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#warning though the ending of dps is really sad
devildom-moss · 6 months
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@stabbylikesnukes @ruksahiroku
I don’t feel like replying from main right now, and I hope you don’t mind me just tagging and replying this way.
First! Don’t worry. If it’s any consolation, requests open again on Halloween (not sure for how long yet). These things occur, unfortunately.
Second, my bad! I will be clear about that distinction in the future TT^TT it didn’t occur to me that misunderstanding would happen since it was already implied to be character x reader in the original post. I probably should have put “threesome” in the parentheses. I just didn’t want to seem like I was committing to writing both characters individually.
But finally, dammit! Now I have ideas for both Barbatos x Mephi x MC and Barbatos x Mephistopheles smut. (But still no tame-ish Barbatos monster smut ideas)
Y’all accidentally put ideas in my head. Watch I’m going to end up with enough smut ideas by the end of the month to do bi-weekly pro-nut November posts.
In case anyone is interested in what some of those are (there’s no way I can get to them all in one month, though), check below the cut.
Be warned, some of the ideas are little messed up or out there, but it's all really short summaries, so you should be fine:
Implied!caught while giving Diavolo a blowjob under his desk (with a little extra spice of having to be quiet while holding him in your mouth)
The unnecessarily sensual image of Beelzebub eating a mango leads to MC pouncing on him
Mephisto’s performance pt. 2 (still messed up, but a little less sad maybe?, more religious undertones, more plot)
Messed up Barbatos Nightbringer AU - mosterfucker, breeding kink, ovipos
Smut mini series - the characters ask MC sexy questions (such as which position they like having sex in with them the most), and MC responds in vivid detail.
Solomon fixes MC’s sudden unquenchable thirst (lust), pretty messed up, amab!MC (or some magical sex swap going on), magic as a form of drugging, overstim, Solomon being a fucker in more ways than one, dubcon
Simeon angst smut; MC has feelings (romantic and sexual) for someone (I don’t know, probably Lucifer, Raphael, or Michael), but they don’t reciprocate. Simeon offers to be a substitute and does everything MC imagines their crush doing to them.
And now:
Barbatos keeping Mephisto “entertained” while Diavolo finishes his paperwork; light brat-taming vibes
Barbatos catches Mephisto and MC getting hot and heavy on RAD premises and decides that a punishment is in order
Edit: can you believe I still forgot one? Oops
Diavolo and Barbatos let MC loose in the labyrinth under the castle and give them a head start before they go on the hunt to find them; primal play, interrupted solo with Barbs, dp "sharing is caring, but they’re still mine" mentality
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biatryce · 9 months
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This is a nerdy, wordy, Warcraft post. You have been warned.
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Been playing so much World of Warcraft lately. And not really on my main character, Bia the Forsaken Rogue. I haven't been able to consistently raid with a set group/my guild for the last decade, thanks to work schedules. That really bums me out because I live for end game group content. But the Looking For Raid addition a few expansions ago was such a godsend for me. I have kept up with end game content and lore that way and am currently up to date on killing raid bosses that are available on LFR. Taliesin Jaffe voices the last boss of the current raid tier, Scalecommander Sarkareth, so killing him always makes me sad.
Though I did switch her from mainly being assassination to subtlety and now I am higher on the damage meters, which is nice. Though assassination is my favorite, subtlety has a nice flow to it, too. I mean, my very first spec was a blend of the two, back when that was possible. A stun lock PvP build that I used for leveling and even raiding until I was bullied into going assassination/combat daggers because my DPS was abysmal. Combat spec doesn't even exist anymore. It's outlaw now, with a swashbuckling pirate feel to it. Which is cool, but I just can't get the hang of it whenever I try.
On my main server, WildHammer:
Got my Forsaken Priest, Material, to max level, which was kind of painful at times with being so squishy, but she has a lot of "oh shit I'm dying" buttons, which helps. She mainly plays shadow at the moment, though I have healed as holy in the past in group settings. Quicker queue times.
Working on leveling my Blood Elf Mage, Biatryce, through Dragonflight. She's leveling as frost because I tend not to die as much with all the slows frost has.
Just dinged 60 on my Forsaken Warlock, Calianna, so she's ready for Dragonflight, too. Warlocks level so stupidly fast, too. I spec as affliction and it's just so much fun!
Not sure who I'll work on after that. I have a couple level 50s (my Blood Elf Paladin, Alovaran, my Night Elf Druid, Shyael,) and my Dracthyr Evoker, Ashalan, is 60. Or I could work on getting some of my lower level toons higher. We'll see.
On my secondary server, Moon Guard:
Got my Void Elf Mage, Alovalaria, to max level.
Started a Void Elf (shadow) Priest, Matriel, because I really like that race/class combo. Just really leaning hard into the void.
Might level my Vulpera Shaman, Runee, to max. She's level 60 at the moment.
Might start to work on my Human Rogue, Biatryce, again now that I don't have Shadowlands looming over me.
Might try my hand at RP, given that this is an RP server. And a heavily populated on the Alliance side one at that.
But this server very much reminds me of Eric and my heart is still broken and in pain over all that.
Here's pictures of my characters, minus their weapon enchant appearances because the WoW armory doesn't like to show them. I am pretty proud of my transmogs. They're nothing fancy, but I enjoy them. I have several on some characters, too. Like Angel Matriel for when she's a holy Priest. I also enjoy hearing Matthew Mercer every so often when playing my mages, thanks to Aluneth, which is why both my mages have it in their transmog. 💜
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chvrliesapcet · 3 years
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ever since olivia rodrigo released her debut album, SOUR, i have been listening to it on repeat (totally not kidding). so, after seeing a girl on tiktok do something like this, but with the avengers, i was inspired to make this post. there you go:
the poets as olivia rodrigo’s songs.
trigger warning: mention of su*c*de and mental health issues.
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brutal: all of them. they’re teenagers, insecure sometimes, trying their best, but sadly not living the teenage dream (what is it, that fucking teenage dream, anyway?). “if someone tells me one more time "enjoy your youth, " i’m gonna cry” and they can’t quit what they’re doing, because their parents would most likely be hurt. “and they'd all be so disappointed 'cause who am if, if not exploited?” they once recited the lyrics of this song as a poem, during one of their meetings, and they were all laughing their asses off. life at hell-ton is brutal, what can i say?
traitor: knox, of course. “god i wish that you had thought this through, before i went and fell in love with you” or “guess you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor” just hit different for him. he thinks about chris when he listens to this song, that’s for sure..! we can’t really blame chris for knox falling in love with her though,, sorry buddy.
drivers license: knox, again. poor boy listens to this song while riding his bike, crying his eyes out. “but today i drove through the suburbs, crying 'cause you weren't around” chris isn’t with that blonde girl, she is that blonde girl. knox has never felt this way for no one, and it’s hard for him to imagine that chris is, well, doing okay without him. he thinks and talks about her all the time. “and all my friends are tired of hearing how much i miss you, but i kinda feel sorry for them 'cause they'll never know you the way that i do”
1 step forward, 3 steps back: todd. like many people (including me!) when he listens to this song, he doesn’t necessarily think of a past relationship (mostly because he has never dated anyone before neil). he thinks of his mental health struggles, such as his anxiety, instead. it’s hard, sometimes. he thinks he’s getting better, but then realizes he isn’t.. “got me fucked up in the head, boy. never doubted myself so much. like am i pretty, am i fun boy? i hate that i gave you power over that kinda stuff” need i say more? this song is as soft, but as sad, as he is.
deja vu: keating. this is.. kind of a joke, but only because i didn’t know who to pair this song with. john was an original member of the dead poets society, and knowing that now, other teenage boys are taking turns reading poetry, in the old indian cave, reminds him of his teenage years. “so when you gonna tell her that we did that, too? she thinks it's special, but it's all reused. that was our place, i found it first” olivia’s music isn’t the type of music he normally listens to, but after hearing students (the poets) talk about her album, during his class, he decided he’d give it a try. he likes it. he loves the lyrics, mostly.
good 4 u: CHARLIE. he loves screaming the lyrics to this song. especially the bridge and the last chorus. “LIKE A DAMN SOCIOPATH!” cameron has to beg him to turn the volume down,, he doesn’t listen to him, obviously, and instead turns the volume up. his argument? ‘this song is meant to be played loud!’ to which cameron responds ‘but not that loud! i’m trying to study!’ he thinks looking at his roommate directly in the eye when singing “baby, what the fuck is up with that?” exactly the way olivia does is funny. cameron just rolls his eyes every time, but it’s hard for him to hide the smile taking place on his lips.
enough for you: pitts. although he and stev/phen are both super, super smart, i think meeks is the ‘genius’ of the group. and that, can, sometimes, make pitts feel like he might not be good enough for his boyfriend, whom he loves very much. “and i knew how you took your coffee, and your favorite songs by heart. i read all of your self-help books so you'd think that i was smart” whenever he doubts himself, meeks is the first to reassure him and tell him he’s more than enough, but still.. “'cause all i ever wanted was to be enough for you” he listens to this song with his earphones, always, so no one knows he listens to it on repeat.
happier: meeks. ever since charlie got expelled, he can’t stop listening to this song. these two were pretty close, (“he flatters me, that’s why i help him with latin”) and stev/phen doesn’t like thinking about his friend being in a new school, and spending time with other people. “so find someone great but don't find no one better. i hope you're happy, but don't be happier” he wishes charlie would still be with them, at welton, even if he hated it. “your friends aren't mine, you know, i know. you’ve moved on, found someone new” or “does she mean you forgot about me?” he’s being a bit overdramatic, considering charlie comes to see the poets at least once a week, and still attends the dps meetings.. but anyway.
jealousy, jealousy: cameron, because, yes, he’s smart and everything, but he’s still jealous of other people, and wishes he were different. he thinks he should be like the other guys. “all i see, is what i should be, happier, prettier, jealousy, jealousy” he also thinks that, maybe then, people would like him more </3. he knows no one really hates him, but feels like no one really likes him, either. and in his opinion, it’s because he’s.. him. “I'm so sick of myself, i’d rather be, rather be, anyone, anyone else” just like mr. k, this type of music isn’t what he usually listens to, but he relates to this song so much, he can’t help but listen to it at least once a day.
favorite crime: neil. just like todd, he doesn’t associate this song with a relationship he had in the past. actually, he thinks of his father (and his mom, a bit, too) and all of the things his dad forces him to do, even if it upsets him. “those things i did, just so i could call you mine. the things you did, well, i hope i was your favorite crime” i know we don’t usually talk about the canon ending, but i have to. mr. perry didn’t want his son to pursue his dreams, and planned neil’s life for him, which made him feel so miserable, he sadly committed su*c*de.. but then, his dad wasn’t blamed for it, to preserve his reputation. “and i watched as you fled the scene, doe-eyed as you buried me, one heart broke, four hands bloody” todd knows this was neil’s favorite song. he listens to it once in a while, in their room, alone, and cries.
hope ur ok: all of them. do they know how proud i am they were created? after all they’ve been through, especially their family problems, i’m glad they found each other. “she was tired 'cause she was brought into a world where family was merely blood” and even when life throws bad things at them, they always stay strong, and support each other through everything. they’re very brave. “well, i hope you know how proud i am you were created, with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred” i love them, my beautiful poets <33
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bnhaficsforthesoul · 3 years
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BNHA characters and their genshin experiences
I've been way into genshin for the past couple months, if anyone wants to play with me message me (I'm lvl 45 rn) but be warned I have shitty internet and am a partial razor main
but this is mainly characters I can see actually putting time into genshin
Bakugou
Mains: Yanfei
his main has probably been most every pyro character at some point
he wants diluc so bad, whenever someone else complains that diluc ruined their pity he wants to ruin their existence
before yanfei his main was probably hu Tao
hed definitely play klee if he had her lmao but he doesnt and is patiently waiting for her rerun
he has a lot of 5 star characters and is f2p, he can always get banner characters within at least the first pity, but for standard 5 stars hes gotten keqing and qiqi way too many times and hes livid
especially as a previous hu tao main, he was begging for Jean, still has yet to come home
hes probably a very high level, not fully maxed out considering he hasnt been playing all that long, he was probably forced to start when the rest of the bakusquad started playing it and he just took off
has really shitty artifact luck though, like his characters arent bad or anything but they could be so, so much better
and ugh hes livid
explores everything, has 100% exploration everywhere, but hes not bored hes still got artifact farming to do and he enjoys terrorizing enemies
in co op he will set you and everything around you on fire. cope.
Todoroki
Mains: Xiao or Ganyu
probably only started playing because Izuku asked him to
kaeya has also been on his team since day 1 and he is never leaving doesnt matter his friendship has been level 10 for weeks now who cares
was f2p until xiao, who didnt want to come home at all, and he finally got him on his 180th pull
now he doesnt care and will buy primogems whenever hes bored
he has a lot of constellations on kaeya and hes so proud of that, probably c4, is considering buying way too many primogems just so that he can hopefully get his c6
now his artifact luck is godly, you'll go into a domain with him and be like ugh I got nothing and hes like I got a 4 piece set with all attack or crit rate/damage main stats like haha I hate you
but yeah his characters are very strong cause of this, but he doesnt put effort into building a lot of them, he only levels up and gives good artifacts to his team and a couple other characters he likes but everyone else just sits there for a while
hes not super obsessed with the game, but he does think its funny seeing bakugou get so upset whenever they do domains together
doesnt even bother doing daily tasks really unless hes trying to save primogems
Midoriya
Mains: Venti
hes so good at building characters, like he looks up builds online and watches those "do INSANE damage with these tips" videos - and he sets out to get them done and he does
bakugou is once again livid whenever they play together, because Izuku barely has to try and can do so much more damage than him
he does have to put in a lot of work for his artifacts though because he doesnt settle for the okay ones he needs the absolute best
he builds his favorite characters the most ofc, but he evenly distributes things to other characters he knows can be useful- those characters might not have insane stats but they're still good
will not kill timmies pigeons, hell hunt birds in the wild for fun though
definitely a food hoarder
also does a lot of exploring and probably has at least 90% for each area
Kaminari
Mains: Lisa
he is 1000% in love with Lisa, he took her quest very seriously
and so many people say shes horrible, he hates it, hes made her crazy strong out of spite
his team consists of only his wifus- meaning lisa, beidou, rosaria, and mona
for a long time beidou was his second but then rosaria came along and hes like ugh big tiddy goth gf, but lisa still remains queen
these are the only characters hes built though, save for a couple like probably razor and xiangling that he used before he fully got this team
is an ayaka saver
he doesnt care too much about most 5 stars but will sometimes get them just to say he has them, but they end up just sitting there rotting away because he never puts work into them
he does have hu tao though and would get ganyu if she ever had a rerun
Kirishima
Mains: Diluc Razor or Beidou
they're all on his team, the last person switches out but it's most likely zhongli or childe
hes all about dps, support who, he just wants to hit hard and do insane damage , so yes he made dps zhongli
except his builds arent that great, with some help his builds are decent, but on his own hell be like ugh that's some sexy 300 damage
probably didnt know what 90% of the stats even meant and just put random attack ones on people and went yeah that looks good
doesnt really care though and is just having fun so hell play how he wants (as he should) but he does have to ask for help when farming bosses
loves exploring but misses so much, hell get distracted easily and end up just messing around
honestly probably hasnt bothered to ascend his world since he got to level 35, if he did the quest hed probably go straight to 45 and even then hed still have extra exp because hes been there for so long oml
but eventually he would have to and hed be trying to do it like :,) this is fine and it takes him a lot of tries but he gets there eventually,,, only to immediately have another one waiting for him poor baby
Mina
Mains: Klee or Xiangling
thinks baizhu is hot (and is correct) so shes desperately waiting for him
was a I must play 24/7 player until after the last story quest, then she got kinda bored but still plays frequently so she can save primogems and likes playing co op
goes into random peoples worlds a lot
shes got some pretty strong characters and is proud of her account
definitely makes tiktoks of her playing with the bakusquad cause it's always v chaotic (it's probably only denki and kirishima most of the time, but sometimes either bakugou or sero will join in)
does all the genshin tiktok trends
shes a pretty high level since shes probably been playing for a while and has most everything done
she loves helping lower level people though she thinks it's so cute and loves the power she feels when she one shots things
Sero
Mains: Xingqui
hes a pretty casual player, kinda only plays when hes bored or the others make him play with them
but his stats arent too bad, they're fairly average but he gets by
has so many primogems because he doesnt bother to wish on anyone, probably wants kazuha though
he does get super invested into the story though, hes so curious about the world and where the story is gonna lead
probably watches a lot of genshin theory videos and now he over thinks everything in the game
he explores a lot, not so much to find every single thing but more so just because he likes looking at everything, hes very excited for all the new places
Shinsou
Mains: Childe
hes a very thorough player, he explores a lot and puts a lot of work into building his characters
most of them arent all that great but he has plans to fix them
his main team is very well built, not the best, but still good
he struggles when he has to switch someone out for a domain or something because his other characters are so painfully mediocre right now and he feels so bad
shinsou, playing a character that can do like max 200 physical damage and biggest damage is like 2 thousand, repeatedly saying I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you deserve so much better, I'm so sorry
even if it's not the worst damage by far, he feels bad about anything under his main team's stats because they're just so much higher
broke. has no primogems. spent them all on childe and his constellations. does he regret it? well he sure does appreciate his c6 so- hell manage
yes he spent real money on his stupid mass murderer who he loves very much
fights childe every day even though he already collected the treasure, he is but a humble simp
probably decently lucky with wishing like he can beat the 50/50 almost every time
Tamaki
Mains: Chongyun and Sucrose
he only started playing recently, probably kirishima got him into it, but he immediately fell in love
kirishima was like tell me when you're level 16 so we can play together !!! and 2 days later tamaki was level 16 and kiri was shook because how the hell did he do it so fast
hates domains, the dread he feels when he realizes the lower level isnt going to give him anything anymore, and he has to move up to the next, and the next,,
asks kirishima to help him only to realize he isnt much help, is too nice to say that so he let's kiri keep trying- one day kiri gets deku to play with the two of them and tamaki almost cries because finally he can get through the level 90 domain and actually get things ugh
cannot get xingqui to save his life he refuses to come home and poor tamaki is so sad he wants him a lot hes even got all his materials saved up
Monoma
Mains: Ningguang
honestly doesnt play all that much but takes pride in making his account seem v good, is a whale
but hes very good at the game, didnt know what the artifacts were for at first and gave people ones based on how they looked but once he figured it out hes fixed them
is a very standard player, logs in every day to do his commissions and use his resin then logs out, he doesnt put too much time into the game and doesnt worry if he misses a day or two
worships ningguang, also really likes xinyan, his other team members are probably venti and albedo
has every single banner 5 star that has come out since he started playing, probably doesnt have klee though and is v upset about it, and is thanking the heavens for all the reruns lately
also doesnt have keqing and wants her a lot cause he likes her
accepts every single co op request he gets, and despite what a lot may think hes actually a very nice person to play with, not toxic at all - unless you're someone he knows then he might be mean to you shshshsh
Shigaraki
Mains: Razor
haha isnt it so odd that they sound so similar haha (if you dont know they have the same japanese va and I'm guessing hed play it in Japanese)
obviously he can be kinda busy ya know being a criminal and all that but when hes not he puts a lot of time into genshin
sadly doesnt have very good luck when it comes to characters or artifacts, but hes doing his best even with 0 primogems and his 50% crit rate
doesnt explore all that much, most of the exploring hes done came from him trying to get all the oculus
his razor is so good though, except that's the only character hes put tons of effort into
except for now zhongli, hes not replacing razor but ugh does he love zhongli
but his other characters are pretty mediocre at best, he could build them if he wanted to, hes good enough at gaming to figure it out, he just doesnt have the time to spend to do it so he focuses on his main team
also (spoiler alert kinda) when we had to go to the wolf spirit to fight the abyss herald and razor was there, afterwards how razor was saying how he was too weak and stuff and was super sad, at that very moment shiggy decided the entire abyss order had to be destroyed - sorry aether (he chose lumine) but razor is more important than you
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katierosefun · 2 years
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i originally had a september wrap-up post queued but then tumblr fucking ate it, which made me very angry because i didn’t want to re-type the whole thing, but i’m procrastinating, so here i am, re-typing the whole thing of all the things i watched/consumed over the month of september, even if it’s a little late: (it’s fine, i didn’t watch a whole ton of stuff except...a lot of kdramas lmao. oh, and visions.) 
k-dramas: 
beyond evil 
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okay, so i think this has been on my rec list for literally forever now, but...besties, i’m on my fifth watch of this goddamn show in the span of maybe two months, so if that doesn’t tell you how much this show has been a comfort/eating my brain lately, idk what will. 
i literally never shut up about this show, but if you’ve somehow been missing from my blog for a little bit, a quick summary: lee dong sik (played by the ever-wonderful shin ha kyun) was accused of murder + kidnapping a few young women, including his own twin sister 20 years ago. he’s lived a pretty quiet life on his own, and now 20 years later, his whole world is turned upside down again when hotshot new inspector han joo won (played by the talented yeo jin goo) comes into this little town. when the murders start up again, these two are thrown into a hellishly complex mystery. will throw you in for a hellish loop. i think my thoughts best summarize this show as come for the murder mystery, stay for whatever the hell joo won and dong sik have. 
okay, but all joking aside about how much i love joo won and dong sik (because...i truly do love them), this show was incredibly healing. once again: this show has quickly become a comfort show, basically to the point where i just watch it whenever i feel down (which happens to be a lot these days). idk man. humans aren’t meant to carry burdens on their own and all that stuff. sometimes u just need to remind yourself that. 
the crowned clown 
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so, after watching beyond evil the fourth time, i realized that maybe i wanted to watch some of the actors’ other works. that was how i found myself watching the crowned clown, which...is an excellent kdrama now available on netflix (also on viki for free, just as beyond evil is). honestly, it’s been a hot second since i’ve watched historical dramas (saeguks), so i was a little unsure what to expect, but this show. bro. this show reminded me just how much i love historical dramas, because the court politics? the costumes? the music? the acting? fantastic. 
basically, this show is about the young clown (ie. performer) ha seon (played by yeo jin goo) who now has to replace the king, who might be like...two seconds away from snapping (if he hasn’t already). the reason they’re able to do this is because they look exactly identical despite not being related. 
this story is honestly wonderful. i loved it, and it’s an interesting way to look at the story behind the actual king (because. apparently this king was a real person, and i think his story has inspired quite a few other korean movies/shows). i thought yeo jin goo was brilliant in this show, and it’s really no surprise he became the youngest person ever nominated for a baeksang award because of this series. i was truly blown away by just how versatile he proved to be of an actor, and his dynamics with the other characters (the queen, the secretary being my fave, as well as the old eunuch jo), i just...bro. i’ll admit i wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance (don’t get me wrong! it was sweet!), but i think that might have been because this was so court politics heavy, and i adored it for that. if you’ve never watched a historical drama but want to and just don’t know where to start, i highly recommend this. 
d.p. 
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bro....this show was dark. i watched it all in 2 days (pretty easy to do, considering it’s 6 episodes and maybe 40-50 minutes long per episode), and i needed to lie down. this is just one of those shows that i feel is...very important to watch, even if the content matter isn’t very bright. 
basically, dp is about two deserter pursuit officers: ahn jun ho (played by jung hae in) and han ho yul (played by koo kyo hwan). deserter pursuit officers are basically people who chase after people who deserted their military post--and for those who don’t know, being in the military is mandatory for men in south korea. this is the result of the armistice between the north and the south--basically, since north korea never agreed to an actual peace treaty, south korea is constantly under threat of war, which is why men need to serve at least a few years. (this is why a lot of actors + kpop band members often take breaks from their careers--to fulfill their military service time. because yup, even celebrities aren’t exempt from service!) 
anyways, this show really doesn’t pull back their punches. major trigger warnings for things like intense harrassment, suicide, domestic violence...it really does capture just how dark life can be, and also how toxic the military can be for men. because of that, i felt this show was incredibly well-crafted, incredibly nuanced, and in the end, i just felt sad. that said though, there was a hopeful ending, and i’m glad that this show was renewed for a second season, as i think this show is just...really important. 
squid game 
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okay, so i don’t want to be that person, but your girl was watching squid game right after it came out, so i was here before the hype train--but okay, okay, i digress. (i am glad that this show is getting hype. i feel it’s very important that people watch this show.) 
if you haven’t noticed how squid game’s climbed to #1 on netflix worldwide (i think, anyways), well, then...buddy. squid game is about a bunch of people who have the chance to earn lots of money by playing what seems like innocent children’s games. (spoilers: they are far from innocent.) 
this show scarred me, to be honest. i needed to watch something lighthearted after this, just because it was so intense. lots of trigger warnings for blood and gore, as well as just. losing faith in humanity. but also, like dp, i felt this show was necessary. it was incredibly well-constructed in that it showed just what desperate people will do in order to survive, as well as exactly what a terrible capitalistic society will do to the working class. it’s depressing and sad, but also incredibly chilling because like. you can’t help but watch the characters and think, but would i do the same thing? i just want to pay off my own debt and take care of my family. wouldn’t i do the same thing? 
i won’t say more of this show for fear of spoilers, but. let me just say. that i really am glad this show exists. i hope people actually notice what the fuck it’s saying about our current system too, because hm, maybe i just want to suck the fun out of things, but there’s something very disturbing about how people are already cute-ifying this show (ie. “this is what i would wear to the squid games! :D” and “look at these squid-game inspired cookies! :D”, as if this show didn’t just deliver a heart-crushing message about capitalism + how the wealthy fuck over anyone who isn’t the 1% BUT ANYWAYS) 
tv 
star wars: visions 
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lately i’ve been feeling weird about star wars for lots of different reasons which i don’t particularly feel like addressing today, but. visions really reminded me why i fell in love with star wars in the first place. i think for starters, well. it’s no surprise when i say that i felt an intense amount of joy of seeing east asian cultures so beautifully incorporated and respected in this show (no surprise seeing that this show was literally crafted by japanese anime studios), but like. it really was. a beautiful thing. i cried at least once per episode, either because i was so in awe of the animation and the themes or because i was just in awe that this thing exists. 
i think my favorite episode had to be the village bride--there was something so incredibly powerful about seeing someone who looked a bit like me say i am a jedi. what an iconic line. what an iconic story about a sad traumatized gal deciding to step up and fight, actually. peak star wars. 
but besides all that...i really did feel like...this show captured the beauty and essence of what makes star wars actually good. the themes of good versus evil, a lot of stuff between siblings (bro....the twins and lop and ocho FUCKED ME UP), choosing to have brighter and better days ahead (the village bride, the ninth jedi, the duel, tatooine rhapsody)...like, i really loved how each episode really took everything that was good about star wars and just turned it into something even more beautiful. this series will stay with me for a long time, i think--and i am very grateful for the people involved in this project for reminding me why i fell in love with this universe in the first place. :”)
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lizacstuff · 3 years
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Liza, did you hear that they are switching SCK writers again? Ayse is actually coming back. I'm really conflicted - I know people romanticize her initial episodes, but we saw the rest after that and I really like how they have actually been portrayed as a mature couple now, not just with suggestive scenes. And a problem I had with both Ayse and that other writing team was how long they dragged their main storylines. If this is our last 10 episodes or however many, I need them to move fast.
Hi there. Sorry it’s taken me awhile to answer this, I actually have quite a few asks spanning back to the last episode that I’ll to answer in the next day or two. 
As for Ayse coming back, fine with me. She created the show and the characters so she knows them and I’ve got to believe she’ll take good care of them in the second season. However, I also have a different view of her episodes than apparently a lot of people do.  She wrote 1-21, 24.  The first 12 were great in my opinion and why I fell in love with the show. But I also really liked 17-21.  I really don’t understand the disdain some people have for them. They’re not perfect, but overall I think they’re really enjoyable. When they aired, I gave full thoughts on all of them and why I enjoyed them if you’re interested they’re on my blog. 
13 and 24 were pretty disjointed and poorly done, though we know there were some extenuating circumstances around 13 (Anil had to be written out at the last minute and they lost a shooting day due to weather) and I suspect they were changing things on the fly for 24. And, honestly, 14-16 weren’t terrible, they were just kind of sad and lacking in sparkle in a way the rest of the episodes weren’t.  I understand the criticism of the way she drew out their break up and Eda finding out the truth, but to be honest I preferred that to the current regime having new traumatic drama around every corner.  I never had a pit in my stomach while watching her episodes, while I did have a pit in my stomach watching many recent ones. I don’t want the pit. That’s not why I watch this show.
For some reason, fandom on twitter has completely romanticized the writing of Fikret and Kerem, and while I think they’ve done some things incredibly well and written some amazing swoon-worthy scenes and I welcomed them back with open arms after the rough times of 31-36, they are also the ones who:
introduced Balca and wrote the really out-of-character Serkan end scene in 22
introduced the bizarre Prince story and then did absolutely nothing with it
they wasted the Babanne story and dropped the whole thing in an unsatisfying way
wrote 25 which to me is one of the worst episodes of the series
introduced the amnesia plot and are the ones who architected it to include Selin in such an intrusive and upsetting way
had Serkan propose to Selin
had Eda decide to do a fake engagement with Deniz
wrote Eda deciding to leave Serkan over Selin’s fake pregnancy
had Selin leave with no real comeuppance or consequences, basically no payoff for all that pain we endured
went back to jealousy, and clueless!Serkan, and gave us another crazy, obsessed woman storyline in 38 (is every other woman a crazy, obsessed stalker in their world?)
introduced the tumor
I mean... I don’t get why they are so much more preferable to Ayse in the eyes of many. 
Ayse’s jealousy plots were sooooooo much more mild and easier to swallow, and dare I say... fun. They were funny. She wrote drain-the-pool, burn the flowers, Efe, and the photographer. Even Selin trying to move into Serkan’s loft was never anxiety inducing under her pen vs the way Selin’s presence made me want to crawl out of my skin during the amnesia plot. 
As for your concerns about them being a mature couple vs just suggestive scenes... you realize this show is NEVER going to show us sex, right? For the love of God they got fined for showing them nuzzling noses in a bathtub.  In addition RTUK apparently just put out a notice to all summer shows warning them against getting too racy.  So whatever you’re looking for is NOT going to happen, no matter who the writer is.  I realize that there were more (chaste, they are all chaste) kisses in the F&K episodes, than in Ayse’s, but I think she gets a lot of blame for things that probably weren’t her decision. For instance in 12 pulling back to a wide shot the second their lips touched in the astronomy scene, or for the curtains in 13.  It wasn’t like she was scripting “GO WIDE, GO WIDE,” there were a lot of people-- from the director, producers, DP, editors etc-- that had a say in how those kisses were presented, and I’m sure they were trying to decide how far they could push it and got a bit more adventurous in later episodes.
I’m sorry you’re not happy with the news, but for my part I’ll take her gentler brand of funny, sparkly romantic comedy over the heavy melodrama.  But also, Hande and Kerem are going to create their unique magic on screen no matter who the writer is, so it’s gonna be worth watching no matter what, so I advise not to get upset over what you can’t control and just enjoy what comes.
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league-of-thots · 4 years
Text
The Summoning
Pairing: dabi x reader x hawks
Word Count: 8.1k
Warnings: NONCON/DUBCON, blood play, dp, sacrificial summoning, mind manipulation, angels/demons/magic, gore, branding
A/N: So this was supposed to be a short little fic.... but thats not how it turned out, but im happy that it came out this way. I think its much better than what I originally had. Uh, please read the warnings because this has some things which could definitely be triggering.
thanks to @lady-bakuhoe, @ikinabi, and @marilla-eldriana for listening to me talk my ass off about it LMAO
other tags: @yaoyorozuwrites, @dee-madwriter
               You were beyond upset, tonight wasn’t supposed to be a night where you were heading into a bar on your own, dressed up for a date cut early, and freshly out of a relationship. As you sat down at the end of a rowdy bar, you can’t help the tears flowing out of your eyes. You’ve been holding them in for a while, trying not to break down in public, but sitting here with nothing else to do, you can’t stop the small sobs that break out.
               The bartender makes her way towards you, her lips turned down sadly as she starts cleaning up some glasses at the sink near you methodically. Your sobs die down as she starts speaking to you.
               “Rough night, sis?”
               “Yeah, you could say that again.”
               “Need something to drown it out?” you nod as she goes to grab some heavy liquid you can’t recognize. Whatever it is, it smells rank, you think as you lift the shot glass up towards your nose to sniff it.  You shoot it back, and shudder at the brief taste you get before you swallow it down, throat burning a bit as you let out a slight cough. She offers another with a gesture and you nod in response, quickly downing the second, and you nurse the third.
               Suddenly, a man in a raggedy black overcoat sits down beside you, raising a finger as he asks for some type of sake, and says “One for the crying mess, too.” In a raspy voice. You don’t even feel offended, it’s true, but he didn’t need to say it so harshly right in front of you. Although you wouldn’t say no to the free drink, as you quickly drained the one that you’d bought.
               “Thanks,” you mumble to him, the alcohol not really hitting you yet. You wipe the tears from your face. “What’s your name?”
               “Dabi.” He answers shortly, grabbing the sake and tipping it back, watching as you do the same. “You’re new here, but drinking like you’re about to be enlisted. What’s up?”
               Now normally, you wouldn’t be giving your life story to a random stranger who- quite frankly- looked like he belonged in a prison cell. However, normally you didn’t have four generous shots of heavy liquor coursing through your veins after having just broken up with your last boyfriend of just over a year.
               “Stupid asshat of a guy dumps me after over a year of being together for some stupid reason.” You sigh, head in your hands. “I don’t even get why? Like I was so blindsided and I feel like such a fucking idiot.”
               “Sounds like a real idiot,” Dabi replies, sliding you another drink which you eagerly accept, drinking it in a rage.
               “Like, fuck, I’m just not ready yet! Like, yeah if he was hard, I’d help him deal with it. But I just didn’t feel ready for sex, and he kept trying to force me, and when I get mad at that I’m the bad guy.” You’re starting to get a little dizzy, but at the moment, you’re so upset that you can’t really be bothered by it. You just want to be angry and heartbroken and drunk for a little while. So you don’t really have to face moving out of your shared apartment until later, tomorrow at the earliest.
                 “Was it a one-off thing? ‘Cause that’s a bit of an overreaction if that’s the case.” You’re so happy to have someone to vent too that you don’t notice the intent expression Dabi has on his face, you miss the way his body leans towards you eagerly waiting for an answer.
               “Well, no.” you shift a bit uncomfortable in your seat. “But he said he was fine with it! That he was alright with waiting.”
               “Well obviously he was lying. You must’ve been really stingy with sex.” You shouldn’t feel that hurt by a stranger’s words, especially when he has no idea about who you are and what your story was.
               “I just didn’t want my first time to be forced onto me.” You mumble, looking into your glass. You were starting to feel the dizziness from the rapidly consumed drinks. “I wasn’t ready for it.” You could feel the tears welling up again, not even bothering to try and stop them.
               “Makes sense. So, you’re a virgin then? And your boyfriend wanted to have sex and you didn’t so he broke up with you?” The odd phrasing of the questions didn’t even stand out to you.
               “Yes! Except he said it was fine and I believed him!” you wail out, you’re crying hard now into your arms that are lain on the bar top. You feel a hesitant hand patting your shoulder rather awkwardly, but his hand is really warm and you feel a bit better at the soft contact.
               “Sounds like a real idiot to me. You want another drink, doll?” he says softly into your ear. His breath tickles your neck a bit and you giggle a bit as you sway on your stool.
               “I don’t have the money! Ahaha… I’ve gotta save it now because I have to move out of the stupid apartment.”
               “Don’t worry, I have some money to spend. What better way to spend it than on a pretty girl, hmm?” You blush a little at the attention. His blue eyes are intense and you can’t keep eye contact for long with him.
               “I mean, if you’d like too, I won’t stop you.” You hum.
               “Alright then.” He gestures to the bartender, a dangerous grin on his face. You thought that you’d be spending the night alone, but you’re glad to have been proven wrong.
               The two of you nurse some drinks as you talk a bit, most of the talking done by you, the alcohol loosening your mouth as you tell him a lot of your time with your ex, and whatever random thought pops into your head. He doesn’t talk much, but it’s not really off-putting as he usually interjects with sarcastic one liners and small questions, nodding as you continue your stories.
               It’s getting later in the night and you’re blissfully drunk, unable to process the shitty feelings and how terrible you feel. Dabi seems to notice this and gets one of those grins he gets when you say how bad you want to fucking deck your ex in the face. It makes your heart beat in excitement.
               “You’ll do shots with me, right?” You nod, excited. Dabi orders six drinks, and you feel yourself tense in sudden apprehension. That’s a lot considering that you’d already drank a few… how many was it now? It doesn’t matter, you tell yourself. He seems to notice your hesitance though.
               “What? Can’t handle a few shots?” his smile is teasing, but his words are daring you to agree with him, and you bristle in response.
               “Of course I can!” part of you is screaming at you, telling you how bad of an idea this is, but its easy to drown out in the haze of your mind.
               “Good, you can try to keep up with me then.” He shoots down the first without even warning and you scramble to catch up with him, grabbing the glass sitting in front of you, and tossing the drink back. You’re coughing a bit, the harshness of the shot winning against your already weakened and sensitive throat. Boldly you grab the next and shoot it down as well.
               That might’ve been a mistake, because you splutter more, you can barely think, and you feel like you’re choking on the air you’re breathing in. Dabi’s face looks concerned as he asks you if you’re alright. You can only shake your head in response, knowing that you can’t possibly try to talk like this. He sees you swaying and clutching your now stomach as it rolls nauseatingly.
               “Don’t worry, this is on me, I thought she was alright with them.” He’s speaking to the bartender, who looks worried and a little suspicious given his appearance, but his voice sounds like its in the end of a long tunnel to you. You accept being pulled into his arms as he leads you outside for some fresh air, he’s produced a bottle of water, and opens it one handed before handing it to you.
               You try to thank him but that goes terribly, as you start dry heaving when you open your mouth. He has a sad, but un-surprised look on his face as he takes in your motions. If you were focused enough you probably would’ve said he looked satisfied, but that doesn’t make sense because he has no idea who you are.
               Suddenly, everything starts spinning and you vaguely feel Dabi place your arm over his shoulder. You close your eyes, desperate to try and stop yourself from vomiting all over the man who was trying to help you. It’s your main focus as you lean almost all of your weight onto him and drag your feet across the pavement. You don’t know where he’s taking you but you can barely think much less stop him and you continue to keep your eyes closed, not worried at all.
                  Dabi couldn’t believe his luck meeting you. He’d just finished the final touches on the circle, he was practically all set up except for the link, the sacrifice. Of course, he’d been planning to go into bars to find the perfect person for his ritual, but he didn’t think it would’ve happened so quickly! He’d expected it to take months, and what a relief it was that it hadn’t! He can barely contain his excitement as he keeps your form tight to his body.
               You were so naïve, so trusting, latching onto the first person that offered you kindness. Getting drunk on your own in a rather sketchy bar on a Saturday night, what had you been thinking? He knew you’d had a shitty day, but getting drunk at home surely would’ve been the superior option, anyone could see that.
               It’s a decent walk to his place unfortunately, he knows that the usual 20-minute walk will likely double with you barely able to stand, much less walk quickly. So, he sighs and reminds himself exactly why this is so important. Why he’s even bothering to ‘save’ your pathetic form.
               The runs and sigils are going to look fucking gorgeous carved into your body, he thinks, still dragging you along. You’re almost to the point of unconsciousness, he notices, and it might be easier for him if you were unconscious. At least then he wouldn’t have to be concerned for how he drags you. The pitiful whimpering noises are so annoying to listen to, so he moved slow enough that you could sort of drag yourself and not make those noises.
               Dabi keeps running through the steps in his head, the rituals, the incantations, and the carvings…. He knew he was a powerful castor. He could only hope that the practice he’d put in, the training he’d put in and the beautiful and pure sacrifice he’d found would be enough to actually summon Satan.
               He knows with the power boost he could finally rid the world of his wretched father. Could finally get rid of him and his stupid fucking followers and coven.
               He’d take them all. And he’d win, he knew it.
               He’s finally dragged you to his apartment, and at this point you’re barely conscious in his arms. Good, it would make the carvings so much easier with you unable to struggle. Plus, with the fact that the alcohol would cloud your senses so you’d feel less pain and make less noise. He wonders if you’re even going to understand what’s happening to you, if you’re going to cry out in fear and confusion. He can’t even lie, the idea of that makes him feel a warmth down in his core, makes him start to feel hard, god, he bets your screams will sound as pretty as you are.
               He has one of the only basement rooms in the apartment, the other two abandoned because of how cold and dirty it is down there, plus there was only cold water that ran down in the basement. However, it was secluded and quiet there, and that’s exactly what Dabi needed in a place. Somewhere where he could lay low while he bides his time, planning and training and waiting. He wasn’t originally a patient person, but he’d learned to be, and it was something that he was proud of.
               Luckily, he doesn’t have to explain to any of his upstairs neighbours why he’s dragging you across the lobby to the back set of stairs that only lead down to the concrete hall downstairs. He’s gotten a pretty large space in his basement room, especially with the way he’s completely emptied his living room. The couch is pushed against the wall, table and tv also against the wall leaving a large rug on the floor. The lucky part was that he didn’t ever have a ton of possessions, so it was rather easy for him to make the circle on the floor and cover it with a large goat-skin rug.
               He doesn’t have many chairs, only the ones at the small bar behind which his kitchen is located, so he tosses you onto the leather couch on your side in case you were to vomit. He can’t have you dying before he sacrifices you after all. He checks to make sure that you’re really out of it before he goes into his washroom to start cleaning himself and preparing his mind for the layers of spell he’s about to cast.
               He’s started clearing his mind as he walks into his room, crystals glistening even in the non-natural light, as he starts to slow his breathing in a rather deep and slow pattern. He feels himself start to go into a state he can only get into when he’s concentrating on magic. All his troubles seem to slip away as he steps into the warm running water. He keeps the sigils he’s going to be needing soon in mind as he washes away all the dirt and grime from the bar, washing away all the petty crime to get prepared for something far, far worse.
               When he’s towelled off, he puts on some cotton boxers, and soft grey pants, leaving himself shirtless in the chilling air. He feels the goosebumps start to creep up his arms as he grabs the old iron lighter, the only gift from his mother that he’d manage to take with him when he had to get out with his life after his father had found out what he’d done.
               You’re pretty much asleep on the couch when he comes out, and he looks over you, your innocent form, so fucking pleased at the sacrifice he’d managed to snatch. Turning away, he starts to take out some candles that he has stashed in the wooden chest beside his couch, the colours he uses going to be black, purple and red.
               After moving the carpet off, he places the candles in groups of three at the points and nodes of the circled star. Afterwards, he grabs the red chalk he has and starts to write the various Latin incantations around the circle. He ignores your soft snores, you seem to be mumbling something in your sleep, as he continues his work. It’s taking a lot more time than he’d like it to.
               But soon enough, he thinks, it’ll all be worth it.
                 You feel yourself lifted into the air, your head spinning even before you even open your eyes. Where are you? What’s happening? You try to open your eyes, but it’s so nauseating and disorienting seeing the dark room spinning around, you’re sure you’ve never been in before. You feel yourself lowered onto the ground, rather roughly. You keep your eyes closed trying to wait out the dizzy spell as you hear the click of a lighter, and you shudder, expecting to feel a sting of burning flames.
               But you don’t, and you hear the clicking a few more times. You start to feel a little more stable and you squint, trying to see what’s happening. You try and sit up, but you can’t with your dexterity hindered by the alcohol, and your wrists and ankles bound in ropes. You start to panic slightly, the last thing you can remember is accepting a few drinks from a man, Dabi wasn’t it?
               “Oh, you’re up. That’s good, you need to be conscious for this part.” Speak of the devil and there he shall appear. You feel a surge of fear as you turn your head towards the man.
               “What did you do? Why am I here?” you stumble, trying to cut through the fog in your head.
               “More like what did you do? Who goes out on their own in a sketchy part of town late at night? You were practically begging for something bad to happen to you.” You notice that he’s half naked and you shudder, remembering what you’d told him before and you get a terrible feeling in your gut.
               “No I wasn’t! I just wanted the night to not be complete shit!” You desperately search for anything in your reach that you could use to get yourself out of this situation. You can’t even roll away, you notice that there are iron pegs nailed into the ground and you are tied to those. You want to cry, you don’t know what you did to deserve this.
               “Well, you should’ve just stayed at home,” you hear a knife being pulled out of a holder, and in the corner of your eye you can see Dabi heating the blade against a large gas flame. It’s a twisted knife, the three sides a blue and black metal with a small skull on the end of the hilt. The metal is glowing red hot at the parts where it had been heated though.
               You squirm away from him as much as you can in your restraints when he kneels in front of you with the knife in his hand. “Stop fucking wiggling, It’ll hurt you more because I will nail you to the fucking floor if there’s a chance of me messing these up because of you.” You stop your motions, not wanting whatever’s coming to be made worse. So instead, you start screaming as loud as you can for help, the desperation in your tone evident.
               He just throws his head back in mad laughter at that. “Keep on screaming! I haven’t even started the fun bit yet baby! Nobody can hear you down here you know? It’s utterly fucking pointless for you to cry for help. But please go on, it makes me feel soooo good.”
               You feel your eyes widen in horror looking at the man’s face. He’s still oddly attractive, the flames giving his face sharper shadows, making him look almost inhuman. You’ve never wanted to disappear from someone’s gaze so badly before.
               You shudder as you feel his cold hand push you over and down on your stomach. How are you supposed to get out of there when you’re lying on your stomach with him pressing his weight into you.
               You are mid thought when the first lick of iron hot metal is brought onto your back. You cry out in surprise and pain, the knife tugging at your muscles and you can feel the ridges it has. Tears spring to your eyes, but it doesn’t seem to hurt as much as you would’ve thought, it must be all the alcohol still coursing its way through your system.
               You can’t focus on the words he’s murmuring as he continues to slice designs with purpose into your back. He laughs whenever you let out a vicious scream and you can’t see his face but you can tell he’s enjoying the process immensely.
               “Shirt’s getting in the way of the rest of it sweetheart, guess it’s time to take it off now.” He’s so smug which makes you feel humiliated as you press your head into the ground trying to put yourself together. You whimper as you feel your shirt lifted and hear the fabric tearing.
               You’re now shivering half naked on the cold concrete floor and starting to lose your grip on reality as the pain sends you drifting in and out of consciousness. You feel sharp pain as he starts designing up your spine, humming a bit as he goes. Why’d you have to meet a psychopath tonight? Wasn’t your luck just so shitty lately.
               You lose track of time as he works, you’re pretty sure that you lose consciousness for most of it, but luckily Dabi doesn’t wake you up for it. However, when you do come to, you notice how badly your throat hurts, you must’ve been screaming a lot for that to happen.
               “You ready for the front now? Then we can finally get the real thing started.”
               “Please, isn’t there enough? I don’t want anymore stop please! Just let me go.” You try pleading with him, knowing it’s probably not going to work. He doesn’t even deign you with response to your pathetic attempt. Instead he flips you over, your hands now positioned up above your head.
               Your limbs feel like lead, and you feel as if all your energy has been draining out of you along with the blood that’s come oozing out of your wounds. You can’t move, you’re stuck and all you can do is look at the man doing this to you and seethe in anger and hatred. His eyes seem to be burning with bright blue flames, but surely that must be you hallucinating? People’s eyes don’t glow.
               “Finally,” he breathes out as he leans back and admires his handiwork. He’s looking at you with blown open eyes, erection prominent and you can see the outline through his sweatpants. “Now it’s just to call him while I carve my name into your chest. You’re gonna spell it out for me, got that doll? Or else I can start working on the other bits of skin.”
               You just want it over with at this point, you’ll go along with his idea just so you can finally get out. “Fine.” You whisper, resigned to it at this point.
               “D.” He must’ve heated up the knife again, because it burns more than it did before and you scream your throat raw as he carves this much deeper that the other markings.
               “A!” you screech, hoping it ends soon, at least he has a short name.
               “B!” your voice cracks in your agony and your chest is aching.
               “I!” you sob, tears streaming down your face again as feel your body go completely limp as you succumb to darkness once again.
                 Dabi tries to get his breathing in control, looking at your broken and bleeding form. He’s never felt this aroused by someone, and he was right, your screams were like an orchestra playing the most beautiful music he’s ever heard.
               But that was a bonus. It was time for the summoning, and so it was time to focus and go through it. He slices his left palm, your blood mixing with his before he lets it spill over, mesmerized by how it drip, drip, drips onto the stained concrete. One last incantation that he has to say, and he hasn’t been this excited since he’d first found out he was a castor, and that he was a pretty powerful one at that.
               He waits anxiously in silence, eyes on you as more blood oozes from all the markings, there’s thin linking of red all around the cuts. He wishes that the sacrifice didn’t require a virgin because he desperately wanted to take it from you himself.
               Lost in his thoughts, the sudden burst of wind that erupts from the centre of the circle, from under your form blows out all the candles.
               “Well, aren’t you an ambitious one. Trying to summon Satan all on your own.” Dabi jerks around at the lilting voice from behind him, somehow, it’s both amused and condescending at the same time, and Dabi bristles at it.
               “You aren’t powerful enough to be him, I didn’t summon you.” His teeth are grinding in frustration.
               “So rude, and we’ve only just met! Look kid, you don’t have the power or the numbers to summon Satan right now, but I’m the highest-level under-creature you could get.” His eyes seem to glow gold in the darkness, they light up his sharp features.
               Dabi lets out a growl with a few curses. “Whatever, that doesn’t matter, I knew it was a long shot. You said you were the highest I could get. How high is that?” His grin is devious as he hears the question.
               “I’m Hawks, fallen angel at your service. As for how high I am? I’m in the 5th level range.” Dabi whistles at that. “So, does that mean you’re going to strike a deal with me? I haven’t gotten a serious one in a while. It’s getting seriously boring down there.”
               “You should be able to lend me the amount of firepower I’d need for it. What are your terms, and how does the transfer work in your deals?” he grins showing off his fangs a bit as he cages Dabi in a bit despite being shorter, wings making him seem much larger though.
               “Here’s the fun part, because I’m a fallen angel, it works a little differently! My powers got corrupted so that sacrifice you have there – oh she’s an actual virgin! – is going to be your ticket to my powers.”
               “So, I have to keep her safe?”
               He shrugs, “You asked, I’m just telling you friend. Obviously, the price is the same as any other deal.”
               “Obviously.”
               “So, you’re prepared for that? Hell isn’t as nice as you’d think.”
               “No shit Sherlock, but don’t worry, I’ve thought it through a fair bit.” Hawks laughs at that.
               “Alright! Since my fall was lust based, the power transfer is too, if you catch my drift.” Hawks says with a raised eyebrow.
               “….sort of?”
               “Oh my god, are you an idiot?”
               “I don’t want to hear that from you, chicken man.” Dabi just wants this over with, he’s getting a little antsy. “Can we get started already?”
               “Alright then, time to wake up sleeping beauty over there.”
                 You feel yourself being blearily shaken awake, and you’re shocked to see a different face than Dabi’s in front of you. He’s gorgeous, and his wings, despite being an eerie dark red, are full and look so soft. Blearily, you try to reach up to try and feel them, forgetting that your hands are tied to the peg on the floor. The man looks at you with pity and amusement.
               “Hey there, I’m Hawks, are you ready to become a human magic battery?” he says cheerily, words much at odds with his words and expression.
               “What, no, what’s going on? Please there’s a man here – Dabi – and he’s kidnapped me! You have to help me out, call the police, why are you smiling?” You feel the tiny bit of hope that had grown up come crashing down as you observed the – man? Angel? – who called himself Hawks.
               “Yeah, my friend Dabi and I have a little arrangement here. You know what I am right? You should know that struggling is useless. Just lay back and enjoy the ride, baby.” His eyes pierce your soul and you find yourself unable to even think of a response to that.
               You don’t even completely realize what that means until he starts nuzzling your neck as his hands go towards your tits, starting to play with your pebbled nipples, his hands surprisingly warm.
               “No please, I don’t want that…” you say weakly, completely spent already from the ordeal that Dabi had put you through. “I just want to go home!” you’re so delirious from pain and the small bits of pleasure you’re trying to pretend aren’t happening at Hawks’ toying with you.
               “Too bad little bird, you don’t really have a say in the matter at the moment.” He bites down on your neck hard, drawing blood which he then licks up. “So, fucking good! Haven’t been able to do this in so long.” He’s grinding into you, the layers of fabric bringing you stimulation and pleasure as you moan, immediately tensing up in embarrassment and shame.
               “Don’t be like that, I always make people feel good like this, so just relax.” His eyes are glowing and as you look into them, you feel yourself relaxing a bit. Maybe you should relax, he definitely knows what he’s doing, you can feel the heat building in your core and your hazy mind start to lose focus. His eyes, are just so fucking beautiful, and the way his fingers are moving feel amazing.
               He turns his head down, lapping lightly at your breast. His tongue is warm, but the metal stud on his tongue makes you moan out in delight.
               “Oh so you do like it!” he exclaims brightly. “Let’s get this started now baby.” Your mind is still screaming at you that this is wrong, that you don’t want this, that you need to struggle and get free. With all the distractions in your mind, its so deliciously easy to fall into a hazy daydream like trance as he licks up the blood from your wounds. His tongue makes it feel so, so good. He switches breasts, tugging on your nipples as you mewl in delight. Once you let go, everything was so much better!
               He sucks bruises onto your hips, nipping at them with his sharpened fangs. “Oi, don’t enjoy yourself too much there Dabi, you gotta go a round too after.” You turn to see Dabi stretched out like a cat on his couch, his cock out of his pants as he languidly strokes it. It’s pierced and you find yourself imagining how it would feel scraping your walls.
               There was only one thing bothering you, and it was that everywhere Hawks touched grew hotter and hotter, not in an unpleasant way, more in an antsy, wanting to move and run mood. You felt like you were vibrating and you didn’t understand it. But you couldn’t bring yourself to care as your jaw dropped when the angel ripped off your bottoms harshly.
               “Let’s see if you taste as good as the other humans I’ve devoured.” He rips the ankle restraints as he tosses your knees over his shoulders and licks a stripe up your pussy. You shudder at the new sensation, biting on your lip to stifle your moan.
               He sees that as a challenge and spends his time tasting your juices along his tongue, his eyes seemingly brighter as he works at your pussy, teasing your clit with his tongue stud. He keeps working at you with single minded determination, teasing your hole with his sharp nail and you let out a squeak, which quickly turns into a groan as he slides his finger in. He adds a second as soon as he can, loving hearing the sounds your pussy makes as he scissors you open.
               You’ve never felt this good in your life, you can barely tell what’s happening, but you feel waves of pleasure as you feel his tightening in your lower belly.
               “You’re getting close, huh?” Hawks brings his face up, eyes lidded as he licks the juices around his mouth. “Do you want to cum?”
               “Yes!”
               “Well, I don’t know, you were pretty awful to my business partner over there… maybe I shouldn’t let you cum.” He brings his second hand up to his face, lightly scratching at his scruff, and you begin to panic. You have this insatiable need, you don’t know where it came from, but it’s not letting you think at all. There’s this voice yelling at you that it’s Hawks’ fault, but he’s literally an angel. How could he be doing something so disgusting to you?
               So you open your mouth, “Please let me cum, I’ll be so good for you sir! I didn’t mean to be awful to him, I just didn’t understand what he was trying to do!”
               “That’s fucking right.” There’s a sudden intensity in his eyes that makes you feel like your heart’s stopped. “You didn’t know what you were doing. I’m your guardian angel after all, and I came here because you were going to make a mistake that would put you in danger.”
               “Oh my god…” the horror you feel chokes your throat, yet it doesn’t rid you of the incessant need that’s been plaguing you.
               “Would your guardian angel ever steer you wrong, Y/N?” he grabs your chin, nails cutting shallowly when he presses.
               “No, you wouldn’t!” you shake your head, trying to convey exactly how much you were repenting.
               “So, listen carefully little lady. This is important.” He waits for your assent before he continues. “You’re in a very dangerous spot, so I needed a friend here to help you out, he’s going to keep you nice and safe. All you have to do in return is let yourself have some fun, some pleasure in your life. I mean, you’re begging for that exact pleasure right now.”
               There’s a little niggling at the back of your head, it’s telling you how good you’ll be treated, you’ll be loved and accepted. You start to shake it off, but you can’t when it tells you that nobody will ever make you feel good like this, who would want too? Here you have two beings ready to make you feel good like you’ve never felt before and you’re denying them?
               “Of course, that sounds like a great idea Mr. Hawks.”
               “Alright, what a good girl, see Dabi? Isn’t she great?”
               “I knew I’d gotten lucky, but I didn’t realize how lucky until now.” The grin on his face is satisfied, but as you look longer, the more you see the pleasure and happiness he feels too.
               “Do I get to cum now? You keep saying how good I am…” you don’t remember thinking about saying that, but the words seem to come out on their own accord.
               In response Hawks goes back to your neglected pussy and starts thrusting his fingers into a spot inside you that makes you gasp in surprise. With all the swirling emotions and pain and alcohol you feel yourself tighten and let loose quickly, hitting your high in ecstasy. Your back arches, and somewhere in the back of your mind, you notice that your shoulders have definitely been scratched up badly.
               But why care when you feel so good now?
               Your eyes are closed as you lie there, battered and cut and so blissed out as Hawks removes his pants and looks around.
               “You didn’t bring lube?” he directs the question to Dabi.
               “You need that? I thought you had like, magic and shit.”
               Hawks swallows his annoyance, “I’m in a mortal form dipshit. Channeling divine or corrupt energy is hard to do without fucking blowing myself up.”
               Dabi just shrugs. “I mean to be fair; I didn’t know I was getting some angel that got kicked out of heaven for being horny. Or else I definitely would’ve bought some.”
               “Whatever,” he mutters. “I like this way better.” You hear the conversation, but can’t be bothered to really understand what they’re saying. All you know is that you feel someone leaning above you.
               Hawks takes a feather from his wings, carefully turning it in his hands. “Now, I’m not going to lie, this is going to hurt a bit. But I’ll make you feel so good you won’t even remember it, alright?” You nod along blearily, barely hearing him.
               He grins and slices a long line right above your hip, and you barely feel it being so numb. You do feel his fingers pressing into the cut though, and you try to squirm away, but that just makes him slam you down with his other hand in a surprising show of force for his physique. It feels so wrong when you feel him wiggle his fingers a bit inside your skin, and you shut your eyes so you don’t have to see it. Apparently, that amuses Dabi, who starts guffawing off to the side somewhere. The pain brings up all off the fear you’ve been feeling the whole night, and it shocks you. You start screaming, begging to be let go hysterically while you see Hawks, his hand covered in your blood, fisting his length, mixing some of the precum with it.
               “I thought you said you were going to behave.” He growls and you feel an intense pressure on your mind for a second before your fear starts to fade away easily. “Much better.” He says to your relaxing form.
               “You gotta teach me how to do that,” Dabi comments, which just has Hawks rolling his eyes.
               “Shut up and let me enjoy this, I haven’t had sex in so long, warlock.” That elicits a snort from Dabi as he settles back down.
               He lines up his cock with your slick entrance, teasing a bit as the blood and your juices mix together and it lets him start to work his way inside of you. You’re panting, fingers scrabbling at everything they can reach as he pushes through. You feel a mix of pain and pleasure as he pushes all the way into you. He surprisingly lets you adjust, breathing heavily as your walls squeeze intensely around the intrusion.
               It feels so, so good though and Hawks can tell that’s how you feel as he grins and moves your legs up and around his hips. You whine as he stretches you out more with the new position, and he grunts a bit as he starts thrusting his hips, dragging his sharpened nails down your side without breaking the skin. He puts his head to your neck, pressing open mouth kisses there that make you relax around him, and as soon as he feels that change, he starts pounding into you harder. You hear lewd noises and realize that most of them, are in fact, coming from you. Which is a little jarring of a realization but in your state, you can’t really say it surprised you. It was more of a ‘huh, that’s me then’ moment.
               The sound of skin slapping on skin fills the room along with grunts of exertion and moans of pleasure from the pair of you. You can feel yourself building up to that point once again, and you don’t realize it until you’re clamping down on his cock with a shout of pleasure. Hawks groans at the sound, and feels your tight walls somehow clamp down on him harder and starts bucking into you, nails digging into your hips as he chases his own release.
               Had you been in any normal state of mind, you might’ve found it disturbing that Hawks seemed to be murmuring a bunch of Latin as he pounded into you. You might’ve noticed the hand he placed on your heart left a searing imprint that turned dark red. You might’ve noticed his pupils contract into slits and his eyes turn a deep red for a few seconds.
               But you didn’t.
               You felt like you were floating, and figured if this could be compared to anything, it would be a more painful version of a wet, fever dream.
               Suddenly, Hawks comes inside you and you feel the warm liquid fill you up as he thrusts a couple more times, working himself through it. He stays inside, but that’s not what takes your focus. The feeling that you were vibrating without moving was back with a vengeance, but you also felt this numbness that started from your core that moved outwards until your entire body was feeling that way. As Hawks pulled out, you felt so empty, you felt like you didn’t know what to do. So, you let your eyes drift shut while you heard some talk about ‘a transfer’ and ‘both it her.’
               Suddenly, your wrist bindings were also stripped off and you look up in surprise to see Hawks with that same feather setting you free, while Dabi moved to the bedroom.
               “You still going to be good for us, little lady? We’re almost done for tonight.” He coos at you, lightly stroking your chin with his finger.  You give him a small nod, and with that, he picks you up as if you were a stuffed toy and you lean into his shoulder as he brings you to the bedroom.
               “Right, at least you’re prepared already so we can get into this quickly.” Hawks says brusquely, bringing himself to the bed and setting you down before he sits as well.
               “You were enjoying yourself a minute ago, what’s with the sudden rush?” Dabi’s eyebrow is quirked as he puts his hand in your hair and starts scratching your head. You shamelessly sigh in appreciation.
               “My times running out, gotta get this transfer done soon or else we’re going to have to start over another day.” Hawks grouches. “Damn I don’t miss all the rules, but having unlimited mortal form time? That’s something I miss about upstairs.”
               Turning his attention to you Dabi says, “Here, you enjoyed that guy, so you’ll love sitting on my cock.”
               Right now, nothing sounded better, so using the last of your strength, you crawled up to his lap and he guided you right above his dick. He brought you down slowly, ever so slowly, and you felt every inch of his dick inside you, especially those piercings that gave you an amazing sensation.
               “There’s a good girl, much better than before,” he gets out.
               “Now you’re going to need to relax, alright Y/N? It’s going to feel really tight at first but you’ll feel great afterwards.” Hawks is mumbling this into your neck, playing with your hair a little bit while he does.
               “I can do that,” you say, unaware of what he was going to do, but ready to please him.
               “Good, Dabi you might have to distract her a little bit, she’s pretty tight for one person, let alone two.” Dabi smirks but leans back, starting to play with your nipples a bit. You never thought you’d like the sensation of someone swirling around them, tugging them at some points, but here you were, enjoying every second of it.
               You get so into it, that at first you don’t notice Hawks lining up with your entrance and starting to work his way back into you. Dabi actually does first, shuddering at the contact of Hawks’ dick against his own and gasping a bit.
               “Oh Dabi, you were so cocky a minute ago, what’s wrong now?” You hear the teasing from behind as you desperately grip onto Dabi’s shoulders, trying to stay relaxed so it doesn’t hurt as much.
               “Fuck off, chicken.” Is his only response which Hawks cackles at as he starts to push further in. You gasp at the painful stretch, tears welling out of your eyes, as Hawks reaches around you to play with your clit to distract you.
               “Doing so good, sweetheart, just a little bit more, can you do that for me?” he nips at your ear.
               “Yes,” you gasp, the pleasure from his rough finger movements distracting you a bit from all the pain as your breathing gets shallow. “Slow down, please?”
               “That’ll just make it worse,” he says. “I’m just going to get it over quickly, alright?” you don’t even have time to agree before he shoves the rest of his way in, screaming out as it happens. You feel so fucking stuffed, and they haven’t even started moving or anything.
               Dabi’s losing some of that composure he’d had before, cussing as he tries to steady his breathing, but you feel his cock twitching inside you. You’re losing the strength you have in your arms as you lean forwards onto Dabi’s chest, and you moan as the shift in movement gives you friction on your clit and in your pussy.
               Without really knowing what you’re doing, you press kisses onto the side of his neck as you lie there, trying to get used to being this stretched out. It wasn’t going to happen tonight that’s for sure, because you’d barely had anything up there until today.
               You feel a grip tighten on your hips as one of them, at this point you have no idea who, starts moving in and out. The other goes the opposite rhythm so that you always feel so completely full you feel like you’re going to burst. The thought comes unbidden into your mind that these two sadists might actually enjoy that. It makes you shiver in fear.
               You can’t really remember what happened, but you have specific feelings and recollections of the two fucking into you,
               …Dabi hitting your G-Spot over and over again as you see white and cum hard on his cock…
               …Hawks leaning over you to grab Dabi into a rather passionate kiss as he got you to play with the raven-haired man’s pierced nipples…
               …Your ass getting spanked so you clench down on them and Dabi comes, but stays inside until he gets hard again…
               …getting toyed with in every possible way, bites and bruises marking your skin so much that you feel light headed from blood-loss…
               …you remember clawing at Dabi’s back which has him screaming in pleasure…
               …Dabi’s eyes glowing blue, as if he’d had flames trapped inside them and they were ready to come out…
               …pleased laughter and an uptick in pace…
               …then nothing…
                 Dabi lays back, breathing heavily as your form is slumped on his chest. He wasn’t surprised you’d completely passed out a little way into your second round. If anything, he was surprised you’d managed to last that long. He was wiped after one, but that was mainly because he was trying to keep up with Hawks, who had the fucking endurance of something otherworldly.
               Which made sense given he was a magical being.
               Still it peeved Dabi to no end as Hawks slid out of you looking completely untouched as he did so. The only thing that was out of place was his hair, messed from Dabi grabbing it, which he hadn’t remembered starting but it was sometime when he was making out with Hawks… which he hadn’t expected… but he wasn’t complaining.
               Although no matter how drained Dabi felt physically, magically? He felt so fucking ready to take on anything that could happen in the future. He could feel it pulsing around his body, in his fingertips and temples, and it felt amazing. He understood why so many people went with summoning darker entities for power transfers now, much easier and much more potent.
               “So, I have to be here in person to do my whole mind-manipulation thing, so you should think about how to keep her safe for now. She’s tied to you because of the transfer so like, if she were to die for example…. You’d definitely die too.” Hawks says with a cheery smile.
               “You didn’t think to mention that before?” he gets a shrug in response.
               “You didn’t ask. Oh and, for every time you need a power boost, just take care of her and let her enjoy the sex, it’ll ah – flow easier if you catch my drift.”
               “Thanks oh angel of a good dickening… what would I ever do without you?”
               “No seriously, the more your conduit enjoys the sex, the more you get out of it.” he looks unamused.
               “Oh. Ah, well that’s good to know.” Dabi has to start planning out his next moves then, keeping you healthy and happy was going to be a tough job.
               “I did make the suggestion to her that I was her guardian angel and you were helping her out, try to play up that angle, it’ll call up some of the residual magic in her mind and make her… more pliant.” Hawks starts putting on his clothes once again.
               “Uh, thanks. Is she just a constant source of your power then?” That’s the only part Dabi was still confused about.
               “No, I’ll be back when I feel the energy start to dwindle. I need you to do all the terrible things I know you have planned. Your soul will be fucking delicious then. Any who, see you later Dabi! It was an absolute pleasure doing business with you.”
               He vanishes like he came, suddenly disappearing with a gust of air hitting Dabi in the face. Dabi looks down on you, still on his cock as he desperately tries to think about what he was going to do to keep you in here and how he’d keep you safe trying to hunt down another coven.
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ladyreapermc · 4 years
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Fic: What kind of Man (Keanu x Reader x Tom)
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Summary: Tom was kind and funny and sweet. He was perfect for you. But he wasn’t what you wanted.
Paring: Keanu x F!Reader; One sided Tom Hiddleston x F!Reader
Author’s notes: This oneshot was written based on these two asks: ould you please write a smut fic where Keanu is a friend of the reader (he  actually loves her) and he visits her at home but there’s a British man in his mid-30s that is friend of the girl but he also seems interested in her and Keanu notices it and once the British man leaves Keanu seduces reader and both end up having sex? |  An A/U  smut fanfic of Keanu in love with the reader and Tom Hiddleston loving her too (both are friends of hers) but Keanu gets jealous in Tom’s presence and when he’s away, K seduces reader and has the most incredible sex with her to prove he’s better than Tom. I’m never very good at writing love triangles, but I hope you like it, nonnies.
Wordcount: 3395
Warnings: mention or alcohol; smut
You brushed off inexistent lint from your dress as you surveyed the last details of the small gathering you’d be having for your friends. You didn’t know why you were so nervous; it was just a late celebration for your birthday since you hadn’t been able to enjoy the actual date due to working.
You didn’t really mind because you loved your work. Getting to be a coloring technician and offering your contribution to so many amazing movies and shows wasn’t something you ever expected to do in your life, but you definitely happy that you trailed that path. You got to meet so many amazing people but without the hassle of being famous. It was quite perfect really.
Surveying the catering table, you fixed one of the napkins that were slightly out of place and chuckled at yourself. Why were you so nervous? It was just some of your closest friends. They had been here when you hadn’t cleaned in weeks. They wouldn’t mind if something wasn’t perfect. They would even notice really. Still, you could never manage to settle, not until everything was perfect. One of the last remains of your mother’s strict education, you were sure. Some things were harder to shake it off.
When you were satisfied that everything was exactly how you envisioned, you went into your room to finish getting ready, knowing your guests would be arriving soon. You chose a comfortable, wrap dress. Thin and loose to help you through the summer heatwave, but still beautiful and elegant for the events of the night. You slipped your feet in the kitty heels you’d be wearing just as the doorbell rang signaling the arrival of your first guest.
Soon enough your living room was filled with people, talking and chuckling together, each with a glass of sparkling wine in their hands. Soft mood music played in the background while you traveled through groups, talking with everyone, making sure their glasses were filled and aperitives were available before you sneaked out to the kitchen. You loved to have people over, but this hostess thing could be very exhausting.
Leaning against the counter, you sipped your wine, the first glass you managed for the night and popped an hors d’oeuvre in your mouth, suddenly aware of how hungry you were.
“I thought I’d find you here,” Tom said made you look over with a wide smile as you moved closer, letting him draw you into a hug.
“Tom! I didn’t think you’d be able to make it!”
“And miss a chance to see you? Never.” He grinned at you, those baby blue eyes sparkling with amusement as he held you close, hands in your waist. “You look gorgeous as always.”
His words made you giggle like a schoolgirl and you hated. Tom was the only one who could do that. It had to do with the smooth, almost velvety quality of his baritone that never failed to make your knees weak.
The two of you met a few years ago when you worked with Guillermo del Toro in Crimson Peak. You usually didn’t meet actors and actresses in a production, but Guillermo asked you to be close by during shooting to consult with the DP. He was searching for a very specific look for his movie and he wanted your eye for color. Since you were around set a lot, you ended up meeting all the cast and crew. You and Tom quickly struck a friendship that remained long after the movie was done.  
“Now, tell me, darling, what have you been up to?” he leaned against the counter, wine glass in hands as he peered at your through his long dark blonde lashes. His hair slicked back, curls perfectly controlled for once and you mimicked his stand, your body facing his as you described the latest movie that you just finished coloring.
You got entailed in conversation with Tom, unabashedly neglecting all of your other guests in favor of him, unable to ignore the subtle attraction you felt. As far as you could tell, however, it wasn’t like any of them seemed to mind. They had each other to keep themselves occupied and plenty of food and drinks.
It wasn’t until the party was winding down, when most guests had left, leaving only yourself, Tom and a handful of other people that you heard a familiar deep voice saying your name that let your gaze wander away from Tom.
You weren’t expecting to see Keanu here. Sure, you invited him, but you knew he was filming a new project and would probably be exhausted. It was most of a hopeful thing and as the night went on without a sign of him, you just assumed he wouldn’t make it. But here he was and as your eyes met, you felt that familiar flutter in your belly.
How he looked so dashing in a simple t-shirt topped with a well-fitted blazer and jeans you didn’t know, but as he approached you and Tom, steps sure, hands in his pocket, you have to fight the urge to picture him without anything.
“I wasn’t sure you’d make it,” you commented, hugging him tightly. Enjoying the wood scent of his cologne and the heat of his body.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” he replied, his mouth right next to your ear and you shuddered slightly. And if the hug lingered a little longer than necessary, no one would mention it. “I’m just sorry I’m so late.”
“It’s fine,” you said, finally letting go of him. Keanu already knew most of your friends. You had worked together during post-production for Man of Tai Chi and grew quite close, but you were almost sure he didn’t know Tom. Not in person at least.
“Hello,” Keanu greeted as his gaze met Tom’s.
“It’s an honor.” Tom shook his hand, but his smile seemed strangely cool.
“Likewise,” the other man said with that a serene look as he took a seat next to you and you were suddenly sandwiched between two very handsome men. Not a bad birthday present.
“Wine, Ke?”
“No, thank you, I’m driving tonight.”
Keanu took a glass of water, his gaze lingering on you a moment and you shifted slightly under his gaze until you felt Tom’s arm coming around your shoulders, warm and comforting and you smiled in thanks at his accommodation before you let your attention drift back to the conversation.
However, it was quite hard to focus on what was being said when on one hand, you could feel the heat of Tom’s body against you. His long, elegant fingers drawing patterns on your shoulder. On the other, Keanu’s mere presence seemed to radiate through you. His scent still on your nose, your body responding every time he spoke.
It felt like ages until everyone else left, leaving only you, Keanu and Tom behind. You didn’t know if that was for the worst or better, because now the attention of both of these gorgeous men was solemnly on you and you felt like squirming, your brain struggling to process why you felt like it everything was so weird.
The three of you cleaned up most of the mess and as you stood in the kitchen with them, you noticed they were just looking at each other and the air felt tense and thick around you. You couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was it, but you shifted awkwardly on your feet.
“I should get going,” Tom said, surprising you. He was always the last one to leave. More often than not he would even stay in your guest bedroom.
“Sure?” you asked, and Tom smiled at you, though a little sadly as he nodded.
“Yes.” His gaze shifted to Keanu. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’ll walk you,” you said once the tension set again. The two of you made your way to the front door in silence. “I had the guest room ready for you.”
“Thank you, darling,” he said, kissing your cheek. “But I have a feeling you’ll be needing your privacy.”
Tom pulled back from you, his gaze moving past your shoulder and when you looked behind yourself, Keanu was watching the two of you.
“It’s not…” you started, embarrassed. “We’re just friends.”
“He doesn’t want to be just friends,” Tom said, his gaze returning to you. “Neither do you.”
“Tom…” his name came out of your lips in a low, soft tone. You didn’t know why you felt this guilty. It wasn’t like you and Tom had anything going on. Maybe there could have been once, but not anymore. You were just great friends.
“Good night, darling.” There it was again, the little sad smile and with one final kiss to your cheek, he walked away.  
You remained there for a moment longer, your hand pressed against the smooth wood of your front door as Tom’s words kept running through your head. Was he right? Turning slowly, you found Keanu standing right behind you and the sight made you jump a small laugh bubbling from your chest.
“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s ok.” You smiled at him, hand in your chest, your heart thundering. “Just make some noise, will you? Maybe I should tie a bell on your wrist or something.”
“Maybe,” he chuckled, covering his mouth slightly and your heart swoon. How was he this adorable?
“Ke…” you hesitated, wringing your hands together nervously as you looked at him. “I, uh…. Are you going?”
“If you want me to,” he replied softly, meeting your eyes and you smiled.
“I don’t.”
“Good.”
He stared at you for a long time and you fought the urge to squirm. There was something in his eyes like he was looking deep inside you, unraveling your deepest secrets and you felt exhilarated and terrified. What could he see there? Could he see how much you wanted him? Did you want him to see it?
“He loves you, you know?” Keanu said finally breaking the quiet and started a little. “Tom.”
Your first impulse was to say no. To laugh it off because that was what you always did. You loved Tom and everyone knew that. You just didn’t love him like that. And he couldn’t love you like that. But right now, under Keanu’s heavy gaze, you couldn’t bring yourself to deny it.
“I know,” you sighed. “But I don’t.”
“Why not?”
You’ve asked yourself that same question more times you could count. Tom was funny and charming, the perfect gentleman. He adored you and was closer in age to you, but something was missing there. That spark. As cheesy as it sounded.
Your heart didn’t leap in your chest when you saw Tom. Not like it did as soon as your eyes laid on Keanu. You were excited to see him of course, he was a dear friend, but you counted the seconds to see Keanu, eager to be close to him and talk to him. To feel his arms around you, cradling you close, surrounding you with his scent and warmth…
“He’s not you,” you confessed quietly, and Keanu smiled. It was just a quick tilt of lips, before his mouth descended over yours, soft and gentle, but full of promises.
You anchored yourself with your hands on his shoulders as you felt your legs suddenly weak, boneless. Your entire world reduced to the feel of his lips on yours, the taste of him, the feel of his beard against your skin. Everything you craved for so long.
You backed away, tugging Keanu with you, until your back was at the door, supporting you as much as his hands on your hips. His thumb rubbed circles against the soft fabric over your hipbone and desperation burned in your guts. You wanted to feel his hands on your bare skin.
Pulling away from his lips so you could meet Keanu’s eyes, you noticed the rings of brown usually so warm were darkened by his need for you. Your shaky fingers moved to the knot of your dress, undoing it quickly and letting the dress fall open, framing your body and the purple lingerie you had on.
His gaze devoured you as he very gently pushed the edges of the dress aside until it slipped from your shoulders and pooled on the floor behind you. You wished he would do anything besides just looking. His intense eyes made you feel beautiful, but it also allowed insecurity to grow in your chest. What if he didn’t like what he saw?
Keanu’s hands finally returned to you, rough callouses from a lifetime of motorcycles, basses, and guns catching on the silkiness of your skin, making goosebumps rise on your arms as he caressed them gently, moving down to your hips and thighs. His lips met your neck for wet kisses and teasing nips that had your arching towards him, soft little gasps filtering through your mouth.
You brought your own hands under his shirt, exploring the broad, strong back, nails scratching slightly, making him hiss. His grip tightened a little in response, his mouth sucking harder on your collarbone, sparking pleasure and making wetness gather between your legs.
“Ke…” your voice was needy as he sucked your nipple through the lace of your bra. You arched towards his mouth, fingers threading through his hair. “Maybe we should take this to the bedroom,” you suggested. “Or at least the couch.”
“Yeah.” His voice was almost rumble and with a final kiss to your breast, Keanu straightened up, looking at you. “Lead the way.”
You made a path to your bedroom, walking a couple of steps in front of him, making sure to put an extra sway in your step so Keanu could enjoy the view of your ass.
The second the two of you crossed the threshold, you felt him arms surrounding you, his bare chest warm against your back and you had no idea when he took his shirt off, but you were very glad he did.
His lips connected to your neck again, his hands cupping and massaging your breasts and you pushed back against his erection, still confined in his jeans, pressing against your lower back. Hot arousal spread through your body and you turned around in his arms, finding his mouth again while your hands worked on the button of his pants.
“You’re sure?” Keanu whispered as you kissed down his neck. “We can slow down. We can…”
“No,” you said firmly, lowering yourself to your knees in front of him as you pulled his zipper down and pulled his cock free. “I want you right now.”
Licking your lips, you moved closer, letting your tongue taste him and feel the smooth and hot skin. Keanu moaned softly above you, his hand coming to your hair, pushing it away from your face and when you glanced up, his eyes were on you.
You made sure to put on a show for him, taking him deeper into your mouth, lips wrapping tightly around his thick length, tongue flat against the underside vein as you bobbed your head, pushing as much of him you could take, before pulling away with a small pop and starting all over again. Tongue swirling the tip of his cock, gathering the precum hungrily so you could taste the salty bitterness of him.
“Fuck! Stop,” Keanu asked, tugging on your hair softly until you pulled away and smirked at him, at his hooded eyes and heaving chest. “Come here.”
He pulled you up, catching your lips again, this time his kiss was rougher, almost bruising and you loved it. Just like you loved the way his hands touched all over, teasing and toying with you, keeping you on edge.
Keanu guided you to lay on your back, his lips trailing down your body, tongue hot and teeth sharp as he explored and discovered all the spots that made you writhe and moan for him until you were lost in ecstasy and begging him to touch you where you needed him the most.
When he finally reached his destination, you nearly shouted at the way he sucked you through the lace of your panties, the fabric offering a very welcome texture to his wicked tongue that licked and pressed against your clit.
Only when your panties were completely soaked Keanu pulled them off, exposing you to the cool air of the room and you shivered, until his mouth connected to your clit again, two of his fingers pressing inside you, crocking up as he rubbed your g-spot and making you moan at the shot of pleasure.
“You’re so responsive,” he marveled. “I love it.”
“Not more than I do.” Your chuckle turned into a moan as he hummed against you, the vibrations making you arch, hands coming to his hair to pull him closer. “Right there. Don’t stop. I’m gonna…”
You whined when he did stop and looked at you with a lazy smirk.
“I wanna feel you coming around my cock,” Keanu declared, standing up and yanking his pants off, along with his boxers. He caught your legs and pulled you towards him until half of your ass was out of bed, your feet behind his back, heels on his ass.
He rubbed the tip of his cock over your folds teasingly before he pushed inside you so slowly that you felt the urge to try and move to speed things along, but you had no leverage to do so. You were at Keanu’s mercy and it was exciting and strange. You rarely gave up control during sex.
“You’re so fucking tight,” he grunted breathlessly, his hair curtaining his eyes for a moment. “It feels perfect.”
“Yeah.” You focused on the sweet burn of him stretching you, the texture of his cock rubbing your walls, making that knot of pleasure increase inside you.
Keanu only stopped when he was fully sheathed in you, resting his forehead against your chest as both of you adjusted to how your union felt.
“Ke, I need you to move,” you asked, desperate to feel more of him. “Fuck me.”
He grinned at you, large hands tightening around your thighs, keeping them spread for him as he started to move, slowly at first, grinding into you. But eventually picking up speed, his thrusts getting harder, making you grab at the edge of the mattress so as not to slide upwards on the bed, your breasts bouncing with the force of his movements.
Desperate cries fell from your lips as pleasure overtook you and all you could focus on was the sensations in your body. The deep heat spreading from your center to the rest of your body, making all of your nerve-ends tingle. The smell of your sweat mingled with Keanu’s. The taste of yourself on his lips as he bent over to kiss you, tongue plundering into your mouth as hard as his cock was doing to your cunt.
Soon, you were reaching between your bodies, rubbing your clit, chasing the peek of your pleasure, feeling Keanu losing his own rhythm as his thrusts became sloppy, his groans louder until he stilled above you, fingers digging almost painfully on your thighs as he came inside you.
He took only a couple of seconds to breathe before he was pushing your hand away, taking charge of working your clit, his other hand coming to play with your nipple, pinching lightly and making you buckle and mewl.
“Come on, baby, I wanna see you coming all over my cock,” he coaxed, this thumb applying the perfect amount of pressure, rubbing hard and fast and your orgasm took you by surprise, making you cry out and claw at his strong biceps, body shaking as you squeezed around him. “That’s it. Fuck! You feel so good.”
Keanu kissed your belly and chest, whispering sweet nothings against your skin until you calmed down, your body finally sated, mind dazed with pleasure.
“That was amazing,” you grinned sleepily at him and Keanu smiled back, kissing you softly.
“It was perfect. You’re perfect,” he said, pushing your hair away from your face. “Can I stay?”
“I wasn’t planning on letting you leave,” you replied, smiling at him. Knowing you made the right choice tonight.
 xxx
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vespertine-legacy · 3 years
Text
Ops Shenanigans tonight:
A member of motu was sad that we weren’t doing our usual Friday evening Group Finder ops run and wanted to put it together, but didn’t really know how to do that, so roped @gazromantic into helping her (but also didn’t really understand that the point of doing a Group Finder run is that you do the one that’s on the Group Finder bonus, I think...). She wanted to do TC on Impside, so I hopped on with Raz to be sure we had a healer, and we got a partial group together and pug’d the rest. Gaz dropped group to do GF, but that gave Ziza lead, and Ziza didn’t understand that she needed to be the one to add us to the activity queue. Took a minute to get everything sorted and get us added into queue, get it to pop for TC and matched with Gaz. Pugs got a little frustrated with the wait, but it went okay.
Then we somehow ended up doing an undermanned Hive Queen, down a dps and a healer. Gaz warned the ops chat that they’d probably get killed by the healer if they made me solo heal something again. I said, “nah, I just won’t heal you.” But we did it anyway, and it ended up being fine (and I healed Gaz plenty, because I try not to be petty and because I love Gaz).
Then Ziza wanted to do Monolith, but we convinced her that we should wait to do Monolith until another time when we could be better prepared, with a full group (maybe on one of our planned World Boss Wednesdays or something), since it’s a little more complicated.
I took a break to take care of things with the dogs and to check on my RAs with the program they were running tonight, and when I came back, Ziza had roped Gaz into running TC on the pubside, so I asked if they needed any spots filled. They’d just lost a healer who had gotten frustrated waiting for someone to get to the door to summon, so I jumped in with Vysh to help out. On the first pull, we had a dps not get out of the laser beam in time, and res’ing them distracted me from being able to put a shield on myself when the purple circle was targeting me (which usually doesn’t do enough damage to kill you in story mode, but again, distracted), so I ended up dying. Then Ziza (who was the other healer) I think didn’t realize the combat res was still on cooldown and couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t res me, but I think it was while she was trying to res me that something killed her... but it just went very downhill very quickly. Second pull went a lot better, but I did notice one point when the purple circle was on me and two dps were standing in it with me even though I’d explicitly said before the pull that if someone had the circle on them, you needed to move out, or you’d take damage too (didn’t explicitly say that I wouldn’t heal you if you stood in it while it was on me, but hope that was implied, because how else will you learn?).
A bit later, one of Diversity Fleet’s teams needed a tank for story mode SnV. And I love SnV (I’m a slut for all things Dread Masters), so after checking that it was okay that I’ve never actually tanked it, but done it enough times as a healer that I know the basic gist of what the tank needs to do (just might need a few more specific directions in places), I was able to hop in on Cershaa. Off-tanking SnV was actually pretty fun and went pretty smoothly! 
We realized partway through that we only had one healer...whoops. The solo healer did a very good job, and really the only spot they were having trouble was with the Cartel Warlords, since the tanks are pretty far apart for most of the fight, with one of them kiting Sunder and the other keeping Tu’chuk busy on pretty much opposite sides of the room. On our first pull against the Warlords, my health kept getting scary low, and I would use my dcds when Vilus jumped over at me, but it seemed like I wasn’t really getting a lot of healing (spoiler alert: I wasn’t. the healer was focusing on the main tank so that Sunder didn’t completely kill her, and one of the dps was pocket healing me when they could), and when Tu’chuk did some kind of little soft enrage or whatever, I ate it. But we did a second pull that went pretty much perfectly.
Styrak yeeted the main tank into the exhaustion zone about seven times, so I got to briefly experience main tank life on that fight while he was Disinterested with her (pretty much just yell at a Bad Dog, then stare up Styrak’s sweaty skirts for five minutes).
Pretty busy night for me and my idiots.
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dewprisms · 4 years
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After your binge-watching session, which would say is better: Kim Possible or Danny Phantom, and why?
Someone actually interested in my opinion for once?
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Well it depends, both have their pros and cons in regards to episode plots/arcs, characters and chara development, character designs etc. So I’ll suppose I’ll break them down into different categories. Under a cut as to not make scrolling a hassle.
Also I apologize in advance for my page theme, I know it’s kinda shitty and hard to read sometimes but I’m too busy to change it right now.
Designs/Art: I know Stephen Silver was the main designer for both shows (and his designs for a lot of the teenage girls has a uh, Obvious Pattern.) Ignoring my bias towards Vlad and Drakken, I think a lot of the ghosts have fun designs, but KP gets points for actually letting characters (esp Kim and Ron) wear other clothes in S2 and beyond, and between Phantom, S1 Kim and S4 Kim I think S4 Kim has the best “action” outfit. BUT the art style for DP is pretty stiff at times and KP style has a lot more range for animation, body types and faces.  Overall though, I say they’re pretty tied imo. Both have a lot of ups and downs that truly comes down to a personal pref, even though the Fartman’s style is the more iconic one. I think KP wins animation/art and DP wins for designs.
Characters: Again, the villains shine here more than the protags. KP as such a wide range of villains that I have have to give them the point for creativity and FUN in antagonists, (Duff Killigan is prob my favorite in absurdity followed by Monkey Fist, the Seniors and DNAmy all tied for second. I really like Motor Ed too, seriously.) but that’s not to say that DP doesn’t have them either. Vlad’s true motivations are really...unique compared to other DP villains and even KP ones, (seriously? How many bad guys you know who’s goal in life is “fuck the MC’s mom and also make MC your son”) who like KP are just “take over the world and/or cause tons of destruction” but with only half the fun. Sadly Dark Danny’s entire thing hinges on him being Danny But Evil who only wants...destruction??? Whereas Evil Ron actually does something interesting with the character, showing Ron’s true potential (see Evil Ron vs Electronique in “Stop Team Go” for example) and being in-character for him still. (Faux Take Over The World plot to cover his true goal of owning all the world’s Nacos? Of fucking course Ron would. Brilliant.) Evil Ron still has hints of Ron’s personality (”Boo-yahaHAHAHA!”) whereas Dark Danny is just... evil for evil’s sake, which can be good when actually done right, but in this case isn’t because the only thing that resembles Danny is his outfit. Shego’s backstory is great. DP’s new S3 enemies are very boring despite interesting powers. KP S4’s Camille Leon is great but Warmonga is just eh. Moving on to protags, KP’s protags are far, far more interesting than DP’s. Which brings us to the next point. (Also Mr. Barkin > Mr. Lancer, and Kim’s parents > Danny’s parents.) KP gets this one.
Chara Development: Gonna say it, DP almost has none, and straight up regresses in very end of S2 and most of S3. I swear the only real characters who have any are Vlad (for better or for worse, the latter imo), Jazz (when they remember her, and is good) and Valerie (whose is good too). Tucker gets 3 (three!!) fking episodes about him and they ALL carry the same theme of him not being able to responsibly handle having any kind of power, which is why him becoming the town mayor at the end is so BAD. There’s NO WAY Tucker of all people would make a good mayor. VALERIE got more episodes than him, JAZZ got more episodes than him, both with development that STUCK while he’s a MAIN CHARACTER. Sam never changes, def for worse. Sam is a Base-Breaking Character for a dang reason. She’s extremely pushy, acts like she’s lowkey better than everyone else, and never seems to consider how her actions affect other people, and the like 1 or 2 times she does it doesn’t fucking stick like she’s Hank Hill or something. Danny has no real development for his character. All that develops for him are his powers and nothing else. On the other hand, KP characters DO have development and it shows! Not just for the protags but for villains too! Kim is bossy and a lil controlling early on and stops during S2, whereas Ron was extremely cowardly and gets, not exactly braver but just less phased by it all, plus early he never quite liked going on missions but later on gets sad if he has to miss them, before he doesn’t like being distractions but later on very much takes pride in being one, and etc. Drakken and Shego get development too, esp their relationship with each other AND with Ron and Kim. Bonnie actually got an episode of development (but sadly regressed in time for the finale) whereas Pauline just...never changes whatsoever. Bonnie actually makes for a good rival and mean girl for Kim for the entire show whereas Paulina and her relationship with Danny and Sam are just....bland and doesn’t go anywhere. There’s nothing for Dash, though Ron doesn’t really have an equivalent. So, KP gets this one.
Episodes/Plots/Arcs: DP wins in the Lore department by far, KP wins in character arcs. A Sitch In Time answers the great questions of What Would Happen if the Villains Teamed Up AND Shego is a Better Villain than Drakken so Why isn’t She in Charge? ft Time Travel. The Ultimate Enemy answers What If Danny Went Evil and Is Vlad Completely Irredeemable? ft Time Travel. KP definitely does the “balancing Hero duties with School life” better than DP. You can definitely see her struggles with it whereas DP is just kinda there. I also very much like that Kim is girly but is never shamed for it both in-universe and out, whereas DP is known for the shitty “I’m not like other girls” fake feminist bullshit. A problem I have with DP is that time pretty much never changes, as if the show takes place within a year, and it seriously hampers the growth of the show could have. Time is also just out of whack, they take their big end-of-the-year test then it’s Christmas THEN it’s Summer Vacation but even in S3 they’re all still in the first year of high school like ??? What?? Whereas KP starts in Freshman year and ends with Senior Graduation. The arcs of Danny/Sam vs Kim/Ron are just...D/S was definitely teased a ton more but by S3 you just get tired of it, not to mention the hypocrisy regarding the character relationships. Personal opinion warning, but Danny/Valerie had a lot more development in such a short time and was super interesting. Kim/Ron didn’t have as many teasing esp in S1 and S2 (it’s there though) but it def picks up in S3 and I love how their new relationship was handled in S4. Back to episodes, my favorite episodes for both are Reign Storm and So The Drama, but while I might be biased toward Reign Storm I’m gonna have to ultimately give better episodes overall to KP. So The Drama has Drakken going back to his Actually Dangerous roots from early on and becoming the closest to anyone to actually winning on his own merit (Shego stole the Tempus Simia from Drakken/Duff/MF and relied on weird time shit of Kim being “lost in the time stream” ((actual canon explanation)) to travel to the future specifically to stop her, to actually win) and is SO good when Dr. D finally gets defeated, plus (personal bias here) Kim and Ron’s teased hook-up finally happens. I will say though, I’m not a fan of S4′s Hana Stoppable/The Han story. As both shows are action-oriented, they definitely have their fair share of good fights but I think KP also has better action and fight scenes. Humor is extremely subjective but I think KP made me laugh more. Finally, DP is infamous for S3 just being bad whereas KP just got better and better with each season, though I’d put S4 below S3 and above S2. So: Lore = DP. Arcs, Action and Eps = KP.
Fandom: Ignoring the super gross shipping aspects of some parts of the fandom (If ur a P*mpousP*p or K*go shipper pls go away from my stuff i’m fucking serious), I think DP wins for this one. Many great OCs, (I really haven’t seen any for KP aside from next gen?) the already interesting lore is def expanded so much by fans, I legitimately don’t care for “Wes Weston” but my god did the fandom do some serious work for this boy. I don’t know too much about KP since the fandom seems kinda dead aside from some shipping stuff and a very slight revival from the movie, whereas DP ended before KP and is still very very active. DP wins fandom.
(Bonus) Reboots/Redesigns: I’m gonna be honest, I’m not sure what could be done better for KP aside from the mess of Disney’s out-of-order airings, a more serious reboot wouldn’t work for the show at all, but DP could definitely use a reboot and fixes the disaster of S3. And reboots & character redesigns are def a hot topic for the DP fandom. So DP gets this one, though I’m not sure if this is a good thing.
Final: So over all, 4 for KP and 4 for DP, or if you add the little groups, 7 for KP and 4 for DP. Overall, I’ll say KP is the better show, but DP shines with the fandom. I also have a personal bias in favor of DP but it makes them even out for me. If you want interesting lore and good fandom content, go for DP. If you want fun and interesting characters, actual character development and more action and drama, KP is the way to go.
But instead of picking one, just watch both!
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sordm5 · 4 years
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F:NV OC as a companion
General
Name: Mason Shepherd McCoy (in-game, appears as:) Mase
Location: Grub n’ Gulp rest stop
How to obtain: Pass either a Guns check of 70, Confirmed Bachelor, or pay 200 caps to hire him. Will not follow if idolized by NCR or Caesar’s Legion.
Companion Wheel
I think we should travel together: “We make a pretty good team, huh? Sounds good.” / (With ED-E) “Sure- uh… what’s with the floating… metal… orb? Actually, it looks kinda cool.” / (With Rex) “Travel together? Yes. And I’m not just saying yes because I want to pet the dog.” / (With companion) “Are you starting up a caravan or something? Looks like you’ve got enough company for now.”
Use Melee: “That’s not… {sighing, grumbling} Fine.”
Use Ranged: “Exactly what I was thinking.”
Open Inventory: “Ya know, my bag’s already kinda full. But go ahead.”
Stay Close: “I’ve got your six… uh, Six.”
Keep Distance: “Sure. Doesn’t matter to me.”
Stealth: “Let’s get the advantage while we’re unseen.” / “They won’t see it coming.”
Back Up: “Right. Sorry.”
Be Passive: “Good call. We should scout our enemies before engaging.”
Be Aggressive: “Shoot first, strategize later? Not my style, but all right.”
Use Stimpak: “Ahh… I can feel my hands again.” > “{relieved} Thanks. I owe you one.”
Wait Here: “Fine by me. I’ll just… be checking over my rifle while you’re gone.” / “Don’t get into too much trouble.”
Follow Me: “O Captain, my Captain.”
Send to the Lucky 38: “Isn’t it a little stifling in there? {sigh} All right, but I’ll be waiting for you.”
Send Home: “I see. No worries. I’ll be at the Grub n’ Gulp, let me know if you change your mind.”
Injured: (HealthHalf) “{pained} Getting pretty rough here.” / “{out of breath} Could use… a stimpak? Maybe?” (HealthQuarter) “{dying} Didn’t… picture it like this.” / “{dying} Can’t- can’t see.”
Death: {Death Noise 2}
Aggression: Aggressive
Confidence: Brave
Assistance: Helps nobody
Karma: Neutral
Perks
Scout’s Honor: All lever-action and bolt-action rifles do an additional 15% damage (stacks with other applicable perks)
Inventory
(Unavailable via trade) Mason’s outfit, Mason’s bag, Ranger brown hat / Mason’s rifle / (Available via trade) Whiskey x 3, Stimpak x 2
Quests and Recruitment
General information:
Mason can be found at the Grub n’ Gulp Rest Stop. During the day, he will be found wandering around the premises, at night he will be sitting by one of the fires. While sitting, his unique rifle will be unequipped and laying beside him. It’s marked as an owned item, but it can be stolen. If you steal his rifle while detected, Mason will become hostile. If you steal the rifle undetected, it will change Mason’s dialogue. Both outcomes lock you out of recruiting him.
Completing any quest that isn’t affiliated with a faction while Mason is in your party will acquire +1 ‘like’ point. At 3 points, dialogue about Mason’s past will become available to the player. At 5, dialogue that triggers Mason’s companion quest will become available.
Mason will leave if 3 Caesar’s Legion quests are completed while he is in your party. A dialogue will be initiated after 1 quest, warning of his dislike for your actions. You can convince him to stick around, or decide to part ways if you profess your allegiance to the Legion. After the third quest completed, Mason will initiate dialogue and tell you of his disgust at your deceit of convincing him to stay. He will leave the party and no longer be able to be recruited by the player.
Alternatively, NCR and other faction quests can be completed without accumulating any dislike points. However, if you reach ‘idolized’ with the NCR, Mason will initiate dialogue saying he’s uncomfortable getting involved with politics. He will leave the party and only be able to be recruited again if the player’s NCR reputation goes down. (Anything below ‘idolized’ will allow him to be recruited again, this includes mixed reputation like Good-Natured Rascal, or Smiling Troublemaker, etc.)
If the player has completed Mason’s companion quest, he will continue to follow the player into the Independent Vegas/Yes-Man questline. If the companion quest is not completed, Mason will leave the party leading up to any Second Battle for Hoover Dam questlines, regardless of faction.
Recruiting:
Mason is a busybody that feels a sense of duty towards accomplishing jobs he’s commissioned for. For this reason, he finds the Grub n’ Gulp a convenient location – lots of travelers and caravans, often times needing an extra pair of hands, rolling in and out of Vegas. If the player has 30 completed quests, proving themselves of a similar mind to running jobs, the dialogue to recruit Mason will be available, no other requirements necessary.
If the player has less than 30 quests completed, you can convince him to travel by either a Guns check, a Confirmed Bachelor check, or by hiring him as a guard (200 caps, one-time payment).
Mason has a proclivity for rifles and other ballistic weaponry, and if you can impress him enough with your knowledge of firearms, he will take to you and agree to tag along on your journey. Similarly, one can pass a Confirmed Bachelor dialogue and try to appeal to Mason by offering him company. In Mason’s introduction dialogue, he makes it apparent that he isn’t one for making friends, and a male player character can test this knowledge with Confirmed Bachelor, asking him if he’s really happy being so lonely.
If all else fails, you can pay 200 caps, promise him a share in all loot, and hire him. All methods result in the same outcome of recruitment.
Companion quest: “Funny How Time Slips Away”
After meeting the requirements, Mason will have segmented dialogue about his history. He will tell the player of how he left home as a boy, and made his way in the world by starting work early on in life. He never intended for his leave to be permanent, but the longer he was gone, the more he felt returning was an impossibility.
Mason never had any blood relatives, but there was a group of people that made a community out of their shared loss, and built themselves up as a makeshift family, and began to thrive as a salvage scrapping and farming village. He left them behind, reluctant to let anyone get too close to him, and still feels regret over this decision. But either his pride, or his shame, has prevented him from returning.
The player will get the quest “Funny How Time Slips Away”, and can then agree to take Mason back to key places that he first visited after leaving his former home. (The Mojave Outpost, the playground near the drive-in theater outside of Primm, Goodsprings.) Mason will initiate dialogue after each visit, and speak about his memories for each location.
Once all locations have been visited, and all dialogue exhausted, Mason will initiate another dialogue, and speak about his urge to return back to the village. He will warn the player that his absence might take awhile, and that the village is on the eastern fringes of California – a few days walk out. The player will have the option to either encourage or discourage him to return.
If encouraged, Mason will leave the player, and be gone for 5 in-game days. When he returns, he will send a message to the player via courier, saying that he’s waiting in the Goodsprings saloon, and to come see him soon. (This is delivered in a similar fashion to “ED-E My Love”.) Upon meeting, Mason will thank the player for encouraging his trip, and say he thinks he made peace with both his former home, and his decision to leave.
As reward for quest completed, Mason will divulge that the scrappers of his village gave him some schematics for his rifle. He will then give his rifle to the player as a show of thanks, and tell the player not to worry about his combat prowess, as he can now make another rifle.
With the upgrade, Mason’s Rifle fires an extra projectile that consumes no ammunition, and has a base damage of 72, with a DPS of 93.6, making it the highest damage and DPS unique Hunting Rifle in the game. It has a built-in 3.5x scope, similar to its cousin, the Paciencia. Unfortunately, it cannot use Hunting Rifle modifications.
If discouraged, Mason will still give the player his unique rifle, thanking the player for their input, but it will not be equipped with upgrades. Its base damage is 52, with a DPS of 72.8, making it the same damage as a standard Hunting Rifle, but higher DPS than the Paciencia. The rifle, in this state, is the same one you can steal before ever recruiting Mason.
After this, Mason will use a normal hunting rifle, or whatever weapon the player equips him with, and will be unable to craft another unique rifle, making him less powerful than the alternative outcome.
Ending Slides
If their personal quest is never completed…
Whatever Mason was trying to run from by keeping himself busy, it caught up to him in the end. Work could no longer silence his inner turmoil, and so he wandered into uncharted territories. He was never heard from again.
If the Courier sides with Legion…
(Completed “Funny How Time Slips Away” and convinced Mason to stay) Mason saw the signs of the rise of Caesar’s Legion, and quietly took his leave of the Mojave. He wandered out north, into untamed lands, looking for respite, but ultimately learned to live each day on constant guard. Thoughts of the Courier filled him only with regret…
(Completed “Funny How Time Slips Away” and convinced Mason to return home) Though the Courier helped Mason find home, in the end, Mason only felt the sting of betrayal. He returned to his home village in California while there was still time, and warned his family of the Legion victory. With great sadness, they packed up their belongings, leaving behind many things they could not carry, and fled north, in search of new lands to settle.
If the Courier sides with NCR…
(Completed “Funny How Time Slips Away” and convinced Mason to stay) At first, the rise of the NCR gave way to many job opportunities. Mason returned to the Grub n’ Gulp, keen on taking up new offers for work. But as the NCR settled more into the Mojave, the work grew scarce; NCR gave more power to larger companies like the Crimson Caravan, requiring work contracts and full-time employment. Eventually, this new trade system pushed Mason out of the Mojave, in search of freer opportunities.
(Completed “Funny How Time Slips Away” and convinced Mason to return home) As the NCR settled into the Mojave, work around Vegas began to dry up, and the Crimson Caravan absorbed most smaller, independent companies. Without a task to set his mind to, Mason decided to return to California – to his home. At the village, Mason took up full-time weapon repair, a welcome addition to the farming and salvaging, and grew to be at peace with the NCR rule.
If the Courier sides with House…
(Completed “Funny How Time Slips Away” and convinced Mason to stay) With the rise of Mr. House through his securitrons, business and travel around the Vegas area grew to newer heights, and Mason found himself preoccupied with many different opportunities.
(Completed “Funny How Time Slips Away” and convinced Mason to return home) Mason returned to his former haunt at the Grub n’ Gulp, and took job offers as they came through. Business slowly increased as the NCR withdrew from the Vegas area; Mr. House’s rise to power making Vegas a veritable boomtown. He often found time to make his way back home to California, and share new repair and salvage techniques that he picked up from his different employers.
If the Courier makes New Vegas independent…
(Completed “Funny How Time Slips Away” and convinced Mason to stay) The chaos that ensued in the larger Vegas area shortly after its declared independence, drove away all semblance of organized trade. Riots became the new norm, and Mason soon found himself being called upon for different assistance. Medicine delivery, and treatment of the injured skyrocketed, and Mase was not of the proper mindset, nor skill-set, to help with the turmoil. In the end, he found it best to leave the Mojave behind.
(Completed “Funny How Time Slips Away” and convinced Mason to return home) The chaos that ensued in the larger Vegas area shortly after its declared independence, drove away all semblance of organized trade. Riots became the new norm, and Mason soon found himself being called upon for different assistance. Because the Courier had helped in his time of need, Mason persevered and applied all knowledge that he could to help Vegas re-establish calm and civility. After order was restored, business and trade were slowly re-introduced. Mason found himself at home in this new independent Vegas, but, even so, he made it a point to occasionally visit his family in California.
(I know there are different variables for each ending, like upgrading the securitron army, etc. But this was already getting so long, I just left it at the choices in Mason’s questline.)
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prorevenge · 5 years
Text
The Mean Girls club gets destroyed
So a while back I had the joy of stopping around 5 girls who had been openly using and abusing people. Most of them ended up losing partners and almost all their friends one lost their job two went to jail and they all lost their social status.
So context, years ago I worked in a large corporate store, trust me you would know if I told you the name. Now during this time I was in a dark place emotionally for various reasons and was very much a loaner which led to me being a target for this one girl (let’s call her CS for cos-play slut) now I know it sounds terrible me calling her that but really it’s what she was and trust me as this story goes on you’ll see why.
Now she quickly befriends me and gets me to help with video editing and photo shots I say yes as at the time I was trying to get into content creation and figured it’d help and I was a very lonely depressed virgin at the time and any girl showing interest in me made my brain go crazy. Looking back I kick myself for letting her use me that way but I was stupid and didn’t know better. This girl used me for everything from making me edit videos for her and her friends totaling around 3 or 4 videos a day all with different styles and length to getting up early to help with shoots that had to be done at sun up to get “the magic hour”. (I know it’s a real thing but still not the best thing to spend your day doing when your days off are spent making videos)
As well as using my help for her online stuff she used me for a lot of other things rides to her “meetings” with potential photographers (she never picked her them she was just sleeping with them) to buying her movie tickets that’d she would go to claim being alone with me in a theatre made her nervous so I’d have to wait outside for then I’d have to buy her food on a daily basis at work then if we ever did anything outside of it.
Now I know this sounds like I was the worlds biggest cuck and yeah I was. I had no self confidence as previously stated was a virgin with very little ability to socialize and never learned to choose how and when to give my help. So I was an easy target for all this, my parents tried to warn me against it but i didn’t listen and even at one point told her I liked her only for her to laugh in my face.
This went on for months in that time I quit content creation but was still editing her videos and was always doing something for her. One day while she was having me buy her supplies for another cosplay we ran into another girl whom we will call RB (random bitch) she was nice enough very energetic at first and I felt like we could get along so we exchanged info and became friends on fb. Afterwards CS told me how she was in a relationship and not to try and hit on her not even talk to her because I gave off a “creeper” vibe.
I only mention that interaction before this next one because it is chronological and because it was the first time I can ever trace back to the two of them working together against me. So after that CS starts going after another guy not gonna give him a special name but let’s just say he was terrible I mean really bad. Him and CS meet up once bang them he tells her all these lies about emotional damage and how they have to keep things a secret but still wants to be together. She believes him but he ghosts her she gets worried and has me look into from my end with an old friend. Now here two things happen that to this day I’m happy happened because it let me later on get my revenge the first was I created a second fb account pretending to be a girl the next was CS gave me full access to her fb.
Now like I said this dude was bad news he was cheating on her didn’t even need to catfish him just sent him a friend request and got dp back. Then I learned from some friends he did this serially and then ran across a girl who after I asked her about him responded “that’s the man that raped me don’t contact me again.”
I gathered all this evidence and brought it to CS and she flat out refused to believe it was real claiming I had faked it and was just jealous of him and that she and I were never going to be friends again. I said ok and we stopped being friends.
Now then that was my interaction with CS, after we broke off our friendship I started messaging RB and we became friends little did I know the real story behind them. I’ll be quicker with this than with RB but to put it lightly she was worse she would constantly have me just give her money and buy her things like expensive things. I never felt like I could say no because if I did she would give a sob story about her sad childhood and me being a bleeding heart would cave.
This went on for two years during which time I got a lot better more self confident and a better all around person but i always would go back to my sad self when she would belittle me. Finally I had had enough I told her to stop messaging me and we weren’t friends anymore. She took it hard dragging my name thru the mud at the end of it I had one friend left.
Skip ahead two months and I’m feeling way better I’m smiling more often no longer wanna take my own life and am feeling great. But I was still upset about everything that had happened but couldn’t do anything that was until I got bored one day and was looking thru my phone and saw something interesting. CS’s account was still logged into my phone a second profile. On a lark I tried opening it it let me she hadn’t changed her password and had given it permission to just sign in.
I thought I was just gonna have a weird voyeuristic look into her life but what I found was even worse a fb group that was literally called “Mean Girls Club” in it I found 5 girls including RB and CS all talking about what they were getting guys to buy them and do for them. It was horrid to look at I scrolled up and up and up all the way to the first message and it went back years. I don’t know how but these 5 had been doing it for so long it was crazy.
It was then I started to form a plan. The first thing I did was screen shot everything and when I mean everything I mean I had thousands of pictures from this including but not limited to pictures of stuff they had bought or had bought for them. Nudes of their partners or of people they were interested in and then the biggest one a shared drop box folder filled with pictures and videos of them doing a lot of nasty stuff I mean really bad. Apparently this whole thing was set up so that none of them could stop nor back down at anytime due to the blackmail Dropbox and the fact the rest of the group would back the others.
I know this is crazy to understand but let me put it this way from what I gathered to OG group was a total of 8 girls and 1 guy the numbers that left all were told they would be ruined and boy was it bad. I read about them making some of the people leaving lose their jobs and families falsely accusing the one guy of rape of which if what they said was true he was forced to move to another state because of the rumors.
On top of that they ruined a local store making them go out of business and then getting another guy thrown in jail after they accused him of attacking one of them. I can list plenty of what they did that was bad but mostly all of it was them bragging about guys they were using for stuff and money and what they could get them to buy them. I of course was on there as was everything I ever bought them totaling around 5500 over two years. The two of them CS and RB were so proud of what they did.
I was astonished by what had happened and was honestly very hurt by it all I knew they were bitches but nothing of this level. So I did what anybody would do I turned them against each other. The first thing I did was use my fake profile to enter into the group chat under the guise of a friend of CS’s. Took some time and creative use of the two profiles but I did it then moved onto insight some war by messaging each of them about the others of the course of a month I had them all suspicious of each other with some he said she said then I struck with one reveal.
I sent RB’s bf a message from CS’S profile in sighting them to openly flirt then took a step back and told RB about it. All the while with my fake profile I told CS that RB wanted to burn her by sending out her blackmail then I messaged the rest relaying info on the upcoming conflict telling them to prepare to burn another person if someone else struck (think start of world war 1 but with 20 something girls). 3 hours was all it took from went that past message went out to the first “bomb” fell. It was glorious each one destroying the other telling significant others about lies cheating and theft. Jobs being called about misuse of company property and inappropriate behavior in the work place. Full on sex tapes were posted to tons of porn sites.
It was three months later that the dust cleared everyone but CS had deleted their social media accounts. It was then that CS started in on my fake account demanding for some form a of repayment stating she had never added me to the the group and that no one had had any dirt on me so I was unscathed. I responded with “Well let’s just say I’m a bitch, the names Karma.”
I deleted the profile and lost the login info for CS. I keep the Dropbox stuff though and screenshots since I’m sure if they ever put two and two together they could guess who I was. But now a full year later nothing.
I’ve not been able to know more then the basic repercussions of this sense I didn’t know the other three personally but RB ended up homeless for a few months before going to jail sense some of the blackmail was a video of her doing drugs while skipping a court date about drug use (she openly stated in the video the date and that the courts could suck it and told them later she was helping a friend go thru some hard time to get an extension) jail due to her breaking parole and lying to a judge. CS lost her day job and all but around 30 of over 5k followers as well as her bf who she was cheating on then he back up bf since she was cheating on him with another guy who was just in it for the sex. Last I heard she moved back in with her parents and can’t keep a job due to her running into people who know what happened.
TL:DR Got emotionally and financially used by two girls and then made their mean girl chat destroy each other’s lives.
PS if rslash is reading this hope you know you inspired me to share this because your vids are amazing.
(source) story by (/u/notmine1337)
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threewaysdivided · 5 years
Note
For the fanfic ask: D, S, and U ;) thanks!
For wornquillsandspilledink’s Fanfic Ask Game:
D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with your fics?
Hmmm… I’m not a particularly music-based writer - a lot of my inspiration comes from other stories, or visuals, or personal experience.  Usually musical associations come afterwards, once I’ve got a scene/character fixed well enough for a song to resonate with them.  It also means that I tend to associate songs with fic-moments, characters or fandoms-in-general rather than with a single entire story.  So, a list:
As mentioned before, the opening Instrumental of the Disturbed Sound of Silence Cover is a good match to the ambience of YJ:DW Chapter 15.
Coldplay’s Paradise gives me angsty S1 Artemis vibes.
For Danny Fenton, Coldplay’s Gravity and Simple Plan’s Astronaut get the sad feels going.
Most Imagine Dragons songs tend to make me think YJS1 due their being used in a bunch of super talented fan-animations and AMVs.
More broadly the general emotional tone of ColdPlay’s Fix You and The Fray’s You Found Me kind of underscore sadder, heavier moments of writing.
There was a lot more Sad™ and Coldplay in there than I expected.  Whoops…
S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?
I’m one of those annoying Tropes-are-Tools-not-Guarantees types so there aren’t many tropes I can confess to seeking out for their own sake, or deliberately inserting into all of my stories.  That said, I tend to be pretty characterisation-focused (even though I like long-fics to have some kind of accompanying plot too), and there definitely some tropes/patterns I’ll gravitate towards:
Believable Depictions of Grief/ Trauma and Healing/ ClosureI enjoy finding stories that actually address the hard experiences or losses that characters have gone through, that the process is messy, and ways they might attempt to work through/ around it, while still letting them be themselves, have moments of levity, live their lives and eventually reach a point of closure.  Grief depicted like this is weepy, delicious, catharsis and I am here for it.
Trust and RevealsI can get a bit frustrated with stories (especially crossovers) that have characters just know or decide to immediately overshare secrets and personal information.  Always more satisfied when those secrets are treated as secret by the narrative, with characters having to sleuth it out or build genuine respect and trust before learning/earning the truth.
Intrigue and the Suspense of AnticipationLove me some Fair Mysteries.  Also when creators are willing to play games with the audience, letting us reach the answer ahead of the characters and wait in anticipation for the penny to drop.  Good stuff.
 Actual Communication and MisunderstandingsThere’s a certain sort of masochistic anticipation that comes from seeing two or more characters end up in conflict because their own personal biases and hang-ups are causing them to misrepresent and/or read  things into the other person’s words/behaviour that aren’t actually there.  Usually followed by either a fight or moment when someone says something that throws that misinterpreted reading off-balance and the whole truth ends up being brought to light and resolved.  I also like this because it lends itself well to grey-on-grey conflicts; no clear “good vs bad” but instead all sides somewhat sympathetic and somewhat at fault for poor communication.
Character studiesKind of self-explanatory: stories that focus in to put the microscope on a single character’s emotional reactions to, and reasoning behind, specific canon behaviours/ events make me happy.  The more believably close to canon-characterisation the happier this gremlin will be.
U: Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much. 
Fair warning: I tend to read pretty widely, so this has the potential to balloon into a huge list. While I could definitely recommend some of the classic fandom bigs like BNHA’s PitViperofDoom and Laquearia, or DP’s Haiju (all of who deserve it and you should check out if you haven’t), I think I’ll take this chance to ping some writers from older/ wider fandoms:
tactfulGnostalgic’s Into the Spiderverse The Family Brooklyn Series.  Hits a lot of my personal trope favourites (character studies, reveals, believable depictions of grief, actual communication, accepting oneself) and also because oh my gosh that prose.  There’s an almost Markus Zusak-ian quality to their writing at points and the rest is just impeccable and fun.  Also packs some really good snappy dialogue.
skyflower51′s Skyrim storiesI really enjoy the environment design, side-quests and lore of Skyrim, and Skyflower51 does a great job of writing interesting characters to fill the blank-slate player-insert MC position, fleshing out in-game plot-lines and characters with much more nuance and detail by having a specific personality from within that world interact with and push them beyond what the limited RPG writing would allow, as well as exploring the possible identity/responsibility issues that come with being thrust into the role of legendary hero.  If you want a look at what Skyrim could be if written as a fantasy world instead of a videogame backdrop, these will probably scratch the itch.
Blackfriar’s Young Justice storiesOh hey, a fandom I actually write for.  Lovers of fluff will want to tread carefully here, as their stories are frequently rated M for angst and violence with good reason.  That said, if you like white-knuckled suspense, horror and anguish, or seeing Batman, Robin and Kid Flash being trialled by difficult situations both in and out of uniform, these will certainly get you your fix.  They also have some crossovers with Under the Red Hood which may satisfy those disappointed by YJ’s lack of Jason.
Also want to give a quick shout to Daruku Janubu/ DJAnubis, whose art for the TTxDP fic Turning Tables was what first got me into fanfic, and whose own story, Unfair Justice, made me cry.
Thanks for playing!
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dannyphantomisameme · 5 years
Text
Mental: Part 2 (DP Phic)
WARNING: SOME READERS MAY FIND CONTENT DEPRESSING
He was finally alone.
He didn't want to be alone.
He had been alone for 10 years.
He didn't want to be alone.
Danny brought his hands to his hair, tugging the long strands with annoyance. He was home, finally home. But did that mean he felt better?
Yes, he didn't talk much. There was no need for others to know what he experienced there. His hands fell down to his face, rubbing furiously, as if he could wash away all the memories.
It hadn't been a fun experience there. He – he - stop thinking about it Fenton…
Danny stood up and searched around his room. It was the same as he had left it. He walked over to the bathroom, peeling of his clothes as he went. He needed a hot shower. How he longed to feel the warmth against his skin.
He dialed the shower handle towards the red bar. Instantly the burning sensation enveloped his body. He had gotten so used to the cold feeling of himself, but it was nice to feel the heat against his ice-like skin. He stood there for a few moments, lost in the feeling he hadn't felt forever. He began to apply soap over his body, effectively cleaning of the figurative grime he felt shrouding his being.
He took the towel draped across shower curtain and wiped himself dry. His hair dripped over his eyes as he stared at the foggy mirror. He wiped at it, leaving a circle for his head to be seen. He gawked at himself longer than he should have. Who was this person staring back at him…
He wrapped the towel around his lower half and walked back into his room. He opened his closet door and searched through the clothing. Everything was new, tailored to fit him as of now. He grabbed a red hoodie, boxers, and a pair of black jeans. Quickly putting them onto his body he went back to his bed.
He felt cleaner. He felt neater. But he also felt emptier.
Was he really needed? Everyone had moved on, creating their own lives without him. Sure he could find a job and continue his life, but was there a purpose? There is no purpose.
No.
Come on, they don't need you.
No.
They need ME.
No.
His head ached with an oncoming migraine as he sat down at his desk. He placed his elbows on his table and his hands wrapped around his skull. The pain was overcoming him, but he focused on pushing it down. It was no use. The agony bursted within his head as he let out a low groan.
Danny lowered his head onto the desk and sat in silence, closing his eyes and listening to inaudible sounds. He could feel the pull of the portal originating from downstairs, as though it was begging him to return. He couldn't. He couldn't give in. But….
He finally felt the pain slowly dissipate into the back of his mind. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a notebook, writing something he had waited too long to do.
When he finished, he read it over. What is this shit? He crumpled it into a ball and threw it furiously on the desk. He went back into the bathroom but got caught by the mirror.
Danny stared back at the sky-blue orbs that were his eyes. A hint of green flashed behind them. He couldn't now, could he? If he just gave in a little…
No.
Listen to yourself Fenton. He gripped the edge of the sink, knuckles turning white with strength. He could feel his mind starting to swirl as he titled a little to the left. Get a grip Fenton. Freedom won't hurt you. But he couldn't. Goosebumps rose across his skin as if a million spiders had crawled over his body. His nerves pulsed an eerie green underneath his skin. The dizziness overtook him, and he felt himself slipping into what he feared the most.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jazz returned to Dash after tucking Daniel into bed. He had preschool tomorrow, so she wanted him to get much rest as possible. She quickly kissed her husband on the cheek before heading out to check on Danny once more. Her parents had called her to tell that he hadn't come out yet and they thought a psychologist might be the best person to check on him.
She put her key in the ignition and started the car. She played the radio all the while driving to her home. It wasn't too far, about a 20-minute ride. Mouthing the lyrics and she turned the steering wheel, she felt her life had finally clicked into place. Everything was whole again. Once she got there, she placed her keys in her bag and rang the doorbell.
Her father greeted her with a loud shout, almost waking up the entire neighborhood. She shushed him quickly, entering to find her mother in the kitchen. She was washing dishes from dinner. Jazz greeted them both and tiptoed up the stairs. If he was asleep, she didn't want to wake him up.
She reached the top stair, trying to be as quiet as possible. She knocked on the door softly but heard no reply. She twisted the doorknob and propped the door open slightly. Through the slight sliver, she could only see the right side of the room, but no Danny.
Jazz widened the door a bit more and then slammed it shut with a loud bang.
No… I must be imagining.
She exhaled a long breath and mustered up the courage to try again. Opening the door, she screamed. The blood drained from her face and she went pale. Her knees felt weak as though she would fall any second.
Please no.
She ran up to him checking his chest for a pulse.
I just got him back.
She hopped onto the bed to untie the rope around his neck. It wouldn't budge. The tears freely flowed as she ran down the stairs two at a time to grab a knife. She screamed nonsense for her parents to come and help.
Why would he do this?
She returned upstairs faster than her legs could carry her. Her heart was beating 50 miles per minute within her fragile chest. Her dinner threatened to be released from her stomach, but she pushed it down. She jumped back on the bed and sawed the thick rope through.
Maddie and Jack entered the room, and both shouted at the horrifying sight. They ran up to their son, already lost to the darkness. They caught him as Jazz finished cutting the rope and gently placed him onto the bed.
The purple marks circled his neck were evident as he lay limp on the starry comforter. Her parents sobbed, clutching their son's hand as though it would resurrect him. Jazz sat next to her little brother, stock still. The clump of sadness sat in her throat and made her unable to produce any sound.
Jazz didn't want it all to end like this.
Jazz thought this day was going to be good day.
Oh boy, was she wrong.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sam clutched her husband shoulders, tears flowing onto his crisp black suit. He held an umbrella above their heads to prevent getting soaked by the everlasting rain. The ceremony was a large one, almost everyone in the town had come.
Everyone knew Daniel Fenton, although no one entirely knew him. Except them.
Others in the crowd came to pay their respects to the closed coffin as Sam and Tucker stood off to the side. The Fenton couple stood close together on the opposite side, both huddled underneath a single umbrella. The Baxter family stood right next to them, Jazz hanging her head down and embracing her son.
Danny didn't need to do this. He had so much going for him.
There was no evidence as to why he committed suicide, other than being stuck in a mental institute for 10 years. Everyone believed he may have driven himself crazy.
Did he ever show any symptoms? Could they have prevented all of this?
Danny was only silent. What information could they gain from that?
Sam didn't want to think about it. Although she didn't know the man who died, they knew the teenager who they'd grown accustomed to. And to think he was gone…
No…
Tucker squeezed her hand in comfort as he wiped his tears with his other hand while Sam picked up the umbrella.
"Hey, mind if I interrupt?"
Everyone looked at up at the voice, but no one could recognize who it belonged to. A figure stood by a tree a few feet away from the coffin, back leaning against the thick trunk. He wore a red hoodie with black jeans and matching red converse, everything soaked through by the rain. The hood was propped over his head, so he was undistinguishable to the crowd.
The figure lifted his head towards Sam and she gasped. A blue gleam hidden inside the hood could barely be seen by anyone. He walked closer, now only a foot away from the about-to-be-buried coffin. He slowly lowered down his hood and the entire crowd went silent. There stood a smirking Daniel Fenton, exactly as he was before he died.
"Miss me?" he grinned as he raised his arms in a warm gesture. His posture was confident, and his demeanor was cocky.
"D-Danny… how?" Maddie stuttered out of the quiet and Danny replied with maniacal laughter.
"You didn't really think it was me, did you? I'm not here to explain that though. I'm here to ask why all of you didn't listen to me? This could have all been prevented if you had listened to what I said." he scanned the crowd, smirking at the terrified faces that glared back at him.
"What do you mean we didn't listen?" Jack blurted out loud. Danny's head jerked rapidly in the direction of his father at an awkward angle.
"What do you mean? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Danny's hands were furiously rubbing through his damp hair as his voice increased with anger. "Did you think it was just a coincidence that Danny Phantom disappeared at the same time Daniel Fenton was gone?"
"W-what are you trying to say Danny?" Maddie stuttered unable to comprehend.
"FOOLS. ALL OF YOU. You still don't understand when I've laid it all out for you. You're all oblivious…"
He began to float up in the air, his eyes crackling with red electricity. A flash of bright light sprung out from his chest and encircled his body. Suddenly, it burst, leaving a figure only 2 people recognized from long ago.
Dan Phantom levitated before the crowd. His aura radiated, giving his shape a green tint overall. His cape flew loosely behind him in the imaginary wind. His fiery hair floated aimlessly above his head as he held a smug expression across his face. Black and white hazmat suit clung to his muscular body displaying a familiar DP logo.
"Phantom?! Danny… you're Phantom?" Maddie shrieked over the silence of the crowd. Dan slowly levitated towards his mother, extending his arm out. His finger touched her face as she visibly flinched; he began tracing his finger down her cheek.
"Awe poor Maddie. You only figured it out now, but you're too late." He dropped his hand and swiveled towards Jazz, his fangs shining within his toothy smile. His feet crunched through the gravel of the ground, mud clinging onto his silver boots due to the rain.
"Jasmine, do you remember me?" his voice deep with admiration. Jazz clutched onto her son tighter, her eyebrows knitted with maternal care. She opened her mouth to speak, but he shushed her.
He strutted towards the gravestone, his hand slinking across the cold marble surface. All eyes were on him, unmoving and unblinking. "You know, Danny was gone a long time ago." He said staring at the words written on the gravestone. "He really did try his best."
"What do you mean ghost? You're not our son!" Jack's voice boomed throughout the gloomy scenery. Dan swiveled rapidly, his head cocked at an awkward angle.
"Oh but I am your son. I've been you're son all along. You just were too oblivious to understand." His burning red eyes scanned the crowd as some flinched at his glare. "I'm not phantom you know. Phantom's been long gone. I'm not Danny either. But the pain was just enough to bring me back."
He levitated up and perched himself on the gravestone. He straightened his back and raised his hands up, green fiery ectoplasm empowering him. "Call me Dan. And I'm about to make your life a living hell…"
His voice trailed off as he vanished, green smoke rising from the tombstone. A maniacal laughter enveloped the helpless citizens. A crumpled sheet of paper floated down from the bare tree, landing at Jazz's feet.
She picked it up and stared at it, recognizable handwriting scrawled throughout the paper.
If only they had listened.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
THE END...
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moku-youbi · 7 years
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Spideypool Rec List
. So, I know it can be hard in some fandoms to find quality fics, but I gotta tell you, I feel super lucky with this one, because almost everything I’ve read is just excellent. It’s really hard to narrow it down, because I’ve read literally dozens and dozens of Spideypool fics that I love, so this list is by no means exhaustive, but I’ll try to include all my favourites! Oh, and these are all completed fics. There are some good WIPs out there, but I tend to wait until they’re finished before really getting into them.
* took no time with the fall by cherryvanilla  A 5 times +1 fic with Peter running into Deadpool on the job after being warned about him by the Avengers. This was such a cute, terrifically in character fic, just a fun ride from start to finish as Peter realises that despite what the Avengers say, and despite their differences, he and Wade are sort of perfect for each other. And be sure you follow up with the deliciously, unrepentantly porny sequel:  now you're in my way
* BF(F) by Carol989 Another 5 times +1 fic (those are sort of popular in this fandom) with the 5 times people thought Peter and Wade were dating, but they were totally just doing friend things, including friendly victory kissing and it is fucking ridiculous and adorable how clueless Peter is. 
*But Today My Heart Swings by bankrobbery Holy shit, this is so, so, so hot. I’m in love. Peter probably shouldn’t be teaming up with *Deadpool* of all people, particularly where sex pollen is involved. Oh my god, their voices are absolute perfection (this author has RR’s Deadpool down to a fucking T, and Holland’s adorably out of his depths Peter Parker). They are sexy as hell, but fair warning that even though it’s complete, it will leave you hanging and wanting for more. But it’s worth it.
*you grow up and you lose touch by scarlett_starlett  9 year old Miles Morales from another universe is stranded in Peter’s, and Tony thinks Peter is the best person to raise him and train him to be Spider-Man. I gotta tell you, I wasn’t sure about the premise of this one, but I ended up loving it, and being sad when it’s over. The dynamic between Wade and Peter is just about perfection (even if the development of their physical relationship feels a little unrealistically slow), and the two of them with Miles make such a beautiful, happy family, each helping to heal different broken parts in the other other.
*are you sure you wanna' love me? by scarlett_starlett Deadpool shows up at Stark Tower during business hours and Peter can’t get over how Wade just *ignores* him. Maybe Wade’s only into Spider-Man? This fic is great for me because so often fics stress Deadpool’s insecurity or disbelief that Peter could want him, but sort of forget that Peter is a nerd who’s been bullied and maybe has a lot of his own insecurities, too. Also, it’s adorable :D
*Peter Parker's Home for the Wayward Villain by BeanieBaby  This is another one of those premises I was pretty uncertain about, with Peter the adopted son of Tony Stark and therefore powerless, but it turned out amazing? Like, he’s still Peter, but struggling with the fact that he’s the only normal, non-powered person growing up surrounded by the Avengers and the Fantastic Four and X-Men, struggling to find himself and ending up buying a rundown far and accidentally becoming a halfway house for the likes of Bucky, Loki, Wade, and more. And somehow even though there’s some crackiness, it manages to do the characters real justice, as they work towards a place of reconciliation with the people they’ve hurt. The Spideypool is on the side, but sweet and satisfying (and there’s some adorable background Bucky/Steve and other ships). It’s all about found family and finding who you are, and managed to even satisfy the part of me that was a bit upset over no-power Peter in a way that’s sort of ingenious. Just. Go read it. Very long, very worth it.
* Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words by iamtheyellowbox Cute little one-off where someone snaps a picture of Deadpool making out with Peter...and everyone mistakes DP for SM and wonders who he’s kissing, churning out a lot of speculation to make them both stupidly jealous. Underaged Peter is implied.
Alright, as much as I’m all about the hot, smutty porn these two can get up to, I gotta say, this fandom has some quality slow burn long fics full of UST and identity reveals, and declarations of love that leave you clutching your chest. Here are some of my favourites:
*Damage by dontcareajot
*you are the space in my bed by sleeponrooftops (and all its sequels, one of the best out there, it’s just glorious and heart-breaky and then heart-fixy and just UGH wonderful)
*Said the Fly to the Spider by BC_Brynn
*buddy you're a boy make a big noise by spiekiel  (and its sequel)
*Mistakes by WebbedUpKatanas
And now about that scorching hot porn I mentioned...with a lot of somnophilia because, um. Deadpool is involved. Fair warning to check the warnings and tags on these, just in case. There are some that have dub-con because Wade and boundaries, you know.
*Monday Morning Massages by TheMadKatter13
*Because of Unlocked Windows by MarbleAide
*Hand Made Alarms by ArraFrost
Aaaaand, okay, this rec list is getting way out of control. so I’m going to stop myself now. But I will probably rec some more later, because as mentioned, this fandom has too many awesome fics :D
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cathygeha · 4 years
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REVIEW
An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham
Heart of a Hero #2
Eagerly anticipated and well worth waiting for! The second book in this series takes on a new set of characters living in a new town but continues to deal with life issues of military veterans and the people that are in their lives. In some ways it is the story of dreams and goals that were held dear for years and yet something happened in life to derail, detour or destroy the dream from appearing as reality. Greer had dreams of being a hit in the music business, Emmett dreamed of adding to the family military legacy in a big way, Ally and her mother dreamed of a family life with father and husband and yet...those expectations were not to be. And yet...when things don’t go as expected there is always the opportunity to do one of two things...wallow or move on and make the best of it. I really enjoyed this book!
What I liked:
* Greer: banged up and bruised and wallowing a bit she is given a job to do and in doing community service impacts Ally and Emmett in ways that improved her life, too. I liked the way she interacted with Emmett and with Ally...she is a person I wouldn’t mind having as a friend.
* Emett: withdrawn and nursing his wounds he is hermit-ting and wallowing until Greer shows up and begins to draw him out. When he started to emerge I really REALLY began to like him.
* Ally: an old soul that had more on her plate than a fifteen year old should have to deal with. She was tough with a soft center – was rooting for hermit-i
* The parents of Emmett and Greer – they were a soft place to land for their children even though their children might not have always realized it. It did take a bit to warm up to Emmett’s father but all’s well that ends well.
* The military persons from old and current wars that made appearances
* Eddie the horse and Bonnie the cat
* The big reveal...and how it impacted more than one
* Even the sad bits were heartwarming and gave a positive vibe for the future
* The “realness” of the story
What I didn’t like:
* The fact that sometimes people, for whatever reason, opt to escape and in doing so harm not only themselves but others...but...that is life. If those people are lucky they will have people come into their lives that can help them do a U-Turn.
I can’t wait for book three…
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Griffin for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
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SYNOPSIS
Laura Trentham, the author of The Military Wife, is back with an emotionally charged novel about redemption and second chances. In the vein of Josie Silver’s One Day in December, AN EVERYDAY HERO (St. Martin’s Griffin, February 4, 2020, $16.99), explores the challenges of a relationship and ultimately discovering that love…and joy is worth fighting for.  
At thirty, Greer Hadley never expected to be forced home to Madison, Tennessee with her life and dreams of being a songwriter up in flames. To make matters worse, a series of bad decisions and even crappier luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. Greer cannot fathom how she’s supposed to use music to help anyone deal with their trauma and loss when the one thing that brought her joy has failed her.
Then there's Emmett Lawson, the golden boy who followed his family’s legacy. Greer shows up one day with his old guitar, and meets Emmett’s rage head on with her stubbornness. A dire situation pushes these two into a team to save a young teenager, but maybe they will save themselves too. . .
BUY LINKS
Macmillan: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250145550
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250145554?tag=macmillan-20
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-everyday-hero-laura-trentham/1131936712;jsessionid=B7619745B109010F501CA5500AB3BAF3.prodny_store02-atgap02?ean=9781250145550#/
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250145550?AID=42121&PID=7992675&cjevent=1101dd10476711ea83cc00ae0a240614
Indie Bound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250145550?aff=macmillan
Powell’s: https://www.powells.com/book/an-everyday-hero-9781250145550?partnerid=33241
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EXCERPT
Chapter 1
“Disorderly conduct. Public intoxication. Resisting arrest.” Judge Duckett put down the paper, linked his hands, and stared over his reading glasses from his perch behind the bench with a combination of exasperation and fatherly disapproval.
Greer Hadley shifted in her sensible heels and smoothed the skirt of the light pink suit she’d borrowed from her mama for the occasion. “I’ll give you the first two, Uncle Bill—” The judge cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me—Judge Duckett—but I did not resist arrest.”
“That you recall.” Deputy Wayne Peeler drawled the words out in the most sarcastic, unprofessional manner possible.
She fisted her hands and took a deep breath. The impulse to punch Wayne in the face simmered below the surface like a volcano no longer at rest. But ten o’clock on a Monday morning during her arraignment was not the smartest time to lose her temper, and she’d promised herself not to add to her string of bad decisions.
She sweetened her voice and bared her teeth at Wayne in the facsimile of a smile. “I recall plenty, thank you very much.”
Truth was she didn’t recall the minute details, but the shock of Wayne’s whispered offer on Saturday night to make her troubles go away for a price had done more to sober her up than the couple of hours spent in lockup waiting for her parents.
Dressed in his tan uniform, Wayne adjusted his heavy gun belt so often she imagined he got off every night by rubbing his gun. Giving him a badge had only empowered the part of him desperate for respect and approval. His nickname in high school, “the Weasel,” had been well earned.
Unfortunately, she was the unreliable narrator of her life at the moment and no one would trust her recollections. Judge Duckett, her uncle Bill by marriage until he and her aunt Tonya had divorced, rustled papers from his desk.
The ethics of her former uncle acting as her judge were questionable, especially considering they had remained close even after he’d remarried, but if nepotism is what it took to make this nightmare go away, then she wouldn’t be the one to lodge a complaint.
“A witness claimed you were sitting quietly at the end of the bar until a song played on the jukebox. What was the song?” Her uncle glanced at her over his glasses again, which made him look like a stern teacher.
“‘Before He Cheats’ by Carrie Underwood.” She forced her chin up.
His mouth opened, closed, and he dropped his gaze back to the paper. A murmur broke out behind her.
She would not cry. She wouldn’t. She blinked like her life depended on a tear not falling. Later, in the privacy of her childhood bedroom, she would bury her face in the eyelet-covered pillow and let loose.
Beau Williams, her cheating ex-boyfriend, was only partially to blame for her embarrassing behavior. It was a confluence of setbacks that had had her holding down the end of the bar. Hearing Carrie’s revenge anthem had hit a nerve exposed by the shots of Jack. Rage had quickened the effects of the alcohol, and that’s when things got fuzzy.
“Yes, well. That is a rather … Let’s move on, shall we? The witness also claims after a heartfelt, albeit slurred speech about the vagaries of relationships and how the moral fiber of the Junior League of Madison was frayed, you fed five dollars into the jukebox and played the same song for over an hour. ‘Crazy’ by Patsy Cline, was it?”
Ugh. She didn’t recall how much money she’d fed the machine, but it sounded like something she would do. “Crazy” was one of her favorite songs. A master class in conveying emotion through simple lyrics. She was just sorry she’d wasted five dollars on Beau. He didn’t deserve her money, her heart, or Patsy.
“No one can fault my taste in the classics.” Greer tried a smile, but her lips quivered and she pressed them together.
Her uncle continued to read from the witness statement, “You proceeded to throw two glasses on the floor, shattering them, and attempted to break a chair across the jukebox.”
She swallowed hard. A vague picture of a frustratingly sturdy chair surfaced. The fact the chair remained intact while she was falling apart had sent her anger soaring higher and hotter. A glance from her uncle Bill over the paper had her giving him a nod. She couldn’t deny it.
He continued, “A patron called 911. When Deputy Peeler arrived, he pulled you away from the jukebox and forced you outside. That’s where, he claims, you kicked him … well, you know where.”
“Wayne dragged me down the stairs—”
“Deputy Peeler, if you please.” Wayne sniffed loudly.
“As Deputy Peeler escorted me down the stairs, I lost my balance and fell. The heel of my shoe jabbed into his crotch. Sorry.” Greer didn’t make an attempt to mask her not-sorry voice with fake respect.
If she accused Wayne of misbehavior on the job, he would deny it and spin it somehow to make her look even more irresponsible. Lord knows, she’d embarrassed her parents enough for a lifetime. Anyway, seeing him rolling on the ground and cupping his crotch had been sweet payback.
“I sustained an injury where that spike you call a heel caught me.” Wayne half turned toward her.
Instead of playing it smart and soothing his delicate male ego, she batted her eyes at him. “I’m sure that’s left the ladies of Madison real upset.”
Wayne took a step toward her. “You are such a—”
The gavel knocked against the bench and her uncle stood, looming over them. “I’ve heard enough, Deputy. Sit down.”
Wayne turned on his heel and left Greer to face her uncle Bill. This was where she would promise such a thing would never happen again, and he would give her a stern warning before dismissing all charges.
“I’m striking the resisting arrest charge. It was an accident.”
Greer forced herself not to look over her shoulder and stick her tongue out at Wayne. That left only two misdemeanors, which her uncle could expunge with a swipe of his pen.
He settled behind the bench and picked up his pen, his gaze on the papers. “You will pay for any damages.”
“I’ve already reimbursed Becky.” Technically, she’d had to use her parents’ money, considering she’d crawled home from Nashville broke. “And apologized profusely. You can be assured there will not be a repeat performance. I’ve learned my lesson.”
“Good. As for the other charges…”
Her deep breath cleansed a portion of the tension across her shoulders, and a smile born of relief appeared.
“You will perform fifty hours of community service.”
Her smile froze on her face. It sounded like a lot, but she’d been stupid and immature and deserved punishment. “I understand. Clean roads are important.”
“Litter pickup? Goodness no.” He took his glasses off and smiled at her for the first time, but it wasn’t the jolly-uncle smile she was familiar with. “You have talents that would be wasted on the side of the road picking up trash, Ms. Hadley. You will spend your fifty hours working at the Music Tree Foundation.”
“I’m not familiar with it.” She swallowed. The mention of music set her stomach roiling. “Highway 45 was in terrible shape on my drive in last week.”
“The foundation is a nonprofit music program that focuses on helping military veterans and their families cope with the trauma they’ve endured serving our country. They’re in need of volunteer songwriters and musicians.”
“I can’t write or play anymore.” Her dream of hearing one of her songs on the radio had died. Not in a blaze of glory but from a slow, torturous starvation of hope. At thirty, she was resigned to finding a real job and cobbling together a normal life in the place she’d tried to leave behind.
“My decision is final. As far as I can determine, your brain—despite this lapse in judgment—is in fine working order. You can and will help these men and women heal through your gift of music. Unless you’d rather spend thirty days in county lockup?”
Would her uncle actually throw her in jail? For a month? “No, Your Honor, I don’t want to go to county lockup.”
“Good. Once you turn in your log with all your hours signed off by the foundation’s manager, your record with this court will be cleared.” He handed her file to a clerk. “Case closed. Next up is docket number fourteen.”
She stood there until he met her gaze with his unflinching one. “Go home, Greer.”
Her parents were waiting at the door to the courtroom. While they’d faced the horror of having to bail their only child out of jail stoically, her mother’s embarrassment and disappointment were ripe and all-encompassing. Greer wilted and trailed her parents out of the courthouse.
She felt like a child. An incompetent, needy child living in her old bedroom and dependent on her parents for emotional and financial support. She thought she’d hit rock bottom many times over the years, but her situation now had revealed new lows.
The silence in the car built into a painful crescendo.
“The tiger lilies are lovely this year, don’t you think?” Her mother’s attempt at normalcy was strained but welcome.
Her father’s hands squeaked along the steering wheel as an answer.
Greer huddled in the backseat and stared out the window, the clumps of flowers on the side of the road an orange blur. As a teenager, she’d chafed at her parents’ protectiveness and had wanted nothing more than to escape to Nashville, where she’d been convinced glory and fame awaited. Now she was home and a disappointment not only to her parents but to herself. Even worse, she hadn’t come up with a plan to turn her life around.
“Ira Jenkins is back in the hospital. I thought I’d run by and check on him. Since Sarah passed, he seems a shell of the man he once was.” Her mother turned to face the backseat. “Would you like to come with me? I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.”
“He won’t remember me, Mama.”
“I’m sure he will.”
Greer scrunched farther down in the seat. The last thing she wanted was to make small talk with a man she hadn’t seen in years.
“You’ll have to get out eventually and face the music.” Her mother’s smile wavered and threatened to turn into tears. “So to speak.”
Her mother was trying, which was more than could be said for Greer at the moment. Her parents deserved a better daughter. Someone successful they could brag on at the Wednesday-night potlucks at church. Not a daughter they had to bail out of jail.
“I will. I promise. Just not to see Mr. Jenkins.” Greer leaned forward and squeezed her mother’s hand over the seat, needing to give her something to hope for even if Greer wasn’t sure what that might be.
Her father cleared his throat. “You need to think about the future.”
He ignored her mother’s whispered, “Not now, Frank.”
“A job. Or back to school. We’ll put you through nursing or accounting or something useful.” He shifted to meet her gaze in the rearview mirror. “But you can’t keep on like you’re doing. You need a purpose.”
“I’ll start looking for a job tomorrow.” School had never been her wheelhouse. She’d been sure she’d make it in Nashville and had never formulated a backup plan.
They pulled up to her childhood home, a two-story brick Colonial on the main street of Madison, Tennessee. Oaks had been planted down a middle island like a line of soldiers at attention. They had grown to shade both sides of the street. It was picturesque and cast the imagination back to a time when ladies lounged on porches with their iced tea and gossiped with their neighbors to escape the heat of summer. Air-conditioning had altered that way of life.
At one time, as a kid, she’d known every family up and down the street well enough to knock on their door for help or run through their backyard in epic games of tag. Now, though, the houses were being bought up by people who used Madison to escape the bustle of an expanding Nashville. They built pools in the backyards and fences and weren’t outside except to walk their trendy dogs.
The march of progress through Madison added to her melancholy sadness. There was a reason not being able to go home again was a recurring theme in books and songs.
“We love you, Greer. You know that, don’t you?” Her mother’s voice was tight with emotion, but she didn’t turn around, thank goodness.
Her mother never cried and if Greer witnessed tears, she would burst into sobs herself and embarrass everyone.
“I know. Thanks for everything. I’m going to do better. Be better.” It seemed a wholly inadequate promise she wasn’t even sure she could keep, but it was all she could manage. She ducked out of the car and skipped around to a side door of the house that was always unlocked.
Her room was both a haven and a mocking reminder of the state of her life. Posters of album covers papered the wall behind her bed, the colors faded from the sun and the edges curling with age.
In high school, she’d gravitated toward indie folk artists and away from the commercially driven country-music machine located a few miles south. Joan Baez was flanked by Patty Griffin and Dolly Parton. Even though Dolly veered more country than Greer, no one could deny the legend’s songwriting chops. The guitar Greer had hocked for rent money had borne Dolly’s signature like a talisman. Sometimes Greer ached for her guitar like a missing limb.
The flashing glimpse of a woman in a pale pink suit stopped her in the middle of the floor. She turned to face the full-length mirror glued to the back of the closet door. God, it was like glimpsing her mom through a time warp.
Greer touched the delicate pearls that had been passed down to her on her eighteenth birthday. They were old-fashioned and traditional and stereotypical of a Southern “good girl.” Not her style. She’d left them in her dresser drawer when she’d left home the day after high school graduation.
A tug of recognition of the women who had come before her had her clutching the strand in her hand as if something lost were now found. Was it her circumstances or her age growing her nostalgia like a tree setting roots?
She turned around to break the connection with the stranger in the mirror, stripped off the pink suit, and pulled on jeans and a cotton oxford. Her mother would appreciate seeing her in something besides the frayed shorts and grungy concert T-shirts she’d lounged around in the last week. She reached behind her neck for the clasp of the necklace, but her hands stilled, then dropped to her sides, leaving the pearls in place.
She stepped out of her room and was enveloped in silence. Her father had returned to his insurance office and her mother must have set off for her hospital visit. The house took on an expectant quality, as if waiting for its true owners to return. She was no longer a fundamental part of this world. Not unwelcome, perhaps, but a loose cog in her parents’ lives.
She tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen and made herself a ham sandwich. May was too early for fresh tomatoes, but in another month or two her mother’s garden would make tomato sandwiches an everyday treat.
Craving an escape, Greer grabbed a book and settled in her favorite window seat. The rest of the afternoon passed in the same expectant silence. The chime of the doorbell made her start and drop her book. If she pretended no one was home, maybe whoever was on the front porch would go away. The last thing she wanted was to face one of Madison’s gossips masquerading as a do-gooder.
The creak of the door opening had her bolting to her feet.
“Greer? I know you’re home. Are you decent?” Her uncle Bill’s booming voice echoed in the two-story foyer.
She propped her shoulder in the doorway of the sunroom. “Letting yourself in people’s houses is a good way of getting shot around here.”
“While your mama would have liked to have shot me during the divorce with her sister, I hope we’ve made our peace.” He closed the door behind him and Greer did what she’d wanted to do in the courtroom—she threw herself at him for a hug.
He lifted her off her feet and spun her once around. Her laugh hit her ears like a foreign language. It had been too long since she’d laughed from a place of happiness.
“You could have just come out to the house. You didn’t have to get arrested to see me.” Bill let her go, and she led him into the sunroom.
“Do you want something to drink?” Greer asked, already turning for the kitchen and the fresh brewed pitcher of sweet iced tea.
“No, thanks. Mary has fried chicken ready to go in the pan, so I can’t stay long.”
Bill had divorced her aunt Tonya more than a decade earlier and married the choir director of the biggest black church in town. A scandal had ensued not because he’d married a black woman, but because he, a long-standing deacon in the Church of Christ, had converted to a heathen Methodist.
“How is Mary?”
“Always singing.” He shook his head, an indulgent smile on his face, as they settled into their seats.
His comment sprinkled salt on an open wound. She’d begged off going to church with her parents because of the questions she was sure to face and the hymns she couldn’t bring herself to sing. Some of her earlier happiness at seeing him leaked out. “Good for her.”
“I came to make sure you weren’t mad at me.”
“Why would I be mad?”
“I got the impression you expected me to dismiss the charges.” His smile turned into a wince.
“I wouldn’t have been upset if you had, but I get it. I was an idiot and deserve punishment.” She picked at the fringe on a decades-old needlepoint pillow and cast him a pleading glance. “I’d rather pick up trash, though, if it’s all the same to you.”
“It’s not the same to me.” He crossed his long legs and tapped a finger on the cherry armrest of the antique chair that looked ready to surrender at any moment to his bulk. “Do you remember Amelia Shelton?”
“Mary’s daughter? She was a couple of years ahead of me in school. We didn’t hang out or anything, but she seemed nice.” Greer couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Amelia. Greer’s side of the family had skipped Bill and Mary’s small wedding ceremony; the acrimony between him and her aunt Tonya hadn’t faded at that point.
“Amelia is the founder and director of the Music Tree Foundation and is desperate for qualified volunteers. You’ve been playing and singing and writing music since you were knee high. It was meant to be.”
“It’s not meant to be. I’ve got to get a real job.”
Her uncle made a scoffing sound. “You’re too much like my Mary. You could never leave music behind.”
“Music dumped me on the side of the road, gave me the finger, and peeled out.” Greer shook her head and touched the string of pearls, her gaze on his polished black dress shoes. “I’m a mess, Uncle Bill. I have nothing to offer. In fact, I’ll probably make things worse for whatever poor soul I get paired with.”
She expected him to argue, but he seemed to be weighing the truth in her words like the scales of justice. His shrug wasn’t in the least reassuring. “Amelia has done something really special with her foundation. It might do you a world of good to focus on someone besides yourself.”
“Dang, that’s harsh.”
He patted her knee. “I’ve seen all kinds come through my courtroom. The ones who turn it around are the ones who quit feeling sorry for themselves.”
“But—”
“But nothing. Beau is an asshole. Not the first or the last you’re likely to encounter. Don’t you deserve better than him?”
“Yes?” She wished she’d been able to put more conviction into the word.
Beau was successful, nice-looking—even though a bald spot was conquering his hair day by day—and respected in their town. They’d known each other since high school, but had only started dating in the last year.
He was solid and steady and comfortable. Three things lacking from her life. Catching him cheating with the president of the Junior League had been another seismic shift in her world, leaving her unsure and off balance.
“If you can’t believe in yourself yet, then believe me. You are talented, Greer, and you have the ability to help people find their voice.” He slipped a card out of his wallet. When she didn’t reach for it, he waved it in her face until she took it.
A tree styled with musical symbols of all different colors decorated one side of the card. She ran her thumb over the raised black ink of Amelia’s name and an address on the outskirts of Nashville. “I don’t have much choice, do I?”
“Not if you want to stay in my—and the court’s—good graces. She’s expecting you tomorrow at three.”
“No rest for the wicked, huh?” Her smile was born of sarcasm.
Bill rose and ruffled her hair like he had when she was little. “Not wicked. Lost.”
Greer walked him out, brushed a kiss on his cheek, and murmured her thanks. She leaned on the porch rail and waved until he disappeared down the street.
I once was lost, and now I’m found. She’d sung “Amazing Grace” so many times that the lyrics had ceased to have an impact. But, standing on her childhood front porch, having come full circle, a shiver went down her spine, and goose bumps broke over her arms despite the heat that wavered over the pavement like a mirage. Her granny would have said that someone had walked over her grave. Maybe so. Or maybe change was a-coming whether she wanted to face up to it or not.
Copyright © 2020 by Laura Trentham
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AUTHOR BIO
Laura Trentham is an award winning romance author. The Military Wife is her debut women’s fiction novel. A chemical engineer by training and a lover of books by nature, she lives in South Carolina.
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