#I fell off towards the end but this story and the characters still meant a lot to me.

[skyheaven1231]

It’s been a while since I posted anything noragami related here but there is no way I’m not sending these characters off after the manga ended.

Goodbye Yato, Hiyori, Yukine and everyone else! It’s been a long ride and we’ve all come a long way. 💕

[plantsjustwannahavefun]

I used to think that the reason I wasn't satisfied with Izzy's death was because I was too attached to his perspective as a character and couldn't focus on the big picture of the season and the main Gentlebeard relationship enough. I mean, I was still convinced that his death and the way it was carried out was a shit writing decision, but everyone else outside the Izzy Canyon circles seemed fine with it, so I was starting to think that maybe they were right.

So I looked back on the rest of the season and rewatched the finale... And realised something that I'd been trying to ignore because it was too painful to admit. A huge part of why Izzy's death hit so hard (in a bad way, not that delicious masochistic pain of having a beloved character die a good, narratively satisfying death) was because throughout this season he was the only character who actually had a satisfying arc and development. Practically no one else did. I didn't actually care for Gentlebeard this season, not the way I cared in S1. From episode 1 to 8 and a half, Izzy's arc was crafted with more care, kindness, subtlety and narrative weight than the main Gentlebeard arc which, in comparison, felt like a string of choppy beads badly tied together in an approximate shape of an arc, but collapsed as soon as you looked at it too closely.

Yes, we all know this season suffered for being 2 episodes too short, but I don't think that's all there is to it. This is starting to feel like GoT season 8 all over again. Would it have been better if it wasn't so rushed? Maybe. Or maybe it would have been even worse because this season just didn't seem to know what to do with itself or the characters. The themes and symbolism are all over the place and completely inconsistent. Ed and Stede's characters are practically back at the same place they left in S1. All they did was bounce off the walls back and forth with no real growth. As soon as they took a step towards fixing their relationship or growing as people, they either tool three steps back or it just got dropped. Stede letting fame get to his head? Interesting and realistic development. And how was it resolved? It wasn't. Stede and Ed being whim prone? I'm glad they brought it up. And then they just fell for another whim and it was presented as a satisfying ending.

Ed went from the Kraken, to taking the first steps towards being Ed, then suddenly all the way to being Ed by way of a Night of Magical Healing Sex that he he didn't actually want to happen because he wasn't ready. And then all of a sudden he pivoted to abandoning Stede and piracy and becoming a fisherman... for 5 min. And then back to Blackbeard again because two fishermen were mean to him for 5 minutes. And then abandoning it again to open an inn. How was any of this even remotely coherent or satisfying? They didn't even have a single conversation about any of it. Ed had more proper closure and communication with Izzy during his dying scene than with Stede and the rest of the crew put together. Izzy's arc got sacrificed to do the heavy lifting for Ed's arc and became nothing more than a shortcut to speed run his character growth. Except it didn't even lead anywhere. "Ed, they're your family, they love you" no they don't, he didn't even have a single positive conversation with any of them except Fang. Of course this could have been the point, and Ed could have seen Izzy's death, his own discovery of found family and his dying words as a pretext to repair his relationship with the crew. But he just left them and stayed with Stede instead.

Sure, you could say this was only the second act of the story, and S3 will resolve everything. But the second act is still meant to move the story and the characters forward in some way. Yes, of course if we get S3, I imagine Stede and Ed's life as innkeepers won't exactly be idyllic. But the problem is that the conflicts they'd have will only be a rehash and repeat of the same conflicts they've already have, or were supposed to have, this season. Multiple times, even. We already know that Ed is simply unable to live with himself no matter what life he chooses. The title of S1 was literally "wherever you go, there you are". We already know Stede's love isn't enough to fix him. We already know their goals in life are completely opposite. Maybe they could have shown Stede realising, after his humiliating in S7, that piracy wasn't all it was cracked up to be or he isn't suited for it, and that's why he chose to leave it behind and open an inn, but that's not the explanation we were given. It was just another whim. They literally didn't learn anything this season. They had two baby conversations in E4 and E5 and didn't take anything from it, just kept doing the complete opposite of anything. "We're both prone to whims, let's take things slow" became "let's take things extremely fast by moving in together permanently and becoming entrepreneurs". They never talked about the actual, deepseated, longstanding trauma issues they needed to resolve before they could even begin to have a proper relationship. They literally got a heavy-handed glimpse in what their life would become if they just stuck together without addressing their own personal issues, and chose to do that very thing. It that's what S3 is going to address, then why were Anne and Mary part of this season instead of the next one?

I remember everyone saying they wanted Ed and Stede to reunite as quickly as possible in S2, and I get why. They have great chemistry together. The season is about them. But for it to work, spending more time apart is exactly what they needed. They needed to learn how to live with themselves and others, first. Romantic love alone can't fix you as a person. You have to fix yourself first. Community can help (as with Izzy's case), but you still have to put in the work. In retrospect, I'm glad that Izzy didn't get a love interest this season - because he wasn't ready yet, and had to learn how to have normal relationships and friendships with other people before attempting an intimate romantic relationship, lest he ended up falling head first unit another toxic mutually dependent relationship. That's what Stede and Ed should have tried too. Instead the show just ended up using Izzy's death as a quick surgical fix, robbing Ed of his agency and having to do the hard work repairing himself and his relationships with other people. There's a sad irony in getting exactly one character's arc just this, and then using it as a sacrificial lamb to patch over the main character's arc.

[officialaemondtargaryen]

Age Of Consent [part one]

Summary: Dustin’s older sister thinks Eddie Munson could be a bad influence on her younger brother due to their history. Can he change her mind?

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Henderson!Reader

Word Count: 1,166

What you’ll find in this series: big angst, wholesome fluff, sexual content, and a lot of profanity.

A/N: So the first time I posted this it had the ending and the middle in the same draft, so hopefully no one actually read that... This series was titled after the song Age Of Consent by New Order; the main characters in this story are of age and consenting adults.

Read Part Two

“Don’t you think the Weird Al t-shirt is a bit- much?”

“Do I th- absolutely not!” Your little brother replied, looking down at his choice of attire. He also had on a Hawaiian print button-up and a trucker’s hat he got from Science Camp. “This is a great shirt.”

“It’s your social life hanging in the balance.” You reminded him, rolling your eyes.

“You sound just like Steve,” he replied as he began to unbuckle his seat belt. “Just like him.”

Dustin was one of those kids who had to check, and double-check, to make sure that he had everything that he needed before he got out of the car. You could hear him quietly mumbling to himself as he checked his pockets, “lunch money, batteries, number 2 pencil.”

“You got a life in there somewhere?” You asked sarcastically as he rummaged through his backpack. “Come on, you’re going to make me late for work.”

“Alright, alright!”

“All jokes aside,” you mentioned as he opened the passenger side door. “I hope you have a great first day. I’ll see you at home.”

Dustin nodded and headed towards the double doors of Hawkins High, his first day as a freshman. You had to admit that you were worried about him, you couldn’t help it. High school was a completely different experience- it wasn’t just the same middle school bullies anymore. Kids were mean, you remembered what it was like.

Your little brother usually biked to school, but you promised him that for his first day of freshman year you’d drive him. You hadn’t been back to Hawkins High since you graduated- for good reason. The sickening nostalgia of the high pony-tails and the sea of green and gold was enough to make you regret your decision to drop Dustin off. You had repressed those memories for a reason, and still, you at least waited for him to get inside before you finally decided to drive away.

When you got home from work, your mother was just finishing up with dinner and Dustin was finishing up his homework at the table.

“Hey mom,” you called to your mother who smiled at you over her shoulder as she pulled whatever it was she was cooking out of the oven. “You got something on your-” you pointed at Dustin’s shirt. He fell for it, allowing you to flick his nose when he looked down. “Nerd. How was your first day?”

You pulled your bag off of your shoulder and dropped it in an empty chair before grabbing the silverware to begin setting the table.

“I was asked to join a D&D club, so I would say today was a total success.” His words made you freeze. “They call it the Hellfire Club.” Dustin said proudly. “Look, I even got this awesome t-shirt.”

Dustin pulled the familiar t-shirt out of his backpack and unfolded it with a wide grin, yet, the sight of it made your stomach drop.

“You’re in Hellfire?” You asked him as you placed the napkins in the center of the table. “Of course you’re in Hellfire.”

He nodded his head with a toothy grin. “You know it?”

“I’ve heard of it.” You shrugged.

“Eddie, the Dungeon Master, is so cool, Y/N, you have to meet him.”

“Eddie Munson?” You asked, trying to wrap your head around it all. Dustin nodded again.

You couldn’t believe that Eddie was still even in school. You figured that he would have dropped out eventually. He had to be at least twenty years old by now, still preying on the societal outcasts of Hawkins High to join his little cult- he was always determined to make it his legacy.

Four years of drama club meant four years of sharing the same classroom with Hellfire. You had spent countless long nights building and painting sets and sewing costumes while Eddie Munson and his misfits journeyed their way through campaign after campaign. Eventually, the two of you became friends. There were nights where he’d even linger; helping you paint or just making sure that you weren’t there alone.

Among other things.

“Earth to Y/N?” Dustin was waving a hand in front of your face. “Can you please pass the potatoes?”

“Sorry,” you muttered and handed him the bowl.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Your mother asked, concerned. Dustin was staring a hole through you, and you could practically see the gears turning in his head trying to figure you out.

“"Y-yeah,” you lied. “Totally cool.”

You shoved a bite of mashed potatoes in your mouth to try and hide your fib. Dustin shook his head and went back to talking about the teachers that he had this year and weird it was not seeing Will at school this year. You inevitably tuned him out, your mind reverting back to your memories of Eddie Munson.

Dustin didn’t know about your history with the metalhead and you couldn’t have been more thankful. You didn’t want him to make a big deal out of it, which you knew he would have. However, you did wonder if Eddie targeted him because he somehow knew that Dustin was your little brother.

It’s not like it would have been hard for him to figure it out.

“Dustin?” You were both standing at the kitchen sink now, you were washing and he was drying the dishes. You turned to him, fingertips slightly submerged in the hot water still. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be in this club.”

“Why?” He asked, clearly upset. “It’s just D&D.”

“It’s not just D&D,” you replied and dried your hands on the washcloth that he was holding. “It’s more than that. These guys are older and- well, they can be very impressionable on young minds.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dustin fought. “You’re just jealous because I’m actually making friends in high school and you never did.”

“Ouch,” you placed your hand over your heart and your brother sighed.

“That was mean, I’m sorry.” You nodded in response, but in the same breath, he continued with, “I just think you’re being a little dramatic. If you would just come to one campaign and meet Eddie, I think you would change your mind.”

You hadn’t seen Eddie Munson in two years. The last time being the day that you graduated; the day that you tried so desperately to forget about. Sometimes you thought you’d caught a glimpse of him turning a corner, or maybe saw his van parked outside the record store on the way to work.

So maybe it was possible, in the last two years, that the guy had changed. You didn’t want to rob Dustin of a chance to make some friends in high school or make things worse for him.

You knew this was a terrible idea.

“Fine,” you sighed.

Dustin almost jumped for joy and threw his arms around your middle. “I promise you’re going to love him!”

Yes, that was precisely the problem.

[jelly-belly-sickfics]

Causing Chaos in My Belly

This one is based on a true story from a years back. Go easy on me please, this is my first one so I'm still getting used to the tags 🥺.

I had traveled all day to see my long-distance boyfriend and the first thing we did was have a little fun. I hadn’t eaten anything but a Starbucks coffee all day, and after swallowing a couple of his loads, we realized that eating cum on an empty stomach was a very bad idea. 

And now for my first sickfic! As a reminder, this is a (partial) work of fiction. All characters mentioned are fully consenting adults. 

CW: Mentions of sex

It had been four months since I had last seen my boyfriend. At the time, we went to schools on completely opposite sides of the country, but we were determined to make it work, even if that meant I had to spend 14 hours bouncing from airport to airport on cheap flights to see him. 

Anxious about accidently missing a flight, I decided to skip breakfast and lunch to make sure I was seated at my gate when it was time to board my next plane. I made the rookie mistake of not packing my own snacks, so the smell of greasy fried food from the fast-food kiosks in the. terminal teased and tortured me. All day, I caught whiffs of cheesy burgers, chicken nuggets and golden brown French fries that made my stomach growl underneath my university hoodie. 

It started out as polite, courtesy growls at first, gently vibrating against my skin, but as time progressed, grew into aggressive crampy growls that other passengers could hear. It was so loud that on my last plane, my middle seat mate overheard my stomach complaining and offered a Tums to “soothe my motion sickness”. I politely declined, embarrassed that I had let my hunger grow so out of control that others thought I was sick. For the rest of the two-hour flight, I kept my arms wrapped around my midsection to, hopefully, dull the growls.

I couldn’t have been more happy to land but my journey still had a one hour bus ride that stood between me and dinner…I mean, my boyfriend. I had gotten a bit lightheaded from the lack of food and fell asleep on the bus so I woke up to pulling in front of his University’s hotel, where he and several other students were waiting for us passengers. After giving me an embarrassingly passionate kiss, he lifted my bag onto his shoulder and took my hand into his free one, leading me into the little hotel.

We could barely wait to get checked in and up the elevator before we were desperately wrapped around each other, clumsily fumbling into our rented paradise for the weekend. But my stomach would not be ignored. 

All the way up the elevator. My belly protested its forced fast. “You wanna eat first?” my boyfriend asked while playfully nibbling on my ear. But before I could respond, another deep growl emanated from the depths of my stomach. “No,” I moaned as I gave into the sensation, “I can wait.” Another GGGGRRRR-uuuuuurl erupted with a cramp that wrapped around my middle, bouncing off the metal walls of the elevator. “Are you sure?” he said wrapping his arms around me and sliding his hands underneath my hoodie to meet the soft skin on my belly. He traced small circles around my navel. I shuttered under his touch, “I’m sure, I just need you right now.” He gave a satisfying hum, then pulled me out of the elevator to find our room.

There we spent another around making up for lost time. We found ourselves tangled in the hotel sheets, with my stomach still making its displeasure known but now, something felt a little different. Our first session had ended rather quickly with him finishing in my mouth, so I egerly swallowed and let him get ready for the second my going down on me. After I had finished and thoroughly soaked the towel we had handy, he was ready for the second round but somewhere toward the end of me riding his face, the sounds my stomach was making changed.

What was desperate growls before had transitioned to rolling grumbles. Maybe my stomach would finally give me some peace, I thought, but I did not know that was just the beginning. Everytime my my body moved, my stomach let out these odd cries, first airy, as if I was filled with gas, then they started to sound wet and squelchy. When I asked to get on top from being on my back, it felt like my stomach flipped with the position change. I loud, Gwoooooorlp sound came from my belly making both us stop cold. “Uh oh,” my boyfriend said panting, “That didn’t sound too good. Are you certain you don’t want to stop and get a snack or something? It doesn’t have to be a meal yet.” I shook my head and lowered myself down onto his cock. I wanted to make him again, I wanted to cum again and then we could eat.

Though my belly was virtually empty, things felt like they were starting to move inside. As I bounced on top of him, whatever stomach acid and cum were mixing together and my stomach was not happy about it, in fact, it was starting to feel really upset. After a few minutes of up and down, my stomach twisted and all of a sudden, my eyes got wide and I put a fist to my mouth. But I was too late, I burped a deep, guttural burp almost directly into his face. “Oh my god, I am so sorry,” I apologized profusely while my stomach still churned. He laughed and said my it smelt like his cum, to which we both laughed. “My tummy feels a little funny now. I think I will need that snack,” I admitted shyly. He tried to hide the I-told-you-so look on his face, sat up and kissed me, “Wanna go get one now? We can finish later?” “Mmm, are you close? I was just before I burped in your face,” I said to him. He nodded vigorously, “I was trying not to cum so you could finish. If you want me to, I can, then we can go feed that hungry tummy of yours.”

About five minutes later, I came on top then instructed him to stand by the edge of the bed so he could finish on my tongue again, just like he likes. This meant that I had to lay at the edge of the bed on my stomach facing him. With my stomach pressed into the mattress I could really feel all the activity going on in there. Convinced it was hunger, I chose to ignore it and focus on pleasing him but just like before, I felt an unsettling grumble flip my belly and I could feel the air traveling up my esophagus. I tried to pull off his dick, but I wasn’t fast enough. “I’m gonna cum,” he said just as my throat opened and a massive, gurgling wet burp came up onto his cock. He moaned and shot his load into my throat. I swallowed instinctively as I tried to recover from the shock. “Fuck,” he said after the initial orgasm subsided, “That felt amazing.” 

I felt the second load go down warm and thick, getting caught at the top of my stomach before splashing in the gas, acid and other load already down there. Then, all hell broke loose. My belly began making these terrible, sickly thick gurgles as it tried to process something that was not food. I started to feel a little shaky so I sat up on the edge of the bed and put my hand to my stomach. “Uh, hey babe. Are you okay? You don’t look so good…” my boyfriend asked still sounding dazed from his orgasm. My stomach gurgled loudly and cramped, making me wince and lurch forward. “Oh that didn’t sound good either baby. Does you tummy hurt?” he asked, now fully concerned. He sat on the bed and put his hand over my hand that was rubbing my churning belly. I stifled another little burp between closed lips. “I think so. I don’t know what happened, I was fine and then…ow ow ow,” I cried as another cramp ripped though my belly. 

My boyfriend’s face turned completely white and he looked like he was starting to panic. “Was it something you ate? What did you have today?” He got up and grabbed a water bottle, unscrewing the top and handing it to me. “I had a caramel macchiato,” I burped into my fist helplessly. My stomach felt so sick. My head started to spin and the burps were coming more frequently. “And what else?” I shrugged. “You only had coffee? How long ago?” he asked. 

My stomach gurgled again and I moaned as I sucked down gulps of water. “Like 6:30 this morning,” I replied. I felt some of the water travel back up as I burped again. “That was 14 hours ago! You needed to eat! Why didn’t you eat?” he asked rubbing my tummy for me as I leaned back onto the bed. “I didn’t want to miss my flights to come see you,” I moaned as he worked my belly in clockwise circles. “Come on,” he said with a little chuckle, “You need to take care of yourself. I love seeing you, but I don’t want to make yourself sick over trying to come see me. Besides, I think I read somewhere that cum on an empty stomach can cause belly aches.” 

When he said that, my belly rebelled and burst into liquidly churns right under his hand. I burped another dangerously wet belch into my hand. “And you took two big loads like a champ. I’m sure that’s what’s causing all this chaos in your belly.” I laughed in between moans. Even through something like this, he could make me smile. “Still,” I said, “I like feeling your cum gurgling and churning deep inside me. Even if I feel like I am about to puke because of it.” At that, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead, “Even if you do, I will be right there with you. Now come on, let’s get some dinner before you really turn green.” I gave one last wet gurgling burp before agreeing to finally eat something other than his cum for dinner.

[eggsaladstain]

elaborate on the wasted potential? What parts would you have liked to explore?

Hi anon, I could go on and on about the wasted potential of Gyeongseong Creature but I will keep it relatively brief for both our sakes.

For the record, I did like the show, particularly the way it combined history with fiction to tell a story about dehumanized Koreans fighting back against their oppressors during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The titular creature is a physical manifestation of the atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers against the Korean people and seeing the monster going on a violent rampage against those soldiers feels like an extreme version of the Korean people fighting for their country's freedom. But despite its best efforts, the show never really finds a way to tie the central theme of resistance and freedom to the rest of the plot. The resistance is more or less used as set dressing as neither of the two main characters, Tae-Sang and Chae-Ok, are members of the resistance movement, and the central plot of the season is a heist/horror story about uncovering the mysteries at Ongseong Hospital. The character who actually is a member of the resistance, Jun-Taek, has no real impact on the plot at all and his only noticeable contribution is the explosives used in the finale.

Think about how much more compelling a character Tae-Sang could've been if we'd gotten to see him transform from a selfish man who only cared about his own interests to a proud member of the resistance, finally finding a cause worth putting his life on the line for. By the end of episode 7, I thought the show had mostly achieved this, albeit clumsily, because we never really see why Tae-Sang had a change of heart and decided to be a hero, and if we're supposed to believe it's because of his feelings for Chae-Ok, I don't buy that for one second because the romance was half-baked at best. But then by the end of episode 10, he's once again shrugging off the title of patriot, and this is not a man who is humble, so what gives? Is he meant to be a charming rogue with a heart of gold or a selfish man who will be a hero only if it aligns with his personal interests? I still can't tell and I don't know if the writers themselves even know the answer - they kept trying to tell us he was the former but most of his actions pointed at him being the latter.

Even the horrific creature could've had a genuinely compelling arc if the show had bothered at all to humanize Seong-Sim prior to her transformation. I wanted desperately to root for mother monster to get her revenge against everyone who wronged her, but the show didn't give us any time to get to know her as a human, so it was hard for me to see her as anything but the monster she became. I wanted to believe that she still had some humanity, but the scenes of her protecting Chae-Ok ultimately fell flat because we never got to know the loving mother she had once been. Consider the flashback where Chae-Ok discovers the message her mother left for her on the wall. Now consider how much more impactful that scene would've been if we'd gotten to see it from Seong-Sim's perspective in real time in episode 1. It would've gone a long way in showing Seong-Sim's humanity and it would've made us believe in the love she had for her daughter, a love she would continue to hold onto even when she had lost everything else.

Towards the end of the show, it's revealed that multiple people close to Tae-Sang have all betrayed him at one point or another. But we barely know any of these characters or how they all became a part of each other's lives, and that emotional beat is once again lacking. This is what I mean by wasted potential. The show is full of moments like this, moments that should have been compelling and emotional, and could have been, if they've been tied together with a stronger, more cohesive script.

I don't know if you've watched Kingdom, anon, but it executes a similar concept to absolute perfection (in just 12 episodes and 1 movie) by using the supernatural element, zombies, as a vehicle to discuss its broader theme of hunger, both literal and metaphorical (which I've previously written about here and here). If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it because it's a fantastic show on its own, and if you liked Gyeongseong Creature, I recommend Kingdom even more as an example of how this show could've been so much better than it was.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

Every comment is valuable

Recently, I received a comment for one of my works I couldn't make quite sense of at first. It wasn't the first time that happened and I believe every writer makes this experience more than once, but it was the first time in 11 years of posting fanfiction across various archives that I came to fully understand and appreciate the value of a comment that does nothing but confuse the hell out of me.

The comment was for an early chapter of my canonic Yuri!!! On Ice novelisation Can You Hear My Heartbeat. My first instinct was to shrug it off as I had absolutely no idea how to deal with it. But as the day progressed, I found my mind returning to it, trying to figure out what its writer had tried to convey. I ended up reading the scene the comment referred to and soon figured out that the scene had failed its purpose to examine the feelings and motivations of its POV character.

In said scene, I explore the reunion of the two main characters Yuuri and Viktor at the end of episode 1 from Viktor's perspective. The comment quoted Viktor's final dialogue line in that scene and claimed that he was being "most extra". I had no idea what that meant, but I deeply felt that it stood in stark contrast to the (canon) Viktor in that scene.

This is the scene as it was on AO3 when I received the comment:

Strange noises inside stirred him, ripping him out of his daydream. The door banged open. A figure stumbled through in a flurry of brown parka and dark hair, slipped on the tiles, and fell face-first in front of the spring. “Ouch.” The young Japanese man propped himself up. Behind blue-framed glasses, his brown eyes widened as he spotted Viktor. “V-Viktor?” It’s him! Viktor’s heart stopped, then went into overdrive. Suddenly, all weariness was gone. The story of longing and despair that had made no sense was finally coming to its glorious conclusion. As he saw Yuuri now with his messy hair, his soft features, and his gentle brown eyes, it was as if no time had passed since Yuuri had clung to him and begged him to be his coach. “What are you doing here?” Yuuri breathed. Why’s he asking? Here as in the spring or in this place? And with that, the nervousness was back. Viktor took the towel off his head and stood, flashing Yuuri a dazzling smile. “Yuuri,” he said, holding out his hand. “Starting today, I’m your new coach.” He winked. “I’ll make you win the Grand Prix Final.” Yuuri’s mouth popped open. “What?” he spluttered. “WHAT?” Still smiling, Viktor kept holding out his hand, waiting for Yuuri to take it and step to the edge of the spring so they could embrace. Instead, Yuuri spun and bolted back into the house. Viktor stared after him, not understanding. “Huh? Was this too much of a surprise?” he murmured. “Did I overdo it?”

(Note that in the anime, Yuuri doesn't accidentally prostrate himself in front of Viktor. In the anime, he stumbles several times on his way to the hot spring, but as this happens where Viktor can't see it, I added this detail to make the scene more humorous.)

This scene ignores the ramifications of Viktor being nervous about their reunion (as any human being would be!) and his confusion when Yuuri asks why he is here because he doesn't know that Yuuri forgot their encounter at the Grand Prix Final banquet four months earlier. Speaking superficially, it's from Viktor's POV, but it doesn't really explore what is going on inside his head.

As an international celebrity, Viktor has gotten into the habit of acting like a star, especially towards the press and his fans. Viktor is used to wearing a mask in public and as a consequence, he unlearned how to be himself. However, this scene disregards these central aspects of his character. When I wrote it, the Viktor living inside my head wasn't yet fully fleshed out. After I finished the draft of Thousand Spotlights, this scene was one of those I revisited to make adjustments, but I still missed some aspects because I already had adopted a certain "blindness" for my own text.

This is one of the reasons I often ask whether the scenes from the anime are well-embedded into my novelisation.

After contemplating the scene based on that comment, I revised it in my Word document and updated the respective chapter on AO3:

Strange noises from inside the building ripped Viktor out of his daydream. Snowflakes were still tumbling from the sky. The door banged open. A figure stumbled out in a flurry of brown parka and dark hair, slipped on the tiles, and fell face-first in front of the spring. “Ouch.” The young Japanese man propped himself up. Behind blue-framed glasses, his brown eyes widened as he spotted Viktor. “V-Viktor?” It’s him! Viktor’s heart stopped, then went into overdrive. The story of longing and despair that had made no sense was finally coming to its glorious conclusion. As he saw Yuuri now with his messy hair, his soft features, and his gentle brown eyes, it was as if no time had passed since Yuuri had clung to him and begged him to be his coach. “What are you doing here?” Yuuri breathed. Why’s he asking? Here as in the spring or in this place? Viktor struggled to process the implications. His heart was fluttering uncontrollably in his chest. Had Yuuri forgotten that he had extended the invitation? Something felt off, but Viktor struggled to put a finger on it. However, two decades of being a public figure had trained him to navigate unclear situations. After all, Yuuri was his fan, wasn’t he? Viktor took the towel off his head and stood, flashing Yuuri one of his star-smiles. “Yuuri,” he said, holding out his hand. “Starting today, I’m your new coach.” He gave a playful wink that regularly brought even people not liking men to their knees. “I’ll make you win the Grand Prix Final.” Yuuri’s mouth popped open. “What?” he spluttered. “WHAT?” Still smiling, Viktor kept holding out his hand, waiting for Yuuri to take it and step to the edge of the spring so they could embrace. Time stretched on to a taut eternity. Viktor’s heart was hammering in his ribcage. Snow kept tumbling down from grey skies. Two metres across from him, Yuuri spun on his heel and bolted back into the house. Viktor stared after him, not understanding. “Huh? Was this too much of a surprise?” he murmured. “Did I overdo it?”

This second version expands on Viktor's feelings like his nervousness and his confusion as well as on his thoughts when he greets Yuuri. It shows that he reverts to taking on a persona to navigate through life (we see him do that in abundance until Yuuri asks him to be himself and saves the celebrity-persona for press and fans). There's nothing "extra" about his behaviour, he's just applying what he learned and what he seems to be comfortable with in unclear situations. So far, he has been successful with that, and he has yet to learn that this doesn't work with Yuuri.

The additions I made to flesh out Viktor's character are still subtle enough to leave space for interpretation while making sure that he stays in-character.

I'm really glad that this reader alerted me to a problem I wasn't aware of, although it took me a while to get to the solution. I thanked them and told them that I was able to improve the scene (and I really hope I didn't scare them off!)

Writers, if you receive a comment that doesn't make sense to you at first glance or that might even annoy you, it's worth taking a closer look. It might help you find errors no one else noticed and improve your writing and deepen the understanding of your characters.

Readers, please don't be afraid to let us writers know what you think about our works. If you hesitate to comment on a story because your think that your thoughts are silly, take heart in knowing that every comment is valuable to us and can help us write better stories that in turn bring you more joy.

[ranveer--singh]

The nights are tasteless without you: part 12 ~ Ari Levinson Fic

A/N - This is my first proper multiple chapter story which came to me while watching a Bollywood movie. It is set in Mumbai India where Ari is a professor at a university meets a person of colour - Marathi girl at the train station. There will be other Chris Evans characters as professors and Henry Cavill   characters as professors  

Warning: Please read this before reading the story. 18+, smut, sex… etc

Ari was the first to stir with the sun rays streaming in through the curtains and hitting his face. He turned over and stretched, sitting up in the nude and rubbing his eyes. He smacked his lips and looked over behind him to find Maddy sleeping peacefully with a smile on her lips. Unable to resist how cute she looked, he bent over and pulled down the covers slightly. 

Her neck and chest were covered in light bruises and Ari bit his lip as he remembered how he had put them there. She was lying on her side, with her boobs squished against each other and her ass popped out, hiding her beautiful pussy from his view. He kissed her cheek and left the bed, deciding to make her breakfast. 

He pulled on his boxers and scratched his chest as he yawned and walked towards the kitchen. He started the kettle for making tea and set the milk to boil. Then he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, and found a spare toothbrush in Maddy's vanity. He hoped she wouldn't mind him borrowing it. 

He returned to the kitchen to finish making tea. He checked his phone and his eyes grew wide as he saw the time. 

He was already an hour late.

Quickly he dialed Andy's number. He picked up on the first ring. 

"Hi mate!"

"Hi Ari, what's up?"

"Listen, can you do me a huuuge favour? I swear I'll owe you big time"

Silence on the other end. "That depends. How huge?"

"The size of my dong"

"You mean the size of mine"

"Debatable but whatevs-" Ari spoke over Andy's protests of "hey excuse me" "-so I need you to tell the head of my department to give me the day off. I can't come in today. Tell him I'll speak to him first thing tomorrow and get all my classes rescheduled this week. I promise."

"Hold on. What happened? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah it's fine"

"Do you want me to swing by your place? I have a free period next hour"

Ari panicked because clearly he was not at his own home. "No no, there's no need for that"

Andy paused. "Ari. Tell me what's wrong?"

"Well it's uh, so I'm with Maddy"

"Shit. Is she okay?"

"Yeah she's fine. Well, better than fine. God she's amazing" Ari moaned the last part. Andy chuckled at that. 

"Yes I know that loverboy, but then what's wrong? Why aren't you coming in? I'm worried."

"You worry too much pal. Just chill. You need to loosen up and relax."

"What aren't you telling me Ari?"

"Nothing! I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. Bye!" Ari said as he hung up quickly before annoying Andy asked him more questions. He knew he meant well but his lawyer friend could be very relentless with his questions sometimes. 

He returned to his task of making his girl some tea. Meanwhile he pulled out some eggs and bread and decided to make her French toast.

Maddy stirred in the bed when she felt cold. She woke up and stretched, feeling sore all over her body. She realized she was alone in the bed and her lip wobbled, thinking that Ari had broken his promise of not leaving her. There were tears in her eyes when she sat up and looked around for some clothes to put on. 

Her heart lurched when she saw Ari's crumpled shirt from last night on the floor. She was relieved to see it, because even though Ari was sexy, he wasn't cocky enough to go out in the streets shirtless. That meant he was still at her place. 

Maddy let out a cute squee as she shrugged on the shirt. It fell to her mid thigh and she had to roll up the sleeves to get her hands free. She giggled to herself as she inhaled his collar and she had to squeeze her thighs at his manly smell. Ari must spray his cologne at his neck because she could still smell it on his collar. She heard some sizzling sounds from the kitchen, and eagerly she walked there. 

She had to slow down her steps because it hurt down there if she took wide steps. She cursed her man mentally for doing a number on her body last night. 

Her man. She bit her lip at that thought. Ari was here. And he was hers. 

She stopped at the entryway to the kitchen, just soaking up the sight of his back muscles working as he cooked. He was just wearing his boxers so she had a nice view of his broad naked back. She bit her lip when she noticed some red scratch marks along his sides. She didn't remember putting them there, but she knew she was the cause. 

A part of her wanted to run up to him and hug him from behind, but she was scared to run lest she feel the twinges down there. The moment she took a few small steps into the room though, Ari turned around and her surprise moment was gone. 

"Hey motek, look who's awake! Good morning!"

"Morning Ari" she said as she rubbed her eyes. Ari had heart eyes the moment he saw that she was wearing his shirt. He frowned when he saw that she was walking gingerly and wincing. He immediately turned off the stove, ran over to her and picked her up. 

"Ari what are you doing?" She gasped but held him around his neck. 

"I feel sorry that I'm the reason it hurts you while walking, so I'm gonna carry you"

"Stahp, you're so cheesy Ari" she covered her face with one hand as she blushed. Ari frowned again when he saw she had tears in her eyes. "Motek, does it hurt that bad?"

"No. I mean, I'm sore," she blushed and hid her face in his neck at his questions. 

"Then why did you cry?" He asked as he helped her sit in a chair. 

"Noooo, I'm not telling you," she ducked her head and toyed with his shirtsleeve. 

"Why?"

"Because you'll think it's silly," 

"Nothing my cute little Billo does is silly for me, okay? Now spill or I'll tickle you" 

"Noooo, no tickles," she said as she squirmed. Ari knew that she was very ticklish so his threat was going to work. 

"Fine. I'll tell you. I thought you left. Okay? Happy now?"

"Awww, no, I'm not happy. I made you sad billo. And I'm so sorry. I should have told you when I left the bed but I didn't want to wake you,"

"It's just…. I always fear that men just want sex and then the next morning they're gone…I hate one night stands…that's why I didn't date much"

"Awww baby. I know it means a lot to you. You made me promise not to leave. And by the way, good that you didn't date much"

"Ari," she gasped, "why do you say that? That's mean," she slapped his chest. 

"I'm selfish, babe," he said as he gathered her closer in his arms. "If you had dated someone before me, I would never get a chance with you and that would have been so bad for me, right?" 

"You must be telling that to all the girls, hmm?"

"No. Only to the ones who touch themselves after seeing me just once"

"Ariiiii, you meanie," she whined and slapped his chest again. "Will you ever let that go?"

"Maybe. But not now. Now I want you to have breakfast with me. Alright?"

"But I haven't brushed my teeth yet!"

"Okay then I'll reheat it for you. Oh and by the way I used your spare toothbrush, I hope you don't mind."

"No. Be my guest." 

"Perfect" Ari stood up and started the stove again. He was making chai on one side and french toast on the other. He flipped the bread and then left the kitchen. 

"Ari, where are you going?"

"To run you a bath!" He shouted from a distance. 

"Can I help with the breakfast?" She yelled back. 

"No, you just sit there and look pretty." 

"Ari the egg is burning!"

"Shit, I'm coming!"

He ran back into the room to turn the stove off. He picked up Maddy again and carried her towards the bathroom. 

"You silly man. Don't you have to go to college?"

"No. I'm playing hooky today"

"Hawww bad boy! And what about me, hmm?"

"Well, why don't you call your patients and cancel their appointments and we'll hang out together?"

"Mmm sounds like a plan," she said as Ari lowered her in her bathtub. The warm water soothed her soreness and she sighed in relief. 

"Feels good?" Ari asked as he helped her unbutton his shirt. 

"Oh yeahhhh" she moaned. Ari could feel himself getting hard again. 

"Do you want to join me?" She asked him.

"I do. You sure?" He said quickly. 

"Yes. Come here," she said as she pulled on his hand. Ari took off his boxers and climbed in with her. 

She leaned her head on his chest. "This is so nice." She whispered and kissed his chest. Ari ran his hands along her back and slyly groped her ass. 

"You got a great ass baby, so spankable," he said as he smacked her lightly. 

"Stahp," she giggled. Her hand shyly touched his dick, which immediately stirred in response. "Oh! Does that hurt?"

"No, it feels good," Ari sighed and kissed her forehead. "Really good. You wanna touch me some more?"

"Mm hmm," 

"Well then, let me show you how to do it," he said as he gave his cock a squeeze and tug. 

Maddy watched him curiously and then batted his hand away. She tried to mimic him and her eyes went big. "Oh! It's so soft!"

"Yeah, it is," Ari chuckled at how she looked at his dick with wonder. As if she was seeing a dick up close for the first time (which was a fact though)

She started tracing his veins and the frenulum at the bottom of his head. She rubbed along his length with a closed fist and then teased his opening with a thumb. 

Ari's hips lifted up in pleasure so suddenly that he splashed some water out of the tub. Maddy didn't seem bothered by that as she continued giving him a handjob. 

"I know people take this in their mouth too, right? I want to try," she said as she leaned down to do the same. 

"Okay," Ari panted, but held her head in his hands."But not now, I don't want you to choke on water in the tub baby" 

"Okay, in bed then?" 

"Fuck, okay baby, sure," he said as one of his hands went down to her bottom again and squeezed her cheeks. He teased her pussy lips from behind and dipped one of his fingers in. 

"Ouch!" She winced. 

"Shit sorry babe. Is it tender?"

"Umm little bit, yeah," she bit her lip. Ari looked at her face and she looked aroused more than in pain. "But I want you to keep going," she pleaded with her eyes. 

"Okay billo, maybe not like this, yeah? Let's get you cleaned up and I'll do it in bed," 

"Mm okay," she pouted and Ari kissed her again. "Later you naughty girl. Let's eat now." 

They left the bathroom and dried themselves. Maddy wanted to stay in his shirt a little longer and Ari didn't object. "Besides, you look very cute in my shirt." 

Back in the kitchen he reheated the tea and breakfast. Maddy called her patients over breakfast to cancel her appointments while Ari listened to her talking in marathi. He smiled as he saw her making adorable faces, but when she was all done, she gave him a grumpy look and kicked him under the table. 

"Ow! Metuka, what was that for?" 

"I had to lie to my patients! And it is all because of you!"

"Bad girl. What did you say?"

She blushed at that. "Well. I said the half truth at least. I told them I can't come because I can't walk."

Ari looked smug at that but bit his lip to hide his smile. "Well that's not a lie"

"Yeah, but I can't tell them why I can't walk right? So I…said I fell off the bed and sprained my ankle."

Ari couldn't control anymore and burst out laughing. "Sorry babe but that's just so funny. And adorable."

"Whatever, you meanie. Forget about apologizing to me, because, you know, you're totally responsible for my problem, instead you're laughing at me."

"Aww I'm sorry kitten. I'll make it up to you in bed. How does that sound, hmm?"

Ari carried her to bed again. "Are you gonna carry me everywhere? You're spoiling me Ari"

He made a fake serious face. "Well, I have to pay the price for hurting you last night, which I'm doing."

"Such a drama queen you are!" She said as he put her down on the bed and crawled over her. He immediately claimed her lips in a deep kiss that made her toes curl. 

This time she opened her legs willingly for him because she was really eager to feel him in her pussy. She grabbed his hair and started pushing him down. Ari got the hint and decided not to tease her. 

"Uff Billo, so impatient,"

"Yeah I've been waiting, Ari," she moaned in a sultry voice. "Been waiting all throughout breakfast for this."

"Aww such a good girl," he said as he kissed her pussy lips. "But a very needy pussy, hmm?" He smacked her lightly down there, making Maddy squeal. 

"Did that hurt?"

"No, felt good, Ari," she whimpered. 

Ari started kissing and licking her, trying to recall the moves that she had liked last night. He started fingering her and she was lost in moans and whimpers. Suddenly she pulled him by the arm towards herself. 

"What? What happened billo?"

"Ari, I was thinking,"

"What metuka?"

"I think you should keep a box of condoms here" 

Ari's lips twitched again. "And?"

"And another box at your place,"

"Anything else?"

"Carry a box with you," she hid her face in her pillow. Ari started laughing again. "How much sex do you want to have baby? Gosh, I didn't know I had such a horny kitten on my hands."

"I love it, okay? Don't judge me," she whined. 

"Mmm if it makes you feel better billo, I love it too," he whispered in her ear and kissed it. 

Ari started rubbing his erection on her wet pussy making Maddy gasp and moan. She pushed his boxers down with her feet and started kissing him. 

Ari growled when his dick rubbed against her clit. He grabbed it and knocked the head against her entrance. 

"Baby, can I put it in? Just a little bit, please?"

"Yeah, why don't you put the whole thing in?" She said, already pulling his hips towards herself with her thighs. 

"Fuck, I want to, but I don't have another condom right now."

"Oh! So…what now?"

"I can't cum near you…"

"Shhh it's okay….pull out when you want to."

"God, Billo, you're killing me. Don't say things like that,"

"Why?"

"Coz it's too tempting" he said as he rutted his hips against her. 

"Mmm okay, just be careful. I don't have any protection."

"Okay, fuck, I'll try," he said as he rubbed his tip over her pussy lips. He put his tip inside her warmth and she squeezed her inner muscles, causing Ari to come dangerously close. 

"Fuck baby I'm close," Ari said as he pulled out and climbed out of bed. He started jerking off. Maddy followed him and came to kneel before him. 

Ari growled loudly and cupped a palm below his balls to prevent spillage. After he was finished, he opened his eyes and saw a pouting Maddy kneeling before him. 

"Umm babe, what are you doing?"

"Ari, I wanted you to cum on my boobs. Like they do it in porn,"

"Fuck Billo. You're naughtier than I thought. You watched porn huh?" Ari panted as he fetched a towel to clean himself. 

"Hey," she flipped her hair. "Virgin and innocent are two different things, mister. And by the way, do you think it's possible to remain either in today's times?" 

"Ah you've got a point there. Well, tell me about the first time you watched porn then," he said as he cleaned up and picked her up again. 

"Well the first time I watched it I didn't understand what it was…"

"Mm hmm"

And so they cuddled on the bed and chatted while they dozed off. 

Some time later Maddy tiptoed out of bed because she needed to pee. She was also feeling cold with just a thin shirt on. After she finished her business, she stopped before her dresser and grabbed her lotion. She rubbed the lotion all over herself and then decided to surprise Ari a little bit. She owned a cute and sexy babydoll which she had bought for bed, but with her newfound confidence she felt like it was perfect to tease Ari. 

She slipped the tiny translucent black number on, without any bra or panties. She turned around to tiptoe back to bed but let out a squeal when she saw that Ari was awake and checking her out. 

"Ari! Shit you scared me! I thought you were sleeping,"

"No, I'm not," he gasped. He was breathing hard too. Maddy was puzzled but then she saw movement under the blankets. 

"Ari, what are you doing?"

"Sorry Billo, you putting on the lotion was the hottest show I ever saw, I can't help it, fuck," he said as he jerked himself harder. 

Maddy was shocked but she recovered quickly. "That's not fair. I must punish you you naughty boy,"

"Really?" He smirked. "What do you have in mind?" 

"Well for starters, you're not allowed to waste your cream two times in a row."

Ari's cock jolted when he heard that. "W-what do you mean?"

"It means I'm going to practice giving you a blowjob, and you're not allowed to cum until I say so. Okay?"

Ari gulped. "Okay billo."

Maddy tied her hair back and got down to business. Safe to say that Ari came a little too quickly thanks to her enthusiastic virgin mouth on him but then he made it up to her by eating her out again. 

[incorrectolivia]

i keep saying that rina had no reason to make it past season one after rini got back together if they were not the endgame ship, so here are all the moments i knew that ricky and gina were meant to be after s1.

2.01 ricky looking back at gina at the nye party

2.02 gina’s little smile when ricky showed up for the audition 

2.03 ‘sorry there’s just some things i tell that i don’t really tell anyone else, yeah no, i think we do that for each other’

2.06 the flashback scene, ricky being in the frame twice when gina’s heart is being referenced

2.04 the back and forth (the running joke)they had about the chocolates

2.09 the plot for the episode focused on gina and ricky both taking romantic steps(not towards each other) but their storyline is so tied

their interactions been cut off completely to give portwell a build up, if their story was over, they would have eased their characters back into having casual conversations as friends 

3.01 ricky showing up to camp right at the end when ej said nothing will come in between him and gina

3.02 ricky and gina starting all over again

3.03 ‘and we’re still walking in the same direction’

3.04 the paper snatch scene showing how easily they fell back into their old dynamic/ ricky’s ‘you don’t know the full story’ to jet

3.05 had other characters react to their performance, plus duh the song… what do you know about love? the context of gina talking about showmance and romance in ep3. ricky verbally admitting his feelings for gina

3.06 the show once again making parallels to frozen and ricky basically being by her side all through the day

3.07 the camera focused on ricky’s reaction to gina walking in at prom and not on ej(her bf). gina looking for ej so they can have the last dance of the night but instead finding ricky who was already looking at her

3.08 ricky trying to make a wish for his birthday and the camera switches to him asking about gina, ricky looking over to gina while singing kristoff’s lullaby

didn’t include everything but these ones are dear to my heart and that’s on rina endgame

[darthyourmomgay]

⚠️MANDO S3 E6 SPOILERS ⚠️

⚠️You have been warned⚠️

I know people are upset that it appears Din is being sidelined in his own show but hear me out on this one.

First let’s get this out of the way, Pedro Pascal was in the Last of Us which explains this to some extent. Just for some context. But I also don’t think Din is being sidelined at all. His role IS STILL important and reflects his character development, as well as Bo Katan’s. In the latest episode of Mando, Din gives the darksaber to Bo Katan who by the sword’s rules now belongs to her. This isn’t the first time that Bo has had the darksaber, Sabine Wren gave it to her in Star Wars rebels. However that time did not end well at all. Mandolore fell. I think that this is because Bo was trying to reclaim Mandolore on her own, but if I had to guess Star Wars is setting it up for that not to happen this time. Because Bo has Din now. This reflects central themes of Star Wars (redemption and the importance of community). The latter also pertains to Din’s character development in seasons one and two. He started off exclusively working alone but now has found a sense of community and family. Din never wanted to have the darksaber, it wasn’t meant for him. I think that the story is leading towards Din as a right hand man to Bo Katan. I am so here for that. He’s a perfect counterpoint to Bo’s reign (note none of this has to be romantic, it can be platonic) Din is in many ways much more personable than Bo is and Bo is a better fighter. Anyways Bo for Mandolore this was super ramble-y.

[lesbiancarat]

i finally finished exclusive fairytale and i want to give some thoughts/a review! (contains spoilers)

honestly modern school/coming of age dramas usually aren't my cup of tea, i wouldn't have picked up this type of drama if jun weren't in it. but i was determined to enjoy it for what it was even if it's not the type of story i usually find compelling, and i definitely did

i really appreciated the humor, i'm a sucker for 4th wall breaks and record scratch moments, even if it's kind of cheesy humor i thought it was well done. they didn't overdo it, i think they kept a good balance of humor and sincerity throughout the show

i also REALLY like how realistic most of the relationships felt in the show. a lot of dramas will create over the top/dramatic plots with big misunderstandings or jealousy or these very dramatic romantic moments that just don't happen to most people in real life. and there's nothing wrong with dramas that are like that, dramas are meant to be entertaining and dramatic plots make them so. but especially when it came to xiao tu and ling chao's relationship it felt really refreshing to see a very quiet and gentle romance that develops over the years

like after they got together they didn't dramatically change their personalities or how they acted around each other, even when other's commented how they weren't being "romantic enough". because they were already comfortable with each other from growing up together, and the drama just let them be comfortable in their relationship from the get-go. and how xiao tu kept "forgetting" she and ling chao were together at first when she was making plans, honestly that's a very realistic thing. like moving through the world as a single person is different, and you really do have to adjust your mindset and your habits to accommodate another person when you're in a couple and that switch doesn't flip overnight

and there were misunderstandings and moments of jealousy but they were all handled pretty realistically too. when xiao tu and ling chao had misunderstandings they would just talk about it and resolve it. and even between characters that had a conflict, like liking the same person (eg. ling chao and yin zihan or xiao tu and xu linglong) they were still able to be civil toward each other and even friends rather than treating each other as mortal enemies (and on the topic of xu linglong i won't spoil her character arc but i really appreciated how it ended up)

like there's a thousand other examples i could give but i really was very impressed with how realistic the relationships were. it really felt like the author was writing from experience and not writing an idealized version of a romance or over dramatizing it

the one relationship/plot point i didn't really like was the whole thing with ling chao's father. imo given the fact that ling chao's father as far as they told us had NO contact with him or his mom for like the first ~16 years of his life so he could start a business to support his family makes no sense to me. like why did he need to move out and cut off contact completely if he still cared for them and was doing it for their benefit? it would have made more sense to me if he was still living with them but wasn't a good father when ling chao was a kid bc he was busy with work. or if he was always on business trips, or making some effort to be a dad but failing bc it wasn't his priority. like it was an active choice for him to not contact his son for his entire childhood. or alternatively, the dad could have left when ling chao was a kid bc he fell out of love/separated from ling chao's mom and then have them fall back in love again when ling chao's in highschool. idk the motivation they gave him for being absent but apparently still being a really loving and invested dad just seemed like lazy and unrealistic writing. like i didn't need them to spend longer on that plot and i was fine with ling chao forgiving his dad relatively quickly bc that's not the main point of the show i just wish the logic behind him being an absent father for the first part of ling chao's life made a bit more sense lol

on another note, i've seen some people complaining about the dubbing, but from the perspective of a regular c-drama watcher, it's actually not bad. there were some scenes where the dubbing was more out of sync but it was all pretty standard. it's actually on the better end of dubbing i've seen. of course it's not the same/as ideal compared to not dubbing, but if you watch c-dramas it's just something you have to get used to lol

overall i don't think this show is super groundbreaking, but it is very well done for the coming of age, childhood friends to lovers show that it is. it's a really light and easy show to watch. not something with a lot of excitement but if you want a show that's relaxing and easy to digest then exclusive fairytale's got you covered!

[fangirlstuff]

Love and Magic

Summary: Our main character and their friends had just gotten back from the Upside Down. Eddie’s wings are messy, and he asks the MC to help him.

Pairing: Eddie Munson X reader, but the character is more of a main character. No y/n.

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: Eddie has wings and they’re very sensitive. Just a bit of smut, but nothing too hands-on. There is a little plot here, but you didn’t come here for that.

AN: God, I can’t believe I wrote this. Anyway, Eddie has wings in this fic because I love wings, but don’t question the origin or physics. I have no clue. This is just a headcannon I suppose, lol. Enjoy :)

We decided to stay close. Eddie and I, along with Nancy and Robin, took Eddie’s trailer, and the kids and Steve stayed in Max’s. It felt good to know they were so close, but I just wanted to be alone.

I wasn’t so lucky. We were pushed into two bedrooms, and I was stuck with Eddie.

Not that I was complaining. And neither were the girls.

The lights in the other trailer were already off. The kids had done this before, but Eddie and I hadn’t.

I laid on his bed and stared at the poster-covered ceiling. I kept running it through my head- shadows, bats, vines, lights, all of it. The story was blurring, my eyes were closing. It was all fuzzy.

Then Eddie came into the room. He looked angry as he closed the door behind himself, and as my eyes trailed down, I understood why.

His wings were covered in goopy black stuff. The feathers were stuck together, some already falling out.

“Can you help me?” He asked. He spoke in a whisper, he didn’t want to wake the girls. I nodded and he sat in front of me on the bed, his back to me.

“Just pull them out. The ones that are gross,” he said.

“Won’t that hurt?”

He shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

So I started at the end of the left one. He stretched out the feathered limb and it almost covered the entire room. I took the trashcan from his floor and set it next to me.

I pulled them out one by one, then handfuls at a time. He winced almost every time, but he didn’t make any noise.

I told him when the trashcan was full and he got up to empty it. He fluttered it once, clean almost to the part that met his back. A few feathers fell onto the floor, but he just left them.

When he got back, he stretched the other wing out before I could say anything. I began on that one, and went through the same routine as the last.

He emptied the can one more time before he came back to sit in front of me.

I worked my way toward his back, pulling out a few at a time.

His head fell into his hands, held up on his knees.

“You okay?”

He just nodded. I kept going.

He fluttered his wings the closer to his back I got.

“Does it hurt too bad?”

He shook his head. “Just keep going.”

He breathed the words, he didn’t just whisper them.

I continued, but softer than before. More careful. My fingertips searched for the ones that stuck to each other, and pulled them down instead of out.

He sucked in a breath every time I did so. I began to understand that he wasn’t in pain, that he might not have been this whole time.

I finished both wings, but he still didn’t turn toward me, or get up, or do anything.

I took my hands away, and he almost chased them. “Don’t stop.” He said.

So I kept going. I touched his wings lightly to watch them flutter, then I pulled on the ends to get him to make any noise at all, and after I got closer to him, he finally did.

I’d never heard Eddie Munson moan before, but I was sure I did then.

So I kept going, my touch getting rougher. I moved toward his back and he met my hands there, pushing back onto them. I held them there, sturdy, almost massaging where his skin met his feathers.

He was breathing heavy. His back arched when I pinched his skin, and he threw his head back. I was afraid he would wake the girls, but he didn’t make a sound.

“Turn around.” I said. I meant it playfully, but that’s not exactly how it came out.

He did, and what I saw before me was a mess.

His eyes were watering, dark with lust. His lips were parted, his skin was glistening. And he was staring at me, waiting for my next command.

I smiled at him and pulled him closer. His legs looped around my waist and he fell against my chest.

I unbuttoned his jeans- I could tell they were strangling him- and brought my hands up again to his back.

I kept playing with his wings. I didn’t know how fast doing so would make him turn to putty, how easy it was to make him feel good.

And shit, did I feel good too.

He kissed my neck to keep himself quiet. I ran my hands up his back, then around the wings again and again. I felt his breaths get faster against me, I felt his hips twitching.

I looked above us, and realized the room went dark. I thought for a moment I was back in the Upside Down before I realized that his wings were circling us both, blocking us from the window behind me.

“Don’t stop,” he whispered in my ear. “Please don’t stop.”

“I won’t, baby. I won’t.” My touches got harsher and faster. He bit my neck. I pulled his head up with one of my hands, and made him kiss me.

He melted against my lips. I brought my hand back as he toyed with my tongue, then I pinched both my hands at the same time.

He moaned into my mouth as he came, biting my lip. I think I came too, everything felt a bit hot and sticky. I kept playing with his wings as he broke the kiss apart, panting onto my neck.

I held him there as we both recovered, my hands stalling. He kissed my neck before he backed up enough to look at me. I missed his warmth already.

“Thank you,” he said. He was searching my eyes for any sign of disgust, anything of the kind. He didn’t find any.

“Of course,” I kissed him again. “I didn’t know that would feel so good.”

“Me neither. I’ve never… I’ve never touched my wings like that before.”

“I would imagine, I don’t think you can reach.” I joked. He smiled.

He kissed me this time. And when he pulled away, he squeezed my hip twice. “Do you need-?” He trailed off.

I shook my head. “I did. Just now.”

We giggled like schoolgirls, quietly between each other. I felt giddy, I had never done that before. And I could tell he was too, but it was different.

“Ask me if you want that again.” I said before I could think about it. I really wanted to do it again, especially if it made him feel that way.

He blushed a deep red before nodding. “Soon,” he said. “But now, sleep.”

I couldn’t agree more. The inter-dimensional travels and whatever that was weighed my eyelids down.

We changed our clothes, getting the stench of love and magic off of us. He clicked the lights off and we both got into bed.

“Goodnight,” I said.

He turned over and kissed my forehead. “Goodnight, love.”

I smiled as I drifted off.

[blank-loop]

Could you maybe do an angsty Oboro x reader oneshot where reader has to deal with Oboro not being around anymore? Maybe Shouta, Hizashi and Nemuri are kind of there to help as well?

#☁️🌙 (hopefully I did this right?)

hi ☁️🌙 anon (cloudnight tag???!!)! first off, yes, you did the anon tag thing perfectly!

thank you for your req! this brought me pain to write but it was fun. hopefully it's alright since i started losing motivation towards the end... so it's quite short... yeah. i love the cloudy lad and I am still salty about him dying but here we are. i hope this meets your need for angst.

Hope you enjoy! Likes, reblogs, comments & follows are appreciated!

The Ones That Matter Most : oboro shirakumo x gn!reader

cws: unresolved arguments, blood, character death, "man" used as neutral slang, slight hyperventilating

The day he'd left had been the most guilt-filled day of your life. You'd known something was wrong as soon as you'd walked into the hospital to find your three best friends sitting on Shōta's hospital bed crying, and no Oboro with them. They looked up as you entered.

"You're here…"

You nodded silently, mouth dry. "What happened? Where's Oboro?" You felt your heartbeat quicken. They stayed silent for a few moments.

"He didn't…" Shōta started. His gaze dropped and he squeezed his eyes closed.

"There was a villain… a building collapsed and… he didn't make it," Hizashi said, unusually quiet. His voice cracked a little as he also looked away.

You were almost speechless. "...What?"

You didn't want to believe it, but looking at the state of the other three, it was true.

Hizashi's glasses lay in his bloody hands, one lens missing and the other one cracked. Nemuri was the most worn out, bruised and distressed you'd ever seen her. Shōta was a different story. It was a well-known fact in your class that he rarely displayed any sort of emotion. But there he was, a blubbering mess, puffy-eyed and red-faced. His left arm was held across his chest in a new, white cast, and he had several deep cuts and large bruises on his face.

"He was… he was trying to protect… some kids," Shōta choked out between heavy breaths. Then the sobs came again. His whole body shook with each one. You could do nothing but watch as Nemuri lay a hand tenderly on his shoulder. "I should've- I should've protected him. I'm… I'm so sorry."

You watched your friends for a moment more, trying to decide what to say. They should know, right?

You felt your cheeks become wet with the first of your tears as you slowly registered what all that meant. "I didn't get a chance to apologise to him…"

Hizashi looked up. "Huh?"

"We… we had an argument. Yesterday," you said numbly. "It was something- it was something so, so stupid and insignificant. I was… I was going to apologise to him after he got back from patrol today."

They looked at you, faces stained with tears.

"Shit, man," Hizashi breathed. "I'm so sorry." The other two remained silent aside from their quiet crying.

"He… he did mention something about- about you… arguing," Shōta whispered after a while. "He was- he was going to bring you… something."

"...he was?" you asked through your tears quietly.

"Yeah."

"We're sorry," Nemuri said. She wiped her eyes, not caring for her running mascara dripping down her hand and onto her arm. "He saved the lives of a whole class of kids at the cost of his own."

You stepped towards Shōta's bed slowly, still processing all they had told you, all they had been through, what it meant for your future. You sat down next to Hizashi at the foot of the bed.

"We all still wish we could have done something more to help. Shō had to fight the villain all by himself as well," Nemuri mused. "He died a hero, sweetie."

"Sheesh, you don't gotta be so blunt, Kayama," Hizashi muttered. "This is a shock to us all. But… I can't even begin to imagine how you feel." He motioned towards you.

Everything blurred as your tears fell quicker. The sound of your own wobbling and wailing voice filled your ears. You drew in short, shaky breaths. Your own tears fell sideways across your face from one eye into the other.

You didn't say anything. You lay down slowly into Hizashi's lap. Your tears dropped onto his now slightly-torn leather pants.

It all felt like a horrible nightmare. How could it be real? Oboro was gone… you never got to say goodbye, never got to make up for the argument. That would be something that you would carry the guilt for for the rest of your life.

Everywhere hurt. It felt like someone had punched you in the gut over and over and not waited for you to get back up. You almost needed to throw up.

Everywhere hurt. You remembered the argument. The anger you felt. The aggression of your raised voices. The fury in each other's eyes. And for what?

Everywhere hurt. You barely registered Hizashi's hand lightly stroking your head. You gripped his leg a little. He tensed slightly, but didn't shake you off.

- End -

You weren't ready to accept it.

You weren't ready to let Oboro go.

But he had gone to some place beyond your reach.

You all knew you wouldn't be able to save everyone you encountered.

It was the first thing you'd been taught as hero course students.

It hadn't hit you that "everyone" had included your friends, your allies.

Not just civilians.

The people you care about.

The people you love.

The ones that matter most.

—·•∞•·—

> DO NOT COPY/REPOST.

Sign up for my taglist here!

[skaruresonic]

What do you think SA2's flaws are? Not nitpicks, but valid criticisms?

Story and Characterization: • It kind of doesn't make sense that Eggman's threats "fell on deaf ears." The game doesn't really tell us what that means, so we have to assume Shadow meant the negotiations between Eggman and the President didn't go quite as planned. But even that doesn't make sense because Eggman either ended the call first or had his call hijacked by Sonic and Tails. It's not like the President staunchly refused, you know? • Sonic and Tails' attitude towards Amy is a little :L because they treat her like a tagalong, some burden they have to suffer rather than a member of the team. It gives off this uncomfortable "lol girls amirite" vibe. • Sonic and Tails leaving Amy behind becomes something of a running gag. It gives off the impression they're just lugging her along and only lends Amy more reason to "whine," as she puts it. • Amy's also a little bratty in this game. I kind of don't like how much she pouts. In addition, she becomes pretty passive despite having infiltrated Prison Island all on her own. • Sonic's characterization is serviceable but his portrayal really doesn't do a whole lot with his character aside from the faker plot. (This is reflected in SA2B's manual describing Sonic's role rather than his character.) Not a criticism as much as an observation, per se; just pointing out that SA2!Sonic is probably not the most fleshed-out version of the character the series has to offer.

• It's probably a side-effect of a poor English translation, but SA2!Sonic comes off as a bit of a jerk sometimes. He frequently leaves Amy behind and jokes that he'd have to "think about" handing over the fake Emerald in exchange for her. In addition, the lyrics of "Deeper" imply Knuckles wishes Sonic would be more sympathetic to his plight. • It would have been nice if the game confirmed that Maria had NIDs and that was the reason for Project Shadow's existence. As it stands, the reason why Gerald was working on it can be difficult to parse if you're judging from the game's contents alone. • The fact that the Biolizard is kinda this "giant space flea from nowhere" plot development. And yes, I acknowledge that he was foreshadowed in Rouge's report, but that's too much of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment to really count imo. • While I get that he was busy with other things, I think Eggman should have tried to keep a keener eye on Rouge. He seems a little too laissez-faire with letting her run around the colony and giving her access to the mainframe.

• I still don't know how Rouge expected to make off with the Emeralds considering they were ensconced in the Cannon. Or why Shadow simply left her there when he knows she wanted to take them.

• The time stamps can be a little confusing, and in one instance contradict the timeline of the narrative. • We could have benefited from maybe one or two more Shadow and Maria flashback scenes in order to cement the nature of their relationship.

• I sometimes question the President's relationship to GUN - they seem to be acting independently of his orders, going batshit at that - and whether he was willing to let Rouge die in the course of her undercover work. Because GUN hadn't gotten the memo that she wasn't the enemy and sicced Flying Dog on her.

• Knuckles' story doesn't seem terribly connected to the overall narrative.

• Knuckles is made a buttmonkey a bit too often for comfort's sake, getting yelled at by multiple characters, shaken and insulted by Rouge, pulled on by Amy, called a "knucklehead" by Sonic, volunteered by Sonic to find the keys when he doesn't want to, and Sonic ofc saying Knuckles piloting the shuttle was more dangerous than Eggman could ever be.

• I think maybe we could have benefited from hearing a bit more of Eggman's thoughts on Gerald's motives and how they related to his own. --- Gameplay and Graphics:

• The graphics are rough, unfortunately. Character models don't really look that good up close and the mocap can get pretty janky at times.

• I think, also, when comparing SA1 DC to SA2 DC, the framerate isn't as smooth. Scanlines become especially noticeable during the final Sonic vs. Shadow fight when the catwalk loads in.

• Kart racing sucks pretty bad; they probably could have cut it entirely, and it's annoying that you have to do it in order to earn 180 emblems. The computer's a cheating bastard and will make perfect 90-degree turns whereas you're forced to swerve all over the road like you're drunk.

• Raising Chao takes way too fucking long and it shouldn't be an emblem requirement. It's an interesting system but, again, shouldn't be a requirement for 100% completion.

• Overall I think the desert stages are SA2's weaker stages in terms of level design. It's not that they're terrible or anything, but they seem to lack the polish of other stages. Egg Quarters Hard Mode is especially annoying because it depends on the Kikis' wonky AI functioning correctly. Half the time they blow themselves up and ruin your A-rank. • Sonic's Cannon's Core section feels rather short and too easy compared to the other segments. I would think in terms of gameplay it'd make more sense to make it the most difficult and tightly-paced. --- Soundtrack: • Not as diverse as SA1's, although I do like how the "Live and Learn" leitmotif is woven throughout many different tracks. • Not sure why they decided to make some tracks on SA2 DC's sound test DLC-only.

[amlettmarshmallow]

Anyone wanna read a strange story that won't make much sense?

@garlicbreadcat2006 gotta give credit where credit is due. Thanks to my awesome cousin. Some of these characters are theirs and they took all the messages I wrote this in and put it in a google doc. Now buckle up because this is gonna get weird.

Apologies in advance for any spelling mistakes.

It was a dark night. Nothing to be seen for miles in the empty wasteland surrounding the realm. There he was. Crouched on the city wall, surrounded in fog and gloom. Gavin. The Shipper Guy. Every night he could be seen, there on the wall, waiting for his sworn enemy to appear from the darkness to challenge his power.

Felicity was her name. She was so dark that even darkness feared her. But Gavin was not afraid. He had faced her many a time before. And each time she had retreated like the darkness at sunrise. And Gavin was the sun.

Gavin peered into the dark shadows before him. And saw her. The accursed one. She had created false ships and turned them into things. She acted as if she were everyone's friend. But in truth she was the darkest unclean evil ever to walk the earth. 

She tricked her aforesaid "friends" into doing her bidding. She laced her treats and delectables with poison that allowed her to control their minds.

Thankfully her accomplices had not accompanied her this night. That would have meant near doom for everyone in the realm. 

Rosie and Melody. Beautiful names. But their hearts were the purest evil. Both had the power of love. But they used it for evil purposes. Gavin himself had experienced Melody's control over the mind. It had been a horrible mind wrenching experience that he did not want to ever repeat again.

"Come closer if you dare to challenge me again," said Gavin, his cloak billowing around him in the wind. 

"You know that I am the best shipper in this land. You are just too weak to admit it," said Felicity, stepping closer to the wall which Gavin now stood upon. 

"Actually, I do not know that. I know that I am the best shipper. And that you hast failed in every ship you hast made," Gavin said leaping from the wall, drawing his sword as he fell towards the earth.

Felicity held a sword made of the water of the stream that flowed out of the city by the time Gavin landed on the ground. "I hereby challenge your right to the power which you now wield and as with this challenge like unto all that hast past before if I should defeat you in battle you should bestow the powers which I seek upon me," sayeth Felicity.

"And I declare that you speak too much in one single sentence," replied Gavin.

"Well you will not even be able to speak when I am done with you," said Felicity, advancing towards him. 

"You are the one who will be unable to utter a sound," retorted Gavin, raising his sword in preparation for her attack. 

Felicity made a move as if to attack him, drawing him to defend against her. But she dodged his attack.

Gavin just attacked again and again relentlessly. Felicity had great difficulty keeping up with his attacks. Then as their swords clashed, Gavin's sword unexpectedly sliced straight through her's. This left him off balance, and he tumbled to the ground, Felicity pinning him there with her sword at his throat. "This is the end." she said as the readers are left in suspense.

Gavin somehow maneuvered out of her grasp and did a back handspring to kick her in the face. "You are never going to be greater than me. I will always find a way to escape from your treacherous clutches." He said, and then jumped over the head of Felicity, landing behind her. 

Felicity spun around caught off guard by the suddenness of what he had just done. "You still haven't defeated me though. And you probably never will." She said as she ran back into the dark night.

Cal stood in the doorway of her favorite restaurant leaning against the door frame. Waiting for Gavin. He said he would come as soon as morning came. Cal just stood there in her jeans, tucked in t-shirt and jean jacket, chewing a piece of gum and blowing an occasional bubble. Then she saw a figure in the shadows. She thought it was Gavin for a split second. The two were roughly the same height. But as soon as he stepped into the light of the street lamp she realized he didn't have blond hair. And then  just as quickly she realized who it was. Tony.

"Well. I didn't think I would run into you here." Said Tony as he stepped closer to Cal. " I hoped that tonight would be uneventful. But I guess I hoped for too much." Said Cal, preparing herself to turn into a dragon.

"Well. Looks like your night just got eventful." Said Tony, turning invisible. "Darn it." Cal said under her breath. "Where is Gavin when I need him." She took her jacket off, threw it up on a lamp post, and turned into a dragon. "How is being a dragon going to help you find me?" Tony said, skepticism in his voice. Even though Cal couldn't see him she could hear the smirk in his voice. It disgusted her. He was nothing like Gavin. Even twins have their differences. "I know something about dragons that you don't. Well actually a lot of things. But one specific thing that matters right now." She said, following the sound of his voice. "And what is that exactly?" Tony asked. Cal replied "why do you think I'm going to tell you?" "Idk. It was worth a shot. " "Well then." Cal said. Then pounced on him. He landed on the ground with Cal the dragon sitting on him. He was obviously quite dazed. Cal turned back to her human form and picked him up by his shirt and tied him to a lamp post. The sun was coming up. Gavin should be there soon. "Where is he." Cal said quietly, returning to her place in the doorway.

Cal spotted another figure running across the rooftops. And again it was not Gavin. This figure was one that was.. Um.. Cat-like. And another figure less cat-like but still one who at least loves cats a lot. She kept seeing Parkersons today. The first one was Mooky. Who.. Is a cat. But right now he was in his human form. The other one was Sam "The Cat King" as he called himself. "Are the girls the only ones who try to act normal around here?" Cal wondered, shaking her head and smiling. They were awesome though. "Hey Cal!!" Sam yelled as he ran past. "Hey Cat King!!" Cal said, laughing. "Hey! I’m the one who's actually a cat!!" Yelled Mooky. "We know!" Cal yelled back.

"I hast arrived in your presence." Gavin said, stepping out of an alleyway, smiling. "Finally." Cal said walking over to him and giving him a quick kiss. They stood there smiling at each other for a moment then Gavin said "I see that my traitorous brother made an appearance this night." " Yes he did.  So I had to take care of him. " Cal said. Tony was still there, tied to the lamp post, out cold. "You want some breakfast?" Cal asked. "That would be quite enjoyable at the moment." Gavin replied. They walked into the restaurant together and sat down at a table. Gavin got a few strange looks. It wasn't everyday that you see a man with a cloak and sword just casually walk into a restaurant. But the sideways glances and suspicious looks had grown less since Cal brought him here quite often now. Cal ordered chocolate milk and pancakes with marshmallows on them. Her usual. Gavin could never decide what to get. He insisted on getting something different every time. Boys and their crazy antics. Cal smiled as she watched thoughts go through Gavin's mind of what he should get this time. Finally he decided on just a smoothie. But it was a banana strawberry smoothie with a mix of whipped and marshmallow cream on top. One of the many smoothie specialities of Zac. Drew brought out their order and put it on the table. "Hi people." He said. He didn't seem like he was having a very good day. He hated his job as a waiter. "Bad day?" Cal asked. "Yah. James won't quit talking." Drew replied. "I bet you I can get him to quit talking." Cal said, getting up and waking over to the kitchen door. "Good luck." Drew said. Cal pushed through the swinging kitchen doors. There was James. Washing dishes. Jabbering away. "James!" Cal yelled. James froze. "Quit talking or you won't be anything but a piece of toast." The rest of the kitchen staff snickered. Cal enjoyed annoying James. She walked out of the kitchen smiling and sat back down in her seat. "He shouldn't bother you too much anymore." She said, enjoying the look on Drew's face.

Cal looked around the room looking at all the different people. She knew quite a few of them, as she came here almost every day. But there was one she didn't quite recognize. He, or she, had its back turned to her, and was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled up. He was sitting by himself. And it looked like he had several cinnamon rolls on a plate in front of him. And then it hit her. And for some reason she started laughing. "What is it that is such a hilarious thing?" Gavin asked. "Guess who that is." Cal said pointing at the person. " I do not comprehend who it is. " Gavin said. Then Cal watched as it hit him too. And he too started laughing. "It's Romeo. But what is he even doing here?" Sam and Mooky walked into the building and immediately  headed straight for their table. "You guys talking about Romeo?" Sam asked. "We heard Cal laughing and figured it was cuz Romeo was here." Mooky explained. " but why is he here? " Cal asked again. "I think he had a break in the work stream and so he came to see Jamie. And maybe some other people. But mostly Jamie." Sam said, Cal nodding. Just then Drew came back out from the kitchen. "Finally convinced Luna Girl to let me off work for the night." Drew said, exhausted from working all night. "I bet 'finally' is an overstatement." Mooky said under his breath. Cal sighed. Still working on some hard feelings between the two. "Ro! Come over here!" Cal yelled. Romeo turned towards her slightly and she could see him inwardly groaning. He motioned for her to be quiet. " I'm under cover. " he mouthed. "Srsly just come over here." Cal said. Reluctantly he walked over to them.   Bringing his cinnamon rolls with him.

"What do you want?" Romeo asked. "Nothing." Cal said, smiling. "Just to say hi and see how you're doing." Said Drew. "Well I'm fine." Romeo said, obviously not really wanting to talk to people.

"Work on any interesting cases lately?" Cal asked, trying to get Romeo to talk. "I'm actually working on one right now." Romeo said, kinda grumpy.

"Anything you can tell me??" Cal asked. She knew he would probably say no. "actually it has to do with Felicity and Tony." Romeo said, surprising Cal that he actually answered. "Well you have quite a few people who know quite a bit about them." Cal replied.

"I know." Romeo said. "That's why I'm here." "Well then. What do you need to know?" Cal asked. "Well, I'm trying to figure out why exactly they became evil. Tell me what you know." Romeo said, looking around at his friends. "Tony wasn't always evil. He was just really quiet. But then he got creepy. He had always been somewhat creepy. But now he was super creepy. I think that's what started it." Sam said. "And Felicity?" Romeo asked. Then someone else walked up to them. She had long brown hair about to her knees, and she had a bow and arrows slung on her back. It was Raina. "No one knows why she became evil." She said. "Not even me." Raina shy around most people, unless they were her friends- or her enemies. She tracked down evil doers and brought them back to the Society. It was an ongoing job, because often people would escape from the Society prison, forcing Raina to track them down and capture them again. "Nothing?" Romeo asked. "There aren't any leads or anything?" "Nothing." Raina replied. "Why does this have to be so difficult?!?" Romeo complained.

"Why don't we talk about this more later at the Society meeting tonight." Cal said. "Okay. See you guys there!" Drew said, waving and walking out the door. "You should actually come to the meeting Romeo. You haven't been to one all year." Cal said, turning back to Romeo. "Okay okay. I'll come. But I'm gonna go see Jamie first." Romeo said, turning to leave. "Bye Romeo!!" Sam and Mooky said in unison, as Romeo walked out into the night. Raina walked over, kissed Mooky and left.

Later that night at the meeting: It was noisy. No. It was very very loud. Everyone was there. Herself (Cal), Gavin, Mooky, Sam, Drew, Luna Girl, Raina, Haylee, Zac, Skylar, Jessica, Fansir, Meeky, Romeo, Jamie, Gabe, Free, Selia, Arlana, all the kids: Leo, Jake, Sylvia, Sophie, CJ, Aron, Kiki, Jackson, and Cleo. And then Zane, and..... Where was James.

Just then a huge portal opened up above the table and out fell James, followed by a girl none of them recognized. And she had a hoverboard. "Who be thou?" Asked Gavin. " I'm your sister. I'm from the future. I know that doesn't mean that I will exist one day. But it's very likely. You know. I might as well just stay here cuz if I do then I'll exist for real. So yah. That's what I'm doing. " the girl said. Everyone looked at James for an explanation. "Don't ask me! She just appeared, grabbed me, and we ended up here!" James said, practically yelling, as always.

Cal stood up putting her hand on her knife just in case this girl was lying. "What is your name?" She asked the girl. "My name is Emma. And I'm here to help you guys. Cal. Take your hand off your knife. I'm not gonna hurt you." The girl-Emma- said. "How do you know my name?" Cal asked, still suspicious. "Cuz you're my bros girlfriend. Duh." Emma said. Cal still couldn't tell if she was telling the truth. "Gabe? Is what she says true?" "Yes. It's true. At least, she thinks it's true. You never know." Gabe said. "Thanks." Cal said, "Okay Emma. Sit down. But you can not tell anyone anything you hear in this meeting, except for the people here. Are we clear?" "Okay okay. Yes." Emma said, sitting down next to James, who kinda inched away from her, obviously nervous. After all she had just appeared out of nowhere on a hoverboard.

"Okay let's get down to actual business." Cal said, sitting back down. "Ro. Shoot." " Soo... I'm working on a case right now. And I'm probably gonna need some people's help -sadly- so yah. " Romeo said, still not enjoying having to talk to people. "Aaand......" Cal said, trying to get him to tell them about the case. "And," Romeo said, grudgingly, "I'm trying to figure out the reason that the two became evil and started this whole mess." "I wanna help! I wanna help!! Please!!!! " James yelled. "Okay okay. James. Calm yourself." Jamie said. "We will figure out who is going on this... Mission I guess... And I will contact each of them individually. Meeting adjourned." Cal said. Everyone got up to leave.

James pov. Part. 😁 James walked down the hallway, down to the kitchen to do some final clean up before Luna Girl closed up the restaurant.  He started moving dishes and pots to their respective places. Then he heard a noise behind him. He spun around, freaked out slightly. This place was creepy at night. There was that girl - Emma - standing in the doorway, smiling at him. "Uh... Hi." James said, getting just a little more freaked. "Hey James." She said, still smiling. She walked up to him, James backing away until his back was to a wall. She came up to him, putting her hand on the wall next to him and smiling at him still. Okay he had to admit. She was gorgeous. But he knew nothing about her and she was kinda creeping him out. Then something happened. She kissed him. His eyes widened, he was blushing super hard. He had no clue why this was happening. She finally pulled away, smiled at him, and walked away. James stood there for a good five minutes, stunned. Then Luna Girl walked in. "James you ready to close up- uh.. James?" James just stood there not answering. "James. Bro. Come on." Luna Girl said, snapping him out of his daze. "Oh. Uh.. Yah. I'm ready. " he said, following LG out of the building.

Cal had decided on who to take on the mission and they had all been contacted. Romeo was going of course. He was the one who started this mission in the first place. Herself and Gavin were both going, Drew, James, Sam, Mooky, and Emma. She wanted to keep an eye on Emma just to make sure that she didn't get into any trouble, or was actually working for the enemy. She was also taking Gabe and Raina since they knew the most about Felicity, and how to talk to her and things. And mind reading would come in handy.

_____Drew pov. 😁_____ Drew went upstairs to where Luna Girl's office was. She was his girlfriend. But she was also his boss. He never really knew which one to expect. Hopefully he would get the girlfriend side today. Drew walked into her office and said "hey," and smiled. Luna Girl looked up from some papers she had been examining. "Yes Drew?" She said. "Just wanted to let you know that I got called onto the mission." Drew said, hoping for the best. "Really now? I'm guessing you'll be missing work again?" Looked like she was all business today. Drew sighed. "Yes. I will be missing work." "And you realize you will not be getting paid for the hours that you are not here?" They had been over this every time he'd gone on a mission. "Yes. I remember." Drew said. "We go over this every time." Luna Girl smiled. "Just making sure your memory works." Drew laughed. " I don't know how I could forget. You've only said it to me a kajillon times. " "It hasn't been that many." Luna Girl said. "Well remembering that you said it also makes it easier to remember." Luna Girl laughed. She got up, came over to him and kissed him. She pulled away. "Good Luck on the mission. Please try not to let anything happen to you" "I'll try. I've got Cal and the Parkersons there too. They'll I make sure nothing happens." "I sure hope so." They stood there for a moment smiling at each other. Drew kissed her one more time and said "I love you."  "I love you too." Luna Girl replied hugging him and watching as he walked out the door. Then Drew poked his head back in the room. "By the way James will probably be up here soon." He said. "Okay." Luna Girl said laughing.

Fansir walked into a dark room. "I did what you asked. I went to the meeting and got the requested information." "Good. Now tell me. What are they planning?" Said the voice from the darkness. "They are planning a mission. To discover why you became evil." Fansir said. "Well then. You may leave. You have served you purpose for now." Said the voice, Felicity. "As you wish." He said, leaving the room. He was glad to get out of there. There was just a dark coldness about the place. He was starting to wonder though. Had he really chosen the right path? It had seemed like the best choice at the time. But he had actually kind of enjoyed being with other people. And that girl Jessica was really nice. And maybe just a little pretty too... He smiled thinking about her. But then frowned. How did he know that they weren't all just acting nice. What if they were the evil ones. But what if he was the evil one. But even if he was on the evil side, would he join the good side? Here he had nice accommodation and plenty of food. He lived quite comfortably here. He had everything he could ever want. Could he give that up? But was he truly happy here? He tried to convince himself that he was. But he still had doubts.

[echantedtoon]

Love Doesn't Do Encores Ch46 Epilogue

(Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank everyone who read this far and liked my story enough to read it to it's end. I had a lot of fun writing it and it makes me happy knowing some people loved it enough to read it fully. If you liked this consider checking out my other works. Thanks to everyone for reading this, faving it, or leaving a nice comment. And thank you to Nintendo and Game Freak for creating such wonderful characters and giving me the opportunity to make this wonderful story.)

"What do you mean he went off somewhere again?''

Marnie shrugged in front of you. "He left a good number of days ago. I thought ya already knew that. Didn't my big bro tell ya anythin' 'fore he left?"

You shook your head wide eyed. "No. I didn't even have any idea he was gone! How long has he been missing?"

"'Bout two weeks ago. Said he had ta take a quick trip over somewhere ta pick up somethin' after Sonia told him 'bout it. Not sure what tho. But M' sure he'll be back soon."

"And how do you know that?"

"He called me this mornin'. Said he'll back by tomorrow noon."

"...Oh."

That was strange. You hadn't seen Piers for almost two weeks by now because you both had been so busy lately. The gym was being repainted and renovated for some minor repairs and Piers had been talking to an agent Nessa recommended him to start working on his first ever album to be launched soon. Not to mention he was speeding up things ready to retire from his Gym Leader position to fully hand it over to Marnie and at the same time managing Marnie's homeschooling and gym leader studies. Needless to say he was really, really busy. And so were you. More people had moved to Spikemuth which meant that the cafe had been a LOT busier with more and more customers and managing your home with all your pokemon. Managing to also convince Eclipse to join your crazy family. So you hadn't seen Piers lately but only assumed that was because he was busy with everything he had on his plate. But..he had left without telling you? That was very much unlike him. Where did he go? To see his agent? Why didn't he tell you? Maybe he's been so busy and stressed that he had just forgotten? You'd just stop by to see if he wanted to join you for lunch that day and was hit with the news when Marnie answered the door. Well you'd soon find out what he was doing anyways since he was returning tomorrow. The next day came faster than expected and you were in the middle of work too. Your coworker and yourself were in the front restocking some napkins and condiments to tables when a man of monochrome hair and smile on his face walked in and you paused in your tracks, eyes widened, and the napkins you were holding fell onto the table as none other than Piers himself walked through the door sending the little bell above the door ringing. 

"Piers!?"

"'Ello, Love," he said with a smile on his face turning towards your wide eyed look. "M' home."

"Where have you been!?," you asked turning from the table and frowning at him. "You took off for two weeks without telling me! I thought you said you were done with traveling for a long while."

He held up an empty hand. "I know. I know. But I promise I can explain. Can I talk to ya outside for a sec?"

..You looked to your coworker who nodded. "Go ahead. I'll just tell Ma you're taking your mandatory break time."

Well that settled it. With that being a yes you went ahead and followed Piers back outside just in front of the cafe with the bell dinging away behind you. Once outside he stopped and looked at you silently smiling for a moment however you were still confused. It was only after another second or two you opened your mouth, but was stopped when he held up his other hand. You weren't sure how you didn't notice but the entire time he was holding something, that something happened to be a simple pokeball wrapped in a red ribbon. You stared at him, then at him, then back at the balls, and after a moment of silently staring at it, slowly it from him to which he then lowered his hand back.

"...What's this?"

"It's a pokemon."

"I-..W-Well yeah. Obviously. But why?"

"J-Jus' open it," he stammered hand shakily reaching up to grab his choker and blue eyes looking away. "I w-went through the trouble o' gettin' it for ya."

You still stared at him for a moment before looking back down at it. Piers..got you a pokemon? Well that was an unexpected gift but not a bad one! That's actually really sweet of him to do so! With a smile you immediately pulled off the red ribbon and gave the small red and white ball a toss to summon out whatever it was inside. A bright white light popped out from it and the small critter came forth but the sight of it made you pause. It was a pokemon alright and one you HAD seen before...But by accident. When Gloria accidentally gave it to Hop so long ago. The small pokemon had the small body of an apple with eyes poking out at the top where the stem would be and a small green tail behind it. It blinked before looking around and stopping at you. Giving a curious peep towards yourself. 

...An...Applin???

IT WAS AN APPLIN!! A FREAKING CUTE LITTLE APPLIN!! PIERS HAD GIVEN YOU AN APPLIN!! you continued to stare at the small pokemon for a silent wide eyed moment for a moment before looking at Piers.

"W-What's all this about?"

He gave the shakiest most nervous sounding sigh you had ever heard him say. "Y-Yeah...Look. I jus'-....*ahem* I-I-....*sigh* I didn't know how else ta ask. Alright?" His head rolled to the side as he nervously fiddled with his choker with a shaking hand. "I-...I know we h-haven't really t-talked 'bout being together together or anythin' official or nothin'...So I-...I-I remembered what your mate said 'bout the Isle o' Armor. I talked ta Sunny 'bout it and found out there was a ton of these lil guys living over t-there n' secret. So I just..." He sighed again closing his eyes gesturing to the small apple pokemon who made a peeping sound. "I wanted to get ya one and ask-..W-Well it-it's only natural I'd a-ask an' make it o-official at least. I-I MEAN! Only if ya want to. W-What I'm askin' is....Y-Y/n. W-W-Would y-you m-mind..Being m-my..p-partner-" His body flinched feeling a touch on his hand and he snapped his blue eyes up towards you. 

He got his answer when you wrapped your hand around his own and smiled. "Yes."

[humanoidalien27]

Writing Sebastian's jealousy is very weird, I don't usually like writing those bits, but got to keep to his character. 😂 (Honestly, I can't wait to go back to being an Omni-vore. Omni isn't the jealous type, at least in my stories.)

Content warning: Jealousy and plotting

......

Chapter 6

Mending Bonds

The sun was warm as you watched your beasts play with their ball from the toy box.

Your move to the room of requirement was easier with the school being empty and Peeves having fun moving the teacher's stuff around before they come early to get ready for term.

The room accommodated the new arrivals by making bedrooms for the boys and you, which resembled the dormitory, but they were hidden behind bookshelves, in case anyone came in to look, not that they would, being it was still summer and all.

After a little coaxing, Deek agreed to keep your return quiet. He was still happy about you bringing the phoenix in to live freely.

You glanced over as Sebastian sat down beside you.

"Ah, you emerged from your room, have you?" You teased, as you kicked the ball back to the middle when the mooncalf hit it too close. "Was Solomon's journal that interesting?"

"Not really," he said, fidgeting enough to scare away the puffskein. "I wanted to apologize for how I treated you. I wasn't exactly a good friend-"

Confused you shifted towards him. "You went to Azkaban, I think I held the jerk friend title."

He chuckled, but it faded pretty quickly. "No, I mean for how I manipulated you. That was pretty low of me. Besides, you weren't my friend anymore remember?"

You gave a small groan as the niffler came over to try stealing the buckles off his shoes.

That wasn't exactly your best moment. "I was overwhelmed by everything the school year was placing on my shoulders."

He nodded, his eyes scanning the sky. "I know and I knowingly put more on you and twisted things to further your help. I just...I knew I couldn't do it alone and having you there, it felt like I wasn't just being stubborn."

You failed to stop a chuckle from slipping out. "Damn if you weren't stubborn though."

He grumbled something, before sighing. "I am sorry for casting Crucio on you. Given what you told me about your parents, I... I'm sorry."

You shrugged. "It wasn't as bad as the pain that night. You could have done a lot worse if you truly meant to hurt me. I wouldn't have walked out of that place."

He rubbed his forehead, a grimace taking over his features. "I didn't want to hurt anyone, but of course I had to end up hurting everyone important to me and got them wrapped up in more than I can imagine."

Smirking you glanced his way. "I think I've got you beat with this Ministry conspiracy."

"No, I was going to bring up my suspiciousns, but after everything, it didn't feel right."

"Only for it to come to us anyway," you snickered as you shook your head. "Life is weird."

"Your life is weird."

"Says the convict," you teased, making him laugh, before giving his side a bump with your own.

"I guess that's fair." He started fidgeting again while you watched the beasts grazing.

You glanced over, a question that had been on your mind for a while, burning your nerves. "Did you manipulate me into helping because of any specific reason or was it just convenient?"

Shocked by the brusque question, he met your eyes, seeing worry and fear in them.

"You seemed to be adept at getting people to open up and tell you things they normally wouldn't. I shouldn't have, but Anne was running out of time and I was desperate."

Nodding, you fell quiet. Your mind spinning with a mixture of irritation and pain.

Of course he wouldn't feel the same way you had. He was jealous, not because you weren't spending time with him, but because you were useful and otherwise engaged with other friends.

He opened his mouth to talk as you stood up, the words dying in his throat.

"Well, it's getting late. I'm going to turn in. Goodnight Sebastian."

"Goodnight," he half whispered at your back.

The next morning, you and Deek were making breakfast as the boys came in looking equally exhausted.

"Up late?"

Ominis groaned as Sebastian looked down and Felix chuckled. "You could say that. Had to explain why speaking before thinking is a bad thing."

Involuntarily, your eyes shot to Sebastian's who seemed to refuse to meet them.

"Well, Deek and I made breakfast," you said, moving to place some food on the table.

"When did you get food to make this?" Felix asked as he took the spot furthest, with Ominis beside him.

"This morning," you admitted, nearly smirking as everyone turned to begin telling you how dangerous that was. "From the kitchens, you know down stairs."

They settled down as you snickered softly.

"You and Deek made this?" Ominis asked after having a bite of bacon.

"Yes, why?"

His brows pinched. "It's good. I've lived with you for months and you've never made breakfast. You should more often."

"I would have died if I hadn't learned how," you teased taking the only spot left, which was beside Sebastian.

"You didn't cook the whole time you two lived together?"

"We cooked for ourselves," you answered, trying hard not to laugh at the memory of Ominis trying. "Mostly."

Ominis sighed heavily, knowing what you were referring to.

"So, chief, what's the plan?" Felix asked looking at you.

"Why am I in charge? You're older and they've been watching you the longest."

He smirked. "I'd figured you'd be used to leading things, hero of Hogwarts."

You made sure your eye roll was dramatic. "Well, I'm not the one with Solomon's journal."

Sebastian almost choked at the attention, but quickly cleared his throat. "It does have everything we've already learned. But nothing new and it could just be taken as ramblings from an angry auror. We're going to need better evidence."

"What about a Ministry gathering? Well, more of a gathering for status, but still. My family sends me these invites. One recently came for an event next month. If we can get the hair and the invitations of a few who got letters but are busy. We can attend in their place. It's at the Minister's house."

"I know a family that always gets invited but rarely attends parties," Felix mentioned quickly. "I could find out but during that time, I think it's best if the three of you try becoming animagi."

It was your turn to choke on your tea, Sebastian being quick with the back patting.

"Why?"

"They can slip in undetected, if it's not a rather extravagant animal," he answered, motioning around. "It could help us in the future."

"I suppose we do have the time to spare," Ominis admitted softly. "But if I end up a snake, I'm never using it."

"Snakes are only bad because of people's perception of them Omni," Felix mentioned, which only angered Ominis.

"Only one person can call me that, maybe Sebastian, but not you. I don't know you and I'm not sure if we can even trust you."

You watched as he picked up his plate and headed back towards the small library you conjured.

"Don't let him bother you. It took her a whole school year to even be considered friends and look at them now. Practically joined at the hip."

You shot him a glare. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

Before I could reply, Felix cut through. "Remember our conversation last night? Try heeding the advice. Don't ruin your barely mended friendship over something your nose is best left out of."

He fell silent, but looked unhappy about it.

"How exactly will you be getting these invites unnoticed?"

Felix chuckled as he stood up. "Didn't I mention? I'm an animagus."

Sebastian's eyes snapped up. "If you were, why'd you stay in Azkaban?"

"I had my reasons. For now, let me take the reigns while you focus on becoming ones yourselves."

He left by floo powder as you looked to Sebastian. "Was he always like that?"

He only huffed in reply.

You stood, his eyes following the movement. "Well, I have a mandrake we can use the leaves off of."

.....

Master post here.

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