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zylooooooong · 2 years

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Top 5 Upcoming NFT Games to Watch Out For

In this article, I will introduce to you the biggest upcoming titles that will shake the world of NFT gaming quite literally.

Why? Because these games are so well-made (mind you, still in development) but they can already rival big titles currently in the market. And the best part is, once these games fully launch, you can start earning real-life money from them.

There’s no better introduction to this topic than to just jump right in and see the games for yourself, so let’s go!

1. Illuvium

Illuvium is an upcoming game that is considered as the first AAA blockchain game, and rightly so because of the game’s mechanics, graphics, and overall presentation. It is one of the most highly anticipated open-world fantasy games built on the Ethereum blockchain. And did I mention that it’s also Play-To-Earn?

Gameplay

The way the game works is similar to Pokemon. You can capture Illuvials, the game’s monsters, and fight with other monsters or players. In place of a Pokeball, Illuvium uses Shards. And instead of a turn-based format, the game is played in an auto-chess battle sequence. All you have to do is to strategically place your Illuvials on the battle’s board, and the game will commence.

So, if you are familiar with Autochess or Teamfight Tactics, then you already have an advantage. Check the official White Paper for more info.

Here’s another view of how the gameplay’s UI will look like:

Also, initially, the game will feature 100 unique Illuvials that players can capture. But as the game progresses along, more Illuvials will be released into the wild for players to encounter, battle, and capture. These Illuvials also have their evolution forms of up to 3 (so far) like Pokemon.

Illuvials have their own elemental affinity and class, which makes strategizing more exciting and fun.

For example, available affinities in the game are: Air, Water, Earth, Fire, and Nature. Fire beats Nature, Nature beats Water, Water beats Fire, and so on. It’s like a game of Rock Paper Scissors.

And when it comes to class, the basic ones are Empath, Psion, Guardian, Fighter, and Rogue.

So, an Illuvial can be a Fire affinity Guardian, and right now we can only assume that that simply means it is focused on defense with skills reminiscent of fire. And so on, you get the idea.

And of course, the game is still in development and things might still change.

Main Features

Features several revenue sources – from aesthetics like skins to in-game item purchases, crafting, selling captured illuvials, selling farmed materials.

Wager – bet on battles.

The game in itself is FREE to play, but if you would like to earn through the game, you will need to invest a little amount – last I saw this is around $50, but this can still change.

Roadmap

Closed beta will be on December 2021 to Q1 of 2022.

Mystery auction before launch for early adopters on Q1 2022.

Open beta launch on PC in Q4 or Q1.

Mobile launch in 2022.

2. Cashbox

Cashbox is the world's first blockchain game that combines the world of ancient civilizations with the legendary gems NFT and the Mewtwo divine beasts.

In Cashbox, any user can enter the game space, choose a specific temporal territory, and participate in the construction, purchase and sale of land, divine beasts and virtual goods.

Cashbox2023 in the upcoming Teaser version has been determined to be on line with the beast summoning and feeding function, market trading function, metaverse plots, etc. Players can already start to get scarce resources for building their own metaverse empire.

Gameplay

Cashbox Teaser version is a meta-universe created with the background of ancient human civilization, to enter the metaverse first you need to buy the pass inside Dbox, Dbox is a blind box in the form of NFT, which contains a corresponding metaverse civilization plot NFT and diamond NFT. you can decide according to the rarity of these two items are collected and traded or used to exchange into crystals. The crystals can be used in the game for the summoning of gods and Mewtwo divine beasts, which can be cultivated and upgraded. Different civilizations and city-states and Mewtwo divine beasts within civilizations will have different rarities, and it is up to the player's eyes as to how to trade to get the maximum benefit.

The official white paper of the game we can see that Cashbox will open up the custom editing function of the plot NFT and the matchmaking function of the gods and beasts in the later stages, which should be the two highlights that people are looking forward to in the later versions. At the same time this is also a major profit point for players in the later stages, for the current players who can get the whitelist I believe you should know what to go in and do.

Main Features

1. The game threshold is low, and the whole game mode is very friendly to NFT newcomers.

2. The distinctive maps and the forms of the divine beasts integrate the myths of different civilizations, which enhances the fun of the game.

3. Dbox blind box contains two copies of random rarity NFT.

4. Late version of playing gold way more.

Roadmap

In the Cashbox Alpha version, Summon Mythical Beast function is enabled and the asset use mode with city-state as the unit on the territory of the original four ancient civilizations is further expanded. Players can build the social relationships of their own network structure in Cashbox. With the basic modules of mythical beast and commodity matrix, each player can upgrade different asset categories modules according to their own needs.

In Cashbox Launcher version, the protocol permission based on the communication contract encryption layer will be further opened, and the system optimization of communication and resource process coordination between distributed components with players/users as nodes through message transmission can be explored. In the Launcher version, players possess 3D assets that are transparently linked, and the ability to handle the heterogeneity, openness, and addition and replacement of components of Cashbox system is enhanced in an open scenario based on global clock process optimization. Therefore, users can choose the function of connecting more real data to the virtual matrix and participate in the game setup.

3. Star Atlas

Star Atlas is one of the games that I am excited about. Being a space nerd myself, I can imagine exploring the universe through a game…and what more, I can own badges (for rank) and ships. It’s also possible to own lands, but in the case of Star Atlas, they are more like platforms or space stations.

Anyway, there are still a lot of things that are unknown at this point, but one thing for sure is that this game is very ambitious. It aims to monetize the time players spend in the game, fully own assets, and the like.

Gameplay

The gameplay, per the developers, and with what we know for now based on the interviews and blog posts they have released, starts with players going on a journey across the universe…or in the case of blockchain games, the Metaverse. There, players can compete for resources, fight, trade, and basically rule for domination or peace.

The exact mechanics on how this can work is still not clear, but there is a heavy emphasis on the game’s economy. One big thing is players can build their own cities, run their own economy in the game, and convert those in-game assets into real-life money.

Main Features

What we know so far for certain is players can choose between 3 factions:

ONI region – a consortium of alien species.

Ustur sector – a group of sentient androids.

MUD territory – a group of humans.

Aside from that, each spaceship can engage in space battles, do interstellar travel, dock on space stations for trading, resource resupply, and many more.

Ships can also be customized for deep space travel, for combat, and many more.

And perhaps one of the things that I am looking forward to in Star Atlas is player governance of the game, where players actually have a say on the game’s direction.

Roadmap

Phase 1 (launched September 7, 2021) – instead of an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) they are going to offer GAO (Galactic Asset Offering) in which people can purchase game assets through the Star Atlas Marketplace.

Phase 2 – Launch of the MVP – a browser mini game. At this point, the game is still not fully playable, but trading and other in-game revenue will commence.

Phase 3 – Launch of more game assets like shipyard sales, more ships, crews, and components.

Phase 4 – Launch of the full game, and at this point all assets purchased prior will be usable according to their intended purpose.

The exact dates of other phases are still yet to be announced.

4. Guild of Guardians

If you are familiar with fantasy RPG games like Diablo or Path of Exile, then you will find Guild of Guardians to be a very comfortable game for you to play.

In Guild of Guardians (GoG), you can build your team of heroes so you can challenge dungeons and quests to win resources and items. You can also use these resources to craft items, “craft” heroes, and trade or sell them for real money.

Gameplay

As mentioned above, it is inspired from fantasy games like Diablo, Dungeons and Dragons, and Path of Exile (I only used this as an example since it’s popular right now, but in reality PoE is also inspired from Diablo).

Anyway, the way the game is played is through a team of heroes. Your team will enter dungeons to fight monsters like orcs. You can earn rewards from accomplishing quests or defeating dungeons, as well as through gaining loot from monsters.

The game developers are looking into incorporating 3 main attributes for each hero: Factional, Class, and Element.

Factions: Empire, Glade, Horde

Classes: Warrior, Ranger, Mage

Elements: Water, Earth, Dark, Light, Fire

And each hero or items are separated into 4 levels of rarities: common, rare, epic, and legendary. Get a glimpse of what you can get on their official store.

There are also plans for guilds, pets, equipment, etc., but that is for another article of its own since it will take time to write all of them. Exciting, right??

Roadmap

Q2 2022 – soft launch of the alpha version. Early users can start voting for features using Gems.

Q4 2022 – launch of the beta version of the game with additional game modes.

Q2 2023 – full launch of the game, end of the testing phase, and will include new game modes as well as periodic content release.

One of the exciting things about Guild of Guardians is that they stand by the principle that gamers should not keep on paying for a game, but instead since they are spending time in the game, players should instead have a share of the profits – thus, it’s Free-to-Play and Play-to-Earn!

5. Plants vs Undead

Plants vs Undead is quite literally inspired from Plants vs Zombies, a game that became popular worldwide several years ago. Everyone played this game or has heard of it at some point, and I must admit, I enjoyed it too.

And now, reminiscent to Plants vs Zombies comes Plants vs Undead – a blockchain game that is also Play-to-Earn.

Gameplay

In Plants vs Undead, or PvU, is very much similar to Plants vs Zombies (PvZ), so if you’ve played it before, then you already have an advantage. But for those who haven’t played it, then it basically works like a Tower Defense kind of game.

In PvU, the undead came from outerspace through meteors, and their goal is to spread disease and reach the Mother Trees, which will kill the planet so the undead can finally fully rule it.

As a last stand, Seeds are the final hope of the planet. Players start with 6 plants and a mother tree, which are free. But these are only basic plants with basic stats, so in order to progress more in the game, players will need to purchase seeds or plants using the PVU token, which can also be earned in the game or through the marketplace.

So, to summarize, you will need to place anywhere from 6 to 8 plants maximum on your board to protect your mother tree while the undead advances.

If you successfully defeat all rounds of undead, then you will earn in-game rewards which you can use to trade in the marketplace.

Another part of the game is Farm Mode, which allows players to generate Light Energy, which can be used to trade for PVU tokens. It’s basically just like earning coins passively and while you are AFK.

Main Features

What we know so far for certain is players can choose between 3 factions:

Farming mode will earn players Light Energy, which is important so you can earn PVU tokens, which in turn can be converted into real money.

Each seed or plants have their own elements and traits, so choosing the perfect team will have a huge impact in your game’s synergy.

It is built on the Binance Smart Chain, which is faster and affordable than other Ethereum-based games (especially when it comes to Ethereum gas prices).

The developers have mentioned that aside from Survival and Farm modes, there will also be a Multiplayer mode where players can compete or fight with other players.

Roadmap

Q4 2021 – Lending and borrowing feature for plants will be available in the marketplace, and new plants, mother trees, and lands will be available for purchase.

Q1 2022 – the first PvP tournament will be launched, with a pool prize of 1 million PVU tokens.

Q2 2022 – new game modes will be introduced for continuous game development.

Bonus: Axie Infinity

I mentioned Axie Infinity a couple of times before, and since then I’ve played it long enough to give a more balanced view of the game. From my post over a month ago, I mentioned that I bought average-priced Axies, and since then I already gained back what I invested and have been enjoying pure profit for a time now.

But in any case, there have been a lot of updates from the developers and the price of Smooth Love Potion, the in-game token which can be converted into real money, has been playing around $0.06 to $0.08 per token.

It’s not that bad considering this is the price before it blew up around July of 2021. During that time, the price went up to $0.3 to $0.4 at its peak.

The good thing is, the price is currently stable, maybe a bit down if you started during its peak, but for those who are familiar with blockchain play-to-earn games, this is just another cycle.

Is it still worth looking into? Sure! But as with all games that enable players to earn money, always take precaution and only spend money that you are willing to lose!

To End

The era of spending heavily on games without an actual monetary return is coming to an end, and this is backed by the games above that are about to launch. These are games that are built by independent and big game studios with proper funding, proper plan, and clear goals, not just an idea. These games are already here, like Axie Infinity, only this time…on a grander scale.

Are you excited?!

#nft #gamefi

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m39 · 2 years

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Doom WADs’ Roulette (2002): 2002 A Doom Odyssey - Part 2

Congratulations!

You have managed to wipe out the demons that took over the star base from the previous episode. Now, you must go deeper into Hell (or wherever the fuck this episode takes in) to beat the living shit out of Cyberdemon.

EPISODE 2: Road to Eternity

Well, I’ll admit, this episode looks better than its predecessor. Not only does the hellish corruption is more prominent here, where in some cases it feels like you are in Hell itself, but the architecture and the ideas that came out to these maps are more bonkers than in the previous episode. I’m starting to see that this WAD is becoming more complex as I go further into it.

What I really like in this episode is how it is implied that the time of day is changing as you go further with this episode. Such a small thing can give more deep than you might think.

The music is still good in my opinion, but I feel like some of the instruments used in these tracks might be too loud for some of you. Just a little warning.

Definitely, my favorite track was the one from the first map of Road to Eternity – Station Alpha. Other than that, there are also ones from Shotgun Blues and probably Fortress of Fatalities/Between Demons n’ Insects (can’t decide between these two).

Like the previous episode, Road to Eternity is rather easy to understand. I feel like the last time, there were a few moments where I was stuck for some time (particularly in Station Beta) but there wasn’t really any moon logic in this episode, even when it has the map titled Puzzles to Solve.

Really like the idea behind Dungeon of Hate, where you end up teleported into some medieval castle complex that was also corrupted by Hell.

The super-secret level though, (Surfing) the Mighty Green, was a massive disappointment. Still funny as shit, but still a disappointment. But that’s probably because I had some high expectations towards this map. The fact that it was slotted in E5M1, therefore requiring ZDoom to be played, I was thinking: Well shit, this probably has something impossible to create in Vanilla., and when I reached it the first time, what I saw was... A map filled with marble where you kill Cacos with the Chaingun...

If not for the fact of the absurd idea behind this map, I would call this map a shitty disappointment, but with that, it’s just a disappointment.

But it was still better than that one room in Puzzles to Solve. You know, the one with the chess-like-divided floor that is actually multiple lifts that destroy the flow of playing the map, no matter which one? Yeah! That one! And I thought that they stopped using this shit already!

...

sigh

So how is this episode hard anyway, for a change of subject?

Well, it’s easy. While it’s definitely harder than the last episode, it was still manageable and rather simple to kill demons, especially with the knowledge of secrets’ locations and with the comparisons to the other WADs I’ve played in the past.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like this episode is using more cheap tactics to artificially increase its difficulty. The biggest example is with Shotgun Blues, constantly teleporting enemies from one place to another just to cheaply shoot you from behind so many times that by the end of this level I wanted to severely bash my head on my desk.

Another shitty fight I can come out with is in Between Demons n’ Insects, where you have to press four eye switches, each behind a teleporter in the same location in close proximity, and everytime you do it, you get attacked by the slowly teleporting wave of Shotgunners and Imps that goes on, and on, and on. It’s so boring that I wouldn’t be surprised if I fall asleep during all of this. And when you think the torture is over... another Imp... another one... another one... and another one... and now you went nuts.

Remember when I said in the first part, that I chose Version 2 to play because Version 3 had wrongly placed secret exit definitions? Well... GUESS WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!?!?

I’m not joking! This bug/mistake is in Version 2 too! Either the version I’ve downloaded was actually version 3 but labeled wrongly, or there is misinformation on Doom Wiki where I read about this bug! How did this even happen?!

Thank God for the changemap X command for ZDoom/GZDoom, ‘cause otherwise, I would have to be forced to not play all of the ten maps in one go without Pistol-starting.

...

Okay...

I need to calm myself down for a minute...

...

Phew

Now, for my overall opinion about Road to Eternity.

I think this episode is better than Deep into the Code, but it feels more polarizing than its predecessor.

While it looks better, is harder, and has some cool ideas, it also feels cheaper than the first episode and has more baffling things in terms of structure.

I can only hope that the second half of this MegaWAD won’t become more polarizing as I will go further into it.

Until the time for the third episode will come, I’ll see you all then.

Bye!

#doom #review #Doom WAD #doom mod #doom 1 #ultimate doom #2002 #doom 2002 #2002 a doom odyssey #part 2 #Doom WADs’ Roulette

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reidsbookclub · 2 years

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All's Well That Ends Well...But Im in a New Hell

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem! reader

Word count: 2552

Category: angst no happy ending

CW: major death, angst angst angst, mentions of car crash and miscarriage.

you can find the happy fluffy version here - I recommend reading both since the story differs slightly throughout not just in the ending.

shout out to @boldlyvoid for being a beta for this and to @samuel-de-champagne-problems for encouraging me to actually write this fic

There’s a point in the life of someone where you just give up on the idea that you will find a loving partner that accepted every single shining side and damaged ruptured side that you have to offer, Spencer Reid was at this point in his life where he was just about to give up on finding a partner to grow old with. Spencer had always longed for a family to call his own, a partner he could confide in all his fears, insecurities, hopes, and dreams, and children he could teach about life and every little topic that their hearts desired. He first could see that dream become a reality when he asked JJ out on that date, but now he is forever grateful that it resulted in an amazing and unmatchable friendship with Penelope after JJ invited her to tag along. With Lila, he saw the spontaneous side of what a relationship would entail but he knew that there would be no future there, it would just be a one-time thing. Things were slightly different with Elle, he was ready to let her teach him the ropes but she chose another path, a path that he had no choice but to respect. The first time Spencer was able to have a glimpse at the life he always longed for was with Maeve, but it got ripped away from him in the cruelest of ways. Austin brought him an imaginable joy in the form of his daughter Venus, and just as he was about to propose, two short months after she was born he came home to find any trace of Austin gone, in her place a letter detailing how sorry she was but this was a life she was just not ready for.

Now, Spencer spends his free weekends at the park reading with his daughter and teaching her how to play chess. At times he finds himself wishing that there was someone next to him with her head resting on his lap reading or listening to music. Someone who actually would remember to pack snacks because he was too worried making sure Venus was covered in enough bug spray and sunscreen but, he was slowly resigning himself to the reality that a lifelong partner was just not in the cards for him. That’s when Spencer looks up and sees her. The sunlight casting a glow on her that he had never seen anyone wear. And when she turns his direction and smiles brightly at him, waving at his little girl Spencer knew that he wanted to get to know everything about her. For the rest of the day, Spencer couldn’t concentrate on his book, just thinking about her and what it would be like to go on a date with her.

“Sweetheart, would it be okay if you spent tomorrow with Aunt Penny?”

“Yes!! I love auntie Penny but why daddy”

“Daddy is going to be a bit busy with tomorrow, that's all, let me call your aunt penny to see if she is not busy”

Spencer spent more than half of his Sunday walking around Centennial Park looking for her, eventually feeling a little silly because the chances of her being there two days in a row were not in his favor. Spencer spotted an empty chess stable and sat down planning on starting a game against himself until he was greeted by the most melodic voice he had ever heard.

“Do you play?”

“Yeah, actually I do” Spencer replied in a rare surge of confidence

“I don’t, would you teach me?”

“I-uh- yeah of course. I love teaching people chess, I teach my daughter every Saturday.”

“Oh…so…so you’re married?” Y/N asked sadly

“No, actually I’m not.”

“Y/N Y/L/N, nice to meet you.”

“Spencer. Spencer Reid. Did you like Ana Karenina?

“How did—how did you know? Wait?”

“Ohh-i- i actually saw you—geez I sound like a creep and I’m stuttering like a teenager” he mumbled. “ I saw you yesterday reading it, you waved at me and my little girl.”

Spencer thought she would walk away but instead, she just laughed, a harmonious laugh that sounded straight out of one of the many princess movies that his daughter loves to watch, one that he longed to be woken by for the rest of his life.

“I know Spencer, why do you think I’m here. I was hoping to run into the handsome man I saw yesterday”

Spencer spent all afternoon teaching her how to play chess and in another surge of confidence he asked her out on a date.

Six Months Later

Six blissful months of dates with each other, and in others including Venus is what they both liked to call family outings. Everything seemed to be going very well for Spencer and Y/N. There were the slight moments that they could tell Venus was adjusting to sharing her dad with someone but they knew that eventually, they would get to become the family that both Y/N and Spencer had longed for.

It wasn’t rare for Spencer to leave Venus with her when he had a case since they started dating, what was rare was the lack of communication and how long he had been gone. Venus was starting to get antsy and annoyed at everything Y/N did that was not the way Spencer did. From not adding chocolate chips to her pancakes to doing her hair wrong, Y/N hoped that Spencer would be back soon. It was a shock to everyone when Emily let them know that Spencer was in prison in Mexico. The biggest shock came to Venus, when she heard the news she exploded, taking her anger out on Y/N.

“Everything was perfect without you here, and now he is in prison. I HATE YOU”

“Tell you what, behave for me, and when he gets out- because he will- I will leave, everything will go back to the way it was before.”

“You promise?”

“I do”

“Cross your heart and hope to die?”

Y/n goes to make an ‘x’ motion across her heart and says, looking directly into Venus’ eyes “cross my heart and hope to die”

Y/N could see Venus needing a distraction from everything. She needed a change of scenery so with Spencer’s permission she took her a weekend to New York City. Spending a girl's day at spas and shopping. Y/N and Venus even played a couple of chess matches at central park in honor of Spencer. Throughout Spencer’s time in prison, Y/N made it her mission to bring just a little bit of light into Venus’ daily life. From baking nights with Penelope to movie nights just the two of them. And when Venus needed help in school she was right there to help her, even if it meant spending all night up trying to understand the ins and outs of mathematics. And slowly but surely both Venus and Y/N were finding a new normal. And it was one of these nights when Venus got up in the middle of the night for some water that she spotted Y/N cursing at her textbooks and silently wishing Spencer to appear next to her that she found herself wishing Y/N would stay with them for a long time.

Three Months Later

Spencer could sense it in the air when JJ told him he was free. He could feel a whole new nightmare begin he just never thought about how hard it would actually hit him. All he wanted to do was go home and hug his two girls. It surprised him when they weren’t outside waiting with Penelope, and he was even more surprised when arriving at the BAU and she wasn’t there only his team, Venus and Diana.

After everyone had their turn in hugging him and welcoming him back he turns to the Venus and says, “Where’s Y/N?”

Venus had long forgotten about the pact with Y/N so she full-heartedly believed what she was saying when she replied, “oh, she said she was going home. To give us some time for ourselves.” Spencer couldn’t grasp the meaning of her words, the gravity they held. He was too happy to be back to fully hold on and notice the word choice his daughter had used.

That night, when Venus and Spencer went home, he noticed the apartment a different shade of black, it was as if every color had been stripped away. The apartment felt 10 degrees colder than usual and he felt his heart drop to his stomach when he turned to look at the coffee table and notice every photograph that had y/n in it gone.

He ran to his bedroom and noticed all her things weren’t there. Spencer started pulling on his hair, scrambling around the apartment mumbling, “no-no please no” tears threatening on spilling out.

It was as if his heart was being torn apart by a thousand cuts. A thousand paper cuts that is. The reason a paper-cut feels like it hurts so much worse than other wounds is because of the number of nerve endings residing on your fingertips. It was this exact feeling that spencer felt slowly taking over his heart, becoming the shell of the man he once was.

Two weeks later

Spencer was worried, he alongside Penelope and Luke were picking his daughter from school and when they pulled up to where she was Venus started crying.

“No no go away I want mom, I want mom”

He could feel his heart break into millions of pieces for his daughter. She hadn’t cried out for her mom in years.

“Baby, my little V, your mom left a long time ag–”

“Not her! My mom. I want my mom Y/N”

“My sweet girl, Y/N left, remember. I think me being in prison was too much for her.”

It was then that Venus decided to look up at her father. And with a guilt-ridden face she said

“No, she didn’t leave because of you, she left because I asked her to do so.”

Spencer was stunned. That was not the reply he wasn’t expecting.

“Care to elaborate?”

“ I was mad. Everything was going well. I felt my life was perfect with just you and me. And then she came along and you went to prison so I was bottling up my feelings - which yes I know that's not a good thing to do - but I did it and then I told her I hated her and that I wouldn’t listen to her for as long as she was in charge of me. That's when we came up with the pact. She said that if I behaved when you got out she would leave. And she did.”

Spencer was holding back tears, he knew Y/N well enough to know that she wouldn’t be back because she respected and loved Venus like her own daughter. Spencer knew that if Venus didn’t want her around she wouldn't be.

“Wait,” Penelope said, which is when Spencer remembered he had brought both Penelope and Luke with him. “Why are you calling her mom then?”

“Okay so, today we had to write about a family member, why we loved them and what they do to make us feel safe and I wanted to write about you dad I really did, but all I could write about was mom- y/n. And I need to tell her. We need to tell her daddy. I need to tell her she’s my mom.”

“You need to understand that what you did has consequences, bigger than getting grounded”

“How big?” she asked

“She might not want to come back, she might have moved on already there are many things that are a factor sweetie”

“Can you at least try to find her so I can apologize?”

“I’ll do my best”

Two Weeks Later - 1h from Virginia, outside of Maryland

“Suspect is on the run LEO’s need us on a high-speed chase,” Prentiss says as she ushers the team outside. “Reid, I know you are not particularly okay with driving but we will need one agent on each SUV for this one.” she adds, sending Spencer a look that he knows to mean”‘I’m sorry”.

On the highway, Spencer and Tara are closing in on the suspect's car, one from each side. And in a split moment decision Spencer swerves the SUV he is driving, sending the car in front of him on a collision course to the unsub’s car effectively stopping it which gives Tara the opportunity to apprehend the unsub. The team had just returned to the BAU and were ready to start debriefing on possible cases when Spencer’s ringtone interrupts.

“Hello, Dr. Spencer Reid speaking ”

“Hi, Dr. Reid this is Dr. Lancaster from Memorial Hospital I’m calling because a Y/N Y/LN has you as her emergency contact. How soon can you get here?”

“I’m on my way”

It was as if the world had suddenly stopped for Spencer.

Standing up in the middle of the BAU he felt time stand still, he couldn’t hear the world around him, didn’t notice Penelope had picked up his daughter from school and brought her in. All he could do was feel his stomach bubbling up, shivers running through his spine letting out a high-pitched shriek he crumbled to the floor.

“Dad dad dad what’s wrong”

“Spence!”

“Boy wonder??”

“PRENTISS GET HERE NOW” Luke yelled

“Y/N….Y/N”

“daddy did you find mom??? Can I finally tell her I love her like a mom and that I’m sorry”

“…Y/N she’s at the hospital”

“Well then let’s go!” A very excited Venus says. Not knowing that her father could sense that something was wrong if he got that call.

The whole team went to the hospital with Spencer and Venus

“Hello, I'm looking for Dr. Lancaster”

“Yes?” A voice from behind him says, “Oh! Dr. Reid I’m assuming follow me,” he takes them just outside the room y/n is at. Intubated, bruises all over her body, fresh out of surgery

Spencer could feel his mouth dry up when asking, “what happened to her ?”

“she was collateral damage in a high-speed FBI car chase. She had a couple of ruptured ribs, a broken arm, and severe internal bleeding, she also miscarried at the scene. The surgery went absolutely wonderful but during the post-op recovery, her brain activity stopped. I’m sorry Dr. Reid but she won’t be waking up.”

Spencer turned to his team and silently whispered “it was me.”

“Spence you can’t blame yourself”

“No. JJ. It was me. I was the one that hit the second car so they could in turn hit the unsub. It was me who caused this. I lost her and my child. I didn’t- I didn’t even know she was pregnant” Spencer started to shed some tears. But the moment his heart broke into a million and one pieces was when he turned around to find his daughter and noticed she had gone into y/n’s room where she was very audibly begging for her to wake up. “Mommy mommy please wake up. Prove them, wrong mom. Mom please, please I can’t lose another mom, please.”

taglist:

@samuel-de-champagne-problems @fightingdragonswithreid @writer-in-theory @pretty-boys-book-club @kodiakwhiskey @the-chaotic-cow @slytherinintj13 @nygmaperry @reidslibrarybook@luredwithpretzels @justreadingficsdontmindme @nomajdetective@lilibet261 @safespacespence @dontjudgemeimawriter@serenity-lattes

you can join my taglist here

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid #dr spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #spencer reid imagine #doctor spencer reid #spencer x reader #spencer x you #spencer reid angst #boldlyreblog

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nightcolorz · 3 years

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Poorly describing my versions of the Gotham rogues:

Joker: “yolo” in its most dangerous form, def is writing a slow burn enemies to loves fic about him and Batman. Gay and homophobic 💯 The other rogues don’t invite him to pride celebrations anymore cause he’ll keep calling people slurs “as a joke”. Him and Edward have longterm beef, like schoolgirl levels of petty drama.

Harley Quinn: would describe herself as a “girlboss” unironically while committing heinous crimes. tweeted “clowns aren’t funny” after breaking up with Joker (ended up causing a huge scandal). The OG “I can fix him” girl. Is sort of the rogues free underground therapist (god knows they need it) cause they can’t get professional help without being sent to Arkham.

Poison Ivy: Breaking News: Cottagecore lesbian commits mass murder cause her plant wilted. She’s what republicans think environmentalists are. Would get in a fist fight with that vegan teacher cause “plants have feelings too”. Has beef with most of the male rogues, supports ‘kill all men’ without realizing it’s a joke (she prefers ‘kill all humans’ but figured she had to downgrade because the Gotham city sirens are humans technically).

Cat Woman: “OH NO! It appears I’ve gotten stuck backwards in the bank vault step-Bat 😏😏😏😏😏😏, looks like I’m not stealing any more diamonds today 😰😩”. Mad respect for Selina, she just wants diamonds and bat dick, no tragic backstory or complex motivations needed. I personally like to headcanon her as wearing a straight up cat costume (ears and a tail like a true furry) cause it’s way funnier to imagine a sophisticated rich woman dressing up as a cat to steal shit than whatever bullshit DCs up to these days. Trans catgirl supremacy 💎👍

Scarecrow: That one guy who gets angry at people because “Halloween costumes are meant to be scary 🤬😡😑😒”. Doesn’t even attempt to express emotions, is the human embodiement of this emoji: 😐. His presence is more jarring than threatening, his intimidation levels are somehow underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. The other rogues have collectively decided that he’s asexual under no assumption other than that they don’t want to imagine Jonathan having sex. Overtime Jonathan has become basically fearless (he smokes his own fear gas like vape just to feel something). Jonathan and Harley became good friends when they both worked in Arkham, their dynamic is surprisingly wholesome.

The Riddler: Didn’t get hugged enough as a child and is now making it everyone’s problem. Would hold a bank hostage to show Batman his third grade spelling bee medal. Is the only autistic rogue that gets accommodations in Arkham because he won’t stop bugging the guards. FTM trans ofc (his names Edward Nygma for Christ's sake). He ran away from home at seventeen and faked his own death (his deadname is legally dead lmao). Uses the terms “alpha, beta, and omega male” unironically.

Two Face: “Yeah, I mean, I didn’t wanna blow up the orphanage either, but Y’know the coin said-” The other rogues talk to Harvey as if he’s constantly at his breaking point, which is half true. Harv is a stone cold mf, he’s the rock that’s holding Two Face together tbh. Edward calls Harvey and Harv Jekyll and Hyde cause he’s that original. All the rogues have at least a sneaking suspicion that Bruce Wayne is batman and use Harvey as their little primary source (being ex besties and everything), until they find out Selina and Bruce are a thing of course. No matter how much evidence he’s faced with Harvey will never accept Bruce Wayne is batmam, he’s not ready to consider that one of the only positive people in his life has been duking it out with him this whole time.

Penguin: He’s the rest of the rogues chill gay gangster uncle I don’t make the rules. The iceberg lounge is like the Batman villain equivalent of The Central Perk from friends (aka: its their default place to hangout). Oswald always makes a fuss about them not making reservations ahead of them but at this point it’s just performative. Everyone’s 99% sure Oswald and Edward fucked at some point (Edward always makes a show of flustering Oswald when he needs a loan). Ossie always takes care of the others belongings when they’re in Arkham (he has a special place in his heart for Jonathan‘s crows).

The Mad Hatter: I love Jervis lmao he just really likes Alice in Wonderland and that’s a valid ass villain motivation 👍. One of the smartest rogues but doesn’t get enough credit because of how childish he is. He dresses in kids clothes, not just because he wants to but because he’s small af and can’t fit in shit. In public while the rogues are undercover Jervis usually wears a beanie or a baseball cap (he’d get spotted instantly if he wore his usual, but on bad days Jervis can’t bear to be without a hat). Jonathan and Jervis play chess a lot together in Arkham, and frequently engage in intellectual discussion, Edward tends to be a piss baby when Jon encourages him to do the same, he’s not ready to accept the reality that Jervis can match his intelligence.

Killer Croc: Waylon has a surprising amount in common with Jonathan, they share southern solidarity. He doesn’t travel out of the sewer often so the rogues will occasionally come to visit Waylon there (Edward always makes sure to complain loudly about the smell). Will show immense affection and loyalty to anyone who treats him as human (poor guy just needs a friend ☹️).

Mr Freeze: Literally just dead inside, someone give this poor bastard a hug. Victor stands as the most awkward rogue, he‘s sorta like the odd one out. The other rogues don’t interact with him that often because he’s sort of a party pooper. He’s the straight friend on thin ice, haha get it. Mr Freeze is my sisters favorite Batman villain because she thought the ice puns were funny in Batman in Robin, little does she know I’m embarrassing myself on tumblr in her glory.

Music Meister: So many of the Gotham rogues have horrible childhood trauma and Music Meister is just like “people bullied me for being a theater kid 😩😭💔😔”. In all honesty he’s iconic, in my au universe thingy I have him join the dork squad latter on and he sticks out like a sore thumb for a bit. I feel like him and Jervis would really hit it off though (mind control buddies, ha), although Jervis would always get him to sing Alice in Wonderland songs. In Arkham they have him wear a dog collar thingy and zap him when he sings, he gets bullied for that lol. anyways I’m sure I could make more of these, but it’s 2:20 am and my mind went blank. If y’all liked this I could always put more au headcanons out (I have A LOT)

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strangeduckpaper · 2 years

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OwlSwap Notes, The Emerald Entrails (+Amity)

The Emerald Entrails are OwlSwap’s versions of the BATTS/CATTS. They met during Hexside in a situation resembling canon, decided the Coven System was shit, began plotting rebellion. Managed to all become Coven Heads, they were all just THAT good.

But before that, Amity:

Amity Blight

Mid 30′s. Bears her natural hair color now & Goth chic

The older Blight sibling here, estranged from them, save her (thankfully retired) father.

Head of the Abomination Coven.

Managed to become...friendly with Willow and the Entrails, as they became Coven Heads.

At least until she found evidence of Willow’s rebellion, and raised a concern to Belos, resulting in Willow’s exile.

No one’s really forgiven her for that. Least of all herself.

Instead of blades & goop form, she specializes in Gauntlets, goop clothing, and creation of very lifelike duplicates.

Still volunteers at the Bonesborough Library. Closet Azura fan.

Not affiliated with the Rebellion...at first.

Intrigued & annoyed by this odd Witch pretending she’s Azura

Willow Park - Half A Witch

Mid 30′s, slightly resembles Beta!Willow, but with a hooded cloak instead of a trenchcoat.

First leader of the Entrails Rebellion as the Plant Coven Head, until Amity unknowingly sold her out.

Severed her own right arm to escape from Belos, ended up in the Bat Queen’s lair (That certainly interferes with my plans for King’s Tide)

Managed to smuggle the Entrails’(+Amity’s) Palismen out of Belos’ grubby mitts.

Now protects Bat Queen’s sanctuary, helps Palismen, and disrupts EC operations.

Her Witches’ staff has actually been modified into a scythe. Uses a vine prosthetic.

Didn’t have Boscha, was inspired to become a Plant Witch by Hunter.

Technically Luz’s first friend in the Boiling Isles

Gus Porter

Early 30′s, dresses like a classical wizard. Poofy sleeves, pointy hat(which he admittedly doesn’t like) and with surprisingly sharp shoulder pads..

Illusion Coven Head

Addressed as Augustus in Coven Head mode, Gus to his friends.

The real leader of the Entrails, with Willow a wanted witch and Hunter being too close to Belos.

Has really grown into a mastermind of his own, playing 5d chess with Belos. Like, he’s tricking Belos into thinking he’s provided Galderstones.

Knows the Looking Glass Graveyard’s location, keeping it under wraps.

Can do minor Transfiguration, memory reliving, has a comprehensive plan on how to cover the castle in illusions when shit hits the fan.

Hunter - The Golden Guard

Appears Mid 30′s, knows he reaching the end of his operational life as a Grimwalker, is really stressing out about it.

Has a ponytail, peach fuzz, looks almost identical to Caleb.

Emperor’s Coven Head

Knows his origins as a Grimwalker, and the rest of the Entrails knows too.

Actually mentored by a previous (Abomination?) Coven Head.

Surprising amount of Dad energy, looking out for Lilith & Darius.

Estranged himself from the other Entrails following Willow’s exile, as to throw off suspicion

Still pulls off missions for the Rebellion, more specifically Willow, who he’s head over heels in love with.

Actually attended Hexside to scout recruits, inspired to be better by his friendships, his mentor, & Flapjack (who’s with Willow)

Still develops the sibling relationship with Luz.

Skara Castastrata

Mid 30′s, Bard Coven head

Castastrata is just Stratocaster reversed, plus with a Castaspella vibe.

Dresses like a punk rocker, instrument is the Boiling Isles equivalent of a electric guitar.

Specialization in lightning magic, allied empowerment, and teleportation.

Teaches Katya, Derwin & Amber, who themselves mentor Raine.

Viney Creephallow

Mid 30′s, Beast Keeper head (no healing unfortunately)

Still a pretty good doctor/medical practioner, basically a zombie apocalypse vet

Makes at least one “I’m a ___ not a ___”

Dresses like a safari guide overlaid with a doctor’s coat, has a pack of griffons at beck and call.

Bestial form resembles a mix between a griffon & Eda’s harpy form.

Specialization in tracking, veterinary practices, & emotional calming

Mattholomule

Just imagine all of Steve’s lines delivered in a bitter, sarcastic deadpan.

Does NOT like Gus! What the Titan are talking about Steve?!

#The Owl House #The Owl House AU #OwlSwap AU #Amity Blight #Willow Park #Gus Porter #Hunter Wittebane #Hunter Deamonne #TOH Skara #TOH Viney #Mattholomule

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the-insomniac-emporium · 2 years

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Another silly HFW idea

After the Gaia Gang/A-Team retrieve Far Zenith's copy of APOLLO, they find records of various recreational games, as well as holographic versions of said games.

Tilda offers to play chess with the others as part of her Neverending Attempts To Make Aloy Like Her. Initially everyone declines (because why the fuck would they play a weird version of Strike with /her/), but eventually they realize it's a perfect opportunity to fuck with/pull a prank on her

They send Erend to play a few matches with her, because she already underestimates him, and he pretends to be very bad at the game. Once Tilda has fully let her guard down, the real fun begins. Erend starts a new match with her, this time not holding back at all (Kotallo mentions that Erend is "surprisingly good" at Strike, so I imagine that he would also be fairly good at chess). But to ensure total victory, he also has THE ENTIRE REST OF THE GANG GIVING HIM ADVICE VIA FOCUS

By the time Tilda realizes how much better he's doing, it's too late for her to make up for her initial moves (as in she was half going easy on him, half simply not caring). The cherry on top? Aloy and Beta just happen to arrive in time to witness Tilda's "embarrassing" (in her mind) loss.

No one ever lets her live it down

#aloy: maybe you should stick to checkers :)#tilda:...#j says things #hfw spoilers #hfw #tilda van der meer #tilda lives au #erend deserves so much love okay?#he's very self deprecating and it makes me sad #after this he'd be so happy and everyone would give him huge grins #and jt would be awesome #I'm very sleepy okay

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mocharadio · 3 years

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Now Playing(Title): Genshin Boys Faves! (Headcanons)

Requested By: Anon!

Song Artists(characters): Kaeya, Diluc, Venti, Albedo, Xiao, Childe, and Zhongli

Lyrics(Summary): I don't know if I did this EXACTLY how Anon wanted me to but basically just a headcanon list of our fave genshin boys' foods, drinks, flowers, etc etc! (Some are canon, though)

Explicit?(warnings): no beta we die like Childe's sanity, lowercase on purpose

A/N: This is my 1st time writing anything (that wasn't from last year or for a school project) so I apologize if it's a little...wonky. But I hope you guys like it regardless! ngl you can tell i started getting a little tired halfway so im sorry </33

Kaeya:

Food: don't know if it's particularly canon or not, but I'd say his fave is the chicken mushroom skewer! Specifically his own specialty, whether it's cooked by him or not!

Drink: we already know it's Death After Noon, but I feel like he'd also like Rose Champagne as well :]

Flower: the Calla Lilly for sure! It's part of his ascension materials, it only makes sense

Activity: honestly? I feel like whenever he finds time (aka not working or wine tasting) he just lays back on the couch (or bed) and listens to music. it's his quiet time!

Animal: DOGGIES!! He likes how loyal, friendly and cuddly most of them are, I feel like he'd especially be a golden retriever lover, and in his rare vulnerable moments will just cuddle his dog while crying to himself or ranting <333

Diluc

Food: Pile Em' Up! he probably thinks it's the best food to ever exist ever, hence why he made his own specialty, so he could enjoy it even more! ^^

Drink: Grape juice, duh, but I feel like he'd also be very fond of Cranberry Juice!

Flower: Lamp Grass!

Activity: not gonna lie? Probably just sleeping if he isnt playing Chess. Poor mans is working almost 24/7 HE NEEDS A BREAK!! Let him rest

Animal: also dogs! i think he'd prefer a dog that isnt super duper hyper though, like just a little more chill but still affectionate regardless ^^ Something like a Saint Bernard maybe

Venti

Food: he has two all time faves; A Buoyant Breeze and Apples! Of course he's grateful for just about anything though as long as it tastes good!

Drink: Dandelion Wine!

Flower: Cecilia's! :]

Activity: he's a bard, of course its gonna be singing and maybe even dancing!

Animal: dogs...again... all of them. every single one ever. he just loves them all so much even the ugly rat looking ones

Albedo

Food: Sunshine Sprat!! Doesn't matter if it's his specialty or not he enjoys it either way

Drink: I feel like he'd be very fond of hot chocolate! its not as strong or bitter as coffee since he likes sweet stuff, but its still really hot which is good since hes in Dragonspine 90% of the time

Flower: Mist Flower Corolla's! hes just absolutely fascinated by them

Activity: super obvious, but reading and drawing! I feel like on occasion though he'll stargaze, its very relaxing to him

Animal: cats! not only are they similar to him, but he always finds himself enamored with their looks and behaviors!

Xiao

Food: almond tofu. period

Drink: probably doesnt drink much, and when he does chances are its just water. but! I feel like one day Zhongli takes him out for some tea! Zhongli gets Xiao a peppermint tea with honey and smiles to himself bc Xiao just absolutely loves it its super soothing for him both in flavor AND feeling!

Flower: qingxin!

Activity: poor man doesnt know what hobbies are, let alone his own. i feel like he'd also enjoy stargazing though!

Animal: cats. they're exactly like him, he just resonates with them so much (omg catboy xiao arc??!?!) he'll just sit there on the roof of the inn petting kitties until he's needed somewhere

Childe

Food: isnt a picky eater so he doesnt really have a favorite or least favorite, but he enjoys Calla Lily Seafood Soup a lot! hes kind of conceited though so he'll probably brag about how his version ( A Prize Catch) is like 10 times better

Drink: once this man tastes orange juice he will NEVER shut the fuck up about it. he just feels like an orange juice guy to me

Flower: doesnt really have one! i feel like he'd either find all flowers equally as pretty or just not really pay much attention to them at all

Activity: fighting! hes a stupid little brawling adrenaline junkie what did we expect honestly

Animal: also a dog lover; he cant help it okay he sees a dog and just starts beaming like a little child(e)

Zhongli

Food: Bamboo Shoot Soup!

Drink: honestly? Dandelion Wine and any sort of tea are equally his favorites. he drinks tea more often of course, but Dandelion Wine is his favorite to have as an "on the occasion" sort of thing!

Flower: surprisingly silk flowers! he feels relaxed by them

Activity: he just wants rest man thats it, but i feel like he enjoys taking strolls around Liyue!

Animal: all animals!! except for maybe frogs but thats just because they're super duper slimy

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theheightofdishonor · 3 years

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Teen Wolf triads are something that can be so personal, so here’s a list of my faves

Scott/Stiles/Allison

The OG trio. The gang that dies together might not stay together, but they’re still iconic.

Scott/Stiles/Lydia

Any Scott/Stiles/X dynamic is brilliant, but few more than this one. These three have been there since the beginning and they’ve gone through so much together. There’s no Teen Wolf without them.

Scott/Stiles/Derek

They were the driving force in S1&2 and had some absolutely iconic moments together. Hate that there wasn’t more of them after that.

Scott/Derek/Isaac

Mostly based on S2/3. I was very invested in Isaac’s struggle to pick between these two.

Scott/Stiles/Isaac

This triad’s dynamic completely changes between S2 and 3. In Season 2, Isaac, as part of Derek’s pack is a slightly antagonistic figure and it’s very much Scott&Stiles vs Isaac but in S3, Scott and Isaac grow closer while Isaac and Stiles erm, don’t. It’s very fun to watch.

Scott/Isaac/Allison

My ot3 and the only trio on this list that I 100% ship.

Isaac/Erica/Boyd

Ayy, it’s the OG Hale Pack aka 3 teens bonding over being thrown headfirst into something they weren’t prepared for and Derek’s horrible leadership. Isaac should’ve ran away with Erica and Boyd for solidarity’s sake.

Chris/Allison/Isaac

Chris’s struggle between hating Isaac for dating his daughter and wanting to adopt him is hilarious. One of my favourites.

Scott/Melissa/Isaac

Who didn’t completely melt at Isaac joining the McCall fam? The scene where they’re ‘guarding’ Melissa was so cute. As a bonus, it made Stiles’s animosity towards Isaac that much stronger. Will forever hate that this trio was more or less non-existent in 3b even though I love Chris/Allison/Isaac.

Derek/Cora/Peter

The non-dead Hales. Why oh why did Cora have to leave? Their family dynamic was great.

Allison/Lydia/Cora

I know they only had a couple scenes as a triad, but there was so potential. We love antagonism with underlying sexual tension. And ofc, the only thing better than 1 terrifying badass that can secretly be super sweet is 3 terrifying badasses.

Derek/Isaac/Boyd

At one point, the only non-dead members of the Hale Pack (TW quickly amended that). I always think of the S3a Loft scene where Boyd and Isaac skip school to protect Derek. Despite how awful of an alpha Derek’s been, they still care about him and he cares about them (as actual people and not just betas that he needs for power like he did originally)

Derek/Allison/Lydia.

Yes it’s my 5th s3 based trio in a row, but can you blame me? This is 100% based off the classroom scene in 3x02.

Allison/Lydia/Jackson

Although Lydia and Jackson were both awful in S1, their friendship with Allison and their immediately taking her under their wing was beyond precious. Additionally, it combines both the asshole-who’s-soft-towards-1-person- dynamic (jydia w/ allison) and assholes-who-secretly-care-about-each-other (jydia) And ofc, the underlying tension due to Jydia’s disdain towards Scott and later, Jackson and Allison’s experiences/knowledge of the supernatural.

Malia/Kira/Lydia

Comedy gold. Their scenes speak for themselves and we needed more.

Liam/Mason/Corey

Their S6a dynamic is sooo underrated and should’ve been given more screen time. I loved watching Liam and Corey struggle to get along for Mason’s sake because they want him to be happy. It was all very wholesome and one of the few things that made 6a worth watching.

Stiles/Scott/Liam

Aka the best part of S4.Their dynamic is so fun and well-balanced and infinitely better because they’re a triad. You’ve got Scott and Liam figuring out their mentor/mentee relationship with Stiles co-parenting and preventing the Scott/Liam dynamic from turning unhealthy. (Liam and Scott’s S6 dynamic veered way too close to parent/child for my taste. They need Stiles to balance it out) It’s also hilarious how quickly Liam accepts being aggressively adopted by two idiots who are barely older than him. And Stiles takes so easily to playing older brother/co-parent. It’s adorable. They’re adorable.

Erica/Allison/Lydia

Very similar dynamic to Allison/Lydia/Cora due to Cora and Erica’s similar personalities but also not, which has a lot to do with Allison and Lydia’s reactions to Erica’s weaponized feminity. Also, there’s a lot more history between these girls and I want to know everything about what Erica thinks of Lydia after going to school with her for years.

Sherriff/Melissa/Chris

Of the top of my head, I can only remember that time where they were trapped under the Nemeton and that’s simply unacceptable.

Sheriff/Noshiko/Melissa.

It’s a crime that this triad never got scenes. Especially after the Sheriff tried to arrest Kira. I know Melissa bitch slapped him but I wanted to watch these two badasses gang up on the Sheriff together. ( the Noshiko/Melissa dynamic would be so iconic.)

Victoria/Noshiko/Melissa

Another triad that never shared scenes (obviously because Vic is dead) but their power would’ve been off the charts. I want to make a joke about milfs, but I’ll refrain.

The Yukimura fam

Seemed appropriate since my last two also included. Noshiko.I love family dynamics and the Yukimuras are no exception. The attraction of this triad, for me, is mostly the dynamic between Kira and Noshiko and how Ken navigates between them. They’re also a trio that we didn’t see nearly enough of in S4 and 5. Like seriously, where were they? Noshiko’s on the dead pool, but she’s barely mentioned. (on a mostly unrelated note, how is the 900 yr old Kitsune worth less than a girl that just found about her kitsune powers?)

Derek/Allison/Scott

I don’t need to explain this one. The angst, the drama, Derek projecting Kate onto Allison and Allison trying to murder Derek and their evolution to reluctant allies with a good dash of Scallison and Scott navigating his own difficult relationship with Derek. Aka the complicated, tension fraught trio we all loved/should love. ( ok, I kind of explained it)

Derek/Scott/Liam

And here we have a two for one deal; two mentor/mentee dynamics in 1 triad. People much smarter than me have written about this trio in extensive detail, so all I’m saying is that Derek’s that one uncle who occasionally comes around and gives somewhat helpful advice.

Braeden/Malia/Scott

Braeden and Scott were great in S4. Braeden and Malia were great in S5. Scott and Malia are pretty great when they’re not in a relationship. Combine, and you get what had to be a kick-ass triad that’s sadly never canonly shown together (I think)

Melissa/Chris/Isaac

Not actually featured in the show, but Isaac deserves all the parental figures and I want to witness the surely epic custody battle between Chris and Melissa.

Malia/Scott/Peter

That this trio is on here is actually pretty funny because I hate both Scalia and the forced Peter/Malia bonding in S6. But I loved the scene where Peter warned Malia not to fall in love with Scott because a) he has absolutely 0 right to advise her on anything and b) because of the history between Scott and Peter. In a way, a relationship with Malia is just another thing tying Scott to someone that’s repeatedly caused harm to him and his friends and was the initial cause for all the pain he’s suffered in the last couple years. I just find this dynamic worth exploring.

Malia/Derek/Peter

The Hales 2.0. Derek and Malia deserve to bond over unwillingly being related to Peter, that scumbag.

Malia/Stiles/Peter

Stiles and Peter are so fun together and Stalia is my jam. Throw in an antagonistic Malia and Peter relationship and they’re entertaining as hell. Much more lighthearted than Malia/Scott/Peter.

Stiles/Malia/Lydia

To clarify, this has nothing to do with a love triangle and everything to do with how their personalities play off each other. It’s one of those trios where together, they’re either terrifying or absolute morons.

Stiles/Cora/Derek

Admittedly, my version of this is very Sterek+Cora and the hilarity of Stiles and his attraction to Hales but it’s also 3x snark and you really can’t go wrong.

Scott/Stiles/Melissa

It’s Melissa and her boys 1.0. This woman is by far the best parent on this show, and I love the specific dynamic among these three. Melissa might not always like Stiles, but she cares about him and there’s the mutual understanding that they both adore Scott and would do anything for him. Also, Mel being exasperated by the dumbass duo is always funny.

Kate/Allison/Chris

Lowkey another custody battle because Kate and Chris do fight to be the bigger influence on Allison This is such a tragic trio to me, and the lesson here is basically that sometimes love isn’t enough. Chris and Kate both genuinely love Allison and she loves them too but can’t have both and at some point, she has neither. Kate and Chris care about each other, but that’s not enough either. In the end, they all lose each other. There’s no happy ending for them, at least not with each other.

Derek/Stiles/Peter

Stiles just has chemistry (not necessarily romantic) with all Hales and this trio really shines through in 3x01 and in S3 in general. “Chess is Stiles’s game” asgdhfjgh. I wanted more of that very specific dynamic.

That was a hell lot longer than I thought it would be, but what can you do. Feel free to tell me your own opinions in the tags/comments.

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edupunkn00b · 3 years

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Overruled, Chapter 1: Sanders

Sanders - Next - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

WC: 6608 - Rated T - Alcohol, swearing, referenced non-consensual drug use Loceit Week 2021 Day 5 Prompt: Alternative Universe - This story is an alternate version of Objections and contains mild spoilers for Objections and And I Feel Fine. --- 2001, Seattle, Washington. Logan Sanders and Janus Pater are first year law students, eager to take on the world. Logan sees the world as a game of chess. He's brilliant, confident and perhaps more than a little arrogant. When he sets a goal, he achieves it and has yet to meet anyone who could stop him. Janus sees the world as a war zone and he is an army of one, taking in the sights, enjoying a bit of company from time to time, but then the armor snaps right back into place. He made the mistake once of letting down his guard, only to have his one true love ripped from his life by his own brothers. It's a mistake he will not repeat. Love is for people who don't know any better. --- Rated T - Human AU (College/Law School) - CW: alcohol, swearing, mild violence, non-consensual drug use, innuendo/references to sex, OC villain --- Special thanks to the amazing Treeni for beta reading the first chapter. ---

Logan looked up from his book just as he walked into the classroom.

Dressed in slim cut black trousers, a matching velvet vest and a crisp lemon yellow cotton shirt with the first—Logan quickly counted—four buttons undone, he stood in the doorway as though surveying his kingdom. Logan forced his eyes back down to the page in front of him to read another line before raising his eyes again. Logan's stomach turned a somersault when he saw the man was staring right back at him.

"This is Constitutional Law 168," Logan remarked, raising an eyebrow at the man. "Are you where you want to be?"

He gripped the strap on his shoulder bag, "Yes, of course." He scowled, eyes still locked on Logan.

Logan marked his page and closed the book. smiling lightly at the man. "Is something else troubling you, then?" He leaned back in his seat, resting an elbow on the backrest. He looked around the classroom and then pointedly at the other students sidling past the man to get inside. "Class will likely begin soon. You will want to find a seat."

"You're sitting where I planned to sit," the man said at last, fumbling with his bag for a moment before squaring his shoulders and casually putting one hand in his pocket.

Logan's smile grew. "Fortunately for you, then, there are other seats to be had," he said mildly, waving his hand invitingly toward the seat next to him.

The man opened his mouth, appearing ready to refute said fortune—we law students do like to argue a point, Logan thought to himself—when the professor appeared behind him.

"In or out. I've got a class to teach."

Still scowling, the man quickly took the seat next to Logan, taking out a laptop and the textbook for the class. Logan’s eyes flicked over as he opened his immaculately organized bag. Even the pens tucked into the organizer flap were sorted by color and type. As the man bent to tuck the bag under his seat, Logan caught a tantalizing whiff of his cologne, vanilla, oak, and warm spice. Realizing he was staring, he quickly gave his attention to writing out the date and class at the top of the first page in his notebook.

Shaking his head, the professor hurried to the lectern, addressing the class as he walked. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Constitutional Law 168. This class is not a spectator sport. You will come prepared to discuss our readings and defend your positions. This class is required for all first year law students. You fail and I'll see you again next year." He looked up at the students. "Starting in the front," he pointed at the seat on the left-hand edge of their row, "you will be paired with your presentation partner for the year." The professor turned and began writing out case names on the board. "Take a moment now to exchange information and then we'll begin."

Logan looked down at the number '8' etched on the armrest between them as the man turned to count the students in their row and closed his eyes. Logan turned in his seat, smiling, He held out his hand. "Well hello then, my name is Logan Sanders. It is a pleasure to formally meet you."

The man swallowed and briefly shook his hand, eyes looking anywhere but at Logan. "Janus Pater. Pleasure." He held himself stiffly, lips pursed and shoulders tense.

"Hmm," Logan hummed, tilting his head. "As in the Roman god?"

Janus' eyes shot up, narrowing slightly as he finally met his eyes. "Not bad, Necktie. Not bad." Logan raised an eyebrow and smirked, smoothing down his indigo tie. He opened his mouth to respond just as the professor resumed the lecture. Logan turned back to face the front of the room, watching Janus from the corner of his eye, a small smile playing at the edges of his lips.

After the lecture and as the rest of the students filed through the door or stood in line to speak with the professor, Logan and Janus stayed in the classroom to exchange telephone numbers and schedule a first project session. Janus pulled out a black and yellow business card and presented it to Logan with a flourish.

He accepted the card with a small bow of his head. "Oh, is that a pride flag?" Logan asked, eyeing the tattoo peeking out from under Janus' sleeve.

Janus looked up quickly, edging back and tensing, watching Logan more carefully. "Yes, it is. Don't worry, though, homosexuality isn't contagious."

Logan blinked, the vehemence of the man's response dissolving the flirty comeback he'd had at the tip of his tongue, "I— I meant no offense. I was merely..." he closed his mouth for a beat, seeing the fire behind Janus' eyes only grow. He tried a different approach, leaning a little closer and smiling, "I was merely wondering if you are... "

"What, gay? Do you have a problem with gay men, Sanders ?"

Logan raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, "No, on the contrary.” He let his gaze trace the lines of Janus’ lips before meeting his eyes. “I assure you, my inquiry was driven by more than idle curiosity.”

Janus's eyes widened slightly and he started to lean forward with a response when another voice called from the hallway, "Janus! C'mon, we'll be late for Torts." The other man entered the classroom, suddenly smirking at the two. "Oh, sorry, was I interrupting something?"

Logan smiled and replied, "Yes," just as Janus muttered a quick, "No," a flush starting to crawl up his face. Logan chuckled lightly, adjusting his eyeglasses and starting to gather his books. Janus practically ran toward his friend.

"Now, Janus, don't be rude. Introduce me to your new friend." Janus glared at him for a moment, before turning back to the classroom as Logan approached the pair. "Logan, this is Jack Marin. Jack, this is Logan Sanders." Logan nodded, reaching out to shake Jack's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Logan," Jack grinned then gently elbowed Janus, "You'll have to forgive my friend's rudeness."

"Oh, I apologize... are you two..." Logan gestured vaguely between the two of them.

"Ha! He wishes!," Jack laughed. Jack watched as Janus' blush returned and Logan's smile grew slightly, eyes lingering on Janus' features. "Say, Logan, what are you doing Friday night? I'm having a little get together at my place. You should come," he said, staring at Janus.

"I have no plans this Friday," Logan replied, winking quickly at Janus before returning his attention to Jack, passing him his notebook to write down his address.

"Jack, don't we have a class to get to?" Janus finally muttered, avoiding Logan's gaze.

"Wow, Janus. I never thought I'd see the day when you were flustered by a hot guy making eyes at you," Jack tsked as they walked across the Quad.

"I wasn't flustered," Janus insisted, tightening the strap on his bag. "Simply put-off. He's a little too forward for my tastes."

Jack snorted. "'Too forward?'" He shook his head, laughter bubbling up, "This coming from the man who picked up three different guys at my Halloween party last year, ultimately hooking up with each of them over the next three nights?"

"When you put it that way, you make me sound like an absolute cad ," Janus smirked, feeling his control gradually return now that he was no longer under that steely bespectacled gaze. "I am a gentleman," he insisted, pressing a hand against his chest, "I bought them all dinner first." He raised an eyebrow, "Besides, you are hardly one to judge. Is there a freshman on this campus you didn't bed last year?"

Jack tapped at his chin, looking thoughtful, "Hmm... I think there was one... he would be a sophomore now, of course...," he laughed as Janus gave him a playful shove. "Hey, I should look him up, see if he wants to come to my party on Friday."

Janus shook his head, forcing thoughts of Friday—and Logan—out of his mind. "You are incorrigible, Jack."

Jack grinned, "Why, thank you." They walked together in silence for a few minutes when Jack hummed, turning to Janus. "So you're seriously trying to tell me that you don't wanna grab that pretentious necktie of his and just—"

"Jack!" Janus interrupted, the tips of his ears turning pink. "I thought we were done talking about Logan!"

"You may have changed the subject, but I never agreed to stop pestering you about, ahem, Logan," Jack purred in a dreamy voice, raising his hands delicately under his chin and making flirty eyes.

Janus scoffed, shaking his head and shoving his hands in his pockets, walking faster. Jack followed, calling behind him as he rushed across the Quad, "Oh, and what will you call the kids? Will you take his name or will you both hyphenate?"

Logan stood in his kitchen, staring into a simmering pot of lentils, stirring absently. For the fifth time that afternoon, he reached in his pocket for Janus’ business card. Logan tapped the wooden spoon on the edge of the pot and placed it on the bit of foil he’d laid out on the counter as a spoon rest.

He once again turned the card over in his hands, admiring the thick, heavy cardstock and the way the black and yellow ink layered to create a texture on the card. The areas of the card colored in black ink had a tactile feel that Logan couldn’t quite identify, something more akin to leather than to paper. Several times throughout the day, he’d caught himself absently brushing his fingers over the surface, tracing the swirls of Janus’ name. He’d be able to pick out Janus’ card while blindfolded, using touch alone.

The bubbling sound of the lentils going from simmering to boiling drew his attention away from the small card and he lowered the heat, stirring, scraping the spoon along the bottom before the lentils stuck. Retrieving a lid from its spot in the cabinet, Logan covered the pot and set it on a trivet before returning his attention to the card he still clutched in his hand. Biting his upper lip, Logan pulled out his phone and dialed an old number, his thumbs moving through muscle memory. He needed advice.

Listening to the phone ring, Logan tapped the edge of Janus’ card against his mouth, only then noticing the card had an oaky, spicy scent. Janus’ cologne. He sucked in a breath and his throat went dry with the recognition just as he heard the other end pick up.

“Hello, this is Greg Wyatt.”

Logan grinned at the familiar sound of his voice and cleared his throat. “Now that’s how an Environmental Legislative Associate answers his phone.”

“Logan!” Greg laughed, “What, you mean?‘Congrats, you’ve got Greg’ isn’t a professional greeting?”

“Maybe back in our WAPIRG days,” Logan laughed lightly. He pocketed the card again, fingers lingering over the surface. “You are at the Capitol now. A little professionalism never hurt.”

Greg audibly scoffed. “A little professionalism? Fifty bucks says you’re still in a necktie.”

“It is only 4:30 in the afternoon here and I just got home.”

“Busted!” Greg laughed into the phone and Logan shook his head, chuckling. He turned, opening a cabinet and retrieving a knife, a small honing stone, and a chopping block. Logan tucked his phone between his shoulder and his ear and started to sharpen the knife.

“Oh!” Greg suddenly called out, “You know, I’m glad you called. You won’t believe whose office finally agreed to meet with us to talk about sponsoring the bill!”

“No…” Logan froze, blade stilled halfway across the surface of the stone. He quickly put down the knife and gripped the phone, pressing it to his ear.

“Yes!” Greg crowed. “Greaves' office is willing to talk to us about becoming the primary sponsor of the bill!"

"Greaves'!?" Logan fumbled the phone, catching it against his chest before lifting it back up to his ear. "I cannot believe it! When we started, his secretary would not even take our calls!"

"Yep, and I've got a meeting with the man himself next week!" Greg whooped into the phone and Logan shook his head in amazement, picking up the knife again to hone the other side of the blade. "And hey, Logan, don't think we all don't know we wouldn't be here without you. Your gap year work in the leg office is what got us in front of the head of the Environmental Resources sub-committee. You’ve left your mark here, man.”

"Ha! All I did was treat the Appointment Secretary like a human being."

"And visit her office every three days to lobby her so she'd be on our side."

Logan grunted dismissively. "You would have done precisely the same in my position."

"No, I wouldn't have had the tenacity to keep it up and we both know it. You don't know how to quit and it worked." Logan was quiet for several moments as he washed his hands at the kitchen sink, watching the soap bubbles slide down the drain.

"I am... quite pleased it worked." Logan dried his hands and opened the refrigerator, fishing around inside. "And I do appreciate the recognition, Greg... It was a long year." Logan found the half onion that he remembered had been left over from Sunday’s stir fry. Placing it on the cutting board flat side down, he started slicing long, thin strips and added them to the pot of lentils. Logan swallowed, “Greg…” He cut a few more slices. “I hope you know that I truly am happy for you… for both of you.”

Greg was quiet on the other line and Logan could just make out a squealing sound, then dishes clinking together. “Thank you. We… we both appreciate that.” There was a quiet slam and beeping. Dishwasher , Logan thought. Greg sighed over the phone.

"You know, Lo, I... when I said we should take a break while you'd be in DC last year, I was trying to not tie you down. I didn't want you to be stuck with the first man you..." Greg's voice trailed off. Logan was quiet, scraping the cutting board into the pot and stirring, watching the onions slowly turn translucent. Greg's voice told him he had more to say. "I... I never expected to...."

"Meet the love of your life?"

Greg let out his breath in a small puff, "Yeah."

Logan tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder, listening to the sound of Greg’s—and Elvin’s—sink over the line. He pulled a teaspoon from his utensil tray and scooped up a small amount of the simmering concoction before blowing on it and sipping at the edge of the spoon. He made a face and rooted through the spices in his cabinet.

“So... I’m fairly confident you didn’t call me to rag me for my phone etiquette. To what do I really owe the pleasure, Lo?”

Instantly Logan’s mind took him back to the scent of Janus’ card in his pocket. “Am I that obvious?” Greg chuckled in response. “Well, I was actually calling for a bit of… advice .” Logan gnawed at his lip, stirring the lentils briskly enough that they started to spill over the edge of the pot. He swore under his breath, grabbing a cloth from the sink to mop up the mess.

“You sound bothered, Lo.” Greg hummed over the phone. “Wait, you’re calling me for advice… Oh my gosh, Logan, you've met someone, haven't you?" His voice bubbled over the phone. Logan could hear Greg literally pulling up a chair, the legs scraping across the floor. "Tell me everything! "

Logan demurred, "Our Constitutional Law professor assigned pairs to work together on presentations. There isn't much to tell...." Greg was silent on the phone and Logan could envision his trademarked staring contest face. Logan sighed, a smile creeping across his face. "Yet ."

"‘Attaboy!" Greg laughed over the phone.

"Okay, we should not get ahead of ourselves here. Yes, I was assigned to work with someone... intriguing today." Logan thought about the way Janus’ eyes had seemed to pierce right through to his heart, and how his fingers had danced over the keys of his computer during class, and the way he immediately grilled the professor on his syllabus. ‘If we are to seriously consider the long-term ramifications of the Dred Scott decision, Professor, we cannot do that through the lens of the crusty old white lawyers who argued the case!’ And Logan thought about those top four undone buttons on Janus’ shirt. He sighed. “But he… he was hard to read. I couldn’t tell if he was not interested or simply… shy.”

“So, what’s your plan?” Greg prompted.

"After class, his friend showed up and invited me to a party on Friday... It, well, it felt like his wingman was setting us up, to be honest."

"Oooh, a date already on the first day of law school." Greg chuckled over the phone. Logan heard a kettle whistling in the background, followed by Greg’s voice in a muffled murmur and the kettle suddenly stopped its shrieking. Greg’s voice returned to its normal volume. “I knew some lucky guy was just gonna snatch you right up."

"Greg..." Logan sighed.

"Logan?" Greg replied, exaggerating both his tone and exhalation. Logan looked down at his hand, belatedly realizing he was holding Janus’ card again. "What are you afraid of, Logan?" He tried not to think about the first time Greg had asked him that question, a lifetime ago, back before he'd come out. "We're not all going to break your heart."

Greg was quiet a long time, apparently waiting him out, and Logan appreciated how he still knew him so well.

"You helped me find my heart, Greg," Logan finally murmured, a wistful smile pulling up his lips. "That has more than earned you a pass on what has proven to be a reparable fracture." Logan brought Janus’ card closer to his face again and inhaled, smile broadening.

"So..." Greg prompted. "Are you going to see where things might lead with this guy? Take the chance?"

Logan chuckled, "I suppose I could always invite him to my room under the guise of lending him a book and—”

"Don't even think about stealing my move!" Greg laughed into the phone, finally pulling a genuine belly laugh from Logan.

He walked over to the large calendar that covered the top half of his refrigerator and took down a blue pen. Smiling, he circled that upcoming Friday. "I guess you will just have to wait until I call you this weekend to find out.”

"Ha! You better. But, you know, if he's still at your place Saturday morning, no rush..." he cackled.

"Good night, Greg ."

Still chuckling, Greg audibly blew a kiss into the phone, "Good night, Logan. Go get him!"

The night of the party, Janus was sitting in a dark corner of Jack's living room, eyes drawn to the front door every time the doorbell rang. He forced his gaze back toward his drink. Was this his third? Yes, third.

"So is he here yet?" Jack asked, leaning against the wall alongside Janus’ seat.

"Yes, he's turned invisible and is grinding in my lap right now," Janus looked up at Jack, smirking at the collection of fresh hickies on his neck. "You appear to be having fun, at least."

Jack grinned, swiping Janus' drink and swallowing down half of it. "Yes, I am. And it turns out there were two freshmen I didn't have the pleasure of knowing last year, a grave oversight I will be certain to partially remedy tonight."

Janus rolled his eyes just as the doorbell rang again. The door opened and Janus quickly looked over before sighing, looking back at his drink. Jack nudged Janus' elbow off one arm rest and perched next to him, resting his arm over the back of his chair. "He'll show. The way he was looking at you..." Jack shook his head, letting out a low whistle, "Oh, yeah... he'll show up. Now," he said, clapping his hands and jumping to his feet. "I have one half of a set of twins to devour." Janus idly watched Jack return to the throng by the drinks table, tugging at the hand of some cute—but loud—undergrad. He rolled his eyes and threw back the rest of his own drink, the movement causing the room to spin a bit. Maybe that was his fourth drink after all? Checking the time on his phone, Janus pledged to stay for a half hour more and if tall, dark and flirty didn't show up by then, he'd just walk back home. Jack was clearly too busy—and drunk—to drive anyway.

Resting his head against the back of the chair, Janus closed his eyes, listening to the music and trying not to think about the disappointment this night had been. You forgot rule number one, Pater. Don't get your hopes up. They can't fall off the floor. He really didn't think his night could possibly get any worse.

He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, the music was lower and someone was pressing a bottle of water into his hand. "Here, Janus, drink this." Vision fuzzy, Janus unscrewed the cap, and drained half of it before he twisted the cap back on and rolled the bottle around in his hands, feeling the sides for leaks. "You didn't use a hypodermic needle to spike this, did you, Jack?"

"Fuck, no, I would never administer a substance to someone without their knowledge or consent. Is that something your ‘friend’ Jack would do?" Logan replied, smiling once Janus looked up at him. "Additionally, and, obviously,” Logan winked at him, “I am not Jack."

Janus squinted at him in the dim light, eyes suddenly widening. "Oh, shit, it's you.” He felt a smile slowly spread across his face. “You made it." Janus started to stand but felt the room spin. More of the alcohol had kicked in while he’d slept and now he wished he'd stopped at two. He leaned back in his seat.

"Precisely how much have you had to drink?" Logan asked, peering closely at his classmate.

Janus looked around for his empty glass and, finding it on the floor next to the chair, carefully leaned over to retrieve it, holding it up. "Four of these?" he paused then shrugged, a small smile splashing across his face. "Give or give?"

Logan leaned in, smelling the remnants in the glass, then stood up, gazing out at the remaining guests. "Where is your friend?"

"Off deflowering some undergrad, I guess," Logan frowned at him, "Oh, not literally... metaphorically?" Janus blinked, "He's fucking some guy." Logan noticed that Janus had garnered the rapt attention of another party-goer.

"So, do you live far?" he asked at last.

"Yes, but I never put out on a first date." Janus leaned his head against the chair. He felt his eyelids droop. The chair was very soft. "No, that's not right. Always." He nodded sagely.

"While that is useful information, we are not on a date, so I believe it is irrelevant for our circumstances at the moment," Logan shook him slightly, "It would be unwise to fall asleep in the middle of a party. May I walk you home? Can you tell me where you live?"

Janus nodded, "Yes, about..." he paused, frowning, feeling his head spin from the movement, "Twenty blocks down Broadway."

Wincing, Logan shook his head, "Broadway is rather dicey this time of the night." Logan crossed his arms, turning away from the party and giving all of his attention to Janus. "I live across the street. Would you like to crash at my place?"

Janus shrugged and settled deeper into the chair, "Sure, why not? Beats fucking in the elevator."

Gripping his hands and pulling him up out of the seat, Logan muttered, "Flattering offer, but you smell like you have been swimming in a pool of bourbon. You are going to drink some milk and go to sleep." Logan pulled one of Janus' arms over his shoulders and wrapped his own arm around his waist, walking him toward the door. As they passed the kitchen, the guy who'd been watching Janus stepped in front of them, blocking their way to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Logan narrowed his eyes, asking Janus, "Do you know this fine gentleman?" Janus swayed a bit, stared at the guy and shook his head. "That is what I thought." He directed his gaze at the guy. "That is not much business of yours. Now, stand aside, please."

"Hey, if you think I'm gonna let you walk out of here with the guy I—" he froze, mouth agape.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Was there an end to that sentence you would like to share with the class?" He stared, reaching into his pocket for his phone. "You would not happen to have any idea why he is this drunk after a few glasses of bourbon, would you?"

The creep said nothing but didn't get out of their way, either. Gritting his teeth, Logan started to maneuver Janus around him, trying to get to the door, when the creep shoved them both. Logan lost his grip on Janus and he fell. A couple who’d been dancing nearby shouted in surprise as Janus nearly fell into them.

Janus lay on the floor for a moment, stunned. But only for a moment. His arm suddenly snaked out, yanking hard on the creep's leg, pulling him down to the floor with him. The music paused and guests stopped dancing, staring at the three men. Still holding his leg, Janus twisted it up and backwards. "We're leaving. Stay down." Logan shook himself out of his shock and gripped Janus under his arms, pulling him up to his feet.

The creep jumped up as soon as Janus released him. Keeping one arm wrapped around Janus' waist, Logan turned his body to keep himself between his friend and the creep. Someone started pushing their way through the crowd that had gathered around them. “Hey, what’s going on?” Jack’s vaguely tipsy voice called out over the buzz of voices.

An auburn-haired and bare-chested man—Logan presumed this was the undergrad Janus had mentioned—followed closely behind. His eyes widened when he saw the man Janus had pinned to the floor now glaring at Logan and Janus. He stepped closer to the creep, “Hey, I know you....”

Logan glared at the shirtless man, pointing to the creep. “Well your schmucky friend here just drugged mine.”

“What!?” Jack stepped closer, looking more closely at the way Janus was leaning on Logan, how his eyes wandered over the conversation without really following it. He waved his hand in front of Janus’ face. “Jan? Jan, are you okay, man?”

“What the fuck? Did you drug me, too?” Jack’s sophomore friend had grabbed the creep's arm and was shouting in his face. “You sick motherfucker!”

“Hey, hey, Baby, no… No, Baby, it wasn’t like that…” the creep reached toward the man’s face, his croon turning into a whine as the man grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back.

“I’m not your ‘baby’, asshole. My name is Remus, and when I’m done with you, you’re gonna wish you’d never met me.”

Jack looked between Janus and Logan, and the powder keg called Remus. “Will you take care of him?” Jack asked Logan, staring into his eyes. Logan nodded, tightening his protective grip around Janus’ waist. The message behind Jack’s eyes was clear. It’s a small campus and I will find you if you hurt my friend. Jack ushered them to the door just as Remus slammed his fist into the guy’s stomach, then drove his knee up into his face. “Oh, shit— " Jack rushed over to Remus and the creep, shouting over his shoulder, "Go, get him out of here! Call me when you get him home!”

Logan looked back one more time as they slipped through the doorway, letting it close behind them. Jack had reached the pair and the creep was curled on the floor. Jack pulled Remus away just before he landed another kick to his ribs.

The door to Jack’s apartment slammed behind them and they were left in the sudden hush of the building’s hallway. The units were remarkably well-sound proofed so Logan could only hear muffled voices and, after a moment, the faint sound of dance music resuming. Taking a deep breath, Logan looked down at Janus’ face where his head lolled against his shoulder. He gently gripped his chin with his free hand. “Janus? Janus, can you hear me?”

Janus lifted his head and stared unsteadily at Logan’s face. His pupils were dilated and his gaze drifted a bit, but he nodded and smiled. “I sure can, Necktie,” he giggled, reaching for Logan’s constellation-patterned tie, rubbing the material between his fingers. “Hmmm… this is a new one.” He looked up at Logan again, blinking slowly. “Was that for me?” He leaned closer to Logan, "I like it...."

“Perhaps it would be best to discuss that in the morning when you are feeling better. May I take you home so you have somewhere safe to sleep?”

“You can take me anywhere you want, Baby…” Janus murmured in Logan's ear, wrapping his other arm around his waist.

Logan held his breath for a moment, shaking his head. “Let’s start with just getting you somewhere safe.” Tightening his grip around Janus’ waist, he brought his other hand up to steady Janus’ arm over his shoulders. “Can you walk?” he asked, starting to step forward toward the elevators. Janus took a half-steady step. “That's sufficient. Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay, Janus, we are nearly there. That’s my door at the end of the hall.” Logan gave Janus a little shake, trying to keep him awake. He’d grown quiet during the short elevator ride and the walk across the street. Logan nudged his chin, and Janus lifted his head, looking around them.

“Hmm… yes. Here we are….” His head started to droop back down before he raised it again, frowning with the effort. He nodded, the movement turning into a bit of a wobble. “Okay, okay, okay, okay…” his voice dropped into a quiet mumble.

Moving as quickly as Janus could manage, Logan walked him a little faster toward his door, pulling his keys out of his pocket with the opposite hand. Fumbling a bit, he unlocked the door one-handed and brought Janus inside. “Home sweet home,” Janus cheered in a low voice, waving his free arm, bumping it against the wall. He scowled at the offending surface.

Logan flicked on the lights, turning to lock the door behind them. He hooked his keys on their spot next to the switch and glanced down, frowning at their shoes for a moment before walking Janus over to his couch. He carefully lowered Janus into a seated position in the corner, letting the armrest and high seat back support him. Logan bent over Janus, peering closely in his eyes.

“Janus?” He waited for him to meet his eyes. Finally his eyes stopped wandering around the apartment and they locked on to Logan’s. He swayed slightly. “Janus, I am going to get you something to drink and some aspirin. Do you take aspirin?” Janus nodded, swaying a bit more. Logan gently pressed his shoulders back against the couch. “Stay here, I will be right back.” Janus smiled and hummed, but didn’t speak.

Logan toed off his shoes and picked them up, placing them on a tray by the door before opening the refrigerator in his tiny kitchen. Logan quickly gathered what he needed, doubling back after a moment to retrieve a handful of washcloths, wetting one with warm water. Janus called from the other room, “If you’re making drinks, I take mine neat.”

Logan turned the corner from the kitchen carrying a tray with a small bottle of milk, a glass, aspirin, the washcloths, and a notepad and pencil. “I shall make a note of that, thank you,” he deadpanned. He set down the tray on the coffee table, picking up the bottle of milk and sitting next to Janus on the couch, leaving a bit of space between them. “It’s shelf-stable milk from my earthquake kit. It will be room temperature. I hope you do not mind.”

Janus tilted his head, blinking at Logan, then shifted in his seat until their thighs touched. Logan’s breath hitched. He cleared his throat and moved a little further away, turning to face him. “I usually drink rice milk, but this will be better at absorbing any alcohol or toxins you haven’t already digested.” He broke the seal on the bottle, pouring it in front of Janus. If there was any part of him that was still aware of his surroundings, Logan guessed that he would be reluctant to accept an open beverage from someone he barely knew.

“Here, have a sip,” he murmured to Janus, pressing the half-filled glass into his hands. Logan wrapped his own hands around Janus’ when his grip faltered. Janus’ head bobbed more than nodded, but he drank the milk, lowering his hands and letting the glass rest on his lap between sips. His head started to tilt toward him and Logan carefully supported him, leaning him back against the couch again. Janus drank the last of the milk, eyes only half-open, spilling some on his face and neck. Logan grabbed the wet cloth and tried to swap the empty glass for it so Janus could wipe his face, but his hands were limp in his lap.

“Janus, I am going to wipe your chin and your neck. Is that alright?” Janus nodded vaguely and Logan gently blotted the spill. Janus let his eyes close completely and lay against the backrest. Logan sighed, gnawing at his lower lip. “Janus, can you hear me?”

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed in response. Logan let out a little breath, nodding slightly.

“Janus, I am going to get you a pillow and a blanket so you can sleep.” Logan stood, brow furrowed, staring down at him. “Janus, do you remember where you are?”

“‘M at your place. Goin’ t’ sleep,” he mumbled, eyes still closed. “T’morrow necktie….”

Logan hummed, uncertain what Janus had intended to say. “I’ll be right back.” Logan went to his room and picked up one of his pillows and the extra blanket from his bed and returned to the living room.

He placed the pillow on the opposite end of the couch. “Janus, here. How about you lie down on the pillow?” He gently shook Janus and when his eyes cracked open, Logan guided him down to a more comfortable position.

“Hmmm… ‘night,” he murmured as he sank into the soft pillow and grew still. Logan watched him for a moment, holding his hand in front of his face, checking that he was still breathing. Momentarily satisfied, Logan took off Janus’ shoes and set them next to the couch. He unfolded the blanket and covered him. Then Logan sat on the floor next to the couch and took out his phone, sending a text to Jack.

Finally, he opened the tiny stopwatch mini-app on his phone. He laid his hand on Janus’ shoulder and counted how many times he breathed in over the course of a minute, marking a ‘12’ on the notepad, along with the time. Then he gently grasped Janus’ wrist and took his pulse, marking that as well.

Nodding slightly at the notepad, Logan started to stand. Janus suddenly shot up, grabbing at him, gripping his arm with a strength Logan was not expecting from his slim, delicate hands. “No, wait! Please don’t go!” he cried out.

“Okay, okay, Janus," Logan soothed, "I’m right here. What do you need?” Logan sat back down, gently loosening Janus’ painful grip from his arm. Janus just grabbed at his hands, trembling, eyes unfocused and searching.

“Don’t leave me, please... Please stay here,” Tears spilled down Janus’ face.

Logan pressed his lips together, Janus' pain squeezing his heart. He extracted one hand from his grip, grabbing a dry cloth from the tray next to them. He dabbed at Janus’ face. “I was merely going to go to sleep, Janus. You are not alone. I’ll just be in the next room.”

Janus shook his head, eyes squeezed shut and crying harder. He laid back against the pillow, still gripping Logan’s right hand. “No, no, please don’t go out there, Gabe, just stay here, please, please, Gabe, please… Just stay here with me….” Janus pulled Logan’s hand closer, pressing it against his face.

Logan stared at him, brow furrowed. “Janus? Janus, it’s me, Logan.” Janus just shook his head, whispering against Logan’s hand. “I think you were dreaming.”

“Please, Gabe, please just promise me. Promise me you won’t go out there.” Janus’ entire body shook with his sobs and his voice grew louder, begging, “You don't have to go, just stay here with me, please, please, please, please—”

Swallowing back his own sympathetic tears at Janus’ anguish, Logan finally put his hand on his forehead, whispering, “It’s okay, Janus, it’s okay. Everything’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

The trembling in Janus' body eased a bit. He curled around himself, kissed Logan’s palm, pressing his against his chest, murmuring, “Thank you, thank you, thank you…” he mumbled, repeating the phrase like a prayer.

Logan bit his lip, feeling powerless to help. He could feel Janus' heart racing, his whole body shaking. Tears still flowed down his cheeks.

Racking his brain, Logan remembered the song he used to play when he was still in high school to block out the yelling at home. He started singing quietly and slowly, his voice a bare whisper.

In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep,

Janus relaxed almost immediately. Eyes still closed, his shaking eased, and he turned his head toward Logan's voice.

Through the valley of fear, To a river so deep, I've been searching for something, Something taken out of my soul,

Logan wiped away his tears with his free hand, brushing back Janus’ hair where it had fallen into his eyes.

Something I'd never lose, Something somebody stole In the middle of the night

Janus grew still, his breathing finally no longer catching in chest. He let out a shuddering sigh, still holding Logan's hand tightly. Logan whispered to him, “It’s okay to sleep, Janus. You're safe. Your body needs rest. It will all be better in the morning.”

After a long while, Janus’ breathing grew steady and his face started to relax, his tears slowly stopping. Stretching, Logan could just barely reach a fresh washcloth, and he used it to dry the last of Janus’ tears. Thinking he was asleep, Logan gave his hand a small, experimental tug and Janus responded by gripping his hand tighter, turning and laying his head on Logan’s forearm.

Watching Janus finally resting peacefully, the pain washed away from his expression, Logan couldn’t bring himself to pull away in earnest and risk disturbing him. Sighing, he turned, leaning against the side of the couch, resting his head on the padded armrest. He resigned himself to waiting to sleep properly after Janus fell into a deep enough slumber to release his arm.

Logan fell asleep watching the gentle rise and fall of Janus’ chest as he slept. --- taglist: @the-dead-and-the-decaying @loceitweek2021 @demon9980

#Overruled #loceitweek2021 #AU of Objections #yes it's an AU of an AU #sanders sides fanfic #logan sanders #yes Logan SANDERS not Croft #janus pater #cameos of other Objections characters #loceit #um yeah definitely not platonic #slow burn #i mean slooooooow #Butterfly Stories #sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction

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chuuulip · 4 years

Text

Aria - The Opening

Pairing: Hannibal Lecter x Female Reader

Warning: Some fluff, an ity bity bit of angs (if you squint), implied smutt?

Words: 1797

Prompt: Imagine where Hannibal is dating reader and she wants to learn his native language although she is sort of aware if not suspecting that he dint really had a good childhood due to loosing his family in a traumatic event.

Summary: "This skin to skin language may be the language I wouldn't mind teaching you right now, my dear. Are you interested?"

A.N: This is for @venusdemonroe a think a first fanfic request I received 😉 Also this like the first time I wrote Hannibal Lecter and I honestly feel intimidated haha. I would like to specifically thank you @detectivehannibal for feeding me Hannibal content fanfic and inspired me to wrote one ❤️ I honestly thinking to write a smut version of this prompt, but maybe another time? This piece isn’t beta and if there’s a grammar mistake, that will be on me 😉 but thanks to @jewels2876 for the input.

---

It's not the first time Hannibal welcomed you to his humble abode. But tonight, it might have turned out into something more. But maybe you knew better not to put your hope up too high.

You accidentally meet Hannibal after the mushroom tragedy. You covered part of the investigation in a local newspaper. Less bitty as such of the Tattler.com. The second time you met the handsome psychiatrist after the opera performance marked the first time he asked you to attend a dinner party at his house. Thanks to your unwell sister that gave you the spare ticket.

"Didn't think I would meet you here, Miss?" Hannibal approached you. He kissed the back of your hands while you tried to calm down your nerves. Not only because Hannibal greeted you so effortlessly, but it's also because you fell in love with the performance that night, you felt like you were still in a dream.

Being the opera's younger attendee, Hannibal was kind enough to lend you his time answering your question that night.

"I'm a bit embarrassed that I haven't done my research before arriving here tonight." You played with the clutched at your hands. Luckily enough, you had an appropriate dress in hand to attend the performance.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Not knowing a new environment is expected." His deep melodic voice soothed your nervousness.

"The most important thing would be learning to adapt, and by that, I wouldn't mind helping you with such transition."

Oddly enough, both of you hit it off pretty quickly. Pretty much have the same hobby, enjoying quite similar food and the same thing when it's related to entertainment. Even though Hannibal was significantly older than you, there's no difficulty when it comes to conversation, and you are glad about that.

"Come on in." You were pulled back to the present when Hannibal put the right of his hands at your back. Guide you into the foyer of his house. It's been quite some time since the last dinner you have with Hannibal. Your work kind of required you to travel a lot and sometimes you missed his dinner party. Not to mention how busy he is with his job as a psychiatrist and helping the FBI with eccentric cases.

Hannibal helped you with your coat as he led you near the stairs.

"Would you mind waiting for me upstairs? I will bring some wine for us to enjoy."

You nodded at him and climbed the stairs. You aren't sure where to go, so you just wait in the corridor. Hannibal loves to decorate his walls with painting, and you can spend so much time looking at it one by one. A little bit different from Hannibal, you, on the other hand, were specifically into surrealism, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy other styles. One time you gushed about it so much Hannibal can't help to invite you to a specific exhibition that might be to your liking for your second date.

Darted your interest from the painting of Suzumi no Hotaru to something new by the end of the corridor, you approached it. There was an elegant chess set sitting by the windowsill, and the closer you got to it, the more you thought it might have been made of bone.

The light steps can be heard climbing up the stairs, but you don't mind it since you knew who that belonged to.

"Do you like my Bundesform set?" Hannibal stopped at your back. He kissed the top of your head and waited for your commentaries.

"It's beautiful. This one's new, I believe? Made of bone?" carefully, you pick up one of the kings and inspect it's details.

"Elk."

"You hunt?" There was a surprise in your voice although you have a vision Hannibal did that kind of activity.

"Occasionally."

A small giggled escape your red lips, but you let it die down quickly. Cleared your throat in an attempt to hide your amusement.

"You don't think I'm capable of such a thing?" There's humor in his voice.

You put the piece back and turned your body to face Hannibal. Placing your hand at the bottle of wine he has with him, you pried it out and secured it on yours.

"It's just that the image of you hunting in a full three-piece of suit popped up in my mind. That wouldn't do, right?"

Hannibal smiled at you. His lips curved up playfully. "That wouldn't do, sweetheart. You need to dress appropriately for a hunt, my dear. Shall we? Unless you wanted to stay and enjoy the bone crafted chess longer?"

You shook your head and let Hannibal lead you inside his bedroom.

—

Hannibal sent you an amusement look when you tried to drag both his turquoise armless chairs, facing the fireplace.

You took off your high heels and sat comfortably on the right side while waiting for Hannibal to take off his suit. Shortly after, he joined you in front of the fireplace. White shirt unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up. He carefully poured some wine in for both glasses on the table and swirled it. Let the wine warm up before it can be enjoyed.

When you have your glass of wine in hand, you snuggle to Hannibal. You rest your head back at the crook of his neck. Hannibal reached around and put his right hand behind your back in an attempt to pull you a little bit closer.

Both of you sipped the wine carefully. Savored the taste of its delicate dark berry fruits and enjoyed the warmth from the fire. Dance in the fireplace.

"It's been a month since I last saw you. Anything new?" His accented, calm voice murmured at the top of your hair.

"I missed you." You blurted, out of a sudden. Suddenly you are more interested in the rim of your wine glass than the man who snuggled with you in his bedroom.

Hannibal places his wine glass back on the table. He tilted your chin up softly to meet his beguiling hazel eyes. "You notice the absence of my presence, and for that, I'm grateful."

"Did you miss me?" One can’t help but demand an answer when the confession was made.

"I enjoy your company, and with the amount of time we spent together, I admit I wish I could see you more often.”

You gave him a wide grin so contagious that Hannibal can't help but mimic yours. He pressed his forehead to yours while he closed his eyes. Feeling content with the moment, he rarely experienced. You let your right hands travel up from his chest to his right shoulder, trying to absorb the pleasant warmth that’s Hannibal Lecter.

"I'm thinking of a transfer." You confessed.

"Didn't find a crime to be entertaining anymore?"

You shook your head. "I never found it entertaining in the first place, and I'm not Freddy Lounds, so..."

Hannibal positioned you to sit on his lap. Which was a score for you. He carefully stretched your legs on the chair while you circled your hands on his neck.

"So, are you going to elaborate more on your transfer?"

"I'm planning to focus more on opera and classical music." You received a gentle hum from Hannibal. His right hand traveled up to your spine. The backless of your red velvet dress made the skin to skin contact convenient.

"That is quite a jump."

You nodded at him. "By that, right now, I'm thinking about studying linguistics first."

Hannibal looked at you. He positioned his right hand on the head chair, supporting his head. "Language is an expression of a human being. It aided communication and helped with emotional release. It's also an attribute of a specific culture, making them unique in their own way. By that, I fully support this new journey of yours." Hannibal articulately gave you his opinion.

"Thank you, Hannibal."

There's a nervousness in the way you answered him. You are a confident woman. He found it odd that you hesitate to tell him. Hannibal shook his head, "I'm afraid this is not the only thing that is bothering you?"

"I was thinking of studying Lithuanian language..." There was a long pause. You handle this situation like a high schooler in detention with his handsome but intimidating teacher.

"And?" Hannibal asked you patiently. He was under the impression that you weren't sure if bringing this up was a good idea. After all, when both of you spent time together, the discussion regarding childhood and past lovers were involved. Of course, Hannibal told a version of his story to some extent. He was determined to make this relationship work for both of you.

"I— I want you to teach me? I knew from our last conversation I concluded that your days back then weren't pleasant, but I feel like— if I learn it, I can feel a little bit close to you."

Speaking very gently, Hannibal told her, "People experience pain and suffering and overcome them. I would like to say that I overcame it a long time ago. Your intentions, on the other hand, are very optimistic. Although, I should remind you, my love, that it is quite an intimidating language to learn." He tried to make his emphatic statement a little bit funnier.

"As languages tend to simplify over time, I should warn you that this Language retains its ancestral tongue. Also, it has highly irregular cases. Are you ready for such a challenge?"

Your face was lit up; red lips seemed to be curled up in delight when you heard what Hannibal said. Without thinking, you moved your lips toward his. Your soft one meets with his pillowy lips. It was faint at first, just your lips and Hannibal's lips brushed together. But when his right hands traveled upon your spine and his left one secured your back to his, you straddled his lap. The soft kiss turned a bit desperate as your lips and Hannibal mashed each other. Gone was the carefulness he maintained. His tongue traced over your lips, demanding access. Your hand gripped the back of his white shirt as his tongue, and yours explored each other.

Hannibal suddenly pulled apart. The smeared of your red lipstick was stuck to his lips and some corner of his mouth. His sharp hazel eyes turned a bit darker as his left hands went down to palm the ample of your arse." This skin to skin language may be the Language I wouldn't mind teaching you right now, my dear. Are you interested?" Hannibal curled up the side of his lips, while eyes winked at you seductively. Obviously, you aim for an A in your first language class with Dr. Hannibal Lecter. There's no question needed.

---

As always, like, comment and reblog are really appreciated ❤️. Let me know what you think about this xo

#hannibal lecter #hannibal lecter x reader #hannibal lecter x you #hannibal imagine #hannibal fanfic #no organs was harmed in the making #sfw little one #implied smut #hannibal tv #mads mikkelsen characters

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kaibacorpintern · 4 years

Note

For the prompt thing: kaiba + yuugi + professionalism!

this was fun!! thanks to @dxmichelle for the retail stories. kaiba as a retail worker is like me when I was a retail worker because when i worked at a barnes and noble, i spent a LOT of time perfectly squaring the books. anyway all the kaibacorp adventure park castmembers get some fat fucking pay raise/benefit boosts after this

***

This was all Jounouchi’s fucking fault and Seto was never agreeing to any stupid fucking bets again. When did he become a good duelist, instead of just a lucky one? And he knew it, too, announcing his plans to win the Domino City Invitational with the kind of brash, easy confidence that was a front for nothing, a Roman wall around nothing, with nothing he needed to defend on the other side. As hard to read as a coloring book. Asshole.

“The gods have struck men down for less hubris than this,” Seto snapped, over a game of poker at Yuugi’s weekly game night. Mokuba had badgered him into attending after their return from the yearly strategic planning retreat with the board. You need to be around normal people! No more sharks in people suits!

“So what? You don’t believe in higher powers, Rich Boy.”

“In my experience, a god and a higher power are two separate things."

“Oh, okay, Neeshee. Maybe you don’t believe in me, but you do believe in games,” Jounouchi said.

“Devastating insight,” Seto said. “And it’s Nietzsche.”

“Bless you. Don't be rude and sneeze into a tissue next time. Let’s make a bet. When I win the Invitational, you… pick up all my shifts at the Kame Game Shop for a week. I take home all the paychecks, but you do all the work. You know, bog-standard capitalism.”

Seto rolled his eyes. “When you lose, you give the jet a good wash and wax. Then you throw your deck and your Duel Disk into the river, and never duel again.”

“Deal. And I tell you what, Kaiba. One day we’re gonna meet across the field, and you’re going to lose, but it won’t even bother you, because you had just so much fun,” Jounouchi said, extending his hand across the table, with a savage grin.

“Don’t fucking threaten me,” Seto said, shaking his hand.

Asshole! Jounouchi stomped the competition with an ease Seto hadn’t seen since he was fourteen and unceremoniously sacking Inspector Haga at the Pan Pacific Final.

At least Yuugi gave him his own nametag, instead of making him wear Jounouchi’s: a plastic, turtle-shaped badge with a white space for his name. There was a line below it that said MY FAVORITE GAME IS... chess, Seto wrote in moodily, with the marker. Then he affixed it to his dark-green apron, neatly and precisely, just over his heart.

Yuugi nudged the curtain into the stock room aside, wearing a matching apron and smiling like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

“Ready to clock in - oh, no. This is the Kame Game Shop,” he said, reaching up to fix Seto’s name tag, tweaking it to sit slightly at an angle. “Perfect right angles are for squares.”

“A KaibaCorp Adventure Park castmember wouldn’t be caught dead with their nametag this sloppy,” Seto snapped.

“It’s not sloppy. It’s jaunty and playful,” Yuugi corrected. “Now, let’s review. You’re an engineering prodigy, so I’m sure you can handle the register. What do we do when a customer walks in?”

Seto sighed, hands bracing on his hips as his eyes rolled towards the ceiling. That asshole picked up five full days of double shifts.

“Welcome them when they walk in,” he said, as Yuugi nodded along. “Ask if they need any help. If they’re just browsing, leave them alone. Provide recommendations if they ask.”

“And?” Yuugi prompted, raising his eyebrows.

“Wrap and bag their purchases and thank them for wasting my fucking time.”

Yuugi reached up, pressing the tips of his index fingers into Seto’s cheeks. “No! Smile!”

Seto bared his teeth.

“Can’t believe people call you a bad sport,” Yuugi said. “Maybe just smize instead. Go! Clock in! Upsell your own Duel Disk!”

Seto let out a final dramatic huff, took the clipboard off its hook on the wall, and added his billion-dollar contract signature to the timesheet, below several rows of Jounouchi’s scrawl.

***

After four hours, Seto took his lunch break, an all-too-brief thirty minutes in the alley behind the Game Shop, leaning back with one foot propped against the wall, answering emails on his phone with all the speed and fury his thumbs could muster. It was high summer. Vines spilled over the wall on the other side of the alleyway, limp and vibrating with heat. Even the shade under the wall was warm.

The side door opened. He turned his head, preparing a choice little bon mot for Yuugi, and paused, his breath hitching in his chest with a wild regret, birdlike, startled suddenly out of hiding.

He stared at Sugoroku, privately cursing Jounouchi for the nth time for making the fucking bet, winning the fucking Invitational, and putting him here in this fucking alleyway, staring at Sugoroku. It was too late to go back inside. Sugoroku stared back, hoary-haired, stooped under the weight of his years. Even wizened, with skin like old, pale leather, the family resemblances were clear: the same big, warm eyes, the same bright smile, no less weakened for age.

He shuffled out the door, dragging a small garbage bag of recycling beside him.

“Open that up and drop this in, will you please? My back’s not what it used to be.”

“Yes,” Seto said, rapidly stooping to take the bag. Should he add sir? Yes, sir? He hadn’t said 'sir' to anyone in ten years. What was he supposed to say? Sorry. I was not myself. I was myself, but the worst version. It was the beta release of me and we have removed the bugs (the murder bugs) in advance of stable release. All remaining bugs are acceptable. We have added accurate legal and medical disclaimers to all our SolidVision and Virtual World products about how the sensory intensity of KaibaCorp proprietary holographic technology may exacerbate existing heart conditions. I am taking good care of her and I love her and she loves me. Who? Her. The dragon.

He dropped the bag into the recycling bin several steps away and turned around to face Sugoroku, summoning his resolve with an inhale, exhale, firm and deep.

“How’s your first day?” Sugoroku said.

“My company isn’t going down in flames without me,” Seto said. “Color me surprised.”

“How’s your first day here?”

“Enthralling. The adrenaline high of consumer retail is really just something else - ”

“Speak up, I can’t hear you over all that racket you’re making,” Sugoroku said. Seto paused, bewildered, mouth half-open - and shut it, color flaring across his face.

“Uh - fine,” he muttered. “It’s fine. I helped an eight-year-old pick out a board game.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. She came in with all the allowance she’d saved up and she wanted something she could play with her sister. I sold her on mancala."

"That's a classic. Not a board game, but a classic. And hard to sell to children."

Seto scoffed. "I hate the crap they pass off as board games these days, with all the… fiddly, little plastic pieces and the arcane rules. Children get drawn in by the colors, but they don't have patience for the rules, so it ends up forgotten at the bottom of a bookshelf somewhere with half the pieces sucked up in the vacuum cleaner. Mancala is simple. You can play it with a patch of dirt and a handful of gravel. But if you want to win, you need to play with skill and wit. It's timeless. It’s elegant."

"Well, you've sold me. I haven’t played mancala in years. Shall we play tomorrow? During your lunch break?"

Seto said nothing, resisting the urge to bite his lip, a bad habit and a sign of nervousness.

“Yuugi speaks very highly of you, you know,” Sugoroku said. “I’d love to know why.”

He chuckled and shuffled back inside, leaving Seto fuming with an odd, stomach-clenching embarrassment.

He checked his phone. Three more minutes left of his lunch break, and his feet were aching. He should’ve worn different shoes, not the Chelsea boots. Tomorrow. Mancala? Damn Jounouchi to hell. Better shoes.

***

“Excuse me,” the woman said. “Do you have Legendary Heroes II?”

Seto abandoned his task of aligning board game boxes at perfect right angles. Fuck jaunty and playful.

“No. That’s not out until December,” he said. The production issues on Legendary Heroes II were a fucking nightmare, and the thought of making his game developers crunch - making them miserable, overworked, and more likely to quit and get snapped up by Schroeder Corp - gave him hives. So he’d pushed release back to December, allowing the small hit to his stock under the rationale that the holiday retail season would make up for it. But she didn’t need to know that.

“But - it’s my son’s birthday next Saturday, and Legendary Heroes is his favorite game,” she said, hands clenching loosely by her stomach, a gesture of pleading.

“I’m delighted to hear it. It does not change the fact that the game literally does not exist,” Seto said.

“Can you just check in the back? He’s been asking about this for months now,” she said, and Seto clicked his teeth, face slipping into a snarl - from the corner of his eye, he saw Yuugi, watching him.

Smile, he mouthed, and pressed his fingers into his own cheeks, putting on a manic, plastic grin.

“Of course. I’ll be right back,” Seto said, smiling, and stormed away. As expected, he did not find Legendary Heroes II in the stock room. He dawdled, checking his email, firing off a few replies, advising Mokuba on the right way to handle the zesty temperament of their general counsel - this’ll be fun, Mokuba said, I get to run KaibaCorp without you, like, dying or something - WHAT? - and stashed his phone back into his apron pocket.

“My apologies,” he said, returning to the woman. “We don’t have it in stock. If you’d like to pre-order it, it’ll be available just in time for Christmas. Just log on to the KaibaCorp website and enter the Kame Game Shop as your pick-up location. If you’re still looking for a birthday gift, I strongly suggest the new Duel Disk. The design is much better for children than the old one - lighter and more streamlined, with less intense haptics. If he already has a Duel Disk, he can bring that in for a trade-in.”

“Oh, perfect!” she said. “We'll do that. Thank you. You’ve been so helpful.”

“You’re welcome. Have a fantastic day,” Seto said, still smiling. He watched her leave and returned to his board game boxes, feeling hideously, fabulously smug. A customer walked in, carrying a bare Duel Disk under his arm, and Seto shot him a cheerful welcome. The man ignored him, heading straight to Yuugi at the counter.

***

Yuugi swallowed, squared his shoulders, and lifted his chin.

"I'm sorry. We cannot accept a Duel Disk return without a box or a receipt," he said. Clearly stolen.

"But I bought it here two weeks ago. And the stupid piece of shit is defective," the man said. "I want my money back!"

Loud enough that Seto, re-stocking towards the front of the store, turned towards them, with open curiosity.

"What's the nature of the defect?" Yuugi said.

"It just doesn't fucking work. I don't know what else to tell you," the guy said. "Are you gonna do the return or not?!"

His least favorite type of customer: smashing reason apart with the baseball bat of belligerence. Yuugi steeled himself for the inevitable slew of insults.

"Sir. I can't do the return without a receipt - "

A hand came down on his shoulder, pulling him with polite insistence out of the way. Seto, with a canny, feline smile, the kind that foretold bloodshed on the dueling field.

"Oh no, Yuugi," he said. "Let me handle this."

#fanfiction #norealgoodbyes

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