’t want to appear as though you were scraping coins together to buy loaves of bread, even if that is what you did on a day-to-day basis. You had to admit, it was nice to hear someone concerned for your well being. Regardless, you still didn’t want to become a bother, especially to someone who was already helping you so much.

“You’re not a very convincing liar,” His eyes narrowed in your direction. You remained silent at his comment. Before you knew it, Saeran was removing the burgundy wool scarf he’d been wearing and wrapped it around your neck, tying it in the back so the length draped down your back. You stood still, unsure of what to do. Why was he giving you his scarf? Wouldn’t that mean he would freeze instead of you? Perhaps you just weren’t used to this kind of selfless behaviour. “That should keep you a little warmer. I can’t document any physical effects the potion may be having on you if you’re a icicle. Changes the environmental factors and all that… Y’know?”

“Ah, right… Thank you,” You tried to hide your now warm cheeks in the woven wool. It was soft, and smelled faintly of ginger and cinnamon. You wondered what item he’d been working on that used those two together. What properties did they have again…? Remembering herbs and their benefits wasn’t something you were skilled at. Too many plants, too many names, too many similar ones. It was amazing how Saeran knew so many off the top of his head.

"Oh, I've been forgetting to ask you, but do you have any allergies perchance?" Saeran’s question pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked up at him, trying to figure out his expression. Was he concerned for you? Was this a sign of the potion working it’s magic?

"No. Or at least no allergies that I'm aware of,"

"Well, that's good then, means we don't need to worry about any ingredients causing a reaction. Or at least they shouldn't." You felt a little disheartened at his reply. He was just asking for scientific purposes… Not personal intrigue. You should’ve expected that much.

Saeran had confidence in his ability to concoct potions, but he was always wary about his ingredients. He preferred to stick to more natural, herbal materials, but regrettably this caused severe reactions for many. His ingredients were always haphazardly strewn on a paper tag attached to the bottle for this reason. There wasn’t a more ghastly feeling in the world for him than harming someone when he had the intention to help. These days there were more and more mythical ingredients finding their way into alchemy and potion-crafting, and while they were effective, they were extremely difficult to work with without accidentally blowing oneself up.

The path to the market was quite busy today. More people were bustling about than usual, which was odd considering the frigid cold. The two of you remained silent while you trekked there. You’d attempted small talk, but neither of you managed to keep the conversation going. It wasn’t like you two knew each other all that well anyways. You’d only met twice.

Eventually the stalls and booths came into view. The frozen breaths of customers conglomerated into a haze that lingered over the town square. Several small fires were set up in their bleak gothic cages, the open top allowing people to gather for brief reprieve of the chill. You noticed a mother tug her small child close to the fire, and the two of them stretched out their mittened hands.

“Be careful not to get too close, okay sweetheart?” The mother crooned. She reached down to adjust the hood over the child’s head, making sure her ears were fully covered.

“Okay mama!”

You smiled at the warm-hearted display, it reminding you of your own parents. You really did miss their warm touch, the simple pleasantries, and their love for you. Your heart ached at the reminder that you had no one in the world except them, and they were so far away… It was lonely, living like this. But you were happy to have the apothecary who was willing to help you with your curse at least.

“Saeran, are you close with your parents?” You questioned after you observed him watching the mother and child too. It was a conversation starter at least. The silence between you two for the last twenty minutes was becoming irritating.

“Mm, no. I was orphaned at young age, and then my teacher Jihyun took me in,” Saeran’s eyes grew cold at your question. He gazed at your face, looking for signs of something to distrust in. A quirk of the mouth, a specific look in the eye…. But he found nothing of that sort. He was always on the defensive about his childhood. It wasn’t exactly something he really cared to talk about. Who’d want to recall being abused and abandoned by your family?

“O-Oh… I’m sorry to hear that, you must’ve had a rough childhood,” You looked down at your tattered boots, not expecting such a sad response.

“It was only rough before Jihyun came into my life. He was my sunshine, and he provided for me well,” He tried to lift the mood, smiling at you. Although the words were bittersweet to him, he knew they’d come off as a lot more positive to you. You didn’t carry the feelings for Jihyun that he did, and your ignorance was bliss to him.

“Well… At least things have been better since then. He must’ve been an amazing person,” Saeran looked up at the sky, watching how the sunlight slipped through the clouds above.

“He was the most selfless person I’ve ever met. I’ve got nothing but respect for him to the end of time,”

“Alright, for your first test, I want you to try flirting with a shopkeep,”

“You want me to what?” You were taken aback by his statement. You’d never flirted with anyone in your life, nor been flirted with. Where do you even begin? How do you flirt with someone without making a fool of yourself, or was that the point? To be so much of a fool that people find it endearing?

“It’s nothing crazy, just compliment them a little bit. If you could do it with a man and a woman that would be great, I’d like to see the effects on both genders,” Saeran had begun writing notes within a pocket-sized journal. How could he talk so nonchalantly about this? What was he even writing about already?

“I...I really don’t know to do such a thing,”

“It’s easy, I told you. Just say they have nice eyes or something,” He waved you off in the direction of the busy aisle. You realized quickly you’d have to swallow your pride and get this over and done with if you wanted to leave today. If you refused he’d probably just instigate a situation himself, and you preferred to not have him take control of whatever awkward conversation that was about to ensue.

You slowly approached the stall selling children’s toys. Wooden tops and colourful, plush animals with buttons sewn on for eyes adorned the wooden counter.

“Are you looking for something for a younger sibling, or are you just indulging yourself?” The boy behind the counter with bright blue eyes and even brighter flax coloured hair perked up as he saw you grasp at the ear of a bunny.

“Um, I...Uh, I’m just looking for now!” You blurted out, unsure of what to say. He was kinda cute, you had to admit. Perhaps you should’ve picked a place with someone less attractive working, it might’ve been easier to flirt with someone you had no interest in.

“No worries, just let me know if you need help,” He flashed a smile that would put the sun to shame before turning to attend to another customer.

Mentally, you tried to calm yourself. There was nothing to be worked up over. Just say he has pretty eyes like Saeran told you to and get out of here. You glanced in Saeran’s direction to see him with a notepad in hand, watching your interaction intently. He smirked and gave you a thumbs up, as if encouraging you to keep going. The smug look on his face made you uneasy, as if he was doing this just to watch you squirm. Regardless, you nodded and smiled weakly. There was no point in trying to back out now. You’d created a mutually beneficial deal, and you weren’t one to go back on your word.

“Um, excuse me!” You waved the boy over.

“Is there something I can do for you?”

“I...Uh,” You could feel your heart stop, anxiety washing over you. You stuttered and fumbled over your words as you tried to spit them out. Get the horrid taste of false flattery off your tongue.  “I just wanted to tell you that your eyes were quite lovely…” You averted your gaze, not really wanting to see whatever reaction you’d get. You could feel the warmth on your face spread to your eyes, ears, and nose. This was utterly humiliating in more ways than one.

“O-Oh, uh, thank you very much! But I have a lovely girlfriend…” The boy trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that! I just thought you should know, spreading the kindness and all…” You laughed half-heartedly trying to improvise a cover up. He’d obviously seen through your cheap lie, but neither of you commented on the elephant in the room. The boy nodded and resumed speaking with other customers, and you took the opportunity to flee the booth as quickly as possible.

“Good job spreading the kindness,” Saeran laughed at your obvious discomfort.

“Shut up, you made me do it, and I did it. Is that enough information for you, can we leave now before I embarrass myself further?”

“Mm, not quite enough. Did you ever receive a similar reaction prior to taking Aphrodite’s Blessing?”

“I’ve never tried to flirt with anyone before, so I can’t say,”

“What about just regular compliments? Like telling the tax collector you like her blouse in hopes she forgets what she was there for in the first place and leaves,”

“No, usually when I give out compliments, I’m ignored outright, or all I get is a smile. It’s always been like I was a ghost,”

“Well, being acknowledged then is a good sign. It means something is working at least. Even if it’s only bringing you back from a different plane of existence,”

“Hey, I’m not dead, that much I’m certain of,”

“Are you sure you’re not what’s been causing my floors to creak at night?”

“If you don’t shut your mouth I will ensure I haunt you in my afterlife,” You huffed at his jest, before turning your back and moving towards the street. Saeran would catch up anyways.

A rough hand jerked you to the side. Your heart jump into your throat. Caught off guard, you let out a yelp.

“Naw, naw, pretty girls like you roamin’ the market? Does’at mean yer fer sale too?” A massive man whose size was at least double your own had your arm gripped like a vice. His face was heavily scarred, and the eyepatch covering his right eye looked as though it hadn’t seen a bucket of soap and water for months with all the grime caking in the seams.

“Let go of me,” You lowered your voice, narrowed your eyes. You made him know you were not one to be toyed with. You were prepared make more than a fuss if he tried to haul you off, and perhaps he’d lose the other eye while he was at it. Even if none of that was true, you’d embody it to intimidate him. Stand your ground no matter what. Mother had always taught you how to deal with men like this, though you’d never needed to use her teachings until now.

“Feisty aren’t ya? Ahehe, that’s how I always liked ‘em,” His booming guffaw attracted the attention of passerbys, but none stopped to help. Not that you blamed them, the behemoth before you looked as though he could crush someone under his thumb. It was doubtful anyone wanted to interfere and risk having their head smashed into a cart of day old halibut.

“Let me go. Now,” You tried to pry your arm from him, but his fat and calloused fingers easily overpowered the strength of your entire upper arm.

“Awww, ye don’t wanna come care for me a lil? Yer a fortune teller right? Tell ya what, shuffle them fancy cards of yer’s and tell me what a guys gotta do to get a sweet lil’ lady like ya to snuggle up to ‘im? If ya do, I’ll go easy on ya,”

“You’ll let me go this instant before I personally behead you myself,”

“Slingin’ threats now huh? I’m sure ye won’t be runnin’ that mouth for much longer,” The man began hauling you to a nearby alley, it’s end unseen. It was shrouded in shadows, and you didn’t want to know what kinds of people, what horrors where tucked away in darkness. Your fist beat against his arm frantically, doing no damage much to your avail. Kicking proved to be pointless. At the brisk pace he was dragging you, you were forced to walk or risk having him drag your knees along the grit and cobblestone. There’s how many people here… And not a single person is willing to help… You thought to yourself. This city is despicable. I’m going to be hauled off to god knows where, possibly never see the light of day again, they would rather go about their own business, knowing they could’ve done something. I hope these bastards sleep soundly at night. Enjoy looking at your wretched face in the mirror.

You were suddenly wrenched back with great force, you felt your back collide into someone’s body, but they didn’t falter at the impact. The grip on your arm was a little painful, but nothing compared to how roughly the brute had been handling you. The hand moved from your bicep to your wrist, hurriedly dragging you along with them as the two of you fled, running straight for the crowd.

“C’mon, neither of us can take him here, so we need to move fast,” Saeran had thrown his hood up in effort to disguise himself amongst the throng of people. The two of you ran directly into circles of people, avoiding the man screaming profanities at the two of you and attempting to find you two. This tactic earned you some sighs and glares, but it was certainly better than being caught up to.

“Who th’ fuck d’ya think y’ar!? I’ll peel yer flesh from yer bones and sell ya t’ th’ merc’s!” You were thankful that his overwhelming size slowed him down, speed was on your side, that was for sure. His bellowing voice was becoming fainter quickly.

“We need to leave before him or one of his accomplices finds us, put the hood on your cape up and carry your hat so we aren’t spotted,” You nodded and followed Saeran, not that you had much of a choice with him barrelling through people with you in tow.

Both of you wove in between people, darting in and out of the narrow spaces between stalls until you reached a quiet side street. Seeing as how it was unlikely the man would’ve followed you to this point, you both ducked into an grungy alley to catch your breath.

“We should be safe here,”

“Saeran… What did you mean… By accomplices?” You panted. The thought of more of those men being nearby was terrifying.

“Guys like those don’t operate alone,” Saeran swallowed and wiped a bead of sweat from his temple. “They have one main man haul off girls, and then about three or four patrolling and scouting for the next girl, or ladies that escape on the first try,”

“How do you know all this?”

“They come in all the time asking me for aphrodisiacs and similar potions to knock people out. I refuse service and report them to the royal guards, but they still have yet to actually do something about it. My guess is that the guards are involved themselves,”

“That’s horrid,”

“Don’t trust royalty. Ever. They’re all a bunch of rich scum, the worst the world has to offer,”

“I’ll keep that in mind,”

“Well, on the bright side of things, the man trying to haul you off is another sign that the potion is having some effect on you. By the sound of things, that incident would’ve likely never happened had you not been taking Aphrodite’s Blessing,”

“I nearly got kidnapped and that’s what you’re concerned about?” Your blood began to boil. You’d just witnessed one of the most dire events in your entire life and Saeran was looking at the positives of his potion? “I’m not going to continue taking this stupid thing if this is what it causes… I should’ve known better than to believe something like this would work,”

“Hey, calm down.” Saeran gripped both of your shoulders, bringing you back to the present and out of you worried myriad of thoughts. “That’s how attraction and love work sometimes. It’s not always reciprocated, and it’s not always bubblegum and fluffy clouds. Sometimes it’s chains and dark cellars. It’s feeling like you’ve been stabbed a thousand times, and feeling like you’ve reached euphoria all at the same time.” You stared at him square in the eye, listening reluctantly to his every word. What he had to say was crushing, but it’s not as if you’d ever known romantic love before. Being a newly hatched chick, you had a lot to learn. “The fact that this happened is unfortunate, but thanks to it, we got some good information about how the potion is affecting you and others. It’ll be extremely useful for my research, and I can perfect this thing and get you the help you need,” He took a step back, noticing how you’d begun to squirm slightly under his touch.

“I thought this thing was supposed to attract love into my life, not get me trafficked,” You dangled the crystal bottle before his eyes, stirring up the contents. Bits of rose petals and ashes of violets danced around each other within the glass.

“It’ll do both. You can’t have one without the other, and I can’t give you another potion to take alongside this one until I’ve got all the information about it. I don’t know how this one would react to another. Besides, I saved you in end didn’t I?”

“I suppose so… Thank you, by the way. I wasn’t able to overpower him physically,”

“Don’t mention it, I wasn’t about to let my precious test subject mysteriously disappear,” Saeran sighed before running a hand through the tufts of fluffy hair, causing them to stick out in odd angles. “I doubt I could find another person to test out Aphrodite’s Blessing for me, so I’d be at a loss without you,” You sunk down to the ground, looking up at the sky. You were thankful to be here right now, even if it was dreary and bleak, and not tied up on a ship.

“What were you going to do if that man had caught up to us?”

“Oh, I know a little bit of destruction magic. I just prefer not to use it in areas where I could injure other people. I’m not trained very well, so I could easily torch a few innocents without meaning to,”

“Really? I didn’t know that,”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” You looked at him quizzically, hoping for him to elaborate a little, but he only gave you a smile. It was eerie, almost as if he was hiding something from you. There was something to uncover about him, some secret truth perhaps.

“Well, I’ll have to keep that in mind. Perhaps I can continue learning more things about you in the future,” You didn’t want to acknowledge your strange dream from before, but the words were in the back of you mind, pricking at the trust you wished to place in Saeran.

“Me. You. The apothecaries. We’re all connected, you’ll see.”

Just what connection was there? Surely that dream was nothing, just a figment of your imagination that you were allowing to have far too much control over your emotions.

“Yeah… Same goes for you,” You smiled to yourself, butterflies’ fluttering wings suddenly tickling your insides. It felt silly, but this was a warmth you’d never known before.

“Are you still up to do more tests after that incident? I can keep them within the confines of the shop if you’d prefer for awhile.”

“As long as it’s indoors, yes, we can continue. Though I don’t know how much information you can gather without social interaction…”

“It’s fine. Besides, I count as social interaction too. I don’t always just lurk in a corner taking notes,”

“Thank you...For your consideration I mean,”

“No no, thank you for still agreeing to this after today. Here, I’ll walk you home, just to make sure you’re safe,” You walked adjacent to him, ready to break into a sprint at any moment. You were certain the man was gone, but you still felt on edge. Saeran’s presence was comforting nevertheless. Even though he was obviously not the person with the most bulk on the streets, it was nice to know that his minor knowledge of destruction magic could protect the two of you if it was necessary.

“Aren’t your hands cold? You haven’t been wearing gloves all day,” Saeran inquired.

“A little, why? Are you going to give me yours on top of your scarf too?” You let out a chuckle. “At this rate I’ll have your whole wardrobe,”

“Nope, I can’t risk freezing my own. I kinda need these to do my work. Here, give me your hands,” You held out your reddened palms, fingertips raw from the brisk air. Saeran took out a small vial from inside his jacket.

“This here… Is my special heating dust,” He bagan to sprinkle the maroon and russet flakes on your skin, and you could feel your skin thawing at the touch.

“Saeran…” He grinned at you, his stupid smile trying to hide the truth. “These are just chili flakes,”

“Your point?”

“It’s not some special heating dust if it’s just a common household spice!”

“The practice of potion crafting begins in the kitchen,”

“Are you a chef or an apothecary?”

“Perhaps I’m both,”

“Considering how thin you are, I’m betting you’re not a chef,”

“Harsh, maybe I should just leave now if you’re going to be so rude to a man who’s trying to help,”

“Don’t you dare leave me to walk home alone after today,”

“Ahaha, alright alright. Calm down, we’re going.”

#saeran choi #mystic messenger #mm ray #mm unknown #mysme #reader insert #reader x saeran #fluff #mystic messenger fic #lovecraft #witchcraft!au

[clairekatswritingcorner]

The Demonstration

Word Count: 1,232

Summary: When D brings home a guitar she found abandoned in the desert, Rhys learns about one of his wife’s talents he never could have predicted.

*Author’s Note*: A commission for @robotarmjokes! My first commission of 2019, and it’s about this wonderful ship…thank you again D! I was just as surprised as Rhys to discover her knack for guitar, but I also found it equally impressive, and I hope I did her husband’s cheeky reaction justice. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

“Where did you find that thing?”

Not long after they’d first met, Rhys discovered that D seemed to have a knack for spotting rare gems amongst dirt. In this case, the gem happened to be none other than what appeared to be a vintage guitar. Well, most items native to Europa were considered vintage out here in the far reaches of space. But from the way D regarded this instrument, Rhys had a feeling that it meant more than he’d assumed at first glance. The detail and intricacy of its design indicated that it’d been crafted with a significant amount of skill and love. The way D held it demonstrated an equal amount of care and caution, and it made Rhys’s heart skip a little to see the broker with such a soft, genuine smile gracing her lips. More to his surprise, when he’d arrived it looked like D was trying to play it. Trying and succeeding. He’d never known his wife had a knack for the musical.

The minute she heard his voice, she almost fell out of her seat. Rhys lunged forward to catch her, and namely the delicate guitar, before either of them could collide with the hard floor. Luckily D managed to regain her balance, simultaneously maintaining a death grip on the instrument that preserved its safety. She often lamented the lack of poise coupled with innate clumsiness she often demonstrated that had sent her tripping into Rhys’s embrace more than once; naturally, he wasn’t one to complain about it. In this case, though, it was obvious she’d been preoccupied with protecting the instrument over herself. Due to her less than flattering self-image, it wasn’t rare for D to consider other things—almost anything else—before herself, be it people or objects, regardless of how inconsequential or incomparable they seemed. Rhys had been trying to help her break away from that habit bit by bit, but now wasn’t the time to bother reprimanding her for her self-disregard.

“You scared the life out of me! Give me some sort of warning next time, will you?” Apparently, D was the one who was going to be doing the reprimanding, anyway. “I could have hurt myself or you when I panicked!”

“You know I can block any of your valiant blows with my arm,” Rhys teased, flashing her a glimpse of the shiny silver peeking out from one of his sleeves. “If you even reached me, that is. You’re short enough, I think I would still be safe from a guitar assisted assault at this distance.”

“Come closer and we’ll see what you have to say then, wiseass,” the broker snapped, and Rhys did his best to stifle his laughter.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry,” he confessed, raising his hands in a repentant gesture. “But seriously, where did you find that? And when did you learn how to play?”

“I found it in a junk pile on a job last week. There’re all sorts of things in the outskirts of those raided bandit lairs and outposts all over the desert. Sometimes I like to give them a once-over and see if there’s anything worth salvaging just lying around, left behind,” D explained, and Rhys was happy to distract her from his irritating quips for a moment. “As for your second question…someone quite dear to me taught me how to play. She’s the one that got me interested in guitars in the first place.”

Her last comment made his heart ache and stomach clench, and he checked her expression to determine if he’d said too much. The cyborg knew there were plenty of things about people dear to D that were probably best left out of casual conversation. He wanted to respect her privacy, and her feelings, so he figured it would be better to let any further questions concerning this particular subject lie.

“Well, from what I heard, you sounded really good,” he complimented, approaching her and placing his soft human hand on her shoulder. “And this one looks like it’s in great condition. Hard to believe anything can survive this well after being left out in the sand and sun like that.”

“I had to dress it up a bit,” she corrected him. “But you’re right, it was in much better condition than I expected, too. It really was a rare find…I’m lucky I came across it.”

“Think you could show me how to play?” Rhys asked, shifting to rest his arm against her shoulder. His tone had a playful edge, but his words were serious. He tilted D’s chin up to get her to look at him, intent on ensuring she saw the sincerity in his eyes. “I bet you’d be a really great teacher.”

Face flushing at the drop of a hat, D averted her gaze as quickly as she could, fiddling nervously with the strings beneath her fingers. “I don’t have an extra one, and I wouldn’t want your robot hand to end up getting out of hand—”

“What, you think I’d end up breaking it?” he bantered dramatically, pressing a hand against his chest in an affronted fashion.

“Well, I just think sometimes you don’t know your own strength—” D responded, trying to reassure him under the impression that her words really had upset him.

He patted her arm comfortingly, kissing her cheek and giving her a mischievous wink. “How about this, you play a song we both know, and I’ll try to add my own flair to it?”

The broker was a little confused—and mildly concerned—about what the CEO meant by that, but she still felt like she needed to make up for her previously insensitive remark. Following his suggestion, she started strumming the strings, producing a melody that was plenty familiar to both of them. It was actually a song they often listened to together, one that made both of their hearts swell with love for one another whenever they heard even a whisper of its lovely notes. Rhys stood silently for a few moments, just enjoying the sound of D’s wonderful playing. He seemed to be learning something new and intriguing about her almost every day lately, and of course, it certainly wasn’t something he’d ever been tempted to complain about. Much like her eye for rare potential in the random pieces of rubbish she occasionally came across, Rhys saw nothing but magnificence in her. It was part of what he loved about her.

Coming in at a lull in notes, Rhys lent his voice to the flow of the song. D’s fingers stuttered, distracted enough by his sudden accompaniment that she almost lost her place. But he touched her arm encouragingly, and she readjusted her focus the best she could to continue supporting his words with her sweet music. She’d fallen asleep to his voice more than once; his singing was one of her favorite sounds in the world, hands down. When they were able to showcase their talents, their hobbies together like this, it felt like just another reminder that this was how life was meant to be. Rhys’s voice was D’s solace, and her talents were his treasure. They could only hope that they’d be able to share even more of themselves with one another in similar ways, continuing to strengthen their connection that transcended words, and communicating the unspoken and unbreakable love that thrived between them.

#self insert #selfinsert #self ship #selfship #oc x canon #self insert fic #self insert fanfiction #selfship fic #selfship fanfiction #self insert commissions #selfship commissions #my writing #claire writes #one shot #robotarmjokes #commission

[aurantia-ignis]

Tales of Festival Saturday Summary - 02

Kratos: Don't move! Hand over that gem!

He was hired by someone to take the gem, and he would fight Lloyd and the others for it. Refusing to explain, he and Lloyd reenact parts of their famous confrontation. But the other team appears with their blue gem, and Kratos wants that too.

The party unleashes their moves on him, but they don't do much damage. Lloyd and Zelos execute their unison attack to take him down, and then Lloyd asks Shirley to heal him.

Kratos: You really are naive.

Jay asks for his reasons, and Kratos explains that they were the keys to the treasure on the legacy. To activate them, they needed to charge the gems with power by having half the arena (left side) with Red penlights and the other half switch theirs to Blue.

Everyone in the audience changed pretty quickly, but when the cast laughed and said they had planned to do the Normin Dance to persuade them, the audience changed their colours away so they would do the dance.

Everyone starts singing the normin dance song. Edna obliges, then hurriedly asks the audience to activate their penlights. This beong done, a new treasure chest appears. They find a Royal Scallop Bread recipe inside it.

Turns out this was all planned by Kyupo, who hired Kratos as well. Tachiki began voicing Kyupo, but when Jay comppained that Kyupo was cuter, he began to speak Kyupo's lines in a much cuter voice. Kyupo had wanted Jay to enjoy himself with the others too, so he organized everything.

Anise considers making an Oresoren cafe where the rest of the oresoren are waiters. Jay is interested. Lloyd invites Kratos to eat the bread with them after Senel bakes it. Kyupo also gave them new outfits, and the screen showed several girls in Marine uniforms (Grune, Raine and the rest). Kratos gets an art, too.

When asked how he got to the Legacy, Kratos replied that he flew there.

Zelos: That distance?! Angels are amazing.

The Zestiria team dance off the stage with Sorey going "IMITATING EDNA~"

Shirley: Natalia, why not bake some royal scallop bread for Asch?

Natalia says her cooking isn't good, but Shirley insists that it's the intention that counts. Senel adds that everyone is bad to begin with, and that he'd help her with it. Natalia finally agrees.

"Asch, please look forward to the Royal Scallop Bread!"

Shirley: Natalia, why not bake some royal scallop bread for Asch?

Natalia says her cooking isn't good, but Shirley insists that it's the intention that counts. Senel adds that everyone is bad to begin with, and that he'd help her with it. Natalia finally agrees.

"Asch, please look forward to the Royal Scallop Bread!"

Luke: Anise.... Natalia's cooking.......

Anise: Even the audience is buzzing.....

But as they run off, Luke yells that "It's not Natalia's fault!!"

Fin

After the skit, the hosts Onosaka and Suzuken appear and introduce themselves. Suzuken had been pushing for more Legendia, and finally made it into the host's seat.

Suzuken: I was nothing but throws and bread.

The whole arena stage was made with Legendia in mind with ship bows as decoration (after the Legacy apparently).

They invite the rest of the cast back, and many of them add "-legendia" to their greetings following the habit of past years.

Konitan: I'm the marine trooper Lloyd Irving!

Suzuken: That's *my* position!

SukiChi introduces himself as both Luke and Asch, but as usual the screen art only shows Luke ;w;

Momoi: Konnichi-Abyss~ And Konban-Legendia!

She had received lots of fan letters hoping for her to appear at Teifesu.

After Neya introduced herself ("I play Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear"), it was Kimura's turn, so hilariously, he went "I'm Kimlasca Ryouhei!"

Ohsaka: KonnichiZestiria!

Suzuken: You came in pajamas

Neya Michiko had never attended any live events before, so this was her first.

Suzuken: So you were like a NEET.

Tachiki is like a regular secret guest by now, as he has appeared as secret guest twice already.

Onosaka says that since there's a long distance from their appearance area to the main stage, and not enough lines scripted, they can say whatever they want while they're walking.

Onosaka: Ohsaka your clothes are great as usual

Suzuken commented that he wants to keep the programme moving. "Every time l'm here as a guest, you (Onosaka) just don't move things along at all!"

Next segment was the Tales of Famous Scenes: Comeback, focusing on the teams that were appearing on the day. As each scene played, the seiyuu would step forward to voice their characters' famous lines.

The Symphonian seiyuu reminiscize their recording days. Back then, it was rare for games to have their seiyui record together, so Tales was quite special for them.

Symphonia: 'The two fathers'. Scene where Kratos asks Dirk to craft the ring for Lloyd.

Next was Legendia. The Legendia team didn't seem to remember much about their recording days, so they brought up generic 'memories' about them eating bento altogether, and drinking miso soup.

Then Hirohashi remembered how, after the game release, they had some interviews done.

Hirohashi: Oniichan kept saying "Chloe is better! Chloe is better!"

Suzuken: .....It's the truth.

Legendia: Night Before the Last Battle - Grune chapter

On to the Abyss team. As they gave a brief introduction on Abyss, including how it was released only four months after Legendia, Suzuken became quite despondent over Abyss' popularity in comparison to L's.

SukiChi recorded Asch and Luke's lines together all the time, with the result that in the later part of the games where the two converse alone, he was doing all the talking.

#tales of festival 2018

[howterrifying]

+molliarty: 2018

I promised myself I would spend the last hours of 2017 writing, in the hopes of setting the tone for 2018 that I would spend less time moping about and wasting my life, and instead, doing that which I love which is write. I'm glad to say I've done that. Wherever you are in the world, whenever it is that your clock strikes twelve, here's wishing you hope, health and happiness for 2018. Happy New Year, darlings. x

::

A Beginning  (also on AO3 and FF.net) It was not often that Jim found himself in a fix. If anything, he was the master of getaways, literally getting away with every crime he had committed – or helped commit. Furthermore, Jim could not recall the last time he had felt anxious. As a man who always found a solution to everything, this was a perplexing situation he found himself in.  

“Sir?” the voice of one of his peons broke his train of thought. “Hmm?” he answered, somewhat distractedly as he looked up from his desk.   “The mission was a success and we’re ready for your inspection.” “Ah yes, the spoils of war…” Jim murmured. “The car is waiting for you, Sir.” “Excellent.” All through the car ride to one of his secret safe houses, Jim’s troubled mind continued to whir on. The safe house was empty today, save for the usual security and staff that manned the place. Today had not been a day for prisoner or hostage-taking. Instead, Jim was ushered to a vault at the basement of the building. Stepping into the cold, grey-walled vault, the eyes of a pre-occupied Jim Moriarty merely glanced over the towers of cash and bags of jewels that had been the catch of the day. He almost looked unimpressed in spite of the rather impressive loot displayed before him.   “Is that all?” he said, clicking his tongue casually as his perfectly polished Prada oxfords stepped heedlessly over spilled stacks of pound notes.   In answer to his question, a staff member directed Jim to a small table beside the mountain range of treasure. On it was a very small safe, pristine and unopened.   “What have we here then?” Jim asked, a spark returning to his eyes as the challenge of an unopened safe set his little worry aside for a moment.   He ran his hands gently over the cool metal exterior of the safe, smirking to himself as his mind spun, studying the dial of the safe and working out the combinations in his head. Jim Moriarty never had to break into safes. He merely opened them.   “There…” he whispered to himself, satisfied as he heard the final click of the dial and the glorious sound of the internal catch being released. Slowly, he pulled the metallic door open and his eyes brightened in curiosity at the small velvet pouch that lay in the centre of the safe. Jim reached for the pouch and undid the butterfly knot at its neck. With the mouth of the pouch open, he spilled the contents out onto his palm and gasped softly at what he saw.   “Ladies and gentlemen,” said Jim, looking up from his palm and turning to the row of staff behind him. “I congratulate you on a job very well done.”   The pleasure that filled Jim from head to toe was not from the sheer beauty of the rare and beautifully-cut ruby that lay glittering on his palm. Instead, it came from the immense relief that his conundrum was now over.   -- With his problem solved and well behind him now, Jim Moriarty could hardly believe the new wave of anxiety that started to creep under his skin again.   “I don’t like this at all,” he muttered to himself, tapping his foot in frustration. Still, he knew what lay ahead of him and, against every instinct he had, extended his gloved finger and pressed the doorbell in front of him.   “Jim! Hi! Come in, come in…” Her voice alone reminded him why he had texted her if to see if he could come see her and why he was now stood outside her door late at night on New Year’s Eve. “Thanks Molly,” he said with a genuine smile as he wiped his feet and stepped into her lovely, warm flat.   Molly had already gotten tea ready and poured them each a cup as they settled on her sofa.   “So, how was the New Year’s Eve do?” he asked, reaching for his tea.   “The same as they always are. Clichéd and uneventful,” she answered with a shrug.   “Is that why you’re home before midnight?” said Jim with a little chuckle.   “How clever you are, Jim Moriarty,” she answered with a laugh of her own.   “I’m sorry I couldn't go with you…” “I’m rather glad you didn’t actually,” Molly remarked, sipping her tea. “Oh? Why?” “You’d have been so bored,” laughed Molly, “And I would have felt bad.” “Never feel bad for me, Molly,” Jim answered, smiling at her. “I’ll remember that.”   Jim sat up and reached for the pot of tea, proceeding to refill their cups.   “So, what brings you here so suddenly?” asked Molly.   “Would it be too nauseating to say it was because I missed you?” Jim remarked with a teasing glint in his eyes.   His words caused Molly to laugh, almost spilling her cup of tea. She then put her cup down and leaned forward to kiss him gently on the cheek.   “And would it be too nauseating to reply with a kiss?” she asked, smiling against his cheek.   It was his turn to chuckle heartily as he turned to take her face in his hands so as to kiss her properly on the lips.   “If you must know,” said Jim softly after their mouths parted ways, “I just wanted to see you. An office romance isn’t purely restricted to the office, I’ve been told.” “We must be telepathic then,” Molly replied, amused. “How so?” asked Jim, slightly confused.   “Because I wanted to see you too.”     Her words lit a quiet fire in his chest, almost causing him to blush. Thankfully, the cold blood that made Jim Moriarty Jim Moriarty contained the flush in his cheeks. Jim really did not like this at all. Yet, here he was – sipping tea with what should have been a prop in his grand scheme but who was now the very centre of his existence.   “Also,” he said, remembering what he had really come to do, “I have something for you.”   Reaching into his pocket, Jim took out a familiar velvet pouch and placed it firmly in Molly’s hands.   “A little something,” he said, somewhat bashfully, “for you.” Molly stared at what he had placed in her hands before looking up gratefully at him.   “May I open it?” she asked, her eyes shining in excitement.   “Please,” he answered, trying to hide the nerves from before that now resurfaced. After she had carefully undone the knot, Molly tipped the pouch as a silver necklace with a pendant slid out into her palm. With gentle fingers, Molly lifted the necklace to examine the pendant and her eyes blinked in wonder at how beautiful it was.   There, hanging from a silver chain that Molly held in her fingers, was a miniature but anatomically accurate heart carved intricately out of silver. Not only was it perfectly carved with its details of veins and arteries, embedded just slightly off-centre of it was the exquisite ruby Jim had uncovered from before.   “My god, Jim,” Molly whispered, completely mesmerised by the work of art in her hands. “Is it too much? I knew I’d overdone it—“ “Rubbish,” interrupted Molly. “It is, isn’t it? Maybe I should’ve—” “Jim!” exclaimed Molly, smiling at him, amused, “You’re quite the fool for someone so intelligent.” Jim had not realised that the waves of anxiety had finally peaked into this moment where he was sure he had gotten everything wrong. It angered him further how much he yearned for her to be happy with his gift.   “So…” he began, a little unsteadily. “So,” Molly continued for him, “I absolutely love it.” With that, she turned to him and moved to kiss him again, smiling when she felt his smile against her lips.   “It’s so beautiful, Jim. Thank you,” said Molly.   “I’m glad,” he replied, as he finally began to relax.   “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Molly continued in wonder as she began to study the pendant. “And this ruby is just—I have no words for how beautifully it gleams even in my flat’s awful lighting Jim laughed at her comment and gently took the necklace from her. He gestured to her to sweep her hair aside so he could put the necklace on for her. Carefully, he fixed the tiny clasps of the necklace behind her neck and was relieved to see it did suit her.   “I have to ask, Jim…” Molly said, picking the pendant up between her fingers. “Yes?” “It looks so expensive. Did you rob a very rich person or something?” she asked with a laugh.   Jim had to blink and compose himself. For a moment, he had forgotten that she still had no clue as to the nature of his real, IT-unrelated occupation. Her joke had, in fact, been fact.   “I did, actually,” he said with smirk, watching in amusement at Molly’s expression of mock horror. “If it’s any consolation, she wasn’t a very pleasant rich person.” Chuckling at his answer, Molly looked down at her pendant and smiled to herself.   “Well, I am touched you would go to such lengths for me,” Molly remarked, amused.   “Anything for you, Molly,” Jim replied.   It was true, though. Jim had decided he probably would do anything for her. Had that not been the idea behind his gift? Love – and all its nauseating sentiment – was far too visceral a concept for him to handle and yet, with her, it was impossible not to consider it. She was the gem embedded in that heavy, iron heart of his.   “Oh,” Molly exclaimed suddenly.   “What?” Jim asked, sitting up with a start. “It’s midnight,” answered Molly.   “And so it is,” Jim concurred, checking his watch.   The pair looked at each other and the corners of their lips lifted into smiles. They had not expected to meet this evening, much less cross into the new year together but it seemed now that they had. For Jim, he had not expected to want to begin the new year this way.   “Happy New Year, darling,” whispered Molly as she surprised him with a quick kiss on his temple.     Darling, he thought. Had his insides not already been on fire he was sure he would have melted into her sofa.   “And a Happy New year to you too…darling,” he repeated, turning to kiss her on her beautiful lips.   For Jim Moriarty, this was certainly a new beginning, in more ways than one.

#molliarty #molliarty shots #happy new year darlings :) x #one shot by terrified

[romanoartsless]

I’m getting better at posting regularly but don’t get used to it because I’ll probably end up procrastinating again.

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Chapter 28

The guards threw her to the floor and she grunted as her body hit it. The room was dark, but she knew exactly where she was. She stood up and faced where she knew the throne was. “Hello Bartholomew.”

The king lit a match that illuminated his pale face. Both pairs of dark brown eyes met until he stood up and lit each candle meticulously placed around the room. “And hello to you, Edie.”

“Don’t call me that. Only she called me that.”

He froze for a second, knowing exactly who she was referencing. “Well then, Edith, I’d like your help with something.”

“What?”

His breath extinguished the flame coming from the match before he replied, “I want you to help me find the last magic user- for the competition.”

Pure rage filled her veins at the statement. “Are you serious?! Do you seriously think I’d help you?! They’re all dead, Bartholomew! I of all people should know! All my loved ones were killed! I’d die before I handed one over to you.”

The heartbreak Edith’s words caused were clear to see . Ache and some sort of remorse came from his face. “I’m trying to redeem myself in my own strange way. I let you forget the past, I let you move out east to escape persecution for your lineage, and I gave you special protection because we all know if Shaw ever got his hands on you he’d kill you immediately.”

Edith knew he was right about everything he said, no matter how much she hated to admit it. Her name was Edith Scilia, a mortal born into a magic using family. The folks in east Novak were much more forgiving of her name than the westerners. They actually admired it if she dared to tell them what it was.

He eyes weren’t black or yellow or purple or red, but instead a dark brown that matched her hair and skin. It was a mere coincidence she wasn’t born with magic. Even though it was rare, a magic user could give birth to a mortal child, whether it was because they were a potential soul partner or just the luck of the draw.

Deep in her heart she knew she should’ve directed her hate for the king towards Shaw; he was a Petrov, she was Scilia, it only made sense, but her veins still bubbled every time she heard the name Bartholomew Dobrev with even an ounce of positive connotation. With what he’d done to her- her cousin- he didn’t deserve her forgiveness.

Edith missed many things from the days of magic. She missed her siblings taunting her for her mortality, she missed wishing she’d been born with the same bright yellow eyes as all but her and one other Scilia had, but most of all she missed her cousin- Esther.

She could still close her eyes and perfectly see her with her similarly dark hair and pale skin, a great contrast from Edith’s dark skin. If she tried hard enough she could still hear her say, “Edie, if I have a daughter I’m going to name her after you.”

“Esther, that isn’t necessary.”

“No no Edie, I swear. Caterina Edith, doesn’t it have a nice ring to it?”

She’d hesitated, hating to admit she liked the way the name sounded. “I guess.”

Edith often thought about the girl. She wondered what had happened to her after the fate of Esther and Victor. Caterina was twenty, almost twenty-one, she should’ve been going out, having fun with friends, not being isolated from all of society. Edith hadn’t heard about her is seven years. Victor had been her only source of information and she didn’t dare to ask anything anything from Cecelia or her Delikov namesake.

She rushed Caterina out of her mind. The king was the last person she ever wanted to insinuate her existence to. “No matter how much you’ve tried to buy my forgiveness, I owe you nothing.”

Although the disappointment was obvious in the king’s chestnut eyes he still said, “Alright, I tried, but I do understand why you won’t forgive me. I let Shaw kill-.”

“You understand nothing!”

“I understand everything, Edith! I lost people, too! Do I have to remind you of her?! What she was to me?!”

“Burn in hell, Dobrev!”

He turned his back to her, walking back to his throne before finally sitting down into it. His elbow was now set on the armrest and his face now rested on his palm, a strand of night black hair falling into his face. The same face that used that used a cunning smirk to hide the pain he’d harbored for more than twenty years.

Light poured into the room when the doors swung open and the guards came in to grab Edith. She tried to fight them off: kicking, squirming, biting, all of which led to no avail. As the men dragged her out, the last thing Edith heard came from the king’s mouth. “I guess the old wives tales are true,” he said. “No one holds a grudge like a Scilia.”

Chapter 29

Only on rare occasions did Jackie ever go into Blackwing’s treasured, abandoned apartment complex. It was her sister’s thing to enjoy and she didn’t want to trample all over it. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Blackwing asked. “This building’s huge, I’m sure you’ll be able to find some privacy.”

“It’s your thing, Blackwing,” she replied as she kissed her sister’s forehead, “and just because we’re related doesn’t mean I’m entitled to everything you enjoy.”

“Be safe!” she hollered out as Jackie headed to the door.

“Do you expect me to be dumb enough to get myself in danger?”

“No, but you’re cocky enough to get yourself in trouble.”

It made her chuckle, her sister’s comment did. Blackwing might’ve had a sweet disposition, but her tongue was as sharp as Jackie’s or Silvertongue’s or Caterina’s. They all might’ve had different personalities, but the shared environment gave them all similarities.

Before the door closed, Jackie made sure to call out, “I’ll be safe!”

* * *

Amber Lynn made sure everyone in the Ranez manor was asleep before sneaking out. She’d snuck out many times before and only got caught once. Her father was much more forgiving of the incident than her mother. Nonetheless, she still took the risk.

She wore the most drab thing she could find in her closet, not wanting to be recognized as a member of a high family. I was one of her night gowns, the only one that looked like it could be wearable outside the bedroom. The fabric was khaki with no pattern, but it did have a string wrapped around the waist. She also wore a cloak over it since the night in Novak could easily reach freezing temperatures.

To where she was going, Amber Lynn didn’t know. All she knew was that she needed to escape the spotlight every once in awhile to maintain her sanity.

* * *

Jackie caught a glimpse of her reflection in a glass window. Her hair had grown out to shoulder length, much longer than the good medium she’d found in between her jaw and shoulders. She made a mental note to cut it when she eventually got the chance.

The thought crossed her mind of what she might look like if she’d chopped it all off to jaw length. She imagined it’d make the men of Novak quiver in fear. Jackie quite enjoyed the thought of men fearing her.

Even with her distraction, Jackie still heard someone running through the streets behind her. It was a thief she assumed. They’d probably tried to pick her pocket, but Jackie was quicker, smarter than any measly pick pocket.

She took the small pistol she always kept in her bag, loaded it up, and prepared to hunt down and confront the thief who was dumb enough to think they could outsmart Jackie Crow.

* * *

Amber Lynn had been roaming the streets for hours before she saw the figure. Anxiety pulsed through her the moment her eyes did so much as glanced towards them. Her short legs picked up speed, running from the fear of confrontation.

She was too busy sprinting and she hadn’t even noticed the foot set out to trip her. It did its job, causing her to crash into the ground. She didn’t even dare to look at her hands and knees, knowing they’d be cut, bloody, and dirty. Instead she simply looked up to the direction in which the cause of her fall came from, but she didn’t see a person’s face when her gaze went upwards. Amber Lynn was now staring down the barrel of a gun.

* * *

“What’d you take?”

“I’m so sorry.” The hood of the cloak covered the face of the thief, but by the sound of the voice and the hands that shot up into the air Jackie could assume she was female.

“What did you take?” She made sure to enunciate each word sharply this time.

The girl looked terrified to say the least. Her voice trembled each times she spoke. Jackie knew she wouldn’t get far if all the girl was likely to do in this situation was wet her pants, so she put the pistol back into her bag.

She immediately became less tense than before, even with Jackie still looming over her. “I swear to the gods I didn’t take anything.”

Jackie’s heart told her to believe the girl, her voice sounded like she was only a year or so younger than her, but her gut told her the opposite. “What’s your name?”

The girl hesitated for a bit. She knew she had to build trust in order to get out of immediate danger. “Amber Lynn Ranez.”

Disbelief strung up in the Crow. No member of any high family would dare freely roam the streets of Novak at night, they couldn’t get showered with attention if everyone to give it to them was asleep. “Tell me your real name.”

“I did.”

“Show me your face and I might believe you.”

She lifted the hood away from her face and allowed it to fall back. Her hazel eyes looked up at Jackie and she got a look at her delicate, freckled face. She had cleanly cut,shoulder length, blond hair. Even in the scrubs she wore, it was still clear she had money and class. “Why should I believe you’re really a Ranez?”

The girl unclasped a pendant from around her neck and handed it off to Jackie. She took it into her hand and was taken aback at the weight of it. The charm was heavier than she’d expected. Her fingers grazed over the orange gem and red over the inscription on the back that read, “Ranez”. The wear of it seemed too authentic to be a forgery.

It was one of the high family medallions. They went out of vogue decades ago when the Dobrev and Delikov ones went missing. Everyone assumed they’d been stolen and sold on the black market. The rings then became more important. “Alright Ranez,” Jackie said, throwing the medallion back at Amber Lynn, “I’ll cut you some slack.”

The blond bounced off the ground, clasping the necklace back on. Relief flooded her gentle face. She was maybe a head shorter than Jackie even when she stood as tall as she could. She extended her hand out to the Crow and chirped, “And your name is?”

“Jackie. Jackie Crow.”

Now that Amber Lynn stood before her she saw the little details on her face she hadn’t noticed before. She truly was a beautiful girl, with the freckles that were splattered all over her face and body. Jackie hadn’t noticed it before, but some of the freckles creeped onto her shoulders and neck and she wanted nothing more than to trace her fingers across them to see what constellations she could make.

A snap came straight into her face as Amber Lynn shouted, “Hello? Are you still there?”

“Huh? Oh sorry, I just lost my train of thought.”

“Yeah, sure, okay.”

“You never blank out, Ranez?”

“Oh I do, but I don’t let a pretty girl distract me. If I really were a thief, I would’ve stripped you clean.”

Jackie released a nervous laugh. Had her stare really been that obvious? Apparently. “You shouldn’t be bad mouthing someone with a pistol and short temper.”

“You shouldn’t be threatening someone whose spit is more valuable than anything you have.”

She knew she would get nowhere with Amber Lynn now. The two of them would likely continue with their banter if they kept at it. “Go.”

“Huh?”

“Go. I won’t tell anyone I saw you, I’m assuming you snuck out without permission.”

The girl halted for a second, but eventually skipped her way through the streets. The sight reminded Jackie of the way Blackwing skipped everywhere she went. Amber Lynn turned around before becoming out of range and shouted, “Oh, Ms. Crow, I must say, it’s not very smart of you to stick a gun in everyone’s face.”

#in coming years #icy web series #romanowritesless

[agemintherough]

Revisiting Chapters Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, and Twenty-Four of Gems Without Measure; A Pirate’s Treasure

Man, it's been awhile since I have done one of these. I have a lot to talk about with this batch, so let's jump right into it:

2) The gold exchange conversation is practically lifted word for word from canon. It was just too perfect of a Nami moment to change at all. If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

3) Okay, this was one of the hardest things for me to write: Connie and Steven on a date. I have mentioned before that I do not care to write or attempt romance, but this was important for me to do: the last perfect moment before Steven's world goes to hell. Steven and Connie have the potential to be one of the best couples in modern animation right now, but they are twelve and fourteen. I personally do not believe that you cannot have a real relationship that young, but they are definitely more than friends. They are the best of friends...jam buds, if you will.

I wrote all of the Steven/ Connie material first and wrote everything else around it. As I was doing so, I kept sending CyanideOreo what I was working on for feedback, specifically making sure that this fit the characters without getting any form or real kid romance. I was assured that this read more as a "Disney Romance," which is a perfect fit. 

I did, however, draw on the early dates and special moments that I shared with my wife to make it somewhat accurate (in the same way that I used my thoughts about relationships in the previous chapter with Greg). Walking around through the nearby historic village has always been a wonderful time for us, especially when they have art fairs or other activities.

4) I am sure most of you have seen this great artwork based on this moment made by @cyanideoreo, but did you pick up the significance of what Steven and Connie were eating? Raspberry ice and cake was the order Mary Poppins placed at the Penguin Cafe in the sidewalk chalk drawing world (in addition to some tea) during the song "Jolly Holiday." This, of course, is subtle foreshadowing of where this date is going to go by the end of this chapter.

5) The only comment I am going to make about the newspaper article (which has been a small, rarely mentioned subplot since the end of the Davy Back Fight is that it is important and that there is a major clue about what is going to happen in the somewhat near future.

6) A coworker of mine had students create masks for a project of “The Masque of the Red Death.” They have been hanging up in her room all year. While there are quite a few interesting designs, my favorite was the mask that was a pack of cards, glued together and fanned out with eye holes cut into it. I put it in the story as one of the masks seen in the "mask game."

7) Kaku calling the Straw Hats "youngsters" was my way of getting the gag where he has an older voice than the characters expected without it being random. 

8) Eirney is a character that jmr46718 and I developed in our discussions about the story over a year ago. We thought that Kalifa could benefit from having a sister, especially since she doesn't do much in-universe except follow her job description...

However, Iceburg's reactions to having no idea who she was is supposed to lampshade that this is one of the only original characters in this story. 

9) Steven and Connie, of course, sing "Jolly Holiday" from Mary Poppins. The only thing worth mentioning is I changed one part of the lyrics. I removed "You'd never think of pressing your advantage. Forbearance is the hallmark of your creed" with "You always treat me right with proper kindness. You're goofy, funny, charming; yes, indeed." I did this because this date is too innocent for any kind of "advantage" that could be overtaken.

Also, I couldn't NOT make the AGITR connection.

10) As several people guessed, the events of “Steven Floats” happen earlier than expected! Of course, nobody expected it to be because of a tiny kiss! I honestly imagined this scene to be like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer's reindeer games sequence where Clarice kisses Rudolph and he flies while yelling "She thinks I'm cute!"

11) Steven is witnessing the scene from next chapter where the Gems and Nami come across a battered Usopp.

12) When I first posted this chapter, I messed it up and forgot that Steven's fall correlated to his negative emotions and went straight to him needing to stop by using his positive thoughts of the Gems (but not Rose).

13) Oh look! Two new characters! Nero is...well, there is a character in One Piece named Nero! I wonder if they are the same character? The other one, Apollo, is a mink, which was only introduced properly in One Piece two years ago. I am sure that they served their purpose after catching Steven. Boy, wasn't it nice that they pointed the kids in the right direction after seeing Steven's gem?

14) I wonder why Eirney is so interested in what a Gem is. Maybe she likes gemology? 

15) Remember that Amethyst is wearing a redesigned dress that I created for her back in AGITR. As such, she is better concealed than the canon outfit she would be wearing at this point. One of the first things that was decided was to have Paulie wish that the other characters would stop being so shameless and be more like Amethyst, who would pick up on that immediately and use it for laughs. This is the beginning of this gag.

16) Picking right up from Chapter Twenty-One, Peridot is leading the charge to figure out where Robin disappeared to. We are knee-deep in Peridot's story arc of figuring out who she is and where she belongs. Keep an eye on her throughout this section: she may yet have an important role to play.

17) Again, a lot of setup from this chapter is taken from canon. It is necessary to keep the emotional integrity from this section. However, the key new addition to this scenario is Amethyst. This is basically an extension of her character development that began in "Tiger Millionaire" and "Maximum Capacity" that did not conclude until "That Will Be All."  She is feeling a major lack of self-respect and now sees Usopp as a kindred spirit. It honestly wasn't something I had planned initially, but it made a lot of sense and tied into the plot in an organic way that builds upon what came before and what will happen moving forward. 

18) This is the first legitimate acknowledgement of the radically different levels of violence that both shows possess and I think it's important to acknowledge it. Obviously it makes people like Greg and Pearl uncomfortable, but that doesn't change the people. Luffy is an amazing guy, but he isn't afraid to beat the crap out of you if push comes to shove. Amethyst recognizes that and accepts it far easier than Pearl, who is still struggling with the radically different dimension (but not for lack of trying, as we all know change is HARD for Pearl).

19) Speaking of, I thought the point of giving Greg a Devil Fruit was to make him useful, not to just sit around and do nothing! What gives?

20) Since the first strike in the Franky House isn't necessarily considered a quintessential Luffy moment like, say, the storming of Arlong Park, and more of a Straw Hat moment, I felt comfortable with letting Pearl give the first strike. 

21) Peridot beating the guy (who was already down since she did not engage in combat at all) is deliberately my Batman Begins "SWEAR TO ME!" moment. I initially had her say just that, but it took me out and made it too blatant. That being said, Peridot trying to be as intimidating as Batman is hilarious.

22) I debated on having Chapter Twenty-Three end with Usopp's declaration for the duel, but I felt it made Chapter Twenty-Four stronger by leading us to that through the loss of Steven's innocence as his perfect day gets shattered at the last moment. This is why Steven does not appear outside of the small mention of him floating.

23) Dramatic Irony is such a great literary device. Literally every scene with Steven and Connie is deliberately the happiest thing in the world solely because it has to end in tragedy.

24) The masks were designed by CyanideOreo two chapters ago. That's what I call great collaboration! 

26) The beat that Connie and Steven are marching to is "Colonel Hathi's March" from The Jungle Book. 

27) I debated about Stevonnie appear in the first part of the date, but I decided that their appearance was the perfect final moment for the innocence of the kids to remain intact.

28) Peridot discussing objectivity is important as she truly believes in it, as shown in “Message Received.”

29) The whole emotional/ color power was first glimpsed back in Chapter Twelve when Steven found Noko. I wonder what that could be?

30) jmr46718 was the one to come up with the idea to have Steven have his own duel with the Gems which is the culmination of all of Pearl's attitude problems. Originally, Amethyst would have been involved too, but I decided to make her decidedly empathetic to Usopp, so I limited it to Garnet and Pearl.

31) Steven has quit the Crystal Gems! I wonder what the new status quo is going to be now? 

#commentary #revisiting #steven universe #one piece #water seven #jm46718 #cyanideoreo #drillmaster #fanfiction

[clubakashi]

Chapter 15

a cute story of Akashi and his mini-bokushi by @active-mind-15​

Link to: Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Masaomi sighed as he sat down in a chair near the entrance of their garden. He had been holed up in his office for six hours doing nothing but sorting out paperwork and taking phone calls with business partners. After finally ending the last call and putting his pen down, he took the first chance he got to take a short break. He immediately exited his office and made his way straight outside, where he sat down in one of the seats there. Once the butler had come around with a cup of tea for him, he was left to sit out in the garden in peace. Taking a long sip of the tea, he revered in its calming flavor and allowed his drink to warm him from the inside.

He always came out to the garden to wind down; if it was too cold, he’d sit by the window and stare out into the garden instead. It was something that Masaomi always did, so he could temporarily relieve himself of his duties. It was one of the only times a day he truly had to himself.

At this point in time, it had almost been two weeks since his son left for school. The halfway mark should be coming up in a few days. As soon as Akashi had left, many things had begun to change in the house. Left with his peculiar other self, Masaomi could admit, he was intrigued about the situation. Not enough to think about it for more than five minutes at a time—he was too busy for that— but every time he saw the boy, he couldn’t help but wonder about him. Ever since Akashi left, Bokushi had been spending more and more time out of the house. To that Midorima boy’s house, the man recalled.

Bokushi, more often than not, was going out to his house to spend time with his new friend that he had informed him about. At least twice a week now, when Masaomi asked him what he did all day, the boy would tell him that he spent his day at their house. The last time they talked the night before during dinner, Bokushi had told him that he was currently teaching the girl basketball. He, of course, felt the need to bluntly point out that she initially made a lot of mistakes, but then told him that she was making progress, more than he expected. Masaomi at the time had just nodded his head and replied with his usual “I see” before going back to his food.

Masaomi, going by the knowledge he already had about his son’s condition, assumed Bokushi was the colder personality. But it seemed like that was not the case. He suspected that he too was also changing in not only the time he spent together with Akashi, but in the time they were currently spending apart. Through their short conversations at the dinner tables, Bokushi seems to enjoy his time socializing with the friends he currently has. And even he on occasion was a bit expressive. Albeit less than Akashi, but still expressive. While there were some things he knew, there were still some things that he didn’t know, such as what happened in order for this ‘other self’ to switch with the original Akashi in the first place, or why they switched again after two years. While he understood the big picture, he still had missing information. What really was this boy to his son?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door to the back slide open. Masaomi did not bother to turn his head, expecting it to be a staff member, but it wasn’t. Because when the footsteps got closer and closer, they stopped behind where he was sitting and a child’s voice cut through the air.

“Good afternoon, father.”

Masaomi blinked, frowning at the unexpected voice before turning around to find Bokushi standing there. He was staring up at him, heterochromatic gaze and all, holding that horse plush toy he often sees him carrying around. Bokushi’s expression was expectant, waiting for his father to answer back. The middle-aged man nodded at the young boy.

“Good afternoon,” he answered back. “Was there something you wanted me for?”

“No,” Bokushi replied. “I came to sit down if you do not mind my being here.”

“Do as you like.” Masaomi gestured to the chair next to his. “Have a seat.”

Bokushi managed to get onto the chair and get himself settled before proceeding to stare out into the garden with an impassive expression on his face. Masaomi momentarily glanced at him from the corners of his eyes. It was fascinating how both Bokushi and himself both have the habit of staring out into the garden when they have time on their hands. Well, like father like son.

“What brings you out into the garden at this time?” the man asked. Bokushi shrugged.

“I was originally in the library, but it was getting a bit stuffy, and so I decided to come out here.”

“You are not going to spend the day at the Midorima household?”

“Miyoko has, unfortunately, come down with a fever, and since yesterday she has been bedridden. Perhaps when her symptoms subside I will call to see if she’s recovering properly.”

“I see. It would be a shame if her illness persisted.”

“Indeed.”

They both fell silent for a few minutes, neither seeing the necessity of carrying on the conversation for more than it needed to. Both of them were content quietly sitting there. While Bokushi was busy in his own little world as he continued to stare into the garden, however, Masaomi began to observe him. As usual, every time this boy was in front of him, his curiosity got the better of him. While, on most days, he tended to suppress this sudden curiosity, now that he was watching him, Masaomi wanted to know what the boy was thinking. After all, a common trait every Akashi shares is the ability to be completely unreadable. Which is why when the silence was broken again, his attention was on the boy, whose eyes were still looking out into space.

“I’m surprised the flowers managed to survive the winter.”

Masaomi looked ahead at the flowers that were out in the garden. What a strange thing to comment on. Then again, they were in the garden, so taking about flowers was inevitable.

“It requires extensive knowledge about flowers to know how to keep them alive during the winter,” Masaomi responded. “The staff responsible for garden maintenance were adamant on keeping the roses.”

“For good reason,” said Bokushi. “They’re quite pretty. It’d be a pity if they had to get rid of them. Are they planted often?”

“They’re in the garden all year.” Masaomi paused. “They were Shiori’s favorite.”

Bokushi hesitated, slightly taken aback at what his father just said, but continued to stare ahead, feeling the air suddenly shift; but it was not in a bad way. The air wasn’t tense like it was when it usually shifted, but it was instead something else, something different that Bokushi couldn’t place. All he knew was that when his father mentioned his mother, that meant his guard was down. Those moments never came often, and, like a rare gem, it was to be treasured.

“Father…”

The man looked over at the boy, raising a brow in question. “What is it?” he asked him. Bokushi took a deep breath and pushed himself to continue.

“What was mother like?”

The silence that followed wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but when Bokushi looked up at his father, he looked visibly confused. He must not have been expecting me to ask, he thought.

“Were you not once a part of Seijuro?” Masaomi inquired. “You should already know.”

“Au contraire, father.” Bokushi looked down at Yuki, idly playing with his ears as he talked. “I was a part of him, and we do share experiences. However, whatever I have not been around for, I have no knowledge about. I only came into existence after mother had passed. Any memories from ten years prior, I have no access to.”

Masaomi had no idea that this was the nature of Bokushi and his son’s relationship. Akashi had seen everything prior to his wife’s death, and Bokushi was only aware of the aftermath. He had always assumed that this Bokushi character had known everything, but now that he has been told this new piece of information, it makes perfect sense as to why he wouldn’t. But that leaves another question unresolved…

“Why didn’t you ask Seijuro this question?”

His son had all the answers to his queries, he had been there the whole time. Why would Bokushi choose now to ask? And why would he ask him of all people? The answer was simple, apparently, because Bokushi didn’t miss a beat in answering.

“Because I already know how he feels about her,” he said. “I don’t know much about her, but I know what she means to Seijuro-nii. There was never a proper time to discuss a topic like this with him, anyway. With this time and this atmosphere, I thought it best to ask you. Although, if you want to hear my main reason for asking you now, it’s because I wanted to know how you felt about her. So, with that, allow me to rephrase my previous inquiry.” He shifted in his seat, so his whole body was facing his father, his eyes and expression innocent and curious.

“What was mother like to you?”

Masaomi had never been rendered speechless from such a simple question before. Akashi would never have had to ask, which is why he didn’t prepare a proper answer. But now here he was, standing face-to-face with a boy who was basically his son, who had just asked him this question. He huffed out a breath of air almost like he was laughing at his current situation.

What a strange set of circumstances I have been put in…

His expression became a bit relaxed as he set down his cup of tea onto the small table between them.

“Very well,” he answered. “If you are going to be a part of this household, it would only be fair to tell you everything.” He turned his head to look at the sky, eyes distant as he recalled the past.

“I had met her nineteen years ago, at a business function,” he began. “She was accompanying her father to the event, who just happened to be in partnership with my own father, so naturally at every function and gala, we always managed to cross paths.”

“What were your first impressions of her?” Bokushi asked. Masaomi thought for a minute to dive into his memories that were almost two decades old.

“Kind…polite…ever-smiling… Those were qualities that shaped her personality. She was the complete opposite of me, but, as they say, opposites attract.”

“A lot of women in the business world possess those qualities,” Bokushi pointed out. “What made her stand out to you?”

Masaomi hadn’t really put much thought into this before. What Bokushi said was true, every woman within the business world, whether they owned corporations or were simply housewives of the businessmen he associated with, always held themselves up with an air of dignity and grace, and Shiori was no different. If that was the case, then what was it? What did he see in Shiori that he didn’t see in anyone else?

“I suppose…”

Bokushi looked up at the man, tilting his head in interest at what his father was about to say. When he looked into his eyes, however, he saw that they had narrowed in contemplation.

“I suppose it was because she was not afraid of me.” Bokushi’s eyebrows furrowed, perplexed at his father’s reasoning.

“Afraid?” he parroted.

“Yes. Perhaps that was why I was taken with her.” Masaomi nodded to himself, satisfied with his answer, and then continued. “As you know, our family name is well-known in the business world. There isn’t a single corporation who doesn’t know who we are. Even in international waters, the most prestigious and distinguished of businessmen and women would know who I am. As such, when I introduce myself at any type of event, people are automatically intimidated. And yet…” He paused, sounding puzzled all of a sudden. “She was never intimidated by me. And she treated me like a normal individual, never resorting to using honorifics or bowing anytime I was in her vicinity. She showed her true self to me at all times, her emotions unguarded and her expressions genuine. I have dealt with businessmen and women on a daily basis. Most expressions you see on their faces are, more often than not, ingenuine and dishonest. But every time she smiled, I always knew that she meant it.”

Even though Akashi inherited the majority of his looks from his mother, he was more like his father than he could even imagine. Both he and his father had even the same distaste for uncomfortable distance with the people they were acquainted with. They both didn’t like it when friends (or in Masaomi’s case, colleagues) would act like they were some kind of deity in human form. They both wanted to effectively interact with society without intimidating anyone. Bokushi had known about Akashi (because he was always watching Akashi hold back a cringe in the back of his mind every time someone had called him ‘Akashi-sama’), but he never imagined his father to be the same way. This was becoming quite the revelation for the boy. During the conversation, his father’s voice had considerably softened, and Bokushi had no intention of ruining the mood. He simply nodded, entranced by his father’s memories, and allowed him to carry on.

“There was never any tension between us,” he said. “The air around her was pleasant, and it seemed like I always ended up spending most of my time with her at all the events whether I had taken notice or not; and the more time we spent around each other, the more enchanted I became by her. It was only a matter of time before I had proposed.”

“Were you successful on the first try?”

“A member of the Akashi family must be well-versed in letters and arms, child,” the man quipped. “That includes romance.”

Bokushi took that as a yes.

“After we had been married for a year, we had Seijuro. It was a snowy morning, that December. I can still remember the way she looked when she held him for the first time…”

He was so far deep in his thoughts, he didn’t even realize how much emotion he was actually showing. Not necessarily in his face, but in the tone of his voice. The way it sounded so nostalgic, so soft and quiet as he gazed up at the blue sky. This was a completely new side to Masaomi that not even Akashi had seen. Bokushi wanted to see more of this side, he wanted to ingrain this moment into his memory banks, so he can look back at it for years to come. He wanted his father to keep going.

“What was she like after Seijuro-nii was born?”

“The same as always,” Masaomi told him. “She was excited to have her own child to take care of. Shiori was always watching over Seijuro throughout his childhood. Seijuro had started his education from a very young age, and for as long as I can remember, we had tutors come into the house day in and day out to teach him. Shiori was fine with that, but she always emphasized to me the importance of letting him be a child, in a sense, which is why she gave him that basketball. She would never stop talking about how happy he looked that day.”

Bokushi could picture a young Akashi looking up at his mother with a smile as bright as the sun itself, gripping the basketball in his hands as if it was the most valuable thing on the planet. It probably was, and still is to Akashi, the most valuable thing on the planet. The ball is still in his room, Bokushi sees it in the corner every time he pays a visit. The physical manifestation of Akashi’s happiest memories. An orange basketball from many years ago.

“Were you happy?” Masaomi huffed out a breath of air, considering the answer to this question.

“Happy is not necessarily the word I would use,” Masaomi said slowly. “But if that is what you would like to call it, then yes. In a way, I was. Because Shiori was happy, and Seijuro was happy, I was in turn grateful to be in such a peaceful time with the family that I had built. Those were perhaps the most memorable years of my life. But of course, all good things must come to an end…”

Bokushi watched as his father’s relaxed expression suddenly faded, his lips curling downwards into a frown, his golden eyes clouding over with an emotion he couldn’t fully comprehend.

“It happened so fast,” he murmured quietly. “Her illness, I mean. One day she was here, and then the next…she wasn’t. And all that time in the hospital, as I watched her life fade into nothingness, I had never felt more useless. There were many things I would like to have said, what I should have said to her, but I didn’t. And those regrets still haunt me to this day.”

Akashi Masaomi was a man of many achievements, but this is the first time Bokushi has heard about his regrets. An Akashi never makes mistakes. An Akashi never has regrets…so he’s been taught. But now he sees that it was all an illusion. This realization sent a shiver down the boy’s spine as he thought about the weight of the statement, and the implications that it had. He swallowed.

I wonder what other regrets he has…

“…What did you want to say to her?”

“Many things.” Masaomi sighed and leaned back in his seat. His cup of tea rested near the edge of the table, neglected and long forgotten. “But from all of that, I would have liked to say thank you.” Bokushi faltered.

“…Thank you?”

Masaomi nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I would have wanted to thank her for the time that she was able to give to me. She was perhaps the only person in this world who understood me and accepted me, despite my opposing personality. She gave me—no— she gave both Seijuro and I a reason to appreciate the little things in life and to enjoy every moment. When she passed, it was a dark time in our household; and I admit, painfully, that things were never the same.”

The more Masaomi spoke, the more he came to life with each detailed sentence about their families’ past. Bokushi had never seen so much emotion in his father’s face before. It wasn’t that much, he knew that, but the fact that he was even showing emotion at all spoke volumes to the young boy. Without warning, Masaomi’s eyes shifted away from the garden and locked on to Bokushi’s. In the few seconds that they stared into each other’s eyes, Bokushi felt as if time stopped. Not because of the fact that his father was looking at him, but the way he was looking at him. He sat there, unable to move a muscle, under the scrutinizing gaze of his father. Then, all at once, his eyes softened, the lines on his forehead vanished, and his lips were no longer scowling, now a relaxed thin line across his face. He continued to stare, unblinking.

“You look so much like her…” he murmured. “Just like Seijuro.”

Bokushi’s eyes widened. His father’s voice just now sounded so longing. This was not the voice of the man who was only interested in success. This was not the voice of a man who did not care for his son’s mental state. This was not the voice of a man who did not tolerate defeat.

This was the voice of a man who was hurting.

This was the voice of a man who is hurting…

This was the voice of Akashi Masaomi.

Bokushi now realized that Shiori meant way more to his father than just good company. He had hidden it under that stoic mask of his for years, but he was absolutely sure that this man really, truly, did love her. The young redheaded boy felt a lurch of pain in his chest before bowing his head, catching his father off guard.

“I apologize,” said Bokushi. “It must be difficult for you to look at us because we look so much like her. I wasn’t aware that this was troubling you…”

Why? Why did he feel ashamed? He felt like he couldn’t even look his father in the eyes after what he just said. This whole time, he had been making him out to be such a horrible father but didn’t even think for a minute how his father felt about his mother’s death, what feelings he had been keeping to himself, what feelings he had hidden away. He may have misunderstood his father a bit.

He didn’t know what his father was going to say, not after he just up and apologized out of nowhere. He was afraid to even check to see what kind of face his father was making. Until his father finally spoke, that is.

“Do not apologize.”

The young boy looked up to see that his father’s face was nothing like he imagined. His expression was firm and his voice was stern like he was back to his usual self, but not quite. He was back to having a stare-down with Bokushi, and the young boy felt like he had somehow done something wrong. He blinked.

“I shouldn’t?”

“No. After all, there is nothing to apologize for. It is true that both you and Seijuro remind me of Shiori, and every time I look at you, I am reminded of that loss. However, I think I prefer it this way.” Bokushi cocked his head to the side, not understanding his father’s words.

“I’m sorry…but I don’t know what you mean.” Masaomi sighed letting his eyes fall shut momentarily.

“Losing Shiori was the biggest setback this family had ever experienced. The hallways in the house felt emptier than ever, the silence quieter, and sitting down to dinner was always a reminder that someone was missing. But…” He opened his eyes again and Bokushi could sense the air shift again. The air was thick and heavy, and he found himself holding his breath.

“When I look into your eyes or Seijuro’s, I see the woman that I married as if she had never passed. I realize now that Shiori is not gone. She is alive, and she lives on in the both of you.”

To say that Bokushi was frozen in place was an understatement. This was the first time someone had ever seen him in this light. His heterochromatic eyes, the ones that differentiated him from the original Akashi; the ones he used to intimidate, to threaten, and to bring people to their knees…how can that be possible? How can his father see Shiori in those once cold and uncaring eyes?

Bokushi had always regarded himself as something that should have never existed, but he now sees that he serves as a memory himself of those peaceful times in the Akashi household. All this time he was regarded as nothing more than a defense mechanism, a manifestation of Akashi’s weakness, but he was much more than that. Within him and within Akashi as well, was a part of Shiori that never died. And there were so many different emotions Bokushi was feeling at the moment knowing that his father could associate him with someone so precious to him. His eyes widened, a flush of red beginning to creep onto his face.

If father associates me with someone precious, then does that mean I am also…?

He took a shaky breath.

“Um…Father…”

Masaomi raised a brow when he was called, looking down at the young boy in front of him.

“What is it, child?”

Bokushi hesitated, feeling his father eyes burning holes into his head, but pushed himself to continue, slowly opening his mouth.

“I…”

Suddenly, the door to the entrance of the garden slid open and the butler walked briskly over to where the two were sat.

“Good day,” he greeted. “I apologize for the intrusion but the driver has come to take you to your meeting, Akashi-sama.” Masaomi frowned, looking at the time on his watch and raising his eyebrows when he saw the time.

“Ah,” he said. “It seems I have overstayed my welcome. I had not been keeping track of time. Tell the driver I will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”’

Masaomi began to walk away, leaving Bokushi staring after him from his chair. Halfway to the door, however, he stopped and turned around to the boy, his face even and his voice level.

“I shall be back later,” he said. Bokushi, still dumbfounded how quickly he went back to normal, simply nodded, unable to verbally respond. Once Masaomi saw that he understood, he continued to walk over to the door and then vanished inside the house, the butler politely excusing himself and trailing after. Bokushi was left alone in the garden.

He sat there for a few moments, staring blankly into space until his body decided to finally move and he slowly slid himself off the chair. He couldn’t even think at the moment. His mind was flooded with so many thoughts and questions that it all just sounded like white noise to him. He had just seen a side to his father that no one had ever seen before, and he had never been more amazed in his entire life.

What did all of this mean? Bokushi was so sure that is father hated his very existence the minute he stepped into the house. But now he wasn’t so sure. He wasn’t sure about anything anymore. Was there more to his father’s personality? Was this his true self? He couldn’t say. But as he walked back towards the door himself, he was able to take away one thing as a light blush formed on his cheeks.

Maybe he likes me after all…

#this is so wonderful what is this heartwarming feeling in my chest #akashi masaomi #akashi seijuurou #active-mind-15 #fanfic #submission

[mikemortgage]

Why Canada’s diamond miners are in trouble

The story of how two prospectors, down to their last nickels, discovered diamonds in Canada’s frozen north is the stuff of legend.

Back in 1982, Chuck Fipke and Stewart Blusson laid low in a pup tent by day while their competitor De Beers hauled 45-gallon drums of rock samples to a nearby outpost for transport to South Africa. Using the long hours of summer sunlight north of the 65th parallel, the two searched for indicator minerals — bits of garnet, chromite or zircon often found with diamonds — while their opponent slept. Nine years later their treasure hunt culminated with the discovery of a carrot-shaped funnel of blue-grey kimberlite rock that would become Ekati — the first great diamond mine outside Southern Africa or Russia.

For all the drama associated with the discovery in Canada’s Northwest Territories — hacking through snow and ice taller than the average person, battling Arctic winds and temperatures of -50 degrees Celsius — what came next is proof that diamond mining in Canada is not for the faint of heart.

Miners unearth chicken-egg sized diamond in Canada — the biggest ever found in North America

De Beers makes rare acquisition, buys Canadian diamond mine in $81-million deal

Canadian miner’s tennis ball-sized ‘diamond in the rough’ proves too big to sell

Whether a diamond mine makes money or not comes down to three variables: production costs, the grade and size of the deposit, and the price the diamonds fetch on global markets. In recent years, all of these have conspired to bring the Canadian industry to its knees.

“It’s disconcerting, given the way it started,” said Blusson, an active octogenarian who helms diamond exploration company Archon Minerals Ltd. and still flies his own helicopter. “Twenty years is only all we’ve been mining now. Is there going to be another 20 years? I don’t know.”

De Beers

Ekati and sister mine Diavik, located 210 kilometres (130 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, are now old, tired and running out of diamonds; they will likely both close soon. So far, the mines that were designed to replace them aren’t faring well either.

Diamonds from the Diavik mine in 2003.

De Beers, the London-based diamond giant, has already flooded one of its huge Canadian mines; the other, Gahcho Kue, took 21 years to reach production and is now turning out stones worth far less than it hoped. It’s a similar story for a scattering of newer mines that have sprung up across the country: low quality stones, management mistakes and falling prices for their stones put a terrible squeeze on their businesses.

Every operating mine in Canada produces stones that fall below the global average, with all but one mine producing diamonds that fetch less than US$100 a carat. By contrast, both De Beers and Alrosa, which mine more than half the world’s diamonds, average more than US$160 a carat. For smaller miners in Southern Africa, the gap is even more extreme. Gem Diamonds Ltd. and Lucara Diamond Corp. had average selling prices of US$2,131 and US$502 per carat respectively last year.

While Canada is now the world’s third-biggest diamond producer, behind Russia and Botwsana, its average selling price is the cheapest of the major diamond mining countries.

The question for Canadian producers is whether it makes sense to change strategy and focus on bigger, more valuable stones.

“Can you save considerable amounts of money by upping your cut-off size and just recovering those goods?” asks Eira Thomas, who co-founded Stornoway Diamond Corp., and served as its president and chairwoman for years. Now chief executive officer of Vancouver-based Lucara Diamond, which produces high-end diamonds in Botswana, Thomas is more optimistic about Canadian production than Blusson.

“They’re not in jeopardy of failing, they’re just not making as much money as we had hoped,” Thomas said. “And that, of course, is translating to discontented shareholders more than anything else.”

Shares Plunge

That may be an understatement. Shares of Longueuil, Quebec-based Stornoway trade near a record low of just 10 US cents a piece, even after opening the US$750 million Renard mine in 2017, the province’s first. It’s a similar story for Toronto-based Mountain Province Diamonds Inc., which owns Gahcho Kue with De Beers. Its shares are close to the lowest since the financial crisis, cutting its market value to below $250 million (US$187 million).

Canada’s flagship miner, Dominion Diamond Mines, the owner of Ekati and a stake in Diavik with Rio Tinto Group, has also had a rough ride. After being bought for US$1.2 billion more than a year ago, the company has been hit by an exodus of top management, with at least five executives leaving, including its CEO and CFO.

The new owner, billionaire Dennis Washington, has also sought to sell the company, according to people familiar with the situation. Washington denied this is the case. Dominion is currently studying two potential expansions, though both projects produce even lower-quality stones, making them a tough sell in the current environment.

Maturing Sector

“You have a maturing sector in Canada: Ekati and Diavik were good mines. When you have good mines, others follow even if the economics are a bit more of a close call,” said Anish Aggarwal, a partner at consultant Gemdax, based in the diamond trading city of Antwerp. “That’s becoming a problem in many mining jurisdictions, not just Canada.”

There are other problems facing the sector. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fight in 2016 against so-called black money caused producers such as De Beers to hold back supply, which has now been sold back into the market. A weaker rupee is also making diamonds more expensive for Indian manufacturers, who cut or polish about 90 per cent of the world’s stones.

There is also increasing pressure from synthetic diamonds. While still a very small part of the industry, the potential threat they pose risks further hurting sentiment in an already fragile market.

A synthetic diamond ring.

Still, there are reasons why Canadian diamond mines keep getting built — and in some cases it has little to do with economics. For De Beers, which has developed three mines there, Canada reduces its dependence on Botswana, where most of its diamonds are mined.

Aggarwal, who was involved in developing what became known as the “CanadaMark” brand to capitalize on the country’s clean image, says there’s potential for more to be done with that.

Canada Brand

“Consumers in the U.S. and Canada have positive associations with Canadian diamonds,” he said. “There’s an opportunity with origin. It’s a tool that the miners can use to enhance the value of their diamonds.”

But the track record there hasn’t been good either. Canada tried to create a polishing industry in the Northwest Territories, capitalizing on the backlash against “conflict” diamonds. “Made in Canada” diamonds seemed an easy sell: ethically produced, mined from ice, cut, polished, and laser-etched with a tiny polar bear. Today, the polishing industry is all but gone and attempts by Dominion to revive the CanadaMark have met with mixed success.

There’s no getting around the higher costs of operating in Canada’s frozen tundra. Everything — labour, fuel and construction — costs more in the remote north.

“You look at these diamond mines, you’ve got your own road, your own airstrip, your own power grids,” said Tom Hoefer, executive director of the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines. “That may be okay if you’ve got a world class deposit, but not everybody is mining world class assets.”

Bloomberg.com

from Financial Post https://ift.tt/2WIk4bW via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

#IFTTT #Financial Post

[ciathyzareposts]

The Seventh Link: Different Approaches

The land of Elira, as provided recently by the author.

           In appearance and mechanics, The Seventh Link owes so much to Ultima III and IV that it takes a while for the divergences in its approach to sink in. When the game began, I felt that I was in such familiar territory–I can no longer keep track of all the Ultima clones that we’ve covered–that I immediately adopted a rote approach to playing the game. I was thus thrown for a loop when my approach didn’t work, and I insisted in forcing it rather than playing in a more organic way.

Specifics: The Ultima titles encourage thorough exploration of towns with attendant taking of notes and creation of task lists. You wouldn’t dream of popping into Yew for the first time, speaking only to one character, and then leaving. That would just limit the amount of intelligence you take on the road to other towns, plus ensure that you’d have to visit each town multiple times. Instead, you wring every bit of content out of each city before moving on to the next. In the meantime, you rely on incidental combats between towns to provide most of your character development and wealth.

Link stymies this approach in several ways. First, it offers rather enormous cities; each is larger than the entirety of Sosaria in Ultima III. The cities are full of locked doors that require special keys, dark forests, twisty mountain passages, and ladders to lower levels. The Ultima games had these, too, but the size of the cities was so much smaller that you never felt lost. In Link, I honestly forget sometimes whether I’m inside or outside.

Because of this approach, I spent the first 10 hours of gameplay stubbornly hanging around the opening city, grinding in combats for enough money to buy keys, because I insisted on fully exploring the city before I moved on. That, I see now, was absurd. Another thing I didn’t realize when I started playing was the importance of treasure rooms. In Link, you don’t get most of your fortune from combat; you get it from huge rooms of treasure chests that most towns feature, somewhere, if you can find them and get past the locked doors.

            Just when I thought I was done with the need for keys.

          A much better comparison to The Seventh Link in gameplay is the first two Might and Magic titles. (The comparison is particularly apt in the way that each town has a single-level dungeon beneath it.) In those games, you didn’t try to fully explore each new location when you found it. Instead, you explored as far as you could, annotated places where you had to return once you got a key, solved a puzzle, or just got stronger, and then moved on to the next place. You expected to return to both cities and dungeons dozens of times, and you regarded every new explored square as palpable progress.

Unfortunately, recognizing that perhaps the game follows a different paradigm didn’t lead to an immediate shift in my enjoyment of it. There are several problems. First, a game like Might and Magic absolutely requires careful mapping, something I simply can’t countenance with iconographic games. I am willing to map first-person titles. I am not willing to map top-down titles. They’re too large, for one thing: a single 60 x 60 town level in Link is larger than all of the towns and their dungeons in Might and Magic. But beyond that, there’s just some ineffable feeling that I shouldn’t have to map top-down games. It’s not a position I’m prepared to defend in the CRPG Supreme Court, but I hold it nonetheless.

           An NPC found at the end of a mountain pass in a dark forest. In a town.

         As a result, my notepad for The Seventh Link is full of vague things like, “Return to door in SW corner past mountains on second level with large key” and “find a way to talk to guy on island in south-central part of level,” with about half a dozen such entries per city. There are theoretically Gems of Seeing and a “View Surroundings” spell that should help with indoor mapping, but I haven’t found either yet.

The bigger problem with Link, as I covered in “Breadth, Depth, and Immersion,” is there just isn’t enough to find within all this territory. For the most part, the cities have the same shops and services. Each has maybe a couple of NPCs that offer a single line, none of which seem really necessary the way they do in the Ultima titles. Each class has guilds in different locations, but it’s much easier just to pay 100 gold pieces to level up at another class’s guild than to hunt around for yours. The only real rewards for all the exploration are the few NPCs who will join your party and the occasional treasure vault.

           More than combat, these occasional treasure rooms really drive the game’s economy.

         The relative emptiness of the cities somewhat ruins the creativity that the author invested in their geography. For instance, there’s a mountainous island in the northwest of the game world whose various approaches look like a maze. A town is found at the end of one of these waterways, and given how much trouble it takes to get there, you might expect something monumental will be found there. Instead, it was one of the more useless towns on the map. I don’t even think I got an NPC companion there.

           Wouldn’t you expect to find something important in here?

         A similar situation surrounds a pair of towns on the main continent. “Southcure” (a town with a rare explicit name) is unique in having two entrances, one on the north side of the map and one on the south side. The interior is, I think, larger than the standard town, and to get to the south end of the map, you have to pay $1,500 to purchase a flying disk to take you over the water. The disk only lands on grass, and the southern exit has no adjacent grass squares, so to use it, you have to land the disk on some grass in the south-central area, then find a boat, then sail it to the southern exit. Once you leave the city by this exit, you find yourself amidst a circle mountains, an area only accessible from Southcure’s south exit. Nearby is another town. Again, after all this effort, you’d think this “hidden” town would be something extraordinary. But it’s just a generic town without a single joinable NPC.

           Crossing water in Southcure with on a flying disk.

          Since I last wrote, I’ve finished exploring (I’m pretty sure) all of the towns on Elira. I picked up two additional NPC companions, so my overall current party consists of:

        Chester, a giant male magic user

Hagromil, a human male thief

Tharon, an elder male cleric

Diriala, a giant female fighter

Juliano, a dwarf male sage

           I can’t quite tell if there’s room for a sixth character or not. If there is, I don’t know where he or she is found. It’s possible I missed someone in a hidden nook or maybe he’s on another planet.

        The last character (at least for now) joins the party.

          One town in an archipelago in the southwest had a shop that sold more than the standard weapons and armor. There were selections like enchanted armor, “reflect mail,” magic bows, and rods of curing and healing. I had enough for a magic sword for my new fighter companion but nothing else. It’s nice to know I’ll have some place to spend riches in the future, although I suspect only one or two of my characters can wield them.

            Expensive enchanted armor and “reflect mail.”

         Miscellaneous notes:

             One thing that keeps messing me up is the commands for (R)ecord game and (Q)uit and reload. In most Ultima clones, these are reversed as (R)estore and (Q)uit and save.

Healing is so expensive, and hit points regenerate so slowly, that noting the locations of healing wells becomes particularly important.

          The party finds a healing fountain in the middle of a town.

       In addition to having more traditionally-outdoor features (like mountains) in the middle of towns, the game has some traditionally-indoor features on the main world map. Occasionally, you’ll find locked doors in the midst of mountain ranges, for instance, and chests in the middle of forests. There’s one place in the south-central part of the map where two non-hostile dudes are hanging around a campfire. Neither has anything to say. 

            What’s the story with these guys?

          The lack of names is particularly frustrating. I don’t know if the author intended it. Occasionally, you get a hint of a name. One town has a sign that explicitly says “Welcome to Southcure,” and there are NPC dialogues that refer to “Castle Thoro,” although you don’t find that word anywhere within the castle itself. It’s possible that the author had names for all the towns –perhaps Jeff can comment–and just forgot to program the usual “Welcome to . . .” or “Now entering . . .” message when you choose to enter them.

           The only clue that the castle is called “Thoro.”

        With Elira’s overland explored, it’s now time to delve into the land’s 8 dungeon entrances (which I think lead to fewer actual dungeons). Somewhere at the bottom of some of these dungeons, I’m going to find transporters to other planets, hopefully smaller. At the bottoms of others (I think), I’m going to find the energy packs capable of maintaining the stasis field of the black hole in the planet’s core.

             The party takes on some demons in one of the dungeons.

             I hope I also find spells. I’m not sure where I’m supposed to acquire new ones, but none of my spellcasters have more than the first two or three spells in their books. My magic user has “Ring of Fire” (damages everyone a little), “Magic Missile” (damages one enemy a lot), and “Shield.” I particularly want to find “View Surroundings” and both “Descend” and “Climb Dungeon Level.” My cleric only has “Find Traps” and “Malediction”; it would be relaly nice if he could find “Call Light,” “Heal,” and “Cure Poison.” I don’t have a druid, but the sage is capable of casting spells from all three spellcasting classes. From the druid book, he only has “Drain Life” and “Heal Minor Wound.” Presumably, when he has “Create Food,” that’s one less thing I’ll have to worry about.

Sorry for the slow down this last week. I had some big work deadlines. March and April are looking like relaxing months, though, and I hope to make a lot of progress:

Time so far: 18 hours

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/the-seventh-link-different-approaches/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

[misstincu]

The Immigrant Hustle - Hunting  for  40s-60s Vintage  items in  Bristol & Bath

                                         BRISTOL SHOPS

We all know you have to hustle hard to find clothing that fits your style and personality.  As I said before, I prefer shops where I can physically go and take a look at things, try them on and see if it's a bargain for me to make the purchase. So, after I moved to Bristol, before finding out about the vintage fairs that come to Bristol with 40s-60s inspired merchandise, I was very keen to find out if there are any shops I could go to and find some treasures. I asked a few people from the vintage community, but everyone said there is no physical shop specialising specifically on this type of fashion left in Bristol. Sadly, they were right! But I didn't want to let go of the idea of finding little bits and bobs that would help me step up my vintage game. So I set myself on a quest of finding the needle in the haystack.

I wanted to make a post about my findings because I feel this information might benefit other vintage aficionados and maybe save them some time. Before going on this quest, I asked a few people and also did some research online. I wanted  to gather as much info as possible and avoid ending up at some shop that has gone out of business or has a weird work schedule. I also wanted to find places I can reach by foot and not spend too much on bus fares.

Please note this is not a sponsored post and everything I write in here is my personal opinion as a customer.

Our hunting process starts with the Bristol shops - after wandering in at least 20 vintage and charity shops, I discovered as previously stated that not all vintage shops refer to the 40s-60s and many of them focus on 70s/80s/90s/00s etc. The shops that I will tell you about have merchandise that is proper vintage/ reproduction or items that could be easily styled into a vintage look.       In addition, I will point out particular charity shops where I found goodies for myself - and a charity shop rarely comes alone, so near the ones I point out you will find many more charity shops you could visit as well.   

1) Blue Banana

This shop is centrally located, 3 min away from Cabot Circus. They sell goth/rockabilly/emo stuff, but if you have a bit of patience you can really find a sweater, a dress or some shoes that would still get away as glamorous vintage and not rockabilly (hair & make-up help the direction of your look a lot). I think it's definitely worth a look when you're in Bristol, you never know what bargain you can find in there. Due to items being new, prices are medium to a bit on the higher end in here - but if it's something that you will use often it's worth it.

2) Sue Ryder (61 Park St, Bristol BS1 5NU)

A few minutes away from the city central bus station and also close to the Bristol museum/ university area, this is one of the best places to find vintage items. They usually have vintage dresses, hats, gloves and earrings, all of them pre-owned of course.   Prices are quite low in this place and you can really find little gems & great bargains sometimes.

3) Oxfam Shop (11 Regent Street, Bristol, Bristol BS8 4HW)

This charity shop is roughly 15 mins away from Sue Ryder, just a little bit up the hill but it's totally worth it. It usually has a good stock of fabulous dresses & pre-owned jewellery.  Another advantage would be that on the same street you will find at least 3 more charity shops. As this shop is located in a fairly posh area, the prices are set accordingly. However, the prices are not exaggerated so it's very likely you can find a bargain in there.

4) The Salvation Army (110 Cheltenham Rd, Bristol BS6 5RW)

This is fairly close to the Bear Pit, and away from city noise. This area is full of graffiti, which I really loved, but it also feels like a very mixed environment. In some areas you feel like a hipster, and in other areas you feel like you should hold your purse more tightly. But this shop is near a nice hipster-ish coffee place and closer to loads of street art. I think this is the shop with the lowest prices I found in Bristol, and they also have really good deals. Although you have to walk a bit to get there, I think it's totally worth it.

                                            BATH SHOPS

If you feel adventurous, it's definitely worth paying a visit to the vintage stores in Bath. Bare in mind that  they don't have many charity shops so I couldn't give you specifics on that note.  I can definitely tell you about the shops I found whilst doing research online (because nobody I knew could recommend a vintage shop in Bath).

1) Jack & Danny's (3 London Street Bath BA1 5BU)

Visiting this shop was definitely an unforgettable experience.  From outside  you can immediately see loads of vintage clothes hanging in front of the shop. As you enter, a strong smell of vintage clothes hits you immediately - so I if you don't have a strong stomach I would not recommend going in. The place is packed with interesting/ beautiful/ weird clothes, but you can find anything you can imagine in there. You only need a strong stomach, patience and strong hands (due to the place being packed you need to work a little to dig out your bargain). It's definitely not a low price shop, but I think it's the perfect place for finding unique clothing that you can tailor to fit your body. The cherry on top was the back room which reminded me a bit of the film Jumanji due to the plants that grew out of the humidity and darkness that surrounds certain corners of the ceiling.

2) The Yellow Shop ( 72 Walcot St, Bath BA1 5BD)

Down the road from Jack & Danny's, this shop has many items that could be styled easily for a vintage look.  You can find a bit of every era in there, and the prices range from very low to very high, but if you have patience to look properly at everything you can easily find a bargain. Merchandise is nicely organised so it's easy to browse through it. Not everything screams vintage, but there is a lot of styling potential with what you find in there.

3) Vintage to Vogue (28 Milsom St, Bath BA1 1DG)

This shop gets much praise online and for good reason- they have high end vintage merchandise, anything you can imagine, from clothing to fancy accessories. It's definitely worth visiting this beautifully curated shop - it's not very large but there is more than meets the eye. Price wise I felt like the target audience is someone who either collects vintage or is ready to make a serious investment into a piece that they can wear at special occasions. I hope this list was helpful and let me know in the comments if you decide to check out the shops on my list.

#vintage style