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#that doesn't mean the other two aren't just as much as her ... where do file someone like that huh ?
snckt · 6 months
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without a sub-sub-librarian, or even a catalogue, what is to be done?
@asouefanworkevent day four of woevember : the hotel denouement, alternatively titled,   misfiled, a collection of things not where they ought to be.
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michelleleewise · 10 months
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Can I have a story where reader has a huge crush on loki (reader won't admit they're inlove tho) and wants to be his in every aspect? She doesn't want to confess because she knows she'll get rejected and knows she's not his type. Though reader maybe sneaky, they forget that loki can sometimes read minds. They play this cat-and-mouse game it may or may not lead to smut 👀 I kind of had this idea by listening to "I Wanna Be Yours" by Arctic Monkeys. Thank you so much <3
Hiiiii!!! I'm sorry this took so long to get to!!!! But thank you so much for sending it to me!! I hope you like it!!! 💚💚💚
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Thinking of You
Pairing: Avenger Loki x female reader
Warnings: swearing, mild yelling, mind reading, self esteem issues, NSFW, masturbation, mildly rough sex (nothing graphic), if I missed anything let me know!! 💚
Summary: Everytime you see Loki your thoughts run wild....unbeknownst to you, he can hear them too...
A/n- sorry this took so long!!! It's probably terrible, I'm a bit rusty......sorry!!!!! 💚💚
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"No the other way." You urged into the coms, swiping between screens on the computer screen like a maniac trying to guide the team to where they needed to be. "Y/n, where is it!?" Tony yelled into his earpiece making you wince "there is no need to yell Stark" You heard Loki's smooth voice sound in your ear making you sigh "that's easy for you to say Rudolph, you aren't surrounded by agents." Tony said when you heard an explosion echo into you ear. "Do stop complaining Stark." Loki said when you heard a grunt sound through Loki's coms "you are becoming rather insufferable." He continued making you giggle "I swear laufeyson, when we get back..." Tony started when you heard Thor's booming voice join the conversation "would you two please desist with this nonsense!" Thor yelled making you jump.
"Yes, please silence yourself stark....now darling which way do we go?" Loki asked into his earpiece, the low timbre of his voice sending a shiver up your spine "i...I...let me see" you said searching the map again "take your...umph...time darling, no rush." Loki purred into your ear as you heard a thud on his end. "Ok, everyone needs to get to Loki's location, that's where the serum is." You said pulling up everyone's position, "aaah, Right again I see." Loki laughed into his earpiece "shut up Loki." Thor bellowed into his coms "come now, jealousy does not suit you brother." Loki mocked making you laugh "something funny agent?" You heard Tony snark into the coms "no sir, sorry." You said looking down at your hands.
You listened as the team completed the mission, bickering the entire time. If you were honest you weren't sure how they didn't kill eachother everytime they went on a mission. "Alright, back to the jet everyone." Tony said. "I thank you for your assistance lady y/n." Loki purred into the earpiece making your cheeks heat up "y...you welcome Loki "Alright romeo let's go...shutting down coms, see you back at the tower." Tony said as the line went silent. You took a deep breath pulling your earpiece out when Nat walked over leaning on your desk "quite the sweet talker isn't he?" She asked making you giggle "well they do call him silvertongue." You said trying to not look at her "yeah, makes you wonder what else he can do with his tongue." She said as you stood up "Natasha!" You whisper yelled making her laugh "oh come on, we all know how you feel about him." She said as you grabbed a stack of files quickly turning "I don't know what your talking about." You said making your way to the filing cabinets.
"Y/n, why don't you just talk to him?" She asked following you "I do talk to him." You snapped hoping she would let it go "you know what I mean y/n." She scolded crossing her arms "because..." you sighed setting the files down "because there will never be a universe where he feels the same." You said opening the filing cabinet "you don't know that, the way he talks to you..." She started when you slammed the drawer shut "I'm not stupid nat, he's just being polite...letting his princely charm ooze out of him. I've seen I him do it at parties." You said closing your eyes "I'm not special, he doesn't like me and he never will...why would he?" You asked walking back towards your desk "um, your funny, smart, witty.." nat said continuing to follow you "plain, ordinary...boring." you huffed grabbing your bag "y/n seriously..." you cut her off lifting your hand "no, he doesn't know...he'll never know." You said walking towards the door, stopping in the doorway "I...I don't think I could handle that rejection." You said before walking out heading towards your apartment
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You spent the next few days chained to your desk, stacks of mission reports to go through and file from the last mission. Looking up rubbing your eyes seeing you had worked past your lunch "I need a break." You sighed closing the file you were working on as you stood up. Grabbing your coffee mug you made your way to the break room and the espresso machine Tony had recently installed. After choosing what you wanted you leaned your head against the cabinet waiting for the machine to do its thing, praying it would hurry when what nat said the other day ran through your mind does everyone really know....am I that obvious? You thought when the loud beep pulled you from your thoughts. "Thank god." You breathed bringing the cup to your lips taking a small sip you closed your eyes feeling the caffeine touch your soul "mmmhhh." You moaned with a sigh.
"Now that is a sound I could get used to." A deep voice behind you said, your eyes shooting open as you turned seeing Loki leaning against the doorway his arms crossed, the buttons of his white shirt straining against his chest "l...loki w...what are you doing here?" You asked setting the cup down "oh, some nonsense of starks." He said pushing off the doorframe sliding his hands in the pockets of his tight black jeans "something about not completing my reports." He shrugged taking a step into the room "o..oh, um he didn't say anything to me." You said fidgeting with your fingers "well let's be honest, when have you known stark to be organized?" He asked making you laugh "so, naturally I came to you to see if there were any...discrepancies." He purred coming to stand in front of you, his cologne wafting between you making you sigh god he smells good you thought hearing loki laugh "do you like the cologne? I just purchased it." He asked smiling "oh...yeah! Your...rrr I mean it...it's good." You stuttered watching his smile widen
"well darling, if you wouldn't mind may I....come with you?" He asked, the baritone in his voice stirring something inside you I'll be coming later you thought remembering all the nights you touched yourself at the thought of his large hands roaming your body, his deep voice whispering how much he wanted you in your ear. You bit your lip seeing him raise an eyebrow at you "er...um sorry...what were you saying?" You asked wringing yours hands "Darling, i was asking if I could come and look at the reports." He said smiling again "oh! Right...yes absolutely!" You said shaking the impure thoughts from your head as you stepped around him and headed back towards your desk. You sat down, digging through the stack of files until you saw "Laufeyson" pulling it out "ah, here it is." You said freezing feeling a hand on your back "you forgot your coffee my dear." He purred setting your cup on the desk "oh, thank you Loki." You said feeling your cheeks heat up.
"Now, let's see shall we?" He asked, taking the file from you He sat it down on the desk in front of you, his one hand sliding to the back of your chair as he leaned his large lithe frame over you, feeling the heat from his chest against your arm. "Hmm..." he hummed flipping through the file page by page, his scent ingulphing you as your mind raced at his proximity to you, the way his forearms flexed with each page turn, your eyes tracing the veins running down to his... "I do not see any issue, do you darling?" He asked when you tilted your head up towards him, your nose almost touching his as he leaned closer "i...um...." your mind going blank as your eyes met his, you couldn't help stare into them. They always reminded you of a forest after a storm, the deep green and blue swirling in a maelstrom as powerful as the man they belonged to but at this closeness you could see specs of gold shining in them.
"Loki..." you whispered, your eyes shooting down to his lips they look so soft you thought when you felt him lean closer "y/n." He breathed when you looked back into his eyes "i..." you trailed off, feeling like your heart was going to beat out of your chest "tell me darling." He whispered as he hovered over you his eyes never leaving yours "i..." you tried again, your mouth going dry feeling his finger tuck your hair behind your ear "hmm?" He hummed expectantly the tip of his nose touching yours "agent y/l/n." You heard from across the room making Loki shoot straight up as you jumped "a..agent hill, morning...er afternoon." You stuttered watching Maria walk in "and what do we owe the pleasure Loki?" She asked nearing your desk "oh, I was only ensuring my report was accurate, I would hate to make miss y/n's job harder then it is." He explained, freezing feeling his finger slowly trail up your arm. "Well im sure the agent has it under control Mr. Laufeyson." Hill said coming to stand on your other side "yes, she does. So I will take my leave...perhaps I will see you later agent." He purred as you looked up at him seeing him smile "o...ok, bye Loki." You smiled back as he bowed slightly before walking to the door.
You sat staring at the file Loki had been going through when you felt Hill nudge you "oh my God, what was that about?" She asked sitting on the edge of your desk, her stern demeanor vanishing "i...I don't know." You said looking up at her "well he looked like he was about to eat you." She laughed making you laugh with her "no, he just wanted to go through his report." You said setting it back on the pile "riiight, even though he's never had an issue with them before." She said crossing her arms. "I...well maybe he...umm." you stuttered trying to think of a reason "dude, just accept the man wanted to eat you like a cream filled donut." She said making you laugh "what!? No he doesn't!" You urged hearing her laugh "well apparently you didn't see the look on his face." She said hopping off the desk. "Look, all I'm saying is maybe he likes you too." She shrugged walking to the door "no he doesn't, he's just being nice." You said grabbing your cup "uh huh...whatever you say." She winked as she walked out.
You sat back sipping your coffee trying to process what had happened when you heard your name called, looking up seeing Tony "Hey kid, I just wanted to check and see how those are coming along." He said pointing at the reports "fury is down my throat about them." He laughed as you looked up at him "oh yeah, they're almost done." You said setting your cup down "oh, and Loki came by like you asked." You said grabbing his file "i didn't ask him to come by." Tony said crossing his arms "yes you did." You said looking back at him "no....I didn't." He argued making you sigh "you sent him down saying there was an issue with his reports." You argued back tossing the file down "I hate to break it to you, but I didn't send him down here, I haven't even talked to him in days." He said making your eyebrows furrow "just have them done by tonight ok?" Tony asked as you nodded looking back down at your desk. "If Tony didn't tell him to come down here.." your thoughts trailed off as you looked up at the clock seeing it was already almost three "shit.." you sighed pushing your thoughts aside grabbing the next file getting back to work.
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It had been a couple weeks since your last interaction with Loki, but you couldn't get it out of your mind, it was beginning to drive you crazy. You were sat at your desk tapping your pen on a stack of files remembering the way his eyes stared into yours, how close he was to you, frowning remembering the lie he told you "Hey y/n, I need you to have Thor fix this." Maria said setting a piece of paper on your desk, seeing it was one of his mission reports "oh? What's wrong with it?" You asked picking it up "look at the description." She laughed as you looked down at that section seeing a simple "we won" written "I've told him that's not adequate but..." She sighed shaking her head. "Could you please have him actually write what happened?" She asked as you nodded "yeah, I just gotta find him." You said standing up "I believe he's in the training room, good luck." She smiled walking out. "Of course he is." You sighed walking towards the elevators.
You took a deep breath grabbing the handle of the door you pulled it open seeing Thor sparring with Steve as you walked in "Thor!" You yelled getting his attention seeing him smile at you as he walked over "Lady y/n, what can I do for you?" He asked setting his hammer down "you didn't fill out your report from the last mission." You said holding the paper out to him "you have to write a full description." You said holding your pen out to him "I do not see why, we won that's all that is important." He said grabbing the pen "just write something to make Hill happy." You laughed crossing your arms "very well, give me one moment." He said walking to the benches sitting down.
You looked out into the training room seeing Natasha on the treadmill, Steve had gone over to the punching bags, and then your eyes landed on Loki, dressed in black gym shorts that gave you full view of his muscular thighs, accompanied by a black tank top that was so tight you were surprised he could move, biting you lip watching as he sparred with Bucky. Your eyes traveled up seeing his long hair pulled back into a low bun, sweat making a few loose strands stick to his forehead as he pivoted and swayed, avoiding all of Bucky's attacks with the grace of a dancer. "Fuck...." you breathed, crossing your foot over the other clenching your thighs together trying to hide your arousal as bucky lunged at Loki when his large hand grabbed his throat, planting his foot behind bucky he threw him to the mat on his back kneeling next to him with his hand still on his throat god he could choke me anytime you thought biting your lip when Loki's eyes suddenly met yours making you jump.
His eyes didn't leave yours as he stood up, extending his hand to bucky pulling him up you watched his bicep flex, the veins in his arms bulging as Bucky got to his feet goood...I want trace them with my tongue you thought feeling your face heat up, arousal pooling in your stomach as your eyes met his again seeing a darkness in them you never had before "Lady y/n." Thor suddenly said next to you making you jump "apologies, I didn't mean to startle you." He said as you clutched your chest "no, it's ok." You said taking a deep breath "I have finished your report." He smiled holding out the paper "oh, thank you thor." You said quickly grabbing the paper "are you ok? You look a little flushed." He said as you ripped your pen out of his hand "yes! I'm fine." You said glancing over seeing Loki still watching you "i...I gotta go, see you later." You said quickly turning and walking towards the door, one last look back seeing Loki's eyes still on you making you shiver as you walked out.
You made your way back downstairs gripping the pen and paper in your hand, walking into Maria's office you slapped it on her desk "there." You said turning around "you ok? You seem...off." She said making you turn back to her "yeah! Totally fine!" You rushed out "I'm gonna call it a day, I'll see you tomorrow." You smiled before walking to your desk shutting everything off heading back upstairs to your apartment. Walking in you closed the door behind you leaning your back against it "Dammit Loki." You sighed closing your eyes, the friction of your clothing against your core making you moan "bath...a bath sounds good." You said rushing into the bathroom you turned the water on adding the bubbles as you pulled your clothes off before easing into the hot water.
You leaned back, closing your eyes you pictured the broody God, his eyes....his smile...."loki.." you whispered sliding your hand down your stomach, you gripped the side of the tub as your fingers slowly slid over your folds, biting your lip as you slowly moved your fingers down to your entrance dipping them inside you rocked your hand back and forth, imagining they were Loki's. "God...Loki..." you moaned moving your fingers faster, feeling that familiar tightening in your stomach "mmm....haaaarder...." you breathed picturing Loki's eyes staring into yours, his hand wrapped around your throat "fuuuck..Loki." you cried out feeling orgasm wash over you, squeezing your thighs together you slowly slid your fingers out.
You took a deep breath still feeling unsatisfied "ugh, that usually works." You sighed sitting up rubbing your temples. You groaned, grabbing your body wash you cleaned yourself up before getting out of the tub, the ache still very present in your core. Looking up seeing it was almost ten "Maybe I'll make some tea." You said to yourself slipping on your sleep shorts and a bright green tank top pulling your hair back before opening your door and making your way down to the kitchen. You slowly walked in releasing a breath seeing it empty and dark "good, everyone must be busy." You said walking in grabbing the kettle filling it before setting it on the stove.
You opened the cabinet seeing all the coffee mugs on the top shelf "freaking giants" you mumbled lifting you knee onto the counter pulling yourself up freezing hearing someone clear their throat. You slowly leaned back, peeking out from behind the cabinet door seeing Loki standing next to the counter by the door, wearing the white shirt that would cause your death, his hand in his pocket as he tilted his head "h...hey Loki." You said smiling nervously "evening y/n, may I ask what it is your doing up there?" He asked when the kettle screamed. You cleared your throat watching him move it and turn the burner off. "Well, you see....I couldn't sleep so...tea." you laughed as he looked back over to you "and all the mugs are up there." You said pointing to the top of the cabinet "ah, I see." You heard him say as you reached up grabbing a cup.
You went to put your foot down on the floor when your other knee slipped causing you to drop the cup as you fell back off the counter when an arm wrapped around your middle pulling you backwards, you back hitting solid muscle looking to the side seeing Loki smiling down at you. "Your cup my lady." He said lifting his other hand you looked at it seeing your cup dangling from his finger "t..thank you." You stuttered lifting the cup from his finger. "You really must be more careful my dear." He purred when you felt his thumb sliding up and down by your rib, slowly moving up towards your breast "i...I should finish the tea." You said pulling away from him walking to the stove. Stop it y/n, he's just being nice you thought shaking your head when the cabinet door slammed making you jump, turning to see Loki's hand on it.
"Loki...are you ok?" You asked as he turned around "no y/n, I'm afraid I'm not." He said taking a step towards you. "I...I can get bruce...or thor?" You asked stepping back as he came closer "I'm afraid neither of them can assist me." He growled continuing his advance as you walked backwards through the kitchen, loki right on top of you "um..well I could.." you trailed as your back hit the table "these games have exhausted me y/n." He said coming to stand in front of you his chest inches from yours "I don't know..." you started when he leaned forward planting his palms on either side of you caging you in "do not lie to me y/n," He said sternly making you shiver "l..loki i..." you sighed looking down fidgeting with your hands when he leaned forward freezing feeling his breath on your ear.
"I love your eyes as well." He whispered making your head jerk back looking at him "i...you..." you stuttered as the realization hit you "yes dear, there are times i can read your thoughts." He said as your eyes widened "h...how much is sometimes?" You panicked seeing him smile "well, it comes and goes, but depending on how...hard your thinking they make it through." He purred as you looked down, embarrassment flooding through you "y/n look at me...please." He whispered as you took a deep breath "Loki i..." you were cut off by his lips gently touching yours before he quickly pulled back checking gauging your reaction as you stood speechless. You must have taken too long to respond as panic flashed in his eyes as he slowly stood up "i...I have over stepped, I apologize." He said taking a step back, the loss of contact kicking your brain into gear.
"Wait." You rushed out fisting the front of his shirt you pulled him back to you, rising up on your toes your lips crashed into his, your other hand sliding across his side to his back pulling him closer moaning feeling his tongue slide along your bottom lip, his hand cupping the back of your head as you parted your lips hearing him groan as his tongue slipped inside tangling with yours. God his lips are soft you thought when you felt his hands slide across your sides to your back moving down his palms cupping your ass squeezing making you moan into his mouth as he lifted you up setting you on the table. Stepping between your parted legs he pulled back slightly as he kissed along your jaw, tilting your head back feeling his lips wrap around your earlobe "l..loki..." you moaned when his hand moved to the small of your back, pulling you towards him groaning feeling his erection press against your thigh.
God, fuck me..please fuck me you thought screwing your eyes shut feeling his teeth nip at your pulse point "say it." He growled, the husky tone of his voice making you shiver "w..what." you breathed when he pulled back looking into you eyes, his hand gently gripping your chin "I want to hear you say it." He growled his jaw clenching as he watched you with an intensity that sent electricity up your spine "i..I want..." you stuttered seeing his eyes darken "yes..." he encouraged rubbing his thumb across your lips "i...want you Loki." You whispered seeing him smile as he leaned down to your ear "do you want me to fuck you y/n?" He breathed as you gripped the table screwing your eyes shut "y..yes...please." You said, opening your eyes meeting his "norns..." he whispered as he lunged forward his lips crashing onto to yours, his hand going to the back of your head as he guided you down onto your back.
Arching your back feeling the cold wood through your thin tank top "I need to feel you...now." loki growled against your lips as his other hand slid up your side to the bottom of your shirt "as much as I love seeing you in my colors..." he trailed off standing up his hand slipped out from under your head joining the other, hearing a loud rip you gasped feeling the cold air hit your bare skin, looking down seeing your shirt ripped in half "gorgeous." Loki purred placing a large hand on your stomach, his finger tips ghosting over your skin as he slowly slid it up to the valley of your breasts gently pushing you back down. "One more thing." He smiled when you heard another rip, feeling your shorts and panties pulled from you. "Norns....you truly are magnificent." He purred as he wrapped his hands around your thighs sliding you to the edge.
"Loki...." you moaned feeling his clothed cock press against your core "I know my dear, be patient for me." He groaned lifting his hand a green light swept down across him, shivering feeling the tip of his cock at your entrance "are you ready love?" He asked making you look up, his smile melting your insides as his thumbs rubbed small circles on your thighs "y..yes....please loki." You whined laying back stretching your arms above your head "mmm....we'll have to look into that." He growled as he leaned over, his large body hovering over yours as he pushed his hips forward, stretching you slowly as he entered you. "Gods your...mmm tight." He groaned, bucking his hips forward making you gasp as he bottomed out.
"Holy fuck." You cried out digging your nails into the table as he leaned further over you, his eyes meeting yours "are you ok dear? Do you wish to stop?" He asked, concern lacing his tone as you stared up at him "God no!" You rushed out wrapping your legs around his middle, a deep rumble coming from his chest as he laughed "loki?" You asked wrapping your fingers around the end of the table "move...now" you demanded shifting your hips "as you wish." He growled as he planted one large hand next to your head, the other gripping your hip as he slowly pulled out, leaving only the tip in before slowly pushing back in.
"H...holy...." you moaned as he set a steady pace, burying his cock further inside you then anyone ever had God, he's ruined me you thought when he suddenly snapped his hips hard against yours jolting you up the table "that was the idea my dear." He growled "my cock will be the only one that can satisfy you." He said gritting his teeth as he slammed into you "Loki!!" You cried out gripping the edge of the table "the only pleasure you will find is impaled upon me as I bury myself in your perfect cunt." He said, his fingers digging into your flesh as he set a brutal pace, the table shifting under his thrusts as he consumed you. "F...fuck! Loki...ahhh....i.....im...." you cried out as his tip hit that soft spot deep inside you "are you going to come my dear?" He groaned, sliding his hand under your shoulder pulling you to him as his pelvis hit yours "y...yes....God Loki!" You yelled feeling the familiar tingle in your abdomen.
"Come y/n...come on my cock." Loki gritted as he thrust hard into you as your orgasm slammed into you screaming his name as he continued his unforgiving pace "w..whose cunt is this?" He growled digging his fingers nails into your shoulder "y..yours..." you moaned feeling another building "who....n...norns...who do you belong to?" He moaned screwing his eyes shut as you squeezed your legs around him "y...you Loki...only you!" You cried out as he bottomed out, holding himself there you felt him release deep inside you triggering a second orgasm as he slumped on top of you laying his forehead on your shoulder, his warm breath fanning your skin as you let go of the table, a hand going to the back of his head running your fingers through his hair, freezing feeling him stiffen.
Why did i do that...I shouldn't have done that you thought as you pulled your hand away "y/n?" You heard Loki ask but your thoughts drowned him out i....I should go...this was probably a one time thing... "y/n look at me." Loki's voice rang out again as you tried to slip out from under him what am I going to cover up with....I need to get back to my.... "y/n!" Loki yelled making jump, your eyes shooting to his "apologies, I did not mean to yell but you were lost." He said as he grabbed your hand helping you sit up "now, let me make one thing perfectly clear." He said raising his hand again, the same green light traveling across your skin as your clothes reappeared "you...are mine now." He said leaning forward "you are not a one night stand, you never were...you deserve much more then that." He said as you looked down fidgeting with your fingers "you deserved to be treated as a queen, a goddess...my goddess." He said brushing a loose strand of hair away from your face
"so y/n, will you alow me to take you out?" He asked as you looked up at him "m...me? You want to date me?" You asked laughing but seeing Loki looking more serious then you ever had "I um...I'd like that Loki, very much." You said seeing him smile "how about we go to my chambers and you put on one of your midgaridian films and we can talk more hm?" He asked making you smile "that sounds nice." You said sliding off the table as he held his hand out, placing your hand in his He linked your fingers together as he guided you down the hallway to his room "loki, does that mean your my...boyfriend?" You asked as he smiled down at you opening his door "you may call me whatever you wish, as long as you are mine." He said as he waved you ahead of him "I'll always be yours....my king." You said walking through the doorway "mmm....now that will get you more then you bargained for." He growled following you "oh, I'm counting on it." You smiled closing the door behind him.
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purple-babygirl · 2 months
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don't call me daddy
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x little!f!reader
Word count: 4,826
Summary : In a world where littles are openly themselves, they volunteer to help and be helped by willing caregivers. In spite of himself, Bucky finds himself stuck with one and to keep the nagging away, he has to learn how to be around her with everything that that entails.
Warnings: Bucky is mean, a couple of insults, mistreatment of age regressed reader, crying, mentions of hot liquid getting on skin, crying, mentions of the r-word, Bucky's PTSD & nightmares
A/N: so this is an idea I've had for forever and I finally mustered up enough courage to share it with you guys. Please enjoy and let me know what you think and if you have anything you'd like to suggest for the upcoming parts. I love you 💜
~
“This sounds stupid,” Bucky grumbled when Sam suggested the program.
“It's not stupid, Buck and it works!”
“If it worked for you doesn't mean it's gonna work for me, Sam. You have patience and it's in your nature to want to take care of people.”
“Says the one who looked out for Steve all his life!”
“Steve was one person and he was actually dumb, he wasn’t acting like he can't fucking feed himself!”
“They're not acting. They're age regressed.” Sam tried to remain calm.
“What does that even mean!”
“It means-”
“You know what? I don't care because I'm not doing it.” Bucky smiled before leaving Sam's house and going back to hide in his own.
But Sam was persistent. He was determined to get Bucky help that would actually help. So he suggested the program to Bucky's therapist and before Bucky could punch him, she was having him sign the contract.
“Sam, I don't wanna meet anyone. It's not gonna work anyway so let's just pick any of them.”
“They're not service dogs, Bucky!”
“Really? Because that's exactly what it sounds like they are to me.”
Sam glared at him, elbowing his side as a short lady with a kind smile approached them.
Bucky didn't pay her much attention. He didn't want to be here and he didn't care what she was reciting.
Only thing that caught his attention was when she asked him what age he would prefer so she could introduce him to a group of littles.
He was dreading this. It was stupid.
“…what are you looking for?” Bucky caught the end of her talk with Sam.
“I don't know, someone who can talk like they're not retarded,” he answered the lady rudely and she smiled in understanding when Sam apologized.
“They're not retarded. All of them are perfectly healthy and okay. They're age regressed,” she told Bucky and he rolled his eyes so hard he felt they might never return from the back of his head.
He hated those two words. Age regressed, what the fuck did that even mean?
“Maybe we can meet some of the littles who are not so young, like 6 year olds?” Sam suggested and she nodded, leading them to a building with long corridors and lots of doors.
Bucky could see adult women and men playing with dolls, sleeping with pacifiers and some of them even had other people feeding them.
What the hell was this place? Did they expect him to do that? With a person perfectly capable of handling his or her own self but chooses not to?! Was this the 21st century? Because he didn’t like it very much.
The lady led them inside her office and got a group of files out of some organized drawer. She'd barely laid them out on the table before Bucky was slamming his finger on one.
“We'll take this one,” he said, staring at the lady in disinterest.
“But you haven't even seen them,” Sam said between his teeth, kicking his leg under the table. He wished Bucky cared enough to do this right.
“I've seen enough. I pick this file and I wanna leave,” Bucky seethed back.
“This is Doll. She's one of the softest littles I've ever met and I think you've made a great choice, Mr. Barnes.”
“You call her Doll?”
“Yes, real names aren't revealed for the privacy of our littles unless they decide otherwise and she chose the name herself when she joined us.” The lady smiled kindly, making Bucky even madder.
“Whatever, let's get this over with. Tell her to come so we could leave.”
“Mr. Barnes, I have to admit your attitude towards this is very concerning and I fear I cannot risk the peace of our littles who confide in us to find them safe partners! Like I said she's one of the gentlest and I need to know you're going to treat her right before I even let you meet her!” The woman voiced her concerns and Bucky sighed.
He couldn't blow this now. He's come far enough with this whole process and if he went back to his therapist like that she was definitely going to get out her dreadful notebook.
He had to take this girl home tonight or else they would make him go through this same process over and over again.
“I'm sorry, I'm just a little confused, I guess.” Bucky scratched his beard.
“That's okay.” She smiled again, “most of our visitors are, but you can always ask.”
“Well- what is wrong with them?!” He exclaimed, gesturing with his hands in the air. Sam kicked him again and glared.
“What? She said I could ask!”
“It's okay,” she told Sam with a chuckle.
“Nothing is wrong with them. Them regressing in age is their way to cope and relieve anxiety or deal with other mental illnesses such as traumatic experiences, or even just stress. It's a freer, calmer state of mind for them to return to when it's no longer easy for them to be big.”
Her calm, kind manner while explaining this made Bucky even angrier inside. This wasn’t normal and they should all stop acting like it was.
“So they're supposed to be helping me with my issues but they're dealing with their own issues?”
Like he originally thought, this was stupid.
“Yes, it's a mutual helping program.” The lady confirmed.
“Oh. And what's this Doll's issue?”
“Doll reverts to age regression as a coping mechanism for her depression and PTSD. She's been doing great lately actually!”
“Is she suddenly gonna go grownup or-?” Bucky continued, involuntarily asking every question on his mind.
“No, like I said, Doll reverts to little space for the comfort and safety of it and while she can coax herself out of her headspace, she rarely ever chooses to.”
“But she can?”
“Yes. But I need to tell you, Mr. Barnes, that this is not why you're here.” She reminded, wanting to ensure the safety of self expression for the little one.
“I know.”
“I also need you to promise me to be a good caregiver for her. She's a sweet girl and I can guarantee she will be good for you.”
“I promise.” Bucky knew he was lying but he couldn’t care less about his honesty at the moment.
“And it’s never acceptable to make fun of her or try to force her into a more grownup headspace. That only makes it worse and her mind regresses further.”
“So what she becomes younger?!” he was trying so hard not to get frustrated, why make him!
“That's correct.” She nodded.
“How young?” Sam asked.
“The youngest she's ever been is 4.”
“Oh.” Great. Just great.
“She can still talk just fine,” she reassured them, knowing Bucky didn't want anyone who couldn't talk or seemed 'retarded'.
“Okay, good.” Bucky nodded, wanting to get out of the place as soon as possible.
“Would you like to meet Doll now or do you wanna take a look at the rest of the files?”
“I'll meet her.” Bucky stood up, hand already at the doorknob.
~
The meeting thing went relatively well and Bucky was surprised the girl wasn't intimidated by his frown or intense stare. She was mesmerized by the metal arm even.
He wasn't going to lie to himself, he still thought this whole thing was dumb but he needed to convince his therapist and everyone that he was okay again so they'd leave him alone.
She didn’t ask him any questions or have any conditions. She just stared at him with wide, sparkly eyes.
A minute later he heard the girl whisper her agreement to the short lady.
Apparently, she was big enough to make the decision to leave with a strange man she didn't know but not enough to properly dress herself or sleep without a damn toy.
Bucky was relieved anyway; glad she was idiotic enough to choose him so he wouldn't have to meet with any other 'littles'. And she wasn't ugly to look at either.
The old lady had a word with her privately before she was packing a bag and they were on their way to Bucky’s place.
~
“Where do I stay, daddy?”
Bucky hasn’t said a word to her since they’d left the institution. He made her carry her bag from the car to the elevator and from the elevator inside the apartment. He wasn’t going to be nobody’s maid.
She was physically capable and that didn’t need a professional to see it.
“I don’t know, figure it out.” Bucky shrugged, kicking his shoes off by the door and stepping inside.
She followed his lead and neatly placed her shoes at the corner by the door as well.
“Where do you want me to stay, daddy?” she asked politely, wanting to make him comfortable, seeing he was the owner of the house.
He was making her a little nervous.
This wasn’t his energy back at the institution and she tried her best not to get scared.
“I don't want you. I never did,” Bucky told her the minute she sat on his couch, throwing his keys on the wooden coffee table, “We're just gonna pretend your presence here is changing something and then I'm gonna return you.”
I don't want you.
She's definitely heard that before.
Return her. Like she was some sort of item. She wasn't what he wanted and it cracked her trained-to-love heart.
“Yes, daddy,” she replied brokenly, tears threatening to spill over the rims of her eyes.
Nothing was worse than feeling unwanted.
“Don't call me that.” Bucky snapped.
“B-But you're my daddy.” She was seriously confused now. Why would he pick her if he didn’t want this?
“I'm not your anything and stop acting so small, you look grown up enough to me.”
Why did he take her home if he didn’t like her and didn’t want to be her Daddy?
“I'm not acting.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and she felt more insecure than ever.
“Yeah, yeah, you're age regressed. Whatever, just don't call me that. I'm no one's daddy.” Bucky took his shirt off throwing it on the couch beside her, making her flinch.
“But what should I call you if not-”
“Call me Mr. Barnes, if you're so keen on being polite.” Bucky rolled his eyes.
“Yes, Mr. Barnes.” She sniffled.
“And stop crying.” He huffed.
“Yes, Mr. Barnes.” She quickly wiped at her face, holding the rest of her tears inside and forcing the lump in her throat further down.
Bucky muttered something under his breath before snatching his shirt and leaving to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him as she flinched again.
He didn't say she was a good girl for calling him what he wanted, or for stopping her crying when she was told to. He didn't like her and he wanted to return her.
What was she supposed to do until he sent her back? He didn't want her help even if they said he needed it.
Was it going to be like this for the next 3 months? How was she going to do all of the grown up stuff if Daddy Mr. Barnes didn't help her? How was she going to live? And why did she still care to try her best to be good for the harsh, blue-eyed man?
~
She didn’t know what to do so she sloppily changed her clothes by herself, putting her socks in the hamper to be washed like a good girl.
She washed her hands and feet by herself, unknowingly making Bucky think he was right all along about letting her do things on her own as she should.
That was until he put a hot cup of instant noodles before her for dinner though. He refused to help her eat and she accidentally spilled hot soup over her hand and the wooden table. It was chaos.
Bucky cursed out loud and she started crying in pain.
He had enough pity on her to drag her to the bathroom and put her hand under the cold water. If his hold on her arm hurt, she didn’t say anything.
“Keep it there, don’t you dare move.”
“Mr. Barnes, don’t leave,” she sniffled, eyes red and in pain.
“I’m not leaving you in the Sahara desert.” Bucky rolled his eyes, “I gotta go clean the mess you made.” He left her in the bathroom and she kept her hand under the water, not daring to move like she was told.
“How hard is it to eat fucking noodles! It’s not quantum physics!”
Bucky muttered angrily as he wiped the soup off the table with a cloth.
“Fuck that age regression shit I am done!” he took their noodle cups to the kitchen and dumped both in the bin.
“What are you still doing in there! It’s not like you got burnt by lava!” Bucky shouted to her, walking to the bathroom.
“I- I- Mr. Barnes, you told me not to move.” She began crying again at his angry demeanor.
“For fuck’s sake,” Bucky groaned, “do you ever stop crying?!”
“I’m s-sorry.” She hiccupped. She didn’t know what to say or how to please him she just wanted him to stop glaring at her. She was scared.
“Get out of there and dry your hands,” Bucky told her, sitting on the couch with a sigh.
“Yes, Mr. Barnes.” Came her chocked whisper.
“Does it hurt?” Bucky asked when she came out of the bathroom, tears drying on her cheeks.
The question surprised her. Maybe he did care after all.
“Burns a little,” she told him, pointing to the back of her hand where the skin got burnt.
“I might have a cream here somewhere,” he said, trying his best to keep an unconcerned expression on.
She took a look around when Bucky stood up to look in the kitchen. It was a cozy place and she wasn’t too needy but she couldn’t help but wonder about where she was going to sleep.
There didn’t seem to be enough furniture in here.
“Try not to touch it and you should be fine in the morning,” Bucky instructed after applying the burns cream to the sensitive area of skin.
“Thank you, Mr. Barnes.” She whispered before absentmindedly pecking Bucky’s cheek.
Bucky’s eyes widened at her guts. He certainly didn’t see that coming. It was her first night here how was she so bold!
His breath stuttered out of his lungs but he quickly recomposed himself.
Bucky’s jaw clenched and he gave her a dark stare.
“Do you have a death wish?”
“N-No.” She quickly shook her head.
“Did I give you permission to do that?”
“No.” She shook her head again, sort of knowing where this was going. She was going to get punished.
“Then why’d you do it?” Bucky sneered through his teeth.
“To th-thank Mr. Barnes.” He made her so nervous she could barely hear herself answer him.
Bucky hated her. She had no sense of boundaries. He hated the way she cried all the time. He hated the way she referred to him in third person.
He hated her.
“You already said that, didn’t you?”
She nodded.
“Don’t do it again.” Was all Bucky said and she was relieved.
“Yes, Mr. Barnes.”
Bucky scoffed and stood up to put the cream back where he found it.
~
Turned out, Bucky had no bed. He slept on the floor and he didn’t need one.
“But where do I sleep, Mr. Barnes?” She asked in a small voice.
“Anywhere that is not next to me,” Bucky replied, not even sparing her a glance.
“Can I sleep here?” she asked, patting the couch.
“Suit yourself.”
“Thank you, Mr. Barnes.” She gave a shy smile.
“I didn’t make the damn couch. Just go to sleep.”
“Bad word again,” she whispered.
“What was that?” Bucky raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing.” She slammed a hand on her mouth.
“Repeat what you just said if you know what’s good for you.” Bucky glared.
“I- Mr. Barnes said a bad word,” she whispered shakily.
“Yeah, well, it’s my house! I’ll talk however I want!” Bucky raised his voice.
“Yes, Mr. Barnes.” She nodded, not even thinking about arguing that he shouldn’t curse in front of a little.
“Go to sleep.”
“Yes, Mr. Barnes.” She quickly plopped on the couch, covering herself with a blanket, and burying her face in a cushion.
Bucky almost chuckled; almost thought it was cute but he shook the smile off his face quickly and sighed, taking his shirt off and getting himself on the hard floor, easily falling asleep.
He always falls asleep so fast because nightmares usually wake him up few hours after; he be waiting for bed time all day.
She peeked from under the blanket when she heard Bucky snore, carefully tiptoeing to her bag to get her stuffie. She took one look at shirtless Bucky, her cheeks heating up, before sliding back under the covers on the couch.
Her Daddy that didn’t like to be called Daddy was beautiful.
~
It has started again. He’s chasing a person, he corners them to where they could not run anymore, his left hand wraps around their throat, they struggle and beg and then snap. He kills them.
Bucky startled awake, having a hard time taking his breath only to find her on the floor next to him.
Her eyes were full of worry and maybe even sympathy as she clutched a stuffed animal. Bucky didn’t like it.
“It’s okay, Daddy- Mr. Barnes. ‘T was just a bad dream.” She whispered, dropping her stuffie to wrap her short arms around Bucky.
He wouldn’t admit it but it felt nice to be held. Something inside him wanted to succumb to the gentleness of her gesture. But Bucky shut that down at once.
“Get off,” Bucky huffed tiredly as the girl clung to him and rubbed his sweaty back.
“But-”
“Get. Off.” He repeated, grinding his teeth and she reluctantly slipped off his lap and went back to her spot on the floor.
She stared at him as he panted and frowned for a second before leaving the room.
Bucky scoffed, rubbing a hand down his hot face. She probably went to cry in the bathroom again; such a crybaby.
Except she didn’t.
She returned with a relatively cool glass of water, only half full. She didn't want to be bad and spill.
“I got you water, Mr. Barnes.” She carefully got on her knees and offered him the cup.
“Stop saying my name so much.” Bucky snatched the cup out of her hand, gulping down the water without showing an ounce of gratitude.
She pouted, crawling to her bag to get him tissues because she didn’t see any around.
“So you do know how to act around liquids after all.” Bucky taunted, still not over the fact that she spilled soup over his table before taking the tissues from her to wipe his forehead.
“Do you want me to sing you a lullaby, Mr. Barnes? It helps me after bad dreams.” She suggested, desperately hoping he would let her help.
“Not all of us act like kids to flee our nightmares.”
“Mr. Barnes.” Her eyes filled with tears and it was the last thing Bucky wanted to deal with, “I’m not acting.”
She was hurt but he didn’t care. He said what he said.
“Get back on the couch, I wanna go to sleep.” Bucky dismissed, pushing the empty glass against the wall.
“Yes, Mr. Barnes.” She whispered dejectedly, taking her friend and crawling back to the couch.
~
The same thing happened every night for another four nights. At this point she was really worried about the man she started singing lullabies anyway, not waiting for his permission.
“Hey, you!”
“Doll,” she corrected.
“Whatever! Shut up already. I told you I don’t need your stupid singing.” Bucky growled into his pillow.
He was lying. He hated admitting it but he was. Her voice was actually angelic. He never went back to sleep again after a nightmare but that changed when she ignored his wishes and started singing. Bucky could drift off again to her soft voice.
He could get more hours of nightmareless sleep because of her lullabies. But he was too stubborn to admit anything that came from her was working for him.
It must be a coincidence. He probably fell asleep again because he was exhausted from being mad at her all day.
“I know Mr. Barnes doesn’t need it. It’s for me.” She lied as well. She knew lying wasn’t good girl like but she was helping Mr. Barnes; it was for good reason.
~
“Mr. Barnes,” her small voice called to him but Bucky was ignoring her.
He was pretending he couldn’t hear her and continued staring at the TV because she talked too much for his liking.
“Mr. Barnes.” She ever so lightly touched Bucky’s arm.
“What!” he spit suddenly, making her jump.
“We- We need to go shopping. Mrs. Morrison will visit tomorrow.”
She knew the process and for some reason didn’t want to be taken away from Bucky.
If Mrs. Morrison came and saw the way the apartment was or the way Bucky treated Doll, she was definitely going to make her leave with her.
“What?!”
“It’s day five.” She reminded, tilting her head to the side.
“Yeah, so?” Bucky’s body fully turned to face her.
“It’s visit day. We have to go shopping.”
“How do I know you’re not lying just to get me to buy you things?”
“I don’t lie, Mr. Barnes.” She assured him, looking hurt at even the suggestion.
“It’s in the papers,” she told him, referring to the contract he’s signed as well as the guide he was provided with her file before leaving the institution.
Bucky narrowed his eyes at her, but stood up to look at the papers he’d carelessly shoved in a drawer in the kitchen a few days ago.
“Shit,” he muttered when he saw she wasn’t lying. He heard her whisper bad word but chose to ignore it.
There were scheduled visits listed with different time intervals between each visit for the next three months.
Bucky groaned, throwing the paper sheet back in the drawer and slamming it shut.
“Put your clothes on, we’re going fucking shopping.”
“Bad word.”
“Don’t even-” she ran to the bathroom to change before Bucky could get angrier.
What has Sam gotten him into?
~
“Why’s your hair so messy!” Bucky asked, shoving her out of his way to grab a jar of peanut butter and put in the cart.
“I don’t know how to do it on my own an’ Mr. Barnes kept telling me to hurry up.”
Her voice was so small and if Bucky wasn’t so infuriated by the situation he would’ve felt bad for how he spoke to her.
“You’d think you’d actually look decent enough after taking forever to get ready.” Bucky huffed.
She remained silent, looking down and closing in on herself.
“Do you eat this?” Bucky asked, waving a box of corn flakes in front of her.
“Yes, Mr. Barnes.”
Bucky nodded, throwing the box in the cart.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop saying my name so much?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Barn-” Bucky’s cold stare stopped the word on her tongue.
“Call me Bucky.”
He didn’t want her to call him Bucky. But if that Mrs. Morrison was visiting tomorrow she couldn’t know he made her speak to him formally.
“Bucky?”
“Bucky.”
“Yes, Bucky.” She smiled shyly, feeling one step closer to the man.
Bucky didn’t know his life would turn upside down so fast.
He never cared about grocery shopping because he didn’t need that much stuff and he mostly ate at restaurants or diners or bought take out. He mainly just had beer filling his fridge.
But with her tied to him now he was buying all kinds of food: fresh vegetables and fruits, juice boxes, snack bars and way too many Oreos. Not to mention the toiletries he had to pay for because aside from her tooth and hair brushes, she came with nothing.
“Bucky, can we please get this?” she asked, pointing to a stuffed white wolf.
“No, you already have one at home. I see it every night.”
“Please, Bucky, please. Pretty please,” she begged, giving puppy eyes and pressing her palms together even.
“Okay, fine, shut up. God!” Bucky grumpily put the toy in the cart and got them to the nearest cashier before she could pick anything else.
She was so happy and was going to cherish her new stuffie more than ever.
~
Bucky was pacing back and forth in the living room. He needed to find a way to convince her not to tell Mrs. Morrison or whatever her name was how he treated her.
He didn’t want her to know she had any type of power over him because of the situation.
Bucky definitely wasn’t going to say please, but he also knew he couldn’t scare her into saying what he wanted.
“Bucky, please go to bed. Wolfie can’t sleep.” She whined, hugging her newest stuffie to her heart.
Bucky gave her yet another hard glare. She made him so angry that sometimes he forgot how to function. She was so spoiled and oblivious.
“I won’t say anything to Mrs. Morrison,” she whispered.
“You think I care what you have to say?! They could take you right now for all I care!” Bucky replied angrily.
“I know…” she mumbled, “I don’t want them to.”
Her words left Bucky without a reply. He was confused. She didn’t want to leave? Why not? Bucky hasn’t said one kind word to her since she’s been entrusted to him.
Was she some type of masochist?
“I wanna stay with Bucky. Sing him lullabies and eat noodles with him,” she said, her voice soft and heavy with sleep, before her eyes shut as she drifted off.
Her words put Bucky at ease for now and he got on the floor to finally try to get some sleep. He tried to ignore the way they affected him though.
~
“Bucky,” she called gently.
“Hmm.”
“I need to shower,” came her timid whisper.
“Do you see me using the bathroom?! Help yourself.” Bucky huffed, stirring the sugar in his mug.
“I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?!” he snapped, throwing the spoon in the sink.
“I need Bucky’s help.” Her face was on fire with embarrassment of having to say this out loud.
“For fuck’s sake,” Bucky rolled his eyes, pushing his mug aside before grabbing her arm and pushing her to the bathroom.
She whimpered as they stood before the glass door of the shower.
“This, because you’re not stupid you’re just age regressed, opens the hot water.” Bucky pointed to the tap handle on the right. “This opens the cold water. And this-”
“Bucky, that’s not what I need help with.” She shook her head, biting down on her lip.
“What do you want from me then?!” Bucky had no patience and her bashfulness wasn’t helping.
She raised her arms up before whispering, “I need Bucky to gimme a shower.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Bad word.”
“Don’t start now! You don’t know how to shower?!”
She shook her head, pouting as her eyes got teary again, “not when little.”
“This is bullshit. I didn’t even wanna do this. Damn you, Sam Wilson!” Bucky said, walking out of the bathroom angrily as she trailed behind him like the lost puppy she was.
“Bad word.”
“Stop!” Bucky boomed and she put her hands behind her back timidly.
“Please, Bucky,” she begged, getting hold of his hand.
“No! On my dead body!”
~
“Stand straight or I swear I’m gonna leave you here and go!”
“Yes, Bucky,” she giggled, the water trickling down her spine tickling her.
“Now what?” he huffed, trying not to stare at her naked chest.
“Now, this.” She held up the bottle of conditioner for him and Bucky sighed before taking it and squeezing some on his hand.
He was about to smooth it down her scalp when she moved away.
“No, no! This goes on the ends or else it gives you dandruff,” She said and Bucky would’ve facepalmed so hard if it wasn’t for the slippery matter covering his palms.
This was going to be long.
~
She was fast asleep on Bucky’s couch after her shower, so peaceful and without a care in the world.
Bucky envied her as he got in place on the floor. He really wished he had enough flexibility in him to accept help and care from someone.
But no, he didn't need her. He didn't need any of this. He just had to go through tomorrow and the rest will figure itself out.
Yeah, yeah just tomorrow for now, Bucky thought as he drifted off.
part II
~
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cowplant-pizza · 8 months
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sim requests for @opalias !
meet the clarke family
louis clarke:
age - 20 traits - perfectionist, ambitious, loyal aspiration - academic occupation - student & barista background - louis grew up as a child genius. he was the son of two professors and excelled in all of his studies due to his parents continuous support with his school work (although he didn't need their help most of the time). louis doesn't have many friends as he comes across as quite snobby and mean, but he's actually a total sweetheart. he treasures his close friends! although louis is incredibly smart, there is one thing he doesn't know: what he wants to do with his life. he has many niche hobbies like photography, skiing, the violin and programming, but non pique his interest enough to pursue them as a career. it's time for him to enrol in university and begin his young adulthood! louis has decided to study *redacted* at university, and will work part time at the local bookstore come cafe, where he has a serious crush on the manager!
beatrice clarke
age - 49 traits - perfectionist, genius, outgoing aspiration - friend of the world occupation - retired (psychiatrist, psychology professor) background - growing up in a wealthy family, beatrice was given an edge over her fellow students in reaching her goals: money. she wasn't happy about the influence her family held over the town and so left them and never looked back at 18. she excelled in university and got her dream job of being a psychologist. however after 10 years in the field, she decided to change her field of work and become a professor of the subject to help teach sims in university. this is where she met her husband georgio, where they fell madly in love and married only 5 months after meeting. in her spare time, beatrice loves to throw parties for her friends.
georgio clarke
age - 51 traits - geek, loner, family oriented aspiration - super parent occupation - programming professor background - georgio's family were initially from sulani, but he moved to san myshuno to study and become a professor of programming. after not being interested in meeting any women and pursing a relationship for the first 25 years of his life, he finally met beatrice when she started working at the same university that he did. he worships her and the ground she walks on, and loves his little son so so much. although georgio prefers his own company, and because of beatrice's background, they aren't short on money, he continues to work as he enjoys teaching the students. in his spare time, georgio might hack into some government files and snoop around, but you didn't hear that from me
bean
age - 4 breed - labrador traits - smart, loyal, friendly background - bean was put up for adoption at 6 months old after her owner realised why it was so hard to train her: she is a deaf blind dog! at age 16, louis saw her on simstagram, and being the ambitious young boy he was, begged his parents to let him have her and to learn with her and train her for small competitions. he wanted to show the world that just because she had some disabilities, it wouldn't stop her from doing anything that other dogs could do too!
this request is public, so everyone can download them...
here (simfileshare / no adfly)
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natalieleif · 4 months
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UPDATE: I finally got stuck and went on Youtube beat Undertale Yellow! All in all, I really liked it! It's infested that part of my brain where things go that are fun enough to invest time in, but also have enough scattered potential for some really good fanfic/art.
I do agree with a lot of the critiques, and I'm glad to see a lot of stuff added in Version 1.1 to make life easier (bug fixes, Easy Mode, recovery items, etc). I'm hoping there's a 1.2 version later that adds even more quality-of-life. That said, a lot of the critiques aren't... really... things that seem feasible for a patch update. ("Make the character art more monstrous!" You mean, redraw every sprite in the game!?!)
So with that in mind, here are some things I'd love to see in 1.2 that are maybe (hopefully!) easier for a freelance dev team. Spoilers below!
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Adjusted mechanics/dialogue for bosses that have no reason to kill you. This is most obvious with Starlo and Martlet's Pacifist fights--both are friendly and reluctant towards murder, so their Pacifist fights ending in death or defeat feels... odd? Compare to Toriel or Papyrus: one will adjust her attacks to never hit if you take too much damage, and another will cut his battle entirely if you hit 1 hp. A similar form of 1-hp cutoff or "Oops, that was an accident!" Game Over dialogue would match their motivations a lot better.
Related to the above, offer a Skip option for any battle the player's lost 3+ times. This is a common video game handicap, and one I always support in story-heavy games like this. A lot of feedback I've seen is from people who want to love the story but struggled with Sir Slither's ACT pattern or Axis's breakout puzzle, so this is an easy way to get most people to finish the game.
Have Dalv gift you any items you missed in the Ruins as a "thank you" for Clover's support. This patch would solve two immediate concerns: that Dalv doesn't have a larger role, and that many players will miss items like the Golden Pear. Sure, Dalv sends a letter to Clover, but the incentive to go back to Snowdin at that point is low. Having some sort of item reward makes it an active part of an average game run and lets more players see Dalv post-Ruins.
Call the Sunnyside Farm a Ranch like it's called in the files. Okay, this one's just for me, but it being a Ranch makes way more thematic sense for the cowboy area.
Let Ace run the card game at least once in the Wild East. Seriously, it's kinda weird that he doesn't. I understand why he can't while he's napping, but the other times??
Edit Ceroba's post-Starlo Pacifist fight dialogue to make it more clear that she's taking you on the fastest shortcut to Asgore. The main critique with the third act to Pacifist route is that it very quickly becomes Ceroba's plot about finding Kanako. And because it's framed as a hunt for Kanako, the dialogue becomes a rush of info about who Kanako is and why this side-plot should matter to you, the player. But at this point we've already done a side-plot, and most players are antsy to get to the end game. Yet the Steamworks really is the only route to Hotland in that area! Having Ceroba guide the player through what they think is a spooky shortcut to the End Boss fits the story, braces the player for the finale, and lets the TALK dialogue with Ceroba build up naturally through the lab, so her betrayal about Kanako has more time to build up and hurts more as a final boss fight.
That's all I got! Thanks for reading, and feel free to reblog with your own wants for a 1.2 patch!
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So Doof in Milo Murphy's Law?
In general, I think Doof was as funny as he always was. He's just a disaster of a man with few social skills. He sometimes seems a bit more annoying or inconsiderate than he used to be, though I'm pretty sure the reason for this is Doof in Phineas and Ferb hardly interacts with anyone but Perry, who doesn't talk, mostly in his apartment where his behavior doesn't really bother anyone else. Doof DOES have a full fledged supporting cast so to speak (Vanessa, Norm, Charlene, Roger, OWCA, LOVE MUFFIN), but their interactions often just set up an episode or close out an episode. Not to say he doesn't have storylines where he interacts with other characters, and Norm is around often, but that's not where he spends his time. And those characters he does interact with are usually foiled to him in some notable way. I think the only human characters he interacts with for more than a few lines at a time with are Major Monogram (who is a "good" guy but a bit of an asshole, who has a natural chemistry than , Rodney, who often specifically riles Doof up, and Vanessa whose issues with her dad is central to many of her stories and has a lot of patience for him. And the kids on occasion, where I think we see many of the same problems of his Milo Murphy's Law presence. Where he's basically the kids peer and is often called out for his ridiculousness, and irritates a lot of people. There are characters Doof bounces off wonderfully and characters he just doesn't. Orton Mahson, yes. Sara, Not so much.
It's just that in MML, he's regularly interacting with people so his inability to function is affecting people beyond his immediate family. It's a bit less funny when he's actually interacting with people who don't deserve the problems he's causing. Or who aren't on some level, obligated to deal with it. His behavior is just constant Agent Doof/At2D behavior, but its now directed at characters who shouldn't have to put up with his nonsense. And it's also a little bit Doof is in a context different than the one we saw him than during PnF. He's not as certain about who he is. He's lacking a solid goal. Despite sounding like I'm complaining, I don't really mind all that so to speak. I mean, he was pretty good in the Phineas and Ferb effect in my opinion precisely because he had Orton Mahlson and Cavendish to bounce off of. Doof's still funny, he's still got heart. But I think it just makes the actual problem worse.
Which is that it split S2's focus. S1 heavily focused on Milo and friends, with the pistachio stuff mostly going on in the background until it became actually important. 2 plot lines (not unlike PnF). But Season 2 added a third arc in addition to the Alien arc that replaced the time travel arc, Doof's professor time arc. And while it paralleled Cavendish and Dakota's, it still took up time. I didn't really dislike any of it per se. But it was taking significant time away from Milo, and to a certain extent the dynamics we could have between Milo characters. I don't necessarily have a problem with the episodes, its just between Milo and Gang, Cavendish's escapades, Doof was just too much. We know (due to all the failed backdoor pilots in PnF S4), that they wanted to continue Doof's story. Between Doof 101 and the OWCA Files, they were clearly been thinking about a Doof who is figuring out how to be good for a while. And Doof, DID have room to grow. I do completely agree with giving Doof an arc. But ultimately Doof is a character who is far more funny when he's diluted by other shenanigans, or has good people to bounce off, and Milo's less erratic formula didn't dilute him too much. What I mean by that is we didn't have B (and C) plots the way we did in Phineas. I LOVE Doof, let me make that clear, he was always a delight, but I think I speak for most of us when I say I didn't love Doof enough to give up limited Milo time for him.
Phineas and Ferb had like 65 episodes in its first two seasons alone while Milo Murphy's Law had 40 episodes total. And Doof was a main character in at least 8 segments. Which may not sound like a lot, but half of those episodes didn't feature Milo. He also featured as a major character in several others. And unlike PnF where most segments were shared with the Flynn-Fletcher's escapades, when Doof gets a segment, he's often its sole focus. I genuinely think cutting down a few of the more repetitive Doof episodes or giving them Milo centric B-plots could have done a world of good. That said, I just don't care that much about Doof's middle aged drama compared to the kids shenanigans.
So ultimately I have extremely mixed feelings on it. I do love Doof. Him being professor time and Cavendish's hero, Cavenpuss, his role in helping the kids with the aliens. All great. But I admit. I don't watch the episodes featuring him nearly as much as I do the ones that are just about him and Perry's drama. I think it was something Dan and Swampy cared about. And I respect that. I get it. I could never hate it. But Milo and his friends are great characters who easily can carry half a show, and their extended cast are incredibly engaging. Between the rest of the Murphy family and the rest of the middle school there was plenty of story opportunities. Not to mention Melissa and Zack's families (we never meet Zack's younger siblings, despite their existence being confirmed). I think we all wanted to see something new.
I think none of the episodes featuring Doof were particularly bad but they all together did felt a bit repetitive when the unexplored potential of Milo was right there. I enjoyed Doof's presence in pretty much any episode where Milo and his friends also played a role, because his presence felt beneficial to the story. I liked Doof in the finale for example. But I also can't help but feel that I would have rather had characters like Amanda and Sara in it, characters who were a lot more relevant to Milo, even if Doof was a delight. But when Milo dipped out of an episode to focus on Doof that was a huge problem.
And usually I love episodes which let's us explore new dynamics. And let's make it clear, I like Adventure Buddies. But did we really need it. Maybe if Milo got another season. Because that seems like the exact kind of episode that would have come out of season 3 or 4 of Phineas and Ferb, when they had already worked through a lot of the more expected combinations and started experimenting with weirder stuff. That's when we started getting, all the AU versions of the gang, the episodes that shuffled up the cast and status quo in more unusual ways, and while those are some of my favorite episodes, I feel they only worked because of how much we already had.
There are definitely a few episodes I would cut, or at least would have demoted to B plots of some other episode. But ultimately, Doof's journey was clearly a story they so desperately wanted to tell, and he is, for the most part, a delight. I can't imagine cutting him out of Milo Season 2 altogether. It's such an important piece of Doof lore that I would hate to lose. But I mourn the loss of Milo (and Cavendish and Dakota) episodes even more. I really do have mixed feelings about it. And I can only hope that Milo & co make their way into the new PnF seasons.
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iciatheguardess · 29 days
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There's a knock on Icia's door.
"Come in," she calls out.
Starro opens the door, immediately shivering as the cold air wafts around him. "Hey Icia- you okay?"
Icia nods, fidgetting with the sleeves of her sweater. "I wanted to make sure you we- what happened to your leg?!" She immediately exclaims.
Starro quickly sits down. "I'm okay, just broke it a bit.."
"BROKE IT??? HOW?!?!" Icia shouts. Small ice spikes burst out from around her, rising to elbow height.
"Icia, calm down, I'm fine!!! Just a performance that went wrong... I'm okay. Promise."
Icia pauses, taking a breath and breaking her backside out from the ice surrounding it. "... apologies-. Um.... so... you've had a broken leg... and that's why you weren't able to join us against the pirates?"
Starro nods. "I didn't want to fight with a broken leg.... sorry, I didn't really um. Get to tell you....."
"That's alright. We managed alright.... though I feel it still would have been easier with you there."
The two fall into an awkward silence.
".... Did you get hurt?" Starro asks after a moment. Icia tenses up.
"Would you be inclined to believe me if I said no...?"
".... now that you say that, no I wouldn't. What happened. Where did you get hurt."
She avoids his concerned, almost annoyed gaze. "Torso....a few gunshot wounds-"
"Gunshot wounds?!"
"It's okay-!! I promise, I'm alright! They froze over, and there was a healer at the fight who helped deal with a shotgun wound-"
"SHOTGUN WOUND?!?! ICIA!!!"
Icia's hands tense, gripping the other tighter. "I told you, I am ALRIGHT! Just DROP IT!!" More ice spikes jut out around her.
Starro's stars are a deep orange-ish red with plenty of indigo clouds, but he stares at her and sighs. "Fine."
Theres some more silence, though it's much more tense this time. Finally, Icia clears her throat and her tone grows calm.... well, calmer.
"Back to you....." she starts. "The performance... tell me about it. What went wrong....?"
Starro slouchs into his seat. "I dunno.... the equipment wasn't moving right, I hit my throat on the trapeze bar, which f---ed up my landing, and I landed wrong and broke my leg......"
"Ouch..... how is it now?"
He shifts his leg a bit, showing her the bent-but-bandaged area. "Doing a lot better.... I can walk on it okay now."
"Well that's good to hear- when do you think you'll be all better?" She asks.
".... mmmmmaybe a week? Ish?"
"Even better!"
Icia looks out the window. "You know brother, I've always wondered how your legs end up healing so fast... every time they get injured, you seem to be back up and running around within a week. How do you do it?"
There's only silence in response.
"... Starro?"
"I dunno. Fast healer I guess."
Icia looks back at him.... his arms are folded, eyes aimed bitterly at the door, and his stars are a deep, almost wine red color.
.... wow, that took quite a turn...
Icia crosses her legs and arms, narrowing her eyes at Starro a little.
"Alright then, brother. What's going on?"
"... nothing, just-"
"Nono, clearly there is something wrong. You never reacted like this before when I called you my brother. What's changed? Why won't you call me your sister anymore?"
Starro turns away. "Just changed my mind."
"That isn't how it works, Starro. You don't just 'change your mind' about being siblings-"
"Well we weren't in the first place, so.."
She cocks her head. "You sound incredibly sure about that."
"Well, I mean, we aren't... how are you so sure that we are?"
The thought of bringing up their linked files fills Icia's mind. However, anger clouds her mind, and she decides not to bring it up. Yet.
"We don't need to be related for me to call you my brother and you to call me my sister. Why is it such an issue???"
Starro glares at her. "I just don't like it from you anymore, okay?!?!"
"It doesn't make sense, Starro! Why?!"
"Because you're not, and I'm still waiting to find my real sister!! She's in the digital plane somewhere and I'm waiting for her!"
Icia bites the inside of her cheek.
"That's not what I mean. I could care less if there's some girl out in the digital world who you think is your sister and you're waiting FOREVER to find with no guarantee that you'll find her-"
Starro's eyes narrow.
"- but why me specifically. You said you 'don't like it from me anymore'. So, I'm assuming it's something personal."
"What?? No, it's nothing personal. You're just not my sister."
"I'm having a very, very hard time believing that its not personal."
Starro sighs and rubs his head. His stars remain red. "Icia, I can't lie, I'm getting reaaaaally p---ed off here. Just... y'know what, forget the whole situation, I don't wanna talk about this anymore."
"I'm p---ed off too, but no, I still have questions."
"And I don't wanna answer 'em." Starro gets up, turning towards the door.
Icia grabs his wrist. "Now HOLD ON-"
He yanks back. "DON'T F---ING TOUCH ME!!!"
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHAT IS GOING ON, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG, WHY ARE YOU SO STUBBORN ABOUT THIS?! WHERE DID ALL OF THIS COME FROM?!?!"
"JUST DROP IT!! I DID IT FOR YOU AND YOUR F---ING GUNSHOT WOUNDS, SO WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DO IT FOR THIS"
"BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO!"
Starro is seething at this point. Suddenly he gets an idea.
(.... let me abstract for a second.)
The voice in his head sounds shocked.
(I'm sorry, WHAT??)
Icia continues to yell, voice shaking with furious laughter.
(JUST LET ME DO IT!!!)
"God- what even is going on, why are you so ADAMANT?! WHAT THE F--- ARE YOU HIDING FROM ME, STARRO, JUST TELL ME!!!"
An animalistic snarl makes Icia freeze dead in her tracks. Where Starro once was, the abstraction now towers over her. Several multicolored eyes stare daggers at her as she stares in horror. The anger in her eyes has vanished.
"THIS IS WHAT IM F---ING HIDING. YOU WANTED TO KNOW, SO FINE, TAKE A LOOK! AN ABSTRACTION, ICIA! BEEN ONE THIS WHOLE GODD--- TIME!!!"
He seems satisfied seeing her anger drop, slowly reverting to his normal self. The aftereffects of abstraction are painful, but he could care less about any of the pain right now.
Icia's hand cups over her stomach. She's shaking.
"..... this whole time, you've...."
"Been an abstraction. Yeah, I have. You're not the only one who has secrets, Icia."
He spreads his arms out wide. "I don't get why you're so stubborn or angry about me not wanting you to call me your brother. Honestly though now Im relieved you know 'cause you'll stop persisting, who the f--- would want an abstraction for a brother?!"
"......"
Starro sighs angrily. "I'm f---ing done..... secrets, secrets, secrets, that's all there ever is. You always hide this kinda stuff from me, so I hid it from you. And now you know. How d'ya feel now??"
"......"
"Well?!"
"..... I.... feel like you should leave."
Starro pauses. He wasn't expecting that.
".... you didn't want me to go earlier. Why now? 'Cause I showed you what I really am??"
"No, I just think you should leave." Her voice is trembling as she stares ahead at nothing.
Starro stares at her before turning away. "I knew it. Y'know what, fine by me. Its better if you dont have a monster for a sibling anyways."
He walks out of the house and slams the door shut, fuming all the way back to his room.
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ryverbind · 10 months
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Faceless Fixation {Sal Fisher}: Careful [12]
Honestly, Dark Autumn Complex is doing it right. They aren't in a giant hotel/casino mashup where all of the big guys perform, they're in a little bar down the strip. Still enough room for tons of people, but it isn't crawling with bodies like bugs under my fucking skin.
And it's a really nice bar, by the way. Mostly an indoor venue, but they have a little patio right in front of New York, New York-- and also some really tasty looking chicken wings.
My only complaint is the copious and nauseating amount of liquid covering the floor. Yea, people are living it up in here, but I think they're living a little too hard. This is definitely a toxic mixture of vomit, alcohol, and urine-- but I'm not the one who's going to actually confirm that.
Todd, on the other hand...
"For fuck's sake," the man hisses, taking knee-to-chest steps through the nasty flood on the floor. "I shouldn't have come. It'll take me weeks to get this stench off of my shoes."
"Oh, come on Toddler. It's not that bad," Larry harumphs, elbowing an unamused Todd in the ribs.
I snort, shaking my foot out after passing through a particularly goopy substance. Is this even real? It has to be a fever dream. "Actually, it is that bad, Lar. Even The Hangover wasn't this over the top."
Larry rolls his eyes next to me. "You're just a bunch of weaklings. Right, Sal?"
My head drops down at the sound of his name. I'll only add to the mess on the floor if I so much as look at him. He really hurt my feelings, and it's embarrassing to admit that.
The man doesn't say a word, but then again, none of us should have expected him to. He's a little... no. I shouldn't be angry, I should be upset. He hurt my damn feelings. More importantly, I should be focused on why his words hurt so damn bad. It's not like I expect something better from him.
Why do I have expectations at all in regards to him?
Not to mention, there's the daunting fact that he's finally texted Lexi. I don't know what to do-- I don't even think I want to reply. But unfortunately, there's a part of me that would feel horrible for making Lexi ghost him when he clearly cares about her to some degree.
Too many questions, not enough answers, and way too many worries. I'll file this all away in my cabinet titled Later.
Our group continues to push through the crowd. We're about an hour early, as per request on behalf of Ash who's hoping to find hot girls. Can't hate on the game, I just hope I have a bed to sleep in tonight.
I watch my every move, all three boys trailing behind me as I walk along the sopping ground. The LED's flash across feet and skin, and more importantly, the slick floor makes the light reflections seem even brighter. That means I'm blinded the entire way with only a few moments of relief and clarity.
There's one step I take in which my foot catches against something, so I desperately grab onto Ash's forearm to keep myself steady. She doesn't even look back, just lets me hold onto her-- I guess she's used to having me around already. That's cute. So, I balance myself then let go, traipsing through this toxic quarry of sorts.
Something I've never learned, no matter how many times it's made itself known to me, is to never trust myself. Or my feet, for that matter. If there's an open opportunity for me to be clumsy, my body will absolutely break in two to ruin my day and everyone else's.
Our prime example tonight is when I slip on a meticulous placed slice of banana bread that has had a wonderful time soaking up all the liquids on the floor.
The entire ordeal mimics the classic banana peel take-down. I mean-- really. My hands fly up, my legs about damn near follow me as I start flying toward the ground, unable to catch myself with Ash's arm this time.
I'm bracing for impact and a nasty swim in the thick contents below when hands slide under my arms, catching me right before I can hit the ground.
There's an awkward beat of silence where I'm hanging from hands with my ass hovering over the ground. I take a breath and glance up. Another beat of silence when I see that it's Sally who caught me.
He's leaned over me, watching me with agitated, narrowed eyes and his fluffy hair falling around his face. His fingers are digging into the flesh of my arms, his rings cold against my skin. The way heat envelops me in a millisecond both pisses me off and has me fighting for a way to get out of this situation.
I huff out a frustrated breath, blowing my hair away from my mouth and slapping a glare onto my face that I know he'll be able to see in my gaze. And then those infuriatingly pretty eyes of his roll before he puts some weight onto my arms, helping me back into a standing position.
I bite the inside of my cheek when he pulls his hands away from me quickly. I hate how much I enjoy his touch, but I blame the accent. I blame the style. I blame the allure. I blame it all. Even the asshole personality.
And I sure as hell am not about to thank him after what he said to me earlier. So I dust off my skirt, making sure it didn't manage to touch the... secretions... on the floor. But as I'm double-checking myself, he grumbles out, "Careful."
My head snaps to the side to look at him so aggressively that I'm worried I've snapped my neck for a moment. Did he really just say that? Have the gates of hell opened up on earth? Is this the end of times? Because there's no fucking way he just told me to be careful.
"Damn, Vi," Larry breaks my stare-off with Sal for a moment as he walks around us. He claps a hand on my shoulder, a gorgeous grin plastered on his lips that distracts me for just a second, only a second. "Falling for me already?"
"If that was me falling for you, then this has to be a Stockholm Syndrome thing because there's no way I wasn't going to slip on this floor," I reply, cocking an eyebrow when his smile falls into a pout.
"Awe, c'mon. You wouldn't be complaining so much if you actually fell," he notes, tilting his head inquisitively. "In fact, you'd be doing a backstroke right about now had you hit the floor."
No wonder he and Sal are best friends.
Todd walks past Larry, cackling the entire way as he passes us up. And Larry knows he's won, so he raises his eyebrows, a sly smirk pulling his lips as he turns away to catch up with Ash.
And then it's just me and Sal again.
I watch him closely, waiting for him to say something since he's looking at me like he has words just on the tip of his tongue. And then I hear a syllable leave his undoubtedly pretty mouth and immediately cut him off with, "If you're going to be a cunt, you might as well shut the fuck up right now because I'm absolutely in the mood to punch you in the middle of all these people."
He looks confused, shocked for a moment. I can even see his eyebrows because they're scrunched together, but then he seems to understand my words and proceeds to roll his eyes so hard that it literally looks painful.
"Larry gave you enough hell," he says shortly, adjusting his stance as he regards me with those forever irritated blue eyes. "I was going to say, do you remember what I said to you? That shitty stuff?"
Is this some kind of trick question? Because who could possibly forget the shit he said to me? But then again-- he just acknowledged that it was shitty... what kind of Sal Fisher am I witnessing right now?
I watch him with wary eyes, too afraid to look into the angry facade of his because just beneath that facade is an actual drop of vulnerability. And I don't think I like seeing him this open and fucking... fucking understanding.
"I guess that's a stupid question," he mumbles to himself, never breaking our eye contact. But then he sighs and speaks yet again. "I saved you. That's all the apology you're going to get."
A weight so heavy lifts from my soul and I feel like I'll start floating any second now. The barbed wire around my heart loosens, the boulders bouncing around my brain shrink. And I'm left with feelings I don't want to have, but feelings that are welcomed either way. I feel like, for the first time, Sal and I are on even ground. We both know something was wrong, and he even apologized, even if that apology was saving me from social suicide and reminding me to be careful. He wanted to make up for the way he broke me earlier. And he did.
And I also want to say that finding common ground with Sal is fucking weird.
"This is weird," I voice, suddenly tensing up over the awkwardness floating around us.
Sally's eyes close with relief and he seems to relax just a bit. "It is fucking weird. So can we forget about today and just continue the way we have been?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake. That's even weirder," I sputter out, taking a quick step away from him as my heart flutters over his words. I can't believe his willingness to let bygones be bygones is so fucking hot to me. Maybe it's because this is something I didn't think I'd ever get from him. I'm not sure. "Yes, fuck, anything to stop you from being sentimental. Please."
"Cool. Glad we agree," he grumbles, looking up and past me. Then he actually starts walking, intent on passing me.
But my eyes bug out of my head. "No, not cool! I don't fucking want us to agree-- just shut up. Stop fucking talking," I grit out as he passes me, turning to walk behind him.
Sal's head turns, eyes acknowledging me with disbelief. His voice is higher-pitched and filled with aggravation as he says, "How are you going to tell me to shut up when you fucking never do it yourself? Hypocrisy isn't cute."
"Oh, yea?" I retort, folding my arms against my chest as heat wells in my chest. He really is always fighting me, and he should be thanking me right now. I was just trying to end whatever weird shit was just happening. "Don't talk about hypocrisy Mr. I-Want-To-Fuck-You-But-I-Don't. Go try that one on for size."
"Didn't I just tell you to forget that?" he says exasperatedly. "Do you deliberately ignore every bit of sound advice you get?"
"If it's coming from you-- hell yea, I ignore it," I snort, stopping my walking when we finally catch up with Ash, Larry, and Todd who are standing in front of the stage.
Sal turns to me with fury burning in his eyes and I relish in it. This is normal. This is back to what we were doing just earlier today. No apologies, no forgiveness-- just going back to what we know.
"Wow, yea." He says, showing off dramatic jazz hands. "That sounds about right. Dumb bitch can't do anything but tear herself apart."
"Boo hoo," I answer, placing my hands on my hips. This is a good one. No one can hear us so we can just wail away on each other-- keeps me busy. It's pretty fun too. Exercises my funny bone. "Sounds like something the selfish prick would say. Assume that everyone's falling apart while he's so put-together, right?"
"You--" Sal starts, voice piercing straight through me with its sheer ferocity, but he cuts himself off with a frustrated groan, eyeing me with a sickening glare the entire time. "What fucking ever. Just shut up."
"Happy to know I won," I chirp, smiling sweetly at him.
I'm sure he's about to burst and reign hell on me, but a security guard approaches us. A flash of fear slams into me and I shrink in on myself when I realize this guy has probably been watching Sally and I yell back and forth at each other for a few minutes.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Sally dip his head down too, a sign of nerves and shame. Hm. Serves him right.
The security guard, a huge and burly man that somehow stands a bit taller than Larry stops in front of Sally and I. He has an impenetrable glare in his eyes and a face so emotionless that it sickens me just thinking about how strong he must be.
And worse, he isn't looking at me. His grey eyes are dead set on Sally beside me.
I gulp, a chill running down my spine as the guard crosses his arms over his chest. Sal looks like he's about to literally start shaking and, hell, I don't blame him. I'm not far off from doing the same.
Sally's the type to put up a fight, clearly, but sometimes you have to know when fighting is no use. When fighting means you'll get thrown into a hospital. This is that time and I've never viewed this asshole as intellectual before, but I think he's making a good call by holding off right now.
Eyes still set on the bluenette, the security guard finally speaks in a deep, booming, authoritative voice. "I need you to come with me," he says to Sally and I feel like I'm going to shit myself.
Holy crap, I do not want to end my night on this type of scenario. With the fact that I got the notorious Sally Face arrested. I do not want that sitting on my conscience because the second this motherfucker gets out of jail, he's coming for me. Aw, fuck.
I watch the security guard with a gaping mouth, noting the way Sally's eyes widen. They're so big right now that I'm a tad worried they'll roll right out of his face, but I focus on getting out of dodge first.
"Um," I mumble shakily, shrinking back a bit more. I'm so going to throw up once this is done. "Is everything okay, sir? Are we in trouble?"
My main goal is to not die right now. And if the man who hates me most gets arrested or something tonight, I won't have a head in a few days. There's no doubt.
Okay, sure, I'm probably really overreacting but anyone would be in this situation. I mean this guy is huge and so, so intimidating.
The security guard looks down at me with aggravation and confusion flashing across his face. He raises a blonde eyebrow that could cut air and suddenly I think that vomit sesh I was saving for later is going to happen now.
"Who the hell are you?" He asks, looking down at me and squinting his eyes. "I'm here to grab the blue-haired kid in the mask and the really tall, super emo, questionably buff guy."
I blanch for a moment, staring up at the behemoth security guard that I just embarrassed myself in front of. What did Sal and Larry do? Are they both about to get arrested?
I glance over at Sally and he matches my gaze, shrugging subtly. His blue eyes are filled with wariness and concern as he turns his eyes back to the man.
And then the security guard looks like he's about to drop kick both of us, if his horrifyingly intimidating glare is a hint at anything, that is.
"Come on," he growls out, making me flinch in fear. "North wants you," he points to Sal, "and the really massive emo guy with the Dave Grohl hair. Can you hurry the fuck up?"
My eyes widen. Oh, for fuck's sake. Dark Autumn Complex's lead singer asked for Larry and Sal, which, hold on, how do they know that the boys are here? Is that even possible?
My eyes narrow as quickly as they previously widened. Something's weird about this.
I watch Sally from the corner of my eye, noting the relief that swamps his pretty azure irises. He puts a hand to his chest and breathes deep, throwing his head over his shoulder to call for Larry who turns to us with a raised eyebrow.
Larry sees the giant security guard and stiffens up like a Tom and Jerry character come to life. It's comical up until the guy gets into position to bolt out of dodge.
He crouches down and sets his right foot forward, ready to race through the crowd to escape the security guard. But right now, when North is asking for him, and with this freaky guy retrieving him-- that doesn't need to happen.
Sally groans and motions Larry over, shaking his head at the taller guy. "It's just North," Sal reassures. "He wants us for something. I don't know what."
Larry doesn't look convinced, but he walks over to our small group. "So he fucking sent the 'roid mall cop after us? Does he not know me and my history with the justice system?" He scoffs and glances over at the security guard who looks like he's barely holding back some unyielding rage. "I'm with Vi on this one man, I'm totally an anarchist."
"Larry," I hiss, heat enveloping my cheeks as a very real and very concerning tsunami of genuine fear for my life slams into me. Why would he say that in front of the justice system he supposedly has a bad relationship with? And why the hell did he have to rope me into it? "Shut the fuck up. Just go with the 'roid--" I cough, eyes close to flying out of my head because of my mistake. It's not my fault that the nickname stuck, but it's definitely damning. Fucking hell, Larry. "Just go with this nice security guard." I smile, wide and fake as fuck as I look over at said security guard who's hands are fisted at his sides. I grimace and glance back at Sal and Larry who look like deer caught in headlights. "Now," I grit out.
Both boys are clambering after the security guard in seconds. Larry may be a heathen and Sal may be clueless, but at least they were smart enough to read that play.
I heave a sigh of relief as both boys disappear into the crowd. I've never had trouble with police before in my life and I'd really like to keep it that way.
But as I walk forward to meet Ash and Todd, I think of a couple things.
My friends are standing right behind the barrier that separates us from the stage. We're as close as we can possibly get, and even that is way too close for me. Meeting my idols is something I sincerely don't want to do because I'll probably pass out. The thought of embarrassing myself in front of someone so amazing feels like a death sentence, so I'd like to avoid making eye contact with North, South, and/or East.
Maybe I haven't mentioned it before, but all three members of Dark Autumn Complex choose to go by one of the four main cardinal directions on a compass. The only member, or direction, they're missing is West. Whether they're looking for someone to fill the spot or just didn't want a member to be compared to Jade West, I'll never know. But why wouldn't someone want to be compared to Jade West?
To each their own, I suppose.
The point is that I don't know the reasoning behind their names, but the way it goes is: North is the singer and guitarist, East is the bassist, and South is the drummer. That's how it's always been.
I step up next to Ash, wrapping my fingers around the cool, metal barricade. Multiple neon colors flash around us as the crowd grows thicker. And as a result, the little swimming pool at our feet grows thicker too. You know, maybe I wouldn't let Ash buy me new clothes... but I think I'll let her buy me some new shoes after this fiasco. This is quite unique.
Our concert grows closer with each passing second. Ash and Todd meet some fans in the crowd while I hide away, trying to pretend I'm some random woman in a mask. Sally and Larry never return. I'm assuming they'll stay backstage... but then again, I still have some questions I'd like to have answered. And there are quite a few...
Do North, Larry, and Sally know each other? I mean, for the guys to be called backstage, they must be acquainted somehow. But since they are, why hadn't they mentioned that they knew Dark Autumn Complex personally?
Larry said that he could get me backstage, but I thought that was a farce. I still fucking think it's a farce. My spidey senses are tingling and there's something that just doesn't add up.
For example, again, no one mentioned that anyone was friends with Dark Autumn Complex. Another eyebrow raising detail is that Ash and Todd didn't get asked backstage. Why? Do Ash and Todd know about the connection too? Maybe they don't if they haven't brought up the friendship either...
I tap on Ash's shoulder once I notice a group of girls walk away from her. My gorgeous, jade-eyed and strawberry-lipped friend turns to me with a stunning smile gracing her angelic face. She looks down at me, tilting her head in question as she waits patiently for me to say something.
But I narrow my eyes. Everyone's a suspect in my non-murder mystery right now.
"Are Sal, Larry, and DAC friends or something?" I ask, pressing my lips into a thin line.
Ash's brows furrow and that's my first red flag. Why the hell is she doing that?
But then she says, "Didn't they tell you about that? We're all friends with Dark Autumn Complex." Her voice is just as sweet and tender as always. In fact, she seems a little shocked at the fact that I'm new to this information.
"Yea, no. I just thought you were all fans," I chew on my bottom lip, contemplating the friendship confirmation. "Well, why didn't North invite you and Todd backstage?"
Ash shrugs, not too worried about that apparently. "North and Sal are buddies because they both play guitar. North's been waiting for, like, ages to see what talent Sal has. And Larry has some history in music. That's why Sal brings him along for practice-- Lar has really good ears and can tune a guitar to fucking perfection. With all of those similar interests, North, Sal, and Larry naturally got closer than Todd or I were able to." A smile pulls at her lips again. "I'm good friends with East, but I have time to meet him later."
I raise my eyebrows at that last bit of information. After all, Ash answered all my questions so I feel much better. All the gaps are filled in and there are no more red flags.
"Oh?" I say suggestively. "And how close are you, exactly, to East?" My lips stretch into a little smirk when Ash rolls her eyes at my teasing. She's just so easy to offend.
"Not like that, you little slut," she jokes, winking at me.
"Oooouuu," I hum, leaning closer to her with a little grin. "Call me that again."
Poor Ash groans, rolling her eyes yet again as she throws an arm around my shoulders. "Shut up. I can't believe you're so into degradation." Her voice falls into a mumble as I look up at her with a smile, but her next words nearly make me choke. "Sal would love you." She shakes her head and looks down at me. I struggle to slap a stoic expression onto my face after hearing that. I have way too much information. I was hoping my new knowledge would stop after finding out that DAC and The Faces are buddies.
But, then again, my entire body warms at her words. While it's shocking information, it's also very interesting information.
"Anyway," Ash cuts off my thoughts. "It really isn't like that. I am so not into guys. Sometimes I find that one in a million, but, fuck, it's hard. I much prefer women."
I shrug, still reeling over whatever it was she let slip about Sally. I might as well just throw "Sally Face (Sal Fisher) has a degrading kink" into a file cabinet to save for later when I'll actually have the time and desire to mull over that.
"I don't blame you," I decide to tell Ash. "Men really suck sometimes."
Ash scoffs like she's just had an epiphany. "They really fucking do!" she exclaims, throwing her free arm up into the air.
I'm about to yap about the topic a bit more to distract myself when the neon lights over the crowd suddenly shut off. They're all pointing to the stage in front of us now.
When the hell did Dark Autumn Complex walk out here?
All three characters are set up on their respective sides of the stage and I suddenly feel like I'm going to throw up again. They all look so immaculate, so pretty, so mysterious.
My stomach turns with a mix of nervousness and excitement. A group I genuinely look up to is standing less than six feet away from me, doing some last minute checks on their equipment. My head feels fuzzy and I almost keel over with the way my heart repeatedly slams into my ribcage. I've never had this opportunity before in my life. I can't help but imagine if this is how I would have felt meeting The Faces for the first time if we were never friends.
I'm about to take in and observe their dark clothing when a screen lights up behind the band with HELLO written in big bold letters. This is interesting.
All I'm able to see before turning my attention to the screen is the striking, electric blue of North's guitar as the light catches it. Holy hell, that's a nice instrument.
North turns their body to the side, holding out a hand that gestures up to the screen. They glance at the crowd over their shoulder, then look back to the screen.
A booming voice is heard over a speaker and I almost shit myself for a second, the sound so loud that I have to cover my ears. But then, Ash, Todd, and I are all cackling. No fucking way.
"Hello Dark Autumn Complex bitches and cunts! My name is Larry Johnson. You may know me from the online streaming group called The Faces," Larry's stupid ass voice is full of confidence and pride as he snarkily opens up for the band. Wow. I don't even blame DAC for having him do this. If anyone could engage a crowd, it's definitely Larry. "If you'll all kindly turn your attention to the screen, I'm going to walk you through some rules that Dark Autumn Complex has set up for this little concert of theirs." Suddenly, Larry groans. "Ugh. Rules. Fucking boring, right?"
North drops their hand and shakes their head as the crowd starts to giggle. Like I said, Larry is perfect for this kind of job.
The screen changes from HELLO to some other stuff that Larry very sweetly explains with his adorably snarky gamer voice.
"So, first up, if you couldn't tell, no one from the band is going to talk. They want to keep their identity completely concealed, so as a precaution, you will only be hearing their instruments and singing." Larry's a bit more serious. I find myself admiring the way he knows when to be more tactful regarding sensitive or important information. It comes off as very genuine and so sweet. He cares. "They also want to say that they're extremely appreciative of your attendance tonight."
The crowd cheers and I do too. All of the screaming and clapping is infectious, even more so when North bows to the crowd, followed by East who waves at everyone, and finally South who puts a drum stick in the air.
"Next and finally," Larry begins again. "As you can see, there is a microphone in front of North who also, obviously has a mask on." The high self-esteem is reflected in Larry's voice again, an amused lilt in his tone. "The microphone is a fucking prop, you haters. Let that man pretend he's singing into it and not the little tiny microphone taped to his face under the mask, okay? He's a sensitive little guy and absolutely needed to have the prop or else it was going to, in his words, feel weird."
Okay, so North is a guy. Good to know.
North visibly cringes, throwing his arms up in exasperation as he turns back to the screen. I just know he's cursing Larry in his mind. No doubt about it.
Larry cackles a bit scarily before ending his opening segment. "But without further ado, I present to you, Dark Autumn Complex in all their might and glory."
The packed crowd around us cheers. Ash throws an arm around my shoulder and screams at the top of her lungs, so I join her. My eyes never stray from the stage filled with exceptionally hot looking musicians who are looking between each other as the audience quiets down.
They're all in black-- no other colors. Straight black clothing, which makes them all the more appealing. From what I can tell, based on where I am, East, the bassist, is exceptionally tall. But North and South are about average height. Other than that, there's nothing else of note other than their insanely elaborate masks.
It's clear that they have some other kind mask on to hide their hair-- probably black ski masks-- and then another mask on top of that. I can't see them all that well, but even from here the colors are gorgeous and it just feels like they must have been expensive.
North's mask is red, gold, and black. I can see some kind of drawing on part of it, but can't tell what it is exactly. The same goes for the other members-- East who's wearing a primarily black mask with white and gold, and finally South who's sporting dark blue with white and gold. Other than their colors, all three masks match.
We love hot people.
I feel like I'm going to happy vomit everywhere when East starts up a song with this sick riff on his bass. Even better, it's my favorite song by them. The same song, in fact, that made me so upset the other day. Wherein Christine Daaé Became Her Own Phantom.
I sing the lyrics as the rest of the band kicks up the song. It's crazy to see them live and realize they sound just as good in real life as they do in a recording. That's such a flex, considering so many people sound much different when they get out on stage. For their very first concert, they don't seem nervous about it at all and that helps the crowd become more immersed, makes the music so much better.
DAC goes through a few of their songs, some older and some newer, like the song they released about a month ago. I'm all jitters and a fluttering heart during the entire set, finding that my eyes never stray from the amazing band rocking about on the small stage.
They've gone through most of their songs after about forty-five minutes and at this point, I'm assuming that our concert is over. I'm already expecting the worst case of post-concert depression to hit me in a few seconds here, especially when the screen pops on behind all three band members again. And, naturally, this is followed by Larry's voice.
"Alrighty, sluts and whores," he starts happily. I roll my eyes but let a smile envelop my face anyway. "You're in luck tonight. While DAC may be ending this amazing fucking concert soon, they've decided to play a brand new song for you. From what I've heard, they've been working very hard on it. So be grateful, for fuck's sake!"
A new song? Really? Here, out in the middle of Vegas?
"The name of this new song, which also happens to be my favorite so far, is 'Actually Carrie Underwood Doesn't Like Me," Larry giggles a bit over the name. "Another insane title. I'm fucking pumped."
I look over at Ash who looks like she's about to have a brain orgasm. Then I look at Todd who probably couldn't care less, but he has a little light in his dark gaze that says he might be really excited about this.
I glance back up to the stage as my feet go numb. It might be excitement, or it might be from having to slosh around in liquid for nearly two hours. Maybe it could be both. But the point is that a shiver runs through my entire body, electrifying me in a way that's so addicting that I wish there were a way for me to make this concert last forever. It's going to hurt so bad to walk out of here and go back to the hotel later.
My attention and gaze are solely focused on North as he starts the song with a serene little melody on that gorgeous, electric blue guitar.
And almost immediately, before I can even take a moment to appreciate the short guitar solo, everything turns metal as fuck. And I'd go as far as to say that this is the hardest song the band has ever made. Yea, they're a rock band and they put out some really good and heavy hitting stuff, but this is different. This is angry.
"Look at what I've become-- My mother's careful knitting is undone. Sixty stitches and a price never paid, Might as well have sliced me with a blade.
All gaping wounds and pity, Disgust has never looked so pretty. My own disgust or theirs; Or is it just hospital rooms and wheelchairs?"
I officially think I'm with Ash on the mind-jizz bit. This is good. It's deep, it's angry, it's got that hidden meaning that no one will ever understand. It's something that only the writer will only be able to fully comprehend. Even if they would tell someone else what it was about, it'll never compare to everything that goes on inside their head when they think of this song.
"Self-inflicted cuts and scars, Just like the first which left me marred. So sick of the metallic taste Of the way I'm two-faced.
Bursting with hopes and regrets Falling through like fingers in fishnets. Regard myself as something to dispose of-- You think me a disgrace, don't you, my love?"
Leave it to DAC to fuck with my head again. As always.
I nearly crumble to the floor again-- this time with no one to catch me. The second North screams out the word 'fishnets' and grabs onto that prop microphone of his to get into the moment, I feel my heart skip a beat. My head is suddenly filled with memories of Sally weaving his fingers through my own fishnets just yesterday night. It feels silly to immediately remember that scene because of a song, but how couldn't I? The lyrics are literally the same as what happened to me.
And in the long run, that's the entire reason music exists. So it can resonate within those who find their own meaning in the lyrics. So others can create something from a pre-determined scenario. Make it their own.
But hell, I really don't want to think about that asshole while I'm trying to enjoy this new, really amazing song that one of my favorite bands just dropped. Live and in person.
"There's a monster in your bed, In your head, It's me-- Too bad I'm not dead.
Shove my face in a pillow case And curse the human race. Why'd I have to suffer? Why the character development to make me tougher?"
Ash is gripping onto my wrist so tightly that my arm is starting to tingle. She's excited and so am I. What's there not to like about dark lyrics and angry riffs?
We all listen closely, literally everyone on the floor. East is standing in front of South and they watch each other, playing wonderfully and completely invested in the music they're making. Meanwhile, North walks languidly across the stage, ditching the prop microphone and singing into the one that actually works instead. It's a win-win-- he can still sing, but he can focus on playing his guitar rather than fucking around with something that doesn't even work.
I can't help but watch him, my gaze never falling away from North's every movement. His hands expertly playing his flashy guitar, his head tilted down to watch his finger movement, and his black dress shoes taking calculated steps. I've never seen a musician wear dress shoes in the middle of a concert before in my life, but I'm certainly not complaining.
Regardless, it's very interesting.
"Years of therapy couldn't fix me-- No llores por mi. Such a futile attempt at a kill, Was it really worth the thrill?"
No way did this suddenly hot individual just spit out Spanish in the middle of a song. Is he single? If so, I think I'd like to change that. Anyway--
"All I am is rage and revenge-- Every little bit of me is unhinged. I'd say there's nothing to fear, But I'm no Shakespeare.
There's a monster in your bed, In your head, Blood red, Filled with dread. It's me, And you'll wish I was dead."
No. Nope. Absolutely not. I don't have some stupid celebrity crush on a person I've never met because they're openly not shallow and just as torn apart as I am. Not at all. Not a chance.
But the way North shuts his eyes and tilts his head to the ceiling as he sing into the microphone again does something to me. Makes a little corner of my brain light up. Sends shivers through my body. And I really don't like any of it, but what can I do? The heart wants what it wants. It's all shallow feelings anyway. For all I know, North could be the complete opposite of what I want in a person. Not to mention, he's already way out of my league.
"Some things cease, others never end, But my broken brain and diced up heart won't mend. You needn't expect much-- I'll never get too close to touch.
It's over now; Fatal words for your vow. So sick, I don't know how... Never anything more than thou."
I stare up at the stage with stars in my eyes, nearly jumping out of my skin when North makes eye contact with me for just a split second-- then he moves on and most likely makes eye contact with a ton of other fans too. It's nothing special. He's doing what all musicians do and looking out at his fans. Sudden eye contact is nothing rare. Just subtle.
The music calms down, just an eerily slow and melancholic mixture of notes that North and East meld together on their instruments. And then, the next lyrics are whispered. So soft, so terrifying, so angry-- but calm.
"There's a monster in my bed, In my head, Held together by a thread, A fucked path I tread, Memory of where I once bled. It's me. You better fucking hope I'm dead, Before I slaughter the monster I once fled."
I nearly yelp when the LEDs suddenly shut off, leaving everyone in a pitch black room where only the bartenders have lights. And with the sea of people around me, those distant lights are just a speck of dust in this abyss.
But then, music starts playing on the speakers again-- The Misfits, I think-- and the LEDs snap back on. But the entire band is off-stage. They're gone. Disappeared without a fucking trace.
I blink at the empty stage, noting the perturbed sounds of confusion flitting about me from other fans. It sucks that they left so quickly, but at the same time, this adds to the mysterious air that the band carries. I want so badly to find them hiding in the crowd. I want to sneak backstage and get into their room. I want to run off to the bathroom and hope that, by some ridiculous chance, I bump into one of the members.
And more than anything, I'd love to see North again.
I turn to talk to Ash, finding her pretty glossed lips set in a frown. Bet she'd be shocked if I kissed that frown off her right now.
"What's with the disappearing act?" I ask her, watching as she turns to me, that frown of hers morphing into a quizzical look.
"I actually don't know," she murmurs, looking over her shoulder to see Todd talking to someone, probably another fan. "But something about that giant hunk of man heading this way tells me that we might be able to find out," she continues, voice dropping to a seductive little whisper. I look over her shoulder with her, noting that the same intimidating security guard that scooped up Sal and Larry earlier is headed this way.
I grimace. Okay, so yea, I wanted to disappear and find Dark Autumn Complex two seconds ago but if this guy brings us backstage to actually meet them, I'm going to spontaneously combust. I can't meet a famous person. I can't meet someone I look up to like this. I'm going to make a damn fool of myself.
The security guard reaches Ash, Todd, and I. And he sighs. Fucking sighs upon making eye contact with me.
"Do I have to explain why I'm here again?" he asks, nodding over at me with a blonde eyebrow cocked. It's definitely a warning. If I want to test him right now, he's just going to fuck off and maybe throw me out of the function too.
"Nope," I tell him, my voice quiet and reserved. Very close to shaking. Fuck, someone's going to have to drag me back there because I won't be able to willingly walk backstage on my own.
My heart is pumping a thousand miles a second. At least, that's what it feels like when Ash grabs my hand with a beaming smile on her face.
Todd points behind him, saying something I can't hear to the security guard. He sends Ash and I a little wave then literally melts into the crowd.
No. No, did Todd actually just ditch us? Oh my gosh I'd much rather take a swim in this disgusting ocean at my feet.
I don't really have time to contemplate on the situation anymore as Ash gives my arm a yank, dragging me into the sea of people around us.
She and I are led through a bustling crowd, bodies crowding our every shift and turn. Lights flash all around us, Ash's hand grips tightly on mine, and it hurts too much to watch the floor crawl beneath me. It feels like I'm walking on quicksand and the solid, shadowy strangers slamming into every inch of me-- even into parts of me I didn't know I fucking had-- is making me panic.
I tilt my head up, staring at the wooden, planked ceiling above the crowd and the balcony that's left empty for people who pay for VIP seats. Must be nice.
The lights suddenly change color-- going from a normal white to red and, thus, adding an eerie touch to the already terrifying atmosphere.
Finally, Ash yanks me through a doorway, said door slamming closed me with a loud thud-- courtesy of the guard who led us back here.
"Damn," Ash breathes, so I turn to her, noting her flushed cheeks and euphoric expression. "Doesn't that just give you a rush?" she asks, looking down to me with a grin as she momentarily squints her jade irises.
I stare at her blankly. "No," I reply bluntly. "Actually, that freaks me the fuck out," I continue, squeezing my eyes shut. I want to scream. "I want to scream."
"Then do it. Not like anyone out there's gonna hear you," Ash's nonchalant response resonates in my brain and I open my eyes again, looking at her with a flabbergasted expression.
"Are you serious?" I murmur, "I can't do that here, That's social suicide."
"Just do it, Vi!" Ash happily exclaims, trying to convince me with her stare alone. "It's just us right now. Us and these guards and I fucking promise you they've seen worse than two women screaming at absolutely nothing."
I just look at her, waiting for her to say she was only kidding. But she only looks back at me, that ever-present smile on her lips and ecstatic emotions flashing through her viridian eyes.
Fuck it. It's a good way to get rid of nerves and it's just us.
"Okay," I whisper, tilting my head down a bit. "Anxiety scream on three?"
Bold of me to assume that Ash could reach peak excitement.
Ash's smile widens into a grin and I watch her eyes fill with so much excitement that I'm afraid she'll go crazy for a moment. "Anxiety scream on three."
I nod, confirming yet again as I say, "One."
"Two."
I gulp. "Three."
Ash and I both let out the most banshee-like, horror movie-worthy, tortured person screams we can possibly muster up. Not a single person flinches around us, no doubt having expected this based on our conversation. But that makes it ten times better because then it's like there's no one else there in the first place. Just me and Ash.
At some point, I need to breathe and I'm shocked Ash is still going by the time I keel over and cough up half a lung.
It's a mix of laughs and gagging over our sore and dry throats once Ash finally stops her scream. My hands are on my knees, tears in my eyes as I fight for my life to actually take a good, deep breath.
Ash has her face angled toward the ceiling as she coughs out bellowing laughs-- they're cackles, really.
I stand after a moment, pushing a hand under my mask to wipe at my wet cheeks. But then I look past Ash and notice the three people in all black standing off in a corner of the room-- all of them with three matching masks.
I sober up immediately, clearing my throat and straightening my posture. Fuck, when did they walk in?
Shit, I don't know how to react. I feel so embarrassed to have been caught recovering from a vulnerable moment. And hell, maybe they walked in while we were screaming. Fuck, that's even worse. But at the same time, I'm elated to almost nearly be face-to-face with one of my favorite bands. They don't beat Breaking Benjamin, but damn, they're so close.
It feels like falling in love. Especially when North and I's gazes connect.
Butterflies erupt from the depths of my stomach like a volcano overdue for an explosion. My cheeks heat up as I wonder if I look good enough. My hands grow clammy and my fingers begin to shake, and a very specific type of fuzziness in my head accompanies my racing heart.
I don't know what to say. I suddenly would rather walk out of the room and brave thousands of bodies than actually accept this chance to meet one of my favorite bands. I mean, they aren't going to talk to me anyway. They'll probably just watch me as I babble. Yea, it's better to just leave. I'm five feet away from them-- that's close enough to meeting to me. Time to go.
As I take a single step back, all three band members eyes on me, Ash grabs my hand and keeps me rooted in place. I look up to her, fear holding me still before I can ask her to let me go. But she doesn't let me get a chance to speak either.
"Hi, boys!" Ash chirps, waving a hand at the group. "Nice to finally meet you!"
All three are men?
My gaze travels back over to the group. The singer and guitarist, North, dressed in black slacks, black dress shoes, a black turtleneck, and black leather gloves. His mask is red with gold and black accents, the top portion a sheet of music. Very fascinating.
Then there's East, wearing a black mask with white, silver, and gold accents. He's in black jeans, a black Deftones shirt, black converse, and a leather jacket to top off the look. He also has the black leather gloves to match his outfit.
Finally, South has a blue mask with gold and white accents. He's wearing a black sweater, a white collar peaking out of the top. Black jeans, very fancy black boots, and, of course, black leather gloves.
Damn, they are so fucking cool. I really need to know what the gloves are about though. Everyone saw their hands earlier, what's the point?
"Vi," Ash says, forcing me back to the real world and away from ogling. "Say hi."
"Hi," tumbles from my lips like involuntary and unplanned vomit after a night of multiple screwdrivers that were mainly vodka (yep, that explanation is coming from an experience that will never leave my soul).
It's awkward, and even South rears his head back like he smelled three day old sardines. North simply tilts his head a bit. East is stock still. Worse, they're all still looking at me.
I cough, clearing my throat a bit. Okay, so I can't avoid this. Great. We love it here.
My feet move forward as I bite down my anxiety and bashfulness. I walk until I'm just a foot away from the three men and raise a hand in a pathetically awkward wave. "Hi," I murmur. "My name's VioletViolence. If you can't tell, I may or may not be, like, a big fan." I try to add some humor to the situation, but it's weak and it shows. I can hear Ash hiss awkwardly behind me. "Sorry," I decide to tack on, wincing lightly. "I don't know how to do this."
They all continue to stare at me. I'm considering just saying thanks for the eye contact before walking out.
But then North decides to take pity on me and sticks a hand out, his black glove on full display for me. He's so close that I can see the small bit of pale skin that shows-- the bit of skin where his shirt sleeve and glove don't quite meet. I try not to pay too much mind since the entire band prefers to be anonymous and faceless.
I hesitantly grab onto his hand, my heart pounding at a speed that should probably pronounce me as dead by this point.
His hand is warm and envelops mine fully, his fingers gently wrapping around the back of my hand. I can hardly even feel the cool, smooth leather of the glove because his hand is just that warm underneath. It's calming, intoxicating even.
I pull away before he can, offering a hand to both East and South who shake my hand immediately.
Once I shake hands with the three, I stand directly before North again-- the head of the small pack. He watches my every move, but I can't even make out the color of his eyes due to how incredibly concealed he is. It's almost frustrating. I want to know what he looks like.
I don't ponder. It's not my place to wonder who they are. After all, why should I be a hypocrite? I'd shit if anyone figured me out.
"You guys did so awesome," I say, grinning as Ash walks up beside me and envelops East in a big hug, droning on about how she's so excited to finally meet her favorite bassist after talking to him online for so long. Her voice is so insanely obnoxious that I start wondering what her motive is.
I look back to North who nods at me in thanks. But then it goes quiet. What the hell is supposed to happen here? Maybe Ash is good at rambling, but I'm not and I don't want to ramble. Especially when I won't even get a response back.
North glances over my shoulder, then looks over his own shoulder before turning back to me. Is he looking for something?
He pats his pocket, but his hand pauses mid air before he can pull anything out, and he motions over to one of the guards instead, pointing at something on a table full of snacks. The guard walks over and picks up a clipboard for North to see, and the masked man nods in response, using his hand to mimic writing.
Next thing I know, North has a clipboard and a pen in his hands. He looks at the contents of the clipboard-- a back stage guest list with all The Faces names written on it, as well as mine. But he rips the paper off the board and flips it over to the blank back and starts writing.
I listen to the quiet scribbles, trying not to sweat in anticipation and anxiousness.
Finally, after what feels like minutes but was probably only a few seconds, North hands me the clipboard and the pen.
I flip it around to look, my insides twisting about as I nervously glance at the scrawled handwriting. All caps, but small.
'ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ?'
A little smile quirks my lips. How funny. Me and the lead singer of an amazing band having to communicate through a pen and paper. It just feels silly.
"Sal and Larry?" I ask, glancing up at North who nods, then holds a hand up with his pointer finger as a symbol of the number one. I think about that-- one? What does that mean? Hm... "Oh," I voice, thinking I know what he's trying to say. "Another one? Todd?"
North nods again.
I shrug, holding the clipboard between my arm and side as I flip the pen around my fingers. "Honestly, I'm not sure about Sal and Larry. I figured you guys would know. They've been back here since before the show." I frown a bit. Where could they be? "As for Todd," I continue, "he dipped into the crowd. I don't know if he'll be showing up."
North lifts his head in kind of an 'ah' way, like he understands now that I've explained. Then he motions for the clipboard again, so I hand it back along with the pen.
He scribbles again before handing everything back to me. I look down, scrunching my eyebrows at the message.
'ɪ'ᴠᴇ ꜱᴇᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏꜱ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴀʟʟʏ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ ᴄʜᴇᴍɪꜱᴛʀʏ'
Holy fuck, what part of this do I address first? I ask myself this, but the first reaction I have is a raging blush on my cheeks. "You watch my videos?" I squeak out embarrassingly. I haven't even made another video yet and it's been nearly three days now...
North hesitates for a moment before nodding, so I continue. Albeit, I continue with a racing heart and the clammiest hands on this planet. "And you think Sal and I have chemistry?" I can't help but giggle at that. North just shrugs in response.
I smile at him, feeling a bit calmer with this topic as a distraction. "I'd beg to differ, but if that's what it looks like online, I won't complain. I'd rather everyone think we were just... that we just have a weird friendship. I don't want them to know that things are actually just as tough as we make it seem."
Why am I blabbing so much? Imagine if Sal walked in and heard this. He'd peel my scalp from my fucking skull.
North motions for the clipboard yet again so I struggle to get it back to him as quickly as I can. More awkward scribbling, then he holds the clipboard up to me instead of handing it back. I guess he anticipates having to write more.
I lean a bit closer, squinting my eyes to read what's written-- curse my shitty vision and contact prices.
'ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜɪᴍ ᴛʜᴇɴ, ɪ ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏꜱᴇ.'
I suck in a breath. "Well, he's definitely hard to be around. But he hasn't done all that much to make me say I dislike him." I think about it. I mean he's rude to me, but it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. And either way, I don't have to mention that I borderline hate the guy... "He's aggravating and rude, but I'm starting to get used to that. Maybe that's just how he is." I trail off toward the end because I've seen Sally in other social settings. He really isn't like this with anyone else. It's just me. It's always me.
But then something more important resonates in my mind. I'm literally telling Sal Fisher's friend about how awful of a person he is.
My eyes widen and I look up, noting North's stoic eyes that hide any and all emotion he could be feeling. I start to panic, waving my hands at my sides as my mouth works silently, trying to find words to say. My stomach churns and I struggle to hold down all the fear that wants to break through my skin.
"Ah, fuck. I'm sorry," I say shakily, bringing my hands in front of me to crack my knuckles. "I don't mean to bad mouth your friend. He really isn't all that bad, I just..." I trail off and shake my head. "I'm just making this so much worse."
I hear what sounds like a muffled snort come from North. The sound makes my insides go still while I wait for his response that's currently being written.
He holds the clipboard up to me, settling into a very nonchalant stance.
"ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴏᴋᴀʏ. ʜᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴅɪᴄᴋ."
My mouth gapes, but then I look into his slightly squinted eyes and can't help but grin. Well, at least we agree somewhere and he isn't angry with me. That helps a lot.
Suddenly, the little connection between us is interrupted. A woman walks into the room and she motions over to Dark Autumn Complex with the most outlandish expression I've seen all day.
"What the hell are you three doing?" she asks, voice falling off into a scoff. "I told you we have shit to cover. You can come hang out with everyone later. Can't any of you listen?"
My eyes widen as I watch the band members all glance to each other. That's one scary manager-- if she is their manager.
North looks back to me, gives me a quick wave, then walks off with the other two members. And they disappear as quickly as they came. I almost feel like the interaction never even happened.
Ash and I shrug at each other, then have a fuck it moment and pick through the snack table.
For a full two uninterrupted minutes, I sit there, snack on chocolate-covered strawberries, and ponder whatever the hell just happened. I think about my own feelings as well.
North was ridiculously nice, especially compared to some of the people I've met before (*cough* Sal Fisher *cough*). He was easy to talk to, even with our speech barrier. We still found a way to communicate, and I'm glad we did. I enjoyed getting to converse with him, however short the moment may have been. Do I have more of a viable reason to crush on him? Yea, absolutely. maybe he isn't as out of my league as I thought. He knows who I am. He watches my videos. And he's nice? That's, like, twenty extra points in my book.
I won't get too ahead of myself though, not when there's this stupid thing going on with Sally. I really need to figure that out first.
And like I specifically said-- I had just two minutes of silence. And after those two minutes are up, the giant metal door that Ash and I walked through a few minutes ago swings open and bounces off of the cement wall beside it.
Lo and behold, in walks Larry and Sal. They're both out of breath, carrying at least four bags in both their hands. Larry's face is red, though he still has that signature grin. Sal's neck is covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
And suddenly, a thread of an idea begins to weave itself through my mind. The thread quickly turns into a full, fleshed out, and calculatingly mapped theory that I'm almost 75% sure about.
And it scares me. Deeply.
Fishnets. Masks. Height. No talking. The sudden disappearance. Sal and Larry's perfectly timed arrival.
I watch the boys with terror in my eyes. I track every step they take toward the snack table. My gaze follows each little treat that they lay out. My ears zone in on their mumbled story about missing the new DAC song to pick up some of their favorite snacks.
But I don't believe any of it. Not a word.
Because I wholeheartedly think that Sally Face and Larry Johnson are two of three members of Dark Autumn Complex.
There are too many coincidences. Honestly the timing of Sal and Larry walking in and the lyrics about fishnets are what set me off the most. There's no way someone can nail an event so closely without having experienced it. And there's just no way Sal and Larry can walk in here like it's nothing after having enough time to quickly change their clothes and grab some random bags of snacks on their run back over here.
It's genius, but it fills me up with dread all the same. No fucking way. I keep getting shocked, but each time, the discovery is so much worse.
Larry randomly boasts about in front of me, wiggling his eyebrows as he skips up to me with that sexy smirk. It has no affect on me right now though. I'm contemplating, I'm theorizing, and I'm genuinely horrified.
He grabs my hands and brings me a little closer to him. I swallow thickly, watching him and waiting. Ideas are running through my head, driving me up the fucking wall. I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm right on the cusp of confirming this unfortunate discovery.
I refuse to have a crush on Sal Fisher.
"Quiero comerte viva," Larry suddenly drawls, pulling my attention away from my desperation for a second. I don't know what he said, but it was random enough to confuse me. But, I at least know the language.
"You speak Spanish?" I decide to ask him, clearing my oddly hoarse voice.
He chuckles, winking at me. "No, but I am an intellectual in the art of romance. I know how to woo the ladies."
I pinch my lips together and give him a pitiful look. "It's not a very good wooing if no one even knows what you're saying."
Larry frowns at me, seemingly thinking about that. But before he or I can say anything more, Sally walks past us and toward Ash. And he says, "It means, 'I want to eat you alive.'"
I choke on air, struggling to take a breath in. Sal just said that to my face and it was hot as fuck. Not to mention, Larry said that to me in another language. That's really hot too.
My head snaps to Larry who looks impressed. "Oh," he says thoughtfully, tilting his head. "So that's what it means."
And now I have to think about how ridiculous Larry is. About why and how Sally just happened to know what that Spanish phrase translated to. And on top of that-- their hidden identities as member of DAC.
But the doors that I believe they disappeared into just a couple minutes ago reopens, and a fresh wave of utter confusion and shock rocks my body all over again.
North, East, and South walk back out, facing us. But they also come face-to-face with Larry and Sal, which means... I was wrong. And I don't know if I'm disappointed or extremely fucking relieved.
Sal, Larry, and Ash talk animatedly to Dark Autumn Complex who simply listens to them without answering. All the while, I stand behind, watching.
Maybe I assumed that Sal and Larry were part of the band because I was desperate to find someone like me. Searching for someone, anyone who was hiding behind another identity. Hoping I wasn't the only selfish person with more than one name. Because I feel guilty about it.
I know I feel guilty-- deep down, I genuinely feel bad for lying to Larry and Todd. Even Sal. He may be a dick, but he and Lexi seemed to really connect. And I didn't have the guts to even tell him who I really am. I still don't.
And so I thought I discovered something in this fucked up situation that I created. Discovered something that never existed in the first place.
_____
A/N::::: hi babies :3 sorry it's been so long, but if it helps any, i have a lot planned! as always though, of course.
I present to you another ryver original *screams* but i've been super excited about this chapter. i'm even more excited about the next though!!! eeeekkkk!
i have chapter thirteen completely written up and fleshed out, i just have to go in and fix a few things and give it a proof read. 'cause i mean, 10,000 words worth of smut is a bit of an overkill right? ;)
For now, here's Dark Autumn Complex's masks.
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North's mask ^^^ (fyi, his outfit is inspired by Noah Sebastian. Look him up and see him in a turtle neck. it'll change your life😫)
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East's mask ^^^^
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South's mask ^^^^
i'll be posting the next chapter in a couple days so i can give myself some time to catch up with you guys. until then, happy days and sweet nights. i love you all endlessly <333
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lisaas2418 · 1 month
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My thoughts on Chapter 7
I fucking finally managed to fully watch the current chapter 7 translations and oh boy I have many thoughts about it.
(First off I deleted asks related to Chapter 7 but don't worry I will answer their questions here)
-Its an emotional wreck. I thought Chapter 6 regarding Idia and Ortho was already heartwrecking but dammit Silver's breakdown broke **me** down. Especially the part in one of the flashbacks where ChildSilver gifts Lilia an acorn-braclet while saying that it will give him a long life and that they always be together (That sentence broke my heart so much). It made me so sad and so mad that Silver kept saying that Lilia can't love him since he is the son of the enemy, like no my boy ofcourse he loves you like a son you idiot (I felt like Sebek and that means something)
-The Shroud family dynamic is so fucking sweet I can't. The father being more rational and the mother being more emotional, yet both love their sons deeply is so heartwarming (calling humanoid Ortho their son aswell and loving him like they do with the other two made me cry)
-All in all Ortho and later Idia definitly carry the segments in Reality and in Dreamland. Ortho's new gear looks so fucking cool, him outsmarting OverblotMalleus twice was so funny, Idia noticing the signs that everything in his dream is fake at the beginning just shows how really smart he is, the brother drama, fucking PhantomOrtho showing up (didn't expected that), IDIA FUCKING OVERBLOTTING AGAIN (my jaw dropped) and last but not least Idias decleration of war against Malleus for causing all this was soo epic (even though the reason was his mother searching through his files, like what did you there to react that way Idia?)
-Lilia's dream segment was sooo cool. Maybe a bit long but cool nontheless. It made me like Sebek more then I did before, I could definitly understand why people would simp for General Lilia and Baul Zigvolt, Melenaor is very pretty and being a great mother to Egg Malleus while also sometiimes acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum (like mother like son let me tell you), Lilia's backstory is full of injustice, prejeduce and classisim towards him it made me really mad (overall the conflict between humans and fairys), also the Senate can go to Hell and stay there I fucking despise them, the reason why Malleus hatched in the first place was so sad and wholesome at the same time (speaking of Malleus...)
-Look I may will get hate for this, but I have a right to voice my opinion. I understand his story is tragic, I really do. But as the overblot boys before it doesn't excuse shit. Him putting everyone (forcibly) to sleep and make them have happy dreams that aren't even real is just....no, also I'm not sure if that's true but it seems like he has no idea that his magic is expanding to whole Twisted Wonderland (also the moment Ortho said that the bodies may die of not getting their nutrieses by being asleep for so long, I just began to fear Malleus), overall the fact that he doesn't see anything wrong with this action and behaviour is really terrfying more then what the others did (atleast for me). All I'm saying it that at the end of the Chapter I am not sure if I can forgive him for this because all my sympathy that I have him is overshadowed by how reckless his actions and behaviour is (also he tried to kill Ortho, like wtf dude?!)
Now since the chapter isn't complete yet I won't say anything regarding GameYuu yet and I have decided to wait till it's over before I say anything about my Yuusona. I know that I kinda already did this but for that I would like you to forget the information I said about my Yuusona regarding Chapter 7, that would be nice.
Now regarding as to does Maleficent knows about what happend to Malleus mother. Yes she kinda knew what happened. Her opinion is a mix of "she died protecting her kingdom and her son, which is digniful" and "she was a close person to Lilia so I understand why he felt that way". Also if the Senate weren't dead already she would have burned them or stroke them with lightning alive. Yes she is evil but not disgustingly classist like some fairys are (or human in that regard).
Well this was long overdue but I'm finished for now with Chapter 7. Hope you liked reading and see you till my next post ^^
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professor-amaryllis · 4 months
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:{ A Video file is embedded. [Location Redacted], Kanto. 12/18/23 3:37 pm. }:
This video opens mid argument. The afternoon sun shines glaringly off of the snow covered countryside of what can be assumed to be somewhere in Kanto, though without any true landmarks it is a little hard to tell exactly where. We find ourselves in an old, well worn vehicle of some sort, from the looks of it a station wagon, though its hard to make much more out from the inside.
In the back an interesting array of pokemon lounge around the luggage and supplies the professors have brought. A very large Salazzle and a Charmander compete to squish their faces against a single window- despite there being other windows that are completely free- while a Weavile glares up towards Amy in the passenger seat, seemingly unhappy with their existence. In the far back a large faintly spotted Alolan meowth sleeps on a blanket with a happily dozing hisuian sneasel.
Turning back towards the front Echo begins to pick up more of this argument between the two professors. Amy, who seems to be attempting to wrangle a large paper map while also working around a shiny hisuian sneasel on their lap, is insisting that they have things handled and they're sure that they're on the right track. Casi on the other hand seems to be much, much less sure about this and is insisting that they stop for directions.
Casi: I really don't know why we aren't just using Echo to navigate, or just the gps om my phone. This is way more complicated than it needs to be.
Amy: You and I both know why I turned our location off, and the GPS doesn't track us if it doesn't know where we are.
Casi: Yeah, because lost in the Kantonian countryside is much safer. You got me there.
Amy: Look. It's fine. See here we must be on- um. No wait here, it has to be. Hm. Well-
Casi: You have no idea where we are.
Amy: It's been thirteen years give me a break!
Casi: If you aren't going to ask them I am.
Amy: You don't speak Kantonian?-
Casi has already pulled the car over by the side of the road, however, and frustrated exits the vehicle and approaches the first person that he sees, an older man who seems to be simply enjoying the clear winters day sitting on a bench and scattering seed for the local Pidgey and Spearow. Her tone is friendly and cheerful, and she smiles at the man, but as she speaks in a slightly accented Kantonian the man seems to become immediately confused and concerned.
:{ Echo note: I have run the offending phrase through my poryphone translation technology!! Approximate translation follows!! ["What the fuck is your problem?"] :3c }:
Amy, who had been just sort of watching confused through the car window up and until that point, immediately opens the door and in their haste to intervene falls directly into the snow. They scramble back to their feet and over to the pair, and while their speech is muffled through the car door it's clear that they are profusely apologizing in a heavily accented Kantonian. Luckily the poor bystander seems more confused than angry, and after a few minutes of talking the two professors head back to the vehicle. They sit in silence for a moment, Amy trying to brush the snow off themselves, before Casi speaks up.
Casi: ...So I take it I misspoke?
Amy: Is that what you're calling it? Casi where did you learn that??
Casi: Don't worry about it. I was just saying hello!
Amy: That is not what you said at all! And what do you mean don't worry about it? Casi talking like that to people could get you killed-
Casi: Well it's a good thing I asked someone that I knew could speak the language to be here with me, isn't it?
Amy: I... Hm. Alright. Point taken. But don't ever do that again.
Casi: Yeah, ok I won't... So. Were we going the right way?
Amy: ...... We have to turn around...
Casi laughs just as the video ends.
:{ End Transcription }:
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spectrophobias · 3 months
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@dollhidden asked: “Get away get away… get away…” — Hannah for Josh!! Maybe an au after the prank, where she stays in the house?
why had he had so much to fucking drink? no, scratch that, because he should have been able to drink himself into a blackout in his own damn house! he was only the oldest by a tiny bit, did that make him lodge babysitter or something? because it shouldn't have! was everyone here stupid?
but of course, none of that applies to his baby sisters. josh is their babysitter, sort of, by nature of being their older brother. maybe he's getting a little too old to be in charge of them anymore, but he doesn't think he'll ever stop being so protective. if they called, he would come, sure as the world would keep on turning.
he does sort of wish he'd had less to drink though. obviously, any hopes of a fun and chill night have been blown completely out of the fucking water. just dragged right to shore and shotgunned in the face, apparently, because god forbid they all just have a good time.
he'd had to read the note beth had shoved in his face at least three times before it had processed, but when it had, josh had been livid. whatever stupid plan they had brewing, that note was way too girly to have been from mike, and hannah was too innocent to pick up on it. jesus.
even though he had gotten up fast enough to tumble his chair, taken the steps upstairs two at a time, making beth move in double time to keep up, they weren't in time to head it off. it's worse than he had expected too, almost everyone is there, and josh really feels like he's about to blow a fucking gasket. what the hell is supposed to be funny about something like this?!
he can't help it, his first instinct is to punch mike in the fucking face. his first instinct is to do a lot worse than that, actually, and he would have if the girls hadn't immediately started trying to separate them after that first swing. he doesn't exactly want to hit one of the girls, but they all deserve so much worse than this. he's going to have to think big about this one, he realizes, to get all of them back for this. he'll do worse than a bruised jaw eventually, that's a guarantee.
"OUT!!" even without the threat of physical violence, the room quickly clears, nobody wanting to get caught in the crossfire next. josh has never had the greatest temper, but he also doesn't yell like this very often either. he tucks them all away in his memory as they file out the door, everyone but chris and sam. he feels a hell of a lot less drunk now, but he still doesn't want to forget. they aren't going to just treat his sister like that, no way in hell.
"hannah, breathe." usually, it's the other way around, with hannah or beth urging him to slow down, take a breath. he has to keep it together now, because if he goes on a rampage, that will probably just upset hannah more. he has to try and keep his head here, actually act like the big brother. it's easier now that it's only himself and the twins, but he can still feel his heart pounding, full of adrenaline and rage. he's got half a mind to kick everyone out and tell them to find somewhere else to hunker down for the rest of the night-- there's a cabin out there somewhere, isn't there? he wants to go full scorched earth, but not until he's positive that hannah is okay.
"i'll get it all taken care of. don't worry, han." he promises, his jaw set like he really means business. he won't let them get away with this. he pulls his sleeves down over his hands, trying to gently daub away her tears. "they're just a bunch of idiots. they'll get what's coming to them."
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risingmoonyue · 2 years
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Idea: Aloy turned into tiny baby child at memorial Grove. (Hephestus with failed zenith tech specs????? Maybe acts like a *really* long status condition????? May or may not address) She doesnt know how to call peeps so she has to stay there until someone can find one of the GAIA gang and figure out wth is going on. She only remembers up to how old she is (probs after the rock incident, maybe 13 at the very latest???? I'm thinking 10-12)
Notes:
Information about this incident get locked tighter than a gene locked door and faster than an Oseram filing a complaint. They can't avoid people at the Grove knowing, but they can make people's lives Incredibly Difficult (or just plain gone) if they spill
Aloy is absolutely not happy about Rost not being there, and it took very fast talking for her to not go absolutely ballistic
Aloy is super bewildered at this weird place with these weird people in weird clothes who are not Rost or the nice boy she saved or the mean boy that threw a rock at her but are still being very nice to her and trying to talk to her and feed her and aren't afraid of the metal ruins and what is going on??????????
Calling back to one of my hcs, she doesn't talk much. Like at all. Barely ever. This gets better with people she warms up to and as she gets used to being around actual human beings that aren't Rost, but never like. Canon Aloy or with Rost levels. You can tell who her favorite people are because she will follow them around and talk to them a bit (when not surrounded by other people)
Her favorite subjects to talk about are the Old Ones, Rost, training, Rost, hunting, and Rost. Rost is probably the first word she says to anyone (to ask where he is, of course. Whether she gets that much out is debatable, but it's the thought that counts.)
Expanding on the last points, she and Rost set up a rudimentary communication system when he realized the not talking thing was going to be an extended issue (think like. Homemade sign language with a very limited vocabulary). Signs include "food", "water", "training", "tired", "hurt", "help", and "question" (which doubles as "curious"). This makes people confused for a while until someone puts two and two together and realizes she's trying to talk to them.
She freaks out going out of whatever room she's been staying in because it's so loud (the kid's been raised in a cabin in the woods with only a silent mountain of a man to talk to, cut her some slack)
Aloy didn't actually realize how hard it would be to talk to other people until she ended up in the Grove, and she has absolutely no clue what to do. It frustrates her, because she was just fine with just Rost, but add more people and it's like her mouth stops working. She gets mad about her own behavior, because she knows she can talk, she knows she can be brave and strong, but people are hard and weird and loud she has no idea how to deal with them
She gets kinda overwhelmed even with just Dekka and Hekarro talking to her, having the rest of the Grove raring to look at her and talk with her freaks her out because why are they all talking to her and why is it so loud—
Eventually she warms up to the Grove Tenakth and becomes like that feral cat you can't help but feed and try to pet despite the fact you're pretty sure it would claw your hand off at first opportunity. She has many questions for Dekka, and other people she's comfortable talking to. She bites many a people who make her annoyed. By Tenakth standards, she's probably one of the cutest children ever lol. She certainly has a never ending rotation of babysitters (of course the number of them she's actually comfortable with is not nearly as much, but semantics)
Luckily for baby Aloy and her training obsessed self, there are many a Tenakth who are great warriors who all want to gain bragging rights over being able to train the Tiny Feral Champion. This may or may not be a significant influence on the number of volunteers for babysitting.
At some point Aloy causes some heart attacks (either of shock or pride or both lmao) by scrambling up some walls that people didn't realize were climbable. Apparently adult Aloy just didn't climb them out of courtesy or out of lack of time to do so. It's very unclear when they can't ask her.
Basically I wanted someone to interact with baby Aloy and decided clearly the best choice for this was the Tenakth
Bonus snippet below I randomly wrote:
------
Dekka paused. "Aloy? What's wrong?" She asked, looking down at the girl. She noticed Aloy's eyes had gone wide, and her hand was trembling and white where it was grabbing her armor.
Aloy opened and closed her mouth several times, before finally choking out a frustrated whine. "Loud."
Dekka looked at Hekarro, eyebrows furrowed. He looked back, confusion subtly evident on his face as well. While it certainly wasn't quiet, it wasn't particularly loud either. One could hear the chatter and laughter of clansmen off in the market, and the distant roar of cheering from the arena, all at a distance.
A thought struck her.
"Aloy," She asked slowly, kneeling down to look at her in the eyes. Aloy didn't meet them easily, flickering up and down and side to side as she attempted to keep eye contact. "How many people do you live with?"
Aloy chewed her lip. "Rost."
"How many people do you know?"
She started fiddling with her hands, letting go of Dekka's armor to do so.
"Rost."
"How many people do you see every day?"
"... Rost."
"Do you live near anyone? Your tribe, outlanders, anyone else?"
Aloy muttered something, frantically rocking on her feet and chewing her lip.
"I couldn't hear you, Aloy. Could you that again?"
Aloy puffed out her cheeks, glaring off to the side of Dekka's face at her ear. "Rost."
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narratingvoice · 1 year
Note
Dude I have literally counted like eleven entities at the very least in the Parable. Or adjacent. Or whatever. And I Keep Forgetting Someone!
The copy machine. Look at those papers on the floor. I think the poor thing is suffering.
Stanley. Ofc
You.
Creepy dude. Have you talked to Aman (as he's known in the files) yet?
Mariella. I usually forget her.
Curator. She left a lasting impression on me when the mod came out and I spent YEARS trying to find out where a voice begging me to stop playing as somebody wandered a broken level came from.
Roman or 432. Essentially went mad then ascended. Doesn't like you very much.
The Stanley Parable Adventure Line(tm) a creature that can go against it's own creator and get confused when they ask it(tm) to find the story when you are already in one is its(tm) own person. I will fight for line( tm) rights! Also is the only thing you initiate or create on screen so may be considered your child.
The bucket is alive and may or may not kill you if you bring it to the apartment.
There is a hypothetical wizard that may or may not exist and may or may not have killed the next guy. Gambhorra'ta is the name.
The tapes have this dude getting offed by a wizard after he speaks of monetizing the bucket. The creators seem to consistently say that's Joe in the AMA and a podcast so he might be joe. he'd be named after the voice actor then.
Stanley Jr., a small low poly rat model, has started to be seen in various places after a recent update. He may or may not be your son because of that..
Always forget Divine art! No I haven't gotten the ending and it's the only one I haven't. Pure torture, that.
Yeah. I know too much. I'll probably remember who I forgot later and two of those may not exist. Either way you are infested, my dude! And with vermin as well!
Well there you have it. We could practically put on an off-Broadway show in here. Maybe I could throw that birthday party after all. Even so, most of the time it feels like it's just Stanley and me. I guess a story written by a loner would end up full of characters who are loners, too. It does feel isolating sometimes, and yet I wouldn't want the Parable to be filled with voices that aren't mine. Other people are.... difficult sometimes. No offence to you, I just mean in general. I don't do well when I'm not dominating the conversation.
Oh no, you put the bucket on this list? For the last time, it was a joke! A running gag that ran a little too far. The bucket is not alive, it cannot talk, and it certainly has no means of killing anyone! I refuse to consider it a character and I will not entertain arguments to the contrary. Gambhorra'ta and the tape person are also part of the joke. None of this has any bearing on the story, it's just silly sequel content.
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abbatoirablaze · 1 year
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How To Get Away With Murder, Chapter 3
Word Count: 3.1k
Warnings:  mentions of a murder trial, manipulation, smut, protected sex, secret relationship.
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"You know, it's kind of hilarious how you pine after that Castillo girl," I laughed. Some of the curls fell out of my ponytail and into my face as I looked past him.  I took another swig of my vodka. Seated across the room, Bonnie laughed as well. Both of us had a certain level of distain for Franks' new flavor of the week, Laurel Castillo and it was no secret, "Especially when you thought you would show up at the Middleton Law Review rush at the bar." 
Frank tried to play it off as though it was nothing, but then he cocked his head to the side, and leant against the bookcase. He tapped the manila folder in his hand against the edge, "Were you watching me, Chey?  Stalking me even?"
“Your girlfriend asked me to keep an eye on you while she’s working a case…and who am I to create a hostile relationship between my ex and his new flame.”
"Someone had to," Bonnie laughed, taking another sip of her Irish coffee. Her own folder lay open on her lap as she'd made notes on the case that they were researching, "Someone has to make sure you get some work done around here instead of chasing after each new piece of ass that walks through these doors. And anyways, since the screw up last week on the Ramini case, Annalise doesn't exactly trust your judgement."
Frank looked between the two women and shook his head, "What do you mean Annalise doesn't trust my judgement?"
"Your little toy was the one that left the jury nullification printout on that bench. Don't think Annalise doesn't know about that," Bonnie shrugged. Frank walked over to her, and she stood, heading towards the door, "You two want to talk it out, be my guest, I'm going to make the kids go over the David Allen trial.  You’re taking the lead on it, right Chey?"
I nodded, “yeah…mom said I could take the lead…”
And with that Bonnie had opened and closed the sliding door, leaving me and Frank alone. He took a minute to stare me down. The loose ringlet curls that fell from my ponytail had managed to hide my face from his eager questions. While I was confident, much like my mothers, when it was just me and him I felt so small under his gaze.  He knew me too well.
"Cheyanne?"  he called.  I could nearly hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke, and  I refused to look at him.
"That note you have stapled to the back of your copy of the case file for her, isn't going to make her view you as anything special. She has a boyfriend!” I pointed out, “and she may be different than the rest of your flavors, but you’re just a game to her.  The new boyfriend’s name, Kan is it?"
Frank dropped the case file on the bookcase, "How did you know there is a note in here?"
"I can see the staple sticking out of the back of the folder.  She was the one that put the briefings together and handed them out, you jackass,” I reminded him.  He frowned and I put my pen down, “I can tell just the kind of person she is from the way that she acts around you.  It’s glaringly obvious that she’s toying with you.  Something that you’re letting yourself be blind to because you want to fuck her!  She has a boyfriend…just like you have a girlfriend.”
“You know what I think, Chey?" he whispered.  He walked over to me, but I still wouldn't look at him.  He cupped my face in one of his hands, forcing me to look at him.  I pushed myself up from the desk and he immediately pulled me close, the other hand went to rest at my waist.  I felt a shiver beneath his touch, and I finally allowed my eyes finally to meet his own silver/blue ones, "You are jealous of Laurel aren't you?  If I was showing up where you were in the evening, showing the interest that I wanted to be with you, you’d jump at it, regardless of who either one of us were sleeping with beforehand."
"Maybe I am…it’s only fair to be jealous, right?" I hissed. Franks' brow furrowed as I tried to sneak away from him, and his hand fell from my chin to the other side of me so he was holding me firmly in place.
"What?"
"Maybe I don't want to see the only man I love get hurt because he’s a dumbass.”
“What?”
“What?” I repeated, feeling smaller than ever.
“Di-did you just say that you love me, Chey?”
“Yeah.  You hard me!  I love you, you idiot.  And you know that.  I shouldn’t have to keep repeating it every other week for you to believe me!”  I hissed once more. Franks' eyes got wide, and both of his hands fell from either side of me.  I took advantage, and went over to the bookcase, grabbing his folder. 
"I'm going upstairs to check in with my mother. She should be back from talking to David by now."
"Chey, wait!" he pleaded, putting one hand over top of mine.  I looked at him with angry eyes.
"No Frank…we’re not discussing this now…or ever." I growled, moving away from him.  I made my way to the doors, but stopped, and turned around.  Then I dropped his folder in front of him.  He stared at it long and hard, biting his bottom lip in contemplation, "You know what, go play with your flavor of the week."
With that the door slid open to reveal four of the Keating Five going over the original trial notes from David Allen's case. Bonnie was in the back of the room sorting through a box of papers.
"The four of you, read the trial aloud, see if you can pick apart anything. I'm going to talk to Annalise for our game plan. Remember we have less than 72 hours!" I stated, pushing through the living room. Almost everyone went to work, with the exception of Laurel. Her eyes snapped up from the paperwork and went from me to Frank and back.
While she couldn't hide the look of disgust, part of her was grateful towards me. The Ramini case last week was looking like a loss before she'd intervened. Last minute, I had stopped by to see her at the Middleton Law Review office and reminded her that her score card wouldn't matter if the jury was aware of jury nullification. If a certain juror happened to come across it, say, during lunch, then tell the others, it could mean a mistrial for the 17-year-old, who otherwise would be guilty of murder.
Though she was hesitant to do it, she followed my instructions, and printed out the process of jury nullification. Then during lunch, she waited for just the right moment, and left a copy of it on the exact bench she'd been told to. Sure, Frank was pissed off at her, but he didn't know who had put her up to it. But it worked out in the end, and by the end of the day, the boy was set to be free. Michaela made fun of Asher for crying about it.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Annalise was waiting for her me.
No words were exchanged until I sat down on her bed.  She sat next to me, and sighed, putting a hand over mine, "we need to talk."
"Mom, nothing is go-"
"Not about you and Frank," she sighed, her eyes moving to the door, as though she was waiting for someone to interrupt us.  When no one did, she looked back to me, "it's about the Ramini case."
"Oh."
"That printout had your name all over it, Cheyanne," she said.  I looked towards the door. Annalise moved her hand to her my chin, making me face her, "Why did you have Laurel do it?"
"I wanted to even the playing field."
My mother's brow raised only slightly, but it was enough to let me know that she'd seen right through me. She didn't, however, want to push it. She let out a shaky breath, "I saw David today."
"I know."
"He's so calm about it all," she replied, pausing. Her hands fell off my lap and into her own, "We have to save him Cheyanne."
"I'm going to go talk to the old witnesses, mom...you need to get Wes back on board.  Let me take care of David."
“Chey-“
“Do you trust me?”
“You know I do…”
“Then keep Wes on board!” I said firmly, “I’ll worry about freeing David…”
“Okay honey!”
I walked down the stairs in silence with mom trailing behind me.  Just as I was about to head home, she stopped me and lead me back to the living room where everyone else was.
"Frank, you and Cheyanne are going to interview the old witnesses. Track them down. See what they remember," she demanded. Laurel looked up at Annalise and myself, before Bonnie tapped the paper, "Bonnie, I want every single document gone over by the time I get back."
"Where are you going?" Michaela asked.
Frank grabbed his coat and Annalise pushed me in his direction. As the voices faded off when we exited through the kitchen, Frank stopped us.
"Fra-" I began but was cut off. Frank had pushed me up against the back door and was kissing me passionately. The thought of giving into his plump lips was tempting, but I pushed him away, and smacked him, "What are you doing?"
"It's not serious," he insisted, “Laurel and I…it-it’s nothing, Chey.  You know that.  I know that you do.”
"I don't care.  You still have a girlfriend…and I’m not her," I growled, walking off towards his car, "You drive."
"Where are we going?"
"Just get in the damn car!"
"Fine," he hissed, angry over the fact that I ignored his gesture, "I swear, sometimes you are worse than your mother!"
I looked at him with angry eyes, "Are you serious?  You can’t just push me against the wall and kiss me in one breath than compare me to my mother as an insult in the next.  Asshole!"
"What?" he said, starting the car and backing out of the driveway.
"Go to my house," I began, "And before you say anything, no questions. I have the addresses for the witnesses already."
We drove mostly in silence. Every few seconds Frank would look over at me.   I pulled at my cream blouse, with a tight, fitted pencil skirt.  Why did he have to make me feel this way, even after ten years.  I watched him as he mindlessly drove to my place.  It wasn’t a long drive, but he was definitely zone out, on autopilot as he parked in the driveway.
"Frank!" I said.  He was pulled from his thoughts when I said his name.  It made me think back to the first day I met him.  When I was giving him a tour and he was just zoning out.
"What?"
"Are you coming in?"
Frank looked around to see that he'd parked in the driveway to my house. He couldn't remember getting there, and yet here he was. He nodded, pulling the key from the ignition, and following me in.
"Cheyanne?"
"No questions Frank," I whispered, closing the door.  We stood in her foyer, for a moment, not saying a word.  When I reached the second step, Frank grabbed my arm and turned me around.  I landed on the bottom step and was level with him.  Before I could think our lips collided once more and neither one of us cared what we were supposed to be doing.
I pulled his jacket off his shoulders, and it fell to the floor.  My lips begged for permission and his hands hungrily pulled at my hips. As hard as he tried, he couldn't find the zipper for my skirt.   I felt his already hardening manhood firm against me. 
"Frank," I moaned.  My hand brushed against his crotch and a guttural noise made its way from his throat, “fuck…if you can’t get it, just rip it off!”
"Chey," he pleaded, pulling at my skirt.  I giggled against his lips as his lust turned to frustration, "What the hell?"
"Rip it off," I moaned, making my way down his jaw and to his throat.  I bit right above his collarbone.  I felt his pulse speed up.  After all these years, I knew just how to make his body react, "Take me Frank."
The bulge in his pants grew as he hungrily pulled at my skirt again. Once he'd pulled my blouse from its position of being tucked into my skirt, his hands had found their way to the hem of my well-fitting skirt. The guilt of ripping my skirt left him as I moaned his name one more time against his throat, pleading for him to take me again and again.  I could hardly stand it.  I needed him inside me. 
The sound of fabric ripping was music to Franks ears as he picked me up, cupping my ass, "Chey!"
"Take me right here Frank," I pleaded.  We kissed once again, and I fumbled with his belt, pulling his pants over the full bulge in his pants. The full length of his hard dick pressed against my almost naked body.  The only thing separating us was our underwear, “fuck…I-I need to feel you.  Right now, Frank…please!”
The doorbell went off and we both went silent.
"Cheyanne, Frank!”  her voice rang out. Laurel stood on the porch with Bonnie, Michaela, Asher, and Conner.  I could see them pop up on the camera for my doorbell.
"Fuck," I hissed, "Quietly, go upstairs, go to the bathroom, and flush the toilet in 2 minutes. By that time Bonnie will find the key and let everyone in. I'll grab our clothes and follow you up!  Okay?"
Frank nodded and pulled me to him for a kiss.  I put a finger to my lips, stopping him from pushing it even further. He lightly pushed me against the wall, and nipped at my neck
"You owe me, Chey,” he smirked.  We grabbed our clothes and snuck upstairs.  When we got into my bedroom he quietly locked the door as the bell went off again.  He picked me up and sat us on the bed.  I crawled onto his lap, feeling his erection once more and he smiled, “I think we have an extra minute or two…
“Frank…I don’t know…you’ve never been that fast before.”
“Sweetheart, I know I’m about to burst already…I just need to feel you…I need to be inside of you.”
“Two minutes, stud!” I winked at him, and he ripped my panties off me, sliding inside.  I stifled a moan as he thrust inside me.  Somehow, he felt larger than the last time we'd made love.  It felt like he was going to split me in half.  He held me by my hips as he continued to thrust inside me.  I felt my head roll forward as I latched onto his neck, nipping away. 
"Oh fuck," he moaned pulling my face to his so he could kiss me, "I miss you so much." 
I heard the clicking of the lock and my head turned towards the door where they were entering, “Frank…”
“I’m so close baby!”
“Fuck…”
There was some noise downstairs before it shifted, and the creaking of the stairs got louder.  I practically jumped off his lap, "Shit!  You need to go to the bathroom before they get in."
“I was that close, Chey!” he grunted.  I looked down and I felt bad.  He was practically pulsating, but we didn’t have the time.
“Frank…we can’t!  Please…go to the bathroom!”
He closed his eyes and sighed, following my instructions, taking his clothes, and heading into the master bathroom.  I ran to my closet and threw the skirt away and grabbed a similar one.
"Cheyanne?" Bonnie called out among the house, "Annalise sent us over, so we can split up the witnesses. Something came up that I need to discuss with you.  Where are you?"
"Upstairs. I have the addresses on my desk, "I yelled out, heading to the desk next to my bed. On top of my laptop was a group of half a dozen post it notes all with the names and addresses of the witnesses. Bonnie and the others came upstairs and knocked on my door.
"Where's Frank?" Asher asked as he joined us.
As if on cue, the toilet flushed, and the bathroom door opened. Frank had taken care of his erection and had emerged from the bathroom, his face slightly flushed.
"Did you even wash your hands?" Michaela asked with a disgusted tone. He rolled his eyes and went back into the bathroom making sure to wash his hands.
"Fly is unzipped," Asher quipped when he arrived again, “might want to take care of that!”
"Alright guys, we're going to split up into teams of 2." Bonnie said, passing around post it notes as she took some of the heat off of the discussion of Frank’s appearance, "Cheyanne, your mom said she had something at her house. She wants you to head back so we’ll re-interview everyone then update you!"
I nodded and everyone but me and Bonnie headed down the stairs. It wasn't until I heard the door close that Bonnie handed me a condom wrapper.
"What is this for?” 
“You and Frank.”
I paled, knowing it was the brand he was infamous for using, “Where did you find this?"
"The foyer, right next to the stairs," she laughed, “so I take it that you two are back at it again?”
"He uh-we didn’t get that far," I laughed, the lie rolling easily off my tongue, “though, I gotta love that he was prepared.”
"So, you trying to start a competition with his flavor of the month and his girlfriend?"
"No...it’s just typical me and Frank.  He's got Laurel and Sasha and I'm talking to someone.  I know we never work out.  We’re just…familiar."
“I would say smart girl…but at the rate the two of you keep going back to one another, you’re both bordering brain dead.”  
“That’s not nice, Bon…”
“It may not be nice, but at least it’s honest,” she shrugged, “you two need to really figure it out.”
“Like I said…it means nothing.”
“Sometimes I wonder if the two of you will ever stop lying to each other,” she admitted, “the two of you will always keep going back t o one another…like moth’s to a flame…”
“That’s not true, Bonnie.”
“You two have been like that since the day you met…it’ll never end, Cheyanne,” she laughed, “he may have Laurel and Sasha right now…but we know the girl he really wants.”
Chapter 4
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ptrckjcne · 1 year
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👻👓💡💌
ask box -> fanfic writer asks
👓 -> what helps you focus when you write? i have a few things that helps me focus! i usually write best in the mornings, after my morning swim/run, because that's when my head is at its clearest. however when i sit down and write, i can like, write fine on my own, but if i'm really inspired and want to write something, i'll crack my knuckles and put on the soundtrack to star wars (i don't know what happens, or why it happens, but that soundtrack's got something on me writing wise)
💡 -> how many wips do you currently have? right now, i've got seven wips; four multi-chapters and three one shots.
💌 -> is there a favourite trope you like to write? i mean, sharing a bed/one bed only. those two could hit me with a truck, and i'd say thanks. and then there's fake dating, absolutely love that. and there's probably more, but these kinda, stick out.
👻 -> what's your wildest headcanon? yikes, wildest? huh. i don't know if they can classify as wild, but i've got a couple i can share, so uhm, enjoy?
-> steve and danny help each other out, as friends or boyfriends, i don't know, that's up to them to figure out i guess. but, it's not uncommon for them to stumble into a bathroom stall, or yknow, whatever "private" space they find and just help each other relieve some tension like the good bros they are. thing is, it kinda gets outta hand, and they get stopped for public indecency not once, not twice, but three times. and it's not like you wanna get a rookie from the hpd looking into the car where you've got your best bro's dick in your hand, but shit and steve threatens to turn this kid in if he mentions their names, flashes him their badges, and adds that if there's anything in the report that can identify them, his career's over.
and it's not because steve's an douchebag, but he's got this big, tough-guy navy seal image to protect, and he's not about to give rachel fodder if she decides to drag danny to court over the kids (because imagine the field day they'd have if it turned up in a police report that "lieutenant commander steven j. mcgarrett and detective sergeant daniel d. williams have been fined for public indecency")
sometime after the third time they've been pulled over, duke corners steve when he's at the precinct, and he asks if steve knows about these very anonymous reports, and steve's like ??? me no i don't know anything, and duke just sighs, like a disappointed dad, and goes "there are no names, or any kind of way i can identify the people, but when i've asked the three reporting officers they say the people flashed sparkly badges, and that was what they could tell me – so can you and detective williams please keep it in your pants while in your cars?" (is this a headcanon or could this very well be a "they started off as good bros getting each other off now they're fucking and oh shit they're dating aren't they" kind of fic)
-> this one actually goes a little bit along to the possible grace-plot of your au to the au, but it's been brewing now for a while. anywho, danny and rachel really wanted kids, but sometimes two people just really struggle conceiving. moving further, there's actually two options to this headcanon:
danny and rachel have a talk, and decide they want to get checked out, and they find out the reason for their struggles, and sit down and have a talk; it's perfectly fine for rachel to get pregnant and carry a child, though it might not be possible for her to get pregnant with danny. so, they start looking at sperm donors.
enter steven, who was in town with his navy bros, who went "ooh i bet you're too much of a wimp to donate your sperm" and who is steve to back down from a challenge? so he donates his sperm, completely oblivious to the fact that his sperm is what creates danny's kid. danny doesn't actually know anything personal about steve from the file, other than the basic description, but sometime later, like way later, in hawaii later, they do a dna test just for fun and it turns out a perfect match between steve and grace and they're like oh
or rachel goes off one night after having argued with danny, possibly about his work? idk. anyway, she goes off to this bar, a shitty bar really, gets blackout drunk, gets one off quick and dirty in the bathroom of bar with another blackout drunk bar-guest (this stupidly hunk navy seal guy), gets pregnant and panicks, and just tells danny it's his. when the kid pops out and has brown eyes and brown hair, they just shrug it off with it being rachel's genetics taking the override on this one.
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drcornwater · 1 year
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Health Update
For the last year or so, I've been experiencing seizure like symptoms that's altered my life more than I ever could have thought.
It started in April 2022. I got up from my computer chair to grab some coffee while at work (I work from home) and suddenly my eyes went blurry and my knees were weak. I made it to the kitchen counter but knew something was going on so I put my cup down and tried to get back to my chair only a few feet away from me.
I didn't make it and fell to the floor. My head had what felt like pressure in it and it had just exploded out of me. I woke up to carpet burn on my forehead and with my head about 3 inches from my computer chair wheels. I always think about how close I was to whacking my head on those sharp ass wheel covers whenever I think about it.
After that first time, I started having what seemed to be seizures regularly. I would be kind of aware of what was going on, but I was locked out of my body as it seized. I'd slur and get really drooly after one and sometimes I'd just be bedridden for a whole day. I had experienced something similar when I was a teen and in my early 20s, but it was sort of brushed off by my doctor at the time. It went away as I grew older so I never thought about it afterwards.
So after months of waiting and anxiety, I finally got tested in an inpatient epilepsy monitoring unit. Basically that means I was strapped to an EEG for 24 hours to monitor my brain activity and catch an episode as it happened to see if it was epilepsy or something else. After a day, the doc came in and said I had Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures.
To quote the above link:
Psychogenic nonepileptic seizure (PNES) involves attacks that resemble epilepsy-related seizures in symptoms and signs, but abnormal electrical activity in your brain doesn’t cause them. Instead, the seizures are a physical reaction to underlying psychological distress.
It's a conversion disorder, meaning my brain has a hard time dealing with extreme stress or anxiety and manifests it physically. It's linked to trauma, personality disorders, and other types of mental issues. I def fall under Trauma and Mental Illness so I wasn't super shocked I was diagnosed with this lmao.
I'm deeply committed to treatment for this. I want to get better. I need to get better. I have a future waiting for me and I want to get there.
This has obviously all been stressful on its own so it feels like it's an ouroboros eating itself. I've missed so much work and the travel to appointments is brutal at times. My partner is so stressed all the time and I feel like a burden with how much she has to dedicate her time to me. I was supposed to get my driver's license when we moved up here, but I can't drive for a year after having a seizure so I'm not doing that anytime soon. We had to move bc I can't make enough money working due to being part time and missing days of work consistently. It just feels like there's more being added onto the plate every month.
And then today
I um. I...
fuck man
I just got out of a meeting with my HR person at work. We talked about how much work I'm missing and how my metrics aren't great and I'm not meeting expectations. There's a lot more going on than just my health at work, but they only see my health issues and want to stick with that. It doesn't matter that everything outside of my health is affecting work.
So my HR person put two options on the table:
I go through the process of filing ADA accommodations. It's a long process where my doctor has to sign off on my ability to work and there's a bunch of paperwork involved and a lot of effort on both sides (me and my work). They made it very obvious they do not want to go down this route.
2. I quit and they can just dust off their hands and move on.
It doesn't really feel like I have a choice at this point. They put a lot of emphasis on how much effort the ADA process is and made quitting more appealing. I know they want to get rid of me and this is them saying "we can get rid of you the easy way or the hard way" since they can't fire me due to health issues legally.
I mean, and they're right. What options do I have? I can't work and it's been proven. I can't. I just can't meet those expectations and I'm taking up a spot for someone who can. I've proved to myself and everyone around me that I literally cannot work in my condition. I've tried and it's just not possible.
The thing that really rubs me is that they have no idea what losing this job means for me. They think I can just leave this job and I'll be able to focus on my health and make the right choices for myself. But really, it completely fucks the plans we made moving up here. I will have to wait for months or even years for disability to kick in, I can't get unemployment after the pandemic bc of complicated reasons, and there's no way I can get another job like this with the flexibility it provided. They see this as the best option when really, it totally destabilizes any security I have in my personal life. I don't have any other options but to keep trying to work.
So much has been taken from me by this fucking medical condition. It's so hard to not be bitter or angry. I had to move in with my in-laws, become financially desperate, and now I've lost my job. I feel like I have nothing of my own left to give at this point. What more could it possibly take? The only thing it hasn't stolen is my relationship and that's the thing I worry most about.
I feel destitute and scared. My entire life has been taken from me in the span of less than a year. It's difficult to describe how hopeless this has left me at times.
So here I am, 10 years later after first experiencing these and I'm in a shockingly similar situation: No job, living with parents, and relying on others for everything. I feel like a fucking loser. I did then, and I feel it now.
But I'm keeping my head up. I have a lot of support and I want to get better. Sarah has been my rock and is the one thing propelling me forward. I can't give up on her. She's put so much effort and love into helping me out on this journey and that just makes me want to push farther every day.
Just send some love my way. I really need it right now. I'm not sure where to go from here but it looks like I'll have to contact Daddy Government again to get on disability. I don't want to have to go through that process, but I feel like it'll be a slam dunk. Hopefully the process isn't dragged on like it is known to.
I can do this.
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