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marlynnofmany · 3 months

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The Good Perch

“You would think,” Captain Sunlight said drily, “That a spaceport organized enough to have a whole section for courier ships would have a more visible labeling system.”

“Yeah, really,” I agreed with a frown at the small sign marking our ship’s berth. The thing was barely ankle-height and a thin font. Not even a bright color; it hardly stood out from the pavement in its gray-and-black subtlety. With all the spacefarers parading past in a rainbow of body types and clothing styles, not to mention the equally wild spaceships everywhere, those signs were easy to miss. I asked the captain, “Have you been here before? Is this normal, or did the wrong person take charge of designing things?”

“It’s been a while,” said Captain Sunlight, crossing her scaly arms. “I don’t recall this being a problem before. But I suspect our wayward client is still wandering the walkways looking for us.”

“Normally I’d say our ship would stand out, but the visibility’s not great for that either.” Lemon-shaped spaceships with foldable solar sails were pretty uncommon. The one parked behind us would have been easy to spot from a distance if not for the larger ships looming close on either side. These berths were too close together.

Captain Sunlight pulled her phone out of a belt pouch. “Still says they’re on the way.”

“Maybe we need to scoot forward a bit?” I suggested. “Make the ship easier to see?” I stepped up to the walkway for a better look at the view from there.

This turned out to give someone else a better view of me.

“Hey, person who climbs things!” called a cheerful voice. “Come help me brace this.”

After a confused half-second, I located the speaker on top of the gray-brown ship next to ours. I realized with a start that this wasn’t the first time our ships had been parked side-by-side. “Hey, Acorn!” I called back. “Are you waiting for clients too?”

“We were,” the fellow courier called back, waving something that looked like a wrench. She herself still looked like a baboon crossed with a crocodile. “Now it’s time for errands and maintenance, and this needs fixing before we get back into space. Care to give me a hand? Everybody else is either busy or too much of a coward to get up this high.”

“Sure thing!” I said with a glance at Captain Sunlight, who was waving me on. “What’s the best way up?”

Acorn directed me to a row of handholds on the other side of the ship, which made for a nice easy climb. A pity her crewmates didn’t appreciate heights; the spaceport was a beautiful, chaotic sprawl of color from here. And the top of the ship was flat enough to feel plenty safe.

“Welcome to the good perch,” Acorn said, offering me a wrench. “It’s a very exclusive club. Can you hold this part in place so I can adjust that?”

“Absolutely,” I told her. “This end, right? Wait, got it.” I actually had no idea what this open panel was for, but I like to think I hid it well. The job was a simple one with two of us. I could see how it would have been awkward with just one, though. I wondered if she’d resorted to using her feet to hold things in place. I sure would have.

“Got it!” she said. “Now to close it all up. I knew that would be quick.”

I removed the wrench. “What’s the saying? More hands means less work?”

“Makes sense to me. Though by that logic, your friend there could get everything done by himself.”

I looked down to see that Mur had joined Captain Sunlight, in all his many-tentacled squidlike glory. “He probably could, actually. Though I don’t know how he is with heights.”

“Well, no need to share the good perch,” Acorn announced, snapping the panel shut. She spread her arms. “Look at this panorama!”

“It is a nice one! I was just thinking that. What kind of ship is that blobby green one over there? I haven’t seen it before.”

Acorn stood up for a better look. “I think it’s a Waterwill design?”

“That makes sense.” I got to my feet too, glad the ship we stood on wasn’t one of the shiny racer models. Those were much too slippery to make good sightseeing towers.

Not that Acorn seemed bothered either way. She probably would have found grippy shoes somewhere and run up the side just to prove she could. Her appreciation for climbing had been a nice change the first time I ran into her, and was no different now, given how much time I spent among alien crewmates who didn’t have tree-swinging monkeys in their family trees.

“That ship looks like it would make an excellent climbing structure,” she said, pointing at a pink model with grooves along the sides. “Pity it belongs to a security force who are likely to be uptight about such things.”

I laughed. “Isn’t that always the way of it? There’s a police station in my hometown with a roof that slopes down to meet a very climbable wall, and you have no idea how tempting it looked. Well. Maybe you know.”

She definitely understood, and we spent an enjoyable few minutes talking about which buildings and spaceships looked like the most fun to climb.

Then I spotted someone wandering from one berth marker to the next, looking both lost and a little nearsighted, and I had a suspicion that I’d found our missing client. This was a fellow human wearing the kind of drapey clothes that spoke of dignity and no little wealth. Her expression was exactly the kind I’d wear if I had to deal with those hard-to-read signs long enough to be late.

“Hey Captain!” I called down to Sunlight. “Is that her?” I pointed.

Captain Sunlight hurried forward with her phone out, matching the look of the person with an image there.

Yup. Called it.

Acorn chuckled while the pair of them exchanged greetings and complaints about the station layout. “Nice one. The wisdom of the heights strikes again. Do they need you down there now?”

“Probably,” I said. “Actually not yet, this package is a small one. Mur’s got it.” As I spoke, Mur pushed a hovercart forward with a box on it liberally covered in “fragile” stickers. It had a carrying handle on the top, which it had come with, and rubber bumpers on every corner, which Paint had added just to be safe. All precautions had been taken.

“Oh good,” Acorn said. “Then enjoy the view with me a little longer.” She bent to pull something from the toolbag’s side pocket. “Top-of-the-tree snack?”

“Are those the ones you’re named for?” I asked, remembering a conversation the last time I’d seen her. Translations being what they were, her name meant a similar nut from her homeworld. It had been an amusing conversation, since we were both named after things found in trees. She didn’t know what a robin was, but once I explained it, she claimed to have met a number of people back home with similar names.

“Yes, the salted version,” Acorn said, opening the bag. “I recall these were on the safe list for your species.”

“Safe and tasty,” I agreed. “Thank you.” I accepted a handful of alien acorns and marveled quietly at how universal salt was on snacks. Well, for some species. I don’t think Waterwills or Strongarms were that into overly salty food in general. Probably for slug-like reasons. Eggskin the medic would know. I should ask him later.

Acorn peered over the other side of the ship. “Ohh, Riverbrook’s wearing his goofy helmet. I owe him some acoustics since he played that loud music while I was working.” She crouched, peering down at a crewmate who had just emerged. With care, she selected a nut from the bag. “Think you can thwack him from here?” The grin she threw over her shoulder was full of teeth.

I joined her at the edge. “I like my odds.”

The crewmate was one of those people made of crystals instead of flesh. I forget the species name. Very interesting to look at, and unlikely to be hurt by a high velocity acorn no matter where it hit. The helmet was golden, shiny, and probably a fashion statement of some kind.

“First we throw, then we hide.”

“Got it.”

“One, two, throw!”

Ping! Ping!

“Ow, what was — Acorn, is this yours?!”

We both giggled in childlike glee, just out of sight.

“No thanks, you can have it!” Acorn called back.

“I’m going to put this in your fruit drink next mealtime.”

“Good luck with that!”

I nodded. “Ah, a prank war. A noble pursuit.”

“See, you get it.” Acorn offered me more nuts.

I took them and made myself more comfortable. “I don’t suppose you know what a rattlesnake is?”

“Nope.”

“Then let me tell you about the time I got Trrili — the big scary Mesmer on my ship — with a classic prank from Earth.”

“Oh, do tell!”

I didn’t have to get back to my ship for a few minutes yet, which left plenty of time for more anecdotes and snacks on the good perch.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

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finnsbubblegum · 1 year

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First Birthday (Joel Miller X Reader)

Pairing: no-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader

Warnings: fluff, sweet joel, domestic joel, rom-com

Summary (Series): reader as Joel’s neighbor. Joel’s wife left him so Joel asked his neighbor for help in babysitting Sarah.

Summary: Pov: You and Joel prepared to celebrate baby Sarah’s first birthday together.

Words count: 1.5k

A/N: I’m trying to make this as a rom-com, hope you like my new series! This is part 6 of Where It All Starts. But it can also be read as a standalone. I'm beyond happy that many of you liked it so I hope you enjoy the next parts. Stay tuned and love you!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20

Thank God Joel still treated you the same way before he confessed his love to you that night. You acted like nothing happened and he did the same.

“Thank you for walking me home, Joel.” Joel always walked you home even though your house was exactly next to his.

“Anytime, darlin’.” This was the second time he called you darling. Your heart jumped.

“I-uh-I forgot to tell you. Sarah’s birthday is coming. I was wondering if we could celebrate together.” He put his hand behind his neck.

“Oh really? It’s her first birthday! We should hold a party!” You jumped excitedly.

“A party? I don’t know (y/n). I mean-I don’t have anyone to invite beside my brother.” Joel put his hands in his pocket.

“I can invite my friends from the cafe. Let’s give Sarah the best first birthday ever. She deserves it.” You bumped Joel on the upper arm.

“Yeah, she deserves the best.” Joel nodded.

“So, what should we do?” He crossed his arms.

“I’ll think about it and we can talk about it again tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thanks. Good night, darlin’.” Joel kissed your cheek.

“Good night, Joel.” You kissed him back.

You shrieked as you closed the door. Joel Miller just called you darling. After what you said to him and he still called you darling? His words made you sway. And the kiss on the cheek felt different. Joel kissed your cheek every night but today definitely felt different. It felt more loving if you had to describe it. Was it because he called you darling? Was it because he was still nice to you even though you broke his heart? Then you remembered you told him that you weren’t ready for a relationship. You were the one who asked him not to fall in love with you but why were you swayed now? You hit your head to get a grip of yourself. You spent your night thinking about how you could make Sarah’s birthday special. You took out your notebook and wrote your ideas about the cake design, colors, decorations and everything. Trying to neglect your thoughts about how perfect Joel was.

It was another day and you prepared dinner at Joel’s house just like usual. You and Joel had dinner together almost every night since you babysat Sarah. Either you cooked for the two of you, ordered deliveries, Joel brought takeouts, or ate out. But tonight you decided to cook.

“You’re home early.” You turned to look at Joel who just got home from work.

“Today was peaceful.” He chuckled.

“Dinner will be ready in 10. So you can take a shower first, sir.” You bowed, acting like a maid.

“I’ll be back.” Joel chuckled as he shook his head at your joke.

*10 minutes later*

Joel went down the stairs looking fresh after a shower.

“Smells good.” Joel sniffed.

“You always said that.” You scoffed.

“I’m being honest.” Joel glared at you.

“Well, thank you.” You smiled.

You and Joel dug in and ate the meal you cooked.

“So, I’ve got some ideas for Sarah’s first birthday party.” You took out your notebook.

“Uh-huh. What do you got?”

“I was thinking of a pink themed kind of birthday party. What do you think?” You squinted your eyes.

“Hmm, how about purple? I’m seeing Sarah as a purple girl.” Joel voted purple.

“Yes sir. Purple it is.” You wrote purple on your notebook.

“About the cake, I have talked to my baker and he has this amazing design in mind. You’ll love it.”

“I’ll leave it to you, miss.”

Sarah’s Birthday D-1

You and Joel decorated the house with purple flowers and purple balloons. You used helium for the balloon so it could fly to the ceilings.

"Never meant to cause you any sorrow~"

Joel sang as he held the balloon pumper as a microphone near his mouth.

You turned your head right away as you heard a high-pitched voice singing.

"Seriously?" You put your hands to your waist staring at him.

"Never meant to cause you any pain" Joel closed his eyes and continued singing.

You inhaled some of the helium and jumped to the couch.

"I only wanted to one time to see you laughing.."

You sang and Joel stopped because he was impressed by you.

"I only wanted to see you in the purple rain"

You started to sing like a real singer on the stage but you were just on Joel's couch.

"Purple rain

Purple rain"

Joel inhaled another helium and sang with you together. The two of you burst into laughter. You couldn't stop laughing, your stomach hurts.

"Okay, okay. Stop it. My stomach hurts from laughing." You pressed your stomach.

"I didn't know you like Prince." You bumped Joel's arm.

"Purple rain is like my jam." Joel squinted his eyes.

"Wait, did you choose purple because of the song? Purple as in purple rain?" You furrowed your brows confused as you joined the dots. He shrugged.

"I..may have chosen purple because of purple rain." He admitted.

"You're sooo predictable." You shook your head and poked his chest with your index finger.

D-day

The birthday cake was big and purple. It was a two tier cake with pearls and sparkly butterflies around it. You thanked your baker for making Sarah a beautiful birthday cake.

Sarah wore a purple dress with a purple bow tie bandana headband around her head. You and Joel had bought them a few days ago at the mall.

"Happy birthday, you cute little girl!" One of your employees from the cafe shook her little hand gently.

"Whoaa, who is this pretty little girl here?" Another friend from your cafe came to her while baby Sarah was in Joel's arms.

"Happy birthday, purple girl." Flo came and stroked her head.

"Say thank you, babygirl." Joel bounced Sarah and she babbled.

"You're welcome." Flo gave you a gift box for Sarah and you put it on the table piled with presents.

Everyone was happy to celebrate Sarah's birthday. They were like a second family to her. She spent every day with them and you at the cafe. And they loved her too.

“Hey, you old fucker. And hey there you, babygirl. Happy birthday, my sweet little niece.” An unfamiliar man approached the two of you and kissed baby Sarah’s head.

“Tommy!” Joel hugged his younger brother.

“(y/n), this is Tommy, my younger brother. Tommy this is (y/n). She’s uh-she’s my neighbor. She’s the one who came up with all of these.” Joel introduced you to Tommy and pointed around the house.

“Hi, Tommy. I’m (y/n). Nice to meet you. Joel helped a lot too.” You shook Tommy’s hand.

“So you guys-uh-together?” Tommy asked.

“We’re neighbors.” You answered and Joel nodded.

“Okay. If you want to say it that way. I’m sure you guys are more than that anyways.” Tommy raised both of his opened palms in the air.

“Okay, now I’m gonna mingle and see if I can talk to that pretty girl.” Tommy walked away and talked to a girl, who was apparently to be Flo.

“I didn’t know you had a brother.” You chuckled.

“Well, you know about it now.” Joel kissed Sarah’s cheek.

“He seems..” You pouted as you were looking for the right word.

“Friendly. Very much friendly.” You smirked.

“Yep, he is.”

“Why don’t we gather everyone and sing happy birthday?” You rested your hand at Joel’s shoulder then to Sarah’s head.

"Everyone! Joel here has something to say." You gathered everyone's attention.

"What? I thought you were the one who-" Joel whispered to you and bumped your arm.

"Shh.. come on do the speech." You whispered back to him.

"I didn't prepare anythin'." He panicked.

"You can do it. Come on." You patted his back.

"Hi-uh-I'm Joel. I'm sure you all know Sarah. She's turning one today. Thank you for takin' care of her every day at the cafe. I really appreciate it. You are all a second family to her. Why don't we-uh-sing happy birthday to my little girl?" Joel was sweating. You could see it dripping to the back of his neck but you just chuckled. You found him cute this way.

*Everyone started to sing*

Joel sang half way and he stopped singing so you turned to him. His eyes were locked to a woman who just came into the house. She was his ex-wife and her current boyfriend.

"Joel.." You stroked his upper arm.

"Hold Sarah for me?" He passed Sarah to your arms.

"Okay." You took her from his arms and held her, bouncing her a bit.

Joel sighed as he walked towards his ex-wife. He didn't let her see Sarah. He dragged her outside the house avoiding everyone to see the drama that would happen.

"Everything's gonna be okay, baby. Your dad got this. Let's just be happy and celebrate your birthday. Today's your special day." You talked to baby Sarah and kissed her forehead.

To be continued…

Taglist:

@lovelyygirl8 @skysmiller @moonlightdivine @crocodiile @angie2274 @pulchritudinousrogers @peqchsoup @msecho19 @happinessinthebeing @nyotamalfoy @nakedmoondiaries @dzaga890 @pa1g3-t0mm0 @prettysbliss @wanniiieeee @one-sweet-gubler @x-ap0llo-x @feministfanboi @ordinarylokix @afterglowsb-tch13 @padgraysonssram8re @tomorrowseverything @hummusxx @iranispunk @mrsyixingunicorn10 @likeanimagepassingby2 @mediocrewallflow3r @pedr0swh0r3 @mxtokko @dorck26 @cascactus28 @cheyxfu @stupidthoughtsinwriting @undermoonlightwalk @bigmoodyjoody @humanbug @sarahhxx03 @krisviciousx @quixscentsposts @dgct2 @dgraysonss @heybabyshae @fluffyspaceprincess @toottmblr @avengersfan25 @xixxala @dianaffddz @onzayhe @violetwitchmcu @welcometomyworldwithoutrules @kelh27

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sihtricfedaraaahvicius · 7 months

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Baby Daddy chapter 5

Note: last chapter! tied in request by @synindoodles, I hope you'll like it as you gave me a lot of freedom really. chapter 1 - chapter 2 - chapter 3 - chapter 4.

Warnings: fluff/suggestive/angst.

pairing: modern!Sihtric x you (f)

summary: You and Sihtric needed some counselling to work things out.

wordcount: 5k

Masterlist

The Counselling.

To no one's surprise, you and Sihtric remarried several months after you had divorced the other Dane, Sigtryggr. You certainly felt bad for your second ex-husband, as he had treated you with nothing but love and respect, but your heart simply belonged to your first ex-husband, who was now your husband again.

To everyone's surprise, things seemed to work out rather well between you and Sihtric this time, as years had passed and you were still together. Of course, you still had misunderstandings, disagreements and you argued occasionally, but it was way better than it used to be as you had both learned a lot. Sihtric still struggled to communicate at times, and you still made quite the mess of the house, mainly the kitchen. But you were both determined to make it work, just like you had promised each other. Not just for yourselves, but for Odin too, your now sixteen year old son.

'I don't know, pookie,' Sihtric sighed as he looked at the webpage you showed him, 'are we doing that bad?'

'No, Siht, not at all,' you said and sat down across from him in the kitchen, 'but I don't want us to ever get that bad, so I think it's not a bad idea.'

'I thought marriage counselling was like a last resort?' Sihtric remarked and sipped his coffee, then he leaned back and raked his tattooed fingers through his long, loose, messy hair.

You loved the contrast between his rather rough looking face and haircut, and his expensive, black v-neck sweater with some designer jeans underneath. Financially, things were going great, but romantically things definitely needed to improve.

'Well, for many people it is a last resort,' you agreed and closed the laptop, 'but why not give it a chance? I mean… don't you also feel that there is a distance between us lately?'

Sihtric looked down at his cup and shrugged lightly.

'I guess,' he said softly, 'maybe. Sometimes I just feel… nevermind.'

'No, tell me,' you encouraged him and reached for his hand across the wooden dinner table, 'talk to me.'

'No, it's… it doesn't matter,' he smiled weakly, not knowing how to express his fear of losing you again, 'maybe you're right, maybe it's not a bad idea.'

And with Sihtric's approval, you booked the counselling appointment. What Sihtric didn't know was that it wasn't just a one time appointment, but a whole retreat. A whole week. And you sort of forgot to mention that until one day before you had to leave, at least, that is what Sihtric claimed. You had told him, but he hadn't listened. Everything was arranged already; the trip, your stay, and Odin staying over at Finan for the time being. But the news came as a shock to Sihtric.

'A week?!' Sihtric stared at you with wild eyes, 'what do you mean a whole week? I don't want to be stuck in some… some…' he waved his hands around, 'prison for couples for a week!'

'You think marriage counselling is like prison?' you asked bitterly.

'No! But- but, gods, you could've told me this before!'

'I told you!'

'You didn't!'

'I did!'

'You did not!'

'For fuck sakes!' you yelled, 'this is exactly why we need a whole damn week there!'

'Yeah, well, make it a month,' Sihtric huffed as he stormed off to the bedroom.

And not much later you also stomped your way up the stairs and found Sihtric sitting on the bed, and it didn't take long before you sat on top of him, naked, making it up to each other… again.

'And this is where you will be staying,' a friendly lady named Eadith said as she showed you your luxurious room.

You and Sihtric looked around the large room, which had a king size bed, a big tv with a cosy looking couch in front of it, as well as a spacious bathroom with a heart shaped jacuzzi. You thanked Eadith kindly for the tour and short introduction, and you had about an hour to get ready for the first real counselling session of the week.

Each day you would have a different sort of session, which should eventually bring you and Sihtric closer again, as well as hopefully sort out the issues you two always had ever since you got together. And today, you would be meeting with Doctor Beocca for your first session..

'Hi, welcome,' Beocca said, 'please, take a seat.'

You and Sihtric sat next to each other, and you both shifted a little nervously on the couch as Beocca took his time to open his laptop and started typing.

'So,' the doctor said after a moment, 'this is the first session each couple here takes part in. I am here to paint a picture of where exactly your relationship is at, its problems and what kind of sessions you will need to improve the marriage. So my first question to you both is; why are you here?'

'Well,' you began, as Sihtric looked at you, 'I wanted to do this retreat because there is a distance between us. It's not too serious yet, I think at least, but I want to prevent us splitting up… again.'

'Again?' Beocca asked.

'Yes, eh,' you chuckled awkwardly, 'we divorced once, then we both married someone else who we also divorced, and then we married each other again.'

'Oh,' Beocca said, and he started to type on his laptop, 'I see. How long was your first marriage?'

'Eh, we split up about two years after we got married, but we didn't finalise the divorce until…,' you looked at Sihtric, 'how much later?'

'I'm not sure anymore,' Sihtric confessed.

'O…kay,' Beocca sensed you both weren't able to fully recall it anymore, 'we'll just focus on the two years then. So you split up after two years, then what happened?'

'Well, we still tried to do family things with our son,' you said, 'so we saw each other often. But we'd always end up arguing and after that we'd make up again, you know, with… sex,' you cleared your throat, 'and at one point we got back together again.'

'For less than a day,' Sihtric added.

'A day?' Beocca frowned.

'Yeah, then we had a big falling out-' Sihtric continued.

'There was an incident,' you interrupted your husband.

'An incident?' the doctor asked, 'what-'

'It was an accident,' you said.

'She fell off the stairs,' Sihtric said, 'which was kind of my fault, but-'

'She,' Beocca looked at you, 'you fell off the-'

'It really was an accident, I wasn't injured badly or anything,' you quickly said.

'No, but you did call Sigtryggr for help,' Sihtric scoffed and crossed his arms.

'Sigtryggr?' Beocca looked confused.

'I was hurt, Sihtric,' you rolled your eyes, 'and I needed comfort.'

'Wait, who is Sig-' Beocca tried, but you both didn't hear him anymore.

'Was his cock comforting enough?' Sihtric gave you a bitter look.

'Oh, please!' you hissed, 'nothing happened between us that day. He only take us for ice cream-'

'Oh, yeah, that's right!' Sihtric looked at Beocca, 'some strange man took my wife and my then five year old son for ice cream, after I was kicked out of the house.'

'Odin was four,' you corrected him, 'and Sigtryggr wasn't a strange man-'

'Who is-' Beocca tried again, to no avail.

'Oh, he wasn't a stranger because you met him in a bar the same night we met, which was years ago by then?' Sihtric asked, heated.

'Sihtric, please,' you rubbed your eyes, 'I had met up with Sig befo-'

'Sig,' Sihtric mocked the name.

'I met up with him before, and you know that because you read my texts!'

'You- you read your wife's texts?' Beocca asked.

'We were split up,' you said, 'I wasn't really his wife anym-'

'Yeah, I read my wife's texts,' Sihtric talked over you, 'because she left her phone in the kitchen and I just happened to see the message come in.'

'And you decided to freak out over it,' you sighed.

'I did not freak out-'

'You squished a juice pack-'

'It was a kid's juice pack, doctor,' Sihtric informed the wide-eyed man.

'That doesn't matter!' you yelled.

'Okay, okay!' Beocca's voice suddenly rolled through the, previously, zen room like thunder, 'I need you both to please stop talking.'

You and Sihtric both looked at Beocca and clenched your jaw at the same time. Then Beocca got up from his chair and grabbed a stuffed Hello Kitty plushie from a shelf, which he handed to Sihtric, who looked confused at the doctor while you snorted.

'Usually,' Beocca grumbled, 'this technique is used for children,' he sneered, 'whoever holds the stuffed animal gets to talk!'

You and Sihtric nodded in agreement, and you both felt like toddlers again.

'Okay,' Beocca sighed, 'Sihtric, please tell me what happened. How did you get back together before the incident, or accident, whatever, and what happened after that?'

Sihtric cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

'So,' he began, 'it was our son's birthday party that day. I was there too, naturally, and when I went to get a juice pack for my son, I saw her phone screen light up. Of course I looked at it, like everyone would,' he glanced at you for a split second, 'and saw the text was from someone I didn't know, this guy called Sigtryggr, and it said how he was planning on meeting up with my wife again.'

'And how did that make you feel?' Beocca asked, and you chuckled and rolled your eyes.

Sihtric looked at you again, but averted his eyes when you looked up at him.

'I was hurt,' he said quietly, 'and angry. I still loved her,' he swallowed hard, 'I always loved her.'

'And yet you were in your whore era,' you spat.

'No!' Beocca snarled, 'do not speak!'

'Sorry,' you mumbled.

Beocca nodded at Sihtric to continue.

'I was hurt. And I know we were not really together anymore, but I couldn't stand the thought of my wife with someone else,' Sihtric said, 'yes, she's right, I was seeing other people too. Hurting myself in the process, but I only did it because I tried to forget her. I know it wasn't fair of me to get angry that she was seeing someone too.'

'And what happened then?' Beocca asked.

'I confronted her, and we… we,' Sihtric cleared his throat, 'we had sex. Good sex,' he suddenly grinned, 'and by the end of the day we were together again. Then the next morning we got into an argument, again, I walked away and we argued on the stairs. When I tried to walk away again she wanted to take my hand,' Sihtric said and paused.

'Go no,' Beocca encouraged him.

You saw Sihtric's fingers tightened around the Hello Kitty plushie and, to your surprise, when you looked up at him you saw his eyes were teared up.

'I- I flinched,' Sihtric said, quietly, and his voice trembled, 'because I pulled away, s-she lost her balance and she f-fell down the stairs. I- I tried to grab her but-' he choked up and stopped talking.

'I see,' Beocca said softly as he started typing, 'and clearly you are still upset about that.'

'I never wanted to hurt her,' Sihtric sniffled and wiped his tears before they could fall down, 'but of course she was spooked after it happened, as was I, and she… she kicked me out. She wanted the key to the house back, which I gave her, and then I… I left.'

You fought your own tears and reached for Sihtric's hand, giving him a comforting squeeze before the Hello Kitty plushie landed in your hands.

'After Sihtric left,' you told Beocca, 'I called the guy I had gone for a drink with before that birthday party happened. His name is Sigtryggr, and he helped me out that day, after I fell. Nothing happened between us then. But he did accidentally meet our son.'

You explained the rule you and Sihtric had about introducing new people to your son, and then you told the doctor about how you and Sihtric ended up together again for a night, only to fight again and finally get divorced. You told him that Sihtric got married again at some point, only to divorce two months later, and your husband had nothing to add to that.

'Then I got married to Sigtryggr and ended up having sex with Sihtric on my wedding day,' you said, deadpan, 'I divorced Sigtryggr a few days later, married Sihtric again a few months later, and then things went up and down but we stayed together and, I think we just got stuck in a rut, you know? And now we're here, to finally sort things out and to not create more distance between us.'

Beocca stared at his word document, apparently the old man was speechless. He didn't directly say this was one of the wildest stories he had ever heard, but you knew that's what he meant anyway. Despite the story being so wild it would make for a good work of fiction, Beocca promised he'd have a plan ready by tomorrow morning.

And you went to have dinner at the resort's restaurant, before you went back to your room, where you both felt so drained by the conversation with Beocca that you fell asleep together before it was even ten in the evening.

'Bonding?' Sihtric frowned as he looked at the scheduled session the next morning.

You had only just woken up when you saw that Beocca had emailed you the week's planning. Sihtric rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned after he handed you your phone back, and he sat up in bed next to you.

'I also don't know what we'll be doing,' you said, 'I just hope we don't have to talk the whole time like yesterday.'

'Me neither,' Sihtric sighed, 'I mean, it was good to get that all out to someone I suppose, but yeah,' he chuckled, 'I still feel drained.'

'Me too,' you chuckled.

You looked at your husband as he was trying to wake up, and you felt a smile tug at your lips at the sight of his bare, muscular torso and his messy hair. You both had aged a bit, but he still looked so damn good, even when he didn't try.

'Come here,' you smiled and pulled Sihtric close, then pecked his cheek, 'I love you, sweetheart.'

'I love you too, pookie,' he said and squeezed you in his strong arms, before he kissed your cheek and leaned back, holding your face in his hands, 'we're going to work this out, I promise.'

'I know,' you placed your hands on his, 'I know we will.'

'Welcome,' a soft-spoken lady smiled, 'my name is Thyra, and I will guide your bonding session.'

You and Sihtric both smiled a little nervously again, and Thyra quickly explained what today's session was going to be like.

'So you will sit together in the lotus position-'

'What?' Sihtric snorted, 'eh…'

'Oh, no, no,' Thyra laughed, 'yes, like the sex position, but you will not have intercourse.'

You both chuckled with relief, and slight disappointment, and got in the position as Thyra explained how this should bring you closer together.

'Okay, wrap your arms around each other and hold each other close, then close your eyes,' Thyra said as she sat down, a few comfortable paces away from you.

You did as you were told and easily melted into each other's arms, as you buried your face in Sihtric's neck, and he moved one hand up into your hair, gently resting on the back of your head, holding you close.

'I will ask questions, and you will answer to your partner, so not to me,' Thyra said, 'I will be able to hear your answers, but I will not interfere unless it's needed.'

You both hummed in agreement as you were still wrapped around each other, and Thyra began her session.

'First I want you to focus on each other's breathing, until you both breathe in sync. Become one,' her soothing voice sounded.

You focused on Sihtric's breathing, your chest pressed against his, and you gradually started to find a comfortable breathing pace to keep up with.

'Now, open your eyes and look at each other,' Thyra said, 'and keep your eyes locked when you answer the questions, even if it's strange or uncomfortable. What made you fall in love with each other?'

Sihtric gave you a soft nod, allowing you to go first while you stared into his mismatched eyes.

'I fell in love with your appearance first,' you said softly, 'and I liked your energy and the way you made me instantly feel safe when we met.'

'Naturally I fell for looks first too,' Sihtric smiled faintly, 'when you looked at me, I just felt some sort of… as if I had found something that was missing.'

You felt yourself blush and pouted at Sihtric's sweet answer.

'I never invited anyone to go home with me after I just met them,' you said, 'you were the first guy I took home, without really knowing you. It just felt like we belonged together, and I couldn't let you go.'

'I felt the same, pookie,' Sihtric smiled and cupped your cheeks, 'there was no denying that we felt like we should be together.'

'Very good,' Thyra said, 'now, what four personality traits of your partner are your favourite?'

'I love how passionate you are, and fun-hearted,' you said, 'and how you're protective and actually quite romantic at times.'

'And I love how caring and considerate you are,' Sihtric whispered, 'and how honest you are, and passionate too.'

'Thanks,' you whispered with rosy cheeks, and Sihtric bit down on his lip with a smile.

'I really want to kiss you, pookie,' he whispered, thinking Thyra wouldn't hear it.

'You can,' Thyra said from across the room, 'pretend I'm not here, please, unless you'll take it too far. I'm not watching you two,' she chuckled, 'I'm making notes. The whole purpose of this session is to feel close, so if you want to kiss, hug, nuzzle, go right ahead.'

Sihtric was fast to pull your lips to his, and he captured you in a sweet, gentle kiss.

'I love you,' he smiled against your lips, 'so fucking much.'

'And I love you too,' you breathed, 'so much.'

After Thyra had given you a moment, she continued.

'What physical features are your favourite?'

'Boobs,' Sihtric couldn't resist his first answer, and you couldn't help but laugh at this boyish response.

'Nah, seriously,' Sihtric composed himself, 'your body is fantastic, love, you know I think you look perfect. But, I love your smile,' he said, 'it always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when you smile at me. But, again, I love everything about your appearance, your face, your hair, your hands… gods, your hands, it's like you can heal anything with a simple touch sometimes.'

'Your eyes,' you blurted out immediately, 'I love your eyes.'

Sihtric smiled and struggled to keep his eyes locked with yours, as he felt his cheeks heat up again, and he mumbled a shy 'thanks'.

'And I love how you look ridiculously good with every haircut,' you chuckled and pushed a strand of his loose hair behind his ear, 'I love your face, I know that sounds stupid probably, but… the sharp features, your eyes, your lips, the facial hair, and your scars,' you sighed, 'everything about your appearance is just… perfect to me. There is nothing I'd change, Siht, nothing.'

'Good,' Sihtric smiled, 'I'm… I'm glad to hear that.'

'You thought I'd want to change something?'

Sihtric shrugged lightly, 'Maybe… maybe my scars.'

'No,' you cupped his cheeks, 'I wouldn't change anything,' you said, and pulled him in for a kiss, 'you're perfect.'

'You're perfect too.'

'Good, good,' Thyra continued, 'what is something you need from your partner, this can be physical or emotional.'

'I need you to communicate more,' you said, 'you're already doing so much better than years ago, but it's still not enough often. I know it's hard for you, but you need to tell me when things aren't going the way you like it, or when things are difficult or when you're hurting. I don't want you to be ashamed to open up and tell me what you need or want. All you have to do is talk, communicate your feelings and needs. That's really what I need from you.'

Sihtric nodded and swallowed hard.

'I know, sweetheart,' he said, 'I know. But I just,' he teared up, 'I just need you to understand… that when I grew up, there was no… no space for me. No one cared about my needs. And,' he took a deep breath to compose himself, 'I'm really trying…'

'I know you are,' you reassured him, 'and you're doing really well, but this is just me wanting to encourage you to try and be even more vocal and clear. I know your past is different from most people, but I also hope that you truly understand and feel that things are different now too in our own family. You have people around you now who do want to hear you and help you.'

'I guess… maybe sometimes I don't feel that,' Sihtric confessed, 'sometimes when things don't go your way, you get angry. And I'm the same,' he chuckled, 'but then I shut down and run, because I don't know how to solve it or how to say things.'

'We can solve things by talking and listening,' you caressed his cheeks with your thumbs, 'and you're right too. Sometimes I struggle to understand your behaviour and I agree that I should do better. I know I can do better, and I'll work on that.'

'I'd like that,' Sihtric smiled, 'and I'll try to open up more.'

'I'd like that too.'

'Very good,' Thyra said, 'you two are doing really great.'

You and Sihtric smiled at each other, and he couldn't resist stealing another kiss from your lips.

'My next question is usually if you are still attracted to each other, but I think we can skip that,' she chuckled, 'the next question is if you are satisfied with your intimacy.'

'Ehh, for the most part,' you said hesitantly.

'For the most part?' Sihtric raised an eyebrow.

'Well, I'd just like it if, you know, we could have a bit more slow and sensual moments, instead of just going at each other like savages,' you laughed, 'which is great too, don't get me wrong.'

'No, I get it,' Sihtric chuckled, 'you're right. We often go for quickies lately, it's been a while since we really took our time… or weren't angry.'

'Exactly,' you agreed, 'I'd like it if we could make time again. I know things changed too as Odin grew up. But he's often not home these days when we are, so I'm sure we could figure this out.'

Sihtric agreed, and in truth, he wanted nothing more than to pick you up and carry you back to the room you stayed at, to have that slow and sensual sex you both needed and agreed on. But the session wasn't over yet. And everything went well, until Thyra asked if you ever felt cheated on by your partner.

'No,' you answered.

'Yes,' Sihtric said.

'What? Why?' you asked, 'everything I did with someone else was when we were split up. Sigtryggr and I weren't exclusive when I still saw you, before you and I divorced, and never agreed on being exclusive either then. I really only cheated on him, actually, with you.'

'I know,' Sihtric sighed, 'but… I always felt married to you. I- I always felt horrible when I was with someone else, even though we agreed to split up, in my heart I was still married. I always felt like I was cheating on you. And, I know it's not fair, but therefore it also felt like you cheated on me.'

'I'm sorry you felt that way,' you said, 'but I thought we both were clear about the fact we were not together anymore back then.'

'We were, pookie, but y-you're not listening to me now,' Sihtric struggled, 'I'm not saying that you cheated on me, because you didn't. We never cheated on each other,' he stared into your eyes, 'but to me it always felt like we did.'

'Sihtric,' you said with sadness in your voice, 'and that all leads back to communication again. You should've said something back then.'

'I know. I just didn't know how,' he said, 'maybe because I knew no one did anything wrong, but still…'

'It happened, we can't change that anymore. But I'm sorry if I made you feel cheated on. Do you trust me now?' you asked.

'I do,' Sihtric smiled softly, 'I trust you, I do.'

'Okay, good,' you pecked his lips, 'because I trust you too.'

After the intense bonding session, which actually brought you and Sihtric closer together right away, you finally had that slow and sensual sex, just before you went for dinner. You and Sihtric felt more at ease and more connected than ever before, as you both finally seemed to have a better understanding of each other.

The next day you had a meditation session, which would make you tap into your previous lives. And you had both been sceptical going in, but you were both shocked by the end of the day, when you discussed your results and discoveries during dinner.

Apparently Sihtric was a medieval warrior and a Dane, who fell in love with a Christian "witch". The woman wasn't really a witch, she was just a healer. But the townspeople didn't trust her because of her "healing powers" and ended up burning her alive in her home when she was asleep, while Sihtric wasn't home, as he was preparing for battle. And when he returned home, to a burned down hut and a dead wife, the townsfolk captured him and tortured him, by cutting out his tongue, as they feared he might be able to curse them, and then they killed him. They had only been together for a year, and died young.

'There is no way,' Sihtric said when he looked at your papers, which had your previous life written on it, 'you were a healer and you died in a fire?'

'I guess we really are connected,' you said, after you had read Sihtric's story.

You had to admit you felt just as spooked as Sihtric upon this reveal, but it did make sense as to why you felt you belonged together. And maybe it was also why you got back together again each time you had split up. Something primal inside you kept pulling you back towards each other.

'Maybe we struggle because now that we're actually together for a long time, longer than in our previous lives, we just don't know where to go?' you thought out loud, 'and you struggle to communicate because your tongue was taken.'

'Gods,' Sihtric scoffed, and he ordered another glass of whiskey when a waiter walked by.

'You know,' he then said, 'our home in that life was so messy too,' he chuckled, 'herbs and flowers and spices everywhere…'

'Just like our kitchen now,' you smiled and shook your head lightly, 'I can't believe this.'

'Me neither,' Sihtric said, 'but… it does make sense. And I guess it gives some clarity too, as to why I am possessive and protective at times, maybe more than I should sometimes.'

'And why I keep believing we can work this out, because I just know we can heal.'

With the newfound knowledge and mutual understanding, the last few days of the retreat went by fast. You had one day on which there was no session planned, and you ended up spending all day together in bed, only getting dressed to go out and get some food. And the fire between you and your husband was as bright as it was when you just got together, the first time.

The day after that, you had a session which consisted of doing an escape room together. It seemed like a pointless game, but it was a test to see if you had already learned to listen and communicate better. And to both your surprise, you solved the escape room without ever raising your voice at each other or getting irritated by your partner, so the retreat proved to be successful once again.

On the last day you had another conversation with Beocca, to see if there had been any progress, and he had been pleasantly surprised by the positive changes he saw. There was no need to pull out the Hello Kitty plush this time, and he said you both seemed more in love and calm, to which you agreed.

'But don't forget that you will still be challenged once you're back home again, back in your daily routine,' Beocca said, 'it is okay to argue and disagree, as long as it's a healthy amount.'

'I know,' you said, and Sihtric agreed, but you were both confident everything would be okay.

And you were right.

Back home again, things definitely went better. Sihtric opened up more and you paid more attention to his needs, when he finally communicated them with you, and you became closer as a family again, which is all Sihtric ever wanted.

And as your wedding anniversary was approaching, you and Sihtric decided to renew your vows. The last time you got married to Sihtric you had kept it small, with just your son present and a handful of friends, as everyone was sick and tired of going to weddings by then, but now that everything was finally going as it should, you agreed to throw a big party.

And at the night of your anniversary party, you ended up in the venue's restroom with Sihtric again. Except this time, before you pulled each other's clothes off, you made sure that all the toilet stalls were empty.

taglist: @clairacassidy @finanmoghra @uunotheangel @hb8301 @bathedinheat @neonhairspray @anaeve @bubblyabs @travelingmypassion @sylasthegrim @andakth @chompchompluke @willowbrookesblog @lady-targaryens-world @skyofficialxx @diosademuerte @elle4404 @alexagirlie @sweetxime @solango @gemini-mama @cheyennep3107 @little-diable @jennifer0305 @drwstarkeyy @mrsarnasdelicious @verenahx @urmomsgirlfriend1 @moonchildrenandflowercrowns @foxyanon @djarinsgirl27 @sigtryggrswifey

#sihtric kjartansson #sihtric x reader #sihtric x you #sihtric fic #the last kingdom #sihtric #tlk #the last kingdom fic #modern!sihtric

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animehouse-moe · 8 months

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Chainsaw Man Chapter 145: Kumbaya

Wow, a whole lot of questions have arisen from this chapter. Yoshida appears, Asa makes a move, the prophecy creeps ever forward as the Chainsaw Man church is captured. Fujimoto can make a lot happen in a chapter when they really want to.

So, Mr. Public Safety Devil Hunter here says two interesting things to open up this chapter. He talks about wanting War to mutually destroy Chainsaw Man, and he alludes to Chainsaw Man being God. Yeah, capital G there.

So, what do they mean? Clearly, Public Safety (through the Future Devil) became aware of the Nostradamus Prophecy a while back, and have understood that Denji has a key role to play in it. Fami corroborates this theory as she tries to weaken him.

And the second image. Well, that one's sort of obvious. Chainsaw is revered as a Devil unlike any other, the only ones we've not seen it conquer is the primal devils. Even then, he got pretty close with the Falling Devil.

Anyways, one of the big reveals of the chapter: the Justice Devil.

When you look at its design language, you see nothing of the fiendish appearances from previous instances of "justice devil" contracts. So what could be going on here?

There's a few ideas, but first its important to gather up the facts.

Firstly, the corpse of the Justice Devil was beneath the Chainsaw Man church. Secondly, Fami at the minimum had control of the Falling Devil. Third, the Justice Devil and Falling Devil appeared at sunset and the Falling Devil returned at sunrise. Fourth, the devil that has formed contracts with people throughout the story is claimed to not be the Justice Devil.

So, my first theory. The Justice Devil actually did form contracts with the individuals in question. However, these contracts weren't formed on Earth. Devils "forget" about Hell, but are a new iteration of themselves each time they appear on Earth. The "them" that exists in hell is the original, so what would happen if someone formed a contract with a devil in hell? It's not the most likely, as Fujimoto probably hasn't mislead readers with the identity of this Devil, but you never know.

The more likely theory though is that the Devil that formed a contract with these individuals under the guise of the Justice Devil, is the same one that gave Fakesaw Man his abilities. But what could it mean, is the real question. Does this unnamed Devil impart the abilities and nature of "Justice" onto individuals in how each person understands it? The class president and the Chainsaw Man church believer both sport at least a little similarity in design language with the idea of multiple heads, which makes sense given the selfish nature of each. Yuko's appearance though is largely different from theirs, which is once more understandable considering the difference in reasoning.

So, what could this devil that's been masquerading as Justice be? I think the one that comes to mind the quickest is "Desire", or something similar. The Devil requires the ability to fulfill the interests or needs of the individual, and to do so in a very direct way. Yeah, we've seen a lot of this "Justice" in Part 2, but we should remember that in part 1 almost all the devil contracts out there did not do anything to change the appearances of the individuals forming the contracts. The only example off the top of my head is the Zombie Devil.

But going further than that is the question of how Fami got this Devil on their side, and even further why she's playing so many angles at once. Betting on "both sides" she aims to kill Asa and Yoru, but also empower them through the Chainsaw Man church? There's a very long game going on here with Fami and the Nostradamus Prophecy, and I'm very very curious to see how it all ends up going down.

Anyways, here's another Asa door moment. Couldn't be a CSM protagonist without them.

Following this, two very big things happen. The first is the sun goes down. Drawing attention to this is signaling that another devil will appear. Whether it's a primal devil or not, or even potentially the revival of the Justice Devil I've no idea, but a threat looms on the horizon.

This idea begs the question of why the weapons were trying to create a massacre at the amusement park today though. It seems probable that their entire goal was to have a new devil appear come sunset (considering Barem's reaction), so it makes me wonder why they would try to do something so pointless.

The second though, is Asa's arm getting cut off. This is really big for two reasons. One, badass Yoshida in action looking like a young (and hot) Kishibe.

Secondly, and more importantly, it's the first time Asa's been severely injured since Yoru revived her. What are the mechanisms for regeneration and healing with Asa? How much can she heal, if it all? Is regeneration entirely on Yoru, does she have to be in control of the body to heal?

There's a lot of questions with this piece, because unlike all the other hybrids that have a "starter" for their transformation, Asa's is implicit. There's nothing that "kickstarts" her hybrid form, simply because she doesn't have one. Does that mean that she'd heal closer to how a Fiend might? That is, the act of transformation alone cannot regenerate or heal like it does for Denji?

I'm very very curious to see what happens here, because oddly enough this is a piece that can massively affect how we view exactly what Asa and Yoru are.

We're quickly barreling towards the date of July 18, 1999, the date of the last lunar eclipse of the 20th century, and with chapters like these we're piling on all sorts of curious odds and ends that will undoubtedly play a role in this impending night of terror. Really can't wait to see what Fujimoto does with it next.

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the-fo0l · 2 years

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Yan!Agent 47 headcanons

Notes: Im honestly surprised at how little content there is for 47, so tried writing some myself

Warnings: kidnapping, otherwise really fluffy

Oh you poor soul, managed to catch the eye of 47 huh?

Now you're hidden away in a hideout no one but 47 knows the exact location of, made to stay there indefinitely

Even though your new home is luxurious and beautiful in every way it is kinda creepy just how close everything is to your liking, how the hell did he know what interior design you liked..??

moving on

In contrast to the rather cold-hearted kidnapping, he takes such good care of you once you're in his home, you'll stop fighting back relatively fast

After he had kidnapped you it was...awkward between you and him, yes he finally has you but he had no idea how to properly express his feelings for you

How could he even express the love he has for you, when there's simply soo much of it <3

He would slowly build up repore with you, even if you are being more resistent than calm he'll still make sure you eat and don't hurt youself

You physically fighting him isn't a problem either cause of how strong he is

Seriously, he barely feels your kicks and punches

No matter how you behave in this situation he is extremely patient with you, you both know you can't stay mad at him forever

He babies you...in a way, not verbally, no, no, no, he's not exactly talkative if you haven't noticed. I mean that in the sense that he insists on doing everything for you

Breakfast, lunch and dinner? Done. Snack? Of course love. A movie? Your choice sweetheart. A massage? Anything for you baby. Some privacy? Fine. Freedom? No can do, anything else? <3

At some point you two started sleeping in the same bed and after one night where you involuntarily snuggled up to him in your sleep, he insisted on cuddling

Being so close to you made his heart go skjswnsjis

Cuddling with 47 is a lot more intimate than you'd think

Yeah, obviously he was really stiff in the beginning due to not having any kind of closeness or love like this in his life but he soon gets the hang of it

He wraps you up really tightly in his arms, specifically holding your head to his chest with his strong arms around your shoulders

In his mind this is optimal, like cmon it has so many benefits 1. Shielding you from intruders (even though there's no way anyone could get in he's paranoid) 2. Playing with your hair 3. Getting to see you so up close and touch you 4. Making sure you don't try to escape

Occasionally he gets really into physical affection. Normally he uses instinct when on missions but holding you starts to also come more naturally. Like, you'll be in the kitchen, making coffee, and he'll just come up next to you and firmly hold you and kiss your head for the next 10 minutes.

But if you express any discomfort he'll back off of course (he's totally not frowning wdym)

He actually starts developing more emotion through his love for you. Annoyance when he has to leave you, anger when you're threatened, frustration when you try to leave and sadness when you're upset. These are very dulled down for him but still

He makes a lot of money through his work but never really uses any of it. Now he can spend it all on you

He knows money can't buy your love but he still wants to give you the world

Im talking the best clothes, jewelry, food and equipment for your hobbies there is

He puts protecting you above all else, even if it means keeping you locked up. He simply can not bear the thought of his enemies or the ICA trying to utilize you againt him (even if he takes insane security measures and has no problem killing whoever gets in the way)

He has to keeps you safe, hope you understand <3

#agent 47 x reader #yandere agent 47 #yandere agent 47 x reader #yandere x reader #yandere fluff

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existential-labrador · 1 year

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I’ve been thinking a lot about Ted going home and about how he was in the last episode and really trying to understand it. And I think I do now. (Not trying to upset anyone here, sorry if it does, this has just been my processing journey.)

I think it does come back to that idea of him being at peace for me. When I really look back at this season I think, yeah, okay, he’s not been happy, he’s not been himself, he has felt lost. There was that whole scene about the North star early on, I have to accept that Henry, of course, is Ted’s North star.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about my feelings that Ted is going backwards or that he wouldn’t be happy back home but have come to different conclusions now. Firstly, I don’t think he would get back with Michelle, so I’m feeling happier about that.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, Ted may be going backwards in terms of location, but he is absolutely not the same person he was when he left Kansas. The show was always about bad fathers right - I know that’s not all it was about - but Ted being a father is such a huge part of who he is and his purpose and meaning and happiness in life. The journey he has been on will allow him to be the father he wants to be which is what will make him happy. I think we’ve been saying the phrase ‘I know he wants to be with his Son but’ a lot, well, I think Ted is one of those people (I hear they actually exist) that considers his child to be his world. To Ted, Henry is not just part of his life, he is his life. I think bearing all of that in mind, it makes absolute sense for him to go home and that he’d be at peace with the decision. I’m not saying Ted isn’t a person outside of Fatherhood, I just think for him this makes sense.

But I’ve also been thinking a lot about the idea that Ted wouldn’t be happy back home and I know this is one I felt strongly about before. But actually, Ted’s healing and growth will allow him to have a healthy relationship with Michelle and be able to co-parent Henry the way he would like. I do think with Dr Jacob out of the picture their relationship could be positive and healthy again (absolutely in a non romantic way!)

I also think it’s easy to tell ourselves Ted wasn’t happy in Kansas but…we don’t actually know that. His marriage was breaking down yes, and obviously his relationship with his Mum is difficult, but he has done so much healing around both of those things and has faced demons and struggles that were internal, regardless of where he was living. He has grown so much.

Outside of that, we don’t know much about his life in Kansas. We don’t know how happy he was there, what his friends and community were like, that stuff may all be amazing and stuff he’s missed. We know how much he’s missed home, we were repeatedly shown this, and not just Henry, his home. Kansas. Remember, Ted left to give Michelle space (and I would say also out of fear around getting close to Henry and all of those things he was running/hiding from) but he probably hadn’t planned to leave before he got that job offer. I’m not sure he wanted to leave. That job offer turned out to be what he needed at the time, but perhaps not what he wanted (to link it back to the song.)

Before I kept thinking about Richmond as the right home for Ted and where he belongs. But when I really think about and look deeper, was it? It was a form of home for him, yes. But did he ever truly settle? I think his accommodation would suggest not.

I’ve also been thinking about the stuff we wouldn’t have seen, the stuff offscreen. How many nights did Ted have dinner alone when Beard was with Jane? How many times did Ted feel lost and out of place when he wasn’t busy working?

I was thinking about the 12 texts and 3 un haha’d gifs whilst feeling annoyed about Tedbecca. But coupling it with her being with Dutch guy (still not okay with this but it’s the choice they made) I wonder if the unanswered texts were designed to show that Ted was feeling a bit left behind and that everyone else was moving on. Think about that night in Amsterdam, he ended up alone because everyone else was busy with their lives and he was drawn to and sought comfort in things that reminded him of home.

I also think there’s a lot to be said for the idea of Ted being needed. He is one of those people that needs to be needed. I guess the Mary Poppins line makes sense to me in this respect, when her work is done and when she isn’t needed any longer, even though people may want her to stay, it’s time to move on.

Ted did all he could for Richmond. He helped those people become the best versions of themselves. They were able to and will still be able to live by the Lasso/Richmond way whether he’s there or not. And I think this is one of the reasons he took a backseat role this season.

I keep thinking, if Ted stayed, but Tedbecca didn’t happen - which clearly the writers never wanted it to - how would his life look? Sure he’d hang out with people and have good times, but they’d all have their own lives and he wouldn’t feel like they really needed him. He would probably still feel alone a lot of the time.

So is that any different to Kansas? He probably has a community and friends there we don’t know about. And sure, he’d feel lonely at times, but perhaps no more than in Richmond, and in Kansas he would be needed by Henry and being able to be the Dad he wants to be. It makes so much sense to me now.

Ignoring Rebecca and soulmates for a second, in terms of everyone else in Richmond, I think it’s easy for us to think Richmond is the first time and place Ted has made these kind of connections with people. But again, like Mary Poppins, we don’t get to see the lives Ted has already touched and will continue to touch. He’s Ted Lasso, I have no doubt he has countless people that he has connected with back home and anywhere he has been for that matter.

In terms of Beard, Brendan Hunt said on the reddit Q&A that Beard and Ted would have had stages of being in and out of each other’s lives. I always assumed Beard had always been around before they came to Richmond, but maybe he wasn’t a regular part of Ted’s life in Kansas so Ted wouldn’t feel bereft of that when he leaves. That’s what I took from that so in that respect, I’m okay.

And obviously, all of this would be different if Tedbecca had happened. That’s a whole other kettle of fish. Obviously I still wish that had happened and believe it should have. But if the writers were never gonna do that, then it would have been sad for Ted to stay. Yes, they would still have been platonic soulmates, but that wouldn’t have been enough for either of them to be personally fulfilled.

Plus, even with Ted gone, people connected like that, soulmates, they will always be in each other’s lives. It’ll just look different now, but I don’t for a second believe Rebecca won’t see Ted again. They’ll probably still talk regularly and visit one another, even if we never see that! He’s not actually Mary Poppins, gone forever!

I still wish he and Rebecca had had a better goodbye and more screen time, but I do think when it comes to that scene in the stands, Ted knew that Rebecca doesn’t actually need him to be okay and to be a boss ass bitch, even though she felt like she did. And he knew she’d come to understand that, so he didn’t need to say anything. I still would have liked more to be said between them but hey.

So yeah, in terms of Ted leaving (some unfulfilled goodbyes aside) I feel at peace. And I think his behaviour in that finale was because he finally felt at peace too.

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #tedbecca #talk about a ted talk 🙈

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walkman-cat · 9 months

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please please tell me things about your detective noir au, it's been living in my head rent free since I saw it

OH BOY !! I love detective noir au soso much thankyou to @pigeonwit for writing the thing which incited me creating it and for helping me with a lot and for being enthusiastic about it ! wbwbw !!

I’ve been using it as a fun design project over a story project for the time being, so plot has been put on a back burner while i focus on research and costume design (and funky character dynamics), but I have got a random assortment of Things I’ve thought up for it wbwbw!

First things first: it’s set in 1927-1928, and I’m using a lot of uksies versions of the characters/character dynamics.

Davey’s (obviously) a Private Eye; he’s somewhat well known because he’ll take any case (it doesn’t matter if his client can’t afford his rates, he’ll solve the case for free) and will not stop until it is solved (sometimes to the detriment of his health). He clings to his morals so hard he leaves fingernail-shaped indents; he’s trying soso hard to stay afloat and keep his head above new york’s criminal underbelly (which is difficult when one of the most influential and feared mob bosses in the city has decided you’re her Good Pal). Most of what he earns goes to his family, he has to provide for them somehow, to return all they did for him somehow. He’s constantly exhausted, he doesn’t remember a time he hasn’t been exhausted.

He’s still autistic and still Jewish I’m never taking that from him wbwbw (he speaks English, Yiddish, Polish, and some Hebrew)

Jack’s the Homme Fatale character. He’s shady, he’s putting on a front, he’s very morally grey, he’s trying so desperately to escape the situation he’s in and find the means to live the life he wants to live over the live he’s been given that he sinks deeper and deeper into crime and the shadier part of the city. He was still a newsie and friends/brothers with Race and Crutchie, and is still in contact with them both.

just imagine michael jack with a long cigarette holder. Those are the vibes.

Did you see me say “unshakeable morals” when describing Davey? Yeah I lied. He killed a man in cold blood once, and he was terrified of how little he felt guilty over it, and how readily he’d kill again if he was in the same situation. The city is seeping in injustice and violence and a part of him was suffocated a long time ago. He tries not to think about it.

He also threatened to kneecap Race’s dad once <3 My guy is clinging onto the concept of Right and Wrong but also has a frequent urge to Maim Bite Kill.

Jack, despite his moral gray-ness, has never killed.

oh btw there’s javid somewhere in there. They’re very detective-thief enemies-to-annoyances-to-lovers (pidge has their dynamic in this au DOWN in this post)

Kath is simultaneously the Fast-Talking Reporter (Kit Plumber) and Dame With A Case (Katherine Pulitzer). She’s less interested in journalism as an industry than she for it’s Purpose, when she stumbles into something she shouldn’t or delves to deeply into an investigation and her bosses tell her to drop it and Forget, she goes either to Jack (as Kit) or to Davey (as Katherine)— sometimes to both.

She doesn’t know that they don’t know that Kit and Katherine are the same person (Jack has no idea Kit Plumber is anything other than a reporter, doesn’t need to ask; Davey has his suspicions over how and why an heiress has yet another case of corruption or something involving the mob, but he doesn’t voice them because she’s generous and maybe also his friend??). This leads to Shenanigans.

People whisper about Spot Conlon in fear throughout New York’s boroughs. She’s a mob boss, and her “family”’s influence has seeped so deep into the city that some people say he’s the real person running it. (Many of the Brooklyn newsies are her lieutenants). She’s also decided that Davey is one of her close friends and allies (because Lillie said that Spot and Davey would be friends and I think it’s funny that this really feared mob boss thinks Davey is his Good Pal and has him over sometimes).

She/He Spot Conlon Real (the rumours and whispers sometimes refer to Spot as a woman, sometimes as a man, and Spot couldn’t care less.)

Spot owns the speakeasy Medda runs and performs at, and it’s her “family” that supplies it with alcohol. Crutchie’s the pianist and Race is its Shady Bartender. He keeps letting Jack into the speakeasy so in retaliation she invites Davey over (with the pretence of exchanging information) because she knows Race doesn’t like Davey very much.

Race’s initial dynamic with Davey is very similar to how it is in act 1 of uksies (Race somewhat hates mostly dislikes and definitely doesn’t trust Davey). By the time the plot begins they’re on slightly better terms (they have a funky dynamic I can’t exactly explain atm but I will one day, but I’ll just say Race trusts Davey mostly because Splasher trusts Davey. Also Davey threatened to kneecap his father when his father found him so there’s also that).

Splasher and Davey have a funky found family dynamic too wbwbw!! Davey helped Splasher one time and Splasher thought he was very cool and started following him around and finding evidence for him (who let this child into mob territory who let this child look at corpses). One time Splasher found a recently-executed body in the East River and he called Davey his dad while Davey was soothing him. Davey calls him boychik.

The newsies of lower manhattan all know Davey as Splasher’s older brother/father figure and Les’ big brother. And also as the guy whose office they hang out in all the time.

Splasher also knows Spot because he’s really good friends with Pips. Pips calls Spot “Spottie”. That’s all.

I’d like it to be very clear that Davey and Jack are both having The Worst Time Of Their Lives but they look so so cool while doing it.

wbwbw that’s all i can think of now, and pretty much all that I’ve explored so far but thank you soso much for asking about detective noir au! it’s a fun time and i enjoy researching designing for it soso much wbwbw

#jack design soon maybe 👀👀👀#anyways wbwbw #sorry for the really really long post wbwbwb #newsies #david jacobs #jack kelly #katherine plumber #katherine pulitzer #spot conlon #racetrack higgins #splasher newsies #detective noir au #wbwbw #answered #angry-kid-with-no-money #it’s javey but the ravey dynamic is so weird and maybe a little alterous who knows #there’s a Thing happening there

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kitkatopinions · 2 months

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Sorry to come into your ask box to vent after your post...

But I gotta say, you certainly managed to really sum up everything I dislike about the mentality of "subverting expectations = good storytelling" folks.

Like, it had been such a thing for people to say "X is so good because it subverts audience expectations!" And it's been driving me up a wall because that's just such a backward mentality about it: subverting audience expectations is a completely neutral thing, and one can just as easily ruin a story by going against audience expectations as tell a good story by playing out what the audience might be expecting.

Which, not to necessarily be mean about RW//BY, but yeah... that so many passionate defenders of it are also of the "a story is good cuz it subverts expectations" crowd is... not unexpected.

No, but for real! The way that people and seemingly a lot of writers think that surprise = good is frustrating!:This is one reason why spoilers are such a big deal to people, is that their viewing experience seems to bank on surprise and shock about who might die, who ends up together, who wins what victory in the end. I should be able to know all the plot points and plot twists going in and still enjoy the finished product just as much. If something isn't well set up (Adam's switcheroo in motives, the existence of the gods, Penny being a flesh person, the Ever After, Blake's personality change, arguably Ruby's depression in V9,) or not well done (Ironwood's fall to villainy, Ozpin's gray morality, the bees, Neo's eventual suicide, Ruby's journey as a SEW, the whole morals of the whole show) then whether or not it 'subverts expectations' is entirely irrelevant.

People are fully allowed to complain that they thought a piece of media would do something they wanted and instead did something they personally don't like that much, also, because that IS a bummer. But when I complain about RWBY, most of the time it's not just because I'm salty that it isn't doing what I think I'd personally like more. Like, I like the game Octopath Traveler, but I wish it wasn't that 8-bit looking early video game design, but at the end of the day I don't care because just because it doesn't fit my personal preference doesn't mean it isn't good. I wish Zuko had joined the Gaang earlier in ATLA or had more time with the Gaang than he did, but I still think Zuko's story is as close to perfect as it probably could've been. I just write or read fanfiction for the personal preference stuff. But the complaints I typically have for RWBY aren't like that. Like YEAH I actually DO prefer stories without heroes falling to villainy and with lots of redemption arcs, but I'm not about to hate RWBY just for not following my own personal preferences. No, I criticize RWBY for the bad execution, the lack of emotional pay-off in their story beats, the inconsistent morality they splash here and there whenever it sounds good and then forget about. RWBY is a confused show packed with ideas that never seem to be able to come together and writers that seem more interested in making giffable moments than a well done story. It's just generally not a well written well executed show.

I think that 'it subverts your expectations' is just one of many excuses that people use to wave away criticism with as little thought or effort or need to actually engage in discourse as possible. Just like complaints that the writers weren't interested in good world building and lore and therefore the transition from the moster school drama Beacon Era into magical world traversing quest wasn't well done are waved away with 'you're just mad the writers aren't following your headcanons' or 'you just want cute girls to go brr and hate substance' without actually addressing the true meat of the complaint or offering any substantial counterargument.

BTW, complain any time! I don’t mind hearing it at all. XD

#rwde

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jurakan · 7 months

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I want to know about the guy who couldn't read hieroglyphics!

So I don’t know when you sent this, but it didn’t come in until Saturday. Which is after Fun Fact Friday. Not to worry, though, we’re saving it for this week! So Today You Learned about Athanasius Kircher!

Fr. Kircher was a German Jesuit priest in the 1600’s, and this dude knew EVERYTHING. Well, not everything, but he was knowledgeable in a surprising variety of fields. Among other things, he:

-made a treatise on China including accurate maps

-deduced that diseases were caused by tiny organisms in the blood

-designed an automaton

-tried to work out where Atlantis was on the map

-climbed down into Mount Vesuvius

-suggested something close to evolution (adaptation based on environment)

-built (though did not design) a magnetic clock

He was crazy good with languages! Kircher was so well-known for it that he was sent the infamous Voynich Manuscript (maybe a Fun Fact for another time?), though he couldn’t understand it, either.

Kircher was also a pioneer in Egyptology, revitalizing the field with his studies. He learned and published about the Coptic language, and recognized some of the patterns in Egyptian hieroglyphs. Through his studies, he translated hieroglyphs centuries before the discovery of the Rosetta Stone!

One problem: he was completely wrong. Dude was smart, but he didn’t know everything, and hieroglyphs were one of the massive gaping holes in his knowledge base. Kircher thought (like many at the time, to be fair) that they were occult symbols, and that they didn’t translate to words the way we think of them, but characters and ideas. Wikipedia’s example lists that there’s one bit that translates to this: “dd Wsr” which means “Osiris says,” (Egyptian writing doesn’t do the vowels).

KIRCHER translated it as: “The treachery of Typhon ends at the throne of Isis; the moisture of nature is guarded by the vigilance of Anubis.”

Yeah, he didn’t have a clue, man. He was the expert, so people believed him. I suspect that this type of thing is why he got a reputation for being an alchemist and occultist genius, as mentioned in this Fun Fact.

#Fun Fact Friday #Egyptlogy #Today You Learned #ancient Egypt #Egypt #Athanasius Kircher

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lazywriter-artist · 1 month

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do you have any lore for your guardsmen plsplspls whats their dynamics like

Glad you asked Anon! I do :)

So my silly boys (their full size/non chibi designs can be found here) are still kind of in a developmental stage really but I do have some set in stone stuff

For the most part all three are pretty young recruits and really haven’t seen enough action to be jaded and chiseled as some so they’ve still got some whimsy left in them— this aided by the fact that they typically spend more time cooped up with the machine cult worshippers due to the magos Domnius deciding these silly humans need to be with him and his skits (ya won’t catch them complaining—) means they’re pretty comfy for being guardsman

My current idea with them really is that they have come from various regiments, at least Starr did, and were brought together by their kidnapping surprise adoption by the Magos. Enos is probably the freshest to the ranks of the imperium with a bit more hope in his eyes and a zest for life, while Starr I’d say has probably been a guardsman for the longest. I wouldn’t say Starr is all jaded and sad like say Galileo or storvis, but they’ve definitely been exposed more to the ‘guardsman the lowest rank in the hierarchy’ ideals and kind of knows their place is already set when higher ranking officials arrive.

Upon finding themselves “reassigned” to the magos they quickly grew close to one another and formed a bery quick brotherly bond :)

On the more tactical side, I’d say (which might eventually reflect in their designs who knows-) Starr is/was(?) a weapons specialist for his company, while Luther served as a vox-Operator and Enos served as a just really average run of the mill trooper

I will say not too much has been set in stone for them as with a lot of my ocs they’re kind of constantly shaping in my head especially as I take more lore in from warhammer itself :)!

More of their dynamic side is definitely aforementioned a very brotherly one

They have sort of roles they fall into but tend to hop between them a lot

Like Starr tends to be the collected level headed older brother but this role can also be filled by Lute (they’re all about the same age with maybe a year difference between Starr and Enos so ‘older brother’ ‘younger brother’ ect. Tends to just be a personality reference more then an age thing)

Lute often fills ‘mischievous but well meaning middle brother’ but again sometimes you’ll see Enos in this behavior pattern

Enos typically being the skittish youngest sibling who is trying to figure out the world

But yeah, it mostly cuts down to their deeper personalities

Lute resents his place as ‘lowest member of the food chain’ as many dismiss him as a meat shield before a word in edge wise can even be gained. And it’s frustrating for him especially as he does a very important job as a Vox operator, certain commands wouldn’t be able to go through without him!

Starr similarly resents these ideals, they’re a well oiled machine not some barbaric system of dog eat dog! Even if they might be just that— but he’d never do anything about it. He finds it’s just better for everyone if he puts his head down and avoids conflict over something as trivial as that. He knows he’s important and that’s all that matters to him

While Enos is mostly oblivious to such ideas, he can kind of sense and I mean obviously see he’s different in rank to say a general or a commissar, but he doesn’t see why they’d get preferential treatment over that rank! Save for probably some things but hey! The imperium cares for its most important, the glue that keeps the imperium going!!

So over all they help even one another out, Starr can take over in terms when it comes with dealing with the tar pit of a bureaucracy the imperium can be, Lute is there to act as some healthy (and very VERY light) rebellion, while Enos can keep some youthful wonder about the trio

And again, they’re all very diluted versions of these ideals due to just how the imperium works (as I understand it—) in general.

You can’t really be a full blown rebel bc that means your a heretic and you get kablowied all over the wall, so the most rebellious tendencies you’ll get from Luther is him whining about it later and what have you.

Ya can’t really hold your eyes too wide with whimsy and joy lest the dust of the town you just watched get obliterated get in your eyes

And just gotta accept your blissful ignorance sometimes and fall into line with the rest

But all and all that’s pretty much it for what I have on them and tbh some of it is very likely to change but we shall see lol

Thank you for the ask!!

#thank you for letting me ramble about them anon #it’s been 2 days of typing work but it’s been worth it #o7 #I’ve said it for my AdMechs and what have but lore accuracy is kind of backseat to me when it comes to writing but if there’s anything lik #huge and glaring that contradicts lore idm taking some criticism and adjusting lol #wh40k #warhammer 40k #wh40k oc #log & explr #guardsman 40k #lazy blab #lazy text #lazy answers

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earthnashes · 1 year

Text

I got very longwinded so I put the rest under the Read More. But TL;DR of this post:

-Once my current queue is done, I will be taking an indefinite hiatus from accepting commissions. There will be exceptions in the form of sporadic specials and Patreon-exclusive slot openings.

-There will be a “final hurrah” special I will very likely hold for maybe a month before that hiatus comes into play. Will be the final time I will accept commissions before hiatus.

-Hiatus will be spent focused on personal projects, overall art improvement, and content creation. I miss making headcanons as often as I did, man. ;w;

-Hiatus will, at most, last for the rest of 2023. More likely, though, it’ll last for a few months, but regular commissions will return with certainty uwu

So ye! :)

But if you want the long version...

This week is Deload week for training before my PR tests, which means I am taking a recovery period from weightlifting before I go back to hit them goal numbers hard as I can. And with it comes a coincidental introspective on my career as a freelance artist so far.

When May rolls around, it’d be 4 years since I quit my day job and took on commissions as my official primary means of income, and making my art my near entire source of income. I’ve definitely taken commissions long before that, but it was very much both amateur and part-time for the most part with my focus being elsewhere: either on school, or a job.

4 years of being able to independently live on my own thanks to the support I receive from everyone is more than I can ask for. But it is also a decent amount of time to be drawing for others!

Lemme counter that though by saying I’m not actually sad or upset about it or like. Need any sort of condolences or anything of that sort. Quite the contrary; I love doing commissions! Money is a factor in it, yeah, I’d be a fucking liar if it wasn’t; I have to eat and pay those pesky bills to make art. But a large part of why I love commissions is because I very much enjoy drawing for people. To me, being given a commission is being given the permission and trust to handle a small fragment of the person with care. I’m given a glimpse into who the person is, what they like, what stories they have to tell. So I try to give them my best foot forward and produce a piece they’ll enjoy. I personally find the entire process of creating for others very sweet and fun and it makes me happy that I’m allowed the honor of drawing for someone. :)

But through a lot of trial and error I’ve also come to remember how much I enjoy drawing for myself too, and how much I miss it. I don’t really draw for myself much anymore. I don’t really have the time to, mainly, but that’s largely my own doing. Past rookie stumbles biting me in the ass, living and learning. ;w; But I’m only bringing it up now because I am finally getting fucking close to finishing the queue I have, and with it comes the decision of taking an indefinite hiatus away from taking commissions.

The hiatus will at minimum be a couple of months, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to take it for the rest of the year. Got a lot of plannin’ to do if I intend on taking it that long! One such thing is doing a “last hurrah” special. The commissions will have to be simple and small so I don’t like, destroy myself in the process, but the idea is to take as many simplistic commissions as I can before I go into hiatus. It’ll be the official final time I’ll accept orders on mass before it’ll become very sporadic at best, at least until I bring the hiatus to an end.

Another is finally making an official store front for merch. Already have ideas of what I’d offer; most of them will be small and relatively cheap, and others would be like P2U designs and refs you could use for OCs ;w;

Lastly is more time spent on energy toward my Patreon and streaming; more early access, more character requests, more comics, so on and so forth. uwu

---

But ye! In closing, I’m just lettin’ my brain do the big think and I wanted to let ya’ll know the basic going’s on. As such, as you can imagine I will likely not be terribly active with art posting for the next few weeks ;w; I’ll still be around if you have questions and what not, but ye! Sorry for talking you ear off, and if you made it this far, you should treat yourself no cap. Thank you so much everyone, I’ll talk to ya soon! owo

#earthsong talks #update

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mystic-shadows42 · 2 years

Text

Always and Forever

A/N: Brief hint/ mention of self harm

Word Count: 1,262

Eddie had been antsy all day. All he had said was that he had something to show you. He said nothing else on the matter which left you curious as to what he was going to display.

As soon as the last bell rung for the end of school he grabbed your hand and led you away. He ignored your questions only smiling and chuckling like a fool who was too excited for his own good.

You knew he was leading you to his spot behind the school. He sat you down on the bench and paced with a giddy smile on his face.

“Eddie,” you laughed wanting to know what he was so excited about but also loving how cheery he was.

“I got a new tattoo.”

You looked at him waiting for him to continue. Getting tattoos wasn’t new for him so you knew this was something more. You waved your hand for him to go on.

“And?”

He stopped his pacing and bit his lip. He did a little drum roll on the bench and then stopped before speaking.

“I got your name.”

You scoffed out a laugh. “You did not,” you brushed off thinking he was joking. There was just no way he would do that. There were so many other designs and ideas he wanted to get on his body and having your name on him was definitely not one of them.

He pulled down his shirt a little to reveal his tattoo. “What does that say?”

You were at a loss for words. Your name was actually written in beautiful cursive on his chest.

“Tell me that’s not permanent ink.”

“It is.”

You looked at him not quite knowing what was going through his head for him to get that. Getting a tattoo, in your mind, was a big deal. It was a permanent display that’s marked on you forever.

“Eddie,” you whispered in disbelief. “Why would you do that?”

Eddie’s smile faltered. You can blatantly see the disappointment on his face after seeing your reaction. It wasn’t your intention to break his enthusiasm but having your name permanently on his body was no joke. You just hoped he wouldn’t look at it one day and regret it.

He visibly gulped then sat down on the bench interlacing his fingers together as he looked down at his rings trying to avoid your gaze.

“I got this for you,” he forced a small smile before dropping it completely. He looked at you with his beautiful brown eyes, gleaming and soft. He began to fiddle with each one of his rings as if to try and avoid your gaze. “You inspire me.” There was a flutter in your heart at his words. “You make me feel comfortable being myself. To be a freak,” he smiled while licking his bottom lip trying to delve into his memories. “You were the first person that I can ever clearly recall as being nice and telling me to always be true to myself. The one to defend me whenever I got bullied throughout school. The one that stopped me from ending it all. So after all that, why wouldn’t I get your name on me? To remind me of my biggest motivator.”

He looked up at you and that’s when it all clicked. Your kindness towards Eddie wasn’t just an act of friendship. There was a deeper meaning behind it. A simple act of kindness did a lot more for him. It gave him a reason to go on. To be weird. To be happy despite what everyone else thought.

You reached over and placed your hand over his. “Thank you, Eddie.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “For what?”

“For sharing that with me. I didn’t know that you had thoughts like that.”

“Yeah, well with your encouragement, I got better. Found my interests and a group of freaks to keep me company,” he smirked recalling the current events of his life. “I have you so I’m happy now.”

You let go of Eddie’s hand which made him snap out of his thoughts and look at you in question. That’s when you rounded the bench to wrap your arms around him. He closed his eyes at the impact and reciprocated.

He felt loved.

“I like your tattoo Eddie but I love it more now that you told the story behind it. I’m just happy that I get to have ‘you’ in my life. You’re everything to me, Ed’s.”

Eddie squeezed his arms around you a little tighter then he kissed your forehead.

“I have a little piece of you wherever I go. So whenever you leave Hawkins, your reminder will still be here with me.”

Eddie had always encouraged you to leave Hawkins. He thought that this place wasn’t where you deserved to be but this was the place where your friends and family were. It was your home and Eddie was very much a part of that.

“I’ll always be here with you.”

Eddie pulled away a little to look at you. “But if you have a chance to leave, take it. You’re far too good for this hellhole.”

You don’t think Eddie realized it but he was caressing the skin on your neck and cheek with the pad of his thumb while gazing into your eyes. It wasn’t lost on you that he harbored a crush on you but the fact he never initiated anything and would claim to like Chrissy deterred such acts. Even for you to act on it was purely by the fact you were too nervous.

He’d been your friend for many years so his interests came and went. You feared that maybe he got over you but the way he was holding and looking at you with such admiration told you otherwise.

So you decided to take a chance. The freaking man got a tattoo of your name for crying out loud! Now was the time to act.

You placed your hand on his cheek and saw his eyes widen and his breath hitch. The atmosphere changed and all you can focus on was him. You sat up straighter facing him before leaning in to kiss him.

The kiss was brief but bliss. A little smooch to test the waters. You opened your eyes to gauge his reaction and saw him fluttering his eyes open.

“Is this really happening?”

“It is,” you smiled at him amused by his reaction. That’s when his face looked determined. He brought both hands up to cup your face before bringing your lips together once more only with more certainty. The only sound that you could hear was the birds and the sound of your lips smacking.

When he stopped, you looked at him in question.

“I’ve always loved you.”

He said it was so much sincerity that it was making your heart accelerate. You probably had the biggest smile on your face while simply staring back at him.

“I love you too Ed’s.”

It was a giddy feeling. All the pent-up emotions over the years finally building up to this moment. Eddie started to play with your hair as a way to distract himself as he always did when he was nervous about something.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

You rested your arms on his shoulders then pressed your forehead against his. “Of course, I will.”

He closed his eyes and smiled being content in your company then you thought you heard him whisper to himself ‘I knew this was my year’ before he kissed the bridge of your nose.

#Eddie Munson #Eddie Munson x reader #Eddie Munson drabble #Eddie Munson oneshot #Eddie Munson x reader insert #Eddie Munson imagine #Eddie Munson Stranger Things #Stranger Things

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willkimurashat · 2 years

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Exactly 0 people asked, but here I am anyway with a rating of Love Island The Game: Ex in the Villa lol!

As you’ve probably noticed, I played each volume as it came out, did not read the spoilers. I always loved litg for giving me escapism from reality I so much craved because it was a fun, problem-free game, where I was the center of attention in a good way, and pixels loved me unconditionally. That is until s5 rolled up. I was really excited about it, even though still not over s4 because they released it so close to each other, but nonetheless wanted to give it a fair go. I was very open to the story and the characters, but about half way through, I just could not defend them anymore. It wasn’t a good time anymore, it was a “how will fusebox piss me off today” time. Anyways, maybe this whole collective trauma of s5 is still very fresh in my mind, and I won’t think it’s so bad as time goes on, but here’s my thoughts on it now.

Disclaimer: All of these are obviously just my subjective, humble opinion - feel free to agree or disagree or add your own:) and if you’d like to use these categories for your own ratings - please, by all means!

Also, potential spoilers ahead:)

So. Let’s break it down into some categories…

Character design: 7/10

This is just my personal taste I guess, but they really went off with Suresh and Gabi. Meera and Johnny made me swoon too. The rest look aight, but I think slight tweaks like aligning Finn’s jaw or Kat’s eyes or making her hair less high up, stuff like that - it would really help. Also, never forget the atrocious outfits (I mean, rubber duckies? Really? The stupid hat? The abominable sandals?? Ugh…)

Character personality: 7/10

I’m probably being too generous, but I do feel like everyone had a distinct personality and a “role” in the villa. Now, where they annoying most of the time? Yes. Were they mean to MC? Also yes, but that’s a completely different point. Did we really get to know anyone or was it mostly just conversations about how Suresh would feel if MC went for someone else and vice versa? I’ll let you answer that one… Disclaimer: MC not included here, she’s an outlier and would skew the score too much.

Character diversity: 4/10

We got some range of characters, but where they done well? Starting with not specifying ethnicities of every single mixed race islander on their applications, perpetuating stereotypes about characters of color and abuse, making them toxic, continuing to make woc villains of the story… LGBT characters being all over the place and, again, villains/unlikeable… Yeah, do better fusebox.

MC design: 6.5/10

My first impression when I saw mc was… not the greatest. My second impression when I played the game - better, but not great. I think my main issue is some expressions, which are just not.. it… I appreciate that they made a curvier body type option, but the face just looks a bit off anyway? Like, don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely potential and so many people were able to make them look hot, but my mc? Idk, can’t help but think that something’s off with her every time I look at her:/ (I figured out who my mc reminds me of btw!)

MC personality: 1/10

It really is a 0, but again, I’m being generous. 16 volumes, 42 episodes and we know absolutely nothing about them. What do they like? Who’s their type? What’s their passion in life? What makes them, well, them? Who is mc? A hologram. A cardboard cut out that only has three preprogrammed comments: yes/no/i don’t know.

MC customization: 5/10

I think overall, the customization was alright and I was pretty much able to make mc look like me, but that being said, I’m a white girl, so I’m privileged enough to not have to run into problems like having ethnic hair gem blocked… And again, I like the curvy body type option, (though it’s still kinda limited), but we still can’t have a choice of feminine/masculine presenting bodies, which I don’t think is too much to ask for (they do it on Lovelink for example). And the outfits… granny fashion and shattered glass bikini? Please just.. let’s just move on.

Challenges: 5/10

The idea for challenges was quite good. Who doesn’t love an obstacle challenge, a snog, marry, pie, a heart racing challenge, or kiss the islander with ___ secret? I know I do! No, we didn’t get the baby challenge or the mean tweets, but it was still a good selection of challenges. However, they were written so… dryly? (Is that a word? It feels like it’s not, but it is now lol.) Anyway, just like the rest of the season, it’s three lines of dry textbook text that just didn’t excite me in the slightest. I read textbooks for grad school every day, I want creative writing in a romance game pretty please! I didn’t feel like I was actually there, doing the challenge. I didn’t care if I won the challenge either because there were no prizes for them anyway and no one-on-one time with our li’s, so… Good idea, poor execution:/

Drama: 3/10

E X C E S S I V E and U N C A L L E D F O R. Of course, it made sense that in a season about Exes in the Villa the main drama will be about Exes in the Villa. I get it, trust me. But you would hope that the drama will get resolved, which in my opinion, it wasn’t. Or it didn’t feel like a satisfying resolution to me personally. It kept going in circles, “hear me out!” “I’m done apologizing!” “Maybe we are different people” “I’m gonna win you back” “How do you think Suresh would feel if…?” “How do you feel now that Suresh is with…?” And the ending was that he wanted to propose to you too, but because of miscommunication it didn’t happen, making this whole drama actually pointless. And that’s only Suresh drama, which if you’re not on his route is tiring, repetitive, and… boring?

Moving on, I wrote a lot of rants about Alfie drama, so I won’t go into it, you all know how I feel. Arlo was feisty with mc for no reason, especially if you constantly reject Suresh’s advances. Drastically changing Meera’s character to an insufferable bitch was unnecessary. Same with Johnny/Nicolas - there was no indication that they are terrible people during casa amor, and the evil master plans came out of nowhere, and only served to further hurt mc. Eddie as a villain was enough for me tbh, we didn’t need the whole villa ganging up on mc. Plus, we shouldn’t be the only ones with drama, I would like to have some fun time at least, thank you very much. Overall, I’m not saying this should be Friend Island - I’ve seen the show, I know how it goes and I know some drama can be absolutely ridiculous, but I just think it wasn’t balanced out at all. It wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t proportional. (Maybe I’m alone in thinking this, but I think s4 had a good balance of drama/friendships/romance, so it was still there, but it wasn’t overbearing.)

Relationships: 3.5/10

The only points here are for Lulu, honestly. And Gabi, but I might be biased lol. Okay, maybe also Alfie-Finn bromance, I’m a sucker for those. Friendship-wise, the whole season I felt alone and felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. Kat was going back and forth between being my friend and being my rival. Arlo had issues with me… why exactly? I’m honestly not sure… Dana was… just there? Her friendship entailed pulling me for a chat any time I wanted to have a conversation with my li and gossiping or asking for reassurance. Meera was nothing, but an insecure bitch to me. Eddie wanted nothing to do with me, until the very end we’re apparently all buddy-buddy and he’s spilling secrets to me. Don’t forget the blackmailing too. Finn was nice only in one (1) occasion, and that is during Snog, Marry, Pie. Alfie may have been a good friend, but I didn’t do that route with him. Lulu was the only one consistently kind and on mc’s side. Gabi was an interesting addition, it’s a shame we didn’t get to know her at all basically.

Romance-wise, again, felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. It was the first season where I just wasn’t interested in anyone romantically because I didn’t get to know anyone really, and most were horrible to me. When the first character designs dropped, I liked Suresh, then was let down. I liked Alfie, then was let down. I liked Johnny, then was let down. I liked Finn, then was let down. I liked Lulu, but the choice to pick Gabi was just too tempting, and guess what? Lulu didn’t let me down, even as just a friend. (I’m glad I picked Gabi in the end, but I still know nothing about her…) Nobody really wanted mc and mc couldn’t really have anyone either. I think there was a lot of wasted potential with li’s. Like, hear me out: Suresh - enemies to lovers, Alfie/Dana - loyal routes, Finn - slow burn, Kat - friends to lovers, Johnny/Nicolas - partners in crime, Lulu - last-minute-sweep-me-off-my-feet, Gabi - messy, peak drama choice (I mean, come on, two girls wronged by the same ex get together? It’s my favorite part of this whole season - literally why I picked her, and she’s actually a sweetheart:))

Recouplings: 2/10

I remember in s4, I felt like there were too many recouplings, so in s5 they went ahead and gave us the least recouplings possible. Only once (1) can you actually pick someone you want to be with throughout the whole time in the villa, throughout all 42 episodes, all 16 volumes - right at the very end (!!!), unless you also willingly chose to twist switch to someone after casa amor. My main issue is that the whole season can be considered pointless because you can basically never couple up with who you want, casa boys wrong you and leave you anyway, bringing us back to square one with 3 og guys that you might’ve tried to escape the whole time. Or, if you’re on a Suresh route, the whole pining angst, or even, the whole idea of going to love island was useless and pointless because even though neither of them really grow or change as people (sorry my Suresh lovelies, it’s just how i see it), they finally talk it out and make up anyway, so none of these 42 episodes really mattered. Yeah, it angers me.

Finale: 4/10

As contradicting as it may sound, I do believe the team took feedback regarding s4 finale into consideration. We got final dates, prom prep, prom, declarations of love, winner announcements, love vs. money, and even a special vip guest - all components needed for a successful finale, the climactic resolution of the season, right? Wrong. I can live with the sacrifice of afterparty (not that I would want to see anyone from this season ever again anyway), but it seems natural progression of the finale was also sacrificed for the sake of jam-packing everything into the last volume. The events felt like they were happening with a speed of light: recoupling-hideaway (ugh)-date-picking a dress-prom-declaration-winners-money/love. I may be sleep deprived, but this made me even more dizzy. And not even that, but the progression of the relationship felt anything, but natural - it was more of a fever dream, really. I like you, Gabi, I do, and you’re sweet and give me full attention, but other than the fact that you like tattooing and fear squirrels, I know absolutely nothing about you (besides the obvious, of course). So all the plastic rings flying around, “being exclusive” and ahem, a PROPOSAL felt, uh… rushed. This is not Vegas, we are not eloping, and I basically don’t know you, so why, oh why would that even be an option?

Moving on, the resolution of the season overall was quite lackluster. Finn never confronted Kat, continuing on with a perfect illusion of romance for her. Well done, Finn. Suresh leaves (if you’re not with him), and decides to let loose and go to Barbados, clearly indicating that he will resort back to his old ways. Nice. Alfie claims to have become a changed man, even appears regretful about things, but who’s to say if he really did change? A half-assed “we’re friends” speech from Kat really did nothing to me neither physically nor emotionally. Sooo… 16 volumes, 42 episodes later nobody learned anything, nobody admitted they were wrong, nobody really genuinely apologized, and nobody grew as a person. Yet again - the whole season was pointless. Add in the driest, most uninteresting writing and it was enough to leave me disappointed still.

We will not talk about Bobby. I refuse to talk about Bobby. That was not Bobby, he was not canon, it did not happen, and I will not accept any criticism.

Structure: 3/10

The only points here are for casa amor, and even that wasn’t done well (i have a post about it here somewhere). Starting with only 3 couples? Only what, like, 3 recouplings ever? Not a single beach hut moment? Not a single hideaway moment??? (No no, they cannot get away with a lackluster last minute “whatever, you can have your stupid hideaway” scene in the very end of the season) We’ve only been there for what feels like a week?? Are you kidding me? It seems we keep straying further and further away from the format of the actual show it’s meant to be based on and I don’t really like that tbh.

Storyline: 5/10

Tell you what, I was actually really intrigued when they first announced the theme of the season as “Ex in the Villa”. I remember people theorizing how they’re gonna handle it, who they’re bringing in, etc. But, a few episodes in I realized just how limiting it was to constrain the whole plotline to… just Suresh. All the conversations and all the drama got very-very redundant very-very quickly. The only redeeming quality was being able to pick Gabi. Check and mate. Oh, and Lulu. Lulu is my queen:) Here’s alternative ways they could’ve improved it: let players choose who their ex is from given characters; let our ex despise mc and mc despises them back in the beginning (enemies to lovers/enemies to besties); let all islanders be exes of other islanders (it won’t be love island the show anymore, but they weren’t really sticking to the format anyway, so); let mc have multiple exes in the villa (and then those two (or three?) exes fight for them); let players choose the reason why they’re exes.

Writing: 2/10

I’m kinda conflicted because I feel like it did get better, but it also got worse? Like, I appreciate using more of love island jargon and the conversations felt pretty natural, like real people would speak, you know? (But still, I can’t really speak to that, since I don’t live in the UK, my only exposure to different accents is through tv and videos.) But at the same time all conversations (75% of which are about Suresh and MC lol) felt so repetitive and so boring and it dragged on and on and on… and then you look back at the episode and realize that nothing’s happened and you didn’t learn anything about anyone. Character development was minimal, if there at all. Very little character depth, very limited background information. I’m not even going to mention mc… Spicy scenes were basically nonexistent and a massive downgrade from s4 (don’t even talk to me). And even in general, every scene was written so dry, so robotic, and so anticlimactic that it was just constant disappointment. The constant bullying from girls to wear expensive outfits was super annoying and unnecessary as well.

Update: I initially had a higher rating for writing, but after playing the finale, I had to cut it in half for the mere reason that I have reached my limit. The utter disrespect I felt when my eyeballs glanced over the screen and read “NSFW kiss” during a prom scene with Gabi was beyond something I could accept with understanding. Perhaps in some circumstances it could be an acceptable form of writing and communicating, but personally I considered the phrasing as a placeholder, instead of a legitimate description of such kiss. I believe if the company had at least the slightest respect for their players, they would and should do the bare minimum of proofreading the text before releasing it for satisfactory gaming experience. Unfortunately, I had to remove points for personal vindication and emotional damage, which is reflective of how I have been treated as a player.

Replayability: 2/10

Hmmm idk. Idk if I’ll ever replay this one. I never got too attached to characters or the storyline, maybe because they released it so soon after s4 and I wasn’t over that yet. And when I did feel a teeny tiny spark with a character, they went on and did something stupid/annoying/hurtful, so even if I did want to go back and do their routes, I feel like they hurt me and I don’t like them much anymore. The only way I mightttt replay it at some point is to just be a bitch to everyone from the beginning because they all deserve that, honestly…

Overall score: 4/10

Well, and that about wraps it up. I never had this many… negative emotions about a season - me, the person who always tells people to not compare seasons, give it a fair go, and not take it close to heart because it’s a game. I usually love burying my face in a pillow, giggling at my screen, and kicking my feet as pixels swoon over me, professing their undying love, but I was robbed of that this season, unfortunately. I’m definitely gonna miss the memes and the rants here every Wednesday, and being the sentimental ass that I am, I will actually feel kinda sad that it’s over. At the same time, this was the first season that I spent here, as an official member of the litg fandom lol, and I’m thankful to have made friends here, bonding over this season:) Thank you for reading my rants, agreeing with me, and offering your own insights and perspectives! I hope I was able to make you laugh a little bit too:) This season prompted me to write two fics (and maybe more to come) that I’m quite proud of, and it made me want to replay other seasons, so I guess there is some good that came out of it, right? ;) and since we didn’t get a traditional ending this season, in true litg fashion I’ll say it…

…Stay hydrated, islanders xoxo

#well i went off a little bit haha…#i tried to be objective:)#the ultimate rant lol #I’m not going away btw lol!#and if there’s s6 i’ll still play it…#litg #love island the game #litg s5 #litg eitv #litg ex in the villa #litg everyone #fusebox

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space-mermaid-writing · 1 year

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Oh no, he's hot - Part 2 [IronStrange]

Summary: The second time Tony met Stephen, the sorcerer was intrigued

Ko-fi | Masterlist | Read it on AO3 | Word count: 1.2k | Part 1

Chapter's Note: Here’s the second part nobody asked for.

Oh no, he’s hot

Tony eyed the building in front of him critically. It didn't quite fit into the aesthetic of New York. So much so that one might think it would stand out because of it. Yet, Tony was sure he had never noticed it before. The other pedestrians walked past it without even giving it a glance. Like they didn't see it at all.

Tony climbed up the steps and knocked. (There was no doorbell. Who didn’t have a doorbell?) Nothing happened for a moment, then the door opened, but there was no one to be seen.

Tony waited exactly twelve long seconds – he for once wanted to be polite – before he went to unravel this mystery on his own.

The interior design was an interesting choice. Not Tony's style, but fitting to magic ninja monks, he guessed. He walked up the wide staircase, clearly the centerpiece of this ridiculous big entrance hall, and was about to turn left when a voice stopped him.

“Mr. Stark.”

Tony turned around, his signature PR smile plastered on his face. He recognized the man from the other day. The one he had been talking to before. If just briefly. “Wong, right?” The man gave no reaction. Tough crowd. “I have questions regarding…” he made a vague gesture to the room, "everything."

Including that hot guy – Doctor Stephen Strange as the facial recognition software he had run the footage from the fight through had revealed – but that, of course, was incidental.

"We were expecting that. Follow me."

He led Tony down a hallway to a room and motioned him to enter.

So Tony did.

The furniture was minimalist and very zen. In the center sat Strange cross-legged and hovering four feet in the air. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be meditating.

Curious, Tony stepped closer to take a look at him up close. He was wearing casual clothes today, his red cape nowhere in sight. He was paler than Tony remembered, with dark shadows under his eyes. After all, just another human being, despite the impressive performance the other day. His bandaged hands lay relaxed in his lap, in what Tony recognized as a yoga pose.

When he thought he had waited long enough, Tony cleared his throat. And when that had no effect, he tapped the man’s shoulder.

Stephen jolted awake, as if Tony had turned him on by pressing a button. He startled and lost his balance as his levitation spell vanished and he fell on his butt.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, sorry." Tony raised his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean to jump start you.”

Strange scowled at him, if only for a moment. Then he had put on a neutral expression that Tony knew was just a mask. That was fine, he had just marched in here unannounced. Apropos. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to track you down? On a scale from one to ten at least an eight.” Normally Tony loved a good challenge.

Strange raised an eyebrow and he seemed almost offended. “Just eight?”

The wards and cloaking spells around the Sanctum were centuries old. Only people in need or those who were desperate were able to find the doors. They had to be at the right place at the right time. And Stark did not give the impression that he was this kind of person.

Tony grinned. “Yeah. The Pentagon was a six point five, but I was in college back then and the technology wasn’t as advanced. So eight is pretty good. Not impossible though.”

Obviously, Stephen had to ask. “What’s a ten?”

Tony’s lips moved into a smug smirk. “My tower, of course.”

Stephen scoffed, amused. Of course. “What do you want, Stark?”

It may have sounded a little rude, but not much ruder than being forced back into his body by surprise. So, naturally, Tony let it slide, because he remembered why he came here in the first place. Not to get this guy’s number but the other reason. His questions.

“What is this?” he asked, looking around. “Your secret school of wizardry? How many wizards are there? Where did the gnomes come from? And that other thing? Had you been a wizard when you were a neurosurgeon?”

Strange tilted his head in a mix of being amused and annoyed. But Stark had managed to find the Sanctum, so he had to give him some credit.

“Do you want tea?” he asked, since this whole encounter seemed to take some time and he hadn't had breakfast yet.

“I’m more of a coffee kind of guy.”

A cup appeared out of nowhere and he was able to grab it just before the hot liquid spilled over.

Stephen's cup remained hovering next to him and followed him as he turned toward the door. Using the conjured lightning in the fight had done nothing good for his hands. He could barely move his fingers, which was why he opened the door even with a pinch of magic.

He motioned Tony to follow him. The meditation room was not the place to deal with Stark's pending questions.

"This isn't Harry Potter. We aren't wizards," he informed him curtly. Stark opened his mouth to object. Although he was a man of science, he knew what he had seen. But Stephen was quicker. “We are clearly sorcerers.”

There was the smallest hint of a smile on his lips.

He answered some of Tony's questions. With each answer came more questions, but they were surprisingly genuine. Stark was an attentive listener and Stephen found himself telling more than first intended. No secrets of the order, Vishanti no, but Stark's visit lasted longer than he had expected.

They ended up on the roof of the Sanctum.

One, Stephen didn’t trust Stark anywhere near the relics yet. Two, it was a warm day and the roof had a nice view. And the sun did good to his hands.

He found himself invested in the conversation with Stark, especially when they started discussing pros and cons of advanced technology versus magical healing.

Until they got interrupted by a voice coming from Stark’s pocket.

“Boss.”

Stephen paused, confused for a moment while Tony pulled his Starkphone out of his pocket.

“What’s the stitch, Fri?”

“There has been an emergency situation rising in the north. Captain Rogers is assembling the Avengers.”

The voice was clearly artificial, but not generic robotic, Stephen noticed.

“Tell them, I’m on my way,” Stark told his AI. Looking back to Strange he added, “Sorry, doc, seems like we have to cut our date short.”

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow at this comment, but let it slide. “Do you need backup?” he asked instead.

“No, we got this. But you’re welcome to tag along and watch, if you want.” He winked at him as he walked to the edge of the roof and jumped onto the coping. He was surprisingly agile.

Tony tapped on his chest and the nanobots bled over his body, also integrating the phone he was still holding in his hand.

“Don’t be a stranger.”

Those were Tony's last words before the nanobots closed off his face. He dropped backwards and two seconds later he flew through the sky of New York.

Stephen's eyes followed him until he disappeared between the skyscrapers. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t intrigued and maybe a little bit turned on. Stark knew how to make an exit.

And Stephen had a feeling that this wasn't the last time he’d seen Tony.

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