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sseniita · 2 months

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hello op, I adore the villain you've created in the medical malpractice piece. their energy, their quips, their motivations, their dynamic with the hero. it's brilliant and perfect and please, please do write more about them. "firework" now has permanently changed my mind. maybe a continuation or maybe another one-shot if you're interested? it's great stuff

omg thank u sm,, i was proud of it! and ofc! i didn't have a story laid out for them but im always happy to revisit my works (maybe even w/ suggestions wink wink nudge nudge) !! sorry for the late update, i may be silent but trust, i am lurking

medical malpractice: healing boredom

The villain hadn't expected for this to go on for this long, but the little hero was resilient. If the villain didn't know any better, he'd think the hero was getting as much as a kick out of this as he was. His thoughts took over his mind, only snapping out of it when he heard the squeak from the hero and the flinch away from his healing hands.

"Ouch." Hero cradled their newly healed fingers to their chest.

"Oh, so sorry, firework. I was distracted." The hero returned their hand and the villain got to work on their thumb. Maybe snapping each of their fingers last night was overkill they thought- he shouldn't be giving himself this much work. Each heal was a meticulous and fragile process; it took more power than messing with a frontal lobe or blocking an artery. The villain cursed silently as he moved to the hero's other hand.

"I didn't know you could do that." The villain hummed in confusion, asking for elaboration with a raised eyebrow. "Hurt."

The hero was smarter than the villain thought, but apparently also vulnerable to charm. They dismissed things when disguised as a joke or flirtatious comment. Which explains why the villain now spent their Tuesday and Thursday afternoons playing footsies with the Hero under oval tables at meetings. He had had many close calls.

"Mmm. Everyone can hurt someone, Hero." He responded, focused on the hero's untrimmed cuticles.

"Yes, but I didn't think you could do it physically, with your powers."

"Well, healing involves pain, does it not?"

"You don't make it hurt."

"Ah, you've never been healed by someone as talented as me is all."

The hero chuckled. "So it's a skill thing?"

"Of course. A bad nurse would draw blood during a vaccination," He smiled up at the hero, healing the hero's pinky without breaking eye contact. "but you wouldn't feel a thing with a practiced nurse"

The hero's eyes widened at the realization their pinky had been healed. They wiggled each finger that only an hour earlier had turned purple and gone limp.

"Oh, you are good. Thank you, Nurse." They said, impressed, batting their eyelashes and smiling at their fully functioning fingers. The villain stared at the clock, ticking towards 9 PM and letting him know it had taken almost an hour to heal the hero's fingers. Never breaking fingers again, he thought.

"You're all set. Anything else you needed from me?" The hero leaned back against their arms on the examination table, leisurely displaying themselves in their ripped suit with half lidded eyes. They crossed their legs and tilted their head to the side.

What are you playing at, Firework?

"Well, I don't know. I hate that our little meetings run so short."

"They're very frequent." The villain shrugged.

The hero rubbed over the tissue on the examination table, making an infuriating crackling noise. They continued at it while speaking. "I have a kink in my neck."

"I'm a doctor, not a masseuse, Firework." The villain said, turning his back toward the hero, distracting himself from the noise of Hero's fidgeting by organizing paperwork and folders at his desk.

The hero had been at this game the past few visits. Coming up with excuses and making up stories about them and the villain that he knew didn't happen. Last week the hero had said the villain threw them against a brick wall and broke their arm. The villain had certainly not done that.

He was starting to get annoyed at how peculiar the hero actually was. They blabbered non-stop while he took x-rays, they became very sweaty very fast, and they had acquired a staring problem when he inspected them. He assumed the fighting had finally gotten to them. It always does.

"Well, could you maybe at least look at it?" The villain sighed, mourning the fun he had had the past months. Was the joy of fighting the hero really worth the effort of healing them over and over again?

He turned to the hero, a red and sweaty mess, and moved his hands up their neck, getting close to inspect under their hair, to know exactly where to press. If they were lucky, they'd hit pressure point and the hero would drop dead.

The hero wouldn't stay still, squirming under him and leaning their head back. Their hand reached for his elbow and a light tug had made an effort to make them face each other. Noses just inches away from each other. The villain was about to ask what was wrong before he noticed the hero's glance to his lips.

Oh.

The villain was pleasantly surprised at the hero's delusion about their relationship, but that was neither here nor there. He smiled softly at the hero, taking complete control and kissing them even softer on the lips. He liked being a few steps ahead of them. The villain knew the hero had no self control and so was prepared when they grabbed onto the lapel of his lab coat and pushed him on top of them, deepening the kiss as they went.

The hero was very different in this state. Grasping onto the villain to save their life, throwing the stethoscope around his neck to the floor. Hero was in bliss, and the villain decided to keep going along. After the villain's coat was on the floor but before the hero could reach for the villain's belt, the pair was distracted by a knock on the frosted door.

"Shoot." The hero hissed, finally regaining themself, sitting up and diving for the villain's coat on the floor. Sorry they mouthed before yelling towards the door.

"Justaminute!"

"Hurry up in there!" A voice called from the other side.

The hero was red in the face as they fixed their suit, struggling with the zipper the villain had started pulling down. The villain smirked, taking the liberty of zipping it up the rest of the way, his cold hands earning a flinch from the hero. They turned back towards him, before the hero opened their mouth the villain hushed them.

"I'll come see you later, okay Firework?" Their head tilted, their eyes lustful, and their hands right at his sides, exactly where the hero didn't want them. All the hero could utter out was a pathetic Ok, biting their lip to hide their gushing smile before rushing out of the office, only mouthing a bye halfway down the hall.

The villain watched them leave. They didn't mind the 6 or so heroes awaiting treatment. They had begun to regret their choice, chalking it up to a waste of time and effort. All they had wanted from the hero was the occasional fight to get out of boring afternoons lazing around the mayor's office- that had gotten stale. But this could work too. Oh, this could definitely work too, he thought with a dreamy smile. As he gestured for his next client to come in, he knew it would be a messy healing job- he found himself a tad bit distracted.

Healing his boredom would hurt, it just wouldn't hurt him. If he played his cards right, the hero wouldn't even notice their own destruction. After all, he was a very talented doctor.

#writing #villain x hero #hero x villain #original fiction #oh BROTHER this guy stinks #angst-ish #whump??#thanks for the ask #love u very much

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annymation · 1 month

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Okay, I know Valentine's Day just passed, but how would a Valentine's Day interaction go with Aster and Asha? What would each of them do for each other on Valentine's Day?

Sorry for the VERY late reply, haven't got much time to answer lately, and before I didn't have much inspiration for this one, but @uva124 gave me an idea, so here's a little Valentine's day story

Asha decided that for Valentine's day she'd make a painting for Aster, a painting of a field of purple aster flowers, with a beautiful night sky.

However, because she's quite the perfectionist, and not as skilled with painting as she is with drawing, she felt like the painting wasn't quite good enough no matter what she did. So for days before Valentine's day arrived she'd hide in her room trying to finish it, not letting Aster see it.

But then the day actually arrives and she loses track of time trying to finish it, before she knows it it's already close to night time

*knock knock*

"Asha? You're in there?" Aster asks worried from outside her room

"A-AH! Don't come it yet! I'm busy!" Asha has her hands and arms all covered in paint as she tries to hide her unfinished work behind a cloth

"I know, you said so earlier but... Valentine's day is almost over, do you wanna hang out?" Aster sounded a bit sad that they didn't even see each other earlier

Asha looks surprised noticing it's indeed sunset, she completely lost track of time "Oh no! Ugh I knew I should've used acrylic paint!" She says in frustration

(For those who don't know, acrylic paint dries way faster than oil paint, I'd know, I used to make oil paintings)

"What are you talking about" Aster says coming in the room, they see her covered in paint "*gasp!* You were painting!?" He smiles widely "I didn't know you knew how to draw AND paint too!"

"That's because I honestly don't know how to paint, this turned out a mess" She points to the canvas hidden behind a piece of cloth

"... Let me be the judge of that" Aster walks in and pulls out the cloth to see her art.

The night sky is full of white dots splattered around that do resemble stars, and the purple field of flowers looks quite messy because the flowers all sorta mixed together into one purple blur.

Aster looks at the canvas in awe while Asha covers her face in shame "It looks like a child made it, I'm sorry, I've wasted the whole day instead of spending time with y-"

"I LOVE IT!" Aster exclaimed hugging her tightly "It looks amazing! What do you mean "like a child made it"???"

Asha smiles at him, but she still feels insecure about the painting "I wanted it to be perfect"

They smile at her reassuringly "You don't have to be perfect, you just have to be you, and that's way more than perfect for me, okay?" he says while still hugging her

She blushes as a big smile stretches across her face, she hugs him as well "Okay heheh" she giggles a bit, feeling her heart flutter

"Now! It's my turn to give you a gift, come on!" Aster pulls her by the hand out of the room

They go to the cliff next to the tree Asha wished upon Aster

(I make a lot of romantic scenes take place next to this tree but come on it's a cool location)

They watch the sun set together, leaning on one another without really saying anything, just admiring the beautiful sight

Once the sun is gone and the stars start to appear, Asha says "That was a beautiful gift" holding Aster's hand

"Oh that wasn't my gift yet" Aster corrects her with a cheeky smile "OKAY GUYS! Do your thing!" Aster yells to the sky above them

Asha looks up, already excited to see what he got planned but... Nothing seemed to happen

"... Guys???" Aster asked the stars, already getting nervous they wouldn't do the one little favor he asked

Then, Asha sees it, a shooting star cutting through the night sky

"*Gasp!* You asked for a shooting star just for me?" Asha asks hugging his arm

Aster looks quite disappointed though "... No, I asked for a meteor shower, it was supposed to be A BUNCH of those, like come on, is throwing some asteroids around too hard???" They ask, frustrated that things didn't go as he planned

"Hehe you don't need to make a whole cosmic event happen to make me happy" She leans on their shoulder "I love just watching the sun set with you"

Aster feels his heart beating faster "And I love you"

"I love you too"

They kiss under the starry night sky.

A few more shooting stars can be seen passing by.

#wish rewrite #wish reimagined #kingdom of wishes #ask #asha x star boy #asha x starboy #asha x star

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snakegorl212006 · 8 months

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What makes them worry about there S/o

========Clive + jill============== -when you’re out for long periods by yourself This was briefly mentioned earlier but clive and(Mostly) Jill would feel uncomfortable leaving you to your own devices for longer periods far away from any safe spots like Martha’s rest. Both suggest to have someone to accompany you.

-when in battle It's not news that you'll have to draw weapons at someone but it's a event they wish you'd avoid. Battling is like playing a game with chance and skill so not even they would know if you'll make it out alive in a fight. Because of this, they wish you avoid conflict at all costs or let them help you solve the problem.

=======Joshua + jote============= -when you and joshua by yourselves -jote is protective over both of you -yall’s safety is very important to her so having you guys out by yourselves makes her anxious -on the otherside joshua would be in the same situation if you and jote are out alone together -not only he fears of you both not returning when he’s bedridden he also fears of ultima who might get in contact with either one of you -unlike clive and jill, this worry would only stem if you are out with joshua or with jote for a extended period of time -for example; jote is shopping for medicine while both you and joshua are out and about shopping for useful items. When she returns to the inn/hotel/home and realized y'all haven't return, she begins to worry

====Cid=============== -he’s not the biggest worry wart but he has his moments when he’s concern -you can be out for extended periods in time(like explorations long) -you could be traveling too close to odin's territory or hang around in the blight -what makes him worry the most is when you’re injured -getting hurt any sort of way makes his heart sink. -like who hurt you? What harmed you? -being hurt or you having a near death experience would traumatize him

====Benedikta============ -based on canon she has some sort of abandonment issues(from my pov when i was playing) -so she worries i can even say fears that one day you’ll leave her -especially if you became almost a perfect replacement for that empty hole cid left within her -she does her best to become a good lover to you and would hide things from you if it means she’ll stay with you -if she cares enough for you,she’ll even put away some of her selfishness and try to accommodate to your needs -but this fear also explains her possessiveness and can be somewhat controlling of you -the last thing she wants is you to leave her alone

======Dion + terence============== -most fears and worries come from Dion -boi has a lot going on and since he has a image to keep and responsibilities he does worry he’ll have little time to spend with you -Terence also has the same worries for he has to be by Dion’s side as his second in command -this worry of making you feel left out also stems from them being gone for long periods of time dealing with orders from Dion’s father,Sylvestre, casualty wanting a conquest -they also both worry if you’re caught in the crossfire of anything -be it monsters, akashic, or even if Dion has to use Bahamut on home turf -Dion dose worry about you getting hurt by him -Terence just worries if you get into any trouble without protection

=====Barnabas + Sleipnir============ -barnabas dose fear about your death -although ultima’s ideals rain supreme, he does fear that he’ll lose the only think he cares about which is you -sleipnir holds similar worries and acts on these worries on barnabas’s behalf by granting you round the clock protection and advice so you wouldn't be turned akashic or end up parishing under any means -helicoptering you is just the side effect on having some power over odin -behind close doors barnabas truly worships you similarly to hugo -so you dying or having to be turned into basically a ether infused zombie is not something he looks forward to

====Hugo============ -like barnabas, he worries of your untimely demise -hugo wouldn't go so far as to helicopter you but would often suggest guards to accompany you or him -he always worries if something were to happen to you like a major injury -if you do end up fighting someone and you end up hurt, if the person who assaulted you is alive he would kill them and there entire bloodline and anyone involved -you’re his prize possession and he refuses to have anything happen to you

#ff16 x reader #ff16 #final fantasy 16 #final fantasy 16 x reader #jill warrick x reader #clive rosfield x reader #joshua rosfield x reader #cidolfus telamon x reader #jote x reader #terence x reader #dion lesage x reader #barnabas tharmr x reader #sleipnir harbard x reader #hugo kupka x reader #benedikta harman x reader

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heartfullofleeches · 2 years

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I’ve been thinking about this for a long time but how would C.C react to reader getting groped in a club while hes playing music? Like i suddenly remembered your C.C x hopeless romantic reader fic and the setting was in a club.

(tw: harassment)

C.C is.. surprisingly calm.

He always keeps a close eye on you when you're out; especially at one of his gigs so he immediately knows something's up. He'd seen the creep bump into you a couple times, but thinks nothing of it at first - till he sees their hands wondering where they shouldn't belong. You instantly distance yourself, but C.C had seen it all. His first thought is tearing them limb from limb, but his second is making sure you're okay.

"Sorry, everyone, tonight's show has to end a little early today. My..cat died or something."

C.C hands off his mic to the nearest person and surfs through the crowd to meet up with you. The other party in question is already long gone, but he'll deal with them later. He makes sure you're fine with it before scooping you up in a bear tight hug; apologizing for not paying more attention and letting you go so far back in such a large crowd. If you had a few drinks yourself, he stops by the bar to get you some water before taking you back to his apartment.

He makes sure you're alright the entire way; stopping to grab you anything you'd like. Once your back at his place he'll give you something to get you out of your night clothes - most likely something soft and easy to breath. C.C stays with you until you fall asleep or give verbal conformation that you're okay - but is still reluctant to leave at first. He feels responsible, and wants to make up for it by being at your beck and call. Over time, his rage for the situation boils over and he can no longer stay by your side without tearing someone a new one first.

It isn't too hard for him to find them. A "lesser" demon he may be as an incubus in this world; he still had features that could be put to good use. Their scent lingers to the clothes that you wore. He'd rather have them burned that ever going near them again, but they had just a little more purpose before being tossed into a fire.

With some lock picking skills he picked up in his earlier years of mortal living; C.C gets into their house without a problem. He nearly pukes at the heavy fragrance that lingers in the air - the putrid scent of the motherfucker that touched his Y/n. As he draws closer to their bedroom, his human disguise beings to slip. He wasn't too fond of his true form, but this rat deserved the absolute worst. To be ripped to shreds by his claws; vital points overlooked in favor of letting them bleed out before he sank his teeth into their throat.

By the time they notice him - it's already too late. All questions go unanswered, but he gives one of his own.

"You wanted to fool around with someone, right? Why don't we mess around for a bit?"

#C.C my oc #yandere incubus #yandere demon x reader #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere oc #yandere imagines #yandere x you #male yandere #yandere scenarios #yandere insert #yandere headcanons #yandere drabble #yandere fic

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ladyhindsight · 1 year

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Over the course of reading the books, it has become apparent that different editions have gone under several revisions. The original City of Bones, when reflected against the changes that have been made over the years to the manuscript, highlights how poor and haphazard the world-building in what would eventually become The Shadowhunter Chronicles was.

I’ve compared two different e-book versions of City of Bones, one of which appears to be the original text and one that I frankly have no idea which exact edition it is since my physical 2015 repackaged copy also varies from its contents. The left one is the supposedly original and the right one is the newer edition. Tap/click for bigger images since the text is pretty small for being compared side by side. There’s quite a few.

Magnus’ skin color.

Revamping the rune business. The unnamed permanent rune placed on dominant hand that lends extra skill with weapons is turned into the Voyance rune that aids their Sight.

For which the part highlighted with blue is deleted completely. Additionally Jace explaining his hunch about Clary’s Sight has become more rational. This underlines how little the concept of the Sighted was developed in the beginning.

In the long run it wouldn’t have made sense that no mundane in a century was Sighted.

All the stories are true is added.

Added punctuation and Isabelle’s Voyance rune. The original did not make sense either not to highlight any unnamed permanent runes that Isabelle might have/has.

Clary asks Isabelle did Jace bring her to the Institute. In the original, Hodge comes off as furious over Clary messing up the carpet with ichor and blood. This is missing in the newer edition.

Don’t know what is wrong with the “hedge-witch.” Also additional explanation on differences between warlocks and witches.

In the 2007 version the Gray Book is mentioned when Magnus shows a copy of one to Clary in order to jog her memory. In the newer edition, the Covenant Marks are replaced by Marks from the Gray Book.

Corrected probably because the timeline did not originally match.

This is a pretty big one. The original thought was that some random warlock summoned the Angel. Jonathan Shadowhunter as a concept most likely didn’t exist yet.

Added explanation on the Clave.

Relying on my memory and a quick search of the document, Iron Sisters were also not mentioned in the original text. Also the seraph blades were already named, which later on wouldn’t make sense as they just call a random name to activate the blade anyway (though Jace does use Sanvi and Sansanvi later on in both editions).

Changes made to the drawing of runes.

Jace explains to Clary how the Forsaken are made by placing a lot powerful runes on people who don’t have Shadowhunter blood. He also tells that one rune will only burn, which will be later proven wrong since the Starkweather changeling dies from one rune in TID. Hence the change, that even one rune might end up killing an ordinary human.

Concept of the Forsaken revamped in the sense that why the hell would any Downworlder be able to even use Nephilim runes??

Part of Jace and Madame Dorothea’s conversation deleted.

The concept of a “Control” being trashed. Wards added.

We’ve gone over this before. Pangborn and Blackwell were never meant to be warlocks, but it is confusing that Blackwell is purple. This part of the description was deleted, though his later appearance (in the newer edition) still describes him becoming “darker purple” which would mean he was purple in the first place.

I don’t know why this was deleted. Shadowhunters don’t have dental so I guess they don’t sharpen their teeth either.

Myths/Stories

Earlier in the book Jace tells Alec: “When I found her, she was lying on the floor in a pool of blood with a dying demon practically on top of her. I watched as it vanished. If she didn’t kill it, who did?” The original includes this, so it is strange that there would even be “a dead Ravener” when they leave no bodies behind.

Simon’s dislike of cats is deleted because he has a cat called Yossarian. Clary bumps into it in City of Ashes.

Basically this whole scene which didn’t make much sense to begin with. Mentioned earlier here and here.

The whole “Mortal Cup mostly working on children” angle is omitted and the concept of Ascension revamped. Also the concept of Ascension by that name did not exist.

Same continues here.

In the original text, Jace’s ring is first mentioned in the third chapter when Jace waves at Clary in Java Jones:

“She stared at Jace as she thought it, and he raised his left hand to wave at her. A ring glittered on a slim finger. He got to his feet and began walking, unhurriedly, toward the door. Clary’s lips parted in surprise. He was leaving, just like that.”

The next time it is mention in chapter 10:

“Jace looked down at his hands. They were slim and careful hands, the hands of an artist, not a warrior. The ring she had noticed earlier flashed on his finger. She would have thought there would have been something feminine about a boy wearing a ring, but there wasn’t. The ring itself was solid and heavy-looking, made of a dark burned-looking silver with a pattern of stars around the band. The letter W was carved in to it.”

In the revised edition, the ring is first mentioned in the chapter 9, the part that is highlighted with blue. Unlike in the original text, Jace’s ring is not mentioned in the third chapter:

“She stared at Jace as she thought it, and he raised his left hand to wave at her. He got to his feet and began walking, unhurriedly, toward the door. Clary’s lips parted in surprise. He was leaving, just like that.”

Like. Why? The whole sentence is deleted.

Isabelle corrected to Alec because it was Alec who said it, so it was an error in the original version.

Vampire drinking habits revised. Yet human subjugates remain illegal, they only get to drink once and not keep them around.

Magnus’ description changed.

This part of the dialogue deleted.

Witches/Warlocks

My 2015 physical copy also includes Gregor’s ashes, but the e-book has changed this scene so that vampires do not have the habit of turning into bats and dust.

My copy also includes Clary’s musings about ugly vampires which are deleted from the revised version.

This part made me question which version the newer revision is because my 2015 physical copy has the same line as here the original one and lacks the added line of Alec looking horribly ashamed.

Probably changed because why would Clary be expected to travel in any other world than theirs? Especially since Jace has told her only demons are capable of interdimensional travel. Also added attraction to Clary.

Again the “Control” being trashed.

This part of Jace’s words deleted.

And so this as well.

Added greater demon poison so it’s not just any demon poison as the original text led you to believe.

The explanation about Jace’s Wayland/Morgenstern ring is completely changed to cover up the plot hole it created in the original version.

This has also been discussed already.

Rather reflective of the mindset at the time of writing this. Girls be gossiping, indeed.

These are the ones I noticed. I’m still pretty unsure how many revisions the writing has actually gone through and whether my e-book is the latest version of City of Bones. But quite a lot has been changed.

#Clary Fray #Jace Herondale #Isabelle Lightwood #Alec Lightwood #Simon Lewis #City of Bones #Edition mods

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decafdino · 10 months

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WIP Wednesday

thanks to @alrightbuckaroo and @sanjuwrites for the tags! once again posting from my medieval au (fair warning: this part is not edited or beta'd)

The cockiness that's come over him is new, but he's pretty sure that has something to do with the fact that TK is still watching the lot of them. He plants his feet shoulder-width apart, sword at the ready. "What do you say, Captain Ryder?"

Judd whistles slowly, considering. "I'd say you'd better let Nancy know you'll be icing quite a few bruises," he says with a wide grin, drawing his sword.

If Judd was expecting to plow Carlos with pure strength alone, he's quickly proven wrong in his first heavy-handed swing of his halberd. Though he's nowhere near as acrobatic as Marwani, he uses Judd's weight to his advantage, leaping out of the way.

Judd's movements are predictable, but his swings hit hard. If Carlos wants to be at all successful here, he'll need to make sure to not get hit. Copying Marjan's movements from earlier, he flits in and out, getting a few strong cuts in.

Carlos just barely manages to roll out of the way of a downward strike and takes the opportunity to get behind Judd, knocking the back of his knees. Careful to use the flat end of the blade, Carlos uses his sword to put Captain Ryder in a chokehold and presses down on his neck.

He glances up and finds TK watching them intensely, and knows that he has been doing so this entire time. His mouth is set in a firm line, but the slight widening of his eyes suggest the prince might actually be impressed with him.

A spark of pride singes beneath his skin at the idea that TK is enjoying the show. Before he can think twice about it, Carlos shoots a smug smile his way. TK's cheeks redden in response, which only makes Carlos grin wider.

The moment is interrupted by a strong hand reaching over and grasping the back of his shirt. Before Carlos can blink, he's thrown on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Judd stands above him with Carlos' own sword pointed at the center of his chest.

The fight officially won, Judd pulls the sword away and helps him up. "First rule they teach you in the king's army: never get distracted."

Carlos feels his face heat up. "I— um—"

"I'm just jokin', kid. You've got skill, I'll tell you that." He hands Carlos back his sword and leans in to whisper, "Though you really shouldn't be makin' eyes in the middle of fight."

He nearly stumbles from the shock of Judd's statement. "I wasn't— I don't know what you're talking about, sir." First Paul, and now Captain Ryder?

"'Course you don't," Judd says, winking. "Don't worry; I ain't much inclined to share what's not my business."

He walks off, and Carlos is left alone to consider the possibility that the butterflies swooping in his stomach at the sight of TK glancing his way aren't a normal reaction.

not sure who's left to tag, so sorry if you've already gone! @jesuisici33, @morganaspendragonss, @welcometololaland, @liminalmemories21, @rmd-writes and here's an open tag for anyone who I'm missing (tag me back bc I want to see!)

#tarlos #911 lone star #tarlos fic #tk strand #carlos reyes #floggyfics #fanfic #wip challenge #medieval!au #wip wednesday

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remycroft · 4 months

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Cross my heart I hope you die || Heimdall X Reader

Chapter 3 - Family

We had found my mother's wings. She seemed slightly better now she had them back, they were a part of her and now they were now with her. The bad thing about us and Sigrun finding them was that she now has the ability to keep high ground in combat, so Atreus might be fatherless soon.

I was perched in a tree outside what I was told was their home by my mother. My objective was to pin Atreus back with an arrow and then jump down to make sure he stays pinned, it was easy enough. Climbing the tree was fun, it reminded me of my childhood and the times before everything went to shit.

I wasn't allowed out past the stave, I had constantly argued with her, telling her that I just want to meet someone, make a friend. I had known people but they were just the people who wandered into the stave looking for help, they were healed by my mother, with a little bit of my assistance, and got sent on their way immediately afterwards. My only friend was Chaurli, and he was a tortoise, not a human. Life was boring, I was taught to read, write, cultivate a garden, and normal life skills. I was an avid reader so my mother gave me books on magic when I turned sixteen and before that it was fiction, fairytales of love, innocence, they all had messages to them; one was that you'll always find your way back to the one you love, I liked that one. It meant there would be a happy ending, it was a nice thought in such a bleak world.

It was when I turned twenty that my mother told me why I couldn't leave. She had told me that Odin had my father killed when she was pregnant with me, so she kept me in the stave so I could be safe, so that Odin wouldn't take me from her like he'd taken away everything else she loved, and thus my weapons training started. I trained with bow and arrow first, I struggled to draw the bow and my grip was clumsy but I still hit the target. I did it again, even though my grip was even worse than the last time, it still found it's way. This was how we figured out that I couldn't miss a shot, still I needed to increase my speed, which meant practice and becoming stronger. We figured out that I could see the logical path by my impulse to sway away from the emotional or moral and go to the logical, sometimes I didn't listen though, that was only when my emotions got the better of me. My hypersensitivity was found out early on, I once got overwhelmed by every single sense so I broke down into tears.

In my training, my mother gave me permission to climb trees so I could find new targets, that was the most fun part of training.

The sound of Atreus leaving the hut took me out of my thoughts. Wait leaving? He hadn't entered in the first place, mother and I have been here since daybreak. There were Hel-walkers outside and I drew my bow to try and help him but mother gave me a signal, saying not to, I reluctantly did so.

Apparently I wasn't needed because Atreus was fantastic and fought well. It's nice to see that he was getting stronger, growing as a person, I hope he'll be able to grow even more.

Atreus went to leave through a gateway that shimmered with a glowing light, was this the new form of realm travel he had talked about? Before he was able to leave though the figure of the Ghost of Sparta came through. I looked at my mother and she nodded, it's showtime. Fuck, I hope this goes well.

The fight went better than I had thought, we got the best outcome. I pinned Atreus as instructed and kept him away while my mother fought them as Vanadis, it would have gone to shit after my mother almost cut Kratos' throat but Atreus becoming free of me and turning into a bear fixed that problem.

My mother had actually decided to show mercy and keep him alive, thank Ymir.

"Atreus, home." Kratos ordered him, "Home? Really?" He seemed annoyed, from what I saw earlier there was definitely some trust issues going on, apparently he had been gone two days. It explains why I didn't see him go in, but why didn't he leave? "You will tell then truth when I return, now I must set things right."

I noticed another two pairs of footsteps and looked behind me, two dwarves. One was purple and looked rough, stubble covering his jawline while the other was pale with a thick beard. "We'll take him." The pale one said, "Who are you people?" I ask, they seemed to know Atreus and Kratos but I was still wary.

"My names Sindri and this is Brok, my brother." Brother? They barely looked the same. "They're friends, (Y/n)." Atreus reassures me, okay that was all that mattered. He looks at my mother, "Your majesty, erm princess." He gestures to my mother than to me, "I'm sorry, what did you just call me?" I ask, I understand the title, I've never been called it in my life though so it was awkward but he didn't know me. "The family resemblance is astonishing, I'm guessing your eyes are your fathers though." My eyes were an emerald green not the brown my mother's are, I like having something as prominent as my eyes be something that links me to my father, I like to think of it as me showing him my world as I grow up and wherever he is now, Hel, Valhalla, or the light of Alfheim, he can see his daughters life, the one she so desperately wants to share with him. "A pleasure to see you again." He bows to my mother.

"Brauðnefr." Coward. He was being kind? How was that a cowardly act? His brother was clearly not a kind man.

"Do not let him out of your sight." Kratos instructs the brothers, Atreus goes to leave but I stop him.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to say, that I'm sorry for everything." I trace the scar on his cheek that I gave him, "Especially this, I hope you know that I never wanted to see you harmed or your father."

"I know and you're forgiven." He gives me a gentle smile and I feel cleansed, the guilt of what I had been doing to them was eating at me and I hated it, I just wanted all this conflict to stop, now there was a chance it may.

"Y'heard him, sunshine. Come on, get a move on." Atreus and the pale dwarf leave and I'm left with my mother and the man we've been hunting for three years and the purple dwarf.

"What is it that you want?"

"I refuse to remain bound to this realm. We travel to Vanaheim."

"Guess it's just us then." He announces himself from below us. "Do I get to go too? You're not leaving me here?" I hoped not, not only did the thought of being alone in Midgard without my mother frighten me but she also spoke highly of her previous home, I really wanted to see it for myself. "I told you I wouldn't leave you alone." Not after the incident.

"One gateway to Vanaheim coming right up." The dwarf said running to the pile of rocks that turns into a gateway.

"I crafted a protection ward that will keep me from gettting pulled out of the realm till I find what I need." I watched her do it, I liked watching her do magic as a whole. It was truly a sight to see, the beautiful, intricate carvings of runes that had to be made for a spell as large as the one she did, the entire ritual as a whole, the incantation, the way the words rolled off her tongue, everything was just awe-inspiring. I wish I could do it but I can't, just simple magics for me. The most I could conjure was a fucking dead sapling.

And what is that?"

"The source of the magic that binds me to Midgard. We're going to find it and destroy it."

"I will help you, but it will not change what I have done." He doesn't really have much of a choice. He does this or Atreus spends the rest of his days without a father. "I know, that's why I still might kill you when this is over."

"MOTHER!" I shout at her, she told me that he would get given a choice; do this favour and he gets mercy or don't and die. "You swore you wouldn't take his life when this was all over."

"No, I said I wouldn't kill him at this point if he helps with this task." There was no fighting her on this.

"We goin' or what?" Brok shouts, so rude and impatient are his main characteristics, I make a mental note for if this is ever needed in future.

Kratos lifts a rock to the door and it builds itself, Brok intervenes when he tries to get on the rune for Vanaheim. "Aint going nowhere without this."

"Shuh! Where would you muck-spats be without me?" Midgard, that is where we would be. He holds a glowing blue crystal to the door and it must have allowed us access to Vanaheim. Okay, I have to admit it, the dwarf is talented in his craft if he can do things like this. I add intelligent to the mental note of the purple dwarf's characteristics.

We walk through the door and what I see is like something out of the books I'd read. It was so beautiful that it didn't seem real. Everything in this realm was white and blue, or a mix in between. We were walking the branches of Yggdrasil right now, this was something not everyone could say. It had patches of grass and weeds which were also the same blue colour. This was a sight to behold, nothing could get better than this. "What is it you expect to need Kratos for, highness?" The head says, I remember him, I just can't remember his name. "Clearly you've been quite capable of breaking Odin's curses on your own." No she hasn't, she needed so much help from me, Sigrun and the other Valkyries, even with the curses growing weak from Fimbulwinter, they still held quite strong, strong enough to need others. My mother was also not in a strong state of mind due to Baldur's death, that's where I- or I at least tried to come in, be a shoulder to cry on.

"The other curses grew weak from Fimbulwinter, but I still needed help to break them. This one has held strong."

"So all that tryin' to kill him, that was just your goddessy way of askin for help?"

"I don't recall asking you to come along." My mother retorts, the dwarf was annoying her, probably more than he was annoying me because he could actually get under her skin, they knew eachother. People couldn't really get under my skin, I didn't have many secrets and the ones I did have stayed mine and my mother's. I didn't have anyone else to tell, I had basically forfeited my place as Atreus' friend and there was no one else.

"Because you didn't. I got an old drinking buddy I been meaning to look up once this joint were back on the map." At least he'll be leaving us. "Got a hunch lending you mokes a hand's gonna end me up where I'm goin'."

"And what makes you think that?"

"Cause' last I head tell, she was running with that beef-wit brother of yours."

"Freyr." My uncle, my mother wouldn't speak much of him only that she loved him and missed him. She also told me that he was kind, loved by the elves, and quite lazy. I kind of really want to meet him. "Is not a part of this."

"Well, my hunch says otherwise. Scrote, too." A door of light appears and I wait for everyone to go through it before I do so myself. I only know this should lead to Vanaheim, where in Vanaheim I have no idea.

I go through the door and I automatically feel the humidity. I look around me and see trees, bushes, flowers in shades of red and green. The trees were absolutely huge, I would love to climb them, it's probably dangerous though. Despite the humidity I wish I'd been raised here, I would be happy and my mother would be home.

Thank you very much for reading, I'm sorry I didn't post in a while but you can find this fic up on AO3 under the same name if you'd like to read more if I don't upload.

#gow ragnarok #heimdall #heimdall gow #heimdall x reader #god of war ragnarok

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luckyqueenreign · 1 year

Text

No Other Love - Chapter 3: Mad Woman

The islanders head for a night out at 'the movies' where secrets are revealed.

🎵 Song 🎵: Mad Woman

Every time you call me crazy I get more crazy What about that? And when you say I seem angry I get more angry

Thank you to my angel bb @katsie who spoils me with her editing skills and who I love so much and don't deserve. She also added like a full page to this so this was basically cowritten by Kat.

Tag list: @katsie @future-mrs-suresh @litg-burnbook @0shewrites0 @bradybunch111 @whati390 @hi-im-karla @fujihime-litg @kunepie @differenttyphoonwerewolf @earlyevenings @pho3nixx67 @sienna2world @kikithegr8 @theesocialintrovert @iamgaryrennells @kiwi-tai @sortedchaos @pus-things @abecerra611 (let me know if you want to be added on to tag list)

Read on AO3

Gemma was suffocating under the pressure of it all and she couldn’t breathe. She awoke to find herself tangled under Nicolas’ heavy limbs, his leg splayed on top of hers and his arm draped heavily over her chest, preventing her from taking anything but small shallow breaths. She tried twisting her body underneath him but it only made him stir and move closer to her, holding her tighter than before.

This is impossible. I need to wake him up or I’ll suffocate to death.

“Nic,” she whispered.

“Mmm…” he groaned.

“Nic, I can’t breathe,” she gasped.

He opened his eyes slowly and smiled, gently lifting his leg and arm off of her.

“I’m sorry about that, beautiful.”

She suppressed an annoyed groan. Why did he have to keep calling her that? Suresh had always called her that. It was his thing, and Nic doing it made her uncomfortable.

“It’s okay. I just wanted an earlier start to the day,” she said, stretching as she got up. “But you sleep in.” She noticed Suresh wasn’t in bed and she couldn’t stop herself from wondering where he’d gone. She immediately pushed the thought from her mind.

He’s with Lulu now, she reminded herself and quickly headed for the dressing room to clear her head.

She could hear the other islanders finally getting up as she finished getting ready, and listened as some of them called dibs on the showers, others headed out to the gym, while the sensible ones announced they were getting breakfast. Her heart skipped a little when her phone pinged, and she listened to see if anyone had heard. Then she was filled with a sense of dread as she realized the text she received was specifically for her, it was production asking her to head to the beach hut for an interview. Oh god, this isn’t going to be fun, she thought as she reached for the door knob. Before she had a chance to even reach it, it flew open and she stumbled back. A pair of hands grabbed her arms, keeping her from falling. She stared up at Suresh with wide eyes, and he smiled down at her.

“You ok, G?” It was like an unspoken electric charge passed between them, drawing them closer to one another.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” she said, straightening herself out and taking a small step back, out of his grip.

“Don’t apologize.” His hand twitched at his side as he dropped it. He wanted to touch her face but didn’t know if it would be a good idea or not. As if his hand made up his mind for him, his palm reached for her cheek, taking a strand of hair that had escaped her messy bun and tucked it behind her ear. Gemma took a shaky breath, frozen to the ground, unsure of what to do or say. Words were lost to her at this moment, stuck in the lump in her throat. She smiled up at him and right as she was going to say something they heard someone walking down the hall, towards them. His hand left her cheek, leaving it cold in his absence.

They both turned to see Nicolas walking towards them. Suresh sighed, clearly annoyed to see him.

“I’ll catch you later, Gem,” he said as he walked away, stealing one final glance at her.

Nicolas walked up to her smiling, holding out his phone. “Hey Gem, did you get a text to come to the beach hut, too? Nicolas asked with a big grin. “I think we’re doing a couples interview.”

“Yeah…I did,” she said. “Let’s head inside.” As he closed the door behind them, Gemma briefly touched her cheek.

Following their uneventful beach hut interview that took up most of the morning, Gemma found herself on the daybeds with Nicolas’ head in her lap as he told her different stories that she’d inadvertently stopped paying attention to. She added in the occasional “umms” and “ahhs”, laughed when it seemed he was getting ready for a punchline, but she was too distracted to focus. She was absentmindedly playing with his hair when she saw Suresh pulling Lulu for a chat on the bean bags. Until then she hadn’t noticed that they were the only two not spending the day together. Suresh looked awkward, like he was having a hard time saying what he needed to say. Lulu sipped on her water bottle and nodded sadly. She said something with a crease in her brow, but Gemma couldn’t hear any of their conversation from where she sat, and it wasn’t like she could read their lips either.

Are they breaking up? she wondered as she continued to weave her fingers through Nicolas’s hair. This looks like a breakup chat.

At that moment, Suresh got up and hugged Lulu.

That was definitely a break up chat.

Suresh glanced around and Gemma’s chest tightened when they locked eyes. He took a deep breath before making his way over. Her hands started to sweat.

He’s coming to talk to me. He’s coming to talk to me. He’s actually coming to talk to me.

Her heart was hammering against her ribs and she was certain they were being bruised. She couldn’t breathe, her hands stilling in Nic’s hair. He didn’t notice.

She couldn’t help notice that Suresh looked anxious. Why was he anxious?

You’ve got this, Gemma, she told herself as she tried to calm her own nerves.

*TEXT PING*

Alfie and Meera were in the kitchen when he shouted, “Hey! I’ve got a text!”

Suresh sighed, but changed course and walked over to the kitchen with the other islanders coming up behind him.

Alfie made a show of clearing his throat before he read out the text as dramatically as he could, “Islanders, it’s time to get glammed up and hit the red carpet as you attend Mad Movies the premiere! #SpillThePopcorn #ITV2andChill.”

“Mad Movies? So the movies are about us?” Nicolas asked.

“It seems to be that way,” Alfie said, then continued reading the instructions. “This will be a boys vs girls challenge. Each team will sit on opposite sides answering questions. Whoever gets the question right, or closest to the correct answer, will get to choose which movie they want to watch.”

“Oh…” Nicolas suddenly looked nervous.

“You look a little green there, Nic. You have any secrets you don’t want shared?” Kat teased.

“What? No!” Nic answered, his voice a note too high. “I’m totally fine.” He smiled at Gemma, but she could sense something was wrong. He was hiding something.

“Should we go get glammed up then girls?” Lulu asked.

“Yes, let’s go!” Gabi trilled.

After finishing up their looks, the girls made their way outside and gawked at the yard, which had been completely transformed in a matter of hours. In the middle of the lawn were two long tables lined up with popcorn, snacks and drinks. A row of chairs were lined up one side, facing a large theater-sized screen that read ‘WELCOME TO MAD MOVIES’.

“Oh my god girls! Look, that table is for us, I cannot wait to see what hot goss we’re going to uncover!” Kat laughed.

“Be careful what you wish for, Kat. You and Finn both have movies up there,” Dana cautioned.

Kat leered at her, flipped her hair and proceeded to ignore her. “Obviously Finn’s been a good boy but if we girls win the first point, that’s definitely the movie we’re watching first. No ifs, ands or buts about it.”

Gabi rolled her eyes and said, “I’m glad we’re all being team players here.”

*TEXT PING*

Gemma looked down at her phone and read out the first trivia question, “On average, roughly how many acts of sexual intercourse happen around the world every day?”

She could hear the boys murmuring but focused on what the girls were saying.

“OK, there’s eight billion people in the world,” Lulu whispered. We have to factor in babies, kids and super old people. None of them are having sex.”

“And the text says everyday, too,” Gemma added. “The number can’t be that high.”

She could hear Nicolas suggest two billion and the boys agreeing.

“So what are we thinking, like 80 million?” Dana asked.

“Yes! Let’s go with that,” Gabi whispered.

Gemma wrote in their answer and a few seconds later they received a text alerting them the girls won.

“Yes! Girls win, the answer is 100 million and we get to choose the first movie,” Gemma said excitedly.

The screen suddenly updated and listed the ‘coming attractions’.

The Sure-shank Redemption

The Disaster Artist

Good Finn Hunting

The Fast & The Furious

“Girls, we obviously want to start with Good Finn Hunting, right?” Kat asked annoyingly.

“Ugh just let her have it,” Meera said. “If we don’t give her the movie now, she’ll be whining about it all night.”

The girls looked at Meera surprised and a few chuckled.

“Personally I want to see The Sure-shank Redemption,” Gabi said and pointedly looked at Gemma. “See what kind of mess Suresh has been getting into behind our backs.”

“We don’t have time for this…We pick ‘Good Finn Hunting’,” Gemma conceded.

The screen came to life with Finn and a busty brunette chatting in bed at Casa Amor. She was wearing skimpy lingerie and eyed him seductively.

“Do you know who you’re sharing a bed with tonight?” she asked.

He smirked at her and played with her hair.

“Well I couldn’t possibly kick you out of my bed when you look this good in it,” Finn teased.

She inched closer to him wrapping herself around him and the clip cut to another scene.

Finn and Eddie were whispering in what still looked to be Casa Amor.

“So where’s your head at?” Eddie looked at Finn with a worried look on his face.

Finn ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Mate, I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, Kat’s a great girl and all, but her kissing Alfie? That changed everything for me. She’s so immature, how can I possibly trust her? And then there’s Millie and Gemma, who I think are way more my type.”

“Would you ever recouple with either of them?”

“Honestly…Yes. Millie might be a little high maintenance for me and bringing her back from Casa Amor might prove challenging, but Gemma? She’s special. There’s something about her that I just can’t put my finger on. She’s stunning, obviously, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?”

Kat looked at Gemma and Finn with fire in her eyes.

“So I’m not your type then, Finn? You want Gemma now?” She said Gemma’s name as if it were sour and having it in her mouth disgusted her. “And who the fuck is Millie? Was it that bitch you spent the night with, while I slept alone every night?”

“Kat, I was just mad about the kiss before Casa,” Finn said as he shifted awkwardly. “It didn’t mean anything.” He stole a glance at Gemma, then quickly looked down at the beer in front of him.

“I won’t sit around and be made a mug of, Finn,” she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. “You better come and speak to me immediately after this is done.”

*TEXT PING*

“Come on guys, it’s all good, let’s move on to the next one,” Alfie said, trying to break the tension. “Let me read the next question.” He took a deep breath. “What precentage of people use their smartphones during sex?”

“Ok girls, we need to get this one. The last movie was savage and now I'm scared to see what footage they have on us,” Gabi said.

“It’s got to be high, people film it or watch porn on their smartphones,” Dana said.

“Ok, so what are we thinking, like 50%?” Meera asked.

There was a mixture of ‘yeahs’, so Meera sent in their response.

*TEXT PING*

“Answer is 20%. Boys win!” Alfie cheered.

Once more the screen came to life with a curtain closing on the boys’ coming attractions, now listing the girls’.

There’s Something about Meera

The Ex Files

The Truth About Kats & Dogs

She’s Just Not That Into You

LuLu Land

The Wedding Planner

“Finn, you want to see Kat’s?” Alfie offered.

“Actually, yes,” Finn said. “If you boys don’t mind.”

“I’d much rather watch The Ex Files,” Suresh said, eyeing Gemma.

“Let’s do that one on the next go,” Nicolas said. “I’m curious about that one, too.”

“Alright,” Alfie said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. “Let’s see The Truth About Kats & Dogs.”

The screen faded to black, then an image of Kat lit up. She sashayed into the living room to find Suresh deep in thought. She sidled up close to him on the couch, placing her hands on his shoulders and started gently massaging him.

“Suresh, it kills me to see you so upset,” she cooed. “Are you spooked by Gemma’s secret, that she was going to propose to you?”

He shrugged her off his shoulders and moved slightly over, creating more space between them on the couch.

“Kat…please. I’d like to be left alone right now, if you don’t mind.”

But Kat wasn’t taking no for an answer. She gently cupped his face and forced him to look at her.

“Babe, you said it yourself, you’d both be better off if you moved on. So why don’t you let me help you. I can take your mind off of Gemma,” she giggled and leaned just a little bit closer. “Help you see what else is out there. You might like it.” She attempted to close the distance entirely, but Suresh stood up so fast Kat nearly face-planted into the pillows.

Suresh headed to the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

The clip cut to a different scene with Alfie and Kat on the roof terrace.

“Babe, I know what I saw,” Kat said, her lips formed into a slight pout. “Gemma and Suresh were inhaling each other. I honestly think if I hadn’t interrupted them, they would’ve had sex right then and there in the middle of the day, on your shared bed.”

Alfie looked at her, confused. “That can’t be. Gemma and I…we were finally in a really good spot. And Suresh is with Arlo. How could they do this to me?”

Alfie looked as if he might cry. With one finger Kat gently stroked his cheek, landing on his chin. She lifted his head and forced him to look at her.

“You deserve the world, Alf.”

She looked at him with a hungry desire, then kissed him hard. At first it was clumsy and sloppy as she caught him off guard, but soon he joined in. Their tongues greeting each other for the first time in weeks. Alfie didn’t care that this was wrong, that he was cheating. All he cared about was that someone in this moment wanted him. The clip ended when Gemma opened the terrace door and caught them.

“So it was you!” Finn shouted. “This whole time you had me thinking it was Alfie who initiated the kiss but it was you the whole time.”

“Are we disregarding that she also tried to hook up with Suresh?” Dana asked.

“Especially after I told her that it would make me uncomfortable,” Gemma added, looking at Kat angrily.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Finn! I only kissed Alfie after you kissed Arlo. And Gemma, I told you I was going to put him to a test and he passed, you should be thrilled.”

“I didn’t ask you to put Suresh through a test, Kat,” Gemma hissed, tensing up in her seat. “You decided that all on your own.”

“This is exactly the shit I’m talking about. We were coupled up when you inserted yourself in both scenarios.” Finn took a large swig of his beer.

*TEXT PING*

“Looks like you and Kat will need to sidebar on this convo later, we have a new question,” Suresh said.

“On average, how often do men think about sex?”

He glanced up at Gemma and smirked. She tried so hard not to respond, but the corners of her mouth deceived her as they curled up into a smile. She looked away and focused on the task at hand.

“I feel like there’s not a number big enough,” Gemma laughed.

“Yeah, it’s gotta be high,” Meera said.

“Every fifteen minutes,” Dana suggested. The girls all laughed in unison, including Kat who seemed to be getting slightly more comfortable after her and Finn’s outburst.

“Let’s say, 18 times a day. That’s at least once every waking hour,” Lulu whispered.

*TEXT PING*

“Every seven seconds, boys win!” Suresh said, squaring his shoulders as his eyes locked on Gemma. “And we already know which movie we’re watching. Let’s play ‘The Ex Files’.”

The screen showed Gemma holding the Casa Amor postcard in her hands, staring at it longingly. She hadn’t let go of it since they received it nearly three hours ago.

“Babe, you’re going to burn a hole through that picture,” Dana chuckled.

“He’s sleeping alone on the daybed,” Gemma said for the umpteenth time, looking at Dana with excitement. “Maybe he really meant what he said, about wanting us to try again.”

Dana nodded slowly, eyeing her friend warily. She wanted Gemma to be happy, of course, but this wasn’t a cut-and-dry situation.

“Okay,” she said cautiously. “So, best case scenario is he comes back single. Do you think you’ll be ready to take him back?”

Gemma looked back down at the postcard, a warmth spreading from her chest and throughout her entire body. Suresh was sleeping peacefully on his back, his chiseled body only partially covered by the duvet. One of his arms was bent behind his head, one leg poking out from the covers, nearly hanging off the side. She imagined herself back in those arms, lying next to his warm body again.

Gemma opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She closed it and tried again. “If he comes back single…” She made a noise, like a groan and a sigh wrapped into one. Saying it out loud would make it real. She wouldn’t be able to pretend anymore. She wouldn’t be able to lie, to say she was fine when she really wasn’t, because someone else would know.

“Yes,” she managed to croak out, staring at the postcard. She couldn’t look at Dana as she spoke, opening her heart knowing she could potentially get hurt again and she wouldn’t be able to fake her way out of it. “Yes. If he comes back single, and still wants to make it work like he said, then I’m ready to give him a chance again.”

“Are you sure, Gem?” Dana pressed, placing her hand on Gemma’s knee. “Could you fully trust him again, truly?”

Gemma finally looked up at her, holding her gaze. “I already do,” she admitted. “I hate to admit it, but I do trust him again. He’s shown a different side lately, I really think he’s changed. And besides–” She nearly choked on the lump in her throat and took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking and she gripped the postcard tighter, memories flooding her mind. “I can’t not try, you know? It’s Suresh.”

The screen faded to black and the silence was deafening. Suresh looked over at Gemma, and for the second time today, the electric charge between them once again ignited a fire.

“Gem–”

“Not now, Suresh. Not here.” Her eyes pleaded with him to let it go for now. She avoided Nicolas’ glare as she took a big gulp of her wine and continued looking straight ahead. She couldn’t talk about her feelings for him here, not in front of everyone. She’d take him aside after the challenge and speak to him privately. She couldn’t avoid it now.

“Well at least they’re not all bad,” Dana muttered under her breath.

Suresh kept glancing at Gemma, hoping she would look at him, but she continued to stare at the screen. He ran his large fingers through his hair as the next text came through.

“Let’s get on with it then, I’ve got the next question,” Lulu said. “To the nearest hour, how long did the longest kiss without a break reportedly last for?”

“I’ve read this! It was fifty nine hours,” Meera said.

“Without a break? There’s no way! How did they eat and sleep?” Kat chimed in.

“No, trust me! I literally read this article before I got here,” Meera said.

“Okay. Send it, Gabi,” Gemma said.

*TEXT PING*

“Girls win! The answer was fifty nine hours!” Gabi cheered. “Good on you Meera!”

“Which one do you girls want? Gemma, should we go for ‘The Sure-shank Redemption’?” Dana asked.

“I’d like to see that one,” Gabi chimed in.

“I really want to see Alfie’s movie but I can’t tell which one he is,” Meera whined.

“Then we can figure that out on our next win,” Gabi said. “We’re going with ‘The Sure-shank Redemption’.”

Suresh came to life on the screen, slumped over a fruit bowl in the Casa Amor kitchen. He was rearranging them until he found the orange he was looking for.

“Why the long face?” Eddie asked.

Suresh sighed and looked around to see if anyone else was within earshot of them. When he deemed the coast clear he whispered, “I’ve just been having a really hard time here. I know you boys all said I should forget about Gemma, that she didn’t give me a response before I left and that that in and of itself is a response, but mate I miss her so much.”

“What about Lulu? You’ve been chirpsing away all day with her.”

“Lulu is great. She’s nice and all, but there is absolutely no spark. And the only person on my mind is Gemma.” He sighed, picking at the sticker on the orange. “I actually hate that I have to pretend to graft, right now.”

“Why are you pretending to graft? Why don’t you just go back single and tell Gemma how you feel?”

“Because what if it’s a scenario where one of us will get dumped if the other twists. I’m coupled with Arlo right now and I have no faith that she won’t twist. She knows Gemma and I kissed before Casa, so she’s gotta be fuming.”

“Fair point.”

“I just wish I didn’t have to hurt Lulu or string her along in the process.”

He doesn’t want Lulu. Gemma stared at the now-black screen with renewed confusion. He’s only ever wanted me.

“Well, at least now it makes sense why you dumped me this afternoon,” Lulu stated.

“Lulu…” Suresh said nervously. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Gemma finally dared to look over at Suresh, and without saying anything they both instantly understood each other. There was still an undeniable spark between them and apparently neither one of them were ready to let it go.

*TEXT PING*

“Alright girls, here we go,” Meera said, breaking the silence. “What percentage of women fantasize about other men during sex with their partners?”

A chorus of ‘I’ve done it’s’ started as most of the girls admitted to having done it.

“So what are we thinking, then? I think about 45%. Is everyone happy with that?” Dana asked.

“Yes! And I get my Alfie movie if we’re right, right?” Meera asked.

“Yes, babe. You’ll just have to decide between the last two because it was unclear which one was his or Nic’s,” Gemma said.

*TEXT PING*

“Girls win! The answer was 46%!” Meera beamed. “Dana, you smashed it!” She looked at the screen, trying to decipher the title to figure out which of the remaining two movies belonged to Alfie.

“It can’t be The Fast & The Furious because that’s probably a sex thing and that is definitely not Alfie.” She winked at him. “We’re going to go with The Disaster Artist.”

The screen showed Nicolas pacing back and forth on the rooftop while Pete and Johnny sat on the bench, watching him.

“What’s the game plan boys?” Nicolas asked excitedly.

“Game plan?” Johnny looked at Pete with a confused look.

“Yeah, what are you on about, Nic?” Pete asked.

“Come on! You can’t tell me that you two came in here with no game plan? We’ve had the opportunity to watch these girls for weeks and you guys are just squandering it away?”

“I just don’t look at this as a game,” Pete said. “I like Arlo and I have a connection with her, so I’m going to explore that.”

“Same for me,” said Johnny. “I like Dana and Gemma. But I don’t know either of them well enough to say who I have a better connection with.”

“First off, you’re wasting your time on Dana. She’s been on Gabi’s ass since she turned up in the villa, which is weird if you ask me since Gemma is supposed to be her ‘bestie’,” he sneered. “I’d say focus on Kat, just play up that Finn is definitely cheating on her.”

“Why Kat? She’s not really my type,” Johnny said.

“You can’t have Gemma, she’s mine. I’ve had my sights set on her since she walked in the villa.”

“So you like Gemma then?” Johnny asked.

“What does it matter if I like her or not?” Nicolas laughed before continuing. “We just need someone desperate and lonely enough to convince that they should bring us back. I’ve been studying Suresh, I know his mannerisms. I’m just gonna copy the bloke and have her eating out of my hand.”

“I don’t like this plan, mate. Gemma’s a great girl, she doesn’t deserve this,” Johnny tried.

“I look at it as me doing her a favor. She’s damaged goods right now. First Suresh pies her off for Arlo, then Alfie kisses Kat. Who's going to come in now and want to deal with that? And besides, now she doesn’t have to go back to her shitty, cheating ex and she can be with a real man for once.”

Gemma felt her skin burning, her jaw hurt from clenching her teeth so hard. She turned and looked at Nicolas with venom in her eyes and wished she could strike him with a blow so hard that it would send him straight back to Coventry.

“Desperate and lonely?” she snarled. “Damaged goods?”

“Gemma…” Nicolas held up his hands palm-up, fighting to keep his voice as calm as possible. “This is completely out of context, it’s bad editing. I didn’t say half of those things in that way, you have to believe me.”

“FUCK. YOU. Nicolas. And if it wasn’t clear we’re fucking done. Don’t you dare try to come and talk to me after this.”

“Gem-”

“She said she’s fucking done mate,” Suresh barked, nearly getting up from his chair. “Get it through your thick head before I help you understand.”

“This isn’t about you!” Nicolas snapped back.

Suresh stood up from his chair abruptly, nearly knocking over the table, and glared at Nicolas. Alfie stood up quickly to block him.

“It’s calm, it’s calm,” he said with both hands on Suresh’s shoulders, trying to get him to focus on him and sit back down. Gemma acted more on instinct than sense as she hurried over to the boys, pushing herself in between the two men. Her hands replaced Alfie’s on Suresh’s heaving chest. His nostrils were flared, his body rigid.

“Resh, look at me,” she said. His eyes flickered down to her, then returned to Nicolas who was standing behind Alfie, practically hiding.

“He’s not worth it. Sit down, please,” she begged, and he looked back down at her. His eyes searched her face, brows creasing as he did. She pushed his chest softly, so he took a deep breath and nodded.

“Fine,” he said, ticking his jaw. “For you.”

He gave Nicolas another glare, but did as Gemma asked and sat down. As he watched her make her way back to the girls’ table, his hand twitched. He wanted so badly to just reach out and pull her back, to kiss her and hold her, to just have her back in his arms.

*TEXT PING*

“Let’s just move on, it looks like this is our last one,” Dana said, then proceeded to read the text. “How long does the average female orgasm last?”

“This will be embarrassing if we don’t get this one, girls,” Lulu said.

“I don’t know, like ten seconds?” Meera said.

“I don’t actually sit there and time my orgasms out,” Kat snorted.

“It’s gotta be more than ten seconds, I think maybe fifteen,” Gabi suggested.

“Okay, we’ll go with fifteen.” Dana typed out and sent in their answer.

*TEXT PING*

“Boys win!” Finn whooped. “The answer was twenty seconds.” He gave the girls a suggestive wink, then looked up at the titles on the screen. “I think we’re just going to pick this one at random and go with ‘The Wedding Planner’.”

Meera eyed Alfie suspiciously. “Alf, you didn’t want to watch ‘There’s Something About Meera’?”

“Have you seen these movies?” Alfie asked, shaking his head. “No, I’ll stay away from the drama, thank you very much.”

Meera huffed as she crossed her arms and turned to watch the screen come to life with the next movie.

Gabi sat on the roof terrace, hugging her knees and stifling her tears, when Nicolas walked in.

“Gab, babe. Why are you so upset? Was it your chat with Gemma?”

She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face and nodded.

“But it’s not just my chat with her. Everyone here looks at me like I’m some homewrecking slut. And I’m not! What I had with Suresh was real.”

“I’m sure it was babe,” he said soothingly as he sat down next to her. “After all, he left her for you, right?”

“Exactly!” Gabi exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. “I didn’t even know about Gemma when we were together. He never mentioned her until the tailend of our relationship. And even then he never told me he cheated with me.”

“It’s not right that he put you through that,” Nic said, placing a hand on her back, rubbing it softly.

“No, it’s not! And we might not have been together as long as he and Gemma were, but I know he was absolutely crazy about me. He only had eyes for me the whole time we were together and I am tired of being made out to be some dirty little secret,” she scoffed. “What he and I had, you can’t fake that. If Suresh were here right now with the two of us in his face, I know he’d pick me over her and that’s what makes me so mad! Because if anything, she was the other woman!”

Nicolas hugged her close, stroking her hair as she continued.

“She needed to propose to him to get him to commit to her. But I know for a fact he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.”

“How do you know that for sure,” Nicolas asked, eyeing her skeptically.

“Because I found a ring,” she said. “He was going to propose to me, not her. ME!”

#litg suresh #litg ex in the villa #love island the game #litg mc #litg s5 #litg #litg fanfiction #litg eitv #litg ff #litg season 5 #litg fanfic #litg gemma x suresh #litg gemma #exinthevilla #ex in the villa #love island the game: ex in the villa #No other love

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enbyleighlines · 5 months

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Leigh plays Tellius prt 9

It's time to get the knight ring from Naesala!

I love Ike's attitude here. That being said, I did make the decision to have Janaff talk to Naesala, because there's no way that I'm going to fight Naesala. I like to imagine that Janaff did it of his own volition.

This map took me waaaay too many tries, because I was determined not to kill any crows. The crows did not make this easy for me. Additionally, drawing Naesala out without him destroying any of my units proved to be... a bit of a challenge. Finally, I just used Tanith's recruitment skill to summon some nameless NPC's to do that job for me. Sorry, random pegasus knight! Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.

A man with a killer axe attempted to attack Nephenee, but I gave her vantage, and she decided to one-shot him with a crit of her own. Oh, Nephenee, you absolute bloodthirsty menace you.

Time for the big reveal! I forgot this happened so soon.

Gosh, such a powerful visual. Poor Elena and Greil. They both deserved so much better.

Some people typecast Titania as the team mom, and I have no objections against it, but I think her sass is terribly underappreciated. I love how often she beefs with Soren, who at this point in the story looks like a literal child.

Two points here:

First, I (ironically) love how Mist's medallion is stolen the morning following Ike and Volke's conversation. If only Nasir had stolen it a little earlier, Ike would have had a very different reaction. Like, yes, family heirloom, it sucks that it's gone, but it's not the end of the world.

Second, I (sincerely) love how Ike is allowed to be a bit of an asshole sometimes. Like, when he gets stressed out, he lashes out at people. He gets cranky and irritable, like in that conversation with Jeorge about battle tactics. And it makes sense. He has a lot to shoulder during PoR, and he never asked to be put into any position of leadership in the first place. He's allowed to be angry and bitter about it.

I always forget that, on top of their prejudice against laguz, Daein is also anti-immigrant. Really, the toxic patriotism of Daein feels so painfully familiar at times. I feel like someone could write an entire essay on this subject. Additionally, I wonder if Jill has experienced anything like this, or is it different because she was born in Daein?

Man, I both do and don't feel for Shiharam. Like, okay, he's a good man. But he's also a man who allowed his daughter to participate in laguz hunts. I know it was all for the purpose of gaining the king's trust, but still. He kind of made this bed for himself. I don't know. It's such a complicated matter, and I like that he's a complicated character. My feelings about him just keep flip-flopping all over the place.

Gotta love Soren's pragmatism! I love how he deeply understands how society functions, while also being critical of the systems in place. I feel like you usually see this sort of pragmatism from characters who are rich and full of themselves, blaming the underclass for their own misfortune. Soren knows why things are the way that they are, knows that, because the people rely on nobility for protection, there is a huge power imbalance between nobility and the common folk. As he says earlier in Begnion: "From the moment of our birth to our final dying gasp, we commoners know we are not allowed to defy the upper classes."

So while Soren's lecture here is extremely brutal, I don't think it comes from a place of bad intentions. In his eyes, Elincia is naive and inexperienced, and has thus far been ignorant of the true horrors that the average Crimean has had to endure. He is angry because he cares. He is angry because he's worried about the future of Crimea.

I'm just... I love Soren. As Ike says, deep down he's a big softie.

And I finally got Mist to second tier! With this, I have officially gotten all of my main units to class up.

The Talrega map was a walk in the park compared to the previous one. I basically had a small group (which included Jill, Ilyana, Rolf, and Astrid) squat by the houses in the upper left section of the map, and their only job was to destroy as many wyvern riders as possible.

Everybody else just rushed towards the boss at top speed.

Next time: time to lay siege to Daein Keep!

#leigh plays tellius #fire emblem path of radiance #path of radiance #fe9 #tellius

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dbgdbw · 1 year

Text

245.Alpha’s Recollection (1)

알파의 기억 (1)

The helicopter touched down at a location far removed from us, rather than coming near our vicinity. It appeared that, having witnessed the aftereffects of the battle, drawing closer had been deemed too dangerous. It wasn’t a scene that I’d necessarily want to approach, either.

“Yoohyun-ah, are you okay?

After going to the pains of dressing him with a potion, he’d gotten wounded again. He hadn’t sustained any significant injury, but he was unable to conceal his fatigued state. Since he’d ended up trading blows with an SS-rank Guard immediately after his release, much less after resting deeply for a few days, it would’ve been stranger if he’d been okay.

“If it’d gone on for a little longer, I could’ve taken him down for sure.”

Yoohyunie said in a faintly petulant tone, even as he obediently submitted himself to my care.

“Since he’d been poisoned, it’s true that you’d’ve gained the upper hand as time went by, but you’re not in great condition, either, you know. With a slip, you could’ve gotten seriously injured, too.”

“That’s true, but after clashing up close a few times.”

Lowering his voice, Yoohyunie resumed speaking.

“Looks like he’s got little combat experience. He’s easier than the Seseung guild leader.”

“Huh? Experience? But Sigma should’ve Awakened far earlier?”

He’d said that he’d been instated as Solemnis’s Sigma five years ago, too.

“You’re talking about person-to-person combat, right?”

Moon Hyuna suddenly cut in.

“Since, logistically, there’s little to no reason he would’ve fought with high-rank Guards, and a fellow SS-rank one at that, especially. It would’ve just been monsters, that he’d be used to fighting. Though he seems fairly capable, considering.”

That was likely owing to his battle foresight. In a number of ways, it really was a scam of a Skill. Upon learning about his inexperience, it felt as though the gap between Sigma and Sung Hyunjae as individuals had widened even further. They really were different people, then.

“And now that I think about it, the young master wouldn’t have been able to gather many points, huh. I, for one, managed to stockpile a decent amount. There’s a lot of nice options in the reward store, it looked like.”

Moon Hyuna said, her expression eager. If there weren't any pressing matters outside, it would’ve been nice to be able to take our time installing the disks and making our way out, she mentioned. That, while the opportunity was present, she’d like to snag at least one piece of SS-rank equipment or so.

“Since you’d managed to eliminate two whole SS-rank monsters a moment ago, you would’ve surpassed two million points, I imagine.”

“Hm? Nah. Since it gives around fifty to sixty thousand per SS-rank, it’d be around one million.”

“...come again?”

But I’d gotten over a million? But then, Yoohyunie mentioned that he’d only received around four hundred thousand or so for eliminating the serpent as well. How could this be, when that time I’d had to team up with Sigma, I’d still gotten over a million each and… ah.

‘The Miracle Rookie title!’

It was a title that doubled the Item rewards received from a Dungeon. But over here, Dungeons didn’t exist, and the monsters popped out directly–so it seemed, as a result, it had been altered to give double the amount of points instead. Then, it meant that the original amount of points you got for hunting an SS-rank monster was about five to six hundred thousand.

‘Since I have the doubled drop rate effect applied, and since Sigma’s a denizen of this world who’s unable to receive points, and that means that, because all of the points would go to me, then…….’

A million per head. Was that how it was! With twofold the points received, and with the vast array of selection my Point Store offered……. Wow, this, this–.

‘Going hunting with Sigma would mean that I could claim a monopoly on twice the amount of points!’

My heart felt slightly aflutter. It’d been said that there were loads of monsters outside of the cities, and I wanted to sweep them clear with dear Mister Sigma. If I were to just toss in a bomb to make a scratch or so, and Sigma took care of the rest, then the points would balloon up like a bag of popcorn.

“Sigma-ssi, are you quite alright!”

No need for any more or less, couldn’t you just grant me an allowance of three days’ time. I even had that lure Item, on top of that. If I could draw in all of the monsters from the surroundings, and then we took them all out in one go… Ah, the corners of my mouth kept creeping up. I could gather around a hundred million points within three days, and issue all the kids an SS-rank piece of equipment each! And Skills! As well as useful miscellaneous Items!

“Would you like my assistance with detoxification, sir? As you’re aware, my poison resis–”

“Hyung, what’re you doing.”

As I made to approach Sigma, Yoohyunie caught hold of me. Yoohyun-ah, hyung is doing all of this for your sake.

“Since it’d be a shame to waste a detox Item, we should pacify him and finish out that contract.”

“Can’t we just kill him? Hunter Moon Hyuna’s here, too.”

“He’s not that bad of a person.”

Even when I reassured him that it was alright, my dongsaeng didn’t appear to be convinced. Considering how he’d attacked him without prelude–while demanding my corpse, no less–it was certainly reasonable, but, well. Even then, dongsaeng-ah, that guy still holds a lot of potential use for us.

“Goodness, you’re looking quite unwell, sir. A healer from Lanchaea should be along shortly. Until then, would you like me to at least hold your hand, sir?”

Sigma, who had been treating the burns littered on his person with a potion, looked down at me with a cold gaze. The equipment he was wearing looked like they would’ve been of good quality, but now they were largely ruined. In particular, enough of the top he was wearing had been burned away that I worried over its salvageability. If it happened to be SS-grade, it would be a real shame.

“And what new ploy might this be, then?”

“‘Ploy’, how uncharitable. And just when have I ever treated you badly, sir? Compared to your treatment, from start to finish, I’ve been the embodiment of hospitality itself. Let’s do this the easy way, alright, with just a tiny tweak to the contract, sir.”

“I don’t see why any modifications would be necessary. You can see it through here, can’t you.”

“It’s a sensitive matter, sir, as I’d said. I’d like to take the time to resolve Sigma-ssi’s curiosity off to the side, discreetly. Don’t scowl at me, sir. Are you upset, perhaps? Seeing as how you’re only days away from forty, you shouldn’t behave so narrow-mindedly, sir.”

At my words, Sigma’s expression became further disgruntled.

“Do I really look so old, truly.”

“That’s, at least your exteri… Hold on.”

Now that I thought about it, this guy, how old was he. I’d offhandedly assumed that he’d be the same age as Sung Hyunjae, but just like Moon Hyuna had mentioned, he did seem to be a bit younger, maybe. It was just that his default expression was so stiff–if it loosened up like a certain nugu-ssi, it seemed like he might look fairly young, after all.

“...that’s, you’re over thirty at least, right, sir?”

There was no answer. Wait, just hold the fuck up. There was no way.

“...twenties? For real?”

“That’s what most assume, typically.”

Sigma said, as though I was the outlier for being so surprised. Uh, that’s, of course he had a smooth, young-looking face, but. Wow, fucking–twenties. Was this for real.

“That means I’m the hyung!”

“...what?”

“I’m in my thirties!”

Hardly possible, Sigma mumbled. Yoohyunie, who had been draped against my side, looked at me with rounded eyes.

“Hyung’s age is.”

“Yoohyun-ah, how many years older is hyung than you?”

“Five years.”

“And how old are you right now?”

“Twenty–”

“Twenty-five, right. So, I’m currently thirty-one(1). Refer to me as ‘hyung’, Sigma.”

Pfft, Moon Hyuna, who had been engaged in the proceedings with great amusement, was unable to contain herself and eventually burst out laughing. Conversely, both Sigma and Yoohyunie’s expressions had dropped into deep scowls. Ah, whatever, don’t do it if you don’t want to. Though I really was in my thirties, on the inside. That this guy who wore Sung Hyunjae’s face was younger than me, wasn’t such a bad feeling.

Yeah, since the environment was like this, it wasn’t too shocking that this brat had grown up to be a bit rough around the edges.

“We should begin by modifying the contract, sir. Let’s see, since we’ll each need a period of respite, how’s about meeting up separately sometime tomorrow afternoon to talk. That’s fine, isn’t it? You have to listen properly, without running away like earlier–and in exchange for answering three additional questions on top of the intelligence, Alpha gets completely removed from the conditions. Since you ought to have a lot you'd like to ask after, just go along with it, Sigma-ssi, sir.”(2)

If things went smoothly enough, I could possibly sucker him into doing some monster hunting, too, while I was at it. My beloved Point Mule-nim(3). I’ll treat you nicely enough, so give me just three days of your time.

After staring at me for a moment, Sigma agreed to the amendment of the terms of the contract. It was at that time Lanchaea’s Healer and Guards arrived, in addition to Solemnis’s Guards. Eyeing us warily, the Solemnis Guards collected their own numbers. The gazes shot my way were particularly hostile.

I might’ve caused a handful of problems, but I’m not a bad guy, really.

By the time we’d returned to the Achates Defense Administration building, a lot of the chaotic atmosphere had already been seen to.

Most of the high-ranking officials and Guards of the Defense Administration had been taken into custody. Of the five S-ranked Guards, Vitera’s unnie had been captured after sustaining a serious injury in the fight with her dongsaeng. One of the remaining four had been caught by Lanchaea’s Guards, but the whereabouts of the other three were unknown. Though an arrest warrant would likely be issued, once day broke, it was highly likely that they had already fled outside of the city.

“As our S-rank Guards number higher, they shouldn’t be able to try anything lightly.”

Vitera said, smiling. It seemed that she’d been unaware of Gnosi’s intentions to kill me. Gnosi, as well as the Guards that had accompanied him, had yet to regain consciousness. We’d have to resolve that misunderstanding, once they were awake.

“We’d only been intending to monitor the situation, due to Alpha’s presence, so it was quite unexpected to have things worked out this well.”

As many as four S-rank Guards numbered among the resistance force members that had ended up finding asylum in Lanchaea. Including Vitera, it made five. Though it was no small number, it was only half of what made up the Defence Administration’s ranks, and with the SS-rank Alpha to consider as well, it had been impossible to do anything other than extricate the children, until now.

The possibility of a child with the potential of an SS-rank appearing some day–saying that they’d been pinning all their hopes on something like that happening, she expressed her thanks to me. Confronted with those words, I felt an unavoidable sense of frustration. In reality, this world had… Trying not to dwell too deeply on it, I provided an adequate response and left.

It seemed as though Moon Hyuna had something to tell me as well, but using tiredness as an excuse, I headed up towards the private living quarters with Yoohyunie. And I really was tired, in truth. Since I hadn’t been able to rest properly, all the while.

“Don’t think about anything and just rest, Yoohyun-ah.”

Blithely ignoring the pointed glares the Lanchaean Guards shot at me, I took occupancy of one of the only two rooms on the uppermost floor. Ah, so what. Our Yoohyunie is an SS-rank Guard, you know. And this is Achates, here. Shouldnt the person who deserved to receive the best treatment be my dongsaeng, all things considered. I wanted to take the Achates Defense Association to court, honestly.

“You should have something to eat, first. Wait just a bit, I’ll tell them to prepare a meal right away.”

“...don’t feel like eating.”

“Hm? Why? You’re not hungry?”

It occurred to me, as the words were leaving my mouth. Since the ordinary personnel, including the kitchen staff, would have still remained the same, he might be feeling trepidation, due to that. Since it would cause complications to let the Defense Association grind to a complete stop, it wasn’t possible to do a complete overhaul of the staff at once. But, even so, I still needed to feed him.

“It seemed as though there’s a kitchen here. Even if it’s something simple, hyung will make you some rice porridge at least. Go wash up. Should I at least come shampoo your hair for you, since it’s been a while?”

“Hyung’s probably tired too.”

“Thanks to gaining those C-rank stats, even if I’m a little tired, it’s still leaps and bounds better than me in good condition at F-rank. Ah, it’d be nice if I could maintain these stats even when we go back.”

With a smile, I ushered my dongsaeng into the washroom. If I really could return with my stats intact, it’d be real nice. Even C-rank was plenty enough of an upgrade. It’d make raising the kids easier by far, too.

The refrigerator of the expansive kitchen was stocked with a variety of ingredients. But now that I was actually about to start cooking, even the process of ingredient selection seemed daunting. Rice porridge… or something like a soup, or stew seemed to be a good option, but what should I use, and how.

[★Let’s Try Cooking Together☆]

“What, you even know how to make dishes from this world as well, sir?”

Since he was offering to help, I gladly opened the quest window I’d received.

[ Please fill the pot hanging from the right-side wall to about ⅓ full~ And take out the meat located in the second drawer inside of the fridge as well. It seems like there’s veggies in the first drawer, too. Once you’ve minced the meat to begin, the first mission will be complete! ＾▽＾

Reward: Cooking Ingredients Handbook That Has Pictures Thoughtfully Included, An Apron For My Partner ]

How so very thoughtful of him. But thinking of him monitoring me, it did make me feel kind of awkward. As I’d been instructed, I minced the meat and received the reward. The cooking ingredients handbook was convenient, but, the apron… Why was it hot pink. Was this revenge. I attempted to get out of wearing it, but the conditions to engage in the next quest that would teach me how to cook, had wearing the apron listed. That damned Sung Hyunjae bastard. It had to be revenge for lobbing the hot pink yarn at him as his birthday present, for sure. He really did nurse a long grudge.

Under directives given by a certain nugu-ssi–who seemed to be right behind me in presence, at least–a passable-looking stew came together. Why was he proficient at making dishes in this world, too.

[ Please enjoy!

Looking after family is important. But, one must cherish oneself as well! With a spoonful of Partner’s love, let’s clear at least a whole serving♡

Reward: 10,000P, Hot Pink Handmade Mittens ]

Why did the quest window message have to change to be so cringeworthy. I wanted to know who was responsible for the System in place here. And what was with the ‘hot pink handmade mittens’. Give me just the points.

After setting the table, I called over my dongsaeng, who had emerged after washing up. Thankfully, Yoohyunie finished an entire bowl of the stew. Once my stomach was full, a yawn slipped out on its own. Now that my dongsaeng was safe, I could finally relax; drowsiness pulled over me like a blanket.

“Would I be able to learn Alpha’s Skills before leaving here, d’you think? Though the number of Skills is few, compared to his rank, it seemed like there were a couple of useful ones.”

Yoohyunie said, as we laid down next to each other on the bed.

“It won’t be easy. Even so, if you can retain a good impression of it, it shouldn’t be impossible. Were there any pieces of equipment or Skills that you liked in the Point Shop?”

“There’s a lot of nice options, but since I don’t have the points.”

“We can always gather the points, so don’t worry about that and just pick out the ones you like.”

Hyung will buy them for you, even if it means that I have to squeeze dry that ball of yarn in the System, in addition to Sigma.

“First, we should try to locate Yerimie and Peace, and Noah-ssi. Fortunately, Hyuna-ssi mentioned that she might know where the two of them might be. We’ll finish installing the disk, and once the Newcomer lets us know the parameters for the raid, we can start racking up points while taking stock of the situation.”

After reestablishing contact with the Newcomer, it was my intention to inquire after how much time had passed already, and then ask to have the flow of time inside this place slowed as much as possible. Since there shouldn’t be much happening outside, after all. Since we’d already mentioned that we were planning to appraise the conditions of the monsters we would be raising, even if the raid took a few days longer, it shouldn’t rouse any suspicion.

“...hyung.”

“Hm?”

“This world, you’d said that it was a world that used to actually exist, right?”

“Yeah. Though I’m not sure how long ago it might’ve been, I was told that it was a world that had been destroyed in the past.”

“And the events that occurred here, were all things that had really happened?”

“That’s true, but don’t worry about it too much. Us, we’ll be fine.”

Yoohyunie shut his mouth without answering. Though this dongsaeng was someone who had known that our world was headed towards its demise, far before I had, now that he was confronted with a world that had actually been destroyed, it seemed his feelings had become complicated. Would Yerimie and Noah-ssi be alright.

‘I’ll have to learn as much as I can with this opportunity, after all.’

Partner-ssi, I’ll leave it in your capable hands, then, sir. Please make sure to thoroughly scour the System.

As sleep had already been looming over me, my eyes presently closed, and my consciousness grew dim. After I woke up from a restful sleep.

“...Yoohyun-ah?”

My dongsaeng had disappeared, and was nowhere to be seen. There was only the faint impression left, at the spot where he’d been laying. Since the bastards that had been linked to his Mark had all been taken care of, and his body had recovered as well, it shouldn’t be anything dangerous; but where had he gone, without even saying a word.

When I hurriedly climbed out of the bed, as though it’d been waiting for me, a quest message blinked into existence.

[ Morning Exercise, Conducted On The Rooftop! ]

So he hadn’t gone far, thankfully. If it was the roof, then it should be within a hundred meter distance, so it seemed Sung Hyunjae had been able to spot him. He really was a help, after all. Carelessly throwing on some clothes, I headed towards the rooftop.

- - - - -

(1) yj is using ‘korean age’(만) to count, which is why 25+5=31. detailed explanation found in footnote #5 here

(2) and once he realizes that he’s the ‘elder’ in age hierarchy, yj switches to a half-formal, half-informal style where he’s talking down to sigma in a very 'mom-ordering-kid-around’ style (‘that’s fine, isn’t it?’) while he steamrolls him into compliance

(3) yj says ‘포인트 셔틀님’ → ‘point shuttle-nim’; someone who’s a ‘shuttle’ is essentially a ‘whipping boy’, the way it gets used in slang. e.g. a group of bullies at school forcing the bullied kid to go and buy bread from the school’s convenience store for them (with the kid’s own money) would call the bullied kid as a ‘빵 셔틀’ (‘bread shuttle’), for example. not to be confused with ‘bus’, which is more for being carried in games (‘i rode a bus to get carried up to plat rank’). so yes, that ‘-nim’ being added to ‘point shuttle’ is used ironically/mockingly

wasn’t gonna work on this, except that it’s wei’s anni present 🙃 go say thanks to wei if u read👌

Q) 헌터들은 보통 대식가인가요?

+(Q&A)

Q) are hunters typically big eaters?

A) the higher the rank, the more efficient their digestive abilities become–but as the amount of energy they consume increases proportionately as well, they tend to be big eaters, for the most part. but notably, high-ranked Hunters are capable of ‘absorbing energy’ via their magical energy as well. accordingly, the more advanced their control over magical energy, the less they need to eat. in addition, their idiosyncrasies vary depending on their respective ‘properties’. in han yoohyun’s case, by burning up something with fire, he is able to absorb the ‘energy’ imparted from it and is capable of forgoing eating altogether. had it not been for han yoojin, he would not have continued to consume any food following his Awakening. conversely, as song taewon must keep repressing the power of the Lunar Eclipse that continually compels him to swallow things down, even with outstanding control over his magical energy, the amount he eats is considerable. bak yerim possesses outstanding control as well, but as she enjoys the act of eating in itself, she eats heartily. that she had been unable to eat what she wanted, as much as she wanted, while living as an ‘imposition’ (at her relatives’) has a hand in this, in part. moon hyuna is of the opinion that, with remarkable digestive abilities and a full coinpurse, there’s no reason not to enjoy eating, and as kang soyoung enjoys eating as well, the three will gather to drink and dine together from time to time. liette isn’t picky about what she eats, but falls close to the aforementioned three. as for noah, he has outstanding control as well, but due to the trauma(shock) he received from liette’s cooking when he was younger, tends to be a light eater. sung hyunjae possesses outstanding control; but, owing to his status as a waxing moon, his body demands more energy–something he deliberately ignores.

Q) 아주 어릴때부터 유진이는 유현이를 돌봐오면서 요리를 해줬다는데 유현이에게 나쁜것 하나 안먹이면서 키운 유진이를 보면 생각나는 것이 있습니다. 유진이는 보통 식단으로 어떤것을 만들어 줬나요?

Q) 각 인물 별로 본인이 만들 수 있는 요리 중 가장 자신 있는? 요리가 뭔지 궁금합니다!

Q) 한유진도 아이들과 함께 요리라거나 제과제빵을 할까요? 만든 요리의 양은 한정적일텐데 누구누구에게 나눠줄지 궁금합니다

Q) 성현제가 지내온 수많은 삶 중에 특별한 에피소드가 있었을까요? 성현제야 기억하지 못하겠지만 유독 애착을 품은 삶이 있었다든가.. 지나온 삶이 궁금합니다~

#245화 #the s classes that i raised #tsctir #sctir

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baejax-the-great · 1 year

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Sometimes I think writers are more prone to the "If I'm not perfect at this on the first go, and if I don't get incredibly popular immediately, it was pointless and I quit forever."

I totally get that impulse. I have it, too.

Writing, like anything, requires practice and time. I think this is difficult to internalize, because unlike art, the difference in quality is not immediately obvious to your eyes. Two chunks of writing side by side just look like two chunks of writing.

I think I was writing for three years before I felt like my writing was noticeably better than my earlier stuff AND I had started writing much more quickly. That is a long time to wait to see improvement. Moreover, that improvement wasn't reflected in my AO3 metrics at all, because I had gone from writing a more popular ship to a less popular one (and from there a rare pair, hah!). If popularity had been my goal, then improving my writing was far less important than writing ships and tropes with wide appeal.

I started drawing in 2020, and I'm still terrible at it (which absolutely reflects my lack of dedication to practicing). I think for me, the difference was I had never picked up a pencil with the intention of drawing something, so that first monstrous picture I made wasn't discouraging at all. I was surprised I was able to make anything that looked remotely like a person.

Most of us have been writing in some form since we were children, even if that writing was never specifically fiction, so we feel like we should be automatically better at it than a 30yo who picks up a marker for the first time and can't draw a straight line. But writing a story is a different skill than academic writing, and much like drawing, if you don't practice it with some regularity and intention, your improvement won't be that noticeable.

This is not meant to discourage people by saying you have to write for an hour a day if you want to be any good at it. I don't believe that. My point is more that when nobody likes my fail-drawings, my reaction is pretty much, yeah, not surprising. I'm drawing for niche fandoms and I still have a ways to go before my compositions have any sort of universal appeal. Popularity and "success" (whatever that means) was never the point.

I could choose not to post any of my drawings until I'm an expert some ten years from now or whatever, but I don't really mind if my flops are out there on the internet. I drew them with love.

Writing is much the same. And if the love is there, others who share that love will find you.

#do I just wake up and write essays now?#on random shit?#is this who I am?#on writing #fanfic #also I think everyone underestimates the effect of having a large following #like we all know this intuitively on tumblr #if nobody reblogs #nobody sees it #and the more people following the more liikely a reblog etc etc #ao3 is the same in that user subscriptions will get you readers immediately after you post #even if you switch fandoms #AND there is some number of people who are reluctant to try authors until they hit some arbitrary metric #so if you have user subs you are not only getting them reading BUT more likely to pull those randos by seeming popular out the gate #not to mention whatever rec'cing happens behind the scenes #popularity is a fickle beast with so many components and I wish people didn't use it to hurt their own feelings when it came to writing #anyway it's a hobby who gives a shit if you suck at it like write the words it's fun

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sinshinelennypops · 22 days

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Masky/Tim Wright x Reader {SFW}

A creepypasta/Marble Hornets fanfic. It is mostly SFW but can be a bit suggestive (no smut, don't worry). Read at your own risk. The full booklet can be found on Ao3 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43587606/chapters/109835188

-------------------

Ah, yes, it's finally time for one of the manor's monthly sleepovers.

You see, ever since you became a proxy, you didn't expect things in the manor to be so lighthearted. Shopping trips, friendly family style dinners, and monthly sleepovers in the living room made things almost bearable. You've already had the pleasure of attending three so far, this one being your fourth. You've witnessed many dumb things during these slumber parties. It's everyone's chance to get absolutely hammered in participate in dumb games like Truth or Dare.

Tonight, you and the gang were already knee deep in another game. Jeff was just dared to go the rest of the game shirtless, Toby had to share his deepest sexual fantasy, and Brian had a makeshift tattoo sleeve because he was dared to let people draw on him. This was great. Everyone was at least somewhat drunk at this point.

You smiled as you looked around the room at everyone, until your eyes fell on Tim. God, he's adorably hot. Usually he's so stressed and tired, but right now he was just so perfect. He was laughing and chatting with everyone else, a soft blush on his cheeks from the alcohol. His hair was extra fluffy from all of the dares he had gone through tonight, most involving him proving his physical skills. You couldn't deny that Tim was your favorite part of these sorts of activities. Seeing him be able to relax and have fun just like everyone else was always a relief.

You blinked as he made eye contact with you, and you had to quickly look away, sipping at the beer in your hand sheepishly. For a moment, you felt all fluttery, his gaze lingering on you for just a few seconds before someone spoke up.

"Alright, alright, enough shit talking!" Jeff said loudly as he grabbed everyone's attention. "It's my turn and I choose.. Tim!" He pointed to the dark haired man to accentuate his point. "Truth or dare?"

Tim tilted his head back as he thought, closing his eyes for a moment. His mind was beginning to get all fuzzy from the two cans of beer he had already drank. "Ah.. Uh.. Dare, I guess," he said with a shrug as he ran a hand through his hair. He glanced at Jeff challengingly, smirking. "Hit me with your best shot, Woods," he sneered.

Jeff chuckled deviously, leaning forward slightly as if attempting to intimidate his poor victim. "Alright, I dare you to.." He trailed off, glancing around the room before his eyes landed on you. Unfortunately, he knew about your little crush on the manor's most notorious killer, and planned on using it against you as pay back for earlier shenanigans. "I dare you to show (Y/N) a good time."

A collective gasp went through the room, then it was silent. "What?" Tim asked softly, surprised as he glanced between you and Jeff. "Why.. Why would I do that?" Thank god he was already blushing or this would've been very awkward..

"You heard me. I see you two getting all cute and shit. I'm giving you an opening to have some fun~" Jeff teased, cackling afterwards. Tim felt the tips of his ears burning up from how much he was blushing. "Well, I mean, uh.. How the fuck would I even do that?" he asked quietly, keeping his gaze down as you squirmed a little from being put on the spot.

"7 minutes in heaven, of course!" Jeff responded while frowning. "Look, if it's too much, I can pick a different dare," he added while flopping back against the plush couch, bringing his drink up to his lips. He still seemed very smug about calling you two out. A few giggles started to bounce around the room as Tim hesitated. He glanced at you desperately, his expression apologetic. He mouthed the words "do you want to?" and your heart skipped a beat.

Your heart was racing and you felt all fluttery as you gave a vague nod in response. "Ok, ok, everybody hold your fuckin horses!" Tim growled as he put his hands up defensively. "I'll do it," he grumbled, glancing around at the group. Toby looked absolutely baffled. "W-Whoa! You're gonna do it?" the brunette asked curiously, a smirk coming to his scarred face afterwards. Jeff looked absolutely pumped. "Fuck yeah! I knew my wing man skills would come in handy!"

"Set a timer," Tim growled as he stood up, putting his beer on the coffee table and extending a hand towards you. "Oh, we will," Brian responded as he watched you two. "Go on, have some fun, we'll continue the game without you." He waved you guys off.

Tim looked absolutely flustered as he grabbed your wrist and practically dragged you away while the others giggled at your situation then got back to their game. "Fuckin stupid losers, trying to help me get laid.." he grumbled, causing you to blink in surprise. Was this all a big ploy to make you guys get close? How many people had this planned?

He dragged you to one of the hall closets and pulled you inside, shutting the door behind you. "Alright, so uh.. Look, I'm gonna be honest with you. I really, really like you, buut I don't want you to feel pressured, alright? If you wanna screw around, we can but otherwise.. Let's just uh.. Sit, I guess," Tim muttered as he sat down against the wall, keeping his gaze down so you couldn't see his face. Not like you could see much of anything anyway. It was dark as hell.

"Uh.. I guess.. We could sit," you mumbled as you sat down next to him. You still felt all fuzzy, but maybe it was because you had been drinking. It felt very tense and awkward now.

After what felt like forever, Tim spoke up. "Soo uh.. Besides this bullshit, are you enjoying tonight?" he asked quietly as he glanced towards you. His eyes adjusted to the dark much faster than yours did, probably because he's used to being in places like this.

"Oh! I'm having a ton of fun!" you responded with a smile, causing him to sigh in relief. "Well, good. We like to keep morale up, especially during times like this," he said with a light chuckle. What he meant by that, you didn't know. He always spoke pretty vaguely. You scrunched your nose slightly as you scooted closer, hesitantly leaning your head on his shoulder. He jumped a little at the sudden contact but didn't push you away.

"Crazy things happen at these slumber parties, huh?" you asked as you slowly moved one of your hands to his, feeling him tense again. "Ah, yeah, all kinds of stuff.." he mumbled, thankful for the darkness so you couldn't see how red his face was. "What's the dumbest thing you've seen happen?" you questioned, trying to keep the conversation going so it wouldn't feel so awkward again.

Tim chuckled and tilted his head back against the wall. "Oh, I've seen plenty of things happen," he started as you zoned out, slowly brushing you thumb over his knuckles as he spoke. You didn't really know what he was going on about but you enjoyed the sound of his voice and his soft laughs. You smiled as you slowly moved onto his lap, straddling him. "Keep talking," you whispered when he stumbled on his words.

You chuckled softly as his voice got all shaky, but he continued his rambling as you had requested. You hummed to yourself, leaning in and gently pressed a kiss against his neck, earning a shudder in response. His hands moved up and rested on your hips, lightly squeezing and encouraging you to continue.

"Come on, pretty boy, keep talking," you muttered against his skin, moving your head and pressing another kiss to his jaw. His breath hitched and he nodded, trying to focus on his story as you trailed kisses up and down his neck, careful to not overstep any boundaries. You were both drunk and fuzzy, so you didn't want to take things too far. Besides, you enjoyed this. Just being close and getting to kiss him and make him all fluttery.

"More?" he asked suddenly, one hand moving up your back while the other caressed your side. "More?" you repeated, smirking against his neck. You chuckled and lightly sunk your teeth into his skin, causing him to let out a low groan. "Thank you.." he mumbled, blushing like crazy. You felt your face heat up, your blush dipping lower down your body at his sounds.

You pulled away after that and looked up at his drunken expression. He cupped your face with one hand, causing your eyes to go wide as he leaned closer, your noses almost touching. Your breath caught in your throat and you squeaked in surprise as he pulled you into a kiss, his eyes closing in the process. You instinctively kissed back, your hands moving up and combing through his soft hair. One moved down his face, tracing over his sideburn and jaw.

Before things could get heated, there was a knock at the door and you both groaned in annoyance. Tim pulled back from the kiss, clearly annoyed. "Fuck.. I guess we can continue this later?" he asked softly, watching your expression fall. "Orrr I can tell them to fuck off?" he offered. He moved you to the side, leaning his weight against you slightly as he glared at the door. "Go away, we're busy!" he shouted, earning a laugh in response. "Ok, have fun!" Jeff responded as his footsteps descended.

Tim huffed then moved back so he could see your face. Before he could get a word in, you kissed him again, this time more needy and desperate with your actions. Not that he was complaining. He was sort of glad that Jeff dared him to do this..

#marble hornets #marble hornets fanfiction #creepypasta fanfiction #tim wright #tim masky #fanfiction

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