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lutiaslayton · 4 months

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Hello!

I come to ask you a question, as you are the leading researcher in the field of puzzle lore, and also a scientist! (Once more: congratulations!)

Apologies if these thoughts seem a bit.... messy and much. Feel free to just ignore.

I am currently writing a little story/fanfiction that includes puzzles, and first I wanted to ask if it is okay with you if I use your theory for that.

Second:

You already said that Puzzles, or rather Hamanier Particles have the ability to allow time/space travel, and that they allow clairvoyant abilities.

Puzzles/Hamanier Particles seem to be already used to research time and space travel, as your theory says.

Could puzzles have even more possible "applications"?

Is the main reason why the Azran were so advanced that they fully understood how to "use" puzzles and their supernatural-seeming properties?

Do you think they could also be the cause of other weird happenings and traits humans, plants and animals have in the series?

Could puzzles possess living things too and change them?

Flora Reinhold has the mole in the shape of an apple, that only appears when she is happy/laughing.

That isn't really possible, but perhaps that is caused by some sort of puzzle possession?

Could this also be an explanation for the nonsenical dusguise abilities Don Paolo and Descole have, that they might partially be literal shapeshifters (or something in that direction?)

A shapeshifting-like thing could also explain how Don Paolos hair works, why it is able to move around and shape itself in ways normal hair shouldn't (LF, the scene where he got his horns

Do you think it is significant that in/around puzzle shacks, plant seem to grow in strange ways (there is almost always a tree around, often growing indoors), and that other plants such as the sunflower in LF being able to store/attract puzzles.

(i also find it strange how flowers grow underground, at the grave of Viola Reinhold. But that might not be caused by puzzles, I think at least)

Could puzzle possession be able to alter genes/bodies? (here it becomes apaarent that my biology knowledge is not advanced enough yet).

If they potentially create little "weird traits" such as Floras apple-shaped mole, or even shapeshifting, then they might have the potential to do even more.

The animal experiments in LF were probably meant to test the time travel-capabilities of Hamanier particles.

But apparently, the exposure to them was what caused Subject 3 to become so strangely human-like, apparently altering his body(?) and making him able to "walk".

This might go to far, but regarding Animals being experimented with and becoming strange/humanlike-

The dog from LMJ, Sherl, was also implied to have been experimented on in a lab, and that is why he got the ability to talk.

Another Hamanier Particle experiment, maybe?

So, maybe puzzle experiments are not very uncommon in the Layton-Universe.

And that was... it, I think.

I don't know enough about science (yet) to properly understand the implications that Puzzles might be experimented with/have the capability to change living beings and allow "supernatural"-seeming phenomena to happen.

So that is why I wished to ask someone who knows way more than me.

Apologies if it wasn't understandable.

Hi, thanks! And, wow, that's a big one indeed xD

A few disclaimers ahead of time:

The theory is still a work in progress, in the sense that I won't be 100% confident in its solidity before I'll have had time to confront it to basically the near-entirety of the lore in the game. Which, obviously, is going to take a lot of time and work. So while I do believe that the current state of the theory is rather reliable, at least as a headcanon, I cannot claim with confidence that a few details here and there won't change in the future due to my finding out something else in the games/novels/other that I didn't know or had forgotten about, and which contradicts part of the theory.

I believe you likely saw this post already, but I link it just in case. I had tried in that post to make the theory's assertions as clear as possible, but the wording in some of your questions makes me wonder whether there might have been a few confusions here or there. If you or anyone else have questions regarding a specific part of the theory and/or you're not completely sure what X or Y means, don't hesitate to ask me.

Now, on to your questions:

Is it okay if I use the puzzle theory for my own fanfictions/fanart/other?

To you, and to anyone else who will probably ask again sooner or later (you're not the first one haha): YES. The puzzle theory by itself is something that I was stupid/crazy enough to come up with, but since the evidence that led up to me thinking about it came directly from the official content, it doesn't feel to me like the theory really "belongs" to me! It's as if you had to pay royalties to Albert Einstein whenever you wanted to write E=mc². Kinda stupid if you ask me (and even stupider in my case because the puzzle theory isn't nearly as fundamental to the progress of humanity as real world science is).

Also what fun is there in finding a lore mechanic that is so wide, could have SO many applications and implications, inspire sooooo many fascinating storylines and AUs, only for me to then go "nah I'm the only fanfic author who's ever allowed to use it. Get screwed, fandom." For real, the reason I share this theory at all is because I WANT the fandom to know about it and have their own fun with it, if they decide that it's a toy box worth adding to their collection of headcanons!

If anything, credit is appreciated if you want your potential readers-who-are-also-writers to read about the puzzle theory in turn and get inspired to also write about it; but it is absolutely not required.

However, one thing that is required (not really but I would love if you could do it): please do send me the link of your fanfic once it is written and posted because I absolutely want to read it 👀

TL;DR: Yes, it is ok, and I want to see it. Go wild, and have fun!

Hamanier Particles have the ability to allow time/space travel, and they allow clairvoyant abilities. Puzzles/Hamanier Particles seem to be already used to research in time and space travel, as your theory says. Could puzzles have even more possible "applications"?

I believe that imagination is our sole limit! (like, literally, since Hamanier particles are basically what constitutes complex thoughts in the Laytonverse)

That, and more importantly the fact that what scientists within the Laytonverse truly know about how Hamanier particles work and how to harness their power has yet to be defined in detail. They have mechas, Descole's machines definitely use puzzle shenanigans, and Dimitri was able to build a pair of glasses which can record a person's memories (aka also related to Hamanier particles). But on the other hand, the average Layton NPC's daily life (Layton himself included) isn't using technology that is more advanced than our own, far on the contrary. It seems that whatever it is that humanity knows about puzzle physics at the time of the main six games, the ability to actually control Hamanier particles remains rather niche (and it seems like Steam Bison might actually give us quite a bit to think about, especially the part where, allegedly, "solving more puzzles will cause the city to evolve technologically").

It's a bit like how humanity has known that electricity existed for aeons (without necessarily understanding how it works), but that it took a while between the moment when the first inventions which were capable of generating/relied on electricity were built, and the moment when every house in the country required electricity for powering nearly everything. I believe the Laytonverse is sitting in that phase where a few scientists in isolated labs were able to find the means to control Hamanier particles, but that due to the costs, or because it's tricky to implement in terms of engineering, or for other reasons, the knowledge of how to control them is either not well-spread just yet, or people just aren't jumping on the hype train to use puzzle magic to power everything in their daily lives because they don't see the point (at least not yet. Once again, let's see how Steam Bison appears when we get to see it in its full glory).

So, applications for puzzles/Hamanier particles in a daily Layton NPC's life? Well, let's see...

First off, something which is kinda used in canon but would deserve to be expanded upon a lot more: using puzzles as basically weapons for delaying someone, like a smoke bomb of sorts (could be offensive, could be self-defence). The dialogue from Luke after you solved London Holiday's Puzzle #009 has him talk as if he just physically had a jog walking on bridges in a tropical archipelago, all the while (as far as we know) he did not leave the confines of Layton's office. So did the puzzle make him hallucinate that? Was Luke temporarily sucked into a pocket dimension until he solved the puzzle??

I'd personally go for the former since the Folsense gas is a thing (and this interpretation does not require to find proof that a) such pocket dimension exists, and b) find an explanation on how it works, where it is located, and how it was created. In short: hallucination wins over pocket dimension thanks to Ockham's Razor). At least some puzzles seem to thus have the ability to trap the person solving them into some sort of trance until they're solved, which depending on the circumstances, could put the person in a rather vulnerable position where they can't interact with their surroundings.

So, list of possible uses:

Weapon for trapping someone inside their own head until the puzzle is solved (no technology required, just fetch a feral puzzle and yeet it at the person's face like a poké ball). Arguably already used in canon, notably with Bishop or Plover in Azran Legacy, and probably in dozens of other cases. It can be of note that their response after the puzzles have been solved is often along the lines of "what the heck! how did you solve it that quickly???", which could be interpreted as some form of "wtf bro it's like if my smoke bomb only lasted two seconds how do you expect me to have the time to make any use of it"

Time travel/teleportation, the former of which we know has been attempted, with near success, only to have the project abandoned. It is more or less likely that the same could be said of the latter; though there is no time paradox to worry about, I do believe that the main mechanism is the exact same as for time travel: it's just that you don't want the other end of the vortex to be set in a different time. So, in short: a bunch of scientists managed to make it work, but as far as evidence shows, they're not to the point of being able to make it safe and practical for everyday use. I'd compare Dimitri's time machine to the real world LHC: humanity's top scientists can do it for science, but the world is absolutely not ready to popularise the technology and have every layman get to buy and play Candy Crush on their own toy LHC (for a number of reasons, and the one asking "How can you even play Candy Crush with a particle accelerator?" comes with the lowest priority).

Speaking of teleportation, it is however possible that some characters actually already use it to some extent...? I'm thinking notably of Granny Riddleton or Keats. Or... perhaps that's also why Pavel is never able to explain how he ends up in the most random places. In any case, I believe that those instances are caused not by Laytonverse steampunk technology, but rather because of these characters' clairvoyance, or because of wild puzzles being particularly feral and kidnapping them across time and space. Poor Pavel must have made a few of them very angry. Or he's psychic and doesn't know it.

There totally is some illegal hint coins trafficking going on in the suburbs of many towns and cities, where most of the buyers are students during the week before their finals.

Scotland Yard and other police forces have a branch dedicated to puzzle-related problems. My personal headcanon is that Colby may actually be stationed in the reception room and rarely ever allowed on the terrain because the times when he is allowed on the terrain, it's because it's an eldritch shenanigans level of puzzle issue.

...

Layton's trunk, which is capable of holding a whole fish tank (just kidding. probably.)

Is the main reason why the Azran were so advanced that they fully understood how to "use" puzzles and their supernatural-seeming properties?

Yes. In Azran Legacy, we have the following quote: "We were masters of technology and science. There was no puzzle we could not solve." Now, of course, it could be coincidence. I could be reading into it too much. But in the light of the puzzle theory... Why couldn't we take it literally? It's not like all this glowing shifting stuff (which is somewhat reminiscent of Descole's Detragigant anyway) wasn't screaming "arguably supernatural" anyway. Also the fact that they can resurrect the dead (no I will never let that one go).

More seriously, the Azran basically turned the Illusory Forest's Ancient Tree into an immortal clairvoyant cyborg who records knowledge about the entire world by using a network of plants worldwide in order to absorb what is basically brain juice (aka Hamanier particles). That thing alone revolves around using puzzle magic to acquire knowledge.

TL;DR: Yes. Definitely. Absolutely.

Could puzzles also be the cause of other weird happenings and traits that humans, plants and animals have in the series? Could puzzles possess living things too and change them?

Believe it or not, that is one of the questions that will either be raised in Stable Like Sand (my own fic) at some point, or has at least been written and will just end up in the pile of cut content that didn't make it in the fic if I can't find a place for it to fit properly. But to paraphrase my notes: "That's usually what the immune system is for."

That being said… We do have a few canon phenomena: Folsense's gas and Labyrinthia's ink causing hallucinations/having strong powers of suggestion, Labyrinthia's water causing people to faint if they hear the sound of a bell made of pure silver… It could also be argued that at least part of the "unknown incurable illnesses" that afflicted quite a few characters throughout the series, sometimes leading to their death, are a result of puzzle decay/possession gone wrong.

It is possible that some in-game puzzles involve fauna or flora having been physically altered for the sake of a puzzle, but I do not recall any specific example, so take that with a grain of salt. I do however remember that Colby, a constable from Scotland Yard, has his chin get longer whenever he smiles (as in it's not just me overanalysing his sprites, it's literally written down on his in-game profile description).

TL;DR: Yep. And the more you think about it, the more horrifying it gets.

Flora Reinhold has the mole in the shape of an apple, that only appears when she is happy/laughing. That isn't really possible, but perhaps that is caused by some sort of puzzle possession?

Yep 👀 (and, unfortunately, this is also why I believe that both her parents died because of puzzle decay/possession)

Could this also be an explanation for the nonsenical disguise abilities Don Paolo and Descole have, that they might partially be literal shapeshifters (or something in that direction?) A shapeshifting-like thing could also explain how Don Paolos hair works, why it is able to move around and shape itself in ways normal hair shouldn't (LF, the scene where he got his horns)

I wish I had an answer for that. For the time being, I am stuck at the stage of raising my fist at the sky and growling "I will figure out a scientifically valid mechanism someday. SOMEDAY. JUST YOU WAIT LEVEL-5, I WILL FIND AN EXPLANATION FOR YOUR CARTOON PHYSICS."

To give some more details: I can say at least that Descole and Don Paolo's disguises don't seem to work the same way. Don Paolo canonically uses latex(?) masks and extra clothes matching the person he's disguised as, which he leaves behind for Luke to collect and try on during the credits of Diabolical Box and Unwound Future. This... would be simple enough if it weren't for the fact that he's the one who somehow managed to disguise himself as Flora.

Meanwhile, Descole… just puts on his hat, and boom there we go the entire cast of characters and the audience alike just went from "A platypus?" to "PERRY the platypus???" So current guess is that instead of a full disguise (although he might still be using some kind of disguise to some extent, I don't remember the mention of latex masks or extra clothes in his case), he instead uses some sort of illusion/hallucinogen mechanic. I wonder whether he ever went to Folsense/Labyrinthia (or other location with similar properties), found out about the gas/other, and managed to weaponise it in order to trick people into seeing and hearing him with a different identity.

By the way, what if the hallucinogenic something that Descole uses is the reason why nobody in-universe was able to see how similar Desmond Sycamore looks to Descole, and why he could just get away with basically wearing the exact same clothes (or at least shoes)? Huh. Perhaps for all we know, he doesn't even bother trying to mimic other people's voices when he's "disguised" as them.

Last minute addition by @toy-pigeon: "i mean if his cologne is so strong that whatshisface in phong gi was able to smell it, maybe THAT'S what the hallucinogen is"

And now back to Don Paolo... I guess his hair could be similar to the examples of Flora or Colby, now that you mention it.

...Maybe one of his experiments made it worse and he actually can somehow fit inside those disguises.

...Oh darn I believe that might be an option and if it's the result of one of his engineering experiments gone wrong you've got even more reason for him to be the way he is, with the diving into super villain mode on a whim and all.

Thank you, I hate it, and I need some ibuprofen because my brain is boiling.

(Man, imagine writing a PL fanfic with a shapeshifter in it and only figuring this stuff out a year and a half later)

Do you think it is significant that in/around puzzle shacks, plant seem to grow in strange ways (there is almost always a tree around, often growing indoors)?

By itself, I wouldn't call that weird or supernatural. There is vegetation everywhere, and it is precisely what the Illusory Forest's Ancient Tree uses to collect knowledge from across the world. Also, Granny Riddleton has her shack inside the Molentary Express for a bit... The miniature tree could be fake, or could take its roots in. um. somewhere...? (it probably makes more sense if it's fake, but I did say earlier that Granny Riddleton may be capable of teleportation, so. there are a couple of hypotheses that may need to not be discarded just yet. but the tweezers I'm using to hold those hypotheses are the size of Clive's fortress.)

If it has any significance at all, it would be related to the Ancient Tree's shenanigans, not to the local laws of physics.

(i also find it strange how flowers grow underground, at the grave of Viola Reinhold. But that might not be caused by puzzles, I think at least)

Also not particularly supernatural looking to me, iirc there was sufficient light in her basement/grave for vegetation to grow relatively well. The sight does not shock me; in fact, a lot of flowers benefit from having sunlight, yes, but not direct sunlight.

If you want an unambiguously unusual example though, look at collection item #13 of Azran Legacy: "Bashful Sunflower - This healthy plant runs contrary to the laws of nature by turning away from the sun." And the original Japanese version if you want it: 「はにかみヒマワリ｜貫録あふれる花と葉をたくわえていながら、おひさまから目をそらすほど内向的な性格」 (Translation: "Bashful Sunflower - Despite its sturdy flowers and leaves, it is so introverted that it turns its eyes away from the sun." So this flower is sentient and extremely shy.)

(It's easier to see if you look at its 3D model in-game, but it is literally using its leaves to hide itself from the sunlight)

…and other plants such as the sunflower in LF being able to store/attract puzzles.

I'd connect that to the Ancient Tree, personally... But it's also basically implying that the plant itself is indeed having strange properties, which may have been developed in its species aeons ago due to exposure to puzzle weirdness (it would be, after all, the explanation for why the Ancient Tree itself was born. Simplest explanation is very simply that the Ancient Tree is a clairvoyant plant, on the same level as Granny Riddleton for example. It just also happens to be a tree, but as we saw a paragraph above, plants also can be sentient in the Laytonverse).

Could puzzle possession be able to alter genes/bodies? If they potentially create little "weird traits" such as Floras apple-shaped mole, or even shapeshifting, then they might have the potential to do even more.

As TL;DR for this whole part of the ask, I will just quote an excerpt from my notes which tried to summarise the puzzle theory in as few words as possible (I now realise that past me had not added this paragraph to the list of screenshots in the post I mentioned at the beginning of this reply. My bad, I believed that it was not that relevant at the time since it wasn't really about puzzles themselves):

The animal experiments in LF were probably meant to test the time travel-capabilities of Hamanier particles.

But apparently, the exposure to them was what caused Subject 3 to become so strangely human-like, apparently altering his body(?) and making him able to "walk".

I would argue that adult Subject 3 doesn't look that much different from his baby self from before he was experimented on. Same for Sherl, he doesn't look particularly "human-like" physically speaking, and doesn't look that much different from other dogs aside from "main character design" syndrome.

(Beasly, on the other hand... Well, seems like Level-5 conveniently baited us by having a whole cutscene where he said he had a whole backstory explaining how he came to be the way he is, only to be silenced by Puzzlette. But I'm putting him aside. And also -- just like Sherl, not every human can understand him. If you try to talk to him while Luke is missing, Layton and Flora don't even acknowledge his presence, let alone are able to understand what he says.)

I'm just going to quote again the screenshot from just a paragraph above, but "Plants/Fauna are WEIRD" in general. Plants are sentient and acquire information that they then convey to the Ancient Tree, animals have some level of sentience regardless of whether they have been experimented on (otherwise Luke wouldn't be able to hold complex conversations with them such as the ones he has with Toppy or with the other rabbit from the Miracle Mask minigame), and they too are able to solve puzzles, once again regardless of whether or not they have been experimented on.

TL;DR I don't believe that the time travel experiments that Subject 3, or the Parrot (Subject 1) suffered from had any significant changes on their body or psyche, other than being traumatising events by themselves.

As a reminder by the way: regarding Sherl, just like Subject 3, Beasly, or other animals, only a couple of humans are able to understand them. In the main six games, Luke and Clark Triton are the only ones canonically known to understand animals (and feel free to watch the Subject 3 scene and the Beasly cutscene from Unwound Future, in both cases Layton really is just standing motionless in the back, metaphorically fumbling his thumbs and waiting for Luke to come back and translate; and once again, when Luke is gone from the group, it is possible to go talk to Beasly... or rather, try).

In LMJ, it seems like Katrielle and Ernest are the only ones able to understand Sherl (unless some other NPC that I don't know about showed up occasionally and everyone went "you can understand him too?????", I did not watch all 50 episodes of the anime yet). Interestingly, Ernest is shocked that he could understand Sherl, so it seems that while Ernest is Special™ somehow, he is not able to understand other animals. And though Katrielle was barely surprised when Sherl showed up at her door, it also doesn't seem like she can understand other animals either. Whatever it is that Ernest and Katrielle have in common with each other but not with anyone else, for them both to be able to understand Sherl... I honestly have no clue (none that even remotely makes any sense, that is).

Aaaaaaand I believe I addressed everything! Phew, that was a lot, and it actually did give me a few things to think about that I had not given enough thought to until now.

So the big TL;DR:

Yes please do use this theory/headcanon in your fanfics/fanart/comics/macaroni collage and please give me links once it's done because I want to see it and give it love.

Puzzle weirdness has a lot of uses indeed, with the only limitations being Laytonverse humanity's current understanding of their own laws of physics (for mad scientist use) and general society's interest for puzzle-based technology (for widespread daily use). It is extremely likely that they do not understand most of the puzzle theory and that they just shrug it all off because it's normal to them. It's just like our own world: do we all commonly understand the entirety of physics? Heck no! And yet it interferes with our lives daily. Physicists in our world are figuring stuff out to this day, sometimes figure out that stuff everyone believed to be obvious in the past is completely wrong, sometimes figure out new stuff that nobody knew was a thing. It's the same thing in the Laytonverse, whether with "regular physics" (assuming those still work the way we know it) or with puzzle physics.

Absolutely-not-widespread uses include but are not limited to: St Mystere's robots (if they are sentient, they most likely rely on Hamanier particles stuff. Also the part about altering Dahlia's memories... Well, just take a look at ->), Descole's Detragan, Dimitri's time machine and mind-reading glasses, probably Descole's mechas in general (on the basis that they are likely inspired from Azran technology to some extent)...

The Azran had totally figured out how puzzles worked, to the extent that they even knew how to resurrect the dead and (allegedly, probably on accident) create an entire race of sentient robots. Go figure.

This post contains a lot of Illusory Forest spoilers (not that they're new to be fair, I've been talking about it for a while and I'm happy I finally get to start sharing the translation with you guys).

Puzzle decay/possession affecting living beings, including humans, is a horrifying subject that I want to tread with caution; but I do believe we have enough instances where it seems to be the simplest explanation, to conclude that it is an unavoidable consequence.

So turns out Descole using a hallucinogenic gas of sorts similar to Folsense or Labyrinthia for his disguises could be an interesting way to explain how he can just put on his tricorn and °magic poof° now he's Descole (whereas Don Paolo needs a bit more time to physically remove his disguises).

How dare you plant into my mind the idea that Don Paolo MAY ACTUALLY(?) have some relatively limited(??) shape-shifting ability(???) I hate how I cannot in the present times come up with a better explanation. I prefer the times when I was just aware of the issue and trying to postpone it for later, meekly hoping that future me would be able to find a rational explanation. You have opened my eyes on the fact that I need to get out of my denial phase and face the issue head on. Even if it means throwing my hands in the air and giving up. I tried looking for a different explanation. I really did.

I believe fauna and flora are Just Like That from the start, because animals in the wild are just as weird as the ones that were experimented on, with the sole exceptions being Sherl, who is more in a grey area than completely sticking out of the norm, and Beasly who is. an interesting case to say the least. (an interesting case I have little to zero clues about for the time being. perhaps he's Subject 2 and what you said about Subject 3 actually applies to him instead. perhaps it is something else entirely.)

To conclude with your last few sentences -- if you intend to study the research aspect of science, good luck and have fun with it! (as much fun as you can have that is-- jk don't worry we're having a lot of fun even if 80% of our job is experiments or simulations not working and us crying because we have no idea what went wrong)

In a weird sense, I like to think of the puzzle theory as a way to introduce a simple enough way to go through the "scientific method" for research: you find something weird, you look for an explanation; and while looking for evidence in favour AND against your temporary explanation (*), you try your darn best to avoid that annoying confirmation bias among many other traps your brain will lay against you. The hardest part is to manage to respect Ockham's Razor (since the "simplest explanation requiring the least amount of assumptions" is surprisingly not always the most obvious one at first glance) and impartiality (because of the above-mentioned confirmation bias, notably).

---

(*) It is very important that we also look for evidence that challenges, or even outright contradicts our current hypothesis on how the thing we're studying works. After all, if your hypothesis is "all raven in the world are black," you can't be 100% confident in that unless you check every single raven in the world and make sure that you don't stumble upon a white one! And if you do find a white (or green with pink polka dots) one, instead of looking away and pretending you didn't see anything, you will adapt your hypothesis: from "all raven in the world are black," it will become "most raven in the world are black; we have looked at a thousand ravens so far and found two white ones, therefore the current state of our research leans towards the conclusion that there are 99.98% of black ravens and 0.02% of white ravens in the world."

#pl puzzle theory #pl theory board #lutiasreplies

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auphelia · 1 year

Text

Taken care of - Cyno

Warnings n tags: f!reader, bad pun, academics, biologist!reader, amurta!reader, dendro vision!reader, fluff, pure cute, first fic ever, not proofread, selfship coded, dont think readers appearance is specified except for being ‘soft’ and in worse physical condition than Cyno

Note: I just needed this out of my system, it is the first time I’ve ever written a fic, so if you actually read it, please expect nothing! Also, minors DNI

Word count: 1200

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It was your first time venturing further into the desert than Aaru village, and you had honestly been dreading this trip ever since it became clear that you would have to go on it. The scorching heat almost made you wish that you could've either kept your big mouth shut or at the very least swallowed your pride. All you had wanted was to pick a poorly understood subject for your thesis, being an Amurta student, you'd practically had your ears cried full of withering zones and the different families of fungi. And you'd had enough of that, not wanting to spend your entire life studying some obscure detail just for your research to be 'new'. So you'd pitched an idea to your supervisor, you wanted to investigate what effect proximity to an oasis had on the evolutionary path of scarabs. After some bickering back and forth, they had agreed to let you pursue this, but under the condition that you were willing to change subject if you'd made no substantial progress within two months. It had now been one month and the only discovery you'd made was, that the litterature on scarabs, or anything from the desert, was sparse at best. And that's how you ended here, boots full of sand, dry skin, probably a good sunburn, and more than a little bitter. But samples wouldn't collect themselves! Luckily, your protective boyfriend had offered to escort you, not liking the thought of anyone else being responsible for your safety. Of course, as soon as the rumor that the General Mahamatra was taking leave to escort a student around the desert started spreading, you were met with more than a little malice from your peers.

The first morning you woke to an unfamiliar sight, what appeared to be an Eremite standing with their back towards you, Cyno's jackal helmet laying discarded in the sand. "What did you do to the white haired man? Speak, or I will set you ablaze!" "A single night, and already my precious flower has turned into a cactus" As always, Cyno's voice was even, but you had known him far too long to not notice the subtle hint of amusement in his tone. When he turned to face your, the satisfied smirk he wore only fueled your annoyance at his antics. "And what would you have done if I had not bothered asking but simply attacked?" "My flower, you have a dendro vision, explain to me how you plan on setting me ablaze? Besides, I do feel confident in my ability to dodge a sleepy student in uneven terrain." He winked at you while motioning at the sand between where you were sitting and where he stood. "Fine. Just warn me before you pull such a tasteless prank again" "This? No.. I.. I mean... I heard what they were saying behind your back. This way, you can say that your escort was just another mercenary." You noticed a light dusting of pink reach his cheeks, and with that all your irritation dissipated.

The second day went smoothly, Cyno surprisingly being able to guide you to many groupings of scarabs, sheepishly explaining that he had always found them fascinating.

By the third day, you were both tired. Cyno kept insisting that he would keep watch for most of the night so that you could be well rested for your fieldwork. He was undoubtedly hiding it better than you, but the slight drag of his feet as you walked towards the next observation spot gave him away. That and how he had been cursing at his hair for getting in his eyes all morning. You couldn't help but giggle at the memory of the oh-so-dignified General Mahamatra fumbling about in the morning sun, swatting at his hair while threatening to cut it off unless it behaved. He had undoubtedly thought you asleep. "If you have breath to spare on laughing, we should be going faster" his voice sounded like he had been inhaling sand instead of air. You couldn't help the whine that left your lips at the thought of your already tired legs picking up the pace. "Cynoooo, I'm just a feeble scholar, I wasn't made for field work". This statement caused him to stop dead in his tracks and turn around with a wicked grin. "Really? Because in my experience -" You cut him off by slapping a hand over his mouth, already knowing his next words, feeling how dry his lips had become from the desert air. Looking into his eyes, his exhaustion became increasingly clear to you. He'd been working himself half to death before going with you, and this clearly wasn't the break you had hoped it would be for him. "We are stopping at the next oasis we reach. Research be damned, I need a rest"

You plopped down with your back against a palm, closing your eyes and relishing in the shade the overhanging leaves provided. As you opened your eyes, a deep frown settled on your lips, there your idiot was, standing guard in the sun. Gently pressing a hand to the trunk behind you, you decided to not give him the opportunity of refusing a rest. The roots sprung to life and crept towards your beloved General. In one fell swoop they wrapped around his ankles and pulled, causing him to fall to the ground. He merely let out an exasperated groan and did his best to flip onto his back to avoid getting a mouthful of sand. As he came to rest with his head in your lap the roots gently untangled themselves from his golden skin and disappeared back into the sandy ground. You wasted no time gaining access to his white mane of hair as you started gently scratching at his scalp. Cyno almost purred at the action, letting his eyes remain closed, it was almost obscene to watch as his face contorted until a peaceful expression finally settled in his features. "You are a wicked, wicked woman" he couldn't fight the smile on his lips even as he tried to sound stern. Your only response was a soft kiss to his cheek, only serving to have him melt further into your soft form. "If anyone sneaks up on us I am blaming you" this time his tone was more serious, but with the sleepy expression on his face you only rolled your eyes at him and mumbled a quick apology. "Worry not General, I'll keep watch while you rest" as you gave him a final pat on the head, you moved to get up, only to be met with Cyno holding you down with an impressive amount of strength given his state. A hand snaked up your body and closed around one of your breasts, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't go, it seems we have plenty of securi-titty" You plopped back down in utter shock, remaining completely quiet. "Ahem. You see, I took the words security and ti-" You cut him off with a loud snort followed by laughter. "It seems you will be to blame if we are ambushed General" Your amused tone made his ears take on a reddish tint. Cyno looked up at you with eyes full of adoration. "For this, I am willing to take the chance of being caught unaware" He grabbed your hips and pulled until you were laying next to eachother. After a little while in silence Cyno's breathing evened out and you smiled to yourself in satisfaction.

#cyno x reader #genshin impact #genshin x reader #cyno x you #puns #bad pun #fanfic #holy fuck im scared to post this #but oh well #i dont feel like having it exist in my notes only #also the format is probably garbage #please be nice #send me an ask if im missing a warning #also minors stay away #auphelia writes stuff now

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laxmiree · 2 years

Text

[CN] MLQC Lucien's Fragrant Date translation

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

Translation under the cut~

MC: Wow, there are pure green lilies!

MC: The marigold really looks good when photographed from this angle.

I shuttled through the flowers, holding the lens to record the flowers in all their forms.

Recently, a large botanical garden has been opened in Loveland City, which is said to have introduced many rare plants and fossil species.

Lucien's research institute had cooperated with this botanical garden, so he invited me to join him for an afternoon tour.

Unexpectedly, as soon as we went out, Lucien received a message from the institute, so I went ahead to the botanical garden to wait for him.

The hands on the huge wooden clock reached just past noon after I had taken almost all the floral photography. The sun was scorching hot, making my throat a little dry.

I walked towards the long line of tour buses in the park and decided to get a ride to the dining area to get a cold drink to quench my thirst.

While waiting in line, I received a message from Lucien.

Lucien: I'm already doing the finishing work, I'll be there soon, how about MC?

I hurriedly typed in the input box.

MC: The scenery is beautiful, but the weather is also very hot, so I plan to go to the dining area to rest~

Before Lucien could reply, the shuttle bus came first.

The crowd swarmed forward, and there were only two seats left on the bus when I and a girl behind me lined up.

I was about to get in the car when I saw a boy running over panting.

He walked past me and took the hand of the girl beside me.

Boy: Xiao Wen, it's my fault for not being on time for the date, please don't be angry...

Girl: You said you reserved time for me for our anniversary, but you still chose to work? I see you don't have me in mind at all.

Boy: I…

Between the two standoffs, the bus was delayed from moving, whispered complaints were heard, and the driver honked the car horn impatiently.

I thought about it and voluntarily stepped back.

MC: You guys sit down first, I'll just wait for the next one.

Without waiting for them to refuse, I " magnanimously " waved my hand at them and watched the little white bus disappear from view.

Five minutes later, I regretted it.

MC: Why is this bus going in the opposite direction?

I didn't expect the next tour bus to take me directly back to the entrance of the park, and in the aftermath, I saw a coffee shop surrounded by daffodils.

MC: Well, a coffee shop is also a beverage shop...

I was too lazy to run around again, so I just went into the store to get the menu, then sat down at the table and carefully selected the photos I was going to send to Lucien.

MC: This one is good, this one is also very good, um this one is not good, it's overexposed...

I was choosing with relish when a hand suddenly appeared in front of me, holding a cup of coffee.

Lucien was sitting across from me, the sunlight casting a light shadow on his face

He met my gaze, and there was a light in his eyes.

MC: Lucien, what are you doing here?

Lucien: With that being said, MC is not in the dining area either.

Lucien and I looked at each other for a moment, then tugged our lips together in unison.

Lucien: It seems that this should be a beautiful accident.

Lucien: I missed you, so I finished my work ahead of schedule to see you.

He said it frankly and unabashedly.

Lucien: Looks like I came at the right time.

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Lucien took the camera I handed over and looked through the results I had taken in the morning.

MC: How about a little evaluation?

Lucien: Mmm, it's so vivid that you can smell the aroma of these flowers across the screen.

Lucien: But I’m more concerned about you, you’ve taken so many photos, it seems that you’ve been to a lot of places. Are you tired?

MC: The tiredness is fine, it is mainly the heat.

MC: But now, with the iced coffee delivered to my door, I feel instantly charged up!

I smiled and shook the iced coffee in my hand, and the corners of Lucien's lips curled up in response.

MC: What about you? What brings you to this coffee shop?

Lucien: I thought you might be thirsty, so I was planning to buy two cups of coffee before calling you.

Lucien: However, as soon as I took out my phone, I saw you.

At that moment, Lucien's cell phone suddenly vibrated.

Lucien: Hello.

Lucien: …The report has been sent to the assistant. Thank you, no need to be so polite. Goodbye.

MC: Is there something on the project side?

Lucien: Well, the collaborative project with this botanical garden has recently yielded some results.

Lucien: We found a new batch of plants that are good for Alzheimer's disease patients, so the person in charge just called to congratulate.

Lucien took the guidebook from me and flipped through it.

Lucien: Where would you like to go first? Tulip fields, lithophyte fields, or… flower market?

MC: Where have you not been before? After all, with your work you should’ve been here before…

Lucien: Don't worry, plant samples are usually collected by interns, and this is my first time here.

Lucien: So, you can choose according to your preference.

I took Lucien's hand and winked at him.

MC: In that case, why don't we just walk around and see where the crowds will take us?

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The sun was shining, the shade was casting reflections on us, and the coffee in our hands brought a light refreshing sweetness. We walked along the crowd and came to the flower market.

Colorful bouquets filled the shelves, and people chose commemorative bouquets, getting ready to carry the fragrance home.

At that moment, a voice called out to us.

Boy: Professor Lucien, I can't believe you're here too!

MC: …Eh?

I was surprised to see that the person in front of me was the boy I met on the shuttle bus not long ago! He had some surprises too when he looked at me and Lucien.

A moment later the boy showed a look of realization.

Boy: I didn't expect the kind person at noon to be the rumored teacher's wife... Hello, I am an intern at Professor Lucien's institute, you can call me Kai!

(the boy called MC 師母(shīmǔ) which term of respect for teacher's wife)

Lucien raised an eyebrow, and I briefly explained what happened at noon.

MC: I was trying to take a tour bus to the dining area when I met him and his girlfriend.

Akai scratched his head a little embarrassedly.

Kai: We were arguing at that time, and my girlfriend took the initiative to give me the seat...

MC: Haha, it turns out that the next tour bus is going in the opposite direction, I accidentally rode back to the park gate, which is how I met you~

After listening to our description, Lucien showed a thoughtful expression, and Kai added hastily.

Kai: Sorry, Professor Lucien. I was in a bit of a hurry today, so as soon as I finished working late, I didn't have time to greet you and left.

Lucien: It doesn't matter, the project is at its final stage, and the intern's work is already relatively small.

MC: So, are you and your girlfriend reconciled now? Today seems to be a very important day for both of you.

Kai: Unfortunately, I was a bit tongue-tied and felt she was still a bit unhappy, so I thought I'd come over and buy a bouquet of flowers.

Kai: Although I have been to the Botanical Garden many times before, I don't know anything about flowers. Professor Lucien, Teacher’s wife, can you help me choose a bouquet of flowers?

MC: If it's an apology, yellow roses and forget-me-nots representing apologies are quite good, but...

Thinking that I was not familiar with this Kai, and that it might be offensive to make abrupt suggestions, I stopped the conversation in time.

Lucien met my eyes, smiled knowingly, and looked at Kai.

Lucien: …In this case, what’s needed is not just an apology and a bouquet, but also communication.

The boy stared blankly at Lucien, then realized something, thanked us repeatedly and trotted off.

I smiled and nudged Lucien's arm with a knowing wink.

MC: Hey, we spoke heart-to-heart! I couldn't tell that Professor Lucien is quite concerned about the interns.

Lucien: I just think that our dating time is precious and shouldn't be taken up too long by unrelated people.

He said it so seriously that I couldn't help but laugh. I took his hand and led him to the stall.

MC: Then we have to hurry up and continue dating. After staying here for a long time, I feel like my sense of smell is about to lose.

Lucien: Are there any flowers you want? We can buy a few more bouquets and put them in different vases.

I shook my head, and Lucien's gaze showed more than a hint of surprise and disbelief.

MC: After all, you usually send me flowers all the time. Compared with those flowers, there seems to be nothing special about the flowers here.

Lucien: Are they so special...?

(yes silly, the flowers you send are more special than any other flowers)

Lucien pondered for a moment, then smiled.

Lucien: There is no shortage of special flowers and trees in the botanical garden, and the collaborative partner has recommended two places to me before. Why don't we go and have a look?

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MC: Is this the first special place?

I looked up at the "Fossil Museum" plaque as we passed the popular scenic area.

The ancient fossils in the museum are placed in transparent display cases, and spotlights hit the mottled surface littered with traces, creating a projection of the past.

MC: Fossilized eggs, fossilized polymers, fossilized wood... So wood is also a kind of fossil?

Lucien: Well, when we collaborated before, the person in charge once mentioned its other name as Petrified wood.

MC: So they are trees from a long, long time ago?

Lucien: Over a long period of time, minerals gradually replaced the fibrous structure in the trees, forming what is now known as wood fossils.

MC: It must have taken a long time to turn wood into stone.

I leaned over to look at the nameplates next to each fossil, each with a long string of numbers on the year.

MC: This is a fossil wood from 80 million years ago—there is also another one from 200 million years ago!

Through the transparent cabinet walls, Lucien and I met these small tree trunks in a dislocated time and space.

One end of the showcase is the present, and the other end is the ancient period before human beings were born. Thinking of this, my heart could not help but feel solemn.

Lucien read my mind, and then slowed down to follow my pace.

A few moments later, we were coincidentally drawn to a particular display case and stopped in our tracks.

It is a Cretaceous wood fossil, its shape is well preserved, and there is a butterfly-shaped imprint on the trunk.

Under the warm yellow light, it seemed that a butterfly was resting quietly on the branch.

MC: So beautiful…

I couldn’t help but lean down and get a closer look at this particular fossilized wood.

Lucien: You look so absorbed, what’s on your mind?

MC: I’m imagining what this butterfly looked like tens of millions of years ago.

MC: In the Cretaceous period, there were many dinosaurs on the earth. This little butterfly might have stopped on top of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Hearing my words, Lucien smiled and continued to follow my imagination about the past.

Lucien: At that time, the large and massive land was covered by shallow seas, so this little butterfly should be a traveler with strong flying ability.

I nodded thoughtfully. As if I saw the flow of time going backward, the wings of the butterfly on the fossil flickered and fluttered.

MC: The little butterfly flew over thousands of mountains and rivers, and finally chose this one tree among the thousands of trees.

MC: If the butterfly hadn’t chosen this tree at the beginning, we wouldn’t have seen it. It’s quite romantic to think about it.

Lucien: There are many things that would keep us from seeing the butterfly, If the tree it chooses doesn’t survive the long months, we won’t be able to meet it either.

MC: Then for us, this encounter is even more wonderful, and it reminds me of the butterfly effect.

MC: If this ancient butterfly had made a different choice at the beginning, it might’ve made the whole world different.

MC: And then we won’t meet it in the botanical garden like we are now.

Lucien: Each butterfly can indeed influence the world in terms of geography, species, or even entire ecosystems.

Lucien: So, before meeting us, this butterfly and the trees it inhabits have precisely bypassed hundreds of millions of other possibilities.

MC: In that case, our choice is also important. After all, we are the ones who chose this pavilion~

I nudged the little butterfly's wings across the air and raised the corners of my mouth.

MC: It seems that our encounter is a kind of fate.

Lucien saw me standing still for a long time and came over to squeeze my hand.

Lucien: You seem to like this fossil?

I nodded and took out my camera.

MC: I would be sad to part with it, however our time is limited. Wait a minute, I'll take a few photos and we'll leave for the next stop~

While shooting, I saw Lucien call someone and a crew member came over a while later.

Lucien and the man were standing a short distance away talking about something, and I vaguely heard a sentence or two.

Lucien: What was said this morning, is it still valid? I've changed my mind.

Staff Member: Sure, you go ahead.

By the time the photos were taken, Lucien's conversation was over. He came over and naturally took my hand.

MC: Is there something going on at work?

Lucien: Yes, but it's been solved.

MC: I've also already said goodbye to the little butterfly, didn't you say there's another special place? Let's take a look~

Lucien chuckled softly as the breeze lifted his hair from his forehead.

Lucien: Okay, so let's go now.

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Deep in the forest, the Metasequoia trees stand quietly and towering, like recluse hermits.

Lucien and I crossed the winding wooden bridge road, and the road ahead was laid out like a picture scroll.

MC: I just read the sign saying it's called “Lost Wonderland”. It fits quite well.

MC: Just like the name, this place is beautiful and magical, but why there are not many tourists coming?

Lucien: The area is relatively isolated, tourists tend to go to popular scenic spots where it is easier to take photographs.

MC: It's a pity, but as residents here, the metasequoia trees might be happy with the peace.

MC: By the way, I see that other parks have some complex projects, is there any additional performances here?

Lucien: There is indeed a fountain in the center of the Metasequoia Forest, but you need to be lucky if you want to see it.

Lucien: Originally, the performance frequency of the metasequoia fountain was once a day, but then the park invested its resources in popular scenic spots, and the place was changed to operate irregularly.

Lucien tilted his head and smiled, winking at me.

Lucien: But with MC, I believe our luck will be good.

We walked along the path until Lucien and I unwittingly came to the metasequoia fountain and did not hear the sound of running water.

Lucien: It seems that the Metasequoia Fountain did not wake up today.

Lucien smiled, but I could see a hint of loss in his eyes.

(aww, it’s sweet how MC too can notice his little changes:”)

MC: It doesn't matter. Now we can see that the fountain must be very beautiful when it is open.

MC: Moreover, being able to watch the sunset together in a metasequoia forest is attractive in itself.

I pulled Lucien over to sit by the fountain, closed our eyes and enjoyed a moment of peace and quiet.

After a while, a white light flashed in front of my eyes. I opened my eyes in bewilderment and found that the lights of the fountain suddenly lit up.

Amidst the changing lights, countless jets of clear water gushed out from the fountain, flowing over the metasequoia wood trough and being shaped into various splashes.

MC: The fountain is suddenly open!

Lucien's eyes flickered with the same look of confusion, when a familiar voice came from afar.

Boy: Happy Anniversary, how do you like this surprise?

Following the sound, there was Kai and his girlfriend standing in front of the fountain!

MC: They seem to have reconciled!

MC: No wonder the fountain suddenly opened, did the advice we gave him come in handy?

Lucien squeezed my palm with a smile.

Lucien: It seems that unknowingly, we also seem to be the initiators of the butterfly effect.

My heart fluttered, and some vague idea flashed through my mind.

Lucien: [confused] What are you thinking?

MC: I was thinking that if we hadn't helped them back then, maybe we wouldn't have seen the fountain open now.

MC: After all, with the butterfly effect, it always seems that life itself is dominated by coincidence.

Lucien: I do think that the present situation is an inevitable outcome.

MC: Why?

Lucien looked at me with a smile.

Lucien: [chuckles] After all, there are too many shadows of you in my life after you stopped by.

Lucien: So when subconsciously chasing your footsteps, I often encounter you who are coming towards me as well.

The quiet and beautiful fountain is pouring down, I smiled and stand on tiptoe to hug Lucien, only to be gently picked up by him.

My vision spun with my body, and among the ever-changing scenery, Lucien was the only one who was always in the center of my sight.

In the midst of all the splendor, I saw Lucien wink slyly at me.

Lucien: MC, now close your eyes and give me your hand.

I was a little confused, but did as he said.

Then came an unfamiliar weight in my hand, which felt like firm and cold stone.

Lucien: Do you want to guess what it is?

I caressed the object tentatively, and the strange and unique pattern let an incredible image took shape in my mind.

MC: ...Is it the butterfly fossil from this afternoon?!

I opened my eyes and the familiar butterfly wood fossil was lying quietly in my hand.

Lucien smiled softly and put me down, his eyes were filled with streams of colorful light.

MC: You… How did you get it! This is supposed to be an exhibit, right?

Lucien: In the morning, the botanical garden team wanted to give me a souvenir, which I originally refused.

Lucien: But just now, seeing the way a certain little girl lingered, I suddenly found something I wanted.

I gently rubbed the butterfly pattern on the fossil and quietly said hello in my heart to the little butterfly from the distant past.

Lucien's warm hands cradled my face and I looked up to meet his eyes.

In this moment, it was as if I saw that the tacit understanding and butterfly effect hidden between Lucien and me are actually some kind of fate.

Lucien: No matter how many possibilities and how many butterfly effects there are, I think we will have each other in our choices.

The shadow of the tree swayed, and a butterfly flew over and stopped on the fossil wood, which overlapped with the ancient butterfly imprint.

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I always love the concept of love as a choice! I’m glad the writer is able to present it so beautifully MC and Lucien style. Fate might be the one that leads to their inevitable encounter, but it’s their own decision to love each other. Fate and destiny won’t matter much if they don’t choose each other. When they decided to work on communication, trust, intimacy and emotional security, they’re choosing love. Neither of them is perfect, but they accept and love each other as they are and I think that’s what I love about them :”.

#a very sweet date :"#i just love them so much ok #mlqc lucien #mlqc spoiler #mlqc translation #mlqc cn #mr love queen's choice #mr love lucien

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altairtalisman · 27 days

Text

Gerald's Bio

"Can you blame me for not being upset?! I can finally breathe again because of this accursed experiment!"

More details about Gerald is under the cut

Name: Gerald Rísach

Age: 667

Height: 189 cm as a dullahan (174 cm pre-dullahan)

Birthday: 18 Durna 1039 (Wahaqr)

Orientation: Cisgender Greysexual Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Species: Dullahan (formerly elyad)

Title: The Fourth Dullahan

Country of Birth: Balwirk

Likes: Nature, avians

Dislikes: The First and Sixth Dullahans, being sick, his hybrid heritage, his father

Hobbies: Gardening

Personality: Vengeful and values survival over everything, possesses a callous streak... though it's unclear if that's a coping mechanism to his appearance or if he was actually like that to begin with

Style: Buttoned shirts with sleeves rolled up, loose pants, brown boots and a sash tied around his waist

Status: Dead (DOD: 18 Rexim 1706)

Abilities: Shadow manipulation, has complete mastery over nature magic and fire magic

Background: Due to his elven father having an affinity for fire magic and his dryad mother naturally aligning with nature magic, Gerald was at risk of developing Respiratree Disease as his dryad blood might reject his possible affinity towards fire magic. This was soon proven true when he started coughing out leaves at 54 years old, with his mother soon abandoning him as a result

Desperate to save his son, Gerald's father started to throw himself into research, hoping to find a way to save his son. Gerald fell severely ill in 1095, in which the idea of allowing the tree growing within his son's lungs room to grow by severing his head coming to him. Once he had recovered, Gerald's father started to intensively research ways to preserve life after the head has been severed from the body, which started to include the ambitious idea of immortality through said method

Gerald, aware that his father was teetering to the point of no return but also wanting to live, didn't stop him and avoided his father's room whenever he could. In 1100, his father had a chance encounter with the Soféinaiths, who were trying to give their sickly daughter a healthy life. By combining their resources, they were able to expand on their research and gather like-minded elves to join them

As time passed, Gerald's coughing grew worse and regularly coughed out bloodstained flowers. Coincidentally, the researchers received anonymous suggestions to kidnap healthy elves for experiments revolving around their research. Not wanting his son to suffer, his father actively kidnapped elves, with each kidnapping yielding more victims the harder Gerald coughed

Desperate to live, Gerald volunteered himself to his father despite the low survival rate. Unwilling to experiment on his own son, he got the Soféinaiths to do so. He woke up six months later, much to the joy of his father. After he had the number 4 carved onto his left hand, his father explained that he was the fourth survivor of the experiment. Gerald then asked why was he seeing tree branches in his vision field if he was a success, with his father admitting that due to the disease, the tree had grown out of his neck and bound the two body parts together

Disgusted with his new appearance, he tried to break one of the branches off, only to feel pain when he did so. He was irate to learn that his senses were tied to the tree, so much so that he was about to strangle his father to death for cursing him with such a fate. Angered by his son's ungratefulness, he was restrained and shoved into a small room which he shared with Emmet

He then threatened to kill his father when he escaped, with Emmet trying to calm him down. Irritated by him, Gerald proceeded to attack him and tore the skin off the latter's face. Following this incident, Emmet tackled him to the ground which further angered him. When it became clear that Gerald hated him, Emmet proposed a truce and promised to not have any interactions with him going forward if he did the same. Gerald agreed and then spent an unknown length of time together, with Brianna and Cain joining them afterwards

Eventually, they were able to escape thanks to Addyson stunning the researchers with her sound magic. Gerald was about to kill his father for making him into the abomination that he was, but was unable to do so as Berine had gotten to him first, albeit under the assumption that his father was about to hurt Gerald. This enraged him as he felt that he was denied of his vengeance, fuelling an immediate dislike towards the Sixth Dullahan as a result. It was also at this moment that he decided to make others suffer like him, all while plotting ways to ruin Emmet and Berine

Apart from Cain, Fiona, and himself, the remaining 13 dullahans killed the researchers, much to his irritation as it seemed that everyone else was deliberately preventing him from killing, and ended the experiment. Despite their distaste towards the entire act, they kept the notes and studied it. Aileen was able to identify the flaws in the research notes, which cultivated in the alarmingly high mortality rate. Together with Eva, Hywel as well as Ilias' existing research on arcane magic, the trio was able to create a ritual that tapped onto Ratein's ley lines which made it safer to turn someone into a dullahan. Afterwards, they destroyed the original notes such that no one could ever attempt the cruel methods used to create dullahans again

Brianna and Danielle then pointed out that the very notion of turning someone into a dullahan was unthinkable, and sought to get an unanimous consensus that under no circumstances should the 16 turn others into dullahans unless the individual in question was prepared to bear the curse of being one. Gerald agreed, only because he knew it was raise suspicion should he went against a 'no-brainer' decision revolving around ethics. The dullahans then went their separate ways, with Gerald staying in Balwirk

Over the centuries, he turned thousands of elves and humans into dullahans against their will by kidnapping, drugging, and leaving them in random places. The more he turned his victims, the more frustrated he got as none of them turned out with the same appearance as him. His only solace was that it was assumed that Eva, who was married to Emmet by then, was the cause of the experiments which in turn hurt the First Dullahan's reputation slightly. In the 15th Century, Cain had told him that he was conducting experiments of his own in the Unois Empire, and Gerald was fascinated by them. However, he decided against joining him for three reasons. The first reason was that the Eighth Dullahan was much more dangerous than he portrayed as it was strange that he sought the Fourth Dullahan out and told him about something that would earn the ire of almost everyone. The second reason was that he had the feeling that he was being monitored by Emmet despite the truce, something which neither had discussed about its timespan. The final reason was that even though he resented his mother for abandoning him when he got sick, he was still grateful that she had stayed with them despite being a dryad and as such, didn't wish to betray his country

In 1702, Gerald's opinions towards Cain was founded when he discovered Dylan's investigation notes detailing how Hywel's mysterious death and the public display of Finbar's massacred body, was all due to Cain. Valuing his life especially since Dylan himself was dead, he decided to side with the empire though with guilt towards betraying his mother's homeland. Towards the end of the Balwirkian War, he participated in the ambush which went as planned. His opportunity to ruin Berine came in the form of encountering Charles on the battlefield, and knowing her devotion towards the Second Dullahan, he decided to kill him. Shortly afterwards, he was caught by Emmet which resulted in them fighting each other to the death.

Overpowered, Gerald laughed and said that he regretted not tearing Emmet's entire skin off his face as he waited for Emmet to kill him and that he was a fool for failing to realise that Cain was the reason why the Unios Empire became what it was then. The last thing he remembered before being frozen and shattered to many pieces was Emmet apologising to him for everything he had to endure ever since he developed the fatal Respiratree Disease...

Former Appearance:

#Hallowed Hotel #Gerald Rísach #tw death #tw eyestrain #tw scars #tw body horror #tw war mention #Altair draws

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mistydeyes · 10 months

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Hello! Hope your day is going good! I would like to request a mtchup for the CoD guys only if they’re still open :)

I am a tattoo artist with a big passion for art in general. I spend most of my time working but I like to craft and garden in my spare time.

One of my favourite things to do it go for long walks and look for cool things like bones and edible plants and herbs (I’m a bit of a hippy heehee).

In terms of personality I like to think I’m very laid back but I am stressed all the time, that being said I wouldn’t necessarily call myself high-strung. I try really hard to be kind and see the best even when it can be a struggle. I also am always joking around I LIVE to make people laugh and feel good :)

Despite my stress I’ve been described as a very calming and fun person to be around. I carry myself in a very professional and formal manner around those I don’t know, which can seem a little off putting at first. I am a big history buff with special interest in the Victorian era so it bled into my daily life and I literally walk around like a fancy Victorian lady with ‘Disney princess hands’.

Appearance isn’t very important but it is fun! I am just over average height and chubby, with olive skin and lots of tattoos. I have a more alternative look that’s been described as a kindergarten teacher at a school for forest witches, so I guess like a hippy goth haha!

Anyways, I appreciate your time, thank you! ❤️✨

John Price

How you met: Civilian John Price was never one for a tattoo but after the last few years, he decided on getting something more permanent to commemorate his time with his task force. He asked around for a good recommendation, ignoring Soap's friend who "does them for free" and going with Simon's tattoo artist who beautifully did his tattoo. "John Price," he spoke to the receptionist and she handed him a waiver to sign. As he sat on the velvet couch, he enjoyed marveling at the decorations of the shop. From the vintage frames with the artists' work to the posters depicting tattoo traditions from around the world, he wondered who decorated the place. Plus it was very clean, something he much appreciated. Eventually his artist emerged and he was taken aback by their beauty. Their dark floral skirt made it seem like they floated on the ground and their tattoos perfectly complimented their glowing, olive skin. "Hi John, I'll be your artist today. If you wouldn't mind, you can follow me" you beckoned and you took the waiver from him. You let him into your space and you saw his eyes flicker around as he looked at some of your previous work and Victorian botanical images you had on display. You motioned for him to sit as you grabbed your razor to shave his thigh. He looked nervous so you made light conversation. "First tattoo?" you asked as you applied the stencil. "I guess you can tell, must have been doing this for a while" he commented before you prepared your needle. "Trust me, once you get one tattoo you'll be coming back to me for more," you smiled. As Price looked at your radiant face, he knew there would be a few reasons to come back.

A peek into your relationship: "Love, can we please getting a wedding planner?" your fiancé, John, asked as you were painstakingly going over all the details of your nuptials. "John, I want it to be perfect and who better to plan this than myself?" you said before going back to typing on your laptop. Last week you drove him crazy with handwriting your invitations and sealing it with wax stamps, now you were trying to construct the perfect bouquet for yourself and your bridesmaid by researching the language of flowers. "That's enough for tonight," he said before hoisting you into his arms and carrying you off to bed. You tried to resist playfully but his strong arms kept you from leaving his grasp. Eventually you tired out and both lay in each others arms as you tried to fall asleep. "You do know that it is a little bit easier now," you whispered as John opened his eyes and faced you, "if we got married in the Victorian age then you would have to court me and pay a dowry." He pulled you gently into his side before he responded. "I would think my €636.42 tattoo would be payment enough," he laughed and kissed you gently. You fell asleep in his arms and Price secretly hoped that tomorrow he wouldn't wake up with thousands of bouquet designs in your shared apartment.

#izziespairings #madebyizzie #cod mwii #mw2 imagine #task force 141 #captain john price #john price x reader #mw2

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arkytiorwrites · 1 year

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Day 8: “Evermore”

Sinister Strange x Reader

I’m so sorry that I’ve fallen behind. 😭 I tried to write Day 7 but it just kept turning to shit and making me depressed do imma just skip it. So here’s this, ⚠️TRIGGER WARNING⚠️ mentions of implied suicide and death and character death. Don’t like, don’t read. Also this was inspired by @sanctumsanctorumshenanigans one shot “Just flowers”, this is for you, bae!

When you had fallen into his dying universe Stephen had thought that he'd finally snapped after being alone with the Darkhold for who knows how long. With powers akin to the spring goddess, Persephone, he could hardly be blamed for doubting your tangibility.

Yet here you were, your ivy and morning glories coating the outside of the Sanctum, a garden where the dead used to lie, a crown of thorns sprouting around your head whenever you both inevitably fought over petty matters. Silk-soft rose petals exploding around you when he kissed you and made love to you.

He should have known that his newfound Eden couldn't last forever, though.

As time moved inexorably on, your garden began to be less fruitful, your morning glories’ blooms not lasting as long and not quite as numerous as before, the crown of thorns took more and more emotion to appear, and the rose petals dwindled down in number until he could only cause one or two to appear, and they were small and half wilted. What was even worse was you because depressed and listless.

No spell helped you, no potion, nor enchantment.

You were dying along with his universe, and Stephen had no idea how to stop it.

One day you came into Stephen's study where he was desperately researching any way to help you.

"Mon prince noir,” you called to him softly as you leaned against the doorframe, having used all your energy to find him.

Looking up, Stephen was immediately alarmed by how horrifically pale and sickly your appearance was.

"Ma fleur," he chided in a gentle croon. "You should be resting.”

Scooping you up in his arms, Stephen carried you over to the couch and settled in to cuddle you.

“I was cold,” you confessed as you happily nuzzled into the collar of his dark robes. "And... I think I know what's wrong with me. Why my powers aren't working anymore.”

Pulling back so he could see your eyes, which thanks to your powers, were an almost unrealistic glass green.

Cupping your cheeks with his shaking, scared hands, Stephen pleaded, "Tell me, ma fluer, please. I'm at my wits end.”

"The sun,” you whispered as you lay your hands over his. " My powers depend on the sun. It's not just the vitamin D. It's the warmth, the ultra-violet radiation. Your world doesn't have a sun, or even starlight, mon prince des ténèbres. That's why I'm fading. I. I need to go back to my world if I am to thrive, beloved."

Stephen's heart disintegrated at those words. He had been fearing this line of logic. He couldn't lose you, his healer, his flower. But he would never allow his selfishness to kill you, no matter how much he wanted to keep you by his side.

"Then to your world you shall return,” he vowed, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

…

Within a few weeks, Stephen had figured out a way to send you back.

Holding you close, the two of you said your goodbyes.

"I love you, so so much, Stephen,” you whispered as you tried to hide your tears in his shoulder.

"I love you too, Y/N," he murmured into your hair, taking in every last detail he could.

Pulling away you gave the sorcerer a teary-eyed smile before stepping into the circle that would take you home.

Beginning the ritual, Stephen took one last look at you before summoning every last scrap of magic he possessed and shoved it into a portal that would bring you back to life... and him to death.

He had ensured that you had no clue that he planned to be the magic battery that the portal would use to return you. Otherwise, you would never allow it.

Stephen couldn't let your death be on his already blood-soaked hands when he could so easily prevent it.

In an almighty maelstrom of red and purple light you fell through a portal onto a grassy, sun-soaked field.

And flowers of infinite variety burst into bloom around you, color returned to your skin, and you looked more alive than when Stephen had first met you, a wreath of nightshade in your hair and a staff of oak in your hand.

That was the last view Stephen had of you, and he could have wept with joy. You were going to be okay. He collapsed as darkness danced along the edge of his vision.

You were going to live your days in the sun, was the last thought in his mind before the darkness took him.

#arkytiorwrites #marvel #marvel x reader #stephen strange x reader #stephen strange x gn!reader #stephen strange x male reader #stephen strange x female reader #crackmas #crackmas 2022 #doctor strange #evermore #beauty and the beast references #pain #death #i’m sorry everyone #reader is like Persephone #flower powers #sinister strange x reader #Spotify

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general-illyrin · 1 year

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Random Headcanon(ish)

I was reading Beren and Luthien recently, and I came across a fascinating detail about Barahir's dwelling while at Tarn Aeluin.

When Barahir and his band of outlaws retreat to the lake, their home is described in the following way:

"for where the highland brown and bare above the darkling pines arose of steep Dorthonion to the snows and barren mountain-winds, there lay a tarn of water, blue by day, by night a mirror of dark glass for stars of Elbereth that pass above the world into the West. Once hallowed, still that place was blest: no shadow of Morgoth, and no evil thing yet thither came; a whispering ring of slender birches silver-grey stooped on its margin, round it lay a lonely moor, and the bare bones of ancient Earth like standing stones thrust through the heather and the whin; and there by houseless Aeluin the hunted lord and faithful men under the grey stones made their den." (emphasis added)

What caught my attention about this passage is that the stones Barahir and his men lived under are said to resemble standing stones, which are prehistoric monuments specifically placed in the ground by humans. Standing stones don't occur naturally, which is an interesting thing to say about a stone, even if it's just a simile.

However, this description has noticeable parallels to a passage in the Unfinished Tales, when Turin and his band of outlaws encounter Mîm:

"Soon after, it chanced that as the grey light of a day of rain was failing Turin and his men were sheltering in a holly-thicket; and beyond it was a treeless space, in which there were many great stones, leaning or tumbled together. All was still, save for the drip of rain from the leaves. Suddenly a watchman gave a call, and leaping up they saw three hooded shapes, grey-clad, going stealthily among the stones. They were burdened each with a great sack, but they went swiftly for all that." (emphasis added)

And the note on this passage states

"The mystery of the other things in Mim's sack is not explained. The only other statement on the subject is in a hastily scribbled note, which suggests that there were ingots of gold disguised as roots, and refers to Mim seeking 'for old treasures of a dwarf-house near the "flat stones" \ These were no doubt those referred to in the text (p. 96) as 'great stones, leaning or tumbled together', at the place where Mim was captured." (emphasis added)

This passage was what made me start wondering whether the stones at Tarn Aeluin were also the ruins of a dwarf house. The descriptions were just too similar, and the idea kept nagging at me. But they are still just similarities, so I had to do more research. And this was when I found that dwarves, specifically petty-dwarves, had indeed been at Tarn Aeluin! In The Complaint of Mîm the Dwarf, Mîm says

"If only I could forgive, then I might be able still to create a leaf, a drop of dew on a flower, as it once glittered at Tarn Aeluin, when I was young and first sensed how nimble my fingers were."

I found this fascinating; it implies that petty-dwarves lived there or at the very least visited! And this is supported by more general information in the History of Middle-earth:

"The Dwarves were in a special position. They claimed to have known Beleriand before even the Eldar first came there; and there do appear to have been small groups dwelling furtively in the highlands west of Sirion from a very early date"

When one puts all this information together, it seems not unlikely that Barahir sheltered in abandoned dwarf homes. Any buildings the dwarves had built while living there would very likely still be around by the time Barahir showed up, even though Tarn Aeluin is explicitly said to have been uninhabited during the Long Peace (F.A. 260-455). And as long as they are sturdy enough, why would one build new homes instead of using those already available?

#Of course this does raise more questions - why were the petty-dwarves no longer living there?#Were they driven out? Did they abandon it? If so; why? Or did those living there simply die out?#barahir #mim the petty dwarf #petty dwarves #dwarves #tarn aeluin #the silmarillion #silm #silm meta

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bizarrequazar · 1 year

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GJ and ZZH Updates — February 12-18

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

This is part of a weekly series collecting updates from and relating to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan.

This post is not wholly comprehensive and is intended as an overview, links provided lead to further details. Dates are in accordance with China Standard Time, the organization is chronological. My own biases on some things are reflected here. Anything I include that is not concretely known is indicated as such, and you’re welcome to do your own research and draw your own conclusions as you see fit. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or additions. :)

[Glossary of names and terms] [Masterlist of my posts about the situation with Zhang Zhehan]

02-12 → Gong Jun posted three photos of himself from after the filming the Hello Saturday episode that aired the previous day. (Maybe don’t open the link in public... 😂) Caption: “Willing to gamble and admit defeat! I, Xu Si, will win it back sooner or later!” This was reposted by the Rising with the Wind Weibo account. He also posted these to his Xiao Hong Shu, caption: “This cream cannon I don't believe it’s not a trap!” and to his Instagram, caption: “Have a great weekend!” Fan Observations: - The Instagram post was just a few seconds before 11:05, possibly aiming for but missed the kadian. - The cream cannon caption is actually MORE suggestive in Chinese as 炮 is slang for a hookup / quickie. - CPFs on the Chinese side publicly only made innocent comments about these photos (ex. a samoyed covered in snow), possibly to avoid him taking them down. 🤣

→ The Instagram posted a video of “Zhang Zhehan” playing guitar. Fan Observation: This was the song that the guitar chords photographed in post a couple days earlier were for. That post said that people would hear the song “in a few days,” leading whalers to falsely believe it was referring to Zhang Zhehan appearing at the VIP event. This false belief was also heightened by the Shanghai airport photos spread by Lao Ahyi the previous week.

→ The brand’s VIP event was announced to be cancelled (to the surprise of no one), citing “accidents and safety issues” and promising mailed gifts to those who bought tickets. The cancellation notice was not linked through the brand’s official page, and only people with the link were able to view it. People who contacted the venue, Ansa Conference Center, did not recieve confirmation that the event had ever been booked. Whalers proceeded to blame CPFs and Gong Jun for the cancellation, because of course they did.

→ Kangshifu posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

02-13 → The fifth stolen song was released on western streaming platforms under the English title Lost Glacier. This is the song previously referred to as Running to Meet You and When the Glaciers Disappear, which Zhang Zhehan sang part of during a livestream on 2021-08-03, the same song that was then sold on USBs by the brand last July. The credits listed on it name 樂天 as the lyricist despite Zhang Zhehan having said Tang Tian (唐恬) was the lyricist.

→ Hogan posted an image of an ace of hearts with the text “H For Heart Romance comes with the ‘heart’” (1129 kadian) Caption: “The romantic 【Gong】 performance is about to begin. Please check your special invitation letter, and meet #HOGAN Global Spokesperson Gong Jun# @ Gong Jun Simon with love, witness a romantic heart trick, see you there on 2.14!”

→ Whalers gathered at the event venue with flowers that were quickly removed. Soon after, a man referring to himself as Ansa Conference Center’s chairman came out and addressed them, saying that the event had been cancelled because “procedures” had not been completed, then changing his story to it being that a “competitor” had called the city “60-70 times” to complain about the event. It’s quite obvious from the [video] that he had only a loose understanding of the situation and was primarily trying to avoid a disturbance. Additional Information: - The Shanghai MCT did not recieve any complaints about the event. As well, 60-70 calls in a day is not an extraordinary number that would result in his claims of pressure from police to cancel the event. - Last year Ansa Conference Center was fined 200k RMB for unauthorized use of the names and images of government bodies. Just in case you’re curious how clean this guy is.

02-14 → The Legend of AnLe Weibo posted a video of Gong Jun and Dilireba’s characters. Caption: “The lights are curling and sultry, and the time spent with love is long. I wish those who are in love have deep love and good days, and go with you and never leave.” Legend of AnLe got on hotsearch.

→ MARRSGREEN posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. Caption: “The romantic confession comes from you Raise a glass of MARRSGREEN, and express your love to the person you want to see @ Gong Jun Simon~ This Valentine's Day, MARRSGREEN will go with you in both directions [ie. reciprocate]”

→ Fresh posted a photo of Gong Jun. (1129 kadian) Caption: “With @ Gong Jun Simon Junjunzi, every day is Valentine’s Day! In this festival of love, let’s have a sweet date~”

→ Hogan posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun. (1129 kadian) Caption: “The romantic 【Gong】 performance has officially opened. The magician @ Gong Jun Simon ... [is] making a romantic debut for a love anniversary date. Don't blink, #HOGAN Global Spokesperson Gong Jun#'s Valentine's Day special magic is about to begin.” Within the same minute, they also posted a commercial featuring Gong Jun for their Valentine’s Day shoes. Caption flavour text: “The lights came on, the eyes focused, and a heartbeat happened quietly.”

→ Kangshifu posted three photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun posted a vlog of his photoshoot on 02-03. [subbed video] Caption: “Let me perform a slip-perryyyyyy performance for everyone~“ [quoted translation] Twelve minutes later, he commented on it: “BGM: Last Call ---Hudson Thames [shiba inu emoji]” The other BGM used is PoPiPo by Lamaze-P.

→ Hogan posted three behind the scenes photos from the earlier ads. Caption: “Romantic flashback, undiminished. Freeze #HOGAN Global Spokesperson Gong Jun# @ Gong Jun Simon's heart-pounding moment, and explore the secrets behind the romantic 【Gong】 act.”

02-15 → #JunZhe trended on Twitter.

→ Fresh posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ The clothing company Brioni posted a previously unreleased photo of Gong Jun from his 01-13 Esquire photoshoot.

02-16 → The Instagram posted photos of the brand’s new umbrellas and a video of “Zhang Zhehan” playing guitar. This was quickly deleted, then reposted with only a longer cut of the video. The video claims to be for Xiao Yu’s birthday, which is in October.

→ A photographer posted previously unreleased photos of Gong Jun from We Are The Champions.

02-17 → Kangshifu posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ Gong Jun flew from Shanghai to Thailand, reportedly for a magazine photoshoot. Fan Observations: He was wearing an ace of hearts sweater similar to a shirt previously worn by Zhang Zhehan as well as there was something hexagonal in his pocket. It was also noted that it was quite cold outside yet Gong Jun chose not to put on a jacket, possibly to keep the sweater visible. (Quite interesting compounded with the ace of hearts in the earlier Hogan ads imo.)

→ Hogan tweeted three photo ads featuring Gong Jun.

→ Madame Tussands Shanghai posted a video teasing that they will be featuring a wax sculpture of Gong Jun. No date yet.

02-18 → #GongJun, #WordOfHonor, and #TheRealZhangZhehan trended on Twitter, the latter two after an anti was discovered to be making posts about the show while intentionally removing Zhang Zhehan, resulting in people celebrating his performance en masse.

→ Kangshifu posted a photo ad featuring Gong Jun.

→ The first eight episodes of the adaptation of Priest’s novel Mo Du suddenly released with no promotions. This is in response to the NRTA loosening censorship restrictions, and a number of other dangai dramas are expected to follow in quick succession. Antis have unfortunately been using this as an opportunity, including by saying that Gong Jun will now have to deal with increased competition.

→ The Let’s Farm Weibo account posted a short clip of Gong Jun’s guest appearance from this week’s episode and a longer preview of him in next week’s. [subbed cut]

→ Word of Honor very suddenly appeared at the top of Weibo’s entertainment hotsearch, disappearing again after a short period. The tag was proliferated with anti and Zhang Sanjian material, with people noticing that CPFs’ posts including the real Zhang Zhehan were continuously reported and removed from the tag. These removed posts were still visible in Gong Jun’s tag, indicating that it was not the work of solos. It’s suspected that the hotsearch, the mass removing, and the Zhang Sanjian promotions were being paid for. At the time of this post, most of the anti and Zhang Sanjian material is no longer in the tag and fans have filled it with normal positive content.

→ Gong Jun appeared in a video sending birthday wishes to Justin, whom he’s appeared in several variety shows with (including the previous week’s Hello Saturday.) This was shown at Justin’s birthday concert.

Additional Reading: → Flora’s daily fan news → 02-22, next Wednesday, is the anniversary of Word of Honor’s start-of-airing. For those on Twitter, the hashtag #2YearsWithWordofHonor is planned to be used for celebrations, and Sekiei has set up some related themes for the #TheRealZhangZhehan tag. A Twitter space is also being held this evening to talk about the anniversary. → A late 🍬 addition to last week: In behind the scenes footage released of the Hello Saturday episode, Gong Jun’s Rising with the Wind costar Zhong Chuxi asked him for advice about a knee injury she sustained while filming the drama. He asked if she had hemarthrosis, a symptom that Zhang Zhehan has had with his knee.

<<< previous week || all posts || following week >>>

#Zhang Zhehan #Gong Jun #Word of Honor #woh cast #There's actual woh news in here for once I'm justified in using those tags #lld timeline

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temple-of-truth · 10 months

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Temple of Truth Episode 4#2 (492, but all undesirable numbers are ohm-itted) Transcript

Saturday, June 23rd, 2063

Hello, Truthers of Night City! Thanks for tuning into Temple of Truth, whether it’s your first time or the last time. Today’s episode is a big one, but before we dive into that, let’s get through the weekly report.

In case some of you all haven’t been outside, it’s been extra hot this week with the start of summer. The moon’s in waning crescent, and the highest Zodiac constellation is now Cancer, if we could see it. Residents of Heywood have been complaining about blown fuses up and down the streets—which of course we’re supposed to believe is just the heat. And, finally, today’s Truest Truther is Kathy from Rancho Coronado, who called in last week with some truly brilliant observations about her neighbors’ new satellite dishes. We thank you for your viewership and vigilance, Kathy, and we hope your son’s baseball game goes well.

Now, onto the big news. The huge news. This was so exciting that I almost did a special episode yesterday, but I figured it would be better to plan things out. Oh, I don’t even know how to start with this. My brother Ohm and I—if you don’t know who Ohm is, she’s really the brains behind the whole show. I’d never be able to get all this gear set up without her. Anyway, Ohm and I were out doing some investigative work. It wasn’t for our core mission, but we had met some cool new friends, and anyway, all truth is the truth, as we always say. I’ll keep the details to myself for the sake of a few people’s privacy, but Ohm and I ran into a real, actual, confirmed agent of the Sisters. It was… it was life-changing. To be there in his presence, I mean, I could feel his power and benevolence washing over me.

We knew he was alien from the moment we met him, and we had a good sense about him. But our suspicions were confirmed when he started talking about how he used to travel through space but had been staying on Earth for a while. I mean, this is exactly the kind of trajectory that we thought these agents of the Sisters would have. He was speaking to us in coded, indirect language: he told us he wasn’t an alien because it was clear that, for whatever reason, he had to keep his identity a secret. Ohm and I picked up on this, so we stayed extremely subtle and clandestine. No one suspected a thing, which is what the agent likely wanted.

He also mentioned an organization called the “Green Thumbs” which runs community gardens. Since yesterday, I’ve done some research into them. On the surface, they’re a community group that uses the few fertile spaces around the city to grow vegetables to improve nutrition. But if you look closer like I did and start to connect the dots on the map, the locations of the gardens form a flower-like shape—just like the Pleiades. Ohm and I need to do more research and testing to figure out whether this is only a symbolic choice on the part of these Green Thumbs or if it has a functional purpose, maybe for communication or even transport. As always, if any of you listeners have any tips or theories, we’d love to have you call in during Truth Time on our show tomorrow. I’ll also be sending out copies of the marked-up maps of the Green Thumbs gardens through our various channels.

Another major revelation from this agent of the Sisters is that the Trauma Team is good. The agent said that he appreciates what they do. We’ve been looking into the Trauma Team for quite a while, and as many of you know, the Trauma Team being good appears like it would disprove many of our theories. But this is actually a hugely helpful piece of information because we’re now closer to the Truth. Every step, even backwards ones, is a step in the true direction.

And finally, a bit of a teaser for our next news episode: earlier this week, Ohm and I met a real vampire. We’re working with her to come on the show for an interview. That was actually our original plan for this episode, but obviously the encounter with the agent was urgent news.

Alright, that’ll wrap it up for this episode. It’s a bit of a short one because Ohm and I have got to head off to an event tonight. But I hope it was an exciting one for all you Truthers out there listening. It’s hard to describe how important meeting a real agent of the Sisters is to getting closer to the Truth, but I’m sure all of you listeners understand.

Thank you for tuning into the Temple of Truth. If you want to be the Truest Truther for the next episode, make sure to either call in tomorrow or send your theories through our virtual channels. Good night, and remember to keep your ears open and your eyes on the stars.

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yoonia · 1 year

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numbers 4, 18, and 19 for Slow Dancing, please? I really love the series and was sad that it ended. Speaking of rereading fics, I've actually been going back to reread Slow Dancing back in the holidays. it's so beautiful and both JK and Joon were really charming in that story. I had a hard time choosing sides but was happy with the way you ended the story 🤧

Aww thank you so much for loving Slow Dancing!! Oh, these are some interesting questions. thank you for sending them :)

4. What detail in Slow Dancing are you really proud of?

Ah, the details! For Slow Dancing, I do love a few that I included in the story. Let's start with this one:

When I was planning the story, I contemplated a little bit about the soulmate mark. With soulmate AUs, we've seen them written with specific themes to identify the soulmates (through colours, tattoos, etc), and I wanted to give these characters something specific that I could make as my own. I can't remember where I first saw the timer idea, but I figured it would be interesting to add another element to it to make it different, and the idea of the timer changing into flowers to identify the soulmates ended up shaping the entire story as a whole. I also love the details on the flowers itself, how the characters and pairing determine what kind of flowers you will get once the mark appears, as explained in this post. it was so fun doing all the research on these flowers and what they all represent (yeah, I didn't just make it all up. I actually browsed through tons of websites about flowers and their meanings lol) and then matching them with the characters and their personality traits.

Another detail that I'm really proud of is the idea of having Namjoon's timer stop running and remaining the same after years gone by. I don't want to spoil too much in case some people haven't read it yet, but the idea came to me after the fact that Namjoon and OC never truly met eye to eye. Adding this put a lot more meaning on their one-sided meeting, and added suspense during the scenes where Namjoon was being focused on.

18. If you wrote a sequel to Slow Dancing, what would it involve?

Hmmm, I'm not sure, but perhaps it would involve Jungkook and OC's life after everything that happened. We can see the aftermath, and maybe have them solve the mystery about their soulmate mark, or how the story about how their relationship unfolded would change the entire credence in the soulmate system that was formed in their universe. Yeah, now that I think about it, it does sound interesting if we could delve deeper into the theory haha

19. If you wrote a spin-off of Slow Dancing, what would it involve?

For a spin-off, I have two options that I could choose from. One, the story between Namjoon and Yeori. With Joon reuniting with Yeori, his life seemed to have gone a full circle, but I did leave things open for readers' interpretation of how his story would unfold. Two, the story between Tasha and BM/Matthew. It's interesting how Tasha grew to become readers' favourite leading towards the end of the story. I think people expected to see her as a love rival at first, though I've never planned her to be one. I'm glad that adding her part in the story pleased people and how everyone celebrated her journey to find her happy ending too. Even if she's a made up character, I figured some readers would like to know more about her side of the story (even if it's only to see more of Wooyoung and BM and perhaps even DEAN, as he made cameo too haha)

Ask game: "Questions for fic writers"

#pretty anonie #fic: slow dancing #ask game #misc: fic talk

0 notes

strampunch · 3 years

Text

“Labours of Love”

Summer Holmestice 2021 for “Ghostbees”

After my giftee ( @ghostbees ) mentioned "scrapbooking" and "English paper piecing" I went down a rabbithole of research and learnt about this wonderful quilting technique.

From the EQS website: "English Paper Piecing is a method of quilting that involves using a paper shape, most commonly a hexagon, to add stability to the quilt. The quilt is hand stitched with pieces of fabric cut a ¼ inch bigger than the paper shape. The fabric is basted to the paper shapes before the shapes are sewn together. Once the quilt top is completed the papers are removed." The technique dates from 1770s and was popular during the early 1800s in the UK, then in the mid 19th century in the US and it made a comeback during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when the pattern was called in the sewing magazines "Grandma's Flower Garden", but before that it was simply known as hexagonal pattern or (you guessed it) honeycomb pattern. The paper used for these quilts were usually recycled from newspapers or scrapped letters, and the fabric used to come from old garments that had seen better days, and since a lot of the times the paper was simply left in these quilts are marvelous time capsules that contain a wealth of information about the person who made them and their environment. I encourage you to look up English paper piecing (EPP) quilts from the early Victorian decades, they're fascinating!

So this little series of illustrations shows Watson dealing with Holmes still indulging in scrapbooking, and how the doctor picks up the discarded pieces and their old 221B era clothes to make something entirely new and uniquely theirs.

1. I keep seeing lovely examples of Victorian silk braces with floral embroidery and I couldn’t resist giving the boys some fancy ones. Also I know that a bright pink and blue shirt is probably not too historically accurate 1910s but screw it, trans flag shirt colours!

2. I both hate and love drawing furniture. Footstools/ottomans are cute, though.

3. “My dear fellow, if you didn’t spend all morning in bed instead of reading the newspaper as soon it arrives all of this could be avoided.” Also Holmes is wearing a silk piano shawl because what are gender norms?

4. Holmes not only uses newspaper clippings for scrapbooking, but per Ghostbees’ suggestion I looked briefly into the Victorian hobby of pressing and collecting seaweed and I think it would be a fantastic subject for Holmes to branch out to (especially if there’s any poisonous types).

5. Old dressing gowns and blankets that have seen better days. The moths got ahold of them but I’m pretty sure the constant chemical experiments back at 221B claimed more than one victim.

6. I got a bit carried away with the ink and gouache here. But it was fascinating to see the first published patterns in magazines making their appearance, especially in publications aimed at women that contained a wide range of home-related subjects.

7. Someone in the Dreamwidth website pointed out that both Holmes and Watson are working on beehives and that warmed my heart. One interesting bit about EPP is that the paper can be left inside the quilt, so historians have been able to gather very detailed information about the person who crafted these pieces and their life.

8. Oh god so many hexagons. Here’s an example of one of those magazines with patterns and instructions.

9. I had too much fun giving them embroidered slippers. It’s a shame I overdid the watercolours and turned out quite muddy, but I would love to draw their clothes in more detail in the future.

10. Smooch! (Also the paisley trim is my favourite part)

11. Initially I wanted this story to end in a picnic at Beachy Head, until I was told that quilts aren’t picnic blankets and are more appropriate for domestic use only. You still get to see some of the cliffs at least!

12. Another accidental discovery during my research: pickle and marmalade jars! I could draw a hundred of them and not get tired. That little spoon! Ugh!

13. I will never not cry about these two old fools in love.

14. Cross stitching and lettering isn’t my forte, nor is Watson’s, but I saw several quilts had names sewn into one panel, almost like a painter signing their canvas, or dedicating the piece to a loved one. So you know I had to add this little detail, plus some green carnations for extra queerness, a forget-me-not flower and a plump bee because I have to be extra.

Looking back this is one of the things I’m the most proud of that I have made this year, or even longer. I work digitally for my job and I miss the feel of traditional materials, so this was a project that let me flex those watercolour muscles and try gouache for the first time. All while drawing incredibly indulgent things, so thank you Basil for giving me an excuse to have some fun.

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dreamwritesimagines · 3 years

Text

Burn The Witch 6 - The First Date [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s a surprise chapter to celebrate TFATWS starting, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: First dates can end in strange ways.

Series Masterlist

Every agent in your division knew the Winter Soldier, the unstoppable assassin, the infamous ghost story, the man who had been fighting for over 80 years. He was a legend, and meeting him was something you were all taught to avoid ever since the espionage world had found out about his existence.

The last time, a whole team of heavily armed soldiers were sent to take him down and he had managed to disarm every single one of them without even needing a weapon. So theoretically if you were to send an agent to meet him, you would probably make sure that agent carried about a thousand weapons and preferably went there in a bulletproof vehicle.

Instead, you were told to wear a cute dress for the first date.

Lovely.

“How come I can’t wear any of my clothes?” you asked, pressing the phone to your ear as you took a look at all the dresses lying on your bed.

“Not that your sniper outfits aren’t hot, but wearing them to your first date with the Winter Soldier might not be the brightest idea.”

You heaved a sigh, “I still can’t believe you changed my whole wardrobe when I was outside, Chloe. What was wrong with my usual clothes?”

“They’re not what your cover would wear.”

“Uh huh.”

“Pick the one with those small flowers on it,” Chloe said, “Mini dress, chiffon. Cream colored.”

You hummed and grabbed the hanger, then held it over your body.

“Are we sure?”

“Trust me. Perfect for the first date.”

“Did mini dresses exist back in his time?” Keith’s voice reached you, making you frown, “Or was he born in those times with those giant dresses?”

“Excuse me, why am I on speaker?” you asked, “Also Keith, what are you doing in the headquarters? I need you and the team ready to interfere anytime.”

“I’m not in the headquarters, I was grabbing coffee and Chloe wanted to come with me. No worries though, we’re around your area.”

“Are you insane?” you snapped, “You brought her to the field?”

“We’re just getting coffee—“

“Chloe, get back to the headquarters,” you insisted, “Now.”

“No! You have a date, Keith gets to relax at this new café, and three of us can barely spend time together nowadays!” Chloe said, “It’s always you guys who have the fun.”

“Honey I’m on a date with the Winter Soldier so that I can gather intel, Keith is going to be at that café because he and the team needs to be nearby in case my cover is blown,” you said patiently, getting into the dress, “It’s not like we’re hanging out without you.”

“Detail.”

“It’s not just a detail-“

“No I mean the security detail is ready.” Chloe cut you off, “I got my laptop with me, I hacked into the café’s wifi.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose, “You did what?”

“Yeah I figured I could use a change of scenery and Keith said yes.”

“Keith, I need you to listen to me carefully,” you said, “I’m going to kill you.”

“Y/N!”

“You can’t kill me.”

“Can’t I though?”

“Yeah you have a date, remember?”

You checked your wristwatch and cussed under your breath, rushing to put your shoes on.

“I put a small gadget into your wristwatch,” Chloe said, “I figured he’d recognize the ring if he saw it again. If you press the button there, the team will be called to your location shortly.”

“And if things get exciting, make sure to take the watch off,” Keith let out a laugh, “You don’t want us to interrupt your fun over an accident.”

“It’s just the first date, idiot.”

“Yeah and I’m—I’m sure there’s a rule against killing on the first date.” Chloe said, “Right?”

“Nah I killed a target on the first date before,” you mumbled, “But I wasn’t told to get into a relationship back then so… It’ll be different this time.”

“Try not to give the guy whiplash though, will you?” Keith said and you frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“It means dating etiquette changed since 1940s.”

“Oh don’t worry, I got that covered,” you said but your head shot up when you heard the doorbell ring. “I have to go.”

“Okay, but—“

“No time Keith,” you murmured, walking to the door. Your heart was pacing against your chest for some reason as if it was a real first date, and you swung the door open to reveal Bucky waiting for you at your doorstep. He put his hands into his leather jacket, taking in your appearance.

“You know what to do if you get in trouble.” Keith said and you hung up quickly to push your phone into your purse, smiling wide at Bucky.

“Hi!” you said, “Shall we?”

***

Now to think of it, the last time you had been on a date without carrying any weapons had to be ten years ago if not more. But you had clear orders for this one, your superiors were convinced that carrying any kind of gun or a dagger would alert him, even if you thought it was invisible to outsider eye.

After all, he was an assassin and looking for weapons on a person from miles away was second nature for assassins.

You would know.

“So you moved here a month ago and you just know one place?” he asked as you waited for the barista to prepare your coffee, “A coffee shop? That’s it?”

“I know a milkshake shop too.”

He tilted his head, “You mean where you work?”

“That still counts,” you defended yourself “But if you insist, I might let you show me around next time.”

“Please do,” he said, “Just a heads up though, there’s a huge possibility that most of the places I know has been closed down years ago.”

“Oh that’s okay,” you told him as the barista put your coffees in front of you. “We can explore the new sights together then.”

A smile graced his lips while he led you to the table furthest from the window facing the door and you had to suppress your grin.

You weren’t the only one who was scanning the cafe for possible emergency exits and safest spots after all. Sitting by the window was a civilian mistake because in case of a shooting, you’d be in the clear sight for the shooter.

You had a feeling not many people considered that possibility on a first date.

“That sounds good,” he pulled your chair for you and you paused only for a moment before taking your seat.

Right. Born in a different era.

He took off his leather jacket and your gaze wandered off to his vibranium arm before snapping back to his eyes. He was watching you with his brows slightly raised, as if waiting to see your reaction.

“Sorry!” You said quickly, “I’m sorry, I just…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Bucky—“

“Really,” he assured you, “Don’t worry.”

You took a deep breath, pushing your behind your ear.

“So, it’s good to meet in a place that looks like it belongs to 21st century isn’t it?”

He hissed in a breath, a mischievous light glimmering in his blue eyes “Do you want me to be honest?”

“Brutally honest.”

“I would be lying if I said I don’t miss the uniform.”

Your jaw dropped before a smile spread over your lips, “Look at that,” you said, “Told you you weren’t rusty.”

He chuckled, “I’d hope not.”

“And hey, if you miss how it was back then, some things aren’t that different than 40s,” you said, cradling the warm cup in your hands. He tilted his head.

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“Like what?”

“You know, I’m glad you asked because I actually did research in case it came up.”

He lowered his cup, “You did what?”

“Um… do you promise not to be intimidated if I am brutally honest?”

He leaned in, eyes locked to yours, “Cross my heart.”

“I did research,” you nodded, making him let out a small laugh. “No wait, listen— I just… I didn’t google you or stalk you over Instagram so I had to prepare myself in a different way.”

“I know some of those words,” he pointed out and you took a deep breath.

“It means I didn’t look you up.” you said, “When I was sixteen, I promised myself I wouldn’t look anyone up before the first date but that rule doesn’t extend to doing general research.”

“You didn’t look me up?” he asked and you shook your head.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I like getting to know people on my own,” you said, “I’m not really interested in people’s pasts, does that make sense?”

He stared at you for a couple of seconds, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Maybe not,” you admitted, “But I’ll do it anyway. Trusting people is kind of my thing, past or not. I’d rather be mistaken than prejudiced.”

A silence fell upon him as if he was astounded and you rested your chin on your fist, keeping your eyes on him.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said after a beat, “Nothing at all.”

“So—anyways, some things aren’t that different,” you said, leaning back, “Some details, that is. People still— we still go to movie theatres, that was a big thing back then too right?”

“Oh absolutely,” he said, “For first dates too.”

“We still wear hats sometimes,” you counted with your fingers, “Some people still prefer to call their partners daddy—in a different context, don’t google that— and we still have jello.”

“I heard about that,” he mused, a playful smile on his lips, “The jello, that is.”

You grinned, scrunching up your nose.

“So yeah. There’s your crash course.”

“I appreciate it,” he said with a chuckle, “And hey, if it makes you feel any better I didn’t google you either.”

“Because you don’t know how?”

“Because I don’t know how,” he admitted, “I should probably start making a list, I keep asking Sam about some pretty common information.”

“Really?”

“Yeah I mean—for example, I don’t know if it’s still acceptable to bring a gal-a girl,” he corrected himself and cleared his throat, “Flowers for the first date.”

“You were going to bring me flowers?”

“Yeah! Yeah . I was going to actually, then Sam said it was old fashioned. Sharon said it was a good idea, but…”

You furrowed your brows, “Okay let me get this straight, you listened to your friend who’s a guy and not your other friend who’s a girl. About what girls like on the first date.”

A look of realization dawned on his face, “That might not have been the brightest idea now that you mentioned it.”

“No disrespect to Captain America but he might need to work on his romance skills,” you pointed out and took a sip of your coffee.

“How about you?” he asked, “What’s your story?”

I was recruited at the age of 16, just last year I took down a whole team of bad guys all by myself, I could probably kill someone in 5 different ways using this coffee cup and spoon alone.

Or not.

You had been over this. You had a full file back at home filled with details of your new identity, designed to look unsuspicious.

“There’s not much to tell I’m afraid,” you muttered, “I grew up in a small town. Everyone knew each other, and I thought it was nice, until my grandmother passed away. Then there were way too many people asking me if I was okay. In the grocery store, on my way to work… I just wanted to get away.”

“I know the feeling,” he said softly and you nodded.

Of course he did. This whole identity was fabricated for him after all.

“So I figured I could move away,” you said, “There was nothing to keep me there after all. I lost my parents when I was little, that was the reason why my grandmother took me in.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh don’t be,” you said quickly, “Really. They just….”

My mom died in a car crash when I was 5, and one day I came home from school and my father was nowhere to be found.

Neither was his suitcase.

You had to give it to him, he had bothered to write you a note. If you could call that a note.

The infamous genius scientist had nothing to say other than he was sorry. You had burned that note that night, along with every picture in the family album.

“There was a car accident,” you tried to smile, ignoring the bitter taste at the back of your throat, “Drunk driver, came out of nowhere. They both died on impact, that’s what everyone says. I don’t remember them much.”

A silence fell upon you for a moment and you took a deep breath.

“Anyways,” you managed to say, “Enough about me. What about you?”

He paused before turning the cup between his hands, “That’s kind of a long story,” he said, making you arch a brow to shoot him a look.

“Well as it happens, my milkshake making schedule just cleared out.” you stated, making him smile, “We have unlimited coffee and time. Bring it on.”

***

Well, you didn’t know what you had expected but it wasn’t this. Considering he was under the impression that you were a civilian, of course he didn’t tell you any gory or top secret details but he didn’t try to make himself look innocent either, or any different than he was.

He was as sincere as an ex-assassin could be.

Cover or not, this was probably the best date you had ever been. In fact, after the first half an hour you almost forgot that it was fake, that you were supposed to dig for information instead of enjoying yourself.

You were still playing your part but it didn’t exactly feel like work.

“So no to motorcycles?” Bucky asked as you turned around to look at him better while you walked backwards.

“No to motorcycles!” you exclaimed, “Those things are deathtraps.”

“So when you said you couldn’t get on it because of your dress….”

“It wasn’t a complete lie,” you motioned at your dress, “Half because of the dress, half because I don’t want to die.”

“Do you seriously believe I’d let that happen?”

“Maybe.”

“Mmm and what was it you said earlier?” he taunted you, “About trusting people?”

“I trust people,” you insisted, “I don’t trust death machines, there’s a difference.”

Well, he didn’t need to know you had a motorcycle in Chloe’s garage.

“Here we are,” you pointed at the building standing a couple of feet away from you, “My apartment. See, I told you it was close. No reason for putting our lives in danger when we can just walk.”

“Does that mean I can’t show you around the city the next time?”

“On a motorcycle?”

“Mm hm.”

“I don’t—that’s a terrible….” You heaved a dramatic sigh, “Hypothetically speaking, what would I get in return?”

His smile was calm, almost amused, “What do you want to get in return?”

You crossed your arms, looking up at the sky as if you were deep in thought, completely aware of his gaze on you.

“Flowers,” you said after a beat, “I didn’t even know they were an option but now that I know, I want flowers.”

“Is that it?” he asked, “It’s ‘a death machine’, but flowers are enough to convince you?”

“Depends,” you mused silkily, a complete opposite of the wide-eyed look in your eyes as you batted your lashes, “What else do you want me to want?”

A shadow moved behind his gaze only for a moment before it disappeared again but it was more than enough time for you to see it, and that was when you realized that there was a reason why Chloe had sent you that file.

Bucky Barnes wasn’t completely a stammering love-struck puppy when it came to flirting. While it was true that he could be a little rusty –you didn’t know how he was back in the 40s-, he also knew when to stop talking to see how far you would go in this game.

He was letting you play and think you were in control before making his move.

Patience of a sniper.

“Um- thank- thank you for tonight,” you said, averting your glances as if you were embarrassed under his gaze, playing it coy, “I had so much fun.”

“Me too,” he said, “The next one will include flowers, I promise.”

You let out a nervous giggle and stepped closer to him before you stood on your tiptoes and pressed a kiss on his cheek. He inhaled your scent deeply, probably not even aware of what he was doing but you tried to hide your smile.

It was on the file Chloe had prepared about him. Bucky Barnes liked the scent of vanilla.

“Be careful riding that death machine,” you told him, biting on your lip before you made your way to the building. You hopped on the stairs to push the exterior door to get into the building, and pressed a hand on your chest, closing your eyes.

Why were you so giddy all of a sudden?

You threw your shoulders back and got into the elevator to press on the button to your floor. As soon as the elevator started to move, your reflection in the mirror caught your attention and you tilted your head.

Chloe had a point, it was a nice dress.

The elevator made a small noise and the doors slid open for you to pass, but when you entered the hall you stopped dead on your tracks. There were four agents waiting on your doorstep and before you could question what was happening, one of the doors in the hallways opened and Keith stepped out.

“Be careful riding that death machine?” he asked, “I could tell you the same thing but you didn’t invite him up here.”

“I wasn’t wearing a wire, how did you-?”

“We had a car around the corner just in case,” he said “You’d be surprised how far we can hear with these new gadgets.”

“I told everyone we can’t—“ you stopped yourself, taking a deep breath. “What are you doing here and why are there agents at my doorstep?”

He grinned at you, “How do you feel about being neighbors?”

“I feel fuck no about it, and why are there agents—“

“General is waiting for you in your apartment.”

Your heart dropped to your stomach, “What?” you asked as you walked past him and opened the door to your apartment, then stepped in.

“General?” you rasped out as you walked into the living room to find him there, sitting by himself.

“Shrike,” he greeted you, “Good evening.”

You tried to smile, “Good evening sir.”

“I wanted to see how the mission was going,” he said, “Your team says it’s been very successful so far.”

“It’s going according to plan sir, yes.”

“This was what, your first date?”

You licked your dry lips, commanding yourself to be calm. “Yes.”

He hummed and stood up, running a hand over his gray beard, his eyes darting around the room.

“Y/N,” he murmured, making your head shot up at hearing your name instead of your alias. “It’s possible that the last time we talked face to face about your mission, I came across a little…uncaring. I want you to know that it’s not easy for me either.”

You stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

“You’re like a daughter to me,” he said, “For me, putting you on this mission was no different than sending Chloe into Barnes’s bed. Granted you have an edge and proper training for field missions like these unlike her, but…”

Right. Manipulation of Enemy.

A.k.a the seduction class.

Your superior had almost failed you in that class.

“But all your superiors in the division is aware of your success so far,” he said, “There has been no hiccups, nothing to alert him which is a surprise. You’re playing your role well, and we will keep that in mind after this mission is over. You’re at the top of our list for possible handlers.”

For the first time in your life, that didn’t make you fill with excitement for some reason. You frowned at yourself and plastered a smile on your face.

“Thank you sir.”

“Anything you would like to report so far?”

“I’m going slowly in order to make sure I gain his trust,” you said, “But sir, there’s a reason why I didn’t even wear my earpiece tonight. Barnes is a pro, anything could make him suspicious and putting agents in cars to listen to us… That could go wrong.”

“You want to be completely alone on this mission?”

“I still want to have my team, but I want them to be completely invisible. I already have a tracker and an emergency signal on my wristwatch, but unless I specifically call for them, they need to be away. I can’t risk anyone compromising my cover, even if it’s unintentional by my team.”

He thought for a moment, “I see,” he said, “You make a good point. I’ll make the necessary adjustments.”

“Thank you General.”

He squeezed your upper arm as if trying to assure you and walked to the door, then turned around.

“Shrike?”

“Yes sir?”

“You’ve heard what happened to Marco, right?” he asked, “He was one of our best agents but got too involved in his seduction mission.”

You swallowed thickly, “I heard he’s missing.”

A small smile pulled at his lips, “That’s right. He was removed from his mission, then went missing.”

Killed.

He was killed by the agency when he fell for his target and both of you knew that.

“That’s unfortunate,” you managed to say and he nodded.

“It is,” he said, “Don’t make the same mistake. Actions have consequences.”

With that, he left your apartment and you let out a breath as you fell back to sit on the couch, your hands shaking.

“Yeah,” you muttered to yourself, “Yeah they do.”

Chapter 7

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #falcon and the winter soldier #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes x you #bucky x you #bucky x reader #the winter soldier #the winter soldier x reader

636 notes · View notes

rumblelibrary · 3 years

Note

hii!! i saw your requests are open, if you’re not too busy could you write something about Laszlo falling in love with reader (she’s a friend of Sara’s and helping with the case) but he keeps trying to avoid his feelings and remain professional and friendly until then he gets jealous of Marcus (or maybe John whoever you think works best) and starts being mean and pushing her away and then John or Sara are like “really?? can you not see that she likes you?” and he apologizes and it’s all fluffy at the end??

that was a bit long sorry, i hope you’re having a great day💗💗

Worlds Apart [Dr Laszlo Kreizler x Reader]

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: Laszlo being his usual adorable dumbass

Author’s note: Thank you so much for giving me the chance to write your story, hope you’ll enjoy it 💗💗

The first time your presence graced him was on an infamous rainy day. He didn’t mind rain, but it was the kind of storm that forced kids inside the Institute and some of them really benefitted of the time spent outside. So when you appeared at his doorstep escorted by Cyrus, a little of wetness on your shoulders and your hat, arms tightly grasping a big bunch of paper folders, untouched by the heavy weather clearly at your expenses, you looked like a gift from the above.

“Sara Howard contacted me, My name is Y/N Y/L/N, I work for the Town Hall Archives” you introduced yourself, a polite smile softening him. “It is my pleasure to finally meet you, Dr Kreizler” you added.

He blinked realising he was staring while your words moved past him without affecting him.

“Please, Sara told me you are going to be vital in the unravelling of this case, call me Laszlo”

He opened his arm on side letting you in as Cyrus walked away closing the door behind himself. A sense of guilt creeping over him, he realised how low his mind went to appreciate your physical side first and your sweet smile next, if men were anything different from the beasts, then why indulge still in such raw details. From that moment on, he decided, he would not do you the same disrespect. Little he knew that once he forbid himself to take grace of the sight of you, he would be overwhelmed by your bright mind. As you exposed those files to him you two started working together, day after day, time after time, a little dance of turning pages, soft smile, excited discoveries. Your smile affecting him in unpredicted ways, your good heart weakening his mask, your calm demure forbidding his raging fits. Anything of you made him better, any part of you was loved and worshipped by him, your position quickly transitioning from helpful hand, to admirable being and now to an ideal. A sense of necessity creeping over him every time you closed the space between the two of you to show him something, every time he stared at you wrapped up some archive ladder to find this or that file. Another thing you earned from him with time, the hardest maybe, was the ability to make him chuckle. You weren’t a goofball but you knew when to break down his thought process to bring him back to a quieter state. He liked you, he was even considering to offer you to leave the Town Hall Archives to work as his secretary at the Institute. The benefits of your presence made his work better and your natural tendency to method blessing his day to day activities with balance. Laszlo didn’t like to admit it, but a sense of possessiveness was also growing on him, he knew what was going on in his mind, or to better say it in his heart, but he refused to acknowledge it. The case was on, after the case maybe.

Or maybe never.

That’s what he thought when, after an interview at the house of a potential future patient of the institute, he took a stroll on the main road, his eyes darting on the flower shop only to recognise you there. Your figure associated with the colourful gifts of nature made his heart skip a beat, a sense of joy filled him soon to disappear when Marcus Isaacson figure appeared beside you holding three or four different kind of flowers in large bouquets, all of them meaning something love related: attraction, desire, kinship.

Those meanings pestered his thoughts, your soft laugh hitting his ears like an angel choir. Your hand lifting up as Marcus bowed his head toward you, your bare fingers running through his curls pulling out some wild leaf that got tangled among them.

“Silly me” he chanted like a child that has zero guilt about earning something undeserved “Come on Y/N, pick your favourite, I can’t hold them all forever”.

Laszlo’s eyes narrowed on him, hating the urgency in his voice, before drifting on the big bouquets, the carnations attracting his gaze, the meaning: pure love, faithfulness, also motherly love.

“The carnations” you said without a doubt moving your arms among the flower to pick them, the closeness you shared rubbing Laszlo in the wrong way.

A sudden realisation hitting him, rage boiling as he turned on his heels to rush to the Institute. What a fool he was, mistaking your natural kindness for…what? Interest for a cripple? Tenderness for a lonely angry man? His jaw clenched, rage surging through him, on that day the door of his office slammed so hard nobody dared to call for him, not even for dinner. When the next day you came to bring some papers and revise some new information, he was keeping a two meters distance all the time, if not more. Anything you said was welcomed with sounds the usual good morning disappeared.

“Laszlo” you called him after more than one hour spent welcomed by only silence and grunts “Did something happen? Maybe, I could help..”

“What exactly gives the impression I need your help?” He shot back before you could even mutter another sentence or even conclude the one you just begun.

His eyes raising from the papers he was holding, his hand moved to his glasses taking them off “As far as my knowledge goes, you’re here to support the investigation with documents and research, not to interfere with my personal life or a job like mine that requires not only tact but also a severe respect of the patient’s privacy”

You closed your mouth suddenly as he never reacted in such a way toward you. Usually he seemed to like to engage with you, to hear your thoughts and opinions, now his hard glare was dooming over you like the Judgment Day.

“I apologise” you resumed to say, maybe it was a bad day, those bad days John teased him about so many times, but that you never encountered before.

So you moved back to your spot respecting the distance he wanted, he put his glasses back on the bridge of his nose.

Nothing more was said.

That evening when you were about to leave you thanked him and wished him a good night, as you always did. Silence again, only one hand to be lifted as he didn’t even turn to talk to you. His reaction gutted you and from that day on to visit him turned into the heaviest hours of the day. There was no room for chat, no room for accommodation. You even brought some sweets one day thinking he might like it and he handed those just as quickly to the kids. You even asked him if you wronged him and he said there was nothing wrong.

After two weeks like this, you sat behind your desk at the Town Hall resigned to live with his silence, you stared at a little note he wrote to you once to thank you of your help with some documents titles underneath.

I admire your dedication to the case. Your help is invaluable L.K.

You read, but that didn’t stand anymore, for some reason.

“What’s that long face for?”

Sara asked leaning against your desk as you slipped that piece of paper underneath your notebook. You already gave Laszlo all the documents requested, you could throw that away, but you didn’t.

“I think I upset Dr Kreizler”

Sara looked at you surprised by the way you resumed calling him by his title, like you were trying to gain distance from him. You looked at her incisive look as you quietly explained to her your fears and doubts, what was going on and how you probably should ask John a way to repair the situation, because you were clueless. After your conversation Sara didn’t think about it twice and after concluding her duties she stormed at Laszlo’s office only to find him engaged in the billionth argument with John.

“What have you told to Y/N?”

She asked, a proper mad mama bear as she stared at him mercilessly, she was aiming for the throat and John looked at him puzzled.

“What have you done Laszlo? Having a fine woman interested on you hits so differently?”

Laszlo was about to answer Sara when he suddenly felt attacked on too many fronts.

“Wait, I beg your pardon? I think you have got into some mistake, John”

John looked at him and then at Sara as she shook her head impatiently and already fed up with Laszlo’s ways.

“She does like you Laszlo, where is your problem about it?” She inquired more “Is she not a doctor enough for your likings? Do you want a duchess or something? Because I don’t understand, if you’re not interested to her at least be human”

By this moment Laszlo was still incredule and a chuckle almost left his lips

“I think you are mistaken Sara, Y/N is in a relationship with Marcus Isaacson, I stumbled upon them already”

“Marcus? I thought he was seeing that Esther girl, Lucius complained about his lack of focus more than once, how did you manage to erase her interest that quick Laszlo?” John said surprised and Sara had to hold onto her iron will not to slap the both of them in their faces.

“You two are worse than any little town blabbermouth” she snapped.

John frowned feeling accused and Laszlo was ready to give her a lecture that could last until the end of times when you walked inside in a rush.

“Excuse me” you said out of breath, mud stained your dress as you clearly run your way to her Institute handing them a file “This just came”.

You gulped down as Sara glared at Laszlo while she guided you to have a glass of water.Laszlo studied the document without even acknowledging your presence, another victim served on a plate.

That evening he went to see the body, the Isaacson’s giving a full display of the wounds and marks on the body to him and John. By the rules of the obituary, you and Sara weren’t welcomed inside as they were. You sat silently, slowly tracing the stain on your skirt thinking how bad Laszlo’s impression of you must be now that you even showed yourself in such an improper manner, such a gentleman like him witnessing you in such a state. When they came out of the obituary Sara stood up as you remained sat, the warm presence of Laszlo now hunting you like a ghost every time he is around.

“The murderer knows we re close” Laszlo stated as he sighed, ashamed that another life was lost “I think that this victim in particular..”

“Y/N!”

Marcus interrupted him rushing out of the obituary with his bloody apron still on, his less than sanitary clean hand on your shoulder as Laszlo was ready to reduce the both of you to dust for interrupting him.

“Excuse me Doctor” Marcus head shot up to him before looking back down at you “Thank you for helping with the gifts, Esther adored them, we are going out again tonight” he said excitedly to you and a big smile, the first of the day, blossomed on your lips.

“I told you, you should trust me more often” you said and he nodded vehemently “If things go this good, I will come to ask you to help me with the ring” he said completely hyped up, bouncing curls everywhere, as you crossed your fingers for him and he repeated the gesture before disappearing again called by his brother who was fed up with his love talks already.

Sara crossed her arms as John’s stare went up to Laszlo’s face, the sudden realisation of his mistake hit him like a bag of bricks. A mix of shame and happiness filling him up. And now the doubt: did he ruined his chances forever? The next morning you came into his office, you never stopped wishing him good morning and being polite, no matter his attitude.

“Y/N” he called you as you were placing your belongings aside. Your surprised look due to his softened tone was unmissable to him.

“Come here, I wish to talk to you”

You grew nervous as he didn’t say much else, so you walked to him sitting on the couch beside him, the one where you shared so many talks not too long before, even if now it felt like an eternity.

“I want to apologise to you” he blurted out all together, no need to move around the topic even though that only affirmation run over you harder than any other phrase.

You didn’t reply, allowing him to proceed.

“I apologise, because I have been selfish and foolish” he said, the fingers of his left hand touching nervously the armchair “I have been mistreating you only because my pride was hurt, I have acted like a man without means and courage.”

You parted your lips but he interrupted you before you could even begin.

“Please, let me finish, I have felt from the beginning a prominent fondness toward you. Your character and your kindness make you a remarkable person, you have the talent of bringing out the best out of most people, me included. But I have misread your ways and pointed your natural disposition to a form of romantic interest directed on me and our common friend Marcus Isaacson”

He was still excluding the possibility of you being attracted to him.

“I thought there was something behind it and I acted like a child instead of asking you directly, and I am ashamed for that”

You stared at him, a little smile creeping onto your lips.

“I think you misread only half of the situation Laszlo, as always you’re too unkind on yourself” you said gathering all the courage you had “because my interest toward you was honest while my relationship with Marcus is nothing by friendly”

Now it was Laszlo’s turn to be silenced, a new realisation creeping into his bones, a hope becoming a possibility.

“And is that honest interest still alive after my despicable ways?”

Your smile grew pulled by the redness spreading on your cheeks.

“Maybe” he interrupted. He didn’t want to wait for your answer, your smile spoke for you “maybe we can further bring this conversation to Delmonico’s, tonight, just the two of us”

Your smile grew bigger, his eyes shining for you.

“It will be my pleasure” you answered only, not knowing a bouquet of carnations was already being delivered at your house to welcome you once you’ll be back.

Tagged @cazzyimagines @lieutenantn @handmaiden-of-mischief@thesunflowersutra @zemomybeloved @fictionlandslanddreams @charistory @greeneyedblondie44 @apparrio Let me know if you want to get tagged too <3

#dr laszlo kreizler #dr laszlo kreizler x you #dr laszlo kreizler imagine #dr laszlo kreizler x reader #laszlo kreizler fanfiction #laszlo kreizler x y/n #laszlo kreizler #laszlo kreisler x reader #laszlo kreizler fanfic #laszlo kreizler x you #laszlo kreizler imagine #laszlo kreizler x reader #laszlo kreizler headcanons

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andypantsx3 · 3 years

Text

statistically significant | 7 | bakugou/reader

length: 23,490 words | 7 chapters

summary: You’re the scientist who developed a neural net to model the value of assists. Now that your work is feeding into the hero rankings, pro hero Ground Zero has a bone to pick with your results.

tags: romance, enemies to lovers, sexual tension, reader-insert

warnings: aged up characters, eventual smut, m/f threats of violence, problematic behavior

One month later

The Hero Awards certainly did not disappoint the second time around.

Though you’d spent the last few months in the company of some of these heroes, you couldn’t help but linger on the sidelines as they stalked their way down the walkway, staring in awe. As before, they were decked out in their absolute best, glimmering in jewel toned dresses with daring cutouts, or carving dashing profiles in well-fitted suits. Reporters and fans swarmed the sides of the red carpet, roiling like a pot reaching an agitated boil.

Their excitement was so palpable it hung heavy in the air, absolutely contagious. Maybe it was the fact that you knew some of the heroes up for awards tonight personally, but the potential of the evening simmered under your skin, a soft but constant hum of frenetic energy.

Or maybe some of that was due to the fact that this year, you’d been able to convince your boss to shell out the extra cash for the full dinner option. No longer would you need to smuggle snacks into your dress--this evening, you were a solid professional.

Which was a good thing, really, as the dress in question was not altogether any more secure or supportive than your dress from last year. You’d tried to angle for a thicker fabric and a little more of a conservative design, but several people had aired opinions on your choices over the course of the last few weeks, and you’d ended up in a thin swathe of delicate fabric that was really quite pretty, if you did say so yourself, but would support a grand total of maybe two popcorn kernels.

“You’re looking awfully forlorn over here,” someone chirped by your ear.

You startled, whirling to find Mina behind you, looking rosy and radiant in a form-fitting dress only a few shades lighter than her skin tone. Tiny pearls and clusters of glittering pink diamonds were stitched carefully into the fabric, winking at you as she moved, as bright as the conspiratorial grin she wore. She looked absolutely fabulous--she was one of the people who’d bullied you into the snackless gown, and you could begrudgingly admit that the girl had taste.

“Is it because a certain hotheaded blonde isn’t here yet?” she asked, a pink eyebrow going up.

You flushed. “Mina--oh my god, no. Not everything is about him, you know.”

She idly inspected a nail, looking supremely unconvinced. “Someone should tell him that, then.”

You huffed a laugh. The last time you’d been at the Awards, you’d said as much to him yourself. But a year later, the message was still not exactly being received.

“I’m actually thinking about dinner. I’m literally starving,” you complained, trying to divert the subject.

Mina nodded sympathetically. “I have a six pack and I still had to suck in to fit into this shit.”

As if on cue, your stomach growled sympathetically. You weren’t proud of what it was going to be like when you were finally unleashed on that multi-course dinner, but god it was gonna be worth it.

Several shrieks went up in the crowd of fans behind you, and you looked over your shoulder in alarm. Your pulse relaxed slightly when you realized it was just another pro sauntering down the walkway, but then the lights flickered off ashy blonde locks, and your pulse jumped violently. You jerked in surprise.

Mina didn’t even try to suppress her snort as you turned around fully, eyes pulled like a magnet to Bakugou as he stalked down the red carpet. Even looking like he would rather be anywhere else, and moving briskly over the carpet like he was going in for a kill, he still looked better than he had any right to. The charcoal of his suit--stitched with deep ruby flowers so dark they were almost black--brought out the piercing scarlet of his eyes, and your heart leapt into your mouth when those eyes cut over to meet yours.

His expression didn’t change, and he kept moving, but you flushed all the way from your head to your toes at the intensity behind his look.

Mina made a disgusted noise. “You’re both like a dog with a bone.”

You glared at her accusingly. “We literally just looked at each other.”

She clicked her tongue. “Please, he all but just pissed on you to mark his territory.”

Before you could reply, she called out, catching sight of Kirishima, and seized you to drag you over to say hello.

You let Mina drag you around for the next half hour, making polite conversation with her high school friends, a couple of friends from other agencies, and one fashion journalist who Mina had converted into a weekly drinking buddy. Mina kept the conversation light and easy, and you enjoyed yourself for the most part, though you almost passed out when a very distinct head of green curls materialized over her shoulder and then Midoriya Izuku--better known as the number one hero Deku--was smiling at you eagerly.

Things got even weirder when he appeared to not only already know who you were, but knew a great deal about your work, enough to ask some very detailed questions about your training model software that was going into production a couple months from now. Mina had the gall to cut into the conversation to call you both huge nerds, though she’d directly benefited from the model herself.

The conversation was unfortunately cut short when a calloused hand flung itself in front of your face and a rough voice sounded from over your shoulder. “Stop sticking your nose in my fucking business, Deku.”

You whipped around to find Bakugou glaring over your head at his former classmate. His hand closed around your shoulder and dragged you closer to him.

“I was just asking about her model, Kacchan,” Midoriya said patiently. “It’ll be great to be able to compare my movements directly with some of the other heroes in almost real time! Ojirou’s been trying out some new fighting forms and I was thinking I should try to adapt them to work into my shoot style--”

“Just because you couch it in nerd shit doesn’t mean you’re not trying to spy on me, fuckstick,” Bakugou said. “Stop poking your nose into my relationship like the town fucking gossip.”

Midoriya flushed a little, looking slightly chastened when you turned back to him in question. He gave you an embarrassed little smile. “I did want to meet you for reasons other than your model. Kacchan’s been my friend since I was little, and I wondered what kind of person could interest him so much he wanted my perspective on your work--”

“Shut the fuck up,” Bakugou demanded, but he wasn’t fast enough.

You perked up in interest. “He asked you what?”

Bakugou bristled like a cat being dangled over a bath, but Midoriya was paying him no mind. “Right after the last Hero Awards, he’d done all this research and he asked me about whether your model results lined up with some of the personal analysis that I was doing--”

“Deku,” Bakugou’s fingers tightened on your arm, growing alarmingly warm. “If you don’t shut the fuck up right now I’m going to punch all of your teeth straight down your throat and into your stomach.”

“Kacchan,” Midoriya protested, but he was interrupted by a call on the overhead for everyone to start taking their places in the theater interior for the awards to begin.

Bakugou used the distraction to pry you away from Midoriya. In the blink of an eye, he’d gotten you across the theater and was corralling you towards the Miruko agency tables, looking like he’d sucked on a lemon. You stifled a laugh. You’d wondered a couple months ago exactly how and when he’d figured out you were quirkless, and he’d once asked if you thought you were the only one who’d done their research.

If things were anything like you were starting to suspect, your demands that he do better at the Hero Awards had apparently aroused his interest in more ways than one.

You and Bakugou hadn’t exactly settled on formal terms for your relationship yet, and he still more often than not answered any of your interest with the assertion that you were the one with the crush on him. But this was more evidence--beyond the mysterious coffees that showed up at your workstation almost every morning--that your interest was more intensely reciprocated than he was willing to own up to.

By the time you’d settled at a table and been flanked by a grinning Mina and Kaminari, the awards were getting underway. They were thrilling to watch, something you’d had to miss out on last year when you needed to sneak out with a giant hole in the front of your dress. The heroes you’d worked with this year raked in an insane number of awards, and their elation was palpable, so thick you could almost taste it in the air. The pair of men with satyr horns were named the Best Rookie Duo, Miruko was awarded Takedown of the Year, and Kaminari clocked the Fastest Fight Win for a battle last month in which he’d rendered a villain with an aluminum quirk insensate only seconds into the fight.

A very unfortunate match up, you thought.

Mina nabbed an award for Fan Favorite, and in almost no time, it was the moment that you’d been nervously awaiting since nominations had gone out. You’d cheated, doing your own calculations behind everyone’s backs just to get a clearer picture of what his chances were, and you rather liked his odds, but there was always a chance it wouldn’t go how you thought. But this was the moment that Bakugou was up for Most Valuable Hero.

You barely heard any of the words the host was saying as he trotted out the names of the nominees, detailing some of their key accomplishments. He covered Bakugou's latest slew of assists and rescues, stats that made you feel kind of weirdly warm and proud, and then your ears strained for the syllables you’d hoped to hear.

And then:

“The winner is...our explosive number six, Ground Zero!”

It took everything in you not to leap out of your seat in joy, though something like a strangled squeal managed to escape you. Bakugou gave you an evaluating look as he got to his feet, stalking up on stage with his usual intensity.

As soon as he was up there, it struck you that allowing him time for an acceptance speech was maybe not a great idea. Graciousness was not exactly a strength of his.

“Obviously I’m the most valuable,” he growled into the mic. The stage lights glinted off his hair and teeth, making him look slightly more predatory than usual. “I didn’t need you fucks to tell me.”

A choking noise could be heard from Kirishima’s seat a couple tables over, and Mina put her head in her hands.

“What’s important is that I’m number six now and it only took me a month,” Bakugou’s head swiveled in the direction of Midoriya and you suppressed a groan. “Don’t get fucking comfortable. I’m gonna wipe the floor with every one of the top five, and next awards you’ll all be kissing my ass.”

He didn’t seem like he had much more he wanted to say, which was an incredible relief as both the host and nearby security looked about ready to wrestle him offstage.

He leapt neatly down from the stage, and when he made it back to the table, he didn’t take his seat again. Instead, he grabbed your arm, hauling you out of your seat, and then he was pulling you down the aisle and through the door to the reception area.

He pulled you past the snack table and you thought he was steering you towards the stairwell again, but at the last second he took a sudden turn, shoving you through a door into the women’s powder room. You didn’t even have enough time to formulate a question before he had you backed up against the wall, your shoulders hitting the cool stone at the same time his mouth hit yours.

His kiss was hot and demanding as always, and you lost yourself in it easily. He trailed a line of burning kisses down your neck and over your shoulder, making you shudder and shake when he lingered too long over any particular spot.

It was hard to think past the press of his body on yours, but you tried your best to formulate words.

“Katsuki--it’s--we’re in the women’s room,” you panted, embarrassed by the fact that even as you spoke, you were clutching him closer. “This is--what are you--? S-someone’s gonna come in.”

Bakugou broke apart from you just long enough to level a searching glance around the room and--spotting what he’d been looking for--hefting the trashcan in front of the door with a forceful kick to stop it shut.

“There, nerd. Now stop fucking complaining,” he rasped, immediately attaching his mouth back under your jaw. You shuddered.

“What the fuck has gotten into you,” you demanded, seizing a fistful of his blonde hair to pull him back from where he was leaving what felt like a very deep bruise over your collarbone.

He leveled you with a burning, red-eyed stare. “Like you don’t fucking know.”

You looked at him in question. “...I actually don’t.”

He tried to lean in again but you gripped his hair harder. “What? You can’t just keep throwing me up against walls, especially here. What is it with you and shoving me into weird places at the Hero Awards?”

Bakugou growled. “If you don’t shut the fuck up and let me do what I want, I’m gonna burn throught this dress too.”

You froze up, then glared at him accusingly. “I literally write the code that processes your rank. If you ever wanna come within sniffing distance of the top three, you won’t touch a single thread of this dress.”

The hands on you grew hot, but not hot enough to burn. Bakugou slid a calloused hand over the curve of your waist, thumb brushing the underside of your breast.

“God, the fuckin’ attitude on you,” he said, almost reverently.

You felt your face warm under his scrutiny as he leaned closer. “You wanna know what's gotten into me? I wanted to melt that entire fucking thing off you last year. You were so fucking mouthy, such a little brat to me. Wanted to rip your dress off and fuck you right in the stairwell until you forgot you’d ever even heard of numbers.”

You shivered. Bakugou smirked, eyes darkening, leaning back in to bite under your jaw. You realized you’d lost your grip on him and willed your fingers to cooperate again.

“I fucking won that stupid award because I let you boss me around. I've waited an entire year. Now you’re gonna let me do whatever I want with you.”

Your legs went out from beneath you but Bakugou was already there, catching you under your thighs and hauling you up onto the countertop between the sinks. Your back brushed the mirror, glass cold under your shoulder blades.

“Y--you know, if you actually want to be number one, you can’t make speeches like you did,” you babbled nervously as he filled the space between your thighs. “Your public approval rating is part of your ranking, right? It’s weighted right below rescues…”

Bakugou paid you no mind, fingers already searching over your back to find the zipper to your dress. He yanked it down with little ceremony, seizing the front of your bodice to pull it off of you.

“I don’t need to be fucking nice if I’m the one saving the day,” he announced imperiously, leaning down to capture a nipple with his mouth.

Your hips jerked, and he pressed a hand to your thigh, holding you back down against the counter. Dimly, you registered that the words were familiar. “N--not--ah!--not this again.”

Bakugou didn’t deign to respond, instead doing something absolutely mind-bending with his tongue. You swore loudly, catching a fistful of his jacket. “Fuck, Katsuki!”

A hot palm slid up your thigh, gathering up the soft material of your skirt until he could slip a hand underneath. Calloused fingers trailed over your core with obvious intention. You inhaled sharply when he pressed them into you, leaning up to cover your mouth with his again.

Bakugou had you squirming wildly against him in barely a minute, snorting when you tried to get a hand on his zipper.

“Want me that bad, nerd?” he asked, pressing forehead to yours in an oddly tender move.

“If you don’t hurry the fuck up I’m gonna finish things myself,” you threatened, though Bakugou did not look at all as if he believed you.

He helped you get his zipper down, taking himself in hand, but he stopped just as he brushed your entrance, leaning forward to bite another kiss into your mouth.

“Now it’s time for you to make good on your end of the bet,” he growled, a smirk growing over his features. “You’ll tell me I’m the best and I was right all along.”

You stilled underneath him, disbelieving. “Are you--are you fucking serious.”

Bakugou pressed forward, just enough for you to feel the pressure of him on your clit. You fought down a noise like a whimper. Damn him.

“I jumped two ranks,” he said. “You’ll tell me I’m the best if you want me, nerd.”

“I am not gonna beg for you like this,” you announced, though it sounded a little more like a question than you had wanted it to.

Bakugou brushed his thumb over your clit again and little sparks danced over the corner of your vision. “Mmm, you’re gonna scream.”

You felt something like a tension snap inside you. Fuck it. He was so annoying but holy shit if he wasn’t the hottest thing you’d ever encountered. If he needed his ego stroked, well it wasn’t nearly as much as you needed your own stroking.

You grit your teeth. “Ugh, fine--just--you’re the best, and you were right all along. Now will you please--”

You didn’t even get to finish before he was sinking into you, narrow hips fitting flush with your thighs. You swore at the feeling of fullness, and then he was moving, picking up into a frantic pace. He leaned forward, sealing his mouth over yours to swallow all the little noises you were making. It was mere minutes before you were shivering underneath him again, moving your hips to meet his, desperate for more, Katsuki, more.

“Ah fuck--so fucking good for me,” he grunted against your mouth, giving a particularly hard thrust, and that was all it took to unravel you.

You stifled a scream in the thick fabric of his jacket, arching up into him. He cursed and followed after you with a few more short thrusts, crushing you against the counter when he let his weight go slack.

You panted underneath him, catching your breath while your fingers slowly unclenched themselves from the hem of his suit jacket. Bakugou rubbed his face in the hollow of your shoulder, radiating smug satisfaction.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it, nerd?” he rasped, biting down lightly where he’d left the hickey earlier.

You pulled back, looking into his face again. He looked far too pleased with himself, but he was so handsome like this, all messy hair and a kiss darkened mouth. Your irritation with him fizzled out a little.

He flashed you a predatory grin. “You said it yourself--I'm the fucking best.”

You rolled your eyes, though you couldn’t stop your hand from coming up and tangling in his hair. “Shut the fuck up.”

Bakugou, predictably, did not look as if he was going to shut the fuck up at all. So you took matters into your own hands, and leaned in and kissed him again.

#bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha x reader #my hero academia #bnha #katsuki bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugou

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