#I wonder if I should do Blue or one of Cynthia...

[harryspet]

the alpha’s trophy [2] s.rogers

[Warnings] dark!alpha!steve rogers x reader, omega!innocent!reader, reader is the last omega, military!steve to the max, non-werewolf a/b/o dynamics, heavy on the praise kink, agegap, size difference/size kink, spanking, oral sex (male/female recieving), inexperience reader, teacher!steve, manipulation

A/N: a little conclusion to the story :)

In which you fall deeper under Steve’s influence. 

word count: 3.3k

taglist: @cherienymphe @onsunnyside @isysen @inlovewithhisblueeyes @reveise  @speechlessxx @lesbians4levinson2021 @darksideofthecocoamoon @darkndirtyndangerous   @mayasreadingnook @yelenabelovadeservesbetter @queenoftheworldisdead @khaleesiaura @tastycakee @honeydulcewrites @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy @samwilsonsbabymama @obsessedprincess​ @cats-and-sheep @goldensunshines @autumnrose40​

main masterlist

part one

For the first time in weeks, you were able to clear your head. Steve wasn’t inside you or lapping at you or massaging your breasts. He was gone on an emergency and, although you craved him, you were beginning to remember the circumstances that led you here. How Steve had carefully and calculatingly planned all of this. You dressed yourself, wearing clothing for the first time in too long, choosing a black t-shirt of yours and a floral midi skirt.

You almost didn’t have the courage to face the house staff, knowing they’d been hearing your desperate mewling for hours on end. You put on the bravest face you could as you pushed through the swinging, kitchen doors. Cynthia, the chef, was peeling boiled eggs by the sink and you slowly made your way around the island so you could face her. Her smile widened when she saw you and you felt an instant relief. 

She was a woman who you guessed was in her late forties, with curly blonde hair and dimples on both sides of her mouth. 

“Hi.”

“Hi, honey. Are you hungry?”

You shook your head, your hands tightly gripping the counter, “I was wondering if there was a telephone I could use.”

“Do you need to speak to Captain Rogers?” She further questioned and you were glad she didn’t seem taken aback by your request. 

“Maria Hill,” You responded, “Do you know her?”

“Not personally, honey. Do you know her phone number?”

“Well … no.” You went on to ask her about the various ways one could find someone’s phone number. That led to a history lesson on phone books and how Cynthia basically hadn’t seen one in a decade. Besides that, Maria Hill was too important of a figure for her personal phone number to be just found online. 

It wasn’t a hard task for Steve to keep you hidden away. All he had to do was rely on the fact that you didn’t know anyone else, knew way too little about the outside world, and that it would always be his word against yours. 

“Maybe you can ask Captain Rogers to help you get in contact with her,” It was your only option. Unless she found you herself, you’d probably had to go through Steve to get to her. 

You were silent for a moment, “When do you think he’ll be back?”

“He’s making the talk show and roundtable runs all day so I wouldn’t expect him to be back until late night.”

“Talk show?” Your eyes widened, “W-What do you mean?”

She rinsed off her hands, implying that you should follow as she made her way to the living room. “People have been wondering about you and Captain Rogers after the senate meeting. I think he wants to make sure there aren’t any rumors out there.” You watched her grab one of the remotes and flick on the flat screen television. 

Immediately, you saw one of the photos of you standing beside Steve inside the capitol. Your doe eyes were looking up at him and it didn’t seem like you were scared but in awe of him. The picture faded away and Steve appeared, all smiles, as he sat next to a dark skinned woman with pin-straight, perfectly styled hair. Her hot pink, peplum dress contrasted against her skin and the blue background. Across the bottom of the screen you saw the words GMA and “CAPTAIN STEVE ROGERS TELLS ALL ABOUT LAST OMEGA”. 

“Oh my stars,” You thought out loud, your eyes wide with fear. 

“The entire country – excuse me, the entire world has been reeling ever since the news broke. We all had no idea what we’d be seeing, what this Omega would like, what they would be like, how the government would choose to react. I mean, we all knew how important this woman is going to be in the grand scheme but it's safe to say we were all still a little caught off guard by the situation. What was your first reaction to seeing her?”

“My first reaction to seeing Y/N,” Steve repeated the question and you sensed he was faking sincerity, “Well, I felt what any Alpha might feel in that sort of moment. Seeing the sea of reporters and cameras following her, knowing that every eye was on her, I felt she needed protection. She didn’t ask for any of this. She didn’t ask to be treated like a celebrity nor did she choose to be in the care of people that didn’t have her best interest.”

A picture of Bruce appeared on the screen and you completely lost all the air in your lungs. 

“What do you think Bruce Banner’s ultimate plan was? A lot of people are confused as to why such a respected man like him would engage in this kind of behavior.”

“I believe he thought there was an evolutionary reason for why no more Omegas were being born. He believed that as a society, we didn’t need them, and eventually we wouldn't need a ranking system. If it was up to him, Y/N would die as the last Omega. I’m not sure what or who radicalized him but dangerous ideas like that … they serve no place in our society.”

The woman feigned shock, “Wow, the world without a ranking system? I can’t even imagine that. More reason to thank our brave federal agents for rescuing her. Now, I’m sure as much as the world is confused by this situation, I’m sure Y/N was even more baffled herself. It’s even been rumored that she developed some sort of Stockholm syndrome while living with Dr. Banner.”

“I’d say there was a lot of confusion, at first, and I completely respect her feelings towards Dr. Banner. To her, she lost a father figure which I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” Tears pricked your eyes at his words. It was like he was using this entire situation, manipulating it, so he’d come out as the understanding and compassionate, good guy, “But I’m sure everyone would be happy to know she’s adjusting well.”

“And there’s no point in beating around the bush anymore. Apparently, your relationship with Y/N has changed quite a bit. I have to admit, after seeing you two together, I was hoping sparks would fly. Is it true that she’s chosen you as her mate?”

Steve closed his eyes for a moment, like he was attempting to choose his words with the utmost precision. It was like he was trying to come off as humble as possible, “It’s true. But the details I’ll leave for her to share in the future. I just want the world to know how much of a special person that she is and getting to know her these past few weeks, I do believe she represents a bright future for this country.”

“Thank you for sitting down with me, Captain,” It seemed like the reporter was looking you right in the eyes as she turned to the camera, “We’ll be right back in a minute.”

Who knew how many people were tuning in to watch the famous Alpha on TV. He wasn’t even finished telling this false story, Cynthia had said he’d be making that rounds all day. And implying that you’d tell your own story eventually? He expected you to lie to the world too and you decided right then that you wouldn’t let him parade you around the news. He could keep you locked in the house, touch you until you couldn’t remember your own name, but you wouldn’t help him put up this façade of you. 

“Honey-”

“Don’t call me honey, please,” Steve’s pet names were enough. You didn’t want Omega or honey or sweetie or baby. You just wanted to be yourself. You wiped your tears as they fell,  “I-I’m sorry. I’m going upstairs. Please don’t send any food up.”

You walked away, making your way through the pristine home, up the stairs, and sadly to the only place that made you feel comfortable. A bed covered in Steve’s scent. 

Steve’s raised voice woke you from your hibernation. You couldn’t hear what was exactly said but you recognized another female’s voice as Cynthia’s. You sat up in bed as you heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. You pulled the covers over your head, balling up your limbs into the fetal position, and shut your eyes tightly. 

You heard a sigh leave his lips as the door opened. He moved relatively quietly but you picked up the sound of glass being placed on the nightstand. The bed dipped beside you and you began to whisper to yourself, praying that you’d be reunited with Bruce and that you could have the room you loved back. 

“Y/N?” You ignored him, continuing to pray, “You have to eat three meals a day. You can’t order Cynthia to not fix your food.”

As you continued to not respond or move, Steve finally grew frustrated and pulled the comforter away from your body. Instantly, you pushed your body away from him, settling in on the other side of the huge bed, “I need you healthy-”

“I want to talk to Maria,” You stated plainly.

“Y/N-”

“If you’re not a cold hearted liar, you’ll at least let us have a phone call. I want to speak to her. And soon.”

“Why the name calling, Omega?” It was meant to bruise my ego and you didn’t know why you expected him to not fight your fire with his own, “We’ve been doing so good lately.”

“Because you lie to the entire world like it’s nothing.”

“The world wouldn’t care about the truth, Y/N. What I say out there doesn’t actually affect our personal lives. I just have a certain reputation to maintain.”

“I want to speak to Maria.”

“Fine. I’ll arrange a call for you two. I don’t know what you’re expecting her to say. She doesn’t have the power to reverse any of this.”

“I have no doubt there’s someone out there, more powerful than you, that sees through your lies,” You spat, your back still turned to him. 

“You’re more naive than I thought then,” You felt like a hand was wrapped around the heart in your chest, squeezing it. His words had struck you deep and had hurt your Omega even more. Yesterday, she was begging him to call her a good girl and now he was practically calling you stupid. 

You rose from the bed vehemently. “I’m not naive,” You seethed. 

“You are,” Steve stood, his voice completely stern, “You’ve only really known two people well throughout your whole life. You never went to school. Never had the chance to make friends. You’ve never really traveled. You have no idea who you are yet.”

“I do.” Your voice came out in such a whisper that you could barely recognize it, “Don’t . . . don’t say that-”

“People have lied to you your entire life, I’m not sure you know what’s really fact and fiction. You’re the only one of your kind and you’re lost.”

His words piled onto you like heavy weight and you felt your knees buckling until you were on the ground, “Please,” You whispered, your face wet with tears that you hadn’t realized started falling. His words were on top of you, crushing you, but soon you were weightless as he lifted you into his arms. 

He pulled you back to the bed, resting you on his lap, as you whimpered into his shoulder. Soothing hands petted your hair, slowly coaxing the sadness out of you, “One thing I can tell you that you are is mine. I’m going to show you your true purpose, little girl. I know you can behave better than this.”

“I can’t-” You hiccupped, “I can’t, I can’t–”

You weren’t shocked by your own tears or the turmoil you felt inside. Your emotions had never been so up and down since meeting Steve. He’d insist it was because you were still resisting your true nature. 

Steve shushed you, “You can be exactly what I want. My perfect mate. You want to be a good girl, right?” 

Your body tensed, fingernails digging into the fabric as your throat became tight. You were trying to hold the words inside you back, to push them down into the pits of your stomach. No longer could you distinguish between Steve’s real voice and the voice used to control you. It was all the same now. He’d discovered the first time you’d been intimate that you craved his approval and praise. 

Steve rubbed your lower back, placing soft kisses near your ear, “Good girls get lots of privileges.”

“Privileges?” Your voice was a whisper. 

“They get to feel good, all the time,” You peeled your face from his shoulder and the two of your eyes met. It was like you hadn’t truly looked at each other till now. There was always anger and frustration, at first, and then you two ended up crumbling. He could be just as gentle as you when he wanted to. 

“What if they want you to feel good?” You asked not very nonchalantly, “Wouldn’t that be the … kind thing to do?”

“You want your Alpha to feel good?” Steve’s hands traveled up your waist, caressing you like you were velvet. His strong hands were gently with your breasts, exploring one of your sensitive peaks with his fingertips, “Well, that’s a little bit of a  predicament. Because Alpha’s always put their Omega’s first.”

“We can feel good together,” Steve grinned wickedly at your words.

“Of course,” The hand on your breasts moved to your face and he easily pulled your lips to his.

Steve felt so young with you in his arms. Your movements were always so eager, never taking a break to breathe when your lips were on each other. The dry humping, your bouncing hips, made him feel like a teenager but he liked how the tension built this way. It drove him crazy until the Alpha had to flip you over and taste what he’d been missing all day. This time, however, it was you that wanted to taste him. 

It was only when Steve was laid down on the bed and you were gripping him in your hand that you lost a bit of your confidence. Although Steve had pleased you plenty in these past few weeks, you hadn’t gotten personal with him in this way yet and you soon realized you really had no idea what you were doing. Steve seemed to notice, sitting up until you were face to face again. 

“It’s okay, you’re doing good. Hold it exactly like you are, just a little tighter, honey,” You did as he instructed, applying more pressure to his shaft, “Now move your hand up and down, stroke it. Good girl.”

Steve leaned back on his elbows, “Now, put your mouth around me. Get it wet.”

You started with your tongue, tasting his tip and licking around it. Although his size was intimidating, you felt your desire increasing, “Let me see those eyes, Y/N,” You felt your cheeks heat up but you did your best. As you took him fully in your mouth, it was easier to tell what he liked by the expressions on his face. 

With every praise from his lips, you were even more enthusiastic and even more wet than before. You went faster, using both hands and your mouth to pleasure your Alpha. Steve’s head tilted back suddenly, “Wait, Y/N,” It was the most desperate his voice had sounded, “Wait-”

You knew you were sending him over the edge, and despite the fact that you were meant to let him guide you, you needed to fully taste him. Steve finished in your mouth and you weren’t hesitant to taste him or swallow it. Sitting back on your own knees, a smile formed on your lips, as some of his cum dripped down your chin. Steve was smirking evilly as he admired you, “Don’t you think for one second that this means we’re done.”

Still breathing heavily, Steve grabbed you, pulling you in before pinning you beneath him, “I’ll be ready again soon,” He said, “In the meantime, I’m gonna taste you until you're begging me to stop.”

Later

The neighborhood you and Steve lived in was military housing for Fort Meade. Like Steve had said, being a good girl had its privileges. Guarded by several armed men, Steve showed you around the base, even allowing you to meet some of the military wives that lived in your cul de sac. Surprisingly, other than the giant planes and huge tanks, the location was quite boring. There were only a few activities servicemen could do for entertainment and one of them was bingo at the community center.

You didn’t win your game but Steve promised to bring you back, surprised by how entertaining you found it. 

Steve was right about Maria Hill. There was really nothing she could do. You could still tell the woman was genuine and wanted to help you. Part of you wasn’t really listening as she began to list the politicians and people she was in contact with. Maybe you’d become weaker but what Steve said earlier in the week was still sitting with you. Maybe you didn’t truly know what the world was. Maybe he was the best thing for you. 

“Y/N, what are you most excited about when it comes to your future?”

The woman in front of you seemed disappointed when she met you at first, probably because you didn’t gush over her or know exactly how popular she was. Steve had only told you the name of her show thirty minutes before she walked into your house. There was an entire TV crew inside and several cameras pointed at you currently.

“Traveling,” You answered truthfully, your hands neatly folded in your lap, over your white dress. Steve was dressed nicely as well because you were meant to do a full photoshoot after the interview. The interview would air and you and Steve would be plastered on magazine covers soon afterwards, “With Captain Rogers,” You added. 

“There’s so much Y/N hasn’t seen and I know the people of the world want to meet her. People are losing faith in the ranking system and we’re proof that it’s still alive and well. It’s a special thing we have to preserve,” Steve said in his much more detailed and eloquent answer. If you looked past the interviewer, you could see a monitor showing exactly what the camera was seeing. Steve was so much larger than you that you were afraid it might appear that you were sinking into the couch beneath you. 

You suddenly felt insignificant despite the words he was saying.

“How long do you guys plan on traveling?”

“Only a few months. We want to make sure everything is perfectly safe for Y/N,” You felt a hand on your waist, snaking around your hips, and you were reminded of where you were, “Fortunately, we have a good excuse.”

“I know you guys have breaking news,” The reporter smiled so wide you were sure she was going to hurt herself, “Y/N, is there something you would like to announce?”

Steve looked at you and the air in the room seemed to thicken. Your lips parted but no words left. You hadn’t completely wrapped your mind around the news and yet you were still announcing it to the entire world. Steve was patient and seemed to notice your hesitancy. 

“We’re expecting,” Steve announced instead, “She’s three months along…”

In that moment, as you began to tune the rest of the conversation out, you realized that you were trusting Steve not only with your life but with the life of the baby inside you. By the time the interview was over, you were back on earth, with an adoring Steve holding you to him. He placed a soft kiss on your forehead, one of his hands roaming on your belly, “You were perfect, honey. Perfect.” 

The anxiety left you at his words. You leaned into his touch, your body knowing that when you were good for him, everything in your world was good too.

#dark fic #omega!reader #alpha!steve rogers #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #mcu smut #omegaverse #alpha/beta/omega AU #alpha!bucky barnes #black!reader #steve rogers x black!reader #dark fics

[windypuddle]

enstars headcanons

ok im going in order but i dont have headcanons for a few characters for sure. so. whatever on we go . just saying in advance these are mostly gender and Autism

fine:

eichi tenshouin: look i cant say anythinf about this guy hes already canonically terminally ill and gay. like what do you want me to do

wataru hibiki: genderfluid. whatever gender fits the performance. shes the moment hes the star theyre the epitome of an actor

tori: boy you are so gnc. princess but not a girl you know

yuzuru: has definitely had impulse thoughts about dying his hair and having a scene phase at 3 am

trickstar

hokuto: bigender. sooooo queer . also autistic

mao: um ritsu braided his hair sometimes when they were younger

ryuseitai:

chiaki: trans guy i have many feelings about this but he leans into the hero thing because its gender affirming. also autism

kanata: no gender only blublublub. likes wearing long skirts. filipino. has like 1 million fish earrings. also autism

tetora: TRANSMASC ‼️💥💪

midori: transfem... also autistic.. she is so important

shinobu: Autism Autism Autism. bonus the detachment from gender that sometimes comes with the autism but he hasnt really thought about it. hes just some guy

alkaloid:

hiiro: transmasc autistic i will die on this hill

aira: my lovely mutuals have convinced me with blasian aira its canon to me now. white french? no. cowards happyele are cowards i tell you. theres such a vast portion of the francophone world that is not white . also transmasc

mayoi: scaredgirl weirdboy core. whatever gender is easier at the moment. she likes being pretty

tatsumi: ok yknow what. fuck it. aroace tatsumi

eden:

nagisa: so much autism. nonbinary guy. religious trauma

ibara: lesbian. not going to elaborate bc thats not my problem ibara is just a lesbian

hiyori: hes just gay idk what to tell you. cisboy gay who is so annoying. when people complain about "gay isn't a personality trait" theyre complaining about him. also chubby

jun: also gay but fans love him for being normal about it. one of his main motivations for working out is being able to princess carry hiyori. hes so polite usually its insane but with eden he doesnt care because he loves them so hes a bit of a bitch

valkyrie:

shu: god is a woman and her name is shu itsuki. transfem and autistic i will Also die on this hill.

mika: transmasc and autistic

2wink:

hinata: men liker but dont ask me about her gender idk

yuuta: i see those slipups in twin peaks girl u are transfem nonbinary i think

crazy:b:

rinne: bigender [wild cheering] also demi aka down bad for niki specifically

niki: tboy swag but hes not really bothered too much about medically transitioning. arospec i think

himeru: Sooooo nonbinary. so so so nonbinary. i like to hc afab nonbinary himeru and mainly got top surgery to more easily pass as kaname but like gahdamn of course you have blue hair and pronouns (they/it/no pronouns)

kohaku: tboy swag . the gender in crazy:b is off the charts

Undead:

rei: 1 million genderqueer and SO gay. has all the problems of an older sister but also the hotness that comes with issues u know.

kaoru: ok. bear with me. aussie. also transfem... like what do you mean you hate men and only hang out with girls. definitely arospec

koga: AUTISM!! weirdgirl to autism boy wonder transmasc swag pipeline

adonis: also autism. he can be gnc. as a treat

akatsuki:

keito: come on man we all know youre gay and insufferable about it

kuro: he should get to have piercings i think

souma: autism boy wonder. while you were busy learning social cues he was studying the blade. also applies to gender norms

ra*bits:

nazuna: boy there is something gender going on with you. weirdboy or maybe a gender cis people have never heard of.

tomoya: That Is The Normalest Girl I've Ever Seen

mitsuru: autism

hajime: girl what is your gender. hes like the narrator of the arch nemesis cynthia post. so poor they cant afford a gender

knights:

tsukasa: autistic and please please please let him be chubby. staring at happyele with my biggest saddest eyes Please let tsukasa be chubby. while you're at it can he wear a skirt. please

leo: ok i give a lot of characters autism because i have autism and i get it but i think leo has adhd

izumi: agender. any pronouns. idk what to tell you he said in next door that he doesnt care about gender only beauty

arashi: only normal one in knights. i love aranee she should get 1 million hours to stress bake if she wants to

ritsu: ah i understand why vampires are gay. occasionally a girl if its funny

switch:

natsume: Diversity win!! the angry witch is transmasc!!! neurodivergent but i think its funnier if i dont specify.

tsumugi: new gender unlocked its pathetic wifeguy. hes every spirit in the fields of punishment and he does it willingly for natsume

sora: wahoo autism ^_^ yippee!!

madara: is cowboy a gender?

feel free to reblog and throw in ur own headcanons i love hearing other fans hcs it is so awesome!!

#puddle talks #oh god #tagging time... #enstars #ensemble stars #enstars headcanons #eichi tenshouin #wataru hibiki #tori himemiya #yuzuru fushimi #chiaki morisawa #hokuto hidaka #mao isara #sorry i have no thoughts on th e rest of trickstar. oops. no hcs anyway #kanata shinkai #tetora nagumo #midori takamine #shinobu sengoku #hiiro amagi #aira shiratori #mayoi ayase #tatsumi kazehaya #nagisa ran #ibara saegusa #hiyori tomoe #jun sazanami #hinata aoi #yuuta aoi #shu itsuki #mika kagehira

[scarisd3ad]

Heyy! I love your works sm and I was wondering if you could do a Bruce Yamada x fem reader where she's liked him for a long time, and he accidentally over hears her talking about him to a friend. If that makes sense. Have a nice day/night!! :)

More than best friends

Pairing - Bruce yamada x f!reader

Warnings - none

Masterlist

Bruce was my best friend. I had known him and his family for years before I developed the most life ruining crush to ever exist. I liked him..that was the truth. I wanted him to hold me, hug me, kiss me, I wanted him to love me. But he didn’t obviously, he was him, popular, handsome, charming, just perfect. And I’m just..well I’m just me. Average..at most.

I sat with my elbows on the cafeteria table as I leaned across the table“I don’t like him” I whispered to Cynthia. “Sureee” she rolled her eyes. “I’m telling the truth cynth I don’t like Bruce” she rolled her eyes yet again and smirked. “Just admit it y/n you’re in love with Bruce yamada!” She said a little to loud. I yelped and lunged forward as I covered her mouth. “He can’t hear us he’s getting his lunch” Cynthia said pointing to Bruce who was standing in line talking to Stacy Johnson. I sighed in relief but also somehow my heart stopped. I knew Stacy had a crush on Bruce. And Bruce definitely had a higher probability to like Stacy than me. His best friend who was more like a sister than a friend. “So you do like Bruce!” Cynthia squealed. I rolled my eyes “fine! Okay fine! Just keep it down okay” I whispered. “But you like-“

“Who does y/n like?”

I quickly looked up to see Bruce standing there with his lunch tray in hand. “Y-“

“Vance..Vance hopper!”

Bruce scrunched up in nose in disgust. “Why him?” I shrugged “I-I dunno” little did I not notice the little smirk sitting on Bruce’s lips. He placed his lunch tray next to me and sat down. “Stacy told me she likes me” Bruce whispered, “oh” I muttered. “Do you like her too?” Cynthia asked, Bruce shrugged. “Dunno, maybe a little” my heart dropped and Cynthia looked over at me pity in her eyes. “O-oh” i muttered, “you should ask her out then” all I wanted was for Bruce to be happy, even if it wasn’t with me. Cynthia furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at me. Her look asking “what the hell are you doing?”

“Yeah…maybe I don’t know. I don’t like her that much..she’s just pretty” he wasn’t lying, Stacy was pretty. She had beautiful blonde hair that went down to her shoulders, blue eyes that seemed to sparkle all the time, and most of all she was skinny. That’s what all boys like Bruce wanted a skinny blonde girl who hanged onto their arm like a decoration. Someone that made every girl jealous. Someone who had all the friends, and perfect grades. “You think? I think she’s a bitch” Cynthia said. Bruce shrugged his shoulders as he picked at his food with his fork. “Remember when her and her friends tortured y/n and I last year just for being friends with you?” Bruce nodded “yeah I remember”

-

Later on that day I was walking home by myself, because Cynthia had volleyball practice and Bruce..well Bruce was wanted to talk to Stacy after school. My hands were tucked into my pockets and my head was looking straight down. The only sound was the sound of my shoes against the pavement and the normal sound of the suburbs (faint sounds of kids laughing, birds, the breeze blowing through the trees)

Thump thump thump.

I heard the sound of feet running against the pavement behind me. I just assumed it was some kids playing and they’d pass me sooner of later. “Y/n!” I turned around to see Bruce behind me. I stood letting him catch up to me. “You didn’t wait for me” he said panting “was-was I supposed to?” I whispered back as I pulled one of my hands out of my pocket to brush a piece of hair out of my face. “Yeah?” He furrowed his eyebrows, “oh..”

“What’s wrong? You’re acting weird” he said I shook my head. “I’m not” I mumbled, “yes you are, you’re acting nervous” I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re talking about” I said as I began to walk again. Bruce also began to walk “you wanna hang out at mine? Amy’s not gonna be there so we’ll have the house to ourselves.”

I shrugged “sure..that’s alright” Bruce nodded. We were nearing Bruce’s house it was just a block away. “We should call Cynth when we get to yours so she can come after her practice” Bruce shook his head “no..I just wanna hang out with you” I furrowed my eyebrow bruce and I hadn’t hung out by ourselves since I met Cynthia. “Ok?”

We arrived at Bruce’s house, no cars were in the drive way so I assumed both mr and Mrs yamada were at work. Bruce fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He held the door open for me, sending me his iconic charming smile that made all the girls swoon. “So..I heard you talking to Cynthia earlier..about you liking someone” Bruce said. I paused and slowly turned around towards him. Bruce was now directly in front of me. “Y-yeah?”

“I know you don’t like vance”

Oh…oh shit he knew. “Tell me y/n…do you really like me?” I was starting to panic. I fidgeted with my fingers as I stuttered “I-um..I- yeah but we can forget about it..I still want to be friends” Bruce chuckled “what if I dont want to be friends anymore?” My cheeks burned as I stared at my feet. “W-what?” I officially ruined the best friendship I ever had…by a stupid crush. Tears built up in my eyes, Bruce placed his pointer finger under my chin and tilted my head up. “Hey..don’t cry” Bruce chuckled “I don’t want to be friends anymore..becuase I like you too”

“Seriously?” I whispered, smiling softly, “mhm” then he kissed me, Bruce fucking yamada kissed me. His lips were on mine! Oh my god. I wrapped my arms around his neck kissing him back. It lasted a few seconds before we pulled away. “You seriously like me?” I asked softly, he laughed and replied with “why would I lie to you?” As he caressed my cheek.

#fanfics #x reader #the black phone #bruce yamada #bruce yamada x reader #fem!reader #vance hopper

[shadowdarkee]

Why the Distortion World Is Empty

Wrote this back in 2018 as part of an attempt to explain a weird bit of the Pokémon Platinum setting. Pokémon names in ALLCAPS because that's how it was done back in DPPt.

~~~~~

"The legend told of a world on the other side of ours. This world. Why does this world exist? Why is GIRATINA here all alone?" -Cynthia

You are the hero of Sinnoh. You were there on Spear Pillar when Team Galactic attempted to create a new world.  You watched as the Lake Trio tried to sabotage the ritual, and GIRATINA dragged the team’s mad leader into its own world. Into the portal you had gone, and with the help of the Lake Trio, navigated the Distortion World. It was You who defeated Cyrus and then calmed that dragon of shadows. Then you found your way out so that you could continue your journey.

Now, you head north, to Lake Acuity. To check on the psychic who lives within, among other reasons. From Acuity Lakefront, you Rock Climb up to the forest. Using HM03 Surf, you reach the center of the lake. There is, as expected, a cave structure there.

You enter Acuity Cavern. At the center of the cave, you see a small blue and yellow Pokémon levitating. it seems to stare at you from beneath its closed eyes. And then you hear a voice. No, not hear - at least not literally.

“Ah, you have made it. Good.”

'...'

“Surprised I can communicate? You shouldn’t be, if you were listening to Cynthia. I am UXIE, the being of knowledge, should I not possess that which I embody?

I have been waiting for you. You did well, in saving the universe. And you calmed GIRATINA. Did you do so by catching the renegade? No, don’t tell me. It is not often that I get the chance to be surprised. And you made it out of the Distortion World well enough, didn’t you?” It is a good thing that place was otherwise uninhabited, or else what would you have done had your Pokémon all fainted? There are no Pokémon Centers to return to there, after all. But it is odd isn’t it? That World’s emptiness?”

'...' 

“had you truly not considered it? It is not as if there is anything stopping other Pokémon from being there. You can enter and leave through Turnback Cave without issue. Why can’t others? There are BRONZOR and BRONZONG living right nearby the portal.”

'...'

“Because it is uninhabitable, hmm? You are working on the Pokédex Project are you not? Have you ever encountered anywhere untouched by humans where Pokémon do not thrive? I assure you, there aren’t. Why isn’t there anything living off the upward rivers or ephemeral trees?”

'...' 

“Ahh. I need not look at you to see your eyes moving – the figurative gears in your head spinning. You are thinking! Very good. I knew I liked you. The truth then: It was not always uninhabited. Do you wish to know what happened, hmm?”

'...' 

“Of course you do. Why else would simply stand there? Very well then: here it is:

 The Mythical MEW, as you may know, is very often the creator of New Species. One day, just under half a billion years ago, near the end of what you humans call the ‘Devonian Period’, MEW became bored - as it often does. And in its boredom, it wondered its way into that Distorted realm. There, it found a world of Ghost and Rock and Ground and Water Pokémon who got lost within or else were descended from those who did. And there in GIRATINA's Realm, MEW found, was a world with most niches unfilled. When an unfilled niche is found - whether real or imagined, MEW holds the right to fill it with a creation of its own. And so, it decided to execute that right. 

The environmental factors which affect how well a species would thrive in that Reverse world were found to be totally unlike those seen anywhere else. Thus the new species for this realm would also have to be totally unlike those seen anywhere else. MEW took a look at the world's primary inhabitant and the lack of stability of space and time, and then began to create. Creatures with great mouthed tentacles for gripping the disappearing rocks and trees. Vast dragons with claw-armed mouths. Monsters with multitudinous fin-wings for swimming through non-euclidean rivers and skies. Phasing tenebrous spirits to consume the wyrms at the centers of floating landmasses. Organisms shaped like walking human towers. Powerful blocks of color. Others were stranger still. MEW called the creations 'cute'. After a year of observing, playing with the new children, and hanging its tail - swinging back and forth - from one being's stinger tail, it grew bored once more, and, deciding its work to be good in its eyes, promptly left. 

At first it was. MEW's creations were well suited to their environment - better than the sidereal native lives that had made their home in that world. And Nature took its course, as the new outcompeted the old. But the eldritch creatures were too successful. Once all the sidereal organisms were consumed, the horrors began to focus their unsated hungers on the terrain itself. Swarms of  ▶ A drank whole forests. The dreaded 'M slowly assimilated entire floating landmasses. Soon some even began to consider the Lord of Antimatter as potential prey if ganged up on. Actually gave the Renegade some exercise fighting them. And then some managed to come through a portal to our world unscathed. You could imagine the terror when they began to consume the land. The invaders were exterminated, and all saw the danger that had been let loose.

But MEW holds not just the role of a creator but also a destroyer. Its eldritch creations were found to be a threat to all ecosystems they encountered. To us.  The less dangerous were driven off to exotic planes and light years distant stars.  As for the others - with a hardened heart, MEW worked with GIRATINA to purge the horrors from that mirrored realm. MEW promised never to make another species for that place's niches again, and it remains all but uninhabited to this day. Now the Pokémon of this world are too afraid to crossover.”

'...'

“Might some of the more dangerous entities have escaped their purgation, you ask? Oh yes. All that remained awoke three years ago. But none survive today.

Now then: I need not read your mind to know that you are not here simply to check on my health. I have waited my entire existence for this moment – this opportunity to make meaningful decisions of mine own. Step forward, human. 

Come – To Battle!”

~~~

Wrote this back in 2018 as part of an attempt to explain a weird bit of the game setting. I had planned on writing a multi-chapter sequel (interquel?) that gives a more behind-the-scenes look at things that doesn't whitewash events at all (it would be titled "Where the Wild T̶̢̘͓̹̘̳͙͉͉͈͈̲̣̿͌͌̉̀̄̅ẖ̷̡͎̞̹͖͕̟͙̪͌͐̑́̂̈͘͘ͅị̴̧̢̲̩̬̻̯̣̠͙̄̐̑́̅̾̑̊͌̊́͑́͜͠n̸͎̖̻͉̣̻̒̌͗̎́̇̈̈́̃̐͋́͝g̵̗̮̩̳̥͙̗͔̞̥̫̟͎̹͗͘s̸̰̖͉̔̔́̇͝ went") but that's probably never going to amount to anything.

#pokemon fanfiction #pokemon uxie #uxie #pokemon platinum #pokemon red #giratina #pokemon sinnoh #Fridge logic taken seriously #distortion world #legendary pokemon #missingno #glitch pokemon

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Happy Hump Day!

I was listening to last week’s ‘A-Z Of Mi-Soul Music’ (and what a damn fine show it is) and I was listening closely to the lyrics of ‘Don’t Go Messing With My Heart’. It reminded me of this insightful thing that Bob Marley once said. He wasn’t just one of the greatest songwriters of all-time, he was also a very empathetic man. Marley once said, “The biggest coward of a man is to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her.” Those words have always stuck with me. Cowards start something and, once the woman starts ‘catching feelings’, the coward backs away. In my past, I admit, I guess I’ve messed with women’s hearts, and I’ve certainly had my heart trampled on a few times! Listen, women can be clumsy and careless too! Why do we do this? Some people don’t give a damn, of course. Men, in particular, will say absolutely ANYTHING to get a woman into bed. Men will literally promise a future just to get their end away. A future! Men will literally lie about wanting a relationship and marriage and kids JUST to get inside a woman’s drawers! And this always brings me back to the words of another very wise person, legendary madam, Cynthia Payne. Ms. Payne suggested that men are a lot more considered and coherent once they’ve “de-spunked”. Until that physical reaction has occurred, men are just talking – not to put too fine a point on it – shit!

I don’t wish to put you off your breakfast but, amazingly, people use wet wipes and just flush them straight down the toilet. As you know, some people pour hot cooking oil straight down the sink. So, as you can imagine, this delightful combination of waste matter, wet wipes, food and cooking oil congeals together to make this ultra thick, ultra juicy ‘fatberg’ down in the sewer. Someone then has the unpleasant task of breaking down these blockages into smaller pieces, so they can float away into the sea (and we can swim in them!) What a great job! No, people, wet wipes don’t dissolve!

How very kind of City News to post a free ‘Special Coronation Edition’ through my letterbox! I’m supposed to get excited about a man that had an affair with his wife’s friend, failed to protect his wife from a paparazzi that ultimately hounded her and hunted her down until she was dead, paid no inheritance tax on his mum’s billions (in a time of hardship for many), and installed his mistress as the new queen. Even if he didn’t love Diana, Charles should have tried every member of the paparazzi (and their editors) for treason, protected his wife, and then at least William and Harry would still have a mother! No, I won’t be celebrating the coronation. This free newspaper will line my dustbin!

I adore chocolate and I know a bargain when I see one! My local Tesco is selling-off £4.00 chocolate Easter eggs for £1.00. That deal is too good to resist. My family are NOT impressed, though I suspect they pretend to be appalled at my greed. Thankfully, I have managed to convince that it is NOT me buying the chocolate eggs but that they are breeding in our dining room while we sleep!

Want to know what it’s like in my house? At lunch time, I said to The Trouble, “What do you want in your sandwich? Bacon or egg!” “BOTH!” she said. And, that’s what it’s like in our house! Just call me Cinderella! So, I grilled the bacon, scrambled the eggs and she had both! “I’m so lucky!” she said, as she chomped into her sarnie. Happy wife, happy life, innit?

Have a wonderful and well-endowed Wednesday. I love you all. Yes, a crazy, bald man loves and cares about you.

#mixcloud #mi soul #dj #music #new blog #lockdown #coronavirus #books #weekend #democracy #brexit #cronyism #election #radio

[storiesofsvu]

Brazen Qualities Ch 9

Warnings: language, major political drama, smut.

Arizona seemed like the perfect escape, even if it was for a week of work. The weather was much warmer than Washington, and nicer than the other States you’d been stopping in along the trail. You knew the sunny days and nights not frozen in your bed would do a wonder for your mental health, you’d finally be able to put this bullshit about the bug behind you. And considering you hadn’t heard any whisperings around the Underwood office, you were sure Heather was taking care of it, whatever that meant.

Heather was taking full advantage of the last stop on the campaign trail (for the nomination, there would still be a whole other campaign for the Presidency after she secured the slot), slyly booking adjoining rooms for the two of you. When it came up at check in she simply shrugged to Cynthia, it must’ve been a convenient slip up on the hotel’s side.

You were taking full advantage of the Ocatilla suite’s semi private terrace, complete with jacuzzi tub and lounge chairs (and the fact that Heather had a few press appearances that afternoon that you didn’t need to be around for). Splayed out on a lounger flipping through a trashy gossip magazine you’d picked up at the airport clad in a deep blue bikini, soaking up the much appreciated warmth and sun.

Heather swore under her breath at the sight when she came out of the bedroom, eager to get this day of pointless meetings over with so she could spend the night having her way with you. You raised your head at the sound of the patio door sliding open,

“We should be back in a few hours, dinner at Frank & Albert’s is booked for seven.”

“Noted.”

“Try not to get in too much trouble while we’re gone.” She teased, pulling a laugh from you.

“How could I possibly get into trouble with you not here?” You smirked back, “call me if you run into any roadblocks.”

“Enjoy your sun.” Heather shot you a wink before sliding the door shut and you turned back to your magazine.

You kept your phone turned on and at your side just in case, but it thankfully never went off, your afternoon was exactly what you’d needed, dozing softly in the sun, finally able to forget about all the bull shit of the past couple of weeks. It wouldn’t be long before Underwood was out of the picture and you’d already been vetting the Republican nominations to know what kind of people you’d be up against in the second part of the campaign.

When you heard the door to Heather’s suite open a few hours later you headed back into your own, freshening up in the shower before you met the team for dinner. You could feel her eyes on you throughout the meal, while she may have been talking shop, you knew that the thoughts in her head were much less than innocent. She admired the way your skin was already sunkissed, the way you had your hair tied up fully exposing your neck. The previous bruise had vanished and as much as you protested she was aching to make another one, perhaps she’d play nice and leave one on your thigh this time. It was a unanimous decision to call it an early night, with the debate the next evening everyone wanted fresh and well rested minds.

The door between you and Heather’s suites had remained open since you’d checked in, it’s not like either of you really needed privacy from each other anymore. You were scanning through a few emails when there was a small knock out the door jam. Glancing up you saw Heather holding a bottle of wine and two glasses,

“I think it’s about time you put that bikini back on and join me in the jacuzzi.” She smirked, waiting for you to scoff with a small grin on your face before she headed to the terrace.

You followed a few moments later, clad in the requested bikini, dipping into the bubbling water. The jacuzzi was seated in the terrace, making it level with the ground. You pleasantly accepted the wine from Heather, humming in appreciation over a large sip. Heather let out a sigh, leaning back against the padded seats,

“I have to say, the day you had sounds much more ideal than mine.”

“Interviews that rough?” You chuckled.

“I’m just tired.” She admitted, sipping back some wine, “mentally I mean. The whole campaigning thing is exhausting.”

“Nobody likes campaigning.”

“You’ve got that right.” You watched for a moment as her gaze zoned out into the distance.

“You miss it…” You questioned softly, though you already knew the answer.

“What?” She turned to you.

“The courtroom….” She laughed,

“The debates make up for it a little bit. I mean, it’s not the same, but it’s the same energy.”

“Except your opponent is going after you and not your client.”

“Ecgh.” Was all you got in reply before she took another sip of wine, “I know you’ve got to miss it.”

“Oh fuck…yes.” You laughed, “the rush? Don’t get me wrong, this whole laid back lifestyle is much easier, but it’s so fucking boring.” She cocked a brow and you hastily added a “no offence.” Before hiding behind your wine.

“None taken…I’ll just be glad when this part’s finished. And if you’re bored now, don’t worry, Solicitor General will keep you more than occupied.”

“Good to know.” Watching as she sighed again, taking a hefty sip of wine, you couldn’t help but smile, “you’re going to make an incredible President Heather..”

“Thank you.” You knew she meant it, the incredibly soft smile on her face as she spoke, “I hope you know how much I value your opinion.”

“I do. I mean why else would you have hired me for this job?” You teased. She playfully slapped at your arm.

“You ever think about running for office?”

“God no!” You snorted, “this is as high as I go when it comes to the White House.” You turned to her with a wicked grin on your face, “though I do hope you hold up that promise you made about the Oval Office.”

“Oh kitten, there’s no argument that will get you out of that deal.” She smirked, her wine glass finding a home on the terrace as she shifted in the water, moving to straddle your lap. Her hand plucked your wine glass from your fingers, placing it up on the ledge with hers.

“Heather…” you warned as her lips moved closer to you, “what if-“

“Fuck it.” Her words were hot on your cheek and honestly, who were you to be able to say no when she was already in your lap.

Your hands settled on her hips under the water while hers wrapped around your neck, pulling your lips to hers. The kiss was unbelievably soft at first, melting against each other, the stressors of the campaign drifting away into the swirling of the jacuzzi. You let out a soft groan as her tongue slipped into your mouth, dancing with grace against yours, your arms wrapped tighter around her, pulling her flush against your body. Her lips detached from yours, gently trailing down your neck, she nipped against the soft skin and you swatted at her ass the best you could underwater.

“None of that…” you murmured. She chuckled, placing a gentle kiss at the spot before her mouth repeated its actions on the other side. Her fingers tickled up your exposed abdomen, cupping your breasts through your suit, pinching at your nipples. You couldn’t help the whimper that escaped your mouth, your hand tugging her head up to capture her lips back to yours. A hand buried into her hair, pulling her impossibly close. Her hands closed around your waist as she pulled away from the kiss, pushing your upwards.

“Sit on the edge.” She murmured. You gave her a quizzical look and she simply smirked in return, nudging you in the direction she wanted you to go.

Pulling yourself out of the water you shivered lightly at the change in temperature, though you knew that wouldn’t matter in a minute. Heather easily rid you of your bikini bottoms, tossing them aside as she pulled your hips closer to the edge of the tub. Her kisses littered your inner thighs, and this time when her teeth scraped against the tender skin you didn’t complain, in fact, your hand laced through her hair, encouraging her to mark you up as your breathing picked up. She sucked a mark into you thigh, teeth biting in heavier than she had on your neck the last time, you knew she wanted this one to last.

Once she was satisfied with her work her mouth moved toward your pussy, eager to taste you again, just the thoughtof the delectable sweetness of your juices was more than enough to get her riled up. Her tongue swiped through you torturously slow, lapping as much as she could before she ever so briefly sucked at your clit. Doing your best to stay quiet you whimpered, hips rolling toward her, your chest heaving in anticipation.

Heather set in a steady pace of fucking you with her tongue, pulling your wetness from your walls, it didn’t take long for your thighs to be slick around her lips. Your hand pulled her closer to you, her face nuzzled against your pussy, groaning over your taste, the vibrations caused a soft cry to escape you.

“Fuck..”

“Quiet kitten…” Heather murmured, her lips brushing against your lower ones as she spoke.

She pulled her mouth up, wrapping around your clit while she easily sunk two fingers into your waiting pussy. You groaned softly at the feeling, her tongue darting around your clit in sporadic patterns while her fingers began to fuck you. She twisted and curled them, knowing your body as well as her own by now, not surprised at the way your hips rocked up when she dragged them over your gspot. She had more planned for the evening, she certainly wasn’t about to let you leave her bed, so she figured she would at least try to make this one quick. The half of her that was out of the water felt the cooling air, watching the way your body was breaking out in goosebumps, although, it did mean your nipples were hardened to very visible peaks through your suit and she wasn’t complaining about that.

Heather’s fingers rocked harder into you, twirling with expertise while her lips sucked at your clit harder, she felt your hand tighten in her hair, tugging heavily but nearly pushing her even deeper against your heat. You felt the coil building within you, your breath ragged as you tried to stay as silent as possible as your orgasm grew within you. Your free hand shot out, grasping at Heather’s where it rested on your thigh, her fingers swiftly interlaced with yours as she gave a particularly heavy suck on your clit, her tongue darting out to flick against it right as her fingers curled into your gspot.

A choked moan broke free of your lips as you came, body shuddering against her face, your thighs attempting to close around her. Heather gently pulled her fingers from you as she kissed at your thighs, then up your bare skin until she was standing, pulling you in for a kiss.

“Christ Heather..” you muttered against her lips. She chuckled, chastely kissing you once more.

“There’s more where that came from.”Stepping out of the jacuzzi she cupped your cheek, “come to the bedroom.”

As much as you needed a minute, the air was chilled, and you weren’t about to let Heather get started without you. Following her lead you grabbed your wine glass, (and scooped up your bikini bottoms), matching her movement into the bedroom. If you thought you were done being on the receiving end that night, you were far from wrong. Heather made you come at least another three times, and you were ever thankful that now volume wasn’t a concern, your body shaking underneath hers, coated in a sheen of sweat as she brought you to your peak over and over again. While she wasn’t busy practically tormenting you, you were sure to flip her over and return the favour, devouring her pussy, taking pride and glee in the noises you were able to pull from her, the way she tugged you insanely close to her body in a kiss as your fingers skillfully fucked her.

By the end of the night, you’d not only polished off the wine, but successfully worn each other out. Heather had you curled up against her body, your head resting on her shoulder while her fingers softly played with your hair. Both of your breathing had finally come back to normal, you could practically feel your eyelids fluttering in exhaustion already.

“That’s one way to burn off some steam.” You murmured, kissing her skin gently. Heather chuckled,

“Never knew a better way to relax before an important event.”

“Glad I could help.” You sighed lightly, “should I go?” You asked, in reference to moving back to your own bed.

“No one else has access to the suite. And the door’s latched just in case.” You felt her lips gently hit your head and not much else before you completely passed out, thankful for the warmth of her body against yours.

*

The next even came sooner than you’d expected, though you had to be graciously thankful that your morning had been interrupted, able to share a room service breakfast with Heather before she met with Cynthia. You lounged around for most of the day, double checking everything Heather had prepped for the debate. As much as Cynthia was an incredible campaign manager, you were used to playing hardball, and very used to mock debating over the past fifteen years. When you ran through debate questioning you often took on the roll of Underwood, not holding back against Heather and doing your best to shoot her down and jab at her with remarks he would likely make against her personal life.

Cynthia was out front already, making sure the cars were ready while you fell into step beside Heather.

“You okay?” You murmured, “you seem..on edge or something today.”

“Like I said last night,” she replied softly, “I’m just drained. One more of these and it’ll be done with.”

“Is this about the bug?” Her head practically shot up to meet your gaze,

“No.” She stated firmly, “like I said, it’ll be taken care of. Underwood knows better. He can’t bring it up without admitting he planted it.”

“Okay.” You gave her a tight smile, “hey…you’re gonna crush it.” You discreetly gave her wrist a soft squeeze before you ducked into the car.

*

In complete honesty, you hated having to be at these debates, but you knew having your face out there supporting Heather would be a good pull for your father’s previous supporters. The thing was, if you had to watch two politicians fight it out you would much rather have been on your couch in pj’s with a pint of ice cream than pressed against the back wall in an expensive suit and heels that pinched at your feet slightly. And tonight..something had you worried, Heather had no problem with the prep, as usual, but as you had asked her, something seemed off. She seemed just the slightest off her game and going into the final debate of the nomination like that probably wasn’t something to your advantage.

Underwood did his usual best to undermine her, taking more blows than normal as he strayed from the original topic or question. She would do her best to dodge, redirect it back to what the moderator had originally asked, only for him to circle back around to it the next chance he got. You could tell she was getting more frustrated with each blow, trying to stay on the higher ground, not slipping to his low standards of poking into aspects of her personal life. It was nearing the end of the second period when you knew trouble was more than just brewing, Underwood took a particularly heavy jab at her, and it was like lightning. You could recognize that little lip twitch anywhere, the first time you’d seen it was the moment you knew you’d won your case against Heather, that she didn’t have any extra ammo against your client, that she was done for. Tonight though, she was still holding onto a little piece of dirt, and in her over frustrated and exhausted state, the words slipped from her mouth before she even realized what she was saying or doing.

“Well I’m not the one who’s planting bugs in other people’s offices Mr. President.”

The next minutes both dragged on and flew by, it seemed like everything was suddenly happening at once. Your heart dropped to your stomach, what the fuck was she thinking?! If Underwood had the knowledge that you knew abou the bug, first off, it was no longer useable against him and secondly…he certainly wasn’t about to hold back from revealing what information he’d retained from the bug. You had to do something, you had to get her off that stage before this got worse.

“For fucks sake Heather.”

“What is she talking about?” Cynthia whispered to you.

“Get her to the car as fast as you can. No press, no social media replies, absolutely nothing. Straight to the hotel.” You hissed out before you darted from the room, leaving a very confused campaign manager behind.

Underwood attempted a few protests and defences first, and Heather shot back just as strong, attacking his character, and going as far as attacking his marriage (considering the rumours that had been flying around on the news as to why Claire wasn’t on the campaign trail with him anymore, no one was really surprised there). If you had been in the room, you woud’ve seen the moment Frank’s jaw clenched, knowing exactly what was coming after,

“Well Ms Dunbar,” he chuckled darkly, “there may be, very untrue rumours about my marriage but at least I’m not the one—“

The entire room went black, Frank’s voice cut out of the microphone, only those within a very small vicinity around him heard the ‘having an affair’. There was a smatter of shrieks through the room, a number of cell phone flashlights flicking on and concerned faces, security rushing in not knowing exactly what was going on. It only took a matter of seconds before the secret service had the President vanished from the room, a few moments later the back up generators began to flick on and Cynthia was at Heather’s side, urging her to get to the car. There was no telling what the fuck was actually happening right now, and safety was everyone’s main concern.

*

To say you were mad was an understatement, you were absolutely fuming. You’d kicked off your heels, but were pacing back and fourth through Heather’s hotel suite, the news was turned on in case they’d restarted the debate as you awaited her return to the hotel. You heard the key card beep in the lock, rounding toward the door as Heather and Cynthia entered.

“What the fuck were you thinking?!”

“Underwood hit hard, so I hit hard back!”

“I specifically told you not to mention the bug! And now you’ve gone and slandered the President’s name on livefucking television and accused him of being the source! Have you lost your mind?! Do you realize how bad this looks!?”

“He planted the bug!”

“We don’t KNOW that Heather!! For fuck’s sake! Did you forget everything you learned in law school?!” You were very glad that Cynthia was standing awkwardly to the side for this, you really didn’t have enough patience right now to deal with a two on one fight, “even if we knew it we couldn’t prove it!”

“Doug was the only one in that office alone aside from the three of us and I highly doubt one of us planted it.”

“And Doug was working for you at the time! As far as we know, as far as we can prove, he took it upon himself to plant that bug to try and gain knowledge to later pass onto Underwood after he went behind your back. There is no literal way to prove that Underwood coerced him into planting that bug! Believe me! I went through all of his phone and email logs when you hired him, including burners. Underwood had zero contact with him after his accident.”

“That doesn’t mean Underwood isn’t guilty of this.”

“Oh my GOD Heather!” You groaned, “it doesn’t matter if he’s guilty or not, what the people saw was you stooping to his level, you were doing so good, this just looks like you’re just as skeezy as he is! That’s exactly what we didn’t want. Did you even hear what he said after it went dark?” Heather’s face hardened slightly,

“I did. And it’s a good thing it’s his marriage under the microscope right now and not mine.”

“Jesus Christ…” you spun around, briefly running your hand over your face before pushing your hair back, “he heard what was on that bug, and he nearly destroyed your entire career in three words tonight, you realize that right?”

“Well I guess it’s a good thing the power went out then.”

“Heather…come on..the power didn’t go out, I flipped the goddamn breaker.” Suddenly it made sense to Cynthia where you’d dashed off to, and honestly she was wishing she hadn’t followed Heather into the room, somehow you not only knew about a bug that she didn’t but also knew things about Heather she hadn’t even realized.

“It’s good to know you still have my back.”

“Of course! I’m not Doug, I’m not going to run off to work for Underwood just because you slipped up!”

“I knew when I hired you that if any kind of mess happened, you’d be able to clean it up, and tonight shows that.”

“Well we’re  fucked now! You realize that right?! Because as soon as Underwood leaks the information and your husband finds out?! That’s one mess I won’t be able to clean up Heather!”

In a heartbeat you were gone from her suite, the door leading to your own adjoining one  basically slamming shut. Heather swore under her breath, you were right after all. She’d let the politics and the drama take over the evening, forgetting about the law, the constitution, the fact that you wouldn’t ever be able to link what you needed to who you needed. Not to mention that it was very obvious Underwood knew about the affair, and wasn’t afraid to drop that bomb. She didn’t know how you’d managed to save her ass tonight, but somehow you did, and you deserved all the thanks the world could give in return. She was only pulled from her thoughts when Cynthia cleared her throat awkwardly,

“All things considered…I’m going to pretend that I wasn’t present for any of that conversation.” She quickly let herself out of the suite with a brief nod.

Heather sighed heavily, just as you had guessed, she had been off her game tonight, and she almost suffered horrendous consequences because of it.

Then again…who knew what was going to happen once all parties got back to Washington.

#heather dunbar #heather dunbar x reader #house of cards #brazen qualities

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Sygna Suit Red

Did you know I have never done a teambuilding post for this guy?  I mean, I’m decisively anti-Kanto, so I’m not too surprised, but dang.

General Overview For anyone wondering, yes SS Red is still good.  No longer top meta good, but still really good.

Red was blessed with three tools that make him immune to ever truly falling off.  First: Piercing Gaze.  He will never miss an attack ever.  This is obscenely valuable as a trait, no matter what’s going on.  Second: Blast Burn.  4-gauge moves are now fairly commonplace, but SS Red got a particularly strong one due to accuracy limitations.  Limitations that literally don’t exist because of Piercing Gaze, so it’s all upside.  I like how DeNA decided at minute two that this was going to be how every low-accuracy unit plays.  If they’d decided a minute sooner, maybe Kris wouldn’t have needed to wait so long for a tool like Aaron.  Third: immaculate self-setup.  SS Red has Dire Hit+, his trainer move is a full +3 to special attack and speed, and for no reason his sync gives +1 crit.  This means that Red is perfectly self-sufficient from an offensive standpoint, and this is the trait that I think keeps him coming back.  Yes, there are stronger Fire-types.  Leon’s Inferno is way stronger, and Anni N’s Blue Flare is slightly stronger but gets AoE with no penalty.  But Leon has no self-setup, and Anni N has tech nuke requirements that can hinder him a bit.

I think the limitations of Red come in a few forms, mostly due to meta adjustments.  Red does nothing technical.  He lacks for modern tools like non-penalty AoE, or even move damage multipliers.  He does have sync multipliers, and god are they useful, but it also locks him into the need for Sun in some ways.  With other options like Serena’s sleep or Anni N’s constant debuffing, SS Red just does a good but fairly boring job.  His trainer move also comes with -1 defenses, which makes him frail and vulnerable to the AoE meta.  But for what it’s worth, being this old a unit and still better than a Master Fair is...quite the achievement.

Team 1: SS Red, SS Morty, Lucian/Bede Here it is.  This is the team that makes SS Red better than Leon.  Due to Leon’s need for offensive buff support, he cannot jive with SS Morty’s defensive playstyle.  But SS Red can.  SS Red can jive all day.  With a perfect two-man Fire-comp, you’re free to bring someone like Lucian or Bede, who can debuff special defense of foes rapidly, allowing Red to absolutely truck his competition.  It doesn’t matter if Inferno is higher base power if you have a comp reliably running the foe into -6 special defense.  Trust me, one does a lot more than the other.

Team 2: SS Red, Aura Cynthia, Anni Raihan This one probably sounds a bit bizarre, but hear me out.  Aura Cynthia has access to Head Start, while Anni Raihan has Propulsion 9 on Sandstorm.  This means fast-ramping, to get first sync a turn early, and get SS Red to his mega evolution for maximum offensive potential.  Notably, Anni Raihan can also set Sun twice: one through Max Move, and once through sync.  He can even debuff special defense of a foe each time he hits them while they’re trapped, confused, or flinching.  Aura Cynthia can be replaced for any support that packs Head Start, or even ignored altogether if running Head Start on Raihan himself, but her benefits are maximizing defenses for SS Red, and helping buff his crit rate via attacks.

Team 3: SS Red, Drake/Marley, Blaine This may not be truly optimal, but eh.  SS Red’s F2P comps.  Blaine can set Sun for the multiplier, while Drake provides defense buffing and Team Sharp Entry to save Red a turn on Dire Hit+.  Marley could also be used if Red really needs faster teammates than Drake, but considering he buffs his own speed, he should be fine.  Score two for Drake, apparently.

Final Thoughts SS Red is one of those “epitome of direct” type units.  You come in, you buff, then you spam Blast Burn until the opponent stops moving.  There is very little finesse to SS Red.  He continues to do a serviceable job as a unit, I just don’t respect Kanto.

#pokemon masters #sygna suit red #unit teambuilding

[chrancecriber]

Radio NET Bulgaria (November 21, 2022)

23:57 ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY - Stealing Hearts 23:53 PAUL TAYLOR - Straight to the Point 23:48 MARION MEADOWS - Be With You 23:45 COOL SPRING JAZZ QUARTET - Christmas 23:42 STEVE OLIVER - One Big Smile 23:38 ERIC DARIUS - Kingstons Flavor 23:34 MARCIN NOWAKOWSKI - Better Days Ahead feat. Jeff Pescetto 23:30 DAVE KOZ - Right By Your Side 23:27 AL DEGREGORIS - Mythland 23:21 JUSTIN YOUNG - Jingle Bells 23:17 ROB TARDIK - No Limits (feat. Vincent Ingala) 23:12 EUGE GROOVE - Slow Jam 23:08 VANN BURCHFIELD - When We're Together 23:03 PETER WHITE - Bittersweet 23:00 DOCTOR X - Magneto 22:55 ABOVE & BEYOND, OCEANLAB - I Am What I Am (Original Mix) 22:51 ABOVE & BEYOND, GARETH EMERY - On A Good Day (Incognet REWORK) 22:46 ABOVE & BEYOND - Blue Sky Action 22:42 SUNLOUNGER, SEIS CUERDAS - A Balearic Dinner (Chill Mix) 22:37 SUNLOUNGER, ZARA TAYLOR - Crawling (Chill Version) 22:32 SUNLOUNGER, ZARA TAYLOR - Lost (Chill Version) 22:26 LUSTRAL - Someone (Original Mix) 22:21 351 LAKE SHORE DRIVE - Summernights 22:17 LOWLAND - Children (Orchestral Version) 22:13 KRONO, CIMO FRANKEL - Sweet Goodbye 22:08 GUENTER HAAS - Secret Diary 22:03 NADIA ALI - Is It Love 22:00 THE UNDERDOG PROJECT - Winter Jam (Acoustic Version) 21:55 JOHN O'CALLAGHAN, AUDREY GALLAGHER - Big Sky (Acoustic Mix) 21:51 YANNI - Can't Wait 21:45 EUPHONIC TRAVELLER - Pont Notre Name (Original Mix) 21:41 FABERLIQUE, SYNTHETICSAX, K.S.PROJECT - Fantasy 21:34 SYNTHETICSAX - Here Workin' (DJ Rostej Original Remix) 21:31 JOHN DAHLBACK - Shivers (Acoustic Version) 21:27 SUSANA, TENISHIA - Never Let You Down (Chill Out Mix) 21:22 MANDALAY - It's Enough Now 21:19 MARCUS SCHOSSOW, ANDY DUGUID, EMMA HEWITT - Light (Acoustic Version) 21:13 MARGA SOL - Prayer For Love (Soul Avenue's Balearic Blues Mix) 21:09 PABLO NOUVELLE - Is It Ok 21:04 THE DO - Too Insistent (Trentemoller Remix) 20:55 VINTAGE, MORELLI - Tree Of Life (Magnetik Remix) 20:50 VELVET DREAMER - Sky is Falling (Mo'jardo Remix) 20:45 JENS BUCHERT - Bug in Mind (Vocal Mix) 20:41 LINKIN PARK - My December 20:36 MARTINIQUE LE SOUFFLEUR - Sound of Panama 20:31 SUNLOUNGER, ZARA TAYLOR - Try To Be Love (Chill Out Mix) 20:26 ROGER SHAH, SUNLOUNGER - Trademark White (Omega 3 Bossachill Remix) 20:22 FRAINBREEZE, ELLIE LAWSON - I Pray (Chill Out Mix) 20:15 THE THRILLSEEKERS - Dreaming Of You (Tranquilo's Ambient Mix) 20:12 SYLVERING - Strangelove 20:05 SUNLOUNGER, KYLER ENGLAND - Change Your Mind (Chill Version) 19:59 SIMON LE GREC, DENISE GUTTENBACH - Touch Me (Original Mix) 19:56 ADRIAN & RAZ, ELLIE LAWSON - A Hundred Ways (Original Mix) 19:52 SOUND BEHAVIOUR - Comfort Zone 19:47 SMOOTH DELUXE - Boulevard Rouge 19:41 ASHENI - Only Magic (Chris Wonderful Remix) 19:37 MARIUS NEDELCU, RED HEAD - Rain (Acoustic Version) 19:34 FARUK SABANCI, CAMI - Awaken (Zetandel Chill Out Mix) 19:31 PAROV STELAR - Milla's Dream 19:27 KIRSTY HAWKSHAW, TENISHIA - Reason To Forgive (Piano Mix) 19:22 SUE MCLAREN - Haunted (Zetandel Chill Out Remix) 19:18 COLLIN MCLOUGHLIN - Stereo Hearts (DJ Lime El Project Chill Remixes) 19:13 BRIAN MAGIX, CYNTHIA HALL - Carved In Stone (Chill Out Mix) 19:09 EMMA HEWITT - These Days Are Ours (Zetandel Chill Out Mix) 19:04 ANA CRIADO - Vulnerable (Mark Otten Downtempo Remix) 18:59 REUNITED - Sing It Back (Shazz Man Chill Mix) 18:55 ATB & TILSEN - Faith (Original Mix) 18:50 ATB - With You! (Original Mix) 18:46 ATB, AMURAI - Love & Light (Downtempo Mix) 18:41 SIMMONDS, JONES - Home (Vox Mix) 18:36 SERGEY SHABANOV, HANNA FINSEN - Should Have Told You (Chill Out Mix) 18:32 ZETANDEL, TIFF LACEY - Cosmos (Original Mix) 18:27 ROBERT NICKSON, RELOCATE, NEEV KENNEDY - Not Made To Break (Chill Out Mix) 18:22 LAUGE, BABA GNOHM, SARAH LYNN - My Innocence (Original Mix) 18:19 ALAN MORRIS, ENZO, JESS MORGAN - Tapestry Of Us (Piano Acoustic Mix) 18:14 DART RAYNE, YURA MOONLIGHT, CATE KANELL - Shelter Me (Moonnight Remix) 18:08 AUROSONIC, KATE LOUISE SMITH, DENIS KARPINSKIY - They Wait For Us (Chill Out Mix) 18:01 AUROSONIC, KATTY HEATH - My Good Place (Mark Otten Downtempo Remix) 17:58 SUSANA - A Million Memories (Acoustic Rework) 17:54 CATHY BURTON - Reach Out To Me (Sadege Chill Out Remix) 17:49 SPACE ROCKERZ, ELLIE LAWSON - Under The Same Sky (R.I.B. Remix) 17:44 RAZ MITZAN, MOYA BRENNAN - Find The Sun (Original Mix) 17:40 SLEEPTHIEF, ZOE JOHNSTON - Alice's Door (Nicholas Gunn Remix) 17:38 FENNA DAY - Skin & Bone (Original Mix) 17:32 KAIMO K, GEMMA PAVLOVIC - Leap Of Faith (Sadege Chill Out Remix) 17:28 JULIAN VINCENT, SHANNON HURLEY - Lost In Space (Lovers & Poets Remix) 17:25 SAAD AYUB, CRISTINA SOTO - Daylight (Chill Out Mix) 17:21 COSTA, EMMA HORAN - New Dawn Breaking (Original Mix) 17:17 TENISHIA, SUE MCLAREN - Strong (Chill Out Mix) 17:13 ELLES DE GRAAF, MOONNIGHT - Sunset Kindness (Chill Out Mix) 17:08 A.R.D.I, CYNTHIA HALL - Sunflowers (R.I.B Chill Out Remix) 17:04 TENISHIA, ANA CRIADO - Ever True (Chill Out Mix) 17:00 RAZ NITZAN, MARIA NAYLER - Echo Of My Soul (Chill Out Mix) 16:59 WALTER BEASLEY - Go With The Flow 16:55 KIM WATERS - Shakedown 16:51 K.VIO, TIM TONIC - Sweeter the Bells Never Sound 16:45 JOYCE COOLING - At the Modern 16:41 BRAD ALEXANDER - Because of Who You Are 16:37 DOCTOR X - Pop Quiz 16:33 PATRICK YANDALL - Try the Blue One 16:29 THREESTYLE - Smoothies (feat. Magdalena Chovancova & Robert Fertl) 16:24 BRIAN BROMBERG - The Christmas Song 16:18 KIM SCOTT - Two Become One 16:14 JEFF KASHIWA - Mediterranean Nights 16:09 ZOLBERT - Pacific Coast Highway 16:05 PETER WHITE - Deja Vu 16:00 TONY SAUNDERS - Just Letting Go 15:59 WAYMAN TISDALE - Sunday's Best (feat. Jonathan Butler and Kirk Whalum) 15:54 TERENCE YOUNG - Dedicated 15:50 JACKIEM JOYNER - The Space Between Us 15:46 SYLVIA BENNETT - Christmas Lights 15:42 RICK BRAUN - Feet First 15:37 MARCUS ANDERSON - M 15:32 THE SMOOTH JAZZ ALLEY - Montgomery Station 15:28 BLAKE AARON - Harmonious Funk 15:24 RONNY SMITH - Chillin After Eight 15:20 ANDRE DELANO - Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella 15:16 CHRIS STANDRING - As Luck Would Have It 15:12 JIM ADKINS - Soul Expression 15:08 DEE BROWN - Pretty Girl (Skylar) 15:03 RICHARD ELLIOT - Coco 15:00 BLAIR BRYANT - Secret Agent (Radio Single) 14:56 DEON YATES - Wiseguys 14:52 JONATHAN FRITZEN - Love Will Overcome (feat. Jackiem Joyner) 14:48 RYAN LA VALETTE - Let It Flow 14:45 SMOOTH SOUL HOLIDAY - Carol of the Bells 14:40 THE SAX PACK - Here To Stay 14:36 NORMAN BROWN - Late Night Drive 14:33 DOCTOR X - Train to Granada 14:28 DEE LUCAS - Feeling You (feat. Darryl Williams) 14:24 KEN NAVARRO - No Other Way 14:20 DANA FIELDS - O Come, O Come Emmanuel 14:16 NILS - Good Times Are Better 14:12 ART RUPRECHT - I Get It 14:08 NICHOLAS COLE - Conversations 14:04 PETER WHITE - Say Goodnight 14:00 ROBERT HARRIS - Standing by a Friend 13:58 NICK COLIONNE - Circles 13:53 DARREN MOTAMEDY - So Sweet 13:49 PAUL HARDCASTLE - Skylight 13:46 CHRISTMAS CAROLS - The Day 13:42 VINCENT INGALA - On The Move 13:38 RANDY SCOTT - Cabo 13:34 OLI SILK - Meet Me In The Middle 13:30 DEAN JAMES - When I See You Smile 13:26 MEKIEL REUBEN - Another Sunday 13:21 DR. SAXLOVE - O Little Town Of Bethlehem 13:17 CAROL ALBERT - Chasing Waterfalls 13:13 RICK HABANA - All That I Need 13:07 JOHN E. LAWRENCE - Cool Jazz 13:03 WILL DONATO - Show And Tell 13:00 SAM BASSMAN JENKINS - Between The Sheets 12:58 JAZZ FUNK SOUL - Count Me In 12:53 BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Moonlight Drive 12:48 ADAM HAWLEY - Joy Ride 12:44 DANIEL D. - Silent Night 12:41 DANNY LERMAN - Saxsultan 12:37 BEN TANKARD - George The Duke 12:33 FREDDIE FOX - Thoughts Of You 12:30 CHRIS GODBER - Courageous 12:26 BONEY JAMES - Sundance 12:22 JEANETTE HARRIS - Let It Snow 12:17 UNDER THE LAKE - This One Too 12:14 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - Club Life 12:09 ROCCO VENTRELLA - Alleria 12:04 PETER WHITE - San Diego 12:00 MARC ANTOINE - Still In Love 11:55 JEFFERY SMITH - What's Your Flavor 11:52 JULIAN VAUGHN - Initiate 11:49 NATHAN WOODWARD - Sleigh Ride 11:44 TIM BOWMAN - Boss 11:39 DARREN RAHN - Secret Crush 11:35 SPONTANEOUS GROOVIN' COMBUSTION - Jackie's New Car 11:31 ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY - So Kylie 11:26 PAUL TAYLOR - The Hills 11:23 JACK JEZZRO - Santa Baby 11:18 MARION MEADOWS - It's Alright Now 11:13 KEIKO MATSUI - Top Secret 11:08 STEVE OLIVER - Global Kiss 11:04 ERIC DARIUS - Never 11:00 PAUL TUVMAN - Dear Prudence 10:59 MARCIN NOWAKOWSKI - Waiting For You 10:55 DAVE KOZ - Can't Let You Go (The Sha La Song) (feat. Luther Vandross) 10:51 JODY MAYFIELD - For Your Love (feat. Heidi McLaughlin) 10:47 RAGAN WHITESIDE - This Christmas 10:43 AL DEGREGORIS - No Holding Back (Feat. Nils) 10:40 ROB TARDIK - East Meets Wes (feat. Paul Brown) 10:35 QUINTIN GERARD W. - Attitude Indicator 10:31 EUGE GROOVE - Of Course 10:25 JOY RIDE - It's All Right 10:21 BRADLEY LEIGHTON - Angels We Have Heard On High 10:17 VANN BURCHFIELD - Let's Get Started 10:13 WALTER BEASLEY - Expressway 10:08 WARREN HILL - Warm Rain 10:04 PETER WHITE - Just Another Day 10:00 JOYCE COOLING - Almost Home 09:59 WILL SUMNER - Saxy Nights 09:55 KIM WATERS - On The Streets 09:49 BRAD ALEXANDER - Through the Fire (feat. Andrew Gouche) 09:44 SHIN GIWON CHRISTMAS CAROL COLLECTION - Jingle Bell Rock 09:40 PAOLO RUSTICHELLI - Romamor (Smooth mix) 09:36 PATRICK YANDALL - Someone to Love 09:32 THREESTYLE - Prime Time (feat. Magdalena Chovancova & Robert Fertl) 09:27 KIM SCOTT - Sweet Obsession 09:23 JEFF KASHIWA - Every Now and Then 09:20 JONATHAN BUTLER - We Three Kings 09:16 BONEY JAMES - Just Between Us 09:13 ZOLBERT - Just a Moment 09:08 TONY SAUNDERS - Forever Yours 09:04 WAYMAN TISDALE - It's a Good Day (feat. Jeff Lorber and Tom Braxton) 09:00 TERENCE YOUNG - Come With Me 09:00 JACKIEM JOYNER - Say I Do 08:55 RICK BRAUN - Bahia 08:50 MARCUS ANDERSON - And Coffee 08:45 THE SMOOTH JAZZ ALLEY - Night Out 08:41 PEGGY DUQUESNEL - I Wonder as I Wander 08:37 BLAKE AARON - You're My Miracle 08:34 RONNY SMITH - Funny How Time Flies 08:30 GREGG KARUKAS - Passion Dance 08:26 MARK JAIMES - Peak Too Soon 08:22 DEE BROWN - Hey Baby 08:19 ART MORRIS - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 08:15 CHRIS STANDRING - Piece of Cake 08:11 JIM ADKINS - See the Light 08:07 BLAIR BRYANT - Power UP! 08:03 PETER WHITE - Crazy Love 08:00 NORMAN BROWN - Heading Wes 07:57 RICHARD ELLIOT - Move Ahead 07:53 DEON YATES - First Day of Summer 07:49 JONATHAN FRITZEN - Celebration 07:46 RYAN LA VALETTE - Don't Stop Believing 07:43 YOLANDA RABUN - I'm Coming Home for the Holiday 07:39 THE SAX PACK - Fallin' For You 07:35 KAYLA WATERS - Apogee 07:32 DEE LUCAS - All In (feat. George Freeman) 07:27 KEN NAVARRO - Time And Love 07:23 NILS - Jump Start 07:20 AARON BING - The First Noel 07:16 ART RUPRECHT - M & M 07:12 PAUL BROWN - Blues for Jeff 07:08 NICHOLAS COLE - Secrets (Remix) 07:05 ROBERT HARRIS - Cry of my Heart 07:00 DARREN MOTAMEDY - Too Close 06:59 NICK COLIONNE - Whatcha Gonna Do 06:55 PAUL HARDCASTLE - Dancing Galaxies 06:51 PIECES OF A DREAM - Fired Up 06:47 SHAKATAK - Sing (Little One) 06:43 VINCENT INGALA - I Think I'm Falling In Love (With You) 06:38 RANDY SCOTT - Heaven Sent 06:33 OLI SILK - Latin Haze 06:27 DEAN JAMES - Thing Your Man Wont Do 06:23 MEKIEL REUBEN - I Just Wanna Be With You 06:19 DAMIEN ESCOBAR - Silent Night 06:15 DARRYL WILLIAMS - Harveston Way (feat. Euge Groove) 06:11 CAROL ALBERT - Fly Away Butterfly (Reprise) 06:08 RICK HABANA - Island Hopping 06:04 LOWELL HOPPER - Night Song 06:00 PETER WHITE - Talkin' Bout Love 05:56 NORMAN BROWN - That's The Way Love Goes 05:52 JAY ROWE - What Child Is This 05:47 CANDY DULFER - For the Love of You 05:42 KIRK WHALUM - Ascension 05:37 JOE SAMPLE - Greener Grass 05:27 LARRY CARTLON - Smiles And Smiles To Go 05:23 RHYTHM JETS - We Wish You a Merry Christmas 05:18 MARC ANTOINE - Follow Your Bliss 05:14 BONEY JAMES - Creepin' 05:10 GAIL JHONSON, CLIFF BROWN - Groovin' in Philly 05:05 GERALD ALBRIGHT - So Amazing 05:00 GEORGE BENSON - Breezin' 04:57 PAUL JACKSON JR. - Let's Wait Awhile 04:52 BRIAN LENAIR - What Child Is This 04:47 PAUL TAYLOR - Pleasure Seeker 04:43 PIECES OF A DREAM - Warm Weather 04:39 STEVE COLE - Where the Night Begins 04:34 EVERETTE HARP - I Just Can't Stop Thinking About You 04:29 BRIAN CULBERTSON - City Lights 04:25 CHRIS 'BIG DOG' DAVIS - Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year 04:20 THE BRAXTON BROTHERS - Sunset Bay 04:15 NAJEE - Day By Day 04:11 DAN SIEGEL - Treasure Hunt 04:06 NELSON RANGELLl - The Way To You 04:00 DAVE KOZ - So Far From Home 03:57 AVENUE BLUE - Seventh Heaven (feat. Jeff Golub) 03:53 HANK BILAL - O Come All Ye Faithful 03:48 ANDY SNITZER - You've Changed 03:43 HIROSHIMA - Daydreamer 03:38 BOBBY LYLE - Aruban Nights 03:34 WALTER BEASLEY - Just Hold Me 03:29 KIM WATERS - After Midnight 03:25 HERB ALPERT - White Christmas 03:19 FOURPLAY - 101 Eastbound 03:14 NORMAN BROWN - Just Between Us 03:09 STEVE OLIVER - West End 03:04 CANDY DULFER - Smooth 03:00 WAYMAN TISDALE - Breakfast with Tiffany 02:55 JOHN E. LAWRENCE - Just Chillin' 02:52 WILL DONATO - Illuminata 02:48 DREAMING IN COLOUR - No More Goodbyes 02:45 SHAWN RAIFORD - Santa Baby 02:41 LES SABLER - Crescent City Strut 02:37 SAM BASSMAN JENKINS - All That Bass 02:34 BRIAN SIMPSON - Bonita 02:30 JAZZ FUNK SOUL - Bouncing Back 02:25 BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Rendezvous 02:20 DAVID GARFIELD - O, Holy Night 02:15 ADAM HAWLEY - While You Were Dreaming (Feat. Michael Lington) 02:11 DANNY LERMAN - No Words 02:07 JEREMY HECTOR - Finally Home 02:04 BEN TANKARD - Remember Wayman 02:00 CHRIS GODBER - Sizzle (feat. Adam Hawley) 01:56 FREDDIE FOX - Still Lovin' You 01:52 UNDER THE LAKE - Breaking Through 01:49 LISA MCCLOWRY - Do You Hear What I Hear 01:43 PETER WHITE - Costa Rica 01:39 RONALD BOO HINKSON - Round the Corner 01:35 BONEY JAMES - Without A Doubt 01:31 PHILLIP DOC MARTIN - Paradise 01:27 ROCCO VENTRELLA - Hypnotic 01:22 THE TIMELESS QUINTET - Angels We Have Heard On High 01:17 DAVID PETROSYAN - Talk to Me 01:12 LOUIE FITZGERALD - Plantation Key 01:08 MARC ANTOINE - Corto Maltese 01:04 JEFFERY SMITH - Groove You Tonight 01:00 JULIAN VAUGHN - Amore 00:59 TIM BOWMAN - Travelin' Road 00:54 SPECIAL EFX - Garden of Eden 00:50 DARREN RAHN - I Can't Go For That 00:45 SAM LEVINE - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 00:40 SPONTANEOUS GROOVIN' COMBUSTION - When The Stars Go Blue 00:35 PEET PROJECT - Overseas 00:31 ACOUSTIC ALCHEMY - She Speaks American English 00:27 PAUL TAYLOR - Goodnight 00:23 MARION MEADOWS - Miami 00:21 NICK DUKAS - Jingle Bell Rock 00:15 KEIKO MATSUI - Antarctica A Call To Action 00:11 STEVE OLIVER - Fiesta 00:07 LISA ADDEO - Touch Me In The Night 00:03 ERIC DARIUS - Retro Forward 00:00 PAUL TUVMAN - For No One

#Radio NET Bulgaria #Smooth Jazz #Chillout #Lounge #Downtempo #Ambient #Trance #2022 #November 2022

[aplaceofstone]

AO3: faceofstone

(with treats enabled!)

Dear Yuletide Writer,

thank you for offering one of the small surreal-ish fandoms of my heart and I hope you will have fun writing for it. Anything can happen! Symbols! Meaningful non sequiturs! Things! Stuff!

All prompts and ideas are just suggestions, if you are the kind of Yuletide writer who likes to follow them. If not, cool, they are certainly not the end-all of what I love about these fandoms and characters.

If you like visual prompts, this entire blog is 20% recipes and 80% aesthetics that mostly fit my requested fandoms…

I like found families, oddball friendships, sympathy toward outcasts, characters who fully embrace being outcasts, melancholy, a sense of place, bittersweet accomplishments, and a stubborn flicker of hope in an overall bleak world. Dreamlike atmospheres that aren’t necessarily scary, some sort of reassurance that can be found in the weird and the profoundly unnatural.

Myst - worldbuilding (badum tsssssss)

This went too well last year not to ask for it again ç^ç Worldbuilding as an expansion of any of the Ages we don't know too much about - Eder Gira's huts in the distance, Tay stuff inside the hive a/o above the cliffs, Myst's underground rooms, strange sightings on Todelmer, you name 'em. But also world-building as in good old-fashioned focus on the Art, whether it's about a canon Age (anyone else think about instancing too much and get a headache, for one? I think Relto and the instanced Cavern itself are fertile ground for dreamy-weird-spooky fic...) or a made-up Age.

I love the whole cast, so feel free to pin that worldbuilding to any era of canon, following pretty much anyone. I nominated Atrus, Catherine and Yeesha because I love them so much and they all have interesting approaches to Writing, but if your idea works better with, idk, Ri'neref or the Watcher or Gehn or Esher or Zandi or Nelah or some schmuck on Releeshahn or whatever, go for it! I am not particularly well-versed in pre-Fall D'ni shenanigans - I'd be interested in reading something set anywhere in those millennia, just please write it assuming that your reader may not be already up to speed on what was going on historically at the time.

Twin Peaks - Tammy Preston

I see a Twin Peaks character, I want to see them face the unknown, cross a threshold, tread into a different world, have a terrifying epiphany. You know, as they do. Tammy, though, more so than Albert, has a way of being down to earth as we see in the books, and she's got some breathing space between herself and the trauma that keeps propagating itself through Blue Rose on one side (the loss of Phil, of Chet, Sam, Coop) and the town of Twin Peaks on the other (Laura, Maddie, Annie, Audrey, gonna go out on a limb and say Donna and Harry too). Does shooting Diane shift something in her? Or does she remain a potential anchor for others who are adrift? Cynthia could be a fun partner for supernatural casefic, shippy or not. She's the Air Force side of Blue Rose to Tammy's FBI, like Milford and Gordon in The Secret History, and later Garland and Cooper... we don't know much about her but I love her attitude, I think they'd be a formidable team. ...or they could simply go out one night in Buckhorn before Cynthia flies back. And find a ghost or something. There was an old interview where CB was asked whether she felt that Tammy was “the new Cooper” and she said no but Tammy is trying her best!!! And that Coop is more open to the unknown, and Tammy is only just starting. As I think that Cooper's failures are a big part of the narrative, I'm not sure anyone should aspire to be the new Cooper, but anyway, I've been wondering about these two characters interacting (in dreams?) ever since. Reaching out to her as the new Blue Rose agent and/or as someone who is just starting to peek 'between two worlds', warning her, teaching her, getting to know her and even seeing shades of Albert and Gordon in her. And what would she think of him? And maybe Laura is with him, or maybe it's just Laura and Tammy, secrets whispered to her ear, a world just for them. Maybe Laura could be a better teacher. She knows the darkness. Or maybe she would be too intense.

Codex Seraphinianus - worldbuilding

Take a page, any page, and tell me more about it! The rainbows thing, the potted deer, the swimming trees, the literally any illustration in here, look at them, they're great. Translate the text! Connect... things? Are there narrative paths through this copious amount of nonsense? Go fake academia on this - considering the text a total cipher or pretending we can read it? If you want to get philosophical, metaphysical and/or high concept in any other way, go for it! As long as it's all weird.

I have the recent edition with the extra pages; it's easy to find low-res pdfs around the internet or random pages via image search! Here’s a few:

#yuletide letter

[gaycey-sketchit]

(Gary anon) I'm just glad I got vindicated on her finally getting Haxorus and seeing her Champion outfit. Just wish saw a on-screen win. (I do wonder how things would have been it was more straightforward. And didn't have a pandemic.) Besides the obvious, I think it's also years of pent-up frustration with this anime. (After Iris and Serena, I'm not shocked anymore. For a multi-generational series, gatekeeping is rampant and doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon unfortunately)

.

(Part 2) Goh continuing with Ash seems mixed; depending on how one feels about Goh and/or how he was handled, but Chloe is just wanted gone for being a waste) I believe Iris' VA has recovered since then. (If PM had more episodes or came early, there probably would be less mixed feelings about it) I'm starting to agree with the group that Gary probably would've been better off not being in that plot. Not because he's bad; far from that, but rather Ash and Chloe had a

(Part 3) mixture of old and new characters during their pursues while Goh only had Gary [and Drake]. And, that he's going through a similar writing pattern that OS hit him with before. Then there's the supposed bitter rivalry; if you're not going to have these two directly compete, this should have only been a mentor-student relationship. Even if we get something now, it won't mean much. We're at the finish line, and drowned out by the PWC.

(Part 4) (Should get first glimpses between now and September. Cynthia possibly retiring; which I hope they elaborate on, really does make seem more and more like this could be the last we'll see most of these characters) I believe he is, hasn't check the datamines in a while. Besides Blue, Giovanni, etc. getting more recolors. (Understood, zipping lips for now. And yeah, just it being more open-world with a bit of Legends' qualities does set up potential)

(Part 5) I think they're all male to prevent players from 'cheating' through breeding. I believe most event Pokemon tend to have restrictions on them because of that. Not entirely sure, but it makes sense. (But this does make certain dubs where Dragonite's female seem awkward now. Oh, Dracovish got a storybook section than an overview after the credits) Maybe it'll have better luck with Leon; but the notion that it's "unbeatable" certainly dead.

(Part 6) Though that meant the rise of being compared to Goodra and Torterra. (Just the concept of Cynthia retiring is going to split some heads even more) I've seen Flint, Tobias or Palmer being thrown around. Along with Paul; which I highly doubt. Ideally, if it's Flint as the new Champion, Volkner could take his spot in the E4, and then Paul takes his spot as Gym Leader.

Yeah, at least there's that. She got the implied offscreen moment of awesome in becoming champion, but it would've been nice if she won a battle onscreen. I still wish she'd gotten to battle Lance and win against him.

Yeah, it's interesting to think about what might've been had it been more Galar focused or even just not had quite so slow a start (and as we've said before, had Project Mew been introduced sooner). The pandemic has also caused no shortage of problems.

Good to know!

It's a real shame that things have been handled... less than ideally, on that front. As much as I'm profoundly grateful he wasn't left on the note of his utter failure at Lake Valor forever. (But I will take that gratitude back if, heaven forbid, they somehow manage to do worse by him with Project Mew's conclusion and leave him on that note forever.)

Oh man, things are drawing nearer. Excited but also... nervous about what the anime's future is going to be. The Cynthia retiring thing... yeah, it does kind of feel like that. Hopefully there will be some elaboration on that.

I only barely ever know what's going on datamine wise, but I feel like he probably will be! Since Jessie and James are in there already, I don't see why not. Always happy to hear about another Blue sync pair also, love that guy.

Much appreciated! Yeah, I have a good feeling about it.

Oh, that makes sense. Whoops to the dubs where Dragonite's referred to as female though.

Hopefully it does get a good showing against Leon at least!

Yeah, people on Twitter have already been having some Words over the Cynthia situation. Flint, Tobias, and Palmer seem like reasonable candidates to take her place! Yeah, that makes sense and works out really nicely. Though the concept of Gym Leader Paul is still so hard for me to wrap my head around being canon--I don't think I'll ever get used to that.

#Andrew answers #Gary anon

[smilingperformer]

Gloria EX, acquired! \o/ Wohooo, time to decide on the next EX project~

#aleira plays masters #I wonder if I should do Blue or one of Cynthia...

[arrowflier]

How about something with Mickey and Lip and their very strong stance that 'you don't beat women'/'guys that beat women they're bitches'. Both men have super short tempers, which is why they're always literally in each other's faces, but I'd like them to use that short temper while on the same side please!

Content Warning: mention of domestic violence

The bell over the door chimes as Cynthia walks into the salon, and four pairs of eyes focus on her immediately.

“Oh, um…” she says, caught off guard by their instant attention. “I just…” She looks back through the window of the waiting room, into the semi-darkened parking lot.

“Can I stay in here a bit?” she asks finally, sounding sheepish.

“Uh…I’m kind of the only one in right now,” the stylist answers, hands currently full of thick red hair, the woman in front of her raising expressive eyebrows at the interruption. “Did you have an appointment or something?”

Cynthia shakes her head, lips twisting.

“No,” she admits easily. “But I do have a crazy ex that’s been following me for two blocks, and I’d love not to deal with that right now.”

The stylist softens.

“Oh,” she says. “Okay, whatever.” she turns back the woman in the chair, using her head to gesture to an empty spot in the waiting area. “Take a seat, we’ll be here for a bit anyway.”

Cynthia does as she’s bid, sitting gingerly on a red-cushioned armchair near the door. Two men stare at her as she does, and she remembers the other two people in the room. They’re sitting as far apart as they can without leaving, but they obviously know each other; it’s all in the little look they share when she turns their way.

“Got a nice shiner goin’ there,” one of the men says, the one with the sleepy eyes and close-cropped hair. “Something happen?”

Cynthia repressed the urge to touch her bruised eye.

The other man leans forward, elbows on knees exposed through strategically torn black jeans. He cracks his knuckles, and her eyes are drawn to the crude words written there.

“Crazy ex do that?” he asks, sounding as if he understands. “You got shit taste in partners if they did.”

And despite herself, Cynthia laughs.

“You can say that again,” she says, and relaxes for the first time since she noticed Sam following her.

As her laughter fades, she notices the stylist watching her again; or at least watching her reflection in the mirror. Cynthia smiles—I’m okay, it says, really—and the woman smiles back.

“I’m Tami, by the way,” she introduces herself, though she doesn’t turn from her task. She runs a silver comb through red hair as she adds, “and these goons are my family, but let that influence what you think of me.”

“Hey,” the thin man says, frowning, “I’m the father of your child, you’re not supposed to be embarrassed by me.”

The other man snorts.

“Kind of hard not to be, Phillip,” he mutters, and ducks when Tami throws a comb at him without looking.

“Be nice to my boyfriend, Mickey,” she orders, “or I’ll mess up your cut.”

Blue eyes narrow.

“You wouldn’t. I’m your best fucking friend.”

“So?”

The tough one, Mickey, grins.

“And you’d have to deal with Ian’s sad face,” he adds, and Tami sighs.

“Fine,” she mutters. “But still, play nice.”

Cynthia relaxes further as they banter around her. It’s like being at home, her sisters all arguing while braiding each other’s hair with tender hands. She smiles wider, then winces when it pulls at her black eye.

“Hey,” Mickey says from across the little room. “Lady.”

Cynthia looks at him. His brows are furrowed.

“You never answered,” he says. “Your ex do that to your face?”

Cynthia bites her lip. Looks to the others. With the exception of Tami, they’re all looking at her expectantly, even the woman in the middle of her cut and style.

“Uh, yeah,” she admits, feeling silly as she confesses it to strangers. “I mean, we just broke up yesterday, and it…”

She blinked. Swallowed. Forced a laugh.

“Well, it didn’t go well.”

Silence, for a moment, as Cynthia avoided meeting anyone’s eyes. Then:

“And you said that fucker followed you here?” Mickey asks, already half-rising. “That’s good. Means I can fuck an asshole up.”

She isn’t that surprised. Maybe she should be—someone with those tattoos may not be what most people would expect of someone against domestic violence—but there a certain air about him, a protectiveness, that told her this wasn’t the first time he had intervened in this kind of situation.

She was more surprised when Phillip rose with him.

“Only a fucking coward hits a woman,” he spit out, face already twisted from her confirmation. “Little bitch needs to learn a lesson.”

“Lip,” Tami warns from her station. “Take it easy.”

Mickey is the one to reply.

“Nah,” he says, rubbing his upper lip. “For once your baby-daddy’s right, Tamietti. We gotta go give this dude a beatdown he ain’t gonna forget.”

Oh. Oops.

“Actually,” Cynthia says, hesitant, “Sam is—”

The door swings open, the little bell on top going wild.

“Cynthia,” Sam growls from the opening. “Are you fucking hiding from me?”

Fuck.

“Of course I am,” Cynthia says, standing. She feels better being on her feet with Sam so close. “You hit me, you bitch, you think I want to see you?”

Someone coughs behind her. Cynthia looks, just for a second, as long as she can stand to take her eyes away from Sam.

Mickey is staring at them, wide-eyed, fists clenched but not raised. Phillip’s mouth is open like a fish.

“What are you looking at them for?” Sam asks, angry. “These your new boyfriends or somethin’?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Cynthia mutters, and flushes. “I don’t even know them.”

Sam smirks.

“They look like pussies anyway.”

Cynthia waits for someone to do something. But for all their talk, Mickey and Phillip are silent, but for the frantic whispers they exchange behind her back.

“Should we…” Mickey wonders.

“No way,” Phillip hisses back. “We can’t—”

“But she—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” comes a new voice, cutting right across them.

Cynthia barely comprehends it when the woman from the chair storms past her in a wave of red hair and flower-scented shampoo. Then Sam is going down, victim of a wicked right hook to the temple, and the woman is shaking out her hand while standing over the prone body of Cynthia’s abusive ex-girlfriend.

Phillip and Mickey gape, and Cynthia gapes right along with them. Then the woman flips her hair, holds out the hand that just dealt divine punishment, and says:

“Hi, I’m Debbie. Wanna go out sometime?”

#hope you don't mind that taking a turn! #daily speedwrite #shameless #outsider POV #mickey milkovich #lip gallagher #debbie gallagher #tami tamietti #fanfic #tw: domestic violence

[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch.10

Ch1 ch2 ch3 ch4 ch5 ch6 ch7 ch8 ch9

Summary: scary moms are scary

---

Nicole stilled.

Moms.

Well this just got a million times worse.

Surprisingly enough, Nicole could count on her fingers the times she had crossed paths with either of the Ladies. Lady Dimitrescu was often busy and not bothering with the staff. Most things that needed communicated went through the Steward. Mistress Esteria was, as some would call her, a ghost. She preferred her solitude or time with family so it wasn't unheard of for new staff members to take months before they even see her around the castle. Paired with Nicole's job that had her in the dungeons almost all the time, she never got an actual introduction to either of them.

Not that she complained. It didn't take a genius to realize that both women were to be feared.

I think I'd like to bleed out now.

"What about?" Her voice was barely audible, due to fear or pain was anyone's guess.

"... I don't know." Cassandra's quiet voice mimicked her own.

"Should I assume it is about your um… choice of partners?"

The realization that, to anyone outside Cassandra, she was little more than a maid turned butcher hit Nicole almost as much as the bullet that until not long ago was wedged into her flesh. Would they forbid Cassandra from seeing her? Or perhaps decide that Nicole has committed an unspeakable offense to their family and punish her? She gulped and Cassandra's reply wasn't of much help either.

"I don't know," she repeated.

Nicole sighed, a slow drawn out exhale, all too aware of the pain it would cause otherwise. "When?"

"Soon. They told me to let them know when you wake up."

Nicole just nodded and laid back into the cushions. May as well be comfortable before facing death. But Cassandra didn't move. Instead, she interlocked their fingers and brought Nicole's hand to her lips, leaving a kiss on bony knuckles. They stayed like that, silently, for a full minute before Cassandra got up and, with a be right back, exited the room.

Left alone, Nicole looked down at herself once more. To say she looked awful was an understatement. Definitely not going to rely on appearance to make a good impression. The painkiller was also yet to do its job and any movement still shot jolts of pain through her body. Wonderful.

It wasn't long before the door opened again and Cassandra came in followed by Lady Dimitrescu, her trademark hat making her look even taller and more intimidating than she already was. Immediately behind, Mistress Esteria took light steps, her long white hair flowing behind her like a silky mantle.

They looked so in contrast with each other, and it went beyond the almost opposite color schemes. While the Lady had the expression of a mother about to scold her child for carelessly running up the stairs and scraping a knee, the Mistress looked about to take out the bandaids. Her eyes, blue and gray, looked at her with something akin to kindness.

"What's your name dear?"

God her voice sounded like rivers deep in the forest. Flowing and ancient and just as powerful as she probably was.

"Nicole," she gulped.

The Mistress came to a stop right by the bed, tall frame bending down and grabbing Nicole's chin between two fingers. She moved her head from one side to the other and hummed.

"My my, what a pretty face. You've always had quite the taste in women, love." She looked at Cassandra who only nodded stiffly.

Then, she was up again and moving towards the other matriarch, who by now was sitting in an armchair. The Mistress leaned on the armrest, opting to ignore the many other places to sit and Nicole had to wonder for a moment if they were the clingy type. What an oddly human trait.

A long drag of a cigarette was drawn out before golden eyes finally fell on Nicole and the Lady spoke.

"I was actually surprised to learn about how… deeply Cassandra cares about you. To actually come to me and ask for help saving your life." She narrowed her eyes slightly, just enough for it to be a clear warning. "I sure hope such kindness was not wasted on you."

Sensing where this conversation was going, Nicole groaned internally. Of all things, she would rather not have the break my daughter's heart and I'll break your legs conversation with Cassandra's mothers while a damn hole in her abdomen was still sending waves of pain through her body if she didn't move just right. In her defense, the painkiller was yet to kick in and there's only so much holding her tongue she can do while in pain.

"With all due respect my Ladies, I'd rather throw myself off the highest tower in this castle than pretend to love Cassandra. Have you met her."

That got a snort from the brunette, who quickly masked it with a cough. The Mistress however laughed. A melodic laugh that, in another situation, would be the most soothing thing.

"Oh dear. While the reassurance is appreciated, we do trust Cassandra's judgement."

"For the most part," Lady Dimitrescu added, eyes still narrowed.

"And we would love to have you for dinner soon," the Mistress went on, ignoring the small glare from her wife.

Another drag of the cigarette. "Well anyways. We didn't come here for a welcoming party. We'd like to make you a proposal."

Judging by Cassandra's furrowed brows, she probably knew as little about this as Nicole did. A proposal from Lady Dimitrescu could either be wonderful news or a death sentence. She couldn't help a gulp when the Lady continued.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do care about my staff. At least those who prove themselves useful." The cigarette was finally done and now Nicole had the luck of having her full attention. "And, as you may have guessed, medical training is not particularly common around here. I do happen to want a castle physician, a position that could be filled by someone skilled that also has a good reason to do a good job and be loyal to my family."

Wait what-

Nicole blinked in confusion, an expression mimicked by Cassandra. Did she mean…?

Lady Dimitrescu raised an eyebrow. "Do you accept?"

"Y- yes." The words spilled from her mouth without a second thought. And why would she have second thoughts after all?

Lady Dimitrescu watched her for a long moment. Then, when she seemed pleased with her findings, she rose to her feet.

"Very well. We will discuss the technicalities once you're in a better state. Now try not to bleed out before you even start your job. And," she sighed, "you are expected at dinner as soon as you're able to join us."

The last part caused her wife's lips to turn into a warm smile. The Lady simply turned around and ducked out of the room while Mistress Esteria lingered by Cassandra. She whispered something only the brunette could hear and then leaned in to kiss her forehead. The Mistress had a couple inches on Cassandra, which meant she was towering over Nicole. Then, with a smile in her direction, she too was out of the room, leaving only the two of them to stare at the door in disbelief.

"Well that went… well."

"Oh for the love of Mother Miranda," Cassandra sighed in relief, hands running through her hair.

Her shoulders lost their tension when she came to sit by Nicole's side, a smile now present on thin black lips.

"Your mothers seem… lovely women."

"Shut up you were scared shitless."

There goes Nicole's attempt at being polite. Not that Cassandra was wrong by all means, but part of her wanted to be on good terms with her lover's family. Maybe it was simply due to her relationship with the brunette, maybe it was due to how her own family never seemed to care much for each other. Not the way the Dimitrescus did, despite how they were seen as monsters by most outside eyes. She didn't let herself dwell on it, instead she took one of Cassandra's hands and started to play with slender fingers.

"Are you hungry? I can ask Cynthia to fix something for you."

Nicole smiled at the effort to make her feel better. She would never get tired of seeing Cassandra's caring and gentle side, especially when she knew how ruthless she could be otherwise.

"In a bit. I'm waiting for the painkiller to fully kick in so I can actually sit up."

Cassandra nodded and looked to the side, seemingly lost in some kind of thought. Nicole wanted to ask what got the brunette pensive all of a sudden, but before she could, golden eyes snapped back to her.

"Also. Don't you dare jump in front of a bullet for me ever again. It wouldn't have hurt me anywhere near as much as it hurt you."

There was a subtle growl in her voice that would have scared any other person. But Nicole recognized how the anger was just veiled worry at how much worse their situation could’ve gotten.

"Sorry. I just saw him with the gun and panicked." There was a reason she didn't pursue her father's idea of becoming a surgeon after all, and pissing him off was only part of it. "And I'm glad you didn't get hurt at all."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes, but her expression quickly softened. The big bad sadist couldn’t stay mad at her lover and Nicole almost teased her about it, but a gloved hand slowly caressing her cheek stopped her.

“I’m just happy you’re alive.”

#cassandra dimitrescu x maiden #unhinged maiden™ my beloved #lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x maiden #fanfic #double edged scalpel

[mypoisonedvine]

Ok ok ok😆 How about step dad lee has a “take your kid to work day” and has to bring the reader to work. There the reader can be wonderful distraction at the sharif’s office by hiding under lee’s desk *wink wink* or even being a distraction to the other officers making lee jealous. Maybe this could even progress to the reader getting a part time job as a secretary working at the sharif’s office where they have excuses for being together more!!

(warnings for semi-public sex, almost getting caught, sexual harassment (not by lee), some violence, oral sex)

"Uh, Lee, don't you think your stepdaughter is a little old for this?"

You nervously tugged at the hem of your dress, silently agreeing with the officer.

"My wife insisted," Lee shrugged.

Someone in the back of the room emulated the sound of a whip cracking, and the other officers laughed. One glare from the Sheriff at the offending men and they all straightened into silence. Was it weird that it turned you on to see him exert his power over them so casually?

"Have her help you with simple stuff, okay? She can type, which I can't say for half of you anyways. Treat her like a secretary for a day. Except, treat her better than you did the last secretary," Lee frowned. "I'll be in my office if you need me," he informed you in a softer voice. You nodded and watched him walk away, turning your gaze back to the room of men eyeing you. Some seemed not to care much that you were there, some seemed offended by your presence somehow, and some... some made you wish you'd worn slacks instead, with the way they were staring at your legs. She's adorable, one of them mumbled to his deskmate, apparently not as subtly as he thought. No wonder he keeps her locked up at home, another added.

"Um, I'm happy to help however I can," you offered with a smile.

"Here, let me show you how we fill out case reports," one of them offered, motioning for you to stand by his desk.

You started to get in the swing of things after that, commandeering an empty desk with a typewriter and using it to help some of the men finish up some their work. You actually sort of enjoyed it, although you thought all the dirt you were seeing on the residents of Knockemstiff was wasted on you since you didn't care to gossip-- your mother would've had a field day with the information you gathered.

Lee came out every hour or two to check on you, move papers around, regular business stuff. Things got a little stranger just before lunch, though.

"Whatcha workin' on now, sweetheart?" Officer Lupitski asked, his hand descending onto your shoulder and squeezing a little. You didn't like that he was touching you, but he leaned down to look at your work and effectively caged you in.

"Uh, just this open vandalism report... I think I know who did it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the witness said it was a short man, about 5'6", but she said he had on a blue cotton hoodie-- and that sounds like something Cynthia Fremont wears sometimes, and the height matches. Plus, the tag said CF, so..."

"Look at that, we made you a secretary when you oughta be a detective!" Lupitski laughed.

"Oh, I don't know about that," you smiled, your chest warming from the praise, "I'm just more familiar with the teenage girls of Knockemstiff than most of the officers are."

"Hm, you may not be as right about that as you'd like to be," he mumbled. "But anyhow, you don't feel bad about ratting out your fellow girls like this? I thought you were really into that feminism stuff."

"I don't know if feminism means letting somebody spray paint the library just cause they're a girl," you protested. "Where'd you hear that, anyways?"

"Your dad talks about you a lot," he explained.

"He's my stepdad," you corrected quickly, "so take it all with a grain of salt."

"No, no, he only says good things. Says you're a good girl, don't mess around with the law," he recalled, voice getting lower as his hand started to move to your back. "Sounds like he's right."

"Uh, I try to stay out of trouble, yes," you agreed hesitantly.

"But a little trouble is natural; I mean, a girl your age should be having all sorts of fun, that's the point of being young."

"I guess I find most of my fun within the confines of the law," you defended, trying to find a way to lean so that he wouldn't be so close to you but finding yourself trapped.

"Is it cause you're afraid of the Sheriff?"

You shook your head. "He doesn't scare me."

"Good for you," he praised, patting your knee and letting his hand rest there. "He doesn't scare me either," he purred, moving his hand a little higher, fingertips drifting under the hem of your dress as your breath hitched and your heart began to race. He was looking right at you with something sinister burning in his eyes, smiling with sharp but crooked teeth.

"Maybe he should," you suggested gently.

"Yeah?" he laughed, tilting his head and leaning in further. "Why's that?"

"'Cause I have a baton," Lee answered his question before hitting him swiftly in the face with it, which sent Lupitski tumbling back over your desk onto the floor. You giggled a little, and caught a few smirks from the fellow officers as well (though some others had that scared-straight look on their face).

"What the hell, man?!" Lupitski protested, spitting blood onto the floor.

"You tryna make your way to an early grave, Lupitski?" Lee challenged. "You've found a pretty speedy method, if that's the case."

"She's grown! She was into it!"

"Did you like gettin' felt up by this perv?" Lee asked you facetiously.

You shook your head, grinning when the officer on the floor looked back at you like you'd condemned him to death. Honestly, you might have.

"Get up," Lee rolled his eyes as he motioned for Lupitski to stand. As soon as he was up, though, Lee punched him and knocked him to the ground again.

"The fuck?! I thought you wanted me to stand!"

"Yeah, I did, but it was just so I could see you fall twice," Lee chuckled. "Clean up the blood and get back to work." Directing his attention to the rest of the room, he opened his arms in challenge. "Anybody else wanna take a spin, huh? Cop a feel, lose a tooth, it'll be fun!"

The men just looked around, shuffling their feet and clearing their throats nervously.

"...No takers? All right then," Lee nodded, turning to you, "you're spending the rest of the day in my office."

You stepped over the groaning form of Lupitski as you followed behind the Sheriff eagerly.

"Shut the door behind you," Lee instructed as he sat down at his desk. Once you'd done it, he patted his knee for you to sit on his lap. You felt a little nervous that someone would come in, but you were still excited to be in his arms again. He embraced you from behind, pulling your back into his chest. "I'm sorry about him," he sighed, "it's my fault, I should've known I couldn't trust them alone with you..."

"It's okay," you dismissed, "it wasn't that bad, he just put his hand on my leg."

"How high did he get?" he asked with concern in his voice. "Show me where he touched you, sweetpea."

You grabbed his hand and placed it on your knee, the comforting warmth making you relax a little. "Well, he started here," you explained, "but then he moved up... to here," you demonstrated, sliding his hand up until it reached where Lupitski's had.

"And then?"

"And then you hit him in the face, twice," you recalled with a shy smile.

"That's right," he beamed. You felt his hand moving higher from where you'd left it and you melted into his arms, letting your head fall back on his shoulder. "You know nobody can touch you there except your daddy."

You nodded, biting your lip as his fingers traced over the edge of your panties. Slipping inside, he growled a little when he felt that you were wet. "What's this, princess? Don't tell me you actually did like being touched by somebody else..."

"No, daddy, it's not that," you denied. "It was just... I thought it was really nice that you stood up for me..."

"Well, I don't care for it when other people touch my things."

"I know, daddy. And I couldn't help but think about what it would be like if-- if you had touched me in front of all those men, and showed them that I was yours..."

He grinned, finally rubbing your swollen clit as your back arched. "Mm, you're so shameless, baby. Is that what you wanted me to do? Beat him up and then bend you over the desk so I can beat up your cunt, too?"

You whimpered and nodded, hips bucking up into his touch.

"Dirty slut," he purred. "You know why I couldn't do that... but lucky for you, I have another desk right here that I can bend you over."

You giggled with delight as he pushed you up and over the wood, flipping up your skirt and pulling down your panties.

"Fuck," he groaned, "such a pretty little pussy you have, princess. And so wet for me, as always."

He didn't unbuckle his belt right away, instead leaning in to lick long stripes between your lips, the tip of his tongue teasing your clit and your hole-- wait, make that both your holes.

"Fuck, daddy," you gasped.

"Can you keep quiet, little girl? Or do I need to make you quiet?"

"I'll be good, daddy," you whispered.  It still took all your strength to keep that promise when he pushed his cock into you.  You gripped tightly at the edge of the desk, biting back moans every time the fat, swollen head of him plunged directly into your g-spot.

“You can’t imagine how many times I’ve been stuck at my desk and thought of doing exactly this to ya,” he chuckled lowly.  You wiggled your legs but he held you down, fucking you deeper and harder.  “Is this what you were hoping for, princess?  Is this what you want me to do to you in front of my men?”

You nodded with a whimper.

“You’d better hope nobody else steps out of line today, including you, or I might just be tempted to,” he threatened.  “I’d love for someone to give me an excuse to remind everyone that I’ve never been good at sharing my toys.”

After a few more minutes of pounding into you hard enough to rattle everything on his desk, you came with a choked moan and a sigh.  You were a little disappointed when he pulled out, because you wanted him to come inside you, but when he asked you to get under his desk and suck him off, well... you couldn’t say no to that.  Literally.

“Fuck, such a perfect little mouth,” he groaned.  “Wanna taste your daddy’s come, sweetpea?”

You nodded, without knocking his length out of your mouth, thankfully.  You always loved when you could taste yourself on him, as filthy as it made you feel.

“Then you’re gonna have to work for it.”

You were using your lips and tongue to suckle his tip while your hands worked tirelessly to pump the rest of him-- yes, you needed both hands-- when there was a knock at the door.

“Don’t fuckin’ stop,” he hissed at you before calling for the person to come in.

“Uh, I have these accounting sheets for you,” an officer explained, and you heard something set down on the desk above your head.  You looked up at Lee and watched his face as you kept going, though you were trying not to slurp or choke or make any other noises.  

“Thanks,” Lee nodded.

“Hey, wasn’t your daughter in here?”

“Stepdaughter,” Lee corrected quickly, just as you thought the same thing as the same time.  “And yes, but she’s using my private bathroom at the moment.”

“Oh, okay,” he agreed, although he sounded a little suspicious.  “I’ll leave you be.”

As soon as the door shut, you popped off of Lee’s cock and looked up at him nervously.  “Do you think he knew?” you asked.

“Did I say you could stop?” he countered; you got back to work quickly, not wanting to anger him lest he make good on his threat to fuck you in front of the station.  “I’m close,” he warned you.

You kept working until you felt him pulse and flex and, finally, come all over your tongue.  His hands tightened on your hair as he filled your mouth, the salty taste and the pressure on your throat making your eyes water.  He pulled you off of him with an exhausted groan.  

“Show me,” he requested, and you opened your mouth dutifully as his come pooled on your tongue.  “Good girl,” he smiled, “you can swallow now.”

You did, and licked up the small drop that had almost spilled from the corner of your mouth as well.  

“I think you should come with me to work more often, princess,” he grinned.

“I could use the typing practice,” you pondered aloud.  

“Oh, honey,” he chuckled, “you’re not gonna get in any typin’ practice, I promise you that.

#lee bodecker x reader #twi!lee #lee bodecker smut #i really hope that people know the whip sound effect thing is a way to call a guy whipped #kind of an obscure thing #also i wrote this at an airport #someone probably saw #oops

[alottanothing]

Kismet

Summary: Evie prepares a meal for the stranger who helped her and finds herself more than a little smitten.

Previous Part: Hope

Word Count: 5707

Warnings: Language

Tag List: @ramilicious, @txmel, @edteche2, @gloriousdarkangelsworld, @diasimar, @xmxisxforxmaybe (Let me know if I missed you, or if you would like to be added to the tag list)

A/N: Okay, I almost didn't get this up today because I was up most of the night sewing kilts for Highland Weekend at the Ohio Renfiare. BUT I stayed awake and did my final read-through, so this should be mostly okay. I skipped a couple steps in my editing to get this up on time but I think, for the most part, it's okay. If you see a grammatical booboo, just ignore it, I'll get in here sometime this week with my other two editing steps and find it, then repost this. Capisce? Okay, cool...now. I hope you enjoy it, I also hope my trying to phonetically write Mer's accent doesn't get too annoying. I know you really shouldn't write accents, but I think it helps add to the characters. And I do try to keep it to a minimum so it doesn't get annoying. Thanks for the love the first part received last month! I know waiting so long between updates is a bit sad after weekly updates with LtR. But life is busy right now and once a month is all can guarantee.

Jonny did not know how to keep a house.

In fact, Jonny did not know how to do much more than drink, argue, and get into fights. He was nothing but a thorn in Evie's side—never mind how much she needed him for a place to lay her head. A necessary thorn was still a thorn. Given the opportunity, she would rip it out as soon as she could and dress the wound promptly so she was finally able to heal better. She stayed only because she had no other choice. And every time Jonny raised his voice or stumbled in reeking of alcohol and red-faced, Evie could hear her best friend's warning in her head. Cynthia had begged her not to go with him, but she hadn't listened.

Oh, how she wished she had.

Luckily, Jonny wasn't the kind of man who liked to stay home which eased the ache of the ever-present thorn in her side. Whatever money he did have, he spent out on the town—the town being New Orleans. Like Evie, Jonny had been born and raised in the Big Apple, the noise and the chaos was part of him. As such, he hadn't taken to the quiet suburban life Bridge City offered as well as Evie. She liked the quiet, easy flow of the sleepy town. Her housemate loathed his new home. He thrived in disarray, thus, he found a group of like-minded young men to run amok with in the neighboring metropolis every chance he got.

If Jonny had been any sort of amicable company, the notion of him leaving most every night to wreak havoc several miles away would have been upsetting. Thankfully, his penchant for city life meant a good portion of Evie's days were spent out from under Jonny's tyranny. The hours he was gone were blissful and calm, and she relished in them. Whether she was creating art or tending to chores around the old house, Evie didn't care as long as Jonny wasn't there—never mind how lonely the routine often was.

Evie had never gotten the chance to meet Jonny's maternal grandmother, though she suspected she would have liked to. Unlike her grandson, she seemed like any other sweet elderly woman judging by the furnishings she'd left behind. There were dozens of lace doilies, and table cloths with soft patterns, decretive china even, but it was the plethora of photos the old woman kept that told Evie she'd carried a kindly heart. All of them were kept in pristine albums or intricate frames; they were the only barbles that seemed to have been cleaned or dusted with any regularity which spoke of how much she must have treasured them. Evie loved those tiny trinkets and black and white memories. It didn't matter that they were not her legacy of family heirlooms to keep, she adored them anyway.

She couldn't count the number of times she'd replaced a broken frame that had fallen victim to Jonny's drunken belligerence or scrubbed tirelessly at a stain he'd left on the patterned tablecloths. It proved to be a hefty undertaking, but dwelling in the fantasies of someone else's history let her forget the grief of her own. She was willing to sacrifice a little elbow grease if it allowed her mind to roam away from the shadow that never really seemed to vanish.

For all the effort Evie put in on the interior, the cottage held little in the way of curb appeal. The porch was sunken in the middle, the paint was peeling off in chunks, and the yard was mostly weeds. Worst, however, was the screen door which squeaked so loudly, every dog in the neighborhood howled in protest every time someone crossed the threshold. The outside needed love that Evie simply didn't have the energy to lend. Despite the grit, however, the foundations were sturdy enough that she didn't worry. The cottage proved to be stronger than she looked—a feat Evie felt she had in common with the old house. And while it was a swell enough place to rest her head, it never truly felt like home. Home was somewhere safe, and as long as Jonny lived under that roof she wasn't safe. Not really.

Fortunately, Jonny wasn't home when Evie returned after her run-in with Mr. Shelton—Mer, she corrected herself with a hint of a giddy smile. Without her housemate there, her evening promised to be hopeful instead of lonely, and she wasted no time in figuring out what to make for dinner.

With her red pumps replaced by her worn-in slippers and her blue checkered apron secured around her waist, she set a pot of water to boil and dialed the phone conveniently located in the kitchen. Every evening she called her sister-in-law to pass the time and keep up on unimportant gossip back home; this time, however, Evie was excited to finally have some good news to share.

"You got the job, didn't you?" Cynthia Clarke asked on the other end, sounding hopeful. "I knew you would."

Evie grinned, still amazed how the sound of Cyn's voice always seemed to settle some of the ever-present anxieties buzzing in her head. She missed her friend so much.

"I didn't even say yes."

"Did you or did you not get the job?" Cynthia pressed.

"I did," Evie confirmed and her smile grew hearing her friend cheer on the other end of the phone.

"See! I knew it." Cynthia said. "My gut feeling is always right."

Evie rolled her eyes and shook her head fondly.

"I think I'm gonna like working there too, so that's good." she mused as she stood at the stove, eyeing the pot of water she’d set to boil.

"That's so great, Ev. I'm so proud of you." Cynthia paused before continuing. "So, what are you up to tonight? Avoiding Jonny?"

"Sorta," Evie nodded even though she knew her friend wouldn't see.

As she continued to watch her cooking pot of water she told Cynthia all about her trouble with Jonny's car and the man who'd been so kind to help her.

"Wait. You invited the stranger over who fixed the car?" Concern was heavy in Cyn's voice, and Evie half expected a lecture to follow.

Despite knowing each other since childhood, Cynthia had taken on the role of her protector since Evie's family was no longer in the picture. The war had claimed Evie's father, and brother—although they'd never found her brother, Jimmy after he disappeared behind enemy lines. Evie never lost hope that Jimmy would one day be found, Cynthia though, was certain her husband was never coming home. After Cyn’s brother, Charlie, died at Normandy Cynthia had difficulty believing anyone was going to make it home. As for Evie's mother, losing a child and her husband to the war was too much for her tender heart and she passed not long after. Ever since, Cynthia was overcome with the need to act as Evie's guardian.

"He wouldn't let me pay him," Evie explained. "So I'm making him dinner—it seemed like the least I could do."

"I suppose…." Cynthia didn't sound convinced, if anything she sounded slightly irritated there was no quick way for her to argue the logic. "Just be careful, Evie. You don't know this guy—he could be another Jonny Doyle. Or worse."

"He's not," Evie said quickly. She wanted nothing more than to tell her friend all about how benevolent Mer was, but she decided against it. Cynthia would only argue that point somehow.

A long pause followed, and Evie wedged the receiver between her ear and shoulder so her hands were free to work on the meal.

"So, what are you cooking?" This time, there was a hint of jest in her friend's tone when she spoke.

The art of cooking was one creative outlet that Evie struggled with, second only to music. In her youth, her mother did all the cooking—it was a passion of her mother's—thus Evie had done little more than watch in wonder as her mother whipped up meal after meal effortlessly. Breakfast she the meal she was probably best at, apple pies too, but anything beyond that Evie required a step by step guide to prepare. And even then she lacked confidence. Thankfully, when she'd fled south, she remembered to grab her mother's cookbook. It was a cumbersome tome with yellowed pages and notes scribbled into the margins: a piece of art itself cultivated over years of collecting recipe after recipe starting the moment her mother stepped off the boat that brought her from Ireland. And like a witch and her spellbook, Evie depended on it.

"Spaghetti with garlic bread," Evie admitted feeling as though the meal lacked a certain something.

Pasta was something she knew held a low degree of difficulty when it came to preparing. Surely she couldn't mess up pasta.

“Mmm, I can almost smell it,” Cynthia said.

“Shut up.”

“No, seriously,” Cyn replied. “You’re mom’s spaghetti recipe was always my favorite.”

A doleful smile pulled at the corners of her lips, thinking back to her mother happily cooking in the kitchen as she sang a Celtic tune. It seemed strange that those moments would never again play out, instead they’d become bittersweet memories Evie could only relive in her mind.

“Mine too,” she murmured, suddenly missing her family.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, and Evie’s mind roamed the dregs of her grief before blinking back into reality and the hope of something happy to come.

“I need to go, Cyn,” Evie told her friend with a sigh. “I don’t want to burn the garlic bread.”

Cynthia chuckled and said her goodbye, only after making Evie promise to call her in the morning to let her know how everything went.

With her second hand restored after hanging up, Evelyn reached for her mother’s cookbook to give the steps another look over to ensure she had done everything and added every herb and ingredient she was supposed to. She’d followed everything perfectly, even factoring in the little notes scribbled into the margins left there by her mother—those she smiled at fondly and traced the fading ink with her fingers. Everything was as it should be. Even so, without a taste, Evie knew the sauce she had prepared would never be as savory as what her mother made so effortlessly.

“You were the artist in the kitchen, Ma,” she said with a shrug. “I’ll stick to paper and canvas.”

For the smallest of a moment Evie thought she would hear the warmth of her mother’s laugh, and when it never came she sighed again, trying not to dwell on the shadows behind her. What mattered was the light ahead.

Despite her lack of confidence, the meal came together without any severe hiccups. The noodles were not overcooked, the sauce was a complementing mix of savory and sweet (though, as she had guessed after a tiny taste, was not nearly as good as her mother's) and the garlic bread was nicely golden. A small tingle of pride manifested in the form of a surprised, but satisfied, smile as she surveyed the dinner before her.

“Not bad, Ev,” she told herself, knowing her mother would have been delighted.

With the cooking done, Evie threw a glance over her shoulder to the clock mounted on the wall, triggering a surge of anxiety to bubble in her gut. Stranger, perhaps, was the amount of excitement coursing through her veins. It was as though all of her happiness was riding on whether or not she would see Merriell again. None of it made sense; the man was little more than a stranger. The coupling of nerves and delight was not a feeling that put her ill at ease, however. She trusted it. And it was that peculiar sensation that seemed to fuel her movements.

With a few minutes to spare, Evie wandered into the small bathroom to freshen up. She made sure her hair was still pinned the way she liked—up and pretty. Her make-up was holding up nicely despite the heat; all she needed was a fresh layer of lipstick to complete the illusion of a put-together young lady. It wasn't often she wore a dress with heels and a face of cosmetics—she liked to when the opportunity arose, but she was just as comfortable in a pair of old overalls and smudges of charcoal on her face.

Just as she wiggled back into her red pumps—discarding her worn-in house slippers with a couple of calculated kicks—a knock on the door signaled Merriells arrival. Immediately a grin curled onto Evie's lips and her heart began to pound an anxious-excited rhythm. A blush threatened to color her cheeks to give away the torrid muscle beating in her chest—her ever yearning heart already making leaps and bounds for a man she had known for mere hours.

Don't be ridiculous—she warned herself taking in a deep breath to curb the eagerness coursing in her veins. Untying her apron, she tossed it along with her discarded slippers and went to answer the door, taking one last deep breath to steady the fervor in her heart.

Merriell had changed and showered. The sweet bouquet of his shampoo coupled invitingly with the musk of the aftershave he'd chosen, making it difficult for Evie to keep from soaking in the scent he carried. His curls were still somewhat damp—too much moisture in the air to keep the heat from drying them on his way over—though they fought to spring back into their previous fluff. The grease-covered, jeans he'd been wearing had been replaced by a nice pair of tan slacks, and the buttoned shirt he wore was a soft shade of green that made his eyes glitter a deeper emerald as he stood under the glow of the porch light. All Evie could do was stare—utterly beguiled—every rational thought in her head lost to her.

Mer smirked, amused by her ogling. "Hiya."

Evie blinked, coming back to reality, suddenly feeling foolish, and uttered a nervous "hi" before swinging her arm to invite him inside.

"Come in."

Merriell's smile grew as he crossed the threshold, inhaling deeply. "Mm, smells tasty in here."

He gently forced a bottle into her hands as he passed on his way to investigate the savory smells in the kitchen.

"I wasn' sho what ya was makin', but I figured wine usually goes with anythin'."

"Oh, thank you." Evie glanced at the label, unable to read the French words printed there. "You didn't have to bring anything."

"I know," Mer shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted to make a good impression."

There was something almost boyish when he smiled then—cheeks coloring pink ever-so-slightly—that made him even more of a mystery. One Evie was eager to solve.

"Well," she said placing the bottle on the kitchen table. "It should go perfectly with dinner."

His expression lost a hint of its boyish charm as it grew into a look of delight.

"Make yourself at home," Evie gestured vaguely between the table and the sofa in the living room as she ventured to the cabinet where the stemware was kept.

She placed two crystal glasses on the table along with the wine and retraced her steps to fetch some of the nicer china Jonny's grandmother had kept. Mer watched her, his gaze, gentle and attentive, and a little bit yearning as she methodically sat the table.

"Need help with anythin'?" he asked finally.

"Nope," She replied with a smile. "Everything is almost ready."

The hearty red sauce on the stove was beginning to boil again which told her it was hot enough to serve, and Evie eyed the pot with scrutiny, praying silently her attempt at cooking would go over well.

"I'll pour us a glass then," Mer announced.

"Great, lemme…" Evie spun to fish for the corkscrew in the drawer of misfit utensils, finding it, only to turn to see Merriell holding his lighter against the neck of the dark bottle just below the cork.

Before she could ask, a loud pop sounded, causing her to jump as the cork went flying.

"Oh my goodness!" she laughed, a little surprised, a little impressed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Mer shrugged, a sly expression on his features, and left her question unanswered.

"How much ya want?" He held the open bottle over the top of her glass, waiting patiently.

"Enough," she said, tossing him a coy smirk without really meaning to.

He bit his lower lip as he smiled, chuckling under his breath when he poured a generous glass of red wine for each of them. She thanked him as he took his seat and grabbed his plate to dish out their dinner.

"How much pasta would you like?"

Mer's face lit with charm and mischief as he turned to face her.

"Enough," he grinned.

The expression on his face was playful, his smirk devious and amused by his own response and his cheekiness settled warmly in Evie's stomach. Not only did she revel in it, but she also played into his whimsy and scooped as much spaghetti into his plate as she could before coupling it with the savory sauce and a slice of bread.

Despite being only strangers, the atmosphere that bloomed that evening was not marked by any hint of bashfulness, instead, it was relaxed and amiable. Warmth that Evie had longed to dwell in again—that unrefutable kindness she'd lost with the passing of her family—flowed uninhibited from the man sitting adjacent to her. His conversation was cautious but still jovial and genuine. It was the first time since running south Evie could recall what life felt like without grief and fear weighing upon her. Merriell was a stranger, but she felt safe with him. Jonny had never made her feel that way.

"So," Evie spoke as she twirled the last bit of pasta with her fork. "What is it you do, Mr. Shelton?"

Mer cast her a look of disapproval—no doubt in retaliation to being addressed so formally—before his features softened back into a neutral, yet somehow still amused side smirk.

"Nothin' too excitin'," he stated vaguely. "The odd jobs are what I like ta do the most—like fixin' ya car this aftah noon."

Without really meaning to, Evie leaned forward, resting her elbow and chin on the table, utterly enchanted by the beautiful stranger at her table.

"You like to get your hands dirty, huh? Fixing things?" she was entirely too intrigued with the thought of what he could do with his hands.

He shrugged, suddenly modest after a foray of playfully arrogant smirks and glances. It made him abruptly twice as charming.

"I've always had a knack for it, I guess." Merriell finished the food on his plate with the help of his remaining garlic bread to mop up the sauce still left on his dish.

"What about you?" he asked after chewing. "Ya workin' anywhere?"

All at once, a proud smile lit up Evie's face. After all the excitement of seeing Merriell again, she'd almost forgotten about her good news.

"Actually, I just got a job today—the general store downtown, Southern Comfort."

Mer's face lit up too, "Birdie's place?"

"Yeah, you know it?" Of course, he knows it! She thought, Bridge City's population was slightly less than the number of people who lived in a single district back home in New York. Everyone knew everyone else.

"Sho do—I was practically raised there…ole Birdie's like a second mothah to me."

"Really?" Evie found a great deal of comfort in that notion. In fact the more she thought on it, the more she realized how similar the old woman and Mer were; they radiated the same magnetism and sincerity.

"Mmhm," he nodded, his eyes focusing elsewhere as the veil of memories danced across the contours of his features. "My mama used ta work there…once upon a time…"

"Does she still work there?"

Merriell's face lost a hit of its levity and he swallowed as though to fight off the onslaught of sudden emotion threatening to cast a shadow onto his expression.

"No…" he said softly. "She—uh—she died, about a year ago."

Shit!

Abruptly, sick knots twisted into Evie's stomach, feeling callous, but understanding of the quiet misery he hid under layers of charm and arrogance.

"Merriell, I'm…I'm sorry—I didn't mean…"

He met her eyes and cast her a quick smile—doleful, but enough to ease the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"It's okay," he reassured her, reaching for his glass of wine and taking a good gulp before changing the subject. "Birdie's great—you'll enjoy workin' for her."

"I hope so…" Evie said softly, still too embarrassed to meet Mer's glance longer than a second or two.

For the first time all night the atmosphere they shared felt cumbersome—perhaps more melancholy—than she'd wanted it to get. Evie sat, worrying her bottom lip, her fingers toying with a loose thread in the table cloth as she stole quick glances through her lashes in Mer's direction.

He was nursing the alcohol in his glass with the same sadness she'd caught plaguing him as he sat at the bar hours ago. And while Evie was eager to know if his grief stemmed only from the loss of his mother, or perhaps more, Merriell was still too much of a stranger to warrant such questions. It didn't matter how easy it was to be near him, she had not earned the right to know his narrative.

A soft sigh broke past her lips as she fought to find a way to properly allay the gloom that was quickly ruining an otherwise wonderful evening. It wasn't until her eyes found their desert sitting on the counter, waiting to save the day, that she perked up.

"Got any room for apple pie?" Evie asked with a hesitant smile. She hoped he wanted to stay long enough to have a slice, though she would not have blamed him for wanting to leave.

Immediately Mer perked up too, the shadows on his features retreating with the promise of something sweet.

"I was countin' on it—seems as how you promised a slice earlier," he said with a boyish grin.

When she stood, he did too, helping clear away their dinner plates, and letting them soak in the sink to be washed later. Evie cut them each a slice of apple pie and the delight on Mer’s face made her smile too seeing him lick his lips as his grin continued to grow. Catching that flash of his tongue was like a bolt of hot lightning striking her without warning; a blush rose so quickly on her cheeks Evie had to look away to keep the blunder a secret. Thankfully, the pie was more than enough to hold Merriell’s attention away from her.

“Mmmm… Almost looks too good to eat,” he said ogling the desert in front of him.

When Evie chanced a look his way, the expression on his face caused her to chuckle, “‘oughta be, I made one for my pa every year for his birthday since I was nine. It’s probably the only thing I have any confidence in making in the kitchen.”

“Coulda fooled me,” Mer quipped as he loaded his fork with as much pie as he could.

The moment he took a bite, his brows creased, and eyes closed as he chewed painfully slow. Those few seconds were like agony. Evie’s heart was pounding in her chest with so much anticipation she feared she might faint as she watched him sample the only thing she could actually make that was worth a damn.

“Fuck me, if that ain’t the best apple pie I’ve evah had the pleasure of tasting.”

A somewhat nervous, but relieved chuckle sounded in the back of Evelyn’s throat as she watched Merriell shovel a larger bite of pie into his mouth.

“Mmm… Yep. God damn delightful.”

“Stop,” Evie said sheepishly, suddenly afraid he was overselling his reaction to keep from hurting her feelings.

“No,” he wiped his mouth and leaned across the table to meet her gaze with a sincere expression that stole away all the doubt writhing in her stomach.

“I mean it. If I wasn’t so full of pasta, I’d eat that whole damn pie right now.”

“Well,” Evie grinned softly, trying not to let her blush color her cheeks too obviously. “Thank you. And you’re welcome to take the rest of it when you go.”

Excitement took form on his face with a smirk that was sweet but roguish all at once—a sort of debonair charm that amplified his magnetism—as if his bright eyes dark curls and razor-sharp jaw did not make him alluring enough already. Again she had to look away knowing the pink in her cheeks would be too strong to combat.

“Imma have ta take ya up on that offah. An’ I’ll be thinkin’ ‘bout you every time I cut me a slice.”

That blush was unstoppable; her heart was suddenly so smitten, it felt as though butterflies were fluttering merrily in her stomach. She felt weightless with warmth and hope swelling in her bosom, fearing any slight breeze would carry her off. It was ridiculous how at ease Evie felt sitting there eating pie with a complete stranger. The conversation had been easy all night; even when it had delved into less savory topics he still made her feel comfortable. Evelyn had forgotten what it was like to be in the company of a man who wasn’t easy to anger, who was genuine and kind and wanted only to live in the moment.

For a time the whimsy of the atmosphere faded as the warmth in her heart ached, suddenly missing her brother James and Cynthia's brother Charlie. Both of them were good men, kind and genuine—like Merriell—but they had been swallowed by the rages of war. Brave young men were lost forever, while a man like Jonny Doyle was still alive How was that fair?

No matter how pleasant her thoughts could be, they always fell back to the grief that plagued her. She sighed, deeply, pushing those intrusive memories back into the depths of her mind so she could find joy once more in the moment with a kind stranger.

When Merrill finished his plate he made a beeline for the sink full of soaking dishes.

“Oh, no,” she said jumping to her feet. “I can do those.”

Merriell, however, shook his head. “Uh-uh, you did the cookin’, I can do the cleanin’.”

When Evie tried to argue, Mer simply shook his head, his grin amused but determined as he kept scrubbing the dirty dishes.

“Let me help at least,” she suggested. “I’ll dry and put them away.”

Before he could protest, she snatched the freshly rinsed dish from his hand and began wiping away the droplets of water clinging to the porcelain surface, throwing him a smug smirk that made him chuckle.

“Alright,“ he smirked.

She watched him for a moment not really paying attention to her task as he scrubbed the old plates clean, overcome with a blissful vision of peaceful domesticity. It made her stomach fill to the brim with whimsy and her heart was fluttering again; had this stranger bewitched her already? Or did what she feel bubbling lightly in her gut like a seltzer stem from an end to her loneliness—even if it was only for a few hours? Evelyn didn’t know. Nevertheless, she was intrigued with a profound feeling and she wanted to dwell in it for as long as she could.

Occasionally as he would hand a freshly washed dish her way, his calloused fingertips would brush against her skin, igniting a spark she didn’t know how to react to. It was more than an amicable tingle racing from the tips of her fingers right to her heart. And each time they touched, Merriell would cast her a gentle smile that held nothing more than his inherent charm and magnetism. She wondered if he felt it too, or if her need for companionship was playing a dirty trick on her.

When the dishes were all back in their usual places—the night drawing to a close—Evelyn realized she was not ready to say farewell to her Beautiful Stranger. She longed to stay up all night just chatting with him, she did not care about what, Evelyn only wanted to stay encompassed a while longer in the blissful warmth he brought into her life. Once he was gone, all she would be able to do was stay up and ponder the significance of those little touches and the sparks they brought.

Thankfully, Merriell lingered on the old rickety porch, one hand in his pocket, the other holding onto his plate of leftover pie, seeming to stall their inevitable departure.

“Well,” he said with a grin. “Thank you for invitin’ a stranger ovah for dinna.” He paused, glancing at the leftover pie in his hand. “Can’t recall ever having a better plate of pasta, an’ nothin’ evah gonna beat this pie.”

Evie quickly looked at her feet to hide another blush.

“It was the least I could do,” she told him before looking back to meet his eyes. “You have no idea how much of a savior you were this afternoon…”

A glint of concern flashed in his eye, his brows beginning to crease as his unspoken question lingered between them.

She thought about telling him—telling him how Jonny was nothing more than a throne in her side, and how much she cherished Merriells company—but Mer was still a stranger. It wasn’t right to unload so much onto someone she’d only known for a few hours.

Before Mer could offer any reply, the sound of screeching tires stole all their focus as an old wagon pulled along the curb—narrowly missing a collision with the mailbox. The rowdy passengers were laughing and shouting loud enough even before the door opened to let Jonny stumble out. He staggered on drunk feet and screamed a handful of profanities to his buddies in the car which made them all roar with laughter.

It was only after the wagon full of hooligans pulled away that Jonny began to stagger towards the house, and it was exactly then that Evie’s fluttering heart became consumed with panic.

She and Mer watched him cross the yard, unseen, both frozen: Evie in fear and Merriell in confusion. Jonny’s intoxication level inhibited him from taking notice of them until he was at the base of the steps leading onto the porch. Immediately, his eyes narrowed and he frowned.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Jonny, this is Mr. Merriell Shelton,” Evie said quickly, willing her voice not to shake.

The Doyle’s were not known for their hospitality, nor were they known to trust most people. Especially strangers.

“He helped me this afternoon with a bit of trouble I was having,” she explained vaguely, hoping to thwart any more suspicion. “I made him dinner to say thank you—he’s just about to leave.”

Jonny eyed Merriell, seizing him up as best he could through drunken lenses. Mer stood his ground, eyeing him back with a subtle intensity that never so much as cracked under Jonny’s scrutiny.

Finally, being the better man, Mer held out his hand in a friendly manner, “nice ta meet ya.”

Jonny cast a prolonged glare at Merriell's open hand, his brows furrowed and part of his lip hiked up in a sort of snarl. Instead of returning the kind gesture, Jonny made a show of spitting at his feet before tossing his heavy leer at Evelyn.

"Evie, do not invite any more strangers into my house. I don't care if they are dying." He shoved past them both, purposely bumping Mer's shoulder (most likely in hopes to start something) muttering as he went: "I don't trust any of these filthy southerners."

Shock sent Evie's jaw slack; this time the redness in her cheeks was a symptom of embarrassment instead of infatuation. She should have known Jonny would say something rude and uncouth. Without another thought, she grabbed Mer by his sleeve and pulled him across the lawn until they stood next to his truck parked along the curb.

"I am so sorry about him," she said, crossing her arms and glaring at Jonny's house, ashamed and angry.

Mer shrugged as he placed his partially eaten pie in the passenger seat through the open window before fixing his hands in his front pockets.

"Ya boyfriend's a bit of an asshole."

"He is not my boyfriend," Evie corrected vehemently. "I don't think he knows that though. I'm just staying here until I can figure some things out."

Merriell was quiet a moment, nodding silently. It seemed as though he was taking his time processing the whole situation. There was compassion on his face and behind his eyes, but it was guarded somehow. Evie caught it though and she was grateful when he didn't ask the questions plainly forming in his mind.

"Well," he said finally, his tone light as one corner of his mouth quirked into a grin. "Since he ain't ya othah half, I feel more inclined ta leave ya with this…"

Gently, Merriell caressed her upper arm as he leaned forward to plant a tender kiss on her cheek. He let his lips linger slightly longer than was common for such an act, that all at once wove a new hopefulness into her heart.

"Dinna was swell," he added as he pulled away, his smile somehow more charming than it had been all night. "Hope I see ya again, Evie."

"Me too," she murmured.

Evie watched as he got in his truck to leave, her hand held to the cheek he'd graced with his kiss. And when he drove away, it took everything inside of her to keep from running after him.

#Beautiful Stranger Series #Merriell Shelton x Original Character #Merriell Shelton #Snafu Shelton #HBO War #The Pacific #The Pacific Fanfiction #Rami Malek Fanfiction

[crystalelemental]

12.5k continues to be completely possible on an F2P budget, but oh man am I looking at some of these and going "This feels stupid."

Vs. Lorelei Bruno is always capable of hitting hard enough, the trouble is accuracy and support.  Maylene/Brawly are a solid support core, debuffing defenses, providing Potion for the support, and giving Bruno all needed stat boosts, including the coveted speed and accuracy.  The comedy is, I forgot Lorelei boosted evasion each time she takes a hit, so this almost got dire.  Thankfully, no one missed.  Like, ever.  It was amazing.

Vs. Agatha Trust no one, not even yourself.  Though admittedly Shauntal is the real threat.  Hypnosis just stun-locks the enemy team.  Shauntal is ridiculously powerful, and Morty's evasion meant Agatha missed the only attack she got through.  We effectively took no damage that wasn't Shauntal's recoil.  Fantastic.

Vs. Lance Fairy-types, on an F2P budget, suck such unbelievable ass.  Mina isn't terrible, but she's not exactly consistent.  Lodge Lillie is way worse about setting up needed attack debuffs, and generally just struggles.  Valerie...the less said about that one the better.  I had an awful time getting offense parameters to work, both because no one seemed able to consistently take down opponents, and because Double Edge from Lance is often a OHKO unless Endurance is present, and even then getting knocked to 1HP turn 1 is a death sentence.  So, stall tactics it is.  Lodge Lillie's trap is some great supplemental damage to offset the gradual healing parameter, and her ability to debuff offenses works wonders.  She actually only needs attack, so she was able to take full sync investment, which helped.  Valerie's ability to heal with Draining Kiss was spectacular.  Elesa still took point, because Lance could actually overwhelm Valerie, even under HP conditions.  So glad they gave her First Aid 2 and no Master Healer on her attack and basically nothing of use.  Maybe if she ever gets EX, we can pretend Brain Sync 5 is worth something.

Vs. Bruno Fun fact.  The previous condition was boosted secondary effect rates.  You would think I'd remember that meant flinch rate, and use it here, where flinch rates, I dunno, actually happened.  But I didn't.  In part because I was overconfident.  It's Kahili.  When does Kahili ever fail me?  Turns out the answer is when there are no defense drops and you miss the Super Preparation 4.  Bruno has Impervious, and I remember this bullshit because this is when I first attempted to use Darach and was like wow, this dude kinda sucks.  So here I am, not having guaranteed flinch rate, against a guy who is a massive problem.  I'm so annoyed with myself on this.  Kahili did clutch it out, but it was a rougher time than it should have been.

Vs. Blue Ordinarily, this is Roark's time to shine.  And with apologies to my Sinnohan roots, I had to test out Lodge Steven, who I finally unlocked this weekend.  This is his first outing, and he...good.  Cynthia was his F2P support, providing crit and special defense for Brute Wits, but failing to get his last two points of special attack.  The good news is, Swag Bag 5 on Ancientpower can top him off just fine, and that's standard on his full sync grid.  Throw the attacks at the right side, sync nuke center, and you're okay.  Ish.  The problem was I did not do that.  I used sync on center because the flinches caused chaos and I needed to respond quickly by taking out center, but by then you're getting hit with AoE attacks, which do threaten pretty significantly despite the boosts.  I'd say the team did fairly well, but only because of boosted secondary conditions.  Grant missed plenty of flinches despite the improved odds, and Steven could have missed his boosts without it.  But for whatever it's worth, they did succeed, so I guess he checks out.  And 25k first sync without full offense boosting is pretty respectable.

12.5k Impressions Like last week, none of this felt like it was particularly threatening to F2P.  The biggest issue is just remembering to alter parameters.  I think just about every team except the first ran into the issue of having to switch back and forth between physical and special damage reduction.  I know they said they'd be introducing a way to save parameters next month, and man, do I feel like we need it.

#champion stadium #f2p clear