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arcanadreams · 3 years

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That time you and your demon boyfriend went viral

hi yes hello obey me fandom!! my name is Gabbi and i have never played a single second of the actual game but i have read enough fanon content for the past year to have this idea swimming around in my head and now i am finally letting this accursed thing out of my brain and putting it in yours

also i’m only doing the brothers because any more than that and i’d have an aneurysm probably. oh and shoutout to @obeythebutler and @beels-burger-babe for inspiring me with their works to feel brave enough to write for this fandom

Lucifer:

You and Lucifer go viral on Asmo’s Devilgram story!

You’re in the kitchen helping Asmo with dinner duty and singing along to one of your playlists of human realm music that you like to show him.

Asmo starts filming your cute little dance while you stir the pot on the stove because you are just adorable!

About ten seconds into him filming, Lucifer appears in the doorway with quite the stern look on his face. You know, the one that comes right before a “MAMMOOOOOON” and strikes fear into the heart of all those with functioning eardrums. That one.

He opens his mouth, presumably to tell y’all to shut the fuck up, but then there’s a lull in the music and the eldest can hear your voice ever so slightly above the song’s vocalist and he freezes.

Man stops in his tracks like someone just smacked him in the face with a midair volleyball.

Asmo can be heard stifling a laugh behind his phone.

Lucifer’s face gets so soft and he almost, almost, loosens his metal-rod-through-the-ass posture before you notice him and give a little wave and ask if you and Asmo were being too loud like the considerate darling you are.

Lucifer clears and his throat and says something like, “No, you aren’t. I was just coming to check on how dinner is coming along,” and leaves, after which Asmo immediately presses the post button.

Screenshots of Lucifer’s heart eyes for you go absolutely viral because every demon on Devilgram goes absolutely feral for seeing the eldest demon brother lose his dignified composure. It becomes a meme template. “Get you someone who looks at you like Lucifer looks at MC” and “me at the delivery demon when he shows up with my spicy bat wings” posts become commonplace. (Asmo thinks the memes are totally worth getting strung up with Mammon for laughing at them.)

Mammon:

Much like Lucifer, you and Mammon end up going viral off Asmo’s Devilgram. (Noticing a pattern here?)

He pulls a silly prank on your asses and honestly I don’t know how you fell for it. But hey, they say “idiots in love” for a reason, so...

You and Asmo are sitting in the common room of the House of Lamentation just chillin. Well, he’s chillin, you’re on the floor studying for an upcoming exam.

The video starts in the middle of a conversation you and the avatar of lust were having.

“No, Asmo,” you say. “Mammon and I don’t use pet names for each other.” Now that’s just a darn lie, and every demon and crow within ten miles of Mammon and you together knows it.

“Really? I find that very hard to believe, MC.~”

You sigh in response to Asmo’s teasing. “Okay, he has a lot for me but I’m just not much of a pet name person, y’know?” The rest of the exchange goes like this:

“Oh, I totally get it.” *pause* “Hey MC, what do human world bees make again?”

“Honey.”

Cue a sheepish Mammon sticking his head in the doorway at the bluntness of your tone when you answered Asmo.

“Yeah, babe?” he looks like a puppy left on the side of a highway oh my god hUG HIM-

Asmo turns the camera back to his smug ass face and in the background you can be heard tripping on the damn carpet trying to get up and hug your mans. (”MAMMON GET OVER HERE SO I CAN HUG YOU” “W-WHAT? I THOUGHT YA WERE MAD AT ME?!?!?!?!”)

Leviathan:

Streamer Levi? Streamer Levi.

You guys go viral the first time you make an appearance on one of Levi’s weekly (insert cool Devildom streaming service name here) streams.

It’s completely unintentional. You had been asking him for weeks to play with him on there, but he’s the avatar of envy after all. He doesn’t like sharing his partner, even if it’s with random strangers who have no real access to you.

However, he has his stream on a Thursday instead of a Friday one week, and you come into his room carrying dinner because 1) You didn’t realize he was streaming and 2) No matter what he was doing, the boy needed to eat. It wasn’t unusual for you to bring him dinner, so you had no idea why he was blushing and stammering even more than usual this time in particular. Boy was speaking in beached whale trying to tell you what was wrong.

Then you notice his screen. Oh! “Hi chat!” You wave, setting Levi’s food down on his desk in front of his keyboard. “M-MC!” He full-on whines, slamming a hand over his mouth afterwards when he remembers his viewers could hear that.

Honestly, they’d meme the fuck out of him if it weren’t for the fact that they are FINALLY SEEING HIS HENRY!!! THE MYSTERIOUS MC!!!

Chat is bombarding you with questions while you make Levi eat dinner. And by make him eat dinner, I mean literally feeding this man forkfuls/spoonfuls while he games because you love how flustered he gets when you do that.

Does it impact his score? Absolutely. Does he care? Not really when you’re pampering him like that.

You start answering chat’s questions about you while he’s chewing so he can’t tell you to stop LMAO-

You’re a natural on stream. The VOD becomes the most popular on Levi’s account in a matter of hours and soon cute highlights compilations of you and him on that stream start making the rounds on Devildom Twitter.

Satan:

There was buildup to Satan going viral, similar to Levi in a way.

Satan does have a Devilgram, but it’s basically a white woman’s Instagram with added book reviews for variety. Unless you’re a reader his account is pretty boring: candles, books, fireplaces, and cats.

However, after you two started reading together fairly often he began posting pictures of your legs draped over his while you sat together. They’d always be captioned with vague ass pretentious literary criticism.

This goes on for months, and he gains a lot of (horny) followers after the leg pics start up. He doesn’t really get why but you both joke that it’s because you have some damn nice legs and I mean neither of you are complaining about the new following.

You two go viral when he finally shows your face, entirely by accident.

The post is a video, which is already strange for him and grabs attention. In it, you’re scoffing and reading an excerpt of a book, mocking its understanding of female anatomy.

“I’m quoting here, Satan: ‘her breasts bouncing around like giant pacmen.’ I’M SORRY?? THAT ISN’T HOW BOOBS WORK SIR. WHY ARE MEN ALLOWED TO WRITE?”

(fun fact that is a very real quote from a very real book I really read last month pls save me)

Originally the camera is focused on your body, with your head out of frame to protect your privacy, but your righteous anger made Satan laugh. Like, a real laugh. The one that makes you and everyone in earshot wonder if he truly was never an angel cause he sure as hell laughs like one but anyway-

When he threw his head back, his DDD angled up just a tad without him noticing, and your face was in view for like .2 seconds. Screenshots of it are making the rounds on Devilgram almost immediately: FINALLY THE LEGS’ OWNER HAS BEEN FOUND.

Satan apologizes profusely but you honestly find it funny and you two opt to just start taking selfies while reading with both of your faces in them from now on.

Asmodeus:

I’m gonna be real with you: you and Asmo go viral all the time. Pretty much everything Asmo posts can be considered viral because of his social media following and his status as one of the seven avatars of sin.

However, there are some fairly cute highlights to be pointed out among the times you were both featured in a post that blew up.

Your favorite is probably that time Asmo livestreamed on of you guys’ ‘Nail Nites,’ as you call them.

You’re both on the floor, doing your nails and kicking your feet back and forth while talking to chat. A lot of the questions are about your relationship, and there’s a lot of flirting back and forth between the two of you.

A particular clip of the stream does blow the fuck up on Devilgram, though, when someone screen records it and posts it with a bunch of heart emojis edited over it.

“’What colors do you think best describe each other?’ Ooo, that’s a good one, chat!” Asmo claps his hands together excitedly, making sure to be careful of his nails.

Pretty much everyone expected you to say pink, but you surprised both your boyfriend and your viewers when, after a pensive few moments, you replied with “Hmm...probably yellow or orange.”

“Can I ask why, darling?” Asmo tilts his head in confusion. I mean, yeah, those colors look good on him, but he doesn’t wear them often so he’s wondering about your thought process.

“Well, in the human world those colors often represent happiness, optimism, and positivity. You’re always the cheerful presence I need in my life when things get hard, so you have the vibe of those colors.”

Asmo proceeds to burst into tears and hug you, messing up both of your nails and prolonging the stream since you both have to start over. But neither of you particularly care.

Fun fact: Asmo has the clip that demon made of that portion of the stream saved on his DDD and watches it whenever he feels sad.

Beelzebub:

Beel and you probably go the most viral out of everybody. Like this moment is an entire phenomenon across the Devildom internet.

It’s a video, or well, multiple videos, taken at the end of a Fangol game that Beel’s team had just won. Everyone is cheering and going crazy, yourself included, and you just really wanted to congratulate your boyfriend.

So, like the rational person you are, you elect to climb up onto the railing of the bleachers and wave to get his attention.

You were absolutely fine up there, and sat all comfortably motioning Beel over to you. He notices, of course, and jogs over, standing right beneath you and looking up. (Back where you were sitting, Mammon is screeching like a hyena in heat and Belphie, who is laying down, has one eye open to glare at him. The youngest knows Beel would never let you hurt yourself; you’re fine.)

A bunch of assorted demons at the game has started filming while you were sat atop the railing since you were rather noticeable. Therefore, there’s a shit ton of different angles of the adorable events that follow:

You slide off the railing, landing right in Beel’s waiting arms bridal style. You’ve got this brilliant smile on your face as you pull his helmet off. None of the DDDs filming can hear it over the crowd noise, but Beel asks you why you just went through all that trouble and you tell him it’s because you wanted to tell him how proud you are.

Soft boy’s chest puffs up and he smiles this big cheesy smile at you reach up to run a hand through his hair. You feel him practically purr at the contact, and with a laugh you pull him in and plant a big ole smooch on him.

The crowd, at least those of them that can see, scream. Everyone is running high on adrenaline and happy emotions; something that cute causes a ruckus!! When you pull away Beel proceeds to put you on his shoulders and you celebrate with him and the rest of his team.

The videos of you two being adorable go completely viral and there are some threads dedicated to stockpiling every single angle taken of the event. Beel is completely oblivious to the attention but you have a lot of them saved on your DDD.

Belphegor:

If you think Belphegor has any sort of social media presence whatsoever then you are sorely mistaken. (Well okay he actually does run some anonymous troll accounts to meme on Lucifer’s posts but that’s neither here nor there-)

Therefore, naturally, you two go viral off of Asmo’s Devilgram.

Okay so someone in the obey me tag the other say headcanoned that Belphie will go out of his way to nap in ridiculous places and my brain really took that and RAN WITH IT.

So what happens is that Belphie will fall asleep in the fucking weirdest places. I’m talking on top of the fridge, underneath the dinner table, on top of bookshelves...you name it, he has slept there, no matter the effort it takes to get there in the first place.

And, ever since you two started dating, you would join him. Sometimes it involved putting yourself at risk of great bodily harm, but the little smile he gave when you he saw you fucking scaling the countertop to reach him made it worth it.

So anyway, since Beel adores the both of you to no end, he takes pictures whenever he sees you two napping together, whether or not it is in a crazy place. He sends these to the family group chat because he thinks they’re adorable.

Over a span of weeks to months, Asmo has built up a stock of images of you and Belphie cuddles up in seemingly impossible places. Once he has about ten or so, he posts a compilation of them to his Devilgram with some cheesy ass caption like “The things we do for love <3″.

They become a meme SO QUICKLY. Like UNBELIEVABLY quickly.

The picture of you and Belphie sleeping on top of a bookshelf, in particular, is a big hit. Memes abound.

“If my girl doesn’t climb up a bookshelf to cuddle my ass, she don’t love me.” “Get yourself a partner who scales bookshelves just to be with your ass.” Etc etc...Belphie doesn’t give a shit but you laugh at a lot of them so he sees that as a good outcome.

#IM SO HAPPY TO HAVE FINALLY WRITTEN THIS #obey me #my writing #obey me headcanons #obey me x reader #lucifer #mammon #leviathan #satan #asmodeus #beelzebub #belphegor #posts

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not-using-this1 · 3 years

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Don’t shut me out ~ N.Romanoff

Time for another angst/fluff oneshot I think so here you go :)

In which Natasha knows she has feelings for a certain woman on the team, but she knows that she can't and tries to ignore it, avoiding y/n like the plague. Y/N has had enough of being avoided by her and confronts her about it...things get complicated.

Prompts: "Yeah, well, I shut everybody out. Don't take it personally. It's just easier".

Warnings: none

Word count: roughly 1990

She had been trying to avoid her for the passed two weeks, going on missions for Fury, so she didn't have to be around the Avengers tower. But when she was, it was straight to her room that she had or even the training room if that woman was not there.

Y/n L/n, one of the most badass women who could control fire and bend it at her will, a woman she had known for only a few months since y/n was new to the team. In those few months, she had actually formed a friendship with the woman. And that went from one thing to another...The Black Widow started forming 'feelings' for her. It wasn't her fault, she's only human, but Y/n' beautiful h/c and absolutely gorgeous e/c orbs were always in her mind, especially that smile.

Natasha wasn't scared of these feelings per say, she just knew that it was wrong considering that this woman, this adorable, badass woman was a teammate of hers. Sure, she had a relationship with Clint (Hawkeye) but that was before they even joined the Avengers, all they are know is just partners and good friends.

So what made her think this could work out? Nothing, because it can't - that's just a known fact.

Continuosly avoiding her seemed like the better option, shutting out everybody on the team when she was around. Clint had tried to ask her a few times what was going on but like usual she was easily able to make sure he couldn't read her very well.

Walking down the hall to the kitchen of the Avengers tower, she spotted Y/n, Clint, Thor and Bruce. So as quick as she could she went to grab a drink and walked away, disappearing back down the hall to her room. Locking herself into the room. Who needs to be social anyway?

Y/n tried to say a simple 'hi' to her and she knew it. When she walked straight passed her and ignored her, she saw the hurt in her expression no matter how hard she tried to see it Natasha saw through her facade. But it wasn't just saddness, a hint of anger shown through.

Just when the redhead agent thought she could spend some time alone as per usual, somebody knocks on her door. But she doesn't answer it, she pretends as if she isn't there. They will go away eventually - probably, right?

Nope.

"Natasha, what's going on with you? You've been avoiding everyone for a while. I just wanted to know if you were okay." Y/n' soft voice was heard on the other side.

She heard the clear hurt in her voice which made the redhead feel guilt in her heart for what she had been doing, but that was for Y'n' own good. Nat waited for a good few seconds, not replying just to see if y/n had anything else to say.

Of course she did.

"Please Nat, we're all worried. I'm worried." And that just makes it all better does it? The redhead was feeling even more guilty now. She walked up to her door and put a hand on it, her forehead pressed up against it.

A heavy sigh left her lips, what was she supposed to tell her? That the reason she is the way she is because she likes her? No, that's not her. It's so out of her character to admit these things. Natasha never even had 'feelings' like this before, regardless of her past relationships.

Before she could even let her words come out, y/n spoke up once more "Don't shut me out", Oh god Natasha could hear how much she had hurt her, it's all coming out now. Y/n was usually good at keeping her emotions in check but right now in this moment, she couldn't.

"Yeah, well, I shut everybody out. Don't take it personally. It's just easier." Natasha replied, no hint of any real emotion, she just out right and blankly spoke the truth. The redhead was always blunt no matter what, her brutal honesty was an incredible trait and bad trait at times but it did the trick for her. She heard a sudden slam of a hand on the door. "Then stop, Nat! I get it, I've shut people out too, but trust me it isn't easier than telling somebody you trust what's wrong. It will eat you up inside, especially if it's about someone you see almost everyday. Let me in." y/n shouted but rather softly.

"Please, trust me." Y/n added softly. That's all she wanted from the redhead, to be trusted, to be let in. She already knew of her past that barrier was down but a new one was made up when Natasha started shutting out once more. Nat sighed heavily again, turning the lock on her door so the door could be opened. But the question is, will she open the door? And let the woman she is so madly in love with in?

Or does she want to continue shutting everybody out and risk losing her?

"Natasha, please." Y/n whispered just enough for Natasha to be able to hear through the closed door. The h/c avenger sighed, she was trying to be as paitient with the redhead as much as she could, honestly she would wait for her forever to open up if she had to but maybe right now wasn't a good time for it, maybe Natasha needed longer. "Take your time, just...please don't ignore me anymore, don't ignore any of us." Just as y/n was about to leave, Natasha door opened and she was pulled inside.

Both women looked at one another, never taking their eyes off each other. Their eyes perfectly trained on one another, before Nat sighed and looked away sitting on the end of her bed. Y/n joined her, and the two of them sat in silence.

One of them eventually had to break it but neither seemed like they wanted to, but y/n stepped in when she saw that Natasha could no longer hold her expressionless facade up when she was around her. "Nat, tell me what's wrong." It wasn't even a question now, more of a demand but in the nicest way possible with such a soft voice behind it. Frankly, the woman was clearly getting annoyed with her.

Again with the sighing, Nat tried to look directly at y/n and hold her gaze but all she could do was take small glances every now and then, taking out her beautiful red hair from the messy bun, trying to distract herself, this wasn't even going to work but it was worth a try, anyway.

Another moment of pure silence crept over the two women, Natasha was mentally preparing herself. All thoughts running around in her mind at once, something telling her to just tell her because she just couldn't 'lose' this woman, especially not right now...quite possibly not ever.

"I've been having these feelings, feelings I have honestly felt so strongly about even in my past relationships with men. I don't know how to comprehend them" Natasha started to explain, she probably worded it wrong but who cares? The wall she put up in her emotions was starting to crack and crumble on the ground once again ever since y/n became apart of the team...apart of her life. Remembering that entire month she pretended to 'hate' her when she was just being cautious, to getting to know her, sparring and kicking each others asses, to then even going out places together, and even missions. Those few times Natasha took y/n to her favourite coffee shop in New York.

God, why was this so hard?

"Okay, so first tell me what you're feeling." Y/n broke the silence, she wasn't so sure how to deal with either, none of them were very good with feelings and that much was obvious. "Seriously? Do I have to say it?" Natasha rolled her eyes, she really didn't want to say that four letter word that she never got used to. But y/n nodded, she had to say it either way. "Ugh fine".

"Любовь" She didn't want to say it in english, so she used her first language, russian. Hoping that y/n didn't understand a word she had just said, but the twist was she knew exactly what she meant.

"Love, right. You do realise I took russian, chinese, latin and spanish in high school right and continued them in college before being recruited to SHIELD?" y/n laughed. Natasha cured at herself quietly, thinking she got away with that. The redhead agent should've known that she was smarter then that. "So whose the man you like?" Wow what a way to assume things. Now, Natasha could just go with the fact that y/n had just called her love interest a 'man' and lie completely...but that wasn't the truth, besides she really does like her.

Natasha lightly chuckled at the h/c avengers last statement making her raise an eyebrow in question, not knowing why the redhead found that even remotely funny.

"Bold of you to assume it's a man." She laughed before going back to being all serious. "This was a mistake." Her mood changed so quickly that y/n didn't even have time to comprehend what the hell was happening. Natasha had grabbed her and walked her over to the closed door to basically kick her out...but before she could y/n got in front of the door.

"No, you have to trust me. Do you?" She asked.

Of course Natasha does, but she just doesn't know how to open up about this at all. The woman she loves is standing in front of her and this isn't easy, it never is. The agent simply nods her head staying quiet. "Just tell me about them, the way you know best." Tell her about them? How the fuck is she supposed to do that? It would be so much easier if she just showed her but what if she didn't like her back?

Oh fuck it.

Natasha wasted no more time, grabbing the back of y/n' neck with her hand and pulling her in for a kiss, not sure if this was the right move. Y/n was taken aback by the action but before she could even kiss Natasha back, the redhead pulled away regretting her decsion. "I am so sorry that was-"

"Shut up" Y/n spoke pulling Nat back into a kiss. They kised each other with such passion that Natasha backed y/n up against the door, trapping her between her and the door. Pulling away Nat smirked "don't tell me to shut up." She added.

Y/n laughed "when were you going to tell me?" She added, knowing full well what she meant Natasha kissed her for a good few seconds again.

"I wasn't but now I'm glad I did it through actions." Natasha replied with a small smile forming in her lips.

"Promise not to shut me out again, okay? Because I'm here for you, we all are."

Natasha knew that, but she couldn't make that promise, not now. Maybe if she was a different person she could but right now that wasn't going to happen. "Kiss me again?" Natasha replied.

Y/n couldn't say no to her, so she pulled her back in this time taking some control of the kiss until Natasha got comfortable and took over completely.

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natalia alianovna romanova #marvel #my oneshot #avengers #natasha romanov #angst #fluff

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lilydalexf · 3 years

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Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with MustangSally

MustangSally has 33 stories at Gossamer. Even if you haven’t read it, you’ve probably heard of at least one of them, Iolokus, since it’s an X-Files fanfic classic. All her fics hit big and are well worth your time. I’ve recced some of my favorites here before, including And Dance by the Light of the Moon, All the Children are Insane, and Iolokus. Big thanks to MustangSally for doing this interview.

What's the story behind your pen name?

I could tell you but then I would have to kill you.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

Yes and no. Yes, because life has moved on since the early nineties and the characters and the fans are in vastly different places now. Our current tech would make the premise of the X-Files impossible. No, because of the longevity of some of the Star Trek TOS work (there’s an archive of hard copy fanzines at the University of Iowa). Top-drawer authors started out in TOS fandom.

I’m just greatly saddened that my physical body is showing wear and tear while the fic doesn’t. Fic gets to stay smooth-skinned and muscular, captured at the peak of perfection.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

At the risk of sounding atrociously trite, I think of the friends I made. I met some very remarkable women that I’ve been able to stay friends with online for over twenty-five years. We may have moved to Facebook and post entirely too much about our pets and which of our body parts has sagged this week, but we’re friends. It’s a furiously funny, feminist, and well-educated group of women with jobs in the highest levels of academia, finance, communications, and media. I’m amused by the fact that if I have a question about how a virus replicates, I can ask a PhD I’ve been drunk with in Las Vegas.

Back in the day, I had a job that sent me traveling around major cities in the US and UK. I could post on a message board and within ten minutes there were people I could go out for dinner and drinks with. We already knew we had something we could talk about for at least a couple of hours. Additionally, most of these people were women so there was an added level of security. Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Well, it was mostly atxc and the Yahoo! groups mailing lists that spiraled out into Geocities sites and, eventually, LiveJournal. The amusing thing is that getting in on the ground floor of social media and the Internet has helped me get jobs! When I look at a new piece of software, I think, ‘this is hella easier than uploading to Geocities.’ We had to walk uphill both ways, in the snow, on dial-up, fighting off dinosaurs with our AOL CDs while writing HTML code. What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS.

The past four years in politics have basically been the ugliest online kerfuffle the world has ever seen. I survived the Shipper Wars of ’96 and I thought those were brutal, but that was NOTHING. The only way to win an argument online is to not have the argument at all. Arguing with a troll is like mudwrestling a pig: You both get filthy and only the pig is happy.

Also, READ THE FUCKING TERMS OF SERVICE.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I had the most terrible straight-girl crush on Scully. I wanted to be her best friend, I wanted to BE her. I wanted to order Chinese food and paint each other’s nails and talk about bones. Scully and Princess Leia and I could all just hang out poolside with hot and cold running waiters and poolboys, drink margaritas, and bitch about how unfair it all was – if the stupid men would just get OUT OF THE WAY AND LET US DO OUR JOBS, the world would be so much better. What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

This question is really about Iolokus, isn’t it? You can’t fool me. [Lilydale note: I can neither confirm nor deny the motivation for this question, but I cannot complain about the answer.]

Simply put, I was enraged. The moment it was revealed that Scully’s ova had been used in experimentation, I lost my feminist mind. It was the most obscene defilement imaginable. Scully wasn’t nearly as angry as I was. What I thought needed to happen was for Scully to become a fiery force of vengeance against the MEN who had done this to her. Clearly, I was not going to get that level of satisfaction from the show, as I was imagining Kali-like carnage on a global scale. I emailed RivkaT (whom I did not know well at that point) with a proposition that we work together. Strangely enough, we didn’t meet face to face until we were well into the project, but we did talk on the phone quite a bit. The rules were simple – everyone had to be punished in truly horrific ways, and at some point, we had to see if we could write a car chase (only because that seemed impossible). Then it basically turned into a very twisted game of chicken to see who could be the most outrageous in terms of killing people off or writing really horrific things that fit within the structure of the narrative. I did, in the end, write the car chase, but RivkaT one-upped me by throwing in a helicopter (a FOX News helicopter, at that).

Really, RivkaT? A helicopter? What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom? I am terribly proud of what I wrote, pleased that it brought pain and pleasure in equal amount to people, and, again, thrilled by the people I became friends with. I admit that I stopped watching the show when Scully announced her pregnancy. I could only see a long jump over a shark tank for the rest of the series. I haven’t watched the new episodes, either. It is complete in my mind and doesn’t need to be continued. I wouldn’t say no to having a reunion with some of my fic friends, although we’re still chatting online like everyone does. Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

Rivka and I wrote in the Buffy fandom for a few years, but then we moved on to real adult jobs that left absolutely no time for me to write. I’m in education, and I regularly sweat blood for fear that someone is going to find my old fic. The Buffy people were fun; there was a certain *shininess* to them that I really enjoyed. The X-men authors were just batshit and delightful, and some amazing stuff came out of Marvel fandom, particularly in the Thor/Loki and Steve/Bucky subgenres. I’ve learned to appreciate a good coffee shop AU and one famous Erik/Charles fic where all the main characters are crabs. Seriously, crabs—it’s hysterical. [Lilydale note: Other Crabs Cannot Be Trusted by groovyphilia currently has almost 2,500 kudos at AO3.]

Every few years, I’ll have a student try to explain to me what fandom is and I just smirk. Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully? No. Not really. Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom? I fell into an X-Men hole a few years back and had a great old time wallowing in the Cherik muck, and there was a flirtation with BBC Sherlock as well. Strangely enough, I became interested in A/B/O fics only because of what they were saying about the role of women in our society. The limitations on the male omegas seem absurd and then you realize those are the same limitations put on women all. the. time.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

RivkaT very nicely formatted everything and put it up on AO3. What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I will always be stupidly proud of how shocked and horrified people were by Iolokus. The truth of the matter is that Iolokus has Greek drama at its core. Scully is Medea, and the entire story is lousy with “blood on the threshing floor” and Dionysian rites. The everyday is subverted into horror, and wives and daughters will tear men limb from limb like the Maenads. Since I was ultimately disappointed with what Chris Carter did with the entire show, that approach seemed appropriate.

At a certain level, all fic is corrective fic. Like critic Anne Jamison said, “Irritated fans produce fanfic like irritated oysters produce pearls.” And because fic has fallen so much into women’s sphere, a pure form of correction is not just the death of the author but the MURDER, a new creation springing up from the spilled blood like Cadmus sowing dragon’s teeth.

Okay, that’s a bit much. Maybe I should just take myself back to the isle of Goth Amazons or something. Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I had to write a self-evaluation and a reflection on pedagogy today. If that’s not fiction, I don’t know what the fuck is.

All my creativity is caught up in trying to pretend to be a normal middle-aged white woman so no one knows I am really a lizard.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

Keep writing, keep reading, keep fighting the commercialization of narratives. As things grow more and more commodified, all our dreams and desires reduced to tchotchkes made in China, it’s a revolutionary act to separate your work from the marketplace. Be bold, take chances, turn the trope on its ear and kick it in the ass. Take everything the creators have done to make a work palatable to the unwashed masses and set it on fire.

Be subversive.

Be mean.

Have a great fucking time.

(Posted by Lilydale on March 2, 2021)

#old school x #xfiles fanfic #xf fanfic #xf fanfic author interviews #mustangsally

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cult-of-artemis-and-athena · 3 years

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What the fuck is "femininity", anyway? Pt. 2

I was watching a video a few months ago about Evangelical Christians complaining about what they perceived as androgyny - women wearing pants and not having long hair, men not going fishing or wearing beards - and then said something to the effect of "These people are straying from God's design!"

I suppose the Bible does have some parts that can be construed as saying that women should have long hair, men should have short hair, and they should both look different and do different things. However, wearing certain clothes or hairstyles, or doing the majority of tasks don't have a biological component. If men were naturally, biologically, by-God supposed to have short hair, it should grow to be an inch long and stop, right? I've seen some Christians rebut the "only men can wear pants" argument on the basis that the stereotypical Christian man wouldn't like, nor properly fit into a pair of women's pants. I would take that a step further, because I think it's hilarious, and say that if women wearing pants were a 100%, by-God biological impossibility, they would have one leg, or be like nagas or mermaids and it would be physically impossible to make pants for them.

Another example: musical instruments are assigned gender stereotypes for some fucking reason. A friend from middle school said she wanted to play the trumpet, but was given a clarinet because it was a "feminine" instrument. Conversely, I've seen boys who started school band on a flute or clarinet either switch instruments, or quit band altogether. Perhaps small hands make it easier to play the piccolo, and it's less annoying for a strong person to carry around a tuba, upright bass, or bari sax, but there's no reason for the player's genitals to enter the equation. During the 18th century, the acceptability of an instrument for women was based on whether the player had to spread their legs to play it. Pianos, violins/violas, and flutes were allowed, but a cello was indecent. I'm not sure, then, how harps became stereotyped as "feminine instruments" when they're both gigantic and require the player to straddle them...but here I am trying to make sense of nonsense again...

Finally - and this is the big one - there is the downright schizophrenic relationship some male communities have with female attractiveness and things women do, or have done to them, to change how they look in pictures and videos.

I feel I must preface the rest of this point with something: "men" and "women" are not hive minds, and it's important to not strawman half the population based on a conglomeration of the worst representatives you have experienced. If you go outside, in real life, and think about the couples you see, it becomes very obvious that the majority of men you will see are attracted to women who aren't skinny blondes with big boobs/asses and the majority of women you see are attracted to men who aren't 6-/7-figure earners. People who seem to express that they are totally alone and perpetually shit-on by a world of "Chads" and "Staceys" feels like the same type of mindset school kids have, where they obsess over not being included by the popular kids while they're befriended and included just fine by kids they actually have more in common with. It's not a healthy mindset to have, but excusable in school kids because kids are immature by nature and they mostly grow out of it; however, to be an adult and still think like this is a good sign to get help.

I'm talking primarily about the incel community and perhaps some of the groups that this mentality spills into.

A post was going around several years ago and I think the photos were taken from a clickbait which was taken from a makeup artist's portfolio. The MUA might actually have been Goar Avetisyan (https://www.goaronline.com/courses) but the before and after pictures resembled the ones on the link above -- one with absolutely no makeup or hair styling, and then the other with full glam, special occasion makeup and styled hair, a wig, extensions, etc. The way it was presented was "LOOK! HERE'S PROOF W*MEN AREN'T ACTUALLY HOT! WAKE UP SHEEPLE! THEY'RE LYING TO YOU! ILLUMINATI EXPOSED!!!!"

I can see why they're mad, because the dishonesty surrounding makeup, but especially photoshop, plastic surgery, posing, and airbrushing can get toxic. I'm old enough to remember the old-fashioned mindset where women were supposed to hide their "beauty secrets". Don't apply makeup in public, keep your roots touched up so nobody knows they're dyed, and if you have any treatments or surgery always deny having them. Wear your makeup to bed, then wake up early and fix it before your guy sees you.

I couldn't imagine how awful I would feel if I had Instagram or TikTok when I was growing up. I had enough moments of feeling frustrated because I didn't naturally look how other people looked, and I didn't realize that people in TV and movies were wearing makeup, that magazine ads were photoshopped, etc. Just being an extremely average-looking human being with no concept of basic grooming, comparing myself to other kids at school was hard enough without the rapist-run media adding another layer of bullshit.

When I realized the layers of lies, it was like...how long have I been wasting my time and money on this totally made-up problem? How much did I actually improve my life and happiness chasing it? Or, did it actually make me more miserable? How much could I have accomplished if I put the same amount of angst into a different pursuit -- instead of fixing my face, I could have been fixing my art...When it comes to pursuing an unattainable ideal, there is no end to the horror.

So, I suppose, when a group of men (...boys, whatever) realize that "hot women" are a spook, and the the ethereal creature they've been told by society to put on a pedestal is actually not far removed from them, and it shits and farts, it seems very reasonable to feel angry and like you've been taken for a ride by "the system". It can be easy to blame women for this, and hate them. And it's probably easy to get stuck here.

Instead of being perpetually angry, they have to mourn the death of this ethereal spook-woman, and move on with an acceptance of reality as it is. Women, too, have to kill and mourn the spook-woman as part of self-acceptance.

One positive evolution of the makeup fandom is that while the makeup has gotten more intense and elaborate, makeup tutorials have demystified makeup. When tutorials started to become popular, there was a lot of "Excuse my eye-circles, excuse my pimple, excuse my skin, excuse my hair, excuse my lighting, excuse my room, excuse my, excuse my, excuse, excuse, excexcexcexCEXEXEXEXEXEX- *boom*" and thankfully someone eventually came along ($10 says it was a drag queen) and said, "SHUT THE FUCK UP, NOBODY CARES," and eventually the makeup fandom became okay with letting a bare face be a bare face. You wear the makeup, you don't wear the makeup. It doesn't matter. It's just a hobby.

To refer back to my original point, the confusion of makeup (something culturally feminine) with biological femininity has really fucked up both men and women. Everyone is better off extracting the two from one another, and it seems like many people are in the process of doing that. It helps women hate themselves less, and it helps men humanize women and have better relationships.

However, the image of the spook-woman, "10/10 model" is so ingrained in some parts of the culture, as the apex of the vertex of femininity, that despite complaints about how makeup is a lie, discarding that in favor of just a healthy, bare-faced woman feels like embracing post-modernity and a slippery slope to embracing ugliness as beauty. I think the lack of exaggerated femininity that spook-woman makeup provides feels threatening because the woman's face looks more masculine in a purely relative sense. The exaggerated femininity of the spook-woman, as it is for the Evangelical Christians who follow strict gender roles, provides additional separation between the sexes which serves to reassure men who are A) preoccupied with their level of masculinity and B) hyper-aware of their standing toward the bottom of this hierarchy of masculinity. I think the entire hierarchy benefits from them being placated by more separation from women, because if the bottom whatever percent of men are too dissatisfied with their standing, they may start punching upwards or wanting to attack the hierarchy itself. The men at the top don't want that because of the benefits they receive for being at the top.

MGTOW and the incel movement really kicked off after Gamergate, and intensified with subsequent "waves" of feminism. The discontent men direct their frustration at women, but they also direct their frustration at the men not troubled by what women do. There's suddenly a lot of interest in whether you're an alpha, a beta, a gamma, omega, a sigma, a ligma male, etc. and which one is the better type of male to be. There's a lot of hatred for "Chads" and I see a lot of jealousy directed toward men who are married and have families, usually in the form of "She's just gonna divorce you, take half your shit, and then manipulate your kids to hate you. You'll see...you'll realize you should have spent your whole life banging whores."

This all seems like the result of the ol' spending money we don't have to buy things we don't need to impress people we don't like. This is undoubtedly the idealist in me, men and women would be better off to cut each other some slack. We could see one another as fellow tragic, flawed individuals instead of fleshlights and ATMs, escape the Matrix and spit in the faces of our rapist, media elite overlords.

#femininity #performative femininity #mgtow #mass media #makeup #spooks #traditional gender roles #women don't exist #gender roles are a spook #hollywood rapists #jordan peterson #stop putting women on pedestals

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polar-stars · 3 years

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☕️ + megumi and hojo?

(Give me a ☕️ + a character/ship and I’ll ramble off whatever thoughts and opinion I have about it)

Oho, interesting! Thanks for the ask!

Megumi Tadokoro

Megumi is a character I love and adore. She has given me no choice in that matter, lol. I cannot possibly dislike a character who portrays such a huge amount of real, genuine kindness. Adding to that, she's incredibly easy to relate to (I know that I am not the only one who does).

In my opinion Megumi has had some of the very best moments in all of Shokugeki, especially in it's earlier parts. The Shokugeki against Shinomiya in Trainings Camp is still my favorite battle in the whole manga after all. Her performance in the Autumn Election Premlins was also really satisfying and sweet to see. (Monkfish Preperation Scene Supremacy)

Tsukuda really did great on making Megumi a character that I really want to see succeed.....But that is where the problem comes in.

The problem is that Tsukuda struggles with the Show, Don't Tell-Rule from Central Arc onwards.

Pre-Central, Megumi's character development was solid in my opinion. It was believable and not too fast-paced. But once focus was shifted to Azami-Drama, Megumi and other characters had to take a little step back from the action. And Megumi's character arc started to stagnate.

Through Training Arc. Autumn Elections and Stagiares, Megumi had visibly gained some more confidence in herself and her stage fright problem from the beginning of the series was ceasing. However there was something missing: pay-off. Her character arc lacks proper pay-off.

You see, throughout all of Central Arc Megumi has not won any single fight on-screen. She was given one victory against Shigemichi Kumai but not even second of that fight was actually shown to the reader. But when it's time for a more detailed fight against Momo, she looses.

In her fight against Momo, the judges do find the time to point out tho that Megumi might hasn't been able to beat Momo however there is quote unquote ✨potential✨.

Thing is that the "potential"-thing has been getting old at that point. It felt very reminiscent to Megumi's fight against Ryo back in the Autumn Elections. Ryo was able to win, however it was made clear through multiple dialogue-lines that Megumi did give him a good fight, defying the expectations the audience had from her. So basically that fight was like: Yes, she lost now. But she is on the right path. There is a lot of potential.

The issue is that time has progressed ever since the AE and it was about time for us, the readers, to see that potential unfold.

But we never got that.

We get a lot, a lot of talking about Megumi's potential throughout Central Arc but never an actual showcase of it. And it does not get much better with BLUE Arc either (I mean, what do you expect from that trainwreck of an arc anyway?)

First off, despite all of her potential and her participation in the Regiment de Cuisine & the retaking of Totsuki as a whole Megumi somehow ends up with the lowest seat in the Neo-Elite 10??? And I'm just: Why??? Why is she the only explicitly ranked below Eizan & Nene (who got a massive downgrade) with everyone else far ahead? (Tho the Neo-Elite 10 Ranking as a whole is one confusing mess and I should probably stop trying to bring sense into it if I do not want to go insane, lol.)

The infamous Hot Spring Fight against a Noir is where we finally see Megumi shine a little on-screen (at least in the manga). And well....I enjoyed seeing that but...

It is still not the proper pay-off she deserves, I'm sorry. Because ultimately that Noir-Guy is some random One-Off we never saw again. And that's a problem.

This character had no time establishing himself to us. We barely know him.

To put it into perspective: Satoshi Isshiki beating Julio Shiratsu in the RdC did not feel like a very impressive thing. Because we have only come to know Julio in that one fight and had absolutely no judgement on how powerful he may be (not to mention, that he was mostly placed in a very ridiculous light). It would have been a lot more impressive to the reader had Satoshi won his later fight against Eishi Tsukasa, because Eishi is a character who we have spent a lot more time with and who has repeatedly been portrayed as absurdly skillful and an actual threat.

See what I mean? As much as I loved seeing Megumi being an absolute badass in that Hot Spring Saga...It was not the satisfying pay-off I want for her.

The few victories she gets are always against random One-Offs while her fights against the more important characters are always a loss for her. Case in point: BLUE. She gets anOTHER off-screened match against some Noir in Chinese clothes, whose name I won't bother looking up if he even has one, where all characters talk about how talented she is but once it's time for her to go up against big bad bitch Asahi she looses. And that sucks.

Not to forget the fact that Megumi always gets strung along to every big event but we never get much justification for her participation (other than the obvious Meta-Reason that she's a main character).

Think about it, her and Takumi got extremely lucky in Train Arc by having Rindou giving them a free pass just for the lulz, while everyone else got expelled. Then a good number of messy chapters later, Megumi and Takumi get invited into BLUE without even a shred of reasoning behind it. Why them? How random is it to invite the 1st, 7th and 10th seat but no one else? Meanwhile when BLUE Arc was first mentioned in the manga they told Jouichiro that it's actually extremely rare for a student in that age to get into this tournament. And Jouichiro was a 3rd year back then, what are those three 2nd Years doing there??

The anime at least addressed that by having Totsuki's students fight for the participation (I appreciated that, if only the episode that covers it wasn't so lazily done)

I'd have much less of an issue with that if they actually gave Megumi something to work with in that arc. But really in RDC and even more so in BLUE, she's mostly just there I feel. She barely really impacts the story meaningfully in both of these arcs, I feel.

And it's one big shame.

As I said, I love Megumi and Tsukuda set her up as someone who I wanted to see succeed and defy expectations. Her journey up till Central Arc was a lot of fun and very compelling but then it just...came to a halt. And her arc never got any real, proper closure I feel. She was instead pushed more and more into the background and she just did not deserve that, man.

Never forget that she is one of the mains after all and she should have been treated as one.

damn I did not think this would get this long ahhdhdf

Miyoko Hojo

When realising that Miyoko's speciality is Chinese cooking, I was super excited for her! I really love Chinese food and I've been waiting for it to be covered in Shokugeki up till that point.

I like Miyoko quite a lot, she's definitely one of my faves from the...well, I don't think "secondary" cuts it...the tertiary cast. Unfortunately we've got to see so painfully little of her.

I like that Megumi, in the most Megumi-ways, made her learn a lesson like "Feminism =/= You can not possibly get along with a man. Ever.", but it was also interesting to see acknowledgement of the inequality of men and women within the culinary business through Miyoko.

Miyoko's friendship with Megumi is something I adore and I would have very much liked more of it please. I enjoy the thought of Miyoko, this tough, unapproachable woman, having her face soften whenever this pure, little angel approaches her. Also 100% sure Miyoko would drop-kick whoever gives Megumi a funny look.

I also would have liked to see Miyoko interact more with Kuga, because I imagine it could have been a lot of fun. From the one, tiny interaction they've had I feel that Terunori actually respects Miyoko quite a bit. Which I think is interesting, because Terunori otherwise seems to enjoy bitching at people.

Honestly? If you ask me??? Miyoko should have been in the Regiment de Cuisine.

I'll never get over how she's shown in the audience, alongside Nao, smiling when the rebels are about to snatch victory. Like ahdhFJG, excuse me Ma'am what business do you have just watching??? You can not tell me that from what we've seen about Miyoko that she would not be up to kick Azami's ass out of Totsuki. I generally think it's stupid for the Rebels to go up against the Elites in a number even to them.

Azami. Explicitly told you guys. That you can bring more than that.

You were up against the Elite 10 Council.

YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED ANYONE YOU CAN GET!

YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED MIYOKO

(and Nao as well tbh)

(The Regiment de Cusine could have been a lot better to buy for me if the Rebels had shown up with more participants tbh but that's a different subject)

Anyways, as I said I wish we could have seen a lot more of Miyoko. But it just wasn't meant ot be :( I mean, when characters like Alice and Akira get pushed to the side, what chances does the tertiary cast have?

I'm at least glad that she is sort-off shown being the new president of the Chinese RS in Les Dessert 1? I like that for her.

But yes, ultimately...another criminally underused character. I look forward to write her being a cool mom in my fanfic tho.

#well #that was rather lengthy hdhfhf #Rambly Asks #Shokugeki no Soma #Megumi Tadokoro #Miyoko Hojo

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i-write-sometimes-blog · 4 years

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Troublemaker (Ahsoka Tano x Reader)

Summary: After leaving the Jedi Order Ahsoka appeared into your life as she always did, to keep you out of trouble.

Words: 1,488

A/N: Some little Anon requested some Ahsoka x female reader, well here it is. This is my first time writing her so forgive me if it feels a little out of character and also makes absolutely not sense with the CW storyline, but I hope you like it.

Footsteps echoed through the corridors as you ran as fast as your legs allowed you, constantly checking over your shoulders for your pursuers, they sounded closer than you would have liked, close enough for them to start blasting at you. As the rain of shots started you speed up taking every turn that could protect you from the blaster and keep the distance between them.

“Move!” you yelled as you found yourself in a new street full of people moving around you passed through them, bumping into some of them so you could escape from the men that followed you through the overpopulated streets and corridors of Coruscant.

The group of men running behind you yelled at you to stop as they shot against you making many people scream and causing a small chaos in the middle of the place that attracted some curious eyes but specially a pair of light blue eyes watching from the distance.

You got into a very dark street if that could be called street, it was rather a corridor filled with boxes with mystery things inside, most of them probably illegal. Finally you heard no steps chasing you and allowed yourself to catch your breath leaning against one of those big containers, your hand ready to take the blaster waiting for you in the side of your hips and the time to use it came sooner than you expected as your pursuers found your hiding spot.

There were at least a dozen men around you, some of them human and some from distant planets all of them with the same killer expression as they pointed their weapons at you. With an easy move you took a couple of them and managed to dodge the rest of the blasters, already getting ready to get back to the run when one of the big containers moved creating a barrier between you and those dangerous people. It confused you at first but then you heard a familiar voice behind you that made a big smirk formed on your lips.

“Why are you always in trouble whenever I find you, Y/N?” She asked. “I’m starting to believe you do it on purpose.”

“So you can come and save me every time?” you chuckled finally turning around to meet her face “I know how to take care of myself, Ahsoka.” you told her.

“Yeah, I see that.” she asked, her brow quirked as she chuckled. “You know that container won’t stop them, right?”

“Probably not.” you told her “This way” you said and the young Togruta shook her head.

“No, this way. Follow me, Y/N” she said pointed towards a whole different direction and you walked with her, trusting she knew the way out of here she was the force sensitive one after all.

You met Ahsoka in conditions similar to this, though back then was you who saved her from some thieves and then you found out she didn’t actually need your help, she was strong and smart enough to fight them. Talking with her you found out she was a Jedi padawan eager to learn. You couldn’t deny you felt a bit down when she was gone but gladly she was assigned to patrol the crowded streets of your home planet, Coruscant.

Both of you walked silently for a couple minutes until you couldn’t contain your questions anymore.

“What brought you to Coruscant? Were you patrolling?” you asked her.

“No, this is different.” she said in an unusual serious tone.

“A mission.” you assumed and then you looked around. “Just you? Or Skywalker is hidden somewhere here?” you joked, you knew her for enough time to know about her Master and the whole thing with the Jedi Order. You loved to hear the stories about her missions, was one of your favorite things to do when she was there, always wanting to see those amazing planets she described.

“No, it’s just me.” she looked over her shoulder as if she was checking nobody was following you but you knew she did it to hide her face, she was by far the worst liar you ever met and hiding her emotions was not something she used to do, no matter she tried to. “What about you, Y/N?” she asked changing the subject “What did you do to those thugs that made them so mad?”

“I owe them money.” you told her and she laughed, she sure was expecting that answer.

“Can’t pay them?” she gave you a questioning yet playfully gaze.

“Already spent the credits” you confessed excited. “I bought a starship!”

“What?” she said surprised and you stopped to glance at her, admiring the way the lights made her blue eyes shine softly.

“I told you I was going to leave this planet one day” you reminded her with a smile. “Well, now I finally can.” you told her proudly.

“I’m happy for you, Y/N” she said with a smile “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know yet, somewhere better than this I hope.”

“Anything is better than this, trust me” she told you as she started to walk and you followed her, “I could show you some places if you want.” she said looking over her shoulder, her playful gaze made it really hard for you to hide the blush over your face.

“I’d love to” you told her, the idea of this young woman showing you the galaxy completely delighted you, you had been crushing on her since the very first time you saw her, you admired her slim figure, her soft skin especially those little white figures that adorned her face and made her eyes looked a bit of a darker blue. You adored her reckless personality, her stubbornness that many times pulled you into dangerous places and her kind generous soul. Yeah, you had to admit you loved her just so much but you never did anything because you knew the Jedi ways.

“But what about your missions? Anakin surely isn’t gonna let you go with me just so you can show me some planets.” you told her. She stared at you slowly shaking her head.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” she said serious “I...left.”

“Why would you do that?”

“It’s complicated” she said looking at the ground. “And now I don’t know what to do, that was basically my life, I don’t think I’m good at anything else.” You stayed quiet for a moment and then you approached and carefully lifting her chin with your fingers and made her look at you, she looked so conflicted, you wanted to help if possible.

“Listen, Ahsoka. I don’t know what happened there, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to but you’re are gonna get through this, okay?” you told her “You’re the most awesome, intelligent and stubborn person I know. You’re extremely good at kicking ass and such a great pilot, you can do everything you want, Tano.” you told her and she gave you a small smile before she pulled you into her embrace.

“Thank you, Y/N.” she murmured.

"So are you coming with me?" You asked and you heard her softly laughing. Then she broke away to look at you but she didn't let go completely off you.

"I wish I could" she said "I think I'm going to stay here for a while, figure out what to do now."

You nodded, you understand she needed some time, it was a lot to process.

"Alright" you told her a bit sad. "I'm leaving in a few hours, so I guess this is the goodbye for now" you announced. And you saw her smirking at you as she raised her brow again.

"Wait, you were going to go without saying goodbye?" She teased.

"I guess the Force was what brought us together today" you told her and she rolled her precious eyes.

"You don't believe in the Force" she said.

"But you do" you watched her for a moment and then you hugged her one last time. "Take care, Ahsoka" you told her reluctantly letting go of her and forcing yourself to walk away.

"Y/N" she stopped you and you gazed at her with a smile "You know, there's something I can do now that I'm not in the Order anymore." She told you.

"What is it?"

Ahsoka rushed to you and pulled you into a soft and yet passionate kiss that lasted less than you would have liked but still it was more than you could have ever asked for.

"How will I find you again, Y/N?" She murmured as the kiss ended.

"Just follow the trouble" you chuckled "and you'll always find me."

She smiled and doubt for a moment before she rushed down the corridor and disappeared into the mass of people that was this planet. You knew this wouldn't be the last time you'd see her.

#ahsoka tano #ahsoka x reader #ahsoka tano x reader #ahsoka x female reader #ahsoka tano x female reader #ahsoka x you #ahsoka x y/n #ahsoka imagine #ahsoka tano imagine #the clone wars #tcw #cw #star wars clone wars #star wars imagine #clone wars #the clone wars imagine

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silenceofthecookies · 4 years

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Hello! I'm fairly new to your blog and I love the way you write Sanji! I was wondering if you can write a scenario for a modern day au where he and his S/O are out on a date and someone recognizes him, calling him "Vinsmoke" in a malicious tone. But before he could say anything, his S/O immediately goes "That isn't Vinsmoke. This is Vansmork Shinji!" Protecting him with a dead serious look in their eyes. How would Sanji react to their response to protect him. Thank you!! 🖤

Hi Anon, welcome to my blog! I’m a sucker for Sanji, not gonna lie. I used to think he was rather annoying with all the womanizing until I saw him during whole cake and now... now I’m weak for him. I’m a sucker for a good backstory. My ramblings aside, enjoy the scenario!

Checking yourself over one last time, you tried to make sure you looked perfect. Your hair? Check. Face? Check. Clothes? Check. Accessoires? Check. You looked casual yet chic. And yet, you felt like you were forgetting something. Sanji walked into the room and noticed you standing in front of the mirror. He looked confused for a bit, before realizing what you were trying to do.

“Darling, you’re not wearing any shoes.” “That’s what I forgot!”

Sanji chuckled as you ran to the closet to get your shoes. He had no idea how you missed it. Then again, he had once seen you step into the shower without taking off your socks. You were both laughing so hard that the romantic mood that was there before was completely gone. As you stepped in front of the mirror again, looking yourself over one last time from head to toe, you nodded happily and turned to Sanji to give him a kiss, one he gladly returned.

“Are you ready, my love?” “I am now. Thanks.” “Don’t mention it. Let’s get today on the road then.”

After receiving another nod from you, the two of you left the house. It was your two-year anniversary after all, and being the romantic he is, Sanji wasn’t going to let it pass by without doing something for it. He had suggested going to the zoo together, he knew you loved all the animals, and after that you’d go have dinner at the restaurant he worked at. At first his plan was to cook for you himself, but you insisted that he’d let someone else cook, not wanting him to spend the majority of the evening, and possibly of the date, in the kitchen. No matter how much you loved his cooking, you wanted his undivided attention on this day. When you put it that way, Sanji couldn’t refuse, but he insisted on going to the Baratie, saying that he’d let the ‘old man’ cook for you, not trusting just anyone to make food for you. Zeff was basically his father, and despite his harsh attitude towards Sanji, he absolutely loved you. He often told you you could do better than a brat like Sanji. You always told him there wasn’t anyone better in the world, which would earn you a smile from both men.

A short drive later you arrived at the zoo. Sanji held your hand as the two of you explored the park, enjoying the proximity. Of course, Sanji had already checked when all the shows would start, and planned your route to be there on time. He loved seeing your face light up at the sights of all these animals and what they could do. He did have one surprise arranged though. At most shows, you were somehow involved. You were allowed to pet the dolphins, to have a beautiful bird of prey on your arm, the name of which you already forgot in your excitement, and you were allowed to feed some other animals. You had no idea how he had arranged this, but you couldn’t be more excited, and you were sure to show him your appreciation in the forms of hugs and kisses. Nothing could ruin this day.

Until some passerby couldn’t keep his nasty comments to himself.

“Of course, a fucking Vinsmoke. How much blood money did you pay the zoo to get your little toy over there to pet some animals, huh?”

Sanji’s expression darkened. His biological family, the Vinsmoke family, ran a crime syndicate. Everyone knew it, yet the police could never gather enough evidence to capture them, or at least to capture someone worthy of capturing, like the head of the family, Judge, or one of his children. Most people didn’t like having these criminals in their town and sadly for Sanji, due to their eyebrows, a Vinsmoke was easily recognizable. Even though he left the family at a young age and hadn’t committed a single crime in his life, he was still regularly associated with them. People were cruel beings after all. It didn’t matter if you yourself did nothing wrong, if your family did something wrong, you were lumped in with them. An idea came to you though, you were not going to let this man just insult your boyfriend. Making your face as serious as you could, you spoke up.

“What do you mean? Are you blind? This is no Vinsmoke. This is Vansmork Shinji. Really, you’ve got some guts, calling him a Vinsmoke.”

Sanji’s head whipped around to look at you in shock. Were you actually standing up for him? Sanji felt a mix of gratefulness and guilt. He was thankful that you’d want to stand up for him, and that you’d want to start a fight, even if just verbally, for him. But at the same time, he felt so bad for it. You shouldn’t have to do this. You shouldn’t have to possibly get into trouble for him. Zeff was right, you did deserve so much better than him...

“Look, I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but that is bullshit.” “Oh, this is bullshit? You haven’t seen anything yet. You want to know what actual bullshit is, mister? Actual bullshit is bothering someone who’s just having a fun day out with their partner, and accusing them of stuff because you think you know what’s going on. You think you know what you’re talking about and you want to pretend to be superior than others to make up for your own low self-esteem.” Both Sanji and the man stared at you in shock at this point. “But-” “I wasn’t done yet! Didn’t your parents ever teach you that interrupting people while they’re talking is impolite? Though I guess they never taught you to respect people either, or to keep your own uneducated opinion to yourself, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t. But let me educate you a little, you poor unknowing soul. Yes, the Vinsmoke family sucks. However, if you had done your research properly before insulting strangers on the street, you’d notice Judge has 3 sons and a daughter. A daughter with pink hair, and three sons with red, blue and green hair. You see a blonde anywhere around? I don’t. Neither do the press or the police. That’s because Sanji is not affiliated with them. He’s trying to live a normal life without all that nonsense of the crime syndicate, but people like you are insulting him without any fucking reason. Now who’s the real bad guy here, huh?! Maybe next time you pretend to be such a good person, do it in the form of charity instead of insulting innocent people walking by.”

As you finished your rant, you noticed you were out of breath. You were so mad, and you knew that if you stuck around any longer, you’d punch this man in his now very pale face. Tightening your hold on Sanji’s hand, you said an angry ‘good day mister’ before he could answer you and walked away. Pulling him away from the crowd that had gathered around you as you ranted, you arrived at a quieter spot of the zoo where you could finally calm yourself down. As you turned to Sanji to ask if he was ok, you noticed he was on the verge of tears.

“Oh no, Sanji, I’m so sorry you had to hear all of that, I’m sure that was very upsetting,…" “That’s not it, Y/N... I’m... happy. You just got so mad for me... you didn’t need to, we could’ve just walked away... but please, don’t do it again. What if that man had become violent?” “Then we would’ve kicked his ass together. I’m done with people judging you for your lineage. You’re better than all of them put together. Please, remember that, love.” “Zeff is right... I really don’t deserve you.” Sanji said, smiling through his tears. “I think the same nearly every day, Sanji. Now let’s go, shall we? We still have dinner to go to today.”

Wiping his tears, Sanji smiled at you and offered you his hand again. Silently thanking his lucky stars one more time for meeting you, he walked to the restaurant with you, determined to make the best of the rest of the day.

#opfics #sanji x reader #one piece x reader #sanji imagine #one piece imagine #vinsmoke sanji #sanji/reader #sanji reader #sanji scenario #one piece scenario #cookie writes #scenario #requested #anon #scheduled post

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ginger-snapled · 3 years

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It was shaping up to be just another regular night on the clock. There were the usuals sipping their poison of taste and sliding dollars over like it somehow made them special. Then the newbs, you could always tell which ones were stopping in for the first time. Typically, they had two other ‘buddies’ with them, egging them on and making crude comments trying to eek a blushed reaction from said Newb. And more often than not succeeding, which always meant whichever girl was closest received the blunt end of rude commentary and a couple $20s slipped over by Newb with an apologetic smile. Max stood at the door, arms crossed, surveying the crowd as an ever-looming presence that would likely snap your neck almost as quickly as he could ask you to leave. There was no need to feel unsafe with his calculating glare keeping tabs.

“I need you in room two.” The night manager, Jax, appeared next to me from what I could only assume was shadow walking as I hadn’t heard a single movement.

“It’s Amber’s night. And AJ’s backup.” I protested, scanning the crowd in mild confusion. None of the ‘regulars’ of mine were here so there wasn’t any reason for me to run a room on my off night.

“Yea well…Amber’s already been in there. As has AJ” Jax grunted shaking his head. “Candie, Brit, Celine, and Angel too if you’re wondering. I went through the list of everyone scheduled tonight before coming to you. I’m not stupid.”

One of the perks of being more ‘established’ here was that even the managers knew better than to send you in for tasks not on your day’s schedule. Gone were the nights of doing whatever was said in order to make money and keep making it. My face must have betrayed my shock as the names were rattled off because Jax quickly kept on before I could object.

“N-not like that. No. Fuck no. We’d have asked him to leave if that was the case. No” He paused giving me a side eye. “He said he’s just here looking for some relaxation but for whatever reason he keeps dismissing them. Candie was asked to leave before she’d even made it all the way through the door…you can imagine her reaction to that sort of ego pop.”

We both snickered as I could absolutely imagine it, Candie was one of those women who believed she was a gift to human kind and acted accordingly. If you didn’t worship her existence there wasn’t much point to yours. “All right…” I gave in, pulling my jacket off and handing it over. “But I’m skipping out on it being my room Wednesday. You’ll have to find someone to fill in.”

Jax took my jacket with a grateful sigh, clearly relieved though I couldn’t understand why. “Okay…look…you get him to commit to his hour reservation payment and I’ll take you off the room for two rotations. Dude’s offered a couple grand cash if we can offer this ‘relaxation’ he’s after and clearly run of the mill strip tease and CandieCane blow jobs isn’t it…”

Ah…there it was. The ever-present money motivator. I chuckled, giving Jax a thumbs up as I made my way to the room. I wouldn’t say it out loud but I had to admit I wanted to know who was in the room. I didn’t hold too much hope that I’d keep his attention, while I know I’m above average in the looks department I definitely think at least two of the others rank above me. And he’d dismissed them.

I knocked, entering without waiting for invitation, and glanced around. The room was as it always was, comfortable seats on one side, small private stage and pole directly in front, a little table where drinks rested. And an unassuming man who lounged in one of the chairs. I’d never seen him before but judging by his relaxed demeanor he wasn’t among the newbs, and the causal jeans and t-shirt he sported pegged him far lower on the corporate chain than most men using this room.

“Evening.” I offered sweetly, starting towards the stage. “I’ll be stepping in for your entertainment. If there’s anything you want or need don’t hesitate to let me know.”

He hadn’t stopped me in the door way, though I felt his eyes move over my clothing and tried not to feel self-conscious. Jax would die if he knew I hadn’t changed before going to ‘work’ and instead popped in wearing my street clothes. Which today consisted of yoga pants, a sports bra, and an off the shoulder sheer shirt. I’d had the good sense to kick my shoes off at the door but otherwise I probably looked like the plainest woman around.

I placed my phone on the speaker, setting the playlist and making my way to the pole. I preferred dancing to instrumental music, lyrics tending to get in the way of intention and vision. It’s easy to get into the movements of dancing when it’s not for anyone other than myself, usually not a problem for me. But tonight was different because of Jax’s urgency that this work…and the man barely even glancing my way.

I’m not sure how he dismissed any of the other ladies working tonight because not once did I catch his eyes on me, not a single twist or bend. He didn’t seem to notice when my shirt landed on the floor, nor did he bat an eye as I slowly peeled off my yoga pants one leg at a time. (Yes girls, there’s a sexy way to do this). No…he spent the entire time staring at the lit square screen in the palm of his hand, sipping his drink. I should have been happy that he hadn’t sent me out. This is what Jax had wanted. This was what I was supposed to be doing. But I couldn’t be happy about it because the jackass hadn’t given me enough of a look over to even KNOW whether he wanted me to stay or not. I made it through 7 songs before frustration got the better of me.

My bra lay on the stage with the rest of my clothes and I found myself hopping off and all but stomping to this man without realizing it. ‘get your ass back up there and keep your mouth shut’ I could hear Jax all but screaming in my mind.

“Am I boring you?” Too late. My head-space Jax fainted as the man finally looked up at me, dark eyes blankly assessing.

The only part of me not naked was the thin line of a lace thong, the rest of me was bared a mere foot from him. I’d been naked in front of plenty of men but for some reason the fact he’d all but ignored me up until now made my nakedness new all over. My breasts reacted sharply to this arousal, nipples perking up, and he must have noticed because immediately his lips parted in a proud smirk.

“Yes.” Was all he offered, staring at me for a moment, then looking back to the screen in his hand.

I stared at him, disbelief that made me impulsive and frankly frustrated. And a little wet.

“Then what can I do to make you NOT bored?” I asked, trying to keep my tone level. He laughed.

“Ha. Doll face…does a chef at a michellin star restaurant ask his customer what he can do to make the food not boring?” He still didn’t look at me. “No. The customer is paying for a meal that should be divine based on the reputation of the restaurant. Either you’re a chef who knows how to do their job. Or you might want to go back to waitressing.”

That was it. He never once looked back up. But he also hadn’t dismissed me. ‘Go back to the stage, give him this dumbass meal he’s paid for and leave it be.’ Inner Jax had come to enough to start ordering me again. But I was too heated by now. This customer had been dismissive of everyone on staff, dismissive of ME, and now basically insinuated I needed a different job since I was incompetent in mine. Or so I heard.

I don’t know what happened, I don’t know how it happened, but one moment I was standing in front of him demanding to know if I was boring and the next I had straddled myself over his leg. I began grinding my clit against him with the beat of the song and took his free hand to hold my breast. He didn’t bat an eye which only made me grind harder. Desperate now for him to show he noticed at all. But he didn’t.

I kept pressing my clit against him, grinding harder on his leg as a wet spot began to grow on his jeans. The roughness of the fabric only teased my thighs farther and I knew I was dripping. I wanted him to pinch my nipples, slide a finger into my wetness, anything to show he noticed the ache that had grown. But he didn’t. My breathing got deeper the longer I used his thigh to tease myself, the hand resting on my breast did nothing to alleviate my desires and I could feel the pleasure building within me.

“Do not cum.”

He hadn’t looked at me, but he’d finally spoken again. Only this time it was to deny the very thing I wanted so desperately. And like hell I was going to listen to the jackass who hadn’t paid a single bit of attention to me all evening. AND had called me boring.

I came. Hard. Wetness spilling out of me and soaking onto his jeans. A delicious intensity of pleasure that rocked my core and released the tension his rude words had given me.

“Now look what you’ve done…I hope you’re ready to pay for that.”

His tone was teasing, full of wicked promise, and I realized he was no longer staring at the phone. I also realized I’d missed something crucial during my intensely pleasure-filled orgasm.

There was a bulge between his legs, straining to break the jeans away…and his free hand had slid up to my throat.

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saiyanwhore · 3 years

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Arranged (Vegeta X Reader)

Chapter Two // Friends and Allies

It was later in the afternoon and Vegeta had not joined you for lunch after his little temper tantrum.

You had made him a plate down in the kitchen before walking through the large halls to his room.

You had knocked three times and entered the room where there was no sign of Vegeta.

Well, until you heard the shower running.

You assumed he had gone into the shower to relax after the emotionally and physically exhausting training session the two of you shared.

You knew Vegeta loved showers very much actually. He liked how they gave him time to think.

You smiled as you walked into the bathroom.

"Vegeta?" You softly hummed his name.

He didn't answer the first time, so you tried again.

"Vegeta?"

Still no answer.

You knew exactly what had happened.

He had fallen asleep in the shower.

Vegeta must have really not been feeling well. He only falls asleep in the shower when he's extremely sad and upset.

You grabbed a towel, nice and fluffy. You gently opened the curtain to see him sitting criss cross on the shower floor, his hair laying over his shut eyes.

You turned the water off and wrapped the towel around him, trying to be mindful of his tail.

You effortlessly picked him up and carried him to his bed, covering him up in the process.

You wouldn't want anyone walking in on a naked Vegeta lying on the bed.

You walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out some sweatpants and a t-shirt for later and laid them out on the end of the bed.

You had previously set his plate down on the table next to his bed, and you allowed it to remain there.

He could always eat later and he was overdue for a nice nap.

You left a small kiss on his forehead before smiling to yourself and exiting his room.

*Hours Later*

Vegeta woke up and immediately realized he had fallen asleep in the shower.

Embarrassment fell over his face as he realized it was either you or the maids who carried him out and brought him lunch.

It was revealed to him that it was you when he saw the clothes laying on the end of the bed.

The maids always laid out armor for him.

You, knowing he didn't feel well, gave him comfy clothes.

He would never admit it, but there was something about you that made him giddy.

The thought of you carrying him from the shower to the bed, all by yourself, made his heart feel funny.

Vegeta was scared, but his pride would not allow him to give away his vulnerable position to anyone but you.

He trusted you to keep quiet and not to bug him about things that he didn't want to be bugged about.

Vegeta got up and dressed himself. He sat and ate a cold lunch. His stomach still felt a little unsatisfied after he basically inhaled the plate of food.

Which reminded him to check the time.

8 o'clock at night!

He had missed dinner!

He grumbled loudly as he stood up and walked over to his wardrobe. It would be entirely unacceptable to be seen in his current attire outside the training room and his own room.

He was looking for his usual armor when he realized he forgot about his fitting tomorrow.

"For heaven's sake!" He screamed.

"What's wrong?" You had snuck your way in.

Vegeta's eyes lit up once he saw you had a cart of food in front of you.

"Finally, someone has the decency to find me for dinner." He put up his tough guy act and made a snarky remark as he sat down.

"A thank you would be nice Vegeta!" You flicked his ear. "And your parents were absolutely furious you weren't at dinner! If it weren't for me making excuses for you, you'd be dead meat."

The Prince didn't say anything as he started shoving his face with food. You watched him devour the whole cart in minutes, you doing something similar at dinner an hour ago.

After all, you were a Saiyan just like the Prince. You too had a tail.

Once Vegeta was done, he crossed his arms and looked up at you.

"How ya feeling?" You questioned sitting next to him on the bed, pulling fuzzies off his shirt.

"Would you stop that!?" He yelled. "And I am just fine, woman. I don't know why you insist on checking on me!"

You laughed at him.

"Vegeta. It's me, Y/N. Quit treating me like a stranger. You can cut the bullshit, love."

He became flustered at the sudden nickname. He put a hand to his forehead and cleared his throat.

"I suppose you know that I fell asleep in the shower."

"Yes?"

"Thank you for getting me out. It's always embarrassing when I wake up knowing the maids saw me...well you know..."

"Naked?" You questioned, poking at his chest.

"Shut up!" He crinkled his nose.

You giggled at your best friend's behavior as you plopped back on the bed.

"You're welcome." You softly hummed. Vegeta looked back at you with expressionless eyes before speaking again.

"I apologize for earlier as well." He mumbled, almost inaudible.

You knew it took Vegeta so much guts to apologize. He always was an asshole, and he knew it too. His pride would never allow him to say sorry to anyone really. It was rare that even you received an apology from him.

You gave him a small smile and grabbed his hand.

"Thank you Vegeta."

He blushed and looked away, eyes going to the floor as you watched the gears turn in his head.

"Vegeta, I know this is all really scary and stressful for you. It will be alright. Even if you are in an arranged marriage or whatever. You'll still be the strongest warrior I know. I mean come on! You kick everyone's ass all the time while training. Even mine! You know that not even the toughest trainees can beat myself. You'll find your way. I'll be here too. Supporting you and always making sure you're alright and comfortable. Always."

You got done with your little speech and you could tell by the look on his face that it meant a lot. He probably wouldn't admit it though.

You sat up and engulfed him in a huge hug. He just stayed still as you embraced him

"I cannot allow myself to be with a woman who is weak. I am afraid that is what I will receive." He huffed. "My mother is going to be searching for a family woman. Someone who is not a warrior or in any sort of leadership position. Whoever they deem fitting will be entirely family focused which is the last thing I will require."

"I know, Vegeta. Which is why suggested maybe looking around at some of the female warriors. I know there are few, including myself, but it's worth it if you don't want to just settle for some weakling."

"I am acquainted with every female warrior and none of them are of my liking." Vegeta snarled. His eyes closing shut.

"Not even Sarada?" You teased.

Sarada was Vegeta's long time crush. She was 2 years older than the Prince and was a strong female with determination and guts.

She was the best behind you, of course. But her physique was something men drooled over. You'd be lying if you said you weren't jealous.

Sarada refused to settle down with anyone, despite the several attempts from each and every male that passed her way.

You, on the other hand, were never approached by any male.

And it was all because of Vegeta.

No one dare touch the Prince's lady friend. Any guy that ever showed remote interest, Vegeta would immediately annihilate them. He almost acted like a protective big brother.

You, of course, weren't complaining considering the silent crush you had on him.

"I do not even engage with Sarada anymore, Y/N."

Your stomach bubbled at the use of your name. Vegeta only called you by your name every so often, and each and every time it made you heart flutter and your stomach burn.

Your cheeks flushed as you turned away from him, eyes at the ceiling.

You could feel his stare on you. He was watching your every move, not really understanding why you were so flustered.

"Regardless. Maybe you should try to talk to her?" You quietly started the conversation again. His eyes now tearing away from you and focusing on the floor.

He grunted. "I do not want to speak to her."

You sighed and frowned. If he was not willing, you knew he would be stuck.

The whole time, the both of you thought about the idea of being with one another, but you never dared to suggest it.

Vegeta would never flat out say it, even if he wanted to. You were the same.

"Well, I hate to say it..." You sighed softly. "You may have to just settle."

Vegeta winced at the words that flew so carelessly out of your mouth.

"I will not!" He spat, arms crossing in the process.

You stood up and stretched.

"I probably should hit the hay. Tomorrow's group training and you know how that is." You chuckled as you rolled your eyes.

Vegeta stood up with you to walk you to your room. He always did this when you two were spending time with one another at night.

You both headed toward the door and out into the hallway.

Vegeta placed his palm on the small of your back as if to lead you down the halls. His hand touching so gently.

The walk was very silent, but not awkward. It never was. It was actually very nice in a way. To have him be there with you.

When you both reached your room, Vegeta removed his hand and was waiting for you to go in, to which you grabbed his hand and pulled him with you.

You immediately hugged him, tugging at the hem of his shirt to pull it down in the back.

He was hesitant, but he hugged you back. You knew he needed this right now, whether he would admit it or not.

"It's going to be alright, Vegeta." You whispered.

His scent made its way to your nose. It was almost comforting and nostalgic for you.

He pulled away from you and softly nodded before getting ready to leave.

You reached up and kissed his cheek as he exited through the door, softly closing it behind him.

"Goodnight!" You called.

Vegeta, once he had made his way down the hall a ways, grabbed at his cheek where you had kissed him.

His heart began to flutter. Something he had always felt around you, but did not want to give into. You made him feel okay. You made him feel like it would all work out. You took care of him, even though you both were warriors.

He thought to himself that he wouldn't mind you as a wife, but quickly suppressed his thoughts.

You were his friend, nothing more. He knew you couldn't like him in any other way.

Vegeta reached his room and immediately laid on his bed.

Images of you danced around his brain as he tried to get some sleep.

As you had said, tomorrow was group training. He couldn't afford to lose any sleep.

#vegeta x reader #dragon ball #dragon ball super #dbz #dbzvegeta #x reader #vegeta fanfiction #vegeta #prince vegeta #arrangedvegetaxreader

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drivingsideways · 3 years

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k-drama rec list

Prior to 2020 I’d maybe watched 2 k-dramas in my entire life, but this year I got sucked in, thanks to some great recs, and y’know, *gestures * everything.

I think I’d held off watching kdramas because my impression of them was limited to romances that I didn’t enjoy at all. But this was the year I discovered the equivalent of “gen fic” kdrama- dramas that had wonderful ensemble casts, strong story lines that weren’t entirely romance focused and also a variety in terms of themes and styles. A big plus was that I found so many of these dramas had women leading the writers’ room, and seeing the effect of that in the story telling. (Notable exceptions: a certain “star” writer who should please stop inflicting her badly written, formulaic crap on the world, yes Kim Eun-Sook, I mean you, and whoever wrote that trashfire Flower of Evil)

So here I am with my own rec list! Caveat- these are mostly not the dramas released in 2020, I’m still playing catch up! :)

Under the cut for length

My Mister/ My Ahjussi (2018, Written by Park Hae-Young, Directed by Kim Won-Seok, starring Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Ji-eun aka IU)

This was definitely my absolute favourite of the shows I watched this year across western/ asian media. It’s a story about the thread that binds us all and the ineffability of human connection. It’s also a story that deconstructs ideas of masculinity and honour and shame in a non-western context, but with an extremely compassionate touch. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from showing the consequences of material and spiritual poverty; and how one can so easily feed into the other. It’s a love story that isn’t a romance, except that it’s a Romance. It’s about finding salvation in one another and in the kindness of strangers. It’s about choosing life, and picking yourself up off the floor to take that one last step and then the next and then the next. The one quibble I have with the series is that it could have been better paced, it does get extremely slow after the half way mark. But god, do they land the ending. Both Lee Sun-kyun and IU turn in absolutely heartbreaking performances, and fair warning, be prepared to go through an entire box of tissues watching this series.

Life (2018, written by Lee Soo-yeon and directed by Hong Jong-chan, starring Lee Dong-wook, Cho Seung-woo, Won Jin-ah, Lee Kyu-hyung, Yoo Jae-myung and Moon So-ri.)

Medical dramas are very much not my thing, and I wouldn’t have taken a chance on it except that @michyeosseo said I should, and she was right! It’s a medical drama in the sense that it’s set in a hospital, but rather than a “case-fic” format, this is actually a sharp commentary on the corporatization of health care, and the business of mixing, well, money and what should be a fundamental human right. Writer Lee Soo-yeon was coming off the global success of Stranger/Secret Forest S1 when this aired, so I understand that expectations were probably sky-high, and people were disappointed when this show didn’t give them the adrenaline rush that they wanted. On the other hand, I thought that this outing was really much more nuanced in terms of the politics and also how the ending doesn’t allow you the luxury of easy-fixes. This show has a great ensemble cast, and while it took me a while to get used to Lee Dong-wook’s woodenness (i ended up calling him mr.cadaver after watching this and was surprised to learn that he’s very popular?), in the end I was quite sold on his version of angry angst-bucket elder-sibling Dr.Ye Jin-woo. His best scenes were with Lee Kyu-hyung who turns in a lovely, achy performance as the paraplegic Dr. Ye Seon-woo who just wants to live a normal life. The love story between the two brothers is actually the emotional backbone of the story, and I think they landed that perfectly.

My one quibble with writer-nim is that she ended up writing in a forgettable and somewhat (for me at least) uncomfortable romance between the characters played by Won Jin-ah and Cho Seung-Woo. I think part of my uncomfortable-feeling was that I got the strong sense that the writer herself didn’t want to write this romance, it was as if she was being made to shoe-horn it in for Studio Reasons, and she basically grit her teeth and did the worst possible job of it. I do wish we could have absolutely had the OT3 of my dreams: Moon So-ri/Cho Seung-woo/Yoo Jae-myung like, c’mon TV gods MAKE IT HAPPEN, just...look at them!!!!

Anyway, that apart, I think this was a very engaging series, and by engaging, I also mean thirst-enabling, see below.

Stranger (aka Secret Forest or Forest of Secrets) S1 & 2 : (2017-, Written by Lee Soo-yeon, directed by

2017′s smash hit aired a much anticipated second season in 2020, and I managed to catch up just in time to watch that live, so that was thrilling :D . Writer Lee Soo-yeon mixes up thriller/office comedy/political commentary in an ambitious series. I think S1 is more “exciting” than S2 in terms of the mystery and pacing, but S2 is far more dense and interesting in terms of political commentary because it takes a long hard look at institutional corruption and in true writer-nim fashion doesn’t prescribe any easy solutions. Anyway, please enjoy public prosecutor Cho Seung-woo and police officer Bae Doona as partners/soulmates kicking ass and taking names in pursuit of Truth, Justice and just a goddamn peaceful meal, along with a stunningly competent ensemble cast. Also yes, Han Yeo Jin is a lesbian, sorry, I don’t make the rules.

Search: WWW (2019, Written by Kwon Do-Eun, directed by Jung Ji-hyun & Kwon Young-il, starring Im Soo-jung, Lee Da-hee, Jeon Hye-jin)

GOD. Where do I start? +1000 for writer Kwon Do-Eun saying “fuck the patriarchy” in the most grandiose way possible, i.e. absolutely refusing to acknowledge that it exists. Yes, this is that power fantasy, and it’s also a fun, slice-of-life tale about three women navigating their way through work, romance, national politics and everything in between. It’s true that I wasn’t entirely sold on the amount of time spent on the romance, and I really wish they’d actually had a textual wlw romance, though the subtext through the entire series is PRACTICALLY TEXT. But still, it maintains that veneer of plausible deniability and I think queer fans who are sick of that kind of treatment in media have a very valid grouse against the show. On the other hand, personally I felt that the queer-platonic vibe of the show is very wonderful and true to real life, and it was only reinforced by the ending. This is a show written by a woman for women (like me), and it shows.

Hyena (2020, Written by Kim Roo-Ri, directed by Jang Tae-yoo & Lee Chang Woo, starring Kim Hye-soo and Ju Ji-hoon )

Those of you who’ve been watching hit zombie epic Kingdom are probably familiar with Ju Ji-hoon’s brand of sexiness already. I had not watched Kingdom and got hit in the face by Mr.Sexy McSexyPants’ turn as a brash, privileged-by-birth, up and coming lawyer who gets completely runover by the smoking hot and incredibly dangerous fellow lawyer/competitor from the other side of the tracks in the person of Kim Hye-Soo. When I say they set the room on fire, I mean it, ok. Every single scene between these two is an actual bonfire of sexual attraction and emotional hand grenades, and they’re both absolutely riveting to watch. “Flower of Evil” wishes they had what this show has- an actual grown up romance as opposed to a thirteen year old twilight fan’s idea of an adult romance.

The “lawyer” shenanigans and the “cases” are hit or miss, and I think the occasional comedy fell flat for me. But that’s not why I mainlined like 6 episodes of this series overnight like a coke addict, and that’s not why you’re going to do it either. It’s so RARE, even in these enlightened days to find a female character like Jung Geum-ja: hard as nails, unapologetic about it, and not punished by the narrative for it. The best part for me is that she feels like a woman’s woman, not a man’s idea of what a Strong Female Character should be. Anyways, when I grow up I want to have what Kim Hye-soo has ok?

Other dramas that I watched this year, quickly rated:

The King: Eternal Monarch (3/10 and those 3 points are only for the combined goodness of second leads who deserved better- Jung Eun Chae, Woo Do Hwan and Kim Kyung Nam. Please head over to my AO3 and read my attempts to fix this garbage fire and rescue their characters from canon)

Flower of Evil (-10/100, dont @ me)

Tale of the Nine Tailed (5/10, I think it succeeds at what it set out to do, which is a light hearted, sweet fantasy-romance-melodrama, plus “second lead” Kim Beom will make you cry as the hot mess of a half human/ half fox spirit ALL TEARS character. I think if you’re into kdrama romances as a genre, this is probably a good bet?)

Signal (7/10, This was the first full kdrama I watched this year and would definitely recommend. It’s a police procedural with time travel shenanigans and has an engaging plot, good pacing, texture and compelling performances. My one disappointment with it was the way they wrote Kim Hye-soo’s character. As literally the only female character to survive in any way, she was given short shrift, and toward the end it really began to grate on me.)

Six Flying Dragons - (7/10, also would recommend if you’re interested in Korean historicals. It definitely already feels a bit dated in terms of styling and production values, and even scripting and acting choices. But it has a good balance of fantasy and history and political commentary. I was not a fan of Yoo In-Ah’s performance in this series, but it’s not anything that would make you want to nope out of the series. It’s GoT , if GoT was thoughtful about politics and characters and not the misogynist, racist trashfire that it became.)

My Country: The New Age - (3.5/10, and that’s 3 points to Jang Hyuk’s fan and 0.5.points to Woo Do Hwan’s heaving bosom. If you like your historical drama/fantasy with very pretty men, very gay subtext -seriously RIP to show makers who thought they could hetero it but didn’t account for Woo Do Hwan’s Tragic Face- lots of blood and tears and very nonsense plot, this is right up your alley. I probably would have enjoyed it more in other circumstances, I think? But this one just annoyed me too much at the time!

I have a couple of more dramas to watch on my list, that’ll probably carry me over into 2021, so see ya on the other side! :D

#k-drama #kdrama rec list #2020: A YEAR #i'm a queue for you

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mystech-master · 3 years

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F/GO High School/Modern AU BS

Me and @rex101111 have been talking about a modern/HS AU ft. as many Chaldean servants as possible. Here are the ideas we came up with (I am pretty much cut and pasting our message convo, so this is a mixture of both me and Rex's ideas):

Gil is the douchbag Senior everyone hates but his dad owns the school or whatever so he can do whatever he wants. The only decent person who willingly hangs out with him is his childhood friend Enkidu who's hoping he can un-douch his bro. He has kid Gil as his little brother and Caster Gil as his older bro who both agree that he sucks (Gil is the loser middle child of the family), Caster Gil wonders what Enkidu sees in his shit head brother. "He's too good for you." "Blow it out your ass." "One day he's going to wise up, see how much of a shit you are, and when you're all alone don't come crying to me." Caster Gil is in college studying political science, Kid Gil goes to a fancy boarding school. Archer Gil goofs off and throws parties

Scathach is a swimming class teacher, mainly b/c I recall underwater training being a part of Cu's regiment under her tutelage. People were jealous of the Cus for like two seconds when they find out the swim teacher is their mom, then they see her having them do an extra twenty laps and ignoring when OG Cu starts floating in the water. "CU DIED!" "YOU'RE NOT HUMAN!" while Scathach is like "you have two seconds to stop playing around before I ACTUALLY drown you" and he's back to doing laps.

Yeah with 4-5 Cus (if you count Setanta from Arcade) that is like 5 brothers.

Nightingale as school nurse, she is friends with Asclepius who works at a hospital associated with the school (strictly professional, but the students think otherwise).

Side note, keep in mind you can have multiple servants be the same type of teacher, just for different classes/grades.

King Hassan is the old Religious History teacher. Every one thinks he's older then the rock is the school is made out of. He has a scary face and a scarier voice but most students consider him the most fair and patient teacher in the whole school. He always gets a lot of food gifts before Ramadan form the students. (A few students, such as the Guda twins and Mash, call him gramps.) The other Hassans are his grandkids, like actual grandkids. He's super strict with them because he expects a lot from them. He always praises them when they do well though. He made sure they ALL got into his class and they've been living in fear ever since. They love their grandpa but by Allah they know not to disappoint him. The only one to ever get out of anything is kid Hassan (one of the hundred face). Cursed Arm is oldest, then Asako (the main hundred face), then Serenity.

"I am very disappointed in ALL of you, have you all lost your heads? I swear I-*to kid Hassan*-ah no Habibi not you you're fine here have a candy-*back to the rest*-I KNOW you're better than this!"

VERY traditional guy, Cursed Arm mutters "Oh for God's sake" while doing a pop quiz and King Hassan looms over him and growls, "No Blaspheming In This Class Room"

For the various Artoria/Arturias, I imagined Lancer and Lancer Alter being sisters, so Saber Alter is a cousin. That leaves everyone else to just be sisters with one brother. Mother Lartoria owns a casino and gas her own yacht in reference to the summer event where she became a Ruler. If you want MHX could be a part of the family as a massive fucking Star Wars nerd. MHXX and MHX Alter are her mom and sister (so MHXX is a third sister for the two Lancer Artorias)

For Irisviel, I remember in one of the Nero Fest things that she was called Therapist Iri. Maybe she starts to get into that b/c she wants to help her adoptive son Shirou (instead of a big fire like in Zero it can be an orphanage fire thing, similar situation but a much smaller scale) , so she is the school therapist/psychiatrist. Like Maruki in P5 Royal.

Iskandar died in his 30s, Waver is around his 30s as Lord El Melloi II. The two are old college friends who still hang out and Alexander is Iskandar’s kid.

If you guys want you can see this as the two being gay dads since I know that ship is popular.

Fran had an abusive father before Babbage and Moriarty got involved. In the og story, Frankenstien has a scientific mindset like his creator, here Fran has a talent in the field, but she also hates it b/c it reminds her of him. Like imagine being talented at the thing your abusive parent was good at/known for. Moriarty tried to get it into her that SHE'S the one with the talent, not her college dropout bum of a father, "From you tell me of him Victor couldn't engineer his way out of an argument with a cat, you have a magnificent mind my dear, not letting it flourish to spite him would be a horrible waste...it's your talent, your skill. Not his." He smiles that smile she loves that scares every one but she knows he only smiles like that when he is absolutely convinced of something, "and you can out perform him without breaking a sweat."

Moriarty teaches Fran sign language while Babbage teaches her some engineering.

Jekyll is going for a major in medicine with a minor in law (in the actual irl story Dr. Jekyll was a doctor in medicine and law).

For science associated servants, you got da Vinci, Babbage, Edison, and Tesla as possible science teachers.

The Jeanne sisters. Without the Avenger BS, the reason Jalter (or Joan as one series of fics calls her) could hate her here is just inferiority complex and being compared to her perfect saint big sister all her life. Joan does have her talents, based on the summer event an, but again she doesn't acknowledge her own talent b/c of her always being compared to her older sister., in the 7 counterfeit events she is a really good artist. And it is the typical thing of Jeanne actually being scared out of her wits of being less than perfect because of all the expectations thrust on her. She gets one A- and runs to the bathroom crying and Joan has to swallow her pride and actually have a conversation with her sister for the first time in years. Jeanne Alter lily puts up Christmas decorations super early, much to Jeanne Alter/Joan's displeasure.

"IT JUST TURNED NOVEMBER CHILL TF OUT!"

"CHRISTMAS!"

Martha is Jeanne's BF since middle school and has this HUGE dog that scares everyone and growls at anyone expect Martha and Jeanne. She calls him Terry.

Rex loves Penthesilea. and we talked at length about the situation between her and Achilles. Can you not tell that he likes a woman who can kick his ass *gestures to all of his Baiken posts*

Rex's idea: I think they had a fight when they were little and Achilles, being a little shit back then, made fun of her for being a girl, and Penth has been sore about it ever since. She keeps running into big misogynistic meatheads that reminded her of that and she just got angrier over the years. She's a wrestler and can knock out just about every dude in school by herself. Achilles is very regretful about back then and wants to apologize but Penth ain't having any of it.

My idea: I thought they were on opposing HS sports teams and when Achilles handed her ass to her he forgot to drink his respect women juice and then Penth got all pissed.

In this AU, Penth and Hippolyta's dad was a general who taught them how to kick the ass of men twice their size since they were seven or something.

Penth surprises everyone when a festival comes up and she gets picked to be the one to organize everything...and does a spectacular job. Another surprise is that she plans on being a business major when she goes to college (Obligatory Amazoness CEO jokes)

Bedivere is the Arturia Pendragon family butler with a prosthetic arm. He's also the security guard, last guy that tried to steal something or cause trouble got slapped right out of the window he sneaked in from.

Francis Drake and Artoria Alter Lancer are work friends (referencing them both being associated with the Wild Hunt in F/GO's lore).

Beni-Enma is the short and shorter tempered lunch lady, last kid who mouthed off at her during lunch got smacked upside the head with her spoon. She's sweet, but if you're in detention and have to help her in the kitchen she's a mini Gorden Ramsey, "IT'S RAW DECHI!!!" She can also come into the home EC class where Shirou is her best student. Also her roasting of the other girls like in her quest. Getting Fs in Beni's class is the worst, because it isn't just an F, it's a meticulous dressing down of exactly why letting into a kitchen should be considered a war crime, dechi.

The three Avenger Nobus are three different people. 1st Ascension is basically Archer Nobu, then you got Oda Kipposhi, and then the mom is Ascension 3 with Demon King Nobunaga. The youngest Ascension 1 Nobu is a musician. Demon King Nobu is one of those "super scary but also super polite people that only makes them scarier" type, basically a female koei Nobunaga from samurai warriors (check out some cutscenes form the games with him, he's a treat).

Imagine Demon King Nobu mom in a business suit.

Suzuka Gozen and Sei Shonagon are the textaholics who always talk in slang to the point of it sounding like they speak a different language. Murasaki is the librarian but Sei is like that ONE student who just makes her job so much harder.

Every week it's "No phones in the library Miss Shonagon." while Sei rolls her eyes and types out twitter post like "fugly ol librarian at my school needs a life lol"

Oui Katsushika is a gifted art student, and her dad (not a floating little octopus), is just a normal dude with a squid/octopus like beard. She's the teacher's pet in De Vinci's art class.

Eresh and Ishtar come from a rich family, Ereshkigal is the older sister so she had a shit load of responsibility to take over the family business while Ishtar basically gets to party her life away. Rin is the cousin they each try and swing their way. Eresh wants Rin to keep up her studies and get into a good university, Ishtar wants Rin to loosen the fuck up and admit that she likes that scrawny Emiya kid already.

BB is the host of a talk show downtown so she is kind of an absentee mom. Meltryllis has prosthetic legs that she specifically asked to be made into stilts b/c she wanted to be taller, and Passonlip has a massive rack that makes life difficult (either people staring, people assuming she's gonna be a home wrecker b/c said staring must be intentional, etc.), and of course he also has prosthetic arms to match her canon claws, obviously not as massive.

Hijikata is a very serious police officer but his wife Carmilla just uses this to have fun in the bedroom. They have two Dobermans. Hijikata's route has him patrolling near the school so most of the kids know as that scary police dude that has a picture of his wife in his pocket. One day a famous Idol called Eli-chan~ (yes spelled with the ~) is about to perform in the town and the kids can't stop talking about her, so Hijikata overhears. But, being the serious dude he is he shrugs it off until he sees a picture of this "Eli-chan~" and realizes it's his sister-in-law that came to visit and suddenly the influx of parasitic paparazzi near his house start making sense.

Carmilla: "Now you see why I hate them?", Hijikata: "No you cannot send the dogs after them honey."

She almost ran one of them over in her, very expensive, car and when that reporter says she should be locked up Hijikata corrects that would only happen if she had hit him...and she would be fined. For littering.

Okita Alter being Hijikata's partner, while Okita is her younger sister who's looked up to Hijikata since she was a little kid but she has asthma and such so she's afraid she might not get accepted.

Sigurd owns a metalworks shop (referencing his myth where he was raised by the dwarf Reginn), he met his wife Brynhildr when she was disowned by her overly controlling father.

Ozymandias, Nitocris, and Cleopatra are all the high board members of a company. Nitocris specifically got wind of Scheherazade's abusive husband situation and after getting said husband arrested, she offered Scheherazade a job.

Atalanta is a college student/TA who worked with Achilles' dad who ends up at their HS for a program or something, Achilles' dad has told him a lot about her.

Amakusa Shirou is an uncle married to the CEO of Babylon Gardens Pharmaceuticals, Semiramis. Semiramis herself is kinda chill if REALLY scary. She had to be pretty cutthroat to get to her position in the company, but Amakusa Shirou helped her mellow out, but she is still a massive tsundere.

"You know you COULD poison their lunch." "Semi, dear, I'm not going to poison my coworker's sandwich for being an ass." "It wouldn't kill them! Just a bit in their peanut better and they'll be stuck on the toilet for a week, no harm no foul."

Rex initially said Taiga would be an overly enthusiastic gym teacher but then I remembered that she was a homeroom/English teacher in Fate canon, but either or can do if you wanna be unique.

For Quetzalcoatl, Wrestling club supervisor when she isn't the senior year gym teacher. Some of the male students laughed that they didn't think a woman would know anything about wrestling. Two piledrives later, the students have earned a new appreciation for the importance on how not to be two pieces of shit. She's big on Lucha as in canon and during Halloween she gets JAGUARMAN to have an exhibition fight with her. They make a show of it but later on Taiga admits that Quatz could have CRUSHED her if they were actually fighting. She takes the wrestling club out for homemade Mexican food after tournaments

For Siduri, there's a bunch of rumors she's dating Caster Gil but it's strictly professional, Caster respects her too much to consider that. Archer Gil hits on her relentlessly, she manages to wound his ego more severely then anyone else simply by being unfailingly polite in her rejections and treating him like what he is, a teenage punk jumping higher than he can handle to land.

Ibaraki is Shuten's adoptive little sister after she was taken from an abusive mother, hence why Ibaraki looks up to her. Ibuki is either Shuten's big sister who had to take on a guardian role, or just her mom. Shuten and Ibuki have a bit of a strained relationship because Shuten saw the way Ibuki acted as they grew up, taking more and more responsibilities onto herself and refusing any distractions. And she decided that her biggest nightmare is to wake up one morning and realize she's turned into Ibuki so she tries to do everything to avoid that, hence their relationship not being the best. Ibaraki is kinda stuck in the middle because she wants to side with Shuten but she sees where Ibuki is coming from. Messy.

Caren is still Kotomine’s daughter, but he isn’t a good dad and in rebellion she sleeps around despite being a woman of god. Including sleeping with local punk Angra Mainyu. Angra Mainyu seems like a bad guy but he has a shit load of issues due to being blamed for everything going wrong in his old town, eventually coming to believe them and thinking he will cause nothing but problems. Caren banging him gives him a type of closeness he’s never felt, but under very warped circumstances.

For the Tamamo family, Vitch totally fucked her way up a corporate ladder or something, imagined Tamamo Cat working at a Cat Cafe if she were a Student. Tamamo no Mae accidentally fed her prev BF a food he was allergic too, and that kind of haunted her and scared her rep. IDK basically she seriously fucked up a previous relationship, either on purpose or accidentally, and that kind of hurts her deeply so she wants to start over with Hakuno.

Nero and Tamamo no Mae are rivals over this one guy.

Kiichi Hougen is the adoptive mom, Benkei is the family friend/uncle, Taira is Ushiwaka's older sister. Taira isn't on the best of terms with her family, some drama way back caused a rift and nowadays Ushi is the only one who's willing to talk to her and visit. Benkei never lets her go alone because he doesn't trust Taira one bit. Taira and Ushiwaka are Kintoki and Tomoe's cousins (I say Tomoe b/c apparently her husband and Ushiwaka were half cousins, with their grandpa having kids with their grandmas. I tried to make a whole family tree out of a few servants).

These are the ideas we had the most to talk about, if you guys have any suggestions for your fav servants in this AU, let either me or Rex know. Or just reblog and say them here. Who knows maybe you have a much better idea for a Servant we already mentioned.

#fgo #fate series #fate grand order #high school/modern au #high school au #f/go #fate/grand order

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365days365movies · 3 years

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March 2, 2021: The Last Unicorn (1982) (Part 1)

I, uh...I wanna talk about zoology.

It’s my profession of choice, although if I’m going to be specific, it’s ecology and ornithology, based on my Masters. But while my expertise is in birds, that doesn’t mean I have any particular preference. So, let’s talk mammals. Specifically, I’d like to talk about horses.

Horses are odd-toed ungulates (Order Perissodactyla) belonging to the family Equidae, with only one living genus (Equus), which includes donkeys, zebras, and a FUCK-ton of fossil progenitors. Not gonna go into horse evolution here, since it’s a vast topic on its own, but the group dates to about 54 million years ago, during the Eocene period.

There are specific features that define modern horses as horses, including a single hoofed toe for walking on, a body built for running with high stamina, and a large cecum in the intestines for breaking down fibrous and herbaceous material. It’s a group native to North America, Africa, and Asia, with the modern descended horse descended from a somewhat unknown ancestor in Central Asia.

They’re grazers rather than browsers, which many similar sized herbivores are. And, of course, they have a close relationship to humans throughout prehistory. Their main systems of defense against predators are the afore-mentioned running capabilities, a VICIOUS kick (especially horses like zebras), and a high-range of monocular vision due to the position of their HUGE eyes.

In terms of sexual selection, it’s essentially based on physical competition between the males in a population, which are usually formed into reproductive harems. That’s one male with multiple females that live within an established range. The females have their own dominance schemes, while groups of males exist in bachelor herds before establishing a harem of their own.

And those two paragraphs help explain why horses don’t grow horns.

Animals like this bighorn sheep, as well as antelopes with impala and gerenuk, perform intrasexual selection using their horns, the size of which determine the fitness of an individual male, with the fights settling any potential ties for watching females. And that’s the main reason why herbivorous mammals grow horns, and horses have come up with different social structures to compensate. But OK, couldn’t they just horns anyway?

Remember the stomach I mentioned earlier? Here’s the thing; hindgut digestion, which is what horses do...not the most nutritionally efficient form of digestion. In order to maintain their running lifestyles, they invest all obtained energy and nutrients into building muscle and other important functions. Fact of the matter is, they just can’t devote enough energy and nutrients to the physiologically expensive act of owning a horn. They do have a close relative that does that, though. However, they’ve sacrificed their speed, intelligence, and even their eyesight for their horns, as well as beefing up their physical defense with thicker skin.

YUP! So why talk about this? I mean...you know why.

OK, so that had basically nothing to do with this movie, but a post like this has been building since I mentioned the gerenuk a little bit ago. Sorry, had to get it out. Anyway, yeah, unicorns are impossible, but they’re still a hallowed mythical creature. National animal of Scotland, one of the most prominent symbols of medieval mythology, a magic-using ethnic class in a mythical kingdom composed of a horse-based majority that also includes normal horses and pegasi...

You know, unicorns. So, I’m definitely interested in what would happen to make a unicorn, well...the last one. My bets are on something man-made, like deforestation or another for of habitat depletion. Could be poaching for the horn. After all, that’s what’s been driving rhinoceros species to near-extinction (or actual extinction in the case of the western black and northern white rhinos. RIP Sudan, you goddamn king).

But let’s find out rather than speculate! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

During medieval times, in a mystical wood called the Unicorn’s Forest, a hunter shows unease to his companion. In the forest, there are no seasons, and the beasts are protected from hunters, as long as there is one unicorn left if the forest. That last unicorn is...the Unicorn (Mia Farrow), who learns from the hunters that she must be the last of her kind.

The opening credits, which are a gorgeous animated medieval tapesty, are backed by the song “The Last Unicorn”, by America (damn, nice pull). Gives the whole thing a Renn Faire feel. Never been to a Renn Faire, but I’d love to go to one, honestly.

Anyway, the Unicorn is in doubt that there are no more of her kind in the world, as they live forever, and she would know if there are none left...right? However, they can also be killed and trapped, so...I mean, they might be dead, Unicorn. As she’s thinking on this, the most Rankin-Bass butterfly ever shows up singing a ballad of love. This is...the Butterfly (Robert Klein), a bard-erfly (see whay I did there) who won’t stop singing, despite the Unicorn’s pleas to tell her of other unicorns.

Butterflies, apparently, repeat to anything they hear around them Which involves like, a lot of non-medieval songs. There’s one about the A-train, apparently, which makes...just NO fucking sense. As the Unicorn also shows frustration at this anachronistic little bugger, he breaks his songs to tell her than the Unicorns have all been chased off by “the Red Bull.”

...I’m going to hold it off as long as I can, but the joke WILL come. It WILL come.

She wonders if she can truly leave the forest, then actually does so in order to find the other unicorns. She happens upon a farmer, who attempts to tame her, as he only sees her as a horse. Apparently, men can no longer see unicorns as they are, and usually only see them as white horses. So, there may be unicorns in the world after all!

Not sure why she doesn’t go back to her forest after realizing this, but...OK. She continues on, backed once again by a song performed by America, called “Man’s Road”. Real talk, I’m digging the music in here, which is my inner folk rock fan talking.

While she finds nothing on her journey, she’s instead found by Mother Fortuna (Angela Langsbury), a witch who runs a carnival that needs a new exhibition. With her comes Ruhk (Brother Theodore) and magician Schmendrick (Alan Arkin), the latter of whom actually can see the Unicorn as a Unicorn.

At the carnival, Schmendrick introduces hiself to the Unicorn, wanting to get her out of there. Meanwhile, an audience is fooled by Mother Fortuna’s illusory magic to see a manticore, satyr, and the Midgard Serpent, when in reality they are an elderly lion, ape with a twisted foot, and really sad snake. However, the Harpy that she has IS real, and a major threat to Fortuna were she to escape.

That night, Fortuna speaks to the Unicorn of the Red Bull, owned by a King Haggard. The Unicorn asks Fortuna to free both her and the Harpy, two signs of the same magical coin. Also...is this a kids’ movie? Kinda thought it was until I noticed that the Harpy has, well...pendulous breasts. Literally the best way I can describe them. Also, three of them, so...there’s that.

After she leaves, Schmendrick arrives to free the Unicorn with his magic...and he’s shit at it. Like, REALLY shit. But thankfully, he’s a decent pickpocket, and stole the cage keys from Ruhk. He lets the Unicorn free, and she in turn releases the other animal prisoners, Harpy included. Which is NOT great for Fortuna, who’s IMMEDIATELY killed.

The two leave together, and head on the Unicorn’s journey to find her own kind. She cannot grant Schmendrick his wish to become a true magician, but he still gives her information about this world, and King Haggard, who seems like bad news.

On the road, the two encounter a gang of thieves of the road, who work for Captain Cully (Keenan Wynn), a short and portly leader of bandits. His mistress is a woman named Molly Grue (Tammy Grimes), who’s endlessly frustrated by Cully’s regular failures. They befriend Schmendrick, who impresses them with illusions of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Although, it’s not his illusions, but those of the Unicorn, trying to help.

Doesn’t help that much, though, as the Robin Hood-hating Captain Cully ties him up to a tree after all of his men and Molly leave. A frustrated Schmendrick mutters a spell by mistake, and brings the tree to life.

And then my girlfriend fuckin’ broke. Here she is, below:

Ravishing. Yeah, she’s watching this too, and when the tree came up, her words were, and I quote:

...a smooth-talking horse, a three-tittied harpy, and a BOOBED TREE!

Boobed tree is an expression I will find a way to use in my life. Also, this is ABSOLUTELY not a kid’s movie, and that is one busty-ass tree. This tree, called...The Tree (Nellie Bellflower) is in love with Schmendrick, and is enraged by the appearance of the Unicorn. However, the Unicorn undoes Schmendrick’s magic, and puts the t-horny tree back to sleep.

The two encounter Molly Grue, who’s astonished to see a Unicorn. She cries, as she was been waiting to see one since she was a young maiden, but now she isn’t one anymore. Interesting implications there, but moving on. Molly wishes to join them, and while Schmendrick isn’t super down for that, she wins the Unicorn’s trust when she points out that they’ve been going in the wrong direction. Whoops.

OK, with that, let’s break for Part 2! See you there!

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heauxplesslydevoted · 4 years

Text

Fresh Start - Ch. 1

Pairing: Ethan x MC

Catch Up Here

A/N: These past two weeks have been absolutely draining, both mentally and emotionally, but I think my motivation to write is finally coming back, so yay! Let me know if you want to be tagged on untagged. Or if they’re not working for some annoying reason

Tags: @fanmantrashcan @ao719 @x-kyne-x @colourmeshy @writinghereandthere @paulfwesley @ramseyandrys @a-i-n-a-a-s-h @perriewinklenerdie @aworldoffandoms @thatcatlady0716 @drakewalker04 @canknot @hatescapsicum @lapisreviewsstuff @senseofduties @badchoicesposts @ethandaddyramsey @the-soot-sprite @chasingrobbie @zodiacsign1 @choices-lurker @miyakokurono @trappedinfandoms @my-heart-beats-for-ya @adrian-motherfucking-raines @riverrune @edith-eggs1 @thatysn @bellcat2010 @theeccentricbibliophile @cecilecontrera @junehiratas @choices-love-affair @openheart12 @kaavyaethanramsey @caseyvalentineramsey @desmaranj @mal-volaris @whatchique @nazario-sayeed @aestheticartwriting @mvalentine @nooruleman @queencarb @lucy-268 @caroldxnvxrs @doilooklikeiknow @agent-breakdance @rookieoh @mrsdrakewalkerblog

~v~

“Is that the last of your boxes?”

“That’s all of them. The rest are in a storage unit.”

Naomi looks around the spacious guest room in Naveen’s house. There’s a gorgeous view of the lake right outside her window. “Thank you again for letting me stay here. I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I find a place.”

She really did it. She packed up her belongings and accepted the job at Edenbrook, leaving behind the only life she’s ever known. It was exhilarating, and terrifying, and nerve-wrecking, and exciting all at the same time. But being in Boston, helping with that patient in Edenbrook stirred something within her, a fire she hasn’t felt in months. She knew if she didn’t at least give Edenbrook a chance, the regret would eat her alive.

Naveen smiles and dismisses her claims with a flick of the wrist. “You can stay as long as you need to, dear. I’ve been in this house by myself for so long, I think I’ll enjoy your company.”

“At the very least, I’ll steal one of my mom’s recipes and cook dinner for you some time this week.”

“Her famous spaghetti and meatballs?”

“That can definitely be arranged.”

“Oh good. I’m a shoddy cook, so it’s nice to have something that’s actually good every once in a while.” Naveen sighs heavily. “You’ve had a long day today, and your first day of work is tomorrow. I’ll let you get some rest before the big day.”

“Can I get a hint as to what I should expect?” Naomi asks. Butterflies bloom in her stomach at the question. In a few short hours, she’ll be embarking on an entirely new journey.

“Mostly onboarding mumbo jumbo with HR. Getting your keys, giving you clearance to certain parts of the hospital, meeting as many doctors as possible, and then meeting up with Ethan and the rest of the diagnostics team.” He doesn’t miss the way she rolls her eyes at the mention of Ethan’s name. “You two seemed very tense when you met him a few weeks ago, and he wasn’t all that thrilled about you joining the diagnostics team. What happened?”

“A patient collapsed in the waiting room and we both rushed over to help. When that was all done, Dr. Ramsey scolded me and said my technique was amateur and I could’ve killed the patient. Naturally, I didn’t respond too well.”

Naveen has known Naomi since she was born, and she can have a fiery temper if the situation calls for it. He raises an eyebrow at her in amusement. “What did you say?”

“Honestly, I didn’t even say anything that was too bad,” she replies with a shrug. “Basically, I said he was on a power trip and I didn’t need him overseeing and judging my work if he wasn’t going to help. You came back before we could really kick things up.”

“Well thank God for my good timing.”

“He was a jerk,” Naomi continues. “How is he your protege? How are you friends with him? You’re so sweet and he’s so...not.”

“Ethan can be a handful,” Naveen concedes. “He’s just guarded, and he takes his work very seriously. He takes everything too seriously. But once you get to know him, you’ll see that he’s incredibly loyal, intelligent, and he strives to put his patients above everything else. I think the two of you will get along just fine.”

Naomi scoffs. Naveen has more unbridled optimism than she knows what to do with. “Yeah, okay.”

“You’ll balance each other out. You’re strong-willed, you’ll challenge him. Ethan needs that, he’s gotten comfortable being the boss. And no one else in the team will do it.”

“Who else is on the team?” Naomi asks. Her curiosity has gotten the better of her now.

“There’s Dr. June Hirata. She’s a brilliant doctor, perceptive as heck, but she lacks your...assertiveness. June would never challenge Ethan head on even if she’s quietly seething on the inside regarding a decision he’s made. And there’s Dr. Baz Mirani, who is basically a teddy bear in human form. He goes with the flow for the most part, and he hates conflict.”

“So you’re putting me on the team to be his babysitter?”

“No. I’m putting you on the team because you’re a damn good doctor. The fact that you can go toe to toe with Ethan is just an added bonus.”

“You never told me, how exactly did Ethan react to you putting me on his precious team. And you just said he wasn’t thrilled”

“It was my team first,” Naveen clarifies. “But he took the news...less than okay.”

“Naveen, we really need to talk,” Ethan says, chasing his boss through the Edenbrook corridor.

“Why don’t we talk later?”

“How about we talk now.”

Naveen slows down and allows Ethan to catch up. He already knows what this conversation is going to be about. “Ethan, if this is about Naomi–”

“You handed over the reins to the diagnostics team. You don’t have the right to hire new members without consulting me first.”

“I may not be the director of the team anymore, but I’m still the Chief, which makes me your boss. The boss of this entire hospital actually. And being the boss means I can do whatever I want.”

The two men make it to Naveen’s office and Ethan sits down dramatically. “I don’t know anything about this woman, what type of doctor she is, how she’s going to fit in with the rest of the team.”

“Dr. Valentine’s father and I go way back. She graduated top of her class at Johns Hopkins, your alma mater, she’s 28 years old and a first year attending in internal medicine, she skipped a grade in elementary school, and she’s obviously gotten under your skin.”

“She hasn’t–” the argument stops in his throat as he realizes it’s a blatant lie. This Dr. Valentine woman is argumentative and stubborn, and clearly has no respect for authority. And she had the audacity to question him.

Naveen raises an eyebrow at Ethan, daring him to continue.

Ethan’s jaw tightens as he stares at his former mentor. “Look, you don’t get to play favorites on my team just because you and her dad are friends.”

“You didn’t seem to mind favoritism when you were the one benefitting from it for the past decade,” Naveen shoots back and Ethan’s cheeks and neck turn scarlet red. “Besides, I put her on the team because she’s good. And you’re going to have to get used to it, because unless she totally screws up, she’s here to stay. Any other questions?”

He’s fighting a losing battle, Ethan soon realizes. Naveen is hellbent on putting this woman on the team, no ifs, ands, or buts about it,

Ethan crosses his arms across his chest. “I’m not going to go easy on her on your behalf. She’s going to have to put in the same amount of effort as me and the rest of the team.”

Naveen chortles. “Trust me, I don’t expect you to dole out any favors. But give the young lady a fair shake. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Regardless of how Ethan feels, he’s going to have to buck up,” Naveen says with a shrug. “You’re here, and you’re here to stay.”

“You have a lot of faith in me, Naveen. And we’ve never even worked together.”

“No, but I know you. I know you’re a force to be reckoned with and I know it’ll work out beautifully for the team. And Edenbrook as a whole.”

Naomi smiles at him, her skin growing warm at the praise. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. Now get some rest, you have a very busy day ahead of you.”

“Goodnight, boss.”

~v~

“Okay, where the heck is the directory?” Naomi mumbles, mostly to herself as she walks down the large Edenbrook halls. “Where the heck am I?”

She’s only been at the hospital for 3 hours and she’s already lost. Fantastic. After spending most of her morning in the legal and HR department, signing paperwork, taking her ID picture, and going through a few videos, Naomi was sent off on her own to find the office for the diagnostics team. The problem with that is she has no idea where she’s going.

This is so embarrassing, she thinks. How do you get lost on your first day of work?

“Excuse me? Are you lost?”

The soft voice instantly grabs Naomi’s attention. She spins on her heel and sees a petite woman about her age, staring at her.

Naomi nods. “I’m very lost. I think I’ve been wandering for the past 5 minutes.”

The other woman laughs softly. “Everyone gets lost their first few days here.”

“Is it that obvious I’m new?”

“Yes, you stick out like a sore thumb. But don’t worry, I’ll point you in the right direction. Where are you headed?”

“Dr. Ramsey’s office,” Naomi answers.

“Alright, that’s 3 floors up. Come on.” The woman starts walking and Naomi follows closely beside her. “I’m Sienna Trihn, attending with family medicine.”

“Naomi Valentine, internal medicine.” Naomi smiles. “Nice to meet you.”

“So you’re the one who got the coveted spot on Dr. Ramsey’s diagnostics team, huh?”

“You know about me already?”

“The hospital may look big, but I assure you it’s not,” Sienna says. They step onto the elevator and she punches the number 7. “News travels fast around here.”

“Yes, I’m going to be on his team. And I have no idea what I’m walking into.”

“He’s a hard-ass for sure,” Sienna says. “I can’t tell you the amount of interns he’s made cry or quit because they can’t handle him or his brand of teaching.”

“Well, I’m not an intern nor do I scare easily.”

Sienna smiles. “I like you already, Naomi.”

“I like you too.”

The elevator dings and the doors pull apart. Sienna leads Naomi straight to the diagnostics team’s office, stopping right at the door. “Well this is your stop.”

“Thank you so much, Sienna. I’d still be floundering around downstairs if not for you.”

“It’s no problem. And good luck in there!”

“Thanks.”

Naomi opens the door and steps into the office. Everything is so sleek and modern from the deeply frosted glass, the huge touch screen taking up most of the far right wall, next to a whiteboard. There’s a circular table in the corner, a large desk and bookshelf towards the back, with a couch perpendicular to it.

Wow. Naveen wasn’t kidding when he said the hospital invests a lot of money into this team. This office alone is spectacular.

Her entrance garners the attention of the others in the room and suddenly, 3 pairs of eyes are on her. “Hi.”

“Dr. Valentine,” Ethan greets from his spot behind the desk. “Thank you for joining us.”

“Of course.”

“Guys, meet the newest member of the team, Dr. Naomi Valentine. Dr. Valentine, this is Dr. June Hirata and Dr. Baz Mirani.”

The other woman – June as Ethan just introduced – calmly observes Naomi, scanning her head to toe. Naomi resists the urge to look away, not used to being appraised like an item up for auction, but June then smiles slightly and extends a hand for her to shake. “It’s lovely to meet you, Naomi.”

“Thank you.” Naomi grabs her hand, giving it a firm shake. “You as well.” She turns to Baz, and has to do a double take. “I’m sorry, didn’t we meet earlier today?”

Baz chuckles to himself. “I’m a twin. You met my brother, Zaid.” Skipping a handshake, Baz pulls her in for a warm hug, which she reciprocates after a few stunned moments.

“That makes sense. You’re much friendlier than he is.”

“He’s secretly a huge softie,” Baz insists. “Don’t let the gruff exterior fool you.”

“Now that introductions have been made, let’s get down to business,” Ethan says. “Dr. Valentine, since it is your first day how about you just sit back and observe how things are done?”

First, he wanted to throw her into the deep end to test her mettle, and now he wants her to play wallflower? Naomi doesn’t really understand what his angle is.

June and Baz sit down and Naomi follows them. Within seconds, the large board on the wall is illuminated with a picture of a smiling pre-teen. “This is Taylor Hopkins, a 12 year old girl from Boston. For the past month, she’s been to the Mass Kenmore ER 4 times for unexplained seizures.”

“No history of epilepsy?” June asks.

Ethan shakes his head. “No. The doctors there also suspected a minor stroke because she had bouts of slurred speech and body numbness, or vertigo because she gets dizzy, but multiple neurologists say that isn’t the case.”

“Any injuries recently?”

“None. Not even so much as a simple scratch or paper cut.”

Ethan writes Taylor’s symptoms down on the board, while June and Baz ask questions and toss around ideas. Naomi doesn’t say anything, she just quietly listens and observes.

After a few minutes of not saying anything, Naomi clears her throat, garnering Ethan’s attention. “Can I see her patient file?”

“Sure.”

The file is in June’s hands, but she slides it over. Naomi flips through it, looking at the young girl’s medical history, scans, and lab results.

“She wears glasses?”

“Yes. Both of her parents are near-sighted and wear glasses, and within the past year, Taylor’s vision has begun to deteriorate. She’s been declared as legally blind by her optometrist.”

“Interesting.”

Ethan can practically see the wheels turning in her head, like she’s slowly putting together a puzzle. “Any theories, Dr. Valentine?”

“My gut wants to say multiple sclerosis,” Naomi replies.

“In a 12 year old?” Baz asks.

“I know it sounds crazy because it’s pretty rare in children, but the symptoms line up. And maybe her eye problems aren’t caused by near-sightednes. It wouldn’t hurt to run more tests because it might be inflammation in the optic nerve.”

The room goes silent as they all ponder Naomi’s potential diagnosis. She bites the inside of her cheek, waiting on bated breath for someone, anyone to speak up.

“Look, I just wanted to feel included and throw something out there–”

Ethan cuts her off with a raised hand. “The only rule I have for this team is to speak up if you have an idea because there are no wrong answers. You gave us an idea, own it.”

“Noted, Doctor.”

“I want you to order an OCT scan and an MRI, and also test her spinal fluid. And then I want you to meet with the patient and familiarize yourself with her and her parents, because this case is now yours. Congratulations.”

~v~

Naomi spends the rest of the afternoon running on autopilot. Naveen made it seem like this was going to be a cake walk, an orientation of sorts. When she woke up earlier, she wasn’t expecting to be working a case for the diagnostics team on her first day of work, and potentially solving it.

She wanders into the cafeteria and sits down at the first empty table she finds. This is the first quiet moment she’s had all day, and it’s not even a real break, she’s just waiting for Taylor’s test results to come back.

“You look like Hell.”

Naomi looks up and sees Sienna standing behind her, along with a few others. She nods. “I feel like Hell.”

“Naomi, meet a few of my best friends, Aurora, Bryce, and Jackie. Guys, meet Naomi.”

Naomi offers them all a smile and polite wave. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Can we sit with you?”

“Sure.” Naomi moves down a bit, so Sienna can sit next to her, while Jackie, Bryce, and Aurora move to the other side of the table.

“So how’s your first day at Edenbrook?” Sienna asks.

“How is it working with Dr. Ramsey?”

“Overwhelming, to both questions,” Naomi answers. “But it’s fine, I thrive in chaos and pressure.”

“Any interesting cases?”

“Do you guys think pediatric MS is interesting?”

“Absolutely!” The one Sienna called Jackie exclaims. “Less than 5% of MS patients get a diagnosis as children.”

“Poor thing just got done with a battery of tests, and she’s finally resting. Hopefully the results come back with something concrete, and I can give the family some answers.”

“Is it severe?” Sienna asks, her eyes softening.

Naomi shrugs. “She seems to be managing things fine for now. Her seizures are under control, and we’ve given her corticosteroids for the swelling behind her eyes. She’s much tougher than I was at 12 years old, I can tell you that much.”

Bryce leans in closer to Naomi, and he flashes her a good-natured smile, showing off his perfectly white teeth. “So Naomi, are you new just to Edenbrook, or new to Boston in general?”

“New to Boston. I’m a DC girl, born and raised.”

“Interesting. So in theory, you could be the president’s doctor. What made you want to move?”

Would it be too much to tell these near strangers that there’s nothing left for her in DC other than a cheating ex husband? Absolutely.

So she smiles coyly. “Oh, I can’t reveal all of my secrets, at least not sober. I need to keep some mystery about me, you know?”

“All I’m hearing is that I need to take you out for drinks. Is after work a good time for you?”

Naomi chuckles and checks the name etched into his white coat. “You’re smooth, Dr. Lahela.”

“Ooh, I like the way you say my name.”

“Bryce, she’s been my friend for less than 12 hours,” Sienna scolds with an eye roll. “Do not scare her off with your flirting.”

“It’s fine,” Naomi assures her. “He’s pretty harmless.”

“Harmless?” Bryce grabs his chest and feigns pain. “That’s like, an instant friend zone.”

“Trust me, I’m not a tree you’d want to bark up.”

“I think I’ll be the judge of that.” Naomi laughs and rolls her eyes at him.

They sit around talking for a few more minutes, familiarizing themselves with each other, and grilling Naomi as she’s the new girl. Naomi’s only known this group of people for 15 minutes, but she can tell they’re an insanely tight knit group of friends who all love each other. Now she’s curious about the rest of their friends.

Her pager goes off, interrupting the conversation. She checks it with a sigh. “Lab results are in. I gotta go, but I’ll see you guys around.”

“Wait!” Bryce catches her wrist, holding onto it lightly. “Flirting aside, you really should get drinks with us tonight. We’re regulars at Donahue’s, right across the street.”

Naomi ponders it for a second before nodding. “Sure. I’ll see you guys when I’m off.”

She rushes to the lab to get her patient’s results, and then pages Ethan. He meets her in the lab with June, who’s thankfully a neurologist.

“So, Dr. Valentine, what’s the diagnosis?” Ethan asks, as Naomi hands him Taylor’s test results.

Naomi clears her throat and stands up a bit straighter. She’s normally a confident woman, but Ethan Ramsey intimidates her, even though she hates to admit it. She doesn’t want to show any weakness. “My gut instinct was correct, we have a case of pediatric multiple sclerosis.”

“Okay. What’s the next step.”

“There’s no cure for MS, we can only manage the symptoms. She’s taking medication for the seizures, but we can also get her started on physical therapy for the muscle weakness and to maintain her strength.”

Ethan nods. “Okay. Go ahead and deliver the news to Taylor and her parents.” He hands all of the paperwork back to Naomi and turns on his heel, walking away. He makes it a few steps away before turning around again. “Oh, and good work.”

~v~

She’s at the hospital for 5 more hours, but the rest of Naomi’s shift flies by with relative ease. With her first and only patient taken care of, she spends the rest of her time meeting various nurses and doctors, and trying not to get lost.

And now she’s at Donahue’s, sandwiched between Bryce and another one of their friends, Kyra, throwing back shots of vodka.

“Let’s propose a toast!” Sienna exclaims, raising her small glass in the air. “To the newest member of our gang, Naomi!”

“Cheers!”

Naomi stands dramatically, curtsying at the attention. “To Sienna, for taking me under her wing with absolutely no hesitation. And to me, surviving my first day of Edenbrook and the diagnostics team!”

With excited cheers, they all clink glasses and down their drinks. The alcohol burns her throat but Naomi doesn’t care. It’s been a long day, and she’d drink just about anything at this point.

She makes a quick note of the empty glasses at their table. “Next round is on me. Are we sticking with vodka?”

“Tequila, this time.”

“Deal.”

Bryce slides out of his seat so Naomi can squeeze out of the booth. On surprisingly steady feet, she makes her way to the bar and flags down the bartender. “8 shots of tequila, please. And a pitcher of water.”

“Coming right up.”

While she’s waiting, Naomi hoists herself onto a barstool. She looks around, the bar is packed wall to wall. Some people are playing darts, some are dancing on the makeshift dance floor, and all of the tables are at full capacity. Her eyes settle on Ethan, who’s sitting at the end of the bar, quietly nursing a drink by himself.

She slides out of her seat and walks over to him. He’s so absorbed in his own thoughts, he doesn’t even notice her walk over to him.

“I never thought I’d see Dr. Ethan Ramsey hanging out in a bar with the rest of us plebes,” she teases.

Naomi’s presence gets his attention. He turns his head and looks at her, really looking at her for the first time today, eyes sweeping her from head to toe. She’s no longer under the ugly fluorescent lights and out of the light blue scrubs, trading those in for a green top and extremely short shorts. Her hair, that’s been in a bun all day is down, her dark brown curls framing her face and falling to her shoulders.

He clears his throat and looks down once he realizes that he’s been staring at her for far too long. “I’ve been coming to this bar since you were probably a freshman in college.”

“Gosh, just how old are you, grandpa?”

“Old enough, how about that?”

Naomi shrugs and steals a seat next to Ethan. “I won’t tell anyone if you’re 40. Your secret is safe with me.”

“How’s your patient?” Ethan asks, completely switching gears.

“She’s good. A long day of being poked and prodded wears a girl out, and she was sleeping when I left the hospital.”

“Again, good job solving the case today. Especially since it’s only your first day here.”

“Are you complimenting me?” Naomi teases again with a gasp. “Am I no longer an amateur? Has my mettle been thoroughly tested?”

Ethan inwardly groans at his words being thrown back at him. “We started off on a bad note.”

“We did. I get that you’re Ethan Ramsey, and you’re at the top of the food chain, but it gives you absolutely no right to speak to me that way. I put in the same amount of blood, sweat, and tears into my medical training–maybe even more so, because I’m not a privileged white guy–so don’t ever forget that I deserve basic human decency again.”

“I deserved that tongue lashing.”

“You did, and maybe more.”

Ethan turns his body to face Naomi, their knees almost touching. “I’m sorry. You did save that patient’s life, and I shouldn’t have been so harsh. And you were great today. Who knows how long Taylor would’ve suffered before she received a diagnosis had you not been there. You’re a good doctor.”

Warmth blooms in Naomi’s chest at the praise. Who knew underneath his extremely cold exterior, Ethan Ramsey is actually a decent guy?

“Thank you. It just feels good to help and to give a patient clarity.”

“Can we please put our awkward meeting behind us?” Ethan asks. “For the sake of our careers and this team, we shouldn’t have any dark clouds looming ahead.”

Naomi extends her hand, offering Ethan a shake. His large hand completely envelops hers as they shake. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Good.”

“Good. Glad we got all of that out the way.” Naomi points to the tumbler in his hand. “What’s your poison?”

“Scotch, neat.” Naomi pulls a face at that answer. “What? Are you not a fan?”

“I don’t like dark liquor. And scotch is for stuffy old guys who wear suits all day and fuck their secretaries, and the villains on soap operas.”

Ethan’s eyebrows shoot up at the younger woman’s explanation. “That is ridiculously specific. And narrow-minded. Scotch isn’t for everyone though, it takes a sophisticated and refined palate to enjoy.” He raises his glass. “This is a 21 year old, single malt. $200 a bottle.”

Naomi shrugs in indifference. “If you say so.”

“God you’re so young and naive. What do you like? Peach schnapps?”

“Of course not, I’m not a 17 year old anymore. I’m a Stoli girl all the way, but Belvedere will suffice in a pinch.” Ethan nods as if he approves of her choices. “Do those get the Dr. Ramsey stamp of approval?”

“I’ve never tried Stoli before.”

“I’ll have to buy you a bottle then.”

“You think you bribe your way into my good graces?”

“I think I’m already in them.” Ethan doesn’t respond, he only hums, neither in agreement nor denial.

A comfortable silence lulls between the two of them, the hustle and bustle of the bar quickly fading away.

Before Ethan can move, Naomi reaches out and grabs his glass. Lifting it to her mouth with a sly smirk, she takes a languid sip, trying to gauge the mouthfeel of the drink.

He watches her, slightly transfixed as she helps herself to his drink, the way her jaw clenches, the way she doesn’t flinch in the slightest at the taste. Naomi slams the glass down on the bar, and the noise rattles around in his head, but it doesn’t fully register. A drop of the dark alcohol catches on the corner of her mouth, but she swipes at it with the pad of her thumb, which she then sucks dry.

Ethan inhales sharply. Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

“Oh, that’s good,” Naomi says. “It’s surprisingly sweet!”

“Y-yeah,” Ethan stammers. “There’s notes of, uh...toffee and vanilla.”

“You should’ve led with that,” Naomi continues, oblivious to the fact that she’s nearly rendered Ethan speechless. “Next time I come here, I’m ordering whatever this is.”

The bartender comes back with Naomi’s tray of drinks. She gets out of her seat and slaps some cash down onto the care. Carefully, she grabs the tray tightly with both hands.

She glanced at Ethan once more, smiling at him. “Enjoy your night, Dr. Ramsey. See you tomorrow.” And she’s off in a flash, heading back to her newfound friends, leaving Ethan alone again. He watches her retreating form like a hawk until she’s securely at her table.

Ethan sighs heavily. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but he can feel it deep in the pit of his stomach: Naomi Valentine is about to turn his world upside down.

#playchoices #choices #open heart #open heart 2 #dr. ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey #ethan x mc #pixelberry

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