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vidavalor · 5 months

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I LOVE your meta where you say that there's more of the flood and that's when you think they kissed. We got another part of 1941 so we could get more of another scene but do you really think they will? I want it to be a long time ago so much.

Yes. I mean, obviously I don't know because I'm neither involved with GO nor psychic lol but if you asked me to put money (or, worse, my book collection) on one predictive thing I've said on here, I'd put all of it on the ancient times vavoom. At minimum, I'd say it was a bonkers amount of time ago but I'm pretty sure for a few reasons that there's more of The Flood coming in S3 and that it was then. A kiss isn't even the only thing we could see from that part of the timeline, actually, which S2 suggests with the Job minisode, and is another reason to think we might revisit The Flood... we're missing the first time that Crowley called Aziraphale "angel."

We all know Crowley's been calling Aziraphale "angel" for awhile and we know that Aziraphale knows it doesn't just refer to his occupation/species but most of the instances we've heard it are in our modern era. If you're looking at how long this has all been going on for though, S2 already knocked the floor out from under us a bit by backdating the romantic "angel" to 2500 B.C. during the Job minisode. So, now, look again at what we've seen of The Flood in S1:

The Flood: "Hello, Aziraphale."

Crowley barely ever calls Aziraphale "Aziraphale" in GO. He refers to him by his name in front of angels and demons constantly. That is the one time he doesn't call Aziraphale "angel". Probably because he is absolute rubbish at not making it sound affectionate lol. In theory, "angel" is a perfect coded way to be loving towards Aziraphale when they could be overheard and, sometimes, Crowley can make it sound like he's just referring to Aziraphale in the less familiar, despised term and not his name, like it's supposed to sound like. Sometimes lol. (See: "you sound jealous, angel" in the Job courtyard. It's *almost* there lol.) It's supposed to sound mildly dismissive but that demon is mush for that angel so he struggles not to make it just sound like "sweetheart" everytime he says it because that's how he means it. When they're in riskier situations around angels and demons, Crowley doesn't even go there because he knows he can't pull it off and so he just uses Aziraphale's actual name.

The only other times he refers to Aziraphale by his first name is something like when he learns about The Book of Life in S2 and grumbles to himself while alone "Aziraphale, what have you gotten yourself into?" Other than that, there's basically the bit when he's drunk in S1 and isn't actually sure he's seeing Discorporated!Aziraphale or not and whispers "Aziraphale" and there's the above bit from Mesopotamia in The Flood scene, when he shows up and greets Aziraphale by using his name. That's it. Every other damn time, it's "angel", right?

So when he shows up and greets Aziraphale with "hello, Aziraphale" during The Flood scene, that hints that "angel" is not yet a thing in Mesopotamia, right?

So, if it comes later than that, when did it start and... well... what prompted it? Generally speaking, you might have a nickname for a friend you've known for a long time or you might use terms of endearment in a general way with people but neither of those things are the way that Crowley calls Aziraphale "angel." I call my closest friend a shortened version of her first name and I call you all on here things like "my loves" and "babe (platonic)" and you know that I don't know you personally and that we aren't in a relationship lol. It's not tonally the same thing as calling your partner a term of endearment with a more intimate meaning and that's what "angel" is in Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship. By making it so that "angel" wasn't something Crowley was saying in an "angel (dismissive or attempted dismissive way)" that evolved into "angel (romantic)", they're coming out and saying that "angel (romantic)" is all that's really ever been there, with some attempts at making it sound more dismissive if they could be overheard. If it's all that's ever been there, then it had to start at some point and if it's always been "angel (romantic)", then we could assume that some bit of romance might have prompted it.

So, we're saying you can probably track how long their relationship has had a romantic element to it that they've acknowledged by tracking how long Crowley has been calling Aziraphale "angel" and if you start doing that, well...

It wouldn't make sense for it to be when they both were angels so anything pre-Eden is out (plus, Crowley might not really remember it anyway). While Crowley calls Aziraphale "an angel" on the wall in Eden-- "you're an angel, I don't think you can do the wrong thing"-- it's not the same as the affectionate "angel" he has basically made a substitute for Aziraphale's name in the future. So, it's not in Eden and it's not the next bit that we've seen chronologically, which is what we've seen of The Flood since, as we know, Crowley showed up and said "hello, Aziraphale", indicating that "angel" still isn't a thing by what we've seen of Mesopotamia... but then, the next part we see on the timeline is the Job minisode in S2 and, well...

Job: Four. separate. different. instances. of "angel"...

The first is "you sound jealous, angel" in the courtyard when Aziraphale says that demons can do whatever they want. To date, this is technically the first time we've heard this, chronologically-speaking. Only, it's not the first time Crowley's said it as it's familiar to both of them.

This same scene also results in the birth of "Crowley" in the future. It's why Crowley chose to call himself "Crowley" when he changed his name and what makes "Crowley" the same thing as "angel", just in reverse. What's of note there is that S1 gave us the scene at the crucification of Jesus wherein we see Crowley tell Aziraphale that he changed his name to "Crowley" and we don't really fully understand it in S1. We're happy for him. Seems a healthy thing to change his name when he's been through a lot of things. We're happy to refer to him as "Crowley" from here on out, right, but we don't really know what the meaning of his new name is to him or why it seems to have significance to Aziraphale. They don't tell us that until S2, when they give us the Job minisode and are all 'here is the origin story of what Aziraphale has called Crowley for thousands of years' and what does it do? It makes that scene between them in Golgotha kinda smolder, doesn't it? Because now, that scene you didn't have all the information to understand fully at the time is now something you understand as Crowley telling Aziraphale that he changed his name to something only the two of them will ever really understand. That's some passion at The Passion of the Christ, eh? lol

Following the courtyard instance of "angel" in the Job minisode, there's "are you sure, angel?" when Crowley is lighting everything on fire. This one is playful. This one is a little knowing, like he absolutely knows for sure that Aziraphale gets what he's saying and they're both bemused by it. Aziraphale responds that he's "quite sure" and he isn't disappointed. The "angel" here is coded. It's "sweetheart" in the middle of playacting at being demonic and Crowley knows that Aziraphale gets the joke but also for Aziraphale to get it-- for him to hear Crowley saying it here and in the courtyard prior and for him to get the tone of it... to be that sure, he'd have had to hear it before. The first time Crowley said it in the courtyard, it did not sound like it was new to either of them. This started before Job.

Later, there's "Blasphemy, angel? That doesn't sound like you" after Aziraphale says "oh my God" when they run into God talking to Job. This is the first instance of Crowley using "angel" when they're alone and unlikely to be overheard. It's not even an isolated one because then we have the last scene in the minisode and "I'm not taking you to Hell, angel." The Job story establishes that Crowley's just been calling Aziraphale "angel" in every instance where he can make it work since some time prior to 2500 B.C. and we still haven't seen when that began. We've seen the origin story of "Crowley" but they haven't shown us the first time Crowley called Aziraphale "angel" in that way he does... but they *have* told us via the same minisode in which they also explained the "Crowley" origin story that it first began an absolutely ridiculous amount of time ago lol. They've slapped it right down immediately after what we've seen of Mesopotamia on the timeline. They even make Aziraphale and Crowley establish that timeline for us at the start with Aziraphale saying "haven't seen you since... The Flood?" (with the most 'he knows damn right well when the last time he saw Crowley was' tone ever lol) and Crowley agreeing. This means we're missing more of The Flood, which is also hinted at in the plot of Job, which hinges on the idea that Aziraphale doesn't think that Crowley is murderous, which seems like it needs more than just Crowley being like "wow, this is pretty horrible" in his reaction to God's plan to drown everyone in the scene in The Flood that we've already seen.

So, if it's "hello Aziraphale" in what we've seen of The Flood already but then it's "angel" every other word in the Job minisode that follows it, the origin story for "angel" that we're missing is set between those two stories and if they haven't seen each other in Job since The Flood, then there's a The Flood, Part 2... so, if the first kiss was Mesopotamia and it's also the first "angel"... then we're talking about Aziraphale reacting to that first romantic "angel" in the same part of the story as this whole vavoom-y kiss. Every. single. "angel". in the series. is going to be tied to that kiss if they put them in the same scene. What are we all going to do when the secret language, sleight-of-hand show reveals the vavoom they've been stealthily referencing in every other fucking scene for the entire series? lol

#ineffable husbands #good omens #good omens 2 #crowley #aziraphale #good omens meta #aziracrow #good omens speculation #good omens theory

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ao3commentoftheday · 4 months

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I'm one of those weirdos that likes to write my fics directly in ao3's editor, saving drafts there before publishing (I saw a poll recently where it was implied that doing this is decidedly not the norm, though I still don't get why...).

Anyway, I noticed lately that when I finally do publish one of these drafts, the date of publication doesn't update to the actual date of publication, but remains the date that the draft was started on (sometimes weeks past). Which means that my story gets buried in the feed, unless I go in and "backdate" it to the actual date of publication. But! When I do this, it now shows up as "fohatic published a backdated work" in email notifications :(

Is there a way around this? I feel like this is a new issue, or else I was doing something differently before... But for whatever reason, this is how it is for me these days! (if this is an ao3 bug that I need to report, apologies for taking up your time with it)

I also write fics directly into the AO3 window, and the reason why this isn't the norm is because AO3 doesn't automatically save your draft. You have to hit the button to save it. That means that if you navigate away from the page or if your browser hiccups or if AO3 goes down between when you start writing your fic and when you hit Post, you lose all your words. That's a risk I'm fine with taking, but that's also why folks think we're weird for doing that.

AO3 has always dated fics from the date that you start the work (or the chapter), not from the date that you post it. If you work in your drafts, you'll need to manually change the date in order for it to show at the top of the tag.

I can't say I've ever noticed any wording about "backdated work" before? That might be new? But if you're changing the date to the day that you're posting it then it's not backdated.

Backdating refers to posting something with a date prior to that day's date. For example, I moved some fics over from FF.net a year or two ago and I changed the dates on them to match the original posting date from FF.net - some time around 2007. If I posted a draft today and changed the date to today, then backdating doesn't apply.

I'll open it up here for Support to chime in, but the only thing I can think of is that the AO3 servers are in England and you might be posting with "today's date" in North America but you're doing so during that window when it's already tomorrow over in England. Time zones. What fun things they are.

#asks and answers

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antimony-medusa · 7 months

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MCYT on Ao3 — October '23

The state of MCYT on Ao3, just for fun. Yes I do this every month, I like numbers.

October is the month of Kinktober/Flufftober/Whumptober/Goretober, so potentially the numbers go WILD this time. Let's get into it.

The Cube SMP (8 works)

Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series) (9 works)

iDots SMP (24 works)

30 Day SMP | Free Trial SMP (27 works)

Legacy SMP (28 works)

Cogchamp SMP (29 works)

Epic SMP (31 works)

Art of Survival SMP (32 works)

Dominion SMP (32 works)

Shady Oaks SMP (46 works)

X Life SMP (48 works)

100 Hours Hardcore SMP (54 works)

IvoryCello's Prison Escapes (Web Series) (55 works)

Bear SMP (59 works)

Kaboodle SMP (66 works)

SadSMP (68 works)

Area Unknown SMP (79 works)

Mer SMP (79 works)

Tortillaland SMP (116 works)

House Builder Gang SMP | HBG SMP (133 works)

New Life SMP (141 works)

Slimecicle Cinematic Universe (Web Series) (149 works)

Pirates SMP (150 works)

WitchCraft SMP (169 works)

Rats SMP (210 works)

SMPEarth (278 works)

SMPLive (288 works)

Outsiders SMP (345 works)

Mianite (Web Series) (366 works)

Afterlife SMP (386 works)

MindCrack RPF (499 works)

Evolution SMP (594 works)

Karmaland SMP (799 works)

Fable SMP (862 works)

Lifesteal SMP (1,308 works)

Origins SMP (1,511 works)

The Yogscast (3,197 works)

QSMP | Quackity SMP (4,703 works)

Empires SMP (5,873 works)

3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series (8,325 works)

Hermitcraft SMP (18,084 works)

Dream SMP (82,097 works)

Minecraft (Video Game) (109,017 works)

Video Blogging RPF (267,675 works)

Some notes:

No new tags this month! So, y'know, we'll have to be content with our 43 mcyt tags. Just that.

Fics are still primarily in english, but we have three exceptions with significant spanish fics. Karmaland (711 of 797, from 691 spanish fics last month), Tortillaland (111 of 116, from 108 spanish fics last month), and QSMP (527 of 4,689, from 466 spanish fics last month). QSMP also shows 244 fics in brazilian portugese, from 175 last month, and 26 in french, from 19 last month.

In the small and micro fandoms, the standout was definiately Pirates SMP, which since being canonized last month has increased by 45 fics. Just by sheer volume of growth versus fandom, mention must be made of idots, which went up by 10 fics from a baseline of 16 last month. Given that the most recent post in the tag was in july, that had to have meant something got wrangled into the tag, or else someone was backdating like CRAZY.

In the midsize fandoms, the standout is, as ever, Fable SMP, with an increase of 95 fics. I think we're starting to get into the whumptober type numbers now, because they were the midsize standout last month with an increase of 33 fics, so that's an increase of almost 200%. Evolution SMP also went up by 49 fics, in contrast to last month's 24.

For the larger fandoms, there were spikes in every fandom, but the big spike I was expecting for whumptober did not really materialize in each fandom. Empires saw an increase of 240 in contrast to 154, but that didn't beat the previous month's 244. However, 3rd Life went up by 463, beating the past three months of numbers as the highest month in that stretch was 395 in August, and last month was only 340. Hermitcraft also beat the last three months, as it went up by 714, and the previous months were 453, 569, and 501, respectively. QSMP went up by 861, beating last month's 725, but, interestingly, exactly matching August's 861. DSMP continues to be the fandom no one can beat for pure volume, as it went up by 1,445, which did beat September's 1,171, but did not exceed August's 1,459. Last year the DSMP jump between October and November was over 7k fics, which at the time I attributed to whumptober, but now is looking more like something getting wrangled into the tag. Not everybody is whumping their guys, I guess.

Detailed breakdown of increases under the cut.

The Cube SMP (8 works, 8 last month, 0-fic increase)

Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series) (9 works, 8 last month, 1-fic increase)

iDots SMP (24 works, 14 last month, 10-fic increase)

30 Day SMP | Free Trial SMP (27 works, 27 last month, 0-fic increase)

Legacy SMP (28 works, 28 last month, 0-fic increase)

Cogchamp SMP (29 works, 29 last month, 0-fic increase)

Epic SMP (31 works, 31 last month, 0-fic increase)

Art of Survival SMP (32 works, 32 last month, 0-fic increase)

Dominion SMP (32 works, 32 last month, 0-fic increase)

Shady Oaks SMP (46 works, 45 last month, 1-fic increase)

X Life SMP (48 works, 46 last month, 2-fic increase)

100 Hours Hardcore SMP (54 works, 54 last month, 0-fic increase)

IvoryCello's Prison Escapes (Web Series) (55 works, 53 last month, 2-fic increase)

Bear SMP (59 works, 58 last month, 1-fic increase)

Kaboodle SMP (66 works, 56 last month, 10-fic increase)

SadSMP (68 works, 68 last month, 0-fic increase)

Area Unknown SMP (79 works, 72 last month, 7-fic increase)

Mer SMP (79 works, 74 last month, 5-fic increase)

Tortillaland SMP (116 works, 113 last month, 3-fic increase)

House Builder Gang SMP | HBG SMP (133 works, 134 last month, 1-fic decrease)

New Life SMP (141 works, 127 last month, 14-fic increase)

Slimecicle Cinematic Universe (Web Series) (149 works, 138 last month, 11-fic increase)

Pirates SMP (150 works, 105 last month, 45-fic increase)

WitchCraft SMP (169 works, 164 last month, 5-fic increase)

Rats SMP (210 works, 208 last month, 2-fic increase)

SMPEarth (278 works, 273 last month, 5-fic increase)

SMPLive (288 works, 283 last month, 5-fic increase)

Outsiders SMP (345 works, 314 last month, 31-fic increase)

Mianite (Web Series) (366 works, 363 last month, 3-fic increase)

Afterlife SMP (386 works, 382 last month, 4-fic increase)

MindCrack RPF (499 works, 493 last month, 6-fic increase)

Evolution SMP (594 works, 545 last month, 49-fic increase)

Karmaland SMP (799 works, 777 last month, 22-fic increase)

Fable SMP (862 works, 767 last month, 95-fic increase)

Lifesteal SMP (1,308 works, 1,220 last month, 88-fic increase)

Origins SMP (1,511 works, 1,478 last month, 33-fic increase)

The Yogscast (3,197 works, was not tracking last month)

QSMP | Quackity SMP (4,703 works, 3,842 last month, 861-fic increase)

Empires SMP (5,873 works, 5,633 last month, 240-fic increase)

3rd Life | Last Life SMP Series (8,325 works, 7,862 last month, 463-fic increase)

Hermitcraft SMP (18,084 works, 17,370 last month, 714-fic increase)

Dream SMP (82,097 works, 80,652 last month, 1,445-fic increase)

Minecraft (Video Game) (109,017 works, 108,355 last month, 662-fic increase)

Video Blogging RPF (267,675 works, 262,973 last month, 4,702-fic increase)

#MCYT on Ao3 #Fandom stats #Ao3 #DSMP #mcyt #mcytblr

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phoenixyfriend · 2 years

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Who wants a marginally unhinged AU concept?

So you know how in some fics (and possibly canon IDK) there's the joke that "wherever Skywalker goes, Kenobi isn't far behind"

Shmi Skywalker, age twelve, wakes up with memories of the next thirty-five years, all the way to her death. She decides to take a leaf from Anakin's book, because she knows way more about the Force than she ever planned on, and breaks free!

She then hijacks a ship to Stewjon and, through an unlikely series of events, kidnaps Obi-Wan's parents.

She just wanted to find out if Obi-Wan was alive yet, but. Things. They happened.

Skywalker luck.

I'm going to say that she managed to hit thirty-five years on the dot and so Obi-Wan is an unborn fetus. One of the kidnapees is in fact five months pregnant.

It's fine.

Everything is fine.

(It is not fine.)

Shmi, channeling her son who isn't even going to be born for another sixteen years: EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL.

The Kenobis, looking at this twelve-year-old girl who has a stolen ship and clothing she definitely shoplifted because it's the wrong size: Are… are you sure, hon?

(Kenobis are helpless in the face of the opportunity to adopt a Skywalker. This is fact.)

Is Shmi nearing fifty? Is she twelve? Unclear! She isn't particularly sure herself!

If kidnapped by a manic tween, locate some adoption papers.

I think Shmi is desperate to get to the Jedi because they're the only ones who might have an idea of what's going on, and her ability to influence the future is very limited by being, you know, an orphan who's had to commit crimes to get anything done because she was enslaved until very recently.

Since she sort of… passively absorbed a lot of Anakin's Jedi knowledge, and she's still a kid, I think they might decide to take her in as a padawan by way of A'Sharad logic (you already have training, so your 'starting age' is backdated).

The Kenobis are just like "Cool… we're only half-sure what's going on but we want to keep an eye on the kid and also she's convinced our baby is going to be one of you, do you have any ideas?" And then they end up non-Jedi employees of the temple doing like. Accounting or something. For a few years and then they go "Okay, we definitely trust you to raise our toddler; Shmi, don't forget to visit" and return to Stewjon.

#Shmi Skywalker #Obi Wan Kenobi #time travel #phoenix talks #star wars

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freyjawriter24 · 10 months

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AO3 is down, so I'll have to post this there later and backdate it, but...

Today's 10th July, which means there's only 18 days left until Season 2 of Good Omens!

To commemorate this momentus point in the @gomenseveryday countdown, please enjoy the little fic below the cut...

August 2008: 11 years until Armageddon

Aziraphale was trying desperately not to think about it too much. He was failing, of course. But really, how could he be expected to just forget? This was, quite literally, the end of the world. And even if it was still eleven years away, well, that really wasn't long at all, if you thought about it. Which, despite his best efforts, Aziraphale certainly was.

He'd tried putting on some music to distract himself, but that had failed dismally, too. What a Wonderful World, Louis sang, and the angel couldn't help but picture it as a mourning song, covering everything Aziraphale would be heartbroken to lose when the war destroyed it all.

He'd quickly changed the record, but for some reason the next, usually upbeat track suddenly sounded sinister.

Everyday it's a-gettin' closer,

Goin' faster than a roller coaster...

Oh dear. Eleven years really wasn't much at all, was it? He wished Crowley were here. Why had he only agreed to meet with him the following morning? That was hours away. And in the meantime, he had to sit with memories of destruction and the echo of Buddy's words circling around in his head.

Everyday it's a-gettin' closer...

August 2009: 10 years until the Apocalypse

A decade left, now. Only a decade. Crowley had slept through more than one of those by accident, and now it was all the time they had remaining until either the Earth was annihilated or they, impossibly, miraculously, succeeded. Ten years.

You wouldn't think it, looking at him. Warlock Dowling, the Antichrist. It didn't feel real, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he slept. He was still so small. One year old, and so much potential held within him. He looked like any other human child.

Still, ten years. Just a drop in the ocean in Crowley's lifetime, but for a human – a human child in particular – that was aeons. They had time. Time to guide him, time to encourage him, time to carefully balance the good and bad impulses in him so that Hell would fail and Heaven would be denied their war. They could do this. They still had time.

August 2010: 9 years until the End of the World

"It's admirable, really," Michael mused, only half sincere.

"Naïve, is what it is," Gabriel grumbled. "And now we're getting yearly check-ins, as if anything at all is going to change."

Michael nodded sympathetically, and shuffled some paperwork on her desk. She wouldn't have minded Aziraphale's visits really – it often made for an entertaining change of pace, watching him attempt to make his busywork sound important – except that they always seemed to leave Gabriel in a bad mood.

"Well, at least you've got less than a decade left of that to go."

"Yes!" Gabriel said, brightening. "Only nine years left, and then war. What a delightful thought."

Michael smiled. "Glorious indeed."

August 2011: 8 years until the End Times

"I don't get it," Beelzebub muttered.

"He always did like going above and beyond," Dagon reasoned.

"Yeah, but yearly check-ins? It's just pointless. We know the child is going to be evil, he's the Antichrist, for Satan's sake. We don't need constant updates just to state the obvious. Certainly not every year."

Dagon shrugged. "I think he just likes showing off. Fair enough, really. He's been doing some outstanding work up there. It's only demonic that he come and gloat." The Lord of the Files rifled through a damp-looking cabinet, and pulled out a mouldy-looking folder. "Have you seen what he did with the global economy the other year? I'm thinking of sending him another commendation for that."

Beelzebub hadn't, but didn't want to let on in case Dagon launched into an explanation. "Why doesn't he come and give us presentations on that, then, rather than some snivelling child?"

Dagon raised an eyebrow. "Because you'd hate that too, and understand it even less. He's not stupid. Don't you remember the M25?"

Beelzebub groaned. "Okay, yeah, fair enough." There was silence for a moment, broken only by the steady drip of yet another broken pipe. Then: "Do you trust him, though?"

Dagon snorted. "No. Of course not."

"Good. Just checking."

"Like I said, he's doing it for his own benefit, not ours. Self-obsessed little prick, prancing his pet project in front of us every year. But at least it's only for another handful."

"Mmm. Suppose so."

Beelzebub looked gloomily into a corner, lost in thought.

Dagon sighed and slammed the filing cabinet shut. "Want to go torture someone for a bit?"

"Fuck yes. I thought you'd never ask."

August 2012: 7 years until the Destruction of Earth.

Everyone was so happy this year. London was buzzing with the energy of it all, the weather seemed determined to echo the mood, and Warlock was picking up on the collective indulgence in the simple joy of living.

You wouldn't think there was only seven years left of all this.

They took him to the Olympic Stadium, and the O2, and the Velodrome, even though he was probably still too young to understand all the rules and nuances of the sports they were watching. He loved clapping and cheering, though, and would do so regardless of who won, calling out with pride when Kenya got gold, when France did, when China did.

Thaddeus was getting more and more red in the face with each passing win for another country, but Nanny Ashtoreth's sharp gaze stopped him from doing anything about it. She'd had the forethought to warn him in advance that there would be no stifling of Warlock's joy this summer, as he was far too young to be trying to understand the nuances of the geopolitical landscape his father occupied.

Harriet sat fairly quietly the whole time, trying not to look bored, and clapping politely whenever either the USA or UK did well.

When it came to his birthday towards the end of the month, Warlock's parents got him a bike. A simple gesture, but one surprisingly aware of their son's interests.

Nanny carefully fitted a pair of stabilisers to it, and Brother Francis gifted Warlock a set of knee pads and elbow pads, alongside a helmet printed with an illustration of grass and ladybirds.

Warlock learned quickly, and took great joy in shouting out garbled imitations of Olympic commentary as he cycled around the garden.

"And Warlock Dowling cwruches his enemies under his heel, shooting stwaight into first place and winning five hundred gold medals for Team GB. And, uh, America."

Nanny watched with pride, and ignored the flutter of nerves that whispered that she might be doing a better job at influencing the child than her counterpart, and all that would mean.

August 2013: 6 years until the start of the Second Angelic War

Brother Francis tried not to think too hard about it all while he neatened up the flowerbeds for the garden party that afternoon. Warlock was turning five, and miraculously the weather had speckled the garden with enough rain overnight to keep everything looking green and vibrant without threatening any ruination to the outdoor celebration that was to come.

Five years old. Six years left.

He tried not to think about flaming swords and burning wings. Tried not to consider what might become of this garden in a few short years if they failed. Tried not to imagine what would happen to the Antichrist himself if he accepted all his inborn power.

"Brovver Francis!" came a high-pitched call, and the gardener turned to see Warlock – still tiny, really, barely more than a toddler – running across the grass towards him, Nanny following protectively just behind.

"Hello young Master Warlock. And happiest of birthdays to you! How old are you now?"

"Four," Warlock said, a little uncertainly.

"Ah, you were four, weren't you my little Prince of Darkness," Nanny said, crouching down. "But today is your birthday, and that means you get to add one year to your age! So how old are you now?"

"Five!" Warlock said brightly.

"Yes, you clever little cherub!" Brother Francis beamed.

Cherub? Nanny mouthed over Warlock's head.

Francis raised his eyebrows and shrugged slightly. Ashtoreth rolled her eyes.

"Almost halfway to conquering the world, aren't you, my little charcoal dove?"

The gardener gave Nanny a look then, too, but she just smiled, a touch wickedly.

"Come on then, Warlock, let's let Brother Francis finish his work so everything's ready for your party."

"Okay Nanny! Bye Brovver Francis!"

"Goodbye, Warlock!"

Only six years left.

August 2014: 5 years until the End of Humanity

Warlock was turning six this year. He was very excited.

Six was bigger than five, and four, and three, and two, and one. It was much bigger than zero. Not quite as big as seven, true, but six was a very good number. It did lots of clever things with factors and division, which Warlock liked, and it had a special sort of meaning when three of them were next to each other, which Nanny liked. And three was half of six, too, so even better. Warlock liked maths a lot.

Six was also over halfway to eleven, which Nanny said was going to be important. That was when he'd come into his powers and rule the world. Mummy said it was when he'd go to big school, too, so maybe that was what Nanny meant. But either way, he was over halfway there now. Six was a very good number.

August 2015: 4 years until the Events of Revelations Come to Pass

Warlock had been looking forward to his birthday, as usual, until he'd learnt from his father that seven-year-olds don't have nannies, they have tutors, and that meant Ashtoreth would be leaving him soon. The child was heartbroken, and even Nanny couldn't console him for several days.

He seemed to cheer up a bit, though, when he met the first of his two new tutors – Mr Harrison, it appeared to Thaddeus and Harriet, was exactly the sort of no-nonsense teacher that little Warlock needed to get over his childish attachment to his Nanny. Warlock looked up at his new tutor in awe, and chose not to suggest otherwise to his parents.

The changeover day was to be his birthday, when neither Nanny nor tutors would be required, and it thus marked a turning point in young Warlock's life. But he knew he would be safe. Growing up wasn't all that scary when you had trusted people there to protect you. And, as it turned out, Mr Cortese looked rather familiar too. Maybe the future was going to be okay after all.

August 2016: 3 years until the End of Days

"Maths! Why did it have to be maths?"

"I don't know. I can't imagine where he gets it from."

"Makes no sense at all."

Warlock was thriving in his lessons, but that was the one thing Mr Harrison really couldn't get over. Maths.

"I mean, if it had been anything else..."

"Well, perhaps it's our fault. We really should have learnt enough by now to keep up with him on it."

"Yes, but..." Mr Harrison spluttered for a moment, unable to articulate his thoughts. "It's maths."

"Point taken."

The only maths Mr Harrison was capable of doing at the moment was subtraction. Specifically, counting down from eleven. And he was getting shockingly close to zero now...

August 2017: 2 years until the Day of Reckoning

Mr Cortese was getting rather into this teaching lark. He hadn't done much of it for centuries, but the knack hadn't left him, and he was rather enjoying things. Pity about the maths, but he was less distraught about that than his counterpart.

He just had to remember that this wasn't forever. It was a temporary measure, designed to prevent the end of the human race and all life on earth.

He didn't like reminding himself of that. But needs must. He shouldn't lose sight of the goal.

Not that Buddy was letting him forget any time soon.

August 2018: 1 year until Judgement Day

The tutors both got Warlock's birthday off, and so Crowley and Aziraphale were holed up in the bookshop, celebrating dismally the one-year-left anniversary.

"It will be fine, won't it?"

"We've done all we can."

"Not quite yet. Still a year left."

"Yes. A year."

They sat in silence for a long while. Well, the outside world was silent – Aziraphale could still hear the echoes of an earworm he'd had for the last decade, insistent and unrelenting. He began to tap his foot absentmindedly.

"What's that you've got there, angel?" Crowley asked after a few moments.

"Hmm?"

"What's in your head? You're tapping."

"Oh. Yes." He sighed. "Buddy Holly."

"...Buddy Holly?"

The angel sighed again, then got up and put the offending record on. The upbeat music filled the bookshop, and the demon winced.

"Ah. Buddy Holly."

Everyday it's a-gettin' closer...

August 2019: Adam Young's 11th Birthday

Adam opened his eyes. Yes. Today was the day. Eleven years old. He he grinned up at the ceiling, then scrambled out of bed, still grinning, and headed downstairs.

Today was going to be a brilliant day.

#my writing #fanfiction #good omens #GOmensEveryday #everyday it's a-getting closer #aziraphale #crowley #warlock dowling #archangel michael #the archangel fucking gabriel #beelzebub #dagon #adam young

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lorwolfofficial · 5 months

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We're back! Apologies for the radio silence over the past few months, we're pleased to say that JimJim's arm has been healing well and is almost entirely recovered. Our team has been hard at work building, testing, and creating art assets for the achievement system - and we're pleased to announce that it will be launching today as soon as the scheduled maintenance has concluded!

We've also taken this time to go back and address some of the bugs and issues that have been reported. Recent code changes have been recorded in the latest Patch Notes 1.1.6.

It's finally ready; achievements have just landed in the world of Loria! Players can track their progress as they complete goals and unlock achievement-exclusive rewards through everyday, regular gameplay. Navigate to the Achievements page from the Den menu:

Achievements have been divided into four subcategories - General, Gameplay, Professions, and Den. If you have an achievement reward available to claim, it will display as a small red dot next to the tab name.

General: For completion of general gameplay tasks such as achievements completed, weekly activities completed, etc.

Starter: A category to help onboard new players to the game. Apparel items awarded in this category are not soulbound, and can also be purchased from Marvin's Mole Market.

Gameplay: Includes Arena, Campaign, Gauntlet, and Pageant tasks and awards several different exclusive apparel sets and recipes.

Professions: Covers every profession and awards weekly event vouchers.

Den: A category for miscellaneous tasks such as inventory management, wolf breeding, etc.

Completing an achievement may grant any of the following: Achievement points, Moonstones, Pebbles, Forum titles, Companions, apparel items, food, materials, and more. (As a side note, this update has almost doubled the total number of official game apparel!) Once an achievement has been claimed, it will be sent to the player via Notifications.

Achievement points and titles will display below a player's profile within the Forums. Titles can be set from the Account Settings page.

Some final notes:

Due to this being the very first iteration of Achievements, the majority of player progress made prior to this update can not be backdated. Achievements such as profession and companion level will be updated automatically by the system. Moving forward, players should expect some adjustments as we continuously work to ensure a fair and rewarding experience. We've set the rewards and requirements according to the predicted data of an average player who logs in over the course of a year, but this may change as more players engage with the feature and provide feedback. Some achievements will be met relatively quickly, while others are to be earned over paced regular gameplay. We plan to add even more achievements and rewards as the site and its features grow to ensure the average player always has something to work towards. We welcome any and all gameplay suggestions from our community to be posted in the Suggestions Forum.

New Recipe Search and Mining Ore

A new search, sort, and pager feature have been added to both the Crafting and Cooking professions. Now, players can easily search and sort through their ever-expanding list of recipes without having to scroll through the entire page.

It's time to collect all the shinies - precious gemstones can now be mined throughout the caves of Loria! Players can now rarely find Sapphire, Ruby, Amethyst, Citrine, and Emerald gems. As of now, these gems can be used to craft the exclusive Achievement daggers. We plan to release many new crafting recipes and apparel items featuring these rare gems.

New Breed Sneak Peak

Shown above are a couple sketch ideas for Lorwolf's upcoming wolf breed - Direwolves! We're aiming for this breed to be big, bulky, and powerful; with massive fangs and a short bob-tail. It will be similar to lynx cats in appearance and will have a special affinity for nature and ancient magic.

In other news, our annual Black Friday sale returns next week; more info about that will be coming soon! Thank you for sticking with us, especially when development may seem slower than usual. Our small yet passionate development team is committed to bringing the best experience to our players. We are so proud of how far we've come, and we want to thank you for your continued patience.

Moonsblessings, Alaunis, JimJim, and Swell

#lorwolf #development update #virtual pet game

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kyra45 · 21 days

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I got a mutual aid ask, and the blog has existed for months and has a good number of posts not related to their asks, also going back months. However, if I look into their archive, I see that they have a huge number of deleted posts tagged with things like "emergency" "urgent" or " boost" we're talking 400+ posts, but only a few of them are still on their blog. When using google, I can find reblogs of their older mutual aid posts that have since been deleted. Is that a sign that this is a scam blog, or is deleting mutal aid posts (if they don't do well, to avoid cluttering the blog, or for any other reason) a thing real people do too?

Sometimes people delete their old posts and remake them. As long as the dates aren’t backdated to look older then they really are, the account likely is legitimate.

#kyra45 speaks #answer #anonymous

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foundationhq · 2 months

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hello, everyone! :> welcome to march and our first announcement for the month. firstly... for folks who have been eagerly awaiting our second round... our submission box opens today at 12 PM PST. foundationhq is, once again, taking applications for our open skeletons! furthermore, the current members have decided to include two (2) new skeletons to our roster. these skeletons will be released tomorrow, 3/2/2024 at 12 PM PST. the codenames have been declassified as [𝐴𝑈 𝐹𝐴𝐼𝑇] and [𝐼𝑉𝑂𝑅𝑌 𝑇𝑂𝑊𝐸𝑅]. however, unlike our first round, the second submission period will have a hard deadline set for 3/11/2024 at 11:59 PM PST, and will close earlier when we receive 5 apps. there will also be a 10 app cap, meaning we will not take in more than 10 apps for this round. as there are limited roles in this period, and we would like to integrate new players into the fold quicker, we have decided not to review more than our cap. to help folks with their app's direction, the admin sample apps for [𝑂𝐿𝐷 𝑆𝑃𝑂𝑅𝑇] and [𝑆𝑀𝑂𝑂𝑇𝐻 𝑂𝑃𝐸𝑅𝐴𝑇𝑂𝑅] will be slightly adjusted by 3/3/2024. some of our lovely themis team members have even volunteered to share the interviews of their accepted applications for those apping in the second round! please keep an eye out for that post, which will be posted no later than 3/3/2024. if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us in asks or dms. we will be checking the main daily to field questions and assist in the apping process. after second round submissions are closed, foundationhq will not be taking in applications until the conclusion of act one. we strongly recommend all applicants to start early. furthermore, as voted by our themis team, the current chapter, (𝒅𝒊𝒔)𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, will have its story beats extended until 3/11/2024! while not all side stories may be available for starters and threads when the chapter closes, players are welcome to continue any backdated threads at their leisure after the 11th! the chapter's event post has also been updated by this announcement's posting. the interlude, (𝐢𝐧)𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞, has no set time frame and can be completed at any time, though we recommend sooner than later for all current and soon-to-be onboarding members. all in all, we're very excited to see who will join us...! especially as the first mission will be just around the corner. :>

> 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚛 🅟

#new rp #skeleton rp #oc rp #horror rp #lsrp #lsrpg #literate rp #mature rp #dark rp #active rp #fhq.update #[ and we are open for apps ONCE AGAIN!! ]

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thehobbyhypothesis · 1 month

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Day 83 -

Throwing out the idea of backdating posts since I'm starting to realize that a post every day is the least fun part of this project! See: I just skipped two weeks or so of updates despite continuing my hobby every single day. But so here's a summary of everything I've done over the past two weeks or so!

I have become deeply addicted to Stardew Valley. I continue to mostly play my individual file but yesterday got together online with friends to do our little Co-Op game and that was super fun too!! I like coordinating with them about how we'll divide and conquer for the day, and battling monsters in the mines feels 10x easier just by tripling up.

I've given Super Mario Sunshine maybe two or three tries but I am struggling not to get overly frustrated with it :/ controls are hard & I get sad when I die & get sent back. Might try revisiting it another time or two, but I don't think this is gonna be the game for me (at least, not right now)

I've also tried another platformer - this time, on my partner's Steam account on his PC - called Braid, and I LOVE IT. I didn't realize at first, but it's kind of a Mario parody, and it is beautiful, with these lovely painting backgrounds and a truly gorgeous soundtrack. But it's a 2D, side-scrolling, puzzle-based game and I'm really enjoying it. You can control time in it, which makes for interesting (but totally solvable) puzzles, and means that when I die (which I do frequently), it's more fun-frustrating (and sometimes just downright funny) than getting sent back to the start.

MAJOR success found in playing It Takes Two on Switch with a childhood bff (who occasionally reads this despite not using tumblr anymore bc she is loverly). It is. SO MUCH FUN. It's a really well done co-op game, where your characters are working on everything in conjunction with each other and you need the teamwork to make any of it happen. We were on for like two? straight hours and I loved playing with her so muchly. They give like, juuuuuuust the right amount of hints too. And it was super fun to play together, at the end she was like "wow, we're masters of positive game talk" bc it was just a very encouraging & supportive vibe. We love to see it.

My only other update is that this is DEFINITELY a successful hobby addition, 100%, no doubts about it. I played Braid & my two Stardews for I think 6 hours combined yesterday. g4m3r gurl lyfe here I come

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kd-heart · 8 months

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tagged by @yszarin

Rules: Go to your published works on AO3 and list the first fic you ever published there, the last fic you published, any fic that you wrote for a fandom/ship only once, your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works, the fic you wish more people read, the fic you agonized over the most, the fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort, and a work you are proud of—for whatever reason.

First fic published on Ao3: I'm not actually sure. I have a bunch of fics I crossposted from ffn and a few backdated ones I only recently decided to share. Tho it started on an anime forum in 2007, I'm pretty sure I finished Cinnamon and Mistletoe on AO3 after xposting from ffn. It's a Inuyasha x Yuyu Hakusho xover, Kagome/Kurama fluff about them being childhood friends separated by the stuff going on in their respective parents' lives, and now reuniting because their mothers are having a class reunion and everyone's bringing their kids along.

Last fic published: Splash of Red, a Kingmaker Histories drabble character study of one of the secondary characters.

Fandom/ship I only wrote once: There's currently 25 fandoms I've only written one fic for and I'm not going to count the ships. But one I'm particularly fond of is Picking up the pieces - post-canon fic for season 1 of Mirror Mirror, about Jo's mum having to deal with Nick being stuck in the present in the mundane ways that magic time traveling mirrors do not care about. (It's very short and doesn't go into much detail)

Favorite fic in most popular fandom/ship: The one with the disembodied penis - Supernatural crack fic crossed with 19th century Romanian literature. Team Free Will finds a semi-sentient, disembodied dick in a cursebox in the Men of Letter's bunker. Gabriel is somehow responsible for its existence. My most prolific fandom:

Fic I wish more people read: Stolen - pre-canon The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic about Arnaud, the vampire hunter, and his history with the vampire he's hunting. I think it mostly works without knowing the canon.

Fic I agonized over: Tales of Atlantis aka the SGA fic that never ends. We're two stories from the end of the series. I started writing this with a friend in 2010. A lot has happened in 13 years, but we will eventually finish that beast. It started as a forum RP and it grew out of control.

Fic that popped out fully-formed: Frozen - RQG fic I wrote on my way home from work after ep 174. Zoscar hurt/comfort, bc I really needed Wilde to be fine

Fic I'm proud of: In your hands, my first Kane and Feels fic, about Kane binding himself to Hana so he could safely fight off an entity that attacked his partner's subconscious.

Tagging @theothersarshi, @thriceandonce, @flammenkobold, @kristsune with no pressure and anyone who feels like doing it.

#fandom meme #kd writes

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eartheats · 9 months

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[id: a photo of ren with very messy hair and a new uva uniform, waving to the camera. they say "hiya guys! how have you been? it's been a bit since we last" before realizing their messy hair is covering their eyes, and stepping off camera to straighten up with a "o-one moment, i gotta straighten up a bit...!]

ah!! okay! much better! um, hiya again, rotomblr! it's been a lil bit!!

so um. i bet you're all kinda wondering what i'm doing here? especially in mesagoza. i wondered that myself a few months ago, kinda, but...uh...

...i wound up signin' up for an outreach program at uva because i wanted to try and do a lil better for myself! it's um. everything back home is good, actually, but...i finally decided to look into uva now that it's changed hands, and i got to talk with the director a bit when i signed up? and talked about my time at uva before, and he seemed real sad? i don't know, but...it was nice to have someone to listen, and i decided to go for it! i wanna make more money to support myself and lulu, and bouton and bluebell...

what else what else...oh! lulu's officially certified as an emotional support pokemon!! which is really good because i have. really needed lulu around because mesagoza gives me massive anxiety spikes still. bouton's still bein' bouton, but everyone at uva loves him so far when he comes into class--though i don't think mr. hassel's very happy with how interested he is in swipin' paint brushes and stuff. and bluebell evolved!! ...and she's doing both better and worse, i had an everstone on her but it came off at the worst time and we've. been trying to all adjust to that!! it's a lot, but she's doing so much better than i thought!

and um! yeah! i think that sums everything up?? so i'm sorry for not bein' around too too much, and for all the radio silence!!! i've only really been textin' a few friends between my shifts at home, my shifts here in mesagoza's pokemart, and school, and it's all been so much! but!! i'm getting prepared for a special trip we're taking in the next month, actually, and i hope i'll be able to take you all along for the ride! it's a place called kitakami, if anyone knows about it!! i've heard it's an amazin' place, so here's hoping i can get lots of pictures for you all!

but i'm back!! sorta!! gonna be a lil slow but hopefully that's okay~

((ooc info below the cut!!))

ohhhhh lord hi, sable here! aka the player behind this blog. been a hot minute! and i'm sorry for that.

but hopefully i'll be able to get back into a decent swing! ...ren's original file corrupted so i am speedrunning getting another orthworm for the file and hoping to get lots of pics. it'll be very slow going and i'm going to get on some old stuff and essentially backdate it too. apologies everyone!

also as far as the other blogs...maria's will come back at some point, as will noriko's, but noriko's will be in the much further future. i have plans but i wanna simmer 'em more, and maria...i might be doing some shenanigans. stay tuned. but thanks to everyone still here, and hope you're all well <3

#ren talks #pokeblogging #pokemon irl #pkmn irl #long post

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sirthisisa-wendys · 2 years

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His Partner (Part 1): Keizo Arashi x Fem!Reader

synopsis: no one dares touch Redcliff's girl. he's the only one who has permission.

wc: 926

tw: angst

masterlist

You hear him before you see him.

Big, clomping footsteps paired with long strides - you'd know the sound of his arrival anywhere. Especially here, in the brothel.

There's a pause at your door, and you look up from the mountain of paperwork to watch the door creak, maybe. To watch him stride in and take claim to his domain once more. But all you're met with is a timid knock. Odd.

"Come in," you mutter just loud enough for him to hear outside of the door, then return your eyes to the papers, pen poised to initial on the documents. The door opens slowly, and you catch his scent - which always preceded him - before you see his shoes step through the door. You try not lose yourself in the smell of expensive cologne, focusing on the blurring words in front of you with extreme concentration. "Wonderful of you to stop by, Redcliff."

"I got your message." You drop the pen in exasperation and look up at him, noting the out-of-place look he's giving you. Why the hesitation now? Wasn't this where he showed his strength, his dominion?

"I need you to sign the lease renewal and the checks for the previous month's utilities." Keizo nods, standing in front of your desk with his hands stuffed in his bomber jacket pockets. "Is it cold in here?" You wonder, standing up from your seat and moving to the thermostat.

"No," he answers quickly, walking closer to the desk. "It's fine."

"Good," you quip, turning the heat down. "The girls complain about the temperature all the time." You take another look at the man, his ice blue eyes looking at you intently. "What?"

His lips quirk at your snapped remark. "The papers?" Your feet carry you back to your desk and you quickly push the items over to him, sliding the cheap pen across the space before turning to your computer.

"Backdate the checks." He bends over to take the pen in his massive hands. You clench your mouse a little tighter.

"You're upset."

"No," you answer. "Not at all."

"You're being short with me."

"I just need you to keep your end of the business running."

"Well," Keizo sighs. "I'm here now."

"Three months too late," you grunt, typing away at an email before sending it off. Keizo's since stopped signing.

"It's been that long?" You turn your head toward him, a scowl marring your features. Keizo looks at you with empty eyes, and your skin bristles.

"Do you not know how long you spend away from this place?" you inquire nastily. "Three months and we've been festering without your presence."

"I thought you had control--"

"To a point," you gripe, gripping the armrests of the seat as you sit back in the office chair. "I can't fight off the men who come and harass the girls every single time." Keizo's face screws up in confusion. "Of course, you didn't know. You only show up when it suits you to fuck and leave."

"I'm here now," he repeats, but this time it sounds hollow, almost like he doesn't believe it himself.

"Just finish signing so you can disappear like always and leave me to do the dirty work."

"I'll send more guys to guard the place," Keizo murmurs, dropping the pen back down on the desk. "I'm sure that'll help with some of the issues."

"And can you be on time with the rent?" you add, defeated.

"You need to start paying those bills online," he retorts, straightening up.

"I'm not going to do that. You know people can hack into--"

"It's the business bank account--"

"You can't seriously think that shit is sec--"

"And a check in the mail is? Come on, y/n--"

"Everything okay in here?" you both hear, watching a blonde head peek past the doorframe.

"We're fine," you both say at the same time, suddenly realizing how loud you'd gotten. The door shuts once more and you sigh, slumping in the chair.

"What's this really about?" Keizo whispers, leaning a bit closer to the desk. "You haven't been sleeping well. And my absence has never really... bothered you. You keep busy while I'm away, I'm sure. What's different this time?"

"How do you know I'm not sleeping?" you scoff. Keizo points at the half-empty prescription bottle on the nighttable in the corner of the room, near your bed. You look away and shrug.

"Talk to me." Keizo reaches out to turn your chin toward him, and you shiver. He looks so earnest, so concerned... "Whatever you have to say, I can take it." You try to hold back the flood of emotion, but it comes out in a rush.

"Last time you were here, you left me alone. You didn't even say goodbye, you just up and left and--" You almost choke on your words. "I felt so used, so discarded, and you didn't even... I felt like a cheap whore."

"You're not a whore," Keizo murmurs, shaking his head. You swallow hard as he walks around the desk, crouching down to look you in the eye and holding your hands in his. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I thought would be easier - that you preferred it that way - but I see I was wrong." You nod, and he stands up, holding your chin in his palm. "That's my girl. All you needed was for me to show up, huh?" You nod again, and he smirks. "Don't worry, babe. I'll make things right."

#arashi keizo x reader #tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #keizo arashi x reader #keizo arashi #tokyorev smut #keizo arashi smut

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