#now Im once again enthralled

[maitbh]

Oh boy, okay. I just finished reading Book 9. I do not feel ready for book 10…

[aphroditeinthesea]

" never forget i made u mine "

jason grace x fem!reader

⚠️ suggestive

a/n first time posting a fic from my computer so i hope this looks okay + this is a part of a fic im posting soon but I thought it also worked as its own <3

⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

She waited for her heartbeat to slow down, her head laying on her boyfriend’s sweaty chest, where she could hear his heart echoing hers. Her fingers reached up to play with the necklace he was wearing. Currently the only thing he was wearing.

He let out a few heavy breaths as he moved stray strands of her hair out of her face and tucked securely behind her ear. “Are you okay, baby?” He whispered into the top of her head.

She tiredly smiled, looking up at him, “yeah,” she sighed, “you?”

He kissed her hair as he pulled her closer into his side, “never better.” She began to sit up while a giggle escaped her, “I’m gonna take a shower.” She pressed a kiss to his scarred lips as her body crawled over his to stand up.

“Okay,” he agreed, though he reached for her again for another kiss.

Her lips met his once more. She bent over to the floor to grab his discarded shirt and pulled it over her bare skin, “this is mine now,” she joked.

He laughed as he scooched himself up against his headboard and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand.

She made her way into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. A chill shivered through her body from the cold tile of the floor, contrasting with the heat that was still filling her skin. Alas, she turned the knob on the shower, the water spewing out coldly. She forgot that his cabin takes a minute to heat up. She let out a sigh, turning to grab a towel, only to see there were none in sight.

She rolled her eyes. She made an exit out of the bathroom before asking the blond boy, who was now enthralled with a book in his lap, “baby?”

“Sorry, just a second,” he pushed up his glasses, his pupils focused on whatever page he was reading.

She grinned at him. She noticed her polaroid camera left on his desk and lifted it to be at her eye level. She softly pressed down on the button on the top to photograph this moment.

He lifted his head, “did you just take a picture?”

She softly chuckled, taking out the card as it developed, “yeah, sorry,” she stepped closer to him and leaned her knees next to him on the bed, “you just looked cute.”

He blushed, closing the book to place it on the nightstand, “what did you wanna ask me?” He questioned, wrapping his hands around her waist.

“Two things, actually,” she began, her hands finding their way to hold his shoulders, “I need a towel.”

“Oh, yeah, there’s some-”

“Something else, too.”

“What is it?”

“The shower’s kinda big,” Gods, this was stupid, “I think there might be room for two people in there.”

“There probably is, it’s a pretty big shower.”

“Baby.”

“Sweetheart.”

“That was an invite.”

[ashprince-of-bel-air]

Little Dove: Part 2

Im flattered you guys liked part 1! Here is part 2 and I'm going to try and write a couple more chapters!

Part one , Part 3

Your mind had lingered on Emperor Caracalla ever since the day you attended that court, the twinkle in his eye as he spoke to you and the way he kissed your hand, bringing a blush to your face every time you remembered it. Once you would have dreaded the next calling of the senate, now you were praying for the days to pass in the hopes you could see Caracalla again.

The Gladiator Games were set to begin on the morrow, a special occasion to appease the Gods. Rome had not felt the relief of rain for months now, her citizens were were on the brink of unrest and madness. Food had come in short supply to its people, fueling the fire that had already been simmering for the last decade under the rule of the twin Emperors.

The Games were to be a grand spectacle, to rival that of the celebration thrown when the Emperors were coronated. It was to be a multi day spectacle of battle, blood and victory, one that anyone of importance was expected to attend, any snub would be considered a slight against the Gods and the Emperors promised there would be punishment for it.

As a senator your father was expected to attend all 3 days of the Games, ones that you would be attending with him, making your official debut to the entire senate and the public. You knew the reason for this, he was trying to marry you off to a man of influence, to further his career in the senate, you would never carve your own path like your brother's would, your worth lay with whomever would take you as a wife, a fact you wholly resented.

The sun bore down relentlessly over the stadium, the heat of it feeling more intense by the minute, almost becoming unbearable as the day wore on. You watched the matches enthusiastically, these were your first games and you were surprised at how enthralled you were. Previously you had believed them to be barbaric and unnecessary, yet you could not deny the pull of them as you sat in the stadium. The roar of the crowd and atmosphere was hypnotic as you found yourself cheering on the gladiators, each battle more exciting than the next.

The next match was the main event the munera, the top gladiator's from the best ludus' would compete to become primus palus of the day. It was to be the bloodiest competition of the day, one that everyone had waited for, taking bets on which gladiator would become the victor. The battle was hard one by a gladiator named Septimus, you joined the crowd in chanting his name as he made his victory lap, caught up in the moment, not noticing a certain Emperor looking down upon you from the royal box, a smile spreading across his face as he watched you enjoy the games.

An invite to the royal palace for a banquet worthy of the Gods was extended to all the senators who attended the games, the finest wine and food would be served to Rome's finest citizens. The palace was awe inspiring, you had never seen such grandeur, it made your father's villa look shabby in comparison. Marble and gold adorned every room, rich tapestrys hung through the hallways as you and your father made your way to the banquet hall, ready to mingle with the rest of the senate.

For once it was nice to be holding a cup of wine rather than pouring it, though the eyes of the lecherous old senators were still raking over your body; you made sure to not let it ruin this night for you, your first and maybe only royal banquet. You could feel the hot gaze of your father upon you as the night went on, each man he sent to you walked away with a sour look on his face, you were beautiful but not worth the effort these men would have to put into courting you. You would pay for this act of defiance after the games were done but you were too busy reveling in the banquet to care.

Though Caracalla had senators queuing up to vie for his and Geta's attention he never took his eyes off you once he spotted you. He knew you would be in attendance and would make his way to you at his first opportunity. The way you rejected the advances of the men who came to you made him chuckle, many women would love the attention yet you spurned it, you were different and it made him want you more.

Finally the senators had stopped approaching him, he had grown tired of the baseless flattery of men who did not mean it, only attempting to gain influence. Caracalla sat upon his throne, his loyal monkey Dundus upon his shoulder, feeding her grapes and laughing as she ruffled his hair, growing excited from the bustle of the crowd. A thought popped into his head as he finally caught you stood on your own, having rejected another man for the night, he knew how to get your attention.

Caracalla stroked Dundus' small paw and pointed to you in the corner, motioning for her to go to you. As Dundus crawled away he smiled to himself, he knew this would get your attention and he watched the situation unfold.

It was nice to have a moment of peace, the men and old senators finally having given up on you for the night, you let out a relieved sigh and took a big gulp of wine. It wasn't long until you felt a scurry up your dress, you almost screamed until you recognised the cheeky monkey from before. You giggled as you felt her play with your hair once again "Well hello Lady Dundus" Stroking her head and playfully shaking her tiny paw. "And where is your master then?" You smiled at her before looking up, seeing Caracalla sat in the distance, a smile upon his face as he looked at you, his eyes flitting up and down over your figure.

This was a perfect opportunity for you to speak to him again, hoping the blush wouldn't creep up onto your cheeks as you spoke to him, wanting to keep your composure before him. You walked through the crowd to stand before his throne, ignoring the stares as you walked past with the Emperor's prized pet upon your shoulder.

"My Emperor" You bowed politely before him, the feeling of butterflies in your stomach almost making you stutter as you spoke. You held your hand up to Dundus who was happily sat upon your shoulder, letting her grip and inspect your fingers curiously. "She is a very cheeky one isn't she my Emperor?" Your voice playful, hoping you were not being to over familiar with him.

"She just knows a pretty lady when she sees one, Little Dove" The nickname made you blush ever so slightly, unable to think of a clever answer to him like you would to any other man who tried to flirt with you. Caracalla held out his arm and Dundas swiftly jumped back to her master, nestling onto his shoulder playing with his hair once more, ruffling it in a way that made him look even more attractive.

"So my Little Dove, did you enjoy the games today?" His smile was cocky as he spoke, he knew you enjoyed the games, he spent most of the day glancing down at you in the stands below his royal box. "Yes my Emperor, it was my first time attending and it was enthralling, I must admit I may have gotten caught up in the excitement of the crowd though." You spoke without thinking, admitting you got caught upon in the crowd was unbecoming of you but you found it hard to censor your thoughts Infront of him now.

"The games will do that to a person, the primal nature of them gets to all of us my dear" Caracalla spoke softly to you, finding your nervousness towards him flattering, especially after you had spent the entire night ruthlessly rejecting any other man who came before you. A thought popped into his head as he spoke to you, thinking this would be the best way to get you to himself.

"I want you to join me in the royal box for tomorrows games Little Dove, it is an entirely different experience viewing from the heights that Gods would" His eyes gazed over your face, judging your reaction before quickly adding. "Your father would also be invited of course" He did not need to invite your father, he was the Emperor and he could do as he pleased, yet he did not want to offend him or have him take his wrath out on you.

Your eyes light up at the invite, not only would you get to be in close proximity with Caracalla again but you were invited to the royal box, a luxury very few would ever be afforded. You bowed quickly again, this time trying to hide the blush that was now very apparent on your face. "Thank you my Emperor, I shall inform my father right away and you can make the arrangements with him" Your smile was wide as you made your way quickly to your father, almost giddy as you told him. Obviously your father would not decline, you even almost saw a twinkle in his eye as you told him but you were too excited to care. You would be joining Emperor Caracalla in the royal box tomorrow, a thought that caused your heart to flutter, excited as to what day 2 of the games would bring.

[catboybiologist]

im the trans woman who apparently believes in transandrophobia, if that's how im gonna go down in history now (kidding), and i wanted to say, sorry for the loooong manuscript but. that thing about dropping out and everything, i do feel that. i graduated high school with 100/100 (veeeeery gratuitous i definitely didn't deserve it and yet some girls in my class who deserved more got like, 98 or 95). anyway. enrolled in physics right after high school, knowing i wasn't anything special but still too confident on my abilities

i ""cracked"" a couple months later and decided to drop off physics, switch to languages and try all over again. after three years in languages, only half my exams taken, and so much weed smoked, i dropped off again, enrolled in classic literature, but then i was immobile for a whole year, no exams given no nothing. now im still in literature, technically first year although it's like my SIXTH year in university, although maybe things are finally starting to go well. not bad for someone who, as a boy, almost never got an insufficient grade

what I'm trying to say is i understand that feeling of transitioning and then suddenly everything feels going to shit in weird ways that you fear will inevitably be blamed on transitioning. and that's also true probably i dunno. it's scary to think about it but it's also kinda… useless? at the end of the day we're all alone in this earth, we and the choices we made. it's like that robert frost poem, we're enthralled to think that that one single choice determined all the bad things. maybe id have dropped off even without cracking who knows

Yeah...

idk. I can reflect on it a lot on how shit has gone south since I transitioned. But LOTS of things have also gotten better.

The general peace I've made is this: transitioning did not fuck up my life. I was building up a series of low, simmering fuckups that were killing me pretransition, and I finally reached a breaking point and decided I needed to fix my life.

Standing up to people who were horrible for my life, transitioning, getting my ADHD diagnosis, and untethering my self worth from academic achievement were all necessary steps I needed to take if I was going to live past the age of 25- and I did them all at once, when I reached that one breaking point.

Two years have passed since the "summer I got my shit together" and my life has been more up, down, and chaotic in those two years than most of the time before it. On the net, its been good. Better than good. I feel like an actual complete person now, and have experienced so much joy.

But holy shit, I'm not gonna lie, its been rough. But transitioning wasn't what caused it. Living my life like I was a hollow shell of a human being was what caused it, and there's just been more chaos because I fixed that.

That's what I know to be true. But its hard to tell myself that sometimes.

[echantedtoon]

A Lovers' Circle (Poly Haishira x Reader) Ch2

(Warnings: Some men being creeps towards Y/n, possibly some innuendos. Mentioned drinking and throwing up. Yn's bad date gets drunk.)

A  soothing plot of violin music danced with echoed tones throughout the square shaped room. The lovely music beating from the speaker system in the upper right corner. The softness of the melody was married to the surrounding ambience of silverware colliding with porcelain, clinking of glasses, and the soft sweet murmuring of voices. 

A quant little scenery to beheld a romantic gesture. A meeting of courtship. Possible start of love.

Eating in such a luxurious restaurant was not something she expected to be doing today.

Dim candlelights and low lights added that soft glow to the blue colored walls. A beautiful small chandelier handing up right in the center for a piece of class catching the glow in sparkling crystals. A pretty sight for sure. The sounds of at least three couples enjoying their nights of passion and love humored the beautiful room making it alive and more beautiful as they sat among the the beautiful cherry wood tables sitting in plush chairs and smiling amongst the lit candles on their white laced tablecloths.  An elderly couple in their golden years smiled at each other lovingly as the husband held his wife's hand shakily but still with love that lasted decades. No doubt a new couple right across from them trapped in the enchantment of first love's fire burning bright. A third one no doubt also enthralled with one another in the moment.

The slight itch of eyeshadow caused a woman's eyes to slightly blink and look around towards the surroundings. A slight frown dusted lipstick colored lips as they turned back to the candlelight in front of f/c orbs.

"Are you ready to order now, Ma'am?"

You jumped at the sudden soft voice. Blinking and directing your eyes towards the person who suddenly appeared in front of you. A generic waitress in black and white uniform smiling that familiar customer service grin, pen and paper at the ready to write down the wishes of the customer's taste buds.

"Oh! No. I uh-.. Well you see-" Eyes glanced towards the beautiful antique looking grandfather clock I the far left wall. According to it it was six o seven in the afternoon. Two hours and seven minutes from when you were supposed to meet with a certain person. "Um. Yeah. No." An awkward smile was given. "I-I'm still waiting for someone."

The waitress gave a look. A knowing one that probably said more about the situation but didn't comment on it as she turned and simply walked away from you. The awkward smile persisted more until she left you sitting there. Frowning again and staring down at the empty plate. The sigh that left your lips was loud and if you weren't far from most everyone else then you would've probably gotten looks. 

"You sound as if you are saddens by something."

You jumped once again as a deep voice spoke and you turned all the way around. . And you stared. A few seconds in you realized you were staring at the back of a large torso, and part of an arm. Blinking your eyes slowly trailed up and up and up-

"I apologize if I am too forward. I just couldn't help but notice that you were sounding a bit distressed."

You stared up in shock and see at the man behind you. Holy cow. He was..very tall. A head of black hair and tan skin greeted you as well as a pair of pure white eyes. The entire image took you off guard but you were more surprised that someone like him was able to come into the restaurant and you didn't notice. Were you that distracted?

"Uh. N-No." You held up a hand. Don't know why, if his eyes were like that then he was most likely blind. "Im meeting someone. Well I-I'm supposed to be." You turned back around and craned your neck to look around... however you sighed in defeat. "At least that was the idea."

"A date?"

"Blind date actually." You deadpanned sighing again. "My aunt, she's a matchmaker and this was all her idea."

"Ah. That is very kind of your aunt to arrange."

"Not really. The last few have been quite terrible." 

"Oh? How so?"

Where should you start?  How about the first time where your date looked nothing like his age or picture from the profile your aunt found? The man was old enough to be your grandfather! Thank goodness for the call your mom put in to ask how the date went, couldn't fake an emergency call faster. Or how about the time she set you up with a narcissist 'freelance nutritionist' who insisted your slight pollen allergy was because you didn't hear about his MLM pyramid scheme- You mean his totally legit dietary plan he was gonna sell to you for only a hundred dollars!!..You blocked his number after nearly twenty texts from him asking when you were gonna buy his 'diet plans'.

Or how about the time your aunt surprised you by setting you up on a blind double date with your cousin, her boyfriend, and his brother!! Which you didn't know was a date and you thought you all were only hanging out until said boyfriend's brother tried to kiss you, poured his drink on your shirt when you refused, and stomped off leaving you shocked and covered in lemonade. And then you had to call a taxi home because your cousin's boyfriend got made at YOU for making his brother angry and left you at the mall alone. Thank God for taxi services.

Or how about the guy you met at the bar who was already drunk when you arrived and threw up all over your car when you drove him home?Or how about the time you had lunch with that librarian? He was very nice, polite, maybe a bit paranoid and you found out why when his WIFE carrying a five month old baby stormed into the cafe and started loudly cursing both her HUSBAND and you out. 

You stopped going on dates after that and had a VERY firm and long talk with your aunt about her meddling with your love life. You only agreed to go on one last date because some rich people had paid your aunt to set him up with a girl. ANY girl. Apparently they were desperate to get him to meet some people. You only agreed because your aunt needed the job badly and you were promised a free dinner for your efforts. 

So with your permission, your aunt showed the guy a picture of you and showed you a pic in return. Recent according to his parents. Taken at a relative's wedding. You had to admit, he didn't look so bad. Pretty normal with wavy but short brown hair and matching brown eyes, average height and weight for a man at twenty four. From what your aunt told you he's a local college student majoring in computer sciences and from her interactions he's pretty forward but nice when they spoke in person. Ok. She gave you thirty dollars to buy yourself a free dinner so it's not too bad.

You did receive his number and had a brief conversation with him. He sounded normal if a little bored sounding, but you both agreed to meet at a nice restaurant called The Tuttles' Bar and Food at four the following Thursday. And that following Thursday you got dressed up nicely and went to go meet him. Arriving a few minutes early, and sending a quick text to him.

Y/n: Hey. I'm here a bit early!

Jake: K

Y/n: I'll wait for you inside. Ok?:)

Jake: Sure. At a friend's so imma be late.

Y/n: That's ok. I'll be sitting on the right side. See you soon.

So you went in and sat down and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Until two hours and seven minutes (and counting-) went by. You did send him a text thirty minutes in.

Y/n: You still coming?

Jake: Yep! Just left the house 

And then another one two hours in.

Y/n: Hey. Did you get lost or something? I've been waiting for nearly two hours now.

Left on read.

Y/n: Do you need directions? You ok?

Left on read.

Y/n: Look. If you don't want to go on a date at least tell me so I can just know you're not coming.

No answer. Not even left on read this time. 

You were very frustrated but decided to be nice and give him ten more minutes before you got up and just go get take out with the money your aunt gave you. It was six o' seven so only three minutes left to go before you left. 

"Well I think I'm being ghosted." You shrugged despite knowing that the stranger couldn't see you at all. "I haven't seen him for over two hours. Won't even answer my texts. What about you? Waiting for someone?"

He smiled. "Goodness that does sound rude. No." He shook his head. "No. A good friend of mine recommended this place to me for the excellent steaks they serve. I happened to be in the area visiting the local shrine and figured I'd stop by."

"Ah. That sounds quite nice, Mister-"

"Gyomei Himejima." He nodded towards you. "How do you do, Miss?"

"Y/n. Y/n L/n.  It's nice to meet you, Mr. Himejima."

"Please call me Gyomei. Mr. Himejima was my grandfather."

You smiled happier looking at Gyomei before glancing over at the clock again. Six o' ten. Whelp looks like your waiting time was up. "..It was very nice to meet you Mr- I mean Gyomei, but I think I better get ready to go." You were already reaching for your purse. Since you didn't eat anything you didn't have to pay at least. Oh well. Take out night it was. 

"A pleasure. I do hope the rest of your night is we-"

A loud woman's yelp of pain caught both of your attention as you looked back forward and blinked.

"Whoops. Sorry 'bout that lady." 

You blinked and only watched as none other than your date stumbled in, literally stumbled. Walking a bit wobbly like he was dizzy and stopped a moment as a waitress looked on with a glare. He stopped with a large grin on his face. He looked around and spotted you before wobble-walking his way over and with a grunt plopped him down in the chair across from you, bumping the table and making the candle holder. You gasped and thankfully grabbed the candle holder before it could tip over and light the pretty tablecloth on fire.

"Hoo! Man what a party. I'm telling you that last round was a killer. Never try chugging lemonade in the middle of an eating contest." 

You stared at him still. "Uh..." You hesitated gently grimacing at the sight of him. "Jake?"

"That's me."

....The picture you saw didn't do him justice. Photo Jake looked nice. Not really fancily dressed up but nice looking. THIS Jake did not look the least bit presentable. He literally looked like he just got out of bed, messy hair, eye bags, and all and looked disheveled like he was hit by a giant gust of wind on the way here. Shirt untucked and partially opened, and lightly dirty by the looks of it. All his clothes were wrinkled and...

"Is that a lipstick stain?" You pointed at his collar but he didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Won a lucky strike at spin the bottle." His hand flicked his collar before he leaned back in the chair and looked nonchalant. "Speaking of lucky. Dam! I didn't know that my date was cute." A shiver ran down your spine at the way he slowly looked you up and down like he had xray vision. 

"Uh-...*ahem* S-So!" You pushed an awkward smile onto your face. "I'm starving! Let's get something to eat!"

"Great idea! I could eat a fucking horse."

You only chuckled nervously however neither of you were aware of the larger spectator, tilting his head slightly at the table behind him.

"Are you ready for the check, Sir?"

".. Actually I think I'll get a small appetizer."

You managed to wave down a waiter this time who smiled at you both and handed you a menu each. Asking you what you'd both would like with a notepad and pen at the ready.

"Mm. This all looks so good!," you broke the ice gazing over the items in your price range. "You know it's my first time coming to this place? Have you been here before?"

"Uh huh. That's nice babe." He bluntly stated looking boredly at the menu before just closing it with an eye roll and tossing it back onto the table. "Hey, buddy. Be a pal and get me some of that beef wellington ya got there and some red wine. And..cremd brulee stuff. Y'know what. Scratch that. Just bring me the whole bottle." He motioned towards the other man.

 If the waiter was annoyed with his actions he didn't show it. Only nodded and wrote down what he said. "And your partner?"

You opened your mouth-

"Yeah. She'll have a small salad and water. No sides. Now hop to it."

Your jaw dropped in shock brain processing for a moment as the waiter nodded and turned to walk away from you all.

"A-Actually I'd like a-" It was too late. The waiter was already gone before he could get a chance to hear you. His footfalls faded away before you slowly turned back to the bored looking man. "Why'd you do that?'

"Huh? Do what?"

You felt yourself frown. "Order for me. I didn't ask you to oder anything for me, and I didn't want a salad."

"What? Are you trying to get fat or something?"

Once more you felt your jaw drop in the audacity of this man .. before deeply inhaling through your nose. It's ok. This is fine. At least your food would be fast to eat and cheap. You'd buy yourself a burger on the way home and forget about this entire thing. 

"So. Jake. My aunt told me you're majoring in computer programming", you tried changing the topic again. "That's really interesting. I'm taking online classes for baking and pastry arts myself! I'm hoping to start my own bakery!"

"Oh. You cook?" He finally looked not bored slightly.

You happily nodded. "Yes!"

"What stuff you cook?"

"All kinds of stuff really but mostly stuff like cupcakes and bread."

"Eh. Don't really like that stuff too much." That's ok. Not everyone had a big sweet tooth. "But you cook so that's one redeeming quality for you. Girls don't want to do anything useful anymore."

"Excuse me?"

"Bless you. But that's what she told you? Pfft." He rolled his eyes again pointing at you. "I'm only taking the dam course to make my old man happy. But the real money is in marketing! You ever heard of ai generating?"

"....Oh."

Oh God. He was one of THOSE. 

"Um. Actually maybe we should see if our foods ready-"

"It's like giving a computer a brain," he ignored what you said talking over you and pointing his hands together. "But it's not self thinking see. It's more like a search bar online except you can use it for actual useful shit! Like I can make a website for people to pay me and then they can create stuff they want! I can even use it to write like reports and stuff! Y'know how many people doing those impossible classes would pay for something like that?! I'd make more money than my old man over night!"

If it didn't smear your make up you would've rubbed your face in frustration. He continued onwards speaking about ai generating programs and what he wanted to use it for. You think he even forgot you were literally sitting there for a while going on about his stupid rant. Until your saving grace arrived in the form of food. Oh thank gods! You swore you could've kissed that waiter as he brought over a tray of food. Wine, beef wellington, and a fancy desert for him....Water and the world's sorriest excuse of a salad for you.  This didn't even come with dressing. 

"So like I was saying." 

He spoke up pulling at the cork of the bottle until it went flying with a pop and instead of pouring it into the nice wine glass the waiter provided him, he tilted his head back, brought the bottle to his lips, and just straight up started chugging the wine! You could only watch dumbstruck as he gulped it back. Others stared at you and your 'date'. One woman even muttered something that sounded like 'oh my' before he just slammed the bottle back on the table and messily wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"I'll pay one of those techno wizards to make the website for me and add like a security system and like a password stuff for only me to get into. Everyone else is gonna pay for it."

...you just started to silently eat the salad quickly. It gave you an excuse not to talk and the faster you finished it, the faster you could leave the guy going on about just being lazy in life and messily chewing the food between words grossly. You just continued to not make eye contact as he continued spouting off whatever. Chugging down wine and gobbling up the fancy food you were sure glad you didn't have to pay for. 

"So IIIIIII said why dontcha just shut up and dooo it yourself ??? Cuz like m not doing anything for a dam ass asshole who owes mmmmmeee fifty bucks already." He slowly started to slur his words swaying a bit in his seat. Food dripped onto his shirt and pants leaving stains no doubt. "Hhheeyy. Arencha gonna eat that?"

"I think I lost my appetite."

THUNK!!

You gave a small shriek pulling your hands up from the table as without warning he slapped an arm across the table and grabbed your plate. The fork in your grip clattering to the floor as he dragged what was left of your food and dragged it over to him.

"Gimme! Ill eat the dam thing." Without even a pause he continued what he's been doing just chugging down the bottle and eating. "You're rrrrrreeeeaallllyyy good lookin' y'knooooww that? But if ya gonna be wit me ya gotta drop the wwwwwwhhhhooollleee silent act....Acccctually scratch that. I-I like ya better like that. Nnnn  when ya cook n cleeeeeaaannnn tooooo and*BURP!* Give my fiuuuuckin kiiiids a-a-....Did ya knnnoooow I'm dealing with any girls?? I got too many women in my dam family already.."

"Are you drunk, crazy, or both?! Because I think it's both!!" You scowled at him with hatred now. "I think this date's over now. Is anyone picking you up?'

"My pppppaallbut good idea.. we can go back to my pla-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!" You snapped around and locked eyes with the nearest waitress staring wide eyed at the sight. "Can I have the check please?! And quickly!"

A loud burp caught your unfortunate attention back to Jake before he stood up. Jostling the table and pushing it forward to shake everything on it, including your water that thankfully didn't spill on you but it did spill across the table. 

"What is wrong with you?" You shouted to him grabbing the table and stopping it before it could ram into your stomach. Another loud burp enveloped from his maw. "Uh! That's disgusting. At least say excuse me."

"Ah shuddap! Girls don't know what a real man is anymore thanks to feminism!! I'm a nice guy!"

"Oh dear gods. You're one of those too?!"

"Fuuuaasck ok!! I'm going just gggggooooo now-" He made a grunt sound as he looked into the barrel of the bottle and now decided to messily pour what was left into the wine glass(that somehow miraculously didn't fall over when he scooted the table up) and then dropped the bottle with a thunk when the glass was mostly full. "Look at that. I still got summm." He slurred his words shakily grabbing the glass and smiling at it. "IS FULLLLL..LOOKIT!!'

Time seemed to slow down as he thrusted the glass forward towards you. Red liquid toppled through the air turning over and over. And then a loud splash sound permeated the air as it mFe contact along the table and the fabric of a cotton candy pink dress. You shrieked out as red liquid splashed across the front top of your dress before you shot up. Looking down at yourself as it ran from the top of your dress to about four inches above your knees in a splattery line pattern. The wetness already seeping through your dress and sticking to the skin. You shot up to your feet looking down at yourself as your 'date' did nothing but messily drink on the empty cup before stumbling and dropping the glass. It shattered beside him as he wobbled on his feet and blinked at nothing really. 

"I don't feel so good."

You didn't even bother looking up when you froze hearing a wet splattering noise as soon as he turned around and one of the other ladies sitting in the restaurant screamed like in one of those horror movies. You could only stand there numbly and stare at yourself. 

"Hey...I didn' bring mah wallet. Can ya cover dis??"

You stood there still staring at nothing but your filthy now stained dress in the middle of the mess he made feeling the stares of everyone else around you staring...And then you just started crying. Crying, and crying as big tears rolled down your face and made your mascara run in black globs down your cheeks. Jake didn't pay attention just stumbling around a bit out of his mind. 

"So like...can you pay? Then I can like pay ya back a different way- *BURP!!*"

A hand extended over to make a grab towards the shaking woman's arm. However whatever motion was made was completely stopped by a much larger hand wrapping itself tightly around the arms enveloping it entirely. A mountain of muscle and body turned from where he had reached around to stop him. Drunken glazed eyes blinking at the whites of clarity thinking.

"I think that you have done enough. Why don't you step away from the table like a gentleman?"

You didn't hear what was said behind you. Only crying and staring at yourself but at one point you sat back in the chair as Jake stumbled off somewhere else entirely as you sat there still crying and sobbing.

"Excuse me, Miss." You flinched looking up into the eyes of a waitress that gave you a frown of pity. She gingerly held out a small piece of paper. "My manager asked me to give you this check."

Oh finally! It was about time! You just wanted to pay for your food, go home, and forget that this ever happened. You sniffled a little more wiping at your eyes staring at your bill.. before your eyes nearly popped out from your skull seeing what was listed on it. 

Beef Wellington: $100.54 Red Wine: $60.50 Small Salad: $10.95 Creme Brulee: $13.70 Tip:$37.00 Total:$ 222.69

$20 TC

$5 WG

You stared at it wide eyed and jaw dropped looking at it, then at the still empathetic waitress, then back to the bill. Again and again... Before pointing at it.

"W-What?" Was all you could say.

"Your partner wasn't able to pay and there's the additional damages to the tablecloth and wine glass, Miss." She explained pointing a hand to where it said 'tc' and 'wc' on the bottom of the bill. "That's what these stand for."

You stared gobsmacked at her. "B-But...I only had a salad! I-I didn't even do any of this!" 

"I know but someone has to pay and your 'date' already left."

"WHAT!?"

"Excuse me?" Both of you looked up. An older man in a normal pair of clothes looked the both of you over. "Which one of you is Y/n L/n?"

You sniffed. "Who are you?"

"Your obor driver. I was called to meet you here in advance."

You stared confused. "...I-I didn't call an obor."

"Really? Well the guy waiting in the car says you were going to pay for his ride home." Your mouth dropped as he held up a hand. "Look. All I know is that the bill's in your name and I can't go anywhere unless I'm paid, and I need to be paid anyways for coming out here."

"Wha- I-...H-How much?"

"It's eighty for the entire trip here and where he told me he wants to be dropped off."

You only stared at the both of them before just looking down at the bill now weighing more heavy in your hands ..and your hands shakily reached out for your purse and the card inside. You weren't going to be responsible for a drunk idiot not getting home safely, and you just wanted to go home. In total you paid three hundred twenty seven dollars and sixty nine cents. 

Two hundred twenty two dollars and sixty nine cents was for the entire food bill, most of which you didn't even eat, including a twenty percent tip for the waiter! Twenty five dollars for the damages you didn't cause! And an extra eighty dollars just to make sure the idiot who caused your entire terrible experience didn't get hurt wondering around like a drunken idiot!! By the end of it you didn't have enough money to pay for a taxi ride yourself or for decent food!! And you were still covered in runny make up and wine and smelt like alcohol! 

You just paid and rushed out as fast as you could to avoid the eyes still staring at you. Breathing a sigh of relief when the smell of alcohol and barf was finally behind you. Standing outside on the sidewalk and breathing a sigh of relief to the fresh air. At least that Jake was gone so this night couldn't get any more worse-

SPLASH!!

"AH!?"

You shrieked out as a car drove past you quicker than the legal limit. Hitting a rather large and VERY muddy puddle in front of you sending it flying through the air and splashing all over you as it raced past and into the setting sun's light....You stood there drenched as dirt clung onto you and your hair cling onto your face. Comically a glob of mud ran down your arm and dropped onto the wet sidewalk as the first rounds of another round of rain rumbled above you in thunder. 

...A fresh batch of tears started up in your eyes as the first few drops of rain hit your shoulders.

That's how you found yourself completely drenched walking home in the pouring rain, filthy, your heels just shoved under your arms from how sore wearing them so long had made your feet, most of your money gone, humiliated, clothes completely ruined, and- Your stomach rumbled again louder and completely empty. That sorry excuse of a salad not filling you at all(you didn't even eat the whole thing) and you didn't have enough money to buy yourself anything. You guessed it was going to be another instant ramen night. You were too tired to fully cook something and by the time you got home it'd be really late anyways.

Your feet hit the sidewalk with each step you took making a small splash sound. Well..At least now it couldn't get any worse. 

"Miss?"

You squeaked again jumping in your spot before whirling around and finding yourself face to face with a torso..you blinked before looking up, up, up and staring into the eyes of the tallest blind man you've ever seen with his coat slung over his arm.

"Oh. Mr. H-Himejima-"

"Gyomei."

"Gyomei." You sniffed and wiped at your face. Wouldn't do a bit of good as you stood in the pouring rain. At least this guy had a comically large umbrella keeping him dry. "L-Look. If you want something O-Or if your food got ruined too I can't pay for it-"

"Goodness no. I'm not here to demand money of you." His large hand held up a purse comically small in his palm. "You forgot your purse at the restaurant. I had to catch up to you to return it."

Your eyes widened. "My purse!" You reached out to quickly take it from him immediately. You couldn't believe you forgot about this. "I can't believe it." You looked back up to him smiling. "Thank you so much!"

He smiled wider at you. "I would've returned it to you sooner but I wanted to be sure that man didn't try to harm you again and by the time I came back I couldn't find you anywhere in the restaurant."

"Y-Yeah. I did leave pretty quick. But thank you for this. You have no idea how much I appreciate it-"

*GROWL!*

You both paused as your stomach growled rather loudly making him tilt his head and you flush a pink from how loud your stomach growled.

"Your stomach? I take it you're still hungry."

"Um..Y-Yeah. B-But I can't eat until I get back home. You see I-I had to pay for everything back at the restaurant."

"Why don't I but you dinner then?" His head looked straight up. "By the smells in the air, there's a burger place just around that corner." 

"Oh no. You've already been a big help. I-I can't ask you to pay for me." You stopped talking when something thick and black fell over your shoulders. It took a few seconds for you to realize that it was a giant jacket. 

"I insist." He stepped closer. Not enough to make you uncomfortable but enough to shield you from the ran with his umbrella. "You've been through quite enough tonight. The very least I can do is treat you."

"Well. .. Alright B-But nothing very expensive. I don't want to be a bother."

"If it was truly a bother I wouldn't have offered."

It was a short walk around the corner and to a small hole in the wall burger joint. You were actually shocked by him when he reached over and pushed the door open before you could grab the handle.

"After you."

"Oh..Thank you."

The inside was warm and dry and completely empty except for a surprised looking cashier in the front. Guess she wasn't expecting a literally giant and a girl looking like she literally almost drowned in a mud hole to come walking in through the door. Not that you blamed her. You looked a mess.

"Order whatever you'd like." He smiled at you. "it's my treat."

"Uh. C-Could I just get a plain cheeseburger and some fries?"

The cashier slowly nodded still staring wide eyed at you both. "Uh...D-Do you want a d-drink with that?"

"No thanks. I've had enough liquids for tonight."

"Uh sure." A quick clacking of the register later- "That'll be eight forty two please. I-Ill get your food shortly."

You bit down into the juicy stack of beef, ketchup, mustard, pickles, onions, and cheese. The heavenly taste filling your mouth like fireworks compared to the bland salad from earlier. Humming in satisfaction with every chew you took. This is definitely better than any overpriced steak! Gyomei sat down in the chair across from you looking comically too big for it. Surprised it didn't collapse under his muscle. 

"You seem to be feeling much better now."

You nodded swallowing and smiling. "Yeah! Thank you so much! I mean it. I can pay you back if you want."

He held up a large hand. "No need. I'm just happy to know that you are feeling better after everything that happened." 

"Ugh! Don't remind me. I am NEVER going on another date again!"

His head tilted but smile remained. "Were all your dates really that bad?"

You shook your head. "Actually this was the first one yet but all the dates I've been on have been. I swear ever since my prom date ghosted me for that cheerleader because I was his fourth choice." You shrugged before taking another large bite. "Most aren't really bad. Most are just really boring or uninteresting but the dates my aunt always arranged for me are always the very worst."

He hummed in genuine thought. ".. Perhaps she's not a good matchmaker."

"No! Actually she's an AMAZING matchmaker." You corrected him before he got that idea. "She matched both my parents when they were younger and my cousin with her boyfriend and practically everyone else on her street. The local shops get a lot of business from her work."

Such as your uncle who owns a catering company, the bridal dress shop, the bakery made countless wedding cakes, and you lost count of how many times her couples would go to the local restaurant for dates.

"It just seems like I have insanely bad luck with dates. My aunt tried to help but I think that only made it worse."

He hummed again. "I can't imagine how. You seem like a pleasant woman to talk with "

Despite yourself you blushed before chuckling. "Thanks. I'm glad someone thinks so."

"Are you able to get home alright? It seems to be getting later and raining."

"Huh? Oh! My friend lives nearby. He works at a pizza place. I'm sure he'll give me a ride if I ask him." Now that you had your phone, you could text him! Putting your burger down, and digging through your purse to pull out your phone and texted your friend. 

Y/n: Hey. You still at work?

Murata: Ye. Y?

Y/n: My date was a bust. Can you please pick me up?

Murata: Yeah. I'm off in 10 minutes. Brt. (Be right there.) Wru?

Y/n: Thanks. I'm at a small burger place across from a flower shop.

Murata: k. See u then.

You smiled at your phone and sighed. "My friend's coming to pick me up."

"Then I shall wait until he arrives to be sure you're safety."

"You really don't have to do that. You've done more than enough."

"I enjoy your company. So it won't be a bother." His larger smile made you flush a pink. "Tell me what happened while I was gone."

It must've been at least half an hour of you ranting to him about everything as he just patiently listened to you until Murata's beat up car pulled up just as you finished eating and honked loudly.

"That's him!"

"Then allow me to escort you to the car."

He was very polite and opened the door for you again as you both stepped out. Thankfully the car was right there so you didn't have to run through the rain. Smiling you gave Gyomei one last smile.

"Thanks for everything tonight. It was much appreciated. Maybe we ought to get together sometime so I can tell you more stories."

"How does this Saturday sound?"

You blinked taken aback. "I- What?"

He only smiled. "I'm off this Saturday and I know this cafe with good prices. If you want to of course?"

Your eyes widened. "Are you.. actually asking me on a date?"

"Certainly. If you feel comfortable with going of course."

"I don't know..My bad luck with dates have been pretty consistent."

"I think this one would be different. Never know until you give a chance."

"Well...Ok. why not? Can I get your number first?"

[cr3stawrites]

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

aly’s song fic challenge!!

as you can see !!! im copying vienna but honestly i needed to do some sort of masterlist at some point so here we are!! <3

anyways—below are my readersonas, their basic info, and their playlists!! :D along with their hashtags so you can easily find them!!!

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

firecracker — daisy jones & the six ᥫ᭡。

— FIRECRACKER is the little sister of warren rojas, who comes down to L.A. to see her big brother for the first time in two years — only to then be enthralled with the life of being on the strip, and in the arms of billy dunne.

slowly, firecracker struggles with her identity rather than being just billy’s girl (sometimes) and has to find her way to be her own once again. and sometimes she’s glad she has billy by her side (the keyword here is sometimes) but at least she can always count on her best friend (with benefits) daisy jones!

you can find more out about firecracker by using the #firecracker💥 hashtag <3

and you can listen to her playlist here !!

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

aurora — the hunger games .𖥔 ݁

— AURORA is the victor of the 66th hunger games at 15 years old, and due to how she wasn’t even gambled to make it to the final two, let alone the victor, it’s safe to say she wasn’t entirely popular with those in the capitol. and after her parents’ tragic murder in the same way she used to win — aurora now has to make her way through the world, while also dealing with the trauma of being a victor.

enter finnick odair. who becomes her mentor away from blight. and slowly, becomes the love of her life, the one that she’d die for. even if it meant dying in his arms, or not having him at all after tragic events in the arena.

you can read more about aurora by using her hashtag #aurora🪵 <3

and you can listen to her playlist here !!

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

marigold — daisy jones & the six ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

— MARIGOLD is your typical hippie girl in the 70s. she’s confident and most importantly, she loves gardening. even despite living in california her whole life, she finds plants more fascinating than anything else.

she supposed that’s why she has billy dunne wrapped around her finger, with how in love with her he is. perhaps her appreciation for other things while still being a supportive girlfriend makes her the perfect fit for a rockstar struggling with his own issues is what has him wrapped around her finger. whatever it is, the feeling is certainly mutual — for marigold is wrapped around billy dunne’s finger as well.

you can read more about marigold by using the #marigold🌻 hashtag <3

and you can access marigold’s playlist here!! (huge thank you to vienna [@auroralwriting] for helping me out with her playlist!!<3)

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

songbird — the hunger games (tbosas) ♫

— SONGBIRD is the covey’s accordion player, she’s traveled all her life with the covey and has been covey since day one. with her best friend lucy gray baird by her side.

suddenly, when her best friend is reaped, songbird is crippled with the fact that she may never see her again. her best friend, her lover. and now — songbird is struggling with even wanting to care for herself.

she just wants her covey girl back.

you can read more about songbird by using the #songbird🕊️ hashtag <3

and you can listen to her playlist here!!

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

snapdragon — daisy jones & the six 𖤓

— SNAPDRAGON is born and raised in l.a. and from the start, she was meant to be a star.

and yet, meeting daisy jones was the light of her life, not singing for the first time, not recording her first album, not anything involving her career. it was daisy jones.

margaret ‘daisy’ jones.

who just happened to be fucking in love with someone else who was struggling with getting the man she loved to be with her and her only. just her luck.

you can read more about snapdragon by using the #snapdragon 🌺 hashtag <3

and you can take a look of her playlist here!! (thanks to @roses-tired, @emmynemm, and @daisyjonesgf for helping me out with her playlist!!!)

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

cielo — daisy jones & the six *ೃ༄

— CIELO is a born and raised californian girl. her parents own a surf shop near the beach and since she was young, she’s been a surfer girl at heart. she’s even taken up teaching kids to surf as an extension of her parents’ surf shop.

but one day, she has other hopes and aspirations. the music scene is calling her — and she knows it. but everything she writes just doesn’t hit for her, so how would it hit for an audience? and then, a curly hair man is dragged to the surf shop, and cielo’s life is changed for her better.

and hopefully, his encouragement will get cielo out there in her dreams.

you can read more about cielo by using the #cielo✨ hashtag <33

and as always, you can find her playlist here!! (still a work in progress but you’ll see it come together!! — thank u wanda pookie for helping out!!!)

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

wildflower — daisy jones & the six °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

— WILDFLOWER is mostly known as being billy dunne’s high school sweetheart and the mother to his daughter. but she’s more than that. she’s a mother, and she’s a writer.

she wants to break free from the label as “billy dunne’s wife” or “billy dunne’s high school sweetheart” and become her own person, a well renowned author. yet, her love of being a mother comes first for her little ophelia, and her husband.

who seems to be pulling further and further away from her — and more towards a certain daisy jones, maybe? wildflower doesn’t want to think too much of it, she trusts billy.

you can read more about wildflower by using the #wildflower💐 hashtag <33

and of course !! here’s wildflower’s playlist!!

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

bluebell — daisy jones and the six ✮⋆˙

— BLUEBELL is a single mom in l.a. working part time as a waitress to help care for her daughter cassia. her child’s father is no longer in the picture, so it’s just her and cassia in a one bedroom apartment, struggling to make ends meet.

despite being a mother, most consider her being abrasive and maybe a bit stand offish, but that’s perhaps what attracts her fellow waitress daisy jones to her. because knowing why bluebell is abrasive and people see her as stand offish—it’s because she’s afraid of getting her heart broken again.

daisy has her own problems, but somehow and surprisingly, bluebell lets her into her and cassia’s little life.

but once daisy goes up in fame, can bluebell handle the fame and stress it comes with being the lead singer’s girlfriend — or will the rumors of her girlfriend being in love with the other lead singer make her leave and forget?

you can read more about bluebell by using the #bluebell🫐 hashtags :D

and as always, thank you to pookie wanda, you can find her playlist here!!

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

[griffonsgrove]

Haiii!! These headcanons have been amazing!!! Could I perhaps ask for a Dr.Flug X Reader where they're a famous popstar, please?? tysm!! <3

Dr. Flug X Popstar!Reader

a/n: eeee of course I can write this!! This is a really cute idea, I hope you enjoy!! Im working my way through a few of your guy's requests so bare with me! I plan on maybe doing a few drabbles or headcanons for some other fandoms within the following days so keep a look out for that!

fandom: Villainous/Villainos words: 1026 cw: none! just super cute fluff!

(PLATONIC):

Now that you were starting to gain more and more popularity amongst people, you had been wanting to expand your musical talent to all reaches of life, whether it be good or bad.

Being a famous popstar made it easy to get connections, thankfully, and a little birdie had told you about the infamous ‘Hat Island” that was rumored to be crawling with villains, owned by none other ‘Lord Black Hat’ himself.

You were by no means a saint, let alone a hero, and thought that everyone deserved to have the joy of music, even those of lower status. So what do you do? Schedule a meeting with the most feared villain known to man!

Imagine Flug's surprise when he opens the door to see you standing there.

The man about damn near faints on the spot. A famous super-star, standing right in front of him? AND they're cute?? Oh boy.

He had heard of you when Demencia would loudly blast her music from her boombox, Obnoxious yes, but he would absentmindedly find himself humming your tunes or tapping his foot to the beat while he worked in the lab, much to his dismay.

Eventually that led to him listening to you in his (very little) free time, and he, actually?? Enjoyed?? It??

Now, the tricky part was going to be trying to convince Black Hat to let you hold a concert on his island, This old man  intimidated tf out of you, if looks could kill you’d be dead before you even stepped into his office. But, you tried to remain confident.

You offer to pay him for compensation, and give him a small percentage of the profits from your show. How can he refuse that offer? It’s money! He reluctantly agrees to your proposition, and you sign a temporary contract.

For extra gratitude you offer him and his henchman VIP tickets for your show, Black Hat scowls, saying something along the lines of “that frivolous techno music gives me a headache..” But! He doesn't deny his henchmen going!

Of course you don't leave without the eldritch putting the fear of god into you.

Demencia vigorously shakes Flug in excitement, when she finds out they have VIP tickets to your performance, for once the doctor’s eyes light up.

The night of your performance happened to be one of his best memories, he was absolutely enthralled by your singing, and he got to witness all up close!

When he comes backstage to meet you after the show he nearly faints again. You thought he was kind of cute for that really.

You excitedly greet him and his group and chat for a while. Answering questions and sharing stories, you actually find out the two of you have a lot in common! As the evening wraps up you pull him aside privately to give him your number, if he ever wanted to chat. HE NEARLY FAINTS AGAIN.

(ROMANTIC):

That’s how you two began talking. You texted frequently, excitedly sharing each other's interests. Sometimes you’d snap a photo before or after a performance, and he’d send you pictures of his latest invention, or his model airplane collection.

It’s actually you, that ends up asking him out on a date. Through a video call, his reaction was adorable, he looked almost in disbelief but dumbly nodded his head to your confession.

The both of you lead busy lives, so you carefully plan out when you can visit and when he can get the time off. (He sucks up to Black Hat for an entire week).

You settle on something quiet and not far away, you didn’t want to be bombarded by fans or paparazzi during your small visit. It’s at a small cafe, Flug claimed it made the best coffee he’s ever had.

He watches all of your shows btw. Man’s is committed. Whether that be streaming the concert on his phone while he works or going to your shows/events in person whenever you visit the island again. It’s also a plus that he enjoys your music!

You singing to him, ouGHHHH. He’s starstruck every time, entranced by your voice. He really thinks of you as an angel, maybe a siren.

Love songs!! You write several dedicated to him while your dating, he nearly cries when you reveal this to him. Who am I kidding? He totally cried.

He makes you cute little gadgets to make your life a little easier. Like a custom-made microphone for your shows, you use it every time <3.

You SPOIL him. You get that bag (pun intended) and you think he deserves to be treated with everything he could possibly want.

If you ever meet 5.0.5 you best believe you’re treating that bear like your own son. He’s such a sweetie, how could you not? And if you sing him little lullabies to help him fall asleep?? Flug’s heart almost bursts out of his chest. How did he get so lucky??

He often wonders how he bagged you (pun intended). He's pretty insecure of himself already, it really is a mystery to him. He almost feels like he doesn't deserve any of it at all. But of course, you see right through his act, and reassure him endlessly.

You both keep the relationship on the downlow, mainly for your sake. He didn't want your reputation to be ruined if the press found out you were dating a notorious supervillain. You had told him you didn't care what the public thought, but he insisted.

There are numerous photos of you on his phone, not in a creepy way though. Most of them are selfies of two of you, or from photoshoots/concerts. He def has you as his screensaver.

You loooove peppering his bagged face with kisses. He gets so flustered it's adorable!! He secretly loves them. If you wear lipstick, you love seeing the aftermath of your kiss attack, his face painted in a lovely shade of red.

Overall, being in a long-distance relationship definitely has its ups and downs, but Flug thinks it’s all worth it, especially for you, he’s willing to give it a try. How romantic.

[bumblesimagines]

Under The Moonlight

Part 16

Request: Yes or No

Summary: Seven years have passed since (Y/N) and the crew arrived to Constantinople. They've settled in since then, but life has not been easy for them.

CW/TW: Violence, war, religion bashing, vikings being vikings, period era situationships lmao, angst?, hurt emotionally and physically but barely any comfort, red flags? dont know her, (y/n) im begging you there's better fish in the sea

If you're new here and wondering where this came from, you can check out part one here and the masterlist here!

~~~

Seven years had passed since Emperor Romanos offered his sincere gratitude for ensuring the safe passage of his new wife, Eleana who they now were to call Empress Zoe. His gratitude reared its head through riches, rewards, and a place amongst his people, as well as a place amongst his army of men trained to kill and conquer the land of the empire's enemies. Constantinople was home now, even if temporarily.

They'd all settled in, although it'd taken time to grow accustomed to the vastly different culture and language. It'd been a difficult feat for (Y/N), his longing for his real home never dissipating amidst the heat and flourishing city. He missed his settlement in Greenland, his old friends, dearly missed his beloved mother who'd no doubt presumed him dead when he and his siblings hadn't returned home from their voyage. He longed for the cold and snow, the sound of the wind howling at night. 

Leif and Harald, ever the adaptable ones, slotted in perfectly with their surroundings.

Harald climbed the ranks with ease, finding himself a stranger no more to Emperor Romanos as his personal bodyguard and newfound general of his own army: the Varangians, an army full of Vikings and mercenaries in need of a home and money. It'd been expected from a Viking prince to slither his way up and coil around such an important role. He ensured the crew joined his army, and took part in the fighting and rewards. But it was never enough for Harald, no matter how many riches he acquired through the years. Nothing was ever enough for him.

Leif took to Mariam's old home and called it his own, his newfound thirst for knowledge only growing after he read through all her books and eventually began seeking it out in places called 'libraries'; rooms of knowledge, he explained. Each time they traveled to fight another war for Emperor Romanos, he sought out the writings and maps of those places, learning new information from ancient and modern times. The sciences of the world around them enthralled him, captivated him into an obsession. (Y/N) preferred it, though. He preferred his brother's eagerness over watching Leif lose himself in grief again. 

As much as (Y/N) found himself feeling out of place, fighting for the Byzantine Empire and calling Constantinople had given him much to do; and provided him with chances to see places he never would've dreamt of seeing. Such as the place they'd traveled to now, to defeat the Saracens at the urging of General Maniakes in Sicily. They'd been fighting for six months in what felt like an endless siege, and Emperor Romanos had begun growing antsy. 

(Y/N) squinted through the darkness as he walked through the tunnels they'd been digging for the past few weeks, a lantern tightly gripped in one hand and held before him. His eyes slowly grew accustomed to the darkness around him, allowing him to better see the crevices in the dirt walls around him. Short wooden beams and planks held the dirt in place, preventing it from crumpling and trapping those within. All a part of Leif's plan, as always. 

"How are we doing, Kaysan?" (Y/N) called out once the man came into view, flashing him a smile and being rewarded with a large one in return. Kaysan chuckled and wiped his hands along his pants, the subtle stink of sulfur lingering in the air around them. Foul-smelling enough to bring tears to one's eyes, but Leif insisted it was needed for his plan to work. 

"Your brother is working on the last of the sulfur we need. He says once it is ready, we can set the plan in motion." Kaysan answered, taking a step back to admire the combined work of the last couple weeks. Bundles of sulfur had been pushed into holes expanding across the wall of dirt, ready to be lit by a flame that'd bring down the tunnel and subsequently the wall of the fortress just mere feet above them. "I must admit I had little faith in his plan at first. But seeing what this powder can do when a flame is close to it..." Kaysan shook his head lightly, a twinkle of admiration in his dark eyes. 

"It is hard to match up to such a creative thinker as Leif." (Y/N) chuckled, his steps slow as he walked along the wall and took in the wall before him. He'd always known his brother had been destined for great things, whether on land or sea. Leif had inherited the best parts of his parents. No longer the savage son of Erik the Red. No, that title had fallen on (Y/N)'s shoulders, and he accepted it. 

"Come now," Kaysan gave his shoulder a small playful push. "You hardly need to match up to him, (Y/N). You're a smart man, and a loyal one at that; and, from what I've heard, you're quite charismatic when you wish to be."

"Have you been gossiping with the others, Kay?" (Y/N) questioned with a teasing grin, casting a glance at the man over his shoulder. It hardly counted as gossip, he supposed. Things with Harald never lasted long, whether he pulled away first or Harald did, but they always returned to each other in a desperate clash. It was vexing and tiresome, and he'd made up his mind a long time ago to put his foot down when it came to the charming prince. 

Kaysan gave a light shrug. "It surprised us, is all." 

The thumping of footsteps, soft panting, and clinking of lanterns swaying filled the tunnel, and (Y/N) had heard the panting noise enough times to recognize who it belonged to. He made brief eye contact with Kaysan and turned, raising his lantern high and smiling at the sight of his brother, although it faltered slightly when Harald appeared behind him. 

"Keeping an eye on things?" Leif asked, his hand rubbing affectionately into (Y/N)'s shoulder when he passed him by. The two Vikings carried sacks slung over their shoulder, no doubt the last of the sulfur they needed to ensure the wall would completely collapse and allow them within. (Y/N) gave a silent nod, feeling Harald's eyes burning into the side of his skull.

"Future King of Norway," Kaysan greeted teasingly, patting Harald's arm and taking the sack from Harald so he could insert the last of it into the dirt walls around them. Harald chuckled breathlessly in return, tearing his eyes away from (Y/N) to study the dirt room. (Y/N) allowed himself to watch him, taking in the grime and blood covering his exposed biceps and face. He'd ridden off to battle once more, no doubt a failure as all the battles before. 

"As soon as we take this castle," Harald murmured, his hands coming to rest at his hips. (Y/N) swallowed, his gaze sliding away from the beautiful prince as bitterness settled in his stomach. Despite the years that'd passed, Harald's mind never changed on what he truly desired above all else: the throne of Norway, one occupied by the son of a man Harald once considered a close friend. 

"Is there really as much treasure inside as you say?" Kaysan asked, voice strained as he worked to shove the rolls of sulfur into the wall with Leif's help.

"Enough to fund all our dreams," Harald replied. 

(Y/N) hooked his lantern on one of the wooden posts and crouched down beside him, rolling up the dark blue sleeves of his tunic and revealing the ink along his right arm. The creature his mother would tell tales of back in his youth; a sea monster that resembled an octopus but grew to be as large as a warship named Kraken.

The head and body of the began around his bicep while the tentacles expanded and wrapped around his forearm, stopping around his wrist. He understood why so many others covered themselves with ink, whether writings or designs. The Kraken reminded him of his mother, of all the times he spent on a boat watching his brother and father hunt for narwhals and other sea beasts. 

Dipping his hand into the sack, he wrapped his fingers around one of the rolls and carefully lifted it before he pushed it into one of the holes in the wall. He rolled it side to side, scrapping and mushing dirt until the roll was securely in place. He mimicked the movements with a few more rolls, absentmindedly listening to the three men speak about the plan until he finished, his fingertips lightly dusted in the vibrant yellow powder. (Y/N) stood back up and turned, nearly barreling into Harald's chest plate. 

"Can we speak?" Harald asked softly, and (Y/N) felt his skin burn at the knowing glances cast in their direction from Kaysan and Leif. 

"We have little to speak about, Harald." (Y/N) told him, scooping his lantern back into his hand and making his way through the tunnel. Harald followed him because the man never took an answer he didn't want, and (Y/N) largely ignored him until they reached the entrance of the tunnel and stepped out into the blinding light of the late evening. 

"There's much to speak about, actually. Starting with the most important thing-"

"The throne?" (Y/N)'s features scrunched up, his spotty vision slowly adjusting to the daylight around them. He blinked a few times and his vision finally focused on the bustling camp around them. His gaze darted back to Harald's face, catching the grimace that passed over his features at his words before the general cleared his throat. 

"No, I do not... I don't wish to speak of the throne. I know how you feel about it. You know how I feel about it." Harald frowned, his lips nearly covered by his thick beard. He took the lanterns from his hands and hung them up by the entrance, a heavy sigh escaping him. "You've done well in Constantinople for many years. I've seen you flourish. You're not as guarded as you once were. If you can do well in a court like the Emperor's, you'd do even better in a Viking court amongst your own people." 

"Except it'd be your court with Christian jarls and Vikings who believe me worshipping a god that isn't theirs is a crime punishable by death. Your religion loves violently, Harald, as do its supporters. They'd condemn you for everything you've done with me." (Y/N) scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief and walking forward deeper into camp toward his tent. They'd had the conversation many times over the last few years, a neverending dance of push and pull trying to tire each other out into admitting defeat. But they were Vikings, and Vikings never gave up easily. 

(Y/N) stepped through the flaps of his tent and released a heavy sigh, his feet guiding him to the basin sat on the table filled with warm water. He dipped his hands inside, cleaning the dirt and sulfur off his fingers until the water turned murky. The tent flaps rustled with the arrival of someone else stepping into his tent and he peeked over his shoulders, half-expecting to see Harald but only seeing Dorn. She smiled at him, her hands and sleeves of her blue tunic steeped in dark red. He crinkled his nose. 

"Trust me," She sighed. "I know how it smells." 

"Come wash your hands, then." (Y/N) smiled, picking up a rag and drying his hands with it as she stepped up and eagerly rinsed her hands clean of pig's blood. Her eyes flickered up toward him a few times, her lips twisting and teeth digging lightly into them. He tilted his head at her and took a seat at the table, reaching out to pluck a grape from the bowl in the center. "What is it, Dorn?" 

"Batu and I were speaking the other day, and the topic of you and Harald came up." She began softly, thumb roughly rubbing into the skin of her palm until the streak of blood disappeared. Dorn raised her drenched hands toward her face, wiping off the grime and splatters of blood that'd collected on her skin. "I always wondered what went wrong between you both. When we meet... it seemed as if you two had much unspoken business. Then, during our trip to Constantinople, it all became clear. You were lovers, or former lovers, it was hard to tell at times but you... loved each other. We thought you had reconciled from whatever had occurred and yet..." 

"I've come to learn that love is complicated, and at most times it's the worst thing that can occur. Harald is... a lot of things, too many things, truly. If you are worried that the same will happen between you and Batu, I can certainly assure you that it will not. Batu loves you, Dorn. I can see that you love him. You're happy together, content. Neither of you desires more than what you have now. Harald does. He hungers for far too many things, and it will eventually be his ruin. I do not wish to be dragged along with him." 

"But you love each other?" Dorn questioned, wiping away droplets of water from her chin and drying her hands on her pants. (Y/N) plopped the grape into his mouth and bit into it, feeling the juices explode along his tongue as he mulled over her question. He loved Harald, he knew that well, but part of him resented him too. Most days, Harald made him wonder if he loved him, or merely lusted after him.

"It's complicated." He answered quietly, and Dorn winced, giving a meek nod and turning on her heel to leave the tent. He watched her depart, a mixture of emotions coiling around his heart and constricting it. (Y/N) released a shaky inhale and ran his hand over his face, forcing away the thoughts of Harald and their odd relationship to focus on preparing himself for a good night's rest and a long morning. 

Seven years had passed, but it barely changed either of them.

The following morning, (Y/N) and the others awoke and began preparing for the day ahead before the sun had even risen over the horizon. They changed into clothes more worthy of battle, putting on their armor and chain mail before collecting their weapons. (Y/N) secured his dagger to his hip and retrieved a battle axe, a hefty yet powerful thing that'd do more swift damage than his dagger. By the time the sun rose, the Varangian army had gathered around awaiting instructions. 

"Ready?" Leif asked softly, instinctively reaching out to check the straps of (Y/N)'s armor. The younger man smiled and allowed him to do so without fuss, a soft chuckle leaving him when Leif gave an approving nod, his fingers running over the chain mail before his arms dropped back to his sides. 

"As always." (Y/N) sighed, glancing at Harald when the prince approached them. The deep furrow in his brows softened when they locked eyes, the determination in his gaze disappearing into a look of longing. Harald had grown over the years, all his training with a disciplined army making him stronger, and larger. His hair had grown, as had his beard, and on the days the two managed to keep the peace without arguments, Harald allowed him to trim them. He looked older, more king than prince, and it made his stomach churn to admit it to himself.

Harald walked past them with a nod, coming to a stop at the entrance of the tunnel and peering into the darkness inside where Batu and Kaysan waited for the right moment. They were to draw the attention of the soldiers and coax them into attacking first so the flames from their attack ignited the trail leading to the sulfur. Once ignited, the two had to run before the tunnel exploded and the wall fell. Harald raised his battle axe and lightly tapped the bell, the one Batu needed to ring when the plan sprung into action. 

"You never were good at waiting, were you?" Leif arched a brow, wrapping his fingers around the bell to stop it from swaying and tolling. A small, playful smile tugged at Harald's lips. "Patience. It won't be long now, friend."

"Patience is hardly one of Harald's best attributes." (Y/N) murmured, a hint of teasing in his voice that drew Harald's lips into a full smile. Harald's hand reached out toward him, his palm pressing over his hip and sliding over his lower back; fingers dipping under the silver armor and pressing into the fabric beneath. His touch always felt protective and safe, but it never failed to fill (Y/N) with a false sense of hope. 

"It has always been one of yours, though," Harald spoke softly, his fingertips rubbing the fabric into (Y/N)'s skin affectionately. His eyes crinkled, and despite everything that'd been bubbling up inside (Y/N)'s stomach, he returned the smile. The prince's hand moved to the base of his neck, squeezing the exposed skin there lightly. To any strangers, it may have come across as two close friends merely speaking. But it was simply because Harald couldn't touch his face in public as he desired. "We should speak after the battle, (Y/N). I cannot allow another day to pass without us having a conversation." 

Pursing his lips, (Y/N) gave a small nod and wrapped his fingers over Harald's wrist. "Fine, Harald." Harald's features brightened and he leaned in, pressing their foreheads together before he released him as the bell began to toll. 

The enemy had fallen right for Leif's trap, just as they had hoped. 

Harald clapped Leif's shoulder and trekked back to his post atop a mound of dirt overlooking his army of seven hundred men and women. He began his speech, his words of encouragement riling up the army into cheers and shouts, warrior cries and calls. (Y/N) lingered by the tunnel's entrance, searching the dark for any sign of Batu and Kaysan as the army erupted into more cheers and cries. He spotted movement and Batu emerged, his armor slightly singed and parts of him coated in ash. (Y/N) waited with bated breath for Kaysan, but he never emerged, 

"Leif," (Y/N) turned to look at his brother, giving a light shake of his head. Leif's jaw clenched and he inhaled sharply, tossing his axe to Batu and motioning for him to join the others before he entered the tunnel, the darkness swallowing him and voice echoing off the walls until it grew distant and hardly audible. 

The cries and war horns sounded off through the valley as the army moved, rushing toward the wall their tunnel had led to. The ground gave a light tremor, and through the darkness, Leif emerged with Kaysan leaning on his body, a trickle of blood seeping down from his temple as dark smoke escaped from within the tunnel. (Y/N) called over one of the healers, helping his brother hand Kaysan off to the older man before the two turned and spotted the wall crumbling into a heap of smoke and dust. General Maniakes' men sprinted into action, following after the Varangians and joining the battle. 

"Come!" Leif called to him, taking two axes for himself and running toward the fortress with (Y/N) hot on his heels. 

Stepping through the rumble of the fallen wall, all that could be heard were cries of anger and pain, the clashing of metal against metal, and the thumping of rushing footsteps as all armies hurried to fight and defend. (Y/N) moved forward, locking onto the first Saracen soldier he saw and swinging his axe. The soldier blocked with his shield and then pulled it away to thrust his sword forward, but (Y/N) anticipated the attack and dodged, raising his axe and embedding the blade into the side of the soldier's throat. 

Taking the shield for himself, (Y/N) used it to block attacks from other soldiers, shoving them back and into expecting Varangians who struck the soldiers down with cries and heaves. The first wave of soldiers fell easily and (Y/N) heard Harald's victory cry sound off throughout the air, the tight crowd dispersing throughout the fortress to attack, take, and conquer as they made their way to the castle. The people residing within the walls had quickly fled to the castle for sanctuary, leaving the place largely deserted apart from the second and then the third wave of soldiers. 

By the time they reached the castle gates, Emperor Romanos had joined them, and with his appearance came a plea for parley that momentarily stopped the fighting. (Y/N) found his way to Leif, standing beside him and Dorn as the gates into the castle slowly parted, revealing soldiers inside and the people that'd taken refuge watching from windows or along the roofs. Their ruler, the Emir of Syracuse, waited in the center, clad in clothes and robes of gold and black. He walked forward, and despite his city having been sacked, his face remained unreadable. 

"Emir," Emperor Romanos spoke, "We have reached your barbican and taken your city. Your castle is surrounded. I have come to ask for your surrender, to save your people unnecessary suffering and death." Leif stepped forward, beginning to repeat his words in Arabic but the Emir raised his hand to stop him.

"A translator is not necessary. I understand you perfectly." He said, waving Leif off before he turned his attention back to Emperor Romanos, his dark eyes studying the shorter man before him. "There will be no surrender. As we speak, a great Saracen army is on its way from Cairo and Alexandria to join us. When it arrives it will be you who is surrounded and destroyed."

"For your sake, you should hope it arrives soon." Emperor Ramons responded.

There seemed to be a certain smugness that passed over the Emir's features, finally breaking the serious stare. "We are not worried. We have food and supplies to last us many months."

"But no water." Leif piped up, and the smugness promptly vanished, the furrow in Emir's brows disappearing and the corner of his lips turning downwards. "Syracuse has six wells. I diverted water from five. Your supply will last a week at most." 

At that, Emperor Romanos grinned. "Perhaps your allies will reach you and destroy us before that happens, or perhaps they won't and..." His eyes raised and dragged over the people watching and listening, amongst them women and frightened children. The Emir's head turned and (Y/N) followed his line of sight to a woman with three children at her side, all of various ages. His wife and children, he assumed. "Syracuse will perish. But either way.. many will die. And all will suffer."

"Then I offer another solution," The Emir said, tearing his attention away from his family to look back at them. "Single combat between two fighters. If you are victorious, Sycaruse is yours and you have my promise that my warriors will not retaliate. If you lose, you must depart and not return. Either way, my people must not be harmed."

"And who would your warrior be?" The Emperor inquired with a slight tilt of his head. (Y/N) glanced toward Harald, and then General Maniakes. The brutal, hate-filled man had hardly done much to win his ruler's approval over the last days, at least in comparison to Harald who'd handed him the fortress on a golden platter with little trouble. The Emperor himself would never fight, but he'd certainly unleash his favorite dog on the enemy. 

"Me," Emir answered icily. "And yours?"

"I fight for the empire." General Maniakes deep voice rumbled as he stepped forward but Emperor Romanos raised his hand to stop him, shaking his head and turning to look over his shoulder at Harald. The corners of his lips twisted up into a smile, one that made General Maniakes scowl and glare viciously at Harald.

"You will fight my Varangian." Emperor Romanos responded, striding forward toward the Emir and giving a dip of his head. "And you have my promise. Your people will not be harmed and our agreement, honored."

(Y/N) remained silent the walk back to camp, his gaze bouncing between the floor and staring holes into the back of Harald's head as they entered Leif's tent alongside the others. He approached the basin and dipped a rag inside, roughly wiping his hands and face clean to distract himself from his churning mind. He could feel the irritation creeping up his back, an annoyance he couldn't quite pin on anyone. Batu sharpened Harald's axe in thought, the sound filling the silence while Kaysan helped Harald adjust his armor. 

"If we were in Novgorod, I could sell a thousand seats and make enough to retire," Batu said and laughed heartily, his words only reminding (Y/N) of the countless times Harald had thrown himself into battle without thinking. He scarcely had good memories of Novgorod, and the ones he remembered vividly were of Harald bloody and battered. 

Without thinking, (Y/N) sent Batu a glare sharp enough to get his friend to hurriedly clamp his mouth shut and wince. He cleared his throat and diverted his eyes, subtly motioning for Kaysan and him to make their exit. Kaysan nodded and stood up from his stool, giving Harald a pat on the shoulder as Batu handed him his axe back and smiled encouragingly before the two quickly slipped out of the tent; leaving Harald alone with the two brothers. 

"We can select three weapons. I'll start with the battle axe." Harald spoke, approaching the weapon's table and setting the axe alongside the rest. (Y/N) inhaled deeply through his nose and rubbed his fingertips against his temple to soothe the beginnings of a headache away before it could consume him. Leif remained equally as silent and it finally made Harald cave. "You're both quiet, which means you're either angry or worried about something. Perhaps both."

"I worry you underestimate him," Leif revealed with a sigh, raising his head to look at his friend with a growing frown. Harald scoffed, his brows furrowing as his eyes darted between the two brothers, almost as if offended they'd doubt him. (Y/N) squeezed the water out of the rag and set it aside to dry, finally looking up at the prince. 

"I underestimate no man who's trying to kill me." Harald retorted, turning his irritated stare onto the weapons spread out in front of him. "We'll both be fighting for our lives." 

"No, only you will be." Leif's lips formed a grim line, feet moving slowly as he approached his friend and motioned in the direction of the castle. "He is fighting for his people."

"As am I-"

"What people? Yours or Romanos's?" Leif questioned him sharply, arching his brows and drawing a scowl from Harald. (Y/N) leaned his hip back against the table, his arms folding over his stomach. Harald and his short temper... it was a mystery how the man had lived for so long without getting himself killed.

"I fight today for the same reason I've been fighting for the last seven years! For treasure." It stung, even if (Y/N) had seen it coming, piercing his stomach and sucking him dry of the false hope. "So I can return to Norway and assume the throne of my people, which is rightfully mine. Nothing else." 

"I am glad to hear my brother and I are hardly considered things you fight for, Harald, after we've spent the last seven years fighting and living in a foreign country for you." (Y/N) seethed, and the tension in Harald's shoulders disappeared, his eyes squeezing shut and a silent curse forming on his lips. His chest heaved with a sigh and he stepped past Leif, his arm extending to grab him but (Y/N) smacked it away with a scoff. "I can understand caring little for a bedmate but Leif deserves to be someone you fight for after everything he's done for you." 

"A bedmate- (Y/N), I-" 

"Enjoy your fight, General." (Y/N) shoved past him forcibly and rounded the table before Harald could attempt to stop him. He threw the flaps of the tent apart and stepped out into the sunlight, taking a sharp inhale of the fresh air to calm the fury and hurt dancing along his veins. His fingers wrapped around the handle of his dagger, allowing himself to take a few more steadying breaths. 

He'd made the right decision years prior, he reminded himself. Harald proved it to him time after time. He just needed a reminder every once in a while, even if it hurt.

(Y/N) avoided looking in Harald's direction once he finished preparing for the fight, only focusing on following Emperor Romanos into the castle where they'd set up an area for the fight. He broke away from the Emperor's tight crowd to stand behind the table where Batu placed Harald's other two choices of weapon: a smaller battle axe and a sword, with the larger battle axe being the one he walked into the makeshift arena with. 

"He didn't mean to say it like that," Leif said quietly, always the one forced to make peace between them. (Y/N) pursed his lips and clasped his hands in front of himself, his fingers wrapping tightly around his palm. "I know you called yourself a bedmate to hurt him, (Y/N). You've seen how desperate he's been these past three years; you've seen how he gets when he hears you have a new lover. You are much more to him than that."

"But not enough to desire a different destiny for himself." Leif fell quiet at that, his softened eyes gazing into the side of his brother's face before he sighed softly and looked forward toward the two fighters when they entered the arena and assumed their positions. Despite his lingering hurt, worry jabbed at his stomach for Harald. 

Harald moved first, swinging his axe upward to knock back the Emir's sword, but the Emir moved swiftly, turning on his feet and facing Harald before he could turn around. Harald's jaw ticked and he studied his opponent, switching which hand held the axe before he charged again, grasping the axe with both hands and taking a few swings at him; metal clanging through the air as the Emir swiftly blocked each swing with his sword until Harald turned his axe and slammed the blunt end against his chest, forcing him back a few steps. 

The Emir grunted and grabbed Harald's axe, shoving it back and mimicking his movement as he slammed the handle of his sword repeatedly into Harald's chest which forced Harald to stumble backward and just barely dodge a swing from the sword. The Emir charged, giving Harald hardly any time to dodge another swing but he managed to duck down in time and create some distance between them to reassess his approach. The Emir sneered, baring his teeth and grasping the handle of his sword with both hands. He was a good fighter, as all rulers had to be. 

Harald charged again, slamming the end and top of his axe repeatedly against the Emir's side before slamming the top near his armpit and forcing him back roughly against the stone wall. The Emir released a shout at the impact and shoved the axe away, slashing his sword at Harald and missing his chest plate by an inch or so. Harald swung again, only for his axe to slam into the wall and break in half, leaving him without a weapon. 

With the half still in hand, he managed to defend himself by blocking the Emir's attacks as he sprang and walked backward toward the table. He threw the broken piece at the Emir's head, nearly hitting his ear, and swiftly turned on his heel to snatch both weapons from the table. He faced the Emir once more, eyes narrowing when the Emir approached his own table and took two new swords into his hands. They stared at each other for a brief moment, catching their breaths. 

The Emir charged first with a cry - perhaps growing emboldened with the trickle of blood seeping from Harald's brow - and swung both his swords at him relentlessly, turning and swinging as he followed Harald's quick dodges. Harald nearly sank his axe into the Emir's face in a quick turn but the Emir dodged it in time. They continued back and forth, swinging and dodging hits from each other with grunts and cries. They moved viciously and relentlessly, switching between fighting offensively and defensively within seconds as they grew more enraged and desperate for a win. 

Harald managed to swipe at the Emir's feet and knock him onto the gravelly ground, the Emir's foot rising up quickly to slam into Harald's knee and knock him down into a kneeling position. The Emir moved onto his knees as well, the blows they swung at each other forcing them to remain kneeling until the Emir launched himself forward and Harald threw himself backward, both men rolling along the floor. Harald moved onto his side and attempted to stab the Emir in the side with his sword but the Emir slashed right through the blade, leaving him with a sword resembling a knife. 

The two men scrambled upright and assessed each other again, sucking in large gulps of air and staring each other down. Harald switched the way he held his broken sword and the swing-block dance resumed until Harald swung at the Emir's and was cut just above the elbow. He released a cry of pain and sound around, wincing as he touched his bleeding arm before looking up at his opponent. The Emir stared at Harald, his breathing turning wheezy and his feet staggering. (Y/N) caught the gleam of the broken sword jammed right below the Emir's armpit. 

The Emir raised his arm and stumbled forward again, a look of distraught passing over his features as he fell to his knees and slumped forward. While Emperor Romanos's men erupted into cheers of victory, (Y/N) couldn't help but look in the direction of the Emir's wife, watching the tears stream helplessly down her face. Her husband had fought bravely, not just for his people but for her and their children. (Y/N) bit the inside of his cheek. 

His father had fought and killed countless of men, simply because he could and felt like it, but at least in Greenland, when you killed a man it was because it was necessary. For food, shelter, to defend your family. But in Constantinople, they took lives to make an emperor richer. They killed for treasure they hardly used, and for little else.

(Y/N) grimaced. He missed home.

[nite-puff]

fuck it! gay robots!

ishimondo wall-e au! it came to me in a dream.

mondo (… M.O.N.D-0???) is the last robot standing cleaning up earth when he gets a surprise visit from a rocket ship. on that ship is taka (… T.A.K.A???) who has been sent to find any proof that earth can support life once again. the two meet and shenanigans ensue. maybe they fall in love???

anyways, more rambling from me about these two under the cut.

okay! so my main thing with mondo and his behavior is that it’s all based on him being the last being on earth, so he really doesn’t have anyone around him (other than his pet cockroach, chuck!) and therefore doesn’t feel the need to act a certain way to impress anyone. so this is version of mondo is if he didn’t have a whole bunch of self-image issues and just was his funki and cringe self. he literally is cringe and free.

after years having to clean up earth, he’s grown an affinity for the little things to pass the time. like collecting little knick-knacks he finds on the job to bring back home or making figures out of the cubes of trash he makes. he’s a little artist and collector.

taka on the other hand is at first rigid and is set out to complete his directive because it’s what he was made to do. he has a whole population back on the axium counting on him to find any traces of life on earth (or so he thinks). he does occasionally display some signs of humanity and happiness. he feels warmth in the little things as well, like a cockroach or bubble wrap or a lighter. he’s enthralled and wants to know more about this strange place but can’t because he has a job to do. maybe the strange little robot guy he meets doesn’t throw him off his course.

design stuff! i know i made mondo look less… anthro ig??? in his design than taka, but i wanted to make up for it by “personalizing” him a bit. he’s doodled all over himself and he thinks his trousers make him look nice. maybe he thinks the doodles look badass because they’re like tattoos. i also did that to contrast more with taka, who looks spotless. i was considering giving him legs, but remembered that of course he would have wheels. biker, and alla that. he was born to roll around. and i don’t think it’s noticeable, but i tried to make his arms and hands bigger than wall-e’s because he’s a little stronger. in this au, mondo doesn’t do the trash compacting his his little cube body, but with his hands (to keep with the idea that mondo likes to work and creat stuff with his hands). so he needs to have bigger and more efficient tools. also, i changed his wheels to be diamond shaped.

taka meanwhile was super easy to design. he and eve have sorta similar design qualities, like a majority white color palette and very simple shapes with not a lot of detail going on. very easy to mix the two. the idea of his design is what spurred me into thinking about this au. the one thing i’ll point out is that i made eve’s little dots that pop up when she scans things vertical so that it can sort of resemble taka’s medal. idk i thought it was neat.

(also, if im being completely honest with myself, if taka was actually any wall-e character, he would be MO. just an angry gremlin that musters up the courage to stray off his path because he is so determined to clean up wall-e’s mess. and then they become friends at the end. he just gives off taka energy.)

anyways, that’s it for right now. im pretty satisfied with taka’s design, but im considering changing some things on mondo’s. mainly the color palette.

am i gonna turn this into a full-fledged story??probably not, but maybe i’ll add more onto it in the near future. like assigning other characters.

wall-e’s a cute movie. gotta put the blorbos in it.

[snomis-goofy]

Random sticker drabble, part 2 !

This is random headcanons of how I think the brothers (+(Un)dateables.) would react to you/reader putting stickers on them or belongings.

Pairings; The brothers + the (un)dateablesxGN!reader (Gonna make this into parts)

A/n; Hey !! So.. finally back again lol. Ive been having a tokyo debunker worm in my brain and thought it'd be a good idea to write for EACH of the characters as a mini fic. Yeah. Burnouts crazy. I SUCK AT WRITING ASMO OH MY GOSH IM SORRY.

Any of it could be viewed as platonic/romantic EXCEPT for luke of course, hes purely platonic.

Mammon, levi, and simeon are a bit more on the romantic side ; WHAT im not biased at all- (i am)

Warnings; none! Just pure fluff (A bit chaotic.) + asmo and belphie gets a littttlleee touchy.

Pt.1 - Pt.2 - Pt.3

Satan!

Very, very selective with this one I fear.

Not only does he have to be in the right mood, mainlyyy because I think he'd have sensory issues to certain touches and the feel of the sticky stuff on stickers would irk him immensely, BUT they also have to be cats or cat themed. Bottom line, I don't think he'd like them on his face or certain other places, but hands would be just fine.

Quiet fwips of pages, solemn breaths, and a soothing melody fled his room. It was hardly noticeable. A soft tune wavering in the air, scarecly reaching your ears.

He let a sigh pass his lips, the sound shaky and on edge, enthralled between the lines of his book. So much so, he hadn't noticed the paw print sticker pressed right on the back of his hand. Hadn't noticed until his knuckles were almost each dotted with them.

It was only then that his emerald eyes turned to you, an amused smile twitching at his lips as he slid a bookmark between the pages and set it aside with a quiet thud. He held out his hand, gingerly taking yours in his own, and inspected the adorable stickers decorating his skin.

"Surely you could have asked first."

He hummed, his free hand peeling one off and smearing it gently to the back of your hand instead.

"There, now we match."

(Bros so romantical oh my gosh?? Wouldnt doubt he presses a kiss over the sticker either wahhh.)

Asmodeus!

So. Ew. No. He would NOT have stickers even near his skin. This is the same guy that I'm pretty sure has an 11 step skin care routine on lazy days.

The only way I see him doing it is if the stickers are like moisturizing patches.

Howeverrr.. doesn't mean he doesn't like them!

No, he thinks they're so cute, and YOU'RE so cute for the little hobby.

Which is exactly why he gets to put them on you instead.

His perfectly manicured nails carefully peeled a sticker off the sheet, a glimmery rose making its way smack dab in the middle of your forehead. Humming to himself for doing such an amazing job and wonderfully executed task despite it only being a single one.

Teasingly brushing his digits along your cheeks, the pads of his thumb dragging along the peaks of them, just under your eyes.

"These really are so horrible for your skin... awh, but you're such a cutie with them."

He sighed. The floral smell of his room near overwhelming as you sat calmly, awaiting the next smear of a sticker to your skin. He waved a hand in the air, slowly sliding through it with ease, before turning back to you and pressing another to the corner of your mouth, his thumb seeming to have a mind of its own as it dragged along your bottom lip...

And oh, look at that! He's leaning in.

"Honestly! I could just eat you up..."

Beelzebub!

Oh gosh. Do not, whatever you do, even OWN scratch and sniff stickers around him.

Caught him with two sheets worth of them shoved comically in his mouth while he was rummaging around your room for something to eat once. Never again.

I think he'd be more than okay with it, but much less enthusiastic than say mammon.

Like this guy has so much patience its insane.

It was almost humorous, how obediently he was sitting. The bed dipping with both of your, mainly his, combined weight.

You were leaning ever so slightly into him, trying to perfectly place a puffy sticker to his jaw, with one of his palms hovering over your waist; ready to steady you if need be, but not wanting to make you uncomfortable. (The sweetheart he is.. sighs longingly.)

A shy blush crept up the back of his neck, slowly dipping his head to give you a more comfortable angle. He didn't understand the excitement and amusement in your eyes as you continued to pepper his skin with stickers, but he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to spend time with you, much less have you so close. Your very breaths ground him after all.

The second your palm pressed to his cheek, his free hand slowly clasped atop of it, pressing it flush to his features.

A woozy smile spread across them, stretching his sticker ridden cheeks.

" ... Got any more?"

Thank goodness they weren't food shaped either... seeing as his stomach grumbled right after, and you had to take a little itty bitty snack break (five course meal).

Belphegor!

It could be a 50/50 I think. Like, if he's annoyed or pissed off (For example, purely example, at lucifer.), he probablyy wouldn't be in the mood for it. But if he's asleep, and finds himself caked in stickers on every bit of skin that was exposed, he'd keep them on until he has to take them off; ea, going to RAD or in public. (HALF cause he's too lazy, other half cause he thinks its cute.)

It was a mess. A mess of blankets, and pillows, and sleepy snores.

Originally, you had set out to find him since he was in charge of dinner for the night and was nowhere to be seen all day.

Now, however, you were knelt down besides him. Sneakily planting a string of starry stickers just under his eyes, darting your hand away each time he shifted. And for once, you were glad he wasn't easy to wake.

Though, he had been sleeping all day, and enough time passed with you hovering over him like this; plotting your own constellations across his features. To the point his eyes blearly open, lashes brushing along his cheeks, and lids narrowed.

His brows pinched together in a fleeting scowl, before his foggy brain slowly came to terms with what was happening.

His hand emerged from the heap of blankets grasping at your wrist with pale digits, as a long sigh left through his nose.

"What are you doing?"

He murmured, though didn't quite need an explanation. What with the sheet next to you on the floor, nearly gone, and the slight weight on his features.

With a snarky smile, he gently tugged you down with him. Letting you fall softly with the conglomerate of fluffy pillows, and seep into the silky blankets.

His arms slinked around your waist, and forehead pressed to your shoulder. Slowly sinking into each other.

"I'm taking this as payment..."

Needless to say. Luci was NOT happy he had to cook that night.

[purplepeptobismol]

Rewatched one of my favorite shows ever with my friends and I HATED it because I HATED THE ENDING!!! That’s right, I hated the ENDING because it was SOOOO GOOD AND I ACTUALLY LOVED IT AND IM SO FUCKING SAD RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD! This entire rewatch just made me realize how much

I ACTUALLY HATE ENDINGS IN GENERAL!

The thing is, when I get into a series, whether it’s a movie, game, book, fic, etc. and it’s really good to the point I become obsessed, I get so enthralled into this world that when it’s finally over, I get a weird… feeling of melancholy?

When the ending of a really good series is mediocre compared to the entire story it’s mostly: “oh… erm, ok I guess 🧍‍♂️?” When the ending is sad or really bad, I get pissed off tho. Cuz what you mean we went through all that just for… that??? 😟???

But when you follow something so good, you feel yourself get lost, and it ends in either a bittersweet or in a satisfying way… I feel…. So???? Empty?? Like, it’s a good feeling, but also a sad one? Like, I feel my soul actually fall into something so raw and vulnerable. I can’t even explain it. It gets me paralyzed. And I just start crying from overwhelming melancholy. It’s not really a bad thing, but I just don’t know what to do with such a heavy feeling. Sometimes I wish I can just forget the series and rewatch/reread/replay everything all over again for the first time, so I can feel those emotions. Sometimes I want to talk about it all the time with other people, and other times, I’m in search for other series that make me feel like that again.

Though this yap post mostly started because I just finished rewatching one of my favorite shows (with a good bittersweet ending), it also made me realize how much I’ve been dreading to finish writing the ending of one of my own series. I’m scared it’s not gonna be good enough, but I’m also scared of it being good and done, and then suddenly be forgotten?? As if this entire series was just a blip in someone’s mind as they move on to the next tab on their phone. It seems pretty egotistical, but I genuinely want people to like it so much that they’ll think about it further into the future, that they’ll either come back and reread it, share it with others, or hopefully… maybe change their brain chemistry in a way that gives them this… feeling I’m currently experiencing. I don’t want it to end because a part of me feels that once it ends, it’s over… and I don’t want things to be over.

It’s so— lonely.

What if the next thing is not as good as this? What if it doesn’t hit the same? What if this good feeling was just a lucky accident, and once it’s over, that’s it? Once it’s over, will it really be over?

Everything has to end— eventually. And once everything ends, new things will come out and this whole feeling will come back again. I know this because it has happened to me throughout time and time again with multiple things I’m interested in. The only thing is that this time, it’s something I created. But— I hope you guys end up sticking with me a little longer after the end. Or, i wish you guys would like to stick a while longer.

(and to not judge me for feeling crazy. I’m still emotional right now)

[schizotypalpd-culture-is]

i dunno how applicable this is EXACTLY but im putting it here because im an idiot and accidentally. im not going to say "triggered myself". SCARED myself. with the thing in question.

stpd (plus nuances. maybe i should stop adding that) culture is being really, REALLY FREAKED OUT by radio hijackings. namely the WKCR-FM "death tape" one. DO NOT LOOK IT UP. IF YOU DONT ALREADY KNOW WHAT IT IS. ok i mean you can look it up but if youre at all similarly inclined away from Scary Weird Sounds That Get Under Your Skin in the way i am, youll fucking hate it and itll freak you out. like i dont know how to explain it other than it haunts me. ill be minding my own business and then "hey haha yknow that sound that scares the living fucking daylights out of you? we're thinking about it now" you fucker.

additionally: stpd culture is being really scared of getting cursed. when i was younger i was heart-rendingly terrified of like. 3 AM things (and honestly i still am. if i need to go out to like, the kitchen for whatever reason and its 3 am? im waiting until 4. maybe even 5, to be safe). but yknow those videos or audio bits or whatever that claimed to be cursed, and always had like. weird imagery attached to them? (especially the ones that were said to be "Actually Legitimately Cursed"). those scare me. i avoid watching them/watching videos about them as much as i can because its not worth the fear (and im like. a horror enjoyer. or yk "enjoyer". im drawn to horror, i dont think i can really wholeheartedly say i Enjoy it)

and theres this one visual that uh. will take a bit of an anecdote to get to. so. yeah. sorry for the already-lengthy confession but its going to get longer. sorry mod. sorry everyone else.

so i play(ed) the binding of isaac a lot. watched a lot of videos About the binding of isaac. and a particularly popular mod for the binding of isaac is fiend folio, which adds a specific boss named cacophobia. and i really like cacophobia, i love the visuals (however much they might freak me out). but theres one sprite specifically that caught my attention, which is venus (the uh. i guess boss' hitbox. cacophobia is a weird bossfight) in the uh. death posture. the death posture is, from what ive learned (which can very easily be incorrect, so my bad if anyone else is more knowledgeable about this than i am, and im being stupid about it) is some sort of yoga-type thing that's connected to occult topics. and SINCE learning about it, i have become equal parts enthralled by it, as a pose; and deeply, DEEPLY terrified of it, because for whatever reason i always end up under the assumption that it will curse me. even though i dont think theres any mythos or reputation around it involving curses or whatever. its weird.

-phonetics anon. god, sorry again for the fucking. english assignment-esque ask, thats a lot. to ramble a small bit more though, because im nothing if not a talkative bitch; ive tried the death posture once. i dont uh. Explicitly Believe in occult things, as far as i know, but yknow. just wanted to test it. see what it felt like. i dont remember now, so who knows. we watch a decent amount of analogue horror, too. we're actually watching a video about liminal land right now. because i am. an idiot.

know maybe this is why so many of our. weird. visual things. that im not going to call hallucinations because i dont deserve the word. are uh. faces. peeking at us.

i had another thing i was going to say but ive forgotten now. maybe thats a good thing. for all my apologising, i have just added more bullshit to this ask. sorry mod.

.

[crescentrivers]

*sighs* time to be autistic on main again

So I remembered the existence of the rockabye musical, which is a musical involving eldritch horror free to watch on YouTube, that sound familiar? Yeah the venn diagram between Hatchetfield fans and Rockabye fans should be a circle and I’m disappointed it’s not. (Here’s the link btw go watch it)

A more detailed explanation of the plot is that this band gets hired to write a lullaby to put an eldritch god to sleep so it wont wake up and end the world in the process (I believe the musical uses the lovecraft mythos or some parts of it? Idk im rewatching it tomorrow it’s late at night rn) the musical has a diverse cast and some pretty good songs.

Anyway the point is that I’m picturing a post TGWDLM Paulkins animatic to the song Crazy for You from Rockabye (link to the song) so here’s me going through the lyrics, explaining why they fit and a bit about how I picture this animatic (under the cut because this is about to be a long post) also Rockabye spoilers under the cut

Okay so the song’s a duet between two characters named Xander and Simon, Xander’s lyrics will be used for Paul and be in blue, Simon’s lyrics will be used for Emma and be in green. Lyrics they both sing will be in purple (not because of lord in black associations I just needed some colors). In Rockabye this song takes place when the characters have entered some Black and White like dimension, I’m comparing it to the Black and White because I genuinely don’t remember the name right now. Being in the dimension is driving the characters a little crazy, this is why Xander is falling for Simon. Simon seems unaffected by the dimension but it’s kind of implied he’s actually gained the ability to see the audience. Now onto me being insane

Some love can be so mundane / enthralling can fade to plain / simple romance is so easy to obtain

This to me could be infected!Paul/Pokey calling Emma and Paul’s relationship boring/plain/simple, Paul is known as the normal tm man afterall.

I’ll change your perspective dear / my love is infectious here / what was once so very cloudy will be clear

I feel like this is pretty self explanatory. A lot of it is reminiscent of how the hive describes infection, changing someone’s perspective and making reality clear feel like actual things a hive member could say in the show. Also infected!Paul calling his love infectious, do I even have to explain that.

I’ll bleed you dry / I will cut you down to the middle with my own teeth / you’ll see in time / inescapable is the monster that lies beneath

What cute things to say to your significant other 🥰 I mostly want to talk about the last two lines, “you’ll see in time” as in it being inevitable and then “the monster that lies beneath” referring to Pokey. Maybe Paul breaks a little when he says that last bit, mainly to lead into the next verse

I can feel you crawling under my skin / my composure is running thin / pain is pleasure if your willing to give in

First line Paul is freaking out a little, maybe he’s not fully infected and kind of snaps out of it. While I think in the actual musical “you” refers to Simon I think Paul would be talking about Pokey here and not Emma for obvious reasons. Next line Emma starts to sing and immediately panics realizing she’s being taken over, Paul is back to infected mode says the next line as some twisted way to comfort her. (Also it’s worth noting in the cast recording Xander’s actor laughs after saying that line which I feel like Pokey would do in that situation)

I’ll bleed you dry / I will cut you down to the middle with my own teeth / you’ll see in time / inescapable is the monster that lies

Chorus again. Emma is singing with Paul now but she isn’t fully infected yet. Paul doesn’t snap out of it temporarily this time. I should mention that now “monster that lies” could have a double meaning in this situation cause Pokey tricked people in order to infect them.

After this Xander asks Simon to dance with him and there’s an instrumental part. Back to the lyrics

This is hopeless, how am I to fix this now (your blood pumping through my veins) / show is over take your bow (my skin plastered to your face) / we’re screwed we’re dead (the beating organs we discarded turned to waste)

The two sing different lyrics overlapping, lot to unpack with this one. In the original musical Simon is talking to the audience here. Emma is processing that the infected have won and that things are over, “show is over take your bow” is A. A really fitting thing to say in a musical apocalypse. And B. Would fit the fact that Emma starts to see the audience at the end of TGWDLM much like Simon does in Rockabye. Then for Paul “your blood pumping through my veins” could be referring to how they become one through the hive mind or how Pokey is taking over their bodies “the beating organs we discarded turned to waste” is how when they are apothesized into the hive mind they die, discarding their beating organs, and how the infection literally replaces your organs and blood with blue ones. I picture at the last line Emma is panicking and Paul snaps out again for a second looking kind of horrified about what’s happening before becoming all smiley again

I’ll bleed you dry / I will cut you down to the middle with my own teeth / you’ll see in time / inescapable is the monster that lies

Final chorus, song end. Maybe Emma gives into the hive here

[thefringespod]

Happy #AudioDramaSunday wanderers! We're gonna start things off once again with @doyoucopypod because Delaney when I get you when I get you Delaney-

Having to hearing my friends sob in character hurts me so bad. Dels and Kit did great jobs. If anyone needs me, I'll be unwell <3

I finally finished up season 1 of The Magnus Protocol and wow. No thoughts, head empty, bring back my boy Sam right this instant

@allatseapod continues to be a delight and I'm so afraid of this ocean and it's expired beans. If anything happens to February I'll riot

@woebegonepod dylan when I get you when I get you dylan-

I'm. Unwell. About this episode I'm so worried about what's going on and i miss my beloved cowboy Michael dylan has played a cruel trick (positive) on the audience and I'll never recover

@ethicstownpod has squeezed me once again I'm also unwell about it I'm. CL Hendry when I get you-

Great job by David Ault, the world's foremost expert in playing unethical scientists.

I started @hinaypod this week and while I'm only 1.5 episodes in I'd already kill and die for Mari. I'm so enthralled by the world being weaved I can't wait to keep listening and unraveling this story. Also im so worried about Mari's mom already

Here on the Fringes we've started season 3!! Episode 25 - Followers of the Mighty River is available right now wherever you get your podcasts and episode 26 is live for patrons at patreon.com/pinetreepods

And over on @forgedbondspod I'm working through cast recordings! Editing proper will be beginning in late October/early November with release starting this December!

That's all for this week! Work is so busy it's turning my brain to goop which means I'll probably listen to more Hi Nay tonight to cope

[juliusxxxxxx]

hallo.hi.*tap tap*so…um.that's it.im here, just like what i said before,Right?:)

firstly, i must to say im really glad for u to finish this fic.congratulations!u continued to write this for one year and didn't abandon,this is an achievement!

Then,i really like this story how to connect the each characters in it.just like, this thing and that thing looks like totally different, but finally they connect with each other (like Scott knew Pearl and joel knew etho etc. In this fic's set, it is incredible but they just kenw each other and some story happened)maybe the best example i can remember is The Miracles of the Namiya General Store（idk do u read this book before but this is the best just i said.if u dont thats fine actually just let us omit it）so the whole story' s development is in a comfortable rhythm.we meet mumbo, kill hermes then to visit joel.it is reasonable.

What's more,the characterization is really really good.not only included it our mainly couple scar and grian, but it also reflects in others like mumbo,etho,bdubs(although he appeared so late)and joel.Just like,every events happened on them and the way you describe them is really suit on them.

ok its 2am again (why again) let me make it short(not short completely).i wanna know what's the meaning of jimmy's death, actually,the first time i saw this i was really dont understand lol.after i watch the final chapter grian and joel's conversation, i guess the reason is grian just fling and murder one of his best friends who complained with him to go through the rough period to keep himself and especially scar alive??like love makes ppl lost or grian didn't lost he just chose scar.maybe.i really dont know.

And i wanna know more about what was going on before the story,like grian,joel, pearl and Scott or something.i mean,although i can piece them together from ppls conversation,its still not a complete thing in my opinion?but if this is the effect u wanna show that's fine.

This is all,temporary maybe, or this is the end.i really don't know.so ok its 2:30 i must to sleep right now and forgive my broken grammar and spell,something.Eng also is not my first language lol.tbh,i really incredible eng is not yours first and you still can write so talented work.

i really wrote so much didn't i? lol maybe this is my first time to write so much words ljke this.anyway,good night <3

Hi sorry I went to sleep super early yesterday!

Thank you for liking THT first of all! Haha yeah its definitely an achievement isn't it <3 I haven't written anything this long before.

I loved the process of giving the characters connections with each other when I was doing the planning. It made them all feel like real people with lives outside the story of the main pairing. I'm glad you mentioned the works of Keigo Higashiro since I was a fan for many of his works. I haven't read Namiya, tho. Maybe I’ll find the time to read it since I heard it’s a more cozier one comparing to his other works?

For Jimmy’s unfortunate demise, here’s my own interpretation (please feel free to draw your own one! I’m just the author haha):

Yes. The most straightforward answer is, Grian had to kill him to save Scar and himself from Joel. Or it's just what he told himself to justify the murder. He tried to argue and be reasonable with Tim first as how he usually did, but was totally enthralled in rage once Tim started questioning his sanity, which was the one thing that he couldn't face at the point of the story.

Like in a later chapter he confessed the true reason he committed the murder was because Jimmy was pitying him. It was a crime of passion, no matter how he hard tried to justify it other wise. It was only after he had to admit this bitter fact to himself, that's when he had the courage to face the fact he was responsible for his sister's death, too.

Also, a crime of passion just added to the cycle of violence he almost fell into, isn't it. That concept also had some connection to the last scene, when he decided to spare Bdub’s life as he was being reminded what violence could only lead to, which was eating away the connections you built with the world, little by little.

The story before THT—I’ll try to describe it in the form of a timeline.

Before 1932: most of the characters were still kids. Etho and Cleo got married after they met each other in college. Etho was working as an engineer while Cleo stepped into the position of a high-priestess and became highly politically engaged in the brewing conflict.

1932-1941: The bad boys lost their formal homes and were forced to live on their own in the form of a gang. Pearl was fine with it and went alone. Bdub and Scar was adopted by Cleo and formed the Clockers. Cleo stepped into the position of a general. Etho spent most of the years in and out of Atlantis as an operative, gathering information on weaponry during wartime, eventually betraying Cleo as he grew bonds with Tango, Impluse and Skizz. Bdub showed talents in becoming an operative while Scar was an executor for anyone Cleo wasn't so fond of, both Stareusians and Gorgonians. After murdering Cleo near the end of the war, Scar and Bdub fleed to Starseus. At beginning, their goal was to find Etho in seeking of support.

1942-1951: The bad boys were still a gang until the car crash happened. Joel left the gang and moved to Stratosport, met Lizzie and her family. Grian and Jimmy continued to collaborate in Arcford as a thief and a dealer. Gem and Scott both worked at Stratosport PD as colleagues. Gem got a job in the federal agency. Scott continued to work as a detective but moved away from Stratos to Arcford when Joel and Lizzie stepped into power and rendered the formal PD useless. Doc moved to Starseus from a foreign country. Mumbo was Doc’s grad student and got his degree with Doc as his advisor. Realizing Etho’s betrayal was well-planned and he showed no remorse for his action, the brothers tried to find another way of living. Bdub eventually grew tired of the life of violence and decided to pursue a career in art.

Here’s everything I can think of at the moment. Feel free to ask me if something isn't clear!

[partially-controlled-chaos]

WIP Saturday

I want to preface this by saying that this snippet was technically supposed to be part of chapter 3 for New Life Shall Prosper, but with me being me, I forgot to add it in. I always write my stuff on my laptop because it’s easier, but my notes app is filled with little snippets that I’ll go back and add to my main fic. If I don’t write them in the app while I think of them, I completely forget about them later on.

Unfortunately, this was a little piece I was supposed to put in at the end of chapter 3 and completely missed. It’s personally one of my little favorite fluffy moments so I’m reworking it so it’s fits in with chapter 4, but I wanted to go ahead and post it because technically it was supposed to go with this latest chapter. Sorry!

Halsin eased his way into the rocking chair by the softly crackling fireplace, holding the fussy newborn close to his chest. Once he had settled, he shifted the baby to be cradled in the crook of his arm, gently patting their backside with his unoccupied hand. With one leg outstretched, he slowly began to rock the chair, easing the child into a peaceful lull as the cries and whimpers steadily began to soften. You smiled as you watched him rock and admire the small infant in his arms, the hazy glow of the fire reflecting off the swell of tears forming in Halsin’s eyes.

“Nature has created the most perfect of creations with you, my little one,” he whispered, “and has allowed me to cradle your perfection in my arms.” He planted a feather light kiss to their full cheeks as he continued to rock and soothe his beloved child.

From the moment the child was born, Halsin was smitten; shamelessly enthralled with every tiny movement and noise the baby offered. The love and adoration that settled in his eyes each time he gazed upon their angelic face warmed your heart and filled you with flutters. You always knew that Halsin would be a loving father, but to see it with your own eyes was an entirely different feeling. It was something real and tangible, but mostly it was something that made you love him even more. Halsin was gentle giant, holding the infant carefully and with a light touch, but you also knew he would rip though anything that posed a threat to this small child that had him utterly wrapped around their tiny finger.

Halsin held the infant in front of him, cradling their head and body in his hands as he simply marveled at the gift that had been bestowed upon him. Like he frequently did with you, he pressed his forehead to theirs, closing his eyes and he eased his rocking, simply sitting in silence and stillness as he savored the moment. His smile was wide as he heard more grunts and mewls pass through the lips of the infant he cradled, his eyes opening again to watch them as they did so. Once he pulled away from the baby, he left a long, lingering kiss to the soft skin where his forehead was previously resting.

Halsin shifted the baby a final time, placing them at the height of his chest before reclining back and resting his own head along the top of the chair with his eyes closed as the rocking resumed. You heard him hum a slow tune softly, something you can’t recall having ever heard from the druid, even during your travels. He continued his song while using his thumb to run small, slow circles along the back of the baby finally sleeping on his chest; the vibrations in his chest seemingly being the thing that finally made them rest. When his humming finally came to an end, Halsin opened his eyes and glanced to you, still expecting you to be asleep. You met each other with wide smiles and you noticed the faintest hint of a blush creep across the druid’s cheeks when he realized he’d been caught in a precious moment.

As always, this needs to be edited and is subject to change later on, but for now please excuse my inability to keep my notes app organized. And this also allows me to update the tag list.

Tag List: @incrediblethirst @reignydeys @thoughts-of-bear @im-eating-rn @beardedladyqueen @simplysaying @emorylovescats @distelsterncat @cryingoverpixelsetc @knightofmight01 @seawingqueenconch @moonlightdruid