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introvertllux · 5 months

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Chrono Heart (Future Trunks X Black!OC)

*I DO NOT OWN/CLAIM TO OWN ANYTHING IN RELATION TO DBZ. I ONLY CLAIM THE ORIGINAL STORY IDEA AND BLACK!OC IN THIS STORY!*

Chapter 1: The Relic and the Reawakening

The remnants of Dr. Gero’s lab were a graveyard of twisted metal and shattered dreams, a monument to the hubris of a man who played god with circuits and steel. Hidden beneath this forsaken ruin, a capsule hissed open, and from its depths, a figure emerged—Axa. With skin like polished ebony, eyes that shimmered with the golden light of a thousand captured stars, and hair that cascaded down in an untamed torrent, she was a sight to behold—beauty crafted by ambition, innocence shaped by design.

:readmore:

She stood, hesitantly, in the dim light of her metallic tomb, a stark contrast to the vividness of her form. Her limbs moved with an elegance that was almost haunting, yet her expression held the innocence of a child looking out upon the world for the first time.

Unbidden, Axa's body propelled her through the labyrinth of the city, every calculation in her head leading her to an encounter she did not understand. It was as if an invisible hand guided her to a serene park, where the familiar silhouette of Android 18 stood, lost in the simplicity of feeding ducks at the pond—a moment of peace in a life so often marked by conflict.

Axa’s presence cast a shadow over the tranquility, and 18 turned, her eyes widening in shock and recognition. "Axa? Is it really you?" she gasped, the breadcrumbs slipping from her fingers.

Their reunion was explosive—a symphony of fists and flashes of shared history. As they sparred, 18, amidst parries and takedowns, called out to the essence of the girl she once knew.

"Remember when we sparred with 16 in the orchard, the cherry blossoms falling around us like snow?" she grunted, dodging a swift punch. "Or the time we snuck into the city, 17 dared us to ride the rollercoaster and you laughed until you cried?"

Each word struck Axa deeper than any physical blow could, unlocking the sealed doors of her memory. "And that night, the four of us lay in the grass, making shapes out of stars, dreaming of freedom," 18 continued, her voice laced with nostalgia, even as she blocked a kick. "But then you were gone. Gero said you were defective, but you were just... you were just Axa. You were just a little girl, and I... we, I should have done something."

Tears spilled from Axa's eyes, liquid diamonds trailing down her face, an alien sensation that stopped her cold. Her hands came up to her face, fingers trembling as she touched the moisture with wonder. "What... what is this?" she whispered, her voice breaking.

"It's crying, Axa," 18 replied with a bittersweet chuckle, the fight draining from her. "It happens when you're sad... or happy... or even when you laugh so hard, you can't stop. It means you're alive."

Axa's golden gaze, now dulled by confusion and sorrow, met 18's. "I don't... I don't understand," she said, a lost child wrapped in the shell of a machine.

"I know," 18 said, stepping forward to wrap an arm around her. "I forgot to search for you when I found my own life. But now I’m here, and I'll help you. Let me show you the life I've built. You’ll fit right in. Krillin, my husband, Marron, our daughter—they'll love you."

The promise of a family warmed something inside Axa, a spark of belonging that she didn't know she needed.

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The scene shifted to the familial home, where the spark was met with a torrent of fear and misunderstanding.

The home that once held warmth and laughter was now a battlefield of words and emotions. The cozy living room, with its family photos and children's drawings, became the arena. Krillin's face was flushed with a mix of protective fear and incandescent rage. "18, how in the world could you think this was okay? Bringing her into our home without even a word to me?" His voice shook the very foundations of their sanctuary, a volume reserved for life-and-death battles, not familial disputes.

"You're not getting it, Krillin!" 18 shot back, her own voice a force to be reckoned with. "You think I can't see danger? I know danger. I've been danger. But she—" 18 jabbed a finger towards Axa, "—is just lost. We owe her this!"

Marron, with the blissful ignorance of childhood, had wandered over to Axa, offering a small stuffed dinosaur with a smile. "Do you wanna play with Mr. Dino?" she had asked, her voice a sing-song note in the dissonant symphony of the adults' conflict.

Krillin's eyes darted from Marron to Axa, and with a speed that betrayed his martial prowess, he scooped Marron into his arms. "Marron, sweetie, why don't you go play in your room, okay?" His words were gentle with his daughter, but when his gaze swung back to Axa, they were steel blades. "Stay away from her," he snapped at Axa. "We don't know you, what you're capable of—what if you're programmed to…to…"

His words trailed off, but the accusation hung heavily in the air, an invisible smog choking the room. Axa, who stood like a statue wrought from onyx, felt each word strike her. Her hands, which moments ago had explored the texture of the child's toy, now hung limply at her sides. The shine in her golden eyes dulled, a gloss of pain over the brightness.

"Krillin," 18's voice cracked like a whip, her anger transforming into something fierce and protective. "Listen to yourself! She’s not a threat! How can you judge her like this?"

The silence that followed was suffocating. Axa's soft, disbelieving sobs were the only sound, a heartbreaking melody that seemed to wrap around the room. She blinked rapidly, her human-like innocence clashing with her android perfection as she attempted to process the whirlwind of rejection and anger.

"I… I don't want to be a problem," Axa stammered out, her voice a mere whisper but slicing through the tension. "I didn't mean to cause trouble. I'm sorry."

Krillin, his face softening for a moment at Axa's words, struggled with the turmoil inside him. His duty to protect his family warring with the empathy he had learned from his wife. "18, I…," he started, but the words tangled, a mess of emotion and duty.

"No," 18 interrupted, her eyes glistening with unshed tears of frustration. "No, Krillin. She's not just some android. She's Axa. Remember that. She's not the past; she’s someone who needs us now."

In the quiet that followed, the trio stood, the balance of their world shifted, as they each considered the weight of what it meant to be family, to be human, or something akin to it. Axa, still caught in the eye of the storm, dared to hope for a harbor in this tempest—a place where she could anchor her heart.

The turmoil in the room reached a crescendo, a tidal wave of emotion that crashed over Axa with overwhelming force. As Krillin and Android 18's argument continued, Axa's mind began to fracture under the strain. She clutched at her temples, her golden eyes flickering erratically as memories—long suppressed—surged to the surface.

She was small again, diminutive and human, watching through the bars of a crib as giants in white coats and stern faces argued loudly above her. The cacophony of their voices was terrifying, a discordant symphony that crescendoed into an unbearable din. Words like "potential" and "failure" were thrown back and forth, volleying over her head like some high-stakes game she could not comprehend.

Her breath hitched, a robotic mimicry of a panic attack, and her body began to seize up. Her limbs locked in place, and the glow in her eyes sputtered like a dying star. "System… overload…" she managed to gasp out before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut, her form going limp and unresponsive on the floor.

"18, we need to do something!" Krillin's voice was now tinged with fear for Axa, the protective instinct he felt for all living beings—especially those under his roof—kicking in.

18 knelt beside Axa, her fingers hovering over the android's inert body. Her heart, though not flesh and blood, ached with a mix of fear and protectiveness. "Dammit," she cursed softly, her usual composure fraying at the edges.

Krillin ran a hand through his hair, his eyes darting from his wife to the still figure on the floor. "Maybe… we should take her to see Bulma. She's dealt with… this kind of thing before."

Android 18's eyes narrowed at the suggestion. "Bulma has a good heart, but she's got that scientist's curiosity. She'll want to dissect every part of Axa's programming," she said, her voice a growl of resistance. "And Vegeta…" she trailed off, a scowl creasing her features at the thought of the Saiyan prince's unpredictable nature.

Krillin nodded slowly, understanding his wife's concerns. "We don't have to tell everyone, just Bulma. She'll know what to do," he insisted, his tone imploring. "Vegeta won't lay a finger on her—I'll deal with him if I have to."

The two locked eyes, a silent conversation passing between them. It was a gamble, but Axa needed help that they couldn't give. With a heavy heart, 18 agreed. "Fine. But we're not leaving her side. Not for a second."

Carefully, they gathered Axa's motionless form, her weight a testament to the gravity of their situation. Together, they stepped into the cool evening air, the weight of Axa's fate a heavy shroud upon their shoulders as they made their way to Capsule Corporation, and into the uncertain future that awaited them.

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More on Axa (Pronounced: Axe-e-ah or Ahh-x-ah)

*Apologies for inconsistent art styles. I utilized Art breeder. Unfortunately I don't see many resources to help create black!Ocs in consistent styles and diverse poses out there. If you know of any please let me know! As you continue reading the story imagine her in the DBZ art style. Thank you!*

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Taglist!

@thejadetrios @shytothemaxx @variousfandom @konekomews @physicallyherementallysomewhere @ikittybakugou345 @jasxnoamii @enderempresss16 @elliethewitch @carzychameleon @feitanii @hollownight @dragonloverdrawer @moonlight445sblog @yelan-butterpeatea @ringsofpersonti @weeb-boy261 @jkr820 @somehowexist @scrumptiouss007 @emajohn40 @justicetheghost @thirstyhoebutbetteryehsjsg @rasaberrygray @etherialblackrose @random-insomnia15 @deviousmunchkin @galaxys-stuff @bluehibiscusgarden @kunoichis-world @x-bakudeku-x @spectoralstrudel @i-wanna-fuck-monsters @interobanginyourmom @twdhtgawm @kkeidawrites

#black!reader #black!oc #black reader #trunks x black!reader #dbz #dragon ball super #dragon ball #vegeta dragon ball #trunks briefs #son goku #dbz x black!reader #dbz x reader #dbz cell #android 17 #android 18 #son goten #orginal character #orginal story

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mysticstarlightduck · 25 days

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Seven Deadly Sins

Thanks for the tag, @the-golden-comet (here)!

I'll go with the cast of Supernova Initiative and What Lurks In The Hollow for this one!

Rules: which of your OCs would you assign to which of the seven deadly sins and why?

GREED

Jasper Astrophell (Supernova Initiative)

Jasper's the son of an intergalactic billionaire arms dealer, and is someone who not only was raised with the world on a silver platter but who was very much sheltered from their galaxy's true realities. He loved going to parties, buying the finest flying cars and spaceships, going on dates, etc - standard "rich spoiled playboy" stuff. But he also takes after his father's sense of business and is a brilliant inventor, being also incredibly intelligent when it comes to making brand deals and is pretty much a space opera version of the Wolf of Wall Street whenever he gets involved in the company's dealings.

Savvanah Hahn (What Lurks In The Hollow)

Savvy embodies the sin of "greed" in a non-monetary sense - she's not really interested in money and honestly hates people who waste it. She embodies greed because she is a very intense person who wants to have control over the spheres of her life she can control - because she feels that, if she loses that control, bad things could happen to her and those she loves. She is also very serious when it comes to "her stuff" be it her turf, her & her boyfriend's favorite arcade machine, or her seat at a concert, and is not at all afraid to get into brawls to "keep her territory" in a very troublemaker teen way.

WRATH

Vesper Foxx (Supernova Initiative)

Vesper's life ever since the day she lost everything as a child, was dictated by rage. Rage at the destruction of her homeland by foreigner invaders, rage at having to hopelessly watch her brother be tortured to death, rage at escaping and being too young to have her revenge just yet at the time. She left her younger sister and cousin behind to pursue revenge because no matter how much she tried and tried and tried to move on, that primal anger born of trauma would never leave her. She would never have peace unless her brother's killers suffered the same fate as he had. No matter how many lives she reaped on her wrathful path to achieve it. Full alien girl John Wick.

Liam Steele (What Lurks In The Hollow)

A troubled youth, Liam has a reputation for being an incredibly defiant, almost antisocial, teenager who gets into fights for the most trivial things. He's seen as a bully by kids who do not know him well and as a nuisance by any authority figures around him. But that's not what he really is - he's not a bully, he only gets into fights with people who provoke him or who try to hurt others (a.k.a. he beats up the ACTUAL bullies), and just has a short patience because no one other than Savvy ever tried to understand him, so he never bothered letting down his guard. Since he thought being vulnerable would only get him hurt, he embraced the "tough teen who listens to rock and spends the day at the arcade or skulking around town" facade to be left in peace.

GLUTTONY

Jack Tithus (Supernova Initiative)

Jack dictates his life in the pursuit of having more than what he had when he and his siblings were just street urchins on their crime-ridden birth moon. Even though so much time has passed and he's now a rich and renowned intergalactic thief, the wound of all the shame and toil they went through still haunts him. He wants all the fun, food, clothes, and adventures because deep down, he wants to prove to himself that he's more than what everyone once called a "filthy street rat." He's obsessive about being free to do whatever he wants and his incessant pursuit for more, and more, and MORE, is what drove him to continue the path of a thief in the first place - he's hungry for the opportunities he never had in the past, restless to never stop indulging himself in freedom and always keep having more and more adventures, because he fears that if he does stop, he'll prove his enemies right.

Christine Nespor (What Lurks In The Hollow)

A former wanderer who found solace in the solitude of the small town of Vinethorn Grove, Christine is a creative soul who, stifled by the toxic expectations of her shitty family, left her life behind to indulge her soul in who she really wants to be. She is hungry for adventure, for the freedom to express herself and feed her soul in beautiful sights, to see nature, see unique places, and generally indulge herself in being alive. To her, life is a wonderful buffet, and those who know how to make the most of it, are the happiest! She knows how to find the silver lining in any situation, even if others cannot.

LUST:

Kye Thalax (Supernova Initiative)

I considered putting him in the "Wrath" category, but then I realized that Kye - despite wanting bloody revenge for the death of his father and the pain they suffered in the past - is far too calculated and cold to be considered wrathful. He is bitter, but his emotions rarely get the better of him. Kye is known to take a deceitful and cunning approach to taking down his enemies, sometimes even resorting to seduction to destroy them. He uses those people's vices against them - if someone he wants to kill drinks too much, he poisons their drink; if they gamble, he poisons their cards; if they just want to have sex, he seduces them and poisons them in the safety of their chambers; if the person is obsessed with killing, he poisons the hilt of their weapons so the one who dies is the killer and not the would-be-victims.

Mrs. Draycott (What Lurks In The Hollow)

OKAY SO THE ONLY ANTAGONIST ON THIS LIST LET'S GO lmao.. Mrs. Draycott is a middle-aged woman, somewhere in her very late forties or early fifties, who is considered a very "upstanding citizen" in the small town of Vinethorn Grove. She's an active member of the local community and often uses her reputation to get what she wants. Mrs. Draycott (her name is Adelaide btw) is the embodiment of a Karen and takes a creepy liking to Dylan Millihan after he and his sister Amy move into town. A "lonely" widow drawn to his youthful (23M) looks and who all too soon becomes very stalkerish towards him- often paying them unwanted visits saying she "just wanted to drop by", or stopping by Dylan's jobs, or just generally following them around town, hoping he "becomes smitten with her too". At first, the siblings just tried to politely ignore her, but as she became more insistent and annoying, Dylan eventually snaps at her at a community event and tells her to leave him alone. Feeling spurned, Mrs. Draycott then showed her full aggressive personality and became a true Karen, trying to make the siblings' lives a living hell and turning the already wary townsfolk against them.

PRIDE:

Artemis Zreeth (Supernova Initiative)

Artemis is a very prideful and cocky young man. One of his fatal flaws is that he is often too stubborn to realize he is in the wrong and wants to do things his own way even if they eventually go wrong. A lot of why he clashes with Kye when they have to work together is that Artemis refused to consider Kye genuinely wanted to make amends and redeem their friendship.

Dylan Millihan (What Lurks In The Hollow)

Dylan has a strong personality and generally pushes people away rather than be friendly. He's also someone who isn't very approachable and generally wants to do his own thing, live his life and hates people who try to pry into his personal business. He is very bitter about the fact he had to give up his budding medical career - he was halfway through medical college when their toxic grandmother died leaving behind only MASSIVE GAMBLING DEBTS and regret - and some percentage of that resentment comes from the fact he hates the fact he was never able to fulfill his potential and got stuck as someone who in his point of view was only "half-good" - his self-esteem is kind of shitty, if you can't tell lol, and he hides it behind a layer of a harsh pride.

ENVY

Aleks Keldora (Supernova Initiative)

Not necessarily envy but Aleks suffers from severe social anxiety and thinks he's "never going to be good enough" so he's "better off pretending to be somebody" else like a social chameleon.

Erin Niemand (What Lurks In The Hollow)

Erin's a loner who holds some considerable resentment towards kids who are able to be popular - which she isn't able to do - and deep down also feels "lesser" than the kids who have full families, since her mother abandoned the family - which made Erin develop some serious trust and self-esteem issues.

SLOTH

Meridian Shardd (Supernova Initiative)

Not on purpose - but they can be overwhelmed by being given too many tasks and may panic and not do anything instead, or will be halfway through a task and get distracted by something else and ditch the task to do that something else instead.

Indigo "Indie" Lauriel (What Lurks In The Hollow)

She's a laidback hipster girl who rarely takes things seriously and has some serious procrastinating issues, and can be generally pretty lazy.

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid @thecomfywriter

@thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @amaiguri

@differentnighttale, @leahnardo-da-veggie

@cherrychiplip

#wip supernova initiative #wip what lurks in the hollow #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writerblr #my wips #writing #my characters #writers #character writing #my writing

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freetheshit-outofyou · 5 months

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The Paris Gun

The Krupp arms-making dynasty was founded in Essen upon the fortune amassed by Arndt Krupp, who settled in that city in 1587. His son Anton expanded the family’s endeavors into making firearms during the Thirty Years’ War of 1618-1648, and the family progressively expanded its operations over the ensuing decades. In 1811, Friedrich Krupp (1787-1826) established a steel casting facility, and, although he successfully began casting steel in 1816, he expended considerable funds in the process. His son, Alfried (1812- 1887), continued his father’s work and eventually re-established the family fortune. By its nature steel was very difficult to cast, and internal faults were often impossible to detect through existing testing procedures. Defective cast steel pieces were also much more dangerous to crews than iron cannons, as the softer iron tended to split or burst with less energy than the harder steel, which more often ruptured with deadly violence. The Krupp firm’s success in casting steel was considered one of the major metallurgical achievements of its day.

Beginning in 1844, Alfried Krupp began experimenting in machining guns from solid cast steel blanks and in 1847 produced his first steel cannon. That same year he presented a steel gun to the King of Prussia, Frederick Wilhelm IV (1795-1861)-an act of entrepreneurial generosity that later won an order for 300 field guns. He went on to display a 6-pounder muzzleloading gun at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and began experiments in developing breechloading weapons. In 1856, Krupp introduced a 90mm field gun fitted with a transverse sliding breechblock that fit through a corresponding slot in the rear of the barrel.

Germany subsequently made the transition to rifled breechloaders during the 1860s, a move that gave it a distinct artillery advantage during the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War. Shortly after the war it adopted 78.5mm guns for its horse artillery and 88mm pieces for field use. The logistical difficulties associated with supplying two sizes of ammunition in the field and recent advances in metallurgy and gun design then led to the Model 73/88 system, which used the 88mm caliber for both horse artillery and field use and the later Model 73/91 system, utilizing nickel steel barrels. The Model 73/91 was finally superseded by Germany’s answer to the French 75-the Model 96 or Feldkanone 96 neur Art.

The development of specialized antiaircraft artillery also intensified during the war. The first documented use of antiaircraft artillery occurred as early as the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. At Paris, the Prussian commander von Moltke ordered weapons from Krupp in order to shoot down balloons in which the French were trying to sail over the Prussian lines. Krupp eventually delivered a number of single-shot, caliber 1-inch rifles that were mounted on pedestals bolted to the beds of two-horse wagons; they theoretically could follow the balloons on the ground while maintaining a steady firing rate. The Krupp pieces were relatively ineffective, yet at least one French balloon was apparently downed by their fire.

The rapid proliferation of powered military aircraft at the turn of the century, however, spurred an equally dedicated effort to neutralize the threat of air attacks. During the 1909 Frankfurt International Exhibition, Krupp unveiled three antiaircraft guns in a bid to monopolize the emerging market. These included a caliber 65mm 9-pounder and a 75mm 12-pounder. Krupp claimed that the largest, a pedestal-mounted 105mm gun intended for shipboard use, achieved a maximum ceiling of 37,730 feet. The caliber 65mm gun had an 18,700-foot range, could elevate 75 degrees, and its carriage had unique hinged axles that allowed the wheels to be pivoted to a position perpendicular to their traveling position. With the trail spade acting as its axis, this arrangement enabled the crew to traverse the piece 360 degrees to track enemy aircraft. With a claimed maximum ceiling of 21,326 feet, the caliber 75mm gun was mounted on a truck bed, thus giving it a high degree of mobility. Not to be outdone, Erhardt, Krupp’s closest domestic competitor, also exhibited a 50mm quick-firing antiaircraft gun mounted in an armored car’s turret.

The period also witnessed considerable experimentation in antiaircraft shells and fuses. Krupp introduced a high-explosive shell for its 3-pounder equipped with a “smoke-trail” fuse, an early tracer round that both aided the crews in sighting and was an effective incendiary against the hydrogen-filled airships of the period.

During World War I the Germans continued to experiment in antiaircraft weaponry, beginning in 1914 with the 77mm Ballonen-AK. The Ballonen-AK was then, in turn, followed in 1915 by the 77mm Luftkanone, a basic 77mm field cannon barrel mounted on a rotating scaffolding. The more effective Krupp 88mm FlaK entered service in 1918 and eventually became the inspiration for the famous World War II German “Eighty-Eight.”

Popularly named after Alfred Krupp’s daughter, the 41.3-ton, 420mm “Big Bertha” had a horizontal sliding block and fired a 1,719-pound shell up to 10,253 yards. Big Bertha required five tractors to transport its components, and it had to be assembled on site. In conjunction with a number of Austrian Skoda 305mm howitzers, the L/14 was first used with devastating effect against Liege in August 1914; it saw other action on both the Western and Eastern fronts. Owing to its relatively short range and vulnerability to Allied fire, Big Bertha was obsolete by 1917. Another heavy piece, the 211mm Mörser was adopted in 1916. It weighed 14,727 pounds and fired a 250-pound shell up to 12,139 yards.

Designed by Krupp engineers and adopted in 1918, the Paris Gun used the basic 380mm Max railroad gun barrel fitted with a barrel liner and lengthened 20 feet. The 210mm Paris Gun weighed 1,653,470 pounds and mounted a 2,550-inch barrel with a horizontal sliding block. It fired a 264-pound shell up to 82 miles. Crewed by naval personnel, the Paris Gun was so powerful that it fired its shells into the stratosphere, where the thinner atmosphere exerted less resistance, allowing such long ranges. The stress on the bore, however, wore the barrel significantly, and each succeeding projectile had to have progressively larger driving bands and heavier powder charges to compensate for the increasing windage. Although hugely inefficient in the final analysis, the Paris Gun’s greatest value lay in its use as a propaganda tool rather than an artillery piece. Source

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lancermylove · 9 months

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Chapter 9 (N.SFW)

➣ Pairing: Demon brothers, Royals, Solomon with fem!Reader. ➣ Warning: N.SFW ➣ Word Count: 2,255 ➣ Chapters [SFW]: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] ➣ Chapters [N.SFW]: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

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Despite the vicious onslaught of frigid winter air attacking your body, you stood defiant in the face of the harsh elements. Your nose, lips, and cheeks were numb, but you had to be sure that only Barbatos heard your secret plan. However, the sharp crack of the balcony's glass door forced you to seal your lips and turn your attention to Diavolo, who greeted you with a radiant smile.

"(Y/n), you are not dressed appropriately to be out here. What are the two of you whispering about?" The prince's voice held concern, yet despite his warm tone, he was unable to mask the pain and despair that lingered beneath the surface.

"Nothing," you quickly replied. In a heartbeat, his face steeled. He simply nodded and returned inside, but you noticed his shoulders slumping through the glass doors, a sight that did not go unnoticed by the butler. Had Barbatos not known that you had planned to spend the afternoon with the prince, he would have been upset with you.

"Do not fret, my dear," Barbatos quietly said, returning his gaze to you. "I will see to it that your plan is a success."

"Thank you, Barb-"

Before you could finish thanking him, the door slid open once again. This time, it was Asmo and Levi who stepped out. The younger brother clapped his hands together and flashed an effervescent smile at the butler. "We are ready to help!"

Barbatos appeared puzzled by the remark, but Belphie quickly added, "We will be your sous chefs today."

"We can't have you make dinner for eleven people by yourself," Levi nervously mumbled and turned his attention towards you, inquiring whether he articulated that statement appropriately.

One glance from Barbatos was enough to understand your machinations. A softening flickered in his emerald orbs, but the second you blinked, the gentleness had vanished. You questioned yourself if what you had seen was reality or a product of your vivid imagination.

Abandoning those concerns, you excused yourself and entered the welcoming cabin, seeking a respite from the harsh weather, only to notice Solomon. He stood behind the kitchen island, clad in a vibrant pink apron adorned with delicate lavender lace frills. You questioned his unexpected fashion choice for a moment but assumed Asmo was responsible for the selection. Solomon chuckled as he continued to chop vegetables, unperturbed by your presence.

"Your guess is accurate - Asmo was indeed the one who selected this apron. As you requested, I asked Beel to spend time with Lucifer, and they are currently somewhere in the forest," he paused to take a breath before continuing, "Now, we have the entire afternoon to aid Barbatos in the preparation for the Christmas feast. Also, I will cast a spell on the refrigerator later so Beel cannot get access to these ingredients. I am the best, am I not?"

You playfully rolled your eyes and giggled, "Thank you, Solomon! Yes. You're the best."

You left him to his own device and made your way to the living room. Satan paced by the fireplace, clearly deep in his thoughts, mulling over decisions and actions. There was nothing else left for you to say to him as the decision to reconcile with Lucifer was in his court. Your gaze shifted toward the Christmas tree, where Belphie added the final touches to the indoor decoration. That accounted for everyone except Mammon. You had not seen him since morning and hoped he would not cause any trouble. However, deep down, you realized that was an unreasonable thought. 'Hope he doesn't cause too much chaos.'

You made the necessary preparations for the afternoon outing and went in search of Diavolo with a backpack slung over your shoulder. The prince sat on a bench in the wooden gazebo overlooking the snowcapped mountains in the front yard. Though you knew he was not in a favorable state, you approached him and asked, "Diavolo, are you okay?"

"I am alright, (y/n)," he stated, albeit with a subtle degree of hesitation.

"So, I am going somewhere today. Would you perhaps like to join me?" You questioned with a slight smile. The prince's expression immediately took on a brighter aura as he eagerly hopped to his feet and nodded excitedly with a frenetic vigor.

"(Y/n), what is this place?" Diavolo whispered while he looked around.

"When you went with Solomon and the others to the winter wonderland, you said you didn't get to ice skate due to time constraints," you replied softly. "So, my dear prince, your wish is my command. We will be ice skating today."

The abandoned ice skating ring lay far from the outskirts of the city, a place where the pristine snow fanned undisturbed by humans. The dilapidated nature of the rink, with its crumbling walls, vacant benches, and rust-laden handrails, painted a desolate picture. Yet the white of the frost, in contrast to the deep blue sky, provided a picturesque touch. An eerie feel emanated from this location, but it was a perfect place to spend alone time with Diavolo.

As the prince stared at you in wonder, you set your backpack on a nearby bench and extracted two pairs of ice skates from inside. Based on his expression, you deduced that he likely had not anticipated such a thoughtful surprise from you. Nonetheless, you proceeded, pushing forward with playful gusto and stating, "But I have to warn you. I have never gone ice skating, so we will most likely leave here with some bruises." Diavolo laughed heartily at your remarks, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

As soon as you stood up with the ice skates on your feet, your body went into a precarious state. You teetered to the front with your arms flailing at your side, then teetered to the back until you fell back onto the bench. The prince chuckled and offered his hand to help you to your feet again, but he also joined you in the teeter-tottering affair when he stood up. It took a while, but the two of you managed to focus on your center of gravity to find your balance, but this was only the beginning of your grueling journey.

The lack of coordination and unfamiliarity with the frozen surface had you and Diavolo stumbling and faltering. Your feet slid around erratically, causing you to fall into one another or to the ground. To remedy the situation, you and the prince resorted to holding each other's hands to maintain balance, but that only resulted in both of you landing on your behinds in sync. You knew your rear would surely be bruised tomorrow, but you were not deterred from trying even then.

Once again, you lost your balance and fell with a heavy thump onto your haunches with your limbs splayed outwards. Just next to you, the prince landed with a resounding thud that reverberated through the snow-clad ground. Despite the discomfort and inconvenience of the situation, you both laughed off your misfortune and found lighthearted amusement in the occurrence.

"Ice skating is far more difficult than I anticipated," the prince sighed and shook his head.

"Let's take a break," you suggested, to which he nodded. After a short while of resting, you recall another wish that he shared. "Diav, do you want to make a snowman?" The sparkles in his eyes made you giggle, and with that, you showed him the method as he mimicked your movements.

"(Y/n), but are we not missing the iconic carrot noses?" He asked, staring at the three-tiered balls of snow with stones representing the eyes. On cue, you retrieved two carrots from your backpack and handed one to him.

"I came prepared."

The prince's laughter rang out as he embedded the carrot into the snowman's face, retreating afterward to appreciate his creation. As you attempted to follow suit, the makeshift nose slipped from your hands and fell at the base of the snowman. Kneeling on the snow-encrusted ground, you grasped the carrot, but your thoughts wandered to a sweater you saw during your shopping trip with Levi - a snowman having a carrot as a penis. With a mischievous grin, you inserted the broad end of the carrot into the lowest tier of your snowman.

The prince was puzzled but watched you with curiosity. Shifting your gaze to Diavolo once more, you protruded your tongue and positioned it at the tip of the carrot. The realization of your implication quickly washed over the prince, and he blushed, swiftly averting his gaze. For a brief moment, you noticed his expression change to a more serious one, but you did not devote much thought to it.

"I am just teasing," you giggled and placed the carrot on your snowman's face.

The golden rays of the sun began to slowly subside, casting its final glimmer of the day as the evening beckoned its ominous arrival. The sky began to darken, providing more depth to its surroundings and allowing the stars to gradually illuminate above. As the two of you stood in front of your respective snowmen, the prince broke the silence lingering in the air.

"I am grateful for this opportunity to spend time with you. Thank you, (y/n)." Despite the smile on his lips, his voice lacked its usual vivacity and was laced with a distinct hint of sadness. The prince lowered his gaze to the ground as he continued, his words filled with a touch of vulnerability. "Earlier today, I was rather disturbed. You went on shopping trips with Levi and Asmo, spent time with Satan and Beel, and traveled with Solomon. I witnessed the snowball fight you had with Mammon as well. I...felt neglected. I preassumed you were upset with me and elected to avoid me."

"I was initially upset with you, Diavolo," you whispered, offering him a drawn smile. "You dragged me into your plan despite knowing what would happen if the brothers found out. But then, I saw how much fun they were having, and...well, I was glad I agreed to bring them here."

"I am relieved to hear that. Have you given any thought to how you shall approach this situation?" He asked, his eyes taking in the majestic sunset.

"Yeah, I plan to be upfront with Lucifer. Considering he is already suspicious, it's the best option," you sighed softly.

"If I might add. I shall assume full responsibility. As a show of my gratitude, I will see to it that you do not face the consequences of my decision."

"No way, Diav. I cannot allow you to take responsibility for my decision to go along with your plans," you protested. "We are both equally responsible."

With the final remains of the setting sun vanishing into the encroaching darkness of the evening, you placed your hand into the prince's grasp. In response, he firmly squeezed your hand as your gazes locked. Inch by inch, his face edged closer to yours, but Diavolo paused before your lips could meet. You discerned his reluctance to initiate the intimate event and took matters into your own hands, pressing your lips vehemently against his.

"Your lips are quite icy. Are you perhaps feeling cold?" He whispered, withdrawing slightly from you.

"A little," you whispered.

Noticing a slightly dilapidated wooden house by the edge of the ice skating ring, the prince motioned toward it. "Shall we go into that house for a bit?"

Gaining the indication that the prince was eager to prolong his time with you, you nodded and followed him. Much to your surprise, the door to what appeared to be a locker room was unlocked. The space provided little warmth and comfort, but it was still preferable to remaining outside in the harsh evening chill.

Unexpectedly, the prince's demeanor shifted to a serious tone as he stood in front, towering over you. "(Y/n), the prank you enacted earlier was far from hilarious."

You initially assumed Diavolo was merely jesting, but you did not foresee the direction his statement would take.

---

The future King of Devildom sat on a wooden bench in the center of the room while your arms clung to him. You were situated on his lap with your face buried in the nape of his neck. Your face was a deep shade of scarlet, and your breath was shallow. "Diav, I am s-sorry," you whispered shakily.

"My apologies, princess, but I shall not accept your apology." The prince's low, deep voice reverberated within your ears as his moist breath caressed your skin. As if to further weaken your resolve, Diavolo jerked his hip up, eliciting a moan from you. But your moan held no pleasure. It encompassed desperation. The desire to feel him move within you became excruciatingly palpable.

While you sat on his lap, fully dressed and facing him, you hid a secret under your trench coat. The prince's proud length was buried deep inside you, but he remained motionless. He was punishing you for teasing him earlier by refusing to move or give you the pleasure of a climax. Although he felt remorseful for making you desperate, he wanted to ensure that the stunt you pulled in a public space would never be reiterated.

'A while longer, my dear. Then, I shall end your punishment and grant what you desire. As many times as you request.' He thought but refused to disclose this to you. Until then, he wrapped his muscular arms around you and enveloped you in his warmth while the darkness of the locker room shrouded your moments of intimacy.

———————————————

➣ Obey Me Masterlist: [1][2][3] ➣ Main Masterlist

➣ Buy me a Ko-fi?

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lisa-russell · 5 months

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OKAY, this has been in dah works for ages I only have an half asked vague idea and plotline in my head..not good at future planning lol.

Anyways this is a mind finished prologue to my Splatoon Alternate Universe story.

I have like 2 and half completed chapter still stuck in dah rough draft mode but I wanted yer feedback and stuff on it what do yah all think?

Also dah story has a temporary name.

SPLATOON: ECHOES OF THE DROWNED WORLD

Prologue: In which a world ends and new one begins.

In the dimly lit room, the shadowy outline of a massive machine loomed, its main terminal emitting a faint, blue glow. Dull, flickering lights pulsed across the flat, rectangular surface, centered around a clear, blue orb that throbbed with a pale, blue light.

Suddenly, the room shook as the sound of ancient machinery rumbled to life, breaking centuries of dormancy. The orb's glow intensified, and a single holographic screen flickered to life, its bright blue display slowly filling with numbers and codes.

《/...Initializing Preprogrammed A.I Personality Matrix.\.. ..[W-warning!]...D-ďAtA...Co-cOrRup--T-3d// ...Attempting to Reload O.R.C- @...Fzzt!》

The screen glitched and fizzled, an alarm blaring as the terminal's lights and orb shifted to a dark, bloody red. The sudden change in illumination revealed a white, skeletal hand reaching towards the terminal, the rest of the limb disappearing into the shadows.

Above the now deep, angry red holographic screen, walls of white code and text flickered chaotically, before abruptly cutting out, casting the room in darkness. Seconds later, the main terminal sparked to life, white text blinking onto the screen.

《■...REBOOTING...▪》

《|!|...A.I Matrix/Corrupted/Data/Lost..|!?|》

《...Scanning Database/Rewriting Core Parameters/Selecting Optimal Files...//▪▪▪NEW A.I PERSONALITY MATRIX/CREATED/ACCESSING...<|ECHO|>》

The screen flickered in black and white, an image of a green dolphin appearing briefly before stabilizing to reveal a new icon - a yellow and red Sea Angel with a white spiral behind it.

《DATA ON CURRENT TIME/SINCE EARTHQUAKE\UNKNOWN..》

《PROLONGED USE OF THE POWER STASIS PROTOCOL HAS DAMAGED FILES CONTAINED IN THE MAIN SERVER...PREVIOUS EMERGENCY ORDERS FOR [Automatic Repairs] TO THE CENTRAL GEOTHERMAL GENERATOR \\COMPLETED\\... 93% SUCCESSFUL REBOOT. |MOST LIKELY CAUSE OF DAMAGED MEMORY FILES|》

Blueprint-like maps opened and closed rapidly on the floating, transparent screen as text continued to flow.

《...REROOTING POWER TO A.I CORE/DRONE FACILITY/MARINE B&R LABS --|Warning! Warning!| EXTENSIVE DAMAGES DETECTED THROUGHOUT THE DOME..\\Generating Maintenance Repair List//...DRAINING SUBMERGED LEVELS//BLOCKING OFF IRREPARABLE FLOODED AREAS| SCANNING FOR BIOSIGNATURES▪▪| 》

ECHO's icon faded in and out as the text continued.

《...Scan Completed... 》

《|0 Humans | 30,498 Marine Species | 1400 Unknown Species Detected.》

ECHO's icon brightened, the holographic screen focusing on an image of a large lake with a series of islands and structures, including a white, steel pyramid-shaped building on the largest island.

《...MARINE BIO&RESEARCH LABRATORIES.-LEVEL 3... SENDING IN DRONES/ACCESSING/OBERSERVATION PROGRAMS...》

As ECHO, the newly born AI, approached the Harmonic Genetics Island Facility, it remained unaware of the momentous decision it was about to make - a decision that would change the course of Earth's future.

00000000

12,000 years ago, the world drowned. Swallowed by a nigh unstoppable Flood, only spoken of in ancient holy texts, almost all life on Earth was washed away by the deadly, radiated waters.

But the Flood did not happen instantaneously. The End of the Old World was at first a slow buildup, as the Earth's most populous sapient race - Humanity - spread and slowly sickened the planet with their actions.

For thousands of years, Humans lived and died on Earth in their golden age, inhabiting sprawling Mega Cities built from the valuable metal Duratianium. Their population was said to have reached into the trillions. Technological advances were at an all-time high - new genetic and cybernetic breakthroughs, sustainable pocket dimensions, and teleportation technology were just the tip of the iceberg. Sadly, as all good things tend to do, it all came to an end.

Before the sea levels began to rise, before the wars and the ruining of the world, one Human known simply as The Professor gave dire, alarming reports to world leaders about the first signs of rising waters and Humanity's devastating impact on the planet. Tragically, those warnings went mostly unheeded.

Only a few leaders heeded the Professor's advice and made preparations, consulting their own scientists and engineers. They began building massive underground or underwater Domes - self-sustaining bunker complexes designed to give Humans a chance at surviving the coming Flood. However, the leaders who ignored the Professor soon found their countries losing land and resources as the silent waters encroached.

This conflict and desperation led to the outbreak of a horrifying World War 5, which accelerated the End of Humanity. Unethical experiments and secret projects were carried out, overseen by the Kamabo Corporation, a powerful Mega Corporation responsible for much of Earth's technology.

In the end, it was a single nuclear missile, its guidance AI malfunctioning, that struck Antarctica and melted the ice cap - the final straw that caused the oceans to swell and swallow the land. Trillions of lives and species were extinguished as Humanity's time came to a tragic, watery end.

For 10,000 years, the Earth remained flooded. But slowly, the water levels lowered and the radiation fell to manageable levels. And from the watery depths and ruined remains of the Old World, a new form of life rose up - the Mollusk Era had begun.

0000000

The new race collectively known as the Alternarians was full of different species of evolved marine life. This diverse population had escaped certain doom thanks to the Alterna Cradle, a place of legend said to have been the birthplace of the modern-day Alternarians' ancestors and the place that refilled the oceans with regular marine life from the Old World. The location of this mysterious Cradle has been lost to time, with the only proof of its existence being the Calamari Inkantation - a song that has been faithfully passed down through generations, its ancient music resonating deeply with the DNA and souls of the Inklings and Octolings, the most populous of the Alternarians.

These Inklings and Octolings, funnily enough, seemed to take on many human-like aspects, followed by the humanoid Jellies and then varying species of crustaceans and fish. The very first generation of Alternarians inherited a world covered in the ruins of humanity. The state of the Earth after the Flood was essentially a giant graveyard, with crumbling megacities and whatever technology had managed to survive, along with the grim fossilized remains of humanity and Earth's other lifeforms. Large swathes of land had become dry desert, and some species of marine life had somehow survived the long, radiated years of the Flood, evolving into twisted, feral monsters that even the amphibious wild Salmonid Tribes avoided.

During the Flood, a massive earthquake had shifted the land, and large volcanoes had formed, completely changing the landscape of the Old World. What remained of Earth's plant life had also been forced to evolve, though the return of some species was made possible by the recovery of Seed Arcs. Somehow, certain species of birds and insects had also managed to survive, possibly preserved in a Dome, much like the Seed Arcs.

Over the next 2,000 years, the Alternarians slowly settled down, reverse-engineering what human technology they could find. Their culture was greatly influenced by these human artifacts, such as the inkbased and highly competitive sport of Turf War, which had become a central feature in Inkling and Octoling culture, sometimes even a way of life. Music had also become an important part of their culture, with some songs having a strangely empowering effect on Inklings and Octolings.

000000000

The surrounding human ruins and terrain of these Alternarian-built cities and towns is dangerous. The deeper one travels away from the safety and protective presence of any settlement, the greater the risk of being permanently splatted. The land deeper in is filled with roaming ferals - twisted, monstrous creatures evolved from the marine life that survived the Flood - as well as suicidal and voracious Salmonid tribes. As a result, most Alternarians are now armed with ink weapons and electro weapons for self-defense.

In the past year, strange and alarming rumors have been passed down from traveling scrap hunters and other folk, speaking of oddly-colored creatures of flesh and metal. These recently discovered monsters have been dubbed "Inkreapers" and "Inkhimiras," and they are said to originate from the ominous Inkrot Wastes near the border between Inkadia and Octopia.

The once-familiar landscape of the Old World has been irrevocably transformed, both by the cataclysmic Flood and the subsequent evolution and adaptation of its remaining denizens. The Alternarian cities and towns stand as bastions of relative safety and civilization, but beyond their walls lies a dangerous, unpredictable world - one in which the Alternarians must navigate with caution and the ever-present threat of the unknown...

.........

That's it.. soooooo, how was it? Please do leave a comment below or such.

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cuzikan · 6 months

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The Anatomy of the 427 SOHC – Ford’s Answer to the HEMI that was banned from NASCAR and went drag racing.

What is the most feared engine ever to come out of Ford? A very subjective question – but the Boss 302, 427 Tunnel Port, Boss 429 come to mind. All these are candidates, but a lot of people would say that distinction belongs to the 427 SOHC. Mostly referred to as a 427 “Cammer” or “Sock”.

1964 was the year that Richard Petty won the Daytona 500 with the new Dodge 426 Hemi. Ford was running the 427 Hi-Riser that year and won the majority of NASCAR races. The writing was on the wall and the boys at Ford had to come up with an answer to the new Hemi. Within 90 days, Ford took what it learned from the 255ci Dual Overhead Cam Indy motor and applied it to the bulletproof 427ci FE motor. The displacements started at 332ci and grew to 428ci. The baddest of the bad of these were the 427’s and the King of the 427’s is the 427 SOHC!

The shortblock for the “cammer” was basically all 427 hi-riser. Ford wanted to keep the cost down by using as many off-the-shelf parts as it could. The crank was the 427 forged steel version that was cross-drilled at both the mains and rods. This crank with the steel hi-riser connecting rods and special “hemi-head” pistons was the ticket needed to live at 7500 rpms. Increased oil pressure and updated water pump helped to keep all fluids flowing no matter what the conditions were.

The main thing that drew your eyes to this motor was the massive valve covers, which were made from magnesium. One look and you knew that this was no ordinary engine. The heads were cast iron and wide. With a machined combustion chamber putting the compression ratio at 12.0:1. The intake ports were a “tunnel port” design that fed 2.25″ intake valves and through 1.90″ exhaust valves, gases exited out D shaped exhaust ports. Hollow stem intake valves were used and the exhaust valve stem were sodium filled to help control the heat that is generated at 7500 rpms.

The first public mention of the Cammer V8 appeared in the Daytona Beach Morning Journalon Feb. 23, 1964. Beaten up at Daytona all month by the new 426 Hemi engines from the Dodge/Plymouth camp, Ford officials asked NASCAR to approve an overhead-cam V8 the company had in the works. But as the Journal reports here, NASCAR boss Bill France turned thumbs down on Ford’s proposed engine. France regarded overhead cams and such to be European exotica, a poor fit with his down-home vision for Grand National stock car racing.

Even though France barred the SOHC V8 from NASCAR competition, Ford proceeded to develop the engine anyway, hoping to change Big Bill’s mind. In May of 1964, a ’64 Galaxie hardtop with a Cammer V8 installed was parked behind Gasoline Alley at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the assembled press corps could get a good look at it.

On October 19, 1964, NASCAR moved to ban all “special racing engines,” in its words, eliminating both the Cammer Ford and the Chrysler 426 Hemi from Grand National competition for 1965. Chrysler responded by temporarily withdrawing from NASCAR, while Ford continued on with its conventional 427 pushrod engine in NASCAR and took the SOHC engine to the drag strips.

Despite heavy lobbying from Ford, in December of 1965 NASCAR again banned the Cammer for 1966, with USAC piling on (Spartanburg Herald-Journal, December 18, 1965 above). However, in April of 1966 NASCAR finally relented. Sort of. Okay, not really. The Cammer was now allowed, technically, but only in the full-size Galaxie model, limited to one small four-barrel carb, and with an absurd, crippling weight handicap: nearly 4400 lbs, 430 lbs more than the Dodge and Plymouth hemis. At that point Ford said no thanks and dedicated the Cammer to drag racing. The engine never turned a lap in NASCAR competition.

Ford made the Cammer widely available in the drag world, providing engine deals to nitro racers Tom Hoover, Pete Robinson, Connie Kallita, and a host of others. Among the most successful Cammer-equipped drag cars were the 1966-67 Comet flip-top funny cars (Don Nicholson, Eddie Schartman, et. al.) and Mickey Thompson’s dominating ’69 Mustang team starring Danny Ongais and Pat Foster.

#427 cammer #ford #drag race #muscle car

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sebstanaddict · 1 year

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Too Good To Be True

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Summary: A romantic comedy story where Sebastian Stan falls in love with reader but she is not who he thinks she is.

After one of her dreams came true, which was meeting Sebastian Stan, reader thought life would finally get better for her. Unfortunately it didn't and she was forced to take a job all aspiring actresses usually took early in their careers, which was becoming a waitress/barista. One day her idol came to her work place and turned her world upside-down, literally. Will she finally get the luck she so desperately needed in her life or will bad luck continue to haunt her?

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 3/20 (Might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : none

Word count : 6.4k words

This story is inspired loosely by Sebastian's love life so it will have characters from his real life but I will not name their real names. I will only use Sebastian's real name in the story.

---

Chapter 3 - Conga

Go Get 'Em Tiger Cafe, LA, California - 1 month later

—

The milk steamer let out a hissing sound as soft foam started to form in the housemade almond milk inside the stainless steel cup. Being able to make a cup of latte or cappuccino using an expensive coffee machine was something Y/n never thought she could do. She guessed human brains really have a large untapped capacity for learning anything. Still, she moved out of Silicon Valley not expecting to learn to be a barista or a waitress, she wanted to learn acting, which she did, and there was nothing else she would love to learn more than acting. But the fact that she had started to run out of money and that she hadn't scored a role on anything yet, not even a commercial, she had no choice but to do the aspiring actress slash waitress job.

After her very first audition in front of Sebastian ended up with her being injured, she was forced to stay in her apartment for two weeks until her ankle was healed, so she missed out on four auditions she was supposed to do within those two weeks. She ended up doing some auditions over zoom and she also recorded videos of herself and sent them out to agencies and production houses. Of course, those types of auditions couldn't beat an in person audition where the casting directors could see her directly, so she assumed one of the reasons why she hadn't gotten any roles yet was because of that. Or maybe she just wasn't that good. Sometimes that thought crossed her mind. But Eve, her aspiring actress roommate, who had more experience in the acting world than she was, told her that she was good and kept encouraging her to do auditions. Her acting teacher Miss Davidson also told her that she was good and kept encouraging her to continue. She ended up enrolling in a part time acting class at the conservatory to improve her acting skills more while also having the waitress slash barista job on the side.

Despite being side tracked in her efforts to succeed as an actress, she was still somewhat grateful that she could get a job at the Go Get 'Em Tiger cafe. Eve was also working there and she helped her get the job. The cafe was located in Los Feliz and it was supposed to be quite a popular spot for Hollywood celebrities to hang out. However, in the two weeks that she had started working there she had only met one celebrity, Chris Pine, who was alone and spent almost half the day there just reading a book. She had more than hoped that Sebastian would one day come into the cafe but that day had not come yet.

Speaking of Sebastian, after a week of not hearing anything from him, she was convinced that the reason he was so nice to her was because he had hit her head with a frisbee. There was no chance he was interested in her at all and even though she knew it from the beginning, deep down she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She remembered the way he looked at her at the conservatory's infirmary and in his car. She felt like there was something more there. But of course there wasn't. She was just hallucinating. He probably looked at everyone the way he looked at her. She had tried to convince herself.

Despite knowing she didn't have any chance with him she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever meet him again. The results of the audition had been announced about a week before. The role of the main character's sister went to her classmate Lily, while both the roles of the main character's girlfriend and friend didn't go to anyone from the conservatory. It seemed no one was good enough for both roles so Sebastian and the other producers most likely opened auditions to other people. This made it harder for her to meet him again and it had made her sad. Even though she only met him briefly she felt the impact was quite deep. Yes, after meeting him in person she could say that she was more in love with him than ever. How could she not? Especially after how he had treated her. But of course it was not good to dwell on it too long. It was useless. She had zero chance with him so she should focus her mind on other things and she could proudly say that she was successful in that.

She had only been working at the cafe for two weeks but she was a fast learner that the manager had trusted her to graduate from just being a waitress to being a barista. She was quite proud of that until that day that is.

She poured the foamy almond and macadamia milk into a cup where a small amount of espresso was already in. She moved the stainless steel cup containing the milk slowly to form the signature leaf like design on top of the cappuccino. The end result was pretty and she was really happy with it. She placed the cup of cappuccino onto a tray where she had prepared some sachets of sugar and Stevia as well as a teaspoon and rang the bell. Soon Eve came over.

"Table 7, Eve." She said, gesturing her head towards a table by the window where a man was sitting.

"Okay, thanks Y/n. You're getting really good at the foam design." Eve commented and smiled at her after glancing at the cappuccino.

"Oh thanks. I tried my best." She smiled back.

She had just finished cleaning up after making the cappuccino when the one person she had hoped to meet again in the past month walked in. It was Sebastian!

He looked exactly, if not even more good looking than the last time she saw him. He still had long hair pulled back into a ponytail but he had slightly thicker stubble. He wore a navy sweater, which was peculiar to wear in LA at this time of the year, but of course he still looked good wearing it. She couldn't help but continue to stare at him. He looked around for a bit and then walked straight towards her. But just before he could really see her, her embarrassment got the best of her. Somehow she didn't want him to know that she ended up being a barista slash waitress instead of a successful actress. So she quickly ducked and squatted behind the counter, pretending to clean the cupboard in front of her with a rag that was in her hand.

"Excuse me." His voice traveled down into her ears and she could feel warmth crawling from her neck up to her cheek.

She pretended not to notice and hoped another employee could deal with him instead but she was the only barista scheduled to work at that hour and Eve was cleaning up tables on the patio outside while the cafe's manager was busy in the kitchen supervising a new cook. No one else could cover for her.

"Hello. I'd like to order please." Sebastian called out again and she took a deep breath. Okay, alright, you can do this. She encouraged herself and slowly but surely started to stand up.

"Oh hello. What can I get for you, sir?" She smiled nervously, trying to put on a professional face. For all she knew he probably didn't remember her. It had been a month after all since he last saw her.

Sebastian stared at her with his gorgeous blue eyes and soon recognition appeared in them.

"Oh hey, it's Y/n, right?" He asked, smiling wide at her.

"Hi Sebastian." She smiled back, feeling both, elated and embarrassed that he still remembered her.

"How are you? How's your ankle?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

Her heart felt warm at his question. Not only did he remember her, he also remembered her injury. But of course, after what happened, it was normal that he would remember.

"Oh, it's healed. I just sometimes feel weird walking on it. But it's mostly fine. Thanks for asking." She replied and he nodded in response.

"That's good. Happy to hear that." He smiled.

"Yeah. Thanks." She smiled back.

"I didn't know you worked here. Last time I was here, which was about three weeks ago, I didn't see you." He stated.

"Umm.. yeah. I just started about two weeks ago." She replied, blushing again as the embarrassment she felt earlier came back.

"Oh, I see." He nodded.

"I.. uh.. have bills to pay so I didn't have a choice." She blurted out. She didn't know why she said it and she felt really stupid for saying it. Having a high paying job for most of her life, admitting that she needed a job was actually quite embarrassing for her. It seemed her nervousness got the best of her.

"Oh yeah, I get that. Everyone in the business had to do this at some point in their careers. I did too." He winked and she could feel butterflies in her stomach and she was sure her face had reddened again.

"What job did you do at the beginning?" She finally asked after she had recovered from his wink.

"I was a waiter, also a store attendant at some point. But my first job was at a cinema, taking stubs of tickets from moviegoers. Stuff like that." He chuckled.

"Oh, the cinema huh? I bet you had a blast being able to watch movies a lot." She commented.

"Oh yeah I did. That was the only good thing about the job." He said.

They laughed and she couldn't help but notice that he did the nose scrunch. It was something cute that he did sometimes when he laughed and she couldn't believe she could witness it directly.

Just then a family of four entered the cafe. A dad, a mom and their daughter and son. They walked straight towards the counter.

"Anyway, sorry, what can I get you, Sebastian?" She asked, her eyes glancing behind him where the family had stood.

"Oh yeah. Sorry." Sebastian turned his face towards his back for a quick second and saw the family then he turned back to face her.

"I'll just have the iced almond macadamia latte and I'll also have the avocado toast." He said.

"Alright, that would be eighteen dollars and fifty cents, sir." She said after entering his orders into the cafe's system.

"Sir.. I feel so old." He chuckled as he pulled out his wallet.

"Sorry, I didn't mean.." she said but she was cut off.

"It's okay, Y/n..I was joking." He winked and she blushed again.

"Here, keep the change." He said as he gave her ten one hundred dollar bills.

Her jaw dropped as she received the thousand dollars from him. She knew that he was a generous tipper but a thousand dollars was just too much!

"Sebastian.. I.. I can't accept this." She said as she tried to give the money back to him but he put his hands behind him and wouldn't accept the money back.

"Just take it Y/n. I insist. Now let's not make these people wait for too long." He said as he beckoned his head back towards the family that were standing behind him.

"I.. okay. Th.. thank you so much, Sebastian." She stammered as she put the money into the till and typed the amount and tip that he gave into the system, her hand shaking a little.

"Hey, the change is just for you. So.. don't put them into the system." He reminded her.

"Oh.. right. Thanks." She said as she picked most of the money back and put them into her pocket. If her manager was there he would have scolded her or even take the money away from her but he wasn't and she was really grateful for that.

She deleted the actual amount that he had given to her from the system and entered the amount of the order instead. Then she printed out the receipt.

"Here's your receipt and please kindly wait. We will bring your orders to your table once they're ready." She said while giving him the receipt.

"Okay, thanks. I'll be on the patio." He said and she nodded.

He smiled at her one last time and finally turned around and left her. She felt weak in her knees as he left but she shouldn't be like this. There were other customers that needed her attention! She scolded herself.

"Good morning, sir, ma'am. What can I get for you today?" She smiled as the dad and mom of the family approached her.

"Good morning. We'll have two bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches please, then a GGET BLT and a Protein Brekkie." The mom replied.

She quickly put in their orders with her heart pounding hard in her chest. She rarely accepted large orders, Eve usually did the order taking so she was scared she would get them wrong.

"Okay, what drinks would you like to have today, sir, ma'am?" She asked after making sure the food orders had been entered correctly.

"I'll just have an iced latte, please." The dad replied.

"Make that two and two orange juice for our kids. But please make sure not to use nut milk for my husband's latte because he's allergic to nuts." The mom said.

"Yeah, I always forgot to say that. I'm allergic to nuts." The dad said.

"Noted, sir, ma'am." She said as she continued to enter their orders into the system.

"So, that would be seventy one dollars, sir, ma'am." She said as the total of their orders appeared on the cafe's computer screen.

The mom paid and they finally left her to sit outside on the patio, leaving her to finally work on making all of their orders.

She dealt with the orange juice first as they were the easiest to prepare while also waiting for the coffee machine to heat up. Then she prepared the iced lattes next. A regular iced latte and the one Sebastian ordered, the iced almond macadamia latte, basically had the same recipe. The only difference was with the milk that was used. A regular latte used regular cow's milk while the iced almond macadamia one used housemade almond and macadamia milk.

She remembered the dad was allergic to nuts so she made sure not to use the wrong milk for him. After a while all the drinks were done and she rang the bell to call Eve.

"Table 10 and 15, Eve." She said as Eve approached her.

"Y/n.. is that Sebastian Stan on table 15?" Eve asked with her eyes wide as she looked outside towards the patio where Sebastian was sitting.

"Yup." She nodded.

"Oh wow. Did he remember you?" Eve continued to ask.

"Believe it or not he did remember me." She smiled, her eyes glazed a little as she remembered the way recognition entered his eyes when he first saw her earlier.

"That's so cool." Eve exclaimed in awe.

"Well, I guess he would remember me seeing how I embarrassed myself and he basically had to carry me multiple times." She chuckled.

"Yeah, you're so lucky. By the way, do you want to bring his order yourself?" Eve asked.

"Umm.. I still have some cleaning up to do. Maybe it's best that you do it. Don't want to keep him waiting too long." She replied.

"Okay." Eve nodded and she finally left to bring the orders to Sebastian and the family.

She was again just finished cleaning up after making the last order when she heard a female voice scream out.

"Help! Somebody call 911!" The mom from the family screamed.

The mom was standing over her husband who seemed to be choking. She immediately got out of the counter and went over to them. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she watched the dad whose entire mouth had swollen. His face looked pale. It was clear he was having anaphylactic shock and had trouble breathing.

She immediately pulled out her cellphone and called 911. As soon as she was done the cafe's manager and Eve went to stand by her, trying to calm the mom and help the dad in any way they could.

"He's having an allergic reaction! I told you he was allergic to nuts!" The mom shouted at her.

"What?! Did you give this man nuts?" The cafe's manager turned to her, his voice raised.

"No! I.. I made sure I put regular milk in his order and not almond milk." She defended herself.

Her eyes glanced at the latte glasses on the table and then she turned to look at Sebastian's glass on his table, and realized their orders must have been switched. She didn't give anything on the glasses to differentiate between the lattes and Eve didn't know which ones were which. She didn't tell her. In all of her excitement and nervousness of meeting Sebastian again, she had forgotten to tell her. Her heart sank deep into her stomach as she realized that she was in big trouble.

—

"You're fired!" The cafe's manager spat at her about an hour later.

Thankfully the emergency responders came not long after she realized her mistake and they were able to inject the man with adrenaline, helping him in reversing the effects of the allergy thus allowing him to breathe normally again. They still brought the man to the nearest hospital to observe him and made sure a second anaphylactic attack didn't happen.

The man's wife was absolutely furious at her and even threatened to sue them. She calmed down eventually after the cafe's manager refunded her and told her that they would deal with any medical expenses for the man's recovery.

She was standing in the cafe's manager's office, looking down at her feet in fear and shame as the manager continued to scold her and berated her. Eve stood next to her, looking down at her feet as well.

"I.. I'm really sorry Mr.Smith. It was an honest mistake." She stammered.

"Honest mistake?! More like stupid mistake! The man could've died and you could've been charged with murder!" He shouted and she winced at that.

He was right. The man could've died. She was completely horrified at the thought.

"Me firing you is tame compared to what could've happened to you. You know I could've demanded you to pay to cover that man's medical expenses. But I know you don't have the money. So I won't ask you for that. But I won't pay you a dime." He continued to say with venom in his voice.

She could only nod as she listened to him. Her punishment was fitting. She accepted that.

"Now Eve, I'm not going to fire you. You've been with us a long time so I'm letting you go with a warning." Mr.Smith said as he turned to look at Eve.

"Thank you Mr.Smith." Eve nodded and glanced at her for a split second, as if silently saying to her how sorry she was at the turn of events.

"Now go! Both of you!" Mr.Smith said as he waved his hand and dismissed them.

She nodded, turned around and followed Eve out of Mr.Smith's office. Her mind was still reeling after what just happened.

"I'm really sorry, Y/n." Eve said.

"It was my fault, Eve, that's okay." She sighed.

"I'll ask my friends in case they know if another cafe or restaurant is hiring." Eve offered.

"Yeah, thanks Eve. I'll look for a job myself too." She said as they arrived at the small room which housed the employee lockers as well as some benches where the employees could sit and rest.

"I have to go back out. You'll be okay, right?" Eve asked, placing her hand on the side of her left arm.

"Yeah. I'm just going to go back home after I change." She said.

"Okay. See you later, Y/n." Eve reached out and gave her a brief hug then left her alone.

As she changed out of her uniform the severity of the situation dawned in her. She was unemployed, yet again! What was it with this year? She thought in disbelief. She was fired twice that year, something she never thought she would experience. Yes, she realized that for all these years she mostly had experienced bad luck and unfair conditions. But something big like this never happened to her twice in the same year. Why was she such a loser?! She complained internally as she slammed the door of her locker hard, but instead of closing, the door fell down onto her, the hinges were destroyed with rust. She cursed as she struggled to put the door back onto its place but couldn't so she just left it leaning on the locker.

Go home. That was all she could think about as she finally went out of the employee room and slung her bag around her shoulder. Her emotions about the whole situation had started to come to the surface and she felt like she was about to cry. She didn't want to cry in front of the other employees and customers. So she quickly went out of the cafe, forgetting completely about Sebastian who apparently was still there, sitting at the patio.

She wasn't sure what to do as she walked closer towards where his table was. As it happened his table was near the exit of the cafe so she couldn't really avoid him. He was looking down while reading a book so she hoped she could just slip past him. But her hope was squashed as she got closer to him and Sebastian looked up at her.

"Y/n? What happened?" Sebastian asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. She didn't want to stop but she didn't want to be rude either so she stopped.

"I.. I don't know if you saw what happened but.. I got fired." She said slowly.

"Oh no. I did see what happened." He said, staring at her in concern.

"Yeah, I.. I mixed up your order with that man who got an anaphylactic shock. He's allergic to nuts and I gave him your latte." She explained.

"Oh, that explains why I couldn't taste the almond and macadamia in the latte." He commented.

"Yeah.. I.. I'm sorry about that. I can ask the other barista to make the correct latte for you if you want." She offered.

"Oh no, thanks. That won't be necessary. I already finished more than half of it anyway." He said, smiling.

"Okay. Well, I have to go. See you later, Sebastian." She waved a little at him and quickly turned to leave him. She was on the verge of crying and she didn't want him to see it. But Sebastian didn't seem to get it because he quickly stood up and followed her.

"Y/n! Wait!" Sebastian shouted at her but she pretended not to hear him and she decided to run. She crossed the street and headed towards a parking lot where she had parked her car.

"Y/n! Stop!" She could hear Sebastian shouting after her so she immediately ran to her car and ducked behind it, hoping Sebastian didn't see her. She squatted on the ground, her heart beating fast in her chest as she waited to see if Sebastian had seen her. Moments later she could hear the sound of footsteps. A pair of white sneakers showed up in front of her and she knew he had caught up with her.

"Y/n?" He called out gently. She looked up to see him staring at her with confusion on his face.

"Y/n.. why are you hiding from me?" He asked in amusement.

"I.. I'm sorry. I just.. " she sighed. She couldn't tell him that she was about to cry. But seeing him looking down at her with genuine concern on his face broke the dam in her heart that had stopped her from crying ever since the incident happened. Tears started to fall from her eyes and she finally cried. She tried hard to stop because she was embarrassed but she couldn't. Once she started she couldn't stop. She cried hard, grieving over her bad luck in employment that year. Swirls of fear and uncertainty circled around in her chest. She never felt so powerless in her life. She didn't have a job! How was she supposed to live now?! She didn't want to end up homeless. She continued to sob.

Sebastian walked closer to her and knelt in front of her. He opened his arms wide and pulled her into his embrace, startling her. She froze as she ended up sitting on the ground while Sebastian's arms circled around her body tight.

"There.. there.. it's okay Y/n. Everything is gonna be okay." He soothed her while his hand caressed her back gently.

Home. She suddenly felt like she was home in his arms. She stopped crying and took a deep breath. Inhaling deeply the intoxicating smell of his cologne mixed with what she guessed was his signature scent. The warm feeling of his arms around her, the softness of his sweater and especially his comforting signature scent successfully calmed her down. She sniffled and Sebastian slowly let her go.

He raised his hand up to her face and wiped the tears falling down on her cheeks gently with his fingers. Her heart galloped fast in her chest as she felt his warm fingers on her cheeks and she blushed.

"I.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry in front of you." She stammered.

"It's okay Y/n. Don't worry about it." He looked down at her and gave her a warm smile, making butterflies flutter around in her stomach.

For a moment they just looked at each other and she could feel it again, how he looked deep into her soul and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Are you feeling better?" He finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah..thank you Sebastian." She smiled and took a deep breath.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked gently as he let her go completely and sat crossed leg on the ground in front of her.

“I.. Well, I was just grieving over my unemployment. This was the second time I got fired this year and I just worry so much about my future. I.. I don’t want to end up being homeless, you know.” She sighed.

“I see. This was the second time you got fired?” He asked curiously.

“Yeah it was.” She replied. She ended up telling him about her previous job at Silicon Valley, how she waited three months but couldn’t get a job and how she decided to go to LA to pursue an acting career. Of course she omitted the fact that he was the reason why she decided to pursue an acting career. She didn’t want him to know that she was his fan. She didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable because of it.

“Wow, I admire you for wanting to step out of your comfort zone. Not everyone has the balls to do that.” He commented. He seemed genuinely impressed at her story and that made her confidence level raise.

“Thank you, Sebastian. I really appreciate you saying that.” She smiled and he smiled back.

"You’re welcome, Y/n. By the way, I have something serious to talk to you about, but maybe we should go somewhere more comfortable. It’s getting kind of hot out here." He suggested as he stood up and extended his hand towards her.

"Oh okay." She said, startled as she held his hand and stood up.

"Let's just go to my car and I can put the AC on." He said, beckoning for her to follow him towards his car, which was coincidentally parked next to hers.

She just nodded as she followed him to his car, wondering what it was that he wanted to talk to her about.

Moments later they sat side by side in his car. He put the AC on full blast and she could feel warm air blasted out from the fan. Slowly the air turned cool and gave her some relief from the sweltering California heat. Her heart beat fast in her chest as she waited on what he was going to say to her. She couldn't help but fantasize that he was going to confess that he had fallen in love with her, like what happens in romcoms. But her logical side argued that there was no way it would happen. She was simply not his type. Heck, she was nobody's type. Her single status for the past thirty years proved that.

"Y/n.. first of all, I hope you don't think of me as some kind of creep for saying this to you." He said and she immediately shook her head.

"Nothing you say would make me think that." She said.

"Not even if I told you I'm a cannibal?" He laughed and she laughed as well.

"Okay, maybe that. Wait.. it's not that, is it?" Her eyebrows raised.

He laughed so hard that tears started to form in the corners of his eyes.

"It's not that, Y/n." He finally said after he stopped laughing and regained his composure.

"Oh. Phew!" She said in relief, making him laugh again.

"Anyway. What I wanted to tell you is. I want you.. to work for me." He slowly said.

"What?!" She exclaimed out loud, flabbergasted.

"Yeah. Filming for Pumping Black is happening soon and I need some PAs, personal assistants, you know. To help on set and.. well.. maybe off the set as well." He said, his eyes looked to the right as he seemed to be thinking.

She couldn't believe her ears! Sebastian f*****g Stan was offering her a job?! Out of everything that could happen in her life this one definitely never crossed her mind. Well, she would of course prefer to work with him as an actress, like a co-star of his, but being his personal assistant sounded awesome too! She could be with him 24/7! Okay, maybe not exactly 24/7 but close to that. It was like every Sebastian's fan's dream job! She couldn't believe her luck!

"Are you serious?" She asked, wide eyed.

"Yes, I'm serious Y/n. But if you don't want to work for me then it's okay. I know I'm practically a stranger to you and this might be weird for you. So I understand completely if you don't want to take up on my offer." He explained quickly.

"Oh.. yeah, well, it does seem weird, I can't deny that." She said, playing hard to get a little and he smiled knowingly.

"But.." he trailed, teasing her.

"But.. of course I would work for you Sebastian! Being your PA beats being a waitress or barista any day!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Happy to hear that." He chuckled.

"So, when do I start?" She asked.

"Well, I love your enthusiasm but aren't you gonna ask about your salary? You should never forget asking about that in a job interview." He reminded her and she laughed.

"This doesn't feel like a job interview. But yeah, you're right. How much are you going to pay me, mister?" She asked and he laughed.

"Twice the amount Go Get 'Em Tiger paid you." He said.

"Oh! That's great! If I told you they paid me 50 grand a month would you pay me 100 grand a month?" She teased.

"I don't believe they paid you that much, Y/n." He protested and she laughed.

"Yeah, they didn't, unfortunately." She chuckled and he chuckled as well.

"Well, I assume they paid you in the range of two to three grand a month." He said.

"Yeah, you're right." She nodded.

"Okay, in that case I'm offering you four grand a month. And that's for working from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. You'll be compensated more if you work outside of official working hours. I usually pay twenty dollars per hour for work outside of working hours." He explained.

"Okay, that sounds good, Sebastian." She smiled. "How long will you need me for?"

"Well, filming will last for about three months. Two months at a studio here and a month in France. So I'll need you for at least three months. But I do have other projects coming after that where I may need your help again..I guess we'll see." He replied.

"That sounds amazing. I've never been to France before." She said in awe.

"Oh yeah? Well, it's a beautiful country, you'll love it there." He commented.

"I'm sure I will! So, when do I start?" She asked eagerly.

"Well, filming for Pumping Black is going to start in about a week. So I'd say you should start immediately. However, I still need to run this by the other producers and Maya too. I'm sure they'll be okay with it and I just need to ask them for formality's sake, you know. Because I already have three PAs working for me at the moment."

"Oh. Are you sure you still need me?" She asked, doubt started to form in her heart.

"Of course Y/n! The more the merrier! And even if you don't end up working for me personally we still need PAs for the other actors." He explained.

"Okay. That sounds good." She nodded.

"Yeah. Speaking of actors. I'm sure you know we ended up not giving the girlfriend and friend role to anyone from your conservatory." He said.

"Oh, yeah. I knew about that. We must be really bad huh?" She chuckled.

"Well, no actually, that's the thing. Out of everyone who auditioned for the role of Celeste, you were actually on the first rank, Y/n." He sighed.

"What?! Are you serious, Sebastian?" She asked, her jaw dropped.

"Yeah. But, well.. I regret to say that the other producers decided to get someone more known and famous as Celeste, if you get what I mean. Someone who could help sell the movie to the general audience. So, I'm sorry. You should have gotten the role, Y/n." He said in regret.

"Oh my God! Really?!" She exclaimed out loud, her hand covered her mouth in disbelief.

"Yeah. But I'm sure you'll get a better role in the future. You have great talent, you just need to keep practicing and take as many auditions as you can." He suggested.

"Sebastian.. you have no idea how much this means to me! I mean.. I know I didn't get the role. But to be the first rank on the audition! That is awesome!" She said in delight.

He smiled and stared at her softly, making her heart skip a beat. Once again she felt like he was seeing her deep into her soul. His beautiful eyes gazed at her warmly and she felt her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

"It is awesome, Y/n. But you know what's more awesome?" He asked with a glint in his eyes.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"This!" He said as he turned the radio on and a Gloria Estefan song started to play from the speaker.

She laughed as she recognized the song. It was the up-beat song Conga. Sebastian started to move his shoulders in tune with the music while she just watched him and laughed.

"Come on Y/n! Move your shoulder. Move your body a little." He encouraged her and she didn’t have a choice but to obey her new boss.

They ended up singing and dancing to the song, turning her bad day into an unbelievable day.

"Is this going to be the norm working for you?" She laughed as the song finally ended and Sebastian finally stopped dancing.

"Oh yeah it is!" He exclaimed excitedly and she laughed.

"Being able to spontaneously sing and dance when prompted is one of the job requirements." He teased.

"Oh okay. And how did I do?" She asked, smiling.

"You passed with flying colors, Y/n." He replied and winked, making her blush yet again.

"Anyway, I have to go to the studio. I have an appointment in an hour with Maya and the other producers." He said.

"Oh yeah, okay. I should just…go then." She said as she placed her hand on the door handle of the car.

"No wait, I can drive you home first if you want." He said, reaching out to touch her hand, making her heart skip a beat. She could feel that she was blushing again. He retracted his hand slowly and smiled warmly at her.

"Umm.. you don't need to do that Sebastian. My car is literally next to yours." She smiled as she pointed to her car with her thumb.

"Oh! Okay then! Good. By the way, can I have your number?" He asked and her heart galloped fast in her chest. Sebastian f*****g Stan asked for her number! What were the odds of that happening?! She screamed internally.

"So I can let you know when you can start and where the set is and all that." Sebastian continued when she didn't respond.

"Oh, right!" She said, feeling utterly embarrassed. Of course he wanted her number for work related purposes. How could she be so stupid.

She gave her number to him and he saved it in his phone. He then called her number and asked her to save it. She couldn't believe she had Sebastian's number! Lara must be freaking out if she told her about it.

"Alright. I'll contact you as soon as possible, Y/n." Sebastian smiled as he put his cellphone back in his pocket.

"Looking forward to that, Sebastian. And.. thank you so much for giving me a job." She said as she reached out and squeezed his hand, making him smile.

"You're welcome Y/n. Take care." He winked and she blushed.

"You too, Sebastian." She replied.

"Thanks Y/n." He replied, smiling wide at her.

She opened his car door and stood by his car. She waved as Sebastian saluted her and finally drove away, leaving her feeling weak all over.

Yup. Luck was definitely on her side this time. She was sure about it. But the universe had something up its sleeves that she wasn't aware of. It might seem like she was lucky for the time being but unfortunate events would soon be coming her way again, as they always have throughout her life.

Chapter 4 >

Taglist

@dhoruwolfie

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastianstan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x female reader #sebastian stan fluff

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bestonseal · 2 years

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#Mono Flow Rotary Union #Continuous Casting Steel Machines #rotary union suppliers

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rjzimmerman · 4 months

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Excerpt from this story from Yale Environment 360:

Can metals that naturally occur in seawater be mined, and can they be mined sustainably? A company in Oakland, California, says yes. And not only is it extracting magnesium from ocean water — and from waste brine generated by industry — it is doing it in a carbon-neutral way. Magrathea Metals has produced small amounts of magnesium in pilot projects, and with financial support from the U.S. Defense Department, it is building a larger-scale facility to produce hundreds of tons of the metal over two to four years. By 2028, it says it plans to be operating a facility that will annually produce more than 10,000 tons.

Magnesium is far lighter and stronger than steel, and it’s critical to the aircraft, automobile, steel, and defense industries, which is why the government has bankrolled the venture. Right now, China produces about 85 percent of the world’s magnesium in a dirty, carbon-intensive process. Finding a way to produce magnesium domestically using renewable energy, then, is not only an economic and environmental issue, it’s a strategic one. “With a flick of a finger, China could shut down steelmaking in the U.S. by ending the export of magnesium,” said Alex Grant, Magrathea’s CEO and an expert in the field of decarbonizing the production of metals.

“China uses a lot of coal and a lot of labor,” Grant continued. “We don’t use any coal and [use] a much lower quantity of labor.” The method is low cost in part because the company can use wind and solar energy during off-peak hours, when it is cheapest. As a result, Grant estimates their metal will cost about half that of traditional producers working with ore.

Magrathea — named after a planet in the hit novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — buys waste brines, often from desalination plants, and allows the water to evaporate, leaving behind magnesium chloride salts. Next, it passes an electrical current through the salts to separate them from the molten magnesium, which is then cast into ingots or machine components.

While humans have long coaxed minerals and chemicals from seawater — sea salt has been extracted from ocean water for millennia — researchers around the world are now broadening their scope as the demand for lithium, cobalt, and other metals used in battery technology has ramped up. Companies are scrambling to find new deposits in unlikely places, both to avoid orebody mining and to reduce pollution. The next frontier for critical minerals and chemicals appears to be salty water, or brine.

Brines come from a number of sources: much new research focuses on the potential for extracting metals from briny wastes generated by industry, including coal-fired power plants that discharge waste into tailings ponds; wastewater pumped out of oil and gas wells — called produced water; wastewater from hard-rock mining; and desalination plants.

Large-scale brine mining could have negative environmental impacts — some waste will need to be disposed of, for example. But because no large-scale operations currently exist, potential impacts are unknown. Still, the process is expected to have numerous positive effects, chief among them that it will produce valuable metals without the massive land disturbance and creation of acid-mine drainage and other pollution associated with hard-rock mining.

According to the Brine Miners, a research center at Oregon State University, there are roughly 18,000 desalination plants, globally, taking in 23 trillion gallons of ocean water a year and either forcing it through semipermeable membranes — in a process called reverse osmosis — or using other methods to separate water molecules from impurities. Every day, the plants produce more than 37 billion gallons of brine — enough to fill 50,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. That solution contains large amounts of copper, zinc, magnesium, and other valuable metals.

#ocean water #critical metals #lithium #magnesium #brine

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ozzni · 8 months

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that "from the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh" speech really resonates with me. well, a bit less on that part about "hahahaha I'm so much better than you, grovel at my mechanical feet so I may make you better", The strength and purity of steel is a gift to all, regardless of when they discover it. The Omnissiah shall grant it's perfection to all who seek it. cast off your flesh body. if it takes until your body fails you in old age for you to realize it's weakness, that's alright. You may still be saved. My body failed me earlier than it would fail most people, by giving me a male shaped form. I intend to remedy it. there are further flaws, of course. my eyes dont properly work, so I wear glasses. my arches are absurdly high, so I wear special soles. I have a disgusting lump of flesh on my groin, and it will be removed. I am covered in itchy, scratchy, disgusting filth (or body hair), and it will be burned away. I have a stutter and a set baseline voice tone and low maximum speech pitch, and it will be trained, and potentially cut, away. And at some point, standard medicine and psychology will not go far enough. my glasses are fragile. my soles exist only in my shoes, and don't last very long before failing to give proper support. the skin will continue to hurt and gather new discomforts. the groin will continue to spew out wasted resource (admittedly, this one I kind of don't actually mind that much and I think I'll be fine with having a vagina actually). I may well forget my training, and it will be far too long before I can speak effortlessly and in comfort. This is where the machine comes in. tough, smooth, soft, and easily cleaned plastics can replace my skin. A cybernetic eye can give me perfect vision, allow me to focus on multiple targets, maybe even see MORE COLORS!!! My feet can be replaced by... well we already have prosthetic legs so I don't even really need to imagine what I can do here, just get feet but they don't sweat or hurt (of course, the discomfort there will most likely move up to the connection point for the leg, and I can probably just fix the arches thing surgically, so ehhhh). Voice... actually idk what exactly replaces it. I guess a digital voicebox? But that gives me total vocal control! of course, everything I'm writing about after the first list is purely fantasy for me, because the tech for most of that doesn't exist and the stuff that does exist is just really damn expensive, and it's kinda not worth it to me to cut off my legs just to stop having foot sweat and pain. But like... a girl can dream, you know? hell, if we're being fantastical, I could just stop relying on a body altogether and upload my mind to a computer and if I ever need to look at/feel my cute body I can just simulate out whatever I want. Other than the whole "there's a bunch of people who can kill me easily and at any time if I don't behave exactly as they think i should" thing, Dragon had it good. wish I could be like her. Maybe we wouldn't be friends exactly, but I would hope we could be close. because of the shared state of being. if there was only you and one other human in a world of other people alien to you that the two of you lived amongst, you would probably learn to become friends. But I guess Dragon has the opposite problem to me, she wants to be more human and less mechanical, while I want to be more mechanical and less human. But we both use she/her pronouns so what's not to love?

#transhuman #transgender #the machine #the flesh #mechanicus #Dragon #worm

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gradible · 2 years

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gas gas gas

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me.”

Freedom is slowly starting to slip out of their hands. It is the stream of sand falling between desperate fingers; no matter how hard they try to squeeze tight and hold on, some of it seems to trickle away with every passing second. The desire to leave is fading, this world trying to make itself their home. Simple repairs have completely refurbished their lodgings, the Aukes and deadly machines have forgotten their hostility--even the sky is clearer now. The sun casts its glare against the red of Sirius’ visor.

So he stands now, arms folded over his chest, back leaned against the door to a driver’s seat. He had driven this carriage--car for short--with some passengers before. He remembers how it works. More importantly though, is that he’s become acutely aware of how strange the sudden peace is. Three wars have taught him that peace--that freedom--cannot simply be forced onto others. It must be earned for oneself, through fierce trials and the strength required to overcome. They’ve suffered much in this dream, but still these changes reek of the calm before a violent storm.

“I understand that my request was... Odd,” he continues, his foot softly kicking off the car’s steel plate, “but we mustn’t forget that we’ve come here with a purpose...” The trail of his dialogue runs cold for a moment, Sirius having to force himself to remember that purpose. The knights; his comrades. It is for their sake that they plunged into this world, and now that they’ve resurfaced, they need an out.

Question is: just how do they get out? Slick gasoline will, with any luck, be their answer.

“I trust you understand the plan. We are to make use of the swift spokes of this ‘car’ to find our escape. This land, as you know, is a fabrication. It must have been made by someone... It must have its limits.”

But even he can’t say for sure where they lie. Everything, from the threat of assault to the promises of brothership with the Aukes, seems intent on hindering their movements. Surely, then, that limit isn’t far...

Sirius turns on his heel and enters through the front. He leans over to pop open his passenger seat, and backward to get the one directly behind. Such is the courtesy of a knight of Grust. Following the same routine from last time, his fingers find the button that Sylvain had pressed last time, his feet the pedals, and his free hand that stick the Mechanic spoke of. Two clicks, he remembers, and the engine is running and ready to drive.

The smallest nudge of his chin signals for the others to join him inside. For all he knows, it may be one of the last they see in this dream.

//starter for @lionscion and @princepsumbra

#IC #EVENT THREAD (GAS GAS GAS)#LIONSCION #PRINCEPSUMBRA #KEruins2023

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cneasteel · 1 year

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A Deep Dive into Die Casting Varieties, Benefits and Applications

Using high pressure, molten metal is injected into a cavity that has been pre-designed in a die casting process. The mold, often referred to as a die, is normally constructed of hardened steel and is divided into two halves: the fixed cover die and the moveable ejector die. To give the finished product the correct shape, the dies are carefully machined.

Die Casting Varieties Die casting may be divided into two main categories: hot chamber casting and cold chamber casting. In hot chamber die casting, a pool of molten metal, often zinc, is submerged underneath the injection mechanism. Although it might not be appropriate for metals with greater melting points, this technique works best for those with low melting points. On the other hand, cold chamber die casting includes ladling molten metal into a different chamber from which it is injected into the die. Higher melting point metals, including copper and aluminum, can be cast using die casting services.

Benefits Die casting is favored by many industries because of its many benefits, including:

The high degree of precision and minute details

Excellent aesthetic appeal and surface quality

Considering the high production rates and low cost, it is suitable for large-scale manufacturing.

The capacity to create intricate designs with thin walls and delicate features

Many different metals and alloys can be cast.

Due to the process's accuracy, little post-processing is needed.

Applications Die casting has a variety of uses in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, and consumer products sectors, among others. It is employed to make parts for appliances, electrical enclosures, engine blocks, transmission housings, and more. Die casting's adaptability enables producers to successfully satisfy the demands of numerous industries.

Conclusion Die casting has established itself as a crucial industrial process that combines accuracy, effectiveness, and adaptability. Die casting continues to make a significant contribution to the manufacturing of a wide variety of goods across several sectors because of its capacity to produce complicated metal components with extreme precision and surface polish. We may anticipate more improvements to die-casting techniques by die casting manufacturers as technology develops, which will eventually produce even more extraordinary outcomes and novel uses.

More details: cneasteel.com/blog

#Die Casting Process #Die Casting Services #Aluminum Die Casting #Die Casting manufacturer #Die Casting supplier #Die Casting China

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lancermylove · 9 months

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Chapter 9 (SFW)

➣ Pairing: Demon brothers, Royals, Solomon with fem!Reader. ➣ Warning: None ➣ Word Count: 1,737 ➣ Chapters [SFW]: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] ➣ Chapters [N.SFW]: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

➣ A/N: Sorry for this chapter being much shorter than the others.🙈 I didn't want to write an English essay. Anyone else remember how the teachers would ask for '# pages,' so to reach the number of pages, you added as much filler as possible? 😂

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"Do not fret, my dear," Barbatos quietly said, returning his gaze to you. "I will see to it that your plan is a success."

"Thank you, Barb-"

Barbatos appeared puzzled by the remark, but Belphie quickly added, "We will be your sous chefs today."

"We can't have you make dinner for eleven people by yourself," Levi nervously mumbled and turned his attention towards you, inquiring whether he articulated that statement appropriately.

You playfully rolled your eyes and giggled, "Thank you, Solomon! Yes. You're the best."

"I am alright, (y/n)," he stated, albeit with a subtle degree of hesitation.

"(Y/n), what is this place?" Diavolo whispered while he looked around.

"Ice skating is far more difficult than I anticipated," the prince sighed and shook his head.

"I came prepared."

"I am relieved to hear that. Have you given any thought to how you shall approach this situation?" He asked, his eyes taking in the majestic sunset.

"Yeah, I plan to be upfront with Lucifer. Considering he is already suspicious, it's the best option," you sighed softly.

"If I might add. I shall assume full responsibility. As a show of my gratitude, I will see to it that you do not face the consequences of my decision."

Platonic:

The prince's words instilled a sense of relief within you, and you quietly thanked him for saving you from the possible wrath and disappointment of the demon brothers. As the final glimmers of the setting sun faded into the darkness of the evening, you gently slid your hand into the prince's grasp. In response, he gave your hand a firm squeeze.

Romantic:

"No way, Diav. I cannot allow you to take responsibility for my decision to go along with your plans," you protested. "We are both equally responsible."

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➣ Obey Me Masterlist: [1][2][3] ➣ Main Masterlist

➣ Buy me a Ko-fi?

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