#I’m in the mood to make more pages so there may be more pages today :0

[timetoletmyimaginationfly]

Unspoken Love

Nanami Kento x Reader

Part 2: One Year Later

Part 1: The Meeting

(Song Inspiration: Need 2 by Pinegrove)

It was more crowded today than any other day. Nanami took the empty table you usually occupy and took out a book he brought from home this time. The brightness of his phone gathered his attention as your name popped up from the screen.

You: I left class late and missed my bus. I’ll be there soon!

Nanami: Be safe.

It was the beginning of May. The cafe is now filled with more students than usual around this time due to finals. He was lucky to get this table as he patiently waited for you. Every now and then he would look over at the window, hoping to see you walk by.

“Excuse me?” He felt a tap on his shoulder and heard a woman’s voice. But it wasn’t you. You became comfortable around him and would sometimes swiftly hug him from behind. You still appeared shy but you spoke more comfortably with the both of you telling each other about your day. He wouldn’t tell you what happened to him yet, but you never pried. And he appreciated it. Nanami turned around, and the woman’s eyes widened. “S-Sorry. I’ll leave.” She quickly scurried away. He sighed dejectedly, his bright mood dampened.

About another half an hour passed. He sat there quietly, his mind cluttered with insecure thoughts. Was he always this unapproachable? Or is it because of how he looked?

“Nanami-san!”

It was as if he didn’t hear you. You walked around him and took your seat in front of him like usual. His eyes looked blank, like he was staring blankly at the page instead of just reading. You leaned in closely and waved your hand in front of him. His eyes widened and they slowly traveled up to meet yours. You smiled.

“There you are!” you exclaimed happily. But his expression remained cold. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, the tension around him still evident. He couldn’t fathom why you were willing to spend time with him. But he couldn’t answer himself why he chose to be around you when he could be at home. Especially today on his day off.

“When you’re willing to share, I’m all ears for you,” you said assuringly. Again, he nodded. You could assume it was a bad day so far. With your bad days, you would complain about it the moment you saw him. But Nanami is different and prefers to keep to himself.

You can feel the difference in the silence that the two of you sat in. Instead of the comfortable and content one, it was grimly too silent for comfort. He never turned the page in his book, and his eyes remain blank on the same page. He distracted you. All the worries clouded your mind and you just wanted him to be okay.

“Nanami-san—“

“Why do you stick around with me?” he asked abruptly. “I don’t understand how you can stand being around someone like me.”

“I wonder how you stick around me, too,” you said. Nanami was puzzled. Why wouldn’t anyone? You’re perfect. “But maybe that’s just my insecurities talking.”

“You don’t have any,” he assumed. You frowned when he did, but you weren’t mad. Personally, he didn’t really know you and you didn’t know him. “Ever since my injuries, I think people are cautious of me. Ever since my injuries, I became insecure of my own appearance. Usually I’m not, but maybe it’s because the wounds are now evident on my body.”

“It’s understandable that you’re insecure about it. I think it’s normal,” you said. “But it doesn’t make you unapproachable.”

“I think so. Apparently looks really do matter in this country.”

“It’s unfortunate, huh?” you questioned rhetorically. Nanami felt his shoulders relax and you smiled at his subtle movements. “To be honest, you have a hardcore resting bitch face. You look pissed half the time.” His eyes widened at the information. You couldn’t help but laugh. He couldn’t tell if you were kidding or not. “You didn’t have it when I first met you. But it appears every so often.”

“Then, it’s not because of my scars?” he asked. You shook your head.

“The scars catch people by surprise, but your expression keeps them away.” He knew his insecurities got the best of him. And he hated the fact that it did.

“Then…what about you? You mentioned about insecurities too,” he asked. You blushed. You closed your laptop and rested your arms on top of it.

“I always thought I was meant to be alone,” you answered. “I was the weird girl in middle school because I didn’t have a family. Both of my parents were killed. And since then, my brother and I were estranged. He was killed about half a year ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear about that,” he said softly.

“It’s okay. Rumors of me being bad luck was spread around that I actually believed it. So I never really let anyone in. I’m getting better at it though. It’s stupid but—“

“It’s not. The way you feel shouldn’t be invalidated.” A small smile appeared on your face. “You’re perfect.” You blushed. Nanami smiled.

“Are you off for the rest of the day?” you asked. Nanami nodded. “Then, we should get dinner later. I-If you want to.” You suddenly blushed at your sudden request. Nanami smiled a small smile, his eyes remained on your shy eyes. He watched your eyes. They slowly moved away from his and would return back.

“Okay.” Your eyes widened. You didn’t think he would agree but you had a sliver of hope that he would. You hated hope. It only lead to disappointment on your end. But Nanami proved you wrong.

The first dinner together turned into more dinners after. Sometimes, you two would meet up for breakfast, especially after your shift. If Nanami had free time during his shift, he would call you and you would agree to meet up with him or he would come over to your place to pick you up.

It was the one year mark when Nanami was almost killed. And instead of staying at home, he called you early morning while he took a walk outside. He hoped he didn’t wake you up. If he did, he would’ve been guilty even though you would constantly reassure him that it was okay.

“K-Kento-kun,” you answered. He frowned. Your voice sounded stuffy and nasally. You tried to sound happy and cheerful but he could hear that deep down, you were miserable.

“You’re sick again,” he said with concern. You coughed on the other line.

“I woke up in the middle of the night like this,” you said sadly. “I have to go to the doctor’s for a note cause I’ll miss my exam.”

“You get sick every semester.”

“I do.”

“What time is your appointment? I’m off today,” he asked.

“D-Don’t worry about it, Kento-kun! I don’t—“

“I’m worried,” he confessed. He felt himself blush. “If you don’t mind, I really don’t want to be alone today. So let me take care of you.” He wondered how you reacted. You were an open book and he enjoys reading your expressions.

“I’ll go around 10,” you answered. Nanami smiled.

“I’ll be over soon.”

He never left your side that day. While you slept after your appointment, he went grocery shopping and cooked a late meal for the two of you. He kept quiet as much as he could as you slept on the couch. After making your meals, he heated up some water to prepare tea, in hopes you woke up by the time the tea was warm enough to drink.

He quietly placed your mug on the coaster and sat down by your feet. You pulled the covers up to your chin once he sat down. He looked over at you and smiled softly. He wanted to reach out to you and caress your hair in your sleep. But he didn’t want to wake you. He wanted you to stay asleep so you’ll feel better soon.

He couldn’t imagine life right now without you in it. He couldn’t help but let his feelings for you grow. He knew that he would do anything and everything for you. He’s willing to give himself to you. But the fear of your rejection held him back. It didn’t matter how much you two spent time together. If he heard your rejection, he knew he would be broken. He couldn’t say anything unless you did first. He would do anything to keep moments like this forever.

He looked at you one last time. Even when you’re sick, you remained perfect in his eyes.

You stirred again in your sleep. He watched you slowly open your eyes. You tiredly rubbed them before you looked ahead. A small smile appeared on your face when you caught the mug sitting on the table, steam escaping the mug. Slowly, you sat up and turned to Nanami.

“Thank you,” you said softly as he handed your tea. You took a small sip and sighed with content. “It smells good in here.” Nanami blushed. It was the first time he cooked for you.

“I made you soup,” he said. “Is chicken noodle okay?” You nodded happily. “Do you want some now?”

“In a bit,” you answered. You covered your body with your blanket. You felt a bit better, but the stuffiness is still evident in your voice. You looked over at Nanami and blushed. Nanami noticed and blushed with you. “Can…Is it okay—“ You mentally took a deep breath. “Can I lay my head on your shoulder?” Your heart was racing when you asked the question. And you felt it jump when Nanami softly smiled with a nod. Slowly, you scooted over closer to him and leaned your head on his shoulder.

Your body relaxed. All from the feeling of your head being comfortable on his shoulder and his scent: earthy with a hint of his cologne. You closed your eyes and sipped your tea.

Nanami smiled. He felt relaxed with your scent: dark berries and vanilla with some sort of floral scent. He couldn’t tell which, but he’s intoxicated with the smell. He leaned his head down on yours.

“I want to drive you to your clinical site tomorrow,” he said softly.

“It’s really early in the morning, Kento-kun,” you said.

“I know,” he said. “But, I want to. If you let me.”

“Okay. Pick me up at 6:15.” Slowly, Nanami wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you in close. He surprised himself with his actions, but it felt natural for him to do so.

“I’ll be here.”

The silent is soothing and content. You never felt like this before. You felt loved and cared for.

“It might sound crazy,” you said. You played with your mug as you traced the rim of it. “My parents and my brother had a crazy job.” You sighed, finding words to explain it all to him. You don’t know why. But you have a good feeling that he would understand.

“I have a crazy job too,” he confessed. You smiled.

“My parents and brother are sorcerers,” you said. “They see things that I barely can’t. They have these powers that I don’t obtain. Their jobs are so dangerous that they were killed because of these cursed creatures.” You felt his head lift off from yours.

“Then, you should know that I am one too.”

You looked up at him. You quietly gasped at his relaxed expression. He appears extremely relaxed and relieved. A secret that was weighing him down is now free. When he looked at you, he smiled. You sat up straight and turned your body to face him. Mug on the table, you reached out to him and held his face. Your thumbs caressing both side of his cheeks. One side smooth while the other felt rough. Both felt wonderful.

“Is that how the scars came about?” you asked softly. He nodded in your hands, his eyes closed enjoying the feeling of your soft hands on his face.

“Exactly a year ago, in Shibuya,” he added. “Half of my body was burned. I was almost killed if it weren’t for a young sorcerer that saved me.” You couldn’t help but to let your tears escape.

“That must’ve been so hard for you,” you whispered. Nanami slowly opened his eyes, surprised that you were crying.

“You don’t have to cry,” he said softly.

“I know,” you replied, a small smile appearing on your teary face. “But, you’re alive and here. I-I get to meet someone like you. Have someone that’s caring and—“ You paused. You questioned why you’re talking about him as if he really is yours. Slowly, Nanami held your hands.

“I’m grateful to be alive,” he said. “I get to meet someone like you.” He leaned in your hands, his thumbs caressing your soft hands. You smiled.

“I’m not a sorcerer, so my parents looked down on me. The only thing I’m good for was my intuition. And I’m never wrong,” you said. “My brother was stuck in between liking me or hating me because our parents aren’t fond of me. He died then during that incident in Shibuya. I told him not to go and that something bad was going to happen to him but he still went.”

“It must’ve been hard for you,” he said.

“A little.” You immediately let go and covered your mouth. You turned away as you coughed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said and stood up from the couch. “I’ll warm up dinner.”

While he did, you turned on the TV. You searched and searched for something to play. You hoped he didn’t mind what you put on because your favorite anime was tempting to watch.

“So,” Nanami said as he returned with two bowls of soup along with your medicine in his pants pocket. “Intuition?” You blushed. You had a feeling where this was going.

“I had a feeling you weren’t, I guess you can say, normal?” you answered shyly. “It’s like I sensed something strong about you.” The corner of his lips lifted. You took the bowl of soup on to your lap.

“You can sense cursed energy. At least you sensed mine,” he explained. You nodded. You blew on to the spoon and ate. You let out a soft moan from the tasty meal.

“This is amazing,” you said and ate some more. Nanami’s smile grew. “I wish I could cook like this.”

“Tell me what you want and I’ll make it for you,” he said.

“You don’t have to do all of that.”

“I know, but for you I will.”

“I might make you tired of cooking.”

“I’ll love cooking even more.” You giggled. “Don’t forget your medicine.” You nodded and popped the medicine pill in your mouth. “I can make you dinner tomorrow night.”

“Surprise me then,” you said. You debated on refusing, but you know now, he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Yes, darling,” he said softly. You blushed. “I-Is that okay?” You nodded and shyly looked at him.

“Darling is okay,” you answered that lifted the weight off his shoulders. “A-Are you done? I’ll wash our dishes and—“ Nanami took yours and his bowl. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen. “I’ll take a shower then.”

“I’ll be here,” he said.

By the time you returned, Nanami sat patiently on the couch, his eyes on the TV with your show playing. You smiled and walked over to him. You sat down closely to Nanami and brought the blanket up to cover your body warm. You leaned on his shoulder again and Nanami wrapped his arm around you. No words were said. Just content and comfortable silence remained.

#nanami x reader #nanami x you #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk #jjk x you #jjk x reader #nanami jjk #jujutsu kaisen nanami #jujutsu nanami #nanami kento #jjk nanami #nanami fanfic #nanami #nanami fluff #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jjk fluff #jjk kento #kento nanami

[onlymingyus]

The King's Gambit: Contracts (Teaser 1)

pairing; joshua hong x female reader

genre; smut, angst, fluff, slow burn (there may be changes to this once the full fic is posted to tumblr upon completion)

warnings; mentions of a contract, BDSM contract, mention of punishment (spanking) -- there will be other warnings listed on the final fic upon completion

w/c; 510 and some change for this teaser

The King's Gambit Collab masterlist & taglist

a/n; this is just a small teaser for The King's Gambit: Contracts -- there is no completion date set at this time, so please be patient with me. I am currently sitting at 31k and have plenty of story left to write. this will be a very long story so there may be other teasers posted here on Tumblr but I know I will be posting other teasers and behind the scene things on Patreon. if you would like more there is a longer teaser already available for my peaches (subscribers).

please consider supporting me read how to do that here

Because of his phone call, Joshua was running late. He still looked fine but he had skipped breakfast after a pretty intense workout, and he was running on spite. Barely glancing at his assistant the man furrows his brows at the way Jeonghan is leaning against her desk. 

“Jeonghan, I don’t have all fucking day.” 

A smirk crosses the lawyer’s face before he offers a wink to the assistant causing her to scoff and roll her eyes going back to her work as Jeonghan follows Joshua into his office closing the door. 

“No need to be so damn grumpy, Shua. I was here on time, you are the one who is late.” 

Sitting down behind his desk, Joshua meets his friend’s eyes only to glare briefly. He wanted to tell him that he had no fucking idea what he was dealing with at the moment but there was no way he was going to tell him. There was no way he could tell him or Seungcheol about the conversation with his father or the Hyong merger right now. He had to figure his shit out. 

“I’m not in the mood, I was hoping you’d be here with some good news. My new contract?” 

Extending his hand, Joshua expects to be offered a signed, sealed, and delivered contract but instead, Jeonghan hands him something he had never seen in all of his years of rotating contracts. Turning the pages with obvious frustration, Joshua scoffs loudly before glancing around the contract to look at Jeonghan incredulously. 

“She can’t be serious?” 

“Oh, that’s fun. That’s what she said too when I first gave her the contract to look over.” 

Joshua wasn’t finding the same amusement that his best friend was. He was looking at all of your changes as if they were slaps to his face. 

“I won’t accept some of these. She’s just trying to see how far she can push me.” 

Sucking on his teeth, Joshua leans to pick up a pen with blue ink leaning over his desk to start making his own changes to yours. 

“She marked through cockiness? That isn’t something she thinks I can punish for? God, what a fucking brat. Fine, Y/N…have it your way.” 

Jeonghan shakes his head, a sigh on his lips as he watches Joshua mutter to himself. The pen in the man’s hand moves over the papers making small but distinct changes before Joshua pushes it back across the desk to his friend. 

Picking up the contract, Jeonghan crosses his leg over his knee reading under his breath before smirking and raising his brow at Joshua. 

“You replaced cockiness with bratty behavior?” 

Joshua only nods, lifting his hand to run his fingers through his hair clearly flustered by the morning. 

“Finish it today. Pull her from whatever she’s doing and see if it fits her high standards. She makes my palm itch.” 

Jeonghan laughs, moving to his feet as he folds the contract back up, slipping it into his bag as he speaks. 

“Well luckily for you, spanking wasn’t one of the punishments that she crossed out.”

© onlymingyus - all rights reserved. Reposting/modifying of any fic, or pieces of original writings posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations not allowed. 

#joshua smut #seventeen smut #svthub #svt smut #joshua angst #seventeen angst #svt angst #the kings gambit contracts #the kings gambit #seventeen x reader #joshua x reader #svt x reader

[kywaslost]

Ciel Helps You With Your Anxiety

A/N: I started writing this while I was on my cruise, and just now got around to finishing it. I hope this turned out alright. Ciel is most likely OOC, since that’s how it works with most of my writings. But I guess it’s helping me out because I’ve been anxious lately and I’m not even doing anything. Please let me know what you think! Oh, and this is a female reader btw.

Rain beat against the windows of Phantomhive Manor as the storm outside raged on. Lightning flashed every few moments, followed closely by rumbles of thunder. You didn’t usually mind thunderstorms, more often than not you found them peaceful and perfect for reading or winding down for the day. Except today it did nothing but make you feel even more on edge.

You weren’t sure why you were feeling so anxious today. You had been doing so well the past week or so, being able to get through the day with minimal anxiety and worry. You were so proud of yourself, and so was Ciel and Sebastian, especially. The two had seen you through your worst and your best, and knowing that you had been doing so well made them so happy for you. So when you woke up with that tight feeling in your chest, your mood deflated almost instantly.

“Is something the matter, Miss L/N?” Sebastian asked as he prepared your morning tea. He noticed your mood change almost instantly. You had only been awake for a few minutes, so he was hoping it was just you being tired.

You snapped out of your thoughts at Sebastian’s voice, shaking your head slightly before offering a half-smile. “No, not at all, Sebastian. Thank you.” After serving you breakfast in bed, Sebastian listed off the day’s events as he picked out an outfit for you.

“Your schedule is quite clear today, Miss. Master has asked that you look over and sign a few documents before dinner. That is all that I have for you today.”

You heard the demon, and knowing that you had an easy day calms your nerves ever so slightly. So you went about your day with an optimistic mindset. After breakfast and being dressed by Mey-Rin, you made your way to the library. You didn’t feel quite ready to be around others just yet, and you knew that Ciel would notice your anxiety so you decided to relax in the library with a good book.

Except that didn’t work. From the moment you sat down you felt like you were forgetting something, or that you could be more productive. So, replacing your bookmark and setting your book on the side table, you stood and made your way to the small storage closet in the library. You pulled out a small hand-held duster and began running it along the bookshelves.

It wasn’t more than five minutes before Sebastian stepped into the room, sneaking up on you and causing you to jump when he gently stopped your hand from dusting the shelves. You gasped, whipping around to see the demon butler.

He only smiled kindly. “My apologies, Miss L/N. I did not mean to startle you. May I ask why you are cleaning the library? You should not be tasked with such trivial things.”

You bit your bottom lip, quickly glancing to the floor. You scraped your thoughts with some excuse as to why you were doing Sebastian’s chore. “Sorry, Sebastian. I just thought I’d help. I don’t mind cleaning.”

Sebastian gently took the duster from you, setting it down on the nearest shelf. “I appreciate your help, but I believe I can manage on my own.”

You nodded, then turned to go back to your chair. Your chest tightened even more and you were overcome with the feeling of crying. You opened your book and stared at the pages as Sebastian began cleaning the library. After a few minutes your leg began bouncing beneath your book. You couldn’t help but feel like Sebastian was upset with you. All you were trying to do was keep yourself occupied to push down your anxious feelings. Was he upset that you tried to do his job? Did he think you thought he wasn’t doing his work to the best of his ability? 

Deciding you had had enough, you stood and made your way to the exit. 

“May I ask where you are going, Miss L/N?” Sebstian asked as he put the duster back in the storage closet.

You avoided his ruby eyes as you passed him. “I’m just going to see Ciel.” You quickly left the room and made your way to the Earl’s office.

Ciel was sitting at his desk, looking over a small stack of papers when you slid into the room, silently closing the door behind you. Ciel only looked up from his work when he saw you sit down across from him. He immediately took note of your slumped posture, lack of eye contact, and the slight jerk of your jeg as you anxiously bounced it up and down in front of you. But the boy refrained from saying anything about it. He knew you’d speak when you felt ready, and if just sitting with him in silence is what you needed, then he’d let you.

Ciel knew all of your anxious signals or movements. He knew that depending how you moved your body showed how much anxiety truly was controlling you. So when you began shaking your hands for minutes without stopping, the boy finally set down his pen and looked up from his paper. He stood and made his way to the front of the desk, leaning against it as he bent over slightly and gently took your hands in his to stop your shaking.

“Hey,” he said softly, uncharacteristically of the Earl. But he cared about you, so he was willing to risk his reputation to make sure you were alright. “Stop. You will hurt yourself.” He turned your hands so they were palm up, running his thumbs over the center of your palms. “Y/N, look at me please.”

You hesitated before lifting your gaze to Ciel’s blue eye. He didn’t look concerned, more sympathetic as he tried to read your facial expression to find the reason for your anxiety. You muttered a quiet, “I’m sorry,” before averting your gaze again. 

“Whatever for?” Ciel asked. “What is on your mind, darling?”

You shrugged and took a deep sigh. “I woke up with this tight feeling in my chest, and…” you took another breath, “I don’t know how to make it go away.”

“And what did we say you do when you feel like this?” Ciel asked calmly.

“Stop, breathe, rationalize,” you answered back. 

“So why don’t you do that?”

You followed the Earl’s instructions, taking a moment to inhale and exhale to calm you down. Then you started to rationalize. “I have no reason to feel anxious. My schedule is free. I’m in the manor. I feel safe. Sebastian is one call away. I’m in your study, and you’re right in front of me.”

“Good,” Ciel praised. “How do you feel now?” Your hands were still in his, and his thumbs still traced over the palms of your hands. 

You nodded slightly, finally making eye contact with the boy again. “Still anxious, but manageable.”

“Can I let go of your hands now?” He answered with a nod. Ciel gently let go, then moved to sit back in his desk chair. 

White light lit up the room for a fraction of a second before a loud boom echoed throughout the manor. It caused you to squeal and pull your legs up to your chest. You had forgotten about the storm raging outside. Ciel was quick to rush back to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “Alright, it’s alright. You are alright, dear.”  Tears brimmed your eyes as you whimpered and buried your face into your knees.

“I’m sorry,” you whimpered again. “I shouldn’t be scared. I shouldn’t cry. I have no-”

“Stop.” Ciel’s voice was stern. “It is understandable. The storm is only making it worse. Do not apologize for something that you cannot control.” He rubbed your shoulder gently as he looked around the room. Ciel let out an agitated sigh. “I apologize, but I cannot step away from my work.” You immediately reached up and gripped the hand that was on your shoulder. Ciel’s hand rotated to give yours a comforting squeeze. “I can call Sebastian to sit with you. Perhaps he could take you to the library? He can light the fireplace, and you can read, or lay down and Sebastian can read to you. I’ll order him to stay by your side, and I promise I will come find you the second I finish my work.”

You took in a shaky breath. “I just want to go back to my room, please.”

Ciel gave your hand another gentle squeeze. “Of course, love. I’m going to raise my voice briefly to call for Sebastian, alright?” At your nod, Ciel quickly yelled out the demon’s name, and the supernatural being appeared in the doorway in a matter of seconds. 

“Yes, my lord?” Sebastian asked immediately.

Ciel looked from your trembling form over to his butler. “Take Y/N to her room, and stay with her until I finish my work. Provider her with any comfort she needs. That’s an order.”

Sebastian bowed slightly. “Yes, my lord.” He walked over to you and knelt down in front of you. “May I pick you up Miss Y/N?” You nodded shakily and slowly let go of Ciel’s hand, reaching your arms out to the demon. He let you wrap your arms around his neck before gently picking you up and cradling you against him. Turning to his master, Sebastian said, “I will take proper care of her. There is no need to worry.”

#comfort #x reader #platonic #ciel fantomhive comfort #ciel fantomhive fluff #ciel fantomhive #ciel phantomhive #ciel phantomhive x reader comfort #black butler comfort #black butler fluff #black butler x reader #black butler fanfiction #black butler #anxiety comfort

[bullet-prooflove]

When I fold, you see the best in me The joker and the queen

Companion piece to One Night

You see the fall coming. It starts the week before Sharon’s anniversary. Vince becomes more subdued, his mood brittle. He cancels plans, ignores your texts, dodges your calls. This time of year it’s hard for him, you understand that more than most.

You give him his space, whatever issues he needs to work out they aren’t with you and you don’t want to put that additional pressure on his shoulders. He has enough to think about with both Bode and Luke.

It’s late when he comes by your office. You’re standing in front of the whiteboard surveying the latest helicopter surveillance images of the forest.

The reason you were selected for this posting was because of your experience shutting down weed farms in the Appalachian Mountains, the strains that were coming out of there were potent, too potent for the kids whose hands they were finding their way into. High levels of THC were causing psychotic breaks in users as young as twelve years old.

Then there was the violence. A family of eight had been found slaughtered across three of their properties, each one containing a ransacked grow. You’d managed to catch the perpetrators as they off loaded the product to local contacts.

You’d been brought in when something similar had started to occur in the local area, there was a spike in high school students suffering from hallucinations and psychological issues. Three hikers had been killed up in Lakeport after they’d stumbled across a farm during a nature walk and there was some sort of Hatfields/McCoys style feud going on between two rival growers that was spilling out all over the place.

Vince stands beside you as you study the board, his fingers reaching for the yellow magnet you’ve placed over one of the images before he guides it a few miles north.

“I was out there earlier today.” He tells you, his fingertip trailing along the river. “If there is a farm it’s more likely to be here, closer to the water source, there’s less trees so more access to sunlight for the grow.”

“Thank you.” You say softly before writing the coordinates on the board with the marker.

“I’m an asshole.” He says abruptly into the space between you and you sigh, gesturing for him to take a seat on the battered couch that you sometimes nap on.

He winces as he lowers himself down onto the sofa, you can see the stiffness in his movements. You’d heard about the structure collapse over in Elmsdale, it had been an all hands on deck situation for the rescue crews. You note the dust in his hair, the streak of dirt still smeared across his cheek and realise he must have come straight here after his shift ended.

His fingers thread through yours, his thumb chasing over the back of your hand.

“I haven’t been fair to you.” He says quietly. “I’ve ignored you, shut you out…”

“I know why you did it Vince.” You say softly. “You forget that I’ve been through the same thing, that I know what it’s like when a birthday or anniversary comes around. Sometimes cutting yourself off is the only way to get through the day, to survive it.”

That’s the thing Vince forgets about you is that you get it, what he’s going through because you’ve been there before. You’d lost a partner back in Tennessee, the man you’d planned to marry. You still kept that ring in a velvet pouch at the back of your underwear drawer.

Jacob may be gone but his memory still lives on inside of you, the same way that Sharon’s still does in him. You will always treasure the time you spent together but that story is over, it’s time to start making new ones. That’s the part that Vince struggles with, the book is closed but sometimes a couple of pages fall out and he has to confront the loss all over again.

“I felt guilty.” He finds himself telling you. “That by being with you I was somehow betraying her.”

He shakes his head as he purses his lips together.

“Sharon wanted me to move on, she wanted me to be happy.” He says gruffly before he tilts his head up to look at you. “You give me so much joy Annie. I wake up with a smile on my face, I sing in the shower, I’m finally living again and that is because of you, your love, your patience.”

His forehead comes to rest upon yours, his thumb ghosting over the apple of your cheek.

“Just don’t give up on me.” He pleads, his voice breaking just a little. “I’m know I’m messy…”

“Vince…” You sooth, your fingertips trailing along the line of his jaw. “I could never give up on you.”

Love Vince? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

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@keyweegirlie @unknown6669991 @caffeinatedwoman @thebejeweledwatercat @muligatorrr @yousigned-upforthis @zippeylay @humongoussharktyrant @vaneyvfs @@elenkafoxik @@choppedgalaxynerd @lokiwife2021 @@apsolutno-nista @@russiantabby @@hatska-the-dragon @kmc1989

#vince leone #vince leone x reader #vince leone x you #fire country #billy burke

[writing-with-emy]

hey hey!! i’m back to request for fezco🤭 could you do a fluffy imagine where the reader is like really stressed out with school and getting bad grades and stuff so fezco helps her to the best of his ability and just supports and comforts her and stuff? thank u hon!!🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼❤️❤️❤️

Bad Grades - Fezco x F!reader

*REQUESTS ARE CLOSED* | Fezco Masterlist | Shipping: Fezco x F!reader Summary: The last few months have been tough for you at school with your grades going down, so when you sat in front of Fezco exhausted and drained, he knew just what to say to put you in a better mood. Word Count: 1.066 Prompts: None Warnings: The Usual, some curse words, talk about toxic Mom kinda, not proof read, english is not my first Language! Notes: Eyy, two oneshots in one day! Getting productive today, while watching Kim Possible. xD

You were sitting at the dining Table at Fezco’s House, as you heard the door Open and Fezco coming in with Ash. “Hey, ma.”, you heard him say. “Hey..”, you mumbled, feeling Fez giving you a Kiss on the Cheek. “What are you doin?”, you heard Ash ask from the kitchen.’ "Studying for my Math test Tomorrow.”, you said looking up to Ash. “You Studied the whole time we were out at the Shop?”, Fez questioned as he pulled the chair next to you away to sit on it. “Yep.”, you breathed out. “That was like- What? Eight or Nine Hours ago?”, Ash asked, coming to you. You just nodded. “Well, I guess that was enough for today, time to put the books away and get yourself comfortable, Ma.”, Fez stated while he lit his Joint. “No, I’ve been studying Math for only like an hour, and I’m not even done with these two Pages.”, you whined. “What did you study the rest of the Time?”, Ash questioned. “History, Geography, English, Biology and Physics.”, you listed. "That's a lot. “, Ash stated, while eating his cereal. “This is every subject I have tomorrow.” “Don’t you think it was enough for today?”, Fez asked. “Only these two Pages. Then I’m done. Promise.”, you said, making your best Puppy eyes towards Fez. The look on his face gave away that he would rather take your Book away, then to let you make the last two pages. “When I don’t get my grades better, then I’m grounded for the next few months. I don’t want to hang out at home. Plus my Mom is already not a big Fan of you, when I fail the next Test, she definitely makes you the reason for it.”, you stated. He takes a deep breath and nods. “These are the last for today.”, he pointed at the book pages. “Promise.”, you smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Even though Fezco didn’t have his High School Diploma, he wasn’t as Bad or Stupid as many may think. With his Help you actually understand what you were doing and in just half an hour you finished these two pages. You closed the book and let out a breath of air you didn’t even know you were holding. “Thank you Fez.”, you said, putting everything away. “No problem, but now you're gonna take a break and calm down.”, he said, smiling at you. You just nodded.

-

You two were sitting on the couch, and even though you’ve been done with your homework for a couple of hours, you just couldn’t keep yourself from going over them in your head again and again. For the past months your grades were going bad and as much as you love your mother, she didn’t really help, she just put more pressure and stress on you. “What’s wrong, ma?”, he asked, looking down at you.

“Hm?”, you looked up from his chest straight in his blue eyes. “What’s wrong, your mind isn’t on the movie.”, he said, letting his Hand go up and down on your arm. “Nothin’..really. Everything is okay.”, you said, giving him a tight lipped smile. “Don’t say that, I know you better than anyone in this goddamn town. Tell me what’s wrong.”, he said, pausing the Movie. “You won’t let go, won't you?”, you questioned. “No, not until you tell me what’s on your mind.”, he stated. You sighed, before you sat up straight turning to him. “It’s just, the last few months and weeks have been stressful and full of pressure from my Mom.”, you began. “Why’s that?” “It’s because of the school. Because, no matter how much or often I learn the Stuff we learn in school, I still fail. I don’t know why I fail, but I do. It feels like my grades fall from day to day even more, and if I don’t pull them up again I’m going to fail this semester, then I need to repeat the whole year and…”, you pause, taking a deep breath, voice breaking while your gaze is on your Hands. “...And I don’t want to do that. If this happens, I’m grounded for the whole next year probably, then I’m not allowed to be here with you.”, you croaked. “Because, to be fair, my Mom thinks it is because of you. No matter how often I tell her it isn't, she doesn’t believe it. I don’t know how I should convince her any other way. Not only about you, but also about the School, my abilities..My-”, broke the sentence when a sob made it through your whole Body. You put your Hands on your face, trying to hide your face from Fezco even if you know that it wouldn’t bring anything. You feel Fezco taking your Hands away from your face, taking them in his hands.

“Hey, look at me, ma.”, he said softly. You raise your Head looking at him, and it breaks his heart seeing the tears on your cheeks. He raised one Hand to wish the tears from your Face, before letting it rest on your cheek. “Look, I maybe don’t have a High School Diploma or some shit like this, but I don’t need one to know that you are smart enough to get through this and get your Diploma okay? And Shit, you don’t ever have to pretend that everything's okay, not with me. Not here in our Home. Everything is going to be okay.”, he said, caressing your cheek. “Our Home?”, you asked, a smile tugging at your lips. “Shit yeah, this is our Home, you and me, with ash and Grandma. Don’t ever question that.”; she said grinning. “I love you.”, you said, not able to hold back your smile. “I love you too, ma.”, he said. You leaned forward to press a Kiss to his lips which he returned. “You make me feel safe, you know that?”, you whispered, just inches away from his face. “I better be, you’re my family.”, he smiled. Smiling your pressed your lips against his again, before you two separate and you cuddle against his chest. He started the movie again, before giving you a kiss on the top of your head. You know, no matter how hard it would get, you always will have Fez in your corner to back you up and that's all you need.

#fezco euphoria #fezco euphoria x reader #fezco fluff #fezco x reader #fezco x you #fezco x y/n #fezco one shot #fezco fic #fezco imagine #euphoria imagine #writing-with-emy

[cariantha]

War and Peace

Book: Open Heart, Book 2, Chapter 13 Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Sawyer Brooks) Rating: General Warning: This fic contains several metaphors related to war, bombs, and explosives. It may be triggering to those sensitive to that imagery. Category: Angsty Fluff Word count: 3K Summary: Sawyer is overwhelmed when she returns to Edenbrook for the first time after the attack and Ethan struggles with his emotions when Louise ends up in the E.R. (CH13 Rewrite) A/N: This is the first fic that I ever attempted to write. It has been sitting in my WIP folder ⅔ complete for quite some time and I am so happy to finally finish it. There’s also a pretty good chance I’m on an FBI watchlist now after some of the Google searches I did for this one.😝

The charges had been set. Anyone who wandered into this field would most certainly succumb to injury. And it wasn’t long before the first mine was tripped. 

“I have to get back to work.” 

“That was your mom, Ethan. She nearly died. You can take a minute. It’s okay–”

“No it isn’t. There are patients that need me much more than she does.”

The blowback from the door slamming stunned her and with the firefight continuing on the other side, Sawyer sheltered in the dimly lit on-call room.  

“Dr. Ramsey!” the nurse shouted, “I was just about to page you. There’s a patient in the E.R. requesting to speak with you.”    

“I don’t have any patients in that unit. Have another doctor follow up,” he said gruffly as he continued to walk down the hall in the opposite direction. 

“But she says she’s your moth-" 

He abruptly cut her off while spinning around to face her. “I don’t give a damn what she said! I told you to find someone else!” 

Turning on his heel he stormed off as the blast wave rippled to all in the detonation zone causing shock and horror.    

Ethan climbed the emergency stairs to the fifth floor. “God dammit!” he shouted as he paused on the landing. Placing both hands on the wall, he hung his head and took a couple deep breaths before pushing himself off and exiting onto the floor.  

Rage permeated from him as he stormed down the hall to his office. Passersby took cautious steps not wanting to wander into enemy territory. All but the oblivious intern who ignored their silent waves of warning. With a flashbang, the chart Dr. Garrison thrust toward Ethan flew like shrapnel into the air.  

Finally making it to his safe house, he slammed the door and let out a shuddering sigh of relief to be alone at last.  

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Having surveyed some of the destruction, Naveen approached the door to Ethan’s office. Demonstrating true bravery, he didn’t wait for an invitation to enter, taking a seat across from his mentee. 

“Do you need something?” Ethan asked, annoyed and not looking up from his computer.  

“I came to ask you that question. I understand your mother was brought to the E.R. earlier today. I’m so sorry, that must have been quite the shock.”

Eyes still trained on the screen, Ethan avoided Naveen’s worrisome gaze. “Naveen, I appreciate your concern, but I’m not in the mood to discuss this,” he said. Forcing his eyes closed for a moment, “I… can’t right now.”

“I understand, son. I know you well enough to not force it. And you know if there is anything I can help with-" 

“I know,” Ethan interjected.  

“Good. Now, there was another reason I came to visit. I heard Sawyer was here today,” Naveen smiled.

“Yes, she brought her landlord to the clinic,” Ethan stated, still avoiding eye contact.

“How’s she doing? Is she still around? I’d like to say a proper hello.”

“Uh… I’m not sure,” he said ashamedly.  

Naveen didn’t miss the subtle change as Ethan’s demeanor shifted from irritation to guilt.

“Does Sawyer know about Louise?” 

“Yes. She was with me in the E.R.” 

Naveen noticed a slight wince.

“Hmm, why does it feel like you are leaving out an important piece of information?”  

Ethan groaned deeply and leaned back in his chair. “Only that I’m an asshole,” he mumbled, tilting his face up toward the ceiling.  

“Yes, that is what most people are calling you after the incidents with Nurse Sara and Dr. Garrison this morning.” With an exasperated sigh Naveen continued. “Please don't tell me you blew up on Sawyer too.”

“She followed me when I left the E.R. She wanted to talk about it and I didn’t. I lost my temper and stormed off. I let the door slam in her face.”

“Ethan, you experienced something traumatic today and you are entitled to your feelings. But don’t misdirect your anger, son, especially to those who care deeply for you. Sawyer’s already in such a fragile state. You and I both know she only wanted to make sure you were okay, and be there to support you, as you have done for her,” Naveen admonished.  

“I know,” he said frustrated, getting a disappointed look from his mentor. “I’m sorry. I know.”  

“It’s not me you need to apologize to.”

When Ethan didn’t respond, Naveen pressed on, “She’s not your mother, Ethan, don’t push her away. You’ve given her plenty of opportunity to move on, but she’s remained by your side. You need to trust her.”

“I do trust her,” Ethan countered.

“With your secrets, and perhaps even with your life, but you need to trust her with your heart too.”  

Ethan took a deep breath and nodded, silently acknowledging his mentor’s advice.  

“Well then...” Naveen clapped his hands together and stood, “I don’t think I have to tell you to clean up the rest of your mess later. And if you see my grand-mentee, tell her to come find me. There is so much gossip I need to catch her up on.”

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The steady ticking in her chest began the moment she decided to accompany Farley to the free clinic. As the day wore on, the ticks grew louder with each of her interactions. First with Ethan and Louise, then Esme and Levi. Butting heads with Sienna over her treatment of Mitch, signaled the final countdown.  

She could try to disarm this bomb by cutting one of the wires. The right one would mean safety in the arms of the man who’s been at her side these past few weeks. The only one who knows what she needs to avoid the impending disaster. The wrong one, however, would mean game over. Chewing on her thumbnail, she considered the possible outcomes. Given Ethan’s current volatility, it was just too great a risk to go to him. Instead she would find a place where this bomb could detonate with minimal casualties. With time running out, she headed toward the lab to see if she could expedite the test results for her only patient.  

A short while later, having updated Farley on his lab work and course of treatment, Sawyer made her way to the nurses’ station to drop off his chart. Scribbling notes as she walked, she paused momentarily to sign the paperwork. As she looked up, her eyes fell to the window of an all too familiar room. The ticking that plagued her throughout the day suddenly stopped, followed by an eerie moment of silence before… BOOM! 

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Naveen stood at the nurses’ station. As he listened to Maureen share the latest details about Dr. Wen’s bitter divorce, he noticed Sawyer from the corner of his eye. His excitement to greet her immediately turned to concern. 

“Excuse me for one moment, Maureen,” he interrupted, pausing their conversation.

Frozen in place, and eyes locked on the view in front of her, Naveen watched Sawyer’s chest rise and fall as if she had just finished running a marathon. It didn’t take but a second to realize what drew her gaze. She stared through the window into the patient room previously used by the diagnostics team. The room. 

As if she were taking enemy fire to the chest, she took several stumbling steps backward until her shoulders hit the wall, sliding slowly down to the ground.

Naveen walked urgently in Sawyer’s direction with Maureen in tow.    

Like a wounded soldier, Sawyer was slumped against the wall. The color in her face ashen, eyes frozen, pupils dilated and sweat beading at her hairline. A trembling hand clutched the blue fabric over her heart.   

Before kneeling down at her side, Naveen whispered to Maureen. “Go find Ethan. I think he’s still in his office.”

Maureen nodded and hurried down the hall.

“Oh my dear girl, it’s okay. You’re safe,” he said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“I… I ca-can’t… br-eathe,” she panted, “my… ch-ch-chest… h-hurts.”

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The battering ram at his door immediately put him on the defensive.  

“Dr. Ramsey?”

“This better be an emergency,” he hollered.

“It is,” she called back.  

Ethan cracked the door open to see Maureen’s eye focused down the hall.

“What is it?” he demanded, poking his head out the door to see what held her attention.

“It’s Dr. Brooks. Come quick.” 

Suddenly on a rescue mission, Ethan’s long and purposeful strides carried him to the opposite end of the hall in an instant. Providing cover, and intent on getting her to safety, he pushed past the nurses and interns that were now crowded around.

“There’s no show here. Get back to work!” he shouted, squatting down to her level. 

“Sawyer?” He gave her a moment to react before trying again. “Sawyer, look at me.”

Shell shocked, she couldn’t register anything but the frustrated demand of someone still upset with her earlier meddling, and upset now for not being able to control her emotions in public. So she hid her eyes in her hands and postured her body away from him. 

Not realizing he was on the same side of this fight, she fired her shot.  “Please…go…awaaay,” she cried out. 

Wounded, he looked desperately to Naveen.

The older doctor politely gestured for Ethan to take a step back. 

“Sawyer, take my hand… that’s it… now take a deep breath… that’s a girl… and another,” Naveen encouraged.  

Nursing his wound from the sideline, Ethan anxiously tapped his foot and combed his fingers through his hair. It took all his restraint not to force his way in, scoop her up, and carry her somewhere safe.

Naveen and Maureen eventually helped her stand and walked her to a nearby patient room. Maureen drew the blinds, as Naveen helped her settle onto the bed. 

“I’m sorry,” Sawyer whispered.

He held her hand and looked into her bloodshot eyes. “Don’t you dare apologize. You did nothing wrong. Do you hear me?”

As Naveen checked her vitals, he noticed how her eyes drifted to the open door where Ethan paced back and forth. “He’s very worried about you.”

“No,” she shook her head, “he’s angry with me, and I really can’t handle that right now.” 

“Oh my dear, I promise you he’s not,” he assured, offering her some tissues. “He told me about how he treated you this morning. He is not angry with you. Not at all. He was angry about Louise and unfairly took it out on you, and I nearly knocked him upside the head for it...” 

A small laugh escaped as she wiped her nose.

“But I didn’t because he was already beating himself up far more than I ever could. He knows he was wrong and needs to apologize.”

She looked into the hall again. Ethan leaned against the wall with his head tilted up to the ceiling, a worrisome expression on his face. Naveen followed her gaze again.

“He was like this the night we thought we were going to lose you. He's scared, Sawyer. He needs to know you’re okay.”

Ethan stood in the hall feeling like a prisoner of war. He kept glancing into the room hoping that Naveen would negotiate a release and that Sawyer would finally spare him of this torture.

Deciding to wave the white flag, “Would you ask him to come in, Naveen?” she asked.

“Of course, dear. I’ll give you two some time alone, but I’ll be just down the hall. Let me know if you need anything. Anything at all.”

Naveen walked into the hallway. He shared a few quiet words with Ethan, squeezing his arm in support before walking away.

As Ethan cautiously entered the room, their eyes met, both glistening with unshed tears. Sawyer held out her hand to encourage him to come closer.

Responding quickly, Ethan took a couple steps to the side of the bed and grasped her hand tightly.

Sawyer pulled him down into a tight hug, tears of relief soaking his cheek and shirt. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling back to assess her condition.

She nodded, a few more tears escaping.  

As Ethan wiped them away from her cheek, he practically begged, “What can I do?”

Sawyer scooted over and patted the side of the bed. “Will you lie down with me?”

Ethan took his place, cradling her in his arms just as he did that gut-wrenching night a few weeks ago. He waited until her heartbeat returned to a normal rhythm and the tension in her muscles relaxed. “Do you want to talk about it?” he finally asked.

“I only meant to bring my landlord to the clinic and then leave. It was just supposed to be a quick in-and-out. I thought I could soldier through. But then Farley was admitted, and your mom was brought in, and my intern…” she trailed off. 

“And of course, you were thinking more about everyone else than yourself,” Ethan thought to himself as he stroked her hair. 

“I started to feel really anxious and that I should go home, and I was on my way out, but then I found myself in front of that room. And the flashbacks were so…” she shook her head. “I-I couldn’t move… or breathe," her voice trembled. “It felt like it was happening all over again.”

Ethan couldn’t possibly hold her closer, but he tried anyway. “You’re safe. It’s all over now,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ll always be safe with me, Rookie.”

Sawyer choked back a sob knowing he spoke the truth. After a moment of lying quietly in each other’s arms, she murmured into his chest. “I’m sorry, Ethan.”

“What on earth do you have to be sorry for?” 

“For telling you to go away, for shutting you out. If I hurt you, I’m sorry. I thought you were still mad at me for pushing you to talk about your mom. And I’m sorry for making a scene out there, I didn’t mean to add to your burdens today.”

“First of all, I deserved it. I’m the one who shut you out. Quite literally when I walked out of the on-call room and let the door slam shut. Second, I don’t give a shit about any scene. The only thing I care about is that you’re okay.” 

He lifted her chin until he could look her in the eye. "Sawyer, I am the one that needs to apologize. Not you. I feel terrible that my behavior contributed to your anxiety. This thing with Louise caught me off guard. I'm sorry for taking my frustrations out on you. You of all people didn't deserve it. I was never angry with you. I acted like a... what was it you called me that one time?” 

She allowed herself a quiet laugh recalling the memory. “A diva.”

“Yes,” he chuckled before resuming a more serious tone. “I’m sorry for being guarded earlier. It’s not my intention to shut you out, Soe. It’s just what I’ve been used to. It’s not an excuse, but after Louise left, I took care of myself. I didn’t want to rely on anyone for anything. No expectations, no disappointment. I guess it’s a hard habit to break after twenty-five years.”  

Taking his hand, she weaved her fingers with his and smiled up at him. “If you show me your battle scars, I’ll show you mine.” Then speaking softly, “You know you can trust me, right?”

“I know. And, I do. I promise I’ll be better. You deserve better," he answered. 

Sawyer squeezed their joined hands. She was about to say something but stopped herself when she felt him swallow hard and sniff a couple times. Craning her neck back, she saw Ethan holding back tears. “Hey,” she said, waiting for him to turn and look at her, “what is it?”

As the emotional toll of the day finally caught up with him, Ethan exhaled deeply trying to keep composed. “This war that wages within me… you’ve seen the wreckage… and somehow you still manage to see the good parts too,” he quickly swept away a tear that threatened to fall from the corner of his eye. “It just overwhelms me the way you care… and after all that I’ve put you through, that you haven’t given up on me yet.” 

With tears rolling down her own cheeks again, Sawyer replied, “I can say the same about you. I mean I’m already a pain in the ass, but since the attack I’ve been a complete mess. I’ve been clingy and needy because you make me feel so safe, and the only times I feel at peace are when you’re near. And I worry all the time that I’ve become this huge burden…” her voice cracked, “and that might make you go AWOL again.”

Ethan shook his head in disagreement. “Please don’t worry about such things, Soe. You are not a burden.” He took the sides of her face into his hands. “Listen, you and I both know I’ll probably do and say stupid things in the future that I’ll have to apologize for, but I promise you, I will never intentionally hurt you like that again.” 

“And I can’t promise that things won’t be hard, or that we will always agree, or be on the same page. But, Ethan, I can promise that as long as you are trying, I’m staying.” Seeing the relief in his eyes, she offered him a loving smile. “So what do you say? Seal these promises with a kiss?”

Ethan wasted no time bringing her lips to his.

“Can I take you home? To my place that it is.”

“I’d like that.”

“Before we go, I need to track a couple people down and extend some peace offerings.”

“Okay.”

“If you don’t want to be alone, I can ask Naveen to come back. Or call Sienna?”

“Naveen, if he’s available. Tell him that I need for him to come and spill the tea.”

“O-kay,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“He’ll understand.”

Tag List: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics @potionsprefect @jamespotterthefirst @annfg8 @peonierose @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam @jerzwriter @quixoticdreamer16 @mysticalgalaxysstuff @inlocusmads @txemrn @trappedinfanfiction @mvalentine @takemyopenheart@ofmischiefandmedicine @openheartforeverinmyheart @doriopenheart @coffeeheartaddict2 @genevievemd @starrystarrytrouble @hopelessromantic1352 @kyra75 @lsvdw-blog

#open heart #open heart choices #open heart fanfic #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc #ethan x sawyer #choices stories you play #choices open heart #playchoices #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

[redinbluee]

Chainsaw Man, ch 121

(Hi, I’ll start doing Chainsaw man updates/analysis for every chapter now since I rlly want to talk about it (I have no one to talk to about it irl, and I like to express my thoughts on things). I apologise for my poor grammar in advance- my writing style is rant-like and difficult to read, I hope it’ll get better as I do more of these. CSM has been my biggest interest for so long and I just love it soso much so feel free to talk to me about it anytime!)

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Anyways, to today’s chapter- (121, Theory of Happiness) Spoiler warning!!

I’ll start with the title. This is probably my favourite title so far, not only does it summarise the message of the chapter well, it really resonates with me as well. It’s interesting to see how different people attain their happiness, while some people are constantly in a cheery mood, others might find it more difficult to gain happiness. Not only this, people attain happiness from all sorts of things. You can’t just ask someone to “be happy”, happiness is a naturally occurring emotional response that could not be forced. A lot of the recent chapters focus on relationships and how one may gain happiness through these connections. Asa is in a situation right now where is just so lonely, she has lost everyone in her life and is currently at a very low point. She gains happiness in the early chapters and then looses them in the blink of an eye. Her happiness is temporary, short lived. I feel terrible for her. Whereas Denji receives all this attention from groups of thirsty fans, but he seeks for a deep emotional connection- someone who is willing to accept the boy behind the facade and love him for who he really is. Asa has a high quality of life, there’s no evidence of her being broke, and she lives in nice conditions. But she is alone, her parents are gone- there’s no one she can talk to, no one to reassure her and tell her that she matters. Denji on the other hand, has lived a terrible life, and has lived in the worst of conditions. He was starving, broke, uneducated- but he was able to attain minimal happiness through the smallest of things, talking about his dreams with Pochita- finding small things in his life to be grateful of. I love this contrast that Fujimoto made. 

Interestingly, just a few days ago- I was talking with my mom. I was going through a depressive episode and I began talking about how I find it so difficult to attain my happiness. I’m financially stable, I have a great family, and I’m living a rather fortunate life- then why am I so sad all the time. I get all emotional over minor things, I worry too much and it tears me apart. And my mom agreed, she felt the same. I felt like a brat, a terrible child, I knew perfectly that there were people all around me suffering to much greater extents but I was only worrying about myself. This chapter came out at a perfect time. 

Asa lights up to the minimal attention someone gives her- she’s so starved from love it makes me want to cry. She gets so confident the moment Denji gives her the smallest compliment, and she quickly gets so emotionally affected by abandonment. It was also sad and funny to see how much Asa was trying to cope with her situation last chapter- I love her monologues and long-winded infodumps, I do the exact same. It makes me feel less alone. Asa struggles to admit that she desperately needs this love right now- her happiness almost depends on the people around her. She holds a distinct set of values that guide her through life without realising that she contradicts it- she makes up he mind that she prefers isolation then immediately gets all flustered when Yoshida does the bare minimum. I wish she could realise how much she needs a secure friendship right now- Asa being so sad right now makes me want to disintegrate. 

The chainsaw plush on the first page was cute. I wonder who put it there- I bet it was Iseumi. There were several moments in the chapter that reminded me of the reoccurring theme of “fame” in CSM so far and I would like to elaborate on it. Just from the plush, we can see that Chainsaw Man is a famous and impactful figure in the world of CSM right now, there have been several mentions of Chainsaw Man merchandise so far- like the chainsaw man bun and stickers that were talked about in 98. There is also the chainsaw man open call that might occur soon. We have managed to get a glimpse about how the public views and treats Chainsaw man, we see all these false claims about him in 103- while some people almost objectify CSM and worship him like a god (cough cough Iseumi), some despise him. While Chainsaw man is constantly being showered with praise, and at the same time- hate. All of this is directed towards a figure who is entirely a facade. No one knows about the broke, single father boy that lies beneath the mask. A high schooler who is a loser, who is lonely, who is under the control of a demonic gremlin child at home. Yoshida mentioned the importance of “parasocial relationships” on the third page of today’s chapter, I found that interesting- it almost felt like Fujimoto was referring to his own audience. About their obsession with his characters, their obsession with him as a writer without knowing who he really is. The chainsaw man figure lies helpless, defensiveness on the couch, listening to Asa and Yoshida’s conversation- he hears everything, but does not have the power to interfere. That’s the same as Denji’s situation, he is literally Chainsaw Man, a highly recognised and appreciated figure- but he is unable to be recognised for his true self. He is under the control of two people- Yoshida, who prevents him from breaking this facade and revealing his true identity to the public. Denji first-handedly hears all this criticism about chainsaw man in 103, but is then immediately shut off when he tries to prove his point. Denji has no voice in society, no one listens to him, know one appreciates him for who he is. And Nayuta, someone who controls Denji’s relationships with people, shutting them out from his life and harming them. Despite Chainsaw Man getting all this fame, none of them is directed towards Denji. I think the next few chapters will heavily explore with his relationship with playing the role of Chainsaw Man- is it really worth it, pretending to be someone else your whole life just to feed of ungenuine praise? 

It was creepy to see a dead body fall from the sky while Asa was contemplating suicide. It was unexpected and impactful. 

This almost reminds me of Asa’s reoccurring dream. She runs through the corridor, trying to not step on the dead chickens that obstruct her path. She couldn’t help but step on them- getting close to the impending darkness that lies ahead. Asa walks across the path, clouded by her own thoughts. Then boom- dead person falls from the sky. Asa had no control over the situation, she just happened to be there when the dead body fell off. Same as the dream. The chapter ends with people staring down at her from a tall building- The gaze is intrusive, accusational. Almost as if Asa had just fucked up- then the chapter ends on this cliffhanger. (And we have to wait 14 days) 

The panelling was beautiful in this chapter, Fujimoto has done it again. The contrast between Denji and Asa’s expression on page 10 was (chef’s kiss). While Denji is trying to convince himself that Chainsaw Man will bring him happiness (a false sense of happiness), Asa looks awful- she looks so sad. I expect that Denji will get a reality check soon, then fall into Asa’s current position as well. 

Second coolest page was page 5, bravo Fujimoto. Dude built the suspense by zooming into Asa’s face and Yoshida’s lips then boom- (next page) Yoshida steps out of the closet and breaks the tension. Props for coming out

I’m getting tired, that’s it for now

Side note- I love how Nayuta slapped Denji’s ass ahhaaha

#csm #chainsaw man #csm 121 #asa mitaka #denji #yoshida hirofumi #asaden #yoshida is so gay ily #autism #denji hayakawa #Chainsaw man 121 #Chainsaw man #Asa #csm analysis

[igotanidea]

The Raven's daughter: Morpheus x Matthew's daughter part 6

previously: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5

Part 6

This is one of those days.

The day when y/n feels overwhelmed with simplest task, getting out of bed seems like a challenge and going to work require the same amount of energy and motivation as climbing the peak of the highest mountain. From the very morning it seemed like the Murphy law will be the sponsor of the upcoming 24 hours. Everything that could fall from y/n hands, fell and broke, she was tripping over her own feet, the bus was late and to make it all worse, when she was crossing the street to get to the campus some asshole run right through the puddle drenching her pants in water. y/n was exhausted but inside it all the rage was slowly finding its way towards the surface. It was only a matter of seconds before explosion.

-Damn it! – she yelled entering the faculty room. She didn’t sleep quite well that night. Obviously she could just ask the Lord of the Dreams to help her, but considering that he would probably brag about it for the rest of the existence she stopped herself. To make those sleepless hours worth something she tried to work on her novel but her brain refused to work. In desperation (and maybe in some masochist reflex) she found herself browsing the pages for writers. This only made her more frustrated. There were so many talented people out there. The ones that truly deserved some fame and recognition. Who was she to even try and compare herself with them? Maybe her time has already passed, she achieved nothing and she has no right to teach? Maybe this feeling of incompetence will stay with her forever in a form of lump in throat, guilt and hopelessness? Y/n groaned and shut her laptop. Maybe she could try and do some paperwork instead. She had a stack of essays on her desk, assigned to the student about a week ago. It was highest time to check them and write some feedback. She reached for the first one, but was not able to focus. y/n felt like banging her head against the wall. Nothing worked for her nerves. Yes, nerves, even if she didn’t want to admit it. Finally, she just laid in bed, eyes closed, waiting for the morning too come. Unfortunately, so far it was no better.

- Hey, y/n! – a fellow teacher greets her cheerfully but immediately backed up seeing her mood – Woah, what’s with the attitude?

- Oh, don’t even get me started! – she pointed at her wet pants – Can I just go home and fall sick? I don’t think I am myself today.

- Cheer up, I got spare pair in my cabinet. Seems like you need them more than I do now.

- You want me to wear your pants? Not that I’m complaining, but….

- No buts! You don’t really have much time till your class so get yourself together and take what I give you. Or rather what I’m going to give you.  – with that words the friend takes from the room in order to gather the clothing.

The point was, that Kat, the chemistry teacher, was nothing like a stereotypical scientist in trench coat. To give her justice, she was the most colorful person at the university, both faculty and students considered. She loved wearing pink, red, yellow and neons, that made her distinctive. One thing for sure, no car would ever hit or wet her since she was practically a street light, visible from a distance. Kat was also a great fan of embellishments of all kind – sequins, nail heads, you name it. Having that in mind, even if she chemist was the closest thing y/n had to a friend, she was quite scared of what may be handed to her as a emergency pants. In her imagination she already saw some sort of circus knickerbockers or something equally crazy.

-Here! – Kat was back surprisingly quickly – this is the best I could find on such short notice.

-This is… - y/n hesitantly looked at what was handed to her - … not so bad, actually. – the simple pair of slightly wiped black jeans, quite adequate for a teacher. – That’s new. I never knew you could own something so simple, Kat.

-Please. I have bad days too, I’m only human. Now, be quick and meet me at lunch, I got a proposition for you. The one that you simply cannot refuse – Kat blows a kiss towards y/n and run for her own lecture.

-Why does everyone insist on speaking riddles to me! – y/n annoyance came back and she was forced to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down. – Head in the game, girl, head in the game – she spoke to herself heading towards the classroom hoping for full auditorium.

However, it seemed like someone up or down really made it his purpose to make this day a disaster. y/n heart dropped when she spotted only a few yawning students, as sleepy as she was. Feeling her spirit barely float above the ground she addressed the present.

-What happened? Where is everyone?

-Absent, professor.

-Well, I can see that – y/n spats – sorry, I suppose I’m not the only one who’s already struggling through the day. – she shook her head – you know what, there’s no point in having this lecture when there are only so little of you. You can go home or … do whatever else.

-But won’t you get in trouble professor? – one of the girls asked

-Why would I? No one showed in the classroom and everyone’s an adult. This class is not obligatory after all. No one will be chasing you or me. – with such assurance the students had no further inhibitions to skip the lecture, leaving y/n alone with her thoughts.

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to call the class off – y/n thought to herself feeling the overwhelm coming again.  She still has an hour till lunch break when she was supposed to meet with Kat and had absolutely no idea what to do with that time. Knowing well enough her brain was functioning on some other frequency, the only way to deal with it was to get involved into something stupid just to kill the time. y/n was never the person to get addicted to her phone or any other electronic device, more of a book lover, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She reached for her smartphone and headphones to escape reality, but apparently someone else needed her more.

-Professor y/l/n, do you have a minute?

-Sure – y/n sighed – what is it?

-I heard you called off the classes, so I thought maybe I could use that extra time for some consultation?

-About what? A book? A novel?

-Some history stuff, actually.

-History? – y/n looked at the student with confusion – And I’m the one you decided to ask for help. No offense, but we have other teachers competent in that area.

-Well…. To be honest, I asked professor Gadling first, but he bustled me off to you.

-Really? That’s quite unusual. Is the subject so specific he had nothing to say about it? He seems like a hotshot to me.

-He is, but apparently had too much to do – the students look down – so, will you help me professor – using the most obvious trick with big, glistening eyes he added – you’re the only hope left for me.

-There’s no need to be melodramatic, is there? – y/n motioned him to a chair – what’s troubling you?

-You, professor. – the students smiles mischievously

-I’m sorry? – y/n raises her eyebrows in confusion – you should not speak to me like that. I’m your teacher after all. A little respect would be nice.

-You are not my teacher. However, I can most definitely teach you something about your future which is now connected with my brother’s.

-What? I don’t understand a thing of what you’re saying. Wait – a wave of realization hit her – you brother? Do you mean…. Dream?

-I do.

-Who are you exactly – y/n move in front of her desk crossing her arms in anticipation.

-I have many names, but you may know me as Destiny.

Destiny. – the girl repeated in flat voice. – Awesome. Are you here as some sort of messenger?

Destiny’s face expression did not falter in the slightest. God, he’s so serious. Almost like his younger sibling.

-You should not mess with an Endless calling me that. I am no messenger, human.

-I’m sorry – y/n sighed again – I did not mean to offend you in any way. I just… My life has been kind of crazy lately.

-I know. I know everything. And I’m here to give you a warning that it will be crazier. You should brace yourself. There’s a journey ahead of you.

-A journey? What kind of journey?

-I can only tell you as much as I told my brother.

-Wait… he knew?

-Yes.

-I knew he was holding something back from me. What kind of journey are we talking about?

-The one that will fill some blank space from your past. Questions will be answered and you will be different than now.

-Is there any point in asking you any more questions?

-No.

-Well then, thank you for the heads up Destiny – she rolled her eyes but became sad the next second – I don’t know if I’m strong enough to meddle with my past.

-You are.  You shall find soon enough how much power lies inside you.

-You just barely met me. How do you know that? – she looks up at her student.

-I know – he repeated and a shadow of smile lingered on his lips – you are much more than you think yourself to be. And for some reason, I believe in you, y/n y/l/n. I will watch over you to the very possible extend.

-Why? Why do you care about me?

-I have a feeling about you, y/n. We shall meet again – with those words he rise from his seat and moved towards the door – You are now under my protection.

-That really does make me feel special – y/n grinned – the Destiny’s protégée. It has a nice ring to it, can’t lie. Does it mean I have a connection with you as well as with Dream?

-Not the same kind, but yes, you can call it like that. You humans have a puzzling habit of defining things.

-Nah. That’s just something I do desperately trying to keep my life together.

-Goodbye, y/n. I’ll see you soon.

The girl just nods her head, serious expression on her face. She sensed that this is all she will get from Destiny so decided to just roll with what was coming her way. One problem at a time. Her visitor disappeared behind the door and when she looked after him the corridor was empty, as if nothing happened. y/n would probably think that she imagined it all if it wasn’t for a single sprig of myrtle laying on her desk. What is the meaning of this –she wondered taking the plant in her hand and examining in it carefully.

-Professor?

-Oh, god damn it, what now? – she spat and spun around annoyed.

-I’m sorry – the poor girl cringed.

-No, I’m sorry. That was way harsher than I intended. Can I help you with anything? -she strenously calmed herself down.

-Actually, I’m here to deliver a message. The dean wishes to see you, professor. He said it’s an urgent matter and he doesn’t wish to be kept waiting.

-Thank you, I shall see to him immediately.

***

-Professor y/l/n. All things considered, it is always a pleasure to see you. – dean Winchester motioned for y/n to sit down behind the great, oak desk and sat down on the opposite side.

-Thank you, dean. But… all things considered?

-I’m pretty sure you realize this is not a social call.

-I do, sir, but with all due respect – did something happen?

-y/n – dean slightly moved forward. Using my first name – y/n thought – that’s highly unusual­ – let’s be serious. You called your lecture off. Do you think that was within your power? You should have asked for a permission from me first

-I….. – the girl started, quite perplexed – who told you? – I’ve got a mole amongst the students – a single sentence crossed her mind

-Doesn’t matter. And let me finish. You’ve been acting strange for the last couple days. Is everything all right?

-That is not the word I would use, but I’m figuring things out.

-I;m really glad to hear it. Unfortunately, I can’t pretend that this didn’t happen. That was unprofessional and exceed of your prerogatives, professor. Hence I am forced to punish you, though I take no pleasure in that.

-Sir, if I may – she chimed in – barely a few students showed up on the lecture. My classes involve discussions and brainstorms therefore just a couple of participant is not sufficient for classes to be effective.

-I understand that. Given your perfect track record and highest ranks in evaluation I don’t intend to be harsh on you. You may treat it more like a warning, like a ….

Punishment for example? – she looked down intertwining her fingers to stop her hands from shaking.

The dean did not bother to answer that, just looking at his most prominent lecturer with mix of care and worry.

-y/n – he spoked softly causing the girl to look at him again – is there anything you wish to tell me?

Yes. Yes, of course. I;ve just recently found that my father is a Raven, I have some sort of connection with anthropomorphic personification of a Dream and I am under some sort of protection from analogic personification of Destiny, who happens to be his brother. Right, I want to tell you all about it. And then end up locked up in a psychiatric ward. I wonder if that’s something that was destined for me too.

-No. There is nothing of importance.

-I like you y/n/, but I cannot let my sympathy affect my objectivity. Professor Gadling will take your classes for the next three days. Consider this as forced leave of absence. Take care of your matters. I wish to see the same y/n/ I knew for the last two years back, do you understand?

 -Yes sir.

-Good, now go. Have your lunch and think about what I told you.

y/n stood up and rushed out towards the faculty cafeteria where Kat was already waiting for her, pacing in anticipation.

@marvelsmylife

@wickedly-grim

@mind-of-a-girl

@thereeallink

@lisacarolined

@boofy1998

@endlessdreamqueen

@mikariell95

@shadowluna25

@sippysthoughts

@kaoriloveskeiff

#sandman #sandman x oc #morpheus #morpheus x oc #the sandman imagine #morpheus fanfiction #fanfic #dream of the endless #dream of the endless x oc #dream #dream x oc #dream lord #dream lord x oc #the sandman netflix #lord morpheus #lord morpheus x oc #the sandman #morpheus x reader #dream of the endless x reader #the sandman x reader

[firstkanaphans]

hi! if you don't mind me asking, i was wondering if i could ask you about how you're able to write at the speed/output that you are able? i'm always so impressed with the rate at which you're able to update and was hoping to ask for advice 😅

because one of the hardest things for me is speed...i write soooo slowly, and so as much as i want to write multichapter fics, i feel like it would take me months between updates because of how slow i write. i think one of the reasons is that i am also constantly live editing as i write maybe? which really does slow me down, but i'm not sure how to bypass that.

i was curious if you had any tips/advice for how to write at a steady pace? do you set aside time every day to write regularly, or only when the mood "hits"? and how do you tackle those scenes where you just have no idea what to write (if that's something if you've experienced?)

of course no need to answer any of these questions - i hope i didn't overwhelm! i'm just always so impressed with your writing output that i'd love to hear any advice if you had any. thank you and can't wait for the next update of BLP 🫶

This probably isn’t the answer you want to hear, but the honest truth is that I just have a very easy day job. There are probably only about three days a month where I have to put in an eight-hour work day. The rest of the time, I use any excess work time I have to write.

It wasn’t always like this for me, though, so I understand the frustration of working a full-time job and then coming home exhausted. The last thing you want to do is write because as much as we try to pretend like it’s fun, it’s still work. It’s not mind-numbing. You can’t do it if your tank is already empty. The main reason I’m able to write quickly is simply that I have the time and the mental energy to do so.

Like you said, one of the biggest tips I can give you when trying to write faster is to turn off your inner editor while writing your first draft. It took me a long time to learn how to do this, but it has been immensely helpful. I will obviously correct typos while I’m writing, but other than that, I really don’t go back and edit anything until the whole first draft is complete. The only exception would be if I get halfway through a chapter and just know something’s not working. At that point I will stop and at least figure out what the problem is so that I don’t waste time writing scenes that may need to be cut depending on what I have to change. But other than that, I largely ignore correct grammar and even good writing in favor of just getting words down on the page.

If you’re a perfectionist like me and the thought of doing that is just completely off-putting, I’ll sometimes trick myself by pretending I’m not writing anything important. In all of my documents, I put the word START where I’m meant to start writing for the day. If I know I’m going to be writing really rough, I just don’t move the START from where it is and that tricks my brain into letting me write bad because I know the next day I’ll start from that same place. So essentially, I’m writing very badly one day and then going back to edit it into something readable the next. I cannot stress enough how much difference even just a day makes in your ability to edit more objectively. I never post chapters on the same day I finish them because I want to give my brain at least 24-hours to mull it over before I start editing.

As for writer’s block, I have pretty much eradicated that from my life simply because I outline everything so thoroughly beforehand. For instance, today I’ve been going through my outline for Chapter 4 of Best Laid Plans so that I can start writing it. One of the bullet points says, “Akk, Aye, Kan, Wat, and Thua eat lunch together.” My job today is to figure out what they’re going to talk about during that lunch so that when I get to that scene, I won’t draw a blank and spend days trying to figure it out instead of actually writing.

Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t days where I just don’t want to write, but for me, those days are few and far between. I don’t, however, believe in forcing yourself to write even when you don’t want to because your output is going to show your frustration with the task. I would never encourage someone to set a goal to write every day because I believe that’s just setting them up for failure. In the end, this really is just a hobby and you should work at your own pace and comfort level. If you’re bored with a multi-chapter fic you’re writing, take a break to write a one-shot. Or add something to your outline to spice up the next scene so that it re-energizes you.

It’s funny because I think output numbers get wildly skewed in fandom because some of us are actually insane. It’s not odd to see 20K-word chapter updates or fics literally longer than the Bible (773K words). If you write 1000 words a week (less than 150 words a day), that’s 52K words in a year, which is very nearly novel-length—and longer than any multi-chapter fic I’ve written. You would never expect a published author to write more than one novel a year, so don’t expect that from yourself either.

#asks #writing advice

[sarah-in-disguise]

Love on the Rocks

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader (Curling AU), Natasha Romanoff x Reader (platonic), Bucky Barnes x Reader (platonic)

Warnings: a few swear words, angst with a fluffy ending

Summary: As you prepare for an upcoming curling match with Steve (your partner in mixed doubles curling and in life), an out of sorts day may put your game - and your love - on the rocks.

Word Count: 2922

A/N: This is my second time writing and I’m posting this one-shot as a participant in the @syntheticavenger​ 11K - In It To Win It Challenge.  I chose curling as my sport (if you don’t know much about curling and want to learn a few basics, check out the World Curling Federation website and watch the super short YouTube video at the top of the page) and spun the wheel to get assigned 2010’s for my decade.  There is also a flashback in the middle of this one-shot, and I’ve italicized it so it sticks out.  Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do NOT consent to have my work posted, translated or published to any third-party site or app.  This is a work of fiction and I do not own any characters in this story.  By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.  Moodboard picture sources are Google and Canva.

Make sure to check out my brand new masterlist!

Walking into the curling rink, you can’t help but feel on edge.  Today was just supposed to be a practice to get ready for next weekend, but Steve had been acting strange all day.  Risking a glance over at him, you still couldn’t tell what was wrong.

It was usually your job to be on edge before matches, and thankfully Steve knows you well enough that he’s always there to lighten the mood.  That was not the case this morning when you noticed his odd behavior during breakfast.  When you asked him if everything was OK, he looked like a deer in the headlights before quickly dismissing you and leaving the room.

Approaching the locker rooms to get ready, your anxiety kicks up another notch when you have to tug on his arm to remind of your pre-warm up kiss.  A kiss has been part of your warm up routine before every match since you started dating.  The fact he almost skipped it makes the unsettled feeling in your stomach sink even deeper.  As you swap your boots for your curling shoes, you try to remember a time he’d been this distant with you.  Thinking back to the night you first met, Steve had been nothing but confident in every interaction you’d had with him…

As you walked into the rink with Natasha, you couldn’t help the squeal of excitement that escaped your lips.  You had recently moved to town for a new job and you quickly bonded with Natasha at work.  While you could tell your personalities meshed well from the start, what really brought you together was your love of the winter Olympics - most specifically - curling.  You’d spent much of the last few weeks together watching teams compete at all hours of the day thanks to the games being held in PyeongChang.

When Natasha had mentioned she was part of a local curling club and invited you to her next practice, you had been a bit skeptical.  You weren’t the athletic type, but after a lot of convincing (and a few drinks), you had finally agreed to give it a try.

“I’d ask if you were excited,” she drawled out with a smirk on her face, “but the squeal you just let out already answered that question.”  You rolled your eyes at her but couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face.  You were beyond thrilled to see the game played up close and even try throwing a few rocks yourself, but before you made it to the ice, you were stopped by a tall blond built like a brick house shooting you an award winning smile.

“Nat, good to see you.”  God, that voice could melt you and the ice on the spot.  “This the newbie you’ve been telling me about?”  The smirk he gave you made your cheeks heat up.

“Don’t scare her away just yet, Rogers,” she responded.  “I heard you need a new mixed doubles partner.  She’s even more competitive than you, which means you might be able to stick with someone for more than a few weeks.  What have you been through so far this season, eleven different partners?”

After sending a glare at Natasha, he made eye contact with you again.  “Ignore her.  The name’s Steve by the way,” he said as he extended his hand to shake your clammy one.  “I’m the captain of the curling club.  I don’t usually teach lessons for beginners, but I’ll gladly make an exception if you think you might be interested in being my mixed partner when you’re ready to compete.”

Your mouth drops open and you stare at both of them in shock.  “I’m flattered, honestly, but don’t you think you should see if I’m any good before you make an offer like that?”  The self-doubt settling in is a real concern at this point.  While you were good at a lot of things in life, the first thing on that list was being competitive to the point that when you know you won’t succeed or have trouble with something, you walk away.  What if Natasha got Steve’s hopes up to have you self-combust?

Steve shakes his head and shoots you another award-winning smile.  “If you’re half the person Natasha has gone on about the past few weeks, I’m sure you’ll do great.  Nat, get her to the locker rooms so I can start with practice.  We don’t have all night!”

As he walks away and Natasha drags you towards the women’s locker room, you start to overthink everything.  How were you supposed to learn how to curl from Steve?  You weren’t even sure you could concentrate enough to put together a full sentence around him at this point.  That perfect, blue-eyed son of a bitch was going to melt you into a puddle.

“Natasha!”  Your whisper came out a bit harsher than you anticipated, but at this point you didn’t care.  “What the HELL were you thinking?  YOU were supposed to teach me how to do this, not that literal Adonis out there!  How am I supposed to do this without making a fool of myself?”

“Everything is going to be fine,” she answered with a smile as she started to change her shoes.  All this nervous energy needed an outlet, so you began pacing along the lockers.  “Steve’s a really sweet guy.  Even if you weren’t interested in curling, I probably would’ve still set you up on a date with him.”

That made you stop dead in your tracks.  “A DATE?!”  You turn to face her before sitting down on the bench next to her and shaking your head in disbelief.  “Please tell me this sham of yours is NOT doubling for a date.”

With a sigh, Natasha turned to face you.  “Have a little faith in me, will you?  I knew the minute I met you that you two would be perfect for each other, and that was before I knew how big of a curling fan you were.  You know I wouldn’t put you in this situation if I didn’t think you were going to blow Steve away tonight.”  While that made you feel a bit better, you were still on edge.  “Just lose a bit of this nervous energy before you go out there and you’ll do great.”

As you left the locker room and tried to settle the butterflies in your stomach, they doubled their efforts when you walked out and found a pair of blue eyes staring at you from across the sheet.  Before you had the best or worst night of your life, you grabbed Natasha by the arm.  “He’s really been through eleven partners so far this season?”

With that signature smirk, she responds.  “Yep.  All eleven thought they could charm him with a giggle and a smile before they found out how competitive he can get.”  She shook her head and let out a small laugh.  “That boy may be pretty, but he’s smart enough to figure out if someone isn’t in it for the right reasons.”

You ponder her answer for a few seconds.  “When you say not in it for the right reasons,” you glance over to see him sending a few practice rocks down the sheet before looking back at Natasha, “do you mean in curling or in relationships?”

You didn’t notice the tall brunette as he approached, but once he started to talk, you knew he’d heard at least part of your conversation.  “Why don’t you go over there and find out?”  Stunned, you looked up at him before he added, “I’m Bucky by the way.  It’s nice to meet you.”

Natasha quickly filled you in that Bucky was her mixed doubles partner and Steve’s best friend.  It wasn’t hard to figure out that he had something to do with putting this plan into place as well.  Somehow, that didn’t surprise you one bit.

“Based on what Nat’s told me, you’ll be fine.  We’ll be practicing on the sheet next to you.  If things start to go south, we’ll be right there.”  Everything that Bucky said made sense, so you took their good luck wishes and headed over to Steve.

“Ready to get started?”  You met his megawatt smile with a small one of your own, and with a nod of your head, you started your first lesson.

A smile crosses your face when you remember that first lesson.  Steve had been a great teacher.  His enthusiasm was contagious, and when he celebrated everything you did right, he slowly built your confidence up - allowing you to open up and be yourself with him.  He could even sense when you were being too hard on yourself and stopped your negative inner dialogue that could creep into your head.  A few curling lessons turned into a first “official” date, and the rest was history.

When you made your way out of the locker room, you found Steve having a tense conversation with Bucky and Nat.  As they notice you walking over, Steve grabs Bucky and abruptly ends the conversation to get the rocks ready on the other end of the sheet.  Natasha simply gave you a shrug before asking if you were ready to go.

“I think so.  Is it just me,” you ask, “or is Steve acting weird today?”  Natasha hums in response, but doesn’t answer.  “He’s been jumpy all morning.  We have a match coming up next weekend but he’s never behaved like this before.”

“Maybe he’s just nervous we’ll kick your asses in practice today.”  You shoot her a dirty look as she laughs and you start making your way down to the other end of the sheet.  “Loser buys drinks tonight, right boys?”  While Bucky responds with his typical booming laugh, Steve avoids your eye contact and starts getting his first rock ready to go.

As you and Steve alternate taking turns with Bucky and Nat to throw stones, Steve seems to get more and more in his head about whatever is bothering him.  His strategy is usually air-tight.  Now that you’ve played with him for over a year, you generally know what call he is going to make before he makes it.  Today his calls are all over the board and rarely make sense.  He was even having a hard time reading the ice, so his shouts of “HURRY, HURRY, HARD” to guide your rocks were few and far between.

Most people would brush this up to Steve having an off day, but you weren’t most people.  Even though it was Steve who wasn’t communicating what should be done, you took that out on yourself.  He had always been able to read you like a book and sense your internal negative self-talk before it caused too many issues.  Turns out those senses were off today, too.

After throwing your final stone of the seventh end (and completely missing the house), you were so far behind Nat and Bucky that it didn’t make sense to play the final end.  You were ready to be done.  Hell, even Nat and Bucky knew you were ready to be done.  You were tired of being frustrated and trying to hold back your traitorous tears and you were ready to put this whole day behind you.

As Bucky and Steve were getting the rocks ready for the final end, you shook your head and walked off the sheet of ice.  “I think we can be done now,” you throw over your shoulder as you keep walking to pick up your gym bag.  Throwing it over your shoulder, you turn to find everyone’s shocked faces staring back at you.  “We all have off days, right?”  Your laugh comes off flat as you break eye contact to stare at the floor and try to hold the tears in.  “Good game, guys.  Can we rain check those drinks until later this week?  I’m not feeling the greatest.”

When you turn and start walking towards the doors, you hear Steve running and calling after you.  “Hey, hey wait.  Sweetheart!”  It doesn’t take long for him to catch up to you and turn you to face him.  You’re far enough away from Bucky and Natasha that you don’t even try to hide your tears anymore as they stream down your face.  “What’s wrong, pretty girl?”

You scoff and try to look away, but Steve keeps a strong hold on your face as he thumbs away a few tears.  “This isn’t working, Steve.”  You can’t help but catch how his face drops.

“What do you mean, this isn’t working?”

“Steve, everyone has off days.  Today obviously isn’t a good day for us, and we can’t force it to work.”  A bit of relief reaches his eyes as you continue.  “I’m sure by now even Nat and Buck can tell this just isn’t working today.  Let’s just go home and forget about it, OK?”

Steve looks like he’s about to give in, but then a determined glint shines in his eyes.  “I know I’ve been acting weird today, and I’m sorry I wasn’t supporting you like a good partner should.  Can you trust me and give this another chance?  Let’s give ‘em hell in this last end, yeah?”  A small smile spreads across your face as your regular version of Steve comes back.  “I promise I won’t let you down, sweetheart.  What do you say?”

“Ok,” you say in a small voice, but he’s close enough to hear it.  After a quick peck to your lips, Steve grabs your hand as you head back to finish the last end.  Natasha shares a smile with you as you get back on the sheet, causing you to miss the look or relief Steve shared with Bucky.  After Natasha throws her first stone, Steve is back in the zone with shouts of encouragement as he coaches you to sweep your first stone of this end into place.

The next few stones are thrown as expected, and you share a quick smile with Steve as he heads down to throw the last rock of the match.  Although he looks nervous to throw this one, he sends it right on track down the sheet of ice.  You hardly have to yell at him to sweep at all and the rock ends up with perfect placement right in front of your feet.  There was no way you were going to catch up to Bucky and Nat to win the match, but at least you came back to redeem yourself in the final end.

After sharing a sweet kiss with Steve and telling your friends they played a good game today, you were ready for a drink and some greasy bar food to end the day.  Before you could walk off the ice, Steve grabbed your arm to pull you back.

“Can you do me a favor, sweetheart?”  You give him a confused look, but nod your head, silently telling him to continue.  “Can you check over that last rock I threw?  It didn’t seem curl enough as it should’ve on its way down here.”

As you turn around to look at the stone behind you, your breath hitches and tears start to form in your eyes.  Written on the last rock Steve threw were the words ‘Marry Me?’ along with a diamond ring hanging off the handle.  When Steve clears his throat, you spin around to find him down on one knee behind you, causing you to quickly lose balance.  Luckily, his hands find your waist so he can guide you to sit on his knee before you face-planted onto the cold ice below.

When he smiles at you, it all starts to make sense.  Steve acting off all day, all the weird shared glances between him and your friends - even the pep talk to get you back on the ice for the last end.  It was all leading to a proposal from the man of your dreams.

“I hope you understand why I was so off today, sweetheart.  You are the perfect partner both on and off the ice, and I didn’t want to screw this up.”  With a small nod from you, he continues.

“I love you so much.  You mean more to me than anything or anyone else ever could, and while today didn’t go exactly how I planned because I couldn’t get out of my head, I know there isn’t anyone else I’d want to share this life with.”

With steady hands, he stops to brush a few tears off your cheeks before he leans down to pull the diamond ring off the curling stone handle.  Taking your shaking left hand in his, Steve looks right into your eyes with a look of determination you’ve never seen before.  “Will you make me the luckiest man alive and marry me?”

“Yes,” you whisper with a smile and a nod of your head.  “Of course I mmph!”  Steve didn’t think that sentence needed to be finished as he pressed his lips to yours in a short but eager kiss.  When you pulled away to get some air, you beamed as he looked down to slide the most beautiful ring you have ever seen on your left hand.

Soon, you could hear shouts of excitement from Bucky and Nat as they came over to join in your celebration.  While today certainly didn’t start out like you had planned, you can’t help but look at your best friends and newly minted fiancé without thinking your life will always be best when it’s spent on the rocks.

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x female reader #steve rogers x plus size reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers #reader insert #steve rogers fanfiction #natasha romanoff #bucky barnes #curling #synths11kinittowinitchallenge #Steve Rogers

[awlfan]

So Soon?- Daryl

Daryl was finally taking some time off from his experiments to rest his brain… Well, he never truly rested his brain. He instead exercised it in another way. Getting out a notebook and a pen, he used a random number generator of his own design to decide what he could use in math problems and equations. Numbers were stable and unchanging, the ultimate comfort in its lack of change. Finally, he found himself relaxing. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK Of course he’d be interrupted! Who dared to show up at his door? His last visitor was yesterday! Unless it was Melody, he would be sure to shoo them away. ...Wait… Why would he think to give Melody an exception?

Questioning himself, the scientist was surprised to see it was indeed Melody standing there. He did tell himself he wouldn’t shoo her away… “Hey, Daryl. Sorry to bug you again so soon. I just didn’t want to forget to lend these to you.” Melody held out a stack of books to him. “I made a list of the order I recommend and some interesting pages.” Daryl took the stack, noting the piece of paper on top. Hm. Her handwriting was quite legible. “I will try to read them when I have free time,” he informed. “No rush!” Melody chirped. “I’ll go ahead and get out of your hair now. I just didn’t want to forget to give those to you.” “You don’t have to leave!” Daryl replied with more urgency than he would have liked. Why did he say that?!?! “Oh?” Melody smiled, pleasantly surprised. “I wouldn’t mind visiting for a little bit,” Daryl stepped aside to let her into his home, gesturing to his little couch for her to sit on before taking a seat at his desk chair. “What did you want to talk about today?” the scientist found himself asking, The farmer’s brows rose as she realized Daryl wasn’t taking lead of the conversation today.

“Oh, well…” Melody scratched her head. “I don’t have any topics off the top of my head… but I have been making progress in training Russet, if that’s of any interest to you?” “You are training… a potato?” Daryl asked incredulously. “Oh, no,” Melody chuckled. “Russet is my puppy. Sorry I forgot to mention him. He was a stray who showed up on the farm the same day I arrived.” “Oh. Well, I do find the idea of training a living creature to be interesting. What are you training him to do? What methods are you utilizing?” “I’m not training him to do anything fantastic, really; just some basics. Sit, stay, lie down, fetch, that sort of thing. Also hold.” “Hold?” Daryl asked. “I want him to stop barking when I say so. Basically, I’m teaching him to pick something up in his mouth and keep it there. If he has something in his mouth, he can’t bark!” “It may be counter intuitive to discourage barking if you want a proper guard dog.” “Oh, I’m not keeping him as a guard dog,” Melody chuckled, “I don’t think I really need one and I doubt he’ll grow to be particularly large in the first place.” “If you don’t need a guard dog, why are you keeping him?” “Because he needed a home and I needed a new companion animal!” she chirped. “He’s such a cute and sweet little puppy! Would you like to meet him sometime? I’m trying to socialize him and Takakura isn’t a fan.” “That is to be expected. He seems to have mild cynophobia. I’m surprised he allowed you to keep the dog at all.” “Cynophobia?” “Fear of dogs.” “Oh no,” Melody frowned, her gaze falling to the floor “I wish I had known that before... Maybe I can help him with his fear somehow. Russet is still a puppy after all. He’s nowhere near threatening at this point.” “That makes sense. Such an endeavor sounds like it would be beneficial for all of you.” “Then I’ll definitely have some work to get to when I get home…” She let out a sigh before shaking her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring the mood down. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Like what?” Daryl asked. “Hm… Well, if we stick to animals as a subject… do you have a favorite kind of animal?” “I prefer rats,” he answered simply. “Because they’re good for testing and experiments?” “Shockingly, no. It was during my years in high school that I took a class that kept two rats as pets. I found them to be intelligent creatures and they proved kinder to me than the teachers and other students. I was able to find respite in their presence.” “Oh… I’m sorry others were less than kind to you.” The scientist bristled. “I do not need to be pitied,” he informed with a huff. “Sorry,” Melody held up her hands in a placating manner. “So, have you ever considered getting pet rats for yourself?” “I have not considered the notion since my youth. My mother always denied my request to have them. Now that I am an adult, I’ve found I have no time for such things.” “Ah, yeah. Then it’s probably best you don’t have them. Animals need love and attention and a good deal of your time.” “That is why I’ve decided against them.” Melody simply nodded and went quiet a moment. “...You know, while he may not be a rat, you may enjoy playing with Russet. He’s still an animal companion and I am looking to socialize him.” “You mentioned that before… I suppose I could, provided the dog doesn’t bite.” “The most he does is nip when he’s playing sometimes. You’ll be perfectly fine,” she assured. “Then I will visit when I have time.” “I look forward to it! Thanks!” Melody chirped. Daryl nodded and quietly wondered why Melody was so excited and why he’d agreed to this in the first place. He wasn’t overly fond of dogs… so why was he going to socialize one? Perhaps Melody was the reason. “Are you okay, Daryl?” the farmer asked. “”What do you mean?” “You just looked deep in thought there. If you need to get back to your research, I can leave.” While today was his day off, so to speak, he had some things he needed to think over now. “I would like to return to my research,” the scientist bluffed. “I will see you on the farm when I am ready.” “Okay. No problem. Thanks for talking to me today. I look forward to your visit. See you then!” With that, Melody returned to her farm and Daryl to his thoughts.

#harvest moon #story of seasons #a wonderful life #daryl #harvest moon daryl #story of seasons daryl #a wonderful life daryl

[ninlilwinds]

Hello, I came across your page and found your writing to be so cute. 

Can I request a platonic scaramouche, Childe and anyone else of your choice with a fem reader who’s very admirable because they’re so hard-working and responsible however when they got closer to them, they’re actually very playful, cunning and cynical? Plus the fact they’re also bad at avoiding their habit of overworking. It can be romantic as well, but please include an explanation on how it got there? 

I’m sorry this seems so specific hahaha, please take your time on this! I don’t want to pressure you.

I see that you’re new to Tumblr (I am as well, don’t worry). If I may suggest, can you make a pinned post on what you do? 

What do you want us to call you? 

Are your requests opened? Or are you accepting requests at the moment?

What specific fandoms do you write for?

What would you write and what would you not write? (Or in simple terms, your rules when it comes to requests.)

If you don’t want specific types of people (like racist and etc.) to come to your page, you may include a dni list. (<— not sure if this will be effective but I’m sure it’ll help people know what kind of page or blog you want to have.)

I see that you already did an intro post but it’s not really that specific and it’s going to get buried in your blog. I’m suggesting this so people who come to your page know what to do and expect and it’ll be easier for you as well. 

I also read that you read Genshin related things on Tumblr, right? You can look into the person’s blog and see what they put for reference (on my side, they all have a pinned post similar to what I said.) I hope this helps! I wish I can give some writing advice but I’m not a writer, if ever I do have, I’ll try my best to tell you. 

Lastly, good luck! Your blog really interested me, so I may come back to request more, (if you don’t mind and if your requests are opened.) Hope you have a nice day!

Genshin Characters with hardworking and admirable reader!

Plot: Reader is a very hardworking person who has Many's respect, despite her habit of pushing her limits too far. These two men found themselves liking reader more and more as they days went by. But up until what point is their attraction?

Characters: Scaramouche, Childe

(Answers to your tips at the bottom)

I decided to split this into two parts, the first 2 will be purely platonic, but the last 2 will be basically the continuation of the first part but going on as romantic if that makes sense. So if you'd just like to read platonic, stick to the top! The romantic parts is more of a suggestion of them getting together in the future though. 

Also I didn’t make any bullets for this...so I hope it makes sense.  

Scaramouche(Platonic)  

Why today of all days? Why did he have to get stuck with a useless partner. He was a harbinger. He could get this done and over with faster alone.  

But here he was, with you, in a temple. There was a hidden hint to a treasure they had been searching for a while now. The only thing he had to do was fine it, copy it down and leave. Maybe destroy a few hillichurls and slimes along the way.  

"We should start with this side. Judging by the placement of the stones at the entrance and how there's a faint wind current, I think there might be a wind strong enough to just glide to the place and avoid all the monsters." You said, pointing to the path you had chosen.  

"Tch, a small breeze means nothing." Scaramouche was not in the mood for this, "and I think is different than I know."  

"Well all of this is based on skill, previous knowledge and luck. There are no I'm certain in exploration." You replied, "I'm going this way" and with that you began to walk down the path. 

Scaramouch shook his head and took the other. Childe has spoken highly of you, but he didn't trust that man's judgment much. Now when he heard La Signora complement you...that sparked his interest a little bit.  

He had teased about how maybe he could tolerate working with someone like that, but he hadn't expected to actually be assigned to a mission with you. Especially since you were new and lower in the ranks. As he passed by a tunnel the ruins had created, her saw a shadow passing over him. When he looked up, he saw you gliding over the tunnel.  

His frown deepened. How dare you be right. He rolled his eyes and took out his weapons as some slimes hopped over to him. If he had any chance at preserving his pride it was to get there before you. He made quick work of his enemies and ran to the entrance of the place with the clues. He took a second to compose himself after that sprint and then turned around, crossing his arms and behaving as if he had been there for hours. 

You dropped down on the steps and put your glider away, "Seems I was right."  

"About time you made it." Scaramouch scoffed, "Now let's hurry." 

You opened the chest and dug around for the clues, "I can't see anything in here."  

"You just aren't looking right, "He snapped his fingers, making them glow faintly with electro and lighting above you a little bit. 

"Aha!" You grabbed the scroll and opened it up, "Thank you." You smiled a bit and opened the scroll to confirm it was the one.  

Just as you nodded and put the scroll away, a ruin guarding turned on from the corner. It had been dormant thus far, but it seemed a movement one of you had made has awoken it. Scaramouche cursed the heavens. Now he had to make sure you didn't die, otherwise he'd be doing too much paperwork that evening. 

"Don’t worry I'll take care of it." You took out your weapon and quickly charged. 

Scara decided to watch you for a while and then come in when things got too heated. To his surprise, you stabbed the ruin guarding right in the "eye" and it collapsed to the floor.  

Dusting your hands, you turned to him, "ready to go?"  

He stood there for a moment looking at the ruin guardian behind you then huffed a little, "Yes."  

On the way out, he took the path you had shown him, although he tried to look as reluctant as possible. He had anticipated that this whole thing was going to be long and tiring, but you did everything swiftly and efficiently.  

Maybe it wasn't so bad he got teamed up with you 

.... 

"I have finished this week's schedule as well as looked over the papers your signing and it all looks in order." You said, holding a stack of documents as you trailed behind Scaramouche.  

After that day he had made you his personal assistance. Your efficiency was something he admired and needed for his busy schedule. Ever since he had you as his assistant, his workload had lessened and he found himself a bit more relaxed.  

But he did notice how you seemed to pale a little more every day and how you had lost a considerable amount of weight. The dark sports under your eyes seemed to conquer more of your face every day, and you seemed jittery.  

Had you been resting? The Balladeer himself rarely ever got ahead of his work, but you had managed to get him a week ahead.  

He stopped, making you bump into him and drop all the papers in your hand. You apologized and bent down to pick them up, "Next time, try to not stop like a deer in bright lights."  

The hand that was gabbing the papers tensed. What did you say? Did you just call him a deer? He handed you the paper he had collected and then stood up, "have you been resting well?" 

"Huh?" You looked up at him.  

"You look awful." He stated. You puffed your cheeks out and glares, "your one to talk." And with that you breezed past him, "At least I don't look like a hillichurl in the morning."  

Scaramouche felt his cheeks heat up, "When did you see me in the morning!" He demanded. His voice commanded respect. You were getting too close and comfortable. 

"Ooooh scary." You shook you head with a smirk, "Look boss, I'm fine. As soon as I finish with everything I'll take a day off. Try not to miss me too much."  

Scaramouche sneered at you, "And why would I ever miss you?" He caught up with you and matched your pace. Maybe he was willing to walk beside you. I mean you were tolerable after all... 

Childe (Platonic)  

"Ahhhgg" Childe sighed setting the pen down. These past few days there had been a mysterious person within the Fatui that was sending them workloads of documents to sign and profiles for new recruits.  

Rumor had it that this person had been working hard to make up for the last person's lazy work ethic. They were so behind they had been kicked out and replaced. But why Punish him as well???  

Childe set the final paper out and decided to check out for the day. It was pretty late in the evening after all.  

A knock on his door stopped him from packing up. He looked up, "come in." He said, sitting back down on the chair to his desk.  

You stepped inside with a folder, "I'm really sorry sir, but I was just wondering about something you wrote on these papers." You said stepping towards his desk.  

Ah so this was the person causing all of his pain. He nodded and looked at you, "What seems to be the issue."  

You opened the folder and set the papers down on the desk, "Well on this one you drew small kid in the corner...and in this one you drew a tree...." You frowned, "Is this a code I'm not aware of?" 

How embarrassing!! He had been so bored that day he started drawing on his papers. He had drawn Teucer and a tree he had seen in Monstadt when he paid a visit. He never realized it was those papers... 

"Ah no excuse me. I'll find a copy and resend them." He gathered them and placed them inside the folder again, putting it at the side of his desk , "And your name is?" 

"(Y/N) (L/N). I just recently was promoted to this position." You said bowing your head.  

"Well you have done a very good job in making up for lost time." Childe said, "Thank you for helping out."  

You shook your head, "It's my pleasure."  

"Well I was just about to head out. Would you like to join me?" He said. 

"Thank you for the offer sir, but I'm afraid I must decline. I still have some work to finish and will be staying a bit longer." You said with a smile. 

" I see. Well ill be seeing you around then." With that Childe quickly picked up his stuff and turned to head out. Just as he was about to close the door he heard you laugh. He looked through the partly closed door and saw you looking at the folder with the documents you had brought in. He slapped his forehead and cursed himself for being so dumb sometimes. Now what would you think of him. 

"Well, he is only human." He heard you say before setting the papers down and making your way to the door. He quickly walked to a hall way near the door and hide behind the wall. You walked by him with a swift pace and a determined look. 

Huh...maybe he'd personally drop off the documents next time.  

.... 

And so he did.  As soon as he found the copies to the papers and signed them again, he went over to your smaller office to leave them there. Luckily, you were there filing and sorting through paperwork. Were those the same clothes you were wearing that night? 

"I didn't expect to see you here, sir." You said pulling your hair back.  

"Well I wanted to personally deliver the papers this time in case there were any problems." He said handing them over to you.  

You looked over them and made sure they were correct, "it all looks good." You said, "Thank you."  

"have you had lunch yet?" Childe cleared his throat and looked down at your tired form. 

"Ah yes I was about to hear up some leftovers in a bit. Why do you ask?" You placed the papers inside a cabinet and then looked up at him. 

"Would you like to come with me to lunch?" He asked, "I feel the need to appreciate you for all your hard work. And you seem like you need a break."  

You frowned not sure. You still had so many things to do, "Well, I'm not sure..." 

"I won't take up too much of your time." He promised. 

And with that you gave in. One lunch can't be that bad can it? 

"Well since your that desperate then fine." You smiled. 

Childe laughed at your comment, "My my, lunch with your boss one time and your already insulting them without second thought."  

You shook your head, "I'm simply complying to your request." 

How amusing and refreshing. Despite how tired you appeared you still managed to keep the energy and spirits of the atmosphere around you high. Maybe he would invite you to lunch more often. 

Scaramouche (Romantic?)  

And so the months passed, and your relationship became that of assistant and boss to friends. Scaramouche went out of his way to see and tease your during the work day and you two often went out of work together at night and walked a little ways together. 

Scaramouche found a terrible feeling grow in his stomach when around you though. Almost like dread, but it somehow made him feel a bit good. His temperature increased whenever you teased him or laughed and he found himself making note of every detail of your movements and appearance.  

As his assistant, you often followed him around. He liked this because it gave him more control over your schedule. On one day in particular Scaramouche found you at his desk with your head down. At first he felt a little bit of panic. Were you ok? Did you pass out?  

But then you brought your head up and shook it violently clapping your hands and saying "Ok, let's do this."  

Scara stared at you and real smile appeared on his face.   

"Somone's working hard to get those papers done, hm?" He said in a teasing tone. 

You looked up and saw Scara, "Well, I wouldn't be doing this if a certain someone didn't give me work for my off day~"  

Ah yes. When you said you'd have and off day and he heard you make plans with someone else, something in him lit up. He gave you papers he was planning on doing himself just to keep you in.  

"You're already done?" Scara said, a little shock in his voice. The papers weren't much, especially if you took your time. But, it would still take some hours to finish and it was early in the morning. Did you stay overnight.  

You turned your attention back to the desk and continued reading. Just as you were about to turn the page, Scaramouche placed his hand on the page looking at you. 

You pursed your lips and sighed looking up, "I don't have time for this Scara."  

He'd never let anyone else address him so informally, but he considered you a bit closer than most. And because of that, he kind of regretted giving you all this work just to make you stay in on your only off day. He realizes now how jerk of a move that was, but he would never admit it out loud. 

He slid the papers away from you and moved to the other side of the desk, grabbing your chair and pulling it back, "Did you stay overnight?"  

"That's none of your business." You huffed and turned away. So what if you did? What was he to do? 

"Well, as your boss, that's not taking care of my subordinates. As your friend, it worries me." Yes he just admitted you were his friend. If you dare say a word about he would kill yo- 

"Friend you say?" Crossing your arms and turning your head to see him clearly, "I'm your friend?"  

Scara's eyes lit with embarrassment and anger....was it anger? His emotions had been int too many places the past few months. He nodded with reluctance, but something didn't feel right in terms of being friends. He wanted something more of you, but what was it? It was all so confusing to him, he didn't know what he wanted from you. The reason he tolerated you at the beginning was because of how good your work ethic was, despite the unhealthy times when you overworked yourself.  

But he slowly found himself getting happy when you were praised, almost like he was proud of you. And instead of walking ahead of you, he would always match your pace, so as to walk beside you as an equal. Small things most wouldn't notice, but big steps for him.  

"Well, my dearest friend, I'll take up on your offer. But! Only because I can't think straight anymore." You stood up from the desk and brushed his shoulders, which sent a tingly feeling all over his body.  

As you passed the door and said goodbye a final time, Scara watched after you. You just said dearest friend.... 

Maybe he did want something more than a friendship, but for now, he would take things slow. After all, he wanted you to fully trust him first. Then and only then would he decide to further discover these feelings that left his shoulder tingling when you brushed it and stomach tied up.  

Childe (Romantic?)  

Your lunch breaks together became something frequent. Whenever Childe would pass by your office he would knock on the door and asked if you wanted to join him. You would often accept, but on this particular day you had declined. 

As Childe sat alone at the restaurant, he thought on your relationship. You've told him many things about you. About your family, previous job, homeland, childhood. Every detail he learned made the warmth in his chest expand. He was so grateful you chose him to tell all this to.  

You were already comrades, and that made Childe so happy, but now, as he stood in the restaurant alone, he couldn't help but want more. 

Friend often stayed at arm's length, especially work friends. But he didn't want that. Childe was selfish. He wanted to hug you and hold your hand. Kiss your cheek and be able to say I love you freely. Ah that was it. Love. He wasn't looking for a relationships right now. All his work makes it so he isn't home often. He wouldn't want someone to wait on him, much like his family is.  

But you work with him. And you see each other daily, Childe makes sure of that.  

Despite all this, Childe couldn't help but feel uneasy about expressing this. There was no way you would like him back. 

In his eyes, there were little to no flaws about you. You were beautiful and worked hard for your goals. Somehow you'd found yourself to have everyone's respect. Your smile brightened a room and you always came in clutch when someone needed it. You must have someone. How can someone so amazing not?  

His thoughts were interrupted when someone approached him. He thought it could be the food, but when he looked up it was you.  

"(Y/N), what brings you here?" He smiled and motioned for the extra chair, "I thought you were staying in."  

"I was, but I finished a bit early with one stack and left my leftovers at home so I couldn't eat and work. I was hoping you were still here." You sat down and tucked your hair behind your ear.  

"I see. Well order anything you'd like. As per usual, it's on me." He would always offer to pay, but in the end you would often go split or pay yourself, saying how it was your treat and he could pay next time. 

Childe looked at you and frowned, there was something different today. Your lips looked glossier and your cheeks redder. Your hair was in a styled messy bun rather than your usual way (if you have short hair, you just did a different style. Pick your favorite), "Why are you so dolled up today?  Meeting someone." The pain in his voice was unmask able. He knew and guessed as much, but it still hurt.  

Your cheeks reddened and your cleared your throat, "No, I just thought I should look decent when coming here. Can't I do a little self-care?" You playfully glared at him 

"Well, you look beautiful." He said with a smile, placing his elbow on the table and supporting his cheek with his palm.  

Your blush deepened. You tried to remind yourself how this was your boss and friend. Nothing more nothing less.  

But one of these days, both of you would give in. After all the, heart could only be ignored for so long.  

(Thank you so much for the tips! I actually never thoughts about organizing my account much or how to do it so it really helps! I've still yet to learn the dynamics, so it'll take me a while to learn how to do some of those things, but I'll get to it as fast as I can so not to cause any confusion or inconvenience in he future! Again, thank you!!)

#genshin x reader #genshin impact #genshin x y/n #genshin x you #genshin fanfic #genshin scaramouche #scaramouche #genshin childe #genshin characters #childe #tartaglia #genshin tartagalia

[lilyblackdraws]

Part 2 of a short fic about arknights gladiia and plume 

Early evening. Plume is sitting in her room, reading to wind down from a thoroughly average day.

Someone knocks on her door.

Plume puts a bookmark between the pages she's on, places the book on her table, gets up and steps towards the door.

Before she gets to it, the door opens.

"May I enter?"

Plume lowers her eyes. It's Gladiia. She's already inside and has closed the door behind her.

She hasn't talked to her since that time a week ago. Couldn't find the right moment or words.

"I'll take a seat here," Gladiia says after having moved to the table.

She sits down. The chair isn't well-suited to her height. She sits up straight, with her legs crossed and stretched across the floor of the small room.

Plume takes her coat, puts it on and sits down in the chair she had just gotten up from.

She looks up at Gladiia.

"So... what brings you here today? Can I offer you something to drink or eat?"

Gladiia doesn't answer right away. She looks around. There isn't much here. A bed, a closet, the table they're sitting at, two cabinets. There are some photos and other things on the cabinets, but it's too dark to properly make them out.

Then again, Gladiia might be able to even with such little light.

After surveying her surroundings she looks at Plume.

Gladiia smiles faintly. "I've been observing you for the past few days."

So she has. It didn't escape Plume that Gladiia had been watching her exercise. Not much had been going on this past week. There hadn't been any missions or coordinated training, she had just been going at it by herself or asking the instructors or other operators to coach or train with her.

"I've noticed."

Plume makes a small gesture with her right hand while trying to find the right words.

"I didn't mean to ignore or avoid you. I just... didn't find a good moment to approach you."

"That's absolutely fine. I wasn't intending to take up your time like that in the first place."

Gladiia uncrosses her legs, then puts her left over her right instead.

Plume never really had any guests in her room, so now it felt especially small.

The conversation progressed at an agonizingly slow pace and she had no idea what Gladiia was thinking or what kind of mood she was in.

"Then, what do you think?" Plume asks.

"You're not terribly strong. Physically, that is. You're quick, you have good reflexes.

It makes me wonder why you're using such a weapon. You'd be better suited to something lighter, or even a crossbow."

Plume sighs and glances at the top of one of the cabinets.

"That's... I've gotten used to it. It's nothing, really."

Gladiia narrows her eyes. "No, please do tell."

"I don't want to take up too much of your time."

"I came here for you. There's no such thing as..." Gladiia slightly raises her left hand.

"being short on time. We'll talk for however long we like."

"Okay. So, I'm from Laterano and I used to be part of... well, basically the border guard. This halberd I'm using is their standard-issue weapon." Plume pauses. Gladiia looks at her and nods.

"In training I was never able to properly adopt their techniques since I lack the strength, but I developed a workaround. You're probably right and I should either look for something completely different or at least a lighter model..."

Gladiia's expression softens.

"No, I can respect that. Such an attachment can be rather precious."

Silence returns to the room.

The two look at each other.

"Could you stand up for a moment?"

"Yes, of course." Plume responds without delay and stands up in a clean motion.

"Would you mind taking off your coat?"

"That's..." Plume pulls her coat closer.

"Ah... I see. I apologize for being insensitive."

"Oh, no. It's nothing, I'm just not used to being seen in my casual clothes." Plume takes off her coat, folds it and places it over her chair.

Gladiia inspects her for a few moments.

"You're rather small."

"About average for my kind."

"Right."

"Isn't it more a case of you being quite tall in the first place?"

Gladiia narrows her eyes and looks through Plume.

"Right. But it's not just about height."

"I see. Well, again, average."

Gladiia nods.

Plume puts her coat back on and sits down again.

"You'll be free two days from now."

"I'll..." Plume thinks about her schedule for a moment. "have to check, one moment please."

Gladiia waves her hand dismissively.

"I wasn't asking. I'll create a three day gap in your schedule, starting two days from now. You'll meet me on the deck at sunrise. Bring your gear and some provisions."

Gladiia rises.

"Thank you for your time, Plume."

Plume gets up and moves to open the door for Gladiia.

"I have to thank you. I'll see you then."

Gladiia nods, raises her left hand towards Plume for just an instant, but stops the motion and leaves.

Two days later, some time before sunrise.

"Gladiia I cannot believe it. You couldn't have a friendly conversation to save your life."

"I believe that we have had rather amicable talks."

"This is exactly what I mean. If only you could listen to yourself talk. Did you really just waltz into her room at night, talk at her for half an hour without saying anything and leave?"

"Laurentina... We may be friends, but if you continue so casually insulting your captain I might have to enact some punishment."

Laurentina wiggles her hands at the sides of her shoulders. "Laurentina", she says mockingly.

The two bicker for a while longer until eventually Plume arrives at the appointed time.

Laurentina walks up to her and puts her hands on Plume's shoulders.

"Tell me, did she bother you? Did Gladiia harrass you?"

Plume's eyes widen and she tries to back up. "N-no, not at all. I'd say that we've had a very pleasant chat."

"You can be honest, even though she's standing right next to us."

Plume laughs a little.

Laurentina glances at Gladiia, Gladiia shrugs.

"I'm sorry, it was just weirdly funny somehow. I appreciate that you're worried about me, but Miss Gladiia really is very nice to me."

Laurentina lets go of her. "Okay. Just don't let her intimidate you too much. She puts up a facade all the time, but if you can handle the way she talks she's enjoyable to be with."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Plume refastens her bags and fixes her cape.

"If you're going to be spending three days alone with Gladiia you can't just be having staring contests and stiff conversations all the time. Just talk to her like I'm talking to you."

"Right."

Laurentina exasperatedly gestures towards Gladiia.

"See! She's already picking up your one-word replies."

Gladiia shrugs. "If one word is all that's needed, why use more words?"

"It's about... flavour, ambience... There's an artfulness even to speech."

Laurentina turns back towards Plume. "Well, either way. Have a nice trip."

"Trip?"

"Did Gladiia not tell you?"

"She just told me to meet her on the deck."

"Well she's taking you on a trip."

"That I am." Gladiia steps forth. "And it's high time we depart. We mustn't waste a single minute."

Gladiia turns away from Plume and kneels down a bit.

"Get on my back."

"I'm sorry?" Plume tilts her head.

"Get on, I'm carrying you."

"Imagine the honour of being carried by our captain."

Plume looks at Laurentina. "Is this really alright?"

"If she's telling you to get on her back, then get on her back. Bags and all."

"Okay..."

Plume walks up to Gladiia and then isn't sure how to proceed.

Gladiia moves her arms back a bit.

Plume just kind of jumps onto Gladiia's back, who then hooks her arms and Plume's legs together, while Plume wraps her arms around Gladiia's upper body.

Gladiia steps onto the railing, turns to Laurentina, nods to her and then jumps off the landship.

#arknights #still not sure what i'm doing when it comes to writing #but i want to write about plume and gladiia

[purple-compromise]

[A fun BLU Specialist-centric fic submitted by @taytay4674788 Thank you so, so much for sharing this!! 💜]

Yeah this took a while between tumblr being weird with glitches and going back and forth with support on unresolved issues since October. But I think I found a temporary way to submit stuff to you at least at the moment ( at least 8 pages of fic in google docs).

I originally wanted to do a double take moment via a dream but it didn’t make much sense to do so with red spesh(and that’s going to be with a different character instead ;) )… So I ended up doing an eight page half character study half second half story with Blu spesh instead, as I enjoy making characters suffer having them question their own morals! It might be Ooc for both blu med(to be fair blu med would likely relish in torture in you wronged him or to send a message, especially if it’s from the enemy team) and blu spesh but I’d love to hear thoughts anyway since it’s been nearly a solid year since my last actual fic, on top of the fact that this is my first reader fic and first time writing the mercs. There is a part one to this fic, I just held it off since I had better flow with this one and I’m still trying to figure out dialogue, characterization and a few other details so the period of time is intentionally vague so it can act as a stand alone.All I know is that it takes place after chapter 31 in TIWWAN, and this is on the in-game Badlands control point map, not Teufort, not the overall arching map of The Badlands.

Very important distinction.

_______________

You aren’t a bad person for taking this job. You knew that you’d get money,good money. Highest pay rate than anywhere in this backwater wasteland to send back home and still have enough to indulge into cigarettes daily from the dinky corner store in town.

So should it disturb you as much as it really should?

You kill each other out on the field every day, with most of the time the Red bastards push through to capture a point. So really it should be an equal retribution in all things considered. She kills you, you kill her. It’s all equal in the circle of life in a private war funded by cash that even the IRS wouldn’t shy an eye away from collecting all of it if it weren’t for Miss Pauling. You may have been the family disappointment to drop out of college, but you’re sure as hell that you’re not letting your sister do so. She has viable dreams to chase, well you, just need a little more time to figure it out.

Flicking open the nice red and white packaging of your care unit of cigarettes into your crisp uniform pocket of your assigned blue uniform, hair neatly tucked and out of the way. Counting under your breath the fresh cigarettes left in your case; you’ll be going to town this weekend to get some more. You’ve been saving the ones Spy has acquired for you, towards .. a later occasion, for when it really matters. For now, the ones from the corner store are going to suffice, even if it just tastes like chemically processed tobacco.

Your boots, a bit dusty from today’s scrimmage against those Red team bastards, click gently against the quiet blue dirt stained concrete. Making your way out through the hall passing cold steel to have a quiet smoke, the hum of electricity droning a bit too loudly in your ears for your taste. Maybe staring up at the stars for a bit if it isn’t cloudy again tonight. Sometimes it brings peace when you can’t listen to rerun broadcasts of Earplay on the radio that Engineer built for your team, that is when you could get more than the two stations Tuefort has and.. When you’re in the mood.. For that sort of.. Media. Yet, it’s a bit of romance and entertainment you needed while waiting for The Firesign Theatre to release their latest album of dramas.

Art keeps you human, on a fragile equilibrium from diving into the pure insanity that is your team. Being paid to kill humans, who well, keep reviving through technology that most would strive to get their hands on to achieve immortality. It can be a nasty sentiment that you don’t like to think about when it crawls up. How humans with bonds can and will destroy each other over the smallest discrepancies out of greed.

The uncanny valley isn't a physical place, only one of the mind. Diving straight into your soul. To unsettle yourself from the basic facts of life.. At least.. As you know them.

Does it unsettle you, walking past the infirmary in the evening, peeking through the infirmary double doors carelessly left open as if it was an actual medical emergency. It probably would’ve been, if the ones screaming bloody murder weren’t .. feminine screams, ones that match your own after taking a buckshot to the back. To witness a struggle between your team's medic and a visage of yourself trying to fend back clearly being overpowered from experimental medicine. Her blood, iron instead of standard antiseptic, attacking your senses. Nearly being able to taste it despite it being scattered on the floor and not on your hands this time. A mess against the contrast of the lack of life in the sterile halls collecting dust and oil. Fluorescent lights screaming out with a buzz with an underlying static tone against your heart rate. One needle that you can tell, already sticking out from her dominant arm, it’s different from the standard syringes your medic uses while in battle. Then again he’s mentioned offhand about a crossbow type weapon that he’s been gloating in development as of late, at least whenever you had an issue that a cigarette couldn't solve. His blue scheme of a lab coat is disrupted by large splotches of crimson soaking into the material on his shoulder, while she is struggling to keep awake. Grimacing on her face definitely indicates that something more than–

“Fräulein!-”

The loud slamming of metal trays holding medical instruments against the concrete floor in an escape attempt off the gurney forces you to jump back in a bit of pain and out of sightline. The sudden loudness to look away from the sight, forcing you out of your thoughts to cower, covering your ears. Gunshots are one thing, metal on concrete is probably worse. Oh definitely you’re going to get her on the battlefield for that one.

For only a moment that you consider that maybe he has one shred of decency in him. He rarely, if never takes a charity case on the field, especially for the enemy team. Perhaps that there’s actually a moral compass in there somewhere; trying to maybe preserve her life from whatever injuries—

Smack!

The sickening short sound echoing out of the infirmary reverberates against your heart. Shouts of insulting degradation, an unnatural sounding crack resulting in a sharp feminine cry of pain shortly following his remarks. Something you aren’t accustomed to outside of combat, especially not coming from yourself.

A quiet sigh further reinforces your gut judgment of character into actual fact of life about your medic. Not surprising in the slightest. Blue is not a calming color on this team, regardless of what literary analysis says.

Glancing back in as your team’s medic degrades your red counterpart, her coat’s thrown across the floor soaking up drying blood. No sign of visible weaponry as far as you could tell between the scuffling. You don’t know a lick of German, and don’t care to learn, but his expression reads of one who clearly has the upper hand in this fight as far as you can tell. His weight shifts quickly to keep her pinned down with one arm as she still flails to get him off. She is rightfully terrified, attempting to calculate another escape route struggling against the gurney, not seeing a needle sedative of some sort ready to inject into her flesh; hiding behind his back presumably grabbing from one of the smaller trays not immediately by the gurney. Only for your counterpart to use any means of what’s left functioning to get away from him, grasping at the restraints to undo them one handedly. Really the only time you could sympathize with her. If you could help her, you would. Her death is on the battlefield, not one on one with your medic who breaks femurs for amusement. As of now, you can only offer pity.

He’s absolutely playing god for his own benefit, and dialing it up beyond 10. Evidently in the vindictive smile he wears as his blue gloved hand wrapped around her throat. Relishing in her distorted chokes, her body still convulsing to fight his grip. Probably leaving a bruise if she doesn’t get sent through respawn first. Her distress is that his other hand is probably touching open wounds, likely in retaliation of some sort.

It’s something you’ve known all along, nor does it surprise you by any means. However, a human trained in pharmaceuticals to lose their shit on a patient who’s at a current physical disadvantage.. And torturing them in a way to send a message, seeking vengeance outside of the battlefield, leaves a distaste in your mouth.

It furthers your questioning of how your own medic sees you. You already knew that he sees you as a sack of organs waiting to be mixed and matched into a chimera abomination. A chill courses down into your spine in a pale realization.

Who’s to stop him from treating you the same way he does her? A paycheck?

You need a cigarette.

You don’t think that you’re a bad person, the medic on your team would absolutely flip your organs around like a 1,000 piece puzzle, pushing the limit of functioning. Interfering with his latest vanity project of immortality, is not worth being under the knife instead of your counterpart. That’s a fight between him and his counterpart for data, not you to be a martyr for someone who knew what she signed up for. Shrieks and swears threaten to distract you from your internal justifications once again.

It hits you, she’s been able to beat you down on the field before and has most definitely sent you straight back to respawn before. She should be able to defeat this man single handedly by all things considered in terms of adrenaline strength, you think. Briefly glossing over that Engineer had stayed back to test out a prototype of a sentry model and a few other machines outside. Mentioned it back at dinner a couple nights back about improving positioning and range, recalling that conversation in your mind. But even then, a normal sentry hasn’t completely taken her down with her shield without an übercharge, it at least hasn’t with your own shield by any means when you’re paying attention and not getting shot at from their loudmouth Scout. For now, you stare back to the corkboard filled with notes neatly laying on beige and blue paint on the walls. Looking for a rationalized answer, as if the corkboard of past events and reminders would just give it to you.

Memory flickers back from earlier before shift, Medic mentioning about a crossbow weapon in development. Something about needing a longer range, in order to focus on building über to take out the Red team, truly you have a tendency to tune out the bastard most of the time. Really it wouldn’t surprise you if it was really an excuse for him to just build über with Heavy. He’d probably stick that Medigun of his right up Heavy's ass if he physically could with how he doesn’t heal much of anyone else on his own team, except at the beginning of the match. Your eyes slowly search back into the blast of fluorescents, she still wriggling under his touch, an animal trying to gnaw off its leg caught in a trap to escape.

She probably would’ve struck equal if the ever increasing mass of needles, at least one that you’re guessing is a numbing agent, weren't stuck in her dominant arm. Only one of them you recognize from surgery, the others just look indistinguishable from his syringe gun but its size forces you to swallow down spit in your dry throat. Her fingers are trying to feel for something as the metal doesn’t feel crisp, spitting at your medic in disgust. Mentioning something about adjusting the contents of whatever he shot her with, the nut case being overwhelmingly gleeful about it too. Her, while you give her credit for being a fighter, slowly keeps searching to leverage against. Anything to try and gain an advantage.

Her eyes, realizing you are still staring into a macabre mirror of horror, locking into yours, silently pleading to you for a swift death. Something to get out of his hands. The air drops into a cold you haven’t felt in sometime, as all you could do was stare back at her. Reaching out if her closest arm wasn’t restrained down against the gurney, minimally in spirit. At least for a moment, before a natural response averts the moment into one of resistance from instruments of surgery to shredding flesh.

Is it wrong to outright deny mercy in a power imbalance to your enemy who is clearly begging for it?

Would she grant that same mercy to you?

The flashes of her pleading for death on a doctor's gurney in your mind, processing the unnaturality of it. Not that you fight her everyday over god knows what, or that she’s in surgery, the contrast of red outside the battlefield is supposed to be the remnants of blood medic should be cleaning up. Not dissecting a patient from the enemy team after hours.

For you to imagine intervening and putting a bullet between her eyes out of mercy has a different moment of surrealism. Yes you’ve insulted, spat on, kicked, trampled over her corpse, and probably broke her nose with more force than necessary more than a few times during work hours.. you.. easily forget when indulging in victory when the final bell rings at 3pm.. just not 7:38 in the evening, looking at a reflection where a mirror isn’t supposed to be.

You really need a cigarette.

Peeling yourself away from the sights and sounds of yourself, jittery hands reach for a lighter in the opposing pocket. Deliberately ignoring the drying blood on the floors trailing through the halls, that you noticed taking a second glance. The scent of iron you didn’t create slowly leaves your senses. Forcing the chilling screams fading back into echoes once again. Letting your body go on autopilot towards a quieter spot towards the exit door as the sounds of the infirmary become mere echoes. To the sound of comforting footsteps at this moment in time. Flipping the lip of the white and red box to reach for the safe constant of tobacco.

The Badlands despite being a natural wasteland spanning several acres.. Does have its own natural beauty when not roasting alive underneath the harsh sun of the New Mexico desert. Really the moments of transition between night and day are poetic in their own right. A production ending with a curtain call each day, skipping over the rehearsal and casting call; Straight on to the show for the next morning. A repetitive show that doesn’t truly conclude.

Click, click, click

The cold lighter shakes slightly as you try to focus on just having a quiet smoke. Your thumb brushes over the smoothness of the lighter as you close it with a solid click. Trying to wipe away.. whatever the hell you’d encountered back there.

Inhaling spicy warm tobacco gives you comfort from the thoughts and guilt of your mind. A walk, your brain drifts, is what you need. Exhaling out a puff of gray smoke, admiring the sun slowly setting into the evening sky. The cirrus clouds clawing through the sky breaking the gradient of the evening, layering clouds upon itself as your shadows trails further behind you. The dirt and sand kicking up under your boots, heels dragging along creating a path in the quiet desert, straying away from base the nightlife slowly waking up to their circadian rhythm against the machine guns and soaking of the day’s bloody rain.

Your peace.. is disrupted from the following of loud curses in German, maybe a different dialect but you can’t quite tell if it’s the echo.. And distinct, American English echoing through the landscape. Which is to be expected, after all, she’s patient zero for an upgrade in immortality that’s what you could gather from the medical record from your first intelligence grab. A big game of capture the flag, really.

With a syringe gun and shotgun pointed out barreling towards you, you throw your hands up that’s normally reserved for a bitter defeat. Yes, your Commander is at the ready if their idiotic Soldier starts blasting at you for existing in blue; but if the fight is unpaid it’s not worth your time. Your Soldier may berate you for insubordination or some shit, and the worst side of the spectrum is that Medic might schedule a sudden examination of your internal organs. Getting sent through respawn after hours isn’t worth buying time for someone you loathe to be around. Besides, as long as your Red counterpart doesn’t screw up by doing something incredibly stupid, you’ve got free room and board. A class on both sides or none at all, right?

You roll your eyes as their incredibly loud Soldier, starts barking orders and pumps his shotgun, presumably to aim at your chest. Incessant arguing increasingly becomes irritating to the disagreement you’re not even a part of. At least their medic has enough of a brain to identify a peace offering when he sees one.

Their Medic dressed in red narrows his brows in suspicion. Granted from his irritation, he himself has slathers of blood covering his lab coat, the dust decorating him in an offset of brown glitter. Working on who, well with an enormously large figure hauling a large glintering silver barrel at his side just pacing further behind from the duo here? Well it doesn’t take a ton of context clues to figure it out.

“It’s too much of a lovely evening to be standing out here in the desert. Might want to check out the infirmary for sunburns. The desert is harsh on skin after all.”

Pulling the cigarette out of your mouth for a moment to flick the glowing embers to the dusty earth, the dry smoke blowing from your lips. Their medic, placing themselves a bit more forward probably to keep their soldier from shooting you into swiss cheese. The desert sands carrying your voice out further towards the enemies who shoot you up on a daily basis, a sigh escaping from your lungs,

“ Fellas! I didn’t sign up for unpaid overtime, you don’t exist to me after that final point is captured at 3pm.”

Your eyes connect to try and read their next move, syringe and shotguns still not fully lowered. Obvious distrust, needing more information that clearly isn’t a trap into an ambush. Or a spy posing as you from your own team. After all, you’d hope at least some of your teammates would hold you to have a similar weight of importance in their eyes if Red ever decides to pluck you in retaliation from this event.

You nudge your head slightly towards base, as a directional guide. A puff of smoke exhaling out from your mouth, blocking the view of two visibly stern faces of your sights.

“Mighty shame that our Engineer hasn’t been able to fix our defective emergency exit alarms near our second point, yet..” A specific piece of information needed to earn trust, I mean your Engineer has been caught up with a few different projects lately, neglecting any other maintenance that he can easily fix around this particular base. But it is on his list to fix, whether he actually has gotten to it is yet to be foreseen. It’s up to the Administrator now to decide if an evening brawl would be worthy to add to the workday. That would be a nightmare.

“I’m sure he’ll get to it once he gets a break.”

Clear cut eyes still question your authority, not the answer of a go ahead for a temporary truce. Really, it likely had the opposite effect with their fingers sliding towards the trigger, while your tired hands are slowly seceding to your own gun. If they fire first, well, it shows a reflection of their own character. That or they need more of an outright spelled out truth. Which really, the lead paint they must’ve licked, had done more damage than what New York State had initially found in their own population.

“Don’t bother to waste your bullets–”

A quiet snark leaving your throat, the smoke escaping your lips as the warm cigarette rests between your forefingers.

“–Sending me through respawn only gives him more time.”

Fallen ash singes against the cooling desert sand, drifting back into the earth between the gentle breeze. Their soldier, becoming increasingly antsy about the lack of gunpowder flying into the air, doesn't even bother to hide it on his face. To level the amount of testosterone of ego out on a 3 v 1, your eyes connect with the shade of crimson with a cross that trails up to their medic.

“She needs you more than what I’m worth in wasted time.”

Perhaps in a way, bargaining for a favor without outright stating it, being saved for a later date not explicitly labeled. You haven’t once brandished your gun for a show of power, nor have they shot you up into a million pieces. Granting mercy to bloodthirsty mercenaries. Aside from some on your team berating you for inaction, the Administrator has eyes everywhere in the Badlands, not just this particular map of dust. You’ve seen the hawking cameras blinking in dark corners documenting everyone’s moves. Could it land you under Miss Pauling’s quicklime? Possibly.. If it’s a repeated behavior, however, you don’t foresee that happening again. If their medic is anything like yours, it’s possible that your counterpart would be tethered to him on the field. Given her judgments and of what little Spy has shared in code, you seriously doubt that she’ll listen to even her own healer of the team.

You’re only here for money, not to worry about anyone else. It’s the entire point of why you’re here in the first place, not to brawl it out 24/7.

Are you putting too much faith in your enemies? Quite likely, but maybe you can guilt one of the three of them for a favor down the line if this fragile equilibrium, at some point, falls apart. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a risk you’re willing to take. A life for a life won’t leverage its own weight in a world of daily rebirth by bloodshed. A debt for a debt holds a hierarchy in a lawless land.

Their medic, jaw clenched, must've struck a nerve somewhere but refuses to show it. Giving a silent eye to their Heavy for a silent reassurance of the next step. While their Soldier is barely keeping restraint to shoot something on behalf of Uncle Sam or for the honor of America. A brief moment of silence, before sharp eyes reacknowledge your peace bargain.

“Danke.”

A 2/3rd agreement to keep moving forward, while Soldier grumbling at sparing the life of an enemy. He may be trigger happy because you exist in blue, but at the least is willing to half recognize a peace offering with information.

The barrage of dust and sand kicks back up, as their plans of attack fade with the movement of tumbleweeds strolling alongside you under a waning moon. Hand resting in the comfort of your coat pockets. Your cigarette, a dim beacon of light against the growing darkness in the night sky. Stars peeking out against the handful of bright lights against wooden shacks against the field.

The logistics of morality in private combat is ever changing, and quite frankly gives you a headache to try and think about “doing the right thing” when following the money supports your family. Your heart only knows one certainty when it comes to such mental conflicts on the field.

You’re not a bad person.

____________

A few fun facts with the research I did for this fic:

New York city was the first city to outlaw further usage of lead paint in 1960 before New York state followed through banning usage of lead paint in the late 70s. Lead was effectively banned in 1986, however it didn’t apply to pipes that were already in the ground and walls already painted with lead, it only banned new lead pipes to be placed in for usage beyond. https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/lead-poisoning-information-for-building-owners.page

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2021/05/13/what-would-it-cost-to-replace-all-the-nations-lead-water-pipes/

I had to take a few liberties with blue spesh and a bit of history too, so I figured that she might get enjoyment out of radio dramas since her inspiration of doing theater in university before dropping out had to come from somewhere. The 70s had a dry spell of radio dramas, since reruns of shows weren’t really commonplace and many live radio dramas were performed live on air in the 40s and 50s until recording media for reruns. Earplay is an actual radio drama that aired in 1972 until 1982 but got picked up by other networks at least until the 1990s.But for this fic its gonna be running a bit earlier than 1972. The Firesign Theatre actually did have some albums for their shows, before their second split.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Firesign_Theatre#Albums

#submission #taytay464788 #tiwwan fanwork

[celinou]

The Sense of Me / Chemicals

A Walk in Chiaroscuro update: So this song embodies the mood we’re in. Don’t worry it’s a good thing. Like many a times before, I’m re-writing the outline - it’s the 10000th times I know! - and I’m adding things in. Again. Honestly, at this point, half of the story is “✨stuff I added at the last minute for dramatic effect✨”

Without going into too much spoilers, there's about 3 pages worth of bullet points I’m adding to the narrative. I didn’t insert them in the outline yet, so idk if it’ll make the chapters longer or simply add some. The good news is that every time I do this I get an extra boost of creativity and motivation. On the flip side, it may take me more time to get to finishing the new chapter. (and the freakin’ fic too gkfdjiudhuihsui!!) Chapter 31 is currently sitting at 1.2k words, waiting for me to get back to it. But enough about my writing process. I mostly wanted to share this song with you today, that I’m sure all of you have listened to ad nauseam ten times over. It’ll always remind me of the moment I just became attached to Nathan and yelled at my screen a resounding “WHAT? Of screen?! Really!?! You’re killing that character OF SCREEN????!” and never recovered. As you can see.

#awic #also songs that broke me like... #awic unnecessary update

[cheer-soli-art]

It was a good year for art

Commentary for each artwork under the cut :D

February - biblically accurate bam - This was back when the jokes of ‘biblically accurate (insert noun here)’ had really hit mainstream, or maybe I just finally got inspiration to do something about this topic. Since Bam is the night, I added the usual night symbols of moons and stars. The waves at the bottom represent how the tides change with the cycle of the moon, and it ties in well with the idea of Bam being a ‘new wave’ in the Tower.

February - biblically accurate bam - This was back when the jokes of ‘biblically accurate (insert noun here)’ had really hit mainstream, or maybe I just finally got inspiration to do something about this topic. Since Bam is the night, I added the usual night symbols of moons and stars. The waves at the bottom represent how the tides change with the cycle of the moon, and it ties in well with the idea of Bam being a ‘new wave’ in the Tower.

March - double city - An artwork that I haven’t released anywhere on the internet until today, as it was part of a school exhibition. The idea behind it was taking the place I grew up in and the city I lived in at the time and merging them into one location, representing how I am influenced by both cultures.

April - Marpril Colors Series - 17 Azure - This was a series of sketches I did over March and April, as a countdown for my return from Tower’s Tale (TT) hiatus. During these months, I was busy with school stuff and working on TT, so I didn’t have much time or desire to make other artworks.

May - Part 1_Page 201 - I started working on this TT page in December of the previous year, as the scene this page is a part of was important for me (oh, and the plot too). I was still practicing a new style, and though I don’t like it as much now, I still think it was worth the experimentation.

June - yanfei.jpg - This one was part of a Six Fanart Challenge that I never finished. Whoops. Anyways, I drew her because she’s the character that I’ve played with the most. I’m really proud of how I was able to capture most of the details, especially that staff, haha.

July - KBWday5.PNG - Ah, yes. The KhunBam month, where I spend 3 weeks thinking about what to post only for me to procrastinate on it until KhunBam Week arrives. I like this artwork because it’s where I finally started using references (lol), as well as understanding more organic backgrounds.

August - glitterandgold_01 - One of the two artworks I made for a WIP Big Bang. This is also the first artwork of the entire year that I finished on my laptop instead of my phone, as I had lost my stylus and only bought a new one around this time. I like that I was able to carry the dramatic mood from the sketch to the final version.

September - Part 1_Page 237 - There wasn’t a lot of artwork activity this month, apart from TT, so here is another page I’m really proud of. I wanted to communicate the overwhelming difference in power between the characters, so the pages before have a lot of open paneling and negative space that progressively build up to this one, which covers nearly the entire background in green. The frame around Goseng and Bam is actually the same proportions as the usual page border, but shrunken, to make it look like the fire was spreading beyond the edges of the page, to really emphasize the probable helplessness Bam is feeling in the situation… Sometimes, a lot of thought goes into these pages.

October - kitsune khun - This is a drawing I made for a raffle winner on Twitter. I included it here because this and the other artworks I made that week felt like they ‘clicked’. They were the ones that all the process from previous artworks were leading up to - finally I had an artwork that I was very satisfied with, where the process was fun and the final result was pretty to look at too. I’m a huge fan of using complementary colors, especially orange lighting and blue shadows..

November - Snow Study (gasp) - I don’t do studies as often as I should, so this one came as a surprise. I save a lot of images from Bing’s daily wallpaper, and since the cold weather was coming, I painted this chilly town with one as a reference. I also wanted to update my blog so it matched my current style, so this was drawn for that reason too.

December - ‘Polaroid’ mini series - “with hyung.png” - This is one of four artworks I made in a ‘polaroid photo’ style. I really like that aesthetic. There is something very nostalgic and deep about it - capturing a moment you deem important. Taking the context of polaroids and film into account, you don’t have the luxury to take various copies of a moment and pick the right one afterwards like we do nowadays, so ideally you’d want everything to be perfectly in place and extremely important before you press the shutter. And yet, in these ‘photos’, the moments captured are not of grandiose events or life-changing moments, but of casual, daily life. I wanted to appreciate the ordinary in this small series. Maybe I’ll revisit it next year.

Bonus round

There were a few artworks that didn’t make the cut, but I still wanted to talk about them. So here they are.

“A summoning ritual (that worked a little too well)” - This is where I started the habit of drawing genshin characters when I wanted them on my team. Though this one is a little rough around the edges, I still like the colors and texture of the artwork.

“met gala hwar” - I was watching a video talking about how the Gilded Gala was a disaster (unsurprisingly), and one of the looks that went by (as examples of what worked) caught my eye. So I drew Hwaryun in it.

“Part 1_Page 216.PNG” - I have a very consistent system for numbering pages - just thought you might wanna know. I didn’t count this one in the final cut because some of the panels here were from pages drawn last year, so I felt that I was cheating a bit. There is a lot of thought behind this particular panel, but I will discuss that one when I release the full cleaned-up version sometime in the next few months.

“a precious jewel” - This artwork means a lot to me. Though it was rather quick (done under an hour, curse my comic panel habits), a lot of ‘feeling’ went into it. I think that out of all of the artworks, this is the one where I’m pouring what I’m actually feeling at the moment - I can’t quite put it into words here (as it is a little awkward, and I’m afraid of things getting lost in translation too), but I’ll try. I think that for that hour, I understood where Khun was getting at with the jewel metaphor, but rather than wanting to hide someone away, it was more of wanting to keep those feelings close to my heart… that kind of thing.

“Bleak December_07” - My entry for Secret Santa this year. Just thought I’d include it. I signed up to an email address sending Edgar Allen Poe’s works, and was floored by The Raven, so the title and tone of this short comic reflect that too.

“fall for you, fall for me” - i like khunbam. and i like autumn, now. i like coloring khun’s hair, ‘cuz its color can look so different under different lightings. it’s a simple and easygoing artwork. i like simple and easygoing things sometimes too.

#art summary 2022 #art summary #artists on tumblr #my art #digital art #I’ve had to draft this three times thanks tumblr