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sxxythingz · 1 year

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Something to Prove

Lo’ak Sully (21) x human female reader (22)

Taglist: @pandorxxx my girl once again helped me make sure that this came out perfect and just ahhhh!! I couldn’t be more thankful to her 😭💖

Warnings: smut, cursing, squirting, aged up characters, creampie, choking, p in v

Summary: You and Lo’ak have a close “friendship”, always spending lots of time with each other. One day while in your hut that you had built for you close to the lab, he peaks into your bag finding something that he wasn’t meant to find which triggers an experimental side of him.

WC: 2.6K

🛑MDNI🛑

You were one of the scientists working alongside the government who was lucky enough to get picked to travel to Pandora. The experience has been amazing, you never knew another planet could hold such beautiful scenery, far more amazing than earth. You’ve been on Pandora for almost a year and in your time here, you’ve managed to accumulate friendships with the omatikayan people, but there’s been one person that you have managed to create more than just a friendship with.

“Come on Lo’ak, no more silly faces, this is the last picture that I’m going to take.” You extend your arm out for the last time, holding your phone horizontally as Lo’ak sits beside you giving a toothless smile for you guys’ final picture. “That’s better.” You say as you look back at all of the photos that you guys have taken together in the last hour. “How do you even work one of those things? What is it made for?” He asks you as his eyes stay plastered to the screen, trying to figure out how you manage to work it so fast.

“It’s kind of similar to the throat microphone that you guys use, but not really. We can call each other on it, listen to music, play games, text, take pictures like we just did, and record videos.” He nods his head as he carefully listens to you describe how to use a phone. “Can I hold it?” He asks you as he holds his large hand out and you place it in his hand as your answer. “It’s so small in my hand compared to yours.” He says as he inspects the phone, turning it around to see the backside. “That’s what she said.” You smirk, letting a small chuckle out at your joke. “That’s definitely not what you say to me.” He smirks back at you and you roll your eyes at his remark, knowing exactly what he’s referring to.

You and Lo’ak started out as friends, you could even go as far as saying that you became so close so fast that you considered him your best friend at the start of all this. Over these past few months, things changed quickly as your attraction for each other grew like wildfire. Your relationship wasn’t an actual relationship, but it wasn’t a friendship either. Lo’ak didn’t know the term for it, but you did. Your friend with benefits is what you considered him to be. He has been begging to become more than that every since you guys’ first time, he knew right then that he didn’t want anyone else having the experiences that he has with you, but you never accepted his offer knowing that one day you would have to leave Pandora and it would just hurt both of you in the end.

“Shut up! You are so cocky and I can’t stand it.” You laugh, lying flat out on your bed that you have near the lab. “That’s one thing that you love about me and you know it.” He responds back and you shake your head as a response. “Do you mind putting my phone on the charger over there? It’s about to die and I suddenly caught a cramp in my leg, I don’t think I can make it over there.” You whimper jokingly, lying to get him to do it for you, simply because you’re feeling lazy and you know he’ll do whatever you ask him to. “Cramp my ass. You just don’t feel like moving, Y/n. You are so lazy.” He chuckles before standing up to walk over to the table and put your phone on charge for you. You stare at the ceiling of your cot, waiting for Lo’ak to come sit back down beside you before you realize he’s been standing in that one spot for too long which makes you jot your eyes up to see what he’s up to. “What’s taking you so long, asshole?” You ask as you sit up and watch him slowly turn around to face you with something in his hand.

“What the fuck is this?” He asks you, a pair of thongs dangling from his long slender fingers. Your eyes widen in embarrassment “Oh my gosh! Lo’ak, put those down!” You yell out as you quickly run over to him and snatch them out of his hand, placing them back into your bag quickly. “Those are a type of panties called thongs. And why were you even snooping through my bag?” You hit him in his chest as you watch a devious smile spread on his face. “How come I’ve never seen you in these, huh? That’s not fair, I want to see them on you now.” He demands as he crosses his arms over his chest, staring down at you. “What? No, I am not putting those on just for your amusement, sir!” You say as you walk back to your bed. “Oh come on. I’ve never seen them before and I bet you look fucking amazing with these on. Just this one time please.” He begs with puppy dog eyes, and you give a low sigh. “You’re not going to stop until I put them on are you?” You ask and he smirks while he shakes his head.

You roll your eyes and stand back up, reaching underneath your dress to slip your panties off, but making sure that it doesn't rise up enough for him to see anything. Your panties fall to your feet and you kick them to the side, slipping the thong on and looking back to Lo’ak. “Happy now?” You ask him as you watch him come closer. “Turn around.” He demands as he twirls his finger in circles with his words. You turn around to face your bed and you feel his strong hands land on the bottom of your thighs, slowly moving upwards as he lifts the dress up with his every movement. His hands completely lift the bottom of your dress up, revealing the thong and you hear him groan behind you. “Your ass already looks great with nothing on, but this just made it 10x better.” You feel his hands firmly grip your ass, a moan leaving your lips already. “Take this off.” He says, speaking more so to himself as he takes your dress off the rest of the way, throwing it on the ground next to your panties.

“Wait. I’ve got an idea.” He says as you feel his hands completely leave your body and you watch him walk over to your phone, taking it off of the charger. “What are you doing?” You ask him as he walks back over to you, flipping you back around to face the bed. He puts your passcode in and finds the camera app, looking for the record button. “Bend over.” He commands as he places his hand in the middle of your back and pushes you into the bed so your ass is facing up. He presses the record button, pulling you back with one hand by your waist so you are pressed against his pelvis. You grind yourself against his hard dick that strains against his loincloth as he groans, knowing that if you keep this up he won’t be able to contain himself any longer.

“You love to fucking tease me, don’t you?” He chuckles, sending a hard smack to your plush ass. You hum in satisfaction, smirking at the situation you had just put yourself in, knowing that he hates being teased and played with. “Maybe I do.” You giggle at the thought of messing with him. “Keep on, baby. I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t walk straight if you don’t stop right now.” He threatens you with a good time as he gives you a hard smack to your ass again, making you flinch. You pull your ass back up and throw it back hard as you hear him moan loudly, sharply inhaling after.

“That’s it.” He growls, stopping the recording and tossing the phone on the bed, quickly pulling his loincloth off of him and letting it fall on the ground. “I want to fuck you with your thong still on.” He says as he slides them to the side, needing no lubrication as you’re already soaking wet just from teasing him. “No foreplay today, yawne. I need to be inside of you right now.” He slides his pulsating dick up and down your wet folds before he slams into you, making you scream out in a mix of pain and pleasure.

His strokes are already fast and hard, holding you by your waist as he continuously slams into your cervix. “Lo’ak… I can’t t-take it.” You stutter out, not being able to speak properly from his hard thrusts. You reach your hand behind you, placing it on his torso in a weak attempt to slow him down, but he grips your arm in his warm hand and holds it there. “Yes you can, baby. You can take my dick. don’t push me away, you know it won’t work.” He moans, watching your ass ripple again this pelvis. He picks the phone back up, once again pressing record to catch you in your weakest moment. Weak under his touch, him not even giving you one minute to catch your breath while he fucks you senseless. “Fuck Lo… I-I’m going to c-cum.” you moan out as your eyes begin rolling to the back of your head so hard that you’re afraid they might get stuck there.

You feel him abruptly stop all movement and pull himself out of you with a popping noise, causing you to groan in frustration and look back at him. “No you’re not. You’re not cumming until I fucking tell you to.” He demands. He stops recording and picks you up, making you wrap your legs around his waist. He walks over to your table and knocks everything off of it in one swipe before placing you on it. “You don’t need these anymore, baby. I want to watch this dick slide in and out of this pretty pussy until you fucking cum.” He whispers In your ear before leaving a small peck. Your pussy grips onto nothing as you moan at his words. You lift your hips up and he immediately grabbed the thong, sliding it down your legs slowly as he maintained sensual eye contact with you. Without a second to spare, he grabs his cock, sliding back into you nice and slow, throwing his head back and moaning as he bottoms out. “I love the way you wrap around me like this pussy was made just for me, and me only.” He pants out as he picks his pace back up to go just as fast as he did when he had you bent over the bed.

“It’s yours baby. It was made just for you and I only want to feel you inside me. N-No one-fuck!- no one else.” You whimper, and he smirks before shooting his hand up to your neck, placing a firm hold on it and bringing you forward to kiss him. The kiss is hungry, as if you guys had been starved of each other for weeks. You automatically open your mouth for him to slip his tongue inside, making you moan into the kiss. He breaks the kiss before bringing the phone back up, this time it’s directly in your face. “Is this what you wanted? Hm? You tease me so you can be fucked like the little slut that you are.” His thumb brushes over your soft lips, signaling for you to open your mouth, sucking on the digit.

“Fuck… you should see your pretty ass on camera. Such a little slut for me.” He chuckles. Your eyes roll as you feel your body coming close to the edge once again. “You’re my slut and no one else’s, got it? Say it. Say that shit right fucking now.” He slams himself harder into you as he takes his finger out of your mouth and you scream out. “Fuck! I’m your slut Lo’ak. I’m your slut and no one else’s.” you yell as your eyes flutter shut. “Mmm. Good girl. I love how needy you are for me.” He growls as he stops recording and throws the phone across the cot, onto your bed as he feels himself coming closer.

You feel the heat in the pit of your stomach bubbling as you arch your back, pushing your chest into Lo’ak’s. “Lo’ak… Can I cum now, please?” You beg as you feel yourself pulsating around him and he moans at the feeling. “Cum for me baby. Cum all over this dick so I can watch you go crazy on me.” He says as he takes his thumb and rubs circles on your clit, sending you into a frenzy. “Ahh fuck!” You moan as your eyes roll once again, your body stiffening as you squirt with each thrust, squelching sounds filling the room. “Shit.” He pants out as he rams his hips into you one last time, staying there as you feel him cumming deep inside of you.

You heavily pant as you look into each other's eyes, laughing at how exhausted both of you are. “You just squirted for the first time and I didn’t get to record that part.” He says, making you look down to see the mess you made. His lower abdomen is soaked, so are your thighs, and the ground underneath you. “I had no doubt that I would.” He brags, glancing down at the mess again before meeting your eyes. You feel your cheeks heat up from the embarrassment as you cover your face laughing. You can’t believe you just gave him the satisfaction of bragging about this, knowing that he’s never going to let it go. “Shut up!” You giggle as you push him in his chest before he grabs your face and kisses you again. He slowly pulls out of you, going in your bag and grabbing the wipes that you keep handy.

He wipes himself off, then he wipes you down before handing you your dress to slip back on while he puts his loincloth back on. “If you tell anybody what I just did you are so dead.” You tell him and he gives you that cocky smile that gives away the fact that he’s going to tell any and everybody who will listen. “You’ll just have to kill me baby because I’m definitely telling it.” He jokes and you roll your eyes before laughing. “skxawng. You are lucky that you’re cute.” You tell him as you stand up to face him, even though he towers over your small frame. “You might as well just date me. Please, I know you want to. You even said it yourself. I’m cute, I make you laugh. And let’s not forget….I give you the best dick of your life.” He smirks, convincing you now more than ever. You let out a sigh as you shake your head with a smile before looking back up at him.

“I mean…why not Sully?” His ears perk up at your response as you watch a bright smile light his face up. “See? You played hard to get but I knew you wanted me this entire time.” He says confidently as you both lay down on the bed together. “Oh whatever! You wish.” You scoff, rolling your eyes at him. He pulls you closer to him and cuddles you, staring into your eyes. “No need for wishing, I’ve got you right where I want you baby.” He says before planting another kiss on your lips. “You are such an asshole.” You laugh as you nuzzle your head into his chest, your eyes heavy as you slowly begin to drift off to sleep.

A/N: So first of all, thank you guys so much for liking my first story, I didn’t expect all the love and it makes me so happy!! 😭💕 I hope you love this one as well and let me know what you think. Also, if anyone has an request for stories that they would like for me to create, just let me know and I would be more than happy to do it! Enjoy you guys 🥰

(P.S. Can we just take a moment to appreciate how fine Lo’ak looks in this picture because what 🥹😭)

#lo’ak x reader #atwow headcanons #atwow #atwow smut #lo’ak smut #lo’ak fanfiction #lo’ak x human reader #atwow fanfiction #avatar #avatar smut #lo’ak x fem!reader #lo’ak x y/n

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redclercs · 10 months

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DELICATE✰ CHARLES LECLERC.

xiii. and all the pieces fall right into place

— the one where he’s in love with you.

warnings: mykonos inaccuracies, mentions of anxiety, language, not proofread sorry! have mercy and ignore the mistakes, i feel like this is very romcomish and i actually quite like it! 3.5k words (+articles!)

currently playing: i'm in love with you by the 1975!

masterlist ✢ next

IT doesn't come as a surprise that actress y/n y/ln is surrounded by rumors and he-said-she-saids, her life has been a constant rollercoaster since March of the present year, when the news of her breakup to superstar Aidan Kim due to her cheating were made public by various outlets.

Since she decided to 'speak up' not two months ago, after letting the world drag her throught the mud, which in this writer's humble opinion, is the clearest sign of guilt. y/n has been on the road of digging her reputation out of the cemetery, not minding that what's dead should stay that way: Dead AND buried.

The public's opinion on the 'Queen of Romcoms' is progressively changing to her benefit, call it manipulation or excellent PR, word on the street is that y/n has landed a role that will mean the complete turnaround for her career in Greta Gerwig's version of 'Little Women' (as if we needed YET another version), alongside industry figures such as Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and Saoirse Ronan.

One thing's for sure, this role will make or break her sorry excuse of a career. I hope you have taken acting lessons, y/n, because actual actors are about to give you a run for your money.

SEE ALSO:

→ Aidan Kim's 'In Your Pocket' M/V features ex girlfriend's belongings.

→ y/n y/ln and Charles Leclerc meet again in Paris.

→ Matilde Bassi takes on the role of Elphaba in her return to Broadway.

August 18th, Mykonos, Greece.

It's true what they say: everything is worse in your head.

It isn't like you to prove motivational Pinterest quotes right, but they are right. This trip looked wildly different in your head and not exactly in a positive way, though, to be fair after the shitshow you've lived through for half the year, your head is not the happiest place on Earth. Or the one that sees the glass half-full.

Anxiety was the only thing fueling you (besides a shaken espresso, again not the brightest idea) as you left Paris with Charles. Hyper-aware of his presence next or behind you as if he was this magnet you couldn't tear yourself apart from.

"What is it?" he'd asked a couple times when he felt your gaze on him as you waited by your gate for the flight to Athens. Charles was the textbook definition of confident and composed, hiding his expression behind a pair of Bvlgari shades. At the end of the day your destination had been his choice, which was fine by you. If you had to think any more than absolutely necessary about the trip and everything it involved, you would have backed out and ran back to New York with Matilde. And Charles knew this, so he took charge.

You only had so many 'it's nothing's in you before admitting that you were terrified. Not of him, of course, but the jumble in your brain and your heart didn't translate properly into words and it only added on to another fear: making a fool of yourself. After all this was, in its reason, absolutely terrifying. Confronting your feelings for Charles after months of denying you had them felt like some twisted exposure therapy. And the voices in your head that sometimes sounded a lot like Mati and others way too close to Victoria and Aidan, went from telling you that it is obvious Charles feels the same way to reminding you of how unlovable you truly are.

But it was all worse in your head.

Your brain has toned the fight or flight instinct per your insistence that it is supposed to be for actual life-threatening situations, not seeing Charles Leclerc in a bathing suit.

So you're enjoying the sun on your skin and the breeze in your hair. It's a beautiful place and you deserve to have a good time with someone you have grown to care about so much.

“Having fun?” You ask, letting your sunglasses slide past the bridge of your nose to look at Charles properly.

It’s yacht day, and although you don’t usually fare well in boats and were dreading the nausea even before you set foot in the thing, you’re doing pretty well.

“Of course I'm having fun, I'm with you.” Charles replies, smiling. He's lying next to you in a lounge chair, basking in the sun.

It's probably not a good idea for you to be tanning, since, if you get lucky you'll be playing a girl in a piece taking place in the United States Civil War. But if anything, you'll find a way to solve it.

"Are you sure that's going to look good?" you question, raising an eyebrow as Charles points the Polaroid in your direction. The quite strict 'no phones' policy was his idea, and you agreed in a heartbeat. You were willing to let the outside world outside. Which is what led you two to buy an extremely overpriced Polaroid camera in a tourist shop. "There's too much light."

Charles shrugs, snapping the picture while you still have your eyebrows raised. "We'll see."

You already have a collection between the pages of the book you carry with you in your suitcase, and it's only been one day since your holiday started. Charles and you take turns with the camera, but to be honest it's mostly him taking candids of you and showing them off excitedly.

"Gorgeous," he says after he's shaken the little square enough to reveal your image glaring at him. "Even if you are giving me a dirty look."

You laugh before rolling your eyes. His compliments come more often now, and he awaits your reaction with a slight anxiety that recedes when you smile. "My turn to have it."

Charles holds the camera close to his chest. "Not yet."

"You're so unfair,"

This makes Charles laugh again, but still doesn't give the camera up. "Fine. Let's take one together, soleil."

This would be your second picture together in the whole trip. The other one is a very bright depiction of your confused faces as you tested the camera for the first time. You wanted to throw it to the trash before Charles took it from you and kept it in the pocket of his trousers.

Charles makes the most space for you to sit down in the lounge chair as he possibly can, but there's a reason they're individual, so you're still halfway on top of him as you try to fit in the frame. His skin is warm, as it was expected from being in the sun, but your body reacts in the opposite way, exploding in goosebumps.

"Are you okay?" he asks, lowering the camera. His Adam's Apple bobs as he swallows, trying to keep his eyes on your face and not the bright pink top of your bikini.

"Perfect," you retort too quickly to be truthful, "I just— I'm in your personal bubble."

Charles chuckles. His free hand goes down from your shoulder to your bare waist in a second, pulling you closer to him and over-confident movement that shocks even Charles himself. "I like you being here."

You don't know how to react to the most obvious flirting you have been subjected to by Charles. You are not even sure you're capable of flirting back.

Your relationship with Aidan just happened. That's the only way you could describe it for the three years that you were with him. It happened because it was supposed to, you met in the set of a romcom, you kissed and kissed and kissed, and suddenly you didn't have to act as much in love as you had to just live it in front of the cameras. It made sense, at least for a while.

You couldn't pinpoint the exact moment in which you had fallen in love with Aidan Kim. You had just let your relationship from coworkers to fictional lovers to actual lovers run its course the way you thought was normal and expected. Maybe that was the first mistake in a long line you can't seem to stop dragging around. It's not like you didn't love him—in some moments more than others—but it didn't feel like you had fallen in love with him.

And with Charles, it couldn't be like that. It hadn't been like that from the start, but you still felt like you could fuck it up any second just by not being able to make a flirty retort without sounding like you were being strangled.

"You do?" you reply, letting your weight fall a little more on his legs. Maybe words can be left behind if you can get a grip on your actions. You don't want to be afraid, and you want to cross that threshold with him, finally.

He only holds your waist tighter, clearing his throat before readying the camera once more. Charles wants to kiss you, of course he wants to kiss you. He has probably wanted it since he saw you that day in his Driver's Room sneaking away with a granola bar and a bottle of water. But he also doesn't want to do it in the middle of a yacht, rushed and mostly hormone-driven.

"Ready, soleil?" Charles asks, his breath tickles your neck and you sink your fingers into his shoulder.

"Ready." you smile, enjoying the warmth of his body more than you do that of the sun.

─────────

You finish applying your peach colored lipstick three seconds before Charles knocks on the door to your room. Although you're exhausted from the sun, you're also relaxed and content, you can't wait to spend more time with Charles.

"Hi," you greet as you open the door. Charles is wearing khaki shorts and a half-unbuttoned white shirt, and the same Bvlgari sunglasses he's been carrying everywhere rest low on his chest. "I'm ready!"

Charles nods, holding his hand out for you. "You look beautiful, soleil."

"Thank you," you smile at him, taking his hand, although you wish you could have wiped it on your sundress before giving it to him. After the yacht, the whole aura shifted. Charles' gaze lingers on you more than usual, your fingers look for his, grazing each other until he finally intertwines them. You hope the sun melts you into one another.

Though maybe you should start by hoping you finally get the guts to kiss him.

It was your idea to get some drinks before dinner, and after a simple Google search you found a pretty place where you could chill while watching the sunset. Regrets came after that, when you found out you had to walk uphill to get to the place. Charles can't stop laughing as you whine and drag your already sore feet.

Once you are led to your seats—a pair of cushions on the floor of the terrace—you stop complaining. The view is magnificent and the expectation hanging in the air has you buzzing in the best way. Something is going to happen, and you know for the first time in months, it is going to be good.

Charles is talking about last year's Dutch Grand Prix, when your phone rings. While the idea of no phones allowed was lovely, it was a little unrealistic considering both your careers. But you have made it work with the "only urgent calls" feature and automatic response texts, so you know this is probably really important.

Matilde is staying at your house per your insistence that, even if you weren't there, she could make herself at home. But sometimes she still calls you to make sure that whatever she's doing is okay with you.

"Go ahead," Charles nods gently, thanking the waiter as he places your drinks in the tiny table between your cushions.

The unregistered number appears familiar as you stare at your screen, and you snap back to reality before missing the call. "Hello?"

"Hello," it's a female voice on the other side of the line, chirpy and clear. "Am I talking to Amy March?" she laughs, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Charles notices the way your demeanor changes and he's unsure of how to react in return. The hand holding your iPhone against your ear has begun to shake and your mouth is hanging slightly open, lower lip trembling.

You did it. You got the role.

You are coming back.

"y/n?" Charles ventures, anxiously.

"YES!" you speak to the phone again, unable to moderate your tone. "Yes, this is her!"

The casting director on the phone laughs again, although her ear is probably ringing. "Hello y/n, I just called to let you know about the role you got in..."

You try your best to pay attention to her as your eyes drift to Charles, your free palm pressed to your mouth, yet unable to hide your grin. The muscles in your face are still trembling with a mixture of excitement and the urge to cry. You thought happy tears would never come back to you.

Still unsure of what's happening, Charles looks at the people around you. Some have started to stare, others have already made up their minds about you being some crazy, noisy tourists and aren't interested in that. At least he's starting to feel relieved that you're smiling, although there are tears in the corner of your eyes.

You agree to a meeting next week and thank her around a million times before hanging up. It's official.

Charles remains silent, anxiously waiting for you to share the news.

"I got it!" you screech, and tears roll down your cheeks. The salt in them touches your lips, but you relish them. You are happy, ecstatic. "I got the role, Charlie!"

An audible sigh escapes from Charles' lips and before he knows it, you're throwing your arms around him. Not even giving him time to speak.

You're still crying as he envelops you in a hug that leaves you breathless. His hand runs down the back of your head and pulls you closer by your lower back.

"I knew you could do it," he whispers softly, before his lips brush against your temple. "Congratulations my sun."

The possessive has your stomach filling with butterflies and you hug Charles even tighter. You are grateful for him, because he did believe in you, and he has stuck to your side no matter how crazy your environment gets. He cares about you, genuinely and deeply.

Later you will have a recollection of moments that are tinted pink in your mind. Reminding you of all the times where you realized you were in love with Charles. But this one right here is the one where you realize you are so in love with the man holding you in his arms you can hardly breathe.

"Thank you, Charlie," you hiccup slightly, overwhelmed with every single emotion in your body. "Thank you."

Charles kisses your cheek gently, holding your face with both hands. "I'm really proud of you."

You smile widely as he runs a thumb across your cheek to wipe your tears. "Thanks."

You return to your own cushion hurriedly, too happy to feel embarrassed about the show you just put up for the rest of the tourists.

Now there's just one thing left for this to be perfect.

─────────

You're walking hand in hand back to the hotel, stopping with any chance you get. Attempting to make the night longer before you have to part ways at the door of your respective hotel rooms and spend yet another night tossing and turning, haunted by what could be or what could have been between the two of you.

But time is running out as you reach your floor and neither has given that step that will throw you both off the edge. In a good way, though.

"So, goodnight?" Charles rubs the back of his head anxiously, letting go of your hand as you rummage your beach bag for the key to your room.

You look up at him, the keycard already between your index and middle finger. "Goodnight, Charlie."

It's all awkwardness as Charles reaches for your hand again and gives it a gentle kiss. His stubble feels raspy against the back of your hand. You wrap your arms around him again letting your hand touch the back of his neck. Neither of you want to actually say goodnight.

"See you tomorrow," you mutter, aware that you've already hugged him more than what's socially acceptable.

Charles nods, squeezing your hand one last time before letting you disappear inside your room.

You want to scream into your pillow and hit yourself in the head. But Charles would probably be able to hear the banging against the wall and it would mortify you. You make yourself busy for a few minutes by removing your makeup and changing your clothes, before you finally listen to the impulse nagging your brain.

Go and find Charles.

You open the door to your room before your anxiety makes you hesitate and you find Charles closing the door to his.

"Oh," you say, slowly.

"Do you want to sit with me on the balcony?" Charles rushes to say, fighting against his anxiety much like you.

Both your rooms are the exact same, so when he points to his room, you move out of the door to yours instead.

"Yes."

Charles enters your room slowly, as if it's unknown territory, although it mirrors his. Maybe a little messier since you just threw your clothes all over the place as you ranted to yourself about how stupid and childish you were being just ten minutes ago.

"Sorry for the mess," you cringe, throwing the bottom of your bikini to one side with your left foot. You will probably be looking for that thing like crazy tomorrow, but you're trying to focus on the now.

"It's okay," Charles assures, smiling as he crosses the room to the glass door that leads to the balcony. Two lounge chairs and a simple table await.

You follow after him once you've grabbed some tiny bottles from the mini bar, two Red Labels and one Hennessy. Offering one to Charles before sitting in the chair next to him. Liquid courage, if anything.

Charles uncaps his Red Label and jiggles it gently towards you. "Toast?"

"To what?" you question, placing the tiny cap on the table. You've toasted to your new role several times already, and honestly it doesn't get old, but you want Charles to say whatever is on his mind.

"To us," Charles smiles, his eyes never leaving you. "For being here, together."

You clink the tiny bottle against his before downing half of the whisky in one gulp.

Both stay silent for a few minutes, listening to the waves crash against the shore and the sounds of people getting back to their rooms on the other side.

"I can feel you looking at me," you hum, still staring out the balcony and not back at Charles. "Charles?"

"That's because I'm looking at you," he responds nonchalantly. "Because you're beautiful."

You finally look at him, shaking your head lightly. "Thank you."

"And I'm in love with you, y/n," he's almost breathless by the time he says your name, but doesn't stop to take a sharp breath. He doesn't even hesitate as he changes his position in the lounge chair, his whole body facing you. "I am so in love with you, I don't understand how the fuck is my heart able to keep beating."

It's like the world has paused for Charles to continue with his confession in peace. All of Mykonos is holding its breath, even the sea.

"I know you already know," he adds as you open your mouth. "But I have to tell you because I cannot keep swallowing the words every time you look at me like that. I'm in love with you, and you don't have to say it back."

You're moving in slow motion as you leave your chair, you can feel your hands shaking but fight against the motion of pinching your thigh or pulling on the string of your shorts. You're nervous, but you're not about to back down. Charles holds his breath when you stand in front of him, but stands up too.

"I'm in love with you too," you breathe, placing a hand on his chest. His heart is going so fast, it's like the words he spoke not a minute ago float in the air. "I really am in love with you, Charles."

Charles is mildly afraid of touching you, as if by doing so you would disappear. But the urgency to finally kiss you is bigger than his fear, and he wants to hold you and blend your bodies together and so, so many things all at once.

His hands grip your face firmly, but not with enough strength to hurt you and you close your eyes, melting into the way his lips touch yours. Softly, tentatively at first. As if testing the pieces of a puzzle you're not quite certain they fit together. But you respond immediately, moving your mouth against his and taking your hand to his jaw.

And it's like overflowing gates have finally opened.

Charles stumbles back to the low chair, pulling you with him swiftly yet with care. His hands have traveled down to your hips and he helps you settle on his lap, straddling him. He has wished for this moment so many times, has fantasized about it on countless occasions, and none of those daydreams compare to the way your lips feel against his. The way your hands move to his hair and how you grip his shoulders to maintain balance.

And it's only when you really need to breathe again that you break the kiss. Your chests rise and fall frantically, matching your heartbeats. You can't wait to kiss him again. You never want to stop kissing him.

He's staring at you, and he has never looked more beautiful than right now with his disheveled hair and reddened lips. And his eyes are so bright when he looks at you, your heart races even more.

So you kiss him again, pressing your chest tighter against him as he holds the back of your head and your lower back. His tongue tastes like whisky and mint as he runs it down your lower lip, and you let him deepen the kiss as much as he wants to. Both of you have wanted this for months, and it's enough and nothing at all, at the same time.

"I'm yours, y/n," Charles says between kisses, breathless and with a tinge of desperation. "Je suis à toi, mon soleil."

And you kiss him again, and again, and again. Because you're his too. You have been his for so long.

─── team principal radio: ❝in the wise words of taylor swift: it's been a long time coming! thank you so much for reading I hope you enjoyed this chapter because i LOVED writing it. also, thank you so much for being so patient and waiting for an update! i'm glad you're still here❤️❞

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lovifie · 5 months

Text

Her Royal Highness Pt.3

Masterlist

Prologue — Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3

You should feel bad about your father's passing. Just a couple of days ago you stab yourself trying to save him, but now? Now you are drinking beer with Farah in the middle of the town surrounded by hundreds of people who are celebrating that your father is dead. So maybe it is not the better place to mourn him.

Ever since your mother passed he never really cared for you, relying on the maids and Laswell to raise you, the governess to train you to be a princess and Farah to teach you what a friend is.

But still, you should feel bad he got killed.

He got killed by unknown people he let inside his house by the pretext of marrying you to one of them. And he got poisoned because he trusted them to drink what they got him. And those people got there because your father offered your hand in marriage without asking you before.

But still, you should feel bad he got killed.

But the music makes you want to dance, so you dance.

You dance with Farah, the kind girl working behind the bar who gave you beer, his kind father, and everyone who seems kind enough.

The money you brought with you is still safely kept in your pocket because when you got here you realized they were not even charging for the drinks or the food or anything, the celebration being too big to care about the benefits.

So you take advantage of it and drink and eat and dance as much as you can without thinking. Being the first time you have ever had this much fun, being way too young to enjoy the last party you were ever invited to. Not that you are invited to this one, but still, nobody seems to mind.

But your inexperience in life ends up showing its ugly face when you realise that you have not seen Farah in who knows how long. And suddenly the music is too loud, the people are too close and you are not drunk enough to enjoy.

You try to scream Farah’s name in hopes she will hear you and come to your rescue, but of course, she can’t hear you.

People next to you start to look at you funny, surprised to hear somebody shrieking suddenly and that's when you remember that you are not supposed to be here. Let alone being on your own, without protection surrounded by people celebrating your dead father.

You try to move back to where you last saw Farah, feeling too exposed to everybody and trying not to panic. You see the girl you danced with first and your hopes go up thinking you may find Farah close to her, but those hopes get crushed when an arm snakes around your waist pulling you back.

You ignore the pain in your wound and fight to keep walking against the mysterious person’s arm, but it is futile and soon you are being moved and turn to face the person.

A familiar pair of blue eyes met you and you see the brown furrow when they noticed your distressed expression.

“Hey, what's wrong, lass?” Soap says looking at you without moving his arm around your middle. You sigh in relaxation and jump in his arms hugging in relief of feeling safe. “Easy, easy. What’re ye doin’ here? You alone?”

You quickly shake your head looking up at him. “I’m with Farah but I got away and I cannot find her!”

“Okay, okay. Let me find Gaz, then we look for yer friend, sounds good?” He asks holding your face with both his hands indulging your whole skull. You nod as much as you can and feel his shoulder shake as you hear a familiar voice over the sound.

“You found yourself a little something to play with, Soap?” Kyle asks laughing loudly but quickly changes expression to one of confusion and concern. Soap smirks looking at Kyle and lets go of your face and goes back to keeping a hand on your back. Kyle looks for a second at Soap and looks back at you before screaming. “What the fuck are you doing here?!”

“I don't know! You scream back at Kyle feeling tears pricking at your eyes. “I wanted to see the party but got lost!” You say wailing at the end grabbing Soap's arm.

“Okey, okey. Calm yourself.” Says Soaps laughing while Kyle starts to run his hands through his hair. “Ye too, Gaz!”

“Calm down?!” Kyle asks and gets closer to Soap so he doesn't have to talk as loud. “The fucking princess is having a fucking mental breakdown in the middle of the town, Soap.”

“Yeah, and nobody gives a shit.” Soap answers pointing around to illustrate that the people around are not paying attention while he tries to comfort you by caressing your back. “And she is not having a mental breakdown, she is drunk, aren't ye, love?”

They both look at your face as you dry your tears with the back of your hand and shake your head. “I’m not drunk…” Soap raises an eyebrow at you. “Just a little.” You say hiccuping half for crying and half for the alcohol.

“Okay, that's okay. Everything is fine.” Kyle says, and you don't know if he is saying it to you or himself. “We are going to take you back to the castle.” He says and you quickly shake your head. “Why not?”

“I need to find Farah, I came with her.” You say looking around and Soap tenses his arm taking you closer to him to make sure you don't run away.

“Fine, let's look for her together, hm?” Soap says smiling. “But no more cryin’. How does Farah look?”

You give them a quick description of her and start to look around for her. Everyone around is still dancing, pushing each other (you remain untouched by Soap’s arm still around your middle), but still you hear a faint voice calling your name. You twist your head in the direction and find her across the river of people.

“Farah!” You scream back once you see her and make a run for it getting off Soap’s grab. You make your way through the people and once you are close enough you jump into Farah's arm.

“You idiot!” She says lovingly as she hugs you back. “I was worried sick, I was already thinking how I was going to have to tell everyone you have been kidnapped.”

Kyle and Soap make their way to the both of you eventually and you hear Soap's voice “Hey, don't run away like that, ye sneaky shit.” He says and tries to grab your arm but Farah pulls you quickly putting herself in between you and the knights. “Don't touch her! Who the fuck are you?!”

Soap puts his hands up looking at Farah with an amused expression on his face. “No, wait, Farah. They are my…” Your what? “They are the prince’s knights.” You correct yourself quickly looking at her

“...oh. OH.” She says looking from you to them. “Oh, that explains the…” She motions to her hands moving them up and down. “The being built like that.”

“Well, thank you.” Says Soap smirking at her, being interrupted by a slap to the shoulder by Kyle. “What was that for?”

“We need to take the drunk princess back to the castle, remember?” He ask looking a bit exasperated.

“But I don't want to go back!” You reply, feeling more at ease now that Farah is next to you. “I wanna keep dancing!”

“And I want to keep my head connected to my body.” Says Kyle bending down to be face to face with you with a mocking expression on his face.

“Yeah, but who's the monarch and who's the knight?” You reply, putting your fists on your waist and raising your chin.

A beat of silence goes between the four of you before Soap barks a laugh holding back Kyle as he mumbles. “Listen up, you little brat.”

“Easy, easy, Gaz.” Says Soap still laughing loudly. “How about… we keep on the party for a bit more and then we take ye back, ye go to yer room and we act as if this night never happened?” He said stretching his hand to you.

You shake his hand quickly and say: “Was already planning on it.” You smile widely at him and turn back to Farah pulling her hand. “Dance with me!”

—————————————————————

“Where is fucking Pumpkin?” You say slurring walking first, followed by Kyle.

“Focus, we are looking for your horse.” He says, just as hammered as you.

Farah and you got to the party by horse, and the stable was almost empty when you got there. Now, hours later and with many more horses, finding any of the two was quite harder.

“Pumpkin is the horse.” You say looking at him. “White horse, grey crine, brown eyes, tall.”

“Why is the white horse called pumpkin?” He asks furrowing his eyebrows.

“Because I was four when I named him and haven't seen a pumpkin before.” You answer chuckling drunkenly until you see the horse and run to it.

You called for Farah and Soap who were also looking for them and once you are all reunited you undo the knots keeping the horses still.

“How did you two get here? Didn't bring any horses?” Farah asks as the group begins to walk.

“We came down with the church workers, and we stayed here.” Soap answers walking along. “Gaz and I will walk up, you two get going.”

“Nonsense, get up on the horse.” You say standing next to the horse and trying to get your feet on stirrup but feeling unsure of your balance. You look up at Kyle and pull softly off his sleeve. “Can you help me please?”

He looks down at you smiling shaking his head and puts his hands on your waist hoisting you up the horse with ease.

Farah gets up her horse as well and helps Soap to sit behind her. You look at Kyle and motion him with your head to get up as well.

Once he is sitting behind you, he puts his hands again on your waist and pulls you against him pressing his chest with your back. His strong arms around your sides and his thighs pressed against yours make it hard to breathe for a second, obviously not being used to being close to men all your life.

You hold the reins of the horse trying to think with your brain and not your body, and look at Farah and Ghost to see if they are ready. You notice them exchanging a look with a tiny smile on their faces and you spur on the horse to start making your way up the castle.

“Why does Soap call you Gaz?” You ask after a while to Kyle who’s resting his chin on top of your head with his eyes closed.

“´s my surname. Garrick shorted.” He answers without opening his eyes.

“And why are you called Soap? What's your real name?” You ask pointing at him.

“Name’s Johnny. Soap’s the nickname, easier to show than to explain.” He says smiling. “Ye’ll see eventually.”

You nod your head as if that excuse of an explanation made any sense and look at Farah who is also looking at you.

“Wanna race?” You ask grinning mischievously and instead of answering she directly spurs on the horse starting to run.

You make your way to the castle on record time, making it just a couple of seconds before Farah and Soap. “You are crazy!” Kyle exclaims behind you still holding tight to you to prevent him from falling off the horse.

Farah and Soap jump off the horse laughing when she arrives. Farah goes to put the horse away on the stable and Soap walks to you to help you down. He puts his hands around your waist to hoist you down the horse while you put your hands on his shoulder.

Kyle gets done beside you and hands the horse’s reins to Farah. “Now, to bed.” He tells you. “Before anyone realizes you were gone.”

“Don't worry, Gazzy.” You say patting his shoulder. “No one will know.”

You wave goodbye to Farah and make your way inside the castle with both the knights behind you.

——————————————————————

“Princess.” A whisper next to you appears. “Princess.” And a hand on your shoulder wakes you up. “Princess, wake up. You already missed breakfast, Laswell said you need to eat nicely so the wound heals faster.”

Finally, you open your eyes and look around, coming face to face with Allisa, who looks at you worried.

“Are you okay, your majesty? I knocked this morning but you didn't answer, sorry for coming into your room like this but I got worried.”

“Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, don't worry.” You get up slowly, feeling your vision blur a bit because of the movement and you finally stand up.

Allisa helps you get dressed, tying the sage colour corset at the back over the pale green dress. It is made of a silk-like material, it has long sleeves that widen at your hands and it reaches almost the floor, just short enough so it doesn't drag.

You take your time to brush your hair, making sure there isn't any knot left and use a silver barrette decorated with flowers to tie some of your hair in the back to keep it out of your face.

Once satisfied, you make your way to the dining room. The Sun Room being used only for breakfast. By the time you enter, the four men that have seized the palace, are already seated.

“Good afternoon, Princess. It looks like you had trouble sleeping last night.” The King says smiling behind his cup once you make eye contact with him.

“Good afternoon, your majesty. First night as an orphan kept me awake.” You answer looking back with a fake smile. The resentment towards the king is still too latent to avoid confrontation.

“Well, I think you are already grown enough to not be called an orphan. You are getting married soon after all.” The king answers.

Cough

First bite in the day, and you are already choking. The breath intake you took as a surprise for the marriage news made the bite go down too soon.

“Married soon? How soon?” You managed to ask between coughs.

“As soon as all the preparatives are ready.” He answers.

Soap presents a glass of water in front of you, which you gladly take to try and finally get the food down.

“Do I not get a say in any of it?” You ask the king once you manage.

He keeps eating, without breaking eye contact with you. You almost ask again when he says: “You can choose your dress.”

…

“Excuse me?” You ask furrowing your eyebrows. “I did not mean about the preparatives. I mean about the whole… thing.” You say moving your hands around signaling your surroundings. “I have already accepted that there is no way I'm getting out of this, but I still held hope that maybe there would be room for discussion about some things.”

“Well, you thought wrong.” He says smirking and a snort scapes his nose.

This is just a joke for him, you just got your life ruined, and the cause of it is laughing at you.

“That's not fair!” You say standing up suddenly, causing some of the dishes to clink around startling both of the knights.

“No one said it was. Life is not fair.” The king answered going back to eat.

“Don't say that as if it was not you the one that is making it unfair. You are just actively choosing to make it worse!” You scream. The indifference with which he looks at you makes you feel like you are a little kid asking for dessert and not a woman asking for basic human rights.

“Calm down, kid. Sit down, eat, go to your room and calm down. You want me to talk to you like an adult, behave like one.” He says as he finishes his plate and stands up. He walks up to you, and when he is face to face with you (well, your face to his chest) he puts both hands on your shoulder and pushes you down to sit you down. He bends so he is levelled to your ear and says: “And stop acting like a brat.”

You remain seated, with your hands on the table and wait until you hear the door close; signalling that he left the room and you wipe your head to look at Soap.

“Am not a brat!” You say crossing your arms.

“You act like one.” Says Gaz sitting opposite to Soap. “Why are you always fighting? Why can't we have a nice lunch?”

“Well, I’m sorry for interrupting your eating with my will to live” You answer Gaz trying to lighten the mood when a deep voice interrupts you.

“Now you want to live?” The Prince, who is sitting next to Gaz speaks up for the first time since you entered. “You know, getting married to a stranger was not on my list either.”

He stands up as well and follows his father out of the room. Before you can manage to say anything back, he is gone.

You look back to the knights that stay seated looking at you with amused expressions on their faces.

“You find it hilarious don't you?” You ask them both crossing your arms again while huffing, exhausted with the conversation even though you barely exchanged a couple of words.

“It definitively is better than before, more entertained that's for sure.” Says Kyle chuckling while he leans back on his chair.

“I know I have been pulling at the king’s nerves, and I’m going to work on that. There is just something on me that makes me want to hit him whenever he opens his mouth.” You say grabbing the fork to make a show of your emotion, and then you put it back down. “But… I’ll work on it. Get him to like me, hell, the two of you are already enamoured of me.”

“Okay, okay. hold on.” Says Soap laughing. “First o’ all, trust me the King an’ the Prince will be a hundred times worse than us. An’ secon’, who says we are enamoured of ye?”

“Well, you are still sitting with me, aren't you?” You say trying to look secure on yourself, but you know they can see right through your fear of having them all as enemies. They exchange a look between them, Soap shakes his head smiling and you take it as a win. “But really, how can I do it? I want them to take me into account.”

“Hm… ye can start by being a bit nicer to them.” Soaps begins to say.

“Take some interest in the kingdom affairs, you want to be treated as the next queen you have to work as the next Queen.” Kyle continues.

“Show them, they can trust you. That you are more of an asset than a liability.” Soap concludes.

You nod your head taking in all the information and begin to form a plan in your head. As soon as you finish your lunch, you leave the room and go to the King bed chambers.

You knock on the door and enter when you hear a “C’min” from inside. When you enter, the King is sitting at his desk taking take of some documents and you walk up until you are right in front of him, only with the desk in the middle.

“I wanted to apologise.” You admit, swallowing every bit of pride in yourself. “I should have screamed at you or spoken to you the way I did, and I will make sure it doesn't happen again.”

He nods at your words, taking a puff of his pipe and says: “Very well, seems you are not as spoiled as I was fearing. Everything is alright, child, I accept your apologies, you can leave”

You still think for a second, maybe too short before you speak again. “I would still like to be taken more seriously. I know I have not been on my best behaviour, but as the soon-to-be Queen I know there are duties that I would be required to do and I want to prove that I will be able to do them perfectly fine.”

The king looks at you from his chair, with something close to amusement in his eyes and nods. “Fine, you want Queen duties? Get ready, then. We are leaving tomorrow, I was going to let you stay while we visited the villages close by to announce the wedding, but since you are so willing to work, you will come with us. I’ll make a lot more sense as well, so, everyone wins. Even Simon, I’m sure he will be delighted to hear he has to share the carriage with you.”

——————————————————————

hii

Hope you like the new chapter, I'll read you in the comments ❤️🌸

Tag List: @kristalhi @strawberrygato @ghostlythots @dumybitch

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afewproblems · 5 months

Note

Angsty dialogue prompts 👀

Number 13 - "Why would you say that?"

-@strangersteddierthings

Ahhhhhh thank you for the request Jess! @strangersteddierthings I hope you enjoy, I took this into a bit of a different direction than even I expected!

***

It takes Robin's foot connecting with his ankle to make Steve realize he was starring.

At Eddie, yet again.

Something that he had been doing a lot over the last few months since everything with Vecna and the Upside Down. Since Steve and Robin had managed to drag Eddie back from the brink, fighting off inky tendrils of death as Dustin led the way while Nancy brought up the rear, shot gun in hand.

Between the four of them, Eddie had actually made it. Torn up and missing about two liters of blood, but alive.

Of course, navigating the aftermath of the earthquakes and the loss of half the town had actually made it easier to avoid the murder charges that had been lobbed at Eddie.

Especially with the way Lucas, Erica, and Max had sworn up and down that Jason had been the one responsible for all of the murders, that they had narrowly escaped becoming his final victims.

And who could argue with the evidence, certainly not Jason after the surge of white hot energy that split the earth had finished with him.

So with Eddie's newfound freedom and the inability to argue with Dustin's insistence that he had been officially adopted into the party, his presence in their lives had become something that Steve looked forward to.

It was nice having someone else his age in the group. Robin was his other half of course, his soul mate, but it was nice having another guy to hang out with, and of course it wasn't because of anything else, Robin.

He let it slip one time that Eddie had nice eyes and was easy to talk to and, do you think he's seeing anyone Bobby, and suddenly Steve is accused of having a crush. Of all things!

Steve feels two fingers suddenly pinch at the outside of his thigh and has to suppress a loud yelp as he bats Robin's hands away from his leg with a glare.

She rolls her eyes and gives him a knowing look before turning back to the conversation.

"Take Stevie over here," Eddie says around the joint between his lips. He takes a long drag before passing it over to Argyle and Steve can't help but watch, transfixed, as the smoke billows out from his nose like a dragon.

"I can guarantee you that he's seen the ocean before while the rest of us land-locked lubbers will probably never get the pleasure," Eddie continues with a wink and kicks his leg up onto the coffee table in Steve's basement.

Argyle blows out a long puff of smoke, he's leaned back against the couch with his head tipped up towards the ceiling, "thats wild man," he says with a laugh in his voice, he doesn't react when Jonathan snorts and takes the joint from his hand.

"Seriously?" Jon asks after a minute, "dude, we lived in California, we literally went to the beach all the time?"

Robin and Nancy both laugh at the noise of recognition that Argyle makes while Eddie rolls his eyes.

"Okay but for everyone else who didn't have the benefit of local geography," Eddie says, gesturing at the girls and himself, "we will be cursed to never feel the sand between our toes and all that shit".

Robin quirks an eyebrow and takes a swig of beer from the can in her hands, the sleeve of her denim jacket brushes against Steve's arm as she moves to set the can back on the coffee table.

They're the only two seated on the floor, Steve having given up the couch so everyone else could be comfortable and Robin couldn't, in good conscience, let her best friend sit by himself.

God he loves her, Steve thinks as he shoots her a soft smile.

He's never had someone that loves him so openly, so unapologetically as Robin does.

Not even when his parents were home for more than a few days a year did they show him the same kind of care that she had in their short time of knowing one another.

Sure, they teased each other, Robin had even made a new scoreboard for his failed attempts at flirting at Family Video --this one with a new section after Steve quietly admitted to her that they had even more in common than they had realized earlier.

But Robin was there, in a way that he hadn't really had from anyone else in years.

"I don't know how you deal with it Buckley," Eddie huffs. He's grinning widely at Robin and Steve, reaching to take the joint back from Jonathan.

"What," she says dryly, "Steve? He grows on you".

"He does," Nancy insists loudly from Jonathan's other side, her cheeks are flushed and her eyes a little glassy. Jonathan lifts his arm to tuck her against his side with a fond grin, he meets Steve's gaze after a minute and mouths, 'still a lightweight,' which makes Steve snort.

"This!" Eddie barks out, lifting a ringed hand to gesture around the basement sitting room, "look there's a fucking Linn LP12 sitting right beside you and a God Damn pool outside".

Steve frowns, looking from Robin back to Eddie. He feels an uncomfortable thrum roll over his skin as Eddie stands up to make his way to the sound system he pointed out.

"Jesus, I think this whole collection cost more than my trailer," he picks up Steve's mothers Joni Mitchell album, turning it in his hands, "must have been nice to have mommy and daddy's money huh? This is like 'fuck you' rich".

Steve feels a faint nervous laugh tumble out of his mouth, even as his stomach rolls at the words.

"Oh my god," Robin laughs, knocking her shoulder into Steve's own, "yes! If I had a nickle for the number of times he asked me why I don't have my own phone line yet whenever my mom answers first, I'd be as rich as Steve!"

Eddie puts the Blue album back and pulls out a copy of The Beatles and now Steve is sweating.

Because Eddie isn't wrong, this is his parents music collection and yes it did cost them a lot of money over the years. But, more importantly, it was off limits to Steve.

The last time his dad had caught him flipping through the vinyls, Steve had been sent to his room with large purple hand prints on the offending arm and two broken fingers.

"Okay, that's my dad's, put it down," he says, hiding the tremor in his voice as he gets to his feet.

Eddie rolls his eyes again but does set the record down on top of the collection. He raises his hands in surrender and raises a mocking eyebrow as he steps back towards the couch, dropping down on the end as Argyle scoots closer to Jonathan to make more space.

Argyle and Jonathan speak quietly to one another seemingly uncaring about the strange tension that begins to bleed into the basement. It's Nancy who is watching Steve, Eddie, and Robin, her mouth set in an unhappy frown.

Nancy had only met Steve's parents once during a very uncomfortable dinner, years back when they had dated. While she may not know the true extent of Steve's relationship with Richard and Cynthia Harrington, she knows it wasn't all sunshine and roses.

"Man," Eddie snorts, shooting Robin a wicked grin, "I knew your parents had spoiled you pretty rotten but I didn't think they needed to buy you a new sense of humor".

"Yeah Steve," Robin pats the carpet beside her, "it's just a joke, lighten up and come sit down".

And that, well, that hurt a bit more than Steve anticipated.

"Why would you say that?" He whispers, the words falling out of his mouth like vomit before he can stop it.

Eddie scoffs from the couch, but Steve isn't looking at Eddie. He's looking at Robin.

Robin who meets Steve's gaze with a slight frown between her eyes, she looks back at Nancy with a laugh in her smile that disappears at the frosty glare Nancy fixes her with.

She slowly turns to look back at Steve, confusion and concern in her blue eyes.

"Oh come on Steve," Eddie takes a drag of the joint, which has dwindled into something resembling a roach before stubbing it out in the brown ashtray on the table, "we're kidding, come on Byers, you get it right?"

Nancy leans up to whisper something in Jonathan's ear and whatever it is, it's enough to make him stiffen slightly and give Steve a long look before he shakes his head, "I think we're going to head home actually".

Steve nods and breathes out, ignoring the way his chest tightens as he refuses to meet Robin's worried gaze.

Eddie slowly stands to follow Nancy and Jonathan, he says something quietly to Argyle that is met with a simple serene shrug

Eddie hangs back as the other three make their way up the basement stairs. He chews his lip and clenches his fist as he looks between Steve and Robin with a frown.

Eddie stands awkwardly beside Robin, spinning one of the rings on his left hand as he looks between Steve and the stairs that the others had used to beat their hasty retreat.

Robin gets to her feet slowly, her gaze never wavering, "Steve?"

Steve winces at the way she says his name.

He knows it was just a joke, he knows he's overreacting, that neither of them could have known about his relationship with his parents.

He knows it's unfair of him to be so upset, but he can't help it.

Because Eddie mocking him, that he could deal with. He could get over it, let go of the fantasies of Eddie's crinkling eyes and warm smile that made Steve's heartbeat quicken.

But Robin?

The way she had laughed, dismissed his discomfort, it was as though he had been transported back to Tommy's basement just a few years back, listening to him and Carol tear him down.

It's just a joke Steve.

He reaches up to pinch at the bridge of his nose, flinching at the sharp intake of air from Robin who immediately makes her way closer.

"Just," he manages to say with an even tone, shaking his head. He closes his eyes and clears his throat, taking a step back from the pair.

"I'm going to bed, got a shift tomorrow, so," Steve says quietly with a shrug. He opens his eyes but drops his gaze to the carpet, knowing if he made eye contact with Robin, he would inevitably ask her to stay.

Robin opens her mouth to argue, a fierce glare in her eyes and a bright flush on her face, he hasn't seen her this upset since the Creel House.

"Steve--"

Robin jumps as Eddie reaches for her arm, pulling her back, hard enough that she stumbles slightly into Eddie.

Steve curls his arms around himself, shying away from Eddie's dark evaluating eyes. He doesn't need to see the judgment there, it's embarrassing enough feeling like he's ruined the evening because of his hangups. He doesn't need the reminder of how ridiculous it is to be angry with them over something so silly.

"Come on Buckley, I'll drive you home," Eddie mumbles as he gently tugs at her arm once again.

Steve hears a harsh sigh, but she doesn't say anything this time. He can feel her staring, as though trying to read his mind like she normally could. But Steve keeps his eyes trained on the floor, until he hears two pairs of feet finally make their way up the stairs, until the front door closes, until Eddie's van roars to life on the Harrington driveway.

Steve eventually makes his way upstairs in a daze, half heartedly getting ready for bed.

He brushes his teeth, washes his face, doing everything he can to ignore the words that echo in his head over and over. He finishes in the bathroom and takes off his jeans, swapping his sweater for an old ratty t-shirt he often used for bed.

It was just a joke.

Steve rolls over until he's facing the window, ignoring the tightness in his chest as he closes his eyes.

Maybe it would be funnier in the morning.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #pre-steddie #stranger things #afewproblems writes #afewproblems answers #platonic stobin #platonic love #hurt steve harrington #steve harrington has bad parents or at least a bad dad

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mareastrorum · 5 months

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if essek did it, why do you think he did? i'm at a loss as to how it would benefit him to give her a shiv. (hope my tone doesn't read hostile, i'm genuinely confused)

I haven't taken any of the asks as hostile, so no worries!

The short answer is that Essek would have benefited whether the Scourger succeeded in killing Caleb or not. Longer answer:

To begin with, let's set the stage. In episode 56, the Nein had handed over the beacon, and in 57, the Bright Queen awarded them with emblems that represented their status as heroes of the Dynasty. It was only after the Bright Queen elevated their status in front of the entire court that she assigned Essek (without asking first) to be their "steward" for the time being, including the responsibility of seeing as to their lodgings.

The Bright Queen is clever. She certainly considered that maybe this was a ploy from the Empire to insert spies into her midst, especially because only one of two beacons was returned. From her perspective, assigning her most trusted spymaster to keep an eye on these idiots is exactly what she should do. If they're plants, Essek would sort it out. If not, they were highly valuable assets that could be used against the Empire or as liaisons.

So, let's orient this from Essek's POV. This bunch of chucklefucks that don't know court decorum came into the queen's throne room, intending to ask a favor in exchange for ridding Asarius of a demon infestation. Then a rival noble calls them out for attacking him and other Kryn outside of Asarius. Just before they're arrested, the human (ginger with blue eyes, a Zemnian) pulls out a beacon of the Luxon, announces that he and his friends are not friends of the Empire, and then offers it to the Bright Queen. Now they're the queen's favored, and out of all the people at court that day, she chose Essek Thelyss, the Shadowhand, in charge of the Dungeon of Penance, to keep an eye on them.

But Essek is the one that stole the beacons. He realizes the same possibilities (spies or well-intentioned rubes), but if anyone in the Dynasty knew about the Volstrucker, it'd be Essek. There is no reason whatsoever for Essek to trust the Nein because those beacons were supposed to stay in the Empire. The reason he handed them over in the first place was that he was supposed to share in the research done by incredibly powerful wizards who did not care about the religious significance. Whether Essek knew or not that one had been lost by the Assembly, the Nein's act of returning one negatively impacted the deal he made. There's the possibilities that Ikithon and the other Assembly members betrayed Essek by lying or hiding information, or perhaps they sent the Nein to expose Essek as the traitor to remove a loose end, or perhaps the Nein really are ignorant and they could gum everything up. Regardless of which situation this is, the best outcome for Essek would be neutralizing the interlopers before they come upon, intentionally or not, his involvement in the theft of the beacons.

The problem, of course, is that the Nein are Heroes of the Dynasty, and since Essek is responsible for their care in the Dynasty, failure to safeguard them would also reflect badly upon him. That could also sabotage his position and ability to do the research he pleases. So he can't just kill them. He has to get them killed in a way that would not make him look bad, preferably in a way that scapegoats someone else for the inevitable blame at failing to protect them.

The condemned Scourger attacked Caleb in episode 77. None of the events between Essek's introduction and that point provide a reason for Essek to trust the Nein regarding his personal risk as a traitor to the Dynasty. Here are his subsequent appearances and what happened:

Episode 57: Essek lets Yeza out of his prison after the interrogation yields information on DeRogna's research of the beacons (the potions Yeza made) and that she took the beacon back two days before the attack, which was shortly before the Nein arrived in Felderwin and began heading to the Dynasty. Because of the timeline of events, Essek realizes that must be the second beacon, so now both are accounted for. This also lets him know what sort of research they did with that beacon, and since Yeza only saw one, the one the Nein returned must have been used for something else. This is great intel for Essek, but not a reason to trust the Nein--only to find them useful.

Episode 61: After the Nein report back to Professor Waccoh of their completion of her mission, Essek arrives at the Inn where he lodged the Nein and escorts them to the Thelyss estate that his den has secured for them. Notably, the work they did was not for Essek; they worked for Waccoh and were paid for the trouble. That just proved they're capable mercenaries.

Episode 62: Essek visits the Xhorhaus after the Nein have settled a bit. He's rather cold: declines offer to join for dinner, declines a drink, has to be persuaded to answer why he isn't familiar with the neighborhood, doesn't want to say where he lives, repeatedly says he wants to get back to his research, etc. It's only once Caleb starts discussing magic and how he wants to learn that Essek starts the game they play about trying to get info from the other without divulging anything useful. Essek requests something impressive for the chance he might teach Caleb something. He then asks questions when Caleb shows off his familiar and giant earthen cat paw:

Essek was flat out rude to Beau, and this was before the whole "White Xhorhasian" drink faux pas. But even with an unimpressive persuasion roll, he offers Caleb a choice of the types of spells he could learn and even lets Caleb handle and read the book himself. Again, Essek has no reason to trust the Nein at this point. This wasn't because he believed or trusted Caleb--Caleb didn't persuade Essek of shit. Essek was fishing for information. He was already going to teach Caleb something, and the persuasion roll was probably to see how many spell levels he'd get. What spells does this Zemnian that stole a beacon from the Empire want to know? Would he give into the temptation to read elsewhere in the book? Caleb chose "the bending of fate, destiny" and learned Fortune's Favor and Gift of Alaracity. Essek is slightly less rude to the Nein as he leaves, probably pleased that he learned something useful in exchange for low-level dunamancy spells, plus now Caleb owes him a favor. Favors are a great way to set up the Nein for whatever scheme he intends later.

Episode 63: Essek is present in the Bright Queen's throne room when the Nein report their findings from the Overcrow Apothecary to her. During this conversation, Caleb admits to the Bright Queen that he had received some training to become a Scourger, though he did not complete it. When Essek is asked if he believes them about the cult of the Angel of Irons, he says he does, and even says he trusts them, though he declines to join them on this quest. Essek has not had any reason to trust the Nein by this point. He flat out lied. Even Fjord commented "'Cause he's been checking on that shit," because he and the others felt Essek was likely keeping an eye on them via Scrying (since they discovered hovering orbs in the Xhorhaus). Maybe their strangeness and civility (even if a little racist) made them endearing, but that's a different issue from trust. Essek wants them to chase down this cult precisely because it is dangerous and could get them killed. All the better that they die in service of the Dynasty, because then he won't be blamed for something sanctioned by the Bright Queen herself.

Episode 65: Jester sends to Essek asking about the Arbor Exemplar in the Barbed Fields, and while she asked for more, he only provides the name, notes it's dangerous terrain, and says they're doing him proud.

Episode 70: When the Nein return to Rosohna and report to the Bright Queen, Essek is again in the throne room. Before Essek is singled out, Caleb requests from the Bright Queen more training from Essek and info on the newly captured Scourger (which they just learned about, and Caleb suspects is Astrid). The Bright Queen says that the Nein haven't quite earned that much trust yet. Once Caduceus explains that the Nein want to fast and safe travel to the Flotket Alps, Essek makes himself known and offers to take them there, again declining to do more than transport them. Essek does not accompany the Nein to see the Scourger, but considering it's his dungeon and he is a spymaster, he was probably Scrying or otherwise tracking what transpired. Of course, it turns out that she isn't Astrid. Later, Caleb returns to the Lucid Bastion and waits to speak to Essek. Caleb confirms he was not actually a Scourger, but knows some about them. Caleb also requests a chance to speak to the Scourger again, even if Essek is there, and that they not accelerate the execution. (He didn't even ask for a delay.) Essek says he'll see and leaves.

Sidebar: Essek absolutely wants intel from this Scourger. He would know they report to the Assembly, and he would not know whether they are aware of his deal with the Assembly. As a condemned captive, her word against his isn't going to mean anything anyway, so the potential of the Scourger outing Essek is practically nil. Thus, there isn't any real risk at letting the Scourger say whatever she wants to say to Caleb. If anything, observing undetected meant better intel.

Episode 71: Jester sends to Essek, who arrives with an armed guard (weird) to teleport the Nein to the Flotket Alps. Before they go, the Nein left ball bearings on the ground to see if Essek floats (he does) and then pretend to berate Dairon, their "housekeeper", for leaving them out. Essek seems to find the whole thing amusing, then teleports them. They got a mishap because of the roll, but then arrive in the mountains. Again, stuff that could be endearing, but why did Essek have an armed guard...? That's so weird.

Episode 72: The Nein poke a little fun at Essek for the mishap, but he leaves via a Teleportation Circle.

Episode 73: Caleb asks Jester to Send to Essek to ask about the status of the Scourger's execution date, but Jester instead requests a delay. Remember how Caleb didn't request a delay before? Now he's requesting a delay indirectly; he didn't even ask Essek himself. (Man, that would seem rude from Essek's POV.) Essek responds that he'll try, but notes his den has no further interest in keeping the Scourger alive. When Caleb asks Jester to pass on that he might be able to help because of his history, Essek responds the same, but cracks a joke since Jester ended with "You pooping?" Essek's trying to endear himself to Jester, but we can't conclude whether it's sincere or subterfuge. After all, if she told anyone he joked, he could easily deny it. That was specifically for her.

Episode 74: The Nein send to Essek and ask him to come to the Xhorhaus so he can teleport them and meet someone. They briefly discuss the Scourger, and while Essek managed to get an extension of 2 weeks on the execution, he needs more of a heads up for Caleb to visit the Scourger again. Caleb then says here is a formal request, and Essek says he'll deal with that arrangement then. They introduce him to Reani, he dispels an enchantment on a paper hiding some items, then he teleports them to Mythburrow. At the end of the episode, Matt notes they're racking up quite a debt to Essek.

Let's pause there.

Each prior time the Nein went to the Dungeon of Penance, it was impromptu. They had just been announced as Heroes of the Dynasty when Essek personally took them to the dungeon to see Yeza as their first stop. The Nein were permitted to visit the Scourger unescorted as soon as they learned about her. Now there needs to be notice? It couldn't be because of the execution because the Bright Queen mentioned to begin with that the Scourger would be executed. There was no change of plan other than the extension that the Nein requested only a day prior. Why would Essek need to give anyone notice about someone visiting a condemned prisoner held in the prison that he manages?

Probably to make sure that Scourger has a fucking shiv.

Episode 75: At the beginning of the episode, before returning to Rosohna, Essek notes the Nein are ridiculous, tells them to have fun, and even calls them "friends." Again, that makes him seem endearing and less formal, but it's done out in the boonies. If any of them tried to tell someone from the Dynasty that he had done any of those things, he could probably deny it. So his reputation is safe, and it makes it seem like he likes them.

That's twice now he's been nice without any reason to trust them. Hmmm, sure seems like building some plausible deniability to me.

Episode 77: Jester summons Essek to the Xhorhaus. They discuss that the Bright Queen would like the Nein to find where the remaining beacon is in the Empire. Caleb attempts to fish for whether any particular Assembly members come to mind that Essek wants investigated, but he replies that he could list all of them if Caleb likes. Beau's insight check to see if Essek is sincere about ending the conflict fails. Caleb attempts to fish for a last known location of the beacon, and Essek gives an unhelpful answer that it must certainly be moved frequently. That's Essek being rude; they already know the beacon was last seen in Felderwin because Yeza said DeRogna took it from there 2 days before his capture by the Kryn. Essek is being intentionally and obviously obtuse. Fjord asks if others are on this quest, and Essek answers yes, but declines to give the Nein a way to identify them. Then they bring up the condemned Scourger, and Essek only recommends speaking to her soon; no specified date. Caleb asks if that day works, then Essek assents and offers to escort him.

That sure is a suspicious moment to suddenly decide to be helpful, isn't it? Sure is weird that he went back to being rude after being openly amiable and even joking with them, isn't it?

Then, when they arrive at the prison:

That is a really weird thing to say after the Nein were permitted to visit this same prisoner unescorted without notice as soon as they learned about her. Of course, then the attack happens. Matt doesn't mention whether Essek entered the cell before, during, or after Caleb starts talking to the Scourger, but Essek kills the Scourger after the attack.

Looking back at all the events that occurred leading to this point, Essek has not had any reason not to think that the Nein are somehow working for the Assembly or otherwise would expose him to the Bright Queen if they discovered what he had done. The key issue is that if the Nein placed their loyalties to either the Empire or the Dynasty over their loyalty to him, they could ruin him. That circumstance hasn't changed by this point, so the only reason to keep any of them alive is that they're cute. There's his entire life in the balance if he keeps letting them run around, especially if they search for the other beacon.

With that in mind, setting up the Scourger to be able to attack Caleb only puts his reputation at risk, and Essek has already taken steps to minimize that problem. Caleb was the one that requested a delay. Caleb was the one that wanted to speak to the Scourger. Caleb was the one that volunteered he had been training to be one. Caleb was the one that offered to fish for information useful to the Dynasty. Each was a push on the Dynasty's normal procedure and/or a personal risk to himself.

And what does Essek have to gain? It would be easy for Essek to frame this as the Assembly's pet Zemnians putting themselves at risk for small gains, and they're so devious even the best prison in the Dynasty was not enough to secure them perfectly. All the more reason to demonize the Empire and the Scourgers. It wouldn't matter if Caleb died or not; the attack was simply fuel for propaganda. Remember, Essek did not want peace. He wanted war. That bolstered his position as a spymaster, distracted the Dynasty from anything he was up to, and provided cover for the Assembly's research. In the long-term, it would just be one more incident to point to if Essek ever needed to sow dissent about Caleb's mental or emotional stability or the risk posed to the Dynasty by the Assembly.

And if Caleb died? One less member of the Nein to worry about. They'd gotten Essek some decent intel about the beacons, about DeRogna's research, and about the Scourgers. But that's it. They've done him no favors, they aren't directly useful for his research, and they're a massive liability.

Either of those outcomes specifically required violence. It wouldn't be enough for the Scourger to just rage in her chains. She needed to somehow get loose and have a weapon. Spells wouldn't have been a sufficient/sensible threat; she wouldn't have possibly been able to prepare spells from a book, and cantrips wouldn't have done much on their own against someone as strong as Caleb. But getting the Empire-trained assassin a shiv sure would have been a threat to a wizard made of soggy paper, and no matter how it played out, it only made the Empire look more monstrous.

So, yeah, I absolutely believe Essek went out of his way to make sure the Scourger would have an opportunity and weapon to attack Caleb. Risking some human's life for one more justification to prolong a war he started? That's the sort of shit I would expect from a neutral evil Shadowhand.

#my asks #essek thelyss #caleb widogast #the mighty nein #this wasn't supposed to be this long #i am juggling this and writing #i won't be sleeping tonight because i have shadowhand essek being a neutral evil schemer on the brain

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comradeboyhalo · 8 months

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So I went back and watched Bad's conversations with Foolish, Baghera, and Tina and the difference in how Bad talks to each of them really speaks to who each character truly is.

While Bad's conversation with Foolish is still very much a test, he talks to Foolish like an equal, someone to bounce ideas off of. Bad knows Foolish's morals lines up with his own, and he is constantly seeking justification from him. They talk in metaphors, but their shared understanding of each other makes this one of the bluntest conversations Bad's had. He doesn't really lie, because he's heavily relying on Foolish to piece things together himself. It's him who asks openly "How much can I trust you, Foolish?" and Foolish gives him a very honest, logical answer. It's perfect for Bad. He's not looking for pity or emotional support. He just wants to know who's going to get in his way. And Foolish, untrustworthy as he may be, seems to be the only one actively cheering Bad on. They sound like co-conspirators. Bad knows he and Foolish are both playing two separate games of 3D chess ("It's a fun game, it's a fun game we're playing, Bad!"), so why would he pretend like he's not?

Throughout their conversation, he's constantly moving to talk to Foolish on the same ground level, until the very last conversation about Ron. This is when Bad drops his most important piece of info, shrouded completely in metaphor. He's looking up towards Foolish; he is finally showing his hand and placing Foolish on the upper ground. And when Foolish affirms what Bad wants the most from him--that family is above all else--he then tells him they're on the same page, and walks up to be eye-level with him once more.

"When the time comes, Foolish, I'm going to need your help. We'll burn it all down, Foolish." They do not trust each other, but can understand each other's motives. And this, for now, has Bad and Foolish on the same side.

Baghera and Bad's conversation has the most clash. The "test" for Baghera was in showing her Ron, so this is a continuation. Similar to Foolish, they have a co-conspirators vibe, but it's not fun for Baghera at all. It's as if her friend showed up with a dead body, and she's horrified but scrubbing blood out anyways. They're on different wavelengths: Baghera just wants to make this right, but Bad is only thinking about his benefit. ("Badboy, now we have to make things cleaner, not dirtier.") Baghera agrees with Bad in the sense that she's willing to do anything for the eggs--but she's not willing to justify it like Bad is. And here's the issue: Bad is not justifying his torture of Ron because he's trying to escape guilt, he genuinely believes his beliefs are correct. He talks childlishly to Baghera, like a kid caught with their hand in a cookie jar. He needs her to walk him through, step by step, the issues of his morals.

It's just...not a fun conversation. It feels like the devil trying to drag Baghera down to hell alongside him. Throughout their conversation, Bad's gaze is constantly shifting. With Foolish, they made constant eye contact. But here, all of Bad's agreements with Baghera comes off shady. He's just placating her. His mind is running a thousand miles a minute while they talk, and not all of it is shared with her. "So we're on the same page?" / "No." <- It's a direct parallel to landduo's conversation. They are on the same side, yes, but they are not the same.

"We can try to walk the road we're on. Baghera. And whatever paths we need to take to reach that destination, Baghera, I'm willing to take." Bad asks if Baghera understands him, and she says she does. Baghera will remain a trusted friend, but he'll remember their differences in beliefs. They share a destination, but not a path.

Now Tina and Bad...where do we even begin. Their conversation is the most emotionally-charged. Bad matches her vulnerability. This is simultaneously the most honest he's been, as well as the most manipulative. He gives her multiple tests throughout their talk, while also rewarding her with the most information. He doesn't actually want her to help him. These are all tests to see her reaction, to gauge her motives. ("I don't actually want you to say anything to Foolish.")

Tina's motives are selfish in such a pure way. She just wants to be trusted, wants to be helpful. And that is understandable to Bad. She is the only one who gets a vocal admission of trust, and I think it's because he can see right through her. I think there's part of him that admires her. They share commonalities. They are lonely. They want to be loved. They are willing to hurt themselves for love. But Tina, in Bad's eyes, is someone who has not yet been beaten down by the island. And instead of protecting her against all this, he believes it is inevitable she will fall. So he might as well kickstart her corruption and have her join him. Once again: "I think we're on the same page," he says.

She sits, huddled, as he circles her like a hawk, before they finally end up sitting side-by-side, not quite looking at each other. Tina is not an unsuspecting mouse, in this conversation. She is willing to fall into every trap she sees laid out if it means she can be trusted. Bad talks to her gently, with the hint of a threat. His finger is on the trigger, but the gun is not pointed at her.

"Y'know whats interesting, Tina? I like that. I think you just want someone who confides in you. Someone who cares about you for you no matter what. The eggs were like that, Tina." Bad sees his own self-destructiveness in Tina. He understands her from an emotional standpoint, a stark contrast from his understanding of Foolish. Perhaps he believes that if they get the eggs back, they'll both be fixed.

tl;dr: Bad treats Foolish as an equivalent gamemaster -> he understands that he and Foolish could potentially play on the same side. Baghera is Bad's trusted friend, but disagrees with his methods -> Bad will continue to trust her, but is aware their paths will diverge. Tina and Bad are very similar emotionally -> he is willing to use her, and she is willing to be used, and that puts them at an understanding.

#qsmp #badboyhalo #foolish gamers #baghera jones #tinakitten #analysis

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sir-adamus · 4 days

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the "Adam was retconned into an abusive ex" complaint has always been horseshit - like, it's not true because he had very little characterisation before that reveal in volume 3 (in fact he only appeared twice before volume 3 and what little information we did get about him in volume 2 doesn't contradict the characterisation he got going forward - so definitively not a retcon, which is when an earlier narrative is revised by later narrative developments)

like, in the Black trailer, what we got was an extremist who didn't care about the collateral damage he was causing, and, being the adult in the situation, purposely endangering a teenager so he could charge up his super attack; and it's his extremism that pushes Blake to leave

the hints to him we get across volume 2; that Blake is still thinking about him and clearly has complex feelings towards him, her flinching during her confrontation with Yang hinting at far more negative experiences in confrontations in the past with a partner, and outright stating in V2C10 that she realised her "oldest partner had become a monster" when she ran in the Black trailer

and then his appearance in the volume 2 finale showing he has a position of authority over the White Fang and actively promises a continued partnership with Cinder, revealing it was him loaning troops to Roman through the first two volumes, which Blake notes in volume 1 was something they would never do under normal circumstances - so that all leads in to what we get in volume 3 that Adam had sold out the White Fang's goals between Blake leaving and him showing up again

we get almost nothing on Adam's side of things until volume 3, which is why it's so easy for people to cry retcon because Monty's death between seasons makes easy ammunition to denounce anything they don't like as not being "Monty's vision", but what we do get in those first two volumes is hints that he and Blake were close once, that she was scared of him, actively told he had become a monster and implicit confirmation that he had sold out and was no longer working towards the benefit of the Faunus (and given the 'monster' comment, had lost sight of that goal beforehand anyway)

#RWB/Y

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whereianonymouslypostfics · 11 months

Text

Out of Commission

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Word count: ~500

Summary: Wanda’s broken her wrist..

A/N: I don’t know what corner of my mind this came from. Short and sweet(ish)

Warnings: fluff, mentions of injury, smut-ish

“Yes, Y/n! God, please keep-.”

You and Wanda had been stuck in your rooms at the compound for nearly a week. Wanda had broken her wrist last week during a fight and you’d forced her to take time off to let it heal. You’d even taken the days off of work to keep her company. You initially spent time watching television while talking and eating, but this had turned into another way to kill time relatively quickly. You’d been reluctant at first because you didn’t want to hurt your wife, but Wanda started to get desperate and you were only so strong.

You set rules of course to minimize chance of injury, and Wanda couldn’t really complain when she benefited from each and every one. The first rule was that she wasn’t allowed to use her right arm at all. She could use her left but that wasn’t easy for her and it turned cumbersome. Whether it was your turn or hers to take charge she wasn’t allowed to touch you at all with that hand. She’d hated it at first but now that she was on her back and rolling her hips against your face with her left hand buried in your hair, she didn’t mind at all.

“Oh fuck. Oh god!”

“Oh god!”

You stop cold and hurry to sit up at the sound of the door slamming shut. You realize that was Pietro’s voice as Wanda jerks up and turns toward the door with a scowl.

“PIETRO!”

Pietro had been looking for his sister to see if she finally wanted to get out of her rooms. It had been a week since she’d gotten hurt and she’d barely left her room since. This was mostly due to your desire to get her to rest and make sure she doesn’t injure herself further. He wanted to make sure Wanda wasn’t going stir crazy because he was well aware that his sister needed to keep busy in order to not get bored. He’d been looking out for her when he went to find her and invite her to lunch.

He failed to realize that you were the one eating out at the moment.

When he hears his sister yelling for him, he considers fleeing. He actually starts to back away toward the door when the one he’d just slammed opens, and you come hurrying out with a harried look.

“Piet, you really should knock you know!”

You stand in front of him with your hands on your hips hoping that you don’t look as embarrassed as you feel. You’d just been caught in the act by your brother-in-law, and you don’t think you could be any more mortified. Luckily Pietro looks a little shamefaced too and he just nods in agreement before scratching the back of his neck with an awkward smile.

“Yeah, I should. Didn’t really want to see you with your face in my sister’s-“

“Pietro!”

Masterlist

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda x reader #wanda x you #silver springs #silver springs drabble #silver springs au

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dk-ghostmachines · 4 months

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i gotta talk about FourDogs

I really do. 'Cause I posted a lil' passive-aggressive hot take a few days ago, but this is Tumblr not TikTok. Here we can have our 60-second hot takes and eat our long essays too. Kipperlilly Copperkettle was introduced as a rival in episode 3, after which there were a number of posts criticizing The Bad Kids' response to her, labeling it disproportionately mean at best and bullying at worst. I think that's an unfair reading of that interaction and I'm gonna talk about why.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that it's parasocial as fuck over here and The Bad Kids are my personal best friends actually, so where necessary I'll do my best to separate the ((loyalist ride-or-die-bad-boys-for-lyfe emotional reactions)) from the actual points I'm trying to make.

((That being said, the fuck was FourDogs talking about? Y'know? Like what was she on about, for real?))

Here's what's true: over the course of their time at Aguefort, three adults directly related to The Bad Kids - Jawbone, Gorthalax, and Gilear - have been instated as faculty or staff. And if I'm a third-party, especially another student, then for sure. It's giving nepotism, it's giving cronyism, and I'm drinking my Haterade about it every morning. But favoritism is about treatment. It's about actions, rewards, benefits - and ma'am, if you're gonna levy a charge like that, I'm afraid you're gonna need receipts!

What actual benefits have The Bad Kids received from the school that is not available to other students? In freshman and sophomore year, The Bad Kids get detention like anybody else, they don't make it on the Bloodrush team, Gorgug in particular was always not doing great in Barbarian class, they take their midterms, they have to complete the big 60%-of-the-grade spring break project, etc. And now this year, Fig is getting punished for not going to class, Kristen is getting consequences specific to being a kid with ADHD who doesn't live at home anymore, Gorgug's still getting the literal opposite of favoritism from Porter, and Riz, Adaine, and Fabian are all getting the treatment from professors that is proportional for historically successful students in good academic standing.

((And someone else brought this up but, re:that 60%-of-the-grade project, miss ma'am, what were you doing in the Far Haven Woods?? In addition to saving the world again, The Bad Kids endured borderline psychological torture for their final grade, while the Buttcrushers got to step on bugs in the neutral zone??? But they're the privileged ones, no, for sure))

Whether or not saving the world is as big a deal in-universe as it would be in our real world is up for debate. Brennan said it was an outstanding feat in the scope of student adventuring at Aguefort to consistently complete Class B and C quests, but then, when TBK comes back from Hot Yorb Summer everyone acts like they went on a class trip to Six Flags. Either way, unearned success is the wiiiiiildest claim to lay at the feet of consistent world-savers.

Freshmen year it was the Helioic Fundamentalist Apocalypse and the Emperor of the Red Wastes. Sophomore year it was the Nightmare King and the Night Yorb. They've saved the whole school, they've saved specific students at the school. They My Little Pony-ed Ragh, one of the biggest actual bullies Aguefort had, and then Fabian killed toxic masculinity! Even if the favoritism was in the room with us, would it not be the natural result of all this hero shit??? Aguefort hasn't done The Bad Kids any favors he wouldn't do for the rest of the student body, but even if he had I'd get it because KRISTEN APPLEBEES SNUCK HIM INTO HEAVEN AND THEN BROUGHT HIS ASS BACK TO LIFE.

Again, maybe not remarkable in a world where Revivify is just a thing you can learn, but y'know! Shit!! Diamonds aren't free!!

Also FourDogs' whole tone of disdain for the "eccentricity" of Arthur Aguefort's administrative decisions truly boggles the mind, because we found out in freshmen year that he has some kind of mass Power Word over the government of Solace that allows the students of his school to do crimes, AND in sophomore year he has that auto-call-ex-machina that students can evoke when they're in danger overseas. His "eccentricity" is the reason the school can function at all, put some respect on man's name.

Now, let's get word-perfect.

That's the American Psychological Association.

And that's StopBullying.gov, which is managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Here's what's true. At moment 00:00 of their relationship, Kristen said something pretty freakin' mean to Kipperlilly for an audience of her friends with like, no provocation.

Kipperlily then revealed that she has based her entire campaign around addressing the perceived privilege that "some students" have under Arthur Aguefort's rules. And THEN, Jawbone revealed that Kipperlilly had been snooping around asking questions about Kristen's relationships with her god and trying to get general dirt on The Bad Kids. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE, in the preview for episode 6, we get Murph's line of "Kipperlilly's team is trying to get us kicked out of school".

Does that excuse the thing Kristen said ((yes it was hilarious)), no. Not at all. She didn't know that stuff, Kipperlilly just failed a vibe check. In the moment though, that's all it was. The Bad Kids met someone they didn't like and perceived as a threat, and Kipperlilly had something mean said to her by people she already didn't like and already wants to see brought down. While she was not threatening them in that moment, Kipperlilly is a threat. She's not a victim, she is an equal with opposing goals. And now that Ruben has the song of the summer, The Buttcrushers are probably just as popular as The Bad Kids. There is no greater imbalance, they're just adversaries.

Ultimately, Kipperlilly's got them fucked up. But she's a kid. Kids are allowed to get shit fucked up and misdirect their anger at systemic unfairness. TBK are also kids and well within their rights to feel what they felt when Four Dogs walked up with self-righteous vibes and started yappin about academic privilege in what is already the most academically stressful year of their lives.

As the audience, we not only know all the shit TBK has gone through that Kipperlilly does not, we also are aware of how Brennan is introducing her in the story. As soon as he brings her into the scene, you know what's up. The voice he gives her, the tone, the actual things he's saying - if you watch everyone's face after the line about favoritism gets dropped it's the culmination of the whole interaction. Oh, she's our enemy, like our specific enemy and her team is coming for us, specifically.

So what do we gain from ignoring all that? From ignoring the JUICE of this rivalry and flattening it into "the bad kids were mean :/". I actually love Kipperlilly, the rivalry is giving and I love feeling big emotions and getting to use angry, feral, fandom language. FourDogs, can't wait to see you next week, and I can't wait to read the 40k word, FourDogsxKristen, enemies-to-lovers fics. And y'know, shout out to all the people who kin her because she found the rogue teacher, it's pretty goated, I won't lie.

But also. Bad Kids Supremacy. Buttcrushers, stay mad.

#d20 #dimension 20 #kipperlilly copperkettle #four dogs #fhjy spoilers #fhjy #in this essay i will #free my kids they did nothing wrong #i support bad kids rights #i support bad kids wrongs #fantasy high junior year

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artificial-radiance · 2 months

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oh i love the Path Through the Woods au omg!!! can you tell us about the voices? what are they like and how they are foils to the monsters and such

i cant wait to see all of the other monsters :DD

is the a princess version of the narrator too or is the story different?

(note: this ask was received earlier in March, and I have been working on answering it since -- ty for your patience <3)

For that last question, I imagine the Narrator being the same horrible old crow, though my writing style is certainly different from how he's portrayed (I love describing things way too much) so writing him has been a small bit of a struggle - I need to practice portraying him. As of finishing the list below, I've gotten more confident writing him as I've played him for friends. The story is very different, and he has taken matters into his own hands differently - wanting you to walk into your death through believing him.

For your first question, I'll keep that all under a read more! But for a generalized idea, the Voices here are based on the Shifting Mound's descriptions of the Vessels and how they were described as hearts.

Over the course of writing this, there have been a few renames. They'll be noted <3

While not a voice, "you"/the player are called the Runaway. In tandem with the Voice of the Stray, she is the chapter 1 Princess. What she can arm herself with is different per chapter, and there's implications her appearance changes as well.

The Voice of the Stray is your inverse - if you are armed, she is more passive, and if you are unarmed, she is colder. This is in reference to how the Princess in Ch 1 changes personality based on if you enter the basement with the blade or not.

She was previously called the Voice of the Princess, then the Voice of the Captive, and then the Voice of the Runaway before getting to this point.

The Voice of the Accused is based on the Prisoner. She lays out what she thinks directly and pointedly. She doesn't say more than she needs to, prefering to watch and think things through quietly.

The Voice of the Cutthroat is based on the Adversary. She thinks in directly actions and has the will needed to make you do things.

She was originally called the Voice of the Rival. I thought this was too on the nose and looked to change it, taking Cutthroat from the Voice of the Trapper.

The Voice of the Dove is based on the Damsel. She thinks the Warden means the best for them, and is entirely willing to trust him and do what he says. While she won't suggest violence herself, she can deliver with unflinching cheeriness.

The Voice of the Exalted is based on the Tower. She sees herself as powerful and in charge of the situation. She's calculating where Cutthroat is impatient, and belittles those she doesn't like.

She was originally named the Voice of the Divine, then Voice of the Mystic. The former was too on the nose for me, and the second a little out of place for her personality.

The Voice of the Faithful is based on the Witch. She isn't trusting of others, having faith in herself rather than others. She isn't shy of suggesting trickery and betrayal if the circumstance could benefit from it.

She was originally named the Voice of the Tested before changing it because it didn't feel or sound right.

The Voice of the Haunted is based on the Spectre. She's relaxed for the most part, and one of the more pleasant voices to be around. She's willing to trust anyone that extends a hand to help.

She was originally named the Voice of the Dreamer, and then the Voice of the Drifter.

The Voice of the Hoax is based on the Razor. She likes to lie and oppose most decisions made, though when she's called out on it she's quick to deny most accusations. She likes to have good fun at the expense of others.

She was originally named the Voice of the Snitch, then the Voice of the Sleeve. Her named was hanged because while "Sleeve" was unique, I didn't fully enjoy it.

The Voice of the Solace is based on the Nightmare. She's playful, but impatient, entirely willing to throw tantrums and be cruel when she doesn't get what she wants. She has a strong will to enforce on the body and the Construct.

She was originally named the Voice of the Gentle before I decided it wasn't fitting for her (though you could argue the Solace isn't either - it's more for irony I suppose).

The Voice of the Splintered is based on the Stranger. She's naive, and her mood is unpredictable. She can be dismissive, vitriolic, or fully passive based on whatever stimuli she's given.

She was originally named the Voice of the Resonant, but I didn't fully vibe with it, hence the late change.

The Voice of the Trapper is based on the Beast. [edit] She is pretty decent planner and can read other creatures like a book. She knows what she's doing so long as it involves the element of surprise.

She was originally named the Voice of the Cutthroat, which was later given to the current Cutthroat. I held off from naming her the Hunter/Huntress since it was too on the nose.

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mercedesvince · 11 months

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If your requests are still open, The losers club x male reader who’s popular and doesn’t care if talking to them ruins his reputation.

Losers Club x Popular Male Reader

“Arcade”

[F.N]-Friend’s name

[N.N]- nickname

You doubled over in laughter, putting your hands in your lap, holding up your head. “Oh dude, you gotta be kidding me?” you said looking up, still hunched over. [F.N.] just continued laughing, “No [name] i’m being serious! He really did that! I was standing right next to her!”

You were both laughing at the story [F.N] had said. It involved a guy, who you both new was kind of a douche, asking your friend out. She had obviously rejected him, but if the reason hadn’t been for his reputation, it would’ve definitely been for his very corny and embarrassing pick up line.

“Man, all the good stuff always happens when i’m gone,” you said finally sitting back up, leaning against the bench. [F.N] looked at you, a smiling still adorning their face. “Yeah man, but you were the one who ditched us to go hang out with that losers club”. You looked at your friend, before your smile slightly fell. Rolling your eyes, you responded with “Whatever, they’re super cool once you get to know them, actually, I think you’d get along with Richie”. Your friend just raised an eyebrow, “[Name your like one of my closest friends, but if you keep hanging out with those kids you’re gonna end up being grouped in as a loser,” they sighed. “Yeah, yeah whatever man,” you had not a single care in your tone. You would say that you were pretty popular, nothing you did on purpose though. You just happened to know and get along with a lot people. Probably your charisma, but all that popularity didn’t matter to you. So what if hanging out with the ‘losers club’ ruined your ‘reputation’. You’ll hang out with whoever you want, not because of the benefits they bring, but because you like being around them.

——————————————————————————

You made your way out of the school, waving goodbye to your friend who was staying for an after school club. You were technically also supposed to be at that meeting, but you had promised you would hangout with Stan, Eddie, Richie, and Bill at the arcade. [F.N] said he would cover for you, tell them you weren’t feeling well, but you know he was starting to become annoyed with you.

Whatever, he’s not the one hanging out with your friends, this affects him in no way possible so he has no reason to be upset.

With your backpack slung over your shoulder, you spot your friends near their bikes. Smiling you begin to make your way over, until you see Bowers and his little gang beat you to them. He has that cocky smile on his face, clearly saying something insulting to them. Immediately picking up your pace you decide to interrupt whatever Henry was planning.

“Hey guys, what’s up ?” you ask, pretending to not take into account Henry and his little group first. You look directly at your friends, only then do you take a glance at Henry. “Bowers,” you greet. “[Last Name]” he returns. You see his smirk fall, turning into a glare directed at you.

“[N.N]!” Bill greets. “W-What’s up man?” he says. “Nothing much, you guys ready to head out?” Henry watched the whole interaction, he and his two friends started distancing away from the group. “I’ll talk to you later [last name],” he said, still holding a hostile gaze towards you. “Yeah,”you replied watching him and his little group walk off.

There was a moment of awkward silence, before broken by Richie ”Wow thank god for our Knight in shining armour”. A smirk grew on your face as you playful punched Richie on the arm. “I’m gonna start charging you if you keep making me your bodyguard”.

“Oh [N.N], we invited Bev, Ben and Mike to join us. Mike said he’d meet us there. We’re just waiting on Bev and Ben.” Stan said.

“Alright, Cool”.

Once Beverley and Ben joined you guys outside the school, you all headed towards the arcade. You mainly talked to Eddie on the way there as you guys rode your bikes next to each other.

“It’s just so unsanitary of her, I mean we’re dissecting frogs! Why does she think it’s ok if we just do it without gloves!” You listened to Eddie ramble on and complain about his science teacher and the classes new lab. “Yeah man, I mean usually I tell you you’re overreacting, but that’s actually disgusting and probably a safety hazard,” you said, what a gross teacher. “Well at least you’re lucky [name] you got the only good science teacher”. You laughed at Eddie’s comment continuing to make you way to the arcade with the group.

Once at the arcade, Eddie parted ways with Richie, something about Street Fighter. You had previously tried to beat Richie’s record. Thinking you had a chance as you considered yourself pretty good at the game. But you learned that day that no one compares to Richie.

Although you were all still hanging out together, you mainly stuck with Stan at the beginning, the two of you played a few rounds of [favorite arcade game], before trailing off to his favorite machine. At one point you two went to take a turn on Street Fighter with Eddie and Richie, but you moved on after a few rounds.

Bill was mostly playing air hockey with Beverly. You didn’t bother those two too much, and instead went and joined Mike and Ben at Pop-a-Shot, as Stan had left to go play at the Price is Right machine.

You, Mike and Eddie ended up playing Skee-ball at one point. You got the highest score 4/7 times, with Mike getting 3, and Eddie ending up with none, as he was skeptical about touching the plastic balls, saying that his looked “chewed on”. He ended up rolling one or two at least.

Eventually you made your way over to Ben and Bev, who had ended up sitting facing each other in a booth, talking about music. “Alright but have you listened to ‘Covergirl’? Has to be the best one on the album,” you said. “I have to agree Ben, ‘Please don’t Go Girl’ is good, but ‘Covergirl’ is just better”. “You guys are crazy,” ben said smiling. You were all sitting at a small booth, discussing witch song was the best off ‘Hangin’ Tough’.

“Well well what are you nerds talking about?” Richie said walking up to your guys table, taking the empty seat next to you and Bev. You saw Stan slide in next to Ben, followed by Mike. Bill and Eddie soon made their way over, sitting down as well, the booth ended being able to fit all of you somehow. As your guys day came to an end, you ordered a pizza and some mozzarella sticks, laughing and joking with each other. As you sat with your friends laughing, you couldn’t believe you ever considered staying after school and passing up such a good time.

#it x male reader #it x reader #it 2017 #losers club #losers club x reader #losers club x male reader #x male reader #male reader

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akiology · 10 months

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Phantom Thieves play a farming/life simulator game with S/O

Note: purely self-indulgent... my friends and i booted up stardew valley again so have this . .. i mainly have stardew in mind while writing, so the mechanics will be reflecting that ehe no sumi yet! i have no idea how to write her yet </3 but i am currently playing through p5r so i might add her later!

Akiren

Ahh... he enjoys this game very much. Being somewhere peaceful and quiet AND alone with you? Perhaps a dream come true! As soon as the game is loaded, he starts planting the first few seeds he receives, and then proceeds to forage for things he could sell. When he finds a few flowers, he will give them to you and will pout if you don't accept them.

"You need to meet the people in town!" you tell him as he tries to give you the flower again.

"Why? I already have you. I do not need anyone else."

Definitely the type to do most things with you. You are planting crops? He will water them. You are petting the chickens? He will feed them. You are fishing on the beach? He is right beside you, doing the same. You are going to the mines? He defends you from the mobs while you mine away. He genuinely enjoys being with you all the time (even if in this case, its in a video game).

Enjoys playing househusband as well, should you advance that far in the game, and will be the type to seriously think about the names of your children (in the game). Once the house is upgraded, and there is a kitchen, he now has another purpose. The type to collect recipes and cook, going around town giving dishes to the townspeople. The type to send you off with your 'lunch' and a "Take care! The kids and I will be waiting for you."

Ryuji

Probably giddy the first time you suggest playing the game. He will gladly agree, of course! The only thing though, he does not find the farm work to be entertaining, so you will have to do that. He does not mind taking care of the livestock though! As soon as the game starts, he'd probably hand you the seeds and go foraging instead. Probably the kind to always make sure to have something to sell at the end of the day.

He enjoys going to the mines, and so he is mainly in-charge of the upgrades. Will tend to give you a few pretty stones and/or artifacts he finds. Also the kind to 'unlock' things, such as new areas or new mechanics. He would probably go for achievements, but he's not really a completionist. More so does certain things for its benefits.

"Ryuji, I need a few earth crystals for the mayonnaise makers," you tell him as you were rearranging a few things in your farm.

"Alright babe! I also got you a diamond, by the way!"

He also tries to make your life easier while playing the game, such as letting you upgrade your backpack first, exchanges tools with you when he upgrades so that you have the better quality, and puts torches every where so you do not get lost. Will probably be blushing the whole time while you guys get married, and when you decide to have kids (in-game).

Ann

The game is so cute! Yes, she will gladly play with you! When you first boot up the game, she is a little bit overwhelmed because there are so many things to do, but she will most likely look at the journal/tasks as a guide for things to do. She does not mind doing a little bit of everything, but she mainly enjoys taking care of the livestock. She also likes designing the layout for both the farmland and the inside of the house.

"Oh my gosh! Can I buy the chickens for our coop? Our first children!" Ann gushes, having just finished up the fencing for the said coop.

"Sure, just do not forget to buy food for them as well!"

Once you guys have reached the stage where you are living comfortably, she will try to befriend everyone! Extra resources she have will be given to the townspeople, curious for the lore and a few character backstories. As for the romanceables, she asks for your permission to befriend them beforehand. It's honestly adorable.

When you guys get married, she will dress up accordingly. She is giggling the whole time, and will whisper an 'I love you' to you at the end. When you decide to have kids, she's a bit disappointed that they do not grow up. She finds it fun to put different hats on them, though!

Yusuke

He is a bit clueless at first, and will need you to guide him through most of the things. Once he gets the hang of it though, he will enjoy it. He really likes the background music and the art of the game so those are plus points for him. He tends to forget the farm chores though, as he will usually go to town to interact with different characters and see their stories.

If you let him be in-charge of the farm layout, it will be a beautiful farm guaranteed; even with just the use of flowers, crops, and some tall grasses. He asks that you do not touch it though, so you have two farms. One for profit, and one for whatever Yusuke decides it to be. He rarely goes to the mine, and almost never goes unless you invite him so you are in-charge of upgrading your tools. You, however, task him with buying things needed for the farm such as hay, seeds, etc. He accidentally bought 99 pieces of the wrong thing once though, and he apologized profusely afterwards.

"You bought 99 heaters?!"

"It was beside the hay, my love, I realized too late." Yusuke genuinely sounded apologetic, and you assured him that it was fine.

When you get married, he will give you a bunch of flowers he grew on the farm. He also tends to have a surprise for you every once in a while, like maybe an item he got while exploring, or rearranging your furniture. If you decide to have children, he diligently checks on them and does not want to leave them alone on the farm. You try to tell him it does not make a difference, but he refuses to leave them all by themselves.

Makoto

Another one who is a bit clueless. After watching a bit from you, she starts to learn though. You divide up the chores between yourselves, so that you get equal experiences. Also the one to fulfill all the side quests, even in-game she likes helping people. She finds the game as a good stress relief, given as it has a calming background music and cute art. Also enjoys exploring every new thing together.

"Makoto, will you be my partner for the festival?"

"Y-you don't need to ask. My answer is always yes."

She also likes the combat system, and will visit the mines sometimes. A casual player, she allows you to play even without her. Given that she is a very busy person, she's fine even with just updates on what is going on in the farm currently. Despite this, she somehow remembers which crops/products are the most profitable and encourages you to sell those instead.

If you decide to get married in-game, she is red in the face while the sequence is happening. She might also come back more frequently now, can't let her spouse do all the work on the farm by themselves now, eh?

Futaba

She is probably the one to initiate asking. She has played the game before, and wants to try playing with you as well. Will also probably play the game with a few mods, just to spice it up a little bit. As soon as the game loads, she plants the given seeds and goes to town to greet the people. An absolute completionist for achievements. Might play the game even if you are not online. The kind of player to advance ahead, just so she can help you later on. Despite this, she asks for your input in most things as she really likes including you in the decision-making.

"Should I put the coop near our crops so it's easier for you to navigate?" Futaba asks while she layouts the farm.

"Yes please!"

She keeps a mental list of the things she needs to do, and knows exactly what exact conditions are needed to unlock a certain thing, or the requirements to a certain event. So if you ever find yourself stuck, feel free to ask her! She also does a little bit of everything, therefore her stats are really balanced.

Married or not, she gives you an item every day. She says its a 'power-up', so you will have an easier time doing your tasks. Also, your cat's name is Morgana. She says you guys are one big family over here.

Haru

Yes! It did not take much convincing, honestly. She does not mind being completely in-charge of the crops. She tends to do a few tasks from-time-to-time, though. Especially tasks related to crops, such as bringing a cabbage to a certain person in town. She very much likes the combat system, sure it's a little simple, but she loves it. Sometimes goes to the mines just for it. Not to get an ore, but just to battle.

She gives you flowers, sometimes from foraging, and some she grew on the farm. She studies which crops are the best to grow to ensure profit and also which ones you can eat for HP and fatigue, both for when you or she goes to the mines. She might drop a few fun facts about some of the plants, too.

She is a very casual player, playing for the vibes and also as a bonding quality time with you. Thus, she likes when you ask her to do stuff with you, such as visiting another island together, or going to the mines together. When you get married, she finds it cute that the whole town attended. And to be honest... this game is giving her ideas.

"What if we start a farm that could supply our café?" Haru asks you one night.

"H-Haru! Let us focus on graduating first... "

Goro

A little hesitant to play, but he ends up playing nonetheless. He is a little bit unsure on what to do, so he ends up mimicking whatever it is you do. While he ends up enjoying the game, he will only play when you are online. If he has prior commitments, he lets you play but does not want you to play special events without him.

"Goro~ the festival tomorrow requires me having a partner. Can I ask one of the townspeople instead?"

"No. Do not even think about it. Wait for me," he leaves no room for discussion.

He also likes dividing the chores between you two, so you both get equal benefits. He likes exploring with you, but when he is not with you he is mining purely for the combat. If you ever need monster drops, he probably has a lot in his inventory. Will also redecorate your house a bit, and admittedly he likes the idea of living with you a little too much. Even if it is in-game. He is most definitely not remembering how you designed the house for later references.

He also really enjoyed watching the wedding sequence with you. Maybe one day, you can run away with him and live a peaceful life tending a farm instead? Would you say yes? Maybe it is not too late to start anew somewhere.

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bronx-bomber87 · 4 months

Text

Happy Saturday all :) We only have 5 eps left in this season. I can’t believe it. 17 days to the premiere. Well 18 for me since I don't have cable just Hulu but still. Ahhh the Dim and Juicy Ep. I remember the 3 week hiatus to get to it was the worst. Felt like we had a lot of extended breaks in S5. Drove me insane. But anything is better than the one we’re coming out of now ha I’ll take 3 weeks over 9 months any day heh.

I liked the parallel in this how unhealthy Jake/Sava were. And how solid Tim and Lucy are. I mean Dim And Juicy were a mess. My god the man cheated on her more than once. They are not relationship goals lol I enjoyed them nonetheless though. I know Eric and Melissa had a blast filming this. Did my best to get everything in. Content heavy one. Let us get started.

5x18 Double Trouble

We hit the ground running in this one. Sava is waiting for Jake outside of prison. He’s getting released due to overcrowding. Not because he was good LOL Even Sava makes a crack it wasn't that. Been serving about 6 months for the drug charge got in 4x22. It’s a trip to watch them. We get all the benefits of Melissa and Eric’s chemistry inside another couple. It's wild. Sava all but squee's when she see's Jake which is pretty cute.

They launch themselves at each other once he’s free. All kisses and hands. Saying how much they missed each other. All the chemistry and swaying cuteness that comes with them. This scene is pretty cute to watch. They do look like they are so in love which makes what Jake does later so confusing and awful tbh. He greets her friend Lisa with a hug and you can see Sava breaks it up pretty quickly.

Sava brings Jake back to her side. Asking what he wants to do first? Being the classy gentlemen he is saying she knows what. Ha Horny horn dogs. I do love it though. it’s like getting the most reckless AU version of Tim and Lucy. Although they wouldn’t cheat so it’s not entirely accurate lol Sava asking him if he wants to go straight? Jake replying 'Nah, screw that. Let's be bad.'

This leads us into the documentary. Shots of Jake and Sava during it. My god they are sex crazed af. I think that’s why everyone loved watching them though. heh They legit were gonna make a sex tape and got caught LOL I remember being so excited and confused as to what this episode was going to be ha. All I knew was going to be a documentary one and I always have a soft spot for these ones.

We start off with Lucy getting mic’d up. She looks way more nervous this time around. Why you ask? Her person isn’t with her. Her safe space and grounding force is missing. She even asks why she can’t be interviewed with him? They want their POV's to be separate this time. It’s so sweet she misses him and needs his presence to calm her nerves. This makes me so happy I cannot.

We watch her take a deep breathe knowing they have to be apart. They ask how Lucy knew of Jake Butler in the first place? Lucy goes on to explain about Tamara’s car and drugs they found in it. Which led them to Jake. They bring up the fact he and Tim look alike. Tim is already grumpy and hates these damn things. What happens when you remove him away from his sunshine human.

He’s extra grumpy. It shows in his very first shot. His body language screaming how much he doesn’t want to be here. The crossed arms (mmm hello biceps.) Tim defiantly saying how they don’t look the same at all. Refusing to believe they are anything alike. Other than looks Jake is the complete opposite of everything Tim is for sure. He’s so sassy and salty when the director says they’re identical. ‘Says you.’ Oh my love. I adore you.

They come at Lucy with both barrels about being Dim and Juicy for their OP in 'Double Down.' Knowing their ‘pretend’ intimacy was so much more than that. Lucy looks like she’s getting overwhelmed poor thing. She tries to divert it back to what they accomplished with their OP. Not the fact that they were UC together as a couple. The director presses more asking if that’s when her and Tim became intimate?

There’s a reason they pulled Tim from her for these questions. He would’ve knocked this guy out for them being so personal. Also for making her feel uncomfortable asking them. She can’t even look the man in the face when she says this BS line about pretending. Cause it’s utter crap and she knows it. Yeah they were in other relationships at the time. To quote Angela from 5x01 ‘All true. Not what I asked.’

Lucy defending them both. Saying they didn’t get together until they were both single. Which is true and I am eternally grateful for. Do love her making sure everyone knows this. That they didn’t do anything untoward during their OP. Cause they wouldn’t while in relationships. Not who they are. They were damn close but didn't. Why they are the opposite of Jake/Sava. The director says he wants to dial in on that. Lucy becoming agitated asking do we really have to?

These questions clearly getting under her skin. The director noting it’s astronomical they would even meet the both of them. Let alone have both Jake/Sava together and her and Tim as well in a relationship. Before she can answer Tim interrupts says interview is over. She asks what's wrong? He tells her not here.. Lucy thinking it’s linked to questions she’s being asked. I love him holding the door for her as they leave. Ever the gentlemen.

The closeness and height difference is glorious in this shot. You can tell when they’re alone by her body language Lucy goes into calm down Tim mode. Her hand reaching out for his and subtly touching it. Thinking she has to get him to settle down for hearing those questions. Before Lucy can talk Tim explains why he removed her. Has nothing to do with that. He pulled her over because Jake has gone missing. Doesn’t want to do police work in front of the cameras. Saying Nolan and Celia got missing persons call and it’s about Jake. Lucy is shocked saying 'What?'

Nolan and Celina show up and Sava is freaking out cause Jake is missing. The director asks why Jake and Sava are at a mansion in Beverley Hills? We find out they’ve been casing rich families. Taking over jobs like handy man, nanny etc so they can live in these fancy houses and steal their stuff. It’s pretty smart despite being awful LOL This last family needed a handy man. Jake beats the crap out of the current one. Strong arms his way into taking his job.

I do love seeing how tall he is in that camera shot. mmm. Tall drink of water that man. Jeans and a leather jacket? Yum. Gimme. Luckily this family needed a nanny as well. So they both fit right into this scenario. Angela saying Sava slid right in LMAO I’m dying at Wes’s reaction. They’re so cute I can’t stand it. I do love me some Wopez. He tells her that's a really descriptive way to say it HA These documentaries always produce the funniest little moments like this. Why I love these and have a soft spot for them.

We return to Nolan’s and Celina questioning Sava. She is still panicking. Saying this is why she didn't want to call the cops. Nolan noting because they're doing something illegal? She tries to defend their jobs there. That they're "straight" now. John gets her back on track by saying Jake disappeared? We cut to another video slash moment. Sava and her videos ha it is super cute how he looks at the camera. That smile we all love. Jake saying she needs to remind him to erase security footage. My god they’re sex bunnies LMFAO. He gets up to grab another beer and asks if she wants anything? She said lobster salad.

The ass tap he gives her on his way to get another beer. my goodness. I love it. Reeling over here. Don't worry about me. They must’ve had so much fun filming this. I mean Eric mentioned it was one of fav eps of the season. The BTS they did leading up to his showed how much they enjoyed it. Her little dance after he says he’ll get her lobster salad. Haha Sava just living her best life in this moment and it’s showing. Sadly this is the last time Jake is seen alive on camera.

We find out Jake took off and never told Sava where he was going. Which is heartbreaking. Because she clearly loved this man very much. Moral compass or not she loved Jake. That gets them on the topic of lying and secrets in a relationship. They ask her if Tim and her keep secrets? Lucy says nothing big.

That honesty is the most important thing in a relationship. Cutting to Tim and his reply I’m rolling. Eric killing it in this episode with his sarcasm. The king delivers once again. I mean he’s not wrong he is sitting there because of her secret. Well intentioned secret though LOL One born out of love. This one was funnier than the other two I thought. Just lots of funny/punchy bits like this one. I enjoyed it so much.

We return to station. Aaron’s calling in he found a body. That it’s Tim. The expressions in this scene are primo. First off Lucy and Celina's confusion is hysterical. Standing next to him and hearing this when he's very much not. Tim looks so annoyed Aaron couldn’t tell it wasn’t him LOL Also irritated at the thought of being dead. Like he's insulted he would ever be dead in a dumpster haha Oh Tim I love you so much.Like Aaron you’re all looking for Jake and your mind goes to Tim LMAO Never gonna live this down my dude....

Tim grabbing Lucy’s radio off her hip is doing things to me. I also adore the looks when he does. She just allows it only looking down. Such a deep level of comfortability in this action too. Lucy doesn’t react at all. Just used to Tim and his antics. It’s the little glances through out this portion love too. Tim's look into the camera cracking up as well. Like this friggin dope thinking i'm dead... His face the literal version of SMH ha I loved this mini moment so much.

They ask Tim if it was disconcerting he saw a version of himself dead in the dumpster? Being Tim he’s not going to show a documentary crew of all people his vulnerability. That’s reserved for one person and one person only. We shoot back to Lucy who says she has nightmares. God I can only imagine the nightmares seeing that produced for her though. Even though it wasn’t him you know she carried that with her when they left.

I bet you she had nightmares that night and Tim had to soothe her. Damn that would be good fic... LOL Anyways they ask Lucy if she thinks Tim has nightmares? Lucy tells them no but he’s been doing the job longer. I love her defending his high walls though. Saying why they’re in place. Not wanting them to judge him for it. Refusing to let anyone cast a negative light on him.

The director asks if she’s jealous he can turn it off like that? Lucy’s answer is great because it’s very her. Telling them No. Personally she needs to feel for people it’s who she is. I totally get that I am a massive empath. It’s how I connect with people as well. It has it's downsides it’s true but worth it in the end. When they ask her bout his walls being an issue? I LOVE her smile. Because those walls have never really been an issue. A challenge for Lucy yes in slowly breaking his down over the years. But never an obstacle for them.

We all know she saw behind his walls very early on in their relationship. Saw the man hiding behind that wall. Tim has been a soft marshmallow for her for YEARS. Legit years. Why she has zero hesitation in her reply. He was soft for her long before they got together. It’s just now he allows himself to fully be this way openly and he’s ok with it. Well when they’re alone he is. Of course he’s going to be rough and grumpy with the crew. They’re not his person. Nor would he ever tell them he was soft for her.

That's not Tim Bradford at all. But his actions speak louder than his words ever could. You have to earn that out of him though. Lucy earned it million times over. Why she is the only one who gets to see it. Does crack me up the way the director says. ‘No sir....’ After Tim asks him if he looks like a big softy? You know Tim loved instilling that fear in him. He may be super gone for his wife. But he’ll be damned if he doesn’t command fear and respect around everyone else. These two the epitome of Grumpy x Sunshine per usual. Tim is hard ass unless you’ve made past his wall. He loves Lucy most so she gets all the soft goodies haha

Sava shows the director a video she’s scared to share with the team after being questioned. Thinking they’re gonna use it against her. It’s a video of them driving around being all cute. Saying I love you to the camera and such. But then get run off the road in an attempt to kill them. Their car gets totaled and Jake has them bail completely. Car and everything they leave behind. They were able to locate the car for evidence after they see this.

They couldn’t get anything from the car scrapings unfortunately. Had the most common paint out there. So another layer was added to this mystery. Who was the driver? Sava then gets a text threatening her about an item she had no idea about. One that needed to be delivered. It was sent to her and Jake. The texts went on to be violent in nature toward Sava. So it was time for Lucy to go UC to figure this out. Meet up with this person threatening her.

Thanks to Lucy’s UC Op the SL finally has some answers. The guy contacting them was related to Jake they were cousins. He was into some shady stuff and was an international arms dealer. This where I really feel bad for Sava. She had no idea about these back ally dealings he was doing. Not only that but he was cutting her out of the deal on top of it. That Jake targeted this family for a specific reason and she had no idea. Makes me sad when she says she thought he loved her oof.

That she knew him. Pretty sad. We find out later through Sava. That Jake always had a burner phone. They were able to get that number through this whole thing with the shady cousin. It’s where we find out Jake was cheating on Sava. Again….Lucy calling him the Shakespeare of sexting LOL They ask her if she’ll read some of them? It’s adorable how flustered she gets. Saying she can’t her Nana would be watching this. HA

The director does the dumbest thing he could do. Asking Tim if he would read some? Like did you really think that was gonna happen bud? Like really? His reply of if Lucy wasn’t gonna he sure as hell wasn’t going to. Telling him to take that away from him. Have you not paid attention at all in these documentaries? Why would they think asking was a good idea? LMFAO Mess with the bull gonna get the horns people.

We find out the person Jake was cheating on Sava with was Lisa. Her best friend…Like damn it’s bad enough to cheat but with her best friend? God…As douchey as it gets on his part. Jake breaks up with her via text but Lisa can’t handle the fact he was choosing Sava. It’s when everything comes together. We find out she tried to run them off the road and kill them. When that failed she asks for Jake’s forgiveness. Wanting to meet up. When he showed up she killed him immediately and dumped his body. Shit….That's a seriously scorned women right there.

This next portion is the definition Grumpy x Sunshine. They ultimately decide not to charge Sava with anything. The director asking what Lucy thinks of this? She of course gives the softest, most empathetic, and hopeful answer. Because it’s Lucy Chen. She exudes all that in her decision making. It is her super power after all. Naturally her answer was geared towards a second chance. Thinking maybe this will put Sava on the right path.

We cut to Tim saying ‘Of course she said that.’ He knows his girl so well. What’s so great here is his expression as he says it. That smile of his when he says that line. We all know one of the reasons he fell for her is that sunshine. That empathy and her seeing the best in people. She charmed her way into his heart with it. He truly does admire her for it. You can see the fond affection his face and tone when he says this.

He may not agree with her but he loves that about her. The man loves her so much even when he’s being sassy it comes off as affectionate. It's the first time we see him smile this episode. Why? He’s talking about Lucy. She brings it out in him. She melts him even without even being present. Just the thought of her and he lights up. Her compassion is one of his fav things about her. Gah they cute.

They finally get to to be interviewed together. It’s the best part of the episode. Director not wasting any time with his first question. Asking them if they’re worried cause their doppelgänger relationship was so dysfunctional? Lucy once again seeing the best in them. Telling him it was an unfair characterization of them. That Jake cheated not only that but cut her out of a gun deal after that. Not healthy in the least but to her not dysfunctional.

I adore how riled up Tim is with his questions. Protective Tim has entered this conversation. Getting very agitated with what he’s implying. Look at how Lucy looks at Tim as he goes off on his rant. She loves this man sitting next to her. Grumpy rants and all. The amount of affection on her face as he continues his tangent. She could watch him go off all day. My heart. The director saying he thinks it's reasonable question. Tim doesn't agree and tells him off. Saying they’re working too hard. Ha I love him.

Tim continues on (very passionately might I add) about separating their relationship from Jake/Sava’s. Want's to make it VERY clear they are nothing like those two. That the only thing they share is looks. He is so offended he would even compare the two. I mean it’s true. They’re not on the same planet as Tim and Lucy. Lucy continues to look at her man with serious heart eyes. Her smile giving me all the feels.

She is loving his fierce defense of them as a couple. Saying Jake/Sava based their lives on deceit. Of course it infected their relationship. He’s not wrong…This next bit gets me all in my feels. The way he looks over at Lucy. A real genuine smile just for her. Look at his smile. I'm a puddle. He is the absolute softest for her. *heart clutch*

Saying they’re in a very different place. His passionate defense is of them is sexy if you ask me. Also look how different he is with her by his side. Sharing more than he's been doing in his previous interviews. Being a little vulnerable cause she’s there with him. More than he has the entire episode. I cannot. This makes my heart so happy.

The look on Lucy’s face when they ask what place they’re in? She is also ready to throw down with them. Incensed they would even ask that. Her reply is perfection. Saying ‘If you don’t know, then you haven’t been paying attention.’ I remember thinking this was a shot at anyone complaining this season. (and I LOVED it) Which blew my mind btw whenever I saw it. Cause if you could be negative in a season this good what makes you happy? I remember unfollowing some people cause I didn't want their tainted vision in my feed. If you could look at their relationship and not see the beautiful progression you weren't watching the same season as me.

To not see what they’ve built to this point in the season. You are like Lucy said clearly not paying attention. I remember seeing some posts about not enough PDA, kisses or intimacy. (there was lots of intimacy btw just not straight up making out) You’re missing the point of the realistic healthy adult relationship that's being portrayed. They're not teenagers who will be angsty over nothing. These are people in a stage of their life where that nonsense isn't going to happen. Any angst they've had has been productive. If you came out of this episode thinking they needed to be more like Jake/Sava you missed the point entirely. Of this season really. They are not them.

The beauty of Lucy and Tim is in the small tender moments. The little things that add up to so much. Yes I love kisses and such don't get me wrong. God I love them. Will lose my mind over any in S6 no doubt. But there is so much more to a relationship than just that. The emotional intimacy and how they’ve grown together since 5x10 is unreal. The massive shift in Tim alone is enough to tell you how well written they are. What a healthy adult relationship looks like. Had their bumps along the way but what couples doesn’t? I just loved that line from Lucy. S5 is a game changer in the best way for them. If you can’t see it or how they've both grown together you clearly haven’t been paying attention. That line was amazing and I loved her saying as such.

The director takes shot at what place they're in. Coming up with some buzz words. As generic as he could possibly be. Lucy calls him out for it. Because it no where near describes what these two have. Tim is simmering as this guy continues to try and rile them up. I adore him ready to go off and Lucy immediately calms him with a single touch. That’s all takes for him to go from raging bull to heart eye Tim in an instant for her.

Tim was ready to thrown the hell down. I love protective Tim. Lucy taking the wheel in this moment is everything. Her touch basically saying she's got this. Looking directly at her man when she says this next line above. Also don’t think I didn’t see your eyes move to his lips madam. I do adore how she is looking at him. Exuding every ounce of love in her body for him as she speaks. They’re so in love make my heart hurt in the best way. Her eyes so full of warmth and affection for the man sitting next to her. They really are in a beautiful place. Making my shipper heart so very happy.

Tim’s sweet smiles as she rubs her thumb up and down his wrist in a soothing manner. I love it so very much. Never be over how she make's sure to keep eye contact as she calms him down. Tim also doesn't break his eye contact with her as she does this. They're killing me with all the shipper feels in this moment.

Let’s not forget her necklace on full display here. In this beautiful moment. Happy looks so damn good on them everyone. Another thing I love so much is how Tim lets her take over. He was ready to shut this down. Kick them out. She places her hand on his arm and he’s at peace. Lets her direct them from here on out. Only Lucy has the power to soothe him this quickly and effectively.

She’s calmed Tim down enough to have him rejoin the convo. Saying as police officer your future is never certain. Lucy adding on anything can happen at any time. Tim rolling it into kicking them out is amazing. Telling them straight up they’ve overstayed their welcome at this point. I mean they really have LOL Cracks me up how she turns her head towards him. Not really shocked but realizing he's over this now. Her smile is the best.

I love him pointing his finger. The shots at his relationship with Lucy were his breaking point. That is the most precious thing in world to him. Something so sacred. Why Lucy had to stop him from eating them lol Lucy’s reaction is the best. She loves this insane man sitting next to her so much. Her pushing his arm down like 'Ok babe that’s enough.' lmao. Such a wifey move to do that but also she knows Tim is at his limit. Tells them it's time to go now....

I love them instantly going into couple time mode once it's over. Lucy asking if he wants sushi? Tim saying how it’s perfect. Then looks back at them glaringly. Saying this place better be spotless when they get back. I love her escorting him out of the apt. Hand on his back directing him towards the front door before he pops off more. Such a married move. God damn I love them so much everyone. Fantastic ep from start to finish. ❤️

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Side notes-non chenford

Grey’s picture and how happy it makes him I love it so much. It’s so cute I can’t stand it.

He was so distraught when it was destroyed lol They replace it and it’s so sweet hilarious adorable thing for Grey.

Thank you to all my readers you make my entire day when you like, comment and reblog. Tis been a joy for me. See you all in 5x19 :)

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