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wildemaven · 7 months

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forever | agent whiskey

-> pairing: agent whiskey x f!reader

-> wc: 821

-> content warning: alluding to sex, accidental marriage, talks of annulment/divorce, fluff, happy ending, mention of drunken mistake

-> a/n: this is a third installment to my accidentally got married to Jack in Vegas. Had this random thought this morning and thought I’d give them a happy ending.

part one | part two | masterlist

The doors of the courthouse stare you down as you sit frozen in your parked car. The reality of why you are here is your own doing— you had set the appointment up, demanded that he actually show up and be here on time. Yet, you can’t seem to bring yourself to walk through those doors that will bring an end to the one thing that’s been weighing heavy on your heart the last 24 hours.

He’s your partner. Your friend. And now your husband, in a marriage you never wanted, never dreamed about. You were independent and career driven, you didn’t have time to fall in love and play family. You were an agent before anything else, a damn good one at that.

And as much as he is a thorn in your side, on even a good day, there’s this small part of you that has started to feel complete with him.

Life carried on like normal after your last big assignment produced this drunken martial mess. Neither of you spoke of it at work, and no one mentioned the shiny gold hardware that adorned both of your left hands.

Behind closed doors was a different story. The same song and dance routine of falling into bed with him after insisting things needed to end before someone got hurt. Your judgment seemingly clouded by lust driven promises and hours of passion at the hands of a man whose heart was more invested in this charade than you were. By morning, guilt and regret crept in and you were grabbing your clothes and stumbling out the door yelling to the naked cowboy in bed, This is the last time Jack!

Only it wasn’t, no matter how hard you tried. You couldn’t figure out why you were so drawn to him, despite the fact that you were literally begging him for this marriage to come to an end.

Jack was your best friend when you needed him most. An incredible partner who always had your back through any situation. And even with the amount of snoring that came from his side of the bed, he had become a loving husband.

You release a deep steady sigh. Grabbing your purse along with the stack of legal papers from the passenger seat, you dolefully make your way to the courthouse entrance. And like many times prior, you’ll sit alone in front of the judge in the empty courtroom, wait until he’s scolding you for wasting his time yet again because your husband— Jack didn’t show up.

The large wooden doors creak open as you land on the top steps and you’re met with a familiar face you hadn’t expected to see.

“Jack?” You barely managed to whisper his name, shock still flooding your system, the papers in your hold crinkle as you grip them tightly.

“Yer late Darlin’. Judge wasn’t too happy either. Dismissed the appointment. Said he’s not makin’ another one until we can both be here together and on time.” There’s a tinge of sorrow in his voice, he looks out into the parking lot, trying to avoid your gaze.

He looks handsome in his blue jeans and leather jacket, your favorite look of his. He’d even worn it that night in Vegas, making the memory of that night a little more special.

“You showed up.” You say, saddened at the thought that he finally decided he was done too.

“Isn’t that what you wanted? Get divorced so you could go live yer life, without me botherin’ you.” You can hear the hurt in his voice as he stands in front of you, hands firmly on his waist.

“I do— did.” Your heart starts to speak for you. “I thought I wanted this Jack, I did want it. But— I…”

“What are ya tryin’ to say?” He takes a step closer, removing his glasses, revealing his handsome mustached face fully to you.

“I’m not sure— I thought this was what I wanted.” Pointing to the ornate building you’re both standing in front of. “But now that you’re here, I don’t think I can go through with it.”

This kiss feels different. It’s unhurried and soft. It’s all butterflies and feelings of happiness. It’s an all encompassing experience, the first of many more to come and you want to feel like this forever.

“Well, that settles that then. Question is, yer place or mine, Darlin’?” He asks. His left hand cupping the side of your face, you lean into it. The coolness of his ring, mirroring the one you still wear as well, against your cheek is a welcomed sensation.

“Seeing how we both have the afternoon off, how ‘bout we go find our place?” You suggest, eager to show him the listings you had already been looking at this morning.

“Our place, huh? Sure you won’t get tired of this cowboy?”

“I survived this long, I’m sure I can handle forever.”

#agent jack whiskey daniels #agent whiskey #agent whiskey x you #agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey x female reader #pedro pascal #wildemaven writes #pedrostories

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steddieunderdogfics · 5 days

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This week’s writer spotlight feature is: MuseumGiftShopEraser! They have 9 works on AO3 in the Stranger Things Fandom, and 6 of those are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @museumgiftshoperaser:

Paint the Devil on the Wall

Conversations About Love

Now I'm A Stranger

An Exercise In Denial

Baby, You Were Meant To Follow Me

Her fics are BEAUTIFUL. When I first read Paint the Devil on the Wall I was so obsessed I immediately recced the fic to everyone I knew who would be vaguely interested in a steddie fic. -- anonymous

Below the cut, @museumgiftshoperaser answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I stumbled into it immediately after season 4 came out. I’ve felt very attached to Steve as a character from the beginning of the show and I think I was subconsciously waiting for someone to pair him up with. I think they’re both such great characters to explore themes of dealing with expectation (either by conforming, or fighting against it) and that’s something I always love to write about.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Absolute sucker for fake dating. Can’t get enough of it.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Enemies to lovers! Though now that I’m looking through my AO3 I haven’t actually written that much of it. It doesn’t have to be very intense enemies, though. I just like it when characters don’t immediately get along.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

My brain has been forever rewired by took you for a working boy by pukner. It’s such a gentle, nuanced queer story. It feels vulnerable to me in a way that really only fanfiction can be. Can I sneak in another one?? Because everyone should also absolutely read the shame is on the other side by scoops_ahoy. It taps into this very specific kind of queer compartmentalizing, that I’ve never seen written this well. It broke my heart and patched it right back up.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve been stupidly busy with my masters lately so there’s probably not a lot of writing on my horizon. I do have a wip called Doll that I’m slowly chipping away at. It’s a little darker than stuff I’ve written before. I know ‘dark’ isn’t really a trope, but I’m excited to see if I can push these characters a little further.

What is your writing process like?

Absolute chaos. I write non-chronologically, without an outline, all in the same document. I keep writing snippets and scenes until the whole thing slowly comes together.

Do you have any writing quirks?

Italicizing words for emphasis. I love it so much, you can rip it from my cold dead hands. It accidentally makes its way into my academic writing for my degree sometimes which is a little embarrassing, but I just love the flair of it.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I don’t really do schedules, it doesn’t work for me at all. I try to make sure I have a decent amount of the story written before I start posting to give me a bit of a head start, but forcing myself to finish something by a certain date is a surefire way to kill my motivation.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Probably Paint the Devil on the Wall. It was the first time I’d written the entire story before I started posting so it went through way more rounds of editing than normal. I think you can really tell. It’s also the longest story I’ve ever written (in general, even outside of fanfic). The whole project gave me a lot of confidence as a writer.

How did you get the idea for Paint the Devil on the Wall?

I knew I wanted to participate in the Bigbang and the deadline was coming up, but I still didn’t have an idea. I decided to work backwards and try to think of something that would be fun for the artist(s) to draw. I had a vision of Eddie wearing dungarees without a shirt, absolutely covered in paint and I knew I had to write something to make it happen. I set the story in 80s New York because neo expressionism is really the only kind of art I could see Eddie making. I think it suits him very well. I do actually have a background in art, though! I’m currently getting my MFA, but I’ve worked full time as an artist for several years before that. I had a lot of fun working my passion for art (and all those art history classes I had to take) into the fic.

When writing Paint the Devil on the Wall, what was something you didn’t expect?

All of Steve’s character, to be honest. The fic is written from Eddie’s POV and for a large part of it he has a very hard time figuring out what Steve’s deal is. Right alongside him, I also had an incredibly hard time figuring out his character. It wasn’t until I was working on the final chapter that he finally clicked for me. I realized very late, just like Eddie, that Steve liked him from the very beginning. Most of the enemies to lovers premise was all in Eddie’s head.

What inspired Now I'm a Stranger?

Oh boy, that was forever ago! I remember I started writing it while I was camping with friends because I liked having something to do after everyone went to bed at night. I think I had the idea for that very first scene where Steve doesn’t remember Eddie and it all sort of spiraled from there.

What was your favorite part to write from An Exercise in Denial?

That was the very first fic I wrote, right after season 4 came out! I’ve never written something that fast, I think the whole thing took me less than a week. My favorite part was probably Robin being completely exasperated with both of them. They’re such complete idiots in that fic.

How do/did you feel writing Baby, You Were Meant To Follow Me?

Ahhh… I never got around to finishing that one. I probably never will, to be honest. I wrote the first two parts quite quickly and then the idea I had for the plot spiraled out of control and I realized I didn’t actually feel like writing the rest of it. There were going to be a lot of misunderstandings and I learned that I find that an incredibly frustrating trope to write (when done for drama at least. For comedy, I’m a sucker for misunderstandings.) So I guess I felt a little in over my head.

What was the most difficult part of writing Conversations About Love?

The ending! That fic is so incredibly personal to me and I knew from the beginning that I wanted it to have a very sappy, happy ending. It was important to me to write an aromantic character getting everything they wanted, but I realized as I was writing it that I don’t actually fully know what that means. So it took a bit more soul searching than fics typically do, but it was very much worth it.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I still think the short little prologue for Paint the Devil on the Wall is the best thing I’ve written. “You don’t draw on things that aren’t yours, baby” is probably the best summary I have for that story.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Not really!

Thank you to our author, @museumgiftshoperaser, and our anonymous nominator! See more of @museumgiftshoperaser works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

#writer's wednesday #steddie #steddie fic recs #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #stranger things #ao3 writer #steddie writers

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ggukkiedae · 21 days

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pairing: lead singer!taehyun x guitarist!reader (but it's not mentioned)

warning/s: club setting, drinking

wc: 801

notes from cia: something from my drafts! ngl this was very loosely based on something similar i've experienced

The amount of people in the bar was making you feel a lot more uncomfortable than you’d hoped. It certainly didn’t help that multiple different people who you didn’t really know were offering you drinks or pulling you to dance. You loved Yunjin with all your heart, but the parties she threw tended to have way too many things happening at once.

The only reason you even agreed to go was to get your mind off of Taehyun. While you two were in a band together for a year, you and Taehyun never really became the closest of pairs, but that didn’t stop you from developing the slightest crush on him.

He was friendly, and some of your friends would even say he did some things with you that he wouldn’t normally do. Those were the statements that made you wonder if, maybe now that you left the band, absence did indeed make the heart fonder.

Whenever you’d visit rehearsal, he’d walk up to you, talk to you, and really try to keep your conversation running for as long as he could. It almost gave you hope, but you didn’t want to waste your time overthinking over something that could be nothing anyway.

That’s how you found yourself in one of Yunjin’s parties the night before Taehyun’s birthday.

As stealthily as you could, you slipped away from the main crowd of people, stretching your hand out to grab your cup from your table so you could find a quieter place to enjoy your drink, before accidentally backing into someone.

“I’m so sorry!”

“Where are you going?” The familiar voice made you turn and look up quicker. The very person you were trying not to think about was standing right there, and you couldn’t keep the stupidly pleased smile on your face from growing.

Taehyun was looking down at you, an amused smile of his own gracing his cheeks. Choosing to roll your eyes rather than give him a response, you checked your phone. 12:14AM.

“Oh my god,” you wrapped your arms around his waist, “happy birthday! You should get another drink to celebrate!”

He laughed and hugged you back, “Is that how it is? I’m pretty sure the bar is closed, so that isn’t something I can do at the moment.”

“Well, boooo. That’s no fun at all.”

You leaned out of the hug, faintly focusing on how, despite one of his hands safely tucking itself away into his pocket, Taehyun lightly skimmed the other down you back before resting it just above the waistband of your skirt.

Your breath hitched slightly when his hand made itself comfortable there. Maybe choosing to wear a crop top wasn’t your best choice for the night. Or it was the best? A million thoughts ran through your head. Did he know what he was doing? Could he feel you hyperfocusing on his hand on your skin? Did he know what this type of hand placement did?

“You know,” you grabbed your drink from the table next to you, trying your best to play it cool despite the fact that he really just kept his hand on your waist, “We still haven’t done that cover you promised me. It’s been, what, over a week?”

“If you include the period we didn’t actually decide on the song yet, I’d say it’s closer to one month.”

You raised your eyebrow at him, “Hey, you’re the one that’s been super busy this past week!”

“Yeah, okay, my bad, my bad,” Taehyun shook his head looking down and chuckled a little before looking back at you. “This week, let’s do it.”

You frowned a little, “I don’t even know if I’m gonna be in the area this week.”

“No problem. Let’s just say we’ll do it the next time we see each other.”

“Fine,” you blew your hair out of you face in a huff before drinking a little, only keeping yourself from finishing the whole glass when his hand tightened its grip on you waist the slightest bit, “but we have to do two covers now since we waited this long.”

“I’m down! Hell, we can even do three to be honest.”

“All I want is two,” you held up your pinkie to him, “pinky promise you won’t forget?”

An amused smile made its way to his lips while he removed his hand from his pocket and intertwined their pinkies, breaking into a small laugh when you sealed the pinky promise by stamping their thumbs together. The childish promise in the grownup environment surrounding you two was something you both found ironic.

“Good,” you smiled, “excuse me, I have to make sure Sunoo isn’t about to pass out on the table.”

With that, you slipped away from him, the spot where his hand rested already turning cold.

#txt #tomorrow x together #tomorrow by together #taehyun #kamg taehyun #taehyun x reader #kang taehyun x reader #txt x reader

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tmntxthings · 1 year

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∑一Entry 1・゜・。

summary: it’s like a diary, that tells the story from one perspective, only their inner thoughts, of their story with donnie, & spoiler alert I don’t think there will be a happy ending

warnings: first meetings, strangers to friends to lovers, cloaking brooch, eventually angst, obsession, jealousy, yandere behavior, unedited

—————————————————————————

I met someone today.

They were interesting.

And what was even more interesting was that I thought to myself, ‘I’d like to see them again.’

We talked for a bit, about mundane things. Stuff that I don’t find interesting at all. The weather. New York is a cold place. Usually. But today the weather had been…

What had he called it..?

‘Superb’

It was clear skies, sunny, with a bit of wind so it wasn’t too hot. Supposedly this was his perfect day. I wouldn’t use that word, it was alright. But I found him, very cute. For phrasing it that way.

What made us have a conversation to begin with?

He had saved me. From myself! My shoelaces always come undone as you know. And he was walking past me, when accidentally he stepped on the laces, and down I went, mid-step, jerking slightly from my pace being cut off.

He was pretty quick. My eyes were wide open as I watched the ground get closer and closer. I had accepted my fate. Then his arm had shot out, slinging under my waist and pulling me backward on my feet.

After the apologies and thank yous, and him pointing out the cause of my problems. He knelt down on one knee, and tied my shoelaces.

It was something that only happened to the romance leads in movies. I never thought anything so cliche would happen to me. But I was thankful as I got to watch him work. Deft fingers, long eyelashes. He smelled good, he wore purple.

More thank yous. And then I did something I normally never do. I asked for his name. Donatello. Unusual! I’ve never met one of those before. A classic name. Outdated for sure. But rememberable nonetheless.

Instead of parting ways, I decided to keep going outside of my little box. Since he was so interesting. He had the greenest eyes I’d ever seen. I commented on it, and he stuttered a little.

‘T-thank you..’

That wasn’t all either. He wore a ring that he liked to twist and twist and twist. It was mesmerizing when I finally noticed it. His little habit. I noticed a bunch of things as we walked the trails in Central Park.

He told me that he had needed the fresh air, to get out and away from his family for a bit. I had a similar reason though I didn’t say it. The noise, it had been so deafening in my tiny apartment. I had to get away from it. It followed me outside, to the park.

It only seemed to stop when I met him. Donatello. Maybe that’s why I found him so interesting. I didn’t notice it at the time.. but yes, I think that is why. He made all the noise go away! It was nice and quiet for once, with the sound of his voice filling up the rest of the space.

He had a nice voice too.

We walked, and talked, he talked more than me. But that’s normal. I don’t like talking. He does though, and he had a lot to say. It seemed he needed someone to listen. So I lended both my ears willingly.

By the time the sun started to set we had walked the trail three times. I hadn’t wanted that to be it. A chance encounter. A kind person who would become a distant memory. No. Maybe not. I don’t think I would’ve ever forgotten about him.

Luckily it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. He had said,

‘Thanks for listening to all of that… I’m not usually an over-sharer!’ He chuckled before continuing,

‘Would you want to exchange numbers? I think it’s pretty rare to find someone you can talk easily with, I’d much rather you than Dr. Feelings’

He had to explain that last part. But my phone was out and ready all the same. This moment felt really important. I felt like I had to write it down. So here we are. Now I will never ever forget.

I haven’t texted and neither has he. I probably won’t reach out first. But maybe I will. I have yet to decide. Though I hope to see him again soon.

—————————————————————————

∑一Entry 2・゜・。

If I had known it would take two weeks until he would reach out, I wouldn’t have made that promise to myself to not reach out first.

It was just below torture. Watching. Waiting. I thought maybe I would see even the three little dots pop up a few times. That maybe he had been thinking of me too.

I don’t think he had.

But that’s okay.

He reached out on his own violation eventually. Which felt nice. He had texted,

‘Greetings’

Very formal!

‘Would you like to walk in Central Park again?’

He provided the exact location and time to meet. I got there early. He seemed to have the same idea! All in purple once more. And he wore the same ring too.

We walked, and we talked. It felt just as nice as before. He was so talkative. He was funny. He was kind. I got too distracted a couple of times, staring intently at him instead of my surroundings. Twice I had almost walked into another person, and once I had tripped. All by accident.

He was just as swift as before. Easily reaching out to pull me close or pull me up. Not letting me fall. Not allowing me to run into someone’s back.

‘You should be more careful.’ He told me.

I nodded. My cheeks were warm after that. It felt quite embarrassing to have been told that. He had no idea how careful I was. I hardly ever leave the apartment after all! In fact I don’t think I had left since the last time I had seen him.

It was much safer inside. But I had a reason to get out now. He was worth it. He didn’t talk as much as the first meeting. So I asked some questions. He was 18! Just like me.

His favorite color was indeed purple.

His hobbies were botany and fixing everyone else’s problems.

He liked video games, and making ‘tech.’

That really had gotten some long winded speeches out of him. He was very smart it seemed. Much smarter than me.

I could hardly keep up with the big words he used. It all sounded very technical and advanced. But he was so animated when he got worked up into a talk frenzy. It was cute.

All I could hear was his voice, so soothing, so happy. It was musical. I could have it on repeat. Every day.

‘We should do this more often! Would you like to schedule regular meetings?’

It was asked very suddenly. But I agreed instantly. Now in my calendar, every Wednesday, from 5pm to 6pm, we would have our walks. And we would talk. Though this one had lasted much longer than 6. But he said it wouldn’t always be that way.

He was very busy. And yet, he stayed til 8pm. He had paused before leaving. I wondered what he had thought of. I didn’t have the courage to ask. Maybe I will next time. Next Wednesday.

—————————————————————————

∑一Entry 3・゜・。

Now that I had a specific day to look forward to, every day before that was boring. Each day that drew closer was filled with imaginary conversations.

What shade of purple would he wear this time?

How many times would he twist that ring?

My guess was 24 times. Maybe less since supposedly our time limit was an hour.

But before that magical day could come. I was forced to socialize with the landlord. Late payments. Threats. No money, no apartment. It was all so annoying.

I didn’t have any money left. The rent and other necessities took it. Which meant I would have to get a job, again. Unemployment checks should last forever.

So I had to socialize even more. I talked to one place for a job. They were always hiring. Luckily they didn’t ask for a resume or anything really. I told them I could work any day but Wednesday.

Those were for Donatello. Even though it was just one hour. I would need time to prepare.

With the job lined up, the little social battery that I had was completely drained. And I had two days to recover before Wednesday rolled around.

I couldn’t sleep. For those two days. The noise. It’s so loud. It wouldn’t let me sleep.

Makeup hid the dark circles that had encompassed my eyes. But no amount of makeup could hide the fact that I was tripping over my own two feet way more often than usually.

My eyes were wide open. I watched Donatello check my shoelaces multiple times. After the sixth time he suggested that we should just sit.

‘Is everything okay?’ He had asked me a personal question. This felt really important. And I struggled with how to answer. The truth?

‘I-‘

Coward. I was too much of a coward. Only one word of the truth came out before I changed my cowardice mind. I told him everything was fine. That I was just a little tired. That work had been hard. Which led to more questions.

‘Where do you work?’

‘Oh! What do you do?’

‘I see, well I hope they aren’t overworking you! If you ever..’

He had went off on another tangent about legal work hours. And other stuff that flew over my head. I think I would’ve been able to understand if I hadn’t been so exhausted.

And sitting on that bench, with Donatello’s voice going on forever and ever, it was calming. My wide eyes drooped. The initial excitement of my new favorite day had been overshadowed by my body being awake for three days.

I don’t know when I fell asleep. It was somewhere around the conversation about robots and the very real possibility of sentient life. Donatello had been very adamant when my expression had turned doubtful. But I think that was just my confused face. Even my facial expressions weren’t working right.

When I woke up, my head was resting just below his shoulder. Against his arm. He was very still. His other arm, that had his other hand, held his phone and he was scrolling through some app. Purple. Messages. My eyes were so blurry it took a couple of blinks to finally see that he was messaging someone.

Someone named April.

I must’ve moved or jerked or did something because the phone went black and he murmured my name.

‘You okay?’ He asked it again. It felt like a second chance. And so I told him the truth. That I hadn’t slept for a while. I didn’t say how long. But he nodded as I found the strength somehow, to move away from his arm. He was cool to the touch.

‘I understand, I don’t have the best sleep schedule either so I’m in no position to judge,’

This was said in a joking manner. He smiled kindly as he looked down. I surely looked like a bleary-eyed mess. But he was so kind, so nice. I smiled too. And it was 7:30!

‘Do you mind if I walk you home? I wouldn’t want you to fall asleep on your feet! Or worse you trip into someone else’s arms,’

He had laughed quite loudly after that. I could only feel my ears getting really hot. After a moment I realized he had gotten really quiet. I picked up the slack. It returned to normal after a few questions,

‘What’s your favorite plant?’

‘What do you do for work?’

‘Did I say anything in my sleep?’

I was really curious about the last one. I wasn’t worried. Just curious. Turns out I hadn’t said a thing. And that Donatello was a problem-solver in all aspects of life. But mainly he helped people with computer problems, and he fought bad guys ‘Haha just kidding, unless you consider hackers bad guys’

They were in my book! He had turned his ring three times in a row after that answer. As for the plant one, he had many purple flowers he listed off.

‘What?? You don’t know what lilacs look like?’

I had shook my head. Nothing really came to mind except the color lilac. That was another shade of purple..right?

‘I’ll have to bring some for you next Wednesday!’

He had declared this and even though I tried to say he didn’t have to! That I could easily look them up. I was happy when he told me not to, that he would show me.

This would be my first physical gift from Donatello. I am looking forward to next Wednesday even more than usual now. And I promised him and myself that I wouldn’t look up lilacs, it would be a surprise.

#triple hit #tmnt fandom #tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #teenage mutant ninja turtles #donatello x reader #rottmnt donatello #donatello hamato #first person view #diary entry #rottmnt drabble #fan fiction #yandere #donnie hamato #rottmnt donnie #rise donnie #rise donatello #2 am posts #late night writing

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f10werfae · 2 years

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Mr. Evans and Dodger

Pairing: Chris Evans x Vet!Reader

Warnings: Slight mentions of animal abuse

- Requests are open!

Likes, Comments and Re-blogs are appreciated♥️

Library of Chris Evans: Chris Masterlist✨

Fae Station: Full Masterlist💫

New Taglist‼️ Taglist form: So you don’t miss any of my posts ♥️

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

(Chris' P.O.V)

“I don’t know man, our last vet was so heavy handed that I don’t think I can trust another stranger with Dodge again” I complained to Henry, sitting backstage with our glasses drinking right after we presented our awards

“Was it really that bad lad?” Henry inquired, his face grimacing.

“Yeahh saw her hit other dogs a few times and kick 'em. Reported her and got outta there, now I’m stumped” With my arms crossed over my chest, my head went back laying on the headrest of the chair, silence filling the room between us.

“I know someone if you need one”

“Yeah? Who? And how do ya know I can trust them?” I met his eyes, watching his face turn into that of a smile.

“Well I have a cousin, she’s a fully qualified vet and she’s working out of Los Angeles, want me to set you up?”

“I- yeah why not, won’t do any harm to give her a go”

(2 Weeks Later)

“Alright Dodge, you’re gonna meet the nice lady and she’s gonna take care of ya alright?” I reassured Dodge, well actually I think I was more reassuring myself at this point.

The clinic had a nice homely vibe, candles were lit along with soft lullaby-like music playing.

“Dodger?” I heard a soft voice call out, a woman shorter than me with the face of an angel. Her hair fell perfectly, and her cheeks glowed a blush.

“H-here” I cleared my throat walking over, handing her the leash as I followed them into the examination room.

“So you’re the guy Henry sent over?”

“Uh yeah, I’m Chris” I said putting out my hand which she shook, “i’m Dr. Cavill, but just call me Y/n”

“And you must be Dodger, what a good boy” She cooed taking Dodger’s face in her hands and booping his nose, his tail behind him wagging happily.

“So it’s just a regular check up today then?”

“Mhm that would be amazing” Y/n led me over to a seat where I could watch everything clearly, Dodger wasn’t even paying me attention anymore, his eyes were fully trained on Y/n. Can’t blame him.

“So do you act as well? Sorry I don’t tend to keep up with a lot of things”

“Uh yeah, jus small things here and there” I smiled, finally a person who wouldn’t bombard me with crazy accusations or rumours.

“What about you? What made you move here to the States?” Her touches were so gentle towards Dodger, anytime she’d accidentally be a bit harder than usual she’d apologise with the care of a mother.

“Well to be honest it was the job opportunities, obviously I don’t plan on being in LA permanently but i’d like to move somewhere quieter”

“Boston?”

“Is Boston quiet Mr. Evans?” She asked with a smirk on her face, still fully focused on Dodger’s check up.

“Yes it is”

“You grew up there?”

“Born n' raised sweetheart”

“Don’t suppose this is your way of sayin' you want me to move closer to ya?”

Her tone teasing, a smile constantly on her face, her eyes finally meeting mine before sending a wink.

“Hmm may be”

“Take me on a date first, then we’ll see” Finally taking off her gloves she stood up, giving Dodger a final kiss on the head, picking him up and handing him over to me.

“Thank you for this, really. N' I would love to take you out for dinner”

First time i’ve asked someone out in so long, the same butterflies erupting in my stomach, or in fact even more butterflies than normal.

“My shift ends at 6:30, I'd really like to see you again too, and Dodger of course”

“GREAT! I mean uh great see you then Y/n”

“Bye bye Chris, and Dodger”

(Y/n's P.O.V)

“What a hottie” I said to myself watching as Chris carried Dodger out of the clinic, my heart going 100 miles an hour at the thought of our date tonight

#romance #chris evans imagine #chris evans x reader #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans #chris evans oneshot

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cloudninetonine · 2 years

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Yo yo! Top Gun anon here and first I’m so happy people are seeing the v i s i o n. To add to it and a bit of what others said imma put it in a list because I have so many ideas but I don’t wanna overwhelm!

1) To play on the cozy player/stronk chain thing and the gravity of the initial rift/difference between the two parties: reader with softer hands/less scaring than the group. Why? Not just for the fluffiness of hand comparisons (and the “must protect”) but for the realization that they’re the farthest thing from what these fools got going on.

They lift up a sword, and I dunno how rough the handles are but these guys definitely have no problems with it. Yet for player it’s much rougher than anything they’re used to. Holding onto it for so long could be painful. Laying in their types of (most likely) makeshift sleeping bags? Coarse fabrics=uncomfortable. Mid rant funny thought about how the chain my see player as “fussy” or something along those lines but instead they’ve barely ever, if at all, came in contact with this much extended “roughing” of the “it”. Lowkey this makes me think of how cozy and nice things can be now in comparison to then.

2) Same-ish point but Stronk chain? Angry player being fireman carried by whichever link away from (danger/mischief/etc) and just hitting his back, not hard but enough where a normal person give up and set em down, but he isn’t even phased. Just calling over his shoulder like “Are we done?�� Got it out your system?”

3)Angst warning that plays on Player being more affected by the carnage and battle: That scene from monsters inc where Sully is forced to scare and thus terrifies Boo? That but Player accidentally stumbles into battle because of Dink let’s say. A Link (let’s say Hyrule bc peak angst) whips around and Player has a sword pointed inches from their eyes. A bloody face and stony/wild eyes meet wide and watery ones. Player tries to play it off, they know it was an accident/misunderstanding but…they can’t help but to be on edge for just a little while. And Hyrule/the Link you choose? Ooooh boy.

4) I will later address the Top Gun Au when I get this all out my system because bayBE these ideas are FLOWING?? What’s the discord link again??/hj

Bonus: I know I glossed over the softness of hand comparisons but I gotta be honest the idea of Player’s skin being softer, smoother, less blemished or whatever sparking up a bit of teasing within the group. Maybe it’s just the basics of lighthearted digs at the idea of them in a fight or something as simple as them not being accustomed to handling such heavy weaponry. Let’s say Wars gets up first and takes their hand to compare it to his own battle ridden one. It starts off with the old “taunt”, laughter from the rest (including an “angry” Player) then as the rest carry on he zones out, thinking about how their hand is so much smaller in comparison. So much more…delicate? No no, that couldn’t be the word. Though when put next to him of all people it wouldn’t be far fetched. I’d carry on with this bonus but I don’t wanna make a whole mini fic in your asks GCHBYCHB but I SHALL expound farther on these ideas and more if y’all want because I have been STARTED.

Okay, anon, I would love all of these ideas expanded on I love them a lot!

Player being more soft compared to the others just brings a whole storm of ideas, as are their materials. I think you may have or someone else did mention it in another ask where one of the boys steal Player's clothes because of how comfy they are and I think it's a perfect idea! Them relaxing in Player's hoodie, their eyes heavy because wow this is the most softest thing they've ever felt! Then in comparison there's Player struggling because why is this fucking tunic so itchy and horrible??? Man alive is there fire ants woven into their clothes?????

Also Player just being carried in frustration would be hilarious?? Player snarks Legend and Hyrule has to carry them away while they blow up flustered in frustration because this shouldn't be happening! Even if they're heroes and buffer!

Now Player being much softer to those topics. I can definitely see Hyrule maybe being a frantic fighter as he's dealt with close calls many of times! Imagine how heartbroken he would be, seeing Player's horrified expression, stumbling back away from his sword and looking at him with a hurt that makes him want to drop to his knees and beg for their forgiveness. He wouldn't want them to brush it off, not when he can tell that they're obviously still struggling but he knows pushing the subject wouldn't work in his favour either.

ALSO WAITING FOR THE TOP GUN AU but of course take your time

#cloud answers #Anon asks

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powerofmettatonneo · 3 months

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What Measure is a Non-Human?: Commentary for Chapters 4+5

I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t primarily writing this to show off the work I did, but I’m posting this to hopefully serve as a bit of advice for other inspiring writers and as an explanation of some of the decisions I made. That being said, this will be completely nonsensical if you haven’t read the chapters in question.

I actually wrote chapter 5 before most of chapter 4. I got the general story of chapter 5 in my head while writing chapter 3 and chapter 4 was originally simply a bridge between the two. However, while writing it, I realized that there were some chronology issues (namely involving Jason’s mom) that I’d have to address but could not be bothered to at the moment, so I just stopped writing the bridge halfway through and wrote the rest of chapter 5 largely as-is. When I went back to finish the bridge, I realized that the tone was way off from the rest of the chapter and it was (barely) long enough to be split off.

Writing backwards like this allowed me to add a lot more set up than normal. The funny part of set up is how much of it can happen accidentally. I had it in my notes to write a scene of Jason and Hazel effectively communicating without the PokeCom so that Hazel referencing that later doesn’t come out of nowhere. I wrote out the banter scene without even considering that aspect until it was finished, and what do you know, it fit the job perfectly on complete accident. Similarly, I didn’t even have it written down to show Jason respecting Hazel’s boundaries (I mean, not committing harassment is pretty much the default so I didn’t see a pressing need) but the moment with the hug happened completely naturally and conveys that idea pretty well. Additionally, referring to his mom as “Mrs.” but having her only mention cooking food for three people when she has two children, together with his father not appearing in the scene, certainly paints a picture of what Jason's family is like. The only set up I had to “force” was the ability of Eeveelutions to say the word no; although I’d like to claim that this came from some big philosophical ideal regarding the nature of consent, it really just came from thinking about what words they’d be able to put together with only the sounds they’ve been given.

There are a few other unorganized notes on chapter 4. Jason’s mom is deliberately written to be the sort of loving but overbearing and slightly dysfunctional type; it’s the type I��ve personally seen the most irl but I rarely see it represented in stories, probably because there’s nothing romantic about it. There’s no wish-fulfillment of a perfect mother or character-building trauma from an abusive one.

Fortress starring Dathan Dillion is just a basic reskin of Castle starring Nathan Fillion, which is the crime drama I appreciate the most because it is so absurd and, just like Jason, I think Fillion is hot. Hazel enjoying crime dramas is one of the character traits she had before I started writing this story.

On to chapter 5. TW: the same discussion of manipulation/coercion in the original chapter, as well as additional minor references to sexual assault.

I was struggling with whether or not I should even write this chapter; addressing the power imbalance inherent to the concept was always going to happen, but to do so in such a raw, direct, and frankly personal way concerned me due to the potential impact. In the end I decided that this was my story and if I wanted to tell it this way, then I should (albeit with warnings and disclaimers to try and minimize any negative effects). This chapter is not meant to resolve the issue permanently; these things don’t just go away after one talk. The issues and the guilt and the doubt from a relationship with such a large power imbalance are always going to be there until and unless the power is properly balanced; the only question is how you handle them in the meantime.

This is the first chapter that had an idea for a title come to me, and, as is tradition for AO3, it’s a song title. I was listening to the album Dear Wormwood while writing this chapter, and the titular song is about confronting the negative parts of yourself, your fears and insecurities. Medea is Jason's Wormwood. Honestly though, the whole album also fits nicely with the flow of the chapter.

Starting off with some technical points, there were a lot of tricks put into the dream sequence. First, though, shout-out to Boundaries for inspiring me to do this in the first place. Switching tenses the moment it breaks from “reality” alongside the mention of this happening at night more or less explicitly tells the audience it was a dream without actually being explicit. Refusing to refer to Medea as Hazel and allowing her to use contractions should’ve established a sense of something being off with the scene. Furthermore, the whole “speaking without wanting to” part is based on something I often experience in my dreams that I don’t see discussed much where my body or mouth do things against my will, kind of like I’m being puppeted by something. I’ll admit, part of this was a cop out so as not to soil Jason’s idealized status by having him do the less sympathetic but more realistic thing of automatically defending himself against Medea’s accusations instead of taking them seriously. However, the fact that he’s saying it at all is meant to show that he’s experiencing internal conflict, where at least part of himself is reacting that way even if he feels disgusted with himself for doing so.

This chapter also had the first big payoff: Jason’s father. His father being absent was hinted at since chapter 1, the nature of his absence was hinted at in the previous chapter, and now it is all but confirmed. Notice how I never explicitly say that he died; this is not to leave open other possibilities, but because I didn’t see the need. Subtlety is often much more emotionally powerful than explicitly spelling things out.

There are multiple parallels between this chapter and chapter 3, with chapter 3 being Hazel’s emotional breakdown and chapter 5 being Jason’s. They both interrupt each other’s negative spiral by touching each other’s back, they both tell the other to take their time with the talk, and Hazel coming to the opinion that Jason would be happier if she tried to stop being his equal contrasts with Jason’s fear of having manipulated her due to the unavoidable inequality in their relationship. They’re both desperately afraid of hurting the other but before the twin discussions they come to conflicting conclusions on how to handle it.

On to the more philosophical stuff. Nearly all of Jason’s emotional reactions are based on similar ones I’ve experienced, although for multiple things over my lifetime instead of all in one night. When I was a child, I woke up from a nightmare and started crying. The family cat, a grumpy old man who did not like to be touched and who was actually pretty sick at the time, just so happened to be walking past my room. I had my door open and I saw him stop, look at me, jump on my bed, and shove himself between my arms and start purring. I held him to my chest until I stopped crying, and he stayed there for several more minutes, still purring. This is my favorite memory of him and I am not exaggerating when I say that it was downright life changing to have this animal, this supposedly lesser being that is said to only operate off of instinct, go out of his way to willingly do something he wasn't normally comfortable with just to comfort me. It permanently changed how I view animals. To make a long story short, this ultimately culminated in me studying ethology (animal behavior), and while I did end up pursuing a different field, what I learned about the languages of animals was a major driving force behind the creation of this story. This event, of course, was the inspiration for Hazel’s initial reaction once she woke up.

Back on track, the line about years of nightmares removing the instinct to scream is based on the fact that I haven't screamed from a nightmare in years. Granted, I don't have recurring trauma ones like Jason does, but I do have a lot of random ones.

Being autistic, I often find myself repeating certain phrases when I get too overwhelmed, both emotionally and informationally, and this is reflected by Jason’s chanting.

Jason’s laughing as he comes to the belief that he is a bad person is also based on something from my life. When I feel overwhelmed by guilt, I don’t cry or scream, I start laughing. This might not be the healthiest response, but it is genuine, not some poor imitation of a manic episode like I'm afraid some people might take it as.

“But you're right, there's no sense in stopping now; the damage is already done. Might as well make the best of a shitty situation.” The funny thing about believing that you’re a horrible person is that it quickly becomes an excuse to keep doing bad things; after all, you’ve already hurt people, so what’s the point in stopping now? If Hazel hadn't broken Jason out of that headspace, things would have quickly completely fallen apart as that idea gets enshrined. She and Medea would no longer be two different people.

Medea is named after the character from Greek mythology. To make a very long story short, she was the wife of Jason of Argonauts fame and they were famously horrifically abusive to each other, started by Jason; the fact that my Jason is willingly comparing himself and the dream version of Hazel to them shows how far he’s fallen into self loathing at the moment. Like Hazel, Medea far predates her role in the story; every time I had an idea that was too cruel for this story, I'd mentally recategorize it as involving an alter ego of Hazel instead of the original, who is far too precious to me to traumatize in such fucked up ways. Although I don't plan on releasing any of that from the confines of my brain, it still took up enough space in there for me to want to reference it at some point.

Alright, on to the real heavy stuff. You may have noticed that I didn’t explicitly mention sex a single time; this was deliberate. I’ve been trying to keep any mention of sex vague throughout the story because I know that it makes some people uncomfortable and I want the story and its themes to be as accessible as possible, and unlike the also alienating themes of manipulation and coercion that are discussed, it isn’t really vital to the story. Even in this chapter, where I am literally discussing coercion into affection, I feel like the specifics don’t matter as much as to whether or not it is happening in the first place. The scene would play out the exact same if they were talking about sex or making out in the grey areas, so I don't see the point in confirming one way or the other.

This leads into one sentence that I could not make up my mind on whether or not to include. In fact, as of writing this, I’m not certain if I did. “I was only half joking earlier; you would not physically be able to force me to do something I did not want to.” Jason looks like he wants to keep arguing, especially after that last point, but instead he simply sighs and shakes his head. I am well aware of the less than positive implications of Hazel’s line here. I wrote this to show her naivete and am hoping that the following sentence shows the reader that I’m not agreeing with her. Jason doesn’t argue with her because, in a discussion involving a particular individual, “physical strength isn’t the only factor” can be easily misconstrued as “I could totally force myself on you if I wanted to”, and he's had quite enough of placing doubts in his lover's head.

I may or may not do this again in the future. These two chapters gave me much more that I wanted to talk about than the previous ones did. I doubt I'll have much to say on the next chapter, and from there, who knows. I have a broad outline in place, but I'm only planning specific chapters one or two in advance.

#what measure is a non-human #author's commentary

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krissiefox · 9 months

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Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog - Honey, I shrunk the hedgehog (Screenshots & Review)

Well, well, well, I'm back again for more Sonic! I'd recently tried to order a DVD set of the complete series, only for an empty opened amazon bag to arrive in my mailbox. Thanks a pant-load to whoever stole my DVD box! At-least I got my money back...erf. Thankfully, I still have YouTube, so I'm able to do more reviews!

The episode starts with scratch and Grounder assembling a new machine for Robotnik. Scratch seems extra stupid in this episode, as the first thing he does is mistake Grounder’s head for a battery, even with it still attached to his body! After lots of lots of bumbling, Grounder finally gets his head back and the actual battery is installed onto the machine, making it ready for use. Robotnik excitedly explains that is a shrink ray, and he's going to use it to consolidate areas of Mobius rich in resources into a tiny dome, along with shrunken Mobians he is kidnapping to perform slave labor.

Poor Scratch seems rather sad in this episode...

As he gets ready to power the machine up, we see that Sonic and Tails are helping out at a coal mine somewhere (Mystic cave one, maybe?). Sonic is giving the workers a pep talk, and he gifts them all a pair of power sneakers and spiky blue helmets (egotistical much, Sonic?) which helps them all work much more quickly. I'm not sure if this is implying that Sonic shoes are giving him his power, or if the moles were already really fast but afraid of burning their tootsies. Suddenly, the mountain the mine is located on is shrunken down and lifted into the air! They've been relocated by Robotnik into his little dome, so he can force the miners to provide him with coal. Robotnik isn't ware yet that he's accidentally also captured Sonic and Tails, giving them the opportunity to sneakily work together with the miners to break out the side of the dome. As our heroes observe their surroundings, they see that Robotnik’s shrink ray is super far across the room.

It’s so cute when Tails carries Sonic!

Tails first tries to fly Sonic across, but manages to get them caught in a spider web and Tails isn't able to fly because his Tails are left sticky from it. To make matters worse, this is around the time Robotnik notices them scurrying around on the floor and gives chase! Scratch and Grounder also try to help, with Grounder sending his pet lizard after the two. Eventually Sonic and Tails get sucked up into a vacuum cleaner by Robotnik, and to em the thought of being stuck in there with all that dust sounds like no fun! Even worse than my summer allergies!

We learn that Grounder has a pet lizard! I wonder what its name is, and if scratch has any pets too?

Just looking at this makes me want to sneeze. Also, I didn’t notice til I was typing this that there are literal dust bunnies inside the vacuum bag. cute. :)

Sonic and Tails escape the vacuum bag and get up onto the shrink ray machine, but Robotnik then threatens to hurt the people in the glass dome so Sonic surrenders. The two are then trapped inside a bottle but Sonic eventually tricks Scratch into letting him and Tails out of it. (Scratch seems really sad about it when he realizes it too, I feel kinda bad for Scratch in this episode). Sonic and Tails then climb inside of Scratch and Grounder and find that that they have mind control override switches built into them, because Robotnik is a horrible person. Sonic and Tails themselves then take control of Scratch and Grounder and use their bodies to beat up Robotnik before hopping out and returning themselves to normal size, sending the the miners back home, and then shrinking Robotnik, who gets chased by....wait, is that Mr. Bobo? !You'd think he'd be happy to see his old friend again! Maybe it's just a guy who looks like Mr. Bobo and I'm being racist against bugs. Sorry, Bobo.

Here are some of the other switches Robotnik put inside of Scratch. I guess he sometimes wants to force Scratch to make chicken jokes and cook horrible food?

Mr. Bobo? Is that you?!

In The Sonic Says segment, Sonic teaches the miners the importance of cleaning up debris and recycling materials at the end of a work day. This feels like it might be the first Sonic Says that's more geared towards adults, though kids certainly do make messes too.

This episode was pretty fun! Characters turning tiny is often a fun concept because it’s interesting to think about just how drastically different ones perception of the world can be simply based on their size compared to everything else. There's plenty of slapstick and action, though I do feel bad for Scratch in this episode as it eels like he gets picked on and hurt more than usual. Mind control stuff is always kinda messed up in how lightly its taken, but at-least in this case its being done in self defense and ti also does also seem like poetic justice that Robotnik ends up getting beaten up by Scratch and Grounder because he designed them to be able to mind controlled in the first place. Til next time, stay cool!

#aosth #adventures of sonic the hedgehog #Sonic #sonic the hedgehog #tails #miles prower #robotnik #dr. robotnik #scratch #aosth scratch #grounder #mr. bobo #lizard #reptile #GETTIN' SMALL #honey i shrunk the hedgehog

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autumnalwalker · 10 months

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Find The Word Tag

Thank you for the tag, @writernopal.

My words to find were lucky, smoking, empty, racing, & stare.

Passing the tag to @hollyannwrites, @blind-the-winds, @void-botanist, @rickie-the-storyteller, @dontjudgemeimawriter, and the usual open tag.

Your words to find shall be acknowledge, upstairs, coarse, darkened, & unison.

Lucky: Empty Names - 13 - Open Office

“So. Loopholes. I don’t know a lot about nominal magic but I’d done a little bit of reading up on it for personal reasons and then tried to refresh myself on the topic when I knew the contracts were going to be a thing. Point is, I signed and swore the magic part of it with my deadname, hoping it would be me enough to let the contract seal but not me enough to be enforceable. Magically anyway. Legally, yeah, I’m still probably in trouble.”

“Clever,” Bridgewood says. “That’s the sort of trick you can only get away with once though. Twice if you’re very lucky. More than that and you risk acknowledging it as a Name of yours once again and you’ll get any bindings you’d been avoiding that way snapping back on you at once.”

“Thanks for the warning?”

“I speak from experience.” His tone seems genuinely sympathetic for once. Lacuna finds it disconcerting.

Smoking: The Archivist's Journal, Day 152

I was awoken by an unusually loud crack of thunder this morning. Earlier than I usually wake, but late enough that I couldn’t really get back to sleep, so here I am. How close must that lightning strike have been that I heard it so clearly in my twice-barred subterranean chamber? I briefly went upstairs and stuck my head out the door to the street, but I didn’t see anything smoking or burning, so it probably didn’t hit a building.

Empty: The Archivist's Journal, Day 311

We made the usual greetings that friends unexpectedly bumping into one another on the street would make, both claimed to be “fine” when asking each other how we were doing, and had a moment of awkward silence as we both contemplated whether to bring up the topic of Maiko. Thankfully, the presence of the dustpan and bucket made for a convenient redirection of conversation.

With the embarrassment of a child caught in the middle of some mischief, I told her about my visits to the empty tower and how on something of a whim I’d decided to try cleaning it. In a spur-of-the-moment decision I invited her to come up with me. I thought she might enjoy the view.

She had a moment of hesitation, citing other things she should be doing, followed by a coarse-languaged dismissal of said responsibilities and acknowledgement that she needed a break. Her immediate transition into heading off toward the tower left me being the one to follow after her.

Racing: The Archivist's Journal, Day 31

It was Lin who gently ended the reverie, wanting to show me something. While we’d been sitting there stargazing and “star”gazing she’d left one arm dangling over the side of the boat and trailing in the water. Now as she pulled it up to show me her fingers had taken on a similar starry glint. It faded back to normal within a few seconds of showing me, and as it did so I could tell that it was not just a matter of being coated in a dark glitter-filled liquid. It was as if her skin itself had darkened to a blue-black and begun glowing with a white light from scattered pores, especially clustered along her veins.

This unsettled me greatly as my mind started racing to think of things that could do that to a person and not coming up with anything good. I apparently did a poor job at hiding my concern as, seeming upset at having accidentally scared me, Lin began frantically reassuring me that it was perfectly safe and people even went swimming in this lake all the time. As if to prove this point she started kicking off her shoes and then jumped off the side of the boat fully clothed, splashing me and setting the small craft rocking. I suppose this was the “just in case” for bringing along a second set of clothes.

Stare: Empty Names - 4- Prince In Gold

“And I see you still insist on wearing that same hideous vest as always,” she continues.

“No, this one’s gold. You’re thinking of the dandelion one. Or maybe the ochre.”

“It’s all the same pattern though, just different shades.”

“And it’s a lovely pattern, isn’t it. I’m considering wallpapering one of the guest bedrooms with it. What do you think?”

His friend laughs. “Only if you want to drive whoever tries sleeping there mad.”

“I’ll take that as your seal of approval then.”

“Don’t you dare,” his friend says, suddenly serious and glaring at him from across the table.

“Oh, I dare,” Sullivan says as he meets her gaze.

The two of them stare in silence for a solid minute before bursting into laughter in near unison. Not that any of the other restaurant patrons can hear. Privacy is part of the service here.

The laughter dies down and Sullivan wipes a nonexistent tear from his eye before saying “It’s truly been too long, my friend.”

#tag game #find the word tag #manuscript search tag #writeblr #my writing #writers on tumblr #writing tag games #empty names #the archivist's journal

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johannstutt413 · 2 years

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(Flametail/Ashlock/Doctor…I read their profiles and it seemed wrong to separate them)

“...It’s quiet today, isn’t it?” Ashlock wasn’t one to speak up, but without the usual string of visitors, it was oddly solemn in the Doctor’s office.

“It is. Rather rare around here, certainly.” He finished scribbling a couple of notes he was working on, a checklist of sorts, before nodding to himself. “Greynuty, can I ask you some rather personal questions?”

His bluntness - no, not quite ‘blunt,’ but certainly straightforward - reminded her of when fans would ask her for autographs; fortunately, they were alone, but it still stunned her a little. “O-of course. Ask away.”

“How would you describe your relationship with Sona?” In another context, he’d probably use their codenames. For this one, however, every personal touch mattered.

“She’s my partner,” the Zalak replied, no hesitation. “We’ve been working together practically since we first met. I can’t imagine where I’d be right now without her.”

He nodded. “And when you say ‘partner,’ does that stop at a working relationship?”

“Almost. I’ve…my family destroyed hers and caused her to become Infected with their lack of consideration, so I’ve always felt somewhat guilty about that. If they’d paid more attention to their subjects, Sona could’ve had a normal life.”

“I see.” A moment’s pause. “So not necessarily romantic feelings?”

Greynuty accidentally crunched the pencil in her hand. “I’m sorry?”

“I am, too - I didn’t mean to disturb you so.” The Doctor stood up and found her a new pencil from a pencil holder on his bookshelf.

“No, it’s fine, I should have been prepared for that.” Ashlock sighed, a flush creeping to her face. “But to answer your question, I’ve gotta say, there’s a lot to admire about her, isn’t there?”

He smiled. “I agree…As a matter of fact, I have a bit of crush on the both of you myself.”

“Yeah, she- the both of us?” She was staring at him, arm stretched up to take the pencil from him.

“I have a couple of weaknesses as a man,” he admitted - Zalaks, for one, “but beyond that, the two of you truly are a special pair. You complement each other, strength for the other’s weakness, and frankly, if I’d woken up in your district rather than in Chernobog, I can see myself following her rather than the other way around. A few twists of fate twisted differently, and that might’ve been the case…I, um, I’m not creeping you out, am I?”

No, the knight wasn’t ‘freaked out,’ per se, but this whole conversation had turned in so many directions, it made her head spin. “N-no, you’re not. I’m flattered, I guess?”

“You guess?”

“I mean, people say that they admire me sometimes, and that’s kind of, uh, awkward for me after everything,” she replied, practically laying her soul bare without necessarily being aware of it, “but no one’s ever said they’re interested in me like this before, so…” Greynuty looked him in the eye, helpless. “I don’t really know what to do about it. Or about how I feel about Sona. This is a pattern I'm realizing now.”

The Doctor simply nodded, setting the pencil on her desk and pulling his chair closer to sit nearer by. “It’s hard to find the words for me, too, which is honestly why I wanted to confess to you first.”

“First? You want to tell Sona, too, then?” Did that make his feelings for her less special? Would her own be lessened, considering the knight suddenly found herself in a similar situation as the other corner of some sort of triangle?

“Y-yeah,” he replied, his own anxieties starting to get to him, “but I wanted to make sure I told you first, you know, just in case the two of you were already an item and, uh, well, thinking that if you weren’t, maybe we could confess to her t-together? Does that make any sense?”

That was enough for it to click to Ashlock that the Doctor really was just as lost as she was, and honestly, it kind of helped her collect herself. She rolled her chair closer so that she could reach his and put a hand on the desk between them. “I…I like that idea.”

“You do?” The relief in his voice was immense and oh-so-very obvious.

“Yeah.” The Zalak smiled at him. “It’s not how I imagined things going, but then again, you kind of have to take the opportunities you’re given, right?”

He leaned back in his chair, exhaling dramatically but, for him, completely necessarily. “Ahh, thank you for being so understanding. I really didn’t know what I’d do with myself if you’d rejected me.”

“Reject you? Me? Like hell I’d do that.”

“Yeah, Doctor, we’d never reject you.” They both jumped as Flametail, Sona herself, spoke up, full of exuberance as she closed the door behind her. “Heard the whole thing, by the way. My answer? Of course!”

The former co-conspirators looked at each other, then at the other knight, then back at each other, until eventually the Doctor spoke up. “Well, that, uh…simplifies things, I guess.”

“Quite a bit,” Greynuty agreed.

“Wow, I really mixed you guys up, didn’t I?” Sona beamed as she closed the distance, deciding to sit on the desk between them rather than find a chair. “I actually came here to see if Ashley wanted to get lunch, so if we’re gonna be a threesome, how about we make it a first date?”

The same speed that made her a brilliant combatant, and the charm that made her a fantastic leader, left both of her admirers simply in awe. ‘Ashley’ came around first this time to say, “That sounds great.”

“A first date already…” How the fuck had he ended up so fortunate in one afternoon?

“Great!” The knight sitting on the desk hopped down, holding a hand out to each of them. “Ready?”

Not even slightly, but the Doctor took her hand and stood up. “S-sure. I was, uh, kinda getting hungry, anyway. Greynuty? Or should I call you Ashley? Is that your middle name?”

“Just Sona’s nickname for me.” The Fortress took both their hands, stood up, and glanced from one to the other a few times.

“Oh, right.” The sole non-knight realized the issue. “We can’t walk around safely like this, can we?”

Flametail shrugged. “I guess not.”

“So which one of us will be in the middle?” Ashlock half-wondered aloud, half-asked.

“...Maybe we take turns?” The Doctor looked at Sona. “Since you suggested lunch, you can be in the middle for now?”

That sounded good to her. “That works!”

“Cool.” Before letting go, Greynuty squeezed the Doctor’s hand - at the same time he squeezed hers, as a matter of fact.

“Alright, let’s eat!” Their center led them out of the office, glancing around at the signs for the restaurant she was interested in. “Oh, I’ll pay, by the way. Earned a nice bonus off the last mission I went on.”

The Doctor cleared his throat. “Actually, um, can I pay?”

“Oh, uh, sure!” The first sign of hesitation from Flametail as she found herself in the mire of relationship dynamics they’d just thrown themselves into, the dynamics which the other two had been thinking about since the conversation had turned that direction.

At least they had some time on their way to the restaurant to think through how they wanted to sit around a booth.

#arknights #arknights fic #flametail (arknights)#ashlock (arknights)#like it says - this was gonna be Doc/Flame but the AshTail is too good #there's 100% a Sylvestris polycule somewhere in the miasma #but i've got some other fics to write before that one :D

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bonesandthebees · 1 year

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Okay, so I have caught up on No Time Confounds Me. (yes I’ve been reading a lot lately, I’m sick and I don’t have classes so I don’t really have shot to catch up on and I was kinda ahead of work before I got sick so I’m fine)

Anyway, normally I don’t read vampire stuff, I tried reading Nocturnal Animals and I got 3 chapters in and it’s really cool but my brain just isn’t slotting on so I doubt I’ll finish it. (In my defence, I already know how it ends so *shrugs*) My point is, I really enjoy ntcm. I love the world-building and the niche little interests (or is it the aesthetic? Like the drawing on the shoes and the pins.)

You are once again doing and amazing job with foreshadowing. The new vampires at the blood bank are Phil, Techno, Quackity and Schlatt. Tommy knows a lot about vampire stuff because he is one. Running away because you allegedly accidentally stole someone’s Claim would be a good enough reason to down half a black coffee in 1 go. The constantly being watched but only when Tommy is there so maybe Schlatt already knew, he just needed Wilbur there too. The news Wilbur manages to catch is about Tommy turning Tubbo. Tommy Claiming Wilbur as his brother because he Claimed him. Tommy’s attempt to dye his hair brown to be less recognisable. (Though if you don’t want to be found, bright blue is a terrible choice, Tommy!)

Most of these are little things that might stand out but can be dismissed and then they suddenly slot into place. Like you have a long build-up but I’m sure if I were to read it again that everything would make sense. Like it’s that writing thing where everything you write has to have a purpose. Seemingly random scenes all have a goal or make more sense when you get more information and it’s so cool to see you do that!

Also, I say allegedly accidentally, but unless his parents died by gunshot, I’d say the chance is pretty high Tubbo did get shot. That’s why Tommy jumps in front of him whenever he hears one because if he had done that for Tubbo he would not be in this situation. + the trauma of watching your friend bleed out and being faced with their mortality would make Tommy worried about losing Wilbur.

Also also, I am terribly worried about Schlatt, but I assume that of he were to purposely turn Wilbur against his will in some way it would go back to being a violation of human law (and there would probably be a lot of witnesses).

Also also also, (last one, I promise) does eye colour define strength? Does that mean the Phil and Tommy are stronger than everyone else or is there some other meaning?

-🌲

HI SPRUCE i'm so glad to hear you're enjoying!! I'll get to your stars asks soon I promise, but I'm saving them for after I finish no time bc answering those will help me get back into the stars headspace lol

in the meantime though, I'm thrilled how much you like ntcf so far. the aesthetic is my favorite part ngl. I always loved the pacific northwest aesthetic vibes combined with a lowkey punk look (ie: wilbur's leather coat, combat boots, pins) so it's been a lot of fun for me to set up scenes with that imagery and all that. I also love including small details like wilbur drawing on tommy's shoes and stuff. it just makes the world feel more alive to me.

you picked up on all the foreshadowing!! yup you got that exactly right. I was trying to make the first chapter seem like a normal relaxed vibey slice of life type fic, but with something obviously wrong going on in the distance.

also fun fact actually if you're trying to disguise yourself it's sometimes better to stand out. the point of a disguise isn't to blend into a crowd, it's to look like someone else. (I learned this from watching a youtube video with the CIA's former Chief of Disguise lol). so yeah, tommy trying to dye his hair blue wasn't necessarily him trying to blend in, it was him trying to look like someone who wasn't Tommy. but as I'll probably mention offhandedly in the next chapter, vampire hair is a bit different from human hair molecule-wise so vampires need special hair dye to change their hair color. hence why tommy's dye attempts turned out so shit lol

the thing about the Good Samaritan Law regarding Turnings is that it's really a legal bullshit loophole. if there were no other witnesses around besides the vampire and the person being turned, no one can prove that it wasn't a life threatening situation. so almost every single time without fail a Turning will get excused by the good samaritan law. also, a vampire will very rarely turn a human unwillingly because again the newly turned person can just turn them in. so the issue isn't turning people unwillingly. the issue is that it's illegal to turn humans at all even if they consent. the only time it's legal is if the person is literally on their deathbed. since vampires are immortal, the government wants to limit their population growth for obvious reasons. but again, it's such a loose law that all you have to do is make sure there are no other humans around when a turning happens and boom you can claim they were dying.

no eye color doesn't define strength. the eye color thing is literally just based off what eye color you had as a human. phil and tommy both had blue eyes, so their eyes get lighter and turn a more silvery color. techno, quackity, and schlatt all had brown eyes, hence why their eyes turn gold. being a vampire just lightens your eyes and makes them kind of shimmery, so it's just dependent on what your original eye color was and nothing else.

ty again so glad you're enjoying!! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. I wanted it done to post today but I only got halfway through it yesterday sooooo oops. I'll try to finish it as soon as i can.

#ask #spruce anon #no time confounds me

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porterblt · 1 year

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New year, new babe

Whew, time to dust off the Tumblr PPD diary again!

Not really. But I am postpartum (again), and I am sad (again).

Little Owen came with us almost a week ago. I don’t know if it was just the suddenness of it all, or the earliness, but it still feels not quite real. I remember waking up in the hospital on the 28th and just looking around my room in some weird disbelief. My sleeping newborn was next to me in the bassinet, but it somehow felt like I hit a fast-forward button accidentally and was stuck in this new reality.

Coming home has been hard. Looking at Everett and interacting with him has been hard. I’ve been so focused on getting through each day and week leading up to the due date that I feel like I almost wasted those last few days with him, and that makes me really sad. The saving grace is that our last day together was really special. I cry every time I think or talk about it for some reason. It was a normal Thursday; I don’t even remember what we did the first half of the day. Everett got up from his nap, we ate a snack, then we went to this part of Crump Park that has a few sports fields and these empty train cars. Everett and I just walked about the trains for about an hour, and it was the sweetest time. He was so happy and inquisitive, and I was just there watching him have fun. I held his little hands as he walked up and down the brick half-wall, and helped him climb on and off of the train cars. I walked on the repaired cracks in the asphalt with him that criss-crossed across the parking lot like spider webs. As the sun was setting he looked up at me and said, “It’s getting dark outside, mom!” “Your’e right, buddy, we need to go to the car and go home soon.” He’s just so sweet and takes everything in. He’s constantly making little observations and goes out of his way to show us things over and over again. He’s my little boy, and I’ve just been processing so much grief over losing our life as a family of three.

Because he’s grown so gradually, it didn’t really hit me until we got home just how big he’s gotten. Owen is so little, and seeing Everett’s newborn things just unlocks this tidal wave of sadness. Those early days with him were so terrible and so dark. He was just this tiny little beacon that both made the darkness worse but then helped pull me back out again, day after day.

I know these feelings of baby blues are “normal” and there’s nothing I can really do except hunker down and weather through the worst of it until things inevitably even out.

For some reason I’ve been thinking about my own mortality a little bit. There’s a man at Third who took his life this past week. It’s been so sad. I never knew him, but it was a big shock to everyone who did. When I was faced with the impending delivery, I started to wonder what it would be like if things went sideways during the delivery. If something happened to me. I usually never let myself dwell on that kind of thing, and always just envisioned heartbroken friends and my family. Then enters Chris. He would be a widower, which feels strange to think about. Now Everett. I’m a mom, and if something were to happen to me, it would blow a hole open into his little life. And Owen. He’d grow up never even knowing what having a mother is like. I’d leave so much grief in my wake, and things feel so much more at stake now than they did a few years ago.

I don’t know where I was going with that. I guess I’m realizing that I’m not super young anymore, and I’m starting to identify more with my parents, knowing how they must’ve felt when they were my age. Life is such a strange thing. In a way i wish the “circle of life” were kinder and longer. But I also realize that the things I love most dearly wouldn’t quite exist the same way if things were different.

Anyway. Enough for now.

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suckitsurveys · 2 years

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What’s the last sweet treat you’ve had? I’m literally eating a kit-kat right now haha. Would you ever or have you gone golfing? (mini golf counts) Yes, mini golf. Which reminds me, we still have a coupon for Top Golf we need to use, How about bowling? Yes. I like bowling. I haven’t been in ages.

What’s something you’ve been wanting to try but don’t have the nerve or time? I don’t know.

Are you able to walk or jog more than 1 mile without stopping? Walk, yeah.

Do you enjoy decorating your home for any occasion? Yeah.

What did you last have to drink? Water.

What’s your favorite color in the rainbow? Blue and purple.

Do you tend to stumble over your words when you’re nervous? Yes.

Are you a fan of Ozzy Osborne? I don’t dislike him but I wouldn’t say I’m a “fan.”

Have you ever caught Covid-19? or any of the variants? As far as I know, no. What color was the blanket that you last covered up with? AHAHHAHAHAHAAH I have a blanket on right now that my friend got for me for my birthday. It’s got pictures of Pete Davidson all over it ahahahahahaha.

How long do you lay in bed until you get up if you can’t sleep? I don’t think I’d get up. I’d just play on my phone or something.

What’s a dance move you can confidently do? I know a couple tik tok dances hahah. Do you know a Lucy? Yes, I have a coworker is named Lucy.

Do you ever listen to any A.M. radio stations? No.

Do you stream most of your music? Yes, on Spotify.

What is something you dread? Work.

Would you say you’re an overall nice person? Yes.

What was the last argument you got into about? Ugh.

When did it last rain? I don’t remember the exact day, but sometime recently.

Do you use big words in your vocabulary? If I find it necessary. I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE people who throw big words into normal fucking conversations.

Do you keep Christmas bags and old wrapping paper to reuse? Juts bags.

What’s a charity you support strongly? National Network of Abortion Funds and the Petsmart charities.

What’s the first flowers or trees you notice that bloom when it gets warmer? Lilacs and tulips. Have you ever accidentally punched yourself in the face while pulling your covers up? Yes.

How about dropping your phone on your face? Yeah.

Have you ever been in a mosh pit? A baby one haha.

What’s one of your favorite TV shows? BoJack Horseman.

What are 3 words or phrases you use most often? I don’t know. Probably I don’t know, lol. When did you last trip or fall? I can’t remember.

What type of pain pills do you use for a headache or do you just tough it out? Naproxen. I literally cannot wait out migraines because those can last for days.

What did you last say out loud to a family member? "I love you” to my dad.

Can you remember the last time you dressed up nice for an event? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I guess my sister’s birthday?

What did you last thank somebody for? My husband for getting me a kit kat lol.

Do you see any stuffed animals from where you are? I can see into our bedroom and there is a bat squishmallow on the bed. Do you or anyone you know suffer from food allergies? Yeah, I know people who do.

Look up from your device. how much black do you see? A lot. I see a buncha black hoodies on our coat rack, black shoes, black door to our bedroom, black TV and entertainment center, black 3d printer, mark’s computer set up is black, and a black cat laying on the floor.

What color do you dislike the most? Eh.

Can you whistle good enough to get through a whole song? Yes.

What did you last tie a knot for? Uhhhhhh the ankle bracelet I’m wearing.

How many surveys have you taken so far today? This is my second. I might do one more before bed.

#surveys #at home

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foxytonics-quill · 2 years

Text

Plot Holes

A Twilight fanfic based on this post.

Monday, October 4, 2004

Not that I expect anyone to read my journal, but to those of you who say that being stuck in high school is the most boring thing that an immortal being can subject themselves to, I extend an invitation to try doing so with an open mind. Even if teen drama is something that makes you cringe at the mere thought, there is plenty to be learned from students and teachers alike, especially when you have access to everything they don’t say as well as what does happen to pass through the filter between their brains and their mouths. Things get so much more interesting when you actively listen.

Of course, there are many people out there who would probably criticize me, going on some long winded tangent about the ethics of reading someone’s mind without their knowledge or permission. I’d be inclined to agree with you. Doing so willingly and with the ability to not do it is morally questionable. I have many thoughts rolling around in my head on an hourly basis that I’d be mortified to have someone gain access to. Thus, being a mind reader, I am well aware of the rights to privacy that I regularly violate, and a large part of me does feel guilty about it. Unfortunately, it’s not an ability that I can consciously choose when to use. It’s always on, and I can’t just turn it off. There are absolutely times when I wish I could, believe me. The best I can do is try and listen only to surface thoughts and focus on maybe one or two people at a time, and even that gets to be really hard some days. If I’ve waited too long to feed. If the gossip floating around is heavier and more exciting than normal. If I’m overstimulated. If even my own thoughts are too loud to handle.

Those are the days that genuinely make me wish that I lived in some ancient castle in the Carpathians. All alone. No one I can hurt. No other minds to invade while trying to focus enough on lessons to keep my grades up. Just mountains and forest and old stone and cobwebs. I need to make a note to ask Carlisle if an extended vacation to Romania might be possible after graduation, actually. I’ve lost count of how many ceremonies I’ve lived through in my undeath. Surely a senior trip wouldn’t be too much to ask for, right? A few of my classmates are already planning theirs. It seems that they are just as frustrated with staying in this sleepy little town as I am.

My gift isn’t always bad. As I wrote before, I have ways of managing it, and there are a few people I share classes with who actually make it rather enjoyable. The curly-haired boy who sits in front of me in math is always drawing in the margins of his notebook, and his thoughts when he sees a particularly sketch-worthy bird out the window are a serotonin inducing mix of joy, excitement, and total distraction. There’s a girl in my history class whose mind is brimming with even more questions than she gets to ask out loud; she gets called a teacher’s pet and a know it all, but I don’t think she has anything to be ashamed of. A lot of kids just completely zone out. Not that I can blame them. I’m guilty of doing the same regularly. Some of them go off on completely random tangents about some tv show or movie they watched before. Some of them compile mental to-do lists, stressing about homework, chores, projects, parties, and many other things. Some of them are more interested in figuring out who likes who, or whether they can capture the attention of someone that they like. I’ve even accidentally caught a couple of students fantasizing about me, which was wildly discomforting to say the least. I always try to find literally anything else to focus on when I stumble across thoughts like that.

A few others write stories in their minds when they zone out, and those are by far the best ones to read! It’s like tuning into a tv show that no one else can watch. They’re so creative, too, coming up with ideas and characters and settings that would shake the literary world to its core were they to be written out and published. My personal favorite is one that a blond guy in my literature class is currently composing. He’s sitting off to my left, next to the girl in front of me who keeps trying (unsuccessfully) to flirt with him. I think his name’s Kevin? Or maybe Kyle? You’d be surprised just how little people think about their own names. In any case, he’s come up with an entire fantasy world on his own, complete with several original races, a collection of celestial bodies, unique landmarks, and a wealth of cultures as diverse as those that inhabit our own world. The story he’s piecing together is sort of a supernatural thriller, revolving around a vengeful ghost who haunts the cursed stretch of land where she was killed, and the heroes have to figure out how to put her to rest in order to restore the land. That’s the main part he’s stuck on. Every idea he’s come up with so far has been, according to him, either too cliché, too mainstream, too hokey, or far too complicated.

He could make the story even more compelling if he had his heroes ask the spirit why she was angry enough to haunt the place. Perhaps they could search for clues as to how and why she died. Gaining some insight into the motivations and story of the phantom not only makes her a more sympathetic character, but it also fleshes out the setting even more, solidly connecting it to the characters and plot. At least, that’s what we’re supposed to be learning about in class today. The teacher literally just went on a whole spiel about how a setting is more than just the backdrop for a story.

…

I can’t weigh in. Can’t help him sort out all of his muddled thoughts, or fix that plot hole, or encourage him to keep going. As far as I know, he’s actually writing down notes for class, not the story, so I can’t use the excuse that I accidentally read it over his shoulder or something. It should not be this frustrating. I have ideas, though, and I really wish I could get them across without revealing myself or my nature….

…

Perhaps I need to do a better job of faking being a good student. I got called out for not paying attention to the lesson, even though I’ve been taking notes on it in between writing down all these thoughts. I guess I just looked too absentminded for her liking, or maybe she’s hyperaware of people not being completely focused on her because she suspects that her husband is cheating on her. That…that was mean of me. I sincerely hope that she doesn’t come over to read my notes. She’s thinking about it. I’m definitely testing her very limited patience, which is actually kind of entertaining.

…

Kaiden (that’s his actual name!) told her to, and I quote, “Chill the fuck out.” He made a fairly compelling defense, stating that I was taking notes just like everyone else, and asking why it should matter that I looked a little more lost in thought than usual. She was, of course, incensed by the questioning of her authority and judgment, and immediately sentenced both of us to after school detention. I’m sure Carlisle and Esme won’t be thrilled to receive her irate call, but I can’t help the smile that I’m currently trying desperately to hide. I haven’t had a rebellious streak in such a long time, and Kaiden is doing a good job of tempting me into starting one. As if he didn’t already live rent free in my head…

…

Classes are over for the day. Detention awaits. Oh, joy…

…

I’m home now. Much later than I intended to be, and certainly much later than I should have been. Kaiden and I were in detention for all of five minutes with no chaperone before he started groaning about how bored he was, and how detention was lame, and how we’d be so much better off if we just blew the joint. I almost laughed at the fact that he was a teenager talking like a mobster from some cheesy Hollywood movie. He looked over at me and doubled down, insisting that he was serious, and that we should just skip. There was nobody around; he’d already checked the hallway. It would be easy. In all honesty, I was too distracted by the realization that this was the first time I’d ever actually looked into his eyes to object. They’re the exact shade of blue that poets write about getting lost in, and deeper than any ocean. Before I could say anything about how it might be a bad idea to just run off without telling anyone where we were going, he’d grabbed my wrist and started tugging me out of the classroom. I could have resisted. Probably should have. He’s only human. I could have easily gotten away from him, if I’d wanted to.

I didn’t. In that moment, I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t want to fight the urge to run with him instead of away from him. Perhaps it was that leftover desire for teenage rebellion from earlier. Perhaps I’d simply gotten tired of playing the good-natured quiet kid, and saw him as an outlet. Either way, I went with him, reaching out with my gift to try and detect any one who might discover us. It went off without a hitch. We made it off campus far more easily than I’d thought we’d be able to, but as far as I knew, that was where the plan ended.

“So…” I asked, turning to him, “where do we go from here? Did you have a particular hideout in mind, or do you usually just roam around town after you escape detention?” I was mostly joking and a little curious, but he grinned back at me, large and lopsided and challenging.

“Yeah, I got a good place we can go. I’m surprised, though. Gotta say, man, I didn’t think you’d be the type to be up for an adventure.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, letting my amusement show through as we began our walk.

“Aw, nothing bad. You just seem like the straight-laced studious type, y’know? Straight A’s, chess club, probably looking for a nice girl to settle down with after you get done with your law degree. White picket fence, American Dream, that whole schtick.” I didn’t even have to look at him or read his mind to know that he was rolling his eyes. The sarcasm and mock disdain were thick in his voice.

It brought a smile to my face once more as I responded. “Let me get this straight.” I could feel him tense up a bit beside me. “You stood up for me in class and argued with a teacher, and you think I’m going to be the one who grows up to be a lawyer?”

The dial-up noises that went off in his head were almost as comical as the shocked look on his face, but then his cheeky smirk came back full force, accompanied by a laugh and a sharp elbow that I barely felt connect with my ribs. He winced, and I immediately regretted not moving with the blow to lessen the impact. “Damn, dude, you work out every day, or something? Your abs are like rock hard! I bet at least half the jocks on the football team would kill for whatever routine you got going on.” He didn’t seem hurt, so that was good. Still, it was a reminder that I sorely needed. This was dangerous. I am dangerous. I was about to tell him so when he continued on, grinning that insufferable grin that will probably haunt my dreams tonight. “Maybe I oughtta get into that whole fitness bro thing, too. I might not mind it so much if I have someone cool to do it with.”

That stopped me in my tracks. “You think I’m cool?”

His mind confirmed it while his mouth backtracked. “I mean, as cool as a goody-two-shoes rich kid can be, I guess. I’m hanging out with you, aren’t I? Skipping detention, showing you one of my favorite places to chill out until it gets dark enough for my dad to wanna send the dogs out after me…I wouldn’t be doing all this if I didn’t think you would be cool with it. Wait, you are cool with it, right?”

The slight panic in both his voice and his thoughts was enough for me to say “Yeah, of course,” surprising myself yet again. I shouldn’t be cool with this. He was at far more risk of getting hurt than me. What if something catastrophic happened? I should have simply insisted on walking him home, but a somewhat deeper read of his thoughts told me that it probably wasn’t the best idea. His father seemed to be rather strict and loud and borderline abusive; his mother was quieter, but not better. Neither of them apparently thought he would amount to anything unless he followed the path that they wanted. Law school was a key feature in that plan, I noted.

“Hey, dude, you alright?” he asked, and I realized I’d let myself be too obvious again. “You spaced out again. Kinda went all quiet on me. Not that I don’t do that, too, but still, it’s weird to see someone else do it. Especially one on one. Everything okay?”

He was so concerned. It really wasn’t something that should have caught me off-guard, considering that I already got called out for it earlier, but it was still a bit jarring. “I’m fine,” I insisted, trying for a reassuring smile. “I just do that sometimes. Get lost in thought and let my body run on autopilot. I’ll try to keep better focus, though. Sorry if I came off as rude.”

“Rude? He scoffed. “Nah, man, I’m not all uppity like Mrs. So-And-So. I don’t mind if you zone out, just as long as your mind doesn’t wander off far enough to make you walk into oncoming traffic or a tree or anything, okay?” As if his words weren’t indicative enough of his protective nature, he flattened his palm against my back, just below my shoulder blades. I’m still not sure if he meant to reassure me or try to keep me grounded in reality, but either way, I didn’t hate it. His touch was warm, even through the fabric of my shirt. A comfort in the cool autumn air, keeping the breeze from chilling me even more than normal. A moment later, it pulled back sharply.

“Shit, man, you’re like totally freezing! Here, take my hoodie before you turn into a walking icicle! Jeez, it’s gonna get even colder when the sun goes down. Did you forget that we live in Washington when you walked out of the house this morning?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his mother hen-like behavior, which only made him fuss even more, but I put my hands up to placate him. “I’m alright, really. It’s not even that chilly out. Besides, the cold doesn’t bother me all that much.” He still didn’t seem convinced, and wouldn’t even start walking again until I relented and accepted the offered hoodie. “Do you parent all your friends like this?” I teased, daring to come out of my shell just a little bit more. “Or am I just special?”

He rolled his eyes at me again, which I suppose I deserved. “Believe it or not, America’s Sweetheart, I don’t have many friends to look after. In fact, you’re kinda the first person in a while who hasn’t treated me like some kinda lowlife degenerate.”

“Okay, you’re calling me a sweetheart, now?” Was that what flirtation sounded like nowadays, or was he just being facetious? Did guys even still flirt with guys, despite whatever taboos were still in place? Did I even want him to flirt with me? “And you literally broke me out of a detention that you got me into. It might be delinquent behavior, but I’d be a fool and a hypocrite to judge you for it.”

“I don’t actually know your name, man,” he admitted sheepishly. The rosy tint to his newly flushed cheeks wasn’t lost on me, nor was the influx of flustered and anxious thoughts. “Don’t have that great a memory. I thought maybe I could get by with nicknames until I heard it come up somewhere. Clearly, I beefed it with that one.”

“Edward,” I answered, fixing him with a mischievous smirk of my own. “Edward Cullen. But you can keep calling me America’s Sweetheart, if you really want to.”

“Aw, fuck, you’re not gonna let that go are you?” I shook my head, and he groaned in protest. “Man, that’s some really gay shit, too!”

“Yes, and…? You started it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know…you did answer to it, though!”

“True…maybe I should start calling you honey as revenge. Or baby.”

“No!”

“Or sugar lips.”

“Don’t you fucking dare!”

“Not even darling?”

There was an awkward pause, and when I peeked into his mind to see if I’d taken the joke too far, I was shocked to see amongst the jumbled up thoughts that he actually liked it. “Maybe,” he finally answered, “but you’re on thin ice, man.”

“Again, you started the whole nicknames thing. I’m just happy to play along.”

“Oh, haha. What’s next? You gonna hold my hand while we frolic through the park? We’re almost there, by the way.”

“Only if you want me to,” was my quick and honest retort, followed with another smirk and a teasing, “darling~” It may have just been a joke between new friends, but I could immediately tell that the reading I’d gotten the first time I uttered the word had been accurate. Embarrassed as he was, he enjoyed it quite a bit more than he would ever admit to out loud. There were other confusing thoughts mixed in, mostly curses, plenty of questions. The more I think back on it, the more I regret messing with his emotions like that, but even with my gift, I’m not sure I knew that I was doing it. It just felt so…right. Bantering back and forth, talking as we walked through the park, pushing each other’s buttons a little, getting to know each other’s quirks, likes, dislikes. It all felt so incredibly human. I don’t remember the last time I connected with someone else like that, or the last time I let someone pull me headlong into their chaos. It was thrilling, terrifying, and intoxicating all at once. Not even because of his scent, or because of the blood flowing through his mortal veins, tempting me at every turn. I can’t actually place the reason why I let myself get so caught up in him, but I am, and I don’t want to not be. For now. I’ll just have to be extra careful around him from now on.

He wants to IM. He gave me his contact info as I walked him home from the park, and while I’m not exactly tech savvy, I managed to get an account set up on the same chat website that he uses. I don’t even know what kind of messages to send. Do I just say ‘Hi’? Ask him about his day, or homework? This is a little overwhelming, but not necessarily in a bad way. More exciting than anxious.

Tomorrow will be a new day, that’s for sure.

…

I still have his hoodie. I guess I forgot to give it back because my mind was on IMs and making sure he got home safe. I can just return it to him tomorrow though.

#✒️nothing can come of nothing🖋 writing prompt #✒️do not step into the faerie circle🖋 fantasy #✒️make me immortal with a kiss🖋 romance #✒️a day like any other day🖋 slice of life #journal entries #edward cullen #twilight #plot holes fic #the … indicates a pause in his writing

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