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#i just needed something because i'm about to not be home until after the deadline
akirakirxaa · 1 year
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FFXIVWrite Prompt 29: Contravention
Rating: G
Word Count: 262
Warnings: None
Summary: Persephone needs something and she needs Hythlodaeus' help to get it. [This is so bad and it's not canon to anything because I hate how it turned out so just bear with me I just needed the credit for the prompt.]
Master Post
Hythlodaeus was looking over some concepts when he heard a knock at the door. Setting aside the papers, he called for the visitor to enter, and was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the current Azem, Persephone, poking her head in with a somewhat impish grin.
“Seph!” he greeted with a familiar warmth; he didn’t share his office, so no decorum needed to be observed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I was hoping you could help me find a concept? I need it for some…work I’m doing,” she slid a paper across the desk detailing her request. He glanced over it, eyes widening.
“Persephone, this—“
“I know, I know, but please, you know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important!”
“This could lose me my job,” he sighed, leveling her with a weary look.
“No one will know!” she insisted. “It’ll be back before anyone notices.”
“Hades will find out within the hour, I guarantee it.”
“He would never do anything to harm you,” she removed her mask to better leverage her pleading gaze. “Besides, he’ll be more mad at me than anyone else. Please?” They stared each other down for several moments before Hythlodaeus wrote something on the paper and slid it back.
“Do try not to make too much of a mess with it,” he couldn’t hide the tiny smirk, and she danced across the room to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you, love!” she snagged the paper with the location of the concept, Ifrita, written on it and scampered out of the room.
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mskenway97 · 8 months
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I had this in mind for some time and some ideas made me think about this story. It takes place during the course of the 'Alpha/Omega' episode of transformers prime after Optimus lost the Star Saber.
Tfp Optimus Prime x Fem!human!reader
I will stay
Words: 1,576
Summary: You haven't heard from your guardian for days, when you got the news from Jack that a new weapon had been discovered. You decided to stop by to see why he wasn't talking to you like before to discover a side of him you didn't know.
Warning: angst, sorrow, g/t content, g/t confort fluff
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You knew something wasn't right, ever since he came back with his memory restored. Something was keeping you upset, you felt that he had put up a wall that you couldn't get through. That didn't happen before. You met him by chance bad timing, a detour home several Vehicons and a big robot of almost 30 ft. Since then he had taken care of you, as Ratchet refused to be the guardian, plus you were older than the children on the base to your surprise. You befriended them, but you were always intrigued by Prime, and little by little you were able to talk about various things. Seeing what caught his attention… Apart from the popular culture books of Earth and what I was dedicated to. Partly little by little you began to fall in love with this metallic giant, his kindness, his concern, his dedication to the Earth. To feel safe among his servos, or to sit on his shoulder while he worked, little details that mattered a lot to you. But at the same time they made you feel helpless, helping Miko and Raf was easy. Engaging Ratchet in conversation was a challenge. Understanding Bumblebee was a challenge. But you tried because you wanted to get to know them better. Everything started to change since Unicron showed up, the day Optimus left… Those were the worst days for you, you didn't know how much you needed him… the sound of his voice, the touch of his finger when he stroked your hair…
He came back to you but interactions started to be more limited, he would pick you up from work: Arcee or Bulkhead. Only Ratchet stayed at the base…. That made you feel partly miserable, you knew he had great work, great responsibility but at the same time you wanted to help him. That he just didn't show that stoic side to all the people. But you were only a small human, between a war of enormous titans. You could only stand by and watch, you wished you could do more, could help more. But you were just an ant in comparison…. You wished at least to see him smile, at least just once… If only you could comfort him, do something. You would do anything. This was eating you up more and more. Until the deadline came when Jack started telling you about a new weapon the autobots had found: Star Saber, it seemed they had an advantage to win, at least something that looked like they would win the war once and for all. That day you left work late at night, but you knew Optimus would be at the base, so you called Ratchet for a groundbridge. You watched with all the joy in the world. Until you saw Ratchet's long faces, the others were patrolling. You didn't understand what was going on until you saw a weapon completely destroyed.
-Ratchet, what happened? - you asked as you climbed the stairs. Ratchet sighed as he looked at the command center - Star Saber was destroyed, Megatron found a way to create his own Star Saber with Dark Energon.
-How is this possible? Solus Prime's forge can only be used by one.
-Megatron found a way… Optimus fought against him, with some injury but he will be
-Damage?! - you said as Ratchet tried to calm you down.
-He's fine. You should go home… Something in you jumped, you were sick of having to leave, of having to be pulled back - No, not this time. I'm going to talk to him. Don't even think of stopping me - you said seriously as you walked down the hallway without listening to Ratchet's words to reason with you. You moved quickly down the long hallway to get to Optimus' room, you didn't think, you acted on pure instinct and emotion. You wanted to know how he was doing, he didn't care if he tried to kick you out, he wasn't going to back down too. you weren't going to leave him behind, you weren't going to give up anymore. You tried knocking on the huge door to see that it wasn't locked, which surprised you since Optimus was always careful with his room and his secrets. He hadn't let you in either due to various reasons that the autobot leader always made an excuse for. Then you walked in to see around a room that had a huge desk, next to a bed, what appeared to be a pile of datapads on the desk table. You stood admiring the place, as you looked like a little doll or toy as you walked around. The door behind you closed, you jumped in fright. Then you saw Optimus, he seemed to be leaning on his bed. At least you had a fix on him, the problem was how to get to him.
It was not easy for you to get to the bed but with a lot of patience you climbed up one of the bed spreads, you approached carefully so that he would not crush you when he moved, you were in front of his face about to wake him up but you noticed on his face in his optics rather, there was something blue liquid. Biologically, humans and cybetronians were not so different… He was crying… You approached him carefully as you touched his faceplate, it felt cold but at the same time you heard a small engine noise, you saw that he opened the optics slowly to see your face so close to him. You thought he was going to refuse or push you away, you were about to respond but contrary to what you thought, his servo grabbed you to pull you to his chest and place you close to his spark. He was stroking your back with his other servo, feeling a great warmth but you shook your head at what you initially came for. This bot had great skill in reading your mind, he already knew why you were here.
-You were worried about me… I am sorry for my absence these days, little one. Matters have led me into situations to keep you and the rest safe. You clenched your fist, a little clenched your jaw, I was doing it again….
-Don't do it… Optimus was confused to hear you - Pardon?
-Don't you dare hide how you feel in front of me, I know you're trying to protect me…. But what matters to me is how you feel, don't you dare say it's not important, war is important. You are distancing yourself from everyone…
-Little girl, I…
-Don't you dare do this alone… When Unicron arrived you disappeared. I thought you really left - you said trying to keep your tone of voice without tears - You walked away, I don't care if it's for my protection, I don't care how many times you try to push me away, I will stay… I will not leave here - you said determinedly as you looked at the optics. There was a deafening silence between the two of you, you looked at each other with determination that your words, then you felt his arms around you squeezing you a little you felt him leaning you to his chassis. You looked at his optics to see the tears coming back to him.
The burdens of a leader are something I must keep, I stayed away for your protection. I may win some battles others I may lose them with quite a few consequences: the Star Saber, Raf's life was close too…. If it hadn't been Raf… - he said as he lifted me up to look at you better - and if it had been you, I wouldn't have forgiven myself…. The words the giant had said had hit hard in your heart, as he wrapped his servos around you as if to protect you from the world -… I can't lose you like that - he said in a low voice. That made a little more of a dent in you, but you moved closer to his face, leaned gently to his cheek as you saw that his optics were focused on you.
-I know, that's how I've been feeling these days too…. I don't want to lose you like this either.
You gave her a soft kiss on her cheek, which had the effect of sounding her engines a little as she squeezed you a little closer in her servos, you felt her nuzzle to you. You had missed these interactions so much, you had missed her too much.
-Next time, try talking to me. I know I can't share your burden, but I'll listen to you as long as it takes - you said as she put you back closer to her chassis but closer to her spark.
-I will try for you. And I will never leave you alone again - he said as you felt a big pulse of sparkle warm you up a little. That was all you needed to hear, you stayed like that for a while longer as words were not needed at that moment. Maybe when things calmed down you would tell him how you really felt about him. Just feeling his company, though, was all you needed. Maybe one day you would manage to get a smile out of him. But little by little, you felt him close your eyes to fall asleep near his chassis. Feeling at peace at last… Next to him.
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russellsppttemplates · 6 months
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It's just the beggining (Oscar Piastri)
Oscar hasn't done or said anything, so you're taking matters into your own hands
Note: english is not my first language. It's my first Oscar piece and I'm nervous posting this, but hopefully you enjoy it! 🫶
Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated 🤍 and I'm taking requests so if you have any ideas or concepts you want to share, feel free to do so as I'll try to get to them the best I can!
my masterlist
Cw: mentions reader's grandparents' health issues, mentions the situation with McLaren and Daniel, insomnia
Tag list: @myloverjk-blog
"Hey, Y/N!", James called you once he saw you walk by his classroom, "hey", you greeted back, adjusting your books on your arms.
"There is a new kid, I'm sure you know, Oscar Piastri his name is, and apparently he's staying the long weekend too, like you", he trailed off, not knowing if he was stepping further than he should.
"Yes, I am staying, it's okay to talk about it", you gave him tight lipped smile, "well, I was hoping you'd keep him company - he's a bit shy, but he's very fun to be around and the teacher also thought it would be good since you're both staying", he reasoned as you nodded.
You had to stay back because your grandparents didn't live in England, and because of their old age and problems that naturally arose with that, your parents had to fly out and spend sometime with them, meaning you didn't have anyone back home, so you stayed. As for Oscar, you found out that he was staying back because his family was in Melbourne.
"At first, I just had online schooling, but it got trickier to manage and my dad needed to go back to work so I had to stay back", he explained when you asked him why he was there, "and I hope I can focus on racing, but you already know that", he scoffed softly.
"I don't think I do, I'm sorry", you narrowed your eyes, genuinely unaware of what he was talking about.
After he told you all about his career until that moment, as well as his hopes and dreams, he chuckled, "you really didn't know?", he wondered.
"I didn't! The girls said something about you moving here but I didn't listen much, I'm not that into gossip and my memory is like Dory's, I can never keep up with the latest who likes who and who flirted with what's his face", you earnestly replied.
For the first time since he arrived at the school, he felt like he could really trust someone and he could hope for new friendships on this side of the world.
You were there for his final race in F4, clapping at him on the podium, and even F3 and F2 despite your university deadlines, always making sure you could support him in every way you could.
"Hey, Osc", you said over the phone, setting your pen down the desk and swivelling in the chair. You wanted to get as much knowledge and experience as possible, so you applied to do a internship in a physiotherapy clinic near your apartment during the summer.
"Hey, Y/N, how are you doing?", he asked as you could notice the antsyness on his voice.
"I'm good, it's a bit of a slow day here, my supervisor said I could read up on a few articles", you mused, "is everything okay?", you asked.
"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner tonight", he began, "you can come to my flat if that's okay, I'll order something in since I can't be trusted in the kitchen", he suggested.
"Fine by me, I'd like that, sounds really nice", you smiled, "I'll see you soon, then", you added, not wanting to dwell much on the fact that he didn't answer your question.
When you left the clinic, you walked to Oscar's place since the sun had graced you for the day and it was still nice to be out. Knocking on the door, you waited for him to open it, "I'm still in my scrubs as I didn't see the need to change", you said as you walked inside, hugging Oscar after dropping your backpack on the floor.
"Hey, you look nice, don't worry about it", he smiled as he led you to the living room, "I had to go and get the take out myself, but it's still warm", he said as you sat at the dining table.
"Now can you tell me if there's something wrong?", you wondered as you poured some of the wine he kept for you at his place on your glass.
"I have something to tell you actually", he played with his glass while he fought the smile on his lips, "this weekend I finally had some conversations with McLaren", he began.
"McLaren?", you asked as you served yourself of the food in front of you, taking some bimi brocoli and then some of the warm noodles.
"Yes, McLaren. We finally spoke about contracts and, this morning, I signed the official driver contract for next season", he stated as if he was saying that the sun had been out today.
"You did what? Since when has this been in the works?", you gasped, dropping the kitchen utensils and looking at him intently, "you're driving for McLaren next season?", he nodded, "like, driving on track? Oh my Goodness, Oscar! That's amazing!", you got up and hugged him, "why didn't you lead with that?", you pinched the nape of his neck playfully as you kept the tears from falling from your eyes. This was his dream and he was getting to live it as early as the end of the year when pre season preparations began.
"I didn't want to tell you over the phone", he shrugged his shoulders.
"But how? This is huge, Oscar!", you smiled, your teeth showing and eyes squinting with how high your cheeks rose.
"There were a lot of conversations about it, specially the last few weeks", Oscar explained, "they still want to keep it quiet", he warned.
"So you're driving alongside Lando?", you wondered. You only followed motorsport and the Formula series because of your bestfriend, so the assumption you made was based on what you had seen and read.
"Yes, hence why they want to keep it quiet, I've only told you and my family", he mentioned, "my manager knows that, obviously, but I really need you to keep quiet about it", he smiled.
"Absolutely, don't worry!", you assured, "this is so amazing Oscar! You're going to drive in Formula One! Aren't you amazed?", you beamed.
"I put in the work too, you know?", he dramatically feigned offense as you hugged him tighter, "this is your dream, Osc", you cooed, letting the tears fall freely down your cheeks as you swayed you both around, "I'm so proud of you", you hiccuped, holding his head close to your lips so you could kiss his forehead.
"Let's eat, this is getting cold", your best friend urged as the situation for more intimate and brought you closer and closer to the thing he had been avoiding for nearly a year.
The feelings he had been arbouring for you weren't just friendship. How could he keep himself from being in love with you? You had been there with him and for him when he was alone in a new country, being the other shy kid that spent the long weekend im boarding school, and since then you had been attached by the hip. You were kind, caring, intelligent, beautiful inside and outside and anyone would be a fool to not see why Oscar felt the way he did about you.
.
"I'm just going to a training camp, Y/N, I do these every year!", Oscar reasoned as you groaned.
"Who am I going to complain to about university? Or how noisy my neighbours are? I'm going to die of boredom", you stated, "when you come back, I will have ceased to exist because of boredom and lack of attention", you exaggeratedly threw yourself on your sofa.
"You won't, silly", he chuckled, pulling you up since his trainer was picking him up soon, "you're going to go out and enjoy yourself, okay? You'll barely notice I'm gone", he tried as you helped him with his suitcases down to the door.
"I'll miss you", you muttered as you hugged him, "enjoy your training camp!", you smiled as you pulled away, waving at him before you made your way to your place.
Getting on with the project you had to hand in at the end of the week, you got it all through to the end, leaving time to proofread later.
You clicked on the folder where you kept your photos and videos, looking through them and reliving all of the memories you had in there.
Most of them had Oscar somehow, wether it was a screen grab from one of your FaceTime calls when he was at races, picnics in the park and lazy days at your place.
You had to admit it, for your sake and Oscar's sake as your friendship was on the line. At first you thought it was just the fact that a boy seemed to want to spend time with you, so you put it to that. Recently, however, things changed perspective and you felt stronger feelings and emotions when you thought about him.
You loved spending time with him and cherished every single hour he chose to spend with you whenever he didn't have racing related duties. Every time he hugged you, you clung just a little longer to feel hia body against yours and his arms enveloping you.
Whenever someone approached you in the rare times you went out clubbing with your friends, "I have a boyfriend" became more a wish and a need rather than some made up excuse to get guys to leave you alone.
So, to sum it up, you either had an honest conversation with him or continued to dwell on feelings you couldn't keep to yourself.
.
"Y/N just sent me a picture of her notes, can you believe they ask them to know all of that?", he showed his trainer Kim while they had lunch after a strenuous workout.
"I had to learn most of that, too", he said nonchalantly, not necessarily diminishing your competences and intelligence but letting Oscar know that maybe his infatuation with you had a source elsewhere.
"Y/N is very smart, I'm sure she'll do really well - oh, she sent me a picture, she's all dressed up!", he said as he inspected the mirror picture. He assumed it was a requirement for your presentation, as you usually preferred comfy attire, since you had a pair of trousers and a shirt, some small heels on your feet and your bright smile that left him feeling butterflies in his stomach every single time, "she looks gorgeous", he said as he texted you the same words along with wishes of good luck.
"Something you'd like to say?", Oscar quesioned when he felt Kim's eyes on him as he put the phone back on the table, screen down.
"I'm just here wondering why you're not together", the trainer offered simply after he wiped his mouth on the napkin.
"No, we are not together, at least not yet", he mused. The thought had crossed his mind, admitting how he felt about you before the season began. If everything went belly up and you didn't feel the same and didn't see him that way, he would occupy his time and channel all of his energy into racing; if you did feel the same, he would have been worrying for nothing and would have a extra spring up his step for his first season in Formula One.
"Good to know you're working on it", Kim waved his fork at Oscar, "now we need to finish this and we'll do some recovery stretches", he announced as Oscar groaned, prolonging his meal as long as he could.
.
Today, Oscar was coming back from Lanzarote and you couldn't wait to speak to him. Lately, it all dawned on you.
It happened a couple of nights ago, a slight insomnia episode keeping you up when you thought about what things would be like from now on. Oscar would travel a lot more, and he would be in a much public role compared to his previous one. It would seem stupid to other people, but a lot more people would know him, and you were sure they would fall in love with him. How could they not? Hence why you wanted to quit those thoughts while you were ahead of them.
I'm on the cab to your place, it should take another 10 minutes and Can't wait to see you, Oscar texted you just as you finished tidying your living room.
You missed him dearly, so when you threw yourself into his arms, you didn't let go as he kicked his suitcases into your apartment while still holding close to him, "I kind of need to get my backpack off my back, and I can't do that if I don't set you somewhere - only for a bit at the very least", Oscar suggested after trying to balance you against his body with one arm but he didn't feel safe enough to let you go without you falling.
Reluctantly, you got back down, feet back on the floor as he discarded his backpack before he tapped your hip twice, "up again, I want a proper hug", he mumbled as you jumped back, his hands protectively holding your thighs up as he nuzzled his face on your neck, "I need you so, so much", he sighed.
"I missed you too", you replied back, "and I don't ever want to miss you like this when I don't know how to feel about you", you forwarded. Now or never, you thought as you jumped out of his hold and faced him.
"I missed you like I have never missed you before, not even when you go a visit your family or when you went away for triple headers - and I've been trying to understand why and I finally realised what it was. I like you, more than friends like eachother - for Goodness' sake, I'm in love with you", you chuckled nervously as you admitted it out loud to him, "and everyone else will love you too - I just know it -, so soon enough you won't be my Osc anymore and I couldn't not tell you. People - and these gorgeous girls all over the world - are going to like you so much and I won't be able to compete with them, so I'm just telling you how I feel. You can leave if you want or we'll just stay here in silence of that works too, but I needed to admit my feelings", you let out in one go.
Oscar smiled, a big teeth and gums showing smile as his eyes crinkled at your words, "I'm not leaving, and we are not going to be silent - at least immediately - because I want to tell you how I feel", he began, "I'm in love with you too; I have been for about two years and only realised it a year ago, and I don't want to pretend anymore. I want to be able to kiss you, to hug you, to take you with me wherever possible, to sleep next to you, to argue with you, I want all of it. With you", he said, hand cupping your cheek as his eyes asked for consent to kiss your lips.
It was as you dreamed it would be, soft, gentle and caring, lips moving in sync as you held him by his waist, pulling him closer to you.
"I thought I was loosing you to the whole F1 fandom", you chuckled, looking up at him once you pulled away.
"Of course you won't, you're my best girl", he winked, "this is just the beggining for us", he added as he pulled you to cuddle on the sofa, sharing his stories of the past days as you revelled in the feeling of being in his arms.
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illubean · 4 months
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Omg the zoldyck!reader hcs were so cute!! If there aren't too many requests rn can you do something where reader went to the hunter exam to keep illumi from fucking w/ Killua too much? i.e reader knows pin guy is illumi but won't tell Killua because they don't wanna get murked and is also secretly communicating w/ illumi.
Killua's Defense
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Characters: Killua Zoldyck, Illumi Zoldyck Type: Oneshot, Gn!reader, Zoldyck!reader
HAHA SORRY THIS ONE TOOK SO LONG IT TOOK A LOT OF THOUGHT
Warnings: Illumi being a poopie head
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Being a descendant of a well known family of assassins meant a lot of things. It meant you were destined to continue the family business, get payed by random people without questioning their motifs but also a lot of times it required you to travel. Your family got requests and offers from all over, meaning easy access to round trips is very beneficial.
Which is why you along with your twin brother decided to take the exam. He was much more serious about the whole assassin thing than you though. To him, the family and his job was what made up his entire life and in his mind there was no room for anything else. You, however, thought there was more to life and fully supported the idea of having hobbies and making friends.
Since he was so serious, Illumi decided to alter his appearance for the duration of the exam. You honestly didn't see much of a point in this, especially considering there were very few if not zero people who knew the faces and identities of the Zoldyck family. But whatever, it's his life.
Illumi's little disguised proved somewhat useful though, because your baby brother Killua happened to be there. You loved all your siblings dearly, but Killua always had a closer bond with you than anyone else. You were the only one who ever bothered playing with him while he was growing up, which naturally caused him to favor you over the rest of the family. You couldn't have been more proud of him when you found out he had run away from home. You fully supported him in taking control of his own life, hoping he'll end up finding something that really would make him happy.
Eventually, you parted ways with Illumi because his weird clown friend showed up. You kept in contact with him via cellphone, but knew you probably wouldn't use it very often.
When Killua first spotted you, he had no idea how to feel. You were his favorite sibling and he trusted that you wouldn't force him to do anything, but he still had his suspicions.
"What are you doing here? You're not here to take me back are you!?"
"No, Killua, I'm not. I just need a hunter license for a job."
He let out a sigh of relief before looking around and asking you another question.
"Illumi isn't here, is he?"
You felt bad for lying to him but at the same time it was probably best for him not to know. If he did, he would just be under unnecessary stress and it would cause an argument between you and your twin that you rather not have.
The next time you met up with Illumi was on Zevil Island. The two of you had allready collected the badges you needed and he was talking to freaky clown dude. You payed him no mind because you rather not interact with that guy.
"I take it you've seen Killua around," you stated.
"Yes, I have. And I intend to bring him back home after the exam is over."
"Stop meddling in his life Illumi. He's old enough to think for himself and if he decides he doesn't want to be at home then-"
"That's not how father raised us, Y/n. It is our job to serve our family and carry on it's legacy," he says, cutting you off while beginning to dig.
"I'm going to sleep until the deadline," he then turns to his friend. "Best of luck."
And with that, he buried himself underground. You huffed in annoyance and clenched your fist before yelling at the pile of dirt before you.
"Dad didn't raise us to be control freak manipulators either!! You- you...you gopher!!"
Your brother's jester friend chuckled at you, causing you to shoot him a glare before storming off.
As the final phase of the exam rolled around, things weren't looking too good. Killua's next opponent just had to be Illumi. didn't it? You watched with an unsettling feeling at the bottom of your stomach. Your poor baby brother stood there trembling as Illumi spoke.
"You're not cut out to be a hunter. You were born for one purpose; to be an assassin."
At this you took a step foreword.
"That's enough Illumi. Mom only wanted you to check on him, this is too far."
He ignored you as he continued his speech.
"You're a puppet of darkness, devoid of passion. There is nothing you desire, nor is there anything you wish for. As one who lives in the shadows the only pleasure you're capable of is derived from causing death. Because that's how dad and I raised you."
You grit your teeth at this before taking another step towards the ring, getting stopped by a man and reminded of the rules. If you stepped on to the ring you would be disqualified.
Before you could start screaming your head off at your deranged twin, Killua began to stand up for himself. You couldn't be prouder of him for finding out what he wanted from life.
Then Illumi starts to tear Killua down again. Some tall guy with glasses begins to yell words of encouragement at Killua. After Illumi's threat to kill Gon, you stood protectively in front of the door along with 3 of the other contestants.
"Oh what a pain. I need to acquire a hunters license right now so I can do my job. But if I kill them, I'll fail, and Kil will pass automatically. Oh no, the same thing will happen if I kill gon! Hm.....wait! I'll pass the exam then kill Gon!"
"You know you could've kept that monologue to yourself, right?" You sassed. "Even if you do pass and go after Gon, I won't let you."
"Poor, little Y/n. You've always been so soft. Your emotions is what makes you weak."
"Shut up! You're supposed to have our family's best interest in mind, right? Then let Killua go out and make friends! It's his job to decide what he wants."
The black haired man simply chooses to ignore you and continues to threaten Gon's life. And to antagonize Killua. Everything you and glasses guy were yelling from the sidelines went in one ear and out through the other as Killua gave in to the pressure of Illumi's aura and forfeit the match.
"Haha, I lied Kil. I was never going to kill Gon. That was only a test to see what your made of, and now I know for certain. You are simply not qualified to make friends. Not that you need any."
As both of them left the ring you could tell something was off with your younger brother. You glared at Illumi, your face saying 'I'll deal with you later' but he payed no mind. Right when the next match was about to begin, Killua walked up and killed the old man without uttering a single word and left the facility.
He was now disqualified.
Imagine your surprise when you saw Gon march in and demand that Illumi apologize to Killua. And how you were even more surprised that he not only managed to flip a grown man, but also break his arm.
As you watched the little green boy confront your brother and listened to the blonde one along with the glasses guy try to reason with Netero, you were happy he was able to find such good friends. Gon was a good kid with pure intentions, and the other two were willing to publicly defend him.
After the whole orientation thing, Gon and Co. approached Illumi to ask about where Killua might be as you stood off to the side. As they left you followed them, waiting until Illumi was out of earshot to call for Gon's attention.
"Huh?"
"If you want to get to Kukuroo mountain there's a tour bus that takes you to the outside of our property. You'll need to pass through our testing gates to reach the estate or else our 900 pound guard dog will kill you."
"Oh, thanks a lot! But why are you helping us?"
"Because Killua could really use friends like you guys. You're a good kid and I trust that you'll make him happy. I would lead you there myself but I have my other brother to deal with, good luck."
You stormed back towards Illumi and slapped him in the back of the head. He let it happen of course, considering he could hear your angry footsteps from a mile away. No matter how angry you were at him, there wasn't much you could do. Fighting him would be useless, considering you're both at about the same strength and skill level and verbally berating him doesn't have any affect. But you chose to do the 2nd one anyways.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You know, this is why you're Killua's least favorite. All you do is try to boss him around and control his life. Seriously, do you have anything better to do?"
"Kil is the next in line to be the head of our family, I'm just making sure that he will be able to do so without any distractions."
"Newsflash Illumi: he's 12. You're 24. If anything, you should be next so why don't you go find a wife or something. And how come you're allowed to have your fruity party clown friend but Killua can't have any? Seriously, I much prefer the boy over that creep."
Illumi stopped walking and turned towards you.
"Hisoka is an acquaintance. Not a friend."
"Yeah, yeah whatever. Defend your jester boyfriend," you say, rolling your eyes. You stepped closer to the man before you and looked him in the eyes as you spoke once more.
"Let Killua have this. If you decide to go after him, trust me you will be dealt with."
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WIBTA if I made my housemates sign a cleaning chart/rota/contract thing?
So I (20F) am a student and while it's currently the summer, I am going to be living with most of the same people I lived with last year when school starts again in Sept. These are friend A (20M), friend B (20M) and friend C (23M). Friend B's girlfriend (21F) lived with us last year, but in the coming year she will be living in the same building as us but not the same flat. She will probably be an unofficial 5th housemate.
Last year there were some issues, particularly in the cleaning department. The only two people who actually clean with any kind of regularity and competency are me and A. I've been a paid cleaner before and A works in a kitchen. The problem has been that B and C will be like "I'll do it later" then forget about it. I'm not a neat freak, I'm not bothered about carpets being hoovered at a particular time or dusting being done at a particular time. I do care about having kitchens and bathrooms that aren't biohazards. B and C will leave the kitchen and bathrooms until they start growing their own microbiomes before they'll do anything without prompting. I don't want to be some helicopter housemate standing over adult men being like "time to wash the dishes" but I am running out of options.
A and I both didn't stay in our uni town over the Easter break, and when we returned there was a sink full of orange mould waiting for us. This pissed me off more than usual because I had given the kitchen a very deep clean before I left and they just let it get to that state again, and their excuse was "Well we didn't really use the kitchen we had takeaways" but the evidence spoke for itself. I ended up deep cleaning the kitchen again, and A ended up deep cleaning the bathroom.
We tried a normal rota last year, but B and C half assed their stuff. Bins (in a house that had 7 people in it, so filled very quickly) would be left to pile out of the bin into some leaning tower of trash before they would take them out, but it was "in the deadline" so we couldnt complain without looking unreasonable. Neither of them seem to understand that you need to pick things up and clean under them too to have a clean space (wiping around cups left in the kitchen instead of like...washing them), and B's girlfriend tried to argue we didn't need to replace our broken hoover because we "didn't need one" and like I'm not that particular about carpets but come on? (This also wasn't a money thing, she's got rich parents who she has a good relationship with). A and I ended up having to do the same chore after them so that it was done to a competent standard where we wouldn't get ill.
A thinks they've both never had to clean up after themselves before and genuinely don't understand what it takes to live in a hygienic environment. I think it's weaponised incompetence. B's girlfriend had the nerve to say last term "going home really puts into perspective how gross this house is in comparison" and it took all my strength not to snap that if certain people got of their arses and did something we might actually have a sanitary house.
Anyway, my idea I might be the asshole about it that I think a good motivating factor might be money. My idea is if you dont do your chore/do it poorly, and someone else has to do it again after you, you have to pay them national minimum wage for their time you wasted. Currently NMW is £10.42 an hour. I don't actually want them to pay me and A, I want them to be motivated enough in not wanting to spend that money to be a competent housemate and clean the fucking kitchen. I sense though, that it might be too aggressive an action to take with people I'm going to be living with till next July.
Would that make me an asshole?
What are these acronyms?
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sabo-has-my-heart · 7 months
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This is two part again. Thanks for listening and replying to my message, that means a lots to me. Though, I'd say I prefer a certain red head karma to bite me instead of my coworkers :^) just kidding.
This is not really an emergency request but also a bit like it? I guess? It's just I've been dying of thirst for some romance due to my situation so I'm up here to request something (only if you want to write, that is)
Office workers couple of Sabo and fem!Reader. I just wanna read some fluffy moments between them. Like when y/n is working over time and he quietly put an iced coffee cup he just bought for y/n on her cheek, making her jump as he smiles warmly and sits next to her to help her with the work. Or when y/n knocks on his office door and says "I'm here to pick up Mr. *insert married last name*" and Sabo chuckles and walks to her to say "Let's go home Mrs *insert married last name*"
I don't know if this is how it works but that's my request. Feel free to skip it if you don't like the idea. Love your writing as always, have a great day!
Hi two part anon! no need to thank me for listening, and replying, I care about you 🥰. So here's some fluff, I'm sorry these things have been taking so long. It's super stressful here lately. Hoping to get some more writing done soon. It's funny because writing for you and my other beloved anons reduces my stress but I need to be less stressed to write sometimes, lol 😆.
Warnings: office romance? fluff
Word Count: 1580
     People say office romances never turn out well. Especially if you’re dating your boss. After all, your boss might give you special treatment or promotions. That being said, you and Sabo were an exception, an outlier to the statistic. The two of you had been working at the same office for years, you’d watched his promotion from working beside you to being your new boss, watched him deal with the worst of the department’s problems, and helped him celebrate some of the department’s greatest achievements. 
     Likewise, he’d been there for you as well. The year that nobody seemed to care about your birthday, the raise for finishing that ‘impossible’ project, and the one time when you snuck a kitten into the office because it was just outside the building and you didn’t have time to take it to a shelter until after work. It seemed that whenever there was something big that happened to one of you, the other was there to share in it. Of course, nobody knew about your little office romance. Neither of you wanted to risk the rumors, the scandal, or the accusations that would be sent your way. To say nothing of HR getting involved or needing to transfer departments simply due to the fact that the two of you were together. 
     It wasn’t like Sabo actually gave you special treatment at work. Quite the opposite, he treated you like every other employee, expecting nothing but your best and you were quite happy to give it your all. There’d even been a few times where he’d been forced to call you into his office because you’d messed up. Granted, when you messed up, he wasn’t nearly as hard on you as others, but it wasn’t due to giving you special treatment. Only that he could have a calm, serious conversation about what you’d messed up. Most of your coworkers had to be handled in a different manner, he wasn’t dating them, he couldn’t just say “angel, you messed up, if you needed more time, we could have canceled our date.” or “I know I tell the others to come to me if you need help, but I’m literally in the other room. You don’t exactly have an excuse not to come to me.” 
     Sabo sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. There was another big project due at the end of the month, another ‘world will end if we don’t finish this on time’ project. He hated these projects so much, hated his bosses so much for projects like this. Acting like they had sticks up their asses and not giving a damn about who suffered from the long hours forced on their employees. Always giving deadlines that were far too short for his liking. It was as if they purposefully gave a shorter than necessary deadline. He’d change that one day, he’d climb in the ranks and become high enough to change things. He’d never accept projects unless he knew they could be finished without working his employees to death and he’d fire anyone who treated their employees like shit!
     A knock on his door drew him out of his thoughts, looking up to see your head peeking in through the cracked open door.
     “Hey, You got time for a short break? I got your favorite for dinner.” you called softly, holding up a bag of food and gently shaking it. Sabo smiled and sat up in his chair, beckoning you in.
     “What are you still doing here, Dove? Shouldn’t you be at home?” he asked as you set the food on the desk.
     “How can I go home and sit around when I know you’re pushing yourself so hard to get this project done in time? You know I hate going home to an empty apartment.” you said, giving him a sympathetic smile.
     “I know, but I don’t want you to overwork yourself. You need sleep and time to relax, not spend time in an empty office, alone.” he said, reaching over his desk and caressing your cheek.
     “What, you mean like you’re always doing? Sabo, love, you’ve fallen asleep in your office 5 times in the last 2 weeks trying to get this done. You’ve missed 3 meals and eaten in your office 8 times. The sooner I help you finish this, the sooner you can relax.” you said with a small chuckle, leaning into his hand.
     “Have I really? I’m sorry, Angel. I don’t mean to be for so long. You know I prefer the comfort of our bed.” he said, running his hand through his hair again as you pulled the food out.
     “I know, that’s why I’m still here. So we can finish this sooner. Let me help, we’ll get it wrapped up faster this way. You know I’m capable of taking care of things.” you offered, handing him some food and utensils. 
     “I know, I know things would go faster if we did them together, but I don’t want your health to suffer because of this. I hate seeing you look so tired and worn out.” it was true, he’d never felt so bad as when you overworked yourself helping him with these stupid deadlines. The times you had fallen asleep on his desk late at night trying to help him. The dark circles and bags under your eyes when you’d stayed up 3 nights in a row to finish a ‘our company will go out of business if we don’t finish this’ project. And he’d never forgive himself for the time he’d passed out from overworking and given you the scare of your life. He’d woken up to the paramedics in his office as you hovered around him with tears brimming in your eyes. He’d had a talk with his bosses and HR after that one. They hadn’t given him another one of those after that. He was one of their better employees and did great work, they didn’t want to lose him. 
     “And what about your health? You know I hate seeing your health suffer too. This way we can split the work this way, that way neither of us is too overworked.” you offered, making him sigh. You were right. He knew you were right.
     “Alright, alright. Let's finish this part up then we’ll go home; and once we finish this project, we’ll take a weekend trip to get away and relax.” he offered. You nodded in agreement as the two of you started to eat. 
     It was a few weeks later that the project was finished, Sabo taking a moment to lean back in his chair and relax. The blond hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep in his chair until you were gently shaking him awake, a soft, sweet smile on your lips.
     “Dove? Did… did I fall asleep in my chair again?” Sabo asked groggily, sitting up straight and rubbing his eyes.
     “Yeah, don’t worry though, nobody really noticed. We all just thought you were working on the next thing you were given. I wanted to let you sleep, but it’s not good for you to fall asleep in your chair like this. Besides, if you fall asleep here, you’ll have a hard time falling asleep at home and I have the perfect evening all planned out for us so you can relax and enjoy yourself.” you said with a grin. Sabo looked at you and chuckled, shaking his head.
     “Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? I’m supposed to be doing nice things for you so you can relax?” he asked, his eyes closing as he yawned.
     “I’m not the one carrying the weight of the world at work. Besides, no one ever said I can’t do things for you as well.” 
     “You spoil me, Dove.” he said softly, pulling you close, sitting you in his lap and nuzzling his face into your neck.
     “I spoil you? Sabo, you’re always doing so much for me. This is the least I can do for you.” you said with a laugh, enjoying the way he held you so lovingly.
     “Mmm, no, pretty sure you spoil me more. Always staying late with me, getting me my favorites and making sure I don’t overwork myself. I’m just repaying the favor.” he ‘argued’, grinning mischievously. He loved playing this little ‘game’ with you. Who’s actually spoiling who and why. How you deserve everything he’s done for you and how you think he deserves the world. Always ending in sweet, loving kisses and endless ‘I love you’s. 
     “As much as you know I’d love to continue this, I promised the others I was just asking about our next project and they’ll get suspicious if I take too long.” you whispered, pouting at the idea of your sweet moment being interrupted. Sabo sighed and nodded as well, letting you go.
     “Alright, alright, but don’t work too hard. I heard from a very reliable source that you’ve got a date at a nice restaurant tonight and you don’t want to be late for that, do you?” Sabo asked teasingly.
     “You’re right, my darling husband is spoiling me again and I can’t let all of his hard work go to waste.” the both of you laughed as you reluctantly headed for the door, giving him one last longing look before returning to work. You had to admit, you really loved working with him, loved how the two of you had somehow managed to make an office romance work.
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ordinaryschmuck · 4 months
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Let's see....
Captain America: Brave New World's got that controversy due to having an alleged zionist actress playing Captain Islam (Or whatever the hell her name is). Depending how big of a role that character has, I doubt ANYONE is in the mood to watch a movie like that unless she's written out completely because...look at current events and tell me if Captain America teaming up with Captain Islam is in any way what we need right now?
Thunderbolts...I have NO interest in whatsoever. Mainly because the roster isn't really appealing as most of it is either super soldiers or spies who are good with guns. The only interesting character in the lineup was Ghost and she's not even in the movie anymore. The only saving grace this movie has left is that it's allegedly going to FINALLY acknowledge that frozen Celestial that The Eternals stopped from hatching, but other than that it's nothing really grabbing me. I'd have to at least see a trailer before I find SOMETHING interesting about it.
Fantastic Four intrigues me, though. From everything Marvel's been hinting at and advertising, this is going to be a movie set in a universe stuck in the sixties and have the Four face Galactus all with a tone that MIGHT be similar to Fantastic Four: Life Story. If that's in ANYWAY what Marvel's promising through its castings and free comics on its app, I'm definitely willing to check it out. I just want a GOOD Fantastic Four movie for once and I'm hoping this will finally be it.
I don't have TOO high hopes for Blade. This movie has been in development hell for MONTHS, only releasing TWO YEARS after its initial deadline all because the lead actor wasn't satisfied with the final product. I'm hopeful that it was all for the best and we're FINALLY getting something that everyone can be happy with, but I'm also...kind of done with new characters. Phase Four introduced too many that I just want to go back to focusing on the cast that's LEFT after Endgame. And bringing in the guy who played Cottonmouth from Luke Cage just breaks all kinds of canon because this is the first time an actor plays TWO major characters in the MCU. Others had returning roles, but usually for small things that you wouldn't care about. From the start, this always felt like a movie Kevin Fiege wanted to make to show off. Like, "Yeah, we can make a Blade movie too! And make it BETTER than the original ones!" I don't know, maybe I'm being a little cynical, but I don't have the biggest faith towards this project.
As for Daredevil: Born Again, I am on my knees PRAYING that this one will be good! I fucking LOVED the original Daredevil series, it's absolutely one of the best superhero shows of all time and I'm just so glad it's coming back in some capacity. I just also hope that it'll be GOOD because I don't think my heart could take it if it isn't. On the upside, it seems like Kevin Fiege wants that too. After leaving out most of the original cast and not letting Daredevil suit up until episode FOUR, he demanded a complete creative overhaul with Daredevil: Born Again, leading to it bringing back everyone from the original, improving Daredevil's old costume, and have everyone involved take inspiration from most things Daredevil. It's as if Fiege understands that they CAN'T screw up with this show so he wants to make sure that it's the best they can possibly make it. And I'm not too bothered with the first season having nine episodes instead of eighteen. I always knew that the change was inevitable anyways. I just want it to be GOOD.
Then there's Ironheart and I have NO interest in this one either. Her character was one of the weaker aspects of Wakanda Forever, as someone who was constantly whining or yelling and I was not all that engaged with her. MAYBE the show could win me over, but that's a BIG maybe that'll take an impressive script to do.
Oh, also:
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No. No to this. After the FANTASTIC ending of No Way Home, I don't want the MCU to rush out another entry unless they've got a good plan set and ready. The problem is that they don't even have a DIRECTOR yet and that's a pretty important person to have when bringing a movie to life.
All and all...2025 is not looking good for Marvel. Whether it's cast controversy or how they're choosing to adapt certain characters and teams, not much in 2025 is making me feel the same excitement I felt for the MCU in 2015-2019. The closest is probably Fantastic Four and Daredevil: Born Again. But even then, not only am I cautiously optimistic about those two, that's also two projects in a six (potentially seven) film/TV show lineup. I don't know, this whole thing is just making me wish the MCU can just wrap up the Multiverse Saga already and just...go back to making good projects again.
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saturnsources · 2 years
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✦ * ・  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯  𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝. a random assortment of sentences taken from rick riordan's "percy jackson" series. change pronouns if needed.
‘ if my life is going to mean anything, i have to live it myself. ’ ‘ where's the glory in repeating what others have done? ’ ‘ with great power ... comes great need to take a nap. wake me up later. ’ ‘ deadlines just aren't real to me until i'm staring one in the face. ’ ‘ knowing too much of your future is never a good thing. ’ ‘ humans see what they want to see. ’ ‘ the real world is where the monsters are. ’ ‘ life is only precious because it ends. ’ ‘ welcome? after last time, you've got the nerve to welcome me? ’ ‘ excuse me. but if you're going to kill me, could you just get on with it? ’ ‘ there is always a way out for those clever enough to find it. ’ ‘ maybe it's okay to still be a kid once in a while. ’ ‘ it takes strength and courage to admit the truth. ’ ‘ it's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one. ’ ‘ even strength must bow to wisdom sometimes. ’ ‘ go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all. ’ ‘ people are more difficult to work with than machines. and when you break a person, he can't be fixed. ’ ‘ because i know you. you wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us. ’ ‘ i am never, ever going to make things easy for you. get used to it. ’ ‘ you're not getting away from me. never again. ’ ‘ be careful of love. it'll twist your brain around and leave you thinking up is down and right is wrong. ’ ‘ don't i get a kiss for good luck? it's kind of a tradition, right? ’ ‘ suspecting and knowing are not the same. ’ ‘ getting something and having the wits to use it ... those are two different things. ’ ‘ don't feel bad, i'm usually about to die. ’ ‘ you must forge your own path for it to mean anything. ’ ‘ i don't give people a second thought ... that can be dangerous. ’ ‘ i should've told you the truth from the beginning. i thought if you knew what a failure i was, you wouldn't want me along. ’ ‘ being a hero doesn't mean you're invincible. it just means that you're brave enough to stand up and do what's needed. ’ ‘ to be perfect, you have to feel perfect about yourself - avoid trying to be something you're not. ’ ‘ don't you get it? you are home. this is the only safe place on earth for people like us. ’ ‘ because you're my friend. any more stupid questions? ’ ‘ you are not going to die while i owe you a favor. ’ ‘ remind me again - why do you hate me so much? ’
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sharpfamily · 1 year
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The Essay Escapade
There are no lengths at which a good brother won’t go in order to help his sister in need.
*** Just popping in to let you all know that I have a brief description of each of the Sharp children at the very end of this, just in case you want to know a little bit about them. Also at this point in time, Aesop is retired from teaching and runs a successful potions shop with his wife in the hamlet where they both live. ***
Massive, massive MASSIVE shout out to @aesopsharpmybeloved for letting me play in your sandbox and making me believe I could write something that people would actually enjoy reading. This is a companion piece to her series A New Chance at Life and if you haven’t read it what are you even doing here!
- Tea-withjamandbread
It was late, far too late to still be awake, however Theodore Sharp was unable to fall asleep. It made sense, really. As the middle of the semester approached, so did exams and essay deadlines. The fifth year Slytherin had a lot on his mind.
Call it intuition, call it a special “twin bond” like their mother often described it, but something told Theodore he didn’t really need sleep at the moment, not while Natty needed him. So he grabbed his wand and got dressed as quietly as he could before leaving his dorm room headed towards the common room. He wasn’t at all surprised to find his twin sister sitting at the table closest to the fireplace, it was her favorite spot after all. He was surprised, however, to find her surrounded by books, furiously writing on what seemed to be quite the long piece of parchment, tears forming in her eyes.
“Hey there Nat”
The girl barely slowed down her writing. “Theo. It’s late. You should be asleep.”
"Could say the same about you" Theodore placed a hand on his sister's, forcing her to stop what she was doing for a moment. “What’s that you’re working on?” The boy was genuinely confused. Judging by the furious pace at which his sister was writing, he could only deduce she was in the middle of writing an entire essay. While it wasn’t unusual for him to wait until the very last minute to finish his work, Natty was always far more organized than this and seemed to always have her work finished days before it was due for being turned in.
“My DADA essay.” Theo was no Auror (yet) but he distinctly remembered his sister mentioning she had finished writing it last week. “Why are you re-writing your DADA essay? I’m sure the one you already wrote was good enough to”
“I lost it!”
“What?”
“I’m such an idiot Theo!”
“Stop that. I’m supposed to be the dramatic one between the two of us, not you. How did you lose it?”
“I was looking through everything for tomorrow’s classes and I couldn’t find it anywhere. What I DID find though is this.” She pulls out a letter addressed to her parents, back home. “I must have accidentally sent Mum and Dad my essay instead of…” She burst into tears. “So I have to re-write the whole thing now because there’s no way for me to get it back in time to turn it in first thing tomorrow!”
"Maybe if you write to them, they could send it here in time for first class?"
"Even if I DID write to them right now they wouldn't have time to send it… It's due first thing tomorrow morning and you know Mum and Dad, they're not exactly… morning people"
An idea formed in Theodore's brain. It was madness to be certain, he'd be breaking about half a dozen school rules, not to mention it could prove dangerous. "I'll go fetch it then"
Natty looked at her twin like he had grown a second head.
"You're mad"
"I'm assure you I’m not"
"You're going to fly miles away from school and then what? Break into the parents' house?"
"Not exactly. I’m going to use the floo and run the rest of the way! It’ll be good exercise! Plus does it really count as breaking in if you have the key?"
"You're going to get caught"
"Dad's a heavy sleeper"
"Dad used to be an Auror!"
"Yeah I think I've heard him mention that once or twice"
"So you KNOW he'll wake up to the sound of someone in the house when he's not expecting company. Besides, Mum's a light sleeper!"
"And she'll be SO happy to see me IF I get caught, which I don't intend on having happen!”
Natalie looked at the essay she was currently attempting to re-write. It was a mess. Barely legible and when she tried to make sense of the paragraph she had just finished, she knew she couldn't turn this in tomorrow and hope for a good grade. Professor Sallow did have a soft spot for her and her siblings, but that would only help her so much.
"Do it."
"Brilliant! I'll be back in less than an hour!"
Theodore quickly hugged his sister then started walking towards the common room door.
"Wait!" Natalie rushed towards him. "Bring this to them please" She handed her brother the letter she had meant to send her parents earlier that same day.
"Sure thing!"
"Thank you."
"Anything for you, sis!"
With one last hug to his slightly less nervous sister, Theodore was on his way.
—-—————
Theodore slowed down his sprint as he approached his childhood home. The sight before him was everything he was hoping for. The chimney had the faintest trace of smoke, indicating that the fires warming the home were mere embers at the moment, and all the windows appeared dark, indicating the occupants of the house were fast asleep. He took a quick peek to the back of the house, where the window leading to his father’s cellar was located. He knew sometimes his father brewed late into the night, however tonight did not appear to be one of those nights.
It occurred to him at that moment that it really wouldn’t be the end of the world if his parents knew he’d visited. He could probably knock on the door and politely ask if he could have Natty’s essay, deliver his letter, get mildly scolded for being away from school after curfew, perhaps he’d be lucky enough to get his hand on some of his mother’s baked goods before going on his merry way. However, if he was being honest with himself, he wanted to know if he could be successful at avoiding detection. Plus, he had promised his sister he wouldn’t get caught and Theodore Ashley Sharp was a man of his word, or at least, he tried his very best to be.
Theodore knows he needs to be as quiet as can be. He didn't want to get caught after all. He cast a disillusionment charm over himself for good measure, although he really didn't think it was needed. This was his childhood home and he knew it like the back of his hand. He knew exactly which floorboards creaked when stepped on and created a mental map of his shortest path from the front door to the drawer where he knew his parents kept their correspondence.
He quietly unlocked the door and stepped inside. The faintest ruffling of feathers to his left caught his attention. Diana. The owl had been a part of their family since before they were even a family from the stories he had been told as a child, and had been retired from messenger duty some number of years ago. Theodore had anticipated the necessity of keeping her quiet and quietly but decisively, reached into his left pocket and grabbed a handful of treats. He extended his arm towards her, hoping his bribe would buy him precious minutes as he continued on with his mission.
He must admit he felt a little ridiculous, hopping from plank to plank, avoiding the ones he knew to be noisy. He wouldn't at all be surprised to learn that these particular planks were left in their squeaky state in order to make it impossible for his siblings and himself to move about the house at night without alerting their parents.
Theodore made his way from the foyer, past the staircase, through the family room, and into the kitchen, moving to stand in front of the exact drawer he knew his parents kept their mail, successfully avoiding each and every problem plank. "The student surpasses the potions master" he thought to himself. He opened the drawer and pulled out a stack of papers, looking for his sister's essay. However, no matter how hard he looked, all he was met with was correspondence regarding his parents' potions shop. Orders, ingredient lists, accounting papers, more orders, more accounting… no essay. He put the papers back in the drawer and gently closed it. He took a few seconds to breathe, feeling his face redden and his pulse quicken. Natty was counting on him. He had promised her he'd get that essay back for her. He wasn't always the perfect brother, but he prided himself on never going back on his word, on never making a promise he didn't intend to keep. He racked his brain as to where his parents would have put the essay when his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
"Lumos"
A bright light came from behind Theodore and the boy froze, hoping his disillusionment charm was strong enough to withstand the scrutiny of the ex-Auror who had just cast the wand-lighting charm. He had no idea his father had woken, didn’t hear him coming down the stairs at all. He supposed he still had much to learn in terms of how to move about completely undetected. He hadn’t been caught yet, though, and he had some elements working in his favor. Perhaps his father was too sleepy to notice him, although he doubted that. He knew the man probably wasn't wearing his glasses and so maybe, just maybe he still stood a chance in completing his mission undetected.
However the bright light coming from his father's wand had caused the faintest shadow of his form to appear on the wall in front of him. Despite his very best efforts, the boy had been caught.
"Your disillusionment charm has improved, Theodore, but it's still not good enough to fool me."
Theodore promptly dropped the charm and turned to face his father, who lowered his wand and used it to reignite the fire in the hearth to provide a warm light and additional warmth to the room. He wore his dressing gown and Theodore could only imagine he was wearing his nightshirt underneath. His face showed a mixture of tiredness, confusion, slight annoyance and he thought he also detected a hint of amusement.
“How did you know it was me?”
“Maggie’s in America, Eleazar’s never been one for sneaking around and Natty’s disillusionment charm is frankly better than yours. The house is warded to alert us of any other intruders, so that leaves only one suspect, you."
“What gave me away?"
His father deflected
"I'm sure there must be an excellent explanation to your late night, actually, by now, early morning visit. One that also explains why you're currently rifling through your mother's and my private correspondence."
"Actually there IS an explanation"
"I'd love to hear it, sooner rather than later, please."
"I'm here because Nat"
"THEODORE!"
Theo promptly finds himself wrapped in his mother's tight embrace. "What are you doing here? Sneaking out of school in the dead of night, what's gotten into you?"
"From what I gather from the stories you told us Mum, I get this from you"
She loosened her embrace but still kept her hands on her son's shoulders. "Oh hush now, at least I had the good sense to never get caught by your father!"
"That's not entirely accurate darling…" Aesop reached for his wife and pulled her against him, breaking the link between her and their intruder and wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing the back of her head. "I distinctly remember catching you a handful of times sneaking about the castle" She melted into her husband's embrace. "Only because I wanted you to catch me, Ace"
"If you both don't mind I'm here for Natty's DADA essay. She accidentally sent it to you instead of this and it's due first thing tomorrow" Theodore handed his parents his sister’s letter to them. “I told her I'd come and correct her mistake, deliver her letter and retrieve it. If you could just tell me where it is, I will go fetch it, be on my merry way and let you both carry on with whatever it is I don’t want to think about you doing when we’re not home.”
Aesop chuckled as (F/N) spoke.
“I’m guessing she didn’t get our note then?”
“She didn’t say anything about a note, she was too busy trying to re-write her essay from memory!”
“Oh Nat, poor thing…”
(F/N) looked at her son
“We got her essay, and we read it. It was really, really good and obviously finished so we sent it directly to Professor Sallow after dinner, along with a note to Natty letting her know not to worry about it. I’m guessing the poor owl must have forgotten about the second delivery.”
“Or delivered it to Eleazar, wouldn’t be the first time our mail got all messed up”
“Blasted, unreliable school owls.”
“We really need to get another owl Ace, with Maggie in America now and the shop doing as well as it is, Babbity could use some help.”
“Agreed.” Aesop addressed his son
“In any case, her essay is where it needs to be and if Professor Sallow hasn’t received it, have him owl me, and I’ll make sure Nat gets the O she deserves.”
Theodore looked at his parents. Tonight had turned out to be a failed mission for him. He got caught AND he didn’t retrieve his sister’s essay. He was happy though. Happy to be home, happy to be with his parents for just a little while.
"Are you hungry, dear?"
"Nah, I'm good. Ate one too many servings of mutton stew for dinner"
His eyes fell on a plate of his mother's scones.
“On second thought I'm starving Mum, they BARELY feed us at the school, you know"
(F/N) chuckled as she summoned a plate and some scones. Theodore scarfed down the first in two bites, and reached for a second one, as his mother busied herself, packing the rest of the pastries in a cloth bag for her son to bring back to Hogwarts.
“Don’t forget to share." she reminds him, as she hands him the bag.
“I should probably get going… I told Natty I’d be back within the hour and I’m cutting it close”
"Just a moment, I have something for you to bring to your sister."
His father turned and unlocked a cabinet that held a variety of potions
"Ooh, contraband!"
Aesop let out a chuckle as he handed a vial to his son.
"Wideye. She'll need it tomorrow. If I know Natty, she still won't sleep a wink tonight"
"Don't I get one too?"
"Do you want to be an Auror someday?"
"You know I do"
"Then in addition to perfecting your disillusionment charm you also need to master the art of the power nap. Learn how to function for long hours with little to no sleep."
"You're joking"
"I'm not. But there will be plenty of time for that. In the meantime here's one for you too, as well this."
His father hands him a third vial. Theodore doesn't need to read the label to know what it contains. Invisibility potion.
"This one's pretty strong, should buy you about a minute. Use it wisely."
“Anything for Eleazar while we’re at it?”
“I’m sure Eleazar already brews his own contraband.”
Theodore chuckled. Eleazar did have a natural knack for potions and always had a true passion for the subject, the art came as naturally to him as walking it seemed at times. Even Aesop couldn’t say as much about himself, having gone from quite the average student to graduating with the best potions marks in his class thanks to hard work and a drive to reach the top of his field.
“Anything else before the Sharp Delivery Service heads back to his common room?”
“No, that’ll be all” his mother says, as she pulls him into another bone crushing hug. “You’re a great son, and an amazing brother. We’re so proud of you. I love you, Theodore.”
“I love you too, Mum”
He looked up at his father, while still tightly hugging his mother.
"You never told me what gave me away. I know my disillusionment isn't quite up to snuff yet but that's not what woke you up though"
"The front door. It has a very distinct squeak when it opens. Imperceptible from the outside but can be heard from our bedroom. I could fix it, but I choose not to. That's what gave you away tonight. I must say though, I was impressed at how you managed to avoid all the bad floorboards. Well done."
"Thanks Dad. I love you."
"I love you too, son."
Aesop joined in the hug for a moment, then gently took his wife’s hands into his own, releasing their son from her tight embrace.
“Be safe on your way back”
Both parents stayed in the doorway, arms around each other, watching as their youngest son sprinted towards the closest floo flame.
————————
Theodore didn’t waste his invisibility potion sneaking back into the castle. He was smarter than that. He knew the prefects and professors were fast asleep at that time, and his disillusionment charm, while still needing some work, was still good enough to shield him from the portraits and the ghosts roaming the castle. He didn’t hear Peeves in the vicinity, so the walk back to the Slytherin common room was easy and uneventful.
He was greeted by the sight of his sister, who had abandoned her attempted re-write, and appeared immersed in the book she was reading. A quick glance at the cover revealed that she was reading one of her favorite novels. To think that his sister would trust him so completely as to abandon her contingency plan in favor of re-visiting one of her favorite stories made his heart swell. This evening hadn’t gone according to plan, but he hoped that he’d at least be able to calm down her anxieties and maybe, just maybe, she would get a couple hours of sleep tonight.
Natty looked up from her book and took in the sight of her brother, scones and potions in hand.
"Theo? Are you OK?"
"Brilliant, actually" he says as he took a bite out of a scone
"Did someone cast the confundus charm on you?"
"I don't... think so. Why do you ask?" he took another bite
"I see scones, I see potions, do you know what I DON'T see?"
"Oh, yeah... that"
Natty put her head in her hands
"Theodore!"
He put his hand on her shoulder
"Relax Nat. They already turned it in for you."
Natty looked up at her brother, who had the biggest smile on his face.
"They... what?"
"They noticed you had sent them your essay by accident, proof-read it and owl'd it directly to Professor Sallow. Probably sounded something like this
Theodore stepped back and put on his best impression of their mother.
"Oh Ace! Our darling daughter must have sent us her essay by accident! Poor thing must be so nervous right now but I really don't understand why, this essay is incredible! I couldn't have written it better myself!"
Then Dad probably went "I can tell no shortcuts were taken when writing this paper, well done Natty, this deserves an O and nothing less!"
"I shall send it to my good friend Sebastian at Hogwarts right away! However I absolutely won't also ask about how the children are doing because that would be inappropriate"
"Wonderful idea darling. Once you're done I know something inappropriate you and I could"
"STOP IT THEO! Please. Before I need to cast scourgify on my brain!"
Theodore put an end to his re-enactment, looked at his sister, and handed her a pastry. "Scone?"
Natty took the pastry from her brother wordlessly. He could be quite ridiculous at times, but always knew just how to cheer her up. She couldn't have conjured a better twin if she tried. As Theodore sat on the sofa next to her, she was able to sense that, beneath his playful charade, something was bothering him.
"How long did it take for Dad to catch you?"
Theodore sighed.
"He was onto me the moment I opened the front door. Let me get all the way to the kitchen though, before revealing himself, I think he took pity on me."
"Wow, that's actually pretty impressive"
"Yeah… it is. I don’t know how he does it to be honest."
“He’s been doing it for years Theo, for longer than we’ve been alive. It used to be his job, and it’ll be your job one day, too. I know you’ll be a great Auror one day. So you got caught by Dad. At least you got to say hi to him and Mum, that must have been nice.”
Theodore placed his arm around his sister, pulling her towards him.
“It was. Wish you could have been there, I know you miss them, too.”
“Winter holidays will be here before we know it.” Natty’s voice started to betray the fact that she was fighting sleep. “Hey, you were able to sneak in and out of school undetected, that counts for something doesn't it?"
"I guess it does. I'll outsmart Dad next time." Theodore says, wistfully.
Natty yawned as she curled onto the sofa, resting her head on her brother’s lap. "Good luck with that."
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Theodore didn’t get an answer to his question, Natty had fallen fast asleep. He summoned a blanket from the chair across them and draped it around his sleeping sister. He was glad to have been able to be there for her, to be a good brother to her in her moment of need, to calm her anxieties to the point that her mind was able to so quickly surrender to sleep. Happy with himself, he propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, leaned his head back against the plush upholstery, and fell asleep as well.
—————————
A/N a brief description of the Sharp children at the time of this fanfiction
Magdala Dinah "Maggie" Sharp
Slytherin
Recently graduated, named after her grandmother and her father's closest friend. Fiercely intelligent, confident, but also quite humble. Te ringleader of the 4 Sharp children. Has had a lifelong passion for beasts, moved to America to study beasts native to the continent
Eleazar Sebastian Sharp
Ravenclaw
7th year, head boy, named after his mother's mentor as well as one of her closest friends. Quiet and a little shy, very kind and compassionate Demonstrated a knack for potion making practically before he showed signs of magic, and the only Sharp child to have yet to receive detention.
Theodore Ashley Sharp
Slytherin
5th year, named after his grandfather as well as his father's late partner. Has wanted to be an Auror for as long as he can remember, will do anything for his family and particularly his twin sister. He knows he's got charm and charisma and he's not afraid to use them to get out of trouble. Still didn't save him from landing himself in detention on his first week of school!
(F/N) Natalie "Natty" Sharp
Slytherin
5th year, named after her mother as well as one of her mother's closest friend. Prefers to go by her middle name because being named after the "Hero of Hogwarts" combined with her own exceptionally strong magic made it difficult for her to carve her own identity. A master negotiator with a quick wit, she can spot a lie from a mile away., Can usually keep her brother in check, and is organized enough for the two of them.
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bellysoupset · 1 month
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I should be sleeping but I can't, so let's do this. You asked for my comments; it's only fair I deliver.
I decided to go in the order you posted the fics - focusing on the Max + Vin + Wen trio for now -, and the first one I'm going to comment on is the Vince's low blood sugar, 2-part masterpiece.
His reason for oversleeping? This man LOVES his girlfriend. He must have been exhausted but stayed up until Wendy herself was yawning 🥺
Then Soph came with the sharing clothes question. It was hilarious. I love her character. She is so mean sometimes and tries her best to act like she doesn't want to be associated with Vince, but if anyone was to hurt her family, I know she would come after them like there was no tomorrow. Poor girl was so worried when Vin fainted. She didn't want to leave him alone and even touched his cheek despite not being a touchy person. Baby 💔
I loved the build up until the collapse, but all those little details after the collapse had me melting. Like Max being soft with Soph to get her out of the room asap before he focused on Vince. And I live for Vince calling Soph and Liv bambi. That is so sweet. No wonder she melted. I love nicknames and petnames so much. I use a bunch with my own siblings all the time too.
Also Max pulling Vince's hair into a pony tail with his very own hair tie. Then telling Vin he didn't see him in the cafeteria. Max wanted to have lunch with Vince, didn't he?
Don't even get me started on the 'you remind me of my friend' 'a handsome one?' conversation between these two. Like okay, I know Vin and Wen are in a happy relationship already, but I'm rooting for Max. They might be happier as a trio, just sayin' 👀😂
I don't think I ever mentioned this, but I love Vin as a teacher. History is not my absolute favourite, but I kinda love it. I'm sure his classes would be cool to attend. I have seen Jojo Rabbit, will he accept my essay too? Joking aside, he is also great at it because he understands the kids' needs and actually listens when they ask for extended deadline or something.
Btw, I need to ask. Was Max knocking on the door and coming into the classroom because this time it was Vince who (accidentally) held the students back and made them late from Max' class? Because that would be so funny.
Oh Gosh, I've just realised how long this already is and I haven't even commented on the second part yet. I told you I won't be able to shut up.
Anyways, I love Max' humour and his absolute(ly adorable) cluelessness when it comes to caretaking. I'm not worried though, he is going to learn it pretty soon with the rest of the dumbasses coming into the picture.
But like, he brought Vin to the infirmary, drove him home, and tried his very best despite being distracted a little, so he is already on the right path.
Btw, I am sooo in for the idea of Mama Monacelli inviting Max to dinner and going all out not to make his sensitive tummy hurt, and just basically adopting him like she did with Leo. 🥰🥰
Alright, I'm shutting up now. Gonna come back in further asks to comment on the other fics later though. You are going to get so tired of me by the time I finish flooding your inbox 🙈
Have a nice day / evening Soup 💞
- 💜
I'm SO not sorry I deterred your night, I wanna be but I'm really not 😂
Vince is so in love with this girl, I sometimes think I don't make it clear enough because they're not as dramatic about it as Luke & Bell are.
Also yes, Sophia would tear anyone who hurt her family to shreds!! I love writing mean girls sooo much, its the best of fun.
Vince would absolutely let you hand in your essay on Jojo and maybe even add a sticker or some funny notes on the edge. In my head Vince is not meant to teach teens/adults though, not at all. He's made to teach the little ones!
Max WAS outside because Vince held up the teens! In my first draft of the story I actually switched POV halfway through, because I really wanted to have Max annoyed that Vin had held them up and going there to rescue them, only to see Vince collapsing and freaking out.
I solved that by keeping the "flashback" in part 2, but I guess it makes part 1 a bit confusing 😂 I also had a whole line that I forgot to add, that was Max staring at Vince and just being 🤨🤨 "why is your shirt so tight? Whore" since Vin/Luke do not wear the same size!
I imagine Mama Monacelli is going to be very very mindful of Max's sensitive tummy and then he'll get sick either way, because he winds up eating too much 😭
Oh btw, I downloaded the movie, gonna watch tonight! I'll let you know tomorrow what I thought, but I looked at letterbox and it was SO WILD compared to what you described lol
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dangraccoon · 1 year
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Hell's Comin' With Me
Request for @error6gendernotfound
The Bad Batch (post-order 66) & You
“I'm thinking bad batch angst and eventual fluff (bc I have fragile feelings) with 12 and 28 from the prompt list. One of the batch finds something out about the reader (sickness, past coming back to bite them in the ass, idk) and tries to get them to tell the rest of the batch. Tysm!! I love your writing!”
12. “Just…just don’t upset them. Not now.” 28. “Do they know?” “I don’t know how to tell them.”
Summary: It took years to push your past behind you, but when a new mission leads the Bad Batch back to your old stomping grounds, you're forced to confront your past.
Warnings: past abuse, violence, TW: religious trauma/abuse, TW: poor living conditions, revenge, canon-typical explosions, non-canon-typical murder (I believe I got the worst of it, but please, please, let me know if there's something you feel I should add!!!)
Author's Note: @error6gendernotfound, Garden, darling, thank you so so so much for requesting this! It was an incredible journey to write and I'm so glad that this was my first request! I also want to thank all of you for your continued support; it really means the world to me 💛
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It had been a long time since I left “home”. The little outer rim moon I was born on was dry, dusty, and dilapidated. It took 18 standard years to get off that damn rock, and I didn’t exactly leave on good terms with the people of my settlement. 
But that didn’t matter; I was off on adventures with a ragtag crew of rogue clones that had taken me in. We all had the same goals: stay away from the empire, and eventually disappear. That was all fine and dandy, until Cid gave us a new mission. 
“You’re goin’ to Vel,” she rasped. “There’s a little village called Tirra where you’ll touch down. Pick up the goods and bring them back here.”
“V-vel?” I stammered, doing everything I could not to look as frazzled as I felt. 
“It is a moon in the outer rim; part of the Regasta system,” Tech informed, barely looking up from his data pad. “It is not the most…advanced society.”
“That’s nice, Goggles, now shut it,” Cid scowled at him. 
The rest of the briefing flew by, and I barely caught anything. We were going to Vel. And worse, we were going to Tirra. 
It had been years since I’d left, and I wanted - no, I needed to keep it that way. I just couldn’t go back. 
“Oh, I forgot,” I mumbled as the Batch and I began making our way to the Marauder. “I have another mission to take care of.” 
The squad stopped in the tracks to look at me. 
“Another mission?” Omega asked, quirking up an eyebrow. I hated that I was lying, especially to her. 
“You didn’t tell us you were taking solos from Cid again,” Echo questioned, obvious concern crossing his face. Kriff, I should’ve known they’d remember that part of my history. 
“Th-that’s because it isn’t for Cid,” I blurted out. Idiot, I thought to myself. 
Hunter stepped toward me now. “You’re going behind Cid’s back?” His voice was full of the skepticism that was shown on his face. “You’re not one to make stupid decisions like that.”
“Tough times,” I said through gritted teeth. 
“Must be,” he replied, stepping away from me, but squinting his eyes a little, the way he usually did while using his other senses. 
He could hear my heart hammering against my ribcage, I know he could. 
“Yours have a deadline?” Hunter asked after what felt like a lifetime. 
“Well, no, but I need to-”
“You need to assist this squad, like you said you would.”
I glanced around at the others, hoping for some hint of support. Most weren’t looking at me, save for Omega, who was showing her usual curious look, only now it was mixed with something unfamiliar. Her family was uncomfortable, and she was certainly picking up on it. 
I could feel the anger rising in my chest, first at the way Hunter was ordering me around, rather than just talking to me, but then it was mainly as a defense mechanism; I was scared but I couldn’t- no, I wouldn’t show that. Not to them. 
“Fine,” I spat, hating the feel of venom on my tongue as I brushed past all of them to board the ship. 
The entire journey through hyperspace would take nearly a week, and about four days in, I had hardly said a word to anyone that wasn’t Omega. I couldn’t deny her my attention; she was simply too sweet. 
“Why don’t you want to go to Vel?” she asked one day, having just entered the gunner's-nest-turned-bedroom, that she liked to let me sit in when I needed to be away from her brothers. 
I didn’t know what to say aside from the truth. Omega was fairly mature for her age, but she was naive and innocent and still a child. I couldn’t lie to her.
“Because I was born there. I was born in Tirra, on Vel.” The words felt like gravel pouring out of my mouth, rough, jagged, difficult, but once they were out, once that fact was fully revealed, I did feel lighter. 
“What?” Omega nearly shouted, causing me to wince. “That’s amazing! You’ll be able to show us around, and we can meet your family and see where you grew up!”
I shuddered at the thought, and Omega, observant to a fault, noticed. 
“Aren’t you excited to go home?” she wondered, the excited smile beginning to fade from her face. 
“I…wouldn’t exactly call it ‘home’,” I started, feeling, but not becoming fully aware of the way my fist clenched, pressing my fingernails into the meat of my palms. 
Omega didn’t respond, just scooted closer to my side. 
I took a deep breath. I’d gotten this far, I might as well tell her the rest. 
“I didn’t have the best childhood,” I explained. “My parents died not too long after I was born, so I was sent to an orphanage - um, that’s a place where they take care of all the kids who don’t have any family anymore.
“It was bad; everything was dirty, the beds, the rooms, the clothes, us. And the food was worse than ration bars, when there was any. The grown-ups in charge claimed to be righteous, holy people, but they didn’t care about us. Some kind-hearted people would give money to try and help us, but it would just go right into his pockets.
“When I was a few years older than you are now, he noticed me. He’d hold me up as this example of a disgusting sinner even though I never did anything wrong. He had this…this power over people, and even though I was just a kid, they believed him.
“18 long years of being beaten and spat upon by the people of that town. I had enough. I told that man that I was leaving and he had the town stone me and he banished me from ever returning. I went to Indus, the capital of the whole moon, because finally I was old enough to book passage off-world for myself.”
Omega was quiet for a long time after my shaky words had tapered off. Silent tears were rolling down both of our faces, something I worried Hunter could sense. 
“Do they know?” she asked, the sorrow evident in her voice. She was such an empathetic child and the weight of the guilt I felt for unloading on her like I had? It was suffocating. 
“No, Omega,” I answered. “I don’t know how to tell them.”
“But they can help,” she scowled at the floor, her belief in her brothers shining through. “They can protect you.”
I took another breath. “I know you trust your brothers, and I trust them too, but I don’t think they trust me. I don’t think they even really like me.” I left out the part of how they probably only tolerated me because of my skill set and Omega’s affection for me.
“They do like you!” Omega protested, having no intention of allowing the idea that her friend and her family weren’t friends as well. 
“Omega-”
“I’m sure they trust you. You should trust them.”
Omega left me on my own, climbing down the ladder. 
“I wish I could,” I whispered to the streaking lights of hyperspace racing past in the window. 
Day six was finally coming to an end. I needed to get off of this ship, even if that meant stepping foot in Tirra again. 
The moments before I’d left for Indus were replaying constantly in my mind. The way the townsfolk had cornered me, hurtling rocks, bricks, insults. What I’d told them, my rage taking over my brain in the moment. 
I shook my head. None of that mattered right now. There was a mission to complete. 
“Entering the atmosphere,” Tech called from the cockpit. 
I could feel my nerves rising again, and I clenched my fists, forcing myself to breathe calmly. 
We touched down without incident, kicking up a few swirls of dust. Some of the townspeople walking around looked towards us, but ultimately decided to mind their own business. 
As we all stepped off the ship, taking in our surroundings, Omega appeared beside me, pulling at my sleeve so I’d bend down towards her. 
“Did you tell them?” she whispered as softly as she could, side eyeing Hunter. 
I shook my head. Hunter was watching us, suspicion across his face. 
Omega scowled at me a little, which despite causing a bubble of guilt to rise into my chest, did little to make me want to talk to her brothers. 
“You should tell them,” she said, walking away from me to go ask Tech questions about the moon. 
“Tell us what?” Echo asked, suddenly right behind me. 
“It’s nothing,” I muttered. I started to walk away, but he grabbed my arm. 
The look on his face was heartbreaking; he was so worried about me. “Taking jobs from someone other than Cid? Keeping secrets? It’s not like you.”
Part of me felt touched. He was right, the lies I’d been telling weren’t like me. I preferred to be somewhat of an open book to those around me, especially those I trusted, like the Bad Batch. 
“I know, and I want to tell you, it’s just…really hard,” I breathed, the tiniest bit of relief dripping into my brain. At least that wasn’t another lie. 
Echo didn’t reply, but his expression of worry didn’t disappear either. 
We set out to the rendezvous point where we’d meet with Cid’s contact, walking the edge of the town. 
Wait, the edge of town?
“We have to stop,” I blurted out before I could stop myself. Four helmeted heads turned back towards me. I could see the confusion on Omega’s face, but I could practically feel it on the rest of them. 
“This is the fastest route to the rendezvous,” Tech explained, lifting his data pad to my view. 
“I know, but if we go this way then we’ll-”
I clamped my mouth shut. Damnit.
“‘We’ll’ what?” Hunter pressed. I could tell he was fed up with my antics. 
I could feel myself shaking and my heart hammering in my chest. I opened my mouth, hoping that more explanation would come tumbling out, but nothing did. 
Omega stepped towards me, taking my hand in hers. She beamed up at me, her smile supportive as she nodded. 
I took a long, deep, shaking breath in and out. “If we go this way, we’ll have to pass the preacher’s house. If he’s there, and he sees us, he will start trouble. That’s not trouble you want. If we double back and take the main road, the townsfolk will alert him to our presence if they didn’t already when we landed. We need to go up into the woods along the northern side of town. The woods are thick, but easy to navigate. It’ll take a little extra time, so we’ll have to pick up the pace.”
There were four sets of eyes on me, and even though I could only see Tech’s, I knew they all reflected the same thing; full confusion. 
They looked between me, Omega - who was smiling kindly at me, hand still in mine - and each other. 
Omega, with a slightly irritated tone I’d rarely heard from her, tugged at my hand. “We have to go quickly, right?”
I nodded.
“Lead the way,” she smiled again. A took a deep breath, eyes scanning her brothers’ helmets again, before putting on what I hoped was a determined expression, and turning to lead the group on the alternative route. 
Omega eventually let go of my hand as we walked, giving it a supportive squeeze before she did. 
As I’d told them, the woods were thick, but I knew them well. 
“You going to tell us how you know so much about this place?” Hunter asked slightly behind me.
“That is simple; this is where they were raised as a child,” Tech called from the back of the group. I froze in my tracks, the rest of the group stopping behind me.
“This is your home?” Wrecker asked, lifting his helmet to look at me. My mouth formed a tight line as I fought the tears threatening to pour down my cheeks.
“This is where they were born,” Tech corrected. “However, given the lengths they have gone to trying to avoid this very conversation, I would say their memories of living here are rather unpleasant.”
Echo stepped towards me, lifting his helmet from his head. “Is that true?” 
He placed a gentle touch on my shoulder and I was done for. A few tears slipped down my cheeks and Echo’s expression softened. 
No. No, we had a mission. I couldn’t do this right now.
I pulled away from Echo, turning my face.
“We’ll be late if we don’t get going,” I explained, beginning to continue our trek, walking briskly.
The rest of the mission blurred by without incident. Wrecker heaved the cargo container up from the ground, and Tech turned to me. “Shall we return the way we came?” 
I nodded, unable to really say anything. My nerves were still keyed up, and I had a terrible feeling in my gut. My fists clenched into tight balls as we began our walk back to the ship.
The walk back was uneventful, Tech occasionally looking over his shoulder at me to confirm that we were still on the right path.
“Stop,” Hunter ordered as the town started to come into view.
He pulled a pair of binocs out, looking over the town square we’d have to pass through.
He grunted, passing the binocs to Tech and Echo. 
“It’s a trap,” Echo concluded.
“Someone’s not happy we’re here,” Hunter agreed.
“Perhaps it is the religious figure you mentioned before,” Tech added, turning to look at me. The rest of the group’s eyes fell on me as well.
“I don’t know your history with this place, or with this preacher, but you need to tell us what we’re walking into,” Hunter said, his voice quiet. There was less bite in it than there had been before.
“He- He’s powerful. He’s got some kind of dark magic.”
“Like the Sith the Jedi would mention during the war?” Echo asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. He’s never had one of those weapons they all have.”
“What’s his problem with ya anyhow? We like ya just fine,” Wrecker told me, warming my heart a little.
I never knew the answer to his question of course, not when I was kid. I could feel myself falling into my memory of that last day.
“You pathetic child,” the preacher spat. “The weight of your sins will follow you all your days, but you are no longer welcome on Vel. Leave Tirra once its people are done with you, and never return.”
That’s when the rocks began flying. Most of them missed me, or only grazed me, at least at first. But then a chunk of brick caught me straight in the gut. I tried to back away, but the alleyway they’d cornered me in had no alternative exit. I was trapped. Insults were hurled in my direction, hitting almost as hard as the rocks and trash that bruised and bloodied my skin.
I had fallen into a heap on the ground, barely able to keep myself conscious, let alone protected.
As I lay there, the people began to grow bored, only the preacher’s inner-circle lackeys remained.
I gathered my strength as they laughed, pulling myself to my knees, wiping the dirt, blood, and tears from my face. 
“You’re going straight to Hell,” said the preacher, rejoining his henchmen.
“I’ll be back,” I warned, my voice shaky. “I’ll come back one day, you’ll never see me coming. You’re gonna regret this, cause I promise you, when I come back, Hell’s coming with me.”
My attention snapped to the present as Echo called my name, his hand and scomp on my shoulders.
A firefight with the locals had broken out, and it wasn’t going well. Wrecker was hit and knocked out on the ground with Omega kneeling over him. Hunter and Tech were behind the cover of the trees, peeking out to fire back on the townsfolk. And Echo was in front of me, holding my shoulders tightly, gently shaking me back to reality.
“You need to get your head back right,” he instructed me, his words coming out more worried than upset. “You almost walked into the line of fire.”
“I- I didn’t- I wasn’t-” I stuttered.
“I know, but we need you,” Echo insisted.
I took a steading breath, wiping away the tears I hadn’t realized were flowing. “Right, right.”
“We need a diversion,” Tech called. 
“We need Wrecker to get back up,” Omega responded.
“Stop firing and stay out of sight,” I ordered over the comms. “Don’t make a sound.”
They hesitated, but ultimately did as I told them. After a few moments, the enemy blasterfire slowed, and then stopped altogether. Wrecker was slowly coming back to consciousness, much to all of our relief.
“Wreck,” I whispered. “I need you to do what you do best; we’re going to need a big boom.”
His face split into the grin of a menace and he nodded, clearly fighting the urge to shout his excitement.
“They’ll be coming up to look for our bodies any minute now; the rest of you need to sneak back to the Marauder. Split up and loop around, Wrecker will meet you there once he’s done helping me.”
“What about you?” Omega worried. 
“I’m the diversion. The townspeople might not have recognized me when we landed, but I know he will.”
“Are you sure?” Hunter asked, and despite his mask I could feel his eyes staring into mine.
“Yes. It’s going to work,” I assured him. Hunter nodded at me, and then again at the rest of the squad. I watched them disperse, as Wrecker began rigging together what he had in his kit.
The end result was a tangle of wires and explosives. “Good work, Wrecker,” I nodded to him. “Set this on the east side of the town - there should hardly be anyone there - I’ll tell you when to set it off. Now get back to the others, tell Tech to get the ship running as soon as I get into the square.”
Wrecker nodded, dashing off into the trees. I unholstered my blaster as I heard a few townies begin to make their way into the thick forest. I spared a glance around the tree I was using for cover. Just two men were stalking up towards me. 
I quickly fired off two shots, hitting each of them square in the center of their chests.
With the coast clear, I moved down the hill towards the town, pausing behind a tree just at the edge. I could hear another man - one of the preacher’s lackeys - shouting after the two who were now laying dead in the middle of the woods. 
I could see him. He was still dressed in her overly-ornate robes. He’d gained weight since I last saw him; unsurprising given how skinny the orphans likely were.
I knew I should have waited just a moment longer, but my anger, my hatred of this man was overpowering, and I ran into the middle of the square.
“They said to start the ship now,” I heard Wrecker breathlessly instruct Tech.
“Well, well, well,” the preacher said, stepping towards me. He dropped my name into the dirt beneath his feet. “I believe I told you all those years ago that you’d overstayed your welcome in this town.”
I said nothing, my jaw clenching and my grip tightening around my blaster. 
“Still a disgusting delinquent I see,” he mused, looking me over. “I’m certain you still haven’t cleansed yourself of your wickedness.”
I began slowly walking sideways towards the large tree that grew in the center of the square, the townspeople watching in repulsion.
“If you think you’re going to make it out of here alive, you’re an even bigger fool than I thought.”
I lowered my blaster, bringing one hand up to my comm device, “Now, Wrecker!” I shouted, and perfectly on cue, a giant ball of flame burst from behind me, smoke, ash, and debris flooding the streets and square. I used the distraction to climb as high as I could into that big old tree.
I felt myself losing my tight grip on my control, and suddenly it was like I was watching my actions from outside of myself.
I attached the grappling extension to my blaster, and held it up, aiming it at that damned preacher. I fired and it hit, plunging half way into his chest. I used the branches of the tree to steady myself as my grappler began to reel itself in. I wrapped the end of my extension to a sturdy branch, ensuring that the corrupt, evil man would hang before the town.
I jumped down from the tree, surveying the town. The people were at their knees, screaming, crying, begging for mercy.
“I promised I’d bring Hell with me,” I snarled. “But I’ll show you the mercy you never gave me.”
I walked towards the Marauder, not followed, simply watched. I could feel my fingernails digging into my palms but I didn’t move them, longing to feel anything but the rage that was coursing through my veins.
From the moment I boarded the ship until the jump into hyperdrive, it was deathly silent. No one uttered a single word, not even Wrecker and Omega were boasting about the successful mission.
I tucked myself away into a corner in the cargo bay. I felt hot tears streaming down my face, cutting through the dust and grime that coated my face, but I did nothing to stop them now. I let my mind wander away a little, only coming back to myself as I heard talking nearby.
“Omega, where are they?” Hunter asked, seemingly again, his voice filled with paternal scolding. 
“I don’t think they want to talk to anyone right now,” Omega replied, her voice firm. 
“We just want to help,” Echo pleaded, his voice a little louder so he knew I could hear him.
“Fine,” Omega relented. “Just…just don’t upset them. Not now.”
I expected Hunter and Echo to come across me now, but was surprised to see the whole Batch before me, waiting patiently.
“Are you okay?” Wrecker asked, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it before. He had his little tooka doll in hand, and was offering her to me.
I accepted Lula, pulling her tight against my body.
“A lot happened back there,” Echo started.
Tech continued “We will fully understand if our presence here makes you uncomfortable.”
“We’ll leave if you tell us to,” Hunter added. “But you’re part of this squad.”
“This family,” Omega corrected, scooting close to you.
“We’re here for you, if you want to talk about it,” Wrecker finished.
They all looked at me, somewhat expectantly, Omega, placing her hand on my arm.
A fresh flood began to pour from my eyes as I gasped and panted. “I-I’m so-sorry,” I managed between sobs.
Before I knew it, Wrecker scooped me up into a tight hug, Omega joining it as well, standing on a crate to reach around my shoulder. I felt her send looks towards her other brothers, who relented, coming into the group hug as well.
The warmth and pure familial love that surrounded me now was overwhelming in the best possible way. Eventually it had to come to an end, but for now, all I could do was let myself be swept up in the fraternal display of outright affection.“You do still have a family,” Omega whispered. “We’ll always be your family.”
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I'm looking out for you (George Russell)
When work pressure starts having a role in your relationship, things get complicated and need to be talked about
Thank you so much to everyone who likes and reblogs, your feedback is appreciated, and while I'm not actively taking requests, I am writing some blurbs when I can so if you have any ideas or concepts that can be written in a small amount of sentences and you want to share, feel free to do so!
Tw: couple fight
You had been enjoying the sun in the balcony on your work break, the time ticking down until you had to go back inside to sit in front of the laptop again and send the documents in. Fast forward to a few hours later, some glitch in the program not working in your favour as you tried to get everything together and right to send in, not even listening to George get home and call for you. "Y/N, I have been calling for you f- oh, you're still working", and you were so focused in making things right that you managed to look at him and smile quickly before looking back at the screen, not noticing his annoyed tone. Finally, you managed to conclude what you were doing, heading to the living room to greet your boyfriend properly, finding him on the sofa, "Hello, my love, how was your day? Sorry I didn't greet you just then, but my laptop messed up something and I couldn't solve it until now", you said as you tried to peck his cheek, noticing his quietness and stiffness, "are you okay? Did something bad happen today?", you asked softly before he looked at you, a stern expression on his features, "It's not like you have to submit it right then, what difference is it going to make if you do it later?", George said without thinking much about it, "you can submit later, you do it later", he concluded as he grabbed his phone and texted something on it. That deadline is important for you.
It's something silly for some, but for you it would be everything to do it at the right time and not wait like your colleagues wanted to do, knowing how those things worked especially when it came to get more job offers and establish yourself in your new job market, "I need to send it still, and then I'll be done", you tried to approach the situation calmly, "it's always this document, or this deadline that needs to be met. Everyone wants something to do with your work", he said and you felt the need to defend yourself, "I'm finally happy in a job that I love. Yes, I need to prove myself but I'm proud of myself for the fact that I have responsibilities and that people seek me for help and advice on something", you gulped, not enjoying the tone the conversion was taking, "would it hurt if you just stopped a little? Slowed down?", he forwarded and it hurt you. More than he'd ever understand apparently, the words leaving your mouth as you tried to stop the tears leaving your eyes, "I don't care if you're the best driver of the best team out there! In this household our dreams and ambitions should be equally important!", you stated, "I don't ask that you change your routine because of mine", you took a deep breath, seeing that your boyfriend did not want to say anything else, "if you'll excuse me", you said before leaving the living room and heading back to the office, checking over the submission you were making before sending it in and closing the laptop for the day.
Sitting in the bedroom, you heard George in the kitchen, probably making something to eat, before you decided to go and have a shower, wanting to go to sleep and forget about this awful day, putting on your pyjamas after drying your body just in time for George to head upstairs. Despite having made the promise at the beggining of your relationship that you'd never go to bed mad at eachother, you voiced your feelings when George sat on the mattress, "I'm not mad at what you said, but I'm sad and disappointed that you think like that", before turning to face him, "can we talk about this tomorrow?", he asked, "sure", you said, "I love you", he finished as you were turning your back to him, fluffing your pillow before attempting to fall asleep.
The next morning was strange for George. He didn't have you in bed to greet with kisses, and when he went down in hopes to make a coffee and bring it to you in the office, he did not find you anywhere in the house, assuming you had decided to go and work at the company's office. He drove to Brackley and got on with his day, managing to forget the nagging feeling on his head and at the pit of his stomach for a bit and focusing on the tasks ahead of him.
"Are you okay, George?", he heard Toto ask him at the end of the last meeting, noticing then that they were the only ones left in the room, "just some stuff at home, sorry", he honestly said, knowing by now he wouldn't get anywhere without being honest, "whatever it is, you two will work it out together", he winked before leaving him with a pat on the back. Yeah, that's what he was going to do when he got home. Talk to you so he could understand why it happened like that, hoping you too had some time to think about it.
He got home early on, deciding on making some lunch for the two of you while he waited for you to get home, wanting you to have something to eat later, but your car only arrived a few hours later than he expected, the sound of the door that connected the garage to the rest of the house alerting him of your presence inside, making him head to the kitchen to greet you, "hi, I made food earlier, there's some on the fridge if you want", your boyfriend offered while you shook your head, "hey, I had some food with Louise, I'm not hungry, thanks though", you stated simply.
It was weird for you to talk to him like that, to not go over to him and kiss his cheek or enjoy his cuddles but you still couldn't shake the feeling. Was your work really less in his perspective? And if so, how could you work it out with that information? Could you live in a relationship where you knew you weren't valued and, at any time, could get a comment like that? That's not something you were going to out up with... This was George. Your boyfriend who you had moved in with two years ago, and who you were pretty sure was the one for your life. Things are never easy, but they definitely don't have to be like this.
"I wanted to talk to you, actually", George began, catching your attention, "about this whole thing, I don't like this between us", he gestured to the invisible barrier between you, "I don't like it either, but I won't stay where things are like this", you defended yourself, preparing for the worst, "Darling, I don't want to be like this either. Can we work this out?", he said, making you sigh.
"I never did anything wrong, at least in my view, and I didn't like the words you gave me. What I was doing was important, it matters to me. And while I'm not asking that it matters to you, I'm wondering if you can support me. Or stay neutral about it", you mused back, genuinely concerned you wouldn't be able to get to where you were before in your relationship, "I will never ask that of you. I just wanted you to see that you're doing it a lot. Always working. It's here, it's outside the house, it's at the races. I don't even know how to help you anymore", he confessed and, in the heat of the moment, all of the words seemed to go out of the window, as well as some rationality, "I have to make this for myself, George, not all of us get to have things at the snap of fingers", you said and immediately wanted to take it back. He worked hard for what he achieves, just like you, so you were nor being fair with him either considering why you were fighting in the first place. As he was about to answer you, his phone rang, Aleix's name showing up on the screen as he excused himself to pick it up after it kept ringing, rubbing his temples before turning to you, "Aleix has some tests for me to do, and the medical team can't do them any other day. I have to leave in 10 minutes", he looked at his watch, "and I need to get ready. I'm sorry.", he said honestly, "no worries, go and do that. I'll be here when you come back", you said, spurring in him some confidence that maybe it wasn't all lost.
You had watched an episode of your favourite show when you hear the gravel outside, wondering who had gotten in the driveway. Maybe one of your friends? Family perhaps? But after they opened the garage, you knew it was George, and a quick check over the clock allowed to figure something was amiss.
"Didn't you have a training session?", you asked him, seeing him in his workout gear still, face flushed when he got to the living room, "I had to leave, and come back here. To you, and to talk to you. Because you don't deserve what I said to you. I'm sorry. I said things in the heat of the moment after a really long day. It's not an excuse, but it is me being honest", he said, "there isn't a day where I'm not proud of what you do and what you achieve. I'm always telling people how proud I am of you and all of your achievements, and in no way, shape or form do I believe that you should stop what you're doing to benefit me. If anything, I'm worried for you. I don't want you to overwork yourself. I want you to take time for yourself, and do things that you like, spend time with people you love", he gulped, looking at your eyes briefly in hopes that he still was one of those people, "of course we are both successful people in this house, each of us on our own way", he tried to hold your hand in his, regretting his move and backing his hand away, "I would never want you to behave differently for your work, but I want you to be happy and healthy and not overworked, that's all", he tried to gather any thoughts he had left.
Taking a big breath, your hand reached out for his, "I want to make a good impression, George, and I really need to have things all ready and on time. I'm sorry I didn't deal with it better too. We both said things we didn't mean, I guess", you looked into his eyes, looking to reassure him and get some reassurance from him, "I will find a way to manage it better", you proposed, "and I'll respect that, while still making sure you don't overrun yourself", he winked as his hand moved away from yours to cup your face, "I'm only looking out for you, I'm sorry that it came out in such a tone".
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medicallymercury · 10 months
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And Another One - Casualty Hiatus Thoughts - 2/?
I'm still ill but I went into uni anyway like the brave little soldier that I am! (Every night, I decide that all the work that I need to do can be done “tomorrow” but we’re rapidly running out of those until the deadlines. I have lost my train pass and student ID. All I’ve listened to all day is the demo version of Geyser by Mitski. Vague sense of doom.) I got myself some Tesco Finest cookies on the way home. I’m just complaining here. 
I'm back for more already, seems like I've opened the floodgates but this one won't be as lengthy as the other one was. Genuinely sorry I can’t shut up. I thought I was done for a while but I put an episode from series 36 on in the background thinking that I'd be able to do stuff while it played but got distracted by my opinions.
Potentially all over the place again, though this one does manage to be mostly about the series 36 mother-hell storylines. So there's a theme. Warning - I started going off about Dark Room which has a lot of transphobia in it and that’s part of what I talked about.
I really don’t know how I feel about the resolutions of Sah and Teddy’s storylines with their mums. Okay, we already know I'm about to be going on about Sah and Teddy's mother problems storylines but I'm sure there are other characters who this is/isn't applicable to - feel free to let me know about it. As a recap: it’s kind of hard for me to figure out how to describe exactly what happens at the end of Friends Like These, but if anyone has ever seen that quote that’s like “I tried to ask my parents to leave the room, but not my life”, Teddy asks Gaynor to leave the room and she leaves his life. A couple months later a patient situation causes Teddy to call his mum (and that is not brought up again when he gets trapped in a mine in the next episode) and also we are left to assume that all is fine now. Pretty simplistically, in Enough, Sah and Jools talk it out after Kevin has another stroke and then they are also just portrayed as being okay forever by the end of that episode. 
I can absolutely believe that these characters, sad and work-stressed and not always the most emotionally mature, would forgive their mothers. I don’t even disagree with it happening on a story level because I think it could make for a really good development in those stories, or even just a less-than-happy ending. What I don’t enjoy is how these endings are presented as being happily-ever-afters and that everything is supposed to be fine now because they’ve forgiven/reconciled with their mothers who haven’t really done anything to deserve it. Jools is objectively neglectful, and telling Sah they were always enough does not make up for that. I think Gaynor’s behaviour is emotionally abusive; she’s controlling his life, emotionally manipulating him, she’s trying to even limit his contact with people other than her (and she has been doing this, he “wasn’t allowed friends”). Unless I'm wrong, we don’t see or hear from Gaynor at all between Friends Like These and We Need To Talk About Ollie. I don’t doubt they love their kids but that doesn’t make them good parents, and it’s not on their kids to be doing the work to improve the relationships. If we’re getting these forgiveness endings then Jools and Gaynor need to put more effort into proving they’ve changed. Or (and I'd probably find this more interesting cause I'm mean). Forgiveness needs to be presented as something that isn’t this simple happy ending because it doesn't feel like that in these circumstances. I respect the potential misery of the undeserved forgiveness, I love misery for them, especially when they’re both in mother-hell together, I am mean. But if you want to give them a happily-ever-after, keep them away from their mothers or make their mothers do the work. 
They make Sah be the bigger person way too much, actually. In Dark Room, why does Sah have to be nice to Scott when Scott deserves to get re-beaten to a pulp? I don’t care that his mum is also terrible. Not only did he bully them when they were teenagers, he tried to ruin their whole life as a fully grown adult. Their mum is terrible as well and you don’t see them acting like that. They don’t need to be the bigger person and try to help Scott and his also terrible mother, they need a weapon of mass destruction. Also, why is Sah’s deadname used so excessively in series 36? Or at all? Ever? I’m sure there were ways around the audience ever needing to actually know what it was, even if they felt like the story required the implication of characters using it. Another potential Casualty hot take, maybe? I don't think Sah's dad is all that great of a parent either. Obviously it is entirely Jools' fault that Sah has to be his carer at such a young age, he had no control over that and Jools is definitely the worse parent, but getting back with Jools without telling Sah, cancelling plans with Sah to go on dates with Jools, excusing Jools’ pretty transphobic remarks and acting like Sah has to forgive Jools because he has really isn’t great. They were right when they said “it’s not just you she left”. IT’S! NOT! JUST! KEVIN! SHE! LEFT! It annoys me that Casualty is like ‘this action will have consequences’ about that scene because Sah is right. The only person I truly like from Sah’s pre-joining-Casualty life is Bill Phillipsen (and his dead wife) and he died. I knew you very briefly/not at all but I miss you Bill and Jean <\3
This post is absolutely the post for me to start getting into the connections between the mother-hell storylines but I won’t in full. They are kind of this pair of opposites, not just on this wider level of overinvolved mother vs uninvolved mother, there are a lot of patterns I’ve noticed in the episodes and the dialogue. I’d find them all now but it's 2am and I need to be awake at 8am at the latest so I’m putting off compiling that list for another day. Some faves that I can remember off the top of my head: opposite Jan advice scenes, Gaynor really struggling to say she’s proud of Teddy even though he really wants her to while one of the first things Jools tries to say to Sah is that she’s proud of them and they tell her not to, “you won’t see me back if I go” vs “I’m back now if it’s not too late”. I really like these connections, that's why I'm so passionate about what I don't agree with in these storylines.
I didn't mention this in my last post but I got my hands on a bootleg of The Play That Goes Wrong with Milo Clarke as Max and it's very enjoyable. I've been meaning to watch TPTGW at least since I watched both series of the show, probably longer, and I succumbed to the Casualty brainrot and and had to see his version. All I'll say: He really knows how to play aunt based nepotism and situations that could be solved with polyamory.
Based on when one of the episodes is set to air, I don’t think we’ll see Casualty back until about December 30th, unless we are gonna have another break between episodes once it comes back. I don’t really care that much and also, Christmas/New Years episode? The most recent Christmas episode was that one where they were like “what if it was last year?” back in 2021 and that’s always been a weird choice to me. I just want a silly little festive one, normal Casualty episode featuring carol singing and tinsel and the implication of a really intense staff party (we will never get the Sah/Teddy Christmas party of my dreams, not this year cause they’re in the current situation, not last year cause no Christmas episode and also the stuff with Jan was happening then, not the year before…). The only thing that bothers me about the hiatus is the inevitable time skip, so much time will have elapsed in universe by the time it comes back so I feel like we will have missed a lot of the immediate aftermath of stuff that happened at the end of Driving Force.
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sugdenlovesdingle · 2 years
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Marjan's goodbye to the 126 made me cry... but Carlos is her friend too and he deserved to say goodbye too. And if Tim won't give me that, I'll just write it myself.
Or read on AO3
--- "Mama you really don't have to stay. You can just go home." Carlos pleaded with his mother. "I promise I won't overdo it. I'll just sit right here until TK gets home."
"Mi amor, I promised TK I'd stay to keep an eye on you so that's exactly what I'm going to do. You scared us." she stroked his face and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "We nearly lost you, we're allowed to be a little over protective."
"I'm fine mama. You heard the doctor, I've been lucky. I'm ok." he tried to reason with his mother. "I'm going back to work in a few days."
Andrea gave him a look that said she wasn't happy about that.
"Your dad has already talked to your sergeant about making you take it easy for a while. You need to give yourself time to recover."
"I will. I am, I promise. I don't need babysitting."
"Maybe not but I'm not leaving you on your own this soon after getting out of hospital. I'm your mother, it's my job to take care of you." she told him. "And I haven't always done a very good job..."
"Mama..."
"Just read your book Carlitos, I'll get started on dinner so TK doesn't have to worry about that when he gets home from work."
"I can cook mama, you don't have to. At least let me help." Carlos tried.
Andrea seemed to consider his suggestion but before she could decide anything, there was a knock on the door.
"Are you expecting anyone? Did TK forget his keys?" Andrea asked, going to open the door before Carlos could even think of getting up. "Oh hello Marjan."
"Hi Mrs Reyes." she said politely. "Is Carlos awake? I was hoping to talk to him for a little while."
"Yes Carlos is awake and very bored because he's barely allowed to move from the sofa." Carlos said, coming to greet her at the door. "Hey Marj."
"Hey you, how are you feeling?" she carefully hugged him.
"Fine. A little tired but that's it." he told her, leaving out certain details. "Though my mom and TK are making sure I don't so much as blink without either of them knowing. He hasn't left me out of his sight since I was discharged and now he had to go back to work, he got my mom to babysit me."
"We're just worried about you sweetheart. We want to make sure you're safe and rest up enough to enjoy your wedding day." Andrea told him.
"That's weeks away mom. I'll be fine by then. I'm fine now."
Andrea shook her head and turned to Marjan.
"He's just like his father. They're always fine and the world will end if they take some time to rest."
"I am resting." Carlos argued. "I've barely moved all day."
"Yeah I'm with your mother and fiancé on this one." Marjan told him. "It's not like you just had the flu."
"Not you too." Carlos sighed dramatically as the two of them sat down on the sofa while Andrea went to work her magic in the kitchen. "Don't take this the wrong way because I'm always happy to see you... But why are you here? Did something happen to TK?"
"No, no TK is fine." she rushed to say. "I'm going to the station after this."
Carlos frowned.
"Wait. Wasn't your hearing today? Or your deadline? With that woman you rescued?"
"TK told you about that?"
Carlos nodded.
"Yeah. And the group chat."
Marjan gave him a small smile.
"The good old group chat."
"Is everything alright? Did they suspend you?" Carlos asked, noticing his friend wasn't in uniform.
She shook her head.
"I quit. I left the AFD."
"What?!"
"That couple... They don't want an apology, they just want to use me to make some money. They want me to link to their gofundme in my apology post and tell people to donate... And I can't do that."
"And that's why you quit?"
"Part of it." she nodded. "The department are pushing me to make the post and I won't and they're not happy about that... But this whole thing is messing with my head. I froze up on a call because I was afraid of doing something wrong. If I can't trust my instincts I'm putting the rest of the crew in danger. People could die."
"I get it... I think." Carlos said after thinking it over for a minute. "So what's next for the great firefox?"
Marjan shrugged.
"I don't know. And that's both exciting and terrifying." she said and they both laughed. "I bought cap's bike."
"Oh great, instead of worrying my father in law will get himself killed, I'll be worrying about you."
"I'll be fine. I know how to ride. I had a bike in Florida but I had to leave it behind when I moved. I sold it and I've been thinking of getting a new one ever since. And when cap showed up at the station with his..."
"You wanted to get back in the saddle?"
"Something like that." She took a deep breath. "I came to say goodbye. I'm going to hit the road for a while. See what's out there."
"For a while? How long? TK and I are getting married in 7 weeks, and we need you there. You're part of the family."
Marjan smiled.
"I promise I'll keep in touch and I promise I'll be at the wedding. I can't let you two get married without me there. Not after everything you've put me and the rest of the crew through!"
"Excuse me? What we put you through?" Carlos said mock indignant. "You should be thankful you get to witness true love on a daily basis."
"Yeah you're right. Judd and Grace really are an example to us all."
"So mean." Carlos said laughingly and leaned over to hug her. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too." She squeezed him a little tighter before letting go and getting up. "I should head to the station. I want to get on the road before it gets dark."
Carlos walked her to the door.
"Yeah. Be careful out there ok?"
"I will."
"And if you're not back here for the wedding, I will hunt you down and drag you home myself." Carlos told her. Not entirely serious but not exactly joking either. "I'm a cop. I have resources."
"That's abuse of police powers, officer Reyes." Marjan teased.
"Not if it's for a good cause. Having my friend at my wedding is a good cause."
Marjan just smiled and pulled him in for another quick hug.
"See you soon, Marj."
"Yeah. See you."
He watched her walk away and give him a quick wave before rounding the corner to get to the elevator.
"Just remember I have friends in the missing persons department, Marwani!"
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coldgoldlazarus · 1 year
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.
Still not sure how to talk to the people from the d&d group about last week.
I wanna be mature and constructive about this, but the best I can really muster is "Yeah I kinda fucked up in some spots, not trying to downplay that, but on the whole I'm just frustrated with the situation, and how all of what went wrong is being put on me in a way I feel is unfair."
I felt like I was rushed into something I wasn't entirely ready for, right on the heels of several months of stress over making sure I'd have food stamps again. Yes I volunteered for this several months beforehand, but not as an immediate thing, and more with a broad vibe than a clear pre-planned... plan. I wanted to have the time to figure out the finer details and put maps and materials together before committing to doing this, but instead between being busy with IRL shit, executive dysfunction and heat exhaustion being an absolute bitch, and my own anal-retentiveness about getting everything just right combined with not being entirely sure where to start, that didn't happen.
I really should have just said no, but everyone NEEDED SO BADLY to play something during the break from the main campaign, (even though there is a minecraft server literally right there) and the whole "if you don't pilot the EVA, Rei will be made to do so again" thing was in play with the other multishot that could have filled the gap getting off to a false start and not being entirely ready either. Plus, I wanted to get this test run out of the way so I could work on the reboot of the big magical girl campaign again while the current main one was drawing to a close. Being told July was gonna be the last chance to do that before a long stretch without interruptions kinda made me panic. So I said yes instead.
I figured given my track record, having the deadline would be a good way to ensure I actually worked on it, but like, I think it really just did more harm than good, compared to if I had let it breathe. I also thought I was a bit readier than I was, with some stuff I hadn't even considered needing to figure out cropping up right on the day of, and having to scramble to get those hashed out at the last second. So yeah, while this was going on I spent the bulk of the weeks not working on this, and then having to do the rest day-of, causing the session start time delays. (I could give a detailed breakdown on exactly what those unforseen "invisible steps" were, so they have context for why the delays kept happening the way they did, but I've already been told to my face by at least one of the group that she doesn't give a shit, so whatever.) That was a mistake on my part, not gonna try to say otherwise. I just should have said no in the first place.
And I guess there's the communication issue. That I did mess up on too, the first few weeks. I tried to do better about it last tuesday, at least, after going radio silence the prior week. I felt I did a decent job of giving updates on my progress and saying "hey this is probably happening but don't assume it is for sure until I say I am Done and Ready." It's out of my control that people went ahead and assumed it was a sure thing anyway. I literally said at one point that I needed to take the bus back home from the library and that would be causing another delay in my prep, only for someone to say "okay this is happening definitely at exactly when she gets home" and I had to say, no, that's just when I'll be getting home, I still have more setup to do after that. And it's a hard fucking balancing act in giving ETAs because people get mad if you give too big a number, but then I also tend to take longer than I estimate...
I should have just called it off then and there tbh. Just didn't wanna let people down second week in a row. Not that that worked out anyway.
And of course the straw to break the camel's back was that A: There was another thing I needed to finish that I thought I had already done, but had in fact only half-completed, B: one of the other players dipped out on account of a migraine, and I hate leaving people out on principle but everyone else wanted to go ahead anyway, and C: on top of those, this was suddenly needing to be the last session before the main campaign resumes yesterday, so I'd have to rush to complete yet another session's worth of content while running one. And also I'd been up for 26 hours straight at this point. How the fuck was I supposed to react? I needed to remove myself from the situation and I needed sleep.
(I will readily admit that waking up still pissed the next morning and pouring all my complaints into a shitty meme format generator was not a mature course of action. Again, not pretending I'm blameless here.)
...
Anyway, my takeaway from where and how I did fuck up and why, is that I'm just not cut out for this.
After the first run of the magical girl campaign crashed and burned, I figured out a lot of the hows and whys, and found solutions to those problems to enact for next time. But none of that was even relevant to where this one went wrong, so that's a whole new set of problems to also find answers for, and Idk how to do that other than just having everything already ready to go beforehand. A luxury I just don't think this group would be willing to afford.
And furthermore, on sitting back and discussing both campaigns and my approach, I think the way I'm coming at this is fundamentally incompatible with what the rest of the group wants out of a campaign, and this would extend to trying to reboot the big one as well. I don't really enjoy TTRPGs as a medium in practice as much as in theory, because I just function better telling a planned story, not playing an improv game. It's a bit frustrating when it feels like the rest of the group doesn't care about my big grand narrative, but on having the time to reflect on it, I think that one's a Me Problem and a symptom of the incompatible approaches. There's nothing wrong with either, but the two don't exactly mesh well. And this is only one example of that clashing, same happened with me as a player. (The worst of which was when I tried changing my approach! It didn't work and backfired harder!)
(Literally the one exception where things did go well, was because that character I was playing was a super easygoing, down-for-whatever and in-the-moment type, and that campaign didn't last long enough for something to go wrong anyway.)
What happened on Tuesday was basically me ragequitting, but my decision to leave altogether is not. It's me recognizing that I'm the weak link here, and so it would just be better for both me and the group for me to stop trying to jam a square peg into a round hole.
But of course, it seems at least some of them are mad at me over that, too. There's no winning.
So in the end, I don't really know what to say. Yeah, I fucked up. But no, I don't feel I fucked up badly enough to warrant this level of vitriol. I tried to learn from what went wrong and communicate better instead of shutting down, but that only does so much when people just decide what I said differently like with the bus thing, or change plans on me at the last second. I'm frustrated as hell, but not mad at the people, I'm just upset and annoyed that they're so mad at me.
I tried to do my best in time, but the timing was all wrong, and my best just wasn't good enough. Sorry.
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overheaven · 8 months
Text
hhnnnnn
MFA program interview tomorrow (it's almost 4am now so technically today but shh)
honestly. i think i’m more nervous about what will happen if i'm accepted this time than the interview itself. the interview... i've been through it once, & my interviewing skills are good if i say so myself. but idk until last wednesday i had more or less accepted the idea that an mfa wasn't meant for me in this lifetime. i still WANTED it but i accepted that i might not get it— who do i get rec letters from 2, 5, 10 years down the line, when i’ve likely been just in the workforce and not a community that could speak to my art & study skills? what do i put in my portfolio if i’m too disabled to get out & find studios & make the art i’d want to create a graduate thesis out of?
but now i've got this opportunity and like. yeah you can be cynical about it & say they're filling a quota or maybe this is their M/O every year to bait more applicants & inflate numbers… but idk i’m trying to stop those suspicious, paranoid thoughts because they’re based in insecurity & hurt.
when a dept. head emails me the day before the deadline and says 'we were looking at past applicants and invite you to apply again; just reuse your previous application' and they offer me an interview the day after i send that and a few new materials, i need to think ‘yeah there's something in my art that they want. that the world wants.’ i do make good art, art that does what i need it to do. and i have worked SO hard. i know what i’m doing and what i want.
plus i got waitlisted last time so i was this close 🤏 i’m not going to be cocky but it sounds like a have a good chance this time. i think about how i got into RISD for undergrad i just couldn’t afford it. i got into RISD! one of THE most illustrious art schools in the damn country! only about 17-19% acceptance rate!!! my portfolio was good enough for that!!!!!
so if given this opportunity i will seize it because i have to. i will be grinding myself to dust while i’m there, i’m sure. i’m still spent from the last 4 years, but i am a fighter and i will claw my way through with torn nails and broken teeth if i need to. i’d rather do that right now while the iron is not exactly hot but still workable rather than wait for a nebulous “someday” or never get it at all. if i get it done now, school can be completely totally DONE for me. there’s nothing above a masters for fine art.
and i feel really good about giving this second chance at this MFA program everything i’ve got, without over analyzing or second guessing because my gf has given me a really stable life and we have a whole plan of where we wanna be for the next few years at least. i have a job too! a pretty ideal one for someone like me!! there is a LIFE waiting for me if i get rejected. i’m not hinging on this for student loans to live on and a reprieve from work that was making me suicidal.
but like. yeah i’ve been having a cart before the horse thing. i'm really scared of the idea of 2 more years of study while being away from a more permanent home precisely because we are so ready & prepared for stability and being somewhere that’s not temporary. i don’t wanna be in transition anymore! i want a home and a place to rest!! i want to stay in therapy! i want to go to doctors and fix my body!
but if i need to, i will.
opportunities have always been stolen from me, by circumstance & finances, having no support. i’ve never been in control of my life. i want to capture this one if it lays down in front of me. i really do deserve it.
and tbh i think it will be somewhat easier because it is just art and some TA stuf. undergrad was agonizing because i was trying to put together senior projects and manage portfolios while also having to fucking write busywork 1-2 page essays every week in each of my other classes and writing manuscripts and being the one to manage group project email chains and scheduling because the 18-20 year old students don’t like to just get shit done. i don’t want to say i’m better than students who went to art colleges but i am built different LOL
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