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slytherinshua · 1 month

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SLEEP IS THE BEST MEDICINE

genre. fluff. sickfic. warnings. reader is sick (sore throat/coughing). mention of food. pairing. seungkwan x fem!reader. wc. 1.4k. request. no. a/n. for @wheeboo who is sick and so i had to write her a sickfic smh (i love her sm pls feel better soon lovely)

As soon as you heard the buzzing of your phone breaking through your attempt at sleep, panic filled your body. One glance at the caller ID confirmed everything, and you shut your eyes tightly, trying to muster up all your energy and a half-decent attempt to get your normal voice back before you answered.

Of course your boyfriend would be calling to check where you were. You were supposed to meet him 30 minutes ago. Not only had you forgotten all about the date you had planned days in advance, but you had also managed to get sick since the last time you had seen him (and forgot to tell him about it).

Seungkwan’s voice sounded cheery as soon as you picked up the call, “Hey, love! Is the traffic bad or something? I’m at the restaurant— people keep giving me looks cause they think I’m dining alone.”

A small smile crept onto your face as you imagined the scene, guessing that your boyfriend probably wore a pout on his face just by the tone of his voice.

“About that… I kind of forgot?” You started to explain, your voice coming out in a painful rasp even as you tried your best to clear your throat.

“Are you sick? You sound awful.” Seungkwan asked hurriedly, completely ignoring what you were trying to tell him. You tried to think of a good excuse to give him, but the silence in response to his question already gave Seungkwan his answer.

“You are sick, aren’t you! Why didn’t you tell me?” He scolded lightly. You could imagine vividly the way he usually pursed his lips in disapproval, and a sigh left your lips. You had really been looking forward to the date, now that you remembered that it had been scheduled. It had been weeks since you spent more than an hour or so with Seungkwan, and you missed him so badly.

“I’m sorry, Kwannie. Can we reschedule it? I still want to go with you.” You said softly, clearing your throat between sentences in failed attempts to stop the uncomfortable scratching every time you talked.

A dinner date with your boyfriend at a seaside restaurant was exactly what you wished you could be doing right now. If only you hadn’t gotten sick at exactly the wrong time, you would be enjoying a fancy meal across from him right about now. You knew the night would have led to a walk along the shoreline under the moonlight— something that you never got tired of. And it would have been chilly enough for you to justify stealing Seungkwan’s jacket (you really just loved it because it smelled like him, and was so perfectly oversized on you).

“Of course. That’s not even a question.” He replied with a tsk, wondering why you would even have to ask that with such a regretful tone. The night certainly wasn’t ruined for him, even though he had been looking forward to the date as much as you had. “I’ll come over. We can still eat dinner together, okay?”

Your heart melted at his suggestion, though you were tentative to accept immediately. Logically, you should probably stay away from him just in case he got sick too; but you wanted nothing more than to curl up in his arms and sleep. You opened your mouth to start protesting, your mind finally winning over your heart, but then you remembered how stubborn your boyfriend was. Even if you forbid him from coming in your front door, he would probably scale the side of the house and sneak in through one of the windows just to get to you.

With a cough, and a small ‘okay’, you hung up the call and let your head hit the pillow again. You swiped over to your phone camera, frowning when you saw how you looked. Seungkwan would probably arrive still in his date outfit, looking as charming and handsome as he always did— and here you were looking like a complete mess under your blankets. From your tired eyes to your tangled hair to the patches of skin that were breaking out on your face due to the cold weather, you would look almost disgraceful next to your boyfriend.

You itched to get up and put on makeup before he arrived, but you knew he would notice right away and be absolutely appalled. You were too tired to put in the effort either way. It was silly for you to still care so much about how you looked even after dating Seungkwan for years, but you still wanted to look pretty for him. You forced your mind to give yourself a little grace about your appearance. It was absurd to expect to look your best while sick.

Seungkwan arrived sooner than you expected, announcing his presence at the door in a sing-song voice. You croaked out that you were in your bedroom as loudly as you could with how painful it was to talk and hoped that he was able to hear you. He knocked on your door a mere second later, opening it slowly. He had a goofy loving smile on his face and a plastic bag in one hand. You couldn’t help but mirror his smile as soon as you saw him.

“I got some soup on the way. It’s supposed to help with colds.” He explained eagerly, setting down the bag on your bedside table and taking out a large container of soup. He opened up the lid to let it start cooling before turning his attention back to you.

“My sweet girl. I only left you for 1 week and you still managed to get sick in that time.” He teased fondly, sitting on the edge of your bed where he could easily reach to tuck away the hair that fell over your forehead. You only frowned in response, trying to rest your voice as much as possible. It was easier to communicate non-verbally when your boyfriend could see all your facial expressions.

“Sit up a bit so I can feed you.” Seungkwan instructed with a smile, grabbing the container of soup and spooning out some to blow on.

“I can feed myself.” You whispered.

Seungkwan locked eyes with you, “I know, but let me feed you anyway. You never let me do anything for you.” You scoffed lightly at his response, although it made your chest buzz with warmth. It was clear that the opportunity to pamper and take care of you excited Seungkwan. Knowing your boyfriend, it didn’t surprise you.

The soup was soothing on your sore throat, and just the fact that Seungkwan was right there feeding you each spoonful gave you the energy to actually finish the bowl. He told you about his past week as he fed you, making sure that each bit of soup was sufficiently cooled before it reached your mouth. He gave you a proud smile once you had eaten the last bit of soup, despite how unimpressive the feat had been— certainly not one deserving of such praise.

“You look tired.” Seungkwan commented softly, setting aside the empty container of soup back on the table and adjusting your blanket to cover your entire body again. You hummed a little in response, already letting your eyes flutter closed. As soon as you felt the tiniest bit of motion, though, your hand flew out to clutch your boyfriend’s shirt tightly.

“Don’t leave.” You pleaded, earning light laughter from your boyfriend.

“I was only going to go wash out the container, but I guess that’ll have to wait.” He already knew exactly what you wanted just by your eyes. He wasn’t one to deny you anything when you were already feeling under the weather, so he shifted over to the other side of the bed where there was space for him to lie down and draped an arm around your body.

“If I get sick from this, you have to take care of me, too, okay?”

“Okay.” You closed your eyes again, shifting closer to him half a centimetre at a time in an attempt to be discreet. Of course, he noticed right away and pulled you closer before you were even halfway done closing the distance.

“Sleep. Sleep is the best medicine.” He urged you quietly. It was already a million times easier to fall asleep next to him, but as soon as he started humming old lullabies, the task became almost effortless. You were curled up in his chest before too long; the sound of his singing making its way into your dreams.

↳ svt taglist: @kangtaehyunzzz,, @eternalgyu,, @ddeonudepressions,, @hannahsophie0103,, @minholing,, @shuabby1994,, @icyminghao,, @98-0603,, @weird-bookworm,, @candewlsy,, @wonwooz1,, @cyberpunksunwoo,, @haecien,, @amara-mars,, @okshu

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zanarkandskylines · 1 month

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₊✩‧₊◜ a special morning hike

『 ♡ - k.bakugo x fem!reader 』 ⋆ ˚ʚɞ — inspired by the one and only Sharmeleon/Sharla in Japan’s beautiful sunrise from Ibaraki, Japan clip at the Oarai Isosaki Shrine’s seaside torii gate! couldn’t help but think about how much a hiking fanatic like Katsuki would adore the sight. -`✧ katsuki bakugo masterlist ｡‧˚ʚ ao3 version | word count; ~1.7k ɞ˚‧｡

April 15th: 4 years, 6 months and 18 days you’ve been entangled in Katsuki’s web.

But who’s counting?

The two of you met at the start of your twenties, interning at the same hero agency for pro-hero training. It wasn’t uncommon for the two of you to stay late at the office to catch up on paperwork, often keeping one another company into the night. One thing led to another, and here you are!

He’d just moved up a few ranks on the hero charts this past season - number three! - which was more than enough reason to celebrate this weekend. It just so happened to be a few days before his 25th birthday, too. He was none the wiser to your little plan, the aforementioned accomplishments hiding the real celebration.

Traveling four and a half hours from home was not as bad as you thought it would be, but exhausting nonetheless. The two of you are winding down in the resort’s hot spring together after dinner, the leftover sun rays peaking through the fence and reflecting off the steamy water.

“Never thought I’d be one ‘ta like shit like this,” Katsuki sighs, sinking lower into the oasis’ warmth. “ ‘s nice.”

You can’t help but smile, relaxing deeper into the water yourself. “Worth every penny to spoil you, handsome.”

He playfully splashes water in your direction, flustered by your praise. “Yeah, yeah.”

By the time eight rolls around, you’re drained from the long travel day and relaxing back in your hotel suite. You can tell Katsuki is too with the way his eyes are struggling to stay open while lounging on the couch.

“We’ve got an early day tomorrow, let’s turn in. We gotta be up at five!” You say as you nudge his shoulder.

“Fuckin’ five?!” He groans, slumping against the couch. Even though he always went to bed early, somehow Katsuki was never a morning person after all these years.

“Yep! Breakfast and then the sunrise is at six. We can come back and rest after that for as long as you want.”

“Better be the best goddamn sunrise for all that effort.”

You were hellbent on making it memorable for him, nerves be damned. You only had one shot at this and it had to be perfect.

He deserves nothing but the best in your eyes.

The alarm sounds in the darkness at five the next morning, earning dual groans from under the covers of your bed.

“Morning sunshine,” you croak as you’re rolling over to kiss Katsuki good morning. He ruffles your hair and accepts your kiss with a huff.

“Mornin’ baby. C’mon, get up before ya trap us in bed by snugglin’ up to me. This was your idea.”

Still in the process of waking up, the two of you successfully get dressed for the chilly spring morning and head to the resort lobby for breakfast. A stack of pancakes and plate of eggs later, you take Katsuki’s hand and lead him outside the resort to the nearby trail.

“It’s a five minute walk this way!” You exclaim, a little too chipper for his liking this early in the day.

“What’s got ya so…peppy?” He asks quizzically, weirded out by your burst of energy. “You’re usually still dead to th’ world at this hour.”

You say nothing in response and continue tugging him along the trail, grin growing wider as you approach the shoreline. Shockingly, no one else is on the beach and you end up having the area to yourselves.

Yes! That’s one hurdle out of the way!

Right on time, the sun begins peaking out over the horizon as the waves crash around the torii gate in the distance. The scene is breathtaking - the way the water flows fills you with a sense of serenity and helps calms your shaking hands. Out of the corner of your eye, you can spot Katsuki gazing in awe as well at the scenery, taking in the moment with you. His eyes are glistening in the sunlight, ruby irises flickering in the sorbet glow.

Alright, now or never! You got this!

“Katsuki,” you start, taking his hands in your own and turning to face him. You’re hoping that the trembling in your fingers isn’t as noticeable as it feels. You could blame it on the cold, if anything.

“I love you, more than anyone in the world. I wanted to bring you out here to show you that-”

You’re interrupted by him…laughing. Cackling, even. It catches you off guard, making you want to go crawl in a hole and die of embarrassment. Was he really laughing at your attempt to ask him one of the most important questions in your life?

Realizing how he could be coming off as the world’s biggest asshole, Katsuki stops laughing and squeezes your hands. “ ‘m sorry, I’m not laughing at you, sweets.”

“Then why are you laughing?” You pull your hands away from his, crossing your arms and casting your eyes to the dirt.

He grabs your shoulders, tracing down your arms and taking your hands once more. “Cause the timin’ is comical.”

He fidgets with one of the pockets in his coat, pulling out a red velvet box. That’s when you start laughing.

“No way, are you serious?!” Reaching into your jacket pocket, you fish out a black velvet box of your own.

The air suddenly feels much lighter, the sound of the ocean filling the silence as you stare into each other’s eyes.

“I had a whole speech,” Katsuki whispers, brushing his fingers over your cheek. “And I wrote ya a letter back in the room.”

You let out a sigh, shaking your head in disbelief. “So did I!”

You’re not sure what to do next - do you just…give it to him? Do you go through the speech anyways?

“What are ya waitin’ for? Ask me already, dammit,” he demands, taking a step back and placing his hands on his hips as a blush creeps over his features.

You giggle before composing yourself.

“Katsuki, I love you more than anyone in the world. I know you’re not one for cliches, but I wanted to show you this sunrise as a way to bring in a new dawn of our lives. You’re a flame in the dark that I can look to for warmth and always leads me back home. You’re the armor I wear everyday into battle, knowing you’ll always protect me from harm and keep me safe.”

At this point, you’re getting choked up on your own words as you hear them aloud. Carefully, you kneel to the ground in front of him, your legs threatening to give way from the nerves. When you look up at Katsuki, you can see a singular tear dripping from his jawline - the sight makes your heart stutter in your chest.

“I’ll sound like a broken record if I keep listing all the cliches I had in my head. That leaves me with just one question,” you pause to present the black box, opening to reveal a beautiful rose gold band with a golden stripe through the middle. “Katsuki Bakugo, will you marry me?”

Katsuki exhales the breath he was holding, eyes glassy as he narrows his focus on the ring in the box. He lets out a ‘tch’, grimacing playfully as he holds out his left hand.

His voice cracks as he answers with a simple, “Of course I will, idiot.”

Cautiously, you take his ring out of the box and slide it onto his left ring finger, praying you don’t drop it and ruin the moment. You stand to your feet, his left hand holding your own. He’s about to pull you in for a kiss when you stop him, placing your hand gently on his chest.

“Your turn now!” you beam, taking a step back and clutching your jacket. Katsuki’s face snaps from joy to fear, forgetting that he told you he was also planning to propose to you here moments ago. He places a hand on the back of his neck and sighs anxiously, his breath visible in the frigid air.

“R-right.” He clears his throat before taking hold of your left hand. “I…you know ‘m not a poet or whatever. ‘S why I wrote ya a letter cause I know I’d forget somethin’ important to say in the moment. I’ve been carrying around this box for weeks, not knowin’ just when I was gonna ask you. I’ve known for awhile now that I wanted…” he pauses, taking a shaky breath.

“…wanted you to be my wife. Is that weird to say?”

You nod your head, chuckling at his nervous rambling. “Not at all.”

“G-good. Cause there isn’t anyone else I wanna be beside and grow old with. It’s you, sweetheart…it’s always been you. Never thought I’d be lucky enough ‘ta find someone like you. But, I wouldn’t change it for anything. So,” Katsuki stops to crouch down on one knee, re-revealing the red velvet box from his pocket. The ring inside is absolutely gorgeous - a golden band intertwined with smaller gems and a pear-shaped diamond in the center.

“Y/N…will you marry me?”

You can’t help but choke back a sob when he drops the question, overwhelmed by the situation. The tears are forcibly streaming down your cheeks as you yell, “Yes!”

Katsuki doesn’t hesitate to grab your left hand and place the ring on your finger. Not surprising, it fits perfectly. You’ll have to grill him later on who he asked to snoop to get the right size - probably Uraraka or Jiro. Or maybe he took one of your decorative rings to the jeweler to mimic the size.

He rockets to his feet, hands shooting to cradle your cheeks immediately and places his forehead against yours.

“ ‘s just you an’ me, peach. I love you,” he whispers before capturing your lips in a passionate kiss. Your arms lace around his neck as he picks you up, swinging you in his arms gracefully. When you part, he wipes a stray tear from your cheek and smiles from ear to ear.

The sun casts the last of its pastel hues and paints the scene of a new beginning - it’s the two of you, now and forever.

⋆ ˚ʚɞ — Women proposing to men always make me sob, it’s so sweet and you know Kat would be a mess once you’re back in the hotel room. like “how dare you beat me to that!” while simultaneously sobbing over the fact you asked him first ✨

#bakugo x reader #bakugo katsuki #katsuki bakugo #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugo x y/n #bakugo x you #bakugo fluff #bakugo x reader fluff #my hero academia fluff #bnha bakugou #bakugo imagine #☆.rei writes

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fangemporium · 3 months

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Vasa the Cecaelia

Male!Cecaelia x Gender-Neutral!Reader

Word Count: 4669

Content Warning: Some mentions of blood and wounds

The salty sea air brushed gently through your open window, and a few loose-leaf sheets blew off your desk. You huffed, placing your pen down and getting up from your wooden chair which let out a loud screech. The draft sheets for your upcoming novel were scattered all over your hand. You thanked your past self for labeling each of the pages earlier on.

Finally gathering the draft and patting the pages together against the desk, you glanced at your digital clock. 1:05 am. You have been stuck in a writer’s block for almost three hours now. You were unsure how to keep the plot moving and make it lead up to the suspenseful twist towards the end of the novel. Rubbing your sore eyes, you decided that the best thing you needed right now was to relax, and what better way than to sit on the beach reading a book that you adored with the calming ocean sounds as a backdrop? Sure, being at the beach at 1 in the morning was a little self-destructive, but your sleep schedule was already a mess. Might as well make the most of the night and wind down.

You scurried around your beachside home, grabbed your book, locked your windows, and searched for a pair of jeans and a sweater to wear over your pajamas. Stepping out of your home, you breathed in the relaxing scent of the ocean air, grateful that you made the move closer to the Pacific Ocean. It was a different setting from the fast-paced lifestyle that the city had. Out here you felt more at peace, everything seemed to move slower and it was quieter, save for the whooshing sound of the waves now and then. As you descended the white wooden stairs that entered the beach, you glanced back at the small town that was farther uphill. From what you could see there were very few lights that were on, most of the stores out here closed at around 8 pm due to a majority being small family-owned storefronts. Another perk of the move that you enjoyed.

As your bare feet buried into the sand, you took a moment to take in the sight in front of you. The moon was full tonight, a milky white that illuminated the seaside in a calming glow. The waves rushed to the shore back and forth like a gentle dance. The dark ocean sparkled with the moonlight, and the cool air that came with the usual temperature drops caused a tranquil scene.

You made your way down to the shorefront, not too close to the water, yet far enough for you to watch as the tide pulled in and then pulled away again. You sat down on the sand, gazing out at sea for a moment before flipping through the pages of your book. You sat there for about thirty minutes or so, casually reading your book and taking in the nighttime scenery when a bright light glinted against your reading glasses. Your attention was pulled away from your book as you searched the area around you for the source of the sudden interruption from your fantasy world. The light was bright but not much larger than the size of a half-dollar coin. You tried your best to teach where the light was coming from, picking yourself up off of the ground as you followed where it was coming from. A silhouette of a person in the sand started to become clearer as you approached and you went into full panic mode. The person, from what you could tell, was lying on their side, a dark liquid soaking deep into the sand around them.

The sight of the unknown liquid caused you to move quicker, coming to a screeching halt when you tried to process what you were staring at. It looked like a person from afar, but now that you have a closer look you assumed that what you were staring at was a fish…human? A mermaid-like being from your old storybooks as a child. Except instead of a fishtail you were met with several tentacles. Eight to be exact.

Despite the octopus monster briefly causing you to be hesitant with your rescue, the sight of the suspicious liquid pulled you back into a helpful headspace. You bend down, touching the soiled sand as you coat your fingers with the sticky red liquid. Blood. The source of it you weren’t sure. But all you knew was that he was in desperate need of help. Your eyes roamed across the monster man's body, finding the source of the bleeding. An old barbed wire was buried deep in his torso. You couldn’t free him with your bare hands, risking cuts to your own if you did so, instead you checked to see if the fish monster was still alive. His chest seemed to rise and fall, meaning he could intake oxygen much like a human, though you didn’t want to risk seeing just how much longer he could do that for.

Rushing towards your house, you discarded your book and reading glasses onto your couch. You made a brief detour to your bathtub, hurriedly turning on the water and plugging the drain. You searched through your hall closet, shuffling through the toolbox you kept there before coming across a pair of wire cutters. With the adrenaline rush still in you, you made a beeline back to the beach.

“This is fine, this is fine, this is fine,” You kept chanting to yourself as you approached the octopus merman once more. “This is just like helping an injured animal? Human? This is fine.”

You bent down again, carefully cutting the wires away and freeing him from their sharp grip. The merman gave no response, as you attempted to hoist him up. You know it was probably better for him to wait and get professional help, but who would you call for something like this? Especially at this time of night. The hospital? An animal hotline? Folks might just think you were going crazy, and given the circumstances, you sure felt like it. You managed to drag the merman into your home, grimacing at the trail of blood you left. You made a mental note to clean it up as best as you could before someone saw it leading up your stairs and front porch. The last thing you needed on your record was a suspected murder charge.

Laying the man onto the bathroom floor, you rummaged underneath your sink cabinet for the first aid kit. It was novice work but you managed to stop the bleeding briefly and clean the wound with antiseptic before wrapping the gauze around him a few times for good measure. You then hoisted him up into the overflowing tub of water, quickly closing the faucet once some of the water spilled out over the edge. Something else to clean that you’ll worry about later. Your main priority was the blood now.

Seeing that the monster man seemed to be doing okay for now, you continued your work, cleaning up the blood around your property. Hoping the sea would wash away the rest of the evidence. By the time you came back, the octopus man was still passed out in the tub. It was getting late and with all the cleaning you did, you lost any motivation to clean up anything else all you wanted was rest. You laid yourself on your couch, having a good view of the bathroom from where you sat and you eventually dozed off.

______________________________________________________

The next morning you were woken up by frantic splashing and an animalistic screech that reminded you of an old kraken movie. You shot up, rushing to the bathroom and almost running into the doorframe. Your injured patient had awoken, his dark long hair cascading over his face shielding him from your view. He let out a very snake-like hiss, his clawed fingers scratching against the bathtub’s ceramic, water spilling out of the tub. You raised your hands in defense, staying in place as you tried to calm him down.

“Hey, hey! You’re safe, it's okay!” You tried to reassure him. ”

He sneered, relaxing his shoulders slightly yet still keeping his guard up. “Release me.”

You tilted your head, trying to see around the man and check on his bandages. “I’m not sure I can do that right now, you’re still recovering. And you could get your wounds infected, especially if I don’t change your bandages.”

He lifted his head more and you caught a glimpse of his face. His skin looked like a corpse, with a very light purple hue to it. His eyes, a pale white with no irises that you could see just a blank empty stare, had dark circles underneath and his lips were the same darker color.

His nose looked like two slits and his teeth were black and sharp. His purple tentacles rested over the side of the tub, his many appendages slowly slinking around it. One of his hands hung over the edge too, sharp claws and webbed fingers were two features you instantly noticed.

The water sloshed as he moved slightly, tilting his head in curiosity yet the intense glare remained on his face. You slowly placed your hands down, moving to the sink to grab a fresh batch of medical gauze.

“I need to change your bandages.” You repeated, holding out the gauze and gesturing to your torso hoping he understood. The octopusman sneered when you made your way over to him again, but instantly winced from the pain. He curled in on himself, a guttural groan leaving his lips as you started to notice the pinkish tint in the tub. Angry or not, you couldn’t leave him with his soiled bandages.

You took in a deep breath, sucked in your fear, and approached closer ignoring the territorial growl he gave you. You reached out towards him, pushing his arms away from his torso while you unwrapped the soiled bandages. You didn’t know much about fish health, especially fish monster health, but you thought keeping him in the water helped a lot. Especially since you saw gills along the sides of his neck and just below his ribs on either side of his torso.

The monster man seemed to calm down after the initial defensive state he took. He opted for staring at you, his blank eyes unmoving from your form as you worked. After the bandage was removed, you began draining the tub, filtering out the dirty water with the running water you turned on from the tap. You checked on his wound, which started healing remarkably quicker than you thought. You started to wrap the clean gauze around his torso, noticing how his muscles tensed at the stinging pain.

You quickly apologized, trying to work a little faster so he could go back to relaxing as best as he could in your bathtub. You could still feel the cold stare his eyes had on you and when you finally lifted your head you jumped back a bit from how close he was. He had an unreadable expression on his face. His brows knit together in either curiosity or disdain for your presence, you weren’t sure. Your nose brushed just against the ridge of his nostril slits, his deep empty pools of white never wavering from your own eyes.

“Release me, human.” It sounded more like a request this time rather than a demand. His voice took on a softer tone you didn’t think you would hear from him.

“Shouldn’t you rest?” You asked, unmoving. “You were passed out on the beach when I found you. Are you sure you could swim under your conditions now?”

His tentacles sloshed in the water, some of the liquid spilling over the sides in the process. “Am I to sit here as your pet until then?”

“You’re more like a patient...or a guest at this point?” You shrugged, backing away slowly. “I wasn’t sure if you could last long without water.”

You gestured towards the bathtub, his eyes following your hands to glance down at the ceramic tub. He let out a weird clicking and hissing sound, shaking his head as he sank into the water. You watched as he closed his eyes, the gills under his ribs expanding and then relaxing. You paused for a moment, watching as he remained unmoving before you stood up.

“Your name, what is it?” His voice caught you off guard, especially with how calm it sounded. No hints of malice laced in his words, just a genuine question out of curiosity.

You told him your name, listening to him repeat it back to see if he said it right. “What about you? What’s yours?” You asked.

There was a pause. “I am called Vasa.”

The water sloshed at his movements again as he peered over the edge of the tub, his empty eyes staring up at you. You said his name back, earning a nod of approval from Vasa at your pronunciation.

“How long am I to stay here?” He questioned, stretching his arm against the side of the tub before letting it hang there for a second. “I need to return, you cannot keep me here for long.”

“I know that, but you’re obviously still in pain.” You sighed. “Maybe a few days or a week? That should be enough time to get you to heal.”

Vasa went silent again, leaning his head against his forearm. He gave you a curt nod, closing his eyes and lazily moving his tentacles in the water. You assumed the conversation was over and decided to stand up and leave your bathroom. You had some errands to run that day to keep yourself busy. There was the transcript you had to keep writing, then a bit of cleaning and restocking your fridge. You paused, as you sat down at your desk again, the thought suddenly dawning over you.

What did tentacle fish monsters even eat? You doubted there was an answer to your inquiry from Google, yet you couldn’t help but reach for your phone and quickly type in the words “Fish Octopus Diet.” You skimmed the first few links, settling on adding various sorts of seafood and a few vegetables for good measure. It was a little expensive the more you thought about it, but you had to take into account that Vasa might be staying with you for a bit longer. Up until he recovered of course.

You managed to write a little more of your transcript before heading out for the town’s local market. You had stopped by the bathroom to check on Vasa, noticing he had sunk into the tub again and his eyes remained closed. Assuming he was asleep, you dimmed the lights in the bathroom and headed out. The trip didn’t take very long since the small town you were in only had one major market. Besides the awkward looks and sideways glances you got for buying out so much seafood, you managed to do the round trip in record time. You were also very grateful you lived near an ocean town since a lot of the seafood was freshly caught and in great abundance.

You brought your haul back into your home, taking out the batch of clams from one of the big brown bags. You walked towards your bathroom but not before making a quick detour to your kitchen to pick up a knife. Flicking on the lights, you hear the water sloshing again as Vasa’s head emerges from the water.

“I’m back!” You triumphantly announced, waving the bag of clams up for him to see. “And I brought you some food.”

You sat close to the tub, opened the bag, and got to work on shucking the clams open. Vasa watched you, tilting his head at the small knife you had in your hand.

“Can you not prepare it on your own?” He reached out a webbed hand, wordlessly asking you to hand him the clam. You struggled with the knife on the clam a little more before sighing and handing it to him.

“They make it look easier on TV.”

There was a raspy-sounding hiss from him and if you hadn’t noticed the curve of his lips and the crinkle of his eyes from the abnormally wide smile on his face you wouldn’t have known he was laughing. It was very animalistic, yet you couldn’t help but be entranced by him a little more. There was a loud crack as Vasa effortlessly split the clam open with his sharp claws, he tilted his head back, taking a deep gulp of the gooey insides. You watched his throat as he ate, noticing small gills at the sides of his neck too that fluttered with every swallow he took. He stopped after popping open his third clam, noticing the intense stare you had on him. You flinched once you were caught, opting to turn your gaze back down to the grocery back near your feet. You had made a couple of stops at some other stores for snacks for yourself. Removing the wrapper to the chocolate bar you took a small bite from the treat with a tiny snap.

“What is that?” Vasa’s voice echoed in the silent bathroom. You took another mouthful of the treat. You broke the candy bar into two small halves, holding out one towards Vasa.

“S’chocolate. Wan’ shome?” You knew it was bad manners to talk with your mouth full, but maybe fish people had slightly different customs than humans. You watched as Vasa leaned over the edge of the tub, a bit of the water dripping off of the side, as he sniffed the chocolate. His nostrils flared with each sniff he took before a long, dark tongue slithered out of his thin lips. He licked the bar slowly, recoiling after a moment once the taste finally registered.

“Humans are strange creatures.” His voice sounded raspy as he reeled away from the chocolate, handing the treat back to you.

You hummed, rewrapping the chocolate and leaning against the tub. You crossed your legs in front of you as you gave him a pointed look. “Could say the same about you.”

He let out an animalistic hissing sound, a weird mix between a sneer and a laugh. He composed himself, chuckling every now and then as he reached out to hold a strand of your hair in between his index and thumb fingers. “You do not even know what my kind is. Humans still refer to us as mermaids.”

“Are you not a merman…or something like it?”

“Something like it.” He repeated back to you, still studying your face. “We refer to each other with a different name in our tongue. But the myth you humans created is called cecaelia. A rather interesting name for us.”

As you stared into his eyes, you hadn’t realized how vibrant they looked up close. Despite the lack of a pupil, they were clear and reminded you of two bright pearls. They reflected the light interestingly. Vasa went quiet, studying your features, letting out a clicking sound now and then. He finally let go of your hair, the water in the tub making a sloshing sound as he shifted back into it. Vasa submerged himself into the water, a few bubbles escaping through his nostrils as he did. You found his behavior adorable and almost childish. You finished up the candy bar you were chewing, leaving the one he discarded wrapped up and next to the tub. If he wanted to try again he could, if not then you could toss out the $1.50 you spent at the convenience store.

You got up from your seated position, clapping off any of the chocolate residue on your hands. You glanced back at him, noticing his head had peaked out of the water and his blank eyes stared up at you expectantly.

“You are leaving? It is earlier than last time.” Vasa rasped out, more of his head poking through the water. You gave him an apologetic smile in response, head tilting back to where your desk with various papers strewn about sat.

“I have a draft I gotta send out soon. The sooner I get back to work the quicker I can get it done.” You explained.

He went silent for a moment before humming and receding into the water. But not before he let out a quiet, “Hurry back.” One you had almost missed as you exited your bathroom.

While you sat at your desk, typing away on your keyboard, you couldn’t help but occasionally glance back at where you had left Vasa. Your bathroom light was still on, the door opened halfway letting out a bit of light into the dark hallway. It was strange, you only just met him and it felt like the two of you had a connection. A weird pull to him that you couldn’t quite explain. You were beginning to enjoy spending time with him, the small conversations you’ve had and occasionally rewrapping his wounds brought a sense of familiarity to your life. A much-needed change from the constant schedule you had kept since you moved there.

You stretched your arms high above your head with a tired yawn, glancing at the digital clock next to your desk. It was about 6:50 pm. The sun’s rays came in through your window causing your living room to be lit up in a symphony of orange and yellows. You closed your laptop, feeling like you made an ample amount of progress. Leaning back in your chair you glanced back at the bathroom, realizing the occasional movement from Vasa had gone strangely silent.

“Vasa?” Your voice called into the empty hallway. You were met with the deafening silence, your heart dropped slightly after a moment. You quickly got up from your desk, dropping a few stray sheets of draft paper as you did. You made a beeline for the bathroom, throwing open the door and glancing into the tub.

Vasa’s body floated on the surface of the water. You couldn’t tell if he was still breathing, he seemed deadly still, unmoving. You kneeled next to the tub to get a better look, holding your breath as you watched his chest. It didn’t rise and fall and the way the water sloshed slightly with how he floated against it reminded you of the goldfish you found dead back in the 2nd grade.

At that revelation, you got put into panic mode, darting forward to lift his torso from the water ignoring how your clothes instantly got soaked. You shook him slightly, calling his name as his head lolled to the side. You gave him another harsh shake, noticing as he let out a series of clicking sounds before he attempted to push you off of him.

After a second more of struggling, you sat yourself up against the tub, letting out a sigh of relief.

“What on earth were you doing?” He hissed at you, his blank eyes squinting as he bared his sharp teeth at you. You tilted your head towards him, the concern on your face causing him to ease up on his hostility. Vasa’s expression went from rage-filled to confused as he leaned forward to bring your faces closer together. “What is wrong, human?”

Seeing that he was alright, you shook your head giving him a sheepish grin. “Nothing I’m…I’m just glad you’re okay is all.”

You felt a little silly, jumping to the conclusion that he was dead. You hadn’t even seen how he looked when he slept, a much less urgent approach would have been better. He let out a weird hissing sound with his teeth. You assumed he was mad at you again, instead, he reached out and lightly brushed your cheek with the knuckles of his webbed fingers. Your immediate reaction was to flinch because it caught you off guard, causing Vasa to instantly pull back his touch. You stared at each other in silence, finding a weird comfort in his gaze again. After another pause between the two of you, Vasa was the one to speak first.

“Did you worry?” It was a simple question, one that had a simple answer. Yet something in you caused you to open your mouth before closing it again. You’ve only known each other for a few days at this point. Were you that lonely to get attached to him this quickly?

Vasa took your silence as a yes, causing him to reach out to you again. He touched a strand of your hair, brushing it away from your forehead. His claws scraped across your skin, not drawing blood but enough to cause a shiver up your spine. His hand lowered to where your lips were, touching your lips and then then traveled lower. He was observing you, watching your every reaction as his hand went lower. It stopped at the side of your neck, hovering there for a moment. Vasa used his other hand to touch where his gills were located on his neck.

“My kind cannot drown.” Any hint of him having a snooty attitude was nonexistent. Instead, his voice was calm and gentle. He was trying to reassure you. “Our gills allow us to breathe in the water. Occasionally we can intake oxygen for a short time.”

His many tentacles that hung off the side of the tub reached out to you, wrapping themselves around your arms and torso. It felt like he was hugging you. A strange tentacled hug. He didn’t pull you closer to him though. The tentacles were also loose around you, allowing you to back away from him at any time.

He said your name in a lowered voice, capturing your attention again. “So, you should not worry about me.”

The look he gave you as he spoke made your heart racing. His voice was soft and full of something more intimate. If you could even call it that. But you knew the mood between the both of you had shifted. Your eyes flickered to his lips again and slowly, hesitantly, you leaned forward. Vasa remained frozen in place, watching you with an unreadable expression.

A sudden ring caused you to jolt back in his hold. His tentacles still held you firm as you turned your head towards the bathroom door. The ringing on your landline soon stopped, leaving silence for a moment before the machine beeped.

“Hey. Just wanted to call, check in, and see how that transcript was going. You must be out of the house right now so you can call me back at this number when you can.” The recorded message from the machine echoed throughout your living room. You let out a deep exhale through your nose, glancing at Vasa who still was staring at you expectedly.

“I, um…” You trailed off, watching as he leaned closer to you before you pulled away, a flash of hurt crossing his face briefly, eyebrows furrowing as you tried to untangle yourself from his tentacles. “I should go answer that. It must’ve been important if they’re calling now.”

Vasa let out a few clicking sounds, reluctantly letting you go. “As you wish.”

He sunk back into the bathtub, a few of his tentacles going back into the water as he closed his eyes. You stayed seated close to the tub for a second, watching Vasa float for a moment. You got up, headed into the living room, and left the door slightly ajar.

This was for the best, you tried telling yourself. You had only met for a few days, the two of you were from completely different worlds. You weren’t sure what you were about to do if the phone hadn’t rang, but you were glad you didn’t. So why were you feeling a heavy weight on your chest and a reluctance to leave him behind?

#monster boyfriend #monster lover #merman boyfriend #merman lover #monster x reader #monster x human #monster x gender neutral reader #merman x reader #monster love #monster sfw #fae writing

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 3 months

Note

AITA for being too close to my childhood best friend?

(This is so long I'm so sorry, there's just a fair bit of info.)

Me (22F) and Jake (23F) grew up together. Our mothers were friends for years and got pregnant around the same time, and we've basically been side by side our whole lives. We consider each other platonic soulmates and siblings.

Jake has had a girlfriend (Lucy, 23F) for the last seven months. I really like Lucy, she's so funny, so interesting, and she clearly makes Jake happy. There's been one or two awkward moments between us, but its never been anything that lingered or caused problems.

Now I know how people generally act/think about "the girl best friend" so when Jake said he was thinking of asking Lucy out, I made sure to back off a bit. Instead of having a brate (bro date, just hanging out doing something like bowling, Maccas, movie theatre, ect) once a week I said we should have one once a month, I don't call him just to hang on the phone together anymore, I make sure to not message at all on the days I know they have dates planned, ect.

I've really, really done my best to not get in the way, to make sure Lucy knows he really is just my brother, and I've tried to give them both space as someone who is not involved in their relationship.

I thought I was doing really well because its never really come up until this week. It was Jake and I's brate day and we decided to go to the mall so I could shop for clothes and he could get the slushies he likes there. Lucy knew where we'd be, and "happened" to show up, which was fine. Like I said, I like hanging out with her, and I actually thought it was cool I could get another girl's opinion on my outfit.

Jake decided to try on some clothes too while he was there and it turned into something of a mini fashion show of both of us showing off our possible choices. Lucy seemed to alternate between really having fun and going quiet. She refused to try on any herself but grinning and laughing while Jake and I were, and while we were taking turns playfully hyping each other up.

Jake tried on a pair of jeans and I was teasing him and said "damn dude, look at all that ass" trying to make him embarrassed. This was when Lucy muttered something I didn't quite hear, and politely suggested I should leave. Both Jake and I were really confused and taken aback and Lucy kind of shrugged and said things like this were things couples should do, and it was really inappropriate of me to make a sexual comment about her boyfriend while she was right there.

I didn't want to make a scene so I said I'd go, but Jake argued back and said it was clearly just joking around and he's sick of her getting upset at literally anything I do, or he does with me, which was surprising because it was the first I heard that she's had actual complaints.

We all wound up sitting down in the food court to talk and Lucy basically said that she's growing more and more uncomfortable with how close Jake and I are as her and Jake get closer, even though Jake and I's interactions have drastically dropped since they started dating. She thinks its weird we have friendship bracelets (our families went on a double vacation when we were 14 and me and Jake bought those cheap seaside shell bracelets in matching colors, that's literally it) and we hang out alone once a month (even though she's been invited multiple times and always refuses) and she thinks its even weirder than our families are so close and call us siblings.

I won't lie, it killed me inside, but I offered to back off entirely and only be around Jake in group settings, if at all, but Jake cut in and said that wasn't a compromise he was willing to make, and asked Lucy to talk more in private. They left together and trying to be respectful, I haven't reached out at all to either of them while they talk it through.

Jake's mom came over today to hang out with mine, and wound up telling me the last few days Jake has been stressed out, miserable, and isn't sure about staying with Lucy. She said it was a shame because Lucy seemed so nice, but she also said she was proud of him because I was family and Lucy's insecurity wasn't reasonable.

It made me feel sad and like I was hurting Jake by interfering with his relationship again, so I asked some of my online friends from a game I play and the opinion was kind of split. They all agreed I've never spoken about Jake in a way that hinted I liked him, but also that as girls, they'd feel weird anyway about knowing their boyfriend had this close bond with another girl, and they'd be wondering what the future would look like and if our friendship would get in the way of choices like moving, starting a family.

Now I feel completely lost and honestly a little scared of both losing Jake and apparently ruining his life by being so close to him. None of the rest of our IRL friend group has ever brought anything up about it, and I don't know if this is Lucy being jealous or if this is my fault.

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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fatallyfalling · 4 months

Text

Bitter Water 0.00 ~ ♆

“ Let the Reaping of the 67th annual Hunger Games begin, “

warnings: typical Hunger Games violence/trauma/themes, language, blood, injury, insinuation of forced prostitution, enemies to lovers, slow burn, etc.

{{ word count }} 2.6 k

{{ prompt }} Panem is cruel - bloodthirsty even. Every year twenty-four children must fight to the death as a sick form of entertainment. Today is the 67th annual reaping in the seaside District 4 - may the odds be ever in your favor.

{{ a/n }} Warning there’s a lot of exposition for what i think life in District 4 would be like though it may not sound 100% accurate to the canon ideation! I did way too much research on District 4’s presumed location and the general pacific northwest seafaring system for accuracy. This chapter is a lot of scene setting to reference later on top of the reaping occurring - please enjoy !

The Pacific-Northwestern region of Panem was home to District 4. Otherwise known as the “Fishing District”.

Most of its citizens are concentrated directly on or near the salty coast of the sea, working the many sailboats or on the bustling ports that harbored them. Children of the district learn to help from an early age, shucking oysters and various mussels or helping their mothers weave and repair nets for the local fishermen. Everyone smelled of the sea - fresh air, sea salt, and a damp pine, with sand clinging to their shoes and linen clothes.

Though a majority of the year brought overcast skies and rainy weather, the better parts of mid-July through late August were filled with warm, sticky sunshine and cloudless skies. Come autumn and winter, cold snaps and heavier rain storms were regular visitors, with many homes donning rain barrels to collect the excess liquid to be boiled down for drinking or bathing. The northernmost edge of the District sometimes saw snow, bringing ice fishing and skating to measured popularity amongst locals.

The port towns were anything but sleepy. Community in a constant hustle and bustle while watching out for one another in tandem with the intense seafaring labor. Days spent on the beach were filled with tugboat horns, captain's orders, and elated shrieks of children wading in the spray of the ocean. There was always a game of who could find the best cliff to dive from, or conch shell to hear the distant whispers of waves inside and whatnot. A group of older kids developed a make-believe currency of sand dollar bits to trade wooden beads, small clusters of natural quartz, seashells, rope bracelets, and more to entertain the younglings on an outcropping speckled in tide pools on the rocky shore.

More often than not, a walk down the boardwalk as dusk neared brought warm golden lights flooding from old taverns with deep, joyous shanties of the past and banter amongst hardworking sailors merging with joyous whoops and hollers of young women and barmaids. Everyone knew one another like family, and the seaside town practically breathed on its own with the rolling push and pull of the tide.

However, the Fishing District was silent today.

Waves crashed on the beach as boats creaked in their ports. Scarred wooden tavern signs wailed in the eerie breeze on salt-rusted chains. The absence of sound in the sand swept cobble streets was almost unsettling. There’s only one day a year that invokes such an abrupt halt in District 4’s beating heart.

The annual Reaping of one female and male Tribute set to compete in a fight to the death against twenty two other children from the districts all for the Capital’s sick reminder of what rebellion once cost the “great nation” of Panem.

The Hunger Games.

You knew the odds were never in anyone's 'favor'.

“It’s fine. Everything - everything is going to be fine…”

The repeated mantra is barely a whisper under your breath as you make a futile attempt the smooth the front of your lightweight, sage colored ensemble. There was a tremor in your fingertips. The idea of getting cleaned up like this just to attend your own prospective funeral made your stomach twist painfully. Tucking a few stray hairs behind your ears and a deep sigh through your nose, you take one last look in the foggy mirror on your dresser before making your way out to the main room of your home.

Although the Fourth District was deemed wealthy among the remaining 12, your seaside cottage was quaint - and quite a ways from the beach, in all honesty. The home was small, if not cozy. The outside wooden panels were worn with smears of grey from age due to the weather, paired with a tin slabbed roof that allowed every raindrop to be heard throughout the house when it rained. The inside wasn't much better. Little furniture adorned the household and appeared washed out in the summer light. Ivory walls were marked with the mayhem of childhood and clumsy hands. The large main room held a mantle and hearth with a makeshift stove built in and a rickety dark stained wood table with four chairs connecting to a barebones bathroom and two bedrooms. There were fixtures and switches for lights but no electricity. Candles were placed where lightbulbs would be for nights when the hearth wasn't keeping the house warm.

"Come on, we've got to get moving, or we'll be late."

You groaned as the younglings, twin boys with hair like your father's, sat on the oval roving rug you had finished braiding two springs prior. "You were supposed to get them washed up." You quip towards the older man seated at the worn-out table. His only reply is a gruff rumble as you scoff, stooping to rub soot off the boy's cheeks with your thumbs. They burst into giggles, and you can't help the tight-lipped smile that crosses your lips.

You tried to be patient with your father. There had been too much loss in recent years, but it wasn't an excuse to neglect his boys. You had enough trouble picking up the slack as it was, from taking extra hours on the shipyard and staying up late mending sails like your mother used to. She passed away some years ago. There had been complications delivering the twins, and there wasn't anything the midwife you'd called could have done. It left your father resigned to himself, taking up more time at the nearby tavern than on the shipyard hauling crates due for the Capital. A foolish miscalculation and one too many drinks ended up costing him his dominant hand and forearm in a freak accident at the port.

To say you had fallen on hard times would be an understatement. It was more akin to plummeting down one of the tall cliffsides bordering the port and smacking face-first into the water like concrete.

Eventually, you managed to wrangle the little rascals into their shoes and straighten the collars of their matching olive-green tunics. Hoisting one onto your back with a huff, you tried to calm the drumming of your racing heart. Your father stood with another grunt and shrugged on a deep brown leather coat to cover what was left of his arm. Allowing the other half of the youngling pair to weave their fingers through his, your father offered a firm nod in your direction, and the four of you set out toward town.

Looking back on that moment, you regret not taking in that quaint little cottage one last time.

The trek to town was about a mile or two. The beat down from the summer sun brought sweat to your brow and the nape of your neck, forcing you to set down the toddler on your back halfway. "I know it's hot, but we have to keep going," You cooed when the pair began complaining about the lengthy trip. This would be the first Reaping they might remember, not to mention the first they weren't in diapers for. You'd done your best to keep them healthy, sometimes at the expense of yourself, but it was worth all the risk in the world.

With a little more commentary from the twins, the tall brick clock tower above the judicial complex at the center of town came into view above the pine trees, and you let out a shuddering breath that made your chest squeeze. "Almost there," You muttered. Averting your gaze to the dirt path under your feet. The sun was almost at its peak when you converged with the lines of other citizens. Many reeked of sweat and body order, having traveled through most of yesterday and this morning to get to the Reaping on time.

You didn't allow your fear to show more than a tightness in your jaw as you gripped your siblings tight in an almost bone-crushing hug. You refused to say goodbye as it felt like admitting defeat before the duel with death had even begun. After a few long moments, you heard the automated voices of Peacekeepers in stark white uniforms and government-ordered guns slung across their chests, and you had to let go. "I'll come back in just a few minutes," You promised, though your voice felt meek and caught in your throat. Ruffling their hair and sparking a fit of spritely laughter, you lifted your gaze to the hardened eyes of your father. "See you soon."

"See you soon."

Another brief, tight-lipped smile, and you forced yourself to turn away and join the other prospective tributes for check-in. Families were forced to remain in a balcony above the judicial complex due to such a large population and past "complications" from reaped children's family members. Anxiety and anticipation brought a tension thick enough to be cut by a knife through the courtyard of people. Wetting your lips following a thick swallow, you tried not to focus too much on the looming Peacekeepers overseeing the procession. When it was your turn to check in, you didn't stutter when asked for your name but scrunched your nose as they pricked your finger, squeezing to pool the blood before pressing it into the paper list and scanning with a device that flashed green. "Next!" The peacekeeper barked, shooing you away with a wave of their hand. Your gaze danced around the all too familiar formation of children as you fell in line with the older Tributes.

You were led in groups through a few back hallways before being brought into a widely open auditorium. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined the back wall with long Red capital banners hung on the dividing stone pillars. Clenching your trembling hands into fists, your fingernails digging into your palms, you tried again to steady your racing heart as it pounded against your ribcage.

Things were going to be fine.

Another thick swallow forced its way down your throat, and you sucked your bottom lip between your teeth. The anxious habit often left your bottom lip puffy, if not bleeding from the repetitive action, but you couldn't help it. Shuffling into place to stand in rows and columns with the other prospective Tributes, you had to will yourself not to look anywhere but ahead. You couldn't break till this was all over. It was a long process to get everyone inside. But once the large wooden doors behind you slammed shut with a contagious shudder shifting through the crowd, you knew this was it.

The deafening cry of an unfocused microphone wails through the room, causing your nose to scrunch and your head to lean into your shoulder in discomfort. A stocky, overdressed Capital escort appears on the short stage made of stone to match the rest of the auditorium. They release a small gasp at the noise and allow a brief dismissal before tapping the microphone twice, the poor device exerting two loud "thumps" for good measure. Clearing their throat with a phlegmy cough, the escort begins a crawl of lines that were evidently rehearsed and regurgitated the same way every year to every district.

"Welcome, welcome! Happy Hunger Games!"

The escort's tone is elated, making you feel sick at the pride they seem to take in their position. Your jaw set in place as they continued their spiel.

"Before we begin, I'd like to share this wonderful message from our dear President and our beloved Capital!" They exclaim while gesturing to a letter they seem to pull from thin air. A small "shink" whispers through the mic as the letter is opened. The escort pulls a sheet of parchment out, discarding the envelope in a dramatic toss behind themselves and another phlegmy cough before reading the page.

"Dear Prospective Tributes,"

"It is an honor as the President of Panem to welcome you all to the annual Reaping for this year's Hunger Games. As you all have learned from birth. War, destruction, and rebellion have brought great shame to our nation. A shame that runs so deep that our Districts must be reminded of the consequences and retribution that rebellion costs. War brings death. War brings dead children, dead mothers, dead sisters, and dead brothers. To raise war against your Capital, which has provided you all you've ever needed, is treacherous. To bring war against your home is treason. These Games preserve our past. And these Games protect our future."

Signed, President Coriolanus Snow."

There isn't a single round of applause that rolls through the crowd once the escort finishes reciting the letter. The letter has been identical at every Reaping you've attended since you were twelve. The silence in the auditorium is loud enough to hear a pin drop. Your palms grow warm as blood slowly seeps from where your nails dig in, but you don't bother to take notice.

"Well then, if all is said and done, we shall now move on to selecting our two wonderful tributes who will hold the greatest honor of representing District 4 in the 67th annual Hunger Games. As always, ladies shall go first." The escort exclaims once more, accompanying animated waves of their gloved hands towards the pristine crystal fishbowls on either side of the stage. Both bowls are brimming with slips of paper. Your heartbeat thrums in your ears now.

Everything is going to be fine.

The escort all but skips their way to the crystal mouth of death on the right side of the stage. Your heart feels like it might as well burst out of your chest and splatter against the backs of those in front of you. Your eyes are glued ahead as the escort makes a show of sifting their gloved fingers through the name slips for what feels like an eternity. At last, a slip is chosen in a dramatic swipe up into the air to be displayed to the crowd.

The anticipation is suffocating.

The escort comes back to center stage, coughing into the microphone again as they peel away the black seal of the name.

As the chosen name booms through the auditorium, it's as if you're suddenly underwater. But you can't be underwater because you're standing still, and nothing's wet.

The name booms through the open room again.

This time, you're shocked out of your thoughts at the recognition.

It's your name.

You have been chosen as the female Tribute for the 67th annual Hunger Games.

You barely register the prod of a gun at your back or the jab to your side to force you out of line towards the stage.

This really was going to be your funeral, and you couldn't stop it.

A wail rips apart the blanket of silence as one of the twin younglings cries out for you. On instinct, your head whips towards the cry, but your temple connects with the butt of a gun, and you're knocked to the concrete below. Somehow, a sound akin to a growl emits itself from your throat on your hands and knees as you force yourself to stand back up. Your head throbs with white hot pain from the contact point, but a bitter, spiteful decision solidifies itself in your mind as you're led towards the jaws of certain death on that stage.

You will not die.

@emerald-09 @reader-bookling123 @finnickodaddy

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2-fast-2-curious · 1 year

Text

Motorsport Audio Masterlist Perez-Zhou

Albon-Lawson

Leclerc-Ocon

Male Listener Audios

Sergio Perez

[M4A] Your BF Remembers You of Your Worth

[M4F] [Script Fill] Patience, Pretty Pet

Oscar Piastri

[M4F] [Script fill] Worshipping You After Your Workout [BFE]

[M4F] Aussie Snuggles with his American Girlfriend, pillow talk, leads to intense sex

All About Your Pussy

[M4F] Your Horny Boyfriend Gives You Head At Your Parents’ House

[M4F] You have one (1) missed call(s)

Fabio Quartararo

[M4F] Get On the Bed

Kimi Raikkonen

[M4F] JOI by your Soft Dom

Daniel Ricciardo

[M4F] Our First Time Getting Rough

[M4F] “Morning Darlin”

[M4F][Script Fill] Why Didn't We Fuck Before I Left?

[M4F] Kiss And Make Up

[M4F] Reminding You That You're Mine (full version)

[M4F] Bets and Promises

[M4F] Seaside Rendezvous

[M4F] Your First Time

Hiding in the Closet With Your Brother’s Best Friend

M4A-Come-To-Bed-Baby

M4A-Its-Bedtime-Darling

You-are-beautiful-ambient

[M4F] Lucky girl

[M4F] Fall Asleep On Daddy's Cock

[M4F] Just Relax For Me

[M4F] Your BF Discovers Your Dirty Secret... and Becomes Your New Daddy

[M4F] he's drunk and horny and trying so hard to stay quiet

[M4F] Revisiting Your Italian Lessons

[M4A] Your Brain Is Lying To You

[M4A] Your Pause Button

[M4A] Everything Will Be Alright, Darling

My Needy Obedient Girl

[M4F] Cuddle Fuck

[M4F] Pussy Appreciation

Period Comfort SFW

[M4F] Trying to quietly sleep with friend's sister.

[M4F] [Script fill] Ski Lodge Shenanigans

George Russell

[M4F] Babe, Do you want me to be your Daddy? I saw your browser history

Why Can't You Be Mine Instead?

Dominated By Your Brothers, Gigantic Friend

[M4F] [Script Fill] [Mdom] [British Accent][DD/lg] [Possessive] [Spanking] [Punishment] [Jealous Partner] [Wet Sounds]

[M4F] My little girl gets punished for using a toy behind daddy's back.

[M4F] - Back Row Cinema

Falling in Love on the Ferris Wheel

[M4F] I have to have you...NOW

[M4F] You Should Be Sleeping now

[Script Fill] [M4F] Don't Look Away From Me

[M4A] [M4F] I Offer You Dreams

[M4F] [M4A] I care about you

[M4A] [M4F] Rest, Love

(M4F) Morning Love Making and Cuddling - British Boyfriend Role Play

[Size Kink][Size Difference][Mdom][At the Gym][Spotting Your Squat]

[M4F] Learning how to please my new boss 😇

[M4F] [Script Fill] Kitchen Shenanigans

[M4F] 😟😟 Please help me mommy, I can't sleep

Table for Two

[M4F] [Script Fill] Ghostface Reckons You’re Not That Smart, Detective

Your BF calms you down after a nightmare

[M4F] The Professor Explains "Power Fantasies" To You After Class

[M4F] Good Girls Feel Better

M4F - Good girls go back to sleep - sfw audio pillowtalk

M4F] Cupcake for my little Cupcake [Script fill]

[M4F] I can't believe nobody invited you to the prom!

[M4F] You've had a long day, let your good boy take care of you

[M4F] Good Girls Ask for What They Want

[M4F] Why are you jacking me off while I try to sleep bro

[M4F] Driving Through The English Countryside With(Out) Your Sundress On

Carlos Sainz Jr

[M4F] The Spanish Lifeguard Asks You Out

[M4F] You discover your housemate is really good with his fingers!

Hispanic Guy New in Town

Lip Service: Sabor a Tí

[M4A] Your BF Tells You What He Loves About Your Body

[M4F] Para Ti:Audio en Español

[M4F] Midnight Impulse: A Night of Passion

Noche de lluvia [M4F]

Logan Sargeant

[M4F] Secretly Fucking Your Best Friend's Younger Brother After a Sleepover

You Must be Haunting Me

[M4F] Watching A Sex Scene with Your Friend Goes Way Too Far

[M4F] Sneaking Into Your High School Friend's Room Four Years Later

Mick Schumacher

[M4F] Hold the moan

[M4F] Lazy mornin’ cuddlefuck

[M4F] Cockwarming In Your New Sundress

[M4F] A Bet is a Bet. [Mdom]

[M4F] A Bet is a Bet Too [Msub]

[M4F] Anxiety Comfort [Cuddles] [L-bombs] [Kissing]

[M4F] Sleep Aid for a good girl

[M4F] Ice cream & Belly rubs

[M4F] 10 Minutes of Pussy Eating

Confession practice while you're asleep

[M4F] I came back to breed you!

"Untie Me...No, Wait, Fuck Me!"

[M4F] Midnight

The Barb Wire Killer

[M4F] Simple Encouragements!

[M4F][Request fill] You have done great!

[M4F][Request Fill] Dommy Pillowtalk

[M4F] Your German FWB Helping You Recuperate From A Night At The Oktoberfest

Andrew Showlin

[M4F][Script Fill] Right Here Waiting for You

Lance Stroll

[M4F] Fucked & Spanked at the Party

[M4F] Your Wedding Night With The Enemy Prince

[M4F] Sit on my face.. if I die, I die

[M4F] I'd love to be inside of you

[M4F] We're out of gas, so I should fill you?

I Don’t Want You to Think

[M4F] Your Lycan Boyfriend Ravages You On Full Moon’s Night

[M4F] Are You Feeling Like A Good Girl Again?

[M4F] The Best Birthday Present

loving boyfriend helps you relieve stress

[M4F] Submissive Moans for Mommy <3

[M4F] Gentle Daddy pets your pussy until you stop crying

[M4F] Gaming with your boyfriend

[M4F] Snowstorms, Cold Lips, Burning Bodies

[M4F] Gossip in the Office

[M4F] Running Late

Yuki Tsunoda

[M4F] Netflix and sleep

Fish tacos

[M4A] comforting to know

Max Verstappen

I'm Going To Fuck You How I Want...And How You Need

Couchsleeping

[M4F] [Script fill] A Lesson

Sebastian Vettel

[M4F] [Script Fill] To Pitch a Tent

[M4F] Welcome to Germany

Nursing the nurse

Cumming back (repost)

Just a quick ramblefap <3

[M4F] A Pleasure to Serve

[M4F] "I'll Choose You"

[M4F] Don't Laugh, but I gotta Tell You Something

[M4F] [SCRIPT FILL] "I Want To Fuck A Baby Into You."

[M4F] Msub going dominant (but failing miserably) [Ramblefap]

[M4F] This Is How I Picture Our First Time

[M4A]What is a train? [Relaxation][Train][Slow][Sleep-aid][SFW][German Accent]

[M4F] Telling you how to touch yourself

Reading and describing a German children's picture book

Snuggles

[M4F] It's Always the Shy Ones

[M4F] Quiet Period Cuddles

[M4F] The Care I Need

[M4F] we can stay in bed all day, as long as you don't cum

[M4F] ramblefap first try

[M4F] Little cuddlefuck for my babygirl

[M4f] [Script Fill] Roommates: Cooling Off

[M4F] [Script Fill] You Don't Need Him

[M4F] Desperate for your touch

[M4F] Promise Me You Didn’t See That

James Volwes

[M4F] Leave Him for Me

Mark Webber

[M4F] No I am so tired

[M4F] [fingered against the wall]

Susie Wolff

[F4F] [F4A] Help me decorate the tree

Toto Wolff

[M4F] Your Manager want you in his office

[M4F] [Script Fill] Daddy Trap

[M4F] Teasing Your Bookworm Boyfriend into Morning Sex

Keep relaxing, babygirl

I’m not going anywhere

You Are Not Your Mistakes

[M4F] Snowed in with only one bed

That Time We Went House Hunting

Your boyfriend's dad helps you during No Nut November

I love the thought of everything happening in public

[M4F] Don't Keep Daddy Waiting

[M4F] Letting Go of Control

[M4F] [Script Fill] Catch My Eye

Zhou Guanyu

[M4A][Script Fill] Please let me take care of you.

[M4F] [Script Fill] You don’t have to hold it all in.

#christine recommends audios #lance stroll #sebastian vettel #mick schumacher #carlos sainz jr #george russell #fabio quartararo #yuki tsunoda #zhou guanyu #toto wolff #james vowles #max verstappen #logan sargeant #daniel ricciardo #kimi raikkonen #oscar piastri #sergio perez

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foiledbyvoile · 3 months

Text

HEAD EMPTY, ONLY SILLY DEMENTED DEER MAN.

The last two episodes really got me over here pondering and shit. Didn't think my 2019 Alastor phase would make a comeback, but here we fuckin' are. Seriously though, what is his deal? I love that you can't quite make sense of him, but also I NEED to make sense of him.

SPOILERS AHOY.

Clearly he's somewhat emotionally invested in all this, that little (cute as fuck) scene with nifty the night before the battle showed us a sentimental softness in him, but he's also definitely cozying up to Charlie to use her powers for something big.

Something like breaking a deal he'd made, and I've got money on Lilith. That bad bitch seaside moment was too iconic, she's pulling strings and catching rays, living her best life.

But I need DETAILS, man. I wanna know what the stipulations of the contract are, I wanna know why it was made, what was gained and what was lost, if this deal gave him the power he wields in the first place. What does Alastor need to do to fulfill his end of the deal? I want the nitty gritty of it, man.

Speaking of deals, Alastor and Charlie??? I know we're probably meant to sweep it under the rug, Alastor says not to worry about it, it's not for Charlie's soul, the whole scene was just brushed aside...but what about the desperation he fucking reeked of?? He was beyond eager to make that deal.

Alastor held onto that information for months, waited for the perfect moment, when Charlie was backed into a corner and desperate, and he used that groundbreaking leverage for a favor. That could be anything! Like breaking a deal only someone with her power could, or, since he clearly likes playing the long game, it could be something far less definitive, easier for Charlie to get behind. Something like helping him make his next move.

(Then the next, and the next, and the manipulation continues--ideally, I'm sure. Narrative folly and character development will almost definitely nip that evil scheme in the bud.)

You gotta love that classic Alastor guile when he tells her it's not for her soul. What it really is is a foot in the door for him, and a show of good faith for Charlie. It's a chess move, and if Alastor is as conniving and methodical as I hope he is, it's the equivalence of moving a pawn.

But then he backs up that dubious display of altruism by introducing Charlie to Rosie and the cannibals. Would Alastor really implicate a close friend and her community for something he wasn't truly invested in? That's a genuine question at this point. It's pretty much confirmed in the song that Alastor is choosing to help Charlie, that he sees the potential in her, but again, for his own benefit.

Which brings us to the radio tower, post fight. The vibes I picked up were immaculate. He's incredulous, desperate, shaken and very clearly trapped in circumstances that drive him absolutely insane.

Alastor's all about control. I think back on his spiel to Charlie about maintaining that control with a smile, but even now, when Alastor is cracking under the realization that he doesn't have that, he continues to smile.

I'm really under the impression that Alastor literally cannot stop smiling. (I'm not counting the single-frame-debacle.) It's either that, or he's forcing himself to smile, desperately vying for some semblance of control in a moment where he well and truly has none.

Then there's the line, "Great Alastor Altruist died for his friends". It feels sardonic. Bitter, like he regrets putting himself in that position, but was it really a choice to begin with? Because he let himself get too involved, too comfortable, and realized that that sentimentality he'd developed has become a weakness?

I think he really was forced to protect Charlie and the hotel (it would explain the seven year coincidence, and Alastor appearing at Charlie's doorstep so serendipitously). This is almost cemented by the following line, "I'm hungry for freedom like never before, the constraints of my deal, surely you have a back door."

He almost died (again), for the sake of Charlie and her hotel. That's a helluva fucking thing for a being who's toppled overlords and held power like he has. No amount of entertainment is worth his own life, there's just no way he willingly pits himself against Adam for anyone's sake.

Assuming that the source of his power is also the source of his subjugation, and considering how Alastor openly strives for control--yeah, he's having a bit of a moment™.

I do hope that there's some genuine conflict in him in regards to his relationship with Charlie and the gang. That everything he's doing isn't inherently selfish anymore, but he veils that 'weakness' under his perpetual guise of deviant mirth. Bonus points if he's tormented by the good Charlie brings out in him. He deserves the angst, the fuzzy-fucker (/affectionate).

Couple of side notes here:

Thoughts on the way Alastor's mouth is sewn up when he strikes the deal with Charlie? Was he made to smile all the time, is it just a design choice? Personally, I'm hoping there's some angsty lore there, like maybe it's part of his contract as some twisted joke, idk.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Alastor vs Adam smackdown extravaganza. Yes, it was rad as fuck. Yes, of course Alastor was going to lose. But the way it was handled felt like a bit of a disservice, Alastor's reaction felt ooc. But then again that could just be me projecting my perspective of Alastor unto the character.

ALSO, having a character who is well known for not swearing dropping some casual, outta pocket f-bombs was a bit trite. it's supposed to feel like a reward, y'know?

ANWAYS. Yeah. Good shit. I'm losing my goddamn mind.

#alastor #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel spoilers #hazbin hotel episode 7 #hazbin hotel episode 8 #don't mind me just casually spiraling into obsession #alastor analysis #i just think he's neat

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sunny44 · 9 months

Text

When we first met

Pairing: Lewis Hamilton x summer love!reader

Warnings: nothing just pure love.

Summary: In a single summer, two strangers become very special to each other.

Once upon a time, in a small seaside village, there was a young boy named Lewis Hamilton and a lovely girl named Y/n.

They lived completely different lives, being strangers to each other.

Lewis was passionate about cars and dreamed of becoming a famous racing driver while Y/n had a generous heart and spent her days helping the needy villagers.

A sunny summer brought with it a lively festival by the sea.

Both decided to attend the event for different reasons. Lewis was looking forward to watching the go-kart races that would take place during the festival while

Y/n was busy helping to organize the charity events.

By a quirk of fate, their paths crossed when Lewis, fascinated by the charitable activities, volunteered to help Y/n with her tasks. As they spent time together, they noticed each other's sincerity and kindness. Lewis admired Y/n’s commitment to helping others, while Y/n was impressed by Lewis' passion and determination to pursue his dreams.

As the summer progressed, the friendship between them strengthened. They shared laughs, secrets and dreams under the glare of the sun and the twinkle of the stars at night.

Lewis explained the thrill of racing at high speed, and Y/n showed him the true meaning of empathy and compassion.

However, the end of the summer was approaching and with it came the sadness of parting.

They realized that they had become everything to each other in a short amount of time, but life would lead them down different paths again.

On the last day of the festival, during sunset, Lewis took courage and confessed his feelings to Y/n. With tears in her eyes, she admitted that she feel the same for him. They decided that no matter what fate had in store for them, that memory of a magical and special summer would stay in their hearts forever.

Although they physically separated, they kept in touch and supported each other on their journeys. Lewis continued to pursue his career in motorsport, while Y/n followed her calling to help those in need.

As the years passed, their paths eventually crossed again.

Lewis became a world-champion in F1, but he didn't forget the lesson of empathy he learned from Y/n. He founded a charity to help communities in need and followed in his beloved's footsteps in making a difference in the world.

Y/n, in turn, became a dedicated social worker and Lewis' infectious energy inspired her to continue fighting for humanitarian causes.

And so, the simple summer that brought two strangers together left a legacy of love, friendship and selfless deeds.

They may have only been there for each other for a brief moment, but the impact of their meeting lasted a lifetime, showing that some stories have the power to change lives forever.

Bonus scene!

Yourusername

Liked by @yourfriend @lewishamilton and others 1.082

Yourusername This is for sure the best summer I had in my entire life and even if we’re not meant to be together I’ll always love you. Thank you for making me a better person and thank you for showing me how to love and how to be loved, you will be forever my first love.

I hope that the future holds something beautiful for us.

Tagged: @lewishamilton

Comments have been desabled

Do you guys want a part two of them after years? Like them seeing each other after all the time.

For those who answer yes and want to be tagged in the next one let me now.

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sitp-recs · 11 days

Note

Hi Liv!

Do you know of any fics where draco is really heroic during the war? Like fics where he fights for the light side, kills voldemort, fights in thr battle of hogwarts, etc

I think its a really interesting trope

Thanks!!!

Hi anon! That’s a great ask, personally I love these. Most are spy!Draco fics so he’s usually helping behind the scenes:

Paper Dolls by cupiscent (M, 5k)

In the final year of the War, Draco gets a letter, makes a choice and pays the price.

Speak (and may the world come undone) by @shealwaysreads (E, 26k)

The war is on in earnest, and the hunt for the Horcruxes has begun. Harry receives help from the least expected person, and must decide whether he can trust the enemy he knows best.

In The Hand by aideomai (T, 28k)

Two months after Harry went missing, when Hermione was frantic with fear and panic and sleep deprivation, Draco Malfoy cornered them outside the Great Hall before breakfast.

9 ½ Days by magpie_fngrl (E, 69k)

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic. Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

Walking the Line by SilentAuror (E, 179k)

Sixth year is over and Draco Malfoy is on the run. The war is on and an unwanted assignment is forced upon him by the only people he trusts - and a one-time arch-enemy just may be out to kill him.

Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrims0n (E, 180k)

Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. Warnings for swearing, sexual content, and dark themes.

Eclipse by Mijan (T, 287k)

Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 (T, 302k)

Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness.

#asks #anon #Drarry reclist #spy Draco #war hero Draco

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onlyonetifosi · 2 months

Text

chapter 13

<- previous series masterlist my main masterlist next ->

The vibrant city lights of Monaco shone below as Yn and Joris walked along the harbor, their laughter echoing against the luxurious yachts. The F1 season was in full swing, and the excitement of the races permeated the air. Little did they know, their lives were about to take an unexpected turn.

As they settled into a cozy corner of a seaside cafe, Yn nervously toyed with her necklace, glancing at Joris with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.

"Joris, there's something I need to tell you," she began, her eyes meeting his with a mix of excitement and fear.

Joris, sensing her nervousness, squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Whatever it is, Yn, we'll face it together."

Taking a deep breath, Yn looked into Joris' eyes. "I'm pregnant."

Joris stared at her for a moment, the words sinking in. A mixture of surprise, joy, and concern played across his face “Yn, that's incredible. We're going to be parents!”

The vibrant atmosphere of the F1 paddock buzzed with excitement as Yn strolled hand in hand with Joris. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow on the bustling scene. As they walked toward the motorhome, Yn couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment. The 2024 F1 season had been a rollercoaster for Charles, and her heart swelled with pride for her twin brother.

Entering the motorhome, Yn felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. She and Joris exchanged a glance before breaking the news to her family. The room was filled with the aroma of a home-cooked meal, and the Leclerc family gathered around the table.

Pascale, Yn's mother, welcomed them with a warm smile. "Bienvenue! How was your day, mes enfants?"

Yn took a deep breath, exchanging a glance with Joris. "Maman, there's something important we need to tell you all."

"Go on, we're all ears," Lorenzo said, gesturing for them to continue.

The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to Yn and Joris. Charles, still riding the adrenaline of his recent race, leaned back in his chair, seemingly unfazed.

Joris cleared his throat, "Yn et moi, nous attendons un bébé." (Yn and I are expecting a baby.)

A beat of silence hung in the air before Pascale beamed, "Oh mon dieu, that's wonderful news! Congratulations, my dear!" She enveloped Yn in a warm hug.

Arthur, Yn's younger brother, grinned from ear to ear and clapped his hands excitedly "Uncle Arthur! That sounds so cool!"

Lorenzo high-fived Joris. "Congrats, man!"

But Charles, who had been calmly sipping his drink, suddenly choked, nearly spilling it. His eyes widened as he turned to Yn and Joris. "Attendez, quoi?" (Wait, what?)

Yn looked at Charles, her heart pounding. "J'ai dit que nous attendons un bébé, Charles." (I said we're expecting a baby, Charles.)

"Charles, it's okay," Yn began, her voice shaky. "We know it's a lot to take in, but—"

"You're pregnant?" Charles interrupted, his emotions clearly conflicting. "With Joris' baby? Seriously?"

Joris nodded, a proud smile on his face. "Oui, mon ami. Nous sommes ravis." (Yes, my friend. We're thrilled.)

Charles, torn between conflicting emotions, stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "No, this can't be happening," he muttered, pacing back and forth.

Yn's eyes welled up with tears as the weight of Charles' reaction hit her and Joris squeezed her hand for reassurance. "Charles, s'il te plaît, comprends." (Charles, please, understand.)

Charles, still in shock, ran his hand through his hair. "I can't believe my best friend got my sister pregnant! This is insane!"

Andrea, sensing the tension, stepped forward and spoke up. "Calma, Charles. È una bella notizia. (Calm down, Charles. It's good news.)"

Charles, frustrated, turned to Andrea, "This is my sister, Andrea! My little sister!"

Pascale, unimpressed by Charles' dramatic outburst, spoke sternly. "Charles, calme-toi! C'est une bonne nouvelle pour la famille." (Charles, calm down! It's good news for the family.)

Charles, torn between conflicting emotions, sighed deeply. "I know, but it's just… unexpected. I need some time to process this."

Andrea, Charles' personal trainer and a close family friend, spoke up. "Caro amico, la vita è piena di sorprese. Lascia che le cose si sistemino." (Dear friend, life is full of surprises. Let things settle.)

Yn, overwhelmed by the emotional rollercoaster, couldn't hold back her tears. Pascale hugged her daughter, shooting a disapproving look at Charles. "T'es trop dramatique, mon fils." (You're too dramatic, my son.)

He immediately softened, walking over to hug his sister. "I'm sorry, Yn. I'm just shocked. But I'm happy for you, really."

The tension dissipated as the Leclerc family embraced the news, Arthur jumping around excitedly. "On va avoir un bébé dans la famille!" (We're going to have a baby in the family!)

As the room filled with laughter and joy, Charles knelt down and placed his ear against Yn's belly. "Je suis désolé pour ma réaction, petite sœur. Je t'aime déjà, petit bébé." (I'm sorry for my reaction, little sister. I already love you, little baby.)

The Leclerc family, amidst the chaos of emotions, began to discuss the impending arrival. Despite Charles' initial shock, the love and support from the rest of the family prevailed, turning an unexpected revelation into a celebration of life.

taglist: @love4lando@gcldtom@im-mi@hiireadstuff@celesteblack08@reblog-princess@sunf1ower16@janeholt3@athena-artemis-dorian-gray@minkyungseokie

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circuscl0wn · 1 year

Text

Round of applause for Fort Thitipong

This might be my last LITA Post (I want to CRY) but I wanted to take the time to point out how GREAT of an actor Fort Thitipong is.

With how versatile Fort was he rarely took me out of a scene or had a facial expression that did not match the situation. There’s always room for improvement, but for his first series as a main lead, I HAVE to give it to him.

So here are 5 of my favorite acting moments for Fort in no particular order

1. Angry Prapai when Sky worries him

No but look at his face, this man was ANGRY, FLABBERGASTED, HURT, and so much more. You can tell he wanted to CUSS Sky OUT but also wanted to properly address sky’s actions. It was this scene that confirmed to me that Fort was definitely going to EAT his role up!!

2. Prapai beating the shit out of Gun

I already made a post on it, but FORT’S PUNCHES WERE REALISTIC! It’s rare that we see punches in media that look like savage beatings which are what some fights look like in reality. This mainly happens when someone falls down. As people who commented on my post said, he was using “hammer fists” to just repeatedly pummel Gun, no regular ass person squares up like Mike Tyson😭. Thank you Fort and the director for not trying to give us professional MMA Fighter moves LMFAOO.

3. Emotional Prapai when Sky tries to cut him off

Still can’t believe Sky really tried that😭. But when fort/prapai said “so you pick up the phone when it’s not my number” and “do you realize what you’re saying?!” I could feel his emotions. He was so hurt and the way he gripped the phone to calm himself down….Fort delivered

4. Bathtub special episode Prapai

Had a hard time choosing between this scene and the seaside almost proposal (?) cuz both were so captivating. I don’t know if it’s the mixture of Forts acting and the cinematography, but every scene he had in the special was amazing. This bathtub scene in particular because the conversation, the way he physically reacted to Sky, THE EYE CONTACT. You could tell he was intently listening to sky based on the changes in facial expression and the eye contact.

5. King of Breaking and entering

This is the scene that had the girls SOBBING, and by the girls…I mean me💀There were so many emotions Fort conveyed while he was reading that diary, I was on the EDGE of my seat. Definitely in the top 5 moments in the entire show.

Often times we focus on Forts golden retriever like expressions, but we should also appreciate him for being able to portray different feelings with his eyes. That’s something some of my favorite BL actors have in common, they act with their eyes (which is definitely not an easy task). These are of course not all of Forts best moments but if I kept going it would be too long.

Gonna miss him and LITA

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clobbo · 2 months

Text

In The Chapel

~ Shulienne fic, to go just before the Shulienne scene in the recent Series 13 episode 5. We know this pair have a wonderful relationship and so I just wanted to create something where we saw more of that and a little more exploration. Enjoy 😊

“Mrs Turner…?” Nancy said, opening the door to Nonnatus House surprised to find Shelagh on the doorstep.

“Hello Nancy,” came Shelagh’s voice, barely a whisper. “I came to use the chapel, if I may?”

“Of course,” Nancy said, stepping aside. “I am sure you don’t need to ask though. We know you are welcome here.”

Shelagh smiled slightly as she moved past Nancy. It was true that the offer had always been extended to Shelagh to come and go as she pleased, ever since she left the Order. But still, it didn’t feel right to wander in and out of other people’s home, even if no-one would mind.

She slowly made her way down the corridor, her shoes tapping gently on the wooden floor. Everything about Nonnatus House felt like home, like a comfy blanket wrapping itself around her. Although it was a different building to the one she had lived in many years before, somehow this building felt just as familiar - the smells and sounds echoing home and safety as it had always been to her. This was why she knew she had to come to the chapel. She didn’t visit the chapel as often now, not for her own prayer anyway. She would join the nuns sometimes for Compline, or on special saint or feast days, but rarely for her own quiet reflection - she usually used the church for that. But the last few days had been different. So much had happened with May and her family that Shelagh could not face anywhere but this home with her thoughts.

Shelagh couldn’t stop thinking of the moment she knew something was wrong. At first it was the panic of not being able to find Angela and May. And then as soon as Angela said May had gone into the sea it felt like Shelagh world both stopped and spun out of control concurrently. She felt like she was falling so far and so deep, and the whole world was moving around her and all she could see was the sea...the choppy water and large waves as they crashed. She couldn’t imagine a time where she’d ever felt at peace at the seaside, it was like a world away from her now.

And since that moment her life had seemed to slowly unravel before her eyes. The partial drowning, May being in a critical state. Everything. And now the fostering arrangement was up in the air. She knew, of course, that one day May might not be with them. She might return to her mother because it was the best place for her, with fond and happy memories of her time with the Turners, and Shelagh was sure always a part of their family - her mother too. But not like this, never like this. Not off the back of Shelagh and Patrick being deemed not fit to care for May by her mother. This was a different pain, wrapped up in sorrow and guilt and shame. Shelagh mind swam, a choppy watered and lethal as the waves she’d witnessed engulfing May.

She reached the chapel doorway, it was always open - she didn’t think she’d ever seen it closed. It was a space for everyone afterall and she was aware that the midwives used it as a sanctuary for thought, even if they were not religious. Pausing in the doorway, she found Sister Julienne knelt at the alter. This was not an unusual sight, Sister Julienne often took herself away quietly for her own prayers. Shelagh assumed the responsibility of running Nonnatus House often meant that Sister Julienne needed additional reflection time, and she felt she needed to seek wisdom often.

Shelagh hated to disturb her, so she moved slowly into the chapel, sitting on one of the chairs nearest the doorway. The coolness and darkness of the room hitting her. She’d never really noticed it before, and she supposed to some the room might seem dingy, but to her it was perfect. It was just enough away from the world to feel closer to the Almighty just by entering the room. Well, that’s how it usually felt to her, anyway.

Sister Julienne shifted slightly. She’d heard footsteps just outside the chapel and she was aware that someone had sat down behind her. At first, she didn’t know who in the house it was, and she often was aware of people coming and going during her prayer time who were there just to soak up the silence of the chapel - and she often left them to do that without disturbance from her. But this time, she felt the pull to turn around and look to see who had joined her.

As she turned she saw Shelagh, sat about as far away from Sister Julienne as she could be. She was hunched over maybe in prayer, but Sister Julienne assumed more in the heaviness of the last few days, making her seem small and fragile.

Sister Julienne stood up and made her way over to Shelagh, sitting down on the chair in front of her and turning herself sideways allowing her to put her hand on where Shelagh was grasping her own so tightly. She said nothing but gently stroked her hand, reassuring Shelagh that she wasn’t alone.

“My mind is so busy, Sister,” Shelagh’s small voice came. “It is busy and full and there feels like there is no room for prayer.”

“But you’re here...” said Sistern Julienne quietly. “With all your thoughts and fears. And I think that is enough for God to know what is on your heart.”

Shelagh nodded slowly, and looked up to her Sister. “I came here for some peace,” she said her voice thick with emotion. “But I am not sure I am going to be able to find it.”

Sister Julienne thought for a moment, before squeezing Shelagh hands and dipping her head slightly to make eye contact. “I don’t think peace is the absence of thought,” she said contemplatively. “I think it might be acceptance that thoughts will come and go at their correct time.”

Shelagh slowly nodded, looking back at her Sister. It felt so easy to be honest with Sister Julienne, and she considered herself very fortunate to have found that person in her life. “I would like to kneel and pray…” she said. “But I am not sure if I can quieten my mind for a moment long enough for it to make any difference.”

Sister Julienne stood, still holding Shelagh’s hands she encouraged her to also stand. The two women stood opposite each other for a moment and Sister Julienne squeezed Shelagh’s hands. Shelagh felt her dissolve begin to crumble. Her shoulders began to shake and her eyes filled with tears.

“I feel...so guilty, Sister,” she managed. “And so...so afraid.”

Sister Julienne let go of Shelgh’s hands to envelope her into a hug, closing her eyes to try and provide some sort of comfort through the gesture. She felt Shelagh tense at first, the last fight to stop herself completely giving in to everything in her mind and on her heart, but eventually Shelagh felt heavier in Sister Julienne’s arms, leaning on her Sister and accepting all the love she could. Grasping, as she had done in the past, to that Habit that had been so familiar to her. It’s feel and freshly laundered smell, the last of the feelings that Shelagh had experienced when’s he walked into Nonnatus House earlier - she felt totally safe and cared for.

The pair stood like this for a few minutes, Shelagh steadying her breath and Sister Julienne happy to provide the support her friend so needed. When things felt calm and steady again, Sister Julienne pulled away and rested her hands on Shelagh’s shoulders.

“I think you should join me in prayer,” she said, motioning toward the alter where she had previously been knelt. “And then...I think some tea.”

Shelagh nodded, allowing herself to be led and guided to the front of the chapel. She knelt next to Sister Julienne and allowed the nun to take the lead.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God; in him will I trust...”

#call the midwife #sister julienne #shelagh turner #shulienne

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yandere-fics · 5 months

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Josephine Anderson

♡ "Aww I'm really sorry about the blood, dolly, I just... I need to see you, can you come here please?" ♡

She's a silent delusional yandere, you won't hear a word out of her mouth as you hang out for months until one day she tries to kiss you and you realize she thinks you two are dating. It's so frustrating cause you've been together for months but haven't expressed any affection to her. She's fully aware you must be shy, but it's really hurting her. Not to worry, she'll make the first move, she just doesn't understand why you shoved her away. She doesn't enjoy this hard to get act. She should have a perfect life with her darling, one where she eliminates all the obstacles and you lavish her in affection for being such a good protector. She sees her love as the best form of love and so when she says she loves you then you should obviously know that means you shouldn't talk to anyone she disapproves of. She also won't tell you if you've crossed a boundary though since she thinks you should obviously know why she's killing that person.

♡ "It's Josephine but please don't call me that. I hate it when people call me that, I'd rather you call you Sophie or Soph instead." ♡

The Anderson family is a very prominent religious family within the region although they never come to the seaside anymore after discovering their eldest daughter decided to move to a small coastal town. Sophie faked her death when she was 17 to live with Skylar once she found out where her parents were sending the payments. She doesn't go by the Anderson name though she won't outright deny it being her last name if you ask but she really would prefer you never mention anything to do with her last name. It was a very gruesome fake death scene. No one outside of her sisters is aware that Sophie is alive.

♡ "21, I don't fully understand the point of these questions, dolly. If you want to know more you should ask Skylar, I'm sure she'd be glad to see her future sister-in-law." ♡

Sophie doesn't actually remember alot of their childhood, Skylar was the one who kept track of these things so if you really want to know anything about her then the best person to ask is the one who practically raised Sophie. Though be warned, Sophie might take this as accepting her proposal and thus she'll start to toss money at you to plan the wedding.

♡ "Stupid question, I'm only interested in you so get whatever weird idea you had out of your head." ♡

She's a lesbian, run of the mill for this blog though.

♡ "It's not something you should worry your head about, all I'll say is I'm good at my job and I make enough for us to be secure." ♡

She's not a permanent member of the syndicate but she occasionally picks up odd jobs that the official members don't wish to take on. She makes good money from it though it's dangerous work. She'd never allow it to be traced back to her though and the members already know better than to mess with her or her family since she's mostly tasked with killing traitors to the organization.

♡ "I like knives." ♡

She didn't feel the need to specify that she likes you since you should be smart enough to know that anyways. She likes her family and she likes knives, a simple gal, what can I say? She has a decent collection of them. She also really enjoys the idea of being domestic although like the other sisters, her idea of a perfect family with her darling is not normal. She really loves the idea of you waiting at home for her, possibly hanging out with her sisters, and greeting her with joy when she gets home from killing.

♡ "..." ♡

She is refraining from saying what she hates as she doesn't want to scare you, she may be delusional but she also realizes that at times she can be scary to people who aren't Skye. She hates a lot of things, she hates her parents, she hates dirt, she hates when you leave the house without inviting her to come with, she hates people who try to lie and tell you that her love for you is crazy, really there's just too much that she dislikes.

♡ "I'm good at organizing things. You also know, I'm very good at taking care of you, dolly." ♡

Her knife collection is meticulously organized despite her not being able to keep many other things clean, she's not dirty but she gets blood everywhere but if you opened her knives then you would assume that they had never been used based on how spotless they are. I suppose being that delusional is a bit of a skill too though.

♡ "Hmm? Oh no, you're not going back to your 'home' tonight. It's much safer for me to just keep you here. Would you like that doll? Would you like it if I just kept you safeguarded here? There's no need to deny it, I know you would, heh." ♡

#yandere oc #yandere lesbian #yandere x reader #yandere x y/n #my oc sophie

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hd-wireless · 9 months

Text

📻🎶 H/D WIRELESS 2023 - WEEKLY WRAP-UP #4

🎤 Can you believe we’ve had four weeks already of amazing creations!! We certainly can’t! We hope you’re enjoying the music and music inspired drarry.

There’s about one and a half weeks of works left to post, so buckle up for the final countdown! 🎶

As always you can listen to the prompted songs for the works we post on two playlists:

Click here for Spotify (many thanks to @evaeleanor for helping us out there) ❤️

And here for the YouTube playlist.

Please enjoy this week’s entries below the cut:

🎶 H/D Wireless Art 🎶

📻 anywhere with you [Gen, Digital Art]

🎵 Song Prompt: Anywhere With You by Maggie Rogers 🎵 Summary: I'll go anywhere, anywhere with you.

🎶 H/D Wireless Fic 🎶

📻 Weapons of Massive Consumption [E, 38,634]

🎵 Song Prompt: The Fear by Lily Allen 🎵 Summary: Eight years after the war, Harry Potter lives a life of hedonism: raging parties, huge impulse purchases, and seemingly no worries. But it's Draco Malfoy—former Death Eater, lover of blueberry muffins, and bane of coffee shop workers—who starts to wonder if it's all a front, if something's actually terribly wrong with him. Why else would Potter ask Draco, of all fucking people, to write his biography?

📻 Bonne Foi, Draco Malfoy [E, 19,390]

🎵 Song Prompt: So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings by Squirrel Flower 🎵 Summary: Sanctimonia Vincet Semper: The Malfoy Legacy Inheritance Ritual must be undertaken by an heir pure of blood and strong of will. He will lend his body, his magic, and his mind to the Estate, and thus control the direction of the next generation of powerful Malfoy magicks. He and the Estate will both be made stronger by the ritual. -from the journals of Septimus Malfoy, 1820 At twenty-five, Draco Malfoy has to return to England to do something about the Manor, and Harry Potter won’t leave him alone. His years-old crush on Potter is reignited over repairs, mermaid lemonades, and pocket owl messages.

📻 The Wedding Shed [E, 2,057]

🎵 Song Prompt: 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' by Panic! at the Disco 🎵 Summary: One would consider the day his best friend got married to be an occasion where he did not have to show any sort of poise. But apparently, Ronald Weasley thoroughly misjudged the entire situation.

📻 LA, Who Am I To Love You? [E, 42,525]

🎵 Song Prompt: Venice Bitch by Lana del Rey 🎵 Summary: Harry’s summer in LA is not going as expected. Pansy Parkinson keeps inviting him to parties in the Hollywood Hills and harassing him to finally go to the physical therapist, Blaise Zabini keeps slipping new strains of his company’s magical weed into Harry’s pockets in hopes of an endorsement, and Draco Malfoy keeps having sex with everyone but Harry.

📻 All I Think About [T, 4,429]

🎵 Song Prompt: Heat Waves by Glass Animals 🎵 Summary: Sometimes all it takes is one perfect late summer night in June.

📻 Put It On Your Face Boy [E, 3,380]

🎵 Song Prompt: 'Daddy AF' by 'Slayyyter' 🎵 Summary: Harry watches as Draco's hips sway to the beat. He sips his muggle bourbon and imagines the noises they would make if Harry had Draco's legs draped over his shoulders. With liquid courage flowing through his veins, Harry slammed the drink down on the bar and wove his way through the crowd towards the northern star that had been calling his name for years.

📻 What We Left Behind [E, 32,815]

🎵 Song Prompt: The Day We Caught The Train by Ocean Colour Scene 🎵 Summary: Harry's recovering from an injury. Malfoy's recovering from heartbreak. Beaten down and bruised, Harry takes up Malfoy's offer to stay at his secluded seaside cottage in Dorset. It'll be good to get away from it all. It's only for a few days, and it's only so he can heal. Nothing else. Digging up past feelings will only make matters worse, and besides, Malfoy doesn't feel the same way. Does he?

📻 Nothing But You On My Mind [M, 29,404]

🎵 Song Prompt: Crazy English Summer by Faithless 🎵 Summary: Potter has been in Australia on an internship for almost a year, and Draco cannot wait for him to get back home. They'll finally have a chance to talk about their feelings for each other. What could possibly go wrong? Loads, as it turns out.

🎶 H/D Wireless Podfic 🎶

📻 [Podfic] remember me [T, 2:50:44]

🖋️ Original author: hupsoonheng 🎵 Song Prompt: Remember Me from Coco 🎵 Summary: On a chilly day in October, Draco kisses Harry goodbye before he goes on yet another dangerous, undercover mission with the Aurors. And then Harry doesn't come back. Only Draco believes that Harry isn't dead, and pours himself into finding his husband despite his friends' pleas to move on and grieve properly. What he finds at the end of that work, though, is not at all what he wanted.

#HD Wireless #hd wireless 2023 #drarry #drarry art #drarry fic #drarry podfic #weekly wrap up no 4

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mvshortcut · 7 months

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If this is a weird question, feel free to delete, but in the midst of trying to follow all the Maren/Milk Divorce/Marriage drama lore, I have to ask: why is your nemesis a turkey and how is he (or she or it, does the turkey even have a name? idk...) involved in this? Do you and this particular turkey have a deep complicated backstory of betrayal and hate that has been building to this fight or did you and the turkey just see each other one day and declare yourselves enemies?

I attempted to tell the abridged version of this tale. I really did.

The long and short of it is, despite going to college in a relatively urban environment, I have been haunted and stalked and vexed day and night by a gang of turkeys. Yes, a gang of wild turkeys that live in the city. No, I don't understand it either. They're like oversized pigeons at this point.

The turkeys have been a background presence in my college experience for some time. But, towards the end of last semester, I became aware that the turkeys appeared to be honing in on me specifically.

It started with one turkey, whom I have dubbed Victorian Maiden Turkey because the turkey looks very ill for some reason? very grey and scrawny and rumpled feathers and constantly seems confused about where she is and what is going on. She looks like a fainting waif of a Victorian maiden that needs to be sent to the seaside for her health, where she will magically be cured by the sun and fresh air. (No relation to the fact that she's been moved out of her city home, which is at least composed of 35% asbestos.)

ANYWAYS. so. Victorian Maiden Turkey seemed to like. follow me when I went to class? or at least wait for me? I had a long walk to class, and it was kind of through a residential area, and she'd just be like. hiding out in someone's driveway, staring at me as I walked past? On the way home from class I walked an entirely different route through a different part of town, and she was there too? (I know it's the same turkey because, again, none of the others resemble sickly waifs.) She was literally hiding in the bushes waiting for me to go past. I only noticed her, in fact, because I nearly tripped over her.

This continued for the next couple weeks. I kept running into this turkey, along with a few others, in different parts of town, going to class or the store or on my walks. I spoke to friends and my roommate and none of them reported being tailed by turkeys all over town. Only me. My roommate and my mom both agreed with me that there was only one possible explanation: someone had put out a hit from the turkey mafia on me, and this turkey was sent to scope out the scene and learn my routines, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

Now, I’m getting nervous because the end of the semester is fast approaching. If these turkeys are gonna make a move, they’re gonna have to do it soon, right? Mentally I’m counting down the days until I can get the hell outta dodge. My days are numbered. And, on top of fearing for my life, I still have to study for finals, since I don’t believe any of my professors will accept “I’m being stalked by the turkey mafia” as an excuse.

Sunday. Last day before finals week begins. Trying to entice myself to push through the home stretch, I grab my picnic blanket, pick up some Chipotle, and bring my work to the park. First big mistake on my part - big open area. No shelter. No witnesses.

Second big mistake: I wear sneakers with laces. I remove my shoes and socks and spread out on my blanket under a tree to better enjoy the warm day. Chekhov is cocking his gun as we speak.

So. As an unsuspecting naive college student, I get straight to work enjoying my Chipotle and ignoring my studying. Then, just as the “ah shit, finals start tomorrow” reality begins to settle in and I finally buckle down on my work, I hear a rustling from over yonder.

Emerging from someone’s driveway and entering the park is—a turkey. Not Victorian Maiden Turkey—he looks entirely too well-fed. In fact he’s a rather hefty-looking fellow. The turkey slowly wends his way over to me; and, as I’ve seen turkeys several times around the city before, I assume we’re cool and proceed to ignore him.

Except—the turkey keeps approaching. We’re gonna call him Turkey Number One. (In the moment, I did not call him “Turkey Number One” for the same reasons that people in the early 1900’s didn’t call The Great War “World War I,” but we’ll get to that later.)

Turkey Number One continues to approach. As he approaches, he gradually becomes larger by puffing himself up. At some moments he simply seems interested in investigating me and my Chipotle and my water bottle. But at other times he begins to make a variety of unhappy turkey noises, but refrains from outright gobbling at me thus far. At this point he’s within 6-10 feet of me. Mildly annoyed—why is this turkey going to act all huffy at me if he’s the one choosing to invade my space? When he has a whole park’s worth of space in which to ignore me?—I stand up, grab my laptop, and make to step away from my blanket for a moment to let the turkey cool off for a moment.

Now, here's where Chekhov begins to chuckle ominously at me from the audience. Remember how I took my shoes off earlier? Well, as I now discover, the tree above me produces some rather sharp variety of seeds, which will easily stab the bottom of my feet if I attempt to step on them without shoes. The whole ground is covered in these seeds.

Not a problem, right?

Think again, Milk. The turkey is impatient and unhappy with me bending down to tie my shoes. As soon as I stoop down, he begins to approach my blanket, gobbling furiously at full volume and fluffing up his feathers. He backs off when I stand up, but every time I attempt to bend to put my shoes on, he resumes his approach.

Okay. This is fine. It’s gonna be just fine. I mean, I’m actively texting good-byes to my friends and mother and roommate, but it’s gonna work out just fine.

And to be honest? It does. Turkey #1 and I go back and forth for a few minutes. He begins to calm down, seems unsure of whether to perform a mating dance at my water bottle or not. Eventually he decides against it and takes his leave and I, with a sigh of relief, resume studying, thinking that the ordeal is over.

The ordeal is not over.

About an hour later, Turkey Number 1 returns from a different angle of the park. And—he’s brought his girlfriend this time, Turkey Number 2! (She is also well-fed and bears no relation to Victorian Maiden Turkey.) I’m still unclear as to whether Turkey Number 1 wanted me to meet his girlfriend, or if he thought I was encroaching on his territory/relationship and was like, “See? I have a girlfriend, man! Back off!” yada yada.

All in all, the second wave goes rather smoothly. Turkey Number 1 is all puff and no bite. Turkey Number 2 is visibly embarrassed by the antics of her boyfriend’s posturing (I’m not a bird behavioral expert but I recognize The Expression. It is universal). She occupies herself with eating seeds for a few minutes, I have some more Chipotle, Turkey Number 1 gradually cools off—it’s nice. After a moment Turkeys Number 1 and 2 exit the park and I, once again, return to my studying.

Lulled into a false sense of security by the last turkey visit, I don’t bat an eye when Turkeys Number 1 and 2 return to the park an hour later. They were fine last time, right? No big deal.

Then, over the horizon, a challenger approaches.

At long last, my friends, allow me to introduce you to my nemesis. Turkey Number 3 is the largest turkey I’ve seen in my life, though I believe he’s at least 80% ruffled feathers and air. And he is mad.

To be perfectly honest I’m still not sure what he was mad at. I believe it was a combination of 1.) mad at Turkey 1 for having a girlfriend he wanted, 2.) mad at me for invading what I now realize is clearly His Park, or 3.) mad at me for being a potential challenger for Turkey 2, which. Isn’t actually his girlfriend. She’s Turkey 1’s girlfriend. But it’s whatever, yknow?

(My mom has offered a potential fourth explanation, which is that Turkey 3 viewed ME as a potential turkey girlfriend, despite the fact that I am neither a girl nor a girlfriend nor a turkey nor a turkey girlfriend, or any combination of these. My mother believes he was attempting to woo me through impressive displays of force. I have henceforth refused to entertain my mother’s suggestion for my own sanity.)

So. Despite attempting to rationally and calmly explain to Turkey 3, my soon-to-be nemesis, that I am not interested in stealing anyone’s turkey girlfriend, he refuses to be placated. He puffs up larger than I thought possible for a turkey and charges directly at my blanket. Not only does he make deafening enraged gobbling noises that can certainly be heard halfway across the city, he also emits a variety of enraged puffing and huffing and squawking noises. Did you guys know that turkeys can extend all of their feathers at once, creating a “blast-off” sound effect that simultaneously propels them forwards? Neat, right? I didn’t know that either!

Now I do.

Having failed on Potential Reason Turkey Is Mad Number 3, I move to Potential Reason Turkey is Mad Number Two. I attempt to explain, again calmly and rationally, that if the turkey will just allow me a moment to put on my shoes so I don’t stab my feet on the seeds and roll up my blanket, I will gladly vacate his park.

Despite clearly wanting me to leave, Turkey 3 resists my each and every attempt to do so. He maintains a respectful 6-foot social distancing if I remain standing. The second I bend down and reach for my shoes, however, he puffs and gobbles and charges at me. And so I straighten up, my nemesis backs off, and the cycle repeats.

Friends. My absolute bastard of a newfound nemesis holds me hostage there for thirty minutes like this. And he’s good at it, too. Sometimes he’ll give me false hope too, wander off to fight Turkey Number 1 for his girlfriend’s hand/wing (said girlfriend is still munching seeds off the ground, clearly disgusted with them both.) I’ll take advantage of his distraction, bend down and reach for my shoes—and my nemesis will come charging out from behind a tree or materialize out of thin air, squawking and gobbling and puffing with the force of a thousand suns. (I still have no idea how he knew when I was reaching for my shoes. He must’ve had some ingrained sort of nemesis-sense.)

Now, you might be asking, Milk, how on earth did you escape? Did you pull off some clever and daring maneuver? No. It was because someone else happened to be stupider than I was.

We’ll call him Baseball Cap Guy. Baseball Cap Guy enters the park, sees the turkeys, and decides it’s a really smart idea to attempt to PET Turkey Number Two on the head.

That went about as well as you would expect.

Turkey Numbers 1 and 3 immediately put aside their differences to tag team Baseball Cap Guy. Inspirational, really. Turkey Number 2 resumes eating berries and seeds, supremely unbothered and supremely disgusted.

And I, Milk, take advantage of the commotion to jam my shoes onto my feet, snatch up my blanket, and hightail it out of the park. I use the remaining 5% of my battery to inform my mother and friends and roommate that I have not, in fact, been murdered by the turkey mafia. Then I made straight for home, hoping against hope that Victorian Maiden Turkey wasn’t tailing me or hiding behind a bush waiting to trip me and suchlike.

Now, it would be easy to think that the Baseball Cap Guy was an absolute idiot for trying to pet a wild turkey. I’m not saying that’s an incorrect conclusion. However, there was a point during the first wave where Turkey Number One was approached by an older lady on her afternoon power walk. I was hoping against hope I wasn’t about to watch a sweet old lady get mauled by a turkey. She, delighted, whips open her phone and begins to coo—actually coo— at the bird like she’s his auntie, like ohh, what a handsome little man you are! Your feathers are so soft—and how puffy you are, mister! and all that.

And—Turkey Number 1 absolutely eats that up. He struts back and forth, posing for her and clucking at her and letting her take her fill of photos for a solid 5 minutes.

So. My current hypothesis is that there is a Continuum of Turkey Vibes, ranging from Old Lady (preen for photoshoot) to Milk (???) to Baseball Cap Guy (attack on sight).

And uh. That’s the story, folks. I survived finals, returned home unscathed, and have spent the summer anticipating a rematch. I’ve also spent some time reflecting—it’s strange, having a nemesis. I’ve always wanted a nemesis. I didn’t quite picture them as a turkey, per say, but for some reason it just feels right, yknow? I think we’re compatible. I both dread and oddly look forward to our next meeting.

You’ll be pleased to know that the first thing I did upon returning to school this fall was go back to the park, ya know, like a fool. The first trip was pretty quiet. I introduced Turkey Number Two and some of her besties to my mom. I went back once to study at the park. That time, I met no less than 12 turkeys, many of which were little turklings. I think I introduced them to my mom, so I get to meet the family now? Unsure. Anyways.

I also witnessed a man, with a golden retriever and a turkey sitting side-by-side in front of him. The man tossed dog treats one after another to the golden retriever and to the turkey. (Spoiler alert: this one ended with a pack of five turkeys chasing the man and his dog down the street once he ran out of treats.)

Fun fact! Did you know turkeys can fly? No, really—not just “hold themselves aloft for short distances” but like “fly up into extremely tall trees, making a colossal ruckus as they beat their wings rapidly and gobble and yell?”

Anyways, once it was growing quite dark and impossible to make out anything other than the silhouettes of no less than five gigantic birds looming high in the branches above me, ready to launch themselves directly on top of my head at a moment’s notice, I decided it was time to exit the park for the evening.

I still haven’t run into my nemesis yet. That’s okay—I think I’m beginning to infiltrate the turkey ranks a bit. And I know he hasn’t forgotten about me. He’s just out there, biding his time.

Please admire these photographs of my nemesis as well as his magnificent ass. Thank you for your time.

#I. have no explanation I blacked out for an hour and this happened. I'm sorry #milk/maren divorce/marriage drama #not mbs #legal disclaimer Turkey Number Two bears no relation to Number Two Mysterious Benedict Society

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