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angedemystere · 9 months

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Reading Wrap Up for 2023

Sad to say, I finished fewer books this year (22) than last year (35), but I started more books. Starting a full time job in August while staying at my part-time job brought my reading to a screeching halt. Here's my takeaway on what I can do going forward:

not read multiple books

set up a stricter reading routine

load up on mysteries

crank down on nonfiction

put down books that are not holding my attention

Another dilemma is that I'm joining my church's Bible Challenge where we read the all of it in a year. But I want to adjust my habits, anyway, so I'll use more downtime for reading in general.

Anyway, here are the books I read, my ratings, and my quick thoughts:

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman (2.5/5) - I'm peeved by this series. There's a lot to like, but why, WHY does Goss insist on warping the preexisting characters? I'm not continuing this series unless someone convinces me it's worthwhile.

Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment (3.5/5) - It's interesting, for sure. That's ... probably the highest praise I can give. There are ideas in this I don't agree with, but I thought about this book for a while after finishing it. I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it. Just don't take it as gospel.

The Other Paris (4/5) - Woof! This book might punch your faith in humanity in the face, but you'll be fascinated while it's happening. Great glimpse into the not glamorous side of Paris.

The Monstrumologist (3.5/5) - This one took me a couple tries to start, but it finally sucked me in. I think, while the monster stuff is great, the book got more interesting as the relationship between the POV character and the scientist developed. It's like if Sherlock Holmes studied and hunted monsters, was more of a jerk, and had a kid sidekick instead of Watson.

Monk's Hood (4/5) - This installment of the Brother Cadfael mysteries felt more like "things are fairly normal but then this person/situation arises" without it being a huge crisis like a war. It also stays in Shrewsbury, which makes it fun to watch Cadfael as he maneuvers around his home turf.

Till We Have Faces (4.5/5) - I didn't expect to enjoy this retelling so much! I'm not even a huge fan of the Eros/Psyche myth. Or maybe that explains my enjoyment - it doesn't focus much on Psyche or Eros, rather fleshing out Psyche's sister (look I'm a sucker for ugly protags).

Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (4/5) - Solid nonfiction read about how Christians can better communicate with and love people of different religious beliefs (or heck, even other Christians who don't agree with them on certain points). Worth checking out if you're interested in discourse on this subject.

On Stories (4/5) - More C.S. Lewis and various essays on how and why stories do what they do, especially fantasy. Can't remember much about specific points right now, but I enjoy his point of view, especially as a writer.

To Kill a Kingdom - (2.5/5) Not my cup of tea in the end. I wanted to like it - Little Mermaid retelling, enemies to lovers with monstrous protag who starts off hating humans but learns to bond with them. Except I didn't see much bonding between the MC and the humans she's forced to cooperate with. Even when she does develop her relationship with the main guy who becomes her love interest, I was lukewarm on their romance. Never got attached to the characters tbh.

City of Light, City of Poison (4.5/5) - It was wild reading this book, then watching the Puppet History video on this topic and realizing it was about the same thing! Anyway, CRAZY real-life story about 17th century shenanigans. The writer does a great job weaving a narrative out of many people's lives and building up the intrigue.

The Three from Galilee (3.5/5) - I liked this imagined way Jesus could have grown up with his family. It filled out parts of his family we don't think much about, like his grandparents and siblings. There are also sweet nods to parables he will tell later. The big thing holding this back from a 4 was the weird romance subplot near the end. I'm fine with giving fiction!Jesus a love interest to explore the idea of what that could've been like. But the way it was handled ... just ... what?

The Good Death (3.5/5) - My first foray into this series, even though it's not the first in the series. I'd like to go back and check out the first installment. While I liked how it followed two timelines to build up the mystery of the first murder (chronologically) that the MC gets involved in, the solution to the mystery left a bad taste for me. I'm fine with how the later timeline wrapped up, if a bit strained in its conflict. I'll read more, but I'm not in a rush.

The House of Silk (4/5) - I read Horowitz's Moriarty last year, which was interesting but odd to fit into the Holmes canon. House of Silk felt more like a natural fit because it's a case for Holmes and Watson. Dark and ultimately sad but well worth the time.

Legend (3.5/5) - I went into this with maybe too high expectations of it being a Les Mis reimagining with the MCs paralleling Jean Valjean and Javert. Which they do, but they're unique characters. I'll admit, I didn't get as invested in them as I am in the OGs, but their story was enjoyable. Not sure I'm motivated to continue the series, though.

The Warden (4/5) - I didn't realize this was going to end on a mf cliffhanger. Yeah, I'm telling you that right off the bat. What a rip. I still like it, but how can you do that to me? Anyway, it's a D&D style story set in a village with some small-town problems and a potential BIG problem looming in the background. That fits my jam as long as the characters are interesting, which they are. Nice!

The Monstrous Child (3/5) - The very rare Norse myth retelling that focuses on Hel. It reads like middle grade or young YA, which I think is the intention. Hel is very snappish, but almost all the characters are unpleasant, so her attitude fits. It also seemed shallow when there's a lot of pain that doesn't get addressed in a satisfying way. It has its moments, but few and far between.

Hounded (4/5) - I'm surprised by how much I got invested. It's urban fantasy with all mythologies, but this story keeps the focus on Irish gods and stories. The MC strikes that balance of powerful and vulnerable enough that he can't take on the antagonist with ease. Also, he has a dog, and he respects powerful women. Will try more!

The Shack (4/5) - This book confused me because I wasn't sure if the author had inserted himself as a character and/or if the real world part was based on a true story. But I liked the story and the truths it explored about our relationship with God while still feeling grounded in a person's unique experiences (rather than just an illustrative sermon). Plus, it was fun seeing God the Father as a vivacious black woman and Jesus showing human clumsiness.

Out of the Silent Planet (4.5/5) - I'm showing my Lewis bias, I know. He just knows how to pace a story that at parts could be boring because not a lot is happening. I was invested the whole time thanks to how invested in the MC is. And the MC has no reason to care about anything because he just stumbles (and gets kidnapped) into the adventure. Do you think Ransom is a little based on a young Tolkien?

The Thursday Murder Club (4/5) - Fun, funny, and surprisingly dark mystery featuring septuagenarians as the detectives. It did keep me guessing. Sometimes the twists were a bit much with how quickly one apparent solution came up, only to be dashed by what was really going on. The one book this year I read in a day.

The Invisible Man (3.5/5) - This is a dark comedy. We can agree on that, right? Like, slap-stick comedy with morbid moral questions. The guy causes mayhem, including to himself. And then he thinks he can rule the world? How am I not supposed to find that funny?

The Phantom of the Opera: A Graphic Novel (4.5/5) - Beautiful adaptation of the novel that captures the gothic atmosphere and shows the Phantom as a terrifying, pathetic dude. It trims some of the subplots that don't involved Christine and Raoul, which for the sake of story flow makes sense.

#booklr #reading wrap up #book reading #reading 2023

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italeteller · 2 months

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Who do you think was the most wasted characters in Naruto? And just for fun, who's someone you think was actually used the perfect amount?

Woof, where to begin. Well, if you're talking about wasted female characters you gotta start with every single female character, I think

No, wait, granny Chiyo got it pretty good. She had her own personal arc, fought a main villain and went out on her own terms in a pretty emotional moment. Even when she got revived in the war she didn't get screwed over, which is pretty rare

Tayuya from the Sound 4 too. Yeah, she was only a disposable mook, but she had a badass design, some sick summonings, kicked Shikamaru's ass, and got killed by Temari. Short, sweet and to the point. The rest of the sound 4 as well were pretty good for being disposable mooks

All the jinchuriki except Naruto, Killer Bee and Gaara got screwed over too, literally offscreened and they got fuck all backstory or development. Same with the biju

The raikage and the tsuchikage got done decently well, though unfortunately I can't say the same about Mei Terumi, the mizukage and the only person in the series with two bloodline limits. You'd think someone like that would be front and center on every fight, showing her vast arsenal of elemental jutsu, but alas, she was a female character in Naruto, so she was fucked from the beginning

Danzo also got wasted. He was hyped as the dark face of the ninja world, and when he finally got some action it was with a hax Uchiha jutsu. And then he died with some half-assed bromance with Hiruzen

Karin, Jugo and Suigetsu got done dirty too. Karin specially, but the boys as well. It's a crying shame Jugo never got to meet the reincarnated Kimimaro, that would've been great to see

Kimimaro was actually used the perfect amount. He came, beat Naruto, served to show Lee's drunken fist, showed off the best level 2 cursed seal design, nearly killed Gaara and died like a beast. Respect

I feel like if we're talking about Naruto character we gotta add a third category besides "wasted" and "perfect" which would be "death by overexposure". Here would be characters like Orochimaru, who went from one of the best villains in the series to... uh... whatever the fuck he became when he got revived

Kabuto too. I don't like that he transformed himself into a dragon sage but it would've been a decent end for his story I think, trying to one-up Orochimaru and failing. Him getting a rushed redemption and ending up running an orphanage was. What the fuck were you thinking Kishi. Seriously

Minato would fall in the same category. Flashback!Minato is a spectacular ninja, truly deserving of the title of hokage. 4th ninja war Minato is lame, makes stupid names for his attacks, and got two power-ups he didn't need and shouldn't have gotten at all

Hot take maybe but I think Kakashi should've stayed dead after the Pain saga. He got one good moment after the war, which was his second fight with Zabuza, and that was it. The whole Obito storyline wasn't good for anybody (although it made one spectacular fight in the anime), and him choosing to become Hokage because Obito asked, when TSUNADE WAS RIGHT THERE was a very bitter pill

Oh yeah speaking of Zabuza and Haku, they both were great. Getting resurrected actually helped show how much Zabuza loved Haku and how much of a travesty the edo tensei jutsu was

Jiraiya was also done perfectly. Whether he was a good character and whether him being a pervert killed his likeability are debatable topics, but he was a good mentor, a great fighter and went down like the best, paving the path for Naruto. I only wish Pain had recovered his corpse and used it to invade Konoha, can you imagine the emotional damage?

Speaking of Naruto's mentors, I think Iruka was done pretty decently. He didn't get much, true, but what he got was generally good

Most of the Cloud guys were there for show, didn't really get to do much. Same with the Rock guys. Same with Kankuro and Temari (Temari should've gone with Chiyo and Sakura to fight Sasori). Oh yeah Team 8, the poster children for wasted potential, alongside their sensei Kurenai "benched for being pregnant" Yuhi

Kisame was done great, I think. Mysterious, massively powerful, kicked his cheating sword aside when it got too horny for Killer Bee's chakra, killed himself to avoid an info leak and even after death he got one up over the good guys

Itachi, not so much. He certainly got too much overexposure after his death. Sadistic criminal Itachi was great. Kind-hearted, super genius, had-the-qualifications-to-be-Hokage-at-12-years-of-age Itachi felt like too much

Oh yeah, here's a niche one: Hanzo of the Salamander. The guy who fought the young sannin to a standstill, who gave them the title of sannin, got revived, had an unnecessary flashback bromance to a samurai and incapacitated himself, and didn't get to do anything cool at all

And well, let's close on a controversial (maybe?) note. Both Naruto and Sasuke got death by overexposure. Sasuke's storyline was way more of a mess than Naruto's but neither of them were good

#Das Answer #hey turns out I have thought on Naruto

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dravidssideblog · 11 months

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"Happy birthday!" my friends shout as the time for presents finally arrives. LJ hands me a small box wrapped with a bow.

I take it and start opening it. "Thank you guy- OMG! OMG!" Inside is a cute little pink collar! I always wanted one of these, but I was way too embarrassed to wear one. But now that it's a gift, I'm expected to wear it, so it won't be awkward! I put it on and take out my phone to see how it looks on me. "I really love it," I say, admiring it around my neck. It's even got a little heart-shaped name tag! "A bit tight though, but I'm not picky about it." It's not like they could've known my size. And for that matter… "How did you know what I wan-"

"Woof!"

The world freezes, and everything clicks into place. They got me a dog. Because I've been mentioning how I want a dog. And they got me a collar. For the dog. A dog collar for dogs. Which I just put on myself in front of all of them.

I take off the collar. "Wow, a dog!" I turn around, looking at the dog and not my friends' shocked and horrified faces. "What a nice and unexpected gift!" I walk toward the dog and kneel down to put the collar on it. "What a lovely and thoughtful gift!" … Silence. I turn to DA. "Say, where'd you get this dog?"

"… Oh, uh, she's from the shelter on 4th street. We chose this one because…"

One topic-changing conversation and a couple more small gifts later, and my friends finally leave. Getting a dog. What a lovely way to wrap up a birthday party. I go to my room.

I face-plant onto the pillow.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

I wanted them to know about my pet-y interests eventually. But not like this. I think this is the worst possible way they could've found out. If they had walked in on me doing some weird petplay stuff, then it would be THEIR fault for intruding on my privacy. But it was MY fault. I took a normal gift from a normal birthday party and made it weird in front of all of them. And now I want to spontaneously combust.

It's Christmas! My friends and I had a wonderful time, going ice skating, watching movies, and exchanging gifts. Lots of fun, lots of laughs, a great day. Now it's the 27th, and I suddenly get a text message from DA: "got you another present. it was pretty last minute so sorry its late. just got the delivery notification, should be in your mailbox. wasnt sure if youd want it so i can return it if not, no worries"

I shoot a text back. "cool, thanks! I'll check it right now" And one trip to the mailbox later, I return with a cardboard box. I cut the tape, open it up-

And find a collar inside. It's green. My favorite color. Hanging from it is a simple circular name tag. With my name on it. And it looks too large for my dog.

This has got to be a prank, right? It's gotta be, like, lined with itching powder, or have a shocking mechanism, or something, right? But I recognize the brand from when I was browsing online. They're the most popular brand for human collars, and I highly doubt they sell prank collars. It's just a simple, green collar. Meant for me. Given as a gift.

Well. If it's a gift. Then I'm expected to wear it, right?

Ten minutes later (nine of those minutes used for courage-building), I post a picture of myself to the group chat, wearing the collar. "just got this gift in the mail! I think i look pretty good in it!"

One minute of screaming into my pillow later (much to my dog's concern (her name is Nibble)), with my finger hovering over the delete button, someone posts a response. It's DA: "glad you like it! hope i got the size right this time haha"

With the ice broken (or maybe it was just the 2nd notification getting their attention), the others start to add their own comments. It's mostly just generic "looks great!"-style compliments, and some of them just give a thumbs-up emoji. And that's it. After everyone has commented, someone mentions the plans we made to go play laser tag later this week, and the conversation moves on. Nothing awkward. Nothing painful. I don't want to spontaneously combust.

ALT ENDING

"How did you know what I wan-"

I hear a clanging sound, and through my phone camera, I see an empty kennel cage behind me. My friends all stare at me with teasy smiles. "Come on, climb in!~" DA says.

Oh. They KNEW knew.

#original #my writing

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smolcinnamonchipmunk · 1 year

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I realized I forgot to say how my first experience with a club went. I know not everyone will care, but I know at least two people that straight up asked me to let them know how it went, so here goes

First off, I almost didn't go because the day before I was like "I only have three dresses, and all of them are too fancy/lacy, and I want to at least TRY to be feminine". Now, nothing wrong with not being feminine. I'm literally an AFAB NB that does not like my hips, but I try to make do. But, sometimes, once in a blue moon, I wanna try to be feminine. Like, maybe once a year level frequency, so it had to be RIGHT

I go to an actual dress place first, but everything was too fancy, so I fell back on my classic: Hot Topic. Unfortunately, it was particularly busy that day and I didn't bring my headphones, and there were too many choices and options, and I quickly became overwhelmed and had stunted text messages with my friend for the hour and a half I was inside because the connection sucked so much. But, she promised that we could go shopping the next day together and I felt instantly better and got the fuck out of dodge after buying one shirt I really liked

We went shopping the next day and I got two pairs of pants and a skirt that was just slightly too small at the waist but we could make it work with some safety pins. I still took my binder and one of the pants in case I felt uncomfortable being in a skirt/being feminine. Anyways, this is the outfit I settled on sans the fishnets

I was super nervous on the way because my friend has a much larger friend group than I do, so I didn't know anyone else really well and I knew it was obviously going to be really crowded and loud so I tried to pregame a bit beforehand. Man, when I tell you the amount of relief that washed over me when I found out it was a gay bar, woof

Anyways, it was me, my friend, and five of her friends (Four gay and one straight who was there for vibes like me), and it was decent. I feel like I need something to do, and even though I knew clubs was just drinks and music for the most part, I was still kind of... bored? Idk, lmao. Still kind of fun, just feel like I need things to do with my hands at least

The newest guy in the group, and also the tallest, kept fucking buying shots for everyone, and there was a point where we raced to the counter to buy shots for each other, AND I WON, but my card declined because apparently I go out so little that my bank was like "This bitch is at the club? I don't fucking buy it. Lock it down boys!"

I ended up having half a bottle of soju and a glass of plum wine for pregame, four/five pickle shots (they were SO good, I had to resist the urge to keep going back), a lemon drop, some blue raspberry shot, pink lemonade shot, and a watermelon shot, and I STILL wasn't drunk >:(

Something about the loud music and atmosphere made it so it didn't affect me until I got home (I introduced the tall guy to my cats and showed guy my bookshelf of dragon books while my friend and I talked)

I tried dancing by mimicking one of the guys who was FEELING himself (like, draped across the other three when we went outside for fresh air), and he kept dropping into low squats REALLY EFFECIENTLY so I was trying to follow along and my legs were sore for three days afterwards

OH! and there was a person in a dinosaur button up shirt that I rushed up to and asked them where they got it from, and they said they stole it from their sister, but told me where to find their sister because she was there, and turns out its from Shein :/

I WILL get a dinosaur button up though, just not that one

#cinntalks

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runwithwolvcs · 2 years

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Right Where You Left Me

Out of the Woods

School sucks. Somedays, I feel like I can conquer anything. I feel like the smartest person in every room I walk into, a never ending fountain of knowledge. But others, the mere thought of hearing my name being called out in front of my peers made me want to run for the hills. Today was one of those days.

“Paul,” I rushed to him, only stopping when I was mere inches away from him. His body heat radiating onto me like a furnace. The comfort it provided though, was immeasurable. He looked up from his phone, placing it down in his locker before wrapping one arm around my shoulders. He pulled me in and all my worries faded away as I sighed in contentment.

“Hey, beautiful.” He greeted me before pecking my lips. I barely registered the intimate greeting and kiss. Only one thing is on my mind.

“Did you do the readings?” I ask, the feeling of panic rising again.

He shifted his body, keeping me tucked into his side protectively as he continued to switch out his books for the afternoon, “When have I ever done the readings?”

“Paul,” I whine, “Clove told Tessa Mr.Faire is cold calling for participation marks today, and I didn’t have time to do the readings,”

“You’re talking to Tessa again?” One thing about Paul that I’ve always loved was that he was a great listener, at least when it doesnt involve school work.. Not the type of guy who looks like their listening but really they are eye-fucking you, but really listening.

I had ranted to him one night about Tessa, and how we had a falling out because she refused to believe that the pack wasn’t a gang. She had said that I was a bad friend, as if she hadn’t shut me out because of a silly rumour.

Paul wasn’t exactly happy with Tessa now, though I think it may have to do more with the fact that she was the one that had set me up with Gage.

I pinched his side gently and he looked down at me amused. He knows he’s off topic, and I don’t answer his question, “Mr. Faire hates me. I’m going to look like a fool, again.”

“It’ll be fine, Sask.” Paul reassures me.

“We should skip.” I state. I know I shouldn’t ask him to skip with me, he skips enough as it is but it would be nice to see each other in the daylight that doesn’t involve schoolwork. Work on that friendship of ours.

“You have puppy eyes.” He noted before turning to close his locker, sans bookbag. He leaned against it, pulling me with him so I was leaning against him with his fingers hooked into the belt loops of my jeans.

“Woof.” I joked, putting my hands up to the top of my head, mimicking dog ears.

He grins, asking, “What do you suggest we do instead?”

That’s how I found myself perched on Paul's lap in the back of his old truck, lips and teeth clashing in a fight for dominance. I didn’t care to have control, that was his thing and he was damn good at it. What I got off on was making him work for it, the grunts of frustration as I held his wrists away from my body or the slight whine he’d make when I forced his lips away from my neck just as a red splotch began to form so that I could pull his bottom lip between my teeth. He particularly liked when I sucked on it though, given by the guttural moan he produced.

My hand pressed against the foggy window for balance as the two of us pulled away from each other momentarily, the sounds of our ragged breath and lull of the low radio filling the silence in the truck.

“Please,” I whispered before pushing my lips against his again, my hips involuntarily shifting downwards in search of some friction. Paul was still refusing to go below the belt, the most action that he’s given me was his hand under my shirt, over the bra. It was unlike him to say the least and I was growing needy. I needed a release that wasn’t brought on by my own hand, it wasn’t enough.

Paul shook his head with a sharp breath, “Not yet.”

I groan, leaning forward and resting my forehead on his shoulder, “I’m going to combust.”

“Stay over tonight,” his hand grazing up and down my spine, “We can watch a movie and I’ll make it up to you.”

“It’s Friday.” I point out. Delta's night for undivided attention.

“My shift ends at midnight. Delta will be sick of you by then.” He teased me.

I scoffed lightheartedly before asking curiously, “What’s your definition of making it up to me?”

Paul smirked, “Well I was thinking it would start with your head on a pillow and mine between--”

The sound of a phone ringing interrupted his thought, and what a wonderful direction he was heading in. The ringtone signalling that it was in fact, my phone.

Its always my fucking phone.

“Sorry,” I mutter as I pick it up from the seat. Delta written in bold letters across the screen as I quickly answered it.

“You’re supposed to be in class,” I snipped at her, noting that we had twenty more minutes before the bell.

“I don’t feel well.” Her voice was soft and airy, a stark difference from her outgoing personality.

“Like sick sick, or you just want to go home?” I asked worriedly, shifting off Paul's lap and onto the seat beside him. His hand squeezed my thigh comfortably.

“I want to go home,” Delta mumbled into the phone and I let out a sigh of relief. Taking care of a sick kid was not something I knew how to handle, at least not on my own. Knowing my dad was working in Port Angeles for the weekend, the responsibility would have been left to me.

“Okay, um, when the bell rings, come to the parking lot okay?” I tell her, trying not to laugh as Paul straightened himself out before combing his fingers through my wild hair, caused by him, of course.

“‘Kay, love you, Sassy.” she chimed, and I rolled my eyes at the childhood nickname she had given me as a toddler.

“Love you too, Del.” I say before hanging up, looking at Paul, and telling him, “We’ll walk.”

“Not a chance, Sassy,” He teased, causing me to scowl.

“You have Spanish next, you need to go.” I point out, he was no longer failing but it was contingent on him actually showing up.

“Can’t.” He said, a lopsided smile forming on his face, “My friend, who is also the most important person to me in this universe, her little sister is sick, so I have to make sure they both get home alright.”

My face heats at his explanation and it feels like a million little butterflies have just taken flight in my belly. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought that he would tell me I was the most important person to him, let alone in the universe.

“It’s a ten minute walk and she’s not actually sick.” I point out, though the smile on my face shows that I’m not exactly arguing against him driving us back home.

“Sorry, babe.” Paul pressed a kiss to my lips, “Imprint over Spanish class any day of the week.”

“Imprint, soulmate, friend,” I list off the things we have labelled ourselves with over the past few weeks before adding quietly, “Lover?”

He rubs his nose against mine, our lips barely touching, “Did I create a nymphomaniac?”

A breathy laugh leaves my lips, “Does it feel different for you now, too?”

“Like a fire that only your touch can put out,” Paul mumbles before pulling the trigger and pressing his lips to mine again feverishly. I thread my fingers into his hair, guiding him over top of me as I lay back on the seat, the feeling of his body weight pressing against me eliciting a moan from my lips to his. I ache to touch him. All of him.

The bell rings and I can’t help the groan that leaves my throat, “Ruined by the bell, as always.”

---

My sister and I were both absorbers, we got that from our mom. Any new piece of information we learned could cause a domino effect of seeking out more knowledge in any given subject.

Science was Delta's main curiosity, specifically biology. I never thought I’d see the day where she would not want to learn a new topic, but here we are.

They were learning about genealogy and had to create, from what they knew, a family tree. She wasn’t a fan of the assignment and well, simply put, she missed mom. I’ve never liked to see my sister cry, but seeing her cry over something that I can’t fix is a terrible feeling. So, I offered to finish the assignment for her. Out of sight, out of mind.

“Mr. Waters said the Northern Lights would be viewable tonight.” Delta said, poking at her food, “Said to tell you.”

I hummed in acknowledgment, “Yeah? Maybe Orion’s Belt will be too.”

She perked up at my response, adding,“He also said that. And the Milky Way.”

The Milky Way was our mom's favourite thing to see when it came to astronomy. The mythological history behind the galaxy was never the full story she associated the stars with. She often said there is no use crying over spilled milk, sometimes accidents have a way of creating something wonderful. Like a billion stars held together by gravity, lighting up the midnight skies.

I smile to myself at the thought that I have created my own Milky Way.

I am the stars, and Paul is my gravity. Holding me together with the promise of never letting me fall apart into the black abyss that is this universe.

“We should go.” Delta announced, placing her cutlery on her plate to show that she was finished eating.

“Go where?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. It was nearing nine oclock, and technically her curfew was ten on Fridays, though it’s not like our dad was here to reprimand her.

“The cliffs. That's a good place to see them, right?”

“It is.” I agree, before standing up and grabbing both of our plates. “Maybe next time.”

“But it's Friday!” Delta argues as she follows me to the sink, where I begin to scrap our food into the compost.

I shake my head, reminding her, “And you came home sick, remember?”

“Mom would take me just like she used to take you,” I hear Delta sulk as she quickly leaves my line of sight and into the living room.

My eyes widened at her words, she was right. I know she is. Our mom used to let me stay up late on a school night with her and point out the constellations. She even used to take me to First Beach where there was less light pollution. That was before she had gotten sick. After her diagnosis, the swing bed on the back porch was reserved for stargazing and hot chocolates.

I knew sooner or later she would guilt me or dad with the dead mom card, but eight months after her death? It stung a lot.

“Fine!” I shout from the other side of the kitchen, fighting the urge to toss the plate in my hands. Taking a deep breath, I put it in the sink. Rounding the corner into the living room where Delta stood. A pout still on her lips as I put my hands on my hips, “Grab your jacket.”

---

The trip to the cliffs was a bust. The sky had been clear of any clouds when we had left the house, keeping our spirits high, but as we made it to the top of the cliffs too many clouds had rolled in to even see a single star. The downfall of living in the rainiest part of Washington.

My phone had died on the way back, and if I hadn't known at least one wolf, if not mine, was patrolling the area, I would have let the paranoia of my nightmares fuel my quick pace home.

Plugging in my phone was the first thing I did once I stepped inside, telling Delta she needs to go to bed, or at least pretend to be asleep in case our father calls to ask how she is. Though he wasn’t concerned enough to come home early when I texted him to let him know I was pulling her out of school for not feeling well. My phone chimes as it turns back on, two texts from Paul, ‘meet me at mine.’

Followed by, ‘we need to talk.’

“Fuck,” I whisper to myself. Sent fifty-eight minutes ago. I quickly changed into cotton shorts and a tank top. Although the air was still cold in the early months of spring, I’ve become quite prone to overheating when I sleep in the same bed as him. I quickly open my window, and notice his is already open.

“Bathroom,” Paul called out as I entered through the window. “I sent that text an hour ago,” His voice was harsh and not at all what I was expecting as I entered his bathroom. His mood was a complete 180 from when I last spoke to him.

“I was just waiting for Delta to fall asleep…” I tell him a little white lie, knowing if I told him that my phone had died his anger would only worsen. Rightly so, even I could admit that.

“I told you to stay out of the woods without me,” his voice strained, like he was trying really hard to keep his composure. I kept my distance from him as best I could in the small bathroom.

“I know, but--”

“Fuck, Saskia!” he bursts, “Do you not listen when I tell you what’s going on?!”

“You don’t tell me about anything that you do, “ I say harshly, “and lower your voice before your dad hears you.”

“He’s not home.” He mutters before turning away from me. I watched the bronze boy warily, something was off with him and I don’t think it's all due to the fact that I took Delta into the woods to look at the stars.

Paul leans over the sink, biceps and forearms taut, veins prominent under his skin. I rub my palm over his back. “What’s wrong, Paul?”

“I called my mom..It’s her birthday.”

“Oh?” I questioned. He never talks about his mom. All I know is that when he moved next door from Tacoma when we were eight, his mom didn’t come with. I knew divorce was the reason for the move, but the severity of it was unknown to my knowledge.

“I haven’t spoken to her in months, she didn’t even call on my fucking birthday. She called a week later and you know what she said to me today, ‘I can’t talk right now, I’m out with family..’”

I cringe at the words his mother told him as he continues ranting. Clenching my hands at my side as the bond between us pulls at my heartstrings.

“I’m her fucking family, her only goddamn son and she won’t even talk to me.” Paul spits angrily, a small tremor running through his entire body. He gripped the counter tightly, knuckles turning white, in an attempt to ground himself and not lose control.

“I wish she was fucking dead!” Paul shouts and I can’t help but flinch, not from his volume, but his words, “At least then I’d know why she doesn’t answer my calls or texts...”

My vision blurs at his outburst and I take a step back, mumbling quietly, “You don’t mean that…”

I would give anything to have my mom back, to tell her about my days while sitting on the porch swing with tea’s keeping our hands warm. Sharing a blanket she no doubt made while Delta and I were at school. To tell her about Paul, and the complicated entanglement we have found ourselves in.

But she's gone, and she's never coming back. Paul wishing death upon his mother was not something he needed on his conscience, no matter the amount of pain he was in.

“I do.” He growls out, his body trembling again. But it's not an angry tremble, it's one that I recognize all too well.

I rush forward, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly, and his arms circle my waist, holding me just as tight. The first sob leaves his lips and my heart aches for him. “It’s okay, Paul.” I shush into his ear, palms smoothing over the thick muscles of his back.

He starts to crumble, knees bending and hitting the cabinet doors, back bowing, shoulders turning inwards. I fall into him, gently guiding him to the wall. “Please don’t leave me,” he heaves. “Everyone leaves. When we graduate, you're gonna--.”

Kneeling between his legs, I hold the sides of his face between my palms. “Look at me, Paul. Look at me.” I force his gaze upwards by shaking his head. “I’m here, I’m right here. I’m always going to be here for you, no matter what.”

“My mom left me…” He whispers, fresh tears falling down his face.

“I know she did.”

“I-I couldn’t handle it if you left me-me.” he stuttered, looking at me with sad, red eyes, glistening with tears.

“Shh, shh,” I pulled his face into my upper chest, fingers curling into his hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Your mom didn’t leave because of you, okay?” I reassure him, “You just got caught in the middle..”

Paul scoffs, the pain he was feeling turning to anger, “She doesn’t even try anymore.”

“Then she doesn't deserve your attention. If your mom wants to let what happened between your dad and her blind her from seeing what an amazing son she has, that's her problem and I know damn well she will regret it.” I hold his cheeks, forcing him to look me in the eyes. I’ll be damned if he is going to think that he is not worth staying for.“Your dad loves you so much, and I know he’s gotta be so proud of you and everything you’re doing for the tribe. He’s not going anywhere, the packs not going anywhere, and neither am I. You have so many people who love you, and want to be in your life. There's no need to focus on the ones who aren’t making the effort they should be.”

Wiping the last few tears off of his soft skin as he nodded. I give him a small, teasing smile, “Now, you need to shower, you smell like dirt and rain more than usual.”

A small chuckle escaped his lips before he asked, “Shower with me?”

I watch him stand, pulling the shirt from over his head and then slide out of the jean cutoffs. Standing in front of me completely naked, it's weird how comfortable this all feels. Normally when we are naked in front of each other, we’d roll around in his bed for a few hours. But this is an intimacy I’ve never felt with anyone, let alone Paul. I sort of like it.

“Okay,” I agreed, pulling my shirt over my head, and peeled myself out of my jeans. I know he keeps spare wash clothes in a small bin under the sink from the many nights spent in his sheets, so I grab one and join him in the shower.

“Thank you,” he whispers, the water pelting his back.

“There’s no need to thank me.” I take the bottle of body wash from his hand, and pour a little onto the cloth and start by scrubbing across his chest, down over his stomach and sides. I ring out the washcloth, clearing off the suds and then scrub his back. I move to his arms and neck. Paul stops me for a second, cupping my face before planting several soft kisses to my lips.

Stretching my arms up to lather his hair with shampoo I had poured into my palm as he bent his head forward, giving me better reach. I take my time massaging the suds into his scalp, though the feeling of his fingertips lingering on my outer thighs was making it hard to concentrate. I quickly rinse it out and then repeat the process again with his conditioner.

Once I’ve finished, he switches our positions.

He uses his own products in my hair, and I don’t complain. The feeling of his fingers in my hair providing nothing but bliss.

Watching as he lathered his hands with the body wash in front of me, inhaling the scent deeply, bourbon and maple. “Now I’m really going to smell like you.”

“Good.” he murmured, smoothing his hands over my bronze skin. Gentle, yet firm as he pressed his fingers into the knots in my shoulders. A quiet moan leaving my lips as I shut my eyes and let him work.

“I’m sorry, for what I said..'' Paul mentioned gently, running his soapy hands across my abdomen and along the curve of my breasts. I revelled in the feeling. The feeling of being taken care of, rather than always being the caregiver.

Leaning back against his chest, I looked up at him, “Don’t be. You were upset.”

Paul caressed my bottom lip with his thumb gently, his eyebrows furrowed as an emotion that I can’t quite decipher crossed his sharp features, “Stay the night.”

I simply nod.

There was no way I was making it through the night without him, I could practically feel the paranoia already setting in. I also couldn’t fathom leaving him, no after his show of emotions. I’ve never seen Paul like that, and I would prefer never to see it again.

“Why?” Paul asked,

breaking the comfortable silence. His head was tucked in the crook of my neck with an arm draped over my torso, keeping me flush against him. I could feel the little, petal kisses he was placing on my bare shoulder, only a thin, cotton tank top separating our skin from touching.

“Hm?” I hummed, playing with his growing hair at the nape of his neck. I had noticed he had let it get a bit shaggier after I had mentioned in the woods how I liked it long. Though I doubt he would let it get any longer than it was now.

Paul asked the question that had been looming all night, “Why would you take your sister into the woods at night?”

“She wanted to see Orion's Belts, her teacher told her to tell me it would be viewable and, well, she wanted to go.” I explained with a shaky breath, “Delta told me our mom would have taken her, and I-I just, I couldn’t say no because I knew she was right.” My eyes started welling up at the guilt eating at me for the stress I caused him, “I’m sorry.”

Paul wraps his arms around me with a tight hold. No doubt in my mind that he could sense the underlying agony I was in, but couldn’t verbalise. “It’s okay,” He rubs my back soothingly while quietly shushing me. Another sob shakes my body. “Deep breaths, Sask.”

“I’ll tell you next time..I.. You can come too..” I breathed out, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

“I’d be honoured to look at the stars with La Push’s greatest astronomer.” Paul teased, carding his fingers through my wet hair before leaving his hand to rest on my collar bone, his pointer finger tracing it softly.

I pressed a small kiss to the centre of his chest, “Go to sleep, jerk.”

His grip on my hip tightened at the gesture before Paul mumbled tiredly, “Wake me if you have a nightmare…”

I nodded in acknowledgement, but no matter how hard I tried, sleep was lost to me. Paul's warmth blanketed me like a safety net and I knew in his arms a nightmare was not likely to occur. The worry I felt for him was what kept me awake, listening to the even sounds of his breath and brushing my fingers over his skin. I promised to never leave him, and I intend to keep that promise. Telling myself the nightmares that plagued my mind weren’t real and there was no pale faced redhead with glowing red eyes waiting in the shadows to make her move. There can’t be.

#paul lahote imagine #paul lahote fanfic #paul lahote #paul lahote x oc #twilight wolf pack #twilight wolves #twilight

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justyourusualash · 3 years

Text

In The Pudding Club

Book: Open Heart (Post Book 3) [Fated Universe]

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC {Angel Martin}

Word Count: 3252 (I really don't know when to stop, do I?)

Warning: Teen

Premise: Angel has something that she needs to tell Ethan. How will he react?

A/N I: A very special thanks to @josiesopenheart and @jamespotterthefirst for helping me in picking out the title and a phrase in the fic.

A/N II: Another Thanks to @liaromancewriter for giving me a pep talk.

AN III: I love all three of you.

Five days.

For the past five days Angel had been feeling extremely nauseous and fatigued. She had done a great job in hiding this from Ethan, her fathers, and her friends. She also had a weird aversion to the smell of apples, even though, she loved apples. She didn't think anything of it at first but when it didn't leave after even after a lot of rest, she knew something was wrong. She then looked at the calendar and saw what date it was.

'Oh Fuck!'

That was her first thought when she realised she was over a week and a half late for her period. She checked her watch, and saw that it was still about two hours till Ethan returned from the hospital. She quickly changed into something more appropriate, and almost ran to the nearest pharmacy.

"I'll be back you two. Be good." She said to Maple and Jenner, their two dogs.

Ten minutes later she stepped back into their apartment with two pregnancy tests in her pocket. Maple and Jenner were watching her, no doubt worried about her.

"I know guys, I'm worried too."

Woof. Woof.

She patted the two dogs on their head. "What do you think your dad will think, huh?"

Woof. Woof.

She stepped into the restroom, took the tests, and flipped them over on the counter. She had to wait for three minutes. She used those three minutes to think.

She and Ethan had been married for a little over a year and a half now. While she did remember what he had said when he proposed, they hadn't exactly had an active conversation over the topic of kids. The words he had said during the fMRI in her intern year rang loudly in head, those words were what worried her the most. He didn't want kids after what happened with Louise, but, she had always wanted kids and she had made sure Ethan knew that when they started dating. She didn't know how he would react. Would he even be happy?

*Beep Beep*

The timer went off, indicating that it was time to look at the tests. She took a deep breath and flipped the two tests over, at the same time.

Two lines.

On both the tests.

Seeing this she got tears of happiness her eyes. There was a huge possibility that she was pregnant. With a child. With Ethan's child.

Now to figure out how to tell Ethan.

She decided she would do that once she was absolutely sure that she was pregnant.

Now all she had to do was behave like nothing was wrong and that she wasn't bursting with happiness inside her.

*Ring*

This was her phone ringing. She saw who the caller was and smiled. It was Ethan. She took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

"Hi, Ethan."

"Hi, Love. What are you doing?"

"Apart from missing you like crazy?"

"Yes. Apart from that."

'Shit. I'm going to have to lie to him.' She thought.

"Uhh..... Just looking at what to make for dinner." She lied regretfully.

"Great. Then I called at the right time."

"What?"

"I'm bringing dinner on my way home."

"Oooooh! Watcha bringin?"

"Good lord."

"What?"

"Please for God's sake, never talk like that again. You know I hate it."

"Why do you think I do it? Also, stop pinching the bridge of your nose."

"It's concerning over how well you know me."

"I know right? Also, what are you bringing for dinner?"

"Food."

"Haha. Very funny, Dr. Ramsey."

"I know, Dr. Ramsey."

"Just give me a proper answer Ethan."

"Okay! Okay! Calm down!"

"I am calm."

"Could've fooled me."

"Dr. Ethan Jonah Ramsey."

"Okay! I'm bringing chinese food."

She scrunched her nose for a second seeing if the thought of chinese food disgusted her. It did not.

"Oooooh! Sounds good!"

"Good. Also, I only had paperwork today and I'm done with it. I'm clocking out now."

"So, you're coming home early?"

"Yes."

"Yay! I love you."

"I love you too, Baby. I'll see you in around one hour?"

"Yeah! Ok! See you!"

"Bye. I love you."

"Bye. I love you too."

She put the phone away and had a huge smile on her face. She was feeling like a love sick teenager.

About 30 minutes later she remembered that she still hadn't put the tests away, she had to before Ethan saw them. Just as she put them away she heard the beep of the fingerprint lock near the door. She ran to the living room and decided to prank Ethan by hiding behind the opening door. Ethan stepped inside the apartment, but he didn't see his wife anywhere.

"Rookie?" He called out. She didn't answer but struggled to keep in her laughter.

"Angel?" He almost-yelled, again.

"Baby? Love?" He was getting worried now. She was still biting her cheek to keep in her laughter.

"Mrs. Ramsey?" He tried, one last time. Hearing that, Angel slowly stepped out of her hiding spot and covered his eyes from the back.

"Hah! Gotcha!"

"Oh! Come on!"

"Ohmygod!" She breathed out while laughing. "You're so easy to prank"

"Yeah. Whatever." He turned around and wrapped his arms around her waist and hers went around his neck. He pulled her flush against him and kissed her. He pressed their foreheads together and said, "I missed you. Work is boring without you. Stop having early shifts."

"I know. Even with these two around its boring here. I can't stop having early shifts. You know that."

He stepped towards the two dogs who had been barking ever since the moment he stepped into the apartment.

"Alright, alright. Calm down you two."

"They missed you, you know."

"I missed them too. I missed all three of you."

He bent down and pet both the dogs on their head and they returned their love by licking him in the face.

"Down you two." Came his wife's voice from behind him.

"Ethan, Love, you should go get changed while I'll grab us plates and other stuff." She said while grabbing the bag of takeout from his hands.

"You're hungry aren't you?" He teased.

Angel laughed and pushed him into their bedroom so he could get changed.

She was in the kitchen getting plates out, when a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. She almost fell to the ground, but, held herself up with the help of the counter. A few moments later, when the dizziness subsided she picked everything up, and placed it on the dinner table, waiting for her husband to emerge from their bedroom. A few minutes later Ethan came out of the bedroom wearing a pair of sweatpants and a shirt.

"Oh! Yeah!" Angel hollered when she saw him.

"What now?" Ethan asked.

"I mean, I have a hot husband. Just admiring him."

"Having a hot wife helps. I need to keep up with her."

When she heard that her mouth fell open in shock. He smirked and said, "You're not the only one with lines, Rookie."

She blinked a few times and gave him an impressed look.

"Alright, stop gawking. Dinner time."

"Yep. I'm hungry."

"Wait. I need a glass of water."

"Okay."

A few seconds later Ethan's voice came from the kitchen, "Rookie?"

"Yeah?"

"Scotch?"

'Oh come on! Why make me lie?' She inwardly groaned.

"Uhh..... No, I'm not feeling in the mood for scotch today. You can have some if you want to."

"It's fine. You know I don't like to have anything we both like without you."

"Okay."

They had their dinner while discussing about their days at the hospital.

Ethan noticed that Angel was yawning a lot and decided to ask her about it after dinner.

After dinner, they were cuddled up on the couch when Ethan decided to ask her, "Rookie?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay? You've been acting weird today."

Angel froze. She decided to deflect.

"I'm weird everyday."

"I know. You're weirder than usual today."

"I like to think I'm the same amount of weird everyday."

"You are, but you're more weird today."

"But, if I'm the same amount of weird everyday, then how can I be more weird today?"

"Uhhhhh....." Ethan stuttered.

"You know what forget it. You have another early shift tomorrow you need to go to bed."

"Yeah. I'm really tired. Let's go to bed."

They went to bed together cuddled up in the warm blankets.

The next morning, Angel woke up to get ready for her early shift and was thinking about how she was going to have a hCG test taken without anyone noticing or finding out, when she felt Ethan wrap his arms around her.

"Good morning, Sweetheart."

"Good morning, Grumpy." She said with a smile and ruffled his already messy hair.

"Don't call me that. And don't do that." He grumbled and kissed her.

She laughed when he said that. Her laugh brought a huge smile on his face.

"Ready to go?"

"Almost."

"I hate early shifts." She groaned.

He laughed at that and said, "Don't worry. I'll be there in three hours."

"I know."

"I'll make you a cup of coffee, you get ready." He patted her shoulder, and went to make coffee for both of them.

Angel got out of the room ready to leave when Ethan handed her a cup of steaming hot coffee. She carefully took a few sips and gave it back giving him an excuse of being full from breakfast.

She kissed him and with a smile left for the hospital. All the while extremely worried about the day ahead of her.

Once she reached the hospital, she did her rounds and then slipped into a patient room, with a syringe, some cotton and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. She was wondering what to do when an intern was passing the room.

"Dr. Collins?" She called out to the intern.

"Yes, Dr. Ramsey?" The intern replied a little scared about what she did wrong that the older doctor was called her.

"I need a little bit of your help."

"Of course, doctor!"

"Could you just remove a sample of my blood for me?"

"Of course!"

The younger doctor did so and gave the syringe back to Angel.

"Thank you, Dr. Collins. I have just one more request. Please do not speak of this to anyone."

"You're welcome Dr. Ramsey. And you can be assured that I will not tell anyone about this."

Angel gave her a smile and left the room, going towards the lab to drop the blood sample off.

She gave the blood sample to the lab assistant and marked it as urgent and went back to work feeling anxious about the results.

An hour and a half later, Sarah, one of the nurses, knocked on the door of her office to give her the results.

"Dr. Ramsey? You marked these as urgent."

"Yes. Thank you, Sarah."

Angel took a deep breath and with shaky hands opened the envelope. She was indeed pregnant. Her eyes filled to the brim with tears the very moment she looked at the results.

She looked at the time and realised that Ethan was just about to come to work. She wiped her tears and composed herself, trying her darndest to not smile.

A few minutes later, Ethan popped into her office to greet her. She tried her best to not give anything away, and decided to talk to him at night just before the two of them were scheduled to leave the hospital.

The whole day she tried to stop smiling and stopped herself from keeping a hand on her abdomen when she was not alone in her office.

At the end of the day, she nervously walked into Ethan's office. He was signing some End Of Day paperwork.

"Hey, Ethan."

"Hi, Rookie. Just give me a few more minutes?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine."

She watched him sign papers for a few moments, before she nervously spoke, "Ethan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember the conversation we had when we tested the fMRI machine in my intern year?"

"Yes."

"I had asked you about kids and you had said that they weren't in the cards for you, right?"

"Yes, I did say that." He was preoccupied with the paperwork so he didn't pay much attention to what she was saying, but once the conversation caught up to him, he stopped writing and looked up. Angel was looking down at her feet and fiddling her wedding ring. A telltale sign that she was nervous. He put his pen down, leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, when she spoke again.

"How do you feel about kids now?" She asked him, still looking down at her feet.

"Rookie?" He called her.

"Yeah?" She looked up and gulped when she saw her husband's posture. He had figured out that something was going on.

"Where exactly is this conversation going?" He asked her softly.

She took a deep breath and handed him the envelope with her results.

"What's this?"

"Uhh..... A bloodwork report of mine that I got done today."

Ethan put the report down and asked her with narrowed eyes, "And you didn't think you should've told me that you were getting a blood test done?"

"I should have, yes. But just look at it first please? You can say what you want to later."

He sighed and opened the report. There was only one thing on it.

"hCG levels..... Elevated." He looked up, his wife was looking back down again.

"Yeah." She said in a small voice.

"Sweetheart?"

"Hmm?" She was looking at him now.

"This? You got this done today?"

"Yeah. In the morning."

"You're..... Pregnant?"

"Mhm."

"I'm going to be..... A father?" He had tears in his eyes and a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah." She had tears in her eyes too. "You're happy?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"Happy? Try a bigger word!"

"Excited?"

"Bigger!"

"Ecstatic?"

"Do we have bigger words?"

"That was the biggest I could think of."

"Well then I have no words."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Did you think.....?"

"Yeah." She replied with regret in her voice.

"Oh, Rookie. Come here." He beckoned her closer by opening his arms.

She ran to him and sat on his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck and his went around her waist.

"Baby, why would I not be happy?" He asked her with the softest voice she had ever heard. "You remember what I said when I proposed, right?"

"Yeah, I remember, but, we never exactly had a proper conversation about it. That's why I was scared that you wouldn't be happy."

"Love, I am more than happy to have a family with you and only and only you. No one else. Okay?"

"Yeah." Angel was crying now. Ethan slowly wiped the tears off of her cheeks and gave her a soft smile that made her heart flutter.

"In fact, now that we are talking about this and we are going to be parents, I want to tell you something I was thinking about for the past few months."

"Hmm?"

"I want..... Three kids with you. At most that is."

"Pardon? How many?"

"Three."

"Sorry?"

"Three. Do you want me to say it in different languages?"

"No! It's just surprising! Three is a lot. You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay then. Just not close together. We need a few years in between each child."

"I know that. What? You think I want 3 kids with one every year or what?"

"Noooo!" She laughed, which prompted a hearty laugh from Ethan as well.

"When did you find out?" He asked her after a few moments of laughter.

"Yesterday, I realised I was over a week and a half late for my period. I grabbed two tests from the pharmacy and uhh..... here they are." She handed him the tests which she had kept in her purse. His smile grew even bigger when he saw those tests.

"And, uhhh..... This morning before you came to the hospital, I asked an intern to remove a sample of my blood, so I could give it to the lab to get it tested."

"Oh, okay. But-"

"Don't worry. I told the intern to not tell anyone."

"You should've told me."

"In hindsight, yes I should've, but I was really nervous and terrified. That's why I didn't."

"It's alright."

"Remember what you asked me after dinner yesterday?"

"Yes."

"That's why I was being weird."

"I figured. Fuck!" He suddenly half-yelled.

"What?"

"You had coffee this morning!"

"Why do you think I had only a few sips? And why do you think I didn't have scotch yesterday?"

"Fine. But, from today, no coffee, no alcohol, no undercooked meat-"

"Excuse me? I'm a doctor too? I know what to eat and what not to eat during a pregnancy."

"Yeah. I know that." He chuckled.

"Now, finish that. Otherwise, we'll be here all night." She said while pointing to the few papers he had left to sign.

"Alright."

He watched her for a few seconds till she asked, "What?"

"You plan on moving from here?" He asked her while signalling to his lap.

"Nope." She said, with a huge grin on her face, while snuggling closer to him.

"Okay." He shrugged, with a very similar grin on his face.

Ethan went back to signing the papers, while Angel was staring at him with the most adoring look in her eyes. She slowly laid her head on his shoulder. Ethan looked to her with a small smile on his lips. He kissed her forehead and went back to doing the last few of his papers.

A few minutes later, she said, "Ethan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm up the duff." She said, referring to a phrase that she saw on the internet, which she found was used in the past to inform people about a pregnancy.

"What does that even mean?" He asked his wife with the most bewildered look on his face.

"It means, I'm pregnant."

"How?"

"I don't know."

He gave her a look and went back to signing the papers.

Four signatures later, he was done and he told her to get ready to leave.

"I'm making dinner tonight." Ethan stated, as a matter-of-factly.

"But-" Angel started to protest.

"No." He warned.

"Fine." She relented.

"I love you. Both of you." Ethan said, smiling wider than she had ever seen.

"We love you too, Ethan." Angel replied, with a smile equally big.

Later that night, back at their apartment, after the two of them had freshened up and changed, they were in the kitchen, with Ethan making dinner and Angel sitting on the island when she asked him, "Ethan, what time is your shift tomorrow morning again?"

"Eleven. Why?"

"I was thinking of booking an ultrasound appointment tomorrow morning."

Ethan stepped between her legs, kissed her and said, "I would love it if you did."

"Nine?" She asked.

"Nine." He replied.

She smiled and showed him her phone which showed the details of the appointment on the screen. He tapped the button which said 'confirm', and nuzzled his nose with hers.

"I love the two of you so god damn much." Ethan declared giving his wife a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Hey! No swearing in front of the baby!" Angel playfully chided him while swatting his arm.

"I love the two of you a lot." He repeated.

"We love you too." She replied with a huge smile on her face which was mirrored on her husband's face.

Also, if you're wondering what the phrase that Bree helped me with is, it's up the duff.

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

#open heart #ethan ramsey x mc #playchoices #ethan x mc

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ohheyitsokay · 3 years

Text

strike

part 3 of the ‘hey batter batter’ series

pairing: Francisco Morales (Frankie, Catfish) x reader

wordcount: 2k

warnings: extremely mild mentions of sex, unwanted advances that don’t get far (not by Frankie)

summary: it’s a Triple Frontier baseball au - trust me, you don’t need to know anything about baseball.

In this chapter, we learn that a ‘strike’ is when a batter misses the ball when he swings, even though he shouldn’t have. And some strikes don’t just happen during baseball.

“Jimbo, I'm here!” You called as you kicked the door closed behind you, arms heavy with grocery bags. Your grandfather would be in the living room, no doubt impatiently waiting for you to unload so you could watch the baseball game together. It was a few states away, which meant the two of you could enjoy evening on the couch with affordable snacks and air conditioning. Games in person were more exciting, but climbing all those stairs wasn’t great for his knees, and it was nice to chat with him without the roar of the crowds.

There was a faint squeak to his favorite rocker, and you unloaded half the bags onto the coffee table – his favorite treats – before tossing the rest haphazardly into their places in his little kitchen. You raced the commercials, listening to the final advertisements with one ear as you hurried to get yourself settled, even though he was always happy to chat with you during the game. For these times with him, you hated to miss even a moment. The chair to the left of his was yours, newer and softer and it would have been the perfect evening, eating and catching up with your favorite man.

Except this was the first real opportunity for him to grill you about your unexpected lunch with his heroes.

There had been laughter in his voice when you had tried to call him afterwards, and he had told you he would wait to hear the story. To him, even over the phone you couldn’t hide how flustered you were, just moments after Francesco’s eyes had been in yours. All things considered, he had been more than patient, so as you fidgeted and you kept your eyes on the screen, you told him what had happened as casually as you could.

It was the top of the first inning – the very beginning of the game, and his boys were mostly crowded into the dugout. Their fingers were grabbing fistfuls of sunflower seeds or pulling on batting gloves or hanging on the wire, watching as Will walked up to bat. There was a fun country song playing, and it was surreal, thinking it had just been a few days since he had tossed a chunk of fried food into the air and his brother had caught it in his mouth. James thoroughly enjoyed you story, laughing and for once not lecturing you about leaving them alone to live their lives. He seemed approving, proud of you for taking a change, and proud that the boys from his favorite team did his favorite granddaughter well. You answered this questions and indulged his excitement over the little things, trying not to reveal too much of your own daydream fodder. Thinking of Francisco’s eyes as he laughed at the Miller boys, you grabbed a pillow to give your hands something to hold onto, to ground yourself.

The camera panned over to Tom adjusting his cap and without thinking you winced. When you realized that James had caught the movement, you winced again.

You had to explain, then, the biggest detail that you had glossed over – the only one that would disappoint your grandfather. The outfielder had looked at you with confidence and hunger in his eyes. His fingers on your hand left cool, invisible lines, slimy like residue of the stadium cup holders.

James listened with sad eyes, before he was reaching over, gently squeezing your hand, and asking about Will’s family in town to find out if he knew a relative. It was kindness - changing the topic, rewarming the memory as he coaxed out more details of their interactions with you and each other, making you blush and laugh and smile.

The discomfort that had been lodged in your heart regarding the athlete lessened as you remembered that they were all human. It had been clear the other players respected him, maybe even looked up to him, and that had to be good for something. Even though it had just been a lunch, a single moment in time, the assessments of a group of open hearted baseball players already held weight on your opinion.

As you began to tell James about a joke Santiagio had told, you noticed that Tom’s turn had come and gone, and he had struck out.

Every professional sports group had a second team, full of people who pushed papers and cleaned locker rooms and handled press conferences. One of these people was a woman who was in charge of sorting through and organizing special fan appearances.

Flipping through applications and mail, she would have hardly noticed the broad shoulders and hazel eyes of the man who entered, had he not kissed her breathless the night before.

For all they were on and off and she knew he was a player in all senses of the word, she couldn’t help but stand, and let his hands find her hips as he pressed into her.

“Hi, Tom,” she whispered, already dazed and adoring as his beard scraped at her neck, warm and insistent.

“Hey, babe,” he returned, absentmindedly, squeezing her hips before pulling away. There was something about his eyes, the way he held his head, like his shoulders were comfortable bearing the weight of others, like he’d prefer it that way, that made him seem like a natural born leader.

She knew him better. He had the crowds and the rookies and the managers and even his brothers on the team wrapped around his fingers - the perfect mentorship allusion, but she knew. There was another side to him, a darker side, filled to the brim with pride and arrogance and power. Of all the men who flashed smiles as they shook hands and carried kids on their shoulders for photos – he was the one who preened the most. There was a hunger in his eyes, even greater than when he’d love her, when a chance came for him to do an extra interview, put some senior input in, or take a newbie to his first after party.

Still, she loved him. Too much, maybe, but her mind whispered not enough, and she hungrily took what ever he would give her. There were always flowers and jewelry and coveted high-status sex in his apologies, anyway, and she knew he’d always come back to her, eventually. She knew better than to guess.

“What can I do for you?” she asked, star stuck in spite of it all, but knowing there must be something. His “cousin” had stocks in the team, or a certain string needed to be pulled. There was always something.

When he asked for the number of a girl from a few weeks ago, there was an all-too-familiar twist in her gut.

“Tom, you know that information is confidential,” she whined, masking her fear, turning back towards her desk. It was infuriating how disarming, intoxicating, and how solid he felt behind her, how smooth his words felt on the shell of her ear.

“It’s for Benny, babe, he’s got it bad for her,” it was a lie, but she didn’t know it, and the knot in her stomach loosened a little. His hand slipped under her blouse and it came undone, submitting entirely to the façade.

“Let me help the little guy out.” For all his charisma, she wanted desperately to believe he was sincere, so she did. Her hands started steady as she opened a thick binder and began flipping through the glossy dividers. She moved as slow as she could, hopelessly savoring his touch, knowing when it was gone, the unpleasant feelings would be just as strong.

But it didn’t take long to find you number and hand it over, and exchange more heated kisses and half promises before he slipped out.

The woman settled in her chair again, fingers tracing the letters of your name, the knot reforming below her breastbone. She reached for her phone, telling herself it was a courtesy, to give you a heads up.

When a player was about to steal second base, you always wondered if Santiago Garcia could tell, without even looking. If he could feel it in his bones, or if the hairs on the back his neck rose, against his sweat.

If he could, that was exactly how you would feel now, walking into the bar to see only Tom Davis waiting for you. The building was dim, strategically chosen by Will, allegedly, so they could drink in peace. As before however, there was no hiding the silhouette of a man like him, not when he was oozing confidence like sap from a tree.

When he had called you, it had been so shocking you had agreed without thinking. It was surreal, but like following a trail of candy through a forest, not at all like the knights in shining armor of before.

He swung his arm around, cocky smile across his face, and you shook his hand.

There could not have been a more awkward boundary made, but he laughed it off as you considered turning tail and running. It was ridiculous, but you couldn’t help how guarded you felt alone with him, so you turned to the polished woof of the bar and ordered a lemonade. It would buy you time, anyway, to reassess.

You had always thought of baseball players as beer guys, but he had a short glass of something gold and expensive, as if he were trying to prove a point. Slipping onto the stool next to him, you set your bag in between you like a wall. He was broad and he pulled close, making you almost press against his side, giving you the opportunity to realize his skin almost cold. Slow sips reminded you that there was no basis for your feelings, and you were the one being strange.

It wasn’t bad, talking to him. You chided yourself internally, thinking you made unfair assumptions. Really, he was a nice guy. He talked highly of his friends, even defending their lateness, taking the blame for the mix-up. It felt like one of those interviews your grandfather would watch sometimes, the way he could go on about himself and somehow tell you nothing at all. Fighting your instincts to give short, guarded answers, you found yourself sharing about your life more than you expected. Not a lot, but not nothing either.

It was awkward and nice, not unlike a first date and when his large hand covered yours, it didn’t feel half as slimy as before.

A spider’s web was feather-light, so subtle it was almost impossible to feel until it was too late.

His eyes were sharp and deep and certain as he shifted closer, and you felt dazed, despite all the alcohol you hadn’t consumed.

When he leaned in, though, a thought struck you. With his deep hazel eyes, the perfect beard, and tanned skin, he looked like a prince. Not our prince, though, it was just someone else’s fairytale.

Clarity and your own confidence warmed you like a jacket one rainy day, and you touched Tom’s cheek, holding his face at enough of a distance. You shed the web before it stuck and something flickered in his eyes – doubt, maybe, or something like fear, as you spoke the most prominent thought on your mind.

“What about Molly?”

When he heard you, again speaking words that weren't meant for his ears, warm pride shot through his chest.

That’s my girl.

Of course you weren’t, but it felt like you were.

You turned to him like you knew he was there, hand leaving Tom’s stunned face to wave at the grinning catcher.

Frankie had been at war with himself across the bar as he looked towards the two of you, heart wrenching. He had seen from the far side the room first how close you were to the other man. It was unreasonably terrifying to see that you weren't immune, to see you consider his friend. Then he saw how non responsive you’d become to Redfly, how politely you regarded him as he lathered on the charm. By the time he reached the two of you, he found you fully awake, handling it yourself.

When the woman had called you, her voice had betrayed something. It was formal conversation, just admitting she had shared your contact information, and disclosing that it was Tom, and he’d made it clear you guys were friends. Her tone, however, told you she was territorial and jealous, but also desperate, longing. It felt right to get out of the way – that’s what you and she wanted and you sort of thought that’s actually what he wanted, too. He was moving away from you, still processing, trying to play off the moment, and even more than pity, you felt a touch sad for them.

Still, you were impressed you were able to manage yourself. It was the same confidence that had filled you when you stood up for James, a confidence that came from a feeling that whispered something good was coming, something well worth the boldness.

When you felt a warm presence at your side, you felt even more sure. It felt wonderful, the way Francisco was looking at you. It was too early to read into it, but you were sure you wanted him to look at you like that again - like you were capable of telling mountains to move.

You smiled up at him, relieved, and he couldn’t help but beam back, wanting to hug you. He wasn’t feeling quite brave enough yet, but there was a resolve settling in his heart. There was no way he was going to leave your side tonight.

The other guys came quickly. Each of them was excited to see you again, and you pretended not to notice them shooting confused glances at Redfly when he slipped outside to spit on the ground and stare at the sky.

It didn’t take long for him to rejoin you, anyway, and his shoulders seemed lighter, his eyes just a little more thoughtful.

The group as a whole accepted you into their fold like they needed you, like each one of them had missed you when you were gone, like you missed them, like you belonged there from the start.

You had no idea how long the daydream would last, but in that moment it didn’t feel like it mattered at all. Collecting stories for James even faded as a priority as you just enjoyed the feeling of the glass in your hands, the laughter in the air, and teasing the men like they were just boys. Even after the last half hour, it was easy to trust Will’s sincere tone, and Ben’s eager blue eyes. The others were grounded at your side, steady and comforting - you felt yourself open like a flower to the sun.

There was something about the shape of the catcher at your side, safe and warm, like his presence was reaching for yours, aching with yours. Through the stories and the jokes you relished it, and his eyes made it clear that you weren’t alone. And even though the universe made it abundantly clear that you had no idea what would happen next, you didn’t feel any need to hurry. Fate seemed to know what she was doing.

In the darkness of the bar, only Santiago’s eyes saw Frankie’s hand find the small of your back.

taglist:

@fangirl-316 @scribbledghost @writeforfandoms @beautyagegoodnesssize

hey batter batter taglist:

@icanbeyourjedi @studyofawearymind @hnt-escape @athalien

#francisco morales #francisco morales x reader #francisco morales x you #frankie x you #frankie x reader #catfish x you #triple frontier #baseball au #triple frontier baseball au #hey batter batter #maybe i don't know people

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twh-news · 3 years

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'Loki' Star Sophia Di Martino on the Season 1 Finale, Working With Jonathan Majors and What She Knows About Season 2

[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 1 finale of Loki, "For All Time. Always."]

Since her introduction at the end of Episode 2, Sophia Di Martino's depiction of Sylvie, the female variant of Loki introduced midway through her campaign of vengeance against the TVA, has been a defining aspect of Disney+'s Loki. And, as we learned in the season finale, the story of Loki isn't over yet — though what's in store is pretty nebulous, following Sylvie's betrayal of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) after what was their first and what might be their last kiss.

In a one-on-one conversation with Di Martino via Zoom, Collider asked about working with Jonathan Majors in his MCU debut, what it was like having both fight scenes and more romantic scenes with Hiddleston, and of course what the conversations around Season 2 have been like.

Collider: To start off, when did you have a sense that there would be a second season of Loki?

DI MARTINO: I mean, there'd been rumors for a while, but I still haven't heard officially if it's happening, like officially, officially. I only know what I know through reading the news. And I know, because you guys know, because of the tag at the end of Episode 6.

I was going to say, that feels like a pretty official thing, but it doesn't sound like anyone has shown up at your doorstep with paperwork.

DI MARTINO: No, nothing. Nothing like that.

Now, does that mean that when you watched it, were you given a full script of the sixth episode?

DI MARTINO: Yes. We got one episode at a time. So I wasn't given Episode 6 until like midway through shooting Episode 5.

So in that situation, what was your initial reaction to reading, especially like the last, say, 10 pages or so.

DI MARTINO: Just like, holy crap. This is massive. How exciting. Woof. And then also, "who's going to play He Who Remains, I need to know because it's such an amazing part and such incredible speeches he has. I wanted to imagine who would play him, but I couldn't have ever imagined the way Jonathan would have done it. So brilliant.

In terms of working with Jonathon Majors, what was that experience like? Just because I feel like he brought such a different energy to the role than I think anyone would have ever expected.

DI MARTINO: Yeah. He just exploded onto that set with so much energy and nothing like we could ever have imagined. It was a lot of fun and he was brilliant. You know, people were saying this is going to be something really special, whispering behind the camera. He was so eccentric and fun and kind of terrifying. Very easy for Tom and I to just sit and listen to him for a few days. Very entertaining.

Yeah. In rewatching the episode, it's still so striking to me the way that, after Sylvie stabs him, he makes barely any noise.

DI MARTINO: Because he knows that it's a possibility, I think. So maybe he's had a long time to sort of imagine every scenario. Yeah. It's kind of creepy, isn't it? The way he does that.

When you were breaking down the script for Episode 6, were you talking about Kang the Conqueror? Were you talking about the comic book backstory there?

DI MARTINO: I don't remember talking about the comic book backstory of Episode 6. But you know, to be honest, it was all very quick. Especially with Episode 6, we got the script pretty late in the day. So there wasn't that much mining to be done, to be honest. I'm not sure about Jonathan's experience, but for me, it was sort of pretty late in the day, just in the case of learning my lines and trying to make sure I didn't mess that up.

Of course — and it makes sense in terms of where your character is coming from.

DI MARTINO: Exactly. So I just need to know at that point, I just need to know what's going on for Sylvie.

In that case, in your head, what was going on for Sylvie in those scenes?

DI MARTINO: Oh my goodness. So much. I mean, so much happens in like 30 seconds. Doesn't it?

Definitely. But even before the final sequences, it's very dialogue-heavy and there's a lot of listening. In playing that, what was important for you?

DI MARTINO: To really listen and to really take on board what he was saying to us at that point, and then to choose not to believe him. For Sylvie, she's just on a revenge mission from the minute she walks into that building, she knows that she wants to kill someone. When they're in the elevator with him, she's already taking swipes at him. She just wants to get him with her machete. And I think she's just so laser-focused on that goal, that he could have said anything to her and her priority wouldn't have changed.

So you don't think there was ever a moment in that whole sequence where Sylvie was tempted, not tempted by the possibilities presented, but tempted to believe him?

DI MARTINO: I think there's a moment that he really pushes Sylvie's buttons when he's talking about you have been on a long journey and it's been really tough for you, hasn't it? And you can't trust anyone. You think you can trust him. And he starts playing mind games with them, playing them off against each other. And I think at that point, he plants a seed of doubt in her mind about Loki, but I think her mission to want to kill him doesn't change. She's absolutely married to that idea. And that feeling is so strong that she chooses it over Loki in the end.

From your perspective, where does that come from?

DI MARTINO: Just revenge. Like having her life taken away from her, her life ruined, spending her whole life on the run, this sort of anger. And if you want to think of it in these terms, her "glorious purpose." I went there.

I don't think you got to say those words during the show, so I'm glad you got this moment now.

DI MARTINO: Yeah. I'm saying it as much as I can now.

Later in the episode, this wasn't the first time you had a fight sequence with Tom Hiddleston, but did it feel different from the episodes you shot earlier?

DI MARTINO: Yeah, it did. This scene was far more emotive. There was a lot more going on for both of them. It was the breakup scene. It was the fight that you have when you are leaving someone. And it's so painful because you care about this person, but you just can't be with them for whatever reason. And that's how that felt.

Which is so interesting because of course what happens at the end of it is that there's a kiss and it's given the whole big Hollywood romantic music treatment.

DI MARTINO: Yeah. I mean, but that often happens when you're splitting up with someone, doesn't it? Just one last time, a sweet goodbye. It's kind of like a goodbye kiss in a way.

Of course. But it was also, unless I'm missing something, the first kiss.

DI MARTINO: Yeah. It was. And it had been building up for a long, long time. I think it was ultimately a goodbye kiss and a clap away for Sylvie to physically turn him around so she could get hold of that TemPad and zap him back to the TVA.

Yeah, of course. In terms of that, in general, I feel like there's a temptation to just kind of look at the Loki and Sylvie relationship as a straightforward romance, which of course it is very much not. From your perspective, what was it about that you worked hard to lean into.

DI MARTINO: I think it's about sort of self-love and acceptance as well as being a romance story. And for Sylvie, she's sort of shedding everything she doesn't need before she gets to He Who Remains so she can kill him. She gets rid of her cape, she gets rid of her horns. She ultimately gets rid of Loki. It's just not serving her in that moment. And it's so cold to think of it that way. But I think that's what was happening. That and the fact that she wanted him to be safe. So, she's kind of saving him by pushing him through that time door as well.

And if you're going to think of it as like an exploration of self-acceptance and self-love, that's also interesting because she showed sort-of, I don't know, getting rid of a part of herself that isn't serving her anymore at the same time as keeping it safe.

It's really interesting to hear you talk about it that way, because it makes me think about how the one thing that came out, especially I think in Episode 5, is the idea that knowing Sylvie made Loki a better person in some fundamental ways. And I'm wondering about the opposite of that. What did knowing Loki mean for Sylvie?

DI MARTINO: I think it's slightly different for Sylvie. I don't know if he's made her a better person. I don't know if she's allowed herself to change yet. Loki's been quite brave and he's changed. He's a changed person by the end of that series. Sylvie is still hell-bent on her mission and she still chooses it over caring about someone else. So maybe she's yet to make that change.

So in talking about the scene like it's a breakup... Season 1 ends with the characters being very separated and of course, Season 2 is very much a nebulous thing at the moment, but people break up all the time and get back together. In your head, do you see there being still some sort of future for the characters as a couple?

DI MARTINO: It would definitely be fun to see them in the same room together again, wouldn't it? I'm fascinated. Yeah. After that, I'm fascinated to see what Loki has to say to Sylvie after doing that to him. Who knows? Never say never. I'm really excited to see what they come up with because it could go in so many different directions, but surely they have to come face to face again at some point.

It's like that awkward party after you've broken up with someone and you see them again. And that first conversation, whether it's in public or not, it's sorts of awful, but such a relief once it's been done.

Something that's been kind of a topic of discussion when it comes to talking about romance on screen is a quality that a lot of leading men have — for lack of a better term, the ability to give their love interest a Look. I've consulted with others and we feel like Tom Hiddleston has the look or has the ability to deliver the look. And I'm curious what it's like to be on the other side of it.

DI MARTINO: Tom's a very charming man and he could definitely make people go weak at the knees by just giving them a look. My reaction to that is always to sort of make a joke and run away. So there was probably a lot of that on set, breaking the tension by being a goofball.

I just had to react as Sylvie. And Sylvie's got these walls up. She doesn't let anyone in and that includes Loki. So sure there's a sort of, oh, this person is not as I thought they were. I'm warming to them. But Sylvie's not an easy nut to crack.

Is it fun getting to play that kind of strength?

DI MARTINO: Yeah. It's awesome because when her defenses do come down and she's vulnerable, it's really interesting. And you start to see all of the stuff that's buried underneath and that's what makes her a great character to play.

So, how do you feel about there being a second season? Do you feel like if there hadn't been a second season, you would have gotten the closure you wanted to from the story?

DI MARTINO: Probably not. I want to know what happens just like everyone else. I'm super excited and I just can't wait to see which direction they're going because it could be infinite directions.

Do you have a sense that there might've been different aspects to it, had COVID not been an issue?

DI MARTINO: I think COVID actually probably made it a lot better. We had a five months hiatus and Kate and the producers and writers worked a lot on episodes five and six during that time. And as far as I've heard, a lot changed for the better. They could rewatch what we'd already shot and just carry on working on the scripts and developing them. So I think it was great to have that time actually, as awful in most ways it was, that was the silver lining of it.

Very. Yeah. So looking forward, I imagine if there's a second season, you're on board if you get asked.

DI MARTINO: Hopefully. Hope so.

By the way, I was really excited to see the story about how your costume was designed to allow you to breastfeed during shooting. That seems like it was a really special detail.

DI MARTINO: Yeah, really, really. I'm just so grateful that that happened. It made my life so much easier and it was important to me that I carried on doing that. So it was just the little things and it's just saved a lot of time. Practically, it was a godsend.

Of course. So looking forward, what's next for you?

DI MARTINO: Lots of interviews. Lots of being able to talk about episode six finally, and then, who knows? An infinite possibility. So yeah, I'm excited to see what happens and to see people's reactions to the series because people are still catching up. People are still watching and rewatching it and probably go on.

Yeah. I mean, I imagine that you're going to be cosplayed at various conventions over the next several decades probably.

DI MARTINO: Do you think? That blows my mind.

I mean, cosplaying has a long legacy to it.

DI MARTINO: It's so cool. The way that people are already making Sylvie horns and crafting them from scratch and spraying them. And there's one woman that's just sewn a whole suit together and it looks exactly like my costume. It's so impressive, the love and attention people put into it.

Are you getting an action figure?

DI MARTINO: I don't know. Hopefully. What would I do with it? Maybe I could use it as a cake topper. Who knows? But that would be a very cool thing to have, wouldn't it?

#loki #loki series #sophia di martino #sylvie #interview #article #collider #spoilers #loki series spoilers #loki spoilers

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weebtarurights · 4 years

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Guy SSR (Duel at Dusk) - Part 1

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

Story Title: " To Become a Loyal Dog"

Kazunari: Hey, guys, listen up! The dog circus is going back to the neighboring town! Taichi: Really!? Kazunari: For real! For real! Look, here's the flyer! The performance was super popular this time. Seems like they're up for a revival! Tsuzuru: Heh, that's amazing! Izumi: Actually, I received an invitation ticket for the show. There's a lot of it, so if anyone is free... Kazunari: Me! me! me! Lemme join! I wanna see Love-rin! Taichi: Count me in too! Tsuzuru: I want to see Ciel again. Izumi: So we have 3 people on board. We can still invite 2 more ... I wonder who else.... Misumi: We're home~. Guy: We're home. Izumi: Welcome. You’re just right in time! Guy: ? What is it? Izumi: The dog circus is coming over to the neighboring town and I got invitation tickets! Misumi-kun, Guy-san, join us if you're free. Misumi: Wah~sounds fun~! I wanna go~! Guy: I see. I am also interested. I do not have anything scheduled on the dates written in the flyers. I am free to go. Kazunari: All set! Let's all have a blast watching woofers' performance~! Taichi and Misumi: Woof Woof!

----

Izumi: It was fun .... ! Everyone is so cute and talented! Tsuzuru: Ciel learned a new trick again. Kazunari: Love-rin's more acrobatic than ever! It's super adorbs~! Taichi: Yup, yup! Can't take my eyes off of 'em! Misumi: Everyone's full of energy~! They're having so much fun~! Guy: Yeah, the members are magnificent too. Circus Member: Ah, Mankai Company! Izumi: Ah, it's been a while! Thank you for inviting us today! Circus Member: Thank you for coming! Why don't you all stop by the dressing room? I'm sure everyone wants to see you again. Taichi: Is it okay!? Kazunari: I wanna see Love-rin! Thanks for inviting us! Izumi: I'll take up on your offer then.

Dogs: Woof! Woof! Ciel: Arf! Arf Arf! Tsuzuru: Ciel! Good job, you did well on stage!

Love: Yap yap! Kazunari: Love-rin~! I missed you! Huggy huggy~! ♪ Taichi: Everyone's super cute~! Misumi: Ahaha, 'thank you for coming' they said~. Guy: There are so many dogs here and everyone is well disciplined. Circus Member: Well~.... Today's kinda tough. Izumi: Did something happen? Circus Member: When Ciel and Love found everyone among the audience members, they got too excited and performed more intensely than usual. It's a bit dangerous. Izumi: Ahaha. I see. Ciel and Love: Arf Arf ♪ Big Dog: ...... Guy: ......? That dog.....

(TN: A lot of stuff happened for the past days and it includes very sensitive topics. It can be really emotionally burdensome. Guys, please take care of yourselves. Stay away if it is making you uncomfortable. Hoping everyone is doing well~!^^)

#a3!#act addict actors #Guy #a3! Guy #Gai Nishiki #Guy Backstage #Duel at Dusk

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newtafterdark · 4 years

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Taste of Metal - Chapter 12: Turning up the Volume - [AO3 LINK]

The song Gordon is singing in this chapter is "I Hate to Dance" by Mustasch! Click here to listen to it!

PS: The alternative title for this chapter: "Gordon Goes Apeshit In A Healthy Way!! YEAH!! >:D"

- - - It was always something else to hear how your voice sounded like to everyone but yourself.

Gordon had been used to it for a long time, mostly thanks to the years he recorded music with his band, but seeing his new friends react to his recorded songs made him pause a bit in thought.

When he and Newton had founded “Black Velvet Rabbits” together, both of their voices were still in the middle of their second puberty. Uneven, scratchy at times… and by far not as resilient as they wanted them to be.

That didn’t mean it stopped either of them from putting their heart and soul into every song they played. It made their first few tapes rough to listen to, but Gordon felt a huge amount of fondness for them regardless.

All their frustration with their lives, the school system, society, their bodies, their struggles with ADHD and BPD respectively- it all went into their music.

It was the sound of desperately struggling youths doing anything they could in their limited power to be heard.

Gordon was well aware that some of their former bandmates thought back to BVR and rolled their eyes at their gigs and “rockstar dreams”. He himself though? He was proud. Both of himself and Newton. Proud of having this tangible proof that they got through one of the hardest times of their lives together, doing something that they had put together with no outside help, with no overbearing parental figures forcing them to succeed. They created music because it was the one thing they had complete control over… and it had been absolutely intoxicating and freeing at the same time.

Even now, as their old recordings played in the background, Gordon found himself gently swaying side to side to the tempo of the tune, humming softly along as he was sorting through the remaining contents of the boxes on the floor.

He looked up from his spot, smiling fondly at Bubby letting out a cry of joy when he recognized another classic rock song that BVR had recorded a cover of.

“Your band might sound like absolute ass but at least they had taste!”, he exclaimed, drumming happily along to the beat on the floor beside Gordon.

“Yeah… our sound quality wasn’t the greatest until… 2014, I think? ”, Gordon pondered out loud. “You’ll notice the change instantly though! Around that time we also actually figured out in which direction we wanted to take our style as well. Took us a while, I know, but… good things take time!”

Speaking of good things taking time- the construction of the pocket dimension within the storage closet seemed to be going nice and steady by the looks of it.

Every time the doors opened and Tommy stepped out to take a small break, Gordon couldn’t help trying to catch a glimpse inside, which kept earning him a loud “NO PEAKING!” from Tommy- only for him to hear it echoed by Dr Coomer, Benrey and Joshua seconds later.

When eventually each member of the Science Team joined Tommy to help out with the closet, Gordon let himself be focused on his sorting task, Sunkist laying beside him as his only company for the time being.

“Guess it’s only the two of us for a bit, huh?”, he said, giving the huge dog a few loving pats on her side. Sunkist let out an affirmative woof and rested her head on Gordon’s thigh, earning a smile from Gordon.

He resumed swaying along to a new tune starting to play on the stereo, now allowing himself to add a few more subtle movements as well.

He found himself nodding along to the rhythm, his long wavy hair swaying in a way it hadn’t in a very long time.

As the side of his right foot began to gently tap against the floor as well, Sunkist got up and pushed her head against Gordon’s shoulder.

Gordon stared at her for a moment, unsure of what she expected him to do, but as the golden retriever started to gently dig into the carpet surprisingly in tune with the beat, something clicked in Gordon’s head.

He scrambled to get up on his feet, laughed as Sunkist let out a happy bark and started running excited circles around him when he started tapping his foot again.

It had been a while… but no one was in the room right now to judge him. And Sunkist, being the perfect and most supportive dog, would never make him feel guilty about any of this.

He looked down to his tapping feet, his hand closed into a fist as he assembles the old courage and opened his mouth-

“♫ I ain't a boring barfly…so please don't get me wrong, oh- Come on! Yeah, come on! I've been saying this for. Far. Too. LooooOOOONG!! ♪”

Gordon felt himself smile as he raised his voice, mirroring the energy of the younger version of it coming from the speakers.

As he moved his hips and head in rhythm to the beat of the tune, he leaned down towards Sunkist and decided at the moment that, hey, she might be the best audience he had in years - might as well sing for the best girl!

She positively bounced excitedly around Gordon’s feet as the man himself started to jump along with her and the music-

“♪ I haaaate to disappoint you! I'm not the guy you need- so, feel freeee! You can leeeeave! ‘Cause I'll nEVER SWING LIKE A MONKEY FROM. THE. TREEEEES! ♫”

Sunkist let out a loud approving bark at the sound of Gordon letting himself be loud, but this time fully because of joy, nothing like the pained and frustrated yelling he had done all throughout the simulation.

This was how Gordon was supposed to sound like. Loud, happy and confident-

“♪ It’s of great importance! This is what yOU. ALL. SHOULD. DOOOOO- ♫”

The possibility of complaining neighbours be damned, Gordon rushed over to this stereo and turned the volume significantly up, still mindful of Sunkist being in the room with him. No matter how perfect Tommy made her, Gordon really didn’t want to accidentally hurt her hearing.

He returned to moving around the living room, his steps becoming confident stomping as he basically had Sunkist follow his path between the furniture at this point. He ran his hand through his hair, letting the majority of it fall over the right side of his head, showing off the remainder of his undercut on the left in the process-

“♫ BANG YOUR HEAD CLEAN OFF, JUST DO IT!! STOMP YOUR FEET AND CLAP YOUR H-HANDS-!! ♪”

He roughly brushed away a barely formed tear from his right eye, opting to stomp his feet in place of clapping his hands to the beat. He wouldn’t let his pain and trauma cut this moment short. Singing had been his outlet for all his frustrations before, why shouldn’t he try and find out if it would still hold up with the new struggles he was facing?

“♫ I AM A HEAVY METAL GROOVER! - BANG YOUR HEAD ‘CAUSE I HATE TO DANCE! BANG YOUR HEAD ‘CAUSE I HATE TO DANCE! ♪”

Sunkist affectionately pressed herself against Gordon’s side, sensing the man’s wild mix of emotions running through his head. Gordon opted to give Sunkist’s back a pat to assure her that he was doing okay. That he needed to do this. To let this all out.

He took a deep breath-

“♪ So take me away from the dance floor- Nemo saltat sobrius - Well, that's right... fucking right. I've been telling you for far too looooooOOOONG! ♫”

He closed his eyes, his focus now only on putting as much emphasis on the words as he could. As he used to. As Gordon Martini Freeman of the “Black Velvet Rabbits” had been known for.

“♫ I haaaate to disappoint you! But I'm not the guy you need- You can leeeeave, ‘cause to meee- DISCO. DIED. IN. 1983!! ♪”

He spread his arms, his head slightly falling back and his hair following suit… and he could almost feel the comforting heat of spotlights on his skin once more-

“♪ It’s of great importance! This is what yOU. ALL. SHOULD. DOOOOO!- ♫”

He bent back forward, letting himself go off into a poorly executed guitar solo as he headbanged to the beat, his hair flying back and forth, side to side-

“♫ BANG YOUR HEAD CLEAN OFF, JUST DO IT!! STOMP YOUR FEET AND CLAP YOUR HANDS-!! I AM A HEAVY METAL GROOVER! - BANG YOUR HEAD ‘CAUSE I HATE TO DANCE! BANG YOUR HEAD ‘CAUSE I HATE TO DANCE! - BANG THE HEAD THAT DOESN’T BANG!!~ ♪”

Gordon stood there for a moment, out of breath, hair wild and messy, chest heaving and eyes blown wide. He was only pulled back into reality from his post-rockout brain by Sunkist jumping up on him and licking his face-

“Hahaha!! Yeah, this was fun, wasn’t it, big girl?! Thanks for the encouragement, Sunkist. I mean it. I… really needed that.”

He hugged her close before gently letting her get back on all fours, smiling as she let out a soft bark and pressed herself against his side once more, her tail wagging happily-

“Well, I’ll be damned. Sounds like you don’t sound like ass anymore after all!”

Gordon spun around, instantly locking eyes with Bubby, who was leaning against the frame of the closet, arms crossed and a smug smile on his face.

“H-How much of that did you-”

“I heard enough to know that my eardrums can stand the sound of it.”, Bubby answered, “You don’t sound half bad. Obviously out of practice, but… not awful.”

Gordon scratched the back of his neck, trying to process the rare compliment coming from the older scientist.

“Uh… thanks? A-ANYWAY- how’s the pocket dimension going?”, he quickly added to move the topic elsewhere.

Bubby rolled his eyes at Gordon's obvious deflection.

“It could go way faster in my opinion! But the hallway and the basic rooms are stable now. I won’t invite you in without the others agreeing on it too, but… it’s nice. Having your own space to do with as you please, as barren as it might be at the moment-”

In the time Bubby had spoken, Gordon had walked over to him, now resting his hand on the smaller man’s shoulder.

“Hey, I might not have the biggest savings, but that won’t stop me from helping you guys find stuff for your space, okay? I know a few places we could visit sometime this week! But… first I do want to go shopping with you all to let you pick stuff for your wardrobes!”

Bubby stared up to him, a slightly startled look on his face.

“You’ll… let us… pick?”

Gordon smiled softly, hoping it looked reassuring.

“Of course! As long as you all don’t get me into the reds with your purchases, you are free to pick as many things as you want, now that you all have your own space. Honestly… go wild! Did- Do you think I’d limit you? Bubby, you guys are my friends! If anything, I wholeheartedly encourage you to get lost for hours in the nearby thrift stores and find your own style- HURGH!-

Gordon found himself pulled into a tight hug- which only lasted for two seconds.

As Bubby pulled back, he looked away, brows furrowed.

“Thanks. You- you don’t get how much this means to- ...thank you, Gordon.”

“You’re welcome. Uh… should I go get us some food for when you guys are done or-”

“GOD! YES! Fuck off before this moment gets even more awkward!”, Bubby exclaimed with frustration, a hint of a smile tugging on the edge of his mouth.

Gordon threw up his hand in mock defence, not even trying to hide his grin.

#hlvrai #hlvrai gordon #hlvrai bubby #hlvrai sunkist #metalhead gordon au #fanfic #fanfics #rocking out to metal is one of the healthiest coping mechanisms #also absolutely ALL COMFORT STIMMING

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linerwriter · 5 years

Text

A Distraction

So, uh, I didn’t really plan to make this. It’s more of a vent fic, to be honest.

Fun fact: I have anxiety! And it’s focused mainly on social stuff and the things discussed in this fic! I had an episode yesterday and this kinda came out of it, so I decided to post it because (a) it’s a good fic and (b) I want to raise some kind of awareness for this type of anxiety (where it’s centered more on thoughts produced by the person as opposed to situations).

Warning: if you are not comfortable with the things discussed in this (death, what happens after death, etc.), please don’t read!!! I know my triggers, and if I wasn’t the author of this, I would not read it cause I would not feel comfortable! Please be cautious!

Word count: 1485. For the @linkeduniverse AU.

“I grew up with just my grandma!”

“Oh, really? How’d that go?”

Up ahead of where Wild was walking, his two companions, Wind and Hyrule, were chatting amicably about their families. The three of them had been selected to gather food for dinner, and the hunt had taken them somewhat deep into the woods. Eventually, after Wild had been silent for too long, content to listen to the trees, the others started to entertain themselves.

“It was sad at first,” Wind confessed, “Everyone was kinda just like ‘you’ll get to see them again!’ But they never really thought about how I felt? I mean, sure, I was a little kid, but I still had feelings, ya know?”

Hyrule nodded his head, “I get what you mean. I had a cat when I was really young, and when it died, they all were telling me about how happy he was, and how I’d get to see him again. That stuff was really hurtful!”

Wind suddenly threw his arms up, “It’s like they don’t even care about the remaining family! Like, yeah, I get that they’re gonna go to heaven or whatever, be accepted by the Goddess and all that jazz, but what about the people left behind?”

“Exactly!”

At some point during their conversation, Wild had started to pay attention. His brows furrowed as he thought about his friend’s topic, Accepted by the Goddess, huh? Wonder if that’ll ever happen to me…

He shook his head at the direction his thoughts were taking him, But what happens if it doesn’t? Will I just never wake up again? Slowly, a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time crept up his body. Is it guaranteed that I’ll reach the Goddess?

He took in a sharp breath and banished the thoughts. “Guys,” his raised voice grabbed their attention, “I think we should stop soon. The sun’s going down.”

Wind grinned and started to run back to camp, “Hooray!”

As Hyrule took off after their youngest friend, Wild stared after them. An unreadable expression crossed his face until finally, he followed after them.

That experience, to Wild’s displeasure, stayed with him for many days. It often left him unable to sleep (not a surprise) and irritable (a surprise). He gradually became unfocused and spotty from his lack of sleep, but no matter what the others did to try to get him to speak, nothing worked.

Currently, Wild was attempting to make a nice lunch but was failing miserably. From where he was sitting, Twilight noticed how every few seconds, his friend would close his eyes and dip his head, then startle awake.

“What do you suppose is bothering him?” Time spoke up from where he was whittling something from wood. Twilight shrugged,

“Not sure. No clues besides what Wind and Hyrule told us about their walk a couple days back.”

Time sighed, “He needs to start sleeping again soon. We can’t afford to have one of us indisposed of.”

“I’ve been trying to get him to, but even my other form doesn’t help.” Twilight looked toward his ancestor, “I don’t suppose you know what to do?”

“Not even a speck of an idea.”

Twilight snorted, “Great, thanks for the help.”

“You’re welcome, kid.”

“I take offense to that.”

“You should.”

Twilight turned all the way around, “And here I thought you were just a pleasant old man-”

A shriek interrupted the farmer, gone almost as fast as it was there. The two comrades quickly spun around, eyes looking around the clearing for danger. The truth, however, was much more puzzling.

Wild had, apparently, burned his arm on the cooking pot, which caused a lot of pain to spread before it healed. The odd part happened after. The young soldier had abruptly stood up and was staring at his arm in mild horror, his face a pale white. His chest rose up and down rapidly like he had run a marathon, and his hand started to shake slightly.

Twilight found his voice, “Wild? You okay, buddy?”

Wild slowly tore his eyes away from his limb toward Twilight, and then, without warning, he took off.

Wild didn’t know where he was running to, he just knew he needed to get away. His breath came out in his gasps, so unlike his regular air pattern. He faintly heard a few of the others chasing after him, but he neatly swerved and tumbled around trees and went deeper into the forest, successfully throwing them off him.

At some point, he stopped in front of a serene pond surrounded by flowers. He leaned over the water and hacked out the mucus in his throat. The entire time, thoughts of what could happen plagued his mind.

What if I never die?

What happens if I die?

What happens if I reach the Goddess, but the world ends? Will I still be with her?

What if I become a spirit?

What’s gonna happen?

A scream came out of his throat unwillingly as he scrambled away from the pond, trying to avoid the ideas coming from his mind. “Please, no, go away,” he pleaded into his hands, “Just leave me alone!”

“Woof!”

Wild spun around as Twilight bounded toward him. Unconsciously, he opened his arms to welcome the wolf into his arms, tears he didn’t even realize he was producing staining the mottled gray fur. Twilight nuzzled into Wild’s neck for comfort, but Wild stopped him.

“Twilight,” he panted out, “I don’t need comfort, I need a distraction.”

Without questioning, Twilight transformed back into his human self. “What do you need.”

“Just- talk.”

“Did I ever tell you about the time I embarrassed myself in front of the princess?” The whole time, Twilight had been clutching his friend into his chest. Wild slowly shook his head at the question, his eyes slipping closed to listen to Twilight’s heartbeat.

“Well, I would like it to be known that it was not my fault it occurred,” Twilight started, “It was a bright morning, and I had been at the palace to visit the princess. She doesn’t have many friends, you see, so I visit her every so often to chat. Anyway, as I was walking up to greet her, there was a bucket on the stairwell…”

Twilight continued to talk about everything and nothing for hours, drawing Wild out of the headspace he was in. Gradually, Wild took his face out of Twilight’s and laughed along at the stories Twilight him, about the time he accidentally smashed his town’s biggest pumpkin or when he first broke his arm.

Eventually, though, Twilight had to ask what had happened.

“When Wind, Hyrule and I were getting resources a few days back, they started to talk about their families,” Wild’s eyes dimmed, “And how, when a loved one died, everyone told them they’d see them again with the Goddess.” He took in a shuddering breath, “That got me thinking.”

“About what?” Twilight prompted softly.

“About what’s gonna happen when I die.” Wild sighed out, “These concepts, I thought I was gonna forget them, but they just kept on coming back. I tried so hard, but nothing worked.”

“And it all came to a head today,” Twilight guessed.

Wild nodded, his eyes squeezed shut, “It was terrifying, Twi,” he whispered, “It felt like I was trapped with nowhere to go, like these walls had surrounded me and refused to budge. Looking back on it, it seems surreal that it even happened, but it did.”

Twilight digested what his friend said, “Can you tell me any of the thoughts you had?”

“Stuff about what’s gonna happen, what if nothing does happen, if I die, will I be with the Goddess?” Wild babbled out, “I couldn’t control it. It would jump from one conclusion to the next with no pattern or evidence to back it up besides pure emotion. What’s even worse is the feeling of isolation that came from it.”

“How so?”

“I can’t go into everyone’s mind and see what they’re thinking. How do I know if they’re thinking the same thing as me? I felt like I was the only one aware of what’s gonna happen. Like, how is no one else concerned about it? Do they really have that much faith in the Goddess?” Wild shook his head, “There’s no proof to confirm what happens after death, besides the possibility to become a spirit, but that sounds pretty miserable. So, what will happen when I die? Will I just go, no conscious left? Will I be alone in the dark? I don’t want that to happen, Twilight.”

Twilight’s eyes softened in sympathy as he clutched his friend tightly, “I’ll make sure it won’t. I’ll make Midna pull you out if I have to, make you live with us. Okay?”

Faintly, Wild smiled and sunk into his ancestor’s hold, “Thanks, Twilight. I’ll be sure to hold you to it, if it’s possible.”

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #hero of the wild #hero of twilight #trigger warning #uncomfortable topics discussed #proceed with caution

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littlecafe · 4 years

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ahh if you received my previous ask please ignore it, I just saw your requests list for the astrology playlists!! is it possible to request leo please? c:

hello lovely anon!! thank you for your previous ask and request, i finished it and you can find it here, i hope u enjoy this playlist as much as the others!

as always, the very basics of leo is that it’s a fixed fire sign ruled by the sun, fire signs are passionate, fixed signs are stubborn, and being ruled by the sun gives leo that natural glow and sunny disposition

once you’ve made friends with them, leos are also very generous and loyal people, they love to have fun! leo season is during the hottest part of summer after all~ maybe because of the sun, leos tend to have that dramatic flair like they’re always in the middle of filming a drama of their life and in the same vein leos are also quite romantic

again, similar to the sun, leos usually enjoy a similar spotlight on themselves, they’re leaders, very prideful and confident just like a real lion so you can imagine their ego is very important to them, they enjoy being praised and will hurt if criticized but i did read that leos tend to hide their more insecure side and sometimes end up depending too much on outside praise to fuel themselves so part of a leo’s journey in life is to find that balance and to develop a healthy sense of the self and ego

i won’t be displaying that hidden side of them on this playlist though, and will go full force on the predominant (stereotypical?) leo flare stated in my 3rd text portion, i wanted to make this playlist reminiscent to summer

i want to talk about their ~dramatic~ side first and like i mentioned above it sometimes feel like they’re always playing as the main character in their own drama so i chose songs that have that theatrical feel to them, i would argue that every song has that flare to it but definitely the most dramatic song on the playlist is easily shinee’s woof woof lol

but in addition to that, to kick it up a notch i made the playlist into a small leo “film”: btob’s movie’s intro kicks off the leo’s life reel with the rolling of film, i placed stella jang’s cheerleader mid playlist to act almost like an interlude since it has a different sound than most of the songs (showcasing a sing song rap style), and of course it would be nice to end with dpr live and gray’s action! where live rolls out the “credits”himself in the outro of the song wrapping up this “film” playlist nicely

their confidence and ego is shown in lyrics! of course the chosen lyric line for leo was from hyuna’s lip & hip: “today, i’m the queen / just standing next to me makes you the king / a lot of men want me but it’s you i pick”, there’s also girl’s day’s i’ll be yours where they are in charge confidently saying “want me? i’ll be yours” and “if you hesitate, you’ll lose me”, lastly, hi suhyun’s i’m different which, i think you can tell from their title, talks about how they are different from other girls, “stop hesitating, hurry and come into me”

the last big topic i’m breaking down is their romantic side which again is shown through lyrics: day6′s man in a movie talks about the moment of meeting the one you love, like a moment in a movie (young k wrote the song based on movies he watched too, specifically “me before you”), stella jang’s cheerleader takes love a bit comically, the chorus reads “no money no car no rolex, but i am happy with you alone / i got you and you got me and we got us” so a more fun take on the ‘even if we’re poor, we still have love’ kinda thing

also i’m not sure where this falls, but i wanted to show a small nod to leo and nostalgia, of course it is not the extent of cancer and holding onto memories, but leo’s do enjoy looking back on good times, they’re especially fond of memories where they felt good! so of course i cannot personalize this to every leo thus i used my own memories instead and put in two songs that remind me of the past which are snsd’s dancing queen, which was filmed in 2008 and supposed to be their title track but ultimately replaced by gee and was not released until their i got a boy album in 2012, and f(x)’s ending page which just has a very nostalgic feel to me no other reason sakjfsdfs

that’s pretty much all the things i wanted to talk about in terms of the playlist! i’m super happy with how i organized this sajkfhsdf peak brain activity lmao but i hope you guys feel the same, that the playlist feels like a summer movie for leo season ☀️

#ofc dancing queen is also famous for being in the tune of duffy's mercy #but actually if sm released it as previously planned it would have been released a month before duffy released mercy #but gee was an absolute hit so there's that #anyways!! i hope u enjoy the playlist i think it's a very fun one as expected for our sunny fire sign #Anonymous

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iblue-kitzune · 5 years

Text

Of Rising Calamities Beyond the Cosmos: Chapter 10

A/N: And now we have arrived at the final chapter guys! This one is a bit special because it serves as both a regular epilogue (NOTE: There’s a bit of time-skip in here just to let y’all know) and a Halloween chapter, so it’s a half-and-half kind of deal if you want to look at it that way.

So, with that out of the way now, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Happy Halloween everyone!

Droplets of water fell from the air and onto the rocky floor below, which was littered with puddles in every direction Jane looked. And the young woman took care to avoid stepping in one as she walked deeper and deeper into the darkness, a single blue flame lit in the palm of her hand to light her path up ahead.

“[Tell me again why are we exploring this dingy and damp dungeon?]”

“[Jane said she wanted to investigate this place a little bit more thoroughly this time.]”

“[Then why did she send a clone in place of herself and have the three of us accompany it?]”

“[Maybe she thought the monsters and wild animals wouldn’t dare approach her at the sight of us being by her side? I don’t know! I’m not exactly a mind reader or know the woman’s thoughts like you two think I do just because I spend more time with—]”

“Raiden! Gale! Inferno!” the three great spirits went quiet at the sharp voice of the clone and looked up. “I can hear you three you know...despite your whispering,” the trio sweat-dropped and turned their heads away from the moody half-spirit.

‘Finally...’ Jane let out an inaudible sigh when her great spirit companions switched to a different topic. Thank god for that. She didn’t have to listen to either of them complain anymore—even though most of it came from Raiden.

But she wasn’t focused on that. Right now, she just wanted to pass this section of dungeon and get to the next level.

And sure, it’s been a while since she’s last been down here, but it’s not like Jane had forgotten the layout of the cavern.

The floor above her, she knew by heart now. This one, however, not so much.

‘All the more reason to check it out.’

When the young woman found this cave two months ago and started to explore it, she made sure that she memorized all of the pathways and secret crevices in this area—well this floor at least, before she left. But now that there weren’t any pressing issues at hand here or any type of commotion happening outside of the cave, she was free to investigate this place without worry for the time being.

There was just so much energy she could feel in here, and so many shiny objects she could see around her, twinkling within the cracks embedded into the walls, and ceiling. All of them had an iridescent glow to them, and all of them were glowing a different color—from golden white, seafoam green, and baby blue to periwinkle, alexandrite, and coral pink. Any one of these could a rare item or ingredient for something; however, Jane wasn’t so sure about that.

‘Maybe I should take a look first.’

The young half-spirit stopped to pull out an empty transparent container with a handle on the top, and set it on the ground. She kneeled, and with her free hand, Jane tapped on it. A small section of the container glowed white and opened up with a chilling swoosh. Then she carefully stuck her fireball inside before pulling her hand back out, watching the hole close up and disappear.

Satisfied with her work, she moved away from her makeshift lantern and stood halfway up, making sure to crouch on the balls of her feet. And once she did, the clone of Jane bounded high into the air with just a single leap and latched onto one of the stalagmites hanging from the ceiling.

‘Wow!’ her eyes turned into stars at the sight of many items and gems staring at her right in the face. ‘There’s so stuff...huh?’ she trailed off with a silent gasp. But that didn’t last long as the look of excitement entered her golden brown-amber eyes, and replaced her awe.

‘Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?!’

She was in heaven right now, and rightfully so because she could see a bunch of stuff on the ceiling and higher end of the walls ranging from bottle based items:

Holy Bottle, Dark Bottle, Life Bottle, Panacea Bottle, and Syrup Bottle

To tool based items:

Banrea, All-Divide, Hourglass, Spectacles, Dried Peels, and Goat Horn

And medicine based items:

Lemon Gel, Melange Gel, Miracle Gel, Pine Gel, and Elixir

It was hard to believe that she was seeing all of this in one place since they would normally be spread out throughout the cave, or just be hidden in some obscure spot no one would bother to check, especially if it’s not sticking out in the open. But Jane wasn’t like others, and she wasn’t the type to pass up on stuff like this just sitting out here.

She was like a collector of sorts, and sometimes she likes to stock up on these items for future use. And whatever’s left that she doesn’t use, she mixes them together—much to the surprise of her friends who thought she was crazy for doing something potentially dangerous like that.

To her and everyone else’s shock, the mixed components come out looking totally different. They become a completely new item, medicine, or tool. One with brand new properties that changes after each use. It was something her and her friends had never seen before, and Jane loved it—so did Tony, Bruce, Peter, Shuri, and Strange (to some extent), who were like scientists in their own way as they, too, tended to experiments with things from time to time, magic or not.

Plus, it’s not like she can help it. She was a scientist—and a brilliant one who won the Nobel Prize many years ago at that!

And as such, Jane felt obligated to mix components with others and see what comes out of it. If the experiment turned out to be a successful one, then the next logical step would be the test the bad boy out and see what it does. If she likes the results of her fruits of her labor, she will keep the finished product and think about making duplicates in the future—which, nine times out of ten, she does.

However, if the whole thing turned out to be a failure in the end, then Jane saw no reason to continue working with the components. She would just dispose of them in the biohazard bin she keeps in her lab.

‘It’s a good thing I found these things. I was just beginning to get low on all of this stuff,’ the clone said as she proceeded to pick them all out of the cracks of the walls and ceilings with her telekinesis.

Two minutes later after gathering all sixteen items and arranging them in a giant ball, the young half spirit took out a black-light blue accented bag that had a star shaped zipper on it, and unzipped the thing. The pile fell neatly inside, and Jane zipped the bag up before making it vanish back into her pocket dimension.

“[Are you done with collecting items, Jane?]” she heard Gale ask, and looked down at him and the other two great spirits, who were all patiently waiting on her.

“Yeah!” she answered and let go of the stalagmite. “For now I am,” the young woman quickly added once she landed safely on the rocky ground.

Raiden pinched the bridge of his nose while Inferno and Gale sighed to themselves.

The clone gave them an apologetic smile before she picked up her lantern, turned on her heel, and took off with a light dash, then heard the three flying after her seconds later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thousands upon thousands of miles away from Snow Lunar Island, and somewhere in London, two animals sat on the front lawn of a huge two-story, thirty-eight hundred square-foot home that had a large walkway area leading over to the garage on the other side, and leading down to the sidewalk where a mailbox stood in place.

The first animal was a large midnight blue and pale yellow dog with extra fur that was colored black on its back and fluffy tail, which was tipped magenta at the end, black hind paws, black tipped pointy ears, and magenta eyes while the second animal was a large royal purple and white bird with teal colored markings on the sides of its cheeks, the inner lining of its wings and the tips of its feathered tails, which were also tipped white, yellow talons, and teal eyes.

The two were currently playing a game of fetch with Darcy, who decided to come out here and play with Jane’s pets. No offense to her friend or anything, but she got tired of waiting in the lab on Jane to finish streaming the mini expedition her clone, Inferno, Gale, and Raiden were on.

As exciting as it was to see what the inside of that mysterious cave was like on one of the three twenty-four inch screen desktop computers of Jane’s, she got really bored thirty minutes into the video when nothing of interest was happening. And so, she told Jane that she’ll be outside with Luna and Raymond, who is called Ray for short, sometimes—but only by his owner and her closest friends.

And that happened an hour ago.

“Luna!” she shouted, grabbing the dog’s attention, “Fetch!” and tossed a red ball with a white strip filled with black diamonds on it up in the air.

Luna barked and ran after it; however, Raymond, who she thought of like a little brother to her, swooped down and quickly yet carefully caught the ball with his talons. She stared in disbelief at the bird, who gave her a bird-like cry of laughter, and flew over to the human woman.

Darcy sweat-dropped and caught the ball Raymond dropped in her right hand. “Sorry Luna! I guess Ray beat ya to it!” she said to dog and almost rolled her eyes at the display of Ray puffing his chest out in pride. “Wanna try again?”

Luna narrowed her magenta eyes and nodded in determination.

“Woof!”

Before she could get ready, however, her ears perked up at the sound of an engine from a vehicle pulling up in front of the house. When she turned around and saw a dark haired man and light haired woman get out of a red SUV, her eyes lit up at the sight of them and three other people climbing out from the backseat.

“Woof, woof!” she ran over to them with Raymond flying overhead not too far from her.

Darcy looked up to see the two getting petted by Kagome, Sota, Morgan, Pepper, and Tony. Then all of a sudden, she remembered what today was and what was supposed to take place at the Devil May Cry shop tonight.

‘Oh shit! I totally forgot about that!’ she panicked a bit on the inside, and before she could say anything, the Stark family walked up to her with Luna and Raymond in tow.

“Hello Darcy. How are you doing this evening?” Pepper, who was dressed up in a modest-looking devil costume, greeted her with a small smile.

“Splendid,” she answered part truthfully before looking down to see Morgan, who was in a cute little fairy costume. The little girl ran up to her and hugged her. “Oh you look adorable, Morgan!” she cooed.

“Thank you Auntie Darce!” the little six year old said with a big smile on her face.

The young woman grinned down and patted the young girl on her head with her left hand. Though she laughed when Morgan pulled back and gave her a pout before deciding to turn away in the other direction, as if she was saying “don’t look”, to fix her hair.

“So are you, Jane, and Lady ready for the Halloween party yet?” Tony, who was dressed up in a handsome pirate costume, asked, raising a brow at her casual state of her appearance.

Darcy sweat-dropped. “Eh, not exactly,” she said with a slow shrug until she brightened up and waved her hand in reassurance. “But you guys can wait inside the living room while Jane, Lady, and I go get ready.”

The Stark family looked at each other then back at the young woman.

“That’s fine with us,” Pepper replied.

Darcy nodded and led the family along with Jane’s pets up the walkway to the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane stared at her desktop monitor, watching her clone and the three great spirits arrive inside of a brightly lit room filled with shiny gems that were embedded in the stalagmites hanging from the cavern ceiling. There was also some kind of runes, black in color, etched onto the walls, giant potholes that were either filled up with water or had a large glowing gem stuck inside of it on the ground, and a bunch of floating platforms gathered around a circle of sharp pillars that contained an unidentified rune inside.

“I sense a large amount of mana and some other kind of energy in this room,” she heard her clone speak.

“[Yes, I sense it too. And it seems to be coming from both the rune behind those pillars and further down the path I see up ahead.]”

‘In that case...’ Jane narrowed her eyes before pressing a button on the side of the wireless headphones she had on her head. “Alright, listen up you four!” she spoke into the built-in mic of her headphones. “Inferno, I want you and my clone to stay there and check out the rune. Run an analysis on it with the Magi Analyzer Spectro-Rod. And in the meantime, Raiden and Gale can go further into the cave and check the other sections out with the other six MASRs. Got it?”

“Yeah! / [Yes!]”

The young half spirit watched her clone pull out twelve intricate-looking silver and violet colored rods with shiny red gems on top of them, and distribute the items amongst her companions evenly.

With their equipment in hand, the group fanned out and got to work.

‘This will take a while.’

Jane pushed away from her computer desk and leaned back in her rolling chair. Seeing as the young woman had no further instructions to give to the group, she was in the mood for a little break. Maybe she can sneak in a small nap while she was at it too?

“Hey Jane!”

Well so much for that idea.

‘Aw screw it! I’ll just have another me take over.”

With a few simple gestures of her hand, Jane summoned another clone, making it appear by her side in a flash of red flames. Then she took off her headphones and turned to face the second clone. “Since there’s a high chance that Darcy is calling me to either come do something for her or drag me out of the house with her somewhere, stay here and watch the video and the other desktop monitor. Give more instructions to the group if you have to, okay?” she told her and handed them over to her.

Her second clone nodded and took the headphones, putting them on right away.

“Jane!”

A small sigh left the young astrophysicist’s mouth as she rolled around in her chair and faced her ex-intern and best friend, who was standing in the doorway of her lab and panting out of exhaustion.

“I thought you said you were going to be outside with Luna and Ray for a while? And why in the world do you look so out of breath?” she frowned at her.

“I was at first but then Tony and his family stopped by, so I told them they can wait in the living room while I come get you,” Darcy answered. “Oh and the reason why I’m so tired is because I ran up the stairs to put your pets in your room then ran back downstairs and came over here.”

Jane sat up. “Huh? Why didn’t they call—oh...” she leaped from her chair, her eyes wide in shock. “Oh god! They came to pick us up for the party at Dante’s place tonight, right?” the young woman grabbed her clone, who was looking so puzzled by what was going on, and sat her down in the chair. “Darcy! Why didn’t you remind me?” she moved away and rushed past her best friend.

Thankfully, Darcy moved out of the way in time to avoid getting ran over by her former boss who already bolted out the door and into the hallway.

“Hell if I know! Look, how the heck was I supposed to remind you if I forget about the whole thing myself?” she whined at the older woman and ran after her, but not before shutting the lab door closed.

“That’s surprising to hear coming from someone like you who loves parties,” Jane said over shoulder at Darcy, who caught up with her.

Darcy rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Let’s just hurry up and get dressed in our rooms then see if Lady’s up yet—”

“There’s no need for that,” came the muffled voice of Lady.

The two women looked up to see their other roommate standing at the end of the hallway, already decked out in an elegant kitsune costume she was wearing for the night. And to complete the look, she had a mask on her face that came with it too.

“You two are the only ones that are not ready. We have three hours until the party starts at seven. I suggest you hurry up on upstairs to your rooms and get dressed so that all eight of us can leave the house and get there on time,” she continued and turned around. “I’ll be waiting in the living room with Tony and his family in the meantime.”

Then she was gone.

“Let’s go before she comes back here and yells at us.”

“Yeah, good idea.”

The two quickly made it out of the hall, passing through the lobby area, and headed up the long stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two hours have gone by since Lady had last seen her two roommates on the first floor hallway, and she was starting to get a little anxious now. They were starting to run out of time. Sure the drive from here to the shop wasn’t far—just a thirty minute drive...if you don’t count running into any traffic along the way, but she rather be safe than sorry, and show up at the party on time. It was a routine of sorts she got into since she started working as a devil hunter all those years back and had to meet up with her clients at the destination on time, something that they —and even Vergil, who teamed up with her a few times in the past on missions, and he always made a point to meet up with her halfway so that they can head over to their client’s destination together— appreciated her greatly about.

‘Unbelievable...what are those two taking so long for?’ Lady thought to herself in irritation as she sat on the couch in between Kagome and Sota, who were watching and laughing in joy at their little sister standing in the middle of the living room, posing for the pictures that Pepper and Tony were taking on their phones.

Just when the devil huntress was thinking about getting up from the couch to check up on Jane and Darcy, she felt both of their presences walked into the room.

“Okay guys, we’re ready!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the two, a collective gasp leaving their mouths at the sight of them.

First up was Jane. The young woman wore a long dark robe with pale yellow accents and a star symbol on the hood over a midnight bluish-black skin tight sleeveless tunic that had a glowing white star (with a black diamond inside of it) marking on top of an upside glowing white crescent moon sitting on her chest, which had a few stars scattered about. She also wore a full lavender and glowing white accented waist cape-like cloth —that had a slit in the front, back, and both sides— with an intricate pale yellow metallic belt on top, some black tights that were tucked into her tall brown heeled boots, and a long light purple vest with a pale yellow accented high collar that also had a transparent vest in the form of a cloth attached to it on top, and it stopped just a few inches above her ankles.

Then finally, to top the whole look off, Jane wore some large curled dark horns on top of her long stylized white wig, pale yellow contacts over her eyes, and fake elven midnight blue ears over her real ones. She also painted her eyebrows white, painted both her face and whole body midnight blue, and painted some white stars on her bare arms, hands, cheeks, and the bridge of her nose.

“So, what do you think?”

Up next was Darcy. She wore modest-looking one-piece black tube top and purple tights outfit that had small violet bat symbols on her legs, brown arm warmers with white fluff over her bare arms, and some black high-heeled boots on her feet.

Then to top the whole look off, Darcy wore some black-purple bat wings on the sides of her long stylized green wig and her waist, and green contacts over her eyes.

“Beautiful / Pretty costumes!” Pepper and Morgan cooed in unison.

Sota, who was dressed up in a jester costume, and Kagome, who was dressed up in a witch costume, looked at the two with impressed eyes.

“So cool! You nailed that one star-touched dude from The Dragon Prince down pretty well, Auntie!” Sota said with a grin.

Kagome rolled her eyes at her brother, “His name was Aaravos I believe, Sota...” and turned to her other aunt with a smile. “Anyway, your Morrigan looks wonderful, Auntie Darcy.”

The two said nothing as they beamed under their praises and compliments.

“Well...” Lady began as she and the Starks stood from the couch. “I think it’s about time we head out now.”

They all nodded and headed out of the living room, making their way over to the front door. Jane opened it, letting everyone else out first before stepping outside herself and locked the door behind her. Then she ran to catch up with the others who were waiting for her by Tony’s rental SUV.

It only took a few minutes for everyone to pile in the vehicle and buckle themselves in before taking off down the road.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The made it to Devil May Cry, which had been heavily remodeled since anyone’s (except for Lady) last been there, with two minutes left to spare. And the group met up with Nero along with Jude, Elize, Teepo, and Alvin, who were all wearing costumes, inside.

Then after walking further into the shop, they came across the Sparda twins, Trish, Patty, Nico, Nero’s wife: Kyrie, Jude’s childhood friend: Leia, Kagome’s friends: Shippo, Miroku, and Sango, Clint and his family, Bruce, Bucky, and Peter hanging out in the huge living room.

And since everyone was here now—at least the ones who were invited and able to attend, music started blasting through the speakers that were set up by the wall, signifying that the party has begun. It was also at this time the kids and teenagers went upstairs on the second floor to have their own party in one of the back rooms while the adults stayed downstairs and had their own.

Throughout the whole night, Jane and all the other adults played many games:

First, they bobbed for apples. And Dante was the only one out of everyone else that was able to snag the most apples from the bucket with Nero coming in second place, Clint in third, Tony and Jane tying in fourth, and everyone else following up after.

Second, they had a drinking contest. And surprisingly enough, Jane and Lady —who weren’t really casual drinkers compared to some of their friends— along with Bucky drank those who participated (Nico, Nero, Alvin, Clint, Tony, Miroku, Sango, Leia, and Trish) under the table.

Third, they all participated in a dance off competition that was held in one of the rooms next over after drinking some water and eating some snacks, which were laced with magic, that sobered them up. Too bad the whole dance thing ended up being awkward for some since they weren’t dancers; however, Dante, Darcy, and Sota slayed the competition with their smooth moves. So in the end, they ended up out dancing them and the ones who already knew how to dance.

And finally, they held a quick costume competition to see who had the best one of them all. It was no surprise that Jane ended being first place winner with Lady coming in second place and Darcy coming in third place.

The party started winding down near ten o’ clock, and by the time eleven o’ clock rolled around, everyone started cleaning up their mess. Due to their combined efforts, the whole group finished putting everything back where they belonged twenty minutes. Then everyone said their goodbyes to each other, and the Sparda twins along with Trish escorted their friends out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Hey Jane...”

The young woman stopped in her tracks, letting Darcy and Lady walk past her towards their home, and turned around to see Tony rolling the passenger window down.

“Yes?” she asked, walking up to the vehicle. Then she blinked in shock when the man picked up a metallic case and held it out to her out the window. “What’s this?” the young half-spirit took the case and looked at it curiously. “What’s in here—” Jane trailed off with wide eyes when she felt the familiar presence of a certain infinity stone inside.

“Think of it as a “trick-or-treat” from me. I want you to look after the thing from now on—at least for a little while until we find a better place to stash the stone...” at Jane's confused look, Tony went ahead and told the woman point blank, “Reindeer Games’ been looking for it. Well, only after he left that morning before you and the others did and came back two weeks later.”

“I see...” Jane mumbled, taking a look around the area to make sure there weren’t any lurkers nearby. When she sensed none, she vanished the case away and asked, “Has he been causing you guys any trouble or bothering you?” in a serious voice.

Pepper frowned from her spot in the driver’s seat. “Other than the few unannounced visits he’s made here and there at our home, no. He’s been strangely compliant with us after Tony and I discovered him playing with Morgan out in our front yard, disguised as a black cat with green eyes no less, one day. Then, we sat him down before he could make his escape and had a nice, long chat with him after that,” she explained.

“That is strange,” Jane looked down with a muse.

“We haven’t heard anything “disastrous” on the news this past month-and-a half, so we assume the guy isn’t causing any trouble,” Tony added. “Then again, as long as Rock of Ages isn’t trying to cause chaos anywhere, take over a city, or kill anyone, Pep and I don’t care what he does in his free time. He can stay here on Earth without any complaints from us. And we won’t take any action against him either as long as he doesn't do any of those three things I listed there.”

Jane nodded. “Do the other Avengers know? And did they agree with this decision?”

Tony gave her a sly smile. “They do now. I told them during our little “get together” kind of meeting we held at the Tower last week, but that was only after the guy appeared and played a little harmless prank on us before disappearing. The gang weren’t too happy about it in the beginning, which I can understand. But in the end, they reluctantly agreed with my wife and I’s decision,” he explained. “I have no idea what Reindeer Games wants with the Tesseract—which the team also knows about too by the way. But anyhow, that’s not the point! From what Nero, Lady, and Kagome told me, he seems to gets along with you pretty well...” there was something in his tone of voice that made Jane want to glare at him.

But before she could do so, Tony continued on—and in a normal voice this time. “So, if you happen to run into him in the future, can you try to get an idea of what his motives for the stone are?”

Jane looked up. “I was already thinking about doing that actually,” she replied, repressing a sigh back.

“Oh good!” he sighed in relief. Then he cheered up and gave her a grin. “Well, have a good night Jane!”

“You too! And thanks for dropping me and the girls off, Pepper!” she waved at them both with a smile on her face. “Have a safe trip back to the hotel!”

The two waved back before the window rolled up and the SUV took off.

Three minutes passed by with nothing but serene silence. And once she no longer saw her friend’s rental vehicle in the distance, Jane turned around and started walking towards her home, the one she shared with Lady and Darcy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The clone slowly looked up at the sound of door opening up behind her, and she turned around to see Jane, who was still in her Aaravos costume, standing in the doorway of the lab.

“Did you capture anything good?” she asked, watching over to her.

Without saying anything, the second clone nodded and stood up from the chair, removing the headphones from her head as she did so with a sleepy look on her face.

Jane took the headphones from her then walked right past the clone and stopped in front of the desk. She raised a brow and leaned down to take a closer look at her screen monitor. Even though there was no video showing now, she could see that it had been downloaded and saved right to her desktop along with a new file that she never seen before right next to it. “Hmm...” her eyes narrowed at the title typed on it. “Data Findings from The Cave on Snow Lunar Island,” she quietly read out loud.

‘This will be interesting to look through...’

The young woman placed her headphones down before straightening herself back up. And she stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, slowly going over what she read in her head. ‘But I’ll do that another day. Too damn tired at the moment to do really anything productive,’ she said to herself while covering up a yawn. ‘Now then...’ she uncrossed her arms and turned her attention back on the silent clone. “Since I felt my first clone dismiss herself about an hour ago, I’m gonna assume that Inferno and the other two went home already. Am I right?” at her nod, Jane continued. “Alright then, nice work. I don’t need you anymore for the night,” she said to the clone before sending her off as well.

Once she vanished, Jane shut her computer down and turned it off. “Time to go shower now then head to bed,” she mumbled, sleepily, and walked away.

However, in the midst of her wanting to hurry up and leave the room, there were a few strands of black fur and faint claw marks left behind on the floor, sitting oh-so innocently next to the computer desk that she completely missed earlier.

CLICK!

The door shut closed.

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