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#This ruins the Groove god damn it
kagedbird · 1 year
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So uh
I didn't know this was a thing-
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harmshake · 7 months
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i miss amanda and joe again 🥹
You know what, bestie? I do, too...that's why I wrote this a few weeks ago. I didn't post it because I wanted to write my WiPs list in order but whatever! Lol.
Hope you enjoy! 💖
Tease
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Roman Reigns x Amanda (Fem!Black!OC) | 18+ ONLY, NSFW, smut | ~2.4k words
Happy reading! Read more Joe and Amanda or my other Roman stories here, if you'd like. ✨
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"You were laughin' mighty hard at his jokes. Too hard," Joe said with a cute smirk on his lips as he stood across from her at their hotel's kitchenette island counter. His long fingers gripped the granite, watching her with that mischievous glint twinkling in his eyes as she poured the sparkling water she just pulled from the refrigerator into a glass of ice.
"You're so childish," Amanda giggled and took a long sip. She couldn't believe he was still salty about Jon's innocent ribbing at the club earlier in the night. "And like you said, that ain't been a problem for you since you were seventeen. You a grown ass man now, baby. But that shit was funny, I'm sorry."
She knew he found it funny, too, but his pride got in the way. She let out a little chuckle at the thought of Joe when he and his cousins were rowdy ass teens.
"Man, we would sneak out at night and meet up with Joe at a new shawty's house damn near every weekend," Jon said as he pointed to his twin brother next to him on the leather sectional sofa in their private lounge. Sefa sat next to them and shook his head as he chimed in about how he was left out of those excursions because he was nine years old, but that he always heard them climbing in and out of their bedroom windows.
"I never told Mom and Dad, either. I wasn't no snitch," he added with a laugh and Jon patted him proudly on the shoulder.
"Crazy thing is, you ain't snitch and we still got in trouble 'cause of Joe's ass," Josh said after taking a sip of his rum and Coke. Joe sat across from his cousins on the other side of the sectional with his arm draped over Amanda's shoulders and a scoff on his handsome face.
"No you not 'bout to tell that story," Joe snarled yet he wore a sheepish smirk.
"What story? I haven't heard this," Amanda glanced up at her boyfriend with curiosity filling her eyes, and he glanced down at her with a slightly uneasy look in his deep brown ones.
"Nothing, baby," he started but Jon was already launching into storytime.
"Cuzzo, check this out, right. We got busted sneakin' back in the house after leavin' Joe's ol' girl's house one night. We were probably there all of fifteen minutes. I'm with my girl on the couch. Josh in another room with his. And Joe with his in her bedroom." Jon leaned his elbows onto his knees and raised his voice so Amanda could hear him over the pounding bass of Beyoncé's "Virgo's Groove." She heard Joe at her side let out a loud groan in a weak effort to drown his cousin out.
"Hush!" Amanda playfully popped him on the chest with the back of her hand. "Okay, then what happened?" she looked at Jon.
"Okay, so, we all gettin' in it and havin' a good time...for 'bout ten minutes." Jon paused to toss back the rest of his mojito mocktail before sliding the glass onto the cocktail table between them. "'Cause next thing I know, Joe's girl stormin' around the house yellin' at him, me, and Josh to get the hell out."
"She was goin' off, Uce," Josh piped up with a chuckle.
"Why?!" Amanda's eyes widened with a grin as she brought her Chardonnay to her lips.
"Oh, my god," Joe groaned again, his head falling back onto the couch as he sank in his seat in shame.
"Because yo' man bussed in, like, three minutes and pissed her off so bad she had to ruin the fun for everyone! Me and Josh ain't get shit but he got his real quick!" Jon recounted and made everyone burst out laughing, including Joe. However, when Amanda took a peek at him, his cute face was bright red from embarrassment.
"Baby, that's what you ain't want me to hear?" she asked softly as she choked back another chuckle. She placed her hand on his burly thigh in his black slacks to give him a comforting squeeze as she tried to compose herself from the giggles and added, "You were just young and inexperienced. We all been there!" 
Joe ran his hand over his face and beard as he giggled again, too, but still shot her and his cousin a mock glare. "Swear you talk too damn much!" he spat at Jon. But then he pulled Amanda closer to his side with his hand teasingly kneading her arm until she wiggled and smiled as he confidently announced, "Luckily, that ain't a problem anymore. Ain't that right, baby?" 
"Shidd, we know. Y'all loud as hell on that damn bus," Sefa cut in as he took a swig from his beer bottle, making everyone laugh again.
Amanda couldn't hold back the chuckle that jumped out of her as she thought of how Jon roasted her man afterward, and she watched Joe across the counter as his lips parted with pretend shock.
"It was that funny, huh?" he asked as those full, pink lips then pulled into a smug grin. But before she could respond, he rounded the counter to stand behind her, those long fingers of his sliding onto her waist and caressing along her thick hips as he bunched up her little, black dress into his big hands. Her laugh slipped suddenly into a gentle moan as he yanked her close to his warm, hard body, surprising her when she felt his thick dick already growing hard on her backside as he put his soft lips to her neck.
"Yeah...funny," Amanda nearly whispered as her lips curled into a smile when she felt his on her skin do the same before he kissed her throat. She couldn't stop another moan from escaping her when the fingers of his left hand covered her hip, squeezing her, while the others swiftly found themselves in her panties, teasing down her clit and into her little hole that was already growing wet for him.
"You ain't gon' be laughin' when I'm poundin' in this pussy, though..." He gently pushed his middle finger inside, up to his knuckle, and nudged at her sweet spot a few times, feeling her twitch around him as a raspy sob fell from her lips. "Yeah, you want Daddy in this pussy...put that damn glass down."
Joe didn't wait for her to obey, but instead snatched the glass of sparkling water from her hand and slammed it on the counter before he spun her around, lifted her, and placed her on it, too. "Oh, so you really mad, huh? You're so petty, I swear," Amanda joked as Joe reached his hands under her dress again to yank down her panties until they fell past her black stilettos and hit the tile floor. She couldn't help but mess with him because how could her big and mature boyfriend be embarrassed about shit they did as lanky, silly teens? She had to admit it was adorable.
Yet her heart raced as he sank onto his knees between her bare, brown thighs, grabbing them into his hands to spread far apart as he gazed up at her with a devilish chuckle. "Oh, I'mma show you petty," he said before he pressed his full lips to her slick pussy lips, using his tongue to slowly split them and taste her nectar in one long lick that ended with the tip flickering lightly around her clit...but not adding any pressure to her sweetest spot that was beginning to throb for that contact.
"Ooh, fuck," Amanda breathed as she eased back onto her elbow, putting her other hand on the back of Joe's head to push his mouth deeper onto her pussy. But he resisted. "Daddy, stop teasin' me, damn," she groaned as his tongue focused on her opening, pushing inside with short, succulent thrusts that made her squirm. It felt delicious but she needed those thrusts on her clit. Now.
"You think this a game, baby?" Joe said when he pulled back a little to look at her. His laugh was dark before he added, "I'm just warmin' up...'cause I'mma drag this shit out. I'mma make this pussy cum for me over and over. Right here..."
He slowly ran his tongue up and down her wet folds once, still avoiding her clit and making her cry out as her body trembled on the counter. "...In the shower..." Joe licked at Amanda again, pulling another moan from her as he softly pulled her right set of lower lips into his mouth to suckle. "...In the bed..." Then he switched to the left set, clutching her hips in his hands when she shook again.
"...And wherever else I want. 'Cause I'mma wear this pussy out for as long as I want," he whispered gruffly. That's when he met her eyes and licked his lips before he finally flattened his long tongue against the bud of her sensitive clit, lapping at it and lifting the hood with the tip of his tongue to pull it between his pillowy lips with delicate pressure that grew deeper with her every whimper that grew longer, louder.
"Babyyy...I'm cumming," Amanda tried not to shout and yank his hair from his head as Joe's mouth feasted on her for a few minutes and gobbled her up into a heated bliss that had her splayed out on the counter, panting and arching her back as he devoured her and her juices that flowed on his tongue and mustache.
He barely let her recover before he scooped her up into his muscular arms and carried to her the bedroom where he did what he said he would: Wore her out all over it, starting in the shower where he gripped her ass in his palms with her legs around his waist as he fucked her into the wall while the hot water rained down on them.
After Amanda climbed out of the steamy stall on wobbly legs and made her way to the marble sink to do her night skincare routine, Joe wouldn't let her rest. She saw his reflection as he loomed over her, his naked, tan skin glistening with droplets of water that dripped down his muscles as he stared down at her round ass before he grabbed at it and made her bend over the counter.
"Naw, you thought I was playin', huh?" he grunted as he thrust his big ass dick into her tender, gushy pussy. He took a handful of her damp, red-auburn coils that fell to her shoulders and made a fist as Amanda softly grunted back, watching her face, smeared with lotion he didn't give her a chance to rub in, contort with pleasure as he forced her mouth to fall open from how he hit her with hard, luscious backshots she felt in her lungs.
"Fuuuuck," she cried, losing her breath, as he met her eyes in the mirror before they trailed down to her squirting on his dick that he made disappear inside her over and over.
Joe left her crumpled on the bathroom floor with a chuckle as he let her gather herself and struggle through finishing her skin routine with weary limbs...but he was waiting for her on the bed, stretched out with his arms tucked behind his head.
Amanda was exhausted but her pussy still throbbed in excitement to see him and his silky, dark hair on his shoulders and his beautiful, bulky muscles, especially that long, thick one twitching on his thigh as it got harder at the sight of her. He hadn't allowed himself to cum both times he fucked some sense into her, clearly trying to prove a point. It made her roll her eyes but she grinned and bit her plump, bottom lip as she joined him on the bed. 
"What you lyin' down for? Get on this dick, baby," Joe growled on her lips as he kissed her and pulled her on top of him. 
"Really? After you've turned my legs into jello?!" Amanda contested with a mumbling moan as he pushed his warm, hard flesh into her.
"Not my problem, sweetheart. Told you what I was gon' do..." he said and took her petite waist into his giant hands to move her as she straddled him. Even as she tried to plant her hands on his broad, tatted chest, she fell into him as she was too weak to withstand his indulging, grinding thrusts that filled her, tapping her core as he made her bounce on him.  
Joe mercifully allowed her to lie there as he dug in her with his hands on her ass, his lips pressed to her ear as he kissed it and talked his shit. 
"You still think I'm funny? Say somethin', baby..." he uttered a demand as Amanda uttered only cries, getting dizzy from his hypnotic, winding strokes up into the pit of her belly.
"Mmm, talk to me. Thought it was a joke, huh?" Joe nibbled on her earlobe and spanked his hand on her ass to make her yelp to him. "Gon' on and laugh now. Lemme hear it, sweetheart. C'mon..."
She knew there wasn't anything funny other than how laughably easily he could control her pleasure as the angle he stroked off in her kept him buried on her overstimulated g-spot. Amanda hid her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder, breathing heavily and tasting his sweat on her tongue as she licked and kissed him, making him moan back to her.
"Unnhhh, Joe...mmmuhh, Joe!" she squealed and rasped as her voice gave out while her orgasm made her give in. She clutched at him as she felt feverish with hot waves of ecstasy cascading through her while she drenched his dick and balls with her juices spurting and dripping on their skin and the sheets beneath them.
"Daddy don't play 'bout his pussy, do he?" Joe breathed in a low, lusty growl. His strokes in her got louder and messier as her love nectar made their skin slap and stick together. Amanda could hear it in his voice and feel it within her that he was throbbing and aching to release now that he'd done her in. She found the strength to nod to his question before she slumped back to his chest with gasping breaths as he let out a sweet, deep groan. "That's right, baby...mmmn, goddamn."
He jolted underneath her as he suddenly nutted deep inside her, holding her down on his dick as he bucked his hips up to empty himself into her stomach. All Amanda could do was whine and cling to him as she transcended into euphoria with her man as her only anchor to this realm as he kept his hands on her.
Joe's hands didn't leave her even as he finished and carefully shifted her to the bed at his side where he cuddled her from behind, pushing her hair out of her face to graze his lips on her cheek with soft kisses. Amanda felt so delightfully depleted that she could barely muster up a giggle when his silly ass grinned and whispered in her ear, "Who's laughing now, sweetheart?"
.
.
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Thanks for reading! 🖤
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holdinbacksecrets · 2 years
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“i’m so fucking in love with him. i nearly ruined it with your cigarette smoke all over my clothes.”
AN: jungkook x reader. TW: suggestive 18+, language (cursing, sexually explicit), smoking 
“i don’t remember.” your eyes are closed. it’s late september, and the fall season is finally feeling believable. 
“you’re lying. you remember everything, and anything you fear forgetting is written down.” 
you smile, knowing she’s right, and her words are not worth arguing against. 
a cloud of smoke suddenly suffocates your senses. “fuck, the wind blew it. i’m sorry. i’m lucky you’re still friends with me having such a strong disdain for smoking.” 
“you’re charming, even with those damn cigarettes.” your eyelids flutter open, and you down the remaining water in your glass. 
“i’m surprised you’ve never asked me to quit.”
“it’s not my place. i’m sure your mother gives you enough shit, and we all have our things.”
your best friend laughs, and you look over, catching her gaze despite heavy bangs. “we all have our things, but mine is slowly killing me, and yours includes running 20 miles every week. it’s not the same thing.” 
you lean back, feeling the grooves of her apartment wall against your head as your eyelids close again. 
“you can go home you know? i can’t tell if you’re daydreaming or about to fall asleep.” 
“i’m trying to remember— deciding if i want to remember.” you’re lying. he’s always on your mind, and it’s harder to ignore, harder to fight this urge to share. 
“if he’s worth remembering. that’s what you mean right? god, you’re so quiet about everything. we’re out of balance. you’ve seen my ass more times than i’ve heard you laugh.” 
“i don’t drink to the point of stripping, but nice try. i know you think i’m all mysterious and aloof, but i don’t cry in front of anyone else, so shove that up your ass. i know you like that.” 
she chuckles dryly, cheeks hollowing through a final, deep inhale. “god, this shit is too good to quit. maybe i should try running instead.”
“running might surprise you. you’re incredibly aware of your breathing and the feeling of your lungs expanding... something you chase.” 
“what else do you know about me? your eyes are closed half the time. when are you so observant?” 
“when you’re drunk and stripping.” 
“is there something you need to tell me?” her tone is flirtatious and nearly enough to pull an amused reaction from you. 
“i really didn’t see much.”
“did you like it?”
“don’t ask me that. i’m mysterious remember?” 
“what a tease. i can’t get anything out of you. there has to be—”
“jungkook. his name is jungkook.”
“excuse me?” 
“i’m so fucking in love with him. i nearly ruined it with your cigarette smoke all over my clothes.”
“holy shit. you love someone?” 
“apparently i still can. in addition to you, i mean.”
“stop stop stop. we are not talking about me anymore. when did this... what the hell has been happening when you aren’t here?” 
“i don’t even know. i tried to... stop it somehow.”
“what does that even mean? did you tell him to fuck off? did you not let him cum? i need more context than that.” 
“jesus christ. no, god that’s not... i just tried to stay quiet and distant, but he kept catching little glimpses of me, inhibitions free.”
“where?” 
“at the club. the sports club. he’s seen me run. he’s seen me with the kids running program. he boxes.” 
“did he get knocked out watching you run?” 
“what?” 
“because they have to be so focused... of course he’s in love with you. i said it before and i’ll say it again: you’re a fucking tease, and you’re intriguing, which is so much worse.”
“what does that even mean? what am i doing?”
“should i paint a picture for you? you have to believe me because i’ve known you for years, and you’re not the only one capable of observations.” 
“i’m listening.”
“have you ever watched someone in a park? it’s not even on purpose, but you’re suddenly curious as soon as they’re in your line of vision. maybe they’re reading or listening to music with headphones in, leaning back and resting on the palms of their hands. there’s ink on their skin, and that only increases your wonder. suddenly the sun shines, and they thought they were safe beneath a giant oak tree with sprawling branches, and thick leaves, but bright rays cross their face, and their eyes close. you’re just sitting on a bench, and forgot what you were doing because that moment made you remember how beautiful humanity is before reminding you there’s aways something unknown. there’s always room for learning. there’s always the possibility to be curious again. and you know what’s really fucking beautiful and sexy and hot?” the cigarette is crushed beneath her toe despite the ash tray made from glass and pressed lilacs on the coffee table. “watching you move.” 
you’re stunned to silence. 
“i swear it. you’re not the only one who can observe, and i know you think i don’t pay attention. maybe i don’t make lists, but i remember shit, and i remember sitting in the park on a bench and looking away from the beautiful human beneath a tree because you ran by me again. i nearly forgot it was you... sweat on your skin. hair stuck to your neck. t shirt tucked into the waist band of your shorts. it’s so easy for you. you were singing too, completely immersed. so if you’re telling me that’s how he came to know you, then i believe it. that’s a moment you can’t move away from. he could see you expressionless and quiet, with your shirt buttoned up, wearing those damn black slacks a million times after that, but your light will never leave his memory.” 
“what the fuck? what’s wrong with my slacks?” 
she holds her hands up as if to say you asked. she simply painted the picture. 
“is that the only time i’m interesting?”
“no. becoming aware of your interesting is inevitable, but what a way to meet it. i’m sure he agrees. how long has it been?”
“7 months.”
“7... you haven’t said anything to me for 7 fucking months? how much sex have you had? how many times have i complained about my accidental celibacy? jesus christ. i’ll be right back. i need another cigarette.” 
you twiddle your thumbs, and reach for your glass, forgetting it’s empty. 
you know about this light. it’s addictive and annoyingly tangible with him. you’ve started to want it more because now, running isn’t enough. it used to be. the bursts of a fast paced rush could carry you through anything until the next time your feet slipped into a pair of brooks. whenever a desire for more tickled you, this patio is where you’d go. the cigarette smoke cleared it out until it couldn’t. so you ran again until the rush’s high started to die, and the desire found a face, a name, his laughter, and tattooed skin. the desire for another kiss, and his eyes softening before he asked what you want. it was far too easy to tell him everything. 
you’ve never let yourself love beyond your best friend, your childhood dog, and running. you weren’t wanting to love him, but it was impossible to deny the euphoria you found because he was sitting under the oak tree and caught your light without trying to. 
she shakes her lighter after the patio door is closed, and the flame sets the funnel of premature death alight. 
“i think i need to go.”
“wait, no. did i say something wrong?”
“no, you didn’t. i’m just ready to go home.”
“hey, wait. a shift happened. you shifted. you’re not going to break up with him are you?”
“no. i want to tell him what i told you. he doesn’t know.”
“you told me first?”
“i had to feel its truth, and you painted a picture. now i’m sure. thank you.” 
her eyes soften, and she reaches for your hand. “i’m sorry my cigarettes almost ruined it.” 
“don’t be, but i might start charging you for dry cleaning.” 
“only if you tell me all about him.”
“i will. sunday. i’ll be back sunday.” 
“i’m proud of you by the way.”
“me too.” 
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I think about if I was vash travel buddy I would probably annoy him(or be entertaining) cause we just be walking In the desert and he’s like 🚶‍♂️and I’m like 💃 behind him cause I listening to 2000s pop music on an old iPhone that still miraculously works, just dancing to Beyoncé and one direction. Or tell him old mythological stories of gods and beasts and hero’s by the campfire. I probably be good entertainment for him.
A/N: Okay, I'm dying at this concept! I'm totally gonna make it a 160GB ipod Classic tho. It has a screen for video, and soooo much more space than a dinky old iPhone xD durable af too. I miss mine ;-; I'll probably increase the era of songs as well, because I'd be right there with you doing the same damn thing! 
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Lost Melodies
"Gonna make a move to a town that's right for me!" Vash watched you dance alongside him to the music playing through the headphones of your family's iPod, which had been passed down since before the space fahring age. You sang little "doots" to the electronic melody as the town you left behind disappeared from the horizon.
"Town to keep me movin' keep me groovin with some energy" the smile on Vash's face widened as you raised your hands up to chest height, "Well I talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it." You opened and closed your hands as if they were talking, "talk about, talk about, talk about mo-ooovin'!" You grooved, "Gotta move on!" You had shared this music with Vash before, as the two of you had taken turns listening to music on your iPod, and Vash's Walkman.
"A-Won't you take me to… FUNKY TOOOOOWN!" You belted out into the vastness of the desert. Vash loved it when you got lost in the music when your little group had to travel on foot through the desert. Granted, this caused you to drink more water than without the additional singing, but you had bought a second canteen so you had enough water to stay hydrated.
Wolfwood and Milly also found your little concerts entertaining, Meryl…. She had her limits. She was more interested in the Audiobooks of various Mythology the little iPod contained. Vash recalled a night where the five of you relaxed around a campfire, an Audio book of Norwegian Mythology playing through a speaker through the audio jack. It told stories of Gods that were long forgotten to Gunsmoke. 
"Fair enough,” said Thor. “What’s the price?” “Freya’s hand in marriage.” “He just wants her hand?” asked Thor hopefully. She had two hands, after all, and might be persuaded to give up one of them without too much of an argument. Tyr had, after all. “All of her,” said Loki. “He wants to marry her.” “Oh,” said Thor. “She won't like that."
They listened to the story of the fortification of Asgard. He remembered the look of horror on Wolfwood and Meryl's face when the origin of Slepnir was mentioned. He remembered the cackle that erupted from your lips, knowing another mind was ruined by the fact that The All Father, Odin, rode his own nephew into battle. 
"Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky. They wipe away tears that I cry…" he tuned in long enough to hear you'd changed songs, and he caught your glance towards him at the lyrics. The blush on your face made you stutter the next lyrics, but he smiled sweetly towards you. 
It was late In the evening when the two of you entered Warrens City. Vash needed another tune up from Mr. Marlon. Thankfully, your journey had been smooth sailing, and you two were soon cuddled up in their shared bed, sharing the earbuds as they watched a movie on the tiny screen.
"What do you have hidden in your pocket, Sophie?" The blonde man on the screen asked. The old woman, Sophie took a red piece of paper out of her pocket, and handed it to Howl. As the paper met with his fingertips, the paper caught fire, burning a carving into the table.
"Woah, scorch marks! Howl, can you read them?" Markle, the apprentice, asked.
"This is ancient sorcery." He mused while he caressed the table outside of the scorch marks.
"You who swallowed a falling star, O' heartless man, your heart shall soon be mine. That can't be good for the table." He shook his head. 
"Ugh, this movie is so pretty." You mused, and you let your head rest on Vash's shoulder. 
"It really is. I wish we had more than just this movie from that animation studio." Vash leaned his head against yours, a sweet smile across his face.
One night after Vash had gotten his gun back, You, Vash and Frank went for a drink at the bar. Frank insisted on a single drink, and Vash of course went overboard. 
"Hey! Vash tells me you play the guitar. Why don't you play something for open mic night?" Frank gentured over to the little stage in the corner. An acoustic guitar sat in a stand, the bar's logo painted on the front.
After some thought, you agreed, and went over to the stage. You picked up the guitar, checking to see if it was tuned, and adjusting the microphone so you could be heard while sitting on a barstool. You strummed the guitar, as you sang the opening pitches before faking a throat clear,
"Hey baby won't you look my way? I can be your new addiction. Hey baby whatcha gotta say, all you're giving me is fiction." You sang, getting the attention of the bar,
"I'm a sorry sucker and this happens all the time, but I find out that everybody talks, everybody talks, everybody talks." You glanced over to Vash who was already enamored by your performance, pausing mid-chat with the newly arrived insurance girls,
"it started with a whispeerrrrr, and that was when I kissed herrrrrr. And then she made my lips huuuurrt. I could hear the chit chaaaaaat. Take me to your love shaaaack. Mama's always gotta back traaaaack , when everybody talks baaack!" Your voice gave a lovely vibrato to every long note.
You concentrated on singing for Vash, something you always did when you got nervous about singing around other people. Once your brain believed it was just the two of you, you could sway to the beat, and really let loose on your vocals. You loved spreading the power of music to the people of Gunsmoke, since you held such a rare and precious outer of music long gone.
It often made you wonder about the songs that didn't make it into this device. What genre were they? What did they sound like? You guessed unless you got a time machine that you would never know. You were thankful for what you did have, because you didn't know how the people of Gunsmoke lived without it. 
End~
Songs used:
Funky town- Lipps Inc.
Every time we touch- Cascada
Everybody talks- Neon Trees
Audio books: 
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Movie:
Howl's Moving Castle
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kittydcoxx · 11 months
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RAAAHHHHHHH BEIDOU FIC I WROTE ON THE BUS beidou simps come get ur meal pspspsp
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GUYS IVE LOST MY MOJO??!?!?!! IDK HOW TO WRITE SMUT ANYMORE??!?!?! TERRIBLE!??!?!?!!!!!!! AUGHHHHHHH but here is the food for my poor little fellow beidou simps who are fed nothing but mere crumbs. I offer you a really shitty beginning of a fic that i literally wrote on the bus home bc i didnt have data. 😮‍💨
Not proof read WHATSOEVER and whatever beginnings of smut there is is at the very end of the post bc 😭😭😭 i was procrastinating it bc im soooo rusty but wanna get back into the groove of it again.😒😪
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The floor beneath you booms with the rhythm of the music blasting from the speakers. The lines to the bathrooms are backed up, and your friend had informed you that it is in fact not because that many people need to use the washroom, but because people are using substances or hooking up. This was the last thing ever on your bucket list, partying just wasn't your thing, but as per your friend's birthday wishes, you were met with pleas from her for "just one club night pleaseee!" And you had denied her far too long that you decided "what the hell, why not."
A few drinks in your system (though not intended, the peer pressure of your friends begging you to join just one round eventually led to... a few) left you more lax than usual, and to everyone's surprise, you had the incredible capacity to actually dance. This is the first time you've really lost yourself in the music, every other opportunity ruined by the idea of people watching and judging you, but with a little liquid courage and a confidence boost as a result, it actually seemed as if you wanted to attract attention, though you had no idea who's attention you had just wrapped around your finger.
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She had just come back from another expidition. It wasn't intended to be a long one, just a short trip from liyue to inazuma to transport a couple items, yet rumors from the crew about treasure and the ever repeating teasing that the captain had "replaced her sense of adventure for domestic living" had gotten under her skin enough that she made room for quite a few detours. She doesn't frequent clubs very often, usually opting for a drinking party aboard the Crux with the rest of the crew, yet tonight she wished for a different experience, and truthfully, she also wished for an excuse to be away from the crew for a while. This club seemed to have opened during her few-months venture on the grand seas of teyvat, and of course as an avid enjoyer of all things alcohol and parties, it was a necessary measure to make sure this club was up to par.
Striding over from the club doors to the bar counter, the atmosphere hits her face. This place was god damn huge. It seemed to be a spot for the younger generations, and the rest of those who are trying to fit in, albeit desperately. There were many foreigners, but still a decent amount of locals inhabiting the club as well. The music from the stereos blasting with a genre that would definitely take her to get used to, the rapid pace of the rhythm and lyrics and new assortment of melodies definitely would take one aback had they never heard it before. The sheer amount of people dancing and drinking and lining to the washrooms was almost overwhelming, even to our party-headed captain. The bar had never been so inviting. Resting her body weight on a bright red faux leather stool, she orders just a simple mixer, skeptical of the specialty drinks being served, the otherworldly-ness of it all taking her by shock. After knocking back a few of the same drink, she sits and observes the crowd, waiting for some sort of buzz to kick in, her energy zapped from the long months at sea but aware that after a few drinks she will be as rejuvenated as she was before she left. As she scans the dance floor, her eyes lock on a particular figure dancing the night away. Jumping, swaying, waving and just having what seemed like the time of her life, her animated moves enticing and entertaining to watch. Every change of the music makes her movements change, and at this movement the dancing changes from upbeat to passionate, sensual.
------
The music had transitioned into a one that you were definitely sure was in some form naughty. The way the vocals whined and whispered, as if entrancing you into slowly swaying your hips and dragging your hands up and down and across your body to the rhythm, completely unaware of the attention you had just gotten from a not so secret admirer staring from accross the club. Sitting at the bar was a muscular woman, her furthest eye covered by a burgindy eyepatch, her uncovered eye locked upon the sight of your body moving to the music. Almost immediately you tense, and she notices, your eyes meeting, your's communicating a sense of alarm, her communicating intrigue. Once finally able to shake off the trance in which you fell upon meeting her gaze, you realize she had disappeared. Perhaps she went to freshen up? Or perhaps she just straight up left. Either way, no one else was obviously watching you now, and the music began calling to your body once more, continuing your slow movements to the rhythm.
-----idk what to put here so were skipping to the smut---------------------------
Her toned body looms over you, your arms rested on the pillow under your head. She pauses for a moment, taking in the image of you underneath her, so perfect and so pretty, just for her to see. Your clothes lay on the floor and it sets in that you are now completely on display for her to see, set out in front of her like a warm, steaming meal ready to be devoured. It had not completely registered that you had become in this position, but did it really matter? In this moment, nothing matters except for her.
Her hands trace paths along the sides of your body, trailing from your hips, to your waist, resting slightly underneath the lower part of your ribs as her head lowers into the crook of your neck, leaving kisses and marks into the plush of your skin, trailing down to your collarbone before making a beeline of kisses from the front of your neck, pausing again right before your lips touch, feeling the heat of your staggered breaths against her face, a smirk growing as she prides herself in how quickly she stripped and made a mess of you without actually even touching you.
"Mmm... you're really enjoying this aren't you doll?"
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Moar cause I wanna know (if not previously answered) and love your music takes (and all others): 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 ❤️❤️
thankyouuuuu
12. A song you feel should be higher up Lol kind of several but You First by Paramore is 96th and I feel like I've listened to it a lot more haha, plus it has some kicker lyrics and is just a banger
Karma's gonna come for all of us And I hope, well I hope, I just hope She comes, comes for you first, oh
.
Turns out I'm living in a horror film Where I'm both the killer and the final girl
13. The song with the most peculiar sound (to you) Oooooh okay so it doesn't seem peculiar to me anymore bc I've listened to it so much, but Two Scenes by San Fermin bc of weird and ever-changing time signatures, as well as almost like two fully different songs in one (as the title suggests) that then merge into one and there's a recurring kinda like 'meep' sound for lack of a better description hahaha that runs throughout the album and is noticeable here during several parts plus san fermin is typical rock band instruments with also a violin, trumpet, and bari sax (instead of bass) and it's very cool but also probably weird the first time hearing it
On the other hand, one that I've listened to a lot and still feels... not peculiar in a bad way but the percussion/instrumentation of it and the chords and timing is still super interesting to me is Working for the Knife by Mitski
15. Most danceable track This Hell by Rina Sawayama babeyyyy It's such a groove and it kind of actually has a dance that Rina and the dancers do on tour which is super fun and I poorly attempted to learn before the concert lol And just- with lyrics like these how can you not wanna dance?
God hates us? Alright then, buckle up, at dawn we're riding
.
Getting ready for the night Damned for eternity, but you're coming with me into the afterlife This hell is better with you We're burning up together, baby, that makes two 'Cause the devil's wearing Prada and loves a little drama, ooh-ooh This hell is better with you
.
Don't know why we're here, but might as well get down and dirty That Satan's looking thirsty, not even he can hurt me
.
Got my invitation to eternal damnation Get in line, pass the wine, bitch, we're going straight to Hell
16. A song everyone should know aaaaaahhhhh i don't know haha as much as I want great music to be heard by more people I'm also kind of protective about a lot of it - there's a lot of really good music I don't want ruined by people with like ill intent or whatever maybe Damage Gets Done by Hozier feat. Brandi Carlile I feel like it's a great song, especially a great driving song, their voices are just insane together, just big and free and soaring, and with lyrics that can just add to the banger of it all or really strike something if you feel like going deeper with them
17. Saddest song The Great Escape by Patrick Watson Eternal depression mood
Bad day Looking for the great escape
.
Hey child, things are looking down That's ok, you don't need to win anyways Don't be afraid, just eat up all the grey And it will fade all away
Spotify Wrapped ask game!
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I’d decided to take Ouryu out on a run. We’ve not really had time to go anywhere, and it’s always good for him to go out and stretch his legs. The Shroud is nice enough, sure. But there are always too many trees, the paths too winding. I like the Shroud enough, but...
Rolling green fields and fresh air, and... The windmills. I never got to ride him in Coerthas, back before it became the frozen hellscape it is today.
This is as close as i can get.
Despite being so close to the horizon’s edge, the sea breeze within the curt groove of Cedarwoods felt refreshing. The light brine wafting about and lull of golds and pinks cracking into the blue skies had Mattisaux lounge against the trunk of one of the trees around. His spine nigh formed to it with how he slouched, lifting the back of his hand to his forehead for a moment before dropping it to his lap with a heavy breath. Scattered beside his form were logs and lumber. Some split, others round and intact. Splinters stuck through his gloves and vest though it either did not bother him or he had yet to notice. Wherever his attention rested, it was apparent it was not on his surroundings.
Her hands clutch the reins, head low enough to feel the brush of feathers at her cheek as the monsterous bird sped onwards; Mist had little more than a care in the world as he darted across the greenery, a look of joy on her features. This continued for some considerable time, long enough that the maddening gallop slowed into something steadier. She rounds a corner and spies a figure near a tree; instinct pulling on the rein to slow the bird and approach; just close enough to better see.
...It’s not uncommon to see someone slumped against a tree in exhaustion from the heat, but... Well, there are some number of dangerous beasts around in any locale. It wouldn’t hurt to check.
Or at least, that’s what i thought before i did.
Mistienne Aurloix: "...Of all the people." Mist's joyful features slowly pull into a frown. "Mattisaux."
The gait and flock of feather of a chocobo was a common enough sound in the area, much more in his life growing up; the beasts some of the Roegadyn ride are a sight to behold. However, the sound of a particular feminine voice, one that even knew his name, yanked him uncomfortably back to reality. On reflex, he started to reach for a hatchet rested against the tree but cut himself short just as quickly. Squinted blue eyes peer up, and then higher still to spot exactly the woman atop a beast of her own. “-What- are you doing here, -Mistienne-?” He wanted to be sure she knew her presence was not appreciated. “Come to ruin my peace as all the others?”
I’m not even going to bother chiding him for using my full name. He knows i hate it, and to let him get under my skin so easily wouldn’t do me any favours. I’d ignore it with the rest of the pathetic excuse for offensiveness.
I’ve dealt with worse than him.
Mistienne Aurloix: "Taking my bird for a ride. I'd thought that was immediately obvious, no?" The bird rears his head back, seeming less than pleased he'd come to a halt. "Hah! Rich coming from you. How much peace have you ruined, would you say? I could think of many a company member who might have something to mention about that."
Mattisaux Baschet: “Does it look like I know what you do in your gods damned life, girl?” An edge sharpened his tone, already upset in having to see her. Kissing his teeth, he thudded his head back on the bark, practically snarling at her. “Have you come to seek reparations? Have you not had enough with all those scalekin you have sent to me? I have said my peace though it seems as if you lot want nothing more than to harass me.” He spat the ground by her chocobo’s talons. “Here I thought your company might be above something so petty.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "Assuming you haven't gone blind between now and our last meeting, i'd have assumed you could surmise that much." At the spit, the chocobo turns towards him sharply, and Mist is just as fast to wrench him back. "Repairations? Sending scalekin?" She makes a face. "I've no need for either. What in the bloody hells are you going on about? The last person i need to make repairations with is you." A smirk tugs at her lips. "I think you're projecting."
What is he, stupid? Has he seen the size of Ouryu?
The damn bird could take his head off without half a notice, and he’s smart enough to know when he’s being insulted.
I still don’t know what he’s yammering about. I’ve not wronged him in any way i feel even a mote of guilt for, and as for sending scalekin..?
Au Ra, he means, most likely...
What in the Hells is he talking about?
Mattisaux Baschet: “Then state your piece and be on your way; I left your company for a reason, we are not friends much less acquaintances.” As his temper flared, he could not continue the slouch he wished to return to. Fists balled in his lap, squeezing them rather than the person on his mind. The snide look over her face did little to help and just briefly did something come to mind when glaring up at the woman.
Mistienne Aurloix: "Which piece? The fact you seem to make a hobby of assaulting various company members?" A pause, as she inclines her head. "I don't know what you're blabbering about in regards to scalekin. Even if i did consort with them, i'm not stupid enough to send them in your direction." Slowly, a brow lofts then. "What about your friendship with Bexy, hm? I hear it's in tatters. After you betrayed her."
Mistienne Aurloix: "Her words. Not mine."
She would not leave and that alone left him fuming without a real outlet. All he could think to do was kicked himself up from the ground, snatch his hatchet, and bleed a brief aura of aether into his makeshift weapon before he thwacked it into the unsuspecting trunk. The small display of frustration hardly scratched the surface of how he felt, though it did dig halfway into the tree.
Mattisaux Baschet: “Betraying her would be if I sunk my teeth into that Shroud witch. If I listened to her scream for mercy, sob for forgiveness, and grovel for no more. A traitor would go to the others who approach and laugh while intentionally slaughtering them, flaunting this friendship as if leverage of some sort.” He swung at the tree again, splintering it recklessly without a care for her or her bird.
Gods, he’s so childish. Can’t even have a discussion without wanting to hit something.
Better the tree, than me, i suppose.
Adelle would never, in any regard. Even if he managed to get her into such a state, she wouldn’t give him the damned satisfaction even if it killed her.
I know well her thoughts on him, and the vast majority of them are shared.
Mistienne Aurloix rolls her eyes at his words, opting to swing her legs over and dismount the bird. "...Away, Ouryu." She commands, to which he mercifully listens, opting to saunter away. "Adelle would do no such thing. She'd bury you in a heartbeat, if she truly wanted to. But she, unlike you, respects those close to her." A long sigh is given as she watches him hack away at the tree. "Bexy tolerates a lot of your less pleasant mannerisms, Mattisaux. And you -do- have a lot of them. You betrayed the singular rule that no one should. If you were anyone else, she'd have buried you for it."
While she spoke, he struck again and again though they both knew it would never satisfy him. Eventually, before the tree toppled, he decided to dissipate the burn around him and huff after having expended so much after how exhausted he already was. “Do you think I would reach some revelation with what you say? Do you think your words are something worth listening to?” He swatted the hatchet down as if blood covered the edge out of habit before turned behind where she now stood without her companion. His shoulders heaved up and down. “What do you want from me, -Mistienne-?”
Mistienne Aurloix: "Revelation? Pah. No, you're much too stubborn and self centered for that. Our meeting was a chance one. I didn't seek you out. But since we're both here, i wanted to get a better grasp on how you felt about the matter. Not much, clearly. I'm disappointed."
Mistienne Aurloix: "...But not surprised."
Mattisaux Baschet: “Why, in this godsforsaken land, would I want to confide in someone like you? Enlighten me. The one who is quick to chide me on all the things I know I have done.” He kissed his teeth once more, turning to face her, axe tighter in hand. “ ‘Ah yes!’ you must think. ‘He will respond exceptionally well if I twist the knife this way and that!’ Is that truly what you expect when my mistakes are the first thing out of your mouth?”
Mistienne Aurloix: "Oh, because idly strolling up to you and asking you whether you'd had a lovely weekend is at the forefront of my thoughts. Spare me --- I don't beat about the bush, you know me well enough for that, at the very least." Mist slowly pulls her lips into a line. "...But you admit it all the same. I know you were friends, Mattisaux, but i never knew how close. Not until her supposed death more than a cycle ago."
Mistienne Aurloix: "...You were close enough to her to recieve a letter."
I was surprised to read his name amongst the intended recipients. I never knew just how much she valued his company, even if i’ll never understand what the hells she sees in him.
I carried out her wishes, of course.
...Gods, what a mess all of that was...
At the mention of her letter, Mattisaux’s temper seemed to drastically decrease enough to quiet him for a while. Then, growling, he threw the cleaver aside and leaned against the shredded trunk that refused to fall. “What could you possibly do about any of this, anyroad? You were simply taking your monster of a bird out for a walk and now you want to gossip about the tidings in my life? Did she tell everyone now?”
Mistienne Aurloix: "Not everyone. But she's not exactly keeping it a secret. I wager a small handful know." Mist's lips curl into a sharper frown. "Important enough to recieve a letter. Important enough to make her cry. And contrary to popular belief, she's never been one for shedding tears, least of all in front of me. Damn it, Mattisaux, you were important to her! Don't you think she's been betrayed enough?"
As much as he wanted to look elsewhere, his glower trained over Mist and her disappointment. A lengthy huff flared his nostrils though his chest still puffed in frustration. “Yes, yes. Were this, was that. I -know- that... But there it is again. This is the second time I have heard of a betrayal I should have known about. At the moment I thought she only meant myself or mayhap someone from long ago. It is not as if I look for opportunities where I can strike her where it hurts the most. I am ruthless and will spit in the face of many, but I have no reason to do any of that sort to her. Gods, telling you any of this is a waste of my time.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "But it isn't. Not really." She turns to face him, a laborious sigh heaved through her nose as she folded her arms in turn. "Because you telling me this means i know you give a damn. And i sure as fuck don't like you, Mattisaux, and i make no moves to hide it, but i give enough of a damn about her to want to do something about it." Another pause, as she levels her gaze with his, then. "...You know she was wounded, i assume? Enough to grant her a stay in the infirmary for more than a moon."
Mistienne Aurloix: "...Closer to death than i was comfortable with."
He hardly cared what she thought, lidding his eyes to her words of care. “Yes, she was painfully clear in hiding who injured her and how awful a wound it was. I swore I would find them and run them through slowly should she wish and yet all she did was look pitifully at her lap, telling me that they will not harm her again. How am I expected to believe that especially when I do not even know who they are? ...-You- must know, yes?” Suddenly a spark of interest in his eyes narrowed at Mist.
I wasn’t about to tell him Dusk was the perpetrator of such violence. Regardless of Bexy’s writ of protection, i don’t think it would stop him, only cause more unneeded bloodshed.
It would be as good as a death sentence, and serve to undo all i had set in motion.
Mistienne Aurloix: "Of course i do." Her words were quick, sharp even. "...I'm not going to tell you either, so you can pluck that idea out of your head. It... Was someone in the company, and they have been accordingly dealt with. For the time being." The words are uttered through pursed lips. "...She doesn't sleep in the house like she used to. She retreats to her home a lot more than she once did."
The news pinched his brow together though he was far from shocked. “Of course.” Then he sighed, shoulders drooping slightly. For some time, he had difficulty figuring what to say, faltering his gaze to the stray bits of wood from his activity and outburst from earlier. Though it climbed up quick enough.
Mattisaux Baschet: “I told her to not trust every single person you and that witch hire. She is far too gullible for her own good. Needlessly insecure in wanting to please anyone who so much as breathes nearby her.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "And you're correct. She does. She devotes her life to people she's barely met, and would happily run into a battlefield for them. Selflessness at best, and insanity at worst, and i'd have her no other way for it." A pause, then. "Ever stopped to consider why?"
Mattisaux Baschet: "And here is where you will tell me of the broken home that raised her? Her wish to want to be loved and needed when she is more than capable enough to not go searching for it? While it is a shame that she was so misguided to marry a man that brought her into her murderous life, at least she knew she needed to get out of it. Her strength is as scorching as her goddess and yet she cannot fathom that there are people that wish for nothing but her happiness. She refuses to understand that others -will- hate her and that is completely fine. There are more that would throw themselves to the fire for her though she must have already forgotten the large gaggle of us that came to her rescue.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "Gods, and i -know- that, Mattisaux, and i'm glad i'm not the only one who sees it. Even when she married that -bastard-, she still held love in her heart, even if for the wrong reasons. I have known her longer than anyone. I know who she used to be, and i'd be less than surprised if you did too. I met her when she was -convinced- there was no good in the world, Mattisaux. When there was only hatred and betrayal and nothing but a bottomless void of anguish set out for her, and it took me -cycles- to get her to believe otherwise. But what now? When she no longer sleeps at the house? When she glances over her shoulder even in the company of friends? How long until she begins to believe otherwise, and that she was -wrong-... And Gods only knows what she will do then. If not a reprise of the Coeurl, then whatever recklessness will see her to an earlier grave than she is already destined for. I've buried her once... I'm not ready to do it again. Not yet."
...I might have laid it on a bit thick. I don’t... I don’t think she’d ever go that far.
...
At least, i’d like to think she wouldn’t. She’s surprised me before, and not always what you’d call in the best ways.
I just needed him to think.
Mattisaux Baschet: “-You- will not bury her. What kind of friend are you to even have such a morbid thought cross your mind? What you buried was some worthless -thing- that cannot compare. Gods, that you would even entertain the thought of them being the same.” Again, a wad of spit darted to the ground at her feet. “You truly disgust me, Mistienne.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "It was enough that we thought it was her at the time." Her eyes narrow. "I grieved for her. You did. But you're deluded to think that i'm not going to bury her at some point. She works on the field, Mattisaux. If that doesn't kill her, i'm sure her aether will. And if she somehow eludes both injury and aether long enough, time will come for her far faster than it would for me. I -am- going to bury her. I made my peace with that long ago."
He winced under his eyes, clenching his stomach to her words. “Then your company is weak. That witch was suppose to help with her aether; even I had some misplaced faith in that. And if her company, as much as they care for her, cannot dream to protect her, what good are they? They sound nothing more than a charity case and -you- employ those useless bodies.” He paused for a quick second until he allowed his mouth to run given his present ire.
Mattisaux Baschet: “I used to be a captain before I left and it was simple to tell who would stand to fight to the bitter end for another and -exactly- who would flee for their own skin. Needless to say, they were not around overlong.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "And her aether is stilled; for now. There's no telling when something more will happen, or when it will seek to overwhelm her again. Damn that -bastard- for afflicting her with it, for all she has made it her own. And the company can, does, and will protect her. But if Bexy has to choose between losing someone and bringing them all home at the cost of herself, we know well what she'd pick. The company on the battlefield wouldn't even get a choice, orders or no. You know this just as well as I do." Her nose briefly wrinkles. "I pray you were a better captain than mine was. And if this is true, that you can see such quality of people... You know what i say is true."
Hot air was his response, knowing full well what she meant. So, he sighed while tossing a hand up from his folded arms.
Mattisaux Baschet: “And we are right back to this girl and her stubborn will to please. However, what can I do now? I am the filth beneath her shoes, someone she can never place her trust in any longer. There is no question that I would not still fight for her or do whatever she would ask of me, though what I think matters naught if anything at all. ...If you are through with your pestering, you ought to leave.”
So he does care. Cares enough to beat himself up about it, which is more than i could have ever expected from this self-serving bastard.
...Gods, Bexy, the things i do for you.
Mistienne Aurloix: "...I see the Calamity didn't freeze your heart with the rest of Coerthas, then." She dares to smile, even if it looks almost alien to her features. "You're dramaticizing, Mattisaux. You broke her trust, betrayed her, sure enough. But that doesn't mean it's irreparable. Just... Difficult. Gods knows i've upset her more times than i meant to." She clears her throat, quietly. "She cares enough to cry. It's when she doesn't that there's no chance of reconcilliation."
Mistienne Aurloix: "You'll figure something out, i'm sure."
Mist’s smile was more disconcerting than comforting; his scowl deepened though a hint of confusion pursed his brow. “Are you trying to give me hope or are you merely trying to set me up for failure..?”
Mistienne Aurloix: "Are you trying to imply i don't care about Bexy's feelings, the most longstanding and loyal of friends?" She lofts a brow in inquiry.
Hope? Halone give me strength, i’m not doing it for him! Like i give a chocobo’s arse about how he feels, after all he’s done to people!
I’m doing it for her.
Mattisaux Baschet: “Speak for yourself, girl. Though, I know you would not use her to take a stab at me. Not like that witch did.” He lifted a gloved hand to his forehead, shaking it with shut eyes. “Gods, she is more clever than I took her for. She knew exactly what to say to have me snap and even as I did, she was left unfazed.”
His words simply flowed away from him, an inner dialogue spilled from the long, difficult weeks it had been since. Even he was surprised at how feeble someone as proud as himself sounded, breaking his gaze with Mist for moments on end. “If there is just some way, regardless of how long it takes, I -must- try.”
...Adelle provoked him into doing this...?
...I’m... Surprised probably isn’t the word, but maybe i didn’t quite realise the depths of her spitefulness towards him.
It’s deserved, mind you.
Still. He says he’s going to try, which is good enough for me.
Mistienne Aurloix slowly knits a brow at Mattisaux's words, even if she doesn't voice anything to them immediately. She allows the silence to hang before speaking again. "Then, that's all i needed to hear." She gives a warmer, more genuine smile, opting to offer him no further advice, although she surely could have. Mist turns, raising her hands to cup at either side of her mouth. "OURYU!”
The jarring shout had him wincing back to attention. “You are leaving?” The next few seconds were sent in a struggling hesitation, one that squinted his eyes and grit his teeth as he searched for an oncoming chocobo. “Has she said anything? Does she even speak of me these days? I cannot simply jaunt up to your door and ask for her and I do not know where she lives... not that I would take a stroll there knowing who she bonded with.”
Oh this is rich!
If this is the equivalent of Mattisaux getting down on his knees and begging, i’m all here for it. Maybe -i’ll- go find Adelle for tea and tell her!
He must realise how much i have the capacity to help him, consider how well i know her.
How much pride did i wound, i wonder?
Mistienne Aurloix stares at Mattisaux somewhat dumbfounded, a brow lofting as she turned her head away with some curl of an unseen smirk. "Oh, and suddenly now you want me to stay? What happened to 'if you are through with your pestering, you aught to leave'?" A brow is lofted, as she bites back the urge to laugh. Sure enough, Ouryu plods forth. Greenery stuck at one side of his beak, some murky ooze clinging to his face and feathers, otherwise unruffled. "...She mentioned she saved your life before you told her, but i don't know how deep that truth runs. She told me she killed people." Her expression falls, if only a little, to worry her brow. "I wager strolling to our door wouldn't serve you well considering the actions towards the company. But you are her friend, are you not? You know where to best find her, when she goes to mull and ask for answers."
And if he doesn’t know, he aught to.
---Gods, what has my bloody bird been eating now...?
Regret rustled his brow and the heat of irritation once again tickled his chest at her sneer. However, once she started giving him a real answer, he was able to calm down enough to listen and, more importantly for him, to feel like himself. Sucking in a long breath of salted air, his expression tightened into something familiar.
Mattisaux Baschet: “Get out of my face, girl. Why I expected something useful from you was another mistake of mine. And so you are aware, she did not save my life. Heretics simply placed me asleep and were likely going to torture me before they would even think to slay me.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "And you think that's unworthy of gratitude?" Her words held disbelief, and a much more bitter frown. Ouryu draws near, and in so with him, the stench of... Something. Whatever clung to him was fluid, and the distinct mossy green of goobbue flesh undoubtedly sullying his feathers. "It -is- useful. Gods, are you so dense as for me to have to spell it out?" She raises a brow. "I thought she was your friend." Her tone is -more- than a little demeaning.
To the grimy, yet recently familiar, odor of rancid goobbue, even he glanced to Ouryu with an annoyed brow, speaking to him before looking over Mist. “I know where it is she frequents, I thought you would tell me anything else.” Then he huffed, resuming his recline over the tattered tree.
Mattisaux Baschet: “I will find her once I figure what to say first. I am already flaunting about like a fool, I do not want to show her by how much with nothing to offer.” He gestured for her chocobo. “Now tend to your companion, lest you mean to keep him filthy.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "There's plenty i could tell you, Mattisaux, but i doubt you've the inclination to listen." She turns her head to her bird, who opts to bop the thankfully untarnished side of his face against her head. "---Gods, you stink." She mutters to her chocobo, regardless combing her fingers through his neck feathers. "Oh, worry not about showing her how much you're dithering. I'll be sure to tell her that myself!"
...Well, maybe i will. It will at least bring me some form of entertainment, and if not Bexy, then i’ll tell Adelle.
...Ouryu needs a bath. Is that... Goobbue?
...Ugh.
As much as he tried holding himself together, he could not hid the creases forming over his forehead at her mouth.
Mattisaux Baschet: “That aside, and before I forget, tell that Dusk of your company to leave me be as well as any other stranger he crosses. He did nothing but bother me in Coerthas, claiming how he was supposed to be there for work and tried being -friendly-, of all things, to me. I nearly descaled him had he not told me he worked for you lot. And that other who helped your witch patch that frosted girl up. Neoma. Gods.” Another sharp kiss of his teeth marked his disdain. “Tell her to keep her hands off me. She -knows- I cannot hurt her and does as she pleases on purpose. If you truly care for your friend, you will do this for me.”
Mistienne Aurloix: "He was doing exactly as i asked him to." Mist pulls herself atop her bird, settling in the saddle. "It isn't my fault you don't know the difference between friend and enemy, no matter how they might look. As for Neoma, unless she had a damn good reason to put her hands on you, she wouldn't. Anything you did, you surely earned. Their freedom and actions should not be impacted by your ignorance." A loft of her brows is given. "And besides. You wouldn't hurt them. Not now, especially."
Mistienne Aurloix: "Not unless you are truly a special kind of stupid, considering the situation that put you in this mess."
I’m not going to bloody ask them to cater to his terminal arrogance and stupidity.
Dusk was simply doing what i’d asked him to, and Neoma is... Neoma - And i mean that with the most kindness. She’d heal someone who would spend every laboured breath insulting her, and still probably think nothing of it.
Mattisaux Baschet: “That you can jest that a scalekin can possibly be a friend.” He rolled his eyes. “That imbecile aside, I -know- that. I cannot and will not hurt them. However, she tried healing me after I told her repeatedly. No matter how furious I was, she -climbed- over top me while I was vulnerable. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Tell her to mind herself.”
You burst out laughing at Mattisaux Baschet.
Mistienne Aurloix: "---It sounds like something i'll tell Adelle over a glass of wine. I appreciate you sharing it." She grins, probably a little too wide for her lips. "...Let me guess. Wounded?"
Oh, i am -certainly- going to tell Adelle. I should arrange to meet her outside of work for tea or something. We could both do with a break.
He could not respond right away; an eye squinted as a disconnected sigh groaned out. Though, before long, he shooed at her. “You are a gods damned eyesore. Run home and tell your little stories. Gossip is all you are good for.” As if the day was not long enough, he had her grin to think about too now.  For the time being, he retook his seat over the dirt, looking anywhere that was not in Mist’s direction with nothing but an irked pout coloring his visage.
Mistienne Aurloix: "You're very welcome, Mattisaux." Mist grins, pulling the reins back to turn Ouryu out into the field again. "I'm quite sure i'll hear about the fruits of your labour soon enough." -- And with that, she urges the bird to bolt onwards, dissapearing through the hills of the meadow after only a few moments.
I find it unlikely that we’d speak again soon, but i’d at least know the results of his reconciliation attempt through Bexy, if nothing else.
I’m not fond of the man, no. But i’ll admit there’s some twisted joy i get out of bringing him such irritation.
I see now why Adelle delights in it so much.
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doomedandstoned · 18 days
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England’s URZAH Charges Out of the Gate with Astonishing Tour de Force
~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~
By Billy Goate
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Yes! This is what I needed to get my week revving. An explosion of color, energy, and rage. Pure mayhem. This is URZAH from Bristol. With a mix of post-sludge and metalcore, the band has whipped up a frenzy in 'The Scorching Gaze' (2024), their debut full-length following two brutal EPs in 2020 and 2022.
Drums pound with guitars, bass, and vocals from the team of Ed Fairman, Tom McElveen, Les Grodek, and James Brown. The form a great onslaught of synergistic motion for opener "I, Empyrean." A song of cosmic proportion, Empyrean was said to be the abode of God, higher than the highest heavens, a place of burning glory. "We’ll meet again, two worlds reborn, this scarlet crown, thou shalt adorn," sings frontman Ed Fairman.
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"Lacrimare (Misery's Shadow)" hits you with a barrage of incendiary arrows hoisted through the air in unrelenting rhythmic fashion, erupting into a firestorm without mercy. The song speaks of unbearable loneliness ("hollow and numb") borne of chaos and grief. "Lacrima" is the Latin word for "tear," so a lacrimare can only be a life torn apart again and again, both in reality and in heart.
Next up is "Immateria Noir", a 7-minute behemoth, which heralds a "bold sun burning." One can hardly look at the sun, much less stare at it. It is a witness to this world of confusion, hurt, and loss. We will be one with the solar giant when the earth is one day consumed by it in "sunlit obsidian." It is indeed the "essence of omnipresence," as we cannot escape the sun's gaze (explaining why our forebears worshiped it). The song feels like a sanguine messenger of doom, with hints of tragedy and regret along the way in the guitars especially.
After a surreal interlude, dissonant strumming and unrelenting drums bode an ominous warning as "A Storm Is Ever Approaching," a track which speaks of "doomed enterprises" and "divided lives." The guitars are the star of the show here, with head-banging deft and booming low-end.
Reprieve from the ire of the tempest comes with "The Aesthetic," featuring the lovely, reassuring strains of guest singer Eleanor Tinlin. It's short but sweet, with hints of tensions rising in its waning moments.
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"Of Decay" is next, with more apocalyptic overtones in the lyrics. "Shadows surround me," Fairman barks, "baptized in ashes, frozen in time." Guitars swirl with grooves, while the rhythm section rumbles forward like the approaching hand of Death itself. "The dream is over," the vocalist declares, as the drums thunder with an air of finality. The downtuned low-end is nothing short of intimidating in the last minute of the song.
The final two songs concern Thera, which may be an allusion to an ancient abandoned settlement which sits atop a limestone hill on the Greek island of Santorini. It was abandoned, I believe, due to volcanic activity in the region. While I may be missing much of the lore behind this, "Thera I: Sea of Flames" catches us up on its symbolic meaning to the band. Guitars wind, wallow, and wisp with damning doom chords, underscoring lyrics that speak of "sacred pillars" that "spire high" and then "fields of fire," "plumes of smoke," and "inferno" that bring about the once proud city's ultimate desolation, promising a "molten rebirth."
The record draws to a close with "Thera II: Embers of Descent," which combines with the previous track to form a 15-minute epic. Guitars meet out buzzing repeated notes that have the feel of a languishing journey through ruins of smoke and brimstone. "Dreams in slow motion," Fairman cries, "Edge of the abyss." Screeching guitars at 3:22 sound like the haunting echoes of some long forgotten human drama, accompanied by chugging guitars and drums that pummel the soil. Bittersweet guitar passages soar above the desolation, but are soon swallowed up by it.
The Scorching Gaze is loud, brash, and in your face, but a great compliment to your speakers and headphones thanks to the work of Josh Gallop in Bath's Stage 2 Studios. Tom McElveen's guitars are captured with crisp clarity and great emotion.
Look for Urzah's new LP on Friday, May 3rd, released by APF Records on a limited run of cassettes, as well as on compact disc (pre-order here). Stick it on a playlist with Cult Leader, Elder, Converge, Gojira, and Cave In.
Give ear...
Urzah · THE SCORCHING GAZE
SOME BUZZ
APF Records' latest signing URZAH deliver a powerful and gargantuan storm of savage riffs on their blistering debut album THE SCORCHING GAZE Post/progressive sludge metal newcomers URZAH present their fiery debut album THE SCORCHING GAZE. After only a few short years of actively recording and gigging, Urzah have set Bristol's stacked heavy underground scene ablaze and captured the attention of Manchester's beloved APF Records, home of Desert Storm, Goblinsmoker, The Hyena Kill, Video Nasties et al. Through a commanding and captivating album of complex and wildly fluctuating songs brimming with sharp melodies, Urzah deliver a barrage of dynamic and intricate riffs boasting influences of post-metal, sludge, metalcore and moments of pure surprise.
From the second you hit play, opening track and leading single 'I, Empyrean' entices the listener and grabs them by the throat, kick starting a sprawling web of chugging guitars, soaring leads, stabbing bass and commanding powerhouse drumming. Progressive and lengthy cuts such as riff workout 'Immateria Noir' sit comfortably alongside the sheer face-melting gut-punch attack 'Of Decay'. The Scorching Gaze isn't without brilliant and daring curveballs, including the sweetly nested ballad 'The Aesthetic', lead by contemplative clean guitars and guest vocalist Eleanor Tinlin's expressive singing.
The Scorching Gaze by Urzah
The Scorching Gaze is a record guided by thought-provoking lyrics and titles, inspired strongly by both the cosmic horror writings of HP Lovecraft and more directly, the late Cormac McCarthy's novel The Crossing. Akin to these works, Urzah's songs channel a narrative of inward cerebral odyssey -- life's cycles through desolation and joy, triumph and pain, violence and beauty, as well as the permanency of choice and consequence. All of this culminates in Urzah's grand finale, the fifteen minute two-part 'Thera' suite, where the quartet go balls to the wall, slowing down to a sensational sludgy pace and confronting us with their heaviest and most crushing onslaught of all.
In order to capture more density, texture and sonic space in their sound, Urzah recorded The Scorching Gaze with producer, engineer and Phoxjaw guitarist Josh Gallop at his own Stage 2 Studios in Bath. This has resulted in a thickened and balanced soundscape across these winding and complex songs that are always evolving and changing.
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The quartet have brought in key additional players into the studio space, with Eleanor Tinlin of Choir Noir (who have performed live and recorded with Bring Me The Horizon and Frank Turner) providing dreamy clean vocals, as well as cellist (and bassist of stoner metallers Froglord) Luke Clemenger to lay down sorrowful strings.
Topping everything off is the vibrant cover art by the talented Indonesian gig poster and album cover illustrator Putra Satria Nugraha, expertly evoking the tapestry of layers, depths and mysteries that this album holds. The Scorching Gaze is a brightly ambitious and rewarding listen that reveals new layers and intricacies through repeat listens, boldly striding its maze of blistering riffs, dynamic song structures and flaming intensity.
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List of hyperfixations. Bold kinda changed my life in a way tbh.
Fairly OddParents (2nd-4th grade. Unfortunately changed my life. Without FOP I won't be into animation, I won't be an Online person, and I probably won't be a communist bisexual. Damn you Butch Hartman)
Gravity Falls (4th/5th grade... I loved the show! It is still amazing! But not as brainrotting as the next one...)
Invader Zim (4th/5th grade. Henny I watched 3gp of Dark Harvest, Game Slave 2, and the Tak episode DAILY I was on the TRENCHES with IZ)
Rugrats/All Grown Up (5th grade? Idk I'm including this because Chuckie looks like my crush. I was dumb)
Emperor's New Groove (5th/6th grade. I thought Kuzco was hot.)
Monster Inc/University (6th/7th grade. Just kinda love Randall xx I still have a shittily printed M. Inc card of him)
Gorillaz (7th grade. Baby it's been 9 years)
LoveLive! (8th grade. I'm a purist... I only loved u's u_u SIF was soooo fun u guys I'm sad the game is gone :( I had so many URs)
Undertale (8th grade. Tbh I wasn't really on the fandom because they scared me but I did manipulate my friends into playing it...... hehehe.... even created a local LINE fanpage for sometime..... tho it is not popular at all...)
Tintin (9th grade. Oh I often forgot I fixated on this. It was very brief but Haddock is still such a good kid friendly Murdoc I tell ya. Also I kinda borrowed my friend's Tintin book and hasn't returned it because we lost communication :( I'm so sorry...)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (10th grade. Saw clip of Asuka episode 22 breakdown and it changed the trajectory of my life)
Motorcity (10th grade. YOO MONKE BAND ARTSTYLE. Also good show in general <3 I am still working on the retrospective guys...)
The Simpsons (11th grade. I liked Smithers : ) got to the fandom when I quit G-fandom over some drama that I was not involved in... yeah there was a lot of infighting during Humanz hiatus. Then Humility arrived and like magnet I am pulled again by 2D's booty shorts... the quitting was like, 2 months max LMAO)
Madoka Magica (2nd year college. Boy, these lesbians literally rearranged my brain chemistry)
Better Call Saul (2nd/3rd year college? Mike Ehrmantraut my meow meow <3 amazing show obviously!! Still debating if it's bold-worthy LIKE BCS is my fav live action show of all time but was it brainrotting enough,,,)
Persona 3 Portable (3rd year college. I am a FEMC truthers sorry... why would I choose the hetero MC (he did not have gay moment with Ryoji in the game, probs will change in Reload but meh... no gay Shinji and Aki I doubt) when you can have intimate moments with the girlies as a lesbian... also Shinji <3 lord his social link destroyed me)
Disco Elysium (4th year college. Oh my God. Have you seen the state of this Tumblr. This game ruined my LIFE I hate you Kim Kitsuragi)
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alright fuckers let me tell you about how the founding fathers are responsible for me ruining a couch cushion
not like that get your head out of the gutter ya nasty
so its the fourth of july today, which i only like because it's my dog's birthday (so everyone say happy fifth birthday to maij). It also happens to be the day a bunch of fuckers in the 1700s decided they weren't getting enough attention from daddy britain and wanted to do their own thing
yada yada, war and shit and now a rednecks in my city like to set off explosives that scare both maij and I, leaving us to play the age-old american game of "fireworks or gunshots?"
anyway in typical adhd fashion, i waited until the last possible day to pick up my ritalin. because its the fourth, all the pharmacies in my area are closed, but I didn't KNOW THAT so I drove all the way to my pharmacy and braved downtown traffic (i'm a martyr, yes) only for them to tell me I couldn't get my normal pills and to come back tomorrow. well, that sucks, but no biggie. work's gonna be a bitch-and-a-half, but I've dealt with it before.
AU CONTRAIRE DEAR READER
because I don't have my meds, I've been chewing gm like I'm a crack addict. it helps me focus, but I also tend to forget about it and put it weird places because I can't fuckign remember to throw it away. keep that in your back pocket, friends
I was finally in a groove, gettin' my shit done, when i needed to get up (distracted, yet again) and then I realized there was a streak of fucking GUM on my PANTS and also now on my COUCH CUSHION.
If it were just me, I wouldn't be panicking as much, but my partner and I JUST BOUGHT THIS GODDAMN COUCH, so I'm like, shit. And my partner works night shifts, so ze was still sleeping (thank god) but income crisis mode.
I tried the ice method to get the gum up, it didn't work. I tried regular soap and water, also didn't work, and now the couch is damp. I finally decided to bring out the artillery and try goo gone. It worked great! except because I was distracted, I set the open bottle on the upholstered ottoman, and spilled it everywhere. All over the fabric, and the floor.
For those uninitiated, goo gone is OIL BASED. so now I'm like, shitting bricks, because my partner will be up in like half an hour. (There's no major consequences, I'm just out here acting a damn fool and don't want my partner to see lmaooo)
I speed clean like my life depends on it with a sponge and some dish soap, but the SOAP IS NOT WASHING AWAY. Like I just keep trying to dab at it and nothing is happening.
So I apologize to the couch before stripping it of its dignity, and hand wash the damn fabric in the sink. I'm sitting next to the foam carcass as I write this, the poor lad.
Anyway, I'm hoping the dryer is done soon so my partner doesn't have to see the mutilated corpse of our new couch when ze wakes up.
tl;dr because its the fourth, I couldn't get my adhd meds, forgot about my gum, sat on said gum and stained my new couch, made a fucking mess, and now must live with my shame, all because of good ole George, hammy, Jeff, and the rest of those bastards
[end scene]
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campbluelake · 11 months
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pretty fly for a white guy || malyce rx || saya
"YUA. NO. Absolutely not. [...] Malyce is a shithead. He's going to dull your shine and put a damper on your gecko groove. You deserve someone who makes you his top priority. Nothing less."
[...] "It's better to be single than stuck in a shitty relationship, and Malyce has fucked it up before it's even started. You're going to feel like garbage if you date him. You. Deserve. Better."
[...]
“You’re sssssuch a disgusting little hypocrite. You’re completely worthless. Did you know that? It’s unreal. You told me once that I ruin everything I touch and that’s true but at least I make things a little better before it goes to shit. At least I’m hot and funny and people enjoy my presence for a while. I don’t know if you’ve ever made anything good in your entire life. I don’t know if you’re worth anything to anyone. I totally get why your siblings hate you now, you know! I get why you’re the black sheep and everyone hates you! I get it! Ahahaha, god damn!”
Saya was right.
Saya has always been right in everything she's ever said in her entire life. 
And as she rises to her feet when Yua hides behind her, as if she really can somehow protect him with her 5'1 wimpy frame, she feels nothing but the most purestrain vindication a human being could possibly feel. (That, and an urgent need to speak before Max muffles her with a wing because she's being too mean.) 
"You're begging for another chance? Now? After everythingggg? Ahahaha! You pathetic little wretch! You spineless sack of shit! Nooooo~ wayyyy~! Worthless until the last, aren't you? We should just feed you into a woodchipper and call it a day."
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"How on Earth could you possibly help this situation without hurting anyone else? You ruin everything you touch. You can't even do a good job of it. You can't even own it." 
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opposumghost · 1 year
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i hate to say this but ed sheeran's new albums actually good. i dont like to do 'REVIEW!' stuff cuz it ain't really my bag, I prefer analysis. BUT imma make an acception for this album.
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There are the more popy conventional tracks like 'Eyes Closed' and 'Colourblind' but... dear god the production on this thing might be the best thing he's ever done. The addition of The National's production chops REALLY adds to his sound and fleshes it out so much more than I thought it would. It's a very acoustic and folk driven album with some pop elements like an occasional synth or drum machine thrown in for flavour. The utterly divine verse to chorus change on 'Curtains' makes me want to bask in the sunlight of a new day and the pretty damn great drum grooves on 'Spark' or 'End of Youth' give new life and drive to the songs. There is still a lot of his usual sound that sounds a little too corporate for me, but I'm really happy to see a shift for the better.
Ed's vocals... I personally don't love his voice, but I can appreciate that he is using his voice here for some pretty damn great stuff. 'Boat' and 'Life Goes On' see Ed adding some grit and punch to his voice to illustrate the emotion of the songs on the lines that centre the meaning of each song and it really works! It's a nice touch! He uses his falsetto on 'Borderline' and it's the first time I've heard him use it and not hated it. The little shudder in 'Sycamore''s chorus is a lovely touch and really adds a sense of innocence to the track. It's just... good. Sometimes the harmonies can feel a little cliché and unneeded but... he's using his voice to give emotion to the parts of the music that need it and it's just so nice to see him making something with this weight.
The lyrics range from vibrant expressions of grief on 'Boat', 'End of Youth' and 'Vega' too some kinda awkward refrains on 'Eyes Closed' and 'Curtains'. But the topics expressing personal fears, pain, grief, growth and anxiety over the future as opposed to his usual fair make this the first Ed Sheeran album with a cohesive concept and themes that are honestly expressed and well executed. Even when his usual songwriting trappings peek their way through the gap, the songs have enough grip on you to make it not ruin the experience.
It's not personally for me, but I'm just so damn glad to see him trying something new and make music that will undoubtedly speak to people. I'm proud of Ed Sheeran. Well done Ed, after the barrel of shit you went through to make this thing, I'm glad you made something honest and loving out of it.
Solid 8 teabags out of (94430.449^333)/93*pi^1000 tractors... hang on...
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yeah that sums it up.
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chargetheintruder · 2 years
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Some random thoughts.
You know, on second thought, some of this stuff is too random and niche.  Maybe only the folks who want to read my stuff should see this.  :)
--You know, James “Buster” Douglas did in fact beat Mike Tyson exactly once.  It happened and the world DID NOT come to a fucking end.  =))  Some people just really need to stop with their pathetic Kept God-Champion trip, it’s turned really shitty lately.
Having said that, if Theory does hire 2-3 bodyguards and then somehow cash in his prize and beat Reigns?  I will laugh like 16-Bit Count Dracula, specifically from Konami’s _Zombies Ate My Neighbors,_ for the whole week Austin Theory keeps his strap.  Yeah, it’ll only be seven days at most and long enough to establish a meme, and that’s it, but damn son, how chickenshit are some of you inbreds?
--Karens and/or radical feminists are the worst, at least of the bunch that doesn’t routinely murder people.  And yeah, I’m lumping those two groups in together because they’ve earned that--they’re both groups of women who flip OUT whenever “Strange men” (usually older, or poor, or ugly, or Person of Color, or LGBTQ+) show up.  They both have this habit of accusing men in general, and even boys really, of being rapists, sight unseen, just because of the junk they were born with.  They act the same in spite of their “opposite” motivations.
But it needs to be said: some feminism, of the egalitarian sort, is a positive influence on society.  It literally is what separates most of the United States from Saudi Arabia.  Feminism lets separation of church and state function.  I’m not an idiot.  I get it that I benefit from feminism as much as most folks do.  It just grinds my soul to dust that I, as an abuse survivor, have to put up with being accused of being an abuser, and that I, as someone who was molested as a child and teenager, have to put up with being accused of being a rapist.  What the fuck even.  I can’t believe I have to bash these paranoid-ass women just to defend myself.
--This band.  _Gorillaz._  Their latest work.  I’m not sure I can enjoy it.  I saw their video for “Cracker Island” and to be candid?  A large chunk of it appears to have the cast of the band in a psychiatric ward.  Which in turn makes the lyrics about cognitive behavioral therapy, or at least how CBT is used and practiced here in the USA.  Yes, there’s more to it than that--there’s an alien loose and things.  But for the most part, I’m not sure I can groove along to the tunes knowing that the lyrics are going to make me a touch more paranoid than average?  Yeah.
--And I’m still messed up in terms of some of my desires.  But let’s be real here, my health and life are ruined.  It won’t BE an issue.  I wouldn’t know what to do with a romantic fling or even an autumnal flirtation if one landed in my lap and just GAVE ME what I wanted.  But yeah, there’s no question that a certain niche I was once notorious for pursuing, it now back to growing again and pulling in slightly more people than average.  =))
--Mainly I’m just exhausted from this summer.  From having to wait so damned much for things to happen.  No really, if political types WANT me to vote in these mid-terms this year, they could actually do things SOONER and not wear me out with CONSTANT hurry-up-and-wait bullshit.
But hey, what do I know, right?
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thewickedkings · 3 years
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Between the Two of Us ~ Chapter 10
Masterlist || AO3 ||  Previous Chapter || Next Chapter
Summary:  Jurdan High school AU. Rivals Jude and Cardan are forced to partner up  for a history project, and drama ensues. Filled with banter, pranks, an unhealthy amount of pining, and Jude being clueless as usual.
Trigger Warnings: Mild cursing. Please let me know if there’s anything I missed!
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A/N: This chapter is even longer than the last one, at 4k words. Also, you’re welcome in advance.
That Sunday was one of the busiest at the café. Students were streaming in to work on all their assignments before Thanksgiving break, and by the time they caught a break, Jude was out of breath.
“Damn, I don’t think it’s ever been this busy,” Lili said, wiping her forehead.
“No wonder no one else wanted this shift.”
Lili groaned. “I have to go home and write not two, but three essays. I know I shouldn’t have procrastinated, but it was my birthday week.”
“I’ll help you edit them if you want,” Jude offered. For some reason, she actually enjoyed editing essays, and Lili had definitely taken advantage of that in the past. “And you know it’s called birthday, not birth week,” Jude snarked.
“Shut up, Ms. I-made-googly-eyes-with-Cardan-all-night.”
“I did not.”
“Yes you did. Now please tell me what happened, because I know something did. The sexual tension when you guys came back down was disgusting.”
Thankfully, Jude was saved by a customer who had walked in. But Lili was stubborn, and after Jude took her order, she pressed, “Nope. Spill.”
Jude grimaced before recounting the incident, which she now referred to in her head as ‘the bathroom incident.’
Lili gasped comically. “Oh my God. Cardan has more game than I expected. Kissing your thumb after band aiding it? Hold on.” She called out the customer’s name, leaving the drink on the counter, before returning. “Damn, that’s smooth.”
Jude groaned. “I know.”
“Wait, did anything happen when he drove you home?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
Jude blushed even more as she remembered the drive. They had been bickering as usual, as if that could stop them both from thinking about the increasing tension between them.      
And then the silence they’d both been avoiding like cowards descended. The painful, awkward as hell silence.
By the time they got to her house, Jude was anxious to get out of the car. She reached for the door handle right as Cardan spoke, staring straight ahead. “So we’re really not going to talk about it?”
She froze, not expecting them to address it. “Talk about what?”
“Jude.”
“Cardan,” she mimicked, and he rolled his eyes.
“Fine then.” He pushed his door open at the same time as Jude.
“What are you doing?” “Walking you to your door.”
“I can walk to my door by myself.” Her foot caught on the edge of the sidewalk, and she’d stumbled before righting herself.
“Righttt,” Cardan drawled and followed her up the sidewalk.
She ignored him, pulling out her keys and unlocking the front door. “Okay, you can go now, loser.”
“Weirdo,” Cardan said.
“You’re a weirdo.”
Cardan snickered. “Nice comeback.”
“Shut up.” She felt his gaze on her back and was thankful for the dark, because she was blushing for no reason.
“You shut up.”
They both snickered like the immature idiots they were, and Jude knew she had steered clear of the conversation for now.
When Cardan reached his car, he hollered. “We’re going to talk about it.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she hollered right back.
Cardan just grinned. “See you tomorrow, Duarte.”
Her expression must have been doing something weird at the memory, because Lili snorted. “You’re in deep shit.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Um, maybe first off, actually admit you like him?”
“I do not.”
The Bomb raised her eyebrows.
Jude groaned. “I can’t like him. Not him of all people.”
“But you doooo,” the Bomb sing songed. “You and Cardan are in-”
“Lili, I will not help you edit your essay if you don’t shut up right now.”
She went silent immediately. “That’s just cruel.”
Jude grinned. “So… how’s Van?”
Lili glared. “You’re not subtle at all.”
“I wasn’t trying to be.”
She wiped down the counter, silent for a beat before she sighed. “Fine. He’s just- I think I need to move on.” Jude opened her mouth to interrupt, but the Bomb continued. “I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, I think he likes me like that, but I don’t know… he’s always so skittish when I try to take things further. And I don’t want to ruin things between us.”
Jude knew there was more to the story, but before she could say anything, a group of girls entered the café, and Jude had to take their orders. She dismissed it, figuring she’d bring it up later.
 ~~~
Jude didn’t see Cardan at school the next two days. Meeting her college application deadlines took up most of her time, and before she knew it, it was Thanksgiving Break. Vivi came home from college, and suddenly their house was much more lively than usual.
Before Thanksgiving dinner, Vivi stomped into Jude’s room and shut the door behind her. “I know I haven’t visited much, but what’s going on between you and Taryn?”
Jude pulled out her headphones from her ears. “Why don’t you ask her?”
“That’s what she said too!”
“Viv, just leave it.”
“Well, you’re going to have to figure it out, because even Oak’s annoyed at this point.”
“He is?”
“You are all idiots,” Vivi mumbled on her way out of the room, before popping back in. “Oh, by the way, I think your mac n cheese is burning.”
“Shit! Why didn’t you say that first?”
Throughout dinner, Vivi proceeded to force Jude and Taryn into conversation. The ease at which Vivi slipped back into their dynamic was uncanny after so many months away, but Jude supposed that was the way with family.
Madoc and Oriana carried the turkey to the table while Jude prepared for the grand reveal. Oak bounced in his seat in anticipation of what had becomes Jude Thanksgiving tradition. When Jude pulled back the foil to reveal her mac n cheese, it looked perfectly fine. Except for unmistakably charred edges
Taryn snorted. “It’s definitely better than last year’s.”
Jude cracked a grin. Maybe there was something to say about Thanksgiving in bringing the family together.
 ~~~
Jude spent the end of the break hanging out with Lili, Van, and Garrett. The weird energy between Lili and Van was palpable, and Jude instinctively looked for Cardan to raise her eyebrows at before realizing he wasn’t there. Cardan had texted that he was busy with family stuff on the group chat, and Jude couldn’t help but wonder if he was avoiding her. Logically, she knew she was being self-centered and he probably was busy, but the thought stung more than it should have.
Monday came far too quickly, and Jude rubbed her eyes as she walked to her first class, bumping into the last person she expected to see: Locke. For the past few weeks, she’d been messing with him, but not too obviously that he would suspect she knew about what he did. Her revenge plan was still brewing, but until then, she could have some fun.
She and Lili made a game out of replying to his texts with the weirdest responses, just to see how much he could take. Her favorite was when she had ‘accidentally’ sent him a picture of two tampon boxes, asking which one she should get. When he had responded with a ‘whichever one fits??’ Jude had exploded with laughter before clarifying that it wasn’t meant for him, except that it definitely was.
When she’d asked him if he wanted to come to dinner to meet her sister and her parents, with an emphasis on her dad, he had avoided her for the next two weeks.
Which made it even harder to control her laugh when his face paled when he saw her. “Sorry, I’d better get going. I’m going to be late.”
“Right. Let me know if you can make it to dinner. My dad really wants to meet you.”
Locke practically tripped as he ran away from her.
“Damn, Duarte, what did you say to scare him?” Cardan’s familiar voice drawled out from behind her, and a grin escaped her lips, a small part of her relieved that he sought her out. She hadn’t realized how ingrained he was into her routine until she hadn’t seen him for a week.
His pace matched with hers until they were walking side by side, falling into their familiar groove.
“Just mentioned how much my dad wanted to meet him for dinner.”
Cardan grinned and handed her a cup full of coffee.
“What’s this for?”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s black. I don’t know why you would willingly drink that, but you do you.”
“Yes, okay, but why’d you get me coffee?”
“Consider it me paying you back for accidentally spilling your coffee that one time.”
“Accidentally, my ass.” She frowned at her cup. “It’s not poisoned is it?”
“Fine. If you don’t want it, I’ll find some other psychopath who likes black coffee.”
Jude hugged her coffee protectively to her chest. “No. Mine.”
“I figured. Also, we need to finish our project. It’s due…“
“Next week, I know,” Jude cut off. “We still haven’t bought a poster.”
Cardan groaned. “We should have gotten one from Dollar Tree.”
“Well maybe you could’ve gotten that instead of a tiara,” she said, grinning up at him as they stopped in front of her class.
Cardan rolled his eyes. “So are you free Thursday night?”
“Yeah. Text me when later.”
“Good. We’ll talk then,” he said, with an extra emphasis on the word talk. His eyes dropped shamelessly to her lips, long enough that it was anything but unintentional, before he smirked and strode away.
Jude called after him, unwilling to let him get the last word. “About the project!”
“Of course. What did you think I was talking about?” He disappeared before she could respond.
Kissing. She was thinking about kissing him. Ugh.
She grumbled angrily to herself as she placed her bag next to her desk. When she caught Taryn staring at her, she snapped, “What?”
Taryn opened her mouth to speak, but the bell interrupted her. “Nothing.”
 ~~~
After soccer practice on Thursday, Jude went home to take a shower. While blow drying her hair she texted Cardan to figure out when they were meeting up. He immediately responded with ‘can’t do my place,” and Jude frowned. After a couple messages, they ended up deciding to go to the library at Cardan’s suggestion.
Oak was throwing a fit over something or another as she headed out the door, and Oriana paused their argument to place a hand on Jude’s shoulder. “Heading out?” It wasn’t in an overbearing tone, just gentle.
“Yeah. To the library.” Jude hesitated, battling the urge to say something more. Oriana might not have been her real mother, but Jude realized what a blessing it was to have someone that checked up on her and cared the way Oriana did. She swallowed and said, “I’ll be back soon,” and headed out.
By the time she got to the library, Cardan had already texted that he was there. Seconds after she turned off her car, a knock sounded on her window, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Cardan grinned sheepishly when she opened her door. “Sorry.”
She shrugged it off and handed him the poster she from the passenger seat. She glanced around the parking lot for his car. “Where’s your car?”
“I walked.” At the shock on her face, Cardan added, “Don’t look at me like that. Just because we live in a suburb doesn’t mean I have to drive everywhere. Plus, it’s only a fifteen minute walk.”
“Okay, but… car. Fast. Walk. Slow.”
Cardan rolled his eyes and tugged her wrist impatiently. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
They walked through the archway that opened up into the entry area of the library, ‘welcome’ inscribed into the stone. The wall behind the front desk was patterned with hexagons of different pastel colors, and the librarian behind the desk gave them a friendly smile. Her dark brown hair was tied up into a ponytail, strands of gray beginning to appear.
“Cardan, nice to see you. I see you’ve brought a friend,” she said to Cardan. Her honey-colored eyes glanced at Jude with curiosity.
“Um, yeah. Mel, this is Jude. We’re doing a project together.”
Jude introduced herself, trying to hide her own curiosity.
Mel smiled at Jude warmly. “It’s nice to meet one of Cardan’s friends.” Turning to Cardan, she added, “The back room is empty, if you two want to head there.”
Cardan thanked her and gestured Jude to follow him. They passed the kid’s section, which was littered with bright signs and seating, and when they were out of hearing distance, Jude asked. “So… you come here a lot?”
“Um, I guess. I came a lot when I was a kid, so sometimes I stop by.” The tips of his ears turned pink, and damn, Jude felt something squeeze in her chest at the sight.
“Cool.”
His head jerked up at her response, and whatever he saw in her expression had him reaching for her hand and twining their fingers together. He tugged her hand, and she followed him through the stacks, the only sound their footsteps and the comforting hum of the library.
She grinned at the floor. This boy never ceased to surprise her.
They stopped in front of a room divided from the rest of the library by a wall of glass, and Cardan pushed open the door. The opposite end of the room was also completely glass, and the window looked out over the lake behind the library. A table with four chairs was on the left, and a cozy armchair sat on the right.
Cardan let go of her hand, and she ached to pull it back to hers, feel the warm callouses of his palm against hers. Instead she put the poster on the table and pulled out her laptop. “This is nice. I’m surprised no one else took it.”
“Mel saves it for me sometimes.”
Jude snorted. “You really do charm everyone, don’t you?”
Cardan sat down across her, humming in agreement. “It’s only a matter of time before I charm you too.”
“Keep waiting.”
Cardan kicked her leg under the table, and she bit back a smile. If his leg stayed there, pressed against the side of hers while they worked, neither of them mentioned it.
 ~~~
“Not bad, if I do say so myself,” Jude said, as she looked down at their poster. Yes, it did feel like a fifth grade science fair project, but Jude was still proud of it. Something about cutting and gluing things together made it seem so much more satisfying.
“Not bad? This is fucking gorgeous.” Cardan pushed his curls off his forehead, his silver rings catching the light. Jude’s brain automatically snagged on how unfair it was that guys could have such attractive hands. Like how did that even make sense?
Her gaze caught on them now, eyes tracing the veins and the flex of his fingers where they tapped against the edge of the table. She’d noticed that Cardan always seemed to fidget with his hands, unable to keep them unoccupied.
“Jude?”
“Hm?” She pushed her thoughts away and tried to focus. “Yes, gorgeous,” she agreed.
He gave her a strange look, and she felt a flush creeping up her neck. She started hastily picking up the scraps of paper and tidying up the table. When she dared to meet his gaze, he looked like he was battling himself with something.
“What’s up with you and Locke?” Cardan blurted a few seconds later.
“What do you mean?”
This time, his words were a little more deliberate. “I know you’re messing with him, but does he think you’re… dating?”
“I don’t know. We only went on one date, and I pretty much scared him off when I mentioned my dad.” She shrugged, confused as to why he was bringing up Locke. “Does it matter?”
His hand stilled. “I guess not.”
Silently, the two of them worked until they had finished gluing on all the information. They cleared up the excess papers and started cleaning up.
“So when are you going to break it off with him?”
“Well, I was planning to do a whole revenge prank thing, but I haven’t fully planned it out yet,” she said contemplatively, scraping off the dried glue from her fingers.
When she looked up, Cardan was looking at her with a devious smile. “What?”
“I have an idea.”
 ~~~
The sky was dark when they arrived at the grocery store. As they placed their items on the counter to check out, the cashier gave them a strange look. Jude simply smiled and said, “Isn’t it such a wonderful night?”
At Cardan’s direction, Jude drove to a neighborhood a few minutes from Cardan’s, and they parked in a darkened spot on the side of the street.
Jude’s nerves thrummed in anticipation. She hadn’t been this excited in so long, probably since the last time she had pranked Cardan. She had to admit that scheming with someone made it all the more fun.
Cardan pulled on a black sweatshirt, and his eyes met hers as he pulled up the hood to cover his curls. The wicked grin he sent her made her stomach squeeze.
“You take the right, and I’ll cover the left?”
She nodded, and silently opened the door and stepped out as Cardan did the same.
They crouched on the sidewalk next to some trees and silently made their way towards the lone house at the end of the street. Thankfully, Locke’s car was parked out front. They hadn’t exactly planned for it if his car had been in the garage.
A car door slammed across the street and Jude looked at Cardan. “Where-”
He clapped his hand over her mouth before she could finish, and he pointed across the street. A car was reversing out of the house next to Locke’s, its headlights nearly passing over them. Her heart beat furiously against her chest.
The car drove away, and Cardan suddenly dropped his hand from her mouth. Her lips burned from the ghost of his hand, and her heart sped up for a completely different reason.
“That was close,” she whispered breathlessly, and Cardan nodded, his eyes darting away from hers.
They crept up his driveway, and Cardan passed her three rolls of plastic wrap from his backpack. Slowly, Jude unfurled the plastic wrap, and pushed it over the top of his car until Cardan caught it. He wrapped it over his side before rolling it under the car back to Jude. She hadn’t realized how painstaking the process would be, but they kept at it. The sound of the unfurling wrap seemed too loud against the silent night.
Twenty long minutes later, Jude passed the last of the last of the final roll of wrap to Cardan. She waited for Cardan to secure it into place, shifting impatiently on the balls of her feet.
A gentle whirring sound cut through the night, and Jude’s eyes flew to Cardan, who was tip-toeing back towards her from around the car.
“Run,” he whispered urgently.
She grabbed Cardan’s backpack from the ground right as a spray of water hit her arm, drenching her and the side of the car. She glanced behind her and almost laughed, realizing the sprinklers had turned on, not some sort of security device like she had thought in her panic.  
Cardan looked at her, his eyes glinting with laughter. “Come on, let’s go.”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her.
They ran across the sidewalk like criminals fleeing from a crime scene, narrowly avoiding the sprinklers, and Jude felt giggles breaking out of her chest. Her heart pounded against her chest, her breath coming out in pants. The cold water pressed into the skin of her arm, a sharp contrast to the warmth of Cardan’s hand in hers.
They ran all the way back to her car, and they finally stopped to catch their breath. Jude leaned back into the car, panting, her hands braced on her chest to hold her heart in.
Her eyes met Cardan’s, who was panting as if he had just been in a police chase, and a giggle escaped her mouth. And then another. And then both of them were laughing like maniacs.
“Who the fuck-” she laughed, “turns on their sprinklers-” another fit of giggles overtook her. “-at midnight?”
Cardan laughed harder, leaning into her, a palm bracing himself on the car behind her. “Your face,” he wheezed, “when the sprinklers turned on-”
She could barely breathe in. “The way you said run, oh my god.” She broke into another fit of uncontrollable laughter, clutching her stomach. Cardan wiped tears from his eyes as he tried to regain his composure.
Eventually, Jude’s laughter slowed. The sound of crickets chirping and cars whizzing by on the street behind the neighborhood settled into the air as they caught their breaths. Jude leaned back against the car, tipping her head back up to the night sky.
Cardan was still leaning into her, the moonlight casting a faint glow over his face. When she met his eyes, his lips tipped up in a little smile that sent warmth to her stomach.
With a will of its own, her hand reached up to push back his hoodie, cradling his jaw, and he swallowed, his expression sobering.
A breeze blew over them, lifted a strand of her hair from her face. Her heartbeat thudded against her chest, a different type of adrenaline shooting through her body as his eyes darted to her lips.
In an unspoken agreement, Jude leaned up, and Cardan’s head bent down to reach hers.
Their lips brushed hesitantly, a barely-there kiss, before Cardan pulled back slightly.
Oh. Oh.
“Jude.” His voice was hoarse, a question, a plea exhaled across her lips, and she silenced it with her mouth.
Their resolve snapped, and Cardan’s hand slipped to cradle the back of her head as his head dipped and his lips pressed into hers, again and again and again, warm and soft and desperate. Jude buried her hands in his hair, pulling him closer, until she was pressed against the car, his forearms caging her in.
She had never been kissed like this.
It felt as though they were running past the sprinklers again, a rush of adrenaline running through her body. Her lips parted under his, and he made a noise in the back of his throat that set her blood on fire. Her thoughts fizzled into nothing, everything except the two of them fading away.
When they pulled back for air, Cardan’s lips were swollen, and both of them were panting. He rested his forehead against hers, one hand still tangled in her hair, and Jude‘s eyes finally fluttered open.
“That,” Cardan rasped, “was worth waiting for.”
“Shut up.” Her voice was a little too breathless for her liking.
“Jude, Jude, Jude,” he murmured as he nuzzled the side of her face, and she felt goosebumps erupt on her arm. “Now you know exactly how to make me shut up.”
“Oh?” She tilted her head, barely close enough for another kiss, before shoving him back, hoping distance would help her regain her composure. “You wish. There are other ways to shut you up.”
He stumbled back with a breathless laugh. “I do wish.” He glanced around at the street, as if just remembering where they were. “We should probably go.”
“We should. Wouldn’t want to get caught.”
“Okay, right.” His hands spazzed at his side for a moment before he spurred into motion, opening her door for her with a roguish grin.
Jude didn’t exactly know what she was getting herself into, but she couldn’t bring herself to put an end to it.
~~~
A/N:  And there you have it, the scene that inspired this whole thing. It’s the first scene I even wrote, and everything else was just fun to write to lead up to it. I was about to cut this chapter off before the last scene, but I decided to keep it in because it takes me forever to update. Like I said at the beginning, you’re welcome 😌  I hope it’s as good as it was in my head 😭
Okay, but the fact that this is the tenth chapter and people are still reading?!! Thank you all so much for reading this and supporting this!! I probably would have abandoned this if not for you <3
As usual, let me know what you think in the comments!! Reblogs are appreciated :)
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yandere-daydreams · 4 years
Note
I was curious what you thought of Icarus (from Greek mythology) as a yandere? If he and his darling are trapped the way he and his dad were in the myth, I could see him being the type to sabotage any escape attempt his darling may be planning. They may be trapped, but at least they're trapped *together*
I’ve always loved a good metaphor for hubris, even if the myth is more about his father’s downfall than his own. Still, I can’t hold that against him, not when he’ll be too busy projecting all that trauma onto his shiny new Darling.
Title: Icarus and The Sun.
TW: Imprisonment, Abandonment, Mentions of Fire/Burn Scars, Sabotage, Idolization, and Possessive Mindsets. 
~
When Icarus was ten, he fell in love with the sun.
It was an odd thing for such a young boy to be fascinated by. He’d grown up in castles and palaces, playing with enchanted swords and the children of gods and contraptions so intricate, he’d often wondered if his father was as human as he claimed to be. Not much had changed when he was sent away for someone else’s crimes, when his father had countless hours to craft lutes that played themselves and friends of stone and marble. He hadn’t meant to get bored, he hadn’t meant to lose interest, but he was afraid Daedalus’ talents were lost, when it came to his son. He’d never been a terribly thankful child.
He missed the world outside their labyrinth, the world beyond their tower. He’d had just enough time to get a taste for freedom, and as the years ticked by, he couldn’t help but long for it. Above it all, he missed the sun. There was a window in the highest point of their tower, a spot where the stones lied in such a way, there was just enough room for a young boy to sit, perched in a crack in the wall, and stare at the sky from sunrise to sunset, watching Apollo’s chariot until his eyes burnt and he could imagine how it’d feel to be in its light. If he tried hard enough, he could forget where he was, where he’d been trapped. Forget the way the chill had permeated his skin, forget the callouses on his fingertips from helping with his father’s experiments, forget that’d he’d probably die - captive and alone - for a genius that hadn’t even been passed down.
He dreamt of it, sometimes. Sprouting a pair of wings and flying away from Crete, flying higher and higher and higher until the oxygen left his lungs and all he could feel was warmth. It troubled him, but confiding in Daedalus was like confiding in one of his creations. He had a way of hearing but never listening, taking in and spitting out just as quickly. Hearing the useful information, hearing what he wanted to, and providing a solution, consequences be damned. But, the all blame didn’t lie on his father. 
When the method of their escape was revealed, he should’ve known better than to test the Fates. He was older, by then, a teenager. A young man who should’ve been smarter.
But, he hadn’t been, and…
Well, everyone knows how that story ends.
In all honesty, he was a little disappointed. Even washed up on some rocky, bleached shore, his skin blistered and every part of his body aching, the tide was cold enough to leach the heat from his soul, as sharp and unforgiving as any maze could ever be. He thought he would die there. Not of flame, not of water, but of exhaustion, of a hypothermia he couldn’t cure with a wayward star so far out of his reach. But, you were much too kind to give him such a peaceful ending. Too much of a guardian.
His guardian. His savior. The helpful hand that dragged him off of that beach and bandaged his wounds, that made him feel warm for the first time in years.
His Sun.
Your prison was more spacious than his, but it was a prison all the same. An island, too small and too isolated to ever hope to encounter a rouge visitor. There was fruit and fresh water, but you were alone, abandoned by a hero who couldn’t end his tale without an act of tragedy. You’d blushed as you told him, ran your fingers through your hair and taken your leave shortly after, as if it’d been your fault you’d been left for dead. As if you were the one to blame for someone else’s selfish deed.
As if your downfall was deserved, rather than a misdeed forced upon you for someone else’s mistakes.
For months, you tended to his wounds, helping him to walk, to eat, and talking to him all the while. He wasn’t very good company, unused to companions whose lips could move at all, let alone so quickly, but he made sure to nod and smile as you showed him the grooves, the springs you knew like the back of your hands after so long, the flow of the currents that made it impossible to come near your home without a proper ship. He loved it - the way your eyes lit up whenever you talked about your progress, your next plan, how if you just had one more nail, one more canvas, one more good day, you’d be able to sail away from your isolation with him in-tow, to Crete or Athens or any other city that would take you in. Icarus didn’t think he’d receive a warm welcome, but he couldn’t bring him to tell you that. He didn’t want to ruin your fun, see you fade into the lifeless creator his father had become.
Grow as dull and as cold as he used to be, before you.
He watched on and helped you mend lengths of worn cloth into sails, gave up the little knowledge he’d taken in, spent his days carving wooden planks from branches and rutters from trunks, if only to see how your smile grew whenever he laid his meager offerings at your feet. He healed slowly, confined to the shade more often than not, but you never complained, never bemoaned his limitations. You were too caught up in your freedom to care if he weighed you down, too distracted to notice how slowly he moved whenever you dragged him to the edge of the water, how his grin was always a little more forced when you took another step towards your inevitable flight. If you felt how tightly he held you at night, how hesitant he was to let go in the morning, you didn’t seem to care about his attachment.
You didn’t seem to care about him. He was a placeholder, a momentary necessity, a cloud so tiny and so distant, it’d only stand out in the clearest of skies. You didn’t say it, but you didn’t hide it, either. Why would you?
The Sun would never bother to explain itself. He should just be grateful he got to bask your rays for this long.
You didn’t wake when he slipped away from you, that night. You never opened your eyes, not as he fanned the embers of a long-forgotten fire back to life, nor as he dragged himself over your island, down to the bay where you kept your make-shift raft. He was insignificant, he was unremarkable, but all it took was a spark and a dip of his torch to set your creation ablaze, lingering at the scene of his sin just long enough to take in the warmth of the fire, the satisfaction that accompanied setting it.
The relief that came with turning your only escape into a blackened, charred pile of ash and soot, just as he should’ve done with his father’s accursed wings all those years ago.
When Icarus was nineteen, he fell in love with the Sun once again.
And this time, he wasn’t letting it get away.
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Text
Day 21: You, again- Max Phillips
Day 21: You, again - Max Phillips 
Pairing: Max Phillips x Reader 
Warning: Cursing 18 + 
A/N: This story was requested by @phoenixhalliwell​ who is one of my favorite people I talk to on Tumblr. She writes some fantastic Triple Frontier stuff so check it out! Also, this is my first time writing for Max Phillips so I hope you enjoy! 
November Writing Challenge Masterlist 
Day 20: Hello - Poe Dameron 
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Monday 
“Ugh!” you shout kicking towards the copier. 
“You know if you break it you gotta buy it, sweetheart,” you jump half a foot in the air before turning around gasping at the smirking face of Max Phillips, your boss. 
“FUCK! You scared the shit out of me! I didn’t even hear you come up behind me!” 
“Oh, no are you ok pumpkin?” Oh how much you hated the pet names. 
You roll your eyes before turning back to the infuriating machine, “I’m fine,” you grind your teeth doing your best to ignore him. It was only too much of a wish for him to leave you alone. 
He leans against the copier and smirks at you, “So I was wondering about dinne-” 
“Listen here Mr. Phillips, I am not interested in anything you are offering. So if you could kindly fuck off that would be great, thank you.” 
He pouts, before crossing his arms over his chest, “you know I could fire you for talking to me like th-” 
You cut him off again grabbing your finished copies and facing him, “But you won’t because then you would lose your best salesman and the company would plummet.” You walk away tightly holding your papers to your chest and returning to your desk. Leaving a gaping Max Phillips behind. 
Tuesday
You bob your head along to the music playing from the small speaker at your desk. Fully concentrating on finishing the proposal for Friday when you feel the presence of someone standing behind you. 
You slowly turn in your chair and see Max Phillips creeping over your shoulder at your computer. 
“AHH!” you scream, “You fucking asshole why do you insist on sneaking up on me!” 
He raises his hands in mock surrender, before lowering them. His signature smirk gracing his lips, “I’m not sneaking up on you sweet-cheeks, can I help it if you’re not observant of your surroundings?” 
You scoff rolling away from him. He leans down closer and you can feel his breath against your neck. “I brought you something,” he says quietly. Placing a small white box on your desk. 
You stop typing momentarily before you hesitantly reach for the box. Fully expecting something to jump out at you. You place the lid of the box aside and look puzzled at a new pair of purple earbuds. Yours had broken last week when stupid Evan wasn’t looking where he was going and crushed yours. 
“Purple’s my favorite color...how did yo-” You look around but he’s gone. No trace of Max at all. You tentatively plug them into the small speaker still half expecting them to blow up and when they don’t you place them in your ears. These were a lot nicer than your last ones. Interesting.
Wednesday 
Lunchtime. The one time a day you can escape the freezing office and get some peace. You had made it a habit over the past few months since Max’s arrival to eat in your car with the heat on so you can finally escape the chill. 
You look in the fridge for your lunchbox but it’s gone. You take out every single bag from the fridge before replacing them. Some fucker took your lunch! You stalk like a cheetah throughout the cubicles before you land upon Tim. Who is greedily eating up your Philly cheesesteak leftovers from the night before as he watches cartoons on youtube. 
“Are you fucking serious?!” you shout startling him, “You took my lunch! Why don’t you just eat your own!?” 
“Oh shit, hmm I can explain...oh fuck… I was just so hungry and it was just there. Your not mad right?” he stutters. 
You can feel your blood pressure rise and reach around him to grab your lunchbox, smacking him upside the head with it before storming out. When you reach your car you note the time and scream knowing you don’t have enough time to go get something. Your head hits the steering wheel and you scream again. 
Suddenly a knock sounds from your passenger window and you jump. Looking up into the slightly concerned eyes of your boss. You put a hand to your chest before putting down the window on the right, “I swear to god I think you are trying to murder me by scaring me to death!” 
“Unlock the door,” he tells you and at this point, you can’t think of a good reason not to. 
You click the button and the door unlocks. Max gets in with a loud rustling sound, closing the door behind him. “For the record cupcake, if I wanted to murder you, you would know. No, I saw you in the fridge hunting for food and decided to be a nice boss for once and bring you lunch, you like empanadas right?” 
You look at him like he’s grown an extra head before nodding, “Yes…? They’re my favorite food...how did yo-”
He hands you the container and tucks into the other one himself. Neither of you saying anything. When the clock strikes 11:25 you clean up the small mess you made and lock eyes with Max. His food sits half-eaten in the box and he’s just staring at you. 
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers but it’s so low your not sure you heard him right.
“What?” you ask.
“I said you’re a mess, here,” he hands you a napkin and you wipe your face. 
“Thank you...for everything,” you tell him smiling softly. 
“Can’t have my best employee starve to death can I?” he takes the containers from your hands before getting out of the car. Leaving you alone with your thoughts. Curious. 
Thursday 
Thirsty Thursday with your old college buddies tonight you decide to dress up for work. Wearing a deep blood red halter dress that stops just above your knees, a black cardigan, and black kitten heels. You can’t help but admire your reflection in the metal walls of the elevator. 
All-day you’d received compliments and it felt damn good but someone was surprisingly absent. The only trace of him you had seen all day was a still-warm guava and cheese empanada on your desk with a note. 
You look ravishing, kitten.
You blush before tucking the note safely into your clutch. When the day finally ends you confidently stalk past his office and you’re disappointed to see it dark. Its occupant already long gone for the day. You shrug, oh well. At least today you didn’t get the shit scared out of you again. 
At the club, your friends are well on their way to being drunk and you take two shots to try to catch up. “LET’S DANCE!” they cheer pulling you toward the lights of the dance-floor. 
You bump, grind, and groove to the music and the liquor flows freely until you find yourself more relaxed than you had been all week. “SHOTS!” your friend shouts heading back over to the table but you’re lost in the rhythm of the music and shout back that you’re staying. 
It only takes a moment before hands snake around your waist and pulls you flush with someone’s back. You gasp when you feel the freezing cold hands pull you tight, and someone’s breath in your ear. “Hi baby,” he whispers in your ear and you melt. Turning around in his arms. 
“You, again. What have I told you about scaring me?” you scoff but don’t move away, taking a step closer. 
He moves his hands up and pushes your hair behind your ears, his hands running down your neck and holding you. His thumbs lazily caressing your cheeks, “it’s not my fault your unobservant of your surroundings doll. But, also I like to keep you on your toes. Always waiting for me to show up. I know you missed me today. I saw you saunter that sweet body past my office before you left...you wanted me to see you.” 
Your cheeks heat and you let out a small puff of air...ah fuck it. 
Closing the distance between you and kissing him softly. You bring your hands up and mess up his perfect hair before he opens to you. He tastes like peppermint and a slight coppery tang and you feel consumed by him. Despite how cold he is you are burning alive. All your senses heightened and you lose yourself in him. The crowded club is gone until it’s only you and him. 
When you finally break to breathe he pulls you close and traces his hands slowly over your curves. “I’ve been wanting to do that for months,” he whispers in your ear, “but every time I got close enough...you would scream and curse at me. Kind of ruined the mood…” 
You laugh and hug him tightly before kissing him again, “Do you want to get out of here?”
“Oh fuck yes,” he pulls you towards the door, out of the club, and towards a new tomorrow. 
Day 22: Distorted Sounds 
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