#unhappy letting me leave their department for another

[august--and-everything-after]

I can't prove it, but I'm certain I was picked for the layoff because this one time at a department meeting I asked the director some clarifying questions about what she was telling us to do and she made a complete ass of herself by immediately getting heated and raising her voice and trying her best to shut me down (didn't work, asked her more questions, made her even angrier).

It wasn't my intention to piss her off - all my coworkers attested after that I was polite and professional and reasonable in all my questions. Too bad for me she has a fragile ego and a Napoleon complex and a complete inability to engage professionally with anything less than unquestioning compliance.

On the upside, now the whole department knows how she's like, and they thought it was funny to boot. Not my fault she's a lil pissbaby, you'd think someone in her position would have a thicker skin by now.

#i was gonna be looking for new work anyways but the layoff was a huge shock since literally everyone else ive ever interacted with at my job #likes me and knows im an amazing employee #but its also such a slap in the face after all the tons and tons of work ive done for them #ive been in like 4 departments in the nearly 3 years i worked there - volunteering to go wherever they needed people mind you - everyone was #unhappy letting me leave their department for another #plus i helped one of the research scientists on MULTIPLE projects that he explicitly requested me for #its their loss and the people who actually KNOW me are fully aware of that #but i can do so much better for myself cause this organization doesnt value its employees even a little and theyve demonstrated that to us #repeatedly #oh well - c'est la fucking vie i suppose

[drconstellation]

The Newton/Crowley Mirror-Parallel in S1

Future Echoes from the Past #2

Let me take a moment to try and explain the process of how I approach meta writing. I’m not new to this. I might be new to this fandom, but I’ve been writing metas for twenty years in other fandoms. I’m an old hand at this, and I learnt how to do it with some pretty critical masters of the game. I’ve been wrestling with this meta for several days, which never a good sign. I thought I was on the right track here but got to a point where I was trying to make my biased square blocks fit into the round holes I was expecting to see, and they weren’t, and thought, nope, it’s time to back off and see what is there instead. When things don’t fall and click into place, when you can’t see the next connection easily, when it becomes too convoluted - and actually, I think some of the story is missing in the crucial places - that's a dead end for the time being, so the meta I was expecting (and hoping) to see didn’t emerge. But there is still something there to be revealed, and it was from a bit that I didn't think had much importance.

A few days ago I posted a meta about how the paintball fight at Tadfield Manor was a loose re-creation of the Great War in Heaven that lead to the formation of Heaven and Hell. It was more a description of events and the two sides, and I didn’t assign any of the S1 characters to the celestial characters that we would have expected to be involved with the rebellion. For example, the manager Nigel strikes me as standing in for Gabriel, and jaded old Norman, who is on the verge of retirement, and who organized the “team building exercise” is most likely to be Lucifer  - he is the leader of the Yellow team, who are quite unhappy and full of complaints about the others in the office. But other than those two, the other bit players amongst our regular cast were missing, or unclear. And this was a problem, a BIG problem, because while there hints to who was Crowley, the match to Aziraphale was nowhere to be seen, and he should be there. So, let’s leave that for the time being, and move on.

In the middle of all this is Newton Pulsifer. He oddly arrives in the office, destroys the electrical system, then leaves before the war begins. And there is an even odder follow-up exchange in the car park of the office as he departs. I had to ask why - why add this in?

[It should be noted, at this point in the discussion, that while the paintball fight was written in the original book, the office scene that is the prelude to the fight, and the scenes with Newt that I’m about to discuss, weren’t. They are from the tv series only.]

I have been building up a library of notes and screenshots to help me with my metas, and Newt and Anathema have been on my radar. I came across this screen shot of Newt lying on Anathema’s bed after his accident in Tadfield and went “Huh, he looks very Crowley-coded there with this black/grey clothes and yellow and red socks. That’s not the line I of thought I had been following..”

I kept going and then @ennas-aesthetic posted this meta about Jesus in S3 and mentioned that Anathema was an Aziraphale parallel, so that would make Newt a corresponding Crowley parallel – which would explain the screen shot mentioned. Then the final pieces for this meta were these two posts, one from @mouseonamoose about their thoughts on angel!Crowley and one from @cornchrunchie on part of the exchange between Aziraphale and angel!Crowley in Before the Beginning, at the start of S2E1. I’d already had a thought about another set of lines in this part that formed a parallel to Newt, but getting a second set of lines to tie it in to this S1E2 segment was a bonus, I must say.

So where am I going with all this rambling? Right. Let’s get down to business.

Hopefully by now I’ve established that one of Newt’s roles in the office scene that sets up the rebellion is to be not just a parallel to Crowley, but a mirror – he’s kind of the opposite, in a way. It’s like they are on opposite sides of the looking glass.

At the beginning of S2E1 we are shown angel!Crowley, the Starmaker – the Engineer. And what is Newt supposed to be? A computer engineer. Only, angel!Crowley engineers light, while Newt engineers darkness. Everywhere Newt goes, he turns out the lights. Which is why when he runs into Shadwell shortly after and is given the newspaper advert that declares “ASSISTANT REQUIRED TO COMBAT THE FORCES OF DARKNESS” if he joins the Witchfinder Army that I was cackling at the irony of this. Perhaps we’d better not get sidetracked with that though.

There’s a critical point here that I’d like to highlight that I noticed, and how I made the link, because it may have implications in the future, maybe in S3. In Before the Beginning, Crowley sets everything up to get the nebula started, then there is a slight pause.

Az: …is something meant to happen? Cr: Oh, right, sorry, yes yes. Knew I'd missed one. Let there be light.

It struck me that Newt’s efforts in making anything with electricity, the modern source of light, don’t work because he doesn’t check that he’s got everything right. He blacks out his neighborhood as a child without checking the circuits, he shuts down the entire office without checking his work.

Why would you need both light and dark? You can't really have one without the other. It's the yin and yang. Its balance. To see the light you need darkness. And to see shadows you need light.

So we get a short scene of Newt heading off to office, with his Almighty mother handing out some lunch rations, and wishing him luck. Hmm. He’s holding a box that contains, amongst various things, a pot plant (a bromeliad) with a deep red flower, for all love. Ngggkgk.

At the office, Newt is given the cold shoulder by the senior co-worker opposite him (I call her “Pearls,” because I don’t have the S1 script book and I’m not sure what she’s called.) She asks his name, but never offers hers. Sounds familiar, where have we seen that before…?

Az: Um, hello. I'm Aziraphale. Cr: Nice meeting you. Okay, here goes!

@mouseonamoose mentions that angel!Crowley wouldn't feel the need to mention his name if he was a high ranking angel here, he would expect other angels to know who he was. [op adds another item to their list of pointers to angel!Crowley being a senior Archangel...it's up to 18, btw. Yes, I know its only fanon at the moment...] Just like the Supreme Archangel "fucking" Gabriel hasn't got time for a bit of social chit-chat before Aziraphale!Crowley is supposed to be executed in the hellfire in S1E6. Just get on it with it, pleb! We've got better things to do with our time!

Outside, we see Newt has been given his marching orders. He's leaving already. A sharply dressed woman in a masculine-cut suit approaches quickly. I don't know about you, but she looks like a demon to me. Black suit, red hair, pink (which is a tint of red) shirt - she's a copy of Crowley. This is another Crowley-copy about to give some internal criticism to a Crowley-mirror.

"Need a hand, Dick?"

Then she power-walks past. Newt is not even worth her time stopping for.

*Snort* - and ouch. That's a below-the belt joke.

She's just called him a wanker. In the US you might use the term jerk instead. Someone who's a bit egotistical and more in it for themselves than others. (and I never thought I'd be fact-checking the meaning of this word ever, but there's always a first time...) She's basically just equated him Gabriel, in my book (and in more ways than one.)

That doesn't sound like the Crowley we know, does it? Maybe, maybe not - but it does reveal to us a world of information about what the other demons think about Crowley, and more importantly perhaps it gives a hint of what he was like pre-Fall and why he was cast out as a sacrifice for the team, a scapegoat and example for the losing faction, in addition to the asking of questions reason.

It's quite notable that Crowley doesn't have any other demon friends or allies, even after 6000 years. Plus, he seems to have gotten special treatment during that time. Furfur complains about this in the dressing room in 1941, remarking :

"No, what's ridiculous is demons like you doing what they please. And somehow still getting on, while demons like me graft for hundreds and hundreds of millennia and never get a sniff of a promotion! Well, not this time. Expect a Legion to come for you first thing tomorrow. Enjoy your last night on Earth."

Hastur calls him "Mr Slick," and thinks he's been up on the surface of the Earth too long. And you kind of get the idea that Lord Beelzebub is holding back their hand somewhat in their conversation in S2E1 when they summon Crowley down to Hell for a little chat about the missing Gabriel.

CROWLEY: [waving flies away] Augh. Oh, I thought we had a [spits out flies] generalized understanding. BEELZEBUB: We don't. You're still a traitor. I could put a price on your head any time I wanted to.

But they haven't put a price on Crowley's head. And they don't intend to. Crowley is still being given the special treatment. Also in that particular conversation is a hint that he was once on a similar footing to Beelzebub, and Beelzebub was also a high ranking angel before the Fall - they aren't Grand Duke of Hell and Satan's right-hand demon for no reason.

Its ever-so subtle, but its there. Those traces of privilege we were pointing out that Gabriel and Beelzebub flaunt when they abscond? Once upon a time Crowley had them too. But the passing millennia has slowly worn them away until we can barely see the traces of it. Although, it still shows up occasionally.

We should finish off the scene back in S1E2 with Newt, though, because he does show us s little bit more of our mirror-Crowley in the car park scene. As the demon-lady walks past him he calls after her:

"My name's not actually Dick, it’s the car's name. You can ask me why if you like."

Aww. Poor Newt. While Crowley was stopped from asking questions, and cast from Heaven because he wanted to ask questions, his mirror-character Newt is offering to answer questions for other people. It's just that they aren't interested in doing that either. Either way, the conversation stops, doesn't it.

To finish off, I'm going to leave you with this. I know, its about Newt not being a computer engineer, but since we've been discussing how Newt is a mirror-parallel to Crowley, perhaps it's something we need to tuck away in the back of our minds for S3 as well, when the past comes back to haunt us.

Further reading in this series:

#1: The Great War of Tadfield Manor

#3: "Not Even At Gunpoint!"

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens meta #good omens analysis #crowley #newton #gabriel #lucifer #the great war #tadfield manor #he is not what he says he is #he's a demon he lies #pre fall crowley

[closetednobody]

You know, watching like all of last season and then this I keep finding myself going ‘Maya knows there are other fire departments right’ cause it’s pretty clear she’s not gonna be treated well in SFD even before the blackmailing. Before the blackmail her online ‘wrong’ was literally saving a kids life. So yeah, Maya is my favorite character but I can’t help but wonder why not just get another job?

Hello OP! I want to apologize first as I'm about to go all nerdy about this because i loooove your question~ ☺️ this is one of the most common dilemma at any work place too : "why don't you leave?"/"why can't i leave?" - either switching jobs/career or switching workplace.

Generally, there are 7 answers/questions that i would look for/ask in this type of conversations.

Do they feel valued? In the sense that do you feel respected and appreciated in your current environment or while doing your current job.

Are they micromanaged by their manager? Do you feel like you are being monitored all. the. time. up to an extent that you feel suffocated or anxious.

Are they constantly stressed and unhappy? Do they have a unique passion for their field? What is the source of their stress? Funny enough, we can be swamped by tasks and STILL feel happy and contented with our job.

Are they growing? Is there any potential for them in the position? Are they interested in growth? Or do they prefer comfort?

Are they paid enough?

Do they have enough tools and resources to carry out their tasks?

Are they chronically disengaged from their work environment? And why?

If there are more yes-es, then no-s, then most likely they would subconciously stay where they are despite being unhappy. For the no-s, i will need to know : how long have they felt it and when did it start and maybe, why, AND can it be fixed?

Depending on their personality, sometimes, even if there's only one yes, they would still stay and endure. E.g. from personal observation, for hyper-achievers, if the answer for Q4 is a yes, nothing else matters.

I could write a book for each item, but let me not do that 😅 and i believe you could roughly guess the context of each item.

I definitely do not oppose the idea of Maya moving to another station or even change careers (and get a Marina spin-off).

But let's try to deep dive into Maya's case, on why she stays.

First, i would divide her career in the series into 4 phases :

Pre-captaincy

Captaincy : 1st phase (with objection from her best friend), 2nd phase (with team acceptance)

Demotion

You can try to analyze her too! What do you think the answers for each item of each phase would be? Why? And what do the changes mean?

You will probably be able to presume why she stayed in each phase and why.

But, in her situation right now, she probably has more No-s. And a Yes, e.g. for Q4, is probably her main source of frustration, because despite having the room and potential for growth, she is facing what seems to be a dead end because of an unfair treatment. And because she is driven and has a unique passion for her job, it would affect her even more.

Trauma response is also a contributing factor on why she won't choose to run away and, instead, choose to muscle her way to her finish line.

She was an abused kid who won an Olympic gold medal for her country on a sprained ankle. She was an excellent athlete and she was trained to win. She stepped wrong and sprained her ankle; but she has a finish line and nothing else at stake.

Eyes forward. All that matters is the finish line.

She is now an excellent firefighter and she was the youngest female captain. She was demoted for insubordination which saved a kid's life. All she needed was a fair trial, a hearing, for her to be heard and maybe get her captaincy back. Her finish line.

But she made a wrong move and now, she is abused by her superiors. A sprained ankle.

She has a finish line. It's right there. But why is it blurred?

Oh. She's an adult now. And the world is never a plain track. It's a battlefield. And now, everything seems to be at stake.

😌

----------

To conclude, it's important for us to be aware of our thoughts and reasons when making choices in life. But we also need to accept that there are no such thing as a perfect decision. There is always opportunity cost to every call we make. Career decisions are one of the simplest, but most complicated and illogical decisions we need to make.

Just like Maya, sometimes we need to refocus and evaluate :

Eyes forward. All that matters is...?

#thank you for your question! #i have a few more in the inbox but it'll take me awhile. #thank you for those!!! #answered #station19 #maya bishop #maya x carina #fun fact : you could do the similar exercise to evaluate relationships as well #and figure why we stay in toxic relationships instead of leaving.

[fateinthestars]

I think I need a break from writing this fic before I make myself cry (is that weird? Like I'm the one who decided to write this, it's my fault the characters are going through that, and yet...)

Ahem! Anyway! Let's do another thoughts/review/rambling post shall we?

Let's talk something a bit different tonight shall we? And that's 'Sweet & Spicy: Private Lessons from the Gods'

Spoilers under the cut

Sweet & Spicy: Private Lessons from the Gods

Well even the fact that this idea existed took me by surprise.

For you see, Sweet & Spicy is what you get if MC cannot pick anyone to save her at the end of the original prologue: You get Karno and Zyglavis intervening.

It's dependent on your answers as to who MC spends the final day with.

I don't want to get too spoilerly here but spending time with Karno and Zyglavis before any of the main storyline happens actually raises some interesting things.

There possibly isn't quite so much extra about Zyglavis here, though I hope you enjoy being bossed around xD Probably the major thing that stands out in this is his insistence at this point that he will only eat chocolate ganache - he even refuses some other chocolate!

Karno though.. he's always had this fascination with Earth in his stories but here... here he seems completely unhappy about the Heavens. I'm not sure I've seen Karno quite this outwardly put out before. I'm really intrigued by how he was acting here.

I feel like perhaps this is the actual start MC had in the timeline if she eventually ends up with one of the second prologue Gods (It certainly leans very well to being the case for Karno. Maybe not so much for Zyglavis because with more interaction with him beforehand she might have known more what she was letting herself in for than that route implied), because she didn't pick anyone, and none of them intervened either.

It's interesting getting the information about the two departments before anything else happens, and Karno and Zyglavis are as much a contrast to each other as the departments are.

Even though this is quite a deep one, there are still some light moments as well: Like how happy Zyglavis is with his parfait and Karno calling a literal lion Leon.

I will leave this on a more thoughtful note though...

Karno... what's wrong sweetheart? This isn't even the only negative comment from him in this.

You know I said in my promise of infinity post that I thought Karno would have been more likely to throw away his Godhood than think about MC becoming a Goddess? Well this special story had quite a bit to do with it.

#star crossed myth #scm #star crossed myth spoilers #star crossed myth review/character rambling #scm ramble #scm zyglavis #scm karno

[emmaofnormandy]

~The salvation of the sinner: a queen and her knight [a world where there’s no Thomas Seymour]~ [part I]

28 January 1547. Palace of Whitehall.

Once again, Katheryn Parr was left a widow. Three husbands went to the grave, leaving a vast inheritance for her and great responsibilities to lead. For the first time since 1483, England had a Dowager Queen of England. But beneath the title and the official grieving, there lied a woman who ached for something she did not know. 

Or perhaps she did. Though dutiful as she was, she remained a woman with needs and sentiments. But it’s been so long she knew duty that by now duty was all she knew. She had little time to think about it. She may not be queen anymore, she could breathe out of relief now that the king she feared lives no more, nonetheless... there were duties (as often were) expecting to be performed.

That year promised to be tough for Katheryn. The former queen of England was treated with respect and all honours to her position. Yet, something seemed amiss... She felt unhappy, and could hardly mask her sentiments, also used for political reasons. To many, she was not merely a grieving queen, but a grieving wife.

She leaned on her duties as a widow and as queen, giving space to her stepson fulfill his role as king in spite of his age. Katheryn was aware that some close to him--and she suspected this would be in the person of the Duchess of Somerset--saw her with suspicious: as a dowager queen, young and beautiful, could she remarry? 

Staying at the court was too much for her, though. Katheryn wanted nothing to do with politics. So that way she announced to king Edward her wishes of departing to her inheritance at the north, right at the castle of Sudeley. Her heart seemed to break when she saw the disappointment in Edward’s eyes. 

He wants me to stay. I wish I could, but I cannot.

When she stepped towards him, she knelt so she could match his height even though Edward was growing taller for his age.

“Your Majesty, I’ll never be far from you. I assure you that when you need me, I’ll be here for you to serve and obey.” Katheryn smiled. She was genuinely fond of the boy. “Write me as much as you wish, but be mindful of your duties. Always. To God, to England and to your conscience.”

“Of course, my lady. May He bless you.” There were unspoken words, choked by formalities that, nonetheless, reached those piercing blue eyes. Katheryn embraced him fondly. 

But before she was ready to depart with her retinue, the king told her he’d not let her to move north without good men to protect her. That was how she was introduced to this knight, a loyalist named Anakin Skywalker.

***

Anakin had been sent by the Jedi Council in order to prevent the Planet Earth to suffer further attacks by the Separatists. In that manner, he was instruced to spend one or two years in each part of that region in order to make sure they were seized and sent to jail. But after a while, Obi-Wan contacted him to instruct his Padawan another mission he was to take: to protect the Dowager Queen of England and make sure she’d not fall victim to the enemies’s hands.

“I thought most of them had been destroyed”, said Anakin, rather out of surprise.

“Unfortunately, some of them are still yet to be found”, lamented Obi-Wan. “When I get more information, I’ll send those to you. But in the meantime, do as you are told. Be careful, Anakin. This planet, as far as I know, is a very odd one in matters of costumes and thoughts.”

The younger Jedi snorted. “As if spending almost three years and a half here had not showed me that. But I’ll be careful, Master, do not worry about that.”

After that, much against his will, he went to this England kingdom where, as everything was arranged, he was expected to meet it’s new king. To his surprise, Anakin was met by a youngling. 

Could younglings rule with the authority of a king? My, Obi-Wan was right in saying this is a very odd planet. 

Even though Anakin could tell there was a council to respond for the king’s actions and rule in his behald until he reached majority, it was difficult for him to take the words of nine year old seriously. Yet, he could not dismiss the task he was assigned for. So he waited.

“My lord, I am glad your journeyed to us safely. I pray you came with no trouble whatsoever?”

Anakin had little patience to deal with politics and all that formalities due to the position they occupy, but when looking at the youngling standing right in front of him, the Jedi came to know this was a child who would never know the delights of infancy, whose innocence was being stripped away by the heavy burden he was expected to carry until the day he died. When coming to this perspective, Anakin pitied him. 

So his featured softened as he addressed the boy king:

“I did, yes, Your Majesty. I appreciate your concernings. I pray to find you well this day too, my lord. One can only think of all the duties that have been taking your day.”

Edward seemed to sympathize with him and Anakin smiled as he perceived it through the Force. 

“Indeed, sir. A king is expected to attend meetings and bring many solutions to a realm’s issues.” A reply that got Anakin’s eyebrows lifted. “The reason why we fetched you to us is that we require your services to protect our mother, the dowager queen of England. She has informed us her desire to depart to the north but we fear for her security.”

“I will do as Your Majesty commands”, vowed Anakin, bowing his head. 

“We appreciate it”, said the king, looking relieved.

Anakin wondered if there was another reason why he’d feel this way, but one could only especulate.

“Do you have a date, Majesty?”

It was when he heard the voice of the king’s regent for the first time.

“As soon as possible”, said the duke of Somerset. “We sincerely wished she’d stay in order to follow the proceedings to His Majesty’s governing, becoming the point where the last regime is supplanted by a new one.”

Anakin glanced at the regent with suspicious eyes, but dared not to speak his mind. I’m here to fulfill my duty, that is all.

“I’m staying here until I am further needed then”, informed the Jedi.

The duke of Somerset stared at him cooly, almost as if he was foreseeing the future.

“I’ll make sure to inform you the date, my lord.”

***

So there they were. The former queen entered the carriage with lady Elizabeth and Anakin as her ladies would come in a different vehicle. Katheryn had found Anakin pleasant to her eyes, not expecting a knight to be possessed with such...handsomely features.

Nonetheless, she masked her perceptions well, even though the Jedi Knight could tell something was going through her mind. But out of respect he decided not to investigate.

“You are a quiet man”, said the queen after a while. They were sitting in front of each other and as gallops began the pace, the journey out of the court she detested relieved her spirits. “My daughter and I were wondering what kind of knight you may be.”

Anakin turned his storming eyes to the red-headed young princess that took the queen’s side. Her dark eyes, a contrast to Katheryn’s light brown eyes, were staring curiously at him. The Jedi could tell he was being avaliated as if he was worth of the royal presence’s trust. He almost found that amusing.

Looking back at the mistress he was expected to protect and serve, he could not help but feeling captivated by her ginger locks and coy smile. But I know my place.

“I am a man of actions, my lady. I fear I am not one very much of words”, said he simply.

“On that case, I should be the judge of that”, remarked Katheryn with a sly smirk. “But between us, sir, why would a widow like myself be in danger in this country, enough to have a knight as yourself as a protector?”

“I am but a knight, Your Majesty, not a politician”, said Anakin, though a small smirk could be seen twitching upon his lips.

“Even so, a knight has opinions. We all have”, she insisted. “What could I possibly offer to earn a great deal of protection? Is it because of the title fairly bestowed to me?”

“You ask me difficult questions, Majesty. A knight who serves does not dare to questions the duties he’s been assigned to.” 

It was when lady Elizabeth intruded in the conversation:

“You speak like an Arthurian knight. Surely a man like yourself must be familiar with the doings of Lancelot or, better yet, William the Marshall.”

Anakin did no respond her right away. All these years spent in that Planet, especially with the nobility, told him how proud of their ancestors those people could be. Sometimes he missed the Galactic Republic where these things were far less perceptible. A voice in the back of his mind wondered whether duchess Satine would ever praise those who came before her in such a manner.

But, however homesick he may be, he knew it was not his place to judge these people. He actually remembered Ahsoka, his Padawan, and how she liked to point his knightly virtues whenever Obi-Wan criticized him. A memory ever so cherished almost brought a smile to his lips.

“Indeed. Although I do not think I mirror myself in Lancelot this much, Your Highness.”

“Oh. Why not?”, inquired lady Elizabeth, rather baffled for meeting someone who does not look up to Lancelot. 

“Knights who betray their masters to love their queens are not worthy of praising. It’s dishonest if I may speak freely”.

“That is a concept few discuss upon”, said Katheryn, observing the conversation. “But a king ever so cold should leave his queen unloved?”

Anakin had no answer to matters of love. In fact, as Obi-Wan liked to point out to him, he was far too judgemental where he lacked experience. Hence the silence.

“You should not be afraid to speak your mind, my lord. We are friends here”, she assured him. “Besides, we are merely discussing a novel we all enjoy ourselves reading, are we not?”

But was it really? Not even Katheryn had the response, perhaps fearful of what it might be. As the three of them began to grow quieter and lady Elizabeth fall asleep, she was reminded of the days she was queen. Afraid of what her fate would be, how often wasn’t she found praying for safety? How often wasn’t she... afraid, fearful for her life? 

It feels strange to be released of my marital vows. To be alone once again. A widow one more time. I’m free. But freedom has a different taste to my tongue.

As if he was capturing her thoughts, Anakin broke the silence, intrigued by her presence:

“What was it like to be his queen?”, the Jedi knight inquired, surprising Katheryn by his sudden interest.

“It was...”, she hesitated. Could she trust him with the truth? Though in his eyes, she knew she could, Katheryn would rather protect herself. “...a privilege. I was content. He was a good husband.”

Neither believed in the lies that rolled out so naturally of her tongue.

“I wish I could have given him children”, said she, more to herself. “Then I would have fulfilled the role I was expected to perform. Being a queen, my lord, is more than wearing fine robes and exhibing jewelry. It is more than being a dutiful wife.”

She smiled, but it was devoid of joy. Anakin felt her pain.

“But God willed me to be barren, I suppose.” 

“And yet you survived him”, the words he spoke came naturally. He should regret it, but he did not.

Katheryn smiled at his blunt words, but this time her smile was more sincere.

“As God wanted me to. Who are we when He calls us home? Who are we before his will?”

“Forgive me for being rather cheeky, Your Grace, but do you not have any doubts? Have you never...questioned?”, Anakin found himself unable to part the gaze that so suddenly held them both captive of one another.

He asks me if I have questioned my faith. Katheryn stared at him in silence. I could reprehend him, but... when I was chosen to be queen, did I not question Him? Did I not falter before the great test He put me to proof? 

And Anakin’s words (”and yet you survived him...”) continuously hammered against her mind.

“When you have faith, master Skywalker, adversities come to test you. But even when we are surrounded by storms of every kind, we ought to be thankful and praise the Lord for the opportunity of showing Him why He chose us.”

The Jedi said nothing else as he reclined back against the wall and with a sigh, looked away. Through the window, he observed the rise of twilight, watching the sunset and the rise of stars. Soon the moon would come. The journey seemed to weight on him.

“Did you ever come to good terms with your conscience upon the doubts that haunt you?”, inquired Katheryn.

As Anakin looked back at the queen, he was baffled by how easily she read him. And yet I don’t feel the force in her.

She smiled.

“I have come to other men like you before. It is natural that when we come across some trauma, we respond it with questions. My... my late husband was not different. Do not put so much pressure on you. Soon, He will give you the answer you are looking for, whatever that may be.”

The Jedi did not say nothing for a long time. Yet, suddenly he heard himself saying:

“Do we all deserve salvations, Your Majesty?’

To which Katheryn, giving him a knowing glance, responded:

“We do, Master Skywalker. As sinners we all may be, God does not turn away from those He chooses. Something tells me you are soon to find a salvation yourself.”

Anakin chuckles softly, but a sort of sadness glinted in his eyes.

“I pray you are right, Your Majesty.”

Katheryn offered her hand to take and as he reluctantly did so, she closed her eyes and prayed. The simplicity in the words that the Jedi heard soothed the darkness that not so long ago threatened to choke his light side. It all seemed that, by her side, he found the balance he needed all along...

(to be continue)

#Anakin Skywalker #Darth Vader #Star Wars imagine #Star Wars crossover #Anakin Skywalker x reader #Jedi #the Force #Katheryn Parr #Queen Katheryn #Catherine Parr #Katherine Parr #Katheryn x Anakin #crossover #Tudor crossover #Tudor England #Dowager Queen of England #Henry VIII #Lady Elizabeth Tudor

[akindofmagictoo]

manuscript search tag game

from @talesfromaurea :)

my words are sun, moon, star, cloud

sun + moon + star + cloud (all in one hit... oops)

That night was a cloudless one. Eagle Island disappeared over the horizon several hours before sunset, leaving the Firebird the only ship as far as the eye could see. The only thing in the water at all. Stars filled the sky from horizon to horizon like scattered diamonds.

Sitting in the bow, Theo suddenly felt very alone and very, very small. The Firebird seemed but a speck in the vast expanse of sky and sea. He tipped his head back against the rail. The moon gleamed off to his left, a silvery disc hanging a little way above the horizon.

I shall do another! from @diphthongsfordays!

my words are move, depart, hesitate, forget, flame

move (Hurricane)

He straightened up again. “One book I read—what was it?” He pursed his lips. “I think it mixed up bow and stern.”

Her jaw dropped open. “No.”

“I think so,” he said.

“How? Come on!”

His shoulders shook with laughter. “I don’t—I don’t know.” Then his eyes lit up and he smiled, making his dimple show. “Clearly the author was no sailor.”

Aella’s heart did a little flutter.

“That same book did include a masterful joke.”

“Ooh, do tell.” She shifted her weight so she was sitting more fully in the hammock, and lifted her feet up.

The hammock tipped over and landed them both in a heap on the floor. Theo must’ve moved. Or maybe she’d misjudged.

depart (Dragonsong)

“Bethany,” Isi said. “Why must you do this?”

This time Bethany did look at her, a scathing glare. “This is my job. Not that I expect you to understand what that means.”

So news of Isi’s departure had spread this far. “I understand what it means. I understand that those words are often a disguise for cruelty. And this is exactly that. So what else brings you to this course of action?”

“In ten minutes you won’t care about anything much.”

Isi forced a smile. “Then indulge me now, instead of in ten minutes.” [...]

hesitate (Hurricane)

When she reached the deck, the kraken did look very unhappy, even more so than before. Its tentacles thrashed in all directions. Was that blood on some of them? It was hard to say. One tentacle lashed out towards the ship. The women at the rail threw themselves flat to the deck, and the gun crew ducked. Aella hesitated, then dropped just in time, the wind of its passing cool on the back of her neck. 

forget (Hurricane) (this is otherwise known as “Zoe forgot we weren’t on the Hurricane and blamed it on Marisa instead of hitting backspace”)

“It’s a little hard to point out anything much on that map, of course,” said Tempest, as though she’d read his mind.

Marisa put in, “There’s a ton of maps in that chest we stole last month. I still haven’t gone through them all. If there’s one of England—” She slapped her forehead. “I keep forgetting we’re not on the Hurricane. Grimmur better keep his grubby little hands off my maps.”

Tempest let out a half laugh. “See what other maps the Firebird has aboard her. If you find one of England, tell us.”

flame (Dragonsong) (nyehehehe reveals)

“That’s illegal, you know,” remarked SB, emptying water out of his boot. “You trying to get us caught?”

“I’d like to see you try and light this,” Robin snapped.

SB shrugged and gestured with his left hand, a similar gesture to the one Robin had used. Isi frowned. Was he mocking Robin?

Nothing happened.

SB gestured again, and a small tongue of flame flickered to life on his fingertip. In its light his face looked ghostly. A cool gust of wind swept through the clearing. Isi shivered and SB’s flame went out, but the tendrils of light on his hand—green, unlike Robin’s—took a few more seconds to fade.

“As you can see, I wouldn’t get very far. But I see why she keeps you around.”

I will tag @ellatholmes @lowslore @ashen-crest and anyone else who wants to play! your words are party, pair, pale, plead

#tag game #manuscript search tag #wip hurricane #hurricane excerpt #wip dragonsong #dragonsong excerpt

[allabouttenille]

Impact Wrestling

November 30th 2023

“Ladies! Glad I managed to find you, this news can’t really wait.” Gail Kim happily exclaims as she approaches the Knockouts World Tag Team Champions backstage. “Firstly, congratulations on your recent successful title defenses, but you’re not done yet.” Gail explains, not exactly sounding sympathetic towards the duo. “Let me guess, you want us to face another team that we’ve already beaten? Am I close?” Dashwood quickly questions, clearly unhappy with what she perceives as unfair treatment from a member of management.

“Close, but not really. You see, I’ve just gotten off the phone and have signed off on a title defense for you two!” Gail grins as Purrazzo shakes her head, turning away as she is obviously trying to bite her tongue to avoid escalating the situation. “Of course you have.” Dashwood isn’t as politically friendly and steps up to Gail for an explanation. “Wrestling Revolver this weekend. You two will defend against Jessicka and Neveah. In their backyard? That won’t be an easy defense.” Gail doesn’t back down as she locks eyes with a clearly unhappy Dashwood.

“Then, should you somehow retain, next week on Impact Wrestling you have another title defense. One half of your potential opponents has defeated you, three time lately.” Gail explains, turning her attention from Dashwood to Purrazzo. Obviously the Virtuosa knows who Gail is referring to but opts to remain silent instead of confirming it. “Current Knockouts World Champion Trinity will be teaming with Sonny Kiss, assuming you make it past this weekend, of course.”

Purrazzo turns her back on Gail, clearly struggling not to say anything but luckily Dashwood has them covered before Purrazzo breaks. “I’ve already pinned her. That it? Two matches?” Dashwood questions, obviously annoyed but not wanting to give Gail the satisfaction of knowing it. “Almost.” Gail responds, turning her attention back to Dashwood as Purrazzo paces behind her. “At Final Resolution you will have another match. If you are still champions…”

Gail begins to explain but Dashwood interrupts. “When. When we are still champions.” Gail does her best to keep calm, obviously not happy at the interruption. “If… you are still champions, the titles will be on the line when Deonna Purrazzo and Tenille Dashwood face off against… MK Ultra.” After several failed attempts at getting a reaction from Dashwood, Gail finally succeeds and is able to depart with a smile on her face, leaving the champions to consider a very busy schedule.

“After Final Resolution, you need to deal with her.” Dashwood states, having only recently been the voice of reason in convincing Purrazzo to do anything except that. It appears the Australian has run out of patience and is now happy to let Purrazzo loose on a member of management in a quest for vengeance. “Don’t worry. I’m going to.” Purrazzo finally speaks, letting Dashwood know that she didn’t need approval for it, she was simply waiting for the right moment.

#tenille dashwood #deonna purrazzo #tna wrestling #impact wrestling #gail kim

[chriswaddell]

BLOG 7 - November 27, 2023: “BRIDGE”

This could, perhaps, be the most important note I’ve written.

Suicide isn’t what I thought it was. I hope people start to understand it more. Understand that it’s not some crazy person who’ve reached their wit’s end and has nowhere else to turn… so they decide to end it. Hell, even suicide prevention specialists tell you to reach out and talk to someone. But in my recent experience, my only experience ever with these types of issues, that’s not what’s going on.

Is this a suicide letter? One that I hope someone might find years after I’ve left the earth? I don’t know. But I do know how I feel and how I would like to better help people understand the non-end-of-the-world sense of this feeling.

If I were to take my own life today, I wonder what people would think? Thoughts about how unhappy I was or if my mental state was in what they deem a “positive place.” Maybe more selfish thoughts from them… “what did I do wrong?” “How could I have done something different?” Or the selfish thought that my suicide is somehow selfish itself. I mean, if we’re not entitled to leave the world how we choose, what freedoms do we really have?

My own death isn’t caused by anybody, it’s because I’m tired. Pay attention to that word, because it’s easy to make your own assumptions about what “tired” could mean. I’m not depressed, at least I don’t think I am. I’m not sure what that would feel like. I’m not tired of someone’s shit not have I been pushed in a direction of thought. No, instead, I’m just tired. Tired of fighting one day after another to make ends meet. Tired of consistently thinking about those departed. Tired of worrying about what everyone thinks about me. I’m tired of trying so hard every day to be positive and one backwards comment from someone can have me in my head for days.

Suicide isn’t a cheap or easy way out. I miss my grandma, my dad, Logan and Milo. I’ll never see them again, but I can imagine someone thinking “oh, but he did this, so I guess he won’t miss me.” That’s fair, except I won’t have to deal with it. Is that cheap or easy? Maybe. But maybe I feel like I’m owed some gratitude. The gratitude of people letting go of something I would do for myself and only myself.

People will be quick to assume that any problem I have can be simply fixed and shouldn’t have led to what could or would be inevitable. My washer doesn’t work, I’m broke and the bills continue to pile up, I live a life where I believe the only way anybody likes me is if I’m doing for them, I’m losing my memory at a rapid pace and it scares the hell out of me. I worry about losing my mom, who I often feel is the only person who doesn’t expect anything out of me.

Sometimes I think the only reason I keep going now, doing this thing we call “living,” is to try to help those I love. And honestly, the list of people I feel love for is shorter than it ever has been. I want to be there for my mom as she ages and can’t take care of herself. I want to be there for Canaan and help them anyway I can to achieve their ultimate goals of making it in the film industry. I want to be there for my friends to continue to give them a platform to live out their dreams and possibly make a big splash in the wrestling industry. I want to run this wrestling company to continue to afford an opportunity to people who otherwise wouldn’t get one. I want to never put my dogs in a position to have to wonder where I went.

So, my life now is like a bridge. These feelings I have and have had… are they potholes in my journey across troubled waters or am I reaching my destination and these feelings are the land I sink my feet into permanently?

Don’t worry, I’ll continue this in part 2 sometime down my road. 🖤

[anxiousangerball]

There are so many things wrong with me, I don't have time to go into everything, but I do know that the asshattery from leadership at work is not helping in the least.

In another installment of bullshit that my "superiors" say at work, here is what I heard from my direct supervisor yesterday.

"We" made the decision to outsource our benefits and our leaves of absence. The transition is starting to happen now in preparation for next year. My manager referenced the outsourcing of the leaves during our regular supervision yesterday and said, "I cannot wait! We need [the new vendor] to help us stop being so nice to our employees on leave."

From my observations, our "being nice" is following state and federal leave laws as well as listening to our general counsel who tells us that being slightly more generous around leaves (allowing employees a little more than the required 15 days to return the health care provider forms, extending an employee's leave time a little beyond what is mandated by law (e.g.: 12 weeks under FMLA) because the doctor says that they need another week or two before they can return to work. You know...generally being on the generous, empathetic side of things. Not only is it nice, but it helps to protect us a bit more from legal action from unhappy employees).

I am "delighted" every time one of the bosses is this honest in front of me. It is helping me with my list of why I should depart this place post haste. (My team is great, though. I love who I work with in the trenches. Only...we're pretty sure the newest team member is actively looking for a new job and my other colleague is being forced to retire at the end of the year...you know...because "we" decided to outsource benefits and leaves.)

(I recognize that I didn't have a good night last night and so my attitude falls on the "aggressively angry at everything atm." The company is still letting itself slide right into awfulness, but somedays I can

While others - like today - I just can't.

:(

#Work woes #Personal #I hate this company right now #they are ruining themselves

[apostatehamster]

everything’s so emotionally draining man, auuugh

work rant. shit went down with the finances at work. our department is shrinking. At the beginning of the year we were 7 people. One had to leave bc her contract ran out and she didnt get renewed (no money), another one quit and left today. Two more people are leaving in August. Our teamlead quit and leaves in september. That leaves me with my colleague. From 7 to 2.

I’m searching for a new job, but since I have to ask permission to use my stuff from work for my portfolio, my (department) boss cited me into his room asking what can be done, if there’s anything I need to make me reconsider.

I said no, it feels like everything is broken, and it’s not like I want to leave, more like I cannot physically and emotionally stay here. i’ve hit the lowest of lows in a long time a few weeks ago and im afraid to go there again, and i need to leave before i am unable to pull myself out. but it’s hard because i’ve been there for 9 years, and my colleague is still. I don’t want to leave him but I also don’t want to be the one left behind who is unable to let go.

but he’s depressed and sighing all day, I’m faring marginally better and our (department) boss is also very unhappy, frantically trying to keep the core of the whole department together. I dont envy his role, trying to explain to the CEOs why the strongest department with most long-time workers is now falling apart, which. Well, they should know why, theyre responsible

anyway it’s all just so draining and i need to scrape every bit of energy together to somehow march on and someday away from this

i hate changes like these, it’s dragging me in both directions. Forward to new adventures, and backwards to the familiar faces of my friends

#basy talks #work rant

[askthechronoverse]

Chapter Thirteen: Puppycorn's a Master Breaker's Puppycorn

Last Chapter •||• Next Chapter

It wasn't as cramped in the cabin with Captain there as one would think. He stayed mostly to himself in Rex's study, reading the books Rex had collected that were lost in his timeline. It made him feel closer to the man he lost, despite that man typically being in another room in the small cabin.

In contrast, Puppycorn stayed close to his best friend. He didn't know what was going on fully. No one wanted to explain why his friend's mood suddenly became super serious, but he could feel his human friend's stress in the air around him and this put the puppy's desire to play with him into high gear. The human never seemed to want to play, but he let the dog shadow him as he worked. Any questions the puppy asked about his friend's mood or the introversion of his older self were met with a rapid change of subject. Even Rex, who usually didn't insult the pup's intelligence, didn't keep his level of honesty when it came to his and Captain's behavior. This didn't matter to the pup. He just wanted to see his friend smile again, even if it was just a cocky smirk.

It was rare that Captain was asked to leave the cabin but Rex usually asked him to take his younger self with him when he did, which is what happened on this particular day. They were running low on supplies again and Rex felt the enemy wouldn't be looking for Captain, which would decrease the chance of someone noticing a pattern with Rick's biweekly shopping trips. The two canines had left in the early morning for the marketplace and found themselves wandering between the stalls.

"Hey, Captain?" The puppy looked up at his older self. He was barely able to keep up with him, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Shoot." The reply was curt.

"Are you really gonna give up if we fail to save the kingdom?" The puppy was incredulous. The bigger dog pulled the puppy aside, behind an unoccupied stall.

"First: do not talk about the resistance out in the open. Never talk about that out in the open. Second: yes. I have seen the life of the one person who believed in me leave his body over and over. Never again. I either succeed or find a way for him to be recognized as the hero he was at the end."

"You said he saved our lives. How was he not the hero?"

"I know you hate to hear this by now, but another time. Let's finish the shopping and get back to base." The Captain jumped out of the shadows and grabbed a shopping basket with his teeth. "Grab some fruit." He said between his teeth. The puppy did what was asked, but did seem unhappy with the answer.

"If you lost your R… friend, why aren't ya playing with him now?"

"He wanted to rebuild his life here, so he moved everything he'd collected in his cabin. When the planet was leveled, all that history was lost. I only have the ship and the pictures he took on his phone to remember him by." His voice was hard to hear, both because of his whispering with a basket in his mouth and because of the pain it was laden with. "I also need to maintain the memories I had from my youth. I spent a lot of time with him in these days and I learned what kind of man he was under this pressure. I can't take that away from you."

"But I'm you, right? Do you want me to play with him for you?"

"Keep trying to reach out to him. That's what you need to do." The dog sniffed. "Do you smell that?" The puppy lifted his head and sniffed as well.

"It's smoke!" The two rushed to the main stalls and saw the stalls were on fire. Standing in the middle of the flames was a large beast with bull horns and a spiked collar. Around his neck attached to the collar was a red gem in the shape of a heart. He wore a dark cape, the hood hanging halfway on his head.

"That's a Gem of Ackrilique… and Master Malice." Captain took a defensive stance. "We need to be careful. Any harm to you could affect me." The fire department was taking care of the fire, leaving the beast to them. Malice noticed the two dogs and looked around.

"They sent you, little dog? No adults?" The beast laughed wickedly. "Maybe if I take you to the new HQ, we can bait out the adults. Especially your evil little friend."

"Evil?" Both dogs asked, though the younger was confused and the older was livid. The being just laughed again.

"He has you wrapped around his little finger, doesn't he. If only he was as intelligent as he was manipulative. But, he chose his fate." The beast shrugged, waving his clawed hand next to his head. "But, he's not here, is he? Didn't think he was a coward. Like you."

"I'll show you cowardice." The Captain growled as his mechanical horn sparked. Soon a crimson dog beast faced down the bull. "Get somewhere safe!" Puppycorn ducked behind a half burned stall. The transformed Captain howled as he charged the bull with one clawed paw ready to strike. The bull dodged the swipe, headbutting Captain down.

"Oh! Looks like you can teach an old dog a new trick! Too bad that won't help!" He charged at Captain with his head down. Captain took the opportunity and batted the beast down. Malice took his opponent down with him, however. The two tussled while Puppycorn, from the stall, watched the red gem swing around. Maybe he could get the gem while Captain was fighting? It was possible, he guessed. But he'd have to be quick and careful. He needed to go back to the cabin to do what his older self wanted him to do. Also, his favorite ball was there. They got close to him, the bull less than a foot away. The puppy steeled his resolve and rushed for the bull, jumping on him and digging his claws in just as the beast got up. The beast didn't notice him at first. He took advantage and started to climb closer to the collar.

"Maybe I can teach you to play dead!" The Captain shouted. Puppycorn couldn't help but think that Rex would have said that. He must have learned a lot from the guy about being tough. The Captain swiped at the bull and almost hit Puppycorn in the process. He managed to duck just in time. That was too close. The puppy panted, then continued his climb.

"Clever! Not really. Can't fall out of the dark shadow, can you?" The bull charged again, making it hard for the pup to hold on. He slipped down a little bit, but was back where he was before in no time. He kept crawling up, getting closer to the gem with each passing moment.

"He's done his best to rise above his past. To be better than you!" The Captain was hurting from the last attack, but he charged again with his claws seeking to do some real damage. The puppy was getting close to the gem. He could see it swinging like a pendulum, bouncing as the beast moved in for the next attack.

"He can't outrun the evil he's done! All you are is his next puppet!" The beast laughed from his belly, almost shaking Puppycorn off him completely. The puppy wanted to cry: he was all the way back where he started. He quickly scrambled back to where he was, having to avoid being thrown off by another charge from Malice. His older self slammed Malice to the ground, which caused him to fly past the gem. He tried to grab it on the way down, but failed to. The puppy grabbed some fur a short distance away.

"He is still my friend! What he did in the past is meaningless!" Captain kept his paw on the bull's head. This vertical position made things a little harder for the puppy, but he did his best to keep going for the gem.

"He's either gaslit you like he did to others in the past, or he's going to leave you high and dry like the coward he is." The beast laughed again, but Puppycorn barely held on this time. "Either way, he hasn't changed. He just added a new disguise to his arsenal!" With another charge, the puppy was within grabbing distance of the gem. The two larger beings grappled each other, unaware or uncaring of the fact they were leveling the ruined stalls around them and making fighting the fire difficult.

"No. You have him all wrong!" The puppy tried to grab the gem, but as his older self spoke he lunged. This caused the puppy to fly past the gem and land on the smooth part of a collar spike. One more try. "He's not like that anymore!"

"I've seen into his heart. He still harbors so much maliciousness. Can you really trust him to not lash out at this kingdom when he eventually cannot hold his rage back?" The puppy scrambled down and reached for the gem. He almost had it… then the bull charged one last time. He snapped at the gem with his mouth and was soon hanging by the chain that held it on.

"Doesn't matter. I have faith in my friends to always pull through." The dog smirked, gently swatting at the chain above Puppycorn and snapping it. He caught his younger self in his paw and put him down. "I'd tell Doom you lost." He changed back into his normal size and shape and ran off with his younger self. The bull shrank to his normal size, but as Puppycorn looked back, he saw that Malice didn't seem disappointed. The two headed for the forest. After they were far enough, Captain stopped. He put his paw out for the gem.

"I… think I swallowed it?" Puppycorn looked down.

"That's fine. We can look for food out here while we wait for it to show up again. It's probably in a safe enough place anyway." Captain began to look around. "You heard that exchange between me and Malice, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Imagine hearing that from the people who took your family in after your home was lost. People telling you that you were somehow saved from harm because your most supportive friend died. That was what I grew up with when I was on Syspocalypstar. It's important to remember that history is told by the winner and never forget who won that battle." There was a deep bitterness in his tone, one that Puppycorn never thought he would be capable of developing.

"Maybe if they got to know him like we do, they'd see what we do?" This came more as a question than the statement it should have been.

"The only people on that planet that knew him didn't correct the trashy articles that borderline spun the whole thing in Doom's favor, just because she was the one who…" Captain's nose twitched as his fur slowly turned red again. He took a breath and his fur returned to blue. "He was a hero to us. He remained a villian to them." The dog found a berry bush and began to inspect it to see if it was safe for the group to eat.

"Did he really leave you… us… the ship?"

"Yes. The Rexcelsior was what helped us flee the Systar System. The second those raptors heard the news, I was the only soul they would take orders from." He shook his head and the two kept moving. "It was his last act of faith in us. I'd like to think he would have taught me everything about that ship in his own way by just taking us with him on his adventures. I hope I'm right if I can save him this time. I want to see the universe with him." The dog sniffed a little, eyes watering.

"I do, too." Puppycorn spoke with more optimism than his future counterpart. "And I know we will! We already have two gems! Plus the one you brought from the future. We have Big Sis and the others too!" The Captain nodded and finally found a bush that didn't hold poisonous fruit. He began to gather them up in his tattered vest.

"Come help me with this. We need to bring something home to the others." The puppy started to gather the fruit while the dog bundled it up. The two headed back to the cabin after enough fruit was gathered. Captain turned to Puppycorn at the door. "Do you have anything you need to do before we tell the others what happened?"

"Uh… no?" Captain rolled his eyes as he opened the door to find Rex and Hawkodile playing a fighting game. They both played humans who wore similar outfits, specifically a martial artist's gi. Rex's character wore red and Hawkodile's wore white. It looked like the fight was almost over, so Captain let the two play and started to put the fruit away with Rick's help. Puppycorn watched the two play. "Can I play winner?" The puppy asked just before the fighter in white beat the one in red. Rex sank into the couch cushions.

"Come on, bro! Best three outta five. Ya can't be that good! I only showed you how to play an hour ago!" The human groaned.

"It's not that hard, bro. Like in real life, ya lack discipline." Hawkodile took both controllers and turned off the console, putting everything neatly away. "I should train you like my Sensei used to train me. If a kid could learn what he had to offer, so can you."

"Don't you get up at 5am to train?" Rex asked, sticking out his tongue.

"Don't you have insomnia? It works out. If you have time to play videogames, you have time to train." Hawkodile looked over at Captain and Puppycorn. "Where have you two been?" Rex poked his head up from his position on the couch.

"Yeah. Ya missed me kickin' Hawkodile's butt in a fighting game!" Hawkodile lifted his eyebrow.

"Okay. If ya wanna change history like that, you totally won. But you still need to train with me for the big fight we know is coming."

"Yeah, yeah. Tomorrow, big guy." Rex waved the bird lizard off.

"We encountered Master Malice and got a gem… but Puppycorn ate it." Captain looked over at his younger self and frowned, disappointed. "Hasn't come out the other end yet."

"It tasted like cherries!" Puppycorn grinned.

"It… what?" Exclamation marks came off of Captain's orginal horn.

"Yeah! It tasted like cherries! It was great."

"That… makes no sense! Malice was super strong. Like to the extreme. How could that be?" Captain's ears went back.

"They found a way to make a decoy gem. I gotta give CEO Evil some credit." Rex walked over to Puppycorn and gave him a pat on the head. "Good job, kid. Important stuff. " He then gave Captain a pat. "Good job, bro. Ya probably kicked some real butt out there." The two Puppycorns' eyes sparkled at the praise. "Alright. We definitely need a decoy gem of our own. Think you can whip one up and field test it, Doc?"

"Of course! I'll get right on it!" The fox rushed to Rex's workshop and closed the door. The human walked to his TV and picked up a controller.

"Hawk. Up for round two?" He flashed a smug grin.

"Only if you can beat me in a real fight. Let's go." Hawkodile grabbed Rex and took him out of the cabin.

#the newspaper isn't antiquated •||• written works

[buzzdixonwriter]

The Client [FICTOID]

“Are you a detective?”

“I am.”

“I want you to solve a mystery.”

“Okay, what mystery?”

“Why did I do it?”

“Do what?”

“Kill my wife.”

I took a long draw on my cigarette.  “She’s dead?”

“She will be.”

“Then why not save her?”

“It’s fatal.”

“What is?”

“AIDS.”

I took another long draw.  These things will kill me.  Eventually.  “You gave her AIDS?”

“No.”

I stubbed my cigarette out.  The client -- the would be client -- proved irritating.  “Let’s stop talking in circles.  What did you do?”

“I encouraged my wife to have an affair.”

“Ah.  Because she was unhappy, or you were guilty?”

“Both.”

“Let’s start with her unhappiness.”

“I’m a businessman.  I work hard.  I make a lot of money -- but I don’t have time for love.”

“Old story.  Kind of cliché.  To be frank, pathetic.”

“Yes.  Pathetic is the perfect word.”

“So you encouraged your wife to play around, to get her jollies behind your back, but with your permission.”

“Yes.”

“Did she pick her lover, or did you?”

The client-to-be hung his head in shame.  “I did.”

“Somebody you knew?  Or somebody you both knew?”

“Somebody I knew…mostly.  She met him once or twice.  He worked for me.  A rough sort, muscular.  In the shipping department.”

“And he had AIDS?”

The client hung his head again.  “Yes.”

“Did you know?”

The client looked out my office window for a long, long time.  The view was the alley between the buildings; the day was cold, wet, and grey.

“Yes,” he said at last.

“What do you gain through your wife’s death?”

“Millions,” said the client.  “My wife stands to inherit a fortune.  It’s in a trust, so it can’t be denied her.”

“Does she know you know her lover had AIDS?”

The client closed his eyes.  Tears leaked out.  “Yes.”

“So why doesn’t she divorce you?  Or at least rewrite her will?”

“She loves me,” he said, voice cracking.

“Are you worthy of her love?”

His voice cracked again.  “No.”

“Then either kill yourself, or prove yourself worthy.”

“How?”

“That’s not my problem.”

“Don’t you solve mysteries?”

“This isn’t a mystery,” I said.  I wanted another cigarette badly but I told myself I needed to wait at least half an hour. 

“You murdered your wife -- “ here the client sucked his breath in harshly but didn’t deny it “ -- because you hoped to gain from it.

“Now she’s dying, or at least cursed with a potentially fatal disease she’ll never escape.

“You could divorce her, give her a generous settlement, but that will only be more pain and suffering inflicted on her, dragging out over weeks or months, and you’ll still keep some of your wealth.

“Or you can devote yourself to her, make her happy, brighten her days, make her glad she is alive.

“Or you can kill yourself swiftly, make the shock sudden but final, and leave her everything to comfort her last days.

“They’re doing a lot with AIDS treatments these days,” I said.  “She could still have many, many comfortable years ahead of her.”

“What do you recommend?”

I decided not to wait.  I shook the last cigarette out of the pack, tapped it on my desk, lit it, and drew in a deep lungful before answering.

“That you even came to me -- that you came to anyone -- reveals volumes.

“’Why’ you did this is easy enough to explain.  You love money.  You thought you loved it more than your wife.  You realize this might not be the case, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.  It’s dawning on you what you might really lose, and you can’t weigh that against your greed to decide which matters most to you, so you’re looking for outside help.”

Another long drag.  “Have you spoken with a therapist?  A psychiatrist?  A doctor?  A lawyer?  A priest or a rabbi or a minister?

“Yes,” said the client.  “Yes, yes, and more yes.”

“And they gave you the same answer, didn’t they?”

He gulped and nodded.

“One of the answers I gave you, right?”

He hesitated, then shook his head slightly.  “Only two of the three options you offered.”

“So there you go,” I said, drawing the smoke deep into my lungs.  It felt good.  It felt clean.  Certainly cleaner that this client.

“Don’t speak in riddles,” he said.  “What should I do?”

“Do you go hunting?”

“Occasionally.  Pheasants, mostly.  Why?”

“Make sure you get your whole head over the barrel of the shotgun.”

  © Buzz Dixon

#fictoid

[darling-i-read-it]

Working

Fox Mulder x fem!reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: kidnapping, bruising, pain, angst

Author’s Note: I hope you like this love! I didn’t want to leave with an unhappy ending lol so here’s this.

Requested: by anon, hey! I love your writing sm and love x files fics, could I maybe request something where its mulder x reader and he's working on a case and she gets kidnapped? something very angst lol, if not this specifically then anything reader x mulder works lol.. again love your work :)

Summary: the request

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

When Dana wasn’t around it was like the whole world was slightly tilted. Fox was a good agent but he had grown so accustomed to her being there that when she took one week of sick leave it was like he had lost his damn mind. That was the only reason you were there. You shouldn’t have been there. If it was Dana, everything would be solved and he wouldn’t be going through this grief right now.

But he had asked you to come.

“Why me?” you had asked.

“Because you’re the only person other than Scully that would believe me when I tell you this isn’t an ordinary murder.” You never worked officially on the X-Files, only when Dana or Fox needed the help. But you were more on his side then hers. You tended to believe the supernatural reasons behind many of the cases. He had even told you about his sister, before he ever met Dana.

So you agreed.

Damn it if you wouldn’t have agreed.

===

“You aren’t his regular partner,” the police officer commented.

“Oh, have you worked here with Dana before?” you asked. You were walking together through the crime scene. It was an odd one, the eyes gouged out and the victim being a pretty prolific medium.

“Once. It was a good case.” He kneeled down beside the body. “Like this one.” “Dana’s out sick this week, I’m an agent as well. I’ll do the job like she was here in spirit,” you promised. The officer nodded sturtly. Fox leaned down next to the body.

“This is the only one?” he asked.

“Yeah. So far,” the officer muttered, hands on his hips. You and Fox met eyes. You kneeled down beside him and he leaned forward into you.

“You seeing this?” he asked.

“Yeah Mulder I am.”

===

You sat beside him at the hotel. He was shuffling through papers that he had gotten from the police department. He had his glasses on, the light on the hotel desk dim. You took one from him, looking at the dead body again. You would probably die with that body on the back of your eyelids. You will never forget it.

“Fox, what are you thinking?” He was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly he wanted to tell you. His inkling was something supernatural. There was obviously something wrong about all of this. It wouldn’t make sense for someone to come and do something this random to this person.

“Probably one of the people she gave a reading to,” Fox suggested, taking the picture from you and putting it with the rest. “Don’t know how the hell they burned the eyes though,” he breathed. You let out a scoff.

“We shouldn’t have to know. Alas, it is our job.” You stood up. “I’m gonna go grab some food and coffee. I have a feeling you aren’t going to fall asleep for another couple of hours. Do you want anything?”

“A coffee would be great. For food just get me whatever you get,” he said absentmindedly. You nodded and walked out the hotel room door. You had the keys to your car in hand. You were used to the late nights that came with being an agent but usually you were dealing with regular people. They were scary but they weren’t unknown. You usually were under the impression that you were looking for a man or a woman. You didn’t know exactly what you were looking for here. You didn’t know what you would find.

You unlocked the car and got inside.

There was a moment of panic as a hand went over your mouth but then there was nothing.

===

Mulder started to get worried about forty five minutes later. You were both in a place that was unfamiliar but you should have been back by then. He checked the clock. Well past midnight.

About an hour and a half after you left he started to get very very worried. He called your cell, no answer. He then decided it was time he did some investigating on his own, though he was quite limited considering he didn’t have a car.

He called the police chief to give him a ride.

The next morning he concluded the worst. You had been taken.

====

“We need to find her,” was all he was able to say. The officer nodded.

“We’re trying Agent Mulder but we don’t have much to go on.”

“Why did he take her? That isn’t...that isn’t like him,” Mulder muttered. He had to find you.

“Agent, I know this isn’t exactly my place but aren’t you too close to this?”

“Shut up,” Mulder muttered. “I’m sorry. Scully would commend me for being rude.” His eyes lit up. “Dana. Someone get me a phone.” ===

Dana came the second she heard. You had been friends after all and she was in your debt for taking her work. She was still sick but she was getting better.

“You wouldn’t have been kidnaped,” Mulder commented.

“Why is that?”

“Because you never go out to get food after midnight,” he said. She rolled her eyes, arms crossed.

“Do you want my help or not?” She couldn’t help but notice how awful he looked. She was fairly certain he hadn’t slept at all the past 48 hours. He had another coffee in his hands, the second she had seen him drink since she got on sight. She watched carefully as he paced the room, muttering to himself. HE wasn’t going to be able to find you, not like this. “Mulder.”

“What?”

“You need to take a nap.” “While she’s out there? Absolutely not.”

“You can’t find her if you hallucinate her.” Scully said sturtly. “You need to get 20 minutes. That’ll keep you going until we find her.”

“Agents?” They both turned around to the officer. “We found her.”

===

You were freezing. Whoever it was who had taken you had taken your jacket and you were wearing a skirt in the first place. They had tried to beat information out of you. When they realized they weren’t going to get it, they tossed you on the side of the road in the cold, hoping you would die from hypothermia.

Mulder ran up to your hospital bed. Your lips were blue. Your eye was swollen shut. You looked shaken but the second you saw him you raised your hand, reaching over to the side table to where the nurse had put down your food.

“I got you what I got,” you whispered. He scoffed, eyes tearing up as he sat down beside you. Dana stayed outside, giving you a moment of privacy.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have let you go out alone.”

“I should have known they would try and get me. This isn’t your fault.”

“I’m not the one with the black eye.”

“Mulder…” He put his hand on your cheek.

“You’re never going to work on an X File again,” he breathed. “I’ll have Dana work through any sickness.” “This could have easily happened on a regular case,” you promised, putting your hand on his that was still on your cheek. “I can do what I want.”

“Yeah and you’ll never work on an X File again.” You smiled weakly, your head drooping tiredly.

“I need to sleep,” you whispered. “Don’t go?”

“I would never.”

X-Files Tag List: @michaelmyersthestabbyboi, @alexxavicry

#fox mulder x reader #fox mulder imagines

[mammons-best-boi]

I really liked the Diavolo x reader where they have an argument,do you think you could do a part 2 where he apologizes?

Ya know, you're not the only one who has asked for that. I have a feeling that this is gonna be also sad. (this is the previous ask)

It took three days before Lucifer and Barbatos forced Diavolo to tell them what happened.

Diavolo spilled everything, and a many tears, to his two right hands.

Lucifer and Barbatos shared a look and, with a nod, Barbatos departs, leaving Lucifer and Diavolo alone.

"Lord Diavolo, do you realize how much damage you could've caused to your exchange program, not to mention to your relationship."

"I know.." Diavolo slumps in his chair.

Lucifer rounds the table to stand next to his employer. "I believe that the best course of action, as your friend, is to apologize." He places a hand on Diavolo's shoulder. "Mc is very forgiving, they may be hurt for a while, but they will forgive you." With a squeeze, Lucifer pulls his hand back.

"How do you know that!?" Diavolo's voice cracks and wobbles.

With a pained sigh, Lucifer takes a seat across from him. "If they can forgive Belphie after.. after what happened, I sure that they will forgive you."

Diavolo nods somberly, sniffling softly as he thinks. Thinks about what happened, how to fix it, and an appropriate apology.

It took another two days for Diavolo to get everything put together; ball thrown in your honor -to be held this coming weekend, four dozen roses and other flowers -all arranged to tell you how he feels, plus he freed his whole day to spend it with you -getting you anything and everything you could ever want.

When he arrives at the HOL, he's greeted by six very unhappy brothers, all with scowling faces.

Taking a deep breath, Diavolo straightened his shoulders and started to talk. "I messed up-"

"No shit." Mammon growls

"I messed up, and I'm here to make it right. If they'll still have me.." Diavolo stares at his feet.

Mammon and Asmo share a look, a silent conversation spoken is slight movements, and Asmo leaves the line up.

"How do we know that you're not just going to make it worse?" Belphie asks, he can feel his tail lashing even though he's in his human form.

"I.." Diavolo looks up to your window. "I won't make it worse on purpose. I just want to tell them that I'm sorry, that I'll do whatever it takes for them to forgive me." He looks Mammon in the eyes. "Please.."

Mammon, unyeilding, glares at the prince. "Ya think that's gonna convince us to let you in? Do ya have any clue whatcha put 'em through?" Mammon pushes past his brothers and pokes the prince in the chest. "No, ya don't. Ya wouldn't know how scared they were when they got back, how they flinched away from us when we asked what happened." Mammon had backed the prince off of the front steps and onto the walkway.

Belphie, who had trailed behind Mammon, speaks up. "I worked hard to get them to trust me, even slightly, after what I did to them. And now.. now they're scared of me again." Tears well in the corners of his eyes. "Do you know how bad it hurts? To have all of the progress I worked to make dashed across the rocks because of someone else?"

"I'm so sorry Belgriphor.." the prince bows in apology, but Belphie just huffs and walks back to the house.

"I may not know what happened between the two of ya, but I've seen how it hurt 'em for the past five days. An not once in them five days, did ya reach out to them. Not a text, not a call, not even a text to any of us ask how they were." Mammon pulls at his hair as his phone buzzes a pattern. "Yer just lucky that they still wanna see ya, otherwise I'd boot ya from the premises." He growls as he leads the prince back to the door and the four remaining brothers.

They part so the two could pass, but promptly surround the prince. It would be a comforting thing in any other situation, but now? Now it's a threat, no, a promise of what'll happen if he makes this worse.

With a deep breath, he opens your door.

This is getting kinda long, so I have to add another part. And where better to leave it than on a cliff hanger!

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me! #mc obey me #obey me diavolo #mc x Diavolo

[nameless-shrimp]

TWO GHOSTS || OSAMU DAZAI

↳ PAIRING: Osamu Dazai x GN! Reader

↳ TYPE: one-shot

↳ WORD COUNT: 1.6k

↳ WARNINGS: mention of reader's depression, Dazai's unhappy thoughts, mild angst and hurt/comfort, heavy grammar errors

↳ SYNOPSIS: Dazai prepares a treat for you, but once he realizes you're not in the happiest mood, he tries to help. However, he feels the same.

↳ AUTHOR'S NOTES: i haven't been feeling well so i needed to release my emotions through writing, and i wanted some dazai comfort. so this came out in the process. i challenged myself to use apple pie and ghosts in one fic for an autumn-themed fic, and i hope you guys like it. :)

↳ AUTUMN PROMPT LIST

He dances along to the music softly blaring from the old radio. A gentle strum of guitar echoing across the kitchen. The scent of freshly baked apple pie rests on the marble counter; he smiles in pure delight. Pride. Dazai feels proud knowing that his finished dessert has been completed to an elegant mouth-salivating piece—and he chooses not to let Kunikida take full credit for stopping by his semi-clean apartment to take care of the prepping.

Rather so, Dazai will thank him later by saving a slice.

The door clicks open. His eyebrows raise in a giddy manner. He unties his messy apron, fully ready to swing his arms wide open. Soon, the grin falters to a frown, seeing your face look down at the floor below you. Droplets of rain drip from the bits of your clothes. With the way your body nearly stumbles from one step in; the bag settles down to the floor in a flash, and you walk past him. Nose dipping high to the air; adrenaline at its peek from the apple pie.

Dazai remains still for a moment, watching the ghost deep within your soul, hoping to try to find a moment of existence within the act of living. A mind reader, he’d call himself, and he smiles, understanding the tension that arises from your slumped figure. You almost limp your way to the kitchen—exhaustion overtaking your shoulders before you push yourself onto one of the high chairs.

He walks in the kitchen with a trail of his fingers on the counter. Tap after another. The rain still dies down to its steady beats of pitter-patter from the outside. Dazai keeps a smile on his face; inhaling the scent of pie that arouses the air, and he throws his arms around you in an instant. His sleeves pick up rain droplets, but he pays no mind to this.

“One of those days, my love?” He asks; you remain quiet. Dazai doesn’t push it further. He holds his head back—kitchen light washes the room to a mellow white. Instead, he departs for a brief moment. A click of the plates remains audible to you, though your head remains low. And he returns back, with a fork and a—somewhat—properly cut slice of apple pie on the plate. “Kunikida and I made this for you.”

“More like Kunikida made it,” you force a chuckle. He stiffens, aware of your unusual change of displeasuring nature, yet his heartbeat remains to match with yours. “Right?”

“Yeah.” Dazai responds. “He did.”

He cuts a small bit and offers to feed you. Of course, you give in; sweetness hitting your peak, lost in the sugary adrenaline high. And Dazai leans in to kiss you, lips tied together into a gentle connection. Lips taste so sweet; looks remain real to his eyes, almost lost in the hazel-lit structure of his irises while indulging the bittersweet of dessert and empty emotions.

He takes your hand with his before you can try to take another bite. Dazai wails a finger around, shaking his head. “Dance with me, my sweet,” he laughs; you frown. And you insist on fighting back, though you decide to soothe his words with your everlasting glow.

The two of you start to sway along to the simple guitar music that continues to echo in the background. Ambience noise of nothing but faint strums; the moon dances on Dazai’s good side, head resting close to your head. He keeps his heart steady, closely matching yours, with the genuine taste of sugar that dwells upon his lips. The ghost remains in your heart—an empty, hollow figure, where he recalled that you both shared the same stories; tongue-tied feelings that were left to be hidden from amongst the crowd though you bestowed these emotions to each other—galaxies hidden across the irises of one another.

Two shallow spirits standing amongst one another in hopes of finding what it would be like to have a heartbeat once more. Dazai allows himself to be mindful of his heart—now racing its pace once your smile rises. He closes his eyes, lips pressing against your forehead; warmth radiating from the skin. Body close to the shallow atmosphere of your heart, ghost trapped underneath the ribcage, with both of you dancing underneath the kitchen light. Maroon souls swirling in half-empty glasses; apple pie as a side.

Despising the world as Dazai did, he recalled every moment you shared with him together. The amount of degradation he put upon himself was unfathomable, no surprise—a list led to infinity. Though if a world were to call a man to be hopelessly in love with a similar paranormal empty spirit such as his, it would’ve been him, for the relationship that he cherished with you. Hand connected with yours—in spirit, and through the hardships of what life had offered through the plentiful seasons of the year, even around the time of the colored leaves on the trees.

“Osamu?”

He opens his eyes, continuing to sway his body as you follow along. His palms are met with your cheeks; tear-stained eyes noticeable to him. Dazai places more kisses along your forehead in hopes of easing the mental burden—to wash away the hurricane, as he always hopes. And he tilts his head, eyes lost in a hazel of orange. “Yes, my love?” He responds.

You sigh deeply, closing your eyes. The dam breaks, and the tears sprinkle. “Do you love me?”

He blinks mindlessly before shaking his head. “Of course I love you. With all of my heart. You’re important to me, forever,” he chuckles before kissing your forehead once more. “Why would you ask something like that?”

“I’m sorry,” you sigh, wiping away a few tears. “You seem so quiet today. That’s all. I got worried.”

Dazai remains silent—ironically. For a moment, he glances at the apple pie resting on the marble counter along with your barely-touched piece on the table. He licks his lips; sweetness on the tip of his tongue, yet his throat still stung. And he continues to grow his usual smile, allowing you to be engulfed by his arms. Trapped. Yet it was home. A comfortable gesture he always did in hopes of having the moon twirl around your figure; this time, slowly and closely inching towards the kitchen window.

“Don’t worry, my sweet,” he says, tone so honey-like. “I will always love you…”

He puts his head down, sighing deeply. A ghost deep within him, cravely so desperately for a type of joy when your presence was not around, regardless of the immense suffering that he’d go on the daily. Yet he was reminded that his presence was not alone, and Dazai allowed his own walls to crumble down for that moment—he squeezes your body close to yours, matching your beats along with his; chest to chest. Rather than fortifying his walls, instead, he gives his emotions to you—an open desire. Yours. His. Together—tied as forbidden spirits.

“I’m just trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat.”

tags: @whorefordazai @tender-rosiey @internetkilledtheroxstar @sadcannibal @bsdparadise @pompompurin1028 @amemuraa @tetsustation @milky-toast @missrown @requiem626k @jessbeinme15 @kyuus4ku @so-chile @kiyokoxd @dazaiaiko @meatbun-aku @chuuyasboots

#bsd dazai x reader #bsd dazai x you #osamu dazai x reader #dazai x you #dazai x reader #dazai x y/n #bungo stray dogs x you #bungo stray dogs x reader #dazai imagines #dazai osamu #osamu dazai #dazai #Spotify

[lonely-lost-soul]

Poff Poff

(Platonic C!Schlatt x Niece Reader)

Request 7: Can I request an Uncle Jschlatt and Niece reader? (Platonic ye) maybe Jschlatt could be out taking his niece to a late-night convenience store so they could late-night snack because both he and his niece had a bad day?

Requested by: Anonymous

AU where Puffy is Schlatt’s sister :)

~~~

Schlatt had, had a rough day, to say the least. He once again almost got banned for another scheme gone wrong. His election plans were set in motion but due to the statistics, it looked like he was losing and he was pissed off beyond belief. He had no plans for the rest of the day, all he wanted to do was relax with a drink and a cigarette, maybe watch a movie, just something to help him through the rest of this shitty ass day.

So, When Puffy had shown up on his doorstep and dropped you off to watch you while she went out his immediate response was no. He already smells like cigarette smoke and whiskey he shouldn’t be anywhere near a child. But one harsh glare from his sister made him shut his trap, he looked down at you and you looked just as unhappy to be there.

“Mom do I have to stay here, I’m old enough to stay on my own. Or even with Dream?” The angsty teen groaned tilting her head to the side, her little horns hitting her on the shoulder. Puffy let out a pinched huff pressing her fingers to her nose,

“You know Dreams out with George and Sapnap, plus you’re still too young to be left alone. So you’re staying with Uncle Schlatt until I get back from my date with Niki.”

“But-”

“Hush no butts. Now you.” She pointed a finger at Schlatt, “no smoking or drinking in front of my little Poff got it?” Schlatt rolled his eyes snarling over at his sister,

“Have a little faith in me, sis.” She shot him a look, and he wilted a little bit,

“Be good.”

“I will.” You groaned,

“Not talking to you.”

“I will.” The goat-man grumbled under his breath, finally seeming satisfied his sister departed leaving her equally hotheaded daughter by his side. “So...you smoke?”

“No Uncle Schlatt I don’t smoke,” You sighed a frown on your face usually that comment got a least a snort.

Oh no, not teenage angst.

You walked past him into his humble abode and plopped down on his couch, it also smelled like smoke, “How’s Quackity?”

“You mean Flatty Patty?” He smirked plopping down beside you scratching at his ear absentmindedly. You snickered, there it was,

“No I don’t, you know he hates when you call him that.” You nudged him gently, Schlatt ruffled your hair minding your horns. You huffed at him moving to fix your tousled hair,

“Alright, kid you got me. Now, what’s up with you?”

“Nothings wrong.” You muttered crossing your arms over your chest defensively, he shrugged his shoulders not bothering to push you. “Okay fine!” You blurted throwing your hands in the air, the man raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t say anything-”

“It’s just Dream’s not been home lately and Mom’s not taking it well. Instead of trying to watch out for him n’ shit, she’s going on dates with Niki.” You groaned falling back against the couch, “When he does come home it’s just for food and to pet, his cat then leave. He barely even says hi to us anymore...we used to be so close. Now he just doesn’t care.” Your face fell and he frowned, Schlatt winced a little he was never known to be very good with comforting people let alone comforting women. He placed a hand on your shoulder and squeezed,

“He’ll come around kid, family’s, family you know?” He watched you shrug sadly and he rubbed his chin with his other hand.

He needed another cigarette right now.

You looked up at him and saw him tense, “You can smoke I don’t care.” You gave a little shrug, “either way I’m leaving here smelling like smoke Mom won’t be able to tell the difference.”

“Heh.” He chuckled roughly rubbing the back of his neck, “thank’s kid, I owe you one.” You nodded and watched as Schlatt pulled out his package of cigarettes and frowned seeing it was empty, “Ah fuck me.”

“You out?”

“Yeah. Would you be opposed to a quick drugstore run?” You shrugged your shoulders, indifferent.

“Sure could be fun. Could I get a snack?”

“You could get whatever you want, not payin’ for it.” You snorted loudly covering your mouth to hide your snort. “What? If you can steal it you can get whatever you want.”

“I’m not stealing anything Uncle Schlatt, that’s wrong.”

“Ugh. What’s my goody-two-shoes sister been teaching you?” His nose scrunched up in displeasure. “As long as you don’t get caught anything is legal kid. Stick with me and you’ll learn way more tips than that. I'm a professional.”

“Right cause doing that hasn’t gotten banned before.” You smirked and he glared at you pulling on your horn. The movement caused you to yelp in pain. “Joke! I was joking! Ow!” He muttered a ‘you better be’ before standing up from his couch. You followed him from the couch as he made his way to the door, he held it open for you and you snickered “What a gentlemen.”

“Don’t slander my name like that again.” He scoffed, “Follow me, don’t wander off.” Schlatt commanded as you followed him down to the nearest convenience store, “Go get something you like.” He shooed you off and requested the pack of cigarettes he needed making small talk with the store clerk while you wandered around. “Hurry up kid or you get nothing!”

“I’m coming!” You yelled back in your arms was a pack of sour patch watermelons, a chocolate bar, and some chips, “I got you chips.” Schlatt tried to bite back a smile but it came through anyway and it only made you smile in tandem. He paid for your goodies and you both headed out to go sit outside on a nearby bench. As you sat down you turned to stare at him dead in the eyes, he felt a little unsettled and watched as you slowly pulled out a little bag of popcorn. “I stole it.”

“Holy fuck kid you did it!” He burst into laughter ruffling your hair once again, “I’m proud of you.” You beamed brightly sitting up straighter on the bench, you opened the bag and popped a piece into your mouth. Schlatt reached forward and stole a handful from you, you ripped the bag away defensively and he snickered.

“Soo…” You trailed off softly and he raised an eyebrow at you, “You seemed to have a bad day too. You wanna talk about it?” His eyes widened in surprise, he didn’t take you to be so observant, then again you were Puffy’s child.

“Alright Poff,” he clicked his tongue distastefully and began to recount his woes to his child niece. Halfway through he pulled out a freshly bought cigarette and stuck it between his teeth. He pulled out a lighter flicking it a few times before lighting the cancer stick in his mouth and taking a long drag. You nodded your head in response and seemed to be listening intently to him, as he talked he felt his facade crumbling. The goat man slumped across the bench and was openly ranting to you at this point. “So yeah, that’s how my days going. Guess we both are doing pretty shitily huh?” You pursed your lips,

“Why don’t you ask Quackity to combine both of your votes the day of the election?” He looked at you with a raised eyebrow, you flushed nervously under his stern gaze. “Then you can be the President and he can be your Vice President or something...that way you both win in a way, ya know?”

“Kid…” Schlatt murmured thoughtfully rubbing his chin, “you’re a genius!” He wrapped you up in a hug, “this kid! I love ya! You’re too smart for your good!” You beamed letting out a happy laugh in response, “I’m contacting him immediately. Wilbur and Tommy don’t stand a fucking chance against me now.”

“I’m glad I can make you happy.” You snuggled into his arms but recoiled a little bit at the overwhelming scent of fresh smoke on his clothes, “you deserve it.” Schlatt felt his heart shutter a little at the inclination that he deserves to be happy, he was about to respond with a joke but you started talking again. “You’re a good guy Uncle. You don’t let people see it often but you’re an okay dude,” he watched you fiddle with your fingers as his eyebrows furrowed. He chuckled a little,

“Most people would disagree with you kid.”

“Well most people don’t know like mom and I do,” You pointed out, “Plus if you weren’t a nice guy you wouldn’t have tried to cheer me up.”

“I needed smokes.” He pointed out motioning to the stick in his mouth and you frowned a little.

Good, things were getting too mushy for his liking.

He was about to smirk in triumph but you turned towards him a determined look on your face. “My point still stands, for example, if you weren’t that great of a guy you wouldn’t have watched me today. You would’ve shut the door in Puffy’s face or you wouldn’t have listened and tried to comfort me. Therefore, my point still stands,” You shoved your finger in his face and he grumbled in displeasure. You smirked instead of him, getting the signature family smirk on your face it only made him frown deeper.

“Alright fine, but you tell anyone I’m slightly nice you’re cut off.”

“Cut off from what? You’re inheritance? You’re broke as shit.”

“You’re way too much like your mother.”

“Aw, you think so?” You flushed fondly, “Thanks!” You chirped proudly, puffing out your chest a little bit. He scoffed tugging on your horns once more and smirked as you yelped, “Would you stop doing that!”

“Nah I don’t think I will. Especially because I know it’s bothering you.”

“Asshole.”

“That’s more like it.”

You leaned back against the back of the bench with a loud groan throwing some popcorn at him. He snickered loudly, watching you closely all in all Schlatt did enjoy today. He kissed his teeth a little, you were way smarter than everyone seemingly gave you credit for, especially Dream. When Schlatt wins this election maybe he’d give you a position in his cabinet. He thinks you would like that, finally being able to show people who’s boss and what you’re capable of, yeah that’s what he’ll do. Reluctantly Schlatt pulled you close so your head rested against his shoulder, you smiled up at him softly, all in all, it was a good end to his day.

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