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haezen · 8 months

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a/n: OKAYY IM SLOWLY COMING BACK im defrosting my writing skills ... they're frozen

(not proofread mb)

belphegor x gn!mc

2:56 A.M.

The perfect time for a late-night snack.

You make your way to the kitchen and try to be as quiet as possible, so as to not disturb any of the demon brothers ‘peacefully’ sleeping in their rooms. Though it’s useless because you can hear Levi screaming at his teammates behind a closed door. That was normal for the third-born. If you listen carefully, you can also hear a faint tune playing all the way from behind Lucifer’s door up in his study.

You tip-toe to the kitchen and peek around the corner to ensure Beel isn’t already inside rummaging around for scraps. Aaand he’s nowhere to be seen. Perfect.

During your time down in the Devildom with the demon brothers, you have noticed that there's rarely a day that passes where there are snacks for you to enjoy at night. Luckily, tonight seems to be an exception because a singular cookie is sitting smack dab in the middle of the kitchen island. Your favorite flavor.

You creep towards it to inspect it. How could this be?

There’s not a single letter, mark, or name written on the wrapper. There’s also no ignoring the convenient absence of any note that would indicate not to eat it. Surely with Beel’s senses, he would have been able to sniff this cookie out in his sleep. It’s a miracle that the cookie has lasted this long.

The growling of your stomach pulls you out of your thoughts. Nobody would miss this cookie if it was gone, right? There’s no time to debate or allow your conscience to take over because before you know it, you’ve already taken a ginormous bite out of the cookie. And it tastes absolutely divine. It tastes so heavenly that you can’t help but close your eyes to savor the flavors that overwhelm your taste buds. Have you ever had a cookie that tasted so good?

The bliss you’re experiencing from a singular bite out of this godly cookie comes to an abrupt end.

Creeaaak!

Oh, god. Please don’t be a ghost. You think as you peek around the kitchen door. Nobody’s there. You assure yourself. Everybody is busy or asleep. This house is just really old so of course it’s going to be creaky.

You take another bite and it’s just as good as the first. So maybe a moan escaped from your mouth? It tastes so good that you don’t care if any of the brothers heard you.

A glass of milk would go perfectly with this cookie. Even though it tastes amazing on its own, it’s kinda making your mouth go dry. You fling open the fridge door to grab the carton of milk – nearly empty.

With no one around to chastise you, you unscrew the cap and take a swig right from the container. As you begin to slowly shut the fridge and screw the cap back on, a dark figure is directly behind the previously open fridge door.

You want to scream but with your mouth full, you end up spitting milk straight into their face.

“What the fuck!” He yells with his hands outstretched in shock as he looks down at the floor.

“Belphie?” You whisper in disbelief, trying to calm your rapidly pounding heart. You want to feel bad for the demon because he's now soaking wet. But…you don’t because he scared the shit out of you while you were peacefully minding your business. He deserved it.

Ever since you told the demon brothers about Halloween and all of its traditions that you participated in up in the human world, the brothers have been tirelessly working to make it possible for you to celebrate the holiday in the Devildom too. Belphegor must have thought that scaring the shit out of you was perfectly in season. The thought of him planning the scare makes you wanna slap him. (Not that it’d hurt him, but just to get your point across that you didn’t exactly appreciate the gesture)

As your attack left him, his face, and his hair soaking wet, he’s forced to brush his bangs back out of his face to see properly. He tries to adjust to your unexpected reaction to his prank, but he could have never expected to be standing right in the splash-zone.

“Why would you DO that!” You whisper-yell and lightly push him backwards.

“I wasn’t expecting you to spit all over me!” Belphie groans in his defense, regaining his balance from your shove. “I was just trying to give you a good little scare.”

You slam the fridge door shut and shake the milk carton in front of his face. “You want the rest? Because I sure am tempted to dump the rest over you, you jerk!”

“Are you trying to get on my bad side?”

“Are YOU trying to get on mine?!”

“Ah, right.” He laughs and snags a hand towel from the counter to dab his face dry. “Well…I don’t suppose you want to help me?”

“Surely you’re joking?” You set the carton down by your half-eaten cookie on the counter. “You want help, Belphie? I can help you plenty!”

The look on his face sours at your sarcastic tone. He’s about to roll his eyes but the sensation of your warm hands coming into contact with the wet clothes on his skin forces him into giving you his full attention.

You grab a fistful of his shirt and pull him closer, sticking out your tongue to lick his cheek. Belphie recoils in disgust but you don’t miss the slight tinge of pink dusting over his pale cheeks.

“You’re fucking disgusting!” He complains as he throws his head back. As he’s lifting his hands up to try and push you away, you lean in even closer to continue your assault. “Hey!”

“You asked for it!”

Giggles and loud protests from the both of you fill the kitchen. Neither of you want to let the other win. As the fight continues on, the louder his squeals and your laughter become.

You sneak in a particularly wet lick on his jaw and as he cringes away, his foot slips out from beneath him. In the blink of an eye, you've fallen on top of the seventh-born. The fiery look behind his violet eyes and the slowly growing smirk on his face (as he plots revenge) makes you want to kiss him.

“Oh, you’re so in for it now [Name].”

“I would say that the BOTH of you are in for it now.”

At the sound of Lucifer’s voice, you scramble off of Belphie immediately. Heat floods your body and when you meet Belphegor’s eyes, they are just as wide as your own. The apologetic smile he offers you in the midst of being caught immediately steels your nerves.

“If this kitchen is not cleaner than before you entered it in approximately ten minutes, both of you will deeply regret having left the comfort of your rooms tonight.”

"Yes sirrrr..."

#haezen writes!#obey me x reader #belphegor x reader #obey me fluff #obey me belphegor #om! belphie #shall we date belphegor #belphegor x you #belphie x reader #obey me belphie

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fuchsiamae · 27 days

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on may 16th, 2011, baby writer fuchsiamae (17!) came off anon for the first time, to post ch1 of a fic called "defrosting."

afaik this was the first cave/glados fic. around 5k words total, still on ffn. it was my first attempt at a multichapter, the longest thing I'd ever written at the time, and I was so proud of it. for a while.

then I grew past those baby writer skills and was embarrassed by its quality, but I could never let go of the concept. I knew it deserved to be done better. "glados finds cave johnson in cryo" burrowed into my brain like a fucking prion, and every year or two I'd try to write it again, and every time I'd fail without getting very far. until this time.

thirteen goddamn years later:

the complete rough draft of this fic is over 80k words.

the complete first draft of act 1 (of 5) is 30k words. which, terrifyingly, is double its length in the rough.

the first edit of ch1 (7k words) should be ready for my beta readers later today.

I'm not going to rush myself (or my extremely patient betas), so I don't have a release date, but I'm thinking a month or so would be a reasonable expectation.

and I've finally settled on a title:

Tragedy + Time

#endless cavedos bullshit #tragedy+time #a title tag! look at that!#still not 100% decided on “+” vs “plus” but i think i prefer the look of it

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castielsparkle · 5 months

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toys guide for howrse.com (dailies edition)

HI this is going to be as brief as i possibly can and not super in depth BUT. here!! most of this is just like daily stuff u can do to get items and moneys (:

go to community > directories

go to horses > check "Show only special horses"

here you can interact with a few other players divines each day to receive items!

XANTHOS (5x a day)

when you stroke a xanthos, a horse in your breeding farm will receive 10 energy points!

EDIT: as mentioned by @corinne-eaglebridge-sso in the replies -

(text above: reply posted by corinne-eaglebridge-sso 8 hours ago, reply says "I would recommend petting Xanthos 5 times each day! Each has a low chance of you receiving a horn of plenty the next day!")

FROST (1x a day)

defrosting a frost has a chance of granting you a hypnos' blanket black market item! (when equipped to a horse this item allows it to be bedded without being registered in an equestrian center!) and on the first of each month a frost is granted to a player who defrosted her within the past month (:

ARCHIMEDES (1x a day)

archimedes will ask you a question, and if answered correctly you both make the horse more intelligent and win yourself an aging point! if you're not too savvy on horse trivia most of the answers are online somewhere to my understanding tho lol!

TOPAZ (5x a day)

you can congratulate up to 5 topaz a day, and they will net you 50 equus each! (250 equus total!)

this is still divine related but it isn't exactly one of the daily things here - if you rename one of your horses to "junior croesus" there is a chance it can turn into a croesus divine. similarly, there is a chance on the first of each month that a player who has logged in at least 20 days in the previous month can win the divine cascade! and for every player, as long as you have logged in the previous day, you will receive 100 equus in your reserve if you log on the next day :)

if you go to breeding farm > office > the safe haven

you can stroke one of three randomly selected horses residing in the safe haven, and sometimes they will give you an apple or some equus etc as a thank you :) i'm not sure how many times a day it is exactly but i know you can do it more than once lol, i just check every few hours and do it when it allows me to

if you go to achievements > daily objectives

there's a little place to win passes (premium currency) from daily objectives! you can get up to 30 a day - every now and then the requests are a bit nuts lol but often times theyre fairly easy! you can also swap out one objective a day for 20,000 equus. there's also a gauge that resets every week and if you fulfill ten of the objectives you're granted the horn of plenty black market item!

under trade > item exchange

there is a place you can swap out which black market items you have between other players up to three times a week! you can make offers and/or fulfill them:)

and on a final note for the quick item/money-grinding etc etc - i HIGHLY highly recommend doing their events when you can!! the minigames are usually pretty entertaining and the gifts are usually surprisingly generous for not being super paywalled!!

as of writing this they're doing two minigame events:

i only just started the blast: winter minigame a few hours and i already got two precious level companions, a fertility wand, 3*** victory ear bonnet + polo wraps, a lunge, a vintage apple, and 200 straw, and i still have three more chests waiting to unlock :D!! and even if you don't want to use the black market items you receive you can usually trade them in the item exchange so i try to get as many as i can regardless esp since theyre free!!

ok hehe that's about it off the top of my head for daily stuff sorry the post is so lengthy LMFAO but!! if you guys wanted tips about horse/donkey/pony/unicorn skill/gp maxing PLS feel free to ask that's my fav part of the game :") i unfortunately don't know jack shit about selling horses or running an equestrian center bc im usually on the consumer end lolol but!!!<3 ok yay have fun horsing around :3

edit: also!! not to plug hehe but if you want to add a friend on there my user is lesbitwisparkle (on international server) and i love to help out with giving congratulations and fulfilling daily objectives!!<3

#cas.txt #howrse toys #howrse #tutorial #info #daily #divines #interactive divines #equus #passes #items #long post #yay bedtime for me now...sorry i didnt proofread this its very rushed im sleepys

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tonystarkbingo · 1 year

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TSB Round 6 Roundup - Weeks 25 & 26!

Wanna know something scary? There’s just over 8 weeks left of this round!

Collaborator : rebelmeg Card Number: 6001 Square Filled: S5 - "Wake up!" Title: Blood in the Water Link: AO3 Pairings: Bucky & Tony Word Count: 1329 Rating: Teen Major Tags/Triggers: PTSD, nightmares, developing friendship, comfort food Summary: Bucky has a recurring nightmare again, but this time Tony Stark turns up afterwards with sympathy and a gesture of friendship.

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Collaborator : Startrekkingaroundasgard Card Number: 6005 Square Filled: T2 - Kink - Masturbation Title: Touch Yourself Link: Tumblr Pairings: Tony Stark x Reader Word Count: 650 Rating: Explicit Major Tags/Triggers: Gender neutral, established relationship, light sub/Dom dynamics, masturbation, fingering, choking, praise Summary: Tony walks in on his partner masturbating.

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Collaborator : rebelmeg Card Number: 6001 Square Filled: A3 - free Title: Defrosting Winter Soldiers Link: AO3 Pairings: Tony & Rhodey & Bucky & Steve Word Count: 771 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: Christmas crack, fluff, silliness Summary: It’s easy to joke about unfunny things when you’re super drunk and with friends on Christmas.

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More under the cut!

Collaborator : LBibliophile Card Number: 6068 Square Filled: S4 - [image] Tony & DUM-E Title: MRG-N's X-MAS Link: Tumblr Pairings: Tony Stark & Morgan Stark & DUM-E Word Count: 0 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: Christmas decorating, DUM-E's Drawings, fanart Summary: Both DUM-E and MRG-N are improving their artistic skills. TON-E isn't sure how he feels about this.

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Collaborator : tinystark616 Card Number: 6080 Square Filled: S4 - S4 - The End Title: The End Link: AO3 Pairings: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Word Count: 2517 Rating: Explicit Major Tags/Triggers: Major Character Death Summary: It all started when Steve Rogers fell in love with Tony Stark.

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Collaborator : Faustess Card Number: 6026 Square Filled: K1 - Tony/Bucky Title: Warm When the Cold Breezes Blow Link: AO3 Pairings: WinterIron Word Count: 972 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: No Archive Warnings Apply, Snowed In, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort Summary: Bucky Barnes hates the cold. A ski trip is the last thing he wants to do, but it's the only thing Natasha wants for the holidays: having them all together under one roof, relaxing together... in the snow. So he bites the bullet and catches a ride with Tony Stark. One car breakdown, a two-hour hike, and what feels like an eternity of silence later, Tony tries to break the ice... figuratively, of course.

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Collaborator : Faustess Card Number: 6026 Square Filled: R4 - Magic Title: Grab My Pen and I Write Up a List Link: AO3 Pairings: WinterIron Word Count: 2621 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, It's more of an Alternate Universe - Small Town Fantasy, Sirens, Car Accidents, Revenge, Misunderstandings, Author Is Sleep Deprived Summary: Bucky is a siren, and as a descendent of the Fury, Alekto, he needs to deliver vengeance the only way he can in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Auburn, Maine. Tony Stark, of Tony's Towing and Auto Body, has been checking out the hot guy who seems to spend almost as much time in this parking lot as he does.

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Collaborator : deehellcat Card Number: 6028 Square Filled: T1 - Intimacy Without Sex Title: Can I Be Close to You? Link: AO3 Pairings: Tony and Rhodey Word Count: 769 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: Non-Sexual Intimacy, Platonic Cuddling, Asexuality Summary: A conversation between two friends, in which one shares something interesting he has learned about himself and how it relates to his bestie.

Collaborator : scottxlogan Card Number: 6038 Square Filled: K3 - Pair the Spare Title: The Holiday Celebration Link: AO3 Pairings: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark Word Count: 5758 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: awkward flirting, holiday fluff, idiots in love, mutual pining, holidays Summary: Bucky is surprised to receive an invitation to Tony's yearly weeklong holiday celebration up north with the rest of the Avengers. Upon arrival, Bucky soon learns that the trip is full of fun festivities and activities where the team shows off their skills and enjoys the season. Still feeling like an outsider Bucky tries his best to fit in, but worries that he's making a bad impression on their host until Bucky suddenly discovers that maybe his perception of Tony has been slightly off in what Tony thinks about him :)

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Collaborator : rebelmeg Card Number: 6001 Square Filled: K1 - kidfic Title: Parent, Teacher, Cupid moodboards Link: Tumblr Pairings: Rhodey/May Word Count: N/A Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: moodboard Summary: Peter playing cupid with his Aunt May and Mr. Rhodey

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Collaborator : Marveler Card Number: #6010 Square Filled: A5 - Vessel Title: What I Think A Hallmark Stucky Movie Would Be Link: Tumblr Pairings: Steve Rogers/James 'Bucky' Barnes Word Count: 622 Rating: Gen Major Tags/Triggers: Mention of death and hospital procedures Summary: Bucky is a lawyer, Steve works for ends meat, Bucky moves his parents into a new home and never visits, and Steve is their next-door neighbour and makes himself helpful. Christmas is slightly awkward when you haven’t been home in years and you are fairly sure you’re parents are replacing you.

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Collaborator : ralsbecket Card Number: 6032 Square Filled: A3 - Free Space Title: Reckless Behavior Link: AO3 Pairings: Steve/Bucky/Tony Word Count: 2376 Rating: Explicit Major Tags/Triggers: Quarantine, Sex Tapes, Porn Watching, Masturbation Summary: How Bucky got the footage wasn’t much a mystery; it seemed like all the videos were of them engaging in their many, many activities (Bucky did always love watching Steve and Tony in every way he could). It felt like a violation of their privacy in some way, watching the videos, yet Steve couldn’t find it in himself to look away.

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Collaborator : scottxlogan Card Number: 6038 Square Filled: A2 - Remote Control Title: Three Things (Chapter 5) Link: AO3 Pairings: Bucky Barnes & Peter Parker Friendship, Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Peter Parker Word Count: 11673 Rating: Teen Major Tags/Triggers: Post-Spider-Man: No Way Home (Movie), Winter Season, Second Chances, Developing Friendships, Adult Content, Swearing, Holidays, Bucky Barnes & Peter Parker Friendship, Post-Endgame, Sexual Tension, Flirting, Canon-Typical Violence Summary: Peter returns to the apartment after a night of patrolling the city ready to sneak in undetected, but when Bucky surprises Peter in more ways than one, Peter is shell-shocked. A face from the past proves to open the door to promise in the future for Peter moving forward, but what does it mean to the rest of the world?

#tonystarkbingo #tony stark bingo round 6 #tsb6 #tsb weekly roundup #tsb weeks 25 & 26

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vampireantihero · 1 year

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The 2023 Great Fridge Debacle (Newsletter)

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I’m back with a bit of a story, some plans, and the weekly schedule as promised. As you can tell from the title, the upcoming story involves refrigerators. I’ll get to that in a moment. First, let’s talk about this weeks’ plan.

Here’s this week’s daily schedule:

As you can see, this is a lighter week. I’m really putting my pedal to the metal and trying to make progress on the mood and composition class despite big mental distractions and busy-ness that keeps getting in the way. So, the Twitch streams say we’re going to be working on the mood and composition pieces, but I’m hoping to be further along than what these topics suggest. What I’m planning for is that I’ll be past that point before the Twitch stream is scheduled. However if I’m not past that creative mark by the time the Twitch stream is supposed to go live, then we’ll be working on that thing during the Twitch stream. I’ve been working rather slow the last month or so because of 1) taking the time to do studies in the mid-afternoon in order to improve my skills and 2) fighting a pretty intensive art block from all of the personal stuff happening. You know I’ve been open and honest with you all, and I’ll continue to do the best I can with the energy and resources I have.

Next week, I’ll go back to planning new merch and getting stuff up into the Redbubble store and the website store. I’m once again thinking about whether or not to source limited run prints of some of my art, but I’ll talk more about that once we get to that point. For this week, I want to get the class to you all. My goal is to have it finished by the end of the week, but I don’t want to write a long message apologizing if I don’t hit that goal, so we’re planning a different, easier video for the end of this week. I’m hoping to start uploading Youtube videos at least once a week for you all, so this is my push towards that goal. If I wind up not getting the video done, then I know that’s too ambitious and I’ll stay at bi-weekly uploads. I’m trying to find a balance, still.

The 2023 Great Fridge Debacle

In other news, let me paint you a picture depicting a harrowing tale of overwhelm, unplanned purchases, and luck amidst insane misfortune.

Alright, so maybe not that dramatic, but it was definitely a stressful situation that I don’t ever want to repeat again. As I mentioned last week, my theatre troupe is back in full swing, and we’ve been having rehearsals. That means I work from about 9am to 5:45-ish, eat, and then we’re at rehearsal by 6:30pm and usually there until around 9:30pm. So on Wednesday, we get home from our rehearsal and I decided I wanted some ice cream. I go to pick up the carton, and the bottom is just… Liquid. Straight defrosted ice cream. Cue the panic. We go into the fridge and try to adjust the temperature. Our fridge is only about 15 degrees below room temperature. So, we made a snap decision. I bought the cheapest fridge that fit our needs that could come in the shortest time window.

Luckily, Lowe’s was having a sale that happened to be ending at 2am the next morning. Luckily, they offer haul away service. Luckily, we live in Wisconsin, so it’s cold outside— it was about 20 degrees that day. Also luckily, my husband can be forgetful over certain things, and we had some frozen jugs outside full of water from the summer months when he typically gardens. So, we grabbed some of the jugs, wiped them down, and put them in the fridge/freezer. And get this — it actually worked. None of our food spoiled. It was interesting watching the techs bring the new fridge in and take the old fridge away, because they had to take the doors off to get it inside. I’ll have it sitting on my credit card for a while. Where our fridge lives in our kitchen makes it so that one door won’t fully open. But that’s all okay— we have a working fridge.

Ultimately, it’s only March and I’ve had enough excitement in a negative way to last me the next five years, but I’m hoping that the rest of the year has this weird string of luck for us. I don’t know what the cards hold for the future, but it’s alright. This week, I’ll leave you with this — no matter what the universe throws at you, if you handle it with grace and stride, and lean on your support systems, things will be okay.

Take care of yourselves. Drink your water. Do what you can. I love you all.

(Just a reminder that if you want this blog post directly to your mailbox, you can sign up for my newsletter here.)

#newsletter #my stuff #art blog #schedule #weekly schedule

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nintendowife · 3 years

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Recently 100% completed Bustafellows on Nintendo Switch. It’s an otome visual novel that revolves around the protagonist Teuta Bridges, a young journalist who has a special power to go back in time in attempt to save people. She crosses paths with a group of guys from different walks of life who call themselves “fixers” - people who try to right the wrongs in the society utilizing their varied skill sets in not always quite legal ways and also conveniently profit from it. They join forces and get entangled into the web of a criminal organisation’s shady dealings.

The game’s visuals are very nice (cool art style, animated backgrounds, etc.) and the music and writing are quite good too. There aren’t many typos and errors, which is a very positive thing after having played Café Enchanté which had hundreds of typos. All the characters are professionally voice acted, including the protagonist, and the characters are animated in dialogues.

The characters are quite fun with their own distinct personalities and there’s a good amount of supporting side characters as well that appear frequently throughout the game or in individual characters’ routes. It was fun to see their interactions that often were quite humorous. For example there was a part where Teuta was attempting to cook Thanksgiving dinner (she isn’t a great cook) and they realized the turkey they had bought is still frozen solid when they were supposed to stuff it. They tried to solve the issue by defrosting it in the microwave oven but it was too big to fit in. The next idea they came up with was to put it in the laundry dryer until master chef Mozu arrived to save the day.

The story had many exciting moments as expected from a murder mystery / crime novel. All the love interests have their own story routes that give more info about their past and motivations. There’s some romance in these but it’s not excess. My personal favorite routes were probably Mozu’s and Scarecrow’s.

After completing all the character routes a new after story unlocks that continues the main story. This was the weakest part of the game in my opinion as it didn’t feel believable and was a very sudden and strange conclusion to the story. Overall I think it was poorly handled and left a bit sour taste on the otherwise interesting and high quality game. The cutscenes don’t display English subtitles as the original game doesn’t have them, but they can be read from the log after the cutscene ends. This isn’t the case for the final cutscene though. The last cutscene has no English subtitles available at all, so for someone who doesn’t know Japanese, the ending was partially left shrouded in mystery.

There are “memorabilias” to collect from different events that happen in the game and the typical CG art images are gathered into a gallery. There’s also a good UI and handy skipping features that make it very convenient to get to certain chapters. You can’t save the game when dialogue choices are displayed - but you can rewind to just before the choice and make a save file, then proceed to make your choice.

Overall I’d recommend Bustafellows if you enjoy visual novels. It was a shorter game and never felt like it was dragging. I had a good time following the story all the 30+ hours that I spent on the game according to Switch’s Play Activity info.

#bustafellows #visual novel #otome game #nintendo switch

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softsan · 3 years

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NCT WEREWOLF AU (winwin)

🖇Echoing minds (pt.1)

MASTERLIST

PARTS: | 01 |

WOLF PROFILES | Y/N’S NAMES

GENRE: Werewolf AU,

QUOTE: “He had heard his brothers recount this feeling, describe every detail of what it was like to finally find one's mate.”

WARNINGS: Implied violence, Kidnapping

Dawn was awash with color as the burnt sun rose, bringing forth a new day. The moisture-laden grass began to defrost, a gentle warmth trickling between the naked trunks. The songbirds sang, creating a soothing melody of sorts.

You took a deep breath, your worries festering beneath the charade you played. You were out of your element. What was supposed to have been a simple tutoring position had instead transformed you into a full-time governess.

All I have to do is survive this trip. Then I can resign.

You gazed outward from the carriage's window. Outside were blossoming peach trees, their pretty coral flowers clustering on the low hanging branches. The abundance of soft oranges was a beautiful contrast to the starkness of winter.

"Can this thing go no faster?" Amie made a fuss. She flung the book off her lap and onto the floor's upholstery.

Despite being only a few years different in age, you were worlds apart in maturity. Amie had a juvenile and explosive demeanor. Furthermore, she was spoilt, demanding the utmost of opulence. From the flamboyant, feather-strung hats to the finest of silks, in an array of unusual colors.

Additionally, her neckline and fingers were decorated with diamonds—a nod towards her family's domineering reign.

Her grandfather had run the mineral trade, owning countless mines around the Western state. In turn, he fueled the money he made from diamonds into politics, creating his own governing body, which rivaled the monarchy. The legacy he left behind was not one of prosperity but of one of bloodshed.

After decades of conflict, a treaty was eventually signed to end the civil war. Unfortunately, for neighboring countries like yours, they were torn by the conflict, unable to recover. Many, like yourself, were forced to relocate to a foreign land.

You were expected to drop your old customs and forget your native tongue. A harsh reality that, in time, you learned to swallow.

In the present day, Amie, alongside her brothers and sisters, was given royal titles. You had been hired, primarily to sharpen the princess' literacy skills, which was no easy feat. When you had first encountered Amie, she knew not how to read nor write. All of her previous tutors unable to put up with her bratty behavior.

You picked up the book, flipping to the page she needed to recite, "I’m sure they are taking precautions," You handed her the book, "Dangers lie near the wicked woods, our travels are not without risk."

Amie huffed, slumping back in her seat.

You tapped your index finger on the book's hardcover. "Read,"

"It's impossible,"

"It isn't,"

"It is," She insisted, shoving the book onto the ground again.

You picked it up once more, "This is my second language. If I could learn it, so can you."

After some more back and forth, you had finally gotten Amie to read aloud the page.

"Very good," You praised.

Amie rolled her eyes, unimpressed, "Why does one have to learn? When am I ever going to be required to read?"

You suppressed your urge to groan. In reality, Amie was probably right. The pampered princess had no real duties. Her days were spent blowing her allowance at the markets or theatres.

"Milady," The coachman called from the seat he steered the horses.

"Yes?" You responded, noting that the carriage had reduced in speed.

"The road ahead is blocked. We'll need to take a detour."

Your mouth dried. To go off the road required the carriage to set upon the woods. The wicked woods were widely feared, not just by the West but by the other four nations. The evergreen forests were the one thing each shared. Whilst other places-built walls to ward off the dangers. The West remained irresponsible. They had no barriers, no gates, nothing to deter the night beasts from roaming amongst the villagers.

You had been taught to beware of the moon's monsters. A werewolf was nature's sin. They scarred necks and stole brides to be.

"Is there no other way?" Your hands clammy.

"We could perhaps try and move the fallen debris, but it will add another day onto our travels."

"Certainly not," Amie crossed her arms, "We're not wasting a day while you fools try to move a tree. Take the detour."

"Amie," You tried to reason.

"Take it immediately," She ordered.

───

Winwin leered down from his hillside point, a growl vibrating from the back of his throat. Below was a coiled dirt road that wove between the trees. It was a path long abandoned, deemed too dangerous by humans. Its location in the midst of wolf terrain.

In addition, an imperial carriage was on the move. Its flagged posts flapping furiously in the wind.

This would be his only chance.

He knew his Alpha Taeyong would disapprove of his plan, but desperation had brought him down to a new low. They need something worth exchanging.

And what better currency than a princess.

───

The night was bittersweet. As the liveliness of the day retreated, a newfound beauty came to replace it. Countless points of light speckled in the sky while the waning gibbous moon hung in its center.

It was too dark for the horses to continue, the princess' guards pitching tents for the party to retire. You had decided to remain in the carriage, too spooked to be out in the open.

Winwin crept around the perimeter. His ears perked, listening to all that transpired.

Are you sure you want to go through with this? Xiaojun voiced his reservations.

Do you have a better plan? Winwin countered.

Xiaojun didn't respond. He didn't.

In their wolf forms, they could communicate with one another telepathically. It made hunting easier. It also allowed them to call in reinforcements if danger presented itself.

Which one is the princess? Yangyang inquired, his coat brushing against the foliage.

The flags upon the carriages signified the party was from the Western state.

The princess should have an imperial seal on her. Winwin informed.

It would most likely be a golden amulet engraved with the royal family's crest.

Rodger. Xiaojun acknowledged.

I'll move in on this end. You guys go left. Winwin's paw landed on the first layer of topsoil. He was stealthy, the most agile in the pack.

You masked a yawn, lowering yourself down to the padded cushion seats. You folded your shawl into a makeshift pillow and draped spare dress over your lower half as a blanket.

Something glimmered in the corner of your eye. Your brows furrowed as you reached to grasp the ribboned sash, threaded onto the ribbon was a gold medal-like objected. You examined closer, startled to realize it was the princess' seal. She must have dropped it earlier.

You placed on the opposing seat and laid back down. Your eyelids slowly drooped as sleep came to consume you.

───

You awoke to chaos. Bloodcurdling screams echoed, bouncing against the trees. Adrenaline coursed through your veins as your fingernails dug into your blanket.

What is going on out there? You fretted.

There was a loud boom, followed by an intense shaking of the carriage.

You sat up instantly, grabbing hold of the door's handle. You placed your weight behind it, preventing whoever on the other side from entering.

"Open," A man's voice demanded, his accent thick.

The carriage was shaken some more until it was pushed onto its side. You went flying backward, your side painfully knocking into some luggage.

The door was torn off. The man standing outside the entrance growled, his eyes haunting and red as a blood moon. Your scream evaporated in your thoat, those eyes...

Werewolf.

Winwin stopped dead in his tracks. His labored breathing calmed, his talons retracting back into fingers. Your scent overpowered, luring him in. It wasn't until his eyes met yours, did his heart beat in a frenzy.

You couldn't be? His confusion was apparent.

He had heard his brothers recount this feeling, describe every detail of what it was like to finally find one's mate.

My mate.

Three hundred years he'd prowled this earth, and yet this was how he'd find you.

"Winwin," Yangyang called aloud, "We've rounded them up."

Winwin shook his head. He still had a mission to complete. In one swift motion, he hauled you out of the carriage, placing you safely onto the ground. You frantically glanced about. Amie and her ladies in waiting were in their nightgowns, barefooted and standing a few paces away.

"I'm not a princess," Amie sputtered, pointed directly at you instead, "She is!"

Your eyes widened, alarmed.

"Take her! She's the one you want."

Your mouth quivered; your protests disputed by Amie's other ladies in waiting.

"Yes, Princess Y/N"

"Your highness."

One of the men unfamiliar to you, narrowed his eyes, "Is it you?"

You vehemently denied it, "I'm just a governess."

The one that went by the name Winwin circled closer. You couldn't quite make out his expression.

"You said the princess was the one with the seal?" The third man motioned his friends to have a look.

He dug out a golden amulet, fastened on a sash of ribbon. Your blood chilled. They had found you inside the carriage alongside the Amie’s imperial seal. They were bound to misunderstand the situation.

"Looks like it is you," Yangyang drew nearer, "I'm afraid you'll be coming with us."

You continued to stare at the wolves, unable to will your limbs to move. You were overcome by fright, every fiber of your being trembled.

The fear etched upon your features felt like a slice to Winwin's heart. He lowered his head, ashamed.

"I'm sorry," He murmured before shifting.

───

You pretended to be dozing, unsure on what to do next. The wolf had thrown you on his back, running at an impossible speed. It didn't take long for the carriage and party to be out of sight.

The wolf you had ridden on had then shifted back into a human once you'd reached a gigantic stone manor. He gently cradled you his arms and carrying upstairs, leaving you in an almost vacant bedroom, resting upon a mattress and tucked under some sheets.

You could make out his voice on the other side of the door. He wasn’t alone. Winwin was speaking to another; in a tongue you didn't frequently hear.

"I know what you're going to say,"

"Do you?" Kun barked, "Humans already have a skewed perception about us, and to reinforce it, you go and kidnap their princess." He threw his arms in the air.

"We needed the leverage," Yangyang came to Winwin's defense, "It's not like we'll harm her,"

"That is irrelevant," He rubbed his temples. His frustration was evident,"Our problems are ours alone. You'll take her back,"

Winwin's eyes flashed a deeper shade of red, "No,"

Kun blinked, taken aback by Winwin's defiance. Werewolves operated under a strict hierarchy. Kun was second only to their Alpha, and a wolf with lower standing could not physically disobey an order from someone who ranked higher. Unless a matter concerned one's mate.

Yangyang exchanged looks with Xiaojun.

"The princess?" Kun asked absurdly.

Winwin let out a pained sigh.

"Yes,"

NETWORKS: @czennienet | @nct-writers | @neoswitchnet

MONI’S NOTE: I hope you enoyed Winwin’s first part. If you do it would be much appreciated if you could like, reblod or comment.

If you’d like to be tagged in this fic please send me a message.

#neoswitch #winwin #dong sicheng #nct fanfiction #wayv #wayv fanfiction #nct #nct 127 fanfiction #nct 127 #nct scenarios #wayv scenarios #nct imagines #nct reactions #nct moodboards #winwin fanfiction #nct au #mine #nct werewolf au

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themadamespod · 3 years

Text

Sharon Carter: A Study in Selfishness

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier spotlighted some hard truths. Beyond its real-world parallels, it’s changed our perspective on the MCU. And on the heels of the finale, we can’t help but reflect on how we got here.

It feels like ages ago that an alien invaded Earth believing it was his right to do so. This madman imposed his will upon a whole planet. He wielded god-like power over an entire species. He took the lives of countless people, leaving the rest to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

In doing so, he became one of the most beloved characters in the MCU.

So why is it that many of the people who adore a monster are now so disappointed with Sharon Carter?

Easy. Loki is a man.

Angels and Demons

Relax, everybody. This is not an anti-Loki treatise. I’m writing this post with a Loki poster behind my chair, a Loki mug on my desk, and a Loki t-shirt on my back.

To be fair, it helps that the God of Mischief is played by one of the most charming, attractive men in Hollywood. But Emily VanCamp is no slouch. She’s a beautiful, talented actor who elevates any project. So why are people upset that she’s the Power Broker?

Women aren’t supposed to veer from familial or cultural expectations.

Women aren’t supposed to put themselves first.

Women aren’t supposed to seize power in a man’s world.

The events of Civil War alone had a tremendous impact on the characters we love. Sam and Bucky’s respective ordeals changed them forever, and The Blip forced them to adapt even further. So many people are praising their growth in the TFATWS finale, and we’re among them. But it’s frustrating to then see comments like these:

“Omg wtf is wrong with Sharon? That is NOT who she is!”

“Since when is Sharon evil? That ain’t her.”

“Sharon is totally a Skrull. The Sharon we know would never turn her back on everything she stands for.”

Guess what, folks? Just like Sam and Bucky, the Sharon we once knew no longer exists. She, too, changed and grew - right out of the box that the patriarchy built for her. And people don’t know how to handle it.

Double Standards

Misogyny is so deeply woven into the fabric of our society that a lot of people, women included, often don’t see it. But it’s in almost every facet of daily life, leaching into our brains like a toxin. And TFATWS called Marvel out on it by illustrating a simple fact:

Men and women who behave in the same way are treated very differently.

A man who tramples others for a promotion is ambitious. A woman is a conniving bitch.

A man who sleeps around is held up as a ladies’ man. A woman is looked down upon as a whore.

A man who logs extra time at the office is a good provider. A woman is neglecting her family.

Despite centuries of fighting for our right to exist, women are still brainwashed to be and be seen as lesser than men. We’re expected to conform to roles meant to keep us subservient. We’re told that caring for others is more important than caring for ourselves.

Sharon Carter received the same cultural programming. And it’s likely that she felt familial pressure (either explicit or implicit) to follow in Aunt Peggy’s footsteps, whether she wanted to or not.

And follow she did.

Sharon joined S.H.I.E.L.D. She fought armed HYDRA agents. Then she sacrificed her life, her career, and her freedom for the greater good. And what did she get for it?

The same thing women always get when they put everyone else’s best interests ahead of their own.

She got fucked.

A Matter of Perspective

Let’s pretend the TFATWS finale had gone differently. The Power Broker is a previously unseen bad guy, a Wilson Fisk type. After the U.S. government branded her as a fugitive and the Avengers forgot her, Sharon has just been trying to survive in Madripoor.

Nonetheless, she helps Sam and Bucky neutralize Karli. Sam secures Sharon’s pardon and she reclaims her former post as a dutiful C.I.A. agent.

Talk about disappointing; that would be like watching a woman return to a man who beats her.

In reality, Sharon is revealed as the Power Broker. After the people for whom she gave everything betrayed her, she built a lucrative business from scratch using a canny brain and the skills S.H.I.E.L.D. taught her.

Now for those who are incensed by Sharon’s turn because she’s selling weapons, please see Exhibit A:

Even after Tony Stark stopped manufacturing weapons for the U.S. government, he continued making them for S.H.I.E.L.D. If memory serves, he also created a sentient murder-bot that leveled a city before nearly annihilating mankind.

Tony’s intentions were noble, but that didn’t make him any less responsible for a humanitarian disaster. The Sokovians would have been well within their rights to demand Tony’s arrest and incarceration.

But we love Tony, so we don’t like to go there.

And speaking of the U.S. government, let’s be real. American politicians wouldn’t condemn Sharon for illegally selling weapons to dangerous groups. They’d condemn her for cutting into their own profits.

If there’s one thing the U.S. government excels at, it’s creating and arming terrorists. Sharon’s just running their playbook.

Redefining Selfishness

In all fairness, some people’s disappointment over Sharon’s arc has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with heroism. For this discussion, see Exhibit B:

Ever since Steve Rogers got his happy ending with Peggy Carter in Endgame, the Marvel fandom has been divided into two camps.

Camp 1: Steve is a selfish bastard who abandoned his family, his country, and the world when they all needed him the most.

Camp 2: Steve did more than enough for his family, his country, and the world when they all needed him most and deserved his happiness.

I will always be a card-carrying member of Camp 2, which is one reason I exited my Endgame theater as a human ball of snot.

Steve Rogers gave enough for his country even before he was defrosted. He liberated a POW camp behind enemy lines. He defeated Red Skull. He saved countless lives by crashing the HYDRA bomber into the arctic, sacrificing his own life in the process.

And when he was resurrected after 70 years, did he stop and smell the roses? Read a book on the beach?

No. He saved the world. Again, and again, and again.

It’s incredibly noble that a life with Peggy is all Steve wanted. Think about Michael Bay’s uber-patriotic Armageddon. Those roughnecks had quite the list of demands for saving the world, all of which seemed perfectly reasonable because, hello, they were saving the world.

So what does this have to do with Sharon Carter? Well, if you’re in Steve Rogers Camp 1, you likely see Sharon as a selfish bitch. I’ll make the same argument in her defense:

She’s given more than enough for others. She has every right to now put herself first.

We as women need to redefine selfishness. It’s been weaponized against us for far too long. We have to reframe it as a positive concept whereby we simply make our needs a priority in our own lives.

If more women embraced selfishness, we would be unstoppable.

Oh, and if you’re in Steve Rogers Camp 2 but still disappointed in Sharon Carter, you’ve got some hypocrisy on your chin. Might want to wipe that off.

A Final Note

Alice Walker, who knows a thing or two about feminism, once said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”

When the name “Power Broker” was first dropped on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it felt cheesy. But now it seems like the perfect title for a woman who not only refused to give up her power, but actively sought more.

Sharon Carter is unequivocally selfish, but that doesn’t make her evil or even wrong.

It makes her one powerful woman. And we can’t wait to see her again.

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xiaomomowrites · 3 years

Text

act IV

Genshin Impact | TartaLi/ZhongChi

Summary: It was the way Zhongli’s warm amber eyes suddenly were not as warm anymore. The way he looked at him with a piercing look, void of remorse, as he handed his gnosis over willingly to go on a whole tangent about how his “duties were done”. It was the way he turned and treated the precious traveler with the same amount of kindness and gentleness the Childe had received the previous night, with such ease; it was a look he thought was reserved only for him. It was the way he was able to turn back around, stare at Childe with an unreadable gaze, and walk away without so much of a goodbye.

Or, Zhongli and Childe finally have the conversation that was long overdue.

A/N: I’ve been playing genshin for roughly four or five months now, I can’t remember exactly when I started, but boy do I love it. No you don’t understand, I’m obsessed. But these two have been taking up room in my big brain, so I wanted to write for them. It’s been awhile since I wrote for pleasure so hopefully this is satisfactory :,) and tomorrow, I’m back to school, so I thought I’d enjoy my last day of freedom and post this today. Fun fact, I’m minoring in professional writing, so I’m hoping that it’ll improve my writing skills when I write for luxury, too. Anyway, this was a really fun piece for me to write and I hope you share the sentiment.

Also thank you guys for being so patient with our inactivity and just being such a chill audience to write for. Other social media platforms have become so...demanding haha. I appreciate y’all! Feel free to message us or talk to us about whatever :) -u.n.

Find this on AO3!

Spoiler alert: this fic does contain spoilers for the A New Star Approaches arc, so read at your own risk.

—

In Childe’s line of work, he is no stranger to betrayal.

Working as a Fatui Harbinger meant an unhealthy amount of fighting, betraying one person, deceiving another, and then on occasion, getting betrayed himself. It was all in a days’ work. Childe knew he would just have to roll out his neck and move on. He’s done it before, he can do it again. He would think that, after nineteen years of this grueling rinse and repeat, that he’d be able to tolerate a lot in the field. In fact, working with that wretched colleague of his, Scaramouche, and serving the Tsaritsa with a loyalty unmatched explicitly calls for the patience and tolerance of a saint.

Alas, Childe is the furthest thing from a saint. And still, Zhongli’s betrayal stung the most out of anyone else’s, the reason still unbeknownst to him. He tells himself that it’s because he had actually befriended the other man. That, unlike his other missions, he developed more of a friendship with Zhongli than he has with anyone else in the past. Not to mention how he really thought he’d find the gnosis, in all its golden glory, seated deep within the Exuvia, and not within his friend.

Which is why after he watches Zhongli hand over his precious gnosis to Signora of all people, Childe makes haste to return to the inn he had been staying at to furiously pack his things and leave first thing in the morning. Seeing Signora in Liyue so close to Zhongli had triggered a deep seated feeling of possessiveness over him and the city. Liyue was his territory, as far as he was concerned. It was assigned to him by the Tsaritsa and no one else. And yet, despite his unspoken possession over Liyue, its people turned against him and viewed him as the enemy. As if Childe didn’t already know that. As if he hadn’t already grown up with a layered villain complex, subconsciously looking for a fool with a hero complex to match him. Then entered Zhongli, making himself at home in Childe’s life, and he was immediately enamouring the Harbinger.

Screw Liyue.

Screw all their traditions, the stupid glaze lilies, the delicious cuisine, the obvious livelihood that fills the streets in stark contrast to his own icy hometown, screw all those goddamn unnecessary mountains, that fish market with that abhorrent smell he gradually got used to, and screw Rex Lapis. Screw Zhongli, that handsome bastard, for stringing him along like his plaything the entire time.

Childe knows, he gets it, that Zhongli simply did what he had to do because it was best for his people. And what other way for the oldest of the seven to go, if not for a grand finale? And yes, Childe admits, luring out Osial was a stupid move, but it certainly served its purpose for testing the strength of Liyue and its defenders.

Zhongli and Signora knew he would do something stupid and reckless as soon as he caught wind of the Exuvia serving as a decoy. They knew, and they played the game so well, that Childe really thought he was the mastermind puppeteering the whole show.

What a fool he was made out to be.

Childe aggressively shoves blazer after blazer into his travel duffel, angry, pathetic tears pooling at the corners of his eyes without his consent. He sniffs angrily and swipes at his cheek as soon as the first tear falls.

Fuck this, he’s not crying over a god, he still has some dignity.

But still. Pride aside, it hurt. And it wasn’t even necessarily the deceit that hurt the most. He’s dealt with that previously. It was… more personal. More of an internal struggle than an external issue. Childe truly hates those the most. At least he can shove his fist through any external problem, but he can’t exactly do the same with his feelings, or whatever they’re called.

It was the way Zhongli’s warm amber eyes suddenly were not as warm anymore. The way he looked at him with a piercing look, void of remorse, as he handed his gnosis over willingly to go on a whole spiel about how his “duties were done”. It was the way he turned and treated the precious traveler with the same amount of kindness and gentleness the Childe had received the previous night, with such ease; it was a look he thought was reserved only for him. It was the way he was able to turn back around, stare at Childe with an unreadable gaze, and walk away without so much of a goodbye.

The same eyes that gazed at him with such affection and kindness were suddenly replaced with the eyes of a soldier. And it was only then that Childe fully realized the force he was reckoning with. Zhongli was a withered god who lived too long for his own good. A powerful deity that held the ability to shake the ground with a look; he who had been humbled by time and his sharp edges eroded by the millions of faces that passed him. Simply put, Childe was just another one of those faces. And again, he understood. If he lived for six thousand years, he wouldn’t want to be alive after the first hundred.

It was the duality that dug the blade deeper into his already bleeding chest. He felt used.

“I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together, Childe,” Zhongli had said to him on a warm Liyuen night, “a friend of mine, a long time ago, told me that I was… bad at connecting with people. Emotionally stunted, is what she called me. And she is correct, as I have definitely struggled with making connections in the past. But with you… it’s different. It’s easy.

Childe is thankful for the discretion that night provides him; Zhongli would have easily spotted the blush spreading across his pale cheeks had it been daytime.

“So you had trouble making a couple friends, so what?” The ginger shrugs, “I wasn’t the best at making friends, either. My mom always said I was too aggressive. Apparently that’s not such an appealing trait, after all.”

Zhongli chuckles, a beautiful sound. “It was a bit deeper than that, I’m afraid. Understanding the complexity of another’s emotions was always difficult for me, whereas she… she was loved by everyone. Adored by the youngest of fawns to the oldest of horses. It came so naturally to her. I was the opposite. Not that everyone hated me, no, people just had a harder time getting close to me. Which is why, upon meeting you, I was shocked to find that we clicked so well. Befriending you was as easy as breathing air.”

Oh, Archons, help him.

“And,” Zhongli continues, as if he hadn’t already wrecked the man six ways to hell and back, “I must sincerely thank you for indulging me once again.” The deity glances down at the bag full of antique trinkets in his lap. Childe’s lips turn upward into one of his more genuine, rare smiles.

“What’s with you tonight?” Childe responds, and Zhongli looks at him questioningly , “I mean, you never had a problem with me spoiling you rotten before. You’ve never even acknowledged it. Why start now?”

Zhongli tears his gaze away from the Harbinger.

“And,” the ginger continues, “it almost sounds like you’re saying goodbye.”

Zhongli smiles at him then. He wore a kind look on his face, eyes so impossibly warm that it reminded him of his grandmother’s pirozhki. Hot and steaming from the center, melting on his tongue, dissolving deliciously in his mouth and defrosting his entire body. His smile felt like it wrapped itself around his chest and squeezed the best way possible, fitting him back together in places Childe didn’t even realize he had broken.

“What makes you say that?”

Oh, Childe is pissed.

Fuck tomorrow morning, Childe is leaving tonight.

The memories of last night crash over him not unlike a tidal wave and suddenly, he’s drowning. Filled out the brim with a familiar rage burning through his chest and searing his finger tips, his legs, his fucking toes.

He stands abruptly when he realizes he’s been sitting and resumes his packing. It doesn’t take very long after that. A couple toiletries get shoved into the side pockets, his vision is hooked back onto his hip, and his mask is slid into its’ usual spot on his head. He looks at himself in the mirror on the way out and scowls at the way his hair looks more disheveled than usual. Red rims his dulled blue eyes, forcing him to accept that maybe he cried more than he’d like to admit. Whatever.

He swings the door open and-

“Childe,” lo and behold, Zhongli stands in his fucking doorway, “I’d like to talk to you, if that’s alright.” The man looks slightly disheveled. He’s a little out of breath, Childe notices, like he ran up those ridiculous flights of stairs to get to his room- which, by the way, he never disclosed that information with him.

The man in question huffs a laugh. “It’s not.”

He makes a move to brush past him, but is stopped by an unreasonably strong grip around his bicep.

“Tartaglia,” he pleads, “please.”

Childe snatches his arm back and spits, “don’t call me that.”

He retreats back into his room anyway, hearing Zhongli close the door behind him. He dumps the bag back onto his bed and curses himself for not leaving a millisecond earlier.

“You’re angry with me.” Zhongli starts, face as unreadable as ever.

“The sky is blue. Snezhnaya is cold. Are we still stating the obvious here?” He’s too angry to carefully choose his words. Too hurt to slip on his pleasant facade.

“Tartaglia,” he presses, and Childe really hates how his name sounds on his tongue, “I truly am sorry for the way things had to go. It was not in my intentions to… hurt you to the degree in which you feel. I simply was upholding the end of my contract and doing what was best for my people. I implore you to believe that making you feel used was not my main objective.“

Oh god, his apology sounds so robotic.

“So you’re aware that what you did was a little fucked up.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re aware that almost the entirety of Liyue places the blame on me.”

“Yes.”

Well, shit. “Good talk, Zhongli-xiansheng. If you’ll excuse me, I must begin my trip home.”

He stomps toward the door only to be stopped once again. Archons, if Childe had any motivation left, he most certainly would challenge him to a spar. The ginger huffs, and looks to the heavens in a silent plea for patience.

“Tartaglia, please, I’m not finished-“

“Yeah, well I am.” Their eyes lock. Blue meets gold in a hostile hold, refusing to break. “The second you handed your gnosis over, my business here was done. Whatever… relationship we had is done. You were my consultant and was a Harbinger here for business. A Harbinger that you obviously used for your disposal. So now that that’s over and done with, I really need to report to Tsaritsa, lest she have my head on a silver platter-“

“I spoke with Tsaritsa already.” Zhongli cuts in, his grip tightening around Childe’s wrist. “I asked her for more time with you.”

“You what.”

“Surely you are curious about the deal I struck with Tsaritsa. The contract to end all contracts, yes?” Childe’s wild look on his face eggs him to continue, “I struck a deal that granted you more time here in Liyue. With me.”

Childe is silent for a moment. The ex-Archon opens his mouth to continue.

“And I’d like to say I’ve known you long enough to know that you seek freedom. From what that may be, I do not know. But Tsaritsa has agreed to give you a choice, at the very least, a temporary one. An extended vacation or complete retirement is a choice to be made by you.” Zhongli finishes, looking to Tartaglia with hope.

“THAT is worth your fucking gnosis?!” Zhongli’s gnosis. The entire essence of his being. The very thing that makes him divine (thought it certainly isn’t the only thing that makes the man ethereal), was traded for him.

“Yes,” Zhongli replies with such ease it makes Childe’s head spin. “Among other things, of course.” An aggressive why is lodged in the back of Childe’s throat. Why me? A million questions swirl around his head, knocking him off balance. He would have swayed on his feet had Zhongli not been there to hold him upright.

“That’s insane. You’re insane. You…” Childe lets out a tired sigh, “I don’t understand you.” And he doesn’t. Because one minute he’s a cold hearted businessman, and the next he’s at his door, reduced to a mortal, begging him to stay. Granting him freedom. Really, what kind of fucked up game is this? Why didn’t anyone tell him he was a part of it?

Zhongli smiles. He smiles. “You remember our conversation from the night before, yes?”

Childe rolls his ever-blue eyes to the back of his head. “Remind me, Zhongli-sensei,”

“I said,” the deity starts, drawing both of Childe’s calloused hands between his own, “that I struggled to connect with others. Guizhong, the Goddess of Dust, was the one to bring to my attention my emotional constipation. And like I said, she was correct.”

Childe’s anger withers.

“Unfortunately I understand naught of the depth of your feelings of betrayal,” he continues, “but I do wish to understand how deeply humans feel. And in our time together, I’ve begun to understand through you. Despite your… complexities. And I wish to continue to learn. With you.” I wish to feel human is left unsaid, and laced between his words instead.

“What are you saying,” the Harbinger asks weakly.

“Take me with you.”

“What.”

“Take me with you. Wherever you go, I will follow, if you will allow it.”

Well duh, he’d allow it. Zhongli just had to work for it a little more. He can’t just waltz in here after breaking his heart and ruining his trust, demanding his friendship and companionship or whatever, after everything he was put through-

“Okay.”

Very nice ass to mouth filter, Ajax.

Zhongli’s eyes glow impossibly brighter, “Okay?”

Childe tugs his hands back to his side. “Yes, yes, fine. Whatever. But you can’t just. You can’t just use me again in the name of experimentation.”

“Tartaglia, I would never,” he assures him vehemently, “Of the seven, I was always the one most oblivious to emotions. You may ask Barbatos if you want. But I know that what I feel for you is real and I would not trade it for the world.”

Childe’s mind reels. Barbatos? Feelings?

“‘What you feel for me?’”

Zhongli cocks his head in confusion, as if his feelings were the most obvious thing in the world. “Well, yes. And you feel the same, no? It need not be said aloud.”

“It really doesn’t,” Childe affirms, “you can save me the embarrassment.”

“Wonderful,” Zhongli’s face brightens, and it’s only then that Childe is hit with the full realization that Zhongli is free. No longer is he tied to the city and burdened with the weight of the people. No longer does he have to associate himself with the likes of the Tsaritsa. Finally, after centuries and centuries, he is allowed the pleasure to smile so brightly despite feeling pained for finally leaving his people. He is Zhongli, and no longer Rex Lapis. Morax is long gone, too. The man before him is a man reborn, and Childe’s heart aches with happiness for him.

“Okay, well,” he clears his throat when he notices he’s been quiet for too long, “it’s been a long day and I’m tired. I think I’m just gonna take a shower and turn into bed and think about the rest tomorrow. Save it for future Childe, you know?”

He pads over to his hastily packed back and zips it back open, pulling out the toiletries he aggressively shoved in less than an hour ago. He digs his fingers into his neck and sighs at the release of tension. Summoning an angry ocean god took a lot more out of him than he anticipated.

“I agree,” Zhongli says, and begins to strip. “Personally I prefer the left side of the bed.”

Childe gawks at him.

“You-!” Truly an emotionally constipated god, indeed. He sighs and his shoulders droop, the fight leaving his body. “Fine. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be out in a bit.”

“I eagerly await your return,” Zhongli comments passively as he slips under the covers, a book he didn’t even know he was carrying tucked under his arm. Childe sighs for the nth time that night and turns to close the bathroom door behind him.

Future Childe certainly has a lot to deal with in the morning.

#genshin impact #genshin impact fan fiction #Tartaglia #Childe #zhongli #tartali #zhongchi #i love them so much it hurts #childe x zhongli #angst #character introspection #when this chapter ended i was incredibly emotional #i just want them to be happy

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moonah-rose · 3 years

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Defrosting Grumpy Three (a Season 8 meta)

I keep thinking about how Season 8 of Classic Who is almost like the first one the show has to a ‘season long arc’ that I don’t feel gets talked about enough. Obviously everyone knows it as “the one where the Master is in every story” but I feel like there is a subtle character arc for the Doctor in this season as well which is tied to the two main characters introduced in the first episode; the Master and Jo Grant.

I’m not the first one to point out that out of Three’s five seasons; this is the one where he’s at his most grumpy and short-tempered. I know a lot of people point to this season as reasons for why they don’t like Three and I totally get that, he’s a real git sometimes, in particular the first and last stories. There are moments where he’s asking for a slap and, no, I’m not talking about him claiming to be buddies with Chairman Mao and a Tory MP. Because I would’ve thought it was obvious that he drops those names purely to gain trust of these people who don’t trust him (at least that’s my headcanon because it doesn’t fit with the anti-capitalist, anti-pollution, anti-imperialist writing). Just him being constantly ungrateful to the Brigadier, snapping at Jo, or just being childish in the most ‘kid throwing a tantrum’ way possible.

But it’s easy to get why. By Season 8 he’s been trapped on Earth for we can assume at least a year. New Who fans who’ve seen the Power of Three and saw how crazy Eleven went when he tried to stay on Earth to study the cubes just for a few days/weeks know the Doctor can’t stand staying still, especially in one time and place. In his first season he could be short-tempered but slightly less so. In Spearhead he’s quite polite and motivated, though that could be the most pleasant form of Post Regeneration Trauma he’s been through. Plus he had Liz, who you can see he immediately clicked with. A fellow genius who finds herself out of place or treated a little unfairly as a female scientist surrounded by men, both of them willing to sass the Brigadier when he deserves it. He also still keeps trying to fix the TARDIS, as if convinced this won’t be as permanent as the Time Lords intended.

But by Season 8 (or you could say even before that, in Inferno) his attempts clearly haven’t succeeded past slipping into a terrifying parallel universe, and now cabin fever is setting in. And Liz, his science bud, has gone off and left. And while it’s sad we didn’t get a goodbye between the two of them, her passing remark towards the Brigadier about the Doctor just needing someone to pass him test tubes and fill his praise kink maybe implies that, at least from Liz’ POV, they weren’t as equals as Three thought, or she didn’t feel that fulfilled working with him, even if she did appreciate him as a friend.

So enter Jo to replace Liz, who is everything Liz wasn’t. Liz had to study and work her way to her position; Jo is a spoiled girl who got to play spy by sheer nepotism. She failed A level science and doesn’t have the same sharp-wit he and Liz shared. Three is mean to her even before she introduces herself as his assistant when she only tries to help, and doesn’t hide his disappointment when she tells him. Perhaps it might also be that she reminds him of his companions before Liz; she’s cute and perky like Zoe and also loyal and determined like Jamie, even though she lacks Jamie’s physical strength and Zoe’s genius. Still, she’s young and he might not want to put her in danger the same way he nearly lost his previous young companions many times in the War Games.

When Three goes to the Brigadier to try to get rid of Jo, the Brig is far more smug than in the previous season, as he seems to have worked the Doctor out by this point. Their little moment at the end of Inferno where Three insults him and tries to escape only to then come back with his tail between his legs acting all buddy has shown him who Three really is; that this whole grumpy shtick of this is just a defence mechanism while he’s so out of his depth. I like to think the Brig hoped Jo would soften him up, to bring out the compassion that was more overt in his previous incarnation, as well as just pass him test tubes and keep tabs on him. His knowing smile when he watches Three try and fail miserably to fire her seems to prove his point.

In the same story we also have the Master showing up for the very first time. He was created to be the ‘Moriarty to the Doctor’s Holmes’. These kind of ‘foil enemies’ that pop up in so many stories, where you have a villain who is supposed to be a perfect match in intelligence or skill to the hero, are more often than not presented as ‘what the hero could have been’ if they chose to be evil rather than good; the Master is no different. And even though it’s not established until the next season that the Doctor and Master used to be friends, there’s clearly an underlining fondness in their banter which hints at past feelings as well as mutual respect. It says quite a lot that Three is more relaxed and friendly during his conversations with the Master half the time they talk than he is with the humans he’s meant to be saving, or even his own close friends. Because, for all their moral disagreements, the Master is his own kind and his only link - other than his broken TARDIS - to the rest of the Universe.

In almost every story of S8, after the Master has revealed his evil scheme only for the Doctor to point out how it will backfire on him, they have to work together or form some kind of alliance of convenience. In Claws of Axos, the Doctor outright pretends to betray his friends and elope join forces with the Master to escape, only for it to be a trick in order to defeat the Axons. But considering Three’s attitude in this season, it’s a very convincing act as much to the audience as to the humans. And then in Colony in Space, the Master offers the Doctor half-ownership of the Universe....and the Doctor clearly hesitates! Yes, the Master tempts him with the persuasion of ruling ‘in the name of good’ but Three has to take a moment to remember what a slippery slope that line of thinking is. He’s so tired of being trapped, sick of being leashed by the Time Lords, that the Master comes along as a devil on his shoulder at his most vulnerable point. Considering the last story involves the Master summoning the actual Devil (or close enough) and is also where Three’s temper seems to be at its peak seems all too fitting.

It’s also interesting that the Master’s greatest fear that appears in the Mind of Evil is an image of the Doctor laughing maniacally over him. It’s the closest we get to an image of Dark!Three in the show. To contrast; the Doctor’s greatest fear isn’t the Master, it’s the eruption from Inferno. Seeing the Earth swallowed by flame - not because of an outside force like the Daleks or Cybermen, but by humans themselves. It’s easy to imagine him wondering why he even bothers with them when they’re their own worst enemy.

(Side note; apparently the Evil Overlord in the Inferno parallel world IS the Third Doctor, according to the Expanded Universe, though I haven’t read up on this. We were robbed of seeing Pertwee play an evil Doctor.)

So while this is going on and the Master is playing his games with the Doctor while also tempting him, intentionally or not, to the ‘dark side’, we also have Jo at his side. And Jo takes all of the Doctor’s snapping and mood swings like a pro, and is very quickly overwhelmed with a lot of the stuff she’s faced which that she didn’t know she was signing up for - being hypnotised, captured by aliens, taken to alien worlds in the far future etc. She screams as most companions did at that time, but because it is what you would expect from a girl fresh out of school and throwing herself into something she clearly didn’t properly prepare for. The Doctor has to save her a lot, more than often because she tried to help only to get herself captured. As much as he does warm to her - because he’s not immune to how adorable she is - it serves to prove his point. Even when he finally gets to leave Earth for a day, she’s too frightened to want to leave the TARDIS. What good is she to him?

Now she continues to prove she has her uses. She has her escapology skills which get them out of a few tight spots. Depending on the writer, she can turn into an Emma Peel-esque agent capable of self-defence and subterfuge. And she’s always patient with the Doctor, no matter what mood he’s in, and extremely loyal. She’s also kind and compassionate with every side character she comes across. There seems to have been a backlash to these kinds of qualities in female characters in the past twenty years or so, what I like to call the Cinderella critique, where if a woman is kind and generous more so than smart, sassy and sword-wielding she’s seen as ‘weak’. Jo is always there at the Doctor’s side when he’s managed to get hurt or knocked out (Three took a lot of naps, anyone else notice this?). Even after he does whisk her away to another planet and nearly don’t make it back, she could easily throw her job away if it was too much, but she sticks with it because you can see that she wants more than anything to be useful and do good for her world - it would be another two season until she found what her own passion was with being an environmental activist but this is where she wants to start.

But it’s not until the end of S8 that we see Jo’s greatest strength and how it saves Three when every other defence he had was gone. He’s spent most of that story chastising her for believing in magic and superstition, as well as anything else he can find to snap at her for like criticising the Brigadier even though he does the same thing all the damn time (this could be seen as a ‘I can insult my bro but you can’t’ moment but it’s still not pleasant). But when he learns the Master is preparing to sacrifice her, he runs in to save her despite knowing it’s a suicide mission. He also gives a cold exchange to the Master when told he’s a ‘doomed man’.

Oh I’m a dead man! I knew that as soon as I walked through those doors so you better watch out! I have nothing to lose, do I?

It’s a telling line that, behind all his patronising and abruptness, he’s reached a point he doesn’t feel he has anything left to keep going. He’s lost his freedom and his knowledge of time travel; but he’ll die before letting Jo die or letting the Earth burn again. When Azal claims the daemons gave humans knowledge, Three responds: Finally he’s turning his anger on the one who deserves it to save the one who has been his friend, even at his lowest points, for the past several months, while still showing his disappointment in what he’s seen of humans living amongst them:

You gave them knowledge to blow up the world and they most certainly will. They can poison the water and the very air they breathe.

When Azal appears, he nearly makes the Master’s greatest fear come true by offering his power to the Doctor instead. And the Doctor looks horrified, immediately doing a Jon Snow and refusing it. Unlike when the Master offered him power before, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment, even though Azal’s powers could probably get his TARDIS working again in a snap. He looks almost scared at the thought of possessing something like that. Perhaps his dark persona in that other world became that way because he did take such an offer?

Azal prepares to kill the Doctor for refusing his offer, which is where Jo saves the day by offering her life for his. A lot of people dislike this ending for the idea of the villain being destroyed ‘by the power of love’ more or less, but this was a lot less common a deus ex machina as it is in New Who. The Doctor explains how it works when they’re free as:

Azal could not accept a fact as irrational and illogical as Jo being prepared to give up her life for me.

Three says it as he’s just as baffled, if also amused, by it as Azal was. Why would Jo give up her life for him? Compare that with when Ten has to give up his incarnation to save Wilf, how he rants that Wilf isn’t important but he has ‘so much more’ to give. Even the Doctor wrestles when it comes to sacrificing himself for others sometimes but Jo did it without a seconds thought, made even more illogical given Three’s often harsh treatment of her. But one thing that is obvious is that Three’s grumpy face is gone; he’s smiling for the rest of the episode, looking at Jo with quiet heart eyes, and letting her drag him into the maypole dance, conceding that she was right and there is ‘magic’ in the world.

Much like Rose was the companion Nine needed after the Time War to enjoy seeing the Universe again and appreciating life, Jo serves a similar purpose in S8 in that she gradually reminds the Doctor through her actions of the strengths in being brave, kind and selfless. She and the rest of the UNIT family are there to remind him of the goodness in humanity and that we’re always learning and trying to improve; as Three says to Azal that ‘they need a chance to grow up’. Jo is the angel on his shoulder to contrast the Master as his personal devil; right down to having her dressed in the sacrificial ‘virgin’ garb opposite the Satanic Master to cap the season off.

Three still has his sour moments after this but he’s far less cantankerous going forward and sweeter towards Jo especially, praising her bravery and learning in future, just as Jo also grows more confident in her abilities and enjoys her adventures with him. He seems far more relaxed on Earth and less desperate to get away because of the people he has around him that make it worth staying around for. Three’s morals and loyalty to humanity might not have been so firm had Jo not been there to ground him, especially with the Master constantly there almost holding out a hand to him offering freedom and excitement. Like all good companions, she saves the Doctor as much as he has to save her, in more ways than one, which she doesn’t get nearly enough credit for. And it’s what adds to the heartbreak of her eventual exit because of the effect she had on his life.

It’s just one of my favorite tropes when a character gets better and softens or becomes kinder not because they had to ‘change for someone else’ but because they were inspired by them, especially if it’s the person they underestimated the most.

#it's about found family yo #classic who meta #doctor who #third doctor #jo grant #three x jo #the master #unit era

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samanthadalton · 4 years

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Can you write fanfic ina x mc, mc teach ina how to cook? Your works are great💖 Thank you❣️

aww thank you anon for this idea i really loved it 🥺🥺

parings: Ina x mc (Bea)

warnings: implied sex but mostly just fluff i guess

taglist: @cloud9in

word count: 2.2k 😬 i got carried away

(if there any mistakes i’ll fix it later)

A recipe for disaster

After the convention, things between you and Ina couldn’t have been better. Even though your relationship was hidden from everyone else, Ina finally stopped closing herself off and pushing you away and you couldn’t be happier. You and Ina stole moments after class, where you would stay behind to help ‘clean up’ or moments in her office where you would do anything but work.

One day you randomly decided to teach Ina how to cook since the first time resulted in her totally butchering your ‘I’m sorry you had a crazy stalker dinner’ by letting the sauce of the pasta explode on her. You texted Ina, ‘‼️EMERGENCY COME TO MY DORM‼️’ and never had Ina run so fast in her life, throwing all her papers to the floor in her office, and dashing to your dorm worried that it was another Benji situation. How she managed to get there undetected by the other students is a complete mystery as when she approached the door of your dorm she banged heavily screaming out your name.

You rush towards the door and swing it open to find a wide eyed Ina, her hair slightly ruffled, sweat marginally glistening on her forehead, and her breaths heavy. Before you can speak, she barges into the room,, “So.. what’s.. the .. emergency?” She takes a quick breath between each word as she frantically looks around your dorm room until you can’t help but let out a laugh.

“Jesus Ina, I don’t think the whole dorm heard you shouting my name, why don’t you scream louder?” your voice dripping with sarcasm with a hint of playfulness. Ina turns to face you and sees your eyes gleaming with admiration as flustered Ina is incredibly cute. Ina slightly frowns and closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in. “Bea… is there an emergency or not?”

You guilty stare down at the floor, “well, um not exactly the kind of emergency you’re thinking, but i swear it’s important” you pick your head back up to look at Ina who is massaging her temples with her fingers, “dammit Bea I literally ditched my grading and ran here, what if someone saw me?” she continues to berate you as she goes on about her publisher and her deadlines but stops talking when you slide a finger seductively down her arm.

“I’m sorry Ina” you pout a little giving your best puppy dog eyes look and lean in to whisper in the shell of her ear, “Why don’t you let me make it up to you?”

Ina’s breathing shakes a little as you nibble on her earlobe and she places her hands and your hips and pushes you back slightly to meet her eyes which look less angry and more turned on and she completely ditches her earlier rant, “hmm, what were you thinking?”

Okay she definitely wants to do it right here right now but you mentally remind yourself that you’re on a mission to teach Ina how to cook so you place your thumb on her lower lip and begin to trace the outline of it, “well I was thinking of teaching you a lesson”

Ina perks up at the word “lesson” and you forget that she is wayyy too kinky for her own good. Her eyebrow raises a little and the grip on your waist tightens as her voice drops to a low murmur, “what kind of lesson?”

You lean in slightly teasing her as your breath ghosts above her lips, “a..... cooking lesson” you move your head back and take in Ina’s slightly disappointed but confused look.

“Bea, uh may I remind you of the last time I tried to cook, it didn’t end up so well”

“Well I remember getting you half naked and getting a massage so” Ina sighs heavily and before she can speak, because knowing Ina she’s probably against the idea of a cooking lesson you carry on speaking, “look I know what you’re gonna say and please, do it for me,” You once again pout your lips and stare at Ina hoping she falls prey to your charms as she usually does, “I’ll be guiding you the entire time,” you turn to face the kitchen counter and raise your arm to point at the ingredients placed upon it, something Ina definitely didn’t notice when she first came in. “Pleaseeeee Ina i’ve literally been planning this and it will be so cute.”

“And how exactly would it be cute?”

“I don’t know, i guess fulfilling a domestic fantasy of mine, cooking alongside the person i’m with while we spoon feed each other and all that romantic stuff”

Ina softy sighs and gives you a chaste kiss on your cheek, “fine but don’t blame me when this all goes south, I told you my kitchen skills are abysmal”

You laugh and being to tug her arm towards the kitchen and you place a cute blue apron around Ina’s head and move behind her to tie it up, “Just a precaution, we don’t want a repeat of last time”. Ina playfully swats at your arm and grins, “so what are we making?”

“My favourite comfort food ever, lasagna. My mom used to make it for me all the time back at home especially during times when I wasn’t feeling well or wasn’t having a good day. Lasagna always cheers me up. Well that and pizza.”

Ina stares at you like you’re the most precious thing in the world and then takes one of your hands in hers, “well I’m honoured you’re teaching me to make it, I hope I do it justice.”

You being to prep Ina on the basics of lasagna telling her “it’s all about the layers and cheese. Cheese is the most important part of this dish”.

You start by washing the minced meat as Ina begins to dice carrots, mushrooms, onions, and defrosts peas and sweet corn before washing them all and placing it in a bowl.

“Okay so we gotta cook the meat and the vegetables for a while and then we are going to add in the seasonings and the sauce and let it cook” you stifle a laugh, “make sure to not get it on yourself this time”.

Ina gives out a hearty laugh and shakes her head, “God i’m so embarrassed by that but you better watch out for when I become a culinary master”. She flourishes her arms a little and you retort, “not really a master when you can’t cook pasta”. She laughs and pinches some cheese from one of the bowls and flicks it at you.

You barely manage to dodge it, and your eyes glimmer devishly, “Oh it’s on now”. You and Ina begin to throw cheese at each other until Ina grabs your hands and intertwines your fingers before pulling you towards her, “I didn’t give you a proper thank you for teaching me how to cook” she kisses you sweetly on your lips.

“Well it’s pretty obvious you need to learn, and if we’re going to be together then you need to know how to cook my favourite comfort food at least”.

Ina intensely stares at you, her eyes full of desire and longing, she kisses you again, harder than the last one and the passion between the two of you quickly builds until you’re interrupted by the clanging on the lid against the pot as the water begins to bubble out of it.

“Crap” you quickly move toward the stove turning the heat down a little to let the meat simmer and then dramatically swipe your hand against your forehead, “that would’ve been a disaster, come on stop distracting me, you’re gonna let the food burn”.

“I’m sure the head chef isn’t easily distracted by a few kisses huh?” Ina moves towards you, pulling into another kiss. You indulge in it for a few more moments before pulling away, “nice try but I’ll make sure you know how to cook lasagna even if it’s the last thing I do” you push Ina back a little and she simply smiles.

.....

The two of you carry on cooking the meat and soon it’s time for you to begin layering the lasagna to get it ready for the oven.

“Okay like I said before it’s all about the layers” you give Ina a little demonstration, placing the pasta sheets next to each other before adding some white sauce and cheese and then repeating the step differentiating between using the red and white sauce.

Ina’s fully focused at the task at hand, attempting to perfect the “art of layering” as she called it placing the sauce and cheese in precise places until it’s ready to be put into the oven.

You grab the oven gloves and place the tray inside before closing the over door and turning to Ina, “and that’s pretty much it, it just needs to cook so we can relax for the next 45 minutes”.

Ina groans happily as she slides onto the couch and you pour two glasses of wine and make your way to the living room and give one glass to Ina before settling on the couch yourself.

“Cooking isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, in fact it’s kind of relaxing” Ina takes a small sip of her wine and you can’t help but just stare at her features, her sleeves are rolled up and small drops of sweat glisten on her face, most likely from withstanding the heat from the kitchen. Her lips are curled up in a small smile as she grips her wine glass.

“You’re a natural professor, it makes me wonder if there’s anything you can’t do” You pluck the glass from her hand and place both on the table in front of you and then you move to straddle her.

Ina runs her hands up and down your sides drinking in your demeanour as she tugs the front on your top down and whispers in your ear, “Well right now I want to do you.” She sharply inhales before clearing her throat, “I admit that sounded better in my head than out loud”. You laugh and kiss Ina indulging in her desires as she releases all the pent up sexual tension between the two of you that occurred while you were cooking.

....

A little while later you stand and move towards the hall, “I really gotta go to the bathroom so if the timer goes off Ina just take the tray out of the oven and place it on the stove okay?”

Ina gives you a nod as you go into the bathroom. Not a second later the timer beeps and Ina gets up to take out the lasagna.

While you’re washing your hands you hear a loud clang and you quickly dry your hands and run towards the kitchen. You stop in your tracks when you see Ina kneeling on the floor with the tray of lasagna flipped upside beside her knees while some of it’s contents have splattered all over the floor and somehow on the bottom drawers too.

You bring a hand up to your mouth to cover your gawking while Ina stares devastatingly at the food in front of her, “Bea I am terribly sorry, I didn’t realise how heavy it was and it slipped out of my hands, i-“

You move towards Ina and kneel beside her slipping the oven mitts off her hands, tears glisten in her eyes and you can’t help but giggle a little, “Wow Ina, I mean I knew you were bad at cooking I just didn’t realise you were this bad, I mean the food was practically ready”. You joking tone helps to alleviate some of the worry on Ina’s face but she looks down at the ground again and sighs.

“Hey, I was just kidding Ina seriously it’s okay” you place two fingers under her chin and lift her head to meet your gaze, “seriously I don’t care about the lasagna, I mean we had fun making it didn’t we?”

“Yes I suppose we did. I just wish we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labour.”

You give Ina a quick peck on her lips and whisper, “well how about we order in a pizza and then we can start cleaning up this mess?”. Ina lets out a small laugh, “Well ordering pizza, that I can do without fail”.

You manage to clean up every precipice of the kitchen that was covered in sauce and then you and Ina cuddle up beside each other enjoying your pizza while you put on a random movie to watch.

“I am sorry I messed it up Bea, if I had correctly estimated the heaviness of the tray then I could’ve-

You cut her off with a kiss which she happily returns, you break the kiss and place your forehead against hers, as your eyes bore into hers, “Ina seriously it’s okay, I had fun with you this afternoon and that’s all that matters, maybe next time we’ll do something less complex like burgers?”

You both smile and settle into the couch enjoying both the pizza and each other’s company.

#playchoices #queen b #ina kingsley #ina x mc #request #thank you anon for this

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butwhyduh · 3 years

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I just read that today's Friday night smut is cancelled. I fully understand why and I hope that you'll have water back soon but I can't help but miss something. I love your writing and I'm waiting for it every week.

I hope I'm don't sound like an entitled and spoiled brat because that's not what I meant.

Have a nice day and rest a bit. Getting so little sleep is really unhealthy. But you're a nurse so you already know this.... I'm trying I'm sorry. I feel pathetic. My social skills suck really bad.

No it’s cool thanks for checking on me. My power came back on last night and I got some sleep. Actually 12 hours and I’ve never slept that long so I was really tired lmao. I’m such a Tim drake with sleep so it wasn’t too bad. I’ve done it a ton tbh. And then the power went back out today so short lived. But the ground is defrosting and the snow is melting so not as bad. I literally thought yesterday was Friday but yeah, I don’t have anything finished. Lots of ideas but nothing finished. I’m glad you like my writing and I hope you a warm Friday. (Unless you’re from the Southern Hemisphere and that would be kinda mean to say since it’s summer lmao) 💕

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valkyrieelysia18 · 4 years

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RWBY Rewrite: Penny Polendina

Salutations Tumblr users! Today, we tackle beloved fan favorite robot girl Penny Polendina.

Now as I stated before, I dropped RWBY after Volume 6 and didn’t really watch Volume 7. I have however heard about certain developments and one plot point made me grateful I got out earlier or I would have rage quit this Volume anyway.

They brought back Penny, with all her memories completely intact.

This destroys one of the best pieces of writing in the show. Penny’s death was meant to symbolize the death of innocence in the show and it led in to the Fall of Beacon as well as Pyrrha’s death. Up until now, the show had been treating it as if a real girl had died. Vexed Viewer on YouTube has done a video on the topic that explains this better than I could. Even if they were going to bring Penny back in some way, she shouldn’t have been exactly the same as if nothing happened. Such as her memory of Vale (and everyone she met) being completely gone or her personality being significantly changed she isn’t even the same person anymore.

So, in this post I am going to be going over her history, role in the plot, and ‘successor’ for the Atlas Arc.

Creation and History

Okay, slight can of worms, but if Doctor Polendina is black, why is his daughter one of the most obviously white characters of the cast?

Alright, there actually is a legitimate reason for that in this rewrite. Penny’s physical features are actually based on Pietro’s late wife Clara Polendina (reference to the Nutcracker ballet) who worked with her husband. The two were very much happy and in love, but Clara died in a Grimm attack before they could have children. Thus, Penny is basically the daughter Pietro never got to have with her. Clara won’t come up that much in the Rewrite, but she was close to both of her husband’s prized students Arthur Watts and Willow Schnee. Arthur would note the resemblance and bring it up during his final confrontation with the doctor (This is what you ruined my life for as well as countless others?! Clara would be ashamed.) Willow would also bring it up and notice the similarities in both Penny and her successor.

However, the Atlas military and Ironwood’s desires to build something like Penny is less heartwarming. There was the original desire of making stronger robots for mass production to protect humans that evolved into infiltration and espionage purposes. But James Ironwood would see Polendina’s plans and see an immense opportunity. A young woman who would never age or die. An individual that they would never have to worry about running away or disobeying orders. Such a person becoming a Maiden would mean that they would never have to worry about the transfer process ever again. That would explain why Penny said that it would be her job to save the world one day, but they don’t think she’s ready for it yet. She is Ironwood’s hope for the future of the Maidens. And just in case she isn’t perfected in time for the next transfer, Winter is being trained and kept in reserve. Ironwood would provide all of the materials Pietro could need, including a crystalized substance that no one knows much about other than it being a classified by the military. It’s source will be noted in a spoiler’s section in this post, but it’s the very thing finally got things to work.

But while Pietro is aware something is up and suspicious of Ironwood’s intentions, he loves his little robot daughter regardless. There will be some flashbacks involving her first days awake (showing her curiosity and determination) as well as her bidding her father good bye when she leaves for the Vytal Festival.

Vale

The only thing I’d really change about Penny in the Vale Arc is giving her more time to interact with the cast, especially Ruby. What we got was okay, but I think it would be much more impactful if Ruby got to spend more time with Penny before her death. I’d definitely like it if Penny would bring up her father during their conversations, saying she was sure that two of them would get along given how much Ruby likes weapons.

It might be also nice for Pyrrha to feel a little off by her sensing all the metal when they first meet, but not realize why or how important that is. Just bit of foreshadowing.

Pelia

So, as you might have guessed by now, Penny will stay dead in this Rewrite. With the kind of story and tone I’m working with, it’s important that there is legitimate consequences to events and actions of the characters. As such, characters who died will stay dead. They may be referenced, appear in flashbacks, haunt our characters’ dreams, perhaps having a spirit linger with unfinished business to help the main characters on their path, but there is no chance of resurrection.

Not that Pietro wasn’t thinking along the same lines as others had considering Penny is a robot. They did manage to retrieve her body and core, but when he managed to build a new body, reboot, and restart, it wasn’t Penny greeting him. Rather, it was a completely personality. And they did not recognize anything or anyone. Pietro was devastated.

Thus I introduce Pelia Polendina, or Pelly. This is reference to the Coppelia ballet that actually includes a toy inventor trying bring a doll to life that he calls a daughter, much like Pinocchio. Only instead of magic bringing a puppet to life, the inventor tries to bring Coppelia to life by stealing a human soul and putting it in the doll. Quite the dark contrast and is actually going to be a bit of foreshadowing. I will say her appearance is actually pretty similar to Penny’s redesign with longer hair, though I would picture her more similar to dishwasher 1910′s design in https://www.deviantart.com/dishwasher1910/art/penny3-0-SD-758463321 . Check them out on DeviantArt, their work is amazing.

Pelia is considerably different than Penny. Whereas Penny was bright, enthusiastic, and rather trusting; Pelly is subdued, talks very mechanically, and is significantly less naïve. While Penny longed to be a part of something greater and be with humans despite her lack of social skills, Pelly avoids most people and is afraid of what Atlas(and by extension Ironwood) wants with a robot like her. This is partly due to her finding about Penny and how the world reacted with the Fall of Beacon.

In regards to Penny, she feels rather guilty about being alive in her place though she doesn’t quite realize that’s what she is feeling. This would lead to her trying to find out everything she could on Penny to understand her emotions, learning about Ruby and the others in the process. Pietro is devastated by the loss and incredibly frustrated with her, not really considering her alive in the same way Penny was which given her personality isn’t that unreasonable to think. Pelia does care about her creator and tries to assist him in what ways she can, but his attitude towards her is not positive and as such she mostly stays out of his way.

Atlas

Pelia’s first proper appearance would be in the Atlas Arc when the group visits Doctor Polendina for weapons repairs after their meeting with Ironwood doesn’t go well and the good doctor isn’t the on the best terms with the General at present. The man is not pleased or in the mood to humor them, though he does defrost a little when Ruby shows her geeky know how on weapons. (He may have also said some rather terrible things about Pyrrha which made the group somewhat grateful JNR wasn’t there.) As the group leaves the building and goes on their way, Ruby looks up to the upstairs window as she feels she’s being watched. She doesn’t see anything, but as she turns and walks away Pelia comes into view from the window. Having recognized who the people who just visited were, Pelly sneaks out and follows the group in the secret for a while.

She finally gets revealed while the group is watching Weiss dance ballet at a Mantle Community Theater. The Atlas Arc is primarily Weiss centric and part of her Arc in proving herself as worthy of the Schnee name will have her prove herself to people of Mantle. One such instance will have her helping out at the community theatre in learning and teaching dance. It’s in which she is showing off her skills Pelia accidentally reveals herself to the group having been incredibly entranced in ballet (little show to her inspiration). Ruby at first mistakes her for Penny so she gets very emotional, only to temper down when she realizes Pelia’s not her. The situation is cleared up and the group gets more insight into the situation of Atlas as well as the strain between the General and Pietro.

Pelia has three distinct dynamics of interactions with the group: Ruby on Penny, Weiss and Winter on siblings, and Oscar on succession. With Ruby, Pelia gets to know more about Penny as a person and Ruby gets a chance to fully process her loss. Pelia’s not Penny, but she comes to appreciate her all the same. Ruby also comes up with Yang in regards to sibling interactions, but Pelia’s focus in this case is more on the Schnee siblings. She’s basically wondering what sisters act like and whether Penny would have seen her as a sister. This lets her get some ballet lessons from Weiss as well as close to Winter. Then there’s her relationship with Oscar with the two of them having to deal with their predecessors and the problems they’ve let them to deal with. The both of them come to realize through talking with each other is that they shouldn’t compare themselves to those who came before. They have their own views and ways of doing things different from their predecessors and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The only thing they can do is do things the best THEY can.

The big turning point in the Atlas Arc for Pelia is when Pietro finds out abut the Winter Maiden and what Ironwood’s original plans were. While I am majorly rewriting the Atlas Arc, I do actually like the idea of an old Winter Maiden who is on her last legs. Pietro doesn’t get all the details of course, but it gives him the idea that the magic could bring Penny back to life. Aside from the whole ‘Dead means dead’ world I’m working with, it’s also a way to show that magic that cannot bring back the dead. I know that’s very much true in the show though not directly stated, but here I want to lay the ground rules down on what magic is and is not capable of.

After being called back by Pietro and assisting him in breaking into the facility where the transfer is soon to take place, the two enter the room that was originally prepped for Winter (who is distracted with everyone else on things going wrong due to Pietro’s interference) with the old woman in the pod. Pietro has explained things and orders Pelia to get in the other pod. Pelia doesn’t move, having been conflicted during this entre plan which shows all over her face. The doctor orders again, much firmer this time. A few moments pass as she thinks it over; fear, doubt, determination all playout in her expressions. Finally, she speaks. “No.”

While Pelia may have been built to be a weapon, she still has free will. Unlike Penny who accepted her role without many doubts, Pelia rejects that her only purpose is to be someone’s tool of war. She wants to help others, but she doesn’t want to fight. I think that if you bring choice into a story as a main theme, you also have to give the characters the choice not to fight, to walk away even if they don’t actually do it. Above all, Pelia doesn’t think that sacrificing others for herself is what Penny would have wanted after having met Ruby and gotten to know what she was like.

She would tell this to Pietro, who would get furious and argue with her. this would continue until they were interrupted by Watts. Watts, with revenge on the brain, would focus on Doctor Polendina and tell Pelia to run along. I know this seems a little hypocritical for Watts to do this considering his advice to Cinder in Volume 5, but this a different situation. Spoilers for the future Atlas Arc Rewrite and future James Ironwood post, go to the next paragraph if you don’t want spoilers. You see, the villains don’t need the Winter Maiden to open the Vault for them because Ironwood already took the Relic of Creation out of the Vault years ago (and is NOT holding up Atlas). In fact, a bit of the power from the staff was used to create Penny which was the the crystalized substance. Watts knows this due to his hacking Ironwood’s system and has already retrieved the Relic and sent it on the way to Salem. This will make the results in Atlas a lot more bittersweet: our heroes will win on the people’s side of things, but lose the Relic. Back to Watts, the man is all about efficiency. While the Winter Maiden’s powers would be nice, they don’t have a vessel for it at the moment and it’s not necessary for their primary goal. Once the business side of things is taken care of, then he’ll indulge in revenge.

Pelia, while conflicted, would run and get to the group to tell them everything. She would then spend the rest of the conflicting helping to escort and treat the wounded, giving her a presence to the people of Atlas. Pietro will be arrested and will be convicted for his crimes, Watts dead but having gotten the last laugh in the end with his technological abilities exposing his teacher and those who left him out to dry.

Once everything is settled, Pelly will stay behind in Atlas as the new right hand of new Headmistress Winter Schnee. Basically, she becomes the Glynda to Winter’s Ozpin (though Winter is a much more hands on no nonsense person). She bids the group goodbye, hoping to Ruby that they will meet again.

After Atlas

I don’t have much in mind for Pelia after the Atlas Arc except for two things. Firstly, that she and Pietro do eventually reconcile and develop something of a relationship when she visits him in prison on her off days. (Jacques is not so lucky in regards to his children.)

The second is when she and Winter will meet everyone at the lowest point of the story. Ruby will have learned some pretty dark truths, including some choices her mother made that’s really made her think. Pelia will actually have a similar conversation with Ruby that she had with Oscar. In how she’s no more Penny than Ruby is Summer. She’ll remark that perhaps Ruby put her mother on a bit too much of a pedestal thanks to the way her family viewed her. When in reality Summer was just a person and people make mistakes. Right now, what choices Summer made in the past aren’t what matters. What matters is what Ruby wants to do now.

Okay, I think I started before the coronavirus stuff went crazy. I am so sorry. Not sure when I’ll get beck to this.

However, I know the next subject is going to quite the doozy...

#rwde #rwby rewrite #penny polendina #dr polendina #ruby rose #weiss schnee #Oscar Pine #winter schnee

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fern-writes-stuff · 3 years

Text

1/2000

i could leave it here.

dear gods, would i love to leave it here.

but the apathetic expression on your face as you turn away begs me to continue.

so i berate.

i diminish.

i spit venom from my tongue but can’t hear it sizzling when it reaches your ears.

i love you far too much to ever truly want to hurt you.

but even if i did, would i be able?

venom can’t melt cold dead hearts.

granted, my adoration might defrost it a bit

but once frozen, nothing is never fresh again.

your back stays turned to me.

i could hear your tired smile blindly from miles away, dear,

as you say those words-

those dreaded words-

then leave a dead man to rot in his grave.

day one, 1/8/2021

poem 1 of 2000

prompt 164

“in an argument do you have to have the last word?”

so that was uh. definitely something! i don’t know what the fuck i’m doing, i’ve not written or read very much poetry during my time on this planet, but here we are. i’m planning on writing 2000 poems in the next however many months/years to improve my writing skills, using a question book to very loosely base the poems off of. t’is a lot, but i am known for taking on overly ambitious projects, so i’m slightly obligated to finish this now. we’ll see how it turns out!

poem the first of this endeavor down, a hopeful one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine to go!

#poetry #poem #writeblr #poemblr #writing #no idea what i'm doing

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imagine-loki · 4 years

Text

Pride and Prejudice

TITLE: Pride and Prejudice CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 38 AUTHOR: wolfpawn

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki was raised on Jotunheim as Laufey’s son after the war, but an agreement was then made that he would wed Odin’s daughter so Odin could secure the alliance of Jotunheim through the marriage. Loki, in turn, was raised to be king of Jotunheim, but how he views Asgard is far different from how Odin’s daughter is raised leading to a clash of cultures as well as uncertainty between the pair of betrothed youths. RATING: Mature NOTES/WARNINGS: Forced Marriage, not all fun and games. My first real step back into the Loki scene in over a year.

Tags - @skulliebythesea @asimovethroughthisworld @blackcherry26-blog @we-shadowhunter2901

Ella used her seidr to plough the snow in front of her and compact it enough to have it easy to walk on. Behind her, the majority of the men left in the city that housed the Jotnar palace were with them, ready to assist people to leave their homes as a result of Laufey’s orders.

“That is an interesting ability to have,” Greta commented.

In the hour they had been walking side by side, neither woman had said anything to the other.

“It is a learned one. It takes many hundreds of years of practice, then, by the time you die, you supposedly realise that you barely knew anything, to begin with. Or so I am told, personally, I think I know more than most considering my ability and age.” She smiled as she lifted her dress to step over a large portion of ice. “I rarely seem to use it for anything but convenience though.” “Makes one wonder why you would invest time in it, to begin with, if all it does is make things more convenient.”

Ella could see Greta’s point. “When it is needed for other matters, no skill is greater. My grandfather, Bor, he was a seidr wielder too, it allowed him the power to defeat the Dark Elves, my father holds Gungnir because his seidr is even more powerful with it. The reason specifically why His Majesty was all too happy to take my father’s offer of an arranged marriage between Prince Loki and I was because, with my inherited ability to easily be trained in seidr, I bring with me a new ability to the Jotnar royal line. It is a rarely required strength but one worth having should it be required.” Greta said nothing for a short time as she walked along beside the Aesir princess. She thought over what Ella had said as well as thought over other thoughts that came into her mind as they made their way through the snow. One thought came to her more than others as they did but Greta did not think it something she could ask.

“There is something you wish to know.” Greta looked at Ella in shock. “I can all but read the thoughts on your face. You want to know why I chose you, don’t you?” “Can you read minds?” Greta became fearful at the thought.

“No, I just can read beings. I have been around too many for so long to not have learnt many things.” Ella explained. “With regards to why you specifically. I want to get to know you a slight bit more and you do not seem to want to bury me under several meters of solid ice, so I figured this to be as good a time as any to talk.”

“Why?” “You like Helbindi, do you not?” “I do.” “And you do not overly dislike me?” “I do not dislike you in the slightest, I think you brave for not only coming here when you knew many would loathe you and you fought to stay and have done nothing but want better for our realm since you first set foot here,” Greta smirked. “And how you treat those who dismiss you is something I will never cease to enjoy.” “Being female is not a sign of weakness, nor is it a prerequisite to being such.” Ella looked at the frozen ground in front of her. “Is there supposed to be running water here?”

“There was, apparently, before the war, it is long gone. How could you know that?” “When I use my seidr to move the snow, it gives me a general feel for what I am moving, in case there is a chasm here that I am not aware of, it has alerted me to flowing water. “Really?” Greta could not contain her excitement.

“Yes, so this is good, for the record, Jotunheim is not defrosting?” “No, this is not good, it is a miracle. We never thought it would happen again, my mother spoke of it as an impossibility.”

“Now you get to tell her otherwise.” “She is dead.” “I am genuinely sorry to hear that.” In truth, Ella was.

“Without the Casket, any who get ill did not last long.” “Yet you do not hate me for my father’s actions?” “You did not take it and it was taken for the actions of Jotunheim, to be angry with the Allfather would require being angry with my father, who stood and slaughtered Midgardians which caused this mess.” She stated sadly.

The silence returned for a while before the women had travelled what they could of the day. The murmur amongst those with them as to there being water flowing in Jotunheim once more lifting spirits as they did so.

“Can I ask you something?” Ella looked over at the Frost Giant. “The customs of your realm?” “Which ones?” “The ones between mates.” “What of them?” “Who thought to ever do such a thing? To have affection for another so to attach to one another by the mouth. Who thought that was something to do?”

Ella laughed at the explanation. “I have no idea. Loki would love your analysis on it.” “Did he find it odd at first?” “When I explained what two young Vanir in the gardens of the palace were doing, he first thought they were trying to eat one another and when I explained it, I think I made him at risk of seeing his breakfast again. He was nauseous from the mere thought of such things. Though, learning the etiquette of kissing the back of a hand served him well, I think that was as far as he could ever be pushed.” Greta frowned. “So, he never kissed you?” “Norns no. He sees it as odd, which I can see the reasoning for.” She shrugged.

Greta noted the slight sadness in Ella’s features at saying that. “You wish he did not?” She ventured.

Ella admonished herself internally for not hiding her emotions well enough. “In Asgard, it is normal, to not express affection in such a manner after a lifetime of thinking it normal leads to complex feelings on the matter. It is not of great importance but it is a peculiar feeling.” Seeing that the princess was not pleased with discussing the issue, Greta contemplated not speaking again before something that she had hoped to ask anyone Aesir or Vanir on came to mind. “Whatever about the mouth-kiss thing but what in the realms is it when mates use their mouths elsewhere? Is that truly something beings do?” Knowing what the Frost Giant was referencing to, Ella snorted a small laugh. “I am no use to you regarding that matter on an experience level, but I can say from speaking to women who have done it and from having read about it, it is common in many places.” “Helbindi has been pleading with Prince Loki to ask you to give him the book on such things,” Greta informed her.

“I know, he tried to have Arden ask me too. The thing is, it was not a book but at least a hundred. Beings from different realms love to write in regards to sex and everything pertaining to the topic, I have found.” Greta found herself laughing. “He is adamant to know of it.” “And no doubt put it to some form of use.”

Greta nodded. “Yes.”

Ella smiled. “With you?” “If I am lucky.”

“He does think a lot of you. I see him look at you across the throne room,” Ella informed her. “I do think he wishes very much wishes to be your mate and I think you well suited, not that my opinion matters any bit.”

“You are an unbiased source, so I take your statement over that of others. You have no agenda to push on this matter.”

Ella gave a small smile and got into the bed she had used her seidr to make for her, ensuring that Greta had something similar.

“I have to ask though, with everything that happened with Býleistr and his mate, with how she was Prince Loki’s love before, how do you think this will go?”

“If I am honest, I am not sure. I cannot pretend that this is all going to go well but it is not about how things are with Loki and his brother but about Jotunheim and the safety of us all.” Ella stated firmly before trying to get some rest, thinking the same herself.

It took a few days to get to the location where they would part ways with the men. On route, they warned all they saw of the order from Laufey hoping the Jotnar would listen to them and make their way East to where they would be more protected.

With directions to their destination, Ella and Greta began the walk alone, not thinking of much other than what was required of them on their journey.

When they arrived at the location, Ella frowned slightly as she looked at the building in front of her. It did not look like a palace or indeed a grand house, if anything, it looked like nothing she had ever seen before in the flesh. It had the appearance of a fortress over anything. They arrived at the gates, unsurprised to see them locked. With only a flick of her seidr, she had them opened and walked in.

When they arrived to the main door, it took even less effort to unlock them also. She looked around the bare hallway they found themselves in before thinking of what needed doing. Beside her, Greta looked somewhat uncomfortable.

“Býleistr?” Ella called out harshly. “I need to speak with you immediately.” Her voice echoed through the hall.

The sound of a door opening close by telling her of the location of the older prince. She waited for his arrival apprehensively.

“Why are you here?” He growled as he came into sight. “How dare you come here and demand my presence.”

“I did not demand it, if I were demanding, I would have told you to get into my presence immediately as I was going to speak with you, not implore that I needed to, and, since you are asking why I am here, that answers if you have left here any time recently. War is upon us.”

“What?” He demanded, his concern clear to see.

“Alfheim is at risk of falling, as you know, Jotunheim is the closest realm to it. If we do not prepare, we could be next. Loki and Helbindi have already joined my brother, the Light Elves and the Vanir. His Majesty wished to allow you a few days recovery before calling on you also but Jotunheim can wait no longer, she needs her third son to join the fray. The last remaining guards are gone to get the people to bring them to the East, if you remain here and they breach the realm, you will be cut off from the rest of us and will not last long against their magic, you need to get back to the palace.” “My father banished me here.” He snarled.

“He sent you here to quell unrest, giving you time away from the talk of others with your mates, you know this was not a punishment, not in the true sense. We all know that were Laufey to command it, you would know the true meaning of suffering. Cease acting as though you will not return, you know you will assist with this, you were raised for this and are a damn good fighter who enjoys a fight so don’t pretend you are not already considering going.” She turned to leave. “Why did my father send you?” “Because the men are needed to assist those who need them, you are too remote to simply trot here and then continue to them. I offered to inform you.” “Why?” “Because, as your brother’s mate, my being here should show you the severity of the situation.”

“How do I know this is not some sort of trick?” “You mean by my father to bring down Jotunheim from the inside?” Býleistr nodded. “Because were that the case, you being here alone and unaware of such things would actually have benefited such a plot, because I broke through your defences without alerting you until I called your name.” Býleistr frowned and looked at the door, noting that she had, in fact, done so. “Because if my father were to think of something like that, he would not give one single solitary care to you and your mates as you are of so little importance to him that he would most likely forget you and they even existed because as far as the guarding of Nine Realms are concerned; you, Býleistr, son of Laufey and Fárbauti, are so far down the list of issues he would see fit to be concerned about, that you would not make it into a thousand-page book of said list, I am sorry to inform you. I respect that in your personal thoughts, you are your paramount concern, as indeed we all are to ourselves, but to my father, the Allfather, King of Asgard and protector of the realms, you are nothing. I could obliterate you right here and now, so you cannot fathom what he could do but he would not do such a thing, nor will I, we need you alive to help our realm.” Býleistr shook his head. “I will not leave to help Asgard.” “Odd you should say that since none have asked such a boon of you.” “You mentioned ‘our’ realm.” “Yes, a you and I inclusive ‘our’. I am referencing Jotunheim, our home, our realm. I know you have yet to see past my appearance to see me as of here, but I am the mate of your brother, the children of which will be of Jotunheim, raised as Jotnar. All I do, I do for Jotunheim but you are so busy hating my skin to realise it.” She looked to where she could now see Alma and Angrboða watching them. “If anything, you should like me, I opened the door to you getting your second mate and talked Loki into not wanting to have you skinned for it. Now, get what you need and come on. It’s not a swift journey.”

“I do not take orders from you.” “I do not take no for an answer, so decide now if you want to be forced back by my seidr or your own free will because we are going back to the palace and you will be facing your father, so do you do so as a son willing to serve him or as a man forced back who disobeyed not an order from me, but his father.” Ella challenged.

Býleistr snarled for a moment. “What did you mean ‘It is clear I did not know’? Did you think I had a part in this, that I would do such a thing?”

“I did not know, such as I do not pretend to know what you are thinking now with regards to how you wish to return to the palace.” She looked at Greta. “We have done as instructed, so I suggest getting a few moments to compose yourself before we return, however our mates’ brother decides he wishes to do this.”

“So you expect us to just leave and follow you, is that it?” Angrboða growled.

“I have stated that it is the order of our king, so on the presentation of such knowledge, yes, I do.”

“You think we take orders from you.” “You take orders from your King,” Ella stated each word with enunciation and loudly. “You are not above him, nor are I or indeed your mate, lest you forget you are not the child of the king but the simply the mate of said child, the same as for me. I offered to come to show the severity of the situation and upon order from my King to ensure your return, I will follow said order should my last breathe be caused by it. Only I will not be at risk of such, for none will be so stupid as to challenge me on it. Now, I will ask you once more, please, get what you need, I can use my seidr so we do not need to carry it back and we can leave as soon as possible. Seeing you travel amongst those forced to flee will give them a sense that you are there for them, it will strengthen their thoughts, not just of your father, but of you specifically for standing with them.” She looked at Býleistr as she spoke the last few words. “They want to feel safe, you are a known fighter, you will make them feel so.”

Býleistr contemplated her words for a moment. “Alma, ‘Boda, get your belongings, we leave as soon as we are ready.” He stated, walking towards his mates. “Stay here,” He ordered Ella and Greta.

“I am going getting something to eat,” Ella stated, heading towards the area she hoped housed the kitchen. “We have not eaten since breakfast and we are hungry and I can literally smell the food from here and I am not leaving with an empty stomach. You pack, we eat.”

#Loki #others #submission #imagine #Chapter 38 #wolfpawn #Pride and Prejudice

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