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chellestrash · 10 months

Text

Private Matters

Chapter IV (18+)

Cam Boy! Frank Castle x Female Reader

Story summary: After stumbling upon a cam website one night you quickly discover your favorite streamer. Unable to get the thoughts and images of him out of your mind you decide to become a supporter and the two of you grow closer to each other over time. Things get complicated when your close friend, neighbor and crush decides to express his feelings for you.

Chapter summary: Its finally the day. Your date with Frank is happening and you couldn't be happier. Everything is perfect...right? Well, everything except for a very small detail you can't get out of your head, and you're not sure how to tell him.

Chapter Warnings: Explicit language, explicit sexual content, swearing, alcohol, slight angst.

Word count: 4.1k

A/N: Thank you for all the support for this series i’m so so sorry it takes me so long to get the chapters out! I work, I’m busy i had a lot to do but it’s finally here! Chapter IV. I hope you’ll enjoy it, comments, reblogs and feedback are always so so appreciated, i love reading what you guys thing about it! Thank you @chelseasdagger for all the work and support!

Date with Frank.

That’s the first thing on your mind the moment you get out of bed that day and the main thing on your mind throughout the morning. It didn't really seem like one of those things you could shove to the back of your head and not think about it for the rest of the day. Whether you liked it or not, you kept coming back to the moment he asked you, and the moment you agreed. Your friend mentioned she couldn't possibly tell which one of you looked happier about it, and that little detail she was kind enough to point out, made your cheeks get warmer every time your brain reminded you about it.

“Stupid.”

You mumble out, catching yourself getting more excited about this than you'd like to admit.

“Morning.”

You send a quick text to Frank and the reply comes in almost instantly.

“Hey! Today still happening?”

You catch yourself smiling at your phone and quickly clear your throat, attempting to shake off the excitement again.

“Yeah, haven't changed my mind since yesterday.”

“Okay, good, can stop worrying now.”

“Frank castle worried? About me?”

You chuckle at his short response.

“Shut up.”

“So you have anything going on today?”

He follows up before you can type out an answer.

“Oh, just this date later on, probably around 8? You don't know the guy, you wouldn't like him. His name is Frank?”

“...”

“Smartass.”

You feel the butterflies in your stomach as you picture his slightly annoyed expression, and then roll your eyes at your own feelings. Sitting here, smiling at the texts on your phone? Really?

“So 8?”

He asks, and you send another message confirming the hour.

“See you at 8 then?”

“See you at 8.”

You smile again before grabbing your cheeks to fight back the smile.

“Stop it!”

You fight with yourself for another moment before setting your phone down on the table and deciding to take care of everything that needs to get done, just so you wouldn’t have to think about other things during the date. A little favor for your future self.

***

The day goes by relatively quickly, and before you know it, it’s time to start getting ready. You pick an outfit—nothing too fancy but not too plain either, a nice pair of flattering pants and a slightly tight-fitting shirt. You’re only grabbing a couple beers, some drinks…with Frank…your Frank. The realization makes you feel gradually more tense as the time approaches 8pm. You feel thankful when your phone goes off and quickly check the text that just came through.

“Leaving my place now.”

You read and chuckle at the thought of Frank, your next door neighbor, texting you the moment he leaves his flat to let you know he's on his way…in the hall, to pick you up.

Seconds later, Frank knocks on your door and you quickly make your way over to let him in.

“You got my text?”

He asks, pointing at his phone, and you shake your head in disbelief.

“Yeah, thanks for letting me know so I'd have time to get ready.”

Frank smiles, and something in that smile makes your knees a little weaker. His outfit is similarly casual to yours, jeans and a shirt you haven't seen him in before. Did he buy it?

“Oh, you're so welcome.”

Frank's eyes glance over you as he looks you up and down, unable to stop himself.

"Shit."

He whispers and you frown.

"That bad, huh?"

"What?"

Frank asks, confused, almost worried.

"You said ‘Shit’."

"What? Oh! Shit no! No no, no no just- I-I you-"

He sighs, dropping his head low before glancing up at you.

"Listen, I just - think you look great...it slipped out."

"Mhm."

You nod with a smile, deciding to stop teasing that poor man, at least for now.

"So do you, Frank."

"Naaah, not next to you."

Shaking your head again, you grab your phone and quickly check yourself in the mirror one last time.

“You ready?”

Frank nods and takes a step to the side, getting out of your way to let you out of your apartment.

“Yes ma’am.”

It would be a lie if you told yourself you never wondered what a date with Frank would look like. You never really thought it would actually happen, but you did wonder, you couldn't help it. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, you've thought about him in that context. You had ideas, but you'd never think it would feel this…natural? Comfortable?

Frank seemed a bit nervous at first, just like he did a couple of days ago before actually asking you out, but that didn't bother you. You were nervous for a moment at first too, but quickly relaxed as the conversation flowed, the jokes landed and the music at the bar worked for both you and your date.

Frank was, actually, probably one of the best dates you've had in a while. Not sure why you'd expect anything different, you knew how good of a friend he was. The whole evening he looked after you, making sure you were safe and comfortable. His eyes never left you as he listened to your stories, answered your questions and laughed at your jokes.

The laugh reminded you of something, something or someone you couldn't really work out at that moment, but it sounded familiar. Not familiar in a way that you've heard Frank laugh before, of course you did, but…there was something more to that familiarity. Since you couldn't work it out, you decided to ignore it for the time being, focusing back on the man on the opposite side of the small bar table.

“You come here often, then?”

Frank speaks out a bit louder than usual, trying to talk over the live music, after looking around the interior of the place.

“Why? Wanna ask me out?”

You smirk, sucking the straw from your cocktail into your mouth. You watch his head drop with a loud laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, something like that.”

“Ahhh… I don't know if you're my type.”

“Oh really? What's your type, then?”

Frank looks up, waiting for you to keep talking.

“Oh you know, big guys, scary looking, assholes…you know what? That sounds a bit like you?”

He scoffs, looking off to the side, shaking his head before looking back at you.

“Really?”

You nod, a big smile still on your face.

“Yeah, but it's fine. Like I said, that's kinda my type.”

Frank smirks, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah? And how's that working out for you?"

Your mouth falls open and he laughs loudly, you follow soon after.

"Well...I’d say pretty damn well, managed to get you out."

"Oh, you got me out?"

"Mhm."

You continue to tease him.

"Oh, that's interesting, yeah, that's good to know."

"Yeah?"

You ask innocently, and Frank laughs quietly, the crinkles by his eyes so prominent when you make him smile. He raises his hand to order another beer for himself and a drink for you.

***

“So, what's your type?”

You ask when Frank gets back from the bar with drinks for both of you.

“My type?”

You nod quickly, curious.

“Don't really have one.”

You give him the look that can only mean a slightly disappointed “really?” and he quickly continues.

“Why'd you wanna know? Wanna ask me out?”

He plays your card, and you feel your whole face lighting up.

“I don't knoooow, maybe? So, will you tell me?”

Frank takes a drink from the beer bottle and for a second you get lost in the way his lips wrap around the rim, his Adam’s apple moving with every sip, and you have to stop your thoughts from taking you somewhere else. He frowns, knowing you well enough to assume you wouldn't just give up on the question.

“Right, tell you what.”

He starts, scrunching up his nose before he bites into his lip. He spins you around, so you face the dart board on a wall on the other side of the bar.

“You win that, you get an answer “

You think about the offer and look back at him over your shoulder.

“Bit of a shitty move since I already told you mine.”

He scoffs, shaking his head with a big smile, before giving you another moment to decide.

“What if I lose?”

You ask and he shrugs.

“You buy the next beer.”

You pretend to ponder on the offer for another moment before nodding slowly.

“Deal.”

***

At the end of the night, Frank offers you his jacket and you two make your way back to your building. Walking right by your side the entire time, Frank makes sure to keep your arms linked together. By doing this, he keeps you close, safe and warm the entire time. You think back to the many times you've walked this road on your own and feel thankful for having Frank by your side at this moment.

“Want me to walk you home?”

He asks when you stop by the door to his apartment out of habit.

“You mean to the other end of the hall?”

You point over your shoulder, and he tilts his head to the side with that goddamn smile. The smile that can make you so comfortable and so nervous at the same time, you feel insane sometimes.

“Yeah, okay, I could get jumped on my way there or something.”

You turn around and Frank follows, hands in his pockets, his shoulder touching yours as he walks by your side.

“Or trip.”

He points out, and you huff out a quiet laugh.

“I didn't drink THAT much.”

You lean on your door, resting your back against it and look up at the man in front of you.

“So.”

You nod towards your apartment.

“This is me.”

“Oh yeah?”

Franks inspects the door like he's seeing it for the first time.

“Mhm.”

You wait a moment, expecting him to start talking again. But Frank turns back to you, stepping forward, a bit closer now, looking down into your eyes. You feel your heart jump slightly, your pulse getting a little faster as your eyes drop to his lips before glancing back up into his gaze.

“Listen the-"

He starts, his brows furrowing as he tries to pick the right words.

“Was nice…the date, I mean I-you.”

He sighs. Looking off to the side, he shakes his head at his own words, before turning back to face you.

“You had fun?”

A simple question followed by a slight tilt of his head that makes him look probably the least intimidating you've ever seen him look. Almost like a puppy, trying to figure out the words spoken to them by their owner.

You nod, confirming your answer with a sly smirk.

“I meaaaan…could've been worse, you did good, Castle.”

“Yeah?”

Frank asks, and you catch him now glancing down at your lips.

“Mhm.”

You nod, it's gentle this time, and your lips part slightly as you decide to lean closer towards him.

“And you? Hmm?”

There's no real reason to ask now, not when you can clearly see the words fly over his head. A silent nod from him remains your only response as the distance between you two closes slowly.

“Mhm.”

He answers, and you chuckle, squinting your eyes as you lean your head to the side, now taking the lead in the conversation.

“Yeah?”

You nod, questioning him again, and Frank repeats your movements. His eyes are not leaving your lips; yours not living his, as you two move closer and closer together.

“So, do you-”

He starts, and you agree silently, your breathing speeding up as you feel your heart pounding harder in your chest now. Leaning back on the door, you hand the key over to Frank, and he unlocks it before pushing it open the moment you pull him into the kiss.

“Shit.”

Frank mumbles out your name, pulling you closer to him before kicking the door shut, his hand now resting on the side of your waist.

“You sure about this?”

“Frank, please?”

You mumble against him and feel his lips pressing against yours almost immediately. His hand rests on the side of your neck, his fingers brushing over the side of your jaw as he holds you close to him.

“Oh, shit”

He starts.

“Mmm.”

A quiet hum slips past your mouth as you feel his tongue pushing past your lips.

“Mmm, fuck-”

You whine despite your better judgment. Your hand drops between his legs and you rub over the bulge in his pants. Frank's hips push into your hand, and when you push your palm against him harder, his lips slip away from you. A loud grunt against the side of your neck.

“Shit, Sweetheart.”

The pet name almost makes you whine out loud, but you attempt to stop yourself as your thoughts conveniently send you back to one of the livestreams you've watched before.

Your eyes shoot open, and you shake yourself out of it, glancing down at Frank. His lips are still on your neck, making it easier to focus on him again.

You cup his face to tilt him up and Frank stands up, straighter in front of you now. Pulling you closer to him again, his lips find yours, and you two stumble towards the couch in the middle of your living room. Frank hooks one arm around your waist, his forearm and palm pushing against your back, before lifting you up.

You gasp, holding onto him as he sets you down on the couch. You lay on your back, your heart speeding up and your breathing shortening as you watched him unbuckle his belt. Your legs push together while your brain once again reminds you of a similar scene from one of the livestreams. You fight the urge to close your eyes and focus on the thought and, instead, reach out to gesture for Frank to come closer.

“Come here.”

You whisper under your breath, and Frank lets you pull him closer. Leaning over you, he spreads your legs open, pushing his thighs between yours before his hand holds your face again and the kisses resume.

Pushing back the guilt slowly rising inside you, you focus on the buttons of Frank's shirt, pushing your legs together slightly as you feel the weight of him grinding against you.

His hands slip under your shirt and you lift your arms up, allowing him to slip the fabric up and off of your chest. After tossing the shirt onto the floor, Frank quickly gets rid of his as well. His eyes jump around your face, and you fight the urge to avoid eye contact for a while before finally looking away.

“You okay?”

He sounds concerned, and his question makes you feel even worse. You can't explain it, not now, not here. You're not even completely sure if you'd be able to explain this properly if he wasn't kneeling between your legs with his cock hard against his pants, panting loudly as he waits for your answer.

You nod quickly, giving him a not-so-convincing smile, before scolding yourself in your own head.

“Yeah, yeah.”

You buck your hips up slightly, and Frank watches you move underneath him. The smile is gone now, so you assume he suspects something. With his hand brushing up and down the side of your body, fingers drawing on top of your ribs, he leans over you, his lips right on your neck again. You tilt your head off to the side, inviting him to deepen the kiss, and he follows. Attempting to help yourself focus on what's happening, you cup his face in your palm and tilt it up, kissing him fast and hard, hoping it'll help.

Why couldn't you just focus on this? Why did he have to somehow remind you of those moments you've seen before? Why couldn't you just stop your brain from making you think about the guy from the website? You weren't sure, but you knew you wanted this now, here, and with Frank. You did it; you've been wanting to for a while now, but somehow something didn't feel right. The guilt you felt about letting your mind slip to another guy while Frank was right here with you didn't allow you to focus on this moment, on what was happening, on what was in front of you, and on him.

You still wanted this; you felt good, you wanted Frank, but with your thoughts racing through your mind faster and faster, you felt your body gradually shutting off.

“Frank?”

You pull away quickly. His lips move down to your neck and he hums against your skin. You tilt your head back and whine quietly at the feeling before the guilt hits you again.

“Frank, stop just-”

You start again, this time pushing on his shoulder slightly to get his attention, and he pulls away immediately. Raising his hands in the air with an apologetic expression and worried glance, he stops everything he was doing.

“You okay?”

The softness of his voice makes the guilt skyrocket, and you feel the need to apologize.

“I'm sorry-”

“Hey, no, no, don't you-”

Frank sits up on the couch, moving away from you in order to give you as much space as you need in case he did something wrong, overstepped a boundary, or hurt you.

“Did I-”

You don't give him a chance to finish the question, not being able to think about him blaming himself for this.

“No! No, no, Frank, oh my god, no it-”

Hiding your face in your hands, you attempt to calm yourself down. The whole situation feels so ridiculous that you don't even know how to begin to explain it to him.

“God no, Frank, it's only my fault.”

“No, sweetheart, don't-hey, listen to me if I-”

That goddamn pet name. He swallows hard, and you watch his eyes flutter across your face.

“I-I-I hurt you.”

“No, Frank.”

“In any way.”

He continues, speaking over you.

“If I did, you just tell me, okay? Just, just tell me, so I know what I did and what-”

"No, it's me! It's me, Frank, I-"

He looks up, letting you talk this time. You speak loudly, thinking through the words you're about to say in an attempt to explain this ridiculous situation and the heavy, guilty feeling now stuck right in the middle of your chest.

“There's a guy.”

You swallow hard, knowing how dumb that sounds considering what the “guy” does.

“I talk to... sometimes I...I don't know why this is so stupid.”

“A guy?”

Frank repeats your words. He doesn't sound angry; he doesn't really sound like anything if you think about it.

"Yeah, I don't even know him like that, I mean, I do, but I…”

“From the bar?”

He attempts to guess, and it catches you slightly off guard.

“What? No, oh MY god, NO?”

You give him a disgusted look, shaking your head, and he scoffs quietly. The atmosphere seems to be loosening slightly.

“You think of me that bad, Castle?”

You joke, and he just shakes his head softly.

“So…”

You proceed with your explanation.

“A guy I talk to sometimes and we…”

You look at Frank, hoping he'd understand whatever broken-up sentences you manage to throw at him, even though it seems nearly impossible.

“Hook up?”

He guesses again, wrong.

“...No!"

"Sweetheart, you gotta give me something."

"It's just like...phone, video stuff, I guess.”

You finally get it off your chest. Feeling fucking terrible about the whole thing, you stare down at your hands, picking at your fingers as you wait for him to say something, anything.

A scoff. A scoff and a loud giggle is what you get. Turning your face in his direction immediately, you find yourself unsure of what to say or how to comment on his reaction.

“Phone stuff? Jesus… Christ, you...had me thinking."

You can't believe him.

Your jaw drops at this man's audacity, and you have to stop yourself from commenting on it.

“What? I had you thinking, what?!”

“Thought it was something serious!”

He laughs, and so do you, still unable to believe him.

“You asshole!”

You push him, and he leans to the side slightly before moving back closer to you.

“Oh my god.”

You cup your face in your hands and take a second to question all your previous life choices that somehow lead you to this very moment.

“You probably think I'm fucking crazy.”

You finally speak up, turning your face slightly to watch him.

“Nah.”

Frank shakes his head before turning to face you.

“I think it's sweet.”

You can't stop the smile. The corners of your lips rise as the overwhelming tension and anxiety leave your body, and you both sit in silence for another moment.

“Sorry I fucked this up.”

You speak quietly after a moment of silence. A deep sigh follows as you rethink what you just said, feeling the guilt take over your mind again.

Frank frowns, his eyebrows pull together as he silently disagrees with your words.

“Fucked what up?”

“The day? The evening? The date?”

“You didn't fuck up more than me. Late, spilled the beer, lost at the goddamn darts.”

You cover your mouth, but the quiet chuckle slips past your fingers at the situation from only a couple of hours ago. Frank quickly turns to face you, his finger pointing right at you in a threatening way.

“Don't.”

He whispers, and you lift your hands above your head, attempting to prove your innocence.

“We won't talk about that.”

He mumbles under his breath, frown still on his face, and you nod with a smile.

“I promise.”

The tone of your voice makes the corner of his lip lift slightly before he turns to face you again. His features are softer now, there's no sarcasm or irony, just Frank. He sighs quietly, and so do you.

“You should rest.”

He speaks quietly. It's not a whisper, but it feels like one, quiet and gentle, comforting, and you watch as he stands up, leaving you alone on your couch. You second guess your choice to tell him all of this one more time, longing for him to stay a little longer before quickly pushing yourself off the couch and following him to the door. Frank zips up his pants, buttons his shirt and steps out into the corridor. You stay hidden behind the door since you chose not to cover yourself with your pants after you two stopped making out. Everything indicated that he's leaving, he's out of your apartment now, the date is over, this didn't work out and yet…the conversation continues.

You stand in the doorway, your quiet words fill the corridor with the floor both you and Frank live on, but they're not loud enough for anyone to understand them clearly. Not loud enough for anyone to interrupt. The conversion quickly turns into short chuckles and gentle laughs and when Frank glances up at you with that one smile, you feel yourself breaking apart.

“You want to…stay over for a bit longer, actually?”

You ask, and he shakes his head with a quiet scoff.

“I don't know, you got beer?”

“Wine.”

He nods.

“What kind?”

“Rosé.”

You answer, fighting back a little smile as he pretends to be impressed.

“Oh, shit! Hardcore stuff.”

You shake your head, visibly offended, and pull the door open some more, inviting him back inside.

“At least if we get hammered, I don't have to walk far.”

He points out, and you roll your eyes jokingly, your body relaxing as you sigh deeply, relieved.

You spend the next couple of hours on your couch with Frank. It's not awkward, it's not upsetting, it's not…disappointing and somehow neither of you mention or even think about what happened in the same spot not even hours ago. With a decent amount of alcohol in your body, the tiredness slowly begins to take over. You lean into Frank, resting your head on his shoulder, and he doesn't protest. He even sits up slightly and wraps his arm around your waist in an attempt to make you more comfortable. With the heat of his body right beside you, you let your eyes fall shut, unable to fight the tiredness any longer.

“You wanna…try the date thing again some other time?”

Exhausted from the anxiety, adrenaline and alcohol, you snuggle up into him and without the energy to accidentally mess this up, you answer with exactly how you honestly feel. You whisper out a quiet- “Mhm. I’d like that.”.

“Yeah?”

Frank slowly rubs your shoulder with his palm.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Frank feels his muscles relax under the weight of your body. Leaning down, he presses a gentle kiss to the top of your head before whispering -“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

taglist

@chelseasdagger @lorilane33 @dreadfulxives18 @5thelement @desert-fern

@joybabyjune @ohgodthebogisback

@barnesbabee @babeincolor @liadamerondjarin @therashslingingslasher @lostfleur

#frank castle #frank castle x reader #frank castle x you #the punisher #the punisher x reader #frank castle au #marvel #jon bernthal #private matters

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tai-janai · 2 months

Text

Reunite

Path 5: Freedom

(Chapter Select)

Voice of the Hero:

Hey... Woah.

You agree with the Voice's shock as your eyes open and are attacked by your view of the cabin.

Voice of the Hero:

I was gonna comment on our back not hurting anymore, but holy shit.

You stand in a place with many textures. the walls are a mish-mash of materials; wood, stone, brick, metal. The floor has roots, it has tile, it has cobble. When your eyes dart from one place to another, it's like whatever you looked at before had changed. It gives you a headache.

Voice of the Hero:

No, that's... That would be me. The headache. I... I feel weird.

"You sure this is just you? This is hurting my eyes."

Voice of the Hero:

Well, maybe it's the cabin, too. I just... I can feel all the other "me"s, the ones we left behind, way more than I could before.

"Is it bad?"

Voice of the Hero:

No... No. They're all very happy. Some have gone outside the cabin. Some are still there, relaxing and enjoying their company. But it's... incredibly distracting.

You look around, and there is the blade's echo perched on a table made of an undetermined material. One leg of it is curved, one is missing. The echo jumps from place to place every time you blink. As you grab it, it is observed, and remains a still nothingness in your hand.

The cabin is almost annoying. The echo feels light, and there is a pull to put it back on the table. Something in you feels... watched. You glance back at the ever-changing walls. They have windows that show glimpses of a darkening twilight.

"You said the others left the cabin?"

Voice of the Hero:

Well... Yeah. But we can't do that.

"Why not?"

Voice of the Hero:

It's... It's not for... Us. You and me. I... I don't know. Don't you want to save the things trapped here?

You do, but you are overwhelmed by what has happened so far. The thought that it would be easier, maybe even nicer, to just leave crowds your mind.

Voice of the Hero:

... Hey.

You close your eyes, forcing out the mess before you. It is just You.

Voice of the Hero:

I know it's a lot. Last time especially. But they're all so grateful for your effort. They all tell me so. I'm right here with you and them.

The cabin continues to change around you. You feel like you're tugged in various different directions. You clutch the echo tighter. The Voice tries to comfort you from inside your head.

Voice of the Hero:

You're doing great. We all... care about you. I... I can't promise when it'll end, but it will. They'll all be free, and you will be, too.

You open your eyes after a deep breath.

Something made of dust stands in front of you, only a few inches tall.

Voice of the Hero:

What the hell?

Its odd little face breaks into a grin, and it scurries out under the door to the basement. You're in too much shock to have taken in any of its features.

You stumble, dizzy. The moment of serenity is gone in a flash.

Voice of the Hero:

Another small one? And it's already out?

You remind yourself that not everything can be immediately taken at face-value. You gather yourself, and push aside the weirdness of the place you are in.

You open the shifting door, and it makes multiple noises at once. Metal squeaking, wood creaking, a flap of fabric.

The stairs are made of the same material as the table; one you've never seen before. They are smooth and almost cold to the touch, but each step bends with your weight, as if they are hollow.

Voice of the Hero:

Is it okay to say I hate this one the most? Just the uncertainty of it...

You focus on the Voice's words. This set of stairs feels... so long. There are childish giggles from the walls and corners.

You find yourself waking up at the bottom of the stairs. You didn't realize you had fallen asleep, and you don't know how you continued to descend while being unconscious. It is quiet. The basement is nothing but darkness.

Voice of the Hero:

A... Are you alright? It's so dark... I hated that. I think we passed out.

You don't notice it at first, but there is a set of eyes that blends in with the pitch-black. It is only a meter or so away from you.

No, it isn't just one set. There is another.

And another.

Little white pearls are unmoving, staring at you, surrounding you. There are more than you can count.

Voice of the Hero:

Uh... Hey... Everyone. You... wouldn't mind not ripping me apart, would you?

A grinning voice echoing from somewhere else in the room answers the Voice.

Well, now that you say it...

A bunch of the eyes pounce on you. They seem to be made of dust bunnies that form the shape of a person, but they have brightly glittering eyes and shiny little smiles. Some vary in size, but none are more than a foot tall. everything else about them is devoid of feature.

They crawl all over you. Something in you... buzzes. You try to swat them off, but they are just dust; formless, and many.

A shudder rakes through you, and at once, they are off of you.

You look over in the dim light to see the Other apart from you once again. The little things are still on him, but not maliciously. They are inspecting him, rustling through his feathers. One is in his hands, held under what would be its armpits. They are examining each other.

The Hero:

This one didn't hurt, at least.

Suddenly, he is obscured from view by more gray darkness.

"Where did you go?"

Even if he answered, it wouldn't be correct.

You whip your head, and the Being is revealed to you. It seems less like a "creature" than any you have seen so far. It is no bigger nor smaller than yourself. It isn't you, but it has feathers, though they are coated in, or perhaps made of, thick layers of dust. Iridescent ribbons that glow in the dimness adorn it and drape across it. Its face has the same pearls as the dust creatures, but are instead a shimmering black. It wears a wide, impish smile. It has only one horn on one side of its face, making it lopsided. The clasp around its neck seems thicker and heavier than something of that size would need.

I hope you've got something new to show me.

"I know what you're thinking. We haven't met."

Do you really want to say you know what I'm thinking?

Before you can answer it, the darkness crowds in again, and it is gone. You walk to where it was... But you find nothing.

Sure, we can pretend we haven't met. It's been so boring without someone to mess with.

To your side, another ten feet away, it reappears in the same orientation it disappeared in; sitting on the floor in its chains.

I love a good game. And you. Seem. Hilarious.

You rush at it, trying to reach it before it disappears again. You are too late. It is gone, and you only get more disoriented. You mutter to yourself, trying to clear your head.

"Fool me once..."

Oh, you're going to be fooled a lot more than twice, funny guy.

In a flash, there are three of the creature, sitting identically and equidistantly from you at different angles. You whip around, staring down each of them. You can't tell which one is the real one, if any of them at all are fake. Fighting and rushing at it is not the play here.

"We want to help you. To let you out. Don't you want to be free?"

They blink back into the darkness.

I dunno. It never really mattered to me. I'm having fun as I am now. And I'll have fun messing with you for the rest of time.

From the darkness, the Other calls to you.

The Hero:

Where are you?

You turn your head, but his voice bounces and echoes from every direction.

Another thing you've brought down to imprison? He's cute.

You cringe. "He" is a part of "You," and the compliment makes you feel weird.

What, are you attached to him?

You feel presences behind you, and turn around.

Dozens of the little dusty critters are holding the Other hostage, smiling bright smiles and hugging him tightly. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but it sure doesn't seem pleasant. The being is smiling widely from its place on the floor, and shows off the other you like a trophy.

What if I was the jailkeep this time? I lock up you and this shiny fella for as long as time exists? A fun little switcheroo?

"Please, let him go."

Aw, you begging, warden? Did you listen when I begged to die?

You wince. Nobody else has said it outright like that, and you feel the waves guilt that whoever did put them here never experienced. Its malicious grin never fades.

The Hero:

We want to free you. He didn't put you here, I swear on everything.

You weren't even here. How would you know?

The Other gestures to you, flinging away some of the dust creatures effortlessly. Clearly they aren't actually keeping him in place.

The Hero:

I was him! You split me from him! I've been in that consciousness, and the only thing he knows is about cabins!

Kind of rude, but pretty true.

The Other is carried away into the darkness, exclaiming in confusion as the dust creatures do so. A moving, dusty, sandy feeling pushes you towards the Being in chains. Its voice becomes annoyed, almost bored.

The game's no fun if you take it so seriously.

"I don't want to play a game. I want answers. Don't you?"

Answers are nothing. It's been great down here with my dust-devils, but now there's an antagonist. Things just got so much more exciting.

It is gone again. It is worse without the other you. You feel stranded. You need to figure this out, and do it alone.

Your mind races. The Being doesn't want to take you seriously, even though it is in chains and you are wielding a blade.

The echo.

"What if... I slay myself?"

After a beat, the Being's laugh booms through you.

What a card... I don't know, funny guy. I tried it myself, but nothing happened. But you're different. Maybe something will happen to you.

It emerges from the grayness again to watch the show. It grins at you, calling your bluff.

You drop the echo, and it hits the ground with no noise.

Ooh. You sure got me.

Suddenly, you are knocked off your feet by a few of the dust creatures. In a blink, the Being has disappeared and reappeared beside you, and grabs the knife. You sit up, trying to get back to your feet as quickly as possible.

You watch in shocked helplessness as it swiftly raises the blade in two dusty clawed hands. The echo can't even be perceived. Still, the Being buries it into its own heart. You lunge at it to stop it, but you are too late. It slumps, and the chain chimes weakly. Its beady black eyes are now devoid of life, and it no longer smiles.

The Hero:

Wh-What happened? I heard... Are you okay? I- I can't see you.

"He... Stabbed himself."

The other you does not respond. A mourning fills the darkness. Quietly, the dust creatures crawl over the Being's lifeless body, taking it away, and leaving the echo behind.

Why are you grieving.

The distorted voice shocks you. You turn and see the Being again behind you, perfectly fine. It stands, but without the haughty playfulness, it feels like a shadow. Dust particles float around it now that it has actually moved.

Though you are confused, you are more relieved than anything that it is okay.

I just told you I already tried to die. Why would you have cared if I was dead. You may as well have killed me by putting me here.

"I don't want you to die. I want you to be free. I want to find the end of this."

"Freedom." This was my freedom, y'know? It was kind of nice, after a while.

The Hero:

Don't you want real freedom though? Something beyond this?

The Other you has appeared beside you, covered in even more of the dust-things that cling to it. He's even holding one in his arms.

I can't leave. The little guys couldn't.

The Hero:

You haven't tried with me.

It smiles at the Being's surprised response that hints at being impressed. A few of the dust-things giggle.

You actually want to let me out. I'd say you're making amends, but you really weren't the one who put me here, were you?

With an exhale, you shake your head. When silence fills the room, you walk towards the Being.

It disappears into darkness once again.

Sorry. It's just. Always funny.

It is behind you. You sigh as you turn, exhausted but mildly amused, and reach for the large chain around its neck.

The feathers come in to surround it, sending dust flying in every direction. At your side, the creatures that adorn the other you crumble, losing whatever made them alive. The Other seems sad to see them go.

The new one comes to with a look that reads 'Oh, well.'

Of course, it looks like You, like all the others. But this one is lopsided, to say the least. Its feathers are full on one side, and torn on the other. Half of its body is completely covered in scales, the other half only has a few scattered about.

The Contrarian:

Take me to dinner before you ambush me with your feathers like that.

The Hero:

You ripped me out of him, I don't think you can make that joke.

The new one chuckles at the Other as he brushes off the dust left over from the creatures.

The Contrarian:

I don't know if this counts as "new," since I've already been this way.

"You had changed?"

The Contrarian:

Well, yeah. Forever can really change a person. I'd looked like I do now and a lot of different ways, too.

"But you don't know how long?"

The Contrarian:

Uhh, no. Forever. Kind of. Longer than what could be measured by time.

"What happened when you died?"

The new one raises an eyebrow at you, unsure of how to answer. You itch for some semblance of sense. The other you puts a hand on your shoulder.

The Hero:

Are you alright...?

You look into his eyes. He knows what you are looking for, but he silently tells you that you won't find your answers in a place like this, and from a person like that.

The Hero:

Do you think it's time to leave?

You grimace.

"The ones we leave behind. What do they think?"

The Other sighs, but explores its mind to find your answer. The new one watches with curiosity.

The Hero:

They all... Are sad that you leave so soon, but they know it's for a good reason. That's pretty much the same for all of them. I don't want to push them for answers, not now that they're out. They... shouldn't have to worry about anything anymore.

Your heart tugs. You want to spend more time with them, too, but the end is still not in sight. You look at the new one, the defiant one.

The Contrarian:

You said it's "time to leave" like I wasn't coming with you. You know I'm coming with you, right?

The Hero:

He'll be leaving. I'll be here to explore with you. You won't be alone.

The Contrarian:

But You have to go... Save others? Is that what I'm getting?

The two of You nod.

The Contrarian:

Jeez. Well, I hope they're easier to deal with than I was.

The Hero:

Trust me, you have not been the worst thus far.

The Contrarian:

Damn. I should'a tried harder.

You glance over, finding the echo in the grayness. You walk over and pick it up.

"You two will be able to leave, right? He seems to have lost his abilities, will you make it back out?"

The Contrarian:

Huh? Oh, no, it'll be fine. The cabin's gotta be sick of me, I'm sure it'll want me out as soon as possible.

"The cabin? It's 'sick of' you? What-"

The Hero:

Maybe. We don't ask the bothersome one the in-depth questions, yeah?

It stops you, looking into your eyes and taking the echo from you. The new one is grinning.

The Contrarian:

Sigh of content, it is so nice to be called a bother by someone else.

The Hero:

We'll be fine. We'll get our answers, okay? I'm not... going to rush you, but I genuinely think this place is getting to you.

He's probably right. You exhale and relax, letting your eyes close. Then, you brace for the next step.

The knife stings as it pierces your heart. You remain standing for as long as you can. You open your eyes, and the Other is reaching for you with the hand not wrapped around the hilt of the blade.

You don't know what he does next. Everything goes dark.

#stp #stp voices #slay the princess #voice of the hero #hes a little hard to read but i think it works for him #fanfic #stp fanart #stp fanfic

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joelalorian · 2 months

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Tides of Desire - Chapter Ten: On Your Beam Ends

*mood board by the lovely @janaispunk. divider by the equally lovely @saradika-graphics

Pairing: Yacht Captain!Joel Miller x f!reader

Series Summary: TLOU no outbreak AU. Joel Miller is a luxury yacht captain running charters in the Caribbean. You join the crew as a deckhand and unexpectedly complicate Joel's peaceful existence. Basically the TLOU bunch on a Below Deck yacht.

Chapter warnings: 18+ MDNI. Angst, tears, cursing, overthinking, adults avoiding confrontation. Poor Reader is having a week. Smallish age gap (reader is 32 or so, Joel is 40). No use of y/n, though reader is of British descent and has the nickname Brit (occasionally used). Chapter names are nautical phrases.

a/n: Thank you to all who have commented, liked, or reblogged! Every single one is sincerely appreciated.

Series masterlist

Bolting upright at the sudden cacophony, Joel rubbed his eyes and tried to get his brain functioning. The pounding on the door vibrated through his head, nearly as loud as the alarms sounding from the bridge. You stirred next to him, equally as disoriented at the harsh wake up call.

“Captain!” a shout reverberated through the wooden door and Joel stood with a groan, his muscles tight from last night’s activities.

“Damn it! Hold on.”

The door burst open just as he slipped a clean pair of boxer briefs over his hips. Bill entered the room, speaking frantically, “We’ve got a big problem, Jo—oh shit!”

Already clutching the sheet to your chest, looking like you wanted to disappear beneath it, your eyebrows shot up and you slid further down in the bed in embarrassment. Joel pinched the bridge of his nose as Bill stared between the two of you, brows pulled together. Joel grumbled under his breath. It was too early for this shit. Dark, frustrated eyes finally raising to look at Bill, Joel gestured for him to get on with whatever the emergency was.

“Right, not my business. There was a mechanical failure in the engine room sometime early this morning, the damn engine’s flooded with sea water. We’re dead in the water until it’s fixed, and I can’t do it alone.”

“Fuck!” Joel shouted. He did not need that right now. The lingering fondness from your night together was fading fast, the memory of the words that nearly spilt from his lips long gone, guilt settling into its place. He let himself get distracted and shit hit the proverbial fan. The charter season could be well and done for them if they couldn’t fix the issue. “How did no one notice earlier?” he snapped, pulling on some more clothes.

Bill quirked a brow, silently asking if Joel was fucking kidding him. “Everyone was sleeping and we’re at port,” the man grumbled, annoyed at having to explain something so obvious. “There was no reason to have anyone on watch and the alarms didn’t trigger until a short bit ago.”

“Fine,” Joel snapped with a flick of his wrist, gesturing for Bill to leave. “I’ll meet you down in the engine room in a few minutes.”

Slipping from the bed with a sigh once Bill left, you wrapped your arms around Joel’s broad back. He knew you were trying to comfort him when he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he immediately stiffened, running a frustrated hand through his already mussed hair. Your hands fell as he stepped away, still not turning around. He couldn’t bear to face you, not with what he was about to do. He couldn’t do this anymore. The exact thing he was afraid would happen just did and he’d been distracted. The only saving grace was that no one was hurt or put in danger.

“Get dressed. I gotta go. You should get back to your cabin. You shouldn’t have been in here in the first place.” He kept his voice cold, detached, while attaching a freshly charged radio onto his waistband.

“Joel…” Your voice was soft, tender, barely a breath in the air, yet he could hear the hurt in your voice clear as day and he winced. Clearing your throat, in a more measured tone, you added, “Can I do anything to help? Sounds like an extra set of hands might help.”

Already stressed and second guessing every decision he made concerning you in the past twenty-four hours, he snapped. “You can help by getting out of here and back to your cabin where you belong! Quit being a distraction when I have a job to do, a yacht to run. I knew something like this would happen if I gave in. I fuckin’ knew it and I did it anyway. Now here where we are.”

By your sharp inhalation behind him, he knew his words stung. That’s what he wanted, though it stung him too. He needed to push you away, to get you out of his sight so he could focus on the important things again, to keep shit like season-ending disasters from happening on his watch. He needed to not get caught in bed with a deckhand by the yacht’s fucking engineer, god damn it!

“You can hardly blame a mechanical failure in the dead of night on me, Joel. That’s not fair and you know it.”

He ignored you, brushing his teeth as quickly as he could. You were right, but he couldn’t admit that, not to you and not right then.

You were a blur, frantically slipping on your dress from last night, when he finally turned to face you. See caught the moment you remembered your panties were in the pocket of the pants he wore last night, clearly resigned to just leave them behind as a bitter reminder of what could have been. His tee shirt balled up in your fist, you met his hardened gaze and launched it at him without another word, the material smacking him in the face before catching it. Storming from his quarters, you missed the way the stony mask disintegrated as he held the shirt against his face, inhaling the lingering scent of you one more time. He already regretted pushing you away, but it had to be done. He was a fool to have thought otherwise.

“FUCK!” Joel shouted, wanting desperately to punch something, anything, but he held back. The last thing he needed was to damage the yacht further. Instead, he strode to the bridge and mashed the controls until the alarms were silenced and he could think clearly again, dashing down the decks to the engine room.

Your words weaved their way through his mind on repeat the rest of the day, your voice small and hurt, causing an ache in his chest. He pushed them down, fought them back, every chance he could.

What the hell just happened?

You had no idea. One second, you’re peacefully sleeping in Joel’s warm embrace after a wonderful night together. The next? He’s a stone-faced version of the caring man he’d been hours earlier, kicking you out of his room like the intimate, steamy moments between you never happened. He pushed you away like you meant nothing to him, treating you as nothing more than an inconvenience, an impediment to the rest of his day, his job, his life. You’d never felt less wanted, more worthless than in that very moment.

Was he really that upset about something unexpectedly happening to an engine while you were together?

Your head spun, once again on that stomach-churning roller coaster with Joel. At the peak last night, everything felt amazing and hopeful, now the bottom dropped out and you felt derailed, wondering if you’d ever get back on track again.

Eyes burning with the imminent threat of tears, you avoided everyone on the rush back to your cabin, finally losing the battle to keep the tears at bay when you reached your bunk, thankfully devoid of Tess’ presence. You were far from ready to talk to anyone, especially Sarah or Tess – they were too connected to Joel. Curling up into the smallest form possible, you slid under the bunched-up covers, ear buds in to drown out the ambient noise, and hid in the dark room for hours.

What a fool you were to believe that things between you and Joel could have worked out.

You fell into a fitful sleep, the kind where you dreamt that you were awake and your mind… Would. Just. Not. Stop. The nap didn’t help any – you awoke more exhausted emotionally and physically than you were when you fell asleep.

A soft knock on the cabin door disturbed your relentless staring at the wall and you sighed. “Brit? Can I come in?” Sarah’s concerned yet hesitant voice carried through the door. “I… um… I heard what –”

“I just need some time alone, Sar,” you cut her off, tearfully. Your voice caught on the next word, “Please.”

After a long pause, a thump sounded on the door which you thought might be Sarah’s head. The thought left you oddly amused. If anyone should be banging their head against something it would be you.

“Ok, I’ll leave you be, for now. But I’m here if you need anything. Just text me.”

You didn’t respond, the tension leaving your shoulders at the sound of Sarah’s footsteps finally moving away from your door. You wondered, briefly, if you’re reaction was immature or petty, if you should just suck it up, just let it go and act like the adult you were. The thought only just occurred to you before he hurt and rejection set in full force once again and you didn’t care how fucking immature it might be, you deserved to wallow for as long as you needed, wanted. You just had your heart broken. Fuck Joel or anyone else who had something to say about it.

The engine room was a wreck, control panels pulled apart, engine in pieces on the ground as Bill worked his magic cleaning parts and making repairs, Joel serving as his right hand. The two men worked seamlessly, silently, an arrangement that suited Joel just fine as it kept him busy and held the twinges of guilt and regret at bay. He already received an earful from his daughter wanting to know just what the hell he did to you after she saw you flee to your room on the verge of tears. And though Bill didn’t say a word about what he saw or heard, his keen gaze carried judgement and opinions that Joel was certain he did not want to hear. Not now and maybe not ever.

It took all day and half the night, many frantic phone calls, and one visit to a well-stocked marina by Tommy, while he was still in Old San Juan with Maria, to get the mechanical issues sorted out and the engine put back together. There would be no impact to the incoming charter the next day, thankfully. By the time they were done, Joel was exhausted and numb and in need of a full week of sleep. He wanted to talk to you, needed to talk to you, but what could he possibly say?

Now that the engine issues were resolved, his reaction that morning seemed like overkill. If he was honest with himself, he’d admit it was a total over-reaction. He could have – should have – handled it better. Instead, he panicked and blew everything out of proportion, placing the blame and burden of past mistakes and poor decisions on you, unfairly hurting you in the process.

Joel briefly considered stopping by your cabin to check on you before heading to the bridge – Sarah coldly informed him you’d been locked up in there all day and she blamed him for it, rightly so – but he thought better of it. Emotions were still on edge and exhaustion won out. He’d give you time and get some rest before going to plead his case to you with his tail between his legs.

Frank stood at the helm checking over the readings from the engine test Joel asked him to run earlier, his head lifting to meet Joel’s gaze when he stepped onto the bridge.

“Bill told me what he walked in on and the aftermath he heard.” Frank’s tone was measured as he leant back against the console, arms folded loosely in front of his chest. “We can all see how much you care about her.”

Frank had a way about him that made people open up to him – something in his countenance and sympathetic gaze. With just two sentences, Frank had Joel blurting out what happened, the captain baring his soul before he even realized it was happening. He told Frank everything that was in his heart, all of his worries, everything. When he finished, Joel was surprised to feel relieved. How long had it been since he shared the full burdens of his heart and mind with someone?

“You need to talk to her, Joel,” Frank replied gently after hearing the regret in the captain’s voice. “Tell her what you told me, she deserves to know – share the burden, it obviously helps.”

Absentmindedly tapping his fingers against the console, Joel shuffled nervously. “You don’t think it’s too soon to tell her I love her?” he questioned hesitantly.

“Only you know the answer to that. However, to me, it’s never too soon to tell someone you love them. Life is too short to hold such things back.”

Joel’s dark eyes searched Frank’s, looking for any doubt or insincerity but found neither. The man spoke from the heart and offered the best advice he could. Joel nodded his thanks with a quiet good night and departed for his quarters. He would sleep on it and consider following Frank’s advice in the morning.

Unsurprisingly, sleep did not come easy that night.

The tension on the boat the following morning was palpable as everyone readied for the arrival of the next round of charter guests. Tommy treated you with kid gloves, having obviously heard about yesterday’s drama through the grapevine, shooting you concerned glances whenever he gave orders or his brother’s voice carried over the radio. You knew he felt at least partially responsible based on the guilt in his eyes when he looked at you. You didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to let him know it was not his fault at all, not yet.

Wearing sunglasses even inside the yacht to hide your puffy eyes, you managed to avoid talking to anyone about what happened. Sarah and Tess tried a few times, but respected your boundaries when you asked them to drop it until you were ready to talk about it. Ellie even checked in, urging you to kick Joel’s ass if he was the one to hurt your feelings.

Of the crew you interacted with most, Jake was the only who treated you as he normally would – flirting, teasing, and generally acting like a dude without a care in the world. Oh, how you wished you could emulate that. You found yourself sticking to Jake’s side enjoying the complete lack of pressure from him and hoping some of his attitude and mindset rubbed off on you.

Wrapped up in dealing with your own misery, you didn’t notice Joel’s watchful eyes on you, his heart and resolve shattering with each hesitant smile drawn from your lips by Jake. He had every intention of seeking you out first thing after he woke up, to apologize and begin the process of making things right. As the saying went, the road to hell was paved with good intentions. One brief glance at you in the crew mess, eyes red and puffy, shoulders hunched self-consciously, and he caved to every excuse his mind came up with to give you more time.

Once again, he was distracted by thoughts of you – you were so deep in his head and heart at this point – and before Joel knew it, the guests arrived. An entourage of rich, single men in their forties, it was bound to be a busy, rowdy charter. And a part of him worried for you and the attention you’d likely to get from these guests.

Fuck, he just couldn’t get his mind off of you. You were everywhere, in every facet of his life now. There was no escaping you and that was the problem. He didn’t want to escape you, but you avoided him at every turn during the next few days, making the current situation that much more unbearable and impossible to resolve.

On the fourth day of the charter, it finally came to a head.

You and Jake were loading the kayaks before the sun went down, Jake chatting away to keep your spirits up. He made you laugh about something completely stupid and, distracted, you tripped over one of the lines. The fall happened in slow motion, Jake calling out to you in shock, the kayak slipping from your grip, your hands reaching out to break your fall. Even in slow motion, it was not enough to prevent your head from bouncing off the deck, the strike rattling your brain.

“Oh shit!” Tommy shouted, having turned from his own task at Jake’s yell. At your side in a flash, he held you still, calling the captain over the radio as he prevented you from trying to get up. He eyed you worriedly as your big eyes rolled around in your head. “Don’t move, Brit. That was a good knock to the head, we’re gonna need to get you checked out.”

Black circles ringed the edges of your vision as you tried to focus on Tommy’s face, but instead of focusing, the circles closed in until everything went black.

tbc

#joel miller #joel x reader #joel x female reader #yacht captain!joel miller #tlou #the last of us #pedro pascal #fanfic #fanfiction #joel miller x female reader #joel miller smut #joel miller series #joel miller story #pedrostories

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cryptids · 11 months

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I think it's been about like 3-4 years now since I resolved to try and leave a comment on every fic I enjoy enough to read all the way through to the end, and I do pretty much all of them (the few exceptions are always when I'm reading before bed and accidentally fall asleep then forget to do it lmao) So uhhh.... for no particular reason, here are some things I've learned over time? This is just me personally though so ymmv of course.

It becomes a lot easier to think of what to say after you've been doing it for a while. At first I used to really struggle with what to write and putting stuff into words?? But is easy for me now.

The commenting itself also becomes a habit after some time and stops feeling like something that takes significant extra effort. It's just second nature now and really does feel easier.

I only get a response from the authors on maybe like.... 1/5th?? Of the comments I leave. It can be disheartening at first (especially when it's a really long or heartfelt comment that took you ages to write) bc it feels like the writer isn't seeing it and you're just posting into the void lmao. My only advice is just to try not to let it discourage you... I know a lot of writers don't reply bc they're shy or aren't sure what to say, or they intend to and forget, or they just haven't checked that account in years. Tbh I just figured there's no way to know if my comment will be seen, but it's worth leaving them anyway bc the times they are appreciated always makes up for it like tenfold.

If you can't think of much to say or don't have the energy, simple stuff like "I loved this" or even just some heart emojis still seem to be appreciated in my experience.

Please don't feel too embarassed to leave comments on super old fics!! I've commented on some fics from 10+ years ago, and gotten delighted responses from their authors who were super happy to know people still enjoyed them.

Please don't feel embarassed to be the first commenter on a fic either. This could just be bc I'm always in rarepair hell but I can't even tell you how many fics I'm the singular comment under, even ones that have a lot of kudos and bookmarks. I promise its not weird to be the only person in a comment section, and yours might encourage others.

Making an account makes things quicker and easier than having to put your info in for anon comments each time. I have an empty ao3 account I use only for commenting and bookmarking, I recommend that for anyone else like me who is not a writer themselves.

I'm not bothering with "don't comment rude or entitled things" type of points or "how to write/structure a comment" bc there's already a lot of posts like that from fic writers, this is just some things from the pov of a regular commenter that I learned through my experience.

I think my final thing worth saying is that if you have any anxiety issues with feeling self conscious like I do, you might worry a lot that you're "being annoying" by leaving comments (especially if you end up leaving multiple by commenting on different chapters). But I've expressed this worry to a number of writers over the years and all of them have told me that its actually the opposite to annoying and they love it. So please let their words reassure you as well gsjshdjs

#🐊#long rambling post nobody asked for lmao #but if anyone else is wanting to start commenting more often maybe some of this will be helpful;;;

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leefi · 7 months

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The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere Read-through | Part 1: Chapters 1-14

Hi!!!! I've been reading through this webnovel after seeing @ot3's pitch for it and started writing down some thoughts on the characters and worldbuilding and imminent murdering. This story is very, very long and I only reacted up to about chapter 33, so most of my thoughts will involve the worldbuilding and less the murder mystery aspect -- so if you're looking for theorizing you won't find much of that here. Since I'll be continuing eventually, I wanted to post what I did make note of to revisit later!

Most of these are not marked by chapter/section because I was lazy and I'm not sure how easy it will be to follow as a result, but everything is chronological.

everyone here is hijabi mashallah

The visual I'm getting of the solar system/local system/dimension they inhabit is kind of a blend of steampunk and fantasy and uhh some secret third thing. With the walls of their "universe" painted in that puella dollhouse witch lair style. Does the sun bounce around like a screensaver. Does it orbit their earth or is it on a fixed axis flung out into “space”? Does “space” even exist anymore? I’m assuming they’re in an enclosed area that they've created. Do they actively use arcane resources to keep objects (ie star and planets) sustaining themselves, or have they made them self sufficient?

everyone is so mean to Ptolema leave her alone what the fuckk let a bimbo live i want to kill you all you’re so annoying. Ptolema I WOULD be your friend and not ask all these weird ass questions. and we would hold hands and skip and giggle

Yes shes an airhead nepo baby but you guys could try doing anything other than snickering and rolling your eyes whenever she says stupid shit. If she starts arguing back about government war crimes during the Revolution or something then you have my blessing to beat her ass!

I HATE kamsurepa i HATE her i HAYE Her and her stupid ass name

Ran and Su have no chemistry its insane that theyre always hanging out every conversation is like uhhh (awkward silence) (rude comment from Ran) *Su voice* wow she gets me so well. every time they talk im like what the fuck just happened.

Su’s internal narration is too self aware for me. it’s like she talks like she knows she’s a character? or something. it's self-deprecating in a very bizarre way

im sorry i don’t know if i can continue with this. i know too many med students irl and these characters are literally pissing me off. compliments to the author for realism you knocked it out of the park

Oh, thank you very much!" Kam said, reverting back to her smiley-diplomatic form for a moment before stepping away from the counter and continuing as she handed us the cards. "...as far as it seems to me, the desire to reproduce is essentially an immature form of pursuing life-extension - this idea that you'll 'live on through your children' that's patently pseudo-mysticism justifying what is ultimately an animal instinct." ⬇️ I’m going to grab her ginger head and swing her around like bowser in mario 64. SHUT UPPPPP SHUT UP please tell me shes the one that dies

You know," I mused idly, my eyes wandering. "I think this is actually the fourth glass ceiling I've seen today." "Mm, it's true that you don't see a lot of women working in Aetheromancy," ⬇️ I know this is a small nitpick but aren’t we really far into the future why do they keep using terms like this 😭 gendered stuff like this still exists billions? trillions? of years into the future?

Why has the disco elysium skill tree randomly started talking to su. Is this her future self nagging her. Is she pulling a han sooyoung. when do we get to the various utsushikome ego deaths

"prosognostic overlap"…do ppl repeat faces? Are most people cloned at this point? What triggered the need for cloning surely medicine is advanced enough that childbirth or test tube babies are feasible? Can bodies be cloned and reinhabited to inhibit aging? Is there some disturbing psychological element to seeing someone with the same face as you? Does it make your brain short circuit? Kam mentioned having children earlier which I assume means people still give birth or have test tube babies, so i don’t know if it’s the result of cloning…but it does sound like a sameface sort of thing. What else would it be if not that though?

Actually, if they’ve figured out teleportation (whatever it was called when they went up the aetherbridge) - let's say they can atomize a body and reforming it elsewhere (though we don't know for sure yet, could also be a fold in spacetime) - transferring consciousness to an empty clone of yourself (and therefore effectively doing away with aging or death wholesale) sounds a lot more efficient and technologically practical than maintaining an organic system that naturally decays. Why keep on finding ways to push the human body past its limits when you could simply transfer a person to a new, identical vessel?

I feel like the key to immortality isn’t maintaining an organic body, which naturally tends towards systems of entropy (being a biological thing, entropy=decay), but rather delineating and separating human consciousness from its host and replicating its original environment perfectly. I’m not talking about making a copy of consciousness, which is just glorified cloning - I’m talking about *transferring* a consciousness.

You could almost call dementia itself the mind's tendency towards its own kind of entropy?

Though if you transfer a consciousness to a younger body, the dementia issue could still potentially remain. Depends on if it the author sees it as a solely physical phenomena (atrophy/buildup of inhibitors of the brain) or there's some metaphysical anomaly about amassing too many memories/"existing" too long in general

The way spellwork is described is really cool and feels super believable. Optimizing multiple concurrent spells into one “function” is intricate and sophisticated, and you have to dedicate a lot of brainpower to doing the math in your head. It’s like they’re coding the real world. I love the way lurina describes this it's awesome.

#tftbn #woof #the flower that bloomed nowhere

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vamossainz55 · 2 years

Text

Moonlight Ch. 5 | Carlos Sainz Jr. x Reader

hi everybodyyy, a bit late (is it becoming a trend? maybe) but i hope you enjoy it. a lot happens in the chapter but it is a bit of a filler to get the story moving. i tried adding as much carlos x reader as much as possible but the season is starting soon so im excited to get into that!! i think i was able to focus more on writing this one so i think it's also better written but im not too sure tbh! i hope you enjoy and as always please feel free to leave constructive criticism! enjoy <3<3

warnings: nothing just a bit of angst at the end. maybe a bit of swearing.

moonlight masterlist and summary here

short summary: exes to friends to lovers

read chapter four here.

Chapter Five (5k words)

“I am so sorry babe,” You sigh out as you slip on your McLaren shirt to go to the office. It had been a week since you had gone out with Ana and Carlos and it had been really hectic to say the least. The livery announcement date had finally settled and promptly announced which only meant working overtime with the team to make sure everything would happen. Most nights you found yourself coming home very late and in the mornings you were leaving as early as you could. Tom had made it clear that you didn’t need to come earlier and stay later than required (especially since you were on an intern salary) but you really couldn’t help it. You tried your best to get involved in every single thing possible, because what if you never got the opportunity again?

Bastien though was a little less happy about your arrangement. Working longer hours only meant less time to call with him and there was a clear disconnect between you both. A part of you was worried but he was also going to visit you soon so you hoped the tension would disperse then. All worries are gone until you’re telling Bastien about the livery date announcement and there’s a clear frown on his face.

“So what am I going to do on Valentine’s day in London by myself?” Bastien asks with a hint of annoyance in his voice and you let out a small sigh, shifting to look at your phone where your boyfriend was facetiming you. Bastien had planned a surprise trip to visit you for Valentine’s, wanting to stay with you for a few days, but with your news on the announcement date Bastien was not amused.

“I was planning on asking if you can join? Tom really likes me, I’m sure he’ll say yes.” You say, sitting in front of where your phone had been perched. You look at yourself through the small view on your phone screen as you clip some parts of your hair to the back to clear up your face. “If not Carlos or Lando can try asking for me I think they could have more influence than me.” You offer up as you adjust your bracelet.

Bastien looks over the screen and sighs. “I don’t care about these things, you know that.” Bastien says and you frown a little bit at his comment.

“I know it really isn’t your thing… but it’s my thing.” You say with a small smile. “Please? I’m sure you’ll love it. You’ll get to see the car in person and its really cool.” It looks like Bastien wants to argue but a notification comes on your phone that quickly catches your attention.

“Carlos is here, I’m gonna go yeah?” You say softly, looking over the screen. You hear Bastien sigh a little bit before nodding.

“Yeah, yeah. I find it weird that he’s driving you to work almost every day now but whatever.” Bastien mumbles and it’s your turn to feel a bit annoyed since he hadn’t made it an issue the days before.

“It’s not like that. When I went out with Ana and him we realised I’m practically on the way to the office for him. It saves me money from using public transport.” You justify for the third time already, although you understood where he was coming from. “I can stop going with him if you want.” You say again because as much as it didn’t mean anything you understood how it could be uncomfortable for your boyfriend that your ex was driving you almost every morning and evening. There is a moment of silence before Bastien speaks up again.

“No, no. I rather you go with him, it’s safer too.” There’s a part of you that doesn’t really believe him but you decide that it’s better not to say anything. “Just text me when you get home and stuff yeah?” He asks and you give him a nod just as a phone call is coming in.

“I’m gonna go babe, I love you.” You promise, waiting for him to say it back before you’re picking up Carlos’ call, swinging your bag over your shoulder.

“Ay, ay, vamos. We’re gonna be late again.” Carlos says as soon as the line connects. You roll your eyes, walking to the elevator.

“Piss off, we were only late once. I’ll be down in less than five.” You promise, hanging up before he says anything else. By the time you get to the lobby Carlos is not even there, which only makes you scoff in feigned annoyance and disbelief.

As soon as Carlos pulls up you open the back door to drop your bag there before you’re slipping in the passenger seat.

“You were definitely not here yet.” You tell the Spanish driver as you pull the seat belt on. He seems unfazed as he grins at you, tapping his steering wheel with his fingers before looking over you. You can’t help but smile at the way he’s looking at you, getting you to playfully roll his eyes, the sudden annoyance you felt towards Bastien gone.

“Buenos dias,” Good morning, Carlos says with a grin, and he’s like this every morning, obnoxiously happy and filled with too much energy. Your eyelids are still heavy, but in your defence Carlos’ mornings started much earlier than yours as he was usually packed with workouts, training, and other things.

“Morning,” You say, letting out a sigh as you lean back on the chair. “Thanks for picking me up.” You say with a smile. Carlos nods, humming as he changes gears.

“No worries. I got you coffee.” He says nodding to the Starbucks cup in the cupholder. You look over it sceptically, always being overly picky about your coffee. Before you say anything though Carlos is chipping in, pulling out of the driveway as he speaks. “Don’t worry- it has almond milk with cinnamon and less sugar.” He says, not even glancing over at you as he focuses on turning into the main road. You’re a bit surprised that he remembers your order but you simply murmur a thanks and take a sip, hoping it would help your morning become a little bit more bearable.

“Are you excited for the unveiling?” You ask Carlos, setting your cup of coffee back on the cup holder. He’s focused on the road, humming softly as he thinks about the question.

“Yeah, yeah. I am really excited to be honest. It’s always cool to have something that you’ve worked on announced- and we’re so close to testing and for the season to start.” he says quickly glancing over to you before looking back at the road. “What about you? It’s your first time.” He chuckles, slowly stopping the car as you reach a red light. He turns his body slightly towards you, waiting for your answer and you give him a nod.

“I’m really excited actually.” You laugh softly. “I find it so cool that I’m finally on the other side of it. I remember waiting and having countdowns on my phone for all the unveilings.” You say smiling at him. “I am a bit bummed that we chose valentine’s day though.” You say a bit sheepishly. “My boyfriend’s coming over and I was supposed to take the day off.” Carlos shifts his attention to the road again as the light switches to green and there is a short silence as the car starts to move.

“You can always take the day off.” Carlos suggests with a smirk, knowing you wouldn’t and you shake your head, just proving his point.

“No way in hell I am missing seeing the whole thing in person. What if I never get to see it again?” You ask but Carlos just chuckles.

“Oh please, this definitely won’t be your last one.” He says it with conviction which makes you smile. “But, you can always invite him. Think you might be able to bring a guest no?” Carlos says and you give him a small shrug.

“I’m gonna ask but I don’t think he wants to go. He doesn’t care about these things.” You echo your boyfriend’s words from earlier and you can see Carlos stop himself from frowning too deeply and you fiddle with your bracelet.

“What do you mean? It’s important to you ” He states plainly, “He should care that you care about it no?”

You don’t really have an answer to that so you decide to just shrug, this time shifting your attention to the street, suddenly uncomfortable with the shift of the conversation. Carlos seems to pick up on this because he quickly changes the topic about how he had gone golfing with Lando the day before and how the younger boy was still horrible at it still. You appreciate the change and you easily go with it, leaving the thought of Bastien behind.

--------------------

Bastien arrives the night before the unveiling and you’re ecstatic to see him again as you hadn’t seen him in almost two months which is the longest you both had been apart. The moment you see him exit the arrival gate you’re rushing to him and giving him the biggest hug. You can’t stop smiling until you get to your apartment with him, and it’s all good until you wake up the next morning.

“Where are you going?” You’re already half dressed when Bastien wakes up, but you had already woken up late from staying up with Bastien.

“Sorry babe. I told you I had to go to work this morning.” You say softly, coming close to give him a quick kiss. You pull away to see Bastien frowning still. “I was going to wake you up right before I left to say goodbye. Carlos is already waiting for me downstairs.” You explain, giving him another kiss.

Bastien gives you a nod, looking over you. “We’re still going to the showcasing?” Bastien asks and you nod as you put on your shirt properly.

“I thought we agreed to go last night.” You say, eyes meeting his. It’s clear that he wants to argue, already sitting up.

“I just think it’s nicer if we do something else.” He says and you let out a small sigh.

“I told you I took the day off tomorrow.” You say softly, looking over him.

“Well, tomorrow isn’t Valentine’s day.” He says and it's killing you how inflexible he was being. Of course valentine’s day was a nice day to celebrate but for you what mattered is that you both were together.

“Bastien, I have to go. I don’t have time to argue” You say, pocketing your phone, feeling slightly annoyed that you were having the same argument for what felt like the hundredth time. You’re turning to take your things when Bastien butts in again.

“Never pegged you to be the one to put work before relationships.” He says which stops you at your tracks.

“You’re joking.” You murmur, starting to feel your patience draw thin. “I’ve joined so many of your work things even though it’s not really my thing, and you used to postpone our dates all the time.” You say, remembering all the business events you joined during your last year of university. It was nice, and you got free food, but you could care less about all the finance speakers you had to sit through.

“It’s different.” Bastien argues which makes you roll your eyes. Your phone is vibrating as a call comes in, a reminder that Carlos was waiting downstairs.

“It really isn’t.” You say, already done with the conversation.

“What time do you need me to show up later?” Bastien asks, more annoyed than anything else. There’s this tone in his voice that you suddenly find aggravating, and you’re unsure if you even want him there anymore.

“I’ll come home first and then we can go together, ” You’re already grabbing your bags, your phone is vibrating once more, Carlos calling you for the second time already. “I really need to go.” You don’t even sound apologetic this time. “Have fun and keep me updated with what you do. I really need to go. I love you.”

The day is busy and you don’t even realise Bastien hadn’t texted you until you text him to let him know you’re on the way home. You don’t think much of it as you’d talk to him when you got home. You’re tired from running around so the argument from the earlier morning is at the back of your mind. Only until you find yourself home by yourself, Bastien nowhere to be seen.

You text him thrice before you call him countless times after. Hours pass and you need to get ready to go to the venue and you’re starting to feel sick. You had no clue where Bastien was, and you were starting to get worried, not even getting ready as you waited on your couch with your legs pressed against your chest. It’s only half an hour before the event when you get a response from him and the words leave you stunned.

‘Bumped into a friend, i’ll see you later tonight. Enjoy the event. Xxx’

You’re out of it when you arrive at the unveiling. Thankfully you’re not late as the doors had opened before the unveiling. You ask your taxi to drop you off at the front of the gates, not minding much to have to walk a bit once you notice the slight traffic. Tom had managed to get you a guest seat but you’re dreading going in to sit by yourself, but something in the corner of your vision catches your eyes. There are several fans there, clearly there in hopes to catch quick glimpses of anybody coming or leaving. You can’t help but walk up to them.

“Hey, are you here for the announcement?” You’re almost by the entrance and the girl is by herself, clearly nervous. She’s dressed up with a McLaren shirt and she’s holding a hat too. There are others around but most seem to be in groups.

“Yeah, are you too?” She asks before she’s looking over you. You were dressed up quite nicely, wanting to show the part of being a guest. For a second you doubt if it's okay or not but you’re wanting to do a nice gesture.

“Actually I am, what’s your name?” You ask softly. The introductions are quick and you learn that she’s been following McLaren for years and that she had been supporting Carlos since his Renault years too. You’re endeared, seeing a bit of you in her and you even feel a bit excited as you speak. “I wanted to ask if you wanted to join inside?” You offer. The girl’s eyes go wide and she looks at you in disbelief.

“My boyfriend couldn’t make it, so I have an extra ticket.” You smile and she’s quickly nodding, speechless.

“Thank you so much.” She says as you both start walking. When you get to the entrance you’re flashing your tickets and there is a slight hesitation from the security guard until you show him your company badge too and before you know it you’re in.

Tom was a gem but he wasn’t a miracle worker so you both had to sit somewhere in the back, but the excitement was buzzing from you both. A big part of you was disappointed that Bastien wasn’t there but seeing somebody else as excited as you warmed a small part in your chest.

The unveiling goes smoothly, and you can’t help but smile when Carlos and Lando come into the light, soon sharing some words as well. The car looks beautiful and the thought of seeing it on track soon and racing had you buzzing. Everybody seemed just as excited, most people leaning on the edge of their seats. All your work felt more real now and the season was starting soon, and you felt impatient for the season to kick off.

You chat softly with Jess the whole time, soon explaining a bit what you did and explaining to her that you were part of the team. Once everybody starts to disperse and get out of their seats you offer her to walk up to Lando and Carlos, giving her a warning that it might take a bit of time to be able to get to them since they were probably going to be busy with all the sponsors and guests. It’s when you’re both getting up for your seats when you notice that Carlos and Lando are actually walking up to you both. They both look a bit confused when they spot Jess next to you but they smile at her anyways, greeting and introducing themselves.

“Oh my god. Hi- it’s really cool to finally meet you both. I’ve always been the biggest McLaren fan.” She says with a wide smile before explaining that you had invited her in. The boys simply grin and nod, you give them both a nudge with a marker and soon they’re signing her things.

“It was nice meeting you and thanks for following us! I hope we can make this an exciting season.” Carlos grins at her before turning to you. “We gotta run to Zak before he tells us off for sneaking off but we’ll meet a bit later yeah?” Carlos asks, already nudging Lando to follow along as they both begin to walk off. You give them a quick smile and nod before you turn to Jess who’s again thanking you profusely.

You hang around with Jess up until the end of the event, introducing her to some other colleagues that you bumped along the way. You might have said a white lie or two that Jess was your friend and a big fan, just in case you’d get in trouble for technically bringing a stranger, but thankfully nobody questions it too much.

You end up exchanging your contact information with her before you’re heading off to the back, deciding to help with some things since you had the time anyways. Tom catches you just as you’re slipping into the back of the auditorium.

“What are you doing here hm? You’re not supposed to work.” he scolds playfully and you can’t help but give a sheepish laugh.

“I wanted to help out and Lando and Carlos told me to meet up with them after.” You explain before telling Tom a lie about how your boyfriend wasn’t feeling well to come. “But I brought a friend, I hope that’s okay.” You say with a smile and Tom rolls his eyes, saying of course. You hear a door from down the hall open and you look over when you hear somebody speak up.

“Ah, there you are.” Lando says, still in his racing suit as he walks towards you with a grin. Tom is soon excusing himself, saying that he had to work on something. “Where’s your boyfriend?” Lando asks once Tom’s out. You shrug with a small smile just as Carlos peaks into the hallway, he’s also still in his racing suit. As soon as he comes up to you both he’s echoing the same question as Lando.

“He wasn’t in the mood to join.” You shrug, “Don’t know where he is.” You say, trying your best to hide the annoyance wash over you at the reminder that he had ditched you. Carlos is looking at you like he wants to say something but he stays silent, and your eyes linger a bit on him but Lando is soon speaking up.

“Carlos and I were planning to grab food. Do you wanna join?” Lando offers.

The Spanish driver is quick to butt in. “You don’t have plans after with your boyfriend?” He asks sceptically and you shake your head. Carlos raises his brow slightly before nodding, “Okay, you’re joining then. And I’m not taking no for an answer.”

You wait for both guys to change into their clothes before you’re heading to the parking space with them. They’re rattling on about having to talk to too many sponsors and guests and you can’t help but smile, shaking your head in amusement.

“So who am I hitching a ride from?” You ask when you realise they both had driven to the office. Lando is quick to take the responsibility, wanting to prove that he was a better driver than Carlos.

“Not true, but I’ll drop you off later, yeah?” Carlos says as he’s going to his car. You give him a nod before you’re heading to Lando, already teasing him to not crash the car and to make sure you both made it to dinner.

Funnily enough dinner ends up in the park. The guys had not thought about the date so they hadn’t reserved any table and of course Valentine’s day only meant one thing, most places were packed to the brim. You had suggested McDonalds and the two had grinned, looking at each other and agreeing that it was a good evening to have a cheat day.

“Can’t believe every single restaurant we called and drove to was full.” Lando says as he sits on the table’s bench, swinging his leg over it to settle down next to you. Carlos is sitting across you both, already digging through his McDonald’s bag.

“I mean, it is valentine’s day. It’s one of the busiest days.” You chuckle, “You two should’ve thought it through.” you jokingly tease, already grabbing one of your fries.

“I’m sorry- last time I celebrated valentine’s day I think I just spent it at home with my ex.” Lando says defensively, his hands are up and you can’t help but roll your eyes at him. “Do you always reserve for valentine’s?” he asks you and you give him a smirk.

“Never had to do the reservation. One of the only privileges of being a girl.” You joke, sticking your tongue out. Lando scoffs but murmurs a makes sense before he’s turning to Carlos.

“When’s the last time you celebrated Valentine’s?” He asks Carlos in between bites of his food. Carlos looks at him before instinctively looking at you.

“Really? That’s the last time?” You ask quite surprised, not managing to bite back your tongue, Carlos scowls at your reaction. You bite the inside of your cheek but that doesn’t stop you from letting out a laugh, “Sorry, I’m just surprised, really.” You laugh softly.

“What’s so surprising about that?” Carlos groans and Lando is stifling a laugh too. You shake your head but Carlos nudges you under the table with his foot. “Come on now. Tell me!” He insists and you’re laughing again.

“I don’t know. You’re an F1 driver now, you’re good looking, funny, why wouldn’t you be going out on Valentine’s day?” You question, smiling at him. You hold eye contact for a second before Carlos is looking down at his food. The lights in the park are quite dimmed and a part of you wonders whether Carlos was blushing or not, but you don’t play around with that thought too much.

“You weren’t surprised when I said I haven’t been on a Valentine’s date in a while.” Lando says, clearly too offended to notice Carlos’ change in demeanour. You laugh at his comment and you’re shaking your head.

“I didn’t mean it that way and you know it.” You state with a smile before focusing back on your food.

“So,” Lando starts off after a beat of silence. “What did you guys do for valentine’s? Apart from Carlos making the reservations?” he asks, still not letting the topic go. You think Carlos is about to tell him to shut up but Carlos looks at you with furrowed eyebrows.

“Which one was the last one?” He asks, thinking as he scratches his chin. “Was it when we went on that boat dinner?” Carlos asks curiously and you need to think for a second before you’re nodding.

“Yeah- it was after your announcement in Toro Rosso.” You say, resting your chin on your hand. It was nice, you both had taken a trip to the caribbean and spent a few days there.

“I booked that dinner like two months in advance just to be sure.” Carlos chuckles before looking at Lando. “It was nice, but expensive.” He says before thinking a bit more. “It was worth it though, we stayed the night in the boat no?.” Carlos says and you give him a nod as confirmation.

The rest of the dinner is nice, but there is a small nagging voice inside your head, wondering where Bastien was. You check your phone a bit too many times in hopes to get a text but it’s radio silent, you find yourself talking a lot, wanting to distract yourself and to push Bastien to the back of your mind and it kind of works. Time passes and before you know it you’re getting into Carlos’ car, putting on your seatbelt as you shift a bit. You had thanked Lando for asking you to join and told him to drive safely before he had headed off to his own car.

“God I am so full. I always eat too much.” You say, resting your hands on your belly, you’re trying to fill the silence, it was late and you didn’t want to let your mind wander. Carlos on the other hand is quiet and you look over him, curious about his silence. “Thanks for driving me home” You say just as he is starting the car. The lack of answer makes you nervous and you shift a bit in your seat.

“Are you okay?” Carlos finally replies and the question catches you a bit off guard. You look back at him, tilting your head slightly.

“What do you mean?” You ask.

“I mean, you told me Bastien had agreed to join and he didn’t” He says, not making a move to pull out the car. You feel a bit nervous now, having thought that the conversation had been left behind in the office.

“He wasn’t in the mood so he texted me that he changed his mind.” You say, hoping it was truthful enough. You’re waiting for Carlos to pull out of the parking spot but he doesn’t. Instead he takes the opportunity to turn to you a bit more, wanting to face you properly.

“He texted you?” Carlos asks, a bit confused. You shift a bit in your seat, looking at him properly as well.

“He wasn’t home when I got there to get ready so,” Your voice is a bit softer this time and Carlos looks more than unimpressed.

“Okay.” he says before turning to look ahead of him again, this time changing gears to pull out from parking. “I’m here if you wanna talk about it, or if you’re not comfortable, talk to Lando, or any of your friends.” Carlos murmurs, glancing over to you again. “Don’t keep things to yourself too much. I know you tend to do that.” Carlos says with a small smile before he’s driving you home.

It’s not that you don’t want to answer but you don’t really have the words. The silence in the car is ringing in your ears and you can’t help but finally let the bitterness and hurt settle in your chest. You blame it on being tired, or on Carlos’ words but you feel your eyes get glossy as he reaches the road. You look up, wanting to stop your eyes from overflowing. It’s embarrassing really (and a bit pathetic, you think), crying over your boyfriend in front of your ex.

You’re frustrated more than anything, not knowing why Bastien had decided to ditch at the last minute. It was understandable that he wasn’t into motorsports or racing but you couldn’t comprehend why he couldn’t make a small effort to go for you. You had supported him in everything and it was starting to hurt that you didn’t feel like the effort was returned. Were you doing something wrong?

Carlos doesn’t say anything for a while, simply putting on the radio as you quietly wipe your cheeks.“I’m sorry,” You murmur after a bit, trying your best to recollect yourself.

“You’re okay. Did you forget how much you used to cry in front of me?” Carlos teasigly says and you roll your eyes, wiping your cheeks.

To be fair he was right. Even before you two had dated he had been your closest friend. The amount of times he had seen you cry about boys, your family, school (or anything really) were endless. You hated crying by yourself and the moment Carlos had discovered this he had always tried to be there.

He would always take you on drives, following the road as long as he could to let you cry it out. Most times he was quiet, whilst other times he was cursing off whoever had upset you with you.

You don’t remember the last time you’ve cried like this. You had been so busy after moving and as always your family barely had time to catch up with you. Bastien was always busy and your calls were usually catch ups about the day, but it was hard to talk to him about your feelings as he was quick to say that it was going to be okay and to dwell on things too much. All your friends were also busy with their own internships or work so hadn’t had any time to properly speak or think about how you were feeling.

There’s a weird new feeling mixing in your chest and it takes you a moment to realise what it is.

You’re watching Carlos drive as you let out sniffles and continue wiping your cheeks. You missed your best friend.

The thought of it only makes you tear up more so recollecting yourself doesn’t really happen and you’re dreading having to go home to a probably empty apartment like this. “How far are we?” You ask quietly and Carlos simply shrugs.

“As far as you need us to be.” he says and you look at him quietly before nodding and looking back at the road.

You don’t really say anything back but you know you don’t need to.

fin.

read chapter six here

a/n: helloooo hope you enjoyed. what do you guys think? did bastien have the right to be upset? did that mean it was okay for him to ditch? are we happy to see carlos and reader connecting again?? also please feel free to leave constructive criticism and your thoughts, it really helps <3 i'll try my best to update by next week.

Moonlight Taglist @loverboysainz-interacts @mossafiato @animesimp2 @gridmetro @iamasimpingh0e @ihearttheoriginals @wildflowertaste @hammyknight @im-an-overthinker @serialkillertbh @pierre-gasssllyy @organasith @sarasturniolo @azenpal @sukunasrealgf @imsoconfused2903 @dr3lover @nsprinx @hayleyy-l @starxqt @xheera @idkiwantchocolatee @sarahayden @turningxstrange @thelightnessofthebeing

F1 taglist @sgkophie @lostinketterdam @troybolton-14 @panicforspec @storysf1ferrari

want to be added to my taglist? let me know! (i also am willing to tag for specific drivers so please feel free to ask)

if you are interested in reading more check out my masterlist!

#moonlight #carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz imagine #carlos sainz fanfic #carlos sainz junior #cs55 #f1 x reader #f1 x you #anywayss #fluff #enemies to friends to lovers #it is 1am idek why im posting this so late #this is my second time preparing the post since my tumblr literally crashed lmao

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cha0ticspacebi · 10 months

Text

Everyday you'd go to your job at the coffee shop, come home to your boring student housing apartment complex, yearning for more. Your whole world turns upside down when an injured man falls from a mysterious crack in your ceiling. He tells you he's from Hawkins and has to get back, that his friends need him. Only he's already there, just not when he thinks. “I’m not sure how to tell you this, Eddie was it? But 1986 was 10 years ago."

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Female Reader

Tags: Eventual smut, canon divergence, multiverse/alternate realities, everything up to the moment Dustin leaves Eddie's side in the upside down is canon here, slow burn, strangers to lovers, canon typical violence, hurt/comfort, tags updated as we go ⚠️ 18+ MDNI ⚠️

Author's Note: This will be a multi-chapter story but I'm not exactly sure how many yet. My writer's block has been horrible! I haven't been able to work on much of anything let along finish things since like March. I'm posting this hoping it helps pull me out. Your comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Chapter 1

Ahh the coffee shop. The quintessential meet cute used by authors, screenwriters, and songwriters alike since the dawn of time. It provides endless possibilities, so many opportunities for love to blossom. Limitless potential contained so neatly in a delicious smelling convenient package.

Perfect strangers sharing the only available seating, bonding over perhaps a shared interest. One makes an innocent comment about the drink of choice made by the other which leads to quickened heartbeats and flushed faces when one invites the other to try a sip. Old friends, reconnecting during a chance meeting, end up foregoing prior engagements in favor of spending hours with a person they thought lost to time. Sudden enemies formed when a quick turn results in a soiled business suit and wasted coffee, but a seed is planted the next day when the guilty party returns and attempts to make amends with a fresh cup of coffee and a new start.

Even the employees are not immune to its charm. A regular customer coming in finally works up the nerve to ask their favorite barista out on a date. A mistake is made during the busy morning rush and a happy accident occurs when they end up liking the unintended drink. An employee starting their first day and the customer who defends them while others grumble and complain that it’s taking too long.

Yes, you’ve thought of it all. Everyday upon entering your current working establishment you wish with all your hopeless romantic heart that today will be your day to experience the coffee shop’s blessings and meet someone who sets your soul on fire. Everyday watching with a careful eye. But alas, every order is made and delivered without the slightest hint of that buzzing feeling you so badly want to experience just from looking at someone. Today just isn’t your day.

“Hey! Can you stop totally spacing out and help me please?” The increasingly annoyed voice of your coworker and best friend brought you back to reality. A large row of tickets had somehow formed in the time from when you started daydreaming to now. Which is really strange because you could’ve sworn the last time you looked up the shop was completely empty.

“Yeah,” clearing your mind with a solid breath, shaking away all thoughts of romance, grabbing the first order and beginning to work on it, “Yeah sorry, guess I’ve just been a little distracted today.”

She called back to you as you both worked, you weren’t looking at one another but you knew she was smiling, “Buckle up buttercup, it’s going to be a long morning!”

Settling into the routine of familiar faces and drink orders, you find yourself occasionally slipping back into your head, wondering if it was maybe time for a change. You’d been working here since you were 18. Starting a new job and your first day of college on the same day. That was two years ago, now there were lots of other places you could go to work that were still really close to campus and your student provided apartment complex. Maybe tonight I should stop and grab some applications before I go home, you ponder to yourself as you call out the name written on the cup you’d just finished. Of course deep down in your soul, you could feel that it wasn’t your job that was the problem.

Working at the coffee shop wasn’t the forever vision but for right now it provided an escape. Mental and physical. You’d been here long enough that now you can make all the drinks and package the orders in your sleep. That left your mind free to wander and this setting provided the perfect backdrop for losing yourself in countless fantasies. For a few hours with every shift, there’s no rent, no school, no pressure from your family to perform to their high standards, only you and your wildest daydreams.

Some days you couldn’t even stay in your apartment. Often finding yourself walking the very short distance across the street and returning to the coffee shop to work on your seemingly endless waterfall of homework.

You and your best friend from high school were both attending classes for nursing. Hawkins Community College was but the first step in the years of schooling required for your chosen profession. You find yourself cringing at the word chosen. Letting your mind wander down a dangerous path, questioning your 20 years worth of life choices that had landed you in your current place, when a hand touches your shoulder.

“Hey! Space cadet, your shift ended 10 minutes ago, head home!” the friendly voice of your shift manager broke the thoughts you’d been having while mindlessly wiping down the counter.

“Oh yeah it did,” you laugh a little while grabbing your backpack from the break room, “Guess I’m more tired than I thought. I’ll see you tomorrow!” You wave good evening to your coworkers and head out.

Hawkins, Indiana has to be the world’s most unremarkable city. Rows and rows of suburban America houses. A modest main street with the small town feel of a local grocery store, library, and bank. Speckled with modern touches including the new student center. To meet the demands of the growing student population the city council voted to demolish an abandoned trailer park and build the housing complex that you now call home. The shopping center across the street came a few years later. From the outside it seems like a growing community but you, being a local, can see that it’s still just a crappy town with a populous stuck in the past. No this is definitely not your forever home.

Your days drag on in an endless cycle of surmounting monotony. Each one leaves you with more longing for something more than the day before. At least you have the March break to look forward to after classes today. A full week of trips to the mall, swimming in the lake, and even a night of fantasy with a small group of friends. Whom you finally convinced to play your weird nerd game.

Your adventures begin the following morning and continue all throughout the week. All leading up to the dungeons and dragons session you’re planning for your friends on Thursday. You packed up your books, mini figures, and dungeon master notebook, then headed to the library.

Your friends all watch you as you begin setting things up at the large wooden study table once everyone arrives. They’ve always accepted you for being a little nerdy but until now you’d never been able to actually play with anyone. For the first time in a long time your heart was excited!

“So,” one of them muses holding a small plastic fighter, “This game is played with our imaginations?”

“And dice,” you point to a large communal pile of colorful polyhedral shapes in the center of the table, “Everyone ready?”

You’d always loved telling stories and this provided a great platform to do just that. Your maiden voyage as a dungeon master was far from perfect but you’d never had more fun. Watching your friends and players get more and more excited as the night went on was the best part. As things were packed up they all began asking when they could play again. You felt a lifting in your heart.

“My classes start up again on Monday but maybe if we can make it work with everyone I’d love to make this a weekly event!” you smile brightly and that smile stays on your lips the entire way back to your apartment.

The click of the lock on your door feels light and refreshing as you lose yourself in this renewed energy! This has been one of the only times that you’ve felt like yourself in a very long time. You’re riding such a high that you decide to journal tonight, something you stopped doing around the time your college courses started.

Tossing the backpack on the couch and heading to your bedroom just moments after getting back. You pull out your spiral journal and pouch of colorful pens as you lay out on your bed and write about your night’s adventures with a big grin on your face.

After chronicling the epic moments from tonight’s battle, the topic of your words turn more personal and reflective.

If anything tonight made what I’ve been feeling worse! It was as thought someone handed me a piece of cheesecake and took it away after just one bite and told me I could finish the dessert next week! When will it get better? I did everything that they told me to! I got good grades, graduated high school with honors, and went to college. And for what?

You stared at the page. The tip of your sparkly purple gel pen hovering over the line. Your lungs heaved in a deep sigh.

I’m miserable. I want more. I need more– SPLAT!

From out of nowhere a large glob of…well something thick and sticky fell onto your notebook hiding your words and covering your hand. Your eyes burst wide open and slowly you lift your hand up, inspecting the goo. It looks like thick black jelly. You scrunch your nose up at it with a disgusted look. There must be something on my ceiling, that’s the only direction it makes sense for this substance to have come from. Your voice comes alive to the empty room with a disbelieving scoff at the thought that any part of this phenomenon makes sense. Finally, you push up and tilt your head back to look up at the ceiling above you. Your heart and all its connecting arteries seize up instantly with fear.

Where only moments ago, the bland drywall surface sat untouched, there was now a large circular blob of this same thick black jelly. Startled, you fall backwards and tumble from the bed. Eyes glued to the growing spot on your ceiling.

“Ow!” Rubbing a tender spot from where you fell before looking back up, “What the fuck?” you speak aloud. Somewhere your conscious mind thinks to scramble for the phone that sits plugged in beside your living room couch.

Panicked as you fumble out of the room and dial the landlord you keep looking back and forth, “Come on you lazy piece of shit pick up!” The line clicks and your words start pouring, “Mr. Clarke! This is unit 53, there’s black oil or sludge or something coming from– You’ve reached the office of Scott Clarke. I’m out of the office for spring break. All matters will be tended to in order of urgency starting on Monday.

“Shit!” you slam the phone down on the receiver and run back to see that the spot has grown. Curiosity gets the better of you and you get up on the bed to get a closer look. Standing with your bare feet in the soft blankets. You stand on the shaky surface, craning your neck upwards. Burning from beneath the darkness of the goo is a red light that resembles fire. It emanates outward as thought it’s beckoning you to reach out and touch it. Your hand slowly lifts up above your head. Reaching our farther and farther until… you scoff again, “This is insane. What am I doing?”

Getting off the bed you start packing an overnight bag because like hell you're sleeping in the same apartment as the weird creepy ceiling hole. Tossing things haphazardly into your bag and then finally heading to the bathroom to wash your hand off. It comes off easily enough and washes down the sink. A quick assessment to the areas of skin it touched shows no immediate signs of damage or irritation. Weirdly, it was just slimy and cold.

Running through a quick mental check you realize wait, “Shit, stupid landlord is out until Monday.” Letting out a sigh you decide to shower real fast before heading out to bunker down with your friend until this, whatever it is, goes away. Unable to avoid taking another peak in your room before though, crap it’s already bigger, I should hurry and get the fuck out of here.

Showering in record time, you redress and head right for the front door. Slinging your bag over your shoulder, gripping the handle ready to head out into the cold night air away from whatever supernatural being has taken up residence in your ceiling but… something stops you. Some unseen force blocks your path and ushers you back into your room for just one last look. CRACK!

Your footsteps quicken in that direction as you hear the ceiling start to split. Entering the room you see that the glowing red circle is no longer a circle but a wide crack with tentacle-like tendrils stretching out in every direction along the flat expanse. The area in the center is stretched thin with glowing red webs that resemble strands of spider silk. Your gaze is transfixed on the center of the crack, watching intently as the strands of webbing begin to pull and stretch out almost as if something is laying on the other side. The bend deepens. A crack within the center begins to form. It splits!

All at once, you fall backwards with a scream. Crashing to the floor as you watch mesmerized. Out from the crack falls a man! He lands on your bed with a hard shake. The journal you'd been writing in flies from the mattress on impact. Then almost as quickly as it started everything goes still. The red tendrils dangle from the crack like icicles. Everything is quiet.

You sit transfixed for a moment frozen to the floor. Afraid to move and risk waking yourself up from what is clearly a dream. Your breaths shudder and consume your throat from the inside out as you try to catch them. As you sit there looking up at your bed that only moments ago was empty and now lays the body of a man. You feel a hard pounding in your chest. An invisible string pulls you up from the floor by your heart, eyes unwavering from his face.

His eyes are closed and he’s bleeding from several different places including his neck and stomach. After a few agonizing minutes of staring at his still frame you see the tell tale rise in his chest indicating signs of life.

“Holy shit,” the words fall from your lips with a low, heavy hit to the floor before you spring into action. Running to the bathroom, grabbing your first aid kit and a warm wet cloth, you get to work.

Pulling the scissors from your kit you cut into his already torn shirt, removing both it and his vest from your way, assessing the severity of each wound. All the while remembering everything your mother and father had shown you and instilled into you from a young age about administering first aid. Having learned more from both of them together than the little bit of schooling you’d had on the subject.

Your body moves on its own in a hyper focused state. All thoughts of who this man is, where he came from, or how he came to be here are gone. For the briefest of seconds your eyes flick to his face. Even in this state he’s handsome. His soft features and curly hair make it hard to look back at what you were doing but something tells you having a living man from the weird ceiling hole is better than a dead one.

Once you’re able to clean his wounds and bandage them as best you could you realize it won’t be long before these bandages need to be redressed. You’ll need more supplies that you don’t have in the apartment. You don’t want to leave for fear that he might wake up or worse, so you opt to call for help.

A soft feminine voice hits your ear through the speaker, with a yawn, “Hello?”

“Hey it’s me, can you come over and bring like 3 more first aid kits. I could use a second pair of hands,” your eyes keep flicking between staring at the couch and back to your bedroom, “I-it’s not for me! I’m fine but I uh- I don’t really want to explain on the phone. Ok. Thanks! I’ll see you soon. Bye,”

Getting back to your room as fast as possible you checked to make sure everything still looked good, all the bandages were still in place so he must not have regained consciousness yet. You hold up his wrist and press your thumb into the soft skin. It’s faint but it’s there. A pulse. With a heavy heart you look over your work again and again before coming to the conclusion that at this moment there’s nothing else you can do. Expect to wait and hope that he wakes up.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things fic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #stranger things fanfic #stranger things smut #18+ content

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lee-hakhyun · 11 months

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604, 605

oh my.

i'm realizing now that by doing this, i'm reading every chapter of the side story at least 3 times (mtl, edited mtl, and then proofreading + writing a summary) no wonder lhh is stuck in my head hahah

604. author (5)

right after he thinks it might be yoo joonghyuk, he gets attacked by a weapon flying out from the forest jhw deflects it, and the false author comes out with his ohdokhyup team. with their luck, how did they get there faster than lhh's team?

so the author's name is yeom ilwoo, and his sponsor is the king of gambling. the two with him are outside species characters, the ratman from the plague-calling rat and lizardman from the snake

lhh tries to talk this out, and he's half sincere

there's a difference between killing a reader and a character, no matter what they've done. his next words annoy lhh though lmfao

however, ilwoo still signals to attack, and the ohdokhyup throw more daggers out, lhh remembering killer king's warning: the ohdokhyup are the ones who deserve to die jung heewon strikes down the daggers again, but the daggers were poisoned, melting her sword.

there's another hanja double meaning here which is pretty clever

lhh throws jhw an extra sword, and ilwoo starts to fight too. lhh changes the thought into a shield to deflect his broken faith, and the thought gets the appearance of the item

his broken faith is mass produced, and lhh had thought that the durability had run out until ilwoo reveals he has the dragon jar that kim dokja had used before (see chapter 72) to reuse the broken faith.

the restored blade of faith destroys the thought's old iron shield appearance, and with ilwoo confident of winning they talk while fighting. the king of gambling was the one who had sponsored ilwoo the dragon jar, and that's probably how he got the mass produced broken faith, too

it's a little hard to describe fights...

now that lhh had a weapon to fight with, he comments that the author's fighting sense wasn't very good, even with all the skills he uses. the constellations comment that this is why you shouldn't support incarnations at the beginning, they'll rely on the support and won't learn how to survive

with the author retreating, he yells at the ohdokhyup, who were fighting jung heewon

if [cursed dagger] misses 20 times, the next hit is guaranteed. one of the daggers turns towards jhw, and she is forced to block it with her sword, which melts it. jhw grabs jung jaewoo, who had been hiding, and moves back to lhh. lhh asks jjw if he has any hidden skills, but he doesn't. they're at a disadvantage, and lhh is forced to use a method he didn't want to use

he gives jhw the bamboo stick and incites jung heewon, telling her that her enemies are 'monsters', which is the prerequisite for the judge of demon's judgment time. that is. wow. even the constellations are shocked she absolutely crushes her opponents, and the constellations who increased synchronization with their incarnations were hit with a probability backlash. the rat is forced to leave, while the snake severs its tail to avoid the aftermath jhw throws one of the daggers at the author, and it grazes past and he escapes into the forest

with the battle over, both incite and judgment time ends, and jhw collapses. she's physically fine, but the aftermath has left her unconscious as the price for circumventing judgment time's restrictions

and after that

jung jaewoo has [little luck], and he's survived survived so far with that, but when lhh approaches him

...

lhh goes through medicines that could save him, but he couldn't find a way to save him.

when lhh grabs jaewoo's hand, he can see a transparent soul coming out from his body, and he realizes that if he can get the soul, he can save him-

605. author (6)

oh dear god. the 「I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared.」 hurt.

rep kdj seems sympathetic?

jjw's memories are hazy, and as he sorts through his memories he sees himself on the theater screen, with cheon inho calling out his name. he realizes then that he's dead, and

hm.

after this, a small keypad appears in front of him, and when he sends a message, he chats with the name 'rlaehrwk41'. 37 chats with him before telling him to shut up and watch until he figures out what's going on does him getting the number '41' just a coincidence or does it have something to do with the regression turn?

lhh buries jung jaewoo's body in the rain.

jhw didn't wake up, so lhh continues carrying her on his back while he follows the author's footsteps. he finds the dragon jar on the ground, and if the author has dropped that he assumes that he's probably dying or dead by now. he continues walking, with one thought: 「No one should be lost anymore.」 he aims to escape the movie, but the theater owner says he doesn't want the normal ending. the snake that sever its tail proposes a suggestion, which the theater master accepts, and a 'black moon' appears on the stage, causing the monsters to evolve. lhh quickens his steps, but raptors catch up to him

there's 8 raptors, which are only 8th-grade but with so many, it'll be hard for him to take care of them while protecting jung heewon. he incites himself as yjh to fight them, but he can't think of a plan and gets bit. he uses incite again, inciting himself as a tyrannosaurus rex rex and roars, scaring the raptors away.

but the ground starts to rumble. was it really his roar that made the raptors run? an actual t-rex appears. he's still bleeding, and he can't fight it one on one. this is when he has a thought.

he. he tries to incite himself as the apocalypse dragon. what the fuck, hakhyun incite is pushed to the limit, and in the end, he's not able to do it.

there's a flash of light, and when he opens his eyes,

it seems the first runners were killer king and his sister

the pov shifts to yeom ilwoo, who ran away, and he's pissed. he's severely injured due to the fight and the blow jaewoo left on him, and he dropped his dragon jar. however, due to his sponsor he has really good luck, and is able to get to the research laboratory while avoiding all the monsters, and finds a hidden tunnel that lets him skip to the 5th floor, the rewards room

entering the tunnel, he meets a woman

han sooyoung turns to talk to kim namwoon and lee hyunsung, and then knocks kim namwoon out after he says one sentence

han sooyoung looks at the movie posters torn by yoo joonghyuk, and thinks.

#JUNG JAEWOO #orv side story #orv #orv spoilers #side story rambles #probably gonna put all of episode 11 into one post #while i frantically try to translate as much as i can before the hiatus ends #609/616 ough

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aeoneskova · 6 months

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20 questions for fic writers :)

Thank you so much @ulouism for the tag! <33

How many works do you have on ao3? 7 works are currently available to read on my ao3 :)

What is your total ao3 word count? 569,216 words - i’m honestly flabbergasted

What fandoms do you write for? So far only Harry Potter, though I've been interested in some spiderman or stranger things stuff which I might write for soon.

Top 5 fics by kudos? In order: Honey Honey, Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, the Funny Tricks of Time, Seven Dials, Just in Case.

Do you respond to comments? The majority of them! I try my best to answer every one, or at least one if you've commented on multiple chapters in a row :)

Which of your fics have the angstiest ending? this is hard, all my halloween one shots are very angsty but which is worse? James and Lily dying, Marlene and Dorcas dying, or Mary obliviating herself? I'll leave that up to debate lol

Which of your fics had the happiest ending? I'll go with seven dials, considering that's the only fluffy fic I've actually finished, though goflb might take that spot once its done :))

Do you get hate on fics? I had an incident a couple months ago where I got flooded with some nasty comments, and I've had a couple things in the past. But so many people here came to my defence, it was lovely to see and I can't thank you all enough!

Do you write smut? Not yet... I get awkward... and scared someone I know irl will see it... but you never know...

Do you write crossovers? I have a couple marauder fic wips which take a lot of inspiration from other stories, like the Martian and httyd, but I wouldn't mark them as crossovers when I post them cause they're mainly hp

Has anyone stolen your fics? Not that I know of, hope it stays that way lol

Have you ever had a fic translated? No but i’d be open to any requests if someone did want to :)

Ever co-written a fic? No and not sure if i’d want to, i’m a massive control freak and procrastinator so I think i’d get stressed

What's your all-time favourite ship? I’ve gotta say wolfstar, my loves <33 though I do dabble in drarry and perciver, I don't think anything will top them

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you will? I don't think I can pick lmao I have so many idea folders and half finished first chapters that I want to write but I can't balance them all. I suppose I'll go with my wolfstar pirate fic That's Life

What are your writing strengths? I think im good with characters and plot, or at least that's what I enjoy doing most and what comes most naturally to me. I waste so much water standing in the shower thinking through things... I'd say im quite a proficient editor too, but idk if that counts

What are your writing weaknesses? I'm gonna say dialogue cause sometimes when I read back over conversations, they don't feel right and I spend ages tweaking it. And can I say procrastination? I struggle so much in starting writing, but once I get into it i’m fine.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language? I don't trust google translate enough to write in another language unless I knew myself it was right, so in most cases i’d find a way around it. I don't mind dialogue in other languages if its for a reason, but if that means I have to translate every other sentence it can get a bit annoying

First fandom you wrote for? A Harry Potter x Percy Jackson fic on Quotev that we won't talk about ...

Favourite fic you've ever written? I have to say I'm most proud of Honey Honey, its the only full length fic ive finished but quality wise i’d say Seven Dials is my favourite

No pressure tags: @arakhnee @pretentiouswreckingball @residentrookie and anyone else who wants to join in :)

#questions for fic writers #asks #tag game #ao3 fanfics #marauders #harry potter #wolfstar #dorlene #marlene mckinnon #my wips

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werdlewrites · 1 year

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Season of The Witch (Steve Harrington x OC?)

Chapter Two: Death

masterlist-about-patreon-ao3

Summary: “Can I help you with something? Are you lost?” There’s finally some recognition, a twist of discomfort as he can sense the tension building between them already. He opens his mouth to retort but she beats him to it. “Did that orange ball smack your big head so hard you forgot where you were?” “Alright, alright,” he says rather quickly, annoyed at just how pleased she was with herself. “I come in peace,” he says with both hands held out, palms towards her in good faith. “Yeah, I’m sure." Warnings: Smoking, anti Steve (for now), witchery, panic/anxiety attack Word Count: 3,273

Time was stretching on forever. Leaving Autumn lingering in an unknown void, a trance, watching as the water slowly eased its way down into the soil of her ninth, or tenth plant of the morning. She would study it closely, making a guess if it was either too much or too little and moving forward after that. It was slow, tedious, somedays therapeutic, but not when you’ve struggled for sleep. Autumn had awoken before the sun had even kissed the sky of Hawkins, unsettled and uncomfortable in her own bed. She only tossed and turned through most of the night, and in the moments of peace she did find, she was only met with hushed conversations in the furthest reaches of her mind. Voices, not of anyone she knew, and not of her own.

This hadn’t been the first time they’ve called out to her as she laid her head down to rest. It was one of many curses, or gifts as her father would call it. Autumn would call them neither, only pieces of herself that she has struggled to cope with throughout her life. From imaginary friends when she was only a child, to actively experiencing moments of time she couldn’t recognize or place. She had thought she was spiraling into madness, and so did everyone else - safe for her father who helped her find the way. He was encouraging, full of guidance, and support as he purchased any book she asked of to better herself, better her understanding of just what was happening. With age came acceptance, acceptance created hatred from others.

Autumn didn’t have much. People feared her without much knowledge, pitied her, or simply thought she was the odd one out.

Autumn had her plants, her father, Jonathan, and a dream to get the fuck out of Hawkins. To a place where people welcomed her.

She downs the last of her coffee, staring in silence at the now empty mug in debate over a second cup. The sun has still yet to make an appearance, and the lack of sleep is weighing heavily on the girl. A looming cloud filled with heavy rain, drenching her and keeping her from moving forward. Each step drains the life from her, the only peace she holds onto is knowing that it’s Friday, a final day of torment before a weekend with the Byers. Autumn leaves the mug behind, opting for a hot shower to further push her into the morning and away from a tempting nap before she has to actually get up to be ready for school. She can still hear the voices calling, but only as a memory that she doesn’t wish to return to.

She was met with the usual onslaught of unnecessary comments the moment her feet touched down at the high school. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was something in the air that day, but her patience was wearing thin the moment someone gave her a funny look. The wire was only twisting tighter and tighter in her gut with every passing remark and glance, and within seconds a cigarette had found its way to her lips, panicked fingers running along the wheel until it finally provided a flame, sending a rush of relief and nicotine through her body. Suddenly, those momentary worries seemed not so worrisome. Her tense shoulders were now fallen, her frame leaned up against the brick wall of the school building, ignoring the murmurs as they passed right by her and through the doors. Her knee was bouncing wildly, still lingering in the effects of anxiety until she forced it out straight with a final drag of her cigarette, crushing the end of it into the wall before making her way inside. It’s as busy as ever, no one in a real rush to get to class early, all lingering as if they hadn’t seen each other the day before. Friday did in a small way, feel like a piece of the weekend.

There was one part of her Friday she did not anticipate, though. And he was leaning against her locker, waiting with an almost impatient look on his face.

King Steve Harrington; star of the basketball and swim team, cocky as all hell, Nancy Wheeler’s special something, and Autumn’s very long, lost friend. So lost in fact, that she couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed his company - and yet somehow, he was at her locker, brown eyes locked on her within seconds and giving her a small, awkward wave. As the distance between them lessened, her heart rate only seemed to go up, already missing that poisonous friend she had left outdoors to calm her aching nerves.

“You’re in my way, Harrington.”

His smile doesn’t falter, but he does inch away from her space, just enough so she can open her locker with great unease. She takes her time, pretending to look through her books or her bag as she can feel those same eyes burning a hole through the metal. Her lunch is tossed inside, along with other items she didn’t require for the first half of the day before she closes it, looking unimpressed, and irritated to see that Steve hadn’t moved at all. The closest the two had been since their falling out. “Can I help you with something? Are you lost?” There’s finally some recognition, a twist of discomfort as he can sense the tension building between them already. He opens his mouth to retort but she beats him to it. “Did that orange ball smack your big head so hard you forgot where you were?” “Alright, alright,” he says rather quickly, annoyed at just how pleased she was with herself.

“I come in peace,” he says with both hands held out, palms towards her in good faith. “Yeah, I’m sure. Is Tommy around the corner? Just waiting t' throw some pig's blood on me?” Steve seems taken aback by her comment, brows knitted together in pure confusion before hands fall to his hips, cocked to the side. “What? Why - no. That’s disgusting. There’s no - no blood here.” “Great, then I suppose I can spare the world from my rage just one more day,” she teases, though her fake smile easily falls flat, still wondering why after all of this time Steve would bother to come to her, one on one. She had only seen him from afar as they drifted apart - as he found new crowds to surround himself with. They influenced him in ways that changed her view on him forever, she saw him become someone she could no longer recognize. And while Steve never attacked her directly, he never stopped it. That alone spoke volumes.

Steve pinched at the bridge of his nose, feeling unfocused and he was desperate to get back on track while she seemed determined to keep him off of it. “Look, I came because.. I wanted t' ask for a favor,” he finally says with a sigh. “I was wondering..if you could do a reading, y' know.” “Readings aren’t ‘favors’, Steve. That costs,” she holds up her hand, rubbing her thumb along her fingertips, the sign for “cash” and he instantly rolls his eyes, shoulders slumped. “Okay, well..I can pay. Can we do one today? At lunch time?” Never in her years did she imagine herself here, agreeing to Steve Harrington and his request, but here she was, nodding along to his plan to meet up at the bleachers for lunch. He seemed breathless, a little too eager for her liking as he jogged away from her, all the while she looked at him like any other customer.

—------------------------

Autumn had nearly slept through her classes, the beginning always seeming to start so well and by the end she was heavy lidded, leaning into her palm so hard that she swore she could have torn her own face off. At one point, she was gone. The voice of the teacher had faded out, replaced with sweet nothingness, until a shoe met her ankle in a swift kick and suddenly the light came rushing back in. It was almost blinding, her eyes blinking away the blurred vision to focus back on her teacher and then to Jonathan; her attacker who she casually tells to “fuck off” before slumping further into her seat. Friday was no weekend, not this time.

By the time lunch came around, Autumn was happily laid out on the bleachers, soaking up what little sun was available to them that day as the clouds roamed above them, consuming the sky. The air was chilled, comforting her aching muscles from the long night before, the air still and quiet enough to offer her comfort as her eyes slipped shut, finding peace away from all of the noise inside the cafeteria. With her lunch devoured on sight and the beast within now tamed, she was able to drift into sleep. A mistake on her part - she could have slept through the day out there, catching a cold and getting into trouble by no doubt the principal and her father for skipping class. She put blind faith into Harrington, hoping he would come and be her wake up call. And with that faith, she fades into a time before.

“It’s perfect,” the young girl says happily, tossing her bucket off to the side before leaning in to marvel at her work. Tiny hands are pressed deep into the surface, the sand giving way to her weight for handprints to be left behind. And though she was deep within it, you could not truly touch the substance. There was no warmth, no rough gritty texture running along her fingertips, no brushes of wind along her shoulder. The only thing to truly process in that moment, was the joy she felt staring at her small collection of sandcastles, looking to create a village. “How are people going t' see? You don't even have windows.” The boy asks, sun-kissed from the summers light as he builds his own sculpture by hand. He moves without hesitation, fingers reaching for her fortress with the goal to poke small holes into its sides, though he is quickly smacked away. “You’re going t' knock it over!” her voice low, trembling as she gently pats the base. Mound after mound, bucket after bucket until it had finally gotten to where she was happy - never having made one before, and locking away this memory for safe keeping. Her friend looked displeased at the sight, lips almost twisted in disgust until he merely gave in to her clear love of the simple design. “It'd be cooler with a moat,” he comments. “A moat?” “Yeah, here,” the boy says as he shuffles closer, the sand building up into small piles at his knees. Almost immediately, his hands begin to dig into the surface, pulling it up and away around her work, creating a barrier between the girl and the world she had created. “Don't want the bad guys getting in."

“Hey!”

And then, it’s snatched away. A once tiny, squeaky voice is now booming across the field, calling out to her and through one opened eye, Autumn swore she could see him waving for her attention as he ran the rest of the way. “Sorry - sorry,” he said, clearly breathless with hands resting lazily on his hips. “I got held up. You know, girl stuff.” Autumn remains unamused, eyeing him with remnants of her lingering dream - or memory rather, of the person he used to be. For a moment, she wonders what their friendship would have been like.

“Yeah, girl stuff. Do you want this reading or not?” A rush of excitement seems to move through him, a spark as his eyes light up and maybe even a hint of a smile. Maybe there was a piece of him that didn’t think she would still be willing to help him. “Y-yeah! One second,” he says in a panicked voice, scrambling towards the other end of the bleachers to begin his climb up to her. The chilled metal stings his skin, shaking out his hands by the time he is up at her level, sitting just across from her with eyes glued to her bag as she rummages through it. “How can you sit out here?” Autumn pauses in her search, blowing hair from her face and shaking it away to meet his curious gaze. “I’m sorry. Do you want t' go inside? I can do magic there-” “No!” The boy yells, a little unexpected for both of them as the air immediately becomes quiet afterwards, heavy with discomfort though she could only smile. “O-out here is..fine.”

Autumn waits another moment, waiting for him to settle and be sure of his choices before she pulls her Tarot deck out from her bag, setting it between them. “Can’t be caught fraternizing with the witch,” she chuckles. “Alright, here’s how this works.. I do cash up front, no refunds. Your destiny is your own, blah blah. All of that bullshit. You came t' me because you have questions. Curiosities?” Steve seems unsettled as she begins, his elbows now resting on his knees as he leans forward, chewing at his lips as his nerves built into something he was unable to ignore. “Do you want a palm reading or one from the cards?” That seemed to pique his interest, eyes beaming up at her in confusion through fallen locks of hair. “What?” “A palm reading is three bucks. Five from the cards and ten for a large spread.” It was then that he sat back, a clear look of annoyance in his expression as he glared at her, pure disbelief in her words. “I heard you did Heather’s for cheaper.” “Yeah, I like Heather.”

The comment leaves him stunned, blinking with a dumbfounded look in his eyes and together they sit in silence, almost as if he is waiting for her to change her reply. To make a joke of it all. Autumn remains calm and steady, leaving Steve to surrender and bitch about the pricing as he digs through his wallet, practically tossing the five dollar bill at her, just to end the awkward moment only he seemed to be suffering from. “What do you want t' know?”

Steve had come here with a goal in mind, but getting him to actually confess it had his palms sweating as he rubbed them together. There was hesitancy, a sudden skip in his chest that left him breathless for only a moment. “I-I want t' know about..me and Nance.” And no matter his look of pain and discomfort, Autumn was smiling from ear to ear, hands already gently shuffling the cards once pulled from their tin. “Feeling a little insecure, are we?” “What? No,” he bites back, though it’s shrugged off by the receiver. “And what is it you want t' know?” “Uh,” his thumbs are fiddling together, fighting for the right words - she pretends not to notice as she continues to shuffle, not in preparation but mostly to calm her nerves. “Will I-” Autumn shuts his question down before it truly begins, waving her hand between the two in disagreement. “No, no. ‘Will I’ questions lock you into 'yes' or 'no'. Ask ‘How’ or ‘What’.” Steve whispers an “Oh,” with eyes fluttering elsewhere, rethinking the question to something more suitable. “What does..my future with Nancy look like?”

Boring. It's what most of them want these days. Anything in regards to love with their current partner, a past love, or if they will ever find the missing piece to their ever growing puzzle of life. On occasion, some would seek more benefit towards more personal goals. Colleges, larger than life sports teams or simply, if they made it anywhere at all. Of course, Autumn could never say, "Looks like you'll win the lottery." But her readings were enough to provide hope, or crush dreams right on the spot. Whatever the outcome, she was a few bucks richer. And no matter the history between the two, Steve would be no different. The cards favored and pitied no one.

Her eyes are closed, focusing the dull and ever expected question into the deck that she sorts through with quick hands, cards flying with ease. Slow and steady breaths fill her chest, unaware of the curious gaze moving between her and the cards. Uncertain if he should do or say anything and how it all really works, so he sits in silence until further instructed. But when she pauses, looking stone faced and serious he can't fight the audible gulp before the cards are spread out along the icy, rigid seat. Autumn is determined, wasting no time before pulling a single card and laying it face up before Steve. He’s uncertain of it all, but he isn’t blind and the words paired with imagery are enough to have his fingers anxiously dig into his jeans.

Death.

"Pfft," the girl let out an airy chuckle, hiding behind her ever present, joyous smile while the boy was wide eyed with panic. It’s one of her favorite cards amongst the deck, one that causes mayhem as the client seeks to understand it - just like now. “What? What is that?” It sounded like a question, but his tone was forceful, demanding - seeking acknowledgement immediately and growing more aggravated the more she laughed. “Hello? What the fuck is that? Why does that say ‘Death’?” “Calm down, Harrington-” “No, I don’t like that. You pulled way too quick.”

Autumn reels back at his comment, an obvious look of offense on her face and for a moment she is too stunned to reply back, mouth hung agape, biting back all of the things she had wanted to say for the past few years. “This is how I do things. I go by feeling, gut instinct. And besides, Death isn’t all that bad.” Steve looked as though his old friend had just grown a second head - bizarre, confusing, how is that even possible? “Uh huh? You want to..elaborate on that for me? That big orange ball, you know. It really smacked me around.” He teases, large hands creating a sphere around his head as he rattled himself around within it dramatically.

“Death. It’s the ending of a cycle. A beginning, a change - metamorphosis, do you know-?” “Yeah, I know what it is.” “But when reversed there are..new meanings. Fear of change, never moving forward, so on.” “Yeah but y-you laid it upright,” Steve says quietly, his finger firmly pressed down on the card, drawing her attention back to the symbol between the two, and without further hesitation, she lets out a loud, “Dun, dun, dun.” Out of the two of them, only she finds it amusing, while Steve is merely rolling his eyes with hands running along his thighs with anxiety. “Come on, that’s not funny. I want another pull.” “Do you have another five for a full spread?” “N-no, but I can pay you next week.” With that, Death along with her many other cards are swiped up and neatly laid in their place, protected from what harm may come to them. “Cash up front. Don’t sweat it, Harrington. You two just got together, yeah?” He nods wordlessly, everything he wants to say caught in his throat.

“Change is coming. Growth for the two of you.” “I-is that good, or bad?” Autumn shrugs, the tin now resting safely at the depths of her bag before it’s swung over her shoulder. “That’s up to the two of you.”

#steve harrington x original female character #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #jonathan byers #jonathan byers x reader #jk they are actually just friends #stranger things #slow burn #enemies to lovers #steve harrington oc #steve harrington angst #steve harrington slow burn

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seresukuin · 2 years

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Title: I’d love to see me from your POV

Description:

Beautiful is in all things. Rather it is a simple bee or a picture, everything is beautiful. Not to Rayne Mikazuki. She is shy and introverted, and would much rather be surrounded by books than people but that's not the way life works, unfortunately; at least in the college, she's starting.

Not fitting the standards of looks in society, she has faced many insecurities and decided to ignore the world until the school's top delinquent, Kakucho Hitto, a second year, notices this strange, shy, yet perfect being. She noticed him too, hence, noticed. Her heart oddly skipped a beat when he looked at her.

When push comes to shove, Rayne realizes she feels something for Kakucho. She slowly learns to open up to him, trusting that he loves her the way she is. To her surprise, she got more than she bargained for but all she wants to do is see herself from his point of view.

Author notes:

Hey! This has been on my mind lately and I am very excited to see where this goes! This story is also available on Wattpad! Maybe soon on Ao3! But please enjoy this story and leave positive comments and reblog! Please refrain from plagiarism! Thankies!

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Chapter one:

People's perspectives are not always correct, sometimes, they can be accurate. It is scary to want to know how others view us in a world like ours, especially during this time of age. I always asked my mother the same question to only get the same response, a response that I was not particularly surprised at. That question you ask? Why do people want us to fit into societies beauty standards? Her response was "well baby, beauty can mean a lot of things. Everything the light touches is beautiful, is it not?" I looked at her with the upmost confusion, I was like 10 at this point anyway.

Mom gave me a genuine smile before heaving a sigh "no matter what this world says about beauty, everyone is beautiful. A person with a bad heart is still beautiful deep down inside. We are like flowers, some of us bloom in the dirtiest of water but that does not mean we are not beautiful like the rest of the flowers in the pond or on the green grass" I still did not understand until she broke it down even more, for a woman like my mother, I did not understand how she saw everything in the most positive way possible.

"Think of it this way baby, the lotus flower is regarded as a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration, and rebirth. its characteristics are a perfect analogy for the human condition: even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the lotus produces the most beautiful flower. Do you get it?" I just nodded my head since she answered my question like a college professor, mom broke it down in a way that my 10-year-old head would understand. Beauty is in everything.

Or so my ass thought and here is why. By age 11, we start to hit that annoying puberty stage. The periods, the mood swings like a pregnant woman, the hunger, all of it becomes repetitive at some point in time. Of course, there are some things we can do to get rid of the woman that knocks on the door at the same time every month like birth control, but not always does it work. That is the sucky part.

Now, we all start to develop our bodies as well. We go through a growth spurt of some sort. I feel like our puberty makes our bodies how they are supposed to be which sucks in many ways because we all get body types that we did not ask for but who says we cannot change that? I was what I call unlucky. I ended up with a body type that I hated so much.

I was on the...curvier side of the coin. As in, I was short and chubby. If you were to look at a ripe pear, that was me but in human form. It was the damn genetics of my mother and father because I did not understand how I looked the way I did but my sisters were petite and pretty while I looked like a damn fruit. This was where I did not fit into societies beauty standards. I was considered Fat or Obese.

Being big is not a terrible thing. I hate how people wanted to change everyone's style or figure into the material fashion models or the small face, tiny waist, size two which there is nothing wrong with as well. This world was fucked up in so many ways. There were some people in this world who did not accept others as they were since they did not fit their preferred woman or man.

Now, the real part begins.

Once upon a time, I wished I were happy. Happy enough to love me, happy enough to be me. There was not a day that went by that I wished for a dream to come true, at 18, you think you can do whatever you want but once you hit that stage in your life where adulthood comes around, it hits you like a train as it did me at 15.

Envy is a sign of admiration; hate is the epitome of destruction. My mother taught me that. Envy was a terrible thing, it came with jealousy, it made you out to be someone you are not, and it destroyed relationships; just like hate. Hate is a strong word; it should never be used but I would be a hypocrite if I said I never used it.

Life hits you like a train sometimes, sometimes, you cannot stop things from happening, you just need to let it happen. That is what I hated the most about my parent's divorce, I could not stop it and for that, I grew a deep hatred for the man I called my father.

He left my mother for a cougar who just wanted his money, nothing more. My father was too stupid to see that, of course, he fell in love with her because she played him like a toy. My four siblings went with him and disowned my mom, I hated them too. My mother was the only person I had in my life besides my grandmother, my aunts were there too but I was not around them much. I was always with my grandma or mother.

At the age of 15, I had to get a job to support the bills in the house with my mother. We made a routine, a routine that worked for us. She took care of the gas and water; I took care of the Electric and phone. My father left us with nothing when he left, he took the furniture, he took the money, he took everything but the house that was luckily in my mother's name.

He could not touch it even if he tried, I was glad for that. Eventually, I moved up in employment to a bakery where I made a lot more than I did at the grocery store stocking. Mom was an equine doctor, I loved being around the horses when I visited her job. We got the decorations we always wanted, it looked how it would when I got my own someday. Our life was hard yet comfortable...at least for my mom.

I say this because mom never knew what was going on with me outside of the house because I did not want to stress her out with my issues. I had a friend. Her name was Yuki Totsuka, my best friend. I was the shy girl in school, the one who never engaged in conversations, the one who sat by themselves every day, and walked home alone every day. I was a loner. That was until Yuki came to me, she was the sweetest and friendliest being on this earth.

One day, we were in first grade, and I had cut myself by accident with scissors. I did not know what to do because I feared telling the teachers. Yuki came to me and put my finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding. I did not know how a first grader like me that would do but I was shocked. She ripped off a piece of her shirt and wrapped my finger, that is the moment we became friends. That is when I opened my heart for the first time.

We went through all elementary and middle school; my life was golden. She was the reason for my happiness. We did everything together until the 8th grade...that is when my life went dark. On the day of middle school graduation, I went to Yuki's house so we could go together. I could not fathom what I saw when I walked into her room, I stood in the doorway looking at her hanging body that was dangling from her ceiling. I did not want to believe it; I did not want to think about it, but I was the one who found my best friend that took her own life.

I was selfish, so selfish that I did not ask her how she was. I felt as if she tried keeping me and only me happy instead of herself, that was until I found the note. I read it thousand times over...she ended her life because her parents were getting divorced, and she did not want to be without them both, so she made it easier for both.

In the letter, she told me she loved me like her own sister, she could not have asked for better. Love...that word was something I grew to hate because my best friend was taken from me, and I loved her like my sister as well. That is why I hated my father so much because divorce was the reason my best friend was dead.

High school. The beginning of a new chapter. I regretted every second of it because depression kicked my ass so hard that I could not recognize myself, and I was bullied along with it. I graduated high school with honors and 5 scholarships to cover my full four years of college. I was going to Shibuya university at 18 years old. I was thankful that I was smart enough to graduate early. I passed my exams to see if I was ready to go to school with 100s. Shibuya university did not hesitate to allow me to enter their school.

I was thankful because if I were in debt for college, it would have made my life harder. My majors were going to be pediatrics and Psychology, I had a thing for medicine. I wanted to heal people and be a therapist or a mentor for teenagers and kids that were going through a rough time. I wanted to be the person they could turn to since I could not do it for Yuki.

I did not have any friends, after Yuki's death I was on my own, I did not trust anyone, and I was not planning on it. My only friends were my mother and my four great Danes that were nothing but my favorite things to be around, mommy thought I was too lonely, so she adopted 4 great Dane siblings which were crazy for her since they were half the size of horses, not that I minded.

Now was the first day of college. I was lucky enough to wear what I wanted but I was also worried. Should I be? I didn't know and I sort of didn't care. My planned outfit was a long sleeved black turtle neck with high waisted blue jeans and thigh high boot heels. The shirt hugged every nook and cranny of my torso, the annoying part of It all was the fact that my boobs were so large that you could make out the shape of them. see why I wasn't ready?

My pants didn't make It better, It shaped my hips and hugged my ass so well I almost adored It. Almost. The heels were not huge heels, 2 Inch to be exact which still made me feel like I was very small. My brown and blonde ombré hair was styled into a half up half down hair do with a bow in the back, my bangs touched the rim of my glasses that barely touched my sterling eyes, I had to order new contacts since Xena decided to destroy them.

I was absolutely nervous I had my face in my book as I walked through the gates of Shibuya university, the air was brisk, not too cold, but not warm. The breeze was enough to make you shiver but not enough to cover yourself with a sweater, "woah who's that?" a male said as I passed by, this is the part I didn't want to deal with. Especially with being new, I decided it was only right for me to ignore everyone else around me and get the hell in this school but of course, that didn't go as planned.

"She's gorgeous" I slowly eyed the female with light brown hair that was standing next to the group of guys that were against the brick wall of the main building, that's when my eyes caught his. They were two different colors, the left one was a beautiful reddish brown color while the other was a cloudy grey. He had a scar that looked like a lightening bolt struck him on the right side of his face, it was unique and really made me wonder the story behind it. His hair was styled in a Aegean style that fit him very nicely, he looked like a jock. I looked away from him then looked at my book again.

I wasn't one to judge who people hung out with, everyone had their preferences of friends. However, I didn't bother. The school was huge, the inside looked like those schools in the fairytales. There was a huge grand stairwell that went two different ways, one was A-B and the next was C-D. I was guessing that whichever hall you were in was the way you went, the school also looked traditional but the way they combined the two was pretty impressive.

I walked up the stairs in a slow manner, I wasn't trying to rush but yet again, I did want to get a good seat. Looking around what seemed to be the A hall, the numbers were between even and odd, even numbers were first. I made my way to my class while looking around for the one I was supposed to be in. I caught the number 1-A. I turned into the lecture hall-like classroom.

The class was huge, it stooped down as a lecture hall setting would in the American colleges. I sat in the middle row next to the huge window that looked out to Shibuya, I didn't realize how high up we were until I looked a bit down. We were pretty high. The scenery was beautiful, the classroom smelled like lavender which was my favorite scent, and everything seemed to be going right. For now.

It wasn't long before students started coming in, I had my head in my hand as I read my book. I was reading Hunted by P.c and Kristen cast. I couldn't find the next book so my stop during the day was going to be to the library. "Oh! She's in our class too!" I heard the voice of the girl who called me pretty earlier, I was nervous to even speak so I didn't look back. Instead, I shifted a bit away so I was comfortable enough to cross my legs under the long curved table. My bag was beside me because I didn't think anyone would sit next to me.

I shut my book and turned my head to look out of the window, I suddenly got this strange feeling of someone's eyes on me. I didn't want to turn my head but I did, I slowly moved my eyes to the right to see a male looking right at me. The same one from outside. It was like he was studying me as if he was trying to figure out who I was, his gaze for some odd reason didn't bother me.

"Good morning everyone, today we will be focusing on our essays that I told you about on your first day here. But first, we have a new student in our honors class! Her name is Rayne Mikazuki, I expect you all to treat her with kindness. Especially our upperclassmen, do show your kindness by showing her around the school" I was more than embarrassed, everyone was staring at me. Again. I held my arms under my breasts with my head turned.

The way he had said my name was a bit dramatic, my name meant Counsel, helpful friend; Song. In Scandinavian origin, it is known as a variant of Raina and the meaning of Rayne is In 'counselor or mighty'. In Hebrew it means 'song'. The meaning of Rayne in French origin is 'queen', and in American origin, it refers to 'abundant blessings from above'. Rayne is an alternative form of the Latin name Regina, meaning 'lady'. It also has Scottish origin which derives from a habitation place name called Rayne which is situated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. I was glad my name had some meaning.

Noticing the shyness the teacher chuckled before turning to the board "psst" my eyebrow instantly twitched, I looked at the tiny piece of paper that was folded beside me.I secretly took it then opened it, I eyed down 'hey, call me 241 xxx xxxx ;) good time fluffy lady yeah?' I scoffed under my breath and shook my head a bit, absolutely ridiculous I thought, I crinkled it up and then flicked it making the paper into the trash can. Snorts of small laughter could be heard from the row above me, I was over this day already and its only the first day.

#hitto kakucho #bonten #kantou manji gang #toman #tokyo rev smut #18andup #aged up #college #au story

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lordiedams · 2 years

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Acts of Redemption - Chapter 2 (AVM shorts story)

AO3

Chapter 1

Acts of Redemption

After the battle, the friends were separated into different towers in different corners of nether.

Maybe that's the moment to accept defeat?

TW Cursing

The sound of steps on the concrete floor woke up Second Coming, which he regretted strongly by how painful his head felt.

His eyes barely focused on what was happening, all he could feel was this throbbing ache on the side of his head, like a hammer constantly hitting pounding his brain.

Even the faint light of a torch was enough to make him want to crawl into a tiny dark space, what a phenomenal moment to have a migraine.

After a few minutes of agony, his vision came back, at least, enough to finally understand where he was.

Second Coming was inside a small and cramped prison cell, with moss filled walls, a trash can and a painfully uncomfortable cement bed attached to the wall. His left wrist was cuffed to the metal bar.

It took a bit of for the orange stickfigure to sit up in the tiny bed, looking at the two brute piglins watching his every move.

─ Where am I? ─ He asked in a quiet tone to not upset his already aching head. But the brutes didn’t respond.

─ Hello?? ─ Silence… The Brutes just stared at him, weapons in hand.

With an annoyed huff, Second looked around himself. He didn’t have a plan, and his head hurt too much to think one right now.

He took a deep breath; he needed to calm himself before anything else. One of the Brutes seemed to relax a little, maybe they were expecting him to snap right at them.

─ Can one of you bring me water? Or…I don’t know watermelon juice? I’m thirst…─ One of the brutes looked at him again, before walking away, marching like a soldier.

─ I hope you guys are giving the same good services to my friends too… Want them as comfortable as I am right now. ─ He sarcastic commented to himself, trying to adjust his pose to a more confortable one, the best it could be in a cement bed.

Green woke up with the loud clanging on his prison cell which he soon found out was a piglin hitting his axe against the metal bars to wake him up. Purple was right outside, sitting on a chair and watching him with a neutral face, he waved the piglin to leave when Green woke up.

─ Do you always creepily watch people sleep? Or am I just that handsome? ─ Purple didn’t answer, just frowned at him and turned his head to the side.

That only made Green angrier, how dare he not look at him? How dare he even be there to begin with? ─ Oh, now you don’t talk? Did the cat eat your tongue? I’m talking to you, Purple!

A Brute went by the cell, only stopping to give a note to Purple before walking away again. The stickman looked down at the note for a moment.

─ Where are my friends? ─ Green spoke, sitting up in the concrete bed to stare at Purple. ─ I swear if any of you idiots hurt them, I will-

─ They are fine, Green, stop barking! ─ Purple snapped at him, pulling his attention from the paper for only a moment. As if Green was just a mild inconvenient in his life. ─ They took them away from here but they are fine.

─ Why are you doing this? Can’t you see that the King is only using you??

─ Shut up…

─ No! I can’t believe you can’t see it! You are nothing more than another pawn on his game, we were your friends! WE TRIED TO HELP YOU!

─ I said shut up!! ─ Purple yelled, kicking the metal bars of the cell. ─ Stop talking like you know me! Stop talking like you know us at all! I am not your friend; I don’t need any of you!

Green stared at him, unfazed by his anger.─ You need King though.

The purple stickman’s expression fell for a single second, before going back to its usual scowl.

─ You’re pathetic… ─ Green growled at him, getting up from the bed and hitting his fist on the metal bars that separated both of them, the cuff in his wrist clanking loudly against the metal, he couldn’t move past that point, this was the closest he could get from the man who betrayed them all. ─ You’re a sad, pathetic loser who can’t see anything other than your own belly button.

─ Shut up! I won this battle! You guys all lost, we are in control now!

─ You didn’t win anything! You’re a coward following the orders of a greedy snake!

Purple turned, walking away from the cell. ─ I can’t believe I even considered this…

─ What? ─ Green asked, anger still boiling inside him.

─ Forget it… ─ Purple whispered, walking away from the cell and leaving the other stickfigure there.

With a loud huff, Green went back to the cement bed, the cold was enough to calm his nerves, enough for the pain in his wounds and bruises to settle. His stomach twisted, he didn’t even noticed how long he went without eating. ─ Are you going to at least feed me?

With a dry, snarky laugh, Purple walked away from the cell, leaving Green alone with his thoughts and empty stomach.

#avm shorts #avm orange #avm purple #avm green #tw cursing #Acts of Redemption

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casspurrjoybell-22 · 9 months

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Master - Chapter 13a

*Warning: Adult Content*

I narrow my eyes marginally as I study Malcolm, not quite able to put my finger on what about him was stranger than usual.

Malcolm slides onto one of the stools surrounding the kitchen island Kalem and I converted into our breakfast table.

His eyes darted around the space, taking in the lack of dust that still managed to shock even me whenever I wandered around this old castle.

But I guess that was one of the benefits of having a beautiful Kalem around.

"So you came here to talk about Diablos?" I ask tentatively, watching him closely as his eyes drift back to me.

"Well, it's a problem we can't afford to let slip into the background," he replies, fingers tapping rapidly against the black, marble top. "You know how he works better than anyone, silence is his biggest weapon."

"I am aware," I reply calmly, watching his now shaking leg with a frown. "Malcolm, what on earth has that Elf done to you?"

"What?" He exclaims, eyes going wide as he stares at me with a somehow blank as well as revealing expression. "Nothing. Arias has done nothing wrong."

"Of course not," I reply lethargically. "What's changed since the last time I've seen you? You're acting weird."

"No I’m not."

"You just did it again," I accuse.

"No, I didn't," he protests immediately.

"I don't want the details, I just want to know that you're okay," I offer.

He watches me for a while, deliberating with himself whether to divulge something he clearly didn't want to.

Which was admittedly strange for a man who shared everything, often too much. instead.

This weird switch making me more curious than I liked to admit to being.

"I'm fine," he replies unsurely. "I'm fine, I'm happy... very happy. But Arias... I know nothing about him."

"Expand."

"I know all the little things," he fills in quickly. "I know everything detail that makes him Arias but I don't know a single thing about him. He only lets me know what he wants me to know and I'm... and it makes me scared."

"You think he's going to leave," I reply, voicing the fear I knew he was hiding from.

"Eventually," he says in almost a whine as he looks up at me. "I do everything right but I know it won't be enough and he'll leave me one day."

At that moment, I wanted to kill Arias.

He'd done no wrong at the moment but the fact that just the thought of his departure made Malcolm wilt like a sad flower made me want to rid the Elf from the planet.

If only to prevent the eventual heartbreak that was to come because of him.

"It'll work out," I tell him with the kindest tone I could muster. "It'll all work out and if he leaves, he'll come back. Trust me."

Malcolm looks at me unsurely, wringing his hands in front of him with clear anxiety that I wanted to force out of him.

He shakes his head before slapping his cheeks and smiling at me.

"No more about that," he says firmly. "I prefer dealing with your shit because then my life doesn't' look so bad. So Diablos?"

I bite back any further comments on the topic, knowing he needed me to leave it alone now.

Even though I didn't want to and it clearly still plagued him, continuing when he didn't want to would only make things worse.

So I forced myself to drop it, for now.

"I've already started putting measures in place, Wenquie helped secure the castle with a few materials that won't let what happened last time come again," I explain as he visibly redirects his full attention to the issue. "As for Diablos, finding him is impossible. We won't see him until he wants us to, the only thing I can do for now is draw him out. I've already tainted his reputation by taking down his main base, if we do the same to every little one that spawns in its place, it'll annoy him enough to come to us."

"You know him," Malcolm starts as he watches me seriously, "but he knows you just as well."

My jaw ticks slightly at the clear doubt in his tone, the audible warning in his tone scraping itself against my pride.

"You don't think it'll be enough," I respond knowing we both knew the statement to be true.

Malcolm studies me.

His grey eyes analyzing every inch of me in that manner he'd been doing since the moment he met me, a fledgling vamp that all thought wouldn't make it more than a decade.

Yet here he was.

Further than most with those penetrative grey eyes that faced any display of power on head-on.

"Before Kalem, you tried to break down the servitude part of our lifestyle," Malcolm states, eyes still locked to mine with an unwavering gaze. "Throughout the generations, you've attacked many of his auction houses and others like his. But it's never worked, never brought it all to stop no matter how many you killed or burned to the floor, the result is always the same."

"This time the purpose is not the same," I argue and he nods quickly.

"But the result will be the same," Malcolm replies with a shrug. "He'll keep escaping you and two more will replace whatever you manage to destroy."

Malcolm was right.

He was always right whenever he decided to actually think, his intelligence greater than he was often given credit for.

That aspect of him buried deep within the humor of his personality, a trait I often wondered was done purposefully or unconsciously.

"So what would you have me do?" I ask with a sigh as I sink down into the seat Kalem had curled in earlier.

"You need to face the truth," Malcolm manages, voice quieting at the prospect of the topic he knew I detested more than anything in this world. "Everyone already knows you're the first, they know you're the strongest, not him. But they follow him because you let them, if you just started a clan..."

"No," I dismiss.

"It's wired into to us to follow structure, the strongest," Malcolm continues. "It's how they fucking made us to be, if you were Plyen and not just a Plyen but the Plyen.... then they'd turn on him. They'd listen to you."

"No," I repeat, eyes piercing his as a sliver of my power escaped with my budding frustration.

Malcolm lips shut, his finding their way to the floor with forced submission while his jaws clenched with frustration.

I force myself to reel in my emotions, hating that the effects left him wordless and barred.

"I'm sorry," I grumble as I stand to my feet, desperate to escape the rush of strength that was pumping its way through my veins.

Taking a few steps away from him, I try to gather myself, taking the effort to silence that addictive feeling that came right back whenever I used the power that was embedded into my blood.

The one that could bring any vampire to their knees.

"Linc," Malcolm manages after a moment.

I turn back to face my friend when I'm sure that I wouldn't silence him again in such a deplorable manner that was all too similar to the one we knew.

"I'm sorry," I repeat and Malcolm only smiles.

"You hate it more than any of us do," he replies with a shrug. "I've left this topic alone for all these years cause I know how you feel about it but Linc... if you want to keep him safe, then you can't ignore it anymore."

Kalem.

Just the thought of him threatened to break every part of me as rage mixed with fear at the prospect of him being anything other than safe.

My fingers wrap their way around themselves as my chest tightened to the point where breathing was an unfavorable task.

My illogical infatuation with the beautiful boy left me incapable of performing any task that ensured his safety.

Every action I made was now composed with the intention of ensuring that he was happy, content, treasured and adored... smiling.

"Master," Kalem calls as he rushes to me, beaming at me with an irreplaceable innocence I never wanted to leave him. "Master, can I show Arias the library?"

I nod without hesitation as he crashes into me, squeezing me tight at my easy approval before kissing my cheeks the same way he had earlier.

The perfect display of affection sending my dead heart into overdrive.

Then he was off again.

Running back to his friend without a single clue of what we had to face just to have this, to have what I knew I couldn't live without.

I knew then that I'd do it.

Think about it at the very least if it provided the chance at a better life for him.

"You're obsessed with him," Malcolm mutters making me laugh humourlessly.

"As you are with the Elf," I retort, loving the way his mouth clamped shut at the truth.

"Who would've thought it'd be a damn Elf to scratch that... 'itch' of yours."

As Malcolm turned as red as a bloody lantern, my thoughts redirected themselves to his earlier words and my boy.

It was no longer a question of what I wanted anymore, that didn't matter.

‘Kalem was all that mattered.’

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theluciansystem · 1 year

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sunshine - chapter 1 - avatar: the last airbender fic

WARNINGS: contains themes of assault + sexual assault, rape, descriptions of non-con things, suicide mentions and thoughts (possibly more I'm forgetting, please comment if I am!).

-----

CHAPTER 1-

…a memory flashes to my mind, one I particularly dislike. This time, I don’t live it once again, it leaves me be. A flash of light, and a voice..

Ozai…

..you hold the power-

-power to end this-

…

I wake, and with a whisper in my mind, I know I am different. I hold my hand out and pray to Agni for even a spark of a flame...

I feel a spark in my body, an ember of a hope I can only pray to be real.

and nothing.

The world continues to disappoint me, of course. I don’t know why I even bother.

There’s sudden noise outside my luxurious cage, keys rattle in the outside doors slot, and then the door is open and- oh.

My favorite doctor, Hiro. “My favorite patient,” her voice annoys me to the highest degree, I despise her, in the best way I can.

“Hello, my dearly detested darling-“

“Don’t. Unable-to-bend boy, how do you like the names?” She unpacks her equipment for the usual yearly check-in. “Lovely, indeed. Maybe it could be worse,” I joke.

She was timid toward me (most likely secretly in awe) when we first met, and as much as I hate to admit it- I was too. Though doctors were… never my favorite to put it,as child, and even grown up. She also ‘allows’ my humor, which I can appreciate. Compared to my last doctor, it’s a nice change of scenery, to be fair, that’s coming from someone who hasn’t seen actual scenery in years.

Hiro’s face turns more serious than I thought it could possibly be. She motions me to raise my arm, I do; surprising, despising this dear woman is hard, she reminds me of my wife- ex-wife, I correct.

“Huh, are my jokes still better than your husband’s bedroom style, or did he improve?”

Putting the stupid compression cuff around my arm, she lightly chuckles, a rare thing to hear. “I’ll disregard that last part,” the cuff does its thing, I do not really understand this whole ‘modern medicine’, and I suppose I never will. “I felt as though you should know-“

“Hold on, this seems a little too serious for without a bottle or two of vodka-“

“You’re being transferred.”

The words ring in my ears for a moment, I don’t quite understand. “Transferred?” I ask, and she’s silent. I bang my hand on the bars we’re spaced between. It hurt, but I shake it off.

“..are you trying to make me do more work here?” Hiro questions, and I can’t tell if she’s joking or not. I know she must care about her patients, I just wonder if I fall under that.

“Will you at least still be my doctor..?” I ask.

“No,” She must see the change in me in that moment, she lightly chuckles. “

“..you”ll miss me, won’t you?” I kid, I know she won’t. No one will.

I found a way to put in an anonymous request to transfer to the newest prison Rockside, a redemption program prison, a month ago after a ‘failed escape attempt’, as the guards who were trying to assault me said. I figure I can get to the roof, and… I’m not ‘suicidal’, as Hiro asks me every time she visits for her check-up on me.

Then again, I always thought the word was stupid, wanting to die was stupid, I didn’t want to die.

I just have the desire or urge to see my brain bleed from an outside view once I jumped from that prisons rooftop, I just want my wrists to bleed. I wanted everything, I wanted the world. I didn’t want to die, I just didn’t..

…I didn’t want to live, that’s all.

“Where to, captain?”

“…to Rockside.”

-------

The day of my transfer arrives quicker than I had anticipated. Exiting my cell for the first time in… years, it’s surprisingly emotional. Going down the stairs, I could hear screams and banging below. Me and the guards I were with paused, waiting until the banging stopped, and all too suddenly, the screaming too. I don’t want to know. Leaving this place was a renewal in my belief that good things come to people who deserve it.

The last door opens, and I feel as though I’m already away from this damned place. But… I never quite realized the beauty of the sky; you never pay attention to it, especially when it’s just there. You take it for granted, I certainly did.

-------

I must’ve fell asleep on the transport ther- here.

…

I’m here. And it’s beautiful.

I suppose they named it Rockside for a reason, part of it looks like it’s off the cliff, rocks have clung to the side of the cliff as well. The gates on the road at the base of the beginning of the cliffs lower point open, and we continue to go further up.

Once we arrive at the guards station of this “redemption center”, I walk through these “scanners” as they called it, and I receive a lovely pat-down by this hot son of a bitch guard (I have desires too you know).

Me and this flaming hot fellow walk toward my cell. But as I walk there’s a question that forms in my mind; why is this place so nice? While sure, the description was good and pretty, I didn’t think there truly would be a gardening center, activity clubs, and.. more. I almost want to cry of all things, and I won’t, but it was a nice thought.

My fellow prisoners say hello once and every while, while others… glare? (Must also be in awe)

I arrive at my cell, and the guard lets me look around it while paperwork is being finished. I glance around, the room is surprisingly dark, I go to light the lamp- fuck.

“I guess you’re still getting used to the whole ‘unable to bend’ thing, huh?” a deeper pitched voice close to me says. I look around for the source, then up. Bright gold eyes spark my interest from atop the bunkbed. He jumps down, and reaches out a hand to me, he senses my confusion. “Shake” he says, and I do.

“My name’s Satoshi,” he tilts his head and leans in toward me, in a faint whisper he says “now, bunny, I know your name already, and I don’t like that. What can we do to fix this, hm?” he fiddles with the drawstring of my pants. I… panic, I try to back away but he wraps his arms around my waist, he once again leans into me, almost grinding himself on my ass.

I hear footsteps approaching and to me it sounds like my ticket out of this, I try to become deadweight, and I scream..

I fall to the floor as he lets go, the footsteps become faster, until they arrive to us.. and as quick as they came, they leave.

“…you see, dove? If they can’t prove a single thing against their star prisoner, then I stay their star prisoner.” he takes a step toward me and pulls down a blanket blocking the guards view from the outside, on the inside of this cell, is the smell of pure terror. “If there’s nothing to lose, no one who would dare speak out—and I can tell you won’t—then,” he picks me up like I weigh nothing, “no problems! Right, bud?” he sits me down face down, ass up… I mumble a prayer, he wouldn’t.. right??

Pulling down my pants and my boxers, then his with his boxers… it touches my skin, and I whimper. “Don’t worry, bunny.. it’ll be over soon.”

…

#tw: noncon #tw: depression #tw: sucidal ideation #tw: sh #ozai #avatar ozai #ozai gets into a barrel of shit he didnt expect #suicidal ozai #avatar the last airbender #avatar

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