#at least if you're on the main level (as one is upstairs and the other downstairs) or if you are me and can hear through floors

[regallibellbright]

Both my brother and father are frequent GMs for the ttrpgers in our social circle. They also each play in the other’s game.

This leads to fun situations like a week or two ago when my brother brought up giant undersea scorpions being a thing that exists in casual conversation.

Dad: That’s coming up in a game.

Bro: (His girlfriend, who plays in Bro’s) already forbade them.

Mom: *laughing* I love that you both went straight there. You and she just knew he’d do that.

Me: Who do you think he learned from? And who plays in his games and therefore KNOWS exactly what he’d do?

Bro is, I believe, the one who suggested to Dad back when we were still kids the phrase “carnivorous crickets,” before realizing he was giving the GM ideas. Horrifying arthropods are in fact part of his GMing style.

So anyway, Dad’s the GM tonight, Bro’s visiting his girlfriend, so I just heard the alarm go off and Dad go “time to go kill some adventurers.”

I told him to have fun.

[intimidating-fettuccine]

Can we please get a scenario to how the main three proxies (Masky/Tim, Hoodie/Brian, and Toby) act if they have an anxiety or panic attack? I just want to see your thought on them, because I’ve noticed many people act entirely different, and I find it interesting.

I didn't include Masky/Hoodie specifically because I really don't think either of them have panic attacks, but the other three are here. Sometimes I include the two of them in these sorts of things but they don't fit here for me.

Also, I included if they do or don't have a s/o in this as well. One of the boys ended up being a lot like me in terms of symptoms and only I know which one.

Tim:

Tim doesn't often get panic attacks, I think honestly in the mansion he gets them the least amount of anyone. I think Tim can mostly fly under the radar with his panic attacks unless it's a really bad one. He'll get sweaty, shaky hands, tremble a bit, but he can usually get control over himself and he'll just excuse himself to the bathroom for a moment so he can catch his breath and shake off whatever's got him so panicked. However, if it's a much larger panic attack, things are different for Tim. Usually, these panic attacks occur because of stress from their job, or because of Tim having to deal with Masky being inside of him. Tim gets hit pretty hard; sense of doom, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, detachment, shortness of breath, and shaking. 

Tim gets incredibly scared during these times, as though he's fully shutting down, and he tends to try to run away and hide from people, sometimes collapsing where he is on the way to do so. If he has you, you're the person he immediately tries to find in times like this, all but crumbling into your arms, into his safety net. He calms down much easier in your presence, clinging onto you in ways only you've seen, apologizing and crying, weeping because he feels so guilty in his anxiety for letting his fears get to him, and only your calming words and gentle touch are able to relax him. If he doesn't have you, he tries with all his might to get to his bedroom, to be alone. He'll stay in there, isolated from everyone else as he spends what could be minutes or hours trying to calm himself down, as not even Brian is allowed to see him like this. 

Brian:

Brian I think is second after Tim in terms of least likely to have a panic attack, as I think Brian tends to be good at managing his stress and anxiety, but I think his anxiety actually gets to him more often than it does Tim. I think Brian's panic attacks tend to escalate to the same level each time because when he realizes he's going to have one it causes his fear and anxiety to greatly spiral. It starts with hot flashes for Brian, sweatiness, and headaches. After that, he starts to realize what's happening, and he starts to get shaky and his voice starts to tremble, and he'll try and excuse himself from whatever he's doing. If he has you, he'll have you try and help him upstairs so he doesn't have to be alone because he hates being alone during a panic attack. 

He'll curl into you, hugging you and trying to do breathing exercises with you to calm down before the brunt of it hits him. He'll start to get nauseous, choking on his breath and swaying back and forth in dizziness, so he often likes to lay down beside you. He often breaks down in tears, clinging to you because he feels terrified that something is really wrong with him, and he gets an impending feeling that he's going to die, that he's going to disappear. His panic attacks are very scary for him. If he doesn't have you, he'll go through a similar process with Tim or Slender, one of them being the one to keep him company, although Brian will instead be laying down under a blanket, curled up and hugging a pillow as he tries to calm himself while they comforting rub his back and assure him he'll be okay, that he can get through this, but it usually takes him about an hour to get through one.

Toby:

Toby, on the other hand, has panic attacks on a very regular basis because of his trauma and the very high level of stress and anxiety that I think he feels on a very regular basis. I'd say Toby has a panic attack at least once or twice a week, but some weeks he could be having them every other day when he's going through a very rough patch, although Toby's panic attacks can tend to vary on how they show up for him. Sometimes he feels physically sick, he'll have nausea, and dizziness, and have an extremely rapidly pounding heart rate, with sweat coating his body, breaking down in tears, and unable to stop crying. Sometimes he has an extreme sense of fear, with the impending doom that he's going to lose control of his life, that his dad will come back and take him away, that he's going to die, that he's going to lose control of his life, and he'll start shaking incredibly bad, almost unable to walk, unable to breathe properly and dizziness overtaking him as he finds himself nearly paralyzed and unable to move. 

Sometimes he finds himself growing silent, unable to communicate, his vision blurry, his mind in a sense of detachment so strong he can't even tell he's conscious anymore, his body swaying back and forth, his breathing slowed and shallow, a numb sense of fear humming inside of him. If he has you by his side during any of these, he tends to cling to you, silently asking you not to leave him alone. He won't be talkative at all, in fact, other than his iron grip on you he might seem as though he's avoidant and doesn't want you there, but he's just lost in the confusion of it and unable to communicate what he wants. He just knows that he trusts you, and he wants you to remain by his side so he can have a glimpse of feeling safe. If he doesn't have you, he tends to isolate himself and go through them alone, although sometimes he might prefer to have Slender by his side, comforting him and just being around him so he can know he's not alone or in danger anymore.

[samkat10423]

A TS2 throwback and a local

This first lot is the last one up there where EA had their ginormous spa lot - and right across the street from the hospital. They used to give out 25% off coupons for your ER visit after dining here, but it's now under new management, so the coupons are no longer valid. Or needed.

When we originally did this project, I volunteered to recreate the Londoste Restaurant from TS2. Since I was doing it by memory - and a memory a tad foggy with copious glasses of wine - it's not exactly the same. But I figured over the years, it had changed hands numerous times and been renovated and then re-renovated. So, here it is:

When we did these lots, we did them without CC and limited use of store stuff. I know! Scary! But for my own use, I went back in and went CC crazy. It was zoned as an Exclusive Lounge - mostly because I wanted sims to have to actually dress up to eat there.

The main level is where the restaurant is located. I use ani's mod for all my restaurants - so those are her menus and stove. On the other side is the bar area where sims can relax as they wait for their table. Or they can order a nightcap there. I kind of went for the whole men's smoking-room vibe. Not sure I nailed it since I am neither a guy, nor do I smoke. But whatever.

Upstairs sims can either gamble or take to the dance floor. Besides the EA stuff, I gave them 2 poker tables to lose their simoleons at - thanks to the lovely @mspoodle1. I love her stuff.

Since I was up there in the mountains, I did another family house. I'm jumping back and forth between redoing community lots and homes - mostly because I hate CAS. Anyway, in the town history the current owner of this house inherited it from her late grandmother - along with some simoleons which she promptly squandered.

Since her bio says that she wasted all her grandmother's simoleons on partying, I figured she wouldn't have done any improvements to the actual property itself. Instead, she left it pretty much the way the dearly departed left it. I figured by the time the old lady croaked, she was half-blind from untreated cataracts and unable to do any repairs due to health issues - hence the reason it looks so shabby. But at least the roof doesn't leak!

And here's the young lady herself - Madeline Moore with the stray cat that had moved in right before the old lady checked out. His name is Jinx. (No reflection on him, but right after he moved in, granny moved on). Anyway, her bio says that she's trying to find work to help keep up appearances. But EA had her in the science field at level 5. So, I fixed that. In my game, any technical field that requires sims to be educated - like science and medicine - now require a Uni diploma. And this kid just got out of high school and went on a partying-simoloen spending spree. So, no time for Uni. No, she now works in the culinary field and has absolutely no skills. Plus, I stole all her money. Because I'm a nice simgoddess I am! If you're going to tell a story, EA, do it right!

This lot was created by Jenba as a replacement for the city hall. It's where EA had their art gallery. And in my town, I use it strictly as an art gallery. In my town history it's where the city fathers used to meet before the new city hall was built. I now holds treasures from the town's past - aka: looted artwork from other sim worlds.

Where I've placed this little newsstand, Jenba had stairs down to a basement that contained the EA city hall rabbithole. Since I use the rugs and didn't intend to use it for my political career, I eliminated the stairs and basement, then built this instead using Sandy's newsstand set over on Around the Sims 3. Now my sims can buy their comic books here. Behind it - obscured by that tree - is @mspoodle1's news van. I have another one over on my business lot.

In the back of the lot is a nice promenade - that I forgot to take pictures of, but I will later. Sims can look out over the lake, paint, listen to music and whatnot.

And that's it for this post.

[allys-diary]

stories i om-nom-nom'd :: april 2024 (week 2)

I honestly didn't nom through too much because this week was mostly spent on my 'main' blog which is by the site's terms my side blog but let's be real, that's where I'm most active, it's my main blog 😤 Anyways, most of the week was spent reading through my friends' and fellow writers' stories and progressing my Tumblr TBR, writing my own stories, and also downloading and posting all the photos that came out this week from the events that Tom Hiddleston attended (legend has it, I'm still downloading).

As always, spoilers, thots, and thoughts all under the cut

documentaries

The Antisocial Network

I wasn't expecting this to take the turn that it did, documenting the butterfly effect of the creation of 4chan and how it snowballed into January 6, 2021. I ended up liking this a bit more than I expected going in, but I also have a little bit of an opinion…some of these guys really shot themselves in the foot revealing themselves to be a part of Anonymous because now…well they're kinda the opposite 🥴

Quiet on Set: Breaking the Silence

The check in with the people that were interviewed felt like a necessary part of the entire process, but honestly…there was something in the vibe of this episode's execution that felt off to me. It was like the host was putting on a performance like they were filming in front of a studio audience and the tone just felt like it was too chipper if that makes sense? Like you're supposed to be checking in on them and asking them how they've felt since the documentary came out and how their lives have been since, so why are you sounding like you're reading them today's headlines? Like I can't believe I'm even saying this but Trisha Paytas did better--

It just felt a little heavy-handed to me, but I can get behind the concept of having this follow-up episode that addressed the absolute garbage fire of a video that Foot Man put out into the internet trying to do damage control but honestly should've just been titled "Dan Schneider digs his own grave even deeper for 20 minutes straight".

books

games

Delicious: True Love

Stage 5, Day 1: Emily arrives back home to her restaurant/apartment in Snuggford and the poor beb's so heartbroken and hyper-focused on that, that she doesn't even notice there's a big gaping hole in the middle of her restaurant, with a burst pipe making an accidental water fountain. Patrick only sees her going upstairs to unpack and assumes that her trip went well and basically declares to her family and her best friend that now that she's got her love and she's happy, there's no more reason for him to stay.

Dude no, we've officially entered idiots in love stage. 😩

The day ends with Emily sobbing the second her mom goes up and checks in on her. I'm gonna say one more time for good measure, if OG story Jean-Paul has zero haters, I am dead.

Stage 5, Day 2: Emily's parents are worried about her since she hasn't come back down from her apartment, and Francois gives her some tough love telling her to at least show up for work because he won't make excuses for her absence. Nothing much happens on this day, since she goes straight back upstairs when the shift's over, other than her mom Evelyn basically saying she should have meddled in the beginning by never giving her the letter to begin with.

All I'm gonna say is…remake Evelyn is definitely the better Evelyn 🥴

Stage 5, Day 3: Patrick reveals that he's moving to New York since his business is growing and the new shop's gonna need his attention. Then Angela, Emily's little sister, shows up with puppies and asks her all about Paris, which causes Evelyn to shout at Angela rather than just calmly tell her that it's a sensitive topic (Clear to see where Evelyn's playing favorites). Angela leaves the restaurant but instructs one of the puppies to stay behind with Emily, which kicks off our side quest for this level where we call back the pup when he strays from Emily's side.

The day ends with Emily keeping the pup with her for a day or two, and talking to her mom about what happened in Paris.

Stage 5, Day 4: The big hole in the middle of the restaurant's all fixed, and it's bringing in more foot traffic to the restaurant. Emily makes a note to call to have the floors polished, mentioning she likes the floral scent, and Francois tells her that Patrick's moving to New York. He also accidentally kickstarts the dreaded miscommunication trope because he said "something about someone needing his attention there".

Gotta love them himbo besties 🥴

Stage 5, Day 5: Emily gets to see more of Patrick's green flag status when he tends to a kid that hurt herself when she tripped, taking the kid's mind off the pain and giving her a little flower and doing a magic trick. Then he confirms with Emily that yes, he's moving to New York because "it's time to move on", and I wanna bonk some heads together all over again. Francois tells her that she and Patrick have been flirting for so long that it's like "watching the same car crash on repeat" and he tells his therapist about it sometimes, and then accidentally breaks the vase that Patrick put a rose he set aside for Emily in, scattering marbles all over the floor and giving us our side mission for this level.

The day ends with Emily turning down an offer for a girls night out, and holding on to the rose from earlier.

Stage 5, Day 6: We officially unlock this stage's Entertainer, which is Francois with Emily's new puppy from Angela. Not much happens other than at the end of the day, the previous owner of the restaurant Mr Farrell visits the place to reminisce, and he talks about his "one that got away" because he was a teenage boy that fapped over Marilyn Monroe (my words, not his). Then one day when he finally came to his senses, the girl already stopped showing up at the restaurant.

Stage 5, Day 7: Emily's heart's finally starting to heal and she wakes up realizing that her apartment's a total mess ever since she got home and started her one-woman misery party. She still has the rose from Patrick at the center of her living area, and she reads a card that basically boils down to "Emily babes wake up your true love's been right in front of you literally giving you flowers every day". Unfortunately, that last scene from the previous day feels like heavy-handed foreshadowing because Patrick says goodbye to Emily after giving her one last delivery of fresh flowers for the restaurant.

The day ends with Mr Farrell bidding Emily and his old restaurant goodbye since he's moving to Florida to stay with friends, and a regular customer Gladys walks in looking for her purse, and wouldn't you know, it's Mr Farrell's TOTGA, and she moved back to Snuggford after her husband passed away so she could be closer to family. This makes Mr Farrell decide that he doesn't wanna move to Florida anymore.

Undercover: Blood Bonds

Chapter 10: Vera clocks in for the morning shift and finds Bluejay in Club with her pajamas on, finding out that she doesn't have a place to stay so she's been sleeping in the backroom. Vera offers her to move in so she doesn't catch a case for breaking in. At the end of the shift, Jericho reveals he has mind control powers and he used them to make Crystal exit the room before he ordered Mr Smirnov to get rid of Vera because she's asking too many questions.

Chapter 11: Vera meets up with Hank at a pub called Smokin' Wheels, and he tells her that Mr Smirnov's on a mission to get her sacked. Lilly's ex boyfriend Sam shows up and Vera spends that shift trying not to get noticed by Sam. At the end of the shift, we get a flashback of Sam being overprotective but concerned about Lilly coming home late and he pulls the "you're mine" card, while Lilly walks away going "You don't know anything".

Pretty sure the cops are wrong that Sam's the culprit and it's actually Mr Mind Control with the glowy red eyes Jericho that they should be looking up.

stories to om-nom-nom next

The Tortured Poets Department

I'm already sharpening a pitchfork with Joe Alwyn's name on it.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure: Imagination Celebration Event

I have no idea what this side story's gonna be, but all I know is that they made my precious bb Kuromi the villain of the event, and ngl I'm fuming. My sweet mischievous baby deserves better 😤

That's all for this week. See y'all next week unless I fall into a rabbit hole of planning out new stories for the WIP pile because I up and decided to Phase 1 plan for a "The Tortured Poets Department Collection" 🥴🫡

[hpdabbles]

Reborn as the Villain's Fiancé 2

Harry's arrival at the castle wasn't as eventful as he imagined it was going to be. He had thought he would at least see his husband be if only for a moment but the emperor was busy.

Instead, Harry had been greeted by one of the castle slaves, who directed the coachman to the annex. It was an obvious sign that Harry was not welcome in the main castle, as the annex is a good three or so acres away from the main castle walls. He would still be protected but not as nearly as much as the main house.

Harry knew that this would be his home until his death, and in the book, it was described as a decaying building, with dead plants and no means of escape.

What he got instead was a giant of a house, with twenty-five rooms, each decorated with gold. The furniture was all finely polished pine wood, and there seem to be a color theme of green and silver that gave the building an aristocratic appeal. The gardens outside were not exactly booming, but as someone whose aunt made him into a personal gardener, Harry could see the potential of the soil. Anything could grow here!

Honestly, Harry thought he was in a museum. It was all so fancy!

The slave bowed his head. "The maids cleaned as best they could but I regret to inform you this will be all they will do. Do not expect any service from here on out."

"That's fine," Harry said looking out the large window over the rose garden Neville would eventually meet him in. In the book, the bushes are more thorns than flowers, and even now he could see there needs to be a lot of weeding and trimming but the shape was there. "I can cook and clean. Thanks for bringing me here."

The slave looked shocked to the bone not only by his words but by Harry's general acknowledgment. He doesn't care that he's in a different world, no matter what he will always be polite to employees.

Slavery.....that made him sick but at the moment, there was nothing he could do. Neville would free them all at one point after the war. Until then Harry could be kind to them and help smother out the younger ones.

"I'll take my leave then."

"Of course. You're welcome to visit anytime if you like!" He calls out but he knows the slave won't. Once he's gone, Harry is left standing in the main hall, with all his bags. The coachman had been kind enough to help bring them inside before he return home.

He has gotten a look of pity, an expression often shown by his family's servants and Harry had to fight the urge to curl his lips at him. If he felt so bad about his situation maybe he should have tried reaching out to Harry Potter before.

This Harry Potter had no need or time for pity. He had a throne to overthrow. The first thing he needed was a means of income.

Now that the Potters would no longer be providing for him, Harry depended on the Emperor for funds. In the book, like all nobles, Harry Potter could not provide for himself because he was an aristocrat who had servants do everything for him and when he was cut off from their services he could not survive.

Harry on the other hand had more than enough life skills to keep himself afloat. The castle Annex was his domain now, and anything in it.

A home. Harry thinks happily wandering through the building. A home I can build for myself. 

He first selected a bedroom. He choose to keep all of the floor levels for appearances, and if he ever got any, guest rooms. They were the more lavished and would work well for hosting visitors. He then wanders upstairs only to choose the largest one on the second floor, since it had not only a bathtub- he is going to have to get used to no plumbing- but the softest bed he's ever laid on.

Harry then found the kitchen, by going down some hidden stairs in his new bedroom. He once read that in the medial ages, servants had separate halls and stairways to keep out of sight while working but to find them in his own home was strange.

Thankfully the kitchen while a bit old, was useable. He'll have to get used to not having modern technology, but Harry had always been great at adapting. Maybe he can create something similar?

For this was a fantasy world, and in all fantasy worlds, there was magic. Harry knew that Harry Potter was capable of magic since the meek man was born of noble descendants, but he wasn't sure what kind or what limits he had.

He'll have to see if he can find a library, maybe there were books somewhere in this house that could teach him.

During his first night, Harry got all his bags into his bedroom and went about setting up weapons and emergency escape exits just in case. Then for the first time in his life, he fell asleep completely at ease.

The following morning he woke with the sun, body so used to rising early, and went about making himself some breakfast. He was able to find some meat and butter in a cabinet that he found. It seemed to be powered by magic for the inside was covered in ice feels like a walk-in freezer when he first opened it

Harry felt a lot better about his food storage situation now.

Thanks to that and a pan over an open fire, Harry made himself some bacon with beans on bread. He found a jar of water- that was hopefully good to drink- and sat himself down in the garden, choosing a small wooden table near the large trees, for the shade. He is happy he didn't have to dodge frying pans or the shouts of his relatives.

Eating as much as he wanted, as slow as he wanted, Harry took a deep breath enjoying the morning air. Above him, birds chirp and sing, flying back and forth between their nests in the high trees and the wind blows gently against his bangs.

He could get used to mornings like these.

After breakfast, Harry explodes the annex further. He found a shed with the previous gardener's tools, and much to his joy, seeds of various flowers and vegetables. He even found a book on the ground runes that solved his income problem.

The annex, separate, isolated, and now ignored it may be, was still within the castle grounds. This meant the magic to keep certain seasons year-round was employed throughout the castle. Emperor Voldemort hated any form of cold, so upon his crowning Spring and Summer were the only seasons allowed.

What Harry had in his hand was the means to change that. He could grow plants and flowers throughout the year and in their preferred seasons!

Flowers were rare in the empire, Harry wasn't sure why since it was a small plotline that wasn't overly important but this means he could grow his own and sell them in the market!

The commoners' market was said to be a little way outside the castle walls. The main entrance would be guarded and Harry doubts he be allowed through but the back one, originally built for the annex was forgotten.

Neville used that to enter and meet with Harry Potter, for weeks trying to get the man to run away with him. Surely, Harry can use it to smother out his products?

He could even go into the third-floor rooms, which were covered in lavish drapes and flower décor to cut into strips for his flower bouquets. Just until he could buy the fabric himself. Maybe even visit some glass artist for vases.

He would save money by growing his food too. Vegetables and fruits would be enough if he could keep them year-round. There had to be a butcher in town, where he could buy his meat.

"Yes," Harry says standing in front of so many untapped potential soil grounds. "Yes, I can make this work."

______________________________________________________________

There is a rumor, in the Hogwarts largest market of a boy who sells flowers. He appeared one day, pushing a cart full of colorful flora, wearing lovely green robes and a hood, but it was not enough to hide his beauty.

At first, no one dared go near the new vendor, for surely a product so rare would be expensive but after a pair of children had wandered too close, the vendor had given them free flower crowns.

He had sold them a rose for their mothers taking five sickles for each. The rest of his wares were at a reasonable price too, the most expensive one's bouquets of beautifully organized flowers of various kinds.

Some the commoners had never even seen, for books with images were only for the nobles and so the flowers they saw were the new to their eyes and quite stunning. The ribbons that were tied around the stems were just as high quality and the vendor even had specialty orders, with hand sewed stuff toys after buying some fabrics from the local tailor.

The real kicker though was the vendor's mysterious appearance. Yes, he was just as pretty as the flowers he sold, with gentle green eyes and a kind personality, but what allured everyone was no one knew anything about him.

The vendor didn't even give out his name, instead of telling people to refer to him as "Bloom". He would emerge from the surrounding forest each week with his cart full of flower arraignments, special little vases, and stuffed animals but would vanish without a trace when he re-entered.

A few of the people in the city- for the capital was very large even in the areas meant for the lower classes- tried to follow him but they would end up getting lost and losing his trail.

It was like he disappeared in thin air. A strange lovely creature.

Not that Bloom wasn't friendly.

He always had a soft spot for children, allowing a few of the street rats who had no home to work a few hours during the market for both food and coin. He set up his booth on his own never sneering at people who came over to look without buying, he was respectful of other vendors even when his wares sold much more than theirs and he always had a dazzling smile for anyone who spoke to him including the slaves that went shopping for their masters.

He even did Hannah's hair- braiding tiny rosebuds into it- on the day of her wedding free of charge, making all the ladies envious of the young bride.

Such gorgeous hairstyles were usually only affordable by noblewomen.

Bloom had been coming to the market for about four months now, but it was no surprise that a lot of the young people had developed feelings for the boy. He would make a wonderful husband.

After all, Bloom had started bringing clothes and food for the street rats, taking time to even treat their wounds. The food he cooked himself, some dishes are never before seen but were tasty enough he sold every so often. No one knew what was happening to Bloom but he always seemed saddened he couldn't take the children home.

The rumors said he was a magical spirit, which was why he was so gorgeous, others claimed he was a runaway slave, and a few even suggested he was a fairy.

None, however, were more intrigued by these strange rumors than Emperor Voldemort who wanted to see this florist for himself. He wondered how a commoner was getting flowers so easily. Maybe the boy was talented in magic which meant he would be a perfect test subject.

Not that he wanted the people to know what he was planning on doing. Right now, he needed to bid his time. The best way to get the boy was to make him come to Voldemort of his own free will.

He doubts it is that hard. Voldemort had done so before as Tom Riddle, a commoner identity he invented for this exact purpose.

Riddle would get the florist to warm his bed, and then Voldemort would get the florist's magic. Surely seducing a peasant boy would be easy even if the florist was said to be so just as gifted in the looks department.

"I shall be going out!" He tells his manservant. "Make sure no one notices my absence."

"Of course your highness. Where will you be going?"

"The market."

[high-functioning-lokipath]

Marriage with a Spin - Loki x Reader - Words: 2,613

A/N: Enemies-ish to Relationship & Fake Relationship trope-ish LOL…Pic below is not mine but simply is for reference about rings...this was the best basis I could find 🤣 I'm using the Spin and Zero rings in this oneshot

Also! A big thanks for @ladylulu143 for helping my come up with a title and for proofreading this for me! 💖💖🤗🤗

"Alright, this is the latest alien artifact we have found," Steve said. He held up a gold ring with a small blue stone. "When on, the wearer can decelerate time around them, appearing to be at superspeed to those watching."

"So what's the deal now?" You asked. Tony brought a picture of another ring on the screen behind Cap.

"This recently popped up on our radar. By the readings we're getting from it, it seems to be related to this guy here. However, it's being held in this mansion," Tony said, clicking to the next picture. "Owned by billionaire Samuel Thatcher."

"So what am I doing here again?" Loki asked flippantly.

"Mr. Thatcher is holding a gala tomorrow night. You and Miss Y/L/N will be attending and will conveniently slip away at some point during the evening to retrieve the ring from his vault."

"Loki and me?" You exclaimed. "Why? Would you fit in much better at one of those swanky parties?"

"Everyone knows me, Y/N," Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"What about Steve then? He knows how to dance and be all proper! He's from the 40's for goodness sake!"

"Have you ever seen me try to fit in at one of those, how did you say it, swanky parties?" Steve asked with a smirk. "You two have enough class to fit in. Besides, the vault is secured by a fingerprint and retinal scan. The only person here who could pull that off is Loki."

"That is true," Loki replied with a smirk.

"Fine. What time is it?" You groan.

"6pm tomorrow," Steve answered. You nodded and got up to leave. "Oh! And one more thing!" You turned around suspiciously and saw an unnerving smile plastered across the face of America's Golden Boy. "You're going as Mr. & Mrs. Hank and Audrey Williams."

"Mister and Misses?" You both exclaimed. Steve nodded and Tony was smirking.

"Don't forget this!" Tony said, tossing the ring to you.

"Is this supposed to be my wedding ring?" You asked sarcastically.

"Actually no," Steve said. "It would seem that the ring only works on the right middle finger."

"Great. So what am I supposed to do about this?" You asked, wriggling your left fingers.

"No need to worry, darling," Loki replied. He waved his hand and a beautiful gold and emerald wedding band appeared on your finger. "Now, shall we go to my room and prepare for the rest of this delightful mission?" He asked, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"Of course, my dear," You replied, rolling your eyes.

The next day, Loki came to your room at about 3 in the afternoon. "What do you want, Loki?" You growled, quite annoyed that he was bothering your 'me-time'.

"Change into your uniform and meet me in my room in 5 minutes. We need to prepare." He turned to walk away but you grabbed his arm.

"Why? We should be resting before our mission tonight! I thought we already did all our planning yesterday!"

"Tactical, yes. But not practical." He once again turned away and started down the hallway. You groaned and ran after him.

"What do you mean practically? We get fancied up, we go, we get the ring, we leave. If we get in any sort of confrontation, we fight and then we leave! Simple!"

"What are you going to wear?"

"Well I can't show up in tactical so I have this old party dress. It's not perfect but it'll do I guess."

"No it will not. Where will you put your weapons? What if you need to run? Or fight?" Loki listed off his objections quickly and tutted at you. "No, no. That simply will not do."

"Well what do you suggest, oh great fashion god," You replied sarcastically. Loki rolled his eyes and waved his hand. "Oh my!" You gasped. He'd transformed your current outfit into a lovely floor length, emerald green dress. He even outfitted you with jewelry!

"And I can do the same with your-what did you call it? Tactical gear?"

"Ok, ok," you chuckled. "Thank you. I really appreciate it." You smiled genuinely and, for a moment, you thought he would return the sentiment. But he kept his disinterested demeanor and whooshed away the dress.

"I'll return it later when you're ready. You will need to do your own hair and makeup." You nodded and headed back to your room till the evening.

That night, you stood at your mirror adding the finishing touches to your mascara when suddenly there was noise beside you. Jumping in surprise, you accidentally smeared the mascara on your face. "Loki!" You exclaimed, seeing the mischievous prince standing in your room. "You scared me!"

"Well, I am naturally terrifying." You rolled your eyes and turned back to the mirror to fix your face.

"There! All done," You announced. "Well, with the exception of my dress and-" Before you could even finish he had cast his illusion upon your clothing.

"Enough with your blathering. Let's go."

"Hmph. And here I had hope you'd finally removed your head from your-"

Later at the Gala, Loki was being the perfect gentleman. Very suave and debonair. You were impressed. Of course you had to play your part too. You were smiling at his side, holding his arm. You both mingled for a while, trying to get a feel of the room, before he asked if you wished to dance. A bit surprised, you simply nodded. He whisked you out to the dance floor gracefully and pulled you close.

"The vault is downstairs. We need to find an excuse to slip out soon," He whispered to you.

"What if I pretend to be ill?" You offered.

"Someone would undoubtedly take you upstairs to one of the bedrooms to rest. That is the opposite of what we're trying to accomplish."

"But what if I'm afraid of heights?" You countered. He quirked an eyebrow at you and chuckled lowly.

"That is a terrible idea. Only you would think of it."

"I don't know whether to be insulted or flattered. And I think the problem is I have really fantastic bad ideas." He smirked and shook his head in disbelief.

"At least you own up to it," He teased. You grinned, unable to help yourself from staring at him. Though you were on a mission, he seemed so relaxed. This was definitely his element. "You're staring, my dear."

“You are very attractive. Therefore I will stare at you," You admitted. He blushed brightly and looked away but then his eyes lit up.

"I've got it!" He stepped back and led you off the dance floor towards the open bar. "Follow my lead," He hissed. "Would you get me a drink, sweet? You know what I like," He said, somewhat loudly.

"Of course, darling," You replied. When you returned with your drinks you noticed Loki was staring at a group of young women. They had noticed him too and were smiling back at him. "What are you looking at?" You asked innocently, handing him his glass.

"Oh nothing," He replied quickly, turning away. You made a point of following his previous line of sight and made eye-contact with the still giggling females.

"Nothing?" You yelled. "You call that nothing? You were flirting again! Staring at some other woman!"

"I find them very attractive. Therefore I will stare at them," He replied. You held back a laugh, realizing what gave him the idea. "You know how I am," He purred, trying to move closer to you again.

"Get away from me!" You yelled, stepping back and throwing your glass on the floor. This drew everyone's attention. "You disgust me, Hank. This was your last chance and you botched it up! I'm going home!" You turned on your heel and stormed out.

"Audrey! Audrey! Please wait!" He called out. He ran after you into the grand hallway where you were pretending to be searching for your keys. You both noticed the small collection of men, including Mr. Thatcher, who were watching you from the ballroom doors. "Please, darling, can't we discuss this?"

"At home," You finally said. He nodded and held the front door for you. You both stepped outside, out of view, and then you activated the ring. It felt weird, time slowing around you, but you moved past your surprise and got to work. You ran back into the ballroom and very carefully chipped a very important supporting piece of one of the ice sculptures on the table. Giving it a small tap, you then ran back out to the main entrance and positioned yourself just outside the doors where you could still have a view of the main hallway. You deactivated the ring and heard the crash of the ice. Immediately, the men looking into the hallway ran back in, leaving the hallway unwatched. You and Loki were now free to sneak back into the mansion.

"The vault is downstairs but only accessed here," Loki murmured, leading you to a hidden staircase.

"Typical," You chucked, only mildly surprised by the motif. When you got down there, you noticed there were three levels of security. A key, a fingerprint scanner, and a retinal scanner. "Oh great! How are we supposed to get through that?"

"Never fear, my darling," Loki replied with a smirk. "Remember why they chose me?" He then changed, taking on the appearance of the party's host, Mr. Thatcher. He quickly got past the fingerprint and retinal scan but the key was still needed. Changing back to himself, he said, "The guards have keys."

"There are guards down here?" You whisper-yelled. Loki rolled his eyes frustratedly but before he could reply you heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Follow my lead!" Loki demanded.

"Wha-" Loki interrupted you with a kiss and pushed you against the wall. You gasped in surprise but you had to admit to yourself he was talented.

"What are you doing down here?" The guard exclaimed. Loki slowly pulled away from you with the guiltiest expression on his face. You knew it was fake of course, but the guard was tricked.

"Were we not to be here?" He asked, voice slightly higher than usual. "We were only trying to find a-" He paused, smirking slightly. "A more private location." The guard shook his head and chuckled.

"Whatever floats your boat, man," He replied. "But I would suggest exploring the upstairs bedrooms." He gave them both a little wave and headed back around the corner.

"I’m going to strangle you," You said as soon as the guard was out of earshot.

"Oh please! You can’t even reach my neck," Loki replied. You grabbed his tie and pulled him down, pretending to be moving for another kiss. However, you tapped his neck lightly and smirked.

"Gotcha!" You giggled quietly and then held out your hand. "Oh! And look what I got!" She held up the key ring for the door. "While you were busy embarrassing yourself, I used my telekinesis and got the key!"

"Of course you did! That was my plan all along," Loki replied.

"Pretending to love you is like a walk in the park. Jurassic Park," You grumbled. Loki grabbed your sides and growled in your ear as you opened the vault door. "You're so weird!" You hissed, walking in and trying to find the ring.

"And you’re so weird it’s attractive," He retorted, finding the box immediately and tossing it to you.

"Well, if I’m weird with you, I’m comfortable," You admitted. Loki looked at you in surprise but you just shrugged. "Look, you really piss me off sometimes, but," you paused. "Somehow I still like you."

"And I you, my dear," He replied. "Now as much as I would love to continue this discussion I do suggest you figure out how to use that thing and we get out of here!" You put on the ring, trying it on a few different fingers before you found the correct one.

"Ok, let's see what it does." When you activated it, it shot a cold blast at the shelf in front of you, encasing it in ice. "Cool!" You joked. Loki shook his head and grabbed your arm, trying to hurry out. Just as you got to the top of the stairs, you heard footsteps.

"Well well well," Mr. Thatcher growled, blocking your exit. A few of his goons stood behind him as well. "Mr. & Mrs. Williams was it? I don't think so," he sneered.

"Well, I don't think so either but we're not doing this today!" You shot them all with the ice and Loki shoved them out of the way. You both heard more footsteps down the hallway and looked at each other nervously. "Do you trust me?" You asked. Loki nodded.

"With my life." You gave him a tight smile and activated the Spin ring. You ran down the hallway and found where the other goons were at. You tried to use the Zero ring, with the ice powers, but found yourself unable to control it's aim.

"Well that's fantastic," you grianed. Rethinking your plan, you went back to get Loki. There was no way you'd both be able to get out of there at normal speed so you had one option. Lug Loki out yourself at super-speed.

"What the heck? Do you weigh 500 pounds or something?" You groaned when you couldn't pull or carry him. "Ok, last option. I hope this works," You muttered. You focused almost all your energy on moving Loki using your telekinesis. It was slow going, but at super-speed, you still would beat the bad guys. By the time you got him out the door to safety, you were exhausted. You immediately disengaged the ring and he looked around confused.

"How did I get here?"

"Talk later, run now," You gasped, trying to stop the dizziness that had overtaken you.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly. You were about to reply when you collapsed, simply too drained to continue.

When you woke up, you felt a cool cloth on your forehead and soft blankets around you. "Where am I?" You groaned.

"I brought you back to the tower. I told the Captain his debriefing could wait," Loki replied. You sat up slowly and looked around. Raising an eyebrow, you stared at Loki questioningly. "Yes, this is my room. I wanted to keep an eye on you while you recovered. I informed the Captain that those rings are very dangerous and should not be used. They obviously were too much for you to handle and-"

"It wasn't the rings," You interrupted. You looked away, somewhat embarrassed. "Well, I was still in super-speed, but I used my telekinesis to get you out. We probably would have been shot otherwise. It used a lot of my energy but it was worth it."

"Oh darling," Loki sighed, gently pushing a stand of hair off your face. "You-" He leaned forward, giving you a quick kiss on your forehead. "You're amazing. I never expected you or anyone to care so much for me!"

"Of course I care!" You replied. "Look, you still drive me insane with some of your tricks. But you're a good guy," You smiled.

"And you're a wonderful woman," He said. You grinned at him happily, still tired but already feeling much better. "So what do you think, should we give us a try?"

"Why not? It may be the first really fantastic bad idea of mine that works out!" Loki smiled and gave you a kiss. You sighed contentedly and leaned on his shoulder when you pulled away.

"Oh darling? One more thing. It was my idea."

Loki Taglist

@lucywrites02

@delightfulheartdream

@serpentargo

@khena

@nyx2021

@kaz11283

@weasley-main-lover

@up-to-mischief

@lokislittlesigyn

@darkacademicfrom2021

Marvel (all characters) Taglist

@bartv21

@another-crazy-fangirl

@whatafuckingdumbass

@ladylulu143

[pretoriafics]

Russian Roulette - Pt. 5

In this series, you will find: Alternative Universe, Soulmate plot, Angst, Fluff. n this chapter, you will find: You and Derek think that you got a clue about the alpha, and you'll go investigate. Word count: 1.701 Pairings: Reader x Platonic!Stiles; Reader x Derek Original characters of this chapter: None. Warnings: English is not my main language <3 Yeah, it was based on Russian Roulette by Rihanna Russian Roulette series: Chapter Four | Chapter Six RUSSIAN ROULETTE MASTERLIST TEEN WOLF MASTERLIST

It wasn't so hard to explain what happened in the school. Actually, Scott made all the work telling that Derek was trying to kill all of you. You said to the authorities that you received a message from Scott and, thinking that he had some kind of problem, you went there to help. You haven't said you saw Derek or something because you would feel awful to incriminate an innocent. So, you just simply said that you did not see anything and took the kids out of school. Sebastian was so proud of you that he said to everyone that the girl who took the teenagers out of school was his Au Pair.

While you're doing the children's laundry, you have begun to think about the message you had received yesterday, falsely attributed to Scott and who took you to school. Well, you could track the origin of the messages and find out something that could help you to find the Alpha. Yeah, it could work!

You call Stiles, to talk about your idea, and then, you go to his house.

"How do you learned to track this?"

Stiles was looking at you, curious, while you enter his house. You gave him a smile.

"I had a hacker phase. But don't worry, I can't do more than this and change another's person Facebook password."

You go upstairs and Stiles opens his bedroom door. Both of you almost had a heart attack when you saw Derek there. You curse in your main language, with your hand in your chest.

"You scared me!"

Stiles put his hands up looking at Derek.

"Calm down, ok, she knows the truth."

Hale's green eyes got narrow, and he gave a step forward to Stiles's direction. He wasn't happy at all.

"What the hell you think you're doing, Stiles?! We can't put one more person into all that shit!"

It was your turn to gave a step forward to Derek and Stiles's direction. Your gaze meets Derek's eyes.

"Calm down, Stiles and Scott didn't tell me anything. I'd found out by myself."

Derek analyzes you. You weren't lying. He put his guard down and nod with his head, and you put yourself in front of Stiles's laptop. Stiles and Derek approach you, looking at the laptop's screen.

"Okay, Derek, I'll tell you my idea: We will track the origin of the messages that the kids and I had received to get to the school. I think it could give us a clue about the Alpha."

Hale arch his eyebrows, looking at you. You were smart.

"Sounds good." He said, and you give him a soft smile.

You start to push a few buttons on the laptop. A few minutes later, the localization was on the screen: It came from the Hospital, and who sent the messages was Melissa McCall.

"It can't be right." Said Stiles, with his hand on his head. He was scared "We should tell Scott?"

"Not yet." You heard Derek's voice "We need to investigate it first."

Stiles nods.

"Okay, we'll go now?"

You got up from the chair, your eyes narrowed.

"We? Oh, no, no." You approach Stiles and cross your arms "You'll go to the lacrosse game, and be a common teenager. I'll solve this."

"But you-"

"Stiles. No."

"Damn!"

"But you can't go by yourself." You heard Derek said, looking at you.

"Okay, so..." You took your phone from Stiles's desk and look at Hale "I'll send you a message, and we'll go together."

"Oh, look! The repair of your car is great! I can't even notice that I hit it."

It was the first thing you notice when you saw Derek's car. You sit in the passenger seat, and he looks at you.

"It wasn't that bad." He turns the car on and, now, you are going to the Hospital "How do you found out about... everything?"

You think it's better to hide some details of the story, at least until you find out about your marks and about the ginger lady. That's the reason you replies:

"It was because of that day in the woods. I thought it was just a nightmare, but then I analyzed it. So I met a guy, who taught me a few things."

"What guy? Chris Argent?"

He glares at you with his eyes narrowed, clearly suspicious about you.

"No. Haytham Conwell. He said to me that I need to stay away from you and Scott, and said that I can't trust you."

Despite your denial, Derek's still suspicious about you. His serious face is focused on the road.

"Maybe he's right."

"I don't think so."

He arches his eyebrows.

"Why not?"

"Because you've saved my life. I'm not the kind of person who forgets people who help me. So... Thank you. I owe you one."

You had clearly taken him by surprise. His body became less tense, and his expression softened.

"Stiles was close to me when you call him." He said, with his guard down at least a little. "We had just caught Scott, he was out of control that night because of the full moon. But when he listened to your voice... He just runs to help you. Those kids love you."

"I know." You gave him a soft smile "I love them too. It's an odd part of being Au Pair, you know? You just have your maternal instincts higher to another level, and then the kids become just like they are your own."

It was Derek's turn to let escape a soft smile. Since you entered Stiles's bedroom, Derek was watching your heartbeats, to make sure you aren't a liar. But you're not. You're just... too good for this wild supernatural world.

Derek parks his car in front of the hospital. You let out a long sigh.

"Okay," You said, looking at his green eyes "I'll come in. I'll call you if I found something."

He nods positively with his head for you, and you go out of the car. Derek had sent to you a few information before you got into his car, like the name of the nurse of his uncle and where are his bedroom. You enter the hospital with all that info in mind, and you go directly to Peter's bedroom. But he isn't there. That's the time you take your phone and call Derek.

"Uh, I'm sure I'm in the correct bedroom, and there's no one here."

"Damn, get out, he's the Alpha!"

Crap.

"You shouldn't be here."

You look to your right and see the nurse.

"Oh, there you are! You give me a lot of troubles with that bullet, you know?"

You look to your left and there he is, Peter Hale, with part of his face burnt.

"I would love to give you more problems than it."

"You know what? I think you're pretty brave for a human. I mean, I could have killed you that night in the woods but I just wanted to play a little."

Derek appears, running and putting himself in front of you.

"(Y/N), get out."

Peter and Derek roared to each other, and the nurse behind you took a dagger out of her clothes. Then, a shiver spread all over your body with a cold feeling. What was that sensation?

Derek attacks Peter, and the nurse tries to hit you with the dagger. Surprisingly, you deflect and hold his wrist, hitting her in the face with your elbow. The nurse staggered back with your hit, and you don't waste the opportunity: You hit her in the face with your right punch, and then you did the same with your left punch. As a final hit, you kick her chest and she fell back. His head hit's a glass table, and she stays unconscious.

You look at your hands, scared. You don't know how to fight like that. What the hell has happened?

The sound of a body falling on the floor push you off your own thoughts. When you turn back, you see that Peter had thrown Derek on the floor. He's bleeding. Instinctively, you push your gun and shoot at Peter. Your shoots didn't hit him, and he catches you by your neck, raising you from the floor.

"There's nothing more dangerous than a brave dumb, don't you think?"

He throws you against the wall, and you fell to the floor. There, while you try to compose yourself, you see Peter walking in Derek's direction.

"I didn't know what I was doing when I killed Laura, I'd lost control! Look, we're a family. We don't need to fight. Think about it."

Peter walks to his nurse and takes her in his arms. He looks at you.

"See you soon, (Y/N)."

After Peter leaves, you stood up and walk to Derek. He has stood up already and has blood on his shirt. He was hurt.

"Do you will heal?" You ask him, looking at the huge cut on his belly.

"Yeah, but slowly because it was made by an Alpha."

"We better take care of it, so. I have some first aid at home. I'll hide you in my bedroom, so, please, you need to stay quiet because I don't wanna be fired."

Derek arch his eyebrows. He wasn't used to this kind of thing.

"I'm used to take care of myself."

"But you don't have to do this all the time, okay? Let me take care of it. Don't worry. I owe you one, remember?"

The smile you gave him just throw away every sort of excuse and argument he could have to say to you. You turn yourself and, while you were walking, you said:

"I'll drive!"

And what choices did he have? He just follows you and listening to your heartbeat, trying to catch all kinds of lies. But he can't detect anything. Actually, he hasn't any reason to get suspicious about you, but life has taught him that he needs to be careful with people. But based on all of the things he saw and know about you, who was just a few ones, you are just a common woman.

Okay, he would give you a chance to gain his trust.

[bluebird167]

The Sinners and Their Saints Chapter 6: The Horrible Answer Part 1

DStrangely enough Maine was crawling with devils and monsters who terrorized innocent people and the cops weren't really much help. But Frida being an exorcist and Manny having the ability to fight and slay devils they opened a business recommended by Father Gardner and Sister Nora to serve as exterminators for the creatures. Every time a devil was on the loose it would be detected by a machine run by Sister Nora and if one was detected in Maine she would call Frida and alert her.

Ring-ring!

It was five o'clock in the morning when the phone in the manor went off. Manny sleepily reached for it.

"Hello?" He yawned.

"Where is Frida Suarez devil boy?!" An angry voice screamed into the phone which was loud enough to wake Manny up completely.

"Who is this?" Manny asked.

"This is Sister Nora! And I demand to speak to Frida Suarez now!"

"It's five in the morning. Can't you wait lady?"

"Now!"

Manny tiredly walked into Frida's room and put the phone to her ear.

"Frida phone for you."

"Tell whoever it is to go away." She yawned.

"I think not young lady!" The phone screamed.

"Sister Nora? What are you doing calling here at five o clock?"

"No time to explain there's a devil attacking the higher level of the town. I need you to get down there and exercise it."

"At this hour?"

"Frida it's a devil and it's attacking people!"

"Okay, okay I'm on it." She yawned.

Now wide awake the two got dressed and went down into town.

"Okay where's the problem?" Frida asked.

"Who are you two supposed to be?" A man asked.

"Sister Frida Suarez at your service, the wet blanket is my assistant Manny Rivera."

"Hey!" Manny groaned.

"Are you two the monster exterminators Father Gardner and Sister Nora recommended?" The man asked skeptically.

"Yep."

"But you're just children."

"Don't let our age fool you sir, we're professionals well I am at least. So what's the issue?"

"Well..My hotel is being invaded by this revolting creature. I've never seen anything so disgusting."

"Worry not sir we're on it just direct us in the direction it is in."

"It's on the third floor."

They went into the hotel and upstairs to the third floor where the devil was causing trouble. It was a stink devil, a large and disgusting creature made entirely of mud, sludge. and tar which wreaked to high heaven. People were running for their lives while trying to escape the putrid odor that the devil was giving off.

"Oh dear God what is that?" Frida coughed. "It smells like evil!"

"That's exactly what stink devils smell like. Evil, sin, greed, wrath, jealousy, suffering, and any other negative emotion you can think of it." Manny said. "It's purpose is to spread the stench of evil every where. There's only one way to stop it."

"And what's that?"

"We have to cleanse it with a bath of holy water and salt."

"Bath of holy water and salt huh? Good thing I keep a spare bottle of holy water with me and as for the salt well I think I can get that from the dinning hall."

"Yeah but how are we gonna get it on him."

"I've got an idea. Keep him busy."

"How?"

"Fight him."

"You mean I have to touch that thing?"

"Manny!"

"Alright."

He took a deep breath and transformed into his devil form while Frida went downstairs into the dinning hall where she grabbed a salt shaker off of a table. Then up to the front desk where the man running it was hiding under some books.

"Excuse me but do you have a sauna?"

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

"On the second level to the left."

"Thanks."

She went to the second level and found the sauna then began doing a little re-engineering the water pipes, (a trick she learned from Father Gardner) to spray a mixture of holy water and salt. Once done she went upstairs to the third level where Manny and the devil were having in all out fighting match.

"Manny do you think you can lead that thing into the sauna downstairs?"

"Sure." He punched the devil in the eye and flew up toward the lower stairway. "Hey over here! Your mother was a stink bug!"

The gross devil lunged after Manny as he flew down toward the second level where the sauna was. He led him into the sauna and quickly flew out. Frida slammed the door, locked it, and turned on the water pipes. A mist of holy water and salt filled the room, the monster screeched in horror as it started to disintegrate until there was nothing left but a small clump of dirt.

"There we go." She said. "All gone. Nice work dude and- Oh man! You stink!"

"I know!" He growled.

"Also your devil voice is kind of scary, try not to get so angry."

Manny changed back, received the money the hotel owed them for their services, and went back to the manor where Manny took a long shower. It was like this at least once a week. Once a week a monster or devil would appear in Maine and cause trouble only for Manny and Frida to exterminate it. This week's creature attacked only at night and hadn't been seen by anyone. The only clues were strange footprints around a church.

"What do you make of this?" Frida asked.

"I'd say this is the foot print of a werewolf."

"Werewolf? Those are real?"

"Yes."

"Witches? Werewolves? What other supernatural monsters are there that actually exist?"

"Well there are also vampires and ghosts but that's not important right now."

She led him to where she found them. Manny examined and sniffed it carefully.

"Let's see." He said sniffing it. "About yay tall, male, skinny, not much muscle but still strong and incredibly fast."

"How could you possibly know that by smelling it?"

"It's a gift anyway."

"Are you sure you two can catch this beast." A worker at the church said. "We're worried this wolf might be after our priest."

"What would a werewolf have against a priest?" Manny asked.

"Well I don't think the priest here is exactly holier than thou." Frida said.

"Who is this guy?"

"His name is Gideon Gleeful. I learned about him back in New York. He's a mysterious priest who claimed that he could create miracles and get rid of sinful beings. No one knows where he came from or how long he's been around."

"What's he like?"

"There have been different views. Most people say he's a holy man and act like he's the second Jesus or something but others say he's a con artist who makes people pay for forgiveness from God and that he made a deal with a demon."

"Those are all lies." The worker said. "Minister Gideon is a good holy man! And you should not believe those horrible rumors! That aside are you going to stop that thing?"

"Well if we're going to catch him it will have to be at night. Werewolves look like regular people during the day so it has to be at night."

"Luckily that wolf won't go after him tonight because he'll be at the Northwest residence."

"What's he doing there?"

"Another one of his charity jobs, be sure to have that wolf exterminated before tomorrow."

After dark they waited by the church. So far nothing happened and everything seemed calm.

"I think we'll cover more ground if we split up." Frida said.

"I think that's a little unsafe."

"Don't worry I have my gun with me and it's loaded with sliver bullets."

"Alright but be careful and keep that sliver cross around your neck okay? Werewolves hate sliver so don't take it off for even a second."

"I won't."

She went to search around the left side of area while he looked on the right side of the area. Just like at the church everything seemed quiet. Suddenly a wind blew against her and it made her hair start flying around in a big mess. A strand of it got caught on to the chain of her necklace.

"Ow! Oh great!" She started trying to pull her hair out of the chain unaware that a pair of glowing yellow eyes were watching her. When she realized that she couldn't get her hair out while wearing she undid her necklace which was just what the pair of yellow eyes had been waiting for. "There we go. I hate it when that happens."

Suddenly she heard twig snap and growl.

"Who's there?"

But instead of an answer something ran up to her and grabbed her.

"Frida!" Manny sensed. He began sniffing for her scent but for some strange reason he couldn't sniff where her scent was coming from. All he found was her cross which had been dropped on to the ground and was surrounded by werewolf prints. He picked it up and clutched it in his hand. "Damn wolf! When I find you I'll skin you to make a pelt!"

[50-shades-of-beige]

Other side of the wall.

Summary: Jim, your next door neighbour, blares his guitar while you play delicate tunes on your piano. The two of you couldn't be more different until the magic of making music connects you both.

Warnings: little bit of arguing, swearing, tiny bit suggestive at the end

A/N: Just a another Hopper x reader fic for you all to indulge in. This one is a little different! It's set in New York and has a muscican au vibe to it. Let me know what you think! Enjoy! 😁❤️

Gif source [x]

When you moved to New York city you enjoyed the prospect of having neighbours. Neighbours above you, under you, either side of you- it was one of the main reasons why you had your heart set on an apartment almost smack bang in the middle of the city.

It was a beautiful neighbourhood. Tall brownstone buildings on either side, cherry blossom and oak trees lining the pavements- it was picturesque. The only problem was the stairs. When you moved in, getting your stuff- including your baby grand piano- was horrendously strenuous and time consuming but with the help from the removal company, you were relaxing in your apartment later that evening.

The complex you lived in was fairly quiet, there was six apartments in the one building. You lived on the top level- the apartment across from you was empty and up for sale. Below you in the other four apartments there was a widow who had beautiful window boxes which she tended to everyday, a middle aged man who often came home late and left early the next morning for work, a young couple who had just gotten engaged and another house that was rented out by a landlord so had always had new people in it when it wasn't empty. They were all lovely and got along with you well. You asked them when you moved in if playing the piano would be a problem, they all insisted that it wasn't and said they rather enjoyed the live music drifting down the stairs and in through their windows when theirs and yours were open.

You had to practice a lot. You had gotten a job in swanky hotel to play it and as well as that you also played for a regional orchestra.

Playing the piano was your life.

It was a typical sunny Tuesday. Your windows were wide open late in the afternoon and a gentle breeze was making the curtains dance. You were composing a new piece, one hand holding a pencil and jotting down notes while the other effortlessly drifted over the keys.

You were making good process when-

Screech!

Your hand slammed down on the keys with fright as a loud noise filled your apartment, almost making your ornaments on top of your fireplace wobble.

"What the hell was that?!" You asked yourself and stood up from your piano stool and looked out the window. The noise had gone and you couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. You sighed and shook it off returning to your piano and playing your tune again. It was soft, delicate until it reached a grand crescendo and your whole apartment erupted with music.

Screech!

That noise again. It made you jump and made you mess up your piece completely. "What the hell?!" This time you could pinpoint where it was coming from. The living room that was next to yours and separated by a wall. You went back to your window and leaned outside, reaching across slightly to knock on the window next door.

The woman with the window boxes had told you about a new neighbour who had bought the apartment across the landing from yours. The window opened and your breath hitched when you saw your new (surprisingly attractive) neighbour. He had the fluffiest hair, the colour of it very similar to his beard and eyes that could compete with the blueness of the sea and easily win.

"Can I help you?"

Then you remembered that you were pissed with him.

"Yeah, what the hell was that noise?" You asked.

He shrugged "My electric guitar, trying to tweak my amp to get the right volume to drown out your fancy ass classical shit."

You raised an unimpressed brow "'Fancy ass classical shit'? You mean my piano?" He let out a snort of laughter "At least I can actually play! Sounds like you were killing an animal or something!"

His eyes narrowed "What I was playing was actual music, fancy ass. If you take requests, my request is for you to shut up."

You were seeing red, your fingers twitched furiously and you went back to your piano, inhaling a deep breath and slamming your fingers down on the keys creating the loudest note you could. You were going to show him what actual music sounded like.

Mainly out of spite.

You quickly and flawlessly played the most intense and dramatic piece you could. But on the other side of the wall, your neighbour knew two could play at that game and blared out a note on his electric guitar, sliding his fingers up and down the strings to create wails and hums that were trying to drown out your piano. When you finished the piece you slumped across the keys and caught your breath, too caught up in competing with who could play the best and the loudest. You wiped the trickle of sweat away from your hairline and let a growl under your breath as your neighbour continued playing.

•••

The competing carried on for weeks and then eventually a month and then two months. The entire duration your neighbour had been living across from you.

You tried your best to ignore the cackling of amplifier and screech of the guitar and your neighbour in general. The amplifier and guitar were harder to ignore than your neighbour, the only time you had saw him was when the two of you had your heads sticking out the window eight weeks ago.

You had just returned home from work and you wanted to do nothing more than sit back, relax and the play piano for an hour before bed. Before you went upstairs, you collected your mail from your box in the communal hallway. General mail, you flicked through them one by one and then stopped when you noticed that one wasn't addressed to you.

"James Hopper?" Realisation hit you "Oh god..." you groaned. You let out an irritated huff when you noticed that you couldn't get into his box to put the letter in- the mail person had a master key. You decided to just take it up to him and slide it under the door. When you reached the top you kneeled down and had slid the envelope halfway under the door when it opened. You froze and slowly looked up to see him standing over you.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Uh," you quickly stood up and extending the letter out to him "This was in my mailbox but it's addressed to you."

He took the letter "Thanks," he uttered as if it was a chore talking to you.

"You're welcome, James." You notice his face scrunch up when you called him that.

"Just...call me Jim...or asshole, because I know you're thinkin' it half the time," he let out a breathy chuckle and the corner of your lip tugged upwards.

You finally introduced yourself properly "Y/N...or fancy ass." Jim genuinely smiled and shook your hand before you bid him goodnight and went into your apartment.

After you had changed into your pyjamas and before you went to bed, you played your composed piece. You had written lyrics in your notebook on the way home from work and were trying to find perfect places for them between the music notes.

You played a few notes and sang what you had: "I don't know about you, but I hope you feel it too..." you scribbled out a note and replaced it with another "Am I the only one who can see what we've become...?"

You scribbled down more notes and words for at least an hour before calling it a night. Unbeknownst to you, your neighbour was listening.

And he was impressed.

•••

"Ah Chopin...more like Cho-pain..." you couldn't help but snort with amusement at your own joke as you practiced. You flicked through your song book while you recited each and every song until you were done. It took half the day but at least you would be prepared for your concert at the weekend.

You pulled out your own composed piece and began to play it and hum along with the words. You thought you were hearing things when you heard someone play along with you.

You played an A and another A followed. You placed a C and seconds later another C was playing. It was like an echo. You decided to experiment and play a few chords, again, they were repeated seconds later. You played more and listened closely until a sharp was played instead of a flat.

You held your breath for a second before speaking out to nothing but the four walls of your living room "It's a C flat not a C sharp..."

There was a moment of silence "Sorry! I'll get it right next time."

You let out a short giggle and played again, when you finished the song, you had an idea. You bit down on your lip and left your apartment barefooted, walked across the landing and knocked on Jim's door. "Do you...do you want to see what I've got written down?"

Jim smiled "Sure, hold on," he turned around and went to where his living room would be while you kept glancing back as you walked into your apartment. You sat down at the piano and played a few keys before Jim walked in with an acoustic guitar.

You smirked "And here I thought you only played electric..."

"I'm full of surprises," he winked and sat down next to you on your stool "Did you write it yourself?" He motioned at the sheet of paper "I've heard you play it a few times."

"Yeah, I did write it..."

"The lyrics too?" He asked and tuned his guitar.

You nodded "Yeah..." you nervously cleared your throat "Sorry if you heard me, I'm like nails being dragged down a chalkboard!"

"No!" Jim protested with a wide smile "You're actually quite good. You okay with me playing along?" You nodded and began playing, Jim perfectly harmonising with you. His guitar was a great addition. The night crept in and you walked him to your door, saying a final goodnight before you both shut your doors over. You climbed into bed and let out a loud sigh with a smile on your face. Perhaps Jim wasn't as bad as you initially thought.

You knew his bedroom was on the other side of the wall from yours so, you decided to put a little more effort in with him "Hey Jim?"

It took him a few seconds to reply "These walls are super thin..." he joked and you giggled, he soon joined in. "For a second there I thought you where a ghost or something."

"Yeah, these apartments try to have so much space that the walls are compromised. Also, the drains are connected, I can hear you singing Elvis in your bathroom in the morning through my sink when I'm in the shower," you chuckled "But I didn't want to have a conversation with you through the wall about how thin they are, I wanted to asked if you maybe wanted to come to my orchestra recital this weekend?" A beat passed and you quickly added "You don't have to if you don't want to of course! I'm not trying to force you into going or anything and I-"

Jim cut off your ramblings "-I'd love to."

•••

"A bit cliché but you were amazing!" Jim handed you over a bunch of roses by the stage door "Almost makes listening to your practicing bearable!" He joked and you lightly nudged his shoulder.

"Thank you, and thank you for coming and for the roses. They are beautiful." You admired them with a shy smile.

Jim looked at you adoringly as he watched you trace your finger over the petals. The same fingers he watched a mere half an hour ago whizz over keys faster than the speed of light during some pieces.

When you arrived back at the building, Jim invited you into his apartment to let you listen to something he had been practicing.

You sat down on the couch while he sat across from you on a stool. His living room had at five full sized guitars scattered around it- two acoustic and three electric. There was also a bright blue ukulele on the arm of the couch and plectrums everywhere. You could see that he was nervous and it made your brow furrow.

"Okay, so," he cleared his throat, scratched the back of his neck and tuned his already tuned guitar. He couldn't help it, his trembling fingers needed something to do. "I've been working on this, it's not finished yet but...I hope you enjoy it." You watched him get comfortable before strumming a few notes and starting to sing: "When I first saw you I couldn't believe my eyes...you've got so much beauty, babe that ain't no lie. But we were both kinda stupid and were both far to proud, so the both of us couldn't help but be obnoxiously loud. Now honey I know the walls are paper thin and the drains are interconnected, but when I am around you I feel my heart is affected with nothing but the sweet sound of love...mhmm...the sweet sound of...love..." he cleared his throat and placed down his guitar "That's uh...that's all I've got..."

You stood up from the couch without saying a word. You walked over to him and he stood up "I loved it," you whispered with a smile growing on your face.

"R-really?" Jim went wide eyed before he cupped your face and kissed you "Sorry I called you a fancy ass."

You burst out laughing "Sorry I mentally called you an asshole..."

"We'll just call that getting even," you smirked at his words and kissed him again.

"You wanna come next door and make some music?" You asked.

"We gotta be be careful how loud we're making music..." Jim raised his eyebrows suggestively.

You looked down to the ground and blushed with a coy smile "The walls are shockingly thin..."

Jim captured your lips with his "Can you can cope with me singing Elvis in the morning?"

You smirked "Only if I can be your backing singer."

"Well then," Jim wrapped an arm around you and pulled you towards your apartment "We better get our vocal chords warmed up..."

—————————

Tags:

@sleepylunarwolf @daddyharbour