#also I only just now made it to act ii which means i did actually exceed my previous act i playtime by like 4 hours | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fatuismooches · 11 months

Text

principiis amoris.

synopsis: In other words, five times Dottore swore he hated you and the one time he realized it was the opposite.

includes: dottore w/ gn! reader

notes: I wanted to try my hand at these 5+1 fics, and Dottore seemed to be the best candidate. Behold, 6k+ words of fluff. Reader and Dottore are complete menaces (and not very good people) and you also throw a book at someone.

I. blindness

Much to anyone’s surprise, Zandik was having what he would call a good day. Today was the last day of all of his especially boring and easy classes, the illegal parts he secretly ordered came in, and he would be able to stay in his dorm for a while before classes started again. A break from these all these so-called scholars would be much appreciated. He was growing rather tired of them and was greatly looking forward to the much-needed retreat of progressing his research. He could feel it already - the sweet sensation of tinkering with the new parts quickened his pace.

What he was not expecting was his door to be open, voices and rustling noises coming from inside. Immediately a frown appeared and his good feeling was lost. Quickly, he entered the room and saw an unknown figure donning the Akademiya’s robes, and an academic counselor he recognized standing in his room. Now he was glad he made sure to put his tools away. Ones that were totally not prohibited.

“What is the meaning of this?” He didn’t try to hide the loathing in his voice.

The counselor shifted in place, clearly not wanting to be here anymore due to his presence. You, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care. In fact, Zandik could see that you were smiling.

“Ah, hello Zandik. Good to see you are doing well,” she lied through her teeth. “This here is [Name], your-”

“Your new roommate!” you chimed in. The counselor shrunk in her place even more, probably regretting all her life choices now as Zandik’s laser gaze was on her now.

“I thought I made myself clear when I informed you that I did not want anyone in my dorm?”

“Yes, well, as per the rules of the Akademiya, every scholar should try to have a roommate for the purpose of cooperation…” Her voice became progressively smaller as Zandik continued to burn his gaze onto her, “a-and collaboration. Regardless of your thoughts, [Name] has to try to dorm with someone, and that someone happens to be you.” You nodded your head in agreement as the counselor spoke.

“So please, um, try to get along!” She quickly excused herself and scurried out of the room, leaving the two of you alone. You smiled at him yet again, sticking your hand out for a handshake, to which he only spared a glance and turned away.

“Pleased to meet you! I’m excited to live with you!”

“We’ll see about that,” he scoffed. You’d be out of here in less than a week, just like the few other roommates he had. But to think he had to spend his break with a nuisance in his room now? That irritated him to no end. Though what confused him more was your sunny disposition. Quite literally everyone in the Akademiya knew him and acted the complete opposite.

“Hehe, sure. By the way, I call the top bunk bed!”

It was from that moment he knew.

Zandik hated you.

II. relentless

Zandik had been giving you the cold shoulder since the moment you stepped into his (now yours too) dorm. You knew this would be a tough journey, but damn. At least he was good eye candy and wasn’t loud. (If you excused his eerie laughter in the middle of the night.)

On this particular night, Zandik was at his makeshift workbench tinkering with Archon knows what, as usual. Unfortunately, even though you found it to be interesting, you were unfamiliar with all of that mechanical stuff. You always would look at him while he worked, and while he would sometimes snap at you to stop staring, he never actually did anything about it. Today was one of those nights.

“You’ve certainly been at that for a while,” you commented. Zandik showed no sign of reaction.

“You don’t want anything to eat? Or drink?” you continued.

“Don’t have time,” he responded with no hesitation, far too interested in his new play toys, and also wanting to shut down this conversation immediately. But, you didn’t think these were the ones he usually used. You think he kept the deadlier ones hidden away in case you reported him or something.

“To consume something?”

“To make something right now,” he corrected.

“Well, yeah, I know. That’s why I’m going to make it for you,” you clarified, kind of surprised (but also not) that you needed to say it directly. This managed to make your roommate pause.

“So you are offering to cook for me?” he clarified your statement yet again.

“Yes?” This time he freed his hand of items completely and looked you dead in the eye.

“Explain.”

“E-Explain? Well, I mean, we’re roommates and all, habiting the same space. It only makes sense that we do things we each other once in a while.”

“So you expect a transaction.”

“A transaction…? Huh? No! This isn’t some kind of business deal or whatever. No, I do not expect anything back from you. I am doing this for you because I want to. There’s nothing more to it.” There was no response from Zandik, and he was silent as if he was trying to process what you just said, which was rather cute.

“I do not understand.”

You mentally sighed. “That’s fine, for now. I’m gonna whip something up anyway.” Before he could protest further, you disappeared into the tiny kitchen the Akademiya’s dorms provided.

You had to think of a suitable snack. He probably wouldn’t eat it if it was too cumbersome and distracting from whatever he was doing. He needed some kind of finger food… and you had just the idea. You believed that when you were a struggling Akademiya student, it was only natural to have some good recipes up your sleeve.

Samosas. Delicious bite-sized pieces of goodness. Although they would take a bit to make, you didn’t think Zandik would care. He hardly realized the difference between minutes and hours when he was in this kind of scientific state. And you were glad you stocked up the pantry with your own products because you really had no idea how Zandik lived in these conditions.

Soon enough, you had made a portion for him (and secretly snuck a few for yourself) and you had also made a piping hot cup of coffee, a student’s best friend of course. You then plated it and brought it to your roommate, setting it down in front of him wordlessly, to which he seemed surprised.

Zandik did not realize you were even still doing that. He thought you were bluffing. But now that such aromatic food was right in front of him, his stomach came to life and he noticed the dryness of his throat. With squinted eyes, he tentatively picked up one of the samosas and inspected it. (Did he think you poisoned it or something?) But then he popped one into his mouth and began to chew experimentally. His face did not betray his emotions, but your questions were answered by his next actions.

“Hmm,” he said matter-of-factly, before nomming on another samosa. You peered at him from the top bunk bed as he polished off the bowl of samosas rather quickly. Now, he was waiting for the coffee to cool.

“Sooooo, how was my cooking?” you questioned, already internally knowing the answer even if he didn’t admit it.

“It was convenient,” he admitted. Most of the time, Zandik did not cook for himself, as he found the process a waste of time when he could be doing other things.

“I’m glad. And the taste?”

“It was fine.” Actually, it was far more than fine. The constant consumption of the easiest food to make had dulled his taste buds and made him accustomed to bland food. Though your food was quite tasty, Zandik was not about to let you get a big head now.

“Just fine? Seemed like you scarfed them down pretty quickly,” you teased.

“The quicker I eat, the quicker I am able to devote my full attention to the research,” he corrected you. You pouted but still felt pleased.

“Then I’ll make something for you every day.”

He felt on guard again at your kindness. “Why?”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t I already say? ‘Cause we’re roommates and all, and also soon-to-be friends. And friends usually help each other out, yeah? And also because I’m kind of worried how you eat the same thing over and over.”

He immediately frowned at your proposal. “I am not your friend. And never will be.”

You shrugged your shoulders and moved to lie down instead, pulling the blankets over you. “Ehe, we’ll see. I have a way with words, you know!” You smiled and winked at him, to which you received a deadpan glare. “Good night, Zandik! Oh, and make sure to clean up afterward!”

“Hmph.”

Friend. He toyed with the word and idea in his head, mocking it internally. Friend… friend, as if that could ever be feasible. Of course not.

Zandik hated you.

III. possessiveness

It had been a while since you moved in with Zandik, and he stopped treating you with disdain. Though, Zandik was Zandik, so you still got a tongue-lashing from time to time. (But you could never take him seriously anymore, which irritated him.)

Lately, though, he had begun to show you some of his research, and even begun to let you tinker with some of his stuff! Only while he was present of course, but you were elated. Though, he seemed to be enjoying this more than you somehow. You could ask one question and suddenly he’d be on a tangent. But you were just happy he was talking to you.

You had been upgraded from hated stranger to tolerable stranger to okay acquaintance in Zandik’s eyes. You had insisted on calling him your friend, to which he still did not understand, but for some reason he allowed it. Perhaps it was because it felt nice.

Actually, you were a helpful, okay acquaintance. You frequently looked over his notes for him, correcting spelling and grammar errors from when he scribbled so fast. Tidied up his bed and work space too. The best part was that you had begun to run errands for him so he didn’t need to leave the dorm himself. After these series of events, you had declared yourself his assistant without even asking him first, but he supposed that was okay. He valued usefulness. And maybe your company a bit, too. And although he enjoyed silence the most, maybe he liked how nice your voice was in the background.

Today was one of those days where he waited for you to get back from an errand. It was quick and easy, and the seller wasn’t too far away. Like always, he occupied himself with his work and awaited your return, which proved to be fruitful as usual. But after a while, something did not feel right.

Zandik could not put his finger on it. Why did he have this feeling in the back of his mind? He was quite irritated at this itch he could not reach. Perhaps you would have-

That’s right. You. You. You. Where were you? That’s when he realized that you were gone longer than you usually were. To think that his body and mind would get so accustomed to your presence. He wasn’t sure whether to feel disgusted or not by this feeling.

He wondered what was the holdup. But there was naught he could do except wait. And wait. And wait. Until the jiggle of the doorknob drew his attention and you stepped through the door with the items he requested.

“Hey, Zandik,” you greeted, locking the door behind you and dropping the bag on the table. He didn’t respond, but you didn’t think that was anything strange since he never cared much for greetings. “Got your stuff,” you continued your normal routine, kicking off your shoes and shedding your sweater, expecting the silence to continue.

“What took you so long?” You almost did a double-take when he spoke.

“What?”

“What took you so long?” he repeated.

“Oh, on the way back, some students stopped me and asked if I could explain some stuff to them. I guess I did take a bit longer than usual. Why?” you questioned. Did he really notice the difference? It hadn’t even been that long, maybe ten to fifteen minutes extra that you took. And plus, it’s not like you two were doing anything together. Just sitting in silence with metal clanking as usual.

When you did not get any response, you raised your eyebrows and tip-toed your way over to him to get a glimpse of his expression. It was mostly empty if you ignored the eye twitching and the downward curve. You had to dig your fingernails into your palm to control the chuckles.

“Could it be… did you miss little old me, Zandik?”

“Perish the thought,” Zandik immediately interrupted before you could even finish your sentence. “Your whereabouts are not my concern,” he vehemently denied.

“Mhm, alright then.”

“I simply do not see why you need to talk to those so-called scholars. They are not worth the time or energy to even look at.”

Ah, there it was. So he was jealous. You understood now.

“Well, I was just doing what a normal, nice person would do.”

“The fact that you are still living with me proves you’re not normal. As for the nice part, you don’t need to do that for anyone.”

“Oh really? So what should I do, turn a blind eye to everyone else and save the sweet words for you?” you joked.

“Yes. Were you not the one who declared yourself as my assistant? Assistants always follow their seniors,” he stated matter-of-factly.

You were completely surprised at his mini confession, that if you spoke carelessly, you knew you’d stutter. But you weren’t complaining. You ignored the heat on your face, and matched his words.

“Hmm… I would say in that case, you can’t speak to anyone either, but it’s not like you do that anyway,” you said simply, biting down on your lip to prevent laughing. Zandik immediately scowled at your statement.

“I don’t need, want, or care to speak to anyone. But since you clearly need to be around these low-tier scholars, you can get out this instant.” You couldn’t help but double over with giggles now at his defensiveness and landed on Zandik’s bed. He huffed. You loved when he acted like this.

“Ah, I’m so glad I asked to dorm with you,” you giggled with a dopey grin. Zandik paused his work, taking in what you just said.

“You… what?”

You turned to lay on your side and propped yourself up on your arm. “Hmm? Did I say something strange?” you questioned.

“You chose to live here? With me, of your own choice? I knew it was strange when the counselor chose me of all people. Surely there were others available?” Zandik was utterly baffled as he had now temporarily abandoned his tinkering to gauge your expression.

“Yes! Shall I recount the exact events for you?” Without waiting for an answer, you prattled on. “Okay so, I went to the counselor lady and she wanted me to dorm with this random guy, and I was like okay cool, but then I got this little sneak peek of the list she had and I saw your name in fancy handwriting. And then I was like, hey, that’s the smart cute morally dubious guy that I hear people talking about! So then I said, nah, give Zandik to me instead please- hey, why is your face kind of red?”

You ended your little rambling and sat up straight, leaning into your roommate’s face. “Hey, are you embar-” Before you could finish your sentence, he quickly spun back around to face his desk, trying to block out your incessant giggling.

“Shut up,” he hissed in reply, quick to defend himself. “No one in this school would willingly live with me.” And how dare you call him that? That… c-word.

“Well,” you clutched your chest to prevent any more laughter, “That’s clearly not true anymore, because I’ve been here for quite a while! But wow, your face!” You toppled back onto his bed grinning. He swore you were brain-dead.

Zandik hated you.

IV. like-mindedness

Zandik did not like being in public. That was something you came to realize and understand rather quickly. For the most part, you had no qualms with it. You were quite content with bantering with him in the privacy of the dorm or in the desert or forest looking for whatever specimens he wanted. There were no distractions, no other people to give you weird stares or looks.

It was another normal day for you, and you came to realize that you’d actually been living with Zandik for quite a while. You liked to think that you two were rather close now. The time had flown by quickly for you, but apparently very long for others. To say people were baffled was an understatement.

People were shocked, fascinated, intrigued, fearful, any word you could think of, at how you managed to dorm with Zandik and still be alive, mentally and physically. Many people even applauded you for managing to live with Zandik for so long. You had people coming up to you asking for tips on how you confronted your fears so easily. The crazier ones even wanted to write a paper on your mental fortitude. (Thankfully your roommate hadn’t found out about that yet.)

Today, however, the two of you decided to stop by Puspa Café after class. It was a nice day to dine outside, and the coffee and food there was excellent. You had no complaints, especially since this was your first time doing this kind of thing with Zandik. It was going quite well, as the two of you read over your notes in silence until whispers began to penetrate the tranquility.

“Hey, look over there. Is that Zandik?”

“Oh wow, you’re right! This is my first time seeing him outside of class.”

“Really? This is my first time seeing him in general.”

“Well yeah, he only goes to class and then back to his dorm. Everyone knows he’s a freak.” Their blathering continued and you twitched your eye, unable to concentrate. You peaked at Zandik but he looked unbothered.

“We’re right in front of them and can still talk about you like that?” You were simultaneously shocked and impressed at their audacity and stupidity. Zandik simply shrugged his shoulders, his uncaring attitude shining through as he was practically immune to these kinds of scenarios now. You huffed and flipped a page in your book. Sometimes you wished you could borrow some of his ability to not care what people think.

But there was only so much you could take. And Archons above, these scholars and their incessant talking were annoying. You had no idea how Zandik could continue to read so intently with this racket. At least he was more pretty when he was quiet.

Slowly you stood up, and Zandik glanced at you, a bit confused but not too interested, still absorbed in his own book. His eyes returned to the text, but then he heard a loud thump from the side. Now more of his attention was on you, as he saw you now closed the thick book shut.

“[Name]?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow. You were now retrieving some Mora, probably for the bill, and laying it on the table. “Do you have business to attend to?”

“Business? You know what, yes, yes I do,” you chuckled a bit eerily. “But it’ll only take a couple of seconds.” With that, you picked up the textbook and lifted it up and down like a weight. Finally, you positioned yourself properly and raised your arm toward the direction of the student.

You threw the fucking textbook.

It was a sight that Zandik would never forget. A heavy book that would hurt anyone’s arm from lugging it around, flew through the air, and with uncanny precision, knocked the scholar right in the face.

It was dead silence for a few seconds.

And then chaos.

Screams erupted from the other students at the table at the sight of their fallen friend. A commotion was born as people scrambled to the boy. Zandik was having a bit of trouble comprehending what just happened. Yes, he just understood that you just threw a textbook at a guy, but he did not understand at the same time. Even he knew not to harm someone in public. (Private was a different case.) And you did it with no hesitation, no logical thought process of what would happen. It was an activity far from what most scholars did.

While he was in a little stupor, you quickly pushed your papers into your bag and slung it over your shoulder. “Hey! Teyvat to Zandik! Don’t just sit there! We have to leave the scene!” you scolded him, taking initiative and stuffing his work into his bag as well. He wasn’t the most pleased with how you treated his precious research material but that was only a fleeting thought compared to what just occurred. You threw his bag over your shoulder as well and cursed at how heavy his damn textbook was. But what he did not expect was what you did next.

Rolling your shoulders back to prepare yourself for the weight, you then grabbed his hand and started pulling him away.

Zandik then had no words to describe his emotions. He could only focus on the prickles that arose from all over his body at such prolonged and close contact with you. He was used to your teasing - running your hands through his hair on occasion, or leaning in close to his ear to whisper something, but this simply broke his scale. He felt as though he was moving unconsciously, feet moving in sync with yours, and he had no idea how to feel or even understand this phenomenon.

“Hey, I know you can walk faster than that!” Your voice snapped him out of his unfamiliar sensations, and that’s when he realized what was happening. You had actually managed to drag him so far along that you were both probably halfway through the city looking like complete, bumbling fools. And you were still holding his hand, and that’s when he realized again how lovely you looked in this moment. He quickly discarded those thoughts.

“Release me this instant, [Name],” he threatened, immediately putting his vexed look back up. He could feel your warmth penetrating his whole body just from your hand.

“Sure, sure~! Let’s turn into this alley to hide,” He could tell that was a complete lie because your laugh was so loud it probably rang out all the way to Port Ormos. Zandik scoffed and bit his lip to prevent a smile.

Soon enough, you both reached a secluded part of the city, away from all the hustle and bustle and caught your breath. You slid down a wall in relief and closed your eyes while Zandik had his eyes trained on you for what you just put him through.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” he raised an eyebrow at your crazy behavior. You peeked at him and put your hand on your chin, in a thinking position.

“Hmm… well, that was quite fun, was it not?!” you tried to keep a straight face but you could not help but laugh at your friend’s incredulous expression.

“You- we, we are going to get in trouble with the dean you know. And the counselors,” he said, trying to bite down the smile that kept rising when he remembered the expression on the assaulted student’s face.

“We’ll be fineeeee,” you shrugged your shoulders and stretched your letters. “Haven’t you gotten into more trouble with the head administration with your little controversial experiments? Besides, if we’re lucky, he’ll be too scared to report the incident,” you laughed, completely nonchalant about what you just did.

“Hmph. The blame is on you if anything happens,” he attempted to speak in an irritated voice, but he could not help but be amused. A bit elated, even. There were many people he wanted to see get chucked with a textbook. And do worse things too.

But a bit of the thrill came from how you did that with no hesitation. It was a… strange feeling to have someone do that for him. Actually, this whole relationship was strange. You were strange. Even he felt strange. He was honestly a straight-up asshole to you sometimes, like he was to everyone else. But that didn’t drive you off. You still did things for him. You still spoke to him. You didn’t want anything in return, not money, not knowledge, not relics, but perhaps what you did want was-

Zandik stopped that line of thoughts in its tracks, trying to ignore how his hand was all tingly from you holding it. Things were fine this way, he declared. He could not admit he was enamored with you. Nothing needed to change. He had to maintain his view of you, otherwise…

“You know, I’m surprised I even got you to do that. Did you hit your head too?”

“Shut up.”

Zandik hated you.

(You two did get into trouble. The Akademiya assigned you an apology essay which Zandik refused to do so you had to write two separate essays for each of you. With some begging, he did your homework for you in return, and somehow managed to get the blood stain off of that textbook you had thrown. You didn’t question where he learned that.)

V. kindness

It had been years since that fateful day, the time when you first moved in with Zandik. The Akademiya was a long and arduous grind, but that was to be expected. Your friendship with Zandik was one you cherished more than most things.

To say the two of you were close was an understatement. You still remember the counselor’s expression when you told her how well the two of you were getting along, and that there was no need for you to ever switch roommates. You think she became afraid of you too after that.

Tonight was a relaxed night. Zandik and you were not doing any work, simply laying side by side on his bed. (Even though he always threw fierce words at you, you knew he liked your touch.)

In the beginning, you would never be able to tear him away from that desk, but with time comes new things. You were just happy he was getting more hours of sleep.

The two of you lied in the dark as usual, simply enjoying the cool Sumeru breeze and the muffled noises from the city. You learned to grow content with these simple moments. But tonight you felt like talking.

“Hey, Zandik?”

“Hm?”

“Remember when you met me?” You could feel his head shift to look at you, probably for asking such a dumb question.

“Yes, I do. Too well, actually.”

“What was your first impression of me?” you questioned, realizing you never actually asked him that.

“That you were quite annoying and a thorn in my side.”

Anyone else might have been hurt by these words, but you did not mind. He made it pretty obvious that was how he felt in the beginning anyway, so it was no surprise. “But what about now?”

“You’re fine.” Even in the dark, he could feel your pout and pleading eyes. “And your intelligence and helpfulness deserve to be praised, I suppose.” And then he could feel your smile grow as your face was partially on his shoulder. From then the conversation flowed through many things. That research paper you two were working on, some kind of experiment he wanted to do on you (he swore it was painless), about that one scholar who was always annoying during the lectures.

The more you spoke, the more you realized how much of your life centered around being with Zandik here. You didn’t know if you ever wanted to graduate. To ever be apart from him.

“You know, I’ve been thinking. How long do you think we’ll live here?”

“Hmm, it’s hard to say. The benefits the Akademiya provides are far too good to let go of now. Speaking of that, there’s somewhere I want to visit.”

“Oh, you mean those hidden ruins you think are connected with Khaenri’ah?” How nice it would be if you could just drape your arm over his chest.

“Yes. Though I don’t know if the Akademiya will let me make another trip back to the desert as of right now,” he pondered.

“Are you referring to how you’ve been on the Matra’s watch list for years? So they started following you everywhere?” you giggled.

“Not just me. You too, [Name],” he rolled his eyes. “At least I never threw a book at someone in public.” You pouted and playfully punched his arm.

“C’mon, that was so long ago! You can stop bringing it up!” you whined. He would never let that go, huh? The conversation died down from there, but it was a comfortable silence, which you loved. After that little banter, your eyes began to droop and you yawned. Zandik glanced at you.

“Tired?” You nodded and blearily rubbed your eyes.

“Sleep, then,” he commanded, and you had no qualms with following that. Soon enough, Zandik was the only one left awake, staring out at the open window. He had found these little resting sessions of yours good for clearing his mind. He closed his eyes too.

Two people, on the same tiny, college-sized bed, arms brushing each other and talking nonchalantly. Totally, two good friends.

Friends. Friends, friends, friends. Long ago, the word left a distasteful feeling in his mouth, and it still did, but not for the reason he originally felt. Now, what he desired was more complicated.

Zandik hated you.

VI. endless

Zandik knew he would be expelled from the Akademiya soon, for the crimes he committed. And yet, instead of preparing for any future plans, he found himself following the directions of a note you left on his workbench. Meet me at our usual spot, 8 PM.

He was a busy man, more so in soon-to-be exile. He didn’t have time for your frivolous games. But for some reason, he found himself heading over to the cliff anyway. It was dark outside, but the stars illuminated your figure, and that was when he noticed the basket next to you as well. You noticed him and sat up eagerly.

“Hey, you made it! I was worried you wouldn’t come, to be honest.”

“...What is this?”

“Eh? A picnic, of course. The weather is real perfect for one.”

He was so astonished that the laugh building in his throat could not come out immediately. Surely you were aware of what he had done? Practically everyone in the Akademiya knew. You couldn’t walk for five minutes without hearing rumors floating around. Or perhaps you were that oblivious?

“Oh really?” His familiar, eerie laugh that you loved finally rang out. “Did a Ruin Guard finally toss you around well enough? Only an idiot wouldn’t know what I’ve-”

“I mean, do killers not like picnics anymore?” You replied so nonchalantly, he was actually a bit shocked.

“You’re… you’re frustrating,” he murmured.

The way you managed to make him so tongue-tied all the time made him itch to put you in your place, to snap back somehow, but he found himself unable to lately. Actually, he struggled to do that for a while now, and he despised how you made him feel like a bumbling fool.

“Heh, perhaps some of your unhingedness rubbed off on me,” you shrugged, patting down the spot next to you. “Look, I made samosas for you again.”

The blanket was soft and comfy, and though he didn’t care much for the flavors of food, he did enjoy your cooking. You continued to polish off your meal before you spoke again.

“So, I hear you’re going to be expelled soon.”

“Correct. Though I care little for this place, it’s a shame to lose a suitable environment for my research.”

“Have you decided where you’re going? I’m sure you’re not planning to stay exiled in the desert for the rest of your life,” you hummed. “Leaving this country, perhaps?”

“That seems to be the most logical action. There is nowhere in this nation that would fund my research.”

“I see. You’re going far away from here.” Zandik nodded in reply, but the more he thought about it, the more irritated he felt. Far away from here meant far away from you.

To think he felt no remorse for murder but he felt a tingle of emotion (sadness? regret? anger?) at no longer being with you. Whatever it was, it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He loathed to admit it, but he enjoyed your company. He enjoyed dragging you out of bed in the morning, and he enjoyed you dragging him to bed at night. He enjoyed your bantering, your inquisitive nature towards his work. He enjoyed being the only person you’d treat like this and having one person to himself. Zandik enjoyed you, thoroughly and fully.

“Well, keep me updated. I already got my bags packed and ready to go.”

“What?” A quirk of yours, he realized, was being able to leave him surprised at the most unpredictable times. Although scholars must plan for every possibility, he found it difficult to prepare for yours.

“I’m coming with you, of course. You’re gonna need your number one assistant with you. Hey, why’d you stop eating? We still need to get through the Padisarah Pudding.”

“You? Accompany me?” All of a sudden, everything made perfect sense. Yes, of course! You were right, he thought, as a fit of laughter overcame him. It was a splendid idea, one that pleased him immensely. Having you with him would be a great asset for his research. No one suited the role better than you. And you, in general, were… nice. You didn’t grate on his nerves like everyone else.

“Ha! Good! Amazing, even! I shall be sure to tell you when we depart from this nation of fools.” You raised your eyebrows at his sudden enthusiasm, but witnessing Zandik’s bursts of inspiration was nothing new to you either.

“Well, glad to see you’re so keen on it,” you chuckled. “But I have a request. Actually, it’s more like something I have to say to you before we embark on this. It’s crucial, really.”

“Oh? Do tell.” He wasn’t rich, but he had the ability to procure a wide variety of items. The Nation of Wisdom was more corrupt than one would think. But he did wonder what you would ever want. You didn’t chase after material goods like the majority of humans.

“To be frank, I like you,” you declared, looking right into his eyes. At that moment, it felt like the world had gone silent. The wind stopped blowing, the animals lied low, the grass no longer rustled. “I like you. I want to be more than just friends with you,” you stated bluntly. You felt that getting straight to the point was the best course of action with Zandik, since many things besides his research and manipulating people tended to go over his head.

“So, what do you say?”

There was no response. You attempted to build your case.

“By the way, did you think I’d go through all this trouble if I didn’t want to be with you? I didn’t dorm with you for no reason, you know.”

“...”

“For such a smart guy, you aren’t very good at this, are you? Well, I can’t be too mad. I’ve been dealing with the denseness for a few years now. You know, I’ve been making the first moves this whole time.”

“...”

The lack of response was beginning to make you nervous. You preferred the maniacal laughter of rejection at this point. “H-hey, I’d like a reply, you know. You don’t need to accept-”

Zandik thought. And he found that the words he spoke next were genuine.

“I find you… agreeable as well.”

You couldn’t help but throw your head back and laugh, shoulders now relaxed. “Why, such an amazing compliment from the high and mighty Zandik has me even more lovestruck!” He wanted to be mad, he really did, but it was at this moment he understood what it meant to be mesmerized by another person. He had found himself mesmerized by ancient machines, ruins, texts, his research. But he truly found you beautiful, your giggles echoing through the night.

“I’m agreeable, yes?” You turned to face him, your body leaning in closer to his. “Am I agreeable enough to do… this?” You tentatively glided your fingers over his hand, gauging to see how far Zandik would let you go. He stiffened at the foreign contact, clearly unused to it, but let you continue.

“What about this?” You slid your hand up and down his arm, keeping your eyes on his face the whole time. He tried not to show any emotions, besides a half-hearted scowl, but you could still see the red tips of his ears. He was so cute.

You scooted closer to him and let your other hand rest on Zandik’s thigh. “I think I’m much more than agreeable in your books,” you teased, cupping his cheek. He scoffed in response but did nothing to refuse your advancement. You leaned in and connected your lips with your lover’s. It felt damn good. Zandik had no idea what he was doing, but it was endearing nonetheless. You kissed him again, and again, and he reciprocated, albeit a little awkwardly. Your heart soared as you pulled away, and placed a few final kisses on his cheeks.

“Now, how did that feel?” You already knew the answer to that, of course. You knew Zandik for a long time, and could tell when he was in a shitty mood, a bad mood, a grumpy one, an excited one, a happy one, and much more. This mood was one you haven’t seen until now, but it sure was a good one. Completely flustered was a great look on him.

“I… I cannot come to a definitive answer as of now. I would say that I need to carry out some more experiments to reach a conclusion.”

“Oh? Then I’m a willing participant for however long as you want,” you smiled, finding comfort in his soft, teal locks.

And that’s when Zandik truly realized. You were more tolerable than the rest. You were bearable enough to want to keep you around forever. Smart enough for him to desire to hear your honeyed voice. Soft enough to want to feel your skin against his. Ah, he would never say it though, as he brushed his lips over yours once again.

Zandik loved you.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #dottore x reader #il dottore x reader #dottore fluff #il dottore #genshin il dottore #fatui harbingers x reader #fatui x reader #dottore angst #zandik x reader #genshin impact dottore #genshin impact zandik #genshin dottore #genshin impact il dottore #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines

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pumpkinhimiko · 4 months

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"Mistranslations" that are not mistranslations

Now with an additional part 2.

NISA has made plenty of mistakes while translating the Danganronpa series (and I've complained about them before), and so they have a reputation of being untrustworthy. But because of this reputation, I feel like fans are too quick to trust whatever anyone that isn't NISA states as absolute fact. So, I want to examine some instances of fan translators claiming NISA has mistranslated something, when, no, actually, they didn't.

Kokichi's last words

人にやらされるゲームなんて…楽しい訳あるかよ… A game you're forced to play... how could that be fun...

This is probably the most widespread myth in terms of "mistranslations that aren't", with the original post that makes this claim having over 2k notes: that Kokichi in the original Japanese actually says, "How could a game where you're forced to kill people be fun...?" Unfortunately, it's just not true. Fortunately for me, there's a reddit post here that breaks the line down in detail, so I don't have to do any work.

Anyway, I really wanted to make this post because of this thread, which makes several false claims.

Kokichi says he's afraid of friends in general

オレは、そういう『仲間』が他人よりも怖いけどねー。I'm more afraid of those kinds of [friends] than strangers.

So... souiu, meaning that type of/that kind of is right there, directly before nakama (which can mean friend, especially if it's in a shounen anime, but can also just mean companion/member of a group). I don't understand how you can miss this. Not only is it right there, this claim on its face doesn't make sense. Why, in this context, would Kokichi suddenly blurt out that he's afraid of having friends? It has nothing to do with the conversation they're having.

Shuichi's words to Kokichi after the 4th trial

王馬くん、もういいだろ ? Ouma-kun, isn't this enough? その話を聞かせてくれよ。Tell us about that.

Okay, you've probably heard the phrase mou ii a lot if you watch anime, and it's almost always accompanied by a frustrated huff. Because it is, in fact, something you say when impatient, fed up, what have you. It literally means "good already", carrying pretty much the identical meaning of the English phrase, "that's enough" or "I've had enough". Shuichi does not say it's okay as in it's daijoubu, which is the word you use when trying to comfort someone. He is very much frustrated here and telling Kokichi to fess up.

Citation needed

I couldn't find a line like this in Kokichi's FTEs, but maaaaaaaybe I missed it? Shuichi's narration comments quite a few times on Kokichi acting childishly throughout the game, but I couldn't find anything like this in specific.

EDIT: Correction, I did find it, and it's covered in part two. Suffice to say, the OP got this line completely wrong.

That Kaito thing

Yeah this is patently false. It's also already been touched on in this thread with comments backing it up, so there’s another thing I don't have to get into. I'll put the text here though.

オレはテメーみて一に胸クソ悪い真似までして、If I have to mimic your sickening behavior, 生き残りて一とは思わねーんだよ。I don't think I want to survive.

Shuichi's words to Kokichi after the 4th trial part deaux

I've seen varying claims on how these lines were translated, from them being slightly tweaked, to the claim they were completely butchered to make Saihara too aggressive. I'm just going to leave it here and let you come to your own conclusions.

ダサいのはキミの方だよ…王馬くん。The lame one is you... Ouma-kun.

百田くんの周りにはいつも人が集まってくる… Momota-kun always has people around him... でも、キミの周りには誰もいないじゃないか。But, there's no one around you.

キミは…その程度のヤツって事だよ。That's... what kind of person you are.

This is snappy in its own way, though, if you consider that 程度 is closer to meaning grade/level/degree rather than simply "type of". "That's the level of person you are," basically.

And if you doubt me on any of this, I encourage you to do your own research, get second opinions if you can. I know not everyone knows Japanese, in which case you can't really help but rely on someone else and hope their translation is accurate. That said, at the bare minimum, I think people should provide screenshots and the original Japanese text if they're going to claim something is a mistranslation. Like, I don't think you should be able to say "actually in Japanese Kokichi says he volunteers at animal shelters in his free time but NISA cut it!" and have half the fandom believe you with no proof.

#new danganronpa killing harmony #danganronpa v3 #new danganronpa v3 #ndrv3 #danganronpa #kokichi ouma #ouma kokichi #shuichi saihara #saihara shuichi #kaito momota #momota kaito #meta #doretalks #translation bs #i take it back #about 90% of that thread is inaccurate

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fontainescape · 9 months

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Speculation on Childe's "Guilty" Verdict

So my headcanon on Childe's presence in Fontaine to safeguard the traveller from being convicted to a crime is immediately thrown out the window. The situation is actually reversed! Beautiful. Sounds way better, story-wise.

The Oratrice has concluded that Childe is guilty of being involved in the serial disappearances case. I have read many posts and comments stating how it's impossible because Childe is only 21 while the case had been around for 20 years. However, it is possible.

When we met Childe in Fontaine, it is no coincidence that they now bring up Skirk and what Childe saw when he fell into the abyss. We knew that for some time now but it's only mentioned in the archon quests in this 4.0 update.

Let's break down what Childe said.

"I'm not sure... It's as if I suddenly lost control of my Hydro powers when I needed them. Maybe there's something wrong with my Vision?"

"But recently, there seems to be some sort of restless power stirring inside of me... And I don't know why, but every now and then I feel like I'm in a terrible mood."

Here, I assume Childe means he has been feeling this terrible mood upon arriving Fontaine. On top of that, he's losing control of his Vision. Possibly, it's because of the power he felt inside him. Paimon and Traveller thinks so.

I also believe this is the "it" Skirk mentioned. Childe awakened something and its traces remained on him, which is why she accepted him as her apprentice.

"Because I had awakened "it," and traces of "it" remained on me. She said that all my combat training would be useful in the future."

Should also probably take note that Skirk taught him the Foul Legacy, apparently. But I don't think that has anything to do with this case. Just feel like I have to add it because she said this would be useful for him, regarding "it" in the future.

Childe/Tartaglia's Namecard Description: ... Yet, his "Foul Legacy" was not originally his. Rather, it was taught to him by that solitary girl who dwelt in the darkest corners of the universe.

Childe believes this is related to the dream he saw when he fell into the unknown abyss.

"In my dream, I was in the deepest depths of the sea, and the boundless seabed was all around me. But in front of me appeared a whale that was so massive I felt like I couldn't breathe."

I think Childe did not see a dream, but that it actually happened. And maybe it wasn't a whale, but an Oceanid.

I have yet to explore the entire Fontaine region yet, but there was a preview in Genshin 4.0 Livestream of a dormant Oceanid underwater, hugging a huge building. During Act I and Act II, I waited for the appearance of this Oceanid but it didn't really go there.

It doesn't have to be this Oceanid, I'm just comparing its size to how Childe envisioned the whale he saw, but I think Childe accidentally got involved somehow and at least saw something but refused or couldn't help, or even caused it but didn't really understand what happened hence why he remembers it as a dream. Boi probably got traumatized, fr. He might have been in Fontaine during this. And then it made him fled to a snowy forest, where he would then fall to the abyss.

Excerpt from Tartaglia Character Story 4: That 14-year-old boy got lost in the snowy forest. Pursued by bears and wolf packs, he lost his footing and fell into a bottomless crack in the earth's surface. There, he witnessed the endless possibilities of another ancient world. There, he would meet a mysterious swordswoman... Or perhaps one should say that this dark realm had sensed the burning ambition in this boy's heart. This darkness was something that the Harbinger Childe could never again delve into. In those three months, the swordswoman taught Tartaglia how to pass through the Abyss unhindered, and more importantly, nurtured the ability to stir up endless havoc from within Ajax's trouble-mongering nature. No one knew what happened within that darkness during those three months, nor would Ajax ever speak of this to anyone.

Childe was running from "wolves and bears" it said and then abyss sensed a burning ambition. It doesn't sound like just wolves and bears that sparked this ambition, I'd say. What if Childe dreamed to be more "brave" or "confident." And yet, running away from home in itself seems brave enough to me. Something must have happened before he fell to the abyss.

Or was it actually referring to the traces of "it" that is now inside of Childe? It's probably what made him change personality drastically, and not just simply because of his training with Skirk.

It's also interesting that we don't know how he got his Hydro Vision in the first place. Traveller now is safekeeping it, so I wonder if they will find out something through this Hydro Vision.

And I wonder, how did Childe awaken "it"?

Finally, the Oratrice decided Childe is guilty. This was what Neuvillette said in his own judgment of the case:

"Through evidence presented in the public trial that was just held, it has been established that Mr. Tartaglia has no direct connection to the serial disappearances case."

"The guilty party has been identified, and thus, it is logical to suppose Mr. Tartaglia is innocent of the charges."

I really like how Neuvillette says "logical to suppose", cause as Chief Justice, he cannot be firmly sure if one is innocent or guilty unless proven or disproven with evidence. Childe simply didn't have an alibi nor even was mentioned in Vacher's confession.

But Oratrice really said, "no bruh, this dude did something. I ain't letting him get away with it even if he is unaware."

Additional Notes

Now, I did mention about the Foul Legacy before, and that I don't think it has anything to do with what's currently happening in the archon quest. But, as of writing this, I remember that Neuvillette only stopped Childe when he transformed into his Foul Legacy. Some people wondered why?

Foul Legacy looks similar to Abyss Heralds and Abyss Lectors. Additionally, the cape looks like it's of abyss. If you don't know, Foul Legacy has nothing to do with his Delusion.

So I suspect that Neuvillette was either just slow to react, or he only felt it was unsafe for everyone in the court when he saw this form. Because surely, the Gardemeks wouldn't be able to handle that.

And that is all for my speculations regarding Childe's case.

Toodle-oo~

#didnt post yesterday i was playing genshin tehee #genshin impact #fontaine #childe #tartaglia #neuvillette #oceanid #skirk #abyss

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sirfrogsworth · 2 months

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hi hi!!!

I'm a CFX artist (I do hair and cloth for 3D animated movies) and I wanted to clarify something!!

the encanto post? we talked about that one at length at work when it was first made, and it is incredibly evident that the guy who posted it is just bad at his job. the exact same effect can be archieved by changing the camera focal length- but animators never reach for technically competent solutions. (this is a roast.) and even if thats not possible, there is NO reason for why her shoulder area or chest are completely crushed or why her feet are inside of her hip bone.

and also, since I am in the department that comes right after animation- if I had gotten that shot, I would have either sent it straight back to the animator to fix it, OR cleaned it up myself, by which I mean it absolutely did not look like this off-camera by the time we send it for final light render.

essentially if animation looks that messed up off-camera, it is not "animation magic", it is actually someone doing a bad job.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

For one thing, the behind the scenes image was not close to a final render so I don't think you can fairly judge what was probably just the animator lining up and blocking the shot. I don't think at that state they were concerned with the shoulders, chest, and feet. I'm betting the final polished version looked much better.

And I also disagree the exact effect could be achieved by changing the focal length.

As a photographer, focal length is not just about cramming everything into the field of view. I don't only use a wide angle because I want more stuff in the photo.

It is also an artistic decision.

Wide angle lenses exaggerate distance and can make foreground objects seem massive and background objects seem tiny.

Look at this super wide angle shot of Otis lusting after a tennis ball.

The ball has a huge presence in the photo. It is only two feet away, but the distance between them seems immense. The ball takes up as much space in the photo as Otis.

Compare that to the ball in this telephoto image.

The picture now becomes less about the ball and more about the act of chasing it. The ball is literally only a foot closer to Otis, but it has no commanding presence like in the super wide shot.

So what artistic intention comes from using a telephoto lens like in Encanto?

Telephoto focal lengths compress distance. Background objects appear much larger in the frame. They also flatten the face and give a more flattering perspective of said face. Human faces can look a bit alien at wider focal lengths.

So what if you want the background to look large and encompassing and you want the flattering facial proportions from a telephoto lens, but you also want a foreground object to have a commanding presence like the ball?

You cheat!

This is not a technique confined to the world of 3D animation though. It is actually an old live-action trick. They will actually use another person's hands to do effectively the same thing as above.

In Hellboy II, Guillermo had two problems. He wanted a telephoto feel and depth of field and he also wanted a very intricate practical egg prop that could open mechanically.

To get the proportions and the framing and the feel of the shot as intended, he double cheated!

He made a big freaking egg with a big freaking fake hand.

(I know there is a picture of the giant hand somewhere but my googling failed me.)

In any case, I think this is just a case of good problem solving over incompetence. I think the director or the animation lead wanted this scene to fit within a specific focal length and it was easier and more efficient to just give her crazy long arms.

I'm not trying to dispute your expertise or animation-splain. Perhaps there was a better way to achieve the same look. But if the final result looked good, I don't think we need to bash someone who was probably under tight deadlines and had a lot of other work to complete. At least not without a lot more information.

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changetyre · 1 year

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Teammate Favor? (LN4 II DR3)

SUMMARY: Lando seeks his experienced teammate for some advice. Daniel proudly imparts his wisdom on his young teammate about his previous and numerous experiences which eventually leads to Lando trusting his teammate enough for this new experience. Lando Norris x Reader x Daniel Ricciardo

WARNINGS: Terribly written smut, threesome, fem! oral, male!oral, PinV, kind of voyerism, and probably some other smutty stuff.

A/N: There is a part 1 (Personal Advice) to this on my Wattpad where I write only fluff, Username on there also @changetyre

"Babe I'm back!" Lando ran back into your shared apartment filled with excitement.

He ran around trying to find you before he heard the shower running. He made his way into your bedroom and opened the door.

"Babe?" He called out.

"Lando?" You turned around in the shower, and you wiped off some of the steam off the clear glass to see your boyfriend.

"Baby I'm sorry, I'm back." Lando began stripping off his clothes as you watched confused.

"Where did you go?" You asked as he walked into the shower with you. His hands immediately wrapping around your waist, his hair getting soaked. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." you began apologising.

"No baby I should be the one apologizing. We agreed we'd talk about whatever we wanted to try, things we wanted to do to spice things up and I freaked out for no reason, I just got insecure." Lando's hands traveled down over your ass more in a comforting manner than anything else.

"Where were you?" you asked him again.

"I went to visit a friend, and he gave me some advice, he has some experience," Lando smirked.

"What?" You asked confused.

"I found someone to have a threesome with us." Lando blurted out.

"What?!" You stepped back from him surprised at what he'd revealed. "Lando you run out of here angry about me even suggesting it and you come back all ready to have one? Are you sure you don't want to talk about this more?" You asked him.

"No, no no no." he wrapped his arm around your waist again pulling you back into him. "I'm actually kind of horny for it now too." He began trailing kisses from your temple down to your neck all while his hands began gliding across your wet body.

"Lando..." his name came out weaker than you intended but his mouth and hands were too much of a distraction on your body now.

"Shh, we'll talk about it later." his finger glided through your folds making you shiver at the unexpected touch before turning you around.

_____

You got all dressed for bed and you waited for Lando to shut off the lights and join you in bed.

He laid next to you wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into him, he placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

"So who is it?" you asked Lando looking up at him.

"Daniel." He was slightly scared for what your reaction might be.

"What?! Daniel? as in your teammate Daniel?" You sat up on your elbow slightly.

"Yeah...why? Are you not comfortable?" Lando asked getting nervous again.

"No, I mean...It's just...won't things be awkward between you? I don't want things to get weird." You explained.

"Well, I thought who better than someone who I trust, someone who knows the limits you know? respects our relationship? Plus he has a lot of experience so I've heard, I'm not sure I want a stranger touching you baby." Lando explained his side.

You nodded, you understood where he came from and you also couldn't hide the fact having someone you got along with would partake in this with you making you also feel more reassured.

______

"So when is he arriving?" You asked Lando pacing across the room nervously.

"He should be here any second now," Lando answered way too relaxed on the bed as he scrolled through his phone.

You thought it was quite comical how Lando had been the one to panic when you suggested you guys tried a threesome but now he acted like this was the most casual thing in the world. Little did you know how horny Lando had gotten about the idea after talking to Daniel, how much he couldn't wait to watch you squirm in pleasure from a distance.

"Lando, are you 100% sure this is okay with you?" You asked him as you took a seat next to him.

"Yeah, I promise. You?" He asked you this time.

"Yeah...I'm just nervous that's all." You explained.

*knock knock...Knock Knock...Knock* you heard the beat on the door indicating his arrival.

Lando gave you a comforting smile before you made your way over to the door.

"Hi," you said as soon as your eyes landed on Daniel's. You weren't sure how you were supposed to greet someone when you were about to have a threesome with them.

"Hello, gorgeous." Daniel gave you his usual confident smile. Daniel was also nervous except he knew he couldn't show it around you both, he knew it was highly likely he would have to take the lead in this situation and he was ready to do so.

"Come in," Lando called out from the back of the room.

You moved to the side and Daniel stepped in. You shut and locked the door before joining them all at the center of the room where you watched as Daniel and Lando greeted each other with a fist bump before silence filled the room.

"Sooo..." Lando began.

"How do we start this." You giggled nervously.

"How about we start slow? If at any point either of you is uncomfy just say so and we'll stop." Daniel suggested as he took his jacket off throwing it on an empty chair.

"yeah..." both you and Lando said in unison.

You didn't have much time to react before Daniel walked towards you, his hand wrapping behind your neck while the other held your jaw before his lips landed on yours. You were completely taken by surprise, your hands gripped his wrists loosely as he slowly deepened the kiss.

You gave into the kiss easily, it getting heated in a matter of seconds. Lando found himself mesmerized by the scene in front of him slightly embarrassed about how quickly the blood rushed south in his body.

Once Daniel realized you weren't pulling away and no words of protest were spoken he knew it was okay to carry on. "Lay down for me sweetheart," Daniel whispered into your lips as he gently pushed you onto the bed, your back hitting the mattress softly.

Daniel's fingers looped onto the waistband of your jeans but before me moved further he locked eyes with Lando who gave him a nod.

Lando watched Daniel pull your jeans down, before removing your shirt leaving you in your black lingerie set he loved so much.

"Fuck." Daniel groaned as his hands glided across your body.

You turned to Lando to make sure he was comfortable with what was going on and you were surprised at the look you found in his eyes. It was a new look, dark and full of lust, the tightness in his pants indicating how much he was enjoying watching the scenes unfolding in front of him.

This gave you confidence enough to get up pulling Daniel's shirt off him before stripping his jeans off too leaving him in nothing but his underwear.

Daniel laid on the mattress, his head at the foot of the bed. "Come here." he gestured to you. "Straddle my face." Daniel instructed.

Your gaze went back to Lando who gave you a nod of reassurance. You climbed on the bed and place your thighs on either side of Daniel's face.

Daniel didn't take long before his mouth covered your mound over the fabric of your panties making you let out a soft huff. His tongue began gliding over the fabric and you couldn't help yourself from grinding over his face, his nose hitting your clit perfectly.

Daniel wrapped his arms around your thigh making your movements slow down slightly, he wanted to tease you, to make this last as much as he could.

You cupped your breasts trying to bring more stimulation to yourself. Your eyes remained on Lando as he watched Daniel move your panties to the side before he glided his tongue all across your bare pussy now.

Lando's knees almost went weak as he heard your moans, watching you play with your nipples over the fabric of your bra.

"Come here." You whispered to Lando making him snap out of his trance.

Daniel didn't stop eating away at you as Lando approached you. Your fingers wrapped in Lando's hair as you pulled him in for a deep kiss, your tongue quickly fighting for access into his mouth which he gave immediately.

You guided Lando's hands to your breasts and you reached back to unclasp your bra letting the fabric fall off your shoulders before you tossed it to the side all while you left soft moans into his mouth from the way Daniel was working on your bottom half.

Lando's fingers played with your nipples for a while before you placed your hand back behind Lando's head pulling him down to your nipples, Lando began sucking at your nipples, nibbling at them occasionally making your entire body feel like it was on fire from the stimulation running all across it.

Daniel's tongue had picked up its pace on your pussy and you knew you wouldn't be able to hold it much longer. You grabbed onto Daniel's curls as you began thrusting on his face.

Daniel stiffened his tongue so you could pleasure yourself on him as you thrust back and forth over his tongue and nose until you felt that tingle consume your entire being. Letting out a loud moan as you came down from your first orgasm.

Lando placed his hand on your jaw pulling your face up so he could kiss you once more as if trying to consume your pleasure along with you. The kiss was sloppy but hot considering the circumstances.

You climbed off Daniel as he sat up, his hand gliding up your back. "Why don't you let him get a taste darling?" Daniel whispered, his gaze on Lando.

Lando's hands were palming his member over his jeans. "No, keep going, I'll watch a little longer," Lando smirked.

"You sure?" You asked Lando, slightly out of breath. You slipped your hand inside Lando's jeans stroking him.

"Ride him for me baby." Lando breathed out. Pulling his pants all the way down.

Daniel smirked as you turned back around to face him. He sat at the edge of the bed before pulling his underpants down as you went to straddle him once more.

Lando chucked him a condom which Daniel caught without a problem before he quickly ripped it open and slid it over his thick member.

Lando watched as you slowly sunk down on Daniel, hearing you hiss as you adjusted to his size before your head fell back in pleasure.

Lando almost came undone right there watching you be consumed in pleasure once more. He stroked himself watching you as you began bouncing on Daniel.

Daniel kept a tight hold around your waist so you wouldn't fall as you controlled the pace with which you rid him.

"Babe come here." Lando heard you groan.

Lando got up walking towards you. "You okay baby?" He asked as his hand slid over your back giving you shivers.

"Here babe." You gestured atop the bed.

Lando climbed on realizing what you wanted. He placed himself in front of you, behind Daniel before you grabbed onto his dick stroking it slowly.

"Fuck." Lando groaned everything he'd witnessed building up to now and he knew he wouldn't last long.

"Put it in my f*cking mouth babe." You instructed Lando.

Lando wasted no time in eliminating the remaining distance as you took him all in with no problem beginning to thrust your head back and forth. Now Daniel had to help you keep bouncing up and down as your focus shifted to your boyfriend.

The vibrations of your moans around Lando's dick were making him dizzy with how good it felt and watching Lando in pleasure had you inching closer and closer to your second orgasm.

"Fuck Lando!" You shouted as you hit that second high squirming in pleasure.

"Shit" Lando moaned as he came in your mouth, you swallowed everything with no problem.

"Fuck." Now it was Daniel's turn to moan as he reached his high inside you.

Daniel gently pulled out of you before heading to the toilet to remove and dispose of the now-filled condom.

Lando helped you clean up passing you your bra, and panties before placing his shirt on you so you could cover yourself.

As Lando's shirt slipped over your head you puckered your lips and Lando leaned down to place a sweet kiss on your lips.

"I love you, baby." You whispered to him.

"I love you more." Lando smiled.

Daniel walked back out of the bathroom, his underwear now on him before he started picking up the rest of his clothes.

"Well, this was fun, thank you for the invite, love to do it again sometime. Later." Daniel winked before casually walking out of the room leaving you both alone and confused.

You and Lando turned to look at each other before bursting out in laughter. "You okay?" Lando asked you after you'd both laid down, facing each other on the bed.

"I am, how about you? You seemed to enjoy it." You smirked.

"That was definitely hotter than I expected, I could watch you squirm in pleasure all day babe." Lando revealed making you giggle nervously.

"It was fun, he was good. But no one will ever compare to the way you make me feel." You were honest with him, anyone could fuck you but only Lando could make love to you, making the pleasure consume every fiber of your body until you were left as nothing but a satisfied puddle.

#f1 x reader #f1smut #f1 #f1fic #landonorris #Daniel Ricciardo #Lando Norris #Formula 1 #Daniel x Lando #Daniel Ricciardo x Lando Norris #Lando x Reader #Lando Norris x reader #Daniel Ricciardo x reader #mclaren #f1xy/n #f1 imagine

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maxphilippa · 8 months

Note

Now do, pray tell, share with us what you would've changed to II?

Oh alright- sure!

- The way Test Tube and Fan acted upon Cabby's files. I really don't like them in S3 other than what they had with Bot (but mostly just because I like Bot). It really felt so awful considering that those are her disability aids and meanwhile it is, somewhat in character for them to act like that (Fan acts before he thinks as shown in s2 when he ran back to the game, and Test Tube has a big sense of justice as shown in S2, considering how she treated Mic since she thought she was the one that made a whole mess), they're supposed to be more mature than before at least by how they act in S3. I think that Fan getting that Cabby needs those files and that she genuinely means good but stuggles would have been a great thing- heck! Fan ACTUALLY listening to Cabby and asking her why she wrote those things, and understanding her! And maybe Test Tube ACTUALLY apologizing to Cabby after Cabby rejoins, because she realizes she was fucking awful to her? Instead of making her feel bad about herself? I think that would make things less shitty on the context of Cabby and understanding her.

- Tissues's condition being treated as a joke is something that I really don't like. Meanwhile yes, I get that S2 characters ARE stereotypes, just more polished and given some more development (the best case of this is Microphone), and that AE was still just some teenagers back then (if I'm not wrong), Tissues was literally the first guy that got voted off and that sucked, and his main personality was his condition. And his condition is somehow even worse in the Fan short? At least on symptomps (I do not know how to write the word), making stuff somewhat more difficult, but he at least somehow got better in the end? He's showing that he's getting back his strenght, but I think that treating his condition on a more serious look and still giving him a personality would have been great. Showing that he is slowly getting better (meaning that he is getting a treatment of sorts) is good. But they can do better.

- Bot's & Cabby's scenes in Ep 14.

Meanwhile I did got the intention of "Bot is still struggling with their identity and Cabby is still struggling in general, which isn't a great combo considering that Cabby does need her disability aids and Bot still doesn't know about themselves at all, not wanting to be written down the same way they were written down by Test Tube and Fan", I would have liked to see Bot ACTUALLY communicating properly with Cabby in the episode and telling her about it directly, instead of making Cabby feel so lost and lying to he4. And the 'Bow' File getting destroyed scene would have been different I think? Instead of that happening, Bot helps Cabby getting to the top, and in the end, the only thing that changes is the color of Bot's file and the info probably.

- "Evil"... Paper & Paper.

Now this is one of the most problematic stuffs with the II writing, the bad representation of DID itself and demonizing mental health. It would be fairly easy to write, with research done and such. I would rename Evil Paper to Looseleaf instead. I would also really not just make him... like that? Paper went through such trauma and it affected him a lot. Looseleaf being more of a self defensive guy yet not violent/murderous one at all would be good, wanting to make sure they're safe and okay. I do not know much about DID myself but, let them be headmmates and actually talk about stuff.

- This is more of a general thing but I personally just really like the scrapped idea of Bot being built by Cobs? Heck! Cobs is supposed to BE the main villain! And all we got was Springy! And that guy isn't even confirmed to be built by Cobs! They're not doing many stuff with Cobs and he's such an interesting character.

- Fans VS Favorites. I do like III as a concept, but most of the S2 characters already had their arcs closed and such and I think it would have been better if they used the underveloped characters instead. To give them more personality and growth instead of just silly little comics and such. I would have liked to see Trophy, Tissues, Cheesy AND Soap getting development other than their main stereotypes!

- Soap's Character.

She is... a very boring character to me, personally. I know that AE has said that they were starting to care about Soap and such but it didn't really felt, like she was getting anywhere? Other than her whole thing being a germaphobe? And her addiction with cleaning? She shows to have a strong character when angry! I would have liked to write her on the chiller end and genuinely have more of a story than whatever she has going on now.

- Nickel's and Suitcase relationship.

I know, I know. This isn't meant to say that what Nickel did to Suitcase wasn't bad. But I think that it would have made more sense if the whole relationship didn't feel so... one sided. In friendship terms. Nickel thinks of Suitcase rather fondly despite her "betrayal", and they were friends in a way. But that's the thing. They don't really feel like friends at all- mostly because meanwhile Nickel does care to an degree for her, he still sucks ass at it, and Suitcase was really only hanging out because of Baseball in a way, and their whole thing is SO complicated that I can even make a long analysis on it.

I would have liked to make them actually like eachother. For them to ACTUALLY be good friends before the inevitable downfall. Nickel being there for Suitcase and (terribly) trying to comfort her. Suitcase actually liking Nickel's company and not feeling scared of him. To make Nickel, someone who's emotionally stupid as shit, be at least more sympathetic, but still having his hatred for Balloon take the best of him. To make them actually hang around without needing Baseball to be around.

Nickel is a complicated character and I do think that AE didn't have him figured it out 'till S3. So that's what I would change about him if I could- make him a bit more balanced. Make his yearning for the good old days make more sense. And maybe having him showing regret earlier on.

- Adding an small post-scene ep 14 s2 in which Microphone actually says hi to Pickle. Not a bad thing rewrite but I think it would have done things end on more of an bittersweet note.

There's more stuff I would have changed that's for sure but those are the main points I can think of!

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hello-nichya-here · 2 months

Note

Why does Rhaenys support Team Black when, as far as she knows, Daemon and Rhaenyra killed her children, while Alicent basically offered her a position in Aegon's council?

Laena died... during childbirth/commiting suicide by dragon

Rhaenys said Laena died because "She needed our Maesters" - she's not accusing Daemon of murdering her daughter, she's basically saying "Oh, if only she had been home instead of moving away, our doctors are better, her and her baby would have been fine" which her husband full on pointed out was not true.

Trying to find someone or something to blame when a loved one dies is a very common thing in grief, it's not the same as genuinely believing your loved one was murdered by their spouse because the doctors couldn't get the baby out.

Laenor's (Fake) Death

While the show never made it clear if Rhaenys believed her, Rhaenyra DID tell her, very clearly "I did not kill your son", and Rhaenyra went into the marriage knowing full well that Laenor was gay, and didn't do anything against him even when he failed to keep his end of their agreement of "We'll have a few kids together while sleeping with people we actually like on the side" for well over a decade.

That doesn't exactly paint Rhaenyra as a trigger-happy person that is going to immediately kill anyone that inconviences her - especially not when Alicent, as well as her children and grandkids, all of which pose a threat to her claim to the throne, are still alive and well.

At the very least, I think Rhaenys is unsure if Rhaenyra helped Daemon kill Laenor, if Daemon acted on his own, or even if they both were actually fully innocent. They do live Westeros after all, someone else could need Laenor gone for reasons that had nothing to do with the Blacks VS Greens conflict.

(I do think it was very stupid of Rhaenyra not to go "Actually, your son is alive and well, he just ran away" and I don't mean just in the confrontation, but literally the very second they put the plan into action. Would have spared her of a major headache)

Bhaela & Rhaena are Team Black

Laena's daughters all live with their father, aka Daemon, aka Rhaenyra's husband and seem very loyal to them both. Opposing the Blacks could mean seeing her allies kill her granddaughters, or even having Rhaenyra and Daemon hold them hostage and abuse them as revenge for her disobedience.

There's a reason why, when Rhaenys was considering supporting the Greens (or at least staying neutral on the whole conflict) Rhaenyra reminded her that, instead of being a tyrant, she could also choose to be VERY generous and have her grand-daughters marry their cousins/step-siblings, thus inheriting the throne and Driftmark - it's both a cunning AND diplomatic way to sway someone important to her side.

The Greens Fucked Up

The Greens held Rhaenys hostage and stole her dragon right after Viserys's death, with people being hanged and beheaded left and right for not bending the knee to Aegon II (aka breaking their oaths) -and then Alicent said to the Queen that never was "I know my husband should have never been king and that you were clearly the superior choice, but can you pretty please step aside again try to help me control my son that I can't even fucking find right now because he drank too much and passed out somewhere?"

Alicent can spend all the time she wants trying to frame this as being genenous and offering her to be the King's advisor - it doesn't change the fact that this whole thing is a direct threat against Rhaenys and a major insult (seriously, imagine expecting a Targaryen not to be pissed that you stole their dragon).

Now compare that to Rhaenya saying "Baela will be queen someday and Driftmark will go Rhaena's children. Your descendents are going to inherit the Iron Throne and the seat of House Velaryon through the female bloodline, to compensate you for the fact that you didn't get to be queen and that your GAY son that you KNEW was gay didn't have any heirs to inherit Driftmark because HE didn't keep his end of the deal, so I didn't even have to do this in the first place."

Also, take into account that Rhaenyra allow her and her husband to take their sweet time deciding if they were going to support her (to the point that Rhaenys even admited that she was the one person trying to prevent a truly massive war), and also allowed her NOT TO BOW TO HER DURING HER CORONATION.

Who do you think offended Rhaenys and made her feel cheated, and who offered her a ton of respect, freedom and political claims that could make her at least consider supporting them? Because let's not forget that...

Rhaenys is not fully Team Black

Like I said, she did almost side with the Greens when Viserys was still alive and did not kill them when she had the chance even though that would have ended the war because, in her own words, it was not HER war. Her and Corly did NOT support Rhaenyra right away, and while she looked proud and even happy in her coronation, she did not bow to her Queen.

Rhaenys prioritizes her interests (and the interests of her family) before loyalty to ANY king or queen. If the Greens had played their cards right with her, she would have supported them or at least remained neutral as long as possible.

But they didn't, so she's supporting their enemy, who offered her a better deal. Just the nobles and royals playing their Game Of Thrones.

#asks #rhaenys targaryen #rhaenys the queen who never was #team black #rhaenyra targaryen #the black queen #house of the dragon

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altneuland · 6 months

Text

It's Hanukkah in a few days, which means.. it's time to talk about Hanukkah lore.

first, I want you to erase everything you know about hanukah.

Days Of Hanukkah

Hanukkah is known to be the celebration of light, happiness and victory.

But in reality, the story of hanukkah is much darker.

Kingdom of Hashmonai

Human name: Daniel Ben Yosef

Human age: 18

religion: Cohenity Judaism (early Judaism)

National languages: Hebrew, Aramic, Greek

Independent: 104 BC - 63 AC (but actually 77 years)*

PROLOGUE

Greek takeover

When Ancient Greece took over the area, they brought with them Hellenism, which already influenced Daniel. Daniel’s opinion about Hellenism was neutral. Most Jews didn’t mind Hellenism, as long as it peacefully coexisted with Judaism, and it did.

Cohenity take over

The Greek empire owed a lot of money to Rome, and the great Cohen’s brother back then, he knew. He offered the king of the areal Hellenic kingdom a lot of money in exchange for making him the Cohen.

Judaism is highly against such a thing. Since then people noticed that they could buy the great Cohen’s seat and started paying more and more, which led to inside-wars between Cohens, Levians and activists.

The Cohens who kept taking over the seats happened to be pro-Hellenism, which made Hellenism look bad in the eyes of the radical activists. It didn’t change Daniel’s opinion, though. But he did lose his trust towards his Cohens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act i: Hanukkah

The Hellenic oppression

The internal wars inside Judea made them not pay taxes to Greece, which made the king very mad. He came to Judea and demanded the Jews to do very sinful things such as eat pig or work on Shabbat, as well as change their names and such things.

Daniel was mad, and started a revolution. The revolution started from inside, against the current Cohen who brought that on him.

Maccabee

Maccabee is a Jewish movement that started at those days, their goal was to liberate the Jews from Hellenic oppression. Hashmonai Family, a well known family of activists, started it. They led the revolution, but it mostly failed.

Independence

When the Hashmonai family realized that the revolution failed, one of the members of this family physically went to the king and begged for liberation. The king got convinced and let the Jews have their own country.

The Maccabees came back to Jerusalem and cleaned the holy temple from all the dirt and sins that the hellenics did. It made them and Daniel so happy they celebrated for 8 days, which is also the same 8 days of Hanukkah.

Daniel felt like things are getting back to order, he's independent again. but the little he knew about what’s going to happen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act ii: Hashmonai

The civil war continues

Hashmonai is now an independent kingdom, but the Hashmonai family decided to make Cohenity one with the royal family, the citizens of Hashmonai hate this decision, and revolt once again.

Daniel started to rethink his own religion, and new groups of new religions started to pop, as an alternative to the current Cohenity Judaism. Christianity is one of them. Groups are starting to rewrite some books and write new books, the Talmud and the Mishna.

Daniel thought this situation is just temporary, and Levi soon will get his power in the temple again. But as soon as he thought so, Hashmonai massacred everyone who attempted to stop the royal family, including levians. Levi, the last tribe to exist as a tribe of Israel was killed, and it officially ended Daniel’s hope for the temple, his nation and his religion.

The changes in Judaism

When Levi Died, Daniel realized he won’t be able to continue in the same path anymore. A group of all groups, called haPrushim, were the leading group of the new Judaism. They believed that all Jews should be able to read, write and own their own Bible copy. Since then only a Levian could, but Levi is now dead. This is temporary, until a new alternative to Levi or if there are still Levians alive somewhere, they could take back their place once they can.

Daniel preferred this alternative over the others, which helped this one become the main Judaism branch today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act iii: Roman Empire

Roman Empire stepping in

Now Rome is in charge, Rome doesn’t mind most of the wars inside Hashmonai, but when it becomes too brutal they step in. Rome wants quiet in their territory, that’s their strategy. They cross most leaders (Jesus is one of them), and it escalates as the Jews fight back more.

Daniel wants this to end, so he goes to Rome and asks him to Assassinate the Hashmonai family. Rome is happy to do so, and he does. Hashmonai loses independence as it happens.

Rome was mad with Daniel for being such a pain in the ass, so he started forcing him to do such things as eat pig and work on Shabbat, again. But this time Daniel was tired. He didn’t revolt.

Bar kochva revolt

Bar Kochva is a radical guy that Daniel, as well as most of the nation, didn't agree with. He worked alone. He required a small army and tried to fight the Romans. Daniel joined him; he thought he had nothing to lose anyways. But his mistake escalated everything really fast.

End of ancient Israel

As a punishment Rome cut Daniel’s hair. He knew how much Daniel cares about it. He destroyed the temple, and then kicked Daniel away from Judea to Europe, he changed Judea’s name after a nation in the Bible which is Hebrew means “Invaders”. The name that Daniel used to call other ancient nations as a mockery is now against him. Also, Rome stole a lot of things from the temple, including the great menorah.

The days of Daniel as ancient Israel (before the kingdom of Israel to the after kingdom of Hashmonai) is now officially over. Daniel now started his Exile era, and after the exile era, the Modern era.

#country personification #hetalia oc #country oc #my art #altneuland #hetalia #hetalia israel #hetalia israel oc #hws #hws Israel #hws oc #aph #aph oc #aph israel #hetalia ancients

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usetheeauthor · 2 years

Text

The Satanic Panic II +18

Devil!Perv!Eddie Munson x Witch!Sinclair!Reader

For other chapters/story summary check out:https://usetheeauthor.tumblr.com/post/691280498281070592/the-satanic-panic-series-masterlist-18

Chapter Summary: You plan to testify in court but your parent’s have other plans. Your bond grows stronger with Eddie as your worlds continue to collide and not in a good way. A year after Chrissy’s murder and the verdict is finally reached. Also how does one leave prison and become the literal devil?

Word Count: 4.5k+

A/N: If you looking for drama then this part has it. It’ll be a question of morality in this part. Reader is faces with tough decisions and these decisions will have consequences. What would you do in this situation? Enjoy!

Warnings: graphic language, lying in court, Eddie going to prison, Eddie/Devil, blasphemy, religious themes, mental illness stigma, corrupt cop, corrupt lawyer, my limited court and legal system knowledge

II. The Devil’s Advocate

You couldn’t believe the moron. You didn’t even get the chance to get your story straight and he just act on whim. You weren’t sure how you’d get him out of this situation now.

Your house phone rings. Putting a hand on the phone, your heart beats rapidly as you hesitantly answer it. “H-hello?”

“Ashley! Oh, I’m glad to know your okay. Your father just told me that Munson boy, Lucas and his friends are acquainted with, is now in police custody. He can’t go into detail right now since they’re looking to make sense of things but it sounds serious. I bumped into Mrs. Hudson at the grocery store. She lives in the same trailer park as Eddie says she saw the police tape up which could possibly mean…Gods, I hope not. Last night you attended your ritual. Your school’s not that far from the trailer park. Did you happen to see anything?”

You heart beat speeds and you worried that your chest heaving deeply in and out could be heard through the phone. “I didn’t go to the ritual. We’re still cursed sadly.” To you, it was a half-lie.

Mrs. Sinclair smiles. Her husband had been right. In his perspective, he believed you wouldn’t go against your parent’s wishes. He gave you the permission for to make your own decision knowing you wouldn’t go. It was his form of reverse psychology. Little did they know, reverse psychology had nothing on your rebellious spirit. Curse that side of you for getting you in this mess. Mrs. Sinclair speaks into the phone excitedly, “So you listened? You understand my point that it would’ve been dangerous? Right?”

“Y-yeah. Of course.”

She sighs. “Good. I really am proud of who you’re becoming. I want you to be in touch with your witchy roots but that doesn’t mean risking your life. And to think you would of gone into the woods and possibly run into that boy.”

Your eyes widened, knowing that’s exactly what happened. “Right. Umm, I’ve gotta go. Gonna be late for work. Love you. I’ll see you tonight”

“Okay, hun. By—-“ Click! You hang up the phone, abruptly. You rush to get dressed for the road. You were actually given the day off but you didn’t tell her. You couldn’t tell her anything. She’d only tell your father and he’s a cop. You couldn’t tell them just yet but you were going to tonight and hopefully come up with an alibi for the two of you. For now, you had to find someway to see Eddie.

——

You made your way to the police station. Your father and Sheriff Jim Hopper were deep in conversation. They quieted down as you approached them.

“Geez, kid, you look like shit.” Hopper laughs. You and Hopper usually joked around with each other. He was like a second father figure to you.

“Ever the subtle one, Mr. Hopper.” You say sarcastically. “This look is actually a product of only 2 hours of sleep.”

“Everything okay?” Your father asks, concerned.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Everything’s good. Just couldn’t sleep last night. But I really just came to visit you.”

“How much?” He says, giving you a bored look.

“No,” You laugh. “I’m not here for money,” You try to play off your inquiries with a nonchalant inflection. “Soooo, a little birdie told me that a certain friend of Lucas is in police custody. What’s the issue?”

“By ‘birdie’, you mean, your mother?” He quirks an eyebrow up.

“My lips are sealed.”

“Well, the little birdie shouldn’t have told you. At least, not yet. We’re still trying to make sense of everything.”

“How bad could it possibly be?”

“You wanna take this one, Sheriff.” Your father turns his attention to Hopper.

“Let’s just say that a lot of what we uncovered didn’t seem to add up.” Hopper explains, vaguely.

Well, that was no help. You were trying to gain some information, hoping that you can find a story with the evidence they gathered. “Sounds like you two have a lot of thinking to do. I won’t be anymore trouble. Hey, dad, is it okay if I can go into your office? I think I might’ve left my sweater in there from my last visit.”

“Sure, sweetie. The door’s open. I’ll be in a meeting soon but we can grab a bit after.”

“Sounds great. I’ll see you soon.” You give a small smile.

With that the two cops leave, giving you the chance to go into the next phase of your plan. You enter his office, taking a seat in the swivel chair and closed your eyes focusing on the white noise.

“Spiritus mentis et corporis proiectio.”

You eyes roll into the back of your head and you could feel yourself leaving your body. You were now traveling through the whole police department like a fly on the wall. You were able to find Eddie who’d been in an interrogation room. Clearly exhausted and distressed.

“Eddie.” You call his attention.

He turns to look at you, the look of disbelief displayed on his features. “Ashley?” He says a little too loud.

“Shhh. Whisper or they’ll hear us.”

“Is this real? Are you real?”

“Technically, no. I’m astral projecting right now. I don’t have much time. I can only do this for so long.”

“Astral projecting? I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this witch thing,” His eyes widened. “The cameras. They’ll see you.”

“Only you can see me. Cameras can’t pick up astral projection.”

“Ah, there’s laws of physics to this thing. Of course.”

“Eddie…If I were physically here with you…”

He looks up at you, swallowing hard enough for his adam’s apple to prominently bob.

“I’d punch you so hard,” You finished; a frown falls upon his face. “Why the fuck did you turn yourself in? I thought we agree that we’d figure this out together. I’m trying to get you a way out.”

“I know you’re trying to help but let’s face it. You can’t.”

“My mother’s a lawyer and my dad’s a cop. All I’ve got to do is explain all of this to them and we could figure out a way to get you out of this.”

“That would just drag you into all of my shit. I won’t do that to you.”

“I willingly step into that trailer, Munson. I’ll be okay being apart of this, too. You don’t deserve going down for something you didn’t do. Just let me tell them so we can get our story straight.”

“Okay. Your parents’ll believe you. Then, what? We testify in court about the angel bots? That they killed Chrissy before you could stop them with your powers?” He sighs. “The thing is: your parents’ will obviously believe you because they’re aware that these fuckers exist. There’s no explaining this to anyone else without ending up in a straight jacket. Your parents are going to do what they could to protect you in end and face the fact that there’s not much they could do for me. I’m just making this easier for all of us. You won’t be involved and no one has to make the decision to let me to the fall despite knowing the truth. Well, aside from you.”

“I’m not letting you take the fall. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I will get you out of this.”

“Why do you care what happens to me? Nobody else seems to besides my uncle.”

“Because you don’t deserve this. You blame yourself for her death, don’t you?”

“Yeah because it’s true.”

“No, it’s not. I feel like I’m to blame. I feel guilty. I’d never seen anyone die right in front of me. When I ran in, I didn’t even think of dying. I just knew I needed to do something. So, I did. Chrissy died because I just wasn’t strong enough.”

“Don’t put that burden on yourself. It’s not yours to carry. I told you, ‘you did all you could’. You didn’t even have to save me but you did. Thank you.”

“Please don’t give up. If I don’t get to blame myself for this then you shouldn’t either. Give me some time to think of something.”

“Let’s make a deal,” He stands up so that he’s facing you. “You don’t come forward as a witness until you have a perfect alibi for why you were there and what you saw. I haven’t said much so maybe I can get our stories to match. I don’t have much time. I only have a week before sentencing. If we don’t get our story straight, I could be seeing prison for at least a year before my next court date.”

“Shit. That’s a lot of pressure,” You exhaled. “But don’t worry. I am great under pressure.” You tried to reassure him.

“I have to leave now. The astral projection will end soon. I have to find some kind of information around here before it’s too late.”

“Okay. Yeah, they’re probably gonna come back and interrogate me some more.”

“Don’t give ‘em anything.”

He nods.

You wave him a shy goodbye, disappearing. You continued to float through space until you ended up in the evidence room. Luckily for you, no one was there. If you made it quick, you’d be able to get enough intel to get you started.

You find the file box under the case. At the top of the metal shelf. Getting up to your tippy toes, you reach for the box, slowly pulling it out so that nothing falls to the ground.

Once you set the box on the counter, you immediately spot the polaroid pictures taken at the sight. A direct close up of Chrissy’s face. Your stomach sinking seeing her whited out eyes and wide mouth like she was in a constant state of shock.

Eddie’s living room was also photographed. The picture looked chaotic almost like an actual murder scene and all the damning evidence that could lead this all to you was there, too. There was even a picture of the wall where you’d hit your head and made a dent. But what freaked you out the most: in one of the pictures that gave a view of the trailer’s ceiling, the hole where the creature had crashed in through was gone; completely sealed as if nothing was there.

You heard someone entering the room. Quickly finding place to hide in the back of the room, you peer in between the gaps of the shelf.

A female cop walks in, noticing the box out of its place. She’s suspicious, looking left and right around the room as if she sensed something. “Guys, if you need to look into the evidence boxes, please make sure you put it away in its rightful place when your done. This is third time today.” She calls out, putting the box back up then walking out.

You let yourself breathe finally a sense of relief. Then, a hand touches you. You gasp and suddenly you were back in your dad’s office. You look up at the intruder.

“I think you and I need to have talk.” Your father says, his arms crossed.

——

“You did what?!” Mr. Sinclair shouts, completely floored. A few heads in the diner turning to look at us.

“A little louder for those in Montana to hear, dad.” You snide. “I had to do it. I’m aware I put myself in this but I couldn’t let that monster kill them. It’s not fair that Eddie’s going to prison for this.”

“We have to tell your mother.” He shakes his head.

“Okay. And do you think it’s possible if you could convince mom to be his lawyer. She could totally win this for him. I’ll be the witness—”

“No, I won’t allow it.”

“What? Why?”

“Because we don’t have a story here, Ash. If you become a witness, they’ll somehow make you into an accomplice. We tested blood on the living room carpet… it didn’t belong to Ms. Cunningham or Munson. It was your blood.”

“Yeah.”

He runs his hands over his face. “This is very bad. I’ve never thought I’d resort to this. I’ll have to get rid of any evidence that leads to you.”

“I’m not asking for that. I just want you and mom to back me up on something for once. Help me explain the hole in the ceiling.”

“What hole in the ceiling?”

“You didn’t see one when you arrived. Your guys had nothing to do with fixing it.”

“Nope. The ceiling looked fine.”

You looked down at your hands, absolutely confused. Could you have done that without you realizing it? No way. You were way too weak to have done it that time. But you have been using your powers with less of a toll on your body. Maybe the ritual had done something.

“Please, let me take the stand. I can clear this all up and no one has to go to jail.”

“You’re not taking that stand. It’s too risky. You should thank your lucky stars that Munson boy gave you an out. The Cunningham folk will not feel as if justice has been served if no one’s put behind bars without any explanation.”

“His name is Eddie Munson. He’s 19. Practically my age. He has an uncle who cares deeply for him. Friends who believe and support him. Sure, he’s a little different but he’s kind. Are you saying that you’ll be fine keeping him behind bars if it means I won’t be involved?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’m sorry.” He says, quietly.

“Mom, wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t let someone innocent go to prison.”

“She would. Because she’s a mother. Your mother. You won’t understand until the day you become a parent yourself.”

You can feel tears, prickling your eyes. “N-no. I won’t let you do this to him. I can’t.”

He ends with very chilling words. “I’m sorry, Ashley. But it’s already be done.”

——

It was the first time you’d looked at your parents as the villains. It was corrupt. Preposterous. You’d found out that your mother would be representing the Cunningham family. This was before she’d known the truth about your whereabouts. When you’d begged her to drop them as clients, your father stated she’d have to stay in order to keep the case focused on Eddie.

When the court date arrived, your stomach churned knowing that there was nothing you could do. Your father had connections that made it difficult for you to attend the court. You were denied access from being anywhere near the courthouse.

Forced to watch the broadcast of the trial on live television, you could only look at Eddie’s face who looked as if he accepted his fate.

“We submit evidence of him speaking to himself in the interrogation room, your honor. He’s not some devil worshipping cold killer, your honor. He’s just a mentally disturbed individual. He hasn’t admitted to murdering Ms. Cunningham because he isn’t a killer. Media has blown this boy’s life story and turned him into some circus sideshow.” His lawyer defended.

It hurt that he was being depicted in such a light. Using the stigma of mental illness as a ploy to help him get a lesser sentence felt like a dirty move. But it was a desperate attempt to keep him from throwing his whole life away.

In the end, the trial had ended and his next court date was due in the next year for his final sentencing. When you learned that he would be placed in a penitentiary for the criminally insane, you felt sick. You were aware of the horrors that awaited him there. You were studying as a behavioral therapist so you’ve heard of the horror stories.

Eddie’s face remained stoic as he was dragged to out the courtroom to be officially locked away.

———

One Year Later

You visited Eddie nearly every day throughout the year without your father’s knowledge, paying off the correctional officers to let you visit. You’d constantly apologize and cry to him about your guilt. He’d known all along that your parents would have favored protecting you. But he’d specify that he had no malice towards them.

“Hell, I wish I had folks who gave that much of a damn about me the way your parents did. Uncle Wayne’s great but he’d be too much of a pussy to get rid of the evidence.” He’d laugh.

Today, you were visiting Eddie two days before his trial. You noticed him changing in mood and appearance with each visit. He had more tats now specifically on his knuckles which covered the scars on them, he almost always wore his hair in a bun, and his nails were painted black but what really surprised you was the smile on his face that seemed to grow wider and wider each visit.

Eddie literally snaps you back into reality. Putting his fingers up close enough against the glass between you two so that you can hear. “Hey. Hellooo. Earth to Ashley. Ah, there she is,” He smiles, when your eyes land back on him. “I asked you ‘How Ya Doin’ and you started spacing out like you were having World War 2 flashbacks.”

“Sorry. Um, I’m okay. Just thinking.”

“Thinking’s good. Had a lot of time to think in here.” He gestures behind him.

“How are you by the way?”

“Great! I mean, it’s horrible in here. Terrible. But if you look passed all the fucked up shit, you can meet some really lovely people.”

You smile, awkwardly. “It’s good to know you’re okay.”

“I don’t believe you’re okay though. Is it because of my birthday next week? You don’t have to stress yourself about it, Ash,” He quips. You give him an unamused look. “Well, I guess we’re talking about the trial, then. You really don’t got to worry. I’ll be okay.”

“It’s just..having to see you going through that again really worries me. I could throw up just thinking about it. It’s selfish. I know. I mean, this is happening to you but I feel like shit.” You squeezed your hand around the phone in frustration.

He could see the waterworks beginning and he quickly rushes to comfort you. “I’m really okay, Ash. I want you being strong for me like you’ve always done.To be honest, you’re what’s kept me sane for the year.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I would’ve wished we met some other kind of way but I like that I got to know you,” He smiles almost innocently and it reminds you that it was still Eddie. You smile back just as widely at him. “There’s that smile. Now I know you’ll be okay. So, ya ready to see me on TV again. I think I’ll be wearing my best jumpsuit.”

“I won’t be watching the trial on television. I’ll be attending. As your witness.”

His demeanor changes. “Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? To defend you. Duh!”

“I told you to stay out of it.”

“We had a deal,” You choose your words carefully, knowing they were probably listening in on your conversation. “Your innocent and you’ve got to let yourself believe that, too.”

“What about your dad?”

“He doesn’t know but he’ll find out when that day comes.”

“He’s not gonna like it.”

You shrug. “There’s a lot of things he doesn’t like.”

——-

Trial Day

You could feel yourself shivering as you anticipated your turn to be on the stand. The evidence that you got to view a year ago now presented. You had something up your sleeve.

Your parents were extremely angry with you when they realized you would be testifying and there was nothing they could do. You felt your mother’s eyes burning into you every once in a while when she’d speak. You focused your attention on Eddie who sat there with a focused expression as the Cunningham family read their statements. You also spotted Jason Carver in the crowd, his eyes targeted in a piercing stare at Eddie.

You knew there was no going back now. You were going to have to lie under oath but you’d try to stay close enough to the truth so it wouldn’t affect the credibility of it all. Chrissy’s family would probably hate you after this which sucked because you wished that there was some way you could explain what happened to her. The actual truth.

It was finally your turn to take the stand and it you were visibly shaken. The crowd practically snarled at you once they realized you’d be a witness in favor of Eddie.

“Why did you go to Eddie’s trailer?” Mrs. Sinclair asked.

“Objection, your honor. She’s leading the witness.” Eddie’s lawyer objects.

“I’ll allow it.” The judge says.

“I went over to Eddie’s place because…I wanted to buy drugs. A friend of a friend told me that he was a dealer so I wanted to score some.”

“What happened once you arrived?” Your mother questions.

“I heard screaming. I heard her scream first then him. At first, I thought he trying to touch her inappropriately. So, I rushed in thinking I could save her.”

“What did you see when you entered the home?”

“He wasn’t touching her. He was nowhere near her, actually. He was on the other side of the living room. Almost paralyzed. Watching in horror. Chrissy was in the middle of the room…having a seizure because she was overdosing.”

“Autopsy report states that the girl shows signs of struggle on her body. Where, can you tell me, did the struggle begin?

“I tried calming her down. I didn’t know what else I could do so I pin her down but her movements were sporadic. She didn’t mean to but her hand connected with my nose hard. I bled onto the carpet. She was dead before I could resuscitate her.”

“Why have you come forward now?”

“I came forward now because I wasn’t scared of being threatened anymore,” You look defiantly at your mother. “I received threats anonymously about me coming forward in defense of Eddie Munson. The whole town has gone against him. I was scared that I’d get that same treatment. Possibly worse. But it ate at me and couldn’t let him go to prison for something he didn’t do. Eddie is strange but he’s no murderer. I’d only wished that I’d come forward sooner so that he wouldn’t of had to endure a year in a prison he didn’t belong in.”

“Based off your first impression, you assumed the screams were of Eddie assaulting Chrissy. Would you say that he would be capable?”

“Your honor, foundation? Speculation, even.” Eddie’s lawyer objects once again.

“I’m just want to know how she see’s the defendant.”

“Sustained. Maybe word it differently. I’m not sure where this question is leading.” Judge says.

“How would you summarize Eddie Munson?” Mrs. Sinclair asks.

“I’ve only recently got to know him. I apologized for not coming forward and he was always very kind to me. Even when he shouldn’t be,” Your eyes meet with Eddie’s as if you were speaking directly to him. Then, you focus your attention to the jury, hoping they hear you out.

“Eddie is a nerd. He’s a metalhead. A nephew. A friend. His intentions were never to hurt Chrissy but unfortunately she’d taken enough drugs to kill her. She’s a sweet girl and she deserves justice. And lying about the evidence and locking away an innocent man isn’t justice served. It’s been omitted out of the autopsy documents that she had enough drugs in her system that she’d consumed an hour prior to her meet up with Eddie that would have proved his innocence. The media jumped at the idea that Eddie is different and ran with it. It’s so easy to pick on the outcasts and blame their nonconformity for the way they behavior. But Eddie isn’t a murderer. He’s just a guy with a troubled life that makes him an easy target to be painted as one.”

After some more questioning, you’d felt a load lifted off as you’d tried to explain yourself the best way you could without being too disrespectful to Chrissy. You were hopeful but you were realistic about the verdict because it could go either way.

When the verdict was reached that Eddie had been cleared of all charges. It was a huge shock. They focused the idea that rather Chrissy as the user was held as the main one responsible in the death compared to Eddie who’d only sold her the drug.

It was a mixed crowd. On the other side of the room, Eddie’s friends and uncle cheered for his release. On the opposite side, the Cunningham family grieved and mourned on the other side. You couldn’t celebrate realizing how badly you’ve devastated the family. You were falling deeper and deeper into this madness of a situation.

——

You’d gone home feeling terribly guilty. It was a lose lose situation in your book. You felt guilty that Eddie had to go prison, that Chrissy died, that you had to embellish the story. All you could do was drink down a bottle of red wine in your bed, hoping you’d be drunk enough to forget everything just for a moment.

You’d heard that Eddie would be released today and that he’d probably celebrate with some friends. They invited you for the time out but you just couldn’t celebrate when you’d hurt an entire family.

You hear rustling in your kitchen and it pulls you out of your wallowing. You take the bat that you rest on the side of your bed, walking slowly down the hallway towards the living room and kitchen. You couldn’t help being paranoid since you now had a target on your back for being Eddie’s witness. You didn’t put it past anyone to come break into your home and torment you.

Raising the bat in your hand and gripping it tighter, you approach the kitchen. You flick the lights on and scream when you noticed the man in front of you.

“Munson?”

Eddie was currently rummaging through your fridge, eating cherries.

“Hey.” He simply says.

“I thought you were going to celebrate with some friends. How’d you get in here? The door was locked. I specifically remember—” A gust of wind whips around you.

“Boo.” You jump at the lips that were by your ear. Eddie was now right behind you.

You turned to face him in a flash. “How?”

Another gust of wind and he’s seated on your couch.

“Whaaaa?” You felt like you were losing it in that moment. You back away, slowly, only to bump into…Eddie “The Freak” Munson.

You look up and over your shoulder at him. “How are you doing this? What are you?”

“You know how one claims to find God in prison. My nonconformist brain said ‘Screw that! Not only would I find the Devil’, I’ll just become him, too’.”

And he smiles a literal devilish smile.

Taglist: @nerdypartytrashpsychic

LOOK OUT FOR

Part III. The Séance Pt. I (Coming Soon)

Summary: You learn the story of how Eddie became the devil. Now he rules over you as your Dark Lord who, by the way, has a lot of fans. Also, you, Eddie, and his gang conduct a séance.

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