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fific7 · 3 years

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Cold Day in Hell - Part 3

Logan Delos x Reader

A/N: This does not completely follow canon, it’s mainly lemon zest 🍋 because the world needs more Logan Delos. (Song mentioned is ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ by Taylor Swift)

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content, including oral, between consenting adults* in some chapters. Drinking and swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

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(My GIF)

You lifted Logan’s arm off you and scooted out of the bed at the speed of light, and stood beside it looking down at him. He, meanwhile, had stretched himself out like a big cat right across the bed and was grinning lazily up at you.

“Awww, sweetheart - you spoiled my fun!”

Turning on your heel, saying nothing, you headed to the bathroom and locked the door. You hopped into the shower, praying that he’d have taken the hint and left by the time you emerged. Taking your time, you blow-dried your hair a little and smoothed on the expensive, famous brand body lotion provided by the hotel. Wrapping yourself in one of the hotel’s fluffy bathrobes and picking up your clothes, you cautiously opened the bathroom door and walked into the room.

Logan was still on the bed. In fact, he was now in the bed and had pulled the covers over himself up to his waist, his clothes in a pile on the floor. All of his clothes.

His head turned towards you, his eyes meeting yours and he folded his arms across his bare chest. “You’ve been ages in there, sweetheart. And I needta use the restroom so badly!” He dramatically threw back the bedcovers and you turned away like a flash, squeezing your eyes closed before you got an eyeful.

You felt soft huffs of breath on your neck and Logan whispered, “Oh good, you’re naked too. Well, underneath that robe you are.” You felt long fingers slowly moving the neckline of your robe aside and you clutched at the fabric, pulling it tightly closed. “Logan…. will you please just fuck off!” The fingers left your robe and you heard a deep chuckle, “I’ll only be a few minutes, darlin’, then we can continue this conversation back in bed.”

A thought quickly whizzed through your brain that you’d just told your company’s biggest client to fuck off, but really - he was too much.

The second you heard the bathroom door close, you raced to the wardrobe and pulled out the skirt and blouse you’d decided to wear that day. Grabbing your lingerie, you got dressed in record time and were just doing up the last of your blouse buttons when you heard the door opening again, and quickly shut your eyes again in anticipation of a naked Logan appearing in front of you.

“Ohh, really? You got dressed? It’s too early for that, sweetheart - it’s only 5 am. Take ‘em off and we’ll go back to bed,” you heard, his voice seductive. “Absolutely not, Logan,” you snapped back, “and put your damn clothes back on!”

He gave an exaggerated sigh, “Oh my, you are absolutely no fun at all!” Trying to move away from him, eyes still closed, you came in contact with a toned torso and leapt back from him as if you’d been burned. You banged into the table behind you and a pair of arms instantly went round you. “Careful, angel.” You tried to shove away from him and made the mistake of opening your eyes. Logan tightened his hold on you and his dark espresso eyes were gazing into yours. You didn’t look down but he was pressing his very healthy erection against your lower abdomen and he leant in towards you, lips millimetres away from yours.

Suddenly, you realised you’d parted your lips slightly in anticipation of him kissing you. But he released you, turning quickly away (you trying not to look at that tight ass, really trying) and heading back to his clothes pile. He grabbed them up and headed into the bathroom, saying over his shoulder, “Don’t mind if I use your shower, angel, do you?” The door closed behind him.

Relieved, you thought, ‘Well, I think I managed to handle that okay. Didn’t I?” You weren’t absolutely sure that you had, but whatever.

You settled back in one of the chairs and switched on the TV. Busy channel-hopping to find something worth your attention, you suddenly heard a loud guttural moan issuing forth from the man in the bathroom.

Okayyyy, well… that sounded like he’d managed to handle it himself.

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Logan was under the shower, vigorously soaping his body and humming a tune as he did so. It didn’t take too long for his hand to stray down onto his erection and he began stroking. Soon, he leant back against the tiled shower wall as he increased his pace, firmly pulling and squeezing his length before he came with a loud groan. Hope she heard that, he grinned to himself.

The first part of his plan hadn’t gone too badly. He’d got a lot closer to her already but this was him just getting into his stride. He was well aware he had to be careful not to overstep, but… he’d seen the way her lips had parted when she thought he was going to kiss her, so he was going to continue tiptoeing up to the line before stepping quickly back. He had a gut feeling that was the way to go.

He’d make her beg him for it before he was finished.

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As you gathered up your spare handouts and the rest of your stuff at the end of the first investor meeting, you had to admit that you and Logan had worked extremely well together. Neither of you had rehearsed how to approach the meetings past what information you were going to cover, but you’d ended up being a bit of a double act. In fact the two of you had received a round of applause at the end of it.

Logan strolled round the conference table to stand next to you and looking up at him, yet again his sheer magnetism made you catch your breath. You looked down quickly, packing the remaining folders away into your document bag. “That went really well, you were fabulous.” “Thanks Logan, so were you.” As you met his gaze again, he smirked, “Well, I keep trying to show you just how fabulous I am, but you keep shutting me down.”

You opened your mouth to reply but he said quickly, “Just have dinner with me.”

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Logan was feeling very happy with himself. She’d agreed to have dinner with him albeit reluctantly, and he was back in the shower, working shampoo through his hair before rinsing it out and enthusiastically shaking his head to and fro. He started singing “I Knew You Were Trouble”, lovingly stroking and winking at his resting manhood before pouring a generous amount of shower gel into his hand and rubbing it over his body.

Strings pulled, he’d managed to get a table at SkyCity, and he had a really good feeling about tonight. Once she saw the view from the top of the Space Needle and had sipped a few glasses of premium champagne, surely he could charm her into his bed? With a confident spring in his step, he dried himself with one of the big fluffy towels, still singing.

“'𝒞𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃

𝒮𝑜 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃 𝓂𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓌

𝐹𝓁𝑒𝓌 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝐼'𝒹 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃

'𝒯𝒾𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃, 𝑜𝒽

𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃

𝒮𝑜 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓃 𝓂𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓌

𝐹𝓁𝑒𝓌 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝐼'𝒹 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃

𝒩𝑜𝓌 𝐼'𝓂 𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹

𝒪𝒽, 𝑜𝒽, 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒

𝒪𝒽, 𝑜𝒽, 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒”

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Laying back in the bath, you swirled your fingers through the fragrant foam on the water’s surface and wondered how long it would take Logan to make his move. Because you knew, as night follows day, that he would hit on you tonight. You weren’t fooled by his earlier tease of almost kissing you. Even if - annoyingly - you knew you would have given in to it if he had. You guessed he’d probably try that approach again to entrap you. Picking up a big handful of foam, you blew it off your palm into the air and groaned.

The handsome big devil! Why did he always have to look so fucking hot?!

Another groan left your lips. You were going to have to firstly be on your guard big time, and secondly - and more importantly - stay in control of your own damn self!

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The view was spectacular. The meal was delicious, the champagne flowed and so did the conversation between the two of you. You ended up telling him way more than you’d originally meant to, how you’d had to fight your parents every step of the way to study your chosen subject - they wanted you to be a doctor or a lawyer and had eventually refused to contribute anything towards your education fees. How you still had a slightly frosty relationship with them, especially as your younger brother had gone on to become a doctor and therefore - irrespective of the fact that you’d earned many awards within your field and your salary was double what he made - little brother was perfection personified as far as your parents were concerned.

Logan had snorted as he’d sipped his champagne when you’d said that, and went on to tell you some choice items about James, ‘Daddy Dearest’ as he called him. How he and Juliet had eventually forced him into retirement, and he’d also made some cryptic comments about his ex brother-in-law and something which had happened in Westworld. He’d quickly changed the subject and recounted various other exploits of his while there, eyes sparkling with mischievousness as he mentioned heists and orgies. And the hosts. He told you all about the hosts.

“Sounds like you spend a lot of time with them, Logan,” you commented, strangely jealous of these robots for some reason. He shrugged, “That’s what they’re there for,” smiling at you, “no strings, y’know? No consequences.” You sat back in your chair, “And I guess that appeals to you? Like, a lot.” Logan crossed one long leg over another and also relaxed back in his chair, “I never lie, so the answer’s yes. Yeah, it did. No hassle whatsoever, what’s not to like?” His gaze locked in on you, “Until now, that is.”

You met his eyes, “And what’s different now?” “Maybe I want some strings. A little hassle, some consequences.” Laughing, you sipped your drink, “Really? I’m not sure you do.” He leant forward, “But I do, sweetheart. Because I want you.” You’d just taken another drink and nearly choked as you burst out laughing, “Oh Logan. No…. you don’t want me, you just want a quick fuck. And I’m not up for that in case you hadn’t noticed.” Logan looked offended for a second, then his usual confident look reappeared on his face. “How do you know what I want? If I wasn’t serious, why am I hanging around doing my best to win you over? I’ll be honest with you, I don’t usually need to try too hard, if at all.”

You burst out laughing, “Exactly my point! This is a novelty for you, that’s all. You’ll soon tire of it when you don’t get anywhere and then off you’ll go to an easier lay.” He shook his head, “No, that’s not the case. And who says I won’t get anywhere? Once I set my heart on something, I’ll go all out till I get it. And right now, that means you, angel.” “I’m not a commodity, Logan! I’m not something to acquire and then move quickly on from.” A lazy smile graced his lips, “Oh I know you’re not, sweetheart, believe me. That’s my point. I’m not about to move on.”

You looked across at him sceptically, “Uh-huh. Sure you’re not, Logan.” He leant back in his chair once more, a seductive smile on his face and dark eyes boring into yours, “Okay, let me ask you something. Do you think I’m hot?” Hesitating, you stalled by picking up your glass but his hand landed on yours, stopping you from raising it to your lips. “Nah, no drinking till you answer me.” He says he never lies, you thought, and I don’t think he does so I’ll return the favour. “Okay… yes, I think you’re hot.” He nodded, looking too smug for your liking so you carried on, “But in saying that, I wouldn’t get involved with you because of your rep.”

He nodded once more, a little disappointment now evident, “Yeah, don’t worry! - I definitely got that vibe. But leaving that aside, if you didn’t know all about me and my rep, answer me this. Would you have slept with me if we’d gone out on a date?” You could feel your face heating up and giving you away, so you admitted, “Yes, I would have. You’re hot, Logan, like I said.”

A big grin on his face, he picked up his glass and held it out so you’d clink yours with his. “That’s all I wanted to hear, sweetheart. I’ve got something to work with now.”

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Back at the hotel, Logan walked you to your room and as you stopped outside your door, thanking him for a lovely evening, he suddenly slid a hand around the back of your neck and pulled you towards him. His mouth found yours and he kissed you, lazily, sensually. You felt yourself melting into it, you couldn’t help it. My god does he know how to kiss, screamed your brain.

His lips left yours and you heard him whisper next to your ear, “I’ll show you that I can be different, that I’m not an asshole.” Your hand was on his chest and you could feel his rapid heartbeat. Your own was mirroring it, and you almost caved right there and then.

He stepped back from you, a finger trailing along your jaw, “Sweet dreams, angel. I’ll see you in the morning.”

You watched him walk down the corridor to his own room, and knew you were feeling nothing but regret.

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Logan flicked on the TV with the remote and lay back on his pillows, naked, lifting his glass of whiskey and sipping. He was slowly but surely knocking down those walls of hers, he could tell. He’d felt it when he kissed her, she’d relaxed against him and slid her hands onto his neck and chest.

He was really surprising himself, if he was being honest. Never would he have hung on this long before if someone wouldn’t put out. He supposed that was one big disadvantage of fucking all those hosts, they never said no. And let’s be truthful, in real life people didn’t say no to him either. So he’d never really had to handle rejection before (apart from in his relationship with his darling father of course, but that was a whole other story). He sipped again; perhaps this was why he’d fallen for this new, intriguing, beautiful woman. She told him ‘No’, she wasn’t interested in his status, his money or what she could gain from him either in self-publicity or luxurious celebrity lifestyle.

And that was refreshing. Very refreshing. He was going to carry on with his battle plan, he would not give up until he’d won this woman, this prize. And no, he wasn’t regarding her as an object to be won, like a huge teddy bear in a carnival sideshow. They’d spent a fantastic evening together and he was feeling more and more of a connection with her. He sensed that she had the power to make his life better, to care for him, to bring meaning to his existence. Which scared the fucking crap out of him but it was what it was. He couldn’t stop himself feeling that way, so he’d just go with the flow and see what happened.

He was getting hard thinking about her and his hand slid down onto his cock. ‘Mmm, yeah, a little attention’s required here’, he thought to himself. He began working himself, stroking and squeezing, and soon he was scrabbling for a tissue from the box next to him on the bedside table. He bunched it up around the head of his cock and not a moment too soon. With a loud groan, he came almost immediately into it, expertly catching all of his come in the tissue cocoon he’d created. He wiped the tip and then the rest of his length and screwed up the damp tissue, tossing it into the nearest bin before sighing and relaxing back on his pillows again.

That… helped, but it didn’t satisfy him. Not properly. He needed her for that.

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Lying awake, your mind was dwelling entirely on what you could have been doing if you’d invited Logan into your room, as you’d so nearly done. A vision of him on top of you, your legs wrapped round his hips. Or you on top of him, riding him like a pony. His hands on your hips, thrusting up into you, his face flushed and contorted with passion.

You shot up in bed. Okay, you were going to have to stop your brain from thinking. Not even wanting to touch yourself, you knew that wouldn’t do it for you when all you desired was Logan. Him. And that body of his.

A drink? Should you have a drink? It might help calm your restlessness. But to be honest, no - you knew it wouldn’t. There was only one thing which you knew would definitely help.

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Logan was half-asleep, beginning to drift off into dreams of what he’d like to do to her if he ever got her into his bed. Dream Logan had just begun to lick her nipples when there was a knock at the door. What? Another knock, louder this time. He groggily realised that there was actually someone knocking and got up, grabbing his bathrobe from a chair and shrugging into it as he went to the door and opened it.

It was her. His dream woman. But in reality. Also dressed in a bathrobe and looking at him like he was an oasis in the desert.

She brushed past him and walked in, closing and locking the door behind her. Logan was truly dumbfounded by this turn of events. She stopped in front of him, untying the belt of his bathrobe a little, before lightly placing her hands on his chest. She gazed up into his wide and amazed eyes, playing with the hairs in between his pecs and running her fingers even further down to his money trail. His stomach muscles tensed involuntarily and then she was pushing him backwards, and when he reached the bed she shoved him hard.

Logan fell backwards onto it when the back of his knees hit the mattress, his feet still on the floor, longs legs bent, propping himself up on his elbows and looking at her in amazement. She reached for the belt of his robe again, kneeling down between his legs as she did so and his lips parted, his breath catching. Was she… was she really going to…? The belt fell loose and his robe fell open. She gazed with desire and appreciation at Logan’s erect length, then her fingers were on his tip. His hips jolted upwards and she began squeezing him and stroking her fingers round it, and he saw precum beginning to trickle out as he lay there watching her take him in hand. She gave him a sudden and extra firm squeeze while her other hand took hold of his balls and he yelped, like a damn dog.

Logan couldn’t believe he’d lost control of this situation, but it seemed that he absolutely had. He opened his mouth to speak, but she immediately put a finger to his lips.

“Not a word, Delos. Not one. Single. Fucking. Word.”

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(Not my GIF - credit to owner)

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@obscurilicious @theshadowkingsqueen

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#logan delos #logan delos x reader #ben barnes #logan delos fan fiction #logan delos imagine #logan delos fanfic

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reds-self-ships · 3 years

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🔎 The Adventure of the Detection Club

Chapter 6: By The Book

Table of Contents & Trigger Warnings

Redford opened the rather well-worn looking ledger. “This is our current list of members, as up-to-date as yesterday morning, when I updated it ahead of Dexter being officially sworn in as a member. The check means that they’ve paid their dues for the month—which Harris Thomas unfortunately didn’t for several months in a row, as such he was expelled, and Dexter Collins was due to serve as his replacement.”

“I see,” said Ryunosuke. “So why did Dexter Collins get offered membership after Harris Thomas was expelled?”

“It’s a particular rule of our organisation; fully-paid membership is capped at seven members, per club constitution. Of course, we have honorary members, but they bear the name alone. Bit like an honorary degree. Just because you’re considered an honorary doctor doesn’t necessarily mean you can walk into a hospital grab a scalpel and set to work, you know?”

Redford quickly jotted down a list of the organisation’s members, and handed it over to Ryunosuke.

“Oh thank you. Let’s see here…”

Redford Ninate – President of the Detection Club

Christina Agatha – Vice President of the Detection Club

Arthur Conan Doyle

Dexter Collins – Most recent admission

Alan Edgar Doe

Raymond Chalmers

Hannah Sophia

Harris Thomas – Expelled, but now deceased.

“‘Arthur Conan Doyle’? Why does that name sound so familiar to me…” said Susato. “Wait a minute, isn’t that Iris’s agent?”

“Oh yes, I believe he may well be. Doyle represents quite a few authors nowadays, given that he’s now officially wound up his medical practice. Bit of an odd fellow at times though, but his medical knowledge is second-to-none.

“Christina’s a pharmacology student in the university, specialising in poisons. She’s rather well-known for her work. After a nursing student read one of her novels, she was able to accurately recognise the symptoms of cyanide poisoning in a toddler, so she was considered prime candidate for the vice presidency.

“Raymond Chalmers is…well…a bit of an odd fish if you catch my meaning.”

“Odd how?”

“Well his style of writing is a little…how could I put it…grittier than most. He’s an American exchange student, as is Doe. But Doe’s work is more psychological than Chalmers’s work.”

“And what about Hannah Sophia or Dexter Collins?”

“Hannah Sophia’s written plenty of psychological thrillers herself, but she’s getting more into the old-school kind of stuff nowadays. As for Dexter, his work’s impressive, if a little droll at times for my tastes. But, he met the requirements for admission so we quite literally couldn’t say ‘No thanks’ to him.”

“I see. All good to know. Did they all get along well with Harris?”

“To my knowledge, yes. But as I mentioned earlier, we crime fiction writers always value our secrets, so they could’ve been in a darn fight club or something with the man and I could’ve never been any the wiser. It might be an idea to investigate every lead possible before you end up ruling anybody out.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” said Ryunosuke, making a mental note. “But what, exactly, did you mean about the admission requirements?”

“You mean to become a member?”

“Er, yes please.”

“It’s a rather simple process, actually. First of all, there must be a vacancy. And a vacancy is either through a member being expelled for contravening the organisation’s constitution or bringing it into disrepute, being jailed for more than a month, failing to pay dues, or, naturally, if the member were to die.

“Second of all, you must be nominated by an already-existing Detection Club member, and submit a completed work of crime fiction to be brought forward for consideration by all other members of the club.

“Thirdly, the club members must vote for who, exactly, to admit. However, we rarely use this particular clause. All but the president of the club vote. That way we can ensure there’s always an odd number, preventing the need for any run-offs or tie-breakers.”

“I see. I should make a n—”

Redford handed a note over to the lawyer. “I’ve already made a note of that for you.”

“Er, thank you,” said Ryunosuke, putting the note into his pocket. By the time this particular investigation was finished, it was looking more and more likely than not that the court record was going to be about as thick as a crime novel itself.

“I’ve got all the contact details of club members located within this folder, and you can consider this my official permission to use all of the contact details within—as well as any resource of the Detection Club where necessary—for official use during the course of this investigation. Thankfully, club rules allow for that too.”

“These club rules all sound to be incredibly specific, Red,” said Ryunosuke.

“You wouldn’t believe how specific they are. I’m allowed to do that under Rule 1345, Section A1, Subsection B64, Paragraph 223.”

“H-How many?!”

“Rule 1345, Section A1, Subsection B64, Paragraph 223. It makes more sense than Rule 8262, Section Z26, Subsection G223/X, Paragraph 2: ‘The club’s hot cocoa supplies may only be obtained from Bradley Cocoa Inc.’—I’m more of a Neville Cocoa Co. fan myself. If you want to, some other day when I’m not under investigation for murder, I could bring you for some cocoa. My treat, of course.”

Ryunosuke’s cheeks seemed to be going redder and redder than his client’s namesake. “I—I’d like that a lot, th-thank you…” he stuttered out, before there came the noise of a typewriter clattering to the ground outside.

“G-Get off o’ me ya great bawbag!” cried a voice. “You there, Sholmes! What the hell d’ye thing ye’re doing?! Tell ‘em to lemme go!”

Ryunosuke exclaimed: “What—?!”

Redford exclaimed: “—the hell—?!”

Susato exclaimed: “—is this—?!”

They quickly stepped out from the office to find Mr. Sholmes, Athelney Jones, and several police constables wrestling a man to the ground, with Sholmes desperately trying his best to try and fit a pair of handcuffs onto him in order to try and keep him restrained.

“Get…offa…me!” cried the man, standing up like a giant that had been rudely awakened from his slumber.

The man was tall and well-built, sporting well-combed fair-brown coloured hair and a rather well-kept handlebar moustache. Compared to Redford or even to Mr. Sholmes, he looked to be a giant amongst everyone that was stood in the room that day.

But what really drew the gathered crowd’s attention was the fact that he seemed to be wearing an outfit that was much too small for him; an outfit in the form of a small silver tiara, a green sleeveless top, a pink tutu and ballet slippers, with what looked to be a pair of wings cut out from cardboard strapped to his back and a long wooden stick with a star attached to the end of it.

“Sholmes! What the hell d’ya think yer playin’ at?”

“Arthur?!” exclaimed Redford. “You know you can’t come in here right now, not whilst the police are still investigating!”

“Sorry…Did you just say Arthur?” asked Susato.

“Yes, this is Arthur Conan Doyle.”

“One of your lot then, eh?” asked Jones, folding his arms with a sneer on his face.

“Not only that, Detective Jones. But this man…” Sholmes spun into the centre of the room and pointed at Conan Doyle with a flick of his fringe. “…is the true criminal that you’ve been searching for all along!”

“It was Arthur All Along? Come off it.”

“If anything, he should be prosecuted for crimes against my eyesight,” said Ryunosuke out loud, not quite sure where to look, given that the outfit that the man was wearing was far too small for him and far too revealing for everybody else.

“I’m quite sure of it. After all, I have perfectly intact logic and reasoning that can explain all.”

“Such as?”

“Well then I’ll show you then. It’s officially time for…Herlock Sholmes’s Dance of Deduction!”

“Oh this’ll be something to look forward to!” cried Redford excitedly, taking out his notebook and already beginning to rapidly scribble notes.

“Trust me when I say it isn’t…” said Ryunosuke, slumping over and fixing the defence attorney band that had slipped slightly down his arm.

#OTP: Red Dragon #self shipping #self insert #the adventure of the detection club #story #fic #self shipping fic #TGAA spoilers #TGAA 2 spoilers

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wolfpawn · 4 years

Text

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 103

Chapter Summary - Danielle and Emma have a night out together leading to a drink or two too many and the pair making their way back to Belsize, where Tom has a little announcement for Danielle.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long. This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

All image rights belong to their owners

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller @fairlightswiftly @salempoe @wolfsmom1

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

Danielle was packing her things for the first trip to LA, the studio was already asking for her details to send on her tickets. Tom walked into the room to see two pairs of clothes and several folders. ‘Are you bringing any more than that?’ he asked, pointing to the clothes.

‘I don’t think so, it is only for four days.’ She looked over from the folders she was organising. ‘It is warmer than my Irish arse is used to, so I should be okay with them two.’ She smiled. ‘How about you, are you ready for Atlanta?’

‘You are not supposed to know where I am going.’ Tom sat next to her on the ground, grinning.

‘You shouldn’t have told me so.’

‘True.’ He acknowledged, looking at her.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I had Luke send me on all of what happened the other day,’ he toyed with some of her hair that had escaped the hair clip she was using to keep the majority of it up. ‘I’m sorry.’

Danielle sighed, in the three days since she was verbally accosted by the two teenagers in the street, there seemed to have been a small cyberwar regarding their behaviour; most people attacking them for being so aggressive to her, calling them every sort of name, especially implying they could not be true lovers of Tom if they would want to say those things about her, but there were also the people who cheered them for it, joining in and telling them they should have added more names to those they called her. Danielle had been hurt by it, she was human, she had feelings, but she had also been contacted by Sophie, who immediately ensured that she was not letting it get to her. For two hours the day after, she had been hiding at their house with either Christopher or Hal in her arms to cuddle as Sophie reassured her that nothing those sorts of people said could take anything from her and Tom. ‘It hurt, but I am fine.’ Tom looked at her sceptically. ‘I am, I am not going to let their attempt to bully me away from work. Firstly, they would just continue it with anyone else and two, I don’t want to lose you because of them.’ She leant over and kissed him. ‘So stop staring at me as though I am about to grab my car keys and run to the nearest Irish Ferries boat out of here, I am not going to leave you.’

‘You’re heading to LA for a few days, so that’s a lie.’ Tom joked.

‘You’re leaving me for five weeks,’ she pointed out.

‘I know. I don’t want to.’

‘Yes, you do, you and the rest of the cast have been dying to catch up for years and now with even more people to add, it will be even better, I’m jealous.’

‘If it was revealed I was in this, I would demand they let you stay for a week,’ Tom swore. ‘I really wish I could introduce you to everyone.’

‘In time.’ She gave him another kiss. ‘The secrecy will be worth it when we are at the premiere and I get to see you in all your God of Mischief-ness.’

‘I was thinking.’

‘Jesus, should I be worried.’ Tom gave her a bemused look. ‘Not sorry.’

‘Wait, do you see us together still then?’ He asked.

‘Of course, I am here for the long haul. I am not going anywhere because of a few brats.’ He kissed her ardently. ‘Stop, before we get nothing done.’ She scolded. ‘What is your idea?’

‘They are sending a private plane to pick me up to make sure I am not seen.’

‘Good plan.’

‘I checked, they would allow you on it to Atlanta with me, get the studio to get you a ticket from there.’ She looked unsure. ‘What?’

‘What if I am seen waiting for a flight there, I don’t want to be what spoils it.’

‘I checked. There is a flight red-eye that leaves a half-hour after we will get there that will get you to LA. I have to be flown in at night. You don’t have to of course.’ He looked at her as those a sad puppy.

Danielle eyed him for a moment before thinking over what he was suggesting. ‘I’ve never been on a private jet.’

‘It’s a lot nicer than waiting for boarding.’ Tom grinned, seeing he was whittling her down. ‘It’ll just be you and me, alone at thirty thousand feet.’

‘We are not joining the mile-high club.’ Danielle warned. ‘Or, I am not joining you in it.’

‘I have never done anything of that sort, but now that you mention it.’ His grin turned wicked.

‘No.’

‘We’ll see how long you will be able to resist when I pull you onto me and slowly start rubbing your little spots.’

‘What little spots?’

Tom pulled her against him as he gently pressed his lips to her shoulder, moving them up her neck, grazing his teeth against the skin, her body relaxing against his. ‘See, and you are a puddle when I play with your breasts.’ He slid his hand around.

‘I need to pack.’

‘And tell that… What’s his name again?’

‘Who?’

‘The guy you are working with.’

‘Em…Lucas.’ It took Danielle a moment to remember his name with Tom’s actions.

‘Yes, you need to tell him you are going to be in Hartsfield-Jackson airport at two AM on the twenty-ninth. Because you will go and enjoy a fancy jet with me, you deserve to enjoy yourself.’ He insisted.

‘Maybe I should open myself up to being verbally accosted by youths more often.’

Tom growled slightly. ‘That’s not funny.’

‘I beg to differ,’ Danielle smiled, pulling away from him. ‘Now, you are getting me all hot and bothered and I have too much to do, so get your stuff together and I’ll get my stuff together, and after we have dinner, you are going to put Mac out for the bathroom, I will tidy up and after that; you are going to finish what you just started, am I clear?’ she ordered.

‘Yes, Ma’am.’ Tom gave a small military salute.

‘Do not get cheeky with me or I will tie you to the bed and spank your arse for you.’ Tom’s eyes widened. ‘That silenced you.’ She laughed, going to the closet to get another bag belonging to Tom for his clothes.

‘I am not sure if I see that as a deterrent or an incentive.’ He admitted.

‘Behave.’

‘Darling, I am Loki, the God of Mischief, I don’t do behaving.’ He grinned, wrapping his arms around her again.

Danielle laughed as she walked arm in arm with Emma down the street towards the taxi rank. They had been enjoying a meal and drank a little too much wine, leading to the two of them being slightly tipsy as they got in, giving the driver the address as they did so. When they got to Belsize, the pair got out, Danielle giving Emma her key as she paid the taxi driver. Emma found it difficult to negotiate the key into the keyhole in her inebriated state and as such, was failing. Before Danielle even got up the steps, Tom came to the door and opened it slightly confused, an excited Mac beside him, the dog having seen Danielle getting out of the taxi. ‘Ladies.’

‘Oops,’ Emma giggled, handing the keys to Tom. ‘Sorry.’

‘Good evening then?’ Tom chuckled, moving to the side to allow his sister and his partner inside.

‘Emma polished off over a bottle of wine, she needs to lie down.’ Danielle informed him.

‘You drank most of the second bottle.’ Emma argued.

‘So, yes, you both had a good time,’ he chuckled again.

‘Yep.’ Danielle smiled.

‘How drunk are you?’ Tom asked with a raised brow.

‘Just tipsy.’

‘Danielle tried singing in the cab again.’ Emma laughed. ‘Tried being the important word there.’

‘In my defence, I sing that song regardless of my state of sobriety.’ She argued.

‘Cheap Thrills?’ Tom hampered a guess.

‘See, even Tom knows I can’t help it.’ Danielle laughed. ‘l’m going to get some tea. Emma, ring your husband. Tell him you’re here before he gets worried.’

‘Right.’ The other woman looked around. ‘Tom, I can’t be bothered unlocking my phone, I left it in the hall, ring Jack.’

‘Any why should I do that?’

‘Because you are my older brother and as such, it is your duty to look after me.’

He threw his eyes up before reaching for his phone and ringing his brother-in-law. When Jack answered, he hardly waited a moment before talking. ‘Your wife is safe, unless she keeps annoying me.’

‘Do I need to collect her?’ The Tyrone man laughed. ‘I’d need an hour or so, I had a drink earlier, I don’t want to get in trouble for it if I’m caught.’

Tom looked to his sister, ‘Jack had a drink earlier, he wants to know if you want him to collect you.’

‘Can I crash here?’

Tom barely took a moment to reply to Jack. ‘She’ll stay here tonight, better to be safe.’

‘Cheers, I will be grand in the morning, I’ll take her back then.’ Jack laughed. ‘I take it they had fun?’

‘Apparently, the two of them had a few wines...too many.’

‘I did not.’ Danielle commented, coming back into the room, Mac by her side as she sat on the sofa with two teas, one for herself and the other for Emma.

Tom looked between the pair who was busy laughing and joking. ‘Will we drop her home or…’

‘No, I’ll come to her, tell her to steal something of Danielle’s and be ready for ten, my dad is coming over for a few days and we’ll collect him from the airport.’

‘Stop telling your wife to steal my clothes.’ Danielle shouted a little louder than she had planned.

‘But that’s the best part of us being friends.’

‘I am four inches shorter than you, my clothes cannot fit you like they do me.’

The pair continued to playfully bicker as they enjoyed their tea, talking to Tom as they did so, Mac firmly placed at Danielle’s feet, content with her returning. Finally, tiredness and the effects of the alcohol became too much for Danielle and she rose to go to bed, Emma having already left not long before.

‘Any issue at dinner?’ Tom asked gently.

Danielle was drinking another glass of hydrating powder mixed with water. ‘No, not that I saw. We were just two normal people having dinner. How was your meeting today?’

‘Good, I have something to talk to you about.’ Danielle looked at him worriedly. ‘I was meeting with Ken, he had an idea he wanted to pitch to me.’

Danielle folded her arms, leaning against the counter, listening. ‘Right?’

‘He wants to do a fundraiser for RADA.’

‘That’s cool, what’s he thinking.’

‘My starring in a play for it, starting rehearsals in late July or early August, then three weeks of the show.’

‘So, you’ll be home for most of the summer? Bar Comicon of course.’

‘Yes.’ Tom beamed at her smile at the idea.

‘What play is it?’

‘Hamlet.’ Danielle’s smile fell and she hissed like an angered cat. ‘What?’

‘Evil!’

‘What?’ Tom looked at her confused. ‘What’s evil?’

‘That play. The melancholy prick, if he moaned anymore… “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed, His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!” seriously, if he kept going, forget committing suicide, I was fit to kill the prick myself. Five fucking soliloquies and all he did was bitch and moan.’ She ranted. ‘Seriously, talk about a dose. I never hated English class as much as when I was studying that fecking play.’

Tom stood for a moment, somewhat startled by Danielle’s reaction to such a famous work. ‘I didn’t know you studied it.’

‘Yes, my teacher was a Shakespeare fan, so she made us do it, and learn off the soliloquies.’ She stated calmly. It was only then she realised Tom’s face was one of shock. ‘What?’

‘I never realised you felt so passionately against Hamlet.’

‘I have bad memories; those lines were hard for me to learn and the teacher forced us to do it. Seriously, give me Yeats, not Shakespeare, he was my favourite or Kavanagh.’ Still, Tom was looking at her oddly. ‘Is berating Hamlet a break-upable offence?’

‘I would not think so.’ Tom kissed her forehead.

‘You’re still getting me a ticket, right?’

‘You want a ticket to a play you hate?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’

‘I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt, having to study it in school is one thing, we all hate school because it forces us to have to do it, but with you involved, I might be able to be convinced to give it another chance.’

Tom grinned, ‘Really? So, you’ll come to opening night?’

‘Yes, get me a good seat and I will pay you the day you get the ticket.’

‘You don’t have to…’

‘Tom,’ though still slightly inebriated, she spoke seriously. ‘It is a fundraiser, I am paying for my own damn ticket.’

‘I won’t argue.’

‘Good, I am not the sort to be messed with the best of times,’ She yawned. ‘Now, bed.’

#chapter 103 #I Hate You I Love You #wolfpawn #tom hiddleston #Tom hiddleston fic

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indigomasquerade97 · 4 years

Text

Brothers Abducted

Chapter 10 – Barfly

After a few minutes, the brothers had finally calmed down enough to head back into the library. In that time, Bobby had gotten out a notepad and had been getting as much information from the other two as he could.

‘Okay, so, there are three types of… Shifters, was it?’

‘Yep,’ The boy answered, quickly swiping the notepad to scribble something onto it, ‘Mandimal’s like us try to help out wherever we can, and are generally easy enough to work with… when you’re not working with an ass, at least. A Neutral is… well, exactly what it sounds like. Be cautious if you meet one, but they generally stay out of the way. But don’t ever get involved with a Verten. They will cheat and hurt just for the hell of it.’

‘Yeah, Bolts are basically demons.’ Sam called out from Dean’s hand.

Takota didn’t seem very interested in the discussion above him. He was instead standing on top of a book, reading. After a moment, he looked over at Bobby.

‘Hey, what is this?’ He asked. Dean stepped closer, slowly placing his hand on the table so Sam could hop off. On the opposite side of the monster, of course. He couldn’t help but side-eye it suspiciously.

‘An old tomb ‘bout demons,’ Dean supplied to the small guy, glancing away from Jason for just a second, ‘Helps us get rid of ‘em.’

‘Demons, huh?’ Takota muttered. He bit his lip, then snapped his fingers, stepping off the book. Immediately, Jason leaned forward to prop the book up, opening it to the first page.

‘Knock yourself out.’ He said, winking down at the small guy. Takota smiled, throwing his hood back as he jumped back to the page, beginning to read to his heart’s content.

‘You wanna learn about demons?’ Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow. He wouldn’t have pegged the small guy to be interested in such things.

‘We need all the help we can get,’ Takota said, then began to move the page on his own, ‘The only piece of concrete fact we got is that iron is incredibly versatile here.’

‘Yeah, that was after one of our own got the shits fighting a ghost and threw something at it, and poof. Iron made it disappear for a bit,’ Jason said with a chuckle, then shook his head, ‘We still haven’t gotten rid of it, but we have someone watching the property until it can be dealt with properly.’

‘Well, now that we know that this really is Sam’s world,’ Takota mused, poking his head around the book, ‘” Salt and burn” is what you called it, right? On the ghost’s dead body?’

‘Usually the body. Really, its whatever is keeping the person’s spirit here.’ Sam answered.

‘I can let the others know.’ Jason said, holding up his arm. He tapped at his watch, and a green screen of light appeared. The humans jumped a little at the display even as Jason typed out his message and sent it away. What is this, Star Trek? Dean wondered.

Jason then hesitated. Just for a moment. He seemed to skim over something, his back straightening. His fingers drummed on his wrist. Takota glanced back at him, seeming to have a whole conversation with just their eyes, and nodded. Jason cleared his throat, standing up.

‘I don’t know about you lot, but I think we should celebrate!’ The kid declared, wringing his hands as he backed away, ‘I’m gonna head out for some supplies!’

‘I got whisky, kid.’ Bobby called, but Jason shook his head.

‘Trust me, that won’t be enough for me,’ He said slyly, turning to the door, ‘I’ll be back soon.’

‘You need a ride?’ Dean offered quickly, dashing over to the monster. He didn’t want to let the monster out of his sight. He was too much of a loose cannon for his liking. The kid’s head cocked slightly, and he smiled back at Dean.

‘Nah, I’ll be good,’ He said quickly, ‘I don’t wanna bother ya.’

‘It’s nothing, really,’ Dean insisted, standing so close he towered over the shorter man, ‘Besides, I got stuff to do in town anyway.’

The two stared each other down for long moment. Jason eyed Dean, assessing. Calculating. Dean stood rock solid, refusing to show any weakness or hesitance. Finally, Jason just laughed, draping an arm across Dean’s shoulders. The hunter tensed at the closer proximity, and how the smaller man seemed to drag him down. It was an awkward position, considering how much smaller Jason was to him.

‘What the hell? The more, the merrier!’ He declared, leading him out.

Takota, hidden in the pages of the book, shook his head. Hope you know what you’re doing, Dean.

***

The ride into town was quiet. Uncomfortably so. Dean tried his best not to let the monsters gaze faze him, but the entire ride, Jason had been blatantly watching him from the front passenger’s seat.

‘Would you stop staring?!’ Dean demanded, his grip on the wheel tightening. Jason shifted, but didn’t relent in his examination, like Dean was some complex puzzle he was trying to understand.

‘How about we stop here.’ Jason said finally, glancing out the window. Dean parked the car, noticing the bar across the road. Jason quickly slipped out of the Impala to head inside with Dean close behind.

The bar was pretty basic, as far as bars went. The air smelt of the usual mix of beer and liquors, with a faint cigarette lint at the back. There weren’t many people there, just the bartender and a couple of patrons. Jason was quick to chose a secluded table in the corner, sitting so his back was to the wall and he could look out at the whole bar.

It was a surprisingly hunter-like move, actually.

It didn’t take long for the server girl to walk over.

‘What would you like, boys?’

‘A coke is fine, hun.’ Jason said before relaxing into his seat. After Dean ordered himself a beer, the young woman walked away, leaving Dean alone in the corner of the bar with Jason.

‘You even old enough to be in here?’ Dean asked. Jason shrugged.

‘I’m over sixty years old, you tell me.’ He said with a cheeky smile.

‘Okay. Why are we here?’ Dean asked, eyes narrowing, ‘I thought you were gonna get stuff for a celebration?’

‘Yeah, but now you’re here,’ Jason answered, ‘You clearly have something to say to me, so. Shoot.’

’…What do you want from us?’

‘Care to elaborate?’

'You’re a monster. Monsters only work with humans when they want something. So, what’s your game?’ Jason hummed, looking away from Dean.

'I’m a Mandimal, Dean. It’s in our nature to help out when we can.’

Dean frowned. Did the kid really think he’d fall for that?

'I ain’t buying what you’re selling, kid.’ Jason just smiled.

'I guess it doesn’t matter. I have something for you, anyway.’ Dean tensed as the kid reached into his jacket, ready to bolt if he needed to. But Jason only pulled out a folder and placed it in front of Dean.

'I wasn’t quite certain that this time would be it, but Takota and I prepared some stuff for you.’

…“This time”? Just how many times have they done this?

Dean hesitantly took the folder, glancing at the files inside. There was a medical certificate, with a list of shots and past injuries. There was a short summary of Sam’s education, with a separate sheet altogether dedicated to fighting and defense.

'I even added a sheet that details how to properly interact with smaller folk. No grabbing, keep your voice down, that sorta thing.’

'What is all of this?’ Dean demanded, glaring at the monster. But he faltered when he noticed the kids dejected look.

'I’m not an idiot, Dean. Ever since we found Sam, his biggest priority was finding you. Now that he has, it’s time for me and Takota to leave.’

Dean blinked. The monster was just… going to leave? Just like that?

The kid must have guessed where his thoughts were heading. He chuckled, but there was little humour in the sound.

'Dean, I’m under no illusions here. Sam belongs with his family. You. But me and Mouse… we’re soldiers. We will eventually be reassigned. And when that happens, Sam will have a choice to make; stay with us, or stay with you,’ Jason said, shaking his head, 'I won’t lie, I wish he’d stay… But we know what he will decide. It would be cruel to force that decision on him, though. So, we’ll just move on so he won’t have to.’

Dean stared at the kid. This is what he’d wanted, wasn’t it? To get his lost baby brother away from a potentially monster? But the kid looked so heartbroken. He’d spent years taking care of Sam, and now he was stuck with such a hard decision. To let him go.

After all, there was no way Dean could stop him. The kid had obviously become attached, and had the power to just keep Sam if he wanted. Hell, he could have kept Dean a secret; Sam never would have known any different.

Yet, he was still putting Sam before his own desires.

… Was I wrong about him, Dean wondered.

Jason’s eyes drifted for a moment, then snapped back at Dean.

‘So, we good?’ Jason asked, raising an eyebrow, 'You gonna stop stalking me now?’ Dean opened his mouth to protest – he had not been stalking – but Jason just smiled good-naturedly.

'Calm down, I don’t blame ya. If the situation were reversed, I probably would have done the same,’ He continued, putting his hand on Dean’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze, 'Go home. You’ve been separated from Sam long enough. I’ll be back later.’

Dean sighed, shaking his head. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not be mad at the kid. Even after everything that had happened, he was still being civil and kind.

It was more thoughtful and mature than anything Dean had done.

'Alright,’ Dean quickly finished the last of his drink, then smiled, 'Don’t stay out too long. And make sure you get me a pie while you’re at it.’ Jason just chuckled, waving him off as he savored his own drink.

Jason watched as Dean left the bar, and the smile dropped. He glanced to the back of the bar. He chugged the last of his drink, lightly placing the cup on the table before he moved. Like a shadow, he slid through the door at the back, unnoticed by the staff.

He took a deep breath as he stepped into the alley outside. He quickly surveyed the area, looking for his target. It was secluded, walled in on all sides except one, where there was a corner that led into the streets. No potential witnesses. There were many places to hide. A cat was scrounging in the trash, undisturbed by his presence. The building creaked with old age, music softly coming from the closed door. A small amount of dust fell from the roof and landed on his shoulder. But no wind.

Be wary of any disturbances in your environment. Sometimes, the smallest details can warn of approaching danger.

Acting on instinct, Jason threw himself to the side. Barely a moment after, a figure landed where he had been standing. Jason rolled, quickly getting to his feet to face his foe.

It was the woman from the bar, who had served them earlier. She blinked, seeming confused that her prey wasn’t in her clutches. She laughed, glancing at him.

'I didn’t know hunters started out so young.’ She purred, looking Jason over. Those eyes shifted, becoming black pools. Jason couldn’t repress a shudder at that.

'Demon.’ He said, holding his arms up to protect his face. The demon chuckled, stepping closer.

'Trying to take me out on your own, boy?’ It scoffed, shaking its head, 'Whoever was training you did a poor job of it. Was it the handsome one, or the old man?’

Before he could even register the implications of its words, the demon charged, ready to rip the wretched hunter apart. But with speed it had never witnessed before, the boy was suddenly behind it, an arm around its neck to keep it in place.

'Not a hunter, mate.’ The boy said, tightening his hold to cut off its air.

The demon was shocked. It had been expecting an inexperienced child. But this…

It began cackling, reaching up to grab the boy’s hand. It had to struggle, but it was able to pry his arm away. But only just. It laughed again as it rubbed at the vessel’s neck, now keeping its distance.

'Not human either, it seems,’ It cooed, looking the boy over again, 'What are you?’

Jason grimaced at the pain in his arm. The demon had used its nails to pry him away, leaving long red marks across the skin. It was stronger than he had thought.

Jason reached back and pulled out his knife. Stronger or not, he had a job to do. He had to get rid of the danger to the haven.

And, more importantly, he had to protect the guys at Bobby’s.

Jason charged, lashing out at the demon. It quickly retreated. It raised its arms in defense, blood already beginning to stain its clothes. But it didn’t seem bothered by this.

'Is she even still alive?’ Jason demanded, glancing over the body. The girl was so young. She didn’t deserve this. The demon cackled.

'Oh, she gave out long ago,’ It boasted, ‘She didn’t last long after I killed her parents.’

Jason blinked, faltering in his attack. Had this thing made her watch as it killed her family? Fuckin let me at it!!-Oh Twins, no…-Crap.-

That slight, distracted pause was all the demon needed. It lunged, grabbing one of his arms. It heaved, and there was a loud crack. Jason grimaced, but bit his tongue even as his arm erupted in deep flames, falling to his side. He would not give this thing the satisfaction of seeing him squirm!

It seemed disappointed in the lack of response, but it didn’t pause. It tackled Jason down. Now on his back, with the demon on top, he was pinned. One arm lay useless on the ground, while the demon held the other down.

‘Oh, I like you,’ It purred, leaning close. Jason stared back defiantly. It grinned, leaning far to close. 'Let’s have some fun, shall we?’

#@brothersapart #Brothers Abducted #contest entry #my writing #chapter 10

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coconut-cluster · 5 years

Note

if you want to, could you do some headcanons about emile and pat/lo in the try guys au?? i love your writing!!!

aw thank you!!! and YES OF COURSE - ive been wanting to write something about them, but since their family isn’t really try gays-related other than the fact that Lo and Pat are try gays themselves, i was hesitant but this is perfect anon, thank you~

Logicality dads + Em:

The foster care system Em had been involved in wasn’t the worst, but California was a big state and his city even bigger, and individual attention was hard to obtain, especially since he’d acted as a caretaker for so many of the younger children there.

So when he met Patton and Logan when he was twelve, learned more about them through his case worker and the questions he asked about them, he was so, so hopeful. So he said yes to the prospect of them adopting him.

(The smiles on their faces only make his hope shine brighter.)

Emile takes time to fully trust them - with the number of foster families he’s had in the past that “just didn’t work out,” he’s hesitant, but Lo and Pat never get angry at him, never force him to spend time with them or make him uncomfortable

They’re patient, and they’re open, and no matter how far he puts himself at times, they’re still there, and that’s what he needs.

After eight months of foster care with the Picani’s, Emile finds that he’s happy. He’s more than happy, actually - he’s ecstatic, comfortable, he’s content.

And when they all go out for ice cream at Em’s favorite shop, and he sees his caseworker sitting at one of the booths with a stack of papers in her hands, he knows everything is better than he ever imagined.

He calls Patton “Pops” and Logan “Dad”

Patton and Em share a love of cartoons - they stay up every Friday night watching old ones, and they never miss new episodes of their favorites. (they have theory folders)

When Em came home from school - he started a new middle, then high, school when he moved in with the Picani’s, since he mostly did online work in the foster system - gushing about his psychology class and how much he loves it, Logan’s whole face brightens.

(Emile spends the entire evening with stars in his eyes as Lo explains the different types of psychology)

Em hears music drifting up the stairs to his room - which is a different pastel color on every wall and decked with TV show and movie posters - late at night sometimes. One time, he lets curiosity take hold, and he tiptoes into the hallway; Logan and Patton’s door is open, as it often is (”You can come get us whenever you need to, kiddo,” Patton had told him brightly when Em asked about it), but neither of them are in there. He shuffles to the stairs, crouching down on the top step to peek into the living room, where the music is coming from - there’s an old record player sitting on the coffee table (Emile can just make out the neat “L.P.” carved into its leather side), and next to the table are Patton and Logan, arms around each other as they sway in the dimmed lamp light. Emile watches them for a second, a smile on his face, and goes back to bed.

Em is undoubtedly the sweetheart of the Try Gays’ videos. Anytime he pops on screen, even for just a second, the comments flood with hellos and coos over him

(He loves it.)

He is also the biggest Prinxiety shipper of the entire fanbase, just in front of Patton and Logan.

Patton, Logan, and Emile all have different glasses frames, and together they make the very exclusive Glasses Gang

(Roman designs them t-shirts. They wear the t-shirts.)

The first time Emile initiates a hug - he’s usually sensitive to touch, so Patton and Logan usually initiate after asking - Patton almost bursts into tears, and Logan hugs tighter than he does anyone else.

For his thirteenth birthday - the first birthday he spends with Pat and Lo and just a month after they signed the adoption papers - they all get in the car, but Pat and Lo won’t tell him where they’re going....

They pull into the Build-a-Bear parking lot, and he nearly combusts on the spot.

He wants to spend hours in there - the bright yellow walls are a bit of an eyestrain, sure, but just the store’s concept brings a smile to his face - though (after careful deliberation) he finally picks a light brown bear, and finds a Stitch costume to go with it, and he’s certain the day can’t get any better.

(He’s so excited with the costume, in fact, that he thinks nothing of Patton and Logan’s whispers and huddled lurking by the stuffing machine while his bear is stuffed)

As they’re walking out to the car, Emile ranting bright-eyed to his dads (his dads! the phrase still seems otherworldly to him!) about the implied story of Lilo and Stitch, when he feels something weird on the bear, right where the heart is.

He stops right by the car and stares at it, pokes it, and it starts talking - well, sort of. It’s one of the sound discs from the shop, but it’s not one of the prerecorded ones:

“Ohana means family,” comes Patton’s voice, bright and joyful, and then Logan’s low timbre, “And family means no one gets left behind.”

When he looks up, he sees both of them staring at him, a mix of hopeful and nervous. He blinks.

And immediately bursts into tears.

He feels his dads at his side in a second - he wants to thank them, wants to tell them how much that line means to him, how much it means that they used it about him, but all he can do is cry because it’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for him, so instead, he wraps his arms around both of them as best he can and keeps crying.

And when they hug back, he knows they understand it perfectly.

Emile (AND THE SQUAD, GET READY I LOVE THEM):

On his first day at his new school, he’s nervous that his dads’ fame will make people hate him.

Turns out, not much could actually make people hate Emile Picani.

He’s a huge sweetheart? And super smart? And charismatic in a very adorable and quirky way? Anyone who had their doubts about his character are quickly convinced otherwise; he is the softest puffball at the school and they all know it.

Which is why his best friend tends to shock people.

Remy Miego is the school gossip and, surprisingly enough, a bit of a loner until Emile comes to school. He always has an obscure cafe coffee cup in his hand - rarely anyone knows he works there, and gets a free cup a day that he very often chooses to cash in - and aviator sunglasses on his face - even fewer people know he has photophobia (light sensitivity), and doesn’t wear them just to keep up an image. (”That’s what the leather jacket is for, babe,” he says to anyone who actually asks.)

The minute Emile compliments the pan flag pin on his jacket before going on a tangent about some cartoon vampire Remy reminds him of, Remy makes a mental note to protect him until their dying days, and that’s that.

(Remy is the one who shows Em the term aroace, too, just a few months before Emile starts to understand it himself.)

Em takes every psychology class at school that he can, and he’s far above his grade level in that particular field, along with English. He’s not the best at science and math, but Remy is (again, quite secretly) a whiz at them, and they tutor each other on the weekends at Emile’s house.

(Patton and Logan are overjoyed to meet Remy for the first time - with his intrinsic sass and quick wit, he reminds them very, very much of the other two Try Gays.)

((Roman and Virgil basically adopt him after they meet him.))

(((He loves it.)))

The first (and the only) time Emile comes home crying, Logan is in the kitchen starting dinner, and Patton is out at the TG office - Em collapses on the couch, hiccuping on his tears. Lo is at his side in a second.

He waits a second, taps Em’s shoulder lightly - a little signal they’d divised to ask for hugging permission - and Em nods, so Lo puts an arm around him and waits for Emile to start, if he wants to.

“Remy got in trouble because of me,” he says finally, sniffling. Logan frowns.

“How’s that, Em?”

“He- we- we were at my locker, and th-this kid in my grade- Dmitri- he came up and he was calling me and you guys names- and I didn’t know what to say so I just didn’t! I just- and then-”

“Take a breath, Em,” Logan says lowly, and Emile pauses to do it before continuing, though tears still stream down his face.

“He kept making comments, Dad, and I wanted to leave, and we started to, but then he called me a- he called me a name, and then Remy turned around and pushed past me and he punched Dmitri-” The anger seething in Logan’s eyes flickers down for a second to make room for a bit of satisfaction, but that’s not what Emile needs. “And a teacher passed by and saw him and they both got detention and now Remy’s in trouble just because I couldn’t speak up-”

“Emile, this is not your fault.” Em’s crying falters as he meets Logan’s eyes, brow furrowed. “Did you tell the teacher what happened?”

“I tried, but she made me leave after Remy and Dmitri got sent to detention.”

Logan sighs, chewing on his bottom lip, and squeezes Em’s shoulder. “Would you like me to call the school and explain the situation?”

Emile leans his head onto Logan’s chest, curling into the hug. “Please?” Logan wraps both arms around his son and hopes it’s as good as Patton’s embraces - his husband is far more equipped for this situation, but Logan will be damned if he doesn’t try to help Em through it.

So after a few more quiet minutes, Logan gently pulls away and goes back to the kitchen, pulling out his phone and dialing the school’s number.

It takes about twenty minutes for Logan to get through the call without yelling at the stuborn teacher behind it - he’s usually the rational one, the cool and collected one, but Remy is practically a second son to him, and he’s not letting the situation stay the way it is (though the teacher on call seems very against that notion). But get through it he does, and the second it’s over, he calls Patton and fills him in before heading back out to Emile, and they sit together until Patton busts through the door.

“Emile!!!” he heaves, clearly out of breath, and Em rushes to hug him. “Are you okay, honey? Nothing hurt?”

“I’m okay,” Em mutters into his shirt. “Just upset about Remy.”

And, if on cue, the door swings open again.

“I am back! Dmitri may have inconvenienced me, but if that slu-”

“Rem!!!” Emile grins - Remy snaps his mouth shut when he sees Logan and Patton blinking at him from over Em’s shoulders, gives a bright smile, and pushes the door shut with his hip before handing Em a bright pink drink.

“Mon Emile, bubblegum bombshell, my greatest platonic love,” he greets, planting a kiss on Em’s cheek, “a raspberry-vanilla frappe for you.”

“I’ve talked to the school, Remy.” Remy’s eyebrows raise behind his sunglasses at Logan. “Your detention won’t count against you.”

Remy cracks a tiny smile. “Thanks, Papa Pecan.” Logan blinks at the name, even more so when Patton snickers, but nods in acknowledgement.

They make no more mention of the incident that night - they invite Remy to stay for dinner (he only leaves when he insists his mom needs help with his “f*cktuple” siblings, to which Logan sighs and nods again and Patton offers him a ride, which he declines), and though Em is still a bit shaken up, he feels better, and that’s enough for the night.

The situation doesn’t come back up until a week later.

There’s a figure waiting at Emile’s locker when he and Remy turn the corner - Remy is immediately in front of Em, his face darkened.

“What do you want, Dmitri?” he snaps - Emile peeks over his shoulder (Remy is a bit taller than him, so it takes some leaning) and sees Dmitri, with his beanie and yellow flannel and wide, mismatch eyes (and a fading bruise on his cheekbone), leaning against Emile’s locker.

“I, uh- I wanted to talk to Emile.” Remy starts to say something, but Dmitri cuts him off and says quietly, almost inaudibly, “I wanted to apologize.”

“Sure-”

“Rem,” Emile urges, “let him talk.” Remy frowns, but he pulls back, lets Em step forward to his side, though his aviator-shaded glare stays trained on Dmitri.

Dmitri clears his throat and looks around the hall, as if checking for an audience. “What I said last week, when I... I’m sorry, yeah? I didn’t- you didn’t actually do anything wrong, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you-”

“Taken what out?”

He stops. “...bad grade. In my favorite class,” he says smoothly, though he doesn’t meet Emile’s eyes. “The point is, I was an asshole, and I’m... really sorry.” He finally glances up, sees Emile’s bright smile, and then Remy’s dubious raised eyebrow - Dmitri’s face gets a light dusting of pink as he blinks at the leather-clad boy, and the trio stands in silence for a second.

“That was a good punch,” he says finally, quietly, giving Remy a set nod.

Remy’s mouth quirks into a small smirk. “Thank you.”

“Have you ever seen Avatar?” Emile gasps suddenly - Dmitri jumps in his spot. “The Last Airbender? Have you watched it?” Dmitri frowns and looks to Remy, who shrugs, and turns back to Emile with a brief nod. “Oh my goodness, fantastic- you should come over to my house! Remy hasn’t seen the show yet, it’ll be so much easier to get through it if I have someone else to help explain it! Are you free tomorrow after school?”

“Uh...” Dmitri blinks between the pair in front of him - he hadn’t really expected the apology to go this well. He’s usually a loner, even more than Remy- but at least some people like Remy. So to have a... whatever Emile is, inviting him over to his house, it's... unexpected. “Yeah?”

“Perfect! We have English together, right?” Dmitri nods again. “Cool! I’ll see you then, Dee!”

(The three of them become a bit of a trio - “a bit” meaning they’re Emile’s best friends and Dee and Remy would literally kill a man to protect him - and it’s quite a sight to see)

OKAY I have more for those three - particularly Remy and Dee’s backgrounds - but I’ve been writing this for three hours and I am v tired. i hope you enjoy these tho anon!!!!!

#try gays #logicality #emile picani #remy sanders #janus sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #my writing #bullet fic #kinda?#hc #sanders sides

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raleigh-ocean · 5 years

Text

a simple flavor

23. “Do you really need all that candy?”

words: 00

requested: @shineestark

n/a: this is the cutest and I love my three morons in distress, thank you so much for giving me requests and stuff to write about them, thank you thank you thank you.

send me a prompt and I’ll write you a something!

Laughing inside, Raleigh was full of that buzzing feeling that was filling her as if she was a kid again. And that was good for a change, being completely honest, because the whole year had been a terrible joyride of changes. The thought made her shiver for a second, even when she wasn’t cold at all, and she pushed it to the back of her head.

The world wasn’t going to end if she stopped thinking for a day, right?

Looking down at the plastic pumpkin box she was carrying, Raleigh couldn’t help but let her smile show for a few seconds before looking around. She was trying to make her way to Cordelia’s office without being noticed, already avoiding both Zoe and Mallory in her trip. When she saw that none was going to stop her in the last few meters, she made them half jogging before closing the office’s door behind her back.

A new smile spreading in her lips, feeling the soft hum of Cordelia’s magic all over the place even when she wasn’t physically in the house, and her eyes landed in the loveseat both Misty and her made the Supreme buy recently. Well, more than ‘make’ was a suggestion that Cordelia dig in as soon as it left Misty’s lips and Raleigh hummed in response, saying it would be nice. And now she had it all for herself, to reign over it as she wanted.

Perks of having her two partners out for Supreme’s duty.

Not that Raleigh mind, she loved seeing them happy and enjoying their alone time even when they were working, it was a dynamic she loved to see. So she had kissed both good-bye at the beginning of the week and waited for the three days trip to be over to have them back, obeying Zoe in everything she asked her to since she was always the second in command when the oldest blonde witch wasn't around. But she had to admit that she did not expect the trip to become a six days trip, being the sixth that exact day and at the same time her favourite festivity: Halloween.

Being busy with the preparations was the only thing that kept her from being annoyed by the delay, as Zoe apparently knew since she put her in charge of going out to get everything they might need. So taking Madison with her - 'oh yeah, you coming with me missy, stop sulking around.' -, Raleigh made sure to have everything checked in the list.

It wasn't the delay itself but not being able to predict it what annoyed her the most. As much as she started to get used to the unexpected and kinda liking it, there were times in which Raleigh absolutely despised being blind.

Going through all those candies really put her at ease though, making her inner child to jump. And also think about how could she get her own selection of favourite candies, without having to fight for them with the rest of the girls - or even with the neighbourhood children. That’s why she was in Cordelia’s office with her pumpkin bag - ‘sweet Morgana, cupcake, I might be forty but let me live the twenty ‘Weens I missed.’ - full of sour candies, chocolate bars and some other gummies she used to love when she was a kid.

Raleigh had the biggest sugar feast all for herself, and she was going to enjoy it.

So once she was settled, covered with the blanket - the one that Misty brought from her shack -, her supplies sorted out properly, her phone in the right position to watch the show she was interested now on and withdrawing her magic all she could to not get noticed; she felt content enough to not think about anything else for the next few hours.

However, she wasn’t the only indulging on that little content sentiment that it came with being comfortable.

Cordelia felt her own happiness bubbling in her chest in spite of the tiredness of being away from home for so many days. Misty seemed to feel the same, maybe a bit more eager than her, and the moment they were behind the Academy’s door she made it very clear by just throwing her arms around the Supreme and pulled her towards the office, after Zoe left them alone to settle.

Being home after such a long and uneventful trip felt like Heaven.

When she pressed Misty against the door of her office, sealing it with magic in between the heated kiss, Cordelia hummed content when she felt all the magic under her roof enveloping her in its flow and making her feel more powerful. Misty's magic seemed reinforced too, grabbing at hers with such intensity that a soft groan escaped from her throat, already thinking in the only thing she was going to do…

...until she overheard the sound of paper wrap being unwrapped.

"Don't mind me," the familiar accented voice hit her like a train wreck, feeling the heat of embarrassment hitting her whole face as well as she tried to hide it in Misty's neck and hair. "It's not the first time I watched you two do it in front of me."

She didn't want to let go of the girlfriend she had in her arms, but at the same time she felt herself being drawn little by little by the magic flow she missed the most, now in display with such strength that Cordelia had to take a quick peek at the woman in the office’s couch. Raleigh was there, her lap full of candy paper wraps while holding under one arm a plastic pumpkin, with her phone in her free hand as if they were the ones interrupting her. Misty's laugh made her chest vibrate, sending a warm wave all over the place.

"Leighs!" Cordelia whimpered softly when Misty tried to move and only a new deep kiss made the Supreme oblige. "Are those sour keys? Bon dieu, I love 'em"

"They are for those who give sweet kisses, sweetcheeks," Raleigh's voice was a bit low, amused because she knew one of her girlfriends was walking towards her. "I thought you two wouldn't make it home till past midnight or even tomorrow."

Rolling in her hands the folder to calm herself, Cordelia sighed and felt her lips tug in a soft smile before walking towards her desk. She could pick at the surprise and the excitement behind her lover's calm tone and that was really the thing that made her feel at home. She missed having her around and she knew for a fact Misty did too.

"Dee wrapped everythin' faster to make it home for Halloween's dinner," the swamp witch talked for her before indulging in a candy kiss that was being offered to her. Cordelia wasn't looking in their direction but she knew Misty was already sitting under the blanket with Raleigh, her hand grabbing any sweet treat that was left. "Gummy bears! Did'ya left the red on-God, I love you."

"Warlocks are a pain in the ass, why did they need you two for so long?" scoffing at the comment, Raleigh showed her actual discomfort and Cordelia looked at her after leaving the important papers in their place.

"At this point I don't know, but I'm glad it's over," now that Cordelia's attention was in both her girlfriends, watching them eat and share the rest of the content in the plastic pumpkin, she placed her hand in her forehead for a few seconds.

"Yeah, well, now com'ere my love," Raleigh stretched her hand out for the older blonde to take. "Let's rest before dinner, the girls are handling everything really well."

"I need to check that myself, Morgana knows how long were you hiding in here," Cordelia chuckled at that, fixing her skirt and catching in time how the hurt showed for a second in Raleigh's eyes, before making her way to the door again.

Misty was too worried munching on a chocolate bar to notice the little exchange, cuddling the latina witch by her side better. She was always like that, going back and forth them and loving each second she got to spend with her favourite people in the world. But Cordelia could already noticed how Raleigh's hand was moving under the blanket to place it in the swamp witch's thigh and get her attention.

"Anyway," another sigh from Cordelia's lips and she turned around to look at Raleigh. "Did you really need all that candy?"

"Y'know 'Ween is my favourite day Deli, how can I not?"

"The doctor told you to cut it off with the insanely amount of sugar you put on your body," and me, I'd told you that too. That's what Cordelia wanted to actually say. "When was that? Not even a month ago?"

"Oh, so that's the way things are?" there wasn't resentment for the remark behind Raleigh's now playful tone, making Misty giggle again and lean into her shoulder, hiding a soft moan there that couldn't get unnoticed by the Supreme after that much time being with them. "Then I guess someone won't get her special kisses."

Cordelia shook her head, wanting to say something else to that as 'you know I don't like sour stuff and you basically love those', but she could only mutter 'you two are unbelievable' when she saw her partners making out already in between candies. If they weren't fighting over some silly thing, they were eating each other out in one way or another. The only thing she could give them was some privacy, casting the silencing spell and closing the door, nothing that neither of them couldn't break with a flick of their fingers.

While walking towards the kitchen, Cordelia couldn't help but feeling how much she wanted what Misty had with Raleigh so often and naturally. Oh, she did love how the latina witch showed her how much she loved her and how deeply and pure that love was, but at times she wanted to feel again that not so soft part of her lover. She wanted to be selfish and push a bit harder the boundary, telling her or showing her what she really wanted.

But she was trying to change that, as it was what led them to feel the strain in their side of the relationship.

A little sadness overcame Cordelia but once Zoe and Mallory’s enthusiastic faces and attitudes welcomed her in the kitchen, trying to bake a pumpkin pie for dinner as a nice and well deserved treat, it was much easier to ignore it and put herself to help them. Even having Sidonia, Ray’s big neapolitan mastiff, around helped her cheer up too, as she sat by her side and basically follow her everywhere she moved.

She didn’t know what she did for the dog to love her that much, since she wasn’t really fond of large dogs, but she thanked the company by giving her a cookie without anyone notice.

Laughing at how much of a mess Sidonia was doing just with one cookie, Cordelia didn’t notice how someone was getting closer to her from behind and soon she was wrapped in Raleigh’s strong arms. Her magic was wrapping her too, covering her like a big warm blanket, and Ray’s lips found their place in Cordelia’s neck seconds later.

“Pumpkin pie, sweet as you I hope,” the Supreme chuckled to that, two hands making their right place over her abdomen.

“Did you ate all the candy already?” Raleigh hummed a soft ‘no’ while leaving another kiss behind Cordelia’s ear, making her close her eyes and stop from paying attention to the cream she was preparing. “Really?”

“How could I eat all if I saved your favourite ones too?” leaving the bowl over the counter, Cordelia turned around in Raleigh’s arms just to encircle her neck with her own. “I’m not that cold-hearted, my love, I still and I will always save the orange gummy bears for you.”

It was then, watching Raleigh take something out of the pocket of her hoodie and then put it between her lips, that Cordelia felt the true warmth spreading finally in her chest. Seeing her lover’s mischievous face match with the deepness of her hazel eyes, the orange gummy bear waiting for her in a new kiss and a quirked eyebrow, gave her another reason to wait for her time.

It was worthy if that meant to have her like this for more than a couple of days.

Cordelia couldn’t help but chuckle against Raleigh’s lips when the other witch swooped her in her arms, delighted of having her now all by herself.

They kept kissing even when the gummy bear was gone, Raleigh making Cordelia sit in the counter after pushing the bowl away as skillfully as she could in her half blinded state. That was why she always tried to kiss out of anyone’s sight, they both got too caught up in each other and her rational part of the brain was trying to scream that they were in the middle of the fucking kitchen, making out like horny teenagers.

However, this time she wasn’t the one pulling away.

“Mimi will take care of the rest from here,” Raleigh’s voice was thick with something Cordelia had a while without listening. “Let’s have some alone time just the two of us until dinner,” another kiss right in the base of her neck that made her throw back her head a little. “What do you think?”

“I think you won’t need more candies to bribe me, miss Ocean.”

#cordelia goode x original character x misty day #raleigh ocean #american horror story

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septic-dr-schneep · 6 years

Text

JSE Fanfiction - Stir And Strain

Summary: Jackieboy convinces Schneep to take a break from his work and go up to the roof for some stargazing, hoping that it’ll allow his mind and body some time to rest. It turns out Schneep’s been depriving himself of that for far too long already.

Now that Jackieboy thought back, he should have sensed something was wrong as soon as he opened the door to the lab. He would hope he had gotten to know Schneep pretty well over the course of their friendship and when the doctor didn’t look up from his mountain of paperwork at the sound of the squeaking door hinges, he should have known.

He didn’t know and didn’t think to ask. “Henrik?” he called hopefully, pausing for a reply he didn’t get until he ventured a little closer and raised his voice. “Henrik?”

“What? Hmm?” Startling, Schneep dropped the folder he was staring at, prying off his glasses and scrubbing languidly at his eyes for a lingering moment before remembering that he was supposed to look up. That he did, his head falling back against the chair with a light thump. “Oh…Hello, Jackie, did you need something? The stitches from earlier did a little pop and tangle, didn’t they?”

“No, I’m fine, but I just wanted to let you know that it’s really nice out tonight! There aren’t too many clouds, so the stars are clear and I thought I’d ask if you wanted to come to the roof and stargaze, get some fresh air!” Jackieboy explained, shifting his weight back and forth eagerly as he watched his friend plant an elbow on the armrest of his chair and lean his cheek into his hand as he considered.

“I still…I don’t know if I feel up for it, Jackie. I still have things.” Grimacing, he cast a reluctant sideways glance at his desk, his eyes glazing over as they scanned the scattered folders demanding to be sorted. “Lots and lots and lots of things…”

“Well, they’re still going to be there when you get back,” Jackieboy reminded him, earning a groan that probably amounted to “Not helping.” His fingers were shaking, the hero noted fleetingly. It wasn’t uncommon, given all the caffeine he drank in a day, so he reached out, taking ahold of his warm hand to steady it as he added, “C’mon, you look like you’re totally fried. It doesn’t have to be long, but you gotta get some circulation back.”

When Schneep finally gave a listless nod of surrender, the older Ego breathed a private sigh of relief as he used the hold on his hand to leverage him to his feet. If Schneep happened to fall asleep while they were up there, he wouldn’t mind, or it could be that all he would need was the break to revitalize him and get him through a few more hours of work. Either way, he knew it would help.

As soon as they emerged onto the roof, Jackieboy decided that it would probably be the latter case as Schneep blinked as if he were seeing color for the first time, all the tension bleeding out of his face to be replaced by a smile of utter relief. “Ohhh, it’s so cool up here!” he sighed blissfully, already peeling off his sweaty, cumbersome lab coat and throwing it aside so he could feel the full effect of the breeze.

“A lot better than your stuffy ol’ lab, isn’t it?” Jackie teased, to which his friend nodded earnestly as he took another deep breath, swaying back and forth into the wind.

“So much better…” he murmured, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. Jackieboy let him stay like that for a solid minute before putting a hand on his shoulder and chuckling as he jumped.

“I’ve got the telescope set up for you,” he offered, gesturing to the edge of the roof. “You want to see if you can pick out the constellations without my help?”

Shrugging haphazardly, Schneep fell back a step, throwing out his arms to catch himself as he admitted ruefully, “I don’t know, I might just like to feel this breeze.”

“Haha, don’t worry, I’m not gonna run you through it like a pop quiz. It’s just for fun while I set up the blankets and then we can relax!”

“But you know I always get those silly little names confuzzled.” When Jackie opened his mouth to offer another point, Schneep let his shoulders slump and waved a hand. “Alright, alright. I’ll get all of them wrong, though. I’m tired.”

“Aw, give yourself some credit! We’ve been practicing for a while,” Jackieboy reminded him cheerfully as he steered him toward the telescope and then turned his attention to the basket of heaping blankets that very well could have just stayed up here permanently; he and Schneep used them every time they came up here and Marvin had frankly given up on refolding them neatly. Kneeling, he hugged the fluffiest one against his chest briefly before throwing its nearest corners into the wind to untangle it. “Just call ’em as you see ’em!”

“A-Alright…There is…the big spoon. The dipping spoon.”

“Yeah?”

“And I can’t see the little dipping spoon but I know it’s somewhere near it.”

“Aw, c’mon, try and look for it!” Jackieboy encouraged, sending a brief glance over his shoulder just as Schneep looked back at him, his expression of uncertainty morphing into one of dimly troubled resignation as the hero smiled hopefully. He knew Schneep couldn’t resist his smile when he was asking really nicely for something! Sure enough, the doctor lowered his gaze to the roof for a moment or two before shaking his head and returning his attention to the telescope.

“Oh,” he realized, chuckling faintly. “There it is.”

“Told you!” Patting at the lumps and wrinkles in the layers of blankets and snatching up the thermoses of hot tea he had shoved into the blanket basket on the way up here, Jackieboy took a sniff of them and rolled his shoulders as preemptive tingly warmth spread through him. “Any others?”

“What’s the one named after the myth…? The one with the belt?”

“Orion?”

“Yes, yes, that was it…Hmm. Orion…” Schneep repeated, his voice wavering, falling softer. “Very bright. I think I find Orion…”

The teetering creak of the telescope’s legs and the following crash caused Jackieboy to jump, nearly knocking over the thermoses and spilling their contents on the blankets. “Hey, what are you doing?” he demanded, whirling around just in time to see the younger Ego sliding gracelessly over the edge of the roof. Whatever Jackie shouted next was lost to the blur of panic and super speed as he dove after him, catching him by a fistful of his shirt and wrenching him upward in one sharp heave so he could get a solid hold on his arm.

“Henrik, what was that?!” he cried in disbelief as he dragged him back to safety, gripping him snugly around the waist. “Henrik? What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Broken…B-Broken th’ scope…” Schneep slurred faintly, fumbling to grip at Jackie’s jumpsuit as a grounding point.

“Forget the telescope! You almost fell off the roof, remember?!” Jackieboy sputtered before he had even finished, now crushingly aware of the heat bleeding through the fabric of his friend’s shirt. The coat must have masked it when they were back in the lab, he realized, cursing tersely. “Okay, buddy, you’re definitely feverish. What else are you feeling? What d’you need?”

“Ich habe keine Ahnung, jetzt ist mir schwindelig…”

Did he even notice he’d reverted to German? Fortunately there were a few words here and there that Jackie could pick out. “You’re dizzy?” he echoed worriedly, tightening his grip to support him as his friend drifted, blinking weakly as he struggled to catch his balance, only to slouch back down seconds later. For a moment or two his breathing grew heavier, hitching once or twice before falling disconcertingly shallow in one exhale as his head slumped down. The rest of his body promptly followed suit, forcing Jackie to take the brunt of his weight.

“Whoa—! Easy, easy does it, here we go. I’ve got you. I’ve got you…” Once he managed to drag him over to the pile of blankets and eased him onto his back, Jackie raked an unsteady hand through his hair, biting his lip as he tracked the rise and fall of his chest. It seemed to even out over time, but he still didn’t stir. Jackie had a feeling he wouldn’t be for a while yet; he’d exhausted every last ounce of adrenaline in his body.

He could easily scoop Schneep up and carry him down to his bed, but when he thought to how much relief the cool air had brought him, he didn’t want to move him. He doubted being down there in the “stuffy ol’ lab” would do him any favors.

Sinking down gingerly onto the blankets beside him, the older Ego curled his legs underneath him and picked up the nearest thermos, cupping it in both hands and taking a sip that he found uncomfortably hard to swallow.

This wasn’t the kind of rest he had wanted for his friend, but if it was all he could have, he would be right here until he woke up.

#youtube #jacksepticeye #fanfiction #youtube fanfiction #jackieboy man #dr schneeplestein #whump #sickies being sick #overworking #sickfic #jackistein #i live for queerplatonic jackieboy and schneep #don't worry schneep #jackieboy will save you #give schneep the sleep #hurt comfort

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rockersuicidal · 6 years

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Deploying Google Chrome msi Using SCCM 2012 R2

I’M going to be showing you have to deploy Google Chrome, which is a nice browser, but I provide box using group policy as you see, em anything that always MSI Phi’s now, first so first thing we’re gon na do is open up our internet browser and it Seems like oh I’m going to reconnect you on the client. It is now just wait for this thing to reconnect and I’ll come back for what I use for my server is a Windows, Server, 2008 r2 enterprise system running a domain and everything now that we have this open or that open up a internet browser. It’S a little sluggish, I’m not having used it in a while. It eventually speeds up then again.

Finally, confessed: I’m gon na use the one on the client here, but what we’re going to use we’re going to download a column in this high five? Oh now, it’ll be fun first thing that I’m going to look for this, the Chrome for work. You know it’s just an aside file, but I’ll include a link in the description for this and we’ll download chrome an aside, and I will uncheck that actually do not want that and we’ll click accept and install. Now you want this in a place where it’s accessible by the user and as we can see from sniffing ability to drive unified.

So can I save this now place where we can remember, and this doesn’t want to save into a bit boy order, save it. In fact, I’m going to Google now will come into SCC, Anthony or Assistance Center or System Center 2012 r2 configuration manager will create an application for appointment. Now I’m going to make this a B Y got a FaceTime call and if you hear anything in the background, it’s hi dad with my nephew. So what we’re going to do here is type in the definition for our appointment, and this case I have it in just a deploy. Folder, that’s shared admin have regret access where users just have read we’ll go ahead open this we’ll hit next going to do a verification of the MSI and in another video I’ll, show you how to create a Firefox install MSI.

As you can see, I have one. Will create an applicant will go back to this. Will click Next and for this world is good, as is more, you will install it for system or even click Next. Next, and with this finish now as long, you know how to use as TCM. You really, then have a problem, and I’m just finish up now on the clients I like to eat, pull up a client right now, don’t think you can hack me by this IP day. That is not my public IP. I might explain it to one of them and all all even the 42 is second one. While that’s blowing up all right there now and do the second song, which I so we need to login. I thought I was still on there, so we have two clients ready.

This is now done, click close and I’m going to right click and click on profits. Now some things we will have to do here is when properties open is for me. I have to set it to automatically download. I come under distribution settings automatically download and I always change this to hide and I’ll click. Ok and then we can distribute it and then put it. Now again, I have two clients they look very similar like they are, but one of them, this one is a the old Sony laptop, and this one is the compact that I’ve transferred over to a client client home at exploitation, which I would eat all right now

That this is done, we can distribute our content click next. Next, add the we will add a distribution point. We will click on our server and click next. Next, then, we have 250 distributor, click close and then we’ll click refresh it. You will come into the summary tab: if you’re not re on it scroll down, then we have to make sure this is green. Now we’re just a small program like this that won’t take very long, mainly because it’s not an entire OS is having to deploy like. Yes, I have some and it’s just a very simple program now hoping that I have set this correctly. It will deploy and we all make sure it is and will refresh it, and we can see it as success.

Now we can deploy we’ll click browse and for this I’m going to deploy it to a device collection and to the tech support station collection. The click Next make sure your distribution point shows up here nice and I’m going to make this it require to install. I always check these two now for this. I want it to be available at, and I like this and I’m going to make this available at 8:53. You believe this. The way it is will generate a failure, alert and we’ll go ahead and finish this up and that’s it, and I will come back once these have been put out to you on clients make one thing clear: these do not have chrome installed.

This does not have Google Chrome installed. I have to put some of the support there. Will the second client thing to have restarted I’ll wait for that start back up and we’ll get back, but as we can see, the coin that is connected does not have chrome installed and we do have the configuration manager don’t think I will run is a application Deployment all from that, any software in the tourists are cool and we’ll click. Ok in close drill down now soon either it’s going to pop up here saying our IT department knows make changes or we have tunnel here, open the CCA ourselves and that’s what I’m doing now, I’m open on your Software Center. You can see a my stop office types previously and I’m gon na be so Chrome has finally deploy and we’ll click.

This and we’ll click install - and this is on one of the core contact me - is complete again installation. Now, I’m right, you really are not going to you see anything you’ll see it downloading songs, chocolate installing somewhere. It’S either going to be an icon on it down here and start menu or half-crown yeah, while I’m at it on father. Another client says he and both of these systems were deployed common, the same so always been both up I’ll come back with Nathan.

You see one of our clients, I finished you now have the big chrome icon and we can launch Google Chrome and use it, and that is it for this video on the point. Google Chrome through System Center in point system simply a figure-eight avenger, and we have it on the second plane as well and as you can see, you have Chrome. Thank you for watching this video comment. Like

#chrome #msi #silent install #deploy

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broccolitachi · 7 years

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Uchiha Sister Series: Mafia AU

A/N: So, Jay from @jay-and-joy-write-naruto and I were chatting about a mafia AU some time ago and I wrote this lil piece. The narrator is Madara and Izuna’s sister (would you expect any less from me lol). I had a lot of fun writing this, so let me know if you guys want more. Jay and I also have a lot of other AUs, so I might drop some of that here too lol. Just let me know if you wanna see em ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Enjoy!

Trigger Warning/Content Warning: Death (not a lot of detail tho. Characters just die); Guns...Please let me know if there’s anything else I should tag

“You got this?”

Madara closed the folder and slid it across his desk. I seized the file before it flew off the edge of the mahogany beast and fanned myself with it, smiling.

“Have I ever not ‘got this?’ Leave it to me, brother.” I pushed the carved doors of Madara’s office open and sauntered out, weaving through the guards and other subordinates to my wing of the mansion. I grabbed my coat from my office and tossed the file on my secretary’s desk. “File that under ‘In Progress’ please. I should be back tomorrow by noon. See you then, Dana.”

A leaf blew into my face as soon as I left the estate grounds. Autumn. Perfect weather to enjoy if I wasn’t working right now. Maybe I should ask Madara about vacation days. But what was I thinking? Focus. I’m on a case. These guys were last seen at the corner of Fifth and Main, so I turned my steps that way.

“Do you happen to know where they could be now? No? Ok. No, no, nothing like that. We just need to deliver a few of their packages, that’s all. Yeah—priority mail. You know how it is. ‘Guaranteed delivery’ my ass. Well, thank you so much. Goodbye!”

I exited the dingy bar and made my way back to the main street. The bartender obviously knew more than he was letting on, but it seemed I’d have to resort to more underhanded means to find out what he was hiding. I pulled out my phone and called my secretary. “Dana? Book me a hotel near Main and Fifth, would you? One night for Liu Wen. Ha. Ha. Very funny, Dana. Don’t book the entire hotel—I just need a place to sleep tonight. And have Alfonso get the computer; I need him to order me a small pizza by 7 o’clock. Thanks, Dana.”

I halted in front of a store window to check the reflection for anyone suspicious who could have overheard me. Police, plainclothes, rival mafia, even government and corporate spies. But everyone around me seemed innocuous enough. The code should be enough to throw them off, not that many would think “pizza” stood for “hacking” in the first place. I moved on from “checking out the dresses” and kept walking.

I pulled out my phone again once I’d settled myself in my room. Alfonso picked up immediately. “Whaddya need, boss?”

“Hey. Can you check what’s around me?”

“You’re clear, boss. There shouldn’t be any bugs or camera there—wait, hold up. Smoke alarm might have something. Let me take care of that. But what can I get you at 7 o’clock, boss?

7 o’clock, a coded conversation. “I like the third restaurant. Heard good things about it. Can you order me a small pizza from there with pepperoni by 7 o’clock?”

What any hidden microphone or stray eavesdropper would hear was a perfectly innocent pizza order. But Alfonso knew the second meaning, courtesy of the 7 o’clock code. I needed a simple hacking job to obtain information illegally.

“Alright, you got it, boss. Order a small pizza with pepperoni by 7 o’clock. Smoke alarm’s clear, by the way. You can talk freely now. Who’s the hit on?”

“Bartender from the establishment behind the Taco Bell. But I use ‘establishment’ freely. It’s more like a hole in the wall with a counter and booze. Can you search his phone for anything on our two deserters? “Sure thing, boss, just hand on a moment. Mm, yup. Found the bartender. And lookie here, I got our deserters. Barkeep texted them about a lady who was asking after them today, but it doesn’t look like either of our guys have read it yet. Want me to delete it?”

“Yes. And send the deserters a message from the bartender’s number asking them to meet him at the small cafe at the corner of Rose Avenue and 10th Street. Make sure the bartender can’t see the message.”

“...Alright, it’s done. Anything else?”

“Monitor them and make sure none of them figure out what’s happening. That’s all for this one.”

“Okey-dokey, boss.”

“Good night, Alfonso.”

“G’night, boss.”

I dialed again as soon as I hung up with Alfonso. “Hi Dana. I need you to send a message to the Rose Street Cafe and have them clear everyone out by 10 AM tomorrow. They’ll be fully reimbursed for any damages, of course. Make sure they know it’s from us. We don’t need more people getting in the way. Thanks.”

Contrary to what some people whispered on the streets, the Uchiha clan didn’t trod over the common folk like other mafia. We only killed for good reason—a threat to us, a traitor or deserter, or scum who didn’t deserve to live. We kept the streets clean of hooligans and rapists, so the common people could live in peace without violence dogging their steps. And if anyone or anything happened to get caught in the crossfire, we’d take care of that. And not in a “line them up and shoot” kind of way. The Uchiha clan paid for any damages or bills, so long as you were under our protection. A much better deal than with the other mafia.

My phone rang. “Hello? Hey, Madara, how are things?”

He dropped his facade of professional indifference and pulled his cigar out of his mouth. I heard him tapping it on his crystal ashtray. “Business as usual. Sector 5 busted a trafficking ring today—we’ll need you to negotiate things with the private investigators once you get back. That new chef still needs to get better, or he’s getting the boot. How’s your mission so far?” “Going well. I’ve located the deserters, and I’ve set them up in the Rose Street Cafe at ten tomorrow morning. Can Izuna lead a squad out there?”

My younger brother’s voice piped up. Madara’s end must be on speaker. “I’m busy tomorrow, but I can send the squad to you. Or would you rather I have one of my lieutenants take care of it?” “No, I can handle it. Have them ready at the cafe by ten. I’ll walk over, so make sure the car has room for one more.” “Got it. Anything else?”

“That’s it. See you two tomorrow. Good night.” I plugged my phone in by the bed and kicked off my boots. I put my coat on the night stand, positioning it so I could reach in and grab my gun at any point in the night. Tomorrow promised to be interesting.

I saw the black van parked outside the coffee shop as soon as I turned the corner. The men got out as soon as they saw me, and on my signal they pulled out their weapons and started firing into the cafe. Passersby screamed and ran for cover, but they needn’t have worried. We got our targets without extra bloodshed.

My earpiece buzzed. “Vehicle incoming.” The emergency responders were remarkably fast today. I’d have to check if there was anyone we forgot to bribe once I got back to the mansion. In any case, dealing with them would be a simple matter. Maybe this time I’d challenge myself and tape my mouth shut.

A civilian car pulled up in front of the cafe and two people, a man and a woman, got out. Plainclothes detectives, by the look of them. Ones that were far in over their head and without backup. How hard could this be?

As it turns out, it could be very, very hard. When I put away my lipstick and compact mirror the last people I expected to see was Hashirama Senju and you. You recognized me as soon as I saw you; I could see it in your eyes. Why did I have to get TWO cops we couldn’t pay off? The Senju family was devoted to justice for almost as long as the Uchiha have been in the underworld, and Hashirama believed too much in his childish concept of “right” and “wrong” to take our money.

And then there was you, my old schoolmate and best friend. We’d been joined at the hip when we were young, but your brother’s murder pushed you to the police force and away from me. Now we faced each other with guns at our hips instead of book bags and flower crowns. Oh, how the times have changed.

I motioned for the men to get into the car and followed them in. I saw you try to run after the van as we drove away, saw how Hashirama held you back. Well, at least I didn’t have to worry about you getting yourself killed just yet, but your presence brought with it a host of new problems. I buried my head in my hands. Things were gonna get a lot more complicated.

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zanytimetravelenthusiast-blog · 4 years

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OptinTurbo Review Discount And Huge Bonus

Welcome to OptinTurbo, we're so ecstatic you have actually decided to use us for all your e-mail checklist needs! We promise to make it very easy, effective, as well as inexpensive! To get started, please read our easy tool overview below.

How to Develop a Substantial Email Checklist: Just How We Added 56,000 Subscribers in thirty day (Part 1)

When Foundr initially began, we dealt with the same problem every other bootstrapping business owner with stars in their eyes does: We had no e-mail listing. We had no visibility, no online reputation, in fact we really did not also recognize where or just how to develop an email checklist.

How to Develop an Email Checklist

Leads: Get em' while they're warm!

books

Cheat sheet

Webinar

Product giveaway

Pop-ups

Web content upgrades

Affiliates

Podcast

Visitor publishing

Incentive: S4S

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The last time we wrote about our subscriber list, simply a plain couple of months earlier, we only had a newsletter of around 100,000 people. Nonetheless, ever since not only have we handled dual our list to 200,000 customers, however we were able to catch 56,000 of those in just one month!

This email list growth was a major component of a huge OptinTurbo product launch we undertook this previous winter season. In the lead-up to the launch of our Instagram Dominance 2.0 training course, we increased down on our objective to rapidly grow our email checklist. In this short article I'm mosting likely to expose to you the specific strategies we made use of and also exactly how we employed them in order to grow our subscriber list.

Fair warning, I splash every one of our tricks in this piece, so distort up, since there is a lot of details to take in here.

What's in an email checklist?

I'm not exaggerating when I claim that if you run an online company, your success will live or pass away by your mailing list.

Currently you may belittle this, as well as I wouldn't condemn you. Innovation has actually come leaps and bounds in the past 20 years. So much to ensure that it seems sort of outrageous that we're still making such a big deal out of something that really feels noticeably old-fashioned.

Back in the early days of email we were even more stressed about choosing the best username than we were about advertising and marketing. In fact I noticeably keep in mind being much more stressed over forwarding a chain email to five other individuals, since OptinTurbo would certainly in some way enhance the chances of my high school crush declaring their enthusiastic love for me, than I was about whatever newsletter located its means into my inbox.

Don't lie. You 'd forward this.

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Despite the fact that the average advertising email will certainly wind up in the garbage or spam folder, it does not stop e-mail from being the number one channel utilized by marketing experts.

For several years, e-mail has consistently outmatched every other electronic network when OptinTurbo pertains to obtaining sales, leads, as well as consumers. Professionals like Neil Patel and Joe Pulizzi all agree that e-mail is, without a doubt, the most important source any kind of service has.

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You do not have to stress over Google or Facebook suddenly changing their formulas, because when you have a person's email you have the capability to interact with them one on one. Even if every one of Foundr's search positions and social media presence vanished tomorrow, we would certainly still be able to promote our brand as well as our products to the countless individuals on our subscriber list.

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Specific niche: General

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We've broken our guide down right into 3 components: Just how to Produce a New Project, How to View as well as Customize your Email Checklists, and also Special Attributes.

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Step 1: Since you have actually produced a campaign, you'll probably want to watch specifically who's on your subscriber list. You can do so by clicking on "Leads" in the left-hand side bar.

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#OptinTurbo #OptinTurbo Review

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soyoureviewhiphoptoo · 7 years

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Soundtrack of the Week 06/07/2017

Another week, another Soundtrack. I must say that I spent a majority of the week with Jay Z- 4:44 on repeat. Without a single doubt in my mind, I can exclaim that 4:44 is a masterpiece that I urge everyone to listen to (and I urge everyone to read my review on the blog). Not to worry, this will not be my third post in the space of a week where I talk about Jay-Z. This is the Soundtrack of the Week. (long post inbound)

Calvin Harris- Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 Released June 30, 2017 Label: Columbia Records

There was a time when I would not have acknowledged Calvin Harris. I would hear his EDM songs randomly on an advert or in the gym and I would just overlook him. His music is not particularly bad (He has some of the better mainstream EDM songs, they’re just overplayed) but they just were not for me. I was not going out of my way to listen to a Calvin Harris song, let alone an album from him….then he released Slide. I was online one day and I saw the phrase “Calvin Harris Ft. Frank Ocean and Migos”. I can openly say that I was very intrigued. I am a huge Frank Ocean fan so I was glad to hear him make music and not disappear after releasing his latest album Blonde and I’ve grown to really like Migos. But I was more intrigued to hear what a song between those four men would actually sound like. Needless to say, I was blown away.

Soon thereafter, Harris releases three more singles Heatstroke Featuring Young Thug, Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande, Rollin Featuring Khalid and Future and Feels Featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean. Honestly, those songs gripped me and pushed me towards listening to this album. Here’s the thing… Calvin Harris found a way to throw together a group of artists on a song, who have no business being together on paper and make amazing songs that are able to flow right. What I appreciate even more about this album is that Calvin does not give up his artistry on production. He isn’t trying to throw out Hip Hop or RnB beats but he’s sticking to his own wave of EDM and disco beats. Calvin Harris has just entered the DJ Khaled lane of being able to bring in superstar artists on smash hit songs for the summer. Definitely worth a listen.

RATINGS

Concept: 3/5 Production: 4/5 Lyrical Content: 3.5/5 Flow and Delivery: 3.5/5 Repeatability: 4.5/5 Did I enjoy this project? I really did Songs to Recommend? Slide, Rollin, Hard To Love, Feels and Cash Out

Final Rating: 3.7/5

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Calvin Harris Featuring Frank Ocean and Migos- Slide The lead single of the album and my favourite song. A mixture of warming Frank Ocean vocals with interesting Migo verses that do not superimpose themselves over the upbeat summer beat.

Iggy Azalea- Switch Released May 19, 2017 Label: Def Jam Recordings AND Iggy Azalea- The New Classic Released April 21, 2014 Label: Def Jam Recordings and Virgin EMI Records

Clearly, this is the week where I listen to artists where I would not normally listen to. While Calvin Harris built up intrigue in my mind that drew me in whereas Iggy Azalea is…something else. Here is a lengthy anecdote for you guys. Once upon a time, I was intrigued by Iggy Azalea. When she was on her come up in 2012/2013, Nicki Minaj was the only female rapper in the mainstream (who I am not a big fan of but whatever). I was looking forward to the prospect of someone else coming to take the crown of the top female rapper. Then Iggy released her biggest single to date, Fancy. Now…I was not a fan of the song. The song itself is not bad but it did not feel unique. The beat felt like someone hacked Mike WiLL Made-It’s laptop and took one of the beats from his untitled, throwaway folder (This song was released around the time Mike Will came to his prominence, releasing hit songs with Rae Srummurd and Miley Cyrus of all people) and Iggy’s verse was good (not mind blowing but better than most rap verses on pop songs) but it was overshadowed by the Charli XCX hook which gets annoying very quickly.

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Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX- Fancy The hit single from Iggy Azalea. The music video is reminiscent of 90s high school sitcoms like Saved by the Bell and Clueless. (The benefit of being born in ‘96 is that you are able to catch the great things of the 90s, everyone’s favourite decade)

But there are two instances where my intrigue and liking of Iggy vanished. First, I learned that she was Australian. “Excuse me, are you a xenophobe?” I have no problem with her nationality obviously. The issue arises when you learn that she is Australian and yet she sounds like a black woman from Atlanta when she raps…that is false advertising and feels disingenuous to listeners. The second issue was that as a pop rapper, she had the possibility of winning several Grammys including the Grammy for Rap Album of the Year. Mind you, she was nominated the year after we witnessed The Heist of the century when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won the Grammy over Kendrick Lamar (You have got to appreciate that pun, you just have to) so it was highly likely that we were going to get a repeat. Granted, the committee were kind that year and she did not win anything but to even be nominated is weird.

While silly niggas argue over who gon’ snatch the crown Look around, my nigga, white people have snatched the sound This year I’ll prolly go to the awards dappered down Watch Iggy win a Grammy as I try to crack a smile

From J. Cole- Fire Squad What is interesting here is that The New Classic lost to the Eminem album, The Marshell Mathers LP 2. While they are both white artists, are we going to call Em a culture vulture?

Nowadays, Iggy has pretty much fallen from grace. In the years since the release of The New Classic, Iggy became one of those celebrities that were famous for the sake of fame and not for her music. While she has been chasing after another hit song, she has yet to find that record. It has even resulted to using her large bum and twerking as a way to catch attention (with Booty, a song that she did with J-Lo as a way to catch the attention, Nicki Minaj- Anaconda had secured literally a month earlier and recent singles Mo’ Bounce and the aforementioned Switch). With news of her latest album, Digital Distortion, being pushed back, her fall is even more apparent (she was slated for a release the same day as Jay-Z most recently, so maybe there was a valid reason for the pushback). Here is my biggest problem with Iggy Azalea though which became validated when I decided to listen to The New Classic after years of clowning her for being Grammy nominated for mediocre pop music. While the album itself is not bad at all and I liked it more than I thought it would, it doesn’t feel unique. Iggy Azalea as an artist does not feel unique. She is not a bad rapper but there is nothing there that pushes me to listen to her more. She has a good ear for beats but with her production, it feels like she is chasing hype; she is just rapping over what is trending and it leaves the project sounding dated. When you chase hype in your music, you can not build up your own style and you just feel like pale imitations of others who did it far better.

RATINGS

Concept: 2/5 Production: 2.5/5 Lyrical Content: 2.5/5 Flow and Delivery: 3/5 Repeatability: 2/5 Did I enjoy this project? I did but not really Songs to Recommend? Walk The Line, Work and Don’t Need Y’all

Final Rating: 2.4/5

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Iggy Azalea- Switch The song is not even that bad. It is a decent club hit but it just feels drab and lifeless as it lacks a unique sound. Besides, in an era of trap music and mumble rap being played in clubs, who is really trying to listen to this?

I have spent a remarkably long time talking about an artist I do not even like that much…so let’s switch it up. (Oh the puns continue!) Nas- It was Written Released July 2, 1996 Label: Columbia Records

This past Sunday was the 21st anniversary of It Was Written so I decided to put this on and give it a revisit (that sounds familiar). While Jay-Z was one of the first rappers I was exposed to as a child, Nas was one of the first rappers I decided to listen during my teenage years as a way of widening my scope of hip-hop music. While I knew of him and heard songs from him, it was not until I played Saints Row 2 and heard N.Y. State of Mind for the first time, that I truly realised I needed to listen to him. I would go on to listen to his first three albums constantly.

Nas’ debut album, Illmatic is regarded as not only his best work but also one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. I will never dispute the importance of Illmatic in hip-hop history (it has had a huge impact on my life and I was not even alive when it was released) but honestly, I believe that It Was Written was a better album as a whole.

To date, It Was Written is Nas’ most commercially successful album. While commercial success should not be your standard for considering whether an album is great or not but there are cases when a combination of a style change and a stellar debut brings in more ears than ever. Gone are the gritty, underground sounds of Illmatic and enters more polished, elaborate funk and jazz instrumentation that helped bring in the mainstream appeal. I have heard a majority of Nas’ discography at one point in my life and it is hard for me to say that any other project has a better sound in terms of production than It Was Written (seeing as Nas’ ear for beats is a running joke in hip-hop, I can say he was on point here).

What puts this album in a lane of its own is the lyrical content. Much like Reasonable Doubt, Nas explores the mafioso rap genre throughout a majority of the songs on this album. Armed with the stellar storytelling ability and impressive lyricism that brought him fame, Nas talks about drug dealing, murder, revenge and being ahead of the competition in such a deep and visceral way that you can close your eyes and visualise yourself in the situations he is describing. While Jay-Z mostly talked about the rewards that the mafia lifestyle brought, Nas talked about the dark and gruesome activities that mafiosos would partake in. The ultimate discussion of this gangster lifestyle actually comes from the perspective of a gun. With I Gave You Power, Nas personifies a desert eagle, who had become the witness of many crimes in the hoods of America, watching as himself and other guns like him are used to cause so much damage to people.

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Nas- I Gave You Power

With strong features from Mobb Deep, Lauryn Hill and members of Nas’ short-lived group, The Firm, and production from the likes of DJ Premier, Dr Dre, Havoc (of Mobb Deep) and Trackmasters, It Was Written is a spectacular showing from Nas and is his quintessential album.

RATINGS

Concept: 4.5/5 Production: 4.5/5 Lyrical Content: 5/5 Flow and Delivery: 4.5/5 Repeatability: 5/5 Did I enjoy this project? Of course, I did Songs to Recommend? The Message, I Gave You Power, Take It In Blood, Affirmative Action, The Set Up, Black Girl Lost, Shootouts, Live Nigga Rap, If I Ruled The World and Silent Murder

Final Rating: 4.7/5

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Nas Featuring Lauryn Hill- If I Ruled The World (Imagine That) The lead single of this album and possibly one of his most well-known songs. A song that has Nas imagining how he would shape the earth as the ruler.

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fitscention · 5 years

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ellysdoespoems · 7 years

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by Ellys Lawlor

There’s something primitively, instinctively thrilling about capturing and keeping things. Whether that’s to display as a point of pride or to privately reminisce over a token of time gone-by. Maybe I’m revealing too much about my tendency for excessive hoarding, but I think the same applies to most people. Pokémon built a whole all-consuming cult predicated on the compulsive need to ‘catch ‘em all’.

My parents spent much of my childhood capturing moments with a grey Polaroid instant camera. There were days dedicated to poring over photo-books, tomes stuffed to capacity with old friends, new friends, lost friends and family members before I’d known them. Each laminated rectangle carried a story that, more often than not, my mum would revel in recalling and my dad would sheepishly deny. I found out more about my parents those days sifting through their old memories than I ever did otherwise, a whole hedonistic late 90s lifestyle carefully compartmentalised across a series of innocuous looking folders.

The first camera of my own I remember having was a little orange disposable with a flimsy cardboard sleeve, bought from Boots down the road from where I lived. It’d be my travel buddy for a school trip to Castleton, my first weekend away from family at 9 years old. Unfortunately, I discovered on that trip that my tendency to hoard comes coupled with a certain overzealousness and it wasn’t the first evening of the trip before I’d spent all 20-so of my photographs on pictures I was convinced I’d needed. Of luggage, streams, the motorway, the school bus. We never bothered taking the camera to get the photos developed when I got home and it’s probably still sat in my cupboard somewhere now.

One Christmas my brother and I got a Panasonic MiniDV camcorder each. We’d moved house just outside the city we’d always lived in. I had just changed school and my brother hadn’t long started his first year of secondary school in a town a bus ride away. The camcorders were far out-dated then and we only had a tape each to record with but it didn’t make any difference to us then. My brother crafted Spielbegian epics featuring Godzilla hand puppets, whereas I ended up drafting all my siblings to help put together a series of crude stop motion animations based on the BBC Robin Hood TV show with a bunch of the action figures I’d gotten the same Christmas, fanfic I more or less invented on the fly. We got bored eventually and I didn’t want to over-write my tape but the mornings, afternoons and nights spent huddled together plotting the next opus in our auteurist catalogues kept the both of us sane through all the upheaval happening around us. My brother became my best friend in those intense brainstorming sessions. Like the disposable camera, those MiniDV tapes are probably in the same cupboard, the contents having never left tape land.

The months after I’d left college I was completely aimless. I had a bunch of GCSEs and some respectable A levels in my back pocket but I had no interest in pursuing anything. When university came up as a topic of conversation during college tutorials, I simply didn’t fill out any applications because I figured I wouldn’t make it to the end of college. Even if I did, what did it matter anyway? The last few years of school had soured me on education, where it seemed many of the teachers were coaching us to hit statistic targets they needed to cash their pay cheque month by month. Desperate, college became a last resort when I almost fell into abject complacency after the last year of school. I enjoyed my time there but I still didn’t have any sense of purpose. I convinced my parents that the year after college was a gap year and I’d figure out exactly what it was I was going to do in that time. My dad assured me that if I didn’t do anything with my time, and wasn’t either at university or in a stable job by the end of the year, I probably wouldn’t have a place to live.

I ended up interviewing for a voluntary position as a history guide at my local art gallery. It was looking over my credentials that the volunteering co-ordinator running the interviews thought I’d be better suited tagging along with the Media department they had on-site. I went along with it, not really knowing what working with the Media department would mean doing. It became apparent in the successive interview that they were best described as teachers rather than strictly a media-based team. In the latter years of school, as well as the sense of disillusionment, I ended up seeing an NHS-based counsellor who told me that I was suffering quite severe social anxiety and less apparent depressive tendencies. I didn’t really “get” what was going on in that regard and I hadn’t had many major events in the time since school but I knew sitting in that interview that there was frankly nothing I wanted to do less, and nothing I was less suited to, than helping teach people. That being said, I went along with it anyway.

Under the presumption that I knew what I was doing with a Photography AS on my record, I was invited to spend my first day with a group of students who were going to be undertaking a project photographing shopkeepers along a particular street in the city. True to any expectation I had of myself, I was excruciatingly awkward as I introduced myself to the small group of students, retreating to a corner of the room and remaining stiff throughout the rest of the session. The session ended with a trip to the row of shops the students would be investigating, an opportunity to test their skills with a camera at the beginning of the course. My boss thrust a kit lens Canon 600D into my hands. “Documentary.” he said, “Follow ‘em round and get ‘em while they’re working.” In a blind panic I flicked the wheel on top of the camera to Non-Flash (saves having to faff about with settings) and stuck to the first group that looked remotely okay with seeing me like a fly to honey.

The day was capped off with the staff looking over the photos everyone had taken, documentary included. I winced when I saw my offerings, hazy long shots of mistakable silhouettes fiddling with tripods and standing around with their hands in their pockets. They weren’t just technically bad photos; they were boring to look at. There was none of the exuberance I saw in many of the students as they tried to feel each other out, the complicated social workings as they started to relax around each other. I could tell the team were disappointed and I went home cursing myself for cocking up so badly. I was sick the next week when I tried to get up and help out with the session, largely at the thought of making an arse of myself again, but nevertheless after some time away I eventually returned. I improved a little over time but I could still never relax around the group, I hid behind the camera lens and used it as an excuse not to involve myself. You could see it in the final results, which often appeared more like blurry paparazzi shots.

In the store room taking equipment out a few sessions later, one of the members of the team handed me a 50mm Canon lens. “I was always told it’s the best lens to start with.” she said, “The focal length is just close enough to what our brain processes from our eyes. There’s no zoom on it either. If you want a close-up, you have to get up close.” This piece of advice ended up being my saving grace. With no zoom there was nowhere to hide, I had to be in the thick of it. Suddenly, standing next to them, it became far less daunting to be in the room. As I got to spend more time with the students, the pictures got better steadily too. They went from static portraits to displaying them in lively, dynamic form. To their credit, I soon figured out that many of the students had absolutely no inhibitions when it came to being photographed. Soon enough, I was asked to help out with a second group made up of young men aged 16-18 to help out with a similar project.

The year I spent with this group was one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had. They were loud, boisterous and a hell of an experience to stand in a room with. I wasted no time getting involved; the documenting became secondary to getting through the tasks each week. I started to look forward to coming in each week, all of them were characters, perfect to photograph and delightful to be around. One session had them recording the dialogue dubs for a music video they were putting together in the sound studio. I stood on the sidelines some paces away from the microphone, snapping away when I could. They loved the performance aspect of their project and these are some of the pictures I’m most proud of. On a hard-drive somewhere is a collection of melodramatic air-punches, arms outstretched like they’re reciting a Shakespearean monologue.

The end of the year for these guys came with the end of their course. An event was put on where they screened their music video project, the result of months of hard work (as well as a change in the main cast that had me dressed like an Anne Rice vampire in full stage make-up), along with a montage of all the documentary photos we’d kept over the year. It was a point of pride for me, not necessarily because I’d helped produce it, but more so in watching these young men see themselves grow over a sequence of still images. They hadn’t seen any of the photos I’d taken of them and suddenly they were seeing their story unfold. I couldn’t help but feel I’d finally come full circle, back to those days in front of a folder of photos as my parents related all their lost stories.

#essay #photography #memories #biographies & memoirs #writing #article

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symbianosgames · 7 years

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The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

Hello, I’m Antonio Uribe, better known as Fáyer. I’m the Co-founder and Director of HyperBeard Games, an indie game studio based in Mexico City. The following text is a combination of an analysis and the story about the development of KleptoCats.

HyperBeard before KleptoCats

At the start of the development we weren’t in the best position. We were sad. The office had lost half of its people because the game we made before wasn’t the success we needed financially speaking, and we were a couple months away of losing the other half. All the people involved in the project thought that this was going to be the last game we made together as a team. But well, if you follow us on Twitter you know that we actually made it and we are still making games.

Where did the idea come from?

While working on the game before KleptoCats, we noticed there was a feeling of discontent towards the players of mobile games- that they only wanted free games and didn’t want to pay for quality content. With this in mind Joe and JP made a prototype as social criticism. The idea was the user would send a cat out and it would return with a random object, and the time the user had to wait would increase more and more from seconds to minutes, hours, days, weeks… The only way to make the cat come back quickly was by paying or watching an ad. I liked the concept a lot, because the objects they chose were really interesting and they caught my attention quickly. Unfortunately, The Balloons (the prior project mentioned above which failed financially) was still under development during our exploration and our boss thought the prototype was kind of silly. So, before we got to explore these ideas further we archived the prototype in our “to do” folder.

After The Balloons wasn’t the success we expected, we immediately started to work on other games. Half of the team worked on a shoot ’em up and the other half worked on a pet game with cookie clicker and world building mechanics. The whole future of the studio depended on these games. By January of 2016, only Joe, JP and me were working for the company. The boss visited us to check the progress on the pet game, which we decided had the most chance of success. The game wasn’t close to playable, the ideas were all over the place and nothing was clear. Disappointed with the state of the development he asked us if we had something that could be done before March, the official closing date of the branch. We remembered the cat idea and with a frown on his face he let us make it. After the first iterations, he was super happy with the project. I make him seem like an asshole but really he’s not so bad (he made me add this part).

Throughout HyperBeard’s history we have paused and canceled many games. This never means that the idea dies, only that it is saved for the future. The pet game was canceled at the time, but KleptoCats was influenced by it and from other games paused in the past. Alchademy, for example, took a lot of inspiration from another game that we developed years ago, mixed with a game that we are about to release soon and with the waiting mechanics of KleptoCats.

Development through iteration

In the beginning, the prototype only had the cat, several objects, and the waiting mechanic. We didn’t know where this game was going, we just started working and ideating with what we had. In three to four weeks we implemented 100 cats, 100+ objects, and the first room. We also added other mechanics like feeding, petting, the mini game, and sounds (that we did ourselves with a mic). With that we decided to soft launch in Mexico and Canada to see if people had any interest in a strange game like KleptoCats.

Thanks to that soft launch we learned a lot and found more things that players wanted in the game. In the next two weeks we added music, accessories, the possibility to change the cats’ names, displaying inactive cats in the background, GemDog, the golden cat, and the object’s descriptions. We also gave ourselves the opportunity to experiment with other ideas. We considered giving the players the ability to place the objects in the room as they wanted. We also considered having different types of cats or even other animals. At the end we decided to continue on the path we already had because it made the most sense for the current game and sometimes the benefits of the ideas didn’t make up for the time we needed to invest.

After the experimentation and the soft launch, we launched globally on March 17, 2016 on iOS and Android. We had valuable feature placement in both stores and a lot of people shared screenshots and more in their social networks. We realized even before we launched that players actually liked sharing stuff about the game.

Not everything went super smoothly, the Android feature got us a lot of attention and with that attention we were flooded with 1 star reviews because the game didn’t work on several low end devices. Those reviews put our game below the 4.0 stars threshold and it was dropped out of the feature. Lucky enough, we managed to work on some optimizations and the game returned to a good position. Now it’s a rated a very respectable 4.5.

KleptoCats’ story and fan theories

If you’re a fan of the game, you’ve probably come across some strange objects that seem to suggest that the game is somewhat more complex than it seems. KleptoCats has a story that is developed while collecting objects. Due to the randomness of the order you may collect the objects, some users may discover it sooner or but for others, it may take a while. The object that makes it very obvious that something is strange, is the mirror.

While we were developing the game, JP (the lead artist) had thought it was a good idea to put a mirror in the center of the room and draw someone tied to a chair in the reflection. That was the origin of the back story. The idea is that the character who is tied up in the mirror, IS the “player” in a certain way. That player is also the voice that describes objects and is the one who experiences what happens in the game. Something that makes the mystery more interesting is that the reflection is only seen when the object is placed. It’s not shown in the catalog and its description says “nothing to see here, just a regular mirror.”

From there we developed the story into the game and added many more objects that took the story to another level, ending with the secret codes hidden in each of the first 4 rooms that, when entered into the safe, open a special secret level for really dedicated fans.

Because of this secrecy, and the way it unfolds differently for each person depending on what objects you find, there are many fans who developed theories about what was going on. A simple Google search reveals several videos, images, and posts with theories. On our side, to keep the lore going, we decided to make a comic that gives a bit more information.

The weirdness of an idle mechanic and the mobile game dev scene

KleptoCats is weird on several levels, but the weirdest thing, by far, is the wait mechanics on which the whole game is based. Most game design strategies are meant to keep your players happy and make them play a lot. In our game we try to have them interested a couple of minutes and then let them leave because there is nothing else to do. The game was designed like a small window to a strange world. Although we make money from the little patience that some players have, we always recommend to wait instead of rushing to find everything.

We didn’t invent the waiting mechanic and we were definitely not the first ones to make an idle collection game with cats (there is Neko Atsume). At first we were criticized for having stolen this other game but, if analyzed, the games are very different. Yes, both have cats, collections and idle mechanics, but how they are played and the purpose of each are very different. I think fans knew to differentiate and appreciate each one for its unique ways.

I think the comparisons happened because both are mobile games, an area of the gaming industry that is not well received. Gamers say that mobile games are not real games, the video game press rarely talks about them, and platform users think that we are only interested in money. Mobile game developers never get respect, and the few times a mobile game catches the attention of the world or the press is because it is making a lot of money. Nobody sees mobile games like the games on console or PC.

The mobile market is a complicated platform. Not only do we get little respect in the industry, we also have to find a way to make money in an ecosystem that refuses to pay and is saturated with free high quality options such as Supercell, King and in recent months Nintendo with IPs like Pokémon and Mario. This topic could be explored even further but for now I do not want to get too distracted.

Passing along to other teammates and combatting momentum

HyperBeard is a small team, when we started KleptoCats we were only 3 people, and now we are 7. The project started with Joe (programmer), JP (artist) and me helping with everything else that was necessary. This team developed the game to the third room. From there we hired a couple more people to add more details and eventually take control of the project. Mario, Marms, and Kyu developed the game from the 4th to the 6th room. The 7th (and those that follow) are currently being developed in collaboration with another branch of the company that owns HyperBeard. Even though to our standards KleptoCats was a success, after months of work and trying to do something new, we found trying to continue the project got tiresome. That’s why we decided after months of working, it was a good idea for the original team to move onto other things while the new members could take it and give it a fresh and different vision. After a month with the new core team, we again decided that it was better to take it to other people. We discovered that it is better to cycle development teams so that it does not feel monotonous and that others can adapt part of their tastes and cultures to the game.

For games like KleptoCats content is very important, it ensures that the app stores pay attention to the game and players stick around and invest in it. Even more important than the content is the people who are working on it, you have to maintain a high morale and also keep the interest of the creators for the project. If you get to lose interest the game will suffer the absence of creativity. That’s why we decided to cycle the development.

The Dupes (duplicated objects)

Having a success doesn’t mean that everything we did was perfect. An example at the beginning of development, due to the randomness of the game, there were many complaints from the players because the cats were bringing repeated objects. Although in the game when this happens we give more coins to the user, we wanted to do something so that the player did not feel like it was a mistake.

To correct the issue, we decided to remove the repeated objects and instead show a bag of money, so it would be more obvious that we were giving more coins. It did not work as expected, although internally the game worked the same, many users complained because by only showing the money bag it was much more obvious when the cat was not giving you a new object.

Not long ago we added another feature to the game where we showed a bubble with the description of the object that the cat brings, because of that, we decided that it was a good idea to return the repeated objects so the user could see again the descriptions that are an important part of the game. Again, it backfired, there were many complaints because the cats were bringing repeated objects and many thought it was a bug in the game.

In all iterations about duplicate objects, things worked exactly the same, the changes were only graphical. Either way the fans always reacted in a negative way, which taught us that sometimes it is better not to pay too much attention to what they say and it is better to see how they act on it.

Merchandise

If you follow us on social networks, you’ve probably seen some pictures of the plushies we made of Guapo (the main cat in KleptoCats). By chance we found a local manufacturer that had some cat plushies that looked very similar to ours and we contacted them to do some tests. We liked the results so much that we shared it online and made a mailing list for anyone interested in getting one. In a couple of weeks, we gathered more than 10,000 subscribers and decided to order 100 units to test.

Selling the plushies was not difficult but we never considered how complicated and expensive it is to send the merchandise to other countries, considering that almost all the fans were from outside Mexico. The entire process took a long time and surely that was more expensive than what we recovered when we sold them. Either way, it was not a bad experience and it was worth it just to see fans from various parts of the world with their KleptoCats plushies.

Besides plushies we did other things, too. A friend helped us with a webcomic that illustrates a bit of the lore of KleptoCats. We also made several stickers to distribute in events and to our friends. The KleptoCats page has a paint tool where you can create KleptoCats and we also have a section of wallpapers for phones and PCs.

KleptoCats Today

The game’s birthday is on March 17th. Today the game has 7 rooms, 280 cats, 844 objects, many accessories to dress the kittens, and is translated into 8 languages. We are still working on the game and a new room will be released soon.

From its first day until its birthday the game has been downloaded more than 6 million times and has generated more than $800,000 (53% from IAPs and 47% from ads). In total, all users have played about 8 million hours, which is almost a thousand years.

We are very happy with the success that KleptoCats has had and in addition to putting HyperBeard on the map, it gives us the money to continue chasing crazy ideas. We are currently developing a couple of ideas and we are getting ready to be publishers for projects similar to ours.

If you read the whole post, thank you very much for your time. If you have any questions or comments, you can always go to my twitter (@fire_tony) or HyperBeard’s (@HyperBeard). On the HyperBeard website you can find more information about our other games and the contact information. Please follow our social networks, on there we are always sharing what we do.

#IFTTT #Blogger

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