#but I was so surprised i didn't properly set the hook

[lies]

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[w4w4lycsss]

CHIVALROUS PIRATE | JAMES HOOK

summary: You ask the most unexpected gentleman (Hook) for help in deciding what to do for the dance. pairing: James Hook x male!prince!reader a/n: I've been pretty obsessed with this character for days now, imagine the impact it had on me to make me update again after being inactive for a month (the idea of graphic style it's not mine)

You didn't know when you had befriended a pirate, it was something new for you, since you were considered one of the kindest boys in school. It wasn't even difficult, Uliana and the rest made innocent jokes when they noticed something different, and they realized that they were right when you grabbed the guts to return the joke.

Hook quickly grew fond of you when you were accepted (or rather tolerated) and stuck to you like a leech, annoying you and being how brazen he is.

No one would ever think that a pirate like him: annoying, arrogant, conceited and intimidating would be a gentleman with you.

Only with you, which did not surprise you when you saw him treat you like this from the first moment, you were like his prince. Ironic since it bothered royalty, and you had a very distant lineage and kingdom, which made you feel respected because almost no one seemed to recognize your name on maps. He made you respected, if necessary he would shout at the seven seas (possibly as a threat) to treat you as you deserve.

Somehow you weren't surprised that he was jealous or possessive, but on a non-toxic point, as he wouldn't let girls flirt with you or go overboard, putting his healthy hand on your back and going down to your waist so they would notice that you weren't available. He was much more direct and rude when the guys asked you out,

You were afraid of dancing, like you didn't want to go for some reason, maybe you weren't ready, or your head was telling you that it wasn't the time for you. The dance was in two days, which kept you under pressure because you didn't know what to wear, and that no one had invited you. Still.

The door to your room rang, causing you to run and open it when you know who it was. Hook bowed a little exaggerated at seeing you, a gesture that was interrupted when you pulled him by the arm and pulled him into your room, closing the door.

"Quick, which one looks better on me? Blue or black?" You took the two suit options you had on your bed and put them in front of your clothes to set an example.

"Huh, the two of you?" He tilted his head to the side as he didn't know anything about fashion.

You moaned in frustration and put the clothes back on the bed. "You don't understand, I need to look perfect." You tossed and turned around your room as you thought. "What do you need?"

"Nothing really." He blurted out brazenly, pacing your room and seeing the jewelry you planned to wear the dance. "Why do you worry so much? With either of you you would look good."

"Just 'good' isn't enough, I need to look perfect." You repeated. "I want to match whoever I go with. It's harder when no one has invited me to two days!"

Hook stopped walking in circles and stopped in front of you, putting his hand on your lower back and his hook holding your chin for you to look at. Both shared a different look, he exposing the look of jealousy and you worried about how you come to see yourself.

"Isn't it better not to go to the dance? I don't want to see anyone with my prince."

"This is not the time for jealousy, this is serious. I don't want to be the laughingstock of the night." You frowned worried about yourself, raising your hands to the collar of his shirt.

A little habit you had was always to arrange his clothes, he was not a dirty pirate but sometimes he did not know how to dress properly. With your hands on his neck you played with the chain he was carrying and the hair that fell down the back of his neck, distracting you from what had tired you a few moments ago.

His hook left your chin and went down to your waist, accompanying his other hand and drawing you more to him. His grip was secure but soft, he knew how to treat and hold you, he had created his boundaries with you himself.

"Do you want to go to the dance with me?" He asked you in a low voice, a few inches from your lips.

"Are you serious?"

"Very seriously. No one has invited you and I, uh, have rejected several girls." He shrugged his shoulders but continued to speak in the same low, careful tone.

"Black would definitely make me stand out."

You smiled inevitably, a gesture that infected him. Both leaned over each other to join their lips in a brief kiss, at the moment of separation he smiled proud of himself.

"You'll look great next to me, no matter what you wear."

[thought--bubble]

Subtraction

Michael Gavey X (Preacher's Daughter Reader)

Warnings Below

Word Count: 2,886

Banners by @arcielee

Michael Gavey Masterlist

Full Masterlist

Warnings:: Corruption Kink, Oral sex (M receiving), Fingering, dubcon, coercion, religious guilt

A/N: This was really fun to write because I'm a math gal myself 🤣

Based on THIS request.

Michael is walking on clouds today. As far as he is concerned, today is a great fucking day.

He has been working as a tutor all semester trying to plump up his resume so he can go for that TA position he knows is going to open up next autumn.

Thus far, every student he has worked with is an airhead. The worst was Farleigh, who didn't actually want to learn anything and would just wait until Michael spoon fed him the answers and take off as soon as the assignment was finished.

But today, today Michael was told he was going to tutor you. The cutest little thing he has ever laid eyes on. With your mid-thigh length plaid skirts, high socks, and little cardigans, it was like you walked out straight out of his dreams and into Oxford.

You were a pastors daughter. Prim and proper, always walking around with that little silver cross hanging from your neck. Michael had spotted you as soon as school had started, and it only took about a month before the dreaded Felix Catton had set his sights on you. As if it wasn't bad enough that Michael's only friend Oliver had already been wrapped up in Felix's little web now, Michael had to watch that web get spun around you.

Which is why it came as such a big surprise when you turned him down. Felix had been trying for weeks to hook up with you. Following you around like a puppy, it made Michael sick. Couldn't Felix see how special you are? How could he treat you as just another name in his little black book?

Michael's vindication came in the form of a very public rejection where you called out Felix for "only wanting one thing" in the courtyard for multiple students and staff to see.

The public embarrassment this afforded Felix only made Michael more enamored with you. He found himself constantly daydreaming of you. He imagined you sitting on his lap as he kissed you. Your pure innocent lips on his never having been soiled by another man's touch. He imagines pushing up that little plaid skirt and sinking his fingers deep into that cunt, sweet. Innocent, and just for him.

Michael was feeling a bit nervous as he sat and waited for you in the library. He knew his personality left a lot to be desired. If there was anyone in this wretched place, he didn't want to scare off with his brashness it was you.

"Just be normal. Just be normal, " he whispers to himself as he continues to wait, fingers tapping on the thick wooden table.

"She was supposed to be here by now," he wonders aloud. She didn't show up because it's me probably. She's heard all the horror stories of me being annoying or weird. I've already ruined it before I had a chance to meet her. Well, if she's going to be like that, then I wouldn't want her anyway. She's just like all these other posh Neanderthals. Judging someone before they've even properly gotten to know them.

Michael's brain continues to rattle off thought after thought bouncing between sadness, rejection, and anger, as he glares toward the entry to the library picking at the table with his fingernail.

Then you walk in, books clung tightly to your chest, a pink and gray pleated skirt, white knee high socks and those cute black shoes with the straps, a pink cardigan and shining in the light the dainty silver cross you're never seen without.

He sits up straighter, clearing his throat, as he subtly shifts his books, notebooks, and pens on the table.

"Michael?" Your voice sounds so sweet to Michael that he has to force himself not to salivate.

"Yes. That's me, I take it you're my new pupil?" Keep calm, Gavey. Don't act like a creep. He repeats these two rules to himself while sporting a look of indifference on his face.

You reach your hand out to him and tell him your name. He takes your hand and shakes it. So small, soft, and delicate. Perfect hands. Just the right size to be engulfed by Michael's rather sizable hands, he thinks to himself.

"Hello?" You look at him questioningly as he stares at you while absent-mindedly continuing to shake your hand for far longer than was necessary.

What you didn't know was in Michael's head he was all over you, he had you bent over this wooden table, skirt pushed up to reveal your rounded bum, him sliding himself in and out of your body while you begged him for more.

He shakes himself out of his thoughts, and his cheeks burn crimson when he realizes he is still shaking your hand. "Right.. umm" he shifts uncomfortably in his seat and pulls on the collar of his shirt. The heat on his face has traveled to his chest.

As you sit, he can't help but watch you. You're so gentle from the way you sit to the way you place your books on the table.

"So what specifically are you struggling with?" He already knows she is failing the class in its entirety, but he can't seem to find another way to initiate conversation.

You whimper, and Michael just about dies

"Everything. Every single thing." You put your hands over your face clearly stressed.

"Oh. Well, we will start from the beginning then." Michael starts with what he thinks will be the easiest, basic statistics.

Even with this, you struggle greatly, the hours spent in the library do prove beneficial but only slightly and the novelty of being with you has started to wear off for Michael due to the sheer shock of how bad you are at this.

Michael rubs his temples, his head just barely hovering over the wood of the library table. "Did they not touch on any of this in secondary school?"

"They did, I wasn't any good there either, but I was able to make it up in other ways"

Michael lifts his head and looks at you quizzically. "Other ways?"

"Extra credit, community service, church duty." You explained this as if it was perfectly normal to pass maths because you picked up an extra shift helping at the church.

Michael blinks as he blankly stares back at you. "Right.......of course...... obviously......"

He looks around the library and sees it's mostly cleared out. "Well they'll be kicking us out of here any minute now" He sighs as he closes the books on the table packing up to leave, relieved that this elongated torture session has come to a close.

You stand up nervously. "No!" You didn't mean to shriek, but you did, voice reverberating around the nearly empty library.

"The quiz is in two days! I..... I can't fail! My father! He will....... oh no, please! Keep going. I'll do anything!"

Michael immediately stops moving and fights the small smirk, clawing its way across his features. Anything. I'll do anything. The words float through his mind like a beautiful song he has been waiting to hear.

Anything.

"Well, you could come back to my dorm, and we could continue......." He starts as he looks around sheepishly.

"Yes! Oh my goodness, yes! Thank you, Michael!" You excitedly collect the rest of your things from the table.

"But," Michael interjects. "We will have to....... make the process more interesting because i was nearly falling asleep a moment ago"

"Sure! whatever you suggest." You beam a smile at him, and he smirks. Oh, he has a suggestion that will keep both of them awake.

Michael opens the door to his dorm, holding his arm out and gesturing for you to go first.

You enter the room and look around. It's extremely neat. No personal effects save for a photo of Michael and his parents.

Michael walks in behind you, closing the door and setting his books down on the small table in the corner.

"Sit." He motions toward the chair across from him.

You place your books down on the table and slowly lower yourself into the chair.

" So I have an idea...... that might give you the proper.... motivation" his eyes travel up and down your form, and he slightly bites on his bottom lip before he continues. "I'm going to show you an example problem. Then I'm going to give you the same type of problem to solve. If you get it right, i remove an article of clothing. If you get it wrong, you do"

"Oh! umm Michael.... I'm not sure. " You nervously wring your hands in your lap. You are terrible at maths you would surely end up naked in no time.

"You said anything, and this will keep me awake. We could always just call it for the night......" He trails off looking to the side.

"Wait! no! ok"

Michael smirks. "Ok, then let's get started.

As expected, you get most answers wrong first, taking off your shoes, socks, and earrings. When you finally get one right, Michael chuckles and takes off his belt.

"Good, good. See? What did I tell you? proper motivation." He scoots his chair forward, a bit closing the space between you.

A few more problems later you are sitting there in nothing but a bra and panties Michael in his shirt and boxers.

As you try to focus on the current problem, you can't help but be distracted by the rather sizable bulge in his boxers.

"T-there," your voice faulters as you slide the paper back towards Michael for his review. He looks it over quickly.

"Sorry darling, that's not quite it." He leans forward, explaining where you went wrong with the formula.

"Oh." You feel the heat pool in your cheeks as you unlatch your bra. Trying to cover your breasts as you remove it.

Michael's eyes light up as he takes in your almost nude form. The bulge in his boxers becomes even more apparent as he races to write you up a new problem.

"What happens when I run out of clothes?" You know, at this point, it is an inevitability that you will end up completely nude, but you are learning and starting to get problems correct. If you can learn just enough to pass the quiz, you could possibly save your grade in this class.

"We will figure something out between the two of us, I'm sure." He brings his hand down to your knee, gently rubbing circles there with his thumb.

You focus completely on the next math problem, trying desperately to hold off the inevitable removal of your panties.

"Bravo!" Michael cheers as you slide a math problem done correctly over to him. "Guess you survive this round" He stands up from the chair and pulls his boxers off, exposing his fully erect cock.

You mean to look away. You should look away, right? That would be the polite thing to do but you can't. He is long and girthy and painfully hard.

He gently rubs at himself, watching you watch him. "Hmmm, next problem," he slides the paper over to you.

"Right, of course." You take the paper and try to focus on the problem as your eyes consistently slide back towards him as he strokes himself slowly.

"I don't mind if you look" He rubs his thumb over the slit and the tip of his cock spreading the precum around the head.

Your entire face flushes with heat. "I wasn't, ummm." You look back at the problem trying to work it out. You feel like you are writing hieroglyphics, as if you have never seen these symbols before.

"Well, that's incorrect, sorry." Michael grins happily as he waits for you to remove your final article of clothing.

"I can't. I can't expose that. " You nervously rub your palms against your thighs.

"How about we just do this?" Michael leans forward and slides your panties to the side.

Your eyes go wide, and you make a loud gulping sound.

"That's not so bad, is it?" Michael runs a finger up your slit feeling the obvious wetness there. "From what I gather, you seem to be enjoying this"

He collects some of your slick and brings it up to your pearl, drawing slow circles around the nerve.

"Oh!" You instantly close your eyes. You have touched yourself before. Something you would always pray for forgiveness for right after, but this felt different. Micheal's large finger and course fingertip make the sensation more intense, and your body instantly reacts, wanting more.

"Ahh." You breathe out as Michael applies more pressure to your bud, increasing the speed at which he applies that pressure.

Michael leans forward, completely kissing up the side of your neck. "It's ok. I won't tell anyone."

"I .... I have to remain chaste. " You moan as he slides a finger into you while holding the pressure down on your bud.

"There are things we can do without....... breaking the seal..... just relax, " He whispers into your ear as he continues sliding his finger against your walls.

You feel the pleasure building up in your lower stomach and instinctually spread your legs wider.

"That's it, good girl, I'm going to make you feel really good, ok?"

Your head rolls back as the pressure continues to build, the guilt in your mind losing to the pleasure coursing through your nerves.

Micheal moves his thumb quickly against your clit and pushes against the spongey spot inside your walls and sends you into a tailspin.

"Oh, Michael! Michael!" You gasp as the pressure in your stomach pulls taught, threatening to snap at any moment.

"I got you, let go for me, beautiful." As he whispers these words into your ear, the band snaps.

"Ahhhh, Mich-" You can't get the words out as your jaw goes slack and your entire body vibrates.

Michael continues his movements while you ride out your high, only pulling his hand away once you whimper at the overstimulation.

Michael takes your juices and rubs them on his cock as he slowly strokes himself. "That was glorious, you look so pretty when you cum"

You watch him touch himself with curiosity. "I can teach you more than maths." he says suddenly as he increases the pace of his movements.

"Come here." He motions you toward him, and like a puppet on a string, you go to him. You have already gone this far. What is stopping you now?

"Get on your knees." You quickly comply, dropping to your knees before him.

"Good, think you are going to learn this much quicker" He brings the weeping head of his cock to your lips.

You flick your tongue out and lick the tip you had heard of oral sex before. Kind of had a decent idea of what it entailed.

Michael groans. "Open up and flip your lips over your teeth."

You follow his instructions and he slides his cock into your mouth pushing past your lips. "Good, good, breath through your nose."

He grips the hair at the top of your head slowly dragging you forward pushing more of his cock into your mouth.

"Use your tongue beautiful" He sighs with pleasure as you slide your tongue along the underside of his cock.

"So fucking good." The grip on your hair tightens as he pushes further hitting the back of your throat, earning him a gag.

"What a pretty sound," He coos as he starts to move his hips while holding your head in place.

"Just like that." His breathing gets heavier as his speed increases. "Fuck, yes. Look at me" He grunts as he starts to batter the back of your throat with his cockhead.

You look up at him with tears streaking down your face and drool slipping from your chin.

"Almost there." He wipes a tear from your cheek with his thumb. "So pretty when you cry"

Michael grips your hair tight, pushing himself fast and hard into your throat.

"You're gonna swallow what I give you" You do your best to attempt to nod while he fucks your face, pushing himself as far as he will go, the hairs at his base coming in contact with your nose and chin.

"That's it right there...... FUCK!" Michael spurts directly into your throat. You hardly have to swallow at all.

He pulls himself out of your mouth and smiles down at you, wiping the drool off of your chin.

"Think we can call it a night, yeah?" He pulls his boxers up and collapses back in the chair a look of lazy satisfaction on his face.

"Yeah, that might be best." You wipe the tears from your face and gather your clothes.

"There are still two more days before the quiz. Come back tomorrow, and we can continue." Michael gets out of the chair and wraps his arms around you from behind, gently kissing your neck.

"I love teaching you. Tell me you'll come back tomorrow."

You blush at his words, "Yes, I'll be back tomorrow"

Micheal sees you out and watches as you walk down the hallway and disappear out of sight before going back into his room and flopping onto his bed with a contented sigh before he chuckles to himself.

"I got what Felix couldn't"

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[orange-demons-deactivated2024]

First kiss hcs of Ed, Bosch, Jamie and Luke??? 👀 Pretty plz with a cherry on top?

👀hehehe of course

Ed

He was on an adrenaline high after you and him stomped out some Shadaloo trash, who'd been tailing you two for days.

Thinking they had the upper hand, they tried to corner you two in an alleyway.

Obviously, they're not the type to listen to reason, so he'll let his fist do all the talking.

But one of those thugs was quick enough to hook him in the mouth, splattering blood over the left side of his face.

That was cute, Ed had to admit, but that didn't stop him from knocking them out cold with a brutal right cross.

After the dust settled down, you noticed his split lip, so you tried to wipe the blood away with your thumb.

But Ed grabbed your hand just before you could touch his face.

The adrenaline mixed with his possessiveness led to an unexpected situation between you two.

And without a second thought, Ed pulled you into a needy kiss.

You can taste the iron on your tongue as he wraps his arms around you, feeling the desperation on his lips.

Although you were the one who broke the kiss, Ed was the one who leaned in for more.

Bosch

Your first kiss happened when you forgot to bring your lunch to the gym, so you did the only reasonable thing and sulked face down on the mats.

Noticing your…predicament, Bosch asked why you looked so distraught.

You told him how you packed a 5 star culinary meal, only for you to leave it at home.

He rolled his eyes, holding out a container. "Here, and don’t expect this to be an everyday thing."

You pushed yourself up, sitting cross-legged as you took the container from him. "What is it?" you asked.

Bosch said he knew you would forget to bring your lunch again, so he prepared one for you in advance, which made you stare at him.

“What?” he said.

“You’re more domestic than I imagined."

“Just take your food.” He shot back, feeling the warmth creeping up his neck. Great, now he's starting to feel embarrassed.

Unable to resist his cute face, you leaned in and gave him a short, sweet kiss as a thank you.

Bosch stiffened under your gesture, but eventually relaxed once you pulled away.

He lightly ran his fingers across his lips, trying to feel the sensation again.

But as you were about to join the others, you felt a slight tug on the back of your shirt.

"Hey," he muttered, eyes meeting yours. "Don’t forget to thank me properly later."

Jamie

Your first kiss with Jamie happened when he was drunk.

He can be quite affectionate after a couple of rounds and tends to cling to you when you try to leave.

So it wasn’t surprising that he wrapped you in his arms during a night out on the rooftops of Chinatown.

He smothered you to the point where you had to physically remove him despite his whines.

And when you thought that was the end of it, Jamie had you pinned to the floor faster than you could blink.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said in a drunken stupor.

He laughed, watching as you struggled against him.

Aw, don't look at him like that, it'll make him feel bad.

But Jamie knew just the thing to cheer you up.

His loose hair tickled your face as he leaned closer to you.

And although he was drunk, he was a functioning drunk. So he wasn't too sloppy in his movements as he gave you a kiss.

Jamie nipped at your lips impatiently, wanting to taste more of you.

And when he pulled back, he got a good look at your flustered face.

His grip loosened around you, which gave you enough time to try and wiggle out.

"You wanna leave so soon?... We barely even started."

Luke

Luke isn’t the type of guy to shy away from affection.

In fact, he encourages you to give him more.

He likes to give you a lot of cheek pecks even before your first official kiss.

It happened when you had a movie night at his house.

You both ate sugary treats and buttery popcorn until your stomach hurt from the amount of food you two were eating.

He always invited you to his home to do random activities: like playing video games or setting up his new computer equipment.

After a while, you rest your head on his chest and snuggled closer to him under the covers.

You like feeling how warm he was and hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Luke grinned, seeing how cute your tired face was, and pulled the blanket over your shoulders.

He asked if you wanted to clock out for the rest of the night but you groaned, saying how you wanted to finish the movie.

He gave you a peck on your lips, “It’s okay. The movie will still be here when you wake up.”

The kiss was light and gentle.

And his lips were softer than you expected.

"Your lips are soft..." you said, before dozing off.

Luke laughed at your remark and engulfed your body in a tight hug.

[hanjisungs-bigtittyg0thgf]

Imagine holy, virgin, sacred reader who has to teach these three misbehaving children (I was thinking Minho, seungmin, and jisung) of the church how to properly be holy or wtv and somehow they get her to undress in front of them so she can "worship her own body", and they all is start using her how ever they want. and somehow along the way jisung subs, and then Minho subs with the both of them while Seungmin is js, seungmin I guess. Idk I is thought that was hot. 😊

FUCKING HELLO???? babyyyyy as a former church girlie with a corruption kink, this HITS 😩😩😩 taking it in a slightly different direction but the main point is still there

pure, innocent reader trying to be a good mentor to these boys and leading a small bible study with the three of them, during which they discuss holy relationships. the boys convincing her to show her body so they have a perfect example of a godly woman to set as their standard. because surely god would want them to have someone to look up to in that respect. someone to remember when searching for the perfect wife. at least that's what they tell her.

jisung’s the first to crack, practically lunging at you as you fidget almost uncomfortably at your exposure. you’re surprised by the way he jumps for you but offer no resistance because this must be right. the way he’s looking at you with such adoration as he pushes your legs apart and hooks them over his shoulders, urging you to lean back on the sofa…this is surely a form of worship. right? “can i taste?” you find yourself nodding shyly, refusing to look at the other two men as jisung eagerly molds his mouth to your pussy. his eye contact is intense and you soon look away, sucking on your bottom lip to stifle soft whimpers as more hands reach for your bare form.

"y/n, why are you hiding your sounds? didn't you teach us about making a joyful noise? are you not enjoying it?" why does seungmin's coaxing sound like he's mocking you? jisung's starved groan brings your attention back to him and seungmin laughs. "jisunggie is certainly enjoying it. why don't you let him know how well he's doing? let us hear you..." you're hesitant until jisung presses a finger into you and curls it, then you finally let out a soft moan. you couldn't have held it in even if you'd wanted to, especially considering the added pleasure of minho's lips on your chest.

it’s embarrassing how loud you get from such simple, careful touches. at least to you. but they all love it, if the strain in each of their pants is anything to go by. they love knowing how good they’re making you feel.

and they are certainly making you feel good. no one has ever touched you like this. you’ve only shared a few kisses in your lifetime so of course you’ve never had someone’s head between your legs or lips latched on your nipple. or a cock in your hand, which you don’t reject when seungmin grasps your wrist and guides your hand to wrap around the base.

he’s heavy in your hand and you look at him, unsure of what to do. before you can ask, he rocks his hips and strokes your hair. "i'll do all the work, just stay like that." you nod and watch him, gaze jumping back and forth between his dick and his face, which is already displaying how good he feels. you don't get to spend much time admiring him before minho is gently urging you to look at him. "you should taste him."

your attention immediately turns back to seungmin and you start to protest, feeling like it's something you shouldn't do. that's dirty. "b-but minnie-"

"shouldn't we try our best to please others? to share love amongst ourselves? you love us, don't you?" his tone is light and playful despite the way he throbs in your hand.

"yes but...isn't that dirty?" you whimper, gasping when jisung sucks on your clit.

"it's no more dirty than what jisung is doing to you right now, honey. and it certainly doesn't feel wrong to receive, does it? " he's good. he's taking away any mental blocks that are preventing you from truly letting go. surely god would want you to please those you love and not be greedy.

you turn back to minho and open your mouth, still shy but absolutely willing to try anything for them. you're safe here. and if it pleases them, surely it pleases god.

with seungmin in your hand and minho in your mouth, there's not much you can do to warn jisung that you're close. your grip on seungmin tightens as you grow more tense with each passing second and you gag when minho hits the back of your throat, tossing you over the edge. you shudder as you come undone, writhing under jisung's touch and letting out a string of moans and whimpers.

he looks at you with stars in his eyes as he retreats, taking a moment to admire your twitching form as he pulls his fingers from your quivering cunt before rising up on his knees. "can i just...?" he doesn't finish his sentence as he slaps his dick on your dripping pussy. "can i put it in?" he sounds desperate as he rocks against you, his tip catching on your entrance and drawing out another small sound.

minho pulls back and you utter permission before opening your mouth to him again, giving him a pleading look as your lips wrap around his tip. you shiver as seungmin's fingers comb through your hair and give him a squeeze to show you haven't forgotten him. you still have no clue what you're doing but they don't seem to mind as they make use of your body.

the stretch as jisung presses into you isn’t painful like you’d been led to believe it’d be for your first time. in fact, it’s downright delicious. and you know in that moment that they’ve created a monster.

is this what heaven feels like? it has to be. nothing so entirely delightful can be of this earth, it comes only from the father. “guys-” jisung whines as he ruts into you, unable to control his hips. “oh she’s so tight-”

“yeah?” seungmin doesn’t even spare him a glance before he begins to coo at you. “you gonna let me and min take a turn too?" you whimper out a muffled 'uh huh' and he guides your hand so your thumb swipes over the tip.

"good girl." minho's voice is gravelly and sends a jolt of arousal through your body, earning a soft groan from jisung. the eldest simply laughs. "you like that? you like knowing how good you're being?"

you moan out another 'uh huh'. you like being good. this is good. surely something so dirty has never been so perfect before. god will understand...

————

i’m so fucking sorry, the brain rot is too severe for me to say anything else

tags: @bahng-chrizz

[armpirate]

Anti-romantic || JJk | Ch. 21

Pairings: Boxer!Jungkook x fem!reader || Enemies to lovers, neighbors

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, curse, illegal boxing, violence

Warnings: fuckboy!Jungkook x reader, smut, dirty talk, curse, mention of tarot and fate

Summary: Jungkook had always been carefree when it came to love. He always believed he was worth sharing himself with everyone, and thought it was selfish of him to ever think of keeping himself exclusive to just one person.

And maybe that was exactly what got him into the big problem he was in.

A curse that kept him away from love didn't seem an issue for him. The fact that his ex-girlfriend thought he'd be affected by the idea of the girls he slept with running away from him after sex was ridiculous. She actually did him a favor, and took a burden away from him.

At least that was what he thought at first.

He had never found himself thinking of the possibility of repeating with neither of his hook ups, because they disappeared before he was able to even think about it. But when he makes the mistake of sleeping with the sexy neighbor that lives in front of him, he finds himself hoping to get the chance for a second round every time their paths cross.

Y/n hated him the second he set foot inside the building by the way he started making her life a miserable mess for no reason. Sleeping with him was a big mistake she wasn't thinking of repeating. At least not until he came up with the excuse that she rejected him for a curse. Not only she thought he was annoying, but she was also convinced he was crazy. 

There was no way she could take him seriously.

Aprox. time of reading: 16 minutes

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MASTERLIST

As soon as she stepped out of her bedroom, she hesitated going out, taking one step back while she looked at the man sleeping on her couch. His tattooed arm covered his head, while his unclothed upper body was visible over the thin blanket she gave him.

It was one thing dealing with Jungkook on common ground. She could hide in her house, controlling his moves through the peephole so they wouldn't have to meet. But it was completely different when the cause of her headaches was sleeping on her couch, peacefully, as if he weren't the reason why her daily life was turning upside down.

If she didn't dislike him so much, she wouldn't doubt waking him up. His marked abs were perfect to trace if she was planning on giving him a surprise, slowly moving up to his chest while her lips first got in contact with his warm skin. And then he'd probably move, resting on his back so she could play with his torso freely, with nothing in between her or his body. It probably was like heaven hearing his groans first thing in the morning, raspy and sleepy, trying to understand what was going on while her tongue traced the edge of his boxers.

—Liking what you see?

Until he spoke, and she realized why she would never even think of doing something like that to him.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize the moment he moved, uncovering his face as he moved his arm at the height of his belly. His eyes looked playful, and his smirk was cocky, while his head still rested against the hard pillow he used that night to sleep.

—More like hoping that smell isn't smoke —she lied.

There was no sign of him smoking there, but she needed to lie after being caught red-handed drooling for him.

—Did you know that the nose has memory? —he casually asked.

—So?

—Your brain was probably thinking of something else when you saw me shirtless on your couch, and the smell also came with it.

His right leg slightly flexed when he moved his body to lie on his back, with his tattooed arm hiding behind his head to work as a better support than the pillow.

—Doubt it —she walked to him, kicking his feet so he'd sit properly while talking to her.

With a scoff, Jungkook sat in the middle of the couch, soon challenging her with just one look.

—Why?

—Because I tend to erase traumas from my brain —she cut him off.

Although that comment only made Jungkook smile wider. Her denial of the undeniable attraction just worked as evidence that she also felt it, but she was too proud to admit that she was indeed into him, and that if it were for her deepest needs, he probably would be ramming into her crazily until her gaze went blurry and her nervous system was so fucked out that she wouldn't be able to form a proper sentence.

—A trauma that you repeat twice?

Her lips moved, but no words came out. As much as she hated to admit it, Jungkook was attractive, and he was good at sex.

—I'm leaving for work —her eyes rolled with the last word—. I know you'll be heading to work, too. I guess. You don't need to lock the door, but make sure it's closed. If I'm not here when you come back, call Roger. He has a copy of all the keys in the building in case something happens.

—And why don't you give me a copy?

—Tell him I'm not home. I guess he'll understand, since he was the one who came up with this idea —she ignored him.

—You're ignoring me.

—I'll unfortunately see you later —she waved goodbye, closing the door behind her.

His eyes squinted while he looked at the closed door where she disappeared. Last seeing her skirt flying while her body turned, escaping from his eyes. While looking a the white door, he tried to think if she had ever dressed so nicely to go to work. He didn't remember other times where she dressed like that just because. Actually, the last time she was dressed like that she showed up with her ex after a date.

His body became stiff after that thought.

Why did she even warn him about coming later than him? She was planning on having a date, and she didn't tell him anything. He was most definitely doing things wrong with her if she was planning on looking for something he could offer outside, instead of reaching for him.

Jungkook: Why did you say you were going to be home later than me? Are you meeting up with someone?

Unfortunately, it was too late when he realized the text he sent.

The overthinking led him to search for her number among the group chat where all the neighbors were, and his finger typed that jealous act before he was able to control it. Only noticing what those words sounded like after thinking about them twice in his head when he left his phone in front of him.

—Wait, no, no, no —at the same time his fingers scrolled through their chat to erase that text, she was already typing the response.

Y/n: Not your business.

Y/n: Remember to close the door when you leave

Y/n: I'll kill you if you don't.

Y/n: CLOSE

Y/n: THE

Y/n: DOOR!!

For once, he felt lucky his neighbor didn't pay that much attention to him or his big mouth, able to look past that dumb comment and make it seem as if they were on their usual rants.

It was one thing to feel jealous, or be bothered, but as much to project it and show her? Especially when there was no evidence about that actually happening? No, that was crossing the line.

He even had her saved with the nickname "Woodpecker" -because of the time she chose to drill through their shared wall to fight the noise he made-, instead of having her saved with her name and surname.

His thumbs were quick clicking the edit button to make that name disappear, changing it for Y/n Y/s with a pleased expression.

That change didn't last long.

Jungkook reached for his phone again shortly after dropping it back on the couch, going back to changing her name back to how it was. It didn't mean a thing to have her saved like that. It was obvious Y/n was close to him, as much as they fought, in comparison to the rest of neighbors in the building. It made no sense to label her the same way.

He had Jimin saved as ChimChim and it didn't mean anything other than them being close friends. Y/n wasn't close, but she was a friend. Or, at least, she was closer to becoming a friend than just being a regular neighbor.

—Right? —he softly asked.

After panic hit him, he jumped out of the couch, getting undressed to put on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt to go to the gym. It wasn't like he was going to train a lot of people that day. And even then, he had some clothes saved in his locker -for the few times he forgot his shorts and a random t-shirt.

Jimin was looking at him with a sided smile, holding the straw with two of his fingers while he looked at his friend -who looked uneasy while looking at his beer. Usually whhen they hung out, Jungkook had his attention somewhere else, but it always was outside their table. That day he was still out of focus from their table. His body was aimed at him, but his mind was somewhere else.

—Is this a new trick? —Jimin finally cut him off.

—What?

—Sighing and looking deadbeat. I'm not really updated on tricks to get girls to talk to me, but I don't think this will work either.

Jungkook was his friend. And like his friend, Jimin knew to differentiate their type of hang outs, and classify them according to what the plan was going to be like. Usually, when they wanted to spend time together, they went for a coffee, or to have lunch -which was something that rarely happened after Jungkook hired him as the administrative of the gym-, and they only met in bars when they wanted to meet girls -although that theme went more along Jungkook rather than him.

—I don't want to get girls —he slowly shook his head—. That's the problem.

With his complaint, Jimin just looked more confused than before. It was his decision, by what he said, so it didn't make any sense to him why he seemed annoyed at his own choices.

—Well, my problems are about paying the rent and the bills, making sure my brother doesn't leave anyone pregnant and my friend doesn't get killed before thirty —Jimin commented, looking at Jungkook's barely noticeable bruises on his face—. But yeah, not getting girls by choice seems to be a huge problem.

—That's not the problem —Jungkook played with his lip rings on his tongue before he went on—. The problem is the reason.

—Gonorrhea? —Jimin tried to guess.

—What? No. I'm clean —he quickly denied, looking at his friend from head to the middle of his torso, where the tall table cut the rest of his sight—. I get tested regularly.

—Thank god, because you've had a pretty busy life these years —Jimin mumbled, sipping on his drink.

—I always use protection, by the way —he replied back.

—Ookay, okay. What's the reason?

Jungkook looked immediately uncomfortable, tilting his head while he cracked his neck. He looked uneasy, but at the same time nervous and excited to talk about it. His body language didn't give away how big or how serious that other reason was.

—...n —he mumbled.

—Huh?

—Y...

—What?

—Y/n —he lowered his voice when he realized everybody was looking at them.

How could he forget that name? Jimin knew it was the female name Jungkook had pronounced the most in the ten years they had known each other, even over the name of his tattoo artist.

—The same neighbor you almost intoxicated?

—That was an accident —he tried to excuse himself—. And she started first. And that's not what we're talking about.

—You like her?

—No —a scoff tried to light up the conversation, and relax all the tension on his neck—. I just think about all the fights I've had with her, and I can't understand why she rejects me, but still goes out with other guys. Huh. I'm the best option.

—You like her —Jimin confirmed.

—I don't —his insistence just gave out what he tried to cover up.

—You think about her at random times, you come up with any excuse to talk about her —Jimin remembered all the times he'd entered the gym, ranting about her or something related to her—, you get jealous, and you're annoyed because you aren't the first option. Sounds like, not only you like her, but karma is biting your ass for all the things you've done to all those girls.

—Hey, I did nothing —Jungkook quickly denied—. I never promised love. I always made my intentions clear with all of them.

Except for Carly, but she didn't count.

—Whatever. The Jungkook I know would be shooting his shot with the hot girl over there —Jimin pointed at the tall red-haired woman at the corner of the counter, with a tight green dress—. Yet you're here yapping about a girl you supposedly don't like.

His head was thrown back when he realized the words his friend was using. As much as he hated to admit it, as much as he wanted to fight it, he was right. It didn't mean that he liked Y/n, but he was overly obsessed over the curse idea.

—I'm not surprised she got in your head though. That girl... —his comment was cut off by the deadly look Jungkook was aiming at him— Why are you looking at me like that if you don't like her?

—Because you're disrespecting her.

—I didn't even say anything.

—But you were about to.

—Hey —he aimed to make sense of what was going on—. You insist you're just confused, right? —his friend nodded— Then spend time with her. Try to get to know her, get close with her. It could be you're just stunned by how mysterious she is to you. Maybe once you realize she isn't more than the expectation you imagined, you'll move on.

—And what if it isn't just an expectation.

—Then you'll be deep in —Jimin grimaced at the idea, supporting both of his elbows at the edge of the table.

—And what should I do to grow closer to her? I think I've already tried that.

—Knowing what she's allergic to because you almost killed her isn't remotely close to what I'm suggesting —Jimin corrected him—. Talk with her without it leading to an argument, find something you have in common and move from there.

The click echoed across his brain with that idea.

The only thing they had in common were those illegal fights, and the fact that she wanted to expose the people that led her brother to death. Even if she had said she didn't want to work with him on that, he knew she probably wouldn't fight it if he looked like he actually wanted to help her work on it.

That was why he didn't waste time after meeting up with Jimin, driving his motorbike to her place, only to find her door closed. Right when he was about to go to Roger's place, like Y/n had asked him to do, he found the man running downstairs in a rush.

He was lucky he caught him before he had to leave to pick up one of his daughters from one of those extracurriculars they were overworked with.

Jungkook ordered some pizzas, which he was planning on reheating after she came home, and opened the only wine she had in her kitchen. He tried to make it seem as innocent and cozy as possible, so she wouldn't come home with the sword lifted up and ready to attack.

Oh, how wrong he was...

—What did I tell you about touching my things? —she ranted, dropping her keys on the small hanger she had— I was saving up that wine.

—For what?

For the moment her sister stopped coming at Mitchell's neck for no reason, for the moment she got renewed in the Newspaper she was working at... It was the most expensive wine she had bought in her life, and she was saving it up for a good reason.

Although, for the first time, Jungkook looked regretful of his actions, looking down at the bottle with sadness while he tried to find an explanation that could make her feel better.

—It's alright. Let's just... It's alright. What's this all about?

Her steps sounded light, and her perfume soon inundated the room, with the floral scent being the only thing he could smell as she walked by to leave her jacket on the backrest of one of the chairs around the dinner table.

—Hmm... What was all this about? —he mumbled, trying to earn some consciousness back— Oh, right. I thought that, since we're going to be living together, we should get on well.

—Right —she nodded.

—Let's sit and eat.

Jungkook only rushed her to eat to get her out of his camp of vision, and manage to focus back on his thoughts. He was convinced that seeing her eating would set some turn offs that could work better to wake him up. It was all in those small details people usually ignore while they're falling in love. If he went one step ahead, he probably would kick out those feelings before they even showed up.

But it was of no help.

The way her fingers placed the ham so she'd take the small portions with each bite, the way her tongue moved around her corners to lick any remains of sauce on them... He even found cute the way her eyes looked at one concrete part in the room while she chewed on the slice.

—How was work? —he suddenly asked.

—You want to know?

—That's why I'm asking.

—It was okay —she shrugged—. I didn't do much. I thought about you if I'm honest.

The squeak his stomach suffered at that mention gave him a bad feeling. Why was he excited about something so simple?

—Really?

—Yeah. I thought that... Well, since we're living together, it might be a good idea if you pick me up from work and we get home together. That way you won't have to be bothering Roger, and you won't be waiting outside either.

—What about the days I'm done earlier? —he raised his eyebrow.

—Let me know, and I'll finish the shift from home —she shrugged—. It's only for the days you're done earlier. The days you're later than me, it won't be necessary. So you get an idea, I'm usually done by seven.

—That's a good idea —he nodded.

—Right?

Hell, she looked so cute when she smiled so wide.

—What about your day? I see your face still looks the same.

—My trainees don't kick me. They knew they wouldn't be able to win against me —that comment made Y/n roll her eyes funnily, while his body turned a bit more in her direction—. What was that? You've seen me fighting.

—I've seen you being knocked out on the floor, and having to pick you up to get out of there —she teased him.

—It was your fault.

—Okay, if you want to come up with excuses...

Her eyes looked at him over the curve of the glass while she sipped on some of the wine. It seemed different from other times. She wasn't attacking him, but playing along with his jokes.

—I'm sorry for that night —she finally said after a brief silence—. Maybe if I hadn't been so obvious...

—So you're saying I was right —the piercings on his right eyebrows disappeared under his bangs as he raised them.

—I'm taking the blame from my side of the problem. The rest is all on you.

His smile looked different. He seemed approachable. Not only in the sense that he was easy to mess with, but in the sense that it seemed like it was possible to have a normal conversation with him.

—I guess that's better than nothing —he threw the napkin he cleaned his mouth with, slowly moving his body back to rest it against the backrest.

—Why aren't you always like this? —she challenged him— I thought it wasn't in you to be a reasonable person, but now it's obvious that you can.

—Because you're easy to annoy. And it's kinda fun —he admitted, moving closer to her.

—Tss —she scoffed, slowly shaking her head— is this your last resource to take someone to bed?

—It's my last resource to make things right with you —her eyes momentarily shone with those words, feeling blank at the sudden cuteness attack.

—What do you...

Jungkook picked up her phone from the other side of the table, asking her to type the code so he'd be able to do what he was thinking. She was in such shock that she didn't think much before she typed the six digits and opened the door to her deepest secrets and most important information for him.

She was surprised when she saw the recorder on her screen when he placed the phone over the coffee table, waiting for their eyes to meet before he started speaking.

—Alessandro Rossi is the man who sent two guys to beat me, and he's in charge of all the illegal fights that happen in the area. Nobody knows who he is, nobody knows what he looks like, but just with his name people know it's better not to mess with him —Y/n looked at him attentively—. Elijah controls the training centers at the South of Chicago. Some people will tell you it's because he's tougher than the other two, but reality is that Rossi probably doesn't respect him enough and that's why he's sent him to the worst neighbors to control.

He stopped talking, clicking on the red button to cut the recording and go back to talking to her.

—That's the proof that I'm not playing this time. I gave you two big names, and the rest will be details that will link things together. I'm serious about helping you.

—And what about your ass being risked and all of that?

—Nobody can know it was me. I'll help you with the information. In exchange, you delete the pictures where my face is clear, and erase any evidence of me helping you after you're done —his tongue moved through his lips—. I also started this because I had to help my family, and it's no different now —he confessed, explaining with little words he could relate to what happened to her brother.

—Won't you be playing against yourself with this?

—Well, I want to help you, too. And it'll be another excuse for you to get crazier over me.

There were no bad looks, or bad replies after that sentence. Y/n only looked at him with a smile, letting them dig through his face until they fell on his lips.

Were his lip rings always so shiny and attractive?

—I should go to my room —she whispered.

—I don't really mind you being here —just like hers, his eyes fell on her lips subtly.

If only they moved a bit closer, their lips would link and he'd finally get to taste her again in his mouth. Sense kicked quicker in her system than his, moving back and getting up, causing Jungkook to slightly lose his balance as he moved forward with his eyes closed.

—I'll go to my room. I don't want to be bothering you here.

—It's still early.

—I'm tired —she lied—. I'll see you tomorrow.

—But...

Y/n escaped.

She sneaked as quickly as she could inside her room because she knew what would've ended up happening if she had stayed there. She didn't know what caused that sudden change in Jungkook, but she for sure wasn't going to fall for it. She wasn't even sure if she was going to work with him on the article.

She couldn't understand it, but she hated how weak she felt around Jungkook.

It was so unfair. 

Taglist: @jk97bam @ttanniett

[evansboyfriend]

Sad horny boyfriends 500, please! (You can always do more words, of course) 🥹😂

ok i was confused at first bc was there an ask game or smth? and i didn't want to share more snippets of my untitled saltommy fic since a) im writing it properly now and b) ive shared so much already but! since you said please :D and because im a slut for feedback :D

~~

There was a time when Tommy didn’t feel much of anything when they were out at a bar together and Sal was doing his Sal thing; namely, flirting with women like it was his hobby, which − it sort of was. He wasn’t one for commitment, he’d said, he liked playing the field, he’d said, why settle down with one person when the world was his oyster, he’d said.

It was kind of fun to watch, actually. Sal DeLuca, waltzing in the badge and ladder joint around the corner from the firehouse, with his cocksure strut, still in his uniform, throwing a flirty wink at the bartender while ordering himself a drink, all eyes on him as he walked up to their usual corner booth, sitting across from Tommy with a self-satisfied little grin. That’s all it took for him to catch their eye − he knew exactly what he was doing, and he loved the attention he got from the female patrons of the bar, that much was obvious, even when he wasn’t looking for a hook-up. 

“This round’s on the house, boys,” their waitress says, setting down two more bottles of the beers Sal had ordered for them before Tommy had even arrived. 

This, too, was not unusual. He’d charmed his way into freebies more times than Tommy could remember. Once, when the two of them were flying to a bachelor party in Vegas, he’d even got them bumped up to first class, with an all-access pass to the business lounge, completely free of charge. 

“Is that so?” Sal grins up at her, that sultry look in his eyes. “How come?”

The way his stomach twists as he watches the interaction catches Tommy by surprise. He picks up his bottle, finishing off the drink, and fiddles with the empty bottle for a moment, resolutely ignoring the new one that the waitress set down in front of him. 

“Let’s just say it’s a birthday freebie,” she says, addressing Sal, 

“It’s not my birthday,” Sal says, playing along, and turns to Tommy. “Is it your birthday?”

Tommy presses his lips into a thin line. He shakes his head. 

“Wellll,” she says, still focused on Sal, and then adds, “I won’t tell if you won’t tell,” and gives him a little wink before she walks off. Sal smiles and shakes his head and easily slips back into the conversation they were having right up until the interruption, and it’s easy for Tommy to forget all about that weird feeling in his gut and continue drinking and shooting the shit until the match starts and they turn their attention to the TV above the bar. Sal slides across the booth until they’re sitting shoulder to shoulder, saying something about getting a better viewing angle, but there’s a mischievous glint in his eyes as he looks at Tommy and hooks his ankle around Tommy’s under the table − and God, if it didn’t make Tommy blush like some goddamn Victorian era damsel being courted by the most eligible bachelor in town.

[hazel-of-sodor]

Day 27-Thomas and the Rocket Sled

Traintober 2023

Other Stories

Day 27-Record Breaker

Thomas and the Rocket Sled

1979

The Island of Sodor was even busier than usual. It was the 150th anniversary of the Rain Hill Trials and a gala was being held on Sodor to celebrate.

Engines of all types from the mainland and all over the world were coming to visit. 

Thomas arrived at Tidmouth Harbor one morning to collect a unique piece of rolling stock. He had been enjoying the lead-up to the gala immensely. There were so many new and strange engines and cars to meet that at times his head spun. This might have been the strangest one yet. Sitting on a special flatbed was a heavy metal frame with a seat on it. Behind the seat sat something that reminded Thomas of the jet engines on the planes at Tidmouth airport.

"It's a Rocket sled," Nicole explained as the flatbed was coupled behind Thomas. "The Americans use it to test systems for their aircraft."

"It must be very fast then," Thomas said.

Samantha snorted, "Try faster than the speed of sound. "

Thomas gave a mischievous smirk, "No one tell the Gresley's."

The engineers in charge of the rocket sled were ensuring it was properly secured, so Nicole climbed back into the cab to drink her coffee while they waited.

***

The lead engineer looked dubiously at her coworker. "John prepared it? Are you sure it's okay?"

Her coworker rolled his eyes good-humoredly, "Relax Beth, John knows what he's doing."

Beth glared, "Is that why Jasmine is regrowing half her hair?"

"Everyone makes mistakes every once in a while?" He offered unconvincingly.

She snorted, "Paul, John makes weekly mistakes. If his dad wasn't an admiral..."

"He's not that bad," he protested with a laugh.

Beth rolled her eyes, "Yes he is, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he forgot to drain the fuel."

"He didn't forget to drain the fuel, here watch."

Before Beth could stop him, "Hey Crane!" He yelled up at Cranky.

Cranky was not enjoying the preparation for the Gala. It seemed every day more ships arrived with heavy locomotives and carriages, and he was expected to unload them all. "What is it?" He snapped towards the annoying human beneath him.

"Can you flip that lever with your hook?"

Had Cranky been in a better mood, or had had more sleep, he would have questioned the wisdom of flipping a lever on an unknown machine.

As it was, he gave the equivalent of a shrug. "Sure."

The lever flipped and for a moment everything was quiet.

"See? He didn..."

Thrrrremmmmmm

***

Thomas was patiently waiting for the engineers to finish when he heard the rocket rumble to life

"Are they testing the rocket?" He asked curiously.

Nicole's head snapped around to see the glow of the rocket's exhaust as it powered on.

"Brakes!"  She shouted, but it was too late.

Thomas began rolling forward as the rocket pushed him, faster and faster.

Samantha slammed on the brakes, but they quickly proved no match for the rocket's power.

Thomas whistled in alarm to the signal mam as he was pushed out of the docks and onto the mainline.

The signal men quickly threw the points and set the signals at danger. He rang control, "Clear the Mainline, we have a runaway."

***

Beth, Paul, and Cranky stared as the tank engine and sled raced out of view. 

"Uh...oops?"

Paul winced as Beth slowly turned to glare at him.

***

Thomas shot through Tidmouth Station, whistling as loudly as he could, startling James and Henry who were waiting with their trains.

Samantha released his brakes, realizing they could do nothing against the rocket but wear out.

Nicole hung on desperately as Thomas rocketed around the bend through Lower Tidmouth.

"Ooooooohhhh Lady!" Thomas cried as his speedometer broke 100 miles per hour, suddenly very grateful that Crovan's Gate had fit him with roller bearings. He would have worn through his old ones!

***

Percy had having a nice quiet morning when he heard Thomas. He had been taking a drink from the water tower when he heard the frantic whistling, and behind it, a dull roar.

"What in the name of..."

Thomas blasted past, the flyers on the station board flying from the force of his passing.

Percy sat there a long moment.

"It's too early for this."

"It's nearly tea time," his driver said.

"It's too early for this."

***

Several miles down the track Bertie heard Thomas's whistle rapidly approaching in the distance. "Wanna race Thomas?" He called eagerly.

Thomas roared past, whistling furiously.

"Never mind," Bertie said quietly.

***

Gordon was racing towards Wellsworth with the express when the radio in his cab went off.

Rain answered it.

"There's a runaway on track 3," she called out to Gordon and Amanda, "They'll overtake us soon."

Amanda smirked, "oh will they?" She said as she opened Gordon's regulator.

Gordon chuckled and surged ahead, even since he had been rebuilt back into a 3-cylinder in 72, he had taken every chance he could to test his speed.

As Rain shoveled coal like a woman possessed, Amanda watched the Speedometer creep up, smirking when it broke 100 mph.

Gordon however, frowned as he heard the runaway's whistle in the distance.

"Is that...Thomas?"

Rain snorted, "Don't be silly."

But it was.

Thomas raced up alongside the express coaches, he was going so fast the express seemed to be standing still.

"Hi Gordon, Bye Gordon," he managed to whistle as he shot past.

Amanda and Rain stared in shock.

"There's no way we can catch him," Amanda said in disbelief.

"But we have to try," Gordon called. He forced himself even faster, charging after the runaway No.1.

***

Finally, mercifully, the rocket ran out of fuel. Every joint and rod on Thomas ached. Even though Crovans Gates were known for over-engineering their rebuilds, Thomas was never meant to break 100, and he had far exceeded that.

To make matters worse, it had run out on Gordon's hill. Thomas wasn't sure he could make it up the hill without further damaging his motion. He rolled to a stop, panting heavily.

"Owwww." He moaned quietly.

"Are you alright?" Samantha asked, carefully setting his brakes and climbing down.

"I can't tell," Thomas winced, "maybe once everything cools down it'll be alright."

A deep whistle was heard as Gordon pulled up behind, curious passengers leaning out the window to look.

"Are any of you hurt?" The Pacific asked with concern.

"Nicole and I are alright. We're not certain about Thomas though."

"Is he well enough for me to push him up the hill?"

Thomas shifted his motion, "Probably better than rolling down."

Gordon gently buffered up and pushed Thomas and the sled up the hill to Maron station at the top, going slowly to keep from aggravating Thomas's motion

Jinx was waiting for them with a flatbed for Thomas. Gordon set off with the express again, as Thomas was loaded onto the flatbed, eager to make up the lost time.

The rocket car was left in the Marom sidings as Jinx set off for the works with Thomas.

***

The next day Gordon visited Thomas at the works as he was inspected for damage.

"So how's the new record holder?" The pacific teased.

Thomas had been lifted off of his wheels while they were inspected for damage.

He sighed in exasperation, "Not you as well."

Gordon smirked, "I'm afraid it's official."

"The steam speed record is for speed achieved under your own power," Thomas said baffled.

"Which my cousin still officially holds," Gordon agreed, "but you now hold the new record for the fastest a steam engine has traveled by rail."

Thomas stared for a moment, then groaned, "I'll never get your family to stop trying to adopt me now."

Gordon chuckled," You could just accept."

Thomas just sighed despondently.

A/N: Did I just adapt Thomas and the Jet Engine for my AU? Yes, yes I did.

[denimbex1986]

'David Tennant bounds into the room, friendly, super articulate and energetic.

The actor and Doctor Who favourite, regularly voted the best Doctor by fans, is set to appear once again as the Time Lord in the forthcoming 60th anniversary specials.

The ongoing actors' strike prevents him from talking about those (Doctor Who is now a BBC/Disney co-production and US actors' union Sag-Aftra has been on strike since July).

But we're together, in a room full of books and leftover croissants - clearly actors need sustenance - to talk about Shakespeare, a playwright Tennant calls a "genius" who "had a particular sense of what it is to be a human" and expresses it "in a way no one else really does".

Tennant, who is an associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, is steeped in the Bard. One critic described his Hamlet, which aired on the BBC in 2009, as "theatrical history in the making".

He excelled as Romeo and Richard II and, when we met, had just finished his first day of rehearsals for an already sold out run of Macbeth at London's Donmar Warehouse.

He's no-nonsense about the superstition of only referring to this most atmospheric work as the "Scottish play". Tennant freely uses the word "Macbeth".

But he admits to terrible nerves ahead of the show - however successful you are, it never gets any better, he says.

Renowned actors have been in his shoes; famously Lord Olivier was Macbeth to Vivien Leigh's Lady Macbeth in 1955, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench had their turn in 1976 and Sir Antony Sher and Dame Harriet Walter in 1999.

For Tennant, Shakespearean roles are like "Olympic events for an actor".

"The idea that you're being invited to stand next to these greats and sort of challenge yourself, test yourself against them and see if you've got something new to bring to that… that's part of what's exciting about it."

West Lothian-born Tennant "always wanted to be an actor" (his childhood obsession with Doctor Who had a big part to play in that) and from the way people talked about the plays, "I knew there was something magical about Shakespeare."

But that didn't mean he was immediately hooked when introduced to Macbeth at school - although he's at pains to praise his teacher.

He says the plays were written to be performed and it's "a shame that the first experience of Shakespeare is sitting in a classroom, trying to mouth these words that don't sit in your mouth and don't necessarily make a lot of sense to you at the age of 14".

"That's why a lot of people fall out of love with Shakespeare before they've really had a chance to fall in love."

Tennant fell in love when TAG, a Glasgow theatre company, brought As You Like It to his school's assembly hall. "I didn't necessarily understand every word and some of it felt perhaps a little unnatural and foreign to me". But the teenage Tennant was transported "because it was live and it was happening".

Now his head is brimful of a play that opens with three witches plotting and takes us on a journey of murder and guilt. Tennant says Shakespeare's take is "incredibly modern".

"The way he expresses Macbeth's fear of never sleeping, the torture of being in the restless ecstasy of never being able to close your eyes."

Even for Tennant, though, Shakespeare needs decoding. He tells me, when he opens one of the plays, he "100%" puts the modern translation next to the old. He deciphers the language so theatre audiences don't have to.

"If we're doing our job halfway properly, you shouldn't have to worry about understanding every syllable. You will be transported by it."

There can, though, be layers of meaning that still surprise you 10 weeks into a run, he says. "Usually on a wet Wednesday afternoon matinee, you'll suddenly go 'oh, that's what that line means.'"

Macbeth is one of 18 Shakespeare plays that would have disappeared if, seven years after his death, the actors John Heminges and Henry Condell hadn't published their friend's greatest plays in the First Folio.

That book was the first time the plays had been put together.

Before then, only 18 had been printed, in small paperback editions known as quartos.

The First Folio was registered for publication on 8 November 1623.

There were 750 copies made. Without it, we could have lost all the unprinted plays, around half of Shakespeare's works, including not just Macbeth but Julius Caesar, The Tempest, As You Like It and Twelfth Night.

Four hundred years on, 235 original First Folios are known to survive - 150 are in the US, and about 50 in the UK and Ireland.

The BBC is running a huge amount of content to mark the 400th anniversary. The celebratory season will include the 2018 adaptation of King Lear starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Shakespeare Live! from the RSC, and a semi-fictionalised comic drama on Radio 4 about the creation of the First Folio.

Tennant says: "The reason that those plays are still performed around the world and the reason that Shakespeare is the cultural colossus that he is, is because that book was published."...

For Tennant, Shakespeare is "weirdly modern" because he captures how complicated it is to be human.

"He writes about the moment he was in, which seems to, by dint of his genius, also be the moment we are in."

Tennant is one of the UK's most exciting actors, known to wider audiences not just for Doctor Who and Broadchurch, but his film role as Barty Crouch Junior in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

But you get the sense that there's even more magic, for Tennant, in performing Shakespeare.

It's why he is celebrating the anniversary of the First Folio, that book that was the first step in creating a legacy for the greatest playwright in the English speaking world.'

[ploppythespaceship]

Star Trek: Prodigy - Season 2

I've finally caught up with the second season of Prodigy, and despite my annoyance with how it was given to Netflix, barely promoted, and dropped all at once... I'm happy to say it's another great season of Trek. It's not perfect, there were definitely plenty of things that annoyed me, but overall it's an even stronger outing than the first season that cements the show's place as my favorite of the modern Star Trek shows.

I cannot stress enough -- if you passed on this show because it's animated, because it's a kid series, because you don't like the modern Treks, anything like that, you owe it to yourself to at least give it a try. I desperately hope we'll get a third season.

Full spoilers under the cut.

What I Liked

I'm a sucker for convoluted time travel plots, so the main arc of this season was right up my alley. I was glad to see the more interesting story lines of the first season weren't abandoned, like Solum and the Vau N'Akat -- instead, they take center stage.

The timeline and all the paradoxes were honestly so complex I'm surprised they went for it on a kids' show, but I had a blast with it. Like all time travel plots, it does fall apart if you poke at it too much -- but that doesn't matter! It's fun, and it's there to facilitate the characters and the universe.

It's also just a relief to see a season that's actually long enough to properly tell the story it wants to tell. This is a full twenty episodes, meaning there's actually time for the major plot beats to breathe, time to develop the characters, time to explore their relationships. This seems so basic that I almost feel I shouldn't be pointing it out at all, but modern TV seasons keep shrinking. This is an example of how to do it right.

As a life-long Janeway/Chakotay shipper... my heart is happy. Even if they don't officially hook up, there's so much there.

Also, this show does better by Chakotay in a handful of episodes than Voyager did in seven years. He has an honest to goodness character arc. We actually learn what tribe he comes from. We get a glimpse of why he chose to join the Maquis. He gets to actually be cool.

In general, I like how to legacy characters are handled in this show. They're included purposefully, with meaningful arcs and relationships, but still very clearly playing second fiddle to the cast of new characters. That's exactly how it should stay.

Dal has a solid arc. Last season he learned how to step up and be the captain, and this season he learns when to step aside and let someone else take charge. And frankly I love that for him.

Overall, the characters are as charming as ever. Rok and Zero are easily my favorites, and the rest are a ton of fun. Admittedly, Maj'el took some time to grow on me, but she eventually did -- and her budding relationship with Zero is utterly adorable. I love how it's never really pointed out or harped on, it's just shown through their interactions.

What I Didn't Like

Unfortunately, the animation is still not great. I don't typically watch shows with this animation style, so maybe it's par for the course, but even after two seasons -- forty episodes! -- I find it odd and distracting. The main issue is that characters and voices don't match. The lip sync is often fairly off, and the vocal performances are often much more expressive than what's on screen.

Also, while the vast majority of the character designs are great, there are definitely more stinkers this time around. The Doctor looks atrocious. Wesley is a bit terrifying. And Zero's corporeal form is so bland and uninspired that I was relieved to see them return to a metal suit again.

You can definitely feel the hands of the writers contorting events to make sure that all the same characters are the protagonists again. They're not really naturally set up to be involved in these events, and I wish it felt a tad more natural. (If we do get a season three, it looks like they're better set up for a new story line, so I hope this won't be an issue going forward.)

For the most part, the blending of serialized and episodic works quite well. But two episodes in the first half of the season definitely don't work for that -- the racing episode, and Zero receiving their corporeal body. The overarching plot has been established with a fair amount of urgency, so stopping for these unrelated one-offs felt incredibly out of place. Thankfully, the second half of the season did much better with this, finding ways to weave the individual episode plots into the overall narrative in a less jarring way.

I do not like how Wesley is characterized in this show. I think having him come back is fun and his role in the story fits well, but writing him as a wisecracking jokester simply does not suit him. Wil Wheaton is also somehow a worse actor now than he was as a teenager, so his performance makes me cringe. He's easily the worst part of the season for me and the one thing I will dread on rewatches.

While the voice cast is largely excellent, I did find Jankom's voice to get grating after a while. Jason Mantzoukas always seems to go straight to 110%, when many scenes call for slightly softer deliveries. It genuinely sounds like he wasn't in the same room as everyone else, and it makes his lines really stand out. Jankom has always been the least interesting of the main cast, but this season made me actively start to dislike him, and it was purely due to the performance.

I was NOT expecting the end to tie directly into the Mars attack, and I'm curious to see where that can go next season. I think that era of the Federation's history is ripe for exploration, and I hope this show will get the chance to do that.

[p1nkwitch]

Here me out. 10 for that prompt list and Lonelyeyes.

Sorry it took me this long! Between lonelyeyes week and having to finish the good omens au, i was busy. Anyhow!! Here you go i had a fun writting this.

10.  “you died and left me on the hook for a hereditary marriage contract”

Peter was furious, he read the paper in his hand, over and over again, till eventually he crumpled it in his hands and put it inside his pocket. He quickly put on his coat and went to the Magnus Institute at a quick pace. 

The letter had been clear, there was no line that he could use to escape, no loophole. He even called his uncle on the way there, wanting to check just in case, but Nathaniel merely let out a sigh and told him it was in fact a clause that Mordechai had signed up with Jonah Magnus many years ago. It just so happened that no other head of the institute had any need to call upon it till now. James Wright instilled his right to it and now Peter was seemingly stuck. Cursing loudly he hangs up on his uncle telling him to keep it cool.

When he finally arrives at the building, he takes no time at all to make his way to the office of the new head of the place. Elias Bouchard.

Peter had liked James, in fact he had fancied him quite a bit, before his death, the two of them had a bit of a relationship. Which was fine by him, Peter came and went to the sea and back to land to spend some time with James whom he held fond feelings for. Quite…romantic in kind in all honesty.

He flushes just thinking about it. Unfortunately they were still working for opposing forces, therefore they were very prone to fights, so in his last trip, they got into a big one. Things were said. Peter left to simmer on his feelings for the next ten months, expecting to get back to James with a cool head. Unfortunately by the time he did come back he was informed the man was dead and he missed the funeral as well.

It really just…well it shook him quite badly, enough that he refused to go to the institute at all to meet the new head of the place. Telling Nathaniel he was done with it and to find someone else.

That of course didn't seem to work for long, because now he got this stupid bloody letter!

Peter grumbles but he struggles to remember where the office is, he tends to get lost easily in the stupid building and the sensation of being watched made him feel sick, enough that it distracted him too much to properly know his location. Eventually he finds someone from staff who points him to the right direction and so he finds himself in front of James' office.

Rosie tries to stop him but he starts to use the lonely when she picks up her phone and tells him after a few seconds that Elias shall see him. He quickly enters and closes the door behind him.

The man in front of him was sitting behind his desk with a set of glasses that were slightly sliding off his nose, they were red rimmed, which contrasted a lot with his dark gray suit.

“Ah, Mr. Lukas I was not expecting you today, what can I do for you sir?” 

He almost deflates. Elias was at most a couple of years younger than Peter, maybe barely hitting his thirties. He was shorter than him, which he noticed when the man stood up and pointed to the seat in front of him. The feeling of being seen was present so at least the man knew what he was or James picked someone with promise for the spot.

Thinking of James makes his head hurt for a very specific reason.

“What you can do is get rid of this” He takes the crumpled paper from his pocket and slams it on the desk, sliding it towards Elias who picks it up and reads it. His eyebrows raise till eventually he looks up at him with a blank expression.

“This is a bit of a surprise to be honest, but unfortunately…i can't do anything about it. I legally cannot undo the contract”

Peter chest burns.

“You cannot expect me to think its ok for James to pawn me off to you! We aren't in the 18 or early 19 century. We don't arrange arranged marriages anymore!”

Elias makes a sort of motion with his hand. “Maybe not here but its technically not-”

Peter glares at him. “I'm not going to marry you because James lost his mind before he died” He doesn't like looking people in the eyes, it's horrendous, instead Peter stares at the spot between their eyes. This is why he notices how Elias' expression turns pinched and his mouth turns slightly downwards at his outburst.

“Mr.Wright was under all his faculties before his untimely demise Mr.Lukas. A heart attack is a heart attack, not a reason to question his sanity. Albeit its quite the shock that he thought about this. He did mention you to me, as he was training me. I presumed you two were close from the way he spoke of you…very hm, yes fond”

Peter shivers and steps back feeling that horrible sensation of eyes raking over his skin, of being known.

“Knock it off. He did not-”

But Elias nods and walks around the desk to stand in front of him.

“He did, I was very curious about what sort of person he would talk so fondly of, you know? Ah it was a pity when i found out you were quitting your place as the representative of your family, i wanted to meet you. Albeit of course also not under this circumstances”

Peter feels a mix between shame and…and he is not sure. Especially as Elias' hands landed on his coat's lapel, he was fixing up his lapels and letting his hands linger for a bit. Making his skin crawl and his face burn. Elias is handsome. He will give him that, he also has sharp eyes, the same color as James too, a very cool shade of gray.

Still-!

“Listen, I'm not the sort of person you get to know, that's not how I work, but even less so…I don't do arranged marriages! Why would James even think this is a good idea to begin with at all?!” Elias tilts his head and says he doesn't know.

“But it's not such a bad thing isn't it?”

Peter gapes at him.

“What?”

Elias smirks at him, his lip slightly lifting upwards, it was both very nice on his face but also very insufferable.

“Take it as an opportunity, besides i talked to Nathaniel on the phone and he was mentioning something about you perhaps soon having to find a wife, since you were now no longer doing business with the Institute” Peter didn't know-

His face burns in shame about this little bastard knowing so much about him and yet Peter had nothing on him. “He wouldn't-”

A tap on the chest makes him look down at Elias. What a…handsome devil.

“But he would, now as I said, you can call this a blessing in disguise. Arranged as it is, we can make this work. You still travel, and leave for most of the year as you Lukas tend to do. I'm busy and I don't have time to dwell too much in relationships, they all bring me headaches. So…a transaction if you may. A marriage in name but its more of a…collaboration if you will?”

Swallowing a bit he asks carefully what that would entail. Elias smirk gets more wicked and there is something on the way he does it that just tickles the back of his brain. There is something so very…familiar in the motion.

“Well, for one, I do not like your replacement, I can tell you that right now. Conrad is a prick” Peter can't help but snort and smile just a bit, a hint really.

“Yes, that tracks”

Elias' eyes flutter and Peter has to look elsewhere, he is handsome, so what? Peter is still placed in a binding contract between entities and a marriage that he never asked for.

“Still what else? I want to win something out of this whole farce”

Elias walks around him like a predator measuring up with their prey, it makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

“Well, I only want some time to talk, perhaps dinner if you may. It is a marriage, perhaps not conventional or legal yet, but one made by our predecessors and bound by our entities. Quite the thing isn't it? As for you, well, what is more lonely than this? A marriage with no love?”

It is true, but that's not…

What fuels his loneliness is not the complete lack of something, but an absence. Peter is lonely because there is something to miss. An empty relationship as miserable of an affair as that is, doesn't feed his patron at all, because its not making him lonely, just miserable. Fun for a watcher not for Forsaken.

“I'm afraid you are going to need something else to sell it out to me, Mr.Bouchard. That's not how it works for me”

“Oh? And how is that then? Aren't you sad about what happened to Mr. Wright? Isn't it lonely enough to be married to someone else than the person you actually…cared about?” He was sure he was going to say love, in that case Peter would have just sent Elias to the lonely. Clenching his fists he tells him through clenched teeth to watch it.

Elias' eyes narrow and his expression turns wicked.

“Why? Isn't it the truth? Mr.Wright was fond of you but i'm sure he got over it quickly when you left him”

Peter stares and then grabs him by the tie, gripping it tightly as Elias smiles at him. “Grinning little freak, shut up”

“Perhaps that was what did it, you wore down his heart” Peter face twitches and Elias eyes seem to drink it all in. 

“I am going to get rid of this little contract, after all who cares if you are dead right?”

The beholder laughs and grips his wrist tightly with a hand as he leans so close to his face Peter has to step back, yet Elias follows.

“Do that, and I will shove so many memories of other people's lives and their thoughts about you that you will turn into a blubbering mess Peter dear, don't test me. Im being kind darling”

The niggling sensation on the back of his brain intensifies, the tone, the posture, the bossiness.

The eyes.

“Well, its a good thing i dont give a shit about James, he was a douchebag and he had a horrible sense of fashion too, you on the other hand have a nicer look” Elias face turns outraged for a second too long, his eyebrows twitching in consternation. Peter grips him by the jaw. “What the fuck James?!”

His expression turns blank and then resigned before going to be amused. “I suppose I gave my hand away too early, huh? Hello Peter” Oh he is going to kill him for sure. “Oh sod off, you won't”

“Stop messing with my head!”

“Stop making it so easy darling. Put some more effort into shielding those thoughts. Now, about that marriage-”

Peter headbuts him. “You fuck-” Elias is grabbing his forehead, his expression turned into that of outrage. “What is your blood problem-”

“My problem?! You died and left me on the hook for a hereditary marriage contract!!! What the hell is wrong with you! What- How are you alive, what is this? What the bloody hell is going on!”

Things devolve for a while, mostly into Elias explaining while looking sour that he was in fact Jonah Magnus, that he swaps bodies, that he changed his and when Peter did not come to meet his new body he had to find a way to drag him back. He was going to wait till there was a founding party, but Nathaniel did in fact talk about making Peter find a wife soon and Elias…

Oh Elias was possessive. Peter could see it in the way he described his plan and the way he grabbed onto him as they sat on the small loveseat in his office. The way his hands touched him and his lips curved up in smirks that had him flush.

“So I invoked the right to pass you along, honestly Mordechai and I were really drunk when we made that clause back then. Neither of us were actually thinking clearly, it was a wild weekend. What can I say? When you mix your vices and bring in your friends..”

“Ugh, can we not- I dont want to know how you fucked my grandfather. That's just gross”

“Pity”

He glares as a warning so Elias lifts his hands in surrender.

“So…”

Peter holds his face in defeat. “I'm not marrying you. Not now”

There is a long pause, Peter knows what his words mean, the implications. Elias probably can see it too, is likely smirking like the Cheshire cat. 

“Now?”

“Just- just shut up would you? Just…” Peter doesn't want to marry, not now, not like this, let alone not when he is processing a lot of information that he is trying to be cool with in such a short amount of time. “Let me think”

“Be my guest”

Like this he just tries to sort his thoughts and what he found out and eventually he reckons, the best course of action is to keep going as they were. For now at least. “I'm going to continue to work, and drop by to…talk about business”

Elias' expression is guarded, Peter rubs his own jaw deep in thought, the cons about this whole thing are growing, are exponential, this whole thing is wrong and will have dire consequences for him.

Yet the pros….

Well Peter was a gambler at heart. What's life without a bit of spice? Without a bit of a spark to make things interesting? Elias, James, Jonah or whatever he wants to call himself is his spark of chaos. Painful as it is to admit it.

“Dinner? Your place or mine”

He can see the momentary surprise at the acceptance. Soon it flickers into smugness, but Peter brushes it off. 

“Oh? Is that so-”

“Well yes, I haven't gone out with Elias Bouchard yet, perhaps i don't like him, perhaps you are…boring, or perhaps you are interesting enough to keep around. Maybe to even stay over at my flat”

Elias' face is wild. “Maybe i find you boring instead”

Yet Peter shakes his head in fond exasperation. “If you did, you wouldn't have basically trapped both of us into an arranged marriage under the suspicion that I would soon find a wife. So, dinner this friday? Your treat this time since you basically almost made my blood pressure burst”

The chuckle is a mockery, but it suits Elias and its…he has a lovely voice. Charming and low and makes something twist on his gut.

“I can live with that. For now we can be engaged, that at least will keep your family off your back, isn't that great?”

Lord.

“You are so horrible” Elias' hand touches his cheek.

“I am and yet here you are?” 

Here is indeed. Peter tilts his head to brush his lips against his palm, he can see pink on his cheeks for the first time and he really is starting to like the idea of figuring Elias out. He seems more expressive than James. With a hum he leans downwards and kisses him.

Its different but also familiar. He feels arms wrap around his neck and when the kiss deepens a bit too much, Peter retreats and starts to drift into the lonely to meditate a bit about this whole thing.

“Asshole”

Peter laughs this time at the pout on Elias' lips when he begins to slip away from his grasp. “Pot and kettle you utter insane bastard. I'm going to try and process the whole 200 year old dandy thing, now, see you on friday Mr.Bouchard”

Peter is almost gone when he hears him say goodbye.

“-Mr.Lukas, its a pleasure to meet my new fiance”

Peter's face burns all of a sudden as Elias gets the last word in before laughing at him.

Horrible man! 

Yet…it does serve him well.

Enough that in a few years he will propose to him properly this time, with rings and a silly post it note to seal the deal. Curse him for being charming and a bastard, he is weak to such things.

[taywans]

as a person who grew up in hk, studied in britain (not oxford, unfortunately, i cant flex that) and is still experiencing the effects of british colonialism to date, babel was the perfect piece of fantasy / alt historical fiction that i could have dived into this week. truly the most well-deserved hate wank fiction i've ever read about bigotry.

icb stumbled into this book blind, didn't read the blurb properly or anything, just knew it would be good based off the ratings and hype. imagine my surprise when i figured that it was set in canton? and mentions the opium war within the first chapter? that shit got me hooked so fast. and then, all the interspersed references to idioms + hanzi radicals were so satisfying. robin explaining the word dan4 / 旦 to ravy against the backdrop of sunset is just. <3 my heart cannot take it. my only gripe is not hearing robin speaking in canto when he was in canton ( guess they couldn't be bothered to engage a cantonese speaker for the audiobook .... @ audible . lol )

also r f kuang out here doing gods work. like what do you mean this isn't a way to raise awareness in european cultures about the injustices that have been wrought upon colonies. :))) because lbr no average person will pick up a history book on the opium war where it doesn't concern them. repackaging it into internationally-parseable fiction tho ??? best way of getting people interested and talking about history. 10/10.

[the-offside-rule]

Robert Lewandowski (FCBarcelona) - A City We Barely Know

Requested: yes

Prompt: "Lewa is away with his friends and they all end up with girls so he finds himself at the bar with a girl he doesn't know (Y/n) and that's how they meet and I'll leave the rest up to you"

Warnings: none

Robert sat in the hotel lobby annoyed.  Him and his friends were meant to take a walk around the city but somehow all of them managed to find girls to go out with or maybe even do more with, hence, he was alone in a city that he barely even knew, sipping on a cheap drink.

Y/n on the other hand had just got stood up. She was in desperate need of a drink, one that would make her forget everything that happened in the past few hours. She too was in a city she barely knew. She just came for vacation and some guy gave her his phone number so they could arrange a date but surprise, surprise, she got stood up.

She walked towards the bar, her heels clicking off the marble floor of the hotel lobby before sitting on a barstool and slapping her purse down beside her. "Can I get an old fashioned, a gin and tonic, martini and a gimlet please?" She asked the bartender. He nodded and went away to make the drinks. She held her head in her hands just contemplating her life when she heard a chuckle from beside her. "That's a lot of alcohol no?" She looked over to where the voice was coming from. She saw a man, probably a little older than her with a glass in his hand, swirling some ice and cold liquor together. "You can't say much. You've got a drink too." She replied. The guy smirked. "Yeah, I guess that's true. I'm not here to get wasted intentionally though. I'm waiting for people that probably aren't going to come out of their rooms until tomorrow morning."

"Oh? And why is that?" Y/n asked, turning to face him. "They've all managed to pick up girls. I, on the other hand, have not." Y/n didn't understand how though. "Not yet." Y/n grinned. The guy turned to face her properly. She looked beautiful. Her hair, her face, everything was simply beautiful. "I like that you have faith in me." He smiled. "Well, when you've got a face like yours it's hard not to pick up some girls." She outstretched her hand to introduce herself. "I'm Y/n." Robert set his glass down and shook her hand with a wide smile on his face. "Robert." He replied. "You aren't from here, are you?" Y/n smiled. Robert put his glass down and looked at her. "No, but I'm guessing from your accent you aren't either."

"No, not at all. I'm from y/c." Robert smiled. "Ah, not so bad. Seems like a nice place I must say." Y/n chuckled. "Your drinks." the bartender said. Y/n turned and realised she had to pay. She put her hand into her purse to pull out some money but she was stopped by Robert. "Add it to my tab. She's my company for this evening." The bartender nodded and slid the drinks over to Y/n. "What did you do that for? I was more than happy to pay for my own drinks." She said. Robert shrugged his shoulders and drank the last of his own glass. "As I said before, you're my company this evening."

"Oh how will I repay you?" she asked sarcastically sipping on her martini. "Perhaps be my company tommorrow evening too." Y/n arched a brow. "Are you flirting?" She asked. She hadn't been flirted with much but she knew when a guy was trying. "Maybe." Y/n giggled and put her empty glass down. "You seem a little old to be flirting." She smiled. Robert looked at her. "What do you mean, a little old?"

"I mean handsome of course. It's not often I get stuck with something so good looking." She winked and that was all it took for Robert to get hooked on her. She was driving him crazy and they'd only known each other for a few minutes. "Well, maybe we should learn a little more about each other then?" Robert suggested. Y/n liked where this was going. A heart to heart with a guy she found attractive? What's there not to like? The time ticked on and there was no sign of Robert's friends and Robert was getting tired, as was Y/n. However, the pair were enjoying their conversation but for the sake of the bartenders sanity, they decided to go seperate ways and head to bed.

"Well, thank you for talking with me. I really needed that." Y/n said collecting her things to head up to her room. "Where's your hotel again?" Robert thought for a moment. What the hell was his hotel called? "I'm not sure but I'll know it when I see it." He assured her. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to sleep on the sofa in my room or something? I don't mind at all." Robert shook his head. "No, no. I'm fine don't worry. I'll just go back to my hotel. I can get a taxi anyway." Y/n was still unsure about it. He could get scammed but he didn't drink enough to be drubk so he'd be in an okay mindset. "Right well, I'll see you around then, right?" she asked. Robert nodded his head. "I'll meet you here tomorrow evening, same time?" Robert asked as she walked slowly backwards towards the lift. "I'd be down for that." There was a moment of hesitation between the two. Was there anything else left to say? What was going to happen? "So-" Robert paused. "Goodnight."

Y/n smiled softly. "Sweet dreams." She said in response. "If you're in them they'll be sweet." He joked. "Smoothe, very smoothe." Her nodded his head in agreement. "I am, I try my best." She laughed and watched as Robert walked towards the big hotel doors to go. "You won't miss tomorrow will you?" she asked one last time. Robert began walking backwards too. "Wouldn't miss it for anything!" he called back. She smiled to herself and watched as he walked out into the open air of the city they both didn't know.

[heres-to-all-that-is-mine]

Unfinished stuff part two! Written Before The Third Game Came Out And Abandoned By Now Edition. This one’s called “Work benefits”. I believe it was about Zor offering Phoenix a job, citing the terrible Agency work conditions and the benefits of a job with Zoraxis, and Phoenix actually considering it but ultimately deciding against it?

They skid around the corner in a panic, bullets whizzing past and pinging against the floor, but they don't falter for a moment. If they did, they'd be dead.

Their Handler's voice, usually ever present, ever droning, has been reduced to a staticky crackling in their ear through the work of some kind of jammer, maybe, they're not entirely sure, but it means they're on their own and that's... not new, not foreign, but disconcerting. They'd gotten used to having him there, talking, though they didn't always listen.

It leaves them feeling more jittery than usual, though adrenaline has drowned out most of their worries.

The situation- they're running through an unfamiliar building, pursued by Zoraxis agents who would like nothing more than to put them six feet under (or quite possibly more, if they can get away with it) after stealing some very valuable files. Blueprints, maybe, the details escape them but they're important, and they have them- …the situation is not ideal. What's also not ideal is the stinging, burning sensation building in their shoulder where a bullet must have grazed them. They shift the files to the other arm, hoping they didn't manage to get blood on it, and glance around quickly.

The goons are only seconds away, and they can't keep running for much longer, so they need- aha! A door, left slightly ajar, the room behind it pitch black. They really hope it's empty because the agents are catching up and they've just lost whatever advantage they had by hesitating- and what the hell, they might die either way, so they throw themself into the darkened room and close the door carefully in one jerky movement, hearing the footsteps race past.

For what seems like an eternity, they sit hunched against the door, holding their breath and hearing their blood rushing in their ears.

...Nothing. They're safe- for now.

Slowly they begin to take stock of their surroundings, eyes adjusting to the dark. They quickly locate a string connected to a light, and give it a tug with their telekinesis, unwilling to stand up just yet.

It's a small room, the walls lined with shelves of old equipment and a couple of cleaning supplies here and there- most things are covered in a fine coat of dust. Ironic, perhaps, for a broom closet to be so dusty. It looks like some strange hybrid of an equipment storage room and a broom closet.

It doesn't look to be regularly used. Good.

Having given everything a quick once over, they turn their attention back to themself, checking on the wound that had begun to ache properly by now. It doesn't look too deep, but it's still sluggishly bleeding and patches of black are spreading through the dark fabric of the uniform they'd snagged, rendering the disguise mostly useless. With a strained grimace they look around the room again, and find a spare uniform hung on a hook at the far end of the room, setting about tearing strips of fabric from their current uniform to use as impromptu bandages.

Focused on the task as they were, they didn't notice one of the dusty monitors star flickering with static until a strange, warbling voice crackled to life.

"Hello, Agent," the voice says conversationally, and they jerk back in surprise, the back of their head hitting the door hard enough for them to wince in pain.

This... is not their Handler, nor is it anybody who's voice they recognise- it sounds distorted, masculine and feminine voices seeming to overlap, shifting from a low to a high pitch rapidly, and yet it has a tone reminiscent of someone calm and collected, someone in control.

...They have a sinking feeling that they do, in fact, know who this is.

"I've been watching you for some time," the voice continues, and they wonder why this person would possibly do such a thing if they are indeed who the agent thinks they are. "Your track record is most intriguing. I understand you're the agent behind foiling a number of our "schemes"."

To sum their current situation up in one word, it was 'bad'.

[Yes, well...]

They sign, grimacing at the ache in their shoulder.

"It's your job, yes," the voice finishes their sentence for them, tone something reminiscent of friendly, with none of the warmth associated with such a tone. "I know. I know quite a lot about you, Agent."

The room suddenly seems more claustrophobic than before, they think, as they finish tying the makeshift bandage.

"...and I expect you know some about me, as well."

[You're not just a Z agent.]

A burst of static- laughter, maybe, or a scoff- makes them twitch, increasingly unnerved. This conversation is telling them nothing, not why they're having a conversation like this, nor how this person knew they'd be here.

"I am not, no. You may know me as Dr. Zor."

Shit.

Well, they're officially screwed! Or, well, they're not really sure. Why on Earth would the head of the Zoraxis organisation want to speak with them- or, more pressingly, why are they still alive and unrestrained for this conversation?

[the-demons-writings]

Pls pls pls write an Empires season 1 Lizzie and Joel with a baby dragon reader

btw I love your other fic with hermitcraft <333333

I know the constellations

just a short drabble because I found this ask really cute !

Summary: Lizzie finds a baby on the beach and she tells joel they're keeping them .

[Pt1] || Pt2

Lizzie remembers finding you on the beach one day waiting for Joel. At first she thought you were a toy with how small you were. But when you coughed up water she quickly changed her pace rushing over to pick you up.

In her arms you were so small she could hardly believe it as she cradled you in her arms. She checked for gills and fins to see if you were one of her own but when she found them she found herself angry. A fishing hook in one of the gills on your torso and several years in the finning that lined your arms.

When Joel showed up Lizzie seemed absolutely livid. Joel didn't seem to understand why.

'"Joel, I found a baby on the beach , we're keeping them!"*.

"Okay sure "

Lizzie was pretty surprised to actually hear him agree and when she handed you to Joel , he immediately dubbed you their Prime. As he coddled you in his arms. Lizzie had to. Show him how to do it.

Lizzie offered to take you back to the Prisma Palace and insure that your wounds were treated properly, whatever fisher folk had done this to you, their ship would never see another sailing day.

Lizzie continued to enjoy her time with Joel for a little while longer before pressing a kiss to his forehead and diving. Leaving Joel just as lovestruck as when he first met her.

Lizzie had her finest healers take care of you and after careful observation it was concluded you were a dragon hybrid though now to lizzie your lack of wings made since. The books had told of long aquatic dragons with fins rather than large wings that carried one above the sky. These dragons had dark almost night sky colored scales . Your scales certainly had some better days, but the ones that held up true also had small white touches to them .

Thus Lizzie's nicknames for you had become little star. She hoped to see you grow into a strong dragon. Her only concern now was informing her brother however. She was also more than certain that Joel would be babbling on about how they have an heir to their thrones should anything ever happen.

She decided she'd leave her kingdom in the hands of her advisors as she brought you to shore again . She doubted she'd get over how small and fragile you looked in her arms.

When she ran over to Joel's humble place. She groaned as she ran into clone after clone though when she found Joel he gently set you in his arms

"We're both taking care of them, our little star"

"I wonder if they could drink Azalean tea?"

"Joel, no you're going to poison them!"

Jimmy when he found out was enamored by you also the fact that he was an uncle.

"Can I hold them please, I promise I won't drop them!"

"Jimmy Timothy Solidarity Shadow if you drop our baby-"

"does your baby have a name ?"

"Uhh, of course, their name is-"

"Y/N Jim their name is Y/N"

Both lizzie and Jimmy witnessed your first proper swim followed by all of them watching your first steps out of the water and over to Joel . Lizzie swears it's because he had something shiny in his hands. To be honest they planned to keep you a secret from the server and raise you in solitude between themselves, with Jimmy visit. You didn't need to know of the demon currently plaguing the many different kingdoms, you were barely learning to write they couldn't do that to you. Regardless they both love their little constellation to the stars, the sea and back.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi there! First of all, thank you very-very much for giving us polite and insightful answers all the time. It's always great to have people like you in the fandom :) Sooo this is yet another question from a confused fan who didn't read the books :D I know that Louis will encounter weakened Lestat in Paris at some point. But in the show we see Louis being very insistent on telling Daniel that Lestat is dead...does it mean that he&Armand originally had no intention to tell Daniel about the encounter? And what could be the specific reason for this?

Hey nonny!

Awww thank you, glad you like my ramblings :))) 💕

Hope I make sense *laughs*

I think that Louis had indeed not meant to tell Daniel much about Paris. It's in episode 6 as well, when he repeats the "we wanted to kill Lestat" to make sure Daniel has heard (only Daniel was asleep then). And then continues to detail their clever little plan in episode 7.

I think... I've just said it in the other ask re Loumand, too, but I think it all, the whole interview, boils down to the episode 1 comment "truth and reconciliation". Only he is spinning a tale for Daniel of their past as he wishes to remember some things (or Armand helps him stomach some things a bit better) while actually trying to provide the stage for Armand and Daniel to hook up again. Obviously this would mean the Devil's Minion happened to a large part already, and I personally think that is likely. Only Armand decided differently back then, for whatever reason, and wiped Daniel's memory. And Louis is trying to fix that, by making Daniel remember the truth. And then reconcile him with Armand.

Lestat... Lestat, his "death" and everything pertaining to him is much too personal for Louis. Too painful. He would have preferred not to go there I think (of course Daniel will now force him to, and, despite the fact that Louis so cleverly made Daniel delete the old interview... I bet Daniel has his iCloud and/or TimeMachine properly set up.^^ He will tear the narrative apart^^)

Also, the whole scene with Lestat and Claudia in Paris... will force some of Armand's actions into focus (The little Frankenstein moment and the tower comes to mind, which will in turn make Daniel question the narrative again). And I bet that was something Louis actually hadn't wanted to do, because reconciling with someone who did that? Not the best premises. :))

All in all it's a multi-layered game Louis is playing, imho. Some of Armand's reactions were too... honest, to be "in" on everything. He was surprised by some of the things Louis did and said. I bet Louis told him that he wanted to redo the interview and Armand reluctantly went along with it, and the little play (eternity can be dull). But I also bet he didn't really know of Louis trying to reconcile him with Daniel.

Also, if Lestat "were dead" in the tale Louis is telling... Daniel would be forced to concentrate on other things - and lets be real, Lestat is too interesting a character to just lose sight of for a journalist like Daniel, so in order to make Daniel lose interest in Lestat... he would need to be dead.