#honestly i wouldn't be surprised if we went through this whole game not having Any canon ships between Any of the characters

[boy-above]

ppl acting like any traveler ship could become canon in genshin are insane

[peacheeeliz]

011. hurry up we're hungry (1k wc)

“Thank you all for joining today, and I hope you enjoyed the stream!” You speak towards your camera, waving goodbye to chat with a sweet smile. “See you guys on Wednesday for the fourth session of empires!”

You say a few more goodbyes before you finally shut down the stream, letting out a sigh. Playing with Yuyu went great, and you had a lot more fun than you thought you would. But after streaming for about five hours with him, you were ready to hit the sack and sleep until noon tomorrow. You're about to just walk away from your desk completely before a deep chuckle brings you from your sleep-filled thoughts.

“Feeling tired?” He questions. You totally forgot you were still on call with him, as he kept quiet while you did your outro.

“Yeah, a little,” you answer, laughing softly. “But, knowing me, I'll probably just be lying in my bed for hours, scrolling through TikTok.”

He lets out another laugh at that comment, “same, not gonna lie.”

You smile softly at his laughter, leaning back in your chair. “If you're not in any rush to head to bed,” you start, playing with the wire of your headphones. “Would you mind maybe chatting for a bit?” He falls silent for a bit, and you continue before he has a chance to answer. “Just because it feels like we don't know each other that well, is all. Want you to feel more comfortable with me, despite the whole war going on and stuff.”

“I'd love to,” he responds, and you can almost hear the smile in his voice. “I don't really know anyone on the server that well, to be honest, so I kinda needed this.”

“Not even Yeonjun?” You ask, hearing a quiet ‘nuh-uh’ as your answer. “I'm surprised seeing as he invited you to join the smp.”

“I think it's just because I'm another popular streamer, honestly,” Yuyu answers truthfully, and you hear the shuffle of his shoulders shrugging.

“But you're not just any other popular streamer. You're obviously more than that,” you tell him, a small frown forming on your lips. “How did you even start streaming? You started just over a year ago, right?”

“Yeah, July last year,” he tells her, finally smiling as he reminisces about that time. “I always played Valorant, you know, it's been my favorite game ever since it came out. So, when my friend suggested streaming in my downtime, it actually sounded really interesting.”

“You don't stream all that often, though,” you note. “You must not have a lot of downtime?”

He lets out a pained laugh at that, “you got that right. My job is pretty demanding,” he pauses for a moment. “But, I really enjoy it. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.”

You smile at that, “that's really sweet.”

“I mean, that's how you feel about streaming, no?” He questions. “That's what I'm assuming, anyway. You stream a lot more than me, and it seems like you really enjoy doing it.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” you respond with a small nod, despite the fact that he can't see it. “God, I've been streaming for so long. It's not really a job for me anymore. You know? Like I can just hop on stream, play silly games with my friends, and it keeps me stable on top of all of that. It's crazy to see how far I've come and how far we've all come.”

“Yeah, you started way back when, huh?” He jokes, laughing through his nose. “Six years ago, right? Sorry, I have a friend who's a big fan, so I know a lot more than it might seem.”

“Aww, you do?” You tease, leaning forward once again to rest your chin on your hand. “I'd love to meet him one day.”

“Trust me, you do not,” he warns. “He's already threatened to crash my stream today. Almost disowned me after I killed you during the first empires session.”

You let out a soft chuckle, “that's cute. Come on, it won't be that bad if we just talk for a bit, you tell him, drawing out a couple of words.

He shakes his head lightly, “I'll think about it, alright? But I really don't think you two will be a good duo,” he starts, hearing your exaggerated gasp through his headphones. “He's crazy, and you're…. also crazy.”

“Wooow,” you exclaim, letting out a pained laugh. “Says the one who just blew me up the other day.”

“Hey, hey, that,” he pauses, chuckling. “That was an accident. I really did think Soobin was going to walk in first.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry for foiling your plans by walking into my building first,” you say, rolling your eyes. “Thank you for rebuilding it, though. Very sweet of you,” you tease, smiling softly.

You can just tell he's rolling his eyes in response, “it was the right thing to do, after killing you what? Three times now?”

“Even more if you count the Among Us stream,” you comment, giggling.

“Damn, I owe you big time, don't I?” He replies, sighing. “I'll make it up to you whenever you ask.”

Before you can respond, you hear a muffled voice coming from your headphones. Yuyu gives a quick ‘sorry,’ before responding to who you assume is his roommate. You sit there quietly, trying your best not to listen in or interrupt the two.

“Sorry, forgot I had plans with a few of my friends after the stream,” he comes back to you, frowning that your time together was cut short.

“No, it's all good, don't worry,” you tell him. “Go hang out with your friends, have fun.”

“Thanks for understanding,” he says, smiling. He hesitates, but doesn’t forget to tell you: “We should, uhm, do this again sometime. It was nice.”

You smile as well, “we should. I'm here whenever, alright?” You respond. “Well, unless Sungchan pulls me away. He gets a little jealous when others get more attention than him.” His deep chuckle rings through your ears again. “Talk to you later, Yuyu.”

“Yeah, talk to you later, Y/N,” he replies, waiting until you leave the call to finally close out of the app. He leans back in his chair again, smiling to himself.

synopsis ⤏ you're trying to peacefully build your starter house on the empires server when your neighbor so rudely (accidentally) kills you, starting the biggest war on the server just one day in.

prev / masterlist / next

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ taglist is closed!

[lovelyiida]

THE RACE TO WEDDING BELLS ❤︎︎

CHAPTER 5: THE BREAKDOWN

"we just want our son back."

KATSUKI BAKUGO X SECRETARY READER

SYNOPSIS: as the years went by... bakugo realized that he was the last to get married. the days grew cold and the nights turned lonely. bakugo wants to marry, but he doesn't really feel like falling in love. at least he has his trustee secretary!

❥ WARNINGS: implied fem reader, aged-up! Pro-hero MHA characters over the age of 27, vulgar language, suggestive wording, and content.

❥ CHAPTERS

❥ MASTERLIST

❥ JOIN TAG LIST!

WORDS: 4.02K

"Office whore Y/n L/n takes the cake, honestly."

"Please, I can't talk about it anymore!"

Around three days after the whole shit-show of a performance your boss put on, you cowered away from the whole office scene entirely; you were on paid absence, of course. Red Riot tried to get a hold of you, but you never responded to any of his calls and emails.

Things were becoming too intimate for your liking.

The line between secretary and lover was blurring right before your eyes, and you didn't even know the man's damn birthday. So now you sit here, eye to eye with the one person you really didn't want to see—your sister.

"We have to talk about it so that we can get it out of your system, and so you can get back to work with Mr. Money," she laughs. One thing you knew about your sister is that the both of you never got along. From stolen clothes to stolen boyfriends, if someone told you they could pay to push her in front of a bus, you'd say, "How much?"

But at the end of the day, she was your sister, and you loved her. She was there when you had many breakdowns, mid-life crises, depressive episodes, etc. And you wouldn't let just anyone push her in front of a bus; you'd do it in a heartbeat for free.

So when your sister arrived at your doorstep as a "surprise," the sight of her face made you break down in tears and confess everything that has happened to you. It's like she could sense when you're in utter despair.

As your sister stands in your kitchen, you sit on the floor with a bottle of wine and take turns from the bottle, talking ever so thoroughly about the situation.

"I mean, the man asked for my hand in marriage after shunning my existence in front of the press! What am I to him?" you say, tear stains drying on your cheeks. Your sister frowns at your state, bending down to your level, she smiles.

"What you are to him is reliable, headstrong, hardworking, and hot as fuck. He knew he couldn't lose you, so he needed to keep a tight leash on you," your sister responds, swiftly snatching the bottle from your hands. She stands back up and sets it on the counter.

"Everyone's life is given to them for a reason; what you don't realize is that the universe just blessed you. And you're getting everything you've ever wanted and more," she says, her tone calculated and sharp. With a smile on her face, you could tell she was plotting something.

You sniffled to yourself, wiping away excess tears as you looked into her eyes. "What do you think I should do?" you whimpered. With a smile, she spoke, "Play his game." Furrowing your eyebrows, you became confused at her answer. "And what do you mean by that?… 'Play his game'?" You asked.

With a roll of her eyes, she stood up once more. Extending her hand out to you, you grabbed it with ease and hoisted yourself up. With swift movement, she grabbed both sides of your arms and looked deeply into your eyes.

"You make him want you even more than he wants you, and once you get what you really want… you leave and never turn back," she said with a sinister smile. It took a little bit to really grasp what she was saying.

"Don't think of it in a harsh or conniving way. Think of it as a get-back. A taste of how much he's treated you like shit, how he's disrespected you; embarrassed you; put you through hell and back every single day! If you gave him a single taste, you'd fight for you and all the other secretaries that he's done wrong."

Looking into her eyes, you saw her burning passion to protect and take up for what's right… to help you get what you deserve.

"Now you have something none of those girls had, and it's a chance… it's up to you if you'll take it," she said.

You pondered with your thoughts. Everything that she said was right. From all the moments when you were disrespected and degraded and made to feel like absolute shit, maybe it was time to finally fight back. This plan, while not what you initially had in mind, started to appeal to you. It would give you a chance to turn the tables, to regain some power and control in a situation where you had felt powerless.

With newfound determination, you looked back at your sister and nodded. "You know what? You're right. I'm not going to let him walk all over me anymore. I'll play his game, and I'll make sure he knows that he messed with the wrong secretary."

Your sister's smile widened, proud of the strength and resolve she saw in you. "That's the spirit!" She exclaims in excitement, quickly getting yourself up from the ground, you grab your sister by her sides and walk her towards the door.

"Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know if I have another life-defining breakdown," you say softly. Earning a chuckle from your sister, she silently nods at your praise "any time." Letting go of her, you watch as she lets herself out. As you watched the door close with a thud, you let out a sigh.

Feeling a mix of nerves and excitement, you prepared yourself to face "Mr. Money' once again. This time, though, you were armed with a plan and a newfound sense of self-worth. You were ready to play his game and take back the control he had taken from you for far too long. With a determined glint in your eye, you stormed to your room and picked up your phone from your nightstand.

It was time to show him that you were nobody's lapdog that just followed anyone's orders, it was time to fight back. Opening your messages you immediately press onto your boss's contact and begin tying into a frenzy.

To: Dynamight (BOSS)

coming into work tomorrow

same time as usual?

Placing your phone down, you turn away to make a run for the bathroom but the buzz from your phone puts you into a halt. Scurrying for the phone you pick it up and race for the bathroom once more.

As you sit down to "handle your business," you turn on your phone to see an immediate text back from your boss. You let out a disappointed sigh as you read the message.

from: Dynamight (BOSS)

sure

Nonchalant as per-usual.

After finishing your business, you get some dinner and prepare for bed, as you finally lie on your pillow you can't help but smile at the thought of your plan. The thought of seeing him the next day made you shiver for all the wrong reasons.

As you drifted off into a deep slumber, you never read the next message he sent to you back...

Things went smoothly for your return, at least so far...the day just started.

You woke up and got ready for the day ahead of you and comfortably sat outside your apartment doorstep to wait for your knight in shining armor. As you waited there you realized one thing about your plan.

There weren't necessarily any steps or phases to it, just great. It's not anything new that you have to do something on your own.

You started to think hard, what were you even going to say to the man when you saw him?

Hey Dynamight! Feeling better after being called the office slut the other day!

No, that’s not how it’s going to go.

You need to stay calm today, no matter what is thrown at you. Even though that may seem hard because every day is a new problem with your boss, you think you have it in you to do so.

Should you even accept his proposal? He has a right to know an answer, but you’re just not ready.

Going from Secretary-to-fiancé wasn’t that exact promotion you were thinking of when you walked through the two front doors of this office.

Keep calm. Stay cordial. Stay balanced.

Stay grey.

As you stand outside, you clutch tightly on your bag. (Late) documents held inside as the cool breeze of the early morning air tickled your neck. With a frown on your face, you shiver whilst looking at your watch.

10 minutes past schedule, that’s a new record.

As you casually checked between your watch and your phone; you began to throw yourself in a frenzy. So now he doesn’t even want to show his face? Are you that embarrassing?

Rolling your eyes, you turn your phone off and shove it into your work bag. Letting out a sigh of defeat, you tread your tired feet towards the bus stop.

Thirty minutes roll by and you stand in front of the offices’ glass doors, waiting to be walked through with just a push. But it wasn’t that easy, at least not today that is.

Your eyes were dry as the fluorescent bright lights bore into the core of your irises; slightly red and agitated from the night before (mental breakdown and lack of sleep in all). You close your eyes to try and soothe them, but the uncomfortable feeling in your chest begins to take over. Imagining the sight of everyone’s faces as you walk through those doors makes your chest sting with anxiety.

Blinking your eyes open, you began to frantically check yourself. Was your skirt too tight? Were your buttons too loose? Did you wear the dark lipstick, or the nude one?

Even the tiniest of details could throw your alibi out of the window; not that you hide any…only thing that you hide is the underlying self-embarrassment you feel.

But what’s new?

Licking your lips ever so slightly, you take in a deep breath and walk through the doors. The sound of the door breaking open causes everyone to crack their eye.

With your face held high and a new swing to your hips, you take in the situation around you. Coworkers amongst coworkers chatter quietly to themselves. The sight almost makes you want to vomit, but you promised yourself to not show any weakness.

Eyes set on a deep brown wood door of your boss’s office, step ahead and stop in your tracks. The golden plate etched with the hero’s name shined ever-so dull. Seems like it hasn’t been polished, maybe you should get someone to fix that—

Focus!

Blinking down at the matching golden knob, you reach towards it. Your fingertips lightly grazed the handle, treating it as if it were the more delicate; fragile thing on earth. Your other hand laid firmly against your skirt, hand balled in a fist; slightly shaking.

“Just do it, Y/n” you whispered to yourself. Cursing under your breath, cowering at the thought of what was (obviously) behind the door.

Taking slow deep breaths, you then grasp the door entirely. The feeling of the cold metal graced your skin. Adding a cooling comfort to your body; hot with anxiety.

“my god”

Looking up, you turn to see a random group of workers looking at you. Snickering at your efforts to open the door. Eyes sharp with judgment and lips turning upwards in a sinister smile. Their energy oozed with toxicity.

Pretentious fucks.

Swallowing your spit, your eyes begin to tear up. Head leaning low, your nails dig into the skin of your palm. Your face grew hot as you tried your hardest to stifle in the wanton sobs you yearned to let out.

‘This wasn’t supposed to happen.’

Lips quivering, you let go of the door handle and adjust your things. Turning around you quickly head for the door. You felt as if the room was closing in on you whole, your body felt heavy and your heart felt like it was going to burst.

“should’ve never came,” you mumbled.

“Y/n!”

Startled, you stop ahead for the voice before you. Looking at the ground, you could make out from the shoes who it was.

“Mr. Riot?” You slightly whimpered.

“Hey, I was looking for ya! Sorry, we couldn’t get ya today—“ the redhead cuts himself off. A silent pause fills the room, if your head wasn’t so stuck on the floor you would’ve seen a very rare sighting.

An angry Red Riot.

His red eyes shoot across the room, piercing metal bullets into each and every person in the room. Mr. Riot was an indescribable force when upset. He’s the total opposite of himself.

From a cheery, happy-go-lucky optimist, to an absolute brute. You feel him grab ahold of your shoulder, his large hand warmly covers your shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

“Come on—take this conversation to my office…” he says, his tone almost unrecognizable. Deep and monotonous, unusual from the peppy and colorful use of tone he’s had equipped.

Following him over, raising your head just a little. You notice how you walk a new path today. Just beyond a new set of frosted glass doors lies a whole new office.

The workers seemed laid back, getting their work done. The slight tune of music added to the atmosphere of the office— is that a cat?

“Muscle!” The hero beamed.

With quick steps, the hero scoops up the grey-haired feline. The cat lets out a startled noise as the pro-hero picks them up. The hero turns towards you and extends the fur ball towards you.

Blinking, you let out a soft smile. Before you could reach your arms out, the hero placed the cat under his arm. Reaching out for your bags, he takes them away from you, letting you reach your arms out for the cat.

“Ms. L/n, meet Muscle,” he hero quipped.

You look into the blue-eyed animal, silently cooing. You place the cat in a cradle position. “Why the name muscle?” You slightly chuckle.

Walking alongside him, he turns a corner. Smiling, he stops at a billboard, turning you to look; you can’t help but chuckle.

‘NEW OFFICE KITTY NAME: PLEASE VOTE!’

1. Sunshine

2. Misty

3. Muscle

4. Cat

5. Feline Riot

It was nice seeing how Riot would interact with his workers, he kept things light and casual. Unlike the other side of the building, maybe you should’ve applied here first.

“Personally, I chose muscle. Feline Riot is too corny, right?” He says. This earns a laugh out of you, holding out the cat in front of your face you smile.

“Well, I’d have to agree. But I think sunshine would be nice, but I think cat is quite silly as well.”

With a smirk, you bring back the animal into your embrace. The hero nods, taking note of your response. With a sigh he turns back around, “Well c’mon; that’s up for the people to decide.”

Walking a few more doors down, you head into Red Riots' office. Your eyes widen, letting out a small gasp; you are amazed by the interior of the office.

Surprisingly not as red as you thought.

Besides the obvious action figures and cardboard cutouts, his was modern. Sleek glass and cutting-edge metal. And maybe he was quite a botanist as well, his desk (along with other various places) sprinkled with succulents and hanging plants scattered around the area.

Walking slowly, your eyes catch a large wooden shelf. Adorned with many awards, collectibles, and photos.

One of these photos you couldn’t believe.

“Oh my god!” You whispered to yourself.

“Yep, the older days…kinda get a little teary-eyed when I think about it for too long” he replied bashful yet humble.

“Look at you guys, there’s you, and Mr. Dynamight!” You chuckled. Looking at a group photo of the notorious class 1-A of UA High. More than half the people in this photo are currently in the top 10 for pro-hero.

“Yeah, that’s us! We were so young and determined, but that’s what fucked some of us over in the end eh?” He says.

You frowned, unsure of what he possibly could’ve meant by that. But you chose not to probe. Breathing in, you walk away from the bittersweet photo and sit down by his desk.

“So…why am I here?” You asked.

The pro hero rolled his eyes at your response, “I mean—I feel like I should be asking all the questions around here—what happened back there?” He asked, his voice filled with concern.

Pressing your lips into a line you shuffle in your seat. Letting out a sigh you put “Muscle” down to frolic and place your hands in your lap.

“Just the coworkers that’s all, they can just be assholes y’know?” You chuckle, trying to blow off the situation. This earns a not-so-amused expression from the hero.

“Mhm—I hope you know that bullying of any kind is strictly prohibited within these corners we call our office. I can drop anyone from here just as easily as your boss can” he says sternly.

Eyes widening you shake your head, “I promise you that no one needs to leave this office. They need that job just as much as I do… no matter how much they deserve it.” You say softly.

The pro-hero nods at your response. “Reconciliation before retaliation is what I always say!” He says, tone somewhat defeated.

A long pause is set after his words, it was somewhat comfortable. Unlike your boss, when it’s silent it’s suffocating, almost deadly.

“He wants to apologize…we want to apologize for not taking you here today. I totally forgot to swoop in and bring you once he canceled on you. Got to take my kids to school today, I couldn’t miss up on that opportunity,” he smiled.

You nod understandably, “so then where is he?” You asked.

“Uh…he’s at a meeting,” Riot responds. Turning your head to the side, you were confused by his words. “He knows not to go to a meeting without me, damn show off…thinking he can do everything himself—“

“No, it’s not that! It’s a more personal meeting.”

You paused, irritation turning into curiosity; you sit back and bite the inside of your cheek.

“Personal you say?”

“So you bring me all the way over here to talk about—babies?”

The blonde says, trying to not show the visible anger in his every being. Sitting before him was his mother in father, visibly distraught; over what? Babies.

Currently sitting in the living room of his old home, he was called over to have an "important" talk with his parents. He assumed maybe it was time to hear one of the inevitable.

They are dying, they're selling the house, or they're disappointed in him (the third one is highly unlikely). But no, they’re bitching about babies.

“It’s just— your mother and I aren't gonna be young for too long. We’re not asking for too much, maybe at Ieast have a girlfriend?” Bakugo’s father tried to soften the blow.

“Excuse me?”

It failed.

“Oh please! By the time he settles down I’ll be a grandma when I’m goddamn 90” his mother complains. "I mean, have you ever lost your virginity Katsuki?" She quips in.

"Mitsuki!" his father complains, throwing his hands towards his face he lets out a sigh.

"What did you say, woman!" Bakugo says in anger, the blonde shoots from his seat and walks closer towards his mother. Bakugo's father stands with him and gets in between them.

"Please guys, not today" his father groans.

"No, no, no...she's the one who started it, stop trying to fight her own battles for once," Bakugo says. "I'm not just some teenager you can talk to any type of way, I'm the fuckin' #2 hero; understand me?" His tone is quiet yet poisoning as it seeps through his teeth.

The blonde peers over his father's shoulder and looks into the matching red eyes of his mother. Her frown; visible with disappointment.

If only she could look back and see how tired he was, if she would actually understand.

Ever since Bakugo stepped through the doors of UA High School, things haven't been the same between him and his parents. One of the major costs of becoming a pro-hero. He's not able to be at home like he used to, it would come to times like this where the overwhelming emotions would all spew out.

Anger being one of them.

"Do you even love us anymore?" Mitsuki whimpers, tears begin to brim her eyes as she rises from her seat. Bakugo is taken aback by the accusation.

"What the fuck are you going on about?" he says, offended that his mother could even come to such a conclusion. Bakugo looks at his father, eyes wide and searching for answers.

Looking into his father's eyes, he finds the results that he regretted to find.

"Oh, so you feel the same way?" he chuckles, hurt prevalent within his tone.

"Son...you're always busy, even when ya' aren't," he says quietly, his father lands a hand on his shoulder as he tries to console him but it doesn't work.

The blonde groans, slapping his hand away from him, and backs away. This makes his father frown, "you don't call us or text us! Every day me and your mother watch you risk your life on TV wondering whether or not another battle will be your last!" he says.

Bakugo's head starts to hang low.

Lips pressed into a thin line, Bakugo's father places his hands on his hips in defeat. "We can't always come and pick up the pieces when you break down at our doorstep in the middle of the night, you have to talk to us Katsuki—"

"Do you even know how much I sacrifice just so that the both of you are able to go to sleep at night?" Bakugo's voice grows strong, hands balled into fists; smoke growing visible from his palms.

"Do you even know how many nights I go to sleep and wake up from night terrors just so that the both of you can go out freely? Every day I'm out there busting my ass so that the both of you can live normal lives. And I'm not doing enough? Okay."

"That's not what we're saying son—"

"Then what the hell are you saying?" Bakugo exclaims.

"Because that's what it exactly sounds like to me! It sounds like you guys don't care what I go through as long as you reap the benefits—"

"You seriously think we want you out there risking your life for us? Katsuki you could quit the next day and we would care! We just want our son back" Mitsuki says. Exasperated and teary-eyed, she clings to her son.

"We don't want you to bottle things up anymore, we don't want you to suffer as you think we do. You have to talk to us in order for us to be there for you!" Mitsuki yells.

A rift of silence follows after her words.

Bakugo looks at both of his parents with a frown, biting the inside of his cheek he closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath. Hands softly simmering down, he softly pushes his mother away.

Reaching in his pocket he pulls out his phone and calls the only person on his mind.

"Hey bro, when ya comin' in?" Kirishima says on the other end.

"Ejiro," the blonde says.

"What's wrong?" The redhead's tone matches Bakugo's with a twinge of worry. "Not comin' in today, um...just take over for the time being alright?" he says.

"Got it," Kirishima says.

Bakugo ends the call and throws his phone on the couch. Walking back into the brown couch, he crashes down and sighs. "If we're gonna talk we're gonna do it now."

His parents then look at each other then at him, with no words said they follow suit and sit next to him on the couch. "Just say whatever is on your mind, we're here for you," Mitsuki says.

Swallowing his spit, Bakugo says something he never would've thought to come out of his mouth.

"I have a fiance."

WOOOOOO WELL SHIT, THANK YOU FOR 1K!!!

Apologies to all of my readers out there, I’ve been so busy with school that it’s consumed my life whole. I hope you all understand :(

— 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐢𝐝𝐚 ❤︎︎

❥: @r-ans, @xo-evangeline, @inlovewithteo217, @im-better-than-your-newborn, @nar00 , @king-dynamight , @gold24fish , @xasilex , @the-queen-of-sorrows , @itgetzweird08 , @yoyosocks165 , @pebblepoop , @lovra974 , @bakugospartner , @gaby-11 , @akqsa-xxi , @jolynegf , @goldenglow149 , @aliruuiz , @zukowantshishonourback ,  @ilovedenk-i , @atsushiki , @smolbeanzzz , @urdecentartist09 , @lem-hhn , @stevenknightmarc , @katsu-shi @ryumiii , @idontevenknowlolls , @lyn07 , @kennshifts , @ackerman-suck-3-r , @alicen23 , @xasilex , @elegantvoids , @lowkeyremi , @plutounderbridges , @k0z3me , @thecurlyhairedgoddess , @sunyrose , @winterv-black , @chuugarettes , @kiarathace , @thisbicc , @thekookiecorner , @hyu-hl , @katsukisxslut , @optimisticprime3 , @cosmicbreathe , @yessimo

[matmiraculous]

The Loop: Chapter 1

(TW Death and general Hunger games content) Grey was keeping Eldest close this loop. From what he could tell, a pinkie promise had been what got him stuck in this mess so he didn't know if Eldest's careless words last loop had done anything. 

Eldest seemed okay, but Eldest always seemed okay. He was every the positive one, always hiding what was going on with him. 

World Tour was just a tag along the pair had picked up. 

Grey was indifferent to World. He was just another person in these games as far as Grey was concerned. Sure they were acquaintances at most, but Grey didn't really care if he was part of the group or not. His main focus was on Eldest. 

His friend was still acting okay, maybe a little quieter, but Grey figured that was fine. He'd seen Eldest get like that sometimes.

 Maybe Eldest's promise didn't do anything. Maybe Eldest wasn't in a loop. Maybe this was just a Grey thing.

He sighed as the trio started to settle down for the night. The forest was dark and the trees seemed to swallow any and all light.

Eldest settled against a tree and pulled a blanket close.

World was off collecting some more wood for the fire.

Grey watched Eldest quietly. "You okay?"

Eldest looked up, surprise on his face and immediately looked away from Grey's face. "Yeah I'm doing fine. Just tired. This situation sucks..."

Grey sighed, leaning against the same tree. "It does suck, doesn't it?" Grey knew he should probably put more effort into pretending this was his first time here. Everyone else had only been through this once, losing their memories of the previous loops. But Grey couldn't find the energy to care. He didn't like it, but he was getting numb to this hellhole by now.

"Yeah." Eldest sounded quiet, defeated.

Grey was suddenly aware that something was very wrong. Eldest was never quiet like this.

"Hey, are you okay?" Grey tried again.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? This whole situation sucks ass and I hate it, but it's whatever."

Grey frowned. Eldest's voice sounded off.

World came back, dropping an armful of wood down beside the unlit fire.

Grey didn't miss how World glanced at Eldest and his expression shifted.

"Is everything okay?" World asked, sounding concerned.

Grey shrugged, watching as World kneeled down and started the fire. "Dunno."

World gave him a look and moved closer to Eldest. "Eldest?"

Grey turned to his friend.

"Eldest are you okay?" World continued, his voice filled with concern.

Grey frowned as he studied his friend.

Eldest wasn't looking at either of them.

"Eldest, come on. Are you okay?" Grey tried.

Eldest finally looked up, meeting Grey's eyes.

Grey was alarmed at what he saw.

"Eldest what's wrong?"

Eldest was quiet for a long time before his face crumpled. "I can't take it anymore!"

Grey was confused.

"This- this isn't fair! We don't deserve this, none of us! You don't remember but I do! We've done this before! It's hell, and I can't do it again!"

Grey stared in shock as Eldest dissolved into hysterical tears.

He looked to World, seeing that World was equally as shocked.

Grey moved over and put a hand on Eldest's shoulder.

"What do you mean, you've done this before?" World asked, his voice soft.

Eldest shook his head. "I can't- I can't do this again. I can't watch you guys die again, not like last time. I can't do it."

Grey felt a stab of guilt. The promise had done something. Eldest was in on the loops.

"Eldest," World said, horror edging into his voice. "Are you... in a loop?"

"I-" Eldest hiccupped. "What?"

World knelt down beside them. "How many times have you done this? How many times have you been through this game?"

"O-one?"

World looked like a mix between devastated and relieved. 

Grey's eyes went impossibly wider. "World- What do you know about the loop?"

Worlds head jerked to look at Grey, the horror taking over again. "You too?"

Grey felt sick and angry and... a lot of things honestly. "What do you mean "too?" Have you been looping? How many times have you done this?"

World winced, his brain frazzled. "I... lost count a while ago."

Eldest looked up at World, realization starting to seep in. He calmed just a little realizing he wasn't alone in this horrible game. "How long is a while?"

World looked away. "I don't know, 150, 200 maybe? It's been a long time, and it's starting to get blurry."

Grey was stunned. "Two... two hundred times?" He felt even more sick. "It's only been 90 for me. Fuck..."

Eldest was silent, tears still trickling down his face. 

World could feel their eyes on him and it made his skin prickle. His brain felt fuzzy, his mouth dry. Panic and a whole slew of emotions he didn't even know how to process scorched through him. He felt like he was choking. He wanted to throw up, cry, run. Anything to avoid dealing with the crushing weight of this revelation.

He looked away, unable to handle their gazes. He was so tired, so tired of these death games.

"I-" World felt like a trapped animal, a mouse being circled by a snake. "I don't know what's going on. I don't understand. I-I thought I was going insane."

He stood, shaking, feeling overwhelmed and scared. He didn't want to have this conversation right now. Not ever really. He just wanted out.

"Wait!" Grey was on his feet.

World took a step back.

"Don't- Don't leave." Fuck Grey was really bad at this. This was more Eldest's thing but Eldest was... fuck Grey could remember how he was on his first time looping back and Eldest was so much more sensitive than him.

"Don't leave. Please." Eldest sounded small.

"Please." Grey repeated.

World was still tense, his shoulders raised, hands balled into fists.

"It's- we're in the same situation, and... and I think it would help?" Grey was really bad at this. 

"I-I..." World was panicking. He didn't want to talk about this, he didn't want to deal with this. "Don't make me-"

"We can stop talking-" Eldest blurted out. "For now at least. Just- Just get some rest and tomorrow, or whenever you're ready, we can talk."

World relaxed marginally.

"Just- Please don't leave." Eldest looked up, making eye contact with World.

World sucked in a breath and for a moment, he was back in that very first game with a feverish and sick Eldest begging not to be alone in his final moments. Right before World made that promise that lead to this mess. Right before he signed his life away and just...

Why couldn't he win?

"I won't leave." He said quietly, feeling like the floor had dropped from underneath him. "I won't."

They settled around the fire, and World found himself sandwiched between Eldest and Grey.

It was silent, but the tension was still there.

Eldest had stopped crying, but his cheeks were still tearstained and his eyes were red and puffy. He looked tired, so tired.

World had his arms wrapped around his legs, which were pulled close to his chest. He had his head resting on his knees, staring blankly into the flames.

Grey was sitting cross legged, staring at the sky. His brain was working in overdrive, trying to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't alone. And the fact that World was apparently looping too and had been for longer than Grey was.

They were all deep in thought, each having their own little breakdown over this whole situation.

World was exhausted, emotionally drained. His head was spinning. World could feel his eyelids getting heavy, despite how much he was dreading falling asleep.

He didn't want to do this anymore. He didn't want to keep fighting, or surviving. He didn't want to have to watch the people he cared about die, knowing that the next time he opened his eyes he would be right back where he started.

But he had no choice.

World knew if he tried to escape, he'd just wind up right back on the podium.

So, World just had to keep going. He was just so tired but he'd promised Eldest-

Eldest. 

His eyes opened and he looked over toward the other troll who seemed to be sleeping fitfully.

Eldest's head was propped up on a rock, his chest rising and falling slowly.

World watched his friend for a few moments, his gaze eventually moving to the other troll.

Grey was awake, his gaze fixed on the sky. He looked upset, almost angry.

"Hey."

Grey jerked slightly and his head snapped toward World.

World couldn't see his expression clearly but he got the impression Grey was not happy to be caught staring.

"You can't sleep either?" Grey asked, his voice rough and quiet.

"Nope."

The silence between them was thick, heavy, tense.

"What are you thinking about?"

Grey was a little surprised at the question, but then again World wasn't the type to beat around the bush. "My promise. How stupid I was to make it, and the fact that it got me in this mess." 

World grimaced. "So it was the promise that got me in here. I had a feeling."

Grey hummed in response. "Who knew pinkie promises were so fucking important."

"Pinkie promises are serious stuff."

Grey laughed, a humorless laugh. "Who was yours too?"

World looked uncomfortable at the question. "You first."

Grey frowned and looked like he was about to object before Eldest rolled over and rested against Grey's side. He sighed, shifting so it would be more comfortable for his friend.

World frowned a little in thought and pulled his knees close. "I... Pinkie Promised Eldest." He admitted. 

Grey looked over and blinked, seemingly shocked. 

"The first game." World said, looking away. "He was dying, and he didn't want to die alone. So he made me promise to win for him. He didn't know it would... would do this."

Grey was quiet, trying to come up with some kind of response. "Yeah, that's not your fault. I can't even imagine what it's been like for you. You've been stuck doing this so much longer than I have."

World hummed softly. "Can you not tell Eldest about this? I don't want him to think it was his fault. It wasn't, but he'd still blame himself."

Grey nodded. "I get that. My lips are sealed." He sighed. "Well that makes a pretty sweet sense of irony."

"What do you mean?"

"My pinkie promise. It was... Well it was actually to you."

World jerked. "Me?"

"I didn't know you were looping, obviously. I didn't even really consider you a friend. But you jumped in front of me, you took a spear to the chest."

World remembered that. It had been to repay something Grey did several loops before. Something Grey would have remembered and still didn't remember since it was from before he started looping. 

"You were already dead by the time Crystal found me. I... I was holding your body. I was pissed, so angry. You saved my life and I was just so mad at myself for not saving yours. You died in my arms. And Crystal was trying to comfort me, trying to cheer me up. I guess he didn't know what to do."

World felt guilty about that now, knowing that Grey remembered it.

"I made a promise to win. Because I was so angry, and I didn't want your death to be in vain. So I promised. I guess you'd have been pretty mad at me if you were alive when I made that stupid promise."

World was stunned. "I don't- Why didn't you mention that sooner?"

Grey laughed softly, a bitter sound, careful not to wake Eldest. "We weren't really close. Hell, I still don't consider us close, but... I figured we might as well band together now that we know."

World let out a breath, his brain threatening to frazzle again. Not only were there two more people looping, one of them was looping because of him.

Damnit. 

"Well isn't this fucking twisted." He huffed.

"No kidding." Grey muttered. "So. Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Save me."

World stared down at his hands numbly. "I owed you. You did something for me several loops before that and I never got to repay the favor."

Grey hummed. He obviously didn't remember that but... It would make sense. "I see."

World shimmied a bit to get comfortable and rested his head on his jacket which was bundled up into a makeshift pillow. "I'm going to sleep."

Grey grunted in response.

"Good night, Grey."

"Night, World." Grey JD by @ijjstlostthegame World Tour AU by @year2000electronics Eldest and Youngest au and The Loop fic by Me Prev - Next

(Writing fics on Tumblr is hard)

[9leaguesofmirrors]

The Stupidest Thing in the World (a Ross Gaines x Joseph Lisgoe fanfic)

I promised a wholesome Gainsgoe fic to make up for Death Of a Debt Collector, and here it is!

Ross Gaines and Joseph Lisgoe were busy men, that was just the nature of their jobs. However, there were rare moments where the entire day was their's. They didn't have to share it with another soul, other than each other

Those days seemed to melt into a place that had no time. No clocks or countdowns to the end of the day, just the pleasant sense of being

On one such day, they found themselves lying together in their bed as the evening painted the sky. There was no desire or tension in the air, just the two of them enjoying the company of the other - Lisgoe scrolling through his phone, Ross reading his new book

The peace was disturbed by him slamming the book down with a frustrated huff

"I swear, if these two keep having sex, I'll throw this thing out a window."

"You and I both know there's nothing better than a good shag."

"Don't start." Ross put the book on the bedside table "Honestly, it's like you can't find a good book these days without a sex scene every 5 chapters. I mean, what is modern literature's obsession with sex and romance?"

Lisgoe put his phone down beside the pillow and watched Ross as he went on his rant, there was something inexplicably attractive about seeing his usually controlled partner go off on one about something (well, something that wasn't him), it didn't happen often but Lisgoe's eyes didn't leave him once

That feeling manifested into magnetism and he leaned forward, silencing the rant about modern society's obsession with romance with, quite ironically, a kiss to the corner of his mouth

"Was I boring you?" Ross snarked against Lisgoe's lips

"Intensely." He teased back, kissing him again "Love's a load of shite, there are loads of books, movies and songs about it."

"Well, maybe those concepts are correct."

"What about us then?" Lisgoe's tone showed no offense, rather genuine curiosity "How much of us is genuine?"

For a moment, Ross pondered this question. Of course, the way he felt about Lisgoe was true, truer than anything he'd felt for another person, but could he say that he was entirely honest about everything? Did he want to be?

"Don't bother answering," Lisgoe said "it was a dumb question. Fucking hate the "what are we" shite. Makes me feel like some drippy teenager." "I think we're more genuine than a lot of couples these days, at least we aren't afraid of hurting each other's feelings."

"Not a chance. If you're being a dickhead, I'm calling you a dickhead."

"And that sentiment is mutual."

That made them both laugh. It was quite odd, how much they managed to get away with saying and doing to each other. Any normal person would've probably left by now, or at least suggested some form of counselling. But it worked for them, because there were boundaries that they silently agreed not to cross. And it was always mutual, there was pushback from both ends. They never let it become a competition or a match against each other, what people saw as arguments were nothing more than silly games they played with each other

In short, they found each other endlessly entertaining

"We're not normal," Ross remarked "are we?"

"Nah, I'm super normal. I just have teeth in a jar and whip people with belts when they piss me off." "You know what I mean, as a couple we're not exactly normal. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if people thought we hated each other."

"I like it like that." Lisgoe shrugged, moving closer until his body was brushing against his "It means less people trying to butt into our business." His hand went straight to grip at Ross' thigh firmly as his lips pressed against the spot behind his ear, a secret erogenous zone that only they could pinpoint "I can have you to myself."

Ross wanted to push away, but... no he didn't. His whole body was buzzing gently, the feeling of Lisgoe's mouth against that spot caused his groin to tingle. Groaning softly, he turned to press their lips together

Something like an ember glowed between them, it was bright yet soft, a sort of sensual flame. There was need, there would always be need between them, but it felt less like a desire that needed to be fuelled and more of a want to be as close as they could get. To have their skin fused together so tightly that, even when they had to pull away, the other could still be felt through invisible imprints and patches of lingering warmth

"What a fucking clichè, am I right?" Teased a breathless Lisgoe "Too much reliance on sex and romance."

"Shut up."

"Your words," Lisgoe ran his hand up Ross' shirt "not mine."

Seizing the opportunity, Ross grabbed Lisgoe's wrist and dragged it towards him, pressing his lips to it to draw a puff of breath from Lisgoe's lungs

You're not the only one that knows about erogenous zones, Joseph

"I stand by my word," Ross said "people put so much pressure on that sort of thing. Like marriage, that's the stupidest thing in the world."

"Surely there are stupider things, like... I dunno, shoplifting and dickheads that stall at green lights."

"Shoplifters often steal when they have no other choice, people stall out of nervousness, marriage is nothing more than an ego boost. A cry for validation."

Lisgoe couldn't help but find Ross' indignation very funny

"Marriage is a sham, sure, but it's not the stupidest thing in the world. I mean, it's an excuse to get plastered and eat cake, that's pretty cool."

"You can do that in the comfort of your own home."

"And it means you get a ring," Lisgoe kissed the same spot behind Ross' ear, whispering against it "and I know you like it when I wear rings, don't you?"

That clouded Ross' thoughts for a few seconds as he groaned softly, but he quickly stopped himself

"Like I said, you can do all of that without the pomp and circumstance, it's pure narcissism."

"Big words from a big head." Lisgoe teased "Not that I disagree, the ceremonies have so many fucking rules. Like, why can't I wear a white suit? Because the bride will be offended? Grow the fuck up!"

"It really is the stupidest thing in the world."

"Absolutely!"

They laughed it off, but their prior conversation had Lisgoe deep in thought

"Can you get married without all that shite? I mean, could someone get married at home and not a church?"

"People get married everywhere, all you need is someone to officiate."

"Why can't the couple officiate themselves? Who needs a priest with shrivelled genitals and a stick up their ass to tell them they're married? Power to the people, that's what I say."

"Joseph, you can't use anti-capitalist phrases when you're literally a debt collector."

"And why am I in business? Fucking government dickheads! But that's besides the point, why can't the couple decide they're married? Why does some random twat get to decide?"

There was silence as Ross pondered this, in the end he really didn't have much of an argument

"I guess so. Why are you even asking? This doesn't exactly seem like your type of subje-mph!"

Words died on connected lips as Lisgoe grabbed the back of Ross' head and pulled him closer. Sensing his confusion, he spoke quietly against his mouth

"Need a minute."

"Joseph, what is it?"

Lisgoe sighed, as if trying to dispell his doubts, and pressed an uncharacteristically chaste kiss to his lips

"I wanna ask you the stupidest question in the world."

[yuri-is-online]

Just finished Sinostra's chapter myself.... I gotta say though, was a little underwhelming compared to other chapters.... Honestly the entire thing felt like a one-man show by Ritsu + some sexual tension between Taiga and Romeo whenever they interact lol. MC has never felt more like a spectator than she did in this chapter, I was waiting for her to do absolutely *anything* but she really was just... there lmao. Not even hand-holding this time!

Even the Like Dove showed up AFTER mc left, when it was just Taiga and Romeo in the room, and then later again when Romeo barges into Taiga's room - this time mc was there but, just barely lol, the whole focus was on Taiga and Romeo's almost shoot-off, and Taiga's line saying "You really could shoot through my heart"?? And the fact that he sensed Romeo approaching before he even saw him, and so far is the only person who he clearly remembers and freely gives compliments to lol, Lulu is a cute nickname tho.

Regardless, Taiga's strange response to the Like Dove could possibly mean Kaito's explanation about it might not be true after all, since anomalies are still a mystery, wouldn't be strange for false rumors to make the rounds.

And I while I don't hate Ritsu - I appreciate he's a hard worker and tries to make the best of any situation he's put in - I dislike how he really just one-sidedly handled everything in this chapter and only ever explains after they're done lol. The case didn't feel like an investigation at all, Ritsu just pulls some numbers out of the air and acts on them (where is he getting all that data??) and in the end they won against it because it had to prevent a paradox from happening...? lmao idk overall just felt so underwhelming.

Also we never find out what the deal was about the girl in the tower?? Why even mention that detail if they're not gonna do anything with it... An anomaly that was born from the negative emotions gathering in a casino replaces people's memories with a girl in a tower.... My guess is it wanted enough people to "remember" her so she could come into existence? Like Takeru's ghost. I wonder what for though... Will they revisit this or not.....

You could pluck out MC from this chapter and absolutely nothing would change imo because Ritsu was doing everything anyways, only name-dropped mc when mentioning it was an investigation, that's it. While I don't necessarily need her to be the star or a hero, having 0 influence on the chapter is not great writing imo.

Kaito and his silly antics were the highlight for me. And I found it hilarious how him being stripped down and locked up in Romeo's "private office" feels like the setting of any self-indulgent "dark romance" fiction between a rich CEO and helpless debtor who has to cater to the captor's whims lol.

Finally Hotarubi is next, I've been curious about it since I got sorted into it, and want to see more of Haku. I agree he's sus, his dialogue in the prologue if you choose him only highlights the fact. But something about him really compels me

Sorry for the long ask, I have a thousand thoughts twirling around in my mind about TD, it should probably cool down between the entire month that's left before next story update.... but also there's new games coming out next month so hopefully I don't forget about TD completely either lol....

There is no shame in long asks. I'm always impressed at the amount of thoughts my dear anons manage to fit inside the ask box ♡

I also felt like the content was a bit lacking to the point I went and checked Jabberwock's chapter count and was surprised to find it's actually a tad shorter than Sinostra's. I think the main reason it felt so short to me was because I wasn't locked out of progressing this time around, but the case progression also felt much much quicker. If I'm sitting back and evaluating it as a writer, I think that's probably because of the setting being confined to the school and dorm. Sure, a lot happens, but you don't actually go anywhere, unlike in the previous three books.

Our MC has a very laid-back personality, which I don't mind. BUT the game really should allow for the chance for her to work things out on her own, even if she's too afraid of the other characters to verbalize it and keeps them to herself. There are several times in the book when she tries to point out inconsistencies in Ritsu's logic or other evidence she notices, but she's talked over pretty much every single time. It's what made me really hate Ritsu since you did not see that with Ren, Haru, or Towa, but i get that it's sort of tricky when writing more domineering characters to balance not making them overshadow the more laid back ones but still keeping them true to their personalities. I don't think Ritsu would have paid attention to Kaito if MC wasn't there, nor do I think Taiga would have paid attention to Ritsu, but that's just me speculating because the story doesn't clearly communicate it. This book was poorly written, a lot of the problems people have with MC could be fixed with a few additional lines where she's shown wanting to do something but reminding herself she has to play nice with the ghouls otherwise they won't break her curse. Her personality makes sense to me, but her writing does not.

Now. I disagree about the no real moments this chapter but ah. Well. You see. There is something deeply wrong with me so I completely get if this did nothing but disturb you but when Taiga has MC strapped to the torture chair 👉👈

Look I know potentially getting a hicky from a guy that strapped you to a torture chair and just shot you (for the second time) isn't everyone's thing but it is mine I was so well fed this chapter from that alone ( ; ω ; ) AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HOW HE CALLS HER KITTEN AND EATS THE FUCKING LIKE DOVE??? RAW??? ROMEO ROMEO WHY FOR ART THOU INTERRUPING ROMEO I WANTED TO SEE WHAT HE WAS GONNA DO- forgive me anon I'm afraid I'm most unwell.

Speaking of the Like dove and the memories of the tower. The Tower thing reminds me of rapunzel, especially because she's out alone in the woods, but it feels super out of left field, no? If the anomaly is born from the Casino, which Taiga states "is him," then I wonder if the girl in the tower is representative of something he's forgotten? The chapter places an emphasis on how anomalies can affect memory, so it's not too big of an assumption to make that something must have happened to Taiga to make his memory this bad. As for the like dove... Romeo seems very surprised to see it, almost suggesting he never has before, which can you imagine how funny it would be if it showed up for him and Taiga. They've been friends and business partners for at least two years, I refuse to believe the dove would only just show up now. The image of him just never seeing it because everyone is too polite/afraid of him to point it out is too funny. The dove shows up twice this chapter, both times it sort of read to me like it had been there for a bit before it was noticed and in both cases Taiga reacts to it negatively. Given how paranoid he seems to be, I think it's probably because the idea of him caring/having someone care about him scares him due to the unpredictability of it and the potential for betrayal. He seems to think people only want to use him, so that's probably part of it too. I'm constantly doing way too many lines of copium, so to me the dove seemed triggered by Taiga's interactions with MC but I also see where you're coming with Romeo. Their friendship is much less adversarial than it was implied to be in their little blurbs, and I quite like that a lot. You know even if Taiga seems to think Romeo is always taking away his fun. And what's up with his constant want to eat anomalies, is Romeo not feeding him enough?

Slight correction, Taiga does seem to remember who Haru is, Harry and Lulu are both derivative of their names, so maybe he can only remember people in his year clearly? Or does it also include second years? He sounds very surprised at the concept of a "first year ghoul" in his house so maybe his memories are cutting off everything other than the previous two years...

I also have a bunch more thoughts but I'll cut myself off here ×-× gotta let some of them simmer before I make too much of a fool of myself (I already have)

[bbbellamywrites]

i just wanna start this with a note that i don't go here ( read: i lurk in the back of the class but don't participate, usually getting others (@lionheartedmusings) to share my answers for me ) but i've got thoughts and feelings about how things were going before i stopped watching last night. ( this got long so i tossed in a read more )

obligatory note that even if i don't add a q! i am entirely talking about characters here, not the creators.

q!bad is being accused of so much - some of which he is doing, sure, but honestly it feels a bit rich coming from most people on the server. some are newer and only have whatever people have told them to go off of, so i can understand their view to an extent, but there are others that have been here long enough to know different. to know bbh, to know the others, to know how the island is.

bagi saying bad is becoming evil - is he? outside of the fact that he's a demon of some sort and i think applying the human/mortal concepts of good/evil to beings that are not human/mortal doesn't work, what about how bad has been is evil?

telling her he was going to eat her pets? he wouldn't, and if he did accidentally kill one of her pets he would've felt guilty and replaced it asap. it was a terrible joke, but i think it's important consider bad's humor with his other friends - because he did come to think of bagi as a friend. if he'd said that to baghera, or foolish, or forever, or any number of other people, they would have known he wouldn't actually. they might have taunted him with a "oh yeah? do it", or showed up to punch him a time or two - but at most he would've put the pet in a cage and hid it away and giggled while searching his backpacks so he could give it back.

leaving mines in federation and public spaces? lets ignore the fact that he's trying to get the federation's attention. he isn't putting them in player bases, at least not in any way that would do damage to those bases ( he dug down and used the ghost blocks, yes, but from what i've seen he's only done that in spaces that wouldn't screw up builds ), with the exception of quackity's ( which i think he put down prior to this whole mess, if i'm remembering correctly ). even then... he is far from the first person on the server to put the mines everywhere, and i only vaguely remember at this point, but i don't think most people have been as careful with their use of them. plus... maybe i'm wrong, but i feel like he's only doing it because the eggs aren't here. i wouldn't be surprised if he went through and cleaned up as much as he could as soon as the kids come home.

stealing, or "liberating" furniture? this isn't a new behavior, and more recently when i've seen him pick something up, he just ends up putting it right back down. it was a fun little game, a little habit that was annoying but overall didn't hurt people. i even remember there being a little game of it between him and cellbit, a back and forth that might have been annoying but read as affection.

does any of that make him evil? because if it does, i think we may as well just mark down everyone on the island as being evil.

next up we have the kidnapping stuff. did he kidnap a worker? sure, but the only one that knows that is baghera. the others have no evidence, and are speculating, and most are just getting that information from tubbo. (for this we're gonna ignore that the evidence tubbo found was pretty clearly meant more for bad to find, because that doesn't matter anymore unless they force a retcon which i don't see them doing.)

• bad has, on a few different occasions, imprisoned people : - usually foolish, in those little cage traps - just a silly game between two ancient non-human creatures, a back and forth that no one seems to understand when they try to explain it. its a game, just like the fish slapping or inviting people to live in the dragon. • with cellbit and phil (with tubbo as an audience), caging forever and pac was done to save them. they were caged, and downed, so they could have their pockets cleared and then they could begin the detox to get them off the drugs the federation had them on. they were worried for their friends and were willing to go to extremes to save them. • ron. ron, who bad has had for ages at this point. he tortured him once and felt bad for it and hasn't done it again, as far as we know. he healed him up. bad gave him his name, if i remember correctly. he has come to care for ron, has given him as nice a cell as he can - nicer than the federation would have given them, if i had to guess. ron who, in some twisted reverse-stockholm syndrome moment, bad has come to think of as part of his family. he is using ron, and keeping him captive, but i fully trust him to find a way to let him go safely, and probably even get him set up somewhere.

one of those is pretty clearly wrong by the standards most people have, but he's already expressed he's willing to do whatever it takes to get his kids back. everyone is always ready to destroy the federation without a thought, without thinking about the details ( are any of the workers (canonically) in the buildings they're fucking with? are the workers going to get in trouble and punished for the things the residents are doing (look at walter bob, who was punished for looking different after mike's haircut, or when he was being kind/helping them in the prison)? are the workers the ones that are going to have to clean up the mess they make (the federation probably could've done it in a snap, but still sent workers to remove the cobble after the lavacast that fit/phil/tubbo did)?

so bad, from all of that, is evil and a problem and all that, right? what if we look at the things the others have done, or planned to do:

• that lavacast we mentioned up there? not end of the world, but the server is pretty quick to grief, especially to get attention. the melons in the church, the mines everywhere, the drills that were nerfed at least partially because people kept using them to break into federation buildings? most people on the island can be lumped in on this one. • the mines, by the way, that not only destroyed land and builds but downed (killed?) players? could've easily killed the eggs? • forever's plan from ages ago, in which he intended to kidnap philza and annoy (torture) him until he loved him back. • foolish taking pac & mike directly to cucurucho to be arrested, happily willing to arrest anyone else. • cellbit killing abueloier, straight up murdering the man. for what... saying he was gonna tell roier not to marry him? • quackity/elquackity? kidnapping - even if you don't count richas (who was still 1% his son), he kidnapped and threatened dapper and had tried repeatedly to take tallulah. constantly threatened the eggs, had plans to kill them various times.

but most of them aren't evil, right? sure they did bad things, but they're not evil?

i don't know, i simply think things on the island are too grey to use black and white words like "good" and "evil".

....also real tired of people saying bad is grieving his 'son' as if he doesn't also have pomme, as if he didn't love all of the other eggs like his own. he spent so much time with the kids. gave them so many resources, and was so quick to help them however he could - to give them any number of things they asked for. but now they're gone and he's lost, and his moral compass (dapper & pomme) is gone.

he's not bending over backwards to help people - he's playing the same games the others were playing in the beginning... and people are so quick to decide he's the problem.

because they care.

they're breaking into his house and ignoring the sign (which tubbo read out loud to phil and forever, which i'll give them that maybe they didn't know that was the direction forever went? because tubbo and phil went back to spawn briefly, but context clues should've told them.). they sneak around instead of talking to him.

because they care.

telling others and not needing proof to believe what's said. they know him, and the report tubbo's talking about doesn't sound too much like the bbh they know, but it makes sense.

because they care.

they refuse to believe him. because yeah, he lies a lot. sure he's been one of the most reliable people on the island, and even when he does lie it's usually harmless and playful. and sure when he does have something he might play for a few minutes but usually gives it back. but this time they don't believe him.

because they know him. because they care.

[yjano]

Never The Same.

Part 17

Pairings: Jake x Mc.

Warnings: Swearing, violence, angst, smut, other pairings;), traumatic experiences.

Words: 5.1k

Author's note: Honestly, this story is going to be a big piece of work and a lot of angst. It's not connected to the game at all. Because I always want to try something new and newer. Read it only if you're into angst stories, please. Thank you and let's go!

.

Jake focus.

.

My heart began to thump in my chest as I quickly got out of the car. I immediately tightened the grip on my gun and motioned for the others in my squad to follow me. We had just arrived at the apartment building Richy had led us to and to say I was mad was an understatement.

Mc was being held in this building against her will and I was here to take her home, I didn't care who I had to kill to make that happen.

Immediately Sam ordered a few of his men to guard the building while I and my closest men, including Richy, went inside the building. Slowly I went in first and immediately checked both sides for any enemies. However much to my surprise, there weren't any.

Quietly I motioned to the others that the coast was clear and as soft as we could we entered the building while gripping our guns tightly in our hands. The moment an enemy would come close to us they would be dead meat, that's for sure.

"Our main priority is Mc. She needs to get out of here as soon as possible." I softly whispered to my squad while a serious look was visible on my face. I was determined to get my baby out of this mess without even a scratch on her face. Anyone who would even dare to touch her would surely have to deal with me.

I then motioned for my men to walk towards the stairs quietly and the moment they did an unfamiliar man came into view. Immediately I raised my gun and shot a bullet through his head before the man even had a chance to react. A loud bang sounded through the whole building and a soft thud soon followed as the lifeless body of the man hit the ground.

Blood began to seep out of the man's wound and his whole body was surrounded by a puddle of crimson-red blood. It was truly a sight that could have come straight out of a horror movie.

Immediately after the man had been shot through his head I turned around to Lex and motioned for her to watch my back. Due to the loud bang, everyone in this building now knew that a gun had been fired and within no time there would be enemies everywhere.

Lex was known for her quick reaction skills and thus she would be the absolute best to watch our backs. Before someone even had the chance to hit us from behind Lex would have already sent them to hell. Quickly the team began to run up the stairs before suddenly the sound of bullets firing sounded through the building.

"Take cover!" I shouted before I began to dart my eyes around, looking for a place to hide. It didn't take long before my eyes fell upon a door and without thinking twice I kicked it open before I ran inside, followed by my men.

A soft sigh left my mouth the moment I saw that no one from my team had gotten hurt and an annoyed look became visible on my face. Tegan's men were preventing me from taking Mc into my arms again and that was something I truly didn't like.

We were more than ready to show these assholes how the job was done and we were confident that it wouldn't take much longer before we could finally bring Mc to safety.

Slowly I began to hold up one finger, followed by another, and followed by the last before I along with my teammates sprung out of my cover before quickly looking around and aiming my gun at the enemies who were standing at a small distance from us.

Immediately we began to shoot bullets at Tegan's men nonstop and it didn't take long before three lifeless bodies were all that was left of them.

Kaden quickly turned around and waved at our other teammates to come over and follow us further upstairs toward where Richy had said that Mc was probably being held. Until now all Tegan's men had done was slow down me and my team and an arrogant smirk began to form on my face.

I knew damn well that the people around me were skilled but to see for myself how much more skilled we were compared to Tegan's men made me super proud. There was only one person made to lead my stepfather's company and that was me, not Tegan.

The fact that all my older stepbrother's men were dying so quickly made that fact even more clear.

Quickly we ran up another set of stairs while Lex was doing an amazing job at having our back. By now she had at least shot down five men who had tried to be smart and hit us from behind. Too bad for them that Lex was a skilled one. Anyone who would even try to compete with her would die in an instant.

My eyes immediately widened once I was standing in front of the last set of stairs. I saw a glimpse of Valerie's black hair disappear behind the door of the apartment on the top level and an evil smirk became visible on my face. If my ex-fiancé went there then there was a big possibility that Tegan was in that room too and with a little bit of luck, I would find Mc unharmed behind the door too.

Immediately a nervous feeling began to spread through my chest and before my mind could even comprehend what was happening my body had started to move on its own.

There was a possibility my baby wasn't fine and maybe Mc needed to go to a hospital as soon as possible. There was no time to lose anymore. Tonight this whole mess would end and I was more than ready for it.

.

Mc focus.

.

My eyes widened as suddenly the door to the apartment I was trapped in flung open with a loud bang. Both Valerie and Tegan ran through the door before they closed it again and locked it. Slowly I began to raise an eyebrow while looking at the couple in front of me. What was happening?

Of course, I wasn't deaf. I had been hearing gunshots and commotion outside the apartment for at least five to ten minutes now and I couldn't help but feel a bit of hope inside my chest. Maybe Jake had somehow gotten to know of my situation and was here to save me.

However, if that was what was happening then I also felt scared, really scared. What if something happened to him? Surely Tegan nor Valerie would spare him if he came into their sight. The two of them had said so themselves. If they got the chance then they would kill Jake immediately.

"Fuck!" Valerie screamed as a fearful look began to form on her face. The girl was nervously pacing around the room while the loud sounds outside kept filling the room we were in.

"What are we supposed to do?" She then continued before looking at her boyfriend with a scared look on her face.

Valerie had been long enough with Jake to know exactly how skilled he was with a gun. Hell, she even knew how skilled the team he had taken with him was. Valerie was in deep shit and there was seemingly no way out of it now.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know! He wasn't even supposed to ever find this place!" Tegan exclaimed back in a stressed tone. He grabbed his hair and began to harshly pull on it while his body was slightly shivering.

Tegan was scared to death of his little stepbrother because he knew damn well what it was that Jake came for. The moment Jake would have the chance he would kill Tegan and Valerie both.

Suddenly a loud bang sounded through the whole apartment and I visibly flinched in my chair. Whoever it was outside of the door was now fiercely banging against the wood and it definitely wouldn't take long before the door would give in and open. There was no way a lock could withstand the amount of force the people on the other side of the door were using.

As if on cue both Tegan and Valerie quickly got a gun from the counter before pointing it at the door.

If anyone would break through that door then that would mean that all their men were dead and that they had to defend themselves. Luckily for them, I was also in this room and a small smirk began to form on Tegan's face.

Tegan could use her against Jake. The younger stepbrother would surely never do something which would result in Mc getting hurt. Suddenly a loud cracking sound filled the whole apartment and with a loud bang the door that was separating Jake from Mc flew open.

"Drop the guns!" Both Tegan and Valerie as well as Jake and Kaden screamed toward the two others while a glare was visible on their faces.

Slowly tears started to drip out of my eyes as I looked at the scene in front of me. Part of me was really happy that Jake and others had indeed come here to save me but another part was terrified of the fact that Tegan was pointing his gun toward the guy I loved so much.

"You are outnumbered, Tegan. Just give in already." Jake spoke in a dangerously low tone while narrowing his eyes a bit.

Finally, Jake was standing in front of the one person who he hated more than anything. His older stepbrother who wasn't even worthy of anything, kidnapped the very one person who meant the most to Jake and was now only a few minutes away from death. Oh, how Jake would enjoy shooting him to hell.

"I don't fucking think so," Tegan spoke in a confident tone while a smirk started to form on his face. Before anyone could register what was happening suddenly Tegan lowered his gun a bit before raising it again and pointing it behind me.

"Drop the gun or I will kill Mc," Tegan spoke with amusement lacing his voice.

Immediately my eyes grew big and I swallowed hard. Tegan was holding the gun dangerously close to my face and a few tears started to roll down my cheeks again. Was this how my short life was going to end? Had everything I had done been for nothing?

Meanwhile, Valerie and Kaden were still pointing their guns toward each other. While a determined and angry look was visible on Kaden's face, a scared and nervous one was visible on Valerie's.

The girl knew damn well that killing Mc wouldn't help the two of them out of this situation. The moment Mc would be dead they would be too.

As Valerie locked eyes with Kaden once again she suddenly began to look at him with a sad look.

She had known Kaden for a long time and she also knew he wasn't sensitive to her asking him for help. However, maybe Lex was and since she was standing right behind Kaden she suddenly focused on her before she changed her face into the saddest one possible.

"Please help me, Lex. I know you know I never wanted any of this." She suddenly whispered before a few tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

Jake, however, heard what Valerie was saying too and while he kept pointing his gun at Tegan, he began to poke the inside of his cheek with his tongue before looking over at his ex-fiancé.

"Shut up bitch. It's too late to back out now." Jake spoke before focusing on me while I was still bound to the chair.

I was still crying softly while my head was painfully throbbing. I was in deep shit and it didn't look like this situation would end well for me.

A feeling of compassion shot through Jake's body as he saw Mc shiver uncontrollably while a look of complete horror was visible on her face. She was scared to death and slowly Jake began to grow angrier and angrier. No one threatened his baby and got away with it. Not when Jake was still alive.

"Last fucking time, drop the gun or I will shoot a bullet through your head. The moment you killed your dad you should've known that you also signed your death certificate." Jake spoke, anger lacing his voice. However, much to everyone's surprise, Tegan started to laugh evilly while looking at Jake with a challenged look on his face.

"Shoot me, I dare you. Just know that the moment you pull that trigger I will shoot your little slut right between his eyes."

Jake visibly gritted his teeth upon hearing what Tegan had said and he got ready to say something back but unfortunately got beaten to it by Valerie.

"Enough!" She spoke, her voice filled with emotion. She then walked a bit forward while lowering her gun completely before turning towards Tegan.

"This has been going on for way too long Tegan!"

Immediately a confused look began to form on Tegan's face and he looked at his girlfriend with a soft look.

"What's wrong baby?" He asked her with a worried tone lacing his voice. Valerie however quickly began to shake her head while more tears began to stream down her cheeks and a soft sob left her mouth.

"I am not your baby! I never was. You kidnapped me, Tegan!" Valerie exclaimed before slowly starting to raise the gun in her hand again and this time pointing it at Tegan himself. Immediately Tegan's eyes grew wide and he gulped visibly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked her when she was looking at him with a cold look on her face. Briefly one of Valerie's eyebrows twitched and before everyone knew it a loud banging sound sounded through the whole room followed by the soft thud of a body hitting the floor. If twisted had a different name it would have been Valerie.

As soon as Tegan's lifeless body hit the ground immediately a loud sob left Valerie's mouth and tears began to stream down her cheeks again. She briefly looked at me with an evil look on her face before she turned around and ran over to Jake giving him a tight hug and burying her face in his chest.

"Jake I'm so glad you're here." She cried hysterically while her whole body was shaking. She looked upset and Jake's eyes grew big with confusion.

Jake didn't understand what was happening at all and thus he kept standing there without having any clue what he had to do.

"He tortured me, Jake. He hurt me so bad." She began to talk before she snuggled a bit closer to Jake's chest.

"He forced me to come with him or else he would kill me." The girl began to tell before she broke down once again while looking at the others with horror on her face. She looked broken and slowly the others began to look around their team while trying to find any sign as to how they should react to this.

Sure Valerie had been their enemy not even five minutes ago but she had also at one point been their friend. Maybe what she was trying to tell all of them had been the truth and then she had gone through the worst thing anyone could imagine. However, it was Jake who knew his ex-fiancé better than anyone else in this room. He would be the one to call the shots on what was going to happen to her.

"I never wanted to leave you, Jake, Tegan made me do it." The girl explained to him and a few tears rolled down her cheeks as soon as she realized that he still wasn't hugging her back.

At one point in their relationship, the girl had been everything Jake could have ever wished for and Valerie knew she could make him see that. He had always been a sucker for her and it would be only a matter of time before Jake would be completely wrapped around her finger again.

Valerie looked up at Jake with a hopeful look in her eyes before she went to stand on her toes and gave him a small peck on his cheek before hugging him again.

"It can all be exactly how it used to be. Just like in the old times. You remember how good those times were right?" The sly girl spoke in a warm tone before sending a cute smile in Jake's way.

Softly Jake began to nod before he began to warp his hands around the much smaller girl's waist and press her a bit tighter. Immediately upon realizing what Jake was doing a loud sob left my mouth and tears began to roll down my cheeks again. Jake was now definitely never going to get back together with me again.

Valerie was like a supermodel. She was beautiful and I knew for a fact that at one point Jake had seen the girl in his arms as his whole world. Jake hadn't asked her to marry him for nothing.

I was only a fraction of the person Valerie was. She was everything I could never be. It was as clear as crystal that Jake would choose her over me. After all, it had always been her in the first place. She was everything Jake desired and more.

The fact that I knew damn well Valerie was lying was something I was too afraid to say. Of course, I knew that she wasn't as sweet as she pretended to be and if you asked me, I would describe her as a snake. However, there was no way Jake would believe me over the love of his life, and saying something now would only result in angering him.

That was something I didn't want to risk. I didn't want my last memory of Jake to be a bad one. I wanted to remember him exactly how our relationship had been and look back with a smile on my face, not tears in my eyes.

As Jake pressed Valerie a bit tighter against his chest a sly smirk began to form on the girl's face and she completely surrendered herself to him by closing her eyes and letting him do exactly as he wanted with her. She had done it once again. With her charming personality and unbelievable acting skills, Valerie had once again won a man and his heart without any difficulty.

.

Jake focus.

.

However, as soon as I felt the girl in my arms let her guard down I immediately motioned for Kaden to grab the gun out of her hands. A confused look began to form on my brother's face but he nodded nonetheless. I knew exactly what I was doing and thus Kaden would do exactly as he was told to.

Valerie's eyes immediately flew open the moment she felt someone harshly pull the gun out of her hands. However, before she could react I forcefully turned her around before grabbing her hands and holding them against her back. I then began to harshly push the girl down to her knees and tears began to fill the girl's eyes once again.

"What are you doing babe? You're hurting me." Valerie spoke in a confused tone while I pulled her arms back even harsher.

"Cut the crap bitch, we all know you are lying. And besides, only Mc can call me those pet names." I then turned toward Mc while still holding my ex-fiancé in place. A small smile began to form on my face before I looked over to the others in the room.

"Kaden give me a gun. Lex release Mc from that chair and take her out of the room please." I ordered before turning towards the girl I was still holding down with a wicked smile on my face. I knew her too well to believe any of the lies she had tried to make me believe.

The girl was way too smart and careful to ever let Tegan come close to hurting her. Everything she had done had been an actor and I had seen right through her play.

Lex immediately walked over to Mc before getting a small knife out of her pocket and cutting the ropes that were holding the brunette in place loose. Tears were still streaming out of her eyes and she looked at me with a relieved look on her face.

Mc had thought that the one person she loved more than anyone had chosen a liar over her. However Jake didn't and that made Mc happy, really happy.

"Come on Mc." Lex softly spoke before starting to guide Mc out of the room.

The brunette was still in shock with everything that had happened just now and thus she didn't resist when her friend began to pull her away from where Jake was standing. A small smile was visible on Lex's face and she looked at her with a happy look on her face.

"I'm glad we got you back Mc. Don't get scared if you hear a loud banging sound soon okay?"

As if on cue suddenly a loud banging sound indeed filled the whole building as soon as Lex closed the door behind Mc. Briefly, the brunette closed her eyes due to the loud sound, however, she quickly opened them again. She knew Jake shot down Valerie and somehow she couldn't care less about that fact.

That bitch got what she deserved. The only thing Mc cared about now was being as close to Jake as possible.

I looked at the death lifeless eyes of Valerie's and a small smile began to form on my face. She was the last one who would form a threat to Mc and now

I had gotten rid of her. Briefly, I darted my eyes over to where my dead stepbrother was laying before turning around and walking towards the wooden door that was separating me from the one person I wanted to hug so badly.

Of course, it annoyed me that Valerie had been the one to kill my stepbrother since I had loved to have the honor of doing it myself. However, the fact was that both of them were dead now and they would never form a burden for me or anyone else ever again. Apart from that, I had now sent out a clear signal to anyone who thought of ever double-crossing me. Anyone who would betray me would end up in a body bag.

Quickly I opened the door once I was close enough and immediately my eyes fell on a beautiful brunette. Mc was still crying softly in Lex's arms and a small smile began to form on my face. She must have been scared to death and she looked like she needed a hug. Softly I shook my head before shouting her name.

"Mc, are you okay?"

Immediately the brunette's head shot up when she heard the familiar voice and she began to scan her surroundings to spot me.

.

Mc focus.

.

As soon as my eyes fell upon the muscular body and friendly face of the one person I was looking for, a single lonely tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheeks before I softly began to shake my head.

"No."

Immediately after answering him, I released myself from Lex's arms and ran over to where Jake was standing before wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my head in his chest. Loud sobs left my mouth and tears began to stream out of my eyes nonstop. All the nervousness and stressful situations finally made me break down completely and Jake quickly wrapped his arms around me.

"You asshole! Never leave me again!" I managed to bring out between my sobs while slamming one of my fists against Jake's rock-hard chest. The feelings I was experiencing now were all way too much for me to handle and I had to get rid of them. Jake softly began to caress my back while whispering in my ear softly.

"Shhh baby. I won't. I will never leave alone anymore." Jake promised me in a reassuring voice while a small smile was visible on his face.

Even though Jake and Mc hadn't been apart for a long time Jake had truly missed her more than anything. Never again would he allow anyone to separate the two of them again. The first time had been his own mistake and he wouldn't dare to repeat it a second time.

The fact that the whole reason why Jake had let go of Mc was that she missed her family was something they would figure out later. Of course, Jake would never separate the brunette and her friends and family again and thus he would make sure to find a solution to that problem. At least Mc wasn't reported as missing anymore so that was a big plus.

"Come on baby. Let's go home." Jake then softly whispered inside my ear and I softly nodded before I looked at my lover with a tired look on my face. It had been an eventful day, to say the least, and that was now really taking its toll on my body.

Luckily for me, Jake immediately noticed the tired look on my face and before I knew it, Jake had swiped me up bridal style before he began to walk down the stairs. Immediately I wrapped my hands around Jake's neck before cuddling him tightly. I had missed his hugs from him a lot.

It didn't take long for Jake and the others to reach their cars again and before I knew it I was being put in the backseat of a big black expensive-looking car. Immediately I began to whine the moment my lover unwrapped his hands from my body but luckily for me, it didn't take long before Jake sat himself down next to me and wrapped an arm around my neck before pressing me a bit closer to himself.

"I love you so fucking much. You have no idea." Jake softly whispered inside my ear and immediately a small smile broke out on my face. He always knew exactly what to say to make me feel warm and loved from the inside and softly I cuddled a bit closer to him.

"I love you too, baby."

It didn't take long before the familiar sight of the big Red Crew Tower came into sight and immediately a warm feeling began to spread through my chest. The big glass building truly felt like home to me and I wouldn't wish to be anywhere else. My home was where Jake was.

Kaden quickly parked the car in front of the main entrance of the big building and once everyone had stepped out of it he immediately ordered one of the guards in front of the building to go and park it. All of the others who had gone on a mission to save me were way too tired to focus on that right now and all they wanted to do was just go home and talk about their day.

As Jake and I walked through the big glass doors together he quickly wrapped an arm around me before he bend down a bit to whisper in my ear.

"Your mom is waiting in my office for you." He softly whispered and immediately my face lit up. I quickly turned my head toward Jake with a hopeful look on my face.

"Really!?" I exclaimed and softly he began to nod while a smile was visible on his face. Of course, Jake knew damn well how much my mom meant to me.

It didn't take long before everyone was standing in the elevator toward Jake's office and all I did was excitedly talk about how I wanted to hug my mother so badly. A soft laugh escaped Jake's mouth and he slowly shook his head a bit. Just by mentioning my mother my whole aura lit up and a spark of excitement had completely taken over my body.

Soon the familiar ding of the elevator reaching its destiny sounded through the room and once the big doors began to slide open immediately I pushed myself through the big doors before running towards the door that would lead to Jake's office and opening it.

Immediately tears began to form in my eyes as soon as I noticed my mother slowly pacing up and down the room and without thinking twice I began to run to her before taking her in a big hug. At first, my mom's eyes widened upon the sudden impact but as soon as she realized it was me who was hugging her tears began to stream out of her eyes and she hugged me back immediately.

"Mom, I was so scared." I managed to bring out between my sobs while hugging my mother as if my life depended on it. My mother hugged back just as tightly as I did and she softly began to stroke my hair.

"I know baby. Luckily you got some good friends." My mom softly spoke before looking away from me and locking eyes with Jake and the others who had entered the room too.

"Now Mc, It's time you finally introduce me to that boyfriend of yours." She softly spoke while a soft reassuring tone was lacing her voice. Immediately my eyes grew big and I looked at my mother with hope in my eyes.

"Thank you." My mom softly spoke towards Jake who smiled at her in return. She then began to push me back a bit before locking eyes with me and sending a smile my way.

"You approve of it?" I asked my mother while a hopeful tone was lacing my voice. Never in million years would I have thought that my mom would agree with me being in a relationship with a criminal. I was wrong

"Of course. You love him right?" My mom asked me and I immediately began to nod without having to think twice. A small smile began to form on her face again and she softly nodded toward me.

"Then that is all that matters to me." Immediately a big smile broke out on my face and I began to drag my mom towards where Jake was standing while all kinds of happy thoughts were roaming my mind. Finally, everything had fallen into place for me.

A/N

Only the epilogue is left now. I'm so sad that this story has reached the end since this one truly is close to my heart, however, I'm also very proud of the result and I hope you guys liked it as well!

[caffstrink]

your points about omori are so real but i also think the story isnt even that good like the "twist"... like not only does it not really make sense logistically (puts on my cinemasins goggles for a minute) how did two small kids drag an older girl into the woods to hang her without getting noticed and also why even come to that conclusion instead of making it look like more of an accident in the original scene (takes off my cinemasins goggles sorry about that) but i felt like it was kind of cheapened when it wasnt her killing herself. like he still couldve blamed himself for that because he wasnt there for her and didnt notice the signs but its like no he accidentally pushed her down the stairs. (and then framed it as a suicide which Was indeed actually a bad thing to do so yeah man you should feel a little guilty) but that could just be me being an enjoyer of explorations of suicide and its aftermath in stories

Honestly the twist was the only praiseworthy thing i found in the game and even so it wasn't enough to redeem the whole journey to get there imo. I think my opinion happens to be the opposite of yours bc mari comitting suicide would've been too simple, too expected, whileas sunny accidentally causing her death is what explains the guilt that makes him repress his emotions/identity and choose to live in his imagination. Theres 2 main big issues i have with it though, and since you've given me the opportunity I'll rant about it.

If i remember right at the time of her death mari was 15 while sunny/basil were 11 or 12, so i don't think it would be far-fetched for the two to carry her body together, although hanging her from the tree would be difficult. As for no one noticing i think that's actually pretty normal as far as these cases go, you'd be surprised at how many murders happen in broad daylight in suburban areas where there's neighbors walking outside yet no one notices bc they're not looking at someone's backyard to see some guy burying a dead body (if you watch those murder documentaries you'd be surprised at how common these cases tend to be). Basil trying to frame it as suicide is honestly a very very stupid idea, but considering their age and the situation it does make sense since they were panicking and people have 0 braincells when they're panicking.

The main reason i liked this twist though, may be because of how i perceived the scene where we see mari's hanging body and how it had an eye open, i thought it implied mari could be still alive when they hung her, and the uncertainty of it is what wouldve plagued sunnys psyche for the following years. Idk that was what i thought at least, but i don't recall seeing anyone else point out mari possibly still being alive when she was hung, so it may be just me.

Now here's the rant part. The game subtly implies that sunny's parents knew it wasn't a suicide. And by subtly i mean in a HIDDEN ROOM YOU HAVE TO ACCESS THROUGH ALTERING VALUES IN THE GAME FILES instead of, i don't know, in the annoying dragged out black space horror segment? Anyway in that room you see a shadow of what looks to be Sunnys father chopping down the tree and he says "you're no son of mine" or something along those lines (its been a while so i forgot the exact quote). PLUS its kind of obvious maris body wouldve been taken to be analyzed and theyd for sure see the head trauma that caused her death, but since it was accidental and both sunny and basil were minors, it's likely they went unpunished and Sunny's parents covered up with the suicide story so the others wouldn't think of them as murderers.

Why the hell does the game never mention his parents except on the real world? Its shown they divorced after mari died, did sunny not really care about that? Why does his ugly pastel escapism fantasy not have any mention to them? Did he not feel guilty about the grief he caused his parents? WHY IS IT NOT MENTIONED IN THE GAME AND ONLY IN A HIDDEN ROOM

And the second thing is the reasons that caused the incident in first place, it felt like it couldve been explored much more than it was. Like ok i get it, sunny didnt actually want to play violin, his friends thought he did and he was too afraid to disappoint them when they bought him one. But the main thing he mentions he hates about it in his diary is that he needs to practice on saturdays and misses 1 hour of cartoon watching with his friends. Like man. Come on. Priorities i guess? There wasn't any pressure of someone moving away, or someone leaving for college, or anything like it that would explain why sunny needed that 1 hour of cartoon watching with everyone so badly that it emotionally distressed him to that level.

My second complaint is how Mari is treated like a pure saint through all of the game, which was kind of a missed opportunity to have shown that she also was flawed and not always the kind big sister he idealized her to be in his mind (it could've also been shown that the Saint Mari in his brain is due to his guilt, but no, apparently she was just was like that irl too), the only flaw mari had was that she was perfectionist about the piano recital and pressured sunny about it? Like come on man there could've been more here. We could've had accepting mari was a flawed human as a part of sunnys recovery so he can move on from itn but instead mari is just a perfect angel through all of the game who unfortunately was accidentally killed by her younger brother bc she got upset he broke his violin on purpose like any 15 year old would. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[danwhobrowses]

My Highlights of WWE Payback 2023

Yet another uneventful week from the most uneventful, unnewsworthy and uncontroversial sport on the planet...

But it's time for WWE Payback, a smaller card from WWE without Roman, Iyo, Gunther or the Women's tag champions, but a solid set of matches with a John Cena injection at least peaks some interest into the show, so let's see what we got.

Spoilers for Payback, also reminder this will only be positive highlights, because we deserve to just talk about some positive stuff in wrestling

Grayson Waller is a dick but he's got charisma, crashing the kick-off was a nice touch to build up his segment with Cody, I kinda liked how we was 'if I get punched in the face, maybe that's what I want' because yeah a heel would want a reaction

Pittsburgh Crowd is hot for Payback which is cool, I was kinda worried that Wembley would ruin crowd noises for me but I love the noise, Pittsburgh often have good crowds if I recall

Widow's Peak by Trish and Twist of Fate by Becky was a nice callback

A cage roof Tree of Woe was unique

It was a very good finish and the right woman won, props to all the women

The match aftermath too should put Zoey Stark on the right path

Knight and Cena squaring up was a nice tease

It's fucking hilarious that they had Cinnamon Toast Crunch sponsor not one, but two Rey Mysterio PPV matches XD At some point Rey's gonna be feuding with that cereal

I like the context given for Rey's gear as well, we've had a year of Heel Dominik, which also means a year of the Judgement Day laughing meme

I do like that we're carrying on with Tiffany Stratton's botch of saying Becky was a former NXT Women's champion by teasing Becky going to NXT, and honestly I think she should. She deserves to complete the grand slam set like her fellow horsewomen

Easy heat for Finn to stamp on the yellow towel things Pittsburgh likes

Owens with the Terry Funk shirt

Quick Hockey jersey costume change too was fun

The Swanton was a good spot, I feel bad for Owens' legs though he overshot it a little

Ripley with the Chyna gear sending Owens through the barricade (Barry's already dead though, Simon already killed him)

Judgement Day winning was surprising, though I don't mind them holding all the gold (meaning that Finn got his Grand Slam too; UNI, IC, US and now Unified Tag titles)

Grayson "I'm not gonna fight in front of these beautiful trees" Waller

Again, Rhea Ripley and her Chyna gear, Buddy tell us your secrets...or just me, tell me your secrets

Cena keeping Southpaw Regional Wrestling alive referencing Lance Catamaran, even the pink bow tie

Shinsuke with almost a Wrestle Kingdom-esque entrance

Muta in the crowd

Nakamura caressing Seth's lower back for the mind games

Seth almost got Montez Ford height with that Frog Splash

Conclusion Overall it was a nice show. In my honest opinion I think there was a bit of hyperbole going on, I wouldn't call any match a 5-star classic (not compared to the cage matches, texas tornado, stadium stampedes and anarchy in the arena matches we've had) but they were still really good. Some booking didn't go the way I expected them to but I'm not mad about it, though other matches did feel like they dragged, could've benefitted from having one more match on the card like Gable/Gunther or a Women's Tag Title defense. All in all it was good from WWE, and sometimes that's good enough.

Match of the Night: Gotta hand it to the Steel City Street Fight, do love me a bit of chaos and it just edges the Steel Cage match. Best Entrance: Nakamura especially with his whole comic buildup thing. Best Attire: Rhea with the Chyna homage, easy one given how Seth and Becky went tame again with the outfits. Best Performance: Give it a tie to Trish and Becky, both women had something to prove opening the show and worked hard to start strong. Spot of the Night: Owens' Swanton off the railings to Dom. He overshot it a little but it was definitely the high spot of the night.

[shadowshrike]

If anyone's been wondering where I've been, the answer is playing Baldur's Gate 3. Vague spoilers ahead for those interested in how my playthroughs went:

I just finished my second run. The first was a 'normal' run, as I would likely play at a table, with a Druid Tav being as good and moral as possible and doing no romances. My second was a power-hungry/manipulative Bard Tav where I ascended Astarion, kept Shadowheart with Shar, made Lae'zel leader of her people and indebted to me, and became the new dark lord's consort who gets anything I ask for and has Halsin as a nomadic FWB that I encouraged at every turn to hate the evils of civilization (since we'd be making ourselves rulers of it to 'punish the wicked' in a shadow tyrant sort of way).

Honestly, having done both, I enjoyed the evil path more. I played evil as not muderhobo or horny, but instead as telling people what they wanted or needed to hear to make them love me and forgive me anything. It took surprisingly little save scumming. I eventually got their approval high enough that I could do whatever I wanted in end game and they would still adore me. Heck, after I ascended Astarion with Halsin in the party, Halsin approached me the next possible night to be part of our thing. I was surprised that the majority of the choices felt evil but not 'bad', and that by the end it seemed like a satisfying, true to character ending for everyone because I had mostly not interfered with their will except where necessary for my own power (e.g. making choices for Wyll to make sure he'll be out of my way when I conquer Baldur's Gate one day, and removing the aasimar/harpers from play while still uncursing the shadow lands with Thaniel and saving the druids so the wilds are friendly to me).

To my surprise, even though I always play good characters as a default, I particularly enjoyed both Shadowheart and Astarion so much more after their evil choices. In Astarion's case in particular, I was nervous going in that I wouldn't be able to do it, but after I met the first Gur I was able to piece together a hc for who he was before he was turned (basically a racist, self-serving noble who's always looking for power and a way out of consequences for his actions) that made him both easier to manipulate and the whole thing of encouraging him to embrace power so satisfying. It put the few heart-to-hearts I got in a different light, since even the more sincere lines came across as him trying new ways to manipulate me when he briefly thought I was a bleeding heart...which I turned right back on him until we were openly scheming together to solve his problems. A match made in liar's heaven. Add in the timing of Ascension in my game, it really felt like a 'good for him, bad for the world' ending in my playthrough, which is exactly what I was going for.

Meanwhile the blind 'good' playthrough was only satisfying as far as being allowed to do good. I didn't really expect any of that good to be lasting - heck it barely lasts between acts - and the fact that any companions who changed did it only for me (note: Shadowheart left in this run) left a sour taste in my mouth because I expect them to revert or get even worse as soon as I'm out of the picture. It also felt more sad in tone since I had done as much as I could and still lost so much (I failed to find the House of Hope, so it was particularly bad) while the evil ending had me smiling the whole way through since I sacrificed pretty much nothing/no one I didn't want to and it felt like it could lead directly into a super fun evil campaign of reshaping Baldur's Gate and the surrounding wilds afterwards.

In conclusion, very very fun game that I will likely keep playing with friends, though I may gently help them find a few of the critical encounters to make sure they get the ending they'd be happiest with. I honestly have almost no narrative complaints other than the final choice before the end, which is not just unpleasant (sign me up for "You can't get everything you want without sacrifice" stories any day) but also nonsensical given the character motivations we know. Otherwise, my advice to gamers, especially if they want to do a playthrough where they try to shove aside the player-sexual implementation, sex scenes, and characters-bend-to-player-morality systems in game so it feels more like playing at a table with other "real" people, is to ignore all of social media and just have fun. There are no bad choices, just ones that some people (loudly) find more personally satisfying than others, especially when they assume the game is being played as a romance sim. Your experience in game and therefore your characters and goals will not completely match anyone else's.

Finally, if anyone wants a little character analysis from my non-murderhobo/non-sex-focused evil playthrough (since those seem to be rare atm), please comment or send me an ask. I'm happy to talk about it more!

[thatll-do]

top five favorite video game characters?

Ok, so I originally had this whole thing with pics and gifs typed out, and I was on the last sentence before posting answer when tumblr glitched out and deleted all of it. So Imma redo it and hopefully do the original draft justice, but without gifs and pics just in case that was what screwed it up

Edit: it happened a third time >:(

1: As a devout Haru stan and apologist, it pains me a little to say that I have not had the full Haru experience, having not played any of the spinoffs or supplementary material outside of Persona 5 Royal, and we are not counting the Haru that exists only in my head, which is why despite my love for her, I cannot in good conscious call her one of my favorite video game characters, yet. With that in mind, I will have to with mild begrudges have to hand it to Futaba. What can I say? I have no choice but to stan an internationally wanted hacker who is capable of shutting down governments from her phone while being incapable of calling the pizza place down the road without going into a nervous breakdown. Plus, have you seen her? She smol. Diminutive. Gremlin shaped. Perfectly scampable. Plus, I feel she provides a very welcome change of pace with her palace in the story, being the only one where the antagonist is not some overtly hostile villain being quite refreshing for when she comes into the story, with her overall arc being very satisfying to watch play out, both in the grand narrative and in her smaller personal interactions. However, I must admit I'm not overtly fond of how navigators are used in Persona games, with them feeling generally detached from the general gameplay loop of them not being active party members, but as someone who doesn't typically go for JRPG's I am totally willing to recognize this may just be a me thing and that my sensibilities might not quite line up with how these things typically go

2: Surprise motherfucker! Nobody expects Wheatley! Which is a shame, because he's great, but it's understandable. On the one hand, you have GLaDOS, who was scientifically engineered to be fucking hilarious at every possible moment. And then in the other corner you have Chell, a fine self insert to insert your sense of self into, who shoots things when you tell her to. But people often overlook this little metal ball of idiocy, and what he brings to the table. First, he brings a very different kind of humor to the table that I think tends to go a bit underappreciated by the audience, and I'm not just talking about the slapstick and general incompetency, although that is also top notch. Honestly, just his inane ramblings are fucking comedy gold on their own that I could listen to for hours. He's also surprisingly arguably a more effective antagonist than GLaDOS. I went into Portal 2 almost completely blind, and while GLaDOS's insults were funny, they never really like stung or anything. There wasn't any real substance to it, it was just a one-sided hatred from my perspective. But Wheatley? When he did his heel-turn, I was in active shock. It took me several seconds to fully process what the fuck had just occurred. Unlike GLaDOS, there was a genuine bond formed, and breaking that opened so many doors despite slamming my fingers in them. And highlights what he does incredibly well. He brings a certain element of chaos and danger that GLaDOS could never have due to the fact that she has a functional sense of self preservation. With GLaDOS, you know what you're in for. She's gonna try to kill you, but she's gonna do it through elaborate traps and her patent pending Aperture Science Testing Chambers, but never directly, and she sticks to those rules. She is bound to them, and because of that you can plan around them and monkey your way out of it. But Wheatley? Wheatley in charge of Aperture is like a ticking time bomb without the watch. He doesn't even know what the rules are, otherwise he wouldn't mash two testing tracks together like a four-year-old smashing two lego master-builder sets together and almost accidentally killing you in the process.

3: Madeline, from Celeste. She is trans and I can project myself onto that

Not much else to say, really

4: Nope, you're not getting off that easy. The actual thing about Maddy is that, genderisms aside, I don't think I've ever felt quite as seen as I have with her. Celeste, by all accounts, is a very simple game. Both in terms of story and mechanics. The story is you climb a magical mountain in Canada, and the mechanics are run, jump, and climb. But it's how these two interplay to put you in the mindset of her, how anxiety hounds you, how it unnerves and undermines you, getting you stuck doing the same things making the same mistakes over and over again, is where Madeline really strikes a chord with me. And the game really doesn't shy away from how "tricks" and coping techniques can help but they're not a cure-all, they don't always work. Your fears and worries will break through, and you can try to ignore them, or leave them behind entirely, but you really can't. The only way to deal with them is to accept them for what they are, that they're just a part of you but you nonetheless and need to work with them. Her frankly snippy personality is also appreciated, because like, while it's not the nicest thing it's refreshing to see someone who's kinda just really tired of people act on that annoyance even if it's not strictly other people's fault for setting it off. And also her being trans just really brings it in for me

Actual number 4: This may be because I'm a horny shill, or maybe because I would prefer to liken myself as something of a philosopher, but I find myself drawn to 2B and her plights and think that the world of Nier:Automata provides some of the most profound and insightful moments modern gaming can offer. She's something of a stoic hardass, meant to be unfeeling of the world around her but still taking note of the absurdity of it all and sometimes going along with the unexpected asides from the farce she finds herself in. For all intents and purposes, she's just a cog in the machine, just a perfect mindless unthinking AI soldier in a proxy war with machine enemies that has spanned millennia. But as much as she plays the part, she can't help but display an overt world-weary awareness of her role that she's lived and relived time and time again. It may be only displayed subtly most of the time, but those tinges in her interactions quickly bleed out once you get a fuller picture of the story at hand.

5: Ok, as tempted as I was to put a FromSoft character here, even I have to admit that I find their interactable NPC's rather lacking. And while I like a fair amount of them, I would never call them my top of the list favorites. Instead, I'll go with my favorite companion who is trapped in one of my least favorite games, Curie from Fallout 4. I'll try to keep this spoiler free since I think you've been playing it and I don't wanna ruin anything for you, but simply put Curie is a sweetheart. You find her long abandoned in what was one of the most monstrous vaults designed, made purely to violate every medical ethics code in the book, but she spends her days toiling away trying to create medicines instead. After nearly 200 years alone, she's eager to explore the world, and she just has this bright-eyed curiosity about the wasteland that's rather infectious. Where most people see ruins and decay, she sees resilience and life persisting, and that kind of optimism in such a jaded setting hits like a hot shower after a filthy day outside. She's not terribly complicated, but she doesn't need to be

[pbandjesse]

I am feeling pretty good right now but I was kind of a mess today. I'm really glad I didn't take that extra shift. I slept most of the day. But there were good parts. It wasn't a horrible day.

I slept okay last night. But getting up was hard. I had to get up and take James to the dentist. Which is fine. I didn't want much for breakfast. So I had a cupcake. I really liked my outfit. I was feeling good. But I was tired.

We got over to the rotunda and I was afraid of James being late so I dropped them off and went to find a parking spot. But it didn't take long. And I met them in the waiting room.

James got X-rays and a cancer screening and I made a grocery list for us.

I felt like they were back there for a while so I just scrolled on my phone until they were done.

I wasn't having a great time though. I didn't feel good. I was exhausted and I wanted so desperately it go home. I didn't want to talk. I barely wanted to smile. I felt so miserable, and miserable to be around.

But we went and got groceries. And I tried to get actual foods and things that weren't just snacks. And I picked up a frozen pizza for us to have for lunch. It's frustrating how expensive frozen pizzas have gotten. They are basically eh same price at a pizza shop. So a $5 one wasn't to bad.

We have a pretty good system right now of James putting everything on the belt and I bag them. I don't bag them in any order, just for speed and not breaking or squishing anything. I just wanted to go home.

And soon we would. I would not fall asleep right away. We parked and got everything inside. James put everything away. I took my overall dress off and laid in bed. But I would just work on stuff on my phone. Miserable. But I wouldn't sleep.

I did some research for our honeymoon. Packing lists and things to remember. I went on a cruise when I was 16. And I loved it and I'm very excited to go but I also want to do it as good as possible. Like I don't want to end up with something going poorly or needing something. So I'm trying to be very smart. A list is always helpful for me. Me and James talked about doing s run through so we can figure out who's going to put what in each bag. I personally love packing so this is just a fun game for me too.

James made us the frozen pizza. And I really enjoyed it. I just laid in bed though for a long time. I did some research on shoes. I know I have a bunch of shoes and have gotten rid of a lot. But my feet hurt so bad these days I am trying very hard to find a solution. And I had some coupons and deals through my credit card and PayPal. And it took all day but I have found a pair of sketchers that I think will be great and I got more then half off and free shipping. Fingers crossed they fix my whole life.

I would fall asleep eventually and I slept hard. I do remember James sitting in my feet at one point. I always sleep side ways when I nap. But I fell asleep pretty quickly after that.

I woke up at 5. And wasn't feeling great. But it was fine. I would lay there for a few minutes before I got up and washed my face.

I redid my makeup and got dressed for the BMI party. I was not thrilled but I knew I would have fun.

And I did! It was a fun night. I played blackjack, which I always enjoy. James ran the bingo and made everyone laugh with their great bits. Jessica said that it always surprises her when she meets people, like me or Jack, and she's sure we are the outgoing ones, and then she meets our partners and they are the biggest personalities. Honestly seeing James do things like that make me love them more.

We help Angie with moving some stuff. And then I got to play at a table and won a bottle of mead. Then I won 3rd place in the chocolate competition! I was so excited. And I won a round a bingo! I had such a fun time. I also had fun talking to coworkers and their partners and people in the offices. I can't believe how big Jessica's baby, Sophia, is getting. She super cute.

I have been asked to look into how we could do a painted screen workshop. So I will start work on that this week. I have two screens in our apartment that come out of the windows so maybe I'll play around with that. It's such a Baltimore thing that I think it would be really fun. Plus I can talk about the history of acrylic paint which I think is super interesting!

We helped clean up at the end of the night. And Becca helped us carry out prizes to the car. I gave her some chocolate covered cherries to say thank you. And the we were off.

We got home in one piece but it was really hard to find somewhere to park for some reason. So we had to park across the street on eutaw which I didn't love but whatever. I just like to be able to see our car from the apartment but whatever. Can't always get what you want.

When we got back here we fed all the pets. I took a shower. James is really sore so I am really glad we are taking them to the surgeon tomorrow. We also have some chores outside the house. Like washing a whole bunch of our blankets. It'll be a busy day.

I hope I feel better tomorrow though. I hope you all sleep great. Be kind to yourself. Goodnight!

[ciarashoggoth]

A Report! From Inside The Walls of Mallmart

He looks up to the ceiling as if he can see through it into the stars. His palms outstretched on either side, inviting any spirits to join them. This of course, was an act. He was not channeling spirits, and he was not communicating with the dead in any way. That didn't stop his clients from believing what they already wanted to believe though. In truth, he still doesn't understand why whenever someone comes to him asking for a higher power's help, they seem so often to get the very thing they had asked for. Maybe it's all just a game of chance or maybe there is some higher power out there that he is not privy to. Whatever it is though, it always seems to leave their eyes cold and dead, and they never leave this little town in the middle of nowhere that he calls home. Maybe he's just a lucky person who is spreading his luck to others, in fact- maybe he's a god. With that thought his eyes flick back down to the lady sitting across the table from him, clutching her worn leather purse in her hands in vice grip. He exhales a long, hissing sigh.

Because this is the story of a Mallmart Associate.

What do I remember after Hemi passed away? Well, I remember eating a lot after the shock wore off. I remember going online to spam my friends with all my distressing feelings, thinking if I just got them out of me I wouldn't have to sit with them and allow myself to be uncomfortable. I began to wonder if they ever got sick of having to come to my rescue whenever I was having a bad day, and eventually I stopped writing. 

I believe that night was when I decided to try out eel for the first time. Everyone kept saying it was rich in flavor and that I would just love it, so of course I tried it late in the night, sitting in front of my tv in a catatonic state. Legally Blonde became background noise as I sat in quiet contemplation, right up until it was time to head to work.

Getting back into the swing of working was surprisingly easy. I suppose it's just like learning to ride a bike; you never forget. The rattling of the thing that lives in the pipes, the creaks and groans of the moving shelves- these are all a new normal that the associates of Mallmart have been accustomed to. It was the social aspect I wasn't ready for. Some things you may already know;

I'm not very popular among the stocking team. I can be a bit of a micromanager, and my anal retentive personality can get on others nerves pretty quickly. Leah in particular seemed to dislike me because of this, but I had trouble understanding why. What had I done that was so bad? 

I'm not going to go far into how we got into an argument that afternoon, the whole thing was honestly a mess that started from a strange story a coworker was telling, one that I wasn't involved in, and then Leah went on to make a comment, insulting both me and my cat- my cat who had just passed away recently, in the process. "You can hate me as much as you want, but keep Hemi the fuck out of it," She was surprised by my outburst and hell- I was too. She shrunk back in fear, seeming a bit ashamed of herself but then I added on, "Are you really that small of a person?!" And then, as if my words had alit some new rage that had been lying dormant, she came back at me with renewed fire.

 "At first I thought you were getting special treatment from the higher ups by the way you just go along with whatever management says, but now I realize exactly what your problem is- you're a bootlicking idiot! You're off in your own little world, being a yes man- how the fuck can you be so naive to think they will ever, ever promote you to team lead? You may be good at your job, but no one will ever take you seriously, your blind optimism fucking disgusts me-"

"What else do I even have left to do?!" I yelled, foolishly ignoring the heat rising in the back rooms and the saliva pooling in my mouth. "I need this job, okay? I need money for Jenna and the baby and hell- I was hoping I'd at least make some friends since I don't know anybody in Niceville but fuck me, right? I'm so naive and stupid, right?" Leah goes to say something, something about how I make her feel guilty for hating me since I look like I don't even know what a tool I'm being, something about how I make everyone look bad by reaching the unrealistic expectations management has for us, something about how some of them aren't willing to completely break their bodies for this job like I am.

Some of these things might've reached me and made me reevaluate had it been in another scenario. 

Instead I abruptly pitched forwards and belched up a  vile mixture of vending machine soda and low tide on the floor between us and by extension, her shoes. As Leah screeched, I stared in wide eyed shock at the inky concoction that swirled on the ground, and slowly looked back up at Leah's expression of complete revulsion. 

"Would you like to round up to donate to St.Jude's children's hospital?" The cashier asks as Leah and I awkwardly stand in line, shoulder to shoulder. "Uh, yes please…" I mumble as I hand Leah the new shoes. "...Leah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't." Her voice is short and clipped with the sound of a warning on her tongue. I watch as she pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to rub the exasperation on her face. Maybe it's just a lost cause. Clearly I screwed up something along the way, I was just going to have to accept that we would never be friends- but just as I was off in my head thinking all this, something interesting happened. Leah apologized to me. She said she hadn't realized how bad her words were affecting me until today and that she'll try to ease up on me from now on. I apologized too for being too pushy about our deadlines. We agreed that something needed to change and that while we didn't need to like each other, we needed to at least get along. We shook on it, and I know I'm going to hold up my end of the deal. I have faith she will as well. 

[survivor-north-sea]

Episode Eight: "May the odds be with me or not" - Esteban

Champagne

Ooooffff that tribal yikes, I’m really upset Brandi left bc I loved her but Bethany is always gonna be my true alliance and I never wanted to vote against my majority alliance but at least I made a power move🤪

Jayjay

*gasping for air* 👀 👀 👀 👀

Tyler Frazier

We just merged and guess what…I’m in an awful position! But that’s nothing new I’ve been in the same spot the entire game. I’m not on the bottom of one alliance I am on the bottom of 2! Actually I’m in neither of the majority alliances so that’s great! Plus I burned Raffy at the last tribal so I would not be shocked if he comes for me at this upcoming vote 🥰

Jayjay

Well that was a WILD tribal council. I didn’t think that a tromoya would flip right before merge but I’m not completely surprised. All I’m trying to figure out now is if my gut keeps telling me I’m Right about Raffy then it was him although I want so badly to be able to trust him! And if it was Brandi I’m glad she is gone. However my gut is really not letting me just go with the obvious and I’m thinking Champ or Raffy flipped. So either Champ is lying to Hairie and I and playing us. OR Raffy is really great at putting on a whole show and making us believe him to cover up his tracks. Either way I’m wary of both and only trust Hairie at this point.! On the bright side…. I made it to merge!!!! 🙏🏻🥹 🎉

Trinica

I picked the merge tribe name, another Survivor bucket list item crossed off! Tromoya's tribal was WILD and idk if it's my ADHD ass but I can't make head nor tails of what exactly happened or who's on whose side, so I'm excited to get the rundown from Bethany tomorrow. It seems like Raffy's in his feelings about folks not voting for Bethany and claimed he would flip at merge if they want to rocks, which is giving emotional player, which always makes me nervous. I like predictability and logic! But it is fun to watch, at least. Raffy actually seems really cool, I'd love to work with him. I just don't know if I could trust him.

I reached out to Tyler because Raffy shut him down with the QUICKNESS at tribal with his "I wasn't talking to you." It's the most Tyler's talked to me all game lol. I'm shocked that he stuck with Bethany and didn't flip, I apologize for saying there was no way he didn't immediately flip.

I'm honestly just exhausted today, I'm getting sick and just don't have energy to have multiple conversations AND work on this damn immunity challenge. I think I've already lost it to Raffy but I'm going to try my hardest because I wouldn't be surprised if AJ or I got targeted.

Hairie

This one is gonna be a STORY.

We lost the challenge and headed to tribal. I honestly didn't want Bethany to go and told her if she can get votes for Tyler we can push it through.

Being in a different timezone and all I was scared to go to sleep because I didn't want to miss out on strategising while the rest are up since its daytime for them but me knocking out minutes after !!!

An hour before tribal, I found out that my name is going around and for that reason I didn't want to sleep but didn't want to waste any more time so I got to scrambling and immediately told Jay I'll be 50/50 playing the idol tonight.

Come tribal .. It was a 4 votes Bethany and 4 votes for me and at this point I was internally screaming that I should have played the idol. Trusting the people that I stuck out for and a pretty insane tribal at that, the votes stayed the same after revoting and calling out each other and drawing the alliance lines right there and then, it was rocks. There seems to be a plan to go to rocks and in my head at this time was yelling Brandi flipped internally ( I could be wrong) but that was my judgement then. Rocks came and Brandi went home and if she did flipped, the rocks went our way and I still get to keep my idol.

I don't know who or how or when my name is being thrown around about me having an idol. I didn't have it only until recently at the market and that was by chance because Raffy didn't want the sweater.

Also kinda shocked Esteban called me out about not wanting to get to know him but I'm pretty sure I did though but all is good on that because it could be just how we interpreted the messages.

First individual immunity challenge was ... A LOT again screaming internally. (Takes a sip of coconut juice).

I was actually pretty shocked I found the first page pretty quick like I did 200-400 and then 111-199 then 900-999 and finally decided to go in the middle with 600 ... 617 Kaboom if I didn't had to prepare for work I would probably have located it in under an hour.

I screamed so many times during this challenge "Winterbell" "agar.io" and "2048" but the most difficult for me was the jigsaw puzzle , took me nearly 2 hours and then around 1 hour++ I checked back the Tumblr post and notice the image was right there smack in my face all this time MY GOODNESS.

Challenge made me feel all sorts of things > laugh, cry, scream, angry, frustrated but glad that it was over.

Getting to know the remaining casts as well and I like Trinica. Been getting to know a lot about her and some truths about Hidra and past tribal councils. She even gifted me a 10% advantage when she bought bread at the market. I do believe in good gestures and we can work together to vote out our targets if they don't win immunity.

and that's the tea from Hairie ~

AJ

So much has happened recently, it's super insane. Got my first tribal shoutout, ayyyyy. Seems like for the most part Raffy and Hairie want to work with me though so I'm not too worried about that all things considered. It seems like I could actually win this individual immunity, trying not to get my hopes up too high, better confessional will be up soonTyler FrazierTbh winning just is not my vibe this game. Like it’s just really not gonna happen. But that is okay! Here for a good time not a long one ig

Arvin Bentonon

1 hour left and I didn't even started the challenge. Huhu

Trinica

ESTEBAN!!!!! YOU LITTLE SNAKE!!!!!!! Miss me with the apology tour bullshit if you're going to turn around and tell Toni you're only apologizing to get me as a number and pick me off later! I keep thinking maybe he's changing his tune. But nope. an apology call after each backstab is smart gameplay, but only the first time my friend.

I want him O U T. But I'm about to play his game lol because I do need his vote at least for this first tribal. Tromoya might just win this because Hidra cannibalizes itself.

Raffy

Welp its been a fun ride, but I'm going home soon. No point in fighting the inevitable at this point lol. There really is no chance for this cocky bitch to win lmao. Everyone has already decided who I am for me. Can't change their opinions now.

Arvin Bentonon

Now, I really need to step up my game. This will serve as a wake up call for me to not take for granted individual immunities. I'm gonna fight til the end.

Trinica

I hope nobody is paying too much attention to the touchy subjects results because...it could kind of blow up my game. Not me getting 2 votes for closest ally!! I'm assuming it's Jinx and Toni BUT it's awkward because I didn't put either of them, and nobody put Toni. I think I can convince Jinx I put her if necessary, but I worry Toni will start feeling insecure in the vecepia alliance.

I also got a vote for who has an idol and who will win if they're not voted out , I honestly feel like both of those came from AJ because I voted her for both categories as well. We're playing Rusdian Roulette with this alliance (is that the right metaphor?)

Thankfully, she has 5 other people who think she's playing too hard. I think that result is what will pull attention, hopefully. Using AJ as a shield has always been the game plan, but she's making herself TOO much of a target at the moment.

Tyler Frazier

Raffy and Hairie are running a smear campaign on Esteban and I currently and Bethany is trying to defend us. Hope she does good work like the girlboss she is. However for me it’s just a bit odd for Hairie and Raffy to try and come for Esteban and I because what’s their argument? We know about the non mens alliance from them? They didn’t do whatever we wanted? We quite literally saved someone in their alliance when Bethany could have been a easy vote and would have made the merge a lot less messy. I hope that the 4 of them can see that and side with us and when it comes time to talk game I’m gonna make that clear to them aswell.

Esteban

First of all, my sincerity apology for not being able to play the challenge. It has been a long day. I hope this will not happen again (fingers cross)

So, Tony called me and told me about Raffy calling out my name and Tyler’s name. And it was confirmed by Bethany that Raffy really started to pulling the girls on his side. (Which I respect). But we will not backdown on this battle. I started talking to the HIDRA girls with exception of Jinx yet (as she might not available or just don’t wanna talk to me yet) and come clear and accepted my fault of calling their alliance out. I hope that would help. And I voting with Bethany should be a testimony that i wanna still work with them again until near end.

I hope with the backing of Toni and bethany that I will survive yet another tribal. But if not then no regrets, i played with my best and satisfied. Period. :)

And oh yes. Raffy started the war. So the only thing to do is to end it. May the odds be with me or not. :)

Jinx

merge jinxcast 🫶🏽💕 “i know i’m playing like a villain but i have a hero’s heart” https://voca.ro/1hdoVXSHz6HJ

i talk about where i’ve been, where i’m going, what weighs heavy and what could be better than i could even imagine. who i’ll be at the end of this journey and what does it mean to truly want something for yourself?

Toni

Theme: Struggle life.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that this has been a relatively game for most of the returnees but the way my anxiety is set up. I’m anxious every tribal even though my name isn’t up.

I’m also currently on holiday with the family. So struggle life trying to participate.

Signing off struggling.

Trinica

It's possible I'm being blindsided but I really think I'm running this vote. Raffy seems to trust me, Hairie and Arvin put me into a chat together and seem to trust me, Esteban thinks I've bought his BS (unless Bethany told him otherwise). I told Raffy Esteban's saying his name, I told Esteban Raffy's saying he's spreading my name around. I suggested to both we vote for JayJay to flush out the idol that the other might have. It's just beautiful. Everything is working according to plan.

JayJay is a boring vote but one that will cement Hidra in the majority without me having to sacrifice these new alliances.

My only worry is Bethany, who I think at this point is much more aligned with Tyler and Esteban than she ever was with us. I don't trust her at all.

Raffy

The strategy this round has been kind of crazy. I’ve basically given myself over to AJ and Trinica. I have made it very clear and explicit to a few people that I want Esteban to be taken out of this game. I want him gone because I just don’t know if I can ever really trust him at this point. He’s a person who smiles to your face while they’re stabbing you in the back. I believe he never really had any intention in working with me. Also it’s interesting hearing AJ’s side of the story as it makes Esteban out to be the person who overplayed. Anyways, I want him gone. Trinica was very receptive at first, but idol paranoia is at an all time high. She wants to flush any idols Esteban may have so she suggested that we actually vote for JayJay so that he doesn’t see it coming. I feel bad because I know JayJay hasn’t been feeling well and I don’t want to seem like I’m betraying old Tromoya. However, Trinica also told me that JayJay told Bethany that I have an idol. That’s definitely suspicious. If whoever voted with Bethany last tribal wanted Tromoya never to work together or wanted us to take each other out because of paranoia, it worked. Because all last tribal managed to do was give Hidra numbers, Bethany power in this game, and Tromoya to not be unified coming into merge. Congrats to those people. So I’m very hesitant to trust that JayJay didn’t vote for Hairie. Especially considering that she was expressing extreme hesitance in voting for Bethany. I don’t who to trust anymore. I just want Esteban out of this game. I don’t know if I’ll use my idol because maybe I won’t even need it to succeed and will need it later. But, how can I trust anyone if they all just think im the biggest threat. This game is too hard. If only we could go back to the OG plan of voting Esteban

Tyler Frazier

I just felt like I should give a confessional but I honestly don’t know what to say because every plan I’ve been told makes absolutely no sense and nobody cares enough about me to actually ask and or consider how I think the vote should go. Tempted to take a nap and wake up before tribal and just ask who I’m supposed to vote.

-

Honestly I think this round alone makes survivor Gabon look like a master class in gameplay bc we are all just collectively as a cast not slaying gameplay wise. At least we aren’t a boring cast though!

Trinica

Jinx I am begging you.....I am BEGGING YOU............please stop throwing wrenches in the voting plan 3 hours before tribal. PLEASE

Bethany

okay honestly this round is the biggest hot mess i have ever seen in my entire life.

first off all - i fucking slayed that challenge so hard and for what??? i could have taken a nap in the middle of it and still won. literally slackers :yawn: can't wait to be targeted next round for being an immunity threat <33

second of all - WHY DO PEOPLE IN PINK VENOM STILL THINK THERE IS ANY SEMBLANCE OF SECRET ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE????????? it literally could not possibly be more exposed and it is so irritating trying to work around these random nonsense split vote plans

third of all - champ is such an annoying ally this game i seriously can't with her much longer. she is MIA 24/7, does not advocate for tyler and i in any way, has no clue what is going on, and overall is just not someone i want to work with at this point!! i think she would honestly be in a much better position if she had committed to flipping to us and not having all of us lie and pretend its BRANDI WHO LITERALLY SAID SHE DID NOT FLIP it is the most unbelievable story ever and irritating because like ..... what is the point???

at this point i want to be voted off before ftc because i can't even explain any of this. it is so messy for no reason. also not a fan of pink venom all being so buddy buddy with raffy all of a sudden! it's really pissing me off when the entire reason i was targeted was because god forbid i worked with them again come merge and now that is exactly what raffy is doing here! glad to know it's cool for him but not me! KASJDF;LKDJSFKDSAFJKLDSAJF i can't i can't i can't not a single soul is playing this round well except maybe arvin because that man has said not a peep and that's smart as fuck like you go little goat give us nothing!!! it's better than the rest of this!!

-

Champ acting like we can orchestrate an entire vote with only 3 of us 90 minutes before tribal <33 ma'am.

-

vibes of everyone this tribal:

AJ/Trinica - proposing crazy splits that don't add up mathematically, in denial about pink venom being a secret Toni - just vibes Arvin - who? Champ/Jayjay - clueless era Esteban - paranoid Hairie - no idea Jinx - in love with raffy Raffy - controlling everyone because they are sheep who believe anything they hear, king who needs to be taken out Tyler/I - lord help us

Tyler Frazier

I have had to take Tylenol two times today from the headaches I’ve gotten trying to figure out what’s happening tonight. Anyways I’ll be back when I know who I’m supposed to vote and I’ll probably still be confused and or annoyed

Bethany

not trinica calling an alliance with AJ in it the “non-chaotic” players

Tyler Frazier

I’m gonna vote for Hairie bc that’s what I was told but apparently that’s not the real plan. Or it is. Who knows? Not me Esteban or Bethany

Hairie

Sleeping and waking up to last minute scrambling again. Turns out it was me and wrong to trust Trinica and a few others. Going out with the cutest outfit ever and first member of the Jury. I'm rooting for Raffy Jayjay or Trinica to win.

[venomous--fics]

Anon Requested: Think we could get a scenario with like venom being bonded to you for like a day and just like fluffy stuff if it’s possible thanks.

A/N: Day 7 of the Venom event!!! This is honestly a lot of fun and also challenging! But I like doing it!

You sat on the living room floor, practicing your food tossing skills with Venom. Of course, no matter how awful your throw was, or how far you threw it, he always caught it. You were still surprised that you'd been left with him for a day.

"We should do something." you said, laying flat on the floor.

"Like what?" Venom asked, "Eddie told us to not get into trouble."

"There's plenty to do that won't cause trouble."

You and the symbiote hummed in unison as you two tried to think of anything that could possible pass the time. Seconds turned into minutes. There was absolutely nothing really new or exciting to do in San Francisco anymore. You three have done it all. Bake, play board games, movies, try cotton candy, so on and so forth. There was absolutely nothing that could entertain you now.

"We could go out for lunch."

Venom looked a bit worried, "The last time I went to a solo lunch with anyone, Eddie wound up in a lobster tank."

"We could go the the beach and lay in the sun."

"But it's cloudy today."

You sprawled out on the floor, almost as if your limbs and body melted into a small puddle. You let out a loud groan, "I got nothing, V. I'm sorry."

The symbiote seemed to melt on the floor beside you. And just like that, everything was quiet as you stared at the ceiling. Blindly, you reached up towards the coffee table and began tapping around for the tv remote. Venom used a tendril to swipe it onto the floor for you. Silently you thanked him by petting him like he was some ordinary dog before you picked up the remote and turned on the tv.

Now began the channel surfing. If only the sun was out, you could go real surfing.

"Change the channel," Venom said as he forcefully tore open a bag of potato chips, "I am behind a whole season, so...Spoilers."

"You watch telenovelas?"

"I have hobbies outside crime fighting, Y/n."

"I'm- I just never pegged you as like...The type to get into any show."

"I am full of surprises."

You two decided on How it's Made. Venom didn't really get the appeal at first, but after spending 30 minutes being shown how a canoe was made, he's hooked. Of course, there still wasn't much to do, and you were certain your attention span would wear thin after a while.

"You ever done a cartwheel?" you asked, digging another chip out of the bag.

"No."

"You want to?"

You didn't give him a chance to answer before you stood up and walked over to an open area towards the back of the apartment. Venom was confused. Was this a fighting move?

You did a rather slow cartwheel, explaining the moves to him, so maybe that way he could do it himself.

"Ooh! Or there's a handstand!"

You carefully balanced yourself on your hands and began walking around, earning a chuckle for Venom. That was a first. You were caught off guard and you immediately rolled over and propped yourself on your elbows, "You laughed!"

"Yes, because that's ridiculous. Why would I do that."

"Because it's fun."

"Fine, that might be fun for you, but you wanna see what I think is fun?"

You nodded like an excited child, and allowed Venom to take control of your limbs. He walked you over to a wall and placed your hands on it. Up and up and up they went until you were crawling up the wall like a spider. This felt like getting that one present you wanted on Christmas morning.

You were now on the ceiling and seeing the world upside down was the best thing ever. You could get used to this.

"This is so much better." you said, "I wouldn't mind hanging up here for the rest of the day."

Venom used a few tendrils to dig through the kitchen for some more snacks. He also went out of his way to get you a drink, not because he cared, but because he thought it'd be funny to see you try to drink it.

That failed horribly, of course, with the cup shattering on the floor. It was hilarious, yes, but you knew Eddie wouldn't find that as funny as you two did.

Soon enough, a contest started between you two. With Venoms assistance, you dangled above the coffee table and the two of you did your best to try and stack marshmallows. You were a cheater who would lick them to get them to stick together. The goal was to be the first person to get your stack to the ceiling, or, be the last remaining tower.

"I win!" you cheered, sticking the last marshmallow between another one and the ceiling.

"Impressive, but what if I did this."

Venom swiped a tendril and sent all your marshmallows flying. Some stuck to the windows and some rolled under the fridge, never to be seen or thought of again. Offended and in disbelief, you began pelting the symbiote with the leftovers from the bag.

"Whose the loser now?" He smirked.

"Still technically you!"

You swiped your hand in retaliation and knocked his stack over, sending some magazines with it. Venom was more enthralled with this mischief than anything you two had previously been doing. His next attack was getting the flour out of the freezer and dumping it on you. A good portion of the living room was now coated in the stuff and you were positive that it would never be perfectly clean again.

You wiped a clump of flour off of your face and threw it at Venom, hitting him square in the face. You pointed and laughed, and now he'd taken it personally. He had manned himself with the ketchup and you yelped in surprised, covering your face, "This is Eddie's favorite shirt! You wouldn't dare!"

"Apologize and I'll reconsider."

You squinted at him, "You started it."

"Apology not accepted."

In the flash on an eye, half of your body had ketchup on it.

"Oh gross!" you cringed, "It's so cold!"

Venom flung you onto the couch, laughing loudly as he did so.

You were having the time of your life right now. You hopped off the couch and raced to the fridge, pulling out the eggs, laughing twice as manically as he just was. Oh, it was in this moment that Venom had fallen in love. You were a force to be reckoned with.

You hurled a couple in his direction, snickering wildly when you missed. Soon, you two had managed to get several food items involved, Venom's favorite being the leftover pancakes from yesterday's breakfast. Most of them were now stuck to the ceiling or to the walls. You stayed with your tried and true eggs, however.

You were prepping another egg for take off when the door opened. You looked at Venom with wide eyes and he returned the glance. As the door opened, the egg in your hand rolled onto the floor, cracking and splattering.

"I'm ho- Oh my god!"

You dropped the rest of the carton on the floor and slowly turned to look at Eddie, who looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

"Hi, Eddie." You said softly, "How was work..?"

Eddie just looked around at the absolute disaster area that was once the apartment. He wasn't mad, just in shock.

"I leave you two alone for a few hours and you trash the place?"

You and Venom stood by one another, looking at the floor like children who had just gotten in trouble.

"Sorry, Eddie." You both said sweetly.

"It was his fault." You muttered, "He started it."

"Me?!" Venom said loudly, "You're right, but I won't let you say it."

You two started bickering, and Eddie pinched the bridge of his nose. What was he supposed to do in this situation? Take away the alien? Because that seemed crazy to even think, but then he understood that Venom would be HIS problem again.

The arguing stopped when you heard the distinct plop of a pancake coming off of the ceiling. It landed on Eddie's head, and you and Venom tried so hard to not make a peep.

"I- I think..." You covered your mouth, "I think there's something on your head."

"I think," Eddie sighed, "I think I'm going to go to bed early."