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#Most high-interest savings accounts
originfinance · 4 months
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High-Interest Online Savings Account
Getting the best interest rate for online savings accounts is possible online. Many online banks offer these accounts. They differ from traditional accounts. Traditional savings accounts need you to open an account in person. The interest rate on most Internet savings banks is higher than traditional banks. The best APY at the moment ranges between 4.00% and 5.00%. The APY is more than the…
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hhughes · 10 days
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౨ৎ ‧ 𝑺𝑨𝑫𝑰𝑬 𝑯𝑨𝑾𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑺? ✗  𝒱𝐼𝒪𝐿𝐸𝒯 & 𝐿𝒰𝒦𝐸
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ᡣ𐭩 pairing — violet kingston x luke hughes
ᡣ𐭩 AU summary — in which luke hughes falls in love with his best friend
ᡣ𐭩 note — it felt fitting to start the new account with my oldest au but also a piece you haven’t seen before x this one has been in the drafts a while… I adore high school luke and vi so much🥺 as always I hope you like it and please tell me what you think. I feel like a lot of out luke and vi pieces, especially the younger ones, really showcase luke's adoration for vi, and this really gives us more of an insight into how smitten violet is for him <3
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“don’t start,” violet states when she arrives at their chosen table at the cafeteria, her and dylan the first two to arrive as usual.
“I didn’t even say anything,” he defends lifting his hands and violet sends him a knowing look as she takes the seat across from him
“not yet. but by that little glint in your eye I can tell you’re about to and you can save your breath. I’m not asking him, I'm not even sure I'm going," violet says and dylan lets out a frustrated sigh. he's been trying to convince her to ask luke to the sadie hawkins dance for at least two weeks straight but to no avail.
"I'm just saying, if you don't ask him soon, you might miss your shot. another one asked him today, that makes it what? three total..." dylan says and violet freezes mid-bite, lowering her apple and staring wide eyed at her friend
"who?" violet asks, her heart squeezing a bit at the thought of Luke going to the dance with someone else
"veronica williams," dylan asnwers and violet's face immediately turns sour. the nerve of that little -
"why are we talking about her-who-shall-not-be-named?" luke asks as he gets to the table, taking his regular seat next to violet, his arm automatically looping around her waist. he smirks as she slaps his hand when he reaches for a cracker in her lunch box, squeezing her hip in retaliation
"just telling vi who asked you to the dance today," dylan answers innocently and luke shrugs when he feels violet's eyes on him
"don't know why she bothered asking me, she knew I was gonna say no," luke says and dylan hums in agreement. it was a well known fact that violet and veronica didn't exactly get long, to put it lightly.
what started out as an innocent kindergarten friendship blossomed into a toxic competitive rivalry at the end of middle school and ever since then veronica has made it her mission to try and upend violet on every little thing. violet was almost sure half the extra curriculars she did was just because violet showed an interest in them.
violet didn't care when veronica ran for student government, or applied to be the head editor of the school paper, or challenged her for captain of the dance team. violet thrived off a little competition and she loved winning fair and square, as she often did in these little battles between her and the other girl.
violet couldn't quell the growing ball of jealousy, annoyance and insecurity at the thought of veronica going after luke. violet wasn't oblivious to the other girl's model-like appearance, and most of the time she was actually quite nice, when her attention wasn't directed towards violet.
dance captain, president of student government and editor of the school paper? those were all things violet would be more than happy to give her. but luke? her luke? was not something she was okay with sharing. violet knew luke wasn't even veronica's type. she was only doing it to get a reaction...
"easy tiger. are you missing the part where I said heck no? s'no need to get yourself worked up over it vi, you know that's what she wants. and then you have to deal with all that at cheer practice," luke reasons
"I'm quitting cheer," violet announces and luke pulls away to look at her, but she clenches the sleeve of his hoodie on the arm around her waist, keeping him close.
"what? why? if this is about veron-" luke protests but shuts up when violet stuffs a cracker in his mouth
"it's not. I've been wanting to quit a while. I only did it because I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. and I did, but I don't love it, not like I love dance, and I would rather spend more time doing something I love. besides now I have the time in my schedule to coach your little cousin's winter concert-"
"violet, you don't have to quit cheer to choreograph my little cousin's first grade concert. I promise you no one is gonna remember it in a few years," luke says, pushing his lunch bag closer to her as violet steals a chicken nugget from his container
"she's gonna remember it. why are you so against me quitting cheer anyway? I thought you hated it?" violet asks
"I don't hate it, I just hate the way the football players think that you being a cheerleader means that they have the right to flirt with you 24/7. like what is this? high school musical?" luke grumbles and violet smiles
“gabriella wasn’t a cheerleader…” violet replies amused
“and troy wasn’t a football player…” luke responds
“so what exactly is the high school musical reference?” dylan asks
“you know… stick to the status quo or whatever,” luke mumbles, throwing dylan with a crumpled piece of paper
“you know what I’m gonna miss about cheer?” luke asks, his hand ending up on violet’s thigh and she places hers on top of his
“what?” she asks and he smirks slightly
“seeing you in the uniform,” luke teases and violet playfully pushes his chest
“I can keep the uniform,” violet teases back and luke’s eyebrows raise
“oh? you gonna come wear it at my games? be my personal little cheerleader?” luke asks, his head dropping closer to hers and violet is hyper aware of his nose being centimetres from hers
“you wish,” violet breathes and luke grins
“a man can dream,” luke teases, leaning back with a hand on his chest
“a man can dream to disappear and no longer be witness to this,” dylan mumbles and luke kicks him against the shin
“you uh- going to the dance?” luke asks, scratching the back of his neck, his nervous tick showing and violet smiles slightly
“I’m thinking about it,” she replies
“you should wear red if you are. it’s your colour,” luke says, knowing he already has a number of red ties in his closet
“everything is my colour,” violet teases and luke grins, kissing her on the cheek
“true,” he says, tugging on the strings of the hoodie she was wearing, not even noticing its the very one he was searching for that morning.
౨ৎ
“can you calm down? what’s the worse that could happen? he says no?” violet’s little brother asks and her horrified gaze snaps towards him
“oh my god! what if he says no… what if he thinks this is totally lame and he’d rather gauge his own eyes out than go to this dance with me,” violet says and daxton just stares at her for a few seconds before glancing at her poster and back up
“I think it’s sweet and if he doesn’t, then he doesn’t deserve to go to the dance with you,” daxton says folding his arms over his chest and violet smiles at her little brother
“look he’s coming,” her brother says excitedly, and she spots luke on the ice instantly, feeling her heart speed up in her chest as he skates over to them, a puck in his hand
“here you go bud,” he calls, throwing the puck over the glass for daxton before directing his attention to her
“that for me kingston? you gonna let me see it?” luke teases and violet blushes, shakily opening the poster and pressing it against the glass so he could read it.
hey 43, do me a hughes favour and assist me in scoring a date to sadie? 🩷
violet feels like her cheeks are on fire by the time luke finishes reading and sends her a big grin.
“I thought you’d never ask,” he teases, pressing his hand flat on the glass and violet mirrors his action
at the end of their winning game, luke couldn’t wait to get off the ice, shower as quick as possible and go see his girl. doing a little jog towards her and picking her up in a bear hug when he’s in touching distance
“lemme see it. lemme see it,” he says excitedly and violet giggles as he puts her down, reaching for the poster
“can I keep it?” luke asks, clenching the poster tight and violet nods
“thanks for coming, where’s dax?” luke asks, grabbing violet’s hand as they make their way out of the building
“probably passed out in the car by now,” violet jokes and luke squeezes her hand
“are you coming over for dinner tonight? you have to… I have to show mom your poster. shes gonna love it,” luke pleads
“yeah I can come to dinner,” violet agrees, pulling out her phone to text her parents. never being able to say no when he pulls those big puppy eyes on her
“so what colour dress you wearing?” luke asks as he puts his gear in the trunk
“red,” she answers sheepishly and luke smiles, hooking a finger in her belt loops and pulling her into him
“what are you doing?” violet giggles as luke teasingly lifts the edge of her hoodie
“checking to see if you wore the cheer uniform,” he says and laughs as she swats him on the arm
“are you insane? its way too cold. and I think I embarrassed myself enough for one night,” violet replies and luke pecks her on the nose
“I think you looked cute. standing there with your little sign. I’m gonna wow you with my dance moves,” luke teases moving his legs an attempt of some sort of shuffle move and violet laughs
“are you laughing at me?” he asks, tickling her waist and pulling her into another hug
“those legs were made for skating lu, definitely not dancing. lucky for you, you have a super good teacher,” violet says and luke hums agreeing, pressing a kiss to her head
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matan4il · 3 months
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Daily update post:
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a message from Yahya Sinwar (the Hamas leader inside Gaza) was passed to Hamas leaders who live outside of it, and the essence of that is not to worry, because Sinwar believes they have Israel exactly where they want it. In other words, when Hamas is estimated by Israel to have at least 12,000 of its terrorists killed, and despite the fact that they could stop the death of Gazans by releasing the Israeli hostages and surrendering, Sinwar doesn't see any issues with where the war is at. I think the most important part is this: "According to the report, Sinwar also told the Hamas officials that the terror group is prepared for Israel’s expected operation in Rafah, the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city, and is relying on the high civilian death toll reported by the Hamas-run health ministry to cause enough global outcry that Israel is forced to withdraw" (my emphasis). At what point do people realize that they are serving the interests of Hamas' mass murderers, kidnappers and rapists?
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A few days ago, I wrote about the attempt to allow aid trucks into northern Gaza directly from Israel, instead of bringing it to the south, and waiting for Gaza-based elements to deliver it to the north. This means an escort of Israeli soldiers is accompanying the trucks. This is the route the aid trucks cross:
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Today, these aid trucks were stormed by a huge crowd, and according to the IDF, many people died from pushing and trampling (at the link you can see aerial video footage of the stampede), not an unheard of phenomenon when a huge herd of people all rush in at the same time. On top of that, some Gazans were also advancing at the soldiers securing the aid trucks. The soldiers felt undr threat, and they opened fire at those charging at them, but according to their estimate, this accounts for only 10 of the dead. Still, you can count on the anti-Israel crowd to adopt a narrative that, immediately and without investigation, calls this a massacre and blames every single death on Israel, not on Hamas, which started the war that made even aid supply into a dangerous and complicated situation.
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Here's a reminder that even in the middle of the war, when no one is paying attention to it, Israel continues to demolish illegal homes built by Jews. But you're never gonna hear about it, not even during more normal times, because it doesn't fit the anti-Israel narrative, so anti-Israel sources will only ever tell you about it, when Israeli demolishes illegal homes built by Arabs.
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As threats to British Members of Parliament (MPs) are rising due to threats from the anti-Israel crowd, the UK has allocated bodyguards to some of them, along with 31 million pounds designated for the security of British democracy. If some of the most powerful people in Britain are that scared, what do you think Jews there are going through? Indeed, today we heard that 72 million pounds are meant to help secure Jewish centers and institutions in the UK. The problem is that until the root of the problem will be tackled, this is just taking care of the symptoms, instead of curing the disease.
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Israeli security forces have stopped two Palestinian cousins, one 17 years old and the other 29 years old, from carrying out an independent terrorist attack. I refer to such attacks as independent in order to point out that they're not a part of some greater plot, unlike every single terrorist attack on Oct 7, which were all interconnected, and rocket attacks since, which are launched as a part of the war that Hamas started waging against Israel. However, some of these attacks ARE connected to Hamas. Apparently, these two cousins contacted Hamas in Gaza to get help in committing their intended crime.
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This is 59 years old Michel Nissenbaum.
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He made alyiah on his own from Brazil when he was 13 years old. Friends say that coming to Israel saved him. He worked in hi-tech, as well as a tour guide, and volunteered with Bedouin kids. Here he is with one such group:
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On Oct 7, Michel heard that the Re'im IDF base was under attack from Hamas terrorists. Knowing that his granddaughter was there, visiting her dad, Michel decided to go there and get her out. While he was making his way to the base, he stopped responding to messages. His granddaughter was rescued from the place hours later, but Michel himself had disappeared. He's believed to be kidnapped in Gaza, but his family is scared, because he wasn't spotted in any of the pics or vids released by Hamas.
(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)
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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 5 months
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It’s one in the morning let’s talk Six of Crows analysis - it feels like it’s been ages since I did any analysis, which is like the entire point of this account so sorry about that but here we go: We should talk more about Adem Bajan you guys okay because first of all he effectively comes to represent the vast majority of everyday people in a clear juxtaposition to both Inej and Van Eck, but he also is in a position of far less choice than I think we give him credit for.
As a reminder, Bajan is a young Suli boy (presumably somewhere around 19 but we have no confirmation of that) working in the Van Eck household teaching Alys music. He is highly implied to be having or to have interest in having as affair with Alys, and was Van Eck’s chosen jailer for Inej at the beginning of Crooked Kingdom. Van Eck claims he made this choice because he thought “a Suli boy would be most conspicuous” when he was attempting to lure Kaz into a trap to save Inej, but it was also an inarguably smart decision in that, as Inej even comments herself, Bajan was easy to talk to, made her feel nostalgic, homesick, and alone, and very nearly succeeded in drawing information out of her without having to restore to torture. If anything, resorting to torture was Van Eck’s major mistake at this point but that’s really a conversation for another time. Bajan is a really interesting character because he doesn’t want to hurt Inej and specifically encourages her to tell him things so Van Eck won’t escalate things further, but when Van Eck does escalate things Bajan is unable - or possibly unwilling - to stop him. For this Inej calls him a monster, and when he claims he did nothing replies “no, you’re the man who stands idly by congratulating himself whilst the monster eats its fill”. She draws a Suli phrase on him that effectively means he’ll be rejected by the community forever and his spirit/soul won’t be accepted, and she describes it as the worst fate or something along those lines sorry I can’t remember exactly. But what’s the most interesting thing is that even though he claims not to believe in any of it Bajan gets noticeably upset by this and says “that’s not fair”. Inej is surprised that he’s this soft, and there’s a very clear juxtaposition between the lives they have lived.
BUT - let’s look at this from Bajan’s perspective. And remember - this is important - Bajan is not described as an employee of Van Eck’s, but an indenture. An indenture. So Bajan is a young boy indentured in a foreign country to a man as high up in the country’s government as you can get and who has clearly been illustrated to the reader as a terrible person on several different levels that I won’t dissect in too much detail right now. He appears to have acclimatised himself to Kerch surroundings and acts with elevation above his status, because that’s what he has to do to survive in the upper echelon of a deeply classist society that actively diminishes and disapproves of his culture. (<<if anyone wants references for that let me know and also I’ve written about it quite a bit before so that’s kicking around on my page somewhere) He refuses to speak to Inej in Suli because “it makes me maudlin” and my question to you is: is he rejecting the language to further attempt to fit in and as a product of internalised prejudice, or because it’s so incredibly painful to be half-connected to a culture not only that he has forced himself to reject but also that he feels he can never safely return to? Probably both. He tells Inej he doesn’t believe in Suli superstition, religion, or culture, and yet is deeply upset when she uses it against him. Is this because he actually does believe, or wants to believe, in the Saints and the Suli interpretation of them but has rejected them for survival and the supposed betterment of himself? Possibly.
Bajan strikes me as very similar to Jesper in the way he presents himself as free, flirty, and casual, but had a considerable weight to almost everything he says and considerable pain hidden closer to the surface than he may have realised. I think there are parallels between him and Inej if we want to see them, but also a very stark difference in the way Kerch and Ketterdam have treated them. Bajan may not be privileged but even as an indenture he has - or at least as far as we know has had - a far safer and kinder experience than Inej has. This could be related to gender since the hyper-sexualisation of Suli culture is mostly centred on women - “the Menagerie always stocked a Suli girl” (I’ve intensely analysis this quote before so I won’t now but ugh there’s so much to say) - but we do know there are young boys captive at the pleasure houses as well although less commonly and it’s also possible that this difference is linked to Bajan’s decision to turn his back on Suli culture in order to appeal more to Kerch society whilst Inej continually embraced her culture and arguably became more religious in response to her experiences.
This is complicated because I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Bajan. I understand and support Inej’s perspective and everything she saw whilst in a far more dangerous position that he was, but is it possible that this was a lonely boy who saw someone he thought was like him and tried to communicate with her the only way he thought was safe? You are completely isolated in a foreign culture and hate yourself for having suppressed your own upbringing in order to survive, but now you meet someone else who yes, is in more danger than you, but who you might be able to help so that she can help you in return. You aren’t safe to speak freely and so you subtly tell her that you are an indenture, hoping she acknowledges that none of this is of your free will and because you know that she was indentured too (and remember from a societal pov there is very little understanding of what indentured girls at the pleasure houses actually go through and although that doesn’t excuse ignoring Inej’s trauma it may explain why he doesn’t fully acknowledge that their positions aren’t equal), you tell her that speaking your own shared language makes you feel maudlin, hoping she realises that you desperately miss your homeland and using your language makes you feel even further from your family than you already are because you can’t share it with them. She doesn’t seem to be taking any of it in, your employer has every intention of hurting her and you don’t know what else to do, so you make a last plea: you ask her about home. You think you’ve already made it clear that speaking about home is painful, so you ask her about it to invite that pain, to share it, so you both understand. But it fails, because she only sees your employer puppeteering you. You openly beg her to tell him the truth so that he won’t hurt her but she refuses to comply, and after all of your efforts and your desperate attempts to connect and beg her to help you both go home, her response is to turn your home against you and banish you from it for eternity. So when you see her the next morning, how could you possibly look her in the eye?
Bajan did not make all of the right choices in his brief time on the page. He didn’t. But maybe he was trying really hard, and he had no other options left.
Anyway I’m not saying this is definitive one way or the other it’s just an interpretation but I find him a very interesting and very sad character and I although I support all of Inej’s actions in these scenes from her point of view I do find myself wondering how she appeared to Bajan and how he felt in the aftermath.
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awarmcupofmilk · 10 months
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Gojo x reader "Broken Mirror"
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afab!reader
summary: you knew gojo was the one. gojo wasn't so sure.
content warnings: breakup/sad, angst, deviations from gojo’s past arc
word count: 1,226
note: hi lovelies, I'm back! I'm thinking of turning this into a series, thoughts?
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© 2022 awarmcupofmilk
please don’t repost, edit, translate, use, or copy my works on any platforms (if you’d really like to please reach out – reblogs are welcome)
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You’d known for a while Satoru was the one.
When he’d thoroughly humiliated the elders through cheeky comebacks and downright threats because Gakuganji made a remark about your way of dress off-duty.
When he called off classes for the day to host a hot dog eating contest, just because you were having a hard time with your sister getting engaged---fresh out of high school.
When he literally saved your life on that mission.
But what sealed the deal was this adorably clueless look on his face, set so vividly apart from his usual smirks and sneers, when he got daifuku on his cheek.
You were in love. And in it bad.
At first, you knew you were alone in your convictions. Satoru hadn’t ever prioritized love and you didn’t think you’d convince him otherwise. You told yourself it was fine, that you’d date for a few months, maybe a year and then move on for the better.
But you don’t move on from the strongest.
You couldn’t taste anything else once you’d had him. Nothing else held appeal.
You kept telling yourself it was fine. You were still young, you still had time to date without a future. But the smell of his aftershave, the way his hair curled behind his ear, his distaste for alcohol. It all drew you in, too deeply, and you wanted it too badly.
Satoru would stiffen when you brought up the future.
He was happy to make plans for Friday date night, but anything about revisiting the clan or moving in or god forbid, marriage had him giving non-answers and changing the subject at the first opportunity.
It was a stabbing pain, seeing the look on his face, and a few times after a particularly sobering conversation you’d almost considered ending it. But he was so sweet. By all other accounts he was a wonderful boyfriend. Chivalrous---opening the door for you, insisting on paying the bill, unfolding the napkin at restaurants to cover your lap. He genuinely listened. And yes, he had a slight habit of being a little too friendly with no doubt interested women, but he’d always own up and do better when you called him out. And you just clicked. So effortlessly, so seamlessly. So, you told yourself it was fine.
You had your whole life ahead of you at twenty-three. And you knew, any third party would tell you that you were being unreasonable. But you loved him. You were sure about him. Surer than you were about most things. Maybe anything. You used to be so cynical about marriage. You didn’t buy anything about soulmates or true love or the one. But Satoru was it for you. You just knew.
But the more you wanted him, the more anxious you were to hold on, to not lose him. You found yourself asking, “Are you going to break up with me?” As a joke from the outside but in truth a deep fear, seeking opposition or confirmation, you didn’t know.
And Satoru would always respond easily, with that trademark suaveness, “Not planning on it.”
You asked more and more often, and whether or not Satoru noticed, more and more anxiously.
And each “I don’t see that happening,” each “No�� followed by a soft kiss sold it to you more. You stopped telling yourself it was fine. You’d be together forever. You were sure of it.
Things weren’t perfect. You two had your rough patches and fair share of fights. But you wanted each other enough to make it through anything. If the you from a few years ago could hear yourself, this madness probably would have been put to an end. But you loved him. You loved him in that cliché, film way that looks manufactured in hindsight. But it felt so raw, so pure, so real. You’d be together forever.
Soon, despite yourself, you began hinting. Rings. Nice houses. And even, though you were now appalled at the memory, babies. Not to be had then, of course, just for the far-off future. You could be patient if commitment was promised.
And for whatever reason, Satoru played along. He started engaging in talks about the future, even though he used to say he didn’t want to make these promises, didn’t want to plan so far. You had reminded yourself of what he used to say, that look on his face when you brought up plans. But for some reason hidden to him and you, he bought into it too. He started fantasizing with you. Of course, to you it didn’t feel like fantasizing. But he seemed to want it, almost as badly. You thought his face lit up picturing your lives together in the next few years. You thought he smiled a little wider, laughed a little louder.
He wants this too. You told yourself. We’ll be together forever. You said.
You told this to yourself like a mantra, and soon it became indisputable truth.
“Hey,” you started, leaning on Satoru’s shoulder. You snuggled closer to him on the couch and pulled the blanket over your shoulder. “Does it ever bother you that I ask about the future?” You said.
Satoru stiffened, and your heart dropped.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“You know, like do you not like talking about plans long-term?”
You were fishing for an easy answer, some artificial reassurance, a “No, I like it fine.”
But he paused. You couldn’t breathe.
“I thought I told you I didn’t want to make promises.”
“Oh,” was all you could say. It sounded like you had let out a breath. A small cough.
“I mean, it’s kind of fun to fantasize,” he said.
You hadn’t realized how much the word “fantasize” bothered you. How seriously you took your “plans”.
“But I mean, I can’t promise what will happen in a few years,” Gojo continued.
You felt dizzy. “You don’t see us together in a few years?” You asked. It sounded like a whimper and you hated yourself for it.
“I just mean I don’t know what my life looks like in a few years.”
“Oh,” you said again.
There was silence. You’d stopped resting on his shoulder and you didn’t know what to do with yourself. You pulled the blanket off and fidgeted, eyes glued to your lap.
“…where do you see this going?” You finally asked. Quietly.
He let out a breath. “Look, I’m going to be honest, I’m twenty-four, I can’t make any commitments right now.”
“Oh.”
You felt oddly calm. “Um, thanks for being honest with me,” (finally, you thought).
“Sure,” Gojo said.
“So we have an expiration date, huh?” You asked.
Gojo frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean this is going to end at some point.”
“I mean, I’m not making a decision right now about the future,” Gojo said, you thought he shrugged. “I still want to be with you now,”
But he didn’t understand. That was the point. You’d decided on forever without a second thought, and he just let you. But sooner or later, when he decided it was time to experience life without you, he’d leave you behind. You didn’t want now if you couldn’t have the future.
You didn’t meet his eye. “Gojo, I think we should end things.”
It’s funny how the things you love the most can shatter in an instant.
✧ Masterlist ✧
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yeoja-dream · 4 months
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Found/Fated/Forever
Part 1
Pairing: BTS OT7 x Reader
Genre: Fantasy, eventual smut, porn with plot, slow burn, hurt/comfort
Characters: Supernatural!BTS, Vampire!Jungkook, Supernatural!Reader
Content Warning: Woman in danger, roofie mention
Word Count: 3,500
It was a miserable fucking night. Granted it had also been a miserable fucking day, The rain had come down in sheets all throughout the day and well into the night, bringing the temperature down considerably. It was certainly summer, but as your thigh-high boot clicked against the wet sidewalk, you swore you could see your breath. 
I just had to fucking go out. You grumbled internally, shivering in your mini skirt and leather coat. It should have been plenty warm enough for a summer night, but even the weather seemed to be flipping you off today. Let’s just get black-out drunk, hook up with a stranger, and forget today ever happened. You hyped yourself up while rounding the corner to your favorite nightclub. 
The line was sparse, on account of the rain you supposed. Not that you ever really had to wait in line for this place anyways, you knew all the bouncers and if any gave you a hard time, you’d flash a little cleavage and be on your way. 
Despite the minimal line outside, indoors was as lively as any other Saturday night. The DJ tonight was someone local, you overheard, not bad you mused, moving through the crowd to an empty bar seat. Mostly trap beats, but his remixes were decent and the dance floor reflected his musical proficiency. 
“Y/N” The bartender, a salt and pepper man in his 40s regarded you warmly. “What will it be tonight?” 
“David.” You said back. “I thought you had a date tonight? I was expecting to see Vanessa. Sure the usual.” You slid your card forward, starting your tab. 
“You drink so many cosmos we are going to have to start calling you Nebula, you know,” David said, picking up the ingredients to your drink. “Vanessa and I switched. Date bailed. She must have known you were coming in and got jealous,” He added with a wink. 
“You flatter me.” You replied. “Nebula is too metal of a knick name for such a girly drink.” 
“Eh,” David replied, sliding your glass toward you. “I’ve seen you, you could out-drink any man in this place. Makes me feel bad for your wallet.” 
“You and I both.” You said, sipping on the pink liquid. “It’s good. Strong. Make yourself something, it’s on me.” 
“And that’s why you are my favorite customer, cheers,” David replied, before sliding off to the other end of the bar, busily helping other patrons. 
The bar seats here spun, a trait you always appreciated for easy people-watching. Picking up your drink and swiveling your seat around, you surveyed the crowd like you did most weekends. Mostly, it was boring. You watched them have fun, be messy, get into arguments, meet new friends, new lovers, it was fun, like watching a TV show of what your life could have looked like if things had been different. Some nights you’d spot a creep, someone slipping drugs into drinks or stalking ex-partners and you’d alert the bouncers to kick them out. Some nights you’d chat with someone silver-tongued and deep-pocketed to keep you interested, some nights that person would talk you into bed. 
It was cyclical if you had to really psychoanalyze yourself. The theme: unfulfillment, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness. It was easy, much easier anyway, to find comfort in these fleeting, temporary flings, to find purpose in playing superhero and saving a drunk woman from a creep, to find community in the transactional relationships held with people like David. But maybe you were thinking too much about things again, what the hell did you know? You were there, in that nightclub, just like everyone else.
You swiveled around again, signaling to David you were ready for your next cosmo. He had it ready just as soon as you could raise your hand. 
“Looks like you got something on your mind tonight. I’ll keep ‘em coming,” David said handing you your next drink. 
“Thanks.” You said, taking it from him. “Don’t forget to make something for yourself!” You called after him.
“I love drinking on your dime, don’t worry about me~” He replied with a hand wave. 
Before you can turn back to your self-centered musings, a zip of light darted through your periphery. Magic? It had been a minute since you had seen someone else use it, but surely you had to be mistaken right? Why would a place like this have magic?
You snapped and turned to the side, scanning the patrons carefully, but it only took a few seconds to realize who it was who had been casting. A man stood in the corner, tall with dark, masculine features, his shoulders were broad, his chest and torso the perfect V. He wore a plain, dark, fitted t-shirt that showed off large, corded arms. He was the picture of masculinity, attractive by anyone’s standards, and as you regarded him now, he was entirely silhouetted in magic. The silver, translucent aura was unmistakable. Glamour magic. 
He had to be an incubus right? The only other creatures capable of glamour magic like that are the tirions, but those were exceptionally rare. You could relate to that. As you pondered the possibilities, you noticed a small, curly-haired blonde woman, undoubtedly human by the way she seemed in awe of this male. You needed to get closer, you decided slipping off your seat and pushing through the bodies until you were in earshot. 
“So, why don’t you finish your drink and we can enjoy a few more at my place?” The male voice spoke. 
“Well, I - I - I uh, f-f-friend I, uh…” The female voice spoke, a mix of slurred speech and nervous babbling. 
Another wave of magic pulsed from him. 
“I think we should get out of here, beautiful.” He insisted again. 
“I think… that is… okay.” The female replied voice halted, disconnected. Stiffly and robotically you watched her put her drink on the bar top, then equally as robotically begin turn around and begin to exit.
Incubus or tirion, you would be damned if you would let them feed here. You too put your drink down on the bar top and made your way to the exiting couple. 
“Hey! Girl we were looking everywhere for you!” You walked right up to the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder. You were admittedly a bit rusty, but your connection to magic was as inherent as the ability to breathe. You called forth your magic from deep in the ground, willing it to run through your body. You could see the magical charm this male held on this woman, and while willing your magic into a sword, you severed the charm. 
The woman blinked up at you, dazed and confused. “The rest of us are dancing over here!” You now link arms with the woman, her considerably smaller frame putting into perspective how powerless this woman was to this male. As you begin to walk away with her, the male voice calls out from behind you. 
“Hey.” The voice is stern, flat, and deep. More noticeable to you, however, is the overwhelming rush of glamor magic that washes over you. You will your magic up, shielding the smaller woman from its power. 
“Hey sorry!” You turn around. “We came out as a girl's night and we wanna keep it that way! No hard feelings!” With that, you pull the woman with you and away, towards the exit. 
“It’s time to go home, sweetheart. Are those your friends over there?” You ask the woman. She nods in response. 
“Come on, let's say goodbye and then I’m going to walk you to a cab.” You lead the woman to her friends, who all in a drunken stupor thank you for taking care of their friend, and forget to ask why it is she needs to leave. It is probably better that way anyway. 
You lead the woman out the door, up the stairs, and out into the cold rainy night. You held the umbrella for the two of you, walking in complete silence. 
“The taxi rank is around the corner, but this time of night and the weather I’ll bet it's empty, so I’m just going to call ahead.” You said to no one in particular. You weren’t sure if she was really listening, but you felt better saying something. 
Sure enough, when you rounded the corner, the taxi rank was completely abandoned. 
“Figures,” you grumbled, watching the poor, shivering woman stand next to you while you waited, the sound of the rain hammering on your shared umbrella punctuating your silence. Wordlessly, you shed your leather jacket and place it over her shoulders while you wait, willing the magic from the ground to keep you warm. It was totally against the rules, but hey, it had already been a weird night. 
“Do you remember your address?” You asked the woman. She nodded in response. 
“Do you have enough money to get home?” Another nod. 
“Did you drive to the club?” A shake this time. 
She didn’t want to talk, obviously, and another extended silence descended upon the two of you. 
The woman broke the silence this time. 
“What happened to me?” She asked, voice sounding hollow, hurt, and confused. 
“You were roofied.” You replied, matter-of-factly. “The man you were talking to was very bad, which is why I’m making sure you get home.” 
“I’ve been roofied before. It didn’t go away in one second. I spent the whole night puking. You touched my shoulder and the fog lifted. Isn’t that crazy?” She spouted off, looking up at you for support answers. 
You knew what she was looking for, and yet you couldn’t give it to her. “They’re coming up with new drugs all the time. Maybe this one clears your system crazy fast. I am really sorry this happened to you.” You replied. 
“Thank you for helping me.” She replied, and as if ordained by a benevolent ruler, the taxi pulled up. You helped her into the car, wished her a good night, and saw her off before turning on a heel and marching back to that nightclub. You had a bone to pick. 
-----------------------------------------------
Where the bumping music of the club before gave the area a cool, hip-hop vibe, now contributed to your fuge state fueled by rage. The male, miraculously, was stood in the same spot, tied up in conversation with another man. An accomplice perhaps, you thought. You’d figure it out as soon as you rocked this dude's shit. 
Pushing passed the crowd and shoving the man he was locked in conversation with aside, in a flash you willed your magic up to protect your fist and you let loose the meanest right hook you could muster, for that woman and all the other women you were sure this scum had victimized. 
Your fist collided solidly with his jaw, knocking him over and staggering him. You hit him hard enough that the bystanders around you audibly reacted. The male straightened back out, rubbing his jaw in pain. Looking down at you in what could only be described as bewilderment. 
“I would say there is a special place in hell for people like you, but you would know something about that, wouldn’t you?” You spit at the male. 
“So what if I do?” The male replied, voice rich and baritone. “What’s it to you?” 
“There are clubs for people like you.” You replied venemously. 
“And you…?” He replied, lifting an eyebrow.
“I am not here looking for prey.” You said, looked at him with a disgusting look. “Just because you can’t hack it in the supernatural clubs doesn’t mean you can just come out to the human clubs looking for easy pickings.” 
“Do you condemn the wolf for breaking into the lamb pen? Or do you just understand that the wolf, too, needs to eat?” 
“Ask a sheep farmer what he does to wolves in the lamb pen.” 
“Is that what you are to them? The farmer? Watching over the little sheep? Or perhaps you are just a little puppy, barking at the big bad predator” He leaned in closer. “There will come a day when your pathetic little yaps won’t be enough to chase away the big bad guy, what will you do then, little puppy?” 
“Get. Out.” You said through gritted teeth. “Or so help me I will put you back where you came from.” Rage, pure rage coursed through you, mixed with magic, you felt it zapping and prickling at your skin, your hair standing on edge as if the lighting was about to strike. 
“Now now, no need to get so wound up.” He started pushing past you, before stopping to continue. “I was going to hurt you, for taking my dinner. But now, now I hope to meet you again very soon, little puppy.” He finished, walking out the front door, a swagger in his footsteps that made you want to blast him from behind with every bit of radiant damage you could physically muster. 
“Hey.” A different male voice snapped you to the present. “You’re going to call attention to yourself. Just accept it.” 
Another wave of glamor magic washed over you, a different spell though, a calming one you readily identified having used it before. You allow the stranger's magic in, the new stream slipping in, soothing your breathing, calming your heart rate, and slowing the stream of magic through your body, before exiting. 
“You were about to make us all do the electric slide.” The man said with a chuckle. “Sorry, dated reference. I am kind of old.” 
“Me too.” You commented, still internally reeling from the events of the last hour. “It was funny, thanks for the hand.” You turned to him, finally. The man who was keeping the incubus engaged. You were calm, but you were still warry. You regarded him more carefully now, he too was exceptionally handsome, but in a less brutalistic way than the incubus was. He was also shorter than the incubus and considerably more lithe in his frame. His baggy streetwear and half up half down hairstyle betrayed a surprisingly strong body, you were willing to bet, however. “With that being said, who the hell are you?” 
“That is a complicated question with a complicated answer.” He replied. “I am sure you can relate. Shall we?” He gestured to two conveniently empty seats sitting on the corner of the bar. 
“You drink cosmos, right?” He said handing you a pink cocktail. You looked at him incredulously. 
“On a normal night, I don’t accept drinks that I didn’t watch David make, after all that what makes you think I’m going to accept this?” 
“Oh my god, you are so right. You know what I will drink this don’t even worry about it, I’ll flag the bartender and you order whatever you want and I’ll pick it up.” He replied, pulling the drink back to him. 
After a few minutes, David walked up to your end of the bar, regarding the two of you silently. 
“What will it be, sir?” David asked the man. 
“Whatever the lady will have.” 
“Whiskey. Top Shelf.” 
“Coming right up, ma’am,” David replied, pouring a glass and sliding it to you. With that, he made himself scarce. 
“How do you know the incubus?” You asked the man, keeping your tone flat, disinterested in case they were buddies. 
“Not at all, to be frank” He replied, sipping on his Cosmo. 
“When I walked in after getting that woman home, you seemed to be engaged in lively conversation with that man.” You said, bemused. “What was it that you were discussing?” 
“How we were going to hurt you.” He replied, matter-of-factly. 
“And how was that?” You asked. 
“Well, he was angry when you left with that woman, really angry. I had a feeling that you’d come back and I wanted you to get your revenge, so I placated him with stories of how I would help tear you limb from limb and eat your insides in front of this whole club, the usual.”  
“Uh-huh.” You replied, skeptically. “And why should I believe that? Maybe the two of you are waiting to jump me as soon as I leave out that door.” 
“Nah, you’d kick my ass.” He replied. “Besides, I have this.” He held up a clear, tear-drop-shaped glass pendant on a cord around his neck. Suspended in the glass were a clear liquid and a red liquid, yin and yang. “Because of this, it is impossible for me to lie.” 
“Obviously you are going to have to prove it.” You replied, scoffing and sipping your whiskey. 
“Easy.” He replied. “The sky is purp-” Before he could finish, red and blue light pulsed from the pendant, and the man doubled over in pain, grabbing his chest. “Pigs can fl-” and again, before the man could finish the sentence, he doubled over in pain clutching his chest. 
“You could have programmed it to react that way with certain voice commands.” You replied back, still skeptical. 
“Hard to convince, that’s fair enough.” He replied, shrugging. “Tell me to say something, and I will say it, scouts honor.” 
“Okay…” You replied, thinking for a moment. “Tell me I’m ugly,” you said with a smirk. 
“You’re ug- ak!” The same reaction as before. 
“Thank you I know.” You said, flicking the hair off your shoulder. A devilish smile crept across your face as another prompt crossed your mind. “Say this one and I will believe you.” 
“Anything.” 
“Say I have a tiny penis.” 
He looked at you incredulously, but nonetheless began “I have a tiny pe- ah! Enough please believe me this hurts!” 
“Good to know~” you chuckled. “Alright George Washington, what are you doing here anyway? What are you?” You asked him. 
“I am a vampire. As for what I am doing here, that question is a bit more difficult to answer.” 
“Are you looking for prey? Just like that incubus?” 
“What? God. No. I don’t need to look for prey thank you very much. I am very much mated.” 
“Mated? But you’re hanging out in a human club?” 
“Something like that.” 
“Okay, start the bigger picture then if the smaller picture is hard. What is your name?” 
“Jeon Jungkook. A pleasure.” He extended his hand. 
“Y/N. It is steadily becoming a pleasure as well.” you shook his hand. “What brings you to this city, Jeon Jungkook?”
“I live here with my mates,” he replied. “Most of us work in the city, myself included. I sing.” 
“Oh wow!” you recoiled in surprise. “What do you sing? Do you perform?” 
“No, it's a little hard to be a public persona when your face is never changing, ya know? I do backup vocals and I am the voice behind a few recording artists, some big some small.” He shrugged.  
“Some big?” You asked. 
“I can’t really talk openly about it. I’ll tell you another time.” He added with a wink. 
“Fair enough.” You replied, taking another sip of whiskey. 
“I was right behind you, by the way.” 
“Hm?” You replied. 
“Maybe I should back up a little.” He started. “I’m here, in this human club tonight, because I was called to be. By whom or what I do not know, but I knew I needed to come in. I arrived shortly after you did, I think. You were already drinking at the bar, people-watching. I saw the magic too, and I saw what he was attempting to do to that poor woman. You and I stood up simultaneously.” 
“You want a congratulations for thinking about stopping a rapist?” You scoffed at him. 
“No. No, I am explaining myself poorly. I am trying to say I had your back. I wouldn’t have let him hurt you.”
“Oh. Thanks.” You said, giving him a half cheers with your glass. 
“At first I thought that this is what I was called here for, to save you or to dispatch this creep, then I could fuck off home and be the hero. But then I saw how powerful you were. How readily the magic came to you, how you bent it to your will like you were folding paper. It was only then I came to understand, that I think I was called here to meet you. And I am extremely glad I was.” 
You glanced at his chest and then, at the pendant hanging on his chest. The light remained dark, and when you slid your gaze up to meet his, there was an intense sincerity there that made you blush and shy away. 
“I am not really sure I understand what it is exactly you are getting at.” You state looking down at the melting cubes in your whiskey. 
“I think I might, but I will need you to go with me on this one.”  --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi-ya this one has been cooking in my brain for like 3 years so enjoy plz! I am just going to post parts one and two consecutively because fuck it they're finished and the Ritalin hit and so I WROTE. I'm working on Intertwined, I just had to get it straightened out from this story because of their similar themes but we good, let me cook. I will update the tags as WHAT each member of BTS and Y/N as it is revealed but for now, no spoilers eheheh. Put what you think they're going to be below!
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meta-squash · 2 months
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Some random maybe rambling thoughts about Jack and his feelings towards his team:
I think Jack's love for, relationship with, and treatment of each individual member of his team is really interesting.
Owen and Tosh are the two team members he truly hand-picked. He followed Owen and recruited him. He literally tracked Tosh down and made a deal to get her out of a UNIT prison. He did his research finding them, making sure they were right, convincing them to join him. He did, essentially, save them and allow them a space to remake themselves.
And for the most part he treats the two of them in a sort of paternal way. Owen, especially, but both of them. He's firm when he needs to be, and gentle when he needs to be, but there's this sort of distant yet intense protectiveness of them. Like the way a parent still sees their child as a vulnerable thing that needs caring for, even after their child is a fully grown adult. His love for them is extremely protective, but he's not close with them, he doesn't confess his thoughts or feelings to them except in dire circumstances like in Dead Man Walking when he's with Owen in the jail.
So his loss of them is a loss of a father because, in a sense, he created who they were in Torchwood. He found them, worked to recruit them. He gave them a space to grow and learn and change and hone their talents, and he supported and taught and molded them. They were part of his earliest hand-picked team, too, so they were there for long enough that they saw the growing pains, and they were his, in a way that I think he was sort of convinced they'd be with him for a long time, which is why he was so desperate to bring Owen back the first time. He loved them so much he kind of forgot Torchwood has a high mortality rate, sort of in the way a parent assumes they won't bury their child.
On the other hand, both Ianto and Gwen kind of recruited themselves. Ianto harassed Jack into a job, and Gwen unintentionally brute-forced herself out of Retcon in such a spectacularly dramatic way that it got her a job. They found him, not the other way around.
Jack's relationship with them is different. He's closer to them, less paternal, more confessional, more romantic. It's interesting that he sees them both as potential (and in Ianto's case, eventual) love interests. It seems like he doesn't feel quite as responsible for them, or at least he feels responsible in a different way. He's able to open up to them about himself in a way that he doesn't do with Tosh and Owen. And he's not as put off when they question him. It's almost as if because they independently forced themselves into the job, they're more like equals, or rivals, or something. There's a different sort of potential relationship there from Owen and Tosh.
But it also means that he doesn't or can't love them in the same way. I think somehow he subconsciously thinks he can stop himself from falling in love romantically, but he doesn't seem to think about that parental type of love. So he tries to keep his distance from Gwen and Ianto a bit, knowing he'll hurt them and they'll hurt him. But he doesn't take Owen and Tosh into account. But it does mean that Ianto's loss is different one. It's a grief of a romantic type, the loss of a lover, but it's also this awful "what if" that hangs there, what if Jack had been willing to be closer, had been willing to have a proper relationship with Ianto while it lasted instead of this sort of weird undefined thing, what if Ianto had lived, etc. And Gwen, too, becomes a "what if," in a living sense, once she's married to Rhys. That frisson is always there between them, but once she and Rhys are married it becomes a sort of hypothetical between them, what if she'd chosen Jack, what if they took it past the abstraction of yearning into something real, what if what if, etc. Only it's not mourning, it's something else entirely because she's still there with him.
I just find it so interesting that the two hand-picked members Jack seems to see as his children and the two who forced their way into to Torchwood he seems to see as potential romantic interests.
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After General Anesthesia
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Alex Cabot x Casey Novak x fem!reader Warnings: hospital times, fluffity fluff, mentions of sex, poly representation so if you're not on board with that byeeeeee, some explicit language Word Count: 1.3k
Summary: You wake up in the hospital, groggy from the anesthesia, to two of the most beautiful women you've ever seen doting on you. Imagine your surprise when it turns out you're dating. Both of them.
Your ears and nose woke up before the rest of you. The beeping of various monitors, that sickly-clean alcohol smell. You knew before you’d opened your eyes that you were in a hospital. You’d spent too much time in hospitals with your brother not to know. You blinked against the fluorescent lights, wincing at a sudden, sharp pain in your leg.
Your head still felt fuzzy, and you didn’t remember why you were here. But your confused thoughts were interrupted as one of the most stunning  women you’d ever seen in your life rushed at you, kissing your face, cupping your cheeks, and grasping your fingers in hers.
“Honey, she’s awake!” Alex called to Casey, her glasses slipping down her nose as she smiled softly at you, worried hands fluttering over your face, your arms, your body.
Casey quickly occupied the space next to Alex, leaning down and holding the palm of your hand to her flushed face. “I swear to god, Y/N, if you ever scare us like that again…”
You were dreaming. You had to be dreaming. Because a hot woman fawning over you in a hospital bed was unbelievable enough. Two hot women?  That was the stuff of dreams, not reality. You had no idea who they were.
The doctors had told Casey and Alex to expect some temporary memory loss and confusion after the general anesthesia. They’d told you, too, but of course you didn’t remember.
Your words felt heavy as they fell out of your mouth, jumbled like marbles. “What’s going on?”
“You broke your ankle, sweetheart, remember?” Alex responded, scooting her chair closer to the bed so she could sit next to you and hold your hand. “But it went septic. You were very sick.”
“Yes, and you scared the hell out of me,” Casey finished, grasping your face and planting a firm kiss on your forehead before sitting down, too. She leaned over the bed railing to rest her head on your thigh, looking up at you.
You’d never felt so flustered and confused in your life. Two women. Two women holding your hand!? Touching you!?  But as confused as you were, all the questions in your brain were drowned out by one, single, all-consuming thought: so, so beautiful. You felt like you’d been hit head-on by a dump truck of hormones and emotions.
“You two…” you started, words slurring like you were drunk, “...are so pretty. Like, wow.”
They shared a confused glance as you continued to ramble.
“Please tell me you’re single?” you asked, trying to wink and blinking instead. “At least one of you?”
A smile tugged at the corner of Alex’s mouth, and Casey was barely holding in her laughter.
“Wait, wait, wait,” you said, holding up a hand and gesticulating wildly. “Let me try something. I’ve been working on this.”
Casey’s shoulders had started to shake with laughter, and Alex’s eyes sparkled with mirth.
You hit them with your very best finger guns. “Hey, girl. Are you a savings account? Because I’m accruing interest in you.”
At this, Alex and Casey burst out laughing, falling into one another, equal parts delighted by your post-surgery high and relieved that you were really and truly going to be okay.
“Wait! I’ve got more!” You waggled your eyebrows at Alex, and the way she looked at you, you knew–even in your doped-up, memory-loss state–that there was no need for pick-up lines here. She was already yours. Hook, line, and sinker. But since you had it prepped: “Hey, girl. It’s just you and me in the sheets tonight. The spreadsheets! Let’s budget, baby!”
Casey was laughing so hard she was snorting, and Alex was gingerly wiping tears from under eyes, trying to smudge her mascara. You felt like you were on cloud nine. If you could do nothing else in your life except make these two women laugh, you’d die happy.
“Come on,” you needled, smiling ear to ear. “Look at me, I’m adorable. I’m charming. You know you want to give me a chance.”
Alex coughed, trying to pull herself together, and Casey leaned down again, placing her chin on your leg and staring up at you lovingly.
“Y/N, you know we’re dating, right?”
Your eyebrows shot up and you stared at her. Her auburn hair that looked soft as the surface of water. Her eyes. Her body. “Me and you!? Are dating!?”
“No, we’re all dating,” Casey explained, gesturing between the three of you. “Me and you and Alex.”
You glanced at Alex to confirm and she nodded, smiling cheekily.
Your jaw dropped as you took in this new information. You put a hand on your head as if this was all just too much for you. And, in your current state, it kind of was.
“Me!?” you asked, glancing between them. “You’re… both of you!?”
They nodded, grinning and trying not to laugh.
“Holy shit,” you said, spurring another fit of laughter from the chairs next to your bed. “This is crazy!”
You sat and thought for a few minutes, mouth gaping.
“You alright, love?” Alex asked, running her thumb back and forth across your wrist.
You leaned toward them, as if to share a secret, then gasped sharply at the pain.
“Ow!”
“Jesus, Y/N! Lay back!” Casey complained, trying to sound stern but really just sounding worried. She stood and gently shoved your body back down into the pillows. “I think we broke her brain, Alex.”
“Psst!” you hissed at them, your impaired brain feeling inexplicably salty about being left out of their conversation.
“What, you dork!?” Casey exclaimed.
You squinted conspiratorially at them. “Do we… you know?...”
Casey and Alex swiveled their heads to look at each other, then collectively burst out laughing again.
“Oh, yeah,” Casey assured you.
“We sure do,” Alex added.
“All three!?”
They nodded at you, still chuckling.
“Wow. Jesus fucking Christ. Am I dreaming right now!?”
“Believe it or not, no,” Casey said, watching as your eyes fluttered between open and shut. You needed to sleep. She could tell.
She ran her thumb across your eyebrows and down the bridge of your nose, back and forth, back and forth. A surefire way to put you to sleep. Alex and Casey knew all your tricks.
You exhaled deeply, trying so hard to keep your eyes open.
“Go to sleep, baby,” Casey whispered lovingly. “When you wake up you’ll remember.”
You mumbled as you drifted between sleeping and waking. “I’m not tired. I can’t be tired, I have two girlfriends to take care of.”
Alex and Casey smiled at one another. Alex stood and wrapped her arms around Casey’s waist, planting a kiss on her cheek as they watched you fall asleep.
“Two girlfriends,” you continued, your words losing volume and speed. “The nicest, smartest, prettiest girlfriends. So pretty. So many boobs.”
“God, I wish we’d recorded this,” Casey whispered, placing a soft kiss on your cheek before leaning back in her chair.
Alex dropped her phone onto Casey’s lap, the screen showing an active voice recording.
Casey fist-pumped silently, pulling Alex down by the collar for a quick kiss.
“I love you,” Casey said, unlocking Alex’s phone to send herself the recording.
“I love you, too,” Alex chuckled. She foraged in her bag by the door before pulling her chair close to you, propping up a book with one hand and holding yours with the other. “I love our girl, Case.”
“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Casey observed, smiling softly and shaking her head at your drugged, sleeping form. “How’d we get so lucky?”
“Pure, dumb luck,” Alex decided, flipping a page and absentmindedly rubbing the back of your hand.
Casey stood and stretched, then slumped onto the sorry excuse for a couch in the corner of the room, kicking off her shoes.
“I’m exhausted,” she groaned, pulling off one sock and then the other. “It’s a good thing we weren’t both out of town this weekend. I was up all night with her before she finally agreed to go to the hospital. Stubborn asshole.”
“Reminds me of someone else I know.”
“Shut up, Alex,” Casey protested, grinning, before throwing a sock at her.
“Why don’t you sleep?” Alex suggested, ignoring the sock on the floor next to her. “Get some rest, honey. I’ll wake you when she’s up again.”
Casey nodded and folded her arms over her chest, letting herself drift off, snoring softly as she always did and always swore she didn’t.
Alex set down her book and looked at her two sleepy girls, knowing there wasn’t a thing in the world she wouldn’t do for you and Casey.
“So fucking lucky,” she whispered, drawing your hand to her lips to kiss your knuckles.
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fatuismooches · 6 months
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Everyone talks about Pantalone practically becoming a sugar daddy when he dates someone, but I'm thinking. Pondering. Perhaps even scheming.
Miser Pantalone, who hates spending any of his obscene wealth. He's greedy, he hoards his wealth, and he's more than willing to use his power and status to get high-quality items for lower than market value.
This allows him to keep his wealth and also fends off anyone who may be trying to use him for said wealth. Anyone he dates is very disappointed when they realize just how cheap he can be, and a lot of the time, they end up leaving him over it. He doesn't mind, though. One less thief he has to worry about.
But then you come along. You don't seem to mind that he hates paying full price. In fact, you praise his bartering skills and financial consciousness! He's just being smart with his money. That's a good thing!
He's thrown for a fuckin' loop. In his time as a Harbinger, hell, in his time of simply being rich, he's never found someone who truly doesn't mind his penny-pinching (mora-pinching?) habits. As he's sure as hell, never had someone praise him for it!
If you find a gift that's a little bit expensive on your bed the next day, think nothing of it.
OH MY GOSH IM EATING THIS UP... 😭 No because i could totally see this happening, a possible explanation being that he's scared of losing it all and returning to the same powerless poor boy who couldn't do anything, so he clings to his wealth so that doesn't happen. The other Harbingers despise that he's in charge of the funding because he gives them just the exact amount needed to get by in his eyes. There's no wiggle room. Nothing more, nothing less, they have to be extremely smart with their money otherwise they want to end up asking for more, causing them to be in debt to Pantalone... which you should never, ever do. Most people are surprised when they learn of how he handles his money... shouldn't he be more generous, since a few million Mora could hardly make a dent in his numerous bank accounts..? But nope, those people don't bother him. He is a Harbinger after all! Harbingers aren't nice people.
Now, he's used to going on fancy outings and all, it comes with being one as popular with the social circle as he is. But he considers it a waste of time, as it always ends up with the same ending - the other person(s) being disappointed over his unwillingness to spend, much less splurge on them... and really, he expects you to be no different. But... you aren't. Rather, you thank him for his time, how it was so worth it to talk to one such successful as himself. You seem interested in his Mora, but not in the manner of him spending it on you, but rather his habits, his management, etc. You're so interested in his Mora-pinching habits, complimenting about how smart he is saving money like that, and he's just... yeah. Shocked. He hopes you didn't catch the split second of surprise on his face before he schooled it back into a composed smile. One thing is for sure, he's interested in meeting you again... ;) He's intrigued as to your perspective now... what could possibly have caused you to have such a different response from the others?
After a long time, I think it would be a bit jarring for you to see him slowly go from nothing to spoiling you like there's no tomorrow. You're really confused and maybe a bit scared because he's not like this at all?? You try to return the gifts and urge him to get his money back, but nope, he practically shoves them right back to you all with a smile, because they're all yours now (along with his heart, this part you have yet to know about though.)
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aropride · 9 months
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spotify's current price for premium in the US is $10.99/month, which is a dollar more than before they raised it for the first time recently. the average mcdonald big mac in america costs approximately $5.15. at the new price, you are losing the equivalent of 1 mcdonald big mac every 5 months, which is a tragic loss. however, if you cancel spotify premium, you will be gaining the equivalent of over 2 mcdonald big mac every month, or 25.6 mcdonald big mac per year.
you are a 14 year old tiktok user living in america. (no you're not, i know. we're playing pretend right now. come play in the sand with me. do you want to build a sandcastle). it just so happens that the 13th of april is your birthday, and you just had a birthday and got some birthday money. you've been getting really into [popular artist of ur choice], and you want to listen to them while you're on the bus to school, so you buy spotify premium. you start with the 3 month free trial and when it ends you remember how unbearable the ads are and renew your plan. you have this plan until you go to a four-year college, when you get the student plan. once you leave college, you split the family plan with 3 friends (you have 3 friends after leaving college, so you're already winning). you keep this for a year before becoming disillusioned with streaming services and cancelling your spotify premium plan for good.
in high school, you used spotify premium for 52 months, at $10.99 a month. in college, you used the spotify student premium plan for 48 months, at $5.99 a month. and before you began downloading music off the internet, you used the family plan for 12 months and paid one quarter of the price, $4.25. overall, you have spent $877.03 on spotify premium in less than a decade, not accounting for price changes. this is equivalent to over 170 mcdonald cheeseburger. if the average american eats fast food 1-3 times a week, and you mcdonald cheeseburger two times a week, that's 85 weeks of cheeseburger. 1.6 years of cheeseburger.
or let's say you're a tumblr user. you run a blog where you mainly post about various 80s and 90s rock musicians, and you enjoy listening to music. you've been thinking about getting spotify premium because you're using the free version and the ads are annoying. you figure even though it's $11/month, spotify premium is probably the better option.
a year of spotify costs you $131.88. five years is $659.40. a decade is $1318.80. 60 years is $7,912.80.
or maybe, you post about your desire for spotify premium and your tumblr mutuals immediately start keeling over and sobbing and writhing in pain. your friend stresses the importance of physical media and the fun of piracy, and you decide to believe them and you go to the nearest record store. the store i'm currently looking at online, which i won't say the name of because it's fairly regional, sells cds. most of them seem to be around $13 new or $8 used. you don't really care about buying things used as long as they work, so you tend to go for the used options, but you can be talked into a little treat every once in a while. you burn some CDs from your favorite popular artists, because you know they won't miss the $50 you just saved yourself, and then every month you buy yourself a cd or two from the record store.
after a year, you've bought 13 used cds and 2 new ones for a total of $130. after five years, you've spent $650. after a decade, $1,300. and in sixty years, when you're in your elder years, you'll have spent a grand total of $7,800. but unlike in the alternate universe where you spent $7,912.80, you own all the music you bought (or burned onto CDs). you can pass things down to your grandkids/pet fish/guy down the street who's really into vintage technology who will be excited to inherit them. or over the years if you're less interested in an artist's music you can sell them and get (some of, if not all of) your money back. and when spotify takes your favorite artist's music down or when your phone suddenly breaks, you can still listen to your music. music that you paid for.
you're an american. will you buy cheeseburger and rock and roll disc as god intended, or will pay the devil $10.99 a month to steal your soul?
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phoenixyfriend · 2 months
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Ko-Fi prompt from Isabelo:
Hi! I'm new to the workforce and now that I have some money I'm worried it's losing its value to inflation just sitting in my bank. I wanted to ask if you have ideas on how to counteract inflation, maybe through investing?
I've been putting this off for a long time because...
I am not a finance person. I am not an investments person. I actually kinda turned and ran from that whole sector of the business world, at first because I didn't understand it, and then once I did understand it, because I disagreed with much of it on a fundamental level.
But... I can describe some factors and options, and hope to get you started.
I AM NOT LEGALLY QUALIFIED TO GIVE FINANCIAL ADVICE. THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.
What is inflation, and what impacts it?
Inflation is the rate at which money loses value over time. It's the reason something that cost 50 cents in the 1840s costs $50 now.
A lot of things do impact inflation, like housing costs and wage increases and supply chains, but the big one that is relevant here is federal interest rates. The short version: if you borrow money from the government, you have to pay it back. The higher the interest rates on those loans, the lower inflation is. This is for... a lot of reasons that are complicated. The reason I bring it up is less so:
The government offers investments:
So yeah, the feds can impact inflation, but they also offer investment opportunities. There are three common types available to the average person: Bonds, Bills, and Notes. I'll link to an article on Investopedia again, but the summary is as follows: You buy a bill, bond, or note from the government. You have loaned them money, as if you are the bank. Then, they give it back, with interest.
Treasury Bills: shortest timeframe (four weeks to a year), and lowest return on investment. You buy it at a discount (let's say $475), and then the government returns the "full value" that the bond is, nominally (let's say $500). You don't earn twice-yearly interest, but you did earn $25 on the basis of Loaning The Government Some Cash.
Treasury Notes: 2-10 year timeframe. Very popular, very stable. Banks watch it to see how they should plan the interest rates for mortgages and other large loans. Also pretty high liquidity, which means you can sell it to someone else if you suddenly need the cash before your ten-year waiting period is up. You get interest payments twice a year.
Treasury Bonds: 20-30 years. This is like... the inverse of a house mortgage. It takes forever, but it does have the highest yield. You get interest payments twice a year.
Why invest money into the US Treasury department, whether through the above or a different government paper? (Savings bonds aren't on sold the set schedule that treasury bonds are, but they only come in 30-year terms.)
It is very, very low risk. It is pretty much the lowest risk investment a person can make, at least in the US. (I'm afraid I don't know if you're American, but if you're not, your country probably has something similar.)
Interest rates do change, often in reaction or in relation to inflation. If your primary concern is inflation, not getting a high return on investment, I would look into government papers as a way to ensure your money is not losing value on you.
This is the website that tells you the government's own data for current yield and sales, etc. You can find a schedule for upcoming auctions, as well.
High-yield bank accounts:
Savings accounts can come with a pretty unremarkable but steady return on investment; you just need to make sure you find one that suits you. Some of the higher-yield accounts require a minimum balance or a yearly fee... but if you've got a good enough chunk of cash to start with, that might be worth it for you.
They are almost as reliable as government bonds, and are insured by the government up to $250,000. Right now, they come with a lower ROI than most bonds/bills/notes (federal interest rates are pretty high at the moment, to combat inflation). Unlike government papers, though, you can deposit and withdraw money from a savings account pretty much any time.
Certificates of Deposit:
Okay, imagine you are loaning money to your bank, with the fixed term of "I will get this money back with interest, but only in ten years when the contract is up" like the Treasury Notes.
That's what this is.
Also, Investopedia updates near-daily with the highest rates of the moment, which is pretty cool.
Property:
Honestly, if you're coming to me for advice, you almost definitely cannot afford to treat real estate as an investment thing. You would be going to an actual financial professional. As such... IDK, people definitely do it, and it's a standby for a reason, but it's not... you don't want to be a victim of the housing bubble, you know? And me giving advice would probably make you one. So. Talk to a professional if this is the route you want to take.
Retirement accounts:
Pension accounts are a kind of savings account. You've heard of a 401(k)? It's that. Basically, you put your money in a savings account with a company that specializes in pensions, and they invest it in a variety of different fields and markets (you can generally choose some of this) in order to ensure that the money grows enough that you can hopefully retire on it in fifty years. The ROI is usually higher than inflation.
These kinds of accounts have a higher potential for returns than bonds or treasury notes, buuuuut they're less reliable and more sensitive to market fluctuations.
However, your employer may pay into it, matching your contribution. If they agree to match up to 4%, and you pay 4% of your paycheck into an pension fund, then they will pay that same amount and you are functionally getting 8% of your paycheck put into retirement while only paying for half of it yourself.
Mutual Funds:
I've definitely linked this article before, but the short version is:
An investment company buys 100 shares of stock: 10 shares each in 10 different "general" companies. You, who cannot afford a share of each of these companies, buy 1 singular share of that investment company. That share is then treated as one-tenth of a share of each of those 10 "general" companies. You are one of 100 people who has each bought "one stock" that is actually one tenth of ten different stocks.
Most retirement funds are actually a form of mutual fund that includes employer contributions.
Pros: It's more stable than investing directly in the stock market, because you can diversify without having to pay the full price of a share in each company you invest in.
Cons: The investment company does get a cut, and they are... often not great influences on the economy at large. Mutual funds are technically supposed to be more regulated than hedge funds (which are, you know, often venture capital/private equity), but a lot of mutual funds like insurance companies and pension funds will invest a portion of their own money into hedge funds, which is... technically their job. But, you know, capitalism.
Directly investing in the stock market:
Follow people who actually know what they're doing and are not Evil Finance Bros who only care about the bottom line. I haven't watched more than a few videos yet, but The Financial Diet has had good energy on this topic from what I've seen so far, and I enjoy the very general trends I hear about on Morning Brew.
That said, we are not talking about speculative capital gains. We are talking about making sure inflation doesn't screw with you.
DIVIDENDS are profit that the company shares to investors every quarter. Did the company make $2 billion after paying its mortgages, employees, energy bill, etc? Great, that $2 billion will be shared out among the hundreds of thousands of stocks. You'll probably only get a few cents back per stock (e.g. Walmart has been trading at $50-$60 for the past six months, and their dividends have been 57 cents and then 20.75 cents), but it adds up... sort of. The Walmart example is listed as having dividends that are lower than inflation, so you're actually losing money. It's part of why people rely on capital gains so much, rather than dividends, when it comes to building wealth.
Blue Chip Stocks: These are old, stable companies that you can expect to return on your investment at a steady rate. You probably aren't going to see your share jump from $5 to $50 in a year, but you also probably won't see it do the reverse. You will most likely get reliable, if not amazing, dividends.
Preferred Stocks: These are stock shares that have more reliable dividends, but no voting rights. Since you are, presumably, not a billionaire that can theoretically gain a controlling share, I can't imagine the voting rights in a given company are all that important anyway.
Anyway, hope this much-delayed Intro To Investing was, if not worth the wait, at least, a bit longer than you expected.
Hey! You got interest on the word count! It's topical! Ish.
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nicomoon69 · 2 months
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so in my spider! Bernard AU I’m slightly changing up his character so here’s basics on Bernard:
- Bernard is still into cooking and it started years back purely because he didn’t trust the food industry. that meant he spent ages learning how to cook and figuring out how to make a lot of popular food items. he has a little list of companies he trusts and doesn’t. he doesn’t want to open a restaurant anymore/become a chef, more so being interested in keeping himself and others healthy
- Bernard knows a freaky amount of things he probably shouldn’t but masks knowing said knowledge with his conspiracy theories (he only believes in like half of them) so to most people he’s just a crazy guy saying crazy things. he still ends up being on a few watchlists so he tries to throw those off by also being a conspiracist online (he also truly enjoys it, but that’s an added bonus)
- Bernard’s actually really smart but due to above as well as a lack of giving a shit about school material (he prefers scientific what ifs and weapon/super hero/vigilante stuff) so he ended up not being able to get into the courses he would’ve preferred due to his mostly average grades. it’s why he’s now double majoring in physics and biology in hopes of getting to do a masters in something closer to that (also a bit of pressure from his parents)
- Bernard has had suit designs for himself and other vigilantes just lying around (which is also how he got a pretty functional suit in a pretty short amount of time). it was mostly a hobby where he’d think about what if scenarios
- Bernard when possible does everything on paper, since he doesn’t trust the government and other big corporations. it’s why his empty apartment has stacks of paper laying around (all neatly categorized and sealed, but it looks like a mess to anyone else)
- kinda in the same vein as the last one but Bernard has most of his money in cash, only having what is absolutely necessary on his bank account. he also claims it saves him money since he can’t just freely spend money with a tap of his card (it’s kind of true since when he had to spend money for his suit he actually had most of it lying around)
- Bernard had a short phase in high school that had him convinced he needed to learn russian so he can now speak a bit of russian, but most importantly he can do the accent really well. it’s what he used as spiderman to throw people off of his identity (it gives Tim a genuine headache)
- Bernard works a part time job at a restaurant as an assistant chef (he needs to buy groceries and pay rent after all). it’s a little italian diner a few blocks from his apartment. he always get leftovers and food that’s about to spoil to reduce their waste
I don’t know if I missed anything important, but this is basically going to be my characterization on him! if you have any suggestions or can point to canon that directly conflicts with these ideas pls lmk! I’m always up to revise my stuff :)
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skyeslittlecorner · 4 months
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Promised Land - Andrealphus
You know what, I'm sorry. It was supposed to be three times shorter. I swear. My hand slipped. I have no idea how it got so big. No proofreading, plus I'm sure there will be some awkwardness because English is not my native language. SFW.
I wish everyone who is brave enough to read it to have a nice time!
Words: ~5365
Part one summary: You, the reader, managed to talk to Andrea through the game. He realized that apart from the MC, there was someone behind the screen.
Other parts: On the other side | Promised Land | Point to point | Love is blind (18+)
꧁:・ ✡ ・:꧂
First, you were fired from a job. Then you tripped on a walker, cracked the head, and ended up in the hospital. But the worst of it all was that you destroyed your phone. Everything was gone. With barely enough savings to pay your rent, you couldn't afford a new one. Drunk with desperation, you even asked a friend to install the game on her phone just to see if the account was saved. Account - yes. But what you valued most is gone.
Andrealphus didn't hear you.
You couldn't even tell anyone about it. Crazy, that's what they'd say. They thought work was your biggest worry, but it was only almost biggest. For two weeks, the longing had been so overwhelming that you could do nothing but cry into your pillow. Stupid? Maybe. Stupid was that you lost him through your own fault and in such a simple way. You would love to get rid of these feelings. The problem was that you couldn't.
The Promised Land was a three-hour drive from the city and at first glance looked like a combination of Disneyland and a shamanic capital. All you could see were the outlines of high roller coasters, a barrel, and other strange death apparatuses that you had only agreed to visit to ease your’s friend remorse. She suddenly realized that she had been ignoring you because of her new boyfriend and wanted to make it up to you. At first, you were excited. Then it turned out that all three of you were going. Apparently, her car broke down. What a sad coincidence, her boyfriend’s car remains.
Watching the amusement park from the backseat of the SUV, Liminal Land came to your mind. You have always been interested in AR. Parallel worlds, virtual reality, interconnections, such nonsense. Nonsense… That's probably why you had the impression for a few weeks that the guy from the game talked with you. Maybe it was all a dream? You must have imagined it out while you were having a bad time, drinking coffee with energy drinks, trying to keep up with work that you got fired anyway. A defensive reaction of the brain or something.
And yet you still felt like you had lost somebody close.
꧁:・ ✡ ・:꧂
It was exactly as you thought. The couple in love disappeared from sight about half an hour after buying tickets and walking through the gate. They probably followed the cashier's advice and visited Stargrazer, a large building that reminded you of the Avisos casino. Apparently you got tokens there. They could be exchanged for prizes, rides, and more. You preferred to go to the other attractions first so as not to run into the lovebirds. Tall garden clocks that resembled lamps showed ten o'clock. Armed with a VIP pass, you promised yourself to have fun, at least for today. Despite this, you involuntarily returned your hand to your purse to touch the damaged phone. Somehow it felt warm. That hit on the head must have been really hard to still have effects.
After all, throwing yourself into the attractions and completing half of them, ending with three rounds of a sick water rollercoaster in a row… was not the best idea. It was almost lunchtime. Or at least it should be, because you were getting hungry even though the time on the watches had barely moved. That was weird. You could clearly see the hands moving, but when you looked away and returned, it showed ten o'clock again.
To calm your stomach, you sat on a bench and looked at the people around you. They also were weird, but positively weird. Freaks of all designs and colors, cosplayers, but also amateurs. Somewhere you saw One Piece and Dragon Ball, and now crossdressed Elsa in a fur cape was talking to a biblically accurate angel. They moved away towards the administration, probably belonged to the staff. Extraordinary craftsmanship.
The park was mostly for adults, but a lot of them were with children. Too bad, they could have left them in the mini-park that was apparently set aside somewhere at the other end of the place. Their running only made you more dizzy. The smell of pizza from the stand next door didn't help either.
Evacuating yourself from all the stimuli, you stood in front of a large block, which was apparently the biggest attraction. Stargrazer was a gigantic, purple and blue structure that looked like a club from the outside. Through the arch with neon lights in the shapes of comets and planets, dozens of people entered the huge hall. The whole place was enormous. There seemed to be no walls or even a ceiling. People on other levels walked on balconies, and at the top - on a dark glass surface that lit up with every step, making the "ceiling" look like a sky with shining stars. Dozens of stands were scattered on the left and right. People occupied lanes that looked like some kind of bowling pins, glass mini-mazes, and slot machines. Walking through the middle, you moved further and further away from the sunlight, guided by the dim light of LED lights and games that you had never really seen in your life. Everyone seemed to know the rules.
Something crashed into you with full force.
"I'm sorry, ma'am!"
"It’s okay…"
A short teenager gave you an apologetic smile and ran away, holding a white thistle in his hands. It looked like a many-pointed star or a sharp spike. Many people won the same objects. When unfolded, they resembled stars and gave off light, but they could be twisted, folded into a cube the size of a thumb, and placed in a pocket. They appeared to be tokens that could be redeemed for prizes. When you looked behind the boy, you saw him lining up at the checkout at the entrance.
"Are you sure everything is fine?"
This time, the little girl stood in front of you, watching intently. She had fair skin and golden hair, and with blue eyes she looked like an angel. There was a badge on her chest. It resembled employee ID badges, but was clearly written in a child's handwriting: "Hi! My name is Mia and I work here with dad!"
It seemed that her parent took her to work here often enough that she felt the need to help customers herself, because she started explaining the rules of the games. She was nicer company than you thought, as you slowly walked deeper and deeper into the building. You weren't having much luck with games and didn't care about tokens, just wanted to try out the games. When the star finally rolled out of the slot, you turned to Mia.
"It's for you." You gave her a star.
"For me…"
She looked shocked, turned the item over in her hands like a treasure. You didn't know she would be so happy; with VIP pass you didn't need tokens anyway, just came to calm down a bit. Despite the multitude of people, the place seemed calmer and the voices were muffled. Maybe it was some space special effects.
As you were walking to the next stand, the explosion blew you off your feet.
Everything happened at once. Thrown against the wall like a rag doll, you felt every part of the body being torn apart by pain. You've gone deaf. Breathless. Shards of glass fell from the sky like rain, beautifully shining, deadly raindrops. Conscious enough to cover your eyes, you raised hands. The skin was cut by sharp edges.
The ringing in the ears turned into a wailing alarm. You felt torn apart, but all your limbs were in place. Not everyone was so lucky. Dozens of people, scattered on the floor and against the walls, lay motionless. Some bloody. Not everything was visible through the thick layer of dust. Also, images reached your eyes, but not mind. What happened?
You don't know if it was a second or an hour before you regained some sort of consciousness. To your left, a pair of men weren't getting up, but to your right, a girl who stood next to you earlier was clinging and shaking. Her eyes were as big as cup saucers, and blood and tears were mixing on a dainty face.
"Hey, your head. This looks bad." You heard your own voice, although you still felt unreal, as if everything around you didn't exist. Ultra-real VR. Especially the pain.
She flinched as you took the torn piece of her shirt and tied it around her temple.
"Th-these…are they terrorists?" She uttered, sobbing.
You looked around. The explosion threw you behind the games, away from the center of the hall. She had a better view, as two gaming machines fell in front of you, effectively blocking the view. When you looked out from behind them, sure enough, there were some people walking around… with guns. White uniforms and fur coats. They seemed to be combing the gigantic place starting from the other end. Not many of them, but would there be many terrorists? They chased away the rest of the people, took the conscious ones inside the destroyed building, and the unconscious ones…
You didn't want to see this. You didn't want to end up like that, either. Until they haven't found you, you had a chance. Whoever it was had bad intentions.
"Let's go." As you sat up, dizziness hit you, but luckily the legs worked. It's worse with the hands. The left one you covered yourself with was bleeding so profusely that all your clothes on your chest and stomach were red. Luckily, the blood was only leaking lazily now, not as heavily, but you still felt sick watching it.
The girl wasn't lucky either. Her leg was bent at an odd angle, at best it was broken. She whimpered as you helped her up. Someone turned off the alarm. Now the only sounds were the shifting of rubble. The soldiers were unnaturally quiet, as if they did not need words to communicate. It scared you. Despite everything, Mia had more courage, she bit her lip to keep quiet.
There were many alcoves with doors along the wall, and every other one had an "exit" sign above it. Fire exits. In some, you could hear the sound of sprinklers firing through the thick smoke following the explosion. The air was hard to breathe. You glided slowly, leaning against the wall, helping the girl bounce forward. Every step took forever. Only the adrenaline in the veins kept you running.
Strange soldiers were getting closer. As you trudged through the alley, you could hear machines moving nearby. Cleaned rubble. Whistle of the blade that will stay with you forever. You had two final turns to get out of the trap when someone ran right into you.
"R-run!" A distressed woman in bloody clothes squealed. She grabbed your hand. You screamed in pain and jumped back. "There's their boss over there! He kills! He’ll kill you!"
She ran further down the corridor. Your hand, torn by the glass and moved by her, burst out with a fresh dose of blood. Pain was awful. Black spots danced before the eyes, if only you could take a breath… The little girl leaning on your shoulder began to sob. It brought you back to life. The strange woman run again, and must have bumped into the soldiers because you heard her scream.
Boss. Angelic boss. The best options you could think of were immediate death from Gabriel's scythe. As for the others, maybe Michael would take pity and cut your head off quickly. Raphael… Well… Fortunately, there was no time to think about it.
In front of you was a bend in the hall and on your left was the door to the bathroom. You pressed the doorknob, they gave way. The intact, white room smelling of lavender, that would have been completely normal half an hour ago, looked like science fiction when you were surrounded by chaos and destruction. Behind a series of sinks and mirrors, the only ones that were cracked, there was a second door leading to an outside corridor. You hid in one of the cabins.
"Listen." You crawled together and helped her lean against the wall. "I'll check if it's still safe and come get you, okay? This "boss" doesn’t sound good."
You had no other choice, and you both knew it.
"But promise you'll come back." The little one tried to hold on, but it didn't work out well. "Promise…"
"I swear."
You felt sorry for her. Alone. Little. She didn't even have a way to escape with her crushed leg. But if there really was another danger ahead of you, you wouldn't stand a chance anyway. You didn't even have a place to hide and wait, because the storage compartment in the cabin where you left Mia was too small for the two of you.
But why were the Seraphim here? Didn't they have better things to do? You already guessed why the clocks weren't working. It is a space like the "New Heaven" in Gehenna created by the Cherubim. Here, a lot of innocent people were caught in angelic inner games.
Carefully, you poked your head out. The last corridor left to exit was long and wide. Debris was falling from the stairwells at regular intervals, but it was possible to walk through them. Two people ran down and towards the exit, or at least they tried to, before someone got in their way.
Now you knew the woman wasn't lying, and realized what the strange fur coats were. It's not fur. They're feathers. A chill ran down your spine because what you saw before the eyes was unreal. A tall man stood with his back to you, with the wing and a halo. With a shining scythe, he blocked the path of two terrified people.
You knew this man. Angel’s boss, she said? You felt a stupid urge to laugh out loud, along with a stone that suddenly weighed heavily on your heart.
"Wait!"
The scream left your mouth before any thought even reached the brain. The hand that was preparing to strike froze in the air, and you had the impression that you felt a gust of air that was supposed to accompany the slash. Regret hit you faster than a train. Legs felt like running away. It was a mistake. Now this scythe will be aimed at you. But he just turned around and stared blankly at you.
Now that he turned around, you had a clear view of all the details. A black suit, perfectly fitted to a muscular body. A long braid decorated with bloody feathers and powerful horns, curled like a ram's and made of black segments like dragon scales. A handsome, long face and muddy eyes, decorated with scars. Black leather gloves on his hands that held the huge weapon as easily as a child's toy. And a luminous scythe. Which was now aiming for your throat.
"Who are you?"
"I…" Is it possible? Does he remember? Were your conversations even yours, or was it really AI? You almost stopped breathing, squinting.
"Uh… I'm… I'm human. You wouldn't hurt a human. Right?"
If your conversations weren't real, your name would do him no good. But if it was the real Andrealphus, the one you knew, the one you love, he wouldn't have hurt an innocent man. But… why was he targeting those people, then?
He flinched when he heard your voice.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came with friends…"
"No. What are you doing here? My…" He trailed off. "It's not safe. You have to get out of here."
Oh, that was all you wanted right now. But the chaos in your head didn't allow you to think clearly. After all, about three minutes ago you were the victim of a terrorist attack, and now you were standing in front of a fictional guy you were in love with. Even separately this is too much!
"A strange woman ran… into me and said, well… That you are the boss of the angels. And you murder people."
"Humans? You're the first human I've ever met. As for the other part…" The grip on the scythe style tightened.
"Those two you were aiming at also were."
He frowned and tilted his head as if to look over his shoulder. Of course, they were no longer there, but you were sure you didn't see any wings on them, unlike the soldiers in the main hall.
"They had an angelic aura about them."
Any further discussion had to wait because you heard footsteps in the hall. He was redy to fight, but you were not. You dragged him into the bathroom.
"They were humans. There's something wrong with this place. Maybe he's irradiating us or something."
"If so, I should also see you."
Your voices turned to whispers as footsteps passed down the hall. You knew he could ‘see’ the glow of the outlines of angels, but not ordinary humans or devils. He was relying on other senses and sensations you didn't understand. It didn't fully replace sight, but it helped, especially in hunting.
"I'll show you another human. We'll see then, okay?"
You got back to Mia faster than you thought. She was happy to see you, but when she saw Andrealphus she screamed and pushed herself deeper into the corner. He didn't look happy either.
"Hello, little one."
Andrea knelt down next to the girl. Even if he looked confused, his voice was firm and gentle. He was really talking to the child. The girl moved away and covered her eyes with her hand as if to defend herself.
"Your friend says you have no wings. Is it true?"
"Ye…yes."
"I’m blind. Let me feel it."
He warned before extending his hand. His hand wandered over her shoulder, but all he found was air and a cold wall. He frowned.
"I told you, she’s not an… what are you doing!" You shouted, seeing how he takes out small pistol from under his jacked. You froze, but he just placed the gun on the girl's lap. His past came to your mind; you wondered if he thought about what would happen if he had a gun when he met Rafael as a little boy. In his own way, it seemd that he was trying to protect another child from this fate. Save from helplessness.
You felt a twist of pain in your stomach. He trusted you. He must have remembered you. Why else would he believe you enough to give the creature he thought was an angel a weapon?
"You have to have something to defend yourself with." He stood up and turned towards you. "Let's go."
"We?" You glanced towards the door. "I will be a burden. Let me sneak out the back door."
"The building is fully guarded, you are safest with me. Besides, you got your eyes intact. Since the aura is crazy here, I don't want to hurt anyone innocent."
Andrea placed the scythe on his shoulder. A hand extended towards you, a serious look on a scarred face.
"Please, be my sight. Guide me."
Your heart skipped a beat. Even your vision went dark, although maybe it was the result of blood loss. Never mind. You accepted his hand. It was rough and strong, you could feel the tiny scars under your fingers; exactly how you imagined a soldier's hand. He smiled so softly that your legs went weak beneath you. He caught you in half before you fell.
Okay, maybe it was the blood loss after all.
You slowly straightened up and leaned against your broad chest, taking a few deep breaths. Wounds didn't hurt as much anymore, but slowly you slowly lose feeling in your hand. It just went limp. You didn't even have time to admire his warmth, his scent, because your stupid body refused to obey.
"You're bleeding."
"Don't worry… I'll be fine. It's already better." You tried to sound like everything was alright. Maybe not well enough for him to move away, but enough for him not to worry. Judging by his face, it didn't work. His grip on your waist tightened.
"I would take you to Nilfheim, but those damn portals stopped working…" He muttered to himself.
You didn't expect to hear such a note in his voice. Care? Anxiety? This was unlike the stoic devil you knew. And if the portals weren't working…
"How did you get here then?"
"We have other ways. Your phone."
"But it's ruined."
"It didn't matter. It previously acted as an interdimensional mirror, so I could have used it as a reference."
That was enough revelation for you. Whatever happened, you just wanted to rest. With Andrea, of course.
"Please. Let's just get out of here."
You decided it would be better to go through the main hall. If you don't manage to sneak by sideways, it will be easier for Andrealphus, with his huge scythe, to fight in a larger area. That's why you left Mia too. He felt her just like the angels. Only recognizing their aura, he couldn't distinguish most of them; he would have killed her by pure accident, aiming at someone else. You preferred to avoid it.
Leaning on the devil, letting him hold you by your waist, you limped into the main hall. Most of the angels had already dispersed, the dust had settled, only human bodies and dirty blood stains were lying here and there. Seeing this, your nausea only increased. A few surviving soldiers were wandering among the machines, picking something up from among the rubble. You saw sparkles in their hands. Were they star tokens?
Before you could think twice, you felt a tug on your waist. Andrea stopped. The scythe was aimed at the man in front of you.
"I can?"
He asked politely, as if he wanted to pull out a chair in front of you rather than waiting for permission to murder. A lump stuck in your throat. The man did indeed have white wings and a halo, but instead of a soldier’s uniform he wore a blue one. You recognized that long blond hair; you've seen him before.
"It's… someone from the staff, I guess."
"Do not kill me!" He begged. "I can't do anything to you, I was just… looking…"
He tried to move away, but Andrea wrapped his scythe around the man like an arm. The weapon touched the wings. Demon felt it and growled throatily.
There was a screech behind you.
"Leave him!"
Another problem. You glanced behind; Mia, propped up on a broom, had to limp quietly tracing you. She aimed the small gun at Andrea's back. Would the bullet hurt him? You did not know. But his face hardened. The angels that had been roaming around the building heard you and began to gather around. In a wide semicircle, with their weapons drawn, they observed the horned intruder.
Andrealphus was silent. Waited. He could have killed them. He would do it easily, without breaking a sweat; but still, something held him back. You guessed what it was about. When he gave the girl the gun earlier, he didn't expect it to be pointed at him.
In a scene he couldn't get out of his mind, he became the one he hated the most.
"You're not like him." You whispered and placed your hand on his hand where he held the scythe.
He slowly moved her away from the man. Mia walked past you and threw herself into her father's arms. This didn't solve the problem; if he didn't want to kill them, he couldn't fight. Having to take care of you on top of that, his hands were tied.
The number of angels only increased. More and more of them came, crawling through the rubble, appearing on balconies as if waiting for the first move. They surrounded you, but it could just as easily have been the flies surrounding the dragon. Lowest angels and a devilish noble. He would have chopped them to pieces if it weren't for his only weakness - and that weakness was you.
You felt worse and worse, but a crazy idea came to your head.
"Trust me." You asked so quietly that even you didn't hear your words, but you hoped he did, and pushed him away. "Finally! I brought him as Raphael ordered. Do with him whatever you want now! Dad, let’s come out."
Everyone was moved by this name. Just as you thought. You couldn't read anything on Andrea's face, and you didn't want to because you felt like a traitor. The angels took your shout as an order. They attacked straight ahead. If this was a trap for the noble set by the Seraphin, they must have managed to kill him, right?
Mia's father, whom you bumped into, helped you walk. He supported both you and his daughter as you walked to the exit. Did you feel safe? No. But the angels evaded you. They must have assumed that, like Mia, you were half-angel. They parted as you walked on soft legs… and a moment later wet sounds of blood splashing and flesh being torn apart filled the entire hall. Andrea was chopping up angels. Yes, that's him. It must be him. Not the other way around.
You have no idea how you got out of the building, but when you felt the fresh air, you fell to your knees. You were overwhelmed by helplessness and pain. The earth was swirling, full of black spots. It's happened before, you could walk. You just needed a moment to gather your strength. And probably you would have made it if you hadn't seen movement out of the corner of your eye. Hand and stone. Your head erupted in pain before you passed out.
꧁:・ ✡ ・:꧂
When you opened your eyes again, the light blinded you. White ceiling, walls a sickly blue shade that looked as if someone had smeared soap on them instead of paint. The smell of cleaning products and medicines. Your stomach lurched. You knew this place so well, but it was two weeks ago. After all, so much has happened since the accident. After all… Andrea.
You felt nauseous, looking around the room with your heart in your throat; drip, bedside table with glass full of water, large window letting in the evening light. Behind the mirror in the corridor stood a couple of people, whose voices could be heard through the door ajar. They had an argument. You groaned, rubbing your aching head. Collecting thoughts was so hard.
It couldn't all have been a dream. His voice. His touch. You remembered it too clearly. Panic was rising in your chest, especially when you heard a sleepy voice from the hall. Words like 'coma', 'memory impairment' and 'you have to be understanding' brought tears to your eyes. Whole body hurt. The greatest pain spread slowly through the chest, stabbing and burning, as if someone had inserted a hot blade and was circling in a open wound.
People are dying. Their brain, in an act of self-defense, can invent their entire life in a split second. Some woke up in the hospital thinking they had a wife and children, only to find out they hadn't finished school yet. Was this the case? Did you make this all up? You were on the verge of life anyway, so your stupid brain decided to trick you and give you hope? Hot tears filled your eyes. How could you be so stupid? Why did you believe?
Before you burst into tears, a few more words came through.
"She keeps waking up and falling asleep… Is there any point in going in there?"
"Leave it. I doubt she heard anything."
Your friend and her boyfriend. Someone responded with a snort, the voices fading. Or maybe it was the throbbing pain that swirled your head like a blender. You cried silently. One of the silhouettes outside the window straightened up as if paralyzed and shot towards the door.
You didn't know if your brain was playing tricks on you or if you were completely crazy, when he appeared in the doorway.
This scarred, yet handsome face and long red braid, you’d recognize them even at the end of the world. He looked uncertain. As if he himself was suffering. In casual clothes, simple jeans and blue checkered shirt, he looked so normal you nearly believed that it’s just a human resembling him. But despite the lack of a halo and wings, his head was decorated with majestic, dark horns.
"You liar…"
Even his voice matched perfectly. Shock drew back the tears. Is it…?
You didn't have time to think. In the current state, thinking wasn't your strongest trait anyway. He sat down next to you, slender fingers first landing on your shoulder and then moved to your face.
"You awful, dishonest, intelligent woman. If I knew…"
You could barely feel the gentle touches of fingertips. Despite terrible words, he was so careful, as if he were examining a work of art and not your broken skin. Although, his smile made you feel like a masterpiece. Before you could utter a greeting, he found your mouth, and not with fingers. The touch of hot lips was even more tender and ticklish than his palms. Shaky breath leave his lips, before you could hear a faint whisper.
"I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t want, if… If I had known…"
No. This was not something you expected to hear. Sealing those sweet lips with yours, you purred.
"Are you sorry for kissing me or for saving my life?"
"For risking it in the first place!"
"You’re a devil. I’d be disappointed if you wouldn’t."
You chuckled, seeing him frowning, as if he wanted to scold you but couldn’t. It was a mistake. A new dull pain erupted in your wounded head. Did it matter? The pain in a chest suddenly subsided. Life started to make more sense. Even the color on the walls stopped being soapy and became a beautiful blue.
"How did I get here?"
"This… angel." He spat the word like it was the worst insult. "He hit you, patched you up, and left you in a back alley. He said he couldn't take you with him, and you'd be safer unconscious. I found you not much later. Human services arrived, and I convinced them to deal with you first. And they better do it right."
"What happened to him? With Mia?"
"She’s safe. And him… He didn’t have to hit you, but he did. I didn’t have to let him live…" He felt your tense expression and tilted his head. "But I did."
You sighed with relief. It was a step in a good direction.
"Although without a hand that hit you."
…well, quite a small step. You didn't want to dwell on it, you can do the next steps together. In less intense circumstances. Since the portals weren't working…
"I now know why I felt angels everywhere."
"Why?"
"They really weren't disguised. Unable to get rid of their aura around people, they used tokens, those stars, to make all the humans resemble their aura. Without the tokens, I couldn’t see you. It's even better. I don't want to see you if it means you'll look like an enemy. You are wonderful in the way you laugh, move, think. I'm glad I know you deeper than just your outer shell." He kept playing and stroking gently your face. "Although I'm sure you would shine not deadly, but beautifully."
You held his hand, you heard his voice. Time passed, and you didn't have the strength to speak, but he still kept you company. You could listen and listen. With your eyes closed, you hugged the hand cupping your face and felt like you could stay like that forever. It was worth being neatly torn apart to finally be able to meet him. For the first time, you didn't feel longing. Only warmth.
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sapionic · 1 year
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The Beauty Of Scorpio Placements
Scorpio sun, moon, venus, mars, mercury
Scorpio Sun - They live a structured life with stability and likes successful planning that goes through. They likely had major responsibilities ear on so as their life goes on, they tap more into their playful and childish side. They most likely had to grow up early for a variety of reasons. If you ever felt like a Scorpio Sun adult was childish in any way, it's because they are living out their inner child from having to run things early on in life. They didn't have a choice when they were met the pressure they had to deal with so they make up for it as they get older.
Scorpio Moon - They like when things are going as they planned or when things at least have a structure. They enjoy the practical things in life. They usually have an emotional connected to people that have goals, especially when these people goals are similar to theirs. They deal with tough emotions, mainly when things are out of order. They are satisfied with commitments and find it easy to do so. They like structure in their relationships. They like keeping records of many things. They love taking pictures and they usually do keep them. They make friends or buddies at work. They like people who have their stuff together. They like handling business and can handle it. Probably do find themselves making the right connections for their goals. Remembers things from long ago.
Scorpio Mercury - They are factual and concrete with their words and reasoning. Their truth is very concrete based on actuality. Conversations about the mundane or there is some realism attached in some way. Can have a voice full of command and authority. Likely to have conversations that can intimidate certain people. These are the people that need to be speaking at the business meetings. When spying, will screenshot. May talk when really needed. Travel is based on priority or urgency level. Could work with or around money. Remembers things from long ago.
Scorpio Venus - Expensive taste. Keeps themselves up. Wears high quality things and buys high quality things. Makes real business moves with their partner. Loyal and want marriage or something tangible from their relationship. Likely to have financial accounts. Life insurance and savings accounts could be of interest to them. Could have a lot of money they have or manage. Fancy and upscale dining. Parties with real detail and memorable decor. Skillset is that of daily life needs and more. Likely handy. Show them, don't tell them. Realistic in relationships. Connections to elite people. Most likely respected or honored in their connections. Likes when their relationship has some air of spontaneity.
Scorpio Mars - Moves they make pack a punch. When fighting, they do real damage or leave notable marks that may take a while to heal. Motivated and takes actions when there is a sure chance they are moving up the ladder. Does things based on the long-term. Very spontaneous choices if it means they can make good memories. Usually have very notable memories as well. Likely in shape. Always outside.
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bookworm-2692 · 1 year
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Life Tracker updated for Episode 7! This one is much quicker than Episode 6 on account of not being on holiday at the time, even though there were two thirds more deaths this time. Previous posts: Session 6, Session 5, Session 4. Also Session 8 (finale) post!
As usual, close ups and commentary below the cut. I’ve also added another graph for the average time of each team, which will also be below the cut.
There was so much carnage! 45 whole deaths in a single session! Not all deaths were awarded time during the session, but Scott’s video advised that it would be added by next session, so I have taken the liberty to add all the time as I see fit, hence why Scott is back to 7.5 hours. I haven’t seen every episode yet (in fact, other than Scott, I’ve only seen those that have perma-died), so I’m not sure if anyone else’s time is a mismatch, but if so I’m happy to explain where I’m getting my time additions and subtractions from!
Now for some close ups.
First, there was enough chaos that I decided to take a close up of Session 6 and 7 together so we can properly appreciate it:
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And a close up of Session 7 by itself:
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So many people lost major time, so it’s interesting to see Scott’s uptick of time at the end - he ended on only 30 minutes less than he would have been if he hadn’t died at all this session. Pearl didn’t die at all, and got the kill credit for Martyn blowing himself up in a trap, so she actually ended the session 30 minutes better than she started it. Grian also did very well for himself - he killed and died so many times, but somehow ended on the exact time he would have been on if he had experienced a peaceful deathless session.
BigB, Cleo, and Martyn all ended the session 1 hour poorer than they started, and Bdubs and Scar ended 1.5 hours below where they would have been. Nosy Neighbours are thus doing super well, with Mean Gills and Clockers not too far behind, in terms of maintaining position from the start of the session.
TIES had an awful time this session, with Impulse and Tango both losing a net 2 hours, and Etho and Skizz losing a net 2.5 hours - and obviously Skizz entirely died.
Joel possibly had the worst time, losing a net 3.5 hours this session - though it didn’t help that 5 of his 7 deaths were all caused by the one person. Technically Jimmy didn’t do too badly, given he only lost a net 1.5 hours... but given that he was out of the series only an hour into the session, and also the first out entirely... it really didn’t go well for him either
I also find it interesting the sheer number of vertical lines this graph, the ones representing a death immediately followed by a kill or vice versa. I would love to figure out a way to show only one line at a time on the graph, so we can more easily see someone’s journey, but I haven’t had time to look into it yet.
Now onto the graph of the average times per team.
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This one is super interesting to me, especially TIES’s line - they had the lowest average life right from the start, but somehow by Session 4, through Session 5, and for most of Session 6, they were the team with the highest average time, and then it quite literally went downhill from there. The only thing saving them from being last now is the fact that the Bad Boys are down to only a single living player, and even then Grian is doing far better than most of TIES.
It’s also interesting to me how Mean Gills had a significant time uptick at the end of both Session 6 and Session 7 (the first due to Martyn and the second due to Scott). Scott’s time was so high that it kept Mean Gills’ average time as yellow for all of Session 6 despite Martyn being red for most of it... and Martyn then got enough kills to keep it there. Mean Gills is also the only team in the entire graph to anywhere gain such consistent significant time.
These averages also coincide with the comments I made above about the time offset difference for each player from the start to end of the session. Mean Gills are doing well, but they’ve been doing well for so long that I’m sure most players are aware that they need to be a target. Nosy Neighbours are also doing well but I feel like they’ve flown under the radar, and are not a significant target right now.
Here is a close up of this graph with Sessions 1-4:
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And the close up for Session 5-7:
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And the Session 7 only close up:
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I kept the dead players in the teams’ averages, since I think it is a better reflection of the teams’ strength as a whole, but I also created a version that excluded dead players. In those screenshots you can really see Bad Boys’ and TIES’ time jumping up at a death, instead of falling as it did here.
Here are the alternate averages graph:
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And close ups:
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This makes Bad Boys look a lot better, because Grian does have a lot of time... but he is also alone. And there is definitely strength in numbers. Two players at an hour and a half each can fend off an attacker more easily than a single player at three hours can... unless nerves and panic get to them, as we definitely saw this session.
Wow and I almost forgot to include the raw data for this session!
The first hour of the session:
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The second hour of the session:
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There is just so much death! Look at all the box outlines!! I could barely fit this data on two screens on the zoom I was on, and I did not want to zoom out further.
I also obviously have data for the averages, but it was too far away from the column with the times on it that I wasn’t sure if it would still be useful on its own? Let me know if you want to see it!
This has once again been fascinating to see, and I cannot wait to see how Session 8 will go. Will it be the last session? Will they go until everyone is dead? Will they somehow have enough people with enough time to get to Session 9? Will Mean Gills be the final two and get to play fun relaxing games like Scott was suggesting? 
Only time will tell.
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Chapter 146: Recap and notes
Finally Shura gets some new material to work with.
And it could be...delicious?
We start off with Lightning telling all team groups to limit communication and that the focus will be on Team A and B.
We have Rin, Yukio, Shura and Osceola working together. They turn up at the edge of the gate leading to Satan's heart. (not unlike the black gates to Mordor).
We notice that Osceola has a "snack" in his pocket. And it consists of Hellbane mushrooms and other "spices."
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Now, when you look up hellbane mushrooms it has an interesting history. It was a powerful drug that was commonly used by viking berserkers to get into the fighting spirit. That spirit being that of a ferocious barbaric animal, using rage to fuel them. If Osceola eats that, he could become even more badass. One of the symptoms of the hellbane mushrooms is apparent howling. Lightning alludes to this, and warns Osceola not to use his "war cry".
Aka, his secret mushroom snack. From Osceola's little smile, we get the idea that he's totally going to use it. Lightning knows he'll use it too.
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Now back to the gate:
There doesn't seem to be any B'aal waiting for the exorcists, but they soon finds themselves under attack by another group of high-powered demons that are Kin of Ibis. Amon and Asmodeus. Amon, is a powerful god from Egypt and Asmodeus the demon of lust.
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These characters are interesting too, Kato takes a moment to give them some dialogue and development. Amon reminds me of Egyptian fashion Ken Mephisto. It's the hair for me, the thin physique and the extra bling.
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Then we get Asmodeus.
Lust is a pervert. He's too busy being "iPhone guy" watching porn on his device to help in the battle.
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Amon berats him for being a pervert. We find out where's he's been for all of these years. He was strung up by Ibis for peeping in on her bath.
Lust's character design is interesting as well, he looks like an attractive business man or banker? Perhaps, a archetype of what the ideal mate would look like. (But the truth hurts in this case, because naturally, the guy is a total prick. He represents what he thinks you want, only in reality he's shallow and basic.)
In juxtaposition, meanwhile, we have Osceola, who is just an awesome warrior and all around sweet-hearted guy in an enormous and ferocious body. From all accounts he's a non-judgemental mentor to other exorcists of his crew, which is why he was so good raising Lightning.
He takes an immediate interest in Rin and his knowledge of food.
He also attempts to mentor Shura. Despite all of her ability, and accomplishments she still doubts herself. But Osceola, gives her confidence. Telling Shura that her sword isn't an old relic but a fine sword forged by years of enduring extreme cold. He was trying to impart some hidden wisdom to guide her.
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The sword and Shura are the same. Both are forged by years of coldness, but those trials have only made them stronger.
Speaking of strong, Amon was clearly no match for Osceola, and it's true what they say, that the power of the arc knights rival that of the B'aal.
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Shura is no slouch either, yet her sword only has seven more slashes in it until it runs out of power. Her first move created a wall of ice to protect the other exorcists, namely team B which is Rin and Yukio.
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After Team B is through, Shura gets knocked down and winded. Rin wants to stay behind and help Shura, but of course, Yukio focuses on the mission. It's probably wise, she's doing what's needed to get the mission to succeed. They don't have time to waste. But Yukio bugs me, he can't admit his feelings to anyone, even in Amori when he helps save Shura...he still refers to her as a mission. He needs a good swift kick in the ass.
Once the boys are gone, Shura is left to fight a new opponent.
Lust.
Now, what is Lust really like? Is he going to try and seduce her?
Most likely.
And my god...those hands...that's got my mind wandering. Imagine what he could do with those. But will he be a good lover?
Nah.
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The guy has a porn addiction, that'll teach him nothing about female pleasure. (He most likely bangs like a hammer that consistently misses the nail. )
And let's be honest, Shura's going to clean the floor with this dude. And it's a nice metaphor for Shura's final transition into a confident woman. A woman that's comfortable in her own skin and confident in herself. Shura hasn't been able to own her sexuality, or even explore it. Sex meant her death.
Her entire existence was for the sexual gratification of a demon, achieved through the sexual gratification of a guy. A guy that would get her pregnant. Then she would die before her youthful beauty faded. She was like a carton of expired milk, not a human being with feelings, wants, dreams and talents.
Shura not only will battle the demon, but the personification of her forced hypersexuality as the manga's token object of desire for horny teenaged boys. Kato gave her character some poetic justice here.
I think it's funny, too that Lust has a snake for a tail. Snakes are symbolic of temptation, but I'm sure Shura can't be tempted. That's why she's such a pain in the ass for Mephisto, the B'aal of Temptation.
Another aside, Hachiro her former overlord was a big demonic Hydra and she took him out. This guy and his little snake won't be much of a fight. Shura's a snake charmer, a snake killer.
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So, the question I have. Will Asmodeus be tamed by Shura and become the new demon in her sword?
Wouldn't that be fun?
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