#I made them watch severance and then it wasn't my turn to pick anymore

[daisywords]

Oh! I was going to start watching Twin Peaks!

[hearts4youz]

The Captains Daughter -Chapter 6-

A/N: This chapter is a bit longer, finally writing some real action!! Expect chapters to be a lot less... boring from here on out. The first couple chapters were slow for the purpose of developing the plot and characters and yada yada yada. But anyways- I hope yall enjoy this chapter!!

Word count: 2k

Reader pov:

You flopped on your bed after dinner. Anticipation for the mission tomorrow morning rendering you unable to sleep. Your eyes flicked to the open duffle bag on the floor, clothes spilling out of it. Sighing you got up from your bed and moved towards the bag, picking up discarded clothes as you did. You opened the plain wooden drawers in your bedroom and placed your clothes in them, organizing them by shirts, pants, socks and whatnot. At the bottom of the bag was the one personal item you were allowed to bring, your photo album. Smiling, you reached down and picked up the binder. It was decorated with pink glitter, paint, and other craft materials. You made it with your friends in middle school, it was almost full now. Inside were pictures in as close to chronological order as you could get. You flipped open the binder, the glossy cover protected each of the pages, gliding past your fingers as you turned each page.

At the beginning of the book was pictures from your first birthday, your parents were still together. Your father's eyes squinted shut from his wide grin, you had cake all over your face and sported a huge smile of your own to match his. Your mother however, smiled less enthusiastically than your dad, a faraway look in your eyes. You frown as you focused on her. You didn't remember her much, one of the only memories you had of her being the night she left.

You were three years old, your father had finished your bedtime routine over an hour ago, but you remained wide awake.

"I can't do this anymore John," you heard your mom yell from the kitchen.

"Emilia. please, for Y/N," "please," you heard your fathers pleas.

"John," your mother said quieter, voice breaking.

"I was never meant to be a mother, I love you, so, so much but.." her voice was breaking as her sentance trailed off.

"You can't just leave me, you can't just leave your daughter because parenting isn't for you." "We're supposed to be in this together"

Your father sounded more upset now

"John I-" "You know how I feel about throwing my life away for a kid,"

"Throwing away your life? can you hear yourself right now?" he raised his voice.

"Yes, I can't even go out anymore cause I have to watch her"

"Y/N is the best thing that has ever happened to us, she is our life now." your dad yelled.

"Maybe she's yours, but she sure as hell will never be mine," your mom screamed.

You didn't understand the severity of the situation. You didn't understand why your dad stomped up the stairs, quiet sniffles leaving his nose.

You didn't understand why your dad hugged you tighter then usual before he dropped you off at preschool the next morning, or why he was always sad and drinking.

You didn't understand why mom wasn't coming home.

You closed the book. You didn't have any emotion at the thought of that night, you hardly knew your mother, never saw her again. Your dad explained it to you once you were old enough, once he was over it. The two of you did just fine alone.

Besides, there's a mission tomorrow, which deserves your focus. No need to reminisce on old memories. You laid down on the subpar mattress, falling asleep shortly after.

The next morning you awoke to your alarm blaring once again. Following your normal routine, you got dressed, splashed your face with cold water, brushed your teeth, and made sure your gear was set for the mission. You made sure your pack had everything you needed as well, forgetting something on your first mission wouldn't be very impressive.

You need to prove yourself, you thought. For your team, especially your father and Ghost. Your dad believed in you, you needed to make sure you lived up to his expectations. The harder task, proving to Ghost that you belonged in the 141.

Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you took one last look at your room, scanning for something you could have possibly forgot, and left.

The 141 gets to skip breakfast in order to get the mission done, you were grateful you were missing out on rock hard "pancakes," if you could even call them that.

You were told to meet in the bay, where they kept the vehicles. The plan was to take a Humvee to the drop location, hopefully the area would be clear of infadels, and you could be back by mid afternoon.

You took the stairwell down to the bay, which was basically a glorified parking garage, meeting up with Gaz along the way.

"You ready kid?" he grinned, looking intimidating in full gear. You on the other hand, looked like a kid in grown-ups clothes. Your boots were a size too large, tripping you up occasionally. Your tactical vest hung loose off your stomach. You really did look like a kid compared to the burly men in your squad.

"Ready as i'll ever be," you cringed at the corny reply you let slip out of your mouth. Gaz chuckled.

Gaz briefed you on what to expect as you descended the stairs, missions like these were routine, easy. He had told you.

You felt butterflies in your stomach, slight nervousness setting in as you entered the bay, which Gaz assured you was normal.

You reached the spot where the vehicle was parked, Ghost was already there, having a smoke. He nodded towards the two of you as you neared. You muttered a hello as he offered Gaz a cigarette. He held the packet out to you, offering you one.

"No thanks, I don't smoke," you stated.

Ghost scoffed, "You will eventually."

You furrowed your brows, wondering what he meant.

The three of you stood in silence waiting for the rest of the group. Price was next to arrive, then Soap and Alejandro. Once you were gathered, Your father went over the mission once more, then climbed into the drivers seat. Ghost entered the passenger side, Gaz and soap jumped into the middle row, leaving you and Alejandro with the very back seats.

The drive was mostly silent, until about halfway through when your dad kicked on the radio. It was set to some country station, your father hummed the tune, a few of the men nodded along to the song. After around three hours the vehicle slowed, merging onto a dirt road, after a few miles you came upon a small town, few people milled around the streets. Startled when they saw the armored military vehicle turning up the dusty path.

You came upon a run down building at the edge of the town, you were exposed to anything. If enemies were here, they surely saw you rolling into town. You didn't move a muscle when the car stopped, awaiting orders.

The fear really set in now, the severity of what could happen if there were in fact enemies hiding out in this building.

Your monologue was cut short by the sound of Soap slamming his door shut. You jumped up, startled.

"Relax," Alejandro chuckled.

You sighed, relieved that it wasn't gunshots.

The six of you piled out of the car, grouping up in front of the building. You all stared at Price, waiting for his input.

"Let's get in and get out, If anyone is inside they surely know we have arrived. I would have preferred a stealthier entrance, but I was given close to no information about the area to go off of." He said, any trace of your soft, caring father gone. Replaced by the stone faced military man he reserved for work.

You took in your surroundings, the building was old and weathered. Part of the roof was caved in, moss crawled across the damaged siding. Cracked windows decorated the outside, allowing for a look into the unfurnished building.

The group carried out protocol wordlessly, peering into windows to check for danger, planning entrance and exit routes, and assessing the situation. Everyone seemed to have a job, you were lost in the middle of it. Your father was too focused on the task at hand to help you.

Ghost noticed your slight distress and beckoned you over. He was crouched by a ground level window, pointing at something inside. You stood directly in front of the window, trying to make out what Ghost was pointing at, when you were taken to the ground by a large mass.

The wind was knocked out of you as you looked up at Ghost who was now on top of you.

"Stupid, Rookie mistake." he uttered.

"Is there anything inside that lump three feet above your fucking ass?" He spat.

"My what?" your voice trembled.

"Your head you twat."

"He probably saw you, you fucking imbecile," his words bit into your heart, tugging on the strings.

"He?" you gasped.

"Yes, you twat. There's a soldier in there with our supplies," he said, getting off of you, pushing his boot into your stomach after he stood, for good measure. As if you weren't humiliated enough, there was now a dusty footprint across your body.

Gathering yourself, you stood. Crouching behind the Lieutenant as he steadied his gun, taking aim at the man through the broken glass. A moment later you heard the crack of gunfire and the thump of a body hitting the ground. Ghost had hit his target and moved away from the window, flattening himself and you against the siding before anyone inside could return fire.

Your radio crackled as Ghost briefed the others on the events. Price gave instructions in return.

"Stay close," Ghost murmured in your ear, grasping your arm and leading you around the back of the building. With your free hand, you unholstered your own gun.

You followed Ghost as he rounded the corner. You heard the shouts in the distance as the fighting ensued.

Your radios crackled, "Entering the premises," said Gaz.

Ghost responded, "We're around the back, entering on that side."

Another voice chimed in, "Y/N how copy?"- your dad.

"With Ghost,"

"Copy" The back door was slightly ajar, Ghost kicked it open then stepped to the side for cover, nothing happened and he stepped inside.

The room you entered smelled of mildew and soot. It clearly hasn't been used for its original purpose in years. Pieces of drywall lay on the ground, pieces of broken glass mixed into the mess. Old, torn, and stained furniture was scattered throughout.

You scanned the seemingly empty area. Ghost did the same. Concluding that the coast was clear, the two of you walked further into the building. You suddenly heard the sounds of a skirmish above you. Grunting and banging, sounds of someone hitting the floor.

Gunshots

You and Ghost exchanged a glance before frantically searching for a way upstairs, hoping that the slain wasn't one of your teammates.

Ghost pressed a button on his radio. Once the two of you were officially lost. "Anyone caught in the fight upstairs?"

"Negative," multiple voices said.

Price took over the comms to give more orders.

"We've taken out about five so far. An unknown number remain. Stay cautious. Our supplies are supposed to be at the top floor. Lets meet up there. Once we have as much as we can carry we leave. If you meet an... infidel, you have permission to kill."

"Copy"

To be continued...

Taglist: @abbiesxox

[rightfulcutsiepie]

Hi

can you guys forgive me for neglecting you severely

here's more food, person in my metaphorical basement.

He always thought you knew him better than this. But when he saw your face crumble from one of determination into complete despair, he didn't really know how to feel. You surely had splinters and scrapes all on the bottom of your bare feet. Such soft and warm skin ruined for something as stupid as a failed escape attempt. It's hard to escape a house in the middle of the woods with the tightest twists and turns everywhere you look for the next 30 miles.

He wasn't playing when he said no one would find you. You were heaving, scrambling to leave once more, and he just watched you fail to escape, a pitied look on his face. He appeared magically in front of you again and you screamed in anger.

"Just let me go!! Please- I just- I can't be here anymore. No more...no more."

Your shouts turn into ugly slobs and slurring as you clench his pants, head hanging as you cry.

G Sans stares down at you as you break down. He didn't know much about humans. Always ignored them, kept his distance. The surface wasn't much of a home. At least, the humans didn't treat him like he was a part of what is supposed to be his home. But when he caught eye of you, he wanted to make it work. He wanted to talk to you. He wanted to be near you. So he took you. It didn't seem like anyone would come find you, anyways. They'd ignore your existence like they did his.

But he didn't know a thing about comfort. Feeding you, bathing you every day, doing your hair. You were a high maintenance species and he's learning that the hard way. But for you, he would deal with it just to find the way to treat you the way you needed to be treated. Even if it means finding you outside trying to leave him again. He loves you.

Today, he learned that not only do you need your hair tamed every day, fed 3 times a day, bathed at least once a day, have your teeth brushed twice a day, and go through whatever tasks you want to in order to busy yourself. But you also need social interactions to remain sane. Or at least that's what you say. But he knows that you're kind of saying that to find a way to be released back with the rest of society. But you've already been kidnapped and he doesn't need you spilling crucial information for how you met him in the first place. So, for the first time, he told you no.

"You're a fuckin' handful, sweetheart." G's voice was deep and gravely. It made you sick to your stomach every time he spoke. Haunts your dreams and fucks up your morning when he wakes you for breakfast. He pulls his pack of cigarettes out and picks out his second stick of the day, lighting it. It was pitch black in the woods, so the lighter accentuated his facial features when he flicked it to life. Smoke rose from the end of the stick and he put away the lighter, inhaling what couldn't hurt him before exhaling.

He teleports the both of you to his large bathroom and starts the faucet, hot water shooting out into the tub. "What soap do you want today? Mint? Lavender?" He digs through the cabinet under the sink and pulls out a few for you to choose from. When he turns, you're there on the ground, staring out into space, ignoring him. You looked shitty.

"Lavender it is." He pours the soap into the water, the light scent wafting throughout the bathroom. When he puts it away, he grabs a towel for you and walks over to you. It was only then, that you smack away his hands when he reaches down to help you stand. "Don't FUCKING touch me." G sighs and kneels down to talk to you. "Honey, I'm just trying to help. You look like shit and I know your feet hurt, so just let me take care of you, okay?"

He ignores the tears welling up in your eyes and brings you to your feet. He softly tells you to get undressed and you do. When you step into the tub, G has already turned the faucet off and your muscles relax at the heat surrounding you. G gets rid of the cigarette before starting to wash you.

He gently gets rid of the dirt and grime on your body for the next thirty minutes. It's until he dresses you and brings you to bed that you realize that you can never escape him. The house he owns his humongous, hard to navigate without him, you can't cook anything with the ingredients he has, but he somehow can. And you certainly can't escape. It's over for you and don't even wait until he leaves the room to start crying.

G wipes the falling tear, his cold boney hand making contact with your soft skin again. He can never get over the beautiful feeling. "What's wrong?" You stare up into his yellow eyes that reside in his dark sockets for the first time today. You sniffle, lip wobbling as you clutch your blankets. "What's with all this crying?" You and him both know the answer to that.

"Please let me go home." Your voice sounds dejected. Soft and waning. G coos at you. "You know I can't do that, baby. I'm sorry. I'm trying my best to take care of you here. This is your home."

[gloomysoup]

when the world stops turning (my heart stops beating) - pt. 2

so i decided not to be TOO mean and keep writing this... there will be at least one more part, maybe more, i haven't decided yet. honestly i'm just playing it by ear and seeing how far my brain chooses to take it. so here we go!!

ao3 pt. 1 pt. 2 pt. 3 pt. 4

cw: drugs, drug abuse, illusions to overdose, minor character death, dissociation, hospitals, illusions to child neglect (i think that's it but please let me know if i missed anything)

Eddie hated hospitals.

He sat in the waiting room with his bandmates and their tour manager, thinking about the first time he ever had to go to the hospital.

He was seven years old. His mom had been self-medicating really badly again, floating through their house like a ghost. Pale and lifeless in a way she often was those days. His dad was always out of the house, claiming he was working. Eddie had always been suspicious of that, never sure exactly what kind of work he was doing. His dad never said what his job was, but Eddie knew he had a long history with criminal activity. Wayne had taken him out to the park that day for a couple hours in an effort to get him out of the house.

The nearby park had this line of trees by the pond, set off several feet from the playground itself. Eddie liked to climb those trees when he was a kid. He liked the way the bark felt, digging sharply into his palms. He liked feeling the wind blow, the leaves brushing against his face. It made him feel free. The scary parts of the world couldn't reach him in the treetops. Earthly fears stayed near the ground, tethered to the dirt while he put as much distance between them as he could. Wayne had warned Eddie not to climb too high. Eddie should've listened.

He climbed a few branches up on the tallest tree. His favorite tree to climb. He sat on one of the thicker branches, back against the trunk. He watched the leaves waving in the wind above him. His brain still itched with ground thoughts, so he climbed higher. He kept going until he wasn't worried about his mom anymore. He kept going until his head was blissfully empty of those stupid anxieties. He was finally free.

And then he was falling.

Eddie doesn't remember much of what happened. Wayne says a branch broke unexpectedly, giving way beneath his weight with a loud snap. He hit the ground and passed out. Wayne took him to the hospital, where the doctors said he was lucky. A fall like that and all he had was a broken arm. They put his left arm in a cast and kept him for a few hours of observation, just to be safe. They were worried about a brain injury, or internal bleeding. Wayne called his mom, to let her know what happened, but Eddie always assumed she was too drugged out to understand. She never showed up. Wayne stayed with him the whole time, trying to keep him entertained and distracted. The doctor had given Eddie something to help with the pain, but it didn't help with his dislike of hospitals. He hated sitting in a sterile, white hospital room. His nose burned with the smell of bleach and lemon-scented floor cleaner. He didn't know why they used that stuff. It was overwhelming. He couldn't escape the ground thoughts if he was tethered to the ground.

Once he was finally released, Wayne took him to the pharmacy to pick up his new prescription. Pain meds; take one as needed while the break heals— those mysteriously went missing only three days later, and Eddie suffered in silence from then on. Then Wayne took him home, where his mom was asleep on the couch and his dad was fuming. Eddie vaguely remembers laying in his bed while Wayne and his dad argued in the living room. He isn't sure what they argued about; Wayne never told him and always changed the subject if Eddie asked. He assumed it was about the hospital. Hospital bills aren't cheap.

He wasn't allowed to visit his mom when she was in the hospital. Wayne said she needed space to get better. He knows Wayne just didn't want him around all of that. The hospital always kept him from his mom in one way or another. And then there was the spring of ‘86. It only further solidified his hatred of hospitals. Confined to the lumpy, scratchy hospital bed for weeks. Beeping machines and lemon-scented floor cleaner. Sticky patches and wires that always tangled. Itchy IVs and sharp needles and drugs that made him float just on the edge of too far. He didn't like those. Reminded him too much of his mom.

And now here he was, sitting in the dull waiting room of a hospital in New York. He felt numb. Tears still rolled silently down his cheeks, though he wasn't sure how he had any left. He was completely unaware of the passage of time. It could've been minutes or days, and he wouldn't have noticed. He couldn't stop thinking about his mom. He hadn't thought about her this much in years.

“Eddie?” He looked up at Gareth, but he was barely seeing him. “I'm going to go call Wayne, let him know what's happening. Do you want to come talk to him?”

Eddie blinked slowly a few times, his eyes still glassy. He didn't answer. All he did was stare, unseeing and silent. Gareth sighed, shooting Jeff and Grant a look.

Jeff frowned, also standing. “I should call Robin. She should know too.”

“Go,” Grant said, nodding toward the phones. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Their tour manager was talking to a nurse a few feet away. Eddie couldn't hear what they were saying. He didn't know how this could've happened. He didn't understand how he missed this.

His thoughts wandered back to the day Wayne found out he was selling.

Eddie sat on the front step, watching Wayne and Hopper talking in the yard. Wayne was frowning, nodding along to whatever Hopper said. Eddie knew he was mad. Why wouldn't he be? Eddie was illegally selling drugs, and just got caught by the chief for it. Luckily, Hopper was in a good enough mood just to give him a warning and a ride home. Made him promise he wasn't going to do it anymore. They both knew that was a lie.

When Hopper got back in his cruiser and drove away, Eddie watched Wayne take a breath before he turned around. Eddie shrank back at the look his uncle gave him.

“Wayne, I-”

“Hush up.” Eddie shut up instantly. “You're gonna listen close, understood?” Eddie nodded. “Jim was kind enough to let you off this time, but he won't be next time. There better not be a next time.”

“But, Wayne, I-”

“No buts.” Wayne gave him another look. Eddie knew he was disappointed. He hated disappointing Wayne. Hated it even more than he hated making Wayne mad. His uncle had always done so much for him. The least he could've done was not cause trouble. “Drugs are a dangerous thing, Ed. I know you know that.”

He did know, is the thing. He knew better than most people just how dangerous drugs were. Drugs tore his family apart. Drugs killed his mother. Drugs were the main reason Eddie lived with Wayne at all.

Eddie looked down at his hands, fiddling with one of his rings. He didn't have all that many yet. “I just wanted to help with the bills,” he said softly.

Wayne sighed and sat next to him on the rickety steps. Eddie slid over to make room. “You ain't gotta worry ‘bout no damn bills, Ed. That's for me to take care of. You just gotta be a kid.”

Eddie frowned. “I just thought that, maybe, if I could help, you wouldn't have to work so hard. I know taking care of me is a lot of extra money.” He paused. “I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment.”

Burden. That's what he wants to say. Disappointment is what comes out. Maybe that's for the better.

“You're not a disappointment, Ed. I just don't want you endin' up like your mama, that's all. And while I do appreciate you wantin’ to help, I don't need ya to. I'm perfectly capable of takin’ care of us. You're fifteen, Ed. Be a kid, for Christ’s sake. Don't worry ‘bout anythin’ else yet.”

From that day on, Eddie stayed away from anything harder than weed or the occasional shrooms. He made a promise to himself that he'd stay away from it. For Wayne. For his mom. Wayne knew he kept selling, but they didn't talk about it. The K he intended on selling Chrissy that fateful night was a fluke. A one-off. It was something extra Rick had given him before he got locked away. Eddie hadn't even intended on selling it at all; he was just going to keep it hidden away until Rick got out, and then he'd give it back.

After Chrissy, Eddie didn't touch anything for a long time. When the band got themselves a record deal, when they started going out to parties to network with more of the industry, Eddie started smoking weed again. He never touched anything more than that. He knew better. He worried about his bandmates falling to the same vices that killed his mom, even though they also stayed away from it. Her ghost still haunted him. It kept him hypervigilant. He was always watching for addictive behaviors.

So how did he not see it?

How long had Steve been falling down that path without Eddie even knowing?

He should've known.

Eddie blinked, and Gareth was standing in front of him with a bottle of water. When had he come back?

“Eddie, you gotta drink something,” Gareth said gently, holding the open bottle toward him. Eddie pulled his knees tightly to his chest and shook his head. Gareth sighed and sat next to him in the uncomfortable hospital chairs.

That was another thing Eddie hated about hospitals. Everything was uncomfortable. The chairs, the beds, the wires and tubes. IVs itched and the gowns crinkled weirdly. It was a sensory hellscape, truthfully. How did anyone handle it?

“Eddie.” He blinked again, looking beside him. Gareth was still holding the bottle toward him. “Come on, man. At least a little bit. We're worried about you.”

Eddie took the bottle, but his hands were shaking so much he could barely keep a grasp on it. He forced it toward his mouth, his throat burning as the cool water slipped past his lips. He gave it back to Gareth. He looked like he wanted Eddie to drink more, but took the bottle anyway.

“Are you…” Gareth started, but his sentence fell off as he seemed to search for the correct word. “Obviously not okay. That'd be stupid. Of course you aren't okay. I don't know what I was even thinking.” He looked over at Eddie, his rambling cut off.

Gareth always rambled when he was anxious. Worried. It didn't happen all that often. Gareth was pretty laid back, never worked up about much. The exact opposite of Steve. Steve worried about everything. Steve rambled a lot, like Robin. God, Robin. Eddie should talk to her. They hadn't had time lately to call. She was probably worried. Eddie could easily bet she'd been rambling a lot lately. Then again, Robin always rambled. She wasn't like Gareth, who only rambled when he was worried about something or someone. Speaking of Gareth, he was sitting there staring at Eddie with that worried little pinch in his brows. Eddie should answer. He should, but he can't. His tongue feels like lead in his mouth. It won't form shapes or push air through his lips. It won't do anything it's supposed to do. It just sits there, heavy, making it impossible for Eddie to say something, anything.

“Eddie?” Gareth waved a hand in front of him. Eddie blinked. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

Eddie thought hard. Gareth’s mouth had definitely been moving just a few moments before, but anything after the ramble was lost on him. He had no clue what he had said. He shook his head. Gareth sighed.

“I talked to Wayne.”

Oh. Wayne.

God, Eddie didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, he needed Wayne. The man was a solid figure in the storm of Eddie’s life. He had always been there. He never walked away like Eddie’s dad. Eddie wanted little more than to curl up on the lumpy couch with Wayne like he had after his mom died. On the other hand, Eddie didn't want Wayne to know about any of this. He didn't want Wayne to have to live through this again. He didn't want Wayne to feel like he had to deal with Eddie again.

“He said he’ll try to catch the next flight out.”

Eddie’s head snapped up, eyes wide. He quickly shook his head back and forth, so hard that his neck popped and his hair flung across his face. Wayne couldn't come. He shouldn't have to. He would have to call out of work. Wayne never calls out of work. Eddie didn't want to be the reason he started. He opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out. He couldn't force his tongue to move. His lips failed to form the letters and syllables required to speak.

It was then that their tour manager approached, looking somber. Like he had bad news. Eddie wanted to be anywhere else. He wanted to go back; back to when things were simple and Steve wasn't dying. He wanted to go back to being a kid and stop his mom. He just wanted this to stop.

“Eddie, he's alive.”

Eddie hated that instead of being relieved, his heart crumbled.

Steve was alive, but at what cost?

--------------------------------------------------

tag list: @acowardinmordor @mugloversonly @djohawke @hallucinatedjosten @geekyfifi @current-steddie-brainrot

i tagged people who either asked to be tagged or showed interest in wanting more but lemme know if you wanna be added! like i said, there will be at least one more part, but probably more than that tbh

hope you've enjoyed !!

[sapphire-weapon]

I think people tend to ignore Leon fucking up (like with Shen May), because they have the mindset of "oh no, that's my favourite character! So he can't do anything wrong or have any flaws!" It's such a limiting way to think. I mean, I really like Leon too, but I'll openly say that he often gives me the fucking ick, lmao. The Shen May scene had me recoiling. Man's a stereotype of "that creepy guy at the bar" and he exudes that a LOT. I'm glad he was turned down. Even the characters we love need to be humbled when they're full of shit, because it's realistic and interesting. It's okay to think outside of the caveman "he good! no bad!"

Also, tacking on, because despite it being a different topic, I may as well stick to a singular ask. Jilleon is such a weird concept to me, lmao. I think for the most part it's treated pretty lightheartedly, but I'm confused because I couldn't really identify where it came from, other than that they're both attractive. I love Jill, but I don't see her reciprocating any attraction. Like, remotely. They get along fine, but I can't even see a close friendship. Maybe I'm biased though, cause I love her and as much as I enjoy Leon, dear god above he doesn't need another love interest. Also Capcom please just grow your balls and properly address Valenfield. We all know they're either a couple or have been pining for several decades.

I'm not gonna lie, if OG Leon asked me out, I'd have told him I had a boyfriend, too. Or maybe just even told him I wasn't interested in men all together. His approach is so... old-fashioned in a bad way. It's evidence that his development was arrested in 1998; he hasn't matured past that point, so he thinks that it's still a thing to just go up to a cute girl and ask for her number right after getting her name.

So like. I'm not surprised that it's pretty much exclusively early 20s and younger ppl who don't think he's trying to ask her on an actual date, because no one does that shit anymore. That was already out of fashion by the time I was in high school, even, and I entered high school in 2003.

But for any tiny childrens who are reading this: yes this is literally how relationships would start in the 80s and 90s. Out of nowhere and on a whim between complete strangers and just hoping it works.

Re: jilleon

Prior to Death Island, I would have agreed with you. 100% I didn't understand what the basis for it was, and I didn't think she'd be interested in him at all.

Then I watched Death Island. And I'm 85% sure that they've already slept together LMAO Chris dropped the ball between RE5 and DI, and Leon just kind of slid in there and took his shot and actually seems to have made it???

If I'm not mistaken, Jill is the only person other than Remake Ashley in the entire series who actually laughs at Leon's jokes. And she actually gets him to laugh out loud in return -- which is almost unheard of for him.

They just seem very comfortable around each other in general. Jill seems more at ease in his presence than she's been in Chris's since... Lost in Nightmares? And Leon is definitely more comfortable being with her than he is being with Ada or Claire. Like, Jill seems as comfy as a presence for Leon as Chris and Ashley are.

I just really like their dynamic in general. I don't think of them as romantic, but I see them as very, very good friends who just fuck every once in a while.

Like, Chris is still Leon's best friend, but their relationship is a lot more intense. But Jill is the person that Leon first thinks to call when he needs to nerd out about movies or to just bullshit in general. And then every so often, a text message conversation happens like:

"Gonna be in DC for a weekend for BSAA shit. Pick me up from the airport?"

"Sure. What hotel?"

"Staying with a friend actually idk if you know him. Leon Kennedy? In the DSO. Brown hair, blue eyes, giant cock?"

"Never heard of him. Sounds like he's in for a fun weekend though."

[annab-nana]

“  yeah,  i’ll be here.  i’ll be here when you’re ready to stop running.  ” with steve pls

oh my heart 😭

warnings: divorced parents. dad works two jobs and mom dipped, reader shuts themselves off mostly, fear of abandonment, dad getting a new girlfriend, not proofread

��� masterlist ❀

you didn't stick around long when it came to friends. you were independent, introverted, and stuck to yourself and no one else. the only person who you'd ever really considered a friend at some point in your life was your next-door neighbor, steve harrington. 

when you two were younger, you were as close as could be. there was a treehouse in your backyard and the tree that it sat in was right between your house and his. it originally was his but he wanted a friend. so, it became yours as well. your parents knew that if they couldn't find you, you were probably with steve and vice versa with his parents and if either of them couldn't find both of you, you two were probably in the treehouse giggling your lives away. 

though, when your parents got divorced when you were eleven, you sort of shut yourself off from the world, steve included. you never went to the treehouse anymore. you never made any effort to see or talk to him. you pretty much stayed in your room all the time. yes, they fought all the time before finally making the split, but you much rather would've had them unhappy together than happy apart. was that selfish of you? completely and could you now see that? of course, but it didn't make your childhood heart feel any better. 

your mom was the one that left your house and she didn't really make any effort to see you after all was said and done. as for your dad, he had to pick up a second job to help pay for the house you lived in because he knew you loved it and didn't want to burden you even more with a move. 

that was now six years ago and you still stuck to yourself. you didn't want to grow an attachment like you did to your mom and just have them leave you or have them be too busy to spend actual time with you like your dad. you loved and appreciated everything he did, but you did wish he was more present in your life.

he did have time for someone else though as you found out. when you came home that night to your normally silent home, you heard laughter, one higher pitched in comparison. you had no idea what was going on and walked further into the living room to see your dad sitting next to a blonde with his arm around her shoulder.

"hey kiddo, this is cindy." the woman extended her hand, but you didn't offer her your own.

"i have homework to do," you told him blankly and moved toward the stairs. but you stopped yourself from taking the first step when anger, hurt, and betrayal twisted inside you. you couldn't stand to be in the same house as them, not right now. you slipped out the back door and climbed up the tree you hadn't touched in years.

one of steve's favorite things about his room was that his window had a direct view of the treehouse you two used to share. he used to wait by the window until he saw you skipping over to the tree and waving at him to come on. he never expected to see you going up there again, but here he stood by his window watching you climb up the steps his dad nailed in when he was four.

steve had tried to fix whatever happened between you two several times and his heart wanted him to go out there and try again. but he feared any more attempts would further drive in the wedge. he was about to turn around and do something else, but he watched you stop right when you were at the entrance and your shoulders shook before you hurried in. he debated with himself for a little longer on whether he should go and offer his support or leave you be like you probably preferred. after a moment, his feet lead him outside.

he told himself the whole way there that this was a bad idea, but his brain wasn't listening and took him up the steps you took earlier. to calm himself, he took in a long breath and knocked on the trapdoor. upon hearing your sobs stop, he slowly pushed up on it and met your eyes.

"i didn't know you still came up here. i can leave." you moved to get up, but steve shook his head.

"no, you can stay. i only came because i saw you come up here. are you, um- are you alright?" steve asked, still only partially inside the treehouse. his feet rested on the steps while his elbows leaned against the floor.

"dad has a new girlfriend. does that answer your question?" you didn't mean for it to come off rude, but you were angry. not with steve, but with your father. since you and steve split ways, you didn't know he dealt with the same stuff. yeah, his parents were still together, but they were never home or cared about him like they used to.

"oh, uh, that sucks," he stated awkwardly. it was like he didn't know how to speak to you anymore.

"yeah." you liked his presence. you wouldn't lie about that, but right now, you wanted to be alone. he could sense that just like he used to be able to do with you. some things never change.

"i know we aren't where we used to be, but i still care about you, y/n. and i may not totally understand your situation, but things have changed on my side too. i get what you're going through more than i used to, but i know you want to be alone right now, so yeah, i’ll be here," he threw his thumb over his shoulder to point toward his house, "i’ll be here when you’re ready to stop running, okay?"

you didn't respond except for a mere nod that was barely noticeable, so steve moved to leave. he paused when you spoke. "steve?"

"yeah?"

"thank you." the boy visibly softened at your words and sent you a smile before retreating out of the treehouse to let you be alone.

remember to support writers & reblog :)

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[junglekarmapippa]

L is for Light

The Jungle Fury Alphabet of Fluff

Casey, Theo, and Lily stood very still while RJ and Dom arranged the ropes in the harnesses they were wearing.

"Are you sure there isn't any other way to train us in courage?" Casey asked, his gaze on RJ's face.

"There are plenty of other ways, but this is a great way to do it while being safe," RJ replied, double-checking the knot. "Okay, Case, you are good to go."

"Thanks," Casey said, his eyes on the horizon, trying to forget where he was standing.

RJ moved on to Theo, who wasn't particularly intimidated by the exercise. He started working the ropes in silence, as Theo looked around him, measuring the task they were about to do.

"Good to see it's only the rats that scare you," RJ commented, his fingers tying the rope in a complex knot.

"Well, you had me juggle oranges while standing on a suspended log several feet in the air," Theo replied with a shrug. "I'm not scared of heights anymore."

"He did what?" Casey asked, turning to look at them.

"When we lost that fight to Gecko. That's how he got my head back in the game."

"He could have gotten hurt!" Lily chided, while Dom worked on her harness.

"But he didn't," RJ replied, checking Theo's ropes one last time.

"RJ! You're supposed to help us, not put our lives in more danger!" Casey complained, watching RJ and Dom work on each other's setting.

"Oh, well," RJ said, giving Dom's setup a final inspection and nodding. "You're all still here." He turned to grab color-coded buckets of soapy water and window cleaners. He handed them accordingly. "You guys take this side," he said, pointing at the glass roof of the loft, which they were washing. "And Dom and I will take the other side."

He handed Dom his cleaning kit and Dom walked away from him towards one end of the roof, as calm as if he was walking down the street. "Race you!" Dom said, making Casey, Theo, and Lily turn to him.

"Race us?!" Casey asked, just to be sure he hadn't misheard.

"First team to finish goes chore-free for a week," RJ offered. The other four looked at him, smiling. "Guys, I need you to know you are perfectly safe. Let's have some fun," he said. They all got into position. "Ready? Set? Go!"

Among laughter, splashing soapy water, and friendly competitive banter, they cleaned the whole glass roof rather quickly. Casey, Theo, and Lily won the competition.

"We're done!" Casey proclaimed victoriously when he cleaned the last glass pane.

"Oh, well," RJ said, finishing his last pane. "Guess we're doing all the chores this week, Dom."

Dom just shrugged, finishing his last pane.

They made their way back to the center of the roof, and RJ and Dom untied them.

They didn't think it would make as much difference, but when they returned to the inside of the loft, it actually looked bigger, and the colors seemed brighter.

"Wow," Lily let out. "It looks great in here!"

"Ah, yes. It gets such good light when the roof is freshly cleaned," RJ said with a smile. "Pizza parlor, shift. Off you go."

The other four took a shower and put on their uniforms, leaving RJ alone in the loft to do whatever it was RJ did when he was alone in the loft.

At the end of the workday, they all went upstairs to find RJ in his pajamas, drinking from a plastic mug, in the center of a circle made of sleeping bags. There was one for each of them, including Fran, who had come up to say goodnight.

They all stood there, and the master smiled at them. "Go get in your pajamas, come on. Fran, you can borrow something from Lily. Stay with us tonight. I have a cool lesson today that you can partake in."

A few minutes later, they walked out of their rooms in their pajamas.

"Pick a bag," RJ instructed. "Today's lesson is not part of the Pai Zhua, it's just about something I'm very passionate about."

"What?" Casey asked with genuine curiosity. RJ laid back on his sleeping bag and the others copied him.

They all looked up and, with the clean roof, they could have been in the middle of nowhere. They could clearly see the stars shining in the night sky while hearing the sea across the street.

"Is this why you wanted us to clean the roof?" Casey asked.

"Yes," RJ said, smiling. "Now, do you see that one star? The one that looks bigger?" He pointed in the direction of the star.

"Yes," they all replied.

"That is the North Star. Tonight, we are learning about the stars."

[gracewritesfics]

LET ME LOVE YOU~ gracewritesfics

A Park Jimin fanfiction (available on Wattpad~ gracewritesfics)

Genre~ college romance, soft, fluff.

Chapter 1 (word count -1113)

Third person POV;

The rust coloured leaves fell slowly and lulled on the ground. but the laziest of the mornings felt like a hustle bustle at the uni.

People sat or stood in groups and chatted, laughed and gossiped. A black Porsche drove into the campus and everyone's eyes turned to it.

As it pulled over the parking space everyone continued with their chatters but only this time it was about a certain someone, who, the next moment got out of the car and locked the door behind.

He walked across the campus, in his Levi's, a garden medley shade of sweater and gucci shoes with a little heel.  five eight plus some inches of pure beauty.

Most men were handsome but Park Jimin was beautiful, carved by Aphrodite herself. He was one of the finest guy on the campus, so most girls started acting up as they saw him.

"Oh, damn sorry, I wasn't looking," a girl apologized after she had intentionally bumped into him, walking like she was several shots down.

"It's okay," Jimin replied with a curve on his lips, a smile that could make someone melt like a burning wax candle. Despite being the popular, rich guy, he was the sweetest.

"Heyo!" he gave a hi five to his best friend, Jungkook as he sat opposite to him. "sup bro?" Jungkook asked.

"All good, where's Jen?"  questioned Jimin. "She went to the cafeteria to get some coffee," Jungkook told. "Oh, classic Jen, she can't do morning lectures without a coffee" Jimin chuckled.

Jungkook, Jimin and Jennie were a trio. They were best friends since middle school. The J cube or the three musketeers. They've been friends for a long time.  

All the girls in college thought that one of the guys were probably dating Jennie but that was pure bullshit because they were just platonic friends.  

"Guys it's nine five, class starts in ten minutes," Jennie reminded them as she came back with her coffee. "Yeah let's go!"  It took a while to reach the classroom upstairs from the ground. 

They walked together talking about stuff. They always made plans together, to go to cafes, or lunch, or travel. Jennie loved to keep up with the gossip so she always filled in.

It had only been a week in uni, so they did not know much people there and they sticked together most of the time. Also, they were kinda opposite of each other;

Jimin was way too friendly and sweet, most girls mistook his kindness and thought that he liked them. He was a flirt though, he could swoon anyone over his smile and words, but he could never break a heart.

Jennie was crazy. She was a heartbreaker, not literally though. But she was full of life, she recklessly dated guys, made mistakes, saying that these are the years to have the most fun. Well, right now, she was single, cause she broke up with her old boyfriend from high school.

Jungkook did not date, anymore. He once dated a girl in junior high school,  she broke his heart. He was exhausted, because  when he loved, he loved unconditionally, passionately and madly and no one deserved that. Especially not the girls who threw themselves on him just cause he was popular and hot. So he was not into dating as of now. 

Walking up the stairs, Jennie was ahead of them both and she had to turn again and again to talk. She walked ahead with her face turned backwards when she bumped into someone and almost tripped but he caught her hand. All the books and pages, files, scattered on the stairs.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "u-uh yeah I'm fine," she replied, her eyes not moving away from his. "I'm sorry," he said and bent down to pick up all the scattered stuff. "Aniyo, it was my fault, I wasn't watching." "It's cool." he smiled.

Jungkook and Jimin looked at each other and smirked. Something cooked here and they knew already.

When both were done picking up their stuff Jennie held out a hand and greeted, "I'm Jennie btw, and you?"

"I'm Taehyung, nice to meet you!" they both shook their hands.

"I thought we had a class" Jungkook interrupted. "oh..oh, yeah, will see you around then!" she told Taehyung and they went separate ways. 

"Will see you around then...hmm" jungkook imitated her in a comic way to tease her.. She just showed a middle finger.  

"We must tell the poor boy to stay beware, right Jimin?!" Jungkook teased. "Yeah we should," Jimin laughed. "seriously Jimmy? You too?" Jennie gave an eye roll.

With their banter they got into the class.  The seats were full by the time they reached, after a little quarrel, Jungkook and Jennie sat together in the last rows, and Jimin sat next to a girl who was sitting alone in a corner seat in the last looking out of the window. Even when he sat there, she didn't notice.

Jimin was quiet, he did not want to take her out of the world she was lost in and disturb her.

The professor entered the class and began teaching. She watched him for a while and acted like she was taking notes like everyone else in the class but she was rather sketching.

Jimin looked at it for a while trying to figure it out. She drew a girl in the woods, with flowers adorned in her hair, it was a work of art during a business class. 

Jimin couldn't help but smile and chuckle a bit, which she noticed and turned the page to hide the sketch but what for? 'Cause he already saw it.

When the professor was gone, he turned his face to her slightly. "Can i borrow your notes?" He asked.

"Huh?" She raised her eyebrows. obviously she knew he was teasing cause she made no notes, she was just drawing.

"They were very informative." He smiled.

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Nope, not at all. I think it was a work of art," he emphasized the last three words.

"You're kidding me." she said.

"No, really, you're good at it, it's a compliment!"

"Thanks, I'll take it." She replied.

"I'm Jimin, by the way, Park Jimin."

"I'm Grace Song."

"That's a beautiful name!" He smiled.

"Thank you, Jimin."

"Hey, man, let's go to the cafeteria, I'm hungry!" Jungkook called Jimin from the other seat.

"Yeah, and I need more coffee!" Jennie said.

Jimin got up and went with them and had no chance of taking a look back at Grace, and got busy in her conversations with his friends.

[itsnoosetome]

Voicemail is full, glass is half empty

Title: Voicemail is full, glass is half empty Rating: T Pairing: Kenny Omega/Hangman Page (past); Kenny Omega/Ibushi Kota (past, mentioned) Word Count: 2,022 words Summary: Hangman Adam Page isn't any stranger to drink, everyone knows that. Everyone also knows that drunk Adam isn't the best at making good choices. Leaving his ex a drunk voicemail might be his worst choice yet. Notes: Here I am again, back at it with the Kenny and Adam angst. To be fair to Kenny though, he's only here in spirit. There's a mild mention of drunk Hangman in the river at the beginning so tread with caution kiddos if that's something you're sensitive about. Tags: @himbos-hotline

There are a number of things that Hangman Adam Page has done while drunk. For instance he'd once jumped into a river because he'd gotten overheated during a hangout with friends and then had to be fished out by his frantic companions when his drunken limbs had made it hard to swim. They'd scolded him all the way back home and later, when he'd sobered up, he felt guilty and shameful for putting his friends through such stress. He'd once fallen asleep in the alley behind a bar and once he woke up the next day had to walk several miles back home hungover because someone had stolen his wallet. He'd felt really stupid after that one, and thanked his lucky stars that the worst thing that had happened was a lost wallet and sore feet.

In any case, Hangman has woken up too many time on the wrong side of his drunken antics and felt any combination of shame, guilt and embarrassment. Somehow his latest escapade will probably top that list and he's the safest he's ever been while drunk.

He'd been watching the game on TV and as it had gotten more and more dire for his team, he'd begun to drink more and more. Eventually he'd ended up fucking around on his phone rather than watch the dreadful end to an awful game. Scrolling Instagram and reading funny articles had somehow morphed into flicking back through his camera roll.

He really should have deleted those old pictures.

His thumb hovers over the delete button but somehow ends up just softly stroking the screen instead. It's still hard to get rid of the only evidence that Kenny was ever happy with him. Somehow slowly petting at the screen turns into scrolling contacts and before he knows it his phone is pressed to his ear and he's listening to it ring.

It keeps ringing and then there's the beep of the voicemail activating, a robotic female voice apologising for Kenny's absence. It's nice that someone else is apologising for Kenny now.

"Do people even check their voicemails anymore ?" Adam wonders out loud, drunken mind somewhat forgetting that it's being recorded.

"I know I don't. Mind you, only person that calls me up on the regular is my Ma so I don't hafta. Most people just text I guess nowadays but I ain't opened our text thread in a long while. Too many arguments and I love yous that I don't wanna relive. Shoulda deleted it like I shoulda deleted the old pictures but I can't. Dunno why."

Adam picks at a fraying hole in his jeans, aware he knows why but saying out loud makes it seem sadder somehow. Even though there's no one to hear him in his empty apartment.

"Dunno why I even called ya. Jus' drunk again  I guess and missin' ya. I know you probably ain't surprised by that. I was lookin' at those old pictures and missed you all of sudden. Well no it wasn't so much sudden. I've been missin' you a long time, missed you when we were still together even. That probably shoulda been a sign I took more notice of huh ?"

Adam missed a lot of signs. The distance, the one word answers, the maybe next times, the unhappy faces that were unconvincingly explained away. The trips to Japan all alone for work that got extended to see old friends. Stupid, stupid Adam missed them all.

"Do you remember the zoo ? Ya know, the real good one where they let you hold that little koala fella ? You were so happy that day. You were real tender with all the animals small 'nd tall, then when we got to the end you looked at me with these real soft eyes and said 'Thanks for this Adam'. Boy that made me feel about ten feet tall."

He still dreams about that trip sometimes, not that he'd admit it outside of late nights staring up at the ceiling. It was one of those rare days where everything had felt just perfect. Kenny had laughed at all his jokes, had showed him as much affection as either of them were comfortable with in public and they'd eaten cotton candy like they were kids again.

"Felt about 20 feet tall when you gave me that damned stuffed horse. Musta cost you an arm and a leg, those places are always so darn expensive, but you said he'd be real lonely if I didn't take him. You always did know how to twist me around to your way of thinking. I still have him ya know, Hunter Horse Helmsley the 4th. He's in the closet now, not like we were but because I put him there. Used to live on the bed with me but after everything I moved him to a new pasture. Another thing I can't let go of huh ?"

Life sure would be simpler if Adam could let go of things as easy as others. There's a long silence where Adam picks a new hole in his jeans and curses himself for not being better, or stronger.

"D'ya ever wonder where it all went wrong Ken ?" He asks quietly, like he daren't ask the question out loud for fear of something terrible happening.

Adam sure as hell does. He's spent months in fact dissecting their relationship like a medical examiner with a complicated corpse. He hasn't found a cause of death yet or maybe it's that he's found too many to conclude which one was the final blow.

"D'ya ever look back on our relationship and see the moment where it got all fucked up ? I try but I can't see it. Maybe I was too drunk to see it going wrong. That's what you woulda said at the end there. 'You're too drunk to notice anything Page' and you mighta been mean but I guess you weren't wrong." Adam's unflattering impression of Kenny quickly peters out into a watery thin voice that has him clearing his throat.

"I reckon if you thought about it you'd probably know where it all went wrong. You were always smarter than me at that kinda stuff. Give me an equation and I'll solve it but give me a person 'nd i'm fumblin' in the dark. Maybe if I knew a thing or two more about people you'd have stayed. Then again maybe not right ?"

Adam breaks his train of thought to awkwardly laugh, he tries to sheepishly rub the back of his neck but forgets he's got the phone in his hand. 

"That probably ain't the only thing that's wrong with me that you decided you couldn't deal with no more. Can't say I blame you either, some days I look in that bathroom mirror and I ain't sure I can deal with myself."

Most days if he's honest. That very morning he'd stumbled into the bathroom and almost recoiled in horror from his own reflection. He'd looked pale and drawn, the dark circles under his eyes looking worse in comparison. His hair had been stringy, curls limp and without any bounce to them. He'd smelled so strongly of alcohol and sweat that he'd even grossed himself out, not that he'd been in a rush to fix it when there was no one else to complain. You couldn't blame Kenny for leaving that guy.

"What was I sayin' ? Oh yeah all the stuff I got wrong. Was I not romantic enough ? Boy I sure tried even with all the travellin' and us not bein' public and all."

There's a lengthy pause before Adam blurts out, "Was Kota romantic ? I can't imagine it but we never did spend a lot of time together me and him. Aw damn, shouldn't have brought him up at all should I ? You didn't like that either, always knew he was a sore subject."

Boy could Hangman relate to complicated feelings about ex-boyfriends.

"I'm sorry for askin' about him when we were together. Guess I just wanted to know what I was up against. He's older than me and more handsome, more cultured I bet, I just wanted to know I was doin' something better than him. Ya know what's funny ? I used to say to myself sometimes that I had you and he didn't so I musta been doing something good. Ain't even got that hill to stand on now do I ?"

Adam has the sudden urge for another drink but the fact that he's out of booze stops him from attempting to walk. He'd probably just fall down the front steps again anyway.

"Maybe it's some other failin' of mine. Was it that I was dead weight in the ring as well as in your life ? I could see how that'd test a fella's patience. Kenny the Cleaner, the Belt Collector, he can't be seen with some dumb Virginia farm boy that don't know how to hit a 450 Splash without near killin' himself. You deserve someone with real," Adam flails his hand for a second as he thinks of an appropriate word, forgetting that Kenny and the voicemail can't see him, "pizzazz, someone like Kota... Ah shit I brought him up again."

Maybe he does need that drink. He heaves himself up from the couch and wobbles precariously for a moment before landing back on the seat with a thump. Or then again may not.

"Ya gotta believe me Kenny, I trained real hard to be better. Maybe not as flashy but to be something you could be proud of. I changed up my diet, my workouts, studied so many matches it darn near made my brain spin. S'why I'm injured right now and I'm drunk on the couch instead of in the ring out in Florida. Still tryna prove myself to you even thought you told me to hit the road and you won't look me in the eyes no more. Ain't that sad ?"

It is sad. Adam feels sad doing it a lot of the time but he just can't stop himself. It's second nature now to try and get Kenny to look at him, to notice him, so he can bask in that light for even just a second.

"D'ya know Ken, I reckon that might just be the real problem at the heart of all of this. I want your approval so darn much, I want you to be as proud of me as you are the Bucks. Prouder even. Ain't real fair on you is it ? This starry eyed pretend cowboy looking up at you on high, asking you to carry all his hopes and dreams. Always asking for validation and unwavering love. People always say you shouldn't meet your idols, and I darn sure know you shouldn't date them. You can't worship who you wanna love."

Adam swallows the lump in his throat and makes another attempt at leaving the couch. Maybe it's not time for another drink but it does seem like time for bed. He's more successful this time at staying upright and begins the slow shuffle towards his bedroom.

"Funny how you call yourself a wrestling god now ain't it ? When I was your number one devotee you couldn't have been more human. Gettin' all grandiose again, putting you up on a pedestal when I shouldn't be."

He falls face first onto the bed when he stumbles into his room. His voice muffled by the covers his mouth is pressed into but Adam can't be bothered to turn his head. Instead he grabs a pillow to hold to make himself more comfortable.

"I didn't even call to talk about all that really. I just wanted to talk about the good times, so there's another thing I've gone and messed up. If ya keepin' a list Kenny you'd better add that one too." Adam laughs, a sound more acid in his throat than anything else.

He falls asleep like that, jeans still on, phone beeping against his ear and a pillow clutched in his arms so he can pretend that there's someone beside him. No one in particular, just someone that won't leave him this time.

[palaceofpassion]

That was perfect. Would like Nora to go to Elm for advice since she can't really go for the others for different reasons. She expects Elm to wave it off and tell her that it would fade away unlike her feelings for Ren. Instead Elm actually encourages her to go after Jaune with another date because she can tell the love Nora has for Jaune.

Nora was confused, her feelings left her in turmoil! She honestly couldn't be in the same room as Jaune for several minutes anymore and that was seriously starting to get in the way of their friendship and teamwork.

So she came to the only person she knew she could, the only one who could understand her! The big thighed goddess who formed half of the Thunder Thigh Duo, Elm Ederne!

"I never agreed to being part of that you know..."

Elm stared at Nora, giving her a stern gaze making sure to watch the excited bombers every bombastic move.

She'd learned how dangerous to her environment the girl could be, so keeping a close eye on her was important.

"But you are! You're the Thigh's to my thunder!"

NOra danced in front of her, quickly sparking to life in an exagerated motion. This was going to be a long day.

"So... what did you need?"

She wouldn't have called the two of them friends, but Nora had made it a habit of coming to her for advice, which she was more than willing to give to the younger generation.

"Ah well you see..."

And then Nora explained to her, explained every little bit that was happening.

You see... something no one knows about Elm, not her teammates, not the commander, no one. Was that she was a romantic at heart... hidden away in a secret compartment somewhere in her room, was a stack of romance novels. Novels she would take to the grave with her.

Now she wasn't like that Feline Faunus from RWBy, she wasn't into smut, or adult literature as she liked to pretend it was.

No she liked romance, she LOVED romance. So hearing how Nora's feelings were turning, how she found someone that truly made her happy. That was willing to give her the touch that the poor touch starved girl desired well...

"Why not give it a try?"

"What?"

Nora's passionate speech came to an abrupt end, "I uhm... weren't you supposed to tell me it would pass?"

"Nope. From what it sounds like, you have a real torch for the guy, and with how much you hyped him up over the last few weeks, are you sure you haven't been crushing on him for longer."

Nora's mouth hung low as she tried to think, her face flashed hot.

"Besides, from what I've seen he's dutiful, he takes on the missions no one wants, and he's constantly traiing and improving himself."

Elm was being honest in her assessment, the boy was either out helping someone, or in the training or workout centers. A common sight for her and others.

"I think you should give it a go, the worst that can happen is that it doesn't work out."

"But what about Ren?"

"What about him? Did he ever make a move on you?"

"I mean... there was this one time we held hands..."

Elm gave her a raised eyebrow, "In the end it's up to you. But I can imagine there are a few women that would be interested in him, if he's as charming as you say he is."

Nora's mind started to think, "Oh darn it! Ugggh! FIIINE! But you have to help me!"

"Excuse me?" Okay so Elm was interested, though she wasn't sure what she meant by Help.

"Heck yeah! You gotta help me ask him out!"

"I don't think that's a goo-"

She wasn't given the chance as with inhuman strength Nora picked her up and ran out the room.

"Time to Plan!"

[forthedancingandthethriving]

"Did you twist your ankle?" Lil Coding frowns.

Lily smiles nervously, leaning against the rock. The two were currently in a damn canyon, mostly due to Lil Coding being forced to use a teleportation command to save them from Azura and her thugs after they had jumped them again.

"Uh.. I think?" she shrugs. "It.. definitely doesn't feel good."

Lil Coding kneels down and gently takes her ankle into his hands, inspecting it. He frowns, ears flicking. "Mm.. yeah, it's definitely twisted. Hold still for a second."

The girl tilts her head, going to ask, but watches in amazement as green strings appear and gently wrap around her ankle. The strings continue to appear and wrap before finally stopping.

Her ankle wasn't throbbing anymore, and it almost felt as though there wasn't any pain. Her eyes sparkle at that as she leans down, gently pushing at her ankle. "Woah.. what did you do?"

"Just used some code to act as a cast until we finally manage to get back." Lil Coding answers before turning down. He then kneels down, tail flicking.

"Huh?"

"Hop on." he chuckles. "Even if the strings are gonna keep you out of pain.. it'd be better if you didn't walk. So, hop on!"

Lily hesitates before nodding, taking a few steps forward before hopping onto his back. She lets out a small squeak as he stands up, and she wraps her arms around his neck whilst he grabs her legs.

"Can't you teleport again?" she asks as the Code begins to walk.

"In about 5 hours if we want a random location, 10 if we want to teleport directly to my home."

Lily gapes. "What?!"

"It's a complicated command." Lil Coding sighs. "It takes in your exact location, the area you're in, and the actual entirety of the location, and then you need to know the exact coordinates of where you're teleporting. And then it takes in the area of that location, the entirety of that location, and everything else."

He exhales. "And it takes a lot out of me too. I don't use it a lot."

Lily lets out a hum before frowning. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this.."

"Hey, don't apologize!" the Code turns his head to look at her. "I would've helped you anyway! It's just how I am, you know?"

Lily nods before silence befell the two of them.

"How old are you?" she asks after an hour or two.

"Huh?" he blinks.

"Like.. are you older than me? Younger?" Lily tilts her head.

"Uh.. I'm 12, mentally." he answers.

"Mentally?" she frowns.

"Yeah. You know how I said I'm basically code and I have a physical form?" he asks, continuing as she nods. "So basically, when I was made, I was given the maturity, knowledge, and all that of a 12 year old!"

"You don't act 12.." Lily hums.

"Yeah.." he chuckles nervously. "I'm.. a little jaded, after a lot of stuff."

Lily frowns but doesn't press at that. "Well.. I'm 11."

Lil Coding nods at that and he continues walking.

It's been several more hours, and Lil Coding is painfully aware of how hot Lily is getting. The sun is beating down on the both of them, but he isn't bothered in the slightest, mostly due to being code. But Lily was human, and humans weren't meant to be out in the sun for hours on end.

Lil Coding looks around before gasping from relief. A quick jog soon had the two underneath a stone arch, and he was kneeling down to let her off of his back. She let out a small 'thanks' before slumping against the formation.

Quickly thinking, he pulled up a command box and summoned a few water bottles and handed them to her. Lily didn't even question it, instead taking one and drinking from it.

"You cool down, and then we'll continue." he informs her, and she nods.

Lil Coding leans against the rock formation as well, ears twitching as he listens out for any noises. They were fairly close to the desert, this canon being a couple hundred miles from it. However, if he remembered right, that was southeast, and they were currently going northwest.

As long as they continued the way they were going, they should make it back to the kingdom soon enough.

His ear flicks, picking up footsteps. Casually, as to not alter Lily, he looks up and around, trying to find the source of the noise.

And then he sees them. Thugs wearing rose red shirts and black combat pants, paired with black boots and belts with various weapons.

However, most disheartening was the emblem of a rose wrapped in strings on their sleeves.

"We need to go." Lil Coding slowly picks up Lily, flicking his tail and having the other water bottles vanish. She looks at him, confused, before looking in the same direction as him.

He watches, ears pinning back as she stifles a gasp.

Without a second thought, he shifts her so he's carrying her bridal style, and takes off running.

"DOWN THERE!"

"QUICK, FOLLOW THEM!"

Lil Coding curses, running faster. He was so glad that he was not only a kid, but a Code with a huge amount of stamina.

His ears flick when he spots a cliff in the distance and the familiar and welcoming sight of trees and towering buildings. He quickly changes direction, heading towards the cliff.

"What are you doing?!" Lily cries, clinging to him tighter.

"Just trust me, okay?" he responds, narrowing his eyes. "I need you to trust me one more time!"

She didn't hesitate to nod but still closed her eyes, clinging to the Code tightly.

"LATER, SUCKERS!" he shouts over his shoulder towards the thugs chasing them, and he jumps off of the cliff, still holding on tightly to Lily.

Soon, he lands at the bottom, the duo now safely obscured by the trees and flora. He shifts Lily onto his back and breaks into a run, grinning.

"We're nearly there!" Lil Coding chuckles, and Lily can't help but let out a small cheer.

○●○

"I'm sorry, Your Eminence." Azura hangs her head as she kneels in front of a figure laying across a red velvet sofa. "My men couldn't catch the girl."

"Again."

"Again." Azura closes her eyes, not flinching as wine is splashed over her head. She had been working with this client for years now and had come to understand what to say and what not to say, and what to do and what not to do.

All she had to do was give the answers her client wanted to hear and it'd be okay.

"You had a perfect opportunity this time." the figure on the chair snaps. She's dressed in a rose red cloak, which had green vines and string patterns all over it. "Everything had been meticulously planned. And yet you failed again."

"I want a good reason."

"She had help, Your Eminence!" Azura clenches her fist. "A young boy with unnatural abilities helped her escape."

"Unatural abilites?" the figure stops swirling what was remaining of the wine in her glass.

"Yes. He had been able to summon spears and strings from out of the air, was able to teleport, and could run faster than a child should." Azura took a small breath. "It was as if he wasn't human."

The figure was quiet before humming. She sips from her glass before sighing. "I'd normally find this hard to believe, but Anton had indeed been scouting and saw that child for herself."

"You are dismissed, Azura."

"Yes, Your Eminence!" Azura quickly nods before getting up and exiting the room, heart pounding in her chest.

The figure sighs, as if this some sort of annoyance. "Oh, how I do want that Lily in my grasp. With that siren-like singing voice, it's no wonder her parents are using her as a cash grab."

"Would you like me to monitor the boy, Your Grace?" A man steps out from the shadows.

"Yes, Anton." the figure addresses the man. "As soon as you're dismissed."

She looks down at her wine glass and hums, gazing at the bit of wine left. She then gazes at Anton, who suppresses a shiver.

"We may need help with that boy. So, keep a close eye on him. Meanwhile.. I will be considering some.. contacts, if you will. Now, you're dismissed."

"Of course, Lady Rose." Anton bows before retreating into the shadows. "Your will is my joyous command."

Lady Rose smiles, swirling the wine in her cup once more. Ah, the perks of being a cult leader.

[kitkatt0430]

1, 4, 18, and 21 for the behind the scenes fic game!!

1.) What was the first fandom and/or pairing that you wrote fic for?

So before I even knew what fanfiction sites were or heard of the term fanfiction, I wrote little stories about Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager on the old Windows 3.1 that my dad gave me when he got the Windows 95. These weren't shipping fics or anything - I was still pretty young when Voyager started airing. I was... six when the show came out? And it was a couple of years after that he let me have the computer.

Sadly, the computer didn't last long. So the fics I wrote on it were lost when it died. I switched back to writing in notebooks... but I didn't write long form a lot because it made my hand cramp to write too much. Unfortunately that means that all my old Voyager fics are long gone. (At the time I was upset about losing what I'd been writing... but even more upset about not being able to play the Kings Quest games anymore since they didn't run well on the 95 and what games did run on the 95 I could now only play when dad wasn't using and I had permission to play.)

4.) Do you outline before you start writing? If so, how far do you stray from that outline?

Sometimes. But more often not. The more outlining I do, the harder it becomes to write because often the story evolves in ways I just can't predict and the outline becomes useless. Or it just makes it too hard for me to write at all because I outlined.

But a sort of generalized outline can help too, sort of like as a bookmark when I need to set aside a WiP to pick up later. It gives me a better idea, when I pick it back up to work on, of where I was at with the story and what my plans for it were. They're also useful for when I have an idea that doesn't really work because I can look over the outline and retool it into something else down the line. The City on the Hill is a good example of a fic that I took an outline for a massive crossover idea I had years ago, stripped it down to the underlying plotbunny and turned it into something that stands on its own really nicely. (Though I do still want to write some follow ups to it...)

18.) What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

Since I've already brought up The City on the Hill in the answer for #4, how about we go with Drax's regeneration scene.

The whole fic itself was retooled from a plot intended to play out later in a series where the Master was hiding not as Professor Yana at the end of time, but as Seifer Almasy from FF8, protected from detection of the Time Lords by the temporal parodox the game is built around. The first 'season' would have been built around Seifer!Master 'waking up' during a Cyberman invasion on his world - they'd have been coming from the moon from a base The Rani had left behind. It would have turned out that the 'draw points' on the world where magic was siphoned from were actually formed of artron energy that dulled the sound of the drums. He'd help deal with the Cybermen and then escape with Fujin (one of Seifer's friends) to seek out the source of the drums and put an end to them over the course of several episodic fics. Honestly, I'm still really like the idea here, but it's been so long since I last played FF8 that my drive to write it kinda... waned. But it might still wind up happening down the road.

The second 'season' involved the Doctor and the Master traveling together and discovering a number of Time Lords had survived the Time War under various circumstances. The Rani would have been the source of the Sorceresses - her body in stasis somewhere (the moon?) while the fob watch had been opened by humans and infected several women. If one Sorceress held too much of the Rani's mind, she'd go a little... mad with power. The Master would have been there for Ianto waking as Drax and there would have been an entirely different crisis going on with Torchwood. The Toymaker would have been revealed to be a Time Lord possessed by... I don't really remember what, exactly but I intended to have the White and Black Guardians involved (which would not make the Doctor happy at all)... That was where a lot of tv shows that I used to be interested in (NCIS: LA for example) were supposed to start tying in.

The plot out of 'season two' for that outlined series (do you see what I mean about outlines? Had a whole 2 or 3 seasons worth of fic ideas and couldn't get any of it written) was Ianto being a Time Lord. It's a plot idea I love and just can't get enough of. So I had to remove the Master because he no longer fit and I wanted to set the fic post season 2 of Torchwood and thus after the year that never happened since those events happened between season 1 and 2 of Torchwood. Can't have a redeemed version of the Master if I'm using canon up to that point, after all. I was initially going to keep the aliens I'd planned from the outline and tease the Rani as a future villain, but the plot with the Axons was convoluted and was meant to be a nod to the Master's past. The whole thing took away from it being Ianto's story, so the Axons got scrapped too.

That was when I started looking at the Rani as the main villain, which worked very well once I started spinning that idea in my head. I did actually have a version of the scenes where Drax is lured to the Earth by Rani and getting forcibly regenerated already written. It needed to be reworked for the new version of the plot but the bones of it remained. I split it into several scenes, becoming the first part of each chapter - Drax and the Rani meeting up on Earth, the Rani's plan involving Strange Matter and attempting to convince Drax to build her a version of Mentalis to manipulate Strange Matter for her, the Rani deciding Drax would be more cooperative as a child, forcing him to regenerate while trapped in a Chameleon arch, Drax calling her a bitch... it's very different in the final version, but all those plot points are there in the original prologue I'd written. I just moved the Rani from being a greater scope villain to being the main problem, allowing the focus of the 'present day' setting to be on Ianto's hidden identity as Drax.

I really liked the idea of weaving in older Doctor Who canon with the new canon, which was a heavy feature of the series I'd outlined, and I do want to repurpose a lot of those plot ideas I had into stories eventually. So who knows, maybe I'll eventually write an entire fic with Seifer Almasy as the Master after all. But some of those ideas may wind up as a continuation of The City on the Hill instead. I'm still particularly fond of the plot I called 'The Blow Fish Fiasco' which was meant to be a Torchwood story about Ianto and the rest of the team settling in with the knowledge he's actually a Time Lord. Mostly intended to be a silly fic involving a revenge plot over the death of the blow fish alien in the Torchwood S2 premiere.

21.) What is the one fic that got away?

Well, there's that Seifer Almasy as the Master series. But since I still have hopes of some of that making it into fic form one way or another, I'll talk about something else instead.

For The Knights of the Old Republic games, I had an idea for remixing the plots of the two games so that both Revan and the Exile's plots were playing out simultaneously. Instead of being brainwashed by the jedi, Darth Revan would be have been put in carbonite by Darth Malak in case he ever needed her again (female!Revan, though I think if I wrote it now I'm might go with canonical male!Revan or have Revan as non-binary) but of course thanks to the war she wound up on a ship that crash lands in Kashyyyk, so she winds up waking up with amnesia and Jolee Bindo watching over her. Meanwhile the Jedi recall The Exile, who has been working with Atton since a few months since he defected from the Sith. Since Malak deposed Revan, several other Sith Lords have been popping up - specifically a certain three from the second game - and the war has gotten even more chaotic as a result.

It's still an interesting idea to me, but I could never get the pieces to fit right and eventually I just kinda gave up on it. And then I lost the file I had with bits and pieces already written or otherwise outlined. Or I deleted it? I might have deleted it so that it would stop bothering me when I saw the file. Honestly I was pretty frustrated with the whole thing refusing to come together and it came back whenever I opened the file, so there's a good chance I just got rid of it for my own peace of mind.

Even if I had the file still... I don't really think I'd ever put any effort into rewriting it or trying to finish any of it. And I don't think I'll try to restart a new file for it (I mean... I can't say never, but...) because while it's an interesting idea, I'm not really as invested in the KotOR games as I used to be. Not the way I still am with something like Doctor Who or the Flash.

[sealprotected]

[ PHOTOGRAPH ] : as someone volunteers to take a picture of them on a day out, sender instinctively wraps an arm around the receiver to steady them, holding them close for a photo that turns out to be more romantic than they were expecting. (Sett)

@ofwings-andclaws

prince ... was dating. yep, take that high school. this young, confident selkie was dating a hot alpha fox, among others. not prince pretending to look around when his heart fluttered only for one. although he did know that at their age, this feeling was fleeting - at least, so he was trying to be calm & let whatever was meant to happen... happen.

sett had invited him out for a weekend trip & prince... didn't really have any expectations whatsoever when he agreed. he thought the fox meant staying at his place (he'd never been!) over the weekend, watch some movies, have snacks et cetera, but he didn't expect for sett to think of something else on top. how the hell did he get so lucky?

instead, the alpha had come to pick him up with a bag of his own & a promise on his lips that they'd be back at patrick's place before midnight. most likely. turned out sett had planned a day at new haven's artificial beach, made for new haven's merfolk. it was hot out, the sun beat down on them even at nine in the morning, so ... seemed like it was going to be the perfect day?

sett brought a blanket & food for a picnic later on & towels, of course. prince hadn't felt this excited in a long time. they went for a swim, of course prince swam faster - this was his home turf. although he enjoyed playing around & splashing water at each other more than that. at around noon they had lunch - at the beach as expected & prince knew already today was going to be the best day of his life.

they weren't alone, but he didn't mind. in his little bubble only sett & him existed - nobody else mattered. they were playing around on the towel sett brought to use as a blanket, taking selfies of each other without the other agreeing, so when someone stepped up & waved hello, offering to take a picture of them, they both glanced up. looks were exchanged, nods shared.

when they got up to pose - with prince pulling the fox onto a little hill, sett's arm snuck around his waist & pulled him against his side without a comment & ...he didn't need one. prince glanced to his side, their eyes locked & smiles were reciprocated. the photo was taken, the click sounding, but neither really seemed to want to pull away.

it wasn't until the volunteer cleared his throat that the two realized they'd ... zoned out. prince blushed heavily & quickly returned to the towel to sit, legs crossed in front of him - not without mumbling a little thank you regardless. sett joined him soon after, sitting down so he leaned against the selkie's side with his own body. a strong hand came up to find the omega's chin & gently spun his head around until he faced him. soft smile rained down on the young selkie, but sett brought their lips together in a sweet, slow kiss.

"want to go swimming again? i could cool off." the alpha hummed after he pulled away a little. he had several reasons to cool off, the sun was only one of them.

"mhm, yeah." leaning his head against the other's shoulder, sett brought a hand up to brush through prince's hair, holding him close & just ... enjoying the time they could spend together like this, really.

"you okay eating my dust, though?"

the fox huffed & chuckled in response, leaning away a little so he could look at the younger male's face. "i was letting you win earlier."

"uhuh."

hands came to brush over the omega's sides, tickling every vulnerable spot on prince's body they could find, there was no mercy to be found in the alpha - not anymore. prince was writhing & giggling, twisting & laughing.

"who's the better swimmer, hmmm? can't hear you."

"mercy, please. have mercy."

"i might.... for a kiss."

"deal."

they spent most of the day at the beach & after that, sett took prince to don's diner for the biggest portion of fries & nuggets they offered, shared a milkshake & after that, sett brought prince back to patrick's place, but .... patrick worked late & ....sett might as well stay the night there. he did. but not the way everybody would've assumed, no.

both sat on the couch, they'd been watching a movie, but when patrick came home late in the night, he found them both fast asleep on the couch - prince practically curled up on top of the fix & ... the shark couldn't deny the sight hurt, even if he was unbelievably happy for his brother... he couldn't help but wish the same for his fox.

"goodnight you two."

the taken photograph (let's imagine prince a lil less ripped lol)

[soviet-ghost-story]

“Because I love you!”

The words rang in the air between them, leaving silence in their wake. In the background, somewhere in the distance, Bucky could hear the sounds of carousing and laughter in the tavern below, utterly unaware of the bombshell being dropped above that had nothing to do with Hitler's air raids on London. Twenty minutes earlier, Bucky had been at the bar, talking with Steve, trying to enjoy a few drinks - not wanting to think about why he wasn't feeling the effects of the whiskey while he faced down his best friend's new and improved physique. The story of Steve's admission into the Army was full of holes that Steve put there purposely - whether to protect himself or by direct orders, Bucky hadn't been certain, but he had been dwelling on simmering frustration and anger over it all since the long march from the work camp after his rescue. He'd been hoping a little booze would drown out the outrage - while he was grateful and relieved for the rescue, and thrilled to see Steve, he was also furious that he had made himself into a eugenics experiment, that he had parachuted into a war zone by himself - and he was bitter about the way pretty miss Agent Carter had spoken to Steve, wearing that gorgeous red dress, while ignoring him completely. Most would have assumed that his bitterness came from being spurned by a beautiful woman for the first time, but they would have been wrong. For years, it had always been Steve and Bucky, Bucky and Steve - even when there was a girl on his arm, he had always, always included Steve, because he hadn't wanted to spend time away from him. Denial had made him believe that it was because he just cared so much about his best friend, but the truth was far more complicated and far more illegal than that. He'd really wanted that booze to work tonight. After watching Steve watch Agent Carter saunter out, he and Steve bantered a little more before the conversation had turned sour. Bucky had tossed out a sarcastic little comment about Agent Carter, then about his new physique, and had angrily kicked back another shot - to no avail - and decided to step away before he said something he truly regretted when he was calm. At least he could blame it on the booze tomorrow - no one had to know he'd only felt the burn and none of the inebriation. But no - Steve had followed him upstairs, demanding to know what had gotten into him. They'd stood there in the tiny room they were sharing, Steve poking and prodding, trying to get a rise out of him like he used to pick fights with the bullies before he had gotten big, and Bucky...had choice words to say. He tried keep the quiver from his voice the more he went on, but it was difficult - he loved Steve Rogers, even if he was too afraid to admit to to himself. After all those years of dodging eugenicists who would sterilize you because you were disabled, who treated you like you were subhuman and a leech upon society because of it, you just go and let them...change you? Without even knowing if it would work? You could have fucking died in there, Steve, and I wouldn't have even known! AND THEN - you just launch a one man invasion to save my worthless hide from a Nazi work camp - you don't need me anymore, Steve! You don't need me to defend you, to look out for you, to try and find you a pretty girl who'll treat you right! You could have just said your goodbyes to me and let me rot in that lab and gotten on with it with this goddamned war and with Agent Carter and her red dress down there! Whaddya need me for now, huh? The longer he had ranted, the more tense the air had become, and the more Steve tried to interject and get a word in edgewise, the more Bucky refused to let him - until he shouted those words. Then, there was silence, and all Bucky could do was stare at him in honest shock. It felt like a blow in the boxing ring, leaving him reeling and dazed, and unable to form a coherent thought for several seconds. "...You...what?" His voice was soft, stunned - a stark contrast to the shouting he'd employed before. "You...you love me?"

[confusions-shed-of-ideas]

THE GIRL AND HER PEARL NECKLACE

I was an artist, and she was a lover.

I still remembered when I met her for the very first time. I was sure that she would remember it too.

Both of us have now moved our separate ways. My life is just the same. I do what I usually do, and nothing has change since we both parted ways.

As for her, I'm sure she's changed. After what I've done to her, I doubt she's still a lover.

I doubt she'll ever believe in love again.

It was a sunny spring afternoon when I first met her on the first day of the local fair. I was in town for some business, and she was just here to enjoy herself.

I was just sitting there, at my lonely little artist booth. I'd already drawn several portraits of random passerby who had stopped by to watch me at work. I assumed she wanted the same.

She was a girl around my age, playfully running out and around the fair's stalls as if exploring the world for the very first time. Her bright smile was the only thing at the entire fair that could rival the sun itself. In that moment, I thought to myself that she would make a good subject for a portrait.

It was as if she read my mind. One curious glance towards my stall later, and she had already skipped lightly over.

"Hello," She greeted me. "Are you painting portraits?"

"I am," I replied, as if that wasn't obvious enough. "Would you like one?"

She seemed to already understand the task. Nodding to answer my question, she made her way over to the small, slightly wobbling three-legged stool I had placed in front of my table. She sat down on it, brushed her dress lightly, fixed her slanting sun hat, and looked up at me. Then, she smiled. I returned her smile, pulled out a new canvas, and got to work.

The first thing I had noticed about this girl was her smile. The second thing I noticed was the pearl necklace which hung around her neck. Each pearl, strung onto a thin piece of almost invisible string, with a singular rose gold bead strung in between each pearl.

One look at that necklace, and I knew that I'd seen in before. However, this was my first time seeing it in person.

I was so fixated on the pearl necklace that I hadn't noticed that I had stopped working.

She had.

"Is something wrong?" She asked me, tilting her head slightly in the process.

"Nothing, just thinking," I replied, giving her a small hand gesture telling her to tilt her head back to her original position.

"Oh," was her only response.

I continued to paint, but the pearl necklace was still on my mind. As the soft petals of flowers from a neighbouring tree began to fall onto us, suddenly the once brightest thing in the fair didn't seem that bright anymore.

Finally, I picked up the courage to ask.

"That's a pretty necklace," I said. "Where did you get it from?"

She looked down at her necklace. "This? I got it at an auction."

"An auction, I see..." I responded.

"Do you think it's pretty?" She asked me out of the blue.

I merely shrugged. "A simple person like me thinks every piece of jewelry is pretty."

"I'll take that as a yes, then." She replied with a chuckle.

"Well, I could tell you what else I think is pretty," I added nonchalantly, staring up at her to paint the fine details of the portrait.

For the rest of the painting process, we both kept quiet, however I did notice that her face had gotten a lot more red. Maybe it was something I said.

After a while, I had finally finished the painting. "It's finished," I said, turning it around to let her see it.

"It looks great." She fished a few coins out of her dress pocket, sliding them slowly across the table to me. "Thanks."

Instead of leaving, she asked me another question. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you at last year's fair."

"I'm only dropping by this year," I answered. "I'm going someplace else after the fair ends. I thought it'd be nice to see what this is like."

"Well," She looked around, then quickly cleared her throat. "Would you like me to show you around? I know a few good places here that I think you'll just adore."

I knew this was an opportunity that I couldn't miss. "Sure."

The twinkle in her eye told me that she had scored a win. "Nice. I'll meet you at that sign over there when the fair ends."

We did just that. She took me to a few scenic places, from small but picturesque alleyways to small hills with flowering trees. The town was quite beautiful.

And she talked, oh boy she talked. She talked about so many things. Fun stories from her childhood, the history of the town, her family lineage, you name it.

I didn't ask her to stop. On one hand, it would seem rude. On the other hand, I wasn't listening anyways.

There was one thing that was still stuck in my mind, and frankly it wasn't anything she was talking about. I didn't dare to tell her, though.

The days of the fair passed. Every day, she would come visit my stall, not to ask for another portrait, but simply to chat. I had no interest in making friends, but she kept talking to me anyways. I never tried to push her away. I needed it anyways.

In the mornings, when no one came, she would sit down on the three-legged stool and blabber away. In the afternoons, she would do the same, bringing me a sandwich or two as she came. I liked the sound of her voice. It was soft and comforting, and it relaxed me. It gave me a feeling that I had never felt before.

As the days went by, we became friends. All while that happened, however, her voice slowly faded into the background noise. It wasn't that she was boring, or that I started to hate her.

She was starting to distract me.

I didn't need a distraction. I didn't want a distraction.

I needed to focus on the task at hand. What I had to do.

It was the last day of the fair. As I tidied up my stall, she came over again.

"Since you're leaving soon, why don't we hang out?" She said. "Go out for a picnic or something."

To be honest, I wasn't in the mood for a picnic. I accepted her offer anyways.

There we were, sitting on a small hilltop, under a tree which let loose its small pink petals onto us. She talked, as she usually did. Told jokes, too. This time, I truly felt obligated to laugh.

She smiled at me, then she looked away.

The perfect opportunity.

"Y'know, I'm going to miss you when you leave." She told me.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll write you letters." I responded. "Would you like that?"

She nodded. "Very much." She looked up at the bright blue sky above us and sighed. "You'll tell me everything, will you? When you go on your travels."

"I will," I said, gazing up at the sky as she did.

She absentmindedly placed a hand on top of mine. We both sat there for a while, watching the puffy white clouds drift across the giant canvas that was the sky.

"Well," She spoke after a while. "I think this calls for a toast."

"A toast?"

"A toast," She reached for her glass of cold tea. "To celebrate your travels and the ever moving cycle of life."

I chuckled. "Sure. A toast."

Our glasses clanged against each other. I took a small sip of my tea. She drained the whole glass.

"Ah, nothing like a cold glass of tea on a sunny spring day," She remarked.

A few minutes later, she said, "I feel tired. I'm just going to rest here for a while."

"You do you," I replied, watching as she lied down on the grass, closing her eyes and dozing off.

I gazed down at the vial of sleeping tonic that I had managed to slip into her drink when she wasn't looking. It had worked faster than I expected.

I glanced over at her, making sure she was still asleep, before carefully removing her pearl necklace from her neck.

That god forsaken pearl necklace. The wretched subject of my thoughts since the beginning of the fair.

I tossed the necklace into my satchel, then stood to leave. Finally, my mission was complete.

Some would criticise me for breaking a girl's heart. Really, they should be more concerned about the stealing. I was perfectly aware of her feelings towards me, but I never reciprocated them. It was her fault for getting too attached.

I could never allow myself to get attached. That would distract me from the mission. Distractions, yes. I couldn't let them get in the way. Never.

So say she wakes up to find her pearl necklace gone, and me having disappeared without a word. Yes, it would have broken her heart, but what can I say? I had to. The Boss would never let me hear the end of it if I let the necklace slip from my fingers after we had tracked it down for months.

Perhaps you could say I had pitied her. It was merely a sleeping tonic I gave her. It It was any other mission, it would have been poison. I'd say that I was being merciful this time.

I was no artist. I was a thief, an agent. And she was no lover. She was a fool, a fool to have dabbled in the cruel reality of love.

It was she who got herself into this mess, and she was the one to blame.

After all, when you deal with these things, you need to learn to have no remorse. It's remorse that will leave you in the dust.

[spacedykez]

oh right i was gonna. send an ask in. crap okay- for the writer ask game; 15, 23, 33, 35, 55, 62, and 87 (random)

(writing ask game!)

15. where do you share your writing? sigh. im tired of linking things nixxxx i just made two long posts with tons of links today /lh but that does mean the links are easily available! here’s my ao3 and here’s #paciFics.

23. how do you deal with writers block? badly. ususally by simply Not Writing. very bad practice. lately (as in the last few months) my strategy has been scoll #whump prompts or @/prompts-in-a-barrel to get myself in the mood and then write a shorter thing inspired by that. unfortunately as you can see from my ao3 i have a tendency to lose interest in longfics and once i do i just. never get back to them. sigh. hyperfixations my beloved and beloathed

33. do you start with the characters or the plot when writing? i mean, that depends. sometimes i get fic ideas that are "this character does this" (cough branzypierce) and sometimes i get fic ideas that are just "oh, this would be a cool thing to write (magic by moonlight). branzypierce fics have been All character, but also quite a bit inspired by quotes actually. bleeding out in your arms tonight literally came to my mind when i read this:

35. tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

oh gosh okay well i mean most of the characters i latch on to are because i see myself in them at least a little. double life pearl, i suppose. i feel the abandoned thing a bit because i do tend to feel very lonely especially since i wouldn't say i have very many friends irl, but really she's not like me at all. then again, i've never been in a death game! but for all i joke about violence i really would never hurt anyone. somebody'd stab me and i'd apologize.

55. do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them? well. a question i accidentally answered! okay so i have several longfics lying abandoned (but trust me they don't leave my mind i feel guilty constantly) including scott's eternal winter, which was e1!scott turns evil and instead of corruption covering the world, it's ice/snow. i have tried to write the next at least five times and i have the outline and chapter titles i just. Can't find the motivation.

alone was pure torture (no, literally. i mean. like. that was the fic) i left it because i never really watched the dsmp enough to have a good characterization of anyone and also it just felt. i don't know. too much. people say a lot of tommy fics are torture/trauma porn or something like that and i just felt like it was too angsty.

the legend of the stag siblings i feel bad about. i just think i rushed the plot and it wasn't as well-written as it could have been and also i just. Lost motivation. if i were to pick it back up again (which i do still love the concept) i would rewrite it quite a bit.

and then on this topic i have two like 3000 word oneshots i never published. one is an owl house fic that i could probably post and just say it's incomplete, it's completely readable, i just had more plot planned and then got sucked into mcyt again. and the other is an old basically ventfic (the closest i've ever written) with o!scott. the problem was that i used it as an outlet for my emotions and that worked too well so i never finished it because by the time i hit like 3k words i wasn't in that headspace anymore and i couldn't bring myself to try to get back into it to finish the story.

oh. long answer whoops. um well they haunt me okay. im terrified magic by moonlight will join them cause so many people like it and i don't want to let them down and- okay. shush paci.

62. what’s the weirdest reason you’ve ever shipped something? because i hate my streamer. one guess as to what this is referring to. yes it's ace race x sally. i am starting to be unironically here for the narrative of the wilbur soot ace race saga god help me.

87. does your writing style change depending on the genre you write?

well, i mean i don't know? i only really write fantasy/fanfiction but i would say probably yes? like i do enjoy experimenting with different styles sometimes. my favorites have been Journal, Yin And Yang, bleeding out, and Flicker just because i tried really out-there and obvious style choices and i do really like them. you haven't read journal, yin/yang, and flicker i'm sure.

but journal was an experiment in writing first-person pov, yin/yang was one of my first times writing this sort of opposites-symbolism thing i really like where it's sort of playing with antonyms (light/dark, order/chaos) and since then i've sort of improved on that to add more metaphor/description to my fics. and i'm still SUCH a sucker for good comparisons like this. bleeding out was fun because i added the parentheses to create this growing sense of dread and tension (i really think it worked). and flicker was all about description which was a fun excercise!

on this sort of topic, my writing style wasn't that different but antlers was SO fun to write and i can't tell you why without spoiling it but i LOVE it so mucchhhhhh