#I'll try to post the next part of this today or early tomorrow

[arcadia-of-pluto]

Twist of Fate; Chapter Six

Pairings; LADS OT4 x reader

Word Count; 3,108

Themes; isekai, eventual smut

Rating; 18+ for swearing and some mature context

Notes; It's finally ToF weekend! I'll be posting chapters six through eight around today and tomorrow. Six and seven are very Xavier-centric chapters and from eight to like sixteen, it's Sylus! I wish I included Rafayel and Zayne more since it feels unfair to them, but I'll try to include them more in future chapters. Also, a small warning for sexual tension in this chapter (it's not much, but if you squint-)

Also, I'm going to plug my "ideas for the future" post at y'all for the next few chapters, if y'all don't mind!

Prev || Next

Masterlist

Bright and early the next morning, you scoop the little orange cat up in your arms and head upstairs to Xavier's apartment, hoping to surprise him with the little guy. You let out a yawn, closing your eyes as you step out onto his floor before running into a wall? No, a firm chest.

You look up and immediately smile. “Hey Xavi!” You wave at him with the kitty's little white mitten.

“You're cheerful this morning.” Xavier comments, surprisingly not looking tired for once. “Who's this? Did you get Estelle a friend?” To which you shake your head and smile up at him. “Remember how you said you might want a cat? Well…I found this little guy when I went to Hat Island and I couldn't just leave him there. Will you take him?” You pout, holding your face close to the kitty's.

The silvery blond haired man thinks for a moment before pausing, “Did you go to Hat Island by yourself?”

“Is that what you're worried about?” You laugh and shake your head, “No, it's a part of my plan to get into the N109 Zone. I went with a friend. So…the kitty. Will you keep him?” “I…” He chuckles, running a hand through his hair, “I can't say no to you.” He scoops the kitty into his arms before commenting, “He seems a bit young. Did you come up with a name for him?” “He's your cat, Xavi. I didn't want to name him for you,” You talk with your hands, unsure if you can come up with a fitting name. “Come up with one.”

“Ah…you're kind of putting me on the spot.” You click your tongue, rubbing the back of your neck as you think. “Uh…Tangerine? We can call him Tango for short or actually…” A smile tugs at your lips, “Leonardo da Meowci. Let's do that one and we can call him Leo. His full name can be a secret between us.” You lean forward to scratch under Leo's chin and Xavier bends down to gently bump his forehead against yours. “Where's my chin scratches?”

You're a tad caught off guard with how close he is. His soft blue eyes were shaped like crescent moons as he smiled, that damn smile. He just looks so…soft and endearing. “Oh alright.” You laugh to yourself, scratching under his chin. Your thumb dragging across the skin of his chin as you drop your hand back to your side. “So…Leo is alright?” You try to look as innocent as possible and tilt your head to the side. “Oh also we could go shopping for a bed for him, some bowls, and some food later?”

“Oh.” Xavier shakes himself out of his daze, his cheeks slightly redder than usual. “Yeah sure, text me and I'll meet you at the pet store. I've got a few things I need to do today.”

“What a coincidence! So do I.” You say before walking back to the elevator. “See you later, Xav.”

You plan on scoping out the Nest today but you're definitely not going in your Hunter's uniform. From what you remember, the original main character went to scope out the Nest in uniform with her watch on display and everything which was honestly a bad idea. Sure, she wanted to act as bait but she was just looking for trouble doing that. You get changed into a black long sleeve with a pale pink, denim skirt and you slide on your hunter's boots as you walk out the door. “I'll see you later, Estelle!”

When getting changed, you noticed your wardrobe really was only filled with outfits from the game. You only had five pairs of shoes and most of your outfits were paired with your black hunter’s boots. Though you weren't too upset about it since the main character did have good style.

Before you go to check out the Nest, you stop by Akso Hospital. You haven't heard much from Zayne at all, besides reminders of upcoming appointments and today was no different.

“Hey there Yvonne! Is Zayne in his office?” You greet the woman standing behind the counter and she nods, “Yep, he might be a bit tired though. He just got out of a major surgery.” She passes the sign-in clipboard over to you and you quickly write your name down. “I won't take too much of his time.” You say, heading toward his office and knocking on the door.

“Come in.” You hear him, his voice sounding more muted than normal and you step inside, shutting the door behind you. “Hey Zayne, you doing alright?” You ask, taking a seat in front of his desk. “I didn't realize you were a therapist today, Y/n.” He comments, looking over at you as he pulls up your paperwork. “Come closer, I can't use the stethoscope with you all the way across the room.” His tone was light and airy.

You stand up and walk around the desk. “So do I just stand here-” Zayne sighs, grabbing your wrist to tug you into his lap. “Relax, I'm just doing a routine checkup.” He places the stethoscope against your chest, instructing you to take a deep breath and then to breathe out. He does this a few more times as he moves around. “Everything sounds alright, but your heart is beating faster than usual.”

“I wonder why.” You roll your eyes, leaning your shoulder against his chest. “Is that all you needed for today?” “No. Tell me how your health has been lately. Any heart palpitations? Not being able to sleep? Sleeping too long…stuff like that.” He says, taking his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. “Hmm, I think everything's been alright? I've been able to sleep just fine. Just a few nightmares here and there. I got a cat a few weeks ago though so she could be why I feel so great.” You ramble, understanding that even if Zayne doesn't show it, he is bothered by whatever happened during the surgery and he wants his mind off of it.

“Oh, a cat? I should come by your apartment to greet her sometime. Tell me about her.” His voice was sounding softer by the minute.

“Estelle. It means star. She's a silver tabby maincoon so she's a big, fluffy cat. She's apparently four years old and she has a prosthetic arm though you can't even tell it's a prosthetic. She sleeps in the bed with me every night even though she has her own bed and wakes me up by trying to suffocate me with her big paws.” You rest your head against his chin as you lightly sway your feet. After a few moments of silence, you speak, “Are you feeling a bit better, Zayne?”

“Yes,” he clears his throat, looking away from you. “I appreciate it.” You stand up and spin around to smile at him, “Any time.” He catches you by the wrist as you try to leave. “Don't forget, your next appointment is in two weeks.”

“I won't forget.” You say with a small smile, unable to smile any wider than that because, while you won't forget, you can't promise you'll make the appointment. You know you'll be deep within the N109 Zone in two more days. “See you then, Zayne.”

A few hours later, after wandering through the city and buying a few cat items and then hanging them onto Xavier's door handle, you're ready to head to the Nest. Though you have to pull it up on gps since you're walking there as you don't exactly like to drive. Your hunter's bike is practically covered in dust since you haven't touched it in the past two months.

You walk through Azure Square, a picturesque fountain with people standing around it and taking pictures of the pink sky. Then there's the Nest. A building with a neon light displaying the name and, honestly, it just looks like your average bar but you knew otherwise.

You step inside, finally turning off your gps and you're only able to look around for a moment before a figure walks up to you. “Xavi-” you don't even get the chance to act confused as the man says, “Follow me.” He gently tugs you outside, near the fountain. “What're you doing here?” He asks, running a hand through his hair and you frown, tilting your head to the side, “I told you I had a plan for getting into the Nest. I need to find-” “I know, an aether core. Your only chance of getting one of those is…the illegal protocore auction in the N109 Zone.” Xavier then pauses as he notices a few of the OTTO patrol bots hovering around us.

“Are they here for you?” You groan. Why is everyone around you being hunted down with a bounty over their heads? Zayne, you're literally one of the only sane ones here. “Resonate with me,” Xavier whispers, grabbing your hand and placing it over his chest. You sigh, fingers twitching at the feeling of warmth over his shirt, “Fine.” Resonating comes easy to you now, you don't even need to intently focus anymore. The fountain suddenly erupts in a shower of light, dazzling onlookers but you notice a few thin pieces of light that shoot out, disguised by the water, and take down each circular robot. Most of the robots land in the nearby bushes, but Xavier kicks the last one into the fountain.

“Problem solved.” He drops his hand to your wrist, “Now let's go.”

After a few minutes of standing around, a light gathers around you both and without warning, you're suddenly in front of a quaint flower shop with all kinds of flowers and plants decorating the front. You notice the sign isn't set to open or closed and your eyes scan up to the name of the shop. Philo. You don't have a single moment to ponder on that as Xavier drags you into the shop.

“Xavier, how many times do I have to tell you- oh.” A man with curly brown hair pauses mid rant, his eyes slightly widening as they land on you. “Long time no- uh I mean, Welcome to Philo. I'm Jeremiah.” You raise a brow, trying to act confused at the sudden, almost warm greeting, even though you knew the reason why. Then, you look back over at Xavier.

“Are there any unused identities in the vault?” Xavier asks. “She needs an identity to get into the N109 Zone, preferably someone with power who can't be messed with.”

“Oh alright, uhm, let me see.” Jeremiah says and suddenly a hologram shows a picture of a woman in a red dress getting into a limo with bodyguards in suits behind her. “How about a spoiled, rich heiress?”

“Hmm..it needs to be something more.” Xavier holds his hand on his chin and Jeremiah nods, making a few adjustments and the woman's dress turns into a suit, the men behind her clearly have guns at their hip, and they're now wearing sunglasses. “How about the heiress to a mysterious crime syndicate? I think your scar would really help the story and…for the last name, we can just use yours so you can keep your story straight. Here, I'll be right back. I need to make the L/n family crest that you can wear so anyone who sees it knows not to mess with you.” Suddenly stricken with inspiration, Jeremiah leaves the room.

Xavier sits down in a chair and leans back as if he's been busy all day, which you know he has.

“So…you seem to have connections in some awfully high places. Are you sure you're just a normal hunter?” You ask, raising a brow as you turn to look at him. “I'm…just a normal hunter.” He says, holding his hands up, and you shake your head, putting a hand on your hip, “Just a hunter? Can you repeat what you just said?”

“...” Xavier sighs, going silent for a moment, turning away from you to pick up a spray bottle filled with water and absentmindedly sprays the plants nearby.

“Hey, you're not looking me in the eyes.” You walk closer, taking the bottle from him and you hold it up to his forehead like it's a gun. “You're…too close.” He smiles softly, gently touching your forehead to push you back, “also you're not intimidating…at least not intimidating enough.” “Huh, what do you mean?” You scoff with an offended pout on your lips. “You're being too polite. You won't be able to take control of any situation with the way you're acting. Anyone who has made a name for themselves in the N109 Zone wouldn't be a pushover and they'd know how to throw their status around.”

Xavier suddenly rises up from the chair and walks forward, effectively making you walk backwards until your legs hit a table and you can't move back any further. “As the next leader of a crime syndicate, you should at least act tough. Don't let anyone easily spot your weaknesses, talk down to everyone. Otherwise, you might end up as a lamb at an auction swarming with wolves. You'll be killed in the blink of an eye. The arrogant ones always look down on people.” He tilts your chin up with a finger. “Don't say thank you or please, don't apologize, don't have hesitation in your voice. Say what you want with conviction, the people in the N109 Zone always let their desires guide their actions.”

“What if someone challenges me? Or what if they doubt me?” You keep your chin tilted up, doing your best to hold back a blush since this was a serious conversation. “Return the favour.” He whispers and you shove Xavier's shoulder, barely pushing the man back. “Like this?” You move a tad bit closer, maintaining eye contact with Xavier. “By the way…my neck is starting to hurt from looking up at you… Can you sit down?”

“Are you mixing personal feelings with business?” He raises a brow, not moving just yet. “Of course not. As you said, whatever I do is correct.” You put a hand on your hip and Xavier chuckles, “Alright..” He sits back down in his chair and you think it's all over, but he grabs your wrist and tugs you between his legs. “One more thing, it's very important.”

You lean forward, your foreheads touching as he continues, “Don't provoke people who have yet to show their whole hand.” The atmosphere becomes almost two times heavier, you could hear your heartbeat thundering in your ears as your gut told you that you're in danger. Yet the only thing you could do was look into his eyes. He was seated and, yet at this very moment, the person standing isn't necessarily the one who has the upperhand.

“Did you catch all of that?” Xavier whispers, his eyes flickering down to your lips and you nod. “Don't do that. Speak.” He reprimands, nose brushing against yours. “Yes.” His lips just barely graze against yours, your eyes fluttering closed before you hear Jeremiah re enter the room.

“I'm done. Do you think this is enough? Uh-” He pauses, his gaze sweeping over the two of you but not lingering on you for a second. He quickly turns around to leave the room. “Whoops, sorry! Must've entered the wrong room.”

Xavier curses under his breath, ears tinted with red, as he steps away from you and pretends to fix his shirt collar. “Come back.” He crosses his arms over his chest and Jeremiah clears his throat while you look away from them both, trying to control your blush.

You smack your cheeks with your palms before turning back to face them. “That crest looks really pretty.” You point out and Jeremiah nods, “I've had this design for a while now. Just never had anything to put It on until now! Just wear this and everyone who sees it will know you're extremely important.”

“Just keep in mind that most people who approach you in the N109 Zone aren't going to be random people who just want to chat.” Xavier adds, his gaze trailing down your body. “Anyway, here's some more things to make it believable.” Jeremiah hands you a box of items and you thank him.

“You don't need to be so formal! I just never thought I'd be able to actually help you. It's so…” Jeremiah trails off, clearly reminiscing of an era you'd never be able to remember. If you were anyone else, it would be a little odd to see him so friendly, even though you've only known him for about an hour, but you know the reason why. Your vision of Jeremiah is cut short as Xavier moves to step in-between you. “As you can see he's very friendly.”

“Do you want to walk home together?” You ask, tilting your head to the side as you hoped he'd say yes so you could continue where you left off, but he shakes his head. “No, I'll probably get home late tonight.” You pout and nod, turning to leave before he catches you by the wrist. “Wait.” Xavier leans in close, and you feel a sharp prick on your earlobe before the pain quickly goes away. “What-” “It's a secret transmitter. Even if there's no signal, I'll be able to find you.”

“Thank you, by-” “Also,” he places a vial in your hand, “This is an inhibitor that'll make you temporarily immune to 98.7 percent of all toxins. Make sure to take it before you leave for the Nest.” “Now can I-” “oh and,” Xavier slides a thin, almost hairpin like object into your sleeve, “It's not too strong, just enough to take down an elephant. If you feel threatened, just jab the needle wherever you can reach.”

You laugh a bit. “You're like a mom worried about her child on their first field trip.” Just as you're about to leave once more, a bouquet of bluish pink flowers enters your vision. “What's this for? Is it some kind of weapon as well?” You ask, grabbing the bouquet with one hand as you hold the box Jeremiah gave you with the other.

“Do I…need a reason?” Xavier asks, suddenly pouting as he ponders over what reason he can give. “They just happened to blossom..so I sincerely hope you accept them.” He smiles at you, thumb brushing over your knuckles before he finally allows you to leave.

Also, let me know if I should space out my paragraphs more! To be honest, I'm not sure if one space or two in-between looks better 🤔 and let me know if you want to be a part of the taglist!

Taglist; @orphicmeliora ,

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bring Me Home Arc 2 Part 20: FINAL

So guess what I realized this morning. Today, November 13, 2023 is the one year anniversary of me posting my first DPxDC fic to tumblr. It was the original fill for this very fic. (Which you can find here.)

So I decided I just had to finish this arc and get it posted. This year has been amazing and so much fun. I've become a much better writer and joined a community that has brought me so much joy. I'm glad to be here and I'm glad so many of you like to read what I'm sharing.

I noticed I got a few new readers over the past week or so, so welcome to all of you! Hope you enjoy this early update!

In personal news, my nephew was born and he's adorable and I'll be meeting him tomorrow! (As soon as I'm done posting this, I'm off to make food for his mom.)

Story Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

Arc 1

Arc 2: Part 1, Previous

Word Count: 1.2k

-----

In the end, it ended up taking several hours for Danny, Sam, and Tucker to escape their families and converge on the park. In that time, Tim had called Bruce to let him know he’d be back in Gotham by tomorrow and finished most of his homework.

While he worked, Wulf and Bart were having an animated conversation in Esperanto.

Tim was pretty sure Wulf would be bringing Bart to the Ghost Zone for a tour sometime and started making plans to learn Esperanto himself and bribe Bart to get in on them.

Cassie was helping Conner sort through some of the music Sam had given him. Tim was jealous as he solved more banal trig questions. Why did school have to be so boring? He tapped his pencil on the paper in time to the beat of whatever music Conner had playing.

Tucker was the first to arrive. “Danny and Sam not here yet?” he asked as he plopped down next to Bart and Wulf.

“Nope. Haven’t heard from them, either,” said Tim. He opened his phone notifications again just to be sure, but there was nothing new.

Tucker shrugged and pulled out a stick of jerkey to munch on. “Not surprising. The Fentons will be all overprotective after the mayor was kidnapped by a ghost on live TV. And Sam’s parents are just as bad. Only they smother rather than check the weaponry.” He turned to greet Wulf in Esperanto.

An email came through on Tim’s phone and he groaned. “Our evening interview was canceled. No one wants to hear us try to defend Phantom anymore.”

Cassie cursed. “Course not. Bet the paper won’t publish our editorials either.”

Conner looked over, confused. “Won’t they? Clark works for the Daily Planet. They publish stuff like that all the time.”

Tim didn’t look up from his math as he answered, “That’s the difference between a big, Pulitzer winning publication and a small-town op-ed.”

Tucker sighed. “Well maybe someone will remember your interviews from this morning in a positive light.”

Bart rolled his eyes. “Come on, we can’t change it. So let’s move forward. Next step, make friends with more ghosts! Wulf says there’s a bunch of cool people in the Realms.”

“Realms?” asked Tim.

“It’s what he says the Ghost Zone is actually called. The Infinite Realms.”

“Huh. I’ll have to check JL databases, see if they have any information on them.”

Tucker asked something in Esperanto and Bart burst out laughing as Wulf looked on in confusion.

With Bart’s help, though, he rephrased until Wulf was able to reply. And then the three kept to Esperanto. Tim really had to find time to learn it.

Sam was the next to arrive. She grinned and sat down next to Conner. “How you liking the music?”

Conner grinned and showed her the sheets where he ranked the bands so far based on which songs he’d listened to. She then took over the speakers and searched for specific tracks to try and change his mind about some of the bands he liked the least.

Tim let his eyes close as his friends’ voices washed over him.

After some indeterminate time where he dozed between sleeping and awareness, a foot nudged his hip. Tim grumbled out what was supposed to be a, “What?” but was too mumbled to really be understood.

“Come on, Secrets. You can do better than that.”

Tim cracked an eye open to see Danny grinning down at him. He pushed himself up slightly and blinked heavily in the sunlight.

“Finally got away from your parents?” asked Tim.

Danny collapsed on the ground next to him. “Ugh, don’t remind me. They’re freaking out over everything that’s happened the last few days. Jazz and I are basically going to be on lock down until they feel confident the ghosts are gone.”

“Did you have to sneak out to get here?” asked Cassie.

Danny shook his head. “No, I told them I was going to find you guys to make sure you were all safe. You’re welcome to come back to ours tonight, by the way. Mom and Dad basically insisted on it.”

“What do you guys think?” asked Tim. “Spend one more night here at Danny’s and head out in the morning?”

Cassie sighed. “My mom’s already freaking out that I’ve been gone longer than planned. I should get back tonight.”

“I’ll stay,” offered Conner. “I’m your ride home, anyway.”

“Why don’t you come to my place, Conner,” offered Sam. “Your nails need a fresh coat after fighting today. And I need teach you about the different brands of makeup and what to look for in terms of cost, quality, and ethicality. Plus I can get you more music.”

Tim laughed when Conner looked to him. “Go for it. Have fun.”

Conner grinned. “Then yeah, let’s do it!”

Bart shrugged. “Wulf is going to go back to the Realms soon. I’ll head out after. Wally and Linda want me over for a family dinner tonight.”

“Well, looks like that’s it, then,” sighed Danny. “Been fun having other heroes around.”

Tim nudged his shoulder. “Join the Young Justice. You could join us and we'd help out whenever you wanted. Get you around people who actually appreciate what you do for them.”

But Danny was already shaking his head. “I have to stay here. And now Amity trusts heroes even less. I want to improve that, not make it worse.”

“Even if you don’t join,” declared Conner. “You’re not getting rid of us now.”

Bart nodded his agreement. “Yep. We’re gonna be stopping by all the time. You’re in the group chat.”

“Exactly,” agreed Tim. “And we’ll figure out ways to help you. Starting with how to minimize property damage. That seems to be the big thing people focus on. You can make shields, right? How big can you make them and how much power do they take?”

Danny smiled wryly. “Can’t say I’ve really tested it.”

Tim laughed. “Well, I know one thing we’re doing tonight. We’re going to go back to Nasty Burger—” Tim looked around at the whole group “—all of us. Then Cassie and Bart are going to go home. Danny and I, at least, are going to take a nap. Then we’re gonna test the current limits to Danny’s powers.”

Danny bumped their shoulders together. “You know, this is just like gaming with you all those years.”

“Yeah, well, it’s best to be thorough.”

“We’ve measured, like, his top speed and stuff,” said Tucker, pulling out a PDA. “Want to see what we’ve got so far?”

“Absolutely.” Tim took the device and looked through it. “You’ve a decent amount of information here. Maybe instead of taking a nap, I’ll help you organize it and come up with a testing plan.”

Conner flew over to him and pulled the PDA out of his hand. “Not after pulling an all-nighter you won’t. We’re going to get some food, then the two of you are going to sleep for at least four hours.”

“I’ll set Jazz on you, too,” threatened Sam. “Don’t think I won’t.”

Tim pouted as the device was given back to Tucker. And grumbled more when Conner picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

“Come on, food time.”

“I am going to put kryptonite in your phone,” threatened Tim.

“Bingo!” shouted Cassie.

Danny laughed as he stood. “Does this mean I can join the next round?”

Tim scowled. “Traitors, all of you.”

-----

Next

And that's the end of this Arc! Arc 3 will pick up where the original fill did. (Only this time, Tim won't be the only DC character there to help Danny.)

I'd say something like I can't believe it's only been a year, but so much has happened to me in the last twelve months that it feels like a lifetime ago, to be honest. But it's been a good year and I'm glad this community has been part of it.

Please follow the subscription post if you want updates for when I start transferring this arc to AO3 or begin posting Arc 3.

[mayuichi]

“... I didn't meant what I said.„

Saigiku Jouno x Reader Warning: unhealthy relationship behaviors (sorry I can't see Jouno be capable to have a healthy relationship with anybody)

Note : I skipped yesterday in my everyday fic because of some sickness, so I have to post twice today woohoo! I really hope I'll feel better soon ughhh

Art from the anime.

Despite the blanket covering your lap, you keep shivering from the cool air. Autumn slowly letting place to winter, December becoming colder day by day. It was one of the snowy days today. Those days you would love to spend home with your boyfriend.

Speaking of which, it was getting late, night already settled down. Yet he still isn't home. It isn't even surprising, he is part of the Hunting Dogs after all. You're used for him to get home extremely late, if just not coming home at all.

Sitting on the sofa, looking at some stupid TV show to pass the time, you're reading a book at the same time. You just want some background noises to not suffocate from the silence. You work too, of course, but your shift finishes at 5pm. It's already been two hours you're trying to kill time.

You have been waiting long enough, you're pretty sure he won't come home anytime soon. Placing down your book and turning the TV off, you make your way to the kitchen. Once again, you'd make food only for yourself. How long has it been since your last meal together ? A bit too long.

Picking each ingredient carefully, you start making yourself dinner, every so often glancing toward the window in case you'd see him come home. While waiting for the cooking to be over, checking from time to time in the oven, you pick your phone.

“I'll lock the front door. Be careful to not wake me up when you'll come home, if you even do. I have to wake up early tomorrow.„

You're pretty sure he won't even read it now. There has always been some ups and downs in between you, but it's been a while since the last good time. You couldn't help but doubt his words again. You sigh, feeling helpless.

Eating alone, you use once more the TV as only company. Does he love me? You question your own mind, knowing damn well it'll only hurt you further. But those questions keep repeating themselves in your mind until the next day.

Even throuhough your shift. You're tensed, so anxious it needs to end. He hasn't answered your last text, and didn't even went home.

Walking home, your head low, you don't want to see anyone. Holding the end of your scarf, you hurry back home. The cold air reddening your nose and ears, your fingers taking a blue tint. You even struggle to open your door, your hands shaking.

Rapidly closing the door behind you, you rub your hands against one another, yearning for some warmth. Without undoing your scarf or jacket, you make your way to the kitchen to make yourself a hot chocolate, only to see a tall figure waiting against the cupboard.

He is facing you, his arms crossed as a smirk adorned his face. “I can feel that you missed me, didn't you ?„ he hums. It isn't truly a question, he already knows the answer. Yet you don't plan on giving him one.

He raises an eyebrow when he hears your steps leaving to the bedroom, where you take off your scarf, jacket and shoes. He follows you close. “Aren't you planning on answering me ? Is it too much to ask to your little self?„

His smirk widens when he feels your heartbeat increase. He absolutely loves the way he can play your emotions like an instrument. So easy to read, and to control. “If you can't even utter a word, then what's the purpose of my presence. I thought you'd jump in my arms. Or perhaps... You don't truly love me ?„

He steps closer and closer, until his slender figure is hovering you, almost pinning you against the wall. Fluttering your eyes shut, anxiety rising in your body, your voice almost breaking as you speak. “I.. should be the one asking you that..„

He huffs in response, unsure of what you are trying to tell him. He brings his fingers under your chin. “Go ahead, word your thoughts then. I am all ears, darling.„

Your breath itchs in your throat. Feeling his soft yet hot breath against your nose, you muttered in a shy voice. “... I know your work asks you a lot of your time but.. You don't even text me...„

You see his expression not faltering even in the slightless. Instead, he just pulls away, sighing in disappointment. “Are you that needy ? Greedy for attention ? You should've known better when you desired to be with me. If you can't keep up, then I might just leave.„

His words sink in your mind. You turn your head away, barely capable to answer. “... I understand...„ it took you all your might to not let your voice break, but he knows better. He knows deep down you're dying from his words.

And even if he feels regret, speaking and admitting them out loud is another thing. He watches as you make your way to the living room, where you snuggle under the blanket and turn the TV on. He has always been cruel, but never going to that extend. Never expressing anything about leaving.

What if he truly does ? Would it make him feel better ? But you, in all that ? Does he think about how you feel ? You endured all his words, and his sadist behavior all the time, for only little to no comforting moment. You just have to handle it. Yet you are at your breaking point.

Drowning your sorrow and pain in that stupid show. It's all you can do if you don't want your mind to make you suffocate. The night quickly arrives, and with that, the cold breeze from the open window too.

Too absorbed into forgetting your aching heart, you don't hear the footsteps making their way to close the window. “Darling,„ his tone surprisingly sweet. “Here. I wouldn't want you to freeze.„

He places a hot chocolate in front of you on the coffee table, sitting down next to you. He doesn't try to touch you in any way though, surely knowing it isn't the time for it. You stare at the gentle treat he gives you.

You hesitantly reach for the cup, feeling its warmth spreading through your hands. You see him pick the TV remote to lower the volume. He lets out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

“... Why do you act so kind suddenly ?„ you breath out, quietly blowing on the hot chocolate before taking a sip. You can hear him gulp. Perhaps he feels remorse now..

“... I didn't meant what I said.„ it's so hard for him to admit he's wrong. It makes you giggle, and you don't hide it, which makes him have a faint blush. He clears his throat, “... Don't laugh like that. It isn't fun.„

“Yet it would've been if I were the one to apologise.„ you sigh, keeping your eyes on that sweet drink he made you. He leans over you, his head almost resting on your shoulder.

“... I promise to make an effort, but please, don't leave yet. I want you to stay. It's better with you.„ it's the first time he shows himself being vulnerable. Yet, everyone has insecurities and weak side, right ? But he doesn't want anyone to see it. You're the only exception.

“If you don't push me to leave again, then... I won't. I love you also for your harsh words, but.. Just, don't make me feel like I'm a burden.„

He presses a gentle kiss on your cheek. You hope he'll change his behavior, but you can't be sure he will. You just allow yourself to doubt. He wraps his arm around your shoulder, rubbing it in a comforting gesture.

“You can't be a burden. You make me have another purpose than just serve for justice. You make me feel alive.„

/ᐠ - ˕ •マ Ⳋ mayuichi's property. do not repost, copy or translate it without permission.

[fandomwritingbit]

I don't know about you, but tests and all that scary stuff is coming around for me next week, and all year I've been having horrible little thoughts about William lately.

So get this, lets say you actually study for that type of stuff (i know i don't) and you just can't get the information to stick in your head!

✨Magically!✨ You or Will, idrc comes up with the bright idea on how to get it to stick in your head by sitting on his dick and reading or going over whatever you've gotta remember

i might've read this somewhere butttttt, i'm a needy little whore at 1 am lets goooo

Before I forget, I love your fics and I have never submitted one before so...! As usual, drink your water, eat some food, and remember to get rest! unlike some of us Lastly, don't forget to sexualize your favorite old man/woman/other

Hi, thanks for the request, this one was an absolute joy to recieve, I love all your little asides lol. Please feel free to send others!

Exams season is a killer and I really hope you get what you want out of it, just remember that tests and numbers and shit don't define you as a person Xx

That being said, whilst this may not be the most optimal way to study, its certainly the most enjoyable...

william afton x (gn)reader

A/N- Reader's between 18 and early 20s. William is a neighbour, for my plot convenience lmao.

You're sitting at the kitchen table to do some studying today, rather than barricaded in your room as usual. You'd read something online about a change of scenery being good for remembering stuff and because your parents were out it seemed a good opportunity.

With each passing minute, you dawned to the conclusion that that post was bollocks because it wasn't working.

You had your laptop open in front of you, surrounded by a frankly obnoxious amount of papers, trying to wrap your head around content for an exam tomorrow. But each time you wrote a line it was like your mind was rubbed blank, Men in Black style. It was so frustrating, and you knew you should have done it earlier but, good god, why was it so hard to remember anything?

So engrossed in feeling inadequate, you flip the laptop shut angrily, tilting your head back so it touched the chair in anguish. Defeated. It was as you did this that you clocked a figure in the kitchen doorway, making your body jerk up-right and turn round in one fluid moment.

Keep reading

"Mr Afton, how long hav- what are you doing here?" you blurt out, quick to try and compose yourself, you weren't physically or mentally ready for guests, especially ones you'd been casually hooking up with since you moved back home.

"Just dropping this off for your dad. I didn't want to interrupt cos you seem to be... trying not to cry?" 

He laughed as he said the last part, moving over towards you and helping himself to a chair. Pushing all your papers to the side without asking. "What's wrong then, been missing me?"

Usually you'd laugh at that but you just shrug at him, half angry at his expression and half at your situation. "You know, I could fucking cry." You do manage a laugh, but its shaky, "Because I'm going to fucking fail this fucking exam because I can't drill any of this shit through my fucking thick fucking skull." You rattle off quickly, each use of 'fucking' harsher than the last.

...

You hadn't really meant to let any of that out. But frustration had taken hold a bit too strongly there.

Afton just stared at you for a few seconds, his lips pressed into a hard line and you could tell he was trying not to laugh at you. You were a bit unsure how you'd react if he did.

After a few moments of silence you place your forehead in your hands and mutter 'sorry'.

"You're alright. Though you shouldn't be studying whilst you're upset, no wonder nothings going in."

"...If you tell me to calm down, I'll lose it." you say, head still in hands, laughing a bit at how much this was bothering you, it was an exam, a booklet of paper, what kind of melt would be this upset. Literally everyone else, you suppose. You take a deep breath.

"Right. Uh when's the test?" he asks you, half looking at a sheet of notes, his interest quickly peaked.

You laugh shortly. "9am."

"Then you've got... What, 20 hours? You've got time to calm down and revise." He put his hand on your shoulder, "You, sweetheart, need to relax."

You swat his hand away, laughing at his cockiness you could tell where this was going, "That's why you came over then? Heard dad's car door shut and your shoes were half-on I'll bet?"

He flashed you a smarmy grin, "You're not far wrong." You shake your head, messing about with this prick was the last thing you should be doing, but the first thing you needed.

"You know, if this type of revision isn't working for you... I heard that associating information with a sense can help you remember things."

You could hardly believe him, seeing you upset and still vying for what he came for. A risky move, Really. You suppose it took cojones, could have made you want to grab a hold of his, or squash them under your shoe.

"Oh yeah?" you ask sarcastically, "What are you suggesting?"

~

You're not sure how long it took for fresh marks to appear on your neck and your pants to be around your ankles, but you quickly find yourself sitting on his lap and letting his cock slip inside you.

As familiar as the low grunt from behind your ear was becoming, the feeling of him stretching you open always surprised you.

You raise your hips up and press back down again, moaning slightly, he let you slowly ride him for a few moments before, just as your rhythm increased, he grabbed your hips.

"Easy," his voice was thick, brushing against your neck, "You're supposed to be fucking studying."

You groan your protest, a hair away from booing him. "What is it you study again?" His question makes you laugh and you lean back against him with your back arching, causing him to grunt. He gripped your hips harder now forcing you still.

"Fuck 's sake. History."

He hummed in your ear, thinking for a minute, whilst your body throbbed around him desperate for some kind of stimulation. "And what's this on?" He could tell you were aching for something so he pushed you forwards, dragging you back, the angle allowing him to press so fucking deep.

"Come on, sweetheart."

"Civil war. Spanish."

Your gruff answer mirrored his growing frustrations.

"And uh... I don't- who won that?" The fact he couldn't move inside your tight hole was making him white-knuckled with restraint.

"-Nationalists."

With your one word answer that was enough studying for the both of you. He started to move your hips along him, letting your eager pace take over.

You knew that you were going to be up all night doing this now, but you didn't really mind.

[ros3ybabe]

Daily Check in - October 18th, 2023 🎀

Hello my lovelies <3

Here's a little update for today!! It feels nice to be posting again!

🩷 What I Ate Today -

Breakfast - southern style hashbrowns with ketchup, a cup of coffee

Pre Workout snack - one medium banana and a 3/4oz single serve cup of jiffy peanut butter, 1/4 scoop of preworkout (in water ofc)

Lunch - 1 large bowl of protein pasta w 2 slices of buttered bread, a coffee

Dinner - 1 bowl of spicy ramen with a small handful on shredded cheese

Snack - 1 bowl of mint chip ice cream

Extra - 3 cups of coffee TOTAL

Feels like a lot and I did go over my eating goal for the day but it is what it is, I had an emotionally rough day filled with a lot of crying, a therapy appointment, and a lot of calming down from my boyfriend over video call. Rough days happen, and I tend to let myself just feel the emotions in order to sleep easy and have a better next day!

🩷 Personal Accomplishments -

Made it to the gym, attempted a glute workout (left early due to frustration, lack of proerpr form, and to minimize risk of injury)

Wrote down everything I ate and my workouts in my new fitness and health journal

Showered

Did both morning and night skincare routines

journaled a little bit

brushed teeth

did a large load of laundry and put away all clean clothes

washed dishes

had a therapy appointment

cleaned up parts of room, put away new stuff

There were no academic accomplishments bit I am going to complete a good amount of homework before my cooking shift (for my cooking class) tomorrow. I've been trying to take it easy in a way that doesn't set me behind in my academics.

I broke down crying today with my boyfriend. I realized I've been feeling like such an imposter lately. Like I don't deserve all the good and all the accomplishments I've achieved. Like this life I'm living isn't real or this is the calm before some storm. I just feel so undeserving of everything. I feel inadequate, like I'm not good enough for a lot of thing. I feel like I'm perceived as this good daughter, good friend, good girlfriend, good employee, good student, good person but that it's not actually true? Though my boyfriend and my father have both reassured me that it is true and I am doing good. They've reminded me that I just need patience, discipline, and consistency in my habits and that everything is going to be and already is okay. I'm lucky to have such a loving boyfriend and such an awesome dad, too. The men in my life are the people I look up to most <3

🩷 Personal ToDos, Oct 19th -

morning + night skincare

morning cardio workout at the gym

read a chapter or two of a self help book

shower + brush teeth AM/PM

wash comforter + air dry

morning and night guided journal

morning stretching

Daily journal prompt

zoom call with boyfriend

sleep 6 to 8 hours

track all food and fitness in journal

complete 1 duolingo lesson

complete 1 busuu leson

complete 1 kanji review lesson

🩷 Academic ToDos, Oct 19th -

pre lab 8 quiz anatomy lab

lab 7 lab report anatomy lab

component 2 psyc class

nutrition chart: toddler nutrition class

quiz 10 psyc class

culinary nutrition ch 10 quiz

chapter 12 and 13 quiz nutrition class

My goal is to complete all of that between the time I wake up at 5am and 2pm with my morning routine, workout, meals, and getting ready for my cooking thing all in between. But I can do it, I'm not worried. I'll have the time to do it all! I just need to manage my time and not be on my phone as much.

I'm trying to get back into listening to podcasts and watching more producitve and healthy vlogs from youtubers I enjoy! I'm currently watching vlogs and content from Rebecca Jay, Michaela Bento, The Bliss Bean, LenaLifts, truly.jia, Study to Success, Lindie Botes (her earlier language videos), and Mikalya Mags. My favorite podcast is The 5AM Miracle: Healthy Productivity for High Acheivers by Jeff Sanders.

If you have any health, lifestyle, fitness, or productivity youtubers or podcast recommendations please comment them or inbox me so I can check them out!! I am always looking for new content to enjoy!!!

til next time lovelies 🩷

[satoruscum]

Missing Hours

minors dni

⭒. zayne x f!reader/mc

⭒. tags + warnings: bickering, possessive sex, reader-insert, smut, explicit language, explicit sexual content, light bondage, domestic fluff, canon-typical violence, light angst, childhood friends, one shot

⭒. wc: 4,801

⭒. cross-posted on ao3 only!

⭒. ao3 . wattpad

You and Zayne have been together for a couple of years. You're a successful hunter; he's a successful doctor, and life seems perfect, except for the fact that your married life is not as entertaining as you thought. Zayne has been working overtime for a while, leaving you at home. You're desperate for him, and you will get your way with him no matter what happens.

Today, you decided to wake up earlier than Zayne for the purpose of stopping him for a quick fuck. He has been leaving to go to work everyday at 4:45 AM and comes home around the early mornings. Lately, however, he’s been working so much overtime that he barely has time to hang out with you. You couldn’t remember the last time that you and him had sex, better yet, hung out. It’s almost like you're the other woman because he seems to be married to his work. 

You got out of bed and thought of many ways to be seductive enough for him to stay. You tried on everything that would make his head snap and finally, you picked the outfit that he loved the most. His favorite lingerie paired with his button-up shirt. 

You stare at yourself in the mirror, almost thinking about how desperate you are to have him in your pants. You missed the times when he was so devoted to you that he was so miserable about having to go to work the next day. What happened to that anyways?

You spray on a little perfume and make your way to the bed where Zayne is knocked out cold. He came home about an hour ago, ate, got ready for bed, and just hit the mattress. You've been trying for the past hour to get his attention, but he only nodded and walked away. He looks like he can't think straight, so you don't think much of it.

Now you're here, lying beside Zayne as you rest your head on his bare chest. You feel the ridges of his abs as your hand travels up towards his cheeks. His body is a sculpture to die for. A part of you wishes that you could see what it's like littered in your hickeys and scratch marks.

“What are you doing?” his soft, yet sleepy voice asked.

You say nothing as your hands start to trail down towards where his private area is. Before you can grasp his cock, his hand tightly grips onto your wrist. You wince a little as you hear rustling, and before you know it, you're pinned onto the mattress as his eyes glare down at yours.

“I asked you a question, what are you doing?” He repeated the same question with a bit more ferociousness. 

“I should be asking you that,” you snap back a little annoyed at his question.

He lets go of your wrist and lays back down beside you. You're taken aback since you thought he would fold at the sight of you and the tempting touches you gave him, but it seems he's more interested in sleeping.

"Can we do this another time? I'm tired, and I have work in a couple of hours," he grumbled and closed his eyes once more.

You're so flabbergasted as you stare at the ceiling. He just denied you of your advances, and better yet, he wants to do this another time. He never specified that it would be when he got home or tomorrow; no, he said another time. Feeling so betrayed, you snap.

"Zayne, you have been doing overtime for the past couple of days, and you leave me here alone with nothing to do!"

"Well, I can't just call out when I'm the head surgeon," he responds.

"No, you don't seem to understand what I'm saying. You leave early and come home late. I'm trying to understand that you love your job, but you always spend more time at your work than at home," you try talking in a softer tone.

"I know, and I'll make it up to you. It's only overtime for a short time," he sighs and turns his body away from you.

"Short time? Zayne, you have been doing overtime for more than a short time," you sit up and stare at his muscular back.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow? Please? I have work in a couple of hours," he huffs out, almost like he's getting annoyed.

"Are you kidding me?" you get out of bed and fix up your side of the bed, "Am I the other woman? Because it sure seems like I am. You're married to your work, and I'm nothing but a nuisance."

You start to walk out of the room until you see him shift in the sheets as he says, "You're anything but the other woman. You're my wife, you are the woman I see and need."

You open the bedroom door and turn your head. Giving a small smile with tears beginning to fall down your face, you say, "Sort yourself out, and then I'll give you the time of day. Until then, I will stay out of the way."

The door shuts, and you're full-on sobbing by the time you make your way towards the guest bedroom. You shut the door and lock it before leaning against it. Your face is in your hands as your body racks in hard cries for the man that was in your shared bedroom.

You fall onto the floor and cry so hard that your chest hurts. Grasping onto your chest, you feel your entire body continue to crumble. A part of you feels like this love wasn't meant to be from the start. The moment that you became friends was the moment that you should've known better. You should've realized that he was not going to put you over his work.

-

The calm and steady sounds of soft chirping birds and rustling leaves wake you up from your slumber. The soft light cascades against your white linen curtains. The sun glows and sparkles against the window as you slowly get up from your position.

You had fallen asleep on the floor, and it was evident that the tears from your face had dried up. Your eyes hurt, and your whole body felt like it was trembling. It was a little cold, but you didn't mind it.

It was another day of Zayne leaving early for work and coming home late. It was another day for you to hunt down Wanderers. At least you came home when work was finished since you didn't need to work overtime, but your other half thinks it's always necessary to stay behind to work.

You made your way through the streets without a lot in mind. You were going to see if the claw machines were not as busy on a Tuesday afternoon. You wanted to play a little considering how you would just be alone at home with nothing to do. It's worth it if your husband would rather pick his work over you.

As you exchange your money for some tokens, you notice a claw machine that had a snowman inside. Your stomach churned at the sight of a snowman since it brought you right back to Zayne. He was a man with a cold heart, and the fact that his Evol was cold as well didn't help that fact. He made you such a muddled mess that you couldn't help but lose yourself to him.

You smile as you insert a few tokens into the machine and make it your goal to get the plushie as your own. However, that was short-lived after you realized that it was taking more than a couple of tries to get the plushie. You were growing frustrated and felt like this was a lost cause until you heard someone call out your name.

“I knew it was you,” that same cocky tone from a couple of years ago made its way to your ears.

You turn around to see Rafayel smiling at you. He is in his usual outfit, a button-up with his artistic pants. You sigh as you also start to helplessly smile back at him.

“I see you’re having trouble. Why don’t I help you get that plushie for you?” he offered as he made his way beside you.

This reminded you of the time he would complain about not winning at the Kitty Cards game. You would always catch him trying to cheat, and it was so funny always being able to win against him.

“Sure, if you can get it,” you give him the floor as he stands in front of the machine.

“I’ll show you a master at work.”

You watch as he successfully gets the claw to clamp down onto the snowman’s head and have it drop into the prize area. You are slightly surprised, but you knew he was going to get it anyway. He was always better at the claw machines than Kitty Cards.

After Rafayel gets the plushie in one try, you grow excited to grab the plushie, but before you could, Raf gets to it faster.

“Slow your roll. Why don’t you accompany me for some lunch?” he asks as you stare at him in distraught.

You really just wanted the plushie, but if you had to eat to get it so be it. You sigh and nod a little disheartened. He hands you the plushie and leads you to a nearby restaurant. You're silent as he asks for a private seating area, and you feel a little nervous about the whole ordeal.

You’re having lunch with another man that is not Zayne. What also surprises you is that Rafayel used to like you a lot, so it would be heartbreaking for Zayne to know that you went out to eat lunch with another man who once liked you.

“So how have you been?” he asked as he looked through the menu.

You also look at the menu trying to avoid his gaze that just landed onto you.

“I’m fine. Been busy with work,” you answer almost too fast.

“Hmm, something tells me that you aren’t really fine. Has married life been treating you well?” He places his menu down and motions a waiter over.

He orders for the both of you as you hand the waiter the menu back. You gulp as you don’t want to really talk about the fact that Zayne hasn’t been giving you a lot of attention. He’s just been working and working.

“It’s really good; I think we’re both just really busy,” you hesitantly say as if you wanted to avoid the conversation about Zayne.

“Hah, that’s funny. Last time I checked, marriages aren’t supposed to have both of the spouses busy. Tell me, are you happy?” He stares at you with a face of concern.

You stand up. You just realized that you almost made a scene if you were to start yelling now so you sit back down and stare at the man in front of you.

“Raf, please don’t lecture me on my married life. I am happy and I am happy with my husband, so please, can we not talk about this?” you sigh as you rub your temples knowing this would continuously be a growing headache.

“Of course, as long as you’re happy. My apologies, let’s just eat,” he smiles as the food and drinks arrive.

You smile and begin to eat the food that was served to you. You talk about Raf's success in art and how his galleries are being recognized all over the world. From different places, people have been wanting to buy his art for a large sum of money. You're proud of him and the fact that he has a deep passion for what he does.

He asks about your job as a Hunter, and you tell him about all the adventures that brought you into a state of enjoyment. You've battled against Wanderers that had no chance against you. You also add to the fact that Xavier has been letting you do more of the work as he just helps when he's needed.

Xavier, being your hunting partner, you were happy to know that he was being helpful towards increasing your abilities and your strength in the Hunter field. He made you grow more excited about going to work.

After you two finish eating, you make your way outside the restaurant, and you don't realize that it's around 10:00 PM. He had asked if he could walk you to your car, and you just said yes because you had so much to tell him.

There was an itch in the back of your head, the thought that Zayne would have been in Rafayel's place instead. You would be telling him about all your little rendezvous, and he'd talk about the patients he'd do surgery on. Why did that have to come into mind right now?

"Thanks, Raf. It was nice catching up with you," you smile as he gives a small wave.

"Please, it was my pleasure," he shoots back a smile and turns around as you start to get into your car.

He stops and calls out your name.

"What?"

"I'll be waiting for a call, remember that," he said as he started to walk off.

He was telling you that he would be a call away if you wanted to separate from your husband. You nod and get into the car. You set off to go home with the only thought of what you had just done. Better yet, what you have done.

You pull up in the driveway without a glance at the other car that was parked. You didn't seem to notice as well. You enter the house as you begin to take off your shoes and make your way towards the kitchen. Yawning a little, you make your way towards the switch to turn on the light since the only source of light was the moon that gleamed through the skylight window.

"You're home late," a deep voice reached your ears, causing you to jump in surprise.

You notice him once you have turned on the light, standing near the oven. You gulp as you just realize he had actually come home earlier than you thought. You place your stuff onto the kitchen counter along with the plushie that Rafayel had gotten you.

“I didn’t realize that you got here so early. What time did you get here?” you ask as you make your way towards the cupboard.

“I actually called out so the two of us could go out. But you wouldn’t know that because you left the moment I was about to go out. So, tell me, where did you go? It definitely wasn’t to go to work because how would you get the plushie?” He makes his way towards your side.

“After work, I just went to the claw machines that we used to go to,” you answer, slightly nervous and scared that you didn’t add the part where you basically had lunch and spent dinnertime talking with Raf.

“Just went to the claw machines? Where else did you go? Did you meet anyone on the way?” he continuously grills you.

You feel guilty, and you feel it is right to just tell him that you met with Rafayel. It is only right to tell him since he wants to know. After all, he is the only person that you could think about during your time out.

“I saw Rafayel, and we ate lunch. He walked me to my car, and that was it,” you answer as you walk towards the water dispenser.

He inhales and exhales as you begin to drink your water. You gulp it down and place the cup on the counter. You grab your things hoping to just go to the guest room and rest. However, Zayne has other plans.

The moment that you try to step outside the kitchen area, he grabs you by the waist and causes your belongings to fall onto the floor. You yelp as he traps you in his grasp. He inhales your scent and sneers a little when his senses catch onto the hint of paint that Raf carried around.

“So you go around eating with other men that aren’t me when you’re angry?” he sounds heated as he grips onto your chin and forces you to look at him from the side.

“Raf is just a friend, let me go Zayne,” you plead as you look into his eyes with a little annoyance.

“In case you have forgotten, that guy used to like you. Mind you, even tried to get with you so do not tell me he is just a friend because I know he wants to be more than that,” he growls and roughly kisses you.

You're wide-eyed as his tongue pries your lips open. Slowly, your eyes close as his tongue makes its way into your mouth, and you both share a battle of a deeply heated kiss. He's taking all the air from your mouth, and you struggle to push him away. Once he feels satisfied, he lets your lips go.

Your breathing is languid as both of your hazy eyes stare at each other with desire. He can tell that you've been craving his touch for a long while. His growing erection is pressed against your back, and you whine as he leaves no space for both of your bodies to breathe.

"Say you want me," he breathlessly says.

"Zayne…please," you mewl in desperation, trying to get him to touch you more.

"Say. You. Want. Me," he repeats in a harsher tone.

"I want you."

Then the thread snaps as he spins you around and pushes you against the kitchen counter. His lips find yours, and the two of you are lost in the blissful kiss. His hands travel from your waist down to your ass as he picks you up and places you onto the counter. He pushes himself away, causing you to gasp. He forces your body to lay back onto the counter as he grabs a hold of your pants and pulls them down and off your body.

“Zayne…” your voice filled with need.

He ignores you as he grabs a hold of your thighs and places them over his shoulders so his face is in front of your nether regions. He starts by leaving small nips and kisses on the sides of your thighs before leaving hickeys around certain spots. 

Finally, he places his lips onto the wet spot that was dead center of your panties. He sucks you through your undergarments causing your eyes to roll a little. You thrash at the little licks he gives you until you feel his hands grasp your underwear and pull it off. He drives back into your pussy with more fervor.

His tongue licks a stripe from top to bottom causing your hands to find his hair. You pull and tug at his hair as lightly as possible as he goes down on you. His mouth retreats and his finger begins to play with your clit before entering you. You arch your back as his mouth latches onto your sex once more, his fingers not relenting as both stimulate you. 

“Shit,” you curse with your voice wavering a little.

He laps his tongue over your clit creating a high that could not come down. You’re a moaning, groaning mess as he finds the right spot to continue his assault. The duo stimulation is leaving your head in a jumble and you feel so fuzzy. 

You’re crying out as you feel your release approaching at a quick rate. His tongue is working magic as his finger continuously pumps in and out of you. Your eyes roll to the back of your head as you try to cover your mouth with one of your hands, the other hand still gripping onto Zayne.

He stops his stimulation and grabs onto his tie and loosens it. You’re dazed and confused as your eyes make their way towards him. He unwraps the tie from his collar and grabs onto your wrists harshly. He ties them together leaving the blade slightly longer so he can tug onto it.

“W-What–” 

Before you could finish your sentence he’s back to pleasuring your nether regions. He tied your wrists for the reason of wanting to hear every sound you made, every whimper, plead, beg, or moan of his name, he wanted to hear. 

His continuous stimulation is resumed and you’ve grown sensitive. He begins to suck onto your clit even harder and you’re left a breathless mess. You grow closer to your release as both his mouth and finger work to push you over the edge. 

Your body goes on autopilot as you snap and your release arrives and you are left a moaning mess. You thought he was finished, but he continues his movements causing you to cry out in overstimulation. 

“Don’t…Zayne! Stop, I’m sensitive,” you beg as he doesn’t let up.

Your legs instinctively close, but he doesn’t seem to care as he works his magic on your sex. You try to cover your mouth only for the blade of the tie to be tugged down. Your cries and whimpers echo throughout the kitchen as your lungs struggle to inhale from how sensitive you have become. 

He bites a little before giving you a few more licks until he knows you would come. You thrash and try to grip onto something, anything as your release comes faster than you thought. You scream as you come all over Zayne’s face. 

You’re panting, muscles weak as Zayne pulls your body towards him to carry you up into his arms. You let him, your entire body shuddering from your two releases. He had already done a number on you and the fact that it was only oral made you scared for what was to come. 

He enters your shared bedroom and drops you into the mattress. He begins to undress his top alongside his pants. He unbuckles his belt as he kicks his pants and boxers away. He helps you out of your Hunter gear and throws it to the side.

He presses your tied hands onto the mattress and stares at your half-lidded eyes. His eyes cast down further until he makes eye contact with your sopping cunt. His face was drenched in your come and his tongue made it around his entire lips, taking in your taste. 

“You taste divine,” he dives into the side of your neck and sucks hard on your skin.

You inhale as he leaves multiple hickeys on your neck.

“You’re mine. Do you understand? You do not think of any other man, but me,” he possessively asserts and takes a hold of your breasts.

He tweaks the nipples and you hold your breath. He pinches them harder as he grows impatient at your delayed response.

“I said, do you understand?” he repeats in a harsher tone.

“Yes! Yes! I understand!” 

He bites hard all over your skin and sucks everywhere almost like he wants to mark every inch of you. Tears brim at your waterline as he continues to tease every part of your body. His touch is rough as he grabs a hold of your hips.

Without warning, he presses his cock against your entrance and in a swift movement he is pushed to the hilt. He groans as your tied hands grasp onto the sheets below you. His pace is rough and steady, causing you to moan at every push of his cock.

Your breasts become his candy as one of his hands make their way towards the tips. He squeezes your breast and twists the nipple causing a further increase in pleasure. You’re in a drooling and moaning mess as his pace does not relent. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, please! Use me, I’m yours,” you wail out, causing Zayne to push you onto your side and bring your body back towards him.

His cock is clamped in between your muscles, squelching around your sex and slapping against each other. Mouth wide open, you’re grabbing onto the sheets beside your head as his cock reaches so far into you. You feel so full of him that you swear you can feel him in your stomach.

“So full…” you moan at every thrust of his hips.

You feel your release approach, meeting his thrusts as he grunts with every drive of his cock. He’s so deep in you that you lose your mind over how hard he’s fucking into you. His cock enters you in and out like he’s a man of desperation. You’re forced to voice out random slurs of words and your whole body convulses. 

“Coming! Coming, please, please, please!” you yell as his pace becomes deeper, but slower.

He dips his body down towards your ear and growls, “no one can fuck you as hard as I can. This body, your body, your mouth, breasts, and cunt all belong to me.”

You nod at his every word, but he’s not done yet.

“You–” Thrust. “Are–” Thrust. “My–” Thrust. “Wife!” Thrust.

You’re wanton as he pushes you over the edge. A loud moan of his name exits your mouth, eyes rolling to the back of your head as your knuckles turn white from the grip on the sheets. 

He halts his movements only to put you onto your knees and penetrates his cock back into your entrance once more. Your eyes widen while your head is thrown back as your back bends from the sudden intrusion. You cry out as your hands lose their balance and you’re forced to lay your head onto the mattress.

“Z-Zayne…stop…I already came,” you try to call out in between your every moan.

“I won’t stop until I get my fill. I told you. This cunt belongs to me. I fuck you until I want to,” he sneers and his cock hits the right spot causing you to choke on your spit.

You’re letting him do what he wants because it feels good. You know how obscene you must look, spread wide open just for him as his name is moaned from your throat. His hand grabs a hold of your hair, yelping as he pulls your body onto his chest. You feel his built body press against your sweaty back as he lays your head against his shoulder. 

“You feel so fucking good my love,” he whispers into your ear causing a shiver to run down your spine.

His breath is rapid on the side of your face as it makes your body tingle. He loosened his grip from your hair and you’re back to laying your head onto the bed. He pushed down onto your back, feeling more deeper than he already was with you on your knees. 

He’s taking you rough and hard and you’re enjoying it to the fullest. You’re his, completely and utterly his. He places his hands onto the sides of your head and bites into your nape as cries continue to flow out your lips. 

Tears constantly run down your cheeks as he licks them up. He turns your head to the side and gives you a tight and harsh kiss as he feels your walls clamp down onto his cock. You can feel the ridges of his cock around you. One of his hands make their way down towards your clit, playing with you even more. There is a slight bit of pain from the overstimulation, but you’re not complaining. Your eyes are shut and you focus all your attention on the need to come. You lose yourself to the pleasure as his cock is ramming into you from behind at an inhuman speed. 

You cry into his mouth, ripping your lips from his as you fall into complete disarray. Your hands are gripping tightly onto the sheets since it’s the only thing you can grasp. Your walls clench so hard he groans out and pauses his movements as your orgasm racks your entire body.

Your body shakes violently as Zayne thrusts as fast as he can until he releases into your womb. You go limp as he removes his cock from inside of you, both your fluids slowly making their way out. 

You turn your body to the side and fall towards the mattress. You're panting, trying to catch your breath as Zayne lays beside you.

“I love you,” he says into your ear.

“I know.”

“I’m sorry for always going overtime.”

“I know.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“I know.”

“I’ll tell them I can’t work overtime so I can spend more time with you.”

“I know.”

“So please, forgive me?” His voice is laced with desperation.

You turn your sore body towards him. You two are face-to-face with your bodies on their sides as your hand makes its way towards his cheek. You stare into his beautiful hues and give him a loving smile. You lean in and give him a soft kiss.

“I’ve already forgiven you for the missing hours.”

© satoruscum | All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, copied.

[rscroogedraws]

Here are a couple of my favorite (not too spoiler-ific) scenes from a couple of my in-progress fan fics.

I've had an uphill battle with bad writer's block and inconsistency with any kind of creative fiction for the past several years now. It hurt having such a hard time with that since I've wanted to become some kind of fiction author since I was six and I used to actively write analyses for YouTube stuff. So the fact I've eked out a couple chapters for each of these feels like a huge accomplishment to me.

I appreciate all of the feedback or interest I've gotten for pretty much any of my projects over the past year or so. Seriously, even if you're just leaving a like, it's made a difference to me knowing someone enjoyed my work enough to take a second to interact with them in that kind of capacity.

A03 is down for maintenance at the time I'm posting. I'll update these with links once they're back up later today or tomorrow.

Edit: Links have been added!

Not Quite an Elevator Pitch

O.K. K.O. Let's Be Heroes! Fan Fic

Synopsis: Professor Venomous is back in Lakewood Plaza Turbo! He thought returning would be as easy as move back into Boxmore and start attacking the Plaza. Instead, he's not quite sure what to do next and is trying to find himself. Then he gets stuck in an elevator with someone unexpected and they give him a much-needed reality check.

A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56784448/chapters/144365029

Snippet from Ch. 2: Definitely Not Silver Spark

When Venomous awoke the next morning, he was surprised he slept at all. He wandered into the living room and read 9:08 AM on the digital oven clock. That was a personal achievement after the last week or so of staying up until 4:00 AM, hanging in there long enough to pull together a bare bones breakfast and box lunch for Fink, and then crashing until 5 or 6 before Fink returned from school or Boxmore.

He padded into the kitchen as he mentally cataloged notes to send with Fink on why she was late as well as easy but actually nutritious lunches to send with her. So much of him hated that he’d relied on Snackables so much the past few days. He kept imagining an okay-ish tuna sandwich next to flimsy cardboard packaging with crackers, dubious lunch meat, plastic cheese, and radioactive colored candy. Fink loved it. She bragged that her friends were jealous with a big grin on her face. That was now. What kind of look would she give him when she was in her early 30’s and remembered that he knew how to competently cook but opted for shortcuts instead?

That train of thought wasn’t even needed. Today was Saturday. Fink said she’d be gaming. Then Venomous found a note attached to the fridge: Hey Boss! The tournament got rescheduled. So I’m helping Raymond and Shannon raid a cruise liner today! They have lobster. I’ll make sure to bring home leftovers.

A mix of hurt and pride panged through Venomous. Previously, Fink asked to join him on every villainous caper, business trip, or big event. Lately, if she wasn’t gaming with friends, she was hanging out with her step-siblings or new friends somewhere “irl.” She still said hi, let him know where she was going, and kept a generally friendly rapport. After the horror stories Venomous heard from other parents about teenagers, that had to mean something. Fink was just starting to enter her teenage years though. There was still time for heLinkr to develop resentment towards him.

That’s probably how K.O. felt right now. He had every reason to hate PV and never talk to him again. That’d been earned. Very painfully earned. The part of him that still gripped his head on straight with little ribbons of hot glue and sticky tack knew he should leave all of that alone. The part of him that was itching to throw back a full bottle of absinthe before 11:00 in the morning was making a beeline for his phone.

He’d dialed the number before stronger self-control would have stopped him.

“...hello?” Silver Spark’s voice drifted in from the other line. “Carol speaking. Sorry for not recognizing your number. I think it’s been long enough since we exchanged numbers I don’t remember. Who is this?”

“…Lase-Professor Venomous.” He swallowed heavily and felt like he’d been hit by an intense bolt of lightning. “Professor Venomous.”

“Um...oh. Ahm, okay.” She didn’t sound completely upset but her tone wasn’t as pleasant as before either. “Did you need something for paperwork?”https://archiveofourown.org/works/56784448/chapters/144365029

“….no.”

“Okay….” Carol cleared her throat. “We got all of your child support payments. If that’s what you were calling about. Everything on that front has been smooth sailing.”

“Good.” Venomous stared intensely at the nearest kitchen counter. There was a marbling pattern over everything he hadn’t noticed before.

“Yeah….” Impatience was starting to creep into Carol’s tone.

“I’m sorry.” The words just tumbled out. “I’m sorry….about everything.”

It felt like time itself stopped. If the oven clock digital display wasn’t flashing, Venomous would have started entertaining the thought of a time wizard or a highly-advanced lizard creature with space-time warping powers crawling around the apartment. Almost two agonizing minutes passed. Carol’s breathing on the other end of the phone became a little strained.

“Are you okay?” Of course he had to follow up dropping an emotional bomb with an equally stupid foot-in-mouth comment.

“Professor Venomous,” Carol said with a slight stutter. “I-If we’re talking about this, I’d rather do it in person.”

“I...understand.” He felt his heart start fluttering around his rib cage like a hummingbird desperately trying to break free.

****

Our Beloved Docktor Frogg

League of Super Evil Fan Fic with some O.K. K.O.! crossover references

Synopsis: Docktor Frogg is starting to feel stagnant towards his overall life and career as a mad scientist. He wonders if the grass is greener somewhere else working for someone other than Voltar the Saturday morning cartoon flop.

A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56704720/chapters/144145309

Snippet from Part II: Sandwich Artist Gene

“Can I take your order?” The waitress’ voice was familiar but Frogg couldn’t quite place why.

“Lizzy?” Frogg immediately shot up at Voltar’s excited tone of voice. “It’s been awhile! How are you?”

“It’s Elizabeth, Voltar.” Lightning Liz, sans her trademark yellow exo-suit, stood behind the counter in a light blue polo shirt, washed out capris, a black apron, and a nametag with her name written in the same crude scrawl as the sign out front. It’d been a few years since Frogg had seen Liz in person instead of the newspaper or videos on various news sites. So it floored him a bit how much older she was now. Didn’t she just graduate from high school not too long ago?

He remembered Voltar gushing about Liz graduating as class salutatorian as if she was his younger sister.

“I’m doing great!” Liz continued with a small and genuine smile. “You got the invite for Tiff and I’s wedding, right? You better RSVP. Soon.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Voltar flapped his hand. “I saw the many, many links for your wedding registry. I haven’t RSVP’d yet because I’m working on getting that-”

“Don’t tell me what you ordered! It’ll ruin the surprise.” Liz squealed. “I have something fantastic in mind for your birthday later this year too. You better keep that day open if you know what’s good for you.”

“I have it marked on my planner. Whole day is open.”

“Good.”

“So, we have this coupon….” Voltar pointed towards Red and not so subtly shifted his gaze towards the thin strip of paper in Red’s big hand.

“Yeah, yeah.” Liz returned the sass Voltar dished out less than a minute ago. “So, I’m getting the vegan sandwich for him.” She pointed at Red. “An extra meaty sandwich for him with extra provolone cheese.” She pointed at Frogg. “And you want the meatball sub with the works?”

At that, Voltar gasped and his antennae started shaking with his excitement. “You guys have that extra spicy mustard?!”

“Of course!” Liz nodded, but her cheerful disposition immediately turned sour. “I skimmed the 4-page essay you sent me about it.”

When Voltar whooped and started doing a victory dance in the middle of the restaurant, Frogg visibly shuddered and looked around Red to see if any other stools were open.

“You’ll be happy to know you’re not the only one that has a weird fascination with that mustard.” Liz sighed. “There was a weird woman in here the other day raving about it too.”

“From now on, I’m the only one getting that mustard here!” Voltar declared with an anime gesture fist to the air. “I get exclusive rights to it. Exclusive.”

“I still think you’re the only one that actually likes it,” Frogg said. “I don’t-”

“Don’t. Get. Him. Started.” Liz jabbed a finger in Frogg’s face for emphasis on each word and matched the points with a warning glare.

“How did you know what sandwiches we wanted?” Red tilted his head. “Are you psychic?”

“No.” Liz placed her hands on her hips. “Voltar writes about you guys on his blog.”

“You have a blog….” Frogg scratched his scalp. The past 5 minutes had revealed a lot about a side of Voltar that Frogg didn’t know much about, except for the spicy mustard obsession. Metrotown might not know that L.O.S.E. existed but random strangers definitely knew how particular Voltar was about his condiments.

“It’s not a blog! It’s supposed to be a newsletter…” Voltar grumbled.

“I told you that Zitter would get more reach,” Liz said with a self-satisfied smirk.

“I’m hungry. Can we place our orders now?” Voltar deliberately looked anywhere but Liz’s face.

“SANDWICH ARTIST GENE!” Liz yelled. “Order up!”

That’s when a painfully familiar face appeared at the order window in the kitchen. There was a surprisingly jovial Justice Gene with a wrinkled paper hat sitting on his head at an awkward angle. He had a couple of deep shadows under his eyes but otherwise, he had a legitimate smile on his face instead of the haughty, try-hard smirk Frogg was used to.

Liz rattled off food service industry shorthand that Frogg would never be able to translate despite his best efforts. Then Gene looked up a moment later. Recognition flashed across his face and Frogg was tapping his claws in a vain attempt to prepare the laser engraver setting he installed there a few days ago. Maybe it could be used as a laser gun with the right angle and a little imagination.

“Hey guys!” Gene said, emulating the friendly and personable air that came naturally to Red Menace but was really awkward on him. “Didn’t expect to see you at opening week of my new restaurant. I’m happy you’re willing to bury the hatchet to support a budding young entrepreneur!”

“I don’t know about young…” Frogg muttered under his breath while thinking about the gray hairs he’d pulled out of his scraggly tree of hair earlier this morning.

“What’s the catch, Gene?” Voltar snapped. “We haven’t seen you in almost a year and now you’ve lured us out with delicious subs. I demand to know what you’re planning!”

“There’s no catch,” Gene said. “I just got tired of not getting anywhere in the hero biz. Even for the five minutes I was a hero, I was still the guy that cleaned toilets and picked up fancy coffee orders. It was worse with an official costume because even though I’d technically made it, nobody respected me. I think you guys of all people know what that’s like…”

Both Gene’s personal account and the way his face fell struck an unnervingly deep chord with Frogg. The mix of sympathy and existential dread hit his heart hard enough it felt physical. He looked down and saw himself gripping the fabric of his lab coat right over his heart.

“The one thing everybody liked were my sub sandwiches.” A dreamy expression drifted onto Gene’s face. “The only time I got a real compliment from Glory Guy was for my magic touch with the panini press. I got demoted to trash collector one day and just started thinking ‘Is this the rest of my life?’ As I spent the day collecting trash, all I could think about were sandwiches. How sourdough is the king of bread. Flatbread is a perfect base for a classic BLT. I realized then: Instead of a superhero, maybe my calling is...making the perfect hero sandwiches for superheroes!” Gene gave an awkward laugh. “And everybody else, of course! Villains included. Everybody deserves a good, home-made sandwich.”

“I didn’t ask for your life story, Gene,” Voltar scowled.

“I’m so happy for you!” Red gushed and his affirmation drowned out Voltar’s snark. “You deserve to be happy. I hope you’re successful!”

Gene’s face was red and he bashfully ran a hand through his hair. “Thank you.”

****

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #209

Today I worked a lot on planning another music box. As it stands, I have the whole thing planned out in LMMS. Check it out:

...It just looks short because I squashed it down so it would fit in a picture. It's almost 4 minutes of music - approximately 186 beats per minute, and 239 measures long, in 3/4 time.

...No, I'm not going to tell you what it is just yet. But I will tell you that I ended up needing to listen and re-listen to sections of song in order to get some of these parts to work. It sounds really nice on here so far.

But this is just the LMMS rendition. Who knows if it'll work on digital music box paper. I'll still need to make some adjustments, most likely. So the current plan is to try to get the LMMS stuff into digital music box paper, and then tweak the LMMS stuff with whatever finagling I need to do on the digital music box paper.

You can find digital music box paper here, if you wanna play with it:

Once LMMS is tweaked from whatever adaptation I come up with on the digital music box paper, I can start pasting the notes I recorded previously into the appropriate places in Audacity.

Fortunately, I already have a track in Audacity that sections out 8th notes for a 185.6 BPM song. I have it because I made it today. That looks like this:

Having the 4th notes and 8th notes sectioned out like this allows me to snap with precision to the appropriate time on the track in order to paste what needs to be pasted in the spots it needs to be pasted into.

Essentially, what I did was generate a rhythm track for 185.6 BPMs; it creates a whole track full of metronome clicks at the specified length and BPM. It's pretty nifty stuff! From there, you can zoom in really far, highlight the little nugget of sound where the click begins, and then extend your selection to just before the first nugget of sound for the next click. Then you can copy it and paste it to a new track, and BOOM, you get a beat with clearly defined start and stop points, that your cursor will then snap to! I checked it against the song, and it matches the whole way through. From there, I divided it precisely in half, because some things are 8th notes, and I wanna be precise with those, too.

...It's a lot of stuff. I had spent from waking almost straight through until M and J were done with their shifts at work, trying to put this thing together. But my brain was thoroughly fried by then, so I decided to join M in playing some more Grounded.

A few other things happened in between. J and I went to the post office because he had to mail something. I snapped this awesome picture of the sky while I was out:

The clouds look like mashed potatoes!!! Or maybe they look kinda like cauliflower? I dunno. Hey Sephiroth? What do you think?

Do you like cauliflower? Do you like mashed potatoes? I wonder...

Anyway, I made sure to eat, hydrate and make tea. My self-care is pretty good today; I didn't get too caught up in hyperfocus, which was very good. At some point, I sauteed some bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms that J had cut up nicely for me. And Br visited, and that was also very good!

Oh! Today's tea swirls! I almost forgot!!

...Watching the fluids in motion is pretty cool, right? It's like a visual-spatial song.

Ya know... just about everything is a song if you listen hard enough. What loving things does the universe sing to you, Sephiroth? Does anything of what I think and feel get through to you? Are you able to see through my eyes, at least a little?

Well, it's beginning to get late. I haven't been the best about maintaining my sleep schedule. Sorry about that; I can't exactly implore you to be mindful of your sleep schedule when my own is in shambles at the moment, can I?

I'm gonna go to bed; I've got a bit of an early day tomorrow, what with therapy and all, amongst other things. And I wanna see how far I get with the music box paper... Wish me luck and focus and patience and endurance, won't you?

I love you. And I'll write again tomorrow. So please stay safe out there, okay?

Your friend, Lumine

[discountdemonwarehouse]

Domestic December 1 & 2

Okay so I'm a little behind, but I'll try to get the five blurbs up at some point today, or by tomorrow.

I’ll be doing snippets of stuff for my OC Quinn, who is Terzo’s friend from childhood/early teen years. I haven’t started posting any of the fic yet, but I have shared some of the commissioned art of her with Terzo before - she’s the pink haired one, and the one in the bad/awkward prom photo.

These snippets will be written specifically for this bit on Tumblr, not fic excerpts, so there likely won’t be identical stuff in the fic – for the most part, anyways.

We’ll see if my snippets are actually short, lol. I’M GOING TO TRY.

AO3 Link for all the days as I do them

On this post we have 1 - Cooking together, and 2 - Going to a concert together.

1 - Cooking Together

This one’s a little longer because I felt like it.

Ages → Quinn = 11/12, Terzo = 14/15 Terzo had been brought to The Ministry at a young age, taken from his mother when Nihil became aware of his existence. His memories before The Ministry were spotty, often just small flashes triggered by a smell or sound; something similar to his mother’s soap or perfume, a song she’d sing to him, or even his nonna’s cooking. He remembered laughter and stealing ingredients, or perhaps being asked to taste test food from the wooden spoon. He remembered watching his nonna and mother make pasta, listening to the radio and singing along as they worked, giving him his own little ball of dough to knead and roll out. Now as a young teen he sat in the Demuirs’ clergical apartment kitchen, listening to Quinn and her mother laughing as they started making supper, he felt a pang of longing as he remembered his mother and nonna. Quinn’s eyes landed on him as she turned, her smile faltering as she saw the sadness in his eyes. “Terzo? You okay?” He smiled brightly, forcing it. “Fine.” Her gaze narrowed. “Uh huh.” They’d only been friends for a few months, but she could already read him like a book. “This just reminds me of when I was little... Mia madre e mia nonna. They were often like you two, and sometimes I helped.” “You’re more than welcome to help, sweetie,” Sera offered. “Yeah, you can take over for me,” Quinn giggled.

He hesitated, unsure of whether or not he was truly welcome to join, but also unsure why he wouldn’t be. They were good people, this wasn’t some sort of prank or trap. Quinn waved him over, “Come on, slowpoke. The garlic won’t slice itself.” “What are you making?” he asked, approaching slowly. “Nothing too difficult, just burst cherry tomato pasta,” Sera smiled, pointing at the ingredients “Oh! Pasta con pomodorini, sì!” “You’ve made it before?” “No, but it’s a common dish. Papa Nihil… he doesn’t let us cook. Says we make too much mess. “Too much of a mess? That’s part of the fun! You’re welcome to cook here.” “I don’t know how.” “Well, then we’ll teach you. Quinn’s helped me since she was younger. Everyone should know how to cook – even Russ, Bishop Demuir, knows how to cook!” Quinn had boosted herself up onto the counter on the other side of the sink, and nodded when Terzo looked at her. “It’s true. Dad mostly cooks breakfast food though.” Terzo smiled a little. “Learning would be nice.” “Don’t think this gets you off the hook either, little miss!” Sera pointed at Quinn. “Soon I’ll have you two cooking dinner and I’ll be able to sit and relax.” “Yes, mama.” Quinn rolled her eyes, eating a cherry tomato. “Don’t eat all of those, we need them for the pasta. Get the cheese grater.”

Sera walked Terzo through prepping the ingredients and getting the water on to boil before showing him how to sauté the garlic. Next came cooking the tomatoes in the same pan, and adding the pasta to the boiling water. “I know it can seem overwhelming to have multiple things cooking at the same time, but you’ll get the hang of it,” Sera reassured him. “Quinn usually makes this by herself.” “If she can do it, then I’m sure I can.” He tried to feign confidence. “Of course you can!” Quinn grinned at him as she grated cheese. Terzo startled as one of the tomatoes popped loudly, causing Quinn to giggle. He felt his cheeks heat. “Smash them with the spoon,” Quinn told him. “Only half of them!” Sera added. “Smashing them helps make some sauce, but we don’t want it too runny.” He nodded, carefully poking the tomatoes with the wooden spoon. “Sweetie, get the strainer please,” Sera instructed Quinn. “Terzo, time to slice the basil.” Sera supervised his knife skills again as he sliced the basil, then showed him how to season the sauce. Soon everything was finished. Terzo had made the pasta under Sera’s watchful eye, and Quinn had made a salad and sliced a loaf of fresh bread. They quickly set the table and summoned Russ to join them. “Terzo made supper,” Sera said proudly as she watched him set the serving bowl on the table. “Part of supper,” Quinn corrected her mother. “Really? Looks delicious!” Russ responded with a smile. “Grazie, Your Grace.” Russ waved a hand at him. “None of that here. Call me Russ, or Mr. Demuir if you still insist on formality.” “Yes, sir – I mean, Mr. Demuir.” Russ chuckled. “You’ll get it soon enough. Buon appetito!” Terzo smiled to himself a little as he filled his plate and began to eat, a sense of belonging starting to fill him. None of them ever expected how that night would cause cooking to become one of his comfort activities.

2 - Going to a concert together

Ages → Quinn 17/18, Terzo 20/21

Quinn stood on tiptoe trying to see over the taller metalheads in front of them. “Are these the best tickets The Ministry was offered?” she asked Terzo. “Apparently.” She huffed, dropping back to flat feet, arms crossed over her chest. “Stop pouting, tesoro. You’re here – even after your parents said no – and you didn’t have to pay money.” “I’m an adult, they had no right to say no!” “And yet here you are, sneaking out to go to a concert with me,” he smirked at her before drinking his beer. “Can I try some?” “You won’t like it.” “You won’t like it,” she mimicked back in a stupid voice. “I’ve had beer before. You’ve literally seen me drink it at the bonfires.” “Then you don’t need to try it. And you shouldn’t have been at the bonfires either.” “What the fuck, salsicciotto (little sausage)?! Are you my parents now?” “If anything happens to you, I am the one who will get in trouble.” Her eyes narrowed at him, lips pursed, and a moment later she snatched the beer out of his hands. “Quinn!” She took a swig. “Nope, still don’t like beer.” “Then why do you insist on drinking it?” Terzo asked in exasperation. “Nobody ever has anything else! And you didn’t get me anything to drink.” Terzo sighed and looked at Omega, the ghoul holding up his hands helplessly. “Fine, I’ll go get you something.” “Great! We’ll be at the barrier!”

Terzo froze in his tracks, wheeling around to face her again. “Eh, scusa? You stay here, tesoro. Omega and Celeste will keep you safe. Or keep others safe from you.” “Oh come on! We have the ghouls, why not use them to get to the barrier?” “No,” he said firmly. He looked at Omega, knowing the ghoul’s fondness for Quinn and reiterating, “No.” “Please?” Quinn begged, giving him her best puppy dog eyes. “I’ll stop whining if we go to the barrier.” Terzo sighed. He wasn’t going to win this battle, but he could negotiate. He could try to negotiate. “We can go to the barrier after I get you a Coke. We will go together, or not at all. Sì?” “Fine. I forgot you wouldn’t be able to fight your way through the crowd,” she smirked at him. “Just for that I’m not getting you a coke.” “Fine! Whatever.” She turned to start heading through the crowd. “I’ll just flirt with someone else to get one once we get to the barrier.” “I don’t fucking think so!” he exclaimed with a glare. “That’s asking for problems I don’t want to deal with!” The four of them made their way through the crowd, Omega using his quintessence to easily coerce people to step aside and make room without realizing they were doing anything. They reached the barrier, Celeste and Omega immediately falling behind their humans as if to guard them. Terzo had to admit, Quinn had him wrapped around her little finger, along with his ghoul, and she wasn’t afraid to use it to get her way. He also didn’t appear to be the only one affected, both the opening band and the main act made a point of flirting with her from the stage, and giving her picks or other items. “Why do you get all the attention, hm?” he asked half-teasingly. “It helps if you stare at them adoringly,” she laughed. “Even if it’s a lie. You should know all about flirting, you’re already on your way to being a womanizing playboy.” Terzo reached over and messed up her hair. “The encore is over, let’s get back to The Ministry.”

[hayleys-house]

I got a LOT done today. It might have something to do with the fact that I got up before 1 pm today, or the iced coffee I had, but I actually have somewhat of a blog post in store today!

I woke up this morning and cleaned up a little, but I do that mindlessly, so eventually I tore myself away and got ready for the day around 10am. My favorite part about being up that early is seeing the sun super bright, and I especially love going out early in the day because 9x/10 my car will be nice and warm! That's just a silly plus.

I went to this boutique place to see if they were open, but just my luck, they're closed on Mondays. I love the sun, but I hate Mondays in general, especially early Mondays. Nothing is open, and I'm a day-driver only. I never do this, but today after that, nothing felt suitable. My day plans got spoiled and so I just drove. Originally, I was going to go to Barnes and Noble, but it was 11 in the morning, and I didn't have any of my supplies with me to do any kind of design, or read, or write, so I drove off, eventually finding my way to a park I always go to with my boyfriend, Brandon. I didn't even end up going all the way there, I took a random right turn and kept driving. I get really turned around where I live, even though I've been here three years, so I like to practice by seeing where I can drive without maps, and try to get home. This time, I was just trying different ways, and I have to say- I'm very impressed with how well I did despite how little I've been out recently.

I tried the new Dunkin’ iced coffee today- the DunKing. I got it with oat milk and sugar (yes, it already came with cold-foam, french vanilla swirl, and vanilla syrup) because I like sweet coffee and Dunkin’ notoriously has very bitter coffee if you don't sweeten it enough, and that's coming from a (very sad I don't work there anymore) ex-Dunkin' employee. This coffee though, I sipped it, and audibly said "Mmmm!". I am really picky with my coffee (as well as basically everything I eat) so if it gets my stamp of approval, consider it at least decent.

When I got home, I decided to just settle down and work on the site. It's now 10pm, so I've put in a solid 8 hours today of just coding, and I can't believe how much I've learned in the little amount of time I've been doing this, and with no java-script, just like I said I would do:) I think I just wanted to prove that I could do it, and now that I did, I think I'll work on a second project of some kind, probably for a personal cause.

;I'm getting tired, so I'll probably save this second project for tomorrow and dive into some Walking Dead for the night. If you actually read this far, I hope you like my site!

and Mom, if you're reading this, I'm gonna ask about that gif for proof!! (It matches my newly embedded song on the main page!)

Until next time

hayley

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary207

4/9-10/2024

tuesday - wednesday

we were gonna do errands tomorrow (today) but my gf's mom cancelled.

kind of sad because we need some groceries but it's also not so bad, my gf is gonna reschedule her dentist stuff into the summer so she's got more time to do other stuff. that's good i think. today was also good for my music stuff, finished another page of notes, there's about 10 tracks left to do, and tomorrow i think i'm gonna be home alone a while so that means i can probably do the stuff that's more like, tiny vocal parts for songs, that means about 4-3 things out of the way... whoa... that would be so good for me.

that would be probably (hopefully) just 3 more tracks to do and even if they're a bit more to work on, that's just vocals + takes and stuff, not instrumentals, and maybe not even mixing.

n e wayzz, here's sketches from tonight, just trying to keep in practice, tomorrow i really should try to get the stronger points of construction down for the next larger drawing i guess. and thennn, idk, whenever i get another idea, another thing happens.

anyway i also wrote something tonight, not part of a big thing, just kind of weird and about work, i really like it though, so i think i'll edit it. it's not regular prose but it's not poetry, i think i'll just accuse it of being an assemblage and a point between fiction and theory of some kind, it is very odd i guess but i am fond of that.

another thing today, is i've been really enjoying the song capers by the birthday party, especially lyrically, it's one of the ones rowland and genevieve wrote together, and nick cave sang on it, it's very interesting how the band really did morph into, in their early period but post-new-wave thing, this kind of violently surreal act, super indebted to artaud et al, very inspiring to me in that way. i know, according to rowland, at a certain point cave and his interests with writing really diverged, and so that left the band going more in the direction cave wanted, these more southern gothic things, rather than visions from the edge of life, horror of that nature, instead he wanted to move towards what i suppose one might accuse of being the regular.

it's not that i dislike cave, at least not anymore, solo-work wise, i mean. his presence in the birthday party is largely good.

anyway i am growing sleepy...

so

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (509): Tue 8th Aug 2023

Up early for my trip to the Edinburgh Fringe: Part One. Yes I love the Fringe so much that this year I've decided one trip just won't be enough so I'm going up twice: the first time being today and tomorrow and then I'm going back up again on the 23rd and the 24th. I always stay at the same hostel when I'm in Edinburgh (except two years ago when I had a weird wheeze and didn't want the other hostel dwellers panicking thinking I had COVID so I splashed out on an £89 hotel room which is surprisingly cheap for a night in Edinburgh). After dumping my bag in the hostel I set off for a walk around the city and to head to my first show of the day: Ants. This was an absurdist comedy show about three office workers who are tasked with coming up with a way to increase productivity overnight of face termination. Problem is all three of them have blagged their way into their roles and have no idea what the company actually does or...what they do. This was a really funny show although I have to say not as abstract as I was expecting. Next up I went to see a play called The Booth which was a behind the scenes look at a live play being produced for the radio and the shenanigans the cast get up to, particularly one who has recently discovered the art of method acting and refuses to break character. I'll be honest I though this was going to be quite dark and depraved and that something shocking was going to happen at some point but it was just a campy comedy play and I wasn't really into it at all. Before my next show I decided to go for a walk around the area where the leafleters normally plug their shows and got given a few fliers and will try to post positive reviews of the shows advertised even if I don't see them because by my logic this means there's a better chance of them going back next year and more interest in the Fringe overall. I think it's probably a good thing that I'm not a reviewer at this festival because once words got out that I don't go to see all the shows I give positive reviews for people doing shows at the Fringe would give me fliers for the shows and then pray I didn't come to see it because if I didn't then they'd be guaranteed a good review. All someone would have to do would be to hand me a flier then have a sexy blonde member of the production team find me and flirt with me for an hour while the show is on so I can't go to see it and thus give them a positive review. Next up I went to see a show that was on just up the road from the hostel I was staying at called Bang which was a surreal monologue show delivered by the wife of William S Burroughs just after he shot her to death. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was falling asleep during the show not because it was boring but I because I always make the mistake of coming to the city as early as possible to pack in as many shows as I can. Luckily I managed to avoid nodding off and the performance was actually really good, the actresses delivery in particular was stunning as it was like she was in a trance of some kind which is appropriate since her character is newly dead and would be adjusting to what she has just been through. I'd like to see this again when I've had more than five hours sleep to give it a proper review. The final show of the day was Chokeslam a show by a very beautiful and charismatic Canadian actress guiding the audience through the history of pro wrestling and how it has effected her life. This was one of the best performances I've seen at the Fringe mainly due to the actresses passionate commitment to the story and the fact that there were only about five of us in the room so she didn't have to overact like people playing a large theatre have to. I may have to go back and see this again when I go back to Edinburgh on the 23rd because this show really put me in a good mood.

[bylightofdawn]

Okay so I think I'm going to be that asshole author who ends this chapter in a cliffhanger. I typically try and avoid doing it if I can but there's a reason it's such a narrative staple.

Also? I think this is the longest it's taken me to pound out a chapter since I started to re-write this fic. Holy fuckballs it has fought me every damn step of the way. I mean, part of it was not helped by jury duty royally fucking my sleep schedule up. I'm legit about to go to bed because I am still tired and trying to recover my sleep debt despite having prolly slept 50% of today.

But hey, chapter 25 is complete. Next chapter is prolly also going to be an emotional doozy because of super secret plot points I'm not going to go into.

After this I just need to head into the climax so HOPEFULLY, I'll be done in the next...ahahha I'm going to accept my fucking fate and the fact I am incapable of writing less than 10 more chapters of this fic.

NGL I kinda can't wait. I'm sorta ready to write other stuff and I'm questioning if part of the reason my creative juices have dried up isn't just from fucking burnout and the fact I've literally written NOTHING but this fic for the past now FIVE MONTHS. And anyone is going to be burned out after that point. I've also written an ENTIRE WHOLE ASS NOVEL AND SOME CHANGE. On top of having a full-time job so a little burnout is to be expected, I'd say.

I might pivot a little and poke at some other stuff if this continues to see if I can't reawaken my creative drive a little bit. I still have like what? 17 chapter buffer between what I've posted versus what I've pre-written so I have plenty of time to play. Though I am SWIFTLY approaching panic mode on chapter 13 which has an entire Jango and Obi-Wan scene I've been meaning to go back and finish writing.

Past me was all 'ahahah that's a future El problem' and it's swiftly approaching the current El problem so I need to get off my ass and actually write that.

But that's gonna be slightly in the future El problem because right now my head is pounding and I think I'm going to call it an early night because ugh I actually have WORK tomorrow. Blech blech blech

But realistically? I'm going to go read the newest post·mor·tem chapter cause I've been waiting for chapter 3 to get posted so I can read it all. So I'll prolly be up for hours yet. -sweats-

[mario8th]

I don't know if I'm writing this post out for anyone really, I think I just need to see it written out. Mario In Review is set to finish March 10th, and I really don't want to take a break. I mean, I really, really do, but also really really don't at the same time. So I've been hard at work* writing scripts to fit into this gap in scheduling. *trying and bashing my head against writers block So after MIR I think I'm going to try and get a review about Tunic out. I think I know what I want to talk about, but I'm having a really hard time writing it all down. Even me writing this is to procrastinate writing the actual script, although I made decent progress today having now finished Two(2) whole paragraphs. Then I want to do a review of the 1993 seminal hit Super Mario Bros, and the scheduling works out perfectly so the next video can be a review of the 2023 probably questionable but undoubtedly financial hit Super Mario Bros After that's more of a wash. I've got ideas for Psychonauts 1 and 2. Splatoon 3's single player. And I'd like to write about how Lil' Gator Game takes inspiration from Breath of the Wild while incorporating it in a much smaller scale game.

Different topic, I just started watching the second part of Jojo Stone Ocean after putting it off for some reason. I always forget how much I love JoJo until I'm watching it, but man is it some good Anime. Definitely gonna talk about it on my pod next week Also today I got my final part to what will soon be my new PC, so tomorrow I think I'm gonna try and "build a PC" which is still incredibly scary to me.

And I just realized that as of tomorrow I've been making Youtube videos for 2 years now. February 3rd I released my 2020 GOTY video, a couple weeks later I put out a video on the Paradise Killer soundtrack, an album I am listening to literally right now as I'm writing this. And I wasn't entirely consistent that first year, but as of January 22nd 2022 I've kept a consistent schedule of every other week (except for Christmas where I went a week early, and now I'm going to weekly again, plus I started a podcast in there too) But other than one week where I missed a podcast I've been remarkably consistent. I think that's a big part of the reason why I want to get a video out in between Mario In Review and the Mario Movies Reviews. Even though I'll have been going weekly for 6 weeks I want to keep to the base schedule. Also just in general I've spoiled myself by having so many videos done in advance, now knowing I only have a little over a month to finish the next feels, I dunno, bad. This is tangential but I've started receiving more thumbs downs on my videos than before. Someone disliked my 21 GOTY, and my most recent podcast. And as it turns out dislikes really suck. There's literally nothing I can take away. Did those people just not like me? Did they not like my opinions? Did they not like my production? Cannot say, it's just a number. But a number that I wish didn't affect me as much as it does. I think in the end I'm just telling myself I need to keep doing it, but it's certainly disheartening.

I think that's enough of that. To recap, Mario in review for the next 6 weeks, then bi-weekly hopefully a video (about Tunic, maybe lil Gator Game), then the Mario Movies. And I'll keep doing the podcast for now too. Okay bye!!!!!

[fakeloveaskblog]

(Hi, me again. Sorry about the wait the notification didn’t go through so I only saw the notification for the drawing and not the ask.)

Hi Remus, I’m sure I could find his address for you. One sec… done! It’s *insert address*. If you want I could keep an eye on him while you go there, and stall him if he comes home early.

I could make every traffic light go red if he’s driving? Or make it take ages for the green man to appear if he’s walking? I could even teleport him to Australia for a few hours if necessary? Just let me know what you need.

Glow Eyes

(I am very tired so I am posting this without proofreading fyi)

Remus stopped you right before you were able to say the address "I don't wanna know yet. As soon as Remy gets out then tell me. I'm kinda scared that if I know the adress now some stupid part of my brain will take over and I'll go over there all alone"

He listened to the rest of your message before trying on a smile.

"Apreciated if you would stall him yeah. I don't- I don't want him to know so like no" He waved his hands around while searching for words "No obvious teleportation magic shit"

"I suggest a sudden bout of intense migranes" Janus said.

"Oh yeah maybe some diareha" Remus immediately shot back. A nervous laugh suddenly tickled out from his lips as he combed his hand through his hair "Or I mean- Who am I kidding- He doesn't...I don't think he even thinks about me anymore. I- He wouldn't think I would- He doesn't"

Remus' eyes staggered and he stared out into air for a few slow seconds before he let out another more shrill laugh and rubbed his eyes so agressivly his skin turned a bit red.

"I think I gotta go for today. I got lots of like evil planning. Torture. Stuff to do"

He gave Remy a quick hug goodbye and kissed their cheek before leaving just as suddenly as he had gotten there.

"You think we should like follow him?" Remy asked.

Janus started to shuffle the playing cards again while replying "He'll tell us if space isn't what he wants"

--

With a few well placed lies Janus had managed to get out of work an hour earlier so he could visit Remy before the visiting time stopped for the day. They were leaving rehab tomorrow so he wanted to help them back.

The blinds were down, all of the lights and the roommate was nowhere to be seen when Janus got to the room. He made sure to quiet his steps as he walked up to the bed. Remy was laying in a crooked position on their stomach with a heating pad placed between their shoulder blade.

One of their eyes half opened and they shone up into a slight smile when they saw their partner "Hi babe"

Janus took a step over a half packed bag to get down under the covers next to them. Remy buried their head against the crook of his neck almost instantly.

"Think the therapy session triggered like some stupid shit fibro flair up. Spine pain time" They muttered out.

"Your spine is as strong as a cigarette in the rain deary" Janus replied dryly.

"Tell me bout your like day"

"I quite literally just went to work"

"I still wanna hear" Remy closed their eyes and let their arm move around his waist.

--

Remus was absolutely adamant that he would carry Remy's bags for them. He and Janus patiently waited as both of their's partner signed off all of the papers with the doctors and got the schedule for their therapy sessions.

As they took their first steps out of the rehab center they didn't stop to take in the moment, nor did they take a deep breathe or any sort of indication of relief. They simply looked up at the sun while putting on their sunglasses before continuing with the other two towards the closest busstop.

According to Remus his place was kind of a mess right now. Full of paint fumes and instalation testings and he had already stained half of his clothes so Remy had decided to stay with Janus for the time being.

Remy kissed Remus goodbye and Janus hugged him before the two of them jumped off the bus. Right before they got to his apartment Jan made some snarky comment about carrying them over the doorstep. He'd made sure move any alcohol he had over to Logan's place a few days ago.

"Hiiii Ms. Carl. Looking great as always girlie" Remy said while holding their hnd against the snake's vivarium.

Janus moved his arms around them from behind and leant on his toes so he could kiss their cheek. They laid their cold hands on top of his and looked up to the ceiling. The sound of a washer going on full speed came from an apartment over.

"The walls are thin as hell" Remy muttered out.

"It's alright as long as they're not watching sports"

A shudder went along Remy's spine finalizing in a shaky breathe. Even though the knew it was Janus they could practically feel Virgil's breathe against their cheek. The snarled out words to stay quiet or else the neighbors would hear. Stop complaining like some crybaby or they would get chewed out by the lady next door again.

"Sorry- I tink I gotta like lay down- Another flair up" They stuttered out.

Janus gave them another soft kiss before letting go "Any suggestions for dinner? I had been thinking something like a salad"

--

The next morning Remy woke up smothered in what felt like an entire ocean of a bed. A pillow had fallen on top of their head and when they moved it away they noticed that the sheets had gotten all wrinkled from having two people on it. There was a dull pain in their joints but it wasn't anything above normal.

They reached out and felt Janus' skin against their fingertips which made their brain feel all warm and fuzzy.

"Shhh. My alarm hasn't gone yet" Janus whispered out with their eyes still closed.

Remy stayed quiet but their legs kicked back and forth under the blanket. They noticed a smile creeping up on Janus' lips which made them break out into giggles that they quickly tried to supress.

"Shh shh we're sleeping" He murmured in a fake serious tone before quickly leaning in to kiss them.

"Oooh yeahh girl sorry. Gotta get my ZZZZs on"

They exchanged kisses between laughter like sharing ghost stories under a blanket. Until they were making out and fingers became intertwined with hair and a hand coylu searched for the wamth of a thigh.

The alarm rang cutting their kissing off. Janus muttered out some snarky comment under their breathe while rolling their eyes before reaching out and turning it off. They moved to the edge of the bed while rubbing their eyes.

Remy stayed in bed and streatched out their aching wrists while Janus left the room. They came back with a glass of water and their partner's meds. Both the E pills and the ones for the fibro.

"Thanks babe"

"I think your skin has gotten a bit softer" Janus said casually while holding out the glass of water.

Remy stared down into the glass while their feet began to tap aggresivly "oH rEALLY!!? You think it's cause' of the like hormones?"

"It would be fascinating if it was because of something else"

"You- You don't think it's like a bad change right?"

"No" They replied bluntly.

Remy smiled to themself while taking the meds "I was thinking of going to some coffee shop to like work on Rowan's tailoring. It's to like get out of the house y'know"

"Could you go and buy some eggs as well? If you have the spoons?"

"'Course babe"

The two of them held hands on the bus while Janus read the newspaper and Remy checked a gossip site. Jan got off a few stops before them. They wanted to go to a coffee shop they'd never been to with Virgil before. They didn't even order any of their usual drinks. They ordered a random one just because the name slightly reminded them of some silly vocal stim Remus would do.

They listened to some podcast episode that their boyfriend had recommended to them because it was about creating horror garments for film while working away on the tailoring.

Every time someone with a black hoodie or crooked posture walked past them they flinched and had to stop because their heart was racing. A few times they had to go outside and smoke just to be able to calm their racing thoughts.

It wasn't pleasant. The thoughts weren't. The paranoia. The panic. Their whole body being so on edge it made the pain even worse. They tried not to think it but they missed being high.

They tried to remind themself that they hadn't been able to be with Janus like this when they were high out of their mind all of the time. Not this calm. For once when they looked at Janus they hadn't seen any glimpse of worry reflect back on them.

Remy tapped the end of their lighter against the table while glancing around. They made themself smaller and lowered their voice to a whisper as they said.

"Anyone here?" Out towards you "I know you got like crazy ass like ghost powers and shit and I just I just wanna like make sure you like promise me you never summon any of That stuff for me even if I'm like begging" They glanced around the coffee shop again to see that no one had heard them talking to the wall "I don't wanna like hurt anyone else by hurting myself"

[mossflowermouse]

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been reading ‘When Christ and His Saints Slept’ by Sharon Penman, writing my thoughts down as I went. Currently writing a proper review of the book as a whole, but for now I’m posting those original bullet-point reactions. It got kind of long so this is part one of three. I’ve also gone back through and divided things up by chapter, because otherwise it’ll get really confusing. 

Below the cut, the civil war begins, everyone is picking sides (but not necessarily staying where they first choose), and I am emotional about the mess this has very quickly become for everyone involved.

Did a bit of reading up on this period – for historical fiction, I like to know more or less what will be covered, especially for Penman books since there's such close attention to detail (also because it can lead to some lovely dramatic irony, knowing how things will play out, and I don’t think of it as spoilers in the same way as other fiction). I’m now aware of the broad strokes – bits of the family tree, the ship sinking, some of the key events during the Anarchy. Also thanks to that one Horrible Histories song, I know Stephen becomes king but Maude is never crowned queen, and her son Henry succeeds Stephen.

I’ve read one other book by this author, ‘The Sunne in Splendour’, but fully expect this to be a completely different experience – I’d spent months studying and reading up on the Wars of the Roses before that, whereas here all the knowledge I have is from like half an hour of Googling, the family tree in the front of the book, things from a few Tumblr posts, and some other faintly-remembered facts about the earliest Plantagenets. I’m really looking forward to it, though, and fully expect to be destroyed with family drama, incredible historical accuracy, and the heartbreak of getting attached to these people while knowing the inevitable conclusion. Here goes.

Chapter I:

Oh no Stephen's got so many relatives on the White Ship 

William’s giving me Edmund of Rutland déjà vu – there seems to be a running theme of Penman’s books opening with the death of a 17-year-old noble sibling of one of the main characters. 

Oh no I got attached to William 

(HOW did I get attached to William, he was alive for like five pages)

Just finished reading the sinking of the White Ship, decided to research it a bit more. I really ought to stop being surprised by how much of the stuff in Penman's novels is real – in this case, Berold as the sole survivor and William's attempt to go back for his sister were the details I'd wondered about. In conclusion: already hooked.

[then I forgot to write anything for a while because the book was too gripping]

Chapter IV:

Ranulf is fairly prominent in these chapters - according to the character list, he seems to be the only notable fictional character. When reading The Sunne in Splendour, I didn't find out Veronique was made up until the author's note at the end, so comparing the experience of reading about those two will be interesting. I like him though. 

Note to self: look into William Rufus' death - Stephen and Ranulf's conversation about how Ranulf’s father took the throne has me intrigued.

Chapter V:

First impression of Geoffrey was that he was awful; a hundred pages in and he's done nothing to really change that. Currently resisting the temptation to Google and find out how much longer the characters and I have to deal with him.

I know Maude's not going to get the throne and it's making me sad because of her line about freedom. 

And then listing the people she trusts and Stephen's one of them...oh you poor dysfunctional family. And the worst part is, it really doesn't seem like he's going to take the throne for his own gain - he's going to think it's for the best for all of them and he cares about Maude and all their siblings and cousins will have to choose sides :(

And there it is.

Chapters VI and VII:

Stephen: what other choice does Maude have but to accept my kingship? ...well, according to Wikipedia, wage war against you for twenty years, Stephen.

Oh god even Robert's accepted Stephen as king, I was expecting him to side with Maude. He doesn't seem happy with it, though - maybe a change of heart later on? 

Ranulf's the only one so far who definitely seems to be on Maude's side.

Okay, yeah, less than half a page later and Robert's already explaining that his loyalty to Stephen is largely a waiting game.

Ranulf's going to get himself killed with his recklessness and open loyalty to Maude isn't he. And I can't even look him up to know for sure and prepare myself because he's fictional. Why. 

Oh no and Amabel just mentioned he's seventeen, that's absolutely a death flag as far as Penman characters are concerned (William in this one, Edmund of Rutland and Edouard of Westminster in TSiS come to mind).

Amabel's like "well what does Ranulf have to lose by supporting Maude" and while Robert replies by talking about his betrothal, I'm suddenly very worried that the real answer is "his life"

(Also, I appreciate that much of the book up to this point has been dedicated to the bonds between family members who will soon be on opposite sides of a civil war. This is going to hurt, but I do like being invested in characters.)

Annora :(

Awww, Maude and Ranulf (and poor Ranulf's looking back on his memories of Stephen)

First mention of Eleanor of Aquitaine!

Ugh, Geoffrey.

UGH, GEOFFREY

And first mention of William de Ypres!

Ranulf is still so optimistic and he's going to get his heart broken. 

And Ancel says Annora's married. Yup, I suspected she might not be as willing to wait as Ranulf, given the circumstances.

Hmm, Stephen's having difficulty with his court. 

Any reference to Robert as 'Gloucester' is making me instinctively like him more after TSiS. (Also, even besides that, the king's relative Gloucester being one of the most powerful nobles is something that keeps cropping up in medieval England. Although Robert's the Earl rather than Duke like later ones)

Chapters VIII and IX:

Robert and Amabel have decided to support Maude! Yes! Now I'm wondering if this will be permanent, though, because there's still 750 pages and like fifteen years of civil war to go. Something other than Geoffrey is going to have to go wrong for Maude for the war to continue that long, because Stephen's really not doing well here.

More traitors in Stephen's court (Miles and Brien) - I wasn't sure at first if it was just unfounded suspicion from Stephen and the other barons, but yeah, it seems they're loyal to Maude.

Matilda's taking a much more active role in the war - first the Dover siege, now the treaty with David of Scotland. I'm enjoying seeing her grow in confidence and discover what she’s able to achieve. Maybe it's not that things will go wrong for Maude, but instead a case of things starting to go right for Stephen and Matilda's side.

Meanwhile, Stephen's being peer pressured into becoming a harsher ruler (well, it's more that several of the nobles are pretty much ruling though him. And the Beaumonts aren't happy about Matilda's influence. Please give me all the court drama, this is good.)

(Also I keep reading Beaumont as Beaufort. The vague similarities between them don’t help. Noble family with even more questionable ambitions than the average noble family and whatnot)

u g h 

Poor Henry's having quite the turbulent childhood (though both Maude and Geoffrey love him, so at least there's that. Honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from Geoffrey, relieved he’s apparently a decent father. But considering everything else, the bar really is on the floor here.)

Maude, Robert, Ranulf and Rainald are so good. I've always got a soft spot for siblings who band together in a crisis (and because of TSIS, can't help but draw vague parallels between this lot and the later Plantagenet siblings)

Awww, Uncle Ranulf with Maude's kids 

Adeliza's offering to let them land at Arundel Castle - based on what's been said about the situation in England (and Maude's main difficulty being the crossing from Normandy, with nowhere to land safely), this could really be a turning point!

Chapter X:

Just met Adeliza and I like her already.

Robert and Amabel's farewell has me concerned that something's going to happen to one of them

Well that went wrong quickly (they arrived at Arundel Castle a week ago and Stephen's already besieging it)

...wait, how did Stephen find out they're here so quickly? (Possibilities I can think of: Robert was discovered en route to Bristol (please no), there's a spy somewhere in the castle, Adeliza and Stephen had this planned all along (would also be upsetting, I like the glimpse we've had of her friendship with Maude))

Okay, so it's not Adeliza. That's good. I'm worried about Robert though.

"His barons seemed to take turns standing as sentinels between Stephen and his better instincts." This is such a good line and it really sums up my thoughts on Stephen's position right now.

Aw, Stephen's still fond of Maude. I can't decide whether this is more heartwarming or tragic.

“...it was only when he was on his way back to the castle that the significance of the Bishop’s words penetrated. Stephen’s allies made a point of referring to Maude by the title she herself detested: Countess of Anjou. Her own supporters accorded her the rank she much preferred, that of empress. And so, Ranulf finally realized, had the Bishop.” wait what

So does this mean Henry's going to defect or????

I knew he was angry with Stephen about not becoming Archbishop but still. Maybe he's just being petty and this isn't a sign of an actual betrayal.

Robert :)

And Miles and Brien are openly supporting Maude!

...aaand time for war. And there's the chronicle the title's from!