#soon to be 29 in -also- less than a week

[ravencincaide]

Shhh -oh shit

Summary: You were not the kindest when someone disturbed you; especially when studying for finals. Or the time you shushed a talking bastard in the library's quiet section, not realizing who said ‘bastard’ was. 

Pairing: Student!reader x Chuuya Nakahara. 

Inspired by Sweetober prompt 29: Texting/email 

Warnings: Cursing, random Chuuya fluff, minimal edits

Enjoy this little bit of sweetness~ 

Shh

You couldn’t understand how ignorant one had to be in order to speak on the phone in the library. How completely self absorbed to dare do it in the quiet section. Especially amidst final weeks- when it was crawling full of crying and desperate students who queued from the library's opening to the very last second before its closing. Studying reference literature, begging librarians to expedite archive requests just a little bit faster. Buying seniors notes and pleading for tutoring sessions.

“ If this is another goddamn attempt at wasting my time with your bloody stupidity….” the male voice carried loudly, cutting through the otherwise silent section of the library but for the gentle tipp-tapp of keyboard keys or barely hearable flickering of pages. In contrast to those monotone sounds, his voice boomed like thunder, completely breaking your concentration. With each syllable past his lips you could feel your understanding slipping away. 

Why no one said anything was beyond you. 

It was so bluntly obvious that this man was disturbing everyone in the surrounding area. Yet either he was oblivious enough not to see it, or self centered enough not to care. Neither of which sat well with you. As if to make matters worse, his voice grew louder and louder as he drew nearer, now it was not only the phone conversation that was disturbing you, but also the stomps of his feet against the carpet clad floor. “I’ll have you die.. I–” 

“ Shh!” you snapped, making a low, angry hiss towards the owner of the voice somewhere in the distance behind you. You saw the head of a student opposite you snap up and give you a quick, earnest grateful smile. However, that smile quickly faded as the student paled a sickly shade of white before he quickly snapped his head back down, staring at the study books in front of him. His reaction puzzled you, but the blessed silence made you ignore that fact in favour of your studies. 

However the peaceful silence did not last long. 

“ Goddamn it! I swear I’m going to kill you myself this time, you good for nothing, perverted, enemy of all—” 

Slamming your fist into the table you finally lost your patience, your voice, the ‘shh’ resonating through the area. An angry echo which bounced off the walls and furniture throughout the entire second floor of the library’s silent section; “Its a goddamn library so for crying out loud, can you shut the fuck— oh shit” you cut yourself off as your eyes landed on the man with the phone pressed to his ear. 

It was him; it couldn’t be- shouldn’t be, and yet it was. 

You would recognize that ginger hair and black coat anywhere. The piercing eyes which searched the sea of students before they landed onto you, and stared you down mockingly. The cocky grin which matched the handsome boyish expression. And that top hat, the most memorable goddamn top hat in the entire Yokohama. You had seen that hat, and the man it belonged to, in wanted posters and news segments all over Yokohama city. 

The long and loud media warnings to never engage or provoke him. The most dangerous and bloodthirsty member of Port Mafia; Nakahara Chuuya. 

And you had not only encountered him in the most mundane place in the entire city; but also shushed him; not once, not twice but an entire three times. That is without the curse-filled scolding you unknowingly send his way for his less than adequate library manners. In other words you were a deadman walking; a soon to be corpse which currently filled the barely-comfortable study spot. Judging by the annoyance edged onto his features, it was time for you to say your goodbyes and start digging your grave. Then again, your mind reminded you all too bitterly, if you failed the upcoming exams the humiliation, loss of income and homelessness you’d face, would make you wish you were dead. 

Instead of feigning ignorance or getting up and apologizing on your hands and knees, you stared back into his face with a scowl that matched his own. It was as if you challenged him to say something. Chuuya responded with a raised eyebrow. In that instant, your mind flickered between the ‘you’re gonna be brutally murdered or worse’ and ‘ holy hell the media did not do those gorgeous blue orbs justice.’ A part of you still couldn’t grasp the fact that you were actually seeing those eyes in real life. 

You were so, so fucked. 

That sentiment was reinforced as you saw the frown on his lips turn up into something almost morbid. Chuuya’s eyes ran up and down before he rolled his eyes as the voice in the phone demanded his attention, growing so loud you could almost distinguish what it was saying from such a distance; “ I’ll get back to you, slimeball” Chuuya stated midway through slamming the phone shut and slipping it into his pants pocket.

Then he advanced towards you.

You swallowed thickly, and fixed the ginger with an even firmer stare. Then you summoned what little bravery- or insanity- you had left in you; “ Listen with all due respect Nakahara-san your future is set for life; glory, terror and all that. While us pitiful students have our lives decided by the horrors of exams which are primarily out of our control so I kindly beg you, for the love of god and anything unholy; please be quiet.” 

Chuuya stopped in front of you; an unreadable expression on his face half shaded by the tophat.You swore he looked less menacing and more entertained than moments earlier- or was it your wishful thinking? No, there definitely was a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of them; “ Whatever, fork over your phone” 

“My phone?” you asked in bewildered as you stared up at the man currently towering over you. 

At another glare, you quickly unlocked and surrendered the device to him. You watched him type something in before handing it back to you. Looking down at it, you noticed there was a new contact added in your list, listed under the simple initials NC. You glanced back up at him in question. 

The angry look was replaced by a boyish grin. To you it looked almost.. Flirty?!

 Chuuya pointed towards your phone with a gloved finger; “ I wanna know what kind of exams are scarier than a Mafia executive. Text this number when you’re done.”

Your eyes widened a little before you shook your head slightly. Your brain not able to comprehend what he was saying, your mind blanking out long enough for your mouth to speak before you had time to think; “ If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were hitting on me” you mumbled in disbelief earning yourself another cocky smirk. He really was?! 

 “ Nakahara-san I don’t think it’s–” 

“Shhh”  you heard another student hiss at you making you instantly grow silent. Before biting your lips in a feeble attempt to keep your expression neutral. You failed; the edges of your lips pulled up into a smile, barely containing the bubbly laughter readying to spill past your lips. Your expression remained  bewildered and a little shocked, while his expression remained cocky almost sweet yet so very confident. 

Who knew such a meeting could derive from a single word; a hissing of an annoyed student in the middle of the exam season in the libraries quiet section:  

Shh.

Author note: A little sweetness is what we all need some days. I hope this fic made you smile at least a little on this (very cold!) Sunday morning.

Like this? Check out Raven's Masterlist

#chuuya x reader #bsd chuuya #chuuya nakahara x reader #chuuya nakahara #sweetober #chuuya x you #raven cincaide works #library fluff #first meeting

[purpleyoonn]

Doughnuts and Shell Casings

one shot series // part 1 of ?

summary: you finally gather the courage to leave your routine and do something different. your expectations are blown out of the water as you meet your soulmates in a less-than-expected way. 

genre: soulmate au, bts au, mafia au, poly au, 

pairing: mafia bts x innocent reader

warnings: robberies/break-ins, attempted kidnapping, murder, reader witnesses a murder, bruises, mafia bangtan, weapon use, very touchy bangtan, blood, 

permanent taglist: @m1sss1mp​ @yourleftsock​ @skyys-universe​ @cryingpages​ @strxwbloody​  @drissteele​ @dustyinkpages​ @iamkookiesforyou​ @crushedblackroses​ @fluffy-canada-pancakes​ @blaaiissee​  @iiitsmaria​  @carolinexkpop​  @azazel-nyx​ @strawberry-moonpies​ @g-h-o-s-t-b-a-b-i​ @knjkitten​ @kleirielk​ @foreverweareyoung7​ @lachimolala22019​ @namuficxs​ @94z-93​ @kimgmzmc​ @thenaverse​ @dahliasbouqet​ @black-rose-29​ @tinyoonsblog​ @take-u-2-an0ther-w0r1d​ @stellauniverse​ @stupendouscookiehumanmug​ @tinyoonsblog​ @veronawrites​ @tatyhend​

masterlist // one-shot masterlist

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

Mornings were always the best for you. You loved getting things done and then having the rest of the day to relax or do whatever your heart desired. It was probably one of the reasons you loved working at a café, that and the free coffee and pastries.

Doughnut was the name of the café, named after the owner’s famous doughnuts she handmakes every morning before opening. Nayeon and Jihyo owned the café and were also some of your closest friends. You had gone to school with them, and the rest of their soulgroup.

There were nine people total within their soulgroup, and you were happy that they were able to complete their soulgroup so early in life. Most people don’t find their soulmates until their twenties, others were lucky enough to grow up with theirs.

Unfortunately for you, you had yet to meet any of the people whose name’s live on your wrist. There were seven names, and you had yet to even hear of them in your twenty-five years. It had you losing hope, but you had faith that you would meet them soon.

“Good morning, Kitty!” Nayeon yelled out to you as soon as you walked in through the back door. She had been calling you that since you were six, since the day you walked into first grade with your favorite stuffed animal: a black cat plushie.

“Good morning, Bunnie!” You yelled back, seeing her working on getting the fresh batch of pastries and sweets out on the shelf. It was your turn to bake the cookies, hence why you were at the café at 4:30 in the morning.

You set out to make coffees first, two for you for Nayeon and one for Sana who would be coming in at five. Once you handed Nayeon her coffee, and after hearing her mumble her thanks, you set out to get the cookie dough you had let freeze over night for easier handling. You spent all day yesterday working on making cookie dough. You made chocolate chip, peanut butter, and sugar cookie dough.

Your sugar cookies were a huge selling point, besides the doughnuts. You spent hours before opening individualizing each cookie, making different characters and designs. You loved seeing the faces of the little kids who come into the shop and pick out one of your cookies. It was a fun hobby for you and you loved the payoff of the business you receive from them.

Once you had a couple batches in the oven to bake and the time set, you moved back to the front to help Sana, who had just arrived, clean and set up the café. It was a smaller café, only around eight or nine small tables and twice as many chairs, but it was your friend groups pride and joy. All ten of you worked there, varying shifts and times.

You, Nayeon, and Jihyo worked the most shifts, as this was your baby. The others all had their own things going on, but never failed to take on one or two shifts a week at the café. It led to many fun times, and lots of happy memories that littered the walls in the form of polaroids.

“Okay my friends, we open in thirty minutes. Let’s have another good day and make even more friends!” Nayeon shouted out, getting your attention as she stood with her hands in the air.

When it was time to open, you already had a couple of customers waiting outside, two of your regulars who had been coming in every morning since you opened three years ago. You actually already had their order ready for them at the counter, two hot chocolates with caramel and two of Nayeon’s chocolate glazed doughnuts.

“Thanks again, deary.” The wife, Mrs. Chang, smiled up at you as you rang in their total. Mr. and Mrs. Chang were two of the sweetest people you had ever met.

“It’s no problem Mrs. Chang. You know we love seeing you both every morning.” You smile back at her, meaning every word. You loved seeing your regulars and learning how their day has been.

“Have you heard about the robberies going on?” Mr. Chang speaks up, a hint of worry in his tone as he looks to the side and out the window. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion as you take in his words.

“No, Mr. Chang. We haven’t heard anything.” You hand him the change as he motions for his wife to grab their usual table.

“There has been a couple robberies over the past week, most of them taking place downtown in the shopping district but we still worry about you all.” He places a hand on top of your own that rest on the counter.

“Thank you for that, Mr. Chang. I will talk to Nayeon and Jihyo and see if we can’t figure out some more safety measures.” You try to smile reassuringly at the older gentleman, not quite sure what you could do, but it seems to work as he smiles back and nods his head.

“Good. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to our favorite girls.” He grabs his hot chocolate and goes to sit down.

His words had you kind of worried, wondering if at some point the robberies would make their way to where you were located. You hoped that the college district was far enough away that you were safe. You looked over to the measly double lock that the front door had and moved to turn to Sana.

“We need to figure out our budget and see what kind of safety measures we can add to the building.” Sana quirks her head at you, questioning your statement. You lead her to the back where Nayeon was and explain to them what Mr. Chang said.

They were also a little worried, Nayeon telling you both she would talk to Jihyo and look at the budget to see what you all could do. That was all you could really do for the moment without looking at the numbers so with that you all went back to work.

It was a normal day, the flow ebbing off around eleven but returning around one when classes let out for the science building at the local university. That meant rush hour for your café as the crowds of students came for caffeine refuels or sweets to tide them over.

This meant that it was time for Dahyun, Momo and Jeongyeon’s shift. They would be taking over for you and Sana as it was Nayeon’s day to run the shop. You both were going to meet Chaeyoung for lunch as she had a free period before her next class.

“Bye Bunnie! By Hyunie! By Yeongie! By Momo!” You and Sana both shouted out in unison, your normal departure ritual, each earning bye’s in return as the door closed behind you.

The two of you walked the couple blocks it would take to get to the restaurant.

“You know, you should get out more, like take up a yoga or painting class or something.” Sana was nonchalant as she suggested. The soulgroup had been trying to get you out of your hole for years. They thought you spent too much time in the shop or at home.

“You don’t need to worry about me. Getting out isn’t really my…thing.” You shrugged in response. It was true, you were completely content with just relaxing at home or being at the café. You weren’t the person to party or drink. It just wasn’t something you enjoyed.

“It’s just, the more places you go to, or things you do, the more likely it is you’ll meet your soulmates.” She explains with a saddened tone. They all hated watching you retreat into your shell. They knew that you thought it was too late for you to meet your soulmates and noticed how you stared at your soulmark when you thought no one was looking.

They just wanted you to be happy.

“That’s why I’m doing what I’m comfortable with. I’m going with you and Chaeyoungie to lunch and we’ll be there to hang out.” You appreciate their love and friendship, but you aren’t comfortable with putting yourself out there, even if it is to find your soulmates.

“And I’m happy you are going!” Sana squeals as she wraps her arms around your shoulders. “You never go to lunch with us!” She wasn’t wrong. It had been a long time since you had gone to lunch with one of your friends. You usually brought lunch with you and ate it in the back or went home to eat.

Within another five minutes you had made it to the restaurant, seeing Chaeyoung wave at you from her window seat. It seemed she made it early to grab you guys a table.

You smiled wide as you saw your younger friend. You both shared the same birthday; you only being born a year before. You bonded quickly over that, dubbing yourself the ‘birthday twins” after meeting.

“Youngie!!”

“Y/n-ie!” You both run to her, almost crashing into each other as you wrap your arms around your friend. You hadn’t seen her for a week, you both being busy with work and school.

When you let go, Sana was already at the table looking at the menu. Chaeyoung drags you over and has you sit next to her as she goes to hand you a menu as well.

“Okay so I already got our drinks. They should be coming soon.” Chaeyoung broke the silence from you looking at the menu. You hadn’t been to this restaurant before, but you know the girls frequented it a lot.

“So, what have you been up to Youngie?” You turn to her and ask.

“I’ve been finishing up my sculpture! It is almost done and I think I only need one or two more sessions before I can start glazing it.” Chaeyoung is in the middle of getting her art degree and is taking a ceramics class for the first time.

She was nervous when she first started, so you were happy to see her getting excited about it now that a couple months have passed. She was also in a photography course, which you knew she was even more excited for.

“What is your sculpture going to be?” You ask as your drinks arrive.

“She won’t tell us. She says it’s supposed to be a surprise.” Sana states, narrowing her eyes at her younger mate, a teasing glint in her voice. Chaeyoung begins to blush at her mate’s tone, rolling her eyes dramatically to deflect.

“Because it is. I wouldn’t have to keep it a secret if someone didn’t break my last sculpture on accident.” Chaeyoung accuses, looking directly at Sana as she spoke.

“Hey! It wasn’t my fault that Jihyo accidentally knocked into the vase!”

“Yes it was! If you weren’t trying to bite her shoulder then she wouldn’t have fallen into my vase!” You looked back and forth between the two, excitedly watching the drama unfold as the two continued on.

However, despite the growing entertainment, your stomach was rumbling with hunger and you needed to get food into your system or you were going to cry. You look around for your waiter only to notice something sticking out the back of a man’s jacket. It was black and shiny and had your nerves standing on end.

You looked up to see if you could recognize the man only for him to already be looking at you, a smirk resting on his lips as he winks at you. Your eyes widen as he moves to place his finger on his lips, a “be quiet” gesture.

You quickly turn to Sana and Chaeyoung who were still arguing over whose fault the broken vase was.

“We need to leave. Now.” Your quiet voice and urgent tone as their own figures freezing, turning to look at you to see you visibly shaken.

“What’s going on Y/n?” Sana asks you, leaning in closer to you over the table. You open your mouth to respond only for a scream of terror to cut you off.

You move to yank your friends under the table with you, hearing the words “freeze” and “get down” yelled all throughout the restaurant. Once you know that your friends are okay, huddled together under the table, you risk your courage and move slowly to peer out from under your cover.

There were three men standing up, guns in hand and aimed at who appears to be the owner of the restaurant. You can hear your ears ringing as you watch the scene play out in front of you.

“We told you. Boss gave you three weeks to give him the money back you owe him.” The one in front spoke, his voice slightly pitchy but nonetheless attractive as he spoke up, tone cold as he cocks his gun at the trembling man.

“I—I’m sorry Sirs! I’ll get you the money. I swear!” The man cries out, only for a gun shot to ring out.

One of the employees was trying to crawl past the men, passed you and to the door. You couldn’t look away as the man tried to crawl to you, hand grabbing onto your forearm where your marks were.

“help plea…” Another shot rang out as the man fell to the ground. You gasped, moving your hand to cover your mouth as you looked to your other, blood now smeared across your soulmarks as his hand continued to clutch onto you.

You could feel the tears falling down your cheeks as you look at the man, the life gone from his eyes as they now stare, unblinkingly at you. You could vaguely hear Chaeyoung and Sana calling your name, can feel the tugging on your shit stop once the footsteps start.

One of the men was now kneeling down in front of you, yanking the man’s arm off of you and grabbing you to stand up. He had a grin on his face, barely concealed by his lips moving.

“Poor baby. Let’s just clean that up.” He pulls you in the direction of the other men, both wearing their own smiles as they watch their partner drag you.

He pulls you and makes you stand in front of the owner, still crying as the guns aimed at him never faulted. He steadies you upright, hands on your shoulders as he make you face the owner.

“Can our sweetheart here clean up in the back? She’s got a little something on her arm.” Both you and the owner glance down at your arm, the reminder of red making more tears pool in your eyes. The man looks at you with a worried look, “sorry” written all over his features as he points to the back.

“Speak up!” One of the men behind you speaks, tone sharp as the owner jumps in his boots.

“You can go through there. The sink is to the right.”  He cries out, fists clenched to his sides as the man walks you forward past the counter where the man was standing. You can see his hand moving out, only for it to snap back to his side.

“Don’t touch her!” The same man shouts, a slight growl to his tone this time, like he was speaking through anger.

The one in the middle, the main leader it seemed, still hasn’t spoken. He just stares hard at the owner, almost begging him to move and give him the chance to shoot. It was unnerving as you had a full view of his face as you tried to scrub the blood off your forearm.

The man who grabbed you still stood behind you, flush against your back with his hands on your shoulders. You had no clue what he was doing or looking at, but you had to bite your lip to hold back your sobs.

“Do you need some help there, baby?” His voice was right next to your ear, causing you to flinch a little. The man just chuckled before reaching for your arm. You knew you couldn’t say no, couldn’t deny him when they had guns aimed at everyone.

You let him move you around so he could face you. While he was scrubbing at your mark, you took the time to study his appearance. He wore a long black coat that seemed designer from how nice the material looked. He was wearing jeans and some nice boots. His face though, was otherworldly.

He was beautiful. Ethereal even. His features were sharp, as if sculpted by the gods. He had a mole on his nose and if you looked closely enough, you could see one under his eye. He seemed to be smiling as he cleaned your arm, paying closer attention to one of the names on your mark, rubbing it with his thumb.

Once the blood was cleaned up, he held your hand in his and stood back up. You watched him nod to his partners who then got busy. Within seconds the owner was shot, and two of the employees who were there were in similar states, screams of terror and panic sounding from the eating area.

The man holding your hand had moved you passed the owner, making you step over him instead of moving around. You noticed Chaeyoung and Sana watching you with tear marks stained to their faces. You wanted to move to them, reassure them you were okay, but you didn’t know if that was true.

“Hello darling. Sorry about the mess.” The man who shot the owner was now smiling down at you, his smirk turning to a smile as he moves his hand to cup your cheek.

Jimin almost coos at you as he watches you shake. You didn’t even realize who they were. You were probably too focused on your fear to feel the tingles running up your spine at their hands touching you.

You can’t even speak you were petrified. Jimin knew you wouldn’t be like that for much longer, not when they brought you back. But it had to wait for now. There were too many witnesses and Namjoon would kill him if they harmed you in any way.

“Don’t worry, everything will be okay.” He squeezed your cheek in his grip before reluctantly pulling away.

“Are these your friends?” Your heart skipped as he gestured to Sana and Chaeyoung who were frozen, watching the scene in front of them. You nodded your head only for the tallest man to chuckle.

“Use your words, darling.” You couldn’t tell if the shiver you felt was from fear or something entirely different but nodded again.

“Yes sir. They are my friends.” You managed to whisper after trying to clear your throat.

“Good girl.” The leader spoke in your ear before turning back to your friends, motioning for them to stand up. They both slowly stood up, limbs locked from fear as they clung to each other.

“Now, why don’t you make sure our darling here gets home safe. We don’t want any more blood on her hands.” The men laugh at the joke, but the humor doesn’t reach you nor does it reach any other person in the building. You can still see one or two more customers hiding behind tables, watching everything unfold.

You don’t know why you were singled out, nor why the men smiled at you the way they did, but you figured they were just sick, finding everything funny as if they didn’t just shoot four people dead.

Jimin let everyone go free, knowing they couldn’t identify them even if they tried. No one would believe them anyways. They had the cameras shut down over an hour before they even arrived, Yoongi doing his job and more as he is probably already uncovering everything about you.

The three of them watch you walk out, shaking as you cling to your friends.

“She’ll be clinging to us soon enough.” Jungkook wraps an arm around Jimin’s waist, knowing exactly what his older mate was thinking. Taehyung nods his head in agreement.

“She had her eyes practically glued to me the entire time I was holding her. She even started to relax in my hold, not that she noticed.” Jimin quirked his eyebrow, smiling as he opened the door to the car.

“Such a sweet little thing. I know Jin is going to love her.” They all laugh, knowing just how much Jin is going to love their innocent soulmate.

“Probably won’t let her leave. He’ll keep her with him the first couple months maybe, spoil her rotten.” Jungkook quips back, a knowing glint to his eyes as he remembers his own first couple of months with his soul group.

“Oh, like you weren’t sucking his dick two months in!” Taehyung exclaimed, his head hitting the passenger side window as Jimin takes a sharp turn. Jungkook just shrugs his shoulders.

“Yeah, so. What’s your point?” Rolling his eyes, Jimin just reaches for his phone, hitting the first speed dial.

“Hey baby, we’ve found her.”

-*-*-

“Someone get her blanket for her!” You were pushed onto your sofa as Jihyo yelled out, motioning for your favorite blanket. It was a light blue, worn down from use but still felt as soft as the day you got it. You had brought it with you through three different moves and almost losing it to your grandmother’s dog a couple years back.

It was your comfort item and if there was ever a time where you needed it, it would be now.

Chaeyoung managed to text the group chat a SOS message, letting them know what happened. And while they were all worried for everyone, Sana made sure to let them know exactly what happened when you got to your apartment and everyone was waiting for you.

“Here you go, Bunnie.” Nayeon handed you your blanket before taking her seat next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and almost bringing you into her lap. They were all scared and worried for you.

“Why you? Out of everyone in the restaurant? Why you?” Jeongyeon asked the most obvious question, something the others didn’t really want to think about.

“It was weird. Once the man started crawling to her, I noticed the robbers get really angry, like visibly shaking before one of them shot the man.” Chaeyoung spoke up from her place on Mina’s lap. Her voice quiet as she goes through her memory of the events.

“And then one of them walked up to her, pulled her up and helped her clean her arm of the uh, of the blood.” Sana choked out, adding onto what Chaeyoung was saying.

“Did they say anything to you Y/n?” Momo asked, leaning on her knees as she moves so she can look directly at you.

“They just…kept trying to take care of me, calling me pet names and asking if I was okay.” You were unsure of everything that happened. You felt like your brain was making things up, trying to twist the events so you weren’t traumatized. You almost felt like you were lying to yourself.

However, one thing stuck in your head, no matter how many times you tried to forget about it.

“When the man helped me clean my arm, he kept rubbing at my soulmark.” Your words stump the others, shock moving through your friends as you stare at the pillow on your lap. No one knew what to say or think.

“He was probably just shocked by the number of names on your mark. You know it’s not really common to have a huge soulgroup like we do.” Nayeon reassured you. She knew exactly where your mind was going.

You were wondering if these men were your soulmates. No one besides regulars at work have ever been that caring and nice upon meeting you, especially when they were robbing the establishment where you were eating.

“Yeah, let’s not worry about it. They probably just saw an opportunity to make someone uncomfortable and took it.” Dahyun agreed with Nayeon, but her reassurance was light, as if she wasn’t really sure she believed her own words.

“How about this, let’s just order some pizza and watch movies. A girls night, like when we were younger. It’ll get your mind off of everything.” Tzuyu’s quiet voice spoke up in the silence, watching all of her unnies stew in their worry. She knew there was nothing they could do for now, so they needed a distraction.

“That’s sounds great baby! I’ll order our usual.” Jihyo gets up from her spot and moves to grab her phone while Dahyun and Jeongyeon crawl form their positions on your floor to your bookshelf, all of your movies lined up on the black piece of furniture.

Part 2

#bts #bts au #bts mafia #bts mafia au #bts dark theme #dark bts #bts polyamory #bts poly #bts poly!au #bts poly au #bts poly! #bts x reader #poly!bts x reader #bts soulmate #bts soulmate au #soulmate au #soulmarks #twice #best friends twice #cafe owner reader #innocent reader #doughnuts and shell casings #purpleyoonn #bts one shot #bts one shot series

[vickyvicarious]

The death alarms must be blaring loud in Mina's ears by now. "God bless and keep him" is as if she wants to manifest him being alive. While getting radio silence from him, coupled with her new friend telling her that he'll soon die (which made her tear up), and then Indeed Dying, her reading about the ship of death, the funerals...

Absolutely, they're blaring nonstop.

She hasn't heard from Jonathan in a long time. Actually, let's take a look at this timeline of Jonathan's letters...

12 May - Sent two letters (one each to Mina and Mr. Hawkins) on Dracula's behest saying he's leaving in a month.

19 May - Made to write three dictated letters.

28 May - Real letters confiscated, shorthand one to Mina burned. One supposedly sent to Mr. Hawkins telling him to talk to Mina (may have just been a taunt from Dracula/may not have actually been sent).

12 June - Expected departure based on 12 May letter. Dictated letter that he'll be leaving in a few more days mailed.

19 June - Dictated letter that he's leaving the next day mailed.

29 June - Dictated letter that he is in Bistritz mailed.

1 July - Mina presumably receives letter from 12 May (see 1 August). Expects him home soon based on the contents.

25 July - Letter to Mr. Hawkins arrives (forwarded to Mina next day). Seems to be the one sent on 19 June based on the contents.

1 August - Mina says she hasn't heard from him in a whole month (probably referencing a letter to her specifically, must be the one from 12 May). "I hope there cannot be anything the matter with Jonathan."

3 August - "Oh, I do hope he is not ill."

8 August - "Somehow I felt glad that Jonathan was not on the sea last night, but on land. But, oh, is he on land or sea? Where is he, and how?"

10 August - "I should be quite happy if I only knew if Jonathan.... God bless and keep him."

So yeah, it seems like she hasn't gotten a letter directly from Jonathan in over a month - and I'm willing to bet that letter wasn't super effusive. It still was nowhere near as alarming as the one she was forwarded from Mr. Hawkins later, though. That one is even more directly dictated by Dracula and she's very clear that it doesn't seem like Jonathan's usual writing style. She even suspects a forgery, but his handwriting convinces her otherwise in the end.

If I'm reading this correctly, it took about 8 weeks for Mina to get the letter Jonathan wrote on 12 May, and about 5 weeks for Mr. Hawkins to get the one sent on 19 June. Assuming the latter timeline is more typical (since who knows how long Dracula took to get around to mailing that first letter; the later three are specifically dated), the letter saying he's in Bistritz is actually already running a week late. (If we split the difference, then it could be expected very soon, though.) Meanwhile, for all Mina knows Jonathan left the castle just about two months ago and hasn't communicated at all since. Setting aside that it should not take him that long to come home (I don't have the time right now to look up how long the journey is supposed to take, but definitely less than this), it's still wildly out of character for him not to let her know if he has been delayed further for some reason.

So yeah, that's all deeply alarming. And then we get on to her pleasantly distracting summer vacation, which so far is anything but. Lucy is sleepwalking, Mrs. Westenra is freaked about it, Mina has to watch over her and thus is getting little sleep herself. This doubtless increases her stress levels on its own, but I suspect also is what leads her to hint at him possibly being ill. She does the same thing later on; after there is a bad storm and a ship crashes ashore with no one alive aboard, she doubts whether he is on sea and wonders where he is. And then today, after attending the funeral/after her friend's death, she comes close to wondering if he is even alive, before trailing off and just praying for him instead.

All the bad stuff happening around her keeps making her think of what might be happening to Jonathan too, and the possibilities are just steadily getting worse... but all could end in death. Maybe he caught some illness and died with no one looking after him (Lucy). Maybe he was traveling on a ship and drowned in a storm (Demeter). Maybe he was attacked and murdered (Mr. Swales - though Mina doesn't say he has been, the nature of his death could easily remind her of such a possibility).

Maybe this all happened weeks ago.

She has no way of knowing, and thus nothing she can do about it. Last she heard he'd left the castle, so even if she wanted to go search for him (and somehow found the money for a sustained search), she wouldn't have any clear destination. It's just "somewhere between Transylvania and England" and that's a big space. So all she can do is worry over him. Try to deny the possibility.

Pray.

#dracula daily #mina murray #jonathan harker #jonmina #anonymous #replies

[lure-of-writing]

Stop at Nothing

Authors note: I honestly love how this turned out. I am thinking about making this into a series but I would love to hear what you guys think about that!

Summary: Everything was normal until it wasn't. Possibly pregnant with Joels baby, you head off to work as a doctor in the Er only for it to be the worst shift of your life and soon your whole world is flipped upside down by a series of unguessable events. Your life was calm and easy before, go to work, come home and take care of your two daughters with Joel. Now its life or death and life never prepared you for this situation.

Joel Miller x F!Reader

Word count:3.8k

Warnings: character death, cursing, guns, pregnancy

August 29, 2013 

Every morning for the last week without a doubt you woke up at an ungodly hour to empty last night's dinner into your toilet. This caused concern to rise within you. There is no way you can be pregnant again right? Maybe you had the stomach flu, Sarah had just returned to school and kids tend to get sick since there are so many germs being spread around. Deep down you knew that a pregnancy test would be in your near future but after telling Joel last time you were pregnant left you a little scared about the possibility of a positive test. 

November, 2012 

Now Joel is a loving, patient man who knows no bounds for his family and the people that he loves. Was he stressed when you gave him a peed on pregnancy test with a baby onesie, absolutely. Did you guys go back and front on whether or not to keep the pregnancy, yes. But did that mean he loved his youngest daughter any less? No, absolutely not. 

But to say that it hadn't put a stress on your relationship would be a lie. Joel was already working too late and too many hours to try and provide for Sarah and You had just Finished your residency and were officially a doctor which meant that your working hours were insane and often pushed you past your physical limits and beyond. This obviously was a concern for him, with your career having a baby at this time was less than ideal. His reasoning for not wanting to keep the child was for your health, if you were pregnant that meant everything you felt would be doubled and the stress of being a new doctor he feared would cause you to lose the baby. To you having a baby was a no brainer, plenty of people in the same shoes as you also were having babies, and if they could do it then so could you and nothing could convince you otherwise.  

For days the two of you went back and forth about what to do but often your conversations would be interrupted by an innocent Sarah who needed her dad or wanted to talk to you about girl stuff, you may not be her mother but she treated you like you were. After about four days of weighing the pros and cons of bringing another life into this world you booked yourself an ultrasound to see how far along you were so you could better weigh your options but after seeing those black and white pictures you knew that there was no other option then to keep the growing baby inside of you. 

Sarah had asked to spend the night at one of her friends' houses that morning which finally gave you and Joel the chance to sit down and really talk without having to put your thoughts on hold. After dropping Sarah off you entered the house you shared with Joel and started cooking dinner, you knew he wouldn’t likely show up until way past dinner time but you were hungry and needed something to distract your mind. How were you going to tell Joel that you wanted to keep the baby? What if he disagreed? Before you were able to jump too deeply into the worst case scenarios Joel walked through the door. You sat at the dinner table barely touching your food suddenly the need to eat was gone and anxiety sat at its seat at the dinner table instead. Joel could feel how nervous you were, you had something to tell him. “Darlin’ I can feel your nerves over here, what’s going on?” Without saying a word you get up and walk over to your purse that sat on the counter and pulled out the ultrasound pictures. Silently sitting there you stared at the tiny little bean looking shape and wondered what you would do if Joel disagreed with what you wanted. 

Shakily you handed the pictures to Joel and he looked them over before returning to stare at you. “I want this Joel” Your voice a whisper on the verge of crying, he glances at the pictures before looking at you again “Look I know it will be hard but with my income we will be ok, you won’t have to work as much and I can take maternity leave and-” Joel moves to kneel in front of you “Darlin’ you don’t need to give me a list of reasons, ok?” His soft movement of his thumbs rubbing your stomach gave you so much comfort but you needed to hear him say it. “We’re doing this?” With a gentle nod he brings his hand to cup your cheek while the other stay on your stomach “We’re doing this, darlin’, we’re doing this”

September 27, 2013

Now your daughter was three months old and the absolute light of your life. Your pregnancy wasn’t easy, you had your fair share of struggles just like any other woman throughout her pregnancy but god was your daughter worth it all and ten times more. So to say that you were surprised you were experiencing symptoms of pregnancy again is an understatement, but to be sure you would make an appointment to get your blood checked and see if they were at the levels needed for pregnancy. But for now that would have to wait tonight you would be going in for an forty-eight hour shift on call and as much as you hated leaving your babies you had to go to work. Luckily Sarah would watch baby Evelyn for a few hours until Joel got home to handle the rest. 

“Sarah babe? Do you have everything you need until your dad gets home?” She walks into the kitchen with a giggling Evelyn in her arms “For the millionth time,yes.” she glances at the clock before her eyes return to your frantic figure running around trying to make yourself coffee. “Oh shit, ok I have to go, dinner is in the fridge, there's milk for Eve in there also and if you need anything call me!” you were halfway out the door before you realized you forgot something. Turning around you kiss Evelyn's head and Sarah's cheek “I love you guys so so so much, don’t you ever forget that ok?” and with that you were out the door and unknowingly on your way into a fast unfolding nightmare. 

The first twenty-four hours were ok. Not much happened but nothing happening  in the hospital ment all was good. Somewhere between the thirty hour to forty-eight hour mark things started to pick up. As a trauma doctor in the ER you dealt with the worst of the worst injuries but since the ER was slammed you helped out where you could, just because you had a specialty doesn’t mean you couldn’t help. The people who were coming in were acting odd but when their blood work came back it was clear of drugs and alcohol, others were trashing about uncontrollably and one even tried to bite one of your co-workers but was restrained and sedated. A few hours after that was when shit really hit the fan, you were exhausted and it was almost the end of your shift which meant you just wanted to go home and see your babies and boyfriend, but you took an oath to help those in need no matter what so you kept doing your job even in the chaos of the ER department, until all staff was pulled into a quick meeting and was notified that until further notice the hospital would be on lock down. 

As soon as you got a second you called Joel but he didn’t answer so you left a voicemail instead “Joel, I don’t know what's going on but the hospital is on lock down” you went quiet for a few seconds trying to pull your thoughts together and make a real sentence. “Look I don’t know what's happening but I can tell it's not good, whatever it is at least. The hospital has been crazy the last few hours and we have no idea what's going on.”  Suddenly the tvs all play the same announcement, stay inside and don’t move. “Joel whatever happens don’t come to the hospital do not under any circumstances come here Joel. It's going to be one hundred times worse here, Joel, I’m begging you do not come here. Get the girls and get them to safety. I will find you guys I promise but I need you to keep them safe. I love you Joel, and tell the girls that mommy loves them too.” Just then a blood curdling scream is released and you hangup. Turning to see what is happening you find someone on top of another person and it looks like they’re eating them. 

If the hospital was chaos before then all hell has broken loose now. The person stopped what they were doing and moved to stand up and look around as it slowly spun around in a circle. You saw something coming out of its mouth and it was moving. 

When in medical school you often play a game of what-ifs. What if that happened, what if this happened? As doctors it's important to understand that anything could happen and you must be prepared for it. That's why you run hypotheticals all the time, the world is constantly evolving and if we don’t stay on top of it we will be under it. You learn a lot of things in medical school but one of the things you learn is the worst case scenario. What will happen if this disease comes back stronger or what if this one mutates, then what? And it was your job to come up with an answer that best fit the situation described. During one of your classes your professor played a video from the nineteen sixties about what would happen if a fungus evolved. And staring at the person, no it wasn’t a person anymore, you realized he was right, everything he said was correct. 

Suddenly it launched itself to the people nearest to it and started attacking, you took this chance and ran. You couldn’t care less if after everything was done and calm again you lost your job or even your license for deserting your job as a doctor but something told you that wouldn’t be happening so you ran until you were in the staff room where all of your belongings were and began to grab your stuff. Frantically grabbing your car keys and bag you see other people doing the same thing, good to know you won’t be the only one losing their job. 

As you made your way to your car you saw the same scene from inside paint itself on the outside. Just as you locked your door, helicopters flew by along with felt like a million other things. “Please,please help me!” the banging on your car window startled you, a young man bangs on your window, looking around you see it's getting worse, so against your breaking heart you pull out of the parking spot and start heading back home. On your way there you see countless cop cars and even military vehicles on the roads, it was like a mini war zone in the making and that couldn’t be good. 

Joel's heart was racing after picking up Tommy he knew he needed to get back to his kids and get to you so you guys could move and figure this out as a family. While Tommy was driving Joel went to call you. He saw he had already left a voicemail and he listened to it. Hearing your voice sound so scared broke his heart but listening to you tell him to leave you there was more heartbreaking, leaving the mother of his children all alone at the hospital where like you said it was going to be ten times worse was a blow to the gut, but be knew you would never forgive him he put your children in danger and neither would he. So he told Tommy to head to his house and without a second thought he began to form a plan to get them out of harm's way and somewhere he can keep them safe while trying to figure out how to get to you.  

One night while you and Joel were sitting in your living room you began to explain how hospitals work and what exactly you do. After a while the conversation dulls until your boyfriend speaks up “So what exactly happens if there's a huge nationwide emergency, like I know during hurricanes staff have to stay and help but what else.” Taking another sip of wine you begin to think about all the things that happen in those cases. “Well for one no matter what we go into lock down, no one in or out. If it's some sort of attack, same thing except authorized personnel so we have enough people to help with the large amount of people that would be coming in. Most of the situations are like that with a few different rules in place depending on what is happening but all in all it's the same more or less. But what I will tell you is this”  You lean forward and look him in the eyes, you two may be a little wine drunk but this is important and you needed him to understand this. “If anything of that sort ever happens do not under any circumstances ever come to the hospital, don’t go to police or fire stations. Stay the fuck away from those. People who are first responders and healthcare workers will be the first to go. Why? Because we are the first defense. When someone gets sick or hurt where do they go? Either into an ambulance or to the hospital. When someone gets injured because of a fight or something dangerous happens, who responds? Police and firefighter. We are the people who help when things hit the fan so you know what that means? We usually don’t know what we’ve gotten ourselves into but we know we need to help. But in those situations it's usually mass numbers of people and if something goes wrong, we will be the first ones affected.” Joel had never thought about that before but now that you said it, it made sense maybe a little too much sense. What you said scared the shit out of him, mostly because that meant everything you said you understood and acknowledged, that something on a mass scale could be the reason you aren’t on earth anymore was terrifying. “I guess that does make sense but damn I never thought about that.” Shrugging you respond “Most people don’t but it’s one of the realities of being a healthcare worker.”

Joel's mind comes back from memory land right as they pull up in front of his house and see Sarah there holding Evelyn slowly backing away from the Adler woman. Jumping out of the car he puts himself between the old lady and his daughters. “What are we gonna do Joel?” Just then the lady jumps at her and he swings the wrench at her hitting her in the head. Quickly he turns around and ushers his children into the truck before they take off. Sarah was quick to notice a missing person. “Dad, where's mom?” Three simple words yet they shook him to his core. On any other day they would be just like every other question she asked but today her voice was shaking and when he looked back at his babygirl tears were in her eyes and her voice sounded so scared. “Don’t worry baby, momma is going to find us. She promised.” 

You returned back to the road you lived on to see it was a mess. Street lights were off and power boxes had exploded. And bodies were everywhere, they may not be dead but they might as well be classified as such. Slowing down you peer out of your passenger window trying to see if anyone was still at your house but were quickly met with bloody hands banging on your window. Without second thought you speed off and don’t look back. You needed to think and think quick. Think like Joel. After taking a moment you remember that in these types of situations the military will set up camp and use that as a point of operation, it could get you killed as they most likely have a shoot to kill order but at least you could try and plus being a doctor would help right? At that moment you were thankful you had a full tank of gas and a fuel efficient car because you were sure that it was going to take you a little bit of time and driving to find one of these camps. 

It had been a few days since everything started and you successfully made it into a military camp the first night before being moved to a quarantine zone. As a doctor they had you help them sort through the people coming in. Sure you were not a military doctor or personnel but you were a doctor nonetheless and they needed all the help they could get. You were placed in a tent to treat superficial wounds, not a very good way to put your training to use but as you know even a cut can lead to a deadly infection. Plus it gave you something to distract your mind with that is until you heard your name being called and not by anyone it was Joel, your Joel. 

Next thing you know his arms are wrapped around your body and you're both crying. ‘Where are the girls? Where is Tommy?” Quickly you pull aways to find the answer to your questions but only see Tommy holding your youngest daughter. You rush to grab her out of his hands and sooth her as best you can but probably more so yourself, while you do so you look around Tommys figure to see if you can find Sarah. “Joel? Where's Sarah? Is she getting grabbing food or something?” Turning around to face the father of your children you see the tears building in his eyes and the heartbreak on his face and in an instant you know. Sarahs gone. You feel the urge to throw up and that's what you do, handing your surviving daughter back to Tommy you run over to the trash can and empty what little food you did have in your system. 

If you're being honest you don't remember much of that day. You remember Joel and his arms around your body, feeling your daughter against your chest and seeing Tommy but other than that, it’s blank. You knew it was a trauma response, a way of your body trying to protect itself. And you were thankful for it because you never wanted to relive that moment again. 

Now you had to focus on protecting your daughter, keeping her alive and fed. Making sure Joel was as ok as a parent could be after losing a child, and making sure Tommy didn’t get any stupid ideas. For the most part you forgot about the potential pregnancy to busy wrapped up in trying to survive in this new way of life. But then you missed your period and your breasts started to hurt and every smell was making you nauseated. You knew without a doubt that you were pregnant. Unfortunately you never got the chance to tell Joel. A Member of the military came to inform you that you were being moved to the Denver QZ. “Right now” this started you “Um ok let me go tell my family so we can grab our things.” in that moment you failed to see the man's grim expression. “No ma'am, just you and your child are permitted to go.” This frustrated you and you were going to give him hell until he let your family go with you. No way in hell were you going somewhere that Joel and Tommy weren’t. 

You burst into the tent that you and your family had been sharing with strangers the past few weeks with the military man right on your heels. “Listen to this Joel!” Your announcement and startled look caught his attention as you grab your baby from Joel waiting for the random man to repeat what he said to you. “We will be moving her and your daughter to the Denver QZ, no one else is permitted to join her.” Joel was quick to his feet and in the man's face “Like hell you’ll be taking my wife and children somewhere I’m not!” Other military persons moved into the room with guns pointed, it didn’t take much to be killed these days. But that wasn’t what you focused on. Joel said children as in more than one, but it wasn’t plural it was just one and it was just Evelyn. 

“Sir, you need to step back and remain calm!” Someone yelled causing your baby to cry. You silently shushed her as hot tears ran down your cheeks. “Don’t tell me to remain calm when you are trying to take my family away from me!” One man nods to another man and suddenly you feel a barrel of a gun to your head. “You either calm down or we kill her.” Joel felt his blood run cold as he saw what was happening before him. He wouldn’t let these men harm you so he stayed quiet and didn’t move. He would do anything necessary to keep you and his daughter safe. And for now that meant playing along with them. The men start to move and grab what they assume is your things. “Can I at least say goodbye?” The man holding the gun to you drops the barrel and gives a slight nod motioning for you to go ahead. 

You wrap one arm around him while the other supports your daughter. “Listen to me Joel don’t try anything stupid,Ok? They will not hesitate to kill you. I will go and I will take Evelyn. I’m a high value person right now and they won’t do anything to me. I heard that people have been communicating through the radio. I'll tell them to play our song dedicated to E. When you hear it you’ll know it's me. Joel, you need to stay safe and be smart. Me and Eve need you. We will figure out a plan but for now stay alive and keep Tommy that way too, ok?” He shakes with anger but he knows your right, you’ve always been the more level headed one between the two of you. “Let's go.” the same man from earlier tells you and reluctantly he lets go of the two most important people in his life. Watching you get on that copper with Evelyn clinging to your chest was like watching the last remaining parts of his heart leave with you two. And he knew he would stop at nothing to get you two back.

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #tlou imagine #tlou x reader #joel x reader #Joel x pregnant!reader #Joel x doctor!reader #joel miller drabble #joel miller series #pre outbreak!Joel #post outbreak!Joel

[elipheleh]

mary & george feature in tv & satellite magazine. airs in the uk on tuesday (5th) at 9pm on sky atlantic & sky showcase. boxset will be available on sky boxsets/NOW.

text under the cut

Hollywood star Julianne Moore adopts her best English accent this week when she plays Mary Villiers, a mother-of-four determined to secure her family's future, in Sky's seven-part drama Mary & George.

When she learns that King James (Tony Curran) is in a sexual relationship with his adviser, the Earl of Somerset (Laurie Davidson), Mary realises she could gain considerable power and influence if her son George (Nicholas Galitzine) becomes the King's new favourite.

'Mary is from a kind of middling aristocratic family,’ explains Moore, 'She's living in less-than-ideal circumstances, looking for a way to educate her children and keep herself alive. The only way she's really able to do that is through her relationships with powerful men.’

After sending George to France to learn refinement, Mary endeavours to get him noticed - and King James is soon enamoured with the handsome young man.

'At the beginning, the relationship is very transactional for George’, explains Galitzine, 29. 'I don't think he develops feelings for James until a few months, perhaps years, into the relationship. George definitely has something to gain, but the love is very much real between them.'

Although the King is aware of the power games being played around him, he finds it refreshing that George comes from outside the usual circles of the royal court.

‘James is comfortable when hes in the company of his lovers - he wants to forget about being a king,’ says Curran, 54. ‘He wants that distraction of feeling safe with another person, as opposed to lords and politicians constantly grabbing at him, wanting him to make decisions about affairs of state.’

OUTRAGEOUS TRUESTORY

The series is based on the nonfiction book The King's Assassin by Benjamin Woolley, and Moore was drawn to the project by the way Mary seemed ahead of her time.

‘There was something outrageous and direct about her’, says Moore, who won a Best Actress Oscar in 2015 for her role as an early onset Alzheimer's patient in Still Alice. 'She seemed to have her own desire for power and agency in a situation where she might possibly have none. It's interesting what she achieved at a time when women couldn't even own property.’

The cast also includes Trine Dyrholm as Queen Anne of Denmark, Niamh Algar as Mary's confidante, prostitute Sandie, and Nicola Walker as the Queen's lady-in-waiting Lady Hatton.

Mary & George's salty language and revealing sex scenes may surprise some viewers, but the stars believe it reflects the earthy instincts of its characters as they grapple for power.

"The sensuality in the show isn't crass in any way, says Curran. 'It was certainly interesting for me. I'd ask the producers, "What am I wearing today?" and theyd reply, “Your birthday suit, pal!"’

'It's not a typical period drama because of the licence it takes with behaviours and sexuality,’ agrees Moore. 'It's beautiful and opulent and a wildly entertaining romp through history.’

Who’s Who (top right of image)

Mary Villiers

Julianne Moore

The deeply ambitious mother lives on her wits and wants to create a lasting legacy for her family.

George Villiers

Nicholas Galitzine

Mary's second son gains new-found confidence and charm after an educational visit to France.

King James

Tony Curran

The first joint ruler of Scotland and England, the King is seldom seen without an entourage of male companions.

Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset

Laurie Davidson

The King's current favourite is determined to stop George from usurping him.

Queen Anne of Denmark

Trine Dynolm

The Queen would prefer her husband's favourite to be someone she can control.

Sandie

Niamh Algar

Mary's confidante is a prostitute in a high-end brothel, making her privy to the secrets of the rich and powerful.

#nicholas galitzine #nick galitzine #tony curran #julianne moore #mary and george #mary & george #not rwrb #elio’s #alt text added #and the full text is in the post #didnt get all the words because i couldn’t work out where to put all the image captions #but generally got most of it #george villiers #idk why the quality is so bad rip

[seafoamreadings]

week of december 17th, 2023

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: capricorn season, soon, marked by the solstice, puts the focus and highlight on your public image, and the work you do that really matters, trickling down through the generations to your descendants, genetic or otherwise. so do good work. if you can't in your career, you can in your day to day endeavors.

taurus: your week's energy is productive but internal. and it is productive to you and your path through life, but others may not see it as productive - it may not serve them, or their conventions or traditions.

gemini: retrograde mercury backs up into your 7th house again, so relationships get a revisit. maybe you're going back over old fears, old patterns, old problems. maybe you're revisiting what you love, need, or desire. but watch for recurring themes, so you can act accordingly.

cancerians: your sign does tend to be susceptible to 'cuffing season' hype, not least of all due to capricorn season meaning your 7th house season! so do make your home hygge and happy, and if you find someone you truly love let them in, but don't think you need to pair off to be happy and comfortable. go hermit (crab) mode if it's better.

leo: the beginning of capricorn season is less feisty fiery than you might like but it's a really good time to power up your daily routines as rituals; the deep meditation of a good workout, the life force in your food, the shamanism of sleep, etc.

virgo: romantic fires are stoked from capricorn season on. that may be within a pre-existing relationship, or outside of it. it could be the blossoms of a new one, or a dabbling outside of one. try not to let anyone get hurt; you are not the only one with feelings.

libra: particularly in the second half of this week, it's auspicious to make your home nice, to make it a place of restoration, which can be stimulating when it needs to or relaxing when that need arises. it should also be beautiful, without requiring excessive ownership or spending.

scorpio: if, in some small way, you can help someone in your immediate vicinity - a family member, a roommate, a neighbor, a cold or hungry person on the street - then helping them will be immensely rewarded in some surprising way later on.

sagittarius: noticeable if not extremely earthshattering events occur this week around the last degree of your sign and the first degrees of capricorn. so this can seem quite fraught. but don't act too impulsively. mercury is still retrograde after all. you do have more time than it seems. think it out first, and carefully.

capricorn: the sun into your sign starts your season off perhaps chaotically as mercury is also hanging around here at these critical degrees of 29 sagittarius and 0 capricorn. so enhance and fortify your mercury retrograde protocols!

aquarius: like it or not - and maybe you do - but you're doing deep work these days. venus this week opposing uranus in taurus helps, but you have to make choices about your public vs private lives. can you reconcile them or must you give one up?

pisces: the sagittarian quality of the week boosts the most mutable among you but can drain pisceans with the softer and gentler qualities of your sign. so let yourself get a bit tuckered out, but rest and recuperate after, before you continue.

#weekly horoscope #weekly horoscopes #horoscope #horoscopes #astrology #zodiac #signs #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces

[vashtijoy]

@pugs-cats-bb-8 tagged on my 7/9 post:

#persona 5#goro akechi#it's funny that you say he's hard to get a hold of#the first day he's available is 6-13#and he's available 10 times leading up to mid-July#plus his rank 3 is dependent on having R.3 charm And Knowledge plus no rain#even though I'm sure that cafe has a slight awning#he says the charm and knowledge is because his fans won't except any less#I think Akechi's just picky and playing hard to get#he's only available 39 times in the whole game#September is the worst month with 4 days of availability#October is a close second with 5 days#best months are August and November with 8 and 7#throw in a double stat block and a weather block for R. 3#an aquarium date dependent on ranking up Ohya And doing Futaba's palace as soon as it opens#R. 6 having a date block#R. 7 having a date block And stat block of Knowledge R.4#plus if you want the best ending and his third tier you have to pick specific choices#he's also very picky in presents#only 6 presents give 3 notes#2 presents give 2 notes#and the rest give one note#this boy is very complicated

That is invaluable information, and a level of attention to detail of which I can only dream tbh. So, in that spirit, I went back and replayed the whole of June and half of July, to get a complete calendar of Akechi interactions. Here's what I learned:

Apart from Saturday, there doesn't seem to be any real "you can find him on these days" schedule. Between June 10th (confidant 1) and July 12th (the date I got confidant 5 on my live playthrough), there are 9 days when you can find Akechi in Kichijoji, and those days are as follows:

all three possible Saturdays;

3 out of 4 possible Wednesdays. The other, 6/15, is rained off—though he doesn't show up even if you're doing confidant 2 rather than 3, and of course he shows up for confidant 2 on 6/13 in the rain;

once each on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday;

never on Friday or Sunday.

The week of 6/13 only has one day when you can find him—the Monday, when you can get confidant 2 and then he vanishes for the rest of the week. If you (say) don't get confidant 2 on 6/13, he still won't show up on 6/15 (his regular Wednesday slot) to offer it again;

The weeks of 6/27 and 7/4 each have two opportunities to meet him;

The week of 6/20, on the other hand, has three opportunities, and he will text you twice;

Once you're time-locked on the confidant, he will no longer appear in Kichijoji, and he will not text you to hang out;

If he's not time-locked, he always texts on Saturdays, so it looks like you're his big night out. Heavens, Akechi, the wild life you do lead.

so does he vanish for months in the summer?

Over in this post, I talked about how Akechi vanishes for most of September and October, in the runup to Joker's murder. There just appear to be no plot notes that bring the two of you together.

If you do confidant 5 on 7/2, and confidant 6 when it unlocks on 9/3, that looks like another two-month gap—but actually, there are various choreographed events that break it up:

train station meetings on 7/11, 7/20 and 9/2;

the lunch with Yoshizawa on 7/11;

the Medjed meeting with the PTs on 7/18;

the aquarium date on 7/29;

there is then a month's gap before the Leblanc trauma dump on 8/28—interesting, since this mostly overlaps with Futaba's Palace. Which Akechi doesn't know about, so it looks like they've vanished as planned.

So they have a lot going on in July even apart from the confidant. But in August, in the summer, they're out of each other's hair, until he comes back for 8/28 and confidant 6. What's going on? Is this actually a longer disconnect of three months after confidant 5, broken up by setting up the Okumura plot? Does he think Joker gave up as he predicted, when faced with a difficult opponent like Medjed? (disappointing) Is it something else entirely? Or does he just have a busy August?

@pugs-cats-bb-8 mentions in their tags that September and October are Akechi's worst months for availability, which corresponds with his vanishing from the plot for those two months as shit falls apart. If August, by contrast, really is the best time to find him, it suggests he's not intentionally avoiding you then so much as the plot is just not throwing you together.

It looks like, in theory, confidant stages 2-5 are meant to be done by the end of July, when the game schedules a lot of other social stuff for you.

here's the calendar

June M T W T F S S 06 07 08 09 ! 11 12 * 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 x * 24 x 26 27 28 * 30

July M T W T F S S 01 x 03 04 05 * 07 08 x 10 11 *

x—days when Akechi texts you to hang out. *—days when you can find Akechi in Kichijoji, but no text. !—the TV studio. Confidant 1.

Days when the game will always stop you doing anything in the evening (and so you could never meet anyone) are struck out.

Days in red are days he didn't appear in this replay (where I nailed all the dates), but did appear in my real, current playthrough (where I'm about a week behind). Note that 7/9 itself is one of these days—if you get confidant 5 on 7/2, he will not then face you on 7/9 after his tantrum.

Here's a summary list of events:

6/10 Friday—the TV studio. Confidant 1.

6/13 Monday—available in Kichijoji. Confidant 2.

6/22 Wednesday—he texts you in the evening. Confidant 3.

6/23 Thursday—available in Kichijoji. (no rank up)

6/25 Saturday—he texts you in the evening. Confidant 4.

6/29 Wednesday—available in Kichijoji. (no rank up)

7/2 Saturday—he texts you in the evening. Confidant 5.

7/6 Wednesday—available in Kichijoji. (but not if rank 5)

7/9 Saturday—he texts you in the evening. (but not if rank 5)

7/12 Tuesday—available in Kichijoji. (but not if rank 5)

also, we dreamed of him

Also, playing back to check certain days I missed to voluntary Metaverse activity, I found out you can go to bed early and have a dream that raises your stats or your confidants! So that's worth knowing. If you got this far down, here are some entertaining dreams.

"I dreamed that I was being chased by a gigantic Akechi... I'm glad that was just a dream."

"I dreamed that Akechi and I went to the beach, but the waves washed away my swimming trunks... I'm glad that was just a dream."

"I had a dream where I was in a quiet café, asking Akechi for advice... I feel a little closer to Akechi."

I think you may have a better chance of getting "good dreams" if you are ranked higher with the confidant.

#persona 5 #p5 meta #goro akechi

[calekinnieplus]

So... apparently I've reached the end of the Main Story. That's... surreal. I've done it.

Of course, there's still the side stories left, but I'll definitely read them soon.

But man, oh man. The last few chapters Hit me where it hurts. Klein is asleep. We don't know when he'll wake up. The apocalypse is coming.

But hey, at least he high-fived his niece? T^T

(Still crying over that, don't mind me-)

It was a long road. Some weeks were filled with binging, others - less so. Nevertheless, I've read the main story. It took less than a year, good on me. I wrote down the date I reached a certain chapter, every 100th chapter, I wrote it down.

Here it is:

5 Jun, downloaded epub, read 1st chapter

Chap 69 - 25 Jul

Chap 100 - 30 Jul

Chap 200 - 4 Aug

Chap 300 - 7 Aug

Chap 400 - 9 Aug

Chap 500 - 13 Aug

Chap 600 - 22 Aug

Chap 700 - 24 Aug

Chap 716 (50%) - 25 Aug

Chap 800 - 29 Aug

Chap 900 - 3 Sept

Chap 1000 - 22 Sept

Chap 1100 - 18 Oct

Chap 1169 - 26 Oct

Chap 1200 - 28 Oct

Chap 1300 - 8 Nov

Chap 1332 - 22 Nov

Chap 1394 - 27 Nov [Main Story - The End]

Ohhh man. It's crazy.

I have a lot of good impressions from this novel. Some more melancholic than others. Others, on the funnier side. Overall, it definitely had an impact.

Klein is a character that, at surface level, you'd think is boring, but when you actually pay attention to his thoughts, his feelings, and his decisions, you're blown away.

Klein's a food connoisseur who likes to try various dishes, but definitely has a sweet tooth. He's someone who likes to lampoon, in good or bad times. He's loyal to his friends, making sure to pay back what he owes. He's kind and tries his best to lend a helping hand when he can. He's selfless in the way he decided to confront a terrifying entity that was rivaled by God Almighty, to keep his promises to people that placed their faith in him, to protect those he holds dear to his heart, to bring forth hope for everyone.

He's a miserable existence, plagued by the madness ever-present in the Beyonder characteristic that he consumed. A lonely existence, separated from his previous friends and family by force and his current friends and family by choice. Fighting against what seems to be an impossible foe, fighting to break a cycle of madness and pain to protect humanity.

He's also... Klein Moretti. One of my favorite characters that deeply hurt me when he was hurt, that made me panic when he was panicked and made me happy when he achieved victory against all odds. Thank you.

Lord of the Mysteries is a wonderful novel. Each volume had a story that built up spectacularly for the ending, each story making me sympathize with characters we only saw a few times.

Although some characters were more fleshed out than others, although there were some moments I didn't enjoy in full, that's only natural. It definitely projected a picture I could marvel at and it was undoubtedly a good choice on my part to pick this novel up heh

I shall continue to read the side stories, but consider this my thanks towards Cuttlefish and the story itself for the wonderful experience.

And to everyone who enjoyed my ramblings and reactions to my binging, thanks for being here with me. It was a great time!

ONWARDS, MY FRIENDS!

#vertigone rambles #lotm #lord of the mysteries #binging lotm #lotm spoilers #we are at the end of the main story #exciting isnt it? #let's say we're talking about chapter 1394 #thank you for having me everyone

[hoboal87]

I'M BAAAAACCCCCKKKKK

Because Tumblr is doing it's tumblr thing 🙄 I'm going to do this as a separate post instead of a reblog:

After having this on an unofficial hiatus for the last 18-ish months, I am finally ready to start updating again 🎉🎉

For those who don't know, I very unexpectedly became pregnant last January (which coincidentally is about the same time I last updated) and the muses decided to no longer shine on me, and I have been adjusting to single motherhood. But now that my baby is spending every other weekend (theoretically, that is) with his dad and I'm at a much less demanding job, I'm hoping to able to write more often.

Good news though! Don't Speak is finished!! With the exception of an epilogue, which may get tacked on to the last chapter depending on its length, everything is done and is currently being beta'd.

I had to change some plans for the final chapters, essentially writing one very long chapter (9k+) and we are working on if and where to split into more manageable length chapters. So, expect at least 2 more chapters and a possible epilogue 🙂

Thanks to everyone who's been patient with me, and the very kind asks ♥️♥️♥️

I hope to have the next part posted by no later than the end of next week, and all others will be posted on a weekly basis until complete.

Love you all and I can't wait for you to read the final parts of this crazy ride.

You can catch up here: Don't Speak Masterlist

If you are interested in being tagged in the last few parts please send me an ask, DM, or reblog 😁

Also be on the lookout for a new series - Sleeping with Other People - posting dates tbd but I'll have a teaser for you soon 😉

@akshi8278 @that-one-gay-girl @supraveng @coldmuffinbanditshoe @stiles-stilinski-24-dylan  @screechingartisancashbailiff @flamencodiva @lyarr24 @slamminmine @ilovetaquitosmmmm @deandreamernp @stoneyggirl @spnbaby-67 @sandlee44 @spngi @drakelover78 @mrswhozeewhatsis   @mimaria420 @spnbaby-67 ​ @black-rose-29 @luvmybbies @manawhaat @pink-sparkly-witch  @pisces-cutie @deeranger @shaelyn102 @negansnympho89 @rominaszh

@negans-lucille-tblr @the-knights-of-ne @drakelover78 @jarpad24 @flutistbyday2020 @cockslutpadalecki @rededfoxy @negansnympho89 @synmorite @writethelifeyouwant

#sam winchester #dean winchester #supernatural #smut #angst #fanfic

[authorsadiethatcher]

It's time for another State of the Thatcher Address. I tried writing this earlier, but I just ran out of time. But now you get it here, with my latest updates on what's happening in the Thatcherverse.

Last month I talked about being behind on my writing. The good news is I've caught up. And I've got a lot of fun stuff planned for you, which I'll mention specifically below.

This month I need to lead off with the fact I have books up for several awards and you can help me win. The 2023 Golden Pigtails is a series of erotica awards hosted by Alexa Sommers. The categories aren't necessarily great fits for my books, but this is my first time being involved. Check out the awards and you can vote for your favorites. This is the semifinals. Voting in this round goes through February 14.

2023 Golden Pigtails: https://alexasommers.com/the-golden-pigtails-2023-semifinals/

A quick reminder that you can find my books on Amazon, Smashwords, Google Play Books, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Everand. You can also read everything I've published under my Sadie Thatcher name since last May on Ream, which is a subscription platform built specifically for authors. You can check out my Ream page below.

Ream: https://reamstories.com/sadiethatcher

And speaking of Ream, I have a Ream exclusive novel called The Muse (extreme dollification) that is approaching completion. I've set new chapters to release twice per week (Tuesdays and Fridays). When not writing new stories, I'm spending my time writing The Muse.

However, as soon as I finish The Muse, I will redirect that free time toward my other pen name, Libby Feron. As Libby, I write modern fantasy romance. I'll have a free novella available to prepare for a new trilogy that I hope to publish this year. The trilogy will be focused on a previously introduced character as she heads off to a college for magical people. I don't talk about my fantasy writing often, so checking out https://libbyferon.com/ and signing up for the email newsletter is the best way to stay informed. And that free novella will be exclusive to newsletter subscribers, so you'll want to sign up for that.

Now to focus on this month's upcoming books. In addition to the ending of The Muse, I will be finishing the Protest Babes Series. At the time of this address, the third book hasn't been published yet, but it will be called Vexing the Vixen. I've also just started an auction themed series, understandably titles the Bimbo Auction Series with Ring in the Bimbo. A ring plays an important role. A pair of panties and a hairbrush will be important in the other books in the series.

Some of the other upcoming books I've got in the pipeline for this month is a series based on a future glimpse that will lead women toward bimbodom. And then the one I'm really excited for, which won't see the light until the very end of the month is a series inspired by the time loop in the movie Groundhog Day. I considered moving it up to coincide with the holiday, but I decided against it, because other than the time loop inspiration, the movie and the series will have little in common.

So that's what you can expect in February. It's a packed month, especially because there are only 29 days (yay leap year). My favorite part is how sunset occurs later every day. That's true in January, too, but it's less noticeable.

Have a sexy and bimbo-filled February!

#sadie thatcher #golden pigtails #buildingbettergiggles #state of the thatcher address

[alitgblog]

ok thoughts for volume IV bc I actually enjoyed it a lot lol

also I'm currently on a Jin route (i might switch to claudia i have not decided) so that's important context lol

I Spy was an interesting concept for a game but if i can nitpick here, it felt much more like a firepit game than a challenge and that would be nice to have some variety since last week was the Heartbreaker thing and next week we have Excess Baggage.

For whatever reason I can't remember the format of the show rn but I think if the game is gonna continue with doing about a day more or less per volume, it should be like the show where there is at least one or two major events being either dates (where couples are either all in the same area, one couple goes out of the villa, or there's bombshells involved), challenges (where they go out onto the stage and do some physical challenge), or parties (which can include games). And right now I feel like we're getting three challenges in a row and I'd rather we change it up. But that's besides the point

anyway i believed Jack when he said his secret wasn't supposed to cause drama but I did not believe Theo at all and the fact that we got to tell him that later? Great choice. (and also so in character for MC to tell him off and him to just continue pretending like she didn't say that)

Also very flirty moments with Claudia is what is making this Jin route so hard. she's very forward and the fact that you can pursue her so soon is great actually. I thought maybe she and theo would share a slow burn route but it seems like it might be just Theo (or that you can't officially couple up with her later but apparently you can kiss her and go to the hideaway and stuff so that's cool).

I'm always hoping for non MC centered drama and we got it (but also there WAS MC centered drama too so that's even better)

I love to have a character to hate/dislike, so thank you so much Sophie and Jack. I can't imagine what it would be like with Luna and Jin though because they seem way more chill whereas I can see Sophie (a PERFORMER) doing all that and Jack (self proclaimed romantic) also just doing stuff to fit with Sophie.

And honestly still having residual feelings from the previous episode works. Like, yes to the Jack and Emel kiss (at least from Jack's POV about being insecure about Sophie,,, I'm not so sure about Emel but as someone who played it flirting with Oakley up until the end of Vol II and knowing Emel wants a romantic guy like Jack, I will let it slide). I kinda wish it implied more that Jin rejected Sophie so that's why she didn't pick him at the last recoupling so she's still hurt and still antagonizing MC and Jin for that reason. Otherwise it's just like, why are they still mad though?

Emel and Oakley are so cute. I also kept wishing after S5 and S6 that we got more strong couples in the game and I'm very glad they seem happy and if anything happens to them I'm gonna be so upset.

And tbh Jack and Sophie making it work is so nice too. Even though I think they're gonna keep having a lot of drama, it's entertaining and it's also great to have a couple that's probably gonna get dumped or split up at some point (and you know they're not gonna make it on the outside).

I don't care for Brad and Christy at all but why is that option 29 gems?? Like even asking for drama about the Islanders currently in the Villa is 17 gems (which I still don't think should be behind a pay wall but it feels like that one might be more relevant).

I do like that Jack is trying to be sweet to Sophie because even though he has also been an asshole to MC and her couple, he's still a possible route for if you replay, so that's nice they're not making the other LI's unappealing like in S6 (...yet???? im not giving fusebox the all clear yet)

I hate that Jack called his apology thing a game, I wish he just gathered everyone at the firepit and did the same thing but not called it a compliment game.

in the same vein, why did he invent the chemistry game because that feels like they should've gotten a text about that and then the next text about voting for the couple with the strongest chemistry to go into the hideaway would make more sense.

regardless, I really liked Jack's compliment to MC because that's how I've been playing this character and the fact he pointed it out, I feel like she'd love that. Also everyone else's compliments were fun too except maybe Sophie's which is funny.

And then he tried to make a joke at the end which was bold, but then I found out it might have been Jin's fault which is far more in character but again I don't know how well that would play out if I was playing a different route.

Also you can cheekily ask Oakley how he felt about Jack's joke about Emel being the best kisser in front of everyone and you best believe I did that

Then everything seems fine until the chemistry game and then suddenly Sophie, Jack, Emel, and Oakley are doing fine and everyone else is not and I love that turn in drama. Again, can't speak for a Theo route but the way suddenly Claudia is in between Jin and MC is crazy and Jin has a somewhat reasonable response (considering that fusebox wanted to give you space to go to the hideaway with Claudia). he probably forgave MC too fast imo but that's on me for playing the messy route.

Also Claudia's response after hearing Jin and MC are going to the hideaway together instead of her and MC is so good. Like she does convey she's disappointed but understands, and MC says there's still time for them, and Claudia's response is like it would blow your mind like we gotta give Jin a fighting chance, and I love that. also bc I'm indecisive so I'm glad her routes not closed yet.

as much as I like the drama, Tyler did not make a big splash so it does feel like we just got drama four volumes in a row, so I'm kind of hoping we get a bombshell mid challenge. Unfortunately, it's the excess baggage challenge, which I do like and I think we're due for this challenge to show up, but a bombshell showing up mid excess baggage challenge is literally what happens in S3 so I don't think I'm right.

I already posted my little joke about the Hideaway scene but yeah it's so much better than it's been recently. And like it looks like there's a few more options to change up the scene/dialogue so that's good they put effort into small stuff like that

and I'm not advocating for them hiding scenes behind a pay wall (like I rather them put these expensive gem choices behind drama I don't care about, that's fine) but like if there was ever a time to have a pay to win part of the game I would've made it this and not the kissing challenge. HEAR ME OUT: so it's like an early in the game hideaway first of all, technically you've known each other for like four days and if it comes up again for free, i wouldnt even miss it. Second, it kinda dismisses the drama that JUST happened. Like, either Theo or Claudia have just blown up their strong couple to pursue MC and their LI doesn't do anything? And the other couples vote for them anyway? Like get rid of the gem choice early on for MC and Jin to prove their chemistry and have them stumble anyway. Then after the Claudia/Theo confession, the gem choice is MC announces she wants another shot and because Sophie, Jack, and Emel like her for solving their drama they agree. And then MC can choose her second try with Theo, Claudia, or her LI. And then still has the chat later with her LI and then you win with whoever you pick (or I guess if you pick Theo then you don't bc I guess it's the slow burn route. Maybe you get a chat with him on the daybeds or SOMETHING lol). And third, Jack did this whole campaign to get him and Sophie to a stronger place so like there was a perfect backup couple right there.

and also some non volume specific thoughts:

I'm kind of excited to replay and like couple with Jack or Oakley at this point because I'm curious if the dialogue is much different. I really like Jin's dialogue and it fits his character, so I'm wondering how much of it is copy paste (but most people here are also on a Jin route so I can't cross reference damn).

also I would've reordered the past couple of episodes so that like Luna and Tyler would stay for longer and have a bigger impact but I don't need to make this long post even longer so maybe I'll post it some other time

still don't know why it's called tempting fate but if we're returning to the non themed seasons I'm not complaining

#litg #long ass post im sorry #this is a lot more analysis than thoughts now that i think about it #litg s8 #rambling

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Unnamed GN! MC x Mammon Fake Fic

Ship is kind of a side pairing? It's definitely there but it focuses on evenryone

@littlewonderstar

Yes okay this is 3 years late.....

Sequel to Chapter 7 - Love Made Me Do it - human childhood friends Au

Okay I wasn't planning a sequel so I need to figure out the timeline first and set up the...story? I dunno, hang on;

Ages by the time all the brothers are permanently living in the 'House of Lamentation';

Lucifer - 29 Mammon & MC - 27 Levi - 26 Asmo - 25 Beel & Belphie - 22 Lilith - 21 Satan - 18

This is also gonna focus on the entire family more than just on mc x mammon

After he turns 18, Mammon lives with Lucifer at his apartment and though they are constantly arguing it's not that bad? If anything it reminds them both of when they were younger before the others came along.

They're both constantly visiting their younger siblings at their foster home and Mammon is still constantly running around causing trouble with MC (this is way before they get their shit together and figure out they're dating).

MC takes a gap year before starting college and Mammon opts out of it altogether, despite Lucifer's insistent screaming, because the structure and process of school was hard enough goddamnit! They both do lots of small, part time jobs during the year (with scams peppered in). By the end of the yr Levi has turned 18 and moves in with Mammon (19) & Lucifer (21).

MC (19) leaves for college and Lucifer has to practically tear Mammon away from them. Mammon mopes around the house for a while after that despite constantly calling and face-timing MC and even Lucifer feels bad enough that he stops nagging Mammon to find a real job (for a week) and moves on to nagging Levi instead.

Asmo moves in by the end of the year when he turns 18 (and by now this little two bedroom apartment has 4 residents) but leaves almost immediately to uni to study to be a fashion designer

Mammon and MC rent out a small shitty one bedroom mattress-on-the-floor-those-stains-on-the-floor-look-suspiciously-like-blood apartment. MC goes to college to become a professional photographer and when their assignments call for it they use Mammon as a muse/model. while Mammon's juggling many part time jobs, this is the foot in the door he needs to start getting small professional modelling gigs that slower grow bigger and more frequent until its earning him a more or less steady income.

Levi helps some online friend with a software issue and this spirals towards him doing software/hardware repair from the apartment he shares with Lucifer (who obviously works for Diavolo - like in the human realm in canon, Diavolo owns a series of popular hotels and Lucifer is in charge of the first/biggest/main one).

Beel goes to college with a sports scholarship while still debating what to do (his ideal dream would be one of those jobs on the food network where you travel around the world eating food but he also doesn't want to be away from his family for too long, specially Belphie). He ends up, through college football, falling into sports physiotherapy and he comes back to Lucifer's every weekend.

Belphie takes a three year break before deciding what to do - mostly he just sleeps during the break & if anyone asks his life plan is to become someone's sugar baby. He does eventually end up going to college for astronomy. He sleeps through all his classes but graduates top of the class. He ends up working as an astronomer but his end goal is to retire as soon as possible and sell feet pics on the internet.

Lilith majors in herpetology with a focus in snakes, she does a minor in women's studies. She ends up in a love triangle in college - dates a guy - breaks up with him after a huge fight but they still hold a candle for each other - he starts dating a girl - Lilith accidentally seduces said girl by showing off her pet snake and buying her a slice of apple pie from a very popular/expensive/exclusive cafe called The Garden which is almost impossible to get into (Luckily her eldest brother's childhood friend/ex/current close friend is the head baker). At this point everyone likes each other but Lilith's never seen her ex's new girlfriend or her current crush's boyfriend and so on and so on. But when her ex gets badly sick & hospitalised Lilith ends up deciding to go visit him and bring a whole apple pie (his favourite) from the cafe. Of course she then meets his girlfriend/her current crush and lots of things are cleared up. When he gets better they all end up sitting down and talking and eventually over time they end up in a relationship together. Lilith does occasionally live with her brothers during college but afterwards the three of them move in together away from the city to a quaint little cottage with a lovely garden (the boyfriend is also dating some guy named Steve but he doesn't live with them). At some point in the future the girlfriend has two kids and I'm sure they live long, happy lives and nothing bad happens. Lilith runs a reptile rescue (specialising in snakes) and jokingly calls them her demon children.

Satan's that person who changes his major at least 5 times - usually depending on what the person in the book he's reading does. In the end he majors in library science and becomes a librarian.

That's the overall setup and what happens to them.

At a point where Lucifer's making the most money he can and none of the others (except Levi) are living with him but are in and out of the (now larger) apartment in groups of twos and threes, he ends up buying a very old very run down mansion where a family of 7 & their servant once lived and died after they were murdered (with only one survivor).

He says none of this to the others. He doesn't even tell them he's buying a house until he does so. During their next family only dinner (MC included because they were part of the family long before they got together with Mammon) Lucifer tells them all he bought a mansion with a large garden, and that any of them that wishes to live there can - free of charge as long as they're willing to split up the food and electricity bills. But that it's a bit rundown and that he wants their help to renovate it. Everyone is of course very excited.

Which leads to them (- lilith who had prior commitments & lives the furthest from everyone), on the next weekend, standing outside the most definitely haunted house they've ever seen. The trees in the front are bare of any leaves and blackened as if burned. Crows litter the branches staring down at them with beady eyes, cawing. It's early morning but the whole area is dark and bats circle the top of the house. The gate is a tall spindly thing that creaks in the wind. There's no other house anywhere close to it and they had to travel down a long narrow twisting road, surrounded on either side by a dense forest of tall thin trees, covered in mist to get to the house. The forest circles the house and the large back garden, now overgrown and full of weeds, almost blends in with the forest.

The eight of them stand in a row in front of the house, 7 of them wearing looks of horror while Lucifer smiles serenely.

"What the fuck" someone quiety mutters though none of them can tell which one it was

Lucifer then proceeds to tell them, quiet happily, the story behind the house before picking up a large box of tools and going inside. The others slowly shuffle after him until it's just Mammon & MC standing there.

Mammon, horrified but also strangely resigned: we're going to die here aren't we

MC, deciding there's nothing to do for it so they might as well roll with the punches, cheerful: Nope. You're going to die here. I'm going to get framed for murder and *then* killed via staged suicide

They pick up their box and move towards the house. Mammon scrambles after them.

This could have two endings.

One is they renovate everything. Bit by bit for one reason or another everyone (minus lilith) trickles back in and end up living in the house. They have family dinners with Lilith and all the in-laws (MC, Diavolo, Simeon who's technically an ex but everyone loves him so he still comes over, Solomon who's in an open relationship with Asmo, Lilith's partners, Luke because he's Simeon's kid AND everyone decided that means he's their kid too/their little brother) at least once or twice a month. They do have family and friend dinners once a month. At the family dinners Lilith's boyfriend/husband gravitates towards the other in-laws after realising how batshit crazy Lilith's family is only to then slowly realise 'no everyone's a freak here'. This ending comes slowly, it is not so much an ending as it is us no longer following their story as they continue through the ups and downs of life.

The second ending is this:

All that happens in the first ending still happens here, but there's also more to it all. And so we retrace our steps a bit;

The eight work together, sometimes joined by Lilith and the other dateables & undateables to renovate the entire house. They accidentally break through the floor and find a catacomb/labyrinth. the wind moves through it in such a way it sounds like howls of many creatures. They also find a crypt down there with an old book chained to it. Having watched Evil Dead they quickly make their way upstairs and seal up the hole.

MC's room has a whole ass tree in it and they refuse to let anyone chop it down.

Levi's has a wide stone closet built into the wall itself that they turn into a huge tank for Henry 2.0

Lucifer's deadass has a skeleton locked in a cage in it.

Mammon, immediately doing a U-turn and marching out of the room: MOTHERFUCKIN FUCK FUCK I'M OUT

MC, already follwing after him: I'll get him back don't worry

Levi, from behind the door - refusing to come inside: I-is it real?

Lucifer, already marching towards it: doesn't matter we'll be taking it down either way

In the end, they don't take it down. Mammon, Levi & Asmo refuse to touch it. Satan refuses to help Lucifer on his own room. Belphie can't be bothered to. Lucifer & MC are running around supervising and there's always something more urgent that comes up that takes it off their mind. Lilith thinks it gives the room character & forbids Beel from taking it down unless Lucifer expressly asks him to. Lucifer forgets & by the time he remembers the skeleton (now dubbed Roger) has become a fixture.

MC swears they can hear a voice calling from the attic, asking to be let out, each time they go to sleep at night - though of course no one's up there.

There's a dark reddish brown mark at the bottom of the staircase, just a little away from the front doors that none of them can get rid of no matter what they do

The house is probably haunted (or there's a gas leak no one's identified yet) but they learn to live with it, the way humans eventually learn to live with everything.

Beel goes to get a snack in the middle of the night and the fridge is always full of empty containers covered in a writing that blurs in front of his eyes. He cleans it out, closes the fridge, pats its door fondly and thanks it, taking whatever is needed to make a sandwich. He knows when he checks tomorrow that no containers will be left on the countertop and will easily dismiss it as the imaginings of a half wake, hungry mind.

No matter how much they clean out and empty the attic, someone keeps pilling blankets and pillows there until Belphie says fuck it and makes it his main napping spot

Lucifer's pens keep rearranging, Satan's bookmarks keep moving between pages, someone keeps going through Levi's stuff, Asmo's products run out faster, Mammon's room gets messy even if he cleaned it and then spent the rest of his time in MC's room, MC finds photos with the brothers they can never remember taking. Lilith's room (which she uses whenever she visits) is the only that always remains untouched.

But these things happen sporadically enough that they can just live with it and anyway all of them aren't living there (yet).

Lucifer, Levi & Asmo are the permanent residents along with Lucifer's three new dogs.

Mammon finally earns enough to buy the car he's always wanted but he doesn’t want to keep it at their apartment building so he ends up moving it to the garage in Lucifer's house, which means he & MC end up moving there (they mostly share a room at night despite having two separate rooms)

Beel wanted to move back with his family and so Belphie was pulled along.

Satan swore up and down that he was only moving here becaue of the large home library and truly nothing else.

Lilith continues to live at her own place with her partners.

The part of the first ending happens here. We once again stop following their story as they continue to live their lives.

And then we take a step. Through a door that wasn't there before, held open by a creature as old as time playing the part of a butler for a prince. We take a step over the threshold and across the universe.

To another house much like the one we left and yet - and yet - much different.

Where a family - loud and bright - lives - as they should - loudly and brightly.

Where an eldest, always working, ever busy, doesn't take care for how he arranges his pens as long as they're always on hand.

Where a second, always running, ever in a hurry, doesn't bother where his clothes land when taken off.

Where a third, serves as a general in world that has long since removed itself from the choking, tearing, searing hold of War and is now free to do with his time whatever he wills with no job to distract him from his real interests

Where a fourth who can live his entire life without needing sleep uses a bit of that time to read through books at a pace too rapid for a human to ever keep up with

Where a fifth will shed of his human skin every couple months to moisturise and groom his true body, so much larger than a human's would ever be

Where a sixth's ravenous impossible appetite empties whatever is lain in front of him

Where a seventh has made a home in what once was a cage

Where a human never stops trying to capture every moment of this new fantastical world

Where a sister's room remains closed and forever unused.

Where the pure magic in the air is strong enough that sometimes things just...bleed through the fabric of the universe

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

taglist:

@ashplsstfu @kadythethief @aspiring--cryptid @wanderwelle @millk-caramell @sansarawheelvictim @nagitokomaeda-the69th @knight-clover @atlas-like-the-book @swagstells @mcx7demonbros @butterflywaffle @believemeimeverywhere @weareparanoidcynicalpeople @jolynetodd @lunaslemon @iammeliseposts @silverinnia @val-monny @alexeizzo @obervation-subject-753 @niacks @naughtybodypillow @juwuuzuo-blog @baby-jeonginnie @ask-angel0 @yourimaginaryfriiendd @whatamidoing89 @mammonismyfirstman @trinket-n-geode @kuro-personal @dreanadolie @urmomondeez @pandapantslovesyou @mammoneythegreat @kawaiiartsstuffowo @novanight87 @oooowl @pajamasatepb @saccharineconcinnity @yourboyhack @itzblazekun @medicinalkiwis @heavenly-greed @sidgethegamer @rysexblog @timetomakeanewwish @mozzarellatelevision @tjwks888 @stale-cheetos-and-fragile-egos

@obeymeharemowner

@hauntedcatnerd

@darkflowerav

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me! #shall we date? obey me! #swd obey me #asks #obey me mammon #obey me lucifer #obey me levi #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmo #obey me asmodeus #obey me beel #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphie #obey me belphegor #obey me lilith #obey me mc #mammon x mc #mammon x reader #mc x mammon #reader x mammon #mammon x oc #oc x mammon #mammon x y/n #y/n x mammon #mammon x you #you x mammon #swd obey me!

[typical-simplelove]

One Date, Seven Years, Forever (J. Halstead)

One Date, Seven Years, Forever -> Jay Halstead

Summary: There are three hundred sixty-five days in a year, and some days mean more to you than others. One date, though, means more to you and Jay than any of the three hundred and sixty-four days. One date is all it takes for your world to come together and then fall apart. 

Author's Note: This is the fic that I mentioned in a post yesterday, and while I planned on waiting until we see how Jay will exit this upcoming season, I just couldn't wait. You guys, this one's really, really sad. Like, I'm really sorry about how sad this one is, but I've been feeling so many emotions upon hearing Jesse Lee Soffer leaving, so this is how I'm coping. I hope you enjoy this, and I'm prematurely sorry for breaking your heart.

Warnings: MAJOR character death; implied!female reader; alcohol; West Point Military Academy; heartbreak; grief; hospitals; death (!!); weddings; funerals; mentions of a military/police funeral send-off

Word Count: 6.4k

August 29, 2015 

Jay can remember the last time he saw you. Well, the second to last time. The last time doesn’t count because it was at his mother’s funeral, and you steered clear from Jay and opted to give your condolences to Will and their father. But, the second to last time? That replays in Jay’s mind once a week. It’s as if his subconsciousness wants to remind Jay of how colossally he screwed up what you and Jay had. 

It was the August after you and Jay graduated from high school. Just the week before, after dating for just over three years, you and Jay agreed to mutually break up as you were going to college while he was off to West Point to start his military career. 

Jay returned home for a few weeks after first-year training ended. He came back with a short haircut, and his muscles were more pronounced than they were before he left. Jay left a mere 18-year-old boy but returned as an 18-year-old man. Despite knowing you and Jay were going to break up soon, you couldn’t help but fall more in love with the person Jay became and developed into. 

You were set to leave a few days before Jay, so he had the opportunity (curse) to say goodbye to you and see you off. 

Jay lingered on the sidewalk outside of your childhood home as you and your parents packed up your father’s car. Your father was going to drive you, your mother, and him off to your college campus and help you unpack into your dorm. Jay had a bag in his hand, a going away present that he asked his mother to help him put together. It was full of essentials you’d need for college but also a few reminders of home (and him). 

He knows you noticed him as you often gave him a small glance but refused to wave or acknowledge him. Although it hurt, Jay understands; he bets your heart hurts as much as his heart does right now. As much as Jay didn’t want to break up with you, there was no other way. He loved you all through his childhood and passionately loved you through high school. He was always going to love you, but he couldn’t ruin the good you both shared. 

Once all your boxes and bags were secured in your dad’s car, you close the trunk as your parents head back into the house to lock the doors and grab the map and directions. You tell them you were going to go do something quickly before you leave, and you walked over to where Jay was. 

“Hey, Jay,” you say. 

“I know we broke up, but I still wanted to see you off,” Jay tells you. “Will was going to come, but he’s off doing some weird crap that I could care less to hear about.”

You snort. “Yeah, I saw Will a few weeks ago, so he gave me his farewells already.” 

“This is for you.” Jay hands you the bag; you accept it graciously and begin to open it, but he stops you. “No, don’t. It’s more of an ‘open on the way’ or ‘open your first night away from your family’ or ‘open when you feel homesick’ kind of gift.”

“Oh,” you say, holding the handle and shooting Jay a smile. “I didn’t get you anything.” 

“Hey, don’t worry about it. The army doesn’t really allow for many personal effects.”

“Got it,” you say, shuffling on your feet as an awkward silence settles between you and Jay. It’s never happened before, but sometimes things change when you break up with someone you’ve loved for your entire life. 

“Good luck with this year, okay? I know you’re going to do great, and if you ever need anything, call me, okay? I’m not sure what my direct contact will be, but call my mom, and she’ll know.” Jay’s rambling now. He doesn’t know how to do this. He doesn’t know how to be normal with the girl who was making his heart bleed. 

“You, too. Good luck, and I’m here if you ever need anything, okay?”

“Okay,” Jay whispers and pulls you into a hug. He has to bite back an “I love you” because as much as he wants to say those three words, he can’t. It would hurt too much to watch your dad drive you away and not see you again for a long time. 

It was heartwrenching, the last time Jay saw you, he really saw you. Jay figures that when he saw you at his mother’s funeral, his heart pained to see you, but because he was so overcome with grief, he didn’t notice the difference. That’s why, when he saw you at your high school reunion, Jay knew he couldn’t let you escape. Not again. You were the only one Jay has truly ever loved, and he couldn’t lose you again. So, he spoke to you. 

“Well, who do we have here?” 

A shiver goes up your spine as you remember the voice. “Jay Halstead,” you respond with a smirk before echoing his sentiments. “What do we have here?” 

He responds with a similar smirk and echoes your name. “Your high school boyfriend, I suppose? You look good, thirteen years later,” Jay tells you, a soft smile on his face. 

You give him a look over. “I guess you look alright.” Jay snorts as you continue. “I guess you really haven’t changed all that much from high school.” 

Jay smiles at your response. “Are you enjoying our high school reunion?” 

“Thirteen years and going, yeah?” you say, a teasing tone in your voice. “What have you been up to? You know, after you joined the Army and stopped talking to me?” 

“I’m sorry about that; you have to know that, right?” You had to know that. Life got really busy, and because you were both broken up, any time he tried to reach out to you, his heart started to hurt. He didn’t want to open up that can of worms that he so carefully shoved away. 

“Yeah, I’m only teasing; don’t worry.” 

“What have you been up to?” Jay asks, noticing a lack of rings on your left hand. You don’t let Jay’s obvious eying of your fingers and slowly get into what you’ve been up to in the past thirteen years. 

“So, you’re single?” he asks, not at all conspicuous. 

“Definitely single, and you?”

“Haha, yeah,” Jay responds. “So, does this mean that I can take you out for a drink?”

“A drink as friends, or a drink as people who dated in high school and most likely don’t have feelings for each other?” you ask, hoping it’s the latter. Despite not seeing Jay upfront and close in years, the feelings you had for your high school sweetheart never went away. You assumed that it was just longing for that same, steady love and support Jay gave you. It was never that, though, never. 

“Is the latter okay?” Jay asks, nervous but also excited. 

That night of drinks led to more drinks to a first date to you and Jay falling back into the same ease as back in high school. The ease returned, and slowly, you found yourself falling back in love with Jay. And all the pieces fit together. 

The pieces fit together as if they would work forever. 

August 29, 2017

“Look, my cousin, Kate is getting married,” you say as you pin the Save-the-Date invitation on the fridge. 

“You know a lot of people who’re getting married,” Jay remarks as he wraps his arms around your waist and observes the multitude of Save-the-Dates and wedding invitations and bridal showers you’re invited to. 

“Well, that’s what people do at our age, you know,” you point out, leaning into Jay’s touch. 

“Oh, is it?” Jay asks, feigning innocence. 

The topic of marriage and the future subsides as you peck Jay’s cheek and head off to take a shower as Jay begins getting dinner ready. As you’re in the shower, though, you can’t help but think about your future. Sure, you’ve got goals for work and how you want to grow personally, mentally, physically, and emotionally, but the question that lingers in the back of your mind is romantically, what does the future hold? For as long as you’ve known, you’ve always wanted to find a life partner with whom you’d spend the rest of your days, and possibly, that relationship would lead to marriage. 

Of all the goals previously mentioned, most of them you’re able to control and take charge of on your own, but when it comes to what you want for life romantically, you needed a willing partner. Someone who shares the same ideas, goals, and wants for the future. As far as you knew, Jay sees eye-to-eye with you on those goals. 

While you and Jay pretty much did pick up right where you both left off in high school, the love and relationship were stronger, deeper, and steadier. It was growing and did grow in directions you never knew capable. It was a love you never knew you could have, and it was a love you never wanted to go without, so the question begged to be asked. Did Jay want everything with you that you wanted with him?

So, after finishing your shower and completing your hair and skin routine, you decide to confront Jay. Well, confront was a bit of a strong word; it was more like discuss. It was a way for you to decide that if Jay wasn’t on the same page as you, would it be a deal-breaker? As much as you love Jay, if you weren’t both on the same page about the future, then you weren’t sure how much longer the relationship would last. 

“Hey, so how do you feel about marriage?” you nonchalantly ask as you and Jay are halfway through dinner.

“I have no opposition to marriage,” Jay responds. “My parents were happy together, and I’d love to have with someone one day.” 

“So, you want to get married one day?” 

“I guess, yeah. I mean, if I’ve found the right person, then yes, I’d love to marry them. I think it depends on what stage in my life I’m at.”

“What about right now? At this stage in your life, is marriage on the table?” you press further.

“May I ask where all these questions are coming from?”

“It’s just that a lot of my friends and coworkers and cousins my age are all getting married right now, and that made me think about what I wanted in the future romantically.”

“And, what is it that you want?” Now, it was Jay’s turn to question you. 

“I do want to get married one day. I want the big family wedding, but I also want to tell the whole world that I found my life partner and that there’s no one else I want to wake up next to and fall asleep next to. I want to continue to build a life with someone until our dying breaths.”

“What if that person isn’t me?” 

“Are you telling me that you don’t want everything I just said?” you ask, your voice getting shaky and your vision getting misty. 

“No, no! I want all of those things, but I’m just curious and want to know.” 

“I, um, I think it depended on how closed off to what I wanted you were and how open you were to one day, possibly, changing your mind, but if we’re both on the same page, then I think we’re good.” 

Jay smiles. “Let me promise you something. When we’re both ready to go to the next stage in our lives, I’ll save up for a shiny diamond ring with a gold setting—because I know that’s the one you’ll like—and I’ll propose, and then we’ll do the whole thing with the dress and the Church (because I have to do that for my mom) and the cake and the speeches and the champagne, all of it, okay? One day.”

“One day,” you echo, just imagining what it would be like to mark your forever with Jay. “One day.”

August 29, 2019

When you left for work that morning, Jay told you that there was going to be this thing (his words, not yours) sitting on the table. He gave you extremely strict instructions that you were not to peek into any of the possible bags or boxes. You were not to touch anything, especially if something was crooked, and you were not to move a single thing. You had to wait for Jay to come home or give you the all-clear that you could open or touch anything. 

You left for work with a small chuckle in your throat but also utterly confused. What could Jay be planning? 

Walking into your shared apartment after coming home from work, you called out to Jay that you were home, but you didn’t get a reply. As you moved further into the apartment, you heard the shower going. Sitting on the coffee table, though, was a display that Jay promised you would be there. 

On the coffee table was a breakfast tray with a bottle of champagne sitting in a silver bucket of ice alongside two champagne flutes. There were rose petals along the tray with a thin, skinny vase holding three of your favorite flowers. Two unlit candles you often see in fancy Italian or French restaurants were sitting on the tray, too. What stood out to you, though, was the fancy black gift bag sitting on the tray. As much as you wanted to peek into the bag, Jay gave you very strict instructions. He wasn’t often very stern with many things about you, but this time, you could tell that you couldn’t mess with Jay. It would hurt him beyond understanding. 

Instead of snooping, you opt to walk into your shared bedroom and get ready to take a shower. You’re pulling out your pajamas when you see Jay walk out of the bathroom wearing a navy button-down shirt (unbuttoned, so you had a great view of his bare chest that still had a few water droplets) with a pair of dark jeans, adorned with a belt that has yet to be fastened. 

“Hot date?” you ask, teasing. You didn’t think Jay had a nice work function to attend, so you were confused when he walked out of the bathroom after taking his after-work shower in such nice clothes. “Did we have a date planned?” 

“It’s not a date, but it’s something special.” 

“So, I shouldn’t wear pajamas?” 

“Wear whatever you want because you’ll be beautiful regardless.” 

“Thanks, Jay,” you reply, kissing his cheek before you head into your closet to find a nicer outfit. If Jay got to look that nice, then you were going to follow suit. After taking a shower and styling your hair and makeup, you pull on a dark blue dress and slip into the living room where Jay is currently sitting, bouncing his knee up and down in anticipation. 

“I told you that you’d look beautiful,” Jay tells you when he hears you walk in. 

“Am I allowed to ask what this is all about?” you ask, gesturing to the display on the coffee table. “Did I forget about an anniversary or something?” 

“No, no anniversary, I promise. I just wanted to do something for you. Come sit.” 

You do as Jay says and sit next to him on the couch. He reaches for the small black bag and places it in your lap. 

“Open it,” Jay tells you, so you do. You take out a small ring box and open it. Inside is a simple silver ring. 

“What is it?” you ask. 

“A year ago, you asked me about our future, and what I was thinking,” Jay tells you, and you briefly recall that conversation. “I told you that when we were both in the place where getting married was the next step, then I’d save up money and buy you the engagement ring you deserve. Shortly after that conversation, I started to put money away, but you know, life gets in the way, and I’ve had to use that money for other things, but wanting to marry you didn’t change. It frustrated me that the one thing between me proposing to you and getting married to you was money, so I thought I’d buy you something less expensive before I give you the real deal.”

“Jay,” you whisper, not trusting your words. 

“So, will you make me the happiest person in the world and promise that you’ll one day marry me? That you’ll wait for that diamond engagement ring? That you’ll do the rest of your life with me?” 

“Jay, you don’t have to buy me a fancy engagement ring; this ring will do just fine.”

“Firstly, you deserve a nice, fancy ring. Secondly, is that a yes?” Jay asks, hopeful but also knowing that you’re going to say yes. 

“Of course, it’s a yes!” you exclaim and pull Jay in for a kiss. You pull him close against your body and tell him how much you love him in a few seconds worth of actions. After you both pull away, Jay slides the ring onto your finger and kisses it softly. 

“I promise that there’ll be a real ring there one day,” Jay whispers before he pulls you into another kiss. It didn’t matter if you only wore that ring for the rest of your life because you’d be with Jay forever, and that’s all that mattered. 

August 29, 2020

Despite Jay proposing, you both subconsciously decided not to tell anyone. Will didn’t know, Jay’s unit didn’t know, your parents didn’t know, and your coworkers didn’t know. It wasn’t that you were ashamed or hiding anything. For the first couple of months, it was nice to have something that was just between you and Jay, and because money was tight, there was no wedding planning. The only thing that changed, really, was that you and Jay knew that forever was happening, and it was already happening. And because you and Jay haven’t told anyone, you opted to wear the silver ring Jay proposed to you with on your right hand. It just made sense and also because people would question why you were wearing a silver band on your left ring finger. 

Almost six months after you and Jay got clandestinely engaged, you both bought a small condo together, so any money you were both saving to put towards an engagement ring and wedding went to the condo and furnishing it. Sure, you and Jay could have asked your parents for money or dug into some of the money Jay’s parents left him to pay for the wedding or rings, but somehow, being secretly engaged seemed like the one thing that you both wanted. It just made sense, and it was the perfect stage of your relationship. 

“Hey, so I was looking at our financials,” Jay tells you one Saturday morning. 

“Oh, yeah?” you reply finishing off that day’s pot of coffee. 

“Let me just say, there’s good news and bad news,” Jay continues. “Which do you want first?”

“Bad news, first, please.” 

“Wedding doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon after we fixed the issue with the plumbing,” Jay relays. 

“Shit,” you murmur. You don’t even bring up asking your parents for help because you and Jay are both too prideful and stubborn to ask for help. “Good news?” 

“A marriage license only costs $60, and we can get married at City Hall within sixty days, and that fee is only $10,” Jay announces. “What do you say?”

“Well, what are you saying?” 

“Let’s get married,” Jay tells you, hope in his voice. “There’s no reason for us to wait. We can buy some rings to stand in place of the ones we’ll want to exchange when we do a big ceremony with our family and such, but why do we have to wait? We want to spend forever together, and we’re already engaged. What do you say?” 

“Let’s get married!” you exclaim and jump into Jay’s arms. 

From there, things fell into place. Before going to apply for the marriage license, you and Jay surfed the web for rings you wanted to exchange and found a set you liked. After confirming that the rings would arrive before the license’s sixty-day expiration date (and that you could afford them), you and Jay booked a date to get the license. After paying the $60 and scheduling the following Saturday to get married, you and Jay were overjoyed. 

On August 29, 2020, Jay put on a sleek, white button-down and a pair of dark jeans, and you put on a casual white dress. With the rings in Jay’s pocket and the marriage license in your hand, you and Jay walked into City Hall and onto the floor where the marriages took place. 

When your names were called, you and Jay ecstatically walked into the courtroom. Slowly, the ceremony began, and it all fell into place. You and Jay individually repeated the judge’s words and slid the rings onto each other’s fingers.

“I know pronounce you married,” the judge says. “You may kiss your husband.” 

With wide smiles, you and Jay seal the vows with a kiss before pulling away to sign the official certificate and walking out of the courtroom. 

“So, we’re married, now,” Jay remarks as you both get into his truck to head home. He has yet to start the truck as you both sit and bask in the happiness and love you both feel at this moment. “How does it feel?” 

“Surreal,” you reply. “We’ve been waiting for this for so long, and we just did it, and everything just makes sense, you know?” 

“I hope you know that you’re still getting a real wedding ceremony and reception, okay? This was just to get the act, but it’s all happening, okay?”

“Jay, we don’t have to do any of that.” 

“I want to; I want to do it for you, okay?” 

“Okay,” you whisper before reaching over the console to kiss Jay, your husband. You’d barely gotten used to calling Jay your boyfriend before he proposed to you, and when he did propose to you, it took so long for the giddy feeling to fade when you called him your fiance.

“What do you say; should we do our own vows, now?” Jay proposes after you both pull away. You nod and turn more in your seat to face Jay. “Do you want me to go first?”

“Yeah,” you breathe out. You take off the ring Jay gave you a year ago and the ring you both exchanged today. You placed the engagement ring on the center console as you put your right hand in Jay’s. 

“I take you, on this day, to be my lawfully wedded spouse. I take you in good times and in bad, sickness and in health, richer or poorer, like now. I take you today, tomorrow, yesterday, the day after tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives. From this day forward, I pledge my life to you and promise to work to love you more and more each day and grow in our lives together. I pledge my love to you from this day forward and as long as I exist, both here and beyond.” When he finishes, Jay slides today’s ring onto your right hand’s ring finger before he takes the engagement ring and slides it onto the same finger. 

After he finishes, you take Jay’s right hand and his ring and recite your vows. “I take you, Jay Halstead, as my lawfully wedded husband. I take you in good times and in bad, sickness and in health, richer or poorer. I take you when I love you more than anything in the world, and I take you when you frustrate the hell out of me. From this day forward, I promise to love with every ounce of my heart and body. I promise to love you until my dying breath and beyond that.” When you finish, you slide Jay’s ring onto his right hand’s ring finger. You both seal your makeshift ceremony in his truck with a kiss before slightly pulling away and resting your foreheads against each other. 

In twenty years, when people asked about your wedding day, you weren’t going to tell them about the courtroom or the highly anticipated wedding ceremony that Jay promised you. You were going to tell them about the small ceremony you had in Jay’s truck. You were going to tell them about how you and Jay promised each other everything and anything. You were going to tell that your forever was cemented in that truck because that’s when it truly began. 

August 29, 2021

Married life with Jay was more than you could ever ask for. Sure, no one knew that you and Jay were married, and when you got compliments on the rings on your right hand, you graciously accepted the compliment but didn’t dive into how or why you’re wearing those rings. Jay did the same. While the team teased him for wearing the ring so suddenly on a random day, Jay took the teasing graciously but didn’t spill out why he was wearing it. It was nice, being married in secret. It gave you and Jay something that was only for you two. 

As much as you insisted that you didn’t need a big wedding ceremony and reception, Jay kept insisting that it was going to happen. He’s known you since you were a child, and he knows that you’ve always wanted to have a wedding like those in the movies, and it would mean everything in the world to you to celebrate such an important date in your life with your friends and family. Jay played “pretend wedding” with you so many times as a child that he wanted to give you the opportunity to do a “real wedding” with him. 

Slowly, through the year after you and Jay got married, he started to put more money aside for both a proper engagement ring and a wedding. Jay knows you’re not ashamed of him, the rings you already have, or the way you both did things, but he wants to give you something you can proudly show off. 

This leads to Jay now in Molly’s standing behind your stool as you talk with Stella. He clears his throat behind you, and when you see him kneeling on one knee, you can’t help but roll your eyes. You scoot back around on the stool you were sitting on at Molly’s and scoff. 

“Jay, I’m not tying your shoes again,” you say, getting ready to return to your conversation with Stella. “It was one time, Jay.” 

He can’t help but chuckle. “I’ve gotten a real workout these past few months, you know, with carrying around this rock.” 

“Jay, I’m trying to have a conversation here with my lovely friend, Stella.” 

“Just humor me, and turn around,” Stella says, knowing exactly what was happening. 

You shake your head and turn around. That’s when you gasp. 

Jay, down on one knee, was holding a box with the most beautiful ring shining under the dim lights of Molly’s. “Jay,” you begin to say but don’t know how to begin. 

“You were this shining star in high school, a star so bright that I made the stupid decision to break up with you and lose contact with you,” Jay responds. “And, when I finally got in touch with you again and we started again, it started the best six years of my life. I don’t just want the years we had in high school or these past six years, I want the rest of my life with you, all the multiples of six. So, will you do me the immense honor of becoming my wife? You know, in public this time?”

You nod, enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, yes!”

With a wide smile on his face, Jay slides the ring onto your finger before he sweeps you into a giant hug. 

“So, we’re doing this again?” you whisper into Jay’s ear. 

“I always promised you that I’d give you an actual engagement ring that you’d be proud to wear on your left hand.” 

“Hey, I’m proud of those silver rings!” you defend, teasingly. “Besides, you wear your wedding ring on your right hand.”

“I know, but you and I both know it’s not the same. This time, we’re doing it for our families to see.”

“I love you, you know that?” 

“I sure hope you do, considering I’m going to marry you again,” Jay teases. “I love you, too.”

Forever, wasn’t it fun? 

August 29, 2022 

It wasn’t the phone call you were expecting. Normally, when Adam calls you, it’s because it’s Jay and he lost his phone, or it’s because the team wanted to get drinks but Jay needed your approval to go out and Adam called instead. 

Of all the messages to get from Adam, this was not the phone call you were expecting. You’ve gotten similar phone calls before, but this one was much different than you’ve ever gotten before. Adam told you that Trudy was on her way to come to pick you up from work to take you to Med. Jay isn’t alone; the unit and Will were right beside him, and Jay would be hooked up until you arrived and made your decision. 

Your decision. 

Your decision. 

Your decision.

It was going to be your decision on when to pull Jay’s life support. 

It was going to be your decision as you were the fiance. Wife, you thought to yourself. People still didn’t know that you and Jay were married, and from the sounds of it, the wedding set for a month from now isn’t going to be happening. 

Trudy ushers you into Med. You’re met by an escort of Jay’s fellow officers, firefighters, and other doctors and nurses you’ve become friends with through Will. Their eyes were glassy. They knew what was waiting for you, and they knew the future you were so close to having was about to slip away. 

When you stepped into the room, you saw Will clutching his brother’s hand. You couldn’t imagine what he was going through. He was about to lose the last family member he had. Seeing how distraught Will was made you promise that you were going to show up for Will because there was no way that you were both going to be fine after you gave the okay. Along the side of the hospital room is the rest of the Intelligence unit. You gave them all a curt nod before you rush over to Jay’s side.

Immediately, you break down into tears. Trudy’s hand is immediately on your back and starts rubbing circles. He looks so broken, so cold, so empty. Why would the world deal you these cards? What did you do for this to be the life you’ve gotten? Would you really be spending forever by yourself? 

You sit there for almost an hour, holding Jay’s hand and crying. Eventually, though, the doctor comes in and begins telling you your options and what comes next. While he was an organ donor, due to his injuries, Jay isn’t viable to donate his organs. For this reason, you had as much time as you wanted in order to call when to take him off of life support. You thanked the doctor and turned back to Jay, your husband of two years to the date. Once Jay’s doctor steps out, you look up at Will. 

“Did you want me to step out so that you can say your final goodbyes?” you ask. 

He shakes his head. “Did you want me to step out?” 

You, too, shake your head. “I don’t want to be alone right now.” 

At your words, the Intelligence unit takes a step forward and circles the bed. It was their sign of support, and it shows you that you really, truly weren’t alone. 

You take a few steps back, into Trudy’s arms, as Will says his final goodbyes to his brother. When he finishes and gives you a nod, you ask, “Were you able to take his ring off his body before he went into surgery?” 

Will nods, pulling the silver ring you gave to Jay at your City Hall wedding two years ago. After taking the ring from Will’s hand, you move to the other side of the bed as you were on Jay’s left. Slowly, you slip the silver wedding band onto Jay’s right hand. Then, you take a ring box out of your coat pocket—the rings you were going to exchange at your wedding on September 21st. While you were waiting for Trudy to come to get you, you dug for the rings, knowing this was going to be the only time you’d see Jay wear this ring. 

Slowly, you open the box as you walk over to Jay’s left side. You take the ring out of the box and slide it onto his ring finger. Bending down, you kiss the ring, letting the tears fall onto his arm. Taking a shaky breath, you take your engagement ring off and slide your wedding band onto your finger just before slipping the engagement ring on top. 

You intertwine your left hand in Jay’s and rest your right hand on his wrist. The rings on your fingers and Jay’s fingers shine in the fluorescent hospital lights. As you look at the physical reminders of your clandestine engagement and wedding to Jay to the public engagement and the supposed-to-be wedding, you can’t help but think of the future you were so excited for now being taken away. The four rings—the two gold marked the forever you shared with your loved ones and the two silver that marked a secret promise held in your lives—were supposed to start your future. In a matter of minutes, the future you’ve wanted for so long was going to slip away, and you’ll have to wait until you saw him on the other side in order to experience it. 

Getting up, you kiss Jay’s lips one last time before you rested your hand on his forehead. “I love you so much, Jay. You’re the best friend, boyfriend, secret fiance, secret husband, real fiance, and partner anyone could ask for. Thank you for making the seven years the best seven years of my life,” you whisper. You don’t wipe off the tears that fall onto Jay’s face. 

Taking a shaky breath, you say, “I’m ready.” And just like that, you’ve stepped into an unknown forever—not the forever you were expecting but the forever you’ve been given. 

December 8, 2022

“Hey, Hermann, can I make a small speech?” you ask, your voice shaky. 

“Of course,” he says before he heckles the crowd gathered at Molly’s to quiet down. 

The weeks following Jay’s death were hazy. You remember making phone calls to your parents, your family, your friends, and coworkers, Jay’s army buddies, and the wedding vendors. You remember planning the funeral with Will, but most of it was taken care of as Jay died in the line of duty. You remember the 21-gun salute, and you remember being handed the American flag folded into a triangle. You remember your parents staying with you all through September. When they left, though, Trudy and Mouch welcomed you into their home, and you stayed for a couple of months because you couldn’t be alone. 

On September 21st, the date you and Jay were supposed to get married, you put on your wedding dress and veil and went to Jay’s burial sight. It was the dress you picked for yourself but mostly for Jay. You were supposed to wear it as you and Jay rode off into the sunset of your forever, but instead, you wore it while you sat on a picnic blanket in front of Jay’s gravestone. 

Now, though, you’re a bit more comfortable in your grief, and you gave the firefighters at 51 the go-ahead to plan a memorial at Molly’s, the funds going to help you pay for the burial expenses (there was a reason why you and Jay first got married at City Hall; you laughed how you were still financially burdened, even when Jay was dead). 

When the crowd quieted down and turned to face you, you took a deep breath. 

“I want to thank you all so much for coming tonight. It’s nice to see so many familiar faces. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be spending the months after my wedding not in a honeymoon phase, I would have laughed at you. Every bride looks forward to the first year of marriage. And while most of you believe I never got that with Jay, we actually got married on August 29th, 2020. Jay and I spent seven years together, two of those happily married, and while I won’t get any more years with Jay on this earth, I’m grateful for each and every second I had with him; I wouldn’t trade the moments we shared for anything, so let’s raise a glass, for Jay, because while this isn’t the life we all imagined him having, he had a great one. So, to Jay!” 

“To Jay!” the crowd erupts before taking a sip of their drinks. Everyone, in turn, returns to their drinks, not noticing the tears that were starting to form in your eyes. You turn your head to where one of Jay’s badges is hung up on the wall at Molly’s. Your thumbs slide over the rings on your fingers as you feel a rush of warmth overcome you—it was Jay. 

You’d get through the rest without Jay because while he wasn’t there with you physically, he was always with you. 

Forever. 

Taglist: @ilyasorokinn @kolsmikaelson @atarmychick007 @stars-canucks @hjs.dream @nilspettersson @cuttergauth @lam-ila @2manytabsopen (Join my taglist here!)

#jay halstead #jay halstead x reader #jay halstead fic #jay halstead imagine #claudia writes

[fuck-customers]

Absolute insanity at work (a timeline)

TL;DR: practice manager fired someone in retaliation and then got fired herself for abuse of power after literally every other employee said "no, absolutely not."

6/29: Quarterly inventory day. Practice manager and pharmacy manager get into a minor disagreement, which is witnessed by about a quarter of the staff. Pharmacy manager is suspended and asked to leave the premises less than two hours later.

6/30: Campuswide notification from practice manager goes out around 4pm that pharmacy manager is no longer employed with us. Cue immediate universal outrage.

7/1: Department managers request RD to come to campus. RD proceeds to have individual (voluntary) meetings with nearly everyone on campus regarding the above incident and general culture at work. Official reason for pharmacy manager's termination is "insubordination." There is universal disagreement with this charge from everyone who witnessed the above incident. Everyone in the pharmacy manager's department threatens to walk. People who aren't on campus are allowed and strongly encouraged to email her with their input. After closing, I go to dinner with a coworker I don't generally get along with and bond with her over how awful the practice manager is and how much things need to change.

7/4: Practice manager arrives to campus around 9am. By 11am she is terminated and escorted off of campus. Cue widespread celebration. RD commits to being on campus 2-3 days a week for the next few months to help fix "toxic" culture (her words and ours). We are told that "corporate took our statements and determined that we could afford to lose the practice manager but could not afford to lose the pharmacy manager."

7/6: We receive official confirmation that pharmacy manager will be returning on 7/18, as she had a pre-scheduled vacation that she would still be taking. 

7/7-7/17: Technician manager and CSR manager take over parts of pharmacy manager's job while she is out (ordering medications, daily inventory, etc). Immediately these things all fall behind because these people have other duties and ordering takes a significant amount of time. Login information for multiple sites is compromised because practice manager attempted to change it as soon as pharmacy manager was terminated. Technical difficulties also go unresolved, as pharmacy manager was the one responsible for troubleshooting our scheduler and no one else even knows where to start to fix things. Most of us don't have permissions. TL;DR: it became IMMEDIATELY clear how much we need this particular person on campus and how, if she were to leave, a true transition and training would be necessary in order for our workplace to continue to function.

7/18: Pharmacy manager returns! Rejoice! All is well and good in the world. Balance has been restored to the universe. Today's the day, the sun is shining, the tank is clean. 

So I guess the lesson here is: don't fire someone in an act of blatant retaliation when they are the single most valuable employee on campus and you are the single most replaceable person on campus. 

#happy ending #fuck managers

[lbibliophile-sw]

Shuffling Numbers

Also on AO3 [500 words] For Whumptober 2022 - day 29: Defiance

Everyone in the GAR knows that the Coruscant Guard is a cushy posting. Everyone in the Guard knows this is a lie; Coruscant has its own dangers. Most of these, Fox can’t do anything about. He sets up procedures and precautions and specialised training, but the risks are all part and parcel of the job. Not quite what they were trained for, but close enough.

Requests for decommissioning are a different matter. They can come at any time for any reason, lives resting on the whim of Senators who see them as less than droids. There is nothing Fox can do to prevent the properly filed requests (and only the properly filed ones, the others he has an excuse to ignore)… but he does have discretion over how the request is carried out. It’s not even that hard; all it takes is shuffling paperwork.

The Senators who give the order are hardly going to take the time to personally ensure the relevant clone gets on the shuttle back to Kamino, or do more than a cursory follow-up. So he marks the clone as decommissioned on the official roster, assigns them different duties, and the Guard continues on with one more member than officially registered (two more, twenty more, fifty more) with the natborns none the wiser. Some weeks, it honestly feels like those extra bodies are the only reason they are even vaguely able to keep up with the workload anyway.

Of course, there is a downside to this scheme. Supplies – food, equipment, medicine, space – are allocated according to the official garrison size. And because the Senate is cheap, the Guard are allocated the bare minimum they can get away with supplying. They don’t begrudge sharing their bunks and their meals with their rescued brothers, but the shortages are just one more thing wearing them down.

The solution, of course, is to juggle the paperwork back the other way. Decomissioning is hardly the only – or even the most common – way for Guards to die. It should be easy enough to just not record a trooper’s death, allow a ‘decommissioned’ brother to take their place on the active roster.

The only problem is where to change these records. Fox refuses to allow them to change mission reports, particularly with alterations of this magnitude. You never know when a case might become relevant again, or who was watching and what they noticed. Fox has fought hard for the minimal protections that come with running perfectly according to procedure; as soon as the Guard are caught using a loophole, a dozen others will leap to exploit it.

So that means the lie needs to come from within the barracks, the medbay. A critically injured trooper entering, and a healed one walking away.

Their medical casualty rates decrease.

Clearly their problems aren’t so bad. Clearly the needs of the frontline troops are more urgent.

Their medical supply allocation is cut.

More brothers die.

But at least they had a chance.

#whumptober2022 #no.29 #defiance #star wars #clone wars #fanfic #decommissioning #referenced character death #paperwork manipulation #coruscant guard #commander fox #bingo fill

[fayes-fics]

Oops just saw you answered that one hahahs Ill change it to lessons (my favourite)

Hello lovely person you! 🫶

Soo Lessons hehehe. That all came about because the wonderful Emmy @iboopedyournose read my first fics and asked if would I be willing to write an A & B threesome, and I was... oh hell yes, I would. I was nervous as I had only written two fics at that point (Sonnet 29 and Tell Me...), but I wanted to write more and, expand my horizons/push myself.

We chatted back and forth on DM about a few specifics. I can't remember whose suggestion it was, but I loved the idea of Benedict being a sneaky menace who pretended to be learning something but actually knew exactly what he was doing; he was just intrigued to meet this lady his brother was sneaking off to every night. So this delicious tension of her going, "oh shit, I'm in trouble here." She thought it would be more instructional/educational for some virginal wide-eyed younger brother. Instead, she's got two handsome men who are both far too good at destroying her. And hence a series was born.

There is always something under the surface with Lessons, a degree of 'more than meets the eye' that I am intentionally throwing in there. Often with Emmys suggestions. I wouldn't call it angst; it's just an edge/dynamic that I hope enhances the filth lol. In Lessons, it's the tension of reader realising Benedict knows exactly what he's doing as soon as he spanks her, while Anthony still believes he is there to learn. In Lessons Learned, the fact Anthony feels betrayed by them both, catching them at it red-handed and punishing his little brother thru reader. In Lessons Taught, the vulnerability of Anthony finally letting Benedict fuck his girl and become his equal. In Today's Lesson perhaps less so as it was a Modern AU standalone, but it still had some echoes of the dynamic from the regency set-up and Anthony being emotional. In Lessons Applied, it's going to be about Anthony's ability to submit and contains many mirrors of Lessons Learned where he is submitting while Benedict has full control.

These are also the fics I have worked the longest on, re-editing and cut the most out of. Endlessly shuffling content so that it flows better. I have almost 2k of offcuts from Lessons 2 and 3, some of which I have found a way to repurpose in Lessons 5, but the majority will stay on the cutting room floor of my fic offcuts doc. Threesomes take a surprising amount of choreography tbh. As I have joked before, it's a LOT of dick flying around and it all needs to be accounted for in a flow that makes sense. Each one, especially from 2 onwards, represents almost 75-100 hours of work tbh. They are exhausting, hence I don't publish often.

For example, Lessons 5 is VERY long - currently 9k - but I need to trim It down a lot and will ditch whole sections to make it tighter (ooh err etc.). There are some surprisingly tender moments I hope to keep in, though. Like Benedict slipping up mid-scene and calling her a term of endearment rather than my girl. And them both questioning her green when they intuit her nerves about something. And reader's realisation that Anthony is submitting not only to her but his younger brother by association and how that interplays with the family dynamic of being firstborn. Just interesting tidbits on emotions and family dynamics I'm toying with alongside the utter filth. Not sure how it will all end up - that I hope to work out over the course of this week.

GOSH, Im SO SORRY. This answer is stupidly long, and I feel so bloody rude. Honestly, who wants to read this drivel. I'm sorry. I should cut it down but I'm tired lol. THank you for your ask 😁🧡🧡

#faye answers #directors cut asks #ask games