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#i guess its just part of the job description <3
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Safe Haven (M) ~Bang Chan
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Pairing: SpaceRebel!Chan x WitchQueen!F.Reader Themes: Fantasy AU | Sci-Fi AU | Royalty AU | Soulmate AU | Slow Burn | Mutual Pining | Angst | Smut | Fluff. Word Count: ~127k | AO3 Synopsis: Being a rebel fighting against a galactic oppressor was no easy feat, but it was something Chan took great pride in. As they took part in a stealth mission, Chan and his friends found themselves stranded on an unknown planet, and meeting a mysterious ally; an ally that, over the course of five long months, will help Chan regain hope.
Series Warnings: Third person POV · Very loose and liberal usage of Star Wars concepts (mostly to refer to weapons and tech). you don’t need to know anything about SW to read this, trust me · Physical descriptions of the main female character such as: can visibly blush, having long hair, and being short · Violence · Swearing · Mature themes and language · Original characters · Graphic smut (later chapters) · Mentions of the members of other groups (later chapters) · No one is straight, beware · Each chapter will include its own individual warnings. Chapters marked as M (Mature) either include highly detailed violence, or smut.
Due to all the abovementioned warnings, this story is intended for an adult audience only. Minors please do not interact.
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Index: Day 1. | Day 2. | Day 3. | Day 4. | Day 5. | Day 6. | Day 7. | Day 8. | Day 9. | Day 10. | Day 15. | Day 17. | Day 60. | Day 82. | Day 90. | Day 91. | Day 92. | Day 152. | Day 159. | Epilogue.
Post story drabbles/one shots ⤷Available exclusively on AO3. An account is required to read these.
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Author’s note: the idea for this monster started while i was watching Obi-Wan Kenobi… one thing led to another and now we’re here. this series is special to me, i fell in love with every single one of the characters and i’m ecstatic about it. i’m really just posting it for the heck of it since this is purely self-indulgent (i literally went mmmm, i need more fantasy AUs, guess i’ll do it myself). English is my second language, so constructive feedback on grammar, pacing, plot, etc is always welcome :) 16/08/2023: i started writing this series sometime in July 2022... then i started to publish each chapter from September 2022 until November 2022. in July 2023, i decided i wanted to re-work it since my writing has developed quite a bit and i felt like i could do a much better job... so i did. i’m genuinely much happier with this version of the story, and i hope that those that read it back then, and those that will read it now get to enjoy it as much as i do (: if you notice any weird formatting/sentences, don’t hesitate to point them out to me! this fic is a monster, and there must be things that i missed for sure hahah
Disclaimer: the story presented in this work does not represent Stray Kids in any way; anything described in this story and all actions performed by the characters are purely fictional, this was created just for good fun.
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© therhythmafterthesummer 2023. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my stories.
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whynot-tryit · 8 months
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Angel of Small Death
Chapter 3
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Pairing: John Price x Female! Reader
Summary: The team is sent on a mission, someone is hurt. You doing everything in your power to do your job, keep them alive, even if that means you break some rules and get your ass chewed for it.
Word count: 3523
Warnings: inaccurate medical terminology and procedure, blood, slight angst, yelling, name calling, bullying, lmk if I missed anything.
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You had been excited about the meeting you had set up with Price, it had been plaguing you for days but it was quickly pushed to the back of your mind and to the bottom of your to do list. 
The base was a mess, rushing bodies in and out of buildings, some on stretchers and some on their own two feet. An informant had given the location of a well known terrorist leader and his men, the information was only going to be good for at most 48 hours. It was rushed, but it was enough time to get Price and his men ready. It would be their first out field mission with you being their medic. Part of your job to get them ready was to pack their med kits, a small fanny pack type of thing in their vest in case of anything. You’ve done it thousands of times but you couldn’t help the slight tremor in your fingers while placing wound compresses inside of them, praying they wouldn’t have to use it.
You’d be in the med bay, helping whoever you could, waiting until your men got back. They would only page you if it was something serious. The sound of the machine at the edge of your scrub pants is playing faintly in the back of your mind, all the times you have ever heard it go off playing over and over again through your memories. You keep yourself busy for what feels like forever, bandaging random soldiers, taking inventory and filing paperwork. It's been hours and a part of you is scared that they won’t be coming back at all. 
They know what they’re doing, they’ve done multiple times without me before. You keep telling yourself over and over. It's like your lungs can’t fill up with air, like your ribs are in the way and a part of you wants to rip your chest open just so you can breathe. 
Beeping breaks you out of your thoughts, its high pitched it makes your lungs shrivel up deep within your chest. Fuck.
You rip the pager out of its clipped position on your scrub pants, the electronic screen flashing at you. They’re two minutes out. 
There’s nothing else you can make of the message, there's no description of an injury or who exactly was hurt. Your feet start carrying you, running towards the evac landing dock. The sound of the soles of your shoes connecting the tiles that make up the hallway floor and your heartbeat is all that invades your ears.
 You finally get to the mouth of the landing dock, there's three medical personnel already waiting for you with a stretcher. It barely takes you a second to take in the scene before you see the helicopter, the wind picks up- venting through the fabric of your scrubs, your hand coming up to shield your eyes from both the sun and the dust picked up by the violent wind. The noise is almost deafening, you can barely make out the bodies piling out of the body of the helicopter. You can see the shapes of what you can guess is Ghost and Soap jump out, but there's one more still inside, kneeled over the body of another. 
It’s Gaz. 
You’re rushing to the side of the helicopter, pulling yourself up to take a look at him.
John is putting pressure with both hands on his side, you can see a bit of cloth peeking out, a compress, but it doesn’t seem like it’s making anything better. You can finally hear something besides the sound of the wind, and rushing people.
“It's a gunshot wound, Ghost tried to patch him up but it's not stopping!” John has to scream just to get his words past the noises raging around everyone. You take a look over Gaz’s face, he’s pale from blood loss and his eyes are staring off into the space between you and John. 
“Let me take over!” You grab a hold of John's wrist, there's a moment where he won’t budge and you finally meet his eyes instead of the blood that's now on the floor of the metal frame. You see something flash through his eyes but his grip finally loosens and you don’t waste time. You scream over your shoulder to bring the stretcher closer and John helps you get Gaz onto it. 
You take a second to check his pulse, and you fight back a gasp when you don’t feel the light jump underneath the skin of his neck. You don’t hesitate to jump onto the stretcher with him and situate yourself above him, your hands clasped over his chest to start compressions. 
It takes the breath out of John's chest. It’s the last sight he gets of the both of you before you and Gaz are wheeled out back into the base. 
You’re trying to keep count of your compressions but the slight bump of the stretcher going over the saddles of the doorways and the sharp turns of the base are trying to throw you in for a loop. Your elbows are locked, the ache starting to settle deep in your bones from the action. 
The white walls and fluorescent lights finally fill your senses and you jump off the stretcher to move Gaz onto the bed. As soon as all the hands disperse you're quick to open up his shirt, his tactical vest removed long ago. 
“I need one round of epi now!” As soon as you see his bare chest you place the shock pads on while they administer the shot. “Everyone step back!” You take two steps back and everyone else in the room does so too. You hear the machine let out two beeps before it administers a shock and Gaz’s body tenses up before going limp again. 
You rush back to his side and check for a pulse, but find nothing. Your hands go back to their tiring position to start compressions again while ordering your people around. 
“Get the machine ready for another shock, set up another shot of epi and get me a heart monitor now!” 
You keep counting the hard beating of your hands on Gaz’s chest while people around you grab what you need and put them into place. “Clear!” You back up and watch the repeated action of his body yet again. Fuck.
“Give him the second shot of epi!” You’re about to start the compressions again while they administer the shot when someone grabs you by the shoulder to turn you. 
“We’ve already given him one and shocked him twice, we can’t do anything more.” 
You quickly shrug off the hand and words. “Epi now!” There are hesitant looks around the room but no one moves. You stop the compressions to grab the syringe on the table and put it into his forearm and press the button on the shock machine “Clear!” 
You know there’s a protocol, you had spent hours reading over them but you weren’t going to let that stop you from doing your job- not when it came to you team, your men. You can imagine the look in John’s eyes when you tell him that Gaz is gone. That he died while under his orders, under his hands. The idea makes you swallow a lump in your throat, the taste of bile lingers in your mouth. 
Gaz’s body falls back and you try in a final fit to give him CPR, you keep your eyes on the heart monitor- praying, begging. It feels like hours, years, where the flat line haunts your eyes and the slight cold damp skin beneath your hands. 
The line spikes. You stop the compressions. The Heart monitor keeps a steady rhythm and you finally let out a breath. “Okay let's get the wound taken care of, let's start an IV and give some antibiotics and fluids.” The urge to yell is now non-existent, the adrenaline is still in your system but you try to calm your shaking hands as you move to start examining his wound. 
—----------------
It takes an hour to get Gaz stable. The compress had been taken out and the bullet extracted- the wound now clean and stitched. The shot hadn’t hit any bone or organ- thank god- but it was bloody, his iron deficiency making it easier for him to bleed out. 
The adrenaline had left your system, a tired achy feeling now taking its place. You wanted to take a nice long shower and crawl up into your bed but you know the other boys are waiting outside of the med bay waiting for news. 
You discard the bloody gloves that were once on your hands into the trash and make your way to the entrance of the med bay. Your eyes make their way across the large area, trying to find John. His hat makes an appearance in your peripheral vision and you turn to find the blue eyes that come along with it. Before your feet can start their way towards the figure a hand closes around your upper arm and drags you in the other direction. 
Your eyes come up and see the same doctor that had tried to stop you from giving Gaz that last shot of epi. “Hey, what the fuck are you doing?” 
He finally lets you go after you’re a good distance away from the entrance of the med bay. 
“Are you fucking stupid?” 
“Excuse me?” You’re startled by his attitude, a surprised look making its way on your face. 
“You broke protocol, even though I tried to warn you.”
“I did my job, and I did it pretty well if you tell me.”
“Well I’m telling you you fucked up, big time. There are rules for a reason. You’re not special, they don’t just disappear because you need them to.” 
You let out a chuckle. Things with the other medical staff had been tense, you had always had this feeling they didn’t like you. Sure, you broke protocol, but as most things come- this was not the worst way things could’ve played out. “I saved my patient.” 
“You want a fucking medal?”
“No, I want you off my ass.” 
He chuckles back at you, his eyes gleaming with annoyance and anger, yours undoubtedly  holding the same. 
John had seen the man grab a hold of you and whisk you off down the hall but still in his eyesight. He had sent Soap and Ghost to their rooms, to clean up and get a bite to eat while he’s been pacing back and forth by the med bay, waiting for you to give him an update on Gaz. 
His feet make their way to you and the other doctor, who has now taken a closer step towards you, invading your personal space. 
“You’re lucky that I wasn’t the one who hired you. No one fucking wants you here, you better remember that before you go around doing whatever the fuck you want.”
You stand your ground, hands clenched into fists by your side. His insult hit home for you as much as you hated it. The feeling of being needed was much more common for you than being wanted. It took years, many of them including your childhood and young adult years realizing there was a stark difference between the two.   
You can see the anger boiling behind his eyes, his lips pursing to throw out another insult at you. 
“Is there a problem here?” You turn your head to the familiar voice, John just standing a few feet away from the conflict. Your hands unclenched on reflex once your eyes meet his. 
The furious doctor barely acknowledges the captain before taking a step back from you, finally giving you enough space to breathe. “No, no problem here.” His eyes never leave your face until he turns to head back into the med bay. 
It hits you that you’re covered in blood, Gaz’s blood, and it must look like a bad sight to the captain. The dark red stands out against the green of your scrubs. 
You take a deep breath and turn your body to fully face the captain. “He’s gonna be alright, he bled out a lot easier because of his iron deficiency. He hasn’t been on those iron supplements long enough yet to help him and that's why he flatlined for a little.” There's a knot in your throat, it's been there for a few minutes, since the insults thrown at you settled in your skin. It feels like no matter how much you swallow or breathe you can’t get it out. 
John lets out a sigh of relief, his shoulders loosening from the weight lifted off his shoulders- hands on his hips. His head hangs low, not able to meet your eyes. You realize how worried he’s probably been, he saw you perform CPR on Gaz, his body limp from the second they pulled him out of the helicopter and he’s just been waiting for something- anything since then. 
You finally will the knot in your throat to go down, it takes up residence in your stomach now but you raise a hand to touch his shoulder, thumb grazing the rough fabric of his jacket. “He might need six weeks minimum to recover but he’s gonna be okay, John.” Your voice is slightly above a whisper, your eyes now roving over the bodies around the two of you, a few feet away. 
The small crowd seems to be bothering John too, not just you. You softly use the hand on his shoulder to guide him a few feet down the hall to your office. 
You guide him into the room before closing the door and turning back to him. His eyes have finally torn themselves from the floor, shoulders still loose. “I’ll give you updates everyday if you’d like. Gaz is gonna be knocked out for the rest of the night so there’s not much to do till then.” 
“Is he comfortable?” The question makes you blink, a hand coming to rub the back of your neck. 
“Umm, I did put two pairs of socks on his feet and two warmed blankets on him so he stays warm, blood loss will make you pretty cold.” Your voice trails off towards the end, unsure what he meant by that. “Oh I also left him some apple juice on his bedside, he really likes the ones they serve here- the ones with the peel back lid. He likes them half frozen.” Your words die on your tongue when you see John trying to fight back a smile.
You don’t get to see the warm look on his face often, years of service engraved into his skin but it makes you sort of breathless. Like that feeling you get in your chest after a good laughing session with your friends. It makes your lips dry and you wet them with your tongue.
John’s eyes trace the movement and he finally breaks into a full smile. “I meant, is he in pain?” 
A part of you wants to punch yourself in the face or just slam your forehead into a cement wall. You stutter out a response, heat creeping up your neck and into your cheeks out of embarrassment.
“Oh! No. He’s on some morphine so when he wakes up he won’t be in pain.” Your hands are outstretched in front of you like you’re trying to calm down a wild animal, followed by your frazzled sentence. This makes a small chuckle rumble through him. 
The shake of his chest makes you take him in- in his tactical outfit. The beanie does wonders on his facial structure and the tactical vest- has his shoulders always been this broad- and his waist, the military was doing god’s work with those cargo pants. The sight leaves your mouth dry, like you can drink a whole lake and still not be satisfied. 
His height also finally hits you. You’re a decent height, it's never been a problem but his boots add a couple inches and all of a sudden you realize how he’s already towering over you even though he’s still only standing a few feet away. 
Your train of thoughts continues as he takes a slow step towards you, your eyes catching onto his chest before making their way up to his eyes. He’s close enough for you to smell him, sweat and gunpowder, and what you would guess is a hint of red clay. 
A hand comes up to your shoulder, almost where you had placed yours on his earlier. His hands are bigger than your- of course- covering more surface area than your own. His thumb catches the naked skin of your collar bone peeking out from your scrub top through the neck line. 
“Thank you, love.”
His voice is deeper than his previous ones and you’re praying to god that he can’t feel your heartbeat through your skin, you can hear it in your ears. His eyes are boring into yours, a solemn look, gratitude mixed with exhaustion. The idea of kissing him crosses your mind for a second and you quickly look at something past him, the wall behind him, to get the thought out. 
“I was just doing my job, captain.”
His thumb grazes your collar bone again and you can feel goosebumps form on the back of your neck and down your arms. The feeling causes you to meet his eyes again. 
“You did more than that. You do more than that everyday. So, thank you.”
His eyes harden when he utters the last words. Like as if he was trying to gently drill it into you for you to understand his gratitude. The look makes you gulp and you almost move to look down at your feet, his touch- his eyes- too much for you to handle at the moment.
The hand on your shoulder moves to the side of your face, his thumb on your cheek and his palm cradling your jaw. You suck in a breath, the noise loud enough for John to hear but his face doesn’t give it away. “You’re a good medic, love.” 
He most likely heard the insults that the doctor had thrown at you, his words ringing through your head and you place one of your hands on his forearm, the one attached to the hand on the side of your face. “John, I-” 
Another hand comes up to grab your bicep, his touch is sturdy and strong- not painful but the heat that radiates from it is almost scorching. The new movement pushes you even closer to him, your breathing is soft, a whisper of it brushing John's face- a small ripple through his facial hair. 
A part of you thinks he’s going to kiss you, and another part of you wants him to. Flashes of Gaz’s limp body and the blood littering the metal floor of the helicopter appear behind your eyes and your jaw tenses under his hand. 
It’s like John can hear your thoughts, the images of Gaz and all of today's earlier events registering. He should let you go, say goodnight and never touch you in such a way again. A part of him wants to shut down the idea immediately, your skin was soft, warm, everything he prayed for in his most desperate moments. He wants to kiss you, slide his hands across your body- memorize your curves, the taste of your lips. He wanted to know how you’d whimper, moan, gasp. 
His eyes glance down at your lips before looking back up at your eyes. 
You catch his diverted glance and you feel your stomach flip. God, you wanted to kiss him, but something told you this wasn’t the right time. Your other hand comes to grip the fabric of his jacket, the bit of it that peeks out from under his tactical vest. “Y-you should probably go tell Soap and Ghost about Gaz. Unless you want me to.” 
John takes in the look in your eyes, you don’t look put off, embarrassed or uncomfortable. You don’t hate his touch- but the moment isn’t right. His hand on your face moves down to your bicep, both of his hands still on you.
He sighs, “I’ll go tell them now.” His hands finally fall back and you suddenly feel cold. It seeps into your bones and all of a sudden exhaustion hits you, hunger gnawing at your stomach and a headache hinting at your temples.
“Rest up, love.” John gives you a once over before pulling the door to your office open, throwing you a small smile before heading out, leaving the door slightly ajar. 
You finally take a deep breath in and run your hands down your face. Fuck, fuck, fuck ,fuck ,fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. A part of you wants to laugh at how unprofessional the situation was, how childishly giddy it made you feel. 
It would have to wait, Gaz was unconscious just down the hall and you had a job to do and so did John. 
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Taglist: @sharkiestory @midwesternwitchery @lavenderhhze @thriving-n-jiving @rivalriotrenegade @bitchoftoji @wasteland-babe @chloepluto1306 @sagewtff @not-so-innocent-now @scuftryo @cityoffallencrows @cumbermovels @iamaliceinwonderland @namelessnikki2 @honeyr4ven
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inthelittlewood · 8 months
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Hey Martyn! So, I got into your lore because of Grian's Life Series, and now I'm just trying to find some stuff out. Anyways, I understand most of it, though I do have a couple questions.
What actually are LOOT shards/crystals? I know that they're soke aort of corruption in games of sorta, but how do they get there, how to they affect the game, and also how to disable them. It's just something I'm wondering about since I know you have to find the one piece, of treasure, but how does it actually help?
What are CHEST agents? I know that they're something almost as evil as Cruppy, which is really saying something, but what actually are they?
Are there any extra lore bits in Rats SMP that you can't get anywhere else? I just wanna know if I should grit my teeth and watch it sometime, when I'm done catching up on the VODs of Pirates (can't make it to streams for personal reasons, alas).
If you've come up with it, is there any way that the Watchers lore from the Life Series ties into the datastream hopper lore? Those two just seem a little incompatible to me - hopping the datastream, being captured by mysterious godlike entities... Or are they just two separate universes?
Do you plan on posting the New Life streams on your vods channel?
Who in Pirates is p!Martyn closest to in each faction, overall?
Also, I think you may have mentioned it on stream, but did you take the faction quiz and if so, which faction did you get? I kid you not, when I took it I got Kestrels all three times (with changing the answers to stuff that I would still do, but different than first time, I mean). Had to change it up just to see all the different faction descriptions...
Ok, I think that's it. Sorry if I have bad formatting btw, I'm typing this out on phone. Thank you for taking the time to read my questions! Absolutely love your work and lore, while at the same time having the humour some don't. Keep on doing an amazing job. Hope you find your one piece, of treasure.
Have an ice day!
That's something I want to unveil in the next lore drop, so I'm really sorry to say SoonTM but this lore doesn't have all that many secrets atm
2. C.H.E.S.T agents work are avatars controlled by human operators working for C.H.E.S.T and its evil underbelly. They're a known and trusted public computing corporation but the public doesn't know the full extent of their goals and resources
3. I try to be pretty concise and unavoidable when I do my lore stuff, so you should be able to find the Rats segments in this playlist with ease: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3MFbfp1zo8dooC57HqfbizRoc07PdlFQ
4. Maaaaaaybe, people have noticed some parallels / links and all shall be revealed one day for sure, even if I'm like gonna quit doing videos and streaming, I'd just lore dump whatever isn't revealed so it's out there ha
5. A lot of my New Life streams are me just doing the grindy parts of the SMP and with the server being somewhat inactive I want to save the crossover / collab content for the videos - I'm not sure people would flock to a 3 hour vod of me painfully and slowly building an outpost or hollowing out a mountain to make a factory ya know?
6. Kestrels - probably Sausage, with Oli as a close second. Herons - Owen or Water. Owen has an inquisitive gene like Martyn and Water likes all things musical. Nightingales - Ros is so different to Martyn that it makes for some wholesome and chaotic interations, you never know which you'll get. Kites - Bek is basically the only one he's interacted with, he had a little banter on the seas with Kuervo but it was brief
7. I did! I surprisingly got Kestrel, or I guess, not surprisingly huh?
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fixing-bad-posts · 7 months
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I looked around and didn't see anything about this on your blog but I apologize if I missed it.
I was wondering, what does doing the work behind this blog...feel like? I guess what I'm asking is if it does anything to you. Like, I had a thought. For a flash, I imagined you as Butters from South Park in that episode where he is tasked with filtering out all the negative comments on Cartman's social media. It ended up really messing with Butters, what with him having to see all that negativity.
You're definitely not being affected to that extreme, I assume, but I wonder if you would have anything to say about the process of finding these negative posts and reading them several times to edit them. Has it exposed you to unpleasantness that you wouldn't have otherwise seen? Or is there perhaps a kind of catharsis in editing such filth?
I'm making a lot of assumptions here. Maybe I'm also asking about your process. I just think what you're doing is neat and would love to hear about your experience with it.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have plenty of reasons to feel joy <3
oh boy, i love talking about myself haha—so thank you for giving me an excuse to do so! i have answered similar questions in the past, though never at length. every once in a while, someone pops into the inbox to ask about my mental health (which, rest assured, is just fine—i don’t put this blog’s operation above anything; it’s honestly pretty low on my list of life-priorities), and it’s always quite sweet. having a mob of strangers following one’s sideblog has its perks: one being that sometimes parasociality results in some well wishes, kind thoughts, and general goodwill. which is very nice, and probably an unearned vanity-boost for my ego.
what does the work behind this blog feel like? in turns: mundane, challenging, vindicating, annoying, amusing… and probably other things that i’m forgetting. most of the work i do on this blog is actually me procrastinating! i am a certified adult with a job™, and i’m definitely guilty of slacking off at work sometimes to queue posts submissions from my inbox, which is more fun than like… proofreading financial documents and making spreadsheets. other times, i’m sitting in a café with my partner, and allegedly i’m “writing” fanfiction. but, uh, if you know any writers, you know that sometimes “writing” means, ‘looking at a blinking cursor’. so it’s in those moments that i open up tumblr and start writing image descriptions and adding tags to prep posts for my queue. that’s mainly when the blog feels mundane.
something that i think helps me avoid negative doomscroll-spirals is that i don’t actively seek out bad posts for this blog. being a citizen of the internet delivers fodder to me naturally. that, and running a semi-popular sideblog on tumblr. when i see a bad post in the wild, that’s when the feeling is annoying/challenging. challenging, because ever since starting this sideblog, hateful posts don’t feel as vicious to me. once i see them, they stop being posts and turn into word-puzzles. and i love word puzzles!
solving the word puzzle is amusing for me, as is getting to look at my resulting “blackout poem.” it makes me laugh, it stretches my brain. when i started, i used to have to read a post several times to find the ‘good post within the bad post’ so to speak. these days, i’m so used to it, i barely read the bad posts more than a handful of times. but as i was saying to my partner, one of the reasons i love found poetry (erasure poetry, and cut-up poetry) is that it uses the same part of my brain that loves scrabble (the board game). then, of course, it's vindicating to see my posts get so many notes, sometimes surpassing the original bad post. that's more of my own vanity, i'm sure.
as for the last part of your message: yes, i have plenty of reasons to feel joy. i work with people who respect me, i live walking distance from a bubble tea café, and have friends and family whom i love. i have the good fortune to be safely out as a queer person. i’m a fanbinder. i’m currently working on a long fanfiction which is getting some very nice comments on ao3. and i’ve recently decided to become a poet (like, for real).
i must admit, i’m fascinated by how you imagine me. i often wonder how i am perceived, especially because i keep many cards close to my chest here on my sideblog.
anyhow, thank you for this excuse to ramble about myself and the process of running this blog. i hope you also have plenty of reasons to feel joy 💛
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coy-lee · 1 year
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DiVo is back already, and it's Moon's turn to have some fun, the little gremlin.
BIG OL' THANKS to @afloofwithmultipleinterests and @laughterfixs once again for writing this one with me! It was tons of fun X3
Description: It's been approximately 4 days since the bois encountered the darkness living the the daycare's shadows. Moon's been as serious as ever during the nighttime and is seems that after one of his patrols, diVo decides its a perfect time to fix that.
( lee!Moon, lee!Sun, ler!diVo)
WARNING: It's a tickie fic :3
Someone Else's Turn To Play
3:00 AM
...the third patrol of the night...
Moon swam through the air elegantly as always, searching for anything out of order. Aside from Gregory, Moon had never truly had an issue before. His job at night was rather easy. On the hour every hour, Moon would do a 5-10 minute sweep of the Pizza Plex when the power was diverted to the charging stations. The rest of the time, he often relaxed with Sun's sleeping form until his next patrol. 
... 
3:04 AM
It could get rather boring and lonely. Doing the same thing every night alone while his counterpart was charging... Pretty much everyone except the staff bots were asleep, making any and all encounters with other bots lackluster.
... 
3:10 AM
The lights came back on
Ah, times up... Guess I better head back...
Moon wasn't actually that far from the daycare. He decided he may as well enjoy a casual walk back instead of flying, mostly because the shortest route was through the pirate cove. Unfortunately, the wire tracks in there needed oiling really badly, so Moon would just end up getting his wire stuck. No biggy, though. He had legs.
One light went out from above. Then another and another and more after that. 
No popping, no sparks, just as if someone flipped the switch. It caught the security bot off guard for sure…and for a brief moment, it felt like he was being watched. 
Moon had gotten himself prepared to attack a possible intruder. But said intruder had…other plans. 
Long snake-like appendages wrapped around the animatronics wrists and spun him around to look right into the jagged mouth and white pinpricks of a familiar form…
“Hello Moon, my dear friend~” the deep voice greeted with a purr. 
DiVo wore an insatiable look on his face as if he had been starving for hours, his tongue dangling down in temptation. 
"It appears you're all alone after hours...and not long after our first official meeting either~ Hmhmhm, after playing with Sun, I haven't stopped wondering what such a delectable little moonpie you might taste like..." 
With that glimmer in diVo's eyes, Moon knew what he was in for.
The night time bot began to struggle in the grip of the darkness. There was no way he was just going to let this thing take what he wanted without a fight. And this time, there was no deal to be made to make him behave either. Hopefully...
Moon wrenched his arms away only to find that the grip of the tendrils were just as strong as he remembered.
"I-I know what you're doing! Y-you're trying to i-intimidate me! Well you may as well stop tryin' cuz i-it's-" Moon made the mistake of looking into diVo's eyes again, "- n-n-not... g-gonna w-w-work…"
DiVo gave a low deep chuckle, as if entirely amused by the smaller bot’s rough and tough attitude. How easily it seemed to melt away. 
“Oh why do you sound soooo frightened? I thought you knew by now I wouldn’t lay a single harmful claw on anyone~?” 
No harm at all. Those claws were dangerous for other reasons…
"I- I- eeEEEEHEP!!" 
DiVo barely teased one clawed digit across moon's torso, making the lunar animatronic struggle. As he tried to get away, he arched his back, leaving Divo to hold him in that position with a lone tendril. 
"My, my... you're helping me? I've never had a little treat so.. willing to be eaten~"
" W-wa-waIT! I-is th-this really nehehecessaryeeeeeeeee!" Moon fought with the tendril keeping his back arched only to find it wouldn't budge. He started kicking his legs out as they were the only part of him left that had any semblance of freedom other than his head.
"L-LET ME GO, DAMNIT!" Moon's eyes turned red, his voice deep. Was he really trying to intimidate diVo? Did he actually think that would work? Perhaps he was so used to it working on everyone else, he didn't even think twice about using that tactic in such a situation. But it was likely a mistake…
The shadowy animatronics eyes narrowed, the tiny white dots in his eyes seeming to pierce right through Moon. 
“Someone is quite the grump~ I did tell you before I would like to snack on you did I not?" 
His tongue lapped at the neck joints which had caused Moon to flinch and stifle another laugh. 
“Why don’t you relax and let me feast~? You may find yourself having as much fun as Sun~”
Moon shook his head in desperation, struggling to contain his giggles, leading him to internally gasp and snort. 
"Oh, dear.. seems I was mistaken… it appears the pie is still in the oven… worry not little pie, let me crank up the heat for you~"
Divo swirled his tongue along the wires before traveling his way down to the hollow of his underarm. 
"Any last words?~"
"PPPPFFFTTKHKHKHKHKH -*snort*-"
 'Last words?' Moon practically choked at hearing those words aimed at him this time. Sun was always the one getting tickled. Even when the tables were turned, Sun was never a devious tickle monster. He was always tooth-rottingly sweet and fun... but diVo? He was like Moon... but even more devilish in his teases and tactics... Moon wasn't prepared to face his own kind. 
Prepared or not, it was too late.
"IyeeEEEE! J-JUST HAHAng on a s-sehechkhkhkhkhkh!"
Hang on? Well DiVo wasn’t too keen on being patient. He was starving! He was going to waste away to nothing! 
….
But at the same time it wouldn’t be a good meal if the smaller bot wasn’t having fun. 
He slowed it down, just keeping it to little taps and scritches. “Hang on~? Whatever for~?”
Moon's breath started to come back to him as the tongue disappeared.. he could control his laughter for the moment.
Wait- the tongue's gone?
"MHm- wait why dihid-" 
He paused himself. What was he SAYING!? Surely he wasn't this touch starved, right? Right!?
"You were saying?" 
Got 'im. 
DiVo mischievously smirked, slowly tapping his claws along Moon's tummy and hips. The nighttime Attendant tensed again, lightly wiggling in diVo's grasp. 
"IhiIIIII..." Moon puffed his cheeks out as far as they could go to try and stop the giggles from coming... the longer he waited, and anticipated tickles.. the worse the gentle tapping got. 
"Yyyyyyeeeeeeeeees?"
Tap TAP tippity Tap TAP,
Boop!
DiVo had lightly booped Moon's dent, popping the balloon that was his cheeks.
"PPFFAAAHAHAHAHAHA! N-NO WAIT!" Moon squeaked in protest after the sensation faded. Oh he was in for it. He was really, truly in for it. He was dealing with a master here and that knowledge was finally sinking in as Moon was forced to realize just how sensitive he could be... And he was sure to be surprised by that fact over and over again throughout the rest of this encounter.
"G-g... Hmmm..." Moon huffed in defeat. He didn't know what he wanted. Well he did, but he was still way too embarrassed to ever say such a thing to a guy he still barely knew…
DiVo smirked at Moon, starting up the light scritching on his sides, gliding to the arm joints and right back down. 
“Oh? Are we not fighting back now? Isn’t that just the funniest thing! If I didn’t know any better moonpie…I’d say you were actually wanting this! But that can’t possibly be true…” 
He grinned, leaning his mouth near Moon’s audio receptor and whispering in such a teasing tone that sent chills through the squirming bot’s endo. 
“Or can it~?”
Moon's durability had been broken, so this time, he couldn't hold back the cackles he unleashed. 
"NyOHohOhoHOooooOoo!!"
Moon squirmed as his tummy was arched slightly higher than before, showing off his midsection to the tickle monster before him. 
DiVo nibbled lightly on Moon's neck before traveling down to his ribcage with those ticklish little pinchers.
 DiVo raised up before starting to eat more of his meal.
"Oh, are you sure? I haven't heard a 'let me go' since I started teasing you~ why would that be, hmmm? There is no other reason other than you're terribly ticklish… and looooooove it... dare I say just as much as that squealing, snorting friend of yours~"
'Oh no. Nonono! Why'd he have to say that!?' Moon whined in his head as giggles kept slipping out of his voice box. There was a nervousness in his core that felt like fluttering butterflies tickling at his code. Sometimes Sun was able to get Moon's nerves on edge similarly, but not to this extent. He felt so giddy inside. He couldn't help it! A smile began to make itself at home on his face. He had been fighting it and had officially lost the battle.
He kicked his feet out as a way to release that inner tension and energy bubbling inside of him.
Gottem. Right where he wanted him~! 
DiVo gave a victorious chuckle, his tendrils going to work to keep the smaller animatronic in a comfortable position and even pushed off the slippers. 
“There we are…the big bad stalker of the night…too ticklish for his own good, isn’t he~?” DiVo purred, keeping his claws over Moon's belly and under an arm. “Poor thing trying to be so intimidating~”
"YEEEEKHKHKEEHEEE!! NAHAHAAAHA!!" 
Moon tried to kick his feet, but he got no farther than wiggling those delectable little "tatertots" diVo was eyeing. 
"SHUHUHUT UUUUUHUHUUP!!"
"Why~? Because you know it's all true, little blueberry muffin? So so tense you are… here, let me help ease your mindddd~"
Stray tendrils began to flutter and wiggle across Moon's sides, while two others twirled around his neck, and upper back, daring to touch one of his most exposed death spots..
The temptation was definitely there, but it wouldn't be as FUN for either of them for diVo's "meal" to be exhausted before he was full.
"NOHOHONONONOHONOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOO!" Moon practically screeched. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad if diVo would just stop with those teases of his! They made him feel so small and helpless and precious- 'NO! STOPPIT, MOON! DON'T THINK LIKE THAT! YOU'RE AN ANIMATRONIC DAMNIT!'
Moon cackled and laughed, squirming uselessly as he chided himself mentally. But perhaps he was truly seeing why Sun enjoyed this kind of play time so much.
DiVo could see Moon practically melting. Maybe the tough little thing was finally relaxing~ 
Good, he seemed to need it. Needed the affirmations and the fun. A new breath of air. 
And diVo was feasting. 
The tendrils wrapped around his ankles tightly to keep them from going anywhere, the tips of them finding their way to the toes…which fired up a bit of giddy panic in poor affection starved moon.
"NAHAHAAAHAAWT THEHEHERE NYAHAHAHAAHAT THEHEHEHEHAHAHA!!" 
Moon's feet were one of the worst spots that he could remember... fazbear forbid his poor, defenseless piggies. 
"Oh, not where... oh- here?"
The tendrils lightly swirled against his toes.
"BWAHAAHAHAAHAHAAAA!!" 
The swirling stopped before he felt the equivalent of nails gently raking all of those sensitive wires, and ball joint from under one of his arms. 
"Or did the little cupcake mean.. here? Oh- or here?~"
The other set of claws skittered ever so gently in a circle around his dent. 
"NYAHOHOHOHOOOOO!!"
"No? OH! As in you can't decide??... I have a peeerfect resolution for that~"
He did all three at once, each spot at a different pace than the others. 
He tickled slowly on and between Moon's toes, gingerly skittered over every inch of his tummy, avoiding the dent for now, and finally, practically vibrated the hand he had under moon's arm at a alarming  rate.
"GYEE-AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! -SNORT- IHIHIHI EEHEEHEEHEE CAHAHAHAHAHAN'T!" Moon's cackling renewed tenfold and the pitch had risen, making him sound more like Sun at this point. He wiggled his toes and twisted in diVo's grip with desperation. This was unbearable. And those devious teases continued on top of everything. He was a blushing mess and felt a warmth in his chest he didn't expect someone like diVo to ever conjure. He felt... - 'Nonono Moon! F-focus!'
His subconscious continued to fight, but it was losing its grip on him fast.
Too bad for Moon, diVo seemed to see through it all. In fact, it was the reason he chose to visit Moon that night. After all, he'd had plenty to eat that day with the daycare being open again.
He lightened up the tickling to be quick and maddeningly light. 
“Still going to act as though you don’t enjoy every second of this dear friend~?” he questioned, swirling both claws and tendrils. 
Bubbles of giggles, snorts and cackles escaped the naptime animatronic. 
“Whatever are you afraid of? Is it weakness? Joy? Is it really that bad if someone sees you laughing and enjoying yourself~?” DiVo challenged once again using his tongue to tease poor moon.
The tongue snuck back over to Moon's neck to lay stray tickles across it, the words finally sinking in, and the biggest smile stretching across Moon's face.
Hiccups and snorts followed as the last bit of hold Moon had on himself dissipated, he let the wall down and began to laugh himself silly.
"PLEeeHeheheAeeHAaaase!! AHahAhHAhHaahHahHa-" 
Mirth collected in moon's eyes, just as diVo move his claw away from moon's belly, instead starting to nibble on his tum instead. 
"Pleasth waht?~" diVo asked innocently, not raising his faceplate an inch, and lightly nomming away at the ticklish tum.
"B-G-GYAAAHAHA! N-NEEHEEheeheehee- NAHAHAT THAHAHAHAHA!" Moon cried out, shaking his head and clawing aimlessly at the air. He wriggled hard, but stayed firmly in diVo's clutches. Something about said shadow's muffled lisp was endearing to Moon in the back of his head. This big baddy never learned not to talk with his mouth full! If anything, it made his presence more relatable than scary.
Moon was unfortunately more prone to scaring kids with his red eyes and tall form in the dark, but found that being silly tended to break through that nightmare fueled perception and help show his true, playful self. It seems diVo was very much the same.
They really did have a lot in common. Maybe that's why Moon wasn't too keen on opening up to the guy. He already has enough trouble trusting himself, knowing what he's capable of, and if he sees too much of himself in someone, he's likely to not trust them as far as he can throw them.
But maybe... Maybe diVo being around would do both himself and Sun some good. Sun deserved all the care and attention and de-stressing playtime as he could handle, and Moon? He could learn to give himself the benefit of the doubt. It's harder to be negative about yourself when you clearly enjoy the company of someone with similar "flaws". And diVo would be more than happy to give Moon a delightful taste of his own medicine when he needed (or deserved) it. 
Speaking of which:
 Currently, Moon was squealing like a piggy as diVo continued the playful nibbles and tickles.
"NEEHEEheekhkhkh-WHYHYHYHYHYHY EEEEEEHEEHEEHEEEEEE!?"
The dark animatronic purred a bit making a few playful snarling noises as he “ate” which only seemed to prove just as effective as Moon let out a couple of shrieks. 
He lifted his face plate and licked the jagged teeth before answering. 
“Because I’m hungry~ now shhhh, just relaaaax~” 
And out came the tongue again, lapping away at the poor dent like a dog at a bone.
"NYAAAAAHAHAHAHAA!! PFFFAAAAHAHAAHAHAAAAAAA!"
The tongue once again proved to be an incredibly effective tool against the little animatronics! diVo had been waiting SOOOOOOOO long to finally pay Moon's weakest points a visit, and it had all finally paid off. 
Moon kicked his legs the best he could as the tendrils down there began to shift and scribble over his beans like a quill writing on parchment. 
For the last assault to Moon's tummy, diVo tried a new method he had in the workings, as well as testing a particular spot on the security bot.
Before doing this however, diVo gave Moon a little breather. 
Moon, nearly having his fill, turned his fans on to properly cool his processors for a brief moment, huffing at the lack of cold air. 
"Hehe.. Eeeeeahaha... ehehe... yOhou.. hah..  stahahwped? Heheheaha..."
DiVo chuckled lightheartedly, shifting Moon up into a gravity defying motion with his tendrils, a couple three of them being free to roam... 
"Not exactly, blueberry muffin. We are however... nearly there. Call this… a grand finale of sorts~" 
A grand finale? Oh... OH no... 
With the position Moon was in, all fours being held as if Moon were floating belly-down in the air with his arms out, this would be (fun) TERRIBLY ticklish.
"You have your breath prepared little moonpie? You're about to go straight into tickle town~"
Moon gulped, faceplate flushed... he made sure to catch his breath before he absolutely perished. 
Unbeknownst to moon, behind him the tendrils lined his worst spots, the ball joints of his knees, his hips, his toes, his armpits, and, finally, 
His poooooor poor back loop~
DiVo's faceplate drew near Moon's tummy again, but this time... the lunar animatronic thought he was prepared for what was about to happen... surely it would be his tongue again, or those DEVILISHLY ticklish fangs. 
"I'm ... I'm readheehee..." The animatronic cued.
What he wasn't prepared for were the deep breath he heard, or the fluttering rays that touched his stomach to vibrate similar to a raspberry. 
The attacks on his back were unleashed, on his toes, his ball joints, everywhere INCLUDING that delicious little "fruitloop" on Moon's back.
"AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! WAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAIHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEEEE! OHOHO-HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHANAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Moon screamed with ticklish laughter as the black hole tickled every last giggle and squeal and cackle out of him. His toes curled and spasmed uselessly. His hands were clenched into tight fists. His head switched from shaking rapidly to dropping down defeated over and over as giddy energy pulsed through him. The bell on his hat jingled with every movement. The small tinkling sound accompanied his high pitch laughter and squeals, creating the most adorable music to diVo's ears, or rather a deliciously sweet treat.
"NYAHAHAHAHOOO! PLEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!"
DiVo was eating up every single millisecond of this, such an adorable bot~ so tough but melted like butter as soon as tickles were brought into the game. 
The tickling began to lighten up, it was time to end this meal before he passed out from exhaustion. Though before diVo did so, the shuffling of bare animatronics feet padded into the abandoned pirates cove. 
“M-moonie…? Are you ok…?!” 
There stood Sun, sleepy and looking rather…nervous. More than likely from the dark.
"GYEEEHEHEEHEEEAHAHAHa...AHAHaHaaAhahAa... NehEhehver BEHETTERHEHRR... SkHkHkAhaHa..." Moon slurred, snorting and hiccuping as the tickling eventually slowed to a stop. Moon was DEFINITELY not in his right mind at the moment. Poor thing was actually rather groggy... similar to how Sun was after the first encounter with the tall, dark animatronic currently holding Moon.
Sun rubbed his eyes and squinted. Why was Moon giggling like that?... And so loopy too? And on the wire in here? Wasn't the wire track messed up in here? Why was he- Oh... Oh...
After blinking a few more times, Sun finally made out a black form in the darkened room. It was diVo.
"Oooooohohoho, ehehe! No wonder you're so giggly!" Sun laughed to himself after the situation became clear. He padded over to the two definitely not because it was dark and he wanted to be close to his friends so it wasn't so scary or anything.
"Ihihit's not... -*pant*- funny... -*pant*- ehehe..."  Moon whined. That only made Sun giggle more.
"Awww, alright then. It's adorable, and about time you got a taste, heehee!" Sun looked up at diVo now cradling the lunar animatronic.
DiVo hummed in amusement before sneaking a tendril around to stroke the cheerier one’s side. 
“Now now, Sunnybun~ that’s no way to talk to your friend is it?” he scolded playfully as Sun gave a squeak and tried to lean away from the tickly tendril. 
“Eep! C'mahahaan!!”
Moon looked up at DiVo. Now he was defending him? …He really did care for all of them in the plaza it seemed…
"Hehehe... beheetter watch.. diVoho is quite literally a black hole... I'm sure he could go for a delicious little cinnamon-sun if he wanted~" Moon teased back, feeling a little less loopy than before. 
Divo snorted before licking over those nommers as if he was prepared for seconds.
"It's true, unless.. you can behave yourself~" He jesterously remarked, giving the same side three pokes before slithering the offending appendage back into his cape.
"EEK-eeheeheehee! Oh! Ehehe I can behave! As a caretaker, I always must set a good example for the kiddos!... At least one of us has too..." Sun smirked.
Moon gasped in offense.
"Excuse you!? I-" Moon stopped, seeing that Sun was digging his own grave. May as well let 'im.
"What!? I' m just being honest! You can't fault me for telling the truth!" Sun defended, his words dripping with playfulness as he rocked on his heels.
DiVo’s gaze shifted between the two…well. Maybe he could go for seconds. 
“Sundrop~” he sang, seeing the smaller animatronic flinch away from him."I do apologize for waking you up…but perhaps I can fix that and wear you out enough that you both can go back to sleep~” 
Sun blinked before grinning nervously. “W-wear me out?”
"Yeeeeesss..."  The cape slowly split into 8, devious tickle tools. 
As Sun witnessed the transformation, he just KNEW he was going to get what he wanted. 
"I seriously DOUBT you could wear me out~ I have waaaayy too much energy, and no bedtime! Now that I'm awake, it's going to take a loooooong time to get me back to sleep..." 
One of the tendrils gently pulled Sun closer to the dark form, before taking each one of his limbs and holding him still. 
"Oh REALLY now?… Is that a challenge?"
'Ohoho, Sun's reeeeally in for it,' Moon thought to himself. At the moment, he even had front row seats to the show too! DiVo really was such a nice guy~
"Ohoho, wait! WAIT! M-m-maybe I misspoke! I, umm, I-I..." Sun stuttered as he eyed the tendrils slithering lazily in the air just waiting the touch down on any number of his tickle spots. He squirmed instinctively, trying to cover them up, but diVo already had him in his grasp.
The funniest part of it all was diVo still cradling the tired but amused Moon…and the smirk on his counterpart's exhausted form somehow made Sun quiver more. 
“Oh? Would you like one last chance to give in, my favorite little cinnamon Sunbun~?” diVo purred, the tendrils gently lifting Sun's arms up high and snaking inward toward the ever so sensitive ball joints. 
“W-wait waaaaait!!”
“Bedtime or tickles, Sunny~?”
"I.... Uh... b-boy is it hot in here or... uh..." Sunny mutters something under his breath very quietly, his face a solid orange. 
"Hmmmmmm....? I couldn't quite hear you little sweet-roll… could you repeat that?"
DiVo leaned in closer, cupping his hand to his audio receptor in a comical fashion.
Louder muttering was heard, vague mentions of doing something to him. 
"Still too quieeeet~"
Playfully, diVo pokes a wiggling tendril under his arm for only a second to snap Sun out of his shyness.
"T-tIHIhickles p-p-please- eep!" Sun shut his mouth immediately after he realized he spit it out. His eyes were comparable to saucers in size, staring directly into the eyes of the black hole.
“All you had to do was ask~” diVo grinned, letting the tendrils go to town at the ball joints and wires. 
He used a few others to hold Moon so he could focus on the giggly sunbeam more. Those tendrils practically held Moon like a hammock. 
“Was it that hard my dear Sun~?” diVo chuckled, now using his claws on the wiggly thing's tummy and sides.
"WAAAAAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAAANnhnhnk- EEEEE!! NaHaAhAhwt thuhuhuh TUHUHUMMY!!" Sunny squealed, kicking what he could of his bound legs. 
"Not the tummy? Oh but I thought you said it was your faaaavorite spot! It gets you all giggly, and makes your laughter taste sweeter than candy~ Mmmmmmm~ such yuuuuummy giggles~..."
Moving the claws to trace over the upper belly, and ribcage, diVo gently nuzzled and feasted on the poor, sensitive little tickle spot before him.
"NEEHEEHEEHEEHEE -*SNORT*- IHIHIHIT TIHIHIHIHICKUHUHUHUHULES!" Sun squeaked out. He tried to wiggle his tummy away, but diVo had all the advantages in the world. He was holding him after all, he could just pull him closer and nuzzle further into that open tummy as much as he wanted.
Being an observer was fun for Moon. Admittedly though, he was getting second hand flutters on his belly just watching diVo work his magic, remembering how it felt when he was the one being snacked on. 
Sun's snorts made the corners of Moon's mouth turn up more and more with each one. DiVo seemed to have a similar reaction as he couldn't help but giggle into Sun's tummy every time a little snort found its way out of the cackling daycare attendant. Moon began to chuckle at the adorable noise out loud and eventually all three of them were laughing and enjoying the moment.
"LEEHEEHEE-*SNORT*- EEHEAVE MY PIHIHIHIHIGGY LAHAHAUGH-*SNORT*- ALOHOHOHOHONE! EEEEEK!" Sun protested, but his rays spun showing his clear amusement in contrast to his words.
“Ohohohoohh but it’s sooo adorable and deliciouuuus~” diVo laughed lightly, relishing this tender moment as much as the two daycare attendants. 
“He’s not wrong, Sunny.” Moon snickered. 
“YOU-YOU’RE NOHOHOHO BEHEHETTEEEEHEHEEEER!” 
“Shhh~ no arguing now~ we’re having fuuuun~” diVo reminded, moving himself up to munch a bit on his neck and rays.
"NOOOOHOHOHOOO-EEEEEEEEHEHEHEEHEHEEEE!! NAHAT MUHYEE RAHAYS! PLEHEHEAAA -*SNORT!*- GOHO BAHACK TO MUH TUHUHUHUUUUMMYYYY!!" 
DiVo chortled at the little piggy's plea as he nibbled and licked away at his neck joints, and rays. The laughs reverberated against the fins making Sun squeal, and snort more. 
"Nibbully tickwish fauhn~" He continued, now nomming on the last, and coincidentally, most sensitive ray.
As Sun continued to squee with delight at the playful nibbling, Moon giggled at his plight. He couldn't help but bring up his observation from earlier now that he wasn't the one being tickled silly. 
"Ehehehe, you tend to talk with your mouth full, huh?" Moon chuckled.
The shadow animatronic squinted a bit at the naptime counterpart. Oh so it was pick on diVo time was it? 
“Careful moonpie~ I can give you another round tooooo~” he purred against Sun's rays, earning another squeal followed by a stream of giggles.
Moon let out a squeak, louder than he first initially felt it would be. His face burned a bright blue, shying away fast. Jeez... where did his boldness go!? He was as shaky as a leaf, and as hot as a volcano.
"AHahAh- N-NuhUhu!!" Moon responded, lightly kicking his feet like a child. 
Was this how SUN felt most of the time? ...(spoilt, and lucky)... 
DiVo snorted, heaving at the strong reaction, in turn making Sun squeal more. 
Sun kicked and shook in ticklish joy. 
"SohohOHohohOhomewhre EHEHELSE!! EEHEHEHEE!!" It sounded less like a plea of mercy on said spot, and more of a 'tickle me more!!'
Moon's bashfulness waned as his attention was brought back to his cackling counterpart.
"Somewhere else, eh? Well diVo hasn't paid your toes a visit yet~," Moon pointed out slyly. Oh that devious little-
"WAHAHAT?! NONONOHOhohohooOOO!" Sun whined, completely conflicted. He did want diVo to move elsewhere, and his toes were certainly elsewhere. Why oh why did he have to be programmed so ticklish? 
The jagged grin on diVo's face grew wide at that suggestion. 
“Oh yes~! I nearly forgot-” 
Liar. As if he would ever forget something like that. A couple of tendrils lifted and straightened Sun's legs out, leaving those little tots on display, beans exposed to the dark. 
“And soooo nice of you to leave your slippers behind, dear Sunny~”
Sun let out a shrill cry, waving his feet in the air as diVo's faceplate traveled down to them. Sun squirmed and tried to pull his feet away to no avail. DiVo knelt down, nibbling on the wiggly little toes before him. 
"You didn't tell me you bought me food~ such delicious looking tatertots just for meee~"
"GYAAA!!! NOHONOHONAHANAHAONAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! KHKHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!! NAHAHAT MY TOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOES!!!" Sun begged. DiVo knew full well that nibbling was the most ticklish thing one could do to Sun's toes, and he loved taking advantage of that. The delectable squeals he could reap from Sun from such a silly tactic were like pure sugar to the phantom. And it was all too clear that Sun loved the playfulness of it all, only making the moment sweeter.
"My stars, Sun! All these tickles must be driving you crazy~" Moon smirked, giggling along with the cackling bot. Sun couldn't respond, far too engulfed in ticklish bliss.
DiVo certainly wasn’t playing too nicely either…well kind of. He was more so enjoying nipping lightly at the squishy little beans making sure his teeth scraped ever so gently on the edges. 
He made a hum at moons egging on before the tendrils that held him started wiggling along his sides as a warning that diVo could and absolutely would start wrecking him again. 
“Caaaaaaarephuuuuuul~”
Moon squealed again, arms shooting down to hug his sides as a silly smile stretched across his features. 
"OkAHAHAY!! Aaahaaha... it's just fuhuhun~ Teasing Sun always raises such cute little reactions hehe..."
Divo wormed his shadow of a tongue between each wiggly toe, snaking through all ten, bringing Sun to tears at heightened sensitivity. His two claws lightly scratched and scribbled at the paw pads, drawing shapes and practicing his signature with playful intent.
"Naow... moom how woul' you teasth sun m' such a vulll-ner-able state such as this~? Id appearths m' mouf ish fuwhl.." 
Moon lightly snorted at diVo and Sun's manic nature from diVo talking with the tots in his mouth.
"Coochie coochie coooo little ball of sunshine~ it doesn’t tickle, does it~?"
"AAAHAHAHA-NANANAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! PLEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEEHEHE-SNORT-G-GIHIHEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!" Sun couldn't handle this kind of tag teaming. Even with it just being Moon's words and not his fingers, Sun was in too much of a sensitive state to tell the difference. He began feeling that limpness that came with his body surrendering completely and his mind swimming in a happy, drunken state. Man, diVo could get him there so fast it seemed.
DiVo chuckled at the pure glee that escaped the smaller bot. 
“That’s a good ray of sunshine~” he praised with a purr before remembering the reason he was doing this (besides the whole getting a second helping thing) 
His hands rubbed some of the tickles away. 
“How’s that energy now, little sunbeam~? Feeling tired yet~?”
Sun heaved, still chortling from the tingles that lingered... "Hehehehe… aha... eeeehee… yehehess...aha... oho stahars… hehehehetihihihickles... heheahah…"
Sun continued to let the remaining giggles bubble out as his eyes fluttered closed.
"Hmhmhm, looks like it's someone's nap time..." Moon teased lovingly. He reached his arms out. It was in a rather childlike way signaling for diVo to give Sun to him.
DiVo looked toward moon….but gave a knowing smirk. It actually sent a chill up the naptime animatronics spine…until diVo lifted Sun himself and used his tendrils to carry moon. 
“In my own humble opinion….I think you both could use a long rest,” the phantom chuckled walking toward the daycare with both bots in his hold.
"Mmmm.... fair point..."
Moon let out a trilled yawn, stretching out a tad, and relaxing in the hold of the tendrils. 
Sun meanwhile already started to snore, snuggling up to the tickle-void as he carried them.
DiVo sighed, ensuring the lights were off before stepping into the Superstar Daycare. He was finally becoming more comfortable with the place… so long as the lights were out. 
He never truly expected Moon to fall asleep in his tendrils of all places... Well, mayhaps it was because he was exhausted. DiVo gathered together a bunch of pillows and blankets, making a makeshift nap fortress that he could easily slip out of before they awoke... diVo felt as full as a human after Thanksgiving dinner. It wouldn't hurt for him to rest his stomach awhile...
The void gently tucked both Sun and Moon into the pillow bed, giving himself the foot of it to drape across as to not make them uncomfortable per his bony, and pointy body.
"You two rest. I'll take care of your patrols for the rest of the night, Moon," diVo assured.
"Mmm, but that's - *yawn*- my job..." Moon protested sleepily.
"Don't fret, little moonpie. I always watch the night even when you are on patrol. You sleep. I'll do the rest..."
With that, the phantom faded into the shadows of the room. Sun rolled onto his side, grappling for something to cuddle, his grasp finding Moon quite quickly. Moon obliged, opening his arms to return the cuddle. With his eyes closing Moon muttered one more thing:
"Thank you"
A sign of gratitude that didn't go unheard…
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dilf-rights-activist · 9 months
Text
Another Life: part 3
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Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x gender neutral reader, Platonic Hobie Brown & reader
Summary: Your busy night ended unexpectedly sweet when your eyes met a familiar shade of deep crimson. Through careful words and useless small talk, you are able to convince a tired Miguel O’Hara to take a break for the night, a feat (unbeknownst to you) that typically takes Herculean effort from several members of his team. Or, the one where Miguel comes in for a coffee, and you give him a tea instead, and Hobie makes you breakfast :)
Word Count: 3.4k
Content: eventual sugar daddy AU, coffee shop au, no use of (y/n), slow burn (we’re getting there folks), sfw, descriptions of financial hardship, swearing, Hobie makes breakfast :)
AO3 part 1 part 2 part 4
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You were in the stockroom organizing boxes when you heard the front door’s bell ring. You grunted into a box of sugar, shifting its weight before setting it down. You turned to glance out the door and saw Peter poke his head out from the back.
“Would you mind getting that? I’m elbow deep in caramel sauce right now.”
You threw out a thumbs up from inside the closet and sighed. When was this night gonna end?
“Give me a minute, please!” You called from your half-bent position. “I’ll be right out.” You got up with a sigh and walked out of the stockroom, dusting your hands on your apron as you went.
“Welcome in!” you smiled before stopping mid-stride. You looked at the tall brunette before you and instantly recognized him as the kicked puppy man from your other workplace. You guessed he recognized you as well, as his brows climbed his forehead and his mouth cracked open in surprise.
“Hey, nice to see you again!” you looked up at him as you leaned on the counter between you.
“Hi,” he offered a small smile and cleared his throat. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
“Yeah, well.” you chuckled and signed into the register. “What can I say?”
Jesus, what could you say? You were broke and needed these two jobs just to stay afloat.
“What can I get started for you?” you asked, glancing up at him.
“Oh,” he blinked, as if almost forgetting the reason why he stepped into the shop in the first place. His warm eyes peered up at the chalkboard menu above you. “An espresso?”
You looked up at him and blinked before checking the time on the register: 9 pm.
“Sure. It’s getting a little late, though. Would you wanna try our chamomile tea? It’s good for sleep,” you smiled gently at him, praying that he’d take your offer. You recalled how exhausted the man looked the first night you met, and (now that you’re seeing him in a better light) you can confirm it’s only gotten worse. The brunette’s crimson eyes were shadowed by dark circles, the fine lines on his cheeks and forehead contoured his handsome face nicely, but they did nothing to hide just how tired he was.
“Hm, I was going to get some more work done, but I guess I could call it a night early.” He said while looking right back at you.
“Sure. One chamomile tea, please.” His plush lips stretched into a slight smile as he watched you nod, seemingly happy that he took you up on your recommendation.
“Great! Drinking espresso late at night isn’t always the best, it can make you jittery and restless.” Hypocrite! Your brain cried. You do that all the time!
“Cool, I’ll get started on that now. The tea takes about 5 minutes to steep, and it’ll be ready at the end of the bar, okay?” You heard a deep “Okay.” before turning around to empty loose tea leaves into a filter. You saw the man leave the register to wander down to the other side of the bar, waiting patiently for his drink with his hands clasped in front of him.
You set a timer for four minutes before grabbing a rag and walking towards him, wiping down the counter that separated you two.
“How’ve you been?” you asked, breaking the silence.
He smiled down at you. “Fine. Been working a lot.” You nodded and focused on a particularly stubborn coffee stain.
“Cool…” you trailed off, glancing at him momentarily before returning to the aforementioned stain with renewed vigor. You couldn’t lie, you were curious as to how he was coping with his break up; he seemed like a wreck the last time you saw him. You paused your work to momentarily glance up at him, admiring how tall he was standing, despite looking like a corpse 2 minutes ago.
“He seems fine now.” you thought with a smile. Maybe your silent wishes worked and he’s doing better!
The two of you stayed silent for a while before the timer chimed, alerting the two of you that the tea was ready. You held up one finger and walked off with a quick “one sec!” before carefully pouring the tea into a cup, capping it securely.
“Alright, one chamomile tea! Please be careful, it’s reeeally hot.” you made a face, you’ve spilled this tea on yourself on more than one occasion and it is not an experience you could really recommend.
The brunette graciously accepted the cup and took a sip, sighing as he lowered it with a smile. “Thank you.”
“Have a good night,” He said your name warmly.
“You too-” You grinned up at him before abruptly stopping. He blinked at you and your smile faltered while you looked off to the side, lips sealing shut. Oh my god what’s his name. You turned your head to face him and stood up straighter, renewing your smile with force. He blinked and looked at you expectantly, tilting his head to the side with a raised brow. You searched his eyes but saw absolutely nothing, your mind desperately looking for a name to match his handsome face and continuously drawing blanks.
“Oh god he’s looking at me, say something!” you thought.
“You have a great night too…” you gave him a tight lipped smile. “Michael.”
The man’s brows climbed to his hairline and he looked down at you right before throwing his head back and let out a laugh. His shoulders shook with the force of his mirth and for a second you were worried that he was going to spill scalding hot tea all over himself.
“Okay,” you thought. “I totally got that one wrong.”
His laughter calmed and the man absolutely not named Michael looked down at you.
“¡No manches! You thought my name was Michael?”
You looked up at him, wide eyed and mortified. “I’m...sorry,” you began. “I didn’t mean to forget, I’ve just had a lot on my mind and-”
“Don’t worry about it.” He gave you an easy grin. “My name is Miguel. Miguel O’Hara.” He gave you his name like he’s done for thousands before you, his Spanish accent rolling through the air and straight into your heart.
“Miguel…” you repeated after him with a smile. “I like that.”
“Thanks, it’s the only name I got.” he grinned at you and you laughed, instantly recognizing the words from the bar. You waved as you watched Mr. O’Hara, no, Miguel exit the four walls of the little cafe, smiling with a wave of his own. You rested your chin on the palm of your hand as your eyes followed his broad back through the window until he was out of sight.
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You yawned and pushed your bedroom door as you dragged your slippered feet across the hard wood floors of your apartment. Tired hands lifted to rub the sleep from your eyes before walking into the bathroom you and your roommate shared. The warm, bright light flicked on with a soft click, the bulb’s electricity buzzing quietly through the quiet morning air. You squeezed out some toothpaste and glanced at your phone: 9:42 am. You wanted to sleep in a bit on your day off, finally settle the sleep debt that you had been accruing, but the sounds of New York’s blaring traffic had not been kind that morning.
You were grateful for the day off from not only one but two of your jobs. Typically, these rare off days were used for rest and recovery exclusively, allowing you to fall into a cozy mess of pajamas and junk food as you licked your wounds from the battleground that was your work life. But, you decided that this rare recess would be dedicated to getting shit done. You smiled to yourself, thinking about your grocery list and that pile of clothing on your chair that will most definitely be done by the end of the night. You finished getting ready for the day and stepped out to find Hobie in the kitchen. His back was to you while he focused on the sizzling skillet in front of him, head bobbing along to some music he was playing on his phone. He still had his bonnet on, likely wanting to protect his hair from any of the (delicious) fumes that were wafting from his cooking. You smiled while you looked at all the patches he had meticulously sewn onto the blue satin, lovingly calling it his “battle bonnet”.
“G’morning, Hobs.” You said while walking up behind him.
“Day’s a-dawning,” He said back, smiling lightly. “Fancy some brekkie?”
You looked down at the sizzling mixture of eggs and vegetables in his skillet and noticed the fresh stack of chapati on the counter. Your face cracked into a large grin and you looked up at your roommate gleefully.
“Rolex?”
“Mm.” Hobie hummed as he flipped his eggs. “Get some plates, would you?”
You nodded while turning towards your squeaky cabinets to retrieve your favorite dishware, one vintage collectible Wizard of Oz plate that depicted the famous melting wicked witch scene (yours), and one pink ceramic heart shaped plate that Pavitr made in a pottery class he went to once (Hobie’s). You excitedly placed the mismatched set on the counter, your stomach beginning to growl as you looked at the delicious meal your roommate had prepared. Hobie was born to Ugandan parents back in the UK, and you were grateful whenever he shared that part of him with you. You didn’t know much about his parents, only that they were no longer in his life. Hobie didn’t talk about it, and you weren’t one to pry.
Your roommate placed a piece of fried dough on the plates you brought him and topped each one with a thick vegetable omelet. He set each plate on your small coffee table, and you both sat on the worn couch that furnished your living room. You and Hobie had dragged the sofa across the entire Lower East Side to get it inside of your home. You couldn’t help but smile whenever you thought about Hobie maniacally yelling “PIVOT!!” as the two of you struggled to haul it up your narrow staircase all those winters ago.
“Any plans for the rest of the day?” He asked before taking a large bite of his Rolex.
“Just some errands.” You said while rolling up your food. “Gotta run to get some groceries. You need anything?”
“Yeah, actchewy” he said with a mouth full of food. “Coul you ge’ pi’ah ‘ols, ‘ess, aw’en-“
“I can’t understand you!” You laughed beside him. Hobie looked at you with comically full cheeks and a large smile on his pierced lips.
He gulped, “Pizza roles, eggs, that one pack of ramen you got me last week, some biscuits-“
“You mean cookies?”
“No.” He huffed. “I mean biscuits, the Biscoff ones.”
“So cookies.”
“It says biscuits on the package!” He squeezed his wrap then, causing some of its contents to slide out the bottom. “Cream and sugar…or maybe just cream will do it. Been meaning to fetch some builders for me morning Rosy, but I haven’t made it out yet. Got a gig with the band comin’ up, and we’ve been hittin’ it real hard. Gwendy’s been killin’ it on the drums, she’s got a big solo in the last part of the show.”
You nodded slowly as Hobie went on about his upcoming gig, and you began to make a mental budget for the groceries the two of you needed. You put your food down as you slowly lost yourself in your thoughts, Hobie’s deep voice becoming foggy in the background. Food was getting so much more expensive now, and you found yourself compromising on a lot of your usual favorites. You almost threw a fit when you tasted the off brand ice cream you decided to try (it was 15% cheaper and had at least 30% more air whipped into it, not worth it). You began to do the mental math in your head, and the numbers were not looking good.
Hobie licked his fingers clean as he finished his breakfast, only to notice that yours remained unfinished on your gaudy plate. Your eyes had glazed over in your pensive state, not even noticing that he had stopped talking.
“Oi, you good?”
“Yeah! Yeah...just…” you trailed off and sighed, knowing that your friend would not like what was about to come out of your mouth. “I might have to pick up that third job again.” Hobie’s round eyes went wide and he straightened to look at you fully, a very serious look on his sharp face.
“You hate that job.” He said quietly, and you could hardly stand the look he was giving you. The frown that marred his handsome face seemed out of place and sad.
“Yeah! I did-”
“You do.” He cut you off.
“I...do.” You finished lamely. He shook his head and sucked his teeth. The university you attended was raising tuition yet again for...what was it again? Construction for a new campus building that your major wasn’t even allowed in? An installation of yet another ugly ass statue of a dead white guy? You weren’t sure, you didn’t care. A small sigh escaped your lips as you remembered how you threw your phone at the wall when you got that email, cracking the screen in the process.
God, that was stupid.
“It’s okay, Hobie. I’ll get through it.” You smiled before returning to your breakfast with renewed vigor. “You need anything else from the store?” You asked with your mouth full.
“No, be sure to Venmo me for half, yeah?” He said while getting up. “And I wanna see the receipt! I know you’ve been undercharging me!” He pointed a slender finger at you, eyes fierce. You smacked his hand out of your face and nodded with a smile on your face.
“Okay, Hobs.”
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Miguel inhaled deeply through his nose as he stretched in the shower, the hot water working to soothe his aching muscles. He groaned and pedaled his feet to stretch out his calves, “Maybe I went a little too hard today.” He thought wistfully. The stress from work had been getting to him, and the gym was the only place he felt like he could vent out his frustrations. He’s ashamed to say that he’s found himself hitting the mats at 3 in the morning on multiple occasions. Or running on the treadmill at 1. Or on the bench at 4. He winced, recalling how he almost caved his face in during a particularly ambitious bench press because he couldn’t find a spotter at such a ridiculous time of night. Eventually, he had a home gym set up on the first floor of his apartment, a place he’s spent more time in than he’d care to admit. When he was younger, he used to smoke when he was stressed, and (as an ambitious thirty something who was in the early stages of running his own company) he would easily blow through a pack a day. As Miguel got older, his priorities changed, his life changed, and he was able to kick the nasty habit (and exchange it for something slightly less detrimental).
He sighed through his nose, remembering the day his daughter had hidden his pack of Marlboro Reds in the pink velour confines of her Barbie music box, begging him to stop because she “didn’t want daddy to die”.
He hasn’t touched a cigarette since.
Miguel placed his large hands on the cool tile in front of him and relished in the feeling of scalding water rolling down his broad back. Truthfully, he’s been clean for a while now. He’s just wasting water at this point. Miguel was reluctant to step back into his usual day of drudgery.
“No puedo más, no puedo más, no puedo más, no puedo más,” he groaned as he thought about the amount of work he had to do that day. It was the weekend! How could this happen to him!? He shut the water off and groaned into the echoey chamber of his large shower while doing the mental math to figure out just how many of his precious weekend hours will be dedicated to reading through reports and contracts. He recalled how Lyla had frowned with sympathetic eyes as she curated his to-do list for the weekend; she suggested that he got out of the house every once in a while to take breaks.
“That’s actually not a bad idea.” The large man stepped out of his shower as his mind drifted to the cute little cafe in the East Village. He could bring his laptop and get his work done there, in the four cozy walls that housed a lifetime of memories for countless people. He thought about what drink he would be ordering this time around, what music might be playing today, what your reaction would be to seeing him again. Miguel patted himself dry with a plush towel, and the corners of his mouth began to lift a little.
He thought about how kind you were to him in the two instances he had spoken with you. He felt like all of the posh formality of his work life melted away when he spoke to you, he felt relief knowing that you were kind not because you had something to gain from him, but because you were genuinely just that nice. Miguel’s mind began to drift to the chamomile tea you had made him, gently denying his request for a caffeine packed espresso that would have fueled another one of his sleepless nights. The warm, gentle notes of apple soothed his tired mind during his chilly walk home.
He caught his reflection in the foggy mirror, when did he start smiling?
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Miguel walked down the busy sidewalk clad in a puffy bomber jacket and a faded Mets shirt. He pulled down his baseball cap and smiled when he spotted Cafe May just 2 blocks ahead. The man adjusted the backpack on his shoulder and the soles of his tennis shoes picked up a little as he quickened his pace, eager to reach his destination.
Miguel easily pushed open the door to the warm cafe and stepped inside, noting how almost every table was occupied by a student or a couple. Crimson eyes drifted to the counter, and he couldn’t help the way his shoulders drooped a little when he saw that you weren’t there. He walked up to the register and was greeted by a friendly looking woman with graying hair and bright blue eyes.
“She must be May,” he thought to himself. He scanned the coffee shop, hoping he’d find you cleaning a table or organizing the coffee stirrers, but you were nowhere to be seen.
“Hi there,” May said in a kind voice. “What can I get started for you?”
“Oh,” he looked down at her, a little distracted. “Could I get an espresso, please?”
“Of course,” She smiled warmly at him, and he couldn’t help but return it in kind. He handed her the appropriate bills before leaning over the counter slightly to try and peer into the stock room, hoping to see your smiling face emerge from the small space.
“Looking for something?” May asked.
Someone, Miguel thought wistfully.
“No, I apologize.” He smiled softly at her before walking to the end of the bar to collect his drink. He carefully walked over to one of the vacant tables and set the warm ceramic on its wooden surface. He opened up his laptop and sighed a little to himself. The large man pursed his lips as he typed in the lengthy password to log into his laptop and frowed. He couldn’t deny that he was a little disappointed that you weren’t working today, he was looking forward to the 5 minutes of conversation we would have had with you (6 if he was lucky).
Miguel stared at the bleak desktop background before moving to open his company’s work portal. He took a moment to collect his thoughts as he skimmed through the itemized to-do list that he was to complete that day. He needed to get things done, work was why he had biked nearly five miles from the Upper East Side to come to this small cafe specifically, why his heart beat with excitement the minute he walked through its old doors. Work was why he was there…no other reason.
Right?
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Notes: Hobie’s voice actor (Daniel Kaluuya) is Ugandan and I wanted to honor that in some way here, the idea of Hobie having some connection to his heritage is very interesting to me! Thank you for reading, there will be more direct interaction with Miguel in the next chapter I promise. I’m actually already done writing the next part, and I’ll be posting it soon after I make some edits, thank you sm for your patience and for reading this far!!
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sweetchcolate · 3 months
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I know both series have already started, but between Doctor Elise or 7th Time Loop which one do you like the most and also have you read their manhwa and light novels respectively?
Ooo tough question tough question!
Mind you, I read 7th Time Loop (the LN) around late summer 2023 or not too long after the anime was announced, while I read Surgeon Elise (the webtoon adaptation) about 2-3 weeks ago, so the latter is fresher in mind. Keep in mind that a lot of what I will say is also subjective and up to personal taste.
tldr: I prefer 7th Time Loop best. If I had to sum things up simply, I started reading Surgeon Elise for Elise and stayed for Elise (and Linden to an extent), whereas I started readin 7th Time Loop for Rishe and stayed for Rishe, Arnold, Theodore, Rishe's previous lives, the intrigue and the world building.
More under the cut for details:
Imo I prefer 7th Time Loop because it does a great job of balancing and progressing its plot, its world building and its interpersonal relationships.
Rishe is a wonderfully competent, sharp, and kind female lead. It's always a surprise to see how Rishe'll react to meeting familiar faces, and her dealing with people she knows from previous lives (yet who aren't quite the same as she remembers) and it makes you excited to see what's next. Trying to gauge how much of herself and her knowledge to reveal and how much to keep under wraps is also part of the mystery and the charm.
But the characters who surround her (Arnold, his brother, the people from her previous lives) are just as interesting and important in the story. They all shape the world Rishe lives in through their actions/words, and their existence has repercussions on the story.
On the other hand, the most developed characters in Surgeon Elise are Elise herself and Linden (which makes sense, they're the main couple, so of course both parties will get developed). The other characters kinda take a back seat or only serve a purpose for early plot points before kinda... being forgotten? For example, in early Surgeon Elise when she's doing volunteering at the hospital, Graham is lauded as a medical genius and prodigy and is meant to serve as a way to measure/showcase Elise's prowesses. He supports her early on, but is quickly pushed to the side once Elise progresses past his skills (he does show up again during the war arc, but his role is much more minor to the point you could write him out without missing much).
(In other words, if you gave me a bonus chapter focused on Graham or other side characters in Surgeon Elise, I guess I would read it, but if you gave me a bonus chapter focused on Theodore, Michel, Kaine, etc, I would devour it asap).
Another element which 7th Time Loop does incredibly well is the world building: it plays a very important part in everyone's lives instead of just being relegated to the background. Political, religious, geographical and economical considerations all come into play because they give rise to the obstacles Rishe and Arnold must face while also shaping the solutions they come up with (this makes more sense if you've read V3 or V4 of the LN). However, it's all introduced gradually and always tied with new characters (so let's say if chara X from country Y shows up in the story, Rishe will give a brief description of that country and its ties/importance to Galkhein), so it doesn't feel like a lore dump.
You couldn't just swap country X for country Y, because each country is unique in its geographical location, its environment, its natural resources, and its relations to Galkhein and other neighboring nations.
To be fair to Surgeon Elise, the focus of the story is on Elise herself and the advancements she brings to medicine, so there's not quite as much place or importance for her country's internal or external policies compared to 7th Time Loop. It's a much more self-contained and character-driven story, so the span of the world buiding is also more concise and focused on the roles/classes of the immediate people around Elise (for example, her brother getting circumscribed in the war because he's a noble in order to bolster the army's manpower)
(In other words, take out the lore in Elise and you wouldn't miss much, but take out the lore in 7th Time Loop and there would be a lot of holes/missing pieces).
It's important to note that I've compared 7th Time Loop the LN to Surgeon Elise the webcomic. It's very possible that some of the things I found lacking in Surgeon Elise is because of its medium (I suppose a webcomic has less time and space to go into details into characters's personal motivation, backstories, world building, etc than a light novel), but the story was still cute and entertaining enough :P
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bloomflwrss · 1 month
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a/n: part 3 bc i cant sleep wth?!
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Call Me By Your Name | Part III
TW: mentions of pre-cum
Description: kissing, mentions of pre cum, boner, small smut, a part of the blow job
Without hesitation, I rose from the piano bench and hurried after Oliver, my heart pounding with urgency. I found him standing beneath the stars, his silhouette outlined against the darkness of the night.
As I approached, he turned to me, his eyes searching mine with a mixture of surprise and affection. Without a word, I sat down beside him, feeling the warmth of his presence enveloping me.
With a tentative gesture, I reached out and intertwined my fingers with his, a silent gesture of connection and understanding. In that moment, as we sat side by side beneath the vast expanse of the night sky, I knew that I had found where I belonged.
As I approached Oliver beneath the stars, he turned to me, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Elio," he murmured softly, "what are you doing out here?"
"I couldn't let you disappear without saying anything," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. "I needed to be with you."
Oliver's gaze softened, and he reached out to gently brush a strand of hair from my face. "I'm glad you're here," he said, his voice warm with affection.
I sat down beside him, our shoulders touching as we gazed out at the night sky. After a moment of comfortable silence, I spoke again. "I... I don't want this moment to end," I admitted, my heart racing with vulnerability.
Oliver turned to me, his eyes searching mine with a depth of emotion that took my breath away. "Neither do I," he confessed, his hand finding mine and intertwining our fingers.
In that moment, as we sat together beneath the stars, our fingers entwined and our hearts open to one another, I knew that I had found something truly special.
As we sat together beneath the stars, our hands intertwined, I suddenly felt a surge of boldness wash over me. "Shut up," I whispered, cutting off whatever Oliver had been about to say. "Just follow me."
Without waiting for a response, I grabbed Oliver's hand and led him through the darkness to a secluded spot nearby. Once we arrived, I pushed him gently against the wall, my heart pounding with anticipation.
I looked deep into Oliver's eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation. But all I found was a raw intensity that mirrored my own desires.
With a trembling hand, Oliver cupped my face, his touch sending shivers down my spine. His thumb traced a path from my jawline down to my collarbones, igniting a fire within me.
Unable to resist any longer, I pulled Oliver close, our lips crashing together in a desperate kiss. Our tongues battled for dominance, each movement fueled by a primal need for one another.
Feeling emboldened by the heat of the moment, I began to nibble at Oliver's lip, silently urging him to give me more. And as our passion grew, I knew that this was only the beginning of something extraordinary.
As our kiss deepened, Oliver's hand trailed down my body, igniting a trail of fire in its wake. I couldn't help but release soft moans into his mouth as his touch sent waves of pleasure coursing through me.
Suddenly, Oliver's hand grazed against my shorts, and he pulled away slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Looks like someone's eager," he teased, his voice husky with desire.
I blushed furiously at his comment, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. "I... I guess I got carried away," I admitted, feeling a surge of self-consciousness wash over me.
Oliver chuckled softly and gently pushed me away. "You should probably change first," he said with a playful grin, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
I scuffed in mock annoyance and playfully hit him in the chest before sinking down to my knees. "Fine," I said with a smirk of my own, reaching for the waistband of my shorts. "But don't think you're getting off that easy."
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polarisbibliotheque · 2 years
Text
Vergil and his s/o taking care of sick Nero
Pairing: Vergil x reader;
Summary: You and Vergil are cooking for a family dinner with Nero after he comes back from a job, but you all are taken by surprise by a sudden sickness. Now it's time for you and Vergil to fill your role as parents - just like Sparda and Eva once did.
Author's notes: This idea was part of this answered ask, but I decided to make its own thing 'cause I have no self control whatsoever and it turned out bigger than it should. I'm bringing you wholesome father Vergil, reader parent and Nero son - I've recently got sick and It's good to know we have someone to care for us. I can't count on too many people, but at least I know I can count on my mom.
Guess I'm in the mood of dreaming with a loving family, even if I'd have to build my own. If you too are like that, don't give up on building your own loving family if that is important to you - all dreams are valid and you shouldn't allow anyone to ruin them.
And also snuck some Apollo and Artemis references there :3 Trigger Warnings: Nero almost feels sick once - there's no description of it, but it is hinted as Vergil asks his s/o to bring something to help Nero while he is unwell. The scene cuts right after to them both taking care of the kid ;)
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“Hey there! Sorry I’m late…”
Nero almost stumbled back home, you and Vergil stopping your cooking to look at him.
“Are those the eggs you asked for, y/n? Dunno if it’s the ones you buy… Normally…”
You did your best only to smile and not let out a laugh. Nero was completely drenched in demon blood, dripping it on the wooden floor, with Red Queen still flaming and strapped on his back while he carefully held a pack of dozen eggs you asked him to buy for you before he went to work.
In your eyes, he looked so cute. Like a half demon kid with the strength of an army and the very fires of Hell in his soul, bringing home a cute puppy and asking his parents to keep it. But you could notice Vergil’s cold eyes scrutinizing the mess his son was making in the living room.
“They are perfect, Nero. Thank you so much, you always help me a lot.” You immediately wiped your hands clean, walking towards him and pulling a proudly smiling Nero to kiss a clean spot of skin in his forehead.
He seemed weirdly hot, but you dismissed it for a while. Nero was out there fighting and slaying demons, his body was bound to rise its temperature – also, you had noticed on Vergil their bodies seemed to run a little hotter than plain humans.
Something you always wanted to ask him about, but never got the opportunity.
“Now, now. Stop dripping blood on the floor and go have a shower. You smell terrible, kid.” You chastised him, making Vergil look a little less dissatisfied. He knew it would be his job to clean the floor – you had already made most of the cooking, it was the least he could do.
“Ah, sorry… I was, ya know. There was a bunch of demons to beat up today!” Nero flared in red, and he had a cheeky smile plastered on his lips, making you giggle in response. That only made his smile broader, while Vergil couldn’t stop his own expression from allowing a slight adoration on his own lips.
“Like father, like son, I guess.” You looked back at your lover, winking at Vergil and making both father and son completely out of words and actions.
“Ya know, had to do a job well done… It pays better.” Nero sighed and ran towards his room in order to have his shower. “Gonna wash all this grime off in a sec! Don’t have dinner without me!”
“We will wait, dear!” You answered in a sing-song voice, making Nero practically jump inside the bathroom to take his shower as fast as he could.
As the water fell on his head and painted the floor with red, Nero’s hair gradually became white again. He scrubbed his sore muscles with the floral soap you usually bought – the scents Kyrie also loved buying – and sighed in relief as the warm water made the pain disappear for a while.
Nero could feel his heart beating faster as he tried to wash himself as quickly as he could while seizing the relaxation of the water at the same time. A little headache installed itself at the back of his head, but all he could think about was how excited he was to have dinner with you and Vergil.
For years, all he wished for was a family. Nero remembered when he was a teen in Fortuna, already too big for his own bed, curled up with a pillow while staring out the window and asking the Moon if he could ever find his parents.
Not that Kyrie’s and Credo’s parents weren’t good to him – they were, but Nero never really felt like a part of the family. That was why he never saw Kyrie as his real sister and Credo was more like a mentor from the Order – even if he didn’t obey Credo that much. His adoptive parents were good, but they were too… Polite. Almost as if Nero was a guest, an outsider they should care for, not really a loved son.
But you made him feel different. He thought he would feel weird with Vergil as his father and Dante as his uncle, but, well… Their entire household was weird. They all had different traumas and different ways of showing affection – and then, there was you. Your affection was always so direct, so heartwarming.
Nero felt he could let his guard down around you and you’d never allow anything to hurt him. He didn’t have to live in survival and self-protection mode when he was around you, for he knew you would do that for him.
Feeling that was a sort of… Relief. Nero knew you and Vergil had his back and would never let him down – and that, on his book, was what families were about.
“Hey, kiddo! Everything alright? You’re taking a while on that shower!” He was brought back from his thoughts as he heard you knocking on the bathroom’s door.
“Yeah, sorry! Just a sec, y/n, I’ll be out!” Nero stuck his head out of the box to hear you better, managing to hear a quick laugh.
“Ok. Just don’t take too long, or you’re paying the water bill!”
“Ha, fine! I’ll be out soon, I swear!” Shaking his head while laughing, Nero massaged his shoulders for a while before turning the water off. He felt a weird kind of pain in his muscles, but it should be nothing…
…Right?
*
“Nero, could you please put the plates on the table? I will help y/n serving dinner…”
“Yeah… Sure thing… Dad…”
Both Vergil and you turned around with eyebrows furrowed to check him out. Nero’s speech was slightly slurred and, as soon as you saw him, you knew something was wrong. His steps were unsure, and Nero blinked too much, almost as if he was trying to focus on a spot he was staring on the floor as he approached the dinner table.
“Nero, are you…? Verge! Hold him!”
You didn’t even have to scream that order: as soon as Nero’s steps faltered and he was about to fall, Vergil moved faster than the eyes could see and held his son up. Running towards them, you immediately put your hand on Nero’s forehead, stating what you had suspected before.
“He’s burning. He needs to sit down.”
“I’m taking him to the couch.” Vergil’s words were quick and somber, as he dutifully held his son in his arms.
“I can walk… I’m fine…” Nero mumbled, trying to fight Vergil’s hands and walk by himself, but his feet clearly didn’t answer properly to his commands.
“You are not fine. Stop trying to foolishly hold on to your pride.” Vergil said almost between his teeth – not really angry at Nero, but angry at the whole situation. When Nero got sick, he wasn’t too versed on human medicine… Taking care of his son was something only you could do with excellence, while Vergil just sat and watched.
And he hated that.
“Like father, like son.” You sighed once more, running to the kitchen in order to turn off the stove and make sure nothing was going to burn.
“I’m not… Holding on… To pride…” Nero thumped down on the couch, almost looking like a sack of potatoes. “I can…”
“You can’t. Period.” Vergil sat at the edge of the couch, trying to hold Nero upright.
It was quite a scene, actually. You never thought you would see one of the Sparda’s on their pajamas, let alone two. And in such an ordinary situation like that.
You almost laughed as Nero clearly wanted to answer Vergil, almost hearing his voice saying something along the lines of “you didn’t even know what I was going to say”, but Nero suddenly sat up and rested his elbows on his knees.
Both you and Vergil stopped, eyes paying attention to Nero’s every move. You waited as he closed his eyes and slightly opened his mouth, starting to blink a little too much once again and breathe heavily.
“Nero…?” Vergil tried, but he didn’t answer. He placed his palm on Nero’s forehead, feeling the skin burning while also holding his son up. Nero seemed to lay his weight on his father’s palm – and Vergil wouldn’t let him fall on the floor. “Y/n! Bring a bucket!”
You didn’t even argue – you just moved as fast as you could. Nero needed both of you at that moment, and you would be there.
*
Nero spent the whole night feeling sick and feverish, seeming as if he was going to pass out and almost fainting a couple of times. You, as always, stood by his side, ordering Vergil around to help you care for Nero’s human body – now stricken by illness and needing you.
As his fever didn’t fade away at first, you asked Vergil for help to put him under the shower again – wearing only his underwear as you adjusted the water temperature. Nero complained about how cold it felt, even if it was good enough for someone without fever. You remained with him, trying to calm him down, holding Nero’s hands while checking if he wasn’t going to faint.
Asking Vergil to warm up some water with lemon, ginger and honey, you helped Nero to dry, fluffing up his white hair and seeing how he smiled like a goofy puppy as his high fever had been washed away. You helped Nero put on a comfortable and warm pajama’s – even if he insisted he didn’t need any assistance – and held his arm as both of you slowly walked back to the kitchen.
You gave him medicine, Vergil gave him the tea. You kept checking Nero’s temperature from time to time with your hand, as Vergil would always use a thermometer – it was only when Nero was burning up with fever that his father could notice it from just touching.
You insisted Nero should eat something – even if he complained he didn’t feel like it. Vergil was a little more emphatic than you, but eventually managed to convince his son to eat a few toasts with butter and jam after he himself decided to have a few along with tea.
“Who would’ve known? Nero’s tea party!” You giggled while serving tea, toasts, jam and butter to all of you – the carefully planned and prepared dinner forgotten in the fridge, as you asked Vergil to put it away while caring for Nero.
“You guys ‘re the ones who like tea parties…” Nero almost mumbled, his voice too tired to take on his usually lively tone. You wrapped him around a plushy blue blanket, resting a kiss on the top of his fluffy white hair.
“I guess you can enjoy them too, kiddo.” You ruffled his hair a little bit and, instead of complaining like he always did, Nero had a cozy smile on his lips, accepting his 2 a.m tea party with both his parents.
It took a while for his temperature to go back to normal. You and Vergil carried Nero to his bed on his room and you made sure to wrap him around blankets and pillows. He fell asleep almost immediately, his body needing to rest.
“Do you need me to bring anything, love?” Vergil asked almost in a murmur, in order not to wake his son.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll stay here in case he needs something. Can you put all the dishes away in the kitchen, please…?”
Vergil just acquiesced with his head, planting a long kiss on your forehead – one that made you close your eyes and take a deep breath. You weren’t perfect, but you were family – and that was all the three of you ever wanted.
*
Nero woke up as the sun started to enter his room. It was early – probably too early for him – but he managed to open his eyes anyway. His head hurt and he could remember all the work you both had to take care of him that night.
He wondered if you were sleeping in your room – which would give him an opportunity to make breakfast as a way to thank you and apologize for all the inconvenience, if he could get up.
But, as soon as Nero turned around, he was speechless: you and Vergil were sitting on the small couch of his room – him with arms crossed while you had your head on his shoulder, holding his head leaning on yours. Both of you looked exhausted; your mouth was slightly opened while Vergil had dark stains under his eyes.
Nero furrowed his eyebrows, without being able to pinpoint what the hell was going on with his heart. He thought for sure it had something to do with the illness that struck him so suddenly.
He pretended to be asleep again, though – keeping his eyes barely opened – when he heard Vergil’s alarm go off. It was barely 6 a.m, and both of your started moving as if you hadn’t slept that much.
“Hmmm… What time is it…?” Your voice was slurred and sleepy, one of your hands tugging at Vergil’s shirt.
“Early.” He limited himself to answer, combing his fingers through your hair and kissing your forehead once again. “You checked on him earlier while I was sleeping… It is my turn now, love. Rest.”
“You sure…?”
“Hmmm. Sleep now, love.” And, with those words, Vergil got up from his seat while you curled up on the couch to go back into slumber.
Nero had never seen his father so… Human. Vergil looked tired, dragging his dark blue slippers on the floor, approaching the bed as if he hadn’t rested for weeks. Rolling up the sleeves of his dark blue pajama, Vergil laid one of his hands on Nero’s forehead – clearly trying to check the temperature like you did. When he failed, he succumbed to the thermometer while ruffling Nero’s hair to wake him up.
“Hmmm…?” Nero pretended to open his eyes for the first time that morning, only to find a tired Vergil holding one pill in one of his hands and a glass of water in the other.
“It’s time for your medicine, Nero. You can go back to sleep after taking it.”
“Oh. Thanks…” And Nero would’ve taken it by himself if Vergil didn’t help him – just like you did. “And y/n…?”
“Hmmm. Y/n stayed up all night to watch over you while you slept. It’s my turn now.” Vergil’s voice was low, almost soft. “You can rest now.”
“Thanks… You two.”
As Vergil went back to the couch to serve as your pillow, Nero pretended to go back to sleep – but watched you both for a moment. He didn’t notice as some tears started to sparkle in his aquamarine eyes, threatening to overflow in that morning as that golden wave on his chest made him lose his breath for a while.
You were his family… You were his parents. And Nero smiled, while a few tears escaped from his eyes, and he went back to sleep – the Sun bringing what he had always asked the Moon.
His home.
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obey-me-disaster · 1 year
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Hey, its me, the anon who requested the choking kink shit.
I totally didn't just read it like two minutes ago and immediately try to think of something funny to say.
Btw thats some really good writing, even if its crack. Good job!
Anyways while im off to cry about graduation, lemme drop another pesky little thought here.
Mc cooks henry 2.0 to eat. Probably gonna share it with beel too. Leviathans gonna have to find another Henry to be his pet, or not.
Take that as you will. Thank you.
How does that even happen???
Tbh Beel wouldn't even need for that fish to be cooked, he would eat it raw. For the sake of making things worse, I am gonna change it to MC feeding Henry to Levi <3
I guess Leviathan x gn!MC???
TW:small description of panic attack on Levi's part
MC cooks Henry 2.0
"I swear I put that damned fish around here, it couldn't have grown legs and run off...I hope." Shaking their head to get the stupid image of a fish running away, MC closed not so gently, the freezer's door. They have planned to surprise Levi with a special dish he has been talking about from 'Food Fights' but they were missing the main ingredient, the fish.
They have bought the fish a few days ago and tried to hide it away, so none of the brothers could find it, but it seems their hiding spot was no match to a hungry Beel. None of the brothers cooked anything fish related, so the only resonable conclusion was that Beel ate the fish during one of his nights raids.
Putting their head in their hands MC couldn't help but let out a groan while racking their brain for a solution. "I've already set up and prepared everything else the dish might, I can't just put them away!" The whole situation was soul crushing. What was supposed to be a nice surprise turned into disappointment. "I can't just put them away while I go to buy a new fish, Beel might eat these ingredients as well." MC kept on whining about their situation, no longer trying to think of a solution.
"If only I could make a fish appear..." Stopping all together, MC looked down at their hands. "I may actually be able to do that, I have magic after all, so it's worth a shot." Taking a deep breath and closeing their eyes, they tried to come up with a spell on the spot. "Spirit of water, heed my call and give me one of your sea creatures. One as such that would make the Avatar of Envy happy. In the name of the sorcerer MC, make it so!"
When they opened their eyes they saw that not only did the spell give them a fish, but it was already prepared to be cooked too! Letting a sigh of relief, MC went straight to cooking it, without trying to figure out why the fish seemed so 'familiar'. They didn't have enough time for that, time was working against them at the moment. Levi could appear in any moment to start talking about the latest anime he has seen.
The whole cooking process went according to plan, everything came out more than perfect. The smell was mouth watering, just looking at it one knew the dish would be worth dying for. Despite being proud of their achievement, MC couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom, but they attribute it to their fear of Beel coming to eat it.
"MC WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENED!!" Levi's horrified scream could be heard throughout the house. He looked like someone just stole his whole Ruri Chan collection. Tears were running down his face and his knees looked like they were about to give out. MC seeing him in such a sorry state rushed pick him up and put him on one of the chairs in the kitchen. Nothing a little spell for strenght couldn't do.
By the looks of it, Levi was having a full blown panic attack. Every time he would try to explain what happened he would get choked up. After what felt like an eternity, MC was able to get Levi to finally calm down. Tears were still running down his face but at least he was able to talk. "I am horrible, I the worst friend out there, I should just get locked up in my room and never come out!" MC couldn't help but sit in shock at seeing Levi act like that. Sure, he often said self depricating things, but this time felt different. "What happened? What made you think that?"
Levi looked at MC while trying to wipe his tears away and failing. "Henry 2.0 RAN AWAY! I am such an awful friend that fish managed to run away from me, can you believe that?!" MC freezed on the spot and had a horrifying revelation. Suddenly they understood why the fish looked so 'familiar' but how were they supposed to explain to Levi that they have just cooked one of his best friends?
While MC was deep in thought about how would they go explaing the whole situation to Levi, the avatar of envy noticed the food that MC prepared. "Is that...is that the recreation of one of the dishes from 'Food Fights'?"
If God looked down on MC and saw the look on their face, even with all the knowledge and words in the history of humanity, he could still only describe them as a deer caught in headlights. "Yeah..." MC trailed off while trying to come up with an excuse on why a meal containing a fish, sat so nicely in the kitchen just as his own fish 'ran away'. "...I was trying to recreate it just for you, since you've talked about it so much, but seeing the current situation, maybe we can focus on something else."
MC tried to approach Levi so they could push him out of the kitchen but he stopped them. "I was already a bad friend to Henry to the point he ran away. I don't want to risk losing you too by ignoring all the effort you put into this surprise." Grabbing a fork and a knife he started to dig in.
MC wanted to say something, anything to him. He was basically eating his best friend, but looking at him, in that moment, they have realized that they will need to take this secret to their grave. No way he would let Levi know that they have cooked one of his best friend. And especially, they will not let him know, under any circumstances, that the phrase 'At least they will be together from now on' passed through their head.
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ravendruidreads · 2 months
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A Deadly Education - Review
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Author: Naomi Novik Saga: The Scholomance Date Read: February 26, 2024 - February 28, 2024 Format: Physical Pages: 319
Characters: 6/10 Atmosphere: 4/10 Writing: 3/10 Plot: 7/10 Intrigue: 5/10 Logic: 5/10 Enjoyment: 7/10 Rating: 5.2/10 (3 stars)
I got this book from a blind date with a book at Barnes & Noble. The premises were "a gorgeous book about monsters and monstrousness"; "dark, dangerous school of magic"; and "unwilling dark sorceress destined to rewrite the roles".
The review is hidden below due to spoilers.
I went into this book completely blind because I didn't read anything about it other than what the blind date cover mentioned, so I wasn't expecting it to be a young adult kind of book (I thought it would be something more like Fourth Wing), which is partially why I gave it such a low writing score.
The writing felt... weird? I don't mind stories told in first person but in this case, the narrator felt like it was talking directly to me, as in breaking the fourth wall, and that didn't feel much like telling a story. I would have enjoyed this type of writing more when I was younger, so I guess I can say that the author is doing a good job at reaching their target.
Another thing I didn't like about the writing was that the author broke the narrative multiple times to explain details that, in my opinion, were not necessary, making it hard to keep up with the story. A lot of those explanations were also very confusing, which is also why Atmosphere has such a low score. I had trouble visualizing because the descriptions were often confusing.
The characters are fine. They are what they are: common teenagers with relatable issues (like being an outcast). Orion is the typical teenage boy that has no clue how to talk to girls, so he accidentally starts dating El without even asking or telling her his feelings until the very end. Not gonna lie, that made me chuckle a little. They are kind of cute together and remind me when I was a teen (except I was the Orion in the situation-as in not knowing how to talk to boys).
The plot is what saved the book, in my opinion. I liked the idea that the school is always moving and trying to kill its students. It gave me a little big of Hogwarts vibes.
Something else that confused me at first was the fact that this is a fantasy book set in our world. I was taken aback when I first read the mention of New York and other cities because I wasn't expecting it to happen in our world. However, I did enjoy the diversity and the importance the author gave to languages. If it wasn't for the fact that the school is trying to kill its students on a daily(nay-hourly)-basis, I would have loved to attend it just for the language learning part.
All in all, it was a fun book to read and I'm excited to see what happens next. El's mom's letter brings in the perfect cliff hanger for book two.
Quotes that stayed:
I love having existential crises at bedtime, it's so restful.
I think that after a certain number of evil choices, it's reasonable shorthand to decide that someone's an evil person who oughtn't have the chance to make any more choices. And the more power someone has, the less slack they ought to be given.
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Chapter 7- Part 17
This…isn’t how this was supposed to go, but I guess it’s time for-
Step 3 (2.5, now?): Bloom! (This was supposed to be Summer, but without that Defense drop from Screech, Razor Leaf won’t do as much now)
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Bloom can still tank Electric-type attacks and outspeed Electrode as well, so now it’s time for Growth gaming! Mega Drain should help undo some of the sting from Charge Beam or whatever other moves it throws at us…like SONIC BOOM…AGAIN…
It’s fine, it’s fine, just Mega Drain the pain away-
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ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?
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Shoot, it’s probably gonna use Explosion now, Bloom can’t take that, and I need him for whatever Julia’s final Pokémon is! Uh- maybe Summer will be fine-?
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Nope, it didn’t explode at all! It just used Charge Beam again to boost itself to even MORE ridiculous levels!
Wait- WAIT! BLOOM OUTSPED! Even if it was going to use Explosion, Bloom would have knocked it out beforehand! I didn’t need to sacrifice Summer at all! DANGIT!
Well, Bloom can still finish the job, but…its Ability is probably gonna be Aftermath, isn’t it? Can Bloom take that at that HP?
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Well, all of our other Pokémon are down, so…we don’t have a choice. Maybe the tiny, miniscule HP he’ll get from Mega Drain will save him? Or maybe its Ability isn’t Aftermath? Only one way to see, here we go…!
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…Oh, it…didn’t blow up at all…? Huh- okay, I guess Aftermath really wasn’t its Ability then. A bit strange, but…I’ll take it.
(Future edit: No. No, I checked after all of this, and Julia’s Electrode does have Aftermath as its Ability. But see, what I didn’t know about how Aftermath works until now is that it only activates if the move that knocked the Pokémon out is a physical one. Glare’s Bite from earlier? Physical move, so it activated the Voltorb’s Aftermath. But Bloom’s Mega Drain here? Special move, so Electrode’s Aftermath didn’t go off. Uh…get outplayed, Julia…?)
Okay, final Pokémon, final Pokémon, what could it possibly be…!?
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…Oh. Oh yeah, she did lead with a Minun, it would…make sense for her to have a Plusle too…
Well! Let’s heal up with a Potion before anything, then hit it with a Mega Drain!
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You can Nuzzle him all you want, Plusle, but with a Mega Drain or two, this battle is…!
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OVER!
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“ALREADY”!? That was, like, forty-five minutes for me!
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Finally…oh, at long last, and not a moment too soon because Bloom ended up leveling a bit more than expected at the end there.
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…Uh…thanks, Julia, very descriptive explanation indeed.
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I’m sorry, “TMX”? That’s…oh! Is that this game’s Hidden Machine replacement? It better be, if it isn’t, I’m gonna be very unhappy!
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Ooooh, Charge Beam! Now we can be incredibly dangerous with this! And I know just the Pokémon to use it on…as soon as she evolves and becomes part Electric-type at her next level-up.
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Um-? Goodnight? Hello-? Is she…sleeping in here?
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What the-? First the alley guy, now her? Does anyone in Reborn City own a bed!? Or at least a sleeping bag!? Does…Does Xera own either of those…? Where has she been sleeping between all of this? Or has she just not slept at all in, like, the three days she’s been in this city?
Questions about the sleeping arrangements in this city aside…we did it! We beat the first Gym, and on the first try too! And our team is looking completely- um…
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W-Well…they’ll be fine, as soon as we go to the Pokémon Center. They all did great anyways! Thank goodness I’m not doing a Nuzlocke…
And look at that!
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Look at the Volt Badge sitting pretty with Xera’s card, it’s beautiful! I can’t believe we did that on the first attempt- I doubt the rest of the Gyms will be like that, but I can celebrate the achievement now, at least!
Now, let’s get to the Pokémon Center and put an end to-
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…Why is…why is Victoria here…? Why is one of our rivals here? She’s not…she’s not gonna challenge us, right…?
No, no no no…Victoria, Victoria no, no battle please, PLEASE NO BATTLE PLEASE-
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suinumi · 2 years
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In the 2nd part of Sui’s Terraria book ramble, i am going to talk about my personal favourite of the four:
The Exploration and Adventure handbook! taking on a green colour for its cover.
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Well just from seeing who is on the cover, you can probably guess why it is my favourite handbook; the travelling merchant is the one narrating! Also, exploration is legit one of my favourite things to do in video games so the topic is also a nice bonus! Note that I will refer the travelling merchant as TM later on! I’m just lazy so i type out TM instead lmao
There is a lot to unpack here, the idea that the Guide asks around several NPCs to write a series of guide books is actually quite cute. It reminds me of the friendship journal from MLP season 4 since everyone gets to chip in, even if its just small tips and info. Hell, the angler even got a section in this book which i will show later on and i will also mention some head canons about it too!
Also, i feel like the writer does a better job at showing the personalities of the NPCs, which you can probably see from the intro. The skeleton merchant mentions, the TM trying to make this interaction a deal and the admissions quote feels likes something i can see the TM say or do hjbfjnvkd-
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More skeleton merchant jabs in the unique sights in the underground page. I just found that quite amusing as this gives me a better idea on how these two merchants probably view each other. Also him suggesting that we sell the crystal hearts to him as a better option. Good grief this guy is such a rat i love it
(Also small mention of everyone’s favourite undead archeologist, thought you’d find that interesting)
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IDK WHY but i always found Skeletron page in general struck out to me as quite wholesome. The words of encouragement like “you can do it!” and “Don’t get discouraged if you can’t beat him on your first try” is something i don’t really imagine as something the TM would say but I am not complaining! 15 year old me liked to imagine that he has a little bit of a softer side because of this AND the angler mentions in this book which You’ll see soon >:3
Also the enchanted sword section was quite fun to read as it shows his personality well.
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Wanted to put these two pages here because of the guide voodoo doll mention. Bet y’all would like it C:
Furthermore, that omelette analogy really is the cherry on top considering i always feel horrible killing the guide and the TM here is like :D omelettes
ALSO that disclaimer about using the pwn hammer? Legendary and awful at the same time. But jokes said, the Hardmode biome page is probably one of my favourite pages in the book
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The unicorn on the stick description kinda speaks for itself
…. a bridge….what….where….how?????
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FINALLY i can talk about this, i wasn’t expecting it but I honestly LOVE how the writer gave the TM and the angler a nice friendly relationship. In the ocean biome page, the travelling merchant called the angler his friend and I’m just like ohHHHHHhhh <33333333333
I want to let you know that when he mentions other NPCs, he usually calls them as “colleagues” or “client” as with the guide. So calling the angler is friend is just so scrunkly
What’s more, is that the travelling merchant got the angler to write a section in the book. Even if he had to bribe him, the TM still called him a good kid and just said some nice things about him in general. This part is just so cute and is also why i personally headcanon the TM and angler to be on good terms :>
This is also another reason why I imagine the travelling merchant to have a softer side too :0
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This small fishing section is quite a joy to read and this is saying a lot since i dont actually like fishing that much in game ^^;
I can really read and feel the anglers personality in these pages. He such a lil shit and i mean that in a endearing way :>
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Aaaand here is the conclusion! I like reading these and the intro because it feels like the NPCs are greeting/ saying their goodbyes.
Finally I want to talk about how the TM literally says “cheerio” that’s like THE most stereotypical British way to say bye and as a Brit, this hits different and i don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I have never actually said or heard anyone unironically say cheerio in years LMAO
Anyways I headcanon the TM to be British because of this, thank you for coming to my TED talk.
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The amount of headcanons for my favourite NPC that i have made because of this book MANNNNN
Like I said, this one is my favourite of the four so FINALLY being able to talk about it was just, such a huge joy for me. I hope you liked me rambling about this handbook. Once again, feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and even headcanons of the NPCs from reading these page shots ^^
Also i found a way to get around that 10 picture limit, I’ll just compile two page shots like in this post. I post from my phone/tablet so the limit isn’t 30, but i think i can manage this! Do let me know if the quality is okay and you can at least read it :0
I will be tackling the Hard-mode Handbook next and we are now halfway through the Terraria handbooks! Don’t feel too down as i also have the Official sticker book to talk about after the guides so i hope that gives you something to look forward to!
See you in the next one! :D
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badwithten · 1 year
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good short stories for @papermatisse
ok homie needed help writing short fics so heres a list of some short fics i like and what makes them so good despite their length (this sounds insulting but its difficult to make a story effective and short, so if you're on this list you’ve done a good job at it!)
sweet tooth by @lino-nyangi
ok so what i said about ongoing metaphors, this is sorta in the same boat but its less of a metaphor and more of a theme/how to run along a story? like because it flows through y/ns birthdays and each scene is that and the progression of it, it keeps you engaged. its very clear what the story is about, what the end of the story will be and it makes it so satisfying to read!
a life we spent apart for the death we spent together by @lebrookestore
brooke is an amazing writer and usually does do longer fics machi so check her our fr but this drabble works so well with me bc its a familiar theme that the readers know. being so short, you don’t have the words to world build or create depth with your characters the way you normally would. so picking a concept people are familiar with (in this case soulmate au) it allows the reader to already be invested in your story without having to write a lot. if that makes sense? you can just add your story and your feelings, into an already existing universe and get the point across. very cool
return our lives by @hoshwife 
ok sorry to say this again but mads is an amazing writer! legit one of my favourite, if not my favourite, on this app. once again, she does longer fics as well that you should def check out machi. but this story in particular is amazing, reading this again omg, just as good as the first time. i’m not sure how to describe mads writing, as i said above picking a familiar theme allows readers to be invested in the story without a lot of world building/character development but i feel although this story is the opposite. writing about the war which isnt common on this site, very descriptive of the world in the story. mads has just done such a good job at writing something so good but still fitting it into a bit sized fic. this is probably the most “scene of a fic” one on this list i guess? just read you’ll see what i mean lmao anything from mads is so good so yess check it out
crimson by @neo-shitty​
horror! if you're able to put a twist or some gory effects in a story it can be really effective at leaving an effect on the reader. this story does this so well! captures you in at the beginning, and then the last part is just done so well, no spoilers but if you do read it omg. i really really love horror stories for this reason. the twist of the horror. it makes a story great and it can be either done in longer fics or shorter ones ( i have so many long horror suggestions machi hmu bro)
dark clouds by @doiefy​
sorta the same as horror, but some alternate universes work well in smaller bits. i’ve done something with siren/mermaids where it was just a smaller chunk out what could've been a longer au. allows you to write something in there without a full fic, means you don’t have to work out all the lore of a full universe but its still really fun to write! this fic has done a similar thing to mads where you get to build up a little bit of the universe its set in, just enough for your story to make sense then to focus on what the narrative of your story actaully is. if that makes sense?
my last season called ‘you’ by @zh-lele​
i know we already read this story for k-bookclub but it really fits well for the ongoing metaphor point i talked about a little bit. the story is told through sections of the flowers, each feeling is represented by the flowers and what they mean. it’s just a great way to get across the point and meaning of your story
this one doesn’t have a specific fic recommendations but song fics! im a bit bias on this one bc i enjoy writing song fics, but if an artist can fit the narrative of their song into a 3-4 minute song, its sorta the same thing trying to write your story into the same short frame. its really fun like analysing the song, what the meaning is and trying to turn it into a story with the same meaning and effectiveness
this is a lot shorter than i wanted but if anyone has any types on writing shorter fics let me or machi know 🙏
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Day 6: Specimen Preservation
(Trigger Warnings: descriptions of dismemberment, gore, blood, bones, organs, knives, death, implications of illegal business, strong language. Please let me know if I missed anything.)
Day 1  Day 2  Day 3  Day 4  Day 5  Day 7
Phantom Treble was nothing if not ambitious.
A fair amount of clubs, studios, and theaters (one of which he was currently visiting) fell under his jurisdiction. His territories were linked and well-protected. He had literal hordes of people working those establishments, as well as more than enough of a budget to keep those people satisfied with their jobs for a good, long while.
But then, this was only one side of his life.
The other side was pretty similar, honestly. The primary differences were how he worked and what he worked with.
Phantom watched as his latest client (#691, to be exact) finished up a performance onstage. It’d been months since they’d found him via some grapevine, since he’d invited them to a meeting, since they’d signed the contract he’d offered them. Like all those before them, they’d been amazed at the results of their deal with Phantom. 
And, like all those before them, they’d failed to thoroughly read the contract he’d given them.
They’d gotten their name out into the open, gotten to participate in some shows here and there. They’d had their fun, but they’d also just about reached the peak of their potential.
Which meant that Phantom’s part of the agreement was complete, and that it was time for them to fulfill their end of the bargain.
Client #691 bowed to thunderous applause, which Phantom contributed to (just because he had ulterior motives didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate quality entertainment). Phantom’s instincts assured him that he was the only one in the crowd who could see how the smile on Client #691’s face flickered, turning confused and distressed. 
This was understandable; Phantom didn’t have a soul of his own, so he didn’t know what it would’ve felt like for a soul to suddenly start draining away from its vessel. But it didn’t take an Einstein to guess that the process probably wouldn’t have felt too great.
Client #691 took their leave, disappearing behind the curtains. Phantom watched, counting down the seconds. Three, two, one. . .
He quietly glanced down and smiled as the glowing, panicking soul of Client #691 suddenly materialized within the glass orb set in his cane’s sliver-clawed handle. Hours prior, he’d arranged for them to be the only person that would be performing tonight. That way he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing them suddenly collapse into a heap behind the curtains. The rest of the audience was still cheering, which made it impossible for anyone to have heard the odd, inhuman-sounding words Phantom murmured to himself.
Afterwards, he rose from his seat and exited the auditorium. He strolled down the hall, nodding to the staff he passed along the way. They greeted him in kind, some smiling politely while others went a bit pale. A select few of his employees knew what his true business was and, of course, were bound to silence. There was no doubt that he was a fair boss to them, but he supposed he couldn’t blame them for being anxious.
Phantom soon found himself in his office (he had one in each of his establishments). He hung a little sign that read DO NOT DISTURB on the doorknob, then locked the door for good measure. After that, he tapped the end of his cane against the floor.
In response, a long shadow residing in the corner of the office seemed to shift, as though something inside it had stirred in its sleep. The shade continued to stretch and bulge out of the wall until it finally formed an irregularly-shaped opening, bearing some semblance to the mouth of a tunnel. Phantom stepped across the imposing threshold without so much as blinking. The pitch-black walls of the cavity collapsed in on themselves before unfolding into a completely different room.
Phantom’s den was wide, almost cavernous, yet clearly well lived-in. It was dimly-lit, calm and clean. Each of the four walls were made up of shelves, the wood of which was stained with the dark shades of different colors.
Phantom approached the green-stained shelves, and, as if on cue, a small, silvery, three-legged stand materialized on one of them. Phantom carefully plucked the orb from the hilt of his cane—where a vacant orb immediately appeared to take its place—and deposited it onto that stand. The client’s soul flickered and writhed, fitting right in with the copious amounts of souls lining the ledges above and below it.
Phantom reached into his vest and produced the contract his client had filled out. He made sure that the ribbon keeping it rolled up had changed from white to red. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the contract was sent flying to the gray-stained shelves (which were divided between books and scrolls).
Yet another one for the collection. Phantom really was just that good, wasn’t he?
Of course, this was just Client #691’s soul. There was still the matter of Client #691. . .
Phantom glanced over to the center of the room, where a long, metallic table was taking up space. A vintage pendant light hung from the ceiling, casting a sort of halo over said table as well as the body that rested on it.
Phantom chewed his lip, then dug his cellphone out of his pocket. He dialed a certain number, then waited as the other line rang. The person he was calling was something of an eccentric. He was one of the more successful merchants the Black Market had to offer—like Phantom, he wouldn’t tolerate any of the really disgusting stuff, but the business he did tolerate (mainly chemical trafficking and cadaver testing) was still very much illegal.
“It never fails,” Anti-Matter sighed after picking up the phone. “I only ever get calls when I’m in the middle of something.”
“You’re saying you’d prefer to get calls in your off-time?”
“Hell no! I’ve already paid an arm and leg to keep my conversations from being tapped.”
Phantom chuckled. “Funny choice of words. Made any sales recently?”
“Not since last month. But those kidneys did make me about a hundred-and-fifty thousand, so I’m not strapped for caaAAAOH MY GOD NO–!”
Somewhere in the background, a loud crash was followed by the sound of glass shattering.
Phantom could hear sprinting footsteps alongside a light thud as the phone was dropped against a flat surface. He had to stifle a laugh as a string of muffled yet very colorful words set in Anti-Matter’s voice joined whatever cacophony was happening on his end.
Sooner or later, the noise came to a halt. When Anti-Matter returned to the phone, he was very clearly out of breath, and it seemed his patience was next to go.
“Phantom, I’m going to be blunt here: if someone isn’t dying right now, I’m hanging up.”
“Well. . .not dying, perse,” Phantom mused. “But they are dead. Does that still count?”
“Maybe,” Anti-Matter admitted. “Still doesn’t explain why you decided to call me about it. Unless death just reminds you of me for some reason, which isn’t as flattering as you’d think. ”
“What if I said I had an offer for you?”
“When people use that line, it typically means they don’t actually have whatever they say they have,” Anti-Matter pointed out. “But, twisting words is kind of your thing, so. . .”
“Touch’e.” Phantom replied. “I’ve got a potential specimen.” He looked over the body before adding, “Six potential specimens, technically. If you count the pieces it needs to be cut into.” 
“For the sake of convenience, I would. I’m assuming this is another one of your contractors?”
“Does that really matter?”  Phantom asked, not realizing the glorious wordplay he’d just committed until Anti-Matter let out a half-exasperated, half-enraged sigh. Phantom simply smiled at the thought of his cohort’s face right now.
After a few seconds, Anti-Matter pronounced, “Diaphonize them and I’ll forget what you just said.”
“I can do that,” Phantom said with a nod. “Although I’m really not sure why you’d want to forget a moment of pure genius.”
“Don’t push it,” Anti-Matter warned. “I’ll stop by tomorrow morning to pick ‘em up. Once the photos are uploaded and I get some good bidders, I’ll contact you and we’ll work out how to split the money.”
“You’re too kind.”
“Barely.” With that, Phantom’s accomplice hung up. 
Phantom put his phone away, cracking his knuckles as he crossed the room. Nestled in one corner was a small mahogany cabinet. Inside said cabinet was Phantom’s prized collection of vinyl. After some hemming and hawing, Phantom loaded a Green Day album into the well-loved record player that rested on top of the cabinet. As music began filtering through the room, Phantom left his cane leaning against the cabinet’s side, lightly bobbing his head along to the lyrics as he got to work.
Phantom scanned the lower of the blue-stained shelves, then spent the next few seconds carrying his larger spare containers (six aquariums, to be exact) over to his desk. He looked each one over; they were definitely functional, but they were also. . .plain. And Phantom, like anyone with a single creative bone in their body, knew that the more unique a product looked, the more customers it would attract.
He placed his hands on either side of the nearest aquarium, muttering in his native tongue. The glass slowly but surely started to glow, heating up to the point where awful blisters should have started appearing on Phantom’s palms. In no time at all, the glass became malleable, allowing Phantom to mold it into a more triangular shape. The metal frame and lid moved along with the glass, fitting as though it’d been designed that way in the first place.
That’d work nicely for the torso. . .
Phantom repeated the process with the other aquariums until they each looked much more aesthetically pleasing (ovular tubes for the arms and legs, as well as a sphere for the head). The glass would need some time to cool, so Phantom ventured over to the table.
A black knife tower sat at the head of the table, holding—what the hell else?—a dozen different knives. Some were designed for medical purposes, others were meant for simple butchering; one thing they all had in common, however, were rose-gold blades that each boasted specific carvings of arcane symbols.
At the snap of Phantom’s fingers, those symbols began to glow similarly to burning embers. Then, the tools were lifted into the air by invisible hands, moving to hover around the corpse. A scalpel ran the length of the client’s back, creating a long, thin laceration. As expected, blood began to seep out from the cut.
Phantom whispered a command, and the blood obeyed. It climbed into the air, almost resembling a snake as it hovered. He snatched what looked like a perfectly normal flask from one of the purple-stained shelves. He twisted it open and held it aloft; the blood responded by funneling itself inside. None of it spilled out, despite the fact that it should’ve been impossible for the flask to hold it all. Phantom closed the flask back up and returned it to its place.
Meanwhile, the knives got down to business. The larger, more serrated utensils sawed at the body’s neck, arms, and legs. The smaller, more precise tools focused on cleaving the skin into strips. The sounds of metal shearing against bone were drowned out by Billie Joe Armstrong’s voice.
(Phantom technically didn’t have to watch the process, but it was a safety precaution. Magic was a semi-sentient thing that took some serious power to work with, and sometimes, even with someone as experienced as Phantom, it could get a wild idea and throw a wrench into his plans. Besides, macabre stuff never bothered him anyway.)
It took about ten minutes or so, but the client’s body was skinned. The many strips of said skin floated across the room to pack themselves into another spare jar on the blue-stained shelves, which then escorted itself to the lower purple-stained shelves. 
Phantom watched, wondering if Anti-Matter would take that too; if not for more scientific purposes, so long as it was tanned, it could be used to make a jacket, or boots, or watch straps, almost anything really.
The arms, legs, and head had all been neatly severed from the torso. Not too shabby for a bunch of animated knives. Phantom hummed in approval, to which the knives returned to their tower and stopped glowing.
Phantom went to the purple-stained shelves, gathering up a few certain bottles, jars and jugs containing a few certain chemicals. He brought them over to his desk and, after making sure the aquariums had sufficiently cooled, murmured yet another incantation. The body parts came at his call, silently depositing themselves into their display cases. Phantom then took a moment to fill each aquarium with a mixture of trypsin and glycerin, somehow having a fair amount of said chemicals leftover afterwards.
Finally, it was time for the part that was actually interesting.
As soon as the liquid touched the body parts, the tissues and muscles began to flicker from the inside out. The natural pinks and reds of raw flesh slowly but surely dulled, fading to gray, then white, then. . .well, nothing really. They now blended in with the glass; you wouldn’t have to squint in order to see them, but they really did look like works of laser-engraved art.
Not for long, though. Phantom looked over his bottles of dyes and ran through a mental list of appealing color combinations.
For as scientifically complex of a process as diaphonization was, the steps were surprisingly simple. No, the lion’s share of the work was how long the procedure usually took. Something as small as a mouse could take at least three months to fully clear and stain.
However, that was how humans went about diaphonization.
Phantom was many things, but a human was not among them. So, of course, he had a few tricks up his sleeves in order to speed up the process.
He eventually upended two bottles over the triangle-shaped aquarium. The dyes (green and purple) plopped against the surface of the chemical bath, leaving misty trails and resembling clouds as they sank deeper. 
Phantom lightly tapped on the glass. The dye droplets halted in place, then almost seemed to be swimming as they collided with the client’s torso. The colors spread quickly; it only took a couple moments before the client’s ribs, spine and shoulder blades were tinted violet. The client’s heart, lungs, liver, stomach and intestines turned such a shade of green that they almost appeared to be glowing.
Phantom repeated the process, using blue and pink for the client’s arms and legs. The head was a bit trickier to finalize, but he managed to make a color that resembled a sunset via combining red, orange, yellow, and magenta.
Once the staining procedure was finished, Phantom sealed up the aquariums and took a step back to review his handiwork. Despite the fact that he couldn’t fully understand some parts of human psychology, Phantom was still aware of how disturbing it was to view these specimens as pretty.
And at the same time, there was no denying just how pretty they were.
Phantom had seen hundreds of diaphonization projects for sale online (then again, those projects were things like fish and frogs and snakes and rats. Not humans who had signed a contract without reading the fine print), so it was obvious that plenty of humans saw the appeal, too. 
Phantom checked his phone. The clock on his lockscreen read 10:30 pm. It was well past the theater’s closing time, but he knew some places nearby would still be open.
With that in mind, he turned away from the specimens, turned off his record player, collected his cane and left the den entirely. He’d have to get up pretty early tomorrow morning in order for Anti-Matter’s pickup to go unseen, but that was a problem for his future self. Right now, he had some well-earned free time on his hands. 
And what better way to use that free time than to look for his next client. . ?
@that-bat  @sammys-magical-au  @ineedallofthehugs  @captainrose35  @yancy1nancy  @dreamsofgods @sw33tst4rs  @echoing-night @butterboyfly @dungeon-dragons-dragons  @pumpking1sheepy  @whumpitywhumpwhump
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ticiie · 2 years
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week 24: winter sport mash-up!
prompt from the off-season winter sport challenge
characters: Marco Odermatt, Simon Ehammer, Timo Meier, Pirmin Reichmuth, Gino Caviezel
length: 1072 words
author's note: you guessed it, this takes place at the recently held esaf, part one is available here
“Alright, just for the record”, Timo started after downing his drink. “We have the fast one”, he filled the tiny glass that waited in front of Marco with the clear liquor. “Then we have the strong one”, same for Pirmin, who was sitting to Marco’s right. “And the crazy one who obviously couldn’t decide what he’s best at so he chose ten different ways to beat everyone’s ass.” Simon pretended to be offended by Timo’s words but the huge grin on his lips gave him away. They clinked glasses and emptied them straight away. The alcohol soared through every inch of Marco’s body, making his heart feel light and clearing his mind from all the worries that had occupied it in the past weeks. Sure, he was going to regret not going home early and the flight from Zurich to Buenos Aires would not be very enjoyable, but tonight was and since this kind of event only took place every 3 years, and since Pirmin did an outstanding job today, and since the other three had given their all as well during their respective seasons, Marco figured they all could allow themselves some fun at what probably was the biggest party this country had seen in years. He hated tequila though. It burned on the way down and once Marco could talk again, he asked Timo: “So what are you then? If we’re strong, crazy and fast, what’s the description for someone who broke every scorer-record there is in just a single season?”
The dim light made it hard to tell but Marco could’ve sworn Timo blushed. If he really felt flattered, he didn’t let it show. “I’m the reasonable one”, he answered. “The one that gets the points with the help of an entire team and doesn’t shoulder this burden completely alone.”
“We don’t fight alone either”, Pirmin replied. The longer the night went on, the heavier his voice got, but his eyes still held the spark that had gotten him on top of today’s ranking. “I have my unit and so do Marco and the other muppets.” Marco giggled in his beer at the mentioning of the nickname. Loïc had once called their team a bunch of muppets and Marco must have let it slip the last time he an Pirmin had met. “Simon though? You really are crazy.”
The youngest at the table burst out into laughing and the others did not fail to join him.
The night went on, Marco lost track of time, Simon ended up dancing on the table before falling off it (he thankfully didn’t hurt himself, that would’ve been a tremendous catastrophe considering that he still had at least one more competition on his agenda), the music got louder and better and Marco was a hundred percent sure his voice would be completely wrecked tomorrow. After God knows how long, he excused himself and shoved his way through the crowd towards the exit. It wasn’t much colder out here, summer still had his grip on the night, but there was a light wind brushing through Marco’s hair that made him sigh in relief. He could still feel the beat of the music pumping somewhere inside him, where it aligned with his pulse. Marco inhaled. The people that walked past him didn’t care one bit about him and he loved it. He took another sip from the cup he had brought along, although its content had exceeded its level of edibility long ago already. Marco walked across the alleyway that separated the tent his crew had grown comfortable in from food trucks and temporarily installed bars. That moment, he felt someone’s arm around his shoulder. Marco turned around, his drunken brain needed a moment to comprehend that the person was a lot taller than him and that he was required to look up quite a bit to meet their eyes. Pirmin ruffled Marco’s hair.
“I didn’t want to ask in front of Simon, but how are things between you and the short one?”
Marco elbowed Pirmin’s side which he probably didn’t even feel given what a beast that man was. He put down the plastic cup and buried his hands in the pocket of his jeans, the small box that he had grown a habit of carrying around in the right one weighted heavy all of a sudden.
“Things are good. Amazing even.” A warmth that had nothing to do with the previous shots or the beer spread in Marco’s chest. Talking about Gino was enough to wake up the butterflies that hadn’t left since the first time he had met Gino all those years ago.
“I’m glad to hear.”, Pirmin said and Marco believed him. They stood in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts, when suddenly the ringing of Marco’s phone startled them.
“Speaking of”, he mumbled and accepted the call. He had to press a hand to the free ear to at least get a chance of understanding a single word Gino was saying.
“Tell me you picking up the phone is because you can’t sleep since you miss me so much and not because you’re still in Basel?”
Marco rolled his eyes but laughed. “If that’s what you want to believe, go for it.” It didn’t matter that Gino was currently sitting on the other side of the planet, Marco had spent enough time with him to know that he was running a hand through his hair this very second, eyes closed and trying not to yell at Marco.
“Alright, I did what I was asked to do, you make sure you don’t miss your flight or else Krugi will come pick you up personally and we both know you don’t want that.”
“That is indeed true. You can tell Krugi I’ll be the most perfect trainee he has ever had the great fortune to coach.”
“Tell him yourself. I love you.”
Marco smiled. “I love you too.”
They hung up and Marco turned back around and faced Pirmin, who just smirked at him.
“What?”, he asked a little insecure.
“Nothing. It’s just nice to see you so happy. You found your match.”
Marco felt his cheeks flaring up again. There was no sense in trying to hide it, but he played Pirmin’s comment down by adding: “It’s not just Gino’s merit, I’m trashed like never before.”
It didn’t take more for them to burst into laughter anew.
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